npr--2020-05-10--As Food Supply Chain Breaks Down, Farm-To-Door CSAs Take Off

As Food Supply Chain Breaks Down , Farm-To-Door CSAs Take Off Images of some American farmers dumping milk , plowing under crops and tossing perishables amid sagging demand and falling prices during the deadly coronavirus pandemic has made for dramatic TV .
But it 's not the whole story .
`` We had a reporter call here and say , 'We want to see some produce rotting in the field and milk going down the drains , ' `` said Judith Redmond , a longtime farmer in California 's Capay Valley , northwest of Sacramento .
`` And I said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not what 's happening in the Capay Valley . '
`` Redmond , a founding partner of the 450-acre , organic Full Belly Farm , is busier than ever trying to ramp up production to meet soaring demand .
From California to Maine , the movement known as community supported agriculture ( CSA ) is booming .
Members buy a share of a farm 's often organic harvest that gets delivered weekly in a box .
CSA programs almost everywhere report a surge in memberships and growing waiting lists .
`` The interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produce just has skyrocketed during this crisis , '' Redmond said .
As with many farms , the restaurant and farmers market sides of her business have cratered .
But the CSA side , which includes business across the San Francisco Bay Area , has jumped to 2,000 boxes a week .
`` We 've doubled our CSA box numbers and quadrupled our add-ons like wheat flour , oils like olive oil , nuts , fruit juices , even yarn , '' Redmond said .
CSAs have long been something of a niche @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mainstream .
Yet , the coronavirus just might prove to be sparking community supported agriculture 's breakout moment .
`` In all the time that we 've worked with CSAs , which is several decades , we 've never seen a surge as quickly as we have of the last few weeks , '' said Evan Wiig with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers , which supports and lobbies on behalf of CSAs across California .
`` It 's sort of a heyday for CSAs , '' he said .
`` Farmers that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough members for the season – which we see every year — by mid-March were dealing with waiting lists with hundreds of people trying to get in . ''
The coronavirus has exposed the vulnerabilities and fragility of the U.S. global agribusiness supply chain .
The CSA model 's focus on local and fresh is ideally suited for a crisis that has people deeply worried about germs on lettuce , beets or broccoli as the crops make their way from the field to the kitchen counter .
People `` do n't want that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Sarah Voiland .
`` And we can offer that . ''
She and her husband , Ryan , run the organic CSA Red Fire Farm , in the Connecticut River Valley outside of Amherst , Mass .
The low-touch factor is an especially big draw at a time when a trip to a supermarket can involve masks , social-distancing lines , hand sanitizer and angst .
`` The supply chain with CSA is very short .
It 's like , we harvest the produce and you come pick it up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` We think people 's habits will shift because of this '' pandemic , said John Tecklin , who runs the CSA Mountain Bounty Farm , serving the northern California communities around Truckee , Nevada City and Lake Tahoe , as well as Reno , Nev. `` For a lot of them , it 's kind of a wake-up call : 'what 's really important to you ? '
`` In a move spurred partly by the pandemic , and a sign of the changing times for CSAs , Tecklin 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called Forever Farms with a non-profit land trust , a local food advocacy group and a food cooperative to help secure ownership of part of the farm 's land in perpetuity .
`` It 's local food security for our community , '' Tecklin said .
`` In these times it 's more important than ever now . ''
He believes that 's the same motivation driving the recent doubling of interest in his CSA .
`` Everyone is just all of a sudden , 'Wow this is the kind of thing we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we 're dealing with directly . '
`` Some farms , large and small , that relied on restaurant , hotel , school and university food-service contracts have been hit hard .
Many are now scrambling to adapt to a CSA-type model , at least in the short term , to survive .
Some are now partnering with CSAs in a mutually beneficial pact that helps CSAs meet growing demand while offering an outlet for suffering farms .
Federal and state governments are also now taking a page from CSAs .
As part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Agriculture has put out a call for $ 3 billion in contracts for farmers to produce and deliver fresh produce and dairy boxes to food banks , many of which are struggling to support the growing ranks of Americans who are hurting and out of work .
Some states are trying to redirect to charities farm produce that in normal times would have headed to restaurants and hotels .
California has expanded funding to help cover the costs of harvesting , packaging and transporting fresh fruits and vegetables from farms to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Farm to Family Program , a partnership with the California Association of Food Banks ( CAFB ) and the USDA , provides fresh produce to needy households across the state .
CSAs still represent a very small slice of America 's $ 100 billion farm economy .
But their renaissance marks a rare bit of good economic news for an agriculture industry battered by trade wars , threatened by climate change and now facing a global pandemic .
And the new success brings new challenges .
Many CSAs are now scrambling to find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver produce to meet the moment .
`` We 're totally able to produce so much more than we are , but we do n't have the workers , '' said Redmond , of Full Belly Farm .
`` We 're so stressed out by that that , you know , just knowing that there 's going to be a difficult time getting workers , it just does n't make any sense to ramp up production . ''
A big question for CSAs is whether the renewed interest represents a fleeting reaction to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trend .
`` When the lockdown or shelter-in-place started in March , people were just a little panicked , '' Redmond said .
`` And what we 're trying to do is turn it into a longer-term relationship with our farm and those members so that they see that there 's a tremendous advantage of getting food locally from people that they know . ''

As Food Supply Chain Breaks Down, Farm-To-Door CSAs Take Off
Enlarge this image toggle caption Full Belly Farm Full Belly Farm
Images of some American farmers dumping milk, plowing under crops and tossing perishables amid sagging demand and falling prices during the deadly coronavirus pandemic has made for dramatic TV.
But it's not the whole story.
"We had a reporter call here and say, 'We want to see some produce rotting in the field and milk going down the drains,' " said Judith Redmond, a longtime farmer in California's Capay Valley, northwest of Sacramento. "And I said, 'Well, actually, that's not what's happening in the Capay Valley.' "
Redmond, a founding partner of the 450-acre, organic Full Belly Farm, is busier than ever trying to ramp up production to meet soaring demand.
From California to Maine, the movement known as community supported agriculture (CSA) is booming. Members buy a share of a farm's often organic harvest that gets delivered weekly in a box. CSA programs almost everywhere report a surge in memberships and growing waiting lists.
"The interest in getting local, fresh, organic produce just has skyrocketed during this crisis," Redmond said.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Full Belly Farm Full Belly Farm
As with many farms, the restaurant and farmers market sides of her business have cratered. But the CSA side, which includes business across the San Francisco Bay Area, has jumped to 2,000 boxes a week. "We've doubled our CSA box numbers and quadrupled our add-ons like wheat flour, oils like olive oil, nuts, fruit juices, even yarn," Redmond said.
CSAs have long been something of a niche market that have never really penetrated the mainstream. Yet, the coronavirus just might prove to be sparking community supported agriculture's breakout moment.
"In all the time that we've worked with CSAs, which is several decades, we've never seen a surge as quickly as we have of the last few weeks," said Evan Wiig with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, which supports and lobbies on behalf of CSAs across California.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sarah Voiland Sarah Voiland
"It's sort of a heyday for CSAs," he said. "Farmers that were starting in March struggling to get enough members for the season – which we see every year — by mid-March were dealing with waiting lists with hundreds of people trying to get in."
The coronavirus has exposed the vulnerabilities and fragility of the U.S. global agribusiness supply chain. The CSA model's focus on local and fresh is ideally suited for a crisis that has people deeply worried about germs on lettuce, beets or broccoli as the crops make their way from the field to the kitchen counter.
People "don't want that many hands on their food right now," said Sarah Voiland. "And we can offer that."
She and her husband, Ryan, run the organic CSA Red Fire Farm, in the Connecticut River Valley outside of Amherst, Mass.
The low-touch factor is an especially big draw at a time when a trip to a supermarket can involve masks, social-distancing lines, hand sanitizer and angst. "The supply chain with CSA is very short. It's like, we harvest the produce and you come pick it up" at a local site, she said.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sarah Voiland Sarah Voiland
"We think people's habits will shift because of this" pandemic, said John Tecklin, who runs the CSA Mountain Bounty Farm, serving the northern California communities around Truckee, Nevada City and Lake Tahoe, as well as Reno, Nev. "For a lot of them, it's kind of a wake-up call: 'what's really important to you?' "
In a move spurred partly by the pandemic, and a sign of the changing times for CSAs, Tecklin's farm is now entering into a partnership called Forever Farms with a non-profit land trust, a local food advocacy group and a food cooperative to help secure ownership of part of the farm's land in perpetuity.
"It's local food security for our community," Tecklin said. "In these times it's more important than ever now."
He believes that's the same motivation driving the recent doubling of interest in his CSA. "Everyone is just all of a sudden, 'Wow this is the kind of thing we need, we need local farmers who we're dealing with directly.' "
Some farms, large and small, that relied on restaurant, hotel, school and university food-service contracts have been hit hard. Many are now scrambling to adapt to a CSA-type model, at least in the short term, to survive. Some are now partnering with CSAs in a mutually beneficial pact that helps CSAs meet growing demand while offering an outlet for suffering farms.
Federal and state governments are also now taking a page from CSAs. As part of its coronavirus relief, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has put out a call for $3 billion in contracts for farmers to produce and deliver fresh produce and dairy boxes to food banks, many of which are struggling to support the growing ranks of Americans who are hurting and out of work.
Some states are trying to redirect to charities farm produce that in normal times would have headed to restaurants and hotels. California has expanded funding to help cover the costs of harvesting, packaging and transporting fresh fruits and vegetables from farms to local food banks. The state's Farm to Family Program, a partnership with the California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) and the USDA, provides fresh produce to needy households across the state.
CSAs still represent a very small slice of America's $100 billion farm economy. But their renaissance marks a rare bit of good economic news for an agriculture industry battered by trade wars, threatened by climate change and now facing a global pandemic.
And the new success brings new challenges. Many CSAs are now scrambling to find additional labor to plant, harvest and deliver produce to meet the moment. "We're totally able to produce so much more than we are, but we don't have the workers," said Redmond, of Full Belly Farm. "We're so stressed out by that that, you know, just knowing that there's going to be a difficult time getting workers, it just doesn't make any sense to ramp up production."
A big question for CSAs is whether the renewed interest represents a fleeting reaction to fear or a more sustainable, long-term trend.
"When the lockdown or shelter-in-place started in March, people were just a little panicked," Redmond said. "And what we're trying to do is turn it into a longer-term relationship with our farm and those members so that they see that there's a tremendous advantage of getting food locally from people that they know."


