npr--2020-07-04--In Fourth Of July Remarks, Trump Attacks 'Radical Left'

In a Fourth of July speech aimed at commemorating the military on Saturday , President Trump hit on familiar divisive themes , condemning the `` radical left '' and the media he accused of `` slander . ''
During the second annual `` Salute To America '' event held on the South Lawn , the president drew a comparison between historic American wartime victories and stopping the `` radical left . ''
`` American heroes defeated the Nazis , dethroned the fascists , toppled the communists , saved American values , upheld American principles , and chased down the terrorists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' the president told attendees .
`` We are now in the process of defeating the radical left , the Marxists , the anarchists , the agitators , the looters and people who in many instances have absolutely no clue what they are doing . ''
Trump also went after protesters who 've rallied to take down statues and monuments that honor Confederate leaders and others known to have supported or profited off of slavery and racism .
`` We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or trample on our freedoms , '' he said .
Trump said media outlets `` slander '' him and `` falsely and consistently label their opponents as racists . ''
The president also returned to his call for the creation of the National Garden of American Heroes , for which he signed an executive order on Friday .
He said his administration has already selected `` 30 legends , '' men and women that include : John Adams , Susan B. Anthony , Clara Barton , Daniel Boone , Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frederick Douglass , Amelia Earhart , Benjamin Franklin , Billy Graham , Alexander Hamilton , Thomas Jefferson , Martin Luther King Jr. , Abraham Lincoln , Douglas MacArthur , Dolley Madison , James Madison , Christa McAuliffe , Audie Murphy , George S. Patton , Ronald Reagan , Jackie Robinson , Betsy Ross , Antonin Scalia , Harriet Beecher Stowe , Harriet Tubman , Booker T. Washington , George Washington , and Orville and Wilbur Wright .
The celebration comes as the U.S. sees a surge in coronavirus infections .
Washington , D.C. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to follow CDC-recommended hygiene measures to prevent the spread of the virus , including wearing face coverings and avoiding large gatherings .
While the Department of Interior said that more than 300,000 cloth masks would be available for visitors attending the National Mall festivities , Trump faced a largely maskless crowd on the South Lawn .

In Fourth Of July Remarks, Trump Attacks 'Radical Left'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP Patrick Semansky/AP
In a Fourth of July speech aimed at commemorating the military on Saturday, President Trump hit on familiar divisive themes, condemning the "radical left" and the media, which he accused of "slander."
During the second annual Salute to America event held on the South Lawn of the White House, the president drew a comparison between historical American wartime victories and stopping the "radical left."
"American heroes defeated the Nazis, dethroned the fascists, toppled the communists, saved American values, upheld American principles and chased down the terrorists to the very ends of the Earth," the president told attendees. "We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters and people who in many instances have absolutely no clue what they are doing."
Trump also went after protesters who've rallied to take down statues and monuments that honor Confederate leaders and others known to have supported or profited off slavery and racism.
"We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children or trample on our freedoms," he said.
Trump said media outlets "slander" him and "falsely and consistently label their opponents as racists."
The president also returned to his call for the creation of a National Garden of American Heroes, for which he signed an executive order on Friday.
He said his administration has already selected some 30 "legends," men and women who include: John Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Daniel Boone, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Henry Clay, Davy Crockett, Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Benjamin Franklin, Billy Graham, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Douglas MacArthur, Dolley Madison, James Madison, Christa McAuliffe, Audie Murphy, George S. Patton, Ronald Reagan, Jackie Robinson, Betsy Ross, Antonin Scalia, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, George Washington, and Orville and Wilbur Wright.
The celebration comes as the U.S. sees a surge in coronavirus infections. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser advised the public to follow CDC-recommended hygiene measures to prevent the spread of the virus, including wearing face coverings and avoiding large gatherings.
While the Interior Department said that more than 300,000 cloth masks would be available for visitors attending the National Mall festivities, Trump faced a largely maskless crowd on the South Lawn.


npr--2020-07-04--1 Killed, 1 Injured After Vehicle Careens Into Protesters In Seattle

1 Killed , 1 Injured After Vehicle Careens Into Protesters In Seattle One person has been killed and one hospitalized in serious condition , after a vehicle barreled past a police barrier and into protesters on a freeway overnight in Seattle .
24-year-old Summer Taylor died Saturday evening at Harborview Medical Center , according hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg .
Diaz Love , 32 , remains in serious condition .
Washington State Patrol said Saturday that the driver of the white Jaguar sedan , a 27-year-old man , is in custody .
At this point , officers have not offered a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said officers believe the suspect was not impaired .
At a news conference early Saturday , Mead did not offer further details on how authorities believe the man bypassed a police closure to reach the victims .
But he warned that the incident offers a stark lesson for protesters .
`` My hope is , as a result of this tragedy , protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate , '' he said , `` because I can not guarantee their safety , plain and simple . ''
Several graphic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shortly afterward .
In one , the sedan careens past a cluster of vehicles blocking its way , appearing to swerve back into the pair of victims .
They 're flung skyward off the car 's hood before tumbling back down to the surface of Interstate 5 .
Another video livestreamed a long , uneventful record of the protest — until , in the final 15 seconds , someone begins to scream , `` Car !
Car !
Car ! ''
The footage ends with the screech of brakes slicing through a swirl @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident comes just days after Seattle authorities dismantled a blocks-long zone that had been set aside for protests against police brutality and racial injustice .
Since early June , the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone had been home to demonstrations demanding changes to policing and funding cuts to the force .
The site was closed because it had become `` lawless and brutal , '' Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best explained this week , noting that shootings in the zone had resulted in two deaths .
But the closure has failed to halt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including on the freeway .
Mead said Saturday that protesters have forced a closure on Interstate 5 every day for nearly three weeks .
The freeway , however , is `` simply not a safe place '' for protesters to gather , he added .
There have been reports of at least 50 vehicle-ramming incidents since nationwide protests erupted in late May — many of which were suspected attacks by right-wing extremists targeting Black Lives Matter protesters .
`` The message they 're trying to send is , 'You need to get out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ' `` Ari Weil , the terrorism researcher at the University of Chicago who compiled those statistics , told NPR last month .
`` They 're trying to intimidate the most recent wave of BLM protesters to stop their movement . ''

1 Killed, 1 Injured After Driver Strikes Protesters In Seattle
Updated 2:30 a.m. ET Sunday
One person has been killed and one hospitalized in serious condition after a vehicle barreled past a police barrier and into protesters on a freeway in Seattle this weekend.
24-year-old Summer Taylor died Saturday evening at Harborview Medical Center, according hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg. Diaz Love, 32, remains in serious condition.
The Washington State Patrol said Saturday that the driver of the white Jaguar sedan, a 27-year-old man, is in custody. At this point, officers have not offered a motive, though Capt. Ron Mead said officers believe the suspect was not impaired.
At a news conference early Saturday, Mead did not offer further details on how authorities believe the man bypassed a police closure to reach the victims. But he warned that the incident offers a stark lesson for protesters.
"My hope is, as a result of this tragedy, protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate," he said, "because I cannot guarantee their safety, plain and simple."
Several graphic videos of the incident hit social media shortly afterward. In one, the sedan careens past a cluster of vehicles blocking its way, appearing to swerve back into the pair of victims. They're flung skyward off the car's hood before tumbling back down to the surface of Interstate 5.
Another video livestreamed a long, uneventful record of the protest — until, in the final 15 seconds, someone begins to scream, "Car! Car! Car!" The footage ends with the screech of brakes slicing through a swirl of screams and unfocused images.
The incident comes just days after Seattle authorities dismantled a blocks-long zone that had been set aside for protests against police brutality and racial injustice. Since early June, the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone had been home to demonstrations demanding changes to policing and funding cuts to the police force.
The site was closed because it had become "lawless and brutal," Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best explained this week, noting that shootings in the zone had resulted in two deaths. But the closure has failed to halt protesters from gathering across the city, including on the freeway.
Mead said Saturday that protesters have forced a closure on Interstate 5 every day for nearly three weeks. The freeway, however, is "simply not a safe place" for protesters to gather, he added.
Since nationwide protests erupted in late May, there have been reports of at least 50 vehicle-ramming incidents — many of which were suspected attacks by right-wing extremists targeting Black Lives Matter protesters.
"The message they're trying to send is, 'You need to get out of the street and stop these protests,' " Ari Weil, the terrorism researcher at the University of Chicago who compiled those statistics, told NPR last month. "They're trying to intimidate the most recent wave of BLM protesters, to stop their movement."


