npr--2020-01-26--Activists Decry Femicides After Another Woman Is Killed In Juárez, Mexico

Activists Decry Femicides After Another Woman Is Killed In Juárez , Mexico A week after the killing of a young female artist and activist , protesters in the Mexican border city of Juárez took to the streets with a message to authorities : Do n't let this crime go unpunished like all the rest .
The slaying of 26-year-old Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre on Jan. 18 has reopened old wounds in a city with a gruesome history of violence against women .
On Saturday , women fashioned ski masks out of black T-shirts , with mascara and red lipstick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Not one more '' as they marched from the historic center of Juárez , down the under-construction main street , and to the top of the international bridge that connects Mexico to neighboring El Paso , Texas .
Car traffic on the typically busy border crossing was halted for several hours .
The demonstration was one in a series of protests and vigils that have spread nationwide demanding an end to gender-based violence .
The motive behind Cabanillas ' death is still unknown .
A spokeswoman for a specialized unit within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women said the case is under investigation .
Cabanillas spent her last Friday night with friends at a bar in downtown Juárez .
It was past midnight when she said her goodbyes and mounted her worn three-speed road bike .
She 'd pedaled less than three blocks when a bullet struck her head .
Maria Robles , who lives in the neighborhood , heard the gunfire , but did n't dare get out of bed .
`` I heard the shots followed by screams , '' Robles said .
`` I knew right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's what happens here . ''
In 2020 there have been more killings in Juárez than days in the new year .
As of Saturday , an online tally by a local newspaper counted 64 homicides since Jan. 1 .
Juárez ended 2019 with nearly 1,500 killings , an average of four per day .
Such bloodshed is par for the course in a city ruled by warring drug lords eager to profit off America 's drug addiction .
`` The way that Isabel was killed is the way thousands of others have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Jorge Perez , a lifelong Juárez resident and a friend of Cabanillas .
While hit-and-run style homicide is routine in Juárez , so is gender-based crime directed at women .
It even has a name : femicide .
In the last three decades , hundreds of women have been brutally killed in this city , with some raped , tortured and trafficked .
Many of their cases remain unsolved .
Marisol Ramirez joined the marchers on Saturday , holding her young daughter by the hand .
She and Cabanillas were part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a very warm smile , '' Ramirez said .
`` She was empathetic and quick to laughter . ''
Cabanillas was an artist , best known for her hand-painted clothing .
Eyes were a common theme in her work .
She painted constellations of them on murals and sweatshirts .
The last tattoo she got was a cross with two eyes at its center .
She was also part of a vocal feminist group that defended women , immigrants and the environment .
`` I know Isabel felt like she was being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Cabanillas who asked to be named because she feared for her safety .
The friend is among those who question whether Cabanillas was targeted for her activism .
She would n't be the first .
Other activists , particularly those who speak up against femicide , have fled Juárez and sought asylum in the U.S .
In 2011 , a feminist poet named Susana Chavez was strangled .
Her killers cut off her left hand .
`` Isabel carried with her a baton for self-defense , '' her friend said .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is `` bone-crusher . ''
In the end it proved useless for Cabanillas .
Police found her crumpled body on the sidewalk where it fell , right next to her bike .
She leaves behind a son , who just days before her death celebrated his 4th birthday .

Activists Decry Femicides After Another Woman Is Killed In Juárez, Mexico
Enlarge this image toggle caption Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images
A week after the killing of a young female artist and activist, protesters in the Mexican border city of Juárez took to the streets with a message to authorities: Don't let this crime go unpunished like all the rest.
The slaying of 26-year-old Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre on Jan. 18 has reopened old wounds in a city with a gruesome history of violence against women.
On Saturday, women fashioned ski masks out of black T-shirts, with mascara and red lipstick peeking through torn-out holes. They chanted "Not one more" as they marched from the historic center of Juárez, down the under-construction main street, and to the top of the international bridge that connects Mexico to neighboring El Paso, Texas. Car traffic on the typically busy border crossing was halted for several hours. The demonstration was one in a series of protests and vigils that have spread nationwide demanding an end to gender-based violence.
The motive behind Cabanillas' death is still unknown. A spokeswoman for a specialized unit within the state police that focuses on crimes against women said the case is under investigation.
Cabanillas spent her last Friday night with friends at a bar in downtown Juárez. It was past midnight when she said her goodbyes and mounted her worn three-speed road bike. She'd pedaled less than three blocks when a bullet struck her head.
Maria Robles, who lives in the neighborhood, heard the gunfire, but didn't dare get out of bed.
"I heard the shots followed by screams," Robles said. "I knew right away someone had been killed. That's what happens here."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images
In 2020 there have been more killings in Juárez than days in the new year. As of Saturday, an online tally by a local newspaper counted 64 homicides since Jan. 1. Juárez ended 2019 with nearly 1,500 killings, an average of four per day. Such bloodshed is par for the course in a city ruled by warring drug lords eager to profit off America's drug addiction.
"The way that Isabel was killed is the way thousands of others have been killed in this city," said Jorge Perez, a lifelong Juárez resident and a friend of Cabanillas.
While hit-and-run style homicide is routine in Juárez, so is gender-based crime directed at women. It even has a name: femicide. In the last three decades, hundreds of women have been brutally killed in this city, with some raped, tortured and trafficked. Many of their cases remain unsolved.
Marisol Ramirez joined the marchers on Saturday, holding her young daughter by the hand. She and Cabanillas were part of the same social circle.
"Isabel had a very warm smile," Ramirez said. "She was empathetic and quick to laughter."
Cabanillas was an artist, best known for her hand-painted clothing. Eyes were a common theme in her work. She painted constellations of them on murals and sweatshirts. The last tattoo she got was a cross with two eyes at its center. She was also part of a vocal feminist group that defended women, immigrants and the environment.
"I know Isabel felt like she was being watched," said a close friend of Cabanillas who asked to be named because she feared for her safety.
The friend is among those who question whether Cabanillas was targeted for her activism. She wouldn't be the first. Other activists, particularly those who speak up against femicide, have fled Juárez and sought asylum in the U.S. In 2011, a feminist poet named Susana Chavez was strangled. Her killers cut off her left hand.
"Isabel carried with her a baton for self-defense," her friend said.
In Spanish the nickname for such a weapon is "bone-crusher." In the end it proved useless for Cabanillas. Police found her crumpled body on the sidewalk where it fell, right next to her bike. She leaves behind a son, who just days before her death celebrated his 4th birthday.


npr--2020-01-26--Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianna Die In Helicopter Crash

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday in Calabasas , Calif. , the city 's mayor has confirmed .
Bryant was 41 .
Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 seasons and is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history .
Over the course of his storied career he led the Lakers to five championships , was an 18-time All-Star and was the NBA 's Most Valuable Player in the 2007-2008 season .
He is also fourth on the NBA 's all-time scoring list .
Bryant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sikorsky S-76B helicopter built in 1991 when it crashed under foggy conditions in the hills above Calabasas , the Los Angeles Times reported .
In all , eight passengers and one pilot were killed in the crash , according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva .
`` The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10:00 this morning .
Nobody on the ground was hurt , '' the city of Calabasas wrote on Twitter .
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are both investigating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 seasons , Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning , '' NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement .
`` ...
But he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability .
He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players , taking special delight in passing down his love of the game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world on Sunday , words of grief poured in following the news of Bryant 's death .
Shaquille O'Neal , who won three championships with Bryant while with the Lakers , said that there are `` no words to express the pain I 'm going through now . ''
Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , who is one of just three people to have scored more points than Bryant said , `` I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete . ''
Abdul-Jabbar called Bryant `` an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspired a whole generation of young athletes . ''
A native of Philadelphia , Bryant was born on Aug. 23 , 1978 .
His father Joe played eight seasons in the NBA in the 1970s and early '80s .
According to the LA Times , Joe Bryant and his wife Pam Cox decided to name their first son Kobe after the city in Japan .
Bryant was drafted into the NBA from high school at age 17 .
He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick in the draft , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he spent his entire career .
That achievement placed Bryant in what ESPN called `` an exclusive club '' of players to spend two decades with the same team .
Bryant won consecutive NBA titles with the Lakers in 2000 , 2001 and 2002 — and then again in 2009 and 2010 .
Injuries held him back in the final years of his career , with a tear of his Achilles tendon at the end of the 2013 season , followed by a knee injury and rotator cuff surgery .
He announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poem , which begins : Despite his achievements on the court , Bryant 's life off the court was not without controversy .
In 2003 , a 19-year-old woman accused Bryant of raping her .
He was charged with sexual assault and false imprisonment .
The accuser faced intense scrutiny from the media and a campaign from Bryant 's defense team to discredit her .
The criminal case ended in 2004 after she decided to not participate in the trial .
Bryant and the accuser settled a civil lawsuit out of court in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He released a statement saying he believed the encounter was consensual , `` but I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did . ''
Bryant retired in 2016 .
He was married to Vanessa Bryant , and the two were parents to four daughters .
After retiring from the game , Bryant and his daughter Gianna could occasionally be spotted sitting courtside at Lakers games .
In a 2018 interview with Jimmy Kimmel , Bryant said his daughter Gianna wanted to play in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The best thing that happens is when we go out and fans will come up to me and she 'll be standing next to me and they 'll be like , 'Hey you got to have a boy , you and V got ta have a boy ... someone to carry on the tradition , the legacy , '' Bryant told Kimmel .
He said Gianna would interrupt and respond , `` I got this . ''

Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianna Die In Helicopter Crash
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Updated at 8:23 p.m. ET
Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday in Calabasas, Calif., the city's mayor has confirmed. Bryant was 41.
Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 seasons and is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. Over the course of his storied career he led the Lakers to five championships, was an 18-time All-Star and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player in the 2007-2008 season. He is fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list and once scored 81 points in a single game, the second-most ever.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
Bryant and his daughter were traveling in a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter built in 1991 when it crashed under foggy conditions in the hills above Calabasas. In all, eight passengers and one pilot were killed in the crash, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and his daughter Alyssa were also among the victims, according to a statement from the college.
"The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10:00 this morning. Nobody on the ground was hurt," the city of Calabasas wrote on Twitter. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are both investigating, the city said.
Kobe Bryant Hide caption Kobe Bryant goes in for a dunk against the New Jersey Nets during a game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 1, 2001. Previous Next Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Hide caption Bryant sits with the NBA Championship trophy after the Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers to win the 2001 NBA title on June 15, 2001. Previous Next Robert Mora/NBAE via Getty Images
Hide caption Bryant points during the second quarter of Game Seven of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics at the Staples Center on June 17, 2010. Previous Next Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Hide caption Bryant warms up with his daughter Gianna during the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto, Ontario. Previous Next Elsa/Getty Images
Hide caption Bryant celebrates with Shaquille O'Neal after winning the NBA Championship against the Indiana Pacers on June, 19, 2000. Previous Next AFP/AFP via Getty Images
Hide caption Bryant chats with Michael Jordan after a 2000 game at the Staples Center. Previous Next Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Hide caption Bryant presents a jersey to President Barack Obama at the White House during an event to celebrate the Lakers' 2009 NBA championship. Previous Next Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Hide caption From left, Bryant, Chris Paul and LeBron James of the U.S. Men's National Team pose for a portrait after defeating Spain 118-107 in the men's gold medal basketball game at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Previous Next Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Hide caption Bryant and his wife, Vanessa Laine Bryant, appear with daughters Natalia Diamante Bryant and Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant at the premiere of Disney's 'A Wrinkle In Time' at El Capitan Theatre on Feb. 26, 2018 in Los Angeles. Previous Next Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Hide caption Vanessa Bryant and Kobe Bryant attend the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 4, 2018 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Previous Next Mike Coppola/VF18/Getty Images for VF
Hide caption Bryant smiles late in the fourth quarter while taking on the Denver Nuggets in Game Seven of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs. Previous Next Harry How/Getty Images 1 of 11 i View slideshow
"For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "... But he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability. He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna."
Across the basketball world on Sunday, words of grief poured in following the news of Bryant's death. Shaquille O'Neal, who won three championships with Bryant while with the Lakers, said there are "no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother."
Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of just three people to have scored more career points than Bryant, said he "will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete."
Abdul-Jabbar called Bryant "an incredible family man," who "inspired a whole generation of young athletes."
Bryant's death came just hours after another member of the Lakers, LeBron James, passed him on the all-time scoring list. Bryant scored 33,643 points over his career, but was gracious in being passed by James. In a final tweet, he shared a note of congratulations, calling James "my brother."
A native of Philadelphia, Bryant was born on Aug. 23, 1978. His father Joe played eight seasons in the NBA during the 1970s and early '80s. According to the LA Times, Joe Bryant and his wife Pam Cox decided to name their first son Kobe after the city in Japan.
Bryant was drafted into the NBA from high school at age 17. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick in the draft, but then traded to the Lakers, where he spent his entire career. That achievement placed Bryant in what ESPN called "an exclusive club" of players to spend two decades with the same team.
Bryant won consecutive NBA titles with the Lakers in 2000, 2001 and 2002 — and then again in 2009 and 2010.
"I think NBA fans are certainly remembering the kind of basketball player Kobe was," NPR's Tom Goldman told Michel Martin on All Things Considered. "He adopted the nickname 'Black Mamba' from the Tarantino movie Kill Bill. It was used as a code name for a deadly assassin known for their agility and aggressiveness, and that is the kind of basketball player Kobe Bryant was. He wasn't like a LeBron James who loves to distribute the ball at key moments. Bryant loved having the ball in his hands, only in his hands in pressure situations, and he mostly delivered in those situations."
Injuries held him back in the final years of his career, with a tear of his Achilles tendon at the end of the 2013 season, followed by a knee injury and rotator cuff surgery. He announced his retirement with a poem, which begins:
"Dear Basketball, From the moment I started rolling my dad's tube socks And shooting imaginary Game-winning shots In the Great Western Forum I knew one thing was real: I fell in love with you. A love so deep I gave you my all — From my mind & body To my spirit & soul."
Despite his achievements on the court, Bryant's life off the court was not without controversy. In 2003, a 19-year-old woman accused him of raping her. He was charged with sexual assault and false imprisonment. The accuser faced intense scrutiny from the media and a campaign from Bryant's defense team to discredit her. The criminal case ended in 2004 after she decided to not participate in the trial.
Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Emilio Flores/Getty Images J. Emilio Flores/Getty Images
Bryant and the accuser settled a civil lawsuit out of court in 2005 with no admission of guilt. He released a statement saying he believed the encounter was consensual, "but I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Harry How/Getty Images Harry How/Getty Images
After his retirement in 2016, Bryant spent much of this time working at his production company, Granity Studios. The operation has put out young adult books, a podcast and created the Oscar-winning animated short, Dear Basketball.
He was married to Vanessa Bryant — the two were parents to four daughters.
In retirement, Bryant and his daughter Gianna could occasionally be spotted sitting courtside at Lakers games. In a 2018 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Bryant said Gianna wanted to play in the WNBA "for sure."
"The best thing that happens is when we go out and fans will come up to me and she'll be standing next to me and they'll be like, 'Hey you got to have a boy, you and V gotta have a boy ... someone to carry on the tradition, the legacy," Bryant told Kimmel. He said Gianna would interrupt and respond, "I got this."
NPR's Bobby Allyn contributed reporting.


npr--2020-01-26--Poll Results Put Andrew Yang Back On The Democratic Debate Stage

A flurry of qualifying polls released Sunday has put tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang back on the Democratic debate stage .
Yang is the seventh candidate to qualify for the Feb. 7 debate in Manchester , N.H. , which is just four days ahead of the primary there .
The 45-year-old had missed January 's debate in Iowa .
Prior to that televised tussle , Yang had decried what he called a lack of qualifying surveys and had asked the Democratic National Committee to commission more polling .
It did not .
But Yang hit one of the DNC 's debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday .
He got 7 % and 5 % in separate national polls , and 5 % in two New Hampshire surveys .
To make the New Hampshire debate , candidates must register at 5 % or more in four qualifying national or early-state polls released between Dec. 13 , 2019 , and Feb. 6 ; or at least 7 % in two early-state polls during that period .
And they have to get 225,000 unique donors from at least 20 states .
Alternatively , a candidate could make the debate stage by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses .
`` America has spoken .
Voters clearly missed Andrew Yang 's presence in the most recent debate and now they are making sure he will be on the debate stage in New Hampshire , '' his campaign chief Nick Ryan said in a statement .
Already qualified for the debate are : former Vice President Joe Biden , Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders , Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren , former South Bend , Ind.
, Mayor Pete Buttigieg , Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and billionaire activist Tom Steyer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday , while Sanders was tops in those two New Hampshire polls .
The two septuagenarians have increasingly sparred over issues as recent polls have shown them separating a little from the rest of the Democratic field .
Billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reached the polling threshold to qualify for the New Hampshire debate , but because he 's self-funding his campaign , he 's not going to hit the donor requirement .
Bloomberg has already spent more than $ 250 million on ads since jumping into the race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group Advertising Analytics .
His focus is on the delegate-rich states voting on Super Tuesday , March 3 .
The Iowa debate featured six white candidates .
Yang 's inclusion means there will be at least one minority candidate on the Manchester debate stage .
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard , who 's been a fixture on the New Hampshire campaign trail , has so far hit the polling threshold in two qualifying surveys , but has also not amassed the required number of donors .
But first , ahead of that debate : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates were all scheduled to be in the state Sunday , with now just a week to go before the contests .
Among them were the senators who served as jurors in President Trump 's impeachment trial all week long — and will return to their Senate desks as the trial resumes on Monday .

