npr--2020-06-21--COVID-19 Is Mucking Up Mumbai's Plans To Prepare For Monsoon Season

COVID-19 Is Mucking Up Mumbai 's Plans To Prepare For Monsoon Season The narrow lanes inside the slum in east Mumbai where Swati Patil lives flood every year during the monsoon season of July and August .
`` Even if it rains for half an hour , we have waterlogging , '' says Patil , 46 .
Homes remain inundated for days and many people pile all their belongings on beds floating in the water , she says .
Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria dengue as well as water-borne diseases like typhoid and leptospirosis are common .
But these are n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Patil and her neighbors have one more thing to fear : the coronavirus .
India 's financial capital is in the throes of a COVID-19 crisis .
With more than 60,000 total cases , Mumbai is responsible for roughly a sixth of all of India 's infections .
Mumbai 's congested slums are especially vulnerable .
Although slums cover only about 8 percent of Mumbai 's total area , they are home to some 40 percent of Mumbai 's population of more than 20 million .
People live in cramped quarters and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing in slums will become even harder to maintain during the monsoon season , says Rama Shyam , program director at the Mumbai-based nonprofit Society for Nutrition , Education and Health Action .
The pandemic is also making it tough for the authorities to prepare the slums for the monsoon season .
`` Traditionally , [ city officials ] go door-to-door in the slum pockets and they basically arm people with messages on monsoon-related illnesses , '' says Shyam .
The awareness campaigns are part of pre-monsoon preparations that Mumbai 's authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stormwater drains to prevent flooding .
But amid the COVID-19 pandemic , pre-monsoon work has taken a backseat , says urban affairs researcher Dhaval Desai .
Most of the workers hired to remove the sludge from drains are migrant laborers , explains Desai .
When India went under lockdown in late March , some 100 million people lost their jobs .
Many were migrant laborers who returned to their homes in villages hundreds of miles away .
`` Now this year , especially because of the lockdown , most of these very critical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 've only been able to do some very fractional work , '' Desai says .
In July and August — when the rainy season is at its peak — torrential showers continue for days on end , flooding low-lying areas .
People wade through waist-high water which is often contaminated .
Open sewers overflow and garbage piles up .
It 's the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes .
Each spring , authorities identify spots across the city prone to mosquito breeding and fumigate those areas , Desai says .
But this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals handling COVID-19 cases and pre-monsoon fogging was delayed .
Hundreds of people in Mumbai get sick with malaria and dengue fever each year .
According to government data , Mumbai 's public hospitals alone registered more than 900 confirmed cases and more than 13,000 suspected cases of dengue in 2019 , most of them occurring during a monsoon or just after .
But the Mumbai-based nonprofit Praja Foundation estimates there could be up to 100,000 cases of dengue a year .
This year , the burden of monsoon-related illnesses comes at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already overwhelmed by COVID-19 .
Public hospitals are severely understaffed , doctors say , and there are reports of patients dying after hospitals refused to admit them due to shortage of beds .
While only a fraction of those who get infected with dengue or malaria need to be admitted , hospitals must be prepared to take in non-COVID patients , says Dr. Om Shrivastav , an infectious disease specialist .
And that requires additional staff and resources .
`` You ca n't have somebody who 's looking after COVID patients looking after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] , '' Shrivastav says .
Authorities say they are assigning hospitals to treat non-COVID patients exclusively .
Some 8,000 beds and at least 150 city-run clinics have been allocated for monsoon-related illnesses , The Indian Express newspaper reports .
Meanwhile , Desai , the researcher , wonders how slums that are right along Mumbai 's beaches will fare .
`` Every monsoon , during high tide , at least the first two to three rows of all slum huts have to be evacuated otherwise they will be swept away by the sea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They all come and live on the streets . ''
When they 're trying to survive and save their home , he says , social distancing and an invisible virus will be the last thing on their minds .

COVID-19 Is Mucking Up Mumbai's Plans To Prepare For Monsoon Season
Enlarge this image toggle caption Indranil Mukheerjeee /AFP via Getty Images Indranil Mukheerjeee /AFP via Getty Images
The narrow lanes inside the slum in east Mumbai where Swati Patil lives flood every year during the monsoon season of July and August.
"Even if it rains for half an hour, we have waterlogging," says Patil, 46.
Homes remain inundated for days and many people pile all their belongings on beds floating in the water, she says. Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria dengue as well as water-borne diseases like typhoid and leptospirosis are common. But these aren't the only obstacles.
This monsoon season, Patil and her neighbors have one more thing to fear: the coronavirus.
India's financial capital is in the throes of a COVID-19 crisis. With more than 60,000 total cases, Mumbai is responsible for roughly a sixth of all of India's infections. Mumbai's congested slums are especially vulnerable.
Although slums cover only about 8 percent of Mumbai's total area, they are home to some 40 percent of Mumbai's population of more than 20 million. People live in cramped quarters and share dirty public toilets. Sanitation and social distancing in slums will become even harder to maintain during the monsoon season, says Rama Shyam, program director at the Mumbai-based nonprofit Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action.
The pandemic is also making it tough for the authorities to prepare the slums for the monsoon season.
"Traditionally, [city officials] go door-to-door in the slum pockets and they basically arm people with messages on monsoon-related illnesses," says Shyam.
The awareness campaigns are part of pre-monsoon preparations that Mumbai's authorities undertake each spring, which include unclogging stormwater drains to prevent flooding.
But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-monsoon work has taken a backseat, says urban affairs researcher Dhaval Desai.
Most of the workers hired to remove the sludge from drains are migrant laborers, explains Desai. When India went under lockdown in late March, some 100 million people lost their jobs. Many were migrant laborers who returned to their homes in villages hundreds of miles away.
"Now this year, especially because of the lockdown, most of these very critical pre-monsoon works have not been started or they've only been able to do some very fractional work," Desai says.
In July and August — when the rainy season is at its peak — torrential showers continue for days on end, flooding low-lying areas. People wade through waist-high water which is often contaminated. Open sewers overflow and garbage piles up. It's the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Each spring, authorities identify spots across the city prone to mosquito breeding and fumigate those areas, Desai says. But this year, those officials were assigned to disinfect hospitals handling COVID-19 cases and pre-monsoon fogging was delayed.
Hundreds of people in Mumbai get sick with malaria and dengue fever each year. According to government data, Mumbai's public hospitals alone registered more than 900 confirmed cases and more than 13,000 suspected cases of dengue in 2019, most of them occurring during a monsoon or just after. But the Mumbai-based nonprofit Praja Foundation estimates there could be up to 100,000 cases of dengue a year.
This year, the burden of monsoon-related illnesses comes at a time when Mumbai's health system is already overwhelmed by COVID-19. Public hospitals are severely understaffed, doctors say, and there are reports of patients dying after hospitals refused to admit them due to shortage of beds.
While only a fraction of those who get infected with dengue or malaria need to be admitted, hospitals must be prepared to take in non-COVID patients, says Dr. Om Shrivastav, an infectious disease specialist. And that requires additional staff and resources.
"You can't have somebody who's looking after COVID patients looking after malaria or [any other monsoon-related illnesses]," Shrivastav says.
Authorities say they are assigning hospitals to treat non-COVID patients exclusively. Some 8,000 beds and at least 150 city-run clinics have been allocated for monsoon-related illnesses, The Indian Express newspaper reports.
Meanwhile, Desai, the researcher, wonders how slums that are right along Mumbai's beaches will fare.
"Every monsoon, during high tide, at least the first two to three rows of all slum huts have to be evacuated otherwise they will be swept away by the sea waves," Desai says. "They all come and live on the streets."
