npr--2020-09-28--Nearly Two-Thirds Of U.S. Households Struck By COVID-19 Face Financial Trouble

Nearly Two-Thirds Of U.S .
Households Struck By COVID-19 Face Financial Trouble COVID-19 has caused widespread damage to the economy — so wide that it can be easy to overlook how unevenly households are suffering .
But new polling data out this month reveal households that either have had someone with COVID-19 or include someone who has a disability or special needs are much more likely to also be hurting financially .
That was the case for a young mother named Elizabeth who was waiting for her kindergartener to get out of school in Smyrna , Tenn. , when we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still recovering from its bout with COVID-19 .
`` We had to be quarantined for a while , and me and my husband did n't get paid for it , '' says Elizabeth , who did n't want to give her last name because she needs to get back to work and worries about her job prospects .
She says she 's grateful that in-person school has resumed because she ca n't afford to sit with her daughter all day , working on a laptop .
`` We 're just now trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit at a really bad time for us , '' she says .
`` It 's been rough , it really has . ''
The poll , conducted by NPR , the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health , surveyed around 3,500 respondents nationwide in July and early August and found that nearly half of American households faced lost jobs or pay cuts during the pandemic .
But for households like Elizabeth 's that have had a member fall ill with COVID-19 , the share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two-thirds — 64 % .
And 63 % of those that have had a sick household member report facing serious financial problems during the coronavirus outbreak .
• 54 % of households with annual incomes below $ 100,000 report serious financial problems , compared with 20 % of households with incomes over $ 100,000 .
• Of households that include someone who has a disability , 63 % report facing serious financial hardship , and 37 % report using up all or most of their savings .
• 22 % of households in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have had trouble affording medical care ; 9 % of households that have had someone sick with the virus lost their health insurance during the pandemic , and 7 % did n't have it even before the outbreak 's start .
Health and wealth have always been intertwined in the United States .
But Melinda Buntin , who chairs the department of health policy at Vanderbilt University , says this polling provides some timely details .
`` We knew the financial hardship was more extreme , '' Buntin says .
`` Now we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there are groups of people who are very disproportionately affected by this pandemic . ''
Those feeling a greater impact include households with someone who has a disability .
Tiffany Butler , one of the respondents to NPR 's poll , is a mother with three boys and a foster daughter in Houston .
She supports her family through her work for a temp agency , staffing big events for conventions and pro sports games .
Those events came to a sudden halt in March — first for two weeks , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another month , '' Butler says .
`` So I 'm like , 'Am I just out of a job ? '
`` Butler was fortunate to have a small financial cushion in the beginning , she says , even though her wages were just $ 14 an hour .
`` I had enough savings built up for about three months , '' she says .
`` That 's pretty much gone . ''
So far she has been rejected from receiving unemployment payments , partly related to having worked for multiple employers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stimulus money she was eligible to get .
`` I was very upset about having to use savings , '' she says , `` but I had to remind myself that I put this money away for times like this . ''
Many other respondents did n't have savings to start with , says Harvard University researcher Mary Gorski Findling , who helped analyze the results .
'We 're talking about more than half of these households having nothing to fall back on , '' she says .
`` And it 's scary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 is not the great equalizer that some claimed in the early days .
Kinika Young , an attorney with the Tennessee Justice Center , helps clients fight for health care and food stamp benefits .
She has seen the inequity up close .
`` Initially , people said this pandemic had us all in the same boat , '' she says .
`` And others were like , 'No , we 're not in the same boat .
Some people are riding out the storm in yachts , whereas others are holding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for some families , it 's all they can do to keep their heads above water .
Selenesol Singleton 's dad died last year .
The 20-year-old in Burbank , Calif. , then lost a job when the pandemic hit , and the film set where Singleton worked shut down .
Singleton got sick , and tests for the coronavirus were in such short supply that the hospital said just to assume it was COVID-19 , based on the symptoms .
These days , Singleton is trying to ride the unwelcome waves into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like , COVID forced me to pull myself together , '' Singleton says .
`` I feel like I really learned a sense of diligence with saving money during this time because I just knew I would need it . ''
It became clear that living paycheck to paycheck would n't cut it .
Maybe more education and training , Singleton thought , would offer preparation for a better job .
The young film industry worker decided it was time to start classes at a local community college rather than follow a dream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Singleton is now a few weeks into the semester at Pasadena City College but is still not sure how even that tuition bill will get paid .

Nearly Two-Thirds Of U.S. Households Struck By COVID-19 Face Financial Trouble
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Moore/Getty Images John Moore/Getty Images
COVID-19 has caused widespread damage to the economy — so wide that it can be easy to overlook how unevenly households are suffering. But new polling data out this month reveal households that either have had someone with COVID-19 or include someone who has a disability or special needs are much more likely to also be hurting financially.
That was the case for a young mother named Elizabeth who was waiting for her kindergartener to get out of school in Smyrna, Tenn., when we spoke with her. Her family is still recovering from its bout with COVID-19.
"We had to be quarantined for a while, and me and my husband didn't get paid for it," says Elizabeth, who didn't want to give her last name because she needs to get back to work and worries about her job prospects.
She says she's grateful that in-person school has resumed because she can't afford to sit with her daughter all day, working on a laptop.
"We're just now trying to build our family, and this has hit at a really bad time for us," she says. "It's been rough, it really has."
The poll, conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, surveyed around 3,500 respondents nationwide in July and early August and found that nearly half of American households faced lost jobs or pay cuts during the pandemic.
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But for households like Elizabeth's that have had a member fall ill with COVID-19, the share that have lost work jumps to nearly two-thirds — 64%. And 63% of those that have had a sick household member report facing serious financial problems during the coronavirus outbreak.
Other key findings:
54% of households with annual incomes below $100,000 report serious financial problems, compared with 20% of households with incomes over $100,000.
Of households that include someone who has a disability, 63% report facing serious financial hardship, and 37% report using up all or most of their savings.
22% of households in which someone has been sick with COVID-19 have had trouble affording medical care; 9% of households that have had someone sick with the virus lost their health insurance during the pandemic, and 7% didn't have it even before the outbreak's start.
Health and wealth have always been intertwined in the United States. But Melinda Buntin, who chairs the department of health policy at Vanderbilt University, says this polling provides some timely details.
"We knew the financial hardship was more extreme," Buntin says. "Now we can look at that intersection and see that there are groups of people who are very disproportionately affected by this pandemic."
Those feeling a greater impact include households with someone who has a disability.
Tiffany Butler, one of the respondents to NPR's poll, is a mother with three boys and a foster daughter in Houston. She supports her family through her work for a temp agency, staffing big events for conventions and pro sports games.
Those events came to a sudden halt in March — first for two weeks, then a month.
"Then they said another month," Butler says. "So I'm like, 'Am I just out of a job?' "
Butler was fortunate to have a small financial cushion in the beginning, she says, even though her wages were just $14 an hour. "I had enough savings built up for about three months," she says. "That's pretty much gone."
So far she has been rejected from receiving unemployment payments, partly related to having worked for multiple employers. And she never received the federal stimulus money she was eligible to get.
"I was very upset about having to use savings," she says, "but I had to remind myself that I put this money away for times like this."
Many other respondents didn't have savings to start with, says Harvard University researcher Mary Gorski Findling, who helped analyze the results.
'We're talking about more than half of these households having nothing to fall back on," she says. "And it's scary."
It's becoming clear that COVID-19 is not the great equalizer that some claimed in the early days.
Kinika Young, an attorney with the Tennessee Justice Center, helps clients fight for health care and food stamp benefits. She has seen the inequity up close.
"Initially, people said this pandemic had us all in the same boat," she says. "And others were like, 'No, we're not in the same boat. Some people are riding out the storm in yachts, whereas others are holding on to driftwood.' "
And for some families, it's all they can do to keep their heads above water.
Selenesol Singleton's dad died last year. The 20-year-old in Burbank, Calif., then lost a job when the pandemic hit, and the film set where Singleton worked shut down. Singleton got sick, and tests for the coronavirus were in such short supply that the hospital said just to assume it was COVID-19, based on the symptoms.
These days, Singleton is trying to ride the unwelcome waves into something better.
"I think, like, COVID forced me to pull myself together," Singleton says. "I feel like I really learned a sense of diligence with saving money during this time because I just knew I would need it."
It became clear that living paycheck to paycheck wouldn't cut it. Maybe more education and training, Singleton thought, would offer preparation for a better job. The young film industry worker decided it was time to start classes at a local community college rather than follow a dream to go to school in New York.
Singleton is now a few weeks into the semester at Pasadena City College but is still not sure how even that tuition bill will get paid.


npr--2020-09-28--Trump And Biden Debate Tuesday. Here's What You Need To Know

Trump And Biden Debate Tuesday .
Here 's What You Need To Know President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will debate each other for the first time Tuesday evening , in the first of three presidential debates .
Here are the details : When ?
Tuesday , Sept. 29 , from 9 to 10:30 p.m .
ET .
( You can listen to the debate on NPR , and we 'll have a livestream video online . )
Where ?
Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic , in Cleveland .
( The University of Notre Dame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic in withdrawing . )
What are the topics going to be ?
Wallace selected the following topics : • race and violence in U.S. cities • the integrity of the election The debate topics are not without controversy .
Three dozen Democratic senators signed a letter calling for the debates to also focus on the climate crisis , and critics objected to the framing of the fifth topic , saying it conflates the issues of race and violence .
The sixth topic comes as Trump has not committed to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the format ?
The debate will consist of six segments to address the topics above , with each segment getting approximately 15 minutes .
Each candidate will have two minutes to respond to the opening question in each segment .
Candidates will get a chance to respond to each other as well .
What 's the state of play ahead of this first debate ?
Biden is currently the favorite , with polling leads in the national average and in many key states .
Will there be more debates ?
Yes , Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debates planned .
Here are the others :