npr--2020-07-05--Vanessa Guillen Remains Identified By Army Investigators, Lawyer Says

More than two months after Spc .
Vanessa Guillen was last seen at Fort Hood in Texas , Army investigators identified her remains , her family 's lawyer Natalie Khawam told NPR on Sunday .
`` On July 3rd , the Army called me to confirm that the bones , hair and other remains found belong to Vanessa Guillen , '' Khawam said in an email .
`` We are at a loss for words .
This should never have happened .
Our country has lost a beautiful young soldier because the system is broken . ''
On Tuesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leon River , just east of where she went missing in April .
A suspect in the case , 20-year-old Spc .
Aaron David Robinson , who was also an active duty soldier at Fort Hood , killed himself on Wednesday .
Another suspect in the case , 22-year-old Cecily Aguilar , was arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence .
Guillen 's family said she was the target of sexual harassment long before she disappeared .
She told her mother , her friends and fellow service members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaint .
`` My sister was too afraid to report the harassment because no one would listen to her just like the other girls from # iamvanessaguillen , '' her sister , Lupe Guillen , told NPR on Friday .
`` They take the sexual harassment , the sexual assault , as a joke .
They do n't care . ''
Guillen 's disappearance , the pace of the investigation into her disappearance , and her family 's claims that she was being sexually harassed by other soldiers drew massive attention from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which survivors of sexual harassment in the military have shared their own stories of harassment with the tag # iamvanessaguillen .

Vanessa Guillen Remains Identified By Army Investigators, Lawyer Says
Enlarge this image toggle caption U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
Updated at 9:26 p.m. ET on Monday
More than two months after Spc. Vanessa Guillen was last seen at Fort Hood in Texas, Army investigators identified her remains, her family's lawyer Natalie Khawam told NPR on Sunday.
"On July 3rd, the Army called me to confirm that the bones, hair and other remains found belong to Vanessa Guillen," Khawam said in an email. "We are at a loss for words. This should never have happened. Our country has lost a beautiful young soldier because the system is broken."
On Tuesday, Guillen's remains were found near the Leon River, just east of where she went missing in April. A suspect in the case, 20-year-old Spc. Aaron David Robinson, who was also an active duty soldier at Fort Hood, killed himself on Wednesday. Another suspect in the case, 22-year-old Cecily Aguilar, was arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence.
Guillen's family said she was the target of sexual harassment long before she disappeared. She told her mother, her friends and fellow service members, but she never filed a formal complaint.
"My sister was too afraid to report the harassment because no one would listen to her just like the other girls from #iamvanessaguillen," her sister, Lupe Guillen, told NPR on Friday. "They take the sexual harassment, the sexual assault, as a joke. They don't care."
Guillen's disappearance, the pace of the investigation into her disappearance, and her family's claims that she was being sexually harassed by other soldiers drew massive attention from the public, including an online movement in which survivors of sexual harassment in the military have shared their own stories of harassment with the tag #iamvanessaguillen.
Speaking to NPR's All Things Considered on Monday, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said she supports the family's call for a congressional investigation.
"I'm calling for an investigation today," she said.


npr--2020-07-05--121 University Of Washington Students Infected In Greek Row Outbreak

The University of Washington announced on Sunday that at least 112 fraternity house residents north of its Seattle campus have tested positive for COVID-19 , bringing the total number of students infected on Greek Row so far to 121 .
The nine additional students who tested positive were close contacts of the residents , but do not live in the fraternity houses , according to a statement from The University of Washington .
The number of confirmed cases has risen steadily since the outbreak was first announced on June 30 .
At that point , 38 students living in 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 3 , at least 117 residents of 15 fraternity houses had self-reported positive test results .
`` While we were pleased to see most of the houses had previously taken measures to reduce resident capacity by up to 50 % this summer in response to COVID-19 , those measures are not sufficient without vigilant , daily preventive measures , such as wearing face coverings , physical distancing and hand hygiene , '' Dr. Geoffrey Gottlieb , chair of the UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases , said in a university statement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ students living in 25 fraternity houses , with residents asked to quarantine or self-isolate in their houses if they test positive , show symptoms or may have been exposed .
Greek houses are independent organizations , governed by national boards for each fraternity and sorority .
As of Sunday , 171 students , seven faculty members and 35 staffers at the university had tested positive for the coronavirus .
The cluster underscores the risks of bringing students back to campus , a decision colleges and universities across the country are grappling with as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backdrop of a COVID-19 resurgence .
States in the West and South have seen surges in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks .
On July 2 , Washington reported 716 new confirmed cases — its highest daily total since the start of the pandemic — and Gov .
Jay Inslee announced a temporary pause on the state 's regional reopening process .
The University of Washington plans to reopen at the end of September with a hybrid model of in-person and remote instruction , as well as increased health and safety protocols .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in preventing future outbreaks .
`` What is occurring north of campus provides lessons for students as they consider their return to campus this fall , '' he said .
`` If everyone does their part to keep each other safe , we can continue to engage with one another and with our studies in the University environment by wearing face coverings and remaining physically distant .
If we do n't , measures such as what are now required on Greek Row will be inevitable .
My sense is all students want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so I urge all of us to follow public health guidelines so we can do just that . ''
Greek life has also been tied to an outbreak in the South , where state officials linked a cluster of cases to fraternity parties at the University of Mississippi in June .

121 University Of Washington Students Infected In Greek Row Outbreak
Enlarge this image toggle caption Karen Ducey/Getty Images Karen Ducey/Getty Images
The University of Washington announced on Sunday that at least 112 fraternity house residents north of its Seattle campus have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of students infected on Greek Row so far to 121.
The nine additional students who tested positive were close contacts of the residents, but do not live in the fraternity houses, according to a statement from The University of Washington.
The number of confirmed cases has risen steadily since the outbreak was first announced on June 30. At that point, 38 students living in 10 fraternity houses had tested positive. By July 3, at least 117 residents of 15 fraternity houses had self-reported positive test results.
"While we were pleased to see most of the houses had previously taken measures to reduce resident capacity by up to 50% this summer in response to COVID-19, those measures are not sufficient without vigilant, daily preventive measures, such as wearing face coverings, physical distancing and hand hygiene," Dr. Geoffrey Gottlieb, chair of the UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases, said in a university statement.
The university said there are about 1,000 students living in 25 fraternity houses, with residents asked to quarantine or self-isolate in their houses if they test positive, show symptoms or may have been exposed. Greek houses are independent organizations, governed by national boards for each fraternity and sorority.
As of Sunday, 171 students, seven faculty members and 35 staffers at the university had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Education As Colleges Make Plans For Fall, More Young People Are Getting COVID-19 As Colleges Make Plans For Fall, More Young People Are Getting COVID-19 Listen · 4:45 4:45
The cluster underscores the risks of bringing students back to campus, a decision colleges and universities across the country are grappling with as they announce tentative reopening plans against the backdrop of a COVID-19 resurgence.
States in the West and South have seen surges in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks. On July 2, Washington reported 716 new confirmed cases — its highest daily total since the start of the pandemic — and Gov. Jay Inslee announced a temporary pause on the state's regional reopening process.
The University of Washington plans to reopen at the end of September with a hybrid model of in-person and remote instruction, as well as increased health and safety protocols. Gottlieb stressed the importance of these precautions in preventing future outbreaks.
"What is occurring north of campus provides lessons for students as they consider their return to campus this fall," he said. "If everyone does their part to keep each other safe, we can continue to engage with one another and with our studies in the University environment by wearing face coverings and remaining physically distant. If we don't, measures such as what are now required on Greek Row will be inevitable. My sense is all students want to return to some sense of normalcy, so I urge all of us to follow public health guidelines so we can do just that."
Greek life has also been tied to an outbreak in the South, where state officials linked a cluster of cases to fraternity parties at the University of Mississippi in June.


