Transcripts for WABE 90.1 FM [90.1 FM WABE] WABE 90.1 FM [90.1 FM WABE] 20210309 230000

On the next Morning Edition from n.p.r. News tomorrow morning at 5 point one. Stadium in Atlanta is set to host its 1st ever boxing match very limited in person crowd the fight will feature social media star turned boxer Jake Paul versus former mixed martial arts champion then ask. And there will be no public sale of tickets due to coated with organizers instead to hand selecting fans and guests to attend the novelty matches from the seeing group that brought together former champions Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr for an exhibition last year both of those men are in their fifty's the pay per view match is set for April the 17th. Till I heard more from All Things Considered marketplace at 630 and a reminder that we're back from 7 to 8 with more All Things Considered on 90 point one. Live from n.p.r. News I'm Jack Speer it was clear today jury selection will be a drawn out process in the murder trial began former police officer Derek. It's the biggest challenge so far in a case that rig $98.00 a racial justice movement and is known around the world by mid-afternoon 2 potential jurors were chosen both white and several were excused the defense. Of color in the 2nd instance the state argued the defense was removing potential jurors based on race but the judge disagreed and accepted attorney's explanation that he wanted to remove the potential because of his martial arts training and the fact that he had formed an opinion based on the video. To the ground one potential juror express discomfort with serving on a jury any case the world is watching heavily guarded and fortified. N.p.r. News Minneapolis defense officials say the Pentagon is set to approve an extension of the National Guard presence at the u.s. Capitol for around 2 more months while additional details are still being worked out defense secretary lowed Austin expected to grant final approval for Guard troops to continue providing security there amid ongoing threats the Guard presence increased following the January 6th arming of the capital by individuals loyal to former President Donald Trump Guard troops were slated to leave the Capitol Friday a federal magistrate judge is ordering pretrial detention for a former political appointee in the Trump State Department who is facing charges in connection with a capital riot N.P.R.'s Ryan Lucas has more Federico Klein served as a mid-level political appointee at the State Department during the Trump administration he was arrested last week and charged with 6 counts connected to the capital riot including assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon prosecutors say Klein battled police at the Capitol on January 6th they say he can be seen on video using a riot shield to violently shove an officer at one point now a magistrate judge in Washington d.c. Has ordered that Kline be detained pending trial after determining that he poses a danger to the community more than $300.00 people have been charged so far in connection with the attack on the capital Ryan look at n.p.r. News Washington the number of Americans who continue to feel a financial impact from the coronavirus pandemic remains high with one in 4 feeling the financial strain of the loss of a job or income within their household a year into the pandemic new survey conducted by the Associated Press North Center for Public Affairs research particularly hard headed been black and Latino households as well as many younger Americans not weathering their 2nd major financial crisis in their adult lives but half of those surveyed said that experience at least one form of household income lost during the pandemic yesterday was the tech stocks that got hammered today they roared back to life the Nasdaq was up 464 points again of 3.69 percent the Dow gained 30 points today to close at 30. 1832 the s. And p. Rose 54 points this is n.p.r. From w a b e News in Atlanta Good evening I'm Jim Burress or time now is 6 o 4 Georges 7th District u.s. Representative Democrat Carolyn Bordeaux is condemning bills in the state legislature that would cut back on absentee ballots and voting hours during the house's weekly news conference in Washington today Bordeaux's said this isn't about politics it's about protecting working people who don't have the time or ability to leave their jobs in the middle of the work day to go vote we only let people who vote 9 to 5 we're going to lose hundreds of thousands of voters who vote early in the morning made in the afternoon or on weekends or views no excuse absentee ballots to vote Bordeaux says it was originally Republicans who approved no excuse absentee voting in the state but she says quote now they're changing their tune and politics is the reason why. Georgia's courts have the Ok to resume jury trials a mediately as long as courts have adequate precautions in place against the spread of the corona virus in an order signed today Georgia Supreme Court chief justice Harold Melton extended a statewide judicial emergency but the latest order allows courts to call new jurors and hold jury trials if that can be done safely. Atlanta's as much a cup half full kind of place as it is a cut path empty type of city turns out Atlanta sits right in the middle of a new ranking of America's happiest cities the website Wallet Hub pegs Atlanta as the 90th happiest city in the u.s. Sandwiched between Riverside California and Huntsville Alabama the ranking gauged the joviality of $31.00 factors ranging from the rates of depression to income growth to how much time residents devote to leisure if you want to visit one of the unhappiest cities in the nation and you won't have to drive too far Augusta Georgia comes in at number $180.00 only slightly happier than Cleveland and Detroit there's more like local news at our Web site and that's w a b e dot org This is w a b ina news. Support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations other contributors include the wireless Foundation working to develop and share practices that can improve learning and enrichment for young people and the vitality of the arts for everyone ideas and information Ed while this foundation God or. Slight haze 64 degrees at 6 o 6 this is All Things Considered from n.p.r. News I'm Ari Shapiro and I'm Mary Louise Kelly earlier today we invited 2 old friends to come to the phone hello to Dr and on the other line his colleague and boss Dr Collins I can hear you fine yes good morning Hi Francis I don't know Tony found She is chief medical adviser to the President Francis Collins is director of the National Institutes of Health they talk every day and we invited them to talk together to us as we all mark one year since the pandemic up in our lives Dr Collins says he remembers exactly when he realized things were about to get really hard the moment for me was having to tell 40000 scientists working at the National Institutes of Health that we were going to have to close down most of our operations that were not absolutely essential for patient care and I sent a lot of really talented young scientists trainees back to their places of residence for quite a period of time and that was heartbreaking for Dr found the moment when everything changed he was in the Oval Office a handful of advisors had gathered one year ago this week to tell the president it was time to ban all travel from Europe President Trump was behind the resolute desk and we were in chairs movable chairs that were essentially circled around the desk and I remember very clearly he turned to me and said Tony is this something that you really feel we have to do and I said yes Mr President we have to do that and he agreed. Well what fun. Lowed I don't need to tell either of you has been it's been a year and I I keep thinking what it has been like for you to be the public face of the fight against a virus that you both were trying to understand in real time. Will get to hope and that maybe where maybe we're starting to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel but if I may ask was was there a low point for each of us this last year played out. Well the low point for me Mary Louise was the fact that we were trying to deal with a true public health crisis of unprecedented magnitude and impact and the data were evolving in real time and as scientists we had to I know I had to I'm certain Francis was in exactly the same boat because we were speaking to each other literally every night whereas the Science evolved you wanted to make recommendations and or guidelines that reflect the science when the science changes in the sense of the data is new data and new information what you try to do is modify things and be humble enough and flexible enough to be able to give information the low point is that when you try to do that we would doing it in an arena of such divisiveness in society where anything that was said undertook a political connotation of it can you give an example of a message that you were trying to get out there and you could see it was not landing Well here's a typical example that I think most people know about now is that we put a lot of effort when we realize that the economy was in serious trouble that we had to very carefully open up the economy open up the country but we needed to do it very carefully so Dr Burke Sanaa and others put together these guidelines that people have to have an indication that there was a decline in cases before they opened up as it were we carefully articulated that to the American public and then unfortunately soon thereafter the president said liberate Virginia liberate Michigan and people took that as a signal that they didn't have to pay attention to the carefully craft. Guidelines that's one concrete example of the frustration that we felt you know this Francis I mean I think Tony has outlined it very well the frustration that we all felt gosh we were all working 100 hours a week and in many ways still are trying to do everything possible to come up with the solutions for this crisis in terms of therapeutics and vaccines and yet the simple measures that really should have been instituted much more broadly and adhere to were so difficult to get people to actually appreciate and that really was one of the hardest parts of this whole sad year. Do you think either of you that scientists did enough to speak up to set the facts straight to make sure that the public messaging wise as accurate as as you were able to make it again underscoring we were learning about this virus in real time all of us I guess you could say we didn't do enough because the message never really completely settled in the way that you would have hoped and I don't think any of us quite expected it was going to be that hard you know Mary Louise I think one of the diagnoses that comes out of this last very difficult 12 months is that we seem to be in a society that is so polarized that even objective truth doesn't necessarily have a chance that is a very disturbing aspect of what we've learned over these 12 months and if our nation has a path forward to get into a better place it has to take that on that we have to be a nation that actually values truth and not just opinions we didn't do very well with that over this last year No not at all is that one of the things that I am stunned by this idea that some people don't want to get vaccinated because they actually think that Bill Gates and I have put a chip in the vaccine and we want to control their thoughts and I thought that this was just a few people have felt that but when you go around in the community of people who ahead. It's in about that they they they re that in this town dingly they believe it and this Francis said we never as scientists would have have anticipated that there would be such an egregious distortion of reality that is very frustrating from a scientific standpoint it becomes extremely problematic when you try to implement a public health effort that could be lifesaving and when you don't implement did well people die that's serious. I wrote on Twitter that I was going to be interviewing you too and I asked her questions people had a lot of people I will say the most common response was a lot of people just want to say thank you I want to thank you for your service. So I thought on and add my own thanks thank you. They also want to know do you sleep. It sounds like the answer's no Tony I think you sleep even less than I do and I sleep less than almost anybody I know the answer is not so much there is one gentleman who wants to ask Dr Fouchier if you have plans to redeem yourself with a better 1st pitch at Nationals opening day this spring right well into a better and better place this spring then last well I hope so but we'll see what happens I hope that as the vaccines become more readily available and that the level of infection diminishes dramatically that we do have a really healthy enjoyable baseball season but that remains to be seen I hope we're going in that direction a lot of people look to you both for cues on what it is Ok to do you have both now been vaccinated at both doses have either of you book travel planned a dinner party started to think about what it will look like to emerge from from lock down well this is Frances with the c.d.c. Guidelines having come out. Yesterday encouraging people to begin to think about that I had my 1st conversation with my 2 daughters just 2 days ago about whether maybe since they are both on the line to get vaccinated because their health care professionals we might be able to get together my 2 daughters and my wife and me in the same place after everybody's gotten through their 2 weeks post the 2nd goes and actually hug each other and I would be so happy for that moment to come so yeah in that regard a little planning but not gotten into a big travel plan myself just now Dr fact you have got your yes same thing you know the c.d.c. Recommends that you only do necessary travel and you do it very carefully right now everything that I'm doing and that I'm consumed with is right here in the Washington Bethesda area you know as my role now as the chief medical advisor to the president I need to be right where I am right now you will have seen there's been there's been a fair bit of criticism of these latest c.d.c. Guidelines that they are too timid too limited. For including from scientists and doctors I'm looking at Dr Lena wins Twitter feed saying quote We're missing a critical opportunity to incentivize Americans to be vaccinated we have to give people some hope are you sympathetic at all to do that for you and I think I'd insist still you can't get on a plane even if you've been fully vaccinated you know people are desperate for some glimmer of normal life you know Mary Louise I am sympathetic with that feeling and we're in constant discussion with the c.d.c. They have a lot of experienced epidemiologist who are trying to make these decisions based on a combination of real data which they collect in real time every day with modeling studies as well as a good dose of what we refer to as real time common sense the. These guidelines that came out are not the final guidelines at all yeah you know Mary Louise This is after all one of those circumstances those so you don't want to make mistakes just as we're beginning to see how a way forward here if we're been on a marathon since this all started a year ago and you know when you're running a marathon you don't want to stop at the 24th mile if you want to be sure you finish well here I think that's kind of the per picture we have right now we just have to stick it out here for a few more weeks and months to make sure that we get to that finish line in a way that saves the maximum number of lives so a patience I hate to say it is still needed but I think give us this summer the early fall this is going to be a very different country in a very good way and we will all be able to sort of look at that and say we got through it together and boy am I ready for that of all I am I ready for that I think we are. Well thank you to you both thank you thank you that's Dr Francis Collins director of the National Institutes of Health and actor Anthony director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president. 618 the time now and you're listening to All Things Considered on 90 point one w a b e I'm Jim Burress It's a pleasure to have you along on this Tuesday evening on the commute home tonight several mishaps will start in Fulton County where a disabled vehicle blocks the right lane on the Downtown Connector northbound at the Fulton Central Avenue exit in Fulton County that you're right lanes are blocked on I 20 eastbound at Martin Luther King Jr drive due to a wreck watch out for a mishap in the right lane on I 285 eastbound in Jonesborough road and another right wing blocked is due to a disabled vehicle on I 20 westbound at Lowry Boulevard in Douglas County the shoulders out of service I 20 westbound near lead road and a couple of problems in the same area in Cobb County in both directions of I 575 a chance teen road reports of wrecks. This report is sponsored by Whole Foods Prime members can change up breakfast with Califia farms plant based products including coffee creamer. Can be found on the Whole Foods Market. More than $2000000.00 women have dropped out of the labor force since the start of 2020 in large part due to a lack of affordable child care a look at the proposed new child tax credit and if it's enough to get women back to work that's coming up on Marketplace which begins in 11 minutes here on 90 point one. In the city right now Clear Skies 65 degrees. And remote working solution 1908. You can find at Leap Frog service. On track to make history. And this week the Senate is expected to make her the 1st Native American to join a presidential cabinet take a closer look at her priorities for the interior. And the looming fight. Next time . Tonight at 11.1. 