Trump And Biden Debate Tuesday. Here's What You Need To Know
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP Patrick Semansky/AP
President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will debate each other for the first time Tuesday evening, in the first of three presidential debates.
Here are the details:
When? Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 9 to 10:30 p.m. ET. (You can listen to the debate on NPR, and we'll have a livestream video online.)
Where? Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland. (The University of Notre Dame was originally supposed to host but cited the coronavirus pandemic in withdrawing.)
Who's moderating? Chris Wallace, anchor, Fox News Sunday
Enlarge this image toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images Joe Raedle/Getty Images
What are the topics going to be? Wallace selected the following topics:
Trump's and Biden's records
the Supreme Court
COVID-19
the economy
race and violence in U.S. cities
the integrity of the election
The debate topics are not without controversy. Three dozen Democratic senators signed a letter calling for the debates to also focus on the climate crisis, and critics objected to the framing of the fifth topic, saying it conflates the issues of race and violence.
The sixth topic comes as Trump has not committed to a peaceful transfer of power.
What's the format? The debate will consist of six segments to address the topics above, with each segment getting approximately 15 minutes.
Each candidate will have two minutes to respond to the opening question in each segment. Candidates will get a chance to respond to each other as well.
What's the state of play ahead of this first debate? Biden is currently the favorite, with polling leads in the national average and in many key states.
Will there be more debates? Yes, Tuesday's debate is the first of four debates planned. Here are the others:


npr--2020-09-28--D.C. Statehood Is A Civil Rights Issue For Young Activists

On a recent weekday evening , about 60 young activists from across the country logged onto a Zoom meeting .
They were preparing for a virtual lobbying day , when they 'd meet with their U.S. senators about making Washington , D.C. , the 51st state .
`` You have to be confident , '' Demi Stratmon , 22 , told the group .
Stratmon works for 51 for 51 , a D.C. statehood organization .
`` They are your elected officials , and you have the right to speak with them , '' she says .
Stratmon and her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them — do n't have any senators to lobby themselves .
The District 's representative to Congress , Del .
Eleanor Holmes Norton , ca n't vote on final versions of bills .
Congress also has the power to change D.C. 's budget and local laws .
Like the rest of the young Zoom participants , Stratmon thinks the best way to fix D.C. 's lack of representation is to make it a state .
The importance of full statehood hit home for another young advocate , Ty Hobson-Powell , this past spring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of federal funding for COVID-19 relief as the 50 states , even though the city has a larger population than two states ( Vermont and Wyoming ) and at the time had more COVID-19 cases than at least 19 states .
Another one of his priorities , along with many of his fellow young advocates , is racial justice .
The population of Washington , D.C. is 46 % Black , and Hobson-Powell believes racism plays into some politicians ' unwillingness to consider statehood .
`` We are a city of Black and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` To ignore the racism attached to our lack of statehood would be hard to do . ''
In August , he brought that same message to a national audience when he spoke at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington .
Statehood has n't always been a magnet for young progressive advocates .
As recently as a decade ago , it was seen as a political dead end — even leading local politicians did n't make statehood a priority .
But in this hyper-partisan time , the cause has gained significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Representatives passed H.R .
51 this summer — the first time a chamber of Congress has ever passed legislation making D.C. the 51st state .
And the Democratic National Party made statehood part of its 2020 party platform .
Despite the buzz , statehood is still far from a sure bet .
Even if Democrats take control of the Senate and White House in November , a new law making D.C. a state will face legal challenges .
Some constitutional scholars argue Congress does n't have the constitutional authority to grant D.C. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year found that 64 % of people said they opposed making the District the 51st state .
That 's why D.C. 's cadre of young advocates have made it their mission to educate Americans outside the District .
They travel to battleground states to meet with swing voters .
They organize lobbying days for young advocates to connect with their representatives .
And they try to get non-Washingtonians studying in D.C. on board with the cause .
Noah Wills , 24 , moved to D.C. from Pennsylvania to attend American University .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an organization focused on mobilizing high school and college students .
He calls out-of-state students in DC .
`` the gateway to the rest of the country . ''
`` I took my representation for granted before I moved to D.C. , '' he said .
Now , when he goes home to visit family in Pennsylvania , all he talks about is statehood .
This story is part of 51st , a six-part podcast series from member station WAMU about Washingtonians ' fight for representation .

D.C. Statehood Is A Civil Rights Issue For Young Activists
toggle caption Tyrone Turner/WAMU
On a recent weekday evening, about 60 young activists from across the country logged onto a Zoom meeting. They were preparing for a virtual lobbying day, when they'd meet with their U.S. senators about making Washington, D.C., the 51st state.
"You have to be confident," Demi Stratmon, 22, told the group. Stratmon works for 51 for 51, a D.C. statehood organization. "They are your elected officials, and you have the right to speak with them," she says.
Stratmon and her fellow Washingtonians — more than 700,000 of them — don't have any senators to lobby themselves. The District's representative to Congress, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, can't vote on final versions of bills. Congress also has the power to change D.C.'s budget and local laws.
Like the rest of the young Zoom participants, Stratmon thinks the best way to fix D.C.'s lack of representation is to make it a state.
The importance of full statehood hit home for another young advocate, Ty Hobson-Powell, this past spring. D.C. received about half the amount of federal funding for COVID-19 relief as the 50 states, even though the city has a larger population than two states (Vermont and Wyoming) and at the time had more COVID-19 cases than at least 19 states.
Another one of his priorities, along with many of his fellow young advocates, is racial justice. The population of Washington, D.C. is 46% Black, and Hobson-Powell believes racism plays into some politicians' unwillingness to consider statehood.
"We are a city of Black and Brown people," Hobson-Powell said. "To ignore the racism attached to our lack of statehood would be hard to do." In August, he brought that same message to a national audience when he spoke at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington.
Statehood hasn't always been a magnet for young progressive advocates. As recently as a decade ago, it was seen as a political dead end — even leading local politicians didn't make statehood a priority.
But in this hyper-partisan time, the cause has gained significant traction among Democratic politicians. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 51 this summer — the first time a chamber of Congress has ever passed legislation making D.C. the 51st state. And the Democratic National Party made statehood part of its 2020 party platform.
Despite the buzz, statehood is still far from a sure bet. Even if Democrats take control of the Senate and White House in November, a new law making D.C. a state will face legal challenges. Some constitutional scholars argue Congress doesn't have the constitutional authority to grant D.C. statehood. And a Gallup poll last year found that 64% of people said they opposed making the District the 51st state.
That's why D.C.'s cadre of young advocates have made it their mission to educate Americans outside the District. They travel to battleground states to meet with swing voters. They organize lobbying days for young advocates to connect with their representatives. And they try to get non-Washingtonians studying in D.C. on board with the cause.
Noah Wills, 24, moved to D.C. from Pennsylvania to attend American University. He now runs Students for D.C. Statehood, an organization focused on mobilizing high school and college students. He calls out-of-state students in DC. "the gateway to the rest of the country."
"I took my representation for granted before I moved to D.C.," he said. Now, when he goes home to visit family in Pennsylvania, all he talks about is statehood.
This story is part of 51st, a six-part podcast series from member station WAMU about Washingtonians' fight for representation.


npr--2020-09-28--In Internet Dead Zones, Rural Schools Struggle With Distanced Learning

