npr--2020-09-04--How Progressive Democrats Fared This Primary Season – And What It Means

How Progressive Democrats Fared This Primary Season – And What It Means The season for mounting challenges to incumbent lawmakers is nearly over , and the focus is shifting toward the general election .
But incumbents should n't rest easy — it 's clear that groups on the left feel emboldened by the places where they did make gains over the course of the 2020 cycle and plan to keep an eye on where else they can target their energy next .
Progressives trying to pull their party to the left had mixed results in Tuesday 's Massachusetts Democratic primaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a loss in a key House race .
Activists pushing a sweeping Green New Deal proposal to remake the economy and eliminate the country 's dependence on fossil fuels had a big win with the Senate author of the proposal — Ed Markey — beating back a challenge from Joe Kennedy III , a member of the state 's political dynasty .
Markey partnered with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , the freshman Democrat from New York known as AOC , who has garnered national attention for her overhaul of the energy sector and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credit her with revving up younger voters that gave Markey a healthy margin across the state against the 39-year-old Kennedy .
Her involvement backing the white male candidate with more than 40 years experience on Capitol Hill was a departure from her focus in other congressional races , where she campaigned on behalf of young diverse candidates around the country who made the case that people of Markey 's generation did n't reflect the country .
But AOC said it was n't about age in this case , which Kennedy tried to frame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy .
Groups like the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats that backed Markey fell short in their effort to knock off Rep. Richard Neal , though .
Neal chairs the powerful tax writing committee and represents a district in the western part of the state .
Alex Morse , the 31-year-old mayor of Holyoke who challenged Neal , 71 , portrayed him as a captive of corporate interests .
But Neal easily beat Morse , and his years of attending Rotary Club meetings and tending to constituent casework countered the narrative that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobbied by interests before his committee .
It 's rare that sitting members of Congress lose .
Incumbents have huge advantages in raising money and getting their message out through both official and political teams .
If they are visible both in their committee assignments in Washington and in events in their districts , they are less vulnerable to inter-party challenges .
During the 2020 primary season , eight of the 435 lawmakers in the House have lost in primary challenges , and three of them were Democrats .
Progressives got a huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pair of high-profile wins — Ocasio-Cortez ousted New York Rep. Joe Crowley , a top House Democratic leader ; and Ayanna Pressley defeated Mike Capuano , a 10-term incumbent in Massachusetts .
Those races spurred a trend , and the groups like the Justice Democrats , which was created by some former aides from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ' 2016 campaign , set their sights on other older white and veteran lawmakers .
David Hopkins , a political science professor at Boston College , told NPR that the successes of Pressley and Ocasio-Cortez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jumping in now .
`` Certainly a candidate like Alex Morse is someone who you know maybe in the past would have been more willing to sort of wait his turn wait out , '' Hopkins said .
The split inside the party on issues of climate and health care , and tension about whether Congress should work on more incremental reforms rather than more ambitious proposals , was also a major issue throughout the 2020 presidential primaries .
`` There definitely is a fight for what the Democratic Party stands for right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director for the Sunrise Movement , a climate change advocacy group , told NPR .
In recent months the national attention on issues of racial justice and police reform also became flash points in primary races .
In Missouri Cori Bush , a Black Lives Matter activist , toppled William Lacy Clay in the August primary .
He served 10 terms in the House and succeeded his father .
Bush lost to Clay two years ago , but was backed by AOC and other progressive groups in her bid this time .
Fitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with ideology In New York 's 16th Congressional District Jamaal Bowman , a 44-year-old school principal , defeated Eliot Engel , the 73-year-old House Foreign Affairs Committee chair .
Engel was caught on a hot mic at an event in his district admitting he would n't care about speaking if he did n't have a primary challenge .
But in Illinois Marie Newman did beat moderate Rep. Dan Lipinski in a suburban Chicago area district .
Lipinski is one of the last Democrats who has an anti-abortion rights record and has been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic challengers in recent months have wielded their support for progressive policy proposals like `` Medicare for All '' and the Green New Deal as wedge issues in debates .
But former New York Congressman Steve Israel , who headed up his party 's campaign committee from 2011-2015 , told NPR the issue of identity is more important than ideology .
`` There 's this kind of narrative that it 's the left of center versus the far left the center .
But the differences are n't really that great — it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Instead , he pointed to changing demographics in the electorate in the districts where incumbents lost .
He also said that the 2018 midterms when a large influx of women and lawmakers of color won and changed the makeup of the caucus , issues of representation became a larger factor .
Hopkins agrees that there has been a lot of attention on perceived ideological splits in these races , but he believes voters are also very focused on making Congress more reflective of individual districts .
`` The pressure to make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level is such a major consideration for Democratic voters these days . ''
Top leaders in both the House and Senate have touted the diversity of their caucuses and pointed to efforts to give younger members key roles on committees and opportunities to run for leadership posts .
But members like AOC , and fellow members of the `` squad '' including Pressley , Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib , still bristle over the lack of input rank-and-file members have had in fashioning key bills .
And tensions with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won in competitive seats in 2018 and gave Democrats control of the chamber continue to play out as the party sorts out what its agenda should be post-election .
Some progressive issues may have more regional appeal Markey 's embrace of the Green New Deal as a centerpiece of his campaign was effective in a primary in Massachusetts , a solidly blue state where the issue has more resonance .
`` This might be the first major Senate primary ever we 're climate change is maybe the defining issue , '' said O'Hanlon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a state representative who lost to Amy McGrath , the candidate backed by the party 's leadership , had a harder time getting traction with the climate issue in the Kentucky Senate primary .
The state is far more dependent on fossil fuels , and the electorate included more working-class voters .
Plus the contest there narrowed in the final weeks because Booker , a Black lawmaker , became a vocal opponent of the Louisville police 's handling of the death of Breonna Taylor , who was shot and killed by police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The party 's standard bearer , Joe Biden , has not embraced the Green New Deal .
After he clinched the nomination for president , activists refocused on congressional races but acknowledge that they could n't compete with the House and Senate party committees ' fundraising prowess and infrastructure .
O'Hanlon told NPR Sunrise is pivoting to the general election now and says the group is planning to roll out endorsements of some Democrats running in competitive districts who have embraced the Green New Deal .
Both progressives and establishment Democrats involved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Challengers on the left ousted Engel and Clay , progressive forces protected Markey .
In addition to Neal , two other senior House Democrats who faced opponents from the left — House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler and House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney — won their primaries .
Groups who backed primary challenges continue to have far fewer resources than party committees and because they have confined their efforts to a relatively few number of seats , it 's unclear what kind of real operational infrastructure they have to widen out their target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Both the House and Senate Democrats ' campaign committees have policies to back incumbents in races where they face challengers , a policy that has bristled progressives .
As a response , AOC set up her own super PAC this year to help raise money and support candidates .
She also called out those who try to tamp down internal divisions in a tweet following the Massachusetts primary .
But there 's no doubt that the threat of a challenge is having an effect on incumbents .
Israel says the same advice applies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he ran the House campaign arm : `` If you 're not doing your work at home , your time may be limited in Washington . ''
Those worried about a challenge may be more willing to break with the leaders , or sign on as co-sponsors for bills that are viewed as more progressive , even if the legislation is n't expected to move in Congress .
But what happens in the 2020 elections could be the most important factor for future internal party clashes .
If Biden wins the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate , there will be even more of a spotlight on the ideological splits over policies like Medicare for all .
Advocates will pressure Congress to act early in a new administration , and leaders will be under intense pressure to try to bridge gaps and unite the party around some significant legislation .
But if President Trump wins a second term , the type of grassroots energy from the left that followed the 2016 election could once again inspire more people to want to challenge sitting Democrats .
`` If Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embolden the progressive left , '' Israel said .

How Progressive Democrats Fared This Primary Season – And What It Means
Enlarge this image toggle caption Steven Senne/AP Steven Senne/AP
The season for mounting challenges to incumbent lawmakers is nearly over, and the focus is shifting toward the general election. But incumbents shouldn't rest easy — it's clear that groups on the left feel emboldened by the places where they did make gains over the course of the 2020 cycle and plan to keep an eye on where else they can target their energy next.
Progressives trying to pull their party to the left had mixed results in Tuesday's Massachusetts Democratic primaries — with a win in the Senate and a loss in a key House race.
Activists pushing a sweeping Green New Deal proposal to remake the economy and eliminate the country's dependence on fossil fuels had a big win with the Senate author of the proposal — Ed Markey — beating back a challenge from Joe Kennedy III, a member of the state's political dynasty.
Markey partnered with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the freshman Democrat from New York known as AOC, who has garnered national attention for her overhaul of the energy sector and effective social media presence.
Democratic operatives credit her with revving up younger voters that gave Markey a healthy margin across the state against the 39-year-old Kennedy.
Her involvement backing the white male candidate with more than 40 years experience on Capitol Hill was a departure from her focus in other congressional races, where she campaigned on behalf of young diverse candidates around the country who made the case that people of Markey's generation didn't reflect the country.
But AOC said it wasn't about age in this case, which Kennedy tried to frame as a generational clash, but about policy.
Groups like the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats that backed Markey fell short in their effort to knock off Rep. Richard Neal, though. Neal chairs the powerful tax writing committee and represents a district in the western part of the state.
Alex Morse, the 31-year-old mayor of Holyoke who challenged Neal, 71, portrayed him as a captive of corporate interests.
But Neal easily beat Morse, and his years of attending Rotary Club meetings and tending to constituent casework countered the narrative that he opposed proposals like Medicare because he was lobbied by interests before his committee.