When they're trying to survive and save their home, he says, social distancing and an invisible virus will be the last thing on their minds.


npr--2020-06-22--Trump Wants To Move On, But The Coronavirus Is Surging In Parts Of Red America

Trump Wants To Move On , But The Coronavirus Is Surging In Parts Of Red America About 120,000 Americans have now died from the coronavirus .
While the national number of daily deaths has declined in recent weeks , new confirmed cases are on the rise in almost half the country , including spikes in Florida , Texas and Arizona , where the president is headed Tuesday .
`` We saved millions of lives , and now it 's time to open up , '' President Trump said definitively Saturday night during his campaign rally in Tulsa , Okla. Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found there could be up to 2.2 million deaths if the country did nothing to contain the outbreak .
But he spent months downplaying the virus when health experts were imploring more action sooner .
And those experts are now warning it 's not time to act as if the pandemic is over .
`` [ T ] hat 's why I think you 're seeing right now increases in a number of states , because everybody 's back to a pre-pandemic mindset , '' Michael Osterholm , director for the Center for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of Minnesota and author of Deadliest Enemy : Our War Against Killer Germs , said on NBC 's Meet the Press Sunday .
He warned that the coronavirus is like a `` forest fire '' that is showing no signs of slowing down .
Early on , the pandemic was largely affecting `` blue , '' or Democratic-leaning areas , especially New York , but now most new cases are in the South and redder parts of the country .
The Trump administration and some Republican governors have been blaming increased testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in many places cases are increasing more than testing — and that certainly does n't explain away rising hospitalizations in places like Texas .
The campaign of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is making competence a core part of its argument against Trump , and it hit him again for it because of other remarks he made Saturday night .
`` When you do testing to that extent , you are gon na find more people , you 're gon na find more cases , '' Trump said .
`` So I said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down , please . '
They test and they test .
We have tests that people do n't know what 's going on . ''
The White House says he was being `` tongue in cheek , '' but Trump has repeatedly said testing makes the United States look bad by , in his view , increasing the number of reported cases .
A Democratic group has already cut an ad centering on his remarks .
It will be key to watch political reaction on the right if cases and hospitalizations continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as things like wearing masks — something the president initially encouraged Americans to do — have become politicized .
So far , though , Trump 's power of persuasion with his base continues to outweigh the coronavirus 's shift toward Red America .
1 .
Possible progressive surge in elections : Five states hold primaries Tuesday — Kentucky , New York , North Carolina , Virginia and Mississippi .
In Kentucky , the race between the two Democrats vying for the right to take on Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Charles Booker has all the momentum and progressive backing over Amy McGrath , a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot who has all the money and the party endorsement , but also lost a congressional race in the 2018 Democratic wave .
Either faces in an uphill battle in a general election against McConnell in Kentucky , but a new video from Booker encapsulates a lot of the messages Democrats are trying to push nationally about working-class economics , protests and Black Lives Matter .
In New York , pay attention to progressives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the race between longtime Rep. Eliot Engel and Jamaal Bowman , a former Bronx principal who 's won the endorsements of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
Missteps from Engel , who last faced a competitive primary 20 years ago , opened the door for Bowman , who 's raised $ 2 million and is surging .
2 .
Battleground Arizona , Wisconsin : Speaking of elections , Trump heads to Yuma , Ariz. , Tuesday to survey part of the border fence with Mexico before heading to Phoenix .
Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Wisconsin .
It 's no coincidence that they 're heading to those places amid the president 's slipping poll numbers .
Wisconsin and Arizona could very well be tipping-point states this November .
3 .
Hearing on DOJ independence Wednesday : Like something out of an episode of Showtime 's Billions , Attorney General William Barr announced the resignation of Geoffrey Berman , the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan last week .
Problem : Berman , who has been investigating people close to Trump , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement that Berman had `` chosen public spectacle over public service '' and asked Trump to intervene and fire him .
Trump did , but added , `` [ T ] hat 's really up to him [ Barr ] .
I 'm not involved . ''
And now Congress is involved to investigate it all .
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler , D-N.Y. , is promising to try and secure Berman 's testimony .
`` The whole thing smacks of corruption and incompetence , which is what we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his Attorney General , '' Nadler said in a statement .
Nadler was already slated to hold a meeting Wednesday with two whistleblowers on political interference at the Department of Justice .
4 .
Votes on police reform on Capitol Hill expected : The Senate will debate , and possibly vote on , police reform .
There 's a key procedural vote scheduled for Wednesday .
On Thursday , the House is expected to pass the Democratic police reform bill mostly along party lines .
You wonder how many people are tuning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watching the meat grinder of Congress work and what their impressions are — do they turn away , thinking politics is futile and not a great way to effect change , or does it make them more likely to vote ?
5 .
Trump 's immigration executive order : Following his administration 's loss over the DACA program , Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals , at the Supreme Court last week , President Trump is expected to sign an executive order suspending temporary work visas through the end of the year , NPR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are expected to include visas that affect skilled workers like in the tech industry ( H-1B ) , executives at large corporations ( L-1 ) , season workers like hotel and construction workers ( H-2B ) and research scholars and professors ( J-1 ) .
Quote of the weekend '' I said , 'General , there 's no way I can make it down that ramp without falling on my ass , general . '
`` -- Trump during his Tulsa rally Saturday , delivering a defense of his walking down a ramp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had leather-soled shoes on and did n't want to fall like former President Gerald Ford coming out of the airplane .
Trump went on a long tangent to discuss and , at times , reenact , his gingerly walking down the ramp and questions raised about his using a second hand to drink water .
He said he did n't want to get any on his tie .
Philip Bump at The Washington Post found Trump spent one out of every eight minutes of his Tulsa speech talking about West Point , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a one-hour-and-43-minute speech .

Trump Wants To Move On, But The Coronavirus Is Surging In Parts Of Red America
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images
About 120,000 Americans have now died from the coronavirus.
While the national number of daily deaths has declined in recent weeks, new confirmed cases are on the rise in almost half the country, including spikes in Florida, Texas and Arizona, where the president is headed Tuesday.
"We saved millions of lives, and now it's time to open up," President Trump said definitively Saturday night during his campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla.
Trump's referring to an earlier estimate that found there could be up to 2.2 million deaths if the country did nothing to contain the outbreak. But he spent months downplaying the virus when health experts were imploring more action sooner. And those experts are now warning it's not time to act as if the pandemic is over.
"[T]hat's why I think you're seeing right now increases in a number of states, because everybody's back to a pre-pandemic mindset," Michael Osterholm, director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and author of Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. He warned that the coronavirus is like a "forest fire" that is showing no signs of slowing down.
Early on, the pandemic was largely affecting "blue," or Democratic-leaning areas, especially New York, but now most new cases are in the South and redder parts of the country. The Trump administration and some Republican governors have been blaming increased testing for the rise in cases, but in many places cases are increasing more than testing — and that certainly doesn't explain away rising hospitalizations in places like Texas.
The campaign of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is making competence a core part of its argument against Trump, and it hit him again for it because of other remarks he made Saturday night.
"When you do testing to that extent, you are gonna find more people, you're gonna find more cases," Trump said. "So I said to my people, 'Slow the testing down, please.' They test and they test. We have tests that people don't know what's going on."
The White House says he was being "tongue in cheek," but Trump has repeatedly said testing makes the United States look bad by, in his view, increasing the number of reported cases. A Democratic group has already cut an ad centering on his remarks.