Poll Results Put Andrew Yang Back On The Democratic Debate Stage
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A flurry of qualifying polls released Sunday has put tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang back on the Democratic debate stage.
Yang is the seventh candidate to qualify for the Feb. 7 debate in Manchester, N.H., which is just four days ahead of the primary there.
The 45-year-old had missed January's debate in Iowa. Prior to that televised tussle, Yang had decried what he called a lack of qualifying surveys and had asked the Democratic National Committee to commission more polling. It did not.
But Yang hit one of the DNC's debate thresholds in four surveys released just on Sunday. He got 7% and 5% in separate national polls, and 5% in two New Hampshire surveys.
To make the New Hampshire debate, candidates must register at 5% or more in four qualifying national or early-state polls released between Dec. 13, 2019, and Feb. 6; or at least 7% in two early-state polls during that period. And they have to get 225,000 unique donors from at least 20 states.
Alternatively, a candidate could make the debate stage by garnering at least one delegate from the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses.
"America has spoken. Voters clearly missed Andrew Yang's presence in the most recent debate and now they are making sure he will be on the debate stage in New Hampshire," his campaign chief Nick Ryan said in a statement.
Already qualified for the debate are: former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and billionaire activist Tom Steyer.
Biden led those two national polls released Sunday, while Sanders was tops in those two New Hampshire polls.
The two septuagenarians have increasingly sparred over issues as recent polls have shown them separating a little from the rest of the Democratic field.
Billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reached the polling threshold to qualify for the New Hampshire debate, but because he's self-funding his campaign, he's not going to hit the donor requirement.
Bloomberg has already spent more than $250 million on ads since jumping into the race in late November, according to the group Advertising Analytics. His focus is on the delegate-rich states voting on Super Tuesday, March 3.
The Iowa debate featured six white candidates. Yang's inclusion means there will be at least one minority candidate on the Manchester debate stage.
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who's been a fixture on the New Hampshire campaign trail, has so far hit the polling threshold in two qualifying surveys, but has also not amassed the required number of donors.
But first, ahead of that debate: the Iowa caucuses.
The top Democratic candidates were all scheduled to be in the state Sunday, with now just a week to go before the contests. Among them were the senators who served as jurors in President Trump's impeachment trial all week long — and will return to their Senate desks as the trial resumes on Monday.


npr--2020-01-26--Arizona Man Caught Driving In The HOV Lane With Fake Skeleton Riding Shotgun

Arizona Man Caught Driving In The HOV Lane With Fake Skeleton Riding Shotgun A man in Arizona was pulled over last week for attempting to disguise a fake skeleton as a passenger in his car so he could stealthily drive in the HOV lane .
The 62-year-old received a penalty ticket on Thursday when a trooper noticed the skeleton wearing a camouflage bucket hat and tied upright in the passenger seat with a yellow rope , the Arizona Department of Public Safety told the AP .
The man was also cited for a window tint violation when he was pulled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Apache Boulevard in Tempe .
The windows presumably were n't dark enough to conceal his spooky passenger .
`` Think you can use the HOV lane with Skeletor riding shotgun ?
You 're dead wrong ! ''
the Arizona Department of Public Safety tweeted on Thursday .
This is not the first time a man tried to cheat the rules of the Arizona carpool lane , which is reserved for drivers with at least one passenger in the car .
Another motorist was cited last April for driving in the HOV lane on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses riding shotgun .
The Arizona Department of Public Safety told the Associated Press that some 7,000 people are cited every year for violating HOV lane rules .
Enforcement of HOV lane rules varies from state to state , according to the Federal Highway Administration .
In some states , police officers will redirect violators to general lanes , while in others , drivers can face fines from $ 50 in Massachusetts to more than $ 300 in California .
Washington State passed legislation last year that sharply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the first offense and $ 336 for another violation within two years .
Drivers who break the rules again could face a steep fine of up to $ 686 , and those who use a dummy to fake a passenger could pay another $ 200 on top of those fines .
`` Some folks get very creative , '' Guy Gill , a former State Patrol spokesman , told the Seattle Times .
`` We 've seen mannequins , sleeping bags propped up with hats , articles of clothing , duffel bags @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name it , we 've seen it . ''
Since 1984 , Washington State has employed a HERO program that encourages drivers to report carpool lane violations , so that police officers can target areas of the road for possible rule-breakers .
Police received almost 40,000 reports in 2011 , the Seattle Times reported , according to state department of transportation records .

Arizona Man Caught Driving In The HOV Lane With Fake Skeleton Riding Shotgun
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP AP
A man in Arizona was pulled over last week for attempting to disguise a fake skeleton as a passenger in his car so he could stealthily drive in the HOV lane.
The 62-year-old received a penalty ticket on Thursday when a trooper noticed the skeleton wearing a camouflage bucket hat and tied upright in the passenger seat with a yellow rope, the Arizona Department of Public Safety told the AP.
The man was also cited for a window tint violation when he was pulled over on Arizona State Route 101 near Apache Boulevard in Tempe. The windows presumably weren't dark enough to conceal his spooky passenger.
"Think you can use the HOV lane with Skeletor riding shotgun? You're dead wrong!" the Arizona Department of Public Safety tweeted on Thursday.
This is not the first time a man tried to cheat the rules of the Arizona carpool lane, which is reserved for drivers with at least one passenger in the car. Another motorist was cited last April for driving in the HOV lane on a different Arizona freeway with a mannequin wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses riding shotgun.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety told the Associated Press that some 7,000 people are cited every year for violating HOV lane rules.
Enforcement of HOV lane rules varies from state to state, according to the Federal Highway Administration. In some states, police officers will redirect violators to general lanes, while in others, drivers can face fines from $50 in Massachusetts to more than $300 in California.
Washington State passed legislation last year that sharply raised HOV violation fines to $186 on the first offense and $336 for another violation within two years. Drivers who break the rules again could face a steep fine of up to $686, and those who use a dummy to fake a passenger could pay another $200 on top of those fines.
"Some folks get very creative," Guy Gill, a former State Patrol spokesman, told the Seattle Times. "We've seen mannequins, sleeping bags propped up with hats, articles of clothing, duffel bags, Halloween masks on bags. You name it, we've seen it."
Since 1984, Washington State has employed a HERO program that encourages drivers to report carpool lane violations, so that police officers can target areas of the road for possible rule-breakers. Police received almost 40,000 reports in 2011, the Seattle Times reported, according to state department of transportation records.


npr--2020-01-26--2 New U.S. Cases Of Wuhan Coronavirus Confirmed In California

2 New U.S. Cases Of Wuhan Coronavirus Confirmed In California Health officials in two California counties have reported over the weekend two new cases of Wuhan coronavirus in the state , bringing the total number of cases in the U.S. to four .
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported Saturday that a man in his 50s tested positive for the infectious disease and is currently being treated in isolation at a local hospital .
Meanwhile , officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported a second new case in California on Sunday .
Both counties said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
According to health officials in Orange and Los Angeles counties , both cases involved people traveling from Wuhan , China , the epicenter of the infectious disease outbreak .
Officials said both patients are receiving care at local hospitals , and that the risk of local transmission remains low .
The Orange County health agency said in a statement that officials will continue to monitor people who have had close contact with the patient , who is in `` good condition , '' according to Orange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added that there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission .
In the statement from Los Angeles County , health officials said they are `` working to identify persons who may have had close personal contact with this individual , including any friends , family members or health care professionals , to monitor them for signs and symptoms of illness and to take measures to prevent spread of the virus . ''
The other two U.S. cases involve a woman in her 60s in Chicago , reported Friday , and a man in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday .
In all four cases , the patients had previously traveled to Wuhan .
The CDC said last week that it has mobilized an aggressive response to the outbreak , aimed at identifying and diagnosing any cases early and preventing the spread of the virus in the United States .
While the CDC says it 's not yet clear how easily the virus is transmitted from person to person , it says the risk in the U.S. remains low .
China reported 688 new cases on Sunday from the previous day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases to 1,975 , including 56 deaths .
At least 36 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed outside China , including in France , Singapore , Vietnam , South Korea , Nepal , Hong Kong and Australia .
The U.S. State Department said Saturday that it is pulling government workers and their family members out of Wuhan because of the impacts from the coronavirus outbreak .
A U.S. Embassy spokesperson told NPR that `` logistical disruptions stemming from restricted transportation and overwhelmed hospitals in the city of Wuhan '' contributed to the decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a `` Do not travel '' advisory for Hubei province .
Travel restrictions have been put in place in multiple major cities in China , grounding planes and trains and blocking roads and tunnels .
Large public gatherings have been banned , and major tourist attractions , including Beijing 's Forbidden City and Shanghai Disneyland , are closed .
Health officials are trying to limit the spread of the coronavirus during the country 's biggest travel holiday , the Lunar New Year .
The infectious disease was discovered from a cluster of pneumonia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a major transportation hub in China , with trains that run throughout the country as well as an international airport .

