Tuesday, 25 February 2020

News Brief: Coronavirus Fallout, Democratic Debate, Trump’s India Trip


Copyright 2020 NPR. To see extra, go to https://www.npr.org.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Markets are opening this morning after the Dow fell over a thousand factors yesterday over issues concerning the coronavirus.

NOEL KING, HOST:

Yeah. And the Trump administration has requested billions of {dollars} in supplemental funding to combat the virus. Different international locations are additionally taking extra measures to cease the unfold. The World Well being Group says the virus shouldn’t be a pandemic but, which mainly means it is nonetheless potential these outbreaks may be contained.

GREENE: Let’s usher in NPR science correspondent Richard Harris to speak us by means of this. Good morning, Richard.

RICHARD HARRIS, BYLINE: Good morning, David.

GREENE: So this illness, we should always say, has actually unfold in Asia. It is gotten to North America, Europe, the Center East. I imply, it sounds international. However why is the WHO not saying this can be a pandemic at this level?

HARRIS: Effectively, the time period pandemic is not merely {that a} illness is spreading world wide because the identify implies. The WHO additionally thinks that how extreme it’s counts, and the way massive an influence it has can also be a part of their equation. Because the WHO director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, defined yesterday, the illnesses must have important influence on at the least two continents for him to contemplate it a pandemic. And he is additionally actually aware of the ability of a label.

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TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS: This isn’t the time to give attention to what phrase we use. That won’t stop a single an infection at present or save a single life at present.

HARRIS: He says it’s totally potential, after all, that it will turn out to be a pandemic. However by his definition, he says, we’re not there but.

GREENE: OK. So he is saying, let’s not give attention to what phrase we use. Does wording not make a distinction, or is it essential someway?

HARRIS: Effectively, it does make a distinction, however it’s a psychological distinction. The WHO, actually, has already declared that COVID-19 – what they name this illness – is a public well being emergency of worldwide concern. That is their technical time period. It means it is a step that they take when – as a way to marshal worldwide motion. The truth is, that has completed that. That declaration has introduced in a whole bunch of tens of millions of extra {dollars}, and it has stirred motion world wide.

Truthfully, it is journalists who maintain asking Tedros whether or not we ought to be calling this factor a pandemic. And he is been circumspect. He actually does not need to create a panic.

GREENE: Effectively, I imply, simply to place this all in context, when has this time period pandemic been utilized prior to now?

HARRIS: It has been utilized for main influenza pandemics – outbreaks, together with two within the earlier century and one round 2009, which swept the globe and killed one thing like half one million folks. It wasn’t the worst potential pandemic, however it was a nasty flu season, for certain. Dr. Michael Ryan on the WHO mentioned well being officers know rather a lot concerning the flu, although, as compared with the brand new coronavirus.

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MICHAEL RYAN: Pandemics of influenza may be typically referred to as rather a lot earlier as a result of we all know – we have had earlier pandemics. And we all know with influenza that when there’s extremely environment friendly group transmission, as we see with seasonal flu, that the illness does unfold world wide. And it has confirmed that point and time once more. So it is a lot simpler to say a pandemic will happen in a influenza scenario.

GREENE: Richard, let’s simply discuss concerning the response to date to this illness. I imply, the response has been limiting the motion of individuals, monitoring who folks are available contact with, quarantining some folks, monitoring them. Is that technique seen as one thing that is working? Will we count on it to alter if this will get worse?

HARRIS: Effectively, sure. I feel that the technique would change. If the illness spreads far sufficient in the neighborhood, sooner or later it actually turns into impractical to attempt to observe down each single particular person who might need been uncovered. It is like – think about attempting to do this for the flu.

GREENE: Yeah.

HARRIS: Dr. Ryan says WHO doesn’t help the thought of journey restrictions both. Once more, consider the flu. We do not shut down airways for the flu season on this nation or world wide.

GREENE: Proper.

HARRIS: Yeah. And actually, they do little or no to gradual an outbreak. Nations love to do them. They’ve an excellent psychological influence for them, however they do not do a lot to gradual an outbreak. And the WHO’s involved that it’ll truly gradual the transit of wanted medical provides. In order that’s a difficulty. However officers have raised another aggressive points that China has not taken, reminiscent of closing faculties and telling folks to keep away from giant gatherings. Issues like – measures like that also do make a number of sense.

GREENE: NPR science correspondent Richard Harris. Richard, thanks as all the time.

HARRIS: It is my pleasure.

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GREENE: All proper. Time for an additional debate – the Democratic candidates for president will likely be assembly onstage tonight in South Carolina.

KING: Yeah. And one of many massive questions is whether or not and the way they are going to go after the front-runner Bernie Sanders. South Carolina’s main is on Saturday.

GREENE: And let’s usher in NPR political reporter Juana Summers, who’s in Charleston forward of the controversy. Hello, Juana.

JUANA SUMMERS, BYLINE: Good morning.

GREENE: All proper. So front-runner Bernie Sanders, he will get a giant victory in Nevada. Everyone seems to be anticipating him to return underneath assault tonight. It feels like we’re getting a preview of that already in a few of these adverts which have come out.

SUMMERS: You are proper. We’re. They’ve actually began mounting. One of the stark ones come from Joe Biden’s marketing campaign. The previous vp’s marketing campaign is airing this new digital advert in South Carolina. Within the advert (inaudible) Bernie Sanders of attempting to undermine President Obama’s 2012 reelection marketing campaign by threatening a main problem to him.

(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)

UNIDENTIFIED NARRATOR: In terms of constructing on President Obama’s legacy, Bernie Sanders simply cannot be trusted.

GREENE: Wow. That is blunt.