It will be key to watch political reaction on the right if cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in these parts of the country, as things like wearing masks — something the president initially encouraged Americans to do — have become politicized.
So far, though, Trump's power of persuasion with his base continues to outweigh the coronavirus's shift toward Red America.
5 things to watch this week
1. Possible progressive surge in elections: Five states hold primaries Tuesday — Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Mississippi.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Bryan Woolston/AP Bryan Woolston/AP
In Kentucky, the race between the two Democrats vying for the right to take on Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is coming down to the wire. State Rep. Charles Booker has all the momentum and progressive backing over Amy McGrath, a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot who has all the money and the party endorsement but also lost a congressional race in the 2018 Democratic wave.
Either faces an uphill battle in a general election against McConnell in Kentucky, but a new video from Booker encapsulates a lot of the messages Democrats are trying to push nationally about working class economics, protests and Black Lives Matter.
New York Rep. Eliot Engel Faces AOC-style Challenge To House Seat New York Rep. Eliot Engel Faces AOC-style Challenge To House Seat Listen · 3:55 3:55
In New York, pay attention to progressives going after establishment Democrats, especially in the race between longtime Rep. Eliot Engel and Jamaal Bowman, a former Bronx principal who has won the endorsements of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Missteps from Engel, who last faced a competitive primary 20 years ago, opened the door for Bowman, who has raised $2 million and is surging.
2. Battleground Arizona, Wisconsin: Speaking of elections, Trump heads to Yuma, Ariz., on Tuesday to survey part of the border fence with Mexico before heading to Phoenix. Vice President Pence, meanwhile, will be in Wisconsin. It's no coincidence that they're heading to those places amid the president's slipping poll numbers. Wisconsin and Arizona could very well be tipping-point states this November.
3. Hearing on DOJ independence Wednesday: Like something out of an episode of Showtime's Billions, Attorney General William Barr announced the resignation of Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan last week. Problem: Berman, who has been investigating people close to Trump, said he didn't resign. Barr later said in a statement that Berman had "chosen public spectacle over public service" and asked Trump to intervene and fire him. Trump did, but added, "[T]hat's really up to him [Barr]. I'm not involved."
And now Congress is involved to investigate it all.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., is promising to try and secure Berman's testimony. "The whole thing smacks of corruption and incompetence, which is what we have come to expect from this President and his Attorney General," Nadler said in a statement. Nadler was already slated to hold a meeting Wednesday with two whistleblowers on political interference at the Department of Justice.
4. Votes on police reform on Capitol Hill expected: The Senate will debate, and possibly vote on, police reform. There's a key procedural vote scheduled for Wednesday. On Thursday, the House is expected to pass the Democratic police reform bill mostly along party lines. You wonder how many people are tuning in to politics for the first time and watching the meat grinder of Congress work and what their impressions are — do they turn away, thinking politics is futile and not a great way to effect change, or does it make them more likely to vote?
5. Trump's immigration executive order: Following his administration's loss over the DACA program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, at the Supreme Court last week, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order suspending temporary work visas through the end of the year, NPR's Franco Ordoñez reports. The suspensions are expected to include visas that affect skilled workers like in the tech industry (H-1B), executives at large corporations (L-1), seasonal workers like hotel and construction workers (H-2B) and research scholars and professors (J-1).
Quote of the weekend
"I said, 'General, there's no way I can make it down that ramp without falling on my ass, general.' "
— Trump during his Tulsa rally on Saturday, delivering a defense of his walking down a ramp at West Point. The president noted that he had leather-soled shoes on and didn't want to fall like former President Gerald Ford coming out of the airplane.
Trump went on a long tangent to discuss and, at times, reenact, his gingerly walking down the ramp and questions raised about his using a second hand to drink water. He said he didn't want to get any on his tie. Philip Bump at The Washington Post found Trump spent one out of every eight minutes of his Tulsa speech talking about West Point, or 14 minutes and 53 seconds of a speech that lasted one hour and 43 minutes.


npr--2020-06-22--Kamala Harris Is Seen As The Clear Front-Runner To Be Joe Biden's Running Mate

Kamala Harris Is Seen As The Clear Front-Runner To Be Joe Biden 's Running Mate One of a series of reports looking at Joe Biden 's potential running mates More than a month before former Vice President Joe Biden 's stated deadline for naming his running mate , California Sen. Kamala Harris is seen as the consensus front-runner to become the Democrat 's vice presidential nominee .
Speculation about running mates can be wrong , of course .
Ultimately , the choice is Biden 's and Biden 's alone — just as it was Barack Obama 's call to tap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often the first name mentioned by Democrats inside and on the edge of the Biden campaign 's orbit .
She topped a recent national poll asking respondents for their preferred Biden running mate .
And , for what it 's worth , she 's the runaway favorite on online betting sites .
That 's all despite the fact that Harris 's own presidential campaign was a disappointment , having never even made it to the Iowa caucuses .
Still , Harris allies see the first-term California senator and former state attorney general and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demographic balance to Biden 's ticket .
They also see her prosecutorial resume as the ideal professional background in a political climate intensely focused on racial justice and policing , and her reputation as a sharp attack dog in Senate hearings as a key asset for a running mate .
Perhaps most importantly for Harris 's chances , though , many Democrats believe she has more political and governing credibility than any other potential picks , save perhaps Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren .
`` She knows the system from inside , and she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cultural shift in policing in this country , '' said California Rep. Barbara Lee , who endorsed Harris 's presidential campaign .
`` She 's very well-qualified , because of her background , to understand how we have to dismantle many of those systems . ''
Biden is facing increased pressure from other Democrats to select a woman of color .
`` There is a cry , there 's a clarion call , for us to do something different , for this country to literally face structural racism .
... We feel like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the ticket , '' LaTosha Brown , the co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund and a political strategist , recently told NPR .
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar joined the push last week , when she took herself out of contention for the job and urged Biden to pick a woman of color as a running mate .
`` If you want to heal this nation right now — my party , yes , but our nation — this is sure a hell of a way to do it .
And that 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this in my state , '' Klobuchar , another former presidential candidate herself , told MSNBC on Thursday .
Among the African American women viewed as most likely to be considered , Harris is the only one who has won statewide office , and the only one who has run a national presidential campaign .
`` I 'd be honored , if asked , and I 'm honored to be a part of the conversation , '' Harris told late-night host Stephen Colbert on CBS last week .
`` Honestly , let me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do everything in my power , wherever I am , to help Joe Biden win . ''
Even before the coronavirus crisis and the outcry over systemic racism and police violence upped the pressure on Biden to pick a Black running mate , Harris was seen as a natural , maybe inevitable , running mate if Biden won the Democratic nomination .
Harris , a 55-year-old Black woman , would complement the demographic weaknesses of a 77-year-old white man trying to lead a party increasingly focused on , and energized by , younger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden and Harris have seemed comfortable with each other : In 2018 and 2019 , the two posed for pictures together on social media after chance encounters on the street and on Amtrak trains .
Harris has a close relationship with many people in the Obama administration orbit , and had worked alongside Biden 's late son , Beau , when both served as state attorneys general .
Campaign chatter about Harris as a veep-in-waiting percolated to the point that more than a year ago , she felt the need to deflate it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` If people want to speculate about running mates , I encourage that , '' she said at a May 2019 press conference , months after the launch of her own campaign .
`` Because I think that Joe Biden would be a great running mate .
As vice president , he 's proven that he knows how to do the job .
And there are certainly a lot of other candidates that would make , for me , a very viable and interesting vice president . ''
`` That little girl was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a halt the first debate of the Democratic primary .