npr--2020-05-10--Democrats Fear Losing U.S. House Special Election In Southern California

Ahead of a May 12 special election for a U.S. House seat in the northern suburbs of Los Angeles , Democrats are suddenly concerned they could lose hold of a seat that their party had just gained in the 2018 midterms .
The election in California 's 25th Congressional District is taking place in not only the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic but also the scandal that led to Democrat Katie Hill 's resignation .
Hill had unseated Republican incumbent Steve Knight in 2018 , only to announce her resignation less than a year later after intimate photos of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The House also launched an ethics probe to look into accusations of an improper relationship with a congressional staffer .
The hangover from Hill 's resignation has weighed on Democrats .
`` It 's tough to get people to keep up their energy and keep up their enthusiasm and stay in this and keep going , '' said Hilary Schardein , chair of CA25 United for Progress , a liberal group backing the Democratic candidate , Christy Smith .
Tuesday 's election will fill out the remainder of Hill 's term until January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other in the November general election for a full two-year term .
Smith , who 's a member of the California State Assembly , announced her candidacy the day after Hill said she would step down .
The Republican candidate is former Navy fighter pilot and Raytheon executive Mike Garcia .
In a sign of the race 's rhetorical importance to both parties , President Trump recently endorsed Garcia on Twitter — while Smith scooped up nods from 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama .
How to respond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ central issue of the race .
Garcia has emphasized that `` health experts need to be consulted and listened to '' and supports the Trump administration 's approach to reopen the economy as soon as possible .
Smith backs California Gov .
Gavin Newsom 's plan for opening the economy , which includes a requirement for local communities to have a plan to track and trace infections .
`` The most important thing we can do is to remind people to continue to stay safe at home until their respective county or community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garcia 's supporters and volunteers have courted people like Linda Enos , who worries about the impact of stay-at-home orders on the economy and personal liberties .
`` People are losing their jobs .
Their incomes , '' Enos said at a recent protest against stay-at-home orders .
She and her husband run a coffee shop that has had to close because of local and state health orders to prevent the spread of the virus .
`` They 're destroying our economy .
I think it 's waking up a sleeping giant .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Enoses represent a fringe position .
Polling shows Californians are more concerned about shelter-in-place orders ending prematurely .
Schardein says the recent `` open up '' demonstrations are one way for Republicans to energize their conservative base ahead of the special election .
`` It was a whole bunch of people wearing Make America Great Again hats , '' she said .
`` From all appearances , it was just a political rally . ''
It 's hard to overstate how profoundly things have changed since California 's March primary .
Garcia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playing out on Zoom instead of neighbors ' doorsteps .
Instead of an in-person debate , they took part in an online candidate forum .
The candidates have had to shift policy gears as well .
Issues like health care and the economy have taken on new importance .
On paper , Smith should be the odds-on favorite to keep the seat in Democratic hands .
In recent years , the district 's demographics have shifted to favor Democrats as the area 's population grows younger and more diverse .
Clinton won the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while first-time candidate Hill defeated Knight by nearly double digits .
But Republican voters tend to show up more consistently in nonpresidential elections , said California State University , Northridge political scientist Larry Becker , who added that nothing about a special election during a global pandemic is normal .
`` We have no idea what turnout is going to be , '' Becker said .
As a safety measure , Los Angeles and Ventura counties mailed all registered voters an absentee ballot so that they wo n't have to vote in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uphill climb to motivate people with plenty of immediate worries on their minds .
`` People are sitting at home helping their kid with their third-grade math work .
They 're trying to figure out how to help a loved one who might be sick , '' Becker said .
`` The special election is really , I think , not high on a lot of people 's radar . ''

Democrats Fear Losing U.S. House Special Election In Southern California
Enlarge this image toggle caption Libby Denkmann/KPCC Libby Denkmann/KPCC
Ahead of a May 12 special election for a U.S. House seat in the northern suburbs of Los Angeles, Democrats are suddenly concerned they could lose hold of a seat that their party had just gained in the 2018 midterms.
The election in California's 25th Congressional District is taking place in not only the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic but also the scandal that led to Democrat Katie Hill's resignation.
Hill had unseated Republican incumbent Steve Knight in 2018, only to announce her resignation less than a year later after intimate photos of her were published online without her consent. The House also launched an ethics probe to look into accusations of an improper relationship with a congressional staffer.
The hangover from Hill's resignation has weighed on Democrats.
"It's tough to get people to keep up their energy and keep up their enthusiasm and stay in this and keep going," said Hilary Schardein, chair of CA25 United for Progress, a liberal group backing the Democratic candidate, Christy Smith.
Tuesday's election will fill out the remainder of Hill's term until January 2021. Both candidates will also face each other in the November general election for a full two-year term.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Libby Denkmann/KPCC Libby Denkmann/KPCC
Smith, who's a member of the California State Assembly, announced her candidacy the day after Hill said she would step down. The Republican candidate is former Navy fighter pilot and Raytheon executive Mike Garcia.
In a sign of the race's rhetorical importance to both parties, President Trump recently endorsed Garcia on Twitter — while Smith scooped up nods from 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama.
How to respond to the coronavirus pandemic has become the central issue of the race.
Garcia has emphasized that "health experts need to be consulted and listened to" and supports the Trump administration's approach to reopen the economy as soon as possible.
Smith backs California Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan for opening the economy, which includes a requirement for local communities to have a plan to track and trace infections.
"The most important thing we can do is to remind people to continue to stay safe at home until their respective county or community orders expire," she said.
Garcia's supporters and volunteers have courted people like Linda Enos, who worries about the impact of stay-at-home orders on the economy and personal liberties.
"People are losing their jobs. Their incomes," Enos said at a recent protest against stay-at-home orders. She and her husband run a coffee shop that has had to close because of local and state health orders to prevent the spread of the virus. "They're destroying our economy. I think it's waking up a sleeping giant."
But progressive activists say protesters like the Enoses represent a fringe position. Polling shows Californians are more concerned about shelter-in-place orders ending prematurely.
Schardein says the recent "open up" demonstrations are one way for Republicans to energize their conservative base ahead of the special election.
"It was a whole bunch of people wearing Make America Great Again hats," she said. "From all appearances, it was just a political rally."
Pandemic reshapes campaigning
It's hard to overstate how profoundly things have changed since California's March primary. Garcia's and Smith's campaigns are suddenly playing out on Zoom instead of neighbors' doorsteps. Instead of an in-person debate, they took part in an online candidate forum.
The candidates have had to shift policy gears as well. Issues like health care and the economy have taken on new importance.
On paper, Smith should be the odds-on favorite to keep the seat in Democratic hands.
In recent years, the district's demographics have shifted to favor Democrats as the area's population grows younger and more diverse. Clinton won the district by 7 percentage points in 2016, while first-time candidate Hill defeated Knight by nearly double digits.
But Republican voters tend to show up more consistently in nonpresidential elections, said California State University, Northridge political scientist Larry Becker, who added that nothing about a special election during a global pandemic is normal.
"We have no idea what turnout is going to be," Becker said.
As a safety measure, Los Angeles and Ventura counties mailed all registered voters an absentee ballot so that they won't have to vote in person.
But candidates still have an uphill climb to motivate people with plenty of immediate worries on their minds.
"People are sitting at home helping their kid with their third-grade math work. They're trying to figure out how to help a loved one who might be sick," Becker said. "The special election is really, I think, not high on a lot of people's radar."


npr--2020-05-09--Elon Musk Says Tesla Suing California County, Moving Headquarters Out Of State

