npr--2020-12-08--Finder Of Treasure Chest Hidden In Rocky Mountains Reveals His Identity

Finder Of Treasure Chest Hidden In Rocky Mountains Reveals His Identity The man who found a buried chest that had enraptured scores of treasure hunters for a decade has revealed his identity .
His name is Jack Stuef , and in June , he found the treasure famously buried by author and retired art dealer Forrest Fenn somewhere in the Rocky Mountains , with a poem from Fenn 's memoir , The Thrill of the Chase , offering clues to its location .
Fenn announced in June that the treasure had been found — but he would n't say where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
And in July , to provide some `` closure '' to those who had searched in other states , Fenn revealed that the chest had been hidden in Wyoming .
Over the course of the hunt , at least four people died searching throughout the Rockies for the trove , which Fenn said contained about $ 2 million worth of gold and precious gems .
Stuef , in a post on Medium , says he had asked for his identity to be kept secret so that he would n't invite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dealt with amid fervent treasure hunters .
`` For the past six months , I have remained anonymous , not because I have anything to hide , but because Forrest and his family endured stalkers , death threats , home invasions , frivolous lawsuits , and a potential kidnapping — all at the hands of people with delusions related to his treasure .
I do n't want those things to happen to me and my family , '' Stuef wrote .
Fenn died in September at age 90 .
His family confirmed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fenn 's treasure .
Some treasure-seekers had believed the finding was a hoax .
`` We congratulate Jack on finding and retrieving the treasure chest , and we hope that this confirmation will help to dispel the conjecture , conspiratorial nonsense , and refusals to accept the truth , '' wrote Fenn 's grandson , Shiloh Forrest Old .
Stuef , who Outside magazine reports is a 32-year-old medical student from Michigan , says a lawsuit forced him to give up his anonymity .
A Chicago attorney named Barbara Anderson filed a lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. District Court in Santa Fe , N.M. , in June after the treasure was reported found .
She argues `` that after she had spent several years painstakingly deciphering Mr. Fenn 's poem and scouting out the general location of the treasure , someone hacked her cellphone and stole proprietary information that led them to the trove , '' The New York Times reports .
Stuef says the case is `` meritless . ''
`` The U.S. District Court for New Mexico has ruled that Forrest 's estate must provide some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not know and with whom I have never communicated who has brought a meritless lawsuit against me .
This would make my name a matter of public record , so I chose to come forward today , '' he wrote on Medium .
While Stuef 's identity is now known , a few other mysteries remain : where in Wyoming the chest was found and how exactly Stuef solved the riddle .
Stuef says he pored over not only Fenn 's poem but also interviews with him , teasing out clues from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person he was and where he might be inclined to hide his riches .
And the secret hiding spot ?
Stuef says he wants that to remain secret , lest it become a site of pilgrimage and become overrun — perhaps by people looking to see if maybe an emerald was dropped along the way .
`` If I were to reveal where the treasure was , the natural wonder of [ the ] place that Forrest held so dear will be destroyed by people seeking treasure they hope I dropped on my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in , '' Stuef wrote .
`` Getting to the wilderness location where the chest was is not dangerous in the conventional sense of the word , but it very quickly can be when people do not take basic precautions or go out in the wrong conditions .
It is not an appropriate place to become a tourist attraction . ''
The treasure is now in a secure location in New Mexico , but Stuef plans to sell it .
He says he has medical school loans to pay off .

Finder Of Treasure Chest Hidden In Rocky Mountains Reveals His Identity
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeri Clausing/AP Jeri Clausing/AP
The man who found a buried chest that had enraptured scores of treasure hunters for a decade has revealed his identity. His name is Jack Stuef, and in June, he found the treasure famously buried by author and retired art dealer Forrest Fenn somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, with a poem from Fenn's memoir, The Thrill of the Chase, offering clues to its location.
Fenn announced in June that the treasure had been found — but he wouldn't say where exactly it was found or who found it. And in July, to provide some "closure" to those who had searched in other states, Fenn revealed that the chest had been hidden in Wyoming. Over the course of the hunt, at least four people died searching throughout the Rockies for the trove, which Fenn said contained about $2 million worth of gold and precious gems.
Stuef, in a post on Medium, says he had asked for his identity to be kept secret so that he wouldn't invite the same fate that Fenn and his family dealt with amid fervent treasure hunters.
"For the past six months, I have remained anonymous, not because I have anything to hide, but because Forrest and his family endured stalkers, death threats, home invasions, frivolous lawsuits, and a potential kidnapping — all at the hands of people with delusions related to his treasure. I don't want those things to happen to me and my family," Stuef wrote.
Fenn died in September at age 90. His family confirmed on Monday that it was Stuef who found Fenn's treasure. Some treasure-seekers had believed the finding was a hoax.
"We congratulate Jack on finding and retrieving the treasure chest, and we hope that this confirmation will help to dispel the conjecture, conspiratorial nonsense, and refusals to accept the truth," wrote Fenn's grandson, Shiloh Forrest Old.
Stuef, who Outside magazine reports is a 32-year-old medical student from Michigan, says a lawsuit forced him to give up his anonymity.
A Chicago attorney named Barbara Anderson filed a lawsuit against Fenn and the then-unnamed finder in U.S. District Court in Santa Fe, N.M., in June after the treasure was reported found. She argues "that after she had spent several years painstakingly deciphering Mr. Fenn's poem and scouting out the general location of the treasure, someone hacked her cellphone and stole proprietary information that led them to the trove," The New York Times reports.
Stuef says the case is "meritless."
"The U.S. District Court for New Mexico has ruled that Forrest's estate must provide some of my personal information to a woman I do not know and with whom I have never communicated who has brought a meritless lawsuit against me. This would make my name a matter of public record, so I chose to come forward today," he wrote on Medium.
While Stuef's identity is now known, a few other mysteries remain: where in Wyoming the chest was found and how exactly Stuef solved the riddle. Stuef says he pored over not only Fenn's poem but also interviews with him, teasing out clues from his words to understand what kind of person he was and where he might be inclined to hide his riches.
And the secret hiding spot? Stuef says he wants that to remain secret, lest it become a site of pilgrimage and become overrun — perhaps by people looking to see if maybe an emerald was dropped along the way.
"If I were to reveal where the treasure was, the natural wonder of [the] place that Forrest held so dear will be destroyed by people seeking treasure they hope I dropped on my way out or Forrest on his way in," Stuef wrote. "Getting to the wilderness location where the chest was is not dangerous in the conventional sense of the word, but it very quickly can be when people do not take basic precautions or go out in the wrong conditions. It is not an appropriate place to become a tourist attraction."
The treasure is now in a secure location in New Mexico, but Stuef plans to sell it. He says he has medical school loans to pay off.


npr--2020-12-08--Army Punishes 14 At Fort Hood After Review Sparked By Vanessa Guillén's Killing

Army Punishes 14 At Fort Hood After Review Sparked By Vanessa Guillén 's Killing The Army is punishing 14 leaders at Fort Hood , relieving some high-ranking officers of duty and suspending other leaders after a review sparked by the killing of Spc .
Vanessa Guillén .
Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy cited profound problems at the base , including a command climate that was `` permissive of sexual harassment and sexual assault . ''
The disciplinary moves and other changes stem from the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee , whose chair , Chris Swecker , said its recommendations are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and regain Soldiers ' trust '' at Fort Hood and possibly beyond .
Following Guillén 's death and a string of other disappearances and deaths at the Texas post , the Army in September removed Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt as Fort Hood 's senior commander .
That change had been previously scheduled — but Efflandt was kept at the base rather than moving on to another command .
In the new disciplinary moves , Efflandt has now been relieved .
McCarthy said he has accepted all of the review committee 's findings .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ findings and 70 recommendations , touching on areas from protocols around missing soldiers and crime prevention to public relations .
Guillén went missing on April 22 .
Her remains were found on June 30 and the Army confirmed they belonged to Guillén one week later .
The day after the remains were found , Spc .
Aaron Robinson , 20 , died by suicide as authorities attempted to taking him into custody .
Cecily Aguilar , 22 , was charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence in connection with Guillén 's disappearance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a rash of other challenges at Fort Hood forced us to take a critical look at our systems , our policies and ourselves , '' the secretary said in a midday briefing on the changes .
`` But without leadership , systems do n't matter . ''
The committee 's report will force the Army to change its culture , McCarthy pledged .
`` This is not about metrics , but about possessing the ability to have the human decency to show compassion for our teammates and to look out for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
The Army listed the leaders it relieved , starting with Efflandt .
Also relieved were Col. Ralph Overland and Command Sgt .
Maj. Bradley Knapp , the 3rd Cavalry Regiment commander and command sergeant major .
Other officers and leaders are suspended , pending the results of an investigation into 1st Cavalry Division 's command climate and its handling of the sexual harassment and assault prevention program .
Citing its routine policy , the Army said it does n't identify commanders and leaders at or below the battalion level who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Guillén family and their attorney , Natalie Khawam , held a press conference Tuesday after the review committee released their findings .
They said they wo n't stop until legislative changes take place .
`` If you 're going to tell me that the Army is messed up or Fort Hood is messed up or something is wrong , tell me what you 're doing to fix it , '' Khawam said .
`` When somebody speaks up and they get punished for speaking up , that 's un-American .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't complete , they 're not finalized .
We 're not finished .
We are just starting . ''