Pair of 2018 primary challenges spurred broader effort
It's rare that sitting members of Congress lose. Incumbents have huge advantages in raising money and getting their message out through both official and political teams. If they are visible both in their committee assignments in Washington and in events in their districts, they are less vulnerable to inter-party challenges.
During the 2020 primary season, eight of the 435 lawmakers in the House have lost in primary challenges, and three of them were Democrats.
Progressives got a huge jolt of momentum in 2018 with a pair of high-profile wins — Ocasio-Cortez ousted New York Rep. Joe Crowley, a top House Democratic leader; and Ayanna Pressley defeated Mike Capuano, a 10-term incumbent in Massachusetts.
Those races spurred a trend, and the groups like the Justice Democrats, which was created by some former aides from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign, set their sights on other older white and veteran lawmakers.
David Hopkins, a political science professor at Boston College, told NPR that the successes of Pressley and Ocasio-Cortez prompted others to decide it was worth jumping in now.
"Certainly a candidate like Alex Morse is someone who you know maybe in the past would have been more willing to sort of wait his turn wait out," Hopkins said.
The split inside the party on issues of climate and health care, and tension about whether Congress should work on more incremental reforms rather than more ambitious proposals, was also a major issue throughout the 2020 presidential primaries.
"There definitely is a fight for what the Democratic Party stands for right now," Stevie O'Hanlon, communications director for the Sunrise Movement, a climate change advocacy group, told NPR.
In recent months the national attention on issues of racial justice and police reform also became flash points in primary races.
In Missouri Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist, toppled William Lacy Clay in the August primary. He served 10 terms in the House and succeeded his father. Bush lost to Clay two years ago, but was backed by AOC and other progressive groups in her bid this time.
Fitting a district is a factor on par with ideology
Progressives have targeted largely urban, safe blue districts like Clay's.
In New York's 16th Congressional District Jamaal Bowman, a 44-year-old school principal, defeated Eliot Engel, the 73-year-old House Foreign Affairs Committee chair. Engel was caught on a hot mic at an event in his district admitting he wouldn't care about speaking if he didn't have a primary challenge.
But in Illinois Marie Newman did beat moderate Rep. Dan Lipinski in a suburban Chicago area district. Lipinski is one of the last Democrats who has an anti-abortion rights record and has been a target of progressives for some time.
Democratic challengers in recent months have wielded their support for progressive policy proposals like "Medicare for All" and the Green New Deal as wedge issues in debates.
But former New York Congressman Steve Israel, who headed up his party's campaign committee from 2011-2015, told NPR the issue of identity is more important than ideology.
"There's this kind of narrative that it's the left of center versus the far left the center. But the differences aren't really that great — it's differences of nuance," Israel said.
Instead, he pointed to changing demographics in the electorate in the districts where incumbents lost. He also said that the 2018 midterms when a large influx of women and lawmakers of color won and changed the makeup of the caucus, issues of representation became a larger factor.
Hopkins agrees that there has been a lot of attention on perceived ideological splits in these races, but he believes voters are also very focused on making Congress more reflective of individual districts. "The pressure to make the party more demographically diverse at the leadership level is such a major consideration for Democratic voters these days."
Top leaders in both the House and Senate have touted the diversity of their caucuses and pointed to efforts to give younger members key roles on committees and opportunities to run for leadership posts.
But members like AOC, and fellow members of the "squad" including Pressley, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, still bristle over the lack of input rank-and-file members have had in fashioning key bills. And tensions with the large group of moderate Democrats who won in competitive seats in 2018 and gave Democrats control of the chamber continue to play out as the party sorts out what its agenda should be post-election.
Some progressive issues may have more regional appeal
Markey's embrace of the Green New Deal as a centerpiece of his campaign was effective in a primary in Massachusetts, a solidly blue state where the issue has more resonance.
"This might be the first major Senate primary ever we're climate change is maybe the defining issue," said O'Hanlon of the Sunrise Movement.
Charles Booker, a state representative who lost to Amy McGrath, the candidate backed by the party's leadership, had a harder time getting traction with the climate issue in the Kentucky Senate primary. The state is far more dependent on fossil fuels, and the electorate included more working-class voters.
Plus the contest there narrowed in the final weeks because Booker, a Black lawmaker, became a vocal opponent of the Louisville police's handling of the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by police who were using a no-knock warrant.
The party's standard bearer, Joe Biden, has not embraced the Green New Deal. After he clinched the nomination for president, activists refocused on congressional races but acknowledge that they couldn't compete with the House and Senate party committees' fundraising prowess and infrastructure.
O'Hanlon told NPR Sunrise is pivoting to the general election now and says the group is planning to roll out endorsements of some Democrats running in competitive districts who have embraced the Green New Deal.
Future for primary challenges?
Both progressives and establishment Democrats involved in high-profile faceoffs this year can claim victory. Challengers on the left ousted Engel and Clay, progressive forces protected Markey.
In addition to Neal, two other senior House Democrats who faced opponents from the left — House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler and House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney — won their primaries.
Groups who backed primary challenges continue to have far fewer resources than party committees and because they have confined their efforts to a relatively few number of seats, it's unclear what kind of real operational infrastructure they have to widen out their target list in the next election cycle.
Both the House and Senate Democrats' campaign committees have policies to back incumbents in races where they face challengers, a policy that has bristled progressives. As a response, AOC set up her own super PAC this year to help raise money and support candidates. She also called out those who try to tamp down internal divisions in a tweet following the Massachusetts primary.
But there's no doubt that the threat of a challenge is having an effect on incumbents. Israel says the same advice applies today that he gave to his colleagues when he ran the House campaign arm: "If you're not doing your work at home, your time may be limited in Washington."
Those worried about a challenge may be more willing to break with the leaders, or sign on as co-sponsors for bills that are viewed as more progressive, even if the legislation isn't expected to move in Congress.
But what happens in the 2020 elections could be the most important factor for future internal party clashes. If Biden wins the White House and Democrats take control of the Senate, there will be even more of a spotlight on the ideological splits over policies like Medicare for all.
Advocates will pressure Congress to act early in a new administration, and leaders will be under intense pressure to try to bridge gaps and unite the party around some significant legislation.
But if President Trump wins a second term, the type of grassroots energy from the left that followed the 2016 election could once again inspire more people to want to challenge sitting Democrats.
"If Trump is reelected, I think it will only embolden the progressive left," Israel said.


npr--2020-09-04--'Bad Optics' Or Something More? Moderna Executives' Stock Sales Raise Concerns

'Bad Optics ' Or Something More ?
Moderna Executives ' Stock Sales Raise Concerns Whether the coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna succeeds or not , executives at the small biotech company have already made tens of millions of dollars by cashing in their stock .
An NPR examination of official company disclosures has revealed additional irregularities and potential warning signs .
`` On a scale of one to 10 , one being less concerned and 10 being the most concerned , '' said Daniel Taylor , an associate professor of accounting at the Wharton School , `` This is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stock-selling practices appear well outside the norm , and raise questions about the company 's internal controls to prevent insider trading .
Since January , CEO Stéphane Bancel has sold roughly $ 40 million worth of Moderna stock held by himself or associated investment funds ; Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks has sold around $ 60 million ; and President Stephen Hoge has sold more than $ 10 million .
No clear evidence has emerged indicating that executives sold stock based on confidential internal information , which would be illegal .
And as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insider trading , executives are typically free to sell company stock .
The stock sales first came to widespread notice after Moderna announced positive early data from a vaccine trial in May .
At that point , the company 's share price jumped and official disclosures showed executives cashing in their shares for millions of dollars .
`` As long as stocks are sold after public announcements - and not before - one might conclude that for an executive with significant net worth tied up in the company , it 's a prudent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fagel , a former longtime enforcement official with the Securities And Exchange Commission ( SEC ) .
`` But the optics are n't great . ''
The Moderna vaccine was quick to reach a phase 3 trial , and is seen as a promising contender .
But , in some ways , the executives ' stock sales have overshadowed the company 's progress .
Advocates have questioned whether it 's appropriate for executives to privately profit before bringing the vaccine to market , especially when American taxpayers have committed roughly $ 2.5 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manufacture .
• Stock Sales Worth Tens Of Millions : Since June 1 , NPR has found , company executives have sold roughly $ 90 million worth of Moderna stock .
Rather than put a hold on the trades after facing intense criticism in May , company executives continued to sell .
• Questionable Modifications To Stock Sale Plans : Moderna says its executives pre-scheduled their stock sales long in advance .
Those schedules - known as 10b5-1 plans - can act as a defense to charges of insider trading .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when executives do not have confidential inside information .
NPR has found multiple executives adopted or modified their plans just before key announcements about the company 's vaccine .
That has raised questions about whether they were aware of nonpublic information when they planned their stock trades .
• Selling To Zero : Generally , corporate best practices suggest that a company 's leadership should hold on to at least some stock in their company to have `` skin in the game . ''
That way , the thinking goes , an executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's performance .
As Moderna has been developing its coronavirus vaccine , two executives , including the Chief Medical Officer , have sold all their stock holdings in the company .
The General Counsel has sold nearly all of her holdings .
In an interview with NPR , Ray Jordan , Moderna 's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer , said the company has strict internal policies in place to prevent illegal insider trading .
For example , Jordan said , the company only allows employees to make changes to their stock sale schedules when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could affect the company 's share price .
At all other times , Jordan said , the company imposes a blackout period , and employees are no longer allowed to change those schedules .
