npr--2020-07-29--TikTok CEO: Facebook Is Making 'Copycat' Service 'Disguised As Patriotism'

The CEO of TikTok , the popular app for sharing short-form videos , is attacking Facebook for planning the launch of a `` copycat '' product , accusing the social media giant of trying to smear TikTok and put it out of business in the U.S. Kevin Mayer , who left Disney in May to oversee TikTok 's U.S. operation , delivered his sharp criticism in a blog post on Wednesday , just hours before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify before Congress about whether the company 's online dominance squashes competition .
Mayer noted that Facebook-owned Instagram @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's answer to TikTok .
It is expected to be rolled out in early August .
The effort represents the second time Facebook has attempted to undercut TikTok 's success .
Earlier this month , Facebook shut down Lasso , a TikTok clone that never took off .
Mayer says TikTok welcomes competition — `` bring it on , '' he writes — but he suggests Facebook is attempting to tap into the growing pressure in Washington to squeeze TikTok out of the U.S. altogether .
TikTok 's parent company , ByteDance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led both Democrats and Republicans in Washington to question whether TikTok poses a national security concern .
`` But let 's focus our energies on fair and open competition in service of our consumers , rather than maligning attacks by our competitor — namely Facebook — disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the US , '' Mayer wrote in the post .
It is the latest salvo in a widening rift between Facebook and TikTok .
On Tuesday , The Wall Street Journal reported that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of thousands of dollars to persuade top TikTok influencers to use Reels .
In his prepared congressional testimony , Zuckerberg makes an oblique reference to TikTok 's surging popularity in the U.S. , while not mentioning the app by name .
Zuckerberg says Facebook believes in competition and free expression , but `` there 's no guarantee our values will win out . ''
He goes on to say : `` China is building its own version of the internet focused on very different ideas , and they are exporting their vision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blog post , Mayer made a significant policy announcement by saying TikTok will open up its algorithms , as well as its content moderation decisions and data collection , to the public .
TikTok has been accused of using its algorithms to demote topics like Black Lives Matter and of censoring content to please the Chinese Communist Party .
Mayer never cites any specific charge against the app , vowing that new openness will embolden the public to draw their own conclusions .
`` We will not wait for regulation to come , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step by launching a Transparency and Accountability Center for moderation and data practices .
Experts can observe our moderation policies in real-time , as well as examine the actual code that drives our algorithms .
This puts us a step ahead of the industry , and we encourage others to follow suit . ''
TikTok , Mayer noted , also plans to hire 10,000 workers in the U.S. '' TikTok has become the latest target , but we are not the enemy .
The bigger move is to use this moment to drive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and content moderation , and to develop stricter rules of the road , '' Mayer said .

TikTok CEO: Facebook Is Making 'Copycat' Service 'Disguised As Patriotism'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty Images Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty Images
The CEO of TikTok, the popular app for sharing short-form videos, is attacking Facebook for planning the launch of a "copycat" product, accusing the social media giant of trying to smear TikTok and put it out of business in the U.S.
Kevin Mayer, who left Disney in May to oversee TikTok's U.S. operation, delivered his sharp criticism in a blog post on Wednesday, just hours before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify before Congress about whether the company's online dominance squashes competition.
Mayer noted that Facebook-owned Instagram has announced Reels, the tech giant's answer to TikTok. It is expected to be rolled out in early August. The effort represents the second time Facebook has attempted to undercut TikTok's success. Earlier this month, Facebook shut down Lasso, a TikTok clone that never took off.
Mayer says TikTok welcomes competition — "bring it on," he writes — but he suggests Facebook is attempting to tap into the growing pressure in Washington to squeeze TikTok out of the U.S. altogether. TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. That has led both Democrats and Republicans in Washington to question whether TikTok poses a national security concern.
"But let's focus our energies on fair and open competition in service of our consumers, rather than maligning attacks by our competitor — namely Facebook — disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the US," Mayer wrote in the post.
It is the latest salvo in a widening rift between Facebook and TikTok. On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Instagram is offering incentives of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars to persuade top TikTok influencers to use Reels.
In his prepared congressional testimony, Zuckerberg makes an oblique reference to TikTok's surging popularity in the U.S., while not mentioning the app by name.
Zuckerberg says Facebook believes in competition and free expression, but "there's no guarantee our values will win out."
He goes on to say: "China is building its own version of the internet focused on very different ideas, and they are exporting their vision to other countries."
In his blog post, Mayer made a significant policy announcement by saying TikTok will open up its algorithms, as well as its content moderation decisions and data collection, to the public.
TikTok has been accused of using its algorithms to demote topics like Black Lives Matter and of censoring content to please the Chinese Communist Party.
Mayer never cites any specific charge against the app, vowing that new openness will embolden the public to draw their own conclusions.
"We will not wait for regulation to come, but instead TikTok has taken the first step by launching a Transparency and Accountability Center for moderation and data practices. Experts can observe our moderation policies in real-time, as well as examine the actual code that drives our algorithms. This puts us a step ahead of the industry, and we encourage others to follow suit."
TikTok, Mayer noted, also plans to hire 10,000 workers in the U.S.
"TikTok has become the latest target, but we are not the enemy. The bigger move is to use this moment to drive deeper conversations around algorithms, transparency, and content moderation, and to develop stricter rules of the road," Mayer said.


npr--2020-07-29--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

Coronavirus World Map : Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak Since the new coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan , China , in December , the infectious respiratory disease COVID-19 has spread rapidly within China and to neighboring countries and beyond .
The first confirmed coronavirus cases outside China occurred on Jan. 20 , in Japan , Thailand and South Korea .
On Jan. 21 , the first case in the U.S. was identified in Washington state .
On Jan. 24 , the first two European cases were confirmed in France .
By Feb. 1 , eight European nations had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month later that count had risen to 24 countries with at least 2,200 cases , most of them in Italy .
On March 11 , Italy eclipsed 10,000 cases and the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic — the first since H1N1 in 2009 .
That 's also when China , the original epicenter , began seeing drops in daily counts of new cases .
March also saw exponential spread of the virus throughout the U.S. , with all 50 states reporting cases by March 17 .
This particular virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the third strain of coronavirus known to frequently cause severe symptoms in humans .
The other two strains cause Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome .
Click here to see the state-by-state breakdown of cases in the United States .
This story was originally published on March 30 , 2020 .

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--2020-07-29--Heads Of Amazon, Apple, Facebook And Google Testify On Big Tech's Power