Army Punishes 14 At Fort Hood After Review Sparked By Vanessa Guillén's Killing
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP
Updated at 7:59 p.m. ET
The Army is punishing 14 leaders at Fort Hood, relieving some high-ranking officers of duty and suspending other leaders after a review sparked by the killing of Spc. Vanessa Guillén.
Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy cited profound problems at the base, including a command climate that was "permissive of sexual harassment and sexual assault."
The disciplinary moves and other changes stem from the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, whose chair, Chris Swecker, said its recommendations are meant "to address deeply dysfunctional norms and regain Soldiers' trust" at Fort Hood and possibly beyond.
Following Guillén's death and a string of other disappearances and deaths at the Texas post, the Army in September removed Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt as Fort Hood's senior commander. That change had been previously scheduled — but Efflandt was kept at the base rather than moving on to another command. In the new disciplinary moves, Efflandt has now been relieved.
McCarthy said he has accepted all of the review committee's findings. The group submitted a report with nine findings and 70 recommendations, touching on areas from protocols around missing soldiers and crime prevention to public relations.
Guillén went missing on April 22. Her remains were found on June 30 and the Army confirmed they belonged to Guillén one week later. The day after the remains were found, Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, died by suicide as authorities attempted to taking him into custody. Cecily Aguilar, 22, was charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence in connection with Guillén's disappearance.
"The tragic death of Vanessa Guillén and a rash of other challenges at Fort Hood forced us to take a critical look at our systems, our policies and ourselves," the secretary said in a midday briefing on the changes. "But without leadership, systems don't matter."
The committee's report will force the Army to change its culture, McCarthy pledged.
"This is not about metrics, but about possessing the ability to have the human decency to show compassion for our teammates and to look out for the best interests of our soldiers," he said.
The Army listed the leaders it relieved, starting with Efflandt. Also relieved were Col. Ralph Overland and Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Knapp, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment commander and command sergeant major.
Other officers and leaders are suspended, pending the results of an investigation into 1st Cavalry Division's command climate and its handling of the sexual harassment and assault prevention program.
Citing its routine policy, the Army said it doesn't identify commanders and leaders at or below the battalion level who are the subjects of administrative action.
The Guillén family and their attorney, Natalie Khawam, held a press conference Tuesday after the review committee released their findings. They said they won't stop until legislative changes take place.
"If you're going to tell me that the Army is messed up or Fort Hood is messed up or something is wrong, tell me what you're doing to fix it," Khawam said. "When somebody speaks up and they get punished for speaking up, that's un-American. It was widespread at Fort Hood. Things aren't complete, they're not finalized. We're not finished. We are just starting."


npr--2020-12-08--Former Cybersecurity Chief Sues Trump Campaign and Others, Charging Defamation

Former Cybersecurity Chief Sues Trump Campaign and Others , Charging Defamation Christopher Krebs , who was fired by President Trump last month after asserting the recent presidential election was `` the most secure in American history , '' filed suit Tuesday against the Trump campaign , attorney Joseph diGenova and the cable channel Newsmax .
Krebs charges he was defamed by diGenova , who said on Newsmax that Krebs `` should be drawn and quartered '' or `` shot at dawn '' following Krebs ' statement .
Krebs says such punishments are the `` fate of a convicted traitor '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accusation .
The lawsuit , filed in Montgomery County , Md.
, circuit court , seeks an injunction ordering Newsmax to remove the diGenova interview from its website , as well as monetary damages .
Krebs charges he has been the victim of death threats following DiGenova 's remarks , which diGenova has said were `` hyperbole . ''
Krebs was the director of the Department of Homeland Security 's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency , or CISA , which was in charge of election security .
It , along with a council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials , released a statement last month that said not only was the election the most secure in U.S. history , but also that `` there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes , changed votes , or was in any way compromised . ''
That assessment runs counter to Trump 's made-up claims that the election was rigged and that voting equipment provided by Dominion Voting Systems had `` deleted 2.7 million Trump votes nationwide '' and switched hundreds of thousands of other Trump votes to Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nov. 12 , and Trump announced via Twitter that Krebs `` had been terminated '' five days later .
Speaking on NPR 's Morning Edition earlier this month , Krebs said he had no regrets about making that statement .
`` It was the right thing to do in the name of democracy , '' he told Steve Inskeep .

Former Cybersecurity Chief Sues Trump Campaign and Others, Charging Defamation
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
Christopher Krebs, who was fired by President Trump last month after asserting the recent presidential election was "the most secure in American history," filed suit Tuesday against the Trump campaign, attorney Joseph diGenova and the cable channel Newsmax.
Krebs charges he was defamed by diGenova, who said on Newsmax that Krebs "should be drawn and quartered" or "shot at dawn" following Krebs' statement. Krebs says such punishments are the "fate of a convicted traitor" and are the basis for his defamation accusation.
The lawsuit, filed in Montgomery County, Md., circuit court, seeks an injunction ordering Newsmax to remove the diGenova interview from its website, as well as monetary damages.
Krebs charges he has been the victim of death threats following DiGenova's remarks, which diGenova has said were "hyperbole."
Krebs was the director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, which was in charge of election security. It, along with a council of private industry groups and state election officials, released a statement last month that said not only was the election the most secure in U.S. history, but also that "there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."
That assessment runs counter to Trump's made-up claims that the election was rigged and that voting equipment provided by Dominion Voting Systems had "deleted 2.7 million Trump votes nationwide" and switched hundreds of thousands of other Trump votes to Joe Biden.
The council made its statement on Nov. 12, and Trump announced via Twitter that Krebs "had been terminated" five days later.
Speaking on NPR's Morning Edition earlier this month, Krebs said he had no regrets about making that statement. "It was the right thing to do in the name of democracy," he told Steve Inskeep.


npr--2020-12-08--Paul Sarbanes, Longtime Senator From Maryland And Financial Reformer, Dies At 87

Paul Sarbanes , Longtime Senator From Maryland And Financial Reformer , Dies At 87 Former Sen. Paul Sarbanes , who spent three decades representing Maryland in the Senate , has died in Baltimore at the age of 87 .
His son , Rep. John Sarbanes , did not disclose a cause of death in his brief statement announcing the news , noting only that his father `` passed away peacefully '' on Sunday evening .
The longtime Democratic politician , known as much for his understated demeanor as a late-career push to reform corporate oversight , was mourned widely by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday .
`` There was no one sharper , more committed , or with firmer principles , '' President-elect Joe Biden tweeted , saying that he and Paul Sarbanes had served together on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee .
`` And he , too , returned to his family nearly every night .
They meant the world to him . ''
Maryland 's Republican governor , Larry Hogan , said that he would order the state 's flag flown at half-staff for Sarbanes , whom he called a `` sincere and passionate advocate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
There is perhaps no better way to express the length and variety of Sarbanes ' tenure in Congress — six years in the House of Representatives and another 30 in the Senate — than to point out the role his legislation played in the major events that nearly bookended it : President Nixon 's downfall and Enron 's accounting scandal .
As a member of the House in 1974 , Sarbanes was enlisted by his fellow Democrats to compose the first of three articles of impeachment against Nixon , which charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Judiciary Committee approved the measure , but Nixon ultimately resigned before the full House held a vote on impeachment .
A different fate awaited the legislation Sarbanes helped compose after Enron 's collapse .
The energy giant and its accounting firm , Arthur Andersen , had misled investors in a massive fraud that ended in Enron 's 2001 bankruptcy — then the largest in history — and extensive prison time for Enron 's chief executive .
`` It was the canary in the mine shaft , '' Sarbanes told NPR in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of major companies engaged in convoluted , often fraudulent , accounting schemes to inflate their earnings , to hide their losses and to drive up their stock prices . ''
So , under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 , Sarbanes and his Republican co-author , Rep. Michael Oxley of Ohio , overhauled federal financial regulations and set up an independent oversight board aimed at combating shady accounting practices .
The law signed by President George W. Bush later survived a Supreme Court challenge , albeit with a few changes .
In a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2002 law as `` landmark legislation that to this day helps hold bad financial actors accountable for fraud and abuse : a powerful testament to his commitment to working people that leaves an enduring legacy . ''
The son of Greek immigrants , Sarbanes attended public schools and went on to Princeton University , Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar and Harvard Law School .
Sarbanes decided to retire rather than seek a sixth term in the 2006 election .
His wife of 48 years , Christine , died in 2009 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maryland congressional district that once elected his father , said the family plans to hold a private service `` following state , local and public health guidance amid the COVID-19 pandemic . ''