2 New U.S. Cases Of Wuhan Coronavirus Confirmed In California
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jessica McGowan/Getty Images Jessica McGowan/Getty Images
Updated at 3:32 p.m. ET
Health officials in two California counties have reported over the weekend two new cases of Wuhan coronavirus in the state, bringing the total number of cases in the U.S. to four.
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported Saturday that a man in his 50s tested positive for the infectious disease and is currently being treated in isolation at a local hospital.
Meanwhile, officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported a second new case in California on Sunday. Both counties said the cases had been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to health officials in Orange and Los Angeles counties, both cases involved people traveling from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the infectious disease outbreak. Officials said both patients are receiving care at local hospitals, and that the risk of local transmission remains low.
The Orange County health agency said in a statement that officials will continue to monitor people who have had close contact with the patient, who is in "good condition," according to Orange County Health Officer Nichole Quick. She added that there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission.
In the statement from Los Angeles County, health officials said they are "working to identify persons who may have had close personal contact with this individual, including any friends, family members or health care professionals, to monitor them for signs and symptoms of illness and to take measures to prevent spread of the virus."
The other two U.S. cases involve a woman in her 60s in Chicago, reported Friday, and a man in his 30s in the Seattle area, reported Tuesday. In all four cases, the patients had previously traveled to Wuhan.
The CDC said last week that it has mobilized an aggressive response to the outbreak, aimed at identifying and diagnosing any cases early and preventing the spread of the virus in the United States. While the CDC says it's not yet clear how easily the virus is transmitted from person to person, it says the risk in the U.S. remains low.
China reported 688 new cases on Sunday from the previous day, bringing the country's total number of cases to 1,975, including 56 deaths.
At least 36 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed outside China, including in France, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, Nepal, Hong Kong and Australia.
The U.S. State Department said Saturday that it is pulling government workers and their family members out of Wuhan because of the impacts from the coronavirus outbreak. A U.S. Embassy spokesperson told NPR that "logistical disruptions stemming from restricted transportation and overwhelmed hospitals in the city of Wuhan" contributed to the decision. The State Department this week issued a "Do not travel" advisory for Hubei province.
Travel restrictions have been put in place in multiple major cities in China, grounding planes and trains and blocking roads and tunnels. Large public gatherings have been banned, and major tourist attractions, including Beijing's Forbidden City and Shanghai Disneyland, are closed. Health officials are trying to limit the spread of the coronavirus during the country's biggest travel holiday, the Lunar New Year.
The infectious disease was discovered from a cluster of pneumonia outbreaks in Wuhan. The city is a major transportation hub in China, with trains that run throughout the country as well as an international airport.


npr--2020-01-27--Election Officials To Convene Amid Historic Focus On Voting And Interference

Election Officials To Convene Amid Historic Focus On Voting And Interference Top election officials from all 50 states are meeting in Washington this week to prepare for 2020 — a gathering amid widespread concern over whether the upcoming elections will be fair and accurate , as well as free of the kind of foreign interference that marred the 2016 campaign .
Despite major government efforts to upgrade security , an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that about 41 % of Americans surveyed do not think the country is prepared to protect the U.S. election system from another attack .
Voters also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followed by voter fraud and voter suppression .
Forty-four percent think it 's likely that many votes will not actually be counted in 2020 .
While most voters have confidence in their state and local governments to run a fair election , 43 % do not think those officials have done enough to make sure that there 's no foreign interference .
Many more blame President Trump .
Fifty-six percent say he has done little or nothing to keep the elections safe .
A slim majority think the president , who has repeatedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encourages foreign interference .
This lack of voter confidence has unnerved lower-level election officials as the nation heads into what 's expected to be a highly contentious presidential race with high levels of turnout .
`` My biggest concern in 2020 is that regardless of outcome , we will be faced with somewhere around the end of the first week in November , this concern by half of the country that they lost the election illegitimately , `` says Colorado Election Director Judd Choate .
Choate is one of the officials who will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to address the threat .
Most of those who run elections believe the biggest danger is not someone tampering with actual votes — although that is a concern — but causing enough confusion to undermine public trust in the process .
Officials are preparing for a range of possibilities , including disruption of voter registration systems , social media disinformation campaigns , ransomware attacks and even power outages .
But Choate and other officials hope a number of changes made since 2016 will help boost voter confidence .
States have spent hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchasing new voting equipment .
Some 90 % of voters , many more than in 2016 , will cast their votes on paper ballots , which are immune from cyber-mischief and can be audited later to verify that results were accurate .
Election officials have also been working closely with the U.S. intelligence community and other federal agencies to tighten security and share information about potential threats .
Christopher Krebs , leader of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the Department of Homeland Security — charged with helping to secure the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't surprised that voters are worried about what might happen this year .
But Krebs thinks they should be more confident than some say they are .
`` The federal government is working together on this singular issue , election security , frankly better than any other issue that I 've ever seen , '' he says .
Officials at all levels of government have conducted countless training sessions , vulnerability assessments and tabletop exercises since 2016 .
Another tabletop training is scheduled with top state election officials this week in Washington .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he 's on the phone with federal security officials almost every day .
`` Whether it 's myself personally or a member of our IT team , we work with DHS hand in glove , '' he says .
Security preparations have involved all partners in elections , including voting equipment vendors , which are also seen as potential targets .
Sam Derheimer , director of government affairs for Hart InterCivic , one of the main suppliers of voting equipment in the country , recalls an incident last year that he says illustrates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company 's customers , an election official in a small Texas county , received a phone call from someone pretending to be from Hart who asked about sensitive security measures and tried to get the official to log into unfamiliar websites .
`` She did n't know the person on the other side of the phone , and red flags were raised immediately , '' says Derheimer .
The local official immediately called the company with her concerns .
Hart then contacted the Department of Homeland Security , which issued an alert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials and vendors around the country .
`` It really laid out the incident as best we knew it — what had occurred and what to be wary of in the future , '' says Derheimer , `` because if it happened to this one local election official , it easily could have occurred to others . ''
It turns out that the woman was unknowingly the target of a security firm hired by her county to test its cyberdefenses .
For those who run elections , the quick national response was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attuned to potential threats than they have been in the past .
`` An election official — [ who ] three or four years ago would have probably just blindly and blithely followed the instructions — now is like , 'Wait a second .
That does n't sound right , ' `` says Krebs .
Still , the push to tighten election security and boost public confidence has been complicated by Trump 's downplaying of the foreign threat and his repeated claims , without evidence , that voter fraud is rampant .
Former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's remarks are `` unhelpful '' — imagine , he asked , how much difference it might make if the president were on the same page as his advisers and local election officials .
`` A president who got out there and really encouraged investment in the security would be again a positive factor . ''
But , adds Chertoff , `` I think that it 's not deterring the people who are actually doing the work from carrying it out . ''
Shelby Pierson , the election threats executive within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was asked by NPR point-blank whether she has to try to work around Trump .
No , she said .
And for his part , Krebs insists that he has all the support and guidance he needs from the White House to do his job .
`` We all know what 's at stake here , '' he says .
`` And it 's defending democracy .
It 's protecting 2020 , and I think the American people need to have confidence that we take this seriously . ''
Krebs warns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing as 100 % security and that the threat is evolving .
While Russians conducted the attacks in 2016 , intelligence officials expect that attacks this year could come from others as well , including Iran , China or some domestic player .
Krebs says voters also have a security role to play by making sure they know where to vote and how and what their rights are if something does go wrong at the polling place .
He also says voters should make sure they get their information about elections from trusted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on social media .
`` We 've got to be prepared and resilient as a people , as a democracy , as voters , to not let someone else , not let the Russians , not let the Iranians , not let someone else decide the outcome of this election , '' he says .
`` American voters should decide American elections , and that 's why we 're putting as much effort into this as we are . ''