npr--2020-07-05--U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Near 130,000; Florida And Texas Report Record Case Numbers

U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Near 130,000 ; Florida And Texas Report Record Case Numbers Nearly 130,000 people in the United States have died from the coronavirus and more than 2,800,000 people have been infected , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Both Florida and Texas reported their biggest daily rise in new confirmed cases over the past few days , with Florida reporting 11,443 new resident cases on Saturday and another 9,999 on Sunday .
Texas reported a record 8,258 new cases on Saturday followed by 3,449 on Sunday .
California reported 5,410 new cases on Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sunday .
`` I will tell you , a month ago one in 10 people were testing positive .
Today , it 's one in four , '' Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told CBS .
`` The number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospitals has exponentially increased .
The number of people in our ICU beds has exponentially increased .
In fact , if we do n't get our hands around this virus quickly , in about two weeks our hospital system could be in serious , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties in South Texas say they have hospitals already at full capacity .
This comes after officials in Texas , California and Arizona rolled back their reopening plans .
In Florida , however , Republican Gov .
Ron DeSantis said last week that the state was `` not going back '' on reopening , saying younger people were driving the spike but that they were at lesser risk than older people .
Republican Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez called the growth `` extremely worrisome , '' and said the growth was partially due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` There 's no doubt that the fact that when we reopened , people started socializing as if the virus did n't exist , '' he told ABC News .
Democratic Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego told ABC News that the state may have opened up too quickly , and criticized the federal government 's response to the virus and the lack of testing across the state .
The Arizona Republic reported that in some cases , people have had to wait in line for 13 hours to be tested .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Gallego said .
`` We were one of the last states to go to stay-at-home and one of the first to reemerge .
And we reemerged at zero to 60 . ''
In response to the surging cases in Arizona , authorities in Mexico tightened restrictions on some border crossings over the weekend and closed popular beaches to limit nonessential holiday travel .
At the same time , President Trump said Saturday that , while cases are increasing , his administration has made `` a lot of progress '' slowing the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase of cases with the increase of testing , which experts argue is an incorrect evaluation of the spread of the disease .

U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Near 130,000; Florida And Texas Report Record Case Numbers
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sam Greenwood/Getty Images Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Nearly 130,000 people in the United States have died from the coronavirus and more than 2,800,000 people have been infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Both Florida and Texas reported their biggest daily rise in new confirmed cases over the past few days, with the former reporting 11,443 new resident cases on Saturday and another 9,999 on Sunday. Texas reported a record 8,258 new cases on Saturday, followed by 3,449 on Sunday. California reported 5,410 new cases on Sunday, and Arizona reported 3,536 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.
"I will tell you, a month ago one in 10 people were testing positive. Today, it's one in four," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told CBS. "The number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospitals has exponentially increased. The number of people in our [intensive care unit] beds has exponentially increased. In fact, if we don't get our hands around this virus quickly, in about two weeks our hospital system could be in serious, serious trouble."
At least two counties in South Texas say they have hospitals already at full capacity. This news comes after officials in Texas, California and Arizona rolled back their reopening plans. In Florida, however, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week that the state was "not going back" on reopening, saying younger people were driving the spike but that they were at less risk than older people.
Republican Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez called the growth "extremely worrisome" and said the growth was partially due to the early reopening of the state.
"There's no doubt that the fact that when we reopened, people started socializing as if the virus didn't exist," he told ABC News.
Democratic Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego told ABC News that the state opened up too quickly and criticized the federal government's response to the virus and the lack of testing across the state. The Arizona Republic reported that in some cases, people have had to wait in line for 13 hours to be tested.
"We opened way too early in Arizona," Gallego said. "We were one of the last states to go to stay-at-home and one of the first to reemerge. And we reemerged at zero to 60."
In response to the surging cases in Arizona, authorities in Mexico tightened restrictions on some border crossings over the weekend and closed popular beaches to limit nonessential holiday travel.
At the same time, President Trump said Saturday that, while cases are increasing, his administration has made "a lot of progress" slowing the spread of the virus. He blamed the increase in cases on the increase of testing, which experts argue is an incorrect evaluation of the spread of the disease.


npr--2020-07-05--Third Ex-Police Officer Charged In George Floyd's Death Released From Jail On Bond

Third Ex-Police Officer Charged In George Floyd 's Death Released From Jail On Bond A third former Minneapolis police officer involved in the killing of George Floyd has been released from jail .
According to Hennepin County jail records , Tou Thao was released from custody with conditions on Saturday morning after posting $ 750,000 bond .
Thao , 34 , faces charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder while committing a felony , as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence .
He has not yet entered a plea .
He is scheduled to appear in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the four officers accused in the May 25 death of George Floyd , which sparked protests against racism and police brutality across the country and around the world .
All have since been fired and are facing criminal charges .
Derek Chauvin , the officer captured on camera kneeling on Floyd 's neck for nearly nine minutes , was charged with second-degree murder , third-degree murder and manslaughter .
He remains in custody on $ 1.25 million bail .
Video of the incident shows Chauvin continuing to press his knee on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Floyd that he could n't breathe .
The other three officers did not intervene .
According to a criminal complaint filed in June , Thao brought out a hobble restraint to use on Floyd , but the officers decided not to use it and instead `` maintained their positions . ''
The complaint describes how Thao stood guard against onlookers as the three other officers held Floyd down by the legs , back and neck .
`` The defendant then became concerned about a number of citizens who had gathered and were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and potential traffic concerns , and so the defendant stood between those citizens and the three officers . ''
The other two ex-officers , J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane , face the same charges as Thao and have already been released on bond .
A Minnesota judge recently set a tentative trial date of March 8 for all four men , but said he expects their attorneys to file motions for separate trials .
Thao joined the Minneapolis Police in 2009 , but was laid off that year due to budget cuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six police conduct complaints on his record , one of which was still open at the time of his firing .
Thao was also a subject of a 2017 police brutality lawsuit , which alleged that he and another officer beat a plaintiff during his arrest in 2014 , breaking his teeth while he was handcuffed .
The city settled the lawsuit for $ 25,000 .