3 each there are goals to Rowe Price invest with confidence from a cloud based phone service for small businesses with an automated virtual receptionist and mobility features to run their businesses from anywhere more at 000 am a dot com and from Americans for the Arts. From n.p.r. News this is All Things Considered I'm Mary Louise Kelly and I'm Ari Shapiro many people moved to a new place when they started working from home during the pandemic but not everyone cleared their moves with the bosses 1st N.P.R.'s Laurel Wamsley has more Kate Ray and her husband had just moved into a one bedroom in Denver last March the apartment had floor to ceiling windows a gorgeous proof deck and it was really convenient to their jobs it was brilliant for about 2 days and then we'll the pandemic the pool closed within like 48 hours of us moving in the gym closed all of the amenities close they felt trapped and they hated the constant gauche ations of the elevators a few months later wastewater started flowing into their apartment from the unit above it was gross but it allowed them to break their lease we purchased a house in Cloquet Minnesota site on scene got some movers moved into the house that we have now Ray has family in northern Minnesota and she's now pregnant the couple told their employers at 1st that it was just temporary through her maternity leave we kind of withheld information about having purchased a house for example I think we both had fear of what that would mean for our employment conditions but also because we couldn't really admit to ourselves I think the level of commitment that we were making in the level of crazy life changes that that were happening and to quickly they're not alone in jumping 1st asking permission later some remote workers have moved to new states to be with long distance partners some suddenly had the freedom to live in a warmer climate or a mountain town David Lewis is the c.e.o. Of operations and an h.r. Consulting firm in Connecticut he says many of his clients have seen employees suddenly buy homes out of state and they've just rolled with it it wasn't crowded odd as much as it probably would have been prior to and now I think that day of reckoning is coming he predicts that more than half of companies that can allow remote work will continue to at. At least part time and he says companies will have to think hard about being heavy handed in ordering people back into the office from wherever they are the good news is you could get everybody back in the office the bad news is not everybody's going to come back and it also comes down to who these workers are if they are valued employees and their productive ones and they have continued to be productive it's while working in this cold world chances are organizations are going to allow them to continue to do that that seems to be the case for Ray and her husband now that they're across the country their employers have hinted that they can probably keep working remotely and other workers aren't making such drastic moves like Benji who moved with his partner and daughter from downtown Detroit to Lansing Michigan in August they signed a 2 year lease even though his employer a large health insurance company hasn't given him permission to work remotely on a permanent basis did that feel risky it's all totally risky. Oh like I was jumping off of a ledge without a parachute to Benjie asked that his last name not be used in order to protect his job and land saying he likes the proximity to family cheaper cost of living and the local schools for his daughter and when there isn't a deadly virus it is a fun town if he does have to go back to the office instead of a 12 minute bike ride he'll have an hour and 40 minute drive each way he says the move was a way to find a silver lining amid the pandemic and to take a cue from the digital nomads he watches on You Tube They're living in Bali and working on a way out top with a hot spot in their bikini and I was honestly jealous moving from to try to Liam thing is about to close is that I was going to get to that kind of jet setting lifestyle. He admires the freedom and possibility they seem to have in their lives and he wanted a bit of that for himself Laurel Wamsley n.p.r. News Mexican women took to streets across the country yesterday to protest the pervasive violence they face in Mexico City the demonstration turned violent with dozens of police and protesters suffering and juries the demonstrators are also angry at the president's backing of a political candidate accused of sexually assaulting women N.P.R.'s Carrie Kahn reports. Women many sporting purple shirts and bandanas a symbol of Mexico's movement poured into the Capital Plaza filling the square. Chanting wake up the feminists is on the move in Latin America the women protested against the often fatal abuse they face in Mexico as many as 10 women a day are murdered tens of thousands are raped every year 18 year old Sophie of yellow skin says she's also fed up with the daily harassment she faces on the streets and on public transportation. It's like a self-imposed curfew girls have I don't leave my house out of fear you never know if you're going to come back home alive she says some of the protesters directed that anger towards a huge metal barricade erected to protect the national palace where the president currently lives. Armed with hammers and crowbars women battle police for hours well into the evening they lit aerosol cans on fire and hurled them at officers standing behind the barriers more than 60 police officers were injured as well as nearly 20 protesters according to city officials but some of the protesters just kicked the steel wall in desperation and cried. And her mom watched the violence from a distance impressed with the women's determination. They don't pay any attention to us when we just talk nicely says. Feminists are also and president. Of a political candidate who 5 women have reportedly accused of sexual assault including rape many women including those from within his own party have demanded the candidate withdraw from the race they accuse the president. Maintaining what they call the patriarchal pact that keeps men in power. Says these ideas have been in ported to Mexico. They are just copies he said at one of his recent press conferences he accuses feminists of being in the pockets of his political adversaries conservatives the rich who he says have the most to lose as he transforms the country and champions the poor but is Mexican women have watched the me too movement topple powerful men abroad they've grown more in rage by the president's refusal to withdraw support from fellow. Running for governor of the state of Guerrero. Only the words of the president play a very important role in politics and in society. One of the lawyers for a woman who raped her when she was a teenager and the other woman drugged and raped her and videotaped. Gado a long time politician an ally of Lopez Obrador denies all charges of sexual assault against him political commentator Denise Dresser says it's a mistake for the president to dismiss feminists and their movement is growing it is national and it is populated by many young women taking to the streets and forcing real change and they are proving to be the loudest opposition to the president in the country. Is with the feminist group which is of the sea based in the Gulf state of Vera Cruz She says every corner of Mexico now has an organized women. And these women are not backing down. While women in Mexico have a long in the fight ahead of us for just. This is n.p.r. News and this is member supported 90 point one w a b e I'm Jim Burress attorney Benjamin Crump helps the families of black Americans killed by police he says accountability and justice are not the same thing only thing Joris wrong could get is accountability were out of could only get accountability justice were beaten him stare year with this lib and we'll have more in the 7 o'clock hour when all things considered continues on $90.00 w.e.v.e. Up next it's marketplace local support for Marketplace comes from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business executive m.b.a. Program in the heart of bucket ranked the top executive m.b.a. Program in Georgia by the economist students may earn their m.b.a. In 18 months without interrupting their careers interested candidates can apply now for classes beginning in September information at Georgia m.b.a. Programs dot com. Marketplace is supported by expanse a panel Alto Networks company used by enterprises for attack surface management expanse knows your attack surface so you can own it before someone else does how long do you suppose it takes to borrow $1.00 trillion dollars. From American Public Media this is Marketplace. The marketplace is supported by 18 helping transform supply chains with strategies services and software including marketing g.t. Next Ai based digital procurement can supply chain platforms and on experiment hammering legal advisors supporting innovative executives shaping a brighter future more on their journeys at move forward and every week. In Los Angeles on results it is Tuesday June day I do believe this is the 9th of March but as always to be along with everybody you know one of the really interesting developments in the politics of this economy this past year is how comfortable everybody's gotten with deficit spending specifically here Democrats who like Republicans while their own party was in the White House have decided that they are going to do now and worry about how to pay for it later borrow In other words we're trillions already spent on this pandemic though and another 1.9 trillion in relief set to become law in the next day or so that is a whole lot of borrowing that's got to be done government bonds to be sold is how that works and as it happens there's going to be an auction for 10 year Treasury notes tomorrow that all important benchmark for everything from mortgage rates to auto loans But as Marketplace's Justin ho reports demand for government debt. Has not been so hot of late the government auctions off bonds to finance day to day operations add to that last year's relief packages and the potential for $1.00 trillion dollars of additional aid the government needs to plough out of a lot of debt says when he sees are head of credit strategy for Wells Fargo this year. Well. It's lurch any major basis since we're due and to make matters worse investors have not been buying many government bonds lately says Gail Obama Chief fixed income strategist with j. McHenry Scott many investors selling their holdings of demanding higher interest rates to bonds the concern is whether investors don't want to buy bonds at the rate the government's offering in tomorrow's auction says Jim Vogel of f.h. And financial If the auction doesn't go well and not enough bitters show up at current levels then rates will have to spike higher in order to attract buyers and that could have a domino effect says when he sees her at Wells Fargo because the yield on the 10 year bond influences rates throughout the economy she says companies might have to pay more on their own bonds mortgages could get more expensive foreign costs or the u.s. Government borrowing costs or pretty much everyone else. She says that's why the Federal Reserve will be watching tomorrow as auction to to see if it needs to step in I'm just and how far marketplace one of the things all that borrowing is going to do at least in the short to medium term is give the economy a shot in the arm and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development was out with a report this morning that said the Biden plan and the other relief spending so far is going to help the u.s. Economy grow almost twice as fast as expected 6 and a half percent this year. But as we know that recovery looks different for different groups especially in this pandemic women more than 2000000 women have dropped out of the labor force since the start of 2020 a lot of them to care for children as we've been reporting there is an expanded child tax credit in the relief bill and billions of dollars to support child care But as Marketplace's Jasmine gars reports childcare is still the biggest single stumbling block for women who want and often need to get back to work women's participation in the workforce hasn't been this low since 1988 and women of color are disproportionately affected Melissa Taylor is the vice president of income security and child care at the National Women's Law Center she calls the administration's plan groundbreaking the American rescue plan represents a shift to an understanding that it is working people and especially women and women of color that are the economy but even a monthly child tax credit of up to $300.00 will not pay for full time child care in the United States today in West Virginia $1.00 of the poorest states in the country the cost of childcare averages more than twice that just over $600.00 a month Sara Jane Glynn a fellow with the Center for American Progress calls the rescue plan quote a downpayment towards economic recovery but she says the problem of an affordable child care is Sun troll this is an infrastructure issue this is not about like let's do a sweet nice thing for families we literally cannot continue to grow and expand if we do not have women working and that is dependent upon having safe reliable affordable childcare advocates say another important step towards helping women go back to work would be raising wages including the minimum wage a proposal that did not make it into the relief plan another crucial support is pay equity at least gold is with the Economic Policy Institute. But there is no paid leave option for the vast majority of workers and so who is going to take the unpaid leave Well the 1st his earning less for millions of American women that's that I'm Jasmine Garst for Marketplace on Wall Street today what traders worry we'll have the details when we do the numbers. One of the early signs that the virus was going to change you know everything was when South by Southwest was kind of suddenly canceled last year another trip around the sun later the annual conference and associated festivals are set to start next week in Austin and despite gov Greg Abbott's recent pronouncement that Texas is 100 percent open this year's festival is still going to be online only speeches by willing Elson and Stacy Abrams live sets from new bands film screenings and business networking get togethers all of it virtual So what do you think worth the price of South by admission from Austin Marketplace's indie ular has out. In a normal 100 year old Paramount Theater here on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin would be gearing up to show new films as part of South by Southwest films that might have included the documentary about Texas troubadour Guy Clark. 3. The film without getting killed or caught is part of the South by Southwest Film Festival but you'll have to watch it from your couch all festival films are virtual only Jim Ritz is the c.e.o. Of the Austin theater Alliance which runs the paramount he says. For the 2nd year running the Paramount's going to miss out on the rent that South by Southwest would normally pay not to mention the sale of popcorn and cokes over those $10.00 days we would be screening between 60. Doing something like $20.00 to $25.00 world premiere Los Angeles ad agency founder Nick clever off was going to debut a short promotional film at the festival last year but South by was canceled altogether he got a free pass to attend in 2021 as a consolation prize his wife who is his business partner bought a pass for about $400.00 and even though they're not traveling to Austin they expect in the end they'll get something out of attending South by online in a virtual setting you know if if that entry gets you into some rooms where you were a natural connection might happen and something authentic happens I certainly think it's worth it and at the very least you get to watch some cool movies and hear some new music for Malik is a bit more dubious he's not interested in spending 400 bucks for a virtual South by Southwest what's the point he's a Finn tech entrepreneur bought a platinum badge and $21000.00 to get him into everything at South by including panel discussions about emerging technology those badges go for more than 700 dollars like so many South by Southwest attendees Malik is in it for the serendipity so music here a keynote speech there meeting new people over cocktails and tacos you lose all of that now because I mean I can see a name on a zoom call but I don't nothing about that person other than that they're there and I don't even know if they're actually there because. I mean I've been on Zune calls and I've turned my camera off and I'm not actually there the sound like corporation really has no idea how many people are going to buy passes this year Jan Baskett is the chief brand officer obviously we can't create the beauty of the physical spontaneity but we're using platforms that will allow for Mentor sessions and workshops and Roundtable. And it will feel like there are a variety of ways to connect with each other after the event was cancelled last March South by Southwest laid off about a 3rd of its staff almost 60 people and has since hired back some of them Austin's business community is rooting for South by Southwest to get through the pandemic it's just so important to the local economy city low runs red velvet a local event management agency that depends on south by we are struggling ourselves so we have cut our team in half practically we are working basically week to week in trying to secure as much revenue as possible at this point she's just hoping her company can stick around long enough to benefit from South by Southwest 2022 assuming that version is back to normal in Austin I may be uber for marketing . You need everything you need to know to start your business leg anomic they would go over David Brancaccio and the gang on the Marketplace Morning Report check it out. Unilever is perhaps the most common go arm or a t. Of conglomerates maker of everything from tea and ice cream to laundry detergent to shampoo and toothpaste today the company said it's making some changes to some of its beauty and personal care brands dove and axe and Vaseline among them they're getting rid of the word normal from their product descriptions Marketplace's Adams explains why when a shampoo or a face wash is labeled as being for normal hair or skin it's sending a subtle message says Lisa Wade who teaches sociology and gender studies at Tulane we need to kind of look a little bit at how much work or it's like normal do in our society it implicitly sets the standard of what's Ok or acceptable or professional. And and beauty industry it's quite often racialize and we see it around both products for our hair and products for skin it's been very typical to describe our bodies as normal or not a company as big as you know lever with its 400 brands is powerful enough to shape how consumers see themselves says marketers Stephen jumper at the Go snowed creative agency for decades you know black and brown consumers across the world going into their local grocery store convenience store and seeing products title normal and don't align with what they look like jumper says you know lever and other big consumer brands making announcements like this are doing it because they have to I think quite honestly it's because the consumers has changed particularly black and brown consumers not only in America or across the world are now demanding more you know lever also says it won't digitally alter someone's skin color or body shape in ads Greg Portela is lead partner for the global consumer practice at Carni Unilever's action is going to pull in many of the other brands in the segments of which they compete and actually quite honestly beyond just those it's because now everyone is talking about just who and what we mean when we say normal in Washington I'm Kimberly Adams from Marketplace. Coming up right now we don't have a lot of robots on our street there may be more of Mir think there are 1st though let's do the numbers. Down to 30 today 10 percent closed at 31832 the Nasdaq up 464.3 in 7 tenth's percent close the 13073 my colleague David Brancaccio this morning called in as the. Emo band really just got all over the place s.b. 554.1.4 percent 35875100 1000000 that's how many subscribers Disney has attracted to Disney Plus since it launched in November of 2019 Back then company said it's going to need until at least 2024 to pick up that many subscribers nevertheless and because of capitalism shares in Disney down 3 and sixpence percent the day you're listening to Marketplace