It's an inflation this is not a bipartisan bill Republicans in Congress have said the measure is a nonstarter and President Trump has said he will veto it that's all the more reason that we should really be setting a little higher standards in this building that's Congressman Boyd Doggett a progressive Democrat from Texas he and others on the left side of the Democratic Party have been pushing for last minute changes ahead of the full vote Selena Simmons deafen n.p.r. News education secretary Betsy De Vos testifies on Capitol Hill today answering questions about how her department incorrectly collected federal student student loan repayments from borrowers who were defrauded by for profit colleges more than 200000 borrowers are in financial limbo waiting for the government to process their claims that their colleges lied to them about things like job prospects and transfer credits for financial markets Asian markets were higher by the close the Nikkei in Japan up 110th of a percent if you're listening to n.p.r. News he was ambassador to the u.n. Kelly Craft says North Korea's continued ballistic missile testing is putting at risk the prospect of successful nuclear talks between the u.s. And Pyongyang she made the comment of the u.n. Security Council meeting what she called when difficile has more the u.s. Ambassador Kelly craft called North Korea's recent missile launches deeply counterproductive and said they violate Security Council resolutions however she indicated that the u.s. Is still prepared to be flexible and stands ready to negotiate with crayon on an agreement craft also stated that Washington believes that North Korea will stop for the hostility and threats but if it doesn't she said without providing to tells the Security Council should be prepared to act accordingly Meanwhile a senior u.n. Official described North Korea's missile tests as deeply troubling North Korea has conducted 13 missile launches since May for n.p.r. News from the end of Sue in New York. In New Zealand military personnel will land on White Island trying to retrieve the bodies of 8 victims after a volcanic eruption Authorities say the recovery attempt will go ahead even though another eruption is possible 8 people are confirmed dead and those other 8 are listed as missing on that island officials say a fly over just after the eruption showed no signs of life more than 2 dozen people are still hospitalized many in critical condition crude oil prices are trading higher this morning up more than a half percent a gain of $0.32 at $59.08 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange I'm Janine Herbst n.p.r. News in Washington support for n.p.r. Comes from I drive providing cloud backup full system back up and on site I drive appliance to protect P.C.'s Macs and the servers from data loss due to crashes and ransomware and I drive dot com slash n.p.r. And Americans for the Arts. For the Arkansas judiciaries public education program and way are I'm Karen steward with courts and community as our nation becomes more and more diverse the need for court interpreters continues to grow interpreting for a witness defendant victim or lawyer during a court proceeding can ensure all people receive fair and equal access to justice professional court interpreters are individuals who possess an educated native like mastery of both English and another language in Arkansas Spanish and Marshallese are the 2 most common languages requested for interpretation 5 different interpreters were needed this year in the case of an Arkansas man facing a capital murder charge the case involved interprete ing Burmese Qur'an Marshallese karate and Spanish according to her partner is not meant to be an advocate for a defendant but rather be an impartial assistant interpreters don't answer questions about the details of a court case or give legal advice with courts and community I'm Karen steward it's easy to remember only the heavy news that happened in 2019 but what about the good things like the unlikely friendship between a Instructable goose and a miniature horse that is not happy referee have to take it away for a little bit I'm Jack Speer with n.p.r. News 2900 baby almost over but there's still time for a little more good to happen to get to this station right now give that donate doc a u.a.r. Doubt o r g 4 text k u a r 24144 for an edition from n.p.r. News I'm Steve Inskeep and I'm Noel King good morning the House Judiciary Committee is moving quickly as it considers 2 articles of impeachment against President Trump members of the committee are back today for a 2nd day of hearings last night they went back and forth over whether this process is legitimate here chairman Jerry Nadler Democrat and Republican Congresswoman Martha Roby of Alabama President trips continuing abuses of power jeopardizing our security and our elections. The threat is urgent if we do not act now what happens next will be our responsibility as well as is in the impeachment proceedings of President Nixon the underlying facts were undisputed in the impeachment proceedings of President Clinton the underlying facts were also one just speeded here before us tonight that is not the case N.P.R.'s congressional reporter Claudia grease Alice is with us in studio thanks for coming in Claudia Hi there Ok so this all begins today at 9 am what is happening what can we expect lawmakers will get into the actual nuts and bolts of detail debating these articles of impeachment abuse of power and obstruction of justice before all 41 members of the Judiciary panel it follows the 1st of this 2 part hearing that started with the opening remarks last night it's what's known on Capitol Hill as a mark appearing and those are generally very technical committee processes to hammer out an approved legislation so these can be a Monday in part of the job but of course the subject matter and the high stakes here changes all that we understand that Republicans are looking at proposing a ray of amendments these are expected to get shot down by Democrats but it will also help drag out this hearing for several hours Ok as several of these hearings have have in the past 8 is that going to go on Ok So Claudia for some Democrats this is obviously an easy decision are they there so they say whether to support the articles but it's not an easy decision for all Democrats what are the ones who are not so certain saying publicly Yes it's a different story for these moderate Democrats such as Representative Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania I spoke to him yesterday and he says he's forming an opinion but he's not ready to say yet and he's worried about bipartisan bills passed in the house that are moving in this in the Senate let's take a listen that's bills that are supported by House Republicans shitting on Mitch McConnell's