npr--2020-09-24--Louisville Update: Man Is Charged With Shooting Police Officers During Protests

Louisville Update : Man Is Charged With Shooting Police Officers During Protests Two police officers who were shot Wednesday night as protesters marched in Louisville , Ky. , to demand justice for Breonna Taylor are expected to recover from their wounds , Mayor Greg Fischer says .
A man has been arrested and faces multiple charges in connection with the shooting .
Tensions are running very high in Louisville , after a grand jury delivered a limited indictment against one officer who was present when police shot Taylor to death in her apartment .
That now-former officer was indicted for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the three police officers involved in case have been charged directly over Taylor 's killing , prompting fresh outrage in a case that has been closely watched by advocates for racial justice .
The outcome triggered protests in many cities .
In Louisville , police said they arrested 127 people in incidents related to the protests .
Officers were also fired upon after responding to a `` shots fired call '' around 8:30 p.m .
ET .
The man accused of shooting the two officers , 26-year-old Larynzo Johnson , `` has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the first degree and 14 counts of wanton endangerment — all directed against police officers , '' interim police Chief Robert Schroeder said during a news conference Thursday morning .
In an update on the two officers who were shot , Schroeder and Fischer said the pair — Louisville Metro Police Department Maj. Aubrey Gregory and Officer Robinson Desroches — were fortunate not to have suffered life-threatening wounds .
`` I 'm extremely happy to report that one of them was treated and released from University Hospital with a leg wound , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` And the other , who was struck in the abdomen , is in stable condition after undergoing significant surgeries and is expected to recover . ''
The mayor added that it was `` obviously completely unacceptable '' that the officers had been shot .
Large protests erupted in Louisville and in cities across the U.S. after a Jefferson County grand jury announced that it had indicted former officer Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment related to shooting into apartments adjacent to Taylor 's .
The fact that no charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ angered the slain woman 's family and their supporters .
`` They were outraged , they were insulted , and they were mostly offended , '' Benjamin Crump , one of the family 's attorneys , said in an interview with NBC 's Today show .
`` If Hankison 's behavior constituted wanton endangerment of the people in the apartments next to hers , then it should also be considered wanton endangerment of Breonna , '' Crump said .
`` In fact , it should have been ruled wanton murder , '' he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the only charges brought in this case were for shots fired into the apartment of a white neighbor , while no charges were brought for the shots fired into the Black neighbor 's apartment or into Breonna 's residence . ''
`` We seem to have two justice systems in America : One for Black America and one for white America , '' Crump told the Today show , reiterating a point he said he 's made many times .
While Hankinson now faces charges , no action was taken against Sgt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cosgrove , both of whom also opened fire that night .
An FBI analysis concluded Cosgrove fired the shots that killed Taylor , Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said as he discussed the grand jury 's decision on Wednesday .
Cameron said his office determined that Mattingly and Cosgrove `` were justified in their use of force , '' because they had first been fired upon by Taylor 's boyfriend , Kenneth Walker .
But Crump and other advocates note that Walker has said he was acting in self-defense .
Fischer urged protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` Our community is hurting . ''
`` Violence only hurts this cause .
When any of us gives in to the temptation to channel anger into violence , we slow our progress , '' the mayor said .
`` We sacrifice the future for the moment , and that 's just another tragedy .
And we 've seen enough tragedy . ''
The Louisville area is currently under a countywide curfew from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m .
The outcome of the grand jury process also disappointed Taylor 's neighbors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and children who were asleep when bullets began to fly through the walls .
`` There is some disappointment that everyone was not indicted , and there 's also disappointment that no one is facing any charges , presently , for the death of Breonna Taylor , '' attorney Brandon Lawrence , who represents Taylor 's neighbors Chelsey Napper and Cody Etherton , told member station WFPL .
Lawrence said he is pursuing a civil suit against the three officers , adding that the police failed to follow protocols .
`` We believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role in what happened that night , and they should have to account for what they did and have justice administered , '' he told WFPL .

Louisville Update: Man Is Charged With Shooting Police Officers During Protests
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ben Hendren/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Ben Hendren/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Two police officers who were shot Wednesday night as protesters marched in Louisville, Ky., to demand justice for Breonna Taylor are expected to recover from their wounds, Mayor Greg Fischer says. A man has been arrested and faces multiple charges in connection with the shooting.
Tensions are running very high in Louisville, after a grand jury delivered a limited indictment against one officer who was present when police shot Taylor to death in her apartment.
That now-former officer was indicted for shooting into neighboring homes — but none of the three police officers involved in case have been charged directly over Taylor's killing, prompting fresh outrage in a case that has been closely watched by advocates for racial justice. The outcome triggered protests in many cities. In Louisville, police said they arrested 127 people in incidents related to the protests. Officers were also fired upon after responding to a "shots fired call" around 8:30 p.m. ET.
The man accused of shooting the two officers, 26-year-old Larynzo Johnson, "has been charged with two counts of assault in the first degree and 14 counts of wanton endangerment — all directed against police officers," interim police Chief Robert Schroeder said during a news conference Thursday morning.
In an update on the two officers who were shot, Schroeder and Fischer said the pair — Louisville Metro Police Department Maj. Aubrey Gregory and Officer Robinson Desroches — were fortunate not to have suffered life-threatening wounds.
"I'm extremely happy to report that one of them was treated and released from University Hospital with a leg wound," Fischer said, referring to Gregory. "And the other, who was struck in the abdomen, is in stable condition after undergoing significant surgeries and is expected to recover."
The mayor added that it was "obviously completely unacceptable" that the officers had been shot.
Large protests erupted in Louisville and in cities across the U.S. after a Jefferson County grand jury announced that it had indicted former officer Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment related to shooting into apartments adjacent to Taylor's.
The fact that no charges were directly related to Taylor's death angered the slain woman's family and their supporters.
"They were outraged, they were insulted, and they were mostly offended," Benjamin Crump, one of the family's attorneys, said in an interview with NBC's Today show.
"If Hankison's behavior constituted wanton endangerment of the people in the apartments next to hers, then it should also be considered wanton endangerment of Breonna," Crump said.
"In fact, it should have been ruled wanton murder," he added. "How ironic and typical that the only charges brought in this case were for shots fired into the apartment of a white neighbor, while no charges were brought for the shots fired into the Black neighbor's apartment or into Breonna's residence."
"We seem to have two justice systems in America: One for Black America and one for white America," Crump told the Today show, reiterating a point he said he's made many times.
While Hankinson now faces charges, no action was taken against Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Det. Myles Cosgrove, both of whom also opened fire that night. An FBI analysis concluded Cosgrove fired the shots that killed Taylor, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said as he discussed the grand jury's decision on Wednesday.
Cameron said his office determined that Mattingly and Cosgrove "were justified in their use of force," because they had first been fired upon by Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. But Crump and other advocates note that Walker has said he was acting in self-defense.
Fischer urged protesters to maintain peace in Louisville, saying, "Our community is hurting."
"Violence only hurts this cause. When any of us gives in to the temptation to channel anger into violence, we slow our progress," the mayor said. "We sacrifice the future for the moment, and that's just another tragedy. And we've seen enough tragedy."
The Louisville area is currently under a countywide curfew from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
The outcome of the grand jury process also disappointed Taylor's neighbors, who say the police recklessly endangered them and children who were asleep when bullets began to fly through the walls.
"There is some disappointment that everyone was not indicted, and there's also disappointment that no one is facing any charges, presently, for the death of Breonna Taylor," attorney Brandon Lawrence, who represents Taylor's neighbors Chelsey Napper and Cody Etherton, told member station WFPL.
Lawrence said he is pursuing a civil suit against the three officers, adding that the police failed to follow protocols.
"We believe that everyone on the scene played a role in what happened that night, and they should have to account for what they did and have justice administered," he told WFPL.


npr--2020-09-24--Neuroscience Has A Whiteness Problem. This Research Project Aims To Fix It