marketplace is supported by circle c.i. Now that every company is a software company getting code to market quickly and securely matters learn why developers rely on circle c.i.i. To manage their continuous integration and delivery pipelines at Circle c.i. Dot com And by parent as an employee owned financial firm Baird offers advice solely focused on clients' needs while consistently investing in their expertise and capabilities to serve those needs more information at Bear differenced dot com and buy c 3 dot a i c 3 dot Ai software enables organizations to use artificial intelligence at enterprise scale solving previously unsolvable business problems learn more it see 3 dot and. Of the day's top business in economic news is still ahead on 90 point one w.e.v.e. I'm Jim Burress this is Marketplace. Peter O'Dowd Why are people still dying of preventable diseases around the world a doctor who treated a bowl of patients in Africa claims on an answer it can be boiled down to your. People and then extracting from those other people whether it's in the form of slavery or colonialism That's next on here tomorrow at noon on 90 point one. This is Marketplace result today in this is a global economy in strange and mysterious ways postage rates a couple of years ago there was a big trump administration led brouhaha over international postage and who paid how much to ship very long story made short and believe me you are going to be glad to have been spared the details on this one for going on a year now Chinese shippers who rely on the United States Postal Service for delivery of their goods once those goods get here have been having to pay higher rates marketplace Jennifer Pak spoke to a businessman in Shanghai to find out how he's coping before the Cove in 1000 pandemic the biggest challenge businessman by Tao ever faced was getting paid on time he used to sell the screens on the Chinese market down there that you go to. China it's very common for clients to delight payments one client took 10 years to pay off an invoice it was unbearable so unbearable that he quit the industry and switched to e-commerce in 2017 he mainly sells to the u.s. And Europe through an American app called Wish a cheap online sales platform called it may have cost him business but at his warehouse in Shanghai all his employees are back to work. The shelves are fully stocked He says his top sellers are robot vacuum cellphone holders and earrings but over the past year I had House says he came close to shutting down so many times 1st China went into a lockdown and he still had overseas orders to fulfill you want to. Shenzhen city stop them manufacturing all this which was so we went from factory to factory begging h want to send us whatever products they had in stock Chinese manufacturers finally went back to work last spring just as the rest of the world went into lockdown by white house survived by selling pandemic related stuff thermometers plastic gloves and sanitizers. Something else saved him to us stimulus checks. Ok a woman saved over when the u.s. Government handed out money orders were really good sales and I tripled compared to the year before his lucky streak didn't last in July 2020 shipping fees for sellers like my hide how went way up. See one processor sent from Shanghai warehouse who uses the postal system mailing a necklace to the u.s. For example would cost by hideout just a few pennies that's cheaper than sending a letter from l.a. To New York and that's down to an international cautioning agreement under the deal the u.s. Pitches the bulk of the delivery costs while developing countries like China pay less and this is done through the universal Postal Union again by had to do it all you know the universal Postal Union it was established more than 100 years ago it was mentioned 4 letter delivery between countries but e-commerce sellers like him saw a loophole they sold only small and lightweight items sent through the postal system . For small parcels of the during peak times when I sent more than $10000.00 a day to the us by the year that's millions of packages from my company alone it's not fair says the u.s. Government and the previous administration under Donald Trump threaten to leave the international agreement unless America pays less and it got its way about weight Ichiro Yeah. Local news reports say under the new changes China will pay a lot more subsidies to have its parcels delivered abroad a 27 percent increase in 2020 that extra cost though gets passed on to American consumers by Hightower has seen his sales drop by half a woman. I understand why there is frustration in the u.s. Chinese sellers took advantage of the u.s. Postal system we had met that but ask yourself why are Americans able to pay so little for. Nice products isn't it also true that Americans take advantage of our cheap labor as provide how he's still keen to sell to Americans and he finds they pay on time in Shanghai I'm Jennifer packed for Marketplace. We don't know even more than we usually don't know what this economy is going to look like in say 6 months more people are getting their shots more schools are opening offices at some point probably too that's all top of mind for a lot of us but especially so for retailers who are ordering their fall collections right now are and who are having to guess are people going to be inside in sweatpants or back out wearing dresses maybe December khakis and all of that after a year in this pandemic John Amee we have come to today's installment of our series My economy My name is Kat while Cox and I Cohen as a small boutique called the Laureate in Seattle the shop has been closed for almost a year now my business partner and I a switch off going and to ship orders and to curbside pick up such a big part of our business is interacting with people and I think fashion can get a really bad name as being kind of superficial but people come to us looking for outfits fur their 1st day of work or outfits for weddings or you know outfits for funerals it can be a very emotional thing so it really is trying to figure out what that special touch is when you are face to face but it also is not as good as it could be in person and. Before the pandemic cheek and I would just have a pretty quick photo session and get everything new and the website up that way so now that she can I aren't there at the same time I just get the clothing to my house and I have enlisted my boyfriend to take pictures Hi Art Director he still seems Ok to think it's. Well and I keep on joking with them I'm like well if you do a good enough job maybe someday we'll pay you. I just can't. Get Wilcox she runs a Lauria in Seattle Washington does favor let us know it's going on in your economy Would you can do that at Marketplace dot org slash my county. Board now about cars driverless electric cars they're not just common they're here lift in Las Vegas offers self driving cars human operator up front for now just for safety. And last month Intel's self driving venture said it's going to power cell driving shuttles in Europe by 2023 they're kind of like little buses and as Marketplace's Nova Safo explains that look is actually part of a deliberate strategy to solve some of the challenges posed by our automotive future another word for cars that think for themselves at highway speeds is robots car designers want to get us used to that idea by making cute robots on wheels that look like overgrown toys sort of like Tonka trucks or something out of a Lego set to some degree has to be redefined what robots mean right that's Daniel Hunt He's the head of design at the start up near 0. Which is working on a vehicle that is essentially 2 cargo trunks side by side with flip up doors designed to haul groceries not people approachability is really important if you want to build a bridge between technology and humans so Hans designed the Nero as a mini car it sort of looks like a shrunken v.w. Bus or a squat Thomas the Tank Engine too small for a grown adult even though no human is driving it Hunt gave it a sense of the familiar with a heavily tinted windshield the sort of idea came from a motorcycle helmet and taking it we do not need a windshield up front but we shot like we needed to give the object in area that it needed to something that was more traditional Hans says they tested without the windshield 1st and that didn't go over so well meanwhile the Zeus robo taxi that's z o o x is big enough for people but there's no driver it's basically a boxy carriage red lights signal the back white lights up front they're the lights so they just switch colors when the car switches direction Christophe all who leads the industrial design team of Zeus says they had latitude to reimagine what a car is are so much more designed functionally allows us to have by directional Realty in a dense urban environment in a city it's not just efficient on traffic clogged streets the company says it's also a fish and in the factory cheaper to make because the car is for virtually identical quarter chunks snap together we really kind of have these just it components that come in kind of likely goes into together and allows us to have a very I guess a streamlined approach make accurate service and that's exactly what we're looking for these concepts seem to appeal to Amazon it bought soups last year Stoffel says ultimately what matters is what customers think and that's really are going to get people excited about the technology a lot of this is. About emotion Paul Snyder teaches automotive design at the Detroit based College for Creative Studies he says designers have to combat a sense of the foreign by adding in cues of the familiar as of right now we don't have a lot of robots on our streets so we're still at a very very nascent stage of. You know the design the engineering and they have parents of these machines 3rd question to machines since all of this is so new designers are playing it fairly safe for now to get us humans comfortable with cars driving us instead of the other way around I'm going to suffer from Mark. This final note on the way out today the news item 1st and then a personal observation a report by the traffic analytics company in Rexx says last year the average American driver spent 26 hours stuck in traffic yes more than a full day but a far far cry from the before times average of 99 hours sitting stop to bumper to bumper that was 2001000 by the way and that is the news the observation is that my own daily trip from my house to Marketplace world headquarters because my home internet is lousy is slowly but surely getting longer most noticeably in the past week or so which is good I guess. Marketplace is supported by at last and 83 percent of Fortune $500.00 companies use collaboration software from it Lassie and like for trauma enabling teams to stay agile and connected at last. And by Merrill Merrill guided investing helps manage a client's portfolio of Merrill Lynch dot com slash investing goals Merrill Lynch Pierce. Veteran Smith incorporated both a registered broker dealer and investment advisor. Can buy mine cast used find nearly 40000 organizations to help keep them safe from fishing business email compromise and ransomware learn more at mine Cast dot com My goodness look at the time we got to go our digital and On Demand team includes a full member Dole who Oxman Erica Philips Brian Ron and Tony Wagner star Nevis is our executive director of on demand on car seat of our body what is this a piano. Support for w a b e comes from Georgia Power investing in new technologies to increase the resiliency of Georgia's grid is just one way Georgia power provides clean safe and reliable energy learn more at Georgia Power dot com slash reliability. Tonight at 7 get in-depth coverage of issues in current events from one of the most trusted news programs on television watch p.b.s. News Hour tonight at 7 p.b.s. . More than half a 1000000 Americans have received an experimental treatment. Convalescent. In new epidemic and pandemic diseases as recently as 2 scientists in the u.s. Have enough resources to find out if it's working people might say that some possible but that's largely what the United Kingdom has done on the next Morning Edition from n.p.r. News tomorrow morning a 590 point one be. A few clouds in the sky some haze from fires especially in south Georgia right now we have 62 degrees in Atlanta overnight lows will fall to near 40 for tomorrow abundant sunshine with a high of 73 this is. It's 7 o'clock. As if you have heard about this and the question becomes. What goes into choosing impartial jurors for a case that people all over the world have heard about it is Tuesday March 9th and this is All Things Considered from n.p.r. News. I'm Ari Shapiro and I'm Mary Louise Kelly coming up the latest on the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George talked to Ben Crump the attorney who's been called Black America's attorney general. It's a journey to justice you know you take 2 steps forward being you sometimes take a step back plus people with disabilities feel left behind in the race to get vaccinated just like somebody taking up had an underlining that 10 disabled people are dying and Miami Beach braces for another spring break in a pandemic now the news. Live from n.p.r. News I'm Jack Speer the Supreme Court is dismissing a case over the legalities of the so-called public charge will at the request of the bided ministration N.P.R.'s Joel Rose reports the administration is expected to drop the controversial immigration policy the tropic ministrations public charge rule made it harder for immigrants to get green cards if they were considered likely to use a wide range of government benefits including food stamps and subsidized health insurance but immigrant advocates said the rule went far beyond what Congress intended and was essentially a wealth test several lower courts agreed finding the rule likely violated federal law the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal filed by the Trump administration but President Joe Biden's administration asked the high court to dismiss the case clearing the way for his administration to drop the rule altogether Joel Rose n.p.r. News census governor Greg Abbott visited the state's border region to address the rising number of migrants arriving there and federal immigration policies re Amend Us with Texas Public Radio has that story added spoke after being briefed by border patrol and law enforcement in the g.a.o. Down the valley a major entry point for migrants he said he is searching state law enforcement and National Guard resources to protect Texans we will work to step up and try to fill the gap. That the federal government is leaving open by making sure that we deploy every resource whether it be Texas Department of Public Safety National Guard whatever we need today Texas is going to fight for the safety and security of our states have it also stressed out coronavirus testing of migrants in vaccinations of border patrol or federal responsibilities that must be addressed by the Biden administration I met am in days in night in Arkansas as governor signed legislation into law that would ban virtually all abortions in that state it was expected opponents would challenge the sweeping measure before takes effect later this year measure signed today by Republican governor Asa Hutchinson would allow Bush in in the state only to save the life of the Ma. Other does not include exceptions for rape or incest Arkansas now one of at least 14 states where legislators were opposed outright abortion bans stocks closed higher today with technology shares enjoying some of the biggest gains N.P.R.'s Scott Horsley has more the tech heavy Nasdaq enjoyed a strong rebound jumping more than 3 and a half percent after being down more than 10 percent on Monday from its recent highs the broader s. And p. $500.00 Index also climbed one and 4 tenths percent the Dow was in record territory for much of the day but the blue chip rally fizzled in late afternoon and the Dow closed up just 110th of one percent tech stocks which have taken a beating in recent days began to look like bargains to some investors who snapped up the discounted shares Microsoft rose nearly 3 percent Amazon climbed almost 4 percent and Tesla stock jumped nearly 20 percent Scott Horsley n.p.r. News Washington the Nasdaq was up 464 points this is n.p.r. From w.a.b. News in Atlanta Good evening I'm Jim Burress or time now is 70 forward former President Jimmy Carter today is weighing in on Georgia Republicans push to eliminate no excuse absentee voting as it will hurt reports Carter has made voting access in security a priority of his post White House work in a statement the 96 year old Carter said the proposed election law changes in his home state left him quote disheartened saddened an angry he said the new laws would turn back the clock on voting access there are multiple Republican election bills in the General Assembly that focus on restricting absentee voting after unproven allegations of voter fraud took hold following the 2020 Alexion other proposals include adding an identification requirement on absentee ballots and restricting absentee Dropbox locations while none of these bills have yet to become law voting advocates have already threatened to sue if they do Emma hurt w.a.b. News Democratic u.s. Congresswoman Carolyn Bordeaux is speaking out against. Been changes to Georgia's voting laws as proposed by state Republicans many in the g.o.p. Say their aim is to make voting more secure but there's no evidence the current system lacks security Porto who was the only Democratic candidate to flip a House seat in 2020 and says Republicans are changing the rules because they worked too well in 2500 it was Republicans who acted no excuse absentee voting in Georgia and now they're changing their tune and politics is the reason why I proudly voted for the for the People Act to push back on these efforts in Georgia and its state legislatures around the country because our right to vote is sacred and the for the People Act also known as h.r. One is a bill that expands voting rights changes campaign finance laws to reduce the influence of so-called dark money in politics and limits partisan gerrymandering it also creates new ethics rules for federal office holders you can find more local news on our website at w a b e dot org This is w a b e News. Support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations other contributors include our drive with remote p.c. Providing remote access to P.C.'s Macs and servers from anywhere assisting those working from home and also enabling remote assistance for customers at remote p.c. Dot com Still ahead a complete wrap of all the day's Atlanta and regional news on 90 point one w a b e. This is All Things Considered from n.p.r. News I'm Audie Cornish and I'm Ari Shapiro after a day of procedural delays jury selection has begun in the trial of Derek Chauvin He's the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd N.P.R.'s Adrian flurried I was in Minneapolis covering the trial Hi Adrianne Hi Ari So Jury selection has started but this is such a high profile case taking place during a pandemic I'm guessing it looks different from most jury selection proceedings what's going on it does in part because of the pandemic also because there are cameras in the courtroom