npr--2020-09-09--New York City To Resume Indoor Dining, With Restrictions, Later This Month

New York City To Resume Indoor Dining , With Restrictions , Later This Month Months after it was tabled due to COVID-19 , indoor dining is coming back to New York City .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that restaurants can resume indoor service on Sept. 30 at 25 % capacity and with other safety precautions in place .
`` We want to thank New Yorkers for the increase in compliance , '' Cuomo said at a press briefing .
`` And because the compliance has gotten better we can now take the next step .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to follow strict safety protocols in this next phase .
Customers will have their temperatures taken at the door and must wear masks except while seated , and one member of each party must provide information for potential contact tracing purposes .
Restaurants must close by midnight and can not offer bar service .
They must also space tables 6 feet apart and meet air filtration requirements as specified by state guidance .
To enforce these rules , Cuomo said the city will ultimately provide some 400 inspectors to work alongside the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be required to post their capacity outside , alongside a phone number for reporting violations .
Cuomo stressed that the future of indoor dining depends on the city 's infection rate .
If it goes up , indoor dining will be paused again .
If it does not , the capacity limit may increase to 50 % .
There is a Nov. 1 deadline to reassess capacity restrictions , but Cuomo said they could be eased at any point .
New York City currently has a positivity rate of 0.7 % .
Mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` immediately reassess '' if that number hits 2 % .
`` Science will guide our decision-making as we continue to monitor progress and health care indicators over the next three weeks to ensure a safe reopening , '' de Blasio said in a statement .
`` This may not look like the indoor dining that we all know and love , but it is progress for restaurant workers and all New Yorkers . ''
The mayor hit the pause button on indoor dining in early July .
At the time , coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country , with many outbreaks linked to indoor bars and restaurants .
New York state , once the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. , has managed to bring the virus under control considerably since the spring .
As of Wednesday , the state has had an infection rate below 1 % for 33 consecutive days .
Restaurants in the rest of the state have been able to open indoor dining at 50 % capacity under the third phase of New York 's reopening plan .
Cuomo said there have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state , which was part of the reason for the delay in New York City .
He acknowledged the risks of concentrations of people indoors as well as the economic pressure that restaurants have been facing .
`` A restaurant is not just the restaurant owner , '' he said .
`` A restaurant is the kitchen staff , the waitstaff , there 's a whole industry around restaurants . ''
The industry has taken a significant financial hit from the pandemic .
A New York State Restaurant Association survey released this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 1,000 establishments contacted said they would likely close by the end of the year without some form of government relief .
The association cheered the announcement in a statement Wednesday , calling it an important step toward the industry 's recovery .
`` Allowing restaurants to open indoors at a limited capacity will provide these eateries with an economic lifeline as they all try to keep their doors open through this pandemic , '' said Melissa Fleischut , the association 's president and CEO .
`` We will happily work with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure that all restaurants in New York City understand the rules . ''

New York City To Resume Indoor Dining, With Restrictions, Later This Month
Enlarge this image toggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Months after it was tabled due to COVID-19, indoor dining is coming back to New York City.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that restaurants can resume indoor service on Sept. 30 at 25% capacity and with other safety precautions in place.
"We want to thank New Yorkers for the increase in compliance," Cuomo said at a press briefing. "And because the compliance has gotten better we can now take the next step."
Restaurants and patrons will be required to follow strict safety protocols in this next phase.
Customers will have their temperatures taken at the door and must wear masks except while seated, and one member of each party must provide information for potential contact tracing purposes.
Restaurants must close by midnight and cannot offer bar service. They must also space tables 6 feet apart and meet air filtration requirements as specified by state guidance.
To enforce these rules, Cuomo said the city will ultimately provide some 400 inspectors to work alongside the state's compliance task force. Restaurants will be required to post their capacity outside, alongside a phone number for reporting violations.
Cuomo stressed that the future of indoor dining depends on the city's infection rate. If it goes up, indoor dining will be paused again. If it does not, the capacity limit may increase to 50%.
There is a Nov. 1 deadline to reassess capacity restrictions, but Cuomo said they could be eased at any point.
New York City currently has a positivity rate of 0.7%. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will "immediately reassess" if that number hits 2%.
"Science will guide our decision-making as we continue to monitor progress and health care indicators over the next three weeks to ensure a safe reopening," de Blasio said in a statement. "This may not look like the indoor dining that we all know and love, but it is progress for restaurant workers and all New Yorkers."
The mayor hit the pause button on indoor dining in early July. At the time, coronavirus cases were surging in many parts of the country, with many outbreaks linked to indoor bars and restaurants.
New York state, once the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., has managed to bring the virus under control considerably since the spring. As of Wednesday, the state has had an infection rate below 1% for 33 consecutive days.
Restaurants in the rest of the state have been able to open indoor dining at 50% capacity under the third phase of New York's reopening plan.
Cuomo said there have been some clusters tied to restaurants elsewhere in the state, which was part of the reason for the delay in New York City. He acknowledged the risks of concentrations of people indoors as well as the economic pressure that restaurants have been facing.
"A restaurant is not just the restaurant owner," he said. "A restaurant is the kitchen staff, the waitstaff, there's a whole industry around restaurants."
The industry has taken a significant financial hit from the pandemic.
A New York State Restaurant Association survey released this month found that nearly two-thirds of the more than 1,000 establishments contacted said they would likely close by the end of the year without some form of government relief.
The association cheered the announcement in a statement Wednesday, calling it an important step toward the industry's recovery.
"Allowing restaurants to open indoors at a limited capacity will provide these eateries with an economic lifeline as they all try to keep their doors open through this pandemic," said Melissa Fleischut, the association's president and CEO. "We will happily work with relevant governmental agencies and hospitality partners to ensure that all restaurants in New York City understand the rules."


npr--2020-09-09--Trump, Republicans Raise $210 Million In August — Far Behind Democrats' Haul

Trump , Republicans Raise $ 210 Million In August — Far Behind Democrats ' Haul President Trump and Republicans could 've set a one-month fundraising record — had their Democratic counterparts not hauled in some $ 150 million more .
The president 's campaign , the Republican National Committee and their joint fundraising efforts raised a combined $ 210 million last month , they announced on Wednesday .
On its own , that August haul is impressive .
It 's some $ 45 million more than the GOP groups raised in July , and it surpasses a figure of nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2008 that was considered the previous one-month record .
But it falls far short of the record-smashing nearly $ 365 million Joe Biden and Democrats pulled in last month .
Biden and Democrats released their August totals on Sept. 2 , and the radio silence from Trump and Republicans over several days seemed to indicate that their figures would lag far behind .
The GOP numbers follow a report of big spending by the Trump campaign that raised some concerns about dwindling coffers .
On Tuesday , the billionaire Trump said he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his reelection effort if needed .
`` If we needed any more , I 'd put it up personally , like I did in the primaries last time , '' Trump told reporters .
He spent $ 66 million to fund his campaign in 2016 .
With mere weeks until Election Day , the fundraising picture is notable : An incumbent whose campaign was once considered a financial juggernaut appears to trail the challenger .
But in its announcement Wednesday , Republicans touted the president 's grassroots support .
`` Both campaigns are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have very different priorities about how to spend it , '' Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement .
`` In addition to advertising , President Trump 's campaign has invested heavily in a muscular field operation and ground game that will turn out our voters , while the Biden campaign is waging almost exclusively an air war .
We like our strategy better . ''
In their respective announcements , neither side said how much cash it has on hand for the election 's stretch run .
We 'll get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the next filing deadline for Federal Election Commission reports .