Election Officials To Convene Amid Historic Focus On Voting And Interference
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rogelio V. Solis/AP Rogelio V. Solis/AP
Top election officials from all 50 states are meeting in Washington this week to prepare for 2020 — a gathering amid widespread concern over whether the upcoming elections will be fair and accurate, as well as free of the kind of foreign interference that marred the 2016 campaign.
Despite major government efforts to upgrade security, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that about 41% of Americans surveyed do not think the country is prepared to protect the U.S. election system from another attack.
Voters also say their biggest concern is disinformation, followed by voter fraud and voter suppression. Forty-four percent think it's likely that many votes will not actually be counted in 2020.
While most voters have confidence in their state and local governments to run a fair election, 43% do not think those officials have done enough to make sure that there's no foreign interference.
Many more blame President Trump. Fifty-six percent say he has done little or nothing to keep the elections safe. A slim majority think the president, who has repeatedly questioned Russian tampering in 2016, actually encourages foreign interference.
This lack of voter confidence has unnerved lower-level election officials as the nation heads into what's expected to be a highly contentious presidential race with high levels of turnout.
"My biggest concern in 2020 is that regardless of outcome, we will be faced with somewhere around the end of the first week in November, this concern by half of the country that they lost the election illegitimately, " says Colorado Election Director Judd Choate.
Choate is one of the officials who will be gathering in Washington to discuss ways to address the threat.
Gamut of fears
Most of those who run elections believe the biggest danger is not someone tampering with actual votes — although that is a concern — but causing enough confusion to undermine public trust in the process.
Officials are preparing for a range of possibilities, including disruption of voter registration systems, social media disinformation campaigns, ransomware attacks and even power outages.
But Choate and other officials hope a number of changes made since 2016 will help boost voter confidence.
States have spent hundreds of millions of dollars beefing up security and purchasing new voting equipment. Some 90% of voters, many more than in 2016, will cast their votes on paper ballots, which are immune from cyber-mischief and can be audited later to verify that results were accurate.
Election officials have also been working closely with the U.S. intelligence community and other federal agencies to tighten security and share information about potential threats.
Christopher Krebs, leader of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the Department of Homeland Security — charged with helping to secure the nation's election infrastructure — says he isn't surprised that voters are worried about what might happen this year.
But Krebs thinks they should be more confident than some say they are.
"The federal government is working together on this singular issue, election security, frankly better than any other issue that I've ever seen," he says.
The red team
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rogelio V. Solis/AP Rogelio V. Solis/AP
Officials at all levels of government have conducted countless training sessions, vulnerability assessments and tabletop exercises since 2016. Another tabletop training is scheduled with top state election officials this week in Washington.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose says he's on the phone with federal security officials almost every day.
"Whether it's myself personally or a member of our IT team, we work with DHS hand in glove," he says.
Security preparations have involved all partners in elections, including voting equipment vendors, which are also seen as potential targets.
Sam Derheimer, director of government affairs for Hart InterCivic, one of the main suppliers of voting equipment in the country, recalls an incident last year that he says illustrates the improvement in coordination.
One of the company's customers, an election official in a small Texas county, received a phone call from someone pretending to be from Hart who asked about sensitive security measures and tried to get the official to log into unfamiliar websites.
"She didn't know the person on the other side of the phone, and red flags were raised immediately," says Derheimer.
The local official immediately called the company with her concerns. Hart then contacted the Department of Homeland Security, which issued an alert through an information-sharing group that includes election officials and vendors around the country.
"It really laid out the incident as best we knew it — what had occurred and what to be wary of in the future," says Derheimer, "because if it happened to this one local election official, it easily could have occurred to others."
It turns out that the woman was unknowingly the target of a security firm hired by her county to test its cyberdefenses. For those who run elections, the quick national response was a promising sign that everyone is much more attuned to potential threats than they have been in the past.
"An election official — [who] three or four years ago would have probably just blindly and blithely followed the instructions — now is like, 'Wait a second. That doesn't sound right,' " says Krebs.
Spreader of doubt
Still, the push to tighten election security and boost public confidence has been complicated by Trump's downplaying of the foreign threat and his repeated claims, without evidence, that voter fraud is rampant.
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff thinks Trump's remarks are "unhelpful" — imagine, he asked, how much difference it might make if the president were on the same page as his advisers and local election officials.
"A president who got out there and really encouraged investment in the security would be again a positive factor." But, adds Chertoff, "I think that it's not deterring the people who are actually doing the work from carrying it out."
Shelby Pierson, the election threats executive within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, was asked by NPR point-blank whether she has to try to work around Trump. No, she said.
And for his part, Krebs insists that he has all the support and guidance he needs from the White House to do his job.
"We all know what's at stake here," he says. "And it's defending democracy. It's protecting 2020, and I think the American people need to have confidence that we take this seriously."
Krebs warns, though, that there's no such thing as 100% security and that the threat is evolving. While Russians conducted the attacks in 2016, intelligence officials expect that attacks this year could come from others as well, including Iran, China or some domestic player.
Krebs says voters also have a security role to play by making sure they know where to vote and how and what their rights are if something does go wrong at the polling place.
He also says voters should make sure they get their information about elections from trusted sources and not believe everything they see on social media.
"We've got to be prepared and resilient as a people, as a democracy, as voters, to not let someone else, not let the Russians, not let the Iranians, not let someone else decide the outcome of this election," he says. "American voters should decide American elections, and that's why we're putting as much effort into this as we are."


npr--2020-01-27--When Insurance Won't Cover Drugs, Americans Make 'Tough Choices' About Their Health

When Insurance Wo n't Cover Drugs , Americans Make 'Tough Choices ' About Their Health The majority of Americans have health insurance that includes coverage for prescription drugs .
But unfortunately that does n't ensure that they can afford the specific drugs their doctors prescribe for them .
In fact , many Americans report that their insurance plans sometimes do n't cover a drug they need — and nearly half the people whom this happens to say they simply do n't fill the prescription .
That 's according to a poll released this month on income inequality from NPR , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health .
It happened to Sally Radoci , a retired medical secretary who lives in Baltimore .
She 's 78 and on a fixed income , and she suffers from acid reflux .
`` I have to eat very small meals , and when I eat , sometimes it feels like everything 's stuck in my chest and I get really bad pain and then I have to throw up . ''
Radoci has Medicare , but she also pays for two supplemental insurance policies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drugs .
When she was working , the plan she had through her employer covered the reflux medication prescribed by her doctor .
But the new plan covers only the generic version .
She says it just does n't work for her .
She ca n't afford the brand-name medicine , so now she has extremely painful episodes of acid reflux about three times a month .
Our poll shows that , like Radoci , the majority of Americans have health insurance that includes prescription drug coverage .
Yet despite this wide insurance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across all income groups say that in the past year , they or a household member were told their health insurance plan would not cover a drug prescribed by their doctor .
It was most common among lower-income adults : 49 % of them reported this , compared with 41 % of the highest-income adults and 32 % of middle-income adults .
The poll , `` Life Experiences and Income Inequality in the United States , '' surveyed 1,885 adults living in the United States .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is insurers are not paying for some drugs that physicians are recommending and that patients think they need , '' says Robert Blendon , professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health , who directed the poll .
When that happened , most of the highest earners paid for the medication themselves .
But Blendon says that this was not the case for everyone else .
`` Half of the people who are lower or middle class are not getting them , '' he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afford to go out and pay for it themselves . ''
Among those earning less than $ 35,000 a year , 51 % did not fill prescriptions .
For those earning between $ 35,000 and $ 99,999 , the poll found that 48 % did not fill prescriptions .
Bottom line , Blendon says , `` it 's just not fair . ''
The idea that to save money everyone has to make `` tough choices '' is just not true , he says .
`` The tough choices really do n't affect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States ; they just affect people who are lower and middle income . ''
Cathryn Donaldson , director of communications for America 's Health Insurance Plans , the national association of health insurance companies , says denials are often a `` simple request for more information from the provider or a recommendation for a different treatment that may be more appropriate and effective for the particular patient . ''
Such denials can be appealed and can be overturned , she said in a statement .
But Frederick Isasi , director of the consumer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's nothing simple about denials from insurance companies .
`` Patients struggling with their health may not understand or have the ability to push back when an insurance company sends a denial , '' he says .
If insurance companies were actually focused on getting the right treatment to patients , he adds , `` they 'd facilitate a conversation with patients and providers and work together to find the best treatment , not simply send a denial . ''
Sally Radoci was denied coverage for another drug she depended on , her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and needs the EpiPen to inject lifesaving medication in case she gets stung .
Her doctor told her that each time she gets stung , it could be more serious , even fatal , so she needs to carry an EpiPen .
`` I do a lot of gardening and I 'm by myself , so it just felt safe to have my EpiPen with me just in case , '' she says .
But when she went to the pharmacy to get the EpiPen that had been prescribed by her doctor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't cover the cost .
It was close to $ 600 , Radoci says , so she inquired about the generic version .
That turned out to be $ 398 .
Radoci says she could n't afford it and was unable to get her prescription filled .
Today when she gardens , she wears long sleeves and long pants to try to protect herself against bees .
She says the situation is upsetting .
Radoci has three insurance policies and a lot of copayments .
`` It 's very frustrating .
I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to get the drug you need . ''
One unexpected finding from our poll is that even people who can afford to cover the cost of their medication sometimes did n't get prescriptions filled .
This is one of the first surveys of the top 1 % of earners — people making over $ 500,000 a year .
We found that 18 % of those top earners did not fill their prescription when insurance did n't cover it .
For some , it 's the principle .
Peggy Greenman is one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Baltimore .
Recently she had a precancerous lesion on her nose .
Her dermatologist prescribed a cream to treat it .
But when she went to the pharmacy to have the prescription filled , she found out Medicare would not cover the cost and the medication cost over $ 900 .
She could afford to pay but asked herself , `` Do I really want to do that ? ''
Greenman says she did n't know whether it was absolutely necessary and consulted her doctor , who suggested they freeze the lesion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The lesion has come back `` a little bit but not much , '' she says , adding that she and her doctor will continue to watch it .
Another top earner who took part in our poll is Tina Smith , who runs a technology consulting firm in Minneapolis .
Last year , when her doctor prescribed a medication to treat the skin condition rosacea , she got a shock .
For the past seven years , the medication had cost $ 20 .
This time when she went to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the price had increased to over $ 600 and insurance would not cover the cost .
The price increase `` was huge , '' she says , so she decided not to get it .
`` I felt that it would be fiscally irresponsible , and I have no interest in funding Big Pharma any more than I absolutely have to , '' she says .
`` I feel Big Pharma has been robbing the American people for years , and they continue to increase the cost of prescriptions . ''
Holly Campbell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PhRMA , which represents major drug companies , redirected blame for high consumer costs toward insurance companies and health care providers .
`` New data show nearly 50 % of spending for all brand medicines goes to payers , hospitals and other entities in the supply chain , '' she said in an emailed statement , adding that making drugs more affordable will require efforts by the entire supply chain .
According to Families USA director Isasi , drug prices have been escalating in a significant way for the last couple of decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prices have `` really reached a crescendo , '' he says .
Not surprisingly , he says , studies show the smallest increases were for generic drugs .
But `` small '' is a relative term , he says , given that the average increase for generic drugs is in the range of 15 % annually .
`` That is much faster than our paychecks or inflation , '' he says .
But often there is a doubling or tripling of prices , especially when drug companies have no competition , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easily add up to `` astronomical '' and , ultimately , unaffordable costs for most people .
Overall , Isasi says , health care costs are swallowing up more and more of families ' discretionary income .
Not only in higher drug prices but also in higher deductibles , copayments and cost-sharing .
This may be one reason that many people ca n't afford to pay for prescriptions themselves .
And not getting needed medication is not good news , according to Harvard health economist and primary care physician Ben Sommers , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` There 's more and more evidence that having health insurance really does improve people 's health , and medications are one of the key parts of that because it is a mainstay of how we manage a lot of chronic conditions , '' he says .
Not all medications are equal .
`` Some of the medications we prescribe are really kind of options to a patient .
You say , 'Look , this medication may help you feel better while you have this infection or while you are having some heartburn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , it 's OK. ' `` But other drugs can be critical : cholesterol-lowering statins , for example — or insulin to keep blood sugar under control .
`` Sometimes people may not even notice not taking [ the medication ] , because not all these conditions have symptoms .
You can be building up dangerous levels of blood sugar or cholesterol without noticing it until it 's too late . ''
Sommers says he 's not surprised by the findings of our poll .
He says at least a quarter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filled because they just do n't have the money .
This could leave these individuals more vulnerable .
Daniel Reyes , a 37-year-old self-employed graphic designer who lives in Plainfield , Ill. , buys his own insurance , which includes prescription drug coverage .
Yet when he needed medication to treat a bad sinus infection , he apparently went over his plan 's limit for medication reimbursement .
As a result , the plan would not cover the cost for his antidepressant medication , which runs about $ 200 a month .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help pay for the medication , so he went without it for a couple of months .
`` It made concentrating difficult when I want to be productive , '' he says .
`` It also affected my creativity and my production as well as moods and everything else . ''
Today , Reyes has set aside a special savings account to pay for his medication in case he goes over the limit again .