Just before it , Biden had caught heat from progressives for talking nostalgically about his working relationship with two noted segregationist senators .
`` It was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country , '' Harris told Biden during the debate .
`` And it was not only that , '' she continued , `` but you also worked with them to oppose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools .
And she was bused to school every day .
And that little girl was me . ''
The attack on Biden , who was then the front-runner , had clearly been planned and practiced .
Shortly after the debate ended , Harris 's campaign began selling T-shirts emblazoned with its most quotable line : `` That Little Girl Was Me . ''
`` It was a debate ! ''
Harris said just last week , laughing , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's `` teeth were like Chiclets all over the stage '' after the attack , and asked her how she and Biden can now get along .
`` It was a debate !
The whole reason — literally , it was a debate .
It was called a debate . ''
She added : `` In all seriousness , I 've known Joe a long time and I care about him deeply . ''
Many Democrats do not view the confrontation as something that would block Harris from getting the vice presidential nod @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in politics long enough that nothing is irreparable , '' said one Harris ally who asked for anonymity to speak about the issue .
`` He gets primaries and debates and yelling one day and getting along the next .
It 's a Senate training . ''
Perhaps more harmful to Harris 's chances as a running mate , though , is the fact that the debate exchange marked the high point of her campaign .
Harris briefly surged in the polls after the first debate , and Biden sunk .
But soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occur time and time again during her run : She appeared to retreat from the bold position she had previously taken .
On busing , she struggled to make it clear how her views were substantially different than Biden 's .
During the primary Harris also faced withering progressive attacks about her time as a prosecutor .
`` Kamala is a cop '' became a shorthand attack in the vocal world of progressive activists on social media .
Up until the presidential run , Harris had tied much of her political identity around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , more nuanced prosecutor who championed what she called `` smart on crime '' approaches : addressing systemic problems like truancy , and trying to return people with criminal records to the workplace .
University of San Francisco law professor Lara Bazelon crystallized the critique just as Harris launched her campaign , writing a New York Times editorial blasting Harris for repeatedly shying away from progressive fights over policing reform , wrongful convictions and drug reforms during her time as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general .
`` At almost every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternative or a centrist alternative , she chose the safe centrist alternative , '' Bazelon said in an interview .
Harris struggled to respond to the sustained attacks and her campaign stopped highlighting her prosecutorial background .
By mid-summer , she was running on what she called `` 3 a.m. issues '' : economic policies designed to appeal to `` a parent , after feeding the kids and putting them to bed , is sitting at the kitchen table until midnight , figuring out to to make everything run , make everything work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dropping poll numbers and campaign contributions , Harris returned to her time as a prosecutor , telling rallies that `` in 2020 , justice is on the ballot . ''
`` There was never a clear rationale of why her , and why she was running .
She was running for too many reasons — every week there was another major policy thing , '' said Brian Brokaw , a longtime Harris adviser who ran her two campaigns for California attorney general .
`` People knew they liked her , but did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But since the coronavirus crisis began , Harris has been at the forefront of the congressional Democratic response .
She 's played a leading role in highlighting the fact that COVID-19 has hit African Americans harder than any other demographic group , and has repeatedly pressured the federal government to collect more data on that .
She also joined Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and other lawmakers pushing for monthly $ 2,000 payments to every American for as long as the pandemic lasts .
`` People should be able to count on their government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ net for them , so that these families do n't fall into poverty , or further into poverty , during the course of this pandemic , '' Harris told NowThis News .
Then , Harris leapt to the next crisis .
When protests filled streets across the country to rage against the killing of George Floyd and other African Americans in police custody , Harris was one of the first lawmakers to join the protests herself .
She appeared in front of the White House , and on Washington , D.C. 's newly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longtime prosecutor with the reputation for playing it safe played a lead role drafting a broad bill ending so-called qualified immunity for police , the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants , and making several other changes demanded by protesters .
Joining House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and other Democrats to unveil the broad measure , Harris put it bluntly : `` We 're here because Black Americans want to stop being killed . ''
`` She 's found her voice again , '' adviser Brokaw said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ critics like Bazelon have taken notice .
`` She did champion progressive causes , '' Bazelon said .
`` And her record has been consistent , and it 's been good . ''
Bazelon said she was particularly impressed by an appearance Harris made on The View , where conservative co-host Meghan McCain pressed Harris on whether or not she supported the `` defund the police '' movement .
`` I thought that Kamala Harris did a really masterful job of defining what needed to happen to reform the police , '' she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McCain pressed her to say yes or no , she said , 'What do you mean by defund ? '
And Meghan McCain had no answer for her . ''
For the people who want to see Harris on the Democratic ticket , it was n't too far of a leap to envision the fall debate , with Vice President Mike Pence in the spot of McCain .

Kamala Harris Is Seen As The Clear Front-Runner To Be Joe Biden's Running Mate
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jonathan Ernst/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Jonathan Ernst/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
One of a series of reports looking at Joe Biden's potential running mates
More than a month before former Vice President Joe Biden's stated deadline for naming his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris is seen as the consensus front-runner to become Democrats' vice presidential nominee.
Speculation about running mates can be wrong, of course. Ultimately, the choice is Biden's and Biden's alone — just as it was Barack Obama's call to tap Biden in 2008.
But Harris is often the first name mentioned by Democrats inside and on the edge of the Biden campaign's orbit. She topped a recent multi-state survey asking respondents for their preferred Biden running mate. And, for what it's worth, she's the runaway favorite on online betting sites.
That's all despite the fact that Harris' own presidential campaign was a disappointment, having never even made it to the Iowa caucuses.
Still, Harris allies see the first-term California senator and former state attorney general and San Francisco district attorney as bringing needed demographic balance to Biden's ticket. They also see her prosecutorial résumé as the ideal professional background in a political climate intensely focused on racial justice and policing, and her reputation as a sharp attack dog in Senate hearings as a key asset for a running mate.
Perhaps most importantly for Harris' chances, though, many Democrats believe she has more political and governing credibility than any other potential picks, save perhaps Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
"She knows the system from inside, and she knows we have to have this whole cultural shift in policing in this country," said California Rep. Barbara Lee, who endorsed Harris' presidential campaign. "She's very well-qualified, because of her background, to understand how we have to dismantle many of those systems."
Biden is facing increased pressure from other Democrats to select a woman of color.
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"There is a cry, there's a clarion call, for us to do something different, for this country to literally face structural racism. ... We feel like a Black woman could actually bring that to the ticket," LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund and a political strategist, recently told NPR.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar joined the push last week, when she took herself out of contention for the job and urged Biden to pick a woman of color as a running mate.
"If you want to heal this nation right now — my party, yes, but our nation — this is sure a hell of a way to do it. And that's just what I think after being through this in my state," Klobuchar, another former presidential candidate, told MSNBC on Thursday.
Among the Black women viewed as most likely to be considered, Harris is the only one who has won statewide office, and the only one who has run a national presidential campaign.
"I'd be honored, if asked, and I'm honored to be a part of the conversation," Harris told late-night host Stephen Colbert on CBS last week. "Honestly, let me just tell you something: I will do everything in my power, wherever I am, to help Joe Biden win."
"Joe Biden would be a great running mate"
Even before the coronavirus crisis and the outcry over systemic racism and police violence upped the pressure on Biden to pick a Black running mate, Harris was seen as a natural, maybe inevitable, running mate if Biden won the Democratic nomination.
