34 Burst results for "Selena Simmons Duffin"
NPR News Now
Judge Orders Missouri To Implement Medicaid Expansion
"Judge in missouri is ordering the stay to expand medicaid immediately. Mpr selena simmons duffin reports more than two hundred fifty thousand residents will now be eligible for health insurance through the program. Missouri voters passed a referendum to expand medicaid last november. But it's been a political saga. Since then the republican legislature refused to fund it and the governor said he wouldn't implement it last month. The supreme court ruled the state must move forward with expansion. That means all adults making less than about eighteen thousand dollars. A year would be eligible for coverage the state. Ask for a delay. But now a federal judge has ruled the state needs to start enrolling people in this group immediately. Medicaid expansion was a key part of the affordable care act and has been a huge political fight for years. Twelve states still have not expanded medicaid leaving millions of people and a health insurance coverage
WBEZ Chicago
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on WBEZ Chicago
"2500 beers and 3000 spirits. More at total wine dot com and from Americans for the Arts. This is weekend edition from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. What happens from remote school and face masks and social distancing all begin to wind down. Children start getting cold. That's what one day I came home from wherever I was, and I was very snuff Ali, and then I kind of cold and then my little sister got it. Oh, gosh. That's Noah loudly. He's six. That cold got her mother and oh, she's sick scented. I'm so that Well, that cold got her mother. NPR's Selena Simmons, Duffin wondering are their covid area covid Ara precautions The parents of youngsters should hang on to the answer, according to the infectious disease experts I called is a resounding yes, the spread of lots of the respiratory viruses that make parents like me miserable pretty much all year. Can be stopped using the same virus fighting tools. In fact, these tools may be even more effective against run of the mill germs than they were against SARS. Cov two Since the coronavirus is stealthy, very transmissible in new So in pre pandemic times, it may have seemed like a weird move to put on a mask during story time, But Dr Tina Tan says that is her top tip. If you're going to be face to face with them, they're sitting in your lap. You're reading to them. You're feeding them, etcetera. Then I would say Wear a mask. Tan is a pediatric infectious disease physician at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago and a professor at Northwestern Whether it's influenza or a rhinovirus or something else. Masks stop infectious particles like virus filled droplets from getting into your nose, eyes our mouth and getting you sick. You don't need an n 95. You could wear basically a medical mass you could wear, you know, a cloth mask that has at least two ply even better put a mask on the person who's sick, says Similac to Walla, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Who studies influenza transmission. If your kids are old enough to wear Ask that would probably be the best strategy. Your kid will be most infectious for the first few days of symptoms, so maybe keep this up for three or four days. It masks at home aren't your thing when my kids are sick? What I end up doing is I open the windows. I turn on the fans. I get a lot more air circulation going on the house and I do try to just like Not smuggle them, keep them a little bit of distance. So what about cleaning? There is good news on that front, says 10. You don't need to go overboard. I mean, most of these viruses don't live on surfaces for very long periods of time. Much more important than surface cleaning, or HEPA filters or extra laundry is washing your hands. Really common way for transmission to happen is you touch something with germs on it and then touch your face. So the same hand washing guidelines for Covid also apply.
Morning Edition
Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Rapid Tests to Be Available at Major Pharmacies
"Available without a prescription. As NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports. These tests for the Corona virus could soon be on drugstore shelves. The tester Abbotts by next now test and the Quiet Del Quick View test. Both use simple swabs and test strips to give results in about 10 to 15 minutes. These aren't the first rapid at home test to be authorized by FDA for use without a prescription. Another made by a loom is not yet in stores, and it's expected to cost around $30 protest. These tests are simpler and cheaper. They're expected to be sold in drugstores in two packs for around 15 to $20 public health experts say that rapid at home testing, along with other public health tools, like vaccines could make it easier to tamp down outbreaks before they spread out of control. Selena Simmons Duffin. NPR News Police in Orange, California near Los Angeles, say a mass shooting has left four
KCRW
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KCRW
"Website will only show a limited number of vaccine providers. Most states, people will only see certain pharmacies. The ones that get their dose is directly from the federal government. People in four states, Alaska, Indiana, Iowa and Tennessee can see more providers like clinics and hospitals and public health sites. The founder of Vaccine fighter John Brownstein, who's the chief information officer at Boston Children's Hospital tells me that the list is going to expand in the coming days and weeks. NPR's Selena Simmons, Duffin reporting. Again. The website is vaccine finder dot org's The House is expected to vote tomorrow on President Biden's nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief Bill. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports, Congressional Democrats are moving ahead without the support of Republicans. The president's coronavirus relief bill advanced out of the House Budget Committee on Monday and is expected to pass along party lines. It includes $1400 relief checks for those who qualify additional aid for state and local governments and an extension of extra weekly unemployment benefits, which are scheduled to expire on March. 14th. The measure also includes a provision that would gradually boost the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. The wage increases facing pushback in the Senate from Republicans and some moderate Democrats. I didn't spill will need the support of every Democrat in the chamber to pass with a simple majority. Windsor Johnston. NPR NEWS Washington The U. S Navy says that one of its destroyers has sailed through the Taiwan Street. This is a demonstration of the Biden administration's commitment to a free and open Indo Pacific region. NPR's John Rule, which reports this is the second such naval transit since President Biden took office. The USS Curtis Wilbur sailed through the narrow waterway between mainland China and the self willed island of Taiwan on Wednesday local time. The navy said the operation was conducted in accordance with international law. But it comes at a time of tension between the U. S and China and as Beijing tries to figure out whether relations will improve under president Biden is barely a month into his presidency. Chinese government claims sovereignty over Taiwan, A spokesman for the Chinese military set online, the U. S ship had created risks and undermine the peace and stability in the region by sailing through the strait. Earlier this month, President Biden raised concerns about Beijing's coercion of Taiwan and his first call as president with Chinese leader Xi Jinping's John Rue. Which NPR news You're listening to NPR. President Biden has officially revoked some of former President Donald Trump's presidential orders. Among them is Trump's ever to cut federal funding to several cities that he had labeled anarchist. Trump action came after peaceful protests and rioting over George Floyd's killing in police custody. Some cities that could have lost funding where New York Seattle and Portland, Oregon Secretary of State Anthony Blink in a new post at the department. It's to make sure the diplomatic quarry is more diverse and inclusive. Many experts have been advocating for this for years as NPR's Michele Kelemen reports. For decades, the State Department has vowed to look more like America. But there are few black ambassadors serving abroad today, and the department has had a tough time retaining a diverse workforce. Now Secretary Blinken is creating a new position. The chief diversity and inclusion officer spokesperson that price says the secretary is personally committed to this. This is a department that represents America to the world. This is a department that needs to reflect the full diversity of the American people, he says. Every bureau will join this effort. Michele Kelemen. NPR NEWS Washington The UN's humanitarian chief is urging nations to donate relief aid to Yemen. Mark Lowe Cock is asking countries, especially in the Persian Gulf region to donate nearly $4 billion. He says aid to Yemen was slashed last year and Yemenis lost food and other vital aid..
WNYC 93.9 FM
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on WNYC 93.9 FM
"19 vaccine, But you can't find one help could be on the way. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just launched an online search tool in partnership with Boston Children's Hospital. Help people identify which facilities have supplies of the vaccine. It's called vaccine finder dot org's. This initial launch is limited to certain providers in most states, NPR's Selena Simmons, Duffin has details. When you put in your zip code at vaccine, find her dot org's. You see an interactive map showing local pharmacies that get Cove in 19 vaccine doses from the federal government. You also see whether they have doses in stock. If you live in Alaska, Indiana, Iowa or Tennessee, you're in luck. Because in those states, the maps show more places administering Cove in 19 vaccines. Not just pharmacies, but private hospitals and clinics and public health sites, ideas to show vaccine providers that are open to the public. How to contact them how to book an appointment. And kind of show the daily inventory status of people are clearing where there's vaccine and where there isn't That's John Brownstein, the founder of Vaccine Finder and chief information officer at Boston Children's Hospital, he says. After this initial launch, more providers in more places are expected to join in in the coming days and weeks. That scene finder is actually not new. It began nine years ago. It all started after each one. Anyone where we want to figure out how to provide the population with the best possible insights and where vaccine was in their communities, and since then We have been building this platform usually showing people where to get the seasonal flu shot or travel vaccines, Bronstein says. In recent months, a team of about three dozen people has been working feverishly to launch this tool toe work for people looking for covert 19 vaccines. While navigating the fact that at this moment, vaccine supplies relatively low and eligibility is limited, both of which constrained how useful the tool is. In case the Kaiser Family Foundation says she wishes this tool had been around a few weeks ago. In the meantime, many states have created their own provider maps people can use, and that's added to this confusing patchwork. This idea has a lot of potential, but I think there's still some questions about what will it be like in practice. There are also concerns about how many providers will put their information on vaccine finder and whether the providers will really update their inventory every 24 hours. I've seen finders John Brown seen acknowledges. This is not a silver bullet. What we're trying to do is add a resource into the mix to help consumers. Of course not all problems get solved with a new website. And he says they have partnerships to put vaccine find her info about where vaccine providers are located and who has shot's available in lots of different places online from Google maps to the traffic app ways too Good are ex, so it's not just about coming in the website, but meeting consumers where they are. Are on making sure that anybody who's looking for a vaccine knows where to find them. The supply of Corona virus vaccine doses is growing. The Biden administration says it's now sending out over 16 million doses a week and increase of more than 70% since inauguration. Assuming that trend continues, more shots will be available and more providers like clinics and even doctors. Offices will be able to begin distributing vaccine doses as well. So people can look forward to a time when Cove in 19 vaccine doses are abundant and everyone is eligible. And you might even be able to ask your smart speaker to find a clinic nearby with vaccine doses and stock and head over to get your shot. Selena Simmons Duffin
Morning Edition
CDC launches VaccineFinder tool to locate COVID-19 vaccine providers
"19 vaccine, But you can't find one help could be on the way. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just launched an online search tool in partnership with Boston Children's Hospital. Help people identify which facilities have supplies of the vaccine. It's called vaccine finder dot org's. This initial launch is limited to certain providers in most states, NPR's Selena Simmons, Duffin has details. When you put in your zip code at vaccine, find her dot org's. You see an interactive map showing local pharmacies that get Cove in 19 vaccine doses from the federal government. You also see whether they have doses in stock. If you live in Alaska, Indiana, Iowa or Tennessee, you're in luck. Because in those states, the maps show more places administering Cove in 19 vaccines. Not just pharmacies, but private hospitals and clinics and public health sites, ideas to show vaccine providers that are open to the public. How to contact them how to book an appointment. And kind of show the daily inventory status of people are clearing where there's vaccine and where there isn't That's John Brownstein, the founder of Vaccine Finder and chief information officer at Boston Children's Hospital, he says. After this initial launch, more providers in more places are expected to join in in the coming days and weeks. That scene finder is actually not new. It began nine years ago. It all started after each one. Anyone where we want to figure out how to provide the population with the best possible insights and where vaccine was in their communities, and since then We have been building this platform usually showing people where to get the seasonal flu shot or travel vaccines, Bronstein says. In recent months, a team of about three dozen people has been working feverishly to launch this tool toe work for people looking for covert 19 vaccines. While navigating the fact that at this moment, vaccine supplies relatively low and eligibility is limited, both of which constrained how useful the tool is. In case the Kaiser Family Foundation says she wishes this tool had been around a few weeks ago. In the meantime, many states have created their own provider maps people can use, and that's added to this confusing patchwork. This idea has a lot of potential, but I think there's still some questions about what will it be like in practice. There are also concerns about how many providers will put their information on vaccine finder and whether the providers will really update their inventory every 24 hours. I've seen finders John Brown seen acknowledges. This is not a silver bullet. What we're trying to do is add a resource into the mix to help consumers. Of course not all problems get solved with a new website. And he says they have partnerships to put vaccine find her info about where vaccine providers are located and who has shot's available in lots of different places online from Google maps to the traffic app ways too Good are ex, so it's not just about coming in the website, but meeting consumers where they are. Are on making sure that anybody who's looking for a vaccine knows where to find them. The supply of Corona virus vaccine doses is growing. The Biden administration says it's now sending out over 16 million doses a week and increase of more than 70% since inauguration. Assuming that trend continues, more shots will be available and more providers like clinics and even doctors. Offices will be able to begin distributing vaccine doses as well. So people can look forward to a time when Cove in 19 vaccine doses are abundant and everyone is eligible. And you might even be able to ask your smart speaker to find a clinic nearby with vaccine doses and stock and head over to get your shot. Selena Simmons Duffin
KCRW
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KCRW
"Corona virus variant, first identified in Britain and now spreading across the U. S. MPR's Selena Simmons Duffin is reports the data now suggest it's likely to be more deadly than the original. The variant known as B 117, has now spread to dozens of countries, including the U. S. A new analysis from a UK government advisory group Find said it is quote likely that the variant causes more hospitalizations and deaths than the original coronavirus. Our recent CDC analysis predicted that be 117 will become the predominant variant in the U. S. By March. President Biden is pushing Congress to quickly pass a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill. NPR's Windsor Johnston reports. Democrats are now hammering out the specifics. Democrats say they're hoping to have the next relief bill on President Biden's desk by mid March. Biden's proposal would include up to $1400 in additional direct payments and an extension of extra weekly unemployment benefits. The bill could also include a provision that would raise the nation's minimum wage to $15 per hour, a clause that's generated enormous pushback from congressional Republicans and some moderate Democrats, who argue the wage hike should not be included in the next bill. Senate Democrats are moving ahead with a budget process known as reconciliation, which would allow them to pass the biting legislation without the support of Republicans. Windsor Johnston. NPR NEWS.
