npr--2020-12-18--A Rural School Under Pressure To Stay Open: 'People Are Just Rough And Tough'

A Rural School Under Pressure To Stay Open : 'People Are Just Rough And Tough' It can feel like a parallel universe when you go from a city where kids are cooped up inside at home doing school virtually on their tablets , to an isolated small town like Bruneau , Idaho .
One afternoon this week , the bell had just rung and kids were emptying out of the small elementary school and into the snowy parking lot , almost as if it 's 2019 and there is no pandemic .
No one appears to be wearing a mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Cassandra Folkman .
`` I do n't make them wear 'em anywhere we go , '' Folkman says .
`` I do n't wear one and they do n't . ''
She 's sitting in her idling pickup waiting to pick up her kindergartner and second grader .
`` I 'm not scared of the virus , I guess , '' she adds .
`` It seems like it 's just another string of the flu . ''
It 's not .
COVID-19 has killed more than 1,200 Idahoans so far this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu has annually in recent seasons .
Case numbers have shot up lately in rural America , which skews older and tends to have huge inequality gaps in health care .
Across the country , many schools that have stayed open require students and staff to wear masks .
But there 's still resistance in places like Bruno , which has a population of 500 .
Here , there 's also a pervasive sense in the community that kids need to be physically in classrooms for their education and well being , yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to slow the spread , like mask wearing .
Sariah Pearson teaches fourth and fifth grades at Bruneau Elementary .
She got COVID-19 and was sidelined for almost six weeks this fall .
She 's back in the classroom , feeling better , and even paid $ 300 for a special air filtration system , and frequently keeps her windows open to be safe .
But her story has n't had much of an effect on the town 's attitudes about the pandemic .
`` Most people do n't really want to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Even though they care about me , it does not translate over . ''
This truth got even sharper in recent weeks , even as COVID-19 began to spread in the two Snake River farming towns that make up the joint Bruneau-Grandview School District .
As more teachers and students got the virus , administrators had to shut down some classes and move them online temporarily , which , while not hoped for , had always been part of the contingency plan .
`` I think if you had to sum it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unpredictable , '' says Ryan Cantrell , the district superintendent .
By November things had gotten bad enough that Cantrell recommended the school board require masks everywhere on campus .
The science shows masks work to reduce the virus 's spread and this was seen as one key strategy to ensure the district could keep in person learning going .
The board voted it down 3-2 .
Cases kept going up .
The week after Thanksgiving , Cantrell , who also helps administer tests and does contact tracing , says there were six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following week .
`` They [ students ] had then exposed the subs who were already filling in for some of the teachers who were either out sick or out for self-quarantine , '' Cantrell says .
`` We simply ran out of substitute teachers . ''
So he was forced to close all schools and move them to virtual for a week , figuring that stop gap measure may get them through to Christmas break .
One afternoon this week — the first day classes resumed — Cantrell walked the halls and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He was virtually alone in wearing a mask , estimating that on any given day a dozen of the 180 or so students in the junior and senior highs are wearing them , and usually less than one-fifth of his 60 staff members district-wide .
`` I 'm going to model the behavior of wearing a mask , '' Cantrell says .
`` So I simply choose to wear one when I 'm at school specifically when I 'm out of the office and in the hallways . ''
In the hallways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing going on .
And what 's more troubling , district officials say most of the students who have tested positive so far , have been asymptomatic .
But they 've been passing it on unknowingly to staff .
`` And usually they show the symptoms and they 're the ones that get knocked down and get sick from it , '' Cantrell says .
Still , there 's a lot of pressure on leaders like Cantrell to keep school open for in-person learning .
And he understands that .
Every time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially when the lockdowns hit last March , grades tanked , and the emotional well being of students and faculty suffered .
Kids go `` off the map '' Sariah Pearson , the elementary school teacher who got COVID-19 , says the internet in rural areas like this is slow and it 's just hard to reach some of her kids when they move to all-virtual instruction .
Unlike in many urban districts , teachers in small towns frequently are expected to teach both formats .
`` There are certain kids , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off the map '' Pearson says .
`` Once they 're doing online school , they do n't log in , their packets come back and they have n't touched them . ''
When it 's remained open , monthly testing at Bruneau-Grandview has started to show that students are clawing back to the proficiency levels they were at before the pandemic .
People want the schools to do everything they can to stay open — everything except requiring students and teachers to wear masks .
Currently , masks are only required on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans at sporting events , per Idaho 's statewide restrictions on gatherings of more than 10 people .
The school is offering an all-virtual option for parents who want to keep their kids home .
But most are like Brooklyn Kunsky , wanting them in school , without strict mandates .
`` Our kids do n't want to wear masks , our kids want to have a somewhat normal [ life ] , if that 's even , you know , a realistic word in the midst of all this , educational experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this a lot here , even among teachers and district staff .
There are outbreaks at schools , asymptomatic kids bring it home and then there 's community spread .
Yet there 's also this sense of , well , this is just how it is going to be .
Kunsky , who grew up in Bruneau and attended the same schools as her kids now do , thinks the district is managing the coronavirus crisis pretty well .
`` I think when you live in a rural community , people are just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and tough , I do n't know if that 's the right word , but , we just make it through , '' she says .

A Rural School Under Pressure To Stay Open: 'People Are Just ... Rough And Tough'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
It can feel like a parallel universe when you go from a city where kids are cooped up inside at home doing school virtually on their tablets to an isolated small town such as Bruneau, Idaho.
One afternoon this week, the bell had just rung and kids were emptying out of the small elementary school and into the snowy parking lot, almost as if it's 2019 and there is no pandemic.
No one appears to be wearing a mask, which is just fine with parents such as Cassandra Folkman.
"I don't make them wear 'em anywhere we go," Folkman says. "I don't wear one and they don't."
She's sitting in her idling pickup waiting to pick up her kindergartner and second-grader.
"I'm not scared of the virus, I guess," she adds. "It seems like it's just another string of the flu."
It's not. COVID-19 has killed more than 1,200 Idahoans so far this year, six times more than the flu has annually in recent seasons.
Case numbers have shot up lately in rural America, which skews older and tends to have huge inequality gaps in health care. Across the country, many schools that have stayed open require students and staff to wear masks.
But there's still resistance in places such as Bruneau, which has a population of 500. Here, there's also a pervasive sense in the community that kids need to be physically in classrooms for their education and well-being yet stiff opposition to rules intended to slow the spread such as mask-wearing.
Sariah Pearson teaches fourth and fifth grades at Bruneau Elementary. She got COVID-19 and was sidelined for almost six weeks this fall.
She's back in the classroom, feeling better, and even paid $300 for a special air filtration system, and frequently keeps her windows open to be safe. But her story hasn't had much of an effect on the town's attitudes about the pandemic.
"Most people don't really want to hear about it," Pearson says. "Even though they care about me, it does not translate over."
Unpredictable times
This truth got sharper in recent weeks, even as COVID-19 began to spread in the two Snake River farming towns that make up the joint Bruneau-Grand View School District. As more teachers and students got the virus, administrators had to shut down some classes and move them online temporarily, which, while not hoped for, had always been part of the contingency plan.
"I think if you had to sum it up in one word it would be unpredictable," says Ryan Cantrell, the district superintendent.
Health Rural Idaho Hospitals Are Feeling The Pressure As Coronavirus Cases Fill Up Beds Rural Idaho Hospitals Are Feeling The Pressure As Coronavirus Cases Fill Up Beds Listen · 3:40 3:40
By November things had gotten bad enough that Cantrell recommended the school board require masks everywhere on campus. The science shows masks work to reduce the virus's spread, and it was seen as one key strategy to ensure the district could keep in-person learning going.
The board voted it down 3-2.
Cases kept going up.
The week after Thanksgiving, Cantrell, who also helps administer tests and does contact tracing, says there were six more confirmed positives, and seven the following week.
"They [students] had then exposed the subs, who were already filling in for some of the teachers who were either out sick or out for self-quarantine," Cantrell says. "We simply ran out of substitute teachers."
So he was forced to close all schools and move them to virtual for a week, figuring that stopgap measure may get them through to Christmas break.
Asymptomatic cases
One afternoon this week — the first day classes resumed — Cantrell walked the halls and checked on the health of his staff. He was virtually alone in wearing a mask, estimating that on any given day a dozen of the 180 or so students in the junior and senior highs are wearing them, and usually less than one-fifth of his 60 staff members districtwide.
"I'm going to model the behavior of wearing a mask," Cantrell says. "So I simply choose to wear one when I'm at school specifically when I'm out of the office and in the hallways."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
In the hallways, there's little if any social distancing going on. And what's more troubling, district officials say most of the students who have tested positive so far have been asymptomatic. But they've been passing it on unknowingly to staff.
"And usually they show the symptoms, and they're the ones that get knocked down and get sick from it," Cantrell says.
Still, there's a lot of pressure on leaders such as Cantrell to keep school open for in-person learning. And he understands that. Every time they've had to go virtual, especially when the lockdowns hit in March, grades tanked, and the emotional well-being of students and faculty suffered.
Kids go "off the map"
Pearson, the elementary school teacher who got COVID-19, says the Internet in rural areas is slow and it's hard to reach some of her kids when they move to all-virtual instruction. Unlike in many urban districts, teachers in small towns frequently are expected to teach both formats.
"There are certain kids, you do not see them, they go off the map," Pearson says. "Once they're doing online school, they don't log in, their packets come back and they haven't touched them."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
When it's remained open, monthly testing at Bruneau-Grand View has started to show that students are clawing back to the proficiency levels they were at before the pandemic.
People want the schools to do everything they can to stay open — everything except requiring students and teachers to wear masks. Currently, masks are only required on buses. The district also recently banned fans at sporting events, per Idaho's statewide restrictions on gatherings of more than 10 people.
The school is offering an all-virtual option for parents who want to keep their kids home. But most are like Brooklyn Kunsky, wanting them in school, without strict mandates.
"Our kids don't want to wear masks, our kids want to have a somewhat normal [life], if that's even, you know, a realistic word in the midst of all this, educational experience," Kunsky says.
You hear this a lot here, even among teachers and district staff. There are outbreaks at schools, asymptomatic kids bring it home and then there's community spread. Yet there's also this sense of, well, this is just how it is going to be.
Kunsky, who grew up in Bruneau and attended the same schools as her kids now do, thinks the district is managing the coronavirus crisis pretty well.
"I think when you live in a rural community, people are just ... I don't know, rough and tough, I don't know if that's the right word, but we just make it through," she says.


