npr--2020-10-21--Dozens Of Artifacts Apparently Vandalized At Berlin's Museums

Statues and Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi are among about 70 objects that have been damaged with an oily substance at several of Berlin 's major museums .
Police , who believe vandalism to be the cause , are unsure of the motive .
But German media is speculating a link to a conspiracy theory propagated by coronavirus deniers .
Christina Haak , the deputy director general of Berlin State Museums , told reporters Wednesday that the incident amounts to the greatest damage to the museums ' artefacts since World War II .
It wo n't be possible to judge the extent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been done , Haak said .
She added that state-owned objects are not insured , and that three or four of the items damaged were on loan from other museums .
Carsten Pfohl , the head of Berlin Police 's Art Crime Unit , said the damage took place while the museums were open on Oct. 3 .
That day was the 30th anniversary of German Reunification , a holiday that drew thousands of visitors to museums .
Whether the anniversary is of significance to the crime is unclear , and there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ objects damaged .
`` This is a variety of objects that do not have any immediate connection in terms of context , '' Pfohl said .
`` We have no self-incriminating letter or anything like that , so we have to assume for now that the motive is completely unclear . ''
News only broke of the damage on Tuesday night , more than two weeks later , after police sent emails to visitors who 'd booked their tickets online in an appeal for witnesses .
Pfohl said his unit waited before making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and because they wanted to analyze the clear , oily , non-corrosive substance first .
He added that security camera footage has not yielded any leads .
Pfohl would not comment on press speculation about the possible involvement of conspiracy theorists .
However , the weekly broadsheet Die Zeit and public radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk , which broke the news together , were the first to draw a link between the vandalism and conspiracy theorists .
One of the conspiracy theorists who 's gathered a large following of coronavirus deniers , Attila Hildmann , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Telegram channel that the Pergamon Museum is the center of a 'global Satanism scene ' which , his followers allege , Chancellor Angela Merkel has been using for 'human sacrifices , ' noting that she lives opposite the Museum .
Germany 's Federal Culture Minister , Monika Grütters , condemned the destruction but criticized Berlin 's state museums for lax security measures , particularly the lack of surveillance cameras .
Three years ago , thieves stole a giant , 220 pound gold coin from the Bode Museum after entering through a staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missing .
Over the past few months , police have also been investigating damage to columns on the Museum Island , a UNESCO site and home to the Pergamon Museum , the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Neues Museum , where the recent attack on artworks took place .

Dozens Of Artifacts Apparently Vandalized At Berlin's Museums
Enlarge this image toggle caption Markus Schreiber/AP Markus Schreiber/AP
Statues and Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi are among about 70 objects that have been damaged with an oily substance at several of Berlin's major museums.
Police, who believe vandalism to be the cause, are unsure of the motive. But German media is speculating a link to a conspiracy theory propagated by coronavirus deniers.
Christina Haak, the deputy director general of Berlin State Museums, told reporters Wednesday that the incident amounts to the greatest damage to the museums' artefacts since World War II.
It won't be possible to judge the extent of the damage until the restauration work has been done, Haak said. She added that state-owned objects are not insured, and that three or four of the items damaged were on loan from other museums.
Carsten Pfohl, the head of Berlin Police's Art Crime Unit, said the damage took place while the museums were open on Oct. 3. That day was the 30th anniversary of German Reunification, a holiday that drew thousands of visitors to museums. Whether the anniversary is of significance to the crime is unclear, and there appears to be no link between the objects damaged.
"This is a variety of objects that do not have any immediate connection in terms of context," Pfohl said. "We have no self-incriminating letter or anything like that, so we have to assume for now that the motive is completely unclear."
News only broke of the damage on Tuesday night, more than two weeks later, after police sent emails to visitors who'd booked their tickets online in an appeal for witnesses.
Pfohl said his unit waited before making the damage public for security reasons, and because they wanted to analyze the clear, oily, non-corrosive substance first. He added that security camera footage has not yielded any leads.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Markus Schreiber/AP Markus Schreiber/AP
Pfohl would not comment on press speculation about the possible involvement of conspiracy theorists. However, the weekly broadsheet Die Zeit and public radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, which broke the news together, were the first to draw a link between the vandalism and conspiracy theorists.
One of the conspiracy theorists who's gathered a large following of coronavirus deniers, Attila Hildmann, has claimed a number of times on his Telegram channel that the Pergamon Museum is the center of a 'global Satanism scene' which, his followers allege, Chancellor Angela Merkel has been using for 'human sacrifices,' noting that she lives opposite the Museum.
Germany's Federal Culture Minister, Monika Grütters, condemned the destruction but criticized Berlin's state museums for lax security measures, particularly the lack of surveillance cameras. Three years ago, thieves stole a giant, 220 pound gold coin from the Bode Museum after entering through a staff room window. The coin is still missing.
Over the past few months, police have also been investigating damage to columns on the Museum Island, a UNESCO site and home to the Pergamon Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Neues Museum, where the recent attack on artworks took place.


npr--2020-10-21--Pope Francis Calls For Same-Sex Civil Union Law In New Documentary

Pope Francis Calls For Same-Sex Civil Union Law In New Documentary Pope Francis has called for legislation to protect same-sex couples , according to comments he made in a new documentary that mark a break from Catholic doctrine .
`` Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family .
They are children of God and have a right to a family , '' the pope said in an interview in the documentary Francesco , which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival .
`` What we have to create is a civil union law .
That way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted he has stood up for civil unions before , but his remarks in the documentary go beyond what he has said previously and sharply diverge from the view of his predecessors .
LGBTQ rights groups hailed the comments as a major step , but , along with conservative religious groups , they raised questions about the context of the quotes delivered in a movie and how much weight the comments held .
Before he became the pontiff , then-Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Bergoglio opposed same-sex marriage legislation but supported some level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shortly after becoming pope in 2013 , he made big headlines when asked about reports of gays in the clergy , Francis answered , `` If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will , who am I to judge ? ''
It was a shift in tone from traditional Catholic teaching .
In 2003 , the Vatican 's office on doctrine — under the leadership of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger , the future Pope Benedict XVI — taught that `` respect for homosexual persons can not lead in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or to legal recognition of homosexual unions . ''
Placing them on the same level as marriage , it added , would mean approval of `` deviant behavior . ''
DignityUSA , an organization representing LGBTQ Catholics , said it is `` cautiously optimistic '' but that the group wants to see the remarks in context and hear the Vatican 's response .
`` If this statement is allowed to stand , this could be a global game changer for gay and lesbian people , for same sex couples , for LGBTQ people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to have to see where it lands , '' Marianne Duddy-Burke , DignityUSA 's executive director , told NPR .
`` I 'm very conscious of the tremendous impact that this could have , particularly for queer people in countries where there are no legal protections at this point , where they are very much subject to violence and to social marginalization , '' Duddy-Burke said .
in a tweet following the news , Alphonso David , president of the Human Rights Campaign , said , `` This is a significant step @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic Church , letting LGBTQ Catholics know that being a person of faith and being LGBTQ are not mutually exclusive . ''
But the pope 's latest comments drew some criticism .
The remarks are a form of `` pastoral outreach , '' said Bill Donohue , president of the U.S.-based Catholic League , a conservative group .
`` It 's not going to change doctrine .
He does n't have the authority to do that anyhow . ''
He continued , `` I think it 's going to be greeted with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the laity .
...
I think the lack of clarity is the most disturbing thing about this . ''
The documentary , by filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky , tackles many of the issues championed by Pope Francis such as climate change , income inequality , interfaith relations and migrant rights .
In another remark in the film that could stir controversy among U.S. conservatives , Francis condemns the Trump administration 's policy on family separation at the southern border .
`` It 's cruelty , and separating kids from parents goes against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , adding that `` it 's something a Christian can not do . ''
That 's an echo of the pope 's past criticism , in 2016 , of then-candidate Donald Trump 's campaign promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border .