Paul Sarbanes, Longtime Senator From Maryland And Financial Reformer, Dies At 87
Enlarge this image toggle caption Matthew S. Gunby/AP Matthew S. Gunby/AP
Former Sen. Paul Sarbanes, who spent three decades representing Maryland in the Senate, has died in Baltimore at the age of 87.
His son, Rep. John Sarbanes, did not disclose a cause of death in his brief statement announcing the news, noting only that his father "passed away peacefully" on Sunday evening.
The longtime Democratic politician, known as much for his understated demeanor as a late-career push to reform corporate oversight, was mourned widely by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle Monday.
"There was no one sharper, more committed, or with firmer principles," President-elect Joe Biden tweeted, saying that he and Paul Sarbanes had served together on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "And he, too, returned to his family nearly every night. They meant the world to him."
Maryland's Republican governor, Larry Hogan, said that he would order the state's flag flown at half-staff for Sarbanes, whom he called a "sincere and passionate advocate for our state and its natural resources."
There is perhaps no better way to express the length and variety of Sarbanes' tenure in Congress — six years in the House of Representatives and another 30 in the Senate — than to point out the role his legislation played in the major events that nearly bookended it: President Nixon's downfall and Enron's accounting scandal.
As a member of the House in 1974, Sarbanes was enlisted by his fellow Democrats to compose the first of three articles of impeachment against Nixon, which charged the embattled president with obstruction of justice. The Judiciary Committee approved the measure, but Nixon ultimately resigned before the full House held a vote on impeachment.
A different fate awaited the legislation Sarbanes helped compose after Enron's collapse. The energy giant and its accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, had misled investors in a massive fraud that ended in Enron's 2001 bankruptcy — then the largest in history — and extensive prison time for Enron's chief executive.
"It was the canary in the mine shaft," Sarbanes told NPR in 2009. "You had a number of major companies engaged in convoluted, often fraudulent, accounting schemes to inflate their earnings, to hide their losses and to drive up their stock prices."
So, under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Sarbanes and his Republican co-author, Rep. Michael Oxley of Ohio, overhauled federal financial regulations and set up an independent oversight board aimed at combating shady accounting practices. The law signed by President George W. Bush later survived a Supreme Court challenge, albeit with a few changes.
In a statement Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the 2002 law as "landmark legislation that to this day helps hold bad financial actors accountable for fraud and abuse: a powerful testament to his commitment to working people that leaves an enduring legacy."
The son of Greek immigrants, Sarbanes attended public schools and went on to Princeton University, Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar and Harvard Law School.
Sarbanes decided to retire rather than seek a sixth term in the 2006 election. His wife of 48 years, Christine, died in 2009.
John Sarbanes, who now represents the Maryland congressional district that once elected his father, said the family plans to hold a private service "following state, local and public health guidance amid the COVID-19 pandemic."


npr--2020-12-09--Latin America Is Facing A Hunger Pandemic

Latin America is facing a pandemic of malnutrition .
Hunger and obesity are rising side by side in the region .
The working poor who ca n't afford a nutritious diet are suffering from at times a lack of food and at others an overabundance of poor-quality food .
A new report from a consortium of United Nations agencies finds that the number of people experiencing hunger in Latin America has grown steadily over the last 5 years .
The report analyzes data through the end of 2019 , prior to the arrival of COVID-19 .
But the social and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the region , the authors say , have only gotten worse during the pandemic .
`` It 's been a very difficult year , '' says Julio Berdegué , the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization 's regional representative who announced the nutritional trends in Latin America and the Caribbean .
`` If the projections we have of the impact of the pandemic occur , we could be going back to the [ malnutrition ] levels of the 1990s .
We could lose 30 years in the fight against hunger in Latin America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are talking about .
It is a tragedy of unfathomable magnitude for millions of human beings . ''
The report in Spanish , entitled `` Panorama de la Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición en América Latina y el Caribe 2020 , '' says the region is far off target from reaching the U.N .
Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating hunger by the year 2030 .
Last year almost a third of the people in Latin America experienced either severe or moderate food insecurity according to the report .
Moderate food insecurity means that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their meals , skip meals or to substitute lower quality ingredients .
Severe food insecurity is when individuals go days without eating at all .
Berdegué at the FAO says in a region with the agricultural wealth of Latin America no one should be facing even moderate food insecurity .
`` Latin America is a leading food exporter , '' Berdegué says .
`` And yet we are seeing these numbers of hunger and moderately severe food insecurity in our region . ''
Latin America and the Caribbean produce 23 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Brazil is the world 's largest producer of soybeans .
Argentina and Chile sell large quantities of fresh fruit to the U.S. during the Northern hemisphere 's winter and both rank among the world 's top exporters of wine .
Mexico is a net exporter of corn and wheat .
Berdegué says the hunger problem in Latin America is n't about a lack of food .
`` In Latin America there is hunger , there is food insecurity and there is malnutrition because of a lack of purchasing power , '' he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and millions of families lack money .
Hunger in Latin America fundamentally is an expression of poverty and economic inequality . ''
Even the problem of obesity in the region is often concentrated among people who are economically poor .
They often end up overweight because their diets are dominated by inexpensive , calorie-rich processed foods .
As the pandemic causes an economic slowdown and limits travel , the poorest members of society — people who live off daily wages — have been hit hardest .
Miguel Barreto , the regional director for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America is facing a `` pandemic of hunger . ''
Last year 47 million people in the region were classified as hungry , according to this year 's report , with another 190 million listed as food insecure .
`` In other words , one in three inhabitants of our region do not have access to nutritious and sufficient food , '' Barreto says .
At the same time there is an obesity problem .
The number of people deemed to be carrying too many pounds continues to rise throughout the region .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Latin America and the Caribbean were overweight .
This is 20 % higher than the global average .
The rates are worse among women than men .
And even kids are suffering from `` sobrepeso '' with 7.5 % of children classified as overweight .
And most concerning the rates of obesity are increasing in every country throughout the region at a time when obesity is one of the factors that can make COVID-19 far more serious .

Latin America Is Facing A Hunger Pandemic
Latin America is facing a pandemic of malnutrition. Hunger and obesity are rising side by side in the region. The working poor who can't afford a nutritious diet are suffering at times from a lack of food and at others from an overabundance of poor-quality food.
A new report from a consortium of United Nations agencies finds that the number of people experiencing hunger in Latin America has grown steadily over the past five years. The report analyzes data through the end of 2019, prior to the arrival of COVID-19. But the social and economic inequality that were leading to malnutrition in the region, the authors say, have only gotten worse during the pandemic.
Loading...
"It's been a very difficult year," says Julio Berdegué, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's regional representative who announced the nutritional trends in Latin America and the Caribbean.
"If the projections we have of the impact of the pandemic occur, we could be going back to the [malnutrition] levels of the 1990s. We could lose 30 years in the fight against hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is what we are talking about. It is a tragedy of unfathomable magnitude for millions of human beings."
The report in Spanish, titled "Panorama de la Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición en América Latina y el Caribe 2020," says the region is far off target from reaching the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating hunger by the year 2030.
Last year almost a third of the people in Latin America experienced either severe or moderate food insecurity, according to the report. Moderate food insecurity means they were forced to reduce the size of their meals, skip meals or to substitute lower quality ingredients. Severe food insecurity is when individuals go days without eating at all.
Berdegué at the FAO says that in a region with the agricultural wealth of Latin America, no one should be facing even moderate food insecurity.
"Latin America is a leading food exporter," Berdegué says. "And yet we are seeing these numbers of hunger and moderately severe food insecurity in our region." Latin America and the Caribbean produce 23% of the world's agricultural and fisheries exports. Brazil is the world's largest producer of soybeans. Argentina and Chile sell large quantities of fresh fruit to the U.S. during the Northern Hemisphere's winter and both rank among the world's top exporters of wine. Mexico is a net exporter of corn and wheat.
Berdegué says the hunger problem in Latin America isn't about a lack of food.
"In Latin America there is hunger, there is food insecurity and there is malnutrition because of a lack of purchasing power," he says. "It's because millions and millions of families lack money. Hunger in Latin America fundamentally is an expression of poverty and economic inequality."
Even the problem of obesity in the region is often concentrated among people who are economically poor. They often end up overweight because their diets are dominated by inexpensive, calorie-rich processed foods.
As the pandemic causes an economic slowdown and limits travel, the poorest members of society — people who live off daily wages — have been hit hardest.
Miguel Barreto, the regional director for the World Food Programme, says Latin America is facing a "pandemic of hunger." Last year, 47 million people in the region were classified as hungry, according to this year's report, with another 190 million listed as food insecure.
"In other words, 1 in 3 inhabitants of our region do not have access to nutritious and sufficient food," Barreto says.
At the same time, there is an obesity problem. The number of people deemed to be carrying too many pounds continues to rise throughout the region. Last year, nearly 60% of adults in Latin America and the Caribbean were overweight. This is 20% higher than the global average. The rates are worse among women than men. And even kids are suffering from sobrepeso with 7.5% of children classified as overweight.
And, most concerning, the rates of obesity are increasing in every country throughout the region at a time when obesity is one of the factors that can make COVID-19 far more serious.


npr--2020-12-09--U.K. Regulators Tell People With Severe Allergies Not To Get Vaccine

U.K. Regulators Tell People With Severe Allergies Not To Get Vaccine Regulators in the United Kingdom are warning people with a history of severe allergies not to get the new coronavirus vaccine .
The advisory comes after two National Health Services employees , both with a history of severe allergies , had bad reactions after receiving the new Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine Tuesday , the first day of the U.K. 's nationwide immunization campaign .
Shortly after the two workers received the shot , they developed symptoms of `` anaphylactoid reactions , '' The Telegraph reports .
The national medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Stephen Powis , said health officials were heeding a recommendation from the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency , or MHRA .
`` As is common with new vaccines , the MHRA has advised , on a precautionary basis , that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday , '' Powis said in a statement .
`` Both are recovering well , '' he said .
Millions more Britons are set to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this month .
The NHS is set to get two large shipments ahead of Christmas .
The Times reported Wednesday that the NHS will receive two shipments totaling four million doses of the vaccine this month , assuaging some early worries about the nation 's ability to overcome logistical challenges and supply concerns to vaccinate 68 million people on a timely basis .
England 's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said Wednesday that he expects the slate of vaccine choices to increase by mid-2021 .
`` A situation where we have enough vaccines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you wish , ( that ) will be a very nice problem for us to have , '' Whitty told British lawmakers .
`` Currently , if the choice is between a good vaccine and no vaccine , I 'm going to just go for whichever good vaccine is available . ''
U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he hoped several million people would get their first doses of the vaccine this month .
He followed that with a cautionary reminder that those people wo n't be immune until after they 've received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and social distancing must continue , he said .
This remains the case especially as questions remain over how effective the vaccine is in preventing transmission .
The Pfizer vaccine has been shown to be nearly 95 % effective in preventing people from becoming sick from the coronavirus .