npr--2020-12-18--China Promises To Share Findings From Its Returned Lunar Probe

China Promises To Share Findings From Its Returned Lunar Probe After 23 days and some 230,000 miles traveled , China 's Chang ' e-5 lunar capsule returned to Earth during Thursday 's predawn hours .
It carried cargo of more than four pounds of the first fresh samples of moon rocks and other debris in more than 40 years .
China 's space agency said Thursday it intends to share its findings with the global scientific community .
The capsule for the Chang ' e 5 probe landed in the Siziwang district of the Inner Mongolia region , the China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set off for the moon on Nov. 24 .
The safe return of the lunar capsule wraps a groundbreaking mission for China 's space exploration program .
It made China just the third country to explore the moon 's surface , after the U.S. and the former Soviet Union .
It was also the first country to do so since 1976 , when the the former Soviet Union 's Luna 24 spacecraft returned from the moon .
The samples returned in this latest mission will provide the youngest Moon rocks and debris ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Soviet Union missions are more than three billion years old , scientists say .
The Chang ' e-5 mission specifically aimed to collect samples less than two billion years old , according to National Geographic .
This provides the global scientific community fresh insight into the history and other characteristics of the moon .
The mission zeroed in on landing in the Oceanus Procellarum , or Ocean of Storms , near a location called the Mons Rumker .
This area was believed to be volcanic many years ago , and thus may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Xu Hongliang , spokesman for the China National Space Administration , said the nation is `` very welcoming '' of joint research , according to The China Daily .
Wu Yanhua , deputy director of China 's space agency , said the soil samples collected with this mission will also be used for further research and museum exhibits .
China is already set to launch three more lunar exploration missions and will pursue broader space exploration , The Global Times says .
The nation 's Chang ' e-6 and Chang ' e-7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will collect more lunar samples for additional analysis .
These missions may also allow for international payloads to be brought on board .
The Chang ' e-8 mission will examine the capability of building an international lunar research station .
The Chinese government also has plans for three planetary missions that include a fly-by of Jupiter , and separate sample-return missions to an asteroid and Mars .

China Promises To Share Findings From Its Returned Lunar Probe
Enlarge this image toggle caption China National Space Administration/Xinhua via AP China National Space Administration/Xinhua via AP
After 23 days and some 230,000 miles traveled, China's Chang'e-5 lunar capsule returned to Earth during Thursday's predawn hours. It carried cargo of more than four pounds of the first fresh samples of moon rocks and other debris in more than 40 years.
China's space agency said Thursday it intends to share its findings with the global scientific community.
The capsule for the Chang'e 5 probe landed in the Siziwang district of the Inner Mongolia region, the China National Space Administration reported. It first set off for the moon on Nov. 24.
The safe return of the lunar capsule wraps a groundbreaking mission for China's space exploration program. It made China just the third country to explore the moon's surface, after the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. It was also the first country to do so since 1976, when the the former Soviet Union's Luna 24 spacecraft returned from the moon.
The samples returned in this latest mission will provide the youngest Moon rocks and debris ever examined. Samples from the U.S. and the Soviet Union missions are more than three billion years old, scientists say.
The Chang'e-5 mission specifically aimed to collect samples less than two billion years old, according to National Geographic. This provides the global scientific community fresh insight into the history and other characteristics of the moon.
The mission zeroed in on landing in the Oceanus Procellarum, or Ocean of Storms, near a location called the Mons Rumker. This area was believed to be volcanic many years ago, and thus may have much younger rocks to pull from.
Xu Hongliang, spokesman for the China National Space Administration, said the nation is "very welcoming" of joint research, according to The China Daily.
Wu Yanhua, deputy director of China's space agency, said the soil samples collected with this mission will also be used for further research and museum exhibits.
What's next?
China is already set to launch three more lunar exploration missions and will pursue broader space exploration, The Global Times says.
The nation's Chang'e-6 and Chang'e-7 missions will further explore the moon and will collect more lunar samples for additional analysis. These missions may also allow for international payloads to be brought on board.
The Chang'e-8 mission will examine the capability of building an international lunar research station.
The Chinese government also has plans for three planetary missions that include a fly-by of Jupiter, and separate sample-return missions to an asteroid and Mars.


npr--2020-12-18--Biden Tells Colbert He Has 'Great Confidence' In His Son Amid Investigation

Biden Tells Colbert He Has 'Great Confidence ' In His Son Amid Investigation Updated at 8:30 a.m .
ET President-elect Joe Biden told Stephen Colbert he is `` not concerned '' about accusations against his son Hunter Biden amid the investigation by federal prosecutors into his son 's tax affairs .
Colbert asked Biden about people in Washington who `` are going to try to use your adult son as a cudgel against you , '' during The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that aired Thursday night .
`` We have great confidence in our son , '' said Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jill Biden .
`` I am not concerned about any accusations that have been made against him .
It 's used to get to me .
I think it 's kind of foul play , but look , it is what it is . ''
Colbert asked Biden if he 'd be able to work with Republicans who use the issue as political ammunition : `` In terms of your job as president , can you reach across the aisle to people who 'll be using this as an attack on you when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's about family ? ''
Biden answered : `` If it benefits the country , yes .
I really mean it . ''
Critics of Biden have often used Biden 's son as fodder against his campaign .
Hunter Biden , 50 , revealed last week he is under a federal investigation over his taxes .
`` I take this matter very seriously , '' the president-elect 's son said in a statement .
`` But I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' During the interview , the president-elect also addressed the coronavirus pandemic and said he believed that by next Christmas the situation in the U.S. will be back to normal or `` awfully close . ''
During the show , Jill Biden directly addressed a recent op-ed that targeted her doctorate and use of the prefix `` Dr. '' in her name .
The op-ed , published by The Wall Street Journal and written by former magazine editor Joseph Epstein , was decried as misogynistic by many for its tone and content .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Jill Biden told Colbert , remarking on the biting tone of the piece .
`` You know , he called me 'kiddo . '
One of the things that I 'm most proud of is my doctorate .
I mean , I worked so hard for it . ''

Biden Tells Colbert He Has 'Great Confidence' In His Son Amid Investigation
Enlarge this image toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Updated at 8:30 a.m. ET
President-elect Joe Biden told Stephen Colbert he is "not concerned" about accusations against his son Hunter Biden amid the investigation by federal prosecutors into his son's tax affairs.
Colbert asked Biden about people in Washington who "are going to try to use your adult son as a cudgel against you," during The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that aired Thursday night.
"We have great confidence in our son," said Biden, who appeared alongside his wife, Jill Biden. "I am not concerned about any accusations that have been made against him. It's used to get to me. I think it's kind of foul play, but look, it is what it is."
Colbert asked Biden if he'd be able to work with Republicans who use the issue as political ammunition: "In terms of your job as president, can you reach across the aisle to people who'll be using this as an attack on you when it is such a personal attack because it's about family?"
Biden answered: "If it benefits the country, yes. I really mean it."
Critics of Biden have often used Biden's son as fodder against his campaign. Hunter Biden, 50, revealed last week he is under a federal investigation over his taxes.
"I take this matter very seriously," the president-elect's son said in a statement. "But I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately."
During the interview, the president-elect also addressed the coronavirus pandemic and said he believed that by next Christmas the situation in the U.S. will be back to normal or "awfully close."
During the show, Jill Biden directly addressed a recent op-ed that targeted her doctorate and use of the prefix "Dr." in her name.
The op-ed, published by The Wall Street Journal and written by former magazine editor Joseph Epstein, was decried as misogynistic by many for its tone and content.
"That was such a surprise," Jill Biden told Colbert, remarking on the biting tone of the piece. "You know, he called me 'kiddo.' One of the things that I'm most proud of is my doctorate. I mean, I worked so hard for it."


