npr--2020-04-21--Missouri Sues China, Communist Party Over The Coronavirus Pandemic

The state of Missouri is suing China for that country 's handling of the coronavirus outbreak .
It 's the first such lawsuit brought by a state , and it relies on an unusual interpretation of federal law .
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt , a Republican , blames China for letting the coronavirus spread .
So he 's suing China , three government ministries , two local governments , two laboratories and the Chinese Communist Party in U.S. District Court .
They all `` engaged in misrepresentations , concealment , and retaliation to conceal the gravity and seriousness of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world , '' according to Schmitt .
`` There 's been untold suffering across the globe , including here in Missouri , and we want to hold them accountable for that , '' Schmitt says .
China , however , is protected by sovereign immunity .
`` A sovereign is not supposed to sue a sovereign , and that 's what 's going on here , '' says Lea Brilmayer , professor of international law at Yale Law School .
Brilmayer says that the case is highly unusual and that most judges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jurisdiction over a matter between a U.S. state and a sovereign nation .
`` This is a last-ditch effort to do something to respond to the political situation , '' she says .
While Missouri might have a hard time moving forward with a lawsuit against China , Schmitt says there are workarounds .
For instance , Schmitt says there 's an exception for commercial activity and alleges that labs and hospitals are commercial ventures .
He 's also counting the Chinese Communist Party as a nonstate actor , which he says fortifies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the case does move forward or if it works its way up the appeals process , the U.S. State Department would normally be expected to weigh in , perhaps with a letter to the judge explaining its position on the case .
In the meantime , other Republicans also are moving to try to hold China — not U.S. officials — accountable for American coronavirus deaths and economic damage .
Last week , Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation to strip China of its sovereign immunity .

Missouri Sues China, Communist Party Over The Coronavirus Pandemic
Enlarge this image toggle caption Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Updated at 8:30 p.m. ET
The state of Missouri is suing China for that country's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. It's the first such lawsuit brought by a state, and it relies on an unusual interpretation of federal law.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, blames China for letting the coronavirus spread. So he's suing China, three government ministries, two local governments, two laboratories and the Chinese Communist Party in U.S. District Court. They all "engaged in misrepresentations, concealment, and retaliation to conceal the gravity and seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak from the rest of the world," according to Schmitt.
"There's been untold suffering across the globe, including here in Missouri, and we want to hold them accountable for that," Schmitt says.
China, however, is protected by sovereign immunity.
"A sovereign is not supposed to sue a sovereign, and that's what's going on here," says Lea Brilmayer, professor of international law at Yale Law School.
Brilmayer says that the case is highly unusual and that most judges would find that they don't have jurisdiction over a matter between a U.S. state and a sovereign nation.
"This is a last-ditch effort to do something to respond to the political situation," she says.
While Missouri might have a hard time moving forward with a lawsuit against China, Schmitt says there are workarounds. For instance, Schmitt says there's an exception for commercial activity and alleges that labs and hospitals are commercial ventures. He's also counting the Chinese Communist Party as a nonstate actor, which he says fortifies his legal argument.
Brilmayer says that if the case does move forward or if it works its way up the appeals process, the U.S. State Department would normally be expected to weigh in, perhaps with a letter to the judge explaining its position on the case.
In the meantime, other Republicans also are moving to try to hold China — not U.S. officials — accountable for American coronavirus deaths and economic damage. Last week, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation to strip China of its sovereign immunity.


npr--2020-04-21--Philadelphia Hospital Official Says 'We're Not There' In Testing Capacity

Philadelphia Hospital Official Says 'We 're Not There ' In Testing Capacity Members of the Trump administration say there is sufficient coronavirus testing for states to move to the first phase of the White House 's reopening plan .
But many state and local officials and health care providers say testing is still far short of where it needs to be to consider lifting some social distancing restrictions .
`` We 're short [ of ] testing in the way we would like to carry out testing , '' says Dr. Bruce Meyer , the president of Jefferson Health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area .
The hospital system can do about 1,200 tests a day in-house .
They could do more , he tells Morning Edition , but they are short of needed supplies of swabs , transport media ( to move specimens ) and chemical reagents .
Obtaining the reagents — the chemicals that are needed to do a test — is `` a larger challenge for us , '' Meyer says , `` because they 've been very highly regulated by the government .
And many suppliers get their direction as to where to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ geographic hot spots or other kinds of priorities .
So our capacity to test is really limited by the allocation of the reagents versus the true capacity that we would be able to run if we did n't have that constraint . ''
`` Essentially , every day we 're competing with other places that need testing , '' he says , based on how the government is determining how reagents are allocated .
Meyer tells NPR his hospitals are prioritizing testing people with `` significant symptomatology as well as our own health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just what we would think of as frontline staff like nurses and nurses ' aides , but also the environmental services workers who have to clean rooms and things like that and the rest of our staff in the hospital . ''
`` Those are our priorities right now , '' he says .
`` We do n't really have the capacity to test every single person with minor symptomatology . ''
So if the hospitals ca n't test everyone with minor symptoms , where does that leave the federal government 's assertion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases ?
`` We 're not as far along as we need to be in order to sort of manage a steady state , trying to understand who might be infectious , '' Meyer responds .
`` So to move from where we are , which is sort of a mitigation strategy , trying to limit the number of people who are infected so it does n't overwhelm the health system , to a containment strategy , where we 're trying to identify people who have exposures , then we 're not there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in terms of testing volume . ''

Philadelphia Hospital Official Says 'We're Not There' In Testing Capacity
Enlarge this image toggle caption Scott Lewis/Bloomberg via Getty Images Scott Lewis/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Members of the Trump administration say there is sufficient coronavirus testing for states to move to the first phase of the White House's reopening plan.
But many state and local officials and health care providers say testing is still far short of where it needs to be to consider lifting some social distancing restrictions.
"We're short [of] testing in the way we would like to carry out testing," says Dr. Bruce Meyer, the president of Jefferson Health, which runs 14 hospitals in the Philadelphia area.
The hospital system can do about 1,200 tests a day in-house. They could do more, he tells Morning Edition, but they are short of needed supplies of swabs, transport media (to move specimens) and chemical reagents.
Obtaining the reagents — the chemicals that are needed to do a test — is "a larger challenge for us," Meyer says, "because they've been very highly regulated by the government. And many suppliers get their direction as to where to send those reagents in terms of specific geographic hot spots or other kinds of priorities. So our capacity to test is really limited by the allocation of the reagents versus the true capacity that we would be able to run if we didn't have that constraint."
"Essentially, every day we're competing with other places that need testing," he says, based on how the government is determining how reagents are allocated.
Meyer tells NPR his hospitals are prioritizing testing people with "significant symptomatology as well as our own health care workforce. And that's not just what we would think of as frontline staff like nurses and nurses' aides, but also the environmental services workers who have to clean rooms and things like that and the rest of our staff in the hospital."
"Those are our priorities right now," he says. "We don't really have the capacity to test every single person with minor symptomatology."
So if the hospitals can't test everyone with minor symptoms, where does that leave the federal government's assertion about testing capacity being sufficient in many cases?
"We're not as far along as we need to be in order to sort of manage a steady state, trying to understand who might be infectious," Meyer responds. "So to move from where we are, which is sort of a mitigation strategy, trying to limit the number of people who are infected so it doesn't overwhelm the health system, to a containment strategy, where we're trying to identify people who have exposures, then we're not there. We're simply not there yet in terms of testing volume."


npr--2020-04-21--CDC To Fund 650 Health Experts To Help States Trace, Stop COVID-19

CDC To Fund 650 Health Experts To Help States Trace , Stop COVID-19 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is funding 650 health workers at state health departments to supplement more than 600 CDC staff already in place , according to director Dr. Robert Redfield .
Redfield says it 's part of an effort to expand the nation 's public health workforce .
The goal is to ensure every community can do enough testing and contact tracing to prevent any big new outbreaks from occurring .
`` As we open up , we need to reset our sights on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this virus and that has got to be containment .
And that means we have to have the testing and capacity to contain-contain-contain this virus , '' he says .
Redfield says the CDC is providing $ 45 million for these new hires , which include epidemiologists , nurses , microbiologists , lab technicians and others — plus a regional director for each of 10 regions .
The funding will cover new positions for up to a year .
The CDC director also says the agency has started talking with other federal agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programs like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps , to see if they might be able to provide some of the thousands of additional workers states will need .
He says his agency is helping state health departments develop workforce expansion plans .
`` We are in the process of rapidly accelerating the human capacity that will be available to the states , '' Redfield says .
Redfield also says the CDC has formed what he calls `` community protection teams '' that have been sent to nine states where there have n't been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agency wants to make sure they stay that way .
Each team is comprised of four to six members .
Teams have also been sent to four other states to do things like create early warning systems to spot outbreaks in places that might be particularly vulnerable , including nursing homes .
In addition , the agency says it 's providing grants to the CDC Foundation to help states hire more workers around the country .
NPR 's Rob Stein spoke to Redfield about the CDC 's plans .
Here are highlights from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC 's plan to add 650 public health positions : A critical part of opening up America again is to make sure we have the public health capacity to stay in what I call containment mode : that is early case identification , isolation and contact tracing .
At the first wave that we just went through , we were in containment pretty much through January and February .
But as March came , the public health capacity was overwhelmed .
[ The ] CDC now has about 500 people embedded in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as nearly another hundred individuals responding to COVID-specific outbreaks — more than 20 across the country .
We 'll be expanding [ in ] each of the states in the country so that we 'll have a COVID response corps [ of ] CDC personnel ... Every state is going to have a CDC COVID response team in its state working side by side with them .
On how the CDC plans to further support states ' contact tracing efforts : We 're prepared to expand the public health workforce for contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , whether it 's 10,000 , 20,000 , 30,000 , 50,000 .
We need to begin to define that number of public health contact tracers we need across this nation .
It 's going to be different in each state .
Some jurisdictions are looking at taking the resources that we 're providing them and starting what we call public health associate programs .
These are young people , graduated from college , and [ states ] giving them an opportunity to practice public health .
We think one of the critical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illness ... and do contact tracing around it .
[ The ] CDC is there to help guide that , train and mentor that development and partnership of state , local , tribal territory health departments .
And now that process is in play as we speak ...
Many [ states ] have actually begun plans of their own to contribute to this overall requirement of a strongly enhanced public health workforce .
On the COVID-19 challenges the CDC sees on the horizon : I 'm probably less concerned about this summer in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need .
Others may disagree with me , but I am very concerned about the magnitude of functional public health capacity we 're going to need next November , December , January and February .
We ca n't let the public health system get overwhelmed .
I think the different states will open up again in a measured , stepwise fashion .
It 's not like we turn a light switch and everybody 's back to full non-mitigation .
A lot of the stuff that we 're doing now — social distancing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these things are going to continue .
But the centerpiece of our response needs to be the tried-and-true , proven-to-work public health response of early case recognition , diagnosis , isolation and contact tracing .
There are jurisdictions that clearly have the testing capacity that they need to reopen .
There 's other jurisdictions that think they do n't have it , but they may find out , if they look at all the laboratory capacity they have in their state , that they actually do have it .
And there 'll be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capacity and there needs to be a strategic plan for them to get that in place .