Neuroscience Has A Whiteness Problem .
This Research Project Aims To Fix It Mental illness can run in families .
And Dr. Kafui Dzirasa grew up in one of these families .
His close relatives include people with schizophrenia , bipolar disorder and depression .
As a medical student , he learned about the ones who 'd been committed to psychiatric hospitals or who `` went missing '' and were discovered in alleyways .
Dzirasa decided to dedicate his career to `` figuring out how to make science relevant to ultimately help my own family . ''
He became a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began to study the links between genes and brain disorders .
Then Dzirasa realized something : `` I was studying genes that were specifically related to illness in folks of European ancestry . ''
His family had migrated from West Africa , which meant anything he discovered might not apply to them .
Dzirasa also realized that people with his genetic background were missing not only from genetic research but from the entire field of brain science .
`` It was a really crushing moment for me , '' he says .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help do something about the problem , he said yes .
The group is the African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Initiative .
It 's a partnership between community leaders and the Lieber Institute for Brain Development , an independent , nonprofit research organization on the medical campus of Johns Hopkins University .
The Lieber Institute 's goals include reducing health care disparities and ensuring that brain research includes individuals from all populations .
Early genetic studies were often limited to people of European ancestry .
Scientists reasoned that focusing on this population made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a specific disease .
Now that genetic tools have become less expensive and more powerful , studies are including other groups .
Even so , the vast majority of large genomic data sets come from people of European descent .
Also , African Americans and other underrepresented minorities make up only about 5 % of the people in genetics research studies .
These disparities are especially troubling when it comes to brain disorders that are more prevalent in people of African ancestry , says Dr. Daniel Weinberger , the Lieber Institute 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % more likely than other people to experience a serious mental health problem and perhaps twice as likely to develop Alzheimer 's disease .
To understand how genetics and the environment are interacting to cause these high rates of disease , `` you have to study brains , '' Weinberger says .
And that 's where the Lieber Institute had something to offer .
Over the past decade , it has received more than 700 brains from African American families who chose to donate the brain of a relative who died .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` we have produced molecular data — detailed molecular data — on about 300 brains of African Americans , plus about 1,000 brains of people of European ancestry , '' Weinberger says .
By comparing these brains , scientists hope to figure out why Alzheimer 's occurs more often in African Americans .
They also hope to learn why having African ancestry can sometimes protect a person from the disease .
For example , Weinberger says , there 's a gene mutation that greatly increases the risk of Alzheimer 's in people whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you 're of African ancestry , the risk from inheriting that gene from both your parents is about a fourth of what it is if you 're of European ancestry , '' he says .
Figuring out why that is might lead to a drug that would protect all people , Weinberger says .
This sort of research is tricky in a nation that has often mixed science with racism .
Baltimore was home to Henrietta Lacks , an African American woman whose cancerous cells were taken and grown in the lab without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which had the ability to divide without aging , became one of the most important discoveries in medical research .
And research suggesting a link between race and intelligence continues to fuel social debates , though most scientists dismiss the idea .
`` When you begin to talk about the brain , you begin to talk about the genomic data set — immediately within the community that triggers all kinds of suspicions , '' says the Rev .
Alvin Hathaway Sr. , the pastor of Union Baptist Church in Baltimore and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hathaway has worked to ensure that the effort is transparent and inclusive .
For example , he wanted to involve Morgan State University , a public , historically black school in Baltimore .
So he approached the Lieber Institute with a big request : `` That I should have persons from Morgan at every step of this process , from technicians to principal investigators to researchers , '' he says .
`` And there was overwhelming acceptance of that . ''
Other efforts to diversify research have often left fundraising to white people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
`` In this process , every step of the way , even in terms of capital formation , we 've been actively , acutely involved , '' he says , adding that one of the first investors was African American .
In July , the effort got a $ 1 million commitment from Brown Capital Management , a business in Baltimore founded and run by an African American .
The state of Maryland has promised another $ 1.25 million .
And all of that is gratifying to Dzirasa , the brain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by his own family 's struggles with mental illness .
`` I go in every day believing that is the day I will make the discovery that is going to totally transform my family 's life , '' he says .

Neuroscience Has A Whiteness Problem. This Research Project Aims To Fix It
Enlarge this image toggle caption janiecbros/Getty Images janiecbros/Getty Images
Mental illness can run in families. And Dr. Kafui Dzirasa grew up in one of these families.
His close relatives include people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. As a medical student, he learned about the ones who'd been committed to psychiatric hospitals or who "went missing" and were discovered in alleyways.
Dzirasa decided to dedicate his career to "figuring out how to make science relevant to ultimately help my own family."
He became a psychiatrist and researcher at Duke University and began to study the links between genes and brain disorders.
Then Dzirasa realized something: "I was studying genes that were specifically related to illness in folks of European ancestry."
His family had migrated from West Africa, which meant anything he discovered might not apply to them.
Dzirasa also realized that people with his ancestry were missing not only from genetics research but from the entire field of brain science.
"It was a really crushing moment for me," he says.
So when a group in Baltimore asked Dzirasa to help do something about the problem, he said yes.
The group is the African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Initiative. It's a partnership between community leaders and the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, an independent, nonprofit research organization on the medical campus of Johns Hopkins University.
The Lieber Institute's goals include reducing health care disparities and ensuring that brain research includes individuals from all populations.
A history of exclusion
Early genetics studies were often limited to people of European ancestry. Scientists reasoned that focusing on this population made it easier to link a particular gene with a specific disease.
Now that genetic tools have become less expensive and more powerful, studies are including other groups. Even so, the vast majority of large genomic data sets come from people of European descent.
Also, African Americans and other underrepresented minorities make up only about 5% of the people in genetics research studies.
These disparities are especially troubling when it comes to brain disorders that are more prevalent in people of African ancestry, says Dr. Daniel Weinberger, the Lieber Institute's CEO.
African Americans are about 20% more likely than other people to experience a serious mental health problem and perhaps twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.
To understand how genetics and the environment are interacting to cause these high rates of disease, "you have to study brains," Weinberger says.
And that's where the Lieber Institute had something to offer. Over the past decade, it has received more than 700 brains from African American families who chose to donate the brain of a relative who died.
As part of the African ancestry initiative, "we have produced molecular data — detailed molecular data — on about 300 brains of African Americans, plus about 1,000 brains of people of European ancestry," Weinberger says.
By comparing these brains, scientists hope to figure out why Alzheimer's occurs more often in African Americans. They also hope to learn why having African ancestry can sometimes protect a person from the disease.
For example, Weinberger says, there's a gene mutation that greatly increases the risk of Alzheimer's in people whose ancestors came from Europe.
"If you're of African ancestry, the risk from inheriting that gene from both your parents is about a fourth of what it is if you're of European ancestry," he says.
Figuring out why that is might lead to a drug that would protect all people, Weinberger says.
A matter of trust
This sort of research is tricky in a nation that has often mixed science with racism.
Baltimore was home to Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose cancerous cells were taken and grown in the lab without her consent or knowledge. Those cells, which had the ability to divide without aging, became one of the most important discoveries in medical research.
And research suggesting a link between race and intelligence continues to fuel social debates, though most scientists dismiss the idea.
"When you begin to talk about the brain, you begin to talk about the genomic data set — immediately within the community that triggers all kinds of suspicions," says the Rev. Alvin Hathaway Sr., the pastor of Union Baptist Church in Baltimore and a participant in the neuroscience research initiative.
Hathaway has worked to ensure that the effort is transparent and inclusive.
For example, he wanted to involve Morgan State University, a public, historically black school in Baltimore. So he approached the Lieber Institute with a big request: "That I should have persons from Morgan at every step of this process, from technicians to principal investigators to researchers," he says. "And there was overwhelming acceptance of that."
Other efforts to diversify research have often left fundraising to white people, Hathaway says. But not this one.
"In this process, every step of the way, even in terms of capital formation, we've been actively, acutely involved," he says, adding that one of the first investors was African American.
In July, the effort got a $1 million commitment from Brown Capital Management, a business in Baltimore founded and run by an African American. The state of Maryland has promised another $1.25 million.
And all of that is gratifying to Dzirasa, the brain scientist whose lab research has been motivated by his own family's struggles with mental illness.
"I go in every day believing that is the day I will make the discovery that is going to totally transform my family's life," he says.


npr--2020-09-25--For Inmates With COVID-19, Anxiety and Isolation Make Prison 'Like A Torture Chamber'

For Inmates With COVID-19 , Anxiety and Isolation Make Prison 'Like A Torture Chamber' Back in early April as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged New York , John J. Lennon was sure he would contract the coronavirus .
As a prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining , N.Y. , social distancing was impossible , he says .
Making calls on prison phones , Lennon says , meant being `` chest to shoulders '' with nearly two dozen inmates .
`` It was a death-trap situation to use the phone , '' he says .
Not long after he made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feverish .
He lost his sense of taste .
The true number of infected inmates will likely never be known ; he says incarcerated people at Sing Sing who did n't need medical intervention were n't being tested .
`` I would sort of have conversations with my neighbors , sort of swapping symptoms , '' he told NPR 's Morning Edition in early September .
`` Some guys were being ambulanced out to the surrounding hospitals .
And by May , we had five deaths , including one officer . ''
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he remembers having trouble breathing in part because of anxiety .
He remembers he had to talk himself `` off the ledge '' of a panic attack .
`` You got CNN on in your cell TV in the background talking about hundreds of people dying .
It 's like a torture chamber , '' he said .
In July , Lennon was transferred to Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg , N.Y .
He 's not sure why he was moved there from Sing Sing , but when he arrived , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit as hard by the virus as the one he came from .
He believes that 's due to a prison population at Sullivan that is older and with existing health problems , so prison leaders took different precautions .
For example , the superintendent keeps a careful eye on incarcerated people at the facility for early signs of the virus .
Lennon has written about what it 's like catching the virus and living during the pandemic in prison for New York Magazine .
The interview highlights contain some extra content that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On the changing attitude incarcerated people have had to masks The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has issued masks statewide , but they started issuing them in early May .
Sing Sing was hit hard in April .
By early May , five people were already dead .
So that time that we were hit hard , there were no masks .
I remember the moment we got masks , it was the first week of May and they started giving the masks out and the whole cell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and saying 'It 's too late now . '
On how the inmates who died of COVID-19 are remembered at Sing Sing My sort of `` money '' as an incarcerated journalist is reporting on what 's happening inside .
I do n't know what happened to the men that died .
Calvin Grohoske , he was having a hard time breathing .
He was taken out in mid-April and I talked to his neighbor , Paul Davidson , and I asked him what happened .
He said , ' I just saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going in Tyvek suits and putting it in bags .
And I never saw him again , and I used to watch the SYFY channel with him .
That was my boy . '
They were tight .
He does n't know what happened to his body .
There 's a lot of unknowns .
That seems to be the theme of 2020 , the unknown .
On Leonard Carter , a formerly incarcerated person at Sing Sing who served 25 years who died of COVID-19 shortly after he was released He had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February .
And he went down to a pre-release facility in Queensborough , and he died there .
It was hard for me when I heard it because , when you know somebody personally — I worked with him on the mental health unit when I first arrived at Sing Sing , and he was like a veteran , sort of giving me the ropes .
He 's like `` These guys are having a hard time , they take a lot of antipsychotic medication . ''
Like , he knew the ins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I learned it was Leonard Carter , everyone called him Mr. Carter , I felt bad because I was like , wow , this guy was probably going to go home and do good work .
He was a decent guy .