U.K. Regulators Tell People With Severe Allergies Not To Get Vaccine
Enlarge this image toggle caption Hugh Hastings/Getty Images Hugh Hastings/Getty Images
Regulators in the United Kingdom are warning people with a history of severe allergies not to get the new coronavirus vaccine.
The advisory comes after two National Health Services employees, both with a history of severe allergies, had bad reactions after receiving the new Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine Tuesday, the first day of the U.K.'s nationwide immunization campaign.
Shortly after the two workers received the shot, they developed symptoms of "anaphylactoid reactions," The Telegraph reports.
The national medical director for England's National Health Service, Stephen Powis, said health officials were heeding a recommendation from the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA.
"As is common with new vaccines, the MHRA has advised, on a precautionary basis, that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday,'' Powis said in a statement.
"Both are recovering well," he said.
Millions more Britons are set to get the Pfizer and BioNTech coronavirus vaccine later this month.
The NHS is set to get two large shipments ahead of Christmas. The Times reported Wednesday that the NHS will receive two shipments totaling 4 million doses of the vaccine this month, assuaging some early worries about the nation's ability to overcome logistical challenges and supply concerns to vaccinate 68 million people on a timely basis.
England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said Wednesday that he expects the slate of vaccine choices to increase by mid-2021.
"A situation where we have enough vaccines that you have a choice which one you wish, (that) will be a very nice problem for us to have," Whitty told British lawmakers. "Currently, if the choice is between a good vaccine and no vaccine, I'm going to just go for whichever good vaccine is available."
U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he hoped several million people would get their first doses of the vaccine this month. He followed that with a cautionary reminder that those people won't be immune until after they've received the second dose. The mask wearing and social distancing must continue, he said.
This remains the case especially as questions remain over how effective the vaccine is in preventing transmission. The Pfizer vaccine has been shown to be nearly 95% effective in preventing people from becoming sick from the coronavirus.


npr--2020-12-09--Trump Team Proposes A Rule That Could Stall Biden's Health Care Agenda

The Trump administration wants to require the incoming Department of Health and Human Services team to review most HHS regulations by 2023 — and automatically void those that have n't been assessed by then .
The recently proposed rule would require HHS to analyze within 24 months about 2,400 regulations — rules that affect tens of millions of Americans on everything from Medicare benefits to prescription drug approvals .
The move — widely seen as a political ploy by HHS — met a fierce backlash from consumer advocates and health providers who fear it would hamstring federal health officials in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're seeking to control the COVID-19 pandemic , which has killed more than 280,000 Americans .
Critics see the timing as pointed .
The proposed rule was issued Nov. 4 — the day after Election Day , when it appeared President Donald Trump would likely lose his bid for a second term .
`` The cynical part of me thinks this is a perfectly designed way to bring the department to a standstill in the next administration , '' says Mary Nelle Trefz , health policy associate at Common Good Iowa , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not have the bandwidth to review all these regulations during the next two years while running its many programs , including Medicaid and Medicare .
If the proposal is finalized before Jan. 20 , it is likely to be undone by the incoming Biden administration .
In the past , incoming administrations have typically frozen new rules that were pending but have not taken effect before Inauguration Day , to give new administrations time to unwind them .
But in this case , even that chore , Trefz says , would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ list of duties for HHS officials while they are trying to attack the pandemic .
HHS officials deny their proposal was aimed at the Biden administration .
Brian Harrison , chief of staff at the department , says he first sought legal review of the proposal in April .
`` Our lawyers moved as fast as they could , '' he says , and the rule was written with the expectation it would be implemented during Trump 's second term .
`` The outcome of the election had nothing to do with it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans for the past 40 years have failed to review existing regulations , leaving unnecessary and irrelevant rules on the books , Harrison says .
Efforts to reviews of funding bills and other legislation — known as sunset clauses — have been popular among conservatives for years .
The federal government has occasionally used sunset provisions in legislation , such as the tax cuts enacted during the George W. Bush administration , but it is rare to make department regulations subject to these types of mandatory deadlines .
The option is more popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ procedures for measures passed by the legislatures or regulatory boards .
Those efforts run the gamut from requiring most initiatives to be reviewed to identifying specific agencies or legislation that must be reconsidered on a regular timetable .
Still , it would be unusual for a state to require an analysis of virtually every regulation in one of its agencies — with a threat to kill the rules if not done in a certain time period .
HHS accepted public comments on the proposal only through Dec. 4 , except for the part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has a Jan. 4 deadline .
A final rule is expected before Biden becomes president on Jan. 20 .
HHS officials do n't point to any specific regulations they say are outdated .
However , in their supporting material for the proposal , they note in part : '' An artificial-intelligence-driven data analysis of HHS regulations found that 85 percent of department regulations created before 1990 have not been edited ; the Department has nearly 300 broken citation references in the Code of Federal Regulations , meaning CFR sections that reference other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Harrison says the scarcity of reviews is due to `` inertia '' and `` lack of an incentive mechanism . ''
`` Many presidents have formally ordered their agencies to review existing regulations , and it has been existing law for 40 years , so simply asking the divisions to review these regulations has been tried for decades and proven to be ineffective , '' Harrison notes .
`` We need to incentivize their behaviors , '' he says .
With more than 80,000 employees , the department should be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 months , Harrison adds .
Andy Schneider , a research professor at the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University who has written about the proposal , says he fears the sunset provision will be one of many actions the Trump team will take to distract the incoming administration .
`` It speaks volumes that they waited until the end of the fourth year of the administration to decide that the regulatory process needs to be improved , '' he says .
Harrison notes that the Trump team 's proposal is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s requiring federal agencies to review existing rules .
But that law has no provision that calls for cutting regulations that are not reviewed within a certain time frame , Schneider says .
The proposal says the HHS secretary would have flexibility to stop some regulations from being eliminated `` on a case by case basis . ''
Cost of rules review : Up to $ 19 million HHS estimates the reviews would cost up to $ 19 million over two years .
Regulations would have to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When he took office in 2017 , Trump vowed that for every regulation his administration issued , it would remove two .
In July , he said his administration had more than exceeded that goal .
`` For every one new regulation added , nearly eight federal regulations have been terminated , '' he said in a Rose Garden speech .
The Washington Post Fact Checker has said that claim is based on `` dubious math and values each regulation as having equal weight . ''
One of the few groups to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federation of Independent Business .
That group says the Trump administration proposal would alleviate regulatory burdens on small businesses .
But other groups , such as the American Academy of Neurology , suggest the proposed rule would limit input from interested parties on changes to existing regulations , because it would not follow the usual process of seeking public comments when altering rules .
`` The AAN is highly supportive of the current process to modify and rescind regulations through the notice and comment period , as it affords stakeholders the necessary opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to changes being implemented , '' the group told HHS .
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission , which advises Congress , opposes the proposal .
`` MACPAC questions the need for a proposed rule that creates a duplicative and administratively burdensome new process that is likely to create confusion for beneficiaries , states , providers , and managed care plans , '' the group said in a letter this month to HHS .
`` The new requirements will create additional unnecessary work that will distract the department and CMS from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health care system , Medicaid and CHIP amid the pandemic and its resulting economic challenges . ''
It 's unclear how the proposed rule would affect long-standing regulations for product safety and standards , says Betsy Booren , senior vice president of the food lobbying group Consumer Brands Association .
`` The idea that these regulations would be sunset because a regulations timer went too long is not acceptable , '' she wrote in comments on the proposed rule .