CDC To Fund 650 Health Experts To Help States Trace, Stop COVID-19
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Updated at 7:20 p.m. ET
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is funding 650 health workers at state health departments to supplement more than 600 CDC staff already in place, according to director Dr. Robert Redfield.
Redfield says it's part of an effort to expand the nation's public health workforce. The goal is to ensure every community can do enough testing and contact tracing to prevent any big new outbreaks from occurring.
"As we open up, we need to reset our sights on what the primary strategy is to control this virus and that has got to be containment. And that means we have to have the testing and capacity to contain-contain-contain this virus," he says.
Redfield says the CDC is providing $45 million for these new hires, which include epidemiologists, nurses, microbiologists, lab technicians and others — plus a regional director for each of 10 regions. The funding will cover new positions for up to a year.
The CDC director also says the agency has started talking with other federal agencies including the Census Bureau, as well programs like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, to see if they might be able to provide some of the thousands of additional workers states will need. He says his agency is helping state health departments develop workforce expansion plans.
"We are in the process of rapidly accelerating the human capacity that will be available to the states," Redfield says.
Redfield also says the CDC has formed what he calls "community protection teams" that have been sent to nine states where there haven't been any big problems so far. The agency wants to make sure they stay that way. Each team is comprised of four to six members.
Teams have also been sent to four other states to do things like create early warning systems to spot outbreaks in places that might be particularly vulnerable, including nursing homes. In addition, the agency says it's providing grants to the CDC Foundation to help states hire more workers around the country.
NPR's Rob Stein spoke to Redfield about the CDC's plans. Here are highlights from that interview.
On the reason for the CDC's plan to add 650 public health positions:
A critical part of opening up America again is to make sure we have the public health capacity to stay in what I call containment mode: that is early case identification, isolation and contact tracing. At the first wave that we just went through, we were in containment pretty much through January and February. But as March came, the public health capacity was overwhelmed.
[The] CDC now has about 500 people embedded in the states across the country, as well as nearly another hundred individuals responding to COVID-specific outbreaks — more than 20 across the country.
We'll be expanding [in] each of the states in the country so that we'll have a COVID response corps [of] CDC personnel ... Every state is going to have a CDC COVID response team in its state working side by side with them.
On how the CDC plans to further support states' contact tracing efforts:
We're prepared to expand the public health workforce for contact tracing to the extent that we need it, whether it's 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, 50,000. We need to begin to define that number of public health contact tracers we need across this nation.
It's going to be different in each state. Some jurisdictions are looking at taking the resources that we're providing them and starting what we call public health associate programs. These are young people, graduated from college, and [states] giving them an opportunity to practice public health.
We think one of the critical components is an ability to diagnose influenza-like illness ... and do contact tracing around it. [The] CDC is there to help guide that, train and mentor that development and partnership of state, local, tribal territory health departments. And now that process is in play as we speak... Many [states] have actually begun plans of their own to contribute to this overall requirement of a strongly enhanced public health workforce.
On the COVID-19 challenges the CDC sees on the horizon:
I'm probably less concerned about this summer in terms of the magnitude of what we need. Others may disagree with me, but I am very concerned about the magnitude of functional public health capacity we're going to need next November, December, January and February. We can't let the public health system get overwhelmed. I think the different states will open up again in a measured, stepwise fashion. It's not like we turn a light switch and everybody's back to full non-mitigation.
A lot of the stuff that we're doing now — social distancing, limited human gatherings — a number of these things are going to continue. But the centerpiece of our response needs to be the tried-and-true, proven-to-work public health response of early case recognition, diagnosis, isolation and contact tracing.
There are jurisdictions that clearly have the testing capacity that they need to reopen. There's other jurisdictions that think they don't have it, but they may find out, if they look at all the laboratory capacity they have in their state, that they actually do have it. And there'll be other states that need augmentation of that capacity and there needs to be a strategic plan for them to get that in place.


npr--2020-04-21--Trump Touts Bipartisan Coronavirus Package, Expresses Support For More Relief

President Trump vowed to sign the latest coronavirus relief legislation nearing the finish line in Washington on Tuesday after it was passed by the Senate .
Members of Congress have reached an agreement on about $ 484 billion more in relief funding to help small businesses and others hurt by the mitigation measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus .
The House could vote as soon as Wednesday .
Trump and his aides also support more stimulus that could go far beyond crisis relief and into what Trump said he hopes is major investments in infrastructure .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreed with New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo that the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort — which had deployed to New York City to provide surge treatment capacity for the pandemic — could return to its berth in Norfolk , Va. , at the earliest opportunity .
Cuomo and Trump also said they 've established that New York has enough ventilators to meet its needs and that some of them can be sent to Massachusetts or elsewhere as needed , Trump said .
Trump and his top lieutenants , meanwhile , are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the dividing line between the power of the president and the powers of the states .
Trump confirmed he plans to sign a pending executive order that will `` temporarily suspend '' immigration into the United States for 60 days , putting a stop to the issuance of green cards .
The policy will not apply to temporary workers , Trump said .
The order follows years of hard-line policy by Trump on immigration and what he calls the importance of borders .
The president said on Tuesday that his goal is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applying for jobs that have been vacated by Americans laid off during the pandemic .
`` We must first take care of the American worker , '' Trump said .
It was n't immediately clear how many newcomers might have contended for the posts from which Americans have been laid off , especially given the nudge from the government for employers not to terminate workers .
Congress and the Treasury Department have tried to create incentives for employers to keep workers on payrolls with forgivable loans and other support in the trillions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday that he estimated 30 million American jobs have been saved thanks to paycheck support , small-business loans and other programs .
More such outflows of cash are pending from Washington in the legislation passed on Tuesday by the Senate and then in another round that Trump and Mnuchin said they hope focuses on infrastructure , especially rural broadband network capacity .
Trump and Cuomo said separately on Tuesday that their meeting was productive , and Trump suggested they 'd reached some kind of accord on increasing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ details were n't clear .
Trump also said he planned to talk on the phone Tuesday with Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp , who has said many types of businesses , including gyms and hair salons , may open before federal virus mitigation guidelines expire on May 1 .
Trump said that he supported Kemp and that the decision was the governor 's , but the president also said he wanted to learn more in the phone call scheduled for the two leaders .
Trump has fought , patched up and resumed feuds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parties throughout the crisis .
Another of Trump 's newer antagonists includes Maryland 's Republican governor , Larry Hogan , who ordered 500,000 coronavirus tests from South Korea after concluding there was insufficient testing capacity in the U.S. or the Free State .
Trump maintains there is ample testing capacity in the United States if governors only could activate unused resources within their own states .
Several governors and members of Congress , including Hogan , call this a fantasy and have faulted Trump or taken matters into their own hands or both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new front in the federalism wars on Tuesday with comments on a radio show that suggested he 'd support lawsuits against states that preserve restrictions for too long .
Trump has both sought to empower governors to manage their own states ' policies and sided with small groups of protesters calling for some states to lift their stay-at-home and business restrictions .
The president said on Tuesday that he was trying to empathize with Americans fed up with staying at home or in economic peril associated with the pandemic .
All the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revived the idea that federal officials might try to preserve a veto over states deemed too stringent or too slow in opening back up .
Trump also repeated on Tuesday that he wanted governors to act as they see fit but vowed that if he saw anything of which he disapproved , he would try to stop it .
Trump said he could n't confirm the public reports that North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un might be in serious medical condition after what has been described as some kind of emergency heart procedure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a question that he might try to contact the dictator , with whom the U.S. president has said he has a good relationship .
The two men negotiated but were never able to conclude an agreement under which North Korea might abandon or constrain its nuclear program .
Even so , Trump said on Tuesday that he hopes Kim is in good health .
`` I 'd like to see him be well .
We 'll see how he does . ''

