npr--2020-03-14--President Trump Tests Negative For Coronavirus

President Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus , according to a statement Saturday from the White House .
`` Last night after an in-depth discussion with the President regarding COVID-19 testing , he elected to proceed , '' Sean Conley , the physician to the president , wrote in a memo released by the White House .
`` This evening I received confirmation that the test is negative . ''
President Trump , 73 , had previously been in contact with at least one official who tested positive for coronavirus following a dinner party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fábio Wajngarten , is the press secretary for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and was photographed at the event alongside Trump and Vice President Mike Pence .
Brazil 's government announced on Thursday that Wajngarten had tested positive for the virus .
`` One week after having dinner with the Brazilian delegation in Mar-a-Lago , the President remains symptom-free , '' said Conley .
`` I have been in daily contact with the CDC and White House Coronavirus Task Force , and we are encouraging the implementation of all their best practices for exposure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announcement followed days of questions about the president 's potential exposure to coronoavirus and came just hours after he surprised reporters by revealing that he had in fact been tested .
On Thursday , White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said that both Trump and Pence `` had almost no interactions with the individual who tested positive and do not require being tested at this time . ''
However , two Senate Republicans , South Carolina 's Lindsey Graham and Florida 's Rick Scott , said they would both self-quarantine following exposure to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday , it was reported that at least one additional member of the Brazilian delegation that visited Mar-a-Lago also tested positive for the coronavirus : Chargé d'Affaires Nestor Forster .
Concerns about the president 's potential exposure only grew after he was seen shaking hands with multiple chief executives at a press conference Friday in the Rose Garden .
Just a few hours after the press conference , Conley issued a letter saying that because the president was not showing symptoms , testing was not needed .
In telling reporters on Saturday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was not motivated by his interactions with the Brazilian officials , but rather by questions he received during his Rose Garden press conference .
`` I decided I should based on the press conference yesterday , '' Trump said .
`` People were asking , did I take the test . ''
After Trump revealed he had been tested , a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force explained what it means when a test comes back negative .
`` When you get a negative test , that means you 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Birx , the task force coordinator .
`` That does n't mean that you could n't get the virus spreading overnight , because it replicates in your nose and your nasal secretions , and you would have a positive test tomorrow . ''
She added : `` If you have a negative test , that does n't mean that you can discontinue precautions .
It does n't mean you can start taking risks because you were negative . ''
Saturday also brought news that another top GOP official , Republican National Committee Chairwoman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
McDaniel last interacted with Trump on Monday , a spokesman told USA Today , when she attended an Orlando event and returned to Washington , D.C. on Air Force One .
McDaniel will be self-quarantining with her family at home in Michigan , according to an RNC spokesman .
Several other officials in the president 's orbit have also had exposure to the coronavirus .
Newly named White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows , Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-Fla. ) and Rep. Doug Collins ( R-Ga. ) have all disclosed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person infected with coronavirus while attending last month 's Conservative Political Action Conference .
All three have self-quarantined , but neither has reported experiencing symptoms .

President Trump Tests Negative For Coronavirus
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP Alex Brandon/AP
Updated at 10:41 p.m.
President Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus, according to a statement Saturday from the White House.
"Last night after an in-depth discussion with the President regarding COVID-19 testing, he elected to proceed," Sean Conley, the physician to the president, wrote in a memo released by the White House. "This evening I received confirmation that the test is negative."
President Trump, 73, had previously been in contact with at least one official who tested positive for coronavirus following a dinner party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last weekend.
That official, Fábio Wajngarten, is the press secretary for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and was photographed at the event alongside Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Brazil's government announced on Thursday that Wajngarten had tested positive for the virus.
"One week after having dinner with the Brazilian delegation in Mar-a-Lago, the President remains symptom-free," said Conley. "I have been in daily contact with the CDC and White House Coronavirus Task Force, and we are encouraging the implementation of all their best practices for exposure reduction and transmission mitigation."
The announcement followed days of questions about the president's potential exposure to coronoavirus and came just hours after he surprised reporters by revealing that he had in fact been tested.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said that both Trump and Pence "had almost no interactions with the individual who tested positive and do not require being tested at this time." However, two Senate Republicans, South Carolina's Lindsey Graham and Florida's Rick Scott, said they would both self-quarantine following exposure to members of the Brazilian delegation.
On Friday, it was reported that at least one additional member of the Brazilian delegation that visited Mar-a-Lago also tested positive for the coronavirus: Chargé d'Affaires Nestor Forster.
Concerns about the president's potential exposure only grew after he was seen shaking hands with multiple chief executives at a press conference Friday in the Rose Garden.
Just a few hours after the press conference, Conley issued a letter saying that because the president was not showing symptoms, testing was not needed.
In telling reporters on Saturday that he had been tested, Trump said he was not motivated by his interactions with the Brazilian officials, but rather by questions he received during his Rose Garden press conference.
"I decided I should based on the press conference yesterday," Trump said. "People were asking, did I take the test."
After Trump revealed he had been tested, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force explained what it means when a test comes back negative.
"When you get a negative test, that means you're negative that day, said Dr. Deborah Birx, the task force coordinator. "That doesn't mean that you couldn't get the virus spreading overnight, because it replicates in your nose and your nasal secretions, and you would have a positive test tomorrow."
She added: "If you have a negative test, that doesn't mean that you can discontinue precautions. It doesn't mean you can start taking risks because you were negative."
Saturday also brought news that another top GOP official, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, had been tested for coronavirus. McDaniel last interacted with Trump on Monday, a spokesman told USA Today, when she attended an Orlando event and returned to Washington, D.C. on Air Force One. McDaniel will be self-quarantining with her family at home in Michigan, according to an RNC spokesman.
Several other officials in the president's orbit have also had exposure to the coronavirus. Newly named White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) have all disclosed that they came into contact with a person infected with coronavirus while attending last month's Conservative Political Action Conference. All three have self-quarantined, but neither has reported experiencing symptoms.


npr--2020-03-14--U.S. Adds U.K. And Ireland To Travel Ban; New Restrictions In Multiple Countries

U.S .
Adds U.K. And Ireland To Travel Ban ; New Restrictions In Multiple Countries The U.S. and countries around the world continued to adapt to the spreading coronavirus pandemic by imposing new restrictions Saturday , as the virus upended travel plans , pushed back elections and forced major companies to adapt .
In Washington , the Trump administration said Saturday that the U.S. would extend the current ban on travel from Europe to include the U.K. and Ireland , effective midnight Monday .
The U.S. travel ban does not apply to American citizens , legal permanent residents , their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These people will be channeled through one of 13 airports equipped to do special screening .
Speaking at the White House , President Trump said he 's also considering domestic travel restrictions in response to the spread of coronavirus .
`` If you do n't have to travel , I would n't do it , '' Trump said .
`` We want this thing to end .
We do n't want a lot of people getting infected . ''
The Trump administration said the number of Americans who have died of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 2,200 cases in the country .
It is in nearly every state , plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia .
The president 's physician , Sean Conley , said Saturday night that Trump himself tested negative for coronavirus .
The results , relayed in a statement from the president 's press secretary , come a day after Conley said Trump `` remains without symptoms '' and testing was not needed .
Trump had been in contact with people who later tested positive for coronavirus .
The White House travel restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's decision a day earlier to halt domestic travel for all service members .
In a memorandum released Friday night , the Pentagon explained that — with few exceptions — the ban applies to all personnel assigned to its facilities in states and territories throughout the U.S. , beginning Monday .
The Pentagon added that its civilian employees and family members , `` whose transportation is government-funded , will also stop movement . ''
`` These restrictions are necessary to preserve force readiness , limit the continuing spread of the virus , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members , DoD civilian employees , their families , and the local communities in which we live , '' Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist said in the memo .
The order , which adds to the Pentagon 's foreign travel restrictions announced earlier this month , carves out exceptions for just a handful of `` compelling cases '' — including travel that 's deemed necessary for medical treatment , a particular mission or humanitarian reasons .
Aside from these cases , Defense Department personnel have been told to stay put until at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid a flurry of actions at the federal level to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus , which the World Health Organization officially classified as a global pandemic earlier this week .
Trump declared the virus a national emergency Friday , freeing up tens of billions in federal funds just hours before the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a sweeping relief package of its own , which Trump says he supports .
The bill is expected to head to the Senate , where its fate remains unclear .
The coronavirus is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday , Georgia became the second state , after Louisiana , to postpone its presidential primary vote in response to the outbreak .
In another step that sticks to public health guidance against large gatherings , Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden will take the primary debate stage on Sunday night without a live audience .
The debate was already moved from Arizona to Washington , D.C. , over coronavirus concerns .
As of Saturday , there were more than 156,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus globally , according to a count by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by governments around the world .
In France , where more than 4,400 cases have been confirmed , the government on Saturday ordered the closing of all nonessential businesses , including restaurants , bars and theaters .
Grocery stores , drugstores , banks and gas stations will be allowed to stay open .
In Madrid , the government of Spain announced a similar lockdown , imposing tight restrictions on its 46 million people .
Spain 's government said Saturday that Begoña Gómez , the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where 193 cases have been confirmed , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the closing of all schools , restaurants , cafes , malls , hotels , event halls , gyms and movie theaters beginning Sunday .
Gatherings of more than 10 people will be prohibited , and the government will seek to use surveillance technology `` used in the war against terror '' to track the movements of coronavirus carriers , Netanyahu said .
Some of the world 's biggest companies have also announced new protective measures .
In a statement issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the chorus of government agencies and businesses announcing sweeping changes to combat the virus 's spread , saying that it plans to temporarily close all of its retail stores outside China through at least March 27 .
At the same time , the company guaranteed pay for its hourly workers and says it has expanded its leave policies to support employees affected by COVID-19 .
`` There is no mistaking the challenge of this moment , '' CEO Tim Cook said in the announcement .
`` And yet , '' he added , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humanity and determination I have seen from all corners of our global community . ''
Evidence of this solidarity was to be found in Italy — the hardest-hit country outside of mainland China , where the virus traces its epicenter .
More than 1,400 people have died of COVID-19 in Italy , where hospitals have been overwhelmed by the number of cases and leaders have imposed travel restrictions on the entire country .
Still , the pandemic has not prevented Italians from singing — even if , for the sake of tamping down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to maintain their physical distance while doing so .
Social media on Friday was awash with videos of people who stepped out onto their balconies , looked around at their neighbors and joined one another in song .