Trump, Republicans Raise $210 Million In August — Far Behind Democrats' Haul
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sean Rayford/Getty Images Sean Rayford/Getty Images
President Trump and Republicans could've set a one-month fundraising record — had their Democratic counterparts not hauled in some $150 million more.
The president's campaign, the Republican National Committee and their joint fundraising efforts raised a combined $210 million last month, they announced on Wednesday.
On its own, that August haul is impressive. It's some $45 million more than the GOP groups raised in July, and it surpasses a figure of nearly $200 million by Barack Obama in 2008 that was considered the previous one-month record. But it falls far short of the record-smashing nearly $365 million Joe Biden and Democrats pulled in last month.
Biden and Democrats released their August totals on Sept. 2, and the radio silence from Trump and Republicans over several days seemed to indicate that their figures would lag far behind.
The GOP numbers follow a report of big spending by the Trump campaign that raised some concerns about dwindling coffers. On Tuesday, the billionaire Trump said he would put some of his own money into his reelection effort if needed.
"If we needed any more, I'd put it up personally, like I did in the primaries last time," Trump told reporters. He spent $66 million to fund his campaign in 2016.
With mere weeks until Election Day, the fundraising picture is notable: An incumbent whose campaign was once considered a financial juggernaut appears to trail the challenger.
But in its announcement Wednesday, Republicans touted the president's grassroots support.
"Both campaigns are raising massive amounts of money, but have very different priorities about how to spend it," Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement. "In addition to advertising, President Trump's campaign has invested heavily in a muscular field operation and ground game that will turn out our voters, while the Biden campaign is waging almost exclusively an air war. We like our strategy better."
In their respective announcements, neither side said how much cash it has on hand for the election's stretch run. We'll get more details on Sept. 20, which is the next filing deadline for Federal Election Commission reports.


npr--2020-09-09--Ex-Columbia University Gynecologist Accused Of Abusing Dozens Of Patients Is Indicted

Ex-Columbia University Gynecologist Accused Of Abusing Dozens Of Patients Is Indicted For nearly 20 years , a Columbia University gynecologist in New York City sexually abused dozens of female patients , including minors , according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday .
Robert Hadden , 62 , was arrested that morning in connection with sexual abuse that took place from 1993 to 2012 , including acts against a young girl whom Hadden had delivered at birth , court documents say .
Audrey Strauss , the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York , described him as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Hadden is facing six federal counts of `` enticing and inducing individuals to travel interstate to engage in illegal sexual activity . ''
Each of those counts could carry a maximum of 20 years in prison .
The six alleged victims who crossed state lines were not identified by name in the indictment , and it 's not clear if Evelyn Yang , who is the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and has publicly accused Hadden of abuse , is among them .
In an interview with CNN that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexually abused her in 2012 when she was pregnant and under his care .
`` It started with inappropriate questions ... that were unrelated to my health , '' Evelyn Yang told CNN .
She said the doctor examined her more frequently than was medically necessary .
`` I feel like I put up with some inappropriate behavior that I did n't know at the time was straight-up sexual abuse/sexual assault . ''
Yang said the most serious assault happened when she was seven months pregnant .
She said the doctor grabbed her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internally without a glove on .
There was no one else in the room , she added .
`` At that moment I knew it was wrong , I knew I was being assaulted . ''
It was n't immediately clear if Hadden has legal representation in the face of the grand jury indictment ; NPR reached out to a lawyer who previously represented him but did not immediately get a response .
This is not the first time Hadden has faced accusations of sexual abuse .
The Manhattan District Attorney 's Office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and he was indicted in 2014 for alleged criminal sex acts .
Yang was among those who testified before a grand jury at the time .
Two years later , the district attorney 's office agreed to a controversial plea deal that allowed the disgraced doctor to avoid jail time .
As The New York Times reported , `` under the agreement , Mr. Hadden gave up his medical license and pleaded guilty to a single felony count of criminal sexual act in the third degree , and one misdemeanor count of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unsealed Wednesday , prosecutors describe a pattern of behavior similar to the one that Yang publicly recounted .
They say he would arrange to be alone with patients by sending medical staff out of the room , then worked to gain their trust by sharing information about himself and asking them personal questions .
He allegedly `` inappropriately touched , squeezed and even licked his victims in the course of what his victims thought were medically necessary gynecological and obstetric examinations , '' Strauss said .
Many of his alleged victims were young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal during a visit to the gynecologist , prosecutors said .
`` The abusive behavior alleged here took place over the course of nearly two decades , which means there could be many victims out there we have not heard from , '' said William Sweeney Jr. , the assistant director in charge of the FBI 's New York Field Office .
In a tweet about the federal indictment , Yang said , `` Thank you to everyone who made today possible . ''

Ex-Columbia University Gynecologist Accused Of Abusing Dozens Of Patients Is Indicted
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Minchillo/AP John Minchillo/AP
For nearly 20 years, a Columbia University gynecologist in New York City sexually abused dozens of female patients, including minors, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Robert Hadden, 62, was arrested that morning in connection with sexual abuse that took place from 1993 to 2012, including acts against a young girl whom Hadden had delivered at birth, court documents say.
Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, described him as a "predator in a white coat"
Hadden is facing six federal counts of "enticing and inducing individuals to travel interstate to engage in illegal sexual activity." Each of those counts could carry a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The six alleged victims who crossed state lines were not identified by name in the indictment, and it's not clear if Evelyn Yang, who is the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and has publicly accused Hadden of abuse, is among them.
In an interview with CNN that aired in January, Yang said Hadden sexually abused her in 2012 when she was pregnant and under his care.
"It started with inappropriate questions ... that were unrelated to my health," Evelyn Yang told CNN. She said the doctor examined her more frequently than was medically necessary. "I feel like I put up with some inappropriate behavior that I didn't know at the time was straight-up sexual abuse/sexual assault."
Yang said the most serious assault happened when she was seven months pregnant. She said the doctor grabbed her and undressed her, then examined her internally without a glove on. There was no one else in the room, she added. "At that moment I knew it was wrong, I knew I was being assaulted."
It wasn't immediately clear if Hadden has legal representation in the face of the grand jury indictment; NPR reached out to a lawyer who previously represented him but did not immediately get a response.
This is not the first time Hadden has faced accusations of sexual abuse. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office pursued a case against him years ago, and he was indicted in 2014 for alleged criminal sex acts. Yang was among those who testified before a grand jury at the time.
Two years later, the district attorney's office agreed to a controversial plea deal that allowed the disgraced doctor to avoid jail time. As The New York Times reported, "under the agreement, Mr. Hadden gave up his medical license and pleaded guilty to a single felony count of criminal sexual act in the third degree, and one misdemeanor count of forcible touching."
In the indictment unsealed Wednesday, prosecutors describe a pattern of behavior similar to the one that Yang publicly recounted. They say he would arrange to be alone with patients by sending medical staff out of the room, then worked to gain their trust by sharing information about himself and asking them personal questions.
He allegedly "inappropriately touched, squeezed and even licked his victims in the course of what his victims thought were medically necessary gynecological and obstetric examinations," Strauss said.
Many of his alleged victims were young and unfamiliar with what would be considered normal during a visit to the gynecologist, prosecutors said.
"The abusive behavior alleged here took place over the course of nearly two decades, which means there could be many victims out there we have not heard from," said William Sweeney Jr., the assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York Field Office.
In a tweet about the federal indictment, Yang said, "Thank you to everyone who made today possible."


npr--2020-09-09--Winds Up To 99 MPH Hit Utah, Skittering Semis And Shuttering Capitol

Winds Up To 99 MPH Hit Utah , Skittering Semis And Shuttering Capitol Intense winds caused havoc on Utah 's highways Tuesday , flipping dozens of semi trucks onto their sides and forcing officials to restrict travel on interstates .
Hurricane-force wind gusts were common , forcing the Capitol building to be closed to employees .
Gov .
Gary Herbert declared a state of emergency on Wednesday due to the severe wind event .
Lt. Gov .
Spencer Cox said via Twitter , `` 45 semi trucks have overturned ( a record number for our state ) . ''
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Patrol , a truck is seen momentarily balancing on its right-side wheels before flipping over and skidding to a stop next to another truck .
The agency also posted numerous photos of other semis in similar predicaments , urging drivers not to risk driving through the wind storm .
Wind speeds peaked at 99 mph in one area just north of Salt Lake City , according to the National Weather Service 's local office .
Winds reached 89 mph at the University of Utah , the agency said .
The winds knocked over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creating a mess in communities and on the roads .
`` There are numerous closures on I-15 from Salt Lake County north to the Idaho border , '' the Utah Highway Patrol announced on Tuesday .
Urging people to avoid the area , it added , `` If you 're stuck in traffic , do not exit your vehicle due to flying debris .
And , avoid parking alongside high profile vehicles . ''
Schools canceled classes in the Salt Lake , Davis , Ogden and Weber school districts `` due to widespread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the morning and travel restrictions for high-profile vehicles like school buses , '' member station KUER reports .
More than 110,000 homes and businesses were left without electricity , according to KUER .
The station adds that while recovery teams are working to repair infrastructure , people should be prepared to go 72 hours with their own water , food and batteries .
The strong winds came as a cold front rushed into the region , thrusting Salt Lake and nearby areas into a temperature shift of nearly 40 degrees .
On Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tuesday , it was 55 , the weather service says .
The worst winds eased Tuesday afternoon , before picking up again in the evening .
It was n't until Wednesday morning that some of the last restrictions on high-profile vehicles on highways were lifted in Davis County , north of Salt Lake .
`` Winds are still consistent , but nowhere near yesterday 's magnitude , '' the highway patrol said .

