npr--2020-06-24--Bayer To Pay More Than $10 Billion To Resolve Cancer Lawsuits Over Weedkiller Roundup

Bayer To Pay More Than $ 10 Billion To Resolve Cancer Lawsuits Over Weedkiller Roundup Bayer will pay more than $ 10 billion to end tens of thousands of lawsuits filed over its Roundup weedkiller , the company announced Wednesday .
The settlement also resolves many other cases over the herbicide dicamba as well as water contaminated with toxic chemicals called PCBs .
Many plaintiffs say Roundup 's active ingredient — glyphosate — caused them to develop cancer .
Roundup was developed by Monsanto , which Bayer bought in 2018 for $ 63 billion .
The decision to resolve the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , will `` return the conversation about the safety and utility of glyphosate-based herbicides to the scientific and regulatory arena and to the full body of science . ''
The Roundup settlement does not cover three cases that have already gone to trial and that will continue through the appeals process .
In one of those cases , a California jury awarded a couple more than $ 2 billion in damages before a court sharply lowered that amount .
Five years ago , the World Health Organization 's International Agency for Research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carcinogenic to humans . ''
Government health agencies in many countries have determined glyphosate is safe to use , but plaintiffs in more than 100,000 lawsuits say the chemical harmed them , including allegations that it caused non-Hodgkin 's lymphoma .
The settlement calls for Bayer to pay from $ 8.8 billion to $ 9.6 billion to resolve current Roundup lawsuits .
The company will also set aside $ 1.25 billion to fund payouts for potential claims in the future .
Parts of the deal are pending court approval , including from Judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Northern District of California .
In addition to claims over the Roundup product , the agreement will also settle many cases filed over dicamba .
Farmers say that when the chemical is sprayed it drifts into neighboring fields and gardens , inflicting broad damage there .
Bayer says it will `` pay up to a total of $ 400 million to resolve the multi-district litigation pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and claims for the 2015-2020 crop years '' related to dicamba claims .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a decision from earlier this year when a jury ordered Bayer and its codefendant , BASF , to pay a Missouri peach farmer more than $ 250 million .
The settlement also includes some $ 820 million in payments over claims that Monsanto polluted public waters with PCBs , or polychlorinated biphenyls .
`` In 1979 , the EPA banned the use of PCBs , but they still exist in some products produced before 1979 .
They persist in the environment because they bind to sediments and soils .
High exposure to PCBs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and liver changes . ''
Monsanto legally manufactured PCBs before halting production in 1977 .
The company will pay $ 650 million to settle local lawsuits , and $ 170 million to the attorneys-general of New Mexico , Washington and the District of Columbia .

Bayer To Pay More Than $10 Billion To Resolve Cancer Lawsuits Over Weedkiller Roundup
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jean-François Monier/AFP via Getty Images Jean-François Monier/AFP via Getty Images
Bayer will pay more than $10 billion to end tens of thousands of lawsuits filed over its Roundup weedkiller, the company announced Wednesday. The settlement also resolves many other cases over the herbicide dicamba as well as water contaminated with toxic chemicals called PCBs.
Many plaintiffs say Roundup's active ingredient — glyphosate — caused them to develop cancer. Roundup was developed by Monsanto, which Bayer bought in 2018 for $63 billion.
The decision to resolve the Roundup cases, Bayer CEO Werner Baumann said, will "return the conversation about the safety and utility of glyphosate-based herbicides to the scientific and regulatory arena and to the full body of science."
The Roundup settlement does not cover three cases that have already gone to trial and that will continue through the appeals process. In one of those cases, a California jury awarded a couple more than $2 billion in damages before a court sharply lowered that amount.
Five years ago, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans." Government health agencies in many countries have determined glyphosate is safe to use, but plaintiffs in more than 100,000 lawsuits say the chemical harmed them, including allegations that it caused non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The settlement calls for Bayer to pay from $8.8 billion to $9.6 billion to resolve current Roundup lawsuits. The company will also set aside $1.25 billion to fund payouts for potential claims in the future.
Parts of the deal are pending court approval, including from Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
In addition to claims over the Roundup product, the agreement will also settle many cases filed over dicamba. Farmers say that when the chemical is sprayed it drifts into neighboring fields and gardens, inflicting broad damage there.
Bayer says it will "pay up to a total of $400 million to resolve the multi-district litigation pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and claims for the 2015-2020 crop years" related to dicamba claims.
That portion of the deal does not include a decision from earlier this year when a jury ordered Bayer and its codefendant, BASF, to pay a Missouri peach farmer more than $250 million.
The settlement also includes some $820 million in payments over claims that Monsanto polluted public waters with PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls.
As State Impact Pennsylvania has reported:
"In 1979, the EPA banned the use of PCBs, but they still exist in some products produced before 1979. They persist in the environment because they bind to sediments and soils. High exposure to PCBs can cause birth defects, developmental delays, and liver changes."
Monsanto legally manufactured PCBs before halting production in 1977. The company will pay $650 million to settle local lawsuits, and $170 million to the attorneys-general of New Mexico, Washington and the District of Columbia.
NPR's Dan Charles contributed to this report.