Trump HHS Proposal Criticized As Burden For Biden Administration
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
The Trump administration wants to require the incoming Department of Health and Human Services team to review most HHS regulations by 2023 — and automatically void those that haven't been assessed by then.
The recently proposed rule would require HHS to analyze within 24 months about 2,400 regulations — rules that affect tens of millions of Americans on everything from Medicare benefits to prescription drug approvals.
The move — widely seen as a political ploy by HHS — met a fierce backlash from consumer advocates and health providers who fear it would hamstring federal health officials in the Biden administration, just as they're seeking to control the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 280,000 Americans.
Critics see the timing as pointed. The proposed rule was issued Nov. 4 — the day after Election Day, when it appeared President Trump would likely lose his bid for a second term.
"The cynical part of me thinks this is a perfectly designed way to bring the department to a standstill in the next administration," says Mary Nelle Trefz, health policy associate at Common Good Iowa, a consumer advocacy group.
She says HHS does not have the bandwidth to review all these regulations during the next two years while running its many programs, including Medicaid and Medicare.
If the proposal is finalized before Jan. 20, it is likely to be undone by the incoming Biden administration. In the past, incoming administrations have typically frozen new rules that were pending but have not taken effect before Inauguration Day, to give new administrations time to unwind them.
But in this case, even that chore, Trefz says, would be time-consuming and add to a long list of duties for HHS officials while they are trying to attack the pandemic.
Trump staff denies it is playing politics
HHS officials deny their proposal was aimed at the Biden administration. Brian Harrison, chief of staff at the department, says he first sought legal review of the proposal in April. "Our lawyers moved as fast as they could," he says, and the rule was written with the expectation it would be implemented during Trump's second term.
"The outcome of the election had nothing to do with it," Harrison says.
Democrats and Republicans for the past 40 years have failed to review existing regulations, leaving unnecessary and irrelevant rules on the books, Harrison says.
Sunset clauses, or efforts to review funding bills and other legislation, have been popular among conservatives for years. The federal government has occasionally used sunset provisions in legislation, such as the tax cuts enacted during the George W. Bush administration, but it is rare to make department regulations subject to these types of mandatory deadlines.
The option is more popular among states, which have adopted varying procedures for measures passed by the legislatures or regulatory boards. Those efforts run the gamut from requiring most initiatives to be reviewed to identifying specific agencies or legislation that must be reconsidered on a regular timetable.
Still, it would be unusual for a state to require an analysis of virtually every regulation in one of its agencies — with a threat to kill the rules if not done in a certain time period.
Public comment period has mostly expired
HHS accepted public comments on the proposal only through Dec. 4, except for the part of the rule affecting Medicare regulations, which has a Jan. 4 deadline. A final rule is expected before Biden becomes president on Jan. 20.
HHS officials don't point to any specific regulations they say are outdated. However, in their supporting material for the proposal, they note in part:
"An artificial-intelligence-driven data analysis of HHS regulations found that 85 percent of department regulations created before 1990 have not been edited; the Department has nearly 300 broken citation references in the Code of Federal Regulations, meaning CFR sections that reference other CFR sections that no longer exist."
Harrison says the scarcity of reviews is due to "inertia" and "lack of an incentive mechanism."
"Many presidents have formally ordered their agencies to review existing regulations, and it has been existing law for 40 years, so simply asking the divisions to review these regulations has been tried for decades and proven to be ineffective," Harrison notes.
"We need to incentivize their behaviors," he says.
With more than 80,000 employees, the department should be able to complete the review of 2,400 rules in 24 months, Harrison adds.
Andy Schneider, a research professor at the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University who has written about the proposal, says he fears the sunset provision will be one of many actions the Trump team will take to distract the incoming administration.
"It speaks volumes that they waited until the end of the fourth year of the administration to decide that the regulatory process needs to be improved," he says.
Harrison notes that the Trump team's proposal is authorized by a law signed by President Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s requiring federal agencies to review existing rules. But that law has no provision that calls for cutting regulations that are not reviewed within a certain time frame, Schneider says.
The proposal says the HHS secretary would have flexibility to stop some regulations from being eliminated "on a case-by-case basis."
Cost of rules review: up to $19 million
HHS estimates the reviews would cost up to $19 million over two years. Regulations would have to be reviewed every 10 years under the proposal.
When he took office in 2017, Trump vowed that for every regulation his administration issued, it would remove two. In July, he said his administration had more than exceeded that goal.
"For every one new regulation added, nearly eight federal regulations have been terminated," he said in a Rose Garden speech. The Washington Post Fact Checker has said that claim is based on "dubious math and values each regulation as having equal weight."
One of the few groups to endorse the HHS proposal is the National Federation of Independent Business. That group says the Trump administration proposal would alleviate regulatory burdens on small businesses.
But other groups, such as the American Academy of Neurology, suggest the proposed rule would limit input from interested parties on changes to existing regulations because it would not follow the usual process of seeking public comments when altering rules. "The AAN is highly supportive of the current process to modify and rescind regulations through the notice and comment period, as it affords stakeholders the necessary opportunity to provide feedback on proposed regulations prior to changes being implemented," the group told HHS.
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, which advises Congress, opposes the proposal. "MACPAC questions the need for a proposed rule that creates a duplicative and administratively burdensome new process that is likely to create confusion for beneficiaries, states, providers, and managed care plans," the group said in a letter this month to HHS. "The new requirements will create additional unnecessary work that will distract the department and CMS from the critical roles they play in our health care system, Medicaid and CHIP amid the pandemic and its resulting economic challenges."
It's unclear how the proposed rule would affect long-standing regulations for product safety and standards, says Betsy Booren, senior vice president of the food lobbying group Consumer Brands Association.
"The idea that these regulations would be sunset because a regulations timer went too long is not acceptable," she wrote in comments on the proposed rule.
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit, editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation and is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.


npr--2020-12-09--New Data Reveal Which Hospitals Are Dangerously Full. Is Yours?

New Data Reveal Which Hospitals Are Dangerously Full .
Is Yours ?
The federal government on Monday released detailed hospital-level data showing the toll COVID-19 is taking on health care facilities , including how many inpatient and ICU beds are available on a weekly basis .
Using an analysis from the University of Minnesota 's COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project , NPR has created a tool that allows you to see how your local hospital and your county overall are faring .
( Jump to look-up tool . )
It focuses on one important metric — how many beds are filled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for each hospital and on average for each county .
The ratio of COVID-19 hospitalizations to total beds gives a picture of how much strain a hospital is under .
Though there 's not a clear threshold , it 's concerning when that rate rises above 10 % , hospital capacity experts told NPR .
Anything above 20 % represents `` extreme stress '' for the hospital , according to a framework developed by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington .
If that figure gets to near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on staff is immense .
`` It means the hospital is overloaded .
It means other services in that hospital are being delayed .
The hospital becomes a nightmare , '' IHME 's Ali Mokdad told NPR .
The University of Minnesota 's analysis shows that there are 55 counties where the average hospital has reached that rate .
Use the look-up tool below the map to find details about hospitals in your county .

Are COVID hospitalizations high where you live? Look up your hospital
Editor's note: The final update to this page was on August 22, 2022.
Loading...
With COVID cases still high in the U.S., many hospitals across the country remain under strain. The federal government regularly releases detailed hospital-level data which show how many inpatient and ICU beds are in use on a weekly basis — and what portion of them are occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Using an analysis from the University of Minnesota's COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project, NPR has created a tool that allows you to see how your local hospital and your county overall are faring.
Look up the hospitals where you live to find out how many beds are filled with COVID-19 patients, and the average for hospitals in your county.
Loading...
The ratio of COVID-19 hospitalizations to total beds gives a picture of how much strain a hospital is under.
That ratio is concerning when it rises above 10%, hospital capacity experts told NPR. Anything above 20% represents "extreme stress" for the hospital, according to a framework developed by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
ICU capacity is another important indicator of hospital strain. Those thresholds are higher: When 30% or more of ICU beds are filled by COVID-19 patients, it suggests a hospital is operating under "high stress." When 60% or more are full, it's considered at "extreme stress," according to IHME.
This federal hospitalization data, which is available going back to August 2020, also provides a historical perspective on the stress level over time in each state. See how your state is faring now:
Loading...
All of these indicators vary depending on the size of a given hospital and its resources. The number of hospitals reporting their data also varies each week, though more have started reporting since the federal government started collecting this data.
Methodology
Data used for this story come from the Department of Health and Human Services and University of Minnesota COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project.
Hospital stress levels reflect the percent of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients at reporting hospitals. Stress levels are based on a framework developed by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
Averages calculated by summing the seven-day average for each individual hospital, then dividing by the number of hospitals reporting data in a county. "No data" may indicate a sample size of fewer than four patients or hospitals that did not report statistics to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Hospitals in Louisiana are not included in the data for the week of Aug. 27-Sept. 2, 2021 due to possible reporting anomalies related to Hurricane Ida.


npr--2020-12-09--Democrats Want To Bring Earmarks Back As Way To Break Gridlock In Congress

Democrats Want To Bring Earmarks Back As Way To Break Gridlock In Congress When earmarks were a regular feature of congressional business , Rep. Emanuel Cleaver , D-Mo.
, said Democrats and Republicans were able to cut more deals and pass more bills with bipartisan support .
`` This used to be time where everybody was 'Hallelujah , ' I mean Republicans , Democrats , dancing , kissing .
This is the time to be saved , '' he recalled at a congressional hearing earlier this year in regards to legislation like the highway bill .
Cleaver served on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress that was established by Democrats after they won control of the House in 2018 .
One of the conclusions issued in the committee 's final report released in October : Bring back earmarks .
( The committee ditched the term 'earmark ' for a new 'Community-Focused Grant Program . '
) The committee 's recommendations were weighed after hearing testimony from advocates like John Hudak of the Brookings Institution who has long argued the earmark ban over-corrected the problem .
The ban was instituted by then-Speaker John Boehner in 2011 , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years following a series of spending scandals in the mid 2000 's .
Democrats overhauled the process when they controlled the House from 2007-2010 , but they did not ban them .
`` Earmarks were painted as a coven for corruption , a practice reserved for the funding of needless projects to benefit the friends , supporters and donors of members of Congress .
Much of this was hyperbole , as earmarking was only abused by a handful of members in the past , '' Hudak told the committee .
House Majority Leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the leading advocates to reinstate earmarks , with stricter limits and more transparency .
He argues the ban did n't stop earmarks , it just transferred spending power from Congress , where it constitutionally belongs , to the executive branch , where it does n't .
`` My belief is that members of Congress elected from 435 districts around the country know , frankly , better than those who may be in Washington what their districts need , '' he told the House Rules Committee in October .
In the past decade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reinstate earmarks primarily due to concerns about how it would play politically .
Currently , there is broad support for it among House Democratic leaders , including Majority Whip James Clyburn , D-S.C. , and incoming House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut .
`` It is a dynamic environment and I think we are in a better position now to move forward in this area , '' she told NPR .
Steve Ellis runs Taxpayers for Common Sense , a budget watchdog group that helped expose earmark abuses .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they want but they 're going to have to have a dance partner in the Senate and they 're going to have to have a dance partner with Republicans , '' he said , `` It 's one of these things where it just wo n't stand politically and optically if they do n't all jump together . ''
Senate Republicans voted to permanently ban earmarks in their internal party rules just last year , but control of the Senate wo n't be clear until after a pair of Georgia special elections in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blunt , a long-time appropriator , made it clear the Senate is not currently rushing to join with House Democrats .
`` I do n't think senators are thinking about this much until it 's clear what the House really intends to do , '' he said .
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy , the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee , supports bringing back earmarks and said , in private , the idea is quite popular .
`` Oh yes , there 's very quiet support for it among Republicans .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't have to have earmarks if they do n't like them . ''
Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , both appropriators who have embraced earmarks in the past , have n't yet taken a position on this round to revive them .
Former President Barack Obama opposed earmarks , famously pledging to veto any bill that came to his desk that included them .
President-elect Joe Biden also has n't weighed in yet , but Biden says he wants to bring Republicans and Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one way to do it .

