Congressman beto dropped out of the race just before the event started for n.p.r. News I'm claim asters and to morning as the anti-government protests escalate in Iraq the u.s. State Department is closely monitoring calling on all sides to reject violence Michele Kelemen has more Secretary of State Mike Pompei o says the government of Iraq should listen to the legitimate demands made by the Iraqi people who have taken to the streets in a statement he calls on the Iraqi authorities to relax the restrictions it placed on the media and he says the government investigation into violence in early October was not credible enough adding quote The Iraqi people deserve genuine accountability u.s. Officials say they've seen evidence of what they call Iranian overreach in Iraq the anti-government protesters include Iraqis from across sectarian and ethnic divides angry about corruption and foreign influence in the country Michele Kelemen n.p.r. News Washington from Washington you are listening to n.p.r. News and from Cape p.c.c. I'm Tammy Trujillo with some of the stories we're following this morning and I know for Governor Gavin Newsome visited the school this week to talk about the planned power outages that have plagued the state blue elementary and Shingle Springs just east of Sacramento lost power on Monday but school staff and volunteers helped keep it open with backup generators and creating communication lines with parents who some praise school leaders and staff that criticized the state's power and communication providers for a lack of preparation a lot of it struction as relates to our telecommunications equipment up and down the state the backup generation is simply been inadequate and the talk cobs are going to have to I think make this moment in a different way the same against Lam to p.g. And e. For failing to maintain its equipment but the governor also urged people to direct their anger toward those who run the utilities and not the employees workers trying to get the power back on today marks the 2nd day of the Breeder's Cup It said Anita it's one of horse racing's premier events and it comes up. Same time the Arcadia tracks dealing with the deaths of 36 horses sense December 2 died in just the past week Senator Dianne Feinstein wrote a letter to the state heart rate Horse Racing Board says This weekend is a critical test for the future of horse racing in California and in the u.s. John is a special contributor to the l a Times who covers horse racing says the cause of the deaths at Santa Anita is still a mystery it's an anomaly is it something you have to track certain so I can tell you to be now the scrutiny that is going to be on these horses is pretty much on President will be 30000 truly areas on track on Saturday the horses will be examined East 6 times before they go to the track or to the post so I see you think much of what they could be doing and McKenzie is the favorite to end today's $6000000.00 race it's 9 o 6. Support for n.p.r. Comes from Dana Farber Cancer Institute developing ways to use that p.d.-l one pathway in immunotherapy to treat cancer committed some making contributions and cancer treatments for 72 years Dana Farber data were slashed everywhere on the frame weekend Harriet Tubman escaped slavery then repeatedly returned to the south to rescue more slaves Cynthia revolve stars in the new movie area the same weekend Saturday as a do on 89.3. This is Weekend Edition from n.p.r. News I'm Scott Simon president does work in southern states with governor's races on the ballot this year last night Mississippi Mr Trump rallied in Tupelo with Republican Tate Reeves the lieutenant governor who's in a tighter than expected race against the Democrat Jim Hood the stage longtime attorney general N.P.R.'s Debbie Elliott was at the rally joins us from Tupelo How are you Debbie I'm good how are you Scott fine thank you and what was the president's message there in Tupelo you know that a victory for Tate Reeves on Tuesday would be sending a direct message to the quote radical left crazy Democrats who are out to impeach him he talked a lot about the House impeachment inquiry calling it an attack on democracy itself but he also zeroed in on Reeve's opponent Jim Hood if you don't want to a far left Democrat running miss is simply wait a minute how is this guy you know I can't believe this is a competitive race and it's like embarrassing I'm talking to Mississippi. You know I'm talking to Mississippi I can't believe it Debbie how does this become a tight race you know Mississippi is typically very reliable Republican territory you have to remember Trump beat Hillary Clinton here roughly 60 to 40 Republican Tate Reeves is the lieutenant governor who emerged from a really tough primary Her head is the attorney general is the lone Democrat to hold statewide office and he's held it for quite a time now he's well known Reeves is certainly the favorite but he struggled to generate a lot of enthusiasm in some