npr--2020-06-24--Lachlan Morton Sets A Bicycling 'Everesting' Record

A challenge has been growing more popular in the past few months for the truly masochistic bicyclists out there : Everesting .
It 's riding an elevation of the height of Mount Everest on a bicycle .
Pick one hill , and go up and down , over and over again , until you 've climbed 29,029 vertical feet .
Morton just broke the record for the amount of time it takes to complete the feat — he finished in seven hours , 29 minutes and 57 seconds .
He did it on Saturday on a hill in Rist Canyon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The section I was riding was about a mile and it had 200 meters of elevation gain .
And so I had to do 47 laps .
And each lap was sort of more or less 10 minutes , '' he tells Morning Edition .
It was Morton 's second Everest attempt in just a week .
On June 13 , he went through `` 42 laps of hell '' on the same road , only to find out a few days later that the app tracking his ride was n't taking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,500 feet short of the goal .
`` I realized pretty quickly I was going to have to go and do it again , '' he says .
When he officially broke the record the following week , he tacked on an additional lap , just to be safe .
Everesting has been around for several years as a challenge for hardcore cyclists .
The cycling group Hells 500 , who since 2014 has been the official record-keepers of Everesting , says the first known Everesting came in 1984 , when Francois Siohan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vertical feet on the Col de la Faucille in the Jura mountains of France .
But the term `` Everesting '' was inspired by George Mallory — the grandson of Everest mountain climber George Mallory — who in 1994 rode on Australia 's Mount Donna Buang to train for climbing the actual Everest .
In the past few months , Everesting has picked up steam .
With professional and organized rides canceled or postponed because of coronavirus , some pros and pain aficionados have been looking for a challenge that can be done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do it , '' Morton says .
`` It 's accessible .
You just need a hill . ''
Morton is the third person to set a speed record for Everesting just in the past several weeks .
On May 11 , Phil Gaimon did the first successful run in under eight hours , in California .
His record was broken just four days later by Keegan Swenson in Utah , who completed an Everest in 7:40:05 .
And Hannah Rhodes set the women 's record in England on June 4 , becoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record in a span of two weeks .
Hells 500 's Andy van Bergen tells NPR that before the current mountain of interest started , a typical busy month would be 120-160 submissions to the Everesting records .
But last month there were 1,200 attempts and he expects the same for June .
`` With so many pro riders completing an Everesting , and a lack of other things to report on , the media coverage of Everesting skyrocketed , '' he writes in an email .
`` This inspired a new generation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the concept to tackle the challenge themselves . ''
Van Bergen points to the additional option of vEveresting , using a virtual cycling setup and online software called Zwift , which allowed people to make attempts from inside their homes while under lockdown .
`` The exciting thing is that while racing will eventually return , and the pro riders will stop participating , the awareness around the concept , and the pipeline of athletes wanting to take it on is now immense , '' he says .
NPR 's Barry Gordemer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Lachlan Morton Sets A Bicycling 'Everesting' Record
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Gunter/AFP via Getty Images Mark Gunter/AFP via Getty Images
A challenge has been growing more popular in the past few months for the truly masochistic bicyclists out there: Everesting.
It's riding an elevation of the height of Mount Everest on a bicycle. Pick one hill, and go up and down, over and over again, until you've climbed 29,029 vertical feet.
"It's pretty brutal," says pro cyclist Lachlan Morton.
Morton just broke the record for the amount of time it takes to complete the feat — he finished in seven hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds. He did it on Saturday on a hill in Rist Canyon, near Fort Collins, Colo.
"The section I was riding was about a mile and it had 200 meters of elevation gain. And so I had to do 47 laps. And each lap was sort of more or less 10 minutes," he tells Morning Edition.
It was Morton's second Everest attempt in just a week. On June 13, he went through "42 laps of hell" on the same road, only to find out a few days later that the app tracking his ride wasn't taking the right measurements. He was actually about 1,500 feet short of the goal.
"I realized pretty quickly I was going to have to go and do it again," he says. When he officially broke the record the following week, he tacked on an additional lap, just to be safe.
Everesting has been around for several years as a challenge for hardcore cyclists. The cycling group Hells 500, who since 2014 has been the official record-keepers of Everesting, says the first known Everesting came in 1984, when Francois Siohan rode 13 laps and more than 30,000 vertical feet on the Col de la Faucille in the Jura mountains of France.
But the term "Everesting" was inspired by George Mallory — the grandson of Everest mountain climber George Mallory — who in 1994 rode on Australia's Mount Donna Buang to train for climbing the actual Everest.
In the past few months, Everesting has picked up steam. With professional and organized rides canceled or postponed because of coronavirus, some pros and pain aficionados have been looking for a challenge that can be done solo.
"Anyone can go and do it," Morton says. "It's accessible. You just need a hill."
Morton is the third person to set a speed record for Everesting just in the past several weeks. On May 11, Phil Gaimon did the first successful run in under eight hours, in California. His record was broken just four days later by Keegan Swenson in Utah, who completed an Everest in 7:40:05. And Hannah Rhodes set the women's record in England on June 4, becoming the third woman to set a world record in a span of two weeks.
Hells 500's Andy van Bergen tells NPR that before the current mountain of interest started, a typical busy month would be 120-160 submissions to the Everesting records. But last month there were 1,200 attempts and he expects the same for June.
"With so many pro riders completing an Everesting, and a lack of other things to report on, the media coverage of Everesting skyrocketed," he writes in an email. "This inspired a new generation of athletes who potentially hadn't heard of the concept to tackle the challenge themselves."
Van Bergen points to the additional option of vEveresting, using a virtual cycling setup and online software called Zwift, which allowed people to make attempts from inside their homes while under lockdown.
"The exciting thing is that while racing will eventually return, and the pro riders will stop participating, the awareness around the concept, and the pipeline of athletes wanting to take it on is now immense," he says.
NPR's Barry Gordemer produced the audio version of this story.


npr--2020-06-24--A Call For Reparations: How America Might Narrow The Racial Wealth Gap

A Call For Reparations : How America Might Narrow The Racial Wealth Gap The killing of George Floyd has ignited protests and inspired conversations — and changes — across the globe .
But New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah-Jones says more needs to be done to address America 's racial wealth gap .
`` Very few Americans have created all of their wealth on their own ; it 's passed down through generations and then built upon , '' Hannah-Jones says .
`` Black Americans never really had a chance to do that . ''
Hannah-Jones traces the wealth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that enslaved people were not allowed to own property .
She notes that the legalized segregation and racial terrorism that followed slavery exacerbated the problem and `` prevented generation after generation of Black Americans from acquiring the type of wealth or foothold in the economy that allows you to live a life that is much more typical of white Americans . ''
Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for creating the 1619 project at The New York Times , which tracks the legacy of slavery .
Her latest article for the Times Magazine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for economic reparations for Black Americans .
`` Reparations , to me , is about repair , '' she says .
`` In the context specifically of Black Americans , reparations has to do with 250 years of chattel slavery , followed by another 100 years of legalized segregation or apartheid and racial terrorism , and how that impacted the economic well-being of Black Americans . ''
On the wealth gap between white Americans and Black Americans Black Americans never really had a chance to [ create wealth ] .
Of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unable to accumulate any capital and then coming out of slavery , Black Americans face the dragnet of discrimination and segregation that further prevented them from building any type of wealth .
Black people were denied access to colleges , were denied access to high schools , were denied access to higher paying jobs .
And when Black people were able to get some land or to build a business , oftentimes they face those businesses being stolen or burned down or destroyed .
So we saw really from 1619 until 1968 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislation was passed saying you could no longer discriminate against Black Americans , Black people being denied access to the primary wealth-building tools , homeownership , federally financed loans , the G.I .
Bill to be able to purchase housing that white Americans use to build their wealth .
And so what we see today is the stark chasm that was built up over generations , and then only made worse by the fact that today Black Americans still face discrimination across the spectrum of American life .
On calling for a national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ca n't just be any one thing .
I think that you have to have targeted investment in Black communities and Black schools that have been generationally under-resourced .
You certainly need to have a commitment to strong enforcement of existing civil rights laws , because reparations do n't do any good if you 're still facing rampant employment and housing and educational discrimination .
But the center of any reparations program has to be cash payments .
The only thing that closes a wealth gap is money .
I think a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussions about , well , let 's give scholarships and let 's pay for Black people to go to college — one , the facts show that Black people with a college degree still earn less than white people , still have less wealth than white Americans who have a high school degree .
So , again , that discomfort with a cash payment is something I think we need to understand is also racialized .
And this belief that Black people are not deserving or wo n't spend their money the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But you can not close a racial wealth gap without transferring wealth to the people who have the gap .
So cash payments to me have to be central to any program .
On the conversation about reparations at the time of emancipation We are often taught in this country that Black people are emancipated and then everyone is on an even footing .
We do n't often question what does that mean to be emancipated after 250 years of bondage — to be emancipated with no job , no home , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no pots , nothing .
Enslaved people were unable to own anything or to accrue anything at all .
And so what happens at emancipation is this expectation that the government should help formerly enslaved people to get a foothold .
And what Black people wanted more than anything was land .
...
So Gen. Sherman takes that to heart and he issues Field Order 15 and Field Order 15 declares that Black families will get 40 acres of former Confederate land , and that they will be able to work that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period was very , very brief .
President Lincoln was assassinated and he was replaced by his vice president , Andrew Johnson , who was a Southerner who was a white supremacist and who believed , like many white Americans at that time , that Black people were deserving of nothing after slavery , that they should be grateful for their freedom .
And he confiscated the land and returned the land to the former confederates .
And that ended the only real effort in the history of this country to provide reparations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And that really left formerly enslaved people in absolute devastating poverty .
There are stories of mass starvation of Black people after they had been freed , having to leave the plantation and find shelter in burned out buildings , trying to forage for food in burned-out fields .
It was a devastating period for Black people .
This country decided that it was going to do nothing , that it owed these people nothing .
On why she uses the term `` enslaved person '' and not `` slave '' in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1619 Project and whenever I write about this , to not use language that further dehumanizes people who every system and structure was designed to dehumanize .
I think when we hear the word `` slave , '' we think of slavery as being the essence of that person .
But if you call someone an enslaved person , then it speaks to a condition .
These people were not slaves .
Someone chose to force them into the condition of slavery , and that language to me is very important , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over slave owner because these people did n't have a moral right to own another human being , even though the society allowed it , and I think it needs to be active , that this was an active system of people choosing to treat other human beings as property .
On where the concept of the 1619 Project came from [ As a kid ] I never knew that enslaved people , that African people , that my people , had been on this land that long , that we actually arrived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think I understood even at that moment that there was a reason we had all heard about the ship , the Mayflower , and there was a reason none of us had been taught about the ship , the White Lion , even though it arrived a year earlier and was just as significant .
So that intentional erasure and the power of that erasure stuck with me .
...
So as the 400-year anniversary was approaching , [ I ] had this nagging feeling in my stomach , a very unsettling feeling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought was so foundational to the American story was going to pass , and it was likely going to have very little fanfare .
Most Americans probably would n't ever even hear of the date .
And like so much about the history of Black Americans and slavery , it was going to be buried and marginalized .
And here I am at The New York Times and I have a huge megaphone and platform .
I could do something about that .
But I did n't want it to be a history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anniversary as a time , not to just examine what happened in the past , but to really help us focus on how if you look across modern American life , so much of our institutions , our politics , our culture can be traced back to slavery and bring that story from the margins and make it a central .
On talking to her 10-year-old daughter about the death of George Floyd and the demonstrations against police brutality The simple way that you talk about things with a younger child just does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know why .
And it is the hardest thing as a parent when your child asks you , `` Why would that police officer do that to him ? ''
And you do n't have an answer because you do n't know why .
And how do you explain to your child the sweep of 400 years of history that leads this man to think that that would be OK and he would n't get in trouble and to feel so little humanity towards this man because he 's a Black man ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I often wonder if I 'm failing at them , if I 'm either telling her too much or not explaining it well enough , because , of course , this is tough as a parent ... wanting to protect your child 's innocence as long as possible .
But being Black in this country and [ I understand that ] by protecting her too much , I 'm actually harming her .
I need to prepare her for the world .
I need to give her the armor and the language and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to see her and treat her and people like her .
And it 's probably one of the things about parenting that I question myself the most [ about ] .
On the challenge of having conversations about race with white people I personally do n't have a problem talking with anybody about race ... but the challenge — particularly when you 're talking to people who are not Black — is the bases of knowledge are just so different .
It can be hard to have the same conversation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ We can not survive without understanding how race works in this country , without understanding white Americans .
It is not a luxury for us not to know , and white Americans can largely exist in society without having to understand that history , without having to understand the social science , really not having to engage [ with ] it with any level of depth .
And so when you 're trying to have that conversation , there 's so much groundwork that has to come first .
And that can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ca n't ever really get to the meat of it .
Then the other thing is , it 's very hard for white Americans not to take it personally and get defensive when you 're talking about structures that exist and will exist whether an individual person is racist or not .
And it speaks to the really superficial way we 've dealt with racism in this country , it 's either , `` Are you saying I 'm a bad person ? ''
It 's not about that .
You do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to buy a house in a neighborhood that was a creation of racist housing policies .
But you are benefiting from those racist housing policies .
So I think to me , that is the most challenging part .
We do n't have a common language and understanding of our history and ... why things are like they are .
And a lot of Black folks just get frustrated and do n't feel like we should constantly have to teach things that are easy to know .
Amy Salit and Joel Wolfram produced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bridget Bentz and Molly Seavy-Nesper and Meghan Sullivan adapted it for the Web .