WNYC 93.9 FM
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on WNYC 93.9 FM
"Yeah. Life from NPR News. I'm Barbara Klein. The National Weather Service has declared a winter storm warning that stretches from New Mexico domain and his breaking records all along the way. Texas not accustomed to such bitter cold and ice is dealing with nearly 2.8 million power outages, and Tennessee is bracing for its big first big snowfall of the season. Is Emily Siner of member station W. PLN reports. The National Weather Service is projecting 4 to 8 inches of snow and sleet around Memphis, with temperatures lingering in the teens and single digits for the next few days. Some areas around Nashville could see similar levels of snowfall. Others are expected to see less snow, but sheets of ice that could damage trees and make travel particularly perilous. Already the roads have caused Major Rex over the weekend, Authorities reported a 21 vehicle crash in Nashville with about a dozen people injured and the city has activated an emergency overflow shelter for people without housing. By Monday night, Snow could be falling from Memphis on the western side of the state all the way nearly to Knoxville in the east. For NPR News. I'm Emily Siner in Nashville. Arctic Air is gripping the central Third of the nation. Hibbing Chisholm, Minnesota has reported a record minus 38 degrees. Scientists are collecting more information about the Corona virus variant, first identified in Britain and now spreading across the U. S. MPR's Selena Simmons Duffin is reports the data now suggest.
KCRW
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KCRW
"News. I'm Giles Snyder in Oklahoma City. Snowplows are out of snow ice and bone chilling cold air sweep through much of the country. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner among Texas officials urging people to stay home. I know we've been asking people to stay home. On. Be mindful of the situation, element, Colbert, This is another challenge that we're having to face. But between now and Tuesday again, I want to echo what judge the dog had to say. Please stay off the road, Help yourself and help others as well. Accents are dealing with rotating power outages because of the storm, the state's grid operator began implementing temporary blackouts overnight to reduce demand on the electric system. Are there a million and a half customers reported without power in Texas. The governor and his counterparts in Arkansas and Oklahoma have activated the National Guard to assist state agencies and dealing with the harsh weather. President Biden issued a statement last night. Declaring a federal emergency in Texas and ordering eight for state and local response efforts. People who need health insurance have a new opportunity to enroll in a plan on healthcare dot gov. NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports of Biden administration Is opening up a special in Roman period to make it easier for people to get covered during the pandemic. This is the first special enrollment period on the federal Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace since the pandemic began last spring. Millions have lost their jobs and the insurance they got through their jobs because of the coronavirus recession, But the Trump administration resisted calls to open up health care doctor up for a special enrollment period last spring. Not every state uses healthcare dot go for. It's a CIA marketplace. But most states that have their own insurance exchanges are following the Biden administration fleet and also allowing people to enroll. The federal Special Enrollment period runs for three months. From February. 15th to May 15th Selena Simmons Duffin. NPR NEWS SAN Francisco Now rallies calling for an end of violence against Asian Americans took place there and in Oakland over the weekend from member station KQED. Julie Chang reports Black and Asian American leaders and community organizers condemned the recent wave of violence on Asian American elderly. And robberies of Asian owned businesses in Oakland's Chinatown. Hundreds of people came out to a vigil Saturday in a show of solidarity. We did way anything.
WNYC 93.9 FM
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on WNYC 93.9 FM
"Yeah. This is all things considered from NPR News. I'm Mary Louise Kelly and I'm Ari Shapiro. Senators will gather tomorrow for the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, The former president is accused of inciting the deadly insurrection by his supporters on January 6th at the Capitol. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the arguments this week will shine a light on Trump's role in that riot. You must have all the truth come out, and then the accountability once the truth comes out. That's what we aim to do with this trial. Trump's lawyers say the former president can't be blamed for the actions of his supporters. We're joined now by NPR congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell and NPR Justice correspondent Ryan Lucas to talk about what we know and what lies ahead. Hello there. Hi. Hi. To start with you. Ryan, President Trump's legal team filed their pretrial brief today. What did it say? Well. Last week, we got an outline of their defense in the response to the article of impeachment. And then today we got it was a 78 page brief, So there's more detail on this. But one thing that stood out is the jabs that they take. Trump's lawyers take it. The House managers and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. They argue that the impeachment push is driven by what they called Trump Derangement syndrome in the hunger for quote unquote political theater. They say Democrats are using impeachment as a tool to silence a political opponent. And they accuse Democrats of taking advantage of what they call the horror and confusion that all Americans felt when watching the violence on January 6th at the Capitol, And they say that instead of trying to heal the nation after this violence that Democrats quote have callously tried to harness harness the chaos of the moment. Their own political gain. So attacks on Democrats there in terms of legal arguments. What's the nature of their defense? What are they arguing? Well, Trump's lawyers, David Cronenberg's cast are leaning very heavily into the constitutionality argument. They say that the Senate Has no jurisdiction to hold a trial of Trump Now that he is no longer president. They say a conviction in a Senate trial requires the possibility of removal from office. Since Trump is no longer in office. They say there can't be a trial in this whole process. This whole thing is unconstitutional. Now. As for the incitement of violence allegation, they say Trump didn't direct the violence and shouldn't be blamed for the crimes of a small group of criminals. They argue that this speech that he gave A zwelithini allegations of election fraud, baseless allegations we should say leading up to the January sticks that all of that speech is constitutionally protected. And they say a high crime and misdemeanor can't be something that is protected by the Constitution. And I know we got a response from the members of the house. We're going to be managing the impeachment in the Senate. Kelsey. What did they say? Basically, they dismissed everything that Ryan just outlined there. They didn't dismiss the entire argument from the Trump team. They say that evidence against the former president is as they describe it overwhelming and they say what Trump is trying to do is to escape accountability. They also say that you know that the arguments that his lawyers are putting up basically don't meet the definition of what is constitutionally protected. They say that they're going to argue. Had the president should have been held Tol account for his actions because they happen well. He was in office, therefore, making him subject to impeachment. They're basically trying to undermine all Republican attempts to make this an argument about the process about the constitutionality about whether or not the Senate could even have the trial and they want to bring it back. Having an argument about the events of that day and Trump's actions leading up to that day. Let's talk about how this is gonna play out. Listeners may remember a year ago, the first impeachment trial of President Trump took almost three weeks, the two sides argued late into the night and on the weekends. Kelsey What's the plan for this one? Well, this time we expect things to get underway tomorrow, and instead of just jumping right into the trial, we're going to see four hours of debate on the constitutionality question. And then they will revote that question because we have already seen the Senate voted the majority of Republicans voted that this is an unconstitutional trial. After that the trial will begin Wednesday at noon, and each side will have up to 16 hours to, uh, to present their arguments after that is when we get some debate and vote on witnesses if the House managers choose to call witnesses The big change here is that we won't see a Saturday argument. The President's council former President's Council requested no trial during the Sabbath. So between Friday at 5, P.m. on DSA Sunday afternoon, there will be no trial and they will return on Sunday. February Yes, February 14. So Valentine's Day trial for for those people watching senator spouses. Will not be with their loved ones. This Valentine's Day That is NPR congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell and NPR Justice correspondent Ryan Lucas. Thanks to both of you, Thank you. Okay. Pandemic news Now Corona virus vaccines are available, but many questions persist. Like where do you go to sign up to get one? Do you need to get on a local health department list? Or do you contact that hospital where you got surgery a few years ago or hang out at the grocery store in case the pharmacy has an extra dose or two left over at the end of the day. Do you do all of the above? It is a messy, confusing patchwork out there right now, So we have asked NPR health policy reporters Selena Simmons Duffin to round up a few tips. Hey, Selena. Hi, Mary Louise Before we get to your tips, Why is it such a mess? Health officials knew once vaccines were out there. We're going to need to get the shots out to people..
KCRW
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KCRW
"This is all things considered from NPR News. I'm Mary Louise Kelly. I'm Ari Shapiro. Senators will gather tomorrow for the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. The former president is accused of inciting the deadly insurrection by his supporters on January 6th at the Capitol. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the arguments this week will shine a light on Trump's role in that riot. You must have all the truth come out and then the accountability Once the truth comes out, that's what we aim to do with this trial. Trump's lawyers say the former president can't be blamed for the actions of his supporters. We're joined now by NPR congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell and NPR Justice correspondent Ryan Lucas to talk about what we know and what lies ahead. Hello there. Hi. Hi. To start with you. Ryan, President Trump's legal team filed their pretrial brief today. What did it say? Well. Last week, we got an outline of their defense in the response to the article of impeachment. And then today we got it was a 78 page brief, So there's more detail on this. But one thing that stood out is the jabs that they take. Trump's lawyers take it. The House managers and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. They argue that the impeachment push is driven by what they called Trump Derangement syndrome in the hunger for quote unquote political theater. They say Democrats are using impeachment as a tool to silence a political opponent. And they accuse Democrats of taking advantage of what they call the horror and confusion that all Americans felt when watching the violence on January 6th at the Capitol, and they say that instead of trying to heal the nation after this violence that Democrats Quote, have callously tried to harness harness the chaos of the moment for their own political gain. So attacks on Democrats there in terms of legal arguments. What's the nature of their defense? What are they arguing? Well, Trump's lawyers, David Cronenberg's cast are leaning very heavily into the constitutionality argument. They say that the Senate Has no jurisdiction to hold a trial of Trump Now that he is no longer president. They say a conviction in a Senate trial requires the possibility of removal from office. Since Trump is no longer in office. They say there can't be a trial in this whole process. This whole thing is unconstitutional. Now. As for the incitement of violence allegation, they say Trump didn't direct the violence and shouldn't be blamed for the crimes of a small group of criminals. They argue that this speech that he gave a zwelithini allegations of election fraud, baseless allegations we should say leading up to the January sticks that all of that speech is constitutionally protected. And they say a high crime and misdemeanor can't be something that is protected by the Constitution. And I know we got a response from the members of the house. We're going to be managing the impeachment in the Senate. Kelsey. What did they say? Basically, they dismissed everything that Ryan just outlined there. They didn't dismiss the entire argument from the Trump team. They say that evidence against the former president is as they describe it overwhelming and they say what Trump is trying to do is to escape accountability. They also say that you know that the arguments that his lawyers are putting up basically don't meet the definition of what is constitutionally protected. They say that they're going to argue That the president should have been held Tol account for his actions because they happen well. He was in office, therefore, making him subject to impeachment. They're basically trying to undermine all Republican attempts to make this an argument about the process about the constitutionality about whether or not the Senate could even have the trial. They want to bring it back to having an argument about the events of that day. And Trump's actions leading up to that day. Let's talk about how this is gonna play out. Listeners may remember a year ago, the first impeachment trial of President Trump took almost three weeks, the two sides argued late into the night and on the weekends. Kelsey What's the plan for this one? Well, this time we expect things to get underway tomorrow, and instead of just jumping right into the trial, we're going to see four hours of debate on the constitutionality question. And then they will revote that question because we have already seen the Senate voted the majority of Republicans. Voted that this is an unconstitutional trial. After that the trial will begin Wednesday at noon, and each side will have up to 16 hours to, uh, to present their arguments after that is when we will get some debate and vote on witnesses if the House managers choose to call witnesses The big change here is that we won't see a Saturday argument. The President's council former President's Council requested no trial during the Sabbath. So between Friday at 5, P.m. on DSA Sunday afternoon, there will be no trial and they will return on Sunday. February Yes, February 14. So Valentine's Day trial for for those people watching a senator spouses Will not be with their loved ones. This Valentine's Day That is NPR congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell and NPR Justice correspondent Ryan Lucas. Thanks to both of you, Thank you. Okay. Pandemic news Now Corona virus vaccines are available, but many questions persist. Like where do you go to sign up to get one? Do you need to get on a local health department list? Or do you contact that hospital where you got surgery a few years ago or hang out at the grocery store in case the pharmacy has an extra dose or two left over at the end of the day. Do you do all of the above? It is a messy, confusing patchwork out there right now, So we have asked NPR health policy reporters Selena Simmons Duffin to round up a few tips say Selina. Hi, Mary Louise Before we get to your tips, Why is it such a mess? Health officials knew once vaccines were out there. We're going to need to get the shots out to people..
