npr--2020-02-04--How Hong Kong Beat SARS: Lessons Learned

As the new coronavirus outbreak spreads around the world , Hong Kong is bracing for a possible surge in cases .
The city so far only has 18 cases but its first death from the disease was confirmed on Tuesday – a 39-year-old man who had visited Wuhan , China .
Residents are particularly on edge because many of them lived through the devastating SARS outbreak in 2003 .
Hong Kong suffered 299 deaths from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , the most anywhere outside of China .
SARS crippled the city 's economy .
The concern now is that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Hong Kong , memories of SARS are surfacing in the wake of this new outbreak .
One of the key moments in the first pandemic of the 21st century came on the February 21 , 2003 , when Liu Jianlun arrived in Hong Kong .
He 'd come to the city to visit relatives .
Liu was a doctor — a cardiologist from Guangdong province in China , where SARS was raging .
The hotel put him in a room on the 9th floor .
It might have been a sign that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Liu had been treating SARS patients in the city of Guangzhou .
After checking into the Metropole Hotel in the Kowloon neighborhood , he fell ill and would end up spreading SARS to more than a dozen other guests on the 9th floor of the hotel .
Those guests would check out and carry the virus around the globe .
The outbreak sickened more than 8,000 people around the world and killed nearly 800 before it was snuffed out in the summer of 2003 .
Liu died of SARS in a Hong Kong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 weeks after checking in to the Metropole .
Fear on the Streets , Now and Then Catherine Chim , an accountant who lives around the corner now from the hotel that used to be the Metropole , says the panic over the new Wuhan coronavirus is worse than it was during SARS back in 2003 .
She says that at least the stores were n't running out of masks , hand sanitizer and staple foods like they are now .
`` Now it seems like there are no more supplies , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few doors down from the former Metropole .
`` Every day , I need to count how many masks I still have on hand .
Because I need to go to work .
Every day I need to use one .
Now I just have enough for only one week .
I ca n't get any more masks at this moment . ''
Schools are closed for at least the next month .
Her two kids are stuck at home , and she has n't been able to buy additional masks to give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the border with mainland China remains open , and she 's critical of the city 's response to the new outbreak .
Hong Kong officials have closed more than half the border crossing points to the mainland and shut down all high-speed rail and ferry service to China .
But Chim does n't feel it 's enough .
`` The response is nonsense , '' she says .
`` How can they let the people with the disease go inside Hong Kong ? ''
Nearly everyone on the street streaming past her is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carrying shopping bags puff through the fabric barriers .
Young kids with brightly-colored cartoon-themed ones .
Teenagers with black ones .
This despite many public health experts saying that masks are n't necessary for people who are n't sick and may not be effective in preventing infection .
But Chim says there could be people on the street next to her who are infected and blowing the virus toward her .
`` It 's frightening . ''
As if to underscore her point , a man walks by in a full gas mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` You do n't know if the one next to you is a virus carrier or not , '' she says .
`` So we just can protect ourselves but they [ the government ] still let the disease get inside .
It 's horrible . ''
During SARS , patients were sent to nine hospitals all over Hong Kong so that no one hospital had to bear the full burden of the outbreak .
Despite this effort to spread the load , the outbreak overwhelmed the city 's health-care system .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ northwest of the city was one of the treatment facilities .
The toll on the hospital was steep .
Staff had to work long hours with the threat of a deadly virus looming over them .
Non-emergency patients were turned away .
Entire wards were turned into isolation zones .
And the first of many casualties among health-care workers in Hong Kong occurred at Tuen Mun on April 26 , 2003 .
Dr. Albert Wong , a physician who works at Tuen Mun now , agrees with Chim that Hong Kong has n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
`` We 've had 17 years to prepare for this .
We can not let what happened 17 years ago happen again , '' he says .
But he worries that it might .
Wong and other medical professionals have been calling since early January for Hong Kong to shut down its border with mainland China but that still has n't happened .
All of the early cases of Wuhan coronavirus outside of China have been in people who 'd recently been in Hubei province..
Secondary cases have been among people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those travelers .
This has also been true in Hong Kong .
Thousands of the city 's medical workers have even gone on strike as of Monday , saying they 'll only return to work if the border with mainland China is sealed .
In some ways Hong Kong is better prepared today to deal with an emerging outbreak than it was 17 years ago .
Labs here were quickly able to start running diagnostics to screen for the newly identified virus .
`` We have a lot of capacity here , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor at the University of Hong Kong .
`` Because in Hong Kong , after the SARS epidemic , the government deliberately invested heavily in infectious disease research capacity . ''
Cowling says that research capacity is now focused feverishly on this new disease .
`` Certainly in the universities in Hong Kong , many , many people are looking at different aspects of the outbreak , '' Cowling says .
`` Whether it 's in the laboratory , in the hospitals or like me in the office , looking at the data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is spreading , what are the dynamics of the spread .
And then how effectively different kinds of control measures have been working already in China .
And then as we go forward in the coming weeks , how effective measures taken in Hong Kong have been . ''
During SARS much of the spread was happening in hospitals .
Once that became clear , public health officials put in place rigid infection control measures in medical settings ; the outbreaks in Hong Kong , China , Toronto and elsewhere were brought under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new coronavirus is quite different from SARS .
`` Most transmission appears to be occurring in the community , '' he says .
`` We 've seen a small number of infections of health-care workers , but nothing like SARS where one third of the cases were health-care workers .
For the new coronavirus it 's a much smaller fraction in hospitals , and probably most transmission occurring in the general community .
And that 's much , much more difficult for public health measures to deal with . ''
Cowling is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control at the University of Hong Kong .
His co-director , Wing Hong Seto , was the head of infection control at Queen Mary 's Hospital during the SARS epidemic .
Infections that occurred inside medical settings were a huge part of the SARS outbreak .
On this front , Seto says his hospital did incredibly well .
`` We had zero patients infected and only two health-care workers infected , '' he says proudly .
`` While in the whole of Hong Kong 405 health-care workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got infected . ''
What was the secret at the Queen Mary Hospital ?
`` No secret ! ''
the 72-year-old shouts .
`` We just did good basic infection control .
We [ did ] hand hygiene before and after every patient .
Change the mask between every patient .
If you 're wearing gloves , you definitely go change after every patient . ''
His staff also wore protective gowns and face shields for particular procedures with SARS patients , but he says the most important measures were the infection control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was mandatory every time a doctor saw a different patient .
`` It must be done religiously , '' he says chopping the air in front of him with his hand .
`` Hand hygiene .
Before .
After .
Before .
After .
Before .
After . ''
Institutional infection control was ultimately what brought an end to SARS , according to public health officials .
Once it was no longer spreading in medical settings , the cases were contained and the outbreak finally came to an end .
There has n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world since 2004 .
Public health officials do n't yet know what it will take to stop the new Wuhan coronavirus , but Seto says fanatically enforcing hand washing — at home and in hospitals — will probably be one of the keys .