A Call For Reparations: How America Might Narrow The Racial Wealth Gap
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The killing of George Floyd has ignited protests and inspired conversations — and changes — across the globe. But New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah-Jones says more needs to be done to address America's racial wealth gap.
"Very few Americans have created all of their wealth on their own; it's passed down through generations and then built upon," Hannah-Jones says. "Black Americans never really had a chance to do that."
Hannah-Jones traces the wealth gap to slavery, and the fact that enslaved people were not allowed to own property. She notes that the legalized segregation and racial terrorism that followed slavery exacerbated the problem and "prevented generation after generation of Black Americans from acquiring the type of wealth or foothold in the economy that allows you to live a life that is much more typical of white Americans."
Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for creating the 1619 project at The New York Times, which tracks the legacy of slavery. Her latest article for the Times Magazine, What is Owed, makes the case for economic reparations for Black Americans.
"Reparations, to me, is about repair," she says. "In the context specifically of Black Americans, reparations has to do with 250 years of chattel slavery, followed by another 100 years of legalized segregation or apartheid and racial terrorism, and how that impacted the economic well-being of Black Americans."
Interview highlights
On the wealth gap between white Americans and Black Americans
Black Americans never really had a chance to [create wealth]. Of course, 250 years of slavery where they are unable to accumulate any capital and then coming out of slavery, Black Americans face the dragnet of discrimination and segregation that further prevented them from building any type of wealth. Black people were denied access to colleges, were denied access to high schools, were denied access to higher paying jobs. And when Black people were able to get some land or to build a business, oftentimes they face those businesses being stolen or burned down or destroyed.
So we saw really from 1619 until 1968, when the last of the civil rights legislation was passed saying you could no longer discriminate against Black Americans, Black people being denied access to the primary wealth-building tools, homeownership, federally financed loans, the G.I. Bill to be able to purchase housing that white Americans use to build their wealth. And so what we see today is the stark chasm that was built up over generations, and then only made worse by the fact that today Black Americans still face discrimination across the spectrum of American life.
On calling for a national conversation about reparations
I think that reparations can't just be any one thing. I think that you have to have targeted investment in Black communities and Black schools that have been generationally under-resourced. You certainly need to have a commitment to strong enforcement of existing civil rights laws, because reparations don't do any good if you're still facing rampant employment and housing and educational discrimination. But the center of any reparations program has to be cash payments. The only thing that closes a wealth gap is money.
You cannot close a racial wealth gap without transferring wealth to the people who have the gap. So cash payments to me have to be central to any program.
I think a lot of the times when we have these discussions about, well, let's give scholarships and let's pay for Black people to go to college — one, the facts show that Black people with a college degree still earn less than white people, still have less wealth than white Americans who have a high school degree. So, again, that discomfort with a cash payment is something I think we need to understand is also racialized. And this belief that Black people are not deserving or won't spend their money the way that people think that they should. But you cannot close a racial wealth gap without transferring wealth to the people who have the gap. So cash payments to me have to be central to any program.
On the conversation about reparations at the time of emancipation
We are often taught in this country that Black people are emancipated and then everyone is on an even footing. We don't often question what does that mean to be emancipated after 250 years of bondage — to be emancipated with no job, no home, no money, no clothes, no bed, no pots, nothing. Enslaved people were unable to own anything or to accrue anything at all. And so what happens at emancipation is this expectation that the government should help formerly enslaved people to get a foothold. And what Black people wanted more than anything was land. ...
There are stories of mass starvation of Black people after they had been freed, having to leave the plantation and find shelter in burned out buildings, trying to forage for food in burned-out fields. It was a devastating period for Black people. This country decided that it was going to do nothing, that it owed these people nothing.
So Gen. Sherman takes that to heart and he issues Field Order 15 and Field Order 15 declares that Black families will get 40 acres of former Confederate land, and that they will be able to work that land. ... But unfortunately, that period was very, very brief. President Lincoln was assassinated and he was replaced by his vice president, Andrew Johnson, who was a Southerner who was a white supremacist and who believed, like many white Americans at that time, that Black people were deserving of nothing after slavery, that they should be grateful for their freedom. And he confiscated the land and returned the land to the former confederates. And that ended the only real effort in the history of this country to provide reparations for those who have been enslaved. And that really left formerly enslaved people in absolute devastating poverty. There are stories of mass starvation of Black people after they had been freed, having to leave the plantation and find shelter in burned out buildings, trying to forage for food in burned-out fields. It was a devastating period for Black people. This country decided that it was going to do nothing, that it owed these people nothing.
On why she uses the term "enslaved person" and not "slave" in her writing
It was very important in the 1619 Project and whenever I write about this, to not use language that further dehumanizes people who every system and structure was designed to dehumanize. I think when we hear the word "slave," we think of slavery as being the essence of that person. But if you call someone an enslaved person, then it speaks to a condition. These people were not slaves. Someone chose to force them into the condition of slavery, and that language to me is very important, as is using the word "enslaver" over slave owner because these people didn't have a moral right to own another human being, even though the society allowed it, and I think it needs to be active, that this was an active system of people choosing to treat other human beings as property.
Enlarge this image toggle caption The New York Times The New York Times
On where the concept of the 1619 Project came from
[As a kid] I never knew that enslaved people, that African people, that my people, had been on this land that long, that we actually arrived here before the pilgrims. And I think I understood even at that moment that there was a reason we had all heard about the ship, the Mayflower, and there was a reason none of us had been taught about the ship, the White Lion, even though it arrived a year earlier and was just as significant. So that intentional erasure and the power of that erasure stuck with me. ...
So as the 400-year anniversary was approaching, [I] had this nagging feeling in my stomach, a very unsettling feeling that this tremendous anniversary ... that I thought was so foundational to the American story was going to pass, and it was likely going to have very little fanfare. Most Americans probably wouldn't ever even hear of the date. And like so much about the history of Black Americans and slavery, it was going to be buried and marginalized. And here I am at The New York Times and I have a huge megaphone and platform. I could do something about that. But I didn't want it to be a history. ... I wanted to use that anniversary as a time, not to just examine what happened in the past, but to really help us focus on how if you look across modern American life, so much of our institutions, our politics, our culture can be traced back to slavery and bring that story from the margins and make it a central.
On talking to her 10-year-old daughter about the death of George Floyd and the demonstrations against police brutality
The simple way that you talk about things with a younger child just doesn't work anymore. She wants to know why. And it is the hardest thing as a parent when your child asks you, "Why would that police officer do that to him?" And you don't have an answer because you don't know why. And how do you explain to your child the sweep of 400 years of history that leads this man to think that that would be OK and he wouldn't get in trouble and to feel so little humanity towards this man because he's a Black man?
Those are really hard conversations. And I often wonder if I'm failing at them, if I'm either telling her too much or not explaining it well enough, because, of course, this is tough as a parent ... wanting to protect your child's innocence as long as possible. But being Black in this country and [I understand that] by protecting her too much, I'm actually harming her. I need to prepare her for the world. I need to give her the armor and the language and the understanding to know how the world is going to see her and treat her and people like her. And it's probably one of the things about parenting that I question myself the most [about].
On the challenge of having conversations about race with white people
I personally don't have a problem talking with anybody about race ... but the challenge — particularly when you're talking to people who are not Black — is the bases of knowledge are just so different. It can be hard to have the same conversation. Black people have to study race. We cannot survive without understanding how race works in this country, without understanding white Americans. It is not a luxury for us not to know, and white Americans can largely exist in society without having to understand that history, without having to understand the social science, really not having to engage [with] it with any level of depth. And so when you're trying to have that conversation, there's so much groundwork that has to come first. And that can be really challenging, because it seems like you can't ever really get to the meat of it.
Then the other thing is, it's very hard for white Americans not to take it personally and get defensive when you're talking about structures that exist and will exist whether an individual person is racist or not. And it speaks to the really superficial way we've dealt with racism in this country, it's either, "Are you saying I'm a bad person?" It's not about that. You don't have to be a bad person to buy a house in a neighborhood that was a creation of racist housing policies. But you are benefiting from those racist housing policies. So I think to me, that is the most challenging part. We don't have a common language and understanding of our history and ... why things are like they are. And a lot of Black folks just get frustrated and don't feel like we should constantly have to teach things that are easy to know.
Amy Salit and Joel Wolfram produced and edited the audio of this interview. Bridget Bentz and Molly Seavy-Nesper and Meghan Sullivan adapted it for the Web.


