NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 Sun, 05 Jan 2020 15:04:36 +0000 https://www.wrkf.org/post/china-new-call-protect-data-privacy 103646 as https://www.wrkf.org Sun, 05 Jan 2020 14:00:00 +0000 In China, A New Call To Protect Data Privacy Megan Manata California has gone through several difficult fire seasons in recent years. Now, some cities are investing in unconventional fire prevention methods, including goats. Anaheim, a city southeast of Los Angeles, has recently re-upped its contract with the company Environmental Land Management to keep goats grazing on city hillsides nearly year-round. The goats are stationed in places like Deer Canyon Park, a nature preserve with more than a hundred acres of steep hills. Beginning in July, roughly 400 goats worked through the park, eating invasive grasses and dried brush. The company's operations manager Johnny Gonzales says that Deer Canyon, with its peaks and valleys, is just the right kind of place to use goats for fire prevention. "This is the topography that poses challenges during these wildfire events," Gonzales says. "And we can go ahead and reduce the fuel loads and take out the invasive plants, and establish the native plants on these banks; you're re-establishing the ecology." https://www.wrkf.org/post/california-cities-turn-hired-hooves-help-prevent-massive-wildfires 103647 as https://www.wrkf.org Sun, 05 Jan 2020 13:01:00 +0000 California Cities Turn To Hired Hooves To Help Prevent Massive Wildfires Stephanie Wolf Visitors to the Denver Art Museum can currently see 120 different paintings by Claude Monet from all over the world. But how did they get there — like, literally get there? To find out, I talked with Sarah Cucinella-McDaniel, chief registrar at the Denver Art Museum. She's sort of like a travel agent for art — and for this exhibition she booked the itineraries for artworks from more than 70 lenders around the world: museums, as well as private collectors. (One of her recent days started unexpectedly, around 1:45 a.m., when one of her nine Monet shipments for the day arrived at the museum hours ahead of schedule.) It's a lot. There are many, many spreadsheets. - Sarah Cucinella-McDaniel, chief registrar, Denver Art Museum "It's a lot," she says. "There are many, many spreadsheets." The first thing Cucinella-McDaniel does in this process is convince lenders that the museum will take good care of these treasures ... because the works of Monet, an Impressionist master, are worth a lot. https://www.wrkf.org/post/how-do-you-move-100-monet-masterpieces-very-very-carefully 103649 as https://www.wrkf.org Sun, 05 Jan 2020 12:59:00 +0000 How Do You Move 100+ Monet Masterpieces? Very, Very Carefully Laura Benshoff Truck driver Aman Singh, 30, must traverse the 660 miles from northeastern Pennsylvania to Louisville, Ky., on an overnight drive. Before he saddles up for the long haul, he settles into a booth at Eat Spice, a truck stop/Indian restaurant off I-80 in Luzerne County, Pa., with a plate of chicken curry and a stack of roti. "I've tried American food too," he says, before a long pause. "But mostly I don't like it." Singh came to the United States from New Delhi and says he's not used to all of the frozen and processed food options in the United States. Eat Spice caters to a unique intersection: where rural America meets an increasingly diverse cadre of truckers looking for a taste of home as they jockey between warehouses and retail outlets. Located in White Haven, Pa., population 1,100, the truck stop has a clientele that's more likely to hail from immigrant enclaves in Ohio and Michigan than the surrounding town, which is 96% white. Here, the cooler of live bait coexists with the carafe https://www.wrkf.org/post/truck-stop-caters-growing-number-immigrant-drivers 103648 as https://www.wrkf.org Sun, 05 Jan 2020 12:59:00 +0000 Truck Stop Caters To Growing Number Of Immigrant Drivers Patricia Fernandez Genaro Moreno Bonilla has been fishing off the coast of Coqui, Colombia, for 53 years. "I remember that I would paddle out in my canoe and propose to myself to catch 50 or 100 fish that day, and it happened," he says. Life was good. Colombia had a reputation for having one of the greatest variety of fish on the planet. But things have changed. The plentiful supply of fish Bonilla depended on has dwindled dramatically in a changing world. And efforts to make his life better in the long run are actually exacerbating the problems he faces today. Bonilla is an artisanal fisherman. Artisanal practices use traditional fishing methods like hook and line — think fisherman on a boat with a fishing rod. They're small-scale, low technology and low capital household-run fisheries. An artisanal fisherman in Mexico shows his small catch of jaiba — a species of crab. Octavio Aburto Three major forces are arrayed against Bonilla and other artisanal fishermen. First, industrial fishing fleets. These https://www.wrkf.org/post/plight-old-fashioned-fisherman-changing-ocean 103645 as https://www.wrkf.org Sun, 05 Jan 2020 12:01:00 +0000 The Plight Of The Old-Fashioned Fisherman On A Changing Ocean editor Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: And finally today, over the course of this hour, we've talked about many of the questions sparked by the death of top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in the U.S. airstrike. We've talked about the role of Congress going forward. We've talked about the prospect of counterattacks and what Soleimani's death will mean for Iran. But another big question we want to tackle is, what's next for the Iran nuclear deal, which