When Insurance Won't Cover Drugs, Americans Make 'Tough Choices' About Their Health
Enlarge this image Jesse Zhang for NPR Jesse Zhang for NPR
The majority of Americans have health insurance that includes coverage for prescription drugs. But unfortunately that doesn't ensure that they can afford the specific drugs their doctors prescribe for them.
In fact, many Americans report that their insurance plans sometimes don't cover a drug they need — and nearly half the people whom this happens to say they simply don't fill the prescription. That's according to a poll released this month on income inequality from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
It happened to Sally Radoci, a retired medical secretary who lives in Baltimore. She's 78 and on a fixed income, and she suffers from acid reflux.
"I have to eat very small meals, and when I eat, sometimes it feels like everything's stuck in my chest and I get really bad pain and then I have to throw up."
Radoci has Medicare, but she also pays for two supplemental insurance policies, including one that covers the cost of drugs. When she was working, the plan she had through her employer covered the reflux medication prescribed by her doctor.
But the new plan covers only the generic version. She says it just doesn't work for her. She can't afford the brand-name medicine, so now she has extremely painful episodes of acid reflux about three times a month.
Our poll shows that, like Radoci, the majority of Americans have health insurance that includes prescription drug coverage. Yet despite this wide insurance coverage, more than one-third of adults across all income groups say that in the past year, they or a household member were told their health insurance plan would not cover a drug prescribed by their doctor.
It was most common among lower-income adults: 49% of them reported this, compared with 41% of the highest-income adults and 32% of middle-income adults.
The poll, "Life Experiences and Income Inequality in the United States," surveyed 1,885 adults living in the United States.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
"What you see is insurers are not paying for some drugs that physicians are recommending and that patients think they need," says Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who directed the poll.
When that happened, most of the highest earners paid for the medication themselves. But Blendon says that this was not the case for everyone else.
"Half of the people who are lower or middle class are not getting them," he says, "because they can't afford to go out and pay for it themselves."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Holly Radoci Holly Radoci
Among those earning less than $35,000 a year, 51% did not fill prescriptions. For those earning between $35,000 and $99,999, the poll found that 48% did not fill prescriptions.
Bottom line, Blendon says, "it's just not fair." The idea that to save money everyone has to make "tough choices" is just not true, he says. "The tough choices really don't affect the most wealthy people in the United States; they just affect people who are lower and middle income."
Denials and compromises
Cathryn Donaldson, director of communications for America's Health Insurance Plans, the national association of health insurance companies, says denials are often a "simple request for more information from the provider or a recommendation for a different treatment that may be more appropriate and effective for the particular patient."
Such denials can be appealed and can be overturned, she said in a statement.
But Frederick Isasi, director of the consumer advocacy group Families USA, argues there's nothing simple about denials from insurance companies.
"Patients struggling with their health may not understand or have the ability to push back when an insurance company sends a denial," he says. If insurance companies were actually focused on getting the right treatment to patients, he adds, "they'd facilitate a conversation with patients and providers and work together to find the best treatment, not simply send a denial."
Sally Radoci was denied coverage for another drug she depended on, her EpiPen. She's allergic to bees and needs the EpiPen to inject lifesaving medication in case she gets stung.
Her doctor told her that each time she gets stung, it could be more serious, even fatal, so she needs to carry an EpiPen.
"I do a lot of gardening and I'm by myself, so it just felt safe to have my EpiPen with me just in case," she says.
But when she went to the pharmacy to get the EpiPen that had been prescribed by her doctor, she was told her new insurance wouldn't cover the cost.
It was close to $600, Radoci says, so she inquired about the generic version. That turned out to be $398. Radoci says she couldn't afford it and was unable to get her prescription filled.
Today when she gardens, she wears long sleeves and long pants to try to protect herself against bees. She says the situation is upsetting.
Radoci has three insurance policies and a lot of copayments. "It's very frustrating. I think when you have insurance you should be able to get the drug you need."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jesse Zhang for NPR Jesse Zhang for NPR
Skyrocketing costs
One unexpected finding from our poll is that even people who can afford to cover the cost of their medication sometimes didn't get prescriptions filled. This is one of the first surveys of the top 1% of earners — people making over $500,000 a year. We found that 18% of those top earners did not fill their prescription when insurance didn't cover it.
For some, it's the principle.
Peggy Greenman is one of them. She's 76 and lives in Baltimore. Recently she had a precancerous lesion on her nose. Her dermatologist prescribed a cream to treat it. But when she went to the pharmacy to have the prescription filled, she found out Medicare would not cover the cost and the medication cost over $900.
She could afford to pay but asked herself, "Do I really want to do that?" Greenman says she didn't know whether it was absolutely necessary and consulted her doctor, who suggested they freeze the lesion and "keep an eye on it." The lesion has come back "a little bit but not much," she says, adding that she and her doctor will continue to watch it.
Another top earner who took part in our poll is Tina Smith, who runs a technology consulting firm in Minneapolis. Last year, when her doctor prescribed a medication to treat the skin condition rosacea, she got a shock. For the past seven years, the medication had cost $20. This time when she went to the pharmacy to get it filled, the price had increased to over $600 and insurance would not cover the cost. The price increase "was huge," she says, so she decided not to get it.
"I felt that it would be fiscally irresponsible, and I have no interest in funding Big Pharma any more than I absolutely have to," she says. "I feel Big Pharma has been robbing the American people for years, and they continue to increase the cost of prescriptions."
Holly Campbell, a spokesperson for the trade group PhRMA, which represents major drug companies, redirected blame for high consumer costs toward insurance companies and health care providers. "New data show nearly 50% of spending for all brand medicines goes to payers, hospitals and other entities in the supply chain," she said in an emailed statement, adding that making drugs more affordable will require efforts by the entire supply chain.
According to Families USA director Isasi, drug prices have been escalating in a significant way for the last couple of decades. But in the last five years, prices have "really reached a crescendo," he says.
Not surprisingly, he says, studies show the smallest increases were for generic drugs. But "small" is a relative term, he says, given that the average increase for generic drugs is in the range of 15% annually.
"That is much faster than our paychecks or inflation," he says. But often there is a doubling or tripling of prices, especially when drug companies have no competition, he says, adding that these increases can easily add up to "astronomical" and, ultimately, unaffordable costs for most people.
Doing without lifesaving drugs
Overall, Isasi says, health care costs are swallowing up more and more of families' discretionary income. Not only in higher drug prices but also in higher deductibles, copayments and cost-sharing.
This may be one reason that many people can't afford to pay for prescriptions themselves.
And not getting needed medication is not good news, according to Harvard health economist and primary care physician Ben Sommers, who was not involved with our poll.
"There's more and more evidence that having health insurance really does improve people's health, and medications are one of the key parts of that because it is a mainstay of how we manage a lot of chronic conditions," he says.
Not all medications are equal.
"Some of the medications we prescribe are really kind of options to a patient. You say, 'Look, this medication may help you feel better while you have this infection or while you are having some heartburn, and if you feel fine without it, it's OK.' "
But other drugs can be critical: cholesterol-lowering statins, for example — or insulin to keep blood sugar under control.
"Sometimes people may not even notice not taking [the medication], because not all these conditions have symptoms. You can be building up dangerous levels of blood sugar or cholesterol without noticing it until it's too late."
Sommers says he's not surprised by the findings of our poll. He says at least a quarter of his patients don't get new prescriptions filled because they just don't have the money.
This could leave these individuals more vulnerable.
Daniel Reyes, a 37-year-old self-employed graphic designer who lives in Plainfield, Ill., buys his own insurance, which includes prescription drug coverage. Yet when he needed medication to treat a bad sinus infection, he apparently went over his plan's limit for medication reimbursement.
As a result, the plan would not cover the cost for his antidepressant medication, which runs about $200 a month. He didn't have any new gigs to help pay for the medication, so he went without it for a couple of months.
"It made concentrating difficult when I want to be productive," he says. "It also affected my creativity and my production as well as moods and everything else."
Today, Reyes has set aside a special savings account to pay for his medication in case he goes over the limit again.