Heads Of Amazon , Apple , Facebook And Google Testify On Big Tech 's Power Are Facebook , Google , Amazon and Apple `` emperors of the online economy '' that stifle competition and hurt consumers ?
Not surprisingly , the tech giants ' chief executives told Congress : absolutely not .
The concern that too much power is concentrated in too few companies is unfounded , they said Wednesday .
Does Apple punish its rivals on the App Store to score more customers ?
Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia drew attention to Apple 's Screen Time app , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids ' phone use .
When Apple introduced the app in 2018 , competing parental control apps , such as OurPact , were booted from the App Store for not meeting Apple 's safety requirements .
`` We were concerned , congresswoman , about the privacy and security of kids , '' Cook said , noting the app was vulnerable to third-party takeovers .
`` So we were worried about their safety . ''
But McBath said House investigators discovered that rival parental control apps that were kicked out of the App Store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant privacy overhauls .
`` Of course , six months is truly an eternity for small businesses to be shut down , even worse if all the while a larger competitor is actually taking away customers , '' she said .
McBath pointed to an email in which an Apple employee responded to a mother complaining about the removal of parental control apps .
The Apple representative suggested that the mother download Apple 's Screen Time .
Cook said that `` there are many reasons why '' an app may not meet the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggestion that Apple squashed its competition to favor its own service .
McBath referenced a second example , this one involving the publisher Random House , which said Apple held back the introduction of its app while pushing its own similar product .
`` Even some of the largest companies in the country fear your power .
Our evidence suggests that your company has used its power to harm your rivals and boost your own business , '' McBath said .
`` This is fundamentally unfair , '' she said .
`` Ultimately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choices made to consumers , and that 's a great concern to all of us . ''
Google CEO Sundar Pichai faced a barrage of questions from Rep. Jim Jordan .
The Ohio Republican said he 's concerned that Google will tailor its search engine to give a leg up to presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden over President Trump in searches related to the November election .
When Jordan asked Pichai for a promise to Americans that Google will not favor Biden in the 2020 election , Pichai said , `` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tilt anything one way or another . ''
Jordan persisted with the same question .
Pichai eventually agreed to make a commitment that Google will not tilt its features to help Biden and that the search engine will not be used to silence conservatives .
`` Yeah , you have my commitment .
It 's always been true , and we 'll continue to conduct ourselves in a neutral way , '' Pichai said .
That line of inquiry was far afield from the purpose of the hearing , noted Rep. Mary Gay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like to turn the focus back to antitrust , rather than `` fringe conspiracy theories . ''
This remark incited Jordan , who interrupted Scanlon , and led to a screaming match between Jordan and the Democratic leadership about following the rules of the hearing .
`` When someone comes after my motives for asking questions , '' Jordan shouted , `` I should get a chance to respond . ''
Does Amazon use sellers ' data to help itself ?
The first inquiry for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos finally arrived from Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours into the hearing .
Jayapal zeroed in on the subcommittee 's central concern about Amazon : Does the company use the data it collects from other sellers on the platform for its benefit ?
`` I ca n't answer that question yes or no , '' Bezos said .
`` We have a policy against using seller-specific data to aid our private label business , but I ca n't guarantee you that that policy has never been violated . ''
Committee lawmakers have previously accused Amazon of `` lack of candor '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sellers ' data to give an edge to its own business , something Amazon executives have , until now , denied was happening .
Critics have made the case that Amazon employees may have used such data to create the retailer 's own private-label products , which Bezos told lawmakers the company was still investigating .
Jayapal noted that Amazon has access to information about consumer habits , sellers ' pricing and inventory data , a trove of details that could be ripe for abuse if used to make business decisions about Amazon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set the rules of the game for your competitors , but not actually follow those same rules for yourself , '' Jayapal said .
`` You have access to data that your competitors do not have , '' she continued , adding that if Amazon was `` continuously monitoring '' such data to make sure that other sellers `` are never going to get big enough that they can compete with you — that is actually the concern that the committee has . ''
Google 's Pichai is pressed on being `` the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cicilline , D-R.I. , the subcommittee chairman , spent all of his first five-minute block of questions on Google — the company at most immediate risk of antitrust action .
The Department of Justice is reportedly preparing to sue the company over its advertising business , and could be joined by state attorneys general who have also been investigating Google .
Cicilline pressed CEO Pichai on whether Google 's business model presents a conflict of interest , because it has an incentive to give search results that keep users on its own site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` As Google became the gateway to the Internet , it began to abuse its power , '' Cicilline said .
Pichai responded that Google `` always focuses on providing users the most relevant information . ''
Cicilline appeared annoyed at Pichai 's answers , cutting him off several times to move on to another question .
Over an hour and a half into the hearing , Bezos — appearing in Congress for the first time , whose company employs 1 million workers and has more than 150 million paying subscribers — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His presence was slated to become a powerful accomplishment of the House Judiciary Committee , but the early questioning had left him muted on the live video feed , reaching for some snacks .
The hearing , meanwhile , took a 10-minute break to fix a technical problem `` with one of our witnesses . ''
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler , D-N.Y. , pressed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on why his company bought Instagram for $ 1 billion back in 2012 .
That 's a key part of competition questions facing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook of buying or copying rivals — such as Instagram and WhatsApp — to squash competition .
Nadler said in its investigation , the committee got documents from Facebook in which Zuckerberg discussed `` neutralizing a competitor '' as a reason to pursue Instagram .
`` Facebook saw Instagram as a threat that could potentially siphon business away from Facebook .
And so rather than compete with it , Facebook bought it , '' Nadler said .
Zuckerberg pointed out that the Federal Trade Commission OK 'd the merger at the time .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Instagram would have reached the scale that it has today , but at the time it was far from obvious , '' he said .
Cicilline interjected to say that the `` failures '' of the FTC in 2012 do not mean it was not a violation of antitrust law .
Panel chairman : Under coronavirus , Big Tech `` likely to emerge stronger and more powerful '' Up first was Cicilline , chairman of the antitrust subcommittee that was holding the hearing .
He has been the driving force behind the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his opening remarks , he described the dominance of each company : Amazon in online shopping , Apple in smartphones and apps , Facebook in social media and Google in search and ads .
And he pointed out that thanks to the coronavirus pandemic , all four `` are likely to emerge stronger and more powerful than ever before . ''
`` As American families shift more of their work , shopping , and communication online , these giants stand to profit , '' Cicilline said .
`` Locally owned businesses , meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street — face an economic crisis unlike any in recent history . ''
The committee 's investigation has turned up a pattern among the tech giants , he said .
They control access to information and marketplaces , use that control to `` surveil '' rivals and protect their power , and favor their own businesses .
`` Simply put : They have too much power , '' Cicilline said .
For consumers , he said , this is reminiscent of previous American monopolies : railroads , oil and telephone companies , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` This investigation also goes to the heart of whether we , as a people , govern ourselves , or whether we let ourselves be governed by private monopolies , '' he said .
`` Our founders would not bow before a king .
Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy . ''
Jordan : `` Big Tech is out to get conservatives '' Wednesday 's hearing was supposed to be about Big Tech 's power and market dominance .
But Republicans tried to make it about something else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against conservatives .
`` Big Tech is out to get conservatives , '' Jordan , the Ohio Republican , said in his fiery opening statement .
Jordan then rapidly read aloud headlines making claims that conservative-leaning publications and voices had been suppressed or censored on Facebook and Google .
He also mentioned Twitter , even though it was not part of the hearing .
Jordan said conservative members of Congress were `` shadow banned '' on Twitter .
He said Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said it was a glitch .
`` If I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard it was just a glitch , I would n't be as wealthy as our witnesses , but I 'd be doing all right , '' Jordan said .
`` We all think the free market is great .
We think competition is great .
We love the fact that these are American companies .
But what 's not great is censoring people , censoring conservatives and trying to impact elections , '' Jordan said .
`` If it does n't end , there has to be consequences . ''
Before Jordan 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also mentioned the belief , strongly contested by large tech companies , that conservatives do not get a fair shake by the online platforms , calling reports of conservative censorship troubling .
`` Conservatives are consumers , too , and they need the protection of antitrust laws , '' Sensenbrenner said .
The hearing erupted in chaos after Jordan asked that Rep. Mike Johnson of the House Judiciary 's Constitution subcommittee be allowed to participate in the hearing .
The request was denied .
Jordan then repeatedly interrupted Cicilline , the antitrust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introduce Bezos .
`` We 're talking about people 's liberties here , '' Jordan said over Cicilline .
`` Put your mask on , '' Jordan was told .
The hearing got underway after an hourlong delay .
First up were opening statements from the top members of the committee and the four CEOs .
Then lawmakers each got five minutes to question Bezos , Cook , Pichai and Zuckerberg .
All four joined remotely via video .
The focus of the hearing , and the committee 's investigation , was meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seemed unable to resist bringing up other complaints about tech companies , from the spread of misinformation to alleged anti-conservative bias .
That also was the message coming from the White House , where President Trump repeatedly has accused tech companies of treating him unfairly .
Shortly after noon , he tweeted : `` If Congress does n't bring fairness to Big Tech , which they should have done years ago , I will do it myself with Executive Orders .
In Washington , it has been ALL TALK and NO ACTION for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Country are sick and tired of it ! ''
Amid a time of rising tensions with China , some of the powerful CEOs will suggest that too much regulation could provide an opportunity for Chinese tech firms to gain a global toehold , according to opening remarks from the tech leaders released by the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee .
`` We believe in values — democracy , competition , inclusion and free expression — that the American economy was built on , '' Facebook 's Mark Zuckerberg will tell lawmakers , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is building its own version of the internet focused on very different ideas , and they are exporting their vision to other countries . ''
Amazon 's Jeff Bezos , the world 's richest person who will be making his first appearance in front of Congress , will bring in his personal story of being adopted by an immigrant father when he was 4 years old and spending his summers on his grandparents ' ranch in Texas , saying his upbringing instilled in him a work ethic that has helped Amazon prosper .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ online retailer , Bezos will say , is an achievement only made possible in America .
But Walmart , he will point out , is still twice the size of Amazon .
`` We did not start out as the largest marketplace — eBay was many times our size .
It was only by focusing on supporting sellers and giving them the best tools we could invent that we were able to succeed and eventually surpass eBay , '' Bezos says in his released testimony .
Google 's Sundar Pichai will steer attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online world , even though 90 % of Internet searches happen on Google .
`` People have more ways to search for information than ever before — and increasingly this is happening outside the context of only a search engine , '' Pichai plans to tell the House panel .
`` You can ask Alexa a question from your kitchen ; read your news on Twitter ; ask friends for information via WhatsApp ; and get recommendations on Snapchat or Pinterest . ''
Apple 's Tim Cook will echo the appeals to patriotism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touting how Apple 's strength , becoming the most valuable company in the world , represents success `` only possible in this country . ''
He will also join the other tech leaders by arguing that Apple has plenty of competition .
`` The smartphone market is fiercely competitive , and companies like Samsung , LG , Huawei and Google have built very successful smartphone businesses offering different approaches , '' Cook will say in his opening statement to lawmakers .
Whether members of the House Judiciary Committee 's antitrust subcommittee buy these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set to be an hours-long spectacle is another matter .
And it remains to be seen if the public will gain new insight into the tech companies , and whether lawmakers can pin down answers from the typically cautious technology executives .
The CEOs will be testifying via video at the same time , rather than one by one , a format seen as taking the heat off any individual executive and something the companies requested .
While the hearing centers on questions around market dominance , lawmakers are free to pepper the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The anything-goes format will likely divert the hearing away from antitrust and delve into issues such as perceived anti-conservative bias on social media platforms , a common Republican refrain .
And Democrats , often raising concern about foreign election meddling , may inquire about possible efforts to influence the vote online ahead of the November election .
More on-topic probing could involve issues such as acquisitions that have grown the reach of Big Tech .
For instance , Facebook has acquired nearly 90 companies , including Instagram , WhatsApp and more recently , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ images .
However it goes , one thing is certain : It will be a day for the history books .
The hearing is the first time all four technology leaders have testified together , as scrutiny over the companies ' nearly $ 5 trillion market power draws intensifying scrutiny in Washington .
The CEOs will be on the defensive as House lawmakers grill them about whether the business empire each company has created has resulted in monopoly-like dominance that distorts the marketplace in their favor .
After enjoying more than a decade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmakers are expected to make the case that it 's time for the technology behemoths to be held to account .
The hearing caps a more than yearlong House investigation into the Big Tech companies , which has probed whether the industry leaders box out competition , discourage innovation and pose larger threats to society and American democracy .
If Washington can keep the bipartisan focus on Silicon Valley , the hearing could set the stage for historic regulations , but the tech CEOs will be making the case to lawmakers that laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power of each company are not necessary , contending that competition among rivals has not been squashed and that consumers have benefited from the technology sector 's success .
`` You earn trust slowly , over time , by doing hard things well — delivering on time ; offering everyday low prices ; making promises and keeping them ; making principled decisions , even when they 're unpopular , '' Bezos will tell the subcommittee .
Unpopular among the four tech giants : the argument that the power each company has amassed over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be held accountable by Washington .