U.S. Adds U.K. And Ireland To Travel Ban; New Restrictions In Multiple Countries
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Updated at 8:38 p.m. ET
The U.S. and countries around the world continued to adapt to the spreading coronavirus pandemic by imposing new restrictions Saturday, as the virus upended travel plans, pushed back elections and forced major companies to adapt.
In Washington, the Trump administration said Saturday that the U.S. would extend the current ban on travel from Europe to include the U.K. and Ireland, effective midnight Monday.
The U.S. travel ban does not apply to American citizens, legal permanent residents, their immediate families, and certain others. These people will be channeled through one of 13 airports equipped to do special screening.
Speaking at the White House, President Trump said he's also considering domestic travel restrictions in response to the spread of coronavirus.
"If you don't have to travel, I wouldn't do it," Trump said. "We want this thing to end. We don't want a lot of people getting infected."
The Trump administration said the number of Americans who have died of the coronavirus now stands at 50, with more than 2,200 cases in the country. It is in nearly every state, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
The president's physician, Sean Conley, said Saturday night that Trump himself tested negative for coronavirus. The results, relayed in a statement from the president's press secretary, come a day after Conley said Trump "remains without symptoms" and testing was not needed. Trump had been in contact with people who later tested positive for coronavirus.
The White House travel restrictions announced Saturday follow the Department of Defense's decision a day earlier to halt domestic travel for all service members. In a memorandum released Friday night, the Pentagon explained that — with few exceptions — the ban applies to all personnel assigned to its facilities in states and territories throughout the U.S., beginning Monday.
The Pentagon added that its civilian employees and family members, "whose transportation is government-funded, will also stop movement."
"These restrictions are necessary to preserve force readiness, limit the continuing spread of the virus, and preserve the health and welfare of Service members, DoD civilian employees, their families, and the local communities in which we live," Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist said in the memo.
The order, which adds to the Pentagon's foreign travel restrictions announced earlier this month, carves out exceptions for just a handful of "compelling cases" — including travel that's deemed necessary for medical treatment, a particular mission or humanitarian reasons. Aside from these cases, Defense Department personnel have been told to stay put until at least May 11.
The order comes amid a flurry of actions at the federal level to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, which the World Health Organization officially classified as a global pandemic earlier this week. Trump declared the virus a national emergency Friday, freeing up tens of billions in federal funds just hours before the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a sweeping relief package of its own, which Trump says he supports.
The bill is expected to head to the Senate, where its fate remains unclear.
The coronavirus is also shaking up an election year. On Saturday, Georgia became the second state, after Louisiana, to postpone its presidential primary vote in response to the outbreak.
In another step that sticks to public health guidance against large gatherings, Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden will take the primary debate stage on Sunday night without a live audience. The debate was already moved from Arizona to Washington, D.C., over coronavirus concerns.
As of Saturday, there were more than 156,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus globally, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University, prompting new action by governments around the world.
In France, where more than 4,400 cases have been confirmed, the government on Saturday ordered the closing of all nonessential businesses, including restaurants, bars and theaters. Grocery stores, drugstores, banks and gas stations will be allowed to stay open.
In Madrid, the government of Spain announced a similar lockdown, imposing tight restrictions on its 46 million people. Spain's government said Saturday that Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, had tested positive for coronavirus.
In Israel, where 193 cases have been confirmed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the closing of all schools, restaurants, cafes, malls, hotels, event halls, gyms and movie theaters beginning Sunday. Gatherings of more than 10 people will be prohibited, and the government will seek to use surveillance technology "used in the war against terror" to track the movements of coronavirus carriers, Netanyahu said.
Some of the world's biggest companies have also announced new protective measures. In a statement issued Friday, the technology giant Apple joined the chorus of government agencies and businesses announcing sweeping changes to combat the virus's spread, saying that it plans to temporarily close all of its retail stores outside China through at least March 27. At the same time, the company guaranteed pay for its hourly workers and says it has expanded its leave policies to support employees affected by COVID-19.
"There is no mistaking the challenge of this moment," CEO Tim Cook said in the announcement. "And yet," he added, "I have been inspired by the humanity and determination I have seen from all corners of our global community."
Evidence of this solidarity was to be found in Italy — the hardest-hit country outside of mainland China, where the virus traces its epicenter. More than 1,400 people have died of COVID-19 in Italy, where hospitals have been overwhelmed by the number of cases and leaders have imposed travel restrictions on the entire country.
Still, the pandemic has not prevented Italians from singing — even if, for the sake of tamping down on the virus's spread, they have to maintain their physical distance while doing so. Social media on Friday was awash with videos of people who stepped out onto their balconies, looked around at their neighbors and joined one another in song.
NPR's Emma Bowman contributed reporting.


npr--2020-03-15--The Struggle To Keep Vulnerable Seniors Safe In A Large Coronavirus Cluster

The Struggle To Keep Vulnerable Seniors Safe In A Large Coronavirus Cluster On a spring morning , Jamie Fields and her mom Joyce Collins are standing outside a grocery store in New Rochelle , N.Y. , arguing over how to stay safe .
`` She 's very nervous , '' Collins says .
She 's only 57 , but was recently diagnosed with lung cancer , which means she 's vulnerable to COVID-19 .
`` I just got out of the hospital . ''
They live together just up the street in the center of the New Rochelle containment area @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep their sense of humor about a global pandemic that 's landed on their doorstep .
`` If we 're going to die together , we 're going to die together , '' Fields says .
But nervous jokes aside , she says she 's not sure what to do to protect her mom from the new coronavirus , while also going to work every day in New York City and taking care of her own kids .
`` This epidemic is very scary .
You know just because it 's just transferring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` You got to ride the subways and then everyone 's just clustered on you .
I 'm nervous . ''
The National Guard is here helping people manage the disruption , distributing food and helping sanitize public areas .
On Friday , a new COVID-19 testing facility was established in the suburban community just north of New York City .
For now , the rules for the one-mile radius containment area still allow people to move around and go to work , though federal guidelines urge people in hotspot areas like this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible .
As COVID-19 cases in New Rochelle continue to rise , Gov .
Andrew Cuomo says he worries most about people like Joyce Collins .
`` That is the most dangerous situation posed by this virus , senior citizens , people with a compromised immune system , '' he said this week .
Many of the deaths in the U.S. are tied to a single senior care facility in Washington state .
Cuomo says he hopes to avoid that kind of crisis , so nursing homes across New York state have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means no unauthorized people in or out .
`` Right now what my job is to keep residents we care for safe , to keep them happy , '' said Rita Mabli who runs United Hebrew of New Rochelle .
It 's a nursing home and assisted living community with roughly 500 residents in the containment area .
All those people now live under strict lockdown .
The staff , too , face new hygiene rules designed to keep coronavirus at bay .
`` We screen every single staff that 's coming into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a nurse who runs United Hebrew 's clinical program .
`` We ask them ... do you have any symptoms ?
Do you have cough , do you have cold ? ''
As the days pass , Rita Mabli says tensions have risen .
Families , some of them living outside the New Rochelle area , are scared and frustrated by the quarantine .
`` There are people who are angry no matter what you do , '' Mabli says .
`` We 've set up Skype and Facebook access so that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtually face-to-face , with their families can use the Skype . ''
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Abramson is one of the people directly affected by the nursing home lockdown .
`` My mother is at United Hebrew presently and my brothers and I are not able to visit her , '' he said .
`` It 's distressing for family members not to be able to visit each other , there 's a real cost that comes along with a policy like this .
But I think this is a sensible policy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The nursing home quarantine is n't t protecting all seniors in New Rochelle .
Many older New Yorkers live independently .
Ed Grayson is 75 and has an apartment in the containment area .
With no family nearby , he went out to buy a few essentials .
`` What can really be done except be cautious , wash your hands and hope for the best ? ''
he asked .
The containment area and its restrictions are set to remain in place through at least March 25 .
But speaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Cuomo predicted the coronavirus disruption could last months .