The past seven months have been a big strain on families like Mandi Boren 's .
The Borens are cattle ranchers on a remote slice of land near Idaho 's Owyhee Mountains .
They have four kids — ranging from a first grader to a sophomore in high school .
When the lockdown first hit , Boren first thought it might be a good thing .
Home schooling temporarily could be more efficient , plus there 'd be more family time and help with the chores .
`` I thought , I 'll be able to get my kids ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then they 'll be to work with dad , and no problem it will be great , '' Boren says , chuckling .
`` Well , it did n't turn out so great . ''
That 's because all four kids — in addition to Boren , who telecommutes — were suddenly plugged into the family 's satellite Internet , which is spotty on a good day .
You can forget trying to use Zoom or Google Classroom .
`` I soon found out that our Internet speeds were so slow , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long actually , '' Boren says .
`` We were doing schooling on Saturdays and Sundays as well . ''
Her kids started back to school in person , at least for now .
Across the country as American schools struggle with whether to reopen or stay virtual , many rural districts are worried their students will fall even further behind than their city peers .
This pandemic has shone a glaring light on a lot of inequalities .
The federal government estimates that more than a third of rural America has little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interviews , educators have told NPR they 're concerned the rural-urban divide will only worsen if kids ca n't get online to learn .
This past spring , when the lockdowns began , many rural districts amid the crisis had to resort to delivering paper copies of school work to students who did n't have Internet or cell phone service at home .
`` I do n't know why anybody would rationally think 'we can just hand you a packet , and here you 're going to go teach yourself , ' that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' says Dr. Leslie Molina , principal at McDermitt Combined Schools in northern Nevada .
She says all 105 of her students qualify for free or reduced lunch .
Most live on the Fort McDermitt Reservation and about 75 % have no Internet access at home .
`` Plus , we 're also so extremely rural , '' Molina says .
`` We 're 80 miles from a WalMart . ''
According to Molina , when a fifth of tribal members tested positive for coronavirus over the summer , the school decided to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least for the first couple weeks .
But they 've had time to plan .
Before COVID-19 , Nevada was already trying to get every student outfitted with tablets and cellular hotspots .
And due to the pandemic , CARES Act money is fast tracking that .
So when McDermitt reopened Sept. 8 initially for distance education , Molina ditched those dreaded paper packets .
`` We spent that week troubleshooting a lot of technology and calling and hounding parents and students , '' Molina says .
She says some of her kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the spring , online attendance was not optional and work had to be turned in .
Still , it 's widely held that hot spots are n't a long-term solution for rural learning , especially since cell service can be spotty , if sometimes non-existent in more rugged areas of the West in particular .
Rural leaders have been lobbying Congress for a big public works project to build out broadband here , much like when the government paid to bring electricity to rural areas during another crisis , the Great Depression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bringing about some good , it really is , '' says Jojo Myers Campos , Nevada 's broadband development manager .
Myers Campos has been helping spearhead more Internet connectivity in urban and rural areas of the state , including the ambitious plans to issue every student a Chromebook and hotspot .
She hopes the pandemic makes people realize that fast Internet should be a right , not a privilege .
`` I wish that every single time a big project was done , you had to put in conduit and fiber in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Just like you do water and sewer , just like you do gas , just like you do electricity . ''
Back in Idaho , CARES Act funds are also being tapped to build out rural broadband connections .
But Mandi Boren recently learned that the fiber was n't going to reach her remote ranch by a year-end deadline .
So for now , she 's just hoping her kids ' school — the Bruneau Grandview district — can stay in-person so long as it 's safe .
`` It makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more , '' Boren says .
`` I always appreciated them , but just [ for me ] to have to do four grades as one person , that 's tough . ''

In Internet Dead Zones, Rural Schools Struggle With Distanced Learning
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tony Avelar/AP Tony Avelar/AP
The past seven months have been a big strain on families like Mandi Boren's.
The Borens are cattle ranchers on a remote slice of land near Idaho's Owyhee Mountains. They have four kids — ranging from a first grader to a sophomore in high school. When the lockdown first hit, Boren first thought it might be a good thing. Home schooling temporarily could be more efficient, plus there'd be more family time and help with the chores.
"I thought, I'll be able to get my kids' schooling done in a few hours and then they'll be to work with dad, and no problem it will be great," Boren says, chuckling. "Well, it didn't turn out so great."
That's because all four kids — in addition to Boren, who telecommutes — were suddenly plugged into the family's satellite Internet, which is spotty on a good day. You can forget trying to use Zoom or Google Classroom.
"I soon found out that our Internet speeds were so slow, we had to spread it out all week long actually," Boren says. "We were doing schooling on Saturdays and Sundays as well."
Her kids started back to school in person, at least for now.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
Across the country as American schools struggle with whether to reopen or stay virtual, many rural districts are worried their students will fall even further behind than their city peers.
This pandemic has shone a glaring light on a lot of inequalities. The federal government estimates that more than a third of rural America has little or no Internet. In numerous recent interviews, educators have told NPR they're concerned the rural-urban divide will only worsen if kids can't get online to learn.
Rural-urban divide
This past spring, when the lockdowns began, many rural districts amid the crisis had to resort to delivering paper copies of school work to students who didn't have Internet or cell phone service at home.
"I don't know why anybody would rationally think 'we can just hand you a packet, and here you're going to go teach yourself,' that's basically what was going on," says Dr. Leslie Molina, principal at McDermitt Combined Schools in northern Nevada.
She says all 105 of her students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Most live on the Fort McDermitt Reservation and about 75% have no Internet access at home.
"Plus, we're also so extremely rural," Molina says. "We're 80 miles from a WalMart."
According to Molina, when a fifth of tribal members tested positive for coronavirus over the summer, the school decided to start back this month virtually, at least for the first couple weeks.
But they've had time to plan. Before COVID-19, Nevada was already trying to get every student outfitted with tablets and cellular hotspots. And due to the pandemic, CARES Act money is fast tracking that.
So when McDermitt reopened Sept. 8 initially for distance education, Molina ditched those dreaded paper packets.
"We spent that week troubleshooting a lot of technology and calling and hounding parents and students," Molina says.
She says some of her kids had to be reminded that, unlike in the spring, online attendance was not optional and work had to be turned in.
Opportunity out of crisis
Still, it's widely held that hot spots aren't a long-term solution for rural learning, especially since cell service can be spotty, if sometimes non-existent in more rugged areas of the West in particular.
Rural leaders have been lobbying Congress for a big public works project to build out broadband here, much like when the government paid to bring electricity to rural areas during another crisis, the Great Depression.
"Honestly, the challenge is bringing about some good, it really is," says Jojo Myers Campos, Nevada's broadband development manager.
Myers Campos has been helping spearhead more Internet connectivity in urban and rural areas of the state, including the ambitious plans to issue every student a Chromebook and hotspot. She hopes the pandemic makes people realize that fast Internet should be a right, not a privilege.
"I wish that every single time a big project was done, you had to put in conduit and fiber in the ground," Myers Campos says. "Just like you do water and sewer, just like you do gas, just like you do electricity."
Back in Idaho, CARES Act funds are also being tapped to build out rural broadband connections. But Mandi Boren recently learned that the fiber wasn't going to reach her remote ranch by a year-end deadline. So for now, she's just hoping her kids' school — the Bruneau Grandview district — can stay in-person so long as it's safe.
"It makes you appreciate your teachers a whole lot more," Boren says. "I always appreciated them, but just [for me ] to have to do four grades as one person, that's tough."


npr--2020-09-28--Health On Wheels: Tricked-Out RVs Deliver Addiction Treatment To Rural Colorado

Tonja Jimenez is far from the only person driving an RV down Colorado 's rural highways .
But unlike the other rigs , her 34-foot-long motor home is equipped as an addiction treatment clinic on wheels , bringing lifesaving treatment to the northeastern corner of the state , where patients with substance use disorders are often left to fend for themselves .
As in many states , access to addiction treatment remains a challenge in Colorado , so a new state program has transformed six RVs into mobile clinics to reach isolated farming communities and remote mountain hamlets .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more crucial : During the coronavirus pandemic , even as brick-and-mortar addiction clinics have closed or stopped taking new patients , these six-wheeled clinics have pretty much kept going .
Their health teams perform in-person testing and counseling .
And as broadband access is n't always a given in these rural spots , the RVs also provide a telehealth bridge to the medical providers back in the big cities .
Working from afar , these providers can prescribe medicine to fight addiction and the ever-present risk of overdose , an especially looming concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
Mobile health clinics have been around for years , bringing vision tests , asthma treatment and dentistry to places without adequate care .
But using health care on wheels to treat addiction is n't as common .
Nor is equipping the motor homes with telehealth capability that enables prescribing providers to treat hard-to-reach patients in these hard-to-reach rural areas .
`` We really believe we bring treatment to our patients and we meet them where they 're at , '' says Donna Goldstrom , clinical director for Front Range Clinic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that operates four of the RVs .
`` So meeting them where they 're at physically is not a long leap from meeting them where they 're at motivationally and psychologically . ''
Each RV has a nurse , a counselor and a peer specialist who has personal experience with addiction — and all had to be trained to drive a vehicle that size .
`` I never thought when I went to nursing school that I 'd be doing this , '' Christi Couron , a licensed practical nurse , says as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into one of the motor-home clinics .
Her crew has driven their RV more than 30,000 miles since January , much of it viewed through a cracked windshield — courtesy of a summer afternoon hailstorm .
Four days a week , they ply the roads from Greeley to the smaller towns near the Nebraska border , as the view goes from mile-high to miles-wide .
On a dusty lot outside a halfway house in Sterling , Jimenez , the peer specialist , activates the leveling jacks to balance the RV , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's slate of patients .
The passenger-side captain 's chair flips around to face a table where Jimenez will check in patients .
The tabletop is crowded with a printer , a scanner , a laptop and a label-maker .
Underneath lie a box of specimen cups and a gallon of windshield washer fluid .
The vehicle now has plenty of masks and cleaning supplies on hand , too .
After patients check in , they go to the RV 's snug bathroom to provide a urine sample .
With test strips built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results show instantly whether there 's any of 13 categories of drugs — from opiates to antidepressants — in the urine .
The sample is later dropped off at a lab to confirm the results and determine which specific drug is involved .
The results help the team understand how best to treat the patients and make sure they use the prescriptions they 're given .
Patients then head to a small exam room in the back , where they connect via video to a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in a brick-and-mortar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the provider will send over a prescription for Suboxone ( a combination medicine containing buprenorphine , which blocks cravings for opioids ) or for Vivitrol ( a long-acting , injectable version of naltrexone , which blocks opioid receptors ) .
Once the staff has the prescription in hand , the RV nurse can give those Vivitrol shots directly , and also distribute Narcan , a medication that will reverse an opioid overdose .
Suboxone prescriptions must be called into a local pharmacy .
Patients also can drop used needles into a sharps container @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the staffers are not allowed to distribute clean needles .
Some patients will talk with counselor Nicky McLean in a room just large enough to fit a table and two chairs .
Within minutes , a couple , who ask not to be identified by name because of the stigma surrounding addiction , arrive early for their appointments .
They 've brought the staff homemade chicken enchiladas .
They had been spending $ 8,000 a month buying OxyContin on the street , and their lives and finances are a wreck .
He lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests to see her son .
The couple started their addiction treatment only three weeks earlier , after he learned about the RV clinic from a friend .
They no longer have a car , so they walked a half-hour to get to their appointment .
`` We would 've done anything to get our drugs , '' she says .
`` Walking 30 minutes to get better — it 's worth it . ''
Even before they 've finished , another patient is at the door .
Spencer Nash , 29 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 .
Nine years ago , when his wife got pregnant , the couple decided to seek treatment , driving two hours each way , six days a week , to a methadone clinic in Fort Collins .
Now , he walks to the RV , outside the halfway house where he lives , to get his Suboxone prescription .
A few years ago , Robert Werthwein , director of Colorado 's Office of Behavioral Health , heard about a project using RVs for addiction treatment in rural upstate New York .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too .
The agency crunched the numbers to see which regions had the most opioid prescribing and the most overdoses but lacked addiction treatment .
`` We hear too often that in rural Colorado and the mountain regions of Colorado they do n't have the same access to services as the Denver metro and the Front Range regions , '' Werthwein says .
The state secured a $ 10 million federal grant for the program .
His team brought in health care providers , such as Front Range Clinic , to staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RVs were ready , the staff had to be trained to drive them , which necessitated `` a couple of repairs , '' Werthwein says .
The vehicles first started rolling out in December , eventually serving six regions — and in a seventh area , a place where narrow mountain roads preclude a large RV , one of Werthwein 's teams travels by SUV .
In some communities , the local doctors and others have been less than thrilled , fearing the RVs would attract drug users to their town .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just from a public standpoint , but we 're hoping to show providers 'there is a demand in your community for medication-assisted treatment , ' `` Werthwein says .
Once the federal grant runs out in September 2022 , Front Range Clinic and the other mobile unit operators will inherit and continue to operate the RVs — billing Medicaid and private insurance as they do now for the appointments .
As the RV crew 's 1 p.m. departure time in Sterling approaches , one patient remains .
The woman , who asks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she does n't want to be publicly identified as a drug user , arrives at the mobile clinic without an appointment .
But the staff ca n't take her as a new patient without a urine sample .
For two hours , she 's in and out of the bathroom , drinking bottles of water , but unable to fill the little plastic cup .
Through the bathroom door , she can be heard crying and cursing at herself .
With the battery power on the RV winding down , the staff coax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tomorrow would work better , they tell her .
She could continue to rehydrate through the night and then meet the mobile unit at its next stop , Fort Morgan , some 45 minutes away .
The next day , she 's still unable to produce a urine sample , whether because of dehydration from her substance use or simply nerves .
They ask her to come back again when the RV returns to Sterling the next week , but she never shows up .
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit , editorially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente

