Screaming and gloat and marching band kept by and wishing those marching in the parade a happy Thanksgiving and be passed. On Downing from Long Island if dressed as a clown in the parade the crowd when you get watching down there it's unbelievable but the 5 of them there everyone had such a good mood he said they want to book Theo a big part of the big press Ok the massive balloons are flying closer to the ground today due to high winds when Hogan n.p.r. News New York officials are giving no estimate on when a fire in a chemical plant in southeast Texas will be under control some 50000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders because of the blaze the plant was hit by 2 separate explosions on Wednesday and officials say there could be more explosions before the fire is completely out 3 people were injured in the initial blast none of the injuries were considered to be serious it's Thanksgiving which means football in the u.s. In the early game the Chicago Bears moved into the lead with less than 3 minutes remaining They beat the Detroit Lions by the score of $2420.00 this is n.p.r. News. A new survey shows that many Americans are opting out of cooking on Thanksgiving Day As N.P.R.'s Tovia Smith reports some are choosing an easier alternative for some just one year of the mashing stuffing roasting in dishwashing is anough to never again according to one industry survey nearly one in 10 people have Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant Steve to Philip who owns Davi restaurants from Boston to California says Thanksgiving is now busier than Mother's Day or New Year's Eve It's just gotten crazier and crazier you know and it's nothing like it was when I was growing up but I don't want to do it either I mean it's just a pain in the neck just so there's no morning after regret the restaurant also offers what they call the tomorrows sandwich doggy bag because let's face it the sandwiches next day is a tradition for those diehard dining in types there's also the full turkey dinner to go to Philip says takeout orders doubled this year Tovia Smith n.p.r. News Boston New polling shows Britain's Conservative Party with a substantial lead just 2 weeks before parliamentary elections so now opposition parties have intensified their attacks on Prime Minister Boris Johnson the party's leader show Swenson leaves the opposition Liberal Democrat she calls Johnson a liar and says he's dragged the office of Prime Minister through the mud the Canadian National Railway Company says it's putting a recovery plan in place following the end this week of the country's biggest rail strike in a decade the 8 day long work stoppage at the nation's largest railroad sent shocks through Canada's economy with grain and propane shipments stopped almost entirely the strike by some 3200 conductors and yard workers ended on Tuesday I'm Dale Willman n.p.r. News in Washington support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations other contributors include Sierra Nevada Brewing Company family owned operated and argued over since 1980 proud supporter of independent thought whether that's online or over the air or in a bottle more at Sierra Nevada dot com. K.s. J.d. Is supported by look look design an independently owned graphic design in photography studio creating graphics and identity products and packaging advertising and digital experiences to take projects from concept to completion visit Look look design dot com to learn how Look look design can fulfill your design goals look what design creativity that works. From n.p.r. News it's All Things Considered I'm Ari Shapiro on this holiday President Trump gave thanks in Afghanistan there's nowhere I'd rather celebrate this Thanksgiving than right here with the toughest strongest best and bravest warriors on the face of the earth you are indeed that the unannounced trip was trumps 1st visit to Afghanistan where more than $12000.00 American troops are serving he took time to recognize individual units and their accomplishments task force loyalty. I like that I like the task force. Hickey you know. We can know where you think you know. And all the president spent a few hours at Bagram Air Base he served turkey to troops ate some mashed potatoes and met with Afghan president and he actually made some news which is why we've called n.p.r. National political correspondent Mara Liasson away from her Thanksgiving thanks Mark good to have you here hi ari Happy Thanksgiving same to you so President Trump announced today that talks with the Taliban are back on here's what he said about it the Taliban wants to make a deal we'll see if they want to make a deal it's going to be a real deal but we'll see this comes just a few months after Trump called off what had been apparently close to a peace deal did he explain what changed his mind about the prospects no he didn't he called off that those earlier talks he was about to invite the Taliban to Camp David and that was quite controversial inside his own administration it was one of the many reasons that John Bolton ended up being removed from his post as the national security adviser he was against the Taliban coming to Camp David but the president said that we're going to stay in Afghanistan quote until such time as we have a deal or we have total victory and they want to make a deal very badly Trump usually says that about anyone he's negotiating with like China or in this case the Taliban it's unclear what he means by total victory he's never defined of course President Bush and President Obama never did either that's one of the big problems with Afghanistan but he says that peace talks are back on and one of the big questions is whether they will involve the Afghan government