Harris, a 55-year-old Black woman, would complement the demographic weaknesses of a 77-year-old white man trying to lead a party increasingly focused on, and energized by, younger voters and voters of color. And Biden and Harris have seemed comfortable with each other: In 2018 and 2019, the two posed for pictures together on social media after chance encounters on the street and on Amtrak trains. Harris has a close relationship with many people in the Obama administration orbit and had worked alongside Biden's late son, Beau, when both served as state attorneys general.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
Campaign chatter about Harris as a veep-in-waiting percolated to the point that more than a year ago, she felt the need to deflate it with a sarcastic comment to reporters.
"If people want to speculate about running mates, I encourage that," she said at a May 2019 press conference, months after the launch of her own campaign. "Because I think that Joe Biden would be a great running mate. As vice president, he's proven that he knows how to do the job. And there are certainly a lot of other candidates that would make, for me, a very viable and interesting vice president."
"That little girl was me"
The chatter suddenly came to a halt the first debate of the Democratic primary.
Just before it, Biden had caught heat from progressives for talking nostalgically about his working relationship with two noted segregationist senators.
"It was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country," Harris told Biden during the debate. "And it was not only that," she continued, "but you also worked with them to oppose busing. There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools. And she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me."
YouTube
The attack on Biden, who was then the front-runner, had clearly been planned and practiced. Shortly after the debate ended, Harris' campaign began selling T-shirts marking the moment, featuring a picture of Harris as a little girl.
"It was a debate!" Harris said just last week, laughing, when Colbert noted on his show that Biden's "teeth were like Chiclets all over the stage" after the attack, and asked her how she and Biden can now get along. "It was a debate! The whole reason — literally, it was a debate. It was called a debate."
She added: "In all seriousness, I've known Joe a long time and I care about him deeply."
Many Democrats do not view the confrontation as something that would block Harris from getting the vice presidential nod.
"[Biden has] been in politics long enough that nothing is irreparable," said one Harris ally who asked for anonymity to speak about the issue. "He gets primaries and debates and yelling one day and getting along the next. It's a Senate training."
Perhaps more harmful to Harris' chances as a running mate, though, is the fact that the debate exchange marked the high point of her campaign. Harris briefly surged in the polls after the first debate, and Biden sunk. But soon after, Harris did something that would occur time and time again during her run: She appeared to retreat from the bold position she had previously taken. On busing, she struggled to make it clear how her views were substantially different than Biden's.
"Kamala is a cop"
During the primary, Harris also faced withering progressive attacks about her time as a prosecutor. "Kamala is a cop" became a shorthand attack in the vocal world of progressive activists on social media.
Up until the presidential run, Harris had tied much of her political identity around the idea of being a more progressive, more nuanced prosecutor who championed what she called "smart on crime" approaches: addressing systemic problems like truancy, and trying to return people with criminal records to the workplace.
University of San Francisco law professor Lara Bazelon crystallized the critique just as Harris launched her campaign, writing a New York Times editorial blasting Harris for repeatedly shying away from progressive fights over policing reform, wrongful convictions and drug reforms during her time as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general.
"At almost every inflection point when there was a progressive alternative or a centrist alternative, she chose the safe centrist alternative," Bazelon said in an interview.
Harris struggled to respond to the sustained attacks, and her campaign stopped highlighting her prosecutorial background.
By mid-summer, she was running on what she called "3 a.m. issues": economic policies designed to appeal to "a parent, after feeding the kids and putting them to bed, is sitting at the kitchen table until midnight, figuring out to to make everything run, make everything work."
By the fall, facing dropping poll numbers and campaign contributions, Harris returned to her time as a prosecutor, telling rallies that "in 2020, justice is on the ballot."
"She's found her voice again"
"There was never a clear rationale of why her, and why she was running. She was running for too many reasons — every week there was another major policy thing," said Brian Brokaw, a longtime Harris adviser who ran her two campaigns for California attorney general. "People knew they liked her, but didn't know what she stood for."
But since the coronavirus crisis began, Harris has been at the forefront of the congressional Democratic response. She's played a leading role in highlighting the fact that COVID-19 has hit the Black community harder than any other demographic group, and has repeatedly pressured the federal government to collect more data on that.
She also joined Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and other lawmakers pushing for monthly $2,000 payments to every American for as long as the pandemic lasts.
"People should be able to count on their government to see them and create a safety net for them, so that these families don't fall into poverty, or further into poverty, during the course of this pandemic," Harris told NowThis News.
Then, Harris leapt to the next crisis. When protests filled streets across the country to rage against the killing of George Floyd and other African Americans in police custody, Harris was one of the first lawmakers to join the protests herself. She appeared in front of the White House, and on Washington, D.C.'s newly designated Black Lives Matter Plaza.
The longtime prosecutor with the reputation for playing it safe played a lead role drafting a broad bill ending so-called qualified immunity for police, the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants, and making several other changes demanded by protesters. Joining House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and other Democrats to unveil the broad measure, Harris put it bluntly: "We're here because Black Americans want to stop being killed."
"She's found her voice again," adviser Brokaw said. "This focuses her."
Even critics like Bazelon have taken notice. "She did champion progressive causes," Bazelon said. "And her record has been consistent, and it's been good."
YouTube
Bazelon said she was particularly impressed by an appearance Harris made on The View, where conservative co-host Meghan McCain pressed Harris on whether or not she supported the "defund the police" movement.
"I thought that Kamala Harris did a really masterful job of defining what needed to happen to reform the police," she said. "And then when Meghan McCain pressed her to say yes or no, she said, 'What do you mean by defund?' And Meghan McCain had no answer for her."
For the people who want to see Harris on the Democratic ticket, it wasn't too far of a leap to envision the fall debate, with Vice President Mike Pence in the spot of McCain.


npr--2020-06-22--Nursing Homes Are Reopening In West Virginia, But Not Everyone Can Visit Yet

Nursing Homes Are Reopening In West Virginia , But Not Everyone Can Visit Yet Mark Shaver had n't seen his 96-year-old mother Betty in months when he hit a breaking point and decided he had to see her .
Shaver lived in South Carolina and Betty was in a nursing home in Morgantown , W. Va. , when COVID-19 outbreaks began sweeping across the nation .
By early March , Gov .
Jim Justice requested that nursing homes in the state restrict visitors , blocking any real chance Shaver would have to see his mom in-person .
For three months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only able to talk to Betty virtually .
Then last week , they decided they would make the roughly 500-mile drive to visit her .
They did n't know if they 'd be able to actually see her face-to-face , or if the meeting would have to be through glass .
`` We said we 're going North , '' Shaver said .
`` Did n't matter if we had to look in the window . ''
But then something unexpected happened : Gov .
Justice announced that the state would begin allowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has one of the lowest numbers of COVID-19 cases in the nation , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Under the governor 's plan , homes can only reopen if they have had no cases of the coronavirus for 14 consecutive days .
And while the state provides guidance for reopening , individual facilities have broad leeway to set their own restrictions on everything from how many visitors to allow , to how long they can spend on site .
`` We know the people in our nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Justice said .
`` So we 've got to have a plan that phases-in visitation , while doing so as fast as safely possible . ''
In a state that 's home to the third highest percentage of the population over the age of 65 , the caution around reopening stems from the cruel reality that the elderly have been among the groups most vulnerable to the coronavirus .
An analysis this month by USA Today found that residents and staff at long-term care facilities have accounted for more than 40 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
So while the reopening of nursing homes has been welcomed by many residents and their families in West Virginia , there remains concern over whether it is still too soon — particularly at a time when the number of cases in the state has been trending up .
What families are learning , is that the experience of reopening wo n't be the same for everyone .