desk and not moving. All of which he is doing to forward this false narrative this lie. That all we're doing in the house is impeaching Donald Trump and Cartwright is not alone in his deliberations Here's freshman representative Max rose he's a military veteran who represents New York but we are given this the level of seriousness that it is deserving of most a 2nd most serious thing I could ever do in this institution he said The 1st was considering an act of war and so he's he's among these freshman and other moderate members who are taking their time another like Representative Alyssa Slotkin of Michigan she's not ready either to announce she's planning to meet with her with her constituents in Michigan on Monday ahead of the potential impeachment vote next week despite some of the hesitancy that we just heard we expect the committee to approve both articles What will a full House vote look like and when will that happen yes we could see this historic vote next week it could last several hours plenty of debate but lawmakers also have a finish line in mind next Friday marks the end of the session the beginning of their holiday recess so we're expecting all of this to wrap up by next Friday as well will that debate the public will we get to see what's going on in the house yes it will be a very fiery exchange among the members right there on the House floor and I imagine we will see every moment of it Ok And then if it is approved for marriage will go to a Senate trial and the Republicans you point out you've reported they are signaling some really interesting things about what they want from a Senate trial what are they saying are telegraphing Yes They're saying that they have heard the president trumps demands for a long list of witnesses to appear in the Senate chamber but they've softly pushed back and said that they probably don't have the 51 votes to approve a list of when. This is the concern there is that extend a Senate trial by several weeks and so it's one moment where you can see Senate Republicans do have their limits with this president and they'll try in support his interests for robust defense but they're saying they are hoping this trial could last 2 weeks and they've set aside the month of January so it could extend into that month but they're hoping to move past it by February it will be interesting to see if in this case the president gets what he wants gets that robust defense gets to call witnesses exactly n.p.r. Congressional reporter quite eager Sellers thanks so much Claudia thanks for having me. Here are the names of 2 victims in Tuesday's shooting in Jersey City. Mendel Ferenc was a mother of 3 Moshe Deutsch was an educator and active volunteer both were sought Mar Hasidim the rules of their Orthodox Jewish faith call for swift burial after death and their funerals were held last night in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn just across the Hudson River from Jersey City reporter Fred Mogul of member station it was there many in the Hasidic community knew the 2 victims and their families and many didn't but all packed into a 3 block stretch of Williamsburg to reflect and grief before we felt more secure Moshe Bloomberg is a teacher from Union City New Jersey yesterday as we have everything that we see the only one condition is history in the car. And it's very terrifying human describe the deaths as a wound to the entire Jewish world and is a nightmare everyone wanted to wake up from the police are still investigating the 2 suspects who have ties to a group that regularly denounces to Joel Wald was one of several people in the gathering who said rising into a Semitism makes them worry for their safety my wife was sitting somewhere and she thought she texted me that she's afraid every guy every every other person could be a matter Walter said that feeling was likely to subside but right now the anxiety is are strong at the same time people said they had their faith in their loved ones to turn to for a strength and personally do it said to a history of surviving adversity that's what we accept anything we accept that holocaust we could have said this point has a cousin of motion the young man who was shopping in the kosher grocery store in Jersey City when he was shot multiple times Joyce said his cousin was following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather both known for their charitable generosity it was a special person it was a person that had a good word for everybody the smile the good things and just was a nice going to wrap. Teitelbaum one of the leaders of the Satmar sect of the young man and woman who were killed are martyrs and part of God's plan to make people lead better lives crying as he spoke into the p.a. System Teitelbaum called on the black card crowd to pray more study more and treat each other more compassionate with. Rabbi Jacob Komar help translate Teitelbaum sermon from your dish is. Such. Teitelbaum called for peace between Jews and non Jews and others in the crowd noted that non Jews were shooting victims to store clerk Douglas Miguel Rodriguez and Jersey City detective Joseph seals details on their funerals have not yet been announced for n.p.r. News I'm Fred Mogul in New York. Israel is headed for its 3rd national election in less than a year the country is politically divided the prime minister is facing criminal charges and compromise seems out of the question reporter Naomi several off has more from Tel Aviv at midnight on Wednesday the clock ran out on a deadline to avert a 3rd election after 2 inconclusive votes in April and September on Thursday morning many Israelis woke up frustrated with the news it's not good for the economy it's not good for the trust of the people. And it's a waste of money sorry dear I retired paralegal was walking her dog Jimmy in Java near Tel Aviv she blames Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he struggles to stay in power while facing charges of bribery fraud and breach of trust it's useless to have. A 3. Year only because in the wants to remain on. The. Prime Minister after Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz both failed to form a government parliament had 3 weeks to nominate a lawmaker to take a swing at making a coalition Gunson Netanyahu continued to negotiate over a unity government but neither they nor parliament could come up with a solution God said he would partner with Netanyahu if the prime minister valid not to ask for immunity but Netanyahu made no such promise many believe he sees the election as a path to escape prosecution. Action is to gain majority for a future communique request that's the. President of the nonpartisan Israel Democracy Institute in a briefing to journalists Wednesday but inside Netanyahu his party there are also signs of frustration with the prime minister