KQED Radio
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KQED Radio
"KQED Public Radio in San Francisco. I mean a Kim as the crowd a virus mutates quickly, medical experts are calling for stricter adherence to masking and social distancing rules and faster vaccinations. California announced plans last week to move to an age based system to speed up vaccinations, which has drawn backlash from people who are immuno compromised. And some essential workers Frustrated over delays. Delays made worse this past weekend when anti vaccine protesters managed to temporarily shut down a major L, A vaccination site. We'll talk about the latest coronavirus news and the power of medical myths with Dr Seema Yasmin, next on foreign Live from NPR news. I'm Shea Stevens. The White House has announced a $230 million deal to boost manufacturing the Corona virus test that could be used at home as NPR's Selena Simmons, Duffin reports. It'll be the first such test available without a prescription. The test is made by an Australian company called a Loom. It uses a nasal swab and a digital analysis tool that sends test results to a smartphone in about 15 minutes. It was authorized by FDA in December, but has yet to hit the market in the US The test is currently about $30, but White House official Andy Slavitt said in a press briefing. He hopes the price will come down as manufacturing scales up. And we know there are efforts to create even lower cost and more innovative approaches. And we welcome those. Even with tens of millions of tests available. That balloon test won't be numerous or cheap enough to be able to screen all students every day before school, for example. Selena Simmons Duffin. NPR News Fiza Madonna each need to deliver 100 million doses of their cove in 19 vaccines to the federal government by the end of March. NPR's Sidney Lumpkin reports that Madonna is showing signs that its production is increasing. Last week, Fizer and modern eye each released 4.3 million doses of vaccine to the federal government this week. Madonna is pulling ahead and releasing 5.8 million doses. Meanwhile, Fizer is lagging behind at about 4.4 million doses. That's according to allocation data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These doses will eventually be shipped to states. Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser for the White House Covert 19 response team, spoke about vaccine supply at a briefing. Fizer and Madonna are committed to delivering a total of 200 million doses. By the end of March, with much of it coming at the end of the quarter. So will accelerate. Officials say they're confident these companies will fulfill their commitments. Sidney Lumpkin, NPR news parts of the nation's northeast, embracing firm, or near blizzard conditions through Wednesday, with up to 2 Ft of snow in some parts of the region. New York governor Andrew Cuomo says that residents should heed warnings to stay off the streets. And not just so that crews can clear them. Yes, we've had snow storms before. Yes, we've been through it before. But this this is a dangerous life threatening situation. New York City Sanitation commissioner says the city has more than 2000 plows but still cannot keep up with the amount of snow that's been falling. Your congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez posted an instagram live video Monday, chastising colleagues who say it's time to move on from the January 6th insurrection against the U. S. Capitol. Concept of Cortez describes hiding behind the door and feeling she would die at the hands of an angry mob shouting outside her office. She says that that experience has compounded ah, past trauma. This is NPR news. Lease in Rochester, New York. Say officers Lease in Rochester, New York of release body cam images of officers restraining a nine year old girl using handcuffs and pepper spray. The officers were responding to a domestic call. They've been suspended pending an investigation. Friday's incident came less than a year after Rochester was rocked by protests over the suffocation. Over black man in police custody. Latest annual report by the Southern Poverty Law Center shows a decline an act of hate groups as NPR's Hannah Allam reports. The report shows that part of the reason is that those groups or organizing online where it's hard to keep track of them. The SPL sees new report identifies 838 active hate groups that operated across the country in 2020. That's down from 940 the previous year, the record high more than 1000 was in 2018, the civil rights group cautions that the annual count of active groups is just one tool for gauging levels of hate and bigotry nationwide. Researchers say the drop in the number of active groups shows the evolution and they're organizing. Increasingly, white supremacists and you Nazis are meeting online without formal group membership or structure. The groups also lose members to infighting and splintering. In addition, the Corona virus pandemic was an obstacle to in person organizing last year. Hannah Allam NPR News Wall Street stocks close higher Monday to recover some of last week's losses. The Dow gained 229 points. The NASDAQ Road 332 in after hours trading. U. S futures are higher. This is NPR news. Support for NPR comes from NPR stations. Other contributors include the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for more than 90 years, supporting efforts to promote it just equitable and sustainable society. Maura and my dad adored and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This is for my Meena Kim vaccine makers air trying to adapt their formulas and doses to a rapidly mutating coronavirus, while state officials scramble to speed up a rocky vaccine rollout. To stop the more transmissible variants from taking hold. Over the weekend, a group of massless anti vaccine protesters managed to shut down a major vaccine side of Dr Stadium in L. A for nearly an hour, angering seniors who'd already been waiting hours to get their shots. Stanford professor medical doctor epidemiologist and journalists seem of yes, men. Has been studying how the pandemic has been made worse by disinformation. Her new book is viral Bs, medical myths and why we fall for them. She'll also take your questions about the latest coronavirus developments, including California's vaccine rollout and concern over virus variants. Doctor Gassman. Welcome to Forum. Hi. Thanks for having me. You know, these virus mutations are showing up everywhere. And there are several to talk about, including the variant that.
90.3 KAZU
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on 90.3 KAZU
"Move comes as part of a pair of executive actions on health policy today more from NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin, the Trump administration slashed spending on outreach for the Affordable Care Act marketplace is so even though the annual open enrollment period just ended, Ah, lot of people might have missed it. Katie Rogers Turner is a health plan Navigator in Tampa Bay, Florida, She helps people sign up for coverage. What we would You know, go through the process of saying that this is the affordable care act that health insurance marketplace they would say Obama care. I thought that was gone. She's glad that 26 million uninsured people will have another chance to sign up. Biden also signed a memorandum to make it easier for organizations in the U. S and abroad that provide or refer for abortions to receive federal funding. Selena Simmons Duffin NPR NEWS tourism variant of the Corona virus, first discovered in South Africa has now been detected in the U. S. Here's NPR's Rob Stein. Health officials in South Carolina say two people have tested positive for the variant originally discovered in South Africa. Another person has any note history of travel to South Africa or any known connection to each other. The variant is concerning because, like the variance found in the UK and Brazil, it appears to be more contagious. In addition, there is some evidence the vaccines may not work as well against it. Those scientists say the vaccines should still provide good protection. The UK variant has already been found in 28 states and the first person affected with the variant from Brazil was recently found in Minnesota. Rob Stein. NPR news nation's trade deficit narrowed in December. But as NPR's Scott Horsley explains, the trade gap for all of last year was the largest on record. American consumers have held up better during the pandemic than shoppers in many parts of the world, and one result is the big 2020 trade deficit. Import surge last year as Americans snapped up goods from other countries while foreign consumers were buying less stuff from the United States. The trade gap in goods topped $897 billion last year. US typically enjoys a trade surplus in services, but that's been eroded by a drop in foreign tourist visits Man the number of international students studying at US schools Exports grew faster than imports in December, narrowing the monthly trade gap, but goods exports are still running about 8% below pre pandemic levels. Scott Horsley NPR NEWS Washington The number of Americans filing first time jobless claims fell from the previous week remains at historic highs is the economy continues to be buffeted by the Corona virus pandemic. Government reporting today. Initial jobless claims declined by 914,000 last week, stocks regained some of their lost ground from yesterday The Dow was up 300 points. The NASDAQ rose 66 points. This is NPR. Francis is planning historic meeting with one of the world's top Shiite Muslim leaders during a planned visit to Iraq in March. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports. The meeting has been confirmed by the patriarch of Iraq's largest Christian community. Patriarch Louis Rough filed Circle the head of Iraq's Calle D in Catholic Church, announced the papal trips program in early March. During a videoconference Thursday. No salmon be fatal to the pope will travel to Najaf, the patriarch said, where he will be privately with Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, the great world Shiite leader. Along with dash off in Baghdad. Francis will also visit there Beale, Mosul and the ancient ruins of or revered as the birthplace of Abraham, father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. While the visit will come amid a worsening security situation in Iraq, the Vatican says any postponement would be due to the Corona virus pandemic. Sylvia Poggioli NPR NEWS Rome It appears one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation is about to be approved in South Carolina. Yes. After the state Senate there passed a bill that would allow almost all abortions in the state to be or outlaw almost all abortions in the state Lawmakers by 32 13 vote approving the measure, which requires doctors to use an ultrasound to try to detect a fetal heartbeat. They think a woman is at least eight weeks. Pregnant protection of such a heartbeat would prohibit abortion from taking place. Criminal futures prices slid today, Oil was down 51 cents a barrel down the session at 52 34 barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear. NPR.