Pope Francis Calls For Same-Sex Civil Union Law In New Documentary
Enlarge this image toggle caption Gregorio Borgia/AP Gregorio Borgia/AP
Updated at 2:42 p.m. ET
Pope Francis has called for legislation to protect same-sex couples, according to comments he made in a new documentary that mark a break from Catholic doctrine.
"Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They are children of God and have a right to a family," the pope said in an interview in the documentary Francesco, which premiered Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival. "What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered."
Francis noted he has stood up for civil unions before, but his remarks in the documentary go beyond what he has said previously and sharply diverge from the view of his predecessors. LGBTQ rights groups hailed the comments as a major step, but, along with conservative religious groups, they raised questions about the context of the quotes delivered in a movie and how much weight the comments held.
Before he became the pontiff, then-Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Bergoglio opposed same-sex marriage legislation but supported some level of legal protection for same-sex couples.
Shortly after becoming pope in 2013, he made big headlines when asked about reports of gays in the clergy, Francis answered, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"
It was a shift in tone from traditional Catholic teaching.
In 2003, the Vatican's office on doctrine — under the leadership of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI — taught that "respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions." Placing them on the same level as marriage, it added, would mean approval of "deviant behavior."
Advocacy groups representing LGBTQ people welcomed Francis' new remarks.
DignityUSA, an organization representing LGBTQ Catholics, said it is "cautiously optimistic" but that the group wants to see the remarks in context and hear the Vatican's response.
"If this statement is allowed to stand, this could be a global game changer for gay and lesbian people, for same sex couples, for LGBTQ people broadly. I think we're just going to have to see where it lands," Marianne Duddy-Burke, DignityUSA's executive director, told NPR.
"I'm very conscious of the tremendous impact that this could have, particularly for queer people in countries where there are no legal protections at this point, where they are very much subject to violence and to social marginalization," Duddy-Burke said.
in a tweet following the news, Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said, "This is a significant step forward for inclusion and acceptance in the Catholic Church, letting LGBTQ Catholics know that being a person of faith and being LGBTQ are not mutually exclusive."
But the pope's latest comments drew some criticism.
The remarks are a form of "pastoral outreach," said Bill Donohue, president of the U.S.-based Catholic League, a conservative group. "It's not going to change doctrine. He doesn't have the authority to do that anyhow."
He continued, "I think it's going to be greeted with a great deal of mass confusion on the part of the laity. ... I think the lack of clarity is the most disturbing thing about this."
The documentary, by filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky, tackles many of the issues championed by Pope Francis such as climate change, income inequality, interfaith relations and migrant rights.
In another remark in the film that could stir controversy among U.S. conservatives, Francis condemns the Trump administration's policy on family separation at the southern border.
"It's cruelty, and separating kids from parents goes against natural rights," the pope said, adding that "it's something a Christian cannot do."
That's an echo of the pope's past criticism, in 2016, of then-candidate Donald Trump's campaign promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.


npr--2020-10-21--Oil Jobs Are Big Risk, Big Pay. Green Energy Offers Stability And Passion

In 2008 , Daimon Rhea moved to Utah to find work in the oil fields .
He did n't have any experience — and he did n't need any .
`` I was out there for two days and I had a job making about $ 30 an hour , '' he says .
He started as a roughneck , doing hard physical labor on drilling sites , and easily pulled in double what he could have earned back home in California .
`` I was able to turn my life around , '' Rhea says .
It was n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a single dad — but Rhea was making great money .
But he started to get weary of the repeated rounds of layoffs as the industry went through its boom and bust cycles .
Rhea eventually walked away from the high pay of the oil fields and found work in construction instead .
`` I was tired of living by just the cost of a barrel , '' he says .
`` My life depended on how much that barrel cost . ''
Oil and gas jobs are lucrative but volatile .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers without college degrees , but they can disappear at the drop of a spot price .
Energy jobs have become a major issue in the 2020 campaign , with climate change likely to be a topic in the debate Thursday between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden .
Trump has repeatedly vowed to defend oil and gas jobs against efforts to reduce carbon emissions .
Meanwhile , Biden is promising to shift away from fossil fuels and create new `` clean energy '' jobs in renewable electricity and energy efficiency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether you 're working in oil or clean energy .
Huge layoffs have shrunk the workforce across both sectors by more than 15 percent .
But millions of Americans are still employed in the energy sector , and a major transition in how we power our economic would affect what jobs are available .
Clean energy jobs pay better than the typical U.S. job , up to 25 % more or some $ 2- $ 5 more per hour , according to recent research from Brookings and an upcoming report commissioned by E2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 40 % over the median , according to the U.S. Energy and Employment Report — and extraction jobs on drilling sites pay nearly double the national median , according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics .
However , clean energy jobs are also less volatile , says Julia Pollak , a labor economist at job postings site Ziprecruiter .
`` You just have a straight sort of linear trend in most of those occupations over time , not the wild fluctuations that you see in oil , '' she says .
Jobs in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easier to cool and heat — have historically been relatively stable , too .
That 's the main reason Chris Martinez got into the industry nine years ago .
He had been a roofer , and was frustrated with the seasonal nature of that work .
Like Rhea in the Utah oil fields , he turned to a job that did n't require any expertise to start out .
`` I 'd never stepped foot in an attic , '' he says , laughing .
`` I did n't know what ductwork was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his new industry .
And , he says , it 's nice to work for a company driven by a passion for sustainability .
Pollak of ZipRecruiter says that sense of purpose is used by clean energy companies to recruit workers .
In job postings , `` the overall goal and mission of these jobs is really clear , '' she says .
`` Very aspirational goals to save the planet . ''
Joe Green , who grew up in Pennsylvania coal country , understands firsthand the power of an environmental mission .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ says coal raised , fed and educated him .
The devastation it created surrounded him , too .
Green had worked in wind energy for years , then briefly had a stint hauling coal .
One day , he got a phone call while he was sitting in his truck , right after finishing a run .
`` Close your eyes and imagine , '' he says .
`` Here 's this truck that is on top of a big , black bank ... there 's the spoil piles to the north .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that burns the waste coal .
There 's a crusher there , dust everywhere .
It 's just dirty . ''
He could see the local damage done by the industry — streams that had been dead his whole life , but which he had to imagine were beautiful once .
He could n't see the carbon emissions , but he thought about them , too .
He thought about it a lot .
He picked up the phone .
It was a colleague calling to ask if he 'd be interested in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time .
It was n't a hard choice for him .
Other workers in fossil fuel industries , though , might be facing the more difficult decision to accept lower pay — if they can even find a new job .
But Rhea , the former oil worker who started a new career in construction , sees the energy landscape shifting .
He encourages his former colleagues to get creative instead of getting angry .
`` It 's like they 're mailmen getting mad at email , '' he says .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adapt . ''

Oil Jobs Are Big Risk, Big Pay. Green Energy Offers Stability And Passion
Enlarge this image toggle caption Justin Sullivan and Spencer Platt/Getty Images Justin Sullivan and Spencer Platt/Getty Images
In 2008, Daimon Rhea moved to Utah to find work in the oil fields. He didn't have any experience — and he didn't need any.
"I was out there for two days and I had a job making about $30 an hour," he says. He started as a roughneck, doing hard physical labor on drilling sites, and easily pulled in double what he could have earned back home in California.
"I was able to turn my life around," Rhea says.
It wasn't easy — the hours were rough as a single dad — but Rhea was making great money.
But he started to get weary of the repeated rounds of layoffs as the industry went through its boom and bust cycles. Rhea eventually walked away from the high pay of the oil fields and found work in construction instead.
"I was tired of living by just the cost of a barrel," he says. "My life depended on how much that barrel cost."
Oil and gas jobs are lucrative but volatile. They can create incredible opportunities, particularly for workers without college degrees, but they can disappear at the drop of a spot price.
Energy jobs have become a major issue in the 2020 campaign, with climate change likely to be a topic in the debate Thursday between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to defend oil and gas jobs against efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Meanwhile, Biden is promising to shift away from fossil fuels and create new "clean energy" jobs in renewable electricity and energy efficiency.
For now, times are tough whether you're working in oil or clean energy. Huge layoffs have shrunk the workforce across both sectors by more than 15 percent.
But millions of Americans are still employed in the energy sector, and a major transition in how we power our economy would affect what jobs are available.
Clean energy jobs pay better than the typical U.S. job, up to 25% more or some $2-$5 more per hour, according to recent research from Brookings and an new report commissioned by a group of clean energy organizations.
But petroleum jobs pay more like 40% over the median, according to the U.S. Energy and Employment Report — and extraction jobs on drilling sites pay nearly double the national median, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, clean energy jobs are also less volatile, says Julia Pollak, a labor economist at job postings site Ziprecruiter.
Politics Joe Biden Lays Out His Clean Energy Plan Joe Biden Lays Out His Clean Energy Plan Listen · 5:25 5:25
"You just have a straight sort of linear trend in most of those occupations over time, not the wild fluctuations that you see in oil," she says.
Jobs in energy efficiency — working to make buildings easier to cool and heat — have historically been relatively stable, too.
That's the main reason Chris Martinez got into the industry nine years ago. He had been a roofer, and was frustrated with the seasonal nature of that work. Like Rhea in the Utah oil fields, he turned to a job that didn't require any expertise to start out.
"I'd never stepped foot in an attic," he says, laughing. "I didn't know what ductwork was."
Martinez appreciates the stability of his new industry. And, he says, it's nice to work for a company driven by a passion for sustainability.
Pollak of ZipRecruiter says that sense of purpose is used by clean energy companies to recruit workers. In job postings, "the overall goal and mission of these jobs is really clear," she says. "Very aspirational goals to save the planet."
Joe Green, who grew up in Pennsylvania coal country, understands firsthand the power of an environmental mission. His grandfather was a miner; he says coal raised, fed and educated him. The devastation it created surrounded him, too.
Green had worked in wind energy for years, then briefly had a stint hauling coal. One day, he got a phone call while he was sitting in his truck, right after finishing a run.
"Close your eyes and imagine," he says. "Here's this truck that is on top of a big, black bank ... there's the spoil piles to the north. To the south is the co-generation plant that burns the waste coal. There's a crusher there, dust everywhere. It's just dirty."
He could see the local damage done by the industry — streams that had been dead his whole life, but which he had to imagine were beautiful once. He couldn't see the carbon emissions, but he thought about them, too. He thought about it a lot.
He picked up the phone. It was a colleague calling to ask if he'd be interested in getting back into renewables — solar, this time. It wasn't a hard choice for him.
Other workers in fossil fuel industries, though, might be facing the more difficult decision to accept lower pay — if they can even find a new job.
But Rhea, the former oil worker who started a new career in construction, sees the energy landscape shifting. He encourages his former colleagues to get creative instead of getting angry.
"It's like they're mailmen getting mad at email," he says. "Times are changing. You have to adapt."
NPR's Adedayo Akala contributed to this report.