which is very rare in Minnesota so jurors are being brought in they're sitting behind Plexiglas and they're being questioned one at a time sometimes for close to an hour each They're being kept off camera so except for the 2 reporters rotating in and out of the courtroom we're only hearing their voices and they can be dismissed for a number of reasons I the judge can dismiss them or the prosecution or the defense can the prosecution can strike up to 9. Gets up to 9 strikes and the defense gets up to 15 and what's very clear from this 1st day is that this is playing out it's a very slow deliberative process and what did you learn today about what the lawyers on each side seem to be looking for in potential jurors what would go in seating any jury is to find an impartial jury right and so someone who can set aside preconceived ideas or opinions and decide a case based only on the evidence and in such a high profile emotional case that's going to be a challenge here and as you might expect it one thing that both sides seem to be very attuned to and became very clear today is the role of race. These jurors are being questioned on their views on things like black lives matter the Racial Justice protests Listen to this question that Derek shoguns attorney Eric Nelson asked one potential juror with respect to. Indicated that you view. With respect to. Her here. Yeah I don't love the black guys better organization I do support the message that every life should matter only. I don't believe that the organization. Do you think that you know the phrase in the movement stands for that their exchange went on for a while there that man was ultimately chosen for the jury there was also a moment today because the racial makeup of the jury is going to be very important . When the prosecution took issue with the fact that the 1st 2 people the defense dismissed were Latinos the judge ruled that that was just a coincidence but it spoke to the importance of that issue here race is so clearly critical to this trial and so is policing our jurors our lawyers rather working to find out how potential jurors view the police here absolutely these lawyers have a lot of information about these prospective jurors already even before they set foot in the courtroom because of these questionnaires that were sent out beforehand so listen to how this lawyer for the state for the prosecution His name is Steve listen to how he asked a potential juror about one of his answers on that questionnaire he said you strongly agree that because law enforcement officers have such dangerous jobs that it's not right 2nd. The decisions they make while. I just feel that if you know the vast majority of cases they don't make split 2nd decisions and they make the rules. That man as you might imagine he was dismissed by the prosecution it seemed clear that they were concerned that he may be too police friendly just briefly what kind of a timeline are we looking at here well up to 3 weeks have been set aside for jury selection it's a slow process but by the end of the day today they had selected 3 jurors they need 12 plus 4 alternates so they have set an aside a good chunk of time after that opening arguments in the trial are expected to begin March 29th That's N.P.R.'s Adrian 3 dough in Minneapolis thank you thanks very criminal convictions are not common when it comes to police involved killings but settlements between the families of victims and city police departments are attorney Benjamin Crump currently represents George Floyd's family they are very anxious as one might expect the fact that they can only have one family member in the courtroom at a time because of covert concerns it's very difficult for them because you want another family member to be able to lean on to have an emotional support Crump is also represented the families of Trayvon Martin Briana Taylor a modern r. Barry and many many others when we spoke earlier today I asked if he believes that at this point civil settlements beyond the legal redress to families of victims really do much of anything to mitigate the problem of police killings at think yes to know every many ways those settlements and those critics where they have to pay make them rethink that so they have abolished no doubt warrants now enjoys floor a case I think they're going to be held accountable civilly as well as criminally and in a civil manner I believe Minneapolis is going to abolish. Charles which but do you mind finishing that point so you're essentially saying that it's not just about the families you think civil suits have a role here Oh absolutely I think we are a capitalistic society and the more the city governments have to. Take their budget in as compensation to these families and these $983.00 wrongful death civil rights cases the more they got to make changes so they don't have to keep an eye out money now that's the yes part of the no part of the answer is this the fact that juries fraud was supposed to be a tipping point May 25th 2020 after they killed him but 6 months after George flow would keep up until the beginning of the this year in jail where there were another 130 black people killed by police do you look back at any of your cases and see threads and then that set a precedent for current cases or has each one of them been uniquely different well I think each of them are unique but there are common story is I think you know we're starting to turn it's a journey to justice you know you take 2 steps forward being you sometime take a step back but Corey Jones 2 years ago that was a young drama who was brought down on the side of the street an undercover police officer came down to go bam jeans and t. Share and shot and killed him and tried to make it seem as if he had to do it because he was in fear of his life there have obviously been a char and the all white jury in Palm Beach Florida came back and come big ham which marked the 1st time in 30 years in the state of Florida that a police officer had become big hit of killing a black person we just have to keep fighting. Benjamin Crump you know the 1st time I encountered you was in the Panama City Florida case of Martin Anderson who was the young man who was killed after being beaten by deputies at a juvenile boot camp and he would have turned 30 years old yeah we're shaking your head remembering that case is so tragic Martley Anderson's case was Trayvon Martin before Trayvon Martin but that young bar was. Suffocated own that video surveillance. Even though we got largest amount of a paid out by the state of Florida for what individual wrongful death not one of those 8 cars who kicked him and punished him and put him only a tablas up is not were convicted and in fact all were right Jim Panama City on this they had out for an hour and a half and said. You know everything was justified. That this 14 year old. We have nobody held accountable for killing him looking back at that case as you said. While there was a financial settlement in it and the state of Florida and it up. Getting rid of those juvenile boot camps altogether they are banned. There was no conviction for the deputies who were involved does it feel like there has been progress since then there have been progress we have to remember it's just been in the last 30 years were black people even get civil compensation for the police kill in the us I mean they usually just kill less and that than no form of justice so do you know it's flaws but unlike Briana Taylor and so many of those has an opportunity to get forward justice to get a civil resolution in the civil course but also a chance to get criminal justice because he was indicted and charged at this point what would you consider progress so to speak I mean is there an actual benchmark is there something that you would look for to say my work has become meaningful is right straight forward progress will be justice and justice is not to be confused with accountability the only thing George law could give is accountability Briana can only get accountability in our model because only give accountability because the reality is justice will be damn steering here with us live and. We don't have these asked that become a household name the few they do become household names because we have to remember there were 1300 people all average killed by police in America and out of those 30100 we really only come to know 4 of the how profile our names each year can you imagine the other families who nobody ever talks about how that must make them feel about the value of their love for their well and human crime thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today thank you for having me that's attorney Benjamin Crump. Our time now is 717 and you're listening to All Things Considered on 90 point one w a b e I'm Jim Burress will take a look at the roadways right now in Atlanta a record blocks the shoulder I 205 eastbound a Jonesborough road in Marietta accident affecting the 2 right lanes there blocked on 75 northbound before the South Highway 120 loop in cow we did County a wreck also blocking 3 right lanes This is 85 southbound before McCullum shark Sharpsburg road and watch out for a disabled vehicle in the right lane in Fulton County on Georgia 400 northbound and him and drive. Support for w a b e comes from the Atlanta science festival celebrating science and technology with more than 80 outdoor socially distanced and virtual events for people of all ages March 13th through the 27th Atlanta Science Festival dot org And from the original mattress factory manufacturers of hand built mattresses and box springs at their employee owned and operated factory in Atlanta featuring the original orthopedic brand with flip side mattress design original mattress dot com Deb Palin is on track to make history. And this week the Senate is expected to make her the 1st Native American to join a presidential cabinet but take a closer look at her priorities for the Interior for Public Land and the looming fight over fossil fuels next time. Tonight at 11 on $90.00. Still ahead a complete wrap of all the day's news from Atlanta and the region you're listening to All Things Considered on 90 point one. Right now in the city we have just a few clouds some haze from some fires especially in south Georgia that have made their way through the atmosphere up into the area 62 degrees that's high fire danger is in effect for the rest of the week probably as well as we have low humidities in the afternoons. Overnight though decreasing clouds with lows near 44 tomorrow lots of sunshine and a high of 7373 on Thursday 77 the forecast high on Friday 76 on Saturday pretty nice weekend in store. Support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from Progressive Insurance committed to offering a streamlined shopping experience where home and auto can be bundled together now that's progressive learn more at progressive dot com or 1800 progressive from Jones Day and integrated partnership collaboratively providing legal services for more than a century 43 offices 5 continents serving clients as one firm worldwide learn more at Jones Day dot com and from Americans for the Arts. From n.p.r. News this is All Things Considered I'm Ari Shapiro and I'm Mary Louise Kelly and as soon as tomorrow President Biden will sign his 1st big piece of legislation the American rescue plan covert 1000 relief bill one person largely responsible for that aim for shaping the presidential agenda going forward is White House chief of staff Ron Klain N.P.R.'s Mara Liasson has this profile Joe Biden ran on competence and experience and he chose a chief of staff known for both we're seeing a functioning White House kill Savior and that's a tribute to claim that's Chris Whipple who wrote the gatekeepers the book about White House chief of staff in the 1st $49.00 days of the administration claim has had a big when the relief bill is passing on a party line vote not exactly what Biden wanted but the Democrats' tiny majority stayed remarkably intact Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins was part of the brief and ultimately fruitless bipartisan negotiations with Biden and clane But Collins is not criticizing the president he was very expensive races in the details race disguised in those bipartisan discussions claim played a silent but useful role although not one that made Collins very happy if it was safe in the fair. Which is not exactly a hurried saying. In this case clane absorbs the criticism that senators like Collins are not willing to give to a president they know and like and whose approval ratings are in the high fifty's in the fight for the relief bill Klain applied lessons learned the hard way from his Obama experience don't wait around too long for Republicans to come your way and remember to take a victory lap starting this week Lane will be making sure that short of presenting a Publisher's Clearinghouse size check to every eligible American Biden will tell people exactly what kind of help they're getting from their government if the relief bill is an early success. Clane has also had a big miss the White House had to withdraw the nomination of Neera Tanden for a budget director but Klain made sure to send the message here on m s n b c that the Biden White House would never abandon its nominees if Neera Tanden is not confirmed she will not become the budget director we will find some other place for her to serve the ministration that doesn't require Senate confirmation translation in the Biden White House loyalty is a 2 way street and so far claim has kept everyone pulling in the same direction according to Kate Bedingfield the White House communications director you have been very hands on me or you know critically and that I am Ok we're more isolated than we but on the right even the great president is a very able claims abilities come from a lifetime of experience says Chris Whipple one clan comes in uniquely well prepared for this job she is a staff to 2 vice presidents experience in the White House knowing tout little hill having been in the a bowl as are. Most important and having a strong relationship with Joe Biden but not being a very close friends not being the president's buddy is really important says Whipple because the chief of staff sometimes has to be the bearer of bad news You also have to be able to walk into the oval office close the door and sell the president what he doesn't want to hear you know that was a complete failure on the part of Donald Trump's 4 chiefs not also him was able to do that claim has known Biden forever he was an intern in Biden Senate office later his chief of staff the same role he served in for Vice President Al Gore Klain oversaw the execution of the Obama stimulus plan and he's worked in every modern democratic presidential campaign his role in the 2000 Florida recount for Gore was portrayed by Kevin Spacey in an h.b.o. Movie going off the edge of the ballot hang with us Chad but the last. Plural of Chad is Chad. That's going to mark received the recount was painful it cost claims boss the White House but it was another important lesson to add to claims battle scarred political resume Elaine Kay Mark who wrote the book why presidents fail worked with Clayne in the Clinton White House president's Jill leadership is unique because it is the intersection of policy and politics and Ron understands that better than I think anybody that I have ever met who wasn't actually the president himself unlike his boss clane uses Twitter a lot his feed is a running commentary on White House achievements no surprise there but also a window into what Klain and Biden think is important that's the sign of a skilled multi-tasker says Chris Whipple who points out that most chiefs of staff don't even have time to keep a diary but even for a chief of staff with claims versatility the pressures are about to get even more intense as Biden turns his attention from the emergency relief bill to an agenda he believes could transform the country and determine his legacy with bills on immigration voting rights and a gigantic infrastructure package Whipple says the stakes could not be higher what's on the lies not just the Biden agenda but it's the whole idea that governments. Can get things done and Joe Biden doesn't have a lot of time to show that government can 6 these fundamental problems and that's a huge challenge for any chief of staff you know and for any president passing a $1.00 trillion dollar bill through a 5050 Senate and a razor thin majority in the house was hard enough the next chapter for clain and Biden will be even harder Mara Liasson n.p.r. News early predictions were wrong Africa has seen fewer deaths from coven 1000 in the last year than people initially projected just over 100000 to date I asked Dr John King a song why that might be he directs the Africa Center. As for Disease Control and Prevention and he pointed to the continent's young population the median age there is just about 20 years old many who have been cured of recovering from this infection p.a.b. One would like a lot of that when I asked what most concerns him right now he said it's getting vaccines Welcome to New Day modes its inability to have access to. Be a game changer in defining because of the commitment the continent is getting some help from the World Health Organization but not enough he says that's you speak the seeds of just now the light there comes you know the w.h.o. Program called Kovacs is delivering vaccine doses to last wealthy developing countries but it won't come close to the number of doses Dr in Canada song says Africa will need to vaccinate 60 percent of its 1200000000 people so the African Union is working to round up more doses and then comes the challenge of distribution than required extraordinary not you 6 up on President that you have never gone that comes up a matter of like. It's a more than $100000000.00 people in one year it's going to be very painful to be able to log on but solution on the street of which you just spent 6 plus the extremely cold storage chain that Pfizer and maternal vaccines require could be a problem in parts of the continent with less infrastructure while the u.s. Looks at maybe getting back to normal by the summer or the fall Dr in Canada song told me the African continent might not reach that point until the end of next year about one l.g. Accomplishable to declare another country but. Dr John King a song director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention speaking from his office in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The Equality Act bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity it has already passed in the House of Representatives but some religious groups say it limits religious freedom here how that could affect the bill's future tomorrow afternoon in Ask your smart speaker to play n.p.r. Or your station by name this is n.p.r. News at 729 you're listening to All Things Considered on 90 point one w a b e were a.t.l. Meets n.p.r. I'm Jim Burress It's a pleasure to have you along on this Tuesday evening Still ahead a long awaited reports on the University of Texas all mater has found the song is not overtly racist eyes of Texas played before and after football games has divided the campus this past year we'll have more on that story ahead. Spike in violent crime is the focus of this year's race for mayor so far and