npr--2020-04-19--At Least 10 Killed, Including Police Officer, In Nova Scotia Shootings

At Least 10 Killed , Including Police Officer , In Nova Scotia Shootings At least 10 people , including a police officer , are dead following a 12-hour shooting rampage in Nova Scotia , according to Canadian authorities .
The suspected shooter is also dead .
The Royal Canadian Mountain Police ( RCMP ) identified the alleged gunman as Gabriel Wortman , 51 .
They believe he acted alone , leading police on a chase across the northern part of the Canadian province that began Saturday and came to an end on Sunday morning .
RCMP identified the deceased officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been with the force for 23 years .
Another officer is receiving treatment after he was injured , but is expected to recover , authorities said .
`` The impact of this incident will extend from one end of this province to the other , '' said Lee Bergerman , assistant commissioner of the Nova Scotia RCMP , in a statement .
`` As Nova Scotians , we have to do what we are known for .
And come together in times of need and support one another . ''
The shooting began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Portapique , where police responded to reports of gunfire .
The chase ended around 11:40 a.m. local time on Sunday outside of a gas station in the community of Enfield , the RCMP confirmed .
During a news conference Sunday , RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said police arrived to a `` chaotic scene , '' describing `` several casualties '' both inside and outside of a residence .
At one point , officials said , the suspect dressed in what appeared to be a police uniform .
They also saw him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an RCMP police cruiser .
Leather says there was at least one incident during the evening in which police exchanged gunfire with the suspect .
`` There are several locations across the province where persons have been killed , '' he said without giving additional details .
He added that there may be more victims police have not located yet .
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau extended his condolences to the people affected by the shooting .
`` To the Portapique community , we 're keeping all of you in our thoughts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And on behalf of all Canadians , I want you to know that we 're here for you - and we 'll be here for you in the days and weeks ahead . ''
In a Sunday afternoon address , Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil called the shootings `` one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province 's history . ''
`` To the families of the victims , and to those who are still feeling afraid , my heart goes out to you .
Know that all Nova Scotians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Canada , which has tighter gun ownership restrictions than the U.S. , mass shootings are relatively uncommon .
This weekend 's killings are thought to be the nation 's deadliest since 1989 , when a gunman in Quebec killed 14 women after opening fire in a college classroom .

At Least 16 Killed, Including Police Officer, In Nova Scotia Shootings
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tim Krochak/AFP via Getty Images Tim Krochak/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 11:44 p.m. ET
At least 16 people, including a police officer, are dead following a 12-hour shooting rampage in Nova Scotia, according to Canadian authorities. The suspected shooter is also dead. It's thought to be Canada's deadliest mass shooting in recent history.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) identified the alleged gunman as Gabriel Wortman, 51. They believe he acted alone, leading police on a chase across the northern part of the Canadian province that began Saturday and came to an end on Sunday morning.
RCMP identified the deceased officer as Constable Heidi Stevenson, who had been with the force for 23 years. Another officer is receiving treatment after he was injured, but is expected to recover, authorities said.
"The impact of this incident will extend from one end of this province to the other," said Lee Bergerman, assistant commissioner of the Nova Scotia RCMP, in a statement. "As Nova Scotians, we have to do what we are known for. And come together in times of need and support one another."
The shooting began Saturday night in the small rural community of Portapique, where police responded to reports of gunfire. The chase ended around 11:40 a.m. local time on Sunday outside of a gas station in the community of Enfield, the RCMP confirmed.
During a news conference Sunday, RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said police arrived to a "chaotic scene," describing "several casualties" both inside and outside of a residence.
At one point, officials said, the suspect dressed in what appeared to be a police uniform. They also saw him driving a car with the likeness of an RCMP police cruiser.
Leather says there was at least one incident during the evening in which police exchanged gunfire with the suspect.
"There are several locations across the province where persons have been killed," he said without giving additional details. He added that there may be more victims police have not located yet.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau extended his condolences to the people affected by the shooting.
"To the Portapique community, we're keeping all of you in our thoughts," he said on Twitter. "And on behalf of all Canadians, I want you to know that we're here for you - and we'll be here for you in the days and weeks ahead."
In a Sunday afternoon address, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil called the shootings "one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province's history."
"To the families of the victims, and to those who are still feeling afraid, my heart goes out to you. Know that all Nova Scotians are with you," McNeil said.
In Canada, which has tighter gun ownership restrictions than the U.S., mass shootings are relatively uncommon. Before this weekend, the nation's worst mass shooting happened in 1989, when a gunman in Quebec killed 14 women after opening fire at a college.
This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.


npr--2020-04-19--Shortage Of Dialysis Equipment Leads To Difficult Decisions In New York ICUs

Shortage Of Dialysis Equipment Leads To Difficult Decisions In New York ICUs After weeks of searching high and low for ventilators , New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo and health care leaders around the state have seen signs of improvement and are sending some of the frantically acquired units to New Jersey , where they 're increasingly needed .
But now , many hospital workers on the front lines in the metro area have been sounding the alarm that a different piece of lifesaving equipment is in short supply and high demand : dialysis machines .
`` We only have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have over 30 patients that need them , '' said one physician who manages an intensive care unit in Queens but who did n't use his name because he could be fired for speaking out .
`` So it becomes a question of who the resource goes to , and these are very difficult decisions . ''
COVID-19 sickens people – and kills some – by attacking the lungs .
That 's why health officials around the country have focused on finding ventilators and the people to operate them .
But ICU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their most severely ill patients are developing acute kidney injury , a rapid decline in kidney function .
The kidney problems are being seen in patients who do n't have advanced diabetes or chronic renal conditions .
No one anticipated the trend , based on research from the COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia or Europe .
`` It 's created a pretty substantial burden on supplies , '' said Dr. Steven Fishbane , head of nephrology at Northwell Health , New York 's largest hospital network .
`` Everybody is running into shortages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include ICU dialysis machines -- which are different from the ones chronic dialysis patients use — and the unique fluids and filters needed to operate them .
Most important of all is the lack of highly specialized dialysis nurses .
In short supply even in the best of times , these nurses have also been hard hit by the coronavirus , leaving many of them on the sidelines .
`` Our intensive care unit nurses usually take care of two patients , '' Fishbane said .
`` Now it 's one nurse for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dialysis machines are mechanical substitutes for an incapacitated organ system .
Ventilators breathe for you when your lungs ca n't , and dialysis machines clean your blood of salts and toxins , when your kidneys ca n't .
Neither machine heals you .
They only buy time while your immune system fights off pathogens .
Unlike the dialysis machines elsewhere in the hospital or in outpatient treatment centers , ICU machines operate continuously , 24 hours a day — unless there are more patients than machines .
That 's the situation in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ splitting them up , so that you 'll have two patients getting dialyzed for 12 hours each , instead of around the clock , '' said one head of nephrology at a New York City hospital , who also wo n't name their institution out of fear of management reprisal .
`` If you need , say , 10 days of antibiotics and you have to share it so each person gets five days ' worth , will they be OK ?
Maybe .
You ca n't really know .
But this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used .
It 's called 'continuous renal replacement therapy , ' and it 's not continuous if you have to take people off and put them back on . ''
It 's not clear exactly how COVID-19 damages kidneys .
Dr. Benjamin Humphreys , a kidney specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis , says the virus could be infiltrating kidneys directly , exploiting the same protein receptors they attack in the lungs .
Or it could be that the higher tendency to develop blood clots among COVID-19 patients is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We do n't have any other clues as to what differentiates patients that do develop kidney failure , who are infected with COVID with those that do n't , '' Humphreys said .
The term `` rationing '' is triggering for political leaders , health officials and hospital executives , but the two doctors unauthorized to speak on behalf of their hospitals said they already are , in effect , rationing dialysis care .
They and other doctors and nursing supervisors in the intensive care unit are deciding together who gets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on who has the best chance of recovering .
Those physicians are at hospitals that serve minorities and immigrants in poor and working class communities .
Other doctors in less adverse environments say their situation is n't quite so dire — yet .
`` We have n't had to ration health care at NYU , at Bellevue or the V.A . ''
said Dr. David Goldfarb , a nephrologist at all three .
`` We 've had discussions about whether rationing was going to occur , under what circumstances it would occur @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person or group of people would make those kinds of choices .
We 've read the documents that exist providing guidance on this topic .
But , fortunately , we have n't quite gotten there . ''
When patients on ventilators are n't getting better `` that leads to questions about should dialysis be provided '' when their kidneys begin to fail , says Northwell Health 's Fishbane .
So caregivers discuss with patients and families what their values are and what the likely medical outcomes will be from dialysis .
`` Often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're not really adding to the dignity at the ends of life , but rather perhaps even sustaining discomfort that is n't necessary , '' Fishbane said .
What he calls `` thoughtful conversations '' are the way things are supposed to happen .
But Fishbane , who practices in a largely suburban hospital network , says his counterparts at busy urban hospitals say that process is n't possible when they 're overwhelmed .
Things move too fast , they say , and they do n't have the time , equipment or staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are hospital ethics councils .
There are palliative care teams , '' the Queens ICU chief said .
`` But the kidney doctors are the ones deciding who needs — who is in the worst failure at a given time .
They 're doing their best . ''
So , is lack of full-time dialysis actually killing patients in the ICU ?
Goldfarb says it may be a contributing factor , but it 's hard to say how much .
`` Lung failure and kidney failure is a really bad combination — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of any sort will change the mortality of that combination , '' he said .
`` But we want to be able to address that kidney failure with all the techniques that we have . ''