npr--2020-06-24--New York City Marathon Canceled Due To Coronavirus

The 2020 New York City Marathon has been canceled , organizers announced on Wednesday .
The decision to shutter the race , which is the world 's largest marathon and one of the city 's marquee events , was due to `` coronavirus-related health and safety concerns , '' according to a statement from the organizer , New York Road Runners .
`` Canceling this year 's TCS New York City Marathon is incredibly disappointing for everyone involved , but it was clearly the course we needed to follow from a health and safety perspective , '' Michael Capiraso , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Runners , said in the statement .
The event , which was scheduled to take place Nov. 1 , would have been the 50th running of the marathon .
That will now happen on Nov. 7 , 2021 .
The race usually attracts more than 50,000 runners , 10,000 volunteers and about 1 million fans , according to The New York Times .
Fans and spectators line the route , which goes through all five boroughs of the nation 's largest city .
Last month , organizers of the Boston Marathon announced that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 124 years and moved to a virtual event .
Runners who were registered to participate in the New York City Marathon have the option to receive a refund of their entry fee or gain complimentary entry into one of the next three years ' races .
`` While the marathon is an iconic and beloved event in our city , I applaud New York Road Runners for putting the health and safety of both spectators and runners first , '' New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in the statement .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running of the marathon in November of 2021 . ''
The mayor 's office was also involved in the decision to cancel the event .
More than 17,600 people are confirmed to have died from the virus in the city , and more than 4,000 others are believed to have died from COVID-19 , according to city data .

New York City Marathon Canceled Due To Coronavirus
Enlarge this image toggle caption Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP
The 2020 New York City Marathon has been canceled, organizers announced on Wednesday.
The decision to shutter the race, which is the world's largest marathon and one of the city's marquee events, was due to "coronavirus-related health and safety concerns," according to a statement from the organizer, New York Road Runners.
"Canceling this year's TCS New York City Marathon is incredibly disappointing for everyone involved, but it was clearly the course we needed to follow from a health and safety perspective," Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners, said in the statement.
The event, which was scheduled to take place Nov. 1, would have been the 50th running of the marathon. That will now happen on Nov. 7, 2021.
The race usually attracts more than 50,000 runners, 10,000 volunteers and about 1 million fans, according to The New York Times. Fans and spectators line the route, which goes through all five boroughs of the nation's largest city.
Last month, organizers of the Boston Marathon announced that it was canceled for the first time in 124 years and moved to a virtual event.
Runners who were registered to participate in the New York City Marathon have the option to receive a refund of their entry fee or gain complimentary entry into one of the next three years' races.
"While the marathon is an iconic and beloved event in our city, I applaud New York Road Runners for putting the health and safety of both spectators and runners first," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in the statement. "We look forward to hosting the 50th running of the marathon in November of 2021."
The mayor's office was also involved in the decision to cancel the event. More than 17,600 people are confirmed to have died from the virus in the city, and more than 4,000 others are believed to have died from COVID-19, according to city data.