European allies have been struggling to keep alive since President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement back in 2018? The deal aimed to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The agreement was already hanging on by a thread, with Iran slowly backing out of some of its obligations. And so this latest escalation raises questions about the future of Iran's nuclear capabilities. For a perspective on this question, we've called on Ernest Moniz. He is the former https://www.wrkf.org/post/what-soleimanis-death-will-mean-irans-nuclear-ambitions 103643 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 23:08:00 +0000 What Soleimani's Death Will Mean For Iran's Nuclear Ambitions editor Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: All this hour, we've been hearing reaction from around the world to the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian military commander, Qassem Soleimani. We're going to focus now on the overall U.S. strategy regarding Iran. Here to discuss that is the director of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, Kirsten Fontenrose. Ms. Fontenrose, welcome. Thank you so much for joining us. KIRSTEN FONTENROSE: Happy to be here. Thank you for having me. MARTIN: So you have two decades of experience in the region, both in and out of government. And you served on President Trump's National Security Council as senior director for Gulf affairs. While you were there, how much was the administration focused on Soleimani's activities? FONTENROSE: Quite a bit. He was what we'd call a household name, to be honest, and he probably featured every day in our intelligence briefings. We tracked him quite closely. MARTIN: So, you https://www.wrkf.org/post/us-strategy-behind-killing-top-iranian-military-leader 103644 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 23:03:00 +0000 U.S. Strategy Behind Killing Of Top Iranian Military Leader Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Now let's get reaction from around the globe. I'm joined now by NPR correspondent Deborah Amos in Beirut, Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem and Eleanor Beardsley in Paris. And I'm going to start with Deb Amos. Lebanon is one of the key places in the Middle East where Iran exerts a lot of influence. The group Hezbollah, which gets a lot of support from Iran and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S., is based in Lebanon. So what kind of reaction to the U.S. killing of Soleimani has there been in Lebanon? DEBORAH AMOS, BYLINE: Well, the immediate reaction from Hezbollah is fury. Qassem Soleimani was reportedly in Beirut on the day before he died. He had a long meeting with the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Tomorrow, there's a rally here. It's a day of mourning. Nasrallah's expected to speak. But, you know, Lebanon has more immediate problems. It's a country on the verge of economic collapse. The Lebanese are banging https://www.wrkf.org/post/global-reactions-soleimani-killing 103642 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 22:16:00 +0000 Global Reactions To Soleimani Killing Updated at 10:50 p.m. ET Prime Minister Scott Morrison is calling up 3,000 reservists for operations related to the massive bushfires in eastern Australia that have forced mass evacuations and killed at least 11 people since Monday. Record heat has contributed to the ferocity of blazes. Flames now threaten the outskirts of the country's largest city, Sydney. Authorities are warning of worsening conditions over the weekend. The rural fire service deputy commissioner for New South Wales, Rob Rogers, has warned of the "frighteningly quick" advance of the blazes. Property damaged by the East Gippsland fires in Sarsfield, Victoria, on New Year's Day. Jason Edwards / Reuters "With the fuel loads that we've got and the drought conditions and the current weather conditions that we have, frankly, we can't put these large fires out," Mick Holton, president of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, told NPR's Morning Edition . A firefighter sprays foam retardant on a back burn ahead of a fire https://www.wrkf.org/post/australians-brace-flames-frighteningly-quick-bushfires-advance-toward-sydney 103641 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 21:55:12 +0000 Australians Brace For Flames As 'Frighteningly Quick' Bushfires Advance Toward Sydney Vanessa Romo As international law enforcement authorities try to figure out how former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn escaped from Japan to Lebanon while the millionaire was out on bail, some pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. Surveillance video taken outside of Ghosn's Tokyo home shows the former chairman leaving the house around noon, shortly before fleeing, NHK reported on Friday. Investigators said "the camera did not capture any other suspicious persons entering or leaving the home around the time Ghosn came out," according to the Japanese news outlet. The new footage appears to debunk theories that Ghosn had out-foxed law enforcement by climbing into a large box for musical instruments after a band had played at the family home. NHK added that police suspect that Ghosn met up with someone after leaving the house and before heading to the airport. Ghosn is accused of financial misconduct, including embezzlement and making an unauthorized multimillion-dollar payment to a Nissan dealership https://www.wrkf.org/post/fugitive-carlos-ghosn-escaped-house-arrest-walking-out-not-box-officials-say 103640 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 