Shortage Of Dialysis Equipment Leads To Difficult Decisions In New York ICUs
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Minchillo/AP John Minchillo/AP
After weeks of searching high and low for ventilators, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and health care leaders around the state have seen signs of improvement and are sending some of the frantically acquired units to New Jersey, where they're increasingly needed.
But now, many hospital workers on the front lines in the metro area have been sounding the alarm that a different piece of lifesaving equipment is in short supply and high demand: dialysis machines.
"We only have nine or 10 machines, and now we have over 30 patients that need them," said one physician who manages an intensive care unit in Queens but who didn't want his name used because he could be fired for speaking out. "So it becomes a question of who the resource goes to, and these are very difficult decisions."
COVID-19 sickens people – and kills some – by attacking the lungs. That's why health officials around the country have focused on finding ventilators and the people to operate them.
But ICU doctors are discovering that up to one-third of their most severely ill patients are developing acute kidney injury, a rapid decline in kidney function.
The kidney problems are being seen in patients who don't have advanced diabetes or chronic renal conditions.
No one anticipated the trend, based on research from the COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia or Europe.
"It's created a pretty substantial burden on supplies," said Dr. Steven Fishbane, head of nephrology at Northwell Health, New York's largest hospital network. "Everybody is running into shortages at this point."
Those shortages include ICU dialysis machines — which are different from the ones chronic dialysis patients use — and the unique fluids and filters needed to operate them. Most important of all is the lack of highly specialized dialysis nurses. In short supply even in the best of times, these nurses have also been hard hit by the coronavirus, leaving many of them on the sidelines.
"Our intensive care unit nurses usually take care of two patients," Fishbane said. "Now it's one nurse for four patients."
Like ventilators, dialysis machines are mechanical substitutes for an incapacitated organ system. Ventilators breathe for you when your lungs can't, and dialysis machines clean your blood of salts and toxins when your kidneys can't.
Neither machine heals you. They only buy time while your immune system fights off pathogens.
Unlike the dialysis machines elsewhere in the hospital or in outpatient treatment centers, ICU machines operate continuously, 24 hours a day — unless there are more patients than machines. That's the situation in some New York hospitals.
"We're splitting them up, so that you'll have two patients getting dialyzed for 12 hours each, instead of around the clock," said one head of nephrology at a New York City hospital, who also won't name their institution out of fear of management reprisal. "If you need, say, 10 days of antibiotics and you have to share it so each person gets five days' worth, will they be OK? Maybe. You can't really know. But this isn't how it's intended to be used. It's called 'continuous renal replacement therapy,' and it's not continuous if you have to take people off and put them back on."
It's not clear exactly how COVID-19 damages kidneys. Dr. Benjamin Humphreys, a kidney specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, says the virus could be infiltrating kidneys directly, exploiting the same protein receptors they attack in the lungs. Or it could be that the higher tendency to develop blood clots among COVID-19 patients is taking its toll on the blood-vessel-rich organs.
"We don't have any other clues as to what differentiates patients that do develop kidney failure, who are infected with COVID with those that don't," Humphreys said.
The term "rationing" is triggering for political leaders, health officials and hospital executives, but the two doctors unauthorized to speak on behalf of their hospitals said they already are, in effect, rationing dialysis care.
They and other doctors and nursing supervisors in the intensive care unit are deciding together who gets a machine and who doesn't, based on who has the best chance of recovering.
Those physicians are at hospitals that serve minorities and immigrants in poor and working class communities.
Other doctors in less adverse environments say their situation isn't quite so dire — yet.
"We haven't had to ration health care at NYU, at Bellevue or the VA," said Dr. David Goldfarb, a nephrologist at all three. "We've had discussions about whether rationing was going to occur, under what circumstances it would occur, how that would go, what person or group of people would make those kinds of choices. We've read the documents that exist providing guidance on this topic. But, fortunately, we haven't quite gotten there."
When patients on ventilators aren't getting better "that leads to questions about should dialysis be provided" when their kidneys begin to fail, says Northwell Health's Fishbane. So caregivers discuss with patients and families what their values are and what the likely medical outcomes will be from dialysis.
"Often in those kind of situations, we're not really adding to the dignity at the ends of life, but rather perhaps even sustaining discomfort that isn't necessary," Fishbane said.
What he calls "thoughtful conversations" are the way things are supposed to happen. But Fishbane, who practices in a largely suburban hospital network, says his counterparts at busy urban hospitals say that process isn't possible when they're overwhelmed. Things move too fast, they say, and they don't have the time, equipment or staff to have those conversations.
"There are hospital ethics councils. There are palliative care teams," the Queens ICU chief said. "But the kidney doctors are the ones deciding who needs — who is in the worst failure at a given time. They're doing their best."
So, is lack of full-time dialysis actually killing patients in the ICU? Goldfarb says it may be a contributing factor, but it's hard to say how much.
"Lung failure and kidney failure is a really bad combination — and I'm not even confident that dialysis of any sort will change the mortality of that combination," he said. "But we want to be able to address that kidney failure with all the techniques that we have."


npr--2020-04-19--On 25th Anniversary Of Oklahoma City Bombing, Officials Find Lessons For Today