How Hong Kong Beat SARS: Lessons Learned
Enlarge this image toggle caption Bobby Yip/Reuters Bobby Yip/Reuters
As the new coronavirus outbreak spreads around the world, Hong Kong is bracing for a possible surge in cases. The city so far only has 18 cases but its first death from the disease was confirmed on Tuesday – a 39-year-old man who had visited Wuhan, China.
Residents are particularly on edge because many of them lived through the devastating SARS outbreak in 2003. Hong Kong suffered 299 deaths from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, the most anywhere outside of China. SARS crippled the city's economy. The concern now is that this latest outbreak might do the same.
SARS: A 911 Moment
In Hong Kong, memories of SARS are surfacing in the wake of this new outbreak.
One of the key moments in the first pandemic of the 21st century came on the February 21, 2003, when Liu Jianlun arrived in Hong Kong. He'd come to the city to visit relatives. Liu was a doctor — a cardiologist from Guangdong province in China, where SARS was raging. The hotel put him in a room on the 9th floor. It might have been a sign that they gave him room 911.
Dr. Liu had been treating SARS patients in the city of Guangzhou. After checking into the Metropole Hotel in the Kowloon neighborhood, he fell ill and would end up spreading SARS to more than a dozen other guests on the 9th floor of the hotel. Those guests would check out and carry the virus around the globe. The outbreak sickened more than 8,000 people around the world and killed nearly 800 before it was snuffed out in the summer of 2003.
Liu died of SARS in a Hong Kong hospital on March 4th — less than 2 weeks after checking in to the Metropole.
Fear on the Streets, Now and Then
Catherine Chim, an accountant who lives around the corner now from the hotel that used to be the Metropole, says the panic over the new Wuhan coronavirus is worse than it was during SARS back in 2003. She says that at least the stores weren't running out of masks, hand sanitizer and staple foods like they are now.
toggle caption Jason Beaubien/NPR
"Now it seems like there are no more supplies," Chim says on the sidewalk just a few doors down from the former Metropole. "Every day, I need to count how many masks I still have on hand. Because I need to go to work. Every day I need to use one. Now I just have enough for only one week. I can't get any more masks at this moment."
Schools are closed for at least the next month. Her two kids are stuck at home, and she hasn't been able to buy additional masks to give to them. Chim is frustrated that the border with mainland China remains open, and she's critical of the city's response to the new outbreak. Hong Kong officials have closed more than half the border crossing points to the mainland and shut down all high-speed rail and ferry service to China. But Chim doesn't feel it's enough.
"The response is nonsense," she says. "How can they let the people with the disease go inside Hong Kong?"
Nearly everyone on the street streaming past her is also wearing face masks. Old women carrying shopping bags puff through the fabric barriers. Young kids with brightly-colored cartoon-themed ones. Teenagers with black ones. This despite many public health experts saying that masks aren't necessary for people who aren't sick and may not be effective in preventing infection.
But Chim says there could be people on the street next to her who are infected and blowing the virus toward her. "It's frightening." As if to underscore her point, a man walks by in a full gas mask with ventilators sticking out from each cheek.
"You don't know if the one next to you is a virus carrier or not," she says. "So we just can protect ourselves but they [the government] still let the disease get inside. It's horrible."
During SARS, patients were sent to nine hospitals all over Hong Kong so that no one hospital had to bear the full burden of the outbreak. Despite this effort to spread the load, the outbreak overwhelmed the city's health-care system. The Tuen Mun public hospital in the northwest of the city was one of the treatment facilities. The toll on the hospital was steep. Staff had to work long hours with the threat of a deadly virus looming over them. Non-emergency patients were turned away. Entire wards were turned into isolation zones. And the first of many casualties among health-care workers in Hong Kong occurred at Tuen Mun on April 26, 2003.
Is Hong Kong Ready?
Dr. Alfred Wong, a physician who works at Tuen Mun now, agrees with Chim that Hong Kong hasn't done enough to keep out the new coronavirus.
"We've had 17 years to prepare for this. We cannot let what happened 17 years ago happen again," he says.
But he worries that it might.
Wong and other medical professionals have been calling since early January for Hong Kong to shut down its border with mainland China but that still hasn't happened.
All of the early cases of Wuhan coronavirus outside of China have been in people who'd recently been in Hubei province.. Secondary cases have been among people who had more than casual contact with those travelers. This has also been true in Hong Kong.
Thousands of the city's medical workers have even gone on strike as of Monday, saying they'll only return to work if the border with mainland China is sealed.
In some ways Hong Kong is better prepared today to deal with an emerging outbreak than it was 17 years ago. Labs here were quickly able to start running diagnostics to screen for the newly identified virus.
"We have a lot of capacity here," says Ben Cowling, an infectious disease professor at the University of Hong Kong. "Because in Hong Kong, after the SARS epidemic, the government deliberately invested heavily in infectious disease research capacity."
Cowling says that research capacity is now focused feverishly on this new disease.
"Certainly in the universities in Hong Kong, many, many people are looking at different aspects of the outbreak," Cowling says. "Whether it's in the laboratory, in the hospitals or like me in the office, looking at the data, trying to figure out how easily is spreading, what are the dynamics of the spread. And then how effectively different kinds of control measures have been working already in China. And then as we go forward in the coming weeks, how effective measures taken in Hong Kong have been."
During SARS much of the spread was happening in hospitals. Once that became clear, public health officials put in place rigid infection control measures in medical settings; the outbreaks in Hong Kong, China, Toronto and elsewhere were brought under control. Cowling says transmission of this new coronavirus is quite different from SARS.
"Most transmission appears to be occurring in the community," he says. "We've seen a small number of infections of health-care workers, but nothing like SARS where one third of the cases were health-care workers. For the new coronavirus it's a much smaller fraction in hospitals, and probably most transmission occurring in the general community. And that's much, much more difficult for public health measures to deal with."
A Secret That's 'No Secret'
Cowling is the co-director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control at the University of Hong Kong. His co-director, Wing Hong Seto, was the head of infection control at Queen Mary's Hospital during the SARS epidemic. Infections that occurred inside medical settings were a huge part of the SARS outbreak. On this front, Seto says his hospital did incredibly well.
toggle caption Jason Beaubien/NPR
"We had zero patients infected and only two health-care workers infected," he says proudly. "While in the whole of Hong Kong 405 health-care workers got infected and 1,700 Hong Kong people got infected."
What was the secret at the Queen Mary Hospital?
"No secret!" the 72-year-old shouts. "We just did good basic infection control. We [did] hand hygiene before and after every patient. Change the mask between every patient. If you're wearing gloves, you definitely go change after every patient."
His staff also wore protective gowns and face shields for particular procedures with SARS patients, but he says the most important measures were the infection control procedures, particularly hand washing, which was mandatory every time a doctor saw a different patient.
"It must be done religiously," he says chopping the air in front of him with his hand. "Hand hygiene. Before. After. Before. After. Before. After."
Institutional infection control was ultimately what brought an end to SARS, according to public health officials. Once it was no longer spreading in medical settings, the cases were contained and the outbreak finally came to an end. There hasn't been a case of SARS reported anywhere in the world since 2004.
Public health officials don't yet know what it will take to stop the new Wuhan coronavirus, but Seto says fanatically enforcing hand washing — at home and in hospitals — will probably be one of the keys.


npr--2020-02-04--Lesotho's First Lady Facing Charges Of Murdering Prime Minister's First Wife

Lesotho 's First Lady Facing Charges Of Murdering Prime Minister 's First Wife After nearly a month on the run , Lesotho 's first lady was reportedly charged on Tuesday with the murder of her husband 's first wife .
Maesaiah Thabane , 42 , stands accused of killing Prime Minister Thomas Thabane 's wife , Lipolelo , days before the his second inauguration ceremony in June 2017 .
Officials said Tuesday that the wanted woman had been hiding out in South Africa — which surrounds the small African nation of Lesotho — since she failed to appear for questioning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiations between her lawyers and law enforcement , police officials told AFP .
`` She has been charged with murder alongside eight others who are in Lesotho and South Africa , '' Deputy Police Commissioner Paseka Mokete told reporters .
The murder of the former first lady , who had been estranged from the prime minister for years and was locked in a bitter divorce fight , shocked the nation .
`` One evening while returning home , she was ambushed , shot several times at close range and died on the side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BBC reported .
Prime Minister Thabane and Maesaiah were married a few months later .
Years earlier , a court had ruled that despite their separation , Lipolelo was still legally regarded as the nation 's first lady , meaning she would remain entitled to the benefits associated with her position .
The killing of 58-year-old Lipolelo was initially blamed on unidentified armed men .
At the time , the prime minister called it `` a senseless killing . ''
But an investigation into the brutal incident uncovered records linking his cell phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scene of the crime .
Mokete told local news outlet The Post on Monday that investigations into the murder are at an `` advanced stage , '' adding that authorities are also looking into whether the prime minister had a role in Lipolelo 's murder .
`` We as the police believe that we have a very strong case against him , '' he said .
The investigation is expected to be wrapped up in the next few weeks .
Meanwhile , AFP reports , `` senior members of the ruling All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused the prime minister of hampering investigations into the killing . ''
Thabane announced last month that he would be stepping down from office but did not say exactly when .

Lesotho's First Lady Facing Charges Of Murdering Prime Minister's First Wife
Enlarge this image toggle caption Michele Spatari /AFP via Getty Images Michele Spatari /AFP via Getty Images
After nearly a month on the run, Lesotho's first lady was reportedly charged on Tuesday with the murder of her husband's first wife.
Maesaiah Thabane, 42, stands accused of killing Prime Minister Thomas Thabane's wife, Lipolelo, days before the his second inauguration ceremony in June 2017.
Officials said Tuesday that the wanted woman had been hiding out in South Africa — which surrounds the small African nation of Lesotho — since she failed to appear for questioning on Jan. 10. She returned following negotiations between her lawyers and law enforcement, police officials told AFP.
"She has been charged with murder alongside eight others who are in Lesotho and South Africa," Deputy Police Commissioner Paseka Mokete told reporters.
The murder of the former first lady, who had been estranged from the prime minister for years and was locked in a bitter divorce fight, shocked the nation.
"One evening while returning home, she was ambushed, shot several times at close range and died on the side of a dirt road," the BBC reported.
Prime Minister Thabane and Maesaiah were married a few months later.
Years earlier, a court had ruled that despite their separation, Lipolelo was still legally regarded as the nation's first lady, meaning she would remain entitled to the benefits associated with her position.
The killing of 58-year-old Lipolelo was initially blamed on unidentified armed men. At the time, the prime minister called it "a senseless killing." But an investigation into the brutal incident uncovered records linking his cell phone to a call made to someone at the scene of the crime.
Mokete told local news outlet The Post on Monday that investigations into the murder are at an "advanced stage," adding that authorities are also looking into whether the prime minister had a role in Lipolelo's murder.
"We as the police believe that we have a very strong case against him," he said.
The investigation is expected to be wrapped up in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, AFP reports, "senior members of the ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC) party have accused the prime minister of hampering investigations into the killing."
Thabane announced last month that he would be stepping down from office but did not say exactly when.


npr--2020-02-04--Giuliani Says Trump Should '100%' Investigate Biden After Expected Senate Acquittal