The Struggle To Keep Vulnerable Seniors Safe In A Large Coronavirus Cluster
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Minchillo/AP John Minchillo/AP
On a spring morning, Jamie Fields and her mom Joyce Collins are standing outside a grocery store in New Rochelle, N.Y., arguing over how to stay safe.
"She's very nervous," Collins says. She's only 57, but was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, which means she's vulnerable to COVID-19. "I just got out of the hospital."
They live together just up the street in the center of the New Rochelle containment area. They say they're trying to keep their sense of humor about a global pandemic that's landed on their doorstep.
"If we're going to die together, we're going to die together," Fields says.
But nervous jokes aside, she says she's not sure what to do to protect her mom from the new coronavirus, while also going to work every day in New York City and taking care of her own kids.
"This epidemic is very scary. You know just because it's just transferring so fast," Fields said. "You got to ride the subways and then everyone's just clustered on you. I'm nervous."
The National Guard is here helping people manage the disruption, distributing food and helping sanitize public areas. On Friday, a new COVID-19 testing facility was established in the suburban community just north of New York City.
For now, the rules for the one-mile radius containment area still allow people to move around and go to work, though federal guidelines urge people in hotspot areas like this to work from home as much as possible.
Fears focus on seniors, nursing homes
As COVID-19 cases in New Rochelle continue to rise, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he worries most about people like Joyce Collins.
"That is the most dangerous situation posed by this virus, senior citizens, people with a compromised immune system," he said this week.
Many of the deaths in the U.S. are tied to a single senior care facility in Washington state. Cuomo says he hopes to avoid that kind of crisis, so nursing homes across New York state have been ordered to halt all visitation. That means no unauthorized people in or out.
"Right now what my job is to keep residents we care for safe, to keep them happy," said Rita Mabli who runs United Hebrew of New Rochelle. It's a nursing home and assisted living community with roughly 500 residents in the containment area.
Health Coronavirus 'Containment Area' Created Around N.Y. Cluster Coronavirus 'Containment Area' Created Around N.Y. Cluster Listen · 4:05 4:05
All those people now live under strict lockdown. The staff, too, face new hygiene rules designed to keep coronavirus at bay.
"We screen every single staff that's coming into the facility," says Jerome Bagaporo, a nurse who runs United Hebrew's clinical program. "We ask them...do you have any symptoms? Do you have cough, do you have cold?"
As the days pass, Rita Mabli says tensions have risen. Families, some of them living outside the New Rochelle area, are scared and frustrated by the quarantine.
"There are people who are angry no matter what you do," Mabli says. "We've set up Skype and Facebook access so that people who want to visit face-to-face, virtually face-to-face, with their families can use the Skype."
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Abramson is one of the people directly affected by the nursing home lockdown.
"My mother is at United Hebrew presently and my brothers and I are not able to visit her," he said.
"It's distressing for family members not to be able to visit each other, there's a real cost that comes along with a policy like this. But I think this is a sensible policy and my perception is that most people agree."
The nursing home quarantine isn't t protecting all seniors in New Rochelle. Many older New Yorkers live independently. Ed Grayson is 75 and has an apartment in the containment area. With no family nearby, he went out to buy a few essentials.
"What can really be done except be cautious, wash your hands and hope for the best?" he asked.
The containment area and its restrictions are set to remain in place through at least March 25. But speaking in New Rochelle on Friday, Gov. Cuomo predicted the coronavirus disruption could last months.


npr--2020-03-15--Frustrated By Congress, 'Absolutist' Gun Rights Groups Focus Efforts On States

America has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the developed world .
That and the steady drumbeat of mass shootings , has led many states to pass stricter firearms regulations in recent years .
But gun rights groups in more conservative states , such as Idaho , are pushing legislatures to go in the opposite direction .
One of the groups is the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance .
On a recent March day , its president , Greg Pruett , was peering into his smartphone at the Idaho Capitol making yet another Facebook video .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we take no prisoners , '' he said .
`` We 'll get in the trenches and fight dirty .
We 're here to save Idaho . ''
Pruett posts regular updates each legislative session for supporters of his influential gun rights group .
There 's been a lot of talk about guns from national politicians , but little action .
The real fight is playing out at the state level .
Pruett 's group , for example , has pushed Idaho to get rid of nearly all of its regulations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrictions on out-of-state residents ' right to carry concealed weapons .
That proposal sailed through the Idaho House and will likely pass the Senate .
It 's one of the last state gun restrictions left .
Pruett said he took to lobbying state legislators when he saw no action from Washington .
`` The Republicans did n't do gun owners any favors in the first two years of President Trump 's tenure when they had control of the House and the Senate and obviously the White House , '' he said .
Idaho @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state 's absolutist turn is more recent .
Federal legislation pushed by gun rights groups , such as a proposal to force all states to recognize concealed carry permits from other states , has stalled .
In that atmosphere , a loose affiliation of `` no-compromise '' gun groups , like Pruett 's , have been pushing lawmakers in conservative states farther to the right on firearms .
These groups look down on the National Rifle Association as too soft on gun rights .
And they 've been making headway .
Wyoming dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Texas passed a law last year allowing guns in places of worship , and many more bills are in the works across the country .
Back in Idaho , the climate has gotten to the point where onlookers barely reacted when an older man and young girl with a rifle slung over her shoulder stepped up to the podium in February to testify in a legislative committee hearing .
`` My name is Charles Nielsen , '' the man said .
`` This my granddaughter , Bailey .
Bailey is 11 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AR-15 . ''
UCLA Law Professor Adam Winkler wrote the book `` Gunfight '' about America 's legal battles over firearms .
`` If one wanted to figure out at how successful the gun rights movement has been you would n't look to Congress , you would look to the states , '' he said .
And this is happening as the trend is going in the opposite direction in much of the country .
Idaho 's neighbor , Nevada , enacted sweeping firearms regulations last year .
In February , New Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meaning courts can temporarily remove guns from at-risk people .
And Colorado 's new red flag law went into effect in January .
Winkler says gun groups are trying to fight that tide by remaking the gun rights map state by state .
`` I think the gun rights groups do have a larger strategy that explains things like what 's happening in Idaho , '' he said .
`` The idea is to keep the momentum alive for lifting the restrictions on guns in America .
In Idaho , what 's also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bills to keep guns away from certain sex offenders and domestic abusers both failed in the past two years .
Boise Democrat Melissa Wintrow introduced those bills and was shocked at the outcome .
This session , she 's not even trying to push them through , confident Republicans wo n't touch gun laws in an election year .
That 's because Pruett 's group has made a habit of supporting successful primary challengers to incumbents who cross them .
`` I 've seen some really good representatives that have lost the elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote that some of those special interest groups want , '' Wintrow said .
She said some Republicans who voted `` no '' on her bills privately told her they support her efforts .
`` Why ca n't we have a more balanced discussion ? ''
she asked recently .
`` Why ca n't we talk about public safety ?
Why ca n't we talk about the facts and put some of the emotion aside ? ''
That same day Wintrow said gun lobbyists had killed yet another of her bills .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assault survivors .
This story was reported as part of Guns & America , a public media reporting project on the role of guns in American life .