3rd Ex-Police Officer Charged In George Floyd's Death Released From Jail On Bond
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jim Mone/AP Jim Mone/AP
A third former Minneapolis police officer involved in the killing of George Floyd has been released from jail.
According to Hennepin County jail records, Tou Thao was released from custody with conditions on Saturday morning after posting $750,000 bond.
Thao, 34, faces charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder while committing a felony, as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence. He has not yet entered a plea.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 11.
Thao is one of the four officers accused in the May 25 death of George Floyd, which sparked protests against racism and police brutality across the country and around the world. All have since been fired and are facing criminal charges.
Derek Chauvin, the officer captured on camera kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. He remains in custody on $1.25 million bail.
Video of the incident shows Chauvin continuing to press his knee on Floyd's neck, despite repeated pleas by Floyd that he couldn't breathe. The other three officers did not intervene.
According to a criminal complaint filed in June, Thao brought out a hobble restraint to use on Floyd, but the officers decided not to use it and instead "maintained their positions." The complaint describes how Thao stood guard against onlookers as the three other officers held Floyd down by the legs, back and neck.
"The defendant then became concerned about a number of citizens who had gathered and were watching the officers subdue Mr. Floyd, and potential traffic concerns, and so the defendant stood between those citizens and the three officers."
The other two ex-officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, face the same charges as Thao and have already been released on bond.
A Minnesota judge recently set a tentative trial date of March 8 for all four men, but said he expects their attorneys to file motions for separate trials.
Thao joined the Minneapolis Police in 2009, but was laid off that year due to budget cuts and reinstated in 2012. He had six police conduct complaints on his record, one of which was still open at the time of his firing.
Thao was also a subject of a 2017 police brutality lawsuit, which alleged that he and another officer beat a plaintiff during his arrest in 2014, breaking his teeth while he was handcuffed. The city settled the lawsuit for $25,000.


npr--2020-07-05--Baltimore Protesters Topple Columbus Statue

Protesters in Baltimore pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and hurled it into the city 's Inner Harbor on Saturday night , adding to the list of monuments toppled during nationwide demonstrations against racism and police brutality .
In videos posted to social media , protesters can be seen using ropes to yank down the statue — located near the city 's Little Italy neighborhood — before throwing it into the harbor amid cheers .
According to the Baltimore Sun , they were marching in support of the reallocation of funds from the police department to social services , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , reparations for Black people , housing for the homeless and the removal of statues `` honoring white supremacists , owners of enslaved people , perpetrators of genocide , and colonizers . ''
While the 15th-century Italian explorer credited with discovering the New World was once widely hailed as a hero , his legacy is increasingly one of violence against and exploitation of native people .
Lester Davis , a spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. `` Jack '' Young , told the Sun the toppled statue is part of a `` re-examination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of these monuments and statues that may represent different things to different people . ''
`` We understand the dynamics that are playing out in Baltimore are part of a national narrative , '' Davis said .
`` We understand the frustrations .
What the city wants to do is serve as a national model , particularly with how we 've done with protesting .
We 've seen people who have taken to the streets , we have supported them .
We are going to continue to support it .
That 's a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toppled Saturday night depicts Columbus facing east into the rising sun , and was dedicated by former Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan in Oct. 1984 .
It is one of three monuments to Columbus in the city .
The Italian community holds a wreath-laying ceremony in the area around the statue before the annual Columbus Day Parade , which was replaced by a new Italian Heritage Festival in 2019 .
`` I support Baltimore 's Italian-American community and Baltimore 's indigenous community .
I can not , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council President Brandon Scott .
In a statement issued on Saturday night , he said he suggested the statue be removed in 2017 .
Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan condemned the statue 's removal in a series of tweets on Sunday morning , calling it `` the antithesis of democracy . ''
`` While we welcome peaceful protests and constructive dialogue on whether and how to put certain monuments in context or move them to museums through a legal process , lawlessness , vandalism , and destruction of public property is completely unacceptable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the only city grappling with Columbus ' controversial legacy .
The city of Philadelphia recently announced it will ask the Philadelphia Art Commission on July 22 to approve the removal of a Columbus statue from Marconi Plaza .
And statues of the explorer have recently been taken down or vandalized in cities including Richmond , Va. ; St. Paul , Minn. ; New Haven , Conn. ; Boston ; Miami and Columbus , Ohio .

Baltimore Protesters Topple Columbus Statue
Enlarge this image toggle caption Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images
Protesters in Baltimore pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and hurled it into the city's Inner Harbor on Saturday night, adding to the list of monuments toppled during nationwide demonstrations against racism and police brutality.
In videos posted to social media, protesters can be seen using ropes to yank down the statue — located near the city's Little Italy neighborhood — before throwing it into the harbor amid cheers.
According to the Baltimore Sun, they were marching in support of the reallocation of funds from the police department to social services, a reassessment of the public education system, reparations for Black people, housing for the homeless and the removal of statues "honoring white supremacists, owners of enslaved people, perpetrators of genocide, and colonizers."
While the 15th-century Italian explorer credited with discovering the New World was once widely hailed as a hero, his legacy is increasingly one of violence against and exploitation of native people.
Lester Davis, a spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young, told the Sun the toppled statue is part of a "re-examination taking place nationally and globally around some of these monuments and statues that may represent different things to different people."
"We understand the dynamics that are playing out in Baltimore are part of a national narrative," Davis said. "We understand the frustrations. What the city wants to do is serve as a national model, particularly with how we've done with protesting. We've seen people who have taken to the streets, we have supported them. We are going to continue to support it. That's a full stop."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Lana Harris/AP Lana Harris/AP
The marble statue toppled Saturday night depicts Columbus facing east into the rising sun, and was dedicated by former Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan in Oct. 1984. It is one of three monuments to Columbus in the city.
The Italian community holds a wreath-laying ceremony in the area around the statue before the annual Columbus Day Parade, which was replaced by a new Italian Heritage Festival in 2019.
"I support Baltimore's Italian-American community and Baltimore's indigenous community. I cannot, however, support Columbus," said Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott. In a statement issued on Saturday night, he said he suggested the statue be removed in 2017.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan condemned the statue's removal in a series of tweets on Sunday morning, calling it "the antithesis of democracy."
"While we welcome peaceful protests and constructive dialogue on whether and how to put certain monuments in context or move them to museums through a legal process, lawlessness, vandalism, and destruction of public property is completely unacceptable," he wrote.
Baltimore is not the only city grappling with Columbus' controversial legacy.
The city of Philadelphia recently announced it will ask the Philadelphia Art Commission on July 22 to approve the removal of a Columbus statue from Marconi Plaza.
And statues of the explorer have recently been taken down or vandalized in cities including Richmond, Va.; St. Paul, Minn.; New Haven, Conn.; Boston; Miami and Columbus, Ohio.


npr--2020-07-05--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--2020-07-05--Tracking The Pandemic: Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State?