Giuliani Says Trump Should '100 % ' Investigate Biden After Expected Senate Acquittal Rudy Giuliani , President Trump 's personal attorney , says the president should not back away from investigating Joe Biden even after Trump 's expected acquittal Wednesday by the U.S. Senate .
`` Absolutely , 100 % , '' Giuliani told NPR 's Steve Inskeep in an interview Tuesday .
`` I would have no problem with him doing it .
In fact , I 'd have a problem with him not doing it .
I think he would be saying that Joe Biden can get away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making us a fool in the Ukraine . ''
The former New York City mayor has emerged as a pivotal figure in the events that ultimately resulted in Trump 's impeachment in December by the House of Representatives and his Senate trial , which will almost certainly end Wednesday with Trump 's acquittal .
But while all 53 Republican senators are expected to vote to acquit Trump , some , including Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee , have expressed reservations about Trump 's actions , saying it was `` inappropriate '' for him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation .
Giuliani pushed back against that idea , saying Alexander and other GOP senators who have expressed similar reservations do n't `` understand the facts . ''
`` Lamar is wrong , and Lamar is a good friend of mine , and he 's a fine man except he does n't know all the facts , '' Giuliani said .
He `` only knows half the facts ; a lot of them distorted . ''
At the center of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy , the Ukrainian president .
Democrats say Trump asked Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter in exchange for a release of suspended military aid and a White House visit .
Trump calls the phone call `` perfect . ''
In Giuliani 's telling , `` the whole Ukrainian thing is misrepresented .
The Democrats did do a good job of spinning it to 'he 's trying to hurt Joe Biden . '
It has nothing to do with Joe Biden . ''
Having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what he said were Biden 's misdeeds , including his own holding up of aid for Ukraine .
As vice president , Biden held back aid to Ukraine as part of official U.S. policy to remove prosecutor Viktor Shokin , who was widely seen as ineffective against corruption .
At a 2018 event , Biden even boasted about doing so .
However , the European Union , the International Monetary Fund and others also backed the firing of Shokin .
`` There was a broad-based consensus that he was a typical Ukraine prosecutor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his government salary , who never prosecuted anybody known for having committed a crime , and having covered up crimes that were known to have been committed , '' George Kent , the senior U.S. diplomat , testified during last year 's House impeachment inquiry .
Republicans have pointed to the fact that Hunter Biden had been on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma .
Shokin was investigating Burisma for alleged wrongdoing , but well before Hunter Biden joined the company 's board .
And Ukraine 's Western partners had long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is a long record of corruption orchestrated by Biden that goes back at least as far back as two decades .
Biden 's role in Ukraine , he said , needs further investigation .
`` I believe that it would be one of the great corrupt events in American history if this case is not investigated at the highest levels of two governments '' — the United States and Ukraine , he said .
Giuliani 's own role in the Ukraine affair has come under scrutiny .
Multiple witnesses testified during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressed the new Ukrainian government to investigate the Democrats and the Bidens .
Indeed , Giuliani said he was still seeking `` more information '' about Biden 's activities in Ukraine .
When asked whether he was doing that on the authority of the president , he replied : `` He has n't told me not to do it . ''
Giuliani declined to say whether he had turned over any of this material to the Justice Department .
`` I ca n't answer that .
it would be privileged material , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same interview .
`` I ca n't tell you if I did or did n't do something with the Justice Department . ''
Last week , The New York Times published details from former national security adviser John Bolton 's upcoming book , alleging that Trump told Bolton to call Ukraine 's president to encourage him to meet with Giuliani .
Giuliani has previously denied there was anything illegal about such an ask and has noted that he had made clear in his correspondence with Ukraine 's leader that he was acting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his role as president .
Ultimately , no such meeting ever occurred .
Lev Parnas , a Giuliani associate , has also been feeding information to House Democrats that he says lays bare Trump and Giuliani 's actions in Ukraine .
Parnas , who was indicted on charges related to campaign finance violations in a separate case , has vowed to tell the truth and has left the door open to cooperating with prosecutors .
Giuliani said he 's not concerned by his former associates actions .
`` If he flipped , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything , '' he said .
`` I did n't do anything wrong .
I did what a lawyer is supposed to do for his client . ''
As he put it in another part of the interview : `` I do it because — and I know it 's self-serving as hell , but it 's true — I have a great sense of justice . ''

Giuliani Says Trump Should '100%' Investigate Biden After Expected Senate Acquittal
Enlarge this image toggle caption Steve Inskeep/NPR Steve Inskeep/NPR
Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's personal attorney, says the president should not back away from investigating Joe Biden even after Trump's expected acquittal Wednesday by the U.S. Senate.
"Absolutely, 100%," Giuliani told NPR's Steve Inskeep in an interview Tuesday. "I would have no problem with him doing it. In fact, I'd have a problem with him not doing it. I think he would be saying that Joe Biden can get away with selling out the United States, making us a fool in the Ukraine."
Politics Biden Probe Should Follow Trump's Expected Senate Acquittal, Giuliani Says Biden Probe Should Follow Trump's Expected Senate Acquittal, Giuliani Says Listen · 8:50 8:50
The former New York City mayor has emerged as a pivotal figure in the events that ultimately resulted in Trump's impeachment in December by the House of Representatives and his Senate trial, which will almost certainly end Wednesday with Trump's acquittal.
Giuliani called the president's expected acquittal "a total vindication."
But while all 53 Republican senators are expected to vote to acquit Trump, some, including Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, have expressed reservations about Trump's actions, saying it was "inappropriate" for him to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation.
Giuliani pushed back against that idea, saying Alexander and other GOP senators who have expressed similar reservations don't "understand the facts."
"Lamar is wrong, and Lamar is a good friend of mine, and he's a fine man except he doesn't know all the facts," Giuliani said. He "only knows half the facts; a lot of them distorted."
At the center of this is the July 25 phone call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president. Democrats say Trump asked Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter in exchange for a release of suspended military aid and a White House visit. Trump calls the phone call "perfect."
In Giuliani's telling, "the whole Ukrainian thing is misrepresented. The Democrats did do a good job of spinning it to 'he's trying to hurt Joe Biden.' It has nothing to do with Joe Biden."
Having said that, Giuliani proceeded to list what he said were Biden's misdeeds, including his own holding up of aid for Ukraine.
As vice president, Biden held back aid to Ukraine as part of official U.S. policy to remove prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who was widely seen as ineffective against corruption. At a 2018 event, Biden even boasted about doing so. However, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and others also backed the firing of Shokin.
"There was a broad-based consensus that he was a typical Ukraine prosecutor who lived a lifestyle far in excess of his government salary, who never prosecuted anybody known for having committed a crime, and having covered up crimes that were known to have been committed," George Kent, the senior U.S. diplomat, testified during last year's House impeachment inquiry.
Republicans have pointed to the fact that Hunter Biden had been on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma. Shokin was investigating Burisma for alleged wrongdoing, but well before Hunter Biden joined the company's board. And Ukraine's Western partners had long demanded Shokin's ouster.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Martinez/Getty Images Saul Martinez/Getty Images
Giuliani says there is a long record of corruption orchestrated by Biden that goes back at least as far back as two decades. Biden's role in Ukraine, he said, needs further investigation.
"I believe that it would be one of the great corrupt events in American history if this case is not investigated at the highest levels of two governments" — the United States and Ukraine, he said.
Giuliani's own role in the Ukraine affair has come under scrutiny. Multiple witnesses testified during the House impeachment inquiry last year that Giuliani pressed the new Ukrainian government to investigate the Democrats and the Bidens. Indeed, Giuliani said he was still seeking "more information" about Biden's activities in Ukraine. When asked whether he was doing that on the authority of the president, he replied: "He hasn't told me not to do it."
Giuliani declined to say whether he had turned over any of this material to the Justice Department.
"I can't answer that. it would be privileged material," he told NPR's Ryan Lucas in the same interview. "I can't tell you if I did or didn't do something with the Justice Department."
Last week, The New York Times published details from former national security adviser John Bolton's upcoming book, alleging that Trump told Bolton to call Ukraine's president to encourage him to meet with Giuliani.
Giuliani has previously denied there was anything illegal about such an ask and has noted that he had made clear in his correspondence with Ukraine's leader that he was acting as Trump's personal lawyer — not in his role as president. Ultimately, no such meeting ever occurred.
Lev Parnas, a Giuliani associate, has also been feeding information to House Democrats that he says lays bare Trump and Giuliani's actions in Ukraine. Parnas, who was indicted on charges related to campaign finance violations in a separate case, has vowed to tell the truth and has left the door open to cooperating with prosecutors. Giuliani said he's not concerned by his former associates actions.
"If he flipped, it's because he doesn't know anything," he said. "I didn't do anything wrong. I did what a lawyer is supposed to do for his client."
As he put it in another part of the interview: "I do it because — and I know it's self-serving as hell, but it's true — I have a great sense of justice."


npr--2020-02-04--Germany Has A New Receipt Law — And Bakeries Are Getting Sweet Revenge