21:55:08 +0000 Fugitive Carlos Ghosn Escaped House Arrest By Walking Out, Not In Box, Officials Say Camila Domonoske Oil is up and stocks are down: It's a predictable response to the dramatic U.S. attack on Iran's powerful military commander as tensions mount in the oil-rich Middle East. But by historical standards, the reaction from the markets has been muted — at least, so far. Early Friday, the U.S. military killed Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's Quds Force, in an airstrike in Baghdad. The attack didn't directly affect oil production, and Iran is already under sanctions that keep most of its oil off the global market. But it was a sign of growing conflict. In response, global oil prices rose by about 4% initially, before settling down to a gain of less than 3%. That pales in comparison to the 14% spike in the price of crude after a September attack on Saudi production facilities that the U.S. and its allies attributed to Iran. And even that jump in prices — triggered by an actual reduction in available oil supplies — was temporary, with the market regaining its footing shortly after. Stocks https://www.wrkf.org/post/oil-prices-reflect-concern-not-panic-after-airstrike-iranian-general 103639 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 21:55:08 +0000 Oil Prices Reflect Concern, Not Panic, After Airstrike On Iranian General Brian Mann The streets of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood are usually busy with Hasidic families coming and going. The men and boys wear distinctive hats and beards and side curls known as peyots. Esther and Yehuda Weiss have lived here all their lives. They've been shaken by recent anti-Semitic harassment and violence. "We all get worried and scared," Yehuda says. Esther sets out a bowl of sugared nuts and sits across from her husband. "It's getting very scary, and it's putting a lot of our stress on our daily lives." Hasidic Jews started moving to Williamsburg in the 1930s. The Weisses' parents moved from Hungary and Romania. The community's population now tops 70,000. There are traditional schools, kosher shops and synagogues. Esther says it was a great place to grow up. "We were always sheltered and felt comfortable living easily and happily without fears," she says. "But these instances are rising tremendously, faster than we could decide what we're supposed to do with our lives now." https://www.wrkf.org/post/its-getting-very-scary-hasidic-jews-change-routines-amid-anti-semitic-attacks 103638 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 21:55:05 +0000 'It's Getting Very Scary': Hasidic Jews Change Routines Amid Anti-Semitic Attacks Meg Anderson The United Methodist Church announced a proposal Friday to split the denomination over what it called "fundamental differences" regarding its beliefs on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy. The proposal, signed by 16 church leaders from around the world, will be voted on at the church's 2020 general conference in May. If passed, it would allow for a "traditionalist" denomination to separate from the United Methodist Church, the second largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., with more than 12 million members worldwide. Currently, ordained pastors are not allowed to perform same-sex marriages, risking disciplinary action if they do, and "practicing" LGBTQ people also cannot become ordained pastors, according to the church's book of discipline . The new traditionalist denomination, once separate, would open the door for the existing United Methodist Church to repeal the church's ban on same-sex marriages and LGBTQ clergy. "If this actually passes, it will be a great relief," says the https://www.wrkf.org/post/united-methodist-church-announces-proposal-split-over-gay-marriage 103637 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 18:56:00 +0000 United Methodist Church Announces Proposal to Split Over Gay Marriage Colin Dwyer https://www.wrkf.org/post/qassem-soleimani-mourned-thousands-baghdad-us-iran-rancor-mounts 103635 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 18:24:00 +0000 Qassem Soleimani Mourned By Thousands In Baghdad As U.S.-Iran Rancor Mounts Hansi Lo Wang The Department of Homeland Security has agreed to share certain government records from its databases to help the Census Bureau produce data about the U.S. citizenship status of every person living in the country. DHS quietly announced the data-sharing agreement in a regulatory document posted on its website on Dec. 27. It marks the latest development in the Trump administration's ongoing effort to carry out the executive order President Trump issued in July after courts blocked the administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year to keep the citizenship question off, President Trump said in the executive order that releasing citizenship data based on existing records would allow states to redraw voting districts using the number of eligible voters rather than all residents in an area — a method of redistricting that a prominent GOP strategist concluded would politically benefit Republicans and non-Hispanic https://www.wrkf.org/post/produce-citizenship-data-homeland-security-share-records-census 103636 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 18:06:00 +0000 To Produce Citizenship Data, Homeland Security To Share Records With Census editor LEILA FADEL, HOST: It's being called an unprecedented move by the U.S. - the targeted assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, a military official serving in a sovereign nation. But most recently, he was the backer of