Tracking The Pandemic : Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State ?
More than 2.5 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 125,000 have died .
Though growth in new cases slowed in late spring , by mid-June new cases began to trend upward nationally .
In the graphics below , explore the trend in new cases in your state to see whether cases are rising , falling or staying level .
You can view the data via a heat map ( immediately below ) , a curve chart and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case trends over the last three weeks .
Or to see states ' total cases and deaths on a map , click here .
The following chart displays states ' trends in new daily case counts , total cases , and per capita totals .
To compare state outbreaks , the trend lines for average new daily cases are graphed against each state 's total case count to date .
This highlights a state 's daily growth relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case counts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As cases slow , the curve levels or bends down .
In New York , site of the country 's largest outbreak , the state 's curve rose sharply before reaching over 170,000 total cases in April .
Since then , new cases have fallen from about 10,000 per day in mid-April to fewer than 700 per day in late June .
Some states , such as Hawaii , have declined to just a dozen new cases per day , while others are growing .
Arizona , which had leveled off at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw a sudden sharp spike in new cases in June .
The coronavirus has hit some states much harder than others .
For much of the pandemic , a large share of U.S. cases have been centered around New York City .
As of early June , New York state , Connecticut and New Jersey accounted for about 30 % of total cases in the nation and 42 % of deaths , although new cases have been dropping in these three states .
Across the country , other large , populous states such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high totals as well .
Some smaller states have had a heavy burden of disease relative to their population size , such as Nebraska and Iowa , which have high case counts per capita , and Louisiana and Michigan which have a high death count per capita .
Explore the map below to see totals and per capita figures around the country .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths .
For more detail on your state , the table below shows the change in average new cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over week .
States marked in shades of red are showing growth , those in shades of green , are showing declines .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this page as the JHU team resolves anomalies and updates its feeds .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable at this time .
There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department 's website .
Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships .
In early June , Michigan health authorities started including probable cases in its totals .
This resulted in a brief spike in the state 's daily numbers until the JHU team was able to reconcile the historical data .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously-unreported probable deaths in its totals , resulting in a spike in the state 's daily death numbers .
This story was originally published on March 16 , 2020 .
Elena Renken was a co-author on that version .
Sean McMinn contributed to and Carmel Wroth edited 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--2020-07-04--1 Killed, 1 Injured After Driver Strikes Protesters In Seattle

One person has been killed and one hospitalized in serious condition after a vehicle barreled past a police barrier and into protesters on a freeway in Seattle this weekend .
24-year-old Summer Taylor died Saturday evening at Harborview Medical Center , according hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg .
Diaz Love , 32 , remains in serious condition .
The Washington State Patrol said Saturday that the driver of the white Jaguar sedan , a 27-year-old man , is in custody .
At this point , officers have not offered a motive , though Capt .
Ron Mead said officers believe the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news conference early Saturday , Mead did not offer further details on how authorities believe the man bypassed a police closure to reach the victims .
But he warned that the incident offers a stark lesson for protesters .
`` My hope is , as a result of this tragedy , protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate , '' he said , `` because I can not guarantee their safety , plain and simple . ''
Several graphic videos of the incident hit social media shortly afterward .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cluster of vehicles blocking its way , appearing to swerve back into the pair of victims .
They 're flung skyward off the car 's hood before tumbling back down to the surface of Interstate 5 .
Another video livestreamed a long , uneventful record of the protest — until , in the final 15 seconds , someone begins to scream , `` Car !
Car !
Car ! ''
The footage ends with the screech of brakes slicing through a swirl of screams and unfocused images .
The incident comes just days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that had been set aside for protests against police brutality and racial injustice .
Since early June , the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone had been home to demonstrations demanding changes to policing and funding cuts to the police force .
The site was closed because it had become `` lawless and brutal , '' Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best explained this week , noting that shootings in the zone had resulted in two deaths .
But the closure has failed to halt protesters from gathering across the city , including on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have forced a closure on Interstate 5 every day for nearly three weeks .
The freeway , however , is `` simply not a safe place '' for protesters to gather , he added .
Since nationwide protests erupted in late May , there have been reports of at least 50 vehicle-ramming incidents — many of which were suspected attacks by right-wing extremists targeting Black Lives Matter protesters .
`` The message they 're trying to send is , 'You need to get out of the street and stop these protests , ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the University of Chicago who compiled those statistics , told NPR last month .
`` They 're trying to intimidate the most recent wave of BLM protesters , to stop their movement . ''


npr--2020-07-06--The Dentist Will See You Now. But Should You Go?

The Dentist Will See You Now .
But Should You Go ?
Add dental visits to the list of services you can book now or shortly , as cities , counties and states continue to modify their months-long stay at home orders aimed at reducing COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations .
Dental offices were largely shuttered across the United States after being advised in March by the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to close their practices to all but emergency care .
Many closed entirely .
The hope was that by allowing dentists to continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intense tooth pain and infections — those patients would stay out of hospital ERs , where medical workers were busy with severely ill coronavirus patients .
And because the personal protective gear dentists and other health care providers need was in especially short supply , routine dental check-ups and cleanings were deemed nonessential , at least initially .
More recently though , the restrictions against routine care have been loosened in many places .
So , is it really safe to go to the dentist now ?
Dr. Gregory Poland , an infectious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America says he thinks some infections in dental settings are likely to be inevitable .
`` But the hope is that recommendations for their practices that all dentists should be following will mitigate that risk , '' says Poland .
The concern about the risk of transmission of COVID-19 during a visit to the dentist is understandable .
Dental settings have `` unique characteristics that warrant specific infection control considerations , '' says Michele Neuburger , a dental officer for CDC 's Division of Oral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's COVID-19 Response Infection Prevention Control Team .
`` Dental health care personnel use instruments such as dental [ drills ] , ultrasonic scalers and air-water syringes that create a visible spray that can contain particle droplets of water , saliva , blood , microorganisms and other debris , '' says Neuburger .
Large droplets can land directly on others in the exam room and can contaminate frequently touched surfaces .
The spray could also include small `` aerosolized '' droplets of COVID-19 if a patient has the virus .
And those droplets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to three hours , according to some estimates , potentially spread the virus to dental staff or the next patient unless stringent precautions — such as PPE for staff and disinfection of the treatment room , instruments and surfaces between patients — are n't taken .
No cases of COVID-19 traced to dental offices , so far Despite these potential risks , the good news is that both the World Health Organization and the CDC say there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 transmitted in a dental office , so far .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of news reports suggesting such infections , Neuburger says .
In mid-May , in sync with the American Dental Association , the CDC issued more guidance for dental practices — guidance that continues to be periodically updated .
Ron Greenberg , 62 , a computer science professor at Loyola University in Chicago , returned to his dentist in early June .
`` I have been nervous about going anywhere since mid-March , '' he says .
But when he finally screwed up the courage for his delayed checkup , the dental office had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that made him feel better .
A member of the staff called with a list of questions about his health a few days before the appointment , then again on the day of his checkup .
Greenberg was told to call the receptionist from his car when he arrived , and then wait to let a staffer open the office 's front door — so he did n't even need to touch a doorknob .
`` They led me straight to the hand sanitizer , '' he says .
`` Next was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , until I had to take mine off for them to work on me .
And the hygienist and dentist had full face shields for when they were working close in . ''
Greenberg says he was confident enough after experiencing all those extra precautions to schedule a follow-up appointment for several days later to repair a chipped tooth .
Greenberg 's visit included many of the precautions recommended by the CDC .
These , edited for clarity , include : • Screen patients before each appointment , and when they arrive , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cough and fever — and postpone if they have symptoms that could indicate they have the virus .
• Use each patient 's car or a spot outside the office as the waiting room .
• Remove items such as toys , magazines , and coffee stations [ which can be infection sources ] from waiting rooms .
• Require masks for patients and anyone with them while in the office area and immediately after procedures and checkups .
• Place a plastic or glass barrier between patient and reception staff .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some practices no longer use a polisher for teeth cleanings , for example .
• Leave out only the tools needed for each individual patient so other tools can not potentially become contaminated .
• Use rubber dams over a patient 's mouth for procedures when possible in order to limit spray of secretions .
• Use multiple dental workers when doing aerosol-generating procedures when possible , to speed up the visit and minimize exposure .
• Install HEPA filters to improve room filtration which might , research suggests , reduce transmission of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a weekly survey by the ADA of dental practices nationwide found that their volume of patients had reached 65 % of pre-COVID-19 levels as of June 22 , dentists know at least some patients continue to be worried enough to stay away , even if they 're in pain or overdue for important procedures such as gum surgery .
Delaying checkups or care for dental pain can potentially turn a small cavity into a root canal or tooth extraction and add to treatment time , higher costs and even more pain , says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park , N.Y. , who recently reopened his practice , after seeing patients only for emergency care since mid-March .
In very rare cases , he says , missing out on dental care can result in serious infections and even death .
Dentists have a vested interest in taking all possible precautions .
`` Dentists are typically 12 to 18 inches away from their patients , '' notes Louis G. DePaola , the associate dean of clinical affairs at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in Baltimore .
`` To do their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what currently is the most infectious part of a person if they have COVID-19 — their mouth . ''
Protecting the health of others working in the office is paramount , too .
What about the orthodontist ?
Daniella Smith , of Silver Spring , Md.
, saw her dentist for a cleaning in late May , and that 's when she also resumed orthodontist visits for her two children , ages 12 and 15 .
`` I was pretty impressed by all the new measures , '' says Smith , including staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the high-powered polisher during her cleaning .
The kids were advised to brush their teeth just before coming to the office , to cut down on saliva being sprayed during an appointment .
`` With all the time and money spent on the kids ' braces , we really did n't want their teeth to move back , '' says Smith , `` which is why we made appointments when the office opened back up . ''
Ideally , dentists would test their patients for COVID-19 ahead of their appointments and reschedule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` point of care '' tests that can give results in about 15 minutes can produce false results , says Marko Vujicic , chief economist , and vice president at the ADA 's Health Policy Institute .
`` We 're keeping our eyes on testing to see if there will be an effective way we can truly determine the COVID status of patients before treatment , '' says Vujicic .
`` Until then , we are advising dentists to take an abundance of caution according to the guidelines when it comes to treating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is looking for the best science as we go forward , '' says Connie White , the president of the Academy of General Dentistry and interim dean for clinical programs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry .
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research is soliciting coronavirus-related research proposals on , among other things , ways to improve disinfection and prevent disease transmission .
Meanwhile , White and other dental leaders also say they realize continued upticks in coronavirus cases across the U.S. could result in dental offices being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I hope that 's not the case , of course , '' says White .
But with openings and closures in flux , it 's a good idea to make sure any dental procedure begun during one appointment can be concluded soon thereafter .
`` Patients should discuss with their dentist what is necessary to do right now and what can wait , '' White advises .
Remember , infectious disease specialists note , that we all have important responsibilities as patients , too , to let the dentist know before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if we 're feeling sick in any way .
We 're all in this together — if you 're sick , stay home .