Winds Up To 99 MPH Hit Utah, Skittering Semis And Shuttering Capitol
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rick Bowmer/AP Rick Bowmer/AP
Intense winds caused havoc on Utah's highways Tuesday, flipping dozens of semi trucks onto their sides and forcing officials to restrict travel on interstates. Hurricane-force wind gusts were common, forcing the Capitol building to be closed to employees.
Gov. Gary Herbert declared a state of emergency on Wednesday due to the severe wind event.
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox said via Twitter, "45 semi trucks have overturned (a record number for our state)."
In a video captured by the Utah Highway Patrol, a truck is seen momentarily balancing on its right-side wheels before flipping over and skidding to a stop next to another truck.
The agency also posted numerous photos of other semis in similar predicaments, urging drivers not to risk driving through the wind storm.
Wind speeds peaked at 99 mph in one area just north of Salt Lake City, according to the National Weather Service's local office. Winds reached 89 mph at the University of Utah, the agency said.
The winds knocked over large trees and downed power lines, creating a mess in communities and on the roads.
"There are numerous closures on I-15 from Salt Lake County north to the Idaho border," the Utah Highway Patrol announced on Tuesday. Urging people to avoid the area, it added, "If you're stuck in traffic, do not exit your vehicle due to flying debris. And, avoid parking alongside high profile vehicles."
Schools canceled classes in the Salt Lake, Davis, Ogden and Weber school districts "due to widespread power outages, continued strong winds through the morning and travel restrictions for high-profile vehicles like school buses," member station KUER reports.
More than 110,000 homes and businesses were left without electricity, according to KUER. The station adds that while recovery teams are working to repair infrastructure, people should be prepared to go 72 hours with their own water, food and batteries.
The strong winds came as a cold front rushed into the region, thrusting Salt Lake and nearby areas into a temperature shift of nearly 40 degrees. On Monday, the high had been 93; on Tuesday, it was 55, the weather service says.
The worst winds eased Tuesday afternoon, before picking up again in the evening. It wasn't until Wednesday morning that some of the last restrictions on high-profile vehicles on highways were lifted in Davis County, north of Salt Lake.
"Winds are still consistent, but nowhere near yesterday's magnitude," the highway patrol said.


npr--2020-09-09--7 Dead In 'Major' Pot Operation In California With Markings Of Organized Crime

7 Dead In 'Major ' Pot Operation In California With Markings Of Organized Crime Seven people were killed in a shooting at an illegal marijuana-growing operation in Southern California that local authorities say bears the hallmarks of organized crime .
Riverside County sheriff 's deputies responded to a 911 call Monday morning about an assault with a deadly weapon and shots fired .
When they arrived at the large property in the remote mountain area of Aguanga , they found six people dead of gunshot wounds .
A seventh person later died at a local hospital .
Everyone on site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — was Laotian , Sheriff Chad Bianco told reporters on Tuesday .
More than 20 people lived on the property , which had multiple buildings .
The Associated Press described the site where the shootings occurred as a `` dilapidated two-bedroom house '' with three cars parked outside .
A black tarp stretched over poles in the fenced backyard indicated a growing operation , according to the news service .
When deputies arrived , they found hundreds of marijuana plants as well as more than 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana with a street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to more than $ 5 million , according to Bianco .
Deputies also found equipment used to make hash oil .
`` This was not just a 'they happen to be growing marijuana ' `` situation , Bianco said .
This was a `` major organized-crime-type operation . ''
`` Marijuana is not a victimless crime , '' the sheriff added .
`` These illegal operations are extremely dangerous . ''
Monday 's 911 call was the eighth call about a marijuana-related homicide that the Riverside County Sheriff 's office has responded to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a total of 14 people dead .
Multiple vehicles at the property were registered to several different states , so local law enforcement has reached out to federal investigators for help with the investigation .
Local authorities are working to identify suspects in the shootings and have asked that anyone with information to fill out their online tip form .
Retail sales of recreational marijuana became legal in California in 2018 , and that legal market is strictly regulated by the state .
The illegal market , meanwhile , is flourishing .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seized more than $ 1.5 billion worth of illegal marijuana from 345 grow sites in fiscal year 2019 .
In February , deputies seized almost 10,000 plants and 411 pounds of processed marijuana , as well as firearms , in the Aguanga area .
Bianco said his office would likely step up enforcement against illegal marijuana cultivation sites .
And he noted that while the site where the bodies were found was in a remote area , illegal growing operations are also cropping up in residential areas .
`` Imagine if this would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities , with children right next door , '' Bianco said .

7 Dead In 'Major' Pot Operation In California With Markings Of Organized Crime
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elliot Spagat/AP Elliot Spagat/AP
Seven people were killed in a shooting at an illegal marijuana-growing operation in Southern California that local authorities say bears the hallmarks of organized crime.
Riverside County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call Monday morning about an assault with a deadly weapon and shots fired. When they arrived at the large property in the remote mountain area of Aguanga, they found six people dead of gunshot wounds. A seventh person later died at a local hospital.
Everyone on site — both the victims and potential witnesses — was Laotian, Sheriff Chad Bianco told reporters on Tuesday.
More than 20 people lived on the property, which had multiple buildings. The Associated Press described the site where the shootings occurred as a "dilapidated two-bedroom house" with three cars parked outside. A black tarp stretched over poles in the fenced backyard indicated a growing operation, according to the news service.
When deputies arrived, they found hundreds of marijuana plants as well as more than 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana with a street value of anywhere from $1 million to more than $5 million, according to Bianco. Deputies also found equipment used to make hash oil.
"This was not just a 'they happen to be growing marijuana' " situation, Bianco said. This was a "major organized-crime-type operation."
"Marijuana is not a victimless crime," the sheriff added. "These illegal operations are extremely dangerous." Monday's 911 call was the eighth call about a marijuana-related homicide that the Riverside County Sheriff's office has responded to this year, Bianco said, with a total of 14 people dead.
Multiple vehicles at the property were registered to several different states, so local law enforcement has reached out to federal investigators for help with the investigation.
Local authorities are working to identify suspects in the shootings and have asked that anyone with information to fill out their online tip form.
Retail sales of recreational marijuana became legal in California in 2018, and that legal market is strictly regulated by the state. The illegal market, meanwhile, is flourishing. In November, California authorities announced they had seized more than $1.5 billion worth of illegal marijuana from 345 grow sites in fiscal year 2019.
In February, deputies seized almost 10,000 plants and 411 pounds of processed marijuana, as well as firearms, in the Aguanga area.
Bianco said his office would likely step up enforcement against illegal marijuana cultivation sites. And he noted that while the site where the bodies were found was in a remote area, illegal growing operations are also cropping up in residential areas.
"Imagine if this would have been in one of our populated cities, with children right next door," Bianco said.


npr--2020-09-09--'Terror Against The People': Belarus Detains Another Opposition Leader

'Terror Against The People ' : Belarus Detains Another Opposition Leader In Belarus , another member of the country 's opposition has been detained by security agents — the latest in a series of disappearances that have prompted the country 's most famous living author , Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich , to speak out against `` terror against the people . ''
Eyewitnesses saw opposition politician Maxim Znak being detained Wednesday morning by unidentified masked men in the capital Minsk .
His lawyer , Dmitry Laevsky , later said Znak had been arrested because of his membership of the opposition-run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deemed illegal .
Znak was one of the last members of the council still active in Belarus .
The others have either been forced into exile or detained because of their efforts to negotiate an end to the rule of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko , following elections last month .
Lukashenko insists he won the Aug. 9 vote in a landslide , but widespread evidence of vote rigging has led to weeks of mass protests by people demanding Lukashenko 's resignation .
Public anger grew after a security crackdown that has seen thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tales of torture at the hands of police .
Alexievich , winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature and the sole remaining council member still active in the country , argued the group 's work would go on despite state pressure .
`` There is no one left of my friends and associates in the opposition 's Coordination Council .
They are all in prison , or they have been thrown out of the country , '' she wrote in a statement released Wednesday by the Belarusian PEN Center .
`` First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are seizing the best of us .
But hundreds of others will come and fill the places of those who have been taken from our ranks , '' she added .
`` It is the whole country which has risen up . ''
She said she was writing her statement as unknown men were outside her apartment building .
Ambassadors from several European countries and journalists rushed to her apartment in a successful effort to fend off her arrest — at least for now .
Znak 's detention was only the latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suppress the protests by either exiling or arresting high-profile members of the opposition .
On Monday , Maria Kolesnikova , one of the leaders of the movement , was abducted in similar fashion .
Twenty-four hours later , it emerged that state security agents had tried to expel her from her own country — a plan that went awry when Kolesnikova intentionally destroyed her own passport at the Ukrainian border , according to her colleagues .
On Wednesday , Kolesnikova 's lawyer , Lyudmila Kazak , confirmed her client was back in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being interrogated as a suspect in a criminal case lodged by the state against the Coordination Council .
The country 's powerful Investigative Committee later issued a statement saying both Kolesnikova and Znak were being held because of their `` calls urging action aimed at harming national security '' .