Heads Of Amazon, Apple, Facebook And Google Testify On Big Tech's Power
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 6:35 p.m. ET
Are Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple "emperors of the online economy" that stifle competition and hurt consumers? Not surprisingly, the tech giants' chief executives told Congress: absolutely not. The concern that too much power is concentrated in too few companies is unfounded, they said Wednesday.
Does Apple punish its rivals on the App Store to score more customers?
Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia drew attention to Apple's Screen Time app, a service allowing parents to limit their kids' phone use.
When Apple introduced the app in 2018, competing parental control apps, such as OurPact, were booted from the App Store for not meeting Apple's safety requirements.
Apple CEO Tim Cook told McBath those fears were justified.
"We were concerned, congresswoman, about the privacy and security of kids," Cook said, noting the app was vulnerable to third-party takeovers. "So we were worried about their safety."
But McBath said House investigators discovered that rival parental control apps that were kicked out of the App Store were readmitted six months later without making significant privacy overhauls.
"Of course, six months is truly an eternity for small businesses to be shut down, even worse if all the while a larger competitor is actually taking away customers," she said.
McBath pointed to an email in which an Apple employee responded to a mother complaining about the removal of parental control apps. The Apple representative suggested that the mother download Apple's Screen Time.
Cook said that "there are many reasons why" an app may not meet the App Store's guidelines, dismissing the suggestion that Apple squashed its competition to favor its own service.
McBath referenced a second example, this one involving the publisher Random House, which said Apple held back the introduction of its app while pushing its own similar product.
"Even some of the largest companies in the country fear your power. Our evidence suggests that your company has used its power to harm your rivals and boost your own business," McBath said.
"This is fundamentally unfair," she said. "Ultimately, it reduces the competition and the choices made to consumers, and that's a great concern to all of us."
— Bobby Allyn
CEO vows Google won't play favorites in 2020 election
Google CEO Sundar Pichai faced a barrage of questions from Rep. Jim Jordan. The Ohio Republican said he's concerned that Google will tailor its search engine to give a leg up to presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden over President Trump in searches related to the November election.
When Jordan asked Pichai for a promise to Americans that Google will not favor Biden in the 2020 election, Pichai said, "We don't do any work to politically tilt anything one way or another."
Jordan persisted with the same question.
Pichai eventually agreed to make a commitment that Google will not tilt its features to help Biden and that the search engine will not be used to silence conservatives.
"Yeah, you have my commitment. It's always been true, and we'll continue to conduct ourselves in a neutral way," Pichai said.
That line of inquiry was far afield from the purpose of the hearing, noted Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., saying she'd like to turn the focus back to antitrust, rather than "fringe conspiracy theories."
This remark incited Jordan, who interrupted Scanlon, and led to a screaming match between Jordan and the Democratic leadership about following the rules of the hearing.
"When someone comes after my motives for asking questions," Jordan shouted, "I should get a chance to respond."
— Bobby Allyn
Does Amazon use sellers' data to help itself?
The first inquiry for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos finally arrived from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., some two hours into the hearing. Jayapal zeroed in on the subcommittee's central concern about Amazon: Does the company use the data it collects from other sellers on the platform for its benefit?
"I can't answer that question yes or no," Bezos said. "We have a policy against using seller-specific data to aid our private label business, but I can't guarantee you that that policy has never been violated."
Committee lawmakers have previously accused Amazon of "lack of candor" about how it might be using other sellers' data to give an edge to its own business, something Amazon executives have, until now, denied was happening.
Critics have made the case that Amazon employees may have used such data to create the retailer's own private-label products, which Bezos told lawmakers the company was still investigating.
Jayapal noted that Amazon has access to information about consumer habits, sellers' pricing and inventory data, a trove of details that could be ripe for abuse if used to make business decisions about Amazon's own products.
"You can set the rules of the game for your competitors, but not actually follow those same rules for yourself," Jayapal said.
"You have access to data that your competitors do not have," she continued, adding that if Amazon was "continuously monitoring" such data to make sure that other sellers "are never going to get big enough that they can compete with you — that is actually the concern that the committee has."
— Alina Selyukh
Google's Pichai is pressed on being "the gateway to the Internet"
Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., the subcommittee chairman, spent all of his first five-minute block of questions on Google — the company at most immediate risk of antitrust action. The Department of Justice is reportedly preparing to sue the company over its advertising business, and could be joined by state attorneys general who have also been investigating Google.
Cicilline pressed CEO Pichai on whether Google's business model presents a conflict of interest, because it has an incentive to give search results that keep users on its own site rather than anywhere else on the Internet.
"As Google became the gateway to the Internet, it began to abuse its power," Cicilline said.
Pichai responded that Google "always focuses on providing users the most relevant information." Cicilline appeared annoyed at Pichai's answers, cutting him off several times to move on to another question.
— Shannon Bond
A long wait for Bezos
Over an hour and a half into the hearing, Bezos — appearing in Congress for the first time, whose company employs 1 million workers and has more than 150 million paying subscribers — had yet to receive a single question.
His presence was slated to become a powerful accomplishment of the House Judiciary Committee, but the early questioning had left him muted on the live video feed, reaching for some snacks.
The hearing, meanwhile, took a 10-minute break to fix a technical problem "with one of our witnesses."
— Alina Selyukh
Did Facebook buy Instagram to neutralize a competitor?
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., pressed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on why his company bought Instagram for $1 billion back in 2012. That's a key part of competition questions facing the social media giant. Critics accuse Facebook of buying or copying rivals — such as Instagram and WhatsApp — to squash competition.
Nadler said in its investigation, the committee got documents from Facebook in which Zuckerberg discussed "neutralizing a competitor" as a reason to pursue Instagram.
"Facebook saw Instagram as a threat that could potentially siphon business away from Facebook. And so rather than compete with it, Facebook bought it," Nadler said.
Zuckerberg pointed out that the Federal Trade Commission OK'd the merger at the time. "With hindsight it probably looks obvious that Instagram would have reached the scale that it has today, but at the time it was far from obvious," he said.
Cicilline interjected to say that the "failures" of the FTC in 2012 do not mean it was not a violation of antitrust law.
— Shannon Bond
Panel chairman: Under coronavirus, Big Tech "likely to emerge stronger and more powerful"
Up first was Cicilline, chairman of the antitrust subcommittee that was holding the hearing. He has been the driving force behind the yearlong investigation of Big Tech.
In his opening remarks, he described the dominance of each company: Amazon in online shopping, Apple in smartphones and apps, Facebook in social media and Google in search and ads. And he pointed out that thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, all four "are likely to emerge stronger and more powerful than ever before."
"As American families shift more of their work, shopping, and communication online, these giants stand to profit," Cicilline said. "Locally owned businesses, meanwhile — mom and pop stores on Main Street — face an economic crisis unlike any in recent history."
The committee's investigation has turned up a pattern among the tech giants, he said. They control access to information and marketplaces, use that control to "surveil" rivals and protect their power, and favor their own businesses.