The Dentist Will See You Now. But Should You Go?
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elaine Thompson/AP Elaine Thompson/AP
Add dental visits to the list of services you can book now or shortly as cities, counties and states continue to modify their months-long stay-at-home orders aimed at reducing COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.
Dental offices were largely shuttered across the United States after being advised in March by the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to close their practices to all but emergency care. Many closed entirely.
The hope was that by allowing dentists to continue to treat serious cases — such as intense tooth pain and infections — those patients would stay out of hospital emergency rooms, where medical workers were busy with severely ill coronavirus patients. And because the personal protective gear dentists and other health care providers need was in short supply, routine dental checkups and cleanings were deemed nonessential at least initially.
More recently though, the restrictions against routine care have been loosened in many places. So, is it really safe to go to the dentist now?
Can't completely eliminate the coronavirus transmission risk
Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic and a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, says he thinks some infections in dental settings are likely to be inevitable.
"But the hope is that recommendations for their practices that all dentists should be following will mitigate that risk," Poland says.
The concern about the risk of transmission of COVID-19 during a visit to the dentist is understandable. Dental settings have "unique characteristics that warrant specific infection control considerations," says Michele Neuburger, a dental officer for the CDC's Division of Oral Health and a member of the CDC's COVID-19 Response Infection Prevention Control Team.
"Dental health care personnel use instruments such as dental [drills], ultrasonic scalers and air-water syringes that create a visible spray that can contain particle droplets of water, saliva, blood, microorganisms and other debris," Neuburger says.
Large droplets can land directly on others in the exam room and can contaminate frequently touched surfaces. The spray could also include small "aerosolized" droplets of COVID-19 if a patient has the virus. And those droplets can remain in the air for up to three hours, according to some estimates, and potentially spread the virus to dental staff or the next patient unless stringent precautions are taken — such as providing personal protective equipment for staff and disinfecting the treatment room, instruments and surfaces between patients.
No cases of COVID-19 traced to dental offices so far
Despite these potential risks, the good news is that both the World Health Organization and the CDC say there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 transmitted in a dental office so far. And that includes follow-up by the CDC of news reports suggesting such infections, Neuburger says.
In mid-May, in sync with the American Dental Association, the CDC issued more guidance for dental practices, which continues to be periodically updated.
Ron Greenberg, 62, a computer science professor at Loyola University in Chicago, returned to his dentist in early June. "I have been nervous about going anywhere since mid-March," he says. But when he finally screwed up the courage for his delayed checkup, the dental office had "lots of procedures in place" that made him feel better. A member of the staff called with a list of questions about his health a few days before the appointment, then again on the day of his checkup.
Greenberg was told to call the receptionist from his car when he arrived and then wait to let a staffer open the office's front door — so he didn't even need to touch a doorknob.
"They led me straight to the hand sanitizer," he says. "Next was a temperature check. ... Everybody wore masks until I had to take mine off for them to work on me. And the hygienist and dentist had full face shields for when they were working close in."
Greenberg says he was confident enough after experiencing all those extra precautions to schedule a follow-up appointment for several days later to repair a chipped tooth.
CDC guidelines: Avoid powered tools where possible
Greenberg's visit included many of the precautions recommended by the CDC. These, edited for clarity, include:
Screen patients before each appointment, and when they arrive, for symptoms of COVID-19 — such as cough and fever — and postpone if they have symptoms that could indicate they have the virus.
Use each patient's car or a spot outside the office as the waiting room.
Remove items such as toys, magazines and coffee stations [which can be infection sources] from waiting rooms.
Require masks for patients and anyone with them while in the office area and immediately after procedures and checkups.
Place a plastic or glass barrier between patient and reception staff.
Avoid using powered tools when possible — some practices no longer use a polisher for teeth cleanings, for example.
Leave out only the tools needed for each individual patient so other tools cannot potentially become contaminated.
Use rubber dams over a patient's mouth for procedures when possible to limit spray of secretions.
Use multiple dental workers when doing aerosol-generating procedures when possible to speed up the visit and minimize exposure.
Install high-efficiency particulate air filters to improve room filtration, which might, research suggests, reduce transmission of airborne particles of the virus.
Although a weekly survey by the American Dental Association of dental practices nationwide found that their volume of patients had reached 65% of pre-COVID-19 levels as of June 22, dentists know at least some patients continue to be worried enough to stay away, even if they're in pain or overdue for important procedures such as gum surgery.
Delaying checkups or care for dental pain can potentially turn a small cavity into a root canal or tooth extraction and add to treatment time, higher costs and even more pain, says Howard Golan, a dentist in Williston Park, N.Y., who recently reopened his practice after seeing patients only for emergency care since mid-March. In rare cases, he says, missing out on dental care can result in serious infections and even death.
Dentists have a vested interest in taking all possible precautions.
"Dentists are typically 12 to 18 inches away from their patients," says Louis G. DePaola, associate dean of clinical affairs at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in Baltimore. "To do their work dentists have to lean close in to what currently is the most infectious part of a person if they have COVID-19 — their mouth."
Protecting the health of others working in the office is paramount, too.
What about the orthodontist?
Daniella Smith of Silver Spring, Md., saw her dentist for a cleaning in late May, and that's when she also resumed orthodontist visits for her two children, ages 12 and 15.
"I was pretty impressed by all the new measures," says Smith, including staff opening all doors and not using the high-powered polisher during her cleaning. The kids were advised to brush their teeth just before coming to the office, to cut down on saliva being sprayed during an appointment.
"With all the time and money spent on the kids' braces, we really didn't want their teeth to move back," Smith says, "which is why we made appointments when the office opened back up."
Ideally, dentists would test their patients for the coronavirus ahead of their appointments and reschedule anyone who tested positive. But the "point of care" tests that can give results in about 15 minutes can produce false results, says Marko Vujicic, chief economist and vice president at the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
"We're keeping our eyes on testing to see if there will be an effective way we can truly determine the COVID status of patients before treatment," Vujicic says. "Until then, we are advising dentists to take an abundance of caution according to the guidelines when it comes to treating patients."
"I think everyone is looking for the best science as we go forward," says Connie White, president of the Academy of General Dentistry and interim dean for clinical programs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research is soliciting coronavirus-related research proposals on, among other things, ways to improve disinfection and prevent disease transmission.
Meanwhile, White and other dental leaders also say they realize continued upticks in coronavirus cases across the U.S. could result in dental offices being told to shut again in certain regions.
"I hope that's not the case, of course," White says. But with openings and closures in flux, it's a good idea to make sure any dental procedure begun during one appointment can be concluded soon thereafter. "Patients should discuss with their dentist what is necessary to do right now and what can wait," White advises.
Remember, infectious disease specialists note, that we all have important responsibilities as patients, too, to let the dentist know before or on the day of the appointment if we're feeling sick in any way. We're all in this together — if you're sick, stay home.