npr--2020-12-17--First Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Administered In Hard Hit Indigenous Communities

Health officials are administering the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine in Indigenous communities across the U.S. , one of the populations most vulnerable in the pandemic .
About 68,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will initially be distributed among the population , the Indian Health Service said last week .
Doses began to arrive this week and will first be given to the elderly and health care workers .
`` We are so happy I ca n't even describe it , '' said Dr. Dakotah Lane , medical director of the Public Health Department and a Lummi Nation member , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ravaged American Indian communities even after tribal governments implemented numerous control measures .
Tribes ordered closures , roadblocks , universal testing and curfews but cases continued to rise .
Native Americans already faced health care inequities before the pandemic and are four times as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 .
Historically , Indigenous populations in economically developed countries contract vaccine-preventable diseases at much higher rates .
The Navajo Nation has been hit especially hard .
The nation of 170,000 has recorded 20,000 coronavirus cases and at least 731 deaths since the start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Pfizer vaccine is a blessing for all of our people , including the doctors , nurses , and many other health care warriors , '' Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement .
`` I truly appreciate all of the health care workers who are dedicating themselves to fight COVID-19 and save lives . ''
Tribes can select their preferred distribution method between the federal Indian Health Service or state health agencies .
In some cases the state agencies have more trust within tribal communities , according to AP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and maintains a health service delivery system for 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives across 37 states .
American Indian populations were disproportionately affected by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus outbreak .
Kailee Fretland , an Indian Health Service hospital pharmacist at the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota , helped design the vaccine distribution plans in an effort to avoid the same problem , according to AP .
`` We went back and we reflected on what happened with H1N1 , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often not prioritized and we wanted to make sure that that did not happen with COVID . ''
MPR reports that Minnesota tribal nations were among the earliest to receive the vaccine and credit their careful planning for distribution .

First Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Administered In Hard Hit Indigenous Communities
Enlarge this image toggle caption Micah Garen/Getty Images Micah Garen/Getty Images
Health officials are administering the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine in Indigenous communities across the U.S., one of the populations most vulnerable in the pandemic.
About 68,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will initially be distributed among the population, the Indian Health Service said last week. Doses began to arrive this week and will first be given to the elderly and health care workers.
"We are so happy I can't even describe it," said Dr. Dakotah Lane, medical director of the Public Health Department and a Lummi Nation member, according to the Associated Press.
The coronavirus ravaged American Indian communities even after tribal governments implemented numerous control measures. Tribes ordered closures, roadblocks, universal testing and curfews but cases continued to rise.
Native Americans already faced health care inequities before the pandemic and are four times as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19. Historically, Indigenous populations in economically developed countries contract vaccine-preventable diseases at much higher rates.
The Navajo Nation has been hit especially hard. The nation of 170,000 has recorded 20,000 coronavirus cases and at least 731 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
"The arrival of the Pfizer vaccine is a blessing for all of our people, including the doctors, nurses, and many other health care warriors," Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement. "I truly appreciate all of the health care workers who are dedicating themselves to fight COVID-19 and save lives."
Tribes can select their preferred distribution method between the federal Indian Health Service or state health agencies. In some cases the state agencies have more trust within tribal communities, according to AP.
The Indian Health Service is an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and maintains a health service delivery system for 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives across 37 states.
American Indian populations were disproportionately affected by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus outbreak. Kailee Fretland, an Indian Health Service hospital pharmacist at the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota, helped design the vaccine distribution plans in an effort to avoid the same problem, according to AP.
"We went back and we reflected on what happened with H1N1," Fretland said. "The tribes were often not prioritized and we wanted to make sure that that did not happen with COVID."
MPR reports that Minnesota tribal nations were among the earliest to receive the vaccine and credit their careful planning for distribution.


npr--2020-12-18--Maryland, Virginia To Send Extra COVID-19 Vaccine To D.C., Tripling Its Allotment

Maryland , Virginia To Send Extra COVID-19 Vaccine To D.C. , Tripling Its Allotment Virginia and Maryland are sending thousands of extra COVID-19 vaccine doses out of their own supply to the District of Columbia as the city scrambles to inoculate health care workers amid the worsening pandemic .
Each state is sending 8,000 additional doses to the nation 's capital .
The move will more than triple the amount of the medicine that was allotted by the federal government .
Under the current distribution formula , which is based on residency , D.C. received 6,825 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said would cover less than a tenth of the city 's health care workers who are first in line to receive the vaccine .
Earlier this month , Bowser sent a letter to officials leading the Trump administration 's Operation Warp Speed , which oversees the allocation and distribution of the vaccine .
In it , she said the paltry shipment was `` woefully insufficient '' to cover the capital 's 85,000 health care workers , 75 % of whom do n't live in the city but rather in the surrounding states .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on where health care workers work , not where they live .
`` If the early vaccine allotment remains tied to our population we will receive doses for less than 10 % of our healthcare workers , '' Bowser wrote .
She added : `` Washington D.C. is unique ; our population swells during the regular business hours , with a significant number of federal and healthcare workers commuting into the District from their homes in Maryland and Virginia . ''
Maryland 's acting Secretary of Health Dennis Schrader responded to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be pleased to partner with the district .
`` We believe in working together as part of the National Capital Region to protect all of our citizens , especially our national frontline healthcare heroes , '' Schrader said in a letter addressed to D.C. Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt .
The deal with Virginia was reached over the weekend and announced by Nesbitt on Monday .
During a news conference , Nesbitt explained the additional doses will allow officials to move on to vaccinating long-term care residents .
`` We have to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the higher risk groups before we can move to Phase Two and Phase Three , where the general public is , '' Nesbitt said .
Virginia received 72,150 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the batch distributed Monday and Tuesday , while Maryland got 50,700 doses .

Maryland, Virginia To Send Extra COVID-19 Vaccine To D.C., Tripling Its Allotment
Enlarge this image toggle caption Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images
Virginia and Maryland are sending thousands of extra COVID-19 vaccine doses out of their own supply to the District of Columbia as the city scrambles to inoculate health care workers amid the worsening pandemic.
Each state is sending 8,000 additional doses to the nation's capital. The move will more than triple the amount of the medicine that was allotted by the federal government.
Under the current distribution formula, which is based on residency, D.C. received 6,825 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine — a figure Mayor Muriel Bowser said would cover less than a tenth of the city's health care workers who are first in line to receive the vaccine.
Earlier this month, Bowser sent a letter to officials leading the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed, which oversees the allocation and distribution of the vaccine. In it, she said the paltry shipment was "woefully insufficient" to cover the capital's 85,000 health care workers, 75% of whom don't live in the city but rather in the surrounding states. The mayor urged officials to distribute vaccines based on where health care workers work, not where they live.
"If the early vaccine allotment remains tied to our population we will receive doses for less than 10% of our healthcare workers," Bowser wrote.
She added: "Washington D.C. is unique; our population swells during the regular business hours, with a significant number of federal and healthcare workers commuting into the District from their homes in Maryland and Virginia."
Maryland's acting Secretary of Health Dennis Schrader responded to the call on Wednesday, saying the state would be pleased to partner with the district.
"We believe in working together as part of the National Capital Region to protect all of our citizens, especially our national frontline healthcare heroes," Schrader said in a letter addressed to D.C. Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt.
The deal with Virginia was reached over the weekend and announced by Nesbitt on Monday. During a news conference, Nesbitt explained the additional doses will allow officials to move on to vaccinating long-term care residents.
"We have to be able to vaccinate individuals who are in the higher risk groups before we can move to Phase Two and Phase Three, where the general public is," Nesbitt said.
Virginia received 72,150 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the batch distributed Monday and Tuesday, while Maryland got 50,700 doses.


npr--2020-12-18--Stanford Apologizes After Vaccine Allocation Leaves Out Nearly All Medical Residents