On 25th Anniversary Of Oklahoma City Bombing , Officials Find Lessons For Today Before 9/11 , there was Oklahoma City .
On April 19 , 1995 , the United States experienced what was — to that point — the most deadly act of terror ever perpetrated on American soil , when a right-wing extremist detonated a truck bomb next to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City .
It 's been 25 years since 168 people — including 19 children — lost their lives when thousands of pounds of fertilizer , fuel and other chemicals exploded and ripped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facade .
On Sunday , the city 's mayor , David Holt , marked the anniversary by saying the way Oklahoma City responded to that tragedy can inform how the nation responds to the coronavirus pandemic .
`` COVID-19 , 9/11 , the bombing , these are all similarly shared experiences along this journey we call life , '' Holt said in a commemorative video that aired on local stations .
`` In the wake of such events , what matters is that we take lessons from them and emerge wiser and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The bombing , carried out by Timothy McVeigh , began with dehumanization , Holt said .
`` The journey to such an act begins with thoughts .
Those thoughts become words , and like a virus , those words are heard by others , '' he continued .
`` Soon , one carrier becomes many , and an ecosystem is created where ideas once considered absurd are treated with credibility . ''
Holt said he sees similarities in the current political climate .
`` If you are not hearing those echoes again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ask you to listen harder , '' Holt said .
`` We all have an obligation to speak up and to reject words of dehumanization , words that divide us , words that cast others as our enemy .
Right now , I hear such words coming out of the mouths of some of the most prominent people in our country . ''
`` Let this place be a reminder , '' Holt said .
`` We must have better conversations .
We must reject dehumanization .
We must love one another .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ City community gathers together where the Murrah building once stood , observing moments of silence just after 9 a.m. , when the truck bomb was detonated .
This year , the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was off limits to mourners , as the video remembrance took the place of an in-person ceremony .
But the names of the lost were still read , and 168 seconds of silence were observed , as the tribute video lingered on images of the memorial and its 168 empty bronze chairs .
`` After 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is as important as ever , as America is facing another unprecedented challenge , '' wrote former President Bill Clinton in an op-ed published Sunday in The Oklahoman .
Clinton was president when the city was attacked .
`` COVID-19 has claimed the lives of people we know and love , upended millions of livelihoods , and forced all of us to change the ways we interact with one another — including , for the first time , preventing the Oklahoma City community from coming together in person on the anniversary of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncertain days ahead , '' Clinton continued .
`` In many ways , this is the perfect time to remember Oklahoma City , and to repeat the promise we made to them in 1995 to all Americans today : we have not lost each other , we have not lost America , and we will stand together for as many tomorrows as it takes . ''

On 25th Anniversary Of Oklahoma City Bombing, Officials Find Lessons For Today
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sue Ogrocki/AP Sue Ogrocki/AP
Before 9/11, there was Oklahoma City.
On April 19, 1995, the United States experienced what was — to that point — the most deadly act of terror ever perpetrated on American soil, when a right-wing extremist detonated a truck bomb next to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
It's been 25 years since 168 people — including 19 children — lost their lives when thousands of pounds of fertilizer, fuel and other chemicals exploded and ripped a gaping hole in the building's facade.
On Sunday, the city's mayor, David Holt, marked the anniversary by saying the way Oklahoma City responded to that tragedy can inform how the nation responds to the coronavirus pandemic.
"COVID-19, 9/11, the bombing, these are all similarly shared experiences along this journey we call life," Holt said in a commemorative video that aired on local stations. "In the wake of such events, what matters is that we take lessons from them and emerge wiser and more prepared to face similar challenges ahead."
The bombing, carried out by Timothy McVeigh, began with dehumanization, Holt said.
"The journey to such an act begins with thoughts. Those thoughts become words, and like a virus, those words are heard by others," he continued. "Soon, one carrier becomes many, and an ecosystem is created where ideas once considered absurd are treated with credibility."
Holt said he sees similarities in the current political climate.
"If you are not hearing those echoes again in our current political discourse, I ask you to listen harder," Holt said. "We all have an obligation to speak up and to reject words of dehumanization, words that divide us, words that cast others as our enemy. Right now, I hear such words coming out of the mouths of some of the most prominent people in our country."
"Let this place be a reminder," Holt said. "We must have better conversations. We must reject dehumanization. We must love one another."
In most years, the Oklahoma City community gathers together where the Murrah building once stood, observing moments of silence just after 9 a.m., when the truck bomb was detonated. This year, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was off limits to mourners, as the video remembrance took the place of an in-person ceremony.
But the names of the lost were still read, and 168 seconds of silence were observed, as the tribute video lingered on images of the memorial and its 168 empty bronze chairs.
"After 25 years, this lesson from Oklahoma City is as important as ever, as America is facing another unprecedented challenge," wrote former President Bill Clinton in an op-ed published Sunday in The Oklahoman. Clinton was president when the city was attacked.
"COVID-19 has claimed the lives of people we know and love, upended millions of livelihoods, and forced all of us to change the ways we interact with one another — including, for the first time, preventing the Oklahoma City community from coming together in person on the anniversary of the bombing.
"There are difficult and uncertain days ahead," Clinton continued. "In many ways, this is the perfect time to remember Oklahoma City, and to repeat the promise we made to them in 1995 to all Americans today: we have not lost each other, we have not lost America, and we will stand together for as many tomorrows as it takes."


npr--2020-04-19--Coronavirus Cases Continue To Climb In The U.S. And Around The World

Coronavirus Cases Continue To Climb In The U.S. And Around The World As of Sunday , nearly three months since the first confirmed case of the coronavirus was reported in the United States , there are over 746,300 confirmed cases of the virus in the country , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in at least 212 countries and territories , according to the World Health Organization .
And according to the Johns Hopkins data , over 2,382,000 people have been infected globally .
The disease has been detected everywhere from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Syrian province of Idlib , which even before the pandemic hit was mired in one of the world 's worst humanitarian crises .
In the United Kingdom , 596 people died from the virus on Saturday , pushing the nation 's death toll above 16,000 , according to the Department for Health and Social Care .
In the U.S. , which has more cases than any other nation , another 32,491 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday and nearly 1,900 more people infected with the virus died .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been encouraged by some slowing signs of growth in the number of deaths and new hospitalizations .
In New York , the nation 's hardest-hit state , Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that the state is `` on the other side of the plateau . ''
Cuomo said that 507 people died Saturday , down 43 from Friday .
Still , as the number of coronavirus cases continues to mount nationally , President Trump has made clear in recent days his eagerness to reopen the U.S. economy .
Some U.S. governors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the case in Florida , where some beaches have reopened .
In Maryland , where COVID-19 deaths have spiked in the last week , hundreds of citizens protested coronavirus restrictions this weekend in Annapolis , the state capital .
Similar scenes have played out across the U.S. , as people protested in Michigan , Minnesota , Utah and Oregon .
As of Sunday afternoon , more than 40,400 American lives have been claimed in the pandemic , according to the Johns Hopkins data .
Worldwide , more than 164,000 people have died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of those infected globally , more than 611,791 have recovered .

Coronavirus Cases Continue To Climb In The U.S. And Around The World
Updated at 6:56 p.m. ET
As of Sunday, nearly three months since the first confirmed case of the coronavirus was reported in the United States, there are over 746,300 confirmed cases of the virus in the country, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in at least 212 countries and territories, according to the World Health Organization. And according to the Johns Hopkins data, over 2,382,000 people have been infected globally.
The disease has been detected everywhere from remote areas of the Amazon, to the Syrian province of Idlib, which even before the pandemic hit was mired in one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. In the United Kingdom, 596 people died from the virus on Saturday, pushing the nation's death toll above 16,000, according to the Department for Health and Social Care.
In the U.S., which has more cases than any other nation, another 32,491 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday and nearly 1,900 more people infected with the virus died.
In some parts of the country, officials have been encouraged by some slowing signs of growth in the number of deaths and new hospitalizations. In New York, the nation's hardest-hit state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that the state is "on the other side of the plateau." Cuomo said that 507 people died Saturday, down 43 from Friday.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Bebeto Matthews/AP Bebeto Matthews/AP
Still, as the number of coronavirus cases continues to mount nationally, President Trump has made clear in recent days his eagerness to reopen the U.S. economy. Some U.S. governors are gradually easing social-distancing restrictions, as is the case in Florida, where some beaches have reopened.
In Maryland, where COVID-19 deaths have spiked in the last week, hundreds of citizens protested coronavirus restrictions this weekend in Annapolis, the state capital. Similar scenes have played out across the U.S., as people protested in Michigan, Minnesota, Utah and Oregon.
As of Sunday afternoon, more than 40,400 American lives have been claimed in the pandemic, according to the Johns Hopkins data. Worldwide, more than 164,000 people have died as a result of the coronavirus. Of those infected globally, more than 611,791 have recovered.