( The company declined to provide dates of those blackout periods . )
NPR asked Jordan why Moderna executives modified their 10b5-1 plans just before major announcements .
Initially , Jordan said by email , `` I believe you must have your dates wrong . ''
NPR then provided documentation of those dates from the company 's official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not dispute .
Jordan then said that even though multiple Moderna executives changed their 10b5-1 plans within one business day of announcements , the company had determined that those executives did not have `` material nonpublic information '' - a key term for insider trading - when they made those changes .
`` The dates that these 10b5-1 plans were entered into or amended represented open trading windows , '' Jordan later said in a statement , `` meaning the individuals entering into these plans and the Company were not in possession @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on an assessment by legal counsel of the facts available at that time . ''
A spokesperson for the SEC declined to comment for this story .
From a relative unknown , to a key player in the vaccine race Moderna launched in 2010 with a headquarters based in Cambridge , Mass.
, focused on using a technology called messenger RNA ( or mRNA ) to develop vaccines and therapeutics .
The mRNA technology has been widely considered innovative , but remains largely unproven .
The company has never brought a product to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was trading for under $ 20 per share , and was valued at around six billion dollars .
Then Moderna announced that it had started collaborating on a coronavirus vaccine with scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , which is led by Dr. Anthony Fauci .
By April , the government had committed half a billion dollars to the Moderna vaccine project as part of Operation Warp Speed .
Since then , the company 's stock price has exploded .
Press releases suggesting positive news from the scientific trials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding sent the share price to a peak of around $ 95 , before dropping to between $ 60- $ 70 in recent months .
The company is now valued at around $ 25 billion .
As a result , shares owned by Moderna executives suddenly became much more valuable .
And those executives have cashed in tens of millions of dollars worth of stock , according to filings with the SEC .
In May , those sales led to a wave of critical press , and even led to some questions from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Why would you want to even raise the question that you were doing something that was inappropriate ? ''
SEC Chairman Clayton asked in response to a question from CNBC .
The bad press and critical comments did not deter continued sales .
Since June 1 , NPR found , executives sold around $ 90 million worth of stock .
The U.S. government is making massive financial bets on several vaccine candidates .
In all likelihood , only some of those vaccine candidates will prove sufficiently safe and effective .
`` If the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of money , '' Fauci has said .
`` But we feel this is serious enough that it 's worth the financial risk . ''
But even if taxpayers lose money betting on Moderna , the company 's executives have already made millions .
`` The insiders are making plenty of profit and they 're mostly doing it with our money , '' said Margarida Jorge , a campaign director with the group Lower Drug Prices Now .
`` I 'm absolutely for deploying public money in the interests of public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we do n't have any commitment from the administration that any of this investment is ultimately going to benefit real people . ''
Moderna has argued that the company was only in a position to work with the government on a coronavirus vaccine , because it had spent a decade developing its mRNA technology with the support of private investors .
`` The company has been funded over the years by billions of dollars of private investment , '' Zaks told the Freakonomics podcast in August .
`` Those billions created the opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this year and say , ' I 'm going to add some money to the pot to make sure that you get the development for this vaccine right . '
'' `` Set it and forget it '' stock plans Moderna has offered another defense of those stock sales : the sales , representatives and executives say , were scheduled well in advance , and were unrelated to the market-moving announcements about the coronavirus vaccine .
An NPR examination of the company 's financial filings tells a more complicated story .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If your stock trades are on autopilot , the idea goes , then you ca n't be accused of insider trading .
But these `` set it and forget it '' plans have to be adopted when executives do not have `` material nonpublic information , '' to use the legal term .
In 2000 , for example , Kenneth Lay , had a 10b5-1 plan .
Lay was a central figure in one of the biggest corporate scandals in American history , the financial collapse of Enron .
But he established his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the company was in deep trouble .
And the plan did not protect him from prosecution .
Nothing has emerged suggesting that Moderna 's representations about its vaccine development or internal finances are inaccurate .
But the company 's statements have raised questions .
In an interview with CNBC in July , CEO Bancel said he and other executives set up their 10b5-1 plans `` a long time ago '' - in December 2018 - and `` obviously , when we set up those plans , none of us had any idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
In fact , NPR has found , Moderna executives , including Bancel himself , implemented new plans or modified older plans at multiple points in 2020 , and right around key announcements related to the company 's vaccine .
On Jan. 21 , 2020 , for example , Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tal Zaks amended his 10b5-1 plan .
( It 's unclear what changes he made . )
Then , on Jan. 22 , Moderna first widely confirmed that it was working with the government on a coronavirus vaccine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company announced it had received additional funding to support its coronavirus vaccine development .
NPR asked Moderna whether Zaks might have been aware of the collaboration with the government when he changed his stock trading plan .
`` What was known on that particular day or not known , I could n't specifically talk to , '' Moderna 's Jordan told NPR .
But he said that the Moderna legal team only allows employees to change their 10b5-1 plans if they do not possess inside information that could affect the company 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , March 13 , three Moderna executives adopted new 10b5-1 plans , according to records reviewed by NPR : Zaks , Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer Juan Andres , and then-Chief Financial Officer Lorence H. Kim .
( Kim left the company in August 2020 . )
On Monday , March 16 - one business day later - the company announced that it had given a participant the first dose of their vaccine as part of its phase 1 trial .
The stock ended that day up 24 % compared to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` bucking the trend '' of the broader market , which was panicking over coronavirus fears , one CNBC host said at the time .
Despite the close timing , Jordan told NPR , `` by the judgment of the legal team , there would not have been material , nonpublic information known '' when executives entered into the new plans .
`` Every company and individual is entitled to the presumption of innocence .
That said , from the public 's perspective , this trading behavior looks very problematic , '' said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first pointed out the timing of these changes to NPR .
`` If I put on my SEC enforcement hat , I would certainly be asking , 'What caused you to change the plan on a Friday ? '
'' said Kurt Wolfe , who works as a defense attorney in securities cases for the firm Troutman Pepper .
`` I do n't think it 's a good fact pattern . ''
On May 21 - in between announcements of major vaccine trial milestones on May 18 and May 29 - CEO Bancel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on June 1 , President Hoge amended his trading plan .
`` Amending a trading plan after a positive announcement , like trading after a positive announcement , is only problematic if the executive possesses material , nonpublic information at the time , '' said Fagel .
`` Though repeated or questionably-timed changes to a trading plan will reduce its value as a defense to insider trading . ''
In August , Moderna appeared to recognize that its executives ' changes to 10b5-1 plans had created a bad impression .
The company announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` to avoid any distraction as we pursue our mission , all members of our executive team and board of directors have agreed not to enter into new 10b5-1 trading plans , nor add new shares to existing trading plans , nor engage in additional unscheduled sales of Moderna stock in the open market , '' until the company either submitted its vaccine to the FDA for approval , or discontinued the project altogether .
`` We do not undertake any obligation to update or otherwise comment further on this matter , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans , two Moderna executives - Zaks and Andres - have sold all of their shares in the company .
General Counsel Lori Henderson has sold nearly all of her shares .
In fact , roughly every week since June , Zaks has exercised stock options ( meaning , he bought stock at a price set by the company as part of his compensation ) , and then immediately sold all of his shares for a significant profit .
On Aug. 24 , for example , Zaks exercised stock options and bought 25,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 to $ 21 .
He then immediately sold all of those shares for around $ 65 per share .
Zaks ended up with a profit of nearly $ 1.2 million .
SEC filings indicate these trades are made under the 10b5-1 plan he adopted in March .
Selling so much stock can also raise concerns for investors - and the public - about why company leaders would sell now if they expected their vaccine to succeed later .
After all , a safe and effective vaccine could send Moderna 's stock to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ draws questions about how much they believe in it , '' said Wolfe .
Many corporations encourage their employees to hold on to some amount of equity in a company , to have `` skin in the game . ''
Of course , there are other incentives for employees to succeed .
`` They clearly have their salary .
They clearly have the reputation .
They clearly have lots of human capital invested , '' said Taylor .
And their vaccine could save countless lives .
If the company does develop a safe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stock keeps rising , then `` these trades will be water under the bridge , '' said Fagel , the former SEC enforcement official .
But , Fagel warns , if the vaccine fails , then SEC regulators and angry investors may come looking for answers .
In that case , he said , `` both class action litigation and an SEC investigation would seem inevitable . ''

'Bad Optics' Or Something More? Moderna Executives' Stock Sales Raise Concerns
Enlarge this image toggle caption Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Whether the coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna succeeds or not, executives at the small biotech company have already made tens of millions of dollars by cashing in their stock. An NPR examination of official company disclosures has revealed additional irregularities and potential warning signs.
"On a scale of one to 10, one being less concerned and 10 being the most concerned," said Daniel Taylor, an associate professor of accounting at the Wharton School, "this is an 11."
Taylor said Moderna's stock-selling practices appear well outside the norm, and raise questions about the company's internal controls to prevent insider trading.
Since January, CEO Stéphane Bancel has sold roughly $40 million worth of Moderna stock held by himself or associated investment funds; Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks has sold around $60 million; and President Stephen Hoge has sold more than $10 million.
No clear evidence has emerged indicating that executives sold stock based on confidential internal information, which would be illegal. And as long as they don't engage in insider trading, executives are typically free to sell company stock.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The stock sales first came to widespread notice after Moderna announced positive early data from a vaccine trial in May. At that point, the company's share price jumped and official disclosures showed executives cashing in their shares for millions of dollars.