Iraqi Shia militias that the U.S. leaned on heavily in the fight against the so-called Islamic State. The U.S. relationship with Iran inside of Iraq has been complicated. Ambassador Ryan Crocker served in Iraq during the height of the sectarian war there and its aftermath. He joins us now. Welcome, Ambassador. RYAN CROCKER: Thanks for having me, Leila. FADEL: So what was your reaction when you heard the news? CROCKER: I have to say I was very pleased to hear it. I've spent a lot of time in a lot of places where Qassem Soleimani has been operating. He has a lot of American blood on his hands. FADEL: Yeah. CROCKER: So I was pleased with the news. FADEL: Now, we should say that these Shia militias that - as you said, Soleimani has American blood on his head - https://www.wrkf.org/post/ryan-crocker-killing-qassem-soleimani 103633 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 17:29:00 +0000 Ryan Crocker On The Killing Of Qassem Soleimani Terry Gross Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week we continue with our Best of the Decades series: 'Fresh Air' Favorites: Jordan Peele: Peele talked about his Oscar-winning social thriller Get Out in this 2017 interview. 'Fresh Air' Favorites: Francis Ford Coppola: In 2016, the Oscar-winning director spoke about the studio battles he faced while filming The Godfather. You can listen to the original interviews and review here: 'Get Out' Sprang From An Effort To Master Fear, Says Director Jordan Peele To Make 'The Godfather' His Way, Francis Ford Coppola Waged A Studio Battle Copyright 2020 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air . https://www.wrkf.org/post/fresh-air-weekend-jordan-peele-francis-ford-coppola 103634 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 17:27:00 +0000 Fresh Air Weekend: Jordan Peele; Francis Ford Coppola editor Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit LEILA FADEL, HOST: Global and regional powers are on edge as a conflict between Iran and the United States boils over. The U.S. assassination of top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani took place on Iraqi soil, a nation where the U.S. and Iran's escalating battle is playing out. Here to explain what Iraq is dealing with caught between two allies is Abbas Kadhim, senior fellow and director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council. Welcome. ABBAS KADHIM: Thank you very much, Leila. FADEL: So the government of Iraq condemned the killing of Soleimani. We saw mourners in the streets of Iraq today, including the caretaker prime minister. Seems like the Iraqi government keeps getting blindsided by these strikes. KADHIM: Well, the Iraqis have been caught in the middle of the crossfire. They tried to steer their country away from this conflict for years right now. And finally, it put them right in the middle of the storm's eye. And they are https://www.wrkf.org/post/iraqs-position-between-us-and-iran 103632 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 13:11:00 +0000 Iraq's Position Between The U.S. And Iran editor Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit LEILA FADEL, HOST: Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are playing out in Iraq at a time when thousands of Iraqis have been protesting against government corruption and Iran's influence there. We spoke to one of those protesters, Halah al Chilidi from Baghdad. She just - just to note, the phone line was bad. We asked her how she felt about Qassem Soleimani's killing. HALAH AL CHILIDI: At the beginning, I was very happy because... UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: At the beginning, I was very happy because many people died because of Iran and Qassem Soleimani. But at the same time, I love my country. I don't want my country to be a battlefield between Iran and the U.S.A. FADEL: Seventeen years after Iraq was invaded by the United States, a fresh conflict is what Halah says Iraqis fear most. AL CHILIDI: They don't want another war. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: They don't want another war. They don't want more killing. They don't want more violence. They want to live https://www.wrkf.org/post/iraqi-protester-iran-us-tensions 103631 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 13:11:00 +0000 Iraqi Protester On Iran-U.S. Tensions Tom Goldman Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit LEILA FADEL, HOST: It's time now for sports. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) FADEL: Well, the NFL playoffs are here. Is the Super Bowl a realistic goal for the teams that kick off the postseason this weekend? And we remember the man who ruled the NBA with an iron fist and compassion. NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman joins me now. Good morning, Tom. TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Happy New Year, Leila. FADEL: Happy New Year. OK, so we're excited. The playoffs are starting, but the teams that play this opening weekend aren't ones we'll likely see later on in this season, is that right? GOLDMAN: I want to make sure you really are excited. FADEL: Very excited (laughter). GOLDMAN: (Laughter) You know, in recent years that has been the case, that the teams playing this opening weekend aren't the ones we'll see later on. Since the 2013 season, the two teams that played in the Super Bowl did not play on this first weekend, the so-called wildcard weekend. And all those https://www.wrkf.org/post/saturday-sports-nfl-playoffs-remembering-david-stern 103630 as https://www.wrkf.org Sat, 04 Jan 2020 13:11:00 +0000 Saturday Sports: NFL Playoffs, Remembering David Stern