circles he also has a reputation for being hard nosed as lieutenant governor which is a very powerful position in Mississippi so he's got some enemies even within his own party he's trying to combat all of that by assuring voters that he is Trump's man in Mississippi here he is last night when the choice was Donald j. Our cook at Hillary Jim Hood stood with Hillary Clinton. And today with the election just days away. Standing with President Donald song to Tenet governor Tate Reeves Jim Hood once more will mention is Mississippi's attorney general Ozzie respond to attacks like that you know he claims that Tate Reeves is resorting to labels because he doesn't have a good plan to move Mississippi forward and he had is also sort of tried to show that he's aligned with Mississippi voters on issues like gun rights and the state's restrictive anti-abortion laws which he has defended his ads featuring with his pick up truck is rifle and his hunting dog you know he's trying to show he's he's of the people right so yesterday in Tupelo at a news conference ahead of Trump's as that and said you know Mississippi voters voted for him for the last 16 years and know his record people here know that I'm not a liberal and moderate. So it's telling that Trump came here to Tupelo and the northern hills of Mississippi lives close by he has proven he can win in this part of the state in typically Republican districts a trump campaign spokesperson said to me last night that there is a strategy and a reason why Trump came here and could tell how voters. Have been able to speak with. Have responded to the president's attempt to link himself to the lieutenant governor's campaign it was a very adoring crowd and they responded with enthusiasm when the president talked about take graves I spoke with Amy Kaufman of Columbus who says this rally is just what was needed to fire up g.o.p. Voters charm and us happy smiling Republicans America loving Southern loving or just one big great family that wants the best for America the best for the South the best for Mississippi so we'll find out if that's enough to keep Mississippi's governorship in Republican hands come Tuesday N.P.R.'s Debbie Elliott thanks so much you're welcome Medicare for all it's been a rallying cry in the Democratic primary but how to pay Ford Elizabeth Warren was pressed on that and the October debate and still hardworking middle class families costs will go down and now she's released her plan Julie Rovner joins us to see if it all adds up she's chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News Julie thanks so much for being with us thanks for having me one of the issues with Medicare for all the idea of expanded Medicare to cover all Americans is that it can take a few different forms in order to pay for it Elizabeth Warren had to sketch out exactly what her version would look like right that's right this is very much different from what Bernie Sanders even introduced in the Senate there were many many questions that were remained an answered in his proposal that Elizabeth Warren has gone in and answered which she needed to do because it's it's hard to say how much something's going to cost. Unless you know exactly how much you're planning to pay for it and she has gone in and said basically how much she's planning on paying for a lot of the health care that people now consume help us understand the structure that she has proposed with the Kardashians but she says she wants billionaires and businesses to pay for that's right she said that in most cases she wants to pay hospitals and doctors what Medicare now pays what Medicare for senior citizens which would be very different from the Medicare we're talking about in Medicare for all though that is considerably less than many private payers pay doctors and hospitals they will not like having their payments reduced to that level but that does make everything cheaper and makes it easier for her to finance and easier to finance by basically taxing the rich which is essentially what she's doing she would also require people who are paying in now not individuals but businesses and states to continue to pay and that would also help finance this new system going forward the numbers out of. They add up to what she says it would cost she said that they would be able to raise money by better enforcement of the tax laws which is something that everybody wishes would happen she's got some money in there from reforming immigration which suggests she's planning on reforming immigration before she does health care so there are a lot of ways that it might or might not add up it would add up if everything she anticipates happens Senator Warren says taxes would not go up on the middle class is that practical Well there's it's one thing to say the taxes won't go up on the middle class under her plan taxes won't go up on the middle class it's another thing to say that people in the middle class would pay less overall than they do now