"Simply put: They have too much power," Cicilline said. For consumers, he said, this is reminiscent of previous American monopolies: railroads, oil and telephone companies, and even another tech giant — Microsoft.
"This investigation also goes to the heart of whether we, as a people, govern ourselves, or whether we let ourselves be governed by private monopolies," he said. "Our founders would not bow before a king. Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy."
— Shannon Bond
Jordan: "Big Tech is out to get conservatives"
Wednesday's hearing was supposed to be about Big Tech's power and market dominance. But Republicans tried to make it about something else: accusations that online platforms are biased against conservatives.
"Big Tech is out to get conservatives," Jordan, the Ohio Republican, said in his fiery opening statement.
Jordan then rapidly read aloud headlines making claims that conservative-leaning publications and voices had been suppressed or censored on Facebook and Google.
He also mentioned Twitter, even though it was not part of the hearing. Jordan said conservative members of Congress were "shadow banned" on Twitter. He said Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said it was a glitch.
"If I had a nickel for every time I heard it was just a glitch, I wouldn't be as wealthy as our witnesses, but I'd be doing all right," Jordan said.
"We all think the free market is great. We think competition is great. We love the fact that these are American companies. But what's not great is censoring people, censoring conservatives and trying to impact elections," Jordan said. "If it doesn't end, there has to be consequences."
Before Jordan's remarks, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., also mentioned the belief, strongly contested by large tech companies, that conservatives do not get a fair shake by the online platforms, calling reports of conservative censorship troubling.
"Conservatives are consumers, too, and they need the protection of antitrust laws," Sensenbrenner said.
The hearing erupted in chaos after Jordan asked that Rep. Mike Johnson of the House Judiciary's Constitution subcommittee be allowed to participate in the hearing. The request was denied.
Jordan then repeatedly interrupted Cicilline, the antitrust subcommittee chairman, who was attempting to introduce Bezos.
"We're talking about people's liberties here," Jordan said over Cicilline.
"Put your mask on," Jordan was told.
— Bobby Allyn
Trump tweets: "Bring fairness to Big Tech"
The hearing got underway after an hourlong delay. First up were opening statements from the top members of the committee and the four CEOs. Then lawmakers each got five minutes to question Bezos, Cook, Pichai and Zuckerberg. All four joined remotely via video.
The focus of the hearing, and the committee's investigation, was meant to be about competition — but lawmakers seemed unable to resist bringing up other complaints about tech companies, from the spread of misinformation to alleged anti-conservative bias.
That also was the message coming from the White House, where President Trump repeatedly has accused tech companies of treating him unfairly. Shortly after noon, he tweeted: "If Congress doesn't bring fairness to Big Tech, which they should have done years ago, I will do it myself with Executive Orders. In Washington, it has been ALL TALK and NO ACTION for years, and the people of our Country are sick and tired of it!"
— Shannon Bond
Our original story by Bobby Allyn continues:
Amid a time of rising tensions with China, some of the powerful CEOs will suggest that too much regulation could provide an opportunity for Chinese tech firms to gain a global toehold, according to opening remarks from the tech leaders released by the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee.
"We believe in values — democracy, competition, inclusion and free expression — that the American economy was built on," Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg will tell lawmakers, according to his prepared opening statement. "China is building its own version of the internet focused on very different ideas, and they are exporting their vision to other countries."
Amazon's Jeff Bezos, the world's richest person who will be making his first appearance in front of Congress, will bring in his personal story of being adopted by an immigrant father when he was 4 years old and spending his summers on his grandparents' ranch in Texas, saying his upbringing instilled in him a work ethic that has helped Amazon prosper.
Amazon's rise to becoming the largest online retailer, Bezos will say, is an achievement only made possible in America. But Walmart, he will point out, is still twice the size of Amazon.
"We did not start out as the largest marketplace — eBay was many times our size. It was only by focusing on supporting sellers and giving them the best tools we could invent that we were able to succeed and eventually surpass eBay," Bezos says in his released testimony.
Google's Sundar Pichai will steer attention to the other ways people navigate the online world, even though 90% of Internet searches happen on Google.
"People have more ways to search for information than ever before — and increasingly this is happening outside the context of only a search engine," Pichai plans to tell the House panel. "You can ask Alexa a question from your kitchen; read your news on Twitter; ask friends for information via WhatsApp; and get recommendations on Snapchat or Pinterest."
Apple's Tim Cook will echo the appeals to patriotism raised among the other tech CEOs by touting how Apple's strength, becoming the most valuable company in the world, represents success "only possible in this country."
He will also join the other tech leaders by arguing that Apple has plenty of competition.
"The smartphone market is fiercely competitive, and companies like Samsung, LG, Huawei and Google have built very successful smartphone businesses offering different approaches," Cook will say in his opening statement to lawmakers.
Whether members of the House Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee buy these arguments over the course of what is set to be an hours-long spectacle is another matter.
And it remains to be seen if the public will gain new insight into the tech companies, and whether lawmakers can pin down answers from the typically cautious technology executives.
The CEOs will be testifying via video at the same time, rather than one by one, a format seen as taking the heat off any individual executive and something the companies requested.
While the hearing centers on questions around market dominance, lawmakers are free to pepper the executives with questions about any topic.
The anything-goes format will likely divert the hearing away from antitrust and delve into issues such as perceived anti-conservative bias on social media platforms, a common Republican refrain. And Democrats, often raising concern about foreign election meddling, may inquire about possible efforts to influence the vote online ahead of the November election.
More on-topic probing could involve issues such as acquisitions that have grown the reach of Big Tech.
For instance, Facebook has acquired nearly 90 companies, including Instagram, WhatsApp and more recently, Giphy, a tool for creating animated images.
However it goes, one thing is certain: It will be a day for the history books.
The hearing is the first time all four technology leaders have testified together, as scrutiny over the companies' nearly $5 trillion market power draws intensifying scrutiny in Washington.
The CEOs will be on the defensive as House lawmakers grill them about whether the business empire each company has created has resulted in monopoly-like dominance that distorts the marketplace in their favor.
After enjoying more than a decade virtually free of federal regulation, House lawmakers are expected to make the case that it's time for the technology behemoths to be held to account.
The hearing caps a more than yearlong House investigation into the Big Tech companies, which has probed whether the industry leaders box out competition, discourage innovation and pose larger threats to society and American democracy.
If Washington can keep the bipartisan focus on Silicon Valley, the hearing could set the stage for historic regulations, but the tech CEOs will be making the case to lawmakers that laws aimed at reining in the scale and power of each company are not necessary, contending that competition among rivals has not been squashed and that consumers have benefited from the technology sector's success.
"You earn trust slowly, over time, by doing hard things well — delivering on time; offering everyday low prices; making promises and keeping them; making principled decisions, even when they're unpopular," Bezos will tell the subcommittee.
Unpopular among the four tech giants: the argument that the power each company has amassed over the years is being abused and needs to be held accountable by Washington.