Trump Touts Bipartisan Coronavirus Package, Expresses Support For More Relief
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 7:07 p.m. ET
President Trump vowed to sign the latest coronavirus relief legislation nearing the finish line in Washington on Tuesday after it was passed by the Senate.
Members of Congress have reached an agreement on about $484 billion more in relief funding to help small businesses and others hurt by the mitigation measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.
The House could vote as soon as Wednesday.
Trump and his aides also support more stimulus that could go far beyond crisis relief and into what Trump said he hopes is major investments in infrastructure.
Trump also said on Tuesday that he'd agreed with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo that the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort — which had deployed to New York City to provide surge treatment capacity for the pandemic — could return to its berth in Norfolk, Va., at the earliest opportunity.
Cuomo and Trump also said they've established that New York has enough ventilators to meet its needs and that some of them can be sent to Massachusetts or elsewhere as needed, Trump said.
Trump and his top lieutenants, meanwhile, are still fighting a number of skirmishes over federalism and the dividing line between the power of the president and the powers of the states.
Immigration executive order
Trump confirmed he plans to sign a pending executive order that will "temporarily suspend" immigration into the United States for 60 days, putting a stop to the issuance of green cards. The policy will not apply to temporary workers, Trump said.
The order follows years of hard-line policy by Trump on immigration and what he calls the importance of borders.
The president said on Tuesday that his goal is to keep immigrants from becoming citizens and applying for jobs that have been vacated by Americans laid off during the pandemic.
"We must first take care of the American worker," Trump said.
It wasn't immediately clear how many newcomers might have contended for the posts from which Americans have been laid off, especially given the nudge from the government for employers not to terminate workers.
Congress and the Treasury Department have tried to create incentives for employers to keep workers on payrolls with forgivable loans and other support in the trillions of dollars of relief authorized by Washington.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday that he estimated 30 million American jobs have been saved thanks to paycheck support, small-business loans and other programs.
More such outflows of cash are pending from Washington in the legislation passed on Tuesday by the Senate and then in another round that Trump and Mnuchin said they hope focuses on infrastructure, especially rural broadband network capacity.
Trump's push-and-pull with governors continues
Trump and Cuomo said separately on Tuesday that their meeting was productive, and Trump suggested they'd reached some kind of accord on increasing COVID-19 testing for New York. The details weren't clear.
Trump also said he planned to talk on the phone Tuesday with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who has said many types of businesses, including gyms and hair salons, may open before federal virus mitigation guidelines expire on May 1.
Trump said that he supported Kemp and that the decision was the governor's, but the president also said he wanted to learn more in the phone call scheduled for the two leaders.
Trump has fought, patched up and resumed feuds with a number of governors in both parties throughout the crisis.
Another of Trump's newer antagonists includes Maryland's Republican governor, Larry Hogan, who ordered 500,000 coronavirus tests from South Korea after concluding there was insufficient testing capacity in the U.S. or the Free State.
Trump maintains there is ample testing capacity in the United States if governors only could activate unused resources within their own states. Several governors and members of Congress, including Hogan, call this a fantasy and have faulted Trump or taken matters into their own hands or both.
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The federal veto
Attorney General Bill Barr opened up a new front in the federalism wars on Tuesday with comments on a radio show that suggested he'd support lawsuits against states that preserve restrictions for too long.
Trump has both sought to empower governors to manage their own states' policies and sided with small groups of protesters calling for some states to lift their stay-at-home and business restrictions.
The president said on Tuesday that he was trying to empathize with Americans fed up with staying at home or in economic peril associated with the pandemic.
All the same, Barr's comments on Tuesday revived the idea that federal officials might try to preserve a veto over states deemed too stringent or too slow in opening back up.
Trump also repeated on Tuesday that he wanted governors to act as they see fit but vowed that if he saw anything of which he disapproved, he would try to stop it.
No confirmation on Kim's health
Trump said he couldn't confirm the public reports that North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un might be in serious medical condition after what has been described as some kind of emergency heart procedure.
Trump said this in response to a question that he might try to contact the dictator, with whom the U.S. president has said he has a good relationship.
The two men negotiated but were never able to conclude an agreement under which North Korea might abandon or constrain its nuclear program.
Even so, Trump said on Tuesday that he hopes Kim is in good health.
"I'd like to see him be well. We'll see how he does."


npr--2020-04-21--Secret Recording Reveals NRA's Legal Troubles Have Cost The Organization $100 Million

The National Rifle Association 's legal troubles have cost the powerful gun rights group $ 100 million , according to a recording of the group 's board meeting obtained by NPR .
In the January 2020 recording , NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre criticizes ongoing investigations by the New York and Washington , D.C. , attorneys general , bemoaning `` the power of weaponized government . ''
And he told the NRA 's board of directors , assembled for the group 's winter meeting in January , that the organization has had to make $ 80 million in cuts to stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burst into the open at the April 2019 annual members ' meeting , when then-President Oliver North stepped down from the organization in protest after allegations of self-dealing and poor management of NRA funds were revealed in media reports .
These reports included mentions of LaPierre 's lavish six-figure spending on clothing and travel .
An attempt to oust LaPierre failed at that same meeting .
Subsequently , the New York and D.C. attorneys general launched investigations into the NRA 's finances .
Eight board members have resigned over the last year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ protracted and costly legal battles with its longtime public relations firm .
LaPierre , who is the CEO and executive vice president of the gun rights group , said the scandals that have consumed his organization since 2018 have cost the group dearly .
`` The cost that we bore was probably about a hundred-million-dollar hit in lost revenue and real cost to this association in 2018 and 2019 , '' LaPierre said , according to a tape recorded by a source in the room .
`` I mean , that 's huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported , are the first time that LaPierre has put a figure to how much the ongoing legal battles have cost the organization .
For context , the NRA and its affiliates raised more than $ 412 million and spent more than $ 423 million in 2018 , the last year for which there is public reporting , To weather the storm , LaPierre said that he had dramatically reduced the size of the organization 's budget .
`` What we did in order to survive and adjust is we took in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in real costs out of the NRA budget , '' LaPierre said .
`` I mean , we kinda reframed this entire association .
We took it down to the studs . ''
Although the NRA has maintained its membership level — LaPierre claims it at `` right around 5 million '' — he said that there was still much to do : `` We 're not out of the woods yet .
We still got ta wrestle with this financial situation . ''
LaPierre also lashed out at the attorneys general of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations to oppression from autocratic regimes , calling the probes `` the power of weaponized government . ''
`` I 've never seen anything like that in the United States of America , to tell you the truth .
I mean , that is Cuba , that is communist China , that is Venezuela , it 's Russia , it 's every other country we look at and we say , 'Thank God we do n't live there , ' `` LaPierre said .
The offices of the D.C. and New York attorneys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these comments on Jan. 11 of this year during an NRA board meeting in Virginia .
While board members made up most of the members in attendance , there were also NRA staff in the room , as well as a few dozen NRA members .
One of those present was Ron Carter , the vice president of Save the Second .
His organization consists of NRA members who are urging financial reform and accountability within the National Rifle Association .
`` The repeated statement from LaPierre about the $ 100 million cost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an apology for having manifested the situation , '' Carter told NPR .
`` The lack of accountability is troubling for many members . ''
Save the Second is not associated with the recording obtained by NPR .
The National Rifle Association did not return a request for comment .
The NRA announced layoffs and pay cuts in late March , blaming the coronavirus crisis for these measures .
The coronavirus crisis prompted the cancellation of the group 's annual convention , which had been scheduled to take place this past weekend .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the organization 's finances , the tape of LaPierre from January indicates that many of the organization 's financial cuts were underway well before the emergence of the public health crisis .
And legal costs remain a heavy burden on the organization : In the ongoing litigation between the NRA and Ackerman McQueen , its former public relations firm , a brief filed by the firm on April 15 indicates its belief that the NRA has paid its outside legal counsel `` over $ 54 million '' in the last two years .