and one prominent member is seeking to replace him as party leader meanwhile guns his party abandon a plan to have him rotate as prime minister with his 2nd in command that move is widely seen to help guns as he tries once more to oust Netanyahu. The repeated lections have left Israel with a caretaker prime minister for the past year paralyzing part of the government again plus dinner that is unprecedented. Practice never going to deal with such a situation and it will exert some real costs on on the national interest and on Israeli citizens sorry dear in Jaffa one of those citizens says she's fed up enough enough the 3rd election will be March 2nd for n.p.r. News I'm in Tel of the. Stand later today on All Things Considered when Big Ben chimes 10 pm in London an exit poll will show where the balance of power is likely headed in the u.k. After today's election will bar a stance and get the majority he wants to deliver Breck said you can listen by asking your smarts bigger to play n.p.r. Or just ask for your member station by me. This is n.p.r. News. Starting December 12th. The planets Jupiter and Saturn are locked in a bit of a battle a battle over moons a recent announcement brought the number of Saturn's known moons to 823 more than Jupiter but the search for moons around both worlds continues so the lead may change hands many times in the coming years Saturn's new moons were discovered by a team led by Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution the champions of modern day moon hunters using the Subaru telescope in Hawaii the team discovered 20 moons none of them is much to get excited about though they average about 3 miles in diameter most of the moons follow retrograde orbits in the opposite direction from Saturn's rotation on its axis the moons probably are fragments of a single body the parent was blasted to bits by a long ago impact with another body the other Moon's orbit in the same direction as Saturn's rotation but each of them probably is a chip off another body as well none of the moons has yet been named but a just completed contest allowed the public to suggest names the International Astronomical Union will announce the winners next year and Saturn itself is about to disappear in the evening twilight it's easy to spot over the next few nights though because it's near Venus that the Evening Star they're quite low in the Southwest shortly after sunset Saturn stands beside Venice tonight and will slip to the lower right of the anus over the following the nights we have more sky watching tips astronomy news and much more about the universe and start a magazine details that start a dot org for the McDonald Observatory I'm Billy Henry. Support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from life luck reminding consumers that identity theft can happen any time of year including the holidays more at Life Lock dot com slash n.p.r. From the vital projects fund supporting the Museum of Modern Art moma has reopened with expanded galleries and new spaces for live performance making art and conversation more info at Moma dot org from f j c a foundation of donor advised funds working to maximize the impact of charitable giving and to create customized philanthropic solutions learn more at f j c dot org And from the e.c.m. See foundation at e.c. Mc Foundation dot org. It's Morning Edition from n.p.r. News I'm Steve Inskeep and I'm Noel King suicides in this country are increasing and the construction industry has one of the highest rates one employer is addressing the problem by trying to be open about it and offer support to their workers N.P.R.'s Yuki Noguchi has their story and just a quick warning there is some difficult subject matter here it's been 5 years but the memory haunts Michel Brown who works as a construction superintendent a colleague and it is work day by giving away his personal hand tools to his coworkers he was a generous but odd gesture no one intended to come back to work and would do such a thing it's a huge challenge it's a huge seller but we didn't know that then we know it now the young man went home and killed himself he was found courtly afterward by coworkers who belatedly understood the significance of his gifts that isn't shook r.k. Mechanicals 1500 employees including its co owner John canning that had an impact on me and just like oh my God you know we were just completely unaware of how to even identify the signs of somebody that was struggling in the weeks and months afterward canning brought together in the street leaders and talk to suicide experts r.k. Which was founded 56 years ago by King's father eventually put together what is now regarded as a model for suicide prevention in the construction industry it involves 24 hour access to counseling services lenient leave policies and crisis training for managers most importantly says canning the company embraced lots and lots of open talk about mental health if somebody didn't show up in the past would be like you know you got a job to do you know get in here and we've just changed our town in our culture I talk about mental health nearly every time I have a group of employees the impact we've covered probably over 15 suicide since 2014 that's a pretty good success for other companies are now copying our case of pro. But the struggle is ongoing risk factors for suicide in this industry are still numerous and even r.k. Is not immune to them most construction workers are young and middle aged men the same population likely is to die by suicide substance abuse runs high especially were opioids are prescribed for workplace injuries lots of military vets work in construction and many struggle with past trauma superintendent Brown spent 4 years in the Air Force I met her on our casework site at Salt Lake City's new airport she's affable and true to her hard hat bears the name mama a testament to her relationships with coworkers 3 years ago she noticed an emotional decline in one of her workers a fellow that just nonverbal and then periods of extreme agitation in the next day with no call no show so at 8 o'clock he wasn't at work I went into full on alarms in the past to somebody didn't know what would you have thought about it was probably not Brown reached him by phone please don't hang up around implored as she drove to his house she found him drunk with a gun in hand how did you feel when you understood what was happening it took me back to a time in my life where if somebody had reached out to me then there's a possibility I wouldn't be here because I had been aware that individuals and where I had no desire to be on this earth anymore I didn't think it was it was worth it why bother and somebody took the time and noticed my behavior and reach out for me and I'll be forever grateful Brown Sue's her coworker with the words that helped