"As long as stocks are sold after public announcements - and not before - one might conclude that for an executive with significant net worth tied up in the company, it's a prudent thing to do," said Marc Fagel, a former longtime enforcement official with the Securities And Exchange Commission (SEC). "But the optics aren't great."
The Moderna vaccine was quick to reach a phase 3 trial, and is seen as a promising contender. But, in some ways, the executives' stock sales have overshadowed the company's progress.
Advocates have questioned whether it's appropriate for executives to privately profit before bringing the vaccine to market, especially when American taxpayers have committed roughly $2.5 billion to the company's vaccine development and manufacture.
Here's what NPR's examination found:
Stock Sales Worth Tens Of Millions: Since June 1, NPR has found, company executives have sold roughly $90 million worth of Moderna stock. Rather than put a hold on the trades after facing intense criticism in May, company executives continued to sell.
Since June 1, NPR has found, company executives have sold roughly $90 million worth of Moderna stock. Rather than put a hold on the trades after facing intense criticism in May, company executives continued to sell. Questionable Modifications To Stock Sale Plans: Moderna says its executives pre-scheduled their stock sales long in advance. Those schedules - known as 10b5-1 plans - can act as a defense to charges of insider trading. But the plans have to be put in place when executives do not have confidential inside information. NPR has found multiple executives adopted or modified their plans just before key announcements about the company's vaccine. That has raised questions about whether they were aware of nonpublic information when they planned their stock trades.
Moderna says its executives pre-scheduled their stock sales long in advance. Those schedules - known as 10b5-1 plans - can act as a defense to charges of insider trading. But the plans have to be put in place when executives do not have confidential inside information. NPR has found multiple executives adopted or modified their plans just before key announcements about the company's vaccine. That has raised questions about whether they were aware of nonpublic information when they planned their stock trades. Selling To Zero: Generally, corporate best practices suggest that a company's leadership should hold on to at least some stock in their company to have "skin in the game." That way, the thinking goes, an executive has an incentive to improve the company's performance. As Moderna has been developing its coronavirus vaccine, two executives, including the Chief Medical Officer, have sold all their stock holdings in the company. The General Counsel has sold nearly all of her holdings.
In an interview with NPR, Ray Jordan, Moderna's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, said the company has strict internal policies in place to prevent illegal insider trading. For example, Jordan said, the company only allows employees to make changes to their stock sale schedules when they don't have confidential inside information that could affect the company's share price.
At all other times, Jordan said, the company imposes a blackout period, and employees are no longer allowed to change those schedules. (The company declined to provide dates of those blackout periods.)
NPR asked Jordan why Moderna executives modified their 10b5-1 plans just before major announcements. Initially, Jordan said by email, "I believe you must have your dates wrong."
NPR then provided documentation of those dates from the company's official disclosures to the government, which Jordan did not dispute.
Jordan then said that even though multiple Moderna executives changed their 10b5-1 plans within one business day of announcements, the company had determined that those executives did not have "material nonpublic information" - a key term for insider trading - when they made those changes.
"The dates that these 10b5-1 plans were entered into or amended represented open trading windows," Jordan later said in a statement, "meaning the individuals entering into these plans and the Company were not in possession of material, nonpublic information, based on an assessment by legal counsel of the facts available at that time."
A spokesperson for the SEC declined to comment for this story.
From a relative unknown, to a key player in the vaccine race
Moderna launched in 2010 with a headquarters based in Cambridge, Mass., focused on using a technology called messenger RNA (or mRNA) to develop vaccines and therapeutics. The mRNA technology has been widely considered innovative, but remains largely unproven. The company has never brought a product to market. In early January, Moderna was trading for under $20 per share, and was valued at around six billion dollars.
Then Moderna announced that it had started collaborating on a coronavirus vaccine with scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is led by Dr. Anthony Fauci.
By April, the government had committed half a billion dollars to the Moderna vaccine project as part of Operation Warp Speed.
Since then, the company's stock price has exploded. Press releases suggesting positive news from the scientific trials, or announcing additional commitments of taxpayer funding sent the share price to a peak of around $95, before dropping to between $60-$70 in recent months. The company is now valued at around $25 billion.
As a result, shares owned by Moderna executives suddenly became much more valuable. And those executives have cashed in tens of millions of dollars worth of stock, according to filings with the SEC.
In May, those sales led to a wave of critical press, and even led to some questions from Wall Street's top regulator. "Why would you want to even raise the question that you were doing something that was inappropriate?" SEC Chairman Clayton asked in response to a question from CNBC.
The bad press and critical comments did not deter continued sales. Since June 1, NPR found, executives sold around $90 million worth of stock.
Public money, private gain
The U.S. government is making massive financial bets on several vaccine candidates. In all likelihood, only some of those vaccine candidates will prove sufficiently safe and effective.
"If the vaccine doesn't work, you lost a lot of money," Fauci has said. "But we feel this is serious enough that it's worth the financial risk."
But even if taxpayers lose money betting on Moderna, the company's executives have already made millions.
"The insiders are making plenty of profit and they're mostly doing it with our money," said Margarida Jorge, a campaign director with the group Lower Drug Prices Now. "I'm absolutely for deploying public money in the interests of public health and the public good. But we don't have any commitment from the administration that any of this investment is ultimately going to benefit real people."
Moderna has argued that the company was only in a position to work with the government on a coronavirus vaccine, because it had spent a decade developing its mRNA technology with the support of private investors.
"The company has been funded over the years by billions of dollars of private investment," Zaks told the Freakonomics podcast in August. "Those billions created the opportunity for the U.S. government to come in earlier this year and say, 'I'm going to add some money to the pot to make sure that you get the development for this vaccine right.'"
"Set it and forget it" stock plans
Moderna has offered another defense of those stock sales: the sales, representatives and executives say, were scheduled well in advance, and were unrelated to the market-moving announcements about the coronavirus vaccine. An NPR examination of the company's financial filings tells a more complicated story.
The schedules are known as 10b5-1 plans. If your stock trades are on autopilot, the idea goes, then you can't be accused of insider trading. But these "set it and forget it" plans have to be adopted when executives do not have "material nonpublic information," to use the legal term.
In 2000, for example, Kenneth Lay, had a 10b5-1 plan. Lay was a central figure in one of the biggest corporate scandals in American history, the financial collapse of Enron. But he established his plan, the SEC alleged, knowing that the company was in deep trouble. And the plan did not protect him from prosecution.
Nothing has emerged suggesting that Moderna's representations about its vaccine development or internal finances are inaccurate.
But the company's statements have raised questions.
In an interview with CNBC in July, CEO Bancel said he and other executives set up their 10b5-1 plans "a long time ago" - in December 2018 - and "obviously, when we set up those plans, none of us had any idea what was going to happen in 2020."
In fact, NPR has found, Moderna executives, including Bancel himself, implemented new plans or modified older plans at multiple points in 2020, and right around key announcements related to the company's vaccine.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel spoke to CNBC in July. He claimed that executives' sale of stock in the company was scheduled "a long time ago." But he did not mention that he and other executives had modified those schedules (known as 10b5-1 plans), or adopted new schedules at the same time the company has been developing a coronavirus vaccine. YouTube
On Jan. 21, 2020, for example, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tal Zaks amended his 10b5-1 plan. (It's unclear what changes he made.)
Then, on Jan. 22, Moderna first widely confirmed that it was working with the government on a coronavirus vaccine. The following day, Jan. 23, the company announced it had received additional funding to support its coronavirus vaccine development.
NPR asked Moderna whether Zaks might have been aware of the collaboration with the government when he changed his stock trading plan.
"What was known on that particular day or not known, I couldn't specifically talk to," Moderna's Jordan told NPR. But he said that the Moderna legal team only allows employees to change their 10b5-1 plans if they do not possess inside information that could affect the company's share price.
Later, on Friday, March 13, three Moderna executives adopted new 10b5-1 plans, according to records reviewed by NPR: Zaks, Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer Juan Andres, and then-Chief Financial Officer Lorence H. Kim. (Kim left the company in August 2020.)
On Monday, March 16 — one business day later — the company announced that it had given a participant the first dose of their vaccine as part of its phase 1 trial. The stock ended that day up 24% compared to the previous day's close. Moderna was "bucking the trend" of the broader market, which was panicking over coronavirus fears, one CNBC host said at the time.
Timing Of Changes To Pre-Scheduled Stock Sales Raises Questions Jan. 21 - Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tal Zaks amends his schedule of stock sales, known as a 10b5-1 plan. Jan. 22 - Moderna widely confirms that it is working on a coronavirus vaccine with the National Institutes of Health. The company's share price rises nearly 5% over the previous day's close. Jan. 23 - Moderna announces new funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Mar. 13 - Chief Technical Operations Officer Juan Andres, Chief Financial Officer Lorence Kim, and Zaks adopt new 10b5-1 trading plans. Mar. 16 - Moderna announces that it provided the first dose of its coronavirus vaccine to a participant in a phase 1 trial. Moderna stock climbs 24% over the previous day's close. May 18 - Moderna reports early positive data from its phase 1 trial. The company's stock ends the day up 20% over the previous day's close. May 21 - CEO Stéphane Bancel adopts and amends multiple 10b5-1 trading plans. May 29 - Moderna announces another milestone in its phase 2 coronavirus vaccine trial. June 1 - President Stephen Hoge amends his 10b5-1 plan.
Despite the close timing, Jordan told NPR, "by the judgment of the legal team, there would not have been material, nonpublic information known" when executives entered into the new plans.
"Every company and individual is entitled to the presumption of innocence. That said, from the public's perspective, this trading behavior looks very problematic," said Taylor of the Wharton School, who first pointed out the timing of these changes to NPR.