Germany Has A New Receipt Law — And Bakeries Are Getting Sweet Revenge A new law has taken effect in Germany that requires receipts to be issued at businesses such as restaurants , bakeries , hairdressers , no matter how small the transaction .
It 's known as Kassengesetz , or `` cash register law '' : a law for protection against the manipulation of digital records .
The measure is meant to increase transparency and prevent tax fraud .
The idea is to log each transaction in a format that can be reviewed and verified .
Many of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken umbrage at the new requirement , but none has done so more deliciously than the country 's beloved bakeries .
In some towns in Bavaria , in southern Germany , some bakeries are incorporating the receipts into the goods themselves .
The Bäckerei Ways in Moosinning has begun peddling Kassenbon Krapfen — receipt doughnuts .
The pastries are slathered with pink icing and then topped with a receipt made of fondant , tax included .
The Streicher bakery in Grosshabersdorf had the same idea .
`` Edible and not hazardous waste , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Despite its verisimilitude , the sugary doppelgänger does n't count : A regular receipt still has to be generated .
Businesses must provide a receipt , but customers are n't obligated to take it .
Some bakeries have begun collecting the receipts from customers in a growing pile in the shop window , a visible reminder of displeasure with the new policy .
At the Gasthaus Gutenberg restaurant in Karlsruhe , the proprietors took that idea a step further , stringing receipts in a garland crisscrossing the room .
There is in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particular .
Businesses can issue receipts by email or cellphone .
But Germany is still a notoriously cash-based society , making those options unpopular .
Companies also are n't required to use an electronic recording system ( in which case they are not obligated to issue a receipt ) , but they still need to keep complete and orderly records .
Many critics of the law point to the huge amounts of waste generated by issuing all those receipts .
Receipts are often made of thermal paper coated in chemicals that should n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimated that all those compulsory receipts will generate enough paper each year to wrap around the world 50 times .
So the controversial law could be good for other enterprises , like the small company Ökobon : It makes organic receipt paper .

Germany Has A New Receipt Law — And Bakeries Are Getting Sweet Revenge
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tobias Hase/picture alliance via Getty Images Tobias Hase/picture alliance via Getty Images
A new law has taken effect in Germany that requires receipts to be issued at businesses such as restaurants, bakeries, hairdressers, no matter how small the transaction.
It's known as Kassengesetz, or "cash register law": a law for protection against the manipulation of digital records. The measure is meant to increase transparency and prevent tax fraud. The idea is to log each transaction in a format that can be reviewed and verified.
Many of these businesses — and their customers — have taken umbrage at the new requirement, but none has done so more deliciously than the country's beloved bakeries.
In some towns in Bavaria, in southern Germany, some bakeries are incorporating the receipts into the goods themselves. The Bäckerei Ways in Moosinning has begun peddling Kassenbon Krapfen — receipt doughnuts. The pastries are slathered with pink icing and then topped with a receipt made of fondant, tax included.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Daniel Karmann/picture alliance via Getty Images Daniel Karmann/picture alliance via Getty Images
The Streicher bakery in Grosshabersdorf had the same idea. "Edible and not hazardous waste," baker Roland Streicher told inFranken.de.
Despite its verisimilitude, the sugary doppelgänger doesn't count: A regular receipt still has to be generated.
Businesses must provide a receipt, but customers aren't obligated to take it. Some bakeries have begun collecting the receipts from customers in a growing pile in the shop window, a visible reminder of displeasure with the new policy.
At the Gasthaus Gutenberg restaurant in Karlsruhe, the proprietors took that idea a step further, stringing receipts in a garland crisscrossing the room.
There is in fact no requirement to issue paper receipts in particular. Businesses can issue receipts by email or cellphone. But Germany is still a notoriously cash-based society, making those options unpopular. Companies also aren't required to use an electronic recording system (in which case they are not obligated to issue a receipt), but they still need to keep complete and orderly records.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images
Many critics of the law point to the huge amounts of waste generated by issuing all those receipts. Receipts are often made of thermal paper coated in chemicals that shouldn't be recycled.
A German trade association estimated that all those compulsory receipts will generate enough paper each year to wrap around the world 50 times.
So the controversial law could be good for other enterprises, like the small company Ökobon: It makes organic receipt paper.


npr--2020-02-04--3 Big Questions After The Iowa Results Meltdown

Yes , it really happened .
After millions of dollars spent by the candidates , Iowa 's caucuses were a bust .
A delay in results has stalled the Democratic presidential race .
Now , the country is ( so far ) left with no winner from the contest that was supposed to kick off the Democratic presidential contest and help determine which candidate will take on President Trump this fall .
The Iowa Democratic Party tried out an app that was supposed to deliver fast results , but it failed .
Luckily , the party had instituted paper backups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the results Tuesday evening , but the delay has real consequences and raises some major questions : What might this mean for the Democratic presidential campaign ?
First of all , the winner is not yet known and , above all , this debacle robbed whomever that is of a chance to have their moment in the sun .
The campaigns worked so hard in this state because it has been predictive of who has become the Democratic nominee — the last four and seven of last nine have gone on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past 40 years .
Iowa , being first , also serves to winnow the field and help elevate front-runners .
That 's especially important in a year like this with a record number of candidates running .
Whoever actually won was stripped of the potential momentum they were banking on to catapult them into New Hampshire and beyond .
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former South Bend , Ind.
, Mayor Pete Buttigieg declared measures of victory Monday night .
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is saying she finished in the top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her campaign is pointedly saying that former Vice President Joe Biden finished a `` distant fourth . ''
At this point , it is all spin .
But imagine , for example , if on caucus night , it was known in prime time that Sanders and Buttigieg were the top two .
And imagine what that would mean for Biden 's candidacy — and fundraising .
Eventually , the result will be known , though , and what will that mean for Biden 's hopes next week in New Hampshire ?
Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a reason to continue on to New Hampshire .
What would have happened if she finished fifth with that result known on caucus night ?
Now , the moderates in the race may continue to split the vote for longer than they would have liked .
What the delayed result did was stall the race — after a year of time , money and effort expended .
What does this mean for Iowa 's first-in-the-nation status ?
It may very well be Bye-owa .
Traditions are hard to change , but this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fresh push for removing Iowa from being first .
The caucuses have already come under fire for being too complicated , too inaccessible and too white .
And this is not the first time there have been complications — with both parties .
As it is , the state Democratic Party was going to make matters more confusing with three separate results .
Quirky and quaint may have given way to clunky and antiquated , especially in the 21st century with voters coming of age who look at this system and think it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other efforts to change the calendar in the past and entrenched interests have stopped it .
But before 2024 , after what happened Monday night , the Democratic Party is going to have to have a real conversation and debate about how to reinvent this process .
What does this mean for faith in the vote ?
Democracy is messy .
And states want to go to faster , more modern ways of voting .
But , if 2016 foreign interference efforts were n't enough , the Iowa delay is a real warning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fast .
At least Iowa instituted a paper backup system this year .
Imagine the level of disaster this would have been had it not .
Several places in the country are looking to use smartphones for voting with no paper backup .
Every state and municipality has to be rethinking those plans today .
What 's more , the Iowa Democratic Party has not been transparent about the maker of the app .
And , you know what a lack of transparency breeds ?
Conspiracy theories .
That started happening immediately Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign ) .
`` A Republic if we can keep it , '' the founders warned .
All that holds democracies together is the trust in elections .
If that 's lost , good luck keeping the Republic .
Another lesson for November 's general election — Americans have to realize that vote counting takes awhile .
News networks do a great job modeling and projecting elections .
But those are n't final votes , and when a result is close , it 's going to take awhile .
Remember those California congressional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton 's popular vote lead ballooned into the millions after midnight and the election of President Trump in 2016 .
But in an age juxtaposed by the public 's distrust and its simultaneous social media need for speed , can Americans find the will power to slow down , be judicious , wait and be patient ?
It seems unlikely .