her here loved your needed she called the therapist then eased him into medical leave I wasn't going to lose him. If I could go I must been so hard it was horrible. Horrible to hear that a gas area I don't want to. What you feel I guess Joy I'm happy that I'm here happy that he's still here remarkably over her 31 years in construction Brown says she's endured 3 coworkers suicides each case rocked everyone around them but at the time she says The topic was never up for discussion was not talked about it wasn't possible it wasn't talked about it was it was 20 years ago it was a talked about Fast forward to today it's the polar opposite here mental health is highlighted $2.00 to $3.00 times a week during what r.k. Calls toolbox talks to an average guy off before every shift workers gather for stretching and announcements. One recent morning about 60 men in money on safety vests and circle superintendent Nate Lewis how many of you guys here of heard this talk before about mental health awareness on the site moments earlier Lewis told me about his own depressive and suicidal episodes 2 years ago and he pushed himself to work 80 hours a week to provide for a growing family those pressures turned to panic and anxiety attacks as a supervisor he says he feels sharing his story with the crew is especially important but it isn't easy his hands and legs visibly quiver so I am alert I don't get nervous too much but Moos tells them he sought therapy and turned the corner he then opens the floor from behind him a normally soft spoken man walks toward the circle so a lot of the guys probably don't know who I am my name's Calford Kal as he's known looks terrified he apologizes for being nervous then forges on I have a suicidal past myself I've dealt 86 years of you know attempting to take my life the last time that happened was last year in July from his bed at the hospital he says he wondered what kept him coming back to death wish why did this keep happening you know it what was my problem and I ended it figuring. I wouldn't but there is that my problem was I'm not being open about myself and you know about my feelings and my struggles and struggles like being openly gay and at times unwelcome in the construction industry and not wanting to be judged for feeling depressed but opening up he says let some white shine through the last year of my life has been one of the happiest years I've ever experienced as an adult but that's why he's speaking today he says so that anyone suffering might also rediscover hope by talking that's all I got to say thank you as he regains composure the young man is met with the bear hugs of his fellow construction workers Yuki Noguchi n.p.r. News Salt Lake City Utah. If you are in a crisis or you know someone who is please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline there at 180-273-8255. This is n.p.r. News. A coalition of families wants to reframe hate as a public health emergency I'm on a mission. I want to help others. No one should have to go through the pain. The rare access to a group made up of former extremists and their families this afternoon on All Things Considered from n.p.r. News. Officials are preparing for the 2020 u.s. Census even a relatively small under count could cost Arkansas billions of federal dollars coming up on issues that matter a discussion on what groups in the state are doing to ensure the most accurate count possible that's tonight 7 till the issues that matter project of the central Arkansas library system a League of Women Voters and Kay your way are 89 point one live from n.p.r. News in Washington I'm Dave Mattingly the House Judiciary Committee is moving closer to a vote on 2 articles of impeachment against President Trump N.P.R.'s Claudio Sali says they stem from Trump's July phone call with the president of Ukraine today lawmakers will get into the actual nuts and bolts of debating the articles of impeachment and piece of power and obstruction of Congress but for all $41.00 members of the Judiciary panel it follows the 1st of this 2 part hearing that started with opening remarks last night and impeachment vote by the full House could take place next week the Federal Reserve is closing out the year by leaving u.s. Interest rates alone Here's N.P.R.'s Scott Horsley and announcing its decision the Fed pointed to solid job growth and a rock bottom unemployment rate after cutting interest rates at their last 3 meetings Fed officials decided the economy does not need another boost at this moment Fed Chairman Jay Powell added news of a likely trade agreement with Mexico and Canada could help ease business concerns as would a reduction in trade tensions with China we've been hearing from our people that we talk to the many many people there and businesses that we talked to in the trade policy uncertain is weighing on the outlook removal of uncertainty around that would would be a positive for the economy as well as of now Fed officials are not predicting any rate cuts in 2020 several see room for a possible rate increase Scott Horsley n.p.r. News Washington this is n.p.r. News from Washington. 2 Zealand says specialists from the country's military are planning to set foot on White Island tomorrow 4 days after a volcanic eruption killed as many as 16 people hate people are confirmed dead that number rose from 6 after 2 of the injured being treated for severe burns died at a hospital 8 others are missing and presumed to have died police commissioner Stuart Nash says retrieving the bodies of those killed in the eruption is a delicate and dangerous task we are communicating with the families but I understand the frustration but please the police officials are doing this they have taken the advice from scientists you know we have heard that the report says cases on the ground we have heard that the that the odds of the volcano erupting again in . The volcano continues to vent steam and mud officials say rain is mixing with volcanic ash creating a cement like substance on the island most of those unaccounted for were on an excursion from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship ovation of the Cease police in Pakistan say there leveling charges of treason against 250 lawyers who were part of a larger group of attorneys that stormed a hospital in Lahore and attacked doctors and other staff members Police say the lawyers were angry over how one of their colleagues was allegedly treated by hospital doctors weeks earlier those facing charges will be tried in antiterrorism courts I'm David Mattingly n.p.r. News in Washington. Support for gay u.a.r. Comes from ballet Arkansas hosting its 41st day you will Nutcracker spectacular December 13th 14th and 15th at Robinson performance all the beloved holiday classic features the professional dancers of ballet Arkansas live music