npr--2020-07-06--Mexico's President Weathers A Torrent Of Criticism Over Meeting With Trump

Mexico 's President Weathers A Torrent Of Criticism Over Meeting With Trump Near downtown Mexico City , Cristian Corte sells tacos and gorditas at a makeshift stand outside a metro stop .
He pulls down his thin paper mask anxious to vent his anger about the Mexican president 's upcoming trip to Washington .
`` I want him to tell Trump to stop stepping all over us and to treat everyone as equals , '' says Corte .
On Friday , President Andrés Manuel López Obrador appeared to be talking to Mexicans like Corte , skeptical of his visit on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We are going ... with our heads high , as representatives of this great people of this great country , '' said López Obrador .
His critics do n't see it that way .
Former diplomats , columnists and political pundits have taken to social media and the airwaves daily to decry the visit .
Many say López Obrador is making a huge mistake by going , that he is once again giving in to President Trump 's whims and that he 's helping the U.S. president politically during a tough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very risky move , '' said Denise Dresser , a professor and political commentator in Mexico City .
`` Forever the Mexican president will be captured in a photograph standing next to someone who Mexicans view as xenophobic , as racist , as a leader who has humiliated Mexicans .
... By standing next to him , López Obrador validates those positions , '' she said .
Others say López Obrador is using the trip as a distraction from domestic troubles , especially the rising rate of infections from the coronavirus .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of COVID-19 deaths .
Like Trump , López Obrador does not wear a mask in public and has opted for opening the economy over onerous lockdown measures .
López Obrador has also said he has no need to get tested for the virus , even though several officials near him , including his treasury secretary , have tested positive .
Adding to López Obrador 's risk , he will be flying on a commercial airline to Washington , D.C .
He refuses to use the presidential plane , calling it too extravagant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Without a direct flight from Mexico City to D.C. , López Obrador will have to make a stop in a major U.S. city and arrive the night before his meeting with Trump .
And he 'll have to get tested in the U.S. too .
White House spokesman Judd Deere says everyone in the Mexican traveling delegation will be tested for COVID-19 .
Despite all the health and political risks , Roberto Valesco , head of North American relations in Mexico 's Foreign Ministry , says the trip is a vital trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to celebrate the start of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement , that went into effect last week , said Valesco .
`` We do not get to pick and choose which governments we work with and which we do n't , when there are citizens of ours and commercial interests and such important bilateral affairs to attend as is the case with the U.S. , '' he added .
For many Mexicans , though , the visit is n't such bad timing .
Saúl Hernández , a construction worker on the site of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City , says maybe the presidents ' meeting can help the bad economy .
`` I hope they do something good and get investment to come here because jobs are hard to come by these days in Mexico , '' he said .
Mexico has lost more than a million formal jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic and is slipping further into recession .
A recent poll showed that a majority of Mexicans are in favor of López Obrador meeting with Trump , even though the Mexican president 's own popularity is slipping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching in Mexico City , says López Obrador is n't going to lose too much support over the Trump visit .
`` For Mexican standards López Obrador is still quite a positive president , his base sticks with him .
It 's chipping away but it is chipping away slowly , '' he said .
Bravo , who opposes López Obrador 's visit , is a bit conciliatory , saying it must be tough to be president of Mexico with Trump in the White House .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Mexico can get in a fight with Trump .
... One way or the other we have to reckon with the fact that we have such an anti-Mexican president in the White House and find a way to work with him , '' he said .

Mexico's President Weathers A Torrent Of Criticism Over Meeting With Trump
Enlarge this image toggle caption Hector Vivas/Getty Images Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Near downtown Mexico City, Cristian Corte sells tacos and gorditas at a makeshift stand outside a metro stop. He pulls down his thin paper mask, anxious to vent his anger about the Mexican president's upcoming trip to Washington, D.C.
"I want him to tell Trump to stop stepping all over us and to treat everyone as equals," says Corte.
On Friday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador appeared to be talking to Mexicans like Corte, skeptical of his visit on Wednesday and Thursday to the White House.
"We are going ... with our heads high, as representatives of this great people of this great country," said López Obrador.
His critics don't see it that way. Former diplomats, columnists and political pundits have taken to social media and the airwaves daily to decry the visit. Many say López Obrador is making a huge mistake by going, that he is once again giving in to President Trump's whims and that he's helping the U.S. president politically during a tough reelection campaign.
"It is a very risky move," said Denise Dresser, a professor and political commentator in Mexico City. "Forever the Mexican president will be captured in a photograph standing next to someone who Mexicans view as xenophobic, as racist, as a leader who has humiliated Mexicans. ... By standing next to him, López Obrador validates those positions," she said.
Others say López Obrador is using the trip as a distraction from domestic troubles, especially the rising rate of infections from the coronavirus. Last week, Mexico surpassed Spain in the number of COVID-19 deaths.
Like Trump, López Obrador does not wear a mask in public and has opted for opening the economy over onerous lockdown measures. López Obrador has also said he has no need to get tested for the virus, even though several officials near him, including his treasury secretary, have tested positive.
Adding to López Obrador's risk, he will be flying on a commercial airline to Washington, D.C. He refuses to use the presidential plane, calling it too extravagant for a country as poor as Mexico. Without a direct flight from Mexico City to D.C., López Obrador will have to make a stop in a major U.S. city and arrive the night before his meeting with Trump. And he'll have to get tested in the U.S. too.
White House spokesman Judd Deere says everyone in the Mexican traveling delegation will be tested for COVID-19.
Despite all the health and political risks, Roberto Velasco, head of North American relations in Mexico's Foreign Ministry, says the trip is a vital trade and commercial mission. López Obrador wants to celebrate the start of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that went into effect last week, said Velasco.
"We do not get to pick and choose which governments we work with and which we don't, when there are citizens of ours and commercial interests and such important bilateral affairs to attend as is the case with the U.S.," he added.
For many Mexicans, though, the visit isn't such bad timing. Saúl Hernández, a construction worker on the site of a new apartment high-rise near downtown Mexico City, says maybe the presidents' meeting can help the bad economy.
"I hope they do something good and get investment to come here because jobs are hard to come by these days in Mexico," he said. Mexico has lost more than a million formal jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic and is slipping further into recession.
A recent poll showed that a majority of Mexicans are in favor of López Obrador meeting with Trump, even though the Mexican president's own popularity is slipping.
Carlos Bravo Regidor, a professor at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching in Mexico City, says López Obrador isn't going to lose too much support over the Trump visit.
"For Mexican standards López Obrador is still quite a positive president, his base sticks with him. It's chipping away but it is chipping away slowly," he said.
Bravo, who opposes López Obrador's visit, is a bit conciliatory, saying it must be tough to be president of Mexico with Trump in the White House.
"It's not like the president of Mexico can get in a fight with Trump. ... One way or the other we have to reckon with the fact that we have such an anti-Mexican president in the White House and find a way to work with him," he said.


