Without the question on it at the same time the Justice Department says it's going to change the entire legal team that's handling the Trump administration's effort to put the citizenship question on the census form or trump business associate Felix Sader is expected to appear today before the House Intelligence Committee N.P.R.'s to mak reports he's scheduled appearance comes after he was a no show for testimony last month Sader told n.p.r. He was scheduled to appear for additional closed door testimony the Moeller report mentions his work with the Trump Organization on a potential real estate project in Moscow a venture that the Trump campaign denied during the 2016 election cycle it's a topic that is expected to be a primary issue of concern for lawmakers interviewing him N.P.R.'s to mak Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam says a proposed extradition bill that prompted violent street protests is dead N.P.R.'s Julie McCarthy reports it would have led Hong Kong suspects be sent to mainland China to stand trial the main umbrella group that has mobilized Hong Kong's mass demonstrations has rejected chief executive Kerry Lamb's overtures she stopped short of protesters demands that the controversy all extradition will be completely withdrawn instead lamb spoke about the fate of the bill using a Cantonese idiom meaning to die in one's bed at the ripe age in English she said the bell is that under Hong Kong's One Country 2 Systems formula of government the territory retains freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China demonstrators fearing erosion of those freedoms are talking of extending their protests Julie McCarthy n.p.r. News you're listening to n.p.r. . President Trump is going to meet the emir of Qatar today at the White House last month the White House said Trump and the emir would also discuss economic and security issues u.s. Allies such as Saudi Arabia cut ties with Qatar in 2017 accusing the Emirate of helping Iran Qatar sharply denies this a new study in the journal Jemma Internal Medicine suggests the Veterans Affairs health care system could save millions of dollars by changing how it fills birth control prescriptions N.P.R.'s Selena Simmons Duffin has more right now the v.a. Will only let veterans who take oral contraceptive pills get 3 months worth at a time so you have a rare of the University of Pittsburgh previous research found all those refills meant potential timing problems over 40 percent of women veterans had a gap of 7 days or more between refills that can mean unintended pregnancies which are costly for this study this is basically a mathematical model to estimate the health and cost effects of offering 12 months of contraceptive dispensing a single felt the results the v.a. Could save $2000000.00 and prevent nearly $600.00 unintended pregnancies every year Selena Simmons deafen n.p.r. News the National Weather Service warns portions of Alaska will continue to experience record heat today the hot temperatures will also create conditions for potential new wildfires there's already a dense smoke advisory for parts of central western and southern Alaska including in Fairbanks because of wildfires I'm Corba Coleman n.p.r. News in Washington. Support for n.p.r. Comes from I drive maker of remote p.c. Providing real time access to P.C.'s Macs and servers from anywhere for use when telecommuting or for remote management learn more at remote p.c. Dot com slash n.p.r. And the any case the foundation. The man. It's Morning Edition from n.p.r. News Good Morning I'm Steve Inskeep And I'm Rachel Martin Hong Kong's chief executive says she is giving up an extradition Bell Kerry Lamb had previously suspended the measure protesters though who had taken to the streets weren't satisfied with this so now Lamb says the bill is dead so is it a win for protesters N.P.R.'s Julie McCarthy has been covering the story and joins us now Julie what do you make of it how significant a shift is this well I think taken as a whole Rachel it's it's really sounds like a kinder gentler way of saying no to the protesters and their demands and this in the face of the biggest challenge to the Beijing controlled Hong Kong government in decades lamb sounds as if she's trying to heal the rift she wants to stop the turmoil she's under a lot of pressure to do that which she admits her government started when it pushed this extradition measure here's what she said today about the fate of that bill acknowledging there's a trust problem there are still lingering doubts about the government's sincerity or whether it's whether the government will really stop the process in the Legislative Council. Saw trait heah that is no such. The bell instead now it sounds unambiguous but not to the ears of protesters know why I mean why why doesn't that feel like a victory to them Well it's a matter of semantics the demonstrators said today the word dead or suspended in other words land uses has no legal meaning in the Legislative Council which is Hong Kong's parliament withdrawal does have meaning so use it and when Lam spoke in Cantonese she used the idiom meaning to die in one's bed at a ripe old age referring to what's going to happen to this bill and the implication is that it will not be revived in this year's session and therefore will simply die by the start of next years now a prominent protester Joshua Wong said stop the wordplay if you're sincere you'll withdraw it completely now beyond the extradition Bill Lann rejected all of their other demands today all of the other demands like what. Well the demonstrators want amnesty for the protesters who've been arrested Alam says no the Department of Justice has to take its own course and they'll be no interference the demonstrators want authorities to retract the word riot to describe the protests Lam says she didn't refer to the protesters that way and the demonstrators demand an independent inquiry into allegations that the police used excessive force Lam says a fact finding by the Police Complaints Commission is good enough and the demonstrators say that body has no power to call witnesses so it's not adequate but it sounds like this entire episode has as lamb even admits just created this massive trust gap between the government and and the residents who took to the streets there in Hong Kong I mean where what happens now and she's not answering these grievances right and she's under she's also under a great deal of pressure from Beijing to rein in the. Social upheaval it looks bad and is bad for business in Hong Kong which means it's bad for China and it looks like it's headed back to the streets the protesters have