Stanford Apologizes After Vaccine Allocation Leaves Out Nearly All Medical Residents Stanford Medicine apologized on Friday for its vaccine distribution plan – a plan that came under fire for leaving out nearly all of its medical residents and fellows , many whom regularly treat COVID-19 patients .
The residents waged a protest on Friday morning , holding signs and demanding answers from Stanford 's leadership about why just seven of more than 1,300 residents at Stanford were selected to receive the vaccine in the first round of 5,000 doses .
A council composed of the chief residents sent a letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressing anger and disappointment as they had learned that residents and fellows would not be a priority in the first allocation .
Residents are doctors in training , who have graduated from medical school .
`` Many of us know senior faculty who have worked from home since the pandemic began in March 2020 , with no in-person patient responsibilities , who were selected for vaccination .
In the meantime , we residents and fellows strap on N95 masks for the tenth month of this pandemic without a transparent and clear plan for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is pointing to an error in an algorithm meant to ensure equity and justice , our understanding is this error was identified on Tuesday and a decision was made not to revise the vaccine allocation scheme before its release today , '' they wrote .
After Friday 's protests and subsequent media attention , the leaders of Stanford Health Care and Stanford School of Medicine sent an email to staff that apologized for the debacle .
`` We are writing to acknowledge the significant concerns expressed by our community regarding the development and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We take complete responsibility and profusely apologize to all of you .
We fully recognize we should have acted more swiftly to address the errors that resulted in an outcome we did not anticipate , '' they wrote .
`` We are working quickly to address the flaws in our plan and develop a revised version , '' the executives and deans wrote .
They said they anticipate being able to vaccinate `` a substantial segment of our community '' once a larger shipment of vaccines arrives , hopefully next week .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process will be now for the first round of doses , the first of which were administered Friday .
Residents tell NPR that the system has become chaotic , with some residents able to walk up and receive the vaccine , while others have been told to wait .
Some faculty members have pledged to give their vaccine to residents instead .
According to an email sent by a chief resident to other residents , Stanford 's leaders explained that an algorithm was used to assign its first allotment of the vaccine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ those health care workers at highest risk for COVID infections , along with factors like age and the location or unit where they work in the hospital .
Residents apparently did not have an assigned location , and along with their typically young age , they were dropped low on the priority list .
Stanford has not provided an answer to NPR 's request for an explanation of its process or its algorithm .
Neurology residents were among those who organized and protested on Friday .
One neurology resident , who was involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a flawed algorithm is no excuse .
She requested anonymity for fear of affecting her future job search .
`` [ A ] lgorithms are made by people and the results ... were reviewed multiple times by people , '' she wrote in an email to NPR .
`` The ones who ultimately approved the decisions are responsible .
If this is an oversight , even if unintentional , it speaks volumes about how the front line staff and residents are perceived : an afterthought , only after we 've protested .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrators and the front line workers .
This is also reflective that no departmental chair or chief resident was involved in the decision making process . ''

Stanford Apologizes After Vaccine Allocation Leaves Out Nearly All Medical Residents
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ben Solomon Ben Solomon
Stanford Medicine apologized on Friday for its vaccine distribution plan – a plan that came under fire for leaving out nearly all of its medical residents and fellows, many whom regularly treat COVID-19 patients.
The residents waged a protest on Friday morning, holding signs and demanding answers from Stanford's leadership about why just seven of more than 1,300 residents at Stanford were selected to receive the vaccine in the first round of 5,000 doses.
A council composed of the chief residents sent a letter to Stanford's leadership on Thursday night expressing anger and disappointment as they had learned that residents and fellows would not be a priority in the first allocation. Residents are doctors in training, who have graduated from medical school.
"Many of us know senior faculty who have worked from home since the pandemic began in March 2020, with no in-person patient responsibilities, who were selected for vaccination. In the meantime, we residents and fellows strap on N95 masks for the tenth month of this pandemic without a transparent and clear plan for our protection in place. While leadership is pointing to an error in an algorithm meant to ensure equity and justice, our understanding is this error was identified on Tuesday and a decision was made not to revise the vaccine allocation scheme before its release today," they wrote.
After Friday's protests and subsequent media attention, the leaders of Stanford Health Care and Stanford School of Medicine sent an email to staff that apologized for the debacle.
"We are writing to acknowledge the significant concerns expressed by our community regarding the development and execution of our vaccine distribution plan. We take complete responsibility and profusely apologize to all of you. We fully recognize we should have acted more swiftly to address the errors that resulted in an outcome we did not anticipate," they wrote.
"We are working quickly to address the flaws in our plan and develop a revised version," the executives and deans wrote. They said they anticipate being able to vaccinate "a substantial segment of our community" once a larger shipment of vaccines arrives, hopefully next week.
The university did not make clear what the process will be now for the first round of doses, the first of which were administered Friday. Residents tell NPR that the system has become chaotic, with some residents able to walk up and receive the vaccine, while others have been told to wait. Some faculty members have pledged to give their vaccine to residents instead.
According to an email sent by a chief resident to other residents, Stanford's leaders explained that an algorithm was used to assign its first allotment of the vaccine. The algorithm was said to have prioritized those health care workers at highest risk for COVID infections, along with factors like age and the location or unit where they work in the hospital. Residents apparently did not have an assigned location, and along with their typically young age, they were dropped low on the priority list.
Stanford has not provided an answer to NPR's request for an explanation of its process or its algorithm.
Neurology residents were among those who organized and protested on Friday.
One neurology resident, who was involved in planning Friday's protest, said that a flawed algorithm is no excuse. She requested anonymity for fear of affecting her future job search.
"[A]lgorithms are made by people and the results ... were reviewed multiple times by people," she wrote in an email to NPR. "The ones who ultimately approved the decisions are responsible. If this is an oversight, even if unintentional, it speaks volumes about how the front line staff and residents are perceived: an afterthought, only after we've protested. There's an utter disconnect between the administrators and the front line workers. This is also reflective that no departmental chair or chief resident was involved in the decision making process."


npr--2020-12-18--Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine Becomes 2nd To Earn FDA Authorization

Health care workers across the U.S. are getting a new arrow in their quiver .
On Friday , just one week after Pfizer and BioNTech 's COVID-19 vaccine received a federal green light , the Food and Drug Administration formally authorized a second vaccine for emergency use — this one developed by Moderna .
The biotech upstart won authorization for use in adults following extensive federal analysis of the vaccine , which the FDA found to be 94 % effective at preventing the disease .
`` With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day , '' said a statement by FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn .
The FDA decision represents another leap forward in the effort to combat the coronavirus , which has already killed more than 300,000 people in the U.S. alone .
Since the Pfizer vaccine 's authorization last week , health and defense officials have launched a vast effort to distribute millions of doses across the country .
Health care workers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the inoculations when providers began administering them Monday .
In a push to inspire public confidence in the vaccine , Vice President Pence on Friday became the country 's highest-ranking official so far to have it administered .
Pence , his wife , Karen , and Surgeon General Jerome Adams all received their shots during a televised event at the White House .
Amid the flurry surrounding the Pfizer vaccine 's rollout , Moderna 's alternative was making steady headway in its own push toward authorization .
The FDA released a glowing analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` no specific safety concerns . ''
On Thursday , an outside panel of health care experts from across the U.S. unanimously recommended the vaccine with one abstention .
`` The question that 's being asked us is , 'Do we have enough evidence in hand to say that the benefits of this vaccine outweigh what at the moment , as far as severe safety issues go , are theoretical risks ? '
`` Dr. Paul Offit , panel member and vaccine researcher at the Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia , said during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think the answer to that question is clearly yes .
I mean , the question is never 'When do you know everything ? '
It 's 'When do you know enough ? '
`` Offit 's point also gets at a crucial challenge faced by the federal regulators who have been tasked with evaluating these vaccines more quickly than they normally would .
In an effort to expedite the process , the FDA — and other health regulators around the world — have loosened their usual approval procedures and adopted a more urgent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moderna said it that it will deliver about 20 million doses by the end of December under its federal supply contract .
Now , attentions are turning to the Moderna vaccine 's distribution .
Like the Pfizer vaccine , the Moderna product uses messenger RNA technology — which , in the FDA 's words , teaches the body 's cells `` how to make a protein — or even just a piece of a protein — that triggers an immune response inside our bodies . ''
`` That immune response , which produces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies , '' the agency says .
Unlike the Pfizer vaccine , though , Moderna 's product does not need to be stored at extremely low temperatures , potentially making it accessible for more communities .
Balanced against that is the fact that the smaller biotech firm , in contrast with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer , may face some steeper challenges meeting the extraordinary demand for inoculations .
But Dr. Anthony Fauci says he is hopeful that initial distribution will happen quickly .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shots in the arm by the very early part of next week , '' the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told NBC 's Today show Friday in advance of the FDA 's authorization .
`` I would hope Monday or Tuesday . ''
Fauci 's institute was instrumental in the development of the Moderna vaccine — from some of the basic science to bankrolling clinical testing .
In August , the institute told NPR its contributions to the studies of the Moderna vaccine would cost taxpayers more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the crash federal project for vaccine development , poured in $ 955 million to support development of the Moderna vaccine , including the expanded phase 3 study that provided the data that made possible the emergency use authorization .

Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine Becomes 2nd To Earn FDA Authorization
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elise Amendola/AP Elise Amendola/AP
Health care workers across the U.S. are getting a new arrow in their quiver.
On Friday, just one week after Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine received a federal green light, the Food and Drug Administration formally authorized a second vaccine for emergency use — this one developed by Moderna. The biotech upstart won authorization for use in adults following extensive federal analysis of the vaccine, which the FDA found to be 94% effective at preventing the disease.
"With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day," said a statement by FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn.
The FDA decision represents another leap forward in the effort to combat the coronavirus, which has already killed more than 300,000 people in the U.S. alone. Since the Pfizer vaccine's authorization last week, health and defense officials have launched a vast effort to distribute millions of doses across the country. Health care workers and older adults were first in line for the inoculations when providers began administering them Monday.
In a push to inspire public confidence in the vaccine, Vice President Pence on Friday became the country's highest-ranking official so far to have it administered. Pence, his wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams all received their shots during a televised event at the White House.
Amid the flurry surrounding the Pfizer vaccine's rollout, Moderna's alternative was making steady headway in its own push toward authorization. The FDA released a glowing analysis of the vaccine on Tuesday, finding "no specific safety concerns." On Thursday, an outside panel of health care experts from across the U.S. unanimously recommended the vaccine with one abstention.
"The question that's being asked us is, 'Do we have enough evidence in hand to say that the benefits of this vaccine outweigh what at the moment, as far as severe safety issues go, are theoretical risks?' " Dr. Paul Offit, panel member and vaccine researcher at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said during the hours-long recorded meeting.
"I think the answer to that question is clearly yes. I mean, the question is never 'When do you know everything?' It's 'When do you know enough?' "
Offit's point also gets at a crucial challenge faced by the federal regulators who have been tasked with evaluating these vaccines more quickly than they normally would. In an effort to expedite the process, the FDA — and other health regulators around the world — have loosened their usual approval procedures and adopted a more urgent mechanism known as emergency use authorization.
Moderna said it that it will deliver about 20 million doses by the end of December under its federal supply contract.
Now, attentions are turning to the Moderna vaccine's distribution. Like the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna product uses messenger RNA technology — which, in the FDA's words, teaches the body's cells "how to make a protein — or even just a piece of a protein — that triggers an immune response inside our bodies."
"That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies," the agency says.
Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, though, Moderna's product does not need to be stored at extremely low temperatures, potentially making it accessible for more communities. Balanced against that is the fact that the smaller biotech firm, in contrast with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, may face some steeper challenges meeting the extraordinary demand for inoculations.
But Dr. Anthony Fauci says he is hopeful that initial distribution will happen quickly.
"I would anticipate that we likely will see shots in the arm by the very early part of next week," the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told NBC's Today show Friday in advance of the FDA's authorization. "I would hope Monday or Tuesday."
Fauci's institute was instrumental in the development of the Moderna vaccine — from some of the basic science to bankrolling clinical testing. In August, the institute told NPR its contributions to the studies of the Moderna vaccine would cost taxpayers more than $400 million.
Operation Warp Speed, the crash federal project for vaccine development, poured in $955 million to support development of the Moderna vaccine, including the expanded phase 3 study that provided the data that made possible the emergency use authorization.


npr--2020-12-18--Newly Released COVID-19 Data Show Most U.S. Cities Are 'Sustained Hotspots'

Newly Released COVID-19 Data Show Most U.S. Cities Are 'Sustained Hotspots' The Trump administration on Friday made public a trove of federal data on the pandemic that reveals a country awash in red alerts .
The data contain a wealth of previously undisclosed information , including counties the federal government considers `` hotspots , '' forecasts for whether virus cases are likely to increase at a local level , and information on cases , deaths and tests by metro area .
`` This will give the American people the same community level information that is available to federal personnel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the release of the data and who belong to an interagency group working for the White House Coronavirus Task Force .
In a statement posted on the website healthdata.gov , they promised daily updates .
`` We hope the publication of this data will help Americans make personal choices to slow the spread . ''
The newly disclosed data reveal that nearly 900 out of 938 metropolitan areas and more than 2,000 out of 3,270 counties qualify as `` sustained hotspots , '' meaning they have `` potentially higher risk for experiencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed that more than a dozen metro areas and nearly 50 counties saw a 500 % or greater increase in deaths from the previous week .
Some of the information is similar to metrics the task force previously sent to governors in weekly reports .
The documents , which the White House never made public , are now only available if states request them .
The Center for Public Integrity has been collecting and publishing them .
The data release comes nearly 11 months after the first confirmed coronavirus case in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died of COVID-19 , with fatalities now topping 3,000 per day .
`` This data release is monumental .
... We have to celebrate this moment , '' says Ryan Panchadsaram , who co-founded covidexitstrategy.org and advocates for more pandemic data to be made public .
But he adds , `` For this to be released so late — it really is a shame . ''
The dataset contains some information not previously available on any state or federal dashboard : For example , the Kansas City metro area , which crosses state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in new cases in recent weeks but a 22 % increase in deaths .
It also has information on college students , poverty levels , test turnaround times and much more — allowing researchers and the public to do deep-dive analyses to understand better where to focus public health efforts .
`` What 's special about this is that it 's a national , consistent view , '' Panchadsaram says .
`` It 's still not too late to get good information out to the places that still do n't believe that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The new data release does not contain the task force 's policy recommendations for governors and health leaders , as the governors ' reports did .
Those reports , using increasingly plaintive language , in recent weeks urged states to adopt stricter measures to contain the coronavirus , including curbing or banning indoor dining .
The new data also show that as of Friday , every state but Hawaii remains in what the task force has called the `` red zone '' for new cases , with more than 100 new cases per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And every state but Hawaii is now in the task force 's `` red zone '' for new deaths , with more than two per 100,000 residents in the previous week — a change from the Dec. 13 governor 's report , which had Washington in the yellow zone .
The data show how seriously the pandemic is affecting each state and local area , Panchadsaram says , and the upshot `` is that it 's all really bad . ''
The new data also include information on U.S. territories , which the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Newly Released COVID-19 Data Show Most U.S. Cities Are 'Sustained Hotspots'
The Trump administration on Friday made public a trove of federal data on the pandemic that reveals a country awash in red alerts.
The data contain a wealth of previously undisclosed information, including counties the federal government considers "hotspots," forecasts for whether virus cases are likely to increase at a local level, and information on cases, deaths and tests by metro area.
"This will give the American people the same community level information that is available to federal personnel," wrote federal officials who are responsible for the release of the data and who belong to an interagency group working for the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
In a statement posted on the website healthdata.gov, they promised daily updates. "We hope the publication of this data will help Americans make personal choices to slow the spread."
The newly disclosed data reveal that nearly 900 out of 938 metropolitan areas and more than 2,000 out of 3,270 counties qualify as "sustained hotspots," meaning they have "potentially higher risk for experiencing healthcare resource limitations." It also showed that more than a dozen metro areas and nearly 50 counties saw a 500% or greater increase in deaths from the previous week.
Some of the information is similar to metrics the task force previously sent to governors in weekly reports. The documents, which the White House never made public, are now only available if states request them. The Center for Public Integrity has been collecting and publishing them.
The data release comes nearly 11 months after the first confirmed coronavirus case in the United States. More than 300,000 Americans have died of COVID-19, with fatalities now topping 3,000 per day.
"This data release is monumental. ... We have to celebrate this moment," says Ryan Panchadsaram, who co-founded covidexitstrategy.org and advocates for more pandemic data to be made public. But he adds, "For this to be released so late — it really is a shame."
The dataset contains some information not previously available on any state or federal dashboard: For example, the Kansas City metro area, which crosses state lines, saw a 14% decrease in new cases in recent weeks but a 22% increase in deaths. It also has information on college students, poverty levels, test turnaround times and much more — allowing researchers and the public to do deep-dive analyses to understand better where to focus public health efforts.
"What's special about this is that it's a national, consistent view," Panchadsaram says. "It's still not too late to get good information out to the places that still don't believe that this virus should be taken seriously."
The new data release does not contain the task force's policy recommendations for governors and health leaders, as the governors' reports did. Those reports, using increasingly plaintive language, in recent weeks urged states to adopt stricter measures to contain the coronavirus, including curbing or banning indoor dining.
The new data also show that as of Friday, every state but Hawaii remains in what the task force has called the "red zone" for new cases, with more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents in the previous week.
And every state but Hawaii is now in the task force's "red zone" for new deaths, with more than two per 100,000 residents in the previous week — a change from the Dec. 13 governor's report, which had Washington in the yellow zone.
The data show how seriously the pandemic is affecting each state and local area, Panchadsaram says, and the upshot "is that it's all really bad."
The new data also include information on U.S. territories, which the previous reports to governors did not have.
NPR's Pien Huang contributed to this report.