npr--2020-10-21--'Hope Is Lost' As Police Open Fire On Pro-Reform Protesters In Lagos, Nigeria

'Hope Is Lost ' As Police Open Fire On Pro-Reform Protesters In Lagos , Nigeria This morning , human rights activist Rinu Oduala could still hear gunfire outside her house in Lagos , Nigeria .
`` I ca n't even describe it , '' she said , growing emotional .
`` It seems like our whole hope is lost . ''
Oduala has been on the streets of Nigeria with thousands of other young people for about two weeks now .
They had been peacefully protesting for an end to police brutality .
But on Monday night and into Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire .
The government declared a curfew for 24 hours in Lagos , saying all protesters had to go home by 4 p.m. local time .
( The Lagos government announced later that enforcement of the curfew should not begin until 9 p.m. local time . )
Demonstrators were still on streets after 4 p.m. By the time the sun was setting , uniformed security forces opened fire on a huge gathering at Lagos ' iconic Lekki bridge .
Live streams on Instagram from musicians who had been supporting the protests showed scores @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to each other 's wounds and crying for help .
In a statement on Twitter , the governor of Lagos , Babajide Sanwo-Olu , said about two dozen people had been injured and at least one person was killed , not from a gunshot wound but from `` blunt for trauma to the head . ''
Amnesty International said it had received credible reports that protesters had died during the siege .
`` There are no excuses for the unfortunate incident that took place last night , and as the Governor , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he wrote on Twitter .
The attack on protesters was also condemned by human rights groups and the spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General , who called for an `` end to reported police brutality and abuses . ''
Nigeria 's president , Muhammadu Buhari , did not address the nation .
But Senator Ita Enang , one of his close advisors , went on national television to defend the actions of security forces .
He said the government has been trying to accommodate the demands of protesters but that they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We are working hard that the situation does n't deteriorate and this will be perhaps the last bloodshed , '' he said .
Young protesters first took the streets almost two weeks ago after a video showing a brutal police shooting went viral .
They demanded the abolition of a notorious and corrupt anti-robbery police squad known as SARS , and days into the protest , Buhari ordered the unit disbanded .
But protesters , who had heard similar promises before , said they wanted prosecutions and an end to corruption .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the largest Nigeria has seen since the 1980s , when people took the streets to denounce military rule .
On some recent days , Lagos , a metropolis of 14 million people , came to standstill .
`` Police brutality was just the trigger for these protests , '' said Cheta Nwanze , a political analyst and lead partner at the consultancy SBM Intelligence .
He notes that in the past few years , Nigeria 's unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 27 percent ; the underemployment rate is just as high .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy another blow .
A huge proportion of young people — many of whom are college educated — have been lingering at home without any prospects .
Nwanze says now , it 's all boiling over .
`` So we have frustration that has built up and has basically come to a head , '' he said .
Oduala , the human rights activist , says that as Nigerians from across the country joined the protests , they became about everyone 's frustrations .
`` It has become so many things for so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` It has become bad governance .
It has become unemployment in the country .
It has become the government refusing to operate in democracy . ''
She said they had hoped these protests could bring about meaningful change in Nigeria .
But , now , all of that is gone .
The government of Nigeria has said it is ready to draft reforms .
But as the sun rose Wednesday on Lagos , anger erupted on the streets .
Hordes of young people set the Nigerian Ports Authority building on fire ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the traditional kings of Lagos .
Across the city , cars and federal buildings were set on fire .

'Hope Is Lost' As Police Open Fire On Pro-Reform Protesters In Lagos, Nigeria
Enlarge this image toggle caption Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images
This morning, human rights activist Rinu Oduala could still hear gunfire outside her house in Lagos, Nigeria.
"I can't even describe it," she said, growing emotional. "It seems like our whole hope is lost."
Oduala has been on the streets of Nigeria with thousands of other young people for about two weeks now. They had been peacefully protesting for an end to police brutality. But on Monday night and into Tuesday, mobs set multiple police stations on fire. The government declared a curfew for 24 hours in Lagos, saying all protesters had to go home by 4 p.m. local time. (The Lagos government announced later that enforcement of the curfew should not begin until 9 p.m. local time.)
Demonstrators were still on streets after 4 p.m. By the time the sun was setting, uniformed security forces opened fire on a huge gathering at Lagos' iconic Lekki bridge.
Live streams on Instagram from musicians who had been supporting the protests showed scores injured, and demonstrators trying to tend to each other's wounds and crying for help. In a statement on Twitter, the governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said about two dozen people had been injured and at least one person was killed, not from a gunshot wound but from "blunt for trauma to the head."
Amnesty International said it had received credible reports that protesters had died during the siege.
"There are no excuses for the unfortunate incident that took place last night, and as the Governor, I apologize for every action & inaction," he wrote on Twitter.
The attack on protesters was also condemned by human rights groups and the spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, who called for an "end to reported police brutality and abuses."
Nigeria's president, Muhammadu Buhari, did not address the nation. But Senator Ita Enang, one of his close advisors, went on national television to defend the actions of security forces.
He said the government has been trying to accommodate the demands of protesters but that they were also intent on restoring public order.
"We are working hard that the situation doesn't deteriorate and this will be perhaps the last bloodshed," he said.
Young protesters first took the streets almost two weeks ago after a video showing a brutal police shooting went viral. They demanded the abolition of a notorious and corrupt anti-robbery police squad known as SARS, and days into the protest, Buhari ordered the unit disbanded. But protesters, who had heard similar promises before, said they wanted prosecutions and an end to corruption.
So, the protests instead grew into the largest Nigeria has seen since the 1980s, when people took the streets to denounce military rule. On some recent days, Lagos, a metropolis of 14 million people, came to standstill.
"Police brutality was just the trigger for these protests," said Cheta Nwanze, a political analyst and lead partner at the consultancy SBM Intelligence.
He notes that in the past few years, Nigeria's unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 27 percent; the underemployment rate is just as high. The pandemic then delivered an already ailing oil economy another blow. A huge proportion of young people — many of whom are college educated — have been lingering at home without any prospects.
Nwanze says now, it's all boiling over.
"So we have frustration that has built up and has basically come to a head," he said.
Oduala, the human rights activist, says that as Nigerians from across the country joined the protests, they became about everyone's frustrations.
"It has become so many things for so many Nigerians," she said. "It has become bad governance. It has become unemployment in the country. It has become the government refusing to operate in democracy."
She said they had hoped these protests could bring about meaningful change in Nigeria. But, now, all of that is gone.
The government of Nigeria has said it is ready to draft reforms. But as the sun rose Wednesday on Lagos, anger erupted on the streets. Hordes of young people set the Nigerian Ports Authority building on fire; others ransacked the palace of one of the traditional kings of Lagos. Across the city, cars and federal buildings were set on fire.