npr--2020-04-19--White House Defends Testing Capacity As Governors Ask For More

White House Defends Testing Capacity As Governors Ask For More At a briefing of his task force Sunday , President Trump said his administration would have a call with governors and the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday to discuss how to increase coronavirus testing capacity in states .
Trump 's remarks come as the administration defends its testing response and guidelines for states to start resuming normal operations , even as several governors said they are far short of the testing capacity they 'd need to lift restrictions .
The president said governors are relying on state laboratories for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said commercial labs are also operating at 30 % capacity and can go higher .
Earlier Sunday , Trump tweeted that he is `` right on testing '' and that governors `` must be able to step up and get the job done . ''
Vice President Pence said that the country is doing about 150,000 tests a day and could double that by working with states to activate additional lab sites .
But experts at Harvard University estimate the United States needs to be testing at least 500,000 people a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to `` reopen '' the economy .
The Trump administration unveiled guidelines Thursday for how states could take a phased approach to restarting economic activity .
Speaking to Fox News ' Chris Wallace Sunday morning , Pence said the current level of testing is enough for an approach that tests people with coronavirus symptoms and monitors people who are especially vulnerable .
`` We believe the testing that we have today , Chris , across the country , once we activate all of the labs that can do coronavirus testing , is sufficient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into Phase 1 , '' he said , assuming a state 's cases are on a 14-day decline .
But several governors said Sunday they do n't have the testing needed to consider easing stay-at-home restrictions .
In an interview with CNN , Virginia Democratic Gov .
Ralph Northam said it was `` delusional '' to suggest that the nation 's testing was adequate .
Added Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan , a Republican , to the network : `` The No .
1 problem in America '' is `` the lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Mike DeWine , told NBC he needed the Food and Drug Administration to prioritize companies working to implement a test with a `` slightly different formula . ''
If approved , he said the state could double or triple testing capacity `` virtually overnight . ''
Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer said her state would be able to double or triple testing capacity but needed supplies including swabs and reagents .
Increased testing is critical before reopening Michigan 's economy , she said .
`` It would take down the risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our economy because we would have a lot more data about how prevalent COVID-19 still is in our states , '' the Democrat told told Meet the Press .
To help with testing , Trump at the task force briefing said the administration is preparing to announce an expansion of swab production , adding that he will use the Defense Production Act to help boost production .
He also talked about the administration 's efforts to procure new ventilators , N95 masks and gowns , and said the government 's Project Airbridge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical equipment .
Trump also said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was finalizing guidance for doctors and hospitals to resume elective surgeries .
Doctors and patients had been advised for weeks to put elective surgeries on hold as the medical system struggles with a wave of COVID-19 patients .
CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced that the agency would require nursing homes to report to patients and their families any cases of COVID-19 inside the home , and report any cases directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration said they 're nearing a deal for additional relief funds .
`` We 're getting close to a deal , '' Trump said Sunday evening .
As of Sunday evening , more than 40,000 people in America have died because of the virus , according to Johns Hopkins University researchers .

White House Defends Testing Capacity As Governors Ask For More
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 8:37 p.m. ET
At a briefing of his task force Sunday, President Trump said his administration would have a call with governors and the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday to discuss how to increase coronavirus testing capacity in states.
Trump's remarks come as the administration defends its testing response and guidelines for states to start resuming normal operations, even as several governors said they are far short of the testing capacity they'd need to lift restrictions.
The president said governors are relying on state laboratories for testing instead of commercial labs, and he said commercial labs are also operating at 30% capacity and can go higher.
Earlier Sunday, Trump tweeted that he is "right on testing" and that governors "must be able to step up and get the job done."
Vice President Pence said that the country is doing about 150,000 tests a day and could double that by working with states to activate additional lab sites.
But experts at Harvard University estimate the United States needs to be testing at least 500,000 people a day, if not more, to begin to "reopen" the economy.
The Trump administration unveiled guidelines Thursday for how states could take a phased approach to restarting economic activity.
Speaking to Fox News' Chris Wallace Sunday morning, Pence said the current level of testing is enough for an approach that tests people with coronavirus symptoms and monitors people who are especially vulnerable.
"We believe the testing that we have today, Chris, across the country, once we activate all of the labs that can do coronavirus testing, is sufficient for any state in America to move into Phase 1," he said, assuming a state's cases are on a 14-day decline.
But several governors said Sunday they don't have the testing needed to consider easing stay-at-home restrictions.
In an interview with CNN, Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam said it was "delusional" to suggest that the nation's testing was adequate. Added Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, to the network: "The No. 1 problem in America" is "the lack of testing."
Another Republican, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, told NBC he needed the Food and Drug Administration to prioritize companies working to implement a test with a "slightly different formula." If approved, he said the state could double or triple testing capacity "virtually overnight."
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her state would be able to double or triple testing capacity but needed supplies including swabs and reagents.
Increased testing is critical before reopening Michigan's economy, she said.
"It would take down the risk associated with taking actions to reengage parts of our economy because we would have a lot more data about how prevalent COVID-19 still is in our states," the Democrat told told Meet the Press.
Boosting swab production; elective surgery guidance
To help with testing, Trump at the task force briefing said the administration is preparing to announce an expansion of swab production, adding that he will use the Defense Production Act to help boost production.
He also talked about the administration's efforts to procure new ventilators, N95 masks and gowns, and said the government's Project Airbridge had brought in millions of pieces of medical equipment.
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Trump also said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was finalizing guidance for doctors and hospitals to resume elective surgeries. Doctors and patients had been advised for weeks to put elective surgeries on hold as the medical system struggles with a wave of COVID-19 patients.
CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced that the agency would require nursing homes to report to patients and their families any cases of COVID-19 inside the home, and report any cases directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Earlier Sunday, congressional leaders and the Trump administration said they're nearing a deal for additional relief funds. "We're getting close to a deal," Trump said Sunday evening.
As of Sunday evening, more than 40,000 people in America have died because of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.


npr--2020-04-19--Amid The Epidemic, It Can Be Hard To Know What's Going On Behind Closed Doors

Amid The Epidemic , It Can Be Hard To Know What 's Going On Behind Closed Doors When the number of COVID-19 cases started soaring in New Jersey about a month ago , Democratic Gov .
Phil Murphy signed an emergency package of laws to deal with the outbreak .
One law loosened the requirements of the state 's Open Public Records Act .
`` We just have to deal with the reality of manpower , the ability to turn things around .
We 've gone to a different place , '' Gov .
Murphy said at the time .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are supposed to meet in responding to records requests , but unlike some other emergency measures , this law has no end date .
The governor has called the fight against the coronavirus a `` war , '' causing some government functions to be delayed , he says .
The law in New Jersey is just one example of how governments across the country are relaxing their public records policies to give civil servants more bandwidth to deal with the pandemic .
The mayor of Philadelphia , along with municipalities across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Rhode Island , and Hawaii have all rolled back or suspended public records laws .
Some federal agencies are also telling people to expect delays .
But transparency advocates say it is times like these when we should be upholding the public 's right to information about decisions elected leaders are making .
`` Transparency is often most important when it is least convenient , '' says Erik Arneson , the executive director of the Office of Open Records , a government agency in Pennsylvania .
Arneson says many people are worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the COVID-19 outbreak and they want to know what the government is doing about it .
`` The last thing they want to do is also have a lot of questions about how their government officials are handling things , '' he says .
`` And if they get the sense that the government is hiding things , it 's just a recipe for suspicion . ''
Municipal and state leaders leaders say it 's not about secrecy — but keeping the public safe with a limited amount of time and money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some categories of documents that they just ca n't access because they 're not physically in the office , '' says CJ Griffin , a New Jersey attorney focusing on public records law .
Still , she says agencies should n't use the outbreak as an excuse to withhold information from the public , `` especially any public records that relate to the outbreak itself . ''