Democrats Want To Bring Earmarks Back As Way To Break Gridlock In Congress
Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP
When earmarks were a regular feature of congressional business, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., said Democrats and Republicans were able to cut more deals and pass more bills with bipartisan support.
"This used to be time where everybody was 'Hallelujah,' I mean Republicans, Democrats, dancing, kissing. This is the time to be saved," he recalled at a congressional hearing this year in regard to legislation such as the highway bill.
Cleaver served on the bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress that Democrats established after they won control of the House of Representatives in 2018. One of the conclusions issued in the committee's final report released in October: Bring back earmarks. (The committee ditched the term "earmark" for a new "Community-Focused Grant Program.")
The committee's recommendations were weighed after hearing testimony from advocates such as the Brookings Institution's John Hudak, who has long argued the earmark ban overcorrected the problem. Then-Speaker John Boehner instituted the ban in 2011, but the practice had been under scrutiny for years following a series of spending scandals in the mid-2000s. Democrats overhauled the process when they controlled the House from 2007 to 2010, but they did not ban them.
"Earmarks were painted as a coven for corruption, a practice reserved for the funding of needless projects to benefit the friends, supporters and donors of members of Congress. Much of this was hyperbole, as earmarking was only abused by a handful of members in the past," Hudak told the committee.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., is one of the leading advocates to reinstate earmarks but with stricter limits and more transparency. He argues the ban didn't stop earmarks; it just transferred spending power from Congress, where it constitutionally belongs, to the executive branch, where it doesn't.
"My belief is that members of Congress elected from 435 districts around the country know, frankly, better than those who may be in Washington what their districts need," he told the House Rules Committee in October.
In the past decade, both parties have attempted and failed to reinstate earmarks primarily due to concerns about how it would play politically. Currently, there is broad support for it among House Democratic leaders, including Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., and incoming House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut. "It is a dynamic environment, and I think we are in a better position now to move forward in this area," DeLauro told NPR.
Steve Ellis runs Taxpayers for Common Sense, a budget watchdog group that helped expose earmark abuses. "House Democrats can push as much as they want, but they're going to have to have a dance partner in the Senate and they're going to have to have a dance partner with Republicans," he said, "It's one of these things where it just won't stand politically and optically if they don't all jump together."
Senate Republicans voted to ban earmarks permanently in their internal party rules just last year, but control of the Senate won't be clear until after a pair of Georgia special elections in early January. Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a longtime appropriator, made it clear the Senate is not currently rushing to join with House Democrats. "I don't think senators are thinking about this much until it's clear what the House really intends to do," he said.
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, supports bringing back earmarks and said, in private, the idea is quite popular. "Oh yes, there's very quiet support for it among Republicans. There will be some opposed, but they don't have to have earmarks if they don't like them."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., both appropriators who have embraced earmarks in the past, haven't yet taken a position on this round to revive them.
Former President Barack Obama opposed earmarks, famously pledging to veto any bill that came to his desk that included them. President-elect Joe Biden also hasn't weighed in, but Biden says he wants to bring Republicans and Democrats together, and advocates say earmarks is one way to do it.


npr--2020-12-09--As A Stepparent, Kamala Harris Puts 'Families You Choose' In The Spotlight

As A Stepparent , Kamala Harris Puts 'Families You Choose ' In The Spotlight When Beth McDonough started to tell her stepdaughter , Mia , about the woman who will be the country 's next vice president , one of the first things she told Mia is that Kamala Harris has a stepdaughter too .
`` She just lit up because we live in a super-small town , and as a kid with two moms and in a blended family , she faces a lot of not being able to see what her family looks like in other families , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives in Meadville , Pa. , with her stepdaughter and wife .
When Harris takes office in January , she herself will shatter historic barriers .
Her family will also highlight something else : one of the many different ways in which families are made .
Harris married her husband , Doug Emhoff , in 2014 , and he has two adult children , Cole and Ella Emhoff , from a previous marriage .
`` Whether it 's right or wrong , we still look to the president 's family and the vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what the quintessential American family looks like , '' said McDonough , who runs a blog dedicated to stepmom inclusivity .
According to the Pew Research Center , 16 % of children are living in what the Census Bureau terms `` blended families , '' a household with a stepparent , stepsibling or half sibling .
`` It really , really means a lot — more than I expected — to have a new symbol to attach to the word , '' McDonough said .
`` So when kids are growing up now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the word 'stepmom ' and they 're going to think of the vice president of the United States and the first lady [ Jill Biden ] .
And when they think of family , they 're going to think of blended families and stepfamilies . ''
Harris and Emhoff were set up on a blind date by Harris ' best friend , Chrisette Hudlin , who gave her one instruction : Do n't Google him , do n't overthink it .
Harris did n't .
They had an hourlong phone call and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their second date , Emhoff was ready to introduce Harris to his children , who were in high school and middle school .
But in her memoir , Harris wrote that though she was eager to meet them , she pumped the brakes .
`` As a child of divorce , I know how hard it can be when your parents start to date other people , '' she wrote .
`` I wanted to make sure that Doug and I had something real and lasting before I waded into Cole 's and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two months in , at Reel Inn , a seafood joint in Malibu , Calif. , off of the Pacific Coast Highway , followed by an art show at Cole 's school .
`` Doug later joked that I got completely inundated with their lives that night , '' Harris wrote , `` but I think it 's more accurate to say that I was hooked , and Cole and Ella reeled me in . ''
Naja Hall runs an online community , VIP Stepmom , to help people learn to navigate situations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embrace of her role `` gave so many people confidence . ''
`` She makes it look easy , but we all know it 's not , '' Hall said of Harris .
`` It 's kind of like this unspoken sisterhood that now exists .
And we just happen to have the [ future ] vice president and the first lady in our sorority now . ''
During her first speech as a member of the Democratic presidential ticket , Harris pulled back the curtain on her family life .
She described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bleachers at swim meets and the chosen name that Cole and Ella picked for her .
She has written that the word `` stepmom '' did n't fit for her family .
`` I 've had a lot of titles over my career , '' she said at the Democratic National Convention in August .
`` But 'Momala ' will always be the one that means the most . ''
The word `` Momala '' trended on Twitter .
During the DNC , Ella Emhoff joined Harris ' sister , Maya , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic vice presidential nominee to the nation .
`` You 're a rock , not just for our dad , but for three generations of our big blended family , '' Ella Emhoff said , again calling her `` Momala , '' which rhymes with Harris ' first name .
Chryl Laird , a Bowdoin College political scientist who studies Black political behavior , said that because cultural images of Black motherhood have been historically so negative , it is significant that Harris has chosen to center her family in this way .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asian , is a stepparent to two white children .
`` The terminology is endearing .
I think it speaks to a relationship and a bond that she has with her stepchildren .
It is a nickname and a term that they use to describe her because they love her , '' said Laird .
`` For her to profile that as part of her politics , part of how she interacts , part of how she engages in her work is important . ''
Some multiracial families said they felt a different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marriage on the national stage as the country is growing more diverse .
Karen Melo Ticas is 41 .
Her husband , Walter Ticas , is an immigrant from El Salvador , and Melo Ticas ' parents emigrated from Portugal .
At home , they and Melo Ticas ' stepdaughter ( Walter 's daughter ) speak English , Spanish and Portuguese .
`` At any given moment , right in the middle of a particular sentence , we 'll switch in and out of different languages because we want my stepdaughter to learn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfectly normal to speak whatever language is predominant in the situation that she 's in , '' she said .
She said that this is the first time she has seen a family that resembles hers in one of the country 's highest positions .
`` This is really our first opportunity to compare ourselves as a family to who is in the White House .
It did n't happen this year with the Trump family , which does not look like mine , '' she said .
`` It really feels to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more like the nation , '' she added .
`` They had a mom before me '' Many families , like Harris and Emhoff 's , have wrestled with the question of how exactly they talk about the contours of their families .
`` I never wanted to come into this house with the whole stigma of 'step , ' `` said Erin Padilla , who calls her husband 's children her `` bonus kids . ''
She related to Jill Biden 's journey .
Joe Biden 's first wife , Neilia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a car accident in 1972 , leaving behind two surviving sons , Beau and Hunter .
In his 2007 memoir , Joe Biden described the role that Jill played in healing his family , writing that `` I 'm sort of used to being in charge , but in truth it was Jill and the boys who shaped the contours of our remade family . ''
`` At first I was n't even sure what to do with Neilia 's pictures in the house , but Jill made that easy : When she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embraced everything , '' Biden wrote .
After Joe Biden remarried , Jill gave birth to their daughter , Ashley , in 1981 .
Padilla , 57 , had a daughter when she met her husband .
He was raising two teenagers after his wife 's death .
Her daughter was 3 1/2 and her bonus kids were 14 and 17 when the couple married .
`` My bonus daughter could n't wait to have another mother because she lost her mom when she was young , '' said Padilla , who lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bonus son , who was a little younger , he was angry and resentful that I was going to be in his life and that he lost his mother . ''
Coming together did not come without some bumps along the road , Padilla explained .
`` It 's big footprints that you 're trying to step into .
And you know , that person has left and will always be this wonderful memory , without any flaws , '' she said .
`` And here you are , this flawed human , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carry that out . ''
As her bonus kids have grown into adults , Padilla said , their relationships have matured into `` very nice , lovely friendships . ''
`` I will never be their mother , but they 're my children , '' she said .
`` I love them as friends .
And I honor and respect that they had a mom before me . ''
Jason Ware , 43 , of Rockville , Md.
, sees no distinction between the daughter he gained by marriage , Gwen Deitz , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whom he and his wife had together .
They 're both just his daughters .
Ware and his wife , Ana Ware , have the kind of relationship with their elder daughter 's other father that Harris describes having with Cole and Ella 's mother , Kerstin Emhoff .
They became friends , and Harris has written , `` We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a little too functional . ''
Ware 's family has stayed close to Gwen 's father , who is also named Jason and lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deitz comes over for dinner a few times a week .
Ware compared their collective parenting style to `` coequal branches of government . ''
`` We definitely come to it from a democratic sense of the rules .
I do n't have a lesser vote because I 'm a stepparent , '' he said .
They are so close that last Christmas , Jason and Ana Ware gave Deitz a letter that said if something were to happen to them , they 'd want him to raise their daughter , Indie .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jason , '' Ware said .
`` I want him to raise her as his own as well , because he 's allowed me the space and the opportunity to raise his daughter as my own . ''
When he thinks about Harris and Emhoff , as well as the Bidens , Ware said it 's refreshing to see families like his celebrated .
Perhaps the visibility will mean some of the societal stigma will be shed and people will see families like his the way they see themselves : as just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it is healthy and it 's good and it 's celebrated , '' Ware said .
`` I do see that in the first family and the second family .
There is not just a nuclear family anymore .
It 's families you love , and families you choose , and you consistently choose , day after day . ''