npr--2020-10-22--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

Coronavirus World Map : Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak On Sept. 28 , the world marked a tragic milestone : 1 million deaths from COVID-19 .
That 's according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University .
And public health experts believe the actual toll – the recorded deaths plus the unrecorded deaths – is much higher .
While the number of cases has slowed in many countries that were hit hard early on by coronavirus , the number of new cases continues to increase .
Since early July , new daily cases averaged over 200,000 worldwide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January .
At over 8 million cases , the United States leads the world 's COVID-19 crisis .
In late spring and early summer , new COVID-19 cases were largely driven by cases in the Americas .
While the U.S. has consistently had the most new daily cases of coronavirus in the region , Brazil 's new daily cases increased rapidly between May and August .
However , in September , several countries that had previously flattened their curve saw a resurgence in cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , daily case counts have risen swiftly since June , without signs of slowing down .
Explore how the number of coronavirus cases have shifted in different parts of the world over time .
The first chart compares each continent to each other , while the next charts highlight the number of cases in select countries by region .
To compare country outbreaks , the chart below graphs trend lines for average new daily cases and deaths against each country 's totals to date .
This type of visualization highlights a state 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case and death counts grow quickly , the curves bend upward .
As new cases and deaths slow , the curves level or bend down .
In countries like Israel , which is seeing a second wave of case growth after an initial wave in April , the line forms a V-shape , as the initially bent curve spikes upwards again .
Click here to see the state-by-state breakdown of cases in the United States .
This story was originally published on @ @ @ @ @

Coronavirus world map: We've now passed the 600 million mark for infections
Editor's note: This page is no longer being updated. The last update was Sept. 5, 2022. For current data about COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world, Johns Hopkins University and Our World in Data are useful resources.
In late January 2020 only a few dozen COVID-19 infections had been identified outside of China. A year later, the world tallied its first 100 million cases. It took the globe just 7 more months to pass the 200 million mark— then another 5 months to hit 300 million, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Now the virus has spread to every corner of the globe and has been blamed for more than 6 million deaths.
The United States, India and Brazil in that order have had the most COVID cases and the three nations collectively account for almost half of all recorded infections so far in the pandemic.
Explore the chart below to find a country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January 2020.
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Explore how the number of coronavirus cases have shifted in different parts of the world over time. The first chart compares each continent to each other, while the next charts highlight the number of cases in select countries by region.
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This story was originally published on March 30, 2020.


npr--2020-10-22--Coronavirus Maps: How Severe Is Your State's Outbreak?

Coronavirus Maps : How Severe Is Your State 's Outbreak ?
More than 8 million people in the U.S. have been infected with the coronavirus and more than 220,000 have died .
Tens of thousands of new cases are reported daily nationwide .
In the graphics below , explore the trends in your state .
View the data via a heat map ( immediately below ) , curve charts , a table of state-by-state trends over four weeks , or a map of total cases and deaths .
The map above shows the risk of infection in each state based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These color-coded risk levels were developed by a consortium of researchers and public health experts .
The group advises states in the red category to issue stay-home orders .
Orange states may need to consider stay-home orders , along with increased testing and contact tracing .
Yellow states need to keep up social distancing and mask usage , and both yellow and green states should continue testing and contact tracing .
To compare state outbreaks , the chart above graphs trend lines for average new daily cases and deaths against each state 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visualization highlights a state 's daily growth or decline relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case and death counts grow quickly , the curves bend upward .
As new cases and deaths slow , the curves level or bend down .
In New York , the curve rose sharply before reaching over 170,000 total cases in April .
Since then , new cases have fallen from about 10,000 per day in mid-April to over 1,000 per day in mid October .
Explore the map above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the country for both new confirmed cases and reported deaths from COVID-19 .
New York was the original epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. As of mid October , California , Florida and Texas surpass New York for total cases to date , though New York still has the highest death total .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths .
To show trends , the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state , week over week for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shades of red have growing outbreaks ; those in shades of green , are declining .
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources , including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; the World Health Organization ; national , state and local government health departments ; 1point3acres ; and local media reports .
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies .
This may result in occasional data discrepancies on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anomalies and updates its feeds .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable at this time .
There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department 's website .
Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships .
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases and or update their methodologies .
For example , in early June , Michigan health authorities started including probable cases in its totals .
This resulted in a brief spike in the state 's daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reconcile the historical data .
On June 25 , New Jersey included 1,854 previously-unreported probable deaths in its totals , resulting in a spike in the state 's daily death numbers .
On Sept. 2 , Massachusetts changed its methodology for counting probable cases , which lowered its overall case and death numbers .
The JHU team maintains a list of such changes .
This story was originally published on March 16 , 2020 .
Elena Renken was a co-author on that version .
Sean McMinn contributed to and Carmel Wroth edited @ @ @

Tracking the coronavirus around the U.S.: See how your state is doing
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Note: This page was last updated on Feb. 1, 2023. It will no longer be updated. For current data on COVID cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Feb. 1, there have been more than 101 million confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. and more than 1 million people have died of COVID-19. In the graphics below, explore the trends in your state.
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The above charts show average new cases per 100,000 people for each state over the last 12 months.
Note: Actual cases may be substantially higher, since many who test positive with at-home tests don't report their cases.
For additional data about COVID-19 in the U.S, including cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
To show trends, the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state, week over week for the last 28 days. States marked in shades of red have growing outbreaks; those in shades of green, are declining.
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Methodology
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the World Health Organization; national, state and local government health departments; 1point3acres; and local media reports.
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies. This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this page as the JHU team resolves anomalies and updates its feeds. There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department's website. Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships.
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases, process testing backlogs or update their methodologies. The JHU team maintains a list of such changes.
This story was originally published on March 16, 2020. Elena Renken was a co-author on that version. Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story. Carmel Wroth edited this story.


npr--2020-10-22--For-Profit Nursing Homes' Pleas For Government Money Brings Scrutiny