For Shaver , his hope of seeing his mom , who lives in a home with about 100 other full-time residents , became a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But visiting was n't like it was before the pandemic .
He and his wife had to go through new safety protocols , like wearing masks and watching videos about hand washing .
The new protocols are familiar for members of the center 's staff , who have had to wear masks since early April .
The staff follows guidance from the CDC , says Jeff Grewell , the administrator of the home , but guidance can change daily .
That has meant a lot of conversations with residents .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know what we are doing and being 100 % transparent because we do n't have the answers , we are all working together to try to figure it out as best we can , '' Grewell said .
Given the uncertainty that still surrounds COVID-19 , Grewell said he has some anxieties about opening back up .
`` We can control staff , we 've all been tested and trained , '' he said .
`` But then when you start introducing unknowns , you do n't know where that family 's member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Grewell acknowledged the challenges his residents have had to face .
Three months is a long time in a nursing home , and loneliness and feelings of isolation can increase health risks .
`` It 's been tough '' for the residents , '' Grewell said .
Among those residents is Margalit Persing , who has lived at the Mapleshire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for five years .
`` I know everything is for the best for us , but this is really getting to me , '' she said .
Persing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a friend , who brought along her two little dogs .
It was the first time they had seen each other in three months , she said .
`` She came up to the window and we high-fived , '' Persing said .
`` And then when she left , I was so sad . ''
`` I cried the whole way home '' It 's been hard for families too .
Every Sunday , Shaver 's daughter , Dara Mayle , visits Betty .
A nurse in Morgantown , Mayle is one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions have meant that when Mayle visits , she 's only been able to speak with Betty through a window .
But they 've managed to develop tricks for communicating through the glass , she said .
`` If you talk into the middle of the pane you can hear completely , '' Mayle said .
`` The first time I cried the whole way home .
It was just the weirdest feeling of not being able to be with her , you know .
She 's tough .
She would never tear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's crazy .
She 'd be like , 'Why are you coming to stare at me ? '
I 'm like , ' I 'm not doing it for you .
I 'm doing it for me . '
'' But now , with restrictions beginning to ease , Mayle can see Betty in person again after three months of FaceTime calls and conversations through windows .
So can Mark and Janet Shaver .
`` I have n't put my arms around her and see how she 's doing , '' Shaver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
The state 's guidelines encourage social distancing , but his wife said she planned on embracing her mother-in-law .
`` I 'm hugging her .
I do n't care . ''
And she did .
The Shavers and Mayle all got to see Betty in person .
But because visitation depends on facilities meeting certain requirements , not everyone has been as fortunate .
Lisa Giuliani , 41 , has a father who has been in a nursing home since late last year .
He has end stage pancreatic cancer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to see him in more than three months .
She thought the governor 's announcement meant she would be able to see her dad , too .
But as the home was working through the details , a few kids in town returned from a beach in South Carolina .
They tested positive for COVID-19 .
The home was placed back in lockdown , explaining that some of its employees had come into close contact with the kids .
`` It 's weird because you feel this obligation to call , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also hard because when I see him , is he going to know who I am ?
Makes it tough ...
It 's a weird space in time that is strange and precious and hard . ''
While the Shavers make plans for their next visit , Giuliani has more waiting to do .
`` When this first started and he was so sick , I thought , 'Huh , I wonder if this is the last time I 'm going to see him , ' '' Giuliani said .
`` But my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll be around for a while I think .
I feel like I will see him again . ''
Catherine Whelan , Clare Lombardo and Dalia Mortada produced and edited the audio version of this story .

Nursing Homes Are Reopening In West Virginia, But Not Everyone Can Visit Yet
Enlarge this image toggle caption Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR
Mark Shaver hadn't seen his 96-year-old mother, Betty, in months when he hit a breaking point and decided he had to see her.
Shaver lived in South Carolina and Betty was in a nursing home in Morgantown, W.Va., when COVID-19 outbreaks began sweeping across the nation. By early March, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice requested that nursing homes in the state restrict visitors, blocking any real chance Shaver would have to see his mom in person.
For three months, Shaver and his wife, Janet, were only able to talk to Betty virtually. Then last week, they decided they would make the roughly 500-mile drive to visit her. They didn't know if they'd be able to see her face-to-face, or if the meeting would have to be through glass.
"We said we're going North," Shaver said. "Didn't matter if we had to look in the window."
Then something unexpected happened. Gov. Justice announced that the state would begin allowing nursing homes to reopen.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR
West Virginia has one of the lowest numbers of COVID-19 cases in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under the governor's plan, homes can reopen only if they have had no cases of the coronavirus for 14 consecutive days. And while the state provides guidance for reopening, individual facilities have broad leeway to set their own restrictions on everything from how many visitors to allow, to how long they can spend on-site.
"We know the people in our nursing homes are the most vulnerable of all," Justice said. "So we've got to have a plan that phases in visitation, while doing so as fast as safely possible."
In a state that's home to the third highest percentage of the population over the age of 65, the caution around reopening stems from the cruel reality that the elderly have been among the groups most vulnerable to the coronavirus. An analysis this month by USA Today found that residents and staff at long-term care facilities have accounted for more than 40% of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States. So while the reopening of nursing homes has been welcomed by many residents and their families in West Virginia, there remains concern over whether it is still too soon — particularly at a time when the number of cases in the state has been trending up.
Families are learning that the experience of reopening won't be the same for everyone.
"Introducing unknowns"
Enlarge this image toggle caption Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR
For Shaver, his hope of seeing his mom, who lives in a home with about 100 other full-time residents, became a reality soon after the governor's announcement. But visiting wasn't like it was before the pandemic. He and his wife had to go through new safety protocols, like wearing masks and watching videos about hand-washing.
The new protocols are familiar for members of the center's staff, who have had to wear masks since early April. The staff follows guidance from the CDC, says Jeff Grewell, the administrator of the home, but guidance can change daily. That has meant a lot of conversations with residents.
"I think it's imperative we let them know what we are doing and being 100% transparent because we don't have the answers, we are all working together to try to figure it out as best we can," Grewell said.
Given the uncertainty that surrounds COVID-19, Grewell said he has some anxieties about opening back up.
"We can control staff; we've all been tested and trained," he said. "But then when you start introducing unknowns, you don't know where that family member's been."
Despite his trepidations, Grewell acknowledged the challenges his residents have had to face. Three months is a long time in a nursing home, and loneliness and feelings of isolation can increase health risks.
"It's been tough" for the residents," Grewell said.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR
Among those residents is Margalit Persing, who has lived at the Mapleshire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for five years.
"I know everything is for the best for us, but this is really getting to me," she said. Persing said she had recently been visited by a friend, who brought along her two little dogs. It was the first time they had seen each other in three months, she said.
"She came up to the window and we high-fived," Persing said. "And then when she left, I was so sad."
"I cried the whole way home"
It's been hard for families too.
Every Sunday, Shaver's daughter, Dara Mayle, visits Betty. Mayle, who is a nurse in Morgantown, is one of Betty's 13 grandchildren.
Coronavirus restrictions have meant that when Mayle visits, she has only been able to speak with Betty through a window. But they've managed to develop tricks for communicating through the glass, she said.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR
"If you talk into the middle of the pane you can hear completely," Mayle said. "The first time I cried the whole way home. It was just the weirdest feeling of not being able to be with her, you know. She's tough. She would never tear up over anything. She still thinks it's crazy. She'd be like, 'Why are you coming to stare at me?' I'm like, 'I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for me.'"