npr--2020-06-24--Where The Women Aren't: On Coronavirus Task Forces

Where The Women Are n't : On Coronavirus Task Forces There are 27 members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force .
Only two are women : Dr. Deborah Birx and Seema Verma , administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services .
It 's a gender breakdown that 's echoed around the world .
For example , 10 of the 31 members and advisers of the World Health Organization 's Emergency Committee on COVID-19 are women , and of the 25 members of the WHO-China joint mission on COVID-19 , 20 % are women .
Yet the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a greater toll on women than on men .
Health care workers are at greater risk of infection than the general population , and 70 % of the world 's health workforce , according to the WHO , are women .
Countries are reporting higher numbers of reports of domestic violence as stay-at-home orders have confined women to tight quarters with abusive family members .
And widespread shutdowns have disrupted women 's access to maternal health services .
A study in The Lancet estimates , in its worst-case scenario , that nearly 60,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complications over a six-month time period as a result of COVID-19 .
In response to this lack of voice , women activists around the world have pushed for better representation — with mixed results .
In March , Roopa Dhatt , a physician who is the co-founder and executive director of Women in Global Health , held a dozen one-on-one meetings with representatives from U.N. agencies and governments , encouraging them to include more women on their coronavirus task forces .
Dhatt says most of the people she spoke to told her that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for such discussions .
In a conversation with a senior member of a `` global agency that has been leading '' on the COVID-19 response , she says she was told : `` We 're in a wartime , and we have to prioritize what 's the most urgent . ''
Since then , Dhatt has seen signs of progress in the effort to bring women — and women 's issues — to the table .
But there are still obstacles .
`` I do n't think we 've had too many honest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out in the first place .
It 's based on this fundamental lack of confidence in what they can bring to the table , '' says Loyce Pace , president and the executive director of Global Health Council , a coalition of academic institutions , think tanks and groups in the global health sector .
`` To exclude someone — that 's a choice . ''
Here are some of the issues that women are fighting for : Problem : Some countries are not reporting the gender of confirmed COVID-19 cases , hospitalizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to Global Health 50/50 , a research project of the University College London 's Centre for Gender and Global Health , out of 106 countries surveyed , 23 do not have sex-disaggregated data .
This includes countries with some of the largest COVID-19 case counts in the world : Russia , Turkey and the United Arab Emirates .
The lack of gender-specific data matters , experts say .
Dhatt says she believes that women face more situations that put them at risk of the disease .
At home , they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an ailing family member , exposing themselves to the virus , Dhatt says .
And the risks that face all health workers fall disproportionately on women because of their high numbers in that field , she says : long hours , high stress and insufficient or inadequate personal protective equipment .
Amina Jama , who leads Somalia 's chapter for Women In Global Health , says that in her country , some health care workers have had to use the niqab , the Islamic covering that shields the face , as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem with personal protective equipment : It may not fit correctly , says Anna Purdie , program manager at Global Health 50/50 .
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , it is critical for PPE to fit properly to ensure protection , from the gown to gloves to goggles .
But women do n't always have access to PPE geared for women 's frames .
In fact , a 2016 survey of 3,086 women in a range of industries , conducted by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers Support Network and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of respondents reported that the PPE they wear is designed for women .
If data establish higher infection rates among female health workers than among male health workers , then `` the data can be used to devise policies and strategies that are gender-sensitive , '' says Jama — for example , a government requirement that they be given properly fitting PPE .
The solution ( in progress ) : Somalia is a partial success story .
The initial COVID-19 data were not categorized by gender and age , but after four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jama and the Somalia chapter of Women in Global Health , along with other local nonprofits and advocates , say the government has begun releasing this information .
One initial finding is that the average age of women infected is younger than men .
But the data have not yet been conclusive because the information is too preliminary , Jama says .
As a result , the government has not made any changes to its policies , but Jama is continuing to monitor the data .
The problem : Women , because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have crucial knowledge that can help shape COVID-19 prevention — but decision-makers are not consistently tapping into their expertise , Jama says .
She shares the story of a nurse she met at a weekly Facebook chat for Somalian women health care workers , who make up an estimated 80 % of the health workforce , according to the Ministry of Health .
The nurse said she was told to encourage people in the low-income community where she worked to wash hands frequently .
`` And she felt guilty telling [ that to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to drink , '' Jama says .
After health authorities set up hand-washing stations in the area , people came — not to wash up but to fetch water for household use .
If the nurse had been invited to share her insights with members of the country 's COVID-19 task force , Jama says , `` she would have told them that they need to provide water to drink first and then bring the hand-washing campaign . ''
The solution ( in progress ) : Global health advocates are pressing for female @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and her group finally got their breakthrough in May at the World Health Assembly , the decision-making body of the World Health Organization .
Some of the policies that Dhatt had been negotiating with member states to include in their own COVID-19 strategies made it into the World Health Assembly resolution : language calling for more involvement of women in pandemic decision-making as well as for COVID-19 plans to respond to the needs of all genders .
Getting words into a document may not sound like a big deal but is an important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These resolutions ensure from a global perspective that governments are prioritizing gender .
Second thing is , these documents become useful for how funding is allocated .
Without that language in the resolution , it 's hard to hold governments to account . ''
The problem : As some governments develop policies to address the pandemic , services to women are severely affected .
In May , the U.S. sent a letter to the United Nations , requesting that the agency remove references to `` sexual and reproductive health '' — including abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying that the `` U.N. should not intimidate or coerce Member States that are committed to the right to life . ''
Women 's health groups expressed concern , saying these services are an essential part of health care in an emergency such as the pandemic .
`` From the very beginning , '' says Lyric Thompson , senior director of policy and advocacy for the International Center for Research on Women , `` there should have been an analytical and intentional process [ among U.S. foreign policy makers ] that asked , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choices that we make are not exacerbating issues for women ? '
`` The solution ( in progress ) : Create foreign policies that take women 's well-being into account , Thompson says .
In May , she and representatives from a coalition of more than 50 humanitarian and women 's rights groups rolled out a vision for a U.S. `` feminist foreign policy . ''
They 're calling for the creation of a `` feminist inspector general '' at the White House , among other actions , to ensure that international programs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — are designed for women and protect women from the get-go in any future crisis .
Feminist foreign policies have been put in place in countries such as Sweden , France , Canada and Mexico .
Karina Gould , head of Canada 's international development ministry and its Feminist International Assistance Policy , says she has n't had any trouble convincing Canadian leaders to put gender on the global COVID-19 agenda .
`` I 'm leading that .
I can push that .
That 's my decision . ''
Since the pandemic began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 've been trying to do with Canada 's international assistance is to stay the course on sexual and reproductive rights work , '' she says .
On Monday , the agency announced it would give $ 93.7 million to six global sexual health and reproductive rights projects to ensure access to safe abortion and contraception during the pandemic .
The funding will benefit organizations such as Ipas , which provides contraception to Rohingya refugee women , and the U.N 's family planning agency , the U.N. Population Fund , in countries such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Thompson says she hopes that the U.S. can adopt a similar gender-focused approach to foreign policy .
`` The key points we are advocating for transcend partisan politics and would benefit any administration , '' she says .
But Pace of the Global Health Council warns that the challenge with any new effort to bring women into all levels of COVID-19 planning — or any policy for that matter — is that `` it does n't solve all problems .
Where the rubber meets the road is how that policy is executed @ @