Health On Wheels: Tricked-Out RVs Deliver Addiction Treatment To Rural Colorado
Enlarge this image toggle caption Markian Hawryluk/Kaiser Health News Markian Hawryluk/Kaiser Health News
Tonja Jimenez is far from the only person driving an RV down Colorado's rural highways. But unlike the other rigs, her 34-foot-long motor home is equipped as an addiction treatment clinic on wheels, bringing lifesaving treatment to the northeastern corner of the state, where patients with substance use disorders are often left to fend for themselves.
As in many states, access to addiction treatment remains a challenge in Colorado, so a new state program has transformed six RVs into mobile clinics to reach isolated farming communities and remote mountain hamlets. In recent months, they've become even more crucial. During the coronavirus pandemic, even as brick-and-mortar addiction clinics have closed or stopped taking new patients, these six-wheeled clinics have pretty much kept going.
Their health teams perform in-person testing and counseling. And as broadband access isn't always a given in these rural spots, the RVs also provide a telehealth bridge to the medical providers back in the big cities. Working from afar, these providers can prescribe medicine to fight addiction and the ever-present risk of overdose, an especially looming concern amid the isolation and stress of the pandemic.
Mobile health clinics have been around for years, bringing vision tests, asthma treatment and dentistry to places without adequate care. But using health care on wheels to treat addiction isn't as common. Nor is equipping the motor homes with telehealth capability that enables prescribing providers to treat hard-to-reach patients in these hard-to-reach rural areas.
"We really believe we bring treatment to our patients and we meet them where they're at," says Donna Goldstrom, clinical director for Front Range Clinic, a Fort Collins, Colo., facility that operates four of the RVs. "So meeting them where they're at physically is not a long leap from meeting them where they're at motivationally and psychologically."
Each RV has a nurse, a counselor and a peer specialist who has personal experience with addiction — and all had to be trained to drive a vehicle that size.
"I never thought when I went to nursing school that I'd be doing this," Christi Couron, a licensed practical nurse, says as she pumps 52 gallons of diesel fuel into one of the motor-home clinics.
Her crew has driven their RV more than 30,000 miles since January, much of it viewed through a cracked windshield — courtesy of a summer afternoon hailstorm. Four days a week, they ply the roads from Greeley to the smaller towns near the Nebraska border, as the view goes from mile-high to miles-wide.
Don a mask, pee in a cup
On a dusty lot outside a halfway house in Sterling, Jimenez, the peer specialist, activates the leveling jacks to balance the RV and the team readies the unit for the day's slate of patients. The passenger-side captain's chair flips around to face a table where Jimenez will check in patients. The tabletop is crowded with a printer, a scanner, a laptop and a label-maker. Underneath lie a box of specimen cups and a gallon of windshield washer fluid. The vehicle now has plenty of masks and cleaning supplies on hand, too.
After patients check in, they go to the RV's snug bathroom to provide a urine sample. With test strips built into the sides of the cup, results show instantly whether there are any of 13 categories of drugs — from opiates to antidepressants — in the urine. The sample is later dropped off at a lab to confirm the results and determine which specific drug is involved. The results help the team understand how best to treat the patients and make sure they use the prescriptions they're given.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Markian Hawryluk/Kaiser Health News Markian Hawryluk/Kaiser Health News
Patients then head to a small exam room in the back, where they connect via video to a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in a brick-and-mortar clinic.
If all goes well, the provider will send over a prescription for Suboxone (a combination medicine containing buprenorphine, which blocks cravings for opioids) or for Vivitrol (a long-acting, injectable version of naltrexone, which blocks opioid receptors). Once the staff has the prescription in hand, the RV nurse can give those Vivitrol shots directly and also distribute Narcan, a medication that will reverse an opioid overdose. Suboxone prescriptions must be called in to a local pharmacy.
Patients also can drop used needles into a sharps container at the RV for disposal, but the staffers are not allowed to distribute clean needles. Some patients will talk with counselor Nicky McLean in a room just large enough to fit a table and two chairs.
Within minutes, a couple, who ask not to be identified by name because of the stigma surrounding addiction, arrive early for their appointments. They've brought the staff homemade chicken enchiladas. They had been spending $8,000 a month buying OxyContin on the street, and their lives and finances are a wreck. He lost his house. She needs clean urine tests to see her son. The couple started their addiction treatment only three weeks earlier, after he learned about the RV clinic from a friend.
They no longer have a car, so they walked a half-hour to get to their appointment.
"We would've done anything to get our drugs," she says. "Walking 30 minutes to get better — it's worth it."
Even before they've finished, another patient is at the door. Spencer Nash, 29, has been using opioids since he was 18. Nine years ago, when his wife got pregnant, the couple decided to seek treatment, driving two hours each way, six days a week, to a methadone clinic in Fort Collins. Now, he walks to the RV, outside the halfway house where he lives, to get his Suboxone prescription.
Filling the gaps
A few years ago, Robert Werthwein, director of Colorado's Office of Behavioral Health, heard about a project using RVs for addiction treatment in rural upstate New York. He thought it would work in his state, too. The agency crunched the numbers to see which regions had the most opioid prescribing and the most overdoses but lacked addiction treatment.
"We hear too often that in rural Colorado and the mountain regions of Colorado they don't have the same access to services as the Denver metro and the Front Range regions," Werthwein says. The state secured a $10 million federal grant for the program. His team brought in health care providers, such as Front Range Clinic, to staff and operate the RVs.
Once the RVs were ready, the staff had to be trained to drive them, which necessitated "a couple of repairs," Werthwein says. The vehicles first started rolling out in December, eventually serving six regions — and in a seventh area, a place where narrow mountain roads preclude a large RV, one of Werthwein's teams travels by SUV.
In some communities, the local doctors and others have been less than thrilled, fearing the RVs would attract drug users to their town.
"We're hoping to address stigma, not just from a public standpoint, but we're hoping to show providers 'there is a demand in your community for medication-assisted treatment,' " Werthwein says.
Once the federal grant runs out in September 2022, Front Range Clinic and the other mobile unit operators will inherit and continue to operate the RVs — billing Medicaid and private insurance as they do now for the appointments.
As the RV crew's 1 p.m. departure time in Sterling approaches, one patient remains. The woman, who asks that her name not be published because she doesn't want to be publicly identified as a drug user, arrives at the mobile clinic without an appointment.
But the staff can't take her as a new patient without a urine sample. For two hours, she's in and out of the bathroom, drinking bottles of water, but unable to fill the little plastic cup. Through the bathroom door, she can be heard crying and cursing at herself.
With the battery power on the RV winding down, the staff coax her out of the bathroom. Perhaps tomorrow would work better, they tell her. She could continue to rehydrate through the night and then meet the mobile unit at its next stop, Fort Morgan, some 45 minutes away.
The next day, she's still unable to produce a urine sample, whether because of dehydration from her substance use or simply nerves. They ask her to come back again when the RV returns to Sterling the next week, but she never shows up.
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit, editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.