or not those peace talks that were canceled the ones where the Taliban almost came to Camp David did not include the Afghan government and of course the Afghan government didn't like that one bit presidential visits to troops in war zones are kind of a holiday tradition I did want to President Obama when I was a White House Correspondent What was the reception like a bottom today he got of according to our own Franco Ordonez who was the pool reporter on this trip he got a very positive rousing welcome from the dining hall full of troops about 500 soldiers were there to eat turkey and mashed potatoes with the president he took selfies. With the troops and one thing that was different from his last visit to the troops that this is his 2nd visit to troops in a combat zone the 1st one was last Christmas in Iraq there were a lot of make America great again hats in the crowd but there weren't any this time . And did he have a specific message for the troops I mean did he talk about how much longer they might be there well he certainly talked about wanting to bring troops home and that is something that he promised to do as a candidate and he's been struggling to do he abruptly withdrew a lot of troops from Syria he's talked about bringing troops home from Afghanistan although they're still he says they're going to be about 8600 troops that will be left there but he said that he will fulfill that came a campaign promise he said to the troops that day is coming and coming soon and of course this visit comes in the middle of the Democrats' impeachment inquiry He's also a how to mulch was weak with his own military leadership in the debate over the Navy SEALs What's the trip like this again the president I think any time the president can be seen as commander in chief especially with enlisted soldiers it's good for him it's one of his most positive roles and his most respective roles and I think that it should be a positive for the president and as you said this comes not just during the impeachment hearing but also after he's clashed with the top military leaders over the abrupt pullout from Syria and over the firing and the handling of the firing of a Navy Seal Trump intervened in a military justice procedure and not all of the military brass was happy about that n.p.r. National political correspondent Mara Liasson on the president's unannounced visit to Afghanistan today to celebrate Thanksgiving with the troops Marwa to get back to your Thanksgiving thanks a lot thank you. A Gulf Coast favorite for Thanksgiving is oyster dressing but it might not show up on many tables today record flooding on the Mississippi River sent too much fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico killing oysters and crippling other seafood harvests that depend on salt water to survive N.P.R.'s Debbie Elliott reports typically the week before Thanksgiving would mean a busy oyster shocking floor at bonce of course fisheries on the Alabama Gulf Coast not this year. Only to restructure so working to fill gallon tubs with Oyster made there should be 20 more when there's no wars truce to show they don't have any work Chris Nelson is vice president of Bonsa Corps Fisheries a family run seafood company that dates to 892 he says the Gulf oyster industry is facing its toughest crisis yet this is the worst it's ever been who were in my memory I've been doing this for 30 years I mean it's it was worse than the oil spill worse than Katrina worse than after Ivan by far Nelson says those hurricanes and other disasters have left the industry more brittle unable to weather the impact of the freshwater inundation that killed off some of the Gulf of Mexico's most productive oyster areas including industry leader Louisiana the water came from a massive release of Mississippi River flood waters through the Bonnie Carey spillway it's a flood gate north of New Orleans the diverts river water and a Lake Ponchartrain to protect communities downriver because of record floods on the Mississippi the u.s. Army Corps of Engineers had to open the spillway for longer than ever before a total of $123.00 days during 2 separate openings it was unprecedented says Reed Henderson with the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory the stuff 1st time spillways ever been opened in consecutive years 1st time it's ever been opened twice in the same me. Air and was the largest cumulative volume of freshwater ever released from the body cares fell way he says that meant more than a trillion cubic feet of fresh water coming through Lake Pontchartrain and into the Mississippi Sound the area of the northern Gulf of Mexico between the central Gulf Coast and barrier islands off shore it's part of what's known as the fertile fisheries Crescent and those fisheries need salty water to thrive handed says blue crab landings are down the shrimp harvest was curtailed and oysters were all but wiped out with more than 90 percent mortality rate and we won't even have a commercial or Easter season this year and there's just nothing out there for for the guys to go harvest that has local restaurants turning to Texas for golf oysters when they can get them. At sea Jays coastal Grayle in Biloxi Mississippi Clifford long saw on instinctively jabs his oyster night into the sweet spot where the oyster shell will pop open. He's only got 2 boxes of oysters a fraction of what he would typically serve this is no better. Get ready for Christmas Thanksgiving and Christmas in there are sure to be long song is 63 and is an oyster man himself coming from a long line of seafood harvesters for the 1st time this year he was trying off farming in cages a half mile off shore but the freshwater killed his crop about 400000 stars he's trying to start over and put out 100000 baby oysters last week it's risky we hope that the Army Corps of Engineers in figure a way to divert the water a different way so we don't lose it always does every few years. Hopefully doesn't happen every year for sure you know with global warming to News says with more rainfall likely in the Mississippi drainage basin it's time to share the burden I'm not saying it wasn't called for to open the spill. But there has to be other ways. We don't want to single life to be lost in New Orleans because of flooding. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood has given notice that he's going to sue the u.s. Army Corps of Engineers for economic damages and to force environmental impact assessments in developing flood mitigation plans a spokesman for the Corps of Engineers New Orleans district says the agency does not comment on pending litigation but he says a modeling study is underway to better understand what's happening with the Mississippi River he says the system now in place is operating as designed to prevent catastrophic consequences spillway openings are triggered when levee systems below are maxed out during high water. Down on the docks that alexy Harbor van Pham is still think white shrimp from a cooler to sell from the boat the April donkey they found you got 20 pounds right here warning he's one of only a handful of fishermen selling seafood from their boats fam says business is slow and the shrimp are hard to come by right now in Biloxi right now I don't have no spam I have to go all the way to be able to get this room that's an 8 hour run for him with extra fuel and he didn't really catch enough shrimp to make a profit I don't know but this year we don't make no money this far forward so. He's questioning whether there's a future on the water and he's not alone it's already die Christopher Rhodes is with Mississippi commercial fisheries United he's a 3rd generation fisherman but at 29 years old he's not sure he'll stay in the business the catch isn't what it used to be and then you have something like this happens I mean it's already hard and then you throw something like the bonnet Kiri and it just it just brings us down to are nice. The group is calling for Mississippi interests to have a stronger voice in Flood Control Policy oyster farmer Anita are as they should be part of the solar show our futures in our financial futures are tied to decisions that other people are making in other states off bottom farming is new to Mississippi this year and are losing the 1st harvest was a serious setback but she's tending to another crop of oysters now and says she's tentative but excited that this batch will make it to market Debbie Elliott n.p.r. News Biloxi Mississippi. You're listening to All Things Considered from n.p.r. News. Elections are all about choices and it can be tough to keep up with the campaigns on Morning Edition we profile the candidates dig into the controversies and examine the political issues with a well balanced analysis and reporting on local and national levels so as 2020 approaches make the right decision to stay informed listen to Morning Edition every day from n.p.r. News. Morning Edition on every weekday morning from 5 to 9 am. support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from the financial services firm of Raymond James offering personalized wealth management advice and banking and capital markets expertise along with a legacy of putting clients' financial wellbeing 1st learn more at Raymond James dot com from Whole Foods Market offering colors and flavors of the season with seasonal produce holiday desserts and Chef created menus Whole Foods Market color the classics and from the listeners who support this n.p.r. Station. From n.p.r. News this is All Things Considered I'm Ari Shapiro 50 years ago Alcatraz Island briefly became an indigenous Mecca this Thanksgiving hundreds will gather on the island to honor this anniversary Antonia said a hero of N.P.R.'s Latino USA podcast tells the story of the occupation of Alcatraz and its impact in the late 1960 s. There was a burgeoning indigenous movement whose goal was to fight for self-determination can glance at Professor of Native American Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha says mainstream news organizations were trying to capture what was going on the press was having a field day in the sense of covering what is this new natives' movement and trying to figure out what is read Power read power or work to bring indigenous history and issues to the forefront of policy there was a focus on reclaiming Indigenous land we the Native Americans reclaim this land known as our Treasure Island in the name of all American Indians by right of discovery this is one of the movement's leaders Richard Oaks speaking to k. Run for news in 1989 he was a Mohawk in San Francisco State student Alcatraz Island the famous former prison off the shore of San Francisco had been abandoned for many years but news got out that there were plans to build a casino and instead when the native activists heard about this they had an idea Richard Gere knew it his grandmother made you know what it is you hope to build a building nation where his argument for centuries conquers and settlers stole land from indigenous tribes and struck up treaties they never intended to follow citing the Fort Laramie Treaty of $868.00 which set aside lands west of the Missouri River for the Sioux and a rapper who tribes the activists laid claim to the island and they got in front of news cameras and offered a familiar deal we wish to be fair in our own boat in our dealings with the Caucasian inhabitants of this land nearby offer the following treaty we will purchase said all