For Inmates With COVID-19, Anxiety and Isolation Make Prison 'Like A Torture Chamber'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mary Altaffer/AP Mary Altaffer/AP
Back in early April as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged New York, John J. Lennon was sure he would contract the coronavirus.
As a prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, N.Y., social distancing was impossible, he says. Making calls on prison phones, Lennon says, meant being "chest to shoulders" with nearly two dozen inmates. "It was a death-trap situation to use the phone," he says.
Not long after he made his prediction, Lennon started to feel feverish. He lost his sense of taste. The true number of infected inmates will likely never be known; he says incarcerated people at Sing Sing who didn't need medical intervention weren't being tested.
"I would sort of have conversations with my neighbors, sort of swapping symptoms," he told NPR's Morning Edition in early September. "Some guys were being ambulanced out to the surrounding hospitals. And by May, we had five deaths, including one officer."
His symptoms were mild, Lennon says, but he remembers having trouble breathing in part because of anxiety. He remembers he had to talk himself "off the ledge" of a panic attack.
"You got CNN on in your cell TV in the background talking about hundreds of people dying. It's like a torture chamber," he said.
In July, Lennon was transferred to Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, N.Y. He's not sure why he was moved there from Sing Sing, but when he arrived, he found a community that hadn't been hit as hard by the virus as the one he came from. He believes that's due to a prison population at Sullivan that is older and with existing health problems, so prison leaders took different precautions. For example, the superintendent keeps a careful eye on incarcerated people at the facility for early signs of the virus.
Lennon has written about what it's like catching the virus and living during the pandemic in prison for New York Magazine.
The interview highlights contain some extra content that did not air in the broadcast version.
Interview Highlights
On the changing attitude incarcerated people have had to masks
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has issued masks statewide, but they started issuing them in early May. Sing Sing was hit hard in April. By early May, five people were already dead. So that time that we were hit hard, there were no masks. I remember the moment we got masks, it was the first week of May and they started giving the masks out and the whole cell block erupted and they just started cursing and saying 'It's too late now.'
On how the inmates who died of COVID-19 are remembered at Sing Sing
My sort of "money" as an incarcerated journalist is reporting on what's happening inside. I don't know what happened to the men that died.
Calvin Grohoske, he was having a hard time breathing. He was taken out in mid-April and I talked to his neighbor, Paul Davidson, and I asked him what happened. He said, 'I just saw his cell being packed up and guys going in Tyvek suits and putting it in bags. And I never saw him again, and I used to watch the SYFY channel with him. That was my boy.' They were tight. He doesn't know what happened to his body.
There's a lot of unknowns. That seems to be the theme of 2020, the unknown.
On Leonard Carter, a formerly incarcerated person at Sing Sing who served 25 years who died of COVID-19 shortly after he was released
He had made parole, I believe, in February. And he went down to a pre-release facility in Queensborough, and he died there.
It was hard for me when I heard it because, when you know somebody personally — I worked with him on the mental health unit when I first arrived at Sing Sing, and he was like a veteran, sort of giving me the ropes. He's like "These guys are having a hard time, they take a lot of antipsychotic medication." Like, he knew the ins and outs of this. So when I learned it was Leonard Carter, everyone called him Mr. Carter, I felt bad because I was like, wow, this guy was probably going to go home and do good work. He was a decent guy.


npr--2020-09-25--Thousands Of Airline Workers Facing Unemployment As Aid Package Stalls In Congress

Thousands Of Airline Workers Facing Unemployment As Aid Package Stalls In Congress Among the many things that have been radically changed by the coronavirus pandemic is the airline industry .
Air travel demand is down a whopping 70 % from last year , according to the industry group Airlines for America , and now the clock is ticking for tens of thousands of pilots , flight attendants , reservation agents and other airline employees , who will likely lose their jobs on Oct. 1 , if Congress does n't extend federal aid for the airlines .
There is bipartisan support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is stalled by the inability of Congress and the White House to agree on a broader coronavirus aid package .
The CARES act , passed and signed into law in March , provided $ 25 billion in direct payroll support to the airlines so they could keep paying their employees through the end of September .
A provision of the law prohibited the airlines accepting the aid from laying off or involuntarily furloughing workers .
But now at the end of that bridge , various airlines have notified more than 75,000 employees they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
Among those workers is 23-year old Isaiah Gonzalez , an aircraft maintenance employee for United at New York 's LaGuardia airport .
`` Getting that furlough letter in the mail was a complete shock to me , '' he says .
With his mother and grandfather disabled and unable to work , Gonzalez says he 's the main breadwinner in his household .
`` The first thing that came to mind was , how I was gon na support my family , the people that depend on me ? ''
Gonzalez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ na keep the family afloat ? ''
And Gonzalez is not alone .
'Crying for help and no one is hearing it' '' Me , getting furloughed , is like , it 's devastating , '' says Toni Valentine , 41 , a reservations agent for United Airlines in Detroit .
`` I have six kids that depend on me , '' says Valentine , adding that they range in age from 2 to 22 .
`` That 's a whole houseful with a whole lotta bills . ''
In addition , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffered a serious stroke last year and needs health care and physical therapy .
`` And knowing that I may not have insurance , these benefits , I feel like I have failed , '' Valentine says , as she fights back tears .
Valentine is urging Congress to provide another round of coronavirus relief to the airlines so she and thousands of other airline employees can keep their pay and benefits .
`` I just need them to step up , '' she says .
`` We 're out here and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is hearing it . ''
Valentine 's union , the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers , along with unions for pilots , flight attendants and other industry employees have taken the rare step of joining with airline CEOs , who are usually on the opposite side of the table , to press Congress for a six-month extension of the payroll support program .
`` The industry is in dire straights , '' says Nicholas Calio , president and CEO of the industry 's lobbying group Airlines for America .
`` At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 96 % .
It 's now down 70 % still , '' Calio said a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol building this week .
`` One third of our planes are parked , not flying , and we are losing $ 5 billion a month . ''
The financial losses for the airlines this year are staggering .
For some of the biggest airlines , revenue is down 85 % from last year , which was one of the best on record .
At the start of the pandemic , when air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two biggest airlines , American and United , say they were each burning about $ 100 million a day .
Over the past six months , airlines have slashed costs to limit their losses , but they 're still losing tens of millions of dollars a day .
United for example , says it has reduced it 's cash burn to about $ 25 million a day .
Delta says it is burning an estimated $ 27 million a day , and Southwest says it has reduced its cash burn to $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal payroll support for the past six months , and tens of thousands of employees taking early retirement or or other incentives to leave their jobs voluntary , the airlines have notified another 75,000 employees that they could be out of work Oct. 1 , if the payroll support is not extended .
While the actual number of layoffs probably wo n't be that big , even 20,000 to 40,000 people losing their jobs would likely send shock waves through the national economy .
And that 's something majorities in both parties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognize .
`` We absolutely can not let an entire sector of the economy collapse and that 's exactly what will happen if we do not get this extension done , '' says Missouri Congressman Sam Graves , the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee .
He and others in the GOP agree with their Democratic counterparts that the six months of payroll grants to the airlines under the CARES act succeeded in keeping airline employees working and off of the unemployment rolls .
'We 're better than that' Yet another round @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because it is tied to broader coronavirus relief that the White House and Democrats and Republicans in Congress can not agree upon .
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker is angry about that .
`` I just ca n't believe that we may not be able to do the right thing simply because our elected officials ca n't come to any kind of compromise agreement , '' Parker said at a news conference with labor leaders and other airline CEOs Tuesday .
`` We 're better than that . ''
But the airlines themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel recovery , with demand not beginning to pick up significantly until there are widely available coronavirus vaccines and/or treatments .
So some wonder if providing billions more in taxpayer-funded relief to the airlines does n't just put off the inevitable , as airlines need to become smaller to match the reduced demand .
`` You ca n't run an airline that 's a third the size it was and expect to keep all the same people , '' says Helane Becker , managing director and a senior airline analyst for the investment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may take four years for travel demand to return to pre-Covid-19 levels and for the airlines to recover .
`` In this country , I think we 've shifted from flattening the curve to waiting for a cure or a vaccine and that just means the pain is going to be longer , '' Becker says .
But with so much uncertainty about when and if there will be an air travel recovery , another round of federal aid may help the airlines adjust to their new normal .
`` It gives the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
`` It gives them an opportunity to continue to work with their employees to try to shrink the footprint . ''
`` It gives them a chance to reset , '' Becker adds .
`` And then , hopefully by the next March , April , May time frame , we 're at a point in time where the virus has dissipated enough that people would ( begin to ) feel more comfortable traveling . ''
Legislation to extend the payroll support to the airlines was introduced in the Senate this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House still deadlocked over a broader coronavirus relief package , thousands of airline employees may find themselves out of a job as soon as next Thursday .