Secret Recording Reveals NRA's Legal Troubles Have Cost The Organization $100 Million
Enlarge this image toggle caption Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The National Rifle Association's legal troubles have cost the powerful gun rights group $100 million, according to a recording of the group's board meeting obtained by NPR.
In the January 2020 recording, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre criticizes ongoing investigations by the New York and Washington, D.C., attorneys general, bemoaning "the power of weaponized government." And he told the NRA's board of directors, assembled for the group's winter meeting in January, that the organization has had to make $80 million in cuts to stay afloat.
The NRA's internal turmoil burst into the open at the April 2019 annual members' meeting, when then-President Oliver North stepped down from the organization in protest after allegations of self-dealing and poor management of NRA funds were revealed in media reports.
Secret Recording Reveals NRA's Legal Troubles Have Cost The Organization $100 Million 3:27
These reports included mentions of LaPierre's lavish six-figure spending on clothing and travel. An attempt to oust LaPierre failed at that same meeting.
Subsequently, the New York and D.C. attorneys general launched investigations into the NRA's finances. Eight board members have resigned over the last year. And the NRA has been locked into protracted and costly legal battles with its longtime public relations firm.
LaPierre, who is the CEO and executive vice president of the gun rights group, said the scandals that have consumed his organization since 2018 have cost the group dearly.
"The cost that we bore was probably about a hundred-million-dollar hit in lost revenue and real cost to this association in 2018 and 2019," LaPierre said, according to a tape recorded by a source in the room. "I mean, that's huge."
These figures, not previously reported, are the first time that LaPierre has put a figure to how much the ongoing legal battles have cost the organization. For context, the NRA and its affiliates raised more than $412 million and spent more than $423 million in 2018, the last year for which there is public reporting,
To weather the storm, LaPierre said that he had dramatically reduced the size of the organization's budget.
"What we did in order to survive and adjust is we took in 2019 and 2020 ... about $80 million in real costs out of the NRA budget," LaPierre said. "I mean, we kinda reframed this entire association. We took it down to the studs."
Although the NRA has maintained its membership level — LaPierre claims it at "right around 5 million" — he said that there was still much to do: "We're not out of the woods yet. We still gotta wrestle with this financial situation."
LaPierre also lashed out at the attorneys general of New York and D.C. LaPierre compared their investigations to oppression from autocratic regimes, calling the probes "the power of weaponized government."
"I've never seen anything like that in the United States of America, to tell you the truth. I mean, that is Cuba, that is communist China, that is Venezuela, it's Russia, it's every other country we look at and we say, 'Thank God we don't live there,' " LaPierre said.
The offices of the D.C. and New York attorneys general declined to comment.
LaPierre made these comments on Jan. 11 of this year during an NRA board meeting in Virginia. While board members made up most of the members in attendance, there were also NRA staff in the room, as well as a few dozen NRA members.
One of those present was Ron Carter, the vice president of Save the Second. His organization consists of NRA members who are urging financial reform and accountability within the National Rifle Association.
"The repeated statement from LaPierre about the $100 million cost to the NRA should have come with an apology for having manifested the situation," Carter told NPR. "The lack of accountability is troubling for many members."
Save the Second is not associated with the recording obtained by NPR. The National Rifle Association did not return a request for comment.
The NRA announced layoffs and pay cuts in late March, blaming the coronavirus crisis for these measures. The coronavirus crisis prompted the cancellation of the group's annual convention, which had been scheduled to take place this past weekend.
While the coronavirus crisis has undoubtedly affected the organization's finances, the tape of LaPierre from January indicates that many of the organization's financial cuts were underway well before the emergence of the public health crisis.
And legal costs remain a heavy burden on the organization: In the ongoing litigation between the NRA and Ackerman McQueen, its former public relations firm, a brief filed by the firm on April 15 indicates its belief that the NRA has paid its outside legal counsel "over $54 million" in the last two years.


npr--2020-04-21--NIH Panel Recommends Against Drug Combination Promoted By Trump For COVID-19

NIH Panel Recommends Against Drug Combination Promoted By Trump For COVID-19 A panel of experts convened by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recommends against doctors using a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for the treatment of COVID-19 patients because of potential toxicities .
`` The combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was associated with QTc prolongation in patients with COVID-19 , '' the panel said .
The recommendation against their combined use would seem to fly in the face of comments made by President Trump suggesting the combination might be helpful .
On March 21 , for example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweet as having a `` real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine . ''
He has repeatedly touted the use of the drugs during televised coronavirus task force briefings .
`` I think it 's not a bad idea to do it , but that 's up to the doctors , '' Trump said March 31 before adding the caveat , `` It 's going to have to be proven .
It 's very early . ''
On April 5 , though , without any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further : As for using the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine alone , the panel said there was `` insufficient clinical data to recommend either for or against . ''
It reached the same conclusion about the drug remdesivir .
The expert panel , convened by the NIH Institute that Dr. Anthony Fauci directs , produced a set of guidelines for doctors to use in treating COVID-19 patients .
The panelists come from a variety of health care disciplines .
For the most part , the guidelines are agnostic about the use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientific evidence is lacking to make a firm conclusion one way or the other .
But occasionally , there are recommendations explicitly against certain therapies .
For example , the panel recommended against using Lopinavir/ritonavir or other HIV protease inhibitors because of negative clinical trial data .
It also recommended against using interferon because it seemed to make patients with SARS and MERS worse .
Those diseases are caused by a coronavirus related to the one causing COVID-19 .
`` It 's all based on the data , '' said panel member Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska College of Medine .
`` We just plowed through everything that was , and apart from supportive care , there was n't anything that was working terribly well . ''
The panel also concluded that there was insufficient evidence to recommend any kind of treatment either to prevent infection with the coronavirus or to prevent the progression of symptoms in those who are already infectious .
That recommendation could change based on clinical trials presently underway .
Both hydroxychloroquine and convalescent serum are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the results from those trials are not available .
Many of the recommendations are n't terribly surprising .
Persons who test positive for the coronavirus but do n't have symptoms should self-isolate for seven days after their first positive test .
Patients with mild symptoms should be monitored closely , because more serious symptoms can come on rapidly .
Patients with moderate symptoms will likely need hospitalization and supportive therapy .
People with severe disease may need oxygen through a cannula , or tube ; patients in critical condition may need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The plan is to update the guidelines frequently as new results become available .
Swindells said there could be an update about the recommendations regarding remdesivir in the coming week or so .

NIH Panel Recommends Against Drug Combination Promoted By Trump For COVID-19
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
A panel of experts convened by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recommends against doctors using a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for the treatment of COVID-19 patients because of potential toxicities.
"The combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was associated with QTc prolongation in patients with COVID-19," the panel said.
QTc prolongation increases the risk of sudden cardiac death.
The recommendation against their combined use would seem to fly in the face of comments made by President Trump suggesting the combination might be helpful. On March 21, for example, the president described them in a tweet as having a "real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine."
He has repeatedly touted the use of the drugs during televised coronavirus task force briefings.
"I think it's not a bad idea to do it, but that's up to the doctors," Trump said March 31 before adding the caveat, "It's going to have to be proven. It's very early."
On April 5, though, without any more evidence of efficacy, he went further:
"What do you have to lose? And a lot of people are saying that when — and are taking it — if you're a doctor, a nurse, a first responder, a medical person going into hospitals, they say taking it before the fact is good. But what do you have to lose? They say, 'Take it.' I'm not looking at it one way or the other, but we want to get out of this. If it does work, it would be a shame if we didn't do it early. But we have some very good signs. So that's hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin."
As for using the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine alone, the panel said there was "insufficient clinical data to recommend either for or against." It reached the same conclusion about the drug remdesivir.
The expert panel, convened by the NIH Institute that Dr. Anthony Fauci directs, produced a set of guidelines for doctors to use in treating COVID-19 patients. The panelists come from a variety of health care disciplines. For the most part, the guidelines are agnostic about the use of experimental medications, pointing out that strong scientific evidence is lacking to make a firm conclusion one way or the other.
But occasionally, there are recommendations explicitly against certain therapies. For example, the panel recommended against using Lopinavir/ritonavir or other HIV protease inhibitors because of negative clinical trial data. It also recommended against using interferon because it seemed to make patients with SARS and MERS worse. Those diseases are caused by a coronavirus related to the one causing COVID-19.
"It's all based on the data," said panel member Dr. Susan Swindells, a professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska College of Medine. "We just plowed through everything that was, and apart from supportive care, there wasn't anything that was working terribly well."
The panel also concluded that there was insufficient evidence to recommend any kind of treatment either to prevent infection with the coronavirus or to prevent the progression of symptoms in those who are already infectious. That recommendation could change based on clinical trials presently underway.
Both hydroxychloroquine and convalescent serum are being studied for the possible use for prophylaxis, but the results from those trials are not available. Many of the recommendations aren't terribly surprising. Persons who test positive for the coronavirus but don't have symptoms should self-isolate for seven days after their first positive test.
Patients with mild symptoms should be monitored closely, because more serious symptoms can come on rapidly. Patients with moderate symptoms will likely need hospitalization and supportive therapy. People with severe disease may need oxygen through a cannula, or tube; patients in critical condition may need to be place on a respirator.
The plan is to update the guidelines frequently as new results become available. Swindells said there could be an update about the recommendations regarding remdesivir in the coming week or so.