Where The Women Aren't: On Coronavirus Task Forces
Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
There are 27 members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
Only two are women: Dr. Deborah Birx and Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
It's a gender breakdown that's echoed around the world. For example, 10 of the 31 members and advisers of the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee on COVID-19 are women, and of the 25 members of the WHO-China joint mission on COVID-19, 20% are women.
Although research has shown that men appear more likely to suffer more severely or die from COVID-19 than women, the pandemic is, by some measures, taking a greater toll on women.
Health care workers are at greater risk of infection than the general population, and 70% of the world's health workforce, according to the WHO, are women.
Countries are reporting higher numbers of reports of domestic violence as stay-at-home orders have confined women to tight quarters with abusive family members. And widespread shutdowns have disrupted women's access to maternal health services. A study in The Lancet estimates, in its worst-case scenario, that nearly 60,000 additional women could die of maternal health complications over a six-month time period as a result of COVID-19.
In response to this lack of voice, women activists around the world have pushed for better representation — with mixed results.
In March, Roopa Dhatt, a physician who is the co-founder and executive director of Women in Global Health, held a dozen one-on-one meetings with representatives from U.N. agencies and governments, encouraging them to include more women on their coronavirus task forces.
Dhatt says most of the people she spoke to told her that "now is not the time" for such discussions. In a conversation with a senior member of a "global agency that has been leading" on the COVID-19 response, she says she was told: "We're in a wartime, and we have to prioritize what's the most urgent."
Since then, Dhatt has seen signs of progress in the effort to bring women — and women's issues — to the table.
But there are still obstacles. "I don't think we've had too many honest conversations as to why women are left out in the first place. It's based on this fundamental lack of confidence in what they can bring to the table," says Loyce Pace, president and the executive director of Global Health Council, a coalition of academic institutions, think tanks and groups in the global health sector. "To exclude someone — that's a choice."
Here are some of the issues that women are fighting for:
Data based on gender
Problem: Some countries are not reporting the gender of confirmed COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions and deaths. According to Global Health 50/50, a research project of the University College London's Centre for Gender and Global Health, out of 106 countries surveyed, 23 do not have sex-disaggregated data. This includes countries with some of the largest COVID-19 case counts in the world: Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
The lack of gender-specific data matters, experts say. Dhatt says she believes that women face more situations that put them at risk of the disease. At home, they are more likely to be the ones caring for an ailing family member, exposing themselves to the virus, Dhatt says. And the risks that face all health workers fall disproportionately on women because of their high numbers in that field, she says: long hours, high stress and insufficient or inadequate personal protective equipment. Amina Jama, who leads Somalia's chapter for Women In Global Health, says that in her country, some health care workers have had to use the niqab, the Islamic covering that shields the face, as a face mask.
Women face an additional problem with personal protective equipment: It may not fit correctly, says Anna Purdie, program manager at Global Health 50/50.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is critical for PPE to fit properly to ensure protection, from the gown to gloves to goggles. But women don't always have access to PPE geared for women's frames. In fact, a 2016 survey of 3,086 women in a range of industries, conducted by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers Support Network and other groups, found that just 29% of respondents reported that the PPE they wear is designed for women.
If data establish higher infection rates among female health workers than among male health workers, then "the data can be used to devise policies and strategies that are gender-sensitive," says Jama — for example, a government requirement that they be given properly fitting PPE.
The solution (in progress): Somalia is a partial success story. The initial COVID-19 data were not categorized by gender and age, but after four weeks of advocating for this breakdown, Jama and the Somalia chapter of Women in Global Health, along with other local nonprofits and advocates, say the government has begun releasing this information.
One initial finding is that the average age of women infected is younger than men. But the data have not yet been conclusive because the information is too preliminary, Jama says. As a result, the government has not made any changes to its policies, but Jama is continuing to monitor the data.
Women at the table
The problem: Women, because of their vast presence in health care, have crucial knowledge that can help shape COVID-19 prevention — but decision-makers are not consistently tapping into their expertise, Jama says.
She shares the story of a nurse she met at a weekly Facebook chat for Somalian women health care workers, who make up an estimated 80% of the health workforce, according to the Ministry of Health.
The nurse said she was told to encourage people in the low-income community where she worked to wash hands frequently. "And she felt guilty telling [that to] people who do not have water to drink," Jama says.
After health authorities set up hand-washing stations in the area, people came — not to wash up but to fetch water for household use.
If the nurse had been invited to share her insights with members of the country's COVID-19 task force, Jama says, "she would have told them that they need to provide water to drink first and then bring the hand-washing campaign."
The solution (in progress): Global health advocates are pressing for female representation in COVID-19 task forces. Dhatt and her group finally got their breakthrough in May at the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization. Some of the policies that Dhatt had been negotiating with member states to include in their own COVID-19 strategies made it into the World Health Assembly resolution: language calling for more involvement of women in pandemic decision-making as well as for COVID-19 plans to respond to the needs of all genders.
Getting words into a document may not sound like a big deal but is an important first step, Dhatt says. "These resolutions ensure from a global perspective that governments are prioritizing gender. Second thing is, these documents become useful for how funding is allocated. Without that language in the resolution, it's hard to hold governments to account."
Policies that consider women
The problem: As some governments develop policies to address the pandemic, services to women are severely affected. In May, the U.S. sent a letter to the United Nations, requesting that the agency remove references to "sexual and reproductive health" — including abortion services — in its COVID-19 plan, saying that the "U.N. should not intimidate or coerce Member States that are committed to the right to life." Women's health groups expressed concern, saying these services are an essential part of health care in an emergency such as the pandemic.
"From the very beginning," says Lyric Thompson, senior director of policy and advocacy for the International Center for Research on Women, "there should have been an analytical and intentional process [among U.S. foreign policy makers] that asked, 'How do we make sure the policy choices that we make are not exacerbating issues for women?' "
The solution (in progress): Create foreign policies that take women's well-being into account, Thompson says. In May, she and representatives from a coalition of more than 50 humanitarian and women's rights groups rolled out a vision for a U.S. "feminist foreign policy." They're calling for the creation of a "feminist inspector general" at the White House, among other actions, to ensure that international programs — from trade initiatives to humanitarian aid — are designed for women and protect women from the get-go in any future crisis.
Feminist foreign policies have been put in place in countries such as Sweden, France, Canada and Mexico.
Karina Gould, head of Canada's international development ministry and its Feminist International Assistance Policy, says she hasn't had any trouble convincing Canadian leaders to put gender on the global COVID-19 agenda. "I'm leading that. I can push that. That's my decision."
Since the pandemic began, "a large part of what I've been trying to do with Canada's international assistance is to stay the course on sexual and reproductive rights work," she says.
On Monday, the agency announced it would give $93.7 million to six global sexual health and reproductive rights projects to ensure access to safe abortion and contraception during the pandemic. The funding will benefit organizations such as Ipas, which provides contraception to Rohingya refugee women, and the U.N's family planning agency, the U.N. Population Fund, in countries such as Indonesia, South Africa and Tanzania.
Thompson says she hopes that the U.S. can adopt a similar gender-focused approach to foreign policy. "The key points we are advocating for transcend partisan politics and would benefit any administration," she says.
But Pace of the Global Health Council warns that the challenge with any new effort to bring women into all levels of COVID-19 planning — or any policy for that matter — is that "it doesn't solve all problems. Where the rubber meets the road is how that policy is executed."


npr--2020-06-24--Israel's Government Wants Spy Agency To Resume COVID-19 Tracing. Spy Chief Objects

As Israel faces a new surge of coronavirus cases , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing to restart a controversial cellphone contact-tracing program put on hold this month .
But the spy agency that ran the surveillance does n't want to do it again .
From March to May , the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency tracked Israelis ' cellphone location data and notified those who may have crossed paths with a coronavirus carrier to self-isolate at home .
To do so , the agency employed counterterrorism technology it usually uses to spy on Palestinians .
Israeli lawmakers raised privacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program , ruling that a law must be passed for it to continue .
On Sunday , Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman pleaded with Cabinet ministers not to compel his agency to resume the surveillance .
He cited the technologies used in counterterrorism operations in his argument against legislating the program , according to Israeli Channel 12 News , which obtained a leaked recording of the Cabinet meeting .
The spy chief offered to train a civilian-managed contact-tracing program , which he said could be effective at tracking hundreds of virus cases .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ urge lawmakers to pass a law enshrining the Shin Bet 's surveillance program .
The measure passed an initial vote in parliament later in the day .
It 's unclear when a final vote will happen .
Netanyahu has acknowledged the privacy concerns but argues that the health threat level justified the measures .
He has said the Shin Bet 's expertise is needed for at least several weeks until a civilian-built cellphone app in development is ready to launch .
A leading Israeli technology and privacy rights expert , Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contact-tracing app already exists — Hamagen , which a million Israelis have downloaded voluntarily — and its more advanced version could be operational within one week .
She said the Shin Bet program is intrusive and undemocratic .
`` Using the secret service to use mass surveillance of the population is very , very extreme , unprecedented , and puts Israel , I would say , among the nondemocracies , '' Shwartz Altshuler told NPR .
She said data published on the Shin Bet 's surveillance program show fewer than 3 out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successfully detected , in part because the technology is less effective at tracking subjects indoors .
Israeli officials have looked to replicate mobile apps developed in Europe that use Bluetooth to identify when a person comes in contact with a virus carrier , without governments collecting users ' cellphone data .
Shwartz Altshuler said such apps are only effective if half of the country 's population uses them .
Israeli officials have also proposed Bluetooth-enabled wristbands for the estimated 3.6 million Israelis who do not carry cellphones .
Sami Sockol contributed to this @ @ @ @