the Treasure Island for $24.00 and glass beads and red cloth a precedent set by the white man's purchase of a similar i want about 300 years ago the offer of mine to. When tongue in cheek but activists had serious plans to move on to Alcatraz within a month they managed to organize a radio station a ferry system that would take food to the island and even a small school for children who came with their parents a bill was presented in the House of Representatives in December of 1990 a quote give Alcatraz back to the Indians. But 6 weeks into the occupation tragedy struck Leonard Oaks Richard Oakes The son was one of the children on the island my older sister shared shared fall in and she hit her head on a corner of a brick slab. Split her head from one temple to the other they move on Oaks Richard Oaks his daughter off the island and into a hospital in San Francisco but she didn't make it more on the island started to slip after that here's a news report from n.b.c. In 1970 things are falling apart in the air they've been hit the building seem to be burning down one by one the garbage just adding up the government accused occupiers of stealing and selling copper wiring from the buildings on Alcatraz 19 months after the occupation began the Coast Guard came in and removed the activists started as a symbolic invasion in November of 1969 and later turned into a bitter struggle for the small band of Indians who vowed to hurl Alcatraz rever was ended here today a newspaper reporter interviewed Richard right away about Alcatraz to which he said what would become his most famous quote Alcatraz is not an island it's an idea here's indigenous scholar Kent plans that again Alcatraz is not an island it's an idea that what happens on Alcatraz is beyond just the island itself it's a movement and that this movement will slowly begin to kind of take over America the Red Power movement ended in the late 1970 s. But it laid the foundation for future fights in places like Standing Rock in North Dakota and the Amazons in Brazil and last year after decades of indigenous activist organizing San Francisco recognized October 8th as Indigenous Peoples Day rather than Columbus Day Hundreds gathered on Alcatraz to celebrate for n.p.r. News I'm undone yesterday he them. The opera star to Chile a Bartoli doesn't sing many of the popular 19th century operas instead she prefers to explore the little known corners of the 19th century. Marshallese new album is devoted to music written for the singer named far anally the rock star of his day N.P.R.'s Tom Huizenga has this review found in l.a. Reportedly could sing 250 notes on a single breath chillier Bartoli can't quite match that but on her new album titled finale she undeniably gives it her best shot at it was I will never ever ever ever ever ever. Let little love a little bit over a little bit a little bit over the record it Bartoli has an amazingly agile voice and a whole lot of breath control there was a different reason why fundamentally could do what he did he was a cussed Tronto that means he was castrated before puberty it was barbaric and it wasn't an uncommon procedure for young talented Italian boys and it lasted well into the 19th century there's even a recording of the so-called last distraught o. S. He made in 1000 know to. The voices of remained in the upper register as they grew into adulthood and by that time fundamentally it was the most revered singer in Europe performing for kings and visited by Mozart he had an exceptional lung capacity which allowed him to sing for long stretches on a single breath as Bartoli does here for nearly 30 seconds. Those long arching lines were written for found a Nelly in 736 by his mentor the composer Nicola Porpora and Bartoli offers her signature command of the emotionally charged line Bartoli has sold over 12000000 records she's won 5 Grammys and could easily put her career on autopilot but no she calls herself the Indiana Jones of classical music digging for antiquities like this sparkling aria from Porto 735 opera Pollie fame which has never before been recorded. There are. Already. Barclays voice after 3 decades of singing a surprisingly intact even if a little of the creaminess of the early years has leached out an occasional transitions between registers are less liquid the flexibility and the excitement are still there. The album fundamentally isn't the 1st time Barkley has celebrated the cust Prouty in 2009 she released 2nd feature which pictured Bartley's head artfully photo shop to ancient marble statues of men and on the new album she again flirts with gender fluidity the photos find Bartoli in full beard moustache and dark eyeliner easily out Depp ing Johnny Depp and that's what we should love about Chilean Bartoli a restless artist unafraid to push her voice and a few boundaries. They've studied little Goodloe the new album is called foreign alley Our reviewer is N.P.R.'s Tom Hi Scott you just not the know what. 