npr--2020-04-21--After The ICU, Many COVID-19 Survivors Face A Long Recovery

After The ICU , Many COVID-19 Survivors Face A Long Recovery On April 8 , David Williams got a standing ovation as he was wheeled out of the John L. McClellan Memorial Veteran 's Hospital in Little Rock , Ark .
Williams , 54 , a Marine Corps veteran , had survived eight perilous days on a ventilator with COVID-19 , and the hospital staff had lined up to give him a joyous , fist-bumping send-off .
Today , Williams is back at home with his wife , D'Anna .
But a full recovery remains a distant prospect .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he says .
`` I have like a hundred-foot cord .
And so I wear my oxygen in my nose , and I 'm still able to travel all over the house . ''
Williams can take a few steps on his own , but still uses a walker .
`` I need it like when I have to wake up in the middle of the night or something and need to go to the bathroom , '' he says .
`` Because trying to get the feet going again is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot since leaving the hospital .
And he says he might be doing better if he had n't been out of shape and overweight when he got sick .
When Williams first woke up with a breathing tube in his throat , he had almost no control of his arms or legs .
And , like most patients on a ventilator , he felt parched pretty much all the time .
He could n't drink , so one day a nurse left him a damp swab to suck on .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to just pick that thing up , to get my fingers actually on it and my brain telling my hand to lift it up and you know to put it in my mouth , '' he says .
Williams can feed himself now .
But he 's still having problems with memory and thinking .
Computer passwords he 's used for years are now hard to recall , and he is sometimes unable to complete sentences .
`` It takes me awhile to think about the words I need to say , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work around these limitations and resume his job as veteran 's service coordinator at the University of Central Arkansas .
If Williams makes a full recovery , he can count himself among the fortunate , says Dr. Amy Bellinghausen , a pulmonary and critical care fellow at the University of California , San Diego .
Some COVID-19 survivors will never recover completely from a condition known as post-intensive-care-unit syndrome , she says .
It can produce long-term disabilities from muscle wasting , organ damage , brain damage , and PTSD .
`` Unfortunately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ventilator , it 's not the same person who went on the ventilator , '' Bellinghausen says .
One of the most common problems among ICU survivors is weakness and fatigue , Bellinghausen says .
`` That whole time in the ICU , they 're losing muscle mass .
People lose 20,30,40 pounds over a week or two . ''
As a result , `` things like walking the dog , going up a flight of stairs , doing your laundry are really , really difficult to do , '' she says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have organ damage , which can be caused by the virus itself , or the extreme measures used to keep them alive .
`` People can have scarring in their lungs , sometimes kidneys are impacted , but really any organ can suffer injury in the ICU , '' Bellinghausen says .
The brain is especially vulnerable .
In part , that 's because the drugs used to sedate patients while they 're on a ventilator can have lasting effects on memory and thinking .
Also , COVID-19 patients whose lungs are badly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times when their oxygen level is very low .
And that also causes damage to the brain , '' Bellinghausen says .
Then there 's the emotional impact .
Bellinghausen says patients who may be delirious from fever or sedation can feel trapped in a scary , noisy place where they are connected to machines that have taken control of their bodily functions .
And if they move too much or try to remove a tube , they may be forcibly restrained .
All that can contribute to paranoia , she says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts that we 're doing in the ICU to try to save their life may be [ us ] trying to harm them .
And so people come out of the ICU with pretty profound symptoms of PTSD sometimes . ''
Patients with life-threatening COVID-19 seem to be especially vulnerable to post-ICU syndrome , says Dr. Negin Hajizadeh , a pulmonary critical care doctor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra-Northwell in New York .
One reason is that the infection is often so severe that patients spend weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The longer you are on the breathing machine , the steeper the road to recovery , '' Hajizadeh says .
As a result , many COVID-19 survivors will need months or years of rehabilitation .
But a few have been able to bounce back quickly .
Matthew Robertson , 28 , a tech worker who lives near Seattle , was one of the country 's first COVID-19 patients , and nearly became one of the first fatalities .
`` I got to the hospital on Feb. 29 , '' Roberts says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was looking at the date on my chart that was on the window and it already said , like , March 7 . ''
Robertson spent a week on a ventilator and nearly two weeks in the hospital .
Today , though , he 's pretty much back to normal .
`` I think the only thing that still has n't properly recovered is the vocal range of my voice , '' says Robertson , who likes to sing .
That 's a common problem caused by breathing tubes that pass through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's not ready to go back to the karaoke clubs yet .
But at the moment , they 're all closed anyway .

After The ICU, Many COVID-19 Survivors Face A Long Recovery
Enlarge this image toggle caption Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
On April 8, David Williams got a standing ovation as he was wheeled out of the John L. McClellan Memorial Veteran's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark.
Williams, 54, a Marine Corps veteran, had survived eight perilous days on a ventilator with COVID-19, and the hospital staff had lined up to give him a joyous, fist-bumping send-off.
Today, Williams is back at home with his wife, D'Anna. But a full recovery remains a distant prospect.
"I still have to wear oxygen," he says. "I have like a hundred-foot cord. And so I wear my oxygen in my nose, and I'm still able to travel all over the house."
Williams can take a few steps on his own, but still uses a walker.
"I need it like when I have to wake up in the middle of the night or something and need to go to the bathroom," he says. "Because trying to get the feet going again is a little rough."
Williams has improved a lot since leaving the hospital. And he says he might be doing better if he hadn't been out of shape and overweight when he got sick.
When Williams first woke up with a breathing tube in his throat, he had almost no control of his arms or legs. And, like most patients on a ventilator, he felt parched pretty much all the time. He couldn't drink, so one day a nurse left him a damp swab to suck on.
"It took me like five or six minutes to just pick that thing up, to get my fingers actually on it and my brain telling my hand to lift it up and you know to put it in my mouth," he says.
toggle caption David Williams
Williams can feed himself now. But he's still having problems with memory and thinking.
Computer passwords he's used for years are now hard to recall, and he is sometimes unable to complete sentences. "It takes me awhile to think about the words I need to say," he says.
Williams hopes he can work around these limitations and resume his job as veteran's service coordinator at the University of Central Arkansas.
If Williams makes a full recovery, he can count himself among the fortunate, says Dr. Amy Bellinghausen, a pulmonary and critical care fellow at the University of California, San Diego.
Some COVID-19 survivors will never recover completely from a condition known as post-intensive-care-unit syndrome, she says. It can produce long-term disabilities from muscle wasting, organ damage, brain damage, and PTSD.
"Unfortunately, oftentimes when they're coming off the ventilator, it's not the same person who went on the ventilator," Bellinghausen says.
One of the most common problems among ICU survivors is weakness and fatigue, Bellinghausen says. "That whole time in the ICU, they're losing muscle mass. People lose 20,30,40 pounds over a week or two."
As a result, "things like walking the dog, going up a flight of stairs, doing your laundry are really, really difficult to do," she says.
And many COVID-19 patients will also have organ damage, which can be caused by the virus itself, or the extreme measures used to keep them alive.
"People can have scarring in their lungs, sometimes kidneys are impacted, but really any organ can suffer injury in the ICU," Bellinghausen says.
The brain is especially vulnerable.
In part, that's because the drugs used to sedate patients while they're on a ventilator can have lasting effects on memory and thinking. Also, COVID-19 patients whose lungs are badly impaired in the ICU "often have times when their oxygen level is very low. And that also causes damage to the brain," Bellinghausen says.
Then there's the emotional impact.
Bellinghausen says patients who may be delirious from fever or sedation can feel trapped in a scary, noisy place where they are connected to machines that have taken control of their bodily functions. And if they move too much or try to remove a tube, they may be forcibly restrained.
All that can contribute to paranoia, she says. "They really think that all these efforts that we're doing in the ICU to try to save their life may be [us] trying to harm them. And so people come out of the ICU with pretty profound symptoms of PTSD sometimes."
Patients with life-threatening COVID-19 seem to be especially vulnerable to post-ICU syndrome, says Dr. Negin Hajizadeh, a pulmonary critical care doctor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra-Northwell in New York.
One reason is that the infection is often so severe that patients spend weeks on a ventilator, not just days. "The longer you are on the breathing machine, the steeper the road to recovery," Hajizadeh says.
As a result, many COVID-19 survivors will need months or years of rehabilitation. But a few have been able to bounce back quickly.
Matthew Robertson, 28, a tech worker who lives near Seattle, was one of the country's first COVID-19 patients, and nearly became one of the first fatalities.
"I got to the hospital on Feb. 29," Roberts says. "When I woke up I was looking at the date on my chart that was on the window and it already said, like, March 7."
Robertson spent a week on a ventilator and nearly two weeks in the hospital. Today, though, he's pretty much back to normal.
"I think the only thing that still hasn't properly recovered is the vocal range of my voice," says Robertson, who likes to sing. That's a common problem caused by breathing tubes that pass through the vocal cords.
So Robertson says he's not ready to go back to the karaoke clubs yet. But at the moment, they're all closed anyway.


npr--2020-04-21--Japan, IOC Jostle Over Who Will Pay Billions To Delay 2020 Olympics Over Coronavirus

Japan , IOC Jostle Over Who Will Pay Billions To Delay 2020 Olympics Over Coronavirus The Olympics wo n't be happening this summer , and a clash between the Tokyo organizers and the International Olympic Committee over who will shoulder the costs of postponing the games is heating up .
Competition was slated to start in July , but last month IOC and Japanese officials agreed to postpone the Summer Games until the summer of 2021 out of concern over the spread of the coronavirus .
On Tuesday the Switzerland-based IOC , which presides over the international athletic event , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer games .
It suggested Japan will bankroll any costs associated with pushing the games back a year .
`` The Japanese government has reiterated that it stands ready to fulfil its responsibility for hosting successful Games , '' the page reads .
A previous version of the website , the Associated Press reports , specifically said Shinzo Abe , Japan 's prime minister , agreed to `` continue to cover the costs it would have done under the terms of the existing agreement for 2020 , and the IOC will continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ costs . ''
Japanese officials reportedly took issue with this , with one official of the Tokyo Olympics saying it was `` not appropriate '' for the prime minister 's name to be added to the IOC website in that manner .
`` What we are requesting to the IOC team is that the name of the Japanese Prime Minister should not be quoted , plus the IOC 's website should not express beyond what was agreed between the IOC and Tokyo 2020 , '' said Masa Takaya , a Tokyo 2020 spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agency reports the IOC webpage was then updated and a direct mention of Abe was removed .
Some project the additional costs for delaying the games to come in at nearly $ 6 billion .
Another estimate is roughly $ 3 billion , according to Japan 's Kyodo News , which also reports Tokyo Gov .
Yuriko Koike said Japanese officials were exploring how to cover the additional costs .
`` We are looking into how the Japanese government , Tokyo metropolitan government and organizers will handle the added cost , '' she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan 's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga rejected that idea , Kyodo News reports , adding that he said Japan had not agreed to take on further costs .
Abe last week declared a nationwide state of emergency because of the uptick in COVID-19 cases .
He also announced a plan to implement a stimulus program that would deliver roughly $ 930 to each of 120 million of Japan 's citizens .
The emergency order is in effect until May 6 .
The Olympic Games are scheduled to take place in Tokyo from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As NPR has reported , it 's the first time the Olympics have been rescheduled .
They were suspended three times because of World Wars I and II .