Thousands Of Airline Workers Facing Unemployment As Aid Package Stalls In Congress
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP
Among the many things that have been radically changed by the coronavirus pandemic is the airline industry. Air travel demand is down a whopping 70% from last year, according to the industry group Airlines for America, and now the clock is ticking for tens of thousands of pilots, flight attendants, reservation agents and other airline employees, who will likely lose their jobs on Oct. 1, if Congress doesn't extend federal aid for the airlines.
There is bipartisan support for an extension but the airline relief is stalled by the inability of Congress and the White House to agree on a broader coronavirus aid package.
The CARES act, passed and signed into law in March, provided $25 billion in direct payroll support to the airlines so they could keep paying their employees through the end of September. A provision of the law prohibited the airlines accepting the aid from laying off or involuntarily furloughing workers. But now at the end of that bridge, various airlines have notified more than 75,000 employees they could be out of a job next week.
Among those workers is 23-year old Isaiah Gonzalez, an aircraft maintenance employee for United at New York's LaGuardia airport.
"Getting that furlough letter in the mail was a complete shock to me," he says.
With his mother and grandfather disabled and unable to work, Gonzalez says he's the main breadwinner in his household.
"The first thing that came to mind was, how I was gonna support my family, the people that depend on me?" Gonzalez says. "How was I gonna keep the family afloat?"
And Gonzalez is not alone.
'Crying for help and no one is hearing it'
"Me, getting furloughed, is like, it's devastating," says Toni Valentine, 41, a reservations agent for United Airlines in Detroit.
"I have six kids that depend on me," says Valentine, adding that they range in age from 2 to 22. "That's a whole houseful with a whole lotta bills."
In addition, the 15-year veteran United employee says her husband suffered a serious stroke last year and needs health care and physical therapy.
"And knowing that I may not have insurance, these benefits, I feel like I have failed," Valentine says, as she fights back tears.
Valentine is urging Congress to provide another round of coronavirus relief to the airlines so she and thousands of other airline employees can keep their pay and benefits.
"I just need them to step up," she says. "We're out here and we're crying for help and no one is hearing it."
Valentine's union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, along with unions for pilots, flight attendants and other industry employees have taken the rare step of joining with airline CEOs, who are usually on the opposite side of the table, to press Congress for a six-month extension of the payroll support program.
"The industry is in dire straights," says Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of the industry's lobbying group Airlines for America.
"At one point, passenger traffic was down 96%. It's now down 70% still," Calio said a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol building this week. "One third of our planes are parked, not flying, and we are losing $5 billion a month."
The financial losses for the airlines this year are staggering. For some of the biggest airlines, revenue is down 85% from last year, which was one of the best on record. At the start of the pandemic, when air travel came to a near halt, the two biggest airlines, American and United, say they were each burning about $100 million a day.
Over the past six months, airlines have slashed costs to limit their losses, but they're still losing tens of millions of dollars a day. United for example, says it has reduced it's cash burn to about $25 million a day. Delta says it is burning an estimated $27 million a day, and Southwest says it has reduced its cash burn to $17 million a day.
Even with the federal payroll support for the past six months, and tens of thousands of employees taking early retirement or or other incentives to leave their jobs voluntary, the airlines have notified another 75,000 employees that they could be out of work Oct. 1, if the payroll support is not extended.
While the actual number of layoffs probably won't be that big, even 20,000 to 40,000 people losing their jobs would likely send shock waves through the national economy. And that's something majorities in both parties in Congress and the president seem to recognize.
"We absolutely cannot let an entire sector of the economy collapse and that's exactly what will happen if we do not get this extension done," says Missouri Congressman Sam Graves, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee. He and others in the GOP agree with their Democratic counterparts that the six months of payroll grants to the airlines under the CARES act succeeded in keeping airline employees working and off of the unemployment rolls.
'We're better than that'
Yet another round of funding for the airlines is stalled because it is tied to broader coronavirus relief that the White House and Democrats and Republicans in Congress cannot agree upon.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker is angry about that.
"I just can't believe that we may not be able to do the right thing simply because our elected officials can't come to any kind of compromise agreement," Parker said at a news conference with labor leaders and other airline CEOs Tuesday. "We're better than that."
But the airlines themselves are predicting a long and slow air travel recovery, with demand not beginning to pick up significantly until there are widely available coronavirus vaccines and/or treatments. So some wonder if providing billions more in taxpayer-funded relief to the airlines doesn't just put off the inevitable, as airlines need to become smaller to match the reduced demand.
"You can't run an airline that's a third the size it was and expect to keep all the same people," says Helane Becker, managing director and a senior airline analyst for the investment bank Cowen.
She predicts that it may take four years for travel demand to return to pre-Covid-19 levels and for the airlines to recover.
"In this country, I think we've shifted from flattening the curve to waiting for a cure or a vaccine and that just means the pain is going to be longer," Becker says.
But with so much uncertainty about when and if there will be an air travel recovery, another round of federal aid may help the airlines adjust to their new normal.
"It gives the industry some breathing room," Becker says. "It gives them an opportunity to continue to work with their employees to try to shrink the footprint."
"It gives them a chance to reset," Becker adds. "And then, hopefully by the next March, April, May time frame, we're at a point in time where the virus has dissipated enough that people would (begin to) feel more comfortable traveling."
Legislation to extend the payroll support to the airlines was introduced in the Senate this week, but with Congress and the White House still deadlocked over a broader coronavirus relief package, thousands of airline employees may find themselves out of a job as soon as next Thursday.


npr--2020-09-25--'Light Years Ahead' Of Their Elders, Young Republicans Push GOP On Climate Change

'Light Years Ahead ' Of Their Elders , Young Republicans Push GOP On Climate Change Think `` climate change activist '' and a young , liberal student may come to mind .
A recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll showed climate change is the top issue for Democratic voters .
For Republicans , it barely registers overall , but there is a growing generational divide .
A recent Pew Research Center survey shows Republicans 18 to 39 years old are more concerned about the climate than their elders .
By a nearly two-to-one margin they are more likely to agree that `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change , '' and `` the federal government is doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change . ''
Some of these young conservatives are starting environmental groups and becoming climate activists .
And now they 're pushing their party to do more .
Benji Backer started the American Conservation Coalition in 2017 , after his freshman year in college , and says his love of nature comes in part from his family .
`` They were Audubon members , Nature Conservancy members .
But they were conservative , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environment should be political at all , '' says Backer .
Yet these days , environmental politics dominates his life .
From now until the November election Backer is driving an electric car across the country , talking about his group 's climate agenda and posting videos along the way .
Backer is promoting his group 's American Climate Contract , which is a conservative , market-focused response to the Green New Deal .
He 's critical of fellow conservatives who ignore climate change .
He praised Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And Backer says he wants to work with liberal climate activists to pass legislation .
So , how will he vote in November ?
`` If President Trump wants to get my vote , he 's going to have to prioritize climate change in a way that he has not done over the past four years , '' says Backer .
While he 's undecided so far , Backer says he was disappointed climate change was n't even discussed at the Republican National Convention .
In a statement to NPR the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record on the environment proves you can have energy independence and a clean , healthy environment without destroying the economy , overregulating , or burdening American taxpayers . ''
The statement never mentions climate change .
`` Young Republicans are light years ahead of their elder counterparts on this issue , '' says Kiera O'Brien , founder and president of Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends , which supports a carbon tax proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions .
O'Brien grew up in Alaska and says young conservatives are motivated by mounting evidence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're seeing the impacts first-hand , whether it 's myself in Alaska with algal blooms that are turning the ocean weird colors , or with flooding in the Gulf Coast , or hurricanes that are unprecedented at this point , '' says O'Brien .
She calls her generation `` the climate generation , '' and says effects they were told were far off are happening now .
Some liberal climate activists are encouraged to see young conservatives join them .
`` It means a real hope for the future because it speaks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ empathy , and patriotism , '' says Nikayla Jefferson , with the Sunrise Movement .
`` Climate change knows no party lines . ''
Former South Carolina Republican Congressman Bob Inglis says young conservative climate activists are being faithful to their age cohort .
`` I think it 's that they , along with their progressive friends , plan on living on the earth longer than , say , their parents or grandparents , '' says Inglis , Executive Director of the conservative climate group republicEn .
Inglis says for this generation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue more than a political one .
And that makes him optimistic the country will eventually take more action to address the problem .
`` The demographics are definitely going to deliver a win for climate change .
I am absolutely certain we are going to win on climate policy .
The question is whether we win soon enough to avoid the worst consequences , '' says Inglis .
Scientists say that time line is short , but Inglis believes the country is more likely to succeed if both sides of the aisle @ @ @ @ @ @