'Terror Against The People': Belarus Detains Another Opposition Leader
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP AP
In Belarus, another member of the country's opposition has been detained by security agents — the latest in a series of disappearances that have prompted the country's most famous living author, Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich, to speak out against "terror against the people."
Eyewitnesses saw opposition politician Maxim Znak being detained Wednesday morning by unidentified masked men in the capital Minsk.
His lawyer, Dmitry Laevsky, later said Znak had been arrested because of his membership of the opposition-run Coordination Council, which the government has deemed illegal.
Znak was one of the last members of the council still active in Belarus. The others have either been forced into exile or detained because of their efforts to negotiate an end to the rule of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, following elections last month.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Natalia Fedosenko/TASS via Getty Images Natalia Fedosenko/TASS via Getty Images
Lukashenko insists he won the Aug. 9 vote in a landslide, but widespread evidence of vote rigging has led to weeks of mass protests by people demanding Lukashenko's resignation.
Public anger grew after a security crackdown that has seen thousands arrested — with many exiting prisons bearing tales of torture at the hands of police.
Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature and the sole remaining council member still active in the country, argued the group's work would go on despite state pressure.
"There is no one left of my friends and associates in the opposition's Coordination Council. They are all in prison, or they have been thrown out of the country," she wrote in a statement released Wednesday by the Belarusian PEN Center.
"First they seized our country, and now they are seizing the best of us. But hundreds of others will come and fill the places of those who have been taken from our ranks," she added. "It is the whole country which has risen up."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Natalia Fedosenko/TASS via Getty Images Natalia Fedosenko/TASS via Getty Images
She said she was writing her statement as unknown men were outside her apartment building.
Ambassadors from several European countries and journalists rushed to her apartment in a successful effort to fend off her arrest — at least for now.
Znak's detention was only the latest effort by Lukashesko's security forces to suppress the protests by either exiling or arresting high-profile members of the opposition.
On Monday, Maria Kolesnikova, one of the leaders of the movement, was abducted in similar fashion.
Twenty-four hours later, it emerged that state security agents had tried to expel her from her own country — a plan that went awry when Kolesnikova intentionally destroyed her own passport at the Ukrainian border, according to her colleagues.
On Wednesday, Kolesnikova's lawyer, Lyudmila Kazak, confirmed her client was back in a prison in Minsk, where she was being interrogated as a suspect in a criminal case lodged by the state against the Coordination Council.
The country's powerful Investigative Committee later issued a statement saying both Kolesnikova and Znak were being held because of their "calls urging action aimed at harming national security".


npr--2020-09-09--New Chinese Space Plane Landed At Mysterious Air Base, Evidence Suggests

A commercial satellite photo may reveal a new Chinese space plane just moments after it landed at a remote site on the western side of China .
The photo , which is too low resolution to be conclusive , was snapped by the San Francisco-based company Planet .
It shows what could be the classified Chinese spacecraft on a long runway , along with several support vehicles lined up nearby .
Terse statements by China 's official Xinhua news agency said only that a Long March 2F rocket had carried a `` reusable experimental spacecraft '' into orbit and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The landing took place on Sept. 6 at almost the exact time the photo was snapped by the passing satellite .
`` I 'm reading a lot into a few little dots , '' admits Jonathan McDowell , an astronomer with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics , who diligently tracks spacecraft and satellites .
But , he says , the photo , combined with other circumstantial evidence , such as the new spaceship 's orbital path , strongly suggests that China has launched and landed a small , uncrewed , space-shuttle-like vehicle .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ together now that this was a test of something , probably a space plane , that made a winged reentry and landed on the runway , '' he says .
The new spaceship took off on Sept. 4 under unusually heavy secrecy compared with other recent Chinese space missions .
`` They did n't give a launch time .
They did n't give any more details , '' McDowell says .
The U.S. military picked up the new spacecraft on its tracking network , and McDowell and others quickly plotted its orbit .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that China 's new craft passed over a secretive military facility : an area called Lop Nur where China once tested its nuclear weapons .
In 2016 , China constructed an enormous 5-kilometer ( 3.1-mile ) runway at the site .
The new spacecraft 's orbit passed directly over the runway , which was aligned with its path .
On Sept. 6 , China announced that the spacecraft had returned to a `` scheduled landing site . ''
`` The ground track around the time of landing suggested that it might have landed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' McDowell says .
Sure enough , McDowell found that the spacecraft would have been able to land on the runway at around 10 a.m. local time ( 2 a.m. UTC ) .
The fuzzy Planet image , snapped at 10:11 a.m. local time , would have been taken just moments after such a landing .
The new spacecraft is likely much smaller than the U.S. 's space shuttle , which launched using rockets and then glided back to Earth .
Instead , McDowell and others think the new Chinese vehicle probably resembles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The X-37B has been operated by the U.S. Air Force for about a decade .
So why might China now be getting into space planes ?
`` It 's a great question , '' says Brian Weeden , director of program planning for the Secure World Foundation , which advocates for the peaceful use of space .
`` We 're not even really sure why the U.S. military is pursuing a space plane . ''
The U.S. X-37B program remains highly classified .
Weeden says he believes it is being used to test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` If you can fly some of that technology in space , let 's say in the payload of a reusable space plane , that could give you a better feel for how it might react [ once it 's in orbit for good ] , '' Weeden says .
Other possibilities include the ability to launch satellites quickly and to test robotic systems for autonomous maneuvers and landings .
McDowell says that space planes , which reenter Earth 's atmosphere at many times the speed of sound , could also potentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But he believes China 's motivation could be as simple as wanting to duplicate U.S. military capabilities. ''
'If the Americans have one of those , there 's got to be a good reason for it , so we better get one too , ' `` he says .
Such thinking drove the Soviet Union to develop a copy of the U.S. space shuttle in the 1980s , though it never got much use .
The landing of this space plane — or whatever it was — is just the latest success for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ satellite navigation system , and it has a robotic mission going to Mars and several probes on the moon .
`` China is firing on all thrusters in space , '' McDowell says .
`` I think that this is just one more reflection of that . ''

New Chinese Space Plane Landed At Mysterious Air Base, Evidence Suggests
Enlarge this image toggle caption Planet Labs Inc. Planet Labs Inc.
A commercial satellite photo may reveal a new Chinese space plane just moments after it landed at a remote site on the western side of China.
The photo, which is too low resolution to be conclusive, was snapped by the San Francisco-based company Planet. It shows what could be the classified Chinese spacecraft on a long runway, along with several support vehicles lined up nearby.
Terse statements by China's official Xinhua news agency said only that a Long March 2F rocket had carried a "reusable experimental spacecraft" into orbit and that the launch and landing were successful. The landing took place on Sept. 6 at almost the exact time the photo was snapped by the passing satellite.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Photo by Planet Labs Inc. Annotations by NPR. Photo by Planet Labs Inc. Annotations by NPR.
"I'm reading a lot into a few little dots," admits Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who diligently tracks spacecraft and satellites. But, he says, the photo, combined with other circumstantial evidence, such as the new spaceship's orbital path, strongly suggests that China has launched and landed a small, uncrewed, space-shuttle-like vehicle. "The information sort of all hangs together now that this was a test of something, probably a space plane, that made a winged reentry and landed on the runway," he says.
The new spaceship took off on Sept. 4 under unusually heavy secrecy compared with other recent Chinese space missions.
"They didn't give a launch time. They didn't give any more details," McDowell says. The U.S. military picked up the new spacecraft on its tracking network, and McDowell and others quickly plotted its orbit. When they did so, they found that China's new craft passed over a secretive military facility: an area called Lop Nur where China once tested its nuclear weapons.
In 2016, China constructed an enormous 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) runway at the site. The new spacecraft's orbit passed directly over the runway, which was aligned with its path.
On Sept. 6, China announced that the spacecraft had returned to a "scheduled landing site."
"The ground track around the time of landing suggested that it might have landed at this mysterious new air base," McDowell says.
Sure enough, McDowell found that the spacecraft would have been able to land on the runway at around 10 a.m. local time (2 a.m. UTC). The fuzzy Planet image, snapped at 10:11 a.m. local time, would have been taken just moments after such a landing.
The new spacecraft is likely much smaller than the U.S.'s space shuttle, which launched using rockets and then glided back to Earth. Instead, McDowell and others think the new Chinese vehicle probably resembles a robotic spacecraft called the X-37B. The X-37B has been operated by the U.S. Air Force for about a decade.
So why might China now be getting into space planes?
"It's a great question," says Brian Weeden, director of program planning for the Secure World Foundation, which advocates for the peaceful use of space. "We're not even really sure why the U.S. military is pursuing a space plane."
The U.S. X-37B program remains highly classified. Weeden says he believes it is being used to test new sensors and systems for the military.
"If you can fly some of that technology in space, let's say in the payload of a reusable space plane, that could give you a better feel for how it might react [once it's in orbit for good]," Weeden says. Other possibilities include the ability to launch satellites quickly and to test robotic systems for autonomous maneuvers and landings.
Enlarge this image toggle caption U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force
McDowell says that space planes, which reenter Earth's atmosphere at many times the speed of sound, could also potentially aid the development of hypersonic weapons. But he believes China's motivation could be as simple as wanting to duplicate U.S. military capabilities.
" 'If the Americans have one of those, there's got to be a good reason for it, so we better get one too,' " he says. Such thinking drove the Soviet Union to develop a copy of the U.S. space shuttle in the 1980s, though it never got much use.
The landing of this space plane — or whatever it was — is just the latest success for China. It recently completed its own satellite navigation system, and it has a robotic mission going to Mars and several probes on the moon.
"China is firing on all thrusters in space," McDowell says. "I think that this is just one more reflection of that."