'd this is n.p.r. News. We think of Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving as a time of crowds lining up outside stores ready to fight over T.V.'s and toys police say what happened here this morning with other chaotic oldish stampede but are consumers and retailers losing enthusiasm why are we doing this why are we paying people double overtime to do be here to serve these not so great customers on the next Morning Edition from n.p.r. News. Morning Edition is on the weekday mornings from 5 to 9 am. It's All Things Considered from n.p.r. News I'm Ari Shapiro this year both parties in Washington seem to support an effort to get rid of surprise medical bills there's a lot of agreement that this is a broken part of the health care system that everyone agrees the market can't fix by itself despite that agreement the problem still hasn't been solved Coming up we'll look at why that story and more after these headlines. Why from n.p.r. News in Washington I'm Jim Howard President Trump today made an unannounced visit to u.s. Troops in Afghanistan the president addressed service members at the Bagram Air Base near Kabul but there's nowhere I'd rather celebrate this Thanksgiving than right here with the toughest strongest best and bravest warriors on the face of the earth you are indeed that Trump says the Taliban wants to make a deal because the effectiveness of the u.s. Military in Afghanistan earlier this year the president canceled peace talks with the Taliban after the group said it was responsible for an attack that killed a u.s. Soldier among others troubles and says he plans to reduce u.s. Troop numbers in Afghanistan but did not offer any specific details as many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving today Native Americans often take another view even a call from member station w. C.i.i. Has more the United American Indians of New England will host the 50th annual day of mourning in Plymouth Massachusetts today it's a time for native people and their supporters to commemorate the Native Americans killed and land stolen by European colonisers Cedric Cromwell chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe says the Thanksgiving holiday evokes pain but want people want to remind everyone they're still here it becomes a national day of mourning for us because we will remember we were hurt killed slot of destroyed lands taken away from us but we still others loving peace 1st people organizers of the event say they'll deliver a united message no thanks no giving for n.p.r. News I'm eaves a coffee in Woods Hole Massachusetts China is accusing the u.s. Of quote serious interference in China's internal affairs and a serious violation of international law unquote following President Trump signing of 2 bills on human rights concerning Hong Kong Chinese officials accuse the us and other western countries of orchestrating pro-democracy protests that have gripped the city of Hong Kong for the last 6 months this is n.p.r. News. With k s j d Local News I'm Tom Yoder a new high tech monitoring program is set to take shape in the headwaters of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers Luke Runyon has more it's called the next generation of water observing system and the idea is to use the latest technology to get an up close and personal look at how water moves through the rivers head waters the program will use a network of sensors cameras even drones to give scientists the clearest picture of how the river gets its start high up in the Rocky Mountains Chad Wagner oversees the program for the u.s. Geological survey the entire Colorado River Basin supplies water for more than about 30000000 people and it's nearly 5 and a happy 1000000 acres of farmland in the Western u.s. The Colorado and Gunnison rivers are the 2nd location in the country to be selected for the new program Wagner says full buildout could take place next year pending congressional funding I'm Luke Runyon Thanksgiving travelers heading north from on a Sello on u.s. $191.00 can expect a break from ongoing construction work Utah Department of Transportation crews are suspending blasting operations between milepost 107109 through the holiday weekend work will resume Monday at 9 am with the road closing for up to 45 minutes at a time you can get more news from k.s. J.d. And n.p.r. Online at k.s. J.d. . This is the news. N.p.r. Comes from this station and from Focus Features and participant with dark waters thriller starring Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway mysterious deaths in a small town lead one man to risk his life for the truth now playing in select theaters everywhere December 6th and from t. Rowe Price offering a strategic investing approach that examines investment opportunities 1st hand institutions advisers employers and individuals choose to Rowe Price t. Rowe Price invest with confidence. From n.p.r. News this is All Things Considered I'm Ari Shapiro let's go now to Iraq where after weeks of protests government forces have just killed more than 2 dozen people in Baghdad and southern Iraq last night anti-government forces torched an Iranian consulate over the last 2 months at least 350 protesters in Iraq have been killed Samuel Kolob is Iraq correspondent for The Associated Press and she joins us now from Baghdad welcome Hi Thanks for having me there are protests in different parts of the country right now do they all have a unified aim what the protesters in Baghdad and primarily the southern provinces have in common is this perception that the government in place the political establishment does not work in their interests and they see evidence of that in their perceptions of rampant government corruption and the services that the government is supposed to deliver to them for example an island tricity there is cuts all the time and then there is difficulty in finding jobs and this is persisted since the u.s. Invasion of Iraq and the government that has been in place after that time and what is common among protesters in all this area is an anger is a frustration with the current system one that they don't see working in their favor I mentioned the protesters set fire to an Iranian consulate yesterday in the city of Najaf How does Iran play into their concerns so a lot of protesters are unhappy with what they perceive to be growing Iranian influence in Iraq the state of affairs a lot of them feel as though political actors who are supposed to serve the interests of Iraq are instead acting on behalf