"If I put on my SEC enforcement hat, I would certainly be asking, 'What caused you to change the plan on a Friday?'" said Kurt Wolfe, who works as a defense attorney in securities cases for the firm Troutman Pepper. "I don't think it's a good fact pattern."
On May 21 - in between announcements of major vaccine trial milestones on May 18 and May 29 - CEO Bancel amended and adopted 10b5-1 plans. And on June 1, President Hoge amended his trading plan.
"Amending a trading plan after a positive announcement, like trading after a positive announcement, is only problematic if the executive possesses material, nonpublic information at the time," said Fagel. "Though repeated or questionably-timed changes to a trading plan will reduce its value as a defense to insider trading."
In August, Moderna appeared to recognize that its executives' changes to 10b5-1 plans had created a bad impression.
The company announced in a filing with the SEC that "to avoid any distraction as we pursue our mission, all members of our executive team and board of directors have agreed not to enter into new 10b5-1 trading plans, nor add new shares to existing trading plans, nor engage in additional unscheduled sales of Moderna stock in the open market," until the company either submitted its vaccine to the FDA for approval, or discontinued the project altogether.
"We do not undertake any obligation to update or otherwise comment further on this matter," the filing stated.
Selling to zero
Using these 10b5-1 plans, two Moderna executives - Zaks and Andres - have sold all of their shares in the company. General Counsel Lori Henderson has sold nearly all of her shares.
In fact, roughly every week since June, Zaks has exercised stock options (meaning, he bought stock at a price set by the company as part of his compensation), and then immediately sold all of his shares for a significant profit. On Aug. 24, for example, Zaks exercised stock options and bought 25,000 shares at bargain prices of between $12 to $21. He then immediately sold all of those shares for around $65 per share. Zaks ended up with a profit of nearly $1.2 million.
SEC filings indicate these trades are made under the 10b5-1 plan he adopted in March.
Selling so much stock can also raise concerns for investors - and the public - about why company leaders would sell now if they expected their vaccine to succeed later. After all, a safe and effective vaccine could send Moderna's stock to even greater heights.
"It perhaps draws questions about how much they believe in it," said Wolfe.
Many corporations encourage their employees to hold on to some amount of equity in a company, to have "skin in the game."
Of course, there are other incentives for employees to succeed. "They clearly have their salary. They clearly have the reputation. They clearly have lots of human capital invested," said Taylor. And their vaccine could save countless lives.
If the company does develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine, and its stock keeps rising, then "these trades will be water under the bridge," said Fagel, the former SEC enforcement official.
But, Fagel warns, if the vaccine fails, then SEC regulators and angry investors may come looking for answers. In that case, he said, "both class action litigation and an SEC investigation would seem inevitable."


npr--2020-09-04--Former Top NRA Exec Says Greed, Corruption Pushed Gun Group Into 'Death Spiral'

Former Top NRA Exec Says Greed , Corruption Pushed Gun Group Into 'Death Spiral' When the NRA opened its annual convention in Dallas in 2018 , only a few months had passed since the deadly school shooting in Parkland , Florida .
Seventeen students and teachers were dead and more than a dozen others grievously wounded .
I had been in Parkland for NPR talking with shattered young survivors who were organizing , hoping to finally shift America 's debate over guns and gun violence .
But when I went to Dallas , it seemed nothing had changed .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( and firearm dealers ) committed to a gun culture unfettered by regulation or government oversight .
The NRA 's long-time leader Wayne LaPierre ( who once described federal law enforcement agents as `` jack-booted government thugs '' ) appeared on stage grinning and waving .
In a sign of the organization 's clout , the headliners were none other than President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence .
`` Your Second Amendment rights are under siege , but they will never ever be under siege as long as I am president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It turns out it was all a façade , a kind of last , high-caliber hurrah before the NRA began its sudden and very public unraveling .
That 's according to Josh Powell , who at the time was the organization 's second-in-command .
`` The NRA is in a pretty bad death spiral right now and those are very hard to turn around , '' Powell told NPR in an interview Thursday .
By the spring of 2018 , as Powell writes in his new tell-all Inside the NRA , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Donations had plummeted .
Gun control groups were on track to outspend the NRA in the mid-term elections .
Behind the scenes , one of America 's most powerful conservative organizations had fallen into what Powell now describes as a morass of greed , in-fighting and paranoia .
`` The finances of the NRA are in shambles , '' Powell writes , portraying the 148-year-old gun-rights group as part of `` the grifter culture of Conservative Inc. '' He accuses LaPierre in particular , his former boss and mentor , of `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the costs of his own extravagance and his shameful mismanagement . ''
In a statement sent to NPR , the NRA dismissed Powell as a marginal figure in the organization who was ousted for `` misappropriation of funds . ''
`` This is a fictional account of the NRA , period , '' said spokesman Andrew Arulanandam .
`` Mr. Powell was effusive in his praise of NRA leadership and the Association 's mission – right up until the day he was fired . ''
But if there 's a big reveal in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not — as he suggests — that as a former top executive at the NRA , he now supports modest gun control laws .
That includes universal background checks for all gun sales and `` red flag '' laws designed to keep firearms away from individuals deemed a risk .
Instead , the big moments in the book come when Powell offers confirmation of many of the harshest criticisms leveled against the NRA .
He suggests that after joining the organization 's staff in 2016 he found `` graft '' was endemic to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behavior , and that of fellow executives , to cinema gangsters .
`` I felt like Ray Liotta walking into the Copacabana in the movie Goodfellas , '' Powell writes .
`` That is the seduction of living the life , and it 's easy to forget the little guy with his $ 45 membership dues who is paying the bill . ''
Speaking with NPR , he acknowledged being swept up in the glamour and power that came with an $ 850,000-a-year job that gave him access to the White House and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 'm not the hero of this story , but I 'm definitely not the villain , '' he said .
But Powell himself is no stranger to allegations of self-dealing and improper conduct .
He left the NRA last year facing sexual harassment complaints and claims he improperly billed the organization for personal expenses .
( In his book , Powell says he repaid more than $ 20,000 . )
He 's also one of four men named personally ( along with LaPierre ) in a lawsuit filed against the NRA last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ James , who is seeking to dissolve the organization .
James alleges there is evidence of `` illegal conduct and inappropriate spending '' by Powell that includes concealing a sweetheart consulting deal that paid his wife roughly $ 30,000 a month .
In his book , Powell writes he `` began asking myself : Who was more corrupt , me or Wayne ? ''
But speaking with NPR , he maintained he did nothing illegal and left when he realized financial reforms were being blocked by the gun group 's leaders .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rug 30 years of corruption and not fixing the place , '' he said .
The NRA has denied any wrongdoing and maintains its legal troubles are the result of a political vendetta .
In a statement , NRA President Carolyn Meadows described New York 's lawsuit as a `` baseless premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedom it fights to defend . ''
But Powell also reveals — perhaps more starkly than he intends — the tone-deafness that pervaded the NRA 's leadership as a new era of deadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 2012 , the Sandy Hook shooting left 26 young children and teachers dead in Newtown , Conn. Powell , who was n't yet on staff at the time , says he watched as the gun-rights group and its allies scrambled to oppose new regulations .
`` The intensity , the rush of going into crisis mode , was oddly intoxicating , '' Powell writes .
`` The day would be a slurry of death , politics , guns , and money , and like it or not , I had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first sentence of his chapter on the Parkland shooting , Powell describes the horror of that day as follows : `` On the afternoon of February 14 2018 the NRA 's world was upended . ''
Powell does occasionally wrestle with his own place in the gun-rights movement and told NPR he feels `` remorse '' for many of his actions .
In the book , he describes the NRA 's messaging as a form of extremism that contributed to the radicalization of millions of gun owners .
( Powell now labels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters `` bump stock crazies . ''
) But Powell offers no evidence he pushed for changes to the NRA 's militant tone , or advocated for even modest gun-control efforts , while he worked for the organization .
He acknowledges staying silent even when language he saw as dangerous ( `` gasoline on the fire '' ) was used to drive donations .
Now on the outside , Powell says the NRA needs sweeping reforms in order to survive , including the departure of LaPierre , who has so far held onto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end , Powell himself did n't leave the organization after Parkland or the Las Vegas mass shooting or any of the other slaughters carried out with firearms during his tenure at the NRA .
He departed , like Ray Liotta in Goodfellas , only when the good times seemed to be over and the bill was coming due .

Former Top NRA Exec Says Greed, Corruption Pushed Gun Group Into 'Death Spiral'
Enlarge this image toggle caption YouTube YouTube
When the National Rifle Association opened its annual convention in Dallas in 2018, only a few months had passed since the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
Seventeen students and teachers were dead and more than a dozen others grievously wounded.
I had been in Parkland for NPR talking with shattered young survivors who were organizing, hoping finally to shift America's debate over guns and gun violence. But when I went to Dallas, it seemed nothing had changed.
The convention was packed with men and women (and firearm dealers) committed to a gun culture unfettered by regulation or government oversight. The NRA's longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre (who once described federal law enforcement agents as "jack-booted government thugs"), appeared onstage grinning and waving.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Twelve Twelve
In a sign of the organization's clout, the headliners were none other than President Trump and Vice President Pence.
"Your Second Amendment rights are under siege, but they will never, ever be under siege as long as I am president," Trump told a thrilled crowd.
It turns out it was all a façade, a kind of last, high-caliber hurrah before the NRA began its sudden and very public unraveling. That's according to Joshua Powell, who at the time was the organization's second in command.