npr--2020-07-06--Ennio Morricone, The Sound Of The American West, Dies At 91

Ennio Morricone , The Sound Of The American West , Dies At 91 The iconic score to The Good , the Bad and the Ugly : This is the sound of the American West , at least filtered through the ears of an Italian — specifically , composer Ennio Morricone .
He was a giant in the world of film scores who wrote the music for more than 500 movies .
Morricone died Monday in Rome at the age of 91 .
The Italian cultural ministry confirmed his death in a statement that called him `` a musician of refined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to excite and make the whole world dream . ''
When Morricone wrote a score for a Western , he used sneaky tricks to make those evocative sounds , like whistles , animal calls , creaks , gunshots and groans .
And his most famous sound ?
`` I used a coyote howl : Aie-aie-aaah .
That is the theme of the film , '' Morricone told NPR in 2014 .
Morricone worked closely with directors to create a new kind of score .
Dialogue was often minimal ; instead , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frayling wrote a book about the Italian Westerns .
He told NPR in 2007 that the composer — and the directors he worked with — wanted to infuse those films with , among other things , a sense of humor .
`` They wanted something that was much more hip , much more related to pop , '' Frayling said .
`` So it 's Italian folk instruments plus rock music of the mid-1960s , and it was an astonishingly raucous , noisy sound . ''
The creator of that sound was born @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began writing music at the age of six , and never stopped .
In the mid 1960s , he discovered the contemporary music scene in Italy and joined a collective called Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza that was influenced by John Cage 's avant-garde experimentation .
`` As a joke I called these friends of mine , '' Morricone told NPR .
`` And I started telling them to do kind of a sound like groans or very strange sounds , and I started conducting them .
And I also did sounds myself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Morricone was off and running toward one of the most celebrated film-scoring careers of all time .
It began with Il Federale in 1961 and continued through his collaborations with director Sergio Leone on a famous series of Westerns that included A Fistful of Dollars ; For a Few Dollars More ; The Good , the Bad and the Ugly ; and Once Upon a Time in the West .
But that was n't all he did .
Some of his best-known scores included the political drama The Battle of Algiers ; Brian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Untouchables ; The Mission , about a Jesuit priest in South America ; and Cinema Paradiso , about a young boy growing up after World War II with a love of movies .
Frayling had a chance to meet the choirmaster who worked on another Morricone film and asked what words the choir was actually singing .
`` He said , ' I ca n't remember , ' `` Frayling recounted.
`` 'They 're just sounds , you know , and the human voice is used as another musical instrument .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been imprecise , the maestro 's hand still guided every aspect of the production .
Many film composers write the music , and then hand the score off to someone else to orchestrate .
But Morricone insisted on being part of each step in the process .
`` Because a real composer has to take care of all his music , '' Morricone told NPR .
`` And those who actually just write the melody and then hand it on to someone else are not .
To me , they 're not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detail paid off .
Between 1979 and 2001 , Morricone was nominated for six Academy Awards , and he was presented with an honorary Oscar in 2007 .
He finally won the best original score prize outright in 2016 for Quentin Tarantino 's The Hateful Eight , but none of it seemed to go to his head .
He told NPR that he did n't think of himself as having created that iconic world of the Wild West .
`` I understand and I know that a movie kind of belongs to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So what I do is follow him .
What I think I have done is specified , and made clearer , what the characters were feeling . ''

Ennio Morricone, The Sound Of The American West, Dies At 91
Enlarge this image toggle caption Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
The iconic score to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: This is the sound of the American West, at least filtered through the ears of an Italian — specifically, composer Ennio Morricone. He was a giant in the world of film scores who wrote the music for more than 500 movies.
Morricone died Monday in Rome at the age of 91. The Italian cultural ministry confirmed his death in a statement that called him "a musician of refined skill who with his melodies has been able to excite and make the whole world dream."
When Morricone wrote a score for a Western, he used sneaky tricks to make those evocative sounds, like whistles, animal calls, creaks, gunshots and groans. And his most famous sound?
"I used a coyote howl: Aie-aie-aaah. That is the theme of the film," Morricone told NPR in 2014.
YouTube
Morricone worked closely with directors to create a new kind of score. Dialogue was often minimal; instead, the soundtrack did the talking.
Historian Christopher Frayling wrote a book about the Italian Westerns. He told NPR in 2007 that the composer — and the directors he worked with — wanted to infuse those films with, among other things, a sense of humor.
"They wanted something that was much more hip, much more related to pop," Frayling said. "So it's Italian folk instruments plus rock music of the mid-1960s, and it was an astonishingly raucous, noisy sound."
The creator of that sound was born in Rome in 1928. Ennio Morricone began writing music at the age of six, and never stopped. In the mid 1960s, he discovered the contemporary music scene in Italy and joined a collective called Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza that was influenced by John Cage's avant-garde experimentation.
YouTube
"As a joke I called these friends of mine," Morricone told NPR. "And I started telling them to do kind of a sound like groans or very strange sounds, and I started conducting them. And I also did sounds myself."
From that early experience, Morricone was off and running toward one of the most celebrated film-scoring careers of all time. It began with Il Federale in 1961 and continued through his collaborations with director Sergio Leone on a famous series of Westerns that included A Fistful of Dollars; For a Few Dollars More; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; and Once Upon a Time in the West. But that wasn't all he did.
Some of his best-known scores included the political drama The Battle of Algiers; Brian de Palma's take on 1930s gangsters, The Untouchables; The Mission, about a Jesuit priest in South America; and Cinema Paradiso, about a young boy growing up after World War II with a love of movies.
Frayling had a chance to meet the choirmaster who worked on another Morricone film and asked what words the choir was actually singing. "He said, 'I can't remember,' " Frayling recounted. " 'They're just sounds, you know, and the human voice is used as another musical instrument.' "
But while the words might have been imprecise, the maestro's hand still guided every aspect of the production. Many film composers write the music, and then hand the score off to someone else to orchestrate. But Morricone insisted on being part of each step in the process.
"Because a real composer has to take care of all his music," Morricone told NPR. "And those who actually just write the melody and then hand it on to someone else are not. To me, they're not real composers."
YouTube
This attention to detail paid off. Between 1979 and 2001, Morricone was nominated for six Academy Awards, and he was presented with an honorary Oscar in 2007.
He finally won the best original score prize outright in 2016 for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight, but none of it seemed to go to his head. He told NPR that he didn't think of himself as having created that iconic world of the Wild West.
"I understand and I know that a movie kind of belongs to a director," he said. "So what I do is follow him. What I think I have done is specified, and made clearer, what the characters were feeling."