a of a determination and a unity that won't be easily turned back it's in some ways a perilous moment for Hong Kong one legislator told me the world needs to be watching because if it is looking at Hong Kong it has a better chance to be safe is China is the is main land China the government there saying anything about. The the the government is denouncing these demonstrations they are calling they are they're calling them out last Monday when the Legislative Council here the parliament was dormant you heard fury coming out of Beijing there is a sense that we're here is the order is being disrupted and that's the last thing the cheeping wants to have happen in Hong Kong N.P.R.'s Julie McCarthy thanks Julie We appreciate it thank you. The Affordable Care Act is back in court today Texas vs the United States is hardly the 1st lawsuit against President Obama's signature law the Supreme Court has upheld Obamacare in the past but the plaintiffs in this case have an advantage that others did not they are basing their case on a way that Obamacare recently changed Here's N.P.R.'s silliness and stuff and think back to 2017 President Trump had just come into office Republicans had their chance to kill the Affordable Care Act They tried for months and months and by September it looked like repeal and replace efforts had finally really failed we are disappointed in certain so-called Republicans then just before Christmas congressional Republicans passed their tax overhaul announced in the Senate by Vice President Mike Pence the tax cuts and Jobs Act is passed that law made the penalty for not having health insurance part of the individual mandate 0 dollars a few months later Texas lead a coalition of 20 states in suing the federal government their argument in 2012 the Supreme Court found the a c. a Was constitutional because Congress has the power to make a new tax the penalty for not having insurance Chief Justice John Roberts wrote essentially a new tax so it is constitutional now Texas argued if the penalty is 0 dollars that is not a constitutional tax so the whole law should get tossed. Then this past December unexpected news the law that brought health care of the millions of Americans has been struck down by a us Judge u.s. District Judge Reed O'Connor agreed with Texas and the other plaintiffs that is erode dollar penalty is not a constitutional tax then he wrote this unconstitutional part can't just be broken off or severed from the rest the whole law has to go the next day in the rain President Trump called it a great ruling but it was a big I respect the states led by Democrats appealed that decision that's the hearing happening today here are the stakes the a c. a Has been law for 9 years now nearly everything in our health system has been changed by it who can buy insurance how you buy insurance who is covered by Medicaid whether your employer has to offer insurance and much more if the law went away some 20000000 people could lose their health coverage one weird thing about the case Texas 1st is United States United States is no longer on the defending team a few months ago the Federal Department of Justice joined with the plaintiffs in arguing the whole is unconstitutional that leaves on the defending side California 20 other states and the Democratic led House of Representatives regardless of the decision that comes out of the hearing today the losing side will almost certainly appeal to the Supreme Court so innocents deafen n.p.r. News navigating the last few days of life for a loved one is impossibly difficult we all need help in those moments and we often turn to hospice care hospices are supposed to help in relieving pain and providing emotional and spiritual support but 2 new government studies released just this morning find that the vast majority of Hospices have sometimes failed to do that and there's no easy way for consumers to distinguish the good hospices from the bad ones Here's N.P.R.'s Ina Jaffe these studies are the government's 1st. Look at hospice deficiencies nationwide they found that from 2012 to 2016 health inspectors cited 87 percent of hospices for deficiencies and 20 percent had lapses serious enough to endanger patients Katherine Harris the deputy regional inspector general in the Department of Health and Human Services recalls the patient who had untreated bed sores or pressure all Cers on both heels and these all sorts rapidly worsened and the patient developed Gang Green and needed a leg amputation in the dry terminology of government reports this is called poor care planning and having plans of care developed in conjunction with the patient in his or her family is a fundamental requirement of hospice says Harris So when we discover that hospices are not doing them there is reason for concern for example there's the case of Karen Bishop Collings and her 85 year old dad Dean bishop last winter he was hospitalized for pneumonia when he was transferred to a residential care facility to recuperate he began receiving hospice services which was a surprise to his daughter we only agreed to pray assessment of his conditions to even see if he qualified for hospice or pallet of care she shared some of her father's medical records with n.p.r. They verify her account the hospice never held a meeting with Dean bishop or the family to establish a care plan so Karen Bishop Collings was shocked when hospice workers gave her father 2 new medications morphine and the anti-anxiety drug at a fan we knew something distressing had happened his whole physicality and mental capacity was completely altered Dean bishop died a couple of days later if this hospice had previously been cited for deficiencies Karen Bishop Collings would have had a hard time finding out the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or c.m.s. Doesn't make that information available on its website. For consumers call the hospice compare even though they have the power to post at least some of it says Harris we don't even think about booking a hotel without checking into ratings and reviews so why do we demand less of hospices the reports also highlight the few options that c.m.s. Has for disciplining hospices they can drop them from the Medicare program altogether but they lack the legal authority to assess finds it would take an act of Congress to give them that power in response to the reports c.m.s. Issued a statement saying that the agency has 0 tolerance for abuse and mistreatment of any patient and that it has added consumer feedback to the hospice compare website Katherine Harris thinks that's not enough there are a lot of great hospices out there there are a lot of highly