Amid The Epidemic, It Can Be Hard To Know What's Going On Behind Closed Doors
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jovana Sanchez/EyeEm/Getty Images Jovana Sanchez/EyeEm/Getty Images
When the number of COVID-19 cases started soaring in New Jersey about a month ago, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed an emergency package of laws to deal with the outbreak. One law loosened the requirements of the state's Open Public Records Act.
"We just have to deal with the reality of manpower, the ability to turn things around. We've gone to a different place," Gov. Murphy said at the time.
The law eliminates deadlines New Jersey agencies are supposed to meet in responding to records requests, but unlike some other emergency measures, this law has no end date.
The governor has called the fight against the coronavirus a "war," causing some government functions to be delayed, he says.
The law in New Jersey is just one example of how governments across the country are relaxing their public records policies to give civil servants more bandwidth to deal with the pandemic.
The mayor of Philadelphia, along with municipalities across the country, and governors in Washington, Indiana, Rhode Island, and Hawaii have all rolled back or suspended public records laws. Some federal agencies are also telling people to expect delays.
But transparency advocates say it is times like these when we should be upholding the public's right to information about decisions elected leaders are making.
"Transparency is often most important when it is least convenient," says Erik Arneson, the executive director of the Office of Open Records, a government agency in Pennsylvania.
Arneson says many people are worried about their health and keeping their jobs during the COVID-19 outbreak and they want to know what the government is doing about it.
"The last thing they want to do is also have a lot of questions about how their government officials are handling things," he says. "And if they get the sense that the government is hiding things, it's just a recipe for suspicion."
Municipal and state leaders leaders say it's not about secrecy — but keeping the public safe with a limited amount of time and money.
Or, "there could be some categories of documents that they just can't access because they're not physically in the office," says CJ Griffin, a New Jersey attorney focusing on public records law.
Still, she says agencies shouldn't use the outbreak as an excuse to withhold information from the public, "especially any public records that relate to the outbreak itself."


npr--2020-04-19--Expert Warns Of 'Real Festival Of Partisan Gerrymandering' In 2021

Expert Warns Of 'Real Festival Of Partisan Gerrymandering ' In 2021 In writing his new book , David Daley was looking to shake off a cynicism that had been following him around for years .
The former editor-in-chief of Salon gained attention in 2016 , as the man who chronicled a Republican gerrymandering machine .
Daley 's book Ratf**ked gave a play-by-play account of REDMAP , the Republican plan to take over state legislatures in the 2010 election cycle , with an eye on drawing state and congressional maps during the following year 's redistricting period that would keep Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic congressional candidates in Pennsylvania for instance garnered 51 % of the overall vote , but that translated to just about a quarter of the congressional seats .
It was a similar story in North Carolina , Wisconsin and Ohio .
`` If you 're a Republican , you look at [ 2010 ] and say , boy , this was effective , it was efficient and we won .
We played by the rules .
We changed the rules , but we still played by the law and the game , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And if the Democrats were n't smart enough to figure this out themselves , well , see you in 2020 , boys . ''
At redistricting conferences , Daley 's book is often discussed for shining a light on practices that had long gone on in the shadows .
But covering gerrymandering affected Daley .
It 's a cynical offshoot of democracy that 's focused not on the will of the voters , but instead on shaping outcomes before the voters even cast their ballots .
`` I wanted to get the rain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With his new book , Unrigged , Daley decided to focus on how voters are fighting back — people like Desmond Meade in Florida , who helped former felons get their voting power back , and Katie Fahay , who started a redistricting revolution with a Facebook post .
`` Americans came off the sidelines in 2018 and they started organizations and they signed petitions and they pushed for constitutional amendments in their state on these topics that for a long time everyone had said were wonky and that nobody understood , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot about Dr. Martin Luther King 's moral arc of the universe being long , but bending towards justice .
And I think what we learned is that that arc does n't bend by itself . ''
Redistricting happens every decade after the census and the next round takes place in 2021 ( although the coronavirus could put a hold on that at least for a time ) .
I talked with Daley about what to expect as new legislative maps get drawn , and what to expect this November after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over voting in the United States .
Daley 's new book , Unrigged , is out now .
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity .
Q : Let 's start with 2021 .
What are you expecting when it comes to redistricting ?
Daley : In 2011 , Republicans had really a 5-to-1 advantage when it came to drawing congressional lines .
They had complete authority in Pennsylvania , North Carolina , Ohio , Wisconsin , Michigan and Florida to draw not only all of the congressional districts , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's going to be a slightly more level playing field in 2021 .
There are Democratic governors in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that ought to give Democrats at least some room at the table for negotiations in those states .
You 've had some redistricting reform that will make the process better in Ohio .
There is the very strong likelihood that Virginia voters will pass an independent commission at the ballot box in 2020 .
And in Michigan as well , you had an independent commission pass in 2018 .
So citizens will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worry about , however , is that the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that partisan gerrymandering claims are non-justiciable and they closed the federal courts to these kinds of cases in the next decade .
And that really allows lawmakers in many states where one party controls the entire process to absolutely run amok without fear that the Supreme Court will step in and say that these partisan lines have gone too far .
We have seen how aggressively politicians of both parties have clung to their rigged maps over the course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court could step in and bring some fairness to this issue .
You could see a real festival of partisan gerrymandering in 2021 .
Q : So is it that in the battleground , split-control states , you 'll see more fairness ?
And then on the extremes , on both ends we 'll see this strategy ?
Do you expect to see it in Democratic states as well ?
Daley : I think what we saw in 2011 is that whenever one party controls the entire process , what you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favor that side .
Republicans held many more states in 2011 and they launched a really sophisticated redistricting operation during the 2010 elections to ensure that that would be the case .
I think that Democrats are now just as aware of this process as Republicans were in 2010 .