npr--2020-07-29--Tracking The Pandemic: Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State?

Tracking The Pandemic : Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State ?
More than 4 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 150,000 have died .
Though growth in new cases slowed in late spring , by mid-June new cases began to trend upward nationally .
In the graphics below , explore the trend in new cases in your state to see whether cases are rising , falling or staying level .
You can view the data via a heat map ( immediately below ) , a curve chart and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case trends over the last three weeks .
Or to see states ' total cases and deaths on a map , click here .
The following chart displays states ' trends in new daily case counts , total cases , and per capita totals .
To compare state outbreaks , the trend lines for average new daily cases are graphed against each state 's total case count to date .
This highlights a state 's daily growth relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case counts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As cases slow , the curve levels or bends down .
In New York , site of the country 's largest outbreak , the state 's 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 under 800 per day in mid July .
Conversely , Florida peaked around 1,200 new cases per day on average in April , only to surge again to nearly 12,000 per day in mid-July Coronavirus case totals are much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the spring , a large share of U.S. cases were centered around New York City .
As of mid July , other large , populous states such as California , Florida and Texas have reached high totals as well .
Some other states such as Arizona and Louisiana show a heavy burden of infection relative to their population size .
Explore the map below to see totals and per capita figures around the country for both cases and deaths .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state , week over week .
States marked in shades of red are showing growth , those in shades of green , are showing declines .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 .
In early June , Michigan health authorities started including probable cases in its totals .
This resulted in a brief spike in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ JHU team was able 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 .
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 this story .

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--2020-07-29--Why The Novel Coronavirus Has The Power To Launch A Pandemic

Why The Novel Coronavirus Has The Power To Launch A Pandemic On January 30 , the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus — then unnamed — to be a `` Public Health Emergency of International Concern . ''
The virus , first reported in China in late 2019 , had started to spread beyond its borders , causing 98 cases in 18 countries in addition to some 7,700 cases in China at the time .
Six months later , the tiny coronavirus has spread around the world , infecting more than 16 million people worldwide and killing more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2020 .
`` This is the sixth time a global health emergency has been declared under the International Health Regulations , but it is easily the most severe , '' said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , WHO 's director-general , on Monday .
What was it about this coronavirus — later named SARS-CoV-2 — that made it the one to spark a global pandemic ?
Virologists point to several key traits that this virus possesses .
Any one of them might be problematic .
When combined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is what coronavirus researcher Andrea Pruijssers of Vanderbilt University calls a `` perfect storm '' — a one-in-a-million virus capable of triggering a worldwide health crisis .
One of the novel coronavirus 's biggest advantages is how easily it spreads from human to human , says Dr. Megan Freeman , a virologist at Children 's Hospital of Pittsburgh , who conducted her doctoral research on coronaviruses .
The coronavirus causes COVID-19 , a respiratory disease that infects the sinuses , throat , lungs — all parts of the body involved with breathing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be readily passed onward through breath and spittle expelled from the nose and mouth .
Unlike Ebola , where direct contact with blood and other bodily fluids is the main route of infection , you do n't have to touch someone to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 — all it takes is getting close enough to an infected person and breathing in respiratory droplets they exhale .
And because it 's transmitted rapidly through the respiratory route , `` it 's a virus that [ also ] has the capacity to spread across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All it takes to introduce the illness to a new continent is a single person who travels there while infectious .
... but not so fast that it 'll knock itself out When a virus spreads too quickly , enough people in a community may catch it to create `` herd immunity . ''
With fewer people to infect , the virus 's rapid spread can ensure its own demise , says Malik Peiris , a virologist at the University of Hong Kong .
`` It 's a balance , '' he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as dengue fever and chikungunya have surged and then died down in certain locations .
It 's transmittable even with no symptoms Even before symptoms develop , infected people can spread this virus by speaking , singing , coughing and breathing out virus-laden droplets in close proximity to others .
`` For SARS-CoV-2 , a lot of the transmission is from asymptomatic , [ presymptomatic ] or mildly symptomatic people , '' Pruijssers says .
By contrast , SARS-CoV-1 , a related coronavirus that caused an epidemic in Asia in 2003 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So as soon as someone showed symptoms , they were quarantined — which effectively stopped that virus from transmitting , Peiris says .
The SARS epidemic officially ended in 2004 after sickening 8,098 people ; there have been no known cases reported since .
The severity of symptoms puts a strain on health systems Even though some people who are infected have no symptoms or mild symptoms , the novel coronavirus can inflict serious damage .
`` This coronavirus has the capacity to cause really debilitating respiratory disease and even death '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared with , say , the flu , Freeman says .
Because COVID-19 can make people sick enough to require hospitalization , high rates of spread have strained hospital systems , making it difficult to provide optimal care for patients , as is happening in California and Texas .
When hospitals run low on staff and supplies , the result can be care rationing and excess deaths .
Since its emergence , in late 2019 in China , the novel coronavirus has killed more than 600,000 globally .
Then there 's the pet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus come from animals , it also appears to have the ability to jump from humans to animals , including their pets — and possibly back again .
The virus likely originated in bats and spilled over to humans because of some unlucky coincidence , where a person was `` in the wrong place at the wrong time '' and came in contact with a bat or an intermediary animal that happened to be infected with this particular virus , says Carlos Zambrana-Torrelio , an ecologist with the nonprofit organization EcoHealth Alliance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ occasionally infected their pet dogs and cats as well as lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo .
There 's no evidence yet of dogs and cats passing it to people , but sick minks on Dutch fur farms are thought to have given the coronavirus back to humans .
This could mean that if the virus starts circulating regularly among animals that we handle or live with , it may be really hard to get rid of it , Freeman says .
`` [ If ] there 's an animal reservoir , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus could come back in a spillover event , '' she says .
In other words , a community could be virus-free only to have it reintroduced by a visiting animal .
... and this virus has the element of surprise The world has never dealt with a pandemic caused by a highly dangerous coronavirus before .
This means everyone in the world is likely susceptible to it and also that , in the beginning `` we knew nothing about it — it was a brand new virus , '' Pruijssers says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and control has contributed to the virus 's ability to spread .
Unlike flu , which has been known to researchers for centuries , this novel coronavirus has required researchers to figure out everything from scratch — how it spreads , who 's most likely to get sick from it and how to combat it with drugs and vaccines .
There 's still a lot we do n't know , Pruijssers says , and we 're learning fast .
But not fast enough to have stopped this pandemic from happening .

Why The Novel Coronavirus Has The Power To Launch A Pandemic
Enlarge this image toggle caption Radoslav Zilinsky/Getty Images Radoslav Zilinsky/Getty Images
On January 30, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus — then unnamed — to be a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern." The virus, first reported in China in late 2019, had started to spread beyond its borders, causing 98 cases in 18 countries in addition to some 7,700 cases in China at the time.
Six months later, the tiny coronavirus has spread around the world, infecting more than 16 million people worldwide and killing more than 650,000. It is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2020.
"This is the sixth time a global health emergency has been declared under the International Health Regulations, but it is easily the most severe," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's director-general, on Monday.
What was it about this coronavirus — later named SARS-CoV-2 — that made it the one to spark a global pandemic?
Virologists point to several key traits that this virus possesses. Any one of them might be problematic. When combined in one microscopic virus, the result is what coronavirus researcher Andrea Pruijssers of Vanderbilt University calls a "perfect storm" — a one-in-a-million virus capable of triggering a worldwide health crisis.
It's a super-fast spreader ...
One of the novel coronavirus's biggest advantages is how easily it spreads from human to human, says Dr. Megan Freeman, a virologist at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, who conducted her doctoral research on coronaviruses.
The coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that infects the sinuses, throat, lungs — all parts of the body involved with breathing. As a result, the virus can be readily passed onward through breath and spittle expelled from the nose and mouth. Unlike Ebola, where direct contact with blood and other bodily fluids is the main route of infection, you don't have to touch someone to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 — all it takes is getting close enough to an infected person and breathing in respiratory droplets they exhale.
And because it's transmitted rapidly through the respiratory route, "it's a virus that [also] has the capacity to spread across the globe fairly easily," Pruijssers says. All it takes to introduce the illness to a new continent is a single person who travels there while infectious.
... but not so fast that it'll knock itself out
When a virus spreads too quickly, enough people in a community may catch it to create "herd immunity." With fewer people to infect, the virus's rapid spread can ensure its own demise, says Malik Peiris, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong. "It's a balance," he says, pointing out that other viruses such as dengue fever and chikungunya have surged and then died down in certain locations.
It's transmittable even with no symptoms
Even before symptoms develop, infected people can spread this virus by speaking, singing, coughing and breathing out virus-laden droplets in close proximity to others. "For SARS-CoV-2, a lot of the transmission is from asymptomatic, [presymptomatic] or mildly symptomatic people," Pruijssers says.
By contrast, SARS-CoV-1, a related coronavirus that caused an epidemic in Asia in 2003, was most infectious when people were symptomatic. So as soon as someone showed symptoms, they were quarantined — which effectively stopped that virus from transmitting, Peiris says. The SARS epidemic officially ended in 2004 after sickening 8,098 people; there have been no known cases reported since.
The severity of symptoms puts a strain on health systems
Even though some people who are infected have no symptoms or mild symptoms, the novel coronavirus can inflict serious damage. "This coronavirus has the capacity to cause really debilitating respiratory disease and even death" for a higher proportion of infected people compared with, say, the flu, Freeman says.
Because COVID-19 can make people sick enough to require hospitalization, high rates of spread have strained hospital systems, making it difficult to provide optimal care for patients, as is happening in California and Texas. When hospitals run low on staff and supplies, the result can be care rationing and excess deaths. Since its emergence, in late 2019 in China, the novel coronavirus has killed more than 600,000 globally.
Then there's the pet theory ...
Not only did the novel coronavirus come from animals, it also appears to have the ability to jump from humans to animals, including their pets — and possibly back again.
The virus likely originated in bats and spilled over to humans because of some unlucky coincidence, where a person was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" and came in contact with a bat or an intermediary animal that happened to be infected with this particular virus, says Carlos Zambrana-Torrelio, an ecologist with the nonprofit organization EcoHealth Alliance.
Now, researchers have found humans have occasionally infected their pet dogs and cats as well as lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo. There's no evidence yet of dogs and cats passing it to people, but sick minks on Dutch fur farms are thought to have given the coronavirus back to humans.
This could mean that if the virus starts circulating regularly among animals that we handle or live with, it may be really hard to get rid of it, Freeman says. "[If] there's an animal reservoir, there's always that possibility that the virus could come back in a spillover event," she says. In other words, a community could be virus-free only to have it reintroduced by a visiting animal.
... and this virus has the element of surprise
The world has never dealt with a pandemic caused by a highly dangerous coronavirus before. This means everyone in the world is likely susceptible to it and also that, in the beginning "we knew nothing about it — it was a brand new virus," Pruijssers says. And that lack of knowledge about treatments and control has contributed to the virus's ability to spread.
Unlike flu, which has been known to researchers for centuries, this novel coronavirus has required researchers to figure out everything from scratch — how it spreads, who's most likely to get sick from it and how to combat it with drugs and vaccines.
There's still a lot we don't know, Pruijssers says, and we're learning fast. But not fast enough to have stopped this pandemic from happening.