'Light Years Ahead' Of Their Elders, Young Republicans Push GOP On Climate Change
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images Alex Wong/Getty Images
Think "climate change activist" and a young, liberal student may come to mind.
A recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll showed climate change is the top issue for Democratic voters. For Republicans, it barely registers overall, but there is a growing generational divide.
A recent Pew Research Center survey shows Republicans 18 to 39 years old are more concerned about the climate than their elders. By a nearly two-to-one margin they are more likely to agree that "human activity contributes a great deal to climate change," and "the federal government is doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change."
Some of these young conservatives are starting environmental groups and becoming climate activists. And now they're pushing their party to do more.
Benji Backer started the American Conservation Coalition in 2017, after his freshman year in college, and says his love of nature comes in part from his family.
"They were Audubon members, Nature Conservancy members. But they were conservative, and I grew up not thinking that the environment should be political at all," says Backer.
Yet these days, environmental politics dominates his life. From now until the November election Backer is driving an electric car across the country, talking about his group's climate agenda and posting videos along the way.
Backer is promoting his group's American Climate Contract, which is a conservative, market-focused response to the Green New Deal.
He's critical of fellow conservatives who ignore climate change. He praised Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg when they both testified before Congress last year. And Backer says he wants to work with liberal climate activists to pass legislation.
So, how will he vote in November?
"If President Trump wants to get my vote, he's going to have to prioritize climate change in a way that he has not done over the past four years," says Backer.
While he's undecided so far, Backer says he was disappointed climate change wasn't even discussed at the Republican National Convention.
In a statement to NPR the Trump campaign said, "President Trump's record on the environment proves you can have energy independence and a clean, healthy environment without destroying the economy, overregulating, or burdening American taxpayers." The statement never mentions climate change.
"Young Republicans are light years ahead of their elder counterparts on this issue," says Kiera O'Brien, founder and president of Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends, which supports a carbon tax proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
O'Brien grew up in Alaska and says young conservatives are motivated by mounting evidence that the climate is changing.
"They're seeing the impacts first-hand, whether it's myself in Alaska with algal blooms that are turning the ocean weird colors, or with flooding in the Gulf Coast, or hurricanes that are unprecedented at this point," says O'Brien. She calls her generation "the climate generation," and says effects they were told were far off are happening now.
Some liberal climate activists are encouraged to see young conservatives join them.
"It means a real hope for the future because it speaks to our generationally shared values: truth, empathy, and patriotism," says Nikayla Jefferson, with the Sunrise Movement. "Climate change knows no party lines."
Former South Carolina Republican Congressman Bob Inglis says young conservative climate activists are being faithful to their age cohort.
"I think it's that they, along with their progressive friends, plan on living on the earth longer than, say, their parents or grandparents," says Inglis, Executive Director of the conservative climate group republicEn.
Inglis says for this generation, addressing climate change is becoming a moral issue more than a political one. And that makes him optimistic the country will eventually take more action to address the problem.
"The demographics are definitely going to deliver a win for climate change. I am absolutely certain we are going to win on climate policy. The question is whether we win soon enough to avoid the worst consequences," says Inglis.
Scientists say that time line is short, but Inglis believes the country is more likely to succeed if both sides of the aisle are focused on the challenge.


npr--2020-09-25--Florida Republicans Take Aim At Efforts To Pay Felons' Fines So They Can Vote

Florida Republicans Take Aim At Efforts To Pay Felons ' Fines So They Can Vote Florida 's attorney general is asking law enforcement agencies to open an investigation of a contribution made by billionaire and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg to help pay the fines and court fees of felons .
Bloomberg this week raised some $ 16 million for a fund established by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to help felons who have completed their sentences vote in the upcoming election .
In 2018 , the coalition put an initiative on the ballot in Florida that overturned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ felons from ever regaining the right to vote .
But under a law passed by Florida 's Republican-led legislature and signed last year by the governor , felons ca n't register to vote until they 've paid all fines and fees imposed as part of their sentences .
Undaunted , the head of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition , Desmond Meade , says his group went to work raising money to help felons pay those costs .
`` We 've helped over 4,000 people be able to satisfy their legal financial obligation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an average of about $ 1,000 per person , '' Meade says .
This week Bloomberg , a former Democratic presidential candidate , signed on to the campaign and raised more than $ 16 million for the fund .
That gets Meade 's group close to the goal of $ 25 million it set to get fines paid so felons could register to vote by Florida 's Oct. 5 deadline .
It 's an effort that 's been supported by celebrities including John Legend and LeBron James .
In a memo reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization said it views donations to the fund as a `` cost-effective way of adding votes to the Democratic column . ''
The Bloomberg donation spurred a reaction from Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz , an outspoken Trump ally .
On Fox News this week , he called on Florida 's attorney general to investigate whether Bloomberg was violating Florida law .
`` It is a third degree felony for someone to either directly or indirectly provide something of value to impact whether or not someone votes , '' Gaetz said .
Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican , has now sent a letter to the FBI and the state Department of Law Enforcement asking them to investigate .
A Bloomberg spokesperson call it a `` transparent political ploy '' that 's `` just the latest example of Republicans attempting to keep Floridians disenfranchised . ''
Florida 's law requiring felons to pay fines before they can vote was recently upheld by a federal appeals court .
Julie Ebenstein , an attorney with the ACLU 's Voting Rights Project , says that in court part of the state 's defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the funds , others could always pay for them .
`` I 'm surprised to hear now that third parties who are generously willing to pay people 's outstanding legal financial obligations , suddenly they 're being accused of a crime for doing exactly what the state suggested was perfectly legitimate , '' Ebenstein says .
The ACLU and other groups involved in that case have n't yet decided whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court .
Daniel Smith , a political science professor at the University of Florida , says his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have outstanding fines preventing them from voting .
He applauds the efforts of Meade 's group and Bloomberg 's $ 16 million infusion into the fund to pay their outstanding costs .
But he says paying off the legal financial debt for all who need it would cost at least $ 1 billion .
`` And there 's something fundamentally wrong , '' Smith says , `` about having to benefit from the largesse of an individual to have your voting rights restored . ''
Smith says there 's little evidence helping felons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Although African-Americans — who tend to vote Democratic — are disproportionately represented in the group , the majority of felons with unpaid legal financial obligations in Florida are white .
Meade says while other are focused on the election and politics , for him , something larger is at stake — helping people reclaim their place in society .
He talks about a father and son who were stunned that strangers were willing to pay their outstanding fines .
`` They were able to call the clerk directly and the clerk was able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a zero balance . '
And once they heard that , both father and son started crying , '' Meade recalls .
Because of his activism on restoring voting rights to felons , Meade is well-known in Florida and nationally .
He was recognized last year as one of Time Magazine 's 100 most influential people .
His work upended a system that permanently disenfranchised an estimated million and a half people in Florida .
Like tens of thousands of others , Meade paid his fines and legal fees and has voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back before Florida 's governor and other members of the state 's Clemency Board , asking for his own past criminal offenses to be pardoned .
He told the panel , `` I fight so that everyone can overcome their past mistakes , so everyone can have an opportunity to [ know ] what it feels like to be a complete citizen again . ''
Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis appeared unmoved , saying only that he would take Meade 's request for a pardon `` under consideration . ''