Elon Musk Says Tesla Suing California County , Moving Headquarters Out Of State Tesla 's CEO Elon Musk is once again voicing his dissatisfaction with shelter-in-place orders .
This time , he says his company is seeking legal recourse and to relocate its corporate headquarters .
Musk tweeted Saturday that the electric auto-maker would `` immediately '' sue the California county that is home to its main manufacturing plant in the United States .
`` The unelected & ignorant 'Interim Health Officer ' of Alameda is acting contrary to the Governor , the President , our Constitutional freedoms & just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a series of replies .
The billionaire CEO also vowed that Tesla would relocate its headquarters and future programs out-of-state .
`` Frankly , this is the final straw .
Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately , '' Musk tweeted .
`` If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all , it will be dependen [ sic ] on how Tesla is treated in the future .
Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA . ''
The tweets were in apparent reference to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Erica Pan , and county restrictions still in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19 .
Health officials in Alameda , and five nearby counties , agreed this past week to maintain their current orders .
The announcement came the same day that California Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced he was giving the go-ahead for some businesses — including manufacturers — to begin reopening .
During a video town hall on Friday , Pan explained the county 's order .
`` We are really asking our facilities within the county that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wait until we have another week or so under our belt to see what has happened after we did that first round of lifting restrictions , '' Pan said in response to a question mentioning Tesla .
Musk called the county 's decision to keep non-essential businesses closed both `` irrational and detached from reality . ''
In a statement issued Saturday , Alameda County said its health agencies had been in direct communication and `` working closely '' with the team at Tesla 's factory , adding the automaker had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
`` This has been a collaborative , good faith effort to develop and implement a safety plan that allows for reopening while protecting the health and well-being of the thousands of employees who travel to and from work at Tesla 's factory , '' the statement read .
Tesla closed its Fremont , Calif. plant with some resistance in March after initially defying the county 's shelter-in-place order .
Musk has since publicly and vocally bristled against the restrictions .
In a call with investors last month , he said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' and called it `` forcibly imprisoning people in their homes against all their constitutional rights . ''
Musk has also downplayed the coronavirus .
In March , he tweeted that infections in the United States would `` probably '' drop by end of April to `` close to zero new cases . ''
Instead , cases have continued to climb , reaching more than 1.3 million cases and 78,000 deaths nationwide as of Saturday , according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University .
Alameda County has registered more than 1,900 cases and @ @ @

Elon Musk Says Tesla Suing California County, Moving Headquarters Out Of State
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brendan Smialowski /AFP via Getty Images Brendan Smialowski /AFP via Getty Images
Tesla's CEO Elon Musk is once again voicing his dissatisfaction with shelter-in-place orders. This time, he says his company is seeking legal recourse and to relocate its corporate headquarters.
Musk tweeted Saturday that the electric auto-maker would "immediately" sue the California county that is home to its main manufacturing plant in the United States.
"The unelected & ignorant 'Interim Health Officer' of Alameda is acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms & just plain common sense!" Musk wrote in a series of replies.
The billionaire CEO also vowed that Tesla would relocate its headquarters and future programs out-of-state.
"Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately," Musk tweeted. "If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen [sic] on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA."
The tweets were in apparent reference to the interim health officer of Alameda County, Dr. Erica Pan, and county restrictions still in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Health officials in Alameda, and five nearby counties, agreed this past week to maintain their current orders. The announcement came the same day that California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he was giving the go-ahead for some businesses — including manufacturers — to begin reopening.
During a video town hall on Friday, Pan explained the county's order.
"We are really asking our facilities within the county that our local health order still prevails and to wait until we have another week or so under our belt to see what has happened after we did that first round of lifting restrictions," Pan said in response to a question mentioning Tesla.
Musk called the county's decision to keep non-essential businesses closed both "irrational and detached from reality."
In a statement issued Saturday, Alameda County said its health agencies had been in direct communication and "working closely" with the team at Tesla's factory, adding the automaker had been "responsive to our guidance and recommendations."
"This has been a collaborative, good faith effort to develop and implement a safety plan that allows for reopening while protecting the health and well-being of the thousands of employees who travel to and from work at Tesla's factory," the statement read.
Tesla closed its Fremont, Calif. plant with some resistance in March after initially defying the county's shelter-in-place order. Musk has since publicly and vocally bristled against the restrictions.
In a call with investors last month, he said the orders were "breaking people's freedoms" and called it "forcibly imprisoning people in their homes against all their constitutional rights."
Musk has also downplayed the coronavirus. In March, he tweeted that infections in the United States would "probably" drop by end of April to "close to zero new cases."
Instead, cases have continued to climb, reaching more than 1.3 million cases and 78,000 deaths nationwide as of Saturday, according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University. Alameda County has registered more than 1,900 cases and 70 deaths.


npr--2020-05-11--COVID-19 Has Created A Legal Aid Crisis. FEMA's Usual Response Is Missing

Unprecedented job losses and furloughs have pushed millions of Americans to the brink of eviction during the coronavirus pandemic , but the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the White House have failed to fund a legal assistance program that is routinely available to disaster survivors .
After hurricanes , wildfires and other disasters , including recent tornadoes in Tennessee , the president has directed FEMA to provide money for legal hotlines in affected areas .
The hotlines are run through a partnership with the American Bar Association , which provides local attorneys to work for free .
The federal government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cover operational costs such as phone equipment and software .
The Disaster Legal Services program is part of a larger suite of FEMA benefits known as individual assistance , which the governors of at least 30 states have requested in connection with the pandemic .
But the White House has not approved those requests .
The missing funding becomes more pressing every day because , unlike most weather disasters , the pandemic is causing long-term economic destruction .
More than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the last seven weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expire in many cities beginning later this month , and families that delayed questions of custody , divorce or even intimate partner violence amid the growing pandemic will need help settling those issues as courts reopen .
`` I think this will be the biggest legal aid crisis we will face in my lifetime , '' says Laura Tuggle , the executive director of the nonprofit Southeast Louisiana Legal Services , who has also provided legal assistance in the region after hurricanes Katrina , Rita , Gustav and Ike as well as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 50 million in legal aid funding in the March 28 coronavirus stimulus bill , but that money has already been distributed to more than 130 legal aid groups around the country which are struggling to meet demand .
`` Now is the time , '' for FEMA to make legal services funding available , Tuggle says .
`` Frankly , I think every community in the United States is going to be in the same boat .
It 's an all-hands-on-deck situation . ''
The delay in legal services help adds to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal pandemic response .
In March , New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo accused the agency of driving up prices for crucial materials and failing to supply the state with an adequate number of ventilators .
As the pandemic spread across the country , a team of volunteers working under President Trump 's son-in-law , Jared Kushner , sought to direct FEMA contracts to politically connected Republicans , according to The New York Times .
FEMA says state requests for individual assistance are `` under review . ''
`` The approval of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request is made at the discretion of the president , '' a FEMA spokesperson wrote in an email to NPR .
The White House did not respond to questions from NPR .
Craig Fugate , who served as FEMA administrator during the Obama administration , says it is up to the President to make legal assistance funding available .
`` If disaster legal services were activated it would help those folks who can not otherwise afford legal services , '' says Fugate .
`` You just think , with all of the deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have to start thinking about probating estates [ and ] wills , and all of the other legal ramifications that come when we lose a loved one . ''
Eviction is one of the most widespread legal issues that Americans face as a result of the pandemic , and losing access to housing can have profound public health implications .
In New Orleans , sanitation worker Bobby Parker says he went from working 80 hours every two weeks to working 32 hours , and when he was late paying rent on April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his apartment .
Parker is HIV-positive and his medications were locked inside .
`` I 'm at-risk , '' he says .
`` I was scared . ''
A city case worker already assigned to help Parker access public benefits connected him to a lawyer at a local legal aid group .
It took more than two weeks and the threat of a lawsuit , but the lawyer was able to get the landlord to let him back into the apartment .
While he was locked out , Parker alternated between sleeping outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometimes worked overnight shifts .
Parker says if he had n't had a lawyer , `` I 'd probably be a victim , testing positive for COVID-19 . ''
Without FEMA funding , most states have been unable to offer legal hotlines , making it more difficult for people to get the type of help the New Orleans resident received .
The FEMA-funded hotlines connect callers with pro bono lawyers , who often refer clients to local legal aid groups .
In Cleveland , where the outbreak has been relatively small , legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in demand because so many people have lost jobs and are struggling to pay rent and bills .
In New York City , local lawyers say they 've seen a massive influx of requests including calls from essential employees who have been illegally locked out of their apartments , workers who need help paying for food , and emergency and retail workers desperate to draft wills and other documents in case they die of COVID-19 .
`` Our calls for public benefits assistance increased by 150 % compared to the four weeks prior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rasmussen , the executive director of the legal aid group Legal Services NYC .
He expects that when courts reopen , `` there 's going to be an explosion of need as things start opening up in the next few weeks and months . ''
FEMA-funded legal hotlines would help meet that demand .
But only three states — Texas , Michigan and Nebraska — have been able to activate their statewide legal hotlines this spring , according to the American Bar Association .
`` We have a handful of state partners that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipped to respond to disasters , and they have hotlines that they can easily switch on , '' explains Linda Anderson Stanley , the director of the Disaster Legal Services program at the association .
But many states have not experienced a disaster that warranted a legal hotline for 10 years or more , `` and they do n't have the capacity or the funds to just flip a switch and turn on a hotline . ''
One stark indication of the demand for legal help comes from states that have experienced other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tornadoes in Tennessee and earthquakes in Puerto Rico this spring , the White House and FEMA approved individual assistance connected to those disasters .
Legal hotlines were activated on a limited basis for affected communities .
But Stanley says the vast majority of calls to those hotlines were n't about the natural disasters .
Instead , people call with questions about the coronavirus pandemic .
In late March , Congress appropriated $ 50 million in extra legal funding in its coronavirus stimulus bill .
`` What Congress has , in my view , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are very helpful in both the response to and recovery from natural disasters , '' says Ron Flagg , the president of the Legal Services Corporation , the nonprofit that distributes the funds to local legal aid societies .
Flagg says the money Congress has made available so far is helpful , but not nearly sufficient to meet the growing need for coronavirus-related legal help .
The Legal Services Corporation has already distributed virtually every dollar , and has asked Congress to allocate another $ 50 million in the next stimulus bill .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ appropriations are generally paired with FEMA legal funding .
After hurricanes and wildfires in 2017 and 2018 , Congress twice appropriated $ 15 million in extra legal aid funding , while FEMA funded legal hotlines in areas affected by the same disasters .
Stanley of the American Bar Association says it is frustrating to still be waiting for FEMA funding .
`` By now I expected there to be a change , '' she says .
`` We 're really struggling to figure out where the breakdown is . ''