npr--2020-09-09--Trump Consistently Bends Reality, Sells His Narrative In Interviews For Woodward Book

Trump Consistently Bends Reality , Sells His Narrative In Interviews For Woodward Book No reader should skip the prologue to Bob Woodward 's new book on President Trump , because the author puts his best scene on its first page .
Woodward 's Rage opens on the Oval Office , where the two top officials from the president 's national security team are telling him that COVID-19 is a major threat to the U.S. and far worse than the flu .
`` This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency , '' says Robert O'Brien @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's fourth ) .
`` This is going to be the roughest thing you face . ''
O'Brien 's statement makes the president 's head `` pop up , '' but it is immediately seconded by O'Brien 's principal deputy , Matt Pottinger , whom Woodward reports was also present .
Pottinger is a China scholar and former intelligence officer in the Marines who had lived in China seven years and spoke fluent Mandarin .
The date on this conversation leaps out from the book 's very first sentence : Jan. 28 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ because days earlier Trump had dismissed the virus at a conference in Switzerland : `` It 's one person coming in from China , '' Trump had said .
`` We have it under control .
It 's going to be just fine .
We 've already handled it pretty well . ''
Three days later , urged on by O'Brien and Pottinger and a chorus of scientists including Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 's Dr. Robert Redfield , Trump ordered a shutdown of travel from China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later claim , in interviews with Woodward and elsewhere , that he made this move in defiance of his closest advisers .
Woodward has Trump saying there had been a score of advisers present and `` everyone in that room except me did not want to have that ban . ''
`` I always wanted to play it down '' Woodward also makes clear that Trump knew early on that the disease could be spread without physical contact and could be transmitted by people showing no symptoms of infection .
`` It goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a Feb. 7 phone call not previously reported .
`` So that 's a tricky one .
That 's a very delicate one .
It 's also more deadly than even your strenuous flus . ''
At another point in the Feb. 7 conversation , Trump says COVID-19 could be deadlier than the flu , `` maybe five times more deadly . ''
Stunning , because throughout the crucial month of February the president was sending a totally different signal to the American public .
The same week he talked to Woodward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infamous lines about how `` when it gets a little warmer it miraculously goes away '' and `` I think it 's going to work out good , we only have 11 cases and they 're all getting better . ''
Throughout the month , he bragged of limiting the invader to a handful of cases that were `` all getting better '' and would `` soon be down to zero . ''
On Feb. 28 , at a rally in South Carolina , he called Democrats ' criticism of his handling of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Attendees at the rally told reporters they thought the whole story of the virus was a media creation .
The following day , the first U.S. death was announced , and Trump opened his news conference talking about progress in Afghanistan .
Woodward quotes a subsequent interview on March 19 , wherein Trump says : `` I always wanted to play it down .
I still like playing it down , because I do n't want to create a panic . ''
Where did Woodward get these arresting statements ?
They were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ granted the venerable journalist from The Washington Post — a total of 17 in all , stretching from December to late July .
Was there no one in Trump 's communications office to question this commitment of the president 's time ?
Who but Trump could have arranged 17 interviews with a man who had written critically of eight presidents , including an earlier book characterizing Trump as unprepared and unfit for his office , a national disaster waiting to happen ?
`` Pray to God we do n't have a crisis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Curiously , the earlier Woodward book featured zero interview material from Trump — there had been no interview .
The president said his staff had not told him of Woodward 's many requests .
This time around , as though to compensate and produce a better narrative , Trump goes to the opposite extreme .
( `` Let 's see if we can get a good book , '' he says .
`` That is , if you 're willing to write it . ''
) At times the interviews are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are impromptu calls the president places to Woodward 's personal phone .
At times , they seem serious interchanges ; at times they are show-and-tell sessions to win the journalist over .
Trump has what Woodward calls `` props , '' such as a stack of parchment signifying judicial appointments , or a wall poster-size picture of Trump with Kim Jong Un .
On one occasion , Trump orders his aide Dan Scavino to screen a video of Sen. Kamala Harris and other Democrats watching the State of the Union speech .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate ! ''
This is Woodward 's 20th book .
The first was All the President 's Men , the inside story of the reporting of Woodward and Carl Bernstein that led to criminal prosecutions and impeachment proceedings and the eventual resignation of President Richard M. Nixon nearly half a century ago .
That work was , and remains , controversial for its reliance on unnamed sources .
Woodward 's subsequent decades of work have been widely acclaimed but also often been held at arm 's length for their reliance on `` blind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Woodward is making many , if not all , his sources plain .
The stars are former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats , both of whom had troubled tenures .
( In Coats ' case , he was removed from service by Trump via tweet while he was golfing at one of Trump 's clubs . )
Mattis had been conspicuous in his reticence to criticize the president .
But he broke his silence this summer after mounted police cleared protesters from Washington 's Lafayette @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photo opp in front of the neighboring St. John 's Church .
He said Trump was the first president he had served ( of eight ) who `` had not even tried '' to unite the country .
Here , Mattis walks us through the president 's troubled relations with experts of all kinds , especially military and foreign policy experts such as himself and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson , who was also humiliated and denigrated upon his departure .
Coats details his back-and-forth tension between loyalty to the chief executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts and information .
The president , he says , prefers to tell the story the way he prefers to see it — and the way he wants it told — regardless of the realities at hand .
From among the president 's intimates , the primary voices are his son-in-law , Jared Kushner , and Lindsey Graham , the senator from South Carolina .
Though neither is directly critical of Trump , Woodward uses Kushner as a `` reflector '' of the central subject and Graham as a friend and adviser who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with The Boss .
Kushner offers up four things to read to understand Trump , one of which is Lewis Carroll 's Alice 's Adventures in Wonderland -- and his Cheshire Cat .
Graham is characteristically intriguing , talking about his years of processing Trump 's judicial appointments ( a major trophy for the administration and Republican Senate ) .
Graham says that `` we 've weeded out some real wackos '' on the way to installing 300 nominees to the federal bench — where they all now have lifetime appointments .
Graham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in `` frequent conversations '' with Chief Justice John Roberts , who he says `` does n't want the Court , I think labeled as a political party . ''
Graham also criticizes the photo op at St. John 's Church , across Lafayette Square from the White House , and the mounted police who cleared the square to make it possible .
Graham says he scolded Trump and told him people did n't like the way he held up the Bible .
`` Christians liked it , '' Trump says , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Christian and did not .
Trump books tend to fall in two categories .
There are firsthand tell-alls penned by family and former associates , and then there are compendia of Trump stories compiled or witnessed by reporters and commentators .
Woodward sold a great many copies of Fear , and this addition stands to dominate the latest crop as well .
And it is a bumper crop .
This month has already seen a scabrous collection from Michael Cohen , Trump 's longtime personal attorney and fixer .
Later this month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national security adviser H.R .
McMaster , who had been replaced by John Bolton , whose scathing review of Trump on the world stage came out over the summer .
And there are the far more personal stories from Mary Trump , a psychologist who is the president 's niece , and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff , the former staffer and best friend of first lady Melania Trump .
Suffice it to say both share with a vengeance .
All of this was already out or in the pipeline before The Atlantic published the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media for a week , quoting four unnamed sources who say the president referred to dead soldiers personnel as `` losers '' and `` suckers . ''
Are these books coming out now because the election is just eight weeks away ?
Yes , of course they are .
Critical of the president in varying degrees of detail and high dudgeon , the books speak to those voters still making up their minds .
They also reflect their authors ' and publishers ' sure knowledge that Trump books will sell better before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loses ) .
Most of the later chapters in Rage are devoted to chronicling Woodward 's 17 interviews with the president .
Trump shifts from charming to combative , pleading for understanding and sympathy one moment and denouncing everyone in sight the next .
But he is always selling , always pushing his narrative , always bending the reality .
When Woodward asks in June about `` white privilege '' and whether they both should have more empathy for African Americans , Trump responds : `` You really drank the Kool-Aid , did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Wow .
No , I do n't feel that way at all . ''
In one exchange , Trump says he 's No .
1 on Twitter and Facebook .
Woodward interjects that Trump is ninth in followers on Twitter ( below former President Barack Obama ) and there are dozens ahead of him on Facebook .
At another point , discussing how well he gets along with Turkey 's brutish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , Trump seems almost reflective : `` It 's funny the relationships I have [ with foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are the better I get along with them .
You know ?
Explain that to me someday , okay ? ''
Still , with all the distractions , COVID-19 comes to dominate the story , as it has come to dominate everything else .
And on that basis alone , Woodward seems comfortable in his conclusion to his epilogue , which is far more conclusive than in Fear .
The final sentence can be taken with the first sentence of the prologue as a frame for the entire book : '' When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its entirety , I can only reach one conclusion : Trump is the wrong man for the job . ''