npr--2020-09-28--Amy Coney Barrett: A Dream For The Right, Nightmare For The Left

Amy Coney Barrett : A Dream For The Right , Nightmare For The Left President Trump 's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court seat made vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen as a home run for conservatives .
It is a chance to move the high court in a far more aggressively conservative direction for generations .
In political terms , Barrett is the dream candidate for conservative Republicans and the nightmare candidate for Democrats .
For Republicans , the 48-year-old judge is a young and personally unassailable nominee .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother of seven , including a child with Down syndrome and two children she and her husband , Jesse Barrett , adopted from Haiti .
She is beloved in her community and by her students at Notre Dame Law School , where she taught for 15 years ; she was voted best professor three times and still teaches part time at the school .
`` If you talk to students , the thing that stands out to them is that she really makes an effort to get to know them , understand them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ G. Marcus Cole , dean of the law school .
It 's more than that , though .
Barrett is willing to go the extra mile when necessary — for instance , going to bat for Laura Wolk , a blind student who upon entering the law school , found the school computer software did n't allow her to access law books and other legal material in a format she needed to read for her classes .
As Wolk recounts , when she told Barrett about it , Barrett replied , `` This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your plate . ''
And she did , getting the law school to quickly purchase the needed software , says Wolk , who would go on to graduate second in her class and serve as a law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas .
Barrett 's busy schedule and her many roles leave people in South Bend , Ind.
, scratching their heads and asking this question : How does she do it ?
She starts most days at the gym at 4 a.m. , according to friends .
Because the appeals court she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commutes regularly , driving 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there from South Bend .
Nobody seriously disputes Barrett 's sparkling intellect and qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court .
Rather , it is her work on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and her scholarly writing and commentary that have drawn such fervent opposition from the left and support from the right .
It is the positions that she has taken over the years , from the anti-abortion , anti-gay-marriage letter from Catholic women that she signed in 2015 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrett has criticized the Supreme Court 's 5-4 and 6-3 decisions upholding key sections of Obamacare .
Both were written by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts , but in a 2015 interview on NPR , Barrett opined that in her view `` the dissenters had the better of the argument . ''
In a lecture at Jacksonville University in 2016 just days before the election , Barrett warned that if Hillary Clinton were elected , the court would experience a `` sea change '' in ideology .
But as Nan Aron , president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , it is Barrett 's ideology that now presents a potential sea change .
Aron says President Trump has `` made clear his two qualifications '' for a Supreme Court justice : She must be `` opposed to Roe v. Wade , '' and `` the candidate has to , like Trump , do whatever she can to overturn the Affordable Care Act . ''
Aron , and others , contend that Barrett 's record fits the bill on both counts , and much more .
Barrett , in her Jacksonville lecture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court 's Roe v. Wade decision would be hollowed out , but not reversed .
`` I think the question is how much freedom the court is willing to let states have in regulating abortion , '' she said .
Just months after that speech , Barrett was named to the 7th Circuit , where she dissented in an abortion case that , if she had prevailed , would have made it illegal in Indiana to get an abortion because of fetal disability .
Now , in 2020 , if she is confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative vote on the court , making it plausible that there will be a majority to overturn Roe v. Wade outright .
University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck says he expects that with Barrett 's confirmation , the court would be transformed into the most conservative court since the 1930s , a court that is much more aggressive in its conservative agenda .
`` When it comes to big picture cases , running the spectrum from abortion to religion to campaign finance to everything , there is no longer going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when you have six solid conservatives from which to find five '' justices to form a majority , Vladeck said .
Barrett closely identifies with the justice she once clerked for , the late Antonin Scalia , who more than any other justice popularized the idea of originalism , meaning that the court should interpret the Constitution as it was originally intended by the Founders .
But Scalia , at the same time , often referred to himself as a `` faint-hearted originalist '' because he also embraced one of the other building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adhering to precedent , even when , in his view , some of those precedents conflicted with what the Founding Fathers thought when they ratified the Constitution .
Judge Barrett 's views on precedent , however , appear to be closer to those of Justice Clarence Thomas , who has little regard for precedent and has urged overturning many long-established decisions .
Barrett 's critics , for instance , point to her judicial writing in a major gun case .
In 2008 , the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gun .
But Justice Scalia , writing for the court , listed some exceptions , among them laws barring felons from owning guns .
When one of those felon laws came before Judge Barrett , she dissented , maintaining that the Supreme Court did n't really mean to exclude gun ownership for felons who are n't dangerous .

Amy Coney Barrett: A Dream For The Right, Nightmare For The Left
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP Alex Brandon/AP
President Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court seat made vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen as a home run for conservatives. It is a chance to move the high court in a far more aggressively conservative direction for generations.
In political terms, Barrett is the dream candidate for conservative Republicans and the nightmare candidate for Democrats.
For Republicans, the 48-year-old is a young and personally unassailable nominee.
A devout Catholic, she is the mother of seven, including a child with Down syndrome and two children she and her husband, Jesse Barrett, adopted from Haiti. She is beloved in her community and by her students at Notre Dame Law School, where she taught for 15 years; she was voted best professor three times and still teaches part time at the school.
"If you talk to students, the thing that stands out to them is that she really makes an effort to get to know them, understand them, and help them," says G. Marcus Cole, dean of the law school.
It's more than that, though. Barrett is willing to go the extra mile when necessary — for instance, going to bat for Laura Wolk, a blind student who upon entering the law school, found the school computer software didn't allow her to access law books and other legal material in a format she needed to read for her classes. As Wolk recounts, when she told Barrett about it, Barrett replied, "This is one I absolutely can take off your plate."
And she did, getting the law school to quickly purchase the needed software, says Wolk, who would go on to graduate second in her class and serve as a law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas.
Barrett's busy schedule and her many roles leave people in South Bend, Ind., scratching their heads and asking this question: How does she do it?
She starts most days at the gym at 4 a.m., according to friends. Because the appeals court she sits on meets in Chicago, she commutes regularly, driving 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there from South Bend.
Nobody seriously disputes Barrett's sparkling intellect and qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court. Rather, it is her work on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and her scholarly writing and commentary that have drawn such fervent opposition from the left and support from the right.
It is the positions that she has taken over the years, from the anti-abortion, anti-gay-marriage letter from Catholic women that she signed in 2015, to her judicial decisions since then.
A sea change for the Supreme Court
Barrett has criticized the Supreme Court's 5-4 and 6-3 decisions upholding key sections of Obamacare. Both were written by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, but in a 2015 interview on NPR, Barrett opined that in her view "the dissenters had the better of the argument."
In a lecture at Jacksonville University in 2016 just days before the election, Barrett warned that if Hillary Clinton were elected, the court would experience a "sea change" in ideology. But as Nan Aron, president of the liberal Alliance for Justice puts it, it is Barrett's ideology that now presents a potential sea change.
Aron says President Trump has "made clear his two qualifications" for a Supreme Court justice: She must be "opposed to Roe v. Wade," and "the candidate has to, like Trump, do whatever she can to overturn the Affordable Care Act." Aron, and others, contend that Barrett's record fits the bill on both counts, and much more.
Barrett, in her Jacksonville lecture, said she expected that the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision would be hollowed out, but not reversed.
"I think the question is how much freedom the court is willing to let states have in regulating abortion," she said.
Just months after that speech, Barrett was named to the 7th Circuit, where she dissented in an abortion case involving an Indiana law barring abortions based on fetal disability or gender. While the dissenters technically did not decide the issue, they made clear their view that what they referred to as an "anti-eugenics law" should be upheld by the Supreme Court. Had that view prevailed, it would have been illegal to get an abortion in Indiana because of fetal disability.
A potential vote to overturn crucial cases
Now, in 2020, if she is confirmed, Barrett would likely be a sixth conservative vote on the court, making it plausible that there will be a majority to overturn Roe v. Wade outright.
University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck says he expects that with Barrett's confirmation, the court would be transformed into the most conservative court since the 1930s, a court that is much more aggressive in its conservative agenda.
"When it comes to big picture cases, running the spectrum from abortion to religion to campaign finance to everything, there is no longer going to be ... any concern about a squishy median when you have six solid conservatives from which to find five" justices to form a majority, Vladeck said.
Barrett closely identifies with the justice she once clerked for, the late Antonin Scalia, who more than any other justice popularized the idea of originalism, meaning that the court should interpret the Constitution as it was originally intended by the Founders. But Scalia, at the same time, often referred to himself as a "faint-hearted originalist" because he also embraced one of the other building blocks of legal interpretation, namely, adhering to precedent, even when, in his view, some of those precedents conflicted with what the Founding Fathers thought when they ratified the Constitution.
Judge Barrett's views on precedent, however, appear to be closer to those of Justice Clarence Thomas, who has little regard for precedent and has urged overturning many long-established decisions.
Barrett's critics, for instance, point to her judicial writing in a major gun case. In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the Constitution guarantees the right to own a gun. But Justice Scalia, writing for the court, listed some exceptions, among them laws barring felons from owning guns. When one of those felon laws came before Judge Barrett, she dissented, maintaining that the Supreme Court didn't really mean to exclude gun ownership for felons who aren't dangerous.


npr--2020-09-28--COVID-19 Deaths Top 1 Million. How These 5 Countries Are Driving the Pandemic