COVID-19 Has Created A Legal Aid Crisis. FEMA's Usual Response Is Missing
Enlarge this image toggle caption Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images
Unprecedented job losses and furloughs have pushed millions of Americans to the brink of eviction during the coronavirus pandemic, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the White House have failed to fund a legal assistance program that is routinely available to disaster survivors.
After hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters, including recent tornadoes in Tennessee, the president has directed FEMA to provide money for legal hotlines in affected areas. The hotlines are run through a partnership with the American Bar Association, which provides local attorneys to work for free. The federal government pays up to $5,000 per hotline to cover operational costs such as phone equipment and software.
The Disaster Legal Services program is part of a larger suite of FEMA benefits known as individual assistance, which the governors of at least 30 states have requested in connection with the pandemic.
But the White House has not approved those requests.
The missing funding becomes more pressing every day because, unlike most weather disasters, the pandemic is causing long-term economic destruction. More than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past seven weeks. Temporary bans on evictions will likely expire in many cities beginning later this month, and families that delayed questions of custody, divorce or even intimate partner violence amid the growing pandemic will need help settling those issues as courts reopen.
"I think this will be the biggest legal aid crisis we will face in my lifetime," says Laura Tuggle, the executive director of the nonprofit Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, who has also provided legal assistance in the region after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike, as well as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Congress included $50 million in legal aid funding in the March 28 coronavirus relief bill, but that money has already been distributed to more than 130 legal aid groups around the country that are struggling to meet demand.
"Now is the time," for FEMA to make legal services funding available, Tuggle says. "Frankly, I think every community in the United States is going to be in the same boat. It's an all-hands-on-deck situation."
The delay in legal services help adds to the emerging picture of FEMA as fumbling the federal pandemic response. In March, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo accused the agency of driving up prices for crucial materials and failing to supply the state with an adequate number of ventilators.
As the pandemic spread across the country, a team of volunteers working under President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, sought to direct FEMA contracts to politically connected Republicans, according to The New York Times.
FEMA says state requests for individual assistance are "under review."
"The approval of programs in response to a disaster declaration request is made at the discretion of the president," a FEMA spokesperson wrote in an email to NPR. The White House did not respond to questions from NPR.
Craig Fugate, who served as FEMA administrator during the Obama administration, says it is up to the president to make legal assistance funding available.
"If disaster legal services were activated it would help those folks who cannot otherwise afford legal services," Fugate says. "You just think, with all of the deaths we've seen, families are going to have to start thinking about probating estates [and] wills, and all of the other legal ramifications that come when we lose a loved one."
Illness and eviction
Eviction is one of the most widespread legal issues that Americans face as a result of the pandemic, and losing access to housing can have profound public health implications.
In New Orleans, sanitation worker Bobby Parker says he went from working 80 hours every two weeks to working 32 hours, and when he was late paying rent on April 1 his landlord changed the locks on his apartment.
Parker is HIV-positive and his medications were locked inside. "I'm at-risk," he says. "I was scared."
A city case worker already assigned to help Parker access public benefits connected him to a lawyer at a local legal aid group. It took more than two weeks and the threat of a lawsuit, but the lawyer was able to get the landlord to let him back into the apartment. While he was locked out, Parker alternated between sleeping outside and staying with a friend whose wife sometimes worked overnight shifts.
Parker says if he hadn't had a lawyer, "I'd probably be a victim, testing positive for COVID-19."
Without FEMA funding, most states have been unable to offer legal hotlines, making it more difficult for people to get the type of help the New Orleans resident received. The FEMA-funded hotlines connect callers with pro bono lawyers, who often refer clients to local legal aid groups.
In Cleveland, where the outbreak has been relatively small, legal aid attorneys have nonetheless seen a surge in demand because so many people have lost jobs and are struggling to pay rent and bills.
In New York City, local lawyers say they've seen a massive influx of requests including calls from essential employees who have been illegally locked out of their apartments, workers who need help paying for food, and emergency and retail workers desperate to draft wills and other documents in case they die of COVID-19.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Seth Wenig/AP Seth Wenig/AP
"Our calls for public benefits assistance increased by 150% compared to the four weeks prior to the crisis," says Raun Rasmussen, the executive director of the legal aid group Legal Services NYC. He expects that when courts reopen, "there's going to be an explosion of need as things start opening up in the next few weeks and months."
FEMA-funded legal hotlines would help meet that demand. But only three states — Texas, Michigan and Nebraska — have been able to activate their statewide legal hotlines this spring, according to the American Bar Association.
"We have a handful of state partners that we work with that are very well equipped to respond to disasters, and they have hotlines that they can easily switch on," explains Linda Anderson Stanley, the director of the Disaster Legal Services program at the association. But many states have not experienced a disaster that warranted a legal hotline for 10 years or more, "and they don't have the capacity or the funds to just flip a switch and turn on a hotline."
One stark indication of the demand for legal help comes from states that have experienced other natural disasters during the pandemic. After tornadoes in Tennessee and earthquakes in Puerto Rico this spring, the White House and FEMA approved individual assistance connected to those disasters. Legal hotlines were activated on a limited basis for affected communities.
But Stanley says the vast majority of calls to those hotlines weren't about the natural disasters. Instead, people call with questions about the coronavirus pandemic.
When Congress isn't enough
In late March, Congress appropriated $50 million in extra legal funding in its coronavirus relief bill. "What Congress has, in my view, correctly determined, is that legal services are very helpful in both the response to and recovery from natural disasters," says Ron Flagg, the president of the Legal Services Corporation, the nonprofit that distributes the funds to local legal aid societies.
Flagg says the money Congress has made available so far is helpful, but not nearly sufficient to meet the growing need for coronavirus-related legal help. The Legal Services Corporation has already distributed virtually every dollar and has asked Congress to allocate another $50 million in the next relief bill.
Flagg and others point out that congressional appropriations are generally paired with FEMA legal funding. After hurricanes and wildfires in 2017 and 2018, Congress twice appropriated $15 million in extra legal aid funding, while FEMA funded legal hotlines in areas affected by the same disasters.
Stanley of the American Bar Association says it is frustrating to still be waiting for FEMA funding. "By now I expected there to be a change," she says. "We're really struggling to figure out where the breakdown is."


npr--2020-05-11--AP Tests Begin Online And At Home — But Not For Everyone

AP Tests Begin Online And At Home — But Not For Everyone Starting Monday , Advanced Placement exams , which test high schoolers ' knowledge of college material , will take an unusual form .
The high-anxiety , college credit tests normally last three hours and are taken in person .
But this year , in response to disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak , the College Board , which administers AP exams , shortened the tests to 45 minutes and moved them online .
The new format has raised questions about fairness .
For many students , changing the test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devices at home is a big deal .
High school senior Natalie Szewczyk from Ashfield , Mass.
, was planning to take her two AP exams in her Toyota Corolla at a nearby elementary school parking lot .
She has a spotty Internet connection at her house because her rural community does n't offer at-home broadband service .
The parking lot seemed like a better option .
But last week her school made plans to open up a small conference room for test-takers , which Szewczyk says came as a relief .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking it in a conference room just because I know I 'd have a sturdy desk as opposed to the driver 's seat of my car , trying to type on my Chromebook while it 's propped up against the steering wheel , '' she says .
Szewczyk is among the 3.4 million students who are registered to take AP exams online between May 11 and May 22 .
In a statement , College Board spokesperson Jerome White said the organization decided to move forward with AP testing to give motivated students the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College Board has tried to address issues of fairness by offering additional online review material and help for students who may not have access to a computer .
The organization has also created checklists for how to take the exams on a desktop computer , laptop , tablet and smartphone .
But lots of teachers are still concerned about equity .
Savannah Lodge-Scharff , an AP Physics teacher in Boston , works with many middle- and low-income students of color .
In April , she told NPR that pushing forward with the test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ juggling more responsibilities and stress because of the school closures .
`` [ They 're ] taking care of brothers and sisters , '' she said .
`` Some of my students are working 40 or 50 hours a week at the grocery store right now in the fear their parents are going to be laid off . ''
And then there 's the question of geographic equity .
This year 's exams will be administered at the same time worldwide , meaning some students in Hawaii will begin their test at 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test at midnight .