Trump Consistently Bends Reality, Sells His Narrative In Interviews For Woodward Book
Enlarge this image toggle caption Logan Cyrus/Bloomberg via Getty Images Logan Cyrus/Bloomberg via Getty Images
No reader should skip the prologue to Bob Woodward's new book on President Trump, because the author puts his best scene on its first page.
Woodward's Rage opens on the Oval Office, where the two top officials from the president's national security team are telling him that COVID-19 is a major threat to the U.S. and far worse than the flu.
"This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency," says Robert O'Brien, the national security adviser (Trump's fourth). "This is going to be the roughest thing you face."
O'Brien's statement makes the president's head "pop up," but it is immediately seconded by O'Brien's principal deputy, Matt Pottinger, whom Woodward reports was also present. Pottinger is a China scholar and former intelligence officer in the Marines who had lived in China seven years and spoke fluent Mandarin.
toggle caption Simon & Schuster
The date on this conversation leaps out from the book's very first sentence: Jan. 28. O'Brien and Pottinger were elevating the issue because days earlier Trump had dismissed the virus at a conference in Switzerland: "It's one person coming in from China," Trump had said. "We have it under control. It's going to be just fine. We've already handled it pretty well."
Three days later, urged on by O'Brien and Pottinger and a chorus of scientists including Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Dr. Robert Redfield, Trump ordered a shutdown of travel from China to the United States. He would later claim, in interviews with Woodward and elsewhere, that he made this move in defiance of his closest advisers. Woodward has Trump saying there had been a score of advisers present and "everyone in that room except me did not want to have that ban."
"I always wanted to play it down"
Woodward also makes clear that Trump knew early on that the disease could be spread without physical contact and could be transmitted by people showing no symptoms of infection. "It goes through air," he told Woodward in a Feb. 7 phone call not previously reported. "So that's a tricky one. That's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than even your strenuous flus."
At another point in the Feb. 7 conversation, Trump says COVID-19 could be deadlier than the flu, "maybe five times more deadly."
Stunning, because throughout the crucial month of February the president was sending a totally different signal to the American public. The same week he talked to Woodward, Trump in public uttered his now infamous lines about how "when it gets a little warmer it miraculously goes away" and "I think it's going to work out good, we only have 11 cases and they're all getting better."
Throughout the month, he bragged of limiting the invader to a handful of cases that were "all getting better" and would "soon be down to zero." On Feb. 28, at a rally in South Carolina, he called Democrats' criticism of his handling of the virus "their new hoax." Attendees at the rally told reporters they thought the whole story of the virus was a media creation. The following day, the first U.S. death was announced, and Trump opened his news conference talking about progress in Afghanistan.
Woodward quotes a subsequent interview on March 19, wherein Trump says: "I always wanted to play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic."
Where did Woodward get these arresting statements? They were part of a series of interviews Trump granted the venerable journalist from The Washington Post — a total of 17 in all, stretching from December to late July.
Was there no one in Trump's communications office to question this commitment of the president's time? Who but Trump could have arranged 17 interviews with a man who had written critically of eight presidents, including an earlier book characterizing Trump as unprepared and unfit for his office, a national disaster waiting to happen?
"Pray to God we don't have a crisis," Woodward said when Fear first appeared.
Curiously, the earlier Woodward book featured zero interview material from Trump — there had been no interview. The president said his staff had not told him of Woodward's many requests. This time around, as though to compensate and produce a better narrative, Trump goes to the opposite extreme. ("Let's see if we can get a good book," he says. "That is, if you're willing to write it.")
At times the interviews are in the White House, at times they are impromptu calls the president places to Woodward's personal phone. At times, they seem serious interchanges; at times they are show-and-tell sessions to win the journalist over. Trump has what Woodward calls "props," such as a stack of parchment signifying judicial appointments, or a wall poster-size picture of Trump with Kim Jong Un.
On one occasion, Trump orders his aide Dan Scavino to screen a video of Sen. Kamala Harris and other Democrats watching the State of the Union speech. Trump shouts: "Hate! See the hate!"
Naming names
This is Woodward's 20th book. The first was All the President's Men, the inside story of the reporting of Woodward and Carl Bernstein that led to criminal prosecutions and impeachment proceedings and the eventual resignation of President Richard M. Nixon nearly half a century ago. That work was, and remains, controversial for its reliance on unnamed sources. Woodward's subsequent decades of work have been widely acclaimed but also often been held at arm's length for their reliance on "blind quotes."
But in this book, Woodward is making many, if not all, his sources plain.
The stars are former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, both of whom had troubled tenures. (In Coats' case, he was removed from service by Trump via tweet while he was golfing at one of Trump's clubs.)
Mattis had been conspicuous in his reticence to criticize the president. But he broke his silence this summer after mounted police cleared protesters from Washington's Lafayette Square so the president could have a photo opp in front of the neighboring St. John's Church. He said Trump was the first president he had served (of eight) who "had not even tried" to unite the country.
Here, Mattis walks us through the president's troubled relations with experts of all kinds, especially military and foreign policy experts such as himself and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was also humiliated and denigrated upon his departure.
Coats details his back-and-forth tension between loyalty to the chief executive and dismay at Trump's handling of facts and information. The president, he says, prefers to tell the story the way he prefers to see it — and the way he wants it told — regardless of the realities at hand.
From among the president's intimates, the primary voices are his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Lindsey Graham, the senator from South Carolina. Though neither is directly critical of Trump, Woodward uses Kushner as a "reflector" of the central subject and Graham as a friend and adviser who has at least occasional points of disagreement with The Boss. Kushner offers up four things to read to understand Trump, one of which is Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- and his Cheshire Cat.
Graham is characteristically intriguing, talking about his years of processing Trump's judicial appointments (a major trophy for the administration and Republican Senate). Graham says that "we've weeded out some real wackos" on the way to installing 300 nominees to the federal bench — where they all now have lifetime appointments. Graham also relates the concerns he has heard in "frequent conversations" with Chief Justice John Roberts, who he says "doesn't want the Court, I think labeled as a political party."
Graham also criticizes the photo op at St. John's Church, across Lafayette Square from the White House, and the mounted police who cleared the square to make it possible. Graham says he scolded Trump and told him people didn't like the way he held up the Bible. "Christians liked it," Trump says, according to Graham, who says he's a Christian and did not.
A plethora of tell-alls
Trump books tend to fall in two categories. There are firsthand tell-alls penned by family and former associates, and then there are compendia of Trump stories compiled or witnessed by reporters and commentators.
Woodward sold a great many copies of Fear, and this addition stands to dominate the latest crop as well. And it is a bumper crop. This month has already seen a scabrous collection from Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal attorney and fixer. Later this month we are expecting to hear from former national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who had been replaced by John Bolton, whose scathing review of Trump on the world stage came out over the summer.
And there are the far more personal stories from Mary Trump, a psychologist who is the president's niece, and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, the former staffer and best friend of first lady Melania Trump. Suffice it to say both share with a vengeance.
All of this was already out or in the pipeline before The Atlantic published the story that has preoccupied much of the media for a week, quoting four unnamed sources who say the president referred to dead soldiers personnel as "losers" and "suckers."
Are these books coming out now because the election is just eight weeks away? Yes, of course they are. Critical of the president in varying degrees of detail and high dudgeon, the books speak to those voters still making up their minds. They also reflect their authors' and publishers' sure knowledge that Trump books will sell better before the election than after (especially if he loses).
Playing the audiotape
Most of the later chapters in Rage are devoted to chronicling Woodward's 17 interviews with the president. Trump shifts from charming to combative, pleading for understanding and sympathy one moment and denouncing everyone in sight the next. But he is always selling, always pushing his narrative, always bending the reality.
When Woodward asks in June about "white privilege" and whether they both should have more empathy for African Americans, Trump responds: "You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you. Wow. No, I don't feel that way at all."
In one exchange, Trump says he's No. 1 on Twitter and Facebook. Woodward interjects that Trump is ninth in followers on Twitter (below former President Barack Obama) and there are dozens ahead of him on Facebook.
At another point, discussing how well he gets along with Turkey's brutish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump seems almost reflective: "It's funny the relationships I have [with foreign leaders], the tougher and meaner they are the better I get along with them. You know? Explain that to me someday, okay?"
Still, with all the distractions, COVID-19 comes to dominate the story, as it has come to dominate everything else. And on that basis alone, Woodward seems comfortable in his conclusion to his epilogue, which is far more conclusive than in Fear.
The final sentence can be taken with the first sentence of the prologue as a frame for the entire book:
"When his performance as president is taken in its entirety, I can only reach one conclusion: Trump is the wrong man for the job."