from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra to choral ensembles and a community cast of more than $225.00 children and adults from across the State Ballet Arkansas' Nutcracker spectacular is a community tradition to celebrate the season tickets at ballet Arkansas dot org I'm Steven Cook Johnny Cash was born in South Arkansas grew up in northeast Arkansas has moved to Columbia Records and in 1958 saw musically branching out the concept albums gospel folk protest even Christmas music Cash recorded for holiday themed albums just one facet of his wide ranging musical catalogue it's a Johnny Cash Christmas on this week's Arkansas Friday at 6 30 am and 6 20 pm on k USA Our. Job. Support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from Charles Schwab Schwab believes a modern approach to wealth management starts with asking questions Charles Schwab own your tomorrow learn more it Schwab dot com from the Conrad in Hilton Foundation working to improve the lives of individuals living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage throughout the world learn more at Hilton Foundation dot org And from the William t. Grant foundation at w t grand Foundation dot org. It's Morning Edition from n.p.r. News I'm Joel King and I'm Steve Inskeep What was North Korea talking about when it promised a Christmas present the deputy foreign minister recently suggested the United States would get a present depending on nuclear talks days after that North Korea carried out what it called a very important test N.P.R.'s White House reporter Ayesha Rosco is on the line good morning good morning what on earth did North Korea mean. Well North Korea is threatening to take action by the end of the year if the u.s. Does not lift sanctions and this is really the central conflict between the u.s. And North Korea the u.s. Wants North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons North Korea wants sanctions relief and but they don't want to give up all of their weapons and North Korea realizes that Trump is up for reelection next year and they can make life more difficult for him I spoke with Michael Green who it was director was a senior director for Asia at the National Security Council under George w. Bush and he said North Koreans want to force trying to negotiate with North Koreans from their own experience some expectation I think that escalation will get Donald Trump to the table and that the outcome will be good for them and what they want more than anything is Trump in the room without his advisors and that's kind of what happened before the historic Singapore meeting North Koreans believe that Trump is more likely to strike a deal with them than some of his officials Singapore meeting of course that's one of Trump's meetings directly with Kim Jong un the North Korean leader so they thrown out this deadline talked about a Christmas present what does the u.s. Do now. Well the u.s. Did request a u.n. Security Council meeting about North Korea and that happened yesterday so they are raising concerns but for the most part officials are publicly being optimistic about the chance for resolving these issues Secretary of State Mike Pompei a was asked about whether he expects North Korea to return to an aggressive posture and found they all said he's hopeful that North Korea will stick to its prior commitments which includes according to the administration not conducting long range missile tests he talked about this issue with Russia's foreign minister this week and this is what. We continue to work to try and develop places where we can communicate negotiation mechanisms where we can talk to them about past forward to achieve the denuclearization. Experts I've talked to say that this is a pattern for North Korea these moves from bargaining to brinksmanship but still trying to has been mostly complimentary about Kim but he did recently reminded porters that he used to call them Rocket Man and that calls North Korea to remind them that they called him dotard Ok so not always the kindest relationship but they've tried to keep it warm recently or President Trump has tried to keep it warm recently this is the way he spoke with Kim Jong un just the other day he's somebody that I've gotten along with very well for 3 years. And he's got along very very well does the president's fondness for Kim more effort to keep him on his side anyway have anything to do with another u.s. Move Ayesha the u.s. Blocked a good night of nations meeting on North Korea's human rights well so the administration is saying that the u.s. Objected because it felt that focusing on nonproliferation would be the best use of the Security Council's time this week but trop has gone out of his way at times to not anger Kim and North Korea had warned that it would respond strongly if that meeting on human rights went ahead there has been some criticism of this move from some who just saw it as the u.s. Appeasing North Korea. Not dealing with this various series issue one of those critics was Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton and Bolton tweeted that Kim's repression of his people want scrutiny and that the u.s. Should be taking the lead and not obstructing other countries Bolton as his voice back he had apparently lost control of his Twitter account at one time after he left the White House but he says he's back and speaking out from time to time yet on the impeachment questions at this moment I should thank so much Korea thank you N.P.R.'s Asia Rosco. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a bill to address the high cost of prescription drugs today it will probably get a vote on the House floor now this is an issue that voters care a lot about and they want Congress to do something so what would this legislation do exactly n.p.r. Health policy reporter Selena Simmons Duffin explains this is a big complicated bill it's 450 pages long for simplicity let's talk about the 3 main pillars The 1st is that it lowers out of pocket costs for many seniors and many Americans who really need relief at the pharmacy counter That's Rachel Sachs She's a law professor at Washington University in St Louis Medicare currently has no limit on what seniors and disabled people in the program pay for drugs out of pocket this bill would make a limit set at $2000.00 per year the 2nd pillar that changes the incentives that pharmaceutical companies have right now to increase their prices year after year or even more often by requiring them to pay money back to the government when they do so this would hopefully solve the problem of giant price hikes for drugs like you Mera and Serato drugs that are famously expensive already the last pillar is government negotiation the secretary of Health and Human Services would be directed to negotiate with drug companies over the cost of a certain