As A Stepparent, Kamala Harris Puts 'Families You Choose' In The Spotlight
Enlarge this image toggle caption Via Beth McDonough Via Beth McDonough
When Beth McDonough started to tell her stepdaughter, Mia, about the woman who will be the country's next vice president, one of the first things she told Mia is that Kamala Harris has a stepdaughter too.
"She just lit up because we live in a super-small town, and as a kid with two moms and in a blended family, she faces a lot of not being able to see what her family looks like in other families," said McDonough, 33, who lives in Meadville, Pa., with her stepdaughter and wife.
When Harris takes office in January, she herself will shatter historic barriers. Her family will also highlight something else: one of the many different ways in which families are made.
Harris married her husband, Doug Emhoff, in 2014, and he has two adult children, Cole and Ella Emhoff, from a previous marriage.
"Whether it's right or wrong, we still look to the president's family and the vice president's family as a representation of what the quintessential American family looks like," said McDonough, who runs a blog dedicated to stepmom inclusivity.
According to the Pew Research Center, 16% of children are living in what the Census Bureau terms "blended families," a household with a stepparent, stepsibling or half sibling.
"It really, really means a lot — more than I expected — to have a new symbol to attach to the word," McDonough said. "So when kids are growing up now, they're going to think of the word 'stepmom' and they're going to think of the vice president of the United States and the first lady [Jill Biden]. And when they think of family, they're going to think of blended families and stepfamilies."
Harris and Emhoff were set up on a blind date by Harris' best friend, Chrisette Hudlin, who gave her one instruction: Don't Google him, don't overthink it. Harris didn't.
They had an hourlong phone call and a first date in Los Angeles. After their second date, Emhoff was ready to introduce Harris to his children, who were in high school and middle school. But in her memoir, Harris wrote that though she was eager to meet them, she pumped the brakes.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tony Avelar/AP Tony Avelar/AP
"As a child of divorce, I know how hard it can be when your parents start to date other people," she wrote. "I wanted to make sure that Doug and I had something real and lasting before I waded into Cole's and Ella's lives."
They met two months in, at Reel Inn, a seafood joint in Malibu, Calif., off of the Pacific Coast Highway, followed by an art show at Cole's school.
"Doug later joked that I got completely inundated with their lives that night," Harris wrote, "but I think it's more accurate to say that I was hooked, and Cole and Ella reeled me in."
Naja Hall runs an online community, VIP Stepmom, to help people learn to navigate situations like this. She said Harris' embrace of her role "gave so many people confidence."
"She makes it look easy, but we all know it's not," Hall said of Harris. "It's kind of like this unspoken sisterhood that now exists. And we just happen to have the [future] vice president and the first lady in our sorority now."
How Kamala became "Momala"
During her first speech as a member of the Democratic presidential ticket, Harris pulled back the curtain on her family life. She described cooking Sunday dinner, cheering on the bleachers at swim meets and the chosen name that Cole and Ella picked for her. She has written that the word "stepmom" didn't fit for her family.
"I've had a lot of titles over my career," she said at the Democratic National Convention in August. "But 'Momala' will always be the one that means the most."
The word "Momala" trended on Twitter. During the DNC, Ella Emhoff joined Harris' sister, Maya, and niece, Meena, to introduce the Democratic vice presidential nominee to the nation.
"You're a rock, not just for our dad, but for three generations of our big blended family," Ella Emhoff said, again calling her "Momala," which rhymes with Harris' first name.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
Chryl Laird, a Bowdoin College political scientist who studies Black political behavior, said that because cultural images of Black motherhood have been historically so negative, it is significant that Harris has chosen to center her family in this way. Harris, who is Black and South Asian, is a stepparent to two white children.
"The terminology is endearing. I think it speaks to a relationship and a bond that she has with her stepchildren. It is a nickname and a term that they use to describe her because they love her," said Laird. "For her to profile that as part of her politics, part of how she interacts, part of how she engages in her work is important."
Some multiracial families said they felt a different type of visibility, seeing an interracial marriage on the national stage as the country is growing more diverse.
Karen Melo Ticas is 41. Her husband, Walter Ticas, is an immigrant from El Salvador, and Melo Ticas' parents emigrated from Portugal. At home, they and Melo Ticas' stepdaughter (Walter's daughter) speak English, Spanish and Portuguese.
"At any given moment, right in the middle of a particular sentence, we'll switch in and out of different languages because we want my stepdaughter to learn the different languages and that it's perfectly normal to speak whatever language is predominant in the situation that she's in," she said.
She said that this is the first time she has seen a family that resembles hers in one of the country's highest positions.
"This is really our first opportunity to compare ourselves as a family to who is in the White House. It didn't happen this year with the Trump family, which does not look like mine," she said.
"It really feels to me like leadership is starting to look more like the nation," she added.
"They had a mom before me"
Many families, like Harris and Emhoff's, have wrestled with the question of how exactly they talk about the contours of their families.
"I never wanted to come into this house with the whole stigma of 'step,' " said Erin Padilla, who calls her husband's children her "bonus kids." She related to Jill Biden's journey.
Joe Biden's first wife, Neilia, and young daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident in 1972, leaving behind two surviving sons, Beau and Hunter.
In his 2007 memoir, Joe Biden described the role that Jill played in healing his family, writing that "I'm sort of used to being in charge, but in truth it was Jill and the boys who shaped the contours of our remade family."
"At first I wasn't even sure what to do with Neilia's pictures in the house, but Jill made that easy: When she embraced me and the boys, she embraced everything," Biden wrote.
After Joe Biden remarried, Jill gave birth to their daughter, Ashley, in 1981.
Padilla, 57, had a daughter when she met her husband. He was raising two teenagers after his wife's death. Her daughter was 3 1/2 and her bonus kids were 14 and 17 when the couple married.
"My bonus daughter couldn't wait to have another mother because she lost her mom when she was young," said Padilla, who lives in Carlsbad, Calif. "But my bonus son, who was a little younger, he was angry and resentful that I was going to be in his life and that he lost his mother."
Coming together did not come without some bumps along the road, Padilla explained.
"It's big footprints that you're trying to step into. And you know, that person has left and will always be this wonderful memory, without any flaws," she said. "And here you are, this flawed human, trying to pick up the pieces and carry that out."
As her bonus kids have grown into adults, Padilla said, their relationships have matured into "very nice, lovely friendships."
"I will never be their mother, but they're my children," she said. "I love them as friends. And I honor and respect that they had a mom before me."
"Families you choose"
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ware-Deitz family Ware-Deitz family
Jason Ware, 43, of Rockville, Md., sees no distinction between the daughter he gained by marriage, Gwen Deitz, and the 5-year-old daughter, Indigo Ware, whom he and his wife had together. They're both just his daughters.
Ware and his wife, Ana Ware, have the kind of relationship with their elder daughter's other father that Harris describes having with Cole and Ella's mother, Kerstin Emhoff. They became friends, and Harris has written, "We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a little too functional."
Ware's family has stayed close to Gwen's father, who is also named Jason and lives about a mile from them. Jason Deitz comes over for dinner a few times a week.
Ware compared their collective parenting style to "coequal branches of government."
"We definitely come to it from a democratic sense of the rules. I don't have a lesser vote because I'm a stepparent," he said.
They are so close that last Christmas, Jason and Ana Ware gave Deitz a letter that said if something were to happen to them, they'd want him to raise their daughter, Indie.
"I have such incredible faith in Jason," Ware said. "I want him to raise her as his own as well, because he's allowed me the space and the opportunity to raise his daughter as my own."
When he thinks about Harris and Emhoff, as well as the Bidens, Ware said it's refreshing to see families like his celebrated. Perhaps the visibility will mean some of the societal stigma will be shed and people will see families like his the way they see themselves: as just a normal family.
"It's normal, and it is healthy and it's good and it's celebrated," Ware said. "I do see that in the first family and the second family. There is not just a nuclear family anymore. It's families you love, and families you choose, and you consistently choose, day after day."