npr--2020-07-29--Data Analysis: COVID-19 Is Filling Up Hospitals In Small Cities

Data Analysis : COVID-19 Is Filling Up Hospitals In Small Cities Larry Pichon called an ambulance to take his wife , Judy , to a hospital in Lake Charles , in southwest Louisiana , on the morning of July 13 .
He 'd had to do this before .
She had a rare autoimmune disease — granulomatosis with polyangiitis , which causes inflammation of blood vessels and can be particularly damaging for the lungs and kidneys .
It was n't uncommon for Judy to make a trip to the emergency room .
`` When she got in the ambulance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her , and that was around nine o'clock , '' Larry remembered .
Larry would normally have accompanied his wife and waited at the hospital , but rules enacted amid the surge of coronavirus cases meant he could n't stay .
Judy called around 5 p.m. to say she was feeling better .
She told him not to come to the hospital .
At 8 p.m. , her condition changed .
Judy was put on a ventilator .
`` Normally you go on a ventilator , you go in the ICU — there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the coronavirus , '' he said .
Hospital staff said he could see her if he could get there in time .
But , `` when I got there , she had already , had just died . ''
Judy did n't test positive for the coronavirus .
Instead , Larry said , her heart stopped .
If it were n't for the pandemic , Larry believes his wife would be alive .
He believes she would have been given more attentive care if she 'd been transferred to the ICU , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if not , the pandemic meant she died alone .
He never got the chance to say goodbye .
`` Because of corona , she was basically , in my opinion , taken away from me , '' he said .
`` It happened because somebody else did not take the precautions that they should have taken , got the virus , and then had that bed that my wife needed . ''
Officials with the CHRISTUS Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital would not comment on Judy Pichon 's case and whether her death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is one of several hospitals in Lake Charles facing a severe shortage in beds .
In a statement , Dr. Timothy Haman , the chief medical officer of the hospital , said the hospital 's emergency department nurses are trained in critical care and `` while it definitely is n't ideal to hold patients in the ED for a prolonged amount of time , it is unfortunately a common phenomenon across the country right now . ''
As the coronavirus has moved from coastal cities to more rural areas of the country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those not equipped to deal with the recent surge of the pandemic .
An NPR analysis of new COVID-19 cases and hospital capacity shows that in addition to well-known hot spots like Arizona , Texas and Florida , there 's cause for concern in other parts of the country , too .
Places like southwest Louisiana , eastern Washington state and Boise , Idaho , have had to shuffle patients between hospitals in order to ensure everyone can get a bed .
The NPR analysis looked at new cases in hospital referral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country where patients are likely to be referred when they 're trying to get care .
Because coronavirus case counts are generally available at only the county level — and since hospital capacity can fluctuate — NPR 's figures are estimates for how many cases a hospital referral region has .
Lake Charles is among two regions in Louisiana where the renewed wave of the pandemic may overwhelm hospital capacity .
It sits at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico and the border with Texas .
For weeks , Lake Charles and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have had the state 's highest rates of new coronavirus cases and its greatest growth in hospitalizations .
According to state data , there are just 20 intensive care unit beds left in the Lake Charles region as of Sunday .
Lafayette , a few hours west of New Orleans in the heart of Acadiana , has just 26 .
In both , the major hospitals are either near capacity or already full .
The governor has requested extra ICU nurses , doctors and respiratory therapists through the Federal Emergency Management Agency , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been tapping contract nurses , but `` that is drying up pretty quick , '' said Dr. Manley Jordan , the chief medical officer of Lake Charles Memorial Hospital .
`` Everybody has their limits .
Everybody has a breaking point , '' Jordan said .
`` What keeps me up at night is not having any light at the end of the tunnel . ''
Some hospitals are so full that they 're on what 's called `` diversion '' — meaning that they restrict which patients they take from surrounding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients farther away to get care .
In those hospitals , the only way in is through the emergency room .
Lafayette General Health , a Level II trauma center , has been on complete diversion for over a week , even for patients from smaller local facilities within its own network .
Chief Medical Officer Amanda Logue said she does n't think the community understands that a hospital swamped with coronavirus patients has an impact on other health care , too .
`` It 's all the other things that them and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to turn them all away , '' she said .
`` So if you 're in a car accident , I 'm sorry , but we ca n't take you at this time . ''
Idaho saw 3,228 confirmed coronavirus cases in the past week , and about two-thirds of those were in the greater Boise area .
More than 200 people statewide were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 as of this past weekend .
Almost 20 % of Idaho 's COVID-19 deaths over the course of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intensive care units at St. Luke 's Health System hospitals filled up last week .
They began sending patients to the main facility in Boise .
The intensive care unit there was running at about 130 % of normal capacity .
Respiratory therapists are being sent from St. Luke 's hospital two hours away to help .
The outbreak has left Idaho 's major hospitals walking a fine line .
They want people in the community to take the virus seriously , but they 're also careful to say they are n't full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their patients .
`` We are taking care of everyone who needs care today , and we will continue to do that , '' Chris Roth , the president and CEO of St. Luke 's Health System , Idaho 's largest health care system , said during a press conference with local medical leaders earlier this month .
`` But August will be too late , and we will find ourselves in a situation where that could very well change . ''
In mid-June , Yakima in eastern Washington emerged as the epicenter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the highest rate of infections of any West Coast county .
The NPR analysis shows Yakima has one of the worst ratios of hospital beds to people with coronavirus infections in the country .
The community of about 250,000 had n't seen a crush of patients in early spring like nearby Seattle .
But the virus was picking up speed , sweeping through long-term care facilities , sickening farmworkers and spreading uncontrollably .
One of those to fall ill was Leola Reeves ' 70-year-old stepfather , who was hospitalized for two weeks with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone call .
What are his final wishes ?
And that was extremely hard , '' said Reeves , 37 .
On the side of a busy roadway , Reeves has helped set up more than 8,000 red flags , each with a black silhouette , to represent the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in her hometown .
Yakima 's health care system was particularly vulnerable to that surge of patients .
In January a major hospital closed , leaving only one other hospital in the city with just 11 critical care beds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Davenport with Virginia Mason Memorial hospital in Yakima said 17 patients were transferred out of the county in a single day .
`` We 've never had anything close to that number ever in our history , '' Davenport said .
Leola Reeves began to worry her stepfather might be transferred hours away to Seattle .
`` Luckily , that did not happen .
And they were able to care for him here . ''
One reason he did n't have to be transferred is because of the way the hospital adapted during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its critical care beds and retrofitted floors to care for patients .
Davenport said the biggest challenge was n't just physical space .
`` We had beds , but what we did n't have was team members to safely take care of those patients , '' he said .
The health care system was still on the brink .
Then a combination of good fortune and community action led to a remarkable turnaround .
While Yakima was inundated , other parts of Washington got the virus under control , so there was always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was really our saving grace , '' Davenport said .
Meanwhile , local health officials , working with the hospital , businesses and community groups , launched a massive face mask awareness campaign .
A survey from Memorial Day weekend showed only 35 % of people in Yakima were wearing face masks .
`` Having that data point actually was really helpful , '' said Lilian Bravo with the Yakima Health District .
Bravo said they blanketed the community with free masks and shifted their messaging to focus on the goal of improving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` That was a key turning point , '' Bravo said .
`` Having that tangible goal ended up being very , very effective . ''
A month later , the same survey showed 95 % of people were wearing face masks , and the results became even more clear as hospitalizations and cases continue to fall .
`` Masking is what has changed , '' Davenport said .
`` For us to go from 200 cases a day to 100 cases a day in six weeks is incredible . ''
Whether hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of rising caseloads is the challenge and the question .
Dr. Ashish Jha , the director of Harvard Global Health Institute , originally compiled hospital capacity data used in NPR 's analysis in March to estimate when hospitals might fill up .
At that time , health leaders were worried about a single crushing incident of coronavirus infections that would overwhelm U.S. hospitals .
Now , he says , he 's concerned about something else , too .
`` It may come differently as opposed to a single massive surge that overwhelms hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this constant flow of critically ill patients that are just barely what a hospital can manage , '' Jha says .
`` Once you get out of those major academic centers and start getting into community hospitals and regional hospitals , they do n't have those deep benches .
They do n't have the wealth of resources that they can tap into .