set of drugs using what those drugs cost in other countries as a reference that educate people Lido an economist with the American Enterprise Institute is not personally a fan of this idea but he's glad to see serious ideas getting put forth in Congress not just in this House bill but also in the Senate we've seen a flurry of activity on drug pricing more broadly in recent months the Trump White House and Republicans in Congress have said the idea of the government directly negotiating on drug prices is never going to get signed into law it's a nonstarter but it will lead I think some proposal. And this bill could become real like those other pillars the out of pocket cap for Medicare and the rebate for big price hikes what we've seen Congress start to coalesce around is a set of reforms that have real impacts for Americans they have real impacts for federal spending that would really improve the drug market it illegal things politically it's significant that this bill is getting a vote in the house that Democrats will be able to say they tried to do something on an issue voters really care about even if it never becomes law there's no question that they can point to this and say look well we didn't get passed we absolutely I suppose one of the most meaningful in and vicious and aggressive attempts to reduce drug prices that we've seen recent history one of the biggest criticisms of this bill is that if drug companies don't think they can make huge profits they might not invest as much developing new drugs there is a lot of debate over what type of tradeoff there would be on innovation as we start to move towards regulating the price of drugs that Stacy Doucette Ciena She's a professor of health policy Advanta Bill university she points to an estimate from the White House last week that said this bill would result in 100 fewer drugs being developed in the next decade I think that the information that we have that goes into those estimates is really poor it's very hard to get accurate information on the cost of drug development it's one of those things where we won't probably know the real effects until we try to make some changes given the amount of activity and agreement there seems to be a round at least some of these ideas changes may yet be coming on drug pricing in the New Year Selena Simmons deafen n.p.r. News. This is n.p.r. News. For the University District Development Corporation and k u a r m look each a crow with his community development minute community development corporations or C.C.'s for short work to improve the lives of residents in their communities primarily by developing affordable housing however did you know they can offer other programs and services for residents of their communities the u.t.c. The University District Development Corporation serves the University District the neighborhood surrounding the University of Arkansas in Little Rock it is a dignified health and wellness is one of those programs the u.d.c. Is promoting more access to fresh fruits and vegetables in its neighborhoods through its hope forced community garden and university district farmer's market is garden a grill classes provide cooking demonstration and nutrition lessons you can learn more about the work of C.D.C.'s and u.t. D.c. Little Rock dot org for the you did you see Community Development minute I am lucky to crow support for k u a r comes from listeners and from Jefferson regional committed to delivering personalized medical care in south Arkansas Jefferson regional treats people like family always taking the time to give a warm greeting to look people straight in the eye and to take the time to listen and make them feel at ease for more information and to see what makes Jefferson regional special go to j r m c dot org That's j r m c o r g Jefferson regional your life our commitment. I'm Jeremy Hobson It was here and now stays on top of breaking news and brings you conversations with some of the most interesting people from all walks of life here and now a vital part of your day. Here's some good news Morning Edition from n.p.r. News isn't just for morning people now you can hear every story from the start weekdays 7 till 3 listen on your schedule just say Alexa play Morning Edition. Good morning I'm Steve Inskeep the world's youngest country is South Sudan which won independence in 2011 soon our new nation could be born the Pacific island group called Bogun Ville voted for independence it was a non-binding referendum but after an overwhelming vote it's 300000 people can try to work out independence from hot for New Guinea who knows give it a couple 100 years and maybe that mutation will be as harmonious and stable as ours It's Morning Edition support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from t.i.a. Committed to the idea that while most things in my friend out from clean shirts in the morning to a favorite dessert at night lifetime income in retirement shouldn't learn more it t.i.a. Dot org slash never run out and from c 3 dot a i c 3 dot a I's software enables organizations to use artificial intelligence at enterprise scale solving previously unsolvable business problems learn more it see 3 ai. It's Morning Edition from n.p.r. News I'm Noel King and I'm Steve Inskeep with a chance at amnesty for some library patrons people in Philadelphia can now bring back massively overdue books without paying a dime following the lead of some other big cities the library trustees voted to eliminate late fees and wipe out any outstanding debt from our member station w.h.y. Why Erin Moselle reports the total fine is edged interior Hinson's mind 294 dollars that's how much her neighborhood library said she owed for the handful of college prep books she borrowed and never returned books the library assumed were lost and I was like oh no I don't have this instant of venture Lee whittle down that debt to about $30.00 but not before taking a 3 year hiatus from checking out books she says it was tough for her 3 kids who like to borrow movies from the library I felt like I would lead them down and then that's when they came home and said Mom we can get our own lab every car and they're very responsible with their lab and car they remember the way I can since stressful experience can soon be filed under age for history under its new policy libraries here won't penalize people who've returned things late the little still have to bring back overdue items or pay for lost ones before checking out anything else you have on Riordan is president of the Free Library of Philadelphia addressing city council she says the goal is to tackle 2 problems created by overdue fees especially those incurred by card holders who can't afford them one of these customers tend to stay away from the library believing that they are far from accessing all of our services and