Nursing homes have been overwhelmed by the coronavirus .
Residents account for more than a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths nationwide .
The industry says that facilities have also been overwhelmed by costs , and they 're asking for billions in aid from the federal government .
But recent studies suggest that for-profit ownership may have endangered residents by skimping on care , while funneling cash to owners and investors .
A chain of Midwestern nursing homes called Aperion Care provides a good example of the way for-profit nursing homes are run and why that business model is is coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
Their 45 facilities , mostly in Illinois and Indiana , get low ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ( CMS ) , the federal agency that regulates nursing homes .
Out of a possible 5 stars , most Aperion Care homes get just one or 2 .
They also get low marks for nurse staffing .
Those conditions create a daily struggle , says a nursing assistant in one of their Illinois facilities .
We 're not using her name because she 's afraid she 'll be fired for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our floors has 65 people and they expect three or four of us to [ provide care for them ] on our own , '' she says .
`` We need at least six or seven people . ''
These conditions make her sad .
She thinks of the residents as family .
Some of them she 's known for years and they 've only grown closer during the months when visitors were banned .
But the short-staffing is an insurmountable obstacle .
She recalls the time she arrived for her morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistant had been on duty on her floor overnight .
`` No one 's changed .
No one 's ready for breakfast . ''
She and her coworkers had 2 hours to get all the residents up and ready for the day .
`` You 're going to think , 'how do you have enough time to do that ? '
Her answer : `` Someone is not getting care .
It 's impossible . ''
Charlene Harrington , professor emerita of Social Behavioral Sciences at the University of California , San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are for-profit and low staffing is common .
`` They 're trying to make money , '' she says .
`` And the main way to make money is to keep labor costs low . ''
But Fred Frankel , Aperion Care 's general counsel , complains that it 's hard to find nursing staff in some areas .
He justifies the chain 's low ratings by saying they 've taken over some troubled facilities that were in danger of closing .
And he argues that the government 's star rating system does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing home .
Charlene Harrington contends that low ratings , especially for nurse staffing , are a direct result of the for-profit business model .
`` It 's a deliberate strategy as part of making money , '' Harrington says .
`` And that means that they 're leaving their residents unprotected . ''
The pandemic has revealed that this strategy comes at a cost .
Studies looking at thousands of nursing homes across the country have connected for-profit ownership and low nurse staffing to increased coronavirus infections .
The nursing home industry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that concluded that outbreaks are largely caused by community spread of COVID-19 outside of nursing homes .
The experience of Aperion Care suggests all of those studies may be right .
Illinois records show that some of their rural facilities have had few if any cases of COVID-19 .
General Counsel Fred Frankel says they followed all federal and state guidelines .
But the homes that did have outbreaks appeared helpless to stop them .
A handful reported almost as many infections as they had beds .
Just 4 homes accounted for almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and CEO of the American Health Care Association , which mostly represents for-profit facilities , says they had n't faced a virus like this before , where people could be positive without showing symptoms .
`` The system did n't know how to react to it , '' says Parkinson , `` and unfortunately , mistakes were made . ''
When the crisis hit , he says , nursing homes did n't have the reserves to deal with it .
`` Nursing homes , for the most part across the country , were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parkinson means underfunded by the government , especially Medicaid .
In fact , most nursing home revenue comes from the taxpayers , through Medicaid and Medicare .
But it 's also the nursing home owners themselves who keep the operations lean .
You can see examples in financial documents that Aperion Care filed with the state of Illinois , says nursing home real estate appraiser , Jim Tellatin .
He reviewed some of of the records at NPR 's request .
`` Aperion has different entities that own the real estate and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Those two entities have essentially the same individual owners . ''
Tellatin says that some of those nursing homes are barely breaking even .
But the documents show that the owners could be doing just fine .
They 've paid themselves hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in annual rents for each building , though some of that could be going to pay mortgages .
But documents also show that the owners have stakes in companies that the nursing homes do business with : from consulting to insurance to therapy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money is kept in the family , so to speak .
This is a common arrangement in the industry , according to the American Health Care Association 's Mark Parkinson .
He says it 's absolutely necessary .
`` They do that for liability reasons , '' says Parkinson .
`` They want to separate the real estate , they want to separate the operation because there are so many lawsuits against nursing homes , that if you have everything combined , you put the entire operation at risk . ''
So if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wo n't be much for them to get .
The money 's in the real estate , says Jim Tellatin .
`` The real wealth generally in this industry is created through real estate and not so much through the [ nursing home ] operations .
You need the operations to generate increased value to your real estate and other assets of the business . ''
This system has worked out well for the industry , says Dr. Michael Wasserman , President of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And it allows the industry to complain that they need more money . ''
But now the system is showing cracks .
Occupancy rates are down , so there are fewer residents to bring in money .
At the same time , the costs for testing and protective equipment have risen .
In fact , the American Health Care Association warns that only about a quarter of their members can last more than a year without government help .
Nursing homes have already received about $ 7.5 billion from federal coronavirus relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funds .
Now the industry is asking for another $ 100 billion for all health care providers , with a `` significant '' amount of that going to nursing homes .
Michael Wasserman wants to know what they 'll do with the money if they get it .
`` What percentage of that funding is actually finding its way to direct patient care ?
To the front line staff ?
, '' he asks .
`` And what percentage has ultimately , for lack of a better word , literally been siphoned off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operations may be on the brink because of COVID-19 , says Wasserman , but the real estate they occupy is immune from the virus .

For-Profit Nursing Homes' Pleas For Government Money Brings Scrutiny
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty Images Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty Images
Nursing homes have been overwhelmed by the coronavirus. Residents account for more than a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths nationwide. The industry says that facilities have also been overwhelmed by costs, and they're asking for billions in aid from the federal government.
But recent studies suggest that for-profit ownership may have endangered residents by skimping on care, while funneling cash to owners and investors.
A chain of Midwestern nursing homes called Aperion Care provides a good example of the way for-profit nursing homes are run and why that business model is is coming under scrutiny in the wake of the pandemic. Their 45 facilities, mostly in Illinois and Indiana, get low ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), the federal agency that regulates nursing homes. Out of a possible 5 stars, most Aperion Care homes get just one or 2. They also get low marks for nurse staffing.
Those conditions create a daily struggle, says a nursing assistant in one of their Illinois facilities. We're not using her name because she's afraid she'll be fired for talking to the media.
"One of our floors has 65 people and they expect three or four of us to [provide care for them] on our own," she says. "We need at least six or seven people."
These conditions make her sad. She thinks of the residents as family. Some of them she's known for years and they've only grown closer during the months when visitors were banned. But the short-staffing is an insurmountable obstacle. She recalls the time she arrived for her morning shift and found just a single nursing assistant had been on duty on her floor overnight.
"No one's changed. No one's ready for breakfast." She and her coworkers had 2 hours to get all the residents up and ready for the day. "You're going to think, 'how do you have enough time to do that?' Her answer: "Someone is not getting care. It's impossible."
Charlene Harrington, professor emerita of Social Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, says 70% of nursing homes are for-profit and low staffing is common.
"They're trying to make money," she says. "And the main way to make money is to keep labor costs low."
But Fred Frankel, Aperion Care's general counsel, complains that it's hard to find nursing staff in some areas. He justifies the chain's low ratings by saying they've taken over some troubled facilities that were in danger of closing. And he argues that the government's star rating system doesn't always reflect the quality of a nursing home.
Charlene Harrington contends that low ratings, especially for nurse staffing, are a direct result of the for-profit business model.
"It's a deliberate strategy as part of making money," Harrington says. "And that means that they're leaving their residents unprotected."
The pandemic has revealed that this strategy comes at a cost. Studies looking at thousands of nursing homes across the country have connected for-profit ownership and low nurse staffing to increased coronavirus infections.
The nursing home industry rejects those studies and promotes earlier research that concluded that outbreaks are largely caused by community spread of COVID-19 outside of nursing homes.
The experience of Aperion Care suggests all of those studies may be right.
Illinois records show that some of their rural facilities have had few if any cases of COVID-19. General Counsel Fred Frankel says they followed all federal and state guidelines. But the homes that did have outbreaks appeared helpless to stop them. A handful reported almost as many infections as they had beds. Just 4 homes accounted for almost 80 deaths.
Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association, which mostly represents for-profit facilities, says they hadn't faced a virus like this before, where people could be positive without showing symptoms.
"The system didn't know how to react to it," says Parkinson, "and unfortunately, mistakes were made."
When the crisis hit, he says, nursing homes didn't have the reserves to deal with it. "Nursing homes, for the most part across the country, were underfunded coming into the pandemic."
Parkinson means underfunded by the government, especially Medicaid. In fact, most nursing home revenue comes from the taxpayers, through Medicaid and Medicare.
But it's also the nursing home owners themselves who keep the operations lean.
You can see examples in financial documents that Aperion Care filed with the state of Illinois, says nursing home real estate appraiser, Jim Tellatin. He reviewed some of of the records at NPR's request.
"Aperion has different entities that own the real estate and the operating companies," Tellatin says. "Those two entities have essentially the same individual owners."
Tellatin says that some of those nursing homes are barely breaking even. But the documents show that the owners could be doing just fine. They've paid themselves hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in annual rents for each building, though some of that could be going to pay mortgages. But documents also show that the owners have stakes in companies that the nursing homes do business with: from consulting to insurance to therapy to laundry. So a lot of the money is kept in the family, so to speak.
This is a common arrangement in the industry, according to the American Health Care Association's Mark Parkinson. He says it's absolutely necessary.
"They do that for liability reasons," says Parkinson.
"They want to separate the real estate, they want to separate the operation because there are so many lawsuits against nursing homes, that if you have everything combined, you put the entire operation at risk."
So if someone sues the nursing home, there won't be much for them to get. The money's in the real estate, says Jim Tellatin.
"The real wealth generally in this industry is created through real estate and not so much through the [nursing home] operations. You need the operations to generate increased value to your real estate and other assets of the business."
This system has worked out well for the industry, says Dr. Michael Wasserman, immediate past president of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine.
"The operations have a very low margin. And it allows the industry to complain that they need more money."
But now the system is showing cracks. Occupancy rates are down, so there are fewer residents to bring in money. At the same time, the costs for testing and protective equipment have risen.
In fact, the American Health Care Association warns that only about a quarter of their members can last more than a year without government help.
Nursing homes have already received about $7.5 billion from federal coronavirus relief legislation and billions more in Paycheck Protection funds. Now the industry is asking for another $100 billion for all health care providers, with a "significant" amount of that going to nursing homes. Michael Wasserman wants to know what they'll do with the money if they get it.
"What percentage of that funding is actually finding its way to direct patient care? To the front line staff?," he asks. "And what percentage has ultimately, for lack of a better word, literally been siphoned off to real estate?"
Nursing home operations may be on the brink because of COVID-19, says Wasserman, but the real estate they occupy is immune from the virus.