Frustrated By Congress, 'Absolutist' Gun Rights Groups Focus Efforts On States
Enlarge this image toggle caption Heath Druzin/Boise State Public Radio Heath Druzin/Boise State Public Radio
America has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the developed world. That and the steady drumbeat of mass shootings, has led many states to pass stricter firearms regulations in recent years. But gun rights groups in more conservative states, such as Idaho, are pushing legislatures to go in the opposite direction.
One of the groups is the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance. On a recent March day, its president, Greg Pruett, was peering into his smartphone at the Idaho Capitol making yet another Facebook video.
"We fight hard, we play for keeps, we take no prisoners," he said. "We'll get in the trenches and fight dirty. We're here to save Idaho."
National Guns And Politics: New Hampshire's 2nd Amendment Battle Guns And Politics: New Hampshire's 2nd Amendment Battle Listen · 5:19 5:19
Pruett posts regular updates each legislative session for supporters of his influential gun rights group.
There's been a lot of talk about guns from national politicians, but little action. The real fight is playing out at the state level. Pruett's group, for example, has pushed Idaho to get rid of nearly all of its regulations.
And now lawmakers are poised to drop restrictions on out-of-state residents' right to carry concealed weapons. That proposal sailed through the Idaho House and will likely pass the Senate. It's one of the last state gun restrictions left.
Pruett said he took to lobbying state legislators when he saw no action from Washington.
"The Republicans didn't do gun owners any favors in the first two years of President Trump's tenure when they had control of the House and the Senate and obviously the White House," he said.
Idaho has long been gun-friendly, but the state's absolutist turn is more recent.
Federal legislation pushed by gun rights groups, such as a proposal to force all states to recognize concealed carry permits from other states, has stalled. In that atmosphere, a loose affiliation of "no-compromise" gun groups, like Pruett's, have been pushing lawmakers in conservative states farther to the right on firearms. These groups look down on the National Rifle Association as too soft on gun rights. And they've been making headway.
toggle caption Heath Druzin/Boise State Public Radio
Wyoming dropped its permit requirement for carrying concealed weapons, Texas passed a law last year allowing guns in places of worship, and many more bills are in the works across the country.
Back in Idaho, the climate has gotten to the point where onlookers barely reacted when an older man and young girl with a rifle slung over her shoulder stepped up to the podium in February to testify in a legislative committee hearing.
"My name is Charles Nielsen," the man said. "This my granddaughter, Bailey. Bailey is 11 years old. Bailey is carrying a loaded AR-15."
UCLA Law Professor Adam Winkler wrote the book "Gunfight" about America's legal battles over firearms.
"If one wanted to figure out at how successful the gun rights movement has been you wouldn't look to Congress, you would look to the states," he said.
And this is happening as the trend is going in the opposite direction in much of the country. Idaho's neighbor, Nevada, enacted sweeping firearms regulations last year. In February, New Mexico lawmakers passed a red flag law, meaning courts can temporarily remove guns from at-risk people. And Colorado's new red flag law went into effect in January.
Winkler says gun groups are trying to fight that tide by remaking the gun rights map state by state.
"I think the gun rights groups do have a larger strategy that explains things like what's happening in Idaho," he said. "The idea is to keep the momentum alive for lifting the restrictions on guns in America.
In Idaho, what's also telling is what hasn't passed. Bills to keep guns away from certain sex offenders and domestic abusers both failed in the past two years.
Boise Democrat Melissa Wintrow introduced those bills and was shocked at the outcome. This session, she's not even trying to push them through, confident Republicans won't touch gun laws in an election year. That's because Pruett's group has made a habit of supporting successful primary challengers to incumbents who cross them.
"I've seen some really good representatives that have lost the elections because they haven't made the emotional vote that some of those special interest groups want," Wintrow said.
She said some Republicans who voted "no" on her bills privately told her they support her efforts.
"Why can't we have a more balanced discussion?" she asked recently. "Why can't we talk about public safety? Why can't we talk about the facts and put some of the emotion aside?"
That same day Wintrow said gun lobbyists had killed yet another of her bills. This one would have extended protections for sexual assault survivors.
This story was reported as part of Guns & America, a public media reporting project on the role of guns in American life.


npr--2020-03-15--No-Touch Greetings Take Off: People Are Getting Creative About Saying 'Hi'

No-Touch Greetings Take Off : People Are Getting Creative About Saying 'Hi' The way the world says hello is changing .
Quickly .
In lieu of the germ-rich exchange of the handshake , alternative salutations are taking hold .
In Tanzania , President John Magufuli introduced a low-touch greeting when he met with the opposition leader from Zanzibar Seif Sharif Hamad , reports Eyder Peralta , NPR 's correspondent in east Africa .
It takes the form of a catchy , two-part salute , using both hands and feet .
In the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo , `` because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did the Ebola greeting , which involved bumping elbows , '' Peralta says .
It 's become popular in other parts of Africa and around the world .
In Italy , a culture known for warmth and intimate greetings , `` there has been a very sudden change .
Old habits [ are ] being cast aside , '' says Sylvia Poggioli , NPR 's correspondent in Rome .
`` The outbreak is having a major effect also on the Italian character .
Italians are getting used to less intimacy in public .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
`` I 've mainly seen elbow bumping , or simply waving from a distance , '' Poggioli says .
In Israel , NPR correspondent Daniel Estrin says he 's embraced the fist bump .
And norms do seem to be shifting .
`` My Palestinian colleague says she paid a condolence call to a mourning house and no one was kissing cheeks or shaking hands as is traditional , '' Estrin says .
At a time with public events such as Purim parades are canceled , Israel 's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' a traditional greeting in India .
He demonstrated at a recent press conference , with his hands pressed together and a slight bow .
In London , NPR correspondent Frank Langfitt says , `` There are signs that Brits , who are not huggers like Americans , are changing the way they greet one another . ''
At a recent Commonwealth Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey , Boris Johnson refrained from shaking hands , explaining later at a press conference that he 's following the lead of the government 's medical officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attended the ceremony and bumped elbows with British singer-songwriter Craig David .
In Paris , a city where cheek kissing is as common as pain au chocolat , norms are shifting too .
NPR 's Eleanor Beardsley , our correspondent in Paris says , `` People are being told not to do `` la bise '' anymore ( that 's the traditional cheek-kiss greeting ) or shake hands . ''
And she confirms the new keep-your-distance approach to greeting seems to be catching on .
`` Parents interviewed dropping their kids off at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing the bise anymore , '' Beardsley says .
`` It 's changing everything , '' Beardsley says .
Some people are doing the `` corona bise , '' she says , `` where you kind of just kiss at the air . ''
But not everyone in France is on board .
`` I just asked a waiter in the café where I 'm sitting and he says he 's still doing the bise , '' she shared via e-mail .
`` He says it 's actually much safer than a handshake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your hands than on your cheek . ''
This survey finds 91 % of those surveyed in France continue to do la bise with their close friends and family .
Meanwhile , in the U.S. , on Twitter people are sharing some creative alternate greetings : Jazz hands , peace signs , air high-fives , and finger guns were among them .
Oh and do n't miss the `` coronavirus curtsy ! ''

No-Touch Greetings Take Off: People Are Getting Creative About Saying 'Hi'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Max Posner/NPR Max Posner/NPR
The way the world says hello is changing. Quickly.
In lieu of the germ-rich exchange of the handshake, alternative salutations are taking hold.
In Tanzania, President John Magufuli introduced a low-touch greeting when he met with the opposition leader from Zanzibar Seif Sharif Hamad, reports Eyder Peralta, NPR's correspondent in east Africa. It takes the form of a catchy, two-part salute, using both hands and feet.
In the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, "because of Ebola, not coronavirus, people did the Ebola greeting, which involved bumping elbows," Peralta says. It's become popular in other parts of Africa and around the world.
In Italy, a culture known for warmth and intimate greetings, "there has been a very sudden change. Old habits [are] being cast aside," says Sylvia Poggioli, NPR's correspondent in Rome. "The outbreak is having a major effect also on the Italian character. Italians are getting used to less intimacy in public."
And what are Italians doing instead? "I've mainly seen elbow bumping, or simply waving from a distance," Poggioli says.
In Israel, NPR correspondent Daniel Estrin says he's embraced the fist bump. And norms do seem to be shifting. "My Palestinian colleague says she paid a condolence call to a mourning house and no one was kissing cheeks or shaking hands as is traditional," Estrin says.
At a time with public events such as Purim parades are canceled, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suggesting people adopt "Namaste," a traditional greeting in India. He demonstrated at a recent press conference, with his hands pressed together and a slight bow.
In London, NPR correspondent Frank Langfitt says, "There are signs that Brits, who are not huggers like Americans, are changing the way they greet one another."
At a recent Commonwealth Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Boris Johnson refrained from shaking hands, explaining later at a press conference that he's following the lead of the government's medical officers.
Langfitt notes that Prince Harry also attended the ceremony and bumped elbows with British singer-songwriter Craig David.
In Paris, a city where cheek kissing is as common as pain au chocolat, norms are shifting too.
NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, our correspondent in Paris says, "People are being told not to do "la bise" anymore (that's the traditional cheek-kiss greeting) or shake hands."
And she confirms the new keep-your-distance approach to greeting seems to be catching on. "Parents interviewed dropping their kids off at a Paris school said they were not doing the bise anymore," Beardsley says.
"It's changing everything," Beardsley says. Some people are doing the "corona bise," she says, "where you kind of just kiss at the air."
But not everyone in France is on board. "I just asked a waiter in the café where I'm sitting and he says he's still doing the bise," she shared via e-mail. "He says it's actually much safer than a handshake because there are way more germs on your hands than on your cheek."
This survey finds 91% of those surveyed in France continue to do la bise with their close friends and family.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., on Twitter people are sharing some creative alternate greetings: Jazz hands, peace signs, air high-fives, and finger guns were among them.
Oh and don't miss the "coronavirus curtsy!"