"The NRA is in a pretty bad death spiral right now and those are very hard to turn around," Powell told NPR in an interview Thursday.
By the spring of 2018, as Powell writes in his new tell-all, Inside the NRA, the organization's power was already fading fast. Donations had plummeted. Gun control groups were on track to outspend the NRA in the midterm elections.
Behind the scenes, one of America's most powerful conservative organizations had fallen into what Powell now describes as a morass of greed, infighting and paranoia.
"The finances of the NRA are in shambles," Powell writes, portraying the 148-year-old gun rights group as part of "the grifter culture of Conservative Inc."
He accuses LaPierre in particular, his former boss and mentor, of "robbing every $45-dues-paying member to cover the costs of his own extravagance and his shameful mismanagement."
In a statement sent to NPR, the NRA dismissed Powell as a marginal figure in the organization who was ousted for "misappropriation of funds."
"This is a fictional account of the NRA, period," spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said. "Mr. Powell was effusive in his praise of NRA leadership and the Association's mission – right up until the day he was fired."
But if there's a big reveal in Powell's book, it's likely not — as he suggests — that as a former top executive at the NRA, he now supports modest gun control laws. That includes universal background checks for all gun sales and "red flag" laws designed to keep firearms away from individuals deemed a risk.
Instead, the big moments in the book come when Powell offers confirmation of many of the harshest criticisms leveled against the NRA.
He suggests that after joining the organization's staff in 2016 he found "graft" was endemic to the culture. He compares his own behavior, and that of fellow executives, to cinema gangsters.
"I felt like Ray Liotta walking into the Copacabana in the movie Goodfellas," Powell writes. "That is the seduction of living the life, and it's easy to forget the little guy with his $45 membership dues who is paying the bill."
Speaking with NPR, he acknowledged being swept up in the glamour and power that came with an $850,000-a-year job that gave him access to the White House and to Republican leaders in Congress.
"I'm not the hero of this story, but I'm definitely not the villain," he said.
But Powell is no stranger to allegations of self-dealing and improper conduct.
He left the NRA last year facing sexual harassment complaints and claims he improperly billed the organization for personal expenses. (In his book, Powell says he repaid more than $20,000.)
He's also one of four men named personally (along with LaPierre) in a lawsuit filed against the NRA last month by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is seeking to dissolve the organization.
James alleges there is evidence of "illegal conduct and inappropriate spending" by Powell that includes concealing a sweetheart consulting deal that paid his wife roughly $30,000 a month.
In his book, Powell writes he "began asking myself: Who was more corrupt, me or Wayne?" But speaking with NPR, he maintained he did nothing illegal and left when he realized financial reforms were being blocked by the gun group's leaders.
"In essence we were sweeping under the rug 30 years of corruption and not fixing the place," he said.
The NRA has denied any wrongdoing and maintains its legal troubles are the result of a political vendetta.
In a statement, NRA President Carolyn Meadows described New York's lawsuit as a "baseless premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedom it fights to defend."
But Powell also reveals — perhaps more starkly than he intends — the tone-deafness that pervaded the NRA's leadership as a new era of deadly school shootings began to horrify the nation.
In 2012, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting left 26 young children and teachers dead in Newtown, Conn. Powell, who wasn't yet on staff at the time, said he watched as the gun rights group and its allies scrambled to oppose new regulations.
"The intensity, the rush of going into crisis mode, was oddly intoxicating," Powell writes. "The day would be a slurry of death, politics, guns, and money, and like it or not, I had a front-row seat."
Later, in the first sentence of his chapter on the Parkland shooting, Powell describes the horror of that day as follows: "On the afternoon of February 14, 2018, the NRA's world was upended."
Powell does occasionally wrestle with his own place in the gun rights movement and told NPR he feels "remorse" for many of his actions.
In the book, he describes the NRA's messaging as a form of extremism that contributed to the radicalization of millions of gun owners. (Powell now labels many of the NRA's most fervent supporters "bump stock crazies.")
But Powell offers no evidence he pushed for changes to the NRA's militant tone, or advocated for even modest gun control efforts while he worked for the organization.
He acknowledges staying silent even when language he saw as dangerous ("gasoline on the fire") was used to drive donations.
Now on the outside, Powell says the NRA needs sweeping reforms to survive, including the departure of LaPierre, who has so far held onto his leadership post.
But in the end, Powell didn't leave the organization after Parkland or the Las Vegas mass shooting or any of the other slaughters carried out with firearms during his tenure at the NRA.
He departed, like Ray Liotta in Goodfellas, only when the good times seemed to be over and the bill was coming due.


npr--2020-09-04--Suspect In Fatal Shooting Of Portland Right-Wing Protester Killed By Law Enforcement

Suspect In Fatal Shooting Of Portland Right-Wing Protester Killed By Law Enforcement Updated at 3 a.m .
ET Thursday Just hours after an interview was posted online in which Michael Reinoehl took responsibility for the fatal shooting Aug. 29 of Patriot Prayer supporter Aaron Danielson in Portland , Reinoehl was killed by law enforcement officers as they attempted to arrest him in Olympia , Wash. , according to the U.S .
Marshals Service .
In a statement , the U.S .
Marshals Service said the Portland Police Bureau had issued an arrest warrant for Reinheohl Thursday on a charge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force `` located Reinoehl in Olympia ( Wash. ) and attempted to peacefully arrest him .
`` Initial reports indicate the suspect produced a firearm , threatening the lives of law enforcement officers .
Task force members responded to the threat and struck the suspect who was pronounced dead at the scene , '' according to the statement .
The statement did not say whether Reinhoel had fired his weapon .
According to The Olympian newspaper , Reinoehl was spotted as he left an apartment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ different jurisdictions fired weapons at Reinoehl ; witnesses said they heard 40 to 50 shots .
In an interview with VICE conducted by freelance journalist Donovan Farley this week , Reinoehl appeared to acknowledge shooting Danielson .
Farley reported that Reinoehl said he went downtown Saturday night to provide security for racial justice protesters who felt threatened by a caravan of Trump supporters that paraded through the city center .
Reinoehl said he and a friend ended up in a standoff with a man he says had a knife .
`` Had I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or stabbed me , '' Reinoehl told VICE.
`` ...
I was confident that I did not hit anyone innocent and I made my exit . ''
Reinoehl told VICE he considered the shooting an act of self defense .
`` You know , lots of lawyers suggest that I should n't even be saying anything , but I feel it 's important that the world at least gets a little bit of what 's really going on , '' he said .
`` I had no choice .
I mean , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color .
But I was n't going to do that . ''
Reinoehl had not been arrested or publicly named as either a suspect or a person of interest in the killing of 39-year-old Portland resident Aaron J. Danielson prior to his death .
Earlier Thursday , a spokesperson for the Multnomah County district attorney said the office had no comment and the investigation remained ongoing .
Reinoehl 's sister told OPB that Portland police asked her to identify a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's shooting .
She told them it was her estranged brother .
The sister spoke on the condition that she not be named because , she said , her family has received death threats .
`` Portland police asked me to confirm from the pictures that were included in those threatening messages if it was indeed my brother , '' she said .
`` I said ' I have n't seen him in three years , but it looks like it is him .
The tattoo is new , but it looks like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Photographs on social media show a man appearing to be Reinoehl with a fist tattoo on his neck ; in photos , the tattoo looks similar to the symbol associated with the Black Lives Matter movement .
Reinoehl , who is white , has ties to the area with addresses in Portland , Clackamas and Sandy , Ore. Reinoehl 's sister described her brother as erratic and self-destructive .
`` I do know he has a temper , and I do know he acts very badly to being provoked , '' Reinoehl 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear whether Reinoehl and Danielson knew each other or had interacted at other political rallies during Portland 's summer of racial justice demonstrations before they crossed paths Aug. 29 .
Reinoehl , 48 , a former professional snowboarder , appears to have attended many of the nightly protests , according to his Instagram page .
His social media account depicts a dramatic shift at the end of May , coinciding with the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police .
Prior Instagram posts depict Reinoehl snowboarding at Ski Bowl near Mt .
Hood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a video of a hike on Rocky Butte , pictures with his dog , a photo from the top of Portland 's Mt .
Tabor Park , as well as artful scenes of sunrises , sunsets , trees and nature .
But starting May 30 , Reinoehl 's posts are almost exclusively scenes from Portland 's protests .
`` He 's the kind of person who should have stayed as far away from the protests as possible , because he 's not the kind of person who could rationally work through that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported that Reinoehl was a person of interest police were investigating in connection with Saturday night 's shooting .
Around 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 29 , a Saturday night , two shots were fired near the corner of Southwest Third Ave. and Alder St. in downtown Portland .
The shooting was captured on video from a distance and posted online , so it 's difficult to determine exactly what happened .
The footage begins with several seconds of shouting .
A man in a white shirt appears to walk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then shots are fired .
The man in the white shirt briefly hesitates after the shots and then turns and runs .
Someone shouts `` Go !
Go !
Go ! ''
Almost simultaneously , another man is seen taking a few steps in the other direction and then collapsing on the ground .
The whole incident appears to unfold in about 10 seconds .
In that same video , police in riot gear arrive on the scene in less than a minute .
Danielson died from a single gunshot wound to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Examiner said Monday .
Danielson was a supporter of the far-right regional political group Patriot Prayer .
Since 2016 , when the group was formed , its members have engaged in violence during protests in Portland with anti-fascist counter-demonstrators .