npr--2020-12-18--'Our Houses Are Not Safe': Residents Fear Taliban In Afghanistan's Capital

'Our Houses Are Not Safe ' : Residents Fear Taliban In Afghanistan 's Capital In a mosque on the outskirts of Afghanistan 's capital , Kabul , a preacher crowed to assembled men and boys : The Taliban , with their primitive guns , brought foreign forces to their knees , he said , and the Afghan government is next .
`` America with her rich and modern weaponry knelt down to us mujahedeen .
So how will you defy us ? ''
shouted the preacher on a sunny Friday in late October .
He only permitted NPR to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requested the mosque 's name and its precise location remain anonymous , so it would not be targeted by Afghan government forces .
`` The world is realizing the power of Islam and the mujahedeen , but not a few stupid puppets here , '' Mazloum said , referring to the country 's Western-backed government .
`` Soon , Allah will grant us the Islamic government that our nation deserves . ''
The Taliban once lurked on the outer fringes of Kampany , a busy Kabul district with unruly traffic and roads that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent weeks , they have been openly preaching in the district .
It is one of the ways the Taliban have been emboldened since signing a deal with the United States that will lead to American and allied foreign forces withdrawing from Afghanistan by spring 2021 .
Already , U.S. forces have downsized from 12,000 to 4,500 since the deal was signed in February .
President Trump ordered the forces cut back to 2,500 troops by next month , largely cementing the withdrawal before Joe Biden assumes the presidency on Jan. 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan 's government .
On Monday , the architect of those talks , U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad , said the two sides would take a 20-day hiatus .
Even if they are to succeed , they may take months , likely years , to negotiate .
But few are optimistic , because as foreign forces withdraw , the Taliban have waged violent attacks on Afghan government forces across the country , despite pleas to stop .
Gen. Mark Milley , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to call for `` an immediate reduction of violence '' following a meeting with Taliban leaders on an unannounced trip to Qatar on Thursday .
Yet the Taliban 's violence continues , and there are signs that the government is losing control over Kabul .
The city 's jammed streets empty out after dark , residents fearing militants and criminal gangs .
Dozens of rockets slammed into the city in two incidents in November and December , killing more than 10 people .
Shadowy assailants target security officials , judicial workers and journalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the attacks .
On Tuesday , the deputy governor of Kabul was killed by a magnetic bomb attached to his vehicle .
ISIS fighters , who were dormant for months , did claim responsibility for two deadly attacks in recent months : On Nov. 2 , they stormed the Kabul University campus , killing 35 people , mostly students .
A week earlier , on Oct. 25 , one of their suicide bombers detonated himself outside a tuition center , killing 24 people .
The preacher publicly vowing to restore the Taliban 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was yet another show of defiance around the capital .
Mazloum wore the white garb of a Taliban cleric as he addressed a crowd who gathered in late October to celebrate a dozen young men who had memorized the entire Muslim holy book , the Quran .
Among the crowd were preachers from neighboring mosques .
Young loyalists distributed Taliban glossies , including Trench , which highlights — and exaggerates — the exploits of the insurgents .
Others directed traffic around the mosque .
`` The Taliban are not only at the gates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gates , '' said Andrew Watkins , senior Afghanistan researcher at the International Crisis Group .
He said it was `` as ominous as it sounds and as terrifying as it indeed is , in many scenarios for a security environment , for the protection of minority communities , and so for many other reasons , it 's certainly alarming news , '' he said .
Across a tributary of the fetid Kabul river from Kampany , other Afghans watching the rise of the Taliban say they are arming themselves .
The sprawling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Hazaras , a Shiite Muslim minority , who are targeted by Sunni militants .
In recent years , ISIS fighters have battered the area ; but during a pitched phase of the Afghan civil war in the 1990s , before the U.S. invasion , it was the Taliban who targeted them .
They say they are n't waiting to be targeted again .
`` When our houses are not safe , when our educational academies are not safe and our mosque are not safe , we have to make plans , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hazara rights .
`` We have active groups in the area , and if we are attacked , they are willing to defend us . ''
Nikzad said several militias had formed in Dasht-e-Barchi , with more than a thousand gunmen between them , their members purchasing weapons on the black market .
He said one of the largest militias was `` Fedayeen Baba Mazari '' and one of its leaders , Jayhoun , had his men patrol religious Shiite gatherings , which are often targeted by Sunni militants .
Murtaza , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said several strongmen were trying to recruit young men through gyms dotting the area .
He asked to use only his first name because he did not want intelligence officials to identify him .
Murtaza said the groups began forming after militants beheaded a 9-year-old Hazara girl in 2015 .
`` But this year , recruitment sped up .
They 're equipping themselves with weapons more quickly .
It feels like this process will accelerate , '' he said .
Afghanistan 's government also funds some local gunmen in Dasht-e-Barchi , largely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is not enough .
`` Naturally , we are disappointed , '' Mohammad Daud , 42 , a guard assigned to protect the Imam Zaman mosque on a side street of Kabul , said of the government 's response .
He said the community asked the government two years ago to help them defend about 100 Shiite mosques in the area but only received weapons and paid fighters for 16 .
`` The mosques still do n't have security guards , there are still threats and the people are still coming to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 % at risk . ''
The mosque where Daud is stationed has blast walls , a watchtower and a guard to search worshippers .
It was targeted by an ISIS suicide bomber in 2017 , killing 39 men , their names etched in the court yard .
The mosque still receives ISIS threats , as recently as late November , Daud said .
Afghanistan 's government , meanwhile , says it is trying to keep the country safe .
`` Our forces will be here to face the threat that the Taliban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' said Javid Faisal , a political adviser to the Afghan National Security Council .
He added that the government is arming local communities under the army 's command structure , as part of its efforts to strengthen security .
To stay or go None of this seems to reassure many Afghans , and young idealistic graduates who once believed they would help build their country are eyeing the exits , like Shakira Yazdani .
She 's 22 and studies law at Kabul University .
She is a graduate of business administration and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Kabul .
`` I have never been interested in living abroad , '' said the young woman .
`` But if the situation in Afghanistan gets worse — we would n't have any solution or any other choice , but finding a way to go outside Afghanistan to live in a peaceful environment . ''
Yazdani said she began thinking seriously about leaving , at least for a few years , after the ISIS attack on Kabul University .
She was on campus and had to flee .
Some of her friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invested in me and I have to pay it back , '' she said .
`` But the increase of violence in Afghanistan really put me in a doubtful situation , whether I can live here or not . ''
Another law student at the American University of Afghanistan , Ali Yaqubi , 24 , echoed Yazdani 's hesitations .
He had planned to run his own business and enter politics — to help his community in Dasht-e-Barchi .
He also has a degree in public policy , works as a consultant and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children .
Now though , he said , `` if I have the opportunity , legally to go to other countries , I would definitely go .
At least to have security and to be alive . ''
Yaqubi spoke to NPR in a cafe near his office in central Kabul .
`` You ca n't guarantee a minute , even here , '' he said .
A few days ago , `` there was a rocket attack next to this café . ''
But for now , he 's in Kabul .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ money to give to poor people on the street — so they 'll pray for his safety .
That follows a Muslim belief that God hears the prayers of the oppressed .
Yaqubi said he does n't really believe it will do anything , but at least it makes his mother feel like he is safe .
Diaa Hadid and Fazelminallah Qazizai reported in Kabul , Afghanistan ; Khwaga Ghani contributed to this report in Kabul .