to materials that are not returned are not available to other customers who want to borrow the city's library system collects roughly $400000.00 in fines each year a lot of money but less than one percent of its annual budget the idea of libraries going fine free isn't new but the concept is definitely gaining momentum as. Especially in big cities including Chicago San Francisco and Salt Lake City Susan Benton heads the d.c. Based urban library's Council she says the racial tensions and civil unrest flaring after Ferguson in Charleston pushed her group to encourage more libraries to get rid of late fines to her barring people from using a public resource because of spiraling fines goes against libraries core mission when those events happened it really hit us in the face in our heads in our heart that we needed to become more active and really take ownership of our role in helping our communities helping our cities helping our counties helping the people who live in our jurisdictions the fine free trend does have its critics the most common concern is that residents will take advantage and hold on to books even longer possibly forever because there's no penalty for doing so but Mary Jo good Dyce who heads the libraries in Dallas says the opposite appears to be true after her system did away with fines she noticed an uptick in usage and circulation She also noticed something that might seem a bit counterintuitive people are actually bringing their items back before the due date which is wonderful because things get into circulation faster but we're not seeing an opposite that people are keeping things longer because we're not fining them other libraries are reporting similar results still more than 90 percent of libraries still find patrons and while it's not the new norm yet the trend towards getting rid of fines altogether appears to be gaining traction for n.p.r. News I'm Aaron Moselle in Philadelphia he. Was. And this is Morning Edition from n.p.r. News I'm Steve Inskeep and I'm no well thanks. Support for k. U.a.r. Comes from Ward's worth books a locally owned independent bookstore with holiday gifts for readers of all ages including new books literary items and get certificates learn more at Wordsworth bookstore dot com The principal berries which own and then talk country on the hours during winter months. And beyond brand new releases and seasonal. Music from combined talents related Naser. Khader a. Series. Of Saturday 8 pm here Ican pay you a. List one of the most important things in our community is the service we receive from Public Media Hi I'm Trisha Peacock of Peacock travel group and I believe in the value of public radio stations like a u.a.r. And k l r e which is why we partnered with the stations to offer a trip to France to elect a member this past spring as you were considering what you value this giving season place think about how you can support valuable institutions like this at donate doc a u.a.r. Dot org. The guardians of interest rates have spoken not just about the cost of borrowing but about paychecks Marketplace Morning Report is supported by Cloudera the enterprise data cloud company empowering organizations around the world to transform their businesses improve lives and advance human achievement through data more a Cantera dot com And by little passports a holiday gift for curious kids with a subscription kids get a package each month designed to inspire their curiosity in the world little passports dot com slash radio I'm David Brancaccio in New York good morning the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates unchanged yesterday it's a complex decision and one factor is wages spikes in wages can spark inflation but there's no spike Marketplace's Nancy Marshall Genzer asked chair Powell that his briefing about this what did you learn about wages Well David they are rising average hourly earnings were up around 3 percent last month with the same time last year but the unemployment rate is down to 3 and a half percent with workers that scares wages typically typically rise more Yes So what's going on well economists RINGBACK have a lot of theories on that so it is fed chair Jerome Powell when I asked him at yesterday's press conference about the slow wage growth he said low productivity was holding wages back and he also blamed globalization the idea that you can make then you fracture or even provide services anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world I think that hangs over that wage setting process and everywhere pretty much you don't see that there isn't the kind of traction in the wage market. And Powell also said the labor market might not be as tight as he thought it was intriguing meaning. Meaning we keep seeing people moving off the sidelines and getting jobs and these are people who gave up looking for work and were unemployed for a long time they're now getting jobs Powell says there may be more people like that maybe workers aren't so scarce if employers are still getting up locations for job openings they won't feel the need to raise wages or it's a Fed yesterday today it's the European Central Bank the new head of the e.c.b. Christine Legarde former International Monetary Fund chief will do the economic interest rate briefing it is a subtle art communicating this stuff trying to say something but not enough to freak out markets our marketplace colleague the B.B.C.'s Victoria Craig now on how low guards predecessor set a standard if former e.c.b. Chief Mario Draghi cut the world anything about monetary policy it's that words matter during the eurozone debt crisis in 2012 he proved that point in his famous off the cuff pledge to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro it only makes sense then that newly installed boss Christine Legarde will be in sharp focus today and Vester is will be searching for even the smallest clue about any looming policy changes the e.c.b. Is expected to keep rates steady but after relaunching its financial crisis era bond buying program in September missile guard could remark on any adverse effects so far and their eventual impact on policy next year when it comes to interest rates she said that rather than be considered a traditional monetary policy hawk preferring higher interest rates or does prefer in low ones she is a self described Auel an animal she calls very wise that has been interpreted to mean she'll keep the e.c.b. Policy the same at least for the next several months in London I'm the B.B.C.'s Victoria Craig for Marketplace let's check markets Dow s. And p. And Essex futures are all up slightly a 10th of a person. Are less the Footsie in London is up 510 percent on Election Day The brand new stock in the massive Saudi oil company Aramco rose on its 2nd day of trading to the point that on paper it was worth 2 trillion