3 Big Questions After The Iowa Results Meltdown
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Locher/AP John Locher/AP
Updated at 6:20 p.m. ET
Yes, it really happened. After millions of dollars spent by the candidates, Iowa's caucuses were a bust. A delay in results has stalled the Democratic presidential race.
Now, the country is (so far) left with no winner from the contest that was supposed to kick off the Democratic presidential contest and help determine which candidate will take on President Trump this fall.
The Iowa Democratic Party tried out an app that was supposed to deliver fast results, but it failed. Luckily, the party had instituted paper backups. The state party released 62% of the results Tuesday evening, but the delay has real consequences and raises some major questions:
What might this mean for the Democratic presidential campaign?
First of all, the winner is not yet known and, above all, this debacle robbed whomever that is of a chance to have their moment in the sun.
The campaigns worked so hard in this state because it has been predictive of who has become the Democratic nominee — the last four and seven of last nine have gone on to be the party's standard-bearer over the past 40 years.
Iowa, being first, also serves to winnow the field and help elevate front-runners. That's especially important in a year like this with a record number of candidates running. Whoever actually won was stripped of the potential momentum they were banking on to catapult them into New Hampshire and beyond.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg declared measures of victory Monday night. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is saying she finished in the top three with Sanders and Buttigieg — and her campaign is pointedly saying that former Vice President Joe Biden finished a "distant fourth."
At this point, it is all spin. But imagine, for example, if on caucus night, it was known in prime time that Sanders and Buttigieg were the top two. And imagine what that would mean for Biden's candidacy — and fundraising. Eventually, the result will be known, though, and what will that mean for Biden's hopes next week in New Hampshire?
Sen. Amy Klobuchar used the lack of results as a reason to continue on to New Hampshire. What would have happened if she finished fifth with that result known on caucus night? Now, the moderates in the race may continue to split the vote for longer than they would have liked.
What the delayed result did was stall the race — after a year of time, money and effort expended.
What does this mean for Iowa's first-in-the-nation status?
It may very well be Bye-owa. Traditions are hard to change, but this mess is going to likely mean a fresh push for removing Iowa from being first.
The caucuses have already come under fire for being too complicated, too inaccessible and too white.
And this is not the first time there have been complications — with both parties. As it is, the state Democratic Party was going to make matters more confusing with three separate results.
Quirky and quaint may have given way to clunky and antiquated, especially in the 21st century with voters coming of age who look at this system and think it makes no sense.
There have been other efforts to change the calendar in the past and entrenched interests have stopped it. But before 2024, after what happened Monday night, the Democratic Party is going to have to have a real conversation and debate about how to reinvent this process.
What does this mean for faith in the vote?
Democracy is messy. And states want to go to faster, more modern ways of voting. But, if 2016 foreign interference efforts weren't enough, the Iowa delay is a real warning shot against moving too soon, too fast.
At least Iowa instituted a paper backup system this year. Imagine the level of disaster this would have been had it not.
Several places in the country are looking to use smartphones for voting with no paper backup. Every state and municipality has to be rethinking those plans today.
What's more, the Iowa Democratic Party has not been transparent about the maker of the app. And, you know what a lack of transparency breeds? Conspiracy theories. That started happening immediately Monday night (egged on by the Trump campaign).
"A Republic if we can keep it," the founders warned.
All that holds democracies together is the trust in elections. If that's lost, good luck keeping the Republic.
Another lesson for November's general election — Americans have to realize that vote counting takes awhile. News networks do a great job modeling and projecting elections. But those aren't final votes, and when a result is close, it's going to take awhile.
Remember those California congressional districts in 2018. Remember that Hillary Clinton's popular vote lead ballooned into the millions after midnight and the election of President Trump in 2016.
But in an age juxtaposed by the public's distrust and its simultaneous social media need for speed, can Americans find the will power to slow down, be judicious, wait and be patient? It seems unlikely.


npr--2020-02-04--'No Longer A Friend': Ukrainians Are Losing Faith In The U.S.

'No Longer A Friend ' : Ukrainians Are Losing Faith In The U.S. Nataliya Gumenyuk grew up in a small town outside of Kyiv during the first hungry years after Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 .
Like many Ukrainians of her generation , she was raised on Hollywood movies — but also the American credo of positive social change .
Today Gumenyuk , 36 , is a prominent Ukrainian journalist , who co-founded Hromadske , a noncommercial , nongovernmental public broadcaster , during street protests that rocked Kyiv six years ago .
Gumenyuk , who traveled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three presidential elections , says America has lost its sheen since Ukraine unwittingly became the focus of President Trump 's impeachment process in Washington .
`` There was the idea of a moral example , which is definitely no longer there , '' Gumenyuk says .
Revelations that President Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden are at the heart of the impeachment trial in the Senate .
Trump 's decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine over the summer , as well his administration 's back-channel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many Ukrainians ' belief in the U.S. as a steadfast ally and role model .
Last week , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the first high-ranking administration official to visit Ukraine since the impeachment scandal broke last fall .
There has n't been a U.S. ambassador in Kyiv since May , when Trump abruptly recalled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch .
And Kurt Volker , who was the top U.S. diplomat tasked with negotiating an end to Ukraine 's six-year conflict with Russia , resigned in September before giving testimony in the impeachment inquiry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pompeo called into question whether Americans care about Ukraine .
`` Maybe there was the idea that with this visit , Pompeo could say : 'Look , I care about Ukraine and have come to Ukraine ' so it could be used in the impeachment trial , '' says Gumenyuk .
Zelenskiy wants to secure a White House visit and a replacement for Volker .
That would signal to the Kremlin that the U.S. still supports the Ukrainian government in its bid to end the low-level war with Russian-backed separatists in eastern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date for a meeting with Trump nor a new envoy to Ukraine .
Ivan Yakovina , a political commentator in Kyiv , says Ukraine 's political class has become disillusioned with the United States .
`` Previously it was Ukraine that was unpredictable .
Now , we have no idea what 's going to happen in the United States next week , '' Yakovina says .
`` A lot of people are disappointed .
America used to be a beacon of freedom , liberty and anti-corruption efforts .
Now a lot of Ukrainians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by ourselves . '
'' After his talks with Zelenskiy last Friday , Pompeo held a meeting with representatives of Ukrainian civil society , including Olena Tregub , head of the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee , a nongovernmental watchdog group .
Tregub says the meeting lasted more than an hour and focused on the challenges the Zelenskiy government faces in fighting corruption and improving Ukraine 's investment climate .
Ukraine ranks 126th in Transparency International 's 2019 Corruption Perception Index , between Bolivia and Laos .
While Tregub welcomed the opportunity to speak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do more to support civil society beyond providing financial assistance .
`` This is not a safe environment for anti-corruption campaigners , '' she says .
`` The U.S. should continuously show that it supports agents of change .
One visit is just a start but definitely not enough . ''
Gumenyuk , whose TV channel depends on funding from foreign governments , says Ukraine 's reliance on U.S. assistance makes it awkward to criticize the Trump administration for its transactional approach to foreign policy .
`` America is not an adversary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Gumenyuk says .
`` You 'd want to have the U.S. be a more trustworthy partner . ''
But not everyone in Kyiv takes such a bleak view of U.S.-Ukrainian relations .
Ivan Pohrebniyak , an IT entrepreneur , doubts whether Pompeo was speaking for the Trump administration when he questioned Americans ' interest in Ukraine .
`` Is this the general opinion of the entire government of the U.S. ?
I do n't think so , '' says Pohrebniyak , 36 .
`` How much did previous presidents care about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequently to the U.S. for work , says Trump appeals to him as a businessman who gets things done .
He says he is keeping an open mind about whether Trump deserves to be impeached and still believes the rule of law will prevail in the U.S. — unlike in Ukraine .
With the Senate all but certain to acquit Trump on Wednesday , political analyst Yakovina is less sanguine .
`` As long as Donald Trump is president of the United States , nobody can be sure of anything , '' Yakovina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after his acquittal in the Senate , Trump will start pressuring Ukraine even more .
Now he wo n't have anything to fear . ''

'No Longer A Friend': Ukrainians Are Losing Faith In The U.S.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
Nataliya Gumenyuk grew up in a small town outside of Kyiv during the first hungry years after Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Like many Ukrainians of her generation, she was raised on Hollywood movies — but also the American credo of positive social change.
Today Gumenyuk, 36, is a prominent Ukrainian journalist, who co-founded Hromadske, a noncommercial, nongovernmental public broadcaster, during street protests that rocked Kyiv six years ago.
Gumenyuk, who traveled to the U.S. to cover the last three presidential elections, says America has lost its sheen since Ukraine unwittingly became the focus of President Trump's impeachment process in Washington.
"There was the idea of a moral example, which is definitely no longer there," Gumenyuk says.
Revelations that President Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden are at the heart of the impeachment trial in the Senate. Trump's decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine over the summer, as well his administration's back-channel efforts to contact Zelenskiy, have shaken many Ukrainians' belief in the U.S. as a steadfast ally and role model.
Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the first high-ranking administration official to visit Ukraine since the impeachment scandal broke last fall. There hasn't been a U.S. ambassador in Kyiv since May, when Trump abruptly recalled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. And Kurt Volker, who was the top U.S. diplomat tasked with negotiating an end to Ukraine's six-year conflict with Russia, resigned in September before giving testimony in the impeachment inquiry.
Before leaving for Europe last month, Pompeo called into question whether Americans care about Ukraine.
"Maybe there was the idea that with this visit, Pompeo could say: 'Look, I care about Ukraine and have come to Ukraine' so it could be used in the impeachment trial," says Gumenyuk.
Zelenskiy wants to secure a White House visit and a replacement for Volker. That would signal to the Kremlin that the U.S. still supports the Ukrainian government in its bid to end the low-level war with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. But Pompeo offered neither a date for a meeting with Trump nor a new envoy to Ukraine.
Ivan Yakovina, a political commentator in Kyiv, says Ukraine's political class has become disillusioned with the United States.
"Previously it was Ukraine that was unpredictable. Now, we have no idea what's going to happen in the United States next week," Yakovina says. "A lot of people are disappointed. America used to be a beacon of freedom, liberty and anti-corruption efforts. Now a lot of Ukrainians feel like, 'yeah, we are by ourselves.'"
After his talks with Zelenskiy last Friday, Pompeo held a meeting with representatives of Ukrainian civil society, including Olena Tregub, head of the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee, a nongovernmental watchdog group.
Tregub says the meeting lasted more than an hour and focused on the challenges the Zelenskiy government faces in fighting corruption and improving Ukraine's investment climate. Ukraine ranks 126th in Transparency International's 2019 Corruption Perception Index, between Bolivia and Laos.
While Tregub welcomed the opportunity to speak with Pompeo, she says the U.S. can do more to support civil society beyond providing financial assistance.
"This is not a safe environment for anti-corruption campaigners," she says. "The U.S. should continuously show that it supports agents of change. One visit is just a start but definitely not enough."
Gumenyuk, whose TV channel depends on funding from foreign governments, says Ukraine's reliance on U.S. assistance makes it awkward to criticize the Trump administration for its transactional approach to foreign policy.
"America is not an adversary — but maybe no longer a friend," Gumenyuk says. "You'd want to have the U.S. be a more trustworthy partner."
But not everyone in Kyiv takes such a bleak view of U.S.-Ukrainian relations.
Ivan Pohrebniyak, an IT entrepreneur, doubts whether Pompeo was speaking for the Trump administration when he questioned Americans' interest in Ukraine.
"Is this the general opinion of the entire government of the U.S.? I don't think so," says Pohrebniyak, 36. "How much did previous presidents care about Ukraine?"
Pohrebniyak, who travels frequently to the U.S. for work, says Trump appeals to him as a businessman who gets things done.
He says he is keeping an open mind about whether Trump deserves to be impeached and still believes the rule of law will prevail in the U.S. — unlike in Ukraine.
With the Senate all but certain to acquit Trump on Wednesday, political analyst Yakovina is less sanguine.
"As long as Donald Trump is president of the United States, nobody can be sure of anything," Yakovina says. "I'm afraid that after his acquittal in the Senate, Trump will start pressuring Ukraine even more. Now he won't have anything to fear."