npr--2020-01-27--75 Years After Auschwitz Liberation, Survivors Urge World To Remember

Alina Dabrowska was 20 years old when she first heard about Auschwitz .
She was an inmate at a prison in Nazi-occupied Poland — incarcerated for helping Allied forces — and one day in 1943 , while walking the grounds , a new arrival warned her about it .
`` She said , 'You 're all going to Auschwitz !
Do you know what kind of camp that is ? '
'' Dabrowska recalls .
`` She told us that if someone is out of strength , they were immediately killed .
She told us many horrible things .
None @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the estimated 1.3 million people sent to Auschwitz , some 1.1 million died at the camp , including 960,000 Jews .
It was the largest extermination camp run by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II .
The Soviet Army liberated Auschwitz 75 years ago , on Jan. 27 , 1945 .
Now 96 , Dabrowska is among a handful of Auschwitz survivors still alive .
For her , the importance of sharing her stories has only grown with time .
She raised a family and had a fulfilling career with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent years decided to speak publicly about the memories of Auschwitz that still haunt her .
She and other survivors fear the world will forget the Holocaust 's horrors if their stories are not made public .
When German soldiers first imprisoned Dabrowska , they executed her accomplices , including her brother .
She spent a year in prison , and then the Nazis transferred her in June 1943 to Auschwitz .
`` When we got off the train , we were taken to a large hall , where we stripped down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our hair was shaved and they tattooed numbers on our arms . ''
She rolls up her sleeve to show hers : a small , faded black `` 44165 '' etched into her forearm .
Dabrowska remembers the next morning , taking stock of the camp , beginning to realize what she 'd heard about it was true .
`` I noticed an electric fence around the camp , '' she recalls .
`` Whenever we came back from working in the mornings , there was usually someone glued to it .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they jumped over the ditch and threw themselves onto the electric fence and their lives were over . ''
A year later , she says , she had had enough of the cold , the hunger and the death surrounding her .
She too found herself in front of the fence .
She was about to jump when a guard yelled at her .
She instinctively turned around and never tried it again .
`` I focused on doing whatever I could to survive , '' Dabrowska says .
`` I had hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cane selected some of us to go to the gas chamber .
What left the deepest impression on me was watching those marches to the chambers where so many were murdered . ''
Some 865,000 Jews were sent to their deaths in the gas chambers upon arrival at the camp .
Dabrowska remembers the horror of noticing a friend 's body among a pile of bodies of the executed .
`` I saw her lying in that pile of naked bodies , '' she says , `` and I approached .
There she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grasped her cold hand , and that 's how I said goodbye to my friend . ''
Another Auschwitz survivor , Janina Iwanska , now 89 and living in Warsaw , was deported to the camp at the height of the killing in 1944 .
In an eight-week period between May and July , guards killed 330,000 people .
She was 14 years old .
She had been separated from her parents during the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi forces and arrived at Auschwitz alone , packed among hundreds of strangers in a train @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the train at night , and the air was thick with smoke that smelled like burning hair , '' remembers Iwanska .
`` We walked through a forest and I asked a prisoner , 'What are those bonfires ? '
and she said , 'You 'll find out , child . '
It was only later that I learned they were burning bodies because they could n't keep up with the crematoriums alone . ''
Iwanska , who is Roman Catholic , slept in the children 's dorm , and she quickly made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ younger children at the camp .
This , and the fact that she is n't Jewish , were the reasons she believes she survived .
Today , Auschwitz is a museum commemorating the evil humans are capable of inflicting on each other .
Tour groups quietly shuffle from an exhibit holding two tons of hair shaved from the victims of the gas chambers to the gallows where the former commandant of Auschwitz was hanged after he was tried by a military tribunal in 1947 .
Pawel Sawicki , a guide at the museum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from all over the world .
`` Sometimes I think that when they leave a candle or a stone or they put the flower or they say a prayer and they leave the memorial , and they go back to their lives , they think : 'Our job is done .
We remembered , ' '' he says .
`` But I think there should be a next step .
People should look at this place and think about our moral responsibility .
This is not an anthropological discovery of 'Oh , people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something like this , ' and we are surprised .
They [ still ] are able to do it .
They did it before .
And people still hate each other . ''
Each December , Piotr M.A .
Cywinski , the Polish director of the Auschwitz museum , sends a holiday card with a similar reminder .
This year , the card , with a message wishing a peaceful holiday season , included a photograph of Chinese soldiers marching past Uighur children in Xinjiang , where China 's government has sent an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ camps .
But talking about the lessons of Auschwitz can be painful , especially for those who lived through it .
Berlin Rabbi Daniel Fabian 's grandmother survived Auschwitz but never talked about her time there .
`` We did not talk about it at home , '' Fabian says .
`` The Holocaust was never a topic , as I remember it . ''
It was only when he was required to sign up for German military service that he says he began to realize what his grandmother had been through .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hand-deliver to the German officers in charge of registering him .
Inside were his grandmother 's liberation papers from Auschwitz .
After the German officers saw the documents , they exempted Fabian from service .
From then on , he says , he began to think in earnest about what Germany had done to Jews during the war .
`` When I lived in the United States , I realized that the Holocaust is a very big part of Jewish identity in America , '' says Fabian .
`` And that seemed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it is not . ''
Fabian says that does n't mean German Jews ignore it — on the contrary , he says , there are reminders everywhere .
It 's just that not much is said about it , he says .
`` The Holocaust is something that 's part of them , but they do n't base their Jewish identity on the Holocaust , or not exclusively on the Holocaust , '' he explains .
`` But there are many other things also that , you know , remind them of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being Jewish .
And so this is just this is one important aspect of it , but it 's just one aspect of many . ''
Fabian thinks more personal stories should be shared while the few remaining survivors are still alive .
Many of those survivors agree , though it has taken decades for them to want to speak publicly about their experiences .
Iwanska now does so during regular visits to Germany .
She tells stories like this one from the end of the war — when she and four friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Nazi soldiers transferred them to other camps on a death march .
`` We were put into open train cars and we huddled together — standing because there was no room to sit or lie down — to keep warm , '' says Iwanska .
`` When it snowed , we collected it to drink , because they did n't give us water .
We were in such complete solidarity that when one of us fell asleep standing , none of the others would steal the snow that accumulated on her .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our solidarity , we lived . ''
It 's also taken decades for Dabrowska to share her stories of Auschwitz .
`` I was seeing my camp friends , but I did n't want to talk about it , '' she says .
`` I was always hiding the number on my arm , so that I would n't have to talk about it .
One time , a Jewish woman recognized me and said , 'You were there ! '
and I answered , 'No , you have mistaken me for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years before I made the conscious decision to go to Auschwitz . ''
It was only when she returned to the camp for the first time in 2001 that she felt strong enough to share her memories of it .
Like Iwanska , she travels to Germany twice a year to speak to young people about her memories of the camp .
`` Those children will grow up one day and they will be the ones deciding about how to rule the world , '' she says .
`` It is important [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to develop the conviction that war is not a good thing , in order to seek peace and try to talk about it , in order to think that it is us who are responsible for this earth and for passing it on , undamaged , to the next generations . ''
Grzegorz Sokol contributed to this report from Warsaw and Austin Davis contributed from Berlin .