Israel's Government Wants Spy Agency To Resume COVID-19 Tracing. Spy Chief Objects
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 3 p.m. ET
As Israel faces a new surge of coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing to restart a controversial cellphone contact-tracing program put on hold this month. But the spy agency that ran the surveillance doesn't want to do it again.
From March to May, the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency tracked Israelis' cellphone location data and notified those who may have crossed paths with a coronavirus carrier to self-isolate at home. To do so, the agency employed counterterrorism technology it usually uses to spy on Palestinians.
Israeli lawmakers raised privacy concerns and the Supreme Court halted the program, ruling that a law must be passed for it to continue.
On Sunday, Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman pleaded with Cabinet ministers not to compel his agency to resume the surveillance. He cited the technologies used in counterterrorism operations in his argument against legislating the program, according to Israeli Channel 12 News, which obtained a leaked recording of the Cabinet meeting. The spy chief offered to train a civilian-managed contact-tracing program, which he said could be effective at tracking hundreds of virus cases.
But Netanyahu convened his government Wednesday to urge lawmakers to pass a law enshrining the Shin Bet's surveillance program. The measure passed an initial vote in parliament later in the day. It's unclear when a final vote will happen.
Netanyahu has acknowledged the privacy concerns but argues that the health threat level justified the measures. He has said the Shin Bet's expertise is needed for at least several weeks until a civilian-built cellphone app in development is ready to launch.
A leading Israeli technology and privacy rights expert, Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler of the Israel Democracy Institute, said a contact-tracing app already exists — Hamagen, which a million Israelis have downloaded voluntarily — and its more advanced version could be operational within one week. She said the Shin Bet program is intrusive and undemocratic.
"Using the secret service to use mass surveillance of the population is very, very extreme, unprecedented, and puts Israel, I would say, among the nondemocracies," Shwartz Altshuler told NPR.
She said data published on the Shin Bet's surveillance program show fewer than 3 out of every 10 positive virus cases were successfully detected, in part because the technology is less effective at tracking subjects indoors.
Israeli officials have looked to replicate mobile apps developed in Europe that use Bluetooth to identify when a person comes in contact with a virus carrier, without governments collecting users' cellphone data. Shwartz Altshuler said such apps are only effective if half of the country's population uses them.
Israeli officials have also proposed Bluetooth-enabled wristbands for the estimated 3.6 million Israelis who do not carry cellphones.
Sami Sockol contributed to this story from Jerusalem.


npr--2020-06-25--Tracking The Pandemic: Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State?

Tracking The Pandemic : Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State ?
More than 2 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 115,000 have died .
The growth in new cases overall had slowed in late spring but new hot spots began to emerge as others subsided .
By mid-June new cases began to trend upward nationally as several states saw surges .
In the graphics below , explore the trend in new cases in your state to see whether cases are rising , falling or staying level .
To jump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths by state , click here .
The following chart displays states ' trends in new daily case counts , total cases , and per capita totals .
To compare state outbreaks , the trend lines for average new daily cases are graphed against each state 's total case count to date .
This highlights a state 's daily growth relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case counts grow quickly , the curve bends upward .
As cases slow , the curve levels or bends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the country 's largest outbreak , the state 's curve rose sharply before reaching over 170,000 total cases in April .
Since then , new cases have fallen from about 10,000 per day in mid-April to fewer than 700 per day in late June .
Some states , such as Hawaii , have declined to just a dozen new cases per day , while others are growing .
Arizona , which had leveled off at around 15,000 total cases in May , saw a sudden sharp spike in new cases in June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much harder than others .
For much of the pandemic , a large share of U.S. cases have been centered around New York City .
As of early June , New York state , Connecticut and New Jersey accounted for about 30 % of total cases in the nation and 42 % of deaths , although new cases have been dropping in these three states .
Across the country , other large , populous states such as California , Illinois and Texas have high totals as well .
Some smaller states have had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their population size , such as Nebraska and Iowa , which have high case counts per capita , and Louisiana and Michigan which have a high death count per capita .
Explore the map below to see totals and per capita figures around the country .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths .
For more detail on your state , the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state , week over week .
States marked in shades of red are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ green , are showing declines .
The data used here are compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources , including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; the World Health Organization ; national , state and local government health departments ; 1point3acres ; and local media reports .
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable at this time .
There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website .
Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships .
In early June , Michigan health authorities started including probable cases in its totals .
This resulted in a brief spike in the state 's daily numbers until the JHU team was able to reconcile the historical data .
This story was originally published on March 16 , 2020 .
Elena Renken was a co-author on that version .
Sean McMinn contributed to and Carmel Wroth edited this story .

Tracking the coronavirus around the U.S.: See how your state is doing
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Note: This page was last updated on Feb. 1, 2023. It will no longer be updated. For current data on COVID cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Feb. 1, there have been more than 101 million confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. and more than 1 million people have died of COVID-19. In the graphics below, explore the trends in your state.
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The above charts show average new cases per 100,000 people for each state over the last 12 months.
Note: Actual cases may be substantially higher, since many who test positive with at-home tests don't report their cases.
For additional data about COVID-19 in the U.S, including cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
To show trends, the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state, week over week for the last 28 days. States marked in shades of red have growing outbreaks; those in shades of green, are declining.
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Methodology
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the World Health Organization; national, state and local government health departments; 1point3acres; and local media reports.
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies. This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this page as the JHU team resolves anomalies and updates its feeds. There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department's website. Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships.
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases, process testing backlogs or update their methodologies. The JHU team maintains a list of such changes.
This story was originally published on March 16, 2020. Elena Renken was a co-author on that version. Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story. Carmel Wroth edited this story.


npr--2020-06-25--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

Coronavirus World Map : Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak Since the new coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan , China , in December , the infectious respiratory disease COVID-19 has spread rapidly within China and to neighboring countries and beyond .
The first confirmed coronavirus cases outside China occurred on Jan. 20 , in Japan , Thailand and South Korea .
On Jan. 21 , the first case in the U.S. was identified in Washington state .
On Jan. 24 , the first two European cases were confirmed in France .
By Feb. 1 , eight European nations had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month later that count had risen to 24 countries with at least 2,200 cases , most of them in Italy .
On March 11 , Italy eclipsed 10,000 cases and the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic — the first since H1N1 in 2009 .
That 's also when China , the original epicenter , began seeing drops in daily counts of new cases .
March also saw exponential spread of the virus throughout the U.S. , with all 50 states reporting cases by March 17 .
This particular virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the third strain of coronavirus known to frequently cause severe symptoms in humans .
The other two strains cause Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome .
Click here to see the state-by-state breakdown of cases in the United States .
This story was originally published on March 30 , 2020 .

Coronavirus world map: We've now passed the 600 million mark for infections
Editor's note: This page is no longer being updated. The last update was Sept. 5, 2022. For current data about COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world, Johns Hopkins University and Our World in Data are useful resources.
In late January 2020 only a few dozen COVID-19 infections had been identified outside of China. A year later, the world tallied its first 100 million cases. It took the globe just 7 more months to pass the 200 million mark— then another 5 months to hit 300 million, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Now the virus has spread to every corner of the globe and has been blamed for more than 6 million deaths.
The United States, India and Brazil in that order have had the most COVID cases and the three nations collectively account for almost half of all recorded infections so far in the pandemic.
Explore the chart below to find a country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January 2020.
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Explore how the number of coronavirus cases have shifted in different parts of the world over time. The first chart compares each continent to each other, while the next charts highlight the number of cases in select countries by region.
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This story was originally published on March 30, 2020.