policing is at the center of back conversation we have said a single 2 police officers if you go into a dangerous situation and things go awry you want to but we've got to make sure that they feel supported but also we got to hold them accountable. And more in the new political breakfast podcast listen unsubscribed wherever you get your casts. And the next. Author of the new book about the right to die and how that's played out in countries that have right to die laws in the clandestine groups on the Internet known as the euthanasia underground and in families where one member asked another for help and he said. Tonight at 10 point one. Live from n.p.r. News I'm to Wayne Brown on Capitol Hill members of the House are nearing a final vote on President Biden's nearly 2 trillion dollar coronavirus relief bill that has no Republican support House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the bill includes enough resources to fuel a very strong economic recovery and return the country to full employment by next year it's hard for us to understand how the Republicans can vote against of this bill because it has such an impact on their constituents our members are well aware of that and also they value the intellectual excellence of what is in the legislation the bill includes another round of relief checks for those who qualify and extends weekly unemployment benefits along with more funding for state and local governments the measure is expected to pass along party lines as it did in the Senate and then had to President Biden for his signature by the end of the week the governor of Arkansas signed a bill that bans nearly all of Bor sions in the state supporters of the new law hope it will force the Supreme Court to revisit the landmark Roe vs Wade decision as an aside tack of member station k.u.n.c. After reports Arkansas governor is on Hutchinson signed Senate Bill 6 which allows abortion only to save the life of the mother in a statement Hutchinson says the bill is quote in contradiction of binding precedence of the u.s. Supreme Court but he says he signed it because of overwhelming legislative support and his sincere pro-life convictions the governor says he would have liked the bill to have included exceptions for rape and incest and suggests adding those special cases would have improved the chances for Supreme Court review the abortion ban goes into effect in 90 days abortion rights advocates plan to immediately challenge the ban in court for n.p.r. News I'm Susanna site tac in Fayetteville Arkansas stocks finished higher on Wall Street today you're listening to n.p.r. News. U.s. Climate envoy John Kerry is visiting European partners to warn there's only a decade left to make the necessary changes to stop global disasters from climate change Teri Schultz reports from Brussels one of President Biden's 1st moves was rejoining the 2015 Paris climate accord his predecessor Donald Trump quit e.u. Governments are relieved to have the u.s. Back in the commitment but John Kerry says even if all signatories were fulfilling their pledges which he says they're not it wouldn't be enough to limit the global temperature rise to the 1.5 degrees Celsius the accord in visions deemed necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change the moment for countries common governments of people to come together and get the job done we can do it Kerry points out 20 countries produce more than 80 percent of global emissions the e.u. As a whole is 3rd after China and the u.s. For n.p.r. News I'm Terry Szell's in Brussels the Biden ministration is making an additional 900000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available this week to states and pharmacy partners the White House says states and territories will receive almost 16000000 doses of the 2 shot back scenes with more than 2 and a half 1000000 doses being distributed through the federal pharmacy program the administration also made changes this week to reach out to underserved and minority communities hard hit by the pandemic. This is n.p.r. News. And this is All Things Considered on 90 point one. N.p.r. On the roadways right now in Marietta at the 2 right lanes are blocked on $75.00 north for the South Highway $120.00 loop that's due to a record. 3 right lanes are out of service due to a mishap $85.00 southbound. Road and in Lawrenceville road construction has a right lane closed that's Georgia 316 eastbound that Collins Hill Road. In the next closer over days the state legislature has passed what measures are still alive in the general simply who here have the Department of Children Services is helping households in need of food assistance during this time and initiative to educate and attract more women. In the construction industry night 8.1. 00000000000. Now 2 questions about a song that is more than 100 years old and whether it is still appropriate the song of all mater at the University of Texas after months of review a panel has decided i use of Texas is not quote over racist the school song is played before football games after football games student athletes had been required to stand for it but protests erupted on campus as the racial reckoning reverberated across the country and this past year Jimmy Moss of member station joins us now with the latest And one thing to note though it's newsroom as independent broadcast license is held by the University of Texas Jimmy welcome thank you so what's the history. Where did the song eyes of Texas come from well the eyes of Texas began while the common lore was it started around the turn of the last century the then president of the school had this is the way the lore went it had a fondness for the way Robert e. Lee finished speeches with the eyes of the South upon the are upon you and then he subsequently cribbed some of those lines and put them into his own speeches the eyes of Texas are upon you so much so that the student body at the time made all white men would. Spoof that in a song and perform it at popular entertainment of the time minstrel shows and while they don't have exact evidence of it they probably were in blackface when they did it. So the committee of course took that into account but must have found other things in its research to conclude the song is not overly racist Well as you know when you like I said this is the lore and they actually put you know they went down and did the deep research at academics tend to do and they went to Washington University were Washington College at the time Robert e. Lee was president apparently there is no evidence that he ever ended any of his speeches with that phrase and so he may have had absolutely nothing to do with the origin of the song and like I said while they understand that probably it was performed in blackface they they also talked to the people who are descendants of the people that wrote the song and they looked at their notes and whatnot and they found that really it was just just to make fun of the school president of the time and of course he embraced the song and that's how it sort of came to be what has been the reaction there to today's decision well there is it's there's a lot of frustration and anger from alumni and the donor base over time since this you know Committee was announced in the fall and their threat to stop contributing to the university because the university and others weren't supporting the symbol that was important to them today university president. Said everything at Texas comes down to research teaching and changing the world he said the eyes history Committee has done the research and now it's the school's turn to focus on teaching and fostering an inclusive campus where all are welcome I also spoke with a committee member for u.t. Football player Kwan caused b. He said The committee was focusing on the song while much of the University and elsewhere turned to discuss racial reckoning and debates about standing for the national anthem going on in the u.s. I just saw it got really political It wasn't about the song it wasn't even about you senior This was about a bunch of faults and their political perspectives and beliefs and shallots on the song it's. Opposed to the long coronation kind of sit back and find the best resolution is just one of 26 members on that committee. All right Jimmy Moss of member station k.u.n.c. In Austin Texas reporting there on the latest that is happening with the eyes of Texas song thank. You to. One of Georgia's top infectious disease experts says the coronavirus pain Demick could slow considerably in the coming year but Dr Carlos Del Rio of Emory University says a return to normal won't be quick it's not going to be like turning a switch is going to be more like turning off a faucet it's going to be slow and I predict some time in 2020 to life is going to be more amenable that it's been right now Del Rio says it's crucial for people to keep following public health guidance in order to drive down Kovac 1900 transmission hear more from Dr Del Rio and Fulton County health director Dr Lynn Paxton That's ahead when we check in with our coronavirus podcast did you wash your hands. From w a b e News in Atlanta Good evening I'm Jim Burress right now our time is 740 Ga 7th District u.s. Representative Democrat Carolyn Bordeaux ins condemning bills in the state legislature that would cut back on absentee ballots in voting hours during the house's weekly news conference in Washington today Bordeaux said this isn't about politics it's about protecting working people who don't have the time or ability to leave their jobs in the middle of the work day to go vote we only let people who vote 9 to 5 we're going to lose hundreds and thousands of voters who vote early in the morning made in the afternoon or on weekends or use no excuse absentee ballots to vote Bordeaux says it was originally Republicans who approved no excuse absentee voting in the state but she says quote now they're changing their tune and politics is the reason why former President Jimmy Carter says he is disheartened saddened and angry over proposals to restrict voting in his native Georgia Carter said in a statement today that the Republican backed proposals appeared to be rooted in partisan interest and not the interest of all Georgia voters the g.o.p. Push comes after Georgia voted for President Joe Biden in November and Democrats took control of the Senate and cemented inseam of the Senate and cemented the state as a battleground Carter says it's possible to maintain wide access to polls and still have secure elections among the many bills the Georgia general assembly passed last night is one that allows 17 year olds to go to juvenile court right now Georgia is one of 3 states in the country that send 17 year olds to state prison it still must pass the state senate before becoming law. Car dealers in Georgia are hoping the continued reopening of the state's economy will help boost sales both Scott with Regal Nissan in Roswell spoke in front of the Georgia House Small Business Development Committee today he says business has been down about 15 percent but says demand will likely pick up soon as we see more and more people returning back to normal driving habits taking kids to school go on vacations go on trips visiting family and community back and forth to work Scott says his dealership like many others has adapted to the pandemic by offering more virtual test drives and enforcing strict safety protocols Meanwhile a bill that would expand the number of electric car manufacturers that could sell directly to the public in Georgia has not made it to the House floor and therefore is unlikely to advance the session Tesla currently is the only manufacturer allowed to do so. The current session of Georgia's general assembly has passed a milestone crossover Dayne is the last opportunity bills have to make it from one chamber to the other with lawmakers pushing hard to keep their bills alive yesterday officially mark the crossover day and as is normally the case said lawmakers voted on a lot including how you 9 votes as the state Senate took up the tightening Georgia's voting rules W.A.T.'s Christopher Alston had a socially distance from c. To all of the action and he's with us now to catch us up on which bills are at least closer to becoming law Christopher welcome thanks for having me back let's start with the big headline and that is some significant election law changes passed the Senate but it's a different package than what the House passed so what's going on here the big change in the Senate bill is that it will restrict absentee voting it wouldn't stick to those 65 years or older out of town with a disability or who fit another specific set of criteria the House bill on the other hand doesn't have that aspect but it does try to standardize early voting hours across the state which would actually mean more early voting hours for some of the smaller more rural counties that don't currently do as much early voting but it would restrict early voting for the larger urban more Democratic leaning counties near Atlanta Democrats remain in the minority but they have been a vocal minority through this process what Democratic opposition to the Senate's moves look like yesterday yeah there was quite a debate on the floor it went on for almost 3 and a half hours mostly Democrats spoke and nearly every Democratic senator in the room got up to the well to speak many of them made comparisons to Jim Crow era voter suppression tactics they criticize the lack of transparency in the process and they attacked the practicality of specific proposals within the bill and one senator fair to them as unwieldy and forcible and uninformed and again there were protesters around the Capitol for the entire day and. Republicans did they respond to the criticism or in any way kind of defend their actions Yeah republicans responses really sort of few days that this was all a political move just in response to their loss this most recent election cycle the bill's author Mike Doogan he when he got up to speak about the bill he pointed out that he wasn't mentioning election fraud once and that's really about trying to fix problems before they become widespread it's also important to note that not all Republican leadership is on board with this specifically Governor camp and Speaker of the house David Alston have not signed on to the no excuse absent seal emanation and the Senate governor Duncan who presides over the Senate actually stepped out so as not to take part in the debate on the bill there also almost a dozen other voting bills debated in the Senate several of which passed and some of them with bipartisan support. So voting reform may have been the highest profile you know issue on cross over day but clearly it wasn't the only one a lot of bills were flying around the Capitol just up on some of the highlights Yeah one of the big ones that got discussed yesterday was citizens arrests there pealed most of that law which passed unanimously and that was an outdated law that allowed a model robberies killers to remain free for a long time they also expanded the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse and they passed a bill in the house that would allow nursing homes to remain open even during a public health emergency preventing them from banning visitors put are some of the bills that didn't pass yesterday and therefore probably won't go forward messy probably because they have a weird way of resurrecting themselves sometimes at the very end of the session. One bill that spark controversy was one that would have banned transgender women from protests a painting all girls school sports that one died in the Senate there was a bill in the house that would have expanded in states with Dr Scythians that one doesn't seem to go forward and then there was also a bill in the house that would have given pay raises. And that one. Catching us up this afternoon on crossover day Christopher good talking to you thank you thanks for having me. Atlanta and regional news continues in just a moment on 90 point one. A.t.l. Meets n.p.r. I'm Jim Burress It's a pleasure to have you along on this Tuesday evening right now our time 747. Comes from chicory wealth here for you with fee only financial planning an asset management specializing in holistic financial life planning and sustainable and responsible investing integrating money meaning chicory wealth dot com and from a.c.l.u. Of Georgia presenting dare to create a more perfect union a virtual celebration honoring a Kamal Williams Sally h. Sherry Frank and Charles Johnson on March 25th at 7 pm ticket in 4. To create a monthly sustaining donation to. Your gift is constantly powering. But has this month's donation. Please update your credit card details. On the next. Director Adam Copeland explains the origins of Captain America and have the character has been misrepresented by Acha to sin race and. Rioting was the salute antithesis of what the captain. Character stood for I mean lower his rights is joining us at 9 pm On w a b. Clouds no clouds in the sky actually it's relatively clear 62 degrees in the city our time 748 as Atlanta and regional news continues on 90.11 bill they did not move forward at the Georgia general assembly this session legislation that would have allowed tenants a little more time to catch up on the rents Stephanie Stokes has more Georgia has the swiftest effects in process and the entire country have tenants misread on the 1st day of the month landlords can file for a vacation on the 2nd a bill sponsored by Representative Sharon Cooper of Marietta would have slowed that process if passed it would have given tenants 7 days to make up their rent before their landlords could start the eviction but the bell did not make it out of committee that's just by and precedented attention on a fiction because of the pandemic the coded $1000.00 outbreak has caused widespread unemployment making it difficult for people throughout Georgia to pay rent Stephanie Stokes w.a.b. Is most bills had to pass either the Georgia House or the Georgia Senate by yesterday crossover day at least that's to become law this year. The Fulton County schools and Roman dropped by about 3600 students this year Ingrid Huff the head of operational planning for the district is told the school board today she doesn't expect the decline to continue if ever there are no drop in Rome it can be attributed to enrol many challenges related to the global pandemic crisis for many parents are grappling with decisions on the way in and we are so ingrained there are children particularly in coming younger students entering primary grades most about your woodland a school district saw there in Roman shrink this year which could affect state funding Fulton still has more than 90000 students enrolled making it one of the largest districts in Georgia says she expects Fulton's in Roman to recover over the next 5 years. Georgia's courts have the Ok to resume jury trials immediately as long as courts have adequate precautions against the spread of the coronavirus in place in an order signed today Georgia Supreme Court chief justice Harold Melton extended the statewide judicial emergency but the latest order allows courts to call new jurors and hold jury trials quote If that can be done safely. It's now been over one years since the coronavirus up ended nearly every part of our lives to