WNYC 93.9 FM
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on WNYC 93.9 FM
"Double U. N. Y C. It's morning edition from NPR News. I'm Sarah McCammon and I'm Rachel Martin. Good morning. Since taking office President Joe Biden has signed a long list of executive orders to try to fulfill his core campaign promises or at least a signal their priority in his administration. Today. Healthcare is in the spotlight. President Biden is signing two executive actions. One aims to increase access to health insurance through the affordable care act and increase access to Medicaid. The other is a memorandum to expand access to reproductive health. NPR health policy reporter Selena Simmons Duffin is with us for details. Good morning, Selina. Morning, Rachel. What can you tell us that start off with the executive order on the A. C. A. So the big news there is that the fighting administration is opening up a special enrollment period on healthcare dot gov. That is the federally run health insurance exchange starting February. 15th. Americans will have three months to sign up for health plan if their state uses healthcare dot gov. As it's Obama care exchange. Most states do That will be open for three months until mid May. And that means you don't have to prove you've just lost coverage or had a qualifying life event. You could just go in choose a plan get covered, and this is the first time there's been a special enrollment period on the federal exchange during the pandemic. The Trump Administration face pressure to have one in the spring, but it never did. And this executive order addresses Medicaid as well. Yeah, that's right. Medicaid has turned out to be key and preventing millions of people who've lost jobs from the coronavirus recession from losing their health coverage as well. That's the health plan for low income people. And last night, the White House put out this fact sheet about the executive order, and it seems pretty sweeping. It's asking federal agencies to look at any rules or policies that make it harder for people to have access to health insurance. Either through a sea exchanges or Medicaid. And that includes the controversial work requirements that the Trump Administration courage states to take up in the last few years, And there are other ways that Biden has said he would like to shore up the A C. A. But this is a significant start in terms of what he could do from the executive branch. All right, so the Medicaid and the CIA that's uncommon in one executive action and then the second executive order is about reproductive health. Yeah, That's right. So, first of all, this one was since the global gag rule or Mexico City City policy that bans federal dollars from going to international organizations that provide or refer people for abortions. And this is kind of a yo yo issue. So Republican president's reinstated Democrats rescinded. Biden is getting rid of it. He's also asking for a review of a trump policy that prevented organizations that promoted provide abortions here in the U. S. I'm having access to title 10 funding, so Biden wants to get rid of that policy as well. So I mean, we've talked about this on the show President Biden. Other presidents before him use executive actions When, frankly, on a lot of these issues, they don't think they can get the support in time in Congress. So when you when you think about these executive orders when you think about President Biden and what he said about his agenda, where does health policy fall? Yeah, That's right. It's kind of hard to remember that health policy was supposed to be the issue of the 2020 election. That's not exactly what shook out. But yes, I think that Biden is going to be using executive action and some health experts that I've talked to have said that Trump gave him a playbook for how to do this. All that Trump did on the issue was through the executive branch. He didn't get a single piece of big health legislation through Congress so mild. So Biden has that model to work from to shape this issue in a totally different way, with totally different priorities and values, and also part of these what is doing is getting this on people's radar. There are 26 million uninsured people in this country. It's a pandemic. A lot of people don't know that the affordable care act is still the law. And so I'm expecting to see a big push to try to get people don't know that this Open enrollment period is coming on February 15th NPR health policy reporter Selena Simmons, Duffin. Thank you. Thank you. President Biden has nominated Ohio Congresswoman Marsha Fudge to be secretary of housing and urban development. She has little experience in housing policy, but lots of experience working in a divided Congress a skill that could prove useful as the nation tackles and affordable housing crisis. Today, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will ask Fudge how she plans to do the job. NPR's Pam Fessler reports Marcia Fudge made no secret that she really wanted to be agriculture secretary. Much of her work and Congress has been promoting food aid for the poor. And besides, how does traditionally seen as a second tier agency, where black and Hispanic Cabinet members often land? Biden acknowledge those reservations when he nominated Fudge, But I think the job I'm asking you do Congresswoman is critically important. Everything That the vice president, I believe is how we're gonna build back better. And indeed, housing is quickly becoming a top tier issue. With both a pandemic and its economic fall out. Millions of Americans now face eviction. Homelessness is on the rise. Affordable housing is in short supply. Racial inequities, air getting wider. Fudge says If confirmed, her priority is making sure all Americans have a decent place to live when I think about the enormity of the task ahead of us I am reminded of the book of Matthew where it is written. Fox, his have homes. Birds have this for the son of man has no place to lay his head and as former mayor of Cleveland suburb Lawrenceville Heights, she knows some of the challenges. Joncour lettuce,.
KQED Radio
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KQED Radio
"Hard to reach communities. He said FEMA would help set up 100 mass vaccination sites in his first month in office. He said he would use the Defense Production act for supplies like tubes and syringes and protective equipment. There aren't a lot of surprises in the plan. This is really what Biden has been campaigning on, and in some ways, this is what he feels he was elected to do get a handle on the pandemic. Public health experts who reviewed it seemed to be over all pleased with the sense of direction and the vision that Biden is laying out. But there is still some big question marks like Will Congress provide the funding needed to follow through on a lot of these ideas? $20 billion is a lot of money. Democrats have the majority, but it's tight, so it's not a sure thing. And will these changes move the needle fast enough. The virus is surging. There's a sense that we're in a race against time, and the rollout has been sluggish. So far, Selina president like Biden, of course, as he wants 100 million covert 19 vaccinations. In his 1st 100 days. How realistic does that sound to you? Well, you know, buying an address that he said that he'd heard some people doubting it. But he defended the goal. I'm convinced we can get it done. This is a time to set big goals to pursue them with courage and conviction because the health of the nation is literally at stake. So the public health experts I've asked about this say that it may be doable, but it is ambitious and there are advantages to setting lofty goals and pushing to get there. But we also saw the danger of over promising with the current administration. Because they said that there would be 20 million people vaccinated by the end of the year, and instead it was more like four million, and that has a big effect on public confidence. So another big promise comes with those same risks. So let me ask you, obviously about the state of vaccinations. Right now, there's still an enormous gap between the number of vaccine doses that air delivered. And the shots that are given why Yeah, that's right. At last check. There had been more than 31 Million doses distributed and only 12 million administered. That's about 40%. It's slightly higher percentage than we saw up until now. It's been hovering around 30%. But there has yet to be that sudden acceleration of vaccinations that some federal officials had been promising now that we're clear of the holidays and the initial provider learning curves that was blamed for slowing the launch. It is not clear why these problems seem to be dragging on. There's definitely a lot for the Biden team to try and improve on NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin Thanks so much. Thank you. One of the challenges that bide administration will face when they ramp up vaccine efforts is people who just don't want to get vaccinated. Experts say that covert vaccines are safe and effective, but Not the first time. There's been a mistrust of a vaccine later today, and all things considered look back.
WNYC 93.9 FM
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on WNYC 93.9 FM
"Hard to reach communities. He said FEMA would help set up 100 mass vaccination sites in his first month in office. He said he would use the Defense Production act for supplies like tubes and syringes and protective equipment. There aren't a lot of surprises in the plan. This is really what Biden has been campaigning on. And in some ways, this is what he feels he was elected to do get a handle on the pandemic. Public health experts who reviewed it seemed to be over all pleased with the sense of direction and the vision that Biden is laying out. But there is still some big question marks like Will Congress provide the funding needed to follow through on a lot of these ideas? $20 billion is a lot of money. Democrats have the majority, but it's tight, so it's not a sure thing. And will these changes moved the needle fast enough. The virus is surging. There's the sense that we're in a race against time, and the rollout has been sluggish. So far, Selina president like Biden, of course, as he wants 100 million covert 19 vaccinations. In his 1st 100 days. How realistic does that sound to you? Well, you know, buying an address that he said that he'd heard some people doubting it. But he defended the goal. I'm convinced we can get it done. This is a time to set big goals to pursue them with courage and conviction because the health of the nation is literally at stake. So the public health experts I've asked about this say that it may be doable, but it is ambitious and there are advantages to setting lofty goals and pushing to get there. But we also saw the danger of over promising with the current administration. Because they said that there would be 20 million people vaccinated by the end of the year, and instead it was more like four million, and that has a big effect on public confidence. So another big promise comes with those same risks. So let me ask you, obviously about the state of vaccinations. Right now, there's still an enormous gap between the number of vaccine doses that air delivered. And the shots that are given why Yeah, that's right. At last check. There had been more than 31 Million doses distributed and only 12 million administered. That's about 40%. It's slightly higher percentage than we saw up until now. It's been hovering around 30%. But there has yet to be that sudden acceleration of vaccinations that some federal officials had been promising now that we're clear of the holidays and the initial provider learning curves that was blamed for slowing the launch. It is not clear why these problems seem to be dragging on. There's definitely a lot for the Biden team to try and improve on NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin Thanks so much. Thank you. One of the challenges that bide administration will face when they ramp up vaccine efforts is people who just don't want to get vaccinated. Experts say that covert vaccines are safe and effective, but Not the first time. There's been a mistrust of a vaccine later today, and all things considered look back.
KCRW
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KCRW
"Is unlocked on this weekend as the capital. Forgive me. Is the capital braces for protests in the lead up to Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday. 21,000 National Guardsmen are authorized to be in D. C for that event. This, of course, is in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last week's violent assault on the U. S capitol by extremist supporters of President Trump. Joined now by NPR's senior editor and correspondent Ron Elving. Ron, thanks so much for being with us. Good to be with you, Scott. There have been over 100. People arrested. Hundreds more identified. Where do we seem to stand in this in this case now. The FBI and other federal investigators have opened about 300 cases against people seen in that right. And we expect more to come. There has rarely been a crime so extensively recorded And largely because these people, the president's hard core of diehards, I had little thought of being prosecuted they thought they were doing with the president told them to do And it took a week before he issued a real statement. To the contrary. That was on the day he was being impeached a second time. That's when he said no true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. But But here we have Albert Watkins, the lawyer for one of the more visible protesters. That would be Jacob Chance. Leah, well known member of Q and on Watkins was speaking to CNN's Chris Cuomo. We all have to understand it that the words that were spoken by the president meant something not just to my client. They meant something to a lot of people. They listen to those words and those words meant something to them. And they had white to rely on the words of their president That was screwed Fourth worldwide. Scott. We should add. Jacob Chancellor has been taken into custody, and his lawyer thinks the president owes him a pardon. First. The president himself might need some legal counsel, though apparently he's he's stiffing Rudy Giuliani on the legal bills. Cause he got impeached again this week. How do you project Ron, this might look to the president's most fervent supporters. In a few months. Aziz dictators They face federal charges, and he's teamed up at Mar a Lago for another round of golf. Here's the question or another way to pose the question. When will reality replace the fantasy narrative that many of these people were fed and seemingly swallowed by the president and his allies? Will they become disillusioned when Trump is out of office out of Washington out of sight off the television and the bigger social media platforms, or will they remain steadfast? Waiting his return to glory. Hmm. Um Is the impeachment merely symbolic giving the voting on it, Um, voting on. It won't come until after Donald Trump has served his term. It is more than symbolic. It concludes the reproof issued by the house by impeaching him, but beyond that, if the Senate chooses it can ban him from federal office for life. And that would end any plans. You may have for a comeback in 2024 or beyond. And, um How how. How do you believe? What did the standing of the party going to be? Uh, within a few months, having gone through an impeachment being tested by that There is going to be reckoning. We've talked about this a number of times. But there is a conflict between Republicans focusing on the midterm elections in 2022 wanting to move on quickly. And those who are thinking more in terms of the presidential primary voters of 2024, who may very well be looking for a successor to Donald Trump. And of course, In the meantime, you have a not the meantime, narrowly elected Democratic Senate is going to be wearing that second impeachment on, of course, a massive coronavirus stimulus bill. You know, this is a newly Democratic Senate but only by dental Vice President Harris's tiebreaking vote. Otherwise, it's in a perpetual 50 50 tie that's not ideal for enacting big, bold bills. So Joe Biden probably won't get his full 1.9 trillion, but he'll get most of it because the need is so real and so visible. We're about to pass 400,000 deaths from the cold virus. Rollout of vaccine has been somewhere between stumbling and disastrous. Jobless, praying claims they're up again, and the markets are starting to get nervous. So the Senate Republicans are going to negotiate. And, of course, all of this coming on a long weekend Commemorating the late Martin Luther King. Yes, A great and bitter irony is that this is all happening as we get ready to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. We have these iron walls in Washington. This armed camp right on the National Mall Working gave his I have a dream speech. A few years later, he gave his life trying to model peaceful protest to champion justice and racial reconciliation. He would surely be saddened by where we are this weekend all these years later. Run Elving. Thanks so much. Thank you, Scott. We're now in president like Biden's plants. Try to speed it back Scenes in the U. S. It boils down to more shots and less red tape. Did. Biden made those promises yesterday, but tackling the Corona virus will take time money and a lot of work. We didn't get into all of this overnight. Won't get out of it. Overnight, either NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin has been following the vaccine developments and joins us now, Selina. Thanks so much for being with us. Hi. Good morning, Scott. We have been hearing a lot from Mr Biden over the past few days. About how he wants to ramp up vaccinations. What about this latest statement? Yeah, that's right yesterday bite and give a speech and Wilmington, Delaware, specifically about his plan to scale up the vaccination campaign, and he summarized some of the key points. Our plan is as clear as it is bold. Get more people of actually it for free. Create more places for them to get factually. Mobilized more medical teams to get shots and people's arms. Increased supply and get it out the door as soon as possible. So those air the broad brushstrokes, But he also dug into some details. He said they would use mobile vaccination clinics to get too.