Danielson took part in the massive rolling demonstration , called the Trump 2020 Cruise Rally , that took place on Aug. 29 , Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson told The Lars Larson Show this week , a radio talk show based in Portland .
The caravan began at Clackamas Town Center , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many of the hundreds of vehicles were decked out in Trump flags and signs .
At times , participants sprayed racial justice protesters with pepper spray from the back of pickup trucks .
On a few occasions , vehicles in the caravan tried to drive through crowds of counter-demonstrators , though no serious injuries were reported .
At the time he was killed , Danielson wore a Patriot Prayer hat and shorts with a pro-police patch sewn onto them .
Reinoehl has had several recent run-ins with law enforcement .
Court records show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Interstate 84 in Union County at 12:47 a.m. on June 8 .
He 's accused of racing against his 17-year-old son .
The two vehicles were traveling at 111 miles per hour when Reinoehl was pulled over , according to state police records .
A state trooper found unidentified prescription pills inside the 2005 Cadillac STS Reinoehl was driving , an unspecified amount of cannabis and a concealed and loaded Glock pistol .
Reinoehl did n't have a concealed handgun license , according to state police .
Reinoehl was charged with driving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possession of a firearm , recklessly endangering another person — his 11-year-old daughter was in the car with him — and reckless driving , according to court records .
In addition to his daughter , a kitten and a large dog were inside the car .
The incident was first reported in June by the Baker City Herald .
A month later , at 2:10 a.m. on July 5 , Reinoehl was cited downtown by Portland police for resisting arrest , interfering with an officer and possession of a loaded firearm in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ongoing investigation with the Multnomah County district attorney 's office and the Portland Police Bureau , according to a spokesman for the DA 's office .
Reinoehl 's Instagram feed from the summer shows he regularly attended the downtown Portland protests .
A photo he posted June 3 on Instagram shows protesters and law enforcement on opposite sides of a metal fence .
`` It might be time to take A New Perspective on things , '' Reinoehl wrote .
`` Things are bad right now and they can only get worse .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes about .
Hopefully if we do it right the people will prevail and in turn Common Sense will save our planet . ''
On June 16 , Reinoehl wrote on Instagram that he was among the many protesters who he said did n't know where their actions would lead .
`` I am 100 % ANTIFA all the way !
I am willing to fight for my brothers and sisters ! ''
he wrote .
`` We do not want violence but we will not run from it either . ''
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there was an opportunity to `` fix everything . ''
`` But it will be like a fight like no other !
It will be a war and like all wars there will be casualties , '' he said .
`` I was in the army and I hated it . ''
While Reinoehl 's sister said she had a vague recollection of her brother serving in the military , a U.S. Army spokesperson was unable to find any records connected to Reinoehl in an Army database .
`` I did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a good cause , '' Reinoehl wrote .
`` Today 's protesters and antifa are my brothers in arms .
This is a Cause to fight for .
This truly is fighting for my country ! ''
`` He was going to get himself killed '' The first report of Reinoehl 's death came into the Thurston County , Wash. , emergency dispatch line at 6:54 p.m. PT Thursday .
Multiple people called 911 to report gunshots in Tanglewilde , outside Olympia .
Callers reported people `` running all over '' and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their 20s and 30s , '' with weapons .
Dispatchers were preparing to send deputies to the scene when one noted : `` Just for information , these may be the U.S .
Marshals ...
They were looking for a suspect in a shooting from Portland . ''
Late Thursday night , Reinoehl 's estranged sister said she had heard rumors this week he was in custody .
And she hoped they were true — for her brother 's sake .
`` I knew if he was out there he was going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but I did n't think it would be with the police , '' she said .
She said she was both angry with her brother and sad at his death .
`` It 's awful , '' she said .
`` This whole thing is awful .
There 's a lot of people out there who feel like violence is the only solution to fixing things now , people on both sides . ''

Suspect In Fatal Shooting Of Portland Right-Wing Protester Killed By Law Enforcement
Enlarge this image toggle caption Paula Bronstein/AP Paula Bronstein/AP
Updated at 1:45 p.m. ET
Hours after an interview was posted online in which Michael Reinoehl took responsibility for the fatal shooting on Saturday of Patriot Prayer supporter Aaron Danielson in Portland, Ore., Reinoehl was killed by law enforcement officers as they attempted to arrest him in Olympia, Wash., according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
In a statement, the U.S. Marshals Service said the Portland Police Bureau had issued an arrest warrant for Reinoehl on Thursday on a charge of murder. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force "located Reinoehl in Olympia (Wash.) and attempted to peacefully arrest him."
"Initial reports indicate the suspect produced a firearm, threatening the lives of law enforcement officers. Task force members responded to the threat and struck the suspect who was pronounced dead at the scene," according to the statement. The statement did not say whether Reinoehl, who identified with the militant antifascists known collectively as antifa, had fired his weapon.
The Olympian newspaper said Reinoehl was spotted as he left an apartment and that law enforcement officers from three different jurisdictions had fired at him.
Thurston County Sheriff's Lt. Ray Brady, speaking at a Thursday night news briefing, said the encounter occurred at about 7:30 p.m. local time. He said Reinoehl ran to a station wagon parked outside the apartment complex and that officers trying to stop him opened fire.
Finding that the station wagon was boxed in by law enforcement vehicles, Reinoehl sprinted from the car as he produced a gun, at which time officers fired again, Brady said.
Two witnesses told The Olympian that they saw two SUVs pull up and that a man got out of the car and began firing a weapon. They said they heard 40 to 50 shots and that officers returned fire and hit the man.
Four officers fired their weapons, according to Brady. They're from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Lakewood Police Department and the Washington State Department of Corrections, all assigned to the fugitive task force acting in their role as U.S. marshals, he said.
"The tracking down of Reinoehl — a dangerous fugitive, admitted Antifa member, and suspected murderer — is a significant accomplishment in the ongoing effort to restore law and order to Portland and other cities," U.S. Attorney General William Barr said in a statement.
'I wasn't going to do that'
In an interview with VICE conducted by freelance journalist Donovan Farley this week, Reinoehl seemed to acknowledge shooting Danielson. Farley reported that Reinoehl said he went downtown Saturday night to provide security for racial justice protesters who felt threatened by a caravan of Trump supporters who paraded through the city center.
Reinoehl said he and a friend ended up in a standoff with a man who he says had a knife.
"Had I stepped forward, he would have Maced or stabbed me," Reinoehl told VICE. "I was confident that I did not hit anyone innocent and I made my exit."
Reinoehl told VICE he considered the shooting an act of self-defense.
"You know, lots of lawyers suggest that I shouldn't even be saying anything, but I feel it's important that the world at least gets a little bit of what's really going on," he said. "I had no choice. I mean, I, I had a choice. I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color. But I wasn't going to do that."
Reinoehl had not been arrested or publicly named as either a suspect or a person of interest in the killing of Danielson, 39. Earlier Thursday, a spokesperson for the Multnomah County district attorney said that the office had no comment and that the investigation remained ongoing.
Reinoehl's sister told OPB that Portland police asked her to identify a man in photos from protests after Saturday's shooting. She told them it was her estranged brother. The sister spoke on the condition that she not be named because, she said, her family has received death threats.
"Portland police asked me to confirm from the pictures that were included in those threatening messages if it was indeed my brother," she said. "I said 'I haven't seen him in three years, but it looks like it is him. The tattoo is new, but it looks like it could be him.' "
Photographs on social media show a man appearing to be Reinoehl with a fist tattoo on his neck; in photos, the tattoo looks similar to the symbol associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Reinoehl, who is white, has ties to the area with addresses in Portland, Clackamas and Sandy, Ore.
Reinoehl's sister described her brother as erratic and self-destructive.
"I do know he has a temper, and I do know he acts very badly to being provoked," Reinoehl's sister told OPB.
A shift on social media
It's not clear whether Reinoehl and Danielson knew each other or had interacted at other political rallies during Portland's summer of racial justice demonstrations before they crossed paths Aug. 29.
Reinoehl, 48, a former professional snowboarder, appears to have attended many of the nightly protests, according to his Instagram page.
His social media account depicts a dramatic shift at the end of May, coinciding with the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
Prior Instagram posts depict Reinoehl snowboarding at Ski Bowl near Mount Hood, Ore., photos of his children, a video of a hike on Rocky Butte, pictures with his dog, a photo from the top of Portland's Mount Tabor Park, as well as artful scenes of sunrises, sunsets, trees and nature.
But starting May 30, Reinoehl's posts are almost exclusively scenes from Portland's protests.
"He's the kind of person who should have stayed as far away from the protests as possible, because he's not the kind of person who could rationally work through that intense environment," his sister said.
The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported that Reinoehl was being investigated in connection with Saturday night's shooting.
Around 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, two shots were fired near the corner of Southwest Third Avenue and Alder Street in downtown Portland.
The shooting was captured on video from a distance and posted online, so it's difficult to determine exactly what happened.
The footage begins with several seconds of shouting. A man in a white shirt appears to walk out into Third Avenue, he pauses, then shots are fired. The man in the white shirt briefly hesitates after the shots and then turns and runs. Someone shouts "Go! Go! Go!" Almost simultaneously, another man is seen taking a few steps in the other direction and then collapsing on the ground.
The whole incident appears to unfold in about 10 seconds. In that same video, police in riot gear arrive on the scene in less than a minute. Danielson died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, the Multnomah County Medical Examiner said Monday.
Danielson was a supporter of the far-right regional political group Patriot Prayer. Since 2016, when the group was formed, its members have engaged in violence during protests in Portland with anti-fascist demonstrators.