skilled committed professionals who are dedicated to helping others leave this life and comfort and with dignity and the public should know about that the amount of money that Medicare spends on Hospice services has roughly doubled since 2006 but Harris says this isn't just a matter of taxpayer dollars you're only going to die once she says it's important that things go right I know Jaffe n.p.r. News. This is n.p.r. News and you're hearing Morning Edition on k.q.e.d. Public radio on Tuesday morning and the time is 519 if you're out San about and you have commuting to do on this Tuesday let's find out about Bay Area traffic and transit Joe McConnell is away and we have Peter French here Good morning Peter good morning Dave san francisco southbound want to know one before to 80 an earlier crash has been cleared but traffic is still slow through that area Bay Bridge the metering lights are off but traffic gives backed up to the 1st over crossing and it's somewhat slow going over the bridge right now Bay Point eastbound Highway 4 before big point there's a car sideways in the 2 left lanes debris all over the roadway I'm Peter Finch for k.q.e.d. His report brought to you by compassion international support for k.q.e.d. Today comes from Geico protecting people and their vehicles for over 75 years Geico is proud to offer emergency roadside service to Bay Area drivers learn more at Geico dot com or 180947 auto 1440 Multiversity there are 1440 minutes in a day with summer getaway packages guests can explore how to spend those 1440 daily minutes a little differently 1440 dot org slash k.q.e.d. I'm Dave Freeman Good morning partly to mostly cloudy skies today in the Bay Area partial clearing along the coast and Bay Not a lot of sun most of the sunshine in the Ellen areas again today we're heading into a warming trend highs from the low sixty's along the coast to the mid eighty's beats. Mantids desert land and 40000000 people at the California report they're telling you stories you won't hear anywhere else. Sitting in traffic with you. Bringing you the news and stories of our state each morning on the California report. From San Francisco Saul Gonzalez from Los Angeles all ahead our coverage in just about 30 minutes support for n.p.r. This morning comes from p.b.s. With chasing the moon American experience brings the space age to television in a new 3 part series a story of science politics and spectacle chasing the Moon continues tonight at 98 Central on p.b.s. And by Baird for 100 years Baird has partnered with individuals businesses institutions and communities working together toward their financial goals more information available at Baird 100 dot com And by creative planning an independent wealth management firm that considers each client's financial picture to create individual life plans that create a planning dot com slash n.p.r. Creative planning wealth management redefined and by you the listener the member the sustaining member of k.q.e.d. This is Morning Edition from n.p.r. News I'm Rachel Martin and I'm Steve Inskeep good morning how much power should the federal government have to sift through your personal information that is one question raised by recently released government documents the papers were obtained by the Georgetown Law Center on privacy and technology they reveal that Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ice as well as the f.b.i. Used facial recognition software on databases of driver's licenses from at least 3 states federal agents were looking for people who were in the u.s. Illegally some states allow people without authorization to be here to obtain those licenses before the specific revelation our next guest was raising concerns about the power of facial recognition technology Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio is the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee which has looked into it news on the line Congressman good morning. Good morning Steve good to be with you does anything bother you about the federal government going through driver's license records Jack. Heck yeah I mean look this this happens you know when when you special recognition we learn the committee hearing that it's wrong and it's in the wrong more often than not with with with people darker skin so it impacts act again Americans in a negative way you get for 1st Amendment for them in the concerns the process concerns and all this is happening in an environment in a country with 5050000000 surveillance cameras so yeah it is a concern I think for people on the left on the right just anyone who cares about our civil liberties it seems to me there are 2 layers of concern here one is you could say that the government is doing this without permission permission necessarily from a state legislature or from an individual or you could say yes just a bad idea it sounds to me like you think that given the current technology is just a bad idea no I think I think it's bad on both accounts not no you tell me where the elected officials are located the f.b.i. Has access to. Driver's license database in 21 different state than those 21 reference states represent over half the population in this country did any state legislatures. Vote on this today governor signed a bill that said Ok we're going to give access to a federal agency to to our drivers and our state is one of those states state of Ohio where the 7th largest state 11000000 people my guess is there's there's you know 8910000000 people who drive in Ohio and suddenly the f.b.i. And other federal aid have access to that entire database is that your understanding of your state is it your understanding in your state that the legislature did not vote on this but that someone on an administrative level law enforcement or law enforcement just gave over the information most almost every single state that has given the Ok it went through not a vote of the people are speaking out of both the legislature people directly elected by the people instead it was something or a crack in the in the. Governor's office or in some federal are seizing some state agency who signed some agreement with some here at Pratt and a federal agency and now they have this understanding that they can access the data that is not supposed to be how it works in this country so you have that fundamental concern coupled with a fundamental 1st Amendment 4th Amendment due process concerns that I think we all share and then you have added to that the idea that this thing is wrong and it's more wrong. More often than not with people of you know African-American and darker skin folks it's just not accurate so all those things coupled toge