npr--2020-12-09--Chinese Vaccine 86% Effective, UAE Health Ministry Says

Health officials in the United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday that a Chinese vaccine provides 86 % efficacy against COVID-19 infection .
Subsequently , the UAE 's Ministry of Health and Prevention officially pushed for a registration of the Sinopharm vaccine following several health agencies ' analysis of late-stage trials in the country , officials said in a release on the state-run WAM news agency .
`` The announcement is a significant vote of confidence by the UAE 's health authorities in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine , '' the health ministry said .
The country approved the vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups .
It conducted a trial of the vaccine involving 31,000 volunteers from 125 nationalities in the UAE .
The study reflected `` no serious safety concerns , '' according to the health ministry , but no detailed data from the study was publicly available .
It 's unclear , based on this latest development however , what the UAE 's next steps will be .
There was no elaboration on the progression toward a potential nationwide deployment of the Sinopharm vaccine .
The Chinese state-owned company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jordan and Argentina .
Later this month , Morocco says it plans to implement an ambitious COVID-19 immunization program using the Sinopharm vaccine .
The country is aiming to vaccinate 80 % of adults , according to The Associated Press .
News of UAE 's approval of the vaccine comes just a day after the United Kingdom launched its own nationwide immunization program .
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also said Tuesday that the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech presented `` no specific safety concerns '' to preclude an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an expected green light later this month .
The UAE said as of Tuesday there were 8,260 confirmed new COVID-19 cases in the country .

Chinese Vaccine 86% Effective, UAE Health Ministry Says
Enlarge this image toggle caption Zhang Yuwei/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images Zhang Yuwei/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Health officials in the United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday that a Chinese vaccine provides 86% efficacy against COVID-19 infection.
Subsequently, the UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention officially pushed for a registration of the Sinopharm vaccine following several health agencies' analysis of late-stage trials in the country, officials said in a release on the state-run WAM news agency.
"The announcement is a significant vote of confidence by the UAE's health authorities in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine," the health ministry said.
The country approved the vaccine for emergency use in September for certain groups. It conducted a trial of the vaccine involving 31,000 volunteers from 125 nationalities in the UAE. The study reflected "no serious safety concerns," according to the health ministry, but no detailed data from the study was publicly available.
It's unclear, based on this latest development however, what the UAE's next steps will be. There was no elaboration on the progression toward a potential nationwide deployment of the Sinopharm vaccine.
The Chinese state-owned company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries, including Egypt, Jordan and Argentina.
Later this month, Morocco says it plans to implement an ambitious COVID-19 immunization program using the Sinopharm vaccine. The country is aiming to vaccinate 80% of adults, according to The Associated Press.
News of UAE's approval of the vaccine comes just a day after the United Kingdom launched its own nationwide immunization program. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also said Tuesday that the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech presented "no specific safety concerns" to preclude an emergency use approval, paving the way for an expected green light later this month.
The UAE said as of Tuesday there were 8,260 confirmed new COVID-19 cases in the country.


npr--2020-12-08--Seattle Police Ruled In Contempt For Firing Less Lethal Weapons At BLM Protesters

Seattle Police Ruled In Contempt For Firing Less Lethal Weapons At BLM Protesters A federal judge has found the Seattle Police Department in contempt for violating an order to stop the `` indiscriminate '' use of chemical irritants or projectiles against protesters except in cases where officers faced imminent danger .
The Monday ruling by Judge Richard Jones of the Western District of Washington in Seattle said the department had failed to prove that its use of pepper spray , pepper balls , blast balls and paint balls during four Black Lives Matter protests was warranted .
However , after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ videos and police reports , Jones said officers were justified in responding with those weapons in another four instances .
`` Surely , compared to its uses of less lethal weapons earlier this year when this action was first brought , SPD 's uses at these four protests appear to be more restrained , '' Jones wrote in a 27-page order .
He noted the department 's `` more targeted and proportional '' use of the weapons since the initial injunction was issued , but added , `` the court can not ignore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismissed the city 's argument that it can not be held liable for the individual actions of police officers .
He said it had already agreed to an earlier order that outlined when and how lethal weapons may be used .
The judge said of the four types of less lethal weapons deployed by the department , he is `` most concerned '' over the use of rubber-coated blast balls — also called flashbang grenades — that generate a loud noise and bright light when detonated .
He said they are the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` SPD has often hurled blast balls into crowds of protesters .
In many cases , the accuracy of these baseball-style throws is suspect , '' Jones explained .
He added that `` they pose a greater collateral danger '' to peaceful protesters than projectiles fired from a semi-automatic launcher .
He found that on at least two occasions SPD officers indiscriminately threw blast balls into crowds .
During a protest on Sept. 7 , two officers hurled them into two separate groups of BLM protesters after a glass shattered near the officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an imminent threat , Jones said .
Then at a Sept. 23 protest , another officer who was walking several rows back from the front of a police line , grabbed a blast ball and threw it overhand into a crowd of protesters , according to the court documents .
The SPD had justified the blast balls , pepper spray , pepper balls and paint balls saying they are imperative to creating separation between protesters and officers .
But Jones said that 's not an authorized basis to use the weapons .
Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the order in four confrontations , including after an officer was hit in the head with a bat .
He sprayed several protesters with pepper spray while making his way back behind police lines .
In another incident , an officer threw a blast ball into a crowd to reroute protesters after a Molotov cocktail was thrown , nearly hitting a demonstrator .

Seattle Police Ruled In Contempt For Firing Less Lethal Weapons At BLM Protesters
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ted S. Warren/AP Ted S. Warren/AP
A federal judge has found the Seattle Police Department in contempt for violating an order to stop the "indiscriminate" use of chemical irritants or projectiles against protesters except in cases where officers faced imminent danger.
The Monday ruling by Judge Richard Jones of the Western District of Washington in Seattle said the department had failed to prove that its use of pepper spray, pepper balls, blast balls and paint balls during four Black Lives Matter protests was warranted.
However, after reviewing a trove of evidence, including videos and police reports, Jones said officers were justified in responding with those weapons in another four instances.
"Surely, compared to its uses of less lethal weapons earlier this year when this action was first brought, SPD's uses at these four protests appear to be more restrained," Jones wrote in a 27-page order.
He noted the department's "more targeted and proportional" use of the weapons since the initial injunction was issued, but added, "the court cannot ignore the clear violations."
Jones also dismissed the city's argument that it cannot be held liable for the individual actions of police officers. He said it had already agreed to an earlier order that outlined when and how lethal weapons may be used.
The judge said of the four types of less lethal weapons deployed by the department, he is "most concerned" over the use of rubber-coated blast balls — also called flashbang grenades — that generate a loud noise and bright light when detonated. He said they are the most "indiscriminate of the four."
"SPD has often hurled blast balls into crowds of protesters. In many cases, the accuracy of these baseball-style throws is suspect," Jones explained. He added that "they pose a greater collateral danger" to peaceful protesters than projectiles fired from a semi-automatic launcher.
He found that on at least two occasions SPD officers indiscriminately threw blast balls into crowds. During a protest on Sept. 7, two officers hurled them into two separate groups of BLM protesters after a glass shattered near the officers' feet. Neither was responding to an imminent threat, Jones said.
Then at a Sept. 23 protest, another officer who was walking several rows back from the front of a police line, grabbed a blast ball and threw it overhand into a crowd of protesters, according to the court documents.
The SPD had justified the blast balls, pepper spray, pepper balls and paint balls saying they are imperative to creating separation between protesters and officers. But Jones said that's not an authorized basis to use the weapons.
Jones did find the department was in compliance with the order in four confrontations, including after an officer was hit in the head with a bat. He sprayed several protesters with pepper spray while making his way back behind police lines. In another incident, an officer threw a blast ball into a crowd to reroute protesters after a Molotov cocktail was thrown, nearly hitting a demonstrator.