AP Tests Begin Online And At Home — But Not For Everyone
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Natalie Szewczyk Courtesy of Natalie Szewczyk
Starting Monday, Advanced Placement exams, which test high schoolers' knowledge of college material, will take an unusual form. The high-anxiety, college credit tests normally last three hours and are taken in person. But this year, in response to disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak, the College Board, which administers AP exams, shortened the tests to 45 minutes and moved them online.
The new format has raised questions about fairness. For many students, changing the test site from a proctored classroom to their devices at home is a big deal.
High school senior Natalie Szewczyk from Ashfield, Mass., was planning to take her two AP exams in her Toyota Corolla at a nearby elementary school parking lot. She has a spotty Internet connection at her house because her rural community doesn't offer at-home broadband service. The parking lot seemed like a better option. But last week her school made plans to open up a small conference room for test-takers, which Szewczyk says came as a relief.
"I'm feeling a little more confident taking it in a conference room just because I know I'd have a sturdy desk as opposed to the driver's seat of my car, trying to type on my Chromebook while it's propped up against the steering wheel," she says.
Szewczyk is among the 3.4 million students who are registered to take AP exams online between May 11 and May 22.
In a statement, College Board spokesperson Jerome White said the organization decided to move forward with AP testing to give motivated students the opportunity to earn college credit.
The College Board has tried to address issues of fairness by offering additional online review material and help for students who may not have access to a computer. The organization has also created checklists for how to take the exams on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet and smartphone.
But lots of teachers are still concerned about equity. Savannah Lodge-Scharff, an AP Physics teacher in Boston, works with many middle- and low-income students of color. In April, she told NPR that pushing forward with the test is unfair to students who are also juggling more responsibilities and stress because of the school closures.
"[They're] taking care of brothers and sisters," she said. "Some of my students are working 40 or 50 hours a week at the grocery store right now in the fear their parents are going to be laid off."
And then there's the question of geographic equity. This year's exams will be administered at the same time worldwide, meaning some students in Hawaii will begin their test at 6 a.m. and others in Hong Kong may test at midnight.


npr--2020-05-11--Trump Says More Testing Makes U.S. 'Look Bad,' But Its Availability Remains A Concern

Trump Says More Testing Makes U.S. 'Look Bad , ' But Its Availability Remains A Concern The coronavirus has in recent days edged closer to President Trump .
At least two White House aides who 've been in proximity to the president and the vice president have tested positive for COVID-19 .
Because of that , three key members of the Trump administration 's pandemic response team are quarantining themselves : Drs .
Robert Redfield , Stephen Hahn and Anthony Fauci .
Redfield is head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Hahn heads up the Food and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is the nation 's top infectious disease expert .
All three , plus Adm. and Dr. Brett Giroir , are slated to testify before a key Senate committee Tuesday .
The hearing , which is ironically entitled , `` COVID-19 : Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School , '' will now be done via videoconference .
The chair of that committee , Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander , is also self-quarantining .
His office announced Sunday night that a member of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alexander will chair Tuesday 's hearing from Tennessee .
In recent days , Alexander has said that the coronavirus testing the United States has done so far is `` not nearly enough , '' and `` there is no safe path forward to combat the novel coronavirus without adequate testing . ''
Trump has touted the overall number of tests that have been conducted in the country — now more than 8 million .
But at times he 's read a different message in them .
`` If we did very little testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most cases , '' Trump said Wednesday .
`` So , in a way , by doing all of this testing , we make ourselves look bad . ''
And Trump 's reservations about testing appear to be rooted in politics .
Trump said Friday he believes some Democrats hope the economy does n't bounce back .
`` I will tell you , you look at some cases , some people think they 're doing it for politics , '' Trump said on Fox News Channel .
`` Here we go again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it because it 'll hurt me , the longer it takes to — hurt me in the election , the longer it takes to open up . ''
But Trump 's focus on how the pandemic makes him and the nation look does n't get the country closer to being prepared and able to live with the coronavirus .
`` We have to figure out how to live with this virus , and that 's what we 're not doing , '' Michael Osterholm , director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said on NBC 's Meet the Press Sunday .
On the White House schedule Monday : a press briefing about testing .
1 .
Climbing coronavirus death toll : The confirmed number of Americans who have now died from the coronavirus is about 80,000 .
At a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 deaths per day , the U.S. would surpass 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 between May 21 and May 31 .
The country 's curve has plateaued , but it appears to have a long tail .
And that flattening is masked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily new cases coming down , because new cases are on the rise in other places .
2 .
Those CDC guidelines for reopening : If you 're wondering why , with some of the top scientists in the world , there have n't been clearer and more detailed reopening guidelines for states , businesses and religious institutions coming from the federal government , you 're not alone .
And now we know why : The White House buried them .
The guidelines from the CDC were shelved , the AP reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC Director Redfield issued a statement that appeared to run contrary to his published internal emails .
He took responsibility and said the document was `` shared prematurely , '' `` was in draft form and had not been vetted through the interagency review process . ''
Because of that , Redfield added , he `` was not yet comfortable releasing a final work product . ''
Will the CDC release new guidelines at some point now that this is out there ?
3 .
Will the White House push for another relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on CNN 's State of the Union Sunday that another relief package would be `` premature '' given the others that have already passed and trillions total in aid .
`` We think that we have a little moment , the luxury of a moment , to learn about what 's going on so that the next step that we take can be prudent . ''
Luxury of a moment ?
The country on Friday hit its highest unemployment rate , 14.7 % , since the Great Depression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually higher , and Americans lost a whopping 20 million jobs — in one month .
4 .
Supreme Court on religious freedom , Trump 's financial records and faithless electors : People may be home , but the Supreme Court justices are working — even if remotely .
On Monday , the court considers arguments about whether lay teachers at parochial schools are protected from discrimination or if the schools can have carte blanche in hiring and firing .
On Tuesday , it 's Trump 's financial records and whether Congress has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before Trump was president — and whether those can be used in a potential criminal investigation .
On Wednesday , the quirky Electoral College system sees a challenge .
Electors are actually people , and sometimes they do n't go the way their state voted .
The court considers if that 's OK or not .
For everyone 's sake , let 's hope those mute buttons are working better this week , especially close to any toilets .
5 .
Will Bright be reinstated ?
Rick Bright , the former director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a key agency in vaccine development , will testify before a House committee Thursday .
It comes after he filed a whistleblower complaint against the Trump administration for being dismissed from his position , he says for sounding alarms about the coronavirus early on and expressing opposition to unproven treatments favored by Trump .
Bright 's lawyers say the Office of Special Counsel has made a determination that he was dismissed for retaliation and should be temporarily reinstated while the office investigates .
Trump has ignored the same office 's recommendations before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be in the public eye , especially this week — and as the pandemic fallout continues .
Quote of the weekend '' It would have been bad even with the best of governments .
It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of 'what 's in it for me ' and 'to heck with everybody else ' — when that mindset is operationalized in our government . ''
-- Former President Barack Obama on the Trump administration 's coronavirus response .
The comments were revealed in a leaked recording @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of his administration .