But now, with restrictions beginning to ease, Mayle can see Betty in person again after three months of FaceTime calls and conversations through windows. So can Mark and Janet Shaver.
"I haven't put my arms around her and see how she's doing," Shaver said before seeing his mother again last week. The state's guidelines encourage social distancing, but his wife said she planned on embracing her mother-in-law. "I'm hugging her. I don't care."
And she did. The Shavers and Mayle all got to see Betty in person.
An uneven reopening
But because visitation depends on facilities meeting certain requirements, not everyone has been as fortunate.
Lisa Giuliani, 41, has a father who has been in a nursing home since late last year. He has end-stage pancreatic cancer and dementia, and Giuliani hasn't been able to see him in more than three months.
She thought the governor's announcement meant she would be able to see her dad. But as the home was working through the details, a few kids in town returned from a beach in South Carolina. They tested positive for the coronavirus. The home was placed back in lockdown, explaining that some of its employees had come into close contact with the kids.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR Raymond Thompson Jr. for NPR
"It's weird because you feel this obligation to call," Giuliani said. "But it's also hard because when I see him, is he going to know who I am? Makes it tough ... It's a weird space in time that is strange and precious and hard."
While the Shavers make plans for their next visit, Giuliani has more waiting to do.
"When this first started and he was so sick, I thought, 'Huh, I wonder if this is the last time I'm going to see him,'" Giuliani said. "But my dad has so much grit. He'll be around for a while I think. I feel like I will see him again."
Catherine Whelan, Clare Lombardo and Dalia Mortada produced and edited the audio version of this story.


npr--2020-06-22--The Worrisome Link Between Deforestation And Disease

The Worrisome Link Between Deforestation And Disease In 2013 , an 18-month old boy got sick after playing near a hollow tree in his backyard , in a remote West African village .
He developed a fever and started vomiting .
His stool turned black .
Two days later , he died .
Two years and more than 11,000 deaths later , the World Health Organization put out a report saying the Ebola outbreak that likely emanated from that hollow tree may have been caused in part by deforestation , led by `` foreign mining and timber operations . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ infested with fruit bats — bats that may have been pushed into the boy 's village because upwards of 80 percent of their natural habitat had been destroyed .
`` When you disturb a forest , it actually upsets , if you want , the balance of nature , the balance between pathogens and people , '' says John E. Fa , a professor of biodiversity and human development at Manchester Metropolitan University , who was part of a team of researchers that linked recent forest loss to 25 Ebola outbreaks that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he says , that showed a strong correlation between recent deforestation and disease outbreaks .
Scientists have long warned that the reshaping of Earth 's landscapes will have broad ramifications for the climate and biodiversity .
A growing body of evidence shows that forest loss and fragmentation can also increase the risk of animal-borne infectious disease , similar to the type that 's currently upending the world .
Health experts say that the novel coronavirus , which has killed nearly half a million people worldwide , originated in an animal .
Likely , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too soon to know whether deforestation or land-use change played any role in its path to becoming a global pandemic , there are concerns that the economic ruin it 's leaving behind could help set the stage for future pandemics .
There have been reports of increased deforestation in Southeast Asia , Africa and South America in the last few months , as governments have eased regulations and directed their resources and attention towards coronavirus response .
`` The perception that people are getting from the media is that nature is getting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Edward Barbier , a distinguished professor in the Department of Economics at Colorado State University .
`` However , what 's happening in tropical forests in particular is basically a field-day for illegal activities . ''
A field-day , he says , that could increase the risk of future outbreaks .
A disease that jumps from animals to humans is called a zoonosis .
The jump itself — the event in which a pathogen jumps from animal to human or vice versa — is called a zoonotic spillover , or simply a spillover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you might think .
Six out of every ten diseases in humans , and three-quarters of the world 's emerging infectious diseases , are zoonotic .
Many of them are familiar : Salmonella , malaria , Lyme disease .
Others , like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Rift Valley Fever , are more rare .
Some are benign .
Others , like the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 , can be deadly .
For a spillover to occur , a number of things need to line up .
First , a pathogen ( think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to find a way to make the jump from animal to human .
Maybe it gets eaten by a hunter bringing home food .
Maybe it gets passed in a mosquito 's bite .
Maybe it gets inhaled by a kid playing near a hollow tree .
However the pathogen arrives , its next job is to stick the landing , so to speak , warding off or evading the new body 's defenses long enough for it to replicate and put down roots .
All of this can be made easier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : proximity .
The closer humans are to animals ( we 're usually the provocateur ) , the greater the likelihood of interactions between them , and the greater the opportunity for zoonotic spillover .
The risk exists everywhere , but is especially high in the tropics where fast-growing human populations abut species-rich forests , says Christina Faust , an infectious disease ecologist at the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Penn State University .
`` It 's a numbers game , '' she says .
Unfortunately , the tropics also happen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world lost a soccer-field sized area of mature , tropical forest every six seconds last year , according to a recent report from the group Global Forest Watch .
Brazil alone accounted for more than one-third of the total loss , as wildfires and logging , largely to clear land for agriculture , tore through large patches of the Amazon .
This year is on pace to be worse .
In the first four months deforestation in the Amazon was up 55 percent compared to last year , according to satellite data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country 's president , Jair Bolsonaro , has pushed to weaken environmental protections to boost the country 's economy .
Last month , his environment minister was reportedly caught on camera calling for more deregulation while the press was distracted with the coronavirus .
Faust has spent much of her career studying spillover between animals and humans , and trying to understand what drives those events .
She says there 's a relationship between deforestation and the emergence of zoonotic disease , but it 's not entirely clear why .
`` We do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're losing biodiversity that would otherwise ... help dilute that pathogen , or if it 's because we have more humans coming in to the area and doing risky behaviors , '' she says .
The first theory — dilution — runs like this : If a bat sneezes in a forest rich with biodiversity , it 's more likely that the pathogens carried in that sneeze land on another animal rather than a human .
But with the world in the middle of a mass extinction , because of human activities and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's not much else out there to help pick up that pathogen , '' Faust says .
The second theory got a boost from a recent study out of Stanford University , which found that forest fragmentation near Kibale National Park in Western Uganda created more pathways for human-animal interaction .
`` By creating more pathways , you create more edges between human landscapes and forested landscapes , '' says Laura Bloomfield , a PhD candidate at Stanford University and the study 's lead author .
Bloomfield found that changes to the landscape @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carry a number of viruses , to come closer to humans to look for food .
At the same time , impoverished people looked to the same places for resources to support their families .
The United Nations has expressed concern that the coronavirus pandemic could push hundreds of millions of people into poverty , driving migrations in some parts of the world from cities to more rural areas , like the kind Bloomfield studied in Uganda .
`` The only social safety net they have is the waters , the land and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut down for food and fuel , Mette Wilkie of the U.N Food and Agriculture Organization told the Thomson Reuters Foundation .
That may feel like a far away dilemma for people in more developed countries , but Bloomfield says the coronavirus pandemic has made clear that `` human-animal interaction in one place can cause global devastation . ''
Researchers say there are ways to limit the chances of that happening .
The world could work to limit climate warming greenhouse gas emissions , which are stressing ecosystems and driving extinction , changing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It could maintain protected areas of habitat , and create buffer zones around them to limit the interactions between people and wildlife .
It could support people in high-risk areas to lessen their dependence on natural resources .
Disease , Bloomfield says , is an equity issue .
And it could invest in robust monitoring systems , to identify infectious disease outbreaks before they become pandemics .
The U.S. Agency for International Development ( USAID ) launched a program after the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic to help detect viruses with pandemic potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the program was n't renewed in 2019 .