npr--2020-10-22--Hospital Bills For Uninsured COVID-19 Patients Are Covered, But No One Tells Them

Hospital Bills For Uninsured COVID-19 Patients Are Covered , But No One Tells Them When Darius Settles died from COVID-19 on the Fourth of July , his family and the city of Nashville were shocked .
Even the mayor noted the passing of a 30-year-old without any underlying conditions — one of the city 's youngest fatalities at that point .
Settles was also uninsured and had just been sent home from an emergency room for the second time and he was worried about medical bills .
An investigation into his death found that , like many uninsured COVID-19 patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost should n't be a concern .
Back at the end of June , Darius and his wife , Angela Settles , were both feeling ill with fevers and body aches .
Then Darius took a turn — bad enough that he asked his wife to call an ambulance .
`` My husband is having issues breathing and he 's weak , so we 're probably going to need a paramedic over here to rush him to the hospital , '' she told the operator , according to the 911 recordings obtained by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested for COVID-19 at the hospital , according to his medical records .
The doctor sent him home with antibiotics and instructions to come back if things got worse .
Three days later , they did .
And now he also knew he had COVID-19 ; his test results were in .
But Darius was also between full-time jobs , playing the organ at a church as he launched a career as a suit designer .
So he had no health insurance .
His wife , who works for Tennessee State University , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he went back to the hospital a second time ; she tried to reassure him '' He said , ' I bet this hospital bill is going to be high . '
And I said , 'Babe , it 's going to be OK. ' And we left it alone , just like that , '' she says .
When he returned to TriStar Southern Hills , owned by the for-profit hospital chain HCA , physicians tested his blood oxygen levels , which are usually a first sign that a COVID-19 patient is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 88 % .
An X-ray of his lungs `` appears worse , '' the physician wrote in the record .
But the doctor also noted that his oxygen saturations improved and he was breathing on room air after a few hours in the ER .
The records show they discussed why he might not want to be admitted to the hospital , since he was otherwise young and healthy , and did n't note any risk factors for complications .
And when Angela called to check in , he seemed to be OK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to breathe .
He was a COVID patient so , `` I could not go up there to see him , '' she says .
`` He was saying that I might as well go home . ''
Angela was surprised since her husband was the one who wanted to go to the hospital in the first place .
At first , she thought the hospital just did n't want to admit a man without insurance who would have trouble paying a big bill .
But Southern Hills admits hundreds of patients a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2019 , according to a spokesperson .
And in this case , the federal government would have paid the bill .
But no one said that when it might have made a difference to Darius Settles .
Message never makes it to patients TriStar , like most major health systems , participates in program through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in which uninsured patients with COVID-19 have their bills covered .
It was set up through the pandemic relief legislation known as the CARES Act .
But TriStar does n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do other hospitals or national health systems contacted by WPLN News .
There 's no requirement to , which is one of the program 's shortcomings , says Jennifer Tolbert of the Kaiser Family Foundation who studies uninsured patients .
( KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF . )
`` This is obviously a great concern to most uninsured patients , '' Tolbert says .
Her research finds that people without insurance often avoid care because of the bill or the threat of the bill , even though they might qualify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked enough questions .
Tolbert says the problem with the COVID-19 uninsured program is that even doctors do n't always know how it works or that the program exists .
`` At the point when the patient shows up at the hospital or at another provider site , it 's at that point when those questions need to be answered , '' she says .
`` And it 's not always clear that that is happening . ''
Among clinicians , there 's a reluctance to raise the issue of cost in any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Emergency rooms must at least stabilize everyone , regardless of their ability to pay , under a federal law known as EMTALA .
Asking questions about insurance coverage is often referred to as a `` wallet biopsy , '' and can result in fines for hospitals or even being temporarily banned from receiving Medicare payments .
Physicians also do n't want to make a guarantee , knowing a patient still could end up having to fight a bill .
`` I do n't want to absolutely promise anything , '' says Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lexington , Ky. , and a board member of the American College of Emergency Physicians .
`` There should not be a false sense that it will be an absolute smooth path when we 're dealing with government services and complexities of the health care system , '' he says .
Could I have done more ?
Darius Settles knew he was in bad shape .
But he did n't attempt to make a third trip to the hospital .
Instead of 911 , he called his father , pastor David Settles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for him .
When the elder Settles replied that he was always praying for his son , Darius said , `` No , I really need you to pray for me .
I need you to get the oil , lay hands on me and pray , '' David Settles recalls , and so he went , despite concern for catching COVID-19 himself .
He sat by his son 's side .
Darius 's wife made some peppermint tea , and when they put it to his lips , Darius did n't sip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But he was unconscious .
At that point , they called 911 again and the operator instructed them to get Darius to the floor and perform chest compressions until paramedics arrived .
For 11 minutes , Angela pumped her husband 's chest , occasionally asking the dispatcher `` what 's taking so long , '' the 911 recordings show .
Even after help showed up , Darius never revived .
Pastor Settles was back in the pulpit just a few weeks later , preaching on suffering and grief after the death of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the breath left his body , '' he told his congregation .
`` The Lord gives , and the Lord takes away . ''
Darius left behind his own son , who was 6 .
And his widow 's head is still spinning .
She says she ca n't shake a sense of personal guilt .
`` Could I have done more ? ''
Angela Settles asks .
`` That 's hard , and I know that he would not want me to feel like that . ''
She wonders , too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more for Darius .
And even after failing to disclose its policy for uninsured COVID-19 patients , it did send her a bill for part of her husband 's care .
Asked why , a TriStar spokesperson says it was sent in error and does not have to be paid .
This story is from a reporting partnership that includes WPLN , NPR and KHN .

Hospital Bills For Uninsured COVID-19 Patients Are Covered, But No One Tells Them
Enlarge this image toggle caption Blake Farmer/WPLN News Blake Farmer/WPLN News
When Darius Settles died from COVID-19 on the Fourth of July, his family and the city of Nashville, Tenn., were shocked. Even the mayor noted the passing of a 30-year-old without any underlying conditions — one of the city's youngest fatalities at that point.
Settles was also uninsured and had just been sent home from an emergency room for the second time, and he was worried about medical bills. An investigation into his death found that, like many uninsured COVID-19 patients, he had never been told that cost shouldn't be a concern.
Back at the end of June, Settles and his wife, Angela, were both feeling ill with fevers and body aches. Then Darius took a turn — bad enough that he asked his wife to call an ambulance.
"My husband is having issues breathing and he's weak, so we're probably going to need a paramedic over here to rush him to the hospital," she told the operator, according to the 911 recordings obtained by WPLN News.
Darius Settles was stabilized and tested for the coronavirus at the hospital, according to his medical records. The doctor sent him home with antibiotics and instructions to come back if things got worse.
Three days later, they did. And now he also knew he had COVID-19; his test results were in.
But Settles was also between full-time jobs, playing the organ at a church as he launched a career as a suit designer. So he had no health insurance.
His wife, who works for Tennessee State University, says he was worried about costs as he went back to the hospital a second time; she tried to reassure him
"He said, 'I bet this hospital bill is going to be high.' And I said, 'Babe, it's going to be OK.' And we left it alone, just like that," she says.
When he returned to TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center, owned by the for-profit hospital chain HCA, physicians tested his blood oxygen levels, which are usually a first sign that a COVID-19 patient is in trouble. They had dropped to 88%. An X-ray of his lungs "appears worse," the physician wrote in the record.
But the doctor also noted that his oxygen saturations improved, and he was breathing on room air after a few hours in the emergency room. The records show they discussed why he might not want to be admitted to the hospital since he was otherwise young and healthy and didn't note any risk factors for complications.
And when Angela Settles called to check in, he seemed to be OK with leaving despite his persistent struggle to breathe.
He was a COVID-19 patient so, "I could not go up there to see him," she says. "He was saying that I might as well go home."
Angela Settles was surprised since her husband was the one who wanted to go to the hospital in the first place.
At first, she thought the hospital just didn't want to admit a man without insurance who would have trouble paying a big bill. But TriStar Southern Hills admits hundreds of patients a year without insurance — more than 500 in 2019, according to a spokesperson.
And in this case, the federal government would have paid the bill. But no one said that when it might have made a difference to Darius Settles.
Message never makes it to patients
TriStar, like most major health systems, participates in a program through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in which uninsured patients with COVID-19 have their bills covered. It was set up through the pandemic relief legislation known as the CARES Act.
But TriStar doesn't tell its patients that upfront. Neither do other hospitals or national health systems contacted by WPLN News. There's no requirement to, which is one of the program's shortcomings, says Jennifer Tolbert of the Kaiser Family Foundation who studies uninsured patients. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)
"This is obviously a great concern to most uninsured patients," Tolbert says. Her research finds that people without insurance often avoid care because of the bill or the threat of the bill, even though they might qualify for any number of programs if they asked enough questions.
Tolbert says the problem with the COVID-19 uninsured program is that even doctors don't always know how it works or that the program exists.
"At the point when the patient shows up at the hospital or at another provider site, it's at that point when those questions need to be answered," she says. "And it's not always clear that that is happening."
Among clinicians, there's a reluctance to raise the issue of cost in any way and run afoul of federal laws. Emergency rooms must at least stabilize everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, under a federal law known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA. Asking questions about insurance coverage is often referred to as a "wallet biopsy," and can result in fines for hospitals or even being temporarily banned from receiving Medicare payments.
Physicians also don't want to make a guarantee, knowing a patient still could end up having to fight a bill.
"I don't want to absolutely promise anything," says Ryan Stanton, an ER physician in Lexington, Ky., and a board member of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
"There should not be a false sense that it will be an absolute smooth path when we're dealing with government services and complexities of the health care system," he says.
"Could I have done more?"
Darius Settles knew he was in bad shape. But he didn't attempt to make a third trip to the hospital. Instead of 911, he called his father, pastor David Settles, and asked his father to come pray for him.
When the elder Settles replied that he was always praying for his son, Darius said, "No, I really need you to pray for me. I need you to get the oil, lay hands on me and pray," David Settles recalls, and so he went, despite concern for getting COVID-19 himself.
He sat by his son's side. Darius' wife made some peppermint tea, and when they put it to his lips, Darius didn't sip. They thought he had fallen asleep. But he was unconscious.
At that point, they called 911 again and the operator instructed them to get Darius to the floor and perform chest compressions until paramedics arrived.
For 11 minutes, Angela Settles pumped her husband's chest, occasionally asking the dispatcher "what's taking so long," the 911 recordings show. Even after help showed up, Darius never revived.
Pastor Settles was back in the pulpit just a few weeks later, preaching on suffering and grief after the death of his son, "whom I watched as the breath left his body," he told his congregation. "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away."
Darius Settles left behind his own son, who was 6. And his widow's head is still spinning. She says she can't shake a sense of personal guilt.
"Could I have done more?" Angela Settles asks. "That's hard, and I know that he would not want me to feel like that."
She wonders, too, if the hospital could have done more for him. And even after failing to disclose its policy for uninsured COVID-19 patients, it did send her a bill for part of her husband's care. Asked why, a TriStar spokesperson says it was sent in error and does not have to be paid.
This story is from a reporting partnership that includes WPLN, NPR and KHN.