npr--2020-09-09--Senators Push For Medal Of Honor For Late Black Medic Who Saved Lives At Normandy

Senators Push For Medal Of Honor For Late Black Medic Who Saved Lives At Normandy Cpl .
Waverly B. Woodson Jr. was an Army medic in the only all African American combat unit in the Normandy invasion on D-Day .
He got seriously wounded that June 6 , 1944 , but went on to help save scores of his fellow soldiers ' lives .
On Tuesday , a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to posthumously award Cpl .
Woodson a Medal of Honor for his heroism .
`` His valor was never fully recognized due to the color of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' said Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland .
Woodson was part of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion , whose mission was to set up explosives using hydrogen-filled balloons and cables to deter Nazi planes from attacking .
Paris-based journalist Linda Hervieux wrote about the Black battalion in her 2015 book Forgotten .
U.S. lawmakers have cited the work as supporting research in urging the military to review Woodson 's case .
Hervieux says Woodson was seriously injured before he made it to the shore of France 's Omaha Beach .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit with shrapnel in his inner thigh and rear .
`` He worked through his pain to save lives , '' Hervieux tells NPR .
`` He pulled out bullets , he patched wounds , he dispensed blood plasma , he amputated a right foot .
And when he thought he could do no more , he rescued four drowning men .
Thirty hours after , he collapsed from his own injuries . ''
Woodson survived and received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal , but he was passed over for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 1997 , President Bill Clinton belatedly awarded Medals of Honor to seven Black men who served in World War II .
Woodson was not among them .
The Army has cited missing records as a reason for not reviewing the case .
But many World War II archives were destroyed in the fire at the Army 's Personnel Records Center in St. Louis in 1973 .
The lawmakers pushing for Woodson 's recognition say the fire should not be a barrier .
According to Hervieux , there is considerable proof of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her research , she found a memo from a War Department aide to the Franklin Roosevelt White House .
Reading from the letter , Hervieux says : `` A Negro from Philadelphia has been recommended for a suitable award .
...
This is big enough that the president can give it personally as he has in the case of some white boys . ''
Sen. Van Hollen , who has pushed for Woodson 's greater recognition since 2015 , said in a news conference Tuesday that the Medal of Honor is about correcting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Americans served during World War II — that 's one in every 16 American service members , '' he said .
`` But of the hundreds of Medals of Honor awarded at that time , not a single one went to a Black service member . ''
When Woodson spoke about D-Day , he often said it did n't matter what color your skin was on Omaha Beach , according to Hervieux 's research .
`` There is no such thing as a color barrier , if I 'm sitting here with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person .
A bullet will kill you , it 'll blow your head off , '' Woodson said in a 1994 interview with ABC News .
But there was n't equality for Black soldiers in the segregated Army , or when they returned to Jim Crow America .
Historians even maintained there were no Blacks among U.S. forces on D-Day , according to Hervieux .
`` The memory of Black soldiers at D-Day has been scrubbed in many of our textbooks and on movie screens , '' she says .
Hervieux says she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French government honored several members while marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day in 2009 .
Fifteen years earlier , France awarded medals to Woodson and other battalion members , and invited the veterans and their families to Normandy .
Woodson 's widow , Joan Woodson , says she has wonderful memories from the trip .
`` They were so gracious to us , I will always remember that , '' she tells NPR over the phone from her home in Clarksburg , Md .
`` We were flown over on Air France and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got there .
It was an amazing moment . ''
Woodson , 91 , has helped organize a petition and has been a major force behind the move to belatedly recognize her husband 's valor .
`` I feel that he deserves to have the recognition that he was denied or they did n't follow through with , '' she says .
`` Because everything he did , he definitely qualified to receive that honor . ''

Senators Push For Medal Of Honor For Late Black Medic Who Saved Lives At Normandy
Enlarge this image toggle caption Woodson family via AP Woodson family via AP
Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr. was an Army medic in the only all African American combat unit in the Normandy invasion on D-Day.
He got seriously wounded that June 6, 1944, but went on to help save scores of his fellow soldiers' lives.
On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to posthumously award Cpl. Woodson a Medal of Honor for his heroism.
"His valor was never fully recognized due to the color of his skin. That's unacceptable," said Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
Woodson was part of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, whose mission was to set up hydrogen-filled balloons and cables to deter Nazi planes from attacking.
Paris-based journalist Linda Hervieux wrote about the Black battalion in her 2015 book Forgotten. U.S. lawmakers have cited the work as supporting research in urging the military to review Woodson's case.
He worked through his pain to save lives.
Hervieux says Woodson was seriously injured before he made it to the shore of France's Omaha Beach. While on the landing craft, he was hit with shrapnel in his inner thigh and rear.
"He worked through his pain to save lives," Hervieux tells NPR. "He pulled out bullets, he patched wounds, he dispensed blood plasma, he amputated a right foot. And when he thought he could do no more, he rescued four drowning men. Thirty hours after, he collapsed from his own injuries."
Woodson survived and received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal, but he was passed over for the highest honor. He died in 2005.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Three Lions/Getty Images Three Lions/Getty Images
In 1997, President Bill Clinton belatedly awarded Medals of Honor to seven Black men who served in World War II. Woodson was not among them.
The Army has cited missing records as a reason for not reviewing the case. But many World War II archives were destroyed in the fire at the Army's Personnel Records Center in St. Louis in 1973. The lawmakers pushing for Woodson's recognition say the fire should not be a barrier.
According to Hervieux, there is considerable proof of Woodson's heroism that day.
In her research, she found a memo from a War Department aide to the Franklin Roosevelt White House. Reading from the letter, Hervieux says: "A Negro from Philadelphia has been recommended for a suitable award. ... This is big enough that the president can give it personally as he has in the case of some white boys."
Sen. Van Hollen, who has pushed for Woodson's greater recognition since 2015, said in a news conference Tuesday that the Medal of Honor is about correcting a historical injustice.
"One million Black Americans served during World War II — that's one in every 16 American service members," he said. "But of the hundreds of Medals of Honor awarded at that time, not a single one went to a Black service member."
When Woodson spoke about D-Day, he often said it didn't matter what color your skin was on Omaha Beach, according to Hervieux's research.
"There is no such thing as a color barrier, if I'm sitting here with material that you need as a white person. A bullet will kill you, it'll blow your head off," Woodson said in a 1994 interview with ABC News.
But there wasn't equality for Black soldiers in the segregated Army, or when they returned to Jim Crow America. Historians even maintained there were no Blacks among U.S. forces on D-Day, according to Hervieux.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Linda Hervieux via AP Linda Hervieux via AP
"The memory of Black soldiers at D-Day has been scrubbed in many of our textbooks and on movie screens," she says.
Hervieux says she learned about the 320th battalion when the French government honored several members while marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day in 2009.
Fifteen years earlier, France awarded medals to Woodson and other battalion members, and invited the veterans and their families to Normandy.
Woodson's widow, Joan Woodson, says she has wonderful memories from the trip.
"They were so gracious to us, I will always remember that," she tells NPR over the phone from her home in Clarksburg, Md. "We were flown over on Air France and they treated us like royalty when we got there. It was an amazing moment."
Woodson, 91, has helped organize a petition and has been a major force behind the move to belatedly recognize her husband's valor.
"I feel that he deserves to have the recognition that he was denied or they didn't follow through with," she says. "Because everything he did, he definitely qualified to receive that honor."


npr--2020-09-09--Can A Parade Of Coffins Scare People Into Wearing Masks?