75 Years After Auschwitz Liberation, Survivors Urge World To Remember
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rob Schmitz/NPR Rob Schmitz/NPR
Alina Dabrowska was 20 years old when she first heard about Auschwitz. She was an inmate at a prison in Nazi-occupied Poland — incarcerated for helping Allied forces — and one day in 1943, while walking the grounds, a new arrival warned her about it.
"She said, 'You're all going to Auschwitz! Do you know what kind of camp that is?' " Dabrowska recalls. "She told us that if someone is out of strength, they were immediately killed. She told us many horrible things. None of us believed her."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rob Schmitz/NPR Rob Schmitz/NPR
Of the estimated 1.3 million people sent to Auschwitz, some 1.1 million died at the camp, including 960,000 Jews. It was the largest extermination camp run by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. The Soviet army liberated Auschwitz 75 years ago, on Jan. 27, 1945.
Now 96, Dabrowska is among a handful of Auschwitz survivors still alive. For her, the importance of sharing her stories has only grown with time. She raised a family and had a fulfilling career with Poland's foreign ministry, but only in recent years decided to speak publicly about the memories of Auschwitz that still haunt her. She and other survivors fear the world will forget the Holocaust's horrors if their stories are not made public.
When German soldiers first imprisoned Dabrowska, they executed her accomplices, including her brother. She spent a year in prison, and then the Nazis transferred her in June 1943 to Auschwitz.
"When we got off the train, we were taken to a large hall, where we stripped down completely," she remembers. "Our hair was shaved and they tattooed numbers on our arms."
She rolls up her sleeve to show hers: a small, faded black "44165" etched into her forearm. Dabrowska remembers the next morning, taking stock of the camp, beginning to realize what she'd heard about it was true.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rob Schmitz/NPR Rob Schmitz/NPR
"I noticed an electric fence around the camp," she recalls. "Whenever we came back from working in the mornings, there was usually someone glued to it. If someone couldn't take it anymore, they jumped over the ditch and threw themselves onto the electric fence and their lives were over."
A year later, she says, she had had enough of the cold, the hunger and the death surrounding her. She too found herself in front of the fence. She was about to jump when a guard yelled at her. She instinctively turned around and never tried it again.
"I focused on doing whatever I could to survive," Dabrowska says. "I had hope, but sometimes an officer with a cane selected some of us to go to the gas chamber. What left the deepest impression on me was watching those marches to the chambers where so many were murdered."
Some 865,000 Jews were sent to their deaths in the gas chambers upon arrival at the camp. Dabrowska remembers the horror of noticing a friend's body among a pile of bodies of the executed. "I saw her lying in that pile of naked bodies," she says, "and I approached. There she was, just lying there. I grasped her cold hand, and that's how I said goodbye to my friend."
Another Auschwitz survivor, Janina Iwanska, now 89 and living in Warsaw, was deported to the camp at the height of the killing in 1944. In an eight-week period between May and July, guards killed 330,000 people.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rob Schmitz/NPR Rob Schmitz/NPR
She was 14 years old. She had been separated from her parents during the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi forces and arrived at Auschwitz alone, packed among hundreds of strangers in a train car.
"We were taken off the train at night, and the air was thick with smoke that smelled like burning hair," remembers Iwanska. "We walked through a forest and I asked a prisoner, 'What are those bonfires?' and she said, 'You'll find out, child.' It was only later that I learned they were burning bodies because they couldn't keep up with the crematoriums alone."
Iwanska, who is Roman Catholic, slept in the children's dorm, and she quickly made herself useful by taking care of the younger children at the camp. This and the fact that she isn't Jewish are why she believes she survived.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rob Schmitz/NPR Rob Schmitz/NPR
Today, Auschwitz is a museum recalling the evil that humans are capable of inflicting on each other. Tour groups quietly shuffle from an exhibit holding 2 tons of hair shaved from the victims of the gas chambers to the gallows where the former commandant of Auschwitz was hanged after he was tried by a military tribunal in 1947.
Pawel Sawicki, a guide at the museum, has seen thousands of tourists come from all over the world. "Sometimes I think that when they leave a candle or a stone or they put the flower or they say a prayer and they leave the memorial, and they go back to their lives, they think: 'Our job is done. We remembered,' " he says. "But I think there should be a next step. People should look at this place and think about our moral responsibility. This is not an anthropological discovery of 'Oh, people 75 years ago were able to do something like this,' and we are surprised. They [still] are able to do it. They did it before. And people still hate each other."
Each December, Piotr M.A. Cywinski, the Polish director of the Auschwitz museum, sends a holiday card with a similar reminder. This year, the card with a message wishing a peaceful holiday season included a photograph of Chinese soldiers marching past Uighur children in Xinjiang, where China's government has sent an estimated 1 million ethnic Muslims to internment camps.
But talking about the lessons of Auschwitz can be painful, especially for those who lived through it.
Berlin Rabbi Daniel Fabian's grandmother survived Auschwitz but never talked about her time there.
"We did not talk about it at home," Fabian says. "The Holocaust was never a topic, as I remember it."
It was only when he was required to sign up for German military service that he says he began to realize what his grandmother had been through. Fabian's mother gave him an envelope to hand-deliver to the German officers in charge of registering him. Inside were his grandmother's liberation papers from Auschwitz.
After the German officers saw the documents, they exempted Fabian from service. From then on, he says, he began to think in earnest about what Germany had done to Jews during the war.
"When I lived in the United States, I realized that the Holocaust is a very big part of Jewish identity in America," says Fabian. "And that seemed strange to me, because in Germany, it is not."
Fabian says that doesn't mean German Jews ignore it — on the contrary, he says, there are reminders everywhere. It's just that not much is said about it, he says.
"The Holocaust is something that's part of them, but they don't base their Jewish identity on the Holocaust, or not exclusively on the Holocaust," he explains. "But there are many other things also that, you know, remind them of being Jewish. And they identify with being Jewish. And so this is just, this is one important aspect of it, but it's just one aspect of many."
Fabian thinks more personal stories should be shared while the few remaining survivors are still alive.
Many of those survivors agree, though it has taken decades for them to want to speak publicly about their experiences. Iwanska now does so during regular visits to Germany.
She tells stories like this one from the end of the war — when she and four friends kept each other from freezing to death while Nazi soldiers transferred them to other camps on a death march.
"We were put into open train cars and we huddled together — standing because there was no room to sit or lie down — to keep warm," says Iwanska. "When it snowed, we collected it to drink, because they didn't give us water. We were in such complete solidarity that when one of us fell asleep standing, none of the others would steal the snow that accumulated on her. That snow belonged to her. Thanks to our solidarity, we lived."
It's also taken decades for Dabrowska to share her stories of Auschwitz.
"I was seeing my camp friends, but I didn't want to talk about it," she says. "I was always hiding the number on my arm, so that I wouldn't have to talk about it. One time, a Jewish woman recognized me and said, 'You were there!' and I answered, 'No, you have mistaken me for someone else.' It took 50 years before I made the conscious decision to go to Auschwitz."
It was only when she returned to the camp for the first time in 2001 that she felt strong enough to share her memories of it.
Like Iwanska, she travels to Germany twice a year to speak to young people about her memories of the camp.
"Those children will grow up one day and they will be the ones deciding about how to rule the world," she says. "It is important [to talk about it] in order to develop the conviction that war is not a good thing, in order to seek peace and try to talk about it, in order to think that it is us who are responsible for this Earth and for passing it on, undamaged, to the next generations."
Grzegorz Sokol contributed to this report from Warsaw and Austin Davis contributed from Berlin.