dollars That's a figure the Saudi crown prince was said to be shooting toward the Marketplace Morning Report is supported by Fidelity Investments taking a personalized approach to helping clients grow preserve and manage their wealth learn more fidelity dot com slash wealth fidelity brokerage services Allan seen and buy blackline helping over 200000 accountants at midsize and large enterprises achieve visibility control and automation for their financial clones blackline dot com because trust is in the balance. What you might call the global Supreme Court for trade disputes is out of order not functioning This is where the appeals go at the World Trade Organization there are nuff members on the appellate body for it to do its thing because the us has been blocking replacement says the terms of judges expire now 3 years ago there were 7 judges there now down to one Marketplace's Sabrina Schorr has more the trumpet ministration has argued the w t o is infringing on rights the u.s. Never agreed to give up when the detail was created in 1905 you know there's generally an objection by the United States that the appellate bodies going beyond its mandate kind of creating Law Rachel Brewster is a professor of law at Duke she and other observers say the u.s. Has been vocal in its criticisms but hasn't been actively negotiating to reform the Kio because they say the trumpet ministration believes it would be better off without it the company's ministration is fundamentally opposed to the idea of you know rule of law system and trade the other $163.00 member countries who presumably still wanted to keep operating have a few options Jennifer Hellman is with the Council on Foreign Relations and used to serve on the appellate body it could be that the countries choose to exercise restraint meaning countries could give up their right to appeal lower panel rulings and just live with rulings they don't like instead of appealing them the other way that the European Union in Canada and Norway and others are proposing is to use within the rules itself an arbitration process again a way to work around the fact that the equivalent of the Supreme Court for trade is shut down there are problems with that Richard Weiner is an attorney with Sidley Austin One is that all the parties to the disputing including 3rd parties have to agree the u.s. Is a party to about 50 percent of proceedings he says and could object to any workarounds and that would shut down that process meaning the w t O's ability to settle disputes could be damaged for some time again Rachel Brewster It looks like it's just going. I go on indefinitely until I knew I'm here can ministration changes its policy and more trade disputes might be waged the old fashioned way through destabilizing trade wars and bare knuckled negotiation in New York I'm sorry Ben a short for Marketplace and the Hollywood Reporter says a t.v. Projects in development about the great fall of the shared office space company we work in as the company the tried to do its big initial public offering of stock this autumn than Didn't amid investor skepticism and perceptions of the way the boss comported himself to play the real life we work founder Adam Newman will be Nicholas Braun of H.B.O.'s succession Bruns succession characters kind of I don't know hapless so you may have to find a more master of the universe vibe in his new role Braun does have height on his side he's 6 foot 7 the real we were guys 65 York I'm David Brancaccio And this is the Marketplace Morning Report. From a.p.m. American Public Media. Trade news has been moving very fast the past couple of months and it's easy to ignore unless you're a farmer I know how to listen to the knows what's happening when the trade cuts are we going to get a deal are we going to get is the only even if we do know is it going to really make a difference in the market I'm car Ryssdal How one Iowa farmers feel an 18 months into the trade war marketplace. This is 89 point one. The listener supported service in partnership with. An update in Arkansas news coming up in about 4 minutes. Today mostly sunny skies are expected along a high near 52 degrees tonight increasingly cloudy skies are in the forecast around 35 degrees right now it's 30 degrees and mostly cloudy skies It's 6 o'clock. Good morning what is the White House defense as the president faces 2 articles of impeachment we will question a lawyer who was a special assistant to the president in this hour of Morning Edition from n.p.r. News. A bit more than a decade ago sub prime mortgage loans caused a financial crisis now subprime auto loans have become big business I'm Steve Inskeep and I'm Noel King who is making money by lending to people with bad credit . In New Zealand rescue workers are planning a dangerous mission to an island where a volcano erupted in kill that least 8 people and why did Democrats running for president so badly want the support of the Las Vegas Colin workers union It is Thursday December 12th singer Dionne Warwick is 79. And the news is next. Live from n.p.r. News in Washington I'm Janine Herbst to do Sherri Committee takes a historic vote on impeachment today over President Trump's dealings with Ukraine lawmakers will consider that you articles from the Judiciary Committee before the vote which is expected to be along party lines N.P.R.'s Claudio goodies always has more although most Republicans are remaining fiercely loyal to the president throughout this inquiry there are those that take pause with the claims against him that he invited foreign interference into our elections for example Republican Francis Rooney of Florida is expected to vote against the impeachment However in recent days he issued a statement reiterating that the president's behavior related to Ukraine was improper N.P.R.'s Claudio could be solace the next step is a full House vote on the articles of impeachment which could happen next week Secretary of Education Betsy De Vos is testifying on Capitol Hill today as N.P.R.'s Alyson Edward any reports she said to appear before the House Education and Labor Committee about her department's handling of a program meant to relieve defrauded students federal loans secretary of OS comes before Congress after a long back and forth with lawmakers and a subpoena threat lawmakers are poised to question her about borrowers defends a program that provides loan relief to student borrowers who were defrauded by their colleges more than 200000 borrowers are in financial limbo waiting for the government to process their claims that their colleges lied to them about things like job prospects and transfer credits many of those schools are for profits that have shut down like i.t.t. Technical Institute and currently in colleges to Moss has repeatedly tried to curb debt relief to these students calling it.