Can A Parade Of Coffins Scare People Into Wearing Masks ?
In one of the more macabre attempts at public health messaging , Indonesian officials had an idea : What if they build coffins , put dummies wearing masks inside them — then display them around the capital city of Jakarta ?
They hoped it would scare people into following the pandemic rules so they would n't end up ... in a coffin .
And like many an outrageous idea , it turned out to be controversial .
On Sept. 1 , Jakarta officials , wearing full hazmat suits , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ displaying them in strategic locations in the city 's 267 subdistricts .
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan hopes the effort comes across to the public as a warning .
`` I hope the public would stay on alert and always practice the social distancing guidelines , wear masks and wash hands , '' he said to Indonesian newspaper Republika .
Jakarta has recorded 47,796 confirmed cases with 1,318 deaths as of Sept. 7 .
The city contributes around 1,000 daily new cases .
The idea for the coffin campaign came from the governor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Saidih , who goes by one name .
While the campaign was n't a mandatory directive , Saidih thought it was a good idea .
`` We wanted to participate to warn the public , '' he says .
`` All the subdistricts are taking part .
We see that many people have underestimated the virus so it 's a good reminder .
You want to be healthy or be inside a coffin , that 's the choice . ''
There was no official instruction from the governor 's office on how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Saidih , but some city officials shared ideas by word of mouth .
The coffin that his team created was made from scrap wood painted white .
`` With the help from local residents , we made it from planks scattered around us .
There is no budget allocation , '' he says .
Saidih said his office staff members marched almost a half mile before putting the coffin in front of a busy traditional market on Sept. 1 .
Each coffin display is a little different .
Some have a life-size @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pocong , a Bahasa Indonesia word referring to one of the country 's scariest ghosts , which is wrapped in white cloth as is customary in Muslim burial tradition .
Other coffins contain a mannequin wearing a mask .
The memento moris were placed alongside banners that showed monthly case numbers in each subdistrict and a sign that read `` Coffin of COVID-19 Victim .
You Can Choose : Follow Health Protocols or Burial Protocols . ''
The campaign quickly backfired .
Netizens took to social media and criticized the move as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asserting that the government has failed to provide decent social assistance for the poor .
The Jakarta administration provides social assistance consisting of IDR 600,000 ( $ 40 ) in cash and staple foods , such a small sack of rice , biscuits and two canned sardines per month .
According to a survey of 1,230 people across Indonesia , conducted by the Indonesian political consulting group Cyrus Network , many respondents deemed this as insufficient .
In addition , there have been reports of problems in distributing social assistance to residents .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a public communication expert at Atma Jaya Catholic University Jakarta , says the coffin campaign is a `` useless theatrical form . ''
Others question the effectiveness of the campaign at a time when the government has rolled back some of the initial lockdowns .
`` The government refused to quarantine heavily affected areas citing economic downturn , and now they want the public to follow orders , '' says Dr. Mahesa Paranadipa Maikel of the Indonesian Doctors Association .
`` I think the government should use more persuasive ways and provide a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Maikel adds .
As infection numbers continue to surge , Indonesians are growing frustrated by the government 's inept messaging .
`` It 's inappropriate shock therapy , '' says Muhammad Syafi ' i , a 45-year-old taxi driver .
`` There 's no point in scaring people with a coffin and ghostlike figure when the government themselves can not uphold '' its guidance for people to wash hands , wear masks and stay socially distant .
`` You can often see gatherings of more than 10 people in public spaces without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' i .
Another South Jakarta resident , Rananda Tamrin , says that the government should employ another strategy rather than engage in what she described as `` fear mongering . ''
`` It scared the hell out of me , '' says Tamrin , a 25-year-old associate producer with a local TV station .
`` I was shocked when I saw the pocong the first time .
I almost jumped from my motorbike .
But then what ?
After that people would n't even care looking at those [ coffins ] .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ patrolling public spaces .
People who violate the social restriction orders – such as not wearing masks — are fined up to IDR 500,000 ( $ 33.80 ) or must do 2 hours of community service .
And on Sept. 1 , the government imposed a more ghostly punishment : actually putting violators inside the coffin displays for five minutes .
It was what authorities said was a `` chance to reflect on their mistakes , '' reported Media Indonesia .
That form of punishment was widely criticized and was revoked three days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalist based in Jakarta and previously a staff writer with VICE .

Can A Parade Of Coffins Scare People Into Wearing Masks?
Enlarge this image toggle caption Arya Manggala/Barcroft Media via Getty Images Arya Manggala/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
In one of the more macabre attempts at public health messaging, Indonesian officials had an idea: What if they build coffins, put dummies wearing masks inside them — then display them around the capital city of Jakarta?
They hoped it would scare people into following the pandemic rules so they wouldn't end up ... in a coffin.
And like many an outrageous idea, it turned out to be controversial.
On Sept. 1, Jakarta officials, wearing full hazmat suits, paraded the coffins through busy streets before displaying them in strategic locations in the city's 267 subdistricts.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan hopes the effort comes across to the public as a warning. "I hope the public would stay on alert and always practice the social distancing guidelines, wear masks and wash hands," he said to Indonesian newspaper Republika.
Jakarta has recorded 47,796 confirmed cases with 1,318 deaths as of Sept. 7. The city contributes around 1,000 daily new cases.
The idea for the coffin campaign came from the governor, says Cipedak subdistrict head in South Jakarta, Saidih, who goes by one name.
While the campaign wasn't a mandatory directive, Saidih thought it was a good idea. "We wanted to participate to warn the public," he says. "All the subdistricts are taking part. We see that many people have underestimated the virus so it's a good reminder. You want to be healthy or be inside a coffin, that's the choice."
There was no official instruction from the governor's office on how to build the coffins and dummies, says Saidih, but some city officials shared ideas by word of mouth. The coffin that his team created was made from scrap wood painted white.
"With the help from local residents, we made it from planks scattered around us. There is no budget allocation," he says. Saidih said his office staff members marched almost a half mile before putting the coffin in front of a busy traditional market on Sept. 1.
Each coffin display is a little different. Some have a life-size figure made of fabric or plastic resembling a pocong, a Bahasa Indonesia word referring to one of the country's scariest ghosts, which is wrapped in white cloth as is customary in Muslim burial tradition. Other coffins contain a mannequin wearing a mask. The memento moris were placed alongside banners that showed monthly case numbers in each subdistrict and a sign that read "Coffin of COVID-19 Victim. You Can Choose: Follow Health Protocols or Burial Protocols."
The campaign quickly backfired. Netizens took to social media and criticized the move as inappropriate and a waste of money, asserting that the government has failed to provide decent social assistance for the poor. The Jakarta administration provides social assistance consisting of IDR 600,000 ($40) in cash and staple foods, such a small sack of rice, biscuits and two canned sardines per month. According to a survey of 1,230 people across Indonesia, conducted by the Indonesian political consulting group Cyrus Network, many respondents deemed this as insufficient.
In addition, there have been reports of problems in distributing social assistance to residents. For these reasons, Andina Dwifatma, a public communication expert at Atma Jaya Catholic University Jakarta, says the coffin campaign is a "useless theatrical form."
Others question the effectiveness of the campaign at a time when the government has rolled back some of the initial lockdowns. "The government refused to quarantine heavily affected areas citing economic downturn, and now they want the public to follow orders," says Dr. Mahesa Paranadipa Maikel of the Indonesian Doctors Association.
"I think the government should use more persuasive ways and provide a sense of security for the public," Maikel adds.
As infection numbers continue to surge, Indonesians are growing frustrated by the government's inept messaging. "It's inappropriate shock therapy," says Muhammad Syafi'i, a 45-year-old taxi driver. "There's no point in scaring people with a coffin and ghostlike figure when the government themselves cannot uphold" its guidance for people to wash hands, wear masks and stay socially distant.
"You can often see gatherings of more than 10 people in public spaces without following health protocols," adds Syafi'i.
Another South Jakarta resident, Rananda Tamrin, says that the government should employ another strategy rather than engage in what she described as "fear mongering."
"It scared the hell out of me," says Tamrin, a 25-year-old associate producer with a local TV station. "I was shocked when I saw the pocong the first time. I almost jumped from my motorbike. But then what? After that people wouldn't even care looking at those [coffins]."
Municipal police personnel are now frequently patrolling public spaces. People who violate the social restriction orders – such as not wearing masks — are fined up to IDR 500,000 ($33.80) or must do 2 hours of community service.
And on Sept. 1, the government imposed a more ghostly punishment: actually putting violators inside the coffin displays for five minutes. It was what authorities said was a "chance to reflect on their mistakes," reported Media Indonesia. That form of punishment was widely criticized and was revoked three days later.
Adi Renaldi is a freelance journalist based in Jakarta and previously a staff writer with VICE.