COVID-19 Deaths Top 1 Million .
How These 5 Countries Are Driving the Pandemic The coronavirus pandemic has now killed at least 1 million people worldwide .
That 's according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University .
This sobering milestone was reached just nine months after the first reported fatality in China last January .
And public health experts believe the actual toll – the recorded deaths plus the unrecorded deaths – is much higher .
What 's more , in the five worst-off countries , the trend line remains worrisome .
Here 's how they line up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their ranks .
Take the United States , which currently leads the world in terms of both total number of dead and total number of infected over the course of the pandemic .
While several Northeastern states that were clobbered by the virus early on managed to use social distancing and masking to push down their new cases by early spring , states in other regions then quickly moved to re-open .
This fueled an even bigger wave of deaths across wide swaths of the U.S. throughout the summer .
Since then many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers — as well as the overall U.S. daily death count .
Yet it remains far higher than it was in July .
Also , most recently , daily deaths have actually begun rising again — largely driven by increasing transmission in various states in the Great Plains and the South .
Brazil , the second-biggest driver of the worldwide death toll , is also once again trouble .
Led by a president who repeatedly downplayed the threat from the coronavirus , Brazil 's initial response was chaotic at best , enabling a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August .
About a month ago , the daily death count began dropping .
But more recently that progress seems to have stalled .
The trajectory has been even more unremittingly terrible in India — which has the third-highest death toll .
Since May , when the government largely lifted a strict lockdown , infections and deaths have been on a virtually uninterrupted upward spiral .
One caveat is that when these cases are measured as a share of India 's population , India actually ranks fairly low .
That 's in marked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
Also , over the last several weeks India 's daily death count appears to have hit something of plateau .
Still , the total number of people dying there remains extremely high — with an average of about 1,100 deaths each day over the last week .
Mexico too is struggling .
It does n't just follow the U.S. , Brazil and India when it comes to highest total deaths over the entirety of the pandemic .
Over the last two weeks , all four countries have also had the highest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United Kingdom — ranked fifth when it comes to total death toll — is faring only slightly better .
New infections have risen to their highest level there since early May .
And while the death toll remains much lower , it too has begun creeping up again .
More alarming , however , is the situation in European neighbors Spain and France — where both daily new cases and daily new deaths have recently increased markedly , putting both countries in the top 10 on those measures over the last two weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meanwhile , countries such as Argentina offer a reminder that the full contours of the pandemic 's impact wo n't be clear until it 's over .
Three months ago Argentina seemed to be doing comparatively well .
That 's one reason it still does n't quite rank among the top 10 countries in terms of total deaths over the entirety of the pandemic .
But since June , Argentina has seen a steady increase in infections and fatalities .
And over the last two weeks its daily new death count has ranked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sign of slowing down .

COVID-19 Deaths Top 1 Million Worldwide. How These 5 Nations Are Driving The Pandemic
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andre Coelho/Getty Images Andre Coelho/Getty Images
The coronavirus pandemic has now killed at least 1 million people worldwide. That's according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University. This sobering milestone was reached just nine months after the first reported fatality in China last January. And public health experts believe the actual toll – the recorded deaths plus the unrecorded deaths – is much higher. What's more, in the five worst-off countries, the trend line remains worrisome. Here's how they line up — and why Argentina could soon join their ranks.
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1. United States
Take the United States, which currently leads the world in terms of both total number of dead and total number of infected over the course of the pandemic. While several Northeastern states that were clobbered by the virus early on managed to use social distancing and masking to push down their new cases by early spring, states in other regions then quickly moved to reopen. This fueled an even bigger wave of deaths across wide swaths of the U.S. throughout the summer. Since then many states have managed to bring down their numbers — as well as the overall U.S. daily death count. Yet it remains far higher than it was in the start of July. Also, most recently, daily deaths have actually begun rising again — largely driven by increasing transmission in various states in the Great Plains and the South.
2. Brazil
Brazil, the second-biggest driver of the worldwide death toll, is also trouble once again. Led by a president who repeatedly downplayed the threat from the coronavirus, Brazil's initial response was chaotic at best, enabling a surge in deaths all through July and August. About a month ago, the daily death count began dropping. But more recently that progress seems to have stalled.
3. India
The trajectory has been even more unremittingly terrible in India, which has the third-highest death toll. Since May, when the government largely lifted a strict lockdown, infections and deaths have been on a virtually uninterrupted upward spiral. One caveat is that when these cases are measured as a share of India's population, India actually ranks fairly low. That's in marked contrast with both Brazil and the United States. Also, over the past several weeks India's daily death count appears to have hit something of a plateau. Still, the total number of people dying there remains extremely high with an average of about 1,100 deaths each day over the past week.
4. Mexico
Mexico, too, is struggling. It doesn't just follow the U.S., Brazil and India when it comes to highest total deaths over the entirety of the pandemic. Over the past two weeks, all four countries have also had the highest number of average daily deaths.
5. United Kingdom
The United Kingdom — ranked fifth when it comes to total death toll — is faring only slightly better. New infections have risen to their highest level there since early May. And while the death toll remains much lower, it has begun creeping up again. More alarming, however, is the situation in European neighbors Spain and France, where both daily new cases and daily new deaths have recently increased markedly, putting both countries in the top 10 on those measures over the past two weeks.
Could Argentina be far behind?
Meanwhile, countries such as Argentina offer a reminder that the full contours of the pandemic's impact won't be clear until it's over. Three months ago Argentina seemed to be doing comparatively well. That's one reason it still doesn't quite rank among the top 10 countries in terms of total deaths over the entirety of the pandemic. But since June, Argentina has seen a steady increase in infections and fatalities. And over the past two weeks its daily new death count has ranked fifth-highest in the world with little sign of slowing down.


npr--2020-09-28--Officer Indicted In Breonna Taylor Case Pleads Not Guilty

Former Louisville Metro Police officer Brett Hankison pleaded not guilty on Monday to three counts of wanton endangerment in his initial court appearance related to the botched raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor .
Hankison is one of three officers who fired into Taylor 's apartment in March , but he is the only one who was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury last week .
However , neither he nor the two other officers involved in the fatal police shooting were charged directly with Taylor 's death .
During the phone hearing on Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the former detective would be pleading not guilty to all three counts `` because he is not guilty , '' member station WFPL reported .
Mathews also asked the judge to allow Hankison to keep a weapon for self-defense , claiming he had received multiple death threats .
But Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Anne Bailey Smith denied the request .
Hankison was fired from the department in June but Sgt .
Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove remain on the force .
The findings from the grand jury , announced Wednesday , state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor 's apartment complex , striking a neighboring apartment where a child , a man and a pregnant woman were inside .
Taylor 's death has sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and the limited indictment last week set off a new round of confrontations between protesters and law enforcement , which in recent days has included state troopers and members of the National Guard .
Hundreds have gathered across the city to decry what they called a broken justice system aimed at protecting private property above Black lives .
About two hundred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WDRB reported Monday .
The full investigation into the raid that left Taylor dead is ongoing .
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing `` all aspects of the death of Breonna Taylor , '' Timothy Beam , an FBI spokesperson , told WFPL .
The agency is examining how Louisville Metro Police obtained the search warrant that enabled the raid of Taylor 's apartment .
`` This work will continue beyond the state charges announced last week , '' Beam said .
`` We are investigating any violation of federal criminal law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''

Officer Indicted In Breonna Taylor Case Pleads Not Guilty
Enlarge this image toggle caption Louisville Metro Police Department via AP Louisville Metro Police Department via AP
Former Louisville Metro Police officer Brett Hankison pleaded not guilty on Monday to three counts of wanton endangerment in his initial court appearance related to the botched raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor.
Hankison is one of three officers who fired into Taylor's apartment in March, but he is the only one who was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury last week. However, neither he nor the two other officers involved in the fatal police shooting were charged directly with Taylor's death.
During the phone hearing on Monday, Hankison's attorney Stew Mathews, said the former detective would be pleading not guilty to all three counts "because he is not guilty," member station WFPL reported.
Mathews also asked the judge to allow Hankison to keep a weapon for self-defense, claiming he had received multiple death threats. But Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Anne Bailey Smith denied the request.
Hankison was fired from the department in June but Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove remain on the force.
The findings from the grand jury, announced Wednesday, state that Hankison fired 10 shots from outside Taylor's apartment complex, striking a neighboring apartment where a child, a man and a pregnant woman were inside.
Taylor's death has sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and the limited indictment last week set off a new round of confrontations between protesters and law enforcement, which in recent days has included state troopers and members of the National Guard.
Hundreds have gathered across the city to decry what they called a broken justice system aimed at protecting private property above Black lives. About two hundred people have been arrested since Wednesday, WDRB reported Monday.
The full investigation into the raid that left Taylor dead is ongoing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing "all aspects of the death of Breonna Taylor," Timothy Beam, an FBI spokesperson, told WFPL.
The agency is examining how Louisville Metro Police obtained the search warrant that enabled the raid of Taylor's apartment.
"This work will continue beyond the state charges announced last week," Beam said. "We are investigating any violation of federal criminal law, which includes potential civil rights violations."


npr--2020-09-28--Texas Sheriff Charged With Destroying Evidence In Officer-Related Death