npr--2020-03-15--Fed Cuts Rates To Near Zero As Coronavirus Rips Through Economy

Fed Cuts Rates To Near Zero As Coronavirus Rips Through Economy The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate to near zero , a dramatic move not seen since the depths of the 2008 financial crisis .
The one-percentage-point decrease was the U.S. central bank 's second emergency rate cut this month in an attempt to cushion the rapidly growing economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic .
The Fed also announced plans to buy $ 700 billion in government securities .
`` The effects of the coronavirus will weigh on economic activity in the near term and pose risks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement announcing the moves Sunday .
`` In light of these developments , the [ Federal Open Market ] Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate to 0 to 1/4 percent . ''
The federal funds rate affects the cost of borrowing on everything from credit cards to auto loans .
President Trump — who has often slammed the Fed for first raising rates and then not cutting them more quickly — praised the actions minutes later .
`` It 's really great news '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Trump told reporters at the White House , adding that the Fed 's announcement should cheer financial markets .
Just on Friday , Trump had said he could demote Fed Chairman Jerome Powell , whom he had appointed , from the top job at the Fed .
But U.S. stock market futures dove after the Fed 's announcement .
Futures in the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 1,000 points .
In cutting its key interest to zero , the Fed has practically lost a major policy tool — one that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into recession .
But the Fed said its policymaking committee `` will continue to closely monitor market conditions and is prepared to adjust its plans as appropriate . ''
Low rates make borrowing cheap , but they do n't necessarily get businesses to increase workers ' hours or get people shopping at a time when government officials are asking bars and restaurants to shut down and telling workers to stay home to stall the spread of the virus .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here .
In addition to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures to `` support the smooth functioning of markets for Treasury securities and agency mortgage-backed securities . ''
It said it will boost its holdings of Treasurys by at least $ 500 billion and its holdings of agency mortgage-backed securities by at least $ 200 billion in coming months .
Global financial markets have been shaken deeply by the growing pandemic .
And U.S. stock indexes have plummeted at least 20 % from their recent record highs — putting the market in bear market territory after an 11-year winning streak .
The Dow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record high on Feb. 12 .
On Friday , the Dow jumped 9.3 % , or 1,985 points , after posting its worst day since the Black Monday crash of October 1987 .
That rebound came as Trump declared a national emergency and announced several steps to deal with the coronavirus crisis .
But the Dow still lost nearly 2,700 points for the week .
`` The coronavirus outbreak has harmed communities and disrupted economic activity in many countries , including the United States , '' the Fed said Sunday .
The Fed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ December 2008 , during the financial crisis , and kept them at that historic low until the end of 2015 .
Sunday 's emergency move was highly unusual because it came between scheduled Fed meetings .
The Fed 's next meeting is set for this Tuesday and Wednesday .

Markets In Europe, Asia Plummet After Central Banks Slash Rates Amid Coronavirus
Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 5 a.m. ET on Monday
European shares dropped more than 8% on Monday, led by losses in Italy and France, the two countries hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic that has girdled the globe in recent weeks, infecting tens of thousands of people, severing supply chains and slowing commerce as people are forced to stay home.
In early trading, Italy's FTSE MIB, France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX were all down more than 8%, with London's FTSE 100 just behind, dropping more than 7%.
The steep fall in Europe, which has become the new epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic that started in China, came as Asian stocks also took a big hit. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index fell just over 4% and Japan's Nikkei 225 lost nearly 2.5%. The Shanghai Composite Index lost nearly 3.5%.
The drubbing for stocks follows the U.S. Federal Reserve's cut in its key interest rate to near zero, a dramatic move not seen since the depths of the 2008 financial crisis. The Fed's move was made in coordination with efforts to buttress the global economy by the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan.
The one-percentage-point decrease was the U.S. central bank's second emergency rate cut this month in an attempt to cushion the rapidly growing economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Fed also announced plans to buy $700 billion in government securities.
"The effects of the coronavirus will weigh on economic activity in the near term and pose risks to the economic outlook," the Fed said in a statement announcing the moves Sunday. "In light of these developments, the [Federal Open Market] Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate to 0 to 1/4 percent."
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, speaking with reporters on a conference call, said: "Families, businesses, schools, organizations and governments at all levels are taking steps to protect people's health. These measures, which are essential for containing the outbreak, will nonetheless understandably take a toll on economic activity in the near term."
The federal funds rate affects the cost of borrowing on everything from credit cards to auto loans.
President Trump — who has often slammed the Fed for first raising rates and then not cutting them more quickly — praised the actions minutes later.
"It's really great news" and "great for our country," Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that the Fed's announcement should cheer financial markets. Just on Friday, Trump had said he could demote Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, whom he had appointed, from the top job at the Fed.
But U.S. stock market futures dove after the Fed's announcement. Futures in the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 1,000 points.
In cutting its key interest to zero, the Fed has practically lost a major policy tool — one that it would need if the economy tumbles into recession. But the Fed said its policymaking committee "will continue to closely monitor market conditions and is prepared to adjust its plans as appropriate."
Low rates make borrowing cheap, but they don't necessarily get businesses to increase workers' hours or get people shopping at a time when government officials are asking bars and restaurants to shut down and telling workers to stay home to stall the spread of the virus.
Loading...
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
In addition to the rate cut, the Fed also announced measures to "support the smooth functioning of markets for Treasury securities and agency mortgage-backed securities." It said it will boost its holdings of Treasurys by at least $500 billion and its holdings of agency mortgage-backed securities by at least $200 billion in coming months.
Global financial markets have been shaken deeply by the growing pandemic. And U.S. stock indexes have plummeted at least 20% from their recent record highs — putting the market in bear market territory after an 11-year winning streak. The Dow has fallen nearly 6,400 points since its record high on Feb. 12.
On Friday, the Dow jumped 9.3%, or 1,985 points, after posting its worst day since the Black Monday crash of October 1987. That rebound came as Trump declared a national emergency and announced several steps to deal with the coronavirus crisis. But the Dow still lost nearly 2,700 points for the week.
"The coronavirus outbreak has harmed communities and disrupted economic activity in many countries, including the United States," the Fed said Sunday.
The Fed last cut rates to near zero in December 2008, during the financial crisis, and kept them at that historic low until the end of 2015.
Sunday's emergency move was highly unusual because it came between scheduled Fed meetings. The Fed's next meeting is set for this Tuesday and Wednesday.


npr--2020-03-15--Gantz Chosen To Form Government, Netanyahu Argues To Stay PM Over Coronavirus Concerns

Gantz Chosen To Form Government , Netanyahu Argues To Stay PM Over Coronavirus Concerns In a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , Israel 's president said Sunday he will give centrist retired army general Benny Gantz the first chance to try to form a new government following this month 's inconclusive elections .
Gantz was tapped after a majority of 61 lawmakers in the 120-member Parliament told President Reuven Rivlin they support Gantz over Netanyahu .
A coalition of Arab parties , including a staunchly Palestinian nationalist faction , decisively helped tip the scales by unanimously endorsing Gantz .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ become Israel 's next prime minister , but it gives him 42 days to try to form a government .
More immediately , it gives him the upper hand in Parliament , as his party considers advancing legislation barring Netanyahu from forming a new government due to a corruption indictment against him .
Netanyahu argues that the challenge of coronavirus means he should remain in office .
In a tweet , he offered Gantz two options to break the political deadlock in Israel : joining a six-month emergency government with Netanyahu at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would allow Netanyahu to serve as prime minister for two more years before Gantz takes over .
Gantz could unseat Netanyahu by building a minority government dependent on Arab parties , but it would be an unstable coalition and would draw fierce opposition from the right-wing Netanyahu , who calls the Arab parties terror sympathizers .
`` While Prime Minister Netanyahu is handling an unprecedented global and national crisis in the most responsible and measured way , '' Netanyahu 's Likud party said in a statement , `` Gantz is rushing to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead of joining a national emergency government that will save lives . ''
About 20 % of Israel 's population comprise Palestinian Arab citizens inside the country 's borders .
This month 's inconclusive elections left Netanyahu 's political future uncertain , but the coronavirus crisis offered some relief to Netanyahu on Sunday : his corruption trial was postponed due to emergency measures taken in response to coronavirus , drawing accusations from Netanyahu 's rivals that he is extracting personal and political gain from the health crisis .
Netanyahu faces charges of bribery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his dealings with media moguls .
He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for the opening hearing of his trial , but a panel of judges delayed it to May 24 , citing a state of emergency declared by the caretaker justice minister .
Justice Minister Amir Ohana , a Netanyahu loyalist , claimed no political interference .
Emanuel Gross , professor emeritus of law at Haifa University in Israel , said in an interview with NPR that he believed coronavirus concerns were a legitimate reason to delay the trial .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week expanded his powers enabling him to freeze the courts due to a health crisis , then around 1 a.m. Sunday issued a freeze on non-urgent court hearings for 24 hours , which is liable to be extended .
`` The delay of the trial at this time does not hurt Benjamin Netanyahu , and the rest you can understand yourself , '' wrote former state prosecutor Eran Shender in an op-ed .
The delay in Netanyahu 's hearing followed new restrictions Netanyahu enacted to combat the spread of coronavirus , banning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closing schools , restaurants , malls , movie theaters , gyms and other non-essential public venues .
Israel is also banning entry to most foreign visitors and has ordered some 30,000 Israelis into home quarantine .
There are around 200 coronavirus cases in the country , most of them mild .
Netanyahu came under additional criticism for seeking to use surveillance technology to track virus carriers , a move that would impinge on Israelis ' privacy .
The government on Sunday approved tracking Israeli coronavirus carriers ' cellphones to determine who they may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are in the midst of an emergency , but this does n't mean that turning Israel into a surveillance state is justified , '' said Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler of the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute .
Gantz on Sunday appeared unwilling to give Netanyahu a lifeline to stay in office .
`` Netanyahu , do n't try to manipulate the citizens of Israel , '' Gantz tweeted .
`` If you 're interested in unity , why postpone your trial at 1 a.m. and send an 'emergency unity ' outline to the press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former defense minister turned political rival in Gantz 's Blue and White coalition , accused Netanyahu of `` cynically taking advantage of the corona crisis for personal political needs of a defendant before trial . ''
In a separate tweet , Yaalon wrote , `` Blue and White can not be a partner to the destruction of democracy in our country by a defendant fleeing trial . ''