mark the moment w e b e Health reporter Sam Whitehead recently spoke with 2 experts fighting the pandemic Dr Carlos Del Rio of Emory University and Dr Lynn Paxton director of the Fulton County Board of Health today's did you wash your hands or podcast about the coronavirus features a portion of the recent live conversation where each shared a major challenge they faced in the last year and where they think the pandemic is headed Dr Del Rio You know I know you have been kind of a trusted voice through so much of this pandemic but you've actually been working with with patients directly tell me a little bit about how that has been for you to you know to really be working with people face to face that are going through this disease it remind me about the early years of a Chevy when we had nothing to offer the patients but of the differences in the early years of a Chevy we could offer people a hug as they were dying and we have nothing to offer the medically we can offer them care the difference is with covert the isolation for me was so hard the fact that we had to see people in their rooms with no family by themselves we were in p.p. We couldn't touch them to me that was probably the hardest thing I think is the isolation and the distance that we have to have with the patients that was really exceeding the heart and yeah well I think for me it was the fact that this epidemic has been so politicized even putting out commonsense advice for respiratory epidemic that Sokol it a sized just asking certain groups to wear a mask Why are they offended you know it is just very difficult certainly the country is in a much better place than we were 6. Weeks ago you know when we saw cases peak in mid January where do things go from here what's your what's your prediction there are of course signs of hope simply because for example now we have the vaccine but I feel like we are running a race we're racing against these variants we are racing to get as things like the loose think of restrictions and people who are tired of wearing a mask or tired or socially distancing who think oh I heard that case is going to I don't necessarily need to do that now when you get to this point when people get complacent because things are falling you are setting yourself up for you know a resurgence So what I feel like is that is my role as the health department head is to keep running and to get out there and to tell people the importance of maintaining the prevention strategies of getting the vaccine as soon as it is available to you and that might give us a fighting chance. I think it's going to depend on us are you willing to continue for the time being wearing your mask socially distancing the most important thing is we have to shut down virus transmission it is still too high and we're sorry but number 2 you get your vaccine as Dr x. And said it's up to you when you're become eligible get vaccinated and the sooner the faster we can vaccinate people if I want to see you know transmission are in our state in our country go below 10 cases 400000 population we are way above that mark right now what I'm concerned about Sam is that people have said this is over like the governor of Texas and we're done and we're not done you know I love baseball this is a top of the 7th we're winning by one run you don't say we're done you bring your best players because we are barely making it and you've got to win the game in order to win the game is what happens between the 7th and the 9th inning makes a difference and if we don't do that right we're going to lose this game. Dr Carlos Del Rio is an infectious disease expert at Emory University Dr Lynn Paxton leads the Fulton County Board of Health and they were both speaking with Sam Whitehead host of our coronavirus podcast did you wash your hands and you can find a full recording of their recent live streamed conversation at Facebook dot com slash w a b e for more great conversations listen and subscriber every year to podcast. Nursing students at the University of North Georgia in Gainesville thought they'd complete their clinical experience virtually the semester but instead they're administering coded 1000 vaccines more the Dalton has our story you enjoy nursing professor Nina Meyer prepared her students to learn remotely this spring we started the semester the 2nd week of January and I had no clinical sites but then she got a request the public health director of her northeast Georgia needed more staff to help give covert vaccines in the region Meyer jumped at the chance and of course it was music to my ears I mediately began Courtney Meyers signed 83 students to 6 different health departments in northeast Georgia to administer vaccines Kelly Pitts is one of those students she loves seeing patients reactions when they got the shot some people were comparing it to Christmas and some people were talking about getting their life back and then show like they have their safety in so it was you know we're already marquees Pruitt as a student too she expected to complete her clinical experience using virtual simulation software but she says being able to interact with patients in person is much better I honestly just love seeing how people's faces light up as soon as you give them their shot but their Band-Aid on they just light up completely like they're just so excited they're not scared to go out anymore they're just happy to go to the grocery store or Nina Meyer The professor says the National Council of State Boards of nursing recently issued a call to action for college nursing departments to involve students in administering coded vaccines so we also needed to really kind of meet that call to action we couldn't just sit here and say well we tried but we didn't do it absolutely not we've got to make every single effort to make that happen Meyer estimates they've distributed thousands of vaccine so far she says u.s. Students will continue their work through the end of next month Martha w. A.b.c. News. Mercedes bin stadium in Atlanta is set to host its 1st ever boxing match but to a very limited in person crowd the fight will feature social media star turned boxer Jake Paul versus former mixed martial arts champion Ben asker and there will be no public sale of tickets to take over had with organizers instead hand selecting fans and guests to attend the novelty matches from the sing group that brought together former champions Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr for an exhibition last year both of those men are in their fifty's the pay per view match is set for April 17th. Atlanta is as much a cup half full kind of place as it is a cup half empty type of city turns out it Lana sits right in the middle of a new ranking of America's happiest cities the website Wallet Hub pegs Atlanta as the 90th happiest city in the u.s. a Sandwich right between Riverside California and Huntsville Alabama the ranking gauged joviality on 31 factors ranging from rates of depression to income growth to how much time residents devote to leisure if you want to visit one of the unhappiest cities in the nation you want have to drive to far Augusta comes in at number $180.00 only slightly happier than Cleveland and Detroit just in case you're curious Fremont California in Bismarck North Dakota. Are the happiest places in the u.s. That report finds you can find more local news on our website. Www dot org This is w.e.v.e. News I'm Jim Burress Claire is our editor. And the rebroadcast a closer look are up next on 90 point one. It's 8 o'clock. Keeping you informed is our mission this crisis is not just affecting our health our. Political system are all. Morning Edition from n.p.r. News brings you the latest updates from our country and around the world fast moving story listen every week and stay connected waking up from 5. Point one. This is a closer look for Tuesday March 9th. Legislature has passed. In the general assembly. Issues new guidelines. With. House. Services. Need a food assistance during this time also an initiative to educate and attract more women. In the construction industry. But 1st here's the news. Live from n.p.r. News I'm Jack Speer the house is clearing up for a final vote on President Biden's nearly 2 trillion dollar coronavirus relief bill N.P.R.'s wonder Johnson reports the measure which has gained no support from congressional Republicans is expected to pass along party lines were heading to the president 1st signature House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls the bill historic and transformative adding that it will go a long way in helping American families this legislation addresses it any quality of that at health health care and the back scene and all the rest would be distributed all of it excellent all of it share all of it an opportunity for us to grow the economy by investing in the People for the people the relief measuring clues and other round of stimulus checks for Americans who qualify an extension of extra weekly unemployment benefits and additional federal aid for state and local governments Democrats hold a narrow majority in the house and they cannot afford many votes against the bill Windsor Johnston n.p.r. News Washington the lengthy process of sitting a jury in the case of former Many AAPL as police officer Derek chauvinism under way Sherman is a man accused of killing George Floyd by kneeling on the black man's neck N.P.R.'s Adrian Florida was covering the trial and says it's likely to take some time to see jurors up to 3 weeks have been set aside for jury selection this is going very slowly as of 3 pm Central Standard Time today they had seated 2 jurors they need to see 12 and 4 alternatives so up to 3 weeks after that opening arguments are scheduled to begin in March 29th by day's end today a 3rd jor had been seated chauvinist charged with 2nd degree murder and manslaughter according to the Albany Times Union a 6 female staffers come forward alleging inappropriate behavior by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo she claims Cuomo touched her inappropriately last year at the executive mansion as N.P.R.'s Sally Herships reports the governor continues to deny the claims when asked how he's discussed the allegations of sexual harassment against him with us 3 daughters Cuomo said he told them the same thing he told reporters I never touched any when appropriate. I never made any inappropriate advances and no one ever told me that they show. At the time that I made them feel uncomfortable or awkward Cuomo said women have a right to come forward and he said he plans to respect the findings of the independent investigation currently underway by the attorney general you have an obligation. Let's find out what the facts were when asked if you plan to run for a 4th term the governor said today he's focused on vaccines and rebuilding New York Sally Herships n.p.r. News stocks gained ground on Wall Street today the Dow up 30 points the Nasdaq was up 464 points the s. And p. Rose 54 points this is n.p.r. . On her lie immigration rule put in place under the trumpet administration appears to have suffered what is likely to be a fatal blow that's after the u.s. Supreme Court today dismissed litigation over it at the urging of the by did ministration by his criticized former president Donald Trump's approach on immigration including the policy known as public charge a key issue in various challenges across the country was in which immigrants would be eligible for permanent residency status known as a green card immigration law had excluded people likely to become a public charge from permanent residency after 2 days of heavy criticism the royal family's responded to Prince Harry and Meghan Marco's interview with Oprah Winfrey in which the couple painted the royal family as on caring callous and insensitive on the issue of race lead Hannon has more Buckingham Palace responded with a 4 sentence statement from the queen the whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and vegan The Queen statement reads 2 days after the interview aired though it was the allegations of racism particularly speculation on the skin tone of the couple's child that is believed to have done the most lasting damage the issues raised her to. Really that our phrases are concerning the Queen said noting that while some recollections may vary they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately for n.p.r. News I'm Eliot Hannan in London crude oil futures prices continue to lose ground today oil down a dollar and 4 cents a barrel and in the session at $64.00 a one a barrel in the New York Mercantile Exchange I'm Jack Speer n.p.r. News. Support for n.p.r. Comes from at last in makers of collaboration software like g.e. And Trello 83 percent of Fortune 500 companies use at last scene to help teams stay agile aligned and connected learn more at last seen dot com. You're listening to a broadcast from earlier today. From Atlanta welcome to this Tuesday edition of closer look I'm pro Scott coming up in just a moment crossover day in the state legislature has come and gone from new voting bill to repeal in the state Sissons arrest law w.b. Politics reporters in a hurt animal Moffitt give us the latest But 1st the head of the Atlanta based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 90 percent of the u.s. Population has been fully vaccinated against covert 19 that's about 31000000 Americans in a press briefing yesterday c.d.c. Director Dr Rochelle Wilensky shared the agency's latest recommendations when I say fully vaccinated I mean people who are 2 weeks after their 2nd dose of either the Pfizer Minturn of vaccines or are 2 weeks after a single dose of the Johnson and Johnson Baxi fully vaccinated people can visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or physical distancing visit with I vaccinate people from a single household who are at low risk of severe coping 1000 indoors were not wearing masks or physical. And refrain from quarantine protecting following a known public 1000 exposure if the vaccine a good person remains demotic now still the c.d.c. Continues to call on fully vaccinated folks to continue to wear masks and follow social distancing measures in public Dr Lewinsky went on to say levels of covert 900 transmission in the u.s. Remain high Meanwhile the state of Georgia confirmed 43 new coronavirus def just yesterday and that brings the total to 15640 Georgians who have died due to the virus since last March and more than 700 new cases were reported yesterday now the Georgia Department of Public Health rip. Ports this number now stands at 829000 77 corona virus cases in total confirmed since March of last year and as always we get our information from the Georgia prominent public health and finally get ready to hear all sorts of sports cliches in the next minute from me to Georgia Tech basketball players are receiving top honors from the a.c.c. That means Atlanta coast conference the Big Fella cliche number 169 Moses right is the play of the year from the a.p. Which is Associated Press right a forward who maybe should be playing center that's just my opinion is the 3rd Yellowjacket player to receive such an honor he's an absolute outstanding player now the last player to reste to receive such an honor I'm dating myself when I saw him play Mark Price back in 19851 of the best shooters in the league and in a Scot no relation by the Atlantic Coast sports writers in 1990 saw him play as well and Tex Jose was named a.c.c. Defensive player of the year but I tell you can't get passes do cliche number 2 now Georgia Tech is 15 in 8 this year and will begin coffers termit play later this week and my apologies to all you Duke and Tar Heel fans but I am rooting for Georgia Tech a conference championship win and that means yellowjackets can punch a ticket cliche number 3 to the n.c. Delay tournaments also known as the big dance sports cliche number 4 coming up next we talk about the Go down and what's happening this is closer look. Closer continues now you are 9 point one This is Atlanta's choice for n.p.r. As always on row Scott as I mentioned just a moment ago a key mark in this year's Georgia legislative session is officially coming dawn crossover day now lawmakers spent hours debating bills and other measures before the deadline after a late evening of debate will join me now to give us the latest on what happened our politics reporters Camille Moffitt and Emma hurt Welcome to both of you I hope you got some sleep. Arrows hey. Eventually and when there was a slowdown was a slow response. I'm feeling slow and I had a late early ship now does it happen you this you the very rich. We always different last year oh ima come on now you got to throw them in a boat you got a Kimosabe become a veteran before we get into the ins and out of this legislation they cross over they and all that for our listeners that may not understand what is the significance of cross-over day you know any architect that you know it's kind of an imaginary deadline because you can fudge it but in theory it is the last day that a bill passed passed one chamber to make it to the other chamber to fully become a law so the House bill has to pass the House by yesterday in order to have time to go through the Senate and become law but of course as I said it's kind of fungible because lawmakers can resurrect bills that didn't make it and stick them in other bills that day and so it helps it helps it's a deadline they imposed on themselves to get there to get stuff going but it's not set in stone completely Millette me ask you this How often does it happen would you just heard him say that sometimes they take a measure that didn't technically make it out of one chamber but they want to tack it on to something else and sometimes it can be just as odd to what Bill they're trying to tack on another measure how often does that happen. It happens not infrequently and we see it from time to time you know sometimes like he said it can be put put on to are included in a bill that doesn't have much to do with the 1st one there although they try to keep it germane to the the original bill but sometimes that will happen in you know it really depends on the will of the leadership to be able to allow that type of thing there certainly are many bills that don't have the support of leadership that they get snuck in there at the last minute though Well let's now get into some of these measures that lawmakers spent hours debating on the floor Christan massive overhaul in the state's election system which one you want to walk us through what exactly is being proposed right now what made it so I guess the big headline is this is the Senate a massive Senate package the election law changes that passed yesterday more than 3 hours of debate that was pretty brutal part of send. Pretty brutal partisan fighting over it and that bill would eliminate no excuse absentee voting and that's a really controversial idea. Even among Republicans and it's worth noting that Republican lieutenant governor Jeff Duncan who presides over the Senate refused to preside over that debate because he does not agree with that idea it does a lot of other things too it adds an identification requirement that does have broad Republican support for absentee voting eliminates the use of discretionary mobile polling places discretionary use of them but again it did pass on party lines