It 's since been given two six-month extensions to help with COVID19 , but that funding expires Sept. 30 .
`` There 's a lot of strain on governments right now , financially and politically , '' says Amy Vittor , an assistant professor at the University of Florida 's Emerging Pathogens Institute , who 's documented links between deforestation and malaria outbreaks .
`` It 's a very difficult climate for people to actually come together and work on these kinds of international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is needed because the warming climate and land-use changes are not slowing down .
Every time humans alter the landscape , Vittor says , it 's kind of like poking a beehive .
`` If we continue to poke the beehive in nature , we will continue to see these kinds of events occur . ''

'Like Poking a Beehive': The Worrisome Link Between Deforestation And Disease
Enlarge this image toggle caption Zoë van Dijk for NPR Zoë van Dijk for NPR
In 2013, an 18-month-old boy got sick after playing near a hollow tree in his backyard in a remote West African village. He developed a fever and started vomiting. His stool turned black. Two days later, he died.
Two years and more than 11,000 deaths later, the World Health Organization put out a report saying the Ebola outbreak that likely emanated from that hollow tree may have been caused in part by deforestation led by "foreign mining and timber operations."
The tree the boy played near was infested with insectivorous bats — bats that may have been pushed into the boy's village because upward of 80% of their natural habitat had been destroyed.
"When you disturb a forest, it actually upsets, if you want, the balance of nature, the balance between pathogens and people," says John E. Fa, a professor of biodiversity and human development at Manchester Metropolitan University, who was part of a team of researchers that linked recent forest loss to 25 Ebola outbreaks that have occurred since 1976.
A finding, he says, that showed a strong correlation between recent deforestation and disease outbreaks.
Scientists have long warned that the reshaping of Earth's landscapes will have broad ramifications for the climate and biodiversity. A growing body of evidence shows that forest loss and fragmentation can also increase the risk of animal-borne infectious disease, similar to the type that's currently upending the world.
Health experts say that the novel coronavirus, which has killed nearly half a million people worldwide, originated in an animal. Likely, a bat. And while it's too soon to know whether deforestation or land-use change played any role in its path to becoming a global pandemic, there are concerns that the economic ruin it's leaving behind could help set the stage for future pandemics.
There have been reports of increased deforestation in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America in the last few months, as governments have eased regulations and directed their resources and attention towards coronavirus response.
"The perception that people are getting from the media is that nature is getting a break from the virus," says Edward Barbier, a distinguished professor in the Department of Economics at Colorado State University. "However, what's happening in tropical forests in particular is basically a field-day for illegal activities."
A field-day, he says, that could increase the risk of future outbreaks.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Leo Correa/AP Leo Correa/AP
Zoonotic spillover
A disease that jumps from animals to humans is called a zoonosis. The jump itself — the event in which a pathogen jumps from animal to human or vice versa — is called a zoonotic spillover, or simply a spillover. And it's more common than you might think.
Six out of every ten diseases in humans, and three-quarters of the world's emerging infectious diseases, are zoonotic.
Many of them are familiar: Salmonella, malaria, Lyme disease. Others, like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Rift Valley Fever, are more rare. Some are benign. Others, like the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can be deadly.
For a spillover to occur, a number of things need to line up.
First, a pathogen (think: virus, bacteria, fungus) needs to find a way to make the jump from animal to human. Maybe it gets eaten by a hunter bringing home food. Maybe it gets passed in a mosquito's bite. Maybe it gets inhaled by a kid playing near a hollow tree.
However the pathogen arrives, its next job is to stick the landing, so to speak, warding off or evading the new body's defenses long enough for it to replicate and put down roots.
All of this can be made easier for a pathogen by a simple thing: proximity.
The closer humans are to animals (we're usually the provocateur), the greater the likelihood of interactions between them, and the greater the opportunity for zoonotic spillover.
"A numbers game"
The risk exists everywhere, but is especially high in the tropics where fast-growing human populations abut species-rich forests, says Christina Faust, an infectious disease ecologist at the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Penn State University.
"It's a numbers game," she says.
Unfortunately, the tropics also happen to be a hotbed of deforestation.
The world lost a soccer-field sized area of mature, tropical forest every six seconds last year, according to a recent report from the group Global Forest Watch.
Brazil alone accounted for more than one-third of the total loss, as wildfires and logging, largely to clear land for agriculture, tore through large patches of the Amazon.
This year is on pace to be worse. In the first four months deforestation in the Amazon was up 55 percent compared to last year, according to satellite data from Brazil's space research agency.
The country's president, Jair Bolsonaro, has pushed to weaken environmental protections to boost the country's economy. Last month, his environment minister was reportedly caught on camera calling for more deregulation while the press was distracted with the coronavirus.
Faust has spent much of her career studying spillover between animals and humans, and trying to understand what drives those events. She says there's a relationship between deforestation and the emergence of zoonotic disease, but it's not entirely clear why.
"We don't know if that's because we're losing biodiversity that would otherwise... help dilute that pathogen, or if it's because we have more humans coming in to the area and doing risky behaviors," she says.
Forests fragmented
The first theory — dilution — runs like this: If a bat sneezes in a forest rich with biodiversity, it's more likely that the pathogens carried in that sneeze land on another animal rather than a human. But with the world in the middle of a mass extinction, because of human activities and climate change, increasingly, "There's not much else out there to help pick up that pathogen," Faust says.
The second theory got a boost from a recent study out of Stanford University, which found that forest fragmentation near Kibale National Park in Western Uganda created more pathways for human-animal interaction.
"By creating more pathways, you create more edges between human landscapes and forested landscapes," says Laura Bloomfield, a PhD candidate at Stanford University and the study's lead author.
Bloomfield found that changes to the landscape drove primates, which are known to carry a number of viruses, to come closer to humans to look for food. At the same time, impoverished people looked to the same places for resources to support their families.
The United Nations has expressed concern that the coronavirus pandemic could push hundreds of millions of people into poverty, driving migrations in some parts of the world from cities to more rural areas, like the kind Bloomfield studied in Uganda.
"The only social safety net they have is the waters, the land and the forest," which they may cut down for food and fuel, Mette Wilkie of the U.N Food and Agriculture Organization told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
That may feel like a far away dilemma for people in more developed countries, but Bloomfield says the coronavirus pandemic has made clear that "human-animal interaction in one place can cause global devastation."
"Poking a beehive"
Researchers say there are ways to limit the chances of that happening.
The world could work to limit climate warming greenhouse gas emissions, which are stressing ecosystems and driving extinction, changing the behaviors and range of wild animals.
It could maintain protected areas of habitat, and create buffer zones around them to limit the interactions between people and wildlife.
It could support people in high-risk areas to lessen their dependence on natural resources. Disease, Bloomfield says, is an equity issue.
And it could invest in robust monitoring systems, to identify infectious disease outbreaks before they become pandemics.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a program after the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic to help detect viruses with pandemic potential and coordinate a global response. Funding for the program wasn't renewed in 2019. It's since been given two six-month extensions to help with COVID19, but that funding expires Sept. 30.
"There's a lot of strain on governments right now, financially and politically," says Amy Vittor, an assistant professor at the University of Florida's Emerging Pathogens Institute, who's documented links between deforestation and malaria outbreaks. "It's a very difficult climate for people to actually come together and work on these kinds of international solutions."
But she says action is needed because the warming climate and land-use changes are not slowing down. Every time humans alter the landscape, Vittor says, it's kind of like poking a beehive.
"If we continue to poke the beehive in nature, we will continue to see these kinds of events occur."