KQED Radio
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KQED Radio
"C. Is on lockdown this weekend. There's the Capitol. Forgive me. Is the capital braces for protests in the lead up to Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday. 21,000 National Guardsmen are authorized to be in D. C for that event. This, of course, is in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last week's violent assault on the U. S capitol by extremist supporters of President Trump. Joined now by NPR's senior editor and correspondent Ron Elving. Ron, Thanks so much for being with us. Good to be with you, Scott. There have been over 100. People arrested hundreds more. Identified. Where do we seem to stand in this in this case now? The FBI and other federal investigators have opened about 300 cases against people seen in that right. And we expect more to come. There has rarely been a crime so extensively recorded And largely because these people, the president's hard core of diehards, had little thought of being prosecuted. They thought they were doing with the president told them to do and it took a week before he issued a real statement. To the contrary. That was on the day he was being impeached a second time. That's when he said no true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. But But here we have Albert Watkins, the lawyer for one of the more visible protesters, that would be Jacob, Chance. Leah, well known member of Q and on Watkins was speaking to CNN's Chris Cornell. We all have to understand it that the words that were spoken by the president meant something not just to my client. They meant something to a lot of people. They listen to those words and those words meant something to them. And they had a white to rely on the words of their present that was screwed Fourth worldwide. Scott. We should add. Jacob Chancellor has been taken into custody, and his lawyer thinks the president owes him a pardon. Course the president himself might need some legal counsel, though apparently he's he's stiffy Rudy Giuliani on the legal bills. Where's he got impeached again this week. How do you project Ron, this might look to the president's most fervent supporters. In a few months. Aziz killers They face federal charges, and he's teamed up at Mar a Lago for another round of golf. Here's the question or another way to pose the question. When will reality replace the fantasy narrative that many of these people were fed and seemingly swallowed by the president and his allies? Will they become disillusioned when Trump is out of office out of Washington out of sight off the television and the bigger social media platforms, or will they remain steadfast? Waiting his return to glory. Hmm. Um, Here's the impeachment merely symbolic giving the voting on it. Um, voting on it won't come until after Donald Trump has served his term. It is more than symbolic. It concludes the reproof issued by the house by impeaching him, but beyond that, if the Senate chooses it can ban him from federal office for life. And I would end any plans you may have for a comeback in 2024 or beyond. And How how. How do you believe? What did the standing of the party going to be? Uh, within a few months, having gone through an impeachment being tested by that There is going to be a reckoning. We've talked about this a number of times. But there is a conflict between Republicans focusing on the midterm elections in 2022 wanting to move on quickly. And those who are thinking more in terms of the presidential primary voters of 2024, who may very well be looking for a successor to Donald Trump. And of course, In the meantime, you have a not the meantime, narrowly elected Democratic Senate is going to be wearing that second impeachment on, of course, a massive coronavirus stimulus bill. You know, this is a newly Democratic Senate but only by dental Vice President Harris's tiebreaking vote. Otherwise, it's in a perpetual 50 50 tie that's not ideal for enacting big, bold bills. So Joe Biden probably won't get his full 1.9 trillion, but he'll get most of it because the need is so real and so visible. We're about to pass 400,000 deaths from the covert virus. Rollout of vaccine has been somewhere between stumbling and disastrous. Jobless, praying claims they're up again, and the markets are starting to get nervous. So the Senate Republicans air going to negotiate. And of course, all of this coming on a long weekend Commemorating the late Martin Luther King. Yes, A great and bitter irony is that this is all happening as we get ready to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. We have these iron walls in Washington. This armed camp right on the National Mall where King gave his I have a dream speech. A few years later, he gave his life trying to model peaceful protest to champion justice and racial reconciliation. He would surely be said by where we are this weekend. All these years later, Ron Elving Thanks so much. Thank you, Scott. We're now in president like Biden's plants. Try to speed it back Scenes in the U. S. It boils down to more shots and less red tape. Good bye made those promises yesterday. But tackling the Corona virus will take time money and a lot of work. We didn't get into all of this overnight won't get out of it. Overnight, either NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin has been following the vaccine developments and joins us now, Selina. Thanks so much for being with us. Hi. Good morning, Scott. We have been hearing a lot from Mr Biden over the past few days..
KCRW
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KCRW
"I'm Mary Louise Kelly. And I'm Elsa Chang. This our residents of Flint, Michigan, react to the criminal charges against former state officials. Also in his final interview as U. S counterintelligence chief Bill Evan Nina takes our questions on the massive Russia hack. Really wants an answer from the U. S government. I'm not sure that's exactly where the culpability lies here with respect to how this happened. Plus, the survey finds that many LAPD employees are not planning to get vaccinated. The men, women of the department. They're good listeners. They're good thinkers. They're critical thinkers. They relied on good, solid information. And so our task is to provided no nerves. Live from NPR News. I'm Jack Spear. The incoming Biden administration has announced its plan to revamp the Corona virus vaccine rolled out. As NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports, the president elect wants to put billions of dollars toward community vaccination sites and mobile units. For the first year of the pandemic. State and local leaders received only $330 million to plan and build an infrastructure for the distribution of a future covert 19 vaccine. Now that the vaccines air here, the rollout is perhaps predictably going slowly. Congress allocated $9 billion for vaccine distribution at the end of 2020. Biden wants to put an additional $20 billion to the effort. National plan also includes $50 billion for testing, a tripling of the community health workforce and investment in viral surveillance. The need for that has been made clear by the new variants being identified in the UK, South Africa and elsewhere. Selena Simmons Duffin. NPR News made warnings from the FBI of threats of armed protests by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump in Washington, D C and elsewhere. Number of National Guard troops coming to the nation's capital is now being up to around 26,000 and many of those troops will be armed. The FBI's issued warnings about possible protest in conjunction with binds inauguration next week. Not only in D C but also in state capitals across the country. With the latest security threat, coupled with rising numbers of current virus cases in Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has urged people not to come to the inauguration and to stay home. President elect buying this tapping former South Carolina Senate candidate Jaime Harrison to have the Democratic National Committee. Harrison, who began his political career is an aid to South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn places current DNC chair Tom Perez Here's NPR's Scott Tetro. A source close to the decision confirmed the pick to NPR. Harrison galvanized Democrats across the country and got them to open up their wallets in his Senate race against Republican Lindsey Graham last year. Person fell short. But along with Democratic success in neighboring Georgia, his effort highlighted the party's increased focus on mobilizing black voters who may have previously sat out down ballot races. Harrison was head of the South Carolina Democratic Party before becoming associate chairman of the National Party. He'll replace Tom Perez, who took control of the DNC when it was in tatters following Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss. In an email hack that made the party's private emails public. Scott Dentro NPR NEWS Washington For surgeon applications for first time jobless benefits last week is confirming what many economists have been saying, namely new surgeon coronavirus cases is causing companies the lay off workers. Labor Department reporting first time claims for unemployment benefits last week jumped by 1,146,000 on Wall Street today, stocks closed lower the Dow was down 68 points. The NASDAQ fell 16 points today. You're listening to NPR. And on a Thursday January 14th, this is KCRW on Larry Perella. Very good afternoon to you. Here's what's happening at three or four. You've probably heard by now. The Californians Age 65 older are now eligible for one of the covert 19 vaccines. But don't go rushing for an appointment just yet. Whether you are eligible right away depends on where you live. KCRW's Kayleigh Willis reports. If you meet the mark and live in L, a county, you'll have to wait a little longer. Orange and Riverside counties are officially offering vaccine appointments for people 65 older. L'Avventura and San Bernadino counties are not. Local health officials blame a lack of supply as they race to complete vaccinations.
KQED Radio
"selena simmons duffin" Discussed on KQED Radio
"I'm Scott Simon for the first time this week. The U. S recorded more than 4000 deaths from Cove it in a single day. And every day at least a quarter million Americans test positive for the virus. Vaccines offer hope the Rolla has been haphazard and slow. Biden Transition team has announced plans to accelerate the vaccination campaign when they take over later this month. NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin has details and joins us, Alina Thanks for being with us. Hi. Good morning. What did the Biden people announce? Okay, So you know how both the Fizer and Madonna vaccines require two shots Well Operation warp speed, which is the federal effort. Managing vaccine distribution has been holding back million's of second doses and not sending them out to the field. Yesterday. President elect Biden's incoming press secretary, Jen Psaki said they plan to change course the president elect supports distributing most, but not all of the currently reserved doses on we'll take action to make that change when he takes office, she said. This will allow more people to get those first doses and that Biden would use the Defense production act if needed to ensure manufacturers can keep up making second doses on time. So you know, how is this different from the one dose idea that was getting talked? About this week and and the FDA warned against the didn't they? Right, So this is not the same thing there by 19 is not suggesting that you could just forget about the second dose. And Dr Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health emphasized that point to NPR yesterday. He is, of course, a member of President Trump's Cove in 19 Task force, and he's been advising the incoming Biden administration. They're not talking about withholding and not giving the second dose. They are completely committed to giving the second dose on time. They feel that the importance of getting as many people as possible is worth the risk. Hopefully, the companies will get the dose is back there in time. Selena, which saved been the reaction to this idea, Public health officials and experts at NPR talked to yesterday by and large said that this is a good move. It is a bit of a gamble. One official. I talked to called it aggressive. And here's clear Hannon, who runs the Association for Immunization Managers, and those are the people in charge of each state's vaccination plans. I think it's probably a good thing. Get more doses flowing, she says. With so many people dying every day. This may be better than keeping vaccine and freezer somewhere. Of course, there are problems that more doses won't solve, like finding willing people to get shots because of vaccine hesitancy and just general disorganization and chaos that we've heard about in different places. What if some of the other ideas that you've heard that might help the vaccine campaign be more successful and go faster? Well, money is the number one thing that health officials say they need right now, And the good news is that it's coming. $3 billion from CDC is finally on its way after Congress is your end relief bill. Many officials say they plan to use some of that money for big scale communications campaigns to try to combat hesitancy and misinformation and other suggestions include using bigger venues We saw New Jersey in Texas and other states announced his mega sites opening up where 1000 or more people could get vaccinated every day. And there's also excitement about some new vaccine. Candidates on the horizon that aren't as complicated to handle, including one A one dose vaccine from Johnson and Johnson. Officials are hoping they'll ask FDA for emergency use authorization really soon. And we're only a few weeks into this whole campaign. So you know what might be next. Oh, boy, yes. In some ways, this is the easy part Right now. Frontline health workers and long term care Residents are the group's CDC advises, should get the vaccine. We've heard reports that that's not always what's happening. But that is the federal guidance. But in a few weeks, it will be the turn of essential workers and people over 75 those air much bigger, more diverse groups. So public health officials really have their work cut out for them. NPR's Selena Simmons, Duffin, Thanks so much. Thank you. While men appear to make up the majority of the pro trump extremists that stormed the capital building on Wednesday, women Also played a huge role in the event. In fact, a group calling itself Women for America first was one of the main organizer is behind the rally, which quickly turned into an insurrection. Say we're Darby joins us. Now She's the author of Sisters and Hate American Women on the front lines of white nationalism and editor in Chief of the Atavus magazine. She joins us now from New York. Thanks so much for being with us. Thank you so much for having me. I got to tell you, I always feel a little funny about asking an expert to talk about people who can speak for themselves. But you say there's a reason we don't see her here. Many of the women who've grown so prominent in white nationalist groups. It's true and I think that there are two reasons for that. Women in this movement often times work behind the scenes. There was a woman in Charlottesville in 2017, who was a key organizer on digital APS, the kind of person who was connecting folks so that they got rides, places making sure that a schedule was in place things like that, but not the kind of person who was necessarily behind the microphones at a rally and the other reason for this. It's just that the movement is not interested in talking. Many, many members of the movement are not interested in talking to the mainstream media. So I think that Just because you don't see women out in force doesn't mean that they're not fair and doesn't mean that the work that they're doing for these movements isn't essential. It's quite frankly, like women's labor and a lot of other facets of society. It's invisible but essential. Um, what affinity do they see? Do they feel for a group like the proud boys that Might put it this way seems to be so proudly misogynist. They are probably misogynist. I think there's no question about that. And the bottom line is they either do not agree that these men are misogynistic. They see them as the epitome of men as men should be. Men is men, women as women just very traditional gender roles. But there are people who say it's not misogyny. You think it's misogyny because you don't like it? I see it as chivalry. I see it as protection. There's also I should say a third justification that they're making their language sound as misogynistic as possible because they get a laugh out of, you know, quote unquote, triggering the lives. One of the people killed in the Capitol this week. One of the rioters was a woman who, according to reports, was a follower of the Cuban on conspiracy theories. Were the people in the the alternative right information, far right wing extremist Information universe presenting her death..