npr--2020-10-22--Voter Websites In California And Florida Could Be Vulnerable To Hacks, Report Finds

Voter Websites In California And Florida Could Be Vulnerable To Hacks , Report Finds Back in July , two cybersecurity firms sent the Department of Homeland Security a troubling report that described a possible vulnerability in the online voter registration systems in dozens of counties in California and Florida .
The report , obtained by NPR , warned that flaws that might have allowed hackers to change a handful of voter registration files four years ago are still likely to exist in some places , and could be used again .
A spokesperson for DHS ' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report `` questionable '' and `` unverified , '' and said the department `` takes vulnerability reporting and remediation seriously . ''
The report comes , however , as Director of National Intelligence John Radcliffe announced Wednesday that Russian and Iranian hackers had used some voter registration information in a bid to send misinformation to voters and sow discord ahead of the election .
It is unclear if the voter registration websites the report identified as vulnerable were part of the hack Radcliffe revealed .
The election threat report that flagged the vulnerability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cybersecurity firm RiskIQ and by Northrop Grumman , and compared voter registration websites around the country with those that appeared to have been hacked in 2016 .
The report makes clear that the threat today is hypothetical , and had no evidence of a current attack on American elections .
U.S. intelligence officials contacted by NPR before last night 's announcement , who read the contents of the report , agreed however that voter registration websites are a favored target of foreign hackers for a simple reason : They can be an easy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they believe that several counties in Florida , the State of Illinois Board of Elections , and possibly several counties in California had been victims of a hacking campaign four years ago .
One of the cases that remained mysterious , though , happened in Southern California .
During the 2016 primary elections , District Attorney in Riverside County , Michael Hestrin , began fielding calls from angry voters who said they were n't allowed to cast their ballots — their voter information , they said , had been changed .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 or 20 , I was very concerned , '' Hestrin recently told NPR .
`` I asked my chief investigator to send out several investigators to some of the larger polling places in our county ... and meet some of these voters who had called me . ''
Among other things , the voters said their party affiliations had been changed from Republican and Democrat to Green Party or Independent , which also changed which ballot they 'd be given for the primary .
Hestrin said he believed the pattern was too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convinced the voter registration website was hacked .
`` This was beyond just voter confusion .
Oftentimes it 's a voter error .
This was beyond that , '' he said .
`` Each of the cases we investigated , people had their voter registration changed unbeknownst to them .
They got no notice .
They did n't go in and change it .
They just found out when they went to vote . ''
While Hestrin 's investigators could n't trace the possible culprit 's IP addresses because the state did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were able to determine when the registrations were changed .
This allowed investigators to go back to voters to try to refresh their memories .
But voters they spoke to were convinced they had n't done it themselves .
`` The voter is telling us , I did n't change my registration ten days before an election , I 've been a Republican for , you know , twenty five years .
Why would I do that ? ''
Hestrin said .
`` So it did n't seem likely that this was voter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alex Padilla says the D.A .
is mistaken and the voter registration problems in Riverside County were a result of human error .
In response to questions from NPR about the incident , Padilla said there is no convincing evidence that Russia , or anyone else , changed voter information in Riverside County .
Since then , he added , the state has done a lot to protect online voter registrations .
For example , California started capturing IP addresses in February 2017 , about six months after the Riverside event , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network safeguards , firewalls , and system monitoring .
The RiskIQ-Northrop Grumman report also found that dozens of counties in Florida had voter registration websites that had lots of similarities to those in Riverside County in 2016 .
Those websites have since migrated to a new operating system that is n't vulnerable to the same attack , but the report concluded that in order to make sure they were n't hacked before the migration , their websites need to be checked for vulnerabilities that might have slipped in before they moved .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida and California that might be vulnerable to attack , but NPR is not naming them . )
The report also raises the concern that these Florida counties could potentially be even more vulnerable than Riverside County was four years ago because they all share the same website management system .
So if a hacker is inside one website he or she could have access to all the others too .
This past May , the FBI briefed Florida lawmakers on which of their 67 counties were successfully breached back in 2016 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they had learned , but they stressed that there was no evidence that cyberattacks changed any votes .
They confirmed that Russian hackers would have been able to change voter registration data if they had wanted to .
There was no evidence , they said , that the hackers did so .
`` I think [ Riverside ] is one of the most unheralded incidents of 2016 , '' said Ryan Munsch , a solutions architect at RiskIQ who tracks election systems and possible vulnerabilities .
He decided not to speak about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to talk about Riverside County , which is public .
`` There is what we call proof of concept in which you would n't gain a whole lot of attention , which was the case in Riverside , and you conduct an exercise that proves you can do something that , if necessary , can be done at a larger and broader scale . ''
Just a month after the Riverside incident , the Illinois State Board of Elections found intruders inside its voter-registration website .
Someone had been probing their voter rolls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only discovered the breach after the intruder was inside and accidentally crashed a server .
Intelligence officials later confirmed publicly that they had traced the breach to Russian hackers .
`` The actors got loud and essentially shut down the voter registration database , and that called attention to the problem , '' said Neil Jenkins , who served as DHS ' election security coordinator in 2016 and is now chief analytic officer at the Cyber Threat Alliance .
`` And there 's been a bit of a conversation about why those actors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hackers , why were they so loud ?
Were they loud because they made a mistake , or were they loud because they were trying to draw attention to their presence there ? ''
DHS has been worried enough about voter registration websites that it hired the RAND Corporation to assess vulnerabilities .
RAND found , among other things , that state and local registration websites could be locked by hackers looking for money or manipulated by bad actors wanting to rattle the election .
Jenkins said DHS officials continue to be concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 were a dry run for something more sophisticated in 2020 .
Too close to the election The RiskIQ/Northrop Grumman report looked at the websites ' vulnerability to a particular kind of hack , something called a Padding Oracle Exploit , or POE .
It was popular with hackers over a decade ago and is used to decrypt encrypted information .
One of the concerns laid out in the report is that bad actors could use a POE to decrypt credentials to give themselves administrator access to the voter registration website .
Armed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potentially plant malware , change code , and even insert errors into the data .
DHS , for its part , said it found the report `` misleading '' and pointed out that the report itself said that websites in Florida were probably protected from the hack because they had migrated to a newer operating system .
The report also said , however , that the websites could have been compromised before the migration happened .
The last voter website to migrate to a new operating system did so in 2019 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Florida voter registration websites to make sure some vulnerability did n't accidentally slip in .
Jenkins said DHS officials might also be hesitant to address details of the report or contact local officials about its findings because they have n't seen any indication that this hack is imminent , and , as a general matter , local officials are unlikely to patch their systems against a possible vulnerability this close to the election .
`` Amazon probably does n't make a lot of changes to its infrastructure just before Prime Day because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Jenkins said .
`` Target does n't patch a lot of vulnerabilities the day before Black Friday because they know operationally the website has to be up and running . ''
The last thing election officials would want to do just weeks before their big day , he said , is to patch a website against a vulnerability that might not be severe and then find themselves watching helplessly when the patch makes their website crash .