Trump Says More Testing Makes U.S. 'Look Bad,' But Its Availability Remains A Concern
Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The coronavirus has in recent days edged closer to President Trump. At least two White House aides who've been in proximity to the president and the vice president have tested positive for COVID-19.
Because of that, three key members of the Trump administration's pandemic response team are quarantining themselves: Drs. Robert Redfield, Stephen Hahn and Anthony Fauci. Redfield is head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hahn heads up the Food and Drug Administration and Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is the nation's top infectious disease expert.
All three, plus the assistant secretary for health, Dr. Brett Giroir, are slated to testify before a key Senate committee Tuesday. The hearing, which is ironically titled "COVID-19: Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School," will now be done via video conference.
The chair of that committee, Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander, is also self-quarantining. His office announced Sunday night that a member of the staff tested positive for COVID-19. Alexander will chair Tuesday's hearing from Tennessee.
In recent days, Alexander has said that the coronavirus testing the United States has done so far is "not nearly enough," and "there is no safe path forward to combat the novel coronavirus without adequate testing."
Trump has touted the overall number of tests that have been conducted in the country — now more than 8 million. But at times he's read a different message in them.
"If we did very little testing, [America] wouldn't have the most cases," Trump said Wednesday. "So, in a way, by doing all of this testing, we make ourselves look bad."
And Trump's reservations about testing appear to be rooted in politics. Trump said Friday he believes some Democrats hope the economy doesn't bounce back.
"I will tell you, you look at some cases, some people think they're doing it for politics," Trump said on Fox News Channel. "Here we go again. But they think they're doing it because it'll hurt me, the longer it takes to — hurt me in the election, the longer it takes to open up."
But Trump's focus on how the pandemic makes him and the nation look doesn't get the country closer to being prepared and able to live with the coronavirus.
"We have to figure out how to live with this virus, and that's what we're not doing," Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday.
On the White House schedule Monday: a press briefing about testing.
5 things to watch this week
1. Climbing coronavirus death toll: The confirmed number of Americans who have now died from the coronavirus is about 80,000. At a rate of 1,000 to 2,000 deaths per day, the U.S. would surpass 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 between May 21 and May 31. The country's curve has plateaued, but it appears to have a long tail. And that flattening is masked by New York and New Jersey's daily new cases coming down, because new cases are on the rise in other places.
Loading...
2. Those CDC guidelines for reopening: If you're wondering why — despite access to some of the top scientists in the world — there haven't been clearer and more detailed reopening guidelines for states, businesses and religious institutions coming from the federal government, you're not alone. And now we know why: The White House buried them. The guidelines from the CDC were shelved, the AP reported.
Following the publication of the report, CDC Director Redfield issued a statement that appeared to run contrary to his published internal emails. He took responsibility and said the document was "shared prematurely," "was in draft form and had not been vetted through the interagency review process." Because of that, Redfield added, he "was not yet comfortable releasing a final work product."
Will the CDC release new guidelines at some point now that this is out there?
3. Will the White House push for another relief package — or not? White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on CNN's State of the Union Sunday that another relief package would be "premature" given the others that have already passed and trillions total in aid. "We think that we have a little moment, the luxury of a moment, to learn about what's going on so that the next step that we take can be prudent." Luxury of a moment? The country on Friday hit its highest unemployment rate, 14.7%, since the Great Depression, most economists think that number is actually higher, and Americans lost a whopping 20 million jobs — in one month.
4. U.S. Supreme Court on religious freedom, Trump's financial records and faithless electors: People may be home, but the Supreme Court justices are working — even if remotely. On Monday, the court considers arguments about whether lay teachers at parochial schools are protected from discrimination or whether the schools can have carte blanche in hiring and firing.
On Tuesday, it's Trump's financial records and whether Congress has the power to subpoena records from when before Trump was president — and whether those can be used in a potential criminal investigation.
Law Toilet Flush Heard During Supreme Court's Conference Call Toilet Flush Heard During Supreme Court's Conference Call Listen · 0:25 0:25
On Wednesday, the quirky Electoral College system sees a challenge. Electors are actually people, and sometimes they don't go the way their state voted. The court considers whether that's OK.
For everyone's sake, let's hope those mute buttons are working better this week, especially close to any toilets.
5. Will Bright be reinstated? Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a key agency in vaccine development, will testify before a House committee Thursday. It comes after he filed a whistleblower complaint against the Trump administration for being dismissed from his position, he says, for sounding alarms about the coronavirus early on and expressing opposition to unproven treatments favored by Trump. Bright's lawyers say the Office of Special Counsel has made a determination that he was dismissed for retaliation and should be temporarily reinstated while the office investigates. Trump has ignored the same office's recommendations before, but Bright's case will continue to be in the public eye, especially this week — and as the pandemic fallout continues.
Quote of the weekend
"It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of 'what's in it for me' and 'to heck with everybody else' — when that mindset is operationalized in our government."
— Former President Barack Obama on the Trump administration's coronavirus response. The comments were revealed in a leaked recording of Obama speaking to a group of members of his administration.


npr--2020-05-11--Historic Oil Bust Delivers A Gut Punch To 1 High-Flying Texas County

In the endless boom and bust cycle of the oil business , there has never been anything like 2020 .
The oil patch is reeling from historic low prices .
Futures for West Texas Intermediate crude closed at $ 25 a barrel on Friday , down from more than $ 60 a barrel at the beginning of the year .
On a normal day in Andrews County , look in any direction and you 'll see , stretching to the horizon , the bobbing horseheads of pump jacks sucking up oil from deep in the earth .
But these are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now it 's scary , honestly , '' said Lendon Partain , a well technician in Andrews .
He 's standing next to an idled pump jack in the mesquite scrubland that overlays what experts consider `` a monster oilfield . ''
`` We drove out here and usually you would see with all these good wells that historically have done a lot of production , they would usually all be pumping .
They look like caterpillars all running across the landscape .
And that 's not happening right now , '' Partain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Basin that straddles West Texas and Southeast New Mexico , wells have been `` shut in , '' in the argot of the oil business .
American oil companies are pumping a million fewer barrels a day than they were two months ago , according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration .
All the big players out here — ExxonMobil , Chevron , ConocoPhillips — have slashed production .
For Andrews County , the effect has been cataclysmic .
The county is considering layoffs for the first time , and the City of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building a new city hall .
`` When you have a community that receives 85 to 90 % of their tax revenue from minerals , it 's a serious threat , '' said Andrews County Judge Charlie Falcon .
Other cities bemoan their closed businesses and hospitalizations .
But Andrews has had only 21 cases of COVID-19 and everyone is recovering .
For this community , the global effect of the virus is much more troubling than the local impact from the disease .
`` Right now for us it 's a double @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vice president of Mid-West Truck Center in Andrews .
`` Even if the virus goes away in 60 days we 're still going to be in the same situation in the oil patch .
There wo n't be anybody hiring because there 's just too much surplus oil in the world right now to get rid of . ''
Bob Stewart is also scared about what the future hold .
His welding and machine shop has lost half its business amid the paralysis of the industry — and he considers himself one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and lumbering and wears a seed cap .
He 's survived earlier downturns in his nearly 40 years in the business , but he 's never seen demand evaporate like this .
`` The whole world 's stopped , '' he said .
`` There 's no airplanes flying , there 's no cars driving , there 's no cruise ships cruising , there 's no summer vacations going .
We 're producing a lot of oil for a world that 's not consuming it .
And that 's what 's been killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has n't had to lay off any of his 110 employees .
He got $ 1.7 million through the federal government 's Paycheck Protection Program .
But that wo n't last forever .
`` This is kind of a 9/11 do-over , '' Stewart said .
`` I do n't know what it 's going to look like , but when it comes out on the other side it 's going to be different . ''
With 12,297 active wells in Andrews County , hydrocarbons have been a blessing to this community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a public water park and new Little League baseball diamonds .
The schools have a planetarium and an Olympic-sized swimming pool .
All over town , gleaming motorcycles and ski boats and behemoth pickup trucks are parked in driveways .
Though the one-two punch of the pandemic and the oil bust have left the region staggering , it should not have come as a complete surprise .
Every oil-addicted town has been here before .
`` I 've been interviewed by the media three times and every time it 's when Andrews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason with the economy , '' said Russell Shannon , president of the National Bank of Andrews , with a chuckle .
He said established companies that saved for a rainy day will weather this bust a lot better than others .
`` As I try to tell some of the younger ones when they try to get into the business , there 's a storm cloud out there , '' Shannon said .
`` Just because you do n't see it today does n't mean there 's not one on the horizon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen it too many times . ''
Max Mainord 's trucking company has been through six downturns , by his count .
And it has learned how to survive .
`` It 's just one of those situations that you hate to lay off people that have worked for you for 10 or 12 years , with young kids and families , '' he said .
`` You hunker down when 95 % of your business is gone ... And in a year it starts moving a little bit . ''
The oilfield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought it would never end .
Even though it always does .
Mario Fernandez was laid off three weeks ago as a workover-rig supervisor .
Now he 's realizing just how good the good times were .
`` I did n't realize how much I spent when I was at work , '' he said with a laugh .
`` Breakfasts .
Lunches .
Buying my crews food .
You want to ( tell your guys ) , 'Hey , good job .
Here 's some steaks and baked potatoes or something for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fernandez sits on the front stoop of house , having a smoke and catching the night air after a scorching 104-degree day .
Now he stays home , helps his teenage son with his homework , they watch movies together , and he tries to keep a positive attitude .
`` I used to be a worrier .
I 'm not anymore , '' he said .
`` The Bible says do n't worry about tomorrow because we do n't even know if we 're gon na make it tomorrow .
So I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's all going to come back together . ''
The question is when , and how long folks can hold on .