npr--2020-02-04--EU Takes A Dim View Of Trump's Controversial Mideast Peace Plan

The European Union expressed major reservations about President Trump 's newly unveiled plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict , saying it does n't meet `` internationally agreed parameters '' on issues such as where Israel 's borders should be drawn .
The plan , which has been roundly rejected by Palestinians , sides with Israel on major sticking points such as Jerusalem , settlements in the West Bank and the right of return for Palestinian refugees .
It provides a pathway to what the Trump administration calls a Palestinian state — envisioned on fragmented areas of land over which Palestinians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In a statement , European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stressed that the EU is committed to a `` negotiated two-State solution , based on 1967 lines , with equivalent land swaps , as may be agreed between the parties , with the State of Israel and an independent , democratic , contiguous , sovereign and viable State of Palestine , living side by side in peace , security and mutual recognition . ''
Borrell said that the Trump administration 's plan , which was spearheaded by the president 's son-in-law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internationally agreed parameters . ''
The EU , and previous U.S. administrations , have called for using Israel 's 1967 borders as a starting point to negotiations .
Trump 's plan would allow Israel to annex large portions of the West Bank , including the the Jordan Valley and many areas with existing Israeli settlements .
Israel 's embattled prime minister , Benjamin Netanyahu , has said that Israel will pursue plans to annex areas outlined in the Trump proposal .
The EU spoke out against that idea .
`` In line with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resolutions , the EU does not recognise Israel 's sovereignty over the territories occupied since 1967 , '' Borrell said .
`` Steps towards annexation , if implemented , could not pass unchallenged . ''
Lior Haiat , spokesperson for Israel 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs , said in a tweet that `` the fact that the High Rep of the EU , Josep Borrel , chose to use threatening language towards Israel , so shortly after he assumed office & only hours after his meetings in Iran , is regrettable & , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' `` Pursuing such policies & conduct is the best way to ensure that the EU 's role in any process will be minimized , '' he added .
Borrell started in this role in December 2019 .
Prior to Tuesday 's statement , the EU had not yet taken a position on the Trump administration 's proposal , which was issued in coordination with Israel and without consulting the Palestinians .
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has described the plan as the `` smack of the century . ''
Riyad al-Malki , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in local media as saying that `` despite the pressures exerted by the American administration and Israel , the [ EU ] statement represents a victory for international legitimacy and the diplomacy of justice which the US is trying to replace with the diplomacy of intimidation and threats . ''
International criticism of Trump 's plan is mounting .
On Monday , the African Union came out against the deal .
In a statement , AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said the organization `` notes with great concern that this plan ignores @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and constitutes a serious violation of their fundamental rights . ''

EU Takes A Dim View Of Trump's Controversial Mideast Peace Plan
Enlarge this image toggle caption Francisco Seco/AP Francisco Seco/AP
The European Union expressed major reservations about President Trump's newly unveiled plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying it doesn't meet "internationally agreed parameters" on issues such as where Israel's borders should be drawn.
The plan, which has been roundly rejected by Palestinians, sides with Israel on major sticking points such as Jerusalem, settlements in the West Bank and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
It provides a pathway to what the Trump administration calls a Palestinian state — envisioned on fragmented areas of land over which Palestinians would not have their own security control.
In a statement, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stressed that the EU is committed to a "negotiated two-State solution, based on 1967 lines, with equivalent land swaps, as may be agreed between the parties, with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace, security and mutual recognition."
Borrell said that the Trump administration's plan, which was spearheaded by the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, "departs from these internationally agreed parameters."
The EU, and previous U.S. administrations, have called for using Israel's 1967 borders as a starting point to negotiations. Trump's plan would allow Israel to annex large portions of the West Bank, including the the Jordan Valley and many areas with existing Israeli settlements.
Israel's embattled prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that Israel will pursue plans to annex areas outlined in the Trump proposal.
The EU spoke out against that idea. "In line with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the EU does not recognise Israel's sovereignty over the territories occupied since 1967," Borrell said. "Steps towards annexation, if implemented, could not pass unchallenged."
Lior Haiat, spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a tweet that "the fact that the High Rep of the EU, Josep Borrel, chose to use threatening language towards Israel, so shortly after he assumed office & only hours after his meetings in Iran, is regrettable &, to say the least, odd."
"Pursuing such policies & conduct is the best way to ensure that the EU's role in any process will be minimized," he added.
Borrell started in this role in December 2019. Prior to Tuesday's statement, the EU had not yet taken a position on the Trump administration's proposal, which was issued in coordination with Israel and without consulting the Palestinians.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has described the plan as the "smack of the century."
Riyad al-Malki, the Palestinian foreign minister, is quoted in local media as saying that "despite the pressures exerted by the American administration and Israel, the [EU] statement represents a victory for international legitimacy and the diplomacy of justice which the US is trying to replace with the diplomacy of intimidation and threats."
International criticism of Trump's plan is mounting. On Monday, the African Union came out against the deal. In a statement, AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said the organization "notes with great concern that this plan ignores the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and constitutes a serious violation of their fundamental rights."