for health care yes health care would be free at the point of service but it's hard to know how much the employers would continue to pay and that is money that's basically out of workers' paychecks and if you have very generous benefits now and or you don't use very much health care in the end you might actually not end up paying less than you pay now it depends what you have now to know whether your costs won't go up how did Medicare for all become such a rallying point in the Democratic Party not so long after the Democrats had claimed credit for reforming health care with the Affordable Care Act Well I think the idea of Medicare for all is that it's easier at least it sounds easy that everybody would have what seniors have the government would fund it it would be we would be able to save money it would be more administratively simple of course it turns out and if you read Elizabeth Warren's plan it reads like a graduate seminar in health policy Medicare for All is anything but easy because the health care system is incredibly complex and moving to something more streamlined would be extremely difficult so for this plan to work a lot of things would have to fall into place that you share any president would have to get through Congress that's right and I think the other thing is that we normally don't see presidential candidates putting out proposals of this specificity although this is Elizabeth Warren's. Brand is to put out these very specific very complicated plans but this is mostly something that a president doesn't do this is something that Congress would have to do generally presidents like to leave it to Congress to work their will she has however come out and she believes that it is in her interest politically right now to have this specific plan with proposals to pay for it Kaiser Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner thanks so much for being back with us thank you. President Trump will attend the Ultimate Fighting Championship m.m.a. Mixed martial arts event at Madison Square Garden tonight the event of course is a punching kicking pay for view brawl between Newt Diaz and Jorge must be done that takes place inside a cage the winner gets a belt embellished with the initials b m f which is not stand for best mocha frappe Mr Trump is not expected to be booed at Madison Square Garden as he was at a World Series game earlier this week the president is a fan of ultimate fighting and used to book m.m.a. Events into his casino in Atlantic City. Millions of people all over the world from all backgrounds watch mixed martial arts and I'd wager there may not be much crossover between the Ultimate Fighting audience and npr's although no doubt each could learn from the other u.f.c. Fans cheer for maneuvers like the ground and pound flying knee in the guillotine choke N.P.R.'s audience gets choked up about tote bags Tiny Desk Concert sand Terry Gross but mixed martial arts are not burlesque like pro wrestling or actor athletes like epic Okolona an ember moon play characters that hurl and hurt each other according to a script m.m.a. Is real violence fans will tell you how it combines boxing wrestling judo Keppel era and other techniques that all that translates into to human beings who punch grab kick knee and gouge each other in a cage even after an opponent hits the floor of the ruler of thousands Senator John McCain once called him a human cockfighting that would later work with promoters to fund research into brain injury in the sport at least 6 fighters have died from m.m.a. Matches since 2006 that's actually fewer deaths than boxing or high school football but a spectator sport does not have to be deadly to be damaging. President like any of us is free to enjoy any entertainment or diversion but what they choose draws attention there's so much to do this weekend in New York a food fast in Little Italy did at the Greenwood Cemetery comedy clubs jazz joints and plays the New York cat and dog Film Festival and the New York City Marathon on Sunday where athletes will use their feet to run not kick someone in the chest there are lots of ways to enjoy a weekend in New York. For anybody. And you're listening to n.p.r. News and this is $89.00. Coming up at noon today it's Larry metal in the film we critics reviewing the new releases including Martin Scorsese's latest the Irish man along with Terminator dark fate with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton in their iconic roles and documentarian Arthur Don tells us about the mostly. Chinese Americans in Hollywood films that's coming up at noon today with. Critics here on 89.3. Next time on the New York radio hour I'll talk with presidential candidate. Whose star seems to be rising in Iowa. On the New Yorker radio Saturday mornings at 10.3 p.c.c. He's. United Way of. Saying everyone in this year they're celebrating the creation of more than 8000 new homes for people experiencing homelessness and they're organizing it. Everyone. I'm