Japan, IOC Jostle Over Who Will Pay Billions To Delay 2020 Olympics Over Coronavirus
Enlarge this image toggle caption Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images
The Olympics won't be happening this summer, and a clash between the Tokyo organizers and the International Olympic Committee over who will shoulder the costs of postponing the games is heating up.
Competition was slated to start in July, but last month IOC and Japanese officials agreed to postpone the Summer Games until the summer of 2021 out of concern over the spread of the coronavirus.
On Tuesday the Switzerland-based IOC, which presides over the international athletic event, updated its FAQ page about the next summer games. It suggested Japan will bankroll any costs associated with pushing the games back a year.
"The Japanese government has reiterated that it stands ready to fulfil its responsibility for hosting successful Games," the page reads.
A previous version of the website, the Associated Press reports, specifically said Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, agreed to "continue to cover the costs it would have done under the terms of the existing agreement for 2020, and the IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the costs."
Japanese officials reportedly took issue with this, with one official of the Tokyo Olympics saying it was "not appropriate" for the prime minister's name to be added to the IOC website in that manner.
"What we are requesting to the IOC team is that the name of the Japanese Prime Minister should not be quoted, plus the IOC's website should not express beyond what was agreed between the IOC and Tokyo 2020," said Masa Takaya, a Tokyo 2020 spokesperson, according to Reuters.
The news agency reports the IOC webpage was then updated and a direct mention of Abe was removed.
Some project the additional costs for delaying the games to come in at nearly $6 billion.
Another estimate is roughly $3 billion, according to Japan's Kyodo News, which also reports Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said Japanese officials were exploring how to cover the additional costs.
"We are looking into how the Japanese government, Tokyo metropolitan government and organizers will handle the added cost," she said, according the news agency.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga rejected that idea, Kyodo News reports, adding that he said Japan had not agreed to take on further costs.
Abe last week declared a nationwide state of emergency because of the uptick in COVID-19 cases. He also announced a plan to implement a stimulus program that would deliver roughly $930 to each of 120 million of Japan's citizens.
The emergency order is in effect until May 6.
The Olympic Games are scheduled to take place in Tokyo from July 23 through August 8, 2021.
As NPR has reported, it's the first time the Olympics have been rescheduled. They were suspended three times because of World Wars I and II.


npr--2020-04-21--In Greece, 148 Asylum Seekers Test Positive For COVID-19 At Shelter

In Greece , 148 Asylum Seekers Test Positive For COVID-19 At Shelter The International Organization for Migration said Tuesday that it was responding to a new COVID-19 outbreak at a third migrant shelter in Greece .
At least 150 people tested positive for COVID-19 at a hotel that 's been converted into a migrant shelter in the town of Kranidi , in southern Greece .
They include 148 asylum seekers , an aid worker and a hotel employee .
The IOM says 471 asylum seekers live at the facility .
Most are single parents from the Democratic Republic of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been quarantined since April 16 , when a staff member tested positive for the virus .
In a statement , Gianluca Rocco , IOM 's chief of mission in Greece , urged authorities to avoid stigmatizing migrants during the pandemic .
It 's `` not only harmful to migrants themselves , '' he said , `` but also to society as a whole , and may jeopardize efforts made to prevent or mitigate the spreading of the virus . ''
Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias told reporters outside the Kranidi shelter that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms and that the government has taken protective measures to keep the virus from spreading .
`` There is no reason for panic , '' Hardalias said .
Greece has been on strict lockdown since March 23 .
That 's helped keep its COVID-19 infection and mortality rate much lower than in other European countries , including Italy , Spain , France and Britain .
As of Tuesday , there were 2,401 confirmed cases and 121 deaths in Greece .
The government announced it would start opening some public services on April 27 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement .
If all goes well , it would open the country to tourists sometime this summer .
But human rights groups accuse Greek authorities of ignoring the vulnerability of some 60,000 asylum seekers .
There have already been two outbreaks at migrant camps near Athens .
So far , the virus has not hit severely overcrowded camps on Greece 's Aegean islands , where water and soap are scarce .
At the Vial refugee camp on the island of Chios , where 5,000 people are crammed into a camp designed for 1,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the camp were set on fire when a 47-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker died , after showing what appeared to be symptoms of COVID-19 .
Greek authorities say she tested negative for the virus .

In Greece, 148 Asylum Seekers Test Positive For COVID-19 At Shelter
Enlarge this image toggle caption Thanassis Stavrakis/AP Thanassis Stavrakis/AP
The International Organization for Migration said Tuesday that it was responding to a new COVID-19 outbreak at a third migrant shelter in Greece.
At least 150 people tested positive for COVID-19 at a hotel that's been converted into a migrant shelter in the town of Kranidi, in southern Greece. They include 148 asylum seekers, an aid worker and a hotel employee.
The IOM says 471 asylum seekers live at the facility. Most are single parents from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. The shelter has been quarantined since April 16, when a staff member tested positive for the virus.
In a statement, Gianluca Rocco, IOM's chief of mission in Greece, urged authorities to avoid stigmatizing migrants during the pandemic.
It's "not only harmful to migrants themselves," he said, "but also to society as a whole, and may jeopardize efforts made to prevent or mitigate the spreading of the virus."
Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias told reporters outside the Kranidi shelter that those who tested positive are not showing symptoms and that the government has taken protective measures to keep the virus from spreading.
"There is no reason for panic," Hardalias said.
Greece has been on strict lockdown since March 23. That's helped keep its COVID-19 infection and mortality rate much lower than in other European countries, including Italy, Spain, France and Britain.
As of Tuesday, there were 2,401 confirmed cases and 121 deaths in Greece. The government announced it would start opening some public services on April 27, and hopes to ease restrictions on movement. If all goes well, it would open the country to tourists sometime this summer.
But human rights groups accuse Greek authorities of ignoring the vulnerability of some 60,000 asylum seekers. There have already been two outbreaks at migrant camps near Athens.
So far, the virus has not hit severely overcrowded camps on Greece's Aegean islands, where water and soap are scarce.
At the Vial refugee camp on the island of Chios, where 5,000 people are crammed into a camp designed for 1,000, protests broke out and parts of the camp were set on fire when a 47-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker died, after showing what appeared to be symptoms of COVID-19. Greek authorities say she tested negative for the virus.


npr--2020-04-22--Even With COVID-19 Cases, Suing Cruise Lines Is 'Extraordinarily Difficult'

Even With COVID-19 Cases , Suing Cruise Lines Is 'Extraordinarily Difficult' The last cruise ship carrying passengers finally docked this week .
On Tuesday , the Costa Deliziosa disembarked passengers in Genoa , Italy , allowing more than 1,500 people to return home after a 113-day voyage .
Under an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , it will be another three months—at least—until cruise ships will once again be able to sail from U.S. ports .
In the meantime , cruise lines are dealing with a host of lawsuits filed by passengers and crew who accuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the coronavirus .
Fla. attorney Debi Chalik first became aware of the cases of the coronavirus among passengers and crew aboard the Grand Princess because her parents were aboard .
`` When I found out their ship was coming back early because of an outbreak of COVID-19 , I was really enraged , very upset about the way everything was handled , '' she said .
Two people died and more than 100 tested positive for the coronavirus on a cruise that was kept at sea for several days before authorities allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on March 9 .
Chalik represents at least 36 clients who she said became exposed to the virus because of Princess Cruise Lines ' negligence .
The company allowed more than 2,000 passengers to board and she said it did n't warn them about an outbreak on the previous voyage .
More than 60 passengers on that trip stayed on board , potentially spreading the virus .
Chalik also represents passengers who were on another cruise ship hit hard by the coronavirus , the Ruby Princess .
One of the cases is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family members of 64-year-old Chung Chen who contracted the virus and died after returning home .
The Ruby Princess sailed out of Sydney , Australia on March 8 after there had been an outbreak of COVID-19 on the previous voyage .
Princess , Chalik said , `` Certainly had the knowledge that this was very dangerous .
They dealt with the outbreak in Asia with the Diamond Princess . ''
Eight people died on that ship and more than 700 tested positive for the coronavirus in early February .
Princess Cruises said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it released a statement , `` Princess Cruises has been sensitive to the difficulties the COVID-19 outbreak has caused to our guests and crew .
Our response throughout this process has focused on the well-being of our guests and crew within the parameters dictated to us by the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of this new illness . ''
Several lawsuits have been filed against Princess and other cruise lines .
In Florida , attorneys have filed suit against the Costa line for deaths aboard the Costa Luminosa , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at some ports after there was an outbreak of COVID-19 .
As in the other cases , attorneys allege the company hid from passengers the fact that people on an earlier voyage had symptoms of COVID-19 .
Another lawsuit in Miami seeks class-action status for employees of Celebrity Cruises who say the company did n't provide proper protective gear and needlessly exposed them to the virus .
Spencer Aronfeld , a lawyer with several pending coronavirus cases said , `` Suing a cruise line for these types of cases is extraordinarily difficult .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a number of protections .
They 're not U.S. companies and not subject to health and safety regulations like the Occupational Safety and Health and Act ( OSHA ) or the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ) .
Aronfeld said , `` The only way to really hold them responsible in a courtroom is to show a judge and a jury that their actions were unreasonable under the circumstances , and that 's a very loose term . ''
He said he and other attorneys will make the case cruise lines ignored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in failing to warn passengers .
A major factor protecting cruise lines are the ticketing agreements each passenger signs , which limit how and where lawsuits can be filed .
Aronfeld said companies also benefit from maritime laws written decades ago .
`` One of the classics , '' as he called it , is the Death on the High Seas Act .
It 's a century-old law that limits the amount a family can recover for funeral expenses and lost income .
It applies to any deaths that occur from events that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` One of the challenges we 're going to have , '' Aronfeld said , `` is to find out exactly where the ship was when that passenger contracted the virus . ''
Martin Davies , an expert on maritime law at Tulane University , expects cruise lines to cite the Death on the High Seas Act when asking the courts to limit awards .
He said , `` If I were advising the plaintiffs , I 'd be advising them to say that the wrongful act occurred onshore , with the failure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board . ''
Davies said perhaps the biggest challenge for people suing the cruise lines are the uncertainties and lack of information about the coronavirus .
`` The science behind how it 's spread and how it could have been prevented is just not known yet , '' he said .
With so little scientific information available about the coronavirus , proving the cruise lines are liable , Davies said , will be difficult .
Aronfeld agreed , `` It 's going to be challenging for me to prove the passengers contracted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that all of that is Princess ' fault . ''
With so many lawsuits already filed , and more likely to come , Aronfeld hopes some rulings will help write new case law and make it easier to bring future cases against cruise lines .
Cruise lines have insurance to cover any possible awards or settlements , so the cases are unlikely to have much of a financial impact on the companies .
A much larger threat to the industry is the no-sail order in effect in the U.S. , its largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be extended beyond July .