npr--2020-02-04--What We Know About The App That Delayed Iowa's Caucus Results

What We Know About The App That Delayed Iowa 's Caucus Results Iowa 's Democrats had hoped that a new smartphone app designed to collect the results of its caucuses would let the party get the count out to the public more quickly .
But as of Tuesday afternoon , the state 's Democratic Party was still struggling to report the outcome of Monday night 's caucuses , blaming the delay on problems with that app .
Finally , shortly after 5 p.m. , the party began releasing results .
Shortly before releasing the results , Iowa Democratic Party chair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mishap was `` unacceptable '' and offered an apology .
He reiterated that his priority is the `` accuracy and integrity '' of the results .
Shadow Inc. , the company that developed the app for the party , apologized for the delay in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon .
`` We sincerely regret the delay in the reporting of the results of last night 's Iowa caucuses and the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates , their campaigns , and Democratic caucus-goers , '' the company said .
`` As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the underlying data and collection process via Shadow 's mobile caucus app was sound and accurate , but our process to transmit that caucus results data generated via the app to the IDP was not , '' Shadow added .
The company said that it will `` apply the lessons learned in the future '' and that it has `` already corrected the underlying technology issue .
We take these issues very seriously , and are committed to improving and evolving to support the Democratic Party 's goal of modernizing its election processes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has determined `` with certainty '' that `` the underlying data '' via its new app `` was sound . ''
In a statement Tuesday morning , Price said the app was recording data accurately , but `` it was reporting out only partial data '' because of a `` coding issue in the reporting system . ''
Party staff then turned to entering data manually , which took longer than expected , Price said .
Computer experts and caucus chairs said there was not enough training on using the app before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough as it is .
`` It appears in this case that the app was never really tested in a manner which came close to approximating the real mess of an election , '' Doug Jones , a computer science professor at the University of Iowa and a former caucus precinct leader , told NPR on Tuesday .
`` Caucus chairs , in many cases , apparently were attempting to download and install the app on their phones on caucus night , '' he said .
`` That 's extraordinarily difficult to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' A report by NPR and Iowa Public Radio last month raised several concerns about the app .
Cybersecurity experts interviewed by NPR said the party 's decision to withhold the technical details of its app made it hard to have complete confidence in it .
`` Drawing the blinds on the process leaves us , in the public , in a position where we ca n't even assess the competence of the people doing something on our behalf , '' Jones , the computer science professor , said then .
At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the party 's contingency planning .
`` If there 's a challenge , we 'll be ready with a backup and a backup to that backup and a backup to the backup to the backup , '' Price told NPR .
`` We are fully prepared to make sure that we can get these results in and get those results in accurately . ''
And in his statement Tuesday morning , Price said : `` We have every indication that our systems were secure and there was not a cybersecurity intrusion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems were tested by independent cybersecurity consultants . ''
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security 's cybersecurity agency said , `` At this time , we have no reporting of any malicious cyberactivity .
We encourage our election partners to build resilience into their planning and execution procedures , to prepare for issues that may come up during election processes . ''
Sen. Mark Warner , D-Va. , vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence , said , `` The continuing chaos in Iowa is illustrative of our overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the integrity of our election systems . ''
But as NPR and Iowa Public Radio reported in January , there were also concerns about a lag in the adoption of technology in some rural parts of Iowa .
`` At least everybody with smartphones is gon na [ use the app ] , I know that , '' said Gary Gelner , who chairs the Hancock County Democratic Party in north central Iowa .
`` You 'd be surprised how many people up here got the old flip cellphones . ''
The Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developer , a total of $ 63,183.91 in `` professional fees '' in November and December , according to a campaign finance report filed by the party in January .
Shadow 's website describes the company this way : `` We are campaign and technology veterans who have built and implemented technology at Hillary for America , Obama for America , Google , Kiva , Apple , the AFL-CIO , and the DNC .
Our passion is to create a permanent advantage for progressive campaigns and causes through technology . ''
Acronym , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweet that it had invested in Shadow .
`` We are reading confirmed reports of Shadow 's work with the Iowa Democratic Party on Twitter , and we , like everybody else , are eagerly awaiting more information '' from the party on what happened , Acronym said in a statement .
Multiple county chairs blamed the app for the delayed reporting of results .
Holly Christine Brown , the Asian/Pacific Islander caucus chair for the Iowa Democratic Party , said she was only appointed precinct chair last week and first saw the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were just given access to the app and told , 'Play around in there a little bit , ' and that was about as much training as we got , '' Brown told NPR 's Rachel Martin .
`` We were able to call in and ask questions , but there was no real training on the app . ''
Brown said the problems with Monday 's caucuses will `` absolutely '' increase calls to change Iowa 's system .
`` People are very upset about how this happened and how this played @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gayman , the Scott County Democratic chair , said the app was difficult to use for older and younger people alike .
`` It was unique ; it 's not something you can download in the app store , '' she said .
`` You actually had to fill out a form .
In addition to that , you got a series of PIN numbers .
And so , yeah , there was a lot of layers and I think that absolutely mucked it up .
Anecdotally , a few of the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successfully were younger people .
But I do know some young people that also had troubles , just so many layers . ''
Marjie Foster , the Democratic chair of Decatur County , said her caucus `` had absolutely no glitches with the app .
Our app process worked great .
Our chair was very well-prepared .
He had trained and tested , and he was on target with it .
So we had no issues with the app . ''
But the app did n't work for Des Moines County Democratic Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't work out right , '' said Courtney , who said he tried to call in the results for several hours but could n't get through because the number was `` constantly busy . ''
Instead , Courtney said , he went home and planned to call and report his precinct 's results in the morning .
`` [ The Iowa Democratic Party ] made it seem like this was going to work fine .
They tested it , tested it , '' he said .
`` I 'm old enough , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but I thought it would be better than it is .
There have been problems .
Little problems with it , right , all along .
Guess I was n't surprised . ''
Early Tuesday afternoon , Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said in a statement that the accuracy of the vote totals `` is much more important than the timeliness of releasing the results .
I am glad to hear they have a paper trail for their votes , just as we use paper ballots in all official elections in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Iowa Democratic Party ] while they take their time and conduct checks and balances to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the votes . ''
The Democratic Party in Nevada , another caucus state , pledged Tuesday to avoid the problems Iowa saw .
`` NV Dems can confidently say that what happened in the Iowa caucus last night will not happen in Nevada on February 22nd , '' the party said in a statement .
`` We will not be employing the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of backups and redundant reporting systems , and are currently evaluating the best path forward . ''
NPR 's Pam Fessler and Miles Parks contributed to this report .

What We Know About The App That Delayed Iowa's Caucus Results
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jim Bourg/Reuters Jim Bourg/Reuters
Updated at 10:10 p.m. ET
Who won Iowa?
Iowa's Democrats had hoped that a new smartphone app designed to collect the results of its caucuses would let the party get the count out to the public more quickly.
But as of Tuesday afternoon, the state's Democratic Party was still struggling to report the outcome of Monday night's caucuses, blaming the delay on problems with that app. Finally, shortly after 5 p.m., the party began releasing results.
Shortly before releasing the results, Iowa Democratic Party chair Troy Price said Monday night's reporting mishap was "unacceptable" and offered an apology. He reiterated that his priority is the "accuracy and integrity" of the results.
DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement Tuesday evening that the issue "should never happen again." He said the app would not be used during the primary election process and that the vendor "must provide absolute transparent accounting of what went wrong."
Shadow Inc., the company that developed the app for the party, apologized for the delay in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon.
"We sincerely regret the delay in the reporting of the results of last night's Iowa caucuses and the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates, their campaigns, and Democratic caucus-goers," the company said.
"As the Iowa Democratic Party has confirmed, the underlying data and collection process via Shadow's mobile caucus app was sound and accurate, but our process to transmit that caucus results data generated via the app to the IDP was not," Shadow added.
The company said that it will "apply the lessons learned in the future" and that it has "already corrected the underlying technology issue. We take these issues very seriously, and are committed to improving and evolving to support the Democratic Party's goal of modernizing its election processes."
The Iowa Democratic Party said it has determined "with certainty" that "the underlying data" via its new app "was sound." In a statement Tuesday morning, Price said the app was recording data accurately, but "it was reporting out only partial data" because of a "coding issue in the reporting system."
Party staff then turned to entering data manually, which took longer than expected, Price said.
Computer experts and caucus chairs said there was not enough training on using the app before Monday's caucuses, which are chaotic enough as it is.
"It appears in this case that the app was never really tested in a manner which came close to approximating the real mess of an election," Doug Jones, a computer science professor at the University of Iowa and a former caucus precinct leader, told NPR on Tuesday.
"Caucus chairs, in many cases, apparently were attempting to download and install the app on their phones on caucus night," he said. "That's extraordinarily difficult to do that kind of thing under pressure."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images Alex Wong/Getty Images
A report by NPR and Iowa Public Radio last month raised several concerns about the app. Cybersecurity experts interviewed by NPR said the party's decision to withhold the technical details of its app made it hard to have complete confidence in it.
"Drawing the blinds on the process leaves us, in the public, in a position where we can't even assess the competence of the people doing something on our behalf," Jones, the computer science professor, said then.
At the time, Price said he was confident in the party's contingency planning.
"If there's a challenge, we'll be ready with a backup and a backup to that backup and a backup to the backup to the backup," Price told NPR. "We are fully prepared to make sure that we can get these results in and get those results in accurately."
And in his statement Tuesday morning, Price said: "We have every indication that our systems were secure and there was not a cybersecurity intrusion. In preparation for the caucuses, our systems were tested by independent cybersecurity consultants."
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency said, "At this time, we have no reporting of any malicious cyberactivity. We encourage our election partners to build resilience into their planning and execution procedures, to prepare for issues that may come up during election processes."
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said, "The continuing chaos in Iowa is illustrative of our overall failure to take sufficient steps to protect the integrity of our election systems."
But as NPR and Iowa Public Radio reported in January, there were also concerns about a lag in the adoption of technology in some rural parts of Iowa.
"At least everybody with smartphones is gonna [use the app], I know that," said Gary Gelner, who chairs the Hancock County Democratic Party in north central Iowa. "You'd be surprised how many people up here got the old flip cellphones."
The Iowa Democratic Party paid Shadow, the app developer, a total of $63,183.91 in "professional fees" in November and December, according to a campaign finance report filed by the party in January.
Shadow's website describes the company this way: "We are campaign and technology veterans who have built and implemented technology at Hillary for America, Obama for America, Google, Kiva, Apple, the AFL-CIO, and the DNC. Our passion is to create a permanent advantage for progressive campaigns and causes through technology."
Acronym, an anti-Trump superPAC, confirmed in a tweet that it had invested in Shadow. "We are reading confirmed reports of Shadow's work with the Iowa Democratic Party on Twitter, and we, like everybody else, are eagerly awaiting more information" from the party on what happened, Acronym said in a statement.
Multiple county chairs blamed the app for the delayed reporting of results.
Holly Christine Brown, the Asian/Pacific Islander caucus chair for the Iowa Democratic Party, said she was only appointed precinct chair last week and first saw the app on Friday evening.
"We were just given access to the app and told, 'Play around in there a little bit,' and that was about as much training as we got," Brown told NPR's Rachel Martin. "We were able to call in and ask questions, but there was no real training on the app."
Brown said the problems with Monday's caucuses will "absolutely" increase calls to change Iowa's system. "People are very upset about how this happened and how this played out," she said.
Elesha Gayman, the Scott County Democratic chair, said the app was difficult to use for older and younger people alike.
"It was unique; it's not something you can download in the app store," she said. "You actually had to fill out a form. In addition to that, you got a series of PIN numbers. And so, yeah, there was a lot of layers and I think that absolutely mucked it up. Anecdotally, a few of the people I do know who used the app successfully were younger people. But I do know some young people that also had troubles, just so many layers."
Marjie Foster, the Democratic chair of Decatur County, said her caucus "had absolutely no glitches with the app. Our app process worked great. Our chair was very well-prepared. He had trained and tested, and he was on target with it. So we had no issues with the app."
But the app didn't work for Des Moines County Democratic Party Co-Chairman Tom Courtney.
"Things didn't work out right," said Courtney, who said he tried to call in the results for several hours but couldn't get through because the number was "constantly busy."
Instead, Courtney said, he went home and planned to call and report his precinct's results in the morning.
"[The Iowa Democratic Party] made it seem like this was going to work fine. They tested it, tested it," he said. "I'm old enough, I was skeptical, the whole thing, but I thought it would be better than it is. There have been problems. Little problems with it, right, all along. Guess I wasn't surprised."
Early Tuesday afternoon, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said in a statement that the accuracy of the vote totals "is much more important than the timeliness of releasing the results. I am glad to hear they have a paper trail for their votes, just as we use paper ballots in all official elections in the State of Iowa. I support [the Iowa Democratic Party] while they take their time and conduct checks and balances to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the votes."
The Democratic Party in Nevada, another caucus state, pledged Tuesday to avoid the problems Iowa saw.
"NV Dems can confidently say that what happened in the Iowa caucus last night will not happen in Nevada on February 22nd," the party said in a statement. "We will not be employing the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus. We had already developed a series of backups and redundant reporting systems, and are currently evaluating the best path forward."
NPR's Pam Fessler and Miles Parks contributed to this report.