SUMMERS: It is actually blunt. And it is essential to notice, Sanders’ marketing campaign has denied the concept the senator had any designs on mounting a main problem to Obama. However right here in South Carolina, a state with a closely black citizens, this can be a actually charged message. I additionally acquired one other preview of a few of the assaults which may come tonight at a dinner final evening for the South Carolina Democratic Occasion. Two completely different Democrats type of supplied up a template. Pete Buttigieg spoke after Sanders, and he drew a direct distinction, saying that a few of Sanders’ plans had been unrealistic and that he may doubtlessly be a drag on down-ticket Democratic candidates.

And Tom Steyer, who has been within the state greater than another candidates, is making an financial argument towards Sanders, who’s a self-described democratic socialist. And he argues that Sanders’ politics and insurance policies are unhealthy for working-class People. There’s additionally one massive query, and it is round Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. She’s, after all, been a frequent ally of Bernie Sanders. And in that final debate, she launched quite a lot of forceful assaults towards a wide range of candidates. However that is not one thing she’s completed with Bernie Sanders but. Now that he is picked up one other victory, we’re curious to see if that modifications.

GREENE: Will we get the sense that Sanders is prepared for assaults like this? I imply, how’s he been responding to date?

SUMMERS: Yeah, so it is attention-grabbing. He is actually been targeted on capitalizing on the momentum he is constructed and exhibiting that he can win. He is even pouring extra sources right here into South Carolina, a state that didn’t go properly for him in 2016 however the place he is rising within the polls now. He is additionally been highlighting some favorable polling numbers towards President Trump.

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BERNIE SANDERS: I do know you are listening to on TV rather a lot, Bernie cannot win. Do not consider all the pieces you hear on TV.

(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: Reality is that on most – just about the entire nationwide polls, we’re defeating Donald Trump.

SUMMERS: Now, that’s clearly an try to reassure Democrats about Bernie Sanders’ electability if he does win the nomination.

GREENE: Effectively – and I imply, heading to South Carolina now, we should always speak about Vice President Joe Biden. I imply, this can be a crucial state for him. I imply, how onerous has his marketing campaign been working there?

SUMMERS: They’re working actually onerous. That is near a must-win for him. Greater than half of the Democratic citizens is black right here. That is one in every of his strongest bases of help. They’re placing a number of effort right here and hoping that he would possibly get a lift from Home Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, who is anticipated to announce his endorsement tomorrow morning.

GREENE: All proper. NPR’s Juana Summers in Charleston, S.C., forward of tonight’s debate. Thanks a lot.

SUMMERS: Thanks.

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GREENE: All proper. President Trump is wrapping up a two-day go to to India.

KING: That is proper. Yesterday, he spoke to an enormous crowd – greater than 100,000 folks – at a “Namaste, Trump” rally within the Indian Prime Minister’s house state of Gujarat.

GREENE: And at present the 2 leaders meet once more in New Delhi. And NPR’s Lauren Frayer is there. Hello, Lauren.

LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Hello, David.

GREENE: So I imply, we discuss rather a lot about visits like this as as to whether they’re largely symbolic or whether or not something is de facto completed. Is there something to level to by way of progress or accomplishments between these two leaders?

FRAYER: Effectively, there was hypothesis a couple of commerce deal this week. President Trump cited great advances towards that however no deal whereas he is right here. And as a substitute, he mentioned India signed a really completely different deal to purchase greater than $three billion of U.S. army gear, together with helicopters. However what was actually attention-grabbing was one thing else Trump mentioned when he and Prime Minister Modi made statements to the press at present. Hearken to this.

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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Our two international locations have all the time been united by shared traditions of democracy and constitutions that defend freedom, particular person rights and the rule of regulation.

FRAYER: And let me inform you why it is important that Trump talked about India’s structure. Prime Minister Modi has been going through nationwide protests over a brand new citizenship regulation that excludes Muslim refugees. Protesters say it violates the secular values which might be enshrined in India’s structure, and it is an allegation that has lengthy dogged Modi. He is a Hindu nationalist. He believes India ought to be a Hindu nation with particular rights for its 80% Hindu majority, and that makes minorities nervous. And several other folks had been killed in clashes over this yesterday in Delhi, mere hours earlier than Trump landed right here.

GREENE: So what’s the significance, if we step again, of seeing these two leaders onstage collectively?

FRAYER: A lot has been product of this form of bromance between Trump and Modi. They held palms onstage at a stadium rally yesterday in Modi’s house state. There was “Howdy, Modi” rally final 12 months in Houston. Right here, it was “Namaste, Trump” this week. There’s a number of pageantry. However they’re each nationalists who’ve been accused of discriminating towards minorities. Modi was truly accused of inciting violence towards Muslims within the early 2000s in his house state, precisely the place that rally was yesterday, a lot in order that the U.S. truly denied him a visa to go to the U.S. for years till simply earlier than he grew to become prime minister in 2014.

The violence yesterday in Delhi and these huge protests that I discussed over the citizenship regulation could also be why Modi and Trump did not take a single query at present. Trump will do a solo presser with the media later at present, however Modi is de facto notorious for by no means – rarely taking open questions from the media. Beforehand, any criticism of press freedom or minority rights has been type of behind closed doorways. India’s a democracy. It is more and more essential to the U.S.

GREENE: In what means – how is India essential?

FRAYER: Strategic significance. The U.S. is more and more seeking to India as a buffer to China’s rising energy within the Indo-Pacific. And India shares that concern. It is acquired a 2,000-mile border with China.

GREENE: NPR’s Lauren Frayer reporting on this go to of President Trump to India, which is wrapping up.

Lauren, thanks a lot. We actually recognize it.

FRAYER: You are welcome. Transcript supplied by NPR, Copyright NPR.



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