A Texas sheriff has been indicted on felony charges of tampering with evidence in the case of Javier Ambler , a Black man who was killed by police last year during a traffic stop that escalated into a high-speed chase caught on film by a reality television show .
Sheriff Robert Chody , who turned himself in , was arrested and booked on Monday .
He was released shortly after posting $ 10,000 bail .
The Williamson County grand jury indictment accuses Chody of intentionally destroying or concealing video and audio recordings of the fatal encounter , which was filmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jason Nassour , a lawyer with the county attorney 's office , was also indicted on the same felony evidence-tampering charge .
According to the indictment sheriff 's deputies J.J. Johnson and Zach Camden first tried to pull Ambler over for allegedly failing to dim his headlights .
But the routine stop became a 22-minute car chase with a helicopter and the television crew in tow .
During the chase , Ambler struck a number of vehicles and eventually disabled his own .
By then , the pursuit had crossed over into Travis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Austin Police Department officer , offers a disturbing record of Ambler 's final moments : The 40-year old postal service worker was tased four times as pleaded repeatedly for officers to stop .
He repeatedly cried out in agony , telling the deputies he suffered from congestive heart failure and exclaiming , `` Save me .
I ca n't breathe . ''
He died at the scene , where Chody and Nassour were also present .
The case went largely unnoticed by the public for months until an investigation by the Austin American-Statesman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detailed account of Ambler 's death and uncovered the destruction of the raw and unaired Live PD footage .
The show was canceled in June and according to the Statesmen , the production company held on to the footage at the request of investigators .
But after some time , the recordings were destroyed .
Live PD was a ratings hit for A & E and had been on the air for four years .
But amid nationwide protests against police brutality and a slew of recorded incidents of excessive use of force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network moved to yank the show off the air .
The reports of the destroyed footage prompted Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick and Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore to open a joint investigation into the matter in June .
Live PD producers have since told KVUE that they only disposed of the recordings after they were told by Chody 's office that the investigation was completed using body camera footage and dash camera video .
Dan Abrams , the host of the show , explained the program 's policies on retaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dan Abrams Show , saying : But investigators from the Austin Police Department and the Travis County District Attorney 's civil rights division say they were still relying on obtaining the footage , KVUE reported .
Chody , who is up for reelection , addressed the indictment and ongoing investigation by the Williamson County District Attorney in a news conference hours after he made bail .
He categorically denied allegations that he attempted to impair the investigation and said he would later provide ample email correspondence as evidence that he willingly cooperated with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lengthy prepared statement , the sheriff attacked Dick , whom he called `` petty , '' and accused him of acting `` in a vindictive and politically motivated manner by seeking an indictment in this case . ''
Chody said Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore took `` no action for 19 months '' and suggested she only agreed to launch the investigation `` to try to save herself during a runoff election . ''
Chody 's attorney , Gerry Morris , also dismissed the charges , claiming the sheriff was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's own failures .
`` To say that this is critical evidence is baloney , '' Morris said .
`` There was a chopper in the air that followed Ambler , '' and several vantage points of the incident from a variety of bodycam videos , he said .
He added : `` The videos show that [ Chody 's ] deputies did nothing wrong . ''
Chody 's office fought the release of body camera footage and other documents related to Ambler 's death .
They were only provided to news outlets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas Attorney General 's Office , which said it could not withhold the records .
Travis County District Attorney Moore on Monday said a grand jury there could potentially bring additional charges against Chody and Nassour , as well as deputies Johnson and Camden for excessive use of force .

Texas Sheriff Charged With Destroying Evidence In Officer-Related Death
Enlarge this image toggle caption Williamson County Sheriff via AP Williamson County Sheriff via AP
A Texas sheriff has been indicted on felony charges of tampering with evidence in the case of Javier Ambler, a Black man who was killed by police last year during a traffic stop that escalated into a high-speed chase caught on film by a reality television show.
Sheriff Robert Chody, who turned himself in, was arrested and booked on Monday. He was released shortly after posting $10,000 bail.
The Williamson County grand jury indictment accuses Chody of intentionally destroying or concealing video and audio recordings of the fatal encounter, which was filmed for the television show Live PD.
Jason Nassour, a lawyer with the county attorney's office, was also indicted on the same felony evidence-tampering charge.
According to the indictment sheriff's deputies J.J. Johnson and Zach Camden first tried to pull Ambler over for allegedly failing to dim his headlights. But the routine stop became a 22-minute car chase with a helicopter and the television crew in tow. During the chase, Ambler struck a number of vehicles and eventually disabled his own. By then, the pursuit had crossed over into Travis County.
Body camera footage from an Austin Police Department officer, offers a disturbing record of Ambler's final moments: The 40-year old postal service worker was tased four times as pleaded repeatedly for officers to stop. He repeatedly cried out in agony, telling the deputies he suffered from congestive heart failure and exclaiming, "Save me. I can't breathe."
He died at the scene, where Chody and Nassour were also present.
The case went largely unnoticed by the public for months until an investigation by the Austin American-Statesman and local news station KVUE provided a detailed account of Ambler's death and uncovered the destruction of the raw and unaired Live PD footage. The show was canceled in June and according to the Statesmen, the production company held on to the footage at the request of investigators. But after some time, the recordings were destroyed.
Live PD was a ratings hit for A&E and had been on the air for four years. But amid nationwide protests against police brutality and a slew of recorded incidents of excessive use of force against people of color, the cable network moved to yank the show off the air.
The reports of the destroyed footage prompted Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick and Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore to open a joint investigation into the matter in June.
Live PD producers have since told KVUE that they only disposed of the recordings after they were told by Chody's office that the investigation was completed using body camera footage and dash camera video.
Dan Abrams, the host of the show, explained the program's policies on retaining raw footage on his podcast, the Dan Abrams Show, saying:
"The show has a policy of not retaining video for more than roughly 30 days. The reason for that is that we didn't want to become a video repository for either side — prosecutors, for defense, et cetera. We didn't want to become an arm of law enforcement. We didn't want to become an arm of defense attorneys, et cetera. So we had this policy in place about not retaining videos."
But investigators from the Austin Police Department and the Travis County District Attorney's civil rights division say they were still relying on obtaining the footage, KVUE reported.
Chody, who is up for reelection, addressed the indictment and ongoing investigation by the Williamson County District Attorney in a news conference hours after he made bail.
He categorically denied allegations that he attempted to impair the investigation and said he would later provide ample email correspondence as evidence that he willingly cooperated with all aspects of it.
Reading from a lengthy prepared statement, the sheriff attacked Dick, whom he called "petty," and accused him of acting "in a vindictive and politically motivated manner by seeking an indictment in this case."
Chody said Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore took "no action for 19 months" and suggested she only agreed to launch the investigation "to try to save herself during a runoff election."
Chody's attorney, Gerry Morris, also dismissed the charges, claiming the sheriff was a "scapegoat" for Dick and Moore's own failures.
"To say that this is critical evidence is baloney," Morris said. "There was a chopper in the air that followed Ambler," and several vantage points of the incident from a variety of bodycam videos, he said.
He added: "The videos show that [Chody's] deputies did nothing wrong."
Chody's office fought the release of body camera footage and other documents related to Ambler's death. They were only provided to news outlets after the sheriff was compelled by the Texas Attorney General's Office,which said it could not withhold the records.
Travis County District Attorney Moore on Monday said a grand jury there could potentially bring additional charges against Chody and Nassour, as well as deputies Johnson and Camden for excessive use of force.


npr--2020-09-28--Many Arkansas Teachers Refuse In-Person Classes Amid COVID-19 Concerns

In Little Rock , Arkansas , more than a hundred teachers did n't show up for class on Monday .
Instead , at least 166 instructors represented by Little Rock Education Association say they are concerned about COVID-19 and only willing to teach remotely .
Until the district allows for remote-only instruction or increases school safety , they say they will stay home , according to a union statement .
`` Our schools are NOT safe .
Someone is going to get sick and someone is going to die if we continue in the current manner , '' association President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The statement detailed a lack of adherence to COVID-19 safety guidelines and concerns about the rising number of coronavirus cases .
`` This is not a strike , '' Gordon continued .
`` We are completely and totally willing to work and serve our students virtually in a manner that keeps everyone safe and alive . ''
Mike Poore , Little Rock School District superintendent , said in a letter that there are `` no plans to close schools . ''
On Monday , a combination of substitutes , district staff and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filled-in for the missing teachers .
Poore also told NPR there will be disciplinary action against the no-show teachers , and they may be fired .
He says the district has done an excellent job of being as safe as possible in the five weeks it has been open .
He says he thinks the move was meant to be disruptive , as he was n't notified until Sunday night , leaving the district to scramble to find replacements .
But in a district with 1,850 teachers , it could have been worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about three to four percentage points lower than normal , he said .
The district received letters from 69 teachers saying they skipped in support of the union 's demand and about 60 % of the teachers are represented by the union .
The union plans to push back on any disciplinary action .
And if any are terminated , there could be legal action , Gordon said .
Teachers are still working from home , only they 're teaching their online classrooms instead , she said .
The union claims that schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that many students and employees are not wearing masks properly .
It also claims that an internal poll indicates that a quarter of the schools are not consistently completing the district 's self-reporting surveys .
About 37 % of the sites report insufficient disinfecting of classrooms , per union members ' reports .
Gordon said the No .
1 concern , however , is increasing COVID-19 cases in the district and at a state level .
The district reported 33 new positive student cases and six positive staff cases since Sept. 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students were quarantining as a precaution .
There are at least 49 active cases in the district , according to combined data from the district and Arkansas Department of Health .
`` I hope the students understand that the reason that we did this was to try and keep them safe , regardless of what anybody saying , '' Gordon told NPR .
`` Our students are our highest priority , and we take our job seriously . ''
Within the district , Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School is temporarily online-only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dunbar Magnet School also temporarily moved online earlier this month .
`` Our educators are being tasked with an impossible task , and we need support , '' Gordon said .
`` We need people to take this seriously and do something to solve it . ''
`` With a declining positivity rate in Pulaski County and with the safety measures in place , it is difficult to understand the resistance to teaching in the classroom , '' he said .
`` The Little Rock School District should not be deprived of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students across the state just because the union objects . ''
Arkansas Education Secretary Johnny Key echoed the governor 's sentiments in his own statement , calling it an `` absurd , eleventh-hour scheme to create even more disruption . ''
`` It is wrong , it does not serve students , and I am confident the union 's scheming will be soundly rejected by truly student-focused educators , '' he added .