Gantz Chosen To Form Government, Netanyahu Argues To Stay PM Over Coronavirus Effects
Enlarge this image toggle caption Gali Tibbon/AP Gali Tibbon/AP
In a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's president said Sunday he will give centrist retired army general Benny Gantz the first chance to try to form a new government following this month's inconclusive elections.
Gantz was tapped after a majority of 61 lawmakers in the 120-member Parliament told President Reuven Rivlin they support Gantz over Netanyahu. A coalition of Arab parties, including a staunchly Palestinian nationalist faction, decisively helped tip the scales by unanimously endorsing Gantz.
This does not mean Gantz will automatically become Israel's next prime minister, but it gives him 42 days to try to form a government. More immediately, it gives him the upper hand in Parliament, as his party considers advancing legislation barring Netanyahu from forming a new government due to a corruption indictment against him.
Netanyahu argues that the challenge of coronavirus means he should remain in office. In a tweet, he offered Gantz two options to break the political deadlock in Israel: joining a six-month emergency government with Netanyahu at the head, or a unity government that would allow Netanyahu to serve as prime minister for two more years before Gantz takes over.
Gantz could unseat Netanyahu by building a minority government dependent on Arab parties, but it would be an unstable coalition and would draw fierce opposition from the right-wing Netanyahu, who calls the Arab parties terror sympathizers.
"While Prime Minister Netanyahu is handling an unprecedented global and national crisis in the most responsible and measured way," Netanyahu's Likud party said in a statement, "Gantz is rushing to a minority government dependent on ... terror supporters instead of joining a national emergency government that will save lives."
About 20% of Israel's population comprise Palestinian Arab citizens inside the country's borders.
This month's inconclusive elections left Netanyahu's political future uncertain, but the coronavirus crisis offered some relief to Netanyahu on Sunday: his corruption trial was postponed due to emergency measures taken in response to coronavirus, drawing accusations from Netanyahu's rivals that he is extracting personal and political gain from the health crisis.
Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust for his dealings with media moguls. He was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for the opening hearing of his trial, but a panel of judges delayed it to May 24, citing a state of emergency declared by the caretaker justice minister.
Justice Minister Amir Ohana, a Netanyahu loyalist, claimed no political interference. Emanuel Gross, professor emeritus of law at Haifa University in Israel, said in an interview with NPR that he believed coronavirus concerns were a legitimate reason to delay the trial.
But critics raised eyebrows as the justice minister last week expanded his powers enabling him to freeze the courts due to a health crisis, then around 1 a.m. Sunday issued a freeze on non-urgent court hearings for 24 hours, which is liable to be extended.
"The delay of the trial at this time does not hurt Benjamin Netanyahu, and the rest you can understand yourself," wrote former state prosecutor Eran Shender in an op-ed.
The delay in Netanyahu's hearing followed new restrictions Netanyahu enacted to combat the spread of coronavirus, banning gatherings of more than 10 people and closing schools, restaurants, malls, movie theaters, gyms and other non-essential public venues. Israel is also banning entry to most foreign visitors and has ordered some 30,000 Israelis into home quarantine. There are around 200 coronavirus cases in the country, most of them mild.
Netanyahu came under additional criticism for seeking to use surveillance technology to track virus carriers, a move that would impinge on Israelis' privacy. The government on Sunday approved tracking Israeli coronavirus carriers' cellphones to determine who they may have come in contact with. "We are in the midst of an emergency, but this doesn't mean that turning Israel into a surveillance state is justified," said Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler of the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute.
Gantz on Sunday appeared unwilling to give Netanyahu a lifeline to stay in office.
"Netanyahu, don't try to manipulate the citizens of Israel," Gantz tweeted. "If you're interested in unity, why postpone your trial at 1 a.m. and send an 'emergency unity' outline to the press."
Moshe Yaalon, Netanyahu's former defense minister turned political rival in Gantz's Blue and White coalition, accused Netanyahu of "cynically taking advantage of the corona crisis for personal political needs of a defendant before trial."
In a separate tweet, Yaalon wrote, "Blue and White cannot be a partner to the destruction of democracy in our country by a defendant fleeing trial."


npr--2020-03-15--White House Tells Federal Workers To Avoid All Travel That Is Not 'Mission Critical'

White House Tells Federal Workers To Avoid All Travel That Is Not 'Mission Critical' As the coronavirus outbreak continues across the U.S. , the White House has told federal agencies and executive departments to suspend all work travel unless it is absolutely necessary .
The White House Office of Management and Budget issued new guidance on Saturday telling federal workers that `` only mission-critical travel is recommended at this time . ''
The White House is also encouraging agencies to hold meetings by phone or video-conference whenever they can .
`` To ensure the continued safety and well-being of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued encouraging all agencies to consider work travel for mission critical activities only .
It is imperative that the federal government continue to serve the American public in every way possible , '' an OMB spokesperson said .
Agency and department heads can decide what constitutes as `` mission-critical , '' but the Office of Management and Budget asked decision-makers to consider if the travel can be `` postponed , canceled , or handled remotely . ''
The guidance for federal workers follows an announcement by the Department of Defense on Friday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service members because of the coronavirus .
Earlier on Saturday , the Trump administration extended its travel ban from Europe to include the United Kingdom and Ireland .
The restrictions go into effect Monday at midnight and do not apply to American citizens , legal permanent residents , their immediate families and certain others .
President Trump said on Saturday that he is also considering placing restrictions on domestic travel aimed at slowing the spread of the virus .
`` If you do n't have to travel , I would n't do it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want this thing to end .
We do n't want a lot of people getting infected . ''

White House Tells Federal Workers To Avoid All Travel That Is Not 'Mission Critical'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images Alex Wong/Getty Images
As the coronavirus outbreak continues across the U.S., the White House has told federal agencies and executive departments to suspend all work travel unless it is absolutely necessary.
The White House Office of Management and Budget issued new guidance on Saturday telling federal workers that "only mission-critical travel is recommended at this time."
The White House is also encouraging agencies to hold meetings by phone or video-conference whenever they can.
"To ensure the continued safety and well-being of our federal workforce, new guidance has been issued encouraging all agencies to consider work travel for mission critical activities only. It is imperative that the federal government continue to serve the American public in every way possible," an OMB spokesperson said.
Agency and department heads can decide what constitutes as "mission-critical," but the Office of Management and Budget asked decision-makers to consider if the travel can be "postponed, canceled, or handled remotely."
The guidance for federal workers follows an announcement by the Department of Defense on Friday that it has halted domestic travel for its service members because of the coronavirus.
Earlier on Saturday, the Trump administration extended its travel ban from Europe to include the United Kingdom and Ireland. The restrictions go into effect Monday at midnight and do not apply to American citizens, legal permanent residents, their immediate families and certain others.
President Trump said on Saturday that he is also considering placing restrictions on domestic travel aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.
"If you don't have to travel, I wouldn't do it," Trump said. "We want this thing to end. We don't want a lot of people getting infected."


npr--2020-03-15--White House Says Up To 4,000 Coronavirus Tests A Day To Start This Week

White House Says Up To 4,000 Coronavirus Tests A Day To Start This Week The Trump administration said Sunday that starting this week , labs across the country will be able to process coronavirus screenings of up to 4,000 people a day , as the deadly virus worsens across America and criticism mounts over the availability of tests .
`` We are going from somewhat manual , relatively slow phases to a testing regiment that we can test many tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of individuals per week and maybe even more , '' said Adm. Brett Giroir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health and Human Services ' efforts in coordinating coronavirus testing .
Nearly 2 million tests will be available this week and more than 10 states now have drive-through testing sites , officials said .
`` That is really a game-changer for us , '' Giroir said .
He said health care workers , first responders and people over the age of 65 who are showing symptoms of the virus will be prioritized .
Anthony Fauci , the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said the coronavirus outbreak in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The worst is yet ahead for us , '' he said .
`` It 's how we respond to that challenge that will determine what the ultimate endpoint is going to be . ''
When Fauci was asked whether a nationwide lockdown of bars and restaurants is a possibility , he said : `` That could be .
Absolutely . ''
The Trump administration has been criticized for a lack of testing across the U.S. — screenings that would reveal more about how widespread the virus has become .
And President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that tests were widely available at a time when they were in fact limited .
`` Anybody that wants a test can get a test .
That 's what the bottom line is , '' Trump said more than a week ago as he toured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta .
Dr. Deborah Birx , who is on the White House 's coronavirus task force , said that as testing ramps up , the number of reported coronavirus cases will rise .
`` As these tests roll out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curve , '' Birx said , `` as more and more people have access . ''
During the briefing , Trump urged Americans to stop panic-buying , as customers strip shelves bare of products like hand sanitizer , toilet paper and face masks .
`` You do n't have to buy so much , '' Trump said .
`` Take it easy .
Just relax . ''
Trump said officials at major retailers and grocery stores have committed to staying open during the pandemic .
Vice President Pence said grocery store executives asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to customers : Just buy a week 's worth of supplies .
`` American families can be confident your local grocery store is going to be open .
It 'll be resupplied , '' Pence said .
Early on , there was a problem in test kits distributed to labs by the CDC .
After that issue was fixed , the White House had said it was putting a priority on working with state , university and commercial labs to make it easier for anxious Americans to get tests .
On Friday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Force said that they would soon unveil a website developed with Google that would help people figure out whether they should get tested and , if so , direct them to nearby drive-through test sites set up in public areas , like Walmart parking lots .
The approach is modeled after one used in South Korea , which as of last week was testing up to 15,000 people a day since its outbreak started , or 3,600 tests per million people , compared with five tests per million in the U.S .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about whether the White House had overstated the readiness and the scope of the website .
Google said a life sciences division of its parent company , called Verily , was only in `` the early stages '' of rolling out a website in California 's Bay Area .
On Saturday , Pence was questioned about the discrepancy .
`` We 'll have a very specific description tomorrow about when the website will be available , when the parking lot sites will be available for people to be tested , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now with state and local communities to determine where it 's best to roll those out as a number of — a number of communities are already doing a great job meeting their needs . ''
By Saturday night , Google had another statement on Twitter , saying it was `` partnering '' with the government on a `` nationwide website '' with information about symptoms , risks and testing information .
On Sunday , Verily published a statement saying it would launch its pilot for screening and testing in San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with people who are at highest risk from the virus .
`` People who meet eligibility and requirements for testing will be directed to mobile testing sites based on capacity , where they will complete a nasal swab test .
Once tested , individuals will be informed of their COVID-19 test results within a few days , '' the company said .
`` The program is in its early stages , and we will take the time to assess operations at pilot sites in the Bay Area before rolling out to additional sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Sunday briefing , Trump lashed out on Twitter about the criticism over the mixed messages , falsely stating that reporters `` never called Google '' about the issue .
NPR 's Mara Liasson and Shannon Bond contributed to this story .