of the interests of Iran to perception that's quite widespread among them on the streets these protests have been going on for months do you have any sense of what's likely to happen next. 1st let's consider the protest movement itself and whether this will be something that evolves and grows or if this is something that gradually fizzles out which is which has happened in the past in Iraq part of the reason this protest movement has has managed to stay strong is because a lot of Iraqis actually support them they may not be out in the streets but a lot of people say that with the protest protestors are doing you know they support so as long as the protesters can maintain that I think that's an important factor to consider there is also what goes on in the political side right now the main political parties have. Sort of closed ranks around the prime minister added up to Mehdi so until you have powerful parties calling for his resignation I think he will remain in place and this sort of situation will persist has the government made any concessions at all to protesters demands. I think the protests have accomplished a fair bit actually I mean yes the cabinet recently passed a bill to reform the electoral system that would give protesters more of a say in who they are elected to parliament and this bill is set to be voted on by the parliament so that that something that that they introduced the prime minister also introduced a package of reforms meant to provide jobs improve services very early on in the protest movement but the issue is a lot of protesters reject this some of them are looking to dismantle the entire political establishment and that creates a lot of issues for officials obviously in power because they think that this is a very unrealistic So in short yes the government is taking some measures to placate protesters but it remains to be seen whether this will be enough Sam you Kolob is Iraq correspondent for The Associated Press thanks for speaking with us thank you for having me. Surprise medical billing was supposed to be the easy healthcare fix that Washington could get done this year in May President Trump urged Congress to come up with a solution no American mom or dad should lay awake at night worrying about the hidden fees or Shockey in unexpected medical bills to come bills were introduced and advanced Democrats Republican senators House members practically everyone agreed the practice was bad and it should stop now Congress is getting ready to wrap up the year and still hasn't passed legislation N.P.R.'s Selena Simmons Duffin explains what's going on this is an easy thing to get worked up about it just seems so unfair the classic scenario is this you go to an emergency room even one that's in your insurance company's network a doctor working there is not in your network and consults with you or treats you that doctor can bill you what's called a balance bill so the insurance company tells the doctor will pay $1000.00 the doctor says well I'm going to charge you $5000.00 and you are on the hook for that difference there's a lot of agreement that this is a broken part of the health care system that everyone agrees the market can't fix by itself Erin fus a Brown is a law professor at Georgia State University because so many members of Congress in both parties agree that it's outrageous and a place where the government needs to step in this seemed doable absolutely doable it's not fixing the whole health care system it's like low hanging fruit Yes but there are 2 problems agreeing on how to get it done and getting past a flood of lobbying money anima Soliah is a researcher with the Center for Responsive Politics and she says at the end of July a group with a friendly sounding name doctor patient unity came out of nowhere doctor patient old part of overnight and about $20.00 on ads like this one Congress is working to end surprise medical billing and that's a good thing but that fix cannot include government rates that. A slippery slope toward just so it says it was clear this was a front group for industry but there was very little information about who was funding it the mystery lasted until September when the group revealed themselves to reporters at The New York Times it turns out private equity back for were some of the entities bankrolling the operation private equity had been buying up physician groups surprise bills that were part of their business model to bring in profits for investors and they jumped in to defend that business model while social media and t.v. Got bombarded Dan obl who's also from the Center for Responsive Politics says Congress was getting bombarded too last year only a few dozen groups lobbied on surprise billing this year we've seen $340.00 groups mentioned on their lobbying report. And they hired 1200 lobbyists to do that work but the lobbying and ads are not the whole story here the other big issue is how to fix the surprise billing problem says fus a brown the disagreement really comes down to how to determine the amount that the health insurance company is going to pay the out of network provider so remember if the doctor wants to charge $5000.00 and the insurer wants to pay one $1000.00 How do you settle on the amount there's this hot debate about where do you set the payment amount and what role does the government haven't actually setting out our Does it just sort of set of a mechanism for some 3rd party to decide there are bipartisan bills in the house in the Senate there was momentum in the summer in the fall things seemed stalled but congressional meetings are starting up again so now the state of play is this the White House and lawmakers mostly say they're optimistic this can get done by Christmas but there