So I am very worried that in the days and weeks ahead , if these hospitals continue to function at or above capacity , they 're going to have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Data Analysis: COVID-19 Is Filling Up Hospitals In Small Cities
Enlarge this image toggle caption Larry Pichon Larry Pichon
Larry Pichon called an ambulance to take his wife, Judy, to a hospital in Lake Charles, in southwest Louisiana, on the morning of July 13. He'd had to do this before.
She had a rare autoimmune disease — granulomatosis with polyangiitis, which causes inflammation of blood vessels and can be particularly damaging for the lungs and kidneys. It wasn't uncommon for Judy to make a trip to the emergency room.
"When she got in the ambulance to go was the last time I saw her, and that was around nine o'clock," Larry remembered.
Larry would normally have accompanied his wife and waited at the hospital, but rules enacted amid the surge of coronavirus cases meant he couldn't stay. Judy called around 5 p.m. to say she was feeling better. She told him not to come to the hospital. At 8 p.m., her condition changed. Judy was put on a ventilator.
"Normally you go on a ventilator, you go in the ICU — there were no beds in the ICU due to the coronavirus," he said.
Hospital staff said he could see her if he could get there in time.
But, "when I got there, she had already, had just died."
Judy didn't test positive for the coronavirus. Instead, Larry said, her heart stopped. If it weren't for the pandemic, Larry believes his wife would be alive. He believes she would have been given more attentive care if she'd been transferred to the ICU, possibly saving her life. But even if not, the pandemic meant she died alone. He never got the chance to say goodbye.
"Because of corona, she was basically, in my opinion, taken away from me," he said. "It happened because somebody else did not take the precautions that they should have taken, got the virus, and then had that bed that my wife needed."
Officials with the CHRISTUS Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital would not comment on Judy Pichon's case and whether her death was related to crowding, but it is one of several hospitals in Lake Charles facing a severe shortage in beds. In a statement, Dr. Timothy Haman, the chief medical officer of the hospital, said the hospital's emergency department nurses are trained in critical care and "while it definitely isn't ideal to hold patients in the ED for a prolonged amount of time, it is unfortunately a common phenomenon across the country right now."
As the coronavirus has moved from coastal cities to more rural areas of the country, disparities in hospital capacity are causing problems for those not equipped to deal with the recent surge of the pandemic.
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An NPR analysis of new COVID-19 cases and hospital capacity shows that in addition to well-known hot spots like Arizona, Texas and Florida, there's cause for concern in other parts of the country, too. Places like southwest Louisiana, eastern Washington state and Boise, Idaho, have had to shuffle patients between hospitals in order to ensure everyone can get a bed.
The NPR analysis looked at new cases in hospital referral regions, which are areas of the country where patients are likely to be referred when they're trying to get care. Because coronavirus case counts are generally available at only the county level — and since hospital capacity can fluctuate — NPR's figures are estimates for how many cases a hospital referral region has.
Southwest Louisiana: Staff Shortages
Lake Charles is among two regions in Louisiana where the renewed wave of the pandemic may overwhelm hospital capacity. It sits at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico and the border with Texas. For weeks, Lake Charles and another hospital referral region, Lafayette, have had the state's highest rates of new coronavirus cases and its greatest growth in hospitalizations. According to state data, there are just 20 intensive care unit beds left in the Lake Charles region as of Sunday. Lafayette, a few hours west of New Orleans in the heart of Acadiana, has just 26. In both, the major hospitals are either near capacity or already full.
The governor has requested extra ICU nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but the request is pending. Hospitals have been tapping contract nurses, but "that is drying up pretty quick," said Dr. Manley Jordan, the chief medical officer of Lake Charles Memorial Hospital.
"Everybody has their limits. Everybody has a breaking point," Jordan said. "What keeps me up at night is not having any light at the end of the tunnel."
Some hospitals are so full that they're on what's called "diversion" — meaning that they restrict which patients they take from surrounding areas or other facilities, sending some patients farther away to get care. In those hospitals, the only way in is through the emergency room.
Lafayette General Health, a Level II trauma center, has been on complete diversion for over a week, even for patients from smaller local facilities within its own network. Chief Medical Officer Amanda Logue said she doesn't think the community understands that a hospital swamped with coronavirus patients has an impact on other health care, too.
"It's all the other things that them and their family need. And we've had to turn them all away," she said. "So if you're in a car accident, I'm sorry, but we can't take you at this time."
Boise: Walking A Fine Line
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sáša Woodruff/Boise State Public Radio Sáša Woodruff/Boise State Public Radio
Idaho saw 3,228 confirmed coronavirus cases in the past week, and about two-thirds of those were in the greater Boise area. More than 200 people statewide were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 as of this past weekend. Almost 20% of Idaho's COVID-19 deaths over the course of the pandemic happened in the past week.
Two intensive care units at St. Luke's Health System hospitals filled up last week. They began sending patients to the main facility in Boise. The intensive care unit there was running at about 130% of normal capacity. Respiratory therapists are being sent from St. Luke's hospital two hours away to help.
The outbreak has left Idaho's major hospitals walking a fine line. They want people in the community to take the virus seriously, but they're also careful to say they aren't full — they can still care for all their patients.
"We are taking care of everyone who needs care today, and we will continue to do that," Chris Roth, the president and CEO of St. Luke's Health System, Idaho's largest health care system, said during a press conference with local medical leaders earlier this month. "But August will be too late, and we will find ourselves in a situation where that could very well change."
Yakima, Wash.: Workarounds
In mid-June, Yakima in eastern Washington emerged as the epicenter of the state's outbreak, with the highest rate of infections of any West Coast county. The NPR analysis shows Yakima has one of the worst ratios of hospital beds to people with coronavirus infections in the country.
The community of about 250,000 hadn't seen a crush of patients in early spring like nearby Seattle. But the virus was picking up speed, sweeping through long-term care facilities, sickening farmworkers and spreading uncontrollably.
One of those to fall ill was Leola Reeves' 70-year-old stepfather, who was hospitalized for two weeks with COVID-19. "My mom got the phone call. What are his final wishes? And that was extremely hard," said Reeves, 37.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Will Stone for NPR Will Stone for NPR
On the side of a busy roadway, Reeves has helped set up more than 8,000 red flags, each with a black silhouette, to represent the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in her hometown.
Yakima's health care system was particularly vulnerable to that surge of patients. In January a major hospital closed, leaving only one other hospital in the city with just 11 critical care beds.
At one point, Dr. Tanny Davenport with Virginia Mason Memorial hospital in Yakima said 17 patients were transferred out of the county in a single day. "We've never had anything close to that number ever in our history," Davenport said.
Leola Reeves began to worry her stepfather might be transferred hours away to Seattle. "Luckily, that did not happen. And they were able to care for him here."
One reason he didn't have to be transferred is because of the way the hospital adapted during the crisis.
Virginia Mason Memorial doubled its critical care beds and retrofitted floors to care for patients. Davenport said the biggest challenge wasn't just physical space. "We had beds, but what we didn't have was team members to safely take care of those patients," he said.
The health care system was still on the brink. Then a combination of good fortune and community action led to a remarkable turnaround. While Yakima was inundated, other parts of Washington got the virus under control, so there was always somewhere to transfer patients.
"That was really our saving grace," Davenport said.
Meanwhile, local health officials, working with the hospital, businesses and community groups, launched a massive face mask awareness campaign. A survey from Memorial Day weekend showed only 35% of people in Yakima were wearing face masks.
"Having that data point actually was really helpful," said Lilian Bravo with the Yakima Health District. Bravo said they blanketed the community with free masks and shifted their messaging to focus on the goal of improving that number so Yakima could reopen.
"That was a key turning point," Bravo said. "Having that tangible goal ended up being very, very effective."
A month later, the same survey showed 95% of people were wearing face masks, and the results became even more clear as hospitalizations and cases continue to fall.
"Masking is what has changed," Davenport said. "For us to go from 200 cases a day to 100 cases a day in six weeks is incredible."
Nationwide: What's Next?
Whether hospitals and communities can continue to keep ahead of rising caseloads is the challenge and the question.
Dr. Ashish Jha, the director of Harvard Global Health Institute, originally compiled hospital capacity data used in NPR's analysis in March to estimate when hospitals might fill up. At that time, health leaders were worried about a single crushing incident of coronavirus infections that would overwhelm U.S. hospitals. Now, he says, he's concerned about something else, too.
"It may come differently as opposed to a single massive surge that overwhelms hospitals. What we might get is just this constant flow of critically ill patients that are just barely what a hospital can manage," Jha says.
"Once you get out of those major academic centers and start getting into community hospitals and regional hospitals, they don't have those deep benches. They don't have the wealth of resources that they can tap into. So I am very worried that in the days and weeks ahead, if these hospitals continue to function at or above capacity, they're going to have a very hard time keeping going."
Additional reporting by Huo Jingnan.