Florida Republicans Take Aim At Efforts To Pay Felons' Fines So They Can Vote
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brynn Anderson/AP Brynn Anderson/AP
Florida's attorney general is asking law enforcement agencies to open an investigation of a contribution made by billionaire and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg to help pay the fines and court fees of felons.
Bloomberg this week raised some $16 million for a fund established by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to help felons who have completed their sentences vote in the upcoming election.
In 2018, the coalition put an initiative on the ballot in Florida that overturned a Reconstruction-era law that had prohibited most felons from ever regaining the right to vote.
But under a law passed by Florida's Republican-led Legislature and signed last year by the governor, felons can't register to vote until they've paid all fines and fees imposed as part of their sentences.
Undaunted, Desmond Meade, the head of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, said his group went to work raising money to help felons pay those costs.
"We've helped over 4,000 people be able to satisfy their legal financial obligation. And what we've seen so far is an average of about $1,000 per person," Meade said.
The donation controversy
This week Bloomberg, a former Democratic presidential candidate, signed on to the campaign and raised more than $16 million for the fund. That gets Meade's group close to the goal of $25 million it set to get fines paid so felons could register to vote by Florida's Oct. 5 deadline.
It's an effort that's been supported by celebrities, including John Legend and LeBron James. In a memo reported by the The Washington Post, the Bloomberg organization said it views donations to the fund as a "cost-effective way of adding votes to the Democratic column."
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Raoux/AP John Raoux/AP
The Bloomberg donation spurred a reaction from U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., an outspoken Trump ally. On Fox News this week, Gaetz called on Florida's attorney general to investigate whether Bloomberg was violating state law.
"It is a third-degree felony for someone to either directly or indirectly provide something of value to impact whether or not someone votes," Gaetz said.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican, has now sent a letter to the FBI and the state Department of Law Enforcement asking them to investigate. A Bloomberg spokesperson call it a "transparent political ploy" that's "just the latest example of Republicans attempting to keep Floridians disenfranchised."
Florida's law requiring felons to pay fines before they can vote was recently upheld by a federal appeals court. Julie Ebenstein, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project, said that in court part of the state's defense was that if felons don't have the funds, others could always pay for them.
"I'm surprised to hear now that third parties who are generously willing to pay people's outstanding legal financial obligations, suddenly they're being accused of a crime for doing exactly what the state suggested was perfectly legitimate," Ebenstein said.
The ACLU and other groups involved in that case haven't yet decided whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Something fundamentally wrong"
Daniel Smith, a political science professor at the University of Florida, said his research indicates nearly 775,000 felons in Florida have outstanding fines preventing them from voting.
He applauded the efforts of Meade's group and Bloomberg's $16 million infusion into the fund to pay their outstanding costs. But he said paying off the legal financial debt for all who need it would cost at least $1 billion.
"And there's something fundamentally wrong," Smith said, "about having to benefit from the largesse of an individual to have your voting rights restored."
Smith said there's little evidence helping felons register helps Democrats more than Republicans. Although African Americans — who tend to vote Democratic — are disproportionately represented in the group, the majority of felons with unpaid legal financial obligations in Florida are white.
Meade said while others are focused on the election and politics, for him, something larger is at stake — helping people reclaim their place in society.
He talked about a father and son who were stunned that strangers were willing to pay their outstanding fines.
"They were able to call the clerk directly and the clerk was able to say, 'Yes, sir you have a zero balance.' And once they heard that, both father and son started crying," Meade recalled.
Because of his activism on restoring voting rights to felons, Meade is well-known in Florida and nationally. He was recognized last year as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. His work upended a system that permanently disenfranchised an estimated 1.5 million people in Florida.
Like tens of thousands of others, Meade paid his fines and legal fees and has voted. But this week, he was back before Florida's governor and other members of the state's clemency board, asking for his past criminal offenses to be pardoned.
He told the panel, "I fight so that everyone can overcome their past mistakes, so everyone can have an opportunity to [know] what it feels like to be a complete citizen again."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared unmoved, saying only that he would take Meade's request for a pardon "under consideration."


npr--2020-09-25--Heart Disease Bankrupted Him Once. Now He Faces Another $10,000 Medical Bill

Heart Disease Bankrupted Him Once .
Now He Faces Another $ 10,000 Medical Bill Matthew Fentress was just 25 when he passed out while stuffing cannolis as a cook at a senior living facility six years ago .
Doctors diagnosed him with viral cardiomyopathy , heart disease that developed after a bout of the flu .
Three years later , in 2017 , Fentress ' condition had worsened , and doctors placed him in a medically induced coma and inserted a pacemaker and defibrillator .
Despite having insurance , he could n't pay what he owed the hospital he went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Baptist Health Louisville sued him , and he wound up declaring bankruptcy in his 20s .
`` The curse of being sick in America is a lifetime of debt , which means you live a less-than-opportune life , '' says Fentress , who is now 31 and still works for the senior facility , providing an essential service throughout the coronavirus pandemic .
`` The biggest crime you can commit in America is being sick . ''
Financial fears reignited this year when his cardiologist suggested that he undergo an ablation procedure to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says hospital officials assured him he would n't be on the hook for more than $ 7,000 , a huge stretch on his $ 30,000 annual salary .
But if the procedure could curb the frequent extra heartbeats that filled him with anxiety , he figured the price was worth it .
He had the outpatient procedure in late January , and it went well .
Afterward , `` I did n't have the fear I 'm gon na drop dead every minute , '' he says .
`` I felt a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Patient : Matthew Fentress is a 31-year-old cook at Atria Senior Living who lives in Taylor Mill , Ky .
Through his job , he has UnitedHealthcare insurance with an out-of-pocket maximum of $ 7,900 — close to the maximum allowed by law .
Total bill : Fentress owed a balance of $ 10,092.13 for cardiology , echocardiography and family medicine visits on various dates in 2019 and 2020 .
He has paid some portions of that but still owes $ 9,296 .
UnitedHealthcare paid $ 28,920.52 total , including $ 27,561.37 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day of his procedure .
Medical service : Fentress underwent cardiac ablation on Jan. 23 , 2020 .
The outpatient procedure involved inserting catheters into an artery in his groin that were threaded into his heart .
He also had related cardiology services , testing and visits to a primary care doctor and a cardiologist before and after the procedure .
What gives : Fentress says he always made sure to take jobs with health insurance , `` so I thought I 'd be all right . ''
But like nearly half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has a high-deductible health plan , a type of insurance that experts say often leaves patients in the lurch .
When he uses health providers within his insurer 's network , his annual deductible is $ 1,500 , plus coinsurance .
His annual out-of-pocket maximum is $ 7,900 — more than a quarter of his annual salary .
What 's worse , he was already dealing with earlier medical debt .
Fentress owed around $ 5,000 after his 2017 hospitalization , also at Baptist Health Louisville , and set up a monthly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent to collections after missing a $ 150 payment .
He declared bankruptcy after the hospital sued him .
He faced another bill about a year later , when a panic attack sent him to the emergency room , he says .
That time , he received financial aid from the hospital .
When he got the bill for his ablation this spring , he figured he would n't qualify for financial aid a second time .
So instead of applying , he tried to set up a payment plan .
But hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 500 a month , he says , which was far beyond his means and made him fear another spiral into bankruptcy .
This precarious situation makes him `` functionally uninsured , '' says author Dave Chase , who defines this as having an insurance deductible greater than your savings .
`` It 's a lot more frequent [ in the U.S. ] than a lot of people realize , '' says Chase , founder of Health Rosetta , a firm that advises large employers on health costs .
`` We 're the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's a sad state of affairs . ''
Jennifer Schultz , an economics professor and co-director of the health care management program at the University of Minnesota , Duluth , says Fentress faces a difficult financial road ahead .
`` Once you declare bankruptcy , your credit rating is destroyed , '' she says .
`` It will be hard for a young person to come back from that . ''
A recent survey by the Commonwealth Fund found that just over a quarter of adults ages 19 to 64 who reported medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay for basic necessities like rent or food sometime in the past two years .
Three percent had declared bankruptcy .
In the first half of 2020 , the survey found , 43 % of U.S. adults ages 19 to 64 were inadequately insured .
About half of them were underinsured , which meant that they had deductibles accounting for 5 % or more of their household income or that their out-of-pocket health costs , excluding premiums , claimed 10 % or more of household income over the past year .
In Fentress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owed the hospital was more than a third of what his insurer paid for his care .
The majority of his debt — $ 8,271.56 — was coinsurance , about 20 % of the bill , which he must pay after meeting his deductible .
Because the bill covered services spanning two years , he owed more than his annual out-of-pocket maximum .
If all his care had been provided during 2019 , he would have owed much less , and the insurer would have been responsible for more of the bill .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote about medical costs for the American College of Cardiology , says ablation usually costs about $ 25,000 to $ 30,000 , a range also confirmed by other experts .
The insurer 's payment for Fentress ' care that January day — around $ 27,600 — falls into the typical cost range , Gurav says , even without the additional thousands Fentress owes .
Schultz , a state representative from Minnesota 's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party , says nonprofit hospitals could potentially waive or reduce costs for needy patients .
`` They definitely have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' she says .
Resolution : Charles Colvin , Baptist Health 's vice president for revenue strategy , says hospital officials quoted Fentress an estimated price for the ablation that was within a few dollars of the final amount , although his bill included other services such as tests and office visits on various dates .
Colvin says there appear to be some charges that UnitedHealthcare did n't process correctly , which could lower his bill slightly .
Maria Gordon Shydlo , communications director for UnitedHealthcare , says Fentress is responsible for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his annual , in-network deductible , then pays a percentage of health costs in coinsurance until he reaches his out-of-pocket maximum .
So he will owe around $ 7,900 on his bill , she says , and any new in-network care will be fully covered for the rest of the year .
A hospital representative suggested Fentress apply for financial assistance .
She followed up by sending him a form , but it went to the wrong address because Fentress was in the process of moving .
In September , he said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form and was optimistic he 'd qualify .
As Fentress tries to move past his latest bill , he 's now worrying about something else : racking up new bills if he contracts COVID-19 down the road as an essential worker with existing health problems and the same high-deductible insurance .
`` I do n't have hope for a financially stable future , '' he says .
`` It should n't be such a struggle . ''
Takeaways : Insurance performs two functions for those lucky enough to have it .
First , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' negotiated rates .
Second , the insurer pays the majority of your medical bills once you 've met your deductible .
It pays nothing before then .
High-deductible plans have the lowest premiums , so they are attractive or they can be the only plans you can afford .
But understand that you will be asked to pay for everything except preventive care until you 've hit that number .
And your deductible may be only part of the picture : Coinsurance is the bulk of what Fentress owes .
Out-of-pocket maximums @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2021 , the upper limit for maximums will be $ 8,550 for single coverage .
Try to plan treatment and procedures with an eye on the calendar : People with chronic conditions and this kind of insurance could save a lot of money if they have an expensive surgery in December — when your costs will be part of the out-of-pocket maximum for the year that 's ending — rather than January .
As always , if you face a big medical bill , ask about payment plans , financial aid and charity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system 's website , the uninsured and underinsured can get discounts .
Those with incomes equivalent to 200 % to 400 % of the federal poverty level — or $ 25,520 to $ 51,040 for an individual — may be eligible for assistance .
If you do n't qualify for help , negotiate with the hospital anyway .
Arm yourself with information about the going rate that insurers pay for the care you received by consulting websites like Healthcare Bluebook or Fair Health .
Dan Weissmann , host of An Arm and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this story .
Joe Neel of NPR produced the All Things Considered interview with KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal .
Bill of the Month is a crowdsourced investigation by KHN and NPR that dissects and explains medical bills .
Do you have an interesting medical bill you want to share with us ?
Tell us about it !