Voter Websites In California And Florida Could Be Vulnerable To Hacks, Report Finds
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Back in July, two cybersecurity firms sent the Department of Homeland Security a troubling report that described a possible vulnerability in the online voter registration systems in dozens of counties in California and Florida.
The report, obtained by NPR, warned that flaws that might have allowed hackers to change a handful of voter registration files four years ago are still likely to exist in some places, and could be used again.
A spokesperson for DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, called the report "questionable" and "unverified," and said the department "takes vulnerability reporting and remediation seriously."
The report comes, however, as Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe announced Wednesday that Russian and Iranian hackers had used some voter registration information in a bid to send misinformation to voters and sow discord ahead of the election. It is unclear if the voter registration websites the report identified as vulnerable were part of the hack Ratcliffe revealed.
The election threat report that flagged the vulnerability was written by cybersecurity experts at the cybersecurity firm RiskIQ and by Northrop Grumman, and compared voter registration websites around the country with those that appeared to have been hacked in 2016.
The report makes clear that the threat today is hypothetical, and had no evidence of a current attack on American elections. U.S. intelligence officials contacted by NPR before last night's announcement, who read the contents of the report, agreed however that voter registration websites are a favored target of foreign hackers for a simple reason: They can be an easy target.
Administration officials have confirmed publicly that they believe that several counties in Florida, the State of Illinois Board of Elections, and possibly several counties in California had been victims of a hacking campaign four years ago.
Trouble in Riverside
One of the cases that remained mysterious, though, happened in Southern California. During the 2016 primary elections, District Attorney in Riverside County, Michael Hestrin, began fielding calls from angry voters who said they weren't allowed to cast their ballots — their voter information, they said, had been changed.
"Once the number got to be over 15 or 20, I was very concerned," Hestrin recently told NPR. "I asked my chief investigator to send out several investigators to some of the larger polling places in our county... and meet some of these voters who had called me."
Enlarge this image toggle caption David McNew/Getty Images David McNew/Getty Images
Among other things, the voters said their party affiliations had been changed from Republican and Democrat to Green Party or Independent, which also changed which ballot they'd be given for the primary. Hestrin said he believed the pattern was too precise to be accidental. He's convinced the voter registration website was hacked.
"This was beyond just voter confusion. Oftentimes it's a voter error. This was beyond that," he said. "Each of the cases we investigated, people had their voter registration changed unbeknownst to them. They got no notice. They didn't go in and change it. They just found out when they went to vote."
While Hestrin's investigators couldn't trace the possible culprit's IP addresses because the state didn't capture them at the time, they were able to determine when the registrations were changed. This allowed investigators to go back to voters to try to refresh their memories. But voters they spoke to were convinced they hadn't done it themselves.
"The voter is telling us, I didn't change my registration ten days before an election, I've been a Republican for, you know, twenty five years. Why would I do that?" Hestrin said. "So it didn't seem likely that this was voter confusion."
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla says the D.A. is mistaken and the voter registration problems in Riverside County were a result of human error. In response to questions from NPR about the incident, Padilla said there is no convincing evidence that Russia, or anyone else, changed voter information in Riverside County.
Since then, he added, the state has done a lot to protect online voter registrations. For example, California started capturing IP addresses in February 2017, about six months after the Riverside event, and the state has since put in place network safeguards, firewalls, and system monitoring.
The RiskIQ-Northrop Grumman report also found that dozens of counties in Florida had voter registration websites that had lots of similarities to those in Riverside County in 2016. Those websites have since migrated to a new operating system that isn't vulnerable to the same attack, but the report concluded that in order to make sure they weren't hacked before the migration, their websites need to be checked for vulnerabilities that might have slipped in before they moved. (The report names 69 counties in both Florida and California that might be vulnerable to attack, but NPR is not naming them.)
The report also raises the concern that these Florida counties could potentially be even more vulnerable than Riverside County was four years ago because they all share the same website management system. So if a hacker is inside one website he or she could have access to all the others too.
This past May, the FBI briefed Florida lawmakers on which of their 67 counties were successfully breached back in 2016. The officials were not allowed to divulge what they had learned, but they stressed that there was no evidence that cyberattacks changed any votes. They confirmed that Russian hackers would have been able to change voter registration data if they had wanted to. There was no evidence, they said, that the hackers did so.
Getting loud
"I think [Riverside] is one of the most unheralded incidents of 2016," said Ryan Munsch, a solutions architect at RiskIQ who tracks election systems and possible vulnerabilities. He decided not to speak about the substance of the report but agreed to talk about Riverside County, which is public. "There is what we call proof of concept in which you wouldn't gain a whole lot of attention, which was the case in Riverside, and you conduct an exercise that proves you can do something that, if necessary, can be done at a larger and broader scale."
Just a month after the Riverside incident, the Illinois State Board of Elections found intruders inside its voter-registration website. Someone had been probing their voter rolls and was downloading voter information. Officials only discovered the breach after the intruder was inside and accidentally crashed a server. Intelligence officials later confirmed publicly that they had traced the breach to Russian hackers.
"The actors got loud and essentially shut down the voter registration database, and that called attention to the problem," said Neil Jenkins, who served as DHS' election security coordinator in 2016 and is now chief analytic officer at the Cyber Threat Alliance. "And there's been a bit of a conversation about why those actors, who we now know were Russian hackers, why were they so loud? Were they loud because they made a mistake, or were they loud because they were trying to draw attention to their presence there?"
DHS has been worried enough about voter registration websites that it hired the RAND Corporation to assess vulnerabilities. RAND found, among other things, that state and local registration websites could be locked by hackers looking for money or manipulated by bad actors wanting to rattle the election. Jenkins said DHS officials continue to be concerned that suspicious incidents they saw back in 2016 were a dry run for something more sophisticated in 2020.
Too close to the election
The RiskIQ/Northrop Grumman report looked at the websites' vulnerability to a particular kind of hack, something called a Padding Oracle Exploit, or POE. It was popular with hackers over a decade ago and is used to decrypt encrypted information.
One of the concerns laid out in the report is that bad actors could use a POE to decrypt credentials to give themselves administrator access to the voter registration website. Armed with this type of access they could potentially plant malware, change code, and even insert errors into the data.
DHS, for its part, said it found the report "misleading" and pointed out that the report itself said that websites in Florida were probably protected from the hack because they had migrated to a newer operating system. The report also said, however, that the websites could have been compromised before the migration happened. The last voter website to migrate to a new operating system did so in 2019. The report suggests DHS do an audit of the Florida voter registration websites to make sure some vulnerability didn't accidentally slip in.
Jenkins said DHS officials might also be hesitant to address details of the report or contact local officials about its findings because they haven't seen any indication that this hack is imminent, and, as a general matter, local officials are unlikely to patch their systems against a possible vulnerability this close to the election.
"Amazon probably doesn't make a lot of changes to its infrastructure just before Prime Day because they've got something big coming up," Jenkins said. "Target doesn't patch a lot of vulnerabilities the day before Black Friday because they know operationally the website has to be up and running."
The last thing election officials would want to do just weeks before their big day, he said, is to patch a website against a vulnerability that might not be severe and then find themselves watching helplessly when the patch makes their website crash.
NPR's Monika Evstatieva contributed to this story.