npr--2020-02-04--Iran Upholds Death Sentence For Man Accused Of Giving Nuclear Secrets To CIA

Iran Upholds Death Sentence For Man Accused Of Giving Nuclear Secrets To CIA Updated at 11 a.m .
ET Iran 's Supreme Court has affirmed a death sentence for a man accused of giving secrets about the country 's nuclear program to the CIA , a government spokesman announced Tuesday .
`` Amir Rahimpour who spied for the CIA and received huge amounts of money and attempted to provide the U.S. intelligence service with a part of Iran 's nuclear information was tried and had been sentenced to death , '' judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli said at a news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's semiofficial FARS News Agency .
Esmayeeli said the sentence will be carried out `` soon '' but did not provide an exact date or any other details .
`` It 's the first Iranian death sentence for spying on behalf of America in nearly a decade , '' NPR 's Peter Kenyon reports from Istanbul .
Rahimpour holds a master 's degree in electrical engineering and has been incarcerated in Evin Prison since at least last fall , according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran .
Evin Prison is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian , who was held there for 544 days .
The public announcement is the latest salvo in Iran 's dispute with the United States , which ratcheted up after President Trump abandoned an international nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 .
Last month , a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian commander and Iran retaliated with missile strikes against Iraqi bases housing American personnel .
Iran has made numerous claims of counterintelligence coups against the U.S. in recent years .
Last April , Intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had disrupted CIA operations by identifying 290 spies operating in Iran and other countries .
He said Iran had shared that information with other nations .
And last June , Iran said it `` dismantled '' a CIA espionage network – a claim that a U.S. official denied .
Last July , Iran 's Intelligence Ministry said it had detained 17 Iranians , accusing them of spying for the U.S. Trump said the announcement was `` totally false . ''
In announcing Rahimpour 's death sentence , the Iranian judiciary spokesman added that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for espionage , according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency .
`` They did their spying activities in form of charity organizations ; they were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for espionage and another five years for acting against security , '' IRNA reports .

Iran Upholds Death Sentence For Man Accused Of Giving Nuclear Secrets To CIA
Enlarge this image toggle caption Hamed Ataei/Mizan News Agency via AP Hamed Ataei/Mizan News Agency via AP
Updated at 11 a.m. ET
Iran's Supreme Court has affirmed a death sentence for a man accused of giving secrets about the country's nuclear program to the CIA, a government spokesman announced Tuesday.
"Amir Rahimpour who spied for the CIA and received huge amounts of money and attempted to provide the U.S. intelligence service with a part of Iran's nuclear information was tried and had been sentenced to death," judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmayeeli said at a news conference in Tehran, according to Iran's semiofficial FARS News Agency.
Esmayeeli said the sentence will be carried out "soon" but did not provide an exact date or any other details.
"It's the first Iranian death sentence for spying on behalf of America in nearly a decade," NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Istanbul.
Rahimpour holds a master's degree in electrical engineering and has been incarcerated in Evin Prison since at least last fall, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran. Evin Prison is notorious for holding political detainees, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, who was held there for 544 days.
The public announcement is the latest salvo in Iran's dispute with the United States, which ratcheted up after President Trump abandoned an international nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018. Last month, a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian commander and Iran retaliated with missile strikes against Iraqi bases housing American personnel.
Iran has made numerous claims of counterintelligence coups against the U.S. in recent years.
Last April, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi announced that his agency had disrupted CIA operations by identifying 290 spies operating in Iran and other countries. He said Iran had shared that information with other nations. And last June, Iran said it "dismantled" a CIA espionage network – a claim that a U.S. official denied.
Last July, Iran's Intelligence Ministry said it had detained 17 Iranians, accusing them of spying for the U.S. Trump said the announcement was "totally false."
In announcing Rahimpour's death sentence, the Iranian judiciary spokesman added that two other Iranians also have been punished for espionage, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
"They did their spying activities in form of charity organizations; they were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for espionage and another five years for acting against security," IRNA reports.


npr--2020-02-04--Senators Speak Ahead Of Final Impeachment Vote; Collins Will Vote To Acquit

Senators Speak Ahead Of Final Impeachment Vote ; Collins Will Vote To Acquit As jurors in President Trump 's impeachment trial , senators have remained silent as House impeachment managers and Trump 's defense team make their cases .
But now they have their opening .
The trial adjourned on Monday , giving senators their chance to take the floor .
That window was still open on Tuesday ; senators had up to 10 minutes each to speak .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , spoke first on Tuesday , dismissing the two articles of impeachment against Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Susan Collins , one of two Republicans who voted with Democrats to push for witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial , announced she will vote to acquit President Trump on both articles of impeachment .
Collins said that while there were gaps in the record `` some key facts are not disputed '' about the president 's phone call with the Ukrainian president .
Speaking about Article 1 , which alleges abuse of power , Collins said it was wrong for the president to mention former Vice President Biden on the call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a foreign government to investigate a political rival . ''
But she said that the House managers did not meet the burden of showing the president 's conduct was worth removal from office .
The Maine Republican criticized the House managers ' case on Article 2 , obstruction of Congress , saying they chose `` speed over finality '' in their decision not to go to court to subpoena key Trump administration witnesses for testimony and documents .
Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney has not announced how he will vote , but he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's conduct .
He could be the lone GOP Senator voting to convict the president when the Senate votes tomorrow afternoon on both articles .
There is also a small group of red state Democrats who have not announced their votes and it is possible there could be a bipartisan acquittal of the president on one or both articles of impeachment .
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in December on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to efforts to get Ukraine to investigate Trump 's political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate is set to vote on whether Trump should be convicted or acquitted of those charges .
McConnell made his case for why senators should vote to acquit .
`` We must vote to reject the House abuse of power , vote to protect our institutions , vote to reject to new precedents that would reduce the framers ' design to rubble , vote to keep factional fever from boiling over and scorching our republic , '' he said on the Senate floor .
`` I urge every one of our colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the evidence , the Constitution and the common good clearly require .
Vote to acquit the president of these charges . ''

Senators Speak Ahead Of Final Impeachment Vote; Collins Will Vote To Acquit
Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Updated at 4:30 p.m. ET
As jurors in President Trump's impeachment trial, senators have remained silent as House impeachment managers and Trump's defense team make their cases. But now they have their opening.
The trial adjourned on Monday, giving senators their chance to take the floor. That window was still open on Tuesday; senators had up to 10 minutes each to speak.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., spoke first on Tuesday, dismissing the two articles of impeachment against Trump as "constitutionally incoherent."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Maine Sen. Susan Collins, one of two Republicans who voted with Democrats to push for witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial, announced she will vote to acquit President Trump on both articles of impeachment.
Collins said that while there were gaps in the record, "some key facts are not disputed" about the president's phone call with the Ukrainian president. Speaking about Article 1, which alleges abuse of power, Collins said it was wrong for the president to mention former Vice President Joe Biden on the call and "wrong of him to ask a foreign government to investigate a political rival." But she said that the House managers did not meet the burden of showing the president's conduct was worth removal from office.
The Maine Republican criticized the House managers' case on Article 2, obstruction of Congress, saying they chose "speed over finality" in their decision not to go to court to subpoena key Trump administration witnesses for testimony and documents.
Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney has not announced how he will vote, but he has been publicly critical of the president's conduct. He could be the lone GOP senator voting to convict the president when the Senate votes Wednesday afternoon on both articles. There is also a small group of red state Democrats who have not announced their votes, and it is possible there could be a bipartisan acquittal of the president on one or both articles of impeachment.
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in December on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to efforts to get Ukraine to investigate Trump's political rivals.
At 4 p.m. Wednesday, the Senate is set to vote on whether Trump should be convicted or acquitted of those charges. McConnell made his case for why senators should vote to acquit.
"We must vote to reject the House abuse of power, vote to protect our institutions, vote to reject to new precedents that would reduce the framers' design to rubble, vote to keep factional fever from boiling over and scorching our republic," he said on the Senate floor. "I urge every one of our colleagues to cast the vote the facts, the evidence, the Constitution and the common good clearly require. Vote to acquit the president of these charges."