but it was it was tough and you know beyond Jeff Duncan some Republican senators in competitive districts here in metro Atlanta skipped the vote too so like I said it did pass the Senate doesn't mean it's going to become law and especially that I would say that because of the disagreement among Republicans on not issue Ima let me stay with you from moment because I understand that House Speaker David Roston has also expressed disapproval about this as well. Yeah exactly and thanks for bringing it out I mean again it goes to the house to get everyone on board to make a law and speaker also has said he's not interested in the elimination of no excuse absentee voting a policy that was implemented by Republicans and absentee voting has been used by Republicans overwhelmingly until this past year and the governor is also not such a fan of this so again it passed it's a big headline it sounds scary but I would just say to any of everybody you know if that's if that's something you care about take a deep breath because it might not very well might not become law given this disagreement among Republicans in a meal I want to focus on obviously one of the counties that everyone pays attention to it which is Fulton County which you've covered in the states voting system for more than more than a year now what effect could this have on a county like Fulton. It could have a drastic effect especially because you know Fulton has more than 800000 registered voters that's the largest county in the state as far as you know voters number of registered voters go some of the measures that are in these on the bus elections bills almost directly target for him a mention the mobile voting units and head to Mobile voting units believed to be the only ones in the state and now they're going to be restricted except in emergency situations and those for use those are quite popular but 6000 people voted using one of the mobile units during the January runoff elections the Senate run offs we also see things like no excuse absentee voting going away which would which would harm these larger counties where that really helped reduce the lines Dropbox locations would be greatly restricted and had more than 30 last year and this bill would limit to one per every $100000.00 registered voters so going down from you know 30 something to 8 absentee ballot drop boxes and there's also restrictions on where they can put those they would have to be inside they could only be open during business hours so those which came in handy especially during the pandemic would be greatly scaled back and you know Rose if I could just jump in here is what we're seeing you know I mean I'll mention there's another big package that passed the House last year also focused on elections you have the Senate when yesterday Republicans are still trying to sort out what they actually want to do that's a very clear as I said they're not in agreement there are a lot of different ideas and they've got till March 31st to try to figure it out but right now nobody seems to know exactly what's going to end up in Law which is I've heard the term Headless Horseman here on this issue. So yeah it's a lot to keep track of well on this morning if you were listening to n.p.r. You heard Sterling speaking with Morning Edition host I think it was Scott. Through his lens trying to. Explain in. What the purpose of all these measures were about we'll just leave it at that let's move on to another piece of legislation that advance yesterday that's a measure that would create a cheap labor officer to oversee unemployment benefits the question isn't is George a partner labor commissioner Mark Butler shop or. It's it's interesting it it is his job but there has been a lot of dissatisfaction with the way that department has been run in the last year and of course they have been overwhelmed like a lot of other states with unemployment claims because the pandemic and the economic uncertainty and shut down because of the pandemic and lawmakers have been very frustrated with the lack of what they call a lack of response from Mark Butler and from the Labor Department so this bill would have completely really taken a lot of the power away from Butler and created this separate position within the department and there was a lot of question from lawmakers saying you know does this set a bad precedent that we're just going to take all this power away from a position that's elected by the voters and so it was it was a somewhat controversy although it did have support bipartisan support from a lot of lawmakers because of the frustration over the backlog of unemployment claims if you're just joining us I'm joined by Debbie Avi politics reporter reporters Moffitt and Emma hurt and we're getting a brief update on what's happening down at the go down because yesterday was crossover day now there's a bill that passed unanimously had support on both sides and this is now some clarity here for you all for our listeners and whether or not we're repealing the state's citizen's arrest law or a mending it this comes fall the shooting death of a mob or 3 in Brunswick last week what does this measure do. Yes So it's a repeal and replace situation and it replaces this vague law which allows any Georgian to arrest another if they witness a crime or have immediate knowledge of a crime it's very vague and as you said this is a law that was used to defend the men who killed who are in jail for killing a modern armory right now for months and it replaces it with language that allows very limited instances of citizen detainment like if a shopkeeper witnesses someone steal something from their shop for example and it also prohibits any use of force so it tries to make very clear that the few times when this is Ok and the terms of that and it did pass unanimously it was really remarkable become trashed between that very bipartisan coom by the House and this this rancor over voting in the Senate it was pretty bloody So yeah it was a big it was a big contrast and this is a measure that Governor Frank has made a priority so that you know and I'm it's boat is I think indicative of that of the governor along with the Democratic leadership saying Ah right we need to do something on this and. One young can tackle this was another this next measure how to talk about an example of Democrats and Republicans coming together the House approved a measure to create a sexual assault kit tracking system. Yeah that's that's something that's been been a bipartisan effort as well but it's been going on for a couple years trying to get this backlog of these sexual assault kits taking care of because sometimes that can back up and you have victims waiting for years and years to try to seek justice and so that's been a bipartisan priority of a lot of lawmakers at the Capitol trying to make sure that that backlog is reduced and that that that they have the resources to try to do that and really spending some money and putting in legislation that would Streamlight that process $1.00 on one measure that did not advance it was a proposal to raise a salary of lawmakers by nearly 70 percent how much they can pay they're not getting paid enough Emma. You know this is a this is not an issue that cuts down partisan lines it's kind of interesting and it failed it was up for a vote in the Senate and and failed didn't come up in the house you know state lawmakers make $17000.00 a year that hasn't changed in a long time and some people think that it should. But this bill would have also raised the pay for constitutional officers public service commissioners everybody and more senators said well this is not a good look for us in a pandemic to be giving ourselves a right. Wow. Are there any other measures that you think people are not paying as much attention to that did or didn't advance yesterday and I'll start with you him . I think of the bill that would give Dhaka students the equivalent of in-state tuition at most Georgia colleges and technical colleges and universities it did not get a vote but the Republican sponsor of that bill who is from Dalton which as we know 50 percent Latino is going to try and I think that's still something to watch even if it didn't make it through there's a lot of push among advocates for that bill and it while it's a tough it's maybe a tougher issue politically Republicans aren't unified on it it does have bipartisan support as well so it has a chance and what's the latest on the casinos in sports betting we hear about that I mean yeah we did not see the House bill on sports betting pass yesterday but last week 2 pieces of legislation that would legalize sports gambling did pass the Senate one of those was a resolution that will call for a ballot question on the 2022 ballot which will lead voters decide on sports betting so we'll see how that goes when it comes over to the House side and see if it's passed there as well but again that would be 2022 on the ballot and if it's approved it would go into effect with sports betting in 2023 and found their listener wants to know what about the measure to defund the police or ban the defunding of police at local governments what do you know about that. At least that was said Houston gangs measure yet pass the pass the House and I believe there was one that passed the Senate as well a similar measure so that's still alive we'll have to see how that comes out in the end but there has been legislation in both chambers. Backed by Republicans to try to prevent cutting of Police Department budgets and a meal remind our listeners when that big day signing down when is it coming up on the 31st the last day of March will be signed he dies so I think makers and the media are both looking forward to you know right now. To the days after there you go and finally as we wrap up ima What are you going to be falling between now and Sandy die. Look I mean the voting is taking up all of the political oxygen right now and so as I said Republicans are trying to sort out exactly what ends up in the law and so the question is it probably ends up in a conference committee which is what happens when the 2 sides can agree the 2 chambers So a couple of them get in a room and actually rewrite a law and so that very well might be how this ends but that is what everyone's watching in a mill. There was an interesting debate yesterday on a House bill about visitations to nursing homes long term care facilities and also to hospitals during a public health emergency it's been pretty restricted in lockdown and that's led to a lot of very emotional circumstances where people don't have the ability to visit with their family members this bill that was passed yesterday would allow very limited basically power of attorney person to come in for an hour each day a limited visitation supporters say that's the least we can do to help these people in this situation but opponents of the measure said you know it really opens up other patients other residents and the staff to risk of infection if you have people coming in from the outside so that was a very a very emotional debate on the House for that went on for about 2 hours yesterday but ultimately did pass and so many measures are still pending embodies a street racing the one that emergency powers are built there relates to transgender support which I believe it I think Insaaf to Kota their legislature just passed something so a lot of it didn't it didn't get a vote yesterday it did not get a vote. So much to town to keep on top of that you can still come back they can come back to life yes that that's what we have found out I would tell you I don't miss covering the legislature but I would tell you one year I did cover the Road Kill Bill. Which. Out folks if you said animal you could take it home. Fix the damage to your car we swam out of politics will import of your existence is what that is somehow not a policy. So. Much better than the. W.a.v. Politics reporter him or hurt and it will Moffat thank you both for taking time I really appreciate it then you know what I think I might have found that for n.p.r. That was a good man them to anyone bring some road feeling. Thank you both take for having us all right enjoyed it get some rest. Support for w e b e comes from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business executive m.b.a. Program in the heart of book interested candidates may apply now for classes beginning in September more information at Georgia m.b.a. Programs dot com and from Georgia Power investing in new technologies to increase the resiliency of Georgia's grid is just one way Georgia power provides clean safe and reliable energy learn more at Georgia Power dot com slash reliability I'm Tanya Mosley journalist could not get out of her head the story of an 8 year old who went missing in d.c. Disappeared from a homeless shelter 7 years ago she's a little black girl and I was once a little black girl and you know where I often are. In the moment ability that other girls are getting and that's next time on here and now tomorrow at noon a 90 point one. Closer look at these now her 90 point one. Choice for n.p.r. I'm row Scott prior to the pandemic you know food insecurity was already a major issue in our nation and it's a quality of life issue that does not discriminate families individual struggling to keep food on the table and gain access to food while challenges that existed for the pandemic are now just being amplified and according to Feeding America child food insecurity is security in Georgia due to the pandemic has increased pay attention to this from 16 point one percent of 2018 to 22 percent in 2020 and so the need continues now thanks to a lot of money from the federal government we're going to talk about what this means for so many Georgians $11900000.00 from the Georgia vision effect for the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services this will go to food banks in $159.00 Georgia counties and bought 24 nonprofits we're not going to find out just exactly how this will work Joining me now and she's always such a great guest from the Georgia Food Bank Association Dana craft She's executive director of the Georgia Food Bank Association Dan as always welcome good good to have use of Things thank you it's great to be with you today it's a conversation that we've had many times before but we need to need to keep having it for the folks that may not be aware just how many members are in the Georgia Food Bank Association so there are a Feeding America food banks that serve all 159 counties in the state of Georgia and 7 of those food banks are active with the Georgia Food Bank Association and they all ate share this grant money that is coming through the Department of Family and Children Services so someone say all $11.00 point love 1000000 dollars. Every little bit helps but does that begin to even. I guess address the how much more is needed I guess right so the this this these funds are targeted they are for. A program that the food banks created in order to provide supplemental nutrition for families with children who are at risk of homelessness or who are 10 if eligible and so in some of the food bank regions they're going to use these funds for household commodities because they've got household distribution programs in the southern part of the state several of the food banks use this for weekend for kids who are coming in on Monday and the counselors are reporting that they're coming in hungry and so it provides weekend food for them to go home so it's used in a variety of different programs it and essentially doubles what the food banks normally get they normally share a 7 and a half $1000000.00 grant for this program it purchases protein fruits and vegetables you know Rose You know that the food banks have what they have right and what gets donated is what gets donated and that's not always there all the right elements to making meal. And so the these food supplement what the food banks have coming in from other sources and including u.s.d.a. Federal sources in order to provide a more complete meal to families with children on the scale though I will tell you that the food banks in Georgia you know have been responding to an unrelenting 50 percent increase in demand and they've done that with additional u.s.d.a. Commodities that have come through the families 1st in the cares act and trade mitigation commodities that were purchased in order to sort of mitigate the. The tariff issues with China. And 2 of those programs came came to an end in December 31st and knowing that we were facing what we call a commodities cliff and looking at a 50 percent increase in demand and a 50 percent drop in our food supply I approached director Rawlins and his deputy John Anderson and said What can we do and they they developed this idea to provide supplemental funding for the G.