Danielson took part in the massive rolling demonstration, called the Trump 2020 Cruise Rally, on Saturday, Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson told The Lars Larson Show this week, a radio talk show based in Portland.
The caravan began at Clackamas Town Center and drove through downtown Portland. Many of the hundreds of vehicles were decked out in Trump flags and signs. At times, participants sprayed racial justice protesters with pepper spray from the back of pickup trucks. On a few occasions, vehicles in the caravan tried to drive through crowds of demonstrators, though no serious injuries were reported.
At the time he was killed, Danielson wore a Patriot Prayer hat and shorts with a pro-police patch sewn onto them.
Other interactions with law enforcement
Reinoehl has had several recent run-ins with law enforcement.
Court records show he was stopped by Oregon State Police on Interstate 84 in Union County at 12:47 a.m. on June 8 while he was apparently racing against his 17-year-old son.
The two vehicles were traveling at 111 miles per hour when Reinoehl was pulled over, according to state police records. A state trooper found unidentified prescription pills inside the 2005 Cadillac STS that Reinoehl was driving, an unspecified amount of cannabis, and a concealed and loaded Glock pistol. Reinoehl didn't have a concealed handgun license, according to state police.
Reinoehl was charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants, unlawful possession of a firearm, recklessly endangering another person — his 11-year-old daughter was in the car with him — and reckless driving, according to court records. In addition to his daughter, a kitten and a large dog were inside the car.
The incident was first reported in June by the Baker City Herald.
A month later, at 2:10 a.m. on July 5, Reinoehl was cited downtown by Portland police for resisting arrest, interfering with an officer and possession of a loaded firearm in a public place.
That case remains an ongoing investigation with the Multnomah County district attorney's office and the Portland Police Bureau, according to a spokesman for the DA's office.
Reinoehl's Instagram feed from the summer shows he regularly attended the downtown Portland protests.
A photo he posted June 3 on Instagram shows protesters and law enforcement on opposite sides of a metal fence.
"It might be time to take A New Perspective on things," Reinoehl wrote. "Things are bad right now and they can only get worse. But that is how a radical change comes about. Hopefully if we do it right the people will prevail and in turn Common Sense will save our planet."
On June 16, Reinoehl wrote on Instagram that he was among the many protesters who he said didn't know where their actions would lead.
"I am 100% ANTIFA all the way! I am willing to fight for my brothers and sisters!" he wrote. "We do not want violence but we will not run from it either."
In that same Instagram post, Reinoehl wrote that there was an opportunity to "fix everything."
"But it will be like a fight like no other! It will be a war and like all wars there will be casualties," he said. "I was in the army and I hated it."
While Reinoehl's sister said she had a vague recollection of her brother serving in the military, a U.S. Army spokesperson was unable to find any records connected to Reinoehl in an Army database.
"I did not feel like fighting for them would ever be a good cause," Reinoehl wrote. "Today's protesters and antifa are my brothers in arms. This is a Cause to fight for. This truly is fighting for my country!"
"He was going to get himself killed"
As the incident unfolded Thursday evening, multiple people called the Thurston County emergency dispatch line to report gunshots in Tanglewilde, outside Olympia. Callers reported people "running all over" and possibly 10 men, "all in their 20s and 30s," with weapons.
Dispatchers were preparing to send deputies to the scene when one noted: "Just for information, these may be the U.S. Marshals ... They were looking for a suspect in a shooting from Portland."
Late Thursday night, Reinoehl's estranged sister said she had heard rumors this week he was in custody. And she hoped they were true — for her brother's sake.
"I knew if he was out there he was going to get himself killed one way or another, but I didn't think it would be with the police," she said.
She said she was both angry with her brother and sad at his death.
"It's awful," she said. "This whole thing is awful. There's a lot of people out there who feel like violence is the only solution to fixing things now, people on both sides."


npr--2020-09-03--Dictionary.com's Largest Update (Re)defines Thousands Of Words, Focusing On Identity

Anyone grasping for the right word or phrase to describe life in 2020 now has a larger lexicon to work with .
Dictionary.com has updated thousands of entries and added hundreds of words in its largest release to date , a reflection of the ways in which society and language have evolved even in just the past few months .
The digital dictionary announced earlier this week that it updated more than 15,000 entries and added 650 brand new terms .
Many of the revisions deal with language related to identity and topics like race and ethnicity , gender and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The work of a dictionary is more than just adding new words .
It 's an ongoing effort to ensure that how we define words reflects changes in language — and life , '' said John Kelly , senior editor at Dictionary.com .
`` Our revisions are putting people , in all their rich humanity , first , and we 're extremely proud of that . ''
The new additions range from social media slang like `` GOAT '' and `` janky '' to cultural touchstones like `` MAGA '' and `` MeToo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changes to existing entries have to do with race and ethnicity , like capitalizing the word `` Black '' in reference to people , which the company says it is doing `` as a mark of respect and recognition that 's in line with capitalizing other cultures and ethnicities . ''
Examples of entirely new terms in this category include Afro-Latino , brownface , Filipinx and whitesplain .
Another dictionary-wide change replaces references to `` homosexual '' with `` gay , gay man or gay woman , '' and references to `` homosexuality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The company said these updates were informed by recommendations from the organization GLAAD , and affect more than 50 entries .
It has also refined the definitions for a number of other words related to LGBTQ identity , such as asexual , deadname , Pride and themself .
The site has updated the language it uses to describe suicide and addiction , in an effort to help destigmatize them .
For example , it replaced all instances of `` commit suicide '' with `` die by suicide '' or `` end one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health professionals and suicide prevention specialists prefer .
It also updated the entry for `` addict '' to begin with `` a person addicted to '' or `` a habitual user of , '' and made similar tweaks to the definition of `` alcoholic . ''
`` These changes foreground the fact that people who have addictions are human beings , first and foremost , '' it explained in a press release .
In another sign of the times , the dictionary has introduced a slew of new phrases related to the environment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cap and trade , natural language processing and techlash .
It 's also defined and articulated the differences between emotional support animals , assistance animals and other similar designations .
And of course , there are buzzy new additions drawn largely from popular and internet culture .
Some roll off the tongue : zhuzh , ish , jabroni .
Others describe familiar phenomena : gender reveal , information bubble , nothingburger .
The company says many of the additions this fall build off of terms that gained traction this spring and summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and social distance to the site in April , while nationwide protests against racial injustice and police violence have helped introduce highly-searched phrases like Antifa and Black Lives Matter .
`` Change , no doubt , is a prevailing theme of 2020 , '' the company acknowledged .
`` And change is fundamental to the work of a dictionary . ''

Dictionary.com's Largest Update (Re)defines Thousands Of Words, Focusing On Identity
Enlarge this image toggle caption Daniel Grill/Getty Images/Tetra images RF Daniel Grill/Getty Images/Tetra images RF
Anyone grasping for the right word or phrase to describe life in 2020 now has a larger lexicon to work with.
Dictionary.com has updated thousands of entries and added hundreds of words in its largest release to date, a reflection of the ways in which society and language have evolved even in just the past few months.
The digital dictionary announced earlier this week that it updated more than 15,000 entries and added 650 brand new terms. Many of the revisions deal with language related to identity and topics like race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality and health and wellness.
"The work of a dictionary is more than just adding new words. It's an ongoing effort to ensure that how we define words reflects changes in language — and life," said John Kelly, senior editor at Dictionary.com. "Our revisions are putting people, in all their rich humanity, first, and we're extremely proud of that."
The new additions range from social media slang like "GOAT" and "janky" to cultural touchstones like "MAGA" and "MeToo."
Some of the major site-wide changes to existing entries have to do with race and ethnicity, like capitalizing the word "Black" in reference to people, which the company says it is doing "as a mark of respect and recognition that's in line with capitalizing other cultures and ethnicities."
Examples of entirely new terms in this category include Afro-Latino, brownface, Filipinx and whitesplain.
Another dictionary-wide change replaces references to "homosexual" with "gay, gay man or gay woman," and references to "homosexuality" with "gay sexual orientation." The company said these updates were informed by recommendations from the organization GLAAD, and affect more than 50 entries.
It has also refined the definitions for a number of other words related to LGBTQ identity, such as asexual, deadname, Pride and themself.
The site has updated the language it uses to describe suicide and addiction, in an effort to help destigmatize them. For example, it replaced all instances of "commit suicide" with "die by suicide" or "end one's life," language that mental health professionals and suicide prevention specialists prefer.
It also updated the entry for "addict" to begin with "a person addicted to" or "a habitual user of," and made similar tweaks to the definition of "alcoholic."
"These changes foreground the fact that people who have addictions are human beings, first and foremost," it explained in a press release.
In another sign of the times, the dictionary has introduced a slew of new phrases related to the environment and technology, including ecoanxiety, bombogenesis, cap and trade, natural language processing and techlash.
It's also defined and articulated the differences between emotional support animals, assistance animals and other similar designations.
And of course, there are buzzy new additions drawn largely from popular and internet culture. Some roll off the tongue: zhuzh, ish, jabroni. Others describe familiar phenomena: gender reveal, information bubble, nothingburger.
The company says many of the additions this fall build off of terms that gained traction this spring and summer.
The coronavirus pandemic brought viral load and social distance to the site in April, while nationwide protests against racial injustice and police violence have helped introduce highly-searched phrases like Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
"Change, no doubt, is a prevailing theme of 2020," the company acknowledged. "And change is fundamental to the work of a dictionary."