Up First
Biden plans to distribute COVID-19 vaccine doses immediately
"Rollout of the coronavirus vaccines in this country has been slow and chaotic. But there are a number of steps the us government could take to accelerate the vaccination campaign and slow the spread of the coronavirus yesterday. The biden transition team announced to plant. Try to do just that in a week. In which for the first time more than four thousand covid nineteen deaths were recorded on just a single day in the united states. Vaccines just can't come soon enough. Npr selena simmons. Duffin has more on this selena. Thanks for being with us. Hi good morning. Oh what did the biden people announce. Okay so you know. How both the pfizer and madonna. Vaccines require two shots. Well operation warp speed. Which is the federal effort. Managing vaccine distribution has been holding back millions of second doses and not sending them out to the field yesterday. President-elect biden's incoming press secretary. Jen psaki said they plan to change. Course the president-elect supports distributing most. But not all of the currently reserved doses and we'll take action to make that change when he takes office. She said this will allow more people to get those first doses and that biden would use the defense production act if needed to ensure manufacturers can keep up making second doses on time. How does this different from the one dose idea that Was getting talked about this week. And the fbi. Fda warned against it. Didn't they right so this is not the same thing. They're a biden. Team is not suggesting that you can just forget about the second dose and dr anthony. Fauci of the national institutes of health emphasized that point to npr. Yesterday he is of course a member of president. Trump's covid nineteen task force and he's been advising the incoming administration not talking about withholding and not giving the second does they are completely committed to giving the second dose on time they feel that the importance of getting as many people as possible is worth the risk. Hopefully the companies will get the doses back there in time angelina. What's been the reaction to this idea. Well public health officials and experts at. Npr talked to yesterday by and large said that this is a good move. It is a bit of a gamble. One official. i talked to aggressive. And here's claire. Hannan who runs the association for immunization managers and those are the people in charge of each state's vaccination plans. I think it's probably a good thing to get more doses flowing. She says with so many people dying every day. This may be better than keeping vaccine in a freezer somewhere. Of course there are problems that more doses won't solve like finding willing people to get shots because the vaccine hesitancy and just general disorganization and chaos. That we've heard about in different
Weekend Edition Sunday
COVID vaccine distribution underway as first trucks hit the road
"It is a massive, complicated undertaking and it is underway. The first doses of covert 19 vaccine will be delivered to every state tomorrow. Files are being loaded up on two ups and FedEx trucks to ship to hospitals around the country. This has taken months of work and planning and here to talk us through what's next? Is NPR Health reporter Selena Simmons Duffin. Good morning. Morning, Lulu. So the vials were getting on their way. Now what? Well, next is the rush to start getting people vaccinated to try to slow and eventually end the pandemic. How it works is this. The federal government is coordinating distribution to predetermine sites around each state. And then the baton gets past a state and local health departments and healthcare providers to actually start administering the shots. I checked with a bunch of state health officials yesterday. Most say it's going to take a few days for providers to get trained up on how to properly give this vaccine. There's a lot of information coming at them really fast from Fizer and from CDC about exactly who should get the vaccine, So if there are some vaccines administered on Monday, it may actually take a few days for the campaign to really get under way. This is a really hopeful moment on D. I want to underscore that because we really need hopeful moments. But what what could go wrong? Despite all the planning, there will be hiccups. The big fear is that some of these precious vaccine doses could be wasted or it doesn't get to the right people. Remember this fax he needs to be kept ultra cold minus 70 degrees Celsius. It comes in kind of a pizza box filled with vials and try ice. The vaccine on Lee lasts a few days in the fridge after it's thought you need to dilute it before you injected. There is just no way everything will go perfectly. So our health were officials worry about that. Most of the people I talked to are confident that when issues come up, they can resolve them and learn from them clear hand and made this point. She's the executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers. Those are the people in every state in charge of vaccination plans. And here's what she told me. We're going to learn so much from the first hospitals who are vaccinating, you know how What is it really like to get this box? How long does it take to mix the vaccine with the deal you in? How long does it take to actually vaccinate someone? Lots to consider. I want a vaccine, obviously, but the next question is, who is going to be getting these very first doses? The CDC has prioritized health workers and residents of long term care facilities in what's called Phase one A. But there's a lot of hunger for details from health officials and I'm told that that should come in the next few days. So you know, we've all heard about the allergic reactions When vaccinations started in Britain, we're talking about guidance about the kind of history of allergic reaction to be aware of. And then what about pregnant or lactating people are people with immune disorders. All of this guidance is frantically getting hashed out right now, so providers can get answers as the vaccination campaign actually rolls out, and how long before it will be widely available? It's not yet clear exactly who comes after Phase one a on DATs, giving health officials some heartburn. It's also not clear how much vaccine will be available next. What pace of shipments is going to be going forward? It could be speedier if there were two vaccines and distribution instead of one, And that could happen soon. There's an FDA committee meeting to consider authorizing the Madonna vaccine this Thursday. But the short answer is the hope is that the vaccine will be widely available in the late spring at the earliest. Maybe the summer of 2021. That's NPR's Selena Simmons stuff and thank you very much. Thank you. So that is the good news and it comes as the U. S is rapidly approaching yet another horrific milestone 300,000 deaths from covert 19. The next few months, experts tell us it will be worse before it gets better.
NPR News Now
Illinois reports more than 13,000 new cases and 126 new deaths statewide
"Live from npr news. I'm jack speer. With corona virus cases surging across the west new data released from the federal government shows just. How many hospitals in the country say they are facing critical staffing shortages. Npr selena simmons duffin reports nearly one in five hospitals in the us currently has a staffing issue states in the mid west and southwest are being hit hardest. North dakota has the highest percentage of hospitals reporting shortages. Texas has the highest number of hospitals when there aren't enough staff to treat the surge of patients. The concern is that you could get to the point where you have to start rationing care and then more people could die early on in the pandemic medical staff could volunteer to help in hot spots like new york city. But that's not really possible. Now with so many hospitals facing shortages and cases surging all over the country selena simmons duffin npr news eleanor. Like many other states seeing a big surge in coronavirus cases more than thirteen thousand new cases reported there with one hundred and twenty six deaths making it the third day in a row deaths their past the one hundred mark on governor. Jay pritzker reminding people his they've been state today. The numbers do not reflect what tomorrow's numbers might look like. You have to look at what the trajectory is. How fast it is that. They're likely to fill up. How fast they're coming into the emergency room and ending up in the bed. Laurie now is more than six hundred. Thirty four thousand coronavirus cases more than eleven thousand kobe. Nineteen deaths in the state. The death toll from covid nineteen pandemic has now reached more than two hundred and fifty thousand georgia's certified president elect. Joe biden has one that state's electoral votes but as a meal moffitt of member station w. a. b. e. in atlanta reports top georgia republicans are calling for changes to the state's election. Laws in one of the narrowest races in the country president elect joe biden topped president. Donald trump by about twelve thousand six hundred votes of the record. One point three million votes cast by mail and the state two thirds of them went to biden. Georgia's republican governor. Brian kemp echoed. President trump and casting doubt on the state's signature match program used to verify the identity of absentee voters voters casting their ballots. In person must show a photo. Id and we should consider applying that same standard to mail in ballots. Georgia's republican secretary of state also called for reform despite repeated assurances that he's seen no evidence of widespread fraud for npr news. I'm a meal moffitt in atlanta michigan state. Legislators met at the white house today with president trump as the president appears to be making an extraordinary effort aimed at overturning. Joe biden's overwhelming win. There were after the meeting. Officials said they have not been yet made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election by one michigan by an insurmountable one hundred fifty four thousand votes on wall street today. The dow closed lower down two hundred nineteen points. You're listening to. Npr president trump's state department and foreign policy advisors to the incoming baiju administration are both expressing concerns about recent arrests of human rights advocates in egypt. Computers michele keleman reports. The arrest came after. The activists met with european diplomats. The egyptian institute for personal rights as seen three of its members arrested this week charged with spreading false information and undermining public security. European diplomats had met with them earlier this month. The state department is expressing quote deep concern about the arrests biden's foreign policy adviser. Tony blinken says he shares that sentiment in a tweet. He writes quote. Meeting with foreign. Diplomats is not a crime nor is peacefully advocating for human rights. President trump wants called egypt's leader his favourite dictator egypt remains a major recipient of us aid michelle kellerman npr news washington asia pacific summit leaders set aside their differences today issuing their first joint communique in three years among other things a group calling for free and predictable trade to help a global economy leaders of the twenty one nation apec groups as been substantially weakened by the coronavirus pandemic the group whose members include president trump and chinese leader xi jinping also about not to resort to protectionist policies notwithstanding the ongoing us trying to trade battle apec countries fell to reach agreement in two thousand eighteen in part due to discord between the us and china crude oil futures prices ended the week on an up note oil closing up forty three cents a barrel and the session at forty two seventeen barrel in new york. I'm jack speer npr news.