Even With COVID-19 Cases, Suing Cruise Lines Is 'Extraordinarily Difficult'
Enlarge this image toggle caption MediaNews Group/East Bay Times v/MediaNews Group via Getty Images MediaNews Group/East Bay Times v/MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The last cruise ship carrying passengers finally docked this week. On Tuesday, the Costa Deliziosa disembarked passengers in Genoa, Italy, allowing more than 1,500 people to return home after a 113-day voyage.
Under an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it will be another three months — at least — until cruise ships will once again be able to sail from U.S. ports. In the meantime, cruise lines are dealing with a host of lawsuits filed by passengers and crew who accuse the companies of negligence in exposing them to the coronavirus.
Florida attorney Debi Chalik first became aware of the cases of the coronavirus on the Grand Princess because her parents were aboard. "When I found out their ship was coming back early because of an outbreak of COVID-19, I was really enraged, very upset about the way everything was handled," she said.
Two people died and more than 100 tested positive for the coronavirus on the cruise ship, which was kept at sea for several days before authorities allowed it to dock in Oakland, Calif., on March 9. Chalik represents at least 36 clients who she said were exposed to the virus because of Princess Cruises' negligence. The company allowed more than 2,000 passengers to board, without warning them about an outbreak on the previous voyage, she said. More than 60 passengers from that trip stayed onboard, potentially spreading the virus.
Chalik also represents passengers who were on another cruise ship hit hard by the coronavirus, the Ruby Princess. One of the cases is a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of family members of 64-year-old Chung Chen, who contracted the virus and died after returning home. The Ruby Princess sailed out of Sydney, Australia, on March 8 after an outbreak of COVID-19 on the previous voyage.
Princess Cruises "certainly had the knowledge that this was very dangerous," Chalik said. "They dealt with the outbreak in Asia with the Diamond Princess." Eight people died on that ship and more than 700 tested positive for the coronavirus in early February.
The company said it doesn't comment on pending litigation. But it released a statement: "Princess Cruises has been sensitive to the difficulties the COVID-19 outbreak has caused to our guests and crew. Our response throughout this process has focused on the well-being of our guests and crew within the parameters dictated to us by the government agencies involved and the evolving medical understanding of this new illness."
Several lawsuits have been filed against Princess and other cruise lines. In Florida, attorneys have filed suit against the Costa line for deaths aboard the Costa Luminosa, another ill-fated ship that was denied entry at some ports after an outbreak of COVID-19.
As in the other cases, attorneys allege the company hid from passengers that people on an earlier voyage had symptoms of COVID-19. Another lawsuit in Miami seeks class-action status for employees of Celebrity Cruises who say the company didn't provide proper protective gear and needlessly exposed them to the virus.
Suing a cruise line for these types of cases is extraordinarily difficult.
Spencer Aronfeld, a lawyer with several pending coronavirus cases, said, "Suing a cruise line for these types of cases is extraordinarily difficult." That's because cruise lines enjoy a number of protections. They're not U.S. companies and not subject to health and safety regulations like the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"The only way to really hold them responsible in a courtroom is to show a judge and a jury that their actions were unreasonable under the circumstances, and that's a very loose term," Aronfeld said. He and other attorneys will make the case that cruise lines ignored information about the pandemic and were negligent in failing to warn passengers.
A major factor protecting cruise lines is the ticketing agreements each passenger signs, which limit how and where lawsuits can be filed. Aronfeld said companies also benefit from maritime laws written decades ago.
"One of the classics," as he called it, is the Death on the High Seas Act. It's a century-old law that limits the amount a family can recover for funeral expenses and lost income. It applies to any deaths that occur from events that happen more than three miles offshore. "One of the challenges we're going to have," Aronfeld said, "is to find out exactly where the ship was when that passenger contracted the virus."
Martin Davies, an expert on maritime law at Tulane University, expects cruise lines to cite the Death on the High Seas Act when asking the courts to limit awards. He said, "If I were advising the plaintiffs, I'd be advising them to say that the wrongful act occurred onshore, with the failure to screen passengers before they got onboard."
Davies said perhaps the biggest challenge for people suing the cruise lines are the uncertainties and lack of information about the coronavirus. "The science behind how it's spread and how it could have been prevented is just not known yet," he said. With so little scientific information available about the coronavirus, proving the cruise lines are liable, Davies said, will be difficult.
Aronfeld agreed: "It's going to be challenging for me to prove the passengers contracted the virus where, when and how, and that all of that is Princess' fault."
With so many lawsuits already filed, and more likely to come, Aronfeld hopes some rulings will help write new case law and make it easier to bring future cases against cruise lines. Cruise lines have insurance to cover any possible awards or settlements, so the cases are unlikely to have much of a financial impact on the companies. A much larger threat to the industry is the no-sail order in effect in the U.S., its largest market, and the possibility it could be extended beyond July.


npr--2020-04-22--Suspects In Syrian Crimes Against Humanity Trial Will Face Accusers In German Court

Suspects In Syrian Crimes Against Humanity Trial Will Face Accusers In German Court An unprecedented trial begins in Germany on Thursday .
A former high-ranking Syrian intelligence officer , charged with crimes against humanity , will face Syrian torture survivors in a courtroom in the western German city of Koblenz .
Anwar Raslan , 57 , is accused of overseeing the torture of more than 4,000 prisoners , at least 58 deaths , as well as rape and sexual assault .
Prosecutors allege these crimes were committed at Al-Khatib prison in Syria 's capital of Damascus in 2011 and 2012 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Bashar Assad .
A second suspect will also be tried for aiding and abetting a crime against humanity in Syria in 2011 .
Both men sought asylum in Germany in 2014 and lived openly under their own names among Syrian refugees .
In February 2019 , they were arrested by German police .
This is the first legal proceeding over state-sponsored torture in Syria , and it comes as Germany is cautiously lifting a lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic .
`` It 's not an easy job , there will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Wolfgang Kaleck , a German civil rights attorney and general secretary of the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights .
ECCHR lawyer Patrick Kroker is representing six plaintiffs in a trial that already has 52 witnesses , according to the center .
Federal judges at the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz have signaled exceptional safety measures are likely to include mandatory masks and limits to the number of observers allowed in the court room , according to Kaleck .
Hailing the decision to start the trial despite health risks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important step forward , these crimes wo n't go unaddressed ... and important that the people who have been indicted face trial . ''
ECCHR legal advocates have worked closely with Syrian lawyers and activists to document systematic torture in Syria and to show arbitrary arrests and widespread brutality was a policy to quell an uprising in 2011 .
The evidence gathered includes extensive eye-witness testimony from Syrian torture survivors resettled across Europe .
`` I 'm not sure if I can sleep the night before because I will be thinking of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vocal survivor and witness of Syrian prison abuse .
Alshogre is not a plaintiff in this case but he has recounted his own experience in two Syrian prisons from 2012 to 2015 to European prosecutors as well as U.S. senators .
`` It is an important day for those who suffered in those prisons , '' he said .
`` It is painful and it 's powerful when you are standing in front of the guy who tortured you . ''
`` We should be excited about this moment to achieve justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The trial in Koblenz was scheduled before the pandemic and is likely to continue for more than a year .
`` It 's my life now '' One key witness is Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni .
He fled to Berlin in 2014 and has worked with German prosecutors and legal groups to identify Syrian witnesses and collect testimony for this and other cases .
Bunni said he was himself arrested by Raslan in Syria in 2006 .
`` It 's not work for me , it 's my life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generation , '' he said .
He hopes the groundbreaking trial will `` encourage others to go forward in their investigations , '' he said .
Mohamed Amjahid , a reporter and political editor at the German newspaper Die Zeit , agrees that it is crucial to build legal cases against the Syrian regime .
`` I think the most important information we can get is the testimonies of witnesses , '' he said .
In early April , Amjahid published a profile of Mosallam K. , a Syrian torture survivor living in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was brutally tortured at al-Khatib prison where Raslan was head of interrogations .
Mosallam K. was beaten on his feet with electric cables until he could no longer walk , doused with cold water so the electric shocks would course through his naked body .
Mosallam K. , a plaintiff in the case , joins almost a dozen Syrian survivors who will tell their story in court , `` details that are really shocking , '' said Amjahid .
`` This is also about what cruel methods the Assad regime is still using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly denied torture and war crimes charges .
But the evidence of war crimes committed by his government is overwhelming .
In 2013 , a Syrian military police defector slipped out of the country with thousands of photographs on a thumb drive .
The photos show emaciated and bruised corpses tagged with prison numbers .
German experts have verified the images as part of a trove of evidence for the proceedings .
In addition , the Commission for International Justice and Accountability , an independent nonprofit group funded by Western governments , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ground to ensure Syrian government documents are collected , shipped out of the country , translated and stored .
Prosecutors will use some of these documents for the trial in Germany .
So far , Syria 's military ally Russia has wielded its veto at the United Nations Security Council to block an international tribunal .
German prosecutors managed to launch a criminal case in Germany 's federal court using the policy of universal jurisdiction , which means a country can prosecute alleged crimes against humanity committed elsewhere .
`` I see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to medium term , filling a gap that certainly exists at the international level , '' said Steve Kostas , a London-based lawyer at the Open Society Justice Initiative who works on accountability for crimes in Syria .
`` There are a couple of NGOs that are representing victim witnesses in the case .
We represent six victims . ''
Kostas said this case will spur other European jurisdictions to press for accountability in Syria .
`` It 's yet to be seen what a coalition of willing states will produce in terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the crimes committed in Syria , '' he said .