Historic Oil Bust Delivers A Gut Punch To A High-Flying Texas County
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Burnett/NPR John Burnett/NPR
In the endless boom and bust cycle of the oil business, there has never been anything like 2020. The oil patch is reeling from historically low prices. Futures for West Texas Intermediate crude closed at $25 a barrel on Friday, down from more than $60 a barrel at the beginning of the year.
On a normal day in Andrews County, you can look in any direction and see the bobbing horse heads of pump jacks stretching to the horizon, sucking up oil from deep in the Earth. But these are anything but normal days.
"Right now it's scary, honestly," said Lendon Partain, a well technician in Andrews. He's standing next to an idled pump jack in the mesquite scrubland that overlays what experts consider "a monster oilfield."
"We drove out here and usually you would see with all these good wells that historically have done a lot of production, they would usually all be pumping. They look like caterpillars all running across the landscape. And that's not happening right now," Partain said.
All across the vast Permian Basin that straddles West Texas and southeast New Mexico, wells have been "shut in," in the argot of the oil business. American oil companies are pumping a million fewer barrels a day than they were two months ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
All the big players out here — ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips — have slashed production.
For Andrews County, the effect has been cataclysmic. The county is considering layoffs for the first time, and the city of Andrews will hold off on repairing streets and building a new city hall.
"When you have a community that receives 85 to 90% of their tax revenue from minerals, it's a serious threat," said Andrews County Judge Charlie Falcon.
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Burnett/NPR John Burnett/NPR
Other cities bemoan their closed businesses and hospitalizations. But Andrews has had only 21 cases of COVID-19, and everyone is recovering. For this community, the global effect of the virus is much more troubling than the local impact from the disease.
"Right now for us it's a double dip," said Max Mainord, vice president of Mid-West Truck Center in Andrews. "Even if the virus goes away in 60 days we're still going to be in the same situation in the oil patch. There won't be anybody hiring because there's just too much surplus oil in the world right now to get rid of."
Bob Stewart is also scared about what the future holds. His welding and machine shop has lost half its business — and he considers himself one of the lucky ones.
Stewart is tall and lumbering and wears a seed cap. He has survived other downturns in his nearly 40 years in the business, but he's never seen demand evaporate like this.
"The whole world's stopped," he said. "There's no airplanes flying, there's no cars driving, there's no cruise ships cruising, there's no summer vacations going. We're producing a lot of oil for a world that's not consuming it. And that's what's been killing the price."
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Burnett/NPR John Burnett/NPR
Stewart is grateful that he hasn't had to lay off any of his 110 employees. He got $1.7 million through the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program. But that won't last forever.
"This is kind of a 9/11 do-over," Stewart said. "I don't know what it's going to look like, but when it comes out on the other side it's going to be different."
With 12,297 active wells in Andrews County, hydrocarbons have been a blessing to this community. There's an air-conditioned rodeo arena, a public water park and new Little League baseball diamonds. The schools have a planetarium and an Olympic-size swimming pool. All over town, gleaming motorcycles and ski boats and behemoth pickup trucks are parked in driveways.
Though the one-two punch of the pandemic and the oil bust have left the region staggering, it should not have come as a complete surprise. Every oil-addicted town has been here before.
"I've been interviewed by the media three times and every time it's when Andrews is on the map for some dubious reason with the economy," Russell Shannon, president of the National Bank of Andrews, said with a chuckle. He said established companies that saved for a rainy day will weather this bust a lot better than others.
"As I try to tell some of the younger ones when they try to get into the business, there's a storm cloud out there," Shannon said. "Just because you don't see it today doesn't mean there's not one on the horizon. I mean historically we've just seen it too many times."
Max Mainord's trucking company has been through six downturns by his count and has learned how to survive.
"It's just one of those situations that you hate to lay off people that have worked for you for 10 or 12 years, with young kids and families," he said. "You hunker down when 95% of your business is gone ... And in a year it starts moving a little bit."
The oilfield workers, with their six-figure salaries, thought it would never end. Even though it always does. Mario Fernandez was laid off three weeks ago as a workover-rig supervisor. Now he's realizing just how good the good times were.
"I didn't realize how much I spent when I was at work," he said with a laugh. "Breakfasts. Lunches. Buying my crews food. You want to (tell your guys), 'Hey, good job. Here's some steaks and baked potatoes or something for working your butts off.' "
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Burnett/NPR John Burnett/NPR
Fernandez sits on the front stoop of his house, having a smoke and catching the night air after a scorching 104-degree day. Now that he stays home, he helps his teenage son with his homework. They watch movies together, and he tries to keep a positive attitude.
"I used to be a worrier. I'm not anymore," he said. "The Bible says don't worry about tomorrow because we don't even know if we're gonna make it tomorrow. So I just have faith, and believing that it's all going to come back together."
The question is when, and how long folks can hold on.


npr--2020-05-11--Market For Blood Plasma From COVID-19 Survivors Heats Up

Market For Blood Plasma From COVID-19 Survivors Heats Up Diana Berrent learned she had tested positive for COVID-19 on a Wednesday in mid-March .
Within a day , she had received 30 emails from people urging her to donate blood .
Friends and acquaintances , aware of her diagnosis , passed along a pressing request from New York 's Mount Sinai Health System , one of the first centers to seek plasma , a blood component , to be used in a therapy that might fight the deadly disease .
Berrent , 45 , said she immediately recognized the need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand that would follow .
`` When I saw that email going around , I saw what was going to happen in the landscape , '' said Berrent , a photographer and mother of two who lives on Long Island .
She went on to found Survivor Corps , a grassroots clearinghouse that connects people who have recovered from COVID-19 with organizations eager to collect their blood .
`` What I saw was going to emerge was a free market where survivors were a commodity . ''
Nearly two months later , Berrent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus has infected more than 1.2 million people in the U.S. , and now government scientists , academic researchers and for-profit pharmaceutical firms all are scrambling for blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors in hopes of developing a range of potential treatments .
In Minnesota , a program coordinated by the Mayo Clinic has collected plasma from more than 12,000 COVID survivors for transfusion into more than 7,000 gravely ill patients , the result of a massive public appeal led by government leaders and nonprofit groups such as the Red Cross .
Meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per donation of plasma used in other lifesaving therapies are advertising aggressively — and significantly bumping up their rates for COVID donors .
In Utah , John and Melanie Haering , who contracted COVID-19 aboard the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship , received gift cards worth $ 800 after making two donations apiece at a Takeda Pharmaceuticals ' BioLife Plasma Services center .
BioLife runs several of the more than 800 paid-plasma collection sites in the U.S. , part of an industry that produces plasma protein therapies used to treat rare , chronic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergencies .
`` Given the urgency and importance of collecting convalescent plasma from the small population of recovered COVID-19 patients , BioLife is currently offering an added incentive for the first two donations from recovered COVID-19 patients , '' Takeda spokesperson Julia Ellwanger said in an email .
The money was a nice surprise for the Haerings , though they said they were motivated more by the opportunity to prevent others from suffering .
`` If we could help anybody , we 'd go every day , '' said John Haering , 63 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two weeks in a hospital in Japan after testing positive for the virus .
Donors such as Berrent and the Haerings are needed to supply the building blocks of potentially lifesaving treatments .
Rich with antibodies , convalescent plasma from COVID-19 patients is being tested as a possible therapy to promote recovery in people who are critically ill with the disease .
It 's also being collected to create a concentrated antibody serum known as hyperimmune globulin that may prevent or halt infection in the future .
Similar products are used to treat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If plasma from COVID-19 donors is shown to halt disease , coming up with an antidote could offer companies the prospect of making millions of dollars .
And there 's the possibility of a third treatment , monoclonal antibody therapy , which would use antibody-producing cells from high-antibody donors to create lab-produced molecules to fight the disease .
All three therapies are promising , but all three require human blood plasma , said Dr. Michael Busch , a professor of laboratory medicine at the University of California , San Francisco and director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the largest blood center-based transfusion medicine research programs in the United States .
`` At some level , they 're all competing with the regular blood banks like mine , '' Busch said .
Only a fraction of those infected with COVID-19 have recovered sufficiently to donate , though more are eligible every day .
But as demand for donors has grown , so has the need to wrangle the supply , ensuring that competition for plasma does n't undercut the larger mission , said Dr. Michael Joyner , who heads the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to get it all worked out , '' he said .
`` It 's in everybody 's enlightened self-interest to do this in an intelligent way . ''
To avoid what Joyner described as a `` range war '' for COVID-19 plasma , he 's spearheading an effort that calls for unprecedented collaboration to distribute separate streams of plasma among producers of therapies in a global market estimated to reach $ 35.5 billion by 2023 .
`` It 's like the oil market , '' he said .
`` You send oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one market and oil that needs another type of refining to another market . ''
His plan — floated last month to a group that included representatives from philanthropic organizations along with executives from for-profit and nonprofit blood collectors — relies in part on blood plasma from up to 10,000 Hasidic women in New York City , where the Orthodox Jewish community has been hit hard by the disease .
Tens of thousands of people have fallen ill with the virus in the city 's Hasidic neighborhoods , and more than 700 have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of men in the community who have recovered from COVID-19 have rushed to donate plasma .
Chaim Lebovits , who has helped organize the effort , said the donations are an act of faith .
`` We have an obligation to protect and save lives , '' Lebovits said .
So far , however , many women in the Hasidic community have been unable to participate .
Hasidic families are often large , and women who have had several children may have high levels of certain antibodies that are sometimes produced during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause a dangerous reaction — transfusion-related acute lung injury — in some recipients of plasma from women who have been pregnant .
In COVID-19 patients , battling a virus that targets the lungs , such reactions could be deadly .
Given the risk , many Hasidic mothers who want to join the men in donating have been deferred from providing plasma for immediate transfusion , the Mayo Clinic 's Joyner said .
But those women could be an ideal and ongoing source of plasma for hyperimmune globulin , which is processed in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Roughly 10,000 women could donate up to four times each — generating some 30,000 liters of plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 that could be directed to the for-profit collectors to make hyperimmune globulin , Joyner estimated .
That 's enough for the companies to get started .
`` This is the basis of a true win-win , '' Joyner said .
In the future , other groups deemed ineligible to provide convalescent plasma for transfusion , out of concern about disease transmission , could be diverted for hyperimmune globulin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the plan will be the ability to identify eligible donors through antibody tests , Joyner said .
Mayo Clinic scientists have already conducted more than 5,000 serology tests and identified hundreds of potential plasma donors .
So far , however , neither the nonprofit organizations nor the for-profit firms have agreed to the plan .
`` Ways to facilitate these donations and recommendations for how to allocate donors to one donation stream or the other are still in progress , '' said Natalie de Vane , a spokesperson for CSL Behring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Prussia , Penn .
CSL has joined with Takeda , a Japanese pharmaceutical company , to lead the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance , a coalition of six companies developing a single , unbranded hyperimmune globulin product that could treat COVID-19 .
Meanwhile , officials with the AABB , an international nonprofit focused on transfusion medicine and cellular therapies , have concentrated efforts primarily on collecting plasma for immediate use .
But they acknowledged that convalescent plasma could end up serving as `` bridge therapy '' to buy time until the hyperimmune globulin products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ importance of ensuring that convalescent plasma is available as a transfusion therapy for patients today , as well as to develop future treatments , '' the agency said in a statement .
Representatives from all sides agree that the most pressing need is to increase the pool of COVID-19 survivors willing to donate plasma .
They downplay talk of jockeying for donors in the nonprofit and for-profit worlds .
`` We do n't view it as competition , '' said Chris Healey , president of corporate affairs at Grifols , a Spanish pharmaceutical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop its own hyperimmune globulin product .
`` We 're all pointed in the same direction . ''
One solution may be organizations such as Berrent 's nonprofit Survivor Corps , which started in late March with a Facebook group that 's grown to 42,000 members and now includes international partnerships and a pro bono advertising campaign , A Call to Arms .
Berrent has given plasma four times now , including to a biotech firm that sent a phlebotomist to her home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ card for her trouble .
Survivor Corps aims to function as a `` one-stop shop '' for donors interested in giving COVID-19 plasma , Berrent said .
And , she said , it also could serve as a single source for recruitment , freeing scientists in government , academia and industry to focus on finding answers , not scouting for survivors .
`` Free markets work beautifully in many , many situations , '' Berrent said .
`` During a global pandemic , during a time of crisis , we need collaboration and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nonprofit , independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation .
KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