npr--2020-07-30--Trump Keeps Criticizing Universal Vote By Mail. But The Nation Isn't Doing That

Trump Keeps Criticizing Universal Vote By Mail .
But The Nation Is n't Doing That President Trump 's claims about why November 's election could be marred and illegitimate shifted again Thursday , after he walked back his desire to potentially delay voting .
Trump falsely claimed that the U.S. is sending out `` hundreds of millions of universal mail-in ballots '' and also repeated a conspiracy theory about foreign countries counterfeiting ballots .
`` We are sending out hundreds of millions of universal mail-in ballots , '' Trump said .
`` Where are they going ?
Who are they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be referencing California , which has decided to send a mail ballot to all of the state 's more than 20 million registered voters ahead of the presidential election .
A handful of states also send ballots to all registered voters , but no states send ballots out to people who are not registered to vote .
In May , Trump similarly falsely claimed that California was sending ballots to anyone , `` no matter who they are or how they got there . ''
Twitter added a fact-check warning to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump also repeated a fear that he and Attorney General William Barr have raised , about foreign countries counterfeiting ballots .
Neither Trump nor Barr have explained how such a plot could successfully pass the numerous safeguards election officials have in place , like barcodes and signature verification , instead they have said as Trump did Thursday , that the threat was `` obvious . ''
It 's long been clear to election experts that with a rise in mail ballots , would come a delay in finding out the winner of elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take longer to process than in-person ballots , especially in states that have less mail voting infrastructure and are scaling up quickly to respond to the pandemic .
Officials need to verify signatures , open envelopes and , in many states , much of that process ca n't begin until the day of the election , due to state law .
But President Trump said Thursday that he did n't want to allow increased usage of mail ballots , because he did n't want such a delay in getting results .
`` Must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Election , not days , months , or even years later ! ''
he tweeted .
Election officials , however , say that it 's more important to focus on accuracy as opposed to speed .
Such a delay in counting the mail ballots should be seen as a sign that officials are safeguarding against the sort of fraud Trump says he is worried about , according to Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar .
`` There 's the headlines that say this is a disaster if there 's a delay , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
`` If we all anticipate that accurate vote counts , with a higher volume by mail , or for any reason , for a pandemic or for civil unrest , take longer because it takes longer to make sure the count is accurate , then that 's the opposite of a disaster .
`` That 's what every single voter and official should want for this country . ''
Other officials and experts also spoke out about Trump 's rhetoric .
Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge , a Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helping Americans vote safely during the pandemic , tweeted that `` rather than working to safeguard the election this year , [ Trump is ] preemptively trying to delegitimize it . ''
Lastly , Trump falsely claimed that there is a distinct partisan breakdown between supporters of vote by mail and opponents .
`` This is the opposite of voter ID , '' Trump said .
`` The Democrats love it , the Republicans hate it . ''
But numerous state level Republicans run elections in states that are all or majority mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wyman and Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno .
A recent Pew poll also found that about half of all Republicans nationwide supported allowing all registered voters nationwide the option to vote by mail without an excuse .

Trump Keeps Criticizing Universal Vote By Mail. But The Nation Isn't Doing That
Enlarge this image toggle caption Yuri Gripas/Getty Images Yuri Gripas/Getty Images
President Trump's claims about why November's election could be marred and illegitimate shifted again Thursday, after he walked back his desire to potentially delay voting.
Trump falsely claimed that the U.S. is sending out "hundreds of millions of universal mail-in ballots" and also repeated a conspiracy theory about foreign countries counterfeiting ballots.
"We are sending out hundreds of millions of universal mail-in ballots," Trump said. "Where are they going? Who are they being sent to?"
Trump seemed to be referencing California, which has decided to send a mail ballot to all of the state's more than 20 million registered voters ahead of the presidential election. A handful of states also send ballots to all registered voters, but no states send ballots out to people who are not registered to vote.
In May, Trump similarly falsely claimed that California was sending ballots to anyone, "no matter who they are or how they got there." Twitter added a fact-check warning to the tweet shortly after it was published.
Trump also repeated a fear that he and Attorney General William Barr have raised, about foreign countries counterfeiting ballots. Neither Trump nor Barr have explained how such a plot could successfully pass the numerous safeguards election officials have in place, like barcodes and signature verification, instead they have said as Trump did Thursday, that the threat was "obvious."
Sowing doubt in the delay
It's long been clear to election experts that with a rise in mail ballots, would come a delay in finding out the winner of elections. The reason is that mail ballots take longer to process than in-person ballots, especially in states that have less mail voting infrastructure and are scaling up quickly to respond to the pandemic.
Officials need to verify signatures, open envelopes and, in many states, much of that process can't begin until the day of the election, due to state law.
But President Trump said Thursday that he didn't want to allow increased usage of mail ballots, because he didn't want such a delay in getting results.
"Must know Election results on the night of the Election, not days, months, or even years later!" he tweeted.
Election officials, however, say that it's more important to focus on accuracy as opposed to speed. Such a delay in counting the mail ballots should be seen as a sign that officials are safeguarding against the sort of fraud Trump says he is worried about, according to Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar.
"There's the headlines that say this is a disaster if there's a delay, and that's not right," she told NPR in June. "If we all anticipate that accurate vote counts, with a higher volume by mail, or for any reason, for a pandemic or for civil unrest, take longer because it takes longer to make sure the count is accurate, then that's the opposite of a disaster.
"That's what every single voter and official should want for this country."
Numerous experts and officials spoke out Thursday about Trump's rhetoric.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, a Republican who is leading an organization aimed at helping Americans vote safely during the pandemic, tweeted that "rather than working to safeguard the election this year, [Trump is] preemptively trying to delegitimize it."
Partisanship and mail voting
Lastly, Trump falsely claimed that there is a distinct partisan breakdown between supporters of vote by mail and opponents.
"This is the opposite of voter ID," Trump said. "The Democrats love it, the Republicans hate it."
But numerous state level Republicans run elections in states that are all or majority mail-in, including Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman and Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno.
A recent Pew poll also found that about half of all Republicans nationwide supported allowing all registered voters nationwide the option to vote by mail without an excuse.