Many Arkansas Teachers Refuse In-Person Classes Amid COVID-19 Concerns
In Little Rock, Ark., more than a hundred teachers didn't show up for class on Monday.
Instead, at least 166 instructors represented by Little Rock Education Association say they are concerned about COVID-19 and only willing to teach remotely. Until the district allows for remote-only instruction or increases school safety, they say they will stay home, according to a union statement.
"Our schools are NOT safe. Someone is going to get sick and someone is going to die if we continue in the current manner," association President Teresa Knapp Gordon said in a statement.
The statement detailed a lack of adherence to COVID-19 safety guidelines and concerns about the rising number of coronavirus cases.
"This is not a strike," Gordon continued. "We are completely and totally willing to work and serve our students virtually in a manner that keeps everyone safe and alive."
The district, however, isn't budging.
Mike Poore, Little Rock School District superintendent, said in a letter that there are "no plans to close schools."
On Monday, a combination of substitutes, district staff and members of the state Department of Education filled-in for the missing teachers.
Poore also told NPR there will be disciplinary action against the no-show teachers, and they may be fired. He says the district has done an excellent job of being as safe as possible in the five weeks it has been open.
He says he thinks the move was meant to be disruptive, as he wasn't notified until Sunday night, leaving the district to scramble to find replacements.
But in a district with 1,850 teachers, it could have been worse, he said.
Overall turnout was about three to four percentage points lower than normal, he said. The district received letters from 69 teachers saying they skipped in support of the union's demand and about 60% of the teachers are represented by the union.
The union plans to push back on any disciplinary action. And if any are terminated, there could be legal action, Gordon said. Teachers are still working from home, only they're teaching their online classrooms instead, she said.
Union complaints
The union claims that schools and classrooms are not being adequately cleaned and that many students and employees are not wearing masks properly.
It also claims that an internal poll indicates that a quarter of the schools are not consistently completing the district's self-reporting surveys. About 37% of the sites report insufficient disinfecting of classrooms, per union members' reports.
Gordon said the No. 1 concern, however, is increasing COVID-19 cases in the district and at a state level.
The district reported 33 new positive student cases and six positive staff cases since Sept. 21. About 190 additional staff members and students were quarantining as a precaution.
There are at least 49 active cases in the district, according to combined data from the district and Arkansas Department of Health.
"I hope the students understand that the reason that we did this was to try and keep them safe, regardless of what anybody saying," Gordon told NPR. "Our students are our highest priority, and we take our job seriously."
Within the district, Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School is temporarily online-only due to COVID-19 cases at the schools. Dunbar Magnet School also temporarily moved online earlier this month.
"Our educators are being tasked with an impossible task, and we need support," Gordon said. "We need people to take this seriously and do something to solve it."
State response
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson condemned the union's stance in a statement.
"With a declining positivity rate in Pulaski County and with the safety measures in place, it is difficult to understand the resistance to teaching in the classroom," he said. "The Little Rock School District should not be deprived of the success that is occurring for our students across the state just because the union objects."
Arkansas Education Secretary Johnny Key echoed the governor's sentiments in his own statement, calling it an "absurd, eleventh-hour scheme to create even more disruption."
"It is wrong, it does not serve students, and I am confident the union's scheming will be soundly rejected by truly student-focused educators," he added.
Reese Oxner is an intern on NPR's News Desk.


npr--2020-09-28--'Unprecedented' Wildfire Season Threatens California's Wine Region

Firefighters are battling multiple wildfires in northern California that are threatening entire towns , while thousands are under evacuation orders , burning through homes and some of the state 's prestigious wineries .
Speaking at a news conference Monday afternoon , Gov .
Gavin Newsom said that the fast moving Glass Fire in Napa County and the Zogg Fire in Shasta County , are top priorities .
Both fires erupted Sunday and their cause is under investigation .
`` There is nothing more pressing that the activity in northern California over the next 24-36 hours , '' Newsom said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The Glass Fire , which quickly destroyed several structures , including a winery , as it grew rapidly overnight from 800 to 11,000 acres , with zero containment .
The Zogg Fire has grown to 7,000 acres , Newsom said .
Last year , the state experienced fewer than 5,500 fires with 157,000 acres burned , but so far , 2020 has been much more devastating — with more than 8,000 fires covering 3.75 million acres , or nearly 6,000 square miles .
Some 7,100 structures have been destroyed and 26 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far this year , the governor said .
Strong offshore winds , low humidity and high temperatures remain a high risk in the region , according to the National Weather Service .
It extended a red flag warning in northern California until Monday night , due to `` critical fire weather conditions through today . ''
Some of these fires , such as the Glass Fire , Shady Fire and the Boysen Fire , have merged due to weather conditions , and Newsom warned that the Zogg fire may do the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the largest in the state , already engulfing more than 878,000 acres raging .
It is 45 % contained , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection , known as Calfire .
Astrid Dobo , the fire chief of Post Mountain Fire Department , lives a few miles from the north end of the August Complex Fire and east of the Zogg Fire .
Dobo said that the August fire has been moving relatively slowly because `` it 's chewing through large trees , instead of brush or grassland '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Yesterday was a chaotic wind day and it made the fire move in every direction . ''
Post Mountain has been under mandatory evacuation orders since September 17 .
Dobo said that initially people heeded the order , but then moved back .
`` They 've grown to feel safe , '' she said , `` but we can all see the cloud of smoke from the August Complex fire . ''
`` The direction that the fire is going , it 's pretty obvious that something will happen soon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she said , `` and it 's tough , it 's hard to know when and it 's hard to know what to tell the community . ''
Flames roared into the city of Santa Rosa last night where Kent Porter , a photographer for The Santa Rosa Press Democrat , tweeted pictures of homes burning .
Newsom said the winds are expected to die down overnight , but warned , `` we are maintaining our vigilance and that remains a top area of focus in the state . ''
He urged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and orders .
A total of 70 large wildfires are burning in 10 western states .
In California 22 fires are burning , followed by 14 in Idaho and 11 in Oregon , according to the National Interagency Fire Center .

'Unprecedented' Wildfire Season Threatens California's Wine Region
Enlarge this image toggle caption Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Firefighters are battling multiple wildfires in northern California that are threatening entire towns, while thousands are under evacuation orders, burning through homes and some of the state's prestigious wineries.
Speaking at a news conference Monday afternoon, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the fast moving Glass Fire in Napa County and the Zogg Fire in Shasta County, are top priorities. Both fires erupted Sunday and their cause is under investigation.
"There is nothing more pressing that the activity in northern California over the next 24-36 hours," Newsom said, calling it an "unprecedented wildfire season."
The Glass Fire, which quickly destroyed several structures, including a winery, as it grew rapidly overnight from 800 to 11,000 acres, with zero containment. The Zogg Fire has grown to 7,000 acres, Newsom said.
Last year, the state experienced fewer than 5,500 fires with 157,000 acres burned, but so far, 2020 has been much more devastating — with more than 8,000 fires covering 3.75 million acres, or nearly 6,000 square miles. Some 7,100 structures have been destroyed and 26 people have been killed by the fires so far this year, the governor said.
Strong offshore winds, low humidity and high temperatures remain a high risk in the region, according to the National Weather Service. It extended a red flag warning in northern California until Monday night, due to "critical fire weather conditions through today."
Some of these fires, such as the Glass Fire, Shady Fire and the Boysen Fire, have merged due to weather conditions, and Newsom warned that the Zogg fire may do the same, joining the August Complex Fire — the largest in the state, already engulfing more than 878,000 acres raging. It is 45% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Calfire.
Astrid Dobo, the fire chief of Post Mountain Fire Department, lives a few miles from the north end of the August Complex Fire and east of the Zogg Fire.
Dobo said that the August fire has been moving relatively slowly because "it's chewing through large trees, instead of brush or grassland" except on Sunday, she told NPR. "Yesterday was a chaotic wind day and it made the fire move in every direction."
Post Mountain has been under mandatory evacuation orders since September 17. Dobo said that initially people heeded the order, but then moved back.
"They've grown to feel safe," she said, "but we can all see the cloud of smoke from the August Complex fire."
"The direction that the fire is going, it's pretty obvious that something will happen soon," that it will reach her community, she said, "and it's tough, it's hard to know when and it's hard to know what to tell the community."
Flames roared into the city of Santa Rosa last night where Kent Porter, a photographer for The Santa Rosa Press Democrat, tweeted pictures of homes burning.
Newsom said the winds are expected to die down overnight, but warned, "we are maintaining our vigilance and that remains a top area of focus in the state." He urged Californians to heed local law enforcement warnings and orders.
A total of 70 large wildfires are burning in 10 western states. In California 22 fires are burning, followed by 14 in Idaho and 11 in Oregon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.