Market For Blood Plasma From COVID-19 Survivors Heats Up
Enlarge this image toggle caption Diana Berrent/Survivor Corps Diana Berrent/Survivor Corps
Diana Berrent learned she had tested positive for COVID-19 on a Wednesday in mid-March. Within a day, she had received 30 emails from people urging her to donate blood.
Friends and acquaintances, aware of her diagnosis, passed along a pressing request from New York's Mount Sinai Health System, one of the first centers to seek plasma, a blood component, to be used in a therapy that might fight the deadly disease. Berrent, 45, said she immediately recognized the need for the precious plasma — and the demand that would follow.
"When I saw that email going around, I saw what was going to happen in the landscape," said Berrent, a photographer and mother of two who lives on Long Island. She went on to found Survivor Corps, a grassroots clearinghouse that connects people who have recovered from COVID-19 with organizations eager to collect their blood.
"What I saw was going to emerge was a free market where survivors were a commodity."
Nearly two months later, Berrent's prediction is coming true. The coronavirus has infected more than 1.2 million people in the U.S., and now government scientists, academic researchers and for-profit pharmaceutical firms all are scrambling for blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors in hopes of developing a range of potential treatments.
In Minnesota, a program coordinated by the Mayo Clinic has collected plasma from more than 12,000 COVID survivors for transfusion into more than 7,000 gravely ill patients, the result of a massive public appeal led by government leaders and nonprofit groups such as the Red Cross.
Meanwhile, for-profit companies that typically pay $50 per donation of plasma used in other lifesaving therapies are advertising aggressively — and significantly bumping up their rates for COVID donors.
In Utah, John and Melanie Haering, who contracted COVID-19 aboard the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship, received gift cards worth $800 after making two donations apiece at a Takeda Pharmaceuticals' BioLife Plasma Services center. BioLife runs several of the more than 800 paid-plasma collection sites in the U.S., part of an industry that produces plasma protein therapies used to treat rare, chronic conditions such as hemophilia and in medical emergencies.
Enlarge this image toggle caption John and Melanie Haering John and Melanie Haering
"Given the urgency and importance of collecting convalescent plasma from the small population of recovered COVID-19 patients, BioLife is currently offering an added incentive for the first two donations from recovered COVID-19 patients," Takeda spokesperson Julia Ellwanger said in an email.
The money was a nice surprise for the Haerings, though they said they were motivated more by the opportunity to prevent others from suffering.
"If we could help anybody, we'd go every day," said John Haering, 63, a retired railroad manager who spent two weeks in a hospital in Japan after testing positive for the virus.
Donors such as Berrent and the Haerings are needed to supply the building blocks of potentially lifesaving treatments. Rich with antibodies, convalescent plasma from COVID-19 patients is being tested as a possible therapy to promote recovery in people who are critically ill with the disease.
It's also being collected to create a concentrated antibody serum known as hyperimmune globulin that may prevent or halt infection in the future. Similar products are used to treat rabies and illnesses such as infant botulism. If plasma from COVID-19 donors is shown to halt disease, coming up with an antidote could offer companies the prospect of making millions of dollars.
And there's the possibility of a third treatment, monoclonal antibody therapy, which would use antibody-producing cells from high-antibody donors to create lab-produced molecules to fight the disease.
All three therapies are promising, but all three require human blood plasma, said Dr. Michael Busch, a professor of laboratory medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and director of the Vitalant Research Institute, one of the largest blood center-based transfusion medicine research programs in the United States.
"At some level, they're all competing with the regular blood banks like mine," Busch said.
Only a fraction of those infected with COVID-19 have recovered sufficiently to donate, though more are eligible every day. But as demand for donors has grown, so has the need to wrangle the supply, ensuring that competition for plasma doesn't undercut the larger mission, said Dr. Michael Joyner, who heads the Mayo Clinic program.
"We're going to get it all worked out," he said. "It's in everybody's enlightened self-interest to do this in an intelligent way."
To avoid what Joyner described as a "range war" for COVID-19 plasma, he's spearheading an effort that calls for unprecedented collaboration to distribute separate streams of plasma among producers of therapies in a global market estimated to reach $35.5 billion by 2023.
"It's like the oil market," he said. "You send oil that needs one type of refining to one market and oil that needs another type of refining to another market."
His plan — floated last month to a group that included representatives from philanthropic organizations along with executives from for-profit and nonprofit blood collectors — relies in part on blood plasma from up to 10,000 Hasidic women in New York City, where the Orthodox Jewish community has been hit hard by the disease.
Tens of thousands of people have fallen ill with the virus in the city's Hasidic neighborhoods, and more than 700 have died. In recent weeks, thousands of men in the community who have recovered from COVID-19 have rushed to donate plasma. Chaim Lebovits, who has helped organize the effort, said the donations are an act of faith.
"We have an obligation to protect and save lives," Lebovits said.
So far, however, many women in the Hasidic community have been unable to participate. Hasidic families are often large, and women who have had several children may have high levels of certain antibodies that are sometimes produced during a pregnancy. Rarely, such antibodies can cause a dangerous reaction — transfusion-related acute lung injury — in some recipients of plasma from women who have been pregnant. In COVID-19 patients, battling a virus that targets the lungs, such reactions could be deadly.
Given the risk, many Hasidic mothers who want to join the men in donating have been deferred from providing plasma for immediate transfusion, the Mayo Clinic's Joyner said. But those women could be an ideal and ongoing source of plasma for hyperimmune globulin, which is processed in a way that dilutes or removes the antibodies.
Roughly 10,000 women could donate up to four times each — generating some 30,000 liters of plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 that could be directed to the for-profit collectors to make hyperimmune globulin, Joyner estimated. That's enough for the companies to get started.
"This is the basis of a true win-win," Joyner said.
In the future, other groups deemed ineligible to provide convalescent plasma for transfusion, out of concern about disease transmission, could be diverted for hyperimmune globulin creation, he said.
One key part of the plan will be the ability to identify eligible donors through antibody tests, Joyner said. Mayo Clinic scientists have already conducted more than 5,000 serology tests and identified hundreds of potential plasma donors.
So far, however, neither the nonprofit organizations nor the for-profit firms have agreed to the plan.
"Ways to facilitate these donations and recommendations for how to allocate donors to one donation stream or the other are still in progress," said Natalie de Vane, a spokesperson for CSL Behring, a biopharmaceutical company based in King of Prussia, Penn.
CSL has joined with Takeda, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, to lead the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance, a coalition of six companies developing a single, unbranded hyperimmune globulin product that could treat COVID-19.
Meanwhile, officials with the AABB, an international nonprofit focused on transfusion medicine and cellular therapies, have concentrated efforts primarily on collecting plasma for immediate use. But they acknowledged that convalescent plasma could end up serving as "bridge therapy" to buy time until the hyperimmune globulin products are available.
"AABB recognizes the importance of ensuring that convalescent plasma is available as a transfusion therapy for patients today, as well as to develop future treatments," the agency said in a statement.
Representatives from all sides agree that the most pressing need is to increase the pool of COVID-19 survivors willing to donate plasma. They downplay talk of jockeying for donors in the nonprofit and for-profit worlds.
"We don't view it as competition," said Chris Healey, president of corporate affairs at Grifols, a Spanish pharmaceutical company that has received nearly $13 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop its own hyperimmune globulin product. "We're all pointed in the same direction."
One solution may be organizations such as Berrent's nonprofit Survivor Corps, which started in late March with a Facebook group that's grown to 42,000 members and now includes international partnerships and a pro bono advertising campaign, A Call to Arms.
Berrent has given plasma four times now, including to a biotech firm that sent a phlebotomist to her home and gave her a $100 Amazon card for her trouble.
Survivor Corps aims to function as a "one-stop shop" for donors interested in giving COVID-19 plasma, Berrent said. And, she said, it also could serve as a single source for recruitment, freeing scientists in government, academia and industry to focus on finding answers, not scouting for survivors.
"Free markets work beautifully in many, many situations," Berrent said. "During a global pandemic, during a time of crisis, we need collaboration and efficiency."
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit, independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.