White House Says More Drive-Through Coronavirus Test Sites To Open This Week
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Updated at 8:00 p.m. ET
States hit hardest by the spread of coronavirus will see drive-through and walk-through testing sites set up this week, the White House said on Sunday, a shift that will provide more information about how widely the virus has spread across the country.
The sites each will be able to screen 2,000 to 4,000 people per day, with priority given to health care workers, first responders and people age 65 and older with respiratory symptoms and fevers above 99.6 degrees.
The Trump administration has been criticized for the lack of testing, which public health experts have said has masked the prevalence of the virus. Early on, there was a problem in test kits distributed to labs by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which slowed efforts to make testing more widely available.
President Trump declared the virus a national emergency on Friday, a move that freed up billions in funding and also activates the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help set up testing sites and field hospitals.
"We are going from somewhat manual, relatively slow phases, to a testing regimen that we can test many tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of individuals per week, and maybe even more," said Adm. Brett Giroir, who is leading the Department of Health and Human Services' efforts in coordinating coronavirus testing.
Nearly 2 million tests will be available this week and more than 10 states now have drive-through testing sites, officials said.
Dr. Deborah Birx, who is part of the White House's coronavirus task force, said that as testing ramps up, the number of reported coronavirus cases will rise. She urged Americans to let the most vulnerable people go first. "I know everybody's going to want to go to these drive-throughs," she said.
"The worst is yet ahead of us"
The increase in testing comes as the outbreak enters a critical stage, said Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"The worst is yet ahead for us," he said, warning that Americans need to take steps to reduce the risk of spreading the disease. "It's how we respond to that challenge that will determine what the ultimate endpoint is going to be."
Fauci said the CDC will issue new guidelines on Monday about "social distancing," and said that it may be possible that the government recommends places like bars and restaurants shut down. "Everything and anything, we'll consider," he said.
The CDC on Sunday said it recommends canceling or postponing events like conferences, sporting events and weddings that have 50 people or more.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the pandemic may exceed the capacity of the hospital system, and said the government was working to increase its supplies of ventilators, field hospital units and supplies for health workers.
Trump spoke to CEOs of grocery and food companies on Sunday and urged them to keep store shelves well-stocked. Trump urged Americans to stop panic-buying, as customers strip shelves bare of products like hand sanitizer, toilet paper and face masks.
"You don't have to buy so much," Trump said. "Take it easy. Just relax."
Vice President Mike Pence urged people to stay home from work if they felt sick. "No American worker should worry about missing a pay check if they're feeling ill," he said.
Responding to criticism that a new paid sick leave package agreed to with the House of Representatives early on Saturday does not cover workers for companies with more than 500 companies, Pence said: "We have every confidence that the extension of paid and family leave to Americans will be extended in a way that should give every American that confidence."
Google website: early stages
On Friday, the White House had promoted a website it was developing with Google to help screen people and direct them to test sites — a website that Google afterward said was only in its early stages, and was a pilot for California's Bay area.
Asked about the website on Sunday, Pence said: "We're working with Google, but we're working with many other tech companies."
He said a website with a questionnaire for people worried they have the virus would be available early this week, and said it eventually would help people find out how to get tested.
Verily, a life sciences division of Google's parent company, published a statement saying it would launch its pilot for screening and testing in San Francisco's Bay Area on Monday — beginning with people who are at highest risk from the virus.
"The program is in its early stages, and we will take the time to assess operations at pilot sites in the Bay Area before rolling out to additional sites," the company said.
Google said it was "partnering" with the government on a "nationwide website" with information about symptoms, risks and testing information.
Stung by criticism that the White House had overstated the readiness and the scope of the website, Trump said Google's statement "substantiated what I said on Friday" and complained about coverage of the discrepancies.
NPR's Shannon Bond and Roberta Rampton contributed to this story.


npr--2020-03-15--Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Provocateur And Industrial Co-Creator, Dead At 70

Genesis P-Orridge , the visual , musical and performance artist whose work with Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV gave rise to the industrial and acid house genres , has died at age 70 , after being diagnosed with leukemia two-and-a-half years ago .
P-Orridge 's two daughters , Caresse and Genesse P-Orridge , shared a statement confirming their death via their label , Dais Records .
P-Orridge never meant to engender industrial music , the genre with which they are most closely associated .
With their collaborators in the avant-garde arts collective COUM Transmissions and its house band Throbbing Gristle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they knew it ; what came to be known as industrial was simply what was left .
The English musician , artist and social provocateur saw destruction as a means to creation , and took everything from noise to language to their own body , which they modified extensively before and during their gender transition , as raw material for reordering the world .
From an early age , P-Orridge learned how power weighed on the body .
A small and sickly child from a working-class Manchester family , they attended an elite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they endured physical abuse at the hands of their more affluent classmates , a ritualized simulation of the ways class relations unfold in adulthood .
Insufficiently moneyed or masculine , P-Orridge realized as a teenager that symbolic violence gave rise to the implicit , and real , violence of compulsory labor and compulsory gender under capitalism .
`` I had to go to a bloody public school , I had to deal with that for four years , being physically and mentally tortured , quite literally , and I just thought at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enemy .
These people are going to run Britain in twenty years , '' they said in a 1994 interview .
They also realized they could seize the power of symbols and rituals to their own ends .
In 1976 , Throbbing Gristle played an early concert at London 's Institute of Contemporary Art during a COUM exhibition called `` Prostitution . ''
On display were pornographic photos of COUM member Cosey Fanni Tutti , as well as used tampons , syringes and bottled blood .
The abject tableau shocked a conservative Member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the `` wreckers of civilization , '' a telling pronouncement ( from a humorless suit who could have been one of P-Orridge 's former schoolmates ) .
What kind of civilization was so brittle its foundation could be cracked by nudity and filth ?
With COUM , Throbbing Gristle and , later , the more pop-oriented band Psychic TV , as well as their abundant visual art , P-Orridge applied the cut-and-paste creative techniques of William S. Burroughs and the occult philosophies of Aleister Crowley to cultural work that aimed to corrupt and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They took symbolic violence as a creation rite : On the harrowing track `` Slug Bait , '' from Throbbing Gristle 's 1977 debut album The Second Annual Report , P-Orridge sings from the perspective of a home intruder who castrates a husband and then eats the fetus from his pregnant wife 's lacerated abdomen .
Their thin , androgynous voice quavers over distorted electronics orchestrated by their bandmates , breaking into occasional shrieks , as if they embodied both the murderer and the murdered at once .
As the primary singer of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gamut of the taboo .
Mutilation , disease , suicide and rape populated their songs , whose wry darkness grappled with what the world can do to the body , and what the body can do to stake its claim to survival in a toxic environs .
The band 's irreverent and darkly playful stance toward the horrors of life under post-industrial capitalism echoes in generations of musicians , from Depeche Mode and New Order to Death Grips and Pharmakon , who found symbiosis in the relationship between body and machine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers until they can be brutally disposed , industrial music appropriates the sounds of factories , machinery , and cities in a vision of spiritual resistance to systemic oppression .
A peer of Fakir Musafar , the American artist who led the modern primitive movement , a ritualistic body modification subculture , in the latter half of the 20th century , P-Orridge conceived of their own body as a canvas in a lifelong artistic project .
They were extensively pierced and tattooed before such modifications became commonplace , and partook in performance rituals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make at least one cut on myself , and it has to be a cut that will scar , no matter how small , '' they said in an interview for Re/Search 's 1989 book Modern Primitives .
Like Musafar , P-Orridge sought the kind of visceral meaning that white , Western culture can lack , often by appropriating visual language ( like tribal tattoos and dreadlocks ) from black and indigenous cultures .
`` I was looking for some kind of devotion and holiness , but in a contemporary way , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is in our culture that 's been taken from us , '' they said in 1994 .
Their sampling practice , which drew from fascist imagery , was ravenous , its results often bewildering as well as exhilarating .
As much as P-Orridge 's work sought to enact symbolic violence against whiteness , it also replicated colonialist weapons like cultural appropriation without explicitly challenging them .
Like many transgender artists , P-Orridge was known as much for their transition as their art ; unlike most of their trans peers and successors , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Identity was not peripheral to their practice .
In the late '90s , after moving from England to New York and marrying the dominatrix Jacqueline Breyer , P-Orridge and their wife began what they called the Pandrogeny Project — a lifelong journey toward becoming one being .
Both P-Orridge and Breyer pursued cosmetic surgery to resemble each other .
For P-Orridge , the project constituted a de facto gender transition in accordance with the androgyny they 'd long felt .
`` S/he will be laid to rest with h/er other half , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us in 2007 , where they will be re-united , '' P-Orridge 's daughters wrote in their Saturday statement .
For both , it was a spiritual transformation , and a way of displacing heteronormative expectations .
`` Instead of having children ... what if we made ourselves the new person instead ?
, '' P-Orridge asks in The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye , Marie Losier 's 2011 documentary about the project .
P-Orridge brazenly questioned power — but they also seemed to have reveled in it .
In her 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tutti details the harrowing physical , emotional and sexual abuse she says she endured from P-Orridge while the two were romantic and creative partners in the 1970s .
( P-Orridge has denied the allegations . )
Several former members of Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth , the `` anti-cult '' P-Orridge headed while in Psychic TV in the 1980s , have described them as an exploitative and domineering leader who actively sought out vulnerable teenagers to bring into their fold .
Even in death , P-Orridge and their legacy resist an uncomplicated summary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line between oppressor and oppressed , sacred and profane , male and female , individual and collective , sublime and grotesque .
They suffered , confronted , and also recreated and projected the violence this world wields against those deemed defective or excessive .
A complex and overflowing figure , they leave behind words , images and music that have proved vital to the reimagining of pop music and gender alike .
So many of us are better for the rot they inflicted on an environment that tried to snuff them out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ musicians , and badly gendered truth-seekers — have thrived in their stain .
They have left behind a pregnant body of work charged with confusion , contradiction , hideousness , and beauty .
Even their absence shivers , electric .