So in the states where Democrats do hold complete control of the process , I think you can imagine that they are locked and loaded for some revenge .
Q : Something you focused on in your first book , was that politicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades ago , but that they did n't really have the means at their fingertips to be able to make these hyper-targeted maps however they please .
How has the technology gotten better in the last decade ?
Daley : I think [ the technology ] is one reason why we overlooked gerrymandering as a problem in our politics for so long .
It 's been with us forever .
You can trace it back to Patrick Henry trying to draw James Madison out of the very first Congress .
The problem is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really just in its infancy .
It 's in its minor leagues .
It 's politicians working from memory about which neighborhoods are friendly , and they 've got magic markers and giant pieces of parchment paper .
In 2010 , gerrymandering moves into its steroids era .
It is highly sophisticated computer software .
It 's the kinds of mapping software that enables Americans to never have to ask for directions again .
But every single house along the way , you know a lot about each of those people .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the information that 's available on demographics .
And then you 're able to add so much more on top of that .
Some of it is public record data sets : driver 's licenses , the kind of car you drive , gun ownership .
And then there 's all of the kind of private data sets that can be overlaid as well .
Magazine subscriptions , information that can be gleaned off of social media , the kinds of things we leave about ourselves as we travel around the Internet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can buy up for pennies on the dollar .
And as they draw maps and go up and down the street , they 've got a very , very high level of confidence about how people in each of those homes vote and what the impact is of moving a line a block or two in any direction .
Q : You mentioned some of the reforms that have happened over the last few years , and you write about a lot of them in your new book .
If you went back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ratf*****d , and told him all of the changes that have been made in America in the last couple years , how surprised would he be that there 's been a sort of groundswell about this thing that used to be a very niche and very in-the-weeds topic ?
Daley : Oh , it 's been wonderful to see .
If you had told me that John Oliver would be making jokes about gerrymandering or that it would work its way into sports terminology .
I read one piece in Sports Illustrated where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his bullpen .
Americans really understand the importance of these district lines now .
I think people in politics talked about gerrymandering earlier this decade as being a problem of geography .
Democrats simply living more clustered in cities and Republicans more efficiently spread out across suburbs and rural areas .
And I think that what the elections this decade have shown is that that 's not the case .
That we have been sorted into these districts by politicians for deeply partisan purposes .
What we have now , though , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really amazing ways .
In Michigan , you had a young woman named Katie Fahey , who was 27 years old , worked at a recycling nonprofit , who gets up two days after the 2016 election and wants to work on something truly nonpartisan in her state .
She posted a message on Facebook and says , ' I want to do something about gerrymandering in Michigan .
If you want to join me , sign up here . '
And that marshals in a redistricting revolution in Michigan .
It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they collect more than 425,000 signatures and they get this on the ballot there and they win with more than 60 % of the vote .
There were five initiatives on gerrymandering in the 2018 election .
And they happen in unexpected places : Michigan , Ohio , Colorado , Utah and Missouri .
So red states , purple states .
And with the exception of Utah , where it 's an extraordinarily close victory , all of the other wins are over 60 % in a nation that has become as polarized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get 60 % for anything .
It does n't matter if it 's red states , blue states , purple states .
I think all Americans understand gerrymandering and all Americans hate gerrymandering .
It 's fundamentally cheating .
Q : I want to talk about Wisconsin , and the election that just took place there .
What does it say about the general election this November ?
Daley : A lot of people are viewing what happened in Wisconsin on Tuesday as a warning sign for our elections this November , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I would say that what we just saw was a Republican dress rehearsal for the kind of voter suppression techniques we could well see this fall .
I think it 's entirely likely that in-person voting is going to be very , very difficult in many states and cities .
We do n't know what the situation will be with the coronavirus .
We do n't know if it will come back again in cooler weather .
And we have to be thinking about how we safeguard the November election .
What I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really slow-walking both in states and in Congress on most efforts to adapt vote by mail , to give extra funding to states in cases where they have to pay for printing ballots or postage or scanners or training of workers : All of the things that would have to go along with a radical and sudden expansion of vote by mail efforts this year .
And then what you 're also seeing is a lot of the fictional myths about voter fraud being repeated from that side of the aisle .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be many other Wisconsins this fall , in which election officials are overwhelmed by the number of requests for absentee ballots and they 're simply not able to get all of these ballots out to people and voters are n't able to send them all back .
And then what we saw was that the U.S. Supreme Court jumped in and enforced a deadline that essentially forced many voters to stand in line if they wanted to have their votes be heard .
Even those who had applied for absentee ballots weeks earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mail .
Q : I 'm trying to gauge your level of optimism around redistricting specifically .
Is the next decade overall going to be better than this decade due to the reforms you 've written about ?
Or is it really incremental ?
Daley : It 's really too early to say right now .
There is the prospect of things being much better in a handful of states .
What I worry about , though , is that the voting rights war in this country has only become more serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the course of this last decade .
I felt much more optimistic heading into 2020 before we saw the very cynical efforts in Wisconsin earlier this week to force voters into in-person voting in the middle of a pandemic .
When I look at the kinds of things that are coming out of the mouth of the President about voter fraud and about vote by mail , things that simply are not true , things that are contradicted by every single study on vote-by-mail that ensures us that this is not a partisan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create the problem of voter fraud .
I worry that we are heading down a dangerous road .
But I also think that we ought to take a lot of heart and optimism from the tens of millions of Americans who came out in the 2018 election and voted for fairness for free elections .
Democrats , Republicans , independents in red states and blue states and purple states , that said 'we believe in free elections and fairness . '
That that is an American ideal .