are still hurdles to clear so even this low hanging health policy fruit might not get picked this year Selena Simmons Duffin n.p.r. News. Tomorrow morning you can listen to the Up 1st podcast from n.p.r. It's the news you need to start your day in about 10 minutes every weekday and now on Saturdays to. You're listening to All Things Considered from n.p.r. News. Fiction is life with the dull bits left out that's just one of the many clever observations of the writer t.v. Host and cultural critic Clive James James died at his home in Cambridge England on Sunday he suffered multiple illnesses in recent years including leukemia he was 80 years old N.P.R.'s Elizabeth Blair has this appreciation Here's another scorching gem from a Clive James review of a politician's memoir here is a book so dull that a whirling dervish could read himself to sleep with it the man had a way with the phrase satirist and writer p.j. O'Rourke was a friend of Clive James he says he was that rare person who could do any kind of writing from memoirs to poetry to satire and often a critic of sort of trivial things here's Clive James from his days as a t.v. Host he's coming out of a Saturday Night Live Style mock commercial that ends with a close up of a man eating a lemon that made you feel like a defenseless oyster it did so it just 15 seconds and then James delivers his thoughts about t.v. Commercials in Britain the muscles in the rump programs in America programs and around the commercialism area diet but playful Clive James did not seem to take himself too seriously in introducing guests on his variety show. Probably of my career will you once again but your cigs and the upright position of your head between your knees Bob are going to end up right here Guy Clive James was one of Britain and Australia's best known wits he loved language and read everything p.j. O'Rourke who is not a regular t.v. Viewer even delighted in his writing about that this television criticism was so good that I have read all of it even though I haven't the likeliest idea what he's talking about I've never seen any of the shows Clive James childhood in Sydney Australia was rooted in tragedy his father was a prisoner in a Japanese war camp. When he was finally released he was killed when the plane carrying him home crashed that was the cruelty of it because my mother waited all that time and she'd received notification he was alive after all and all that was taken away from her when the plane crashed on the way back this is James talking to N.P.R.'s Renee Montagne in 2009 and I didn't know any of that you know 5 year old boys know nothing and I just didn't know what was going on I just knew that my mother wasn't happy and that's always unsettling well as it turns out she was in some senses unprepared to be to take you on as a project it's quite remarkable that I did not become 1st of a delinquent than a felon other than a prisoner because I had absolutely no qualifications for ordinary life except Luckily I had a certain gift for the English language a knack but without that I would have been a real problem that gift for the English language he said is what saved him telling stories was crucial to my existence and indeed to my survival I was actually the kind of boy who was born to be picked on I was not even know it all and I was ganged up on and chased and ragged until I hit on the scheme when I was being chased of suddenly sitting down and organizing a discussion group and telling stories in 2010 Clive James was diagnosed with leukemia he also suffered from emphysema and kidney failure a statement from his agent reads that he endured his ever multiplying illnesses with patience and good humor and knowing that he had experienced more than his fair share of this great good world Elizabeth Blair n.p.r. News. You're listening to All Things Considered from n.p.r. News. Hello I'm Bob Reich join me Tuesday mornings at 745 for farm news and views for all report news and commentary about what's happening in the world that may be important to farmers ranchers and consumers in the 4 corners region all round up agriculture information from a variety of sources sort out what I think is important and fit it into the 4 minutes it will have together farm News and Views 745 Tuesday mornings on k. Yesterday. The Sunflower Theater Film Series not your average holiday movies concludes on Friday December 13th with the 1980 s. Classic die hard Bruce Willis as Detective John McClane must rescue hostages from a group of terrorists in high rise on New Year's Eve tickets are $7.00 at Sunflower theater dot oh argy. It. Is a. Mood . It's All Things Considered from n.p.r. News I'm Ari Shapiro should higher education be free one country Chile has tried to make free college work and as N.P.R.'s Allison Adwar he reports from Santiago Chile his experience offers some surprising lessons when Pedro Cordova was growing up in the suburbs of Santiago he didn't even let himself dream about college his family was poor and college he thought was only for wealthy Chileans in need the. Not having opportunities that made him better was a deal. Today that story is different for his children they did dream about college in Veronika his middle daughter she's at the University of Santiago studying for free part of the National Free college program here it's called. And when I asked Pedro about what this means he beams with pride he says he lived through a change in perspective in Chile and he mentions this idea that's pretty pervasive here that college is a right did it say. That idea it's how free college came to be here in she lay in 201120128 captivated the entire country thousands protested in the streets. The message spread like wildfire. Not a sudden image