Heart Disease Bankrupted Him Once. Now He Faces Another $10,000 Medical Bill
Enlarge this image toggle caption Meg Vogel for KHN Meg Vogel for KHN
Matthew Fentress was just 25 when he passed out while stuffing cannolis as a cook at a senior living facility six years ago. Doctors diagnosed him with viral cardiomyopathy, heart disease that developed after a bout of the flu.
Three years later, in 2017, Fentress' condition had worsened, and doctors placed him in a medically induced coma and inserted a pacemaker and defibrillator. Despite having insurance, he couldn't pay what he owed the hospital he went to in Louisville, Ky. So Baptist Health Louisville sued him, and he wound up declaring bankruptcy in his 20s.
"The curse of being sick in America is a lifetime of debt, which means you live a less-than-opportune life," says Fentress, who is now 31 and still works for the senior facility, providing an essential service throughout the coronavirus pandemic. "The biggest crime you can commit in America is being sick."
Financial fears reignited this year when his cardiologist suggested that he undergo an ablation procedure to restore a normal heart rhythm. He says hospital officials assured him he wouldn't be on the hook for more than $7,000, a huge stretch on his $30,000 annual salary. But if the procedure could curb the frequent extra heartbeats that filled him with anxiety, he figured the price was worth it.
He had the outpatient procedure in late January, and it went well.
Afterward, "I didn't have the fear I'm gonna drop dead every minute," he says. "I felt a lot better."
Then the bill came.
Patient: Matthew Fentress is a 31-year-old cook at Atria Senior Living who lives in Taylor Mill, Ky. Through his job, he has UnitedHealthcare insurance with an out-of-pocket maximum of $7,900 — close to the maximum allowed by law.
Total bill: Fentress owed a balance of $10,092.13 for cardiology, echocardiography and family medicine visits on various dates in 2019 and 2020. He has paid some portions of that but still owes $9,296. UnitedHealthcare paid $28,920.52 total, including $27,561.37 for the care he received on the day of his procedure.
Service provider: Baptist Health Louisville, part of the nonprofit system Baptist Health.
Medical service: Fentress underwent cardiac ablation on Jan. 23, 2020. The outpatient procedure involved inserting catheters into an artery in his groin that were threaded into his heart. He also had related cardiology services, testing and visits to a primary care doctor and a cardiologist before and after the procedure.
What gives: Fentress says he always made sure to take jobs with health insurance, "so I thought I'd be all right."
But like nearly half of privately insured Americans under age 65, he has a high-deductible health plan, a type of insurance that experts say often leaves patients in the lurch. When he uses health providers within his insurer's network, his annual deductible is $1,500, plus coinsurance. His annual out-of-pocket maximum is $7,900 — more than a quarter of his annual salary.
What's worse, he was already dealing with earlier medical debt. Fentress owed around $5,000 after his 2017 hospitalization, also at Baptist Health Louisville, and set up a monthly payment plan, but says he was sent to collections after missing a $150 payment. He declared bankruptcy after the hospital sued him.
He faced another bill about a year later, when a panic attack sent him to the emergency room, he says. That time, he received financial aid from the hospital.
When he got the bill for his ablation this spring, he figured he wouldn't qualify for financial aid a second time. So instead of applying, he tried to set up a payment plan. But hospital representatives said he'd have to pay $500 a month, he says, which was far beyond his means and made him fear another spiral into bankruptcy.
This precarious situation makes him "functionally uninsured," says author Dave Chase, who defines this as having an insurance deductible greater than your savings. "It's a lot more frequent [in the U.S.] than a lot of people realize," says Chase, founder of Health Rosetta, a firm that advises large employers on health costs. "We're the undisputed leaders in medical bankruptcy. It's a sad state of affairs."
Jennifer Schultz, an economics professor and co-director of the health care management program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, says Fentress faces a difficult financial road ahead. "Once you declare bankruptcy, your credit rating is destroyed," she says. "It will be hard for a young person to come back from that."
A recent survey by the Commonwealth Fund found that just over a quarter of adults ages 19 to 64 who reported medical bill problems or debt were unable to pay for basic necessities like rent or food sometime in the past two years. Three percent had declared bankruptcy.
In the first half of 2020, the survey found, 43% of U.S. adults ages 19 to 64 were inadequately insured. About half of them were underinsured, which meant that they had deductibles accounting for 5% or more of their household income or that their out-of-pocket health costs, excluding premiums, claimed 10% or more of household income over the past year.
In Fentress' case, the $10,092 he owed the hospital was more than a third of what his insurer paid for his care. The majority of his debt — $8,271.56 — was coinsurance, about 20% of the bill, which he must pay after meeting his deductible. Because the bill covered services spanning two years, he owed more than his annual out-of-pocket maximum. If all his care had been provided during 2019, he would have owed much less, and the insurer would have been responsible for more of the bill.
Kunal Gurav, an Atlanta cardiologist who wrote about medical costs for the American College of Cardiology, says ablation usually costs about $25,000 to $30,000, a range also confirmed by other experts.
The insurer's payment for Fentress' care that January day — around $27,600 — falls into the typical cost range, Gurav says, even without the additional thousands Fentress owes.
Schultz, a state representative from Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, says nonprofit hospitals could potentially waive or reduce costs for needy patients.
"They definitely have a moral responsibility to provide a community benefit," she says.
Resolution: Charles Colvin, Baptist Health's vice president for revenue strategy, says hospital officials quoted Fentress an estimated price for the ablation that was within a few dollars of the final amount, although his bill included other services such as tests and office visits on various dates. Colvin says there appear to be some charges that UnitedHealthcare didn't process correctly, which could lower his bill slightly.
Maria Gordon Shydlo, communications director for UnitedHealthcare, says Fentress is responsible for 100% of health costs up to his annual, in-network deductible, then pays a percentage of health costs in coinsurance until he reaches his out-of-pocket maximum. So he will owe around $7,900 on his bill, she says, and any new in-network care will be fully covered for the rest of the year.
A hospital representative suggested Fentress apply for financial assistance. She followed up by sending him a form, but it went to the wrong address because Fentress was in the process of moving. In September, he said he was finally going to fill out the form and was optimistic he'd qualify.
As Fentress tries to move past his latest bill, he's now worrying about something else: racking up new bills if he contracts COVID-19 down the road as an essential worker with existing health problems and the same high-deductible insurance.
"I don't have hope for a financially stable future," he says. "It shouldn't be such a struggle."
Takeaways: Insurance performs two functions for those lucky enough to have it. First, you get to take advantage of insurers' negotiated rates. Second, the insurer pays the majority of your medical bills once you've met your deductible. It pays nothing before then.
High-deductible plans have the lowest premiums, so they are attractive or they can be the only plans you can afford. But understand that you will be asked to pay for everything except preventive care until you've hit that number. And your deductible may be only part of the picture: Coinsurance is the bulk of what Fentress owes.
Out-of-pocket maximums are regulated by federal law. In 2021, the upper limit for maximums will be $8,550 for single coverage.
Try to plan treatment and procedures with an eye on the calendar: People with chronic conditions and this kind of insurance could save a lot of money if they have an expensive surgery in December — when your costs will be part of the out-of-pocket maximum for the year that's ending — rather than January.
As always, if you face a big medical bill, ask about payment plans, financial aid and charity care. According to the Baptist Health system's website, the uninsured and underinsured can get discounts. Those with incomes equivalent to 200% to 400% of the federal poverty level — or $25,520 to $51,040 for an individual — may be eligible for assistance.
If you don't qualify for help, negotiate with the hospital anyway. Arm yourself with information about the going rate that insurers pay for the care you received by consulting websites like Healthcare Bluebook or Fair Health.
Dan Weissmann, host of An Arm and a Leg podcast, reported the radio interview of this story. Joe Neel of NPR produced the All Things Considered interview with KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal.
Bill of the Month is a crowdsourced investigation by KHN and NPR that dissects and explains medical bills. Do you have an interesting medical bill you want to share with us? Tell us about it!