'Our Houses Are Not Safe': Residents Fear Taliban In Afghanistan's Capital
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rahmat Gul/AP Rahmat Gul/AP
In a mosque on the outskirts of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, a preacher crowed to assembled men and boys: The Taliban, with their primitive guns, brought foreign forces to their knees, he said, and the Afghan government is next.
"America with her rich and modern weaponry knelt down to us mujahedeen. So how will you defy us?" shouted the preacher on a sunny Friday in late October. He only permitted NPR to use his family name, Mazloum, and requested the mosque's name and its precise location remain anonymous, so it would not be targeted by Afghan government forces.
"The world is realizing the power of Islam and the mujahedeen, but not a few stupid puppets here," Mazloum said, referring to the country's Western-backed government. "Soon, Allah will grant us the Islamic government that our nation deserves."
The Taliban once lurked on the outer fringes of Kampany, a busy Kabul district with unruly traffic and roads that peter out into the countryside. But in recent weeks, they have been openly preaching in the district.
It is one of the ways the Taliban have been emboldened since signing a deal with the United States that will lead to American and allied foreign forces withdrawing from Afghanistan by spring 2021. Already, U.S. forces have downsized from 12,000 to 4,500 since the deal was signed in February. President Trump ordered the forces cut back to 2,500 troops by next month, largely cementing the withdrawal before Joe Biden assumes the presidency on Jan. 20.
The drawdown is being accompanied by peace talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan's government. On Monday, the architect of those talks, U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, said the two sides would take a 20-day hiatus. Even if they are to succeed, they may take months, likely years, to negotiate.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rahmat Gul/AP Rahmat Gul/AP
But few are optimistic, because as foreign forces withdraw, the Taliban have waged violent attacks on Afghan government forces across the country, despite pleas to stop. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, became the latest senior U.S. official to call for "an immediate reduction of violence" following a meeting with Taliban leaders on an unannounced trip to Qatar on Thursday.
Yet the Taliban's violence continues, and there are signs that the government is losing control over Kabul.
Streets empty after dark
The city's jammed streets empty out after dark, residents fearing militants and criminal gangs. Dozens of rockets slammed into the city in two incidents in November and December, killing more than 10 people.
Shadowy assailants target security officials, judicial workers and journalists, with no militant claiming responsibility for the attacks.
On Tuesday, the deputy governor of Kabul was killed by a magnetic bomb attached to his vehicle.
ISIS fighters, who were dormant for months, did claim responsibility for two deadly attacks in recent months: On Nov. 2, they stormed the Kabul University campus, killing 35 people, mostly students. A week earlier, on Oct. 25, one of their suicide bombers detonated himself outside a tuition center, killing 24 people.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rahmat Gul/AP Rahmat Gul/AP
Taliban inside the gates
The preacher publicly vowing to restore the Taliban's harsh version of Islamist rule over Afghanistan was yet another show of defiance around the capital. Mazloum wore the white garb of a Taliban cleric as he addressed a crowd who gathered in late October to celebrate a dozen young men who had memorized the entire Muslim holy book, the Quran.
Among the crowd were preachers from neighboring mosques. Young loyalists distributed Taliban glossies, including Trench, which highlights — and exaggerates — the exploits of the insurgents. Others directed traffic around the mosque.
"The Taliban are not only at the gates of Kabul, but inside the city gates," said Andrew Watkins, senior Afghanistan researcher at the International Crisis Group. He said it was "as ominous as it sounds and as terrifying as it indeed is, in many scenarios for a security environment, for the protection of minority communities, and so for many other reasons, it's certainly alarming news," he said.
Across a tributary of the fetid Kabul river from Kampany, other Afghans watching the rise of the Taliban say they are arming themselves.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Diaa Hadid/NPR Diaa Hadid/NPR
The sprawling neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi is predominantly made up of Hazaras, a Shiite Muslim minority, who are targeted by Sunni militants.
In recent years, ISIS fighters have battered the area; but during a pitched phase of the Afghan civil war in the 1990s, before the U.S. invasion, it was the Taliban who targeted them.
They say they aren't waiting to be targeted again.
"When our houses are not safe, when our educational academies are not safe and our mosque are not safe, we have to make plans," said Mustafa Nikzad, an activist for Hazara rights. "We have active groups in the area, and if we are attacked, they are willing to defend us."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Diaa Hadid/NPR Diaa Hadid/NPR
Nikzad said several militias had formed in Dasht-e-Barchi, with more than a thousand gunmen between them, their members purchasing weapons on the black market.
He said one of the largest militias was "Fedayeen Baba Mazari" and one of its leaders, Jayhoun, had his men patrol religious Shiite gatherings, which are often targeted by Sunni militants.
"Recruitment sped up"
Murtaza, a 29-year-old clerk who practices martial arts, said several strongmen were trying to recruit young men through gyms dotting the area. He asked to use only his first name because he did not want intelligence officials to identify him.
Murtaza said the groups began forming after militants beheaded a 9-year-old Hazara girl in 2015. "But this year, recruitment sped up. They're equipping themselves with weapons more quickly. It feels like this process will accelerate," he said.
Afghanistan's government also funds some local gunmen in Dasht-e-Barchi, largely to guard mosques, although there are complaints it is not enough.
"Naturally, we are disappointed," Mohammad Daud, 42, a guard assigned to protect the Imam Zaman mosque on a side street of Kabul, said of the government's response. He said the community asked the government two years ago to help them defend about 100 Shiite mosques in the area but only received weapons and paid fighters for 16. "The mosques still don't have security guards, there are still threats and the people are still coming to the mosque to pray. They are 100% at risk."
The mosque where Daud is stationed has blast walls, a watchtower and a guard to search worshippers. It was targeted by an ISIS suicide bomber in 2017, killing 39 men, their names etched in the court yard. The mosque still receives ISIS threats, as recently as late November, Daud said.
Afghanistan's government, meanwhile, says it is trying to keep the country safe. "Our forces will be here to face the threat that the Taliban and other terrorist groups are posing," said Javid Faisal, a political adviser to the Afghan National Security Council. He added that the government is arming local communities under the army's command structure, as part of its efforts to strengthen security.
To stay or go
None of this seems to reassure many Afghans, and young idealistic graduates who once believed they would help build their country are eyeing the exits, like Shakira Yazdani. She's 22 and studies law at Kabul University. She is a graduate of business administration and was hoping to become a commercial arbitrator in Kabul.
"I have never been interested in living abroad," said the young woman. "But if the situation in Afghanistan gets worse — we wouldn't have any solution or any other choice, but finding a way to go outside Afghanistan to live in a peaceful environment."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Diaa Hadid/NPR Diaa Hadid/NPR
Yazdani said she began thinking seriously about leaving, at least for a few years, after the ISIS attack on Kabul University. She was on campus and had to flee. Some of her friends were killed.
"This country has invested in me and I have to pay it back," she said. "But the increase of violence in Afghanistan really put me in a doubtful situation, whether I can live here or not."
Another law student at the American University of Afghanistan, Ali Yaqubi, 24, echoed Yazdani's hesitations. He had planned to run his own business and enter politics — to help his community in Dasht-e-Barchi. He also has a degree in public policy, works as a consultant and volunteers in a charity that helps street children.
Now though, he said, "if I have the opportunity, legally to go to other countries, I would definitely go. At least to have security and to be alive."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Diaa Hadid/NPR Diaa Hadid/NPR
Yaqubi spoke to NPR in a cafe near his office in central Kabul. "You can't guarantee a minute, even here," he said. A few days ago, "there was a rocket attack next to this café."
But for now, he's in Kabul. Every morning, his mother gives him money to give to poor people on the street — so they'll pray for his safety. That follows a Muslim belief that God hears the prayers of the oppressed.
Yaqubi said he doesn't really believe it will do anything, but at least it makes his mother feel like he is safe.
Diaa Hadid and Fazelminallah Qazizai reported in Kabul, Afghanistan; Khwaga Ghani contributed to this report in Kabul.


npr--2020-12-18--COVID-19 Relief Deal Stalled As Congress Passes 2-Day Stopgap Bill To Avoid Shutdown