in team on the morning talk shows began leading with the idea that education is a right but it's you know it's really dumb enough to let you then running for president of Chile she made it the center of her campaign and there's an important lesson for the u.s. Here politically free college is a pretty popular idea but actually it was elected and the Chilean Congress passed free college called into law 92 votes to 2. But free college tuition costs a lot in she late preliminary estimates put it at $5000000000.00 a year when she leaves a lot smaller than the us where some plans are projected to cost closer to 50000000000 a year ultimately chillies Congress didn't have the money to pay for everyone so today it. Only covers low income students you know manipulative either. Killer Vega is a nursing student at the University of Chile and she qualifies for good to adopt and uses it to pay for her studies. As we walk around her Santiago campus we pass a student jam session. There's a rousing turn. And a team of students playing soccer. Player explains how vital gritty dad is for her that's why she's here and I mean. She says without free tuition she wouldn't have been able to go to college at all but she brings up this other way that she'll a cut back on her to a doctor students have a set amount of time to enjoy the benefit so if you're in a degree program that's 4 years that's how long you have your free tuition for a 2 year program you get 2 years this is an important lesson for the u.s. Where most students actually take longer to earn a degree than they're supposed to during our 2nd year of school she had some health issues and she had to take time off to get healthy but. She'll now need an extra year to finish her degree but she won't have an extra year of free tuition to do it but as of the minute. She's working well in school to start saving up for that final year this time restriction it's a big issue for students just this year 27000 Chilean students who had been enjoying free tuition lost their eligibility before they finish their degree another lesson from she lays free college program not all universities opt in. At the university Bernardo O'Higgins a private university in Santiago emanating from the president's office is an aria from the French opera. Claudio Rufe the president here and the head of the association of private universities in chill a is a big opera fan he says listening to it has calmed him during what he describes as a stressful time like the former phrase and United States. We have a problem. With a mobile never the problem for roof and other presidents of private universities is great to a dot like the us has a robust private college market and many of them decided not to take to it so students there pay tuition if you remember competing against free can be hard says about 15 colleges have closed because of this others are Flora Xing their student body is wealthy and they don't qualify for go to a dad Anyways this is a concern in the u.s. To most free college proposals will apply only to public universities that is where most students go but would potentially reinforce inequality with lower income students attending state schools and wealthy students paying for elite privates like the Ivies. Invites us in to meet his family. Thank you for letting us come inside his wife Kathy a strapping tight. Brownie Cup Their youngest daughter has made homemade noodles now he's a year she's using to study mechanical engineering at the University of Santiago and with. Our launch running to resist another big issue the program just covers tuition nothing else but as I thought I sent am a complete go in and living here at home it means a 2 and a half hour commute. And that's what that's time she's not sleeping and not studying research has found these other costs to college a place to stay a bus fare food and books they can be a major barrier free tuition only goes so. Far but pretty bad it's helping a lot of people is one of 200000 Chilean students who benefit from the free college program despite the limitations she plans to graduate with no debt still hasn't actually increased the number of low income students who are enrolled in colleges so you. Know effect it hasn't changed the structure Rosa Davis is the vice president for academic affairs at the University of Chile and she helped craft into law she points to other factors that have limited access a poorly funded public k. 12 system competitive admissions just because tuition is free to get in and remember great tweet odd doesn't cover things like food housing and transportation it's not just money I mean you cannot solve this problem with a good. But gratuity or free tuition it does influence students who may never have considered college before to enroll That's according to research from the Chilean government they've also found students who get free tuition are slightly less likely to drop out than their classmates who don't so I ask Davis has this made a difference to answer she pulls out her copy of the law with her favorite parts highlighted I will read the 1st. And the 1st is. This. Right education is a right it says it right there in the 2016 law it's no longer just an idea she says it's real. To feel. The did right and the next year you will not have to pay it maybe. But. Words and that she says is a very important starting point Allison Advani n.p.r. News Santiago Chile and the story was produced in partnership with the Hechinger Report. Have a great Thanksgiving you're listening to All Things Considered from n.p.r. News support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company family owned operated and argued over since 1000 a.d. 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