NPR News Now
Only these four states have enough contact tracers, including Washington, DC
"US death toll from covid nineteen now exceeds one, hundred, sixty thousand according to Johns. Hopkins University Corona Virus Infections are nearing four point nine million while contact tracing is crucial to curbing the spread NPR Selena Simmons Duffin reports and NPR analysis finds the number of contact tracers isn't growing fast enough to keep up with rising case loads after serving states in mid June NPR found the were thirty seven thousand contact razors nationwide six weeks. Later, that number has only marginally increased. It's now about forty two, thousand several states didn't respond to multiple requests from NPR so the real total may be higher our. Of the staffing figures based on local case counts found only four states and Washington DC have enough contact tracers. Those states are Alaska Maine New Hampshire and Vermont Selena Simmons Duffin NPR News
Morning Edition
Whistleblower Rick Bright testifies before House panel
"Rick Bryant alleges that the White House would not listen to him today he testifies before a house committee that says it will ride used to run a top federal health agency he says he warned about the pandemic early to no effect he says he warned against unproven drugs that the president was promoting and he says that's why the administration transferred him to a different job NPR health policy reporter Selena Simmons Duffin is covering this story Selena good morning morning Steve once bright already set well he filed a whistleblower complaint with the US office of special counsel last week and that details how as director of Bardot which is part of the federal health agency he warned the trump administration about the seriousness of the corona virus any claims he pushed back against the white house's promotion of unproven cove in nineteen treatments like hydroxyl Clark win and that the administration put what he called cronyism over science he was transferred he says against his will to the national institutes of health last month now president trump has dismissed the allegations and painted bright as a disgruntled employee but late last week breaks lawyers said the office of special counsel said there seem to be reasonable grounds to believe he was retaliated against and that it recommended he be reinstated while his complaint is investigated okay so there's a complaint now that that involves both bright and this other person a man named Bowen who is testifying today as well right right so the other witness today is Mike but when he's a businessman with a Texas based face mask company called prestige Ameritech and both witnesses submitted written testimony to lawmakers Boeing statement outlines how for years he tried to get the federal government to engage with his company and other domestic mask makers arguing it was a national security issue and in a pandemic like we are in now it would be hard to get the needed supplies he told NPR last month at no one took his warning seriously everybody ignored reporters ignored it some kind of experts ignored our government ignored at hospitals in order but ignored it I don't want to say I told you so just wanna help everybody although it is an opportunity for both born and bred to say told you so anyway okay so that's bone one is bright likely to say Rick Brady also submitted written testimony to lawmakers and he emphasizes he's a scientist and civil servant and that pandemic preparedness is his expertise and the fact that his warnings went unheeded clearly pains him here he is on CBS's sixty minutes last week we see too many doctors and nurses now dying I was thinking that we could have done more to get this masking the supplies to them sooner and if we had would they still be alive today for today's appearance so great rates that he wants to be forward looking so he talks about the need for a clear voice from the federal government that is consistent and truthful even when that truth is difficult and he says the truth is really difficult he writes the corona virus pandemic could be worse than the nineteen eighteen flu which claimed over fifty million lives and he says the window is closing to prevent things from being worse in the fall writing quote without clear planning and implementation of the steps that I and other experts have outlined to twenty twenty will be the darkest winter in modern history well very briefly what's the agenda of the lawmakers will question him well anytime a whistleblower comes to testify before Congress is going to be political right as a witness democratic lawmakers want to hear from and they hold the majority in the house one thing to watch for is how Republicans on the committee engage with bright and whether or not they use this as a platform to defend the
Morning Edition
Where Obamacare stands right now as Trump attacks the law
"The trump administration is proceeding with a lawsuit to try to strike down the affordable Care Act as NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports it's the third challenge to the health law heard by the Supreme Court on the side of defending the ACA in this case the democratic controlled house of representatives and many blue states led by California they say the ACA offers key protections including coverage for pre existing conditions and that the exchanges are especially important for those needing insurance during the pandemic on the side challenging the law red states led by Texas and the trump administration they argue the law is unconstitutional and should be struck down several news outlets reported this week that Attorney General Barr warned against pursuing the suit but the administration is moving forward anyway a decision is not expected before the November presidential
All Things Considered
U.S. grapples with how to drastically ramp up COVID-19 contact tracing
"A new survey from NPR asked all fifty state health departments and the district of Columbia how many contact tracers they have to track the spread of the corona virus and PR Selena Simmons Duffin reports even with a hiring surge the total falls short of what public health experts have recommended contact tracers are public health workers who call up every positive covert nineteen patient asked them to list their recent contacts and then reaches out to those contacts to ask them to quarantine it's a key tool to allow social distancing to ease while keeping the virus in check after serving state health departments about their plans NPR found thirty five thousand six hundred contact tracers but the number of public health leaders have been calling for is three times that more like one hundred thousand or more states said they could use help funding this effort one estimate of the cost of hiring one hundred thousand tracers is four billion dollars Congress has not specifically put that into any funding package
Morning Edition
Concerns growing over access to household cleaning supplies: survey
"A disturbing lack of protective gear medical experts equipment and supplies that is the key finding from a national survey of hospitals put out this morning by the federal government and your health policy reporter Selena Simmons Duffin was among the first to get that survey and she brings us this report this is the first survey of its kind and some of the details are alarming like the stories of hospital administrators trying to get more masks for health care workers we heard hospitals going out and trying to source these mass at auto parts shops nail salons art supply stores that's an Maxwell she oversaw the report as assistant inspector general for evaluation and inspections at the U. S. department of health and Human Services one hospital said that shipment of masks from the federal government had all expired ten years ago in another shipment half the mast for child sized yet another hospital said when trying to buy supplies masks that had cost fifty cents we're now six dollars apiece Maxwell says other supplies were also running short simple things like thermometers they need to test out we also heard cleaning supplies disinfectant food toilet paper did you catch that toilet paper is running out in America's hospitals right now one hospital said it was so short and disinfectants its staff tried to make it in house with chemicals like chlorine then there are the shortages and then a leaders in concerns about not having enough staff to operate them we had one hospital administrators say to us you can make thousands of ventilators but it will take an army to manage that equipment and to care for those patients testing is a huge problem for hospitals it's still really hard to get tests and there are delays in getting results many hospital said it took seven days or more and that has a ripple effects when a patient comes in and gets tested the hospital needs to treat that patient as potentially a positive coalbed patient so that means they are taking up a bed in the hospital for the length of time it takes but it has to come back that means when hospital staff are engaging with that patient they are in full protective gear when the test comes back negative that means tons of masks and gowns and gloves may have been wasted Maxwell says the inspector general's office hustled to get this report done the office had dozens of staffers working on it they called three hundred and twenty three hospitals around the country and they did it over five days the week of March twenty third the report isn't just a survey of challenges but also how hospitals are managing them and the ways the federal government could help for instance to help intervene and coordinate the supplies that they needed and the distribution of those supplies so hospitals are all competing with each other in this chaotic slapdash way administrators also said the government could do a better job with messaging to the public into hospital workers who struggle with guidelines that change constantly and sometimes contradictory information from federal and state authorities the findings in this report confirms what we've been hearing anecdotally says Dr Irwin Redlener he directs the national center for disaster preparedness at Columbia University and he adds it's encouraging that the federal government took the time to do the report the question now will be how will the government respond one way helps you fix some of these issues well the shared strategies help is hospitals help one another I I don't know we can only hope he says the shortages and problems aren't going anywhere and we're not at the peak of the outbreak yet Selena Simmons Duffin NPR
All Things Considered
Are US Hospitals Ready for Coronavirus?
"To another corona virus question now which is our America's hospitals ready that is one of the most urgent questions public health experts are trying to answer right now other places in the world where the corona virus outbreak appears to be just head over here in the US they have already seen their hospitals overwhelmed thank Italy and your Selena Simmons Duffin and NPR's Marie Eisenman have this report on preparations here in the U. S. history here's why hospitals are so anxious to get ready for what's coming when hospital is flooded with more critically ill patients than it can handle more patients die the stakes could not be higher I wanted to find out what hospitals need to be doing so I went to a really busy one in Washington DC we are currently in what we call a ready room that is correct he at least he is director of emergency management at medstar Washington hospital center over to your left you'll see there's a card that has our training powered air purifying respirators this is our optimal level of rest it looks like a warehouse with exposed pipes fluorescent light streams in the floor they use it for training storage or whatever the latest emergency calls for when I visited they were getting ready to move carts of supplies out to turn this room into a patient screening area so if you show up and think you have colluded nineteen you might be screen here or in one of the tents are pitching in the parking lot when you present yourself you'll see signage that remind you please maintain your distance you'll be given a mask quickly and asked to put it even if triage goes smoothly that is just the first step people who are really sick will need to go to intensive care units I see use yeah this could be the real choke point for many hospitals in America for the average American city we would probably need twice the normal intensive care capacity than we normally have that's Dr Eric toner of Johns Hopkins center for health security he and collaborators at Harvard university and Nanjing medical university in China they looked at what happens to intensive care units in Wuhan China the first places outbreak hit we saw tens of thousands of ICU patients Turner estimates if the U. S. is the same rate of spread every hospital here it would have to take drastic steps to meet the need normally we put an ammonia patient in a medical ICO but they might have to commandeer any free beds in the ice use of all sorts of stuff lies departments in Rolla G. pediatrics the challenge those units are pretty full so already says some hospitals are planning to remodel other rooms even expand into larger spaces like auditoriums then there's the equipment people are I see you need all kinds of specialized equipment they need IV pumps that need monitors various kinds and most important for really sick people with covert nineteen you need ventilators machines that essentially breed for patients across the U. S. we have a finite number of outliers DLE told me at Washington hospital center they have extra ventilators ready to go we have twelve here in the corner I have another six in the back room he feels fairly confident about their supply and nationally there's a stock piles several thousand ventilators that hospitals could pull from but there is the issue of finding or training staff to provide all this extra care each hospital would have a surge plan will not only finding more beds but also then finding the the staff to be able to staff those beds which brings us to the problem of keeping health workers safe he d'elia is medical director of Boston university's school of medicine's special pathogens unit our health care workers are the most precious resource than this response she says if health workers can't protect themselves more and more of them will start to fall sick and so you're going through your cadres of health care workers until you get to a point now where you cannot provide the kind of care you want to do the patients they're going to need personal protective equipment masks goggles downs hospitals in Washington state have already turned to the national stockpile for those things the Delhi says her hospital has enough protective gear right now you know if you ask me in six months I don't know what the scenario might look like but nobody knows how many months this might go on for overall toner at Johns Hopkins glues that hospitals in the U. S. will just about meet all these various needs but that's on the macro level in some communities they will be okay in other communities they will be just making it and other places they will be totally overwhelmed even at a big sophisticated place like medstar Washington hospital center in DC they feel they have to get ready for the worst D. out the the emergency preparedness director says they have an ethics plan for how to make heart wrenching decisions who gets a ventilator versus who gets a bag valve mask versus who doesn't get either one of the two doctors are already making those choices in Italy based on age likelihood of survival clearly we all hope that we don't see that extreme here in this country but we have a plan if it came to that other hospitals I know have a plan as well but Turner says what people out in the community do now to slow down the virus that could change the picture for hospitals it won't be a walk in the park but I think would be manageable all the social distancing Americans are trying to do now shutting down bars and restaurants hunkering down at home might seem like an overreaction but those measures could be what makes it possible for hospitals to
Weekend Edition Sunday
'We'll get through this': Mike Pence says 'no question' there will be more coronavirus cases, but 'we're ready'
"You it's been a dramatic few days of developments related to the corona virus Washington state announced several first yes date the first death of someone in the U. S. infected with the virus the first health worker to be infected and the first potential outbreak at a long term care facility outside Seattle more than fifty people are being tested for the corona virus the trump administration has also ramped up its response and here to bring us up to speed is NPR science reporter Selena Simmons Duffin high Selena hi Lisa so president trump held a press conference yesterday with members of the coronavirus task force what did we hear the president announced first of all that there had been the first U. S. death trump said the victim was a woman but authorities later confirmed it was actually a man in his fifties with underlying health conditions and he was in Kirkland Washington near Seattle vice president pence also announcing that press conference new travel restrictions in areas that have seen recent outbreaks are Ron and parts of South Korea and Italy up president trump also took a few questions and some of them referred to the fact that he used the word hoax in connection to corona virus on Friday he tried to clarify he was referring to Democrats criticism of the response not the virus itself so at the end of the week there were reports of a few positive cases that appear to be community spread in California Oregon meaning not connected to travel to Asia other affected areas the contracted rate here in the U. S. and now there are several more confirmed in Washington state potentially dozens more what's going on so the big change was that public health officials started looking for cases differently the medical director for infectious disease at the hospital evergreen health explained how it happened at a press conference yesterday he said that the guidelines about who should be tested changed last week you no longer need to travel history or close contact with somebody with corona virus so evergreen health looked at its patients and sought to with no travel history who are very sick with respiratory infections with the new guidelines they became candidates to test for crown of fight virus and both tested positive so one was the patient in his fifties who sadly died the other was a resident of this nursing home life care center in Kirkland local health officials realize that a health care worker from life care was sick as well she tested positive and that's what led officials to look into this possible outbreak so these might not be new cases then right exactly the remember the symptoms look a lot like the flu and it's flu season and health officials say most cases are mild so people might not be even going to the hospital for them so now that the new guidelines for food to test has changed and there are these new abilities for local labs around the country to do more testing we will likely see many more positive cases it's hard to know at this point how many more are out there a health official from Seattle king county said in yesterday's press briefing these newly confirmed cases are likely quote the tip of the iceberg but it's important to remember overall the risk to the American public is still low the important thing to do with the thoroughly washing your hands keeping away from sick people all of those method measures that you can take to protect yourself and prevent the spread the messages be vigilant but don't panic that's NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin thank you so much thank you the US has signed a deal with the Taliban that aims to end the eighteen year war in Afghanistan the longest in American history but there's already a glitch Afghan president Ashraf Ghani says he will free thousands of Taliban prisoners as yesterday's the deal called for joining us to talk about that is NPR's Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman he spent years in batting with US and Afghan forces good morning Tom Taylor so the agreement for less than a day old and there's already a problem how serious is it that on he says he won't release the prisoners well we don't know yet and I'm sure the U. S. and NATO officials will be reaching out quickly to Connie no the release of five thousand Taliban prisoners were supposed to be a precondition of the Taliban Afghan talks slate to begin soon Connie says he's not ready to release any prisoners before talks begin he said that prisoner release was not a promise the U. S. could make I I think it shows what many predicted the most difficult step was not a U. S. Taliban agreement but one between the Afghans and the Taliban so they're about twelve thousand US troops in Afghanistan what are they doing and and when will they begin to leave well right now they're training Afghan troops and also together with Afghan commandos going after terror groups like ISIS the U. S. troops will drop to eighty six hundred in the next several months but the military still says at that number the cans of both train Afghans in go after ISIS or other terrorist the agreement says all U. S. troops out in fourteen months no Layla that's faster told than some earlier plans to draw down in two years so either the Taliban pressed hard for a better deal or president trump just wanted the troops out faster so is it realistic than depends who you ask one official told me the time line is he called it optimistic and said the Taliban has to abide by the agreement to stop attacks break with al Qaeda and open talks with Afghan officials but here's the thing last September right when an earlier U. S. Taliban peace agreement was about to be signed the U. S. attacked in el Qaida cell in western Afghanistan and American officials told me when I was in Afghanistan at that time that the Taliban were also working with al Qaeda in the east near the Pakistan border so some question whether the Taliban will really break with al Qaeda so then how does the U. S. make sure that the Taliban is honoring the agreement well the U. S. in the Taliban will have some sort of a monitoring office in Qatar to make sure everyone abides by the agreement and yeah in in Afghanistan the U. S. and Taliban are communicating by phone or radio to report on what they're seeing on the ground the problem is U. S. troops are in small numbers in largely confined to bases and not out and about around the country like they were in past years you know patrolling with Afghans going into villages one retired general with years of experience in Afghanistan told me as a result there is no way the U. S. can effectively monitor this agreement on the ground or even witness if the Taliban are intimidating the population but the U. S. will stop the troop drawdown if the Taliban doesn't cooperate right that's what they said and it's likely even in the face of some television non compliance the U. S. will continue to draw down then military leaders have long said of course there's no military solution here only a political one resident trump wants to bring what he calls endless wars to a close no I'll be heading to Syria soon labels are check out the U. S. military mission against ISIS the president also is cutting back their their once about two thousand American soldiers in Syria now it's down to about five hundred or so that's NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman Tom
NPR's Business Story of the Day
Tylenol For Infants And Children Is The Same. Why Does 1 Cost 3 Times More?