Agreement on a bipartisan coronavirus relief package remains elusive as top congressional leaders continue to negotiate and their efforts spilled into the weekend .
While they 've had a framework for days , they are struggling to close out several details , and a new issue emerged as a key sticking point .
Lawmakers from both parties insist they will not leave Washington for the holidays until they get a deal that wraps together an aid package and a broader spending deal .
As the midnight Friday deadline grew closer for federal agencies to run out of money , both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a two-day stopgap funding bill to avoid a shutdown .
Negotiations will continue over the weekend .
But some outside the small group of the top leaders finalizing the roughly $ 900 billion package — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — are frustrated the details of the emerging deal have n't been shared more widely .
`` I think this is reaching a point — it 's beginning to reach a point of absurdity .
... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the table what they 've got .
It 's time for them to brief members what they got , '' GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri told reporters .
Hawley has been pushing for another round of direct payments in the legislation , along with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont .
The bill is expected to include this type of assistance , but it 's unclear how large the checks will be .
Sanders agreed to the short-term funding bill but reiterated he would not accept any COVID-19 bill that did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to press for $ 1,200 payments — the same amount as the last major relief bill — but it 's unclear if he would accept less .
Separately , Democrats are objecting to efforts by Sen. Pat Toomey , R-Pa. , to add a provision to the bill that they say will make it more difficult for the incoming Biden administration to access emergency powers for additional lending authority .
GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas admitted to reporters it was a difficult issue to resolve .
He said what Toomey is aiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authority is n't used by the Federal Reserve for `` unauthorized purposes . ''
`` It could potentially be used as a backdoor to do state local aid , which I think is the idea , without Congress ' approval , and particularly when we negotiated these other items , '' Cornyn said .
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer blamed the top Senate Republican for the holdup on the COVID-19 package .
`` I think McConnell is the principal culprit .
But I do n't think the rest of us are without blame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Democrats set aside their demands for more money for state and local governments .
`` But right now what I think the Republicans are doing are trying to get an advantage against Biden in the next administration .
That 's what this Toomey amendment is about . ''
President-elect Joe Biden 's camp is also pushing back at including the provision .
`` While we are encouraged by the bipartisan effort underway to provide critical relief to millions of Americans , the package should not include unnecessary provisions that would hamper the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability to fight economic crises , '' Brian Deese , Biden 's top economic adviser , said in a written statement .
The main elements of the bipartisan legislation include more money for the Paycheck Protection Program to help struggling small businesses , help for unemployed Americans and resources for vaccine distribution .
Lawmakers from both parties also largely agreed on an annual spending bill that would fund federal departments through September 2021 .
Pressed earlier on whether it was possible to get a final deal on Friday , Republican Sen. John Thune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a triumph of hope over experience . ''
He told reporters he thought the `` best-case scenario '' was getting something in place for a Sunday vote but admitted the vote could come later than that .
Leaving the Capitol on Friday , McConnell , asked about whether he thought an agreement could come together this weekend , replied , `` Sure hope so . ''

COVID-19 Relief Deal Stalled As Trump Signs 2-Day Stopgap Bill To Avoid Shutdown
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 10:27 p.m. ET
Agreement on a bipartisan coronavirus relief package remains elusive as top congressional leaders continue to negotiate and their efforts spilled into the weekend. While they've had a framework for days, they are struggling to close out several details, and a new issue emerged as a key sticking point.
Lawmakers from both parties insist they will not leave Washington for the holidays until they get a deal that wraps together an aid package and a broader spending deal.
As the midnight Friday deadline grew closer for federal agencies to run out of money, President Trump signed a two-day stopgap funding bill to avoid a shutdown. The House of Representatives and Senate approved the bill earlier Friday evening. Negotiations will continue over the weekend.
But some outside the small group of the top leaders finalizing the roughly $900 billion package — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — are frustrated the details of the emerging deal haven't been shared more widely.
"I think this is reaching a point — it's beginning to reach a point of absurdity. ... It's time for leadership to put on the table what they've got. It's time for them to brief members what they got," GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri told reporters.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Susan Walsh/AP Susan Walsh/AP
Hawley has been pushing for another round of direct payments in the legislation, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The bill is expected to include this type of assistance, but it's unclear how large the checks will be.
Sanders agreed to the short-term funding bill but reiterated he would not accept any COVID-19 bill that didn't include more direct assistance. He continued to press for $1,200 payments — the same amount as the last major relief bill — but it's unclear if he would accept less.
Separately, Democrats are objecting to efforts by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., to add a provision to the bill that they say will make it more difficult for the incoming Biden administration to access emergency powers for additional lending authority.
GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas admitted to reporters it was a difficult issue to resolve. He said what Toomey is aiming to do is to ensure the lending authority isn't used by the Federal Reserve for "unauthorized purposes."
"It could potentially be used as a backdoor to do state local aid, which I think is the idea, without Congress' approval, and particularly when we negotiated these other items," Cornyn said.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer blamed the top Senate Republican for the holdup on the COVID-19 package. "I think McConnell is the principal culprit. But I don't think the rest of us are without blame," he said.
Hoyer noted that Democrats set aside their demands for more money for state and local governments. "But right now what I think the Republicans are doing are trying to get an advantage against Biden in the next administration. That's what this Toomey amendment is about."
President-elect Joe Biden's camp is also pushing back at including the provision.
"While we are encouraged by the bipartisan effort underway to provide critical relief to millions of Americans, the package should not include unnecessary provisions that would hamper the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve's ability to fight economic crises," Brian Deese, Biden's top economic adviser, said in a written statement.
The main elements of the bipartisan legislation include more money for the Paycheck Protection Program to help struggling small businesses, help for unemployed Americans and resources for vaccine distribution. Lawmakers from both parties also largely agreed on an annual spending bill that would fund federal departments through September 2021.
Pressed earlier on whether it was possible to get a final deal on Friday, Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota said "that would be a triumph of hope over experience." He told reporters he thought the "best-case scenario" was getting something in place for a Sunday vote but admitted the vote could come later than that.
Leaving the Capitol on Friday, McConnell, asked about whether he thought an agreement could come together this weekend, replied, "Sure hope so."


npr--2020-12-18--Massive Snowstorm Hits Japan, Trapping More Than 1,000 Cars On A Highway

Massive Snowstorm Hits Japan , Trapping More Than 1,000 Cars On A Highway It started with a large vehicle that got stuck in the deepening snow .
That minor incident grew into a monster snow-covered traffic jam as more than 1,000 cars became stranded on a highway that runs between Tokyo and the city of Niigata along the Sea of Japan coast .
`` The snow was extremely heavy , '' one driver told the public broadcaster NHK .
`` As time went by , the cars got buried .
I was really scared .
I 've eaten all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to drink water , I have to melt snow I collect in a plastic bottle . ''
Heavy snowfall in recent days , especially in the Niigata and Gunma prefectures , blanketed some areas with more than 6 feet of snow .
NHK reported that these prefectures have seen seven times more snow than they typically do at this point at this time of year .
`` I hardly slept , and I was worried because I had absolutely no information ( about the situation ) , '' a 48-year-old man , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tokyo , told Kyodo News .
The line of cars at one point stretched more than 10 miles , authorities told the news agency .
For a time , traffic was stopped in both directions .
Lanes bound for Niigata were cleared by Friday morning , while about 260 vehicles on the Tokyo-bound lanes were still stuck as of 7 p.m. local time Friday , Kyodo reported .
The East Nippon Expressway Co. said it could be Saturday before all the cars are cleared .
`` I would like to apologize for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Expressway caused by snow , and particularly for trapping our customers for a long period of time , '' company President Toru Obata said at a press conference , NBC News reported .
Japan 's Self-Defense Forces distributed food , water , blankets and fuel to those stranded in their cars , and worked with shovels to budge the vehicles .
Two people were taken to the hospital for respiratory problems and nausea on Thursday , CNN reported .
`` The government will do its utmost to rescue anyone who is stuck in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's top spokesman , Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato , according to Reuters , which reported the snow has knocked out power to more than 10,000 households .
Meanwhile , more heavy snow is forecast for the weekend .

Massive Snowstorm Hits Japan, Trapping More Than 1,000 Cars On A Highway
Enlarge this image toggle caption STR/Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images STR/Jiji Press/AFP via Getty Images
It started with a large vehicle that got stuck in the deepening snow. That minor incident grew into a monster snow-covered traffic jam as more than 1,000 cars became stranded on a highway that runs between Tokyo and the city of Niigata along the Sea of Japan coast.
The snarl began Wednesday night, local news sources reported.
"The snow was extremely heavy," one driver told the public broadcaster NHK. "As time went by, the cars got buried. I was really scared. I've eaten all of my food and drinks. Now, to drink water, I have to melt snow I collect in a plastic bottle."
Heavy snowfall in recent days, especially in the Niigata and Gunma prefectures, blanketed some areas with more than 6 feet of snow. NHK reported that these prefectures have seen seven times more snow than they typically do at this point at this time of year.
"I hardly slept, and I was worried because I had absolutely no information (about the situation)," a 48-year-old man, who had been driving to his home near Tokyo, told Kyodo News.
The line of cars at one point stretched more than 10 miles, authorities told the news agency.
For a time, traffic was stopped in both directions. Lanes bound for Niigata were cleared by Friday morning, while about 260 vehicles on the Tokyo-bound lanes were still stuck as of 7 p.m. local time Friday, Kyodo reported.
The East Nippon Expressway Co. said it could be Saturday before all the cars are cleared.
"I would like to apologize for the extensive period of closure along the Kan-etsu Expressway caused by snow, and particularly for trapping our customers for a long period of time," company President Toru Obata said at a press conference, NBC News reported.
Japan's Self-Defense Forces distributed food, water, blankets and fuel to those stranded in their cars, and worked with shovels to budge the vehicles.
Two people were taken to the hospital for respiratory problems and nausea on Thursday, CNN reported.
"The government will do its utmost to rescue anyone who is stuck in their vehicle," said the government's top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, according to Reuters, which reported the snow has knocked out power to more than 10,000 households.
Meanwhile, more heavy snow is forecast for the weekend.