npr--2020-06-25--'Gone With The Wind' Returns To HBO Max With New Introduction

'Gone With The Wind ' Returns To HBO Max With New Introduction Gone With The Wind has returned to the streaming service HBO Max after it was removed earlier this month because of its benign portrayal of American slavery .
The film now features a new introduction by film scholar and Turner Classic Movies host Jacqueline Stewart .
In the introduction , Stewart addresses the film 's problematic depiction of the Antebellum South .
`` Eighty years after its initial release , 'Gone With the Wind ' is a film of undeniable cultural significance , '' she says .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Hollywood 's racist practices of the past but also an enduring work of popular culture that speaks directly to the racial inequalities that persist in media and society today . ''
Stewart adds that the film depicts a `` world of grace and beauty , without acknowledging the brutalities of the system of chattel slavery upon which this world is based . ''
The streaming service also added two companion videos along with the return of the film .
One video features a panel discussion on the film 's controversial legacy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who in 1940 became the first African American to win an Oscar for her portrayal of the enslaved `` Mammy . ''
The 1939 film has long been the subject of criticism , with some saying it portrayed the Confederacy with sentimentality and fondness .
Recent protests for racial justice sparked by the police killing of George Floyd renewed these concerns .
Screenwriter , producer and director John Ridley wrote an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times earlier this month calling on HBO Max to remove Gone With the Wind from its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very best talents in Hollywood at that time working together to sentimentalize a history that never was , '' Ridley wrote .
`` And it continues to give cover to those who falsely claim that clinging to the iconography of the plantation era is a matter of 'heritage , not hate . '
`` A spokesperson for the streaming service told NPR in a statement at the time of the film 's removal that the `` racist depictions '' in the film were `` wrong then and wrong today , and we felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible . ''
The spokesperson added that aside from the new introduction , the movie itself would not be altered once it returned , `` because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed . ''
Stewart reiterated those sentiments in her introduction , acknowledging that while watching Gone With The Wind and other classic films could be uncomfortable or painful , the films should be available in their original form to `` invite viewers to reflect on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''

'Gone With The Wind' Returns To HBO Max With New Introduction
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP AP
Gone With The Wind has returned to the streaming service HBO Max after it was removed earlier this month because of its benign portrayal of American slavery. The film now features a new introduction by film scholar and Turner Classic Movies host Jacqueline Stewart.
In the introduction, Stewart addresses the film's problematic depiction of the Antebellum South.
"Eighty years after its initial release, 'Gone With the Wind' is a film of undeniable cultural significance," she says. "It is not only a major document of Hollywood's racist practices of the past but also an enduring work of popular culture that speaks directly to the racial inequalities that persist in media and society today."
Stewart adds that the film depicts a "world of grace and beauty, without acknowledging the brutalities of the system of chattel slavery upon which this world is based."
The streaming service also added two companion videos along with the return of the film. One video features a panel discussion on the film's controversial legacy and another provides more information about Hattie McDaniel, who in 1940 became the first African American to win an Oscar for her portrayal of the enslaved "Mammy."
Enlarge this image toggle caption DAMIAN DOVARGANES/AP DAMIAN DOVARGANES/AP
The 1939 film has long been the subject of criticism, with some saying it portrayed the Confederacy with sentimentality and fondness. Recent protests for racial justice sparked by the police killing of George Floyd renewed these concerns. Screenwriter, producer and director John Ridley wrote an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times earlier this month calling on HBO Max to remove Gone With the Wind from its library.
"The movie had the very best talents in Hollywood at that time working together to sentimentalize a history that never was," Ridley wrote. "And it continues to give cover to those who falsely claim that clinging to the iconography of the plantation era is a matter of 'heritage, not hate.' "
A spokesperson for the streaming service told NPR in a statement at the time of the film's removal that the "racist depictions" in the film were "wrong then and wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible."
The spokesperson added that aside from the new introduction, the movie itself would not be altered once it returned, "because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed."
Stewart reiterated those sentiments in her introduction, acknowledging that while watching Gone With The Wind and other classic films could be uncomfortable or painful, the films should be available in their original form to "invite viewers to reflect on their own beliefs when watching them now."


npr--2020-06-25--Both Chambers Of Congress Back For 1st Time During Pandemic Amid Questions On Tests

Both Chambers Of Congress Back For 1st Time During Pandemic Amid Questions On Tests On Thursday , the House and Senate will be in session at the same time , for the first time , since the pandemic began more than three months ago .
While the 100-member Senate resumed its regular floor business in May , the much larger House of Representatives has met sparingly .
With more than 430 members , the lower chamber faces higher risks for an outbreak .
And like many other workplaces around the country , Congress has had to ration tests for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees , aides and lawmakers is being done remotely .
Last month , the House approved new rules allowing proxy voting and hearings by video conference .
`` Rationing tests for members of Congress ... to me , it 's maddening , '' said Dr. Ashish Jha , director of the Harvard Global Health Institute .
`` Like , this is no way to run a country . ''
But there have been some improvements .
The attending physician to Congress can now test asymptomatic members , a senior Democratic aide told NPR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could access tests .
Meanwhile , the Capitol remains closed to the general public for tours and visits .
And those still meeting there largely adhere to the attending physician 's guidance to maintain social distancing and wear masks .
`` Everyone should just wear a damn mask , like you guys are , like I am right now , '' Sen. Marco Rubio , R-Fla. , told reporters Wednesday .
Members of Congress saw a spike in cases at the start of the pandemic but have largely flattened their curve , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capitol workers — which include staff members , Capitol Police officers and those who maintain operations — have seen a larger influx of cases , with more than 60 by mid-June , according to a congressional aide .
`` Those are the ones that we should be concerned about developing some long-term testing protocols for , because it 's not just about the members , '' Rep. Rodney Davis , R-Ill. , ranking member on the House Administration Committee , told NPR recently .
Davis has been on the hunt for a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , asking for the attending physician to partner with the military or a private vendor to test 2,000 people or more a week .
But so far Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , have said Congress should n't get prioritized testing ahead of essential workers .
The chair of the House Administration Committee , Rep. Zoe Lofgren , D-Calif. , agrees with that plan — for now .
`` I think until the country is in better shape , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position to test everybody who comes into the Capitol , '' Lofgren said .
Experts such as Jha say national testing still has n't reached recommended levels .
Among those showing little interest in boosting it is President Trump , who told a rally last weekend in Tulsa , Okla. , that he asked for testing to be slowed .
On Tuesday , Trump told reporters he was n't kidding when he made the comments .
`` Testing is a double-edged sword , '' he said .

Both Chambers Of Congress Back For 1st Time During Pandemic Amid Questions On Tests
Enlarge this image toggle caption House Television via AP House Television via AP
On Thursday, the House and Senate will be in session at the same time, for the first time, since the pandemic began more than three months ago.
While the 100-member Senate resumed its regular floor business in May, the much larger House of Representatives has met sparingly. With more than 430 members, the lower chamber faces higher risks for an outbreak.
And like many other workplaces around the country, Congress has had to ration tests for the coronavirus. Much of the work by employees, aides and lawmakers is being done remotely. Last month, the House approved new rules allowing proxy voting and hearings by video conference.
"Rationing tests for members of Congress ... to me, it's maddening," said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. "Like, this is no way to run a country."
But there have been some improvements. The attending physician to Congress can now test asymptomatic members, a senior Democratic aide told NPR. Previously, only some sick members could access tests.
Meanwhile, the Capitol remains closed to the general public for tours and visits. And those still meeting there largely adhere to the attending physician's guidance to maintain social distancing and wear masks.
"Everyone should just wear a damn mask, like you guys are, like I am right now," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told reporters Wednesday.
Members of Congress saw a spike in cases at the start of the pandemic but have largely flattened their curve, with a total of nine cases.
But Capitol workers — which include staff members, Capitol Police officers and those who maintain operations — have seen a larger influx of cases, with more than 60 by mid-June, according to a congressional aide.
"Those are the ones that we should be concerned about developing some long-term testing protocols for, because it's not just about the members," Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., ranking member on the House Administration Committee, told NPR recently.
Davis has been on the hunt for a new testing program for Congress. This month, he wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., asking for the attending physician to partner with the military or a private vendor to test 2,000 people or more a week.
But so far Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have said Congress shouldn't get prioritized testing ahead of essential workers.
The chair of the House Administration Committee, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., agrees with that plan — for now.
"I think until the country is in better shape, we're not going to be in a position to test everybody who comes into the Capitol," Lofgren said.
Experts such as Jha say national testing still hasn't reached recommended levels. Among those showing little interest in boosting it is President Trump, who told a rally last weekend in Tulsa, Okla., that he asked for testing to be slowed.
On Tuesday, Trump told reporters he wasn't kidding when he made the comments.
"Testing is a double-edged sword," he said.