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Provocateur And Industrial Co-Creator, Dead At 70
Enlarge this image toggle caption Neville Elder/Redferns/Getty Images Neville Elder/Redferns/Getty Images
Genesis P-Orridge, the visual, musical and performance artist whose work with Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV gave rise to the industrial and acid house genres, has died at age 70, after being diagnosed with leukemia two-and-a-half years ago. P-Orridge's two daughters, Caresse and Genesse P-Orridge, shared a statement confirming their death via their label, Dais Records.
P-Orridge never meant to engender industrial music, the genre with which they are most closely associated. With their collaborators in the avant-garde arts collective COUM Transmissions and its house band Throbbing Gristle, they clawed away at music as they knew it; what came to be known as industrial was simply what was left. The English musician, artist and social provocateur saw destruction as a means to creation, and took everything from noise to language to their own body, which they modified extensively before and during their gender transition, as raw material for reordering the world.
From an early age, P-Orridge learned how power weighed on the body. A small and sickly child from a working-class Manchester family, they attended an elite high school on scholarship. There, they endured physical abuse at the hands of their more affluent classmates, a ritualized simulation of the ways class relations unfold in adulthood. Insufficiently moneyed or masculine, P-Orridge realized as a teenager that symbolic violence gave rise to the implicit, and real, violence of compulsory labor and compulsory gender under capitalism. "I had to go to a bloody public school, I had to deal with that for four years, being physically and mentally tortured, quite literally, and I just thought at the end of it, I know the enemy. These people are going to run Britain in twenty years," they said in a 1994 interview. They also realized they could seize the power of symbols and rituals to their own ends.
In 1976, Throbbing Gristle played an early concert at London's Institute of Contemporary Art during a COUM exhibition called "Prostitution." On display were pornographic photos of COUM member Cosey Fanni Tutti, as well as used tampons, syringes and bottled blood. The abject tableau shocked a conservative Member of Parliament into infamously declaring the group the "wreckers of civilization," a telling pronouncement (from a humorless suit who could have been one of P-Orridge's former schoolmates). What kind of civilization was so brittle its foundation could be cracked by nudity and filth?
YouTube
With COUM, Throbbing Gristle and, later, the more pop-oriented band Psychic TV, as well as their abundant visual art, P-Orridge applied the cut-and-paste creative techniques of William S. Burroughs and the occult philosophies of Aleister Crowley to cultural work that aimed to corrupt and unsettle the habits of normative society. They took symbolic violence as a creation rite: On the harrowing track "Slug Bait," from Throbbing Gristle's 1977 debut album The Second Annual Report, P-Orridge sings from the perspective of a home intruder who castrates a husband and then eats the fetus from his pregnant wife's lacerated abdomen. Their thin, androgynous voice quavers over distorted electronics orchestrated by their bandmates, breaking into occasional shrieks, as if they embodied both the murderer and the murdered at once.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
As the primary singer of Throbbing Gristle, P-Orridge's lyrics ran the gamut of the taboo. Mutilation, disease, suicide and rape populated their songs, whose wry darkness grappled with what the world can do to the body, and what the body can do to stake its claim to survival in a toxic environs. The band's irreverent and darkly playful stance toward the horrors of life under post-industrial capitalism echoes in generations of musicians, from Depeche Mode and New Order to Death Grips and Pharmakon, who found symbiosis in the relationship between body and machine. If capitalism wears out the bodies of workers until they can be brutally disposed, industrial music appropriates the sounds of factories, machinery, and cities in a vision of spiritual resistance to systemic oppression.
A peer of Fakir Musafar, the American artist who led the modern primitive movement, a ritualistic body modification subculture, in the latter half of the 20th century, P-Orridge conceived of their own body as a canvas in a lifelong artistic project. They were extensively pierced and tattooed before such modifications became commonplace, and partook in performance rituals involving risky self-harm. "I have to make at least one cut on myself, and it has to be a cut that will scar, no matter how small," they said in an interview for Re/Search's 1989 book Modern Primitives. Like Musafar, P-Orridge sought the kind of visceral meaning that white, Western culture can lack, often by appropriating visual language (like tribal tattoos and dreadlocks) from black and indigenous cultures. "I was looking for some kind of devotion and holiness, but in a contemporary way, I was trying to rediscover what it is in our culture that's been taken from us," they said in 1994. Their sampling practice, which drew from fascist imagery, was ravenous, its results often bewildering as well as exhilarating. As much as P-Orridge's work sought to enact symbolic violence against whiteness, it also replicated colonialist weapons like cultural appropriation without explicitly challenging them.
YouTube
Like many transgender artists, P-Orridge was known as much for their transition as their art; unlike most of their trans peers and successors, they saw no hard line between the two. Identity was not peripheral to their practice. In the late '90s, after moving from England to New York and marrying the dominatrix Jacqueline Breyer, P-Orridge and their wife began what they called the Pandrogeny Project — a lifelong journey toward becoming one being. Both P-Orridge and Breyer pursued cosmetic surgery to resemble each other. For P-Orridge, the project constituted a de facto gender transition in accordance with the androgyny they'd long felt. "S/he will be laid to rest with h/er other half, Jaqueline 'Lady Jaye' Breyer who left us in 2007, where they will be re-united," P-Orridge's daughters wrote in their Saturday statement. For both, it was a spiritual transformation, and a way of displacing heteronormative expectations. "Instead of having children... what if we made ourselves the new person instead?," P-Orridge asks in The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, Marie Losier's 2011 documentary about the project.
P-Orridge brazenly questioned power — but they also seemed to have reveled in it. In her 2017 autobiography Art Sex Music, Cosey Fanni Tutti details the harrowing physical, emotional and sexual abuse she says she endured from P-Orridge while the two were romantic and creative partners in the 1970s. (P-Orridge has denied the allegations.) Several former members of Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, the "anti-cult" P-Orridge headed while in Psychic TV in the 1980s, have described them as an exploitative and domineering leader who actively sought out vulnerable teenagers to bring into their fold.
YouTube
Even in death, P-Orridge and their legacy resist an uncomplicated summary. Their life's work troubles the line between oppressor and oppressed, sacred and profane, male and female, individual and collective, sublime and grotesque. They suffered, confronted, and also recreated and projected the violence this world wields against those deemed defective or excessive. A complex and overflowing figure, they leave behind words, images and music that have proved vital to the reimagining of pop music and gender alike. So many of us are better for the rot they inflicted on an environment that tried to snuff them out. So many of us — artists, musicians, and badly gendered truth-seekers — have thrived in their stain. They have left behind a pregnant body of work charged with confusion, contradiction, hideousness, and beauty. Even their absence shivers, electric.