Expert Warns Of 'Real Festival Of Partisan Gerrymandering' In 2021
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images
In writing his new book, David Daley was looking to shake off a cynicism that had been following him around for years.
The former editor-in-chief of Salon gained attention in 2016, as the man who chronicled a Republican gerrymandering machine.
Daley's book Ratf**ked gave a play-by-play account of REDMAP, the Republican plan to take over state legislatures in the 2010 election cycle, with an eye on drawing state and congressional maps during the following year's redistricting period that would keep Democrats out of power.
It worked.
In 2012, Democratic congressional candidates in Pennsylvania for instance garnered 51% of the overall vote, but that translated to just about a quarter of the congressional seats. It was a similar story in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Ohio.
"If you're a Republican, you look at [2010] and say, boy, this was effective, it was efficient and we won. We played by the rules. We changed the rules, but we still played by the law and the game," Daley told NPR in 2016. "And if the Democrats weren't smart enough to figure this out themselves, well, see you in 2020, boys."
At redistricting conferences, Daley's book is often discussed for shining a light on practices that had long gone on in the shadows.
But covering gerrymandering affected Daley. It's a cynical offshoot of democracy that's focused not on the will of the voters, but instead on shaping outcomes before the voters even cast their ballots.
"I wanted to get the rain cloud off me," he says.
Unrigged How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy by David Daley Hardcover, 286 pages | purchase close overlay Buy Featured Book Your purchase helps support NPR programming. How?
With his new book, Unrigged, Daley decided to focus on how voters are fighting back — people like Desmond Meade in Florida, who helped former felons get their voting power back, and Katie Fahay, who started a redistricting revolution with a Facebook post.
"Americans came off the sidelines in 2018 and they started organizations and they signed petitions and they pushed for constitutional amendments in their state on these topics that for a long time everyone had said were wonky and that nobody understood," Daley said. "We talk a lot about Dr. Martin Luther King's moral arc of the universe being long, but bending towards justice. And I think what we learned is that that arc doesn't bend by itself."
Redistricting happens every decade after the census and the next round takes place in 2021 (although the coronavirus could put a hold on that at least for a time).
I talked with Daley about what to expect as new legislative maps get drawn, and what to expect this November after a controversial Wisconsin primary laid bare partisan divides over voting in the United States.
Daley's new book, Unrigged, is out now.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Let's start with 2021. What are you expecting when it comes to redistricting?
Daley: In 2011, Republicans had really a 5-to-1 advantage when it came to drawing congressional lines. They had complete authority in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida to draw not only all of the congressional districts, but state legislative ones as well. There's going to be a slightly more level playing field in 2021.
There are Democratic governors in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that ought to give Democrats at least some room at the table for negotiations in those states.
You've had some redistricting reform that will make the process better in Ohio. There is the very strong likelihood that Virginia voters will pass an independent commission at the ballot box in 2020. And in Michigan as well, you had an independent commission pass in 2018. So citizens will draw the lines there.
What I worry about, however, is that the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that partisan gerrymandering claims are non-justiciable and they closed the federal courts to these kinds of cases in the next decade. And that really allows lawmakers in many states where one party controls the entire process to absolutely run amok without fear that the Supreme Court will step in and say that these partisan lines have gone too far.
We have seen how aggressively politicians of both parties have clung to their rigged maps over the course of this decade without any worry that the Supreme Court could step in and bring some fairness to this issue. You could see a real festival of partisan gerrymandering in 2021.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Paul Specht/Courtesy of David Daley Paul Specht/Courtesy of David Daley
Q: So is it that in the battleground, split-control states, you'll see more fairness? And then on the extremes, on both ends we'll see this strategy? Do you expect to see it in Democratic states as well?
Daley: I think what we saw in 2011 is that whenever one party controls the entire process, what you end up with are maps that wildly favor that side.
Republicans held many more states in 2011 and they launched a really sophisticated redistricting operation during the 2010 elections to ensure that that would be the case. I think that Democrats are now just as aware of this process as Republicans were in 2010.
So in the states where Democrats do hold complete control of the process, I think you can imagine that they are locked and loaded for some revenge.
Q: Something you focused on in your first book, was that politicians maybe had the desire to do this decades ago, but that they didn't really have the means at their fingertips to be able to make these hyper-targeted maps however they please. How has the technology gotten better in the last decade?
Daley: I think [the technology] is one reason why we overlooked gerrymandering as a problem in our politics for so long. It's been with us forever. You can trace it back to Patrick Henry trying to draw James Madison out of the very first Congress.
The problem is that gerrymandering from 1790 through 2000 is really just in its infancy. It's in its minor leagues. It's politicians working from memory about which neighborhoods are friendly, and they've got magic markers and giant pieces of parchment paper.
In 2010, gerrymandering moves into its steroids era. It is highly sophisticated computer software. It's the kinds of mapping software that enables Americans to never have to ask for directions again. But every single house along the way, you know a lot about each of those people. You can start with the census and all of the information that's available on demographics. And then you're able to add so much more on top of that. Some of it is public record data sets: driver's licenses, the kind of car you drive, gun ownership.
And then there's all of the kind of private data sets that can be overlaid as well. Magazine subscriptions, information that can be gleaned off of social media, the kinds of things we leave about ourselves as we travel around the Internet that marketers and political firms and mapmakers can buy up for pennies on the dollar.
And as they draw maps and go up and down the street, they've got a very, very high level of confidence about how people in each of those homes vote and what the impact is of moving a line a block or two in any direction.
Q: You mentioned some of the reforms that have happened over the last few years, and you write about a lot of them in your new book. If you went back to the David that was working on Ratf*****d, and told him all of the changes that have been made in America in the last couple years, how surprised would he be that there's been a sort of groundswell about this thing that used to be a very niche and very in-the-weeds topic?
Daley: Oh, it's been wonderful to see. If you had told me that John Oliver would be making jokes about gerrymandering or that it would work its way into sports terminology. I read one piece in Sports Illustrated where they talk about a baseball manager gerrymandering his bullpen. Americans really understand the importance of these district lines now.
I think people in politics talked about gerrymandering earlier this decade as being a problem of geography. Democrats simply living more clustered in cities and Republicans more efficiently spread out across suburbs and rural areas.
And I think that what the elections this decade have shown is that that's not the case. That we have been sorted into these districts by politicians for deeply partisan purposes. What we have now, though, are Americans standing up and fighting back in really amazing ways.
In Michigan, you had a young woman named Katie Fahey, who was 27 years old, worked at a recycling nonprofit, who gets up two days after the 2016 election and wants to work on something truly nonpartisan in her state. She posted a message on Facebook and says, 'I want to do something about gerrymandering in Michigan. If you want to join me, sign up here.'
And that marshals in a redistricting revolution in Michigan. It's 4000 volunteers. They go out, they collect more than 425,000 signatures and they get this on the ballot there and they win with more than 60% of the vote.
There were five initiatives on gerrymandering in the 2018 election. And they happen in unexpected places: Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, Utah and Missouri. So red states, purple states.
And with the exception of Utah, where it's an extraordinarily close victory, all of the other wins are over 60% in a nation that has become as polarized as this. It's hard to get 60% for anything. It doesn't matter if it's red states, blue states, purple states. I think all Americans understand gerrymandering and all Americans hate gerrymandering. It's fundamentally cheating.
Q: I want to talk about Wisconsin, and the election that just took place there. What does it say about the general election this November?
Daley: A lot of people are viewing what happened in Wisconsin on Tuesday as a warning sign for our elections this November, but I would go a step further. I would say that what we just saw was a Republican dress rehearsal for the kind of voter suppression techniques we could well see this fall.
I think it's entirely likely that in-person voting is going to be very, very difficult in many states and cities. We don't know what the situation will be with the coronavirus. We don't know if it will come back again in cooler weather.
And we have to be thinking about how we safeguard the November election.
What I'm seeing is that Republicans have been really slow-walking both in states and in Congress on most efforts to adapt vote by mail, to give extra funding to states in cases where they have to pay for printing ballots or postage or scanners or training of workers: All of the things that would have to go along with a radical and sudden expansion of vote by mail efforts this year.
And then what you're also seeing is a lot of the fictional myths about voter fraud being repeated from that side of the aisle. What I worry about is that there could be many other Wisconsins this fall, in which election officials are overwhelmed by the number of requests for absentee ballots and they're simply not able to get all of these ballots out to people and voters aren't able to send them all back.
And then what we saw was that the U.S. Supreme Court jumped in and enforced a deadline that essentially forced many voters to stand in line if they wanted to have their votes be heard. Even those who had applied for absentee ballots weeks earlier but who hadn't gotten them in the mail.
Q: I'm trying to gauge your level of optimism around redistricting specifically. Is the next decade overall going to be better than this decade due to the reforms you've written about? Or is it really incremental?
Daley: It's really too early to say right now. There is the prospect of things being much better in a handful of states.
What I worry about, though, is that the voting rights war in this country has only become more serious and more polarized and more hard-fought over the course of this last decade. I felt much more optimistic heading into 2020 before we saw the very cynical efforts in Wisconsin earlier this week to force voters into in-person voting in the middle of a pandemic.
When I look at the kinds of things that are coming out of the mouth of the President about voter fraud and about vote by mail, things that simply are not true, things that are contradicted by every single study on vote-by-mail that ensures us that this is not a partisan issue, and that this does not create the problem of voter fraud. I worry that we are heading down a dangerous road.
But I also think that we ought to take a lot of heart and optimism from the tens of millions of Americans who came out in the 2018 election and voted for fairness for free elections. Democrats, Republicans, independents in red states and blue states and purple states, that said 'we believe in free elections and fairness.' That that is an American ideal.