Suspects In Syrian Crimes Against Humanity Trial Will Face Accusers In German Court
Enlarge this image toggle caption Werner Otto/Ullstein Bild via Getty Images Werner Otto/Ullstein Bild via Getty Images
An unprecedented trial begins in Germany on Thursday. A former high-ranking Syrian intelligence officer, charged with crimes against humanity, will face Syrian torture survivors in a courtroom in the western German city of Koblenz.
Anwar Raslan, 57, is accused of overseeing the torture of more than 4,000 prisoners, at least 58 deaths, as well as rape and sexual assault. Prosecutors allege these crimes were committed at Al-Khatib prison in Syria's capital of Damascus in 2011 and 2012, after the uprising began against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
A second suspect will also be tried for aiding and abetting a crime against humanity in Syria in 2011.
Both men sought asylum in Germany in 2014 and lived openly under their own names among Syrian refugees. In February 2019, they were arrested by German police.
This is the first legal proceeding over state-sponsored torture in Syria, and it comes as Germany is cautiously lifting a lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
Masks in the courtroom
"It's not an easy job, there will be a lot of additional measures," said Wolfgang Kaleck, a German civil rights attorney and general secretary of the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.
ECCHR lawyer Patrick Kroker is representing six plaintiffs in a trial that already has 52 witnesses, according to the center.
Federal judges at the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz have signaled exceptional safety measures are likely to include mandatory masks and limits to the number of observers allowed in the court room, according to Kaleck.
Hailing the decision to start the trial despite health risks, Kaleck said: "It's an important step forward, these crimes won't go unaddressed ... and important that the people who have been indicted face trial."
ECCHR legal advocates have worked closely with Syrian lawyers and activists to document systematic torture in Syria and to show arbitrary arrests and widespread brutality was a policy to quell an uprising in 2011. The evidence gathered includes extensive eye-witness testimony from Syrian torture survivors resettled across Europe.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Axel Obërg for NPR Axel Obërg for NPR
"I'm not sure if I can sleep the night before because I will be thinking of the trial," said Omar Alshogre, a vocal survivor and witness of Syrian prison abuse.
Alshogre is not a plaintiff in this case but he has recounted his own experience in two Syrian prisons from 2012 to 2015 to European prosecutors as well as U.S. senators.
"It is an important day for those who suffered in those prisons," he said. "It is painful and it's powerful when you are standing in front of the guy who tortured you."
"We should be excited about this moment to achieve justice for the first time," Alshogre said.
The trial in Koblenz was scheduled before the pandemic and is likely to continue for more than a year.
"It's my life now"
One key witness is Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni. He fled to Berlin in 2014 and has worked with German prosecutors and legal groups to identify Syrian witnesses and collect testimony for this and other cases. Bunni said he was himself arrested by Raslan in Syria in 2006.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jacobia Dahm for NPR Jacobia Dahm for NPR
"It's not work for me, it's my life now for my family and the next generation," he said. He hopes the groundbreaking trial will "encourage others to go forward in their investigations," he said.
Mohamed Amjahid, a reporter and political editor at the German newspaper Die Zeit, agrees that it is crucial to build legal cases against the Syrian regime.
"I think the most important information we can get is the testimonies of witnesses," he said.
In early April, Amjahid published a profile of Mosallam K., a Syrian torture survivor living in Germany. Arrested in 2011, he was brutally tortured at al-Khatib prison where Raslan was head of interrogations. Mosallam K. was beaten on his feet with electric cables until he could no longer walk, doused with cold water so the electric shocks would course through his naked body.
Mosallam K., a plaintiff in the case, joins almost a dozen Syrian survivors who will tell their story in court, "details that are really shocking," said Amjahid. "This is also about what cruel methods the Assad regime is still using today."
Troves of proof
The Assad regime has repeatedly denied torture and war crimes charges. But the evidence of war crimes committed by his government is overwhelming.
This is also about what cruel methods the Assad regime is still using today.
In 2013, a Syrian military police defector slipped out of the country with thousands of photographs on a thumb drive. The photos show emaciated and bruised corpses tagged with prison numbers. German experts have verified the images as part of a trove of evidence for the proceedings.
In addition, the Commission for International Justice and Accountability, an independent nonprofit group funded by Western governments, has been working since 2012 with Syrians on the ground to ensure Syrian government documents are collected, shipped out of the country, translated and stored. Prosecutors will use some of these documents for the trial in Germany.
So far, Syria's military ally Russia has wielded its veto at the United Nations Security Council to block an international tribunal.
German prosecutors managed to launch a criminal case in Germany's federal court using the policy of universal jurisdiction, which means a country can prosecute alleged crimes against humanity committed elsewhere.
"I see the national courts, in the short to medium term, filling a gap that certainly exists at the international level," said Steve Kostas, a London-based lawyer at the Open Society Justice Initiative who works on accountability for crimes in Syria. "There are a couple of NGOs that are representing victim witnesses in the case. We represent six victims."
Kostas said this case will spur other European jurisdictions to press for accountability in Syria.
"It's yet to be seen what a coalition of willing states will produce in terms of a more robust criminal justice response to the crimes committed in Syria," he said.


npr--2020-04-22--China Imposes Strict Measures In Northeast To Keep Out Coronavirus From Russia

China Imposes Strict Measures In Northeast To Keep Out Coronavirus From Russia China , in a further bid to keep a backwash of coronavirus infections from its borders , will ban all non-residents and outside vehicles from residential areas of the city of Harbin , a major industrial entrepôt located near the country 's northeast border with Russia .
Earlier this month , China — the original epicenter of the pandemic but which later saw its number of daily new domestic cases fall to zero — began seeing a wave of infections arriving from Russia , NPR 's Emily Feng @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few cases even as much of Europe was dealing with the full force of the epidemic , has since experienced a surge of cases .
Now there are nearly 53,000 confirmed cases and more than 450 COVID-19 deaths in Russia , according to statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Most of the new cases reported recently in China have been concentrated in Heilongjiang province , of which Harbin is the capital , primarily because of the large number of mainly Chinese citizens flying in from Russia .
The land border between China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic .
Earlier , the city had imposed a strict 28-day quarantine for anyone arriving from outside China .
`` All confirmed cases , suspected cases , close contacts of asymptomatic people and close contacts of close contacts should be quarantined and tested , '' Harbin 's municipal government announced Wednesday , as reported by local state media .
Harbin on Tuesday reported seven new local infections , bringing the total number of active cases there to 52 .
The government also said Wednesday it would lock down for two weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been found , according to Reuters .

China Imposes Strict Measures In Northeast To Keep Out Coronavirus From Russia
Enlarge this image toggle caption AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images
China, in a further bid to keep a backwash of coronavirus infections from its borders, will ban all nonresidents and outside vehicles from residential areas of the city of Harbin, a major industrial entrepôt located near the country's northeast border with Russia.
Earlier this month, China — the original epicenter of the pandemic but which later saw its number of daily new domestic cases fall to zero — began seeing a wave of infections arriving from Russia, NPR's Emily Feng reported.
Russia, after initially reporting few cases even as much of Europe was dealing with the full force of the epidemic, has since experienced a surge of cases. Now there are nearly 53,000 confirmed cases and more than 450 COVID-19 deaths in Russia, according to statistics compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Most of the new cases reported recently in China have been concentrated in Heilongjiang province, of which Harbin is the capital, primarily because of the large number of mainly Chinese citizens flying in from Russia.
The land border between China and Russia has already been closed because of the pandemic. Earlier, the city had imposed a strict 28-day quarantine for anyone arriving from outside China.
"All confirmed cases, suspected cases, close contacts of asymptomatic people and close contacts of close contacts should be quarantined and tested," Harbin's municipal government announced Wednesday, as reported by local state media.
Harbin on Tuesday reported seven new local infections, bringing the total number of active cases there to 52.
The government also said Wednesday it would lock down for two weeks residential buildings where confirmed and asymptomatic cases had been found, according to Reuters.