Louise Schiavone with these headlines turkeys defense ministry. He says a car bomb went off in the northern Syrian town of Tal killing 13 civilians about 20 others were wounded when the bomb exploded in the central part of the city which was captured last month by Turkey backed opposition gunmen from Kurdish led fighters Democrat better of Texas has walked away from his presidential bid deciding he doesn't have the means to continue a hero's welcome is shaping up for the Washington Nationals after they captured the World Series title in a come from behind game 7 victory in Houston earlier this week tens of thousands of fans are expected for a parade in the heart of Washington I'm Louise Schiavone n.p.r. News. Support for n.p.r. Comes from this station and from the financial services firm of Raymond James offering personalized wealth management advice and banking and capital markets expertise along with a legacy of putting clients financial wellbeing 1st learn more at Raymond James dot com from the Walton Family Foundation where opportunity takes root more information is available at Walton Family Foundation dot org And from listeners like you who donate to this n.p.r. Station. This is Weekend Edition from n.p.r. News I'm Scott Simon You may have heard some stuff about Ukraine recently with impeachment and all that stuff and to Ukrainian Americans involved in it there's Lieutenant Colonel Alexander even men who recently testified and left Parnassus who may have helped him try to dig dirt in Ukraine on Joe Biden turns out both of these men came of age in a certain place Brighton Beach show reporter Alina Simone visited that Brooklyn and for many Brighton Beach are mean something of a time capsule a forever frumpy land of Boris and Natasha as but a lot has changed in the past decade. To Brighton beach I saw exactly the street I knew from the songs from the news from the movies from the command there is but you know nothing is endless Bullock fresh as an expert in the Stacia he sells it for a living as a jazz singer and as the host of a weekly music show on Russian language television Phish moved to Brighton Beach in 1901 the Soviet Union was about to collapse and the crime rate in New York City was at an all time high Fisher members the years when exiled Soviet artists and intellectuals routinely mingled with. Like people from the criminal world and. Raised from the table with me all the high come or was a no no I with it with on one I wanted to stay apart but. All the bottle while champagne from the table to all with table they didn't call the dollars but that was almost 30 years ago the gangsters are gone and so are the clubs each year there are fewer Russian restaurants now you're more likely to find food like this the problem was not to be we did some so solve some popping sounds like g.q. Sounds a bit. That's Tom he didn't feel comfortable providing his last name he's part of a new wave of Central Asian immigrants we're. Unlike Russian immigrants like fresh look Tom had never even heard of train between came to America he came here to work but now he loves Brighton Beach everything you need it's all here he says then adds This is where my people are. A few blocks up the street is St Petersburg formerly known as St Petersburg books this was the high temple of the Russian speaking diaspora but like every other book of business in the streaming age St Petersburg has been forced to pivot a lot of the books one on line to make room for more optimal items that's Elizabeth or love her mother founded the store 25 years ago today the shelves are stocked with toys housewares and bespoke gifts that Amazon can to poach like pottery commissioned directly from artists in Ukraine or camel 1st slippers sourced from Mongolia. For the final part of our tour Oleg and I head over to the national It was the last big club on Brighton Beach Avenue to close it sad of course it's because National is the Houston wildlife from. The people who used to come here. Every week but only because moving on literally he wants to move to Manhattan for more of what he calls a contemporary lifestyle and he says he won't have any trouble unloading his apartment from oceanfront. That's the key word great no in recent years Brighton Beach has become a Mecca for regular New Yorkers seeking a summer getaway developers have taken notice to last year a local developer announced plans to build a 13 story luxury apartment complex in Brighton Beach its proposed name Trump village tower for n.p.r. News I'm Alina Simone in Brighton Beach. There's nature of a crisis in Pakistan and it affects children. Since April more than $850.00 cases of infected children have been reported and health care workers are raising the alarm over systemic issues in Pakistan's health care system Fatima Meir teaches pediatrics at kharaj Aga Khan university she joins us from Karachi thanks so much for being with us Dr mere thank you for having me Scott we've reached you in karate but yo