npr--2020-04-19--Mnuchin 'Hopeful' On Imminent Deal For New Coronavirus Relief Funding

Mnuchin 'Hopeful ' On Imminent Deal For New Coronavirus Relief Funding The White House and congressional leaders could be nearing an agreement on a new wave of coronavirus relief funding .
Negotiations have been ongoing to replenish popular programs created as part of a $ 2 trillion response package passed last month .
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNN that he 's hopeful that a deal could be reached as early as Sunday to replenish a tapped-out small-business loan program and that the deal would include additional funding for hospitals and testing .
The Senate could approve the measure as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday .
`` I think we 're making a lot of progress , '' Mnuchin said on Sunday , noting that he has had multiple conversations with Senate and House leadership in recent days .
He later added , `` I 'm hopeful we could get a deal done today . ''
Mnuchin said the agreement so far would include $ 300 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program , which funds small-business loans during the crisis ; that amount is $ 50 billion more than had initially been proposed by the administration .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ add another $ 75 billion in emergency funding for hospitals , $ 50 billion for small-business disaster loans and $ 25 billion for testing , Mnuchin said .
Also speaking on CNN , Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. , said that so far , Democrats are on board but that many details remain to be hammered out to reach a plan that could be approved by both chambers .
Mnuchin did n't mention , during his interview , new aid to states and localities , something that had been a Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas of agreement so far , he said that state and local funding is needed and that there 's still work to do to reach a final agreement .
`` We still have a few more issues to deal with , '' Schumer said on CNN .
Meanwhile , Rep. Dean Phillips , a Minnesota Democrat , tweeted on Sunday that the White House 's `` refusal to support states and localities must be overcome . ''
`` I 'm very hopeful we could come to an agreement tonight or tomorrow morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Mnuchin 'Hopeful' On Imminent Deal For New Coronavirus Relief Funding
Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The White House and congressional leaders could be nearing an agreement on a new wave of coronavirus relief funding.
Negotiations have been ongoing to replenish popular programs created as part of a $2 trillion response package passed last month.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNN that he's hopeful that a deal could be reached as early as Sunday to replenish a tapped-out small-business loan program and that the deal would include additional funding for hospitals and testing.
The Senate could approve the measure as early as Monday and the House on Tuesday.
"I think we're making a lot of progress," Mnuchin said on Sunday, noting that he has had multiple conversations with Senate and House leadership in recent days. He later added, "I'm hopeful we could get a deal done today."
Mnuchin said the agreement so far would include $300 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, which funds small-business loans during the crisis; that amount is $50 billion more than had initially been proposed by the administration. There's also a top-line agreement to add another $75 billion in emergency funding for hospitals, $50 billion for small-business disaster loans and $25 billion for testing, Mnuchin said.
Also speaking on CNN, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that so far, Democrats are on board but that many details remain to be hammered out to reach a plan that could be approved by both chambers.
Mnuchin didn't mention, during his interview, new aid to states and localities, something that had been a Democratic request. And while Schumer highlighted their areas of agreement so far, he said that state and local funding is needed and that there's still work to do to reach a final agreement.
"We still have a few more issues to deal with," Schumer said on CNN.
Meanwhile, Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, tweeted on Sunday that the White House's "refusal to support states and localities must be overcome."
"I'm very hopeful we could come to an agreement tonight or tomorrow morning," Schumer told CNN on Sunday.


npr--2020-04-19--Coronavirus Fears Have Produced A Lot Of New Gun Owners — And Safety Concerns

Coronavirus Fears Have Produced A Lot Of New Gun Owners — And Safety Concerns As Americans flock to gun stores in the face of coronavirus fears , many gun dealers report an influx of new customers , taking home a deadly weapon for the first time .
In response , long-time gun owners from across the U.S. are stepping up to help these newcomers get some safety training in the age of social distancing .
`` I want to be a good ambassador for the Second Amendment and for firearms owners , '' says Chuck Rossi , co-founder of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Defense .
A few weeks ago , Open Source Defense launched a type of informal , online training called Office Hours , using a shared calendar that allows users to sign up for a 30-minute video conference with a long-time gun owner .
`` We have our introductory , 'How 're you doing ?
How 're you holding up ?
Where are you in the process ?
What are your questions ? '
'' Rossi explains .
Few states require gun buyers to undergo training before purchasing a firearm .
Rossi , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Open Source Defense who have volunteered as trainers go over the basics of gun safety , rules such as `` Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot '' and `` Always treat every firearm as though it is loaded . ''
`` At some point , I 'll bring out an unloaded gun , '' Rossi says , `` either a pistol or a rifle , and say , 'OK , here 's what a Glock looks like , here 's how it operates , here 's the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big it is . '
`` Over the past few weeks , online trainings hitting on similar themes have popped up around the country on platforms like YouTube and Instagram .
One video from a pair of gun enthusiasts in Tennessee posted on the popular gun-focused YouTube channel hickok45 has over 270,000 views .
`` We wanted to do a video for all the new shooters out there and gun owners , '' one of the men says in the video .
`` We feel almost obligated . ''
But learning how to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rossi says the goal is really just to go over basic firearm safety , basic firearm manipulation and some etiquette .
`` That 's all you can do over video chat and that 's all we expect , '' he says .
`` The encouragement from us after the chat is we suggest where they can go for their range and get some [ hands-on ] training . ''
During a pandemic , more guns could mean more risk The goal of this kind of training is , ultimately , to prevent people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a researcher at the University of Colorado focusing on injury prevention , says unintentional shootings are a risk .
But she 's also worried that having a gun in the home risks escalating violent confrontations .
`` Specifically , in cases of domestic violence or when someone is suicidal — that having that gun present could turn a situation deadly , '' Betz says .
Every year , tens of thousands of people die by firearm suicide or domestic violence homicide .
Research has shown that the presence of a gun is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So although Betz says it is `` wonderful '' that gun owners are stepping up to offer training , she worries that the combination of more guns plus coronavirus fear and anxiety could lead to more gun deaths .
`` I 'm skeptical , '' Betz says , `` that all of these new purchasers are getting the training that they need and getting the guidance around storage devices that they need . ''

Coronavirus Fears Have Produced A Lot Of New Gun Owners — And Safety Concerns
Enlarge this image toggle caption Leigh Paterson/Guns and America Leigh Paterson/Guns and America
As Americans flock to gun stores in the face of coronavirus fears, many gun dealers report an influx of new customers, taking home a deadly weapon for the first time. In response, long-time gun owners from across the U.S. are stepping up to help these newcomers get some safety training in the age of social distancing.
"I want to be a good ambassador for the Second Amendment and for firearms owners," says Chuck Rossi, co-founder of an online gun rights organization called Open Source Defense.
A few weeks ago, Open Source Defense launched a type of informal, online training called Office Hours, using a shared calendar that allows users to sign up for a 30-minute video conference with a long-time gun owner.
"We have our introductory, 'How're you doing? How're you holding up? Where are you in the process? What are your questions?'" Rossi explains.
Few states require gun buyers to undergo training before purchasing a firearm. Rossi, who is a competitive shooter, and others from Open Source Defense who have volunteered as trainers go over the basics of gun safety, rules such as "Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot" and "Always treat every firearm as though it is loaded."
"At some point, I'll bring out an unloaded gun," Rossi says, "either a pistol or a rifle, and say, 'OK, here's what a Glock looks like, here's how it operates, here's the ergonomics of it, here's how big it is.' "
'We feel almost obligated'
Over the past few weeks, online trainings hitting on similar themes have popped up around the country on platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
One video from a pair of gun enthusiasts in Tennessee posted on the popular gun-focused YouTube channel hickok45 has over 270,000 views.
"We wanted to do a video for all the new shooters out there and gun owners," one of the men says in the video. "We feel almost obligated."
But learning how to use a gun online is limiting. Rossi says the goal is really just to go over basic firearm safety, basic firearm manipulation and some etiquette.
"That's all you can do over video chat and that's all we expect," he says. "The encouragement from us after the chat is we suggest where they can go for their range and get some [hands-on] training."
During a pandemic, more guns could mean more risk
The goal of this kind of training is, ultimately, to prevent people from getting hurt. Dr. Emmy Betz, a researcher at the University of Colorado focusing on injury prevention, says unintentional shootings are a risk. But she's also worried that having a gun in the home risks escalating violent confrontations.
"Specifically, in cases of domestic violence or when someone is suicidal — that having that gun present could turn a situation deadly," Betz says.
Every year, tens of thousands of people die by firearm suicide or domestic violence homicide. Research has shown that the presence of a gun is associated with a higher risk for both.
So although Betz says it is "wonderful" that gun owners are stepping up to offer training, she worries that the combination of more guns plus coronavirus fear and anxiety could lead to more gun deaths.
"I'm skeptical," Betz says, "that all of these new purchasers are getting the training that they need and getting the guidance around storage devices that they need."