"Support for this podcast and the following message come from mayo clinic if you're looking for answers no one else has been able to find, you know, where to go mayoclinic. More at mayo clinic dot org slash answers. Anybody who has a kid with a fever makes a discovery at the drugstore. There are two options for Tylenol one for infants one four children. They contain the same amount of medicine, but the infant version costs, three times more. Why would that be? Here's NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin turns out. There's a backstory for a long time. Infants Tylenol was stronger than the children's stuff. It was three times more concentrated. That's in my Hernandez of the university of Pittsburgh school of pharmacy. The thinking was, you don't want to give little babies, lots of liquid medicine and you can give them less if it stronger. Hence the cost difference, deprives per milliliter was five times higher, but there was a problem parents were making mistakes with dosing babies got sick and some even. Died. So at the urging of the food and Drug administration in twenty eleven Johnson and Johnson announced a change instance title is now offered in the same concentration as children's what the price is still different with Storebrand's of acetaminophen, it's the same story. The infant version is generally three times more than the one for children. I asked Johnson and Johnson, the maker of brand name Tylenol, why the company says the infant version comes in a sturdier bottle and has a syringe for accurate. Dosing the children's version only has a little plastic Cup in Hernandez isn't convinced by that. She says what's expensive and producing a drug like this is the active ingredient, not a piece of plastic. The cab, this was this eerie inch doesn't release plane, the price difference in my opinion. But Johnson and Johnson's explanation makes sense to Edgar daursky. He's a consumer advocate, and founder of the website, consumer world is an extra thing in the box and extra things usually cost money. He says. There's a convenience element here. Thank of, you know, a spray cleaner. You can buy the spray cleaner in the spray bottle, and that costs, little more money or you can buy the refill that gives you more ounces, but it doesn't have the sprayer on top. It's kind of the same concept. But this, of course, is not a spray cleaner, it's medicine for your baby. Parents can be sensitive to marketing, because the stakes are so high Dr Shaw at children's national in Washington DC, says when it comes to infant and children's acetaminophen, the most important thing is to get the dosing right? When you start doing more than recommended. There are serious side effects that can happen. So the bottom line know what you need if spending that extra couple of dollars for the syringe will help you get the dosing just right. Maybe the markup is worth it. Selena Simmons Duffin, NPR news. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Virgo struggling to find the perfect vacation home verb. Oh, does the. Hard work for you, matching you to the perfect place to stay every time download are be o- in the app store. Let Virgo find the home that matches you.
KQED Specials
Trump calls on Congress to protect patients from surprise medical bills
"The president is urging congress to address a problem that resonates across party lines as NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports. Trump wants lawmakers to consider legislation dealing with surprise billing for medical providers who are not part of their patients health insurance network. Lots of families have stories about this, including Dr Paul Davis at his daughter's post op appointment her doctor said this he said, oh, by the way, I would like to get urine specimen fine. She did it a year later the Bill showed up for seventeen thousand eight hundred and fifty dollars NPR and Kaiser health news. I told the story of this test is part of our Bill of the month series. Davis. Brought his surprise Bill to the White House event today. President Trump said the story was quote almost not believable. But he's right. Seventeen thousand eight hundred fifty dollars for urine tests. There is by partisan agreement on this issue and several bills already in the
All Things Considered
Inside Trump's plan to end the HIV epidemic and what sparked it
"Night. President Trump announced a plan to end HIV transmission within ten years today is administration share details on how it hopes to get there. Here's NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin, there's wide consensus among experts that stopping HIV by twenty thirty is doable. And this plan hits many of the right notes to get there. It focuses on so-called hotspots where most new infections are happening. And the demographic groups at highest risk of getting infected particularly in African American and Latino gay and bisexual transgender individuals women of color and people living in the south that's centers for disease control and prevention director, Dr Robert Redfield on a call with reporters today. Tools to end the epidemic. But we have to apply them. Those tools include diagnosing HIV early and getting people on treatment because people with HIV who are getting affective treatment are much less likely to spread the infection and promoting prevention efforts condom use clean syringes and a pill for people who are at risk. But not yet infected called prep. These are not new ideas. But officials today say the interagency push is new they say HIV infections have plateaued around forty thousand a year nationwide. And they're hoping this plan will turn things around Redfield from the CDC has worked on HIV for decades importance of and see the possible. I'm personally thrilled about this initiative. A plan for America's to end HIV. The goal does stand in contrast to some of the other moves by the Trump administration over the last two years, and that contrast had some HIV researchers and advocates feeling skeptical. Dr Michelle Collins, okay? Goal is one of them. She treats HIV patients in rural North Carolina. When you how people that are in our community that you are worthy of serving in the military. You are not interested in trying to end aid. When you do everything you can to make healthcare or difficult for lower income people in excess then you can't be serious about ending age. Twenty thirty Ogle used to serve on the presidential advisory council on HIV aids. But she and five others resigned in protest in two thousand seventeen at the time. They said they were convinced President Trump didn't care about the issue at all. And today, I don't feel any different others are more optimistic. Greg millet from the foundation for aids research says he trusts the people who are leading the charge. These are within the Trump administration who have always been committed to public health. They've been committed to work with the administration. To make this a success. The big question hanging over all of this is what about the money a plan? This grand will easily cost billions of dollars officials from HHS today said they were confident there would be new adequate funding for this plan and the twenty twenty budget, but wouldn't go into specifics. One reason they might be optimistic. Congress will give them what's needed is speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi. She represents San Francisco and has been an advocate on HIV for her whole career. She even spoke about the aids crisis in her first speech on the floor of the house in nineteen eighty seven today in a statement, she called President Trump's plan quote interesting,
Morning Edition
Red Meat Allergies Caused By Tick Bites Are On The Rise
"The ticks range expands npr's alison aubrey reports one day last summer lars sterling took her doug governor for a walk on a trail near her house she lives in savannah park maryland later that evening she realized she'd been bitten by a tick i found it three or four inches to the left of my hip it bone and didn't think anything of it i just took it off and threw it away but about three weeks later she ate an italian style pork sausage for dinner and had a horrible reaction i would say it was probably six hours after i ate it it was in the middle of the night and i woke up covered in hives she was itching and scratching she felt lightheaded she also noticed stomach aches so she went to see an allergist he asked me did you change your detergent did you change anything in your diet and i said no and he said in the last month where you bitten by a tick and i said yes after a blood test the allergist told her she was allergic to red meat and maybe dairy too i thought it was completely crazy because i've eaten dairy and i've eaten red meat all my life her story is pretty typical of people who develop a red meat allergy after a tick bite says allergist scott commons he's an associate professor at unc chapel hill and he was among the first to identify the allergy in patients with tick bites about ten years ago he says back then there were just a few dozen known cases but now we're confident that the number is over five thousand at least in the us alone there are also cases in sweden germany and australia likely linked to other species of ticks now coming says in the us cases of moved beyond the southeast to new york maine and minnesota absolutely we're gonna find this continues to expand the reach of the tick is expanding and equally i think we have a blood test raising awareness and the word is getting out there's still a lot to learn about this allergy it's known as an alpha gal allergy alpha gallison's sugar that animals make including cows and pigs but we don't as humans we don't make this alpha gal sugar we all make an immune response to it so how does it tick bite 'cause as the allergy well it's possible that ticks inject alpha gal into people's bodies when they bite the ticks likely get it from feeding off wild animals such as mice or squirrels come and says it's also possible that ticks activate the response in another way whatever the tick is doing it seems that it's a very potent awakening for our immune system to produce antibodies and in this case it is antibodies to a very particular sugar in red meat as for laura sterling she now avoids all dairy and all red meat once i was told just stop eating it i was fine felt great allergies usually give their alpha gal patients epipens because reactions can be dangerous but the good news is that people can outgrow the allergy this is most likely to happen if they avoid further tick bites allison aubrey npr news all right when you're pregnant you know the doctors want you to get a few key vaccines and now the american college obstruct obstetricians and gynecologists is trying to make that a little bit easier for the first time it's put together a one page immunization guide for obese and midwives npr selena simmons duffin who happens to be pregnant at this very moment went to find out more the guide pulls together information about which shots pregnant women should skip which they can get an which they should definitely get the two and that should get category are the flu shot since the flu can be really dangerous for pregnant women and teed up the tetanus diphtheria protests vaccine would you have samuel you'll like it that's medical assistant kimberly johnson getting ready to give me teed up a few weeks ago at thirty weeks pregnant from spain the idea here is to protect newborns against pertussis or hooping cough people are like i never heard of who've been caused what's the big deal like why do we even have to worry about this that's dr laura riley she's the vice chair of obstetrics at massachusetts general hospital and helped write the.