npr--2020-09-25--A Candidate, Not A Prosecutor: Harris' Role In Upcoming Supreme Court Hearings

Some of the most memorable moments of Kamala Harris ' political career have come in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room .
The list of witnesses and nominees the California senator has flustered or put on the defensive is long , and it includes many top conservatives whom progressives villainize : Attorney General William Barr , former Attorney General Jeff Sessions , former White House chief of staff John Kelly and , perhaps atop that list , Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh .
During Kavanaugh 's contentious confirmation hearings in 2018 , Harris ' questions often yielded some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that when reporters asked whether she plans to even take part in the upcoming confirmation hearing for President Trump 's yet-to-be-named pick to fill the seat held by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Harris declined to answer the question .
On paper , Harris is the most junior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee .
But no one inside or outside of the hearing room will view the Democratic vice presidential nominee that way when it 's her turn to question President Trump 's court nominee .
When Harris ' fellow Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether they expect her to take a leading role in a confirmation battle , which will possibly be nastier and more pivotal than Kavanaugh 's , they responded with a sense of ambivalence .
`` She 's a little busy right now , '' Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono told NPR .
`` There are going to be a lot of us playing the committee role . ''
The answers had a lot to do with the fact that Democrats see the impending presidential election as a make-or-break moment for democracy itself and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generations , if ever .
`` I just want Joe [ Biden ] and Kamala to get elected , '' Hirono said .
`` That should be their focus right now , in my view .
I 'm pretty sure she shares my perspective on the next nominee . ''
But this view also has to do with the fact that Harris , as the party 's vice presidential nominee just a few weeks before the election , faces a much different set of political circumstances than she did at previous high-profile hearings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harris was still relatively new to the political scene and weighing a possible presidential campaign .
Grilling Kavanaugh on topics like abortion , and whether or not he had improperly discussed the ongoing Mueller investigation with President Trump 's personal attorney , helped her score points with progressives and Democratic partisans online and in popular culture , just months before the primary campaign began .
Two years later , she 'll represent not just herself , but Biden and his possible presidential administration , in the hearing room .
( Despite Harris 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Biden campaign official told NPR she does plan to participate in the eventual hearing . )
Biden has decried Republicans ' decision to push ahead with a vote on a pivotal Supreme Court seat in the final days before a presidential election , and he repeatedly warns that the new justice could throw out the Affordable Care Act , which will once again be on the Supreme Court docket in November .
But a large part of Biden 's argument to voters , especially the more moderate voters his campaign sees as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the idea of returning to normalcy and a sense of decency in politics .
Lines of partisan questioning and a prosecutorial grilling of a potential Supreme Court justice might not fit with that message , especially in a moment when millions of people will already be casting early ballots .
`` There 'll be a lot of eyes on her and how she approaches this , both tonally and substantively , '' said David Axelrod , who was the top strategist on Barack Obama 's campaign in 2008 and now works as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar tactical choices in the final weeks of that election , when a global economic meltdown briefly forced Obama off the campaign trail and back to the Senate , to vote on – and at moments , help Democrats negotiate – emergency legislation aimed at propping up the failing economy .
Axelrod said Harris and the Biden campaign face some challenging dynamics here : most notably , the fact that Republicans likely have the votes they need to approve their nominee .
He ventured that one approach Harris might take is sticking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be filled so quickly and so close to an election , rather than grilling the nominee about her views on polarizing issues like abortion .
`` I think the thing that makes this different is , does she do it within the strategy of the campaign ?
Because it 's very clear the focus of Biden is on the issue of health care and the Affordable Care Act , '' Axelrod said .
The confirmation hearing will be a major focus of the news in the final weeks of the campaign .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ points out that no matter what she focuses on that day , Harris has another big platform right now .
`` I do n't know if you can divide a person in that way , '' he said in response to a question about whether Harris should spend more time on Capitol Hill and less on the campaign trail during the confirmation fight .
`` She is a United States senator who is a candidate for vice president .
And she will bring all of her voiced experience , and really her brilliance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no matter what role she 's in , '' Booker said .

A Candidate, Not A Prosecutor: Harris' Role In Upcoming Supreme Court Hearings
Enlarge this image toggle caption Zach Gibson/Getty Images Zach Gibson/Getty Images
Some of the most memorable moments of Kamala Harris' political career have come in the Senate committee hearing rooms.
The list of witnesses and nominees the California senator has flustered or put on the defensive is long, and it includes many top conservatives whom progressives villainize: Attorney General William Barr, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former White House chief of staff John Kelly and, perhaps atop that list, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
During Kavanaugh's contentious confirmation hearings in 2018, Harris' questions often yielded some of the biggest moments.
So it was notable that when reporters asked whether she plans to even take part in the upcoming confirmation hearing for President Trump's yet-to-be-named pick to fill the seat held by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harris declined to answer the question.
On paper, Harris is the most junior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. But no one inside or outside the hearing room will view the Democratic vice presidential nominee that way when it's her turn to question President Trump's court nominee.
When Harris' fellow Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee were asked whether they expect her to take a leading role in a confirmation battle, which will possibly be nastier and more pivotal than Kavanaugh's, they responded with a sense of ambivalence.
"She's a little busy right now," Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono told NPR. "There are going to be a lot of us playing the committee role."
The answers had a lot to do with the fact that Democrats see the impending presidential election as a make-or-break moment for democracy itself and the most consequential race they've faced in generations, if ever. "I just want Joe [Biden] and Kamala to get elected," Hirono said. "That should be their focus right now, in my view. I'm pretty sure she shares my perspective on the next nominee."
But this view also has to do with the fact that Harris, as the party's vice presidential nominee just a few weeks before the election, faces a much different set of political circumstances than she did at previous high-profile hearings.
Take the 2018 Kavanaugh hearing. Harris was still relatively new to the political scene and weighing a possible presidential campaign. Grilling Kavanaugh on topics like abortion, and whether he had improperly discussed the ongoing Mueller investigation with President Trump's personal attorney, helped her score points with progressives and Democratic partisans online and in popular culture, just months before the primary campaign began.
Two years later, she'll represent not just herself, but Biden and his possible presidential administration, in the hearing room. (Despite Harris' non-answer on Capitol Hill this week, a Biden campaign official told NPR she does plan to participate in the eventual hearing.)
Biden has decried Republicans' decision to push ahead with a vote on a pivotal Supreme Court seat in the final days before a presidential election, and he repeatedly warns that the new justice could throw out the Affordable Care Act, which will once again be on the Supreme Court docket in November.
But a large part of Biden's argument to voters, especially the more moderate voters his campaign sees as key to an electoral victory, centers on the idea of returning to normalcy and a sense of decency in politics.
Lines of partisan questioning and a prosecutorial grilling of a potential Supreme Court justice might not fit with that message, especially in a moment when millions of people will already be casting early ballots.
"There'll be a lot of eyes on her and how she approaches this, both tonally and substantively," said David Axelrod, who was the top strategist on Barack Obama's campaign in 2008 and now works as a contributor to CNN.
Axelrod faced similar tactical choices in the final weeks of that election, when a global economic meltdown briefly forced Obama off the campaign trail and back to the Senate, to vote on – and at moments, help Democrats negotiate – emergency legislation aimed at propping up the failing economy.
Axelrod said Harris and the Biden campaign face some challenging dynamics here: most notably, the fact that Republicans likely have the votes they need to approve their nominee.
He ventured that one approach Harris might take is sticking to broader themes, like whether the seat should be filled so quickly and so close to an election, rather than grilling the nominee about her views on polarizing issues like abortion.
"I think the thing that makes this different is, does she do it within the strategy of the campaign? Because it's very clear the focus of Biden is on the issue of health care and the Affordable Care Act," Axelrod said.
The confirmation hearing will be a major focus of the news in the final weeks of the campaign. Though, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker points out that no matter what she focuses on that day, Harris has another big platform right now.
"I don't know if you can divide a person in that way," he said in response to a question about whether Harris should spend more time on Capitol Hill and less on the campaign trail during the confirmation fight.
"She is a United States senator who is a candidate for vice president. And she will bring all of her voiced experience, and really her brilliance, to the arguments we're making, no matter what role she's in," Booker said.