-Net program so we we knew we had an additional supply of food coming in for families with children which is absolutely critical since then the federal government did provide some additional u.s.d.a. In the December really fact there are no u.s.d.a. Commodities for or the food banks specifically and the really fact being debated today that there is money to help suppliers who are have food stranded in the you know restaurant suppliers who still don't have their supplies change stripe down and so we are working with u.s.d.a. To get as much of that food moving through the food bank network as possible so I mean I can't I can't say enough about our partnership with Department of Family and Children Services Director all and John Anderson and the governor who recognized this need and provided this supplemental funding and I want to peel back a number that you mentioned you said at least there was a 50 percent increase in demand for food but folks should know of that you're talking about 40 percent of folks who are seeking emergency food assistance for the 1st time and I think that lends itself to tell you just how devastating the pandemic has been on on households in terms of folks who lost maybe lost their jobs or you know need to stay home with the kids when you hear that number and what do you want to stress to folks about how folks are living or trying to make it here in Georgia. Well I think it's important for people to understand that there are many families that are on the edge or really not making it right now and I am paying particular attention to children because there are a lot of kids who are not in school you know even pre-code 60 percent of kids in public school were eligible for frame reduced price lunch so with school and that you know nutrition directors have been her ROIC in their attempts to try to do grab and go lines for kids in remote learning and you know have a delivery put the lunches on the school buses and run the school bus route it they've just under tremendous effort to try to do it but we are we are still seeing families that are falling through the cracks children falling through the cracks families that are suffering and we still have National Guard on site. Since the 1st week of April the food banks have had an issue 150 members of the National Guard at 9 warehouse locations at this point we still have 120 working at 7 warehouse locations and about a dozen. Really important pantries that are operating in the metro Atlanta area so . You know if you're at home and you're doing Ok that's great but we we want people to understand that people through all walks of life have been impacted by these job losses that child food insecurity increased number the 38 percent that you noted earlier you know that a lot of those. Lot of those kids live in the metro Atlanta area where restaurant closures hotel and convention business closures have impacted people who who work our laid low wage jobs and in the Savannah area where the convention interesting business has just you know been impacted you know Danny you mentioned kids educators were reporting. Kids coming to school indicating maybe they were hungry they hadn't had anything to eat possibly over the weekend and I know that that is so important for food banks now to be able to help students households with students so they can have food for the week and a lot of people may not realize that that's that that's actually been taking place but it has I remember doing a profile with the one y.m.c.a. Where they had you know bags of food for the kids to take with them I went in on a Friday to profile they had bags for the kids to take home for the weekend a lot of folks don't realize that that is something that's actually happening not just here in Georgia but throughout the nation right and over the last year you know the food banks have been partnering with the school nutrition directors in order to do household distributions at the same locations where they're you know doing grab and go lines in order to help supplement what's going home with the family there been a lot of great partnerships that are happening school based pantries that have opened in order to make food available to families who need it and you know it would be terrible if there was a family out there who needed help who didn't feel like that they could come and ask for help or or who were. Who didn't want to ask for help and our network is here for everyone and those 40 percent of the people who've never sought help before you know they are having to figure out how to navigate social services for the 1st time and that is self can be challenging Dana if folks want to know more about the Georgia Food Bank Association and how if there is a community or household that they feel is eligible for this we're going to get the information. Well Georgia Food Bank Association dot org has a tab where they could find a food bank that serves their area and. Listening area the Atlanta Community Food Bank is the food bank that serves and they have a great test texting system where people could text. To a number and get back the 3 closest pantries and that information is a battle at their website a c.f.b. Dot org And we'll have a link to all of those as well Dana craft executive director for the Georgia Food Bank Association thank you for taking the time thank you for work you all are doing you can help so many people in Georgia who need it right now. Thank you so much Rose freesheet attention that has been getting to this issue for many months thank you. My name's Latasha sayas and I live in the Decatur area. Be. The quiet is I like the convenience because I'm actually close to the 285 and the 20 corridor. To the area so I'm not sure if it's wires it may be. But it's just you see young people now that are homeless the age gap is about between 18 and 25 you see more of those now than you do of the older people in the particular area where I do live. You know. Another thing. Is that. My name is Emma Carr and I live in Grant Park. I'd love to see transit on the beltline I love the beltline m m for an adult but obviously. Affordable housing on the dollar on and transit on about line is the number one thing that I want to see right now no. Way to support any way to. Take up a screen and this could mean hundreds of dollars of support. More. Work slash cars . Work slash cars Thank you. On the next city lights director Adam Copeland explains the origins of Captain America and how the character has been misrepresented by Acha taters and Ray's son among its riotous Whiskeytown salute to the service of what the captain america character stood for I'm lowest right says join us at 9 pm On w a b eat. And clothes are looking to use now here are $90.00 Atlantis choice for n.p.r. And row Scott last year was tough for nearly every industry due to the pandemic but here's one that fared pretty well not developers did hold off on new projects but in some states like Georgia the construction industry didn't take it too bad and now just look around there's plenty of construction still taking place I know because it's all of my neighborhood residential and commercial Here's a question who's working in the construction industry it's estimated about 1100000 women were employed in various jobs of the construction industry that latest data being reported at the end of 2018 but that only equates to about 9.9 percent of the construction industry in the u.s. Now a workforce gap that could use an infusion of more women and especially women of color is the construction industry what today the construction education foundation of Georgia is marking Women's History Month with a special Facebook Live event focused on opportunities for women in construction and skilled trades and join me now to talk more about this and other initiatives to increase the pipeline of women and construction video white associate director of student success for construction education foundation of Georgia and Brett hinder Hsan past president of the National Association of Women in construction in here in Atlanta thank you both for taking the time. Thank you for having. Let's begin here yeah absolutely I begin with you overall You heard me talk about that the construction industry apparently didn't take a hard hit but how would you assess. 'd 'd How would you assess how the construction she's been faring in the pandemic Well we didn't take a hit all seems like a pandemic redounds maybe a couple of weeks just to get things out but once we got back on track we were able to have more training classes construction against a great many women throughout the metropolitan Atlanta area and graduated those 4 classes in their batting average job in networking ma'am we saved 4 classes with this instructor face to face instruction imagine it had to be right yeah basic right we figured out how to get out how to have the classes say. So should be in the class you know here into all of the guidelines of the c.d.c. And it worked that. Brett what about you how would you assess how the Construction Industries has fared in the pandemic. He said we were really it was critical that we were deemed essential employees and that really hit us with the opportunity to kind of rework this new normal of how we conducted business and how we went to work every day and a leg made sadly kind of sauce for a 2nd there was about a 4 to 6 week period where things lead down a bit jobs weren't being bid quite regularly but then things pick backed up back up and when the governor reopened the state Jim 1st we all picked back up as well and we've been thriving sends its of course spend down a little bit year over year which is to be expected in Demick year but the opportunity that still exists for women and for folks from all types of backgrounds is just so vast because we do have this labor that this labor shortage where if you want to work tomorrow it's possible this industry has so many possibilities for us who. Are ready to get involved and I think Veda the statistic I gave coming into the segment the less temperate less than 2 percent of women make up the overall construction industry are we should we assume that there are also some barriers that still exists for women is that is that a fair assessment of. Fair or unfair barriers mind you. Well state's August of last year I will say that we had close to what it needs who are winning and losing so I am seeing a rise in Maddow in the industry and that's due to. Women we tend to pay attention more subtle to details on these construction. Jobs that we put them on and they want to get out and build as it specially now that technology is a part of how we b.l. That that makes it more sophisticated and of a dominant another fellow is out there just heard you say whoa what do you mean that women tend to pay more detail on a construction would you take that further because you said it so now you've got to own it well you know it's when you know when we get rich give me an air tasks of your we make sure that it's part of the end the way that it's supposed to be and I'm not Sam my guys and I don't mean they are but we just do it on a need to be a dad are moving in the e-mails to you Brett what do you want to add so are we to assume that there still are some perceptions or stereotypes about what type of construction jobs women can and cannot do. And that's that's an excellent question and I just came off of Facebook Live event was stuff where Killeen and I just discussed this women entered the workforce in the sixty's so we are still understanding what our skill sets what we offer in certain areas so the cool thing about the evolution of us being involved in the end of story is that now you're seeing us in more diverse roles right where and the c. Suite level or we're out in the field we're in the trenches Leong pipes you see it all aspects of the field and the end history and that's what's really really cool about where we where we started and where we'll continue to make their strides but it is to the ladies who are currently involved now to continue to mentor and support and wrap our hands around those that are coming into the end of history and share our best practices with this r.t. Who are already involved just at the same conversation we talked about women in engineering fields and Veda this is where I know also where you come in and it's so important we talk about increasing that pipeline particularly with women and women of color for this industry what do you all doing. We are we are at their recruiting and going to different events we get on a lot of questions about women in construction. And not just more women of color but all women you know everybody I think is just an industry man rats more welcoming I guess you would say. To women because of the dish rank positions in their different jobs and career opportunities right radiance they did before. Across the board whether it's in the office whether it's architecture or engineering we do it ah we can do it I mean I do it now let me ask you all this question Is there a specific sector within the industry that you all find that more women are entering or are seeking are inquiring about being able to to have more skills or 'd a skill set for that particular area Brit. So that's let's say 2 interesting about me and history is that everyone has a place in those skills sacks that women or anyone has to offer there's the perfect spot for war and that's what is so neat about the National Association of Women and construction is that our members consist of sealed employees and what architects sales project developers there are all kinds of opportunities with and the end history and the one thing it has a song together is an action for instruction. Just then and there you can answer this and you to breath do you have to drive that message home when people took I would say construction maybe folks automatically think about being there on the on the work site you know with the 2 by fours and all the equipment in the cranes and all that but what you just described Bret is a a whole the lot of different jobs within that you have to drive it home that when we talk about construction ya we don't just talk about being out of work site we're talking about all sorts of positions. We totally have to joint that him and when it. Is an outreach to the elementary age students and it's called Lot kids and what we want to do is introduce students to the viable and the very lucrative and a street car construction and get their heads thinking about which half they want to pursue but that consistent with in the world of construction of a don't want to add to that about letting folks know that there are so many different jobs within the construction industry. So we're not going to we're having career fairs when I get beyond Clowes or not the 1st question that year I am a woman can I do this and my ass in areas close you can hear you know there are so many different jobs in this industry is not as dirty as it used to be because other technology and how we built and that best created let's how we celebrate shouldn't women is not in our hearts they are looking at it a lot of them having their mindset that bad is not debating wanted to ask Can't women a notch writing program who are rather be out in the field work at your bank you know being you have you know some others that well lights are not so much being in the field but to work and the office or do some other grains in the industry what about ownership what about are you seeing an increase in women saying look I want to get into the city because one day I want to have my own construction firm. Or I hear it all the time you need yes it's like my spirit when I hear they see the smile I see the smile faded Yeah I mean you know there's no glass there in the industry it's for me and when he said there's enough work for everybody to do well let's talk money Bret someone has to say Ok you know is sky's the limit in terms of how much income the person can have in one of these in jobs here. Now I'm so glad you brought this question because the even serve is that in the construction and history the gender pay gap is 99 point one percent I saw that yes compared to our male counterparts so not only are we need for the quality of work that we're doing but you have the ability you almost Iran Stachel especially women in trades if you want to work longer hours or pick up another project you can just continue to do that so you all must have those benefits of the high paid Apple or a but then also being able to set your and schedule so it's just a really. Workable opportunity 'd for women especially those with children and yes single mother this this and history provides us with the ability to take care of ourselves and our hounds so we're kind of initiatives other the innovative talked about you know being able to go to events and in being able to talk to folks but how else are you all trying to reach people women and let them know about the opportunities and not just opportunities but maybe those who want training or education how are you reaching these folks you know coming closer look Ok yet in the media I mean you know. We really have to get the word out there true true women that this industry is clearly for anyone who wants it no matter what it is you want to do you know what really makes me happy. When we have graduation and most of out students. 2 classes ago we have more we're going to class. A lot of the ladies and Sansom Ayoubi back but when I come back now coming back to highlights on the program and that really excites me and makes me. A really good do you all keep track of the of those who graduate and you help them with job placement as well paid yes so I chimed in programs 20 days this book asked out were reasons because that the information and the trying to advance received on its way days normally would take a person in 3 to 6 months to get that training so we're ending in you have to be there every day so the 1st 1st 18 days is training and hands on activities to get to be able to project in the program but on the 19th day is when employees come into our training class to interview with Ask militants but yes the really cool thing about how we do have an affair the students gets it interview the employer yes way I saw the students white the employer every employer ranks the student at the end of the day we matched the one who wanted to get it was it was pretty much like speech dating economy and an interview with all the students in the class. Video Does a class cost is there something that can help folks if there is a cost involved here it is absolutely free really yes so I can come in and take this class for you said 20 days that normally would be 3 to 6 months. I'm a I'm a come watch you know you do think I question what that process you're not going to work so it was a process but. It is very and it's a holistic approach I mean it's not just trying to. Get it but we try to have this doing in a holistic way to get them involved with the industry because this is a very unique and just great wall wart area and it's different from most of the industries are we trying to market as a wrap up Veda imprint when you think back to how you all got involved in this industry what's been the takeaway for you are the one thing that you mud of like to have gone or maybe didn't but now you see it happening Brett I start with you. I'm really encouraged to see be inclusive in the in the diversity that continues to make our demographic in the field when I 1st got started I was one in my district in my area and so I was a bit of a lonely off now and at the make up here in Atlanta we've got multiple ladies so it's encouraging and it just reminds me how important mentorship and was and how important it is to connect and make those long lasting relationships at the weekend 1010 you to create the direction of the endor street to contend with to evolve it into an inclusive and diverse video about you how does this change in terms of women being able to get the information the training they need from when you 1st got involved. Well after I got it while I was really new to the industry back in 2014 while I got into it and I start to see the way we ended its industry door everything you know I was very hopeful and I started to share the new. Year with the. Veda white associate director student success for construction education foundation of Georgia and Brett Henderson past president of the National Association winning and construction here in Atlanta thank you both for taking the time good information we'll have links to our Web site for anyone out there who wants to be involved Thank you so much good information good conversation. And that's it for this edition of closer look at which is produced by grace Walker and Lish on Hudson our engineer is Kevin ranker if you missed any Today Show you can find the entire program online at torques last closer look and we'll have links to all the segments that we talked about today I've got some e-mails from you all wanting more information about the segment we had today will guess what we have it on our website as always you can listen to closer look weeknights at 8 pm as well as in our podcast to subscribe to close look wherever you like because it will be there. Stay tuned to 90 point one beat this is Atlanta's choice for n.p.r. I'm no Scott. Support comes from Greggory payments attorneys partner with payment acquirers and card issuers to reduce risk and navigate regulatory challenges. It isn't asking if it's figuring out how. The next closer look university is expanding mental health services and resources for students it's called wellbeing at k.s.u. And it's greatly needed during this time plus going it County Sheriff Taylor on why he's ending the department's involvement in the $287.00 g. Program and getting rid of the rapid response team which is today.

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