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A joyful tour of French history, from main avenues to back roads
Review by Elaine Sciolino
The Tour de France, writes Graham Robb, is more than a bike race — it’s a quasi-religious phenomenon. (Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images)
To the French intellectual elite, moving effortlessly in a conversation “du coq à l’âne” (from the rooster to the donkey) — as in, from one subject to another — is an asset. Among notable anglophones, Benjamin Franklin was a master of the game. As the American minister to France during the Revolutionary War, he pursued his passion for science, philosophy and printing; he did more than just learn French — he played at it, writing essays to Parisian friends and love letters to women. He got the French to like him.
The British scholar Graham Robb is a modern-day “rooster to donkey” impresario. He is the kind of writer you want to sit down with over a fine Armagnac and say, “Tell me your best stories about France.”
In “France: An Adventure History,” Robb does just that. With joy, curiosity and more than a dash of ambition, he brings 2,000 years of French history to life, escorting readers from Gaul all the way to the eve of the pandemic. As a historian, Robb buries himself in national and local archives. As a vacuum cleaner of contemporary detail, he chronicles events by collecting whatever he can find: video footage, politicians’ speeches, press commentary, photographs, travel brochures, caricatures, street graffiti.
Robb began his career as a scholar of 19th-century French literature in the 1990s with lively biographies of Balzac, Hugo and Rimbaud. He then became a storyteller of France. He traveled 14,000 miles by bicycle all over the country, often with his American wife, Margaret, to research “The Discovery of France” (2007), which covered the French Revolution to World War I. “Parisians,” a collection of essays of social history about the city, spanned the French Revolution to the 2005 riots in the Paris suburbs.
His latest work can be read as the third and most sweeping part of a trilogy. He continues the theme that France is not a monolith but a vast encyclopedia of mini-civilizations, each with its own history, traditions and belief system that need time to reveal themselves.
He calls his approach “a slow history (‘slow’ as in ‘slow food’).” He writes, “Some time ago, I acquired a taste for apparently futile journeys of discovery,” and “It is a sad adventure that offers no hope of getting lost.” So it is in reading this book. Like a demanding bike trip through the back roads of rural France, this is not an adventure for those with faint hearts. You have to love getting lost in Robb’s dense thicket of detail.
This is literal in the opening passage on Julius Caesar’s offensive in northern Gaul: an “obscure act of genocide on a summer’s day in the late Iron Age.” Caesar had to overcome the Gallic tribes’ battlefield tactics of using “saepes,” an impenetrable barrier of twigs and foliage that offered the enemy a “cloak of invisibility.”
Then there is the giant “Tree at the Center of France,” which Robb first saw on a 1624 ecclesiastical map. He used a 1552 pocket-size guidebook to find what may be a descendant of the tree, a dead elm near a remote ruin of a chapel. “ ‘Waste of time’ is a concept which haunts the mind of any researcher, but time itself is never wasteful,” he writes.
Even readers who think they know France will discover the lives and voices of forgotten characters. Who ever heard of Ogmios, the Gauls’ name for the founder of the land that became France? There is also Gerbert d’Aurillac, the obscurely born, self-taught scientist who became the first French pope, Sylvester II; Jacques-Louis Ménétra, a glazier, seducer and rapist from Paris whose autobiography portrayed an uncontrolled, misogynist vision of life in the 18th century; Harriet Howard, the ultrarich English mistress of Napoleon III who funded his career; Narcisse Pelletier, a cabin boy abandoned by his shipmates who was adopted by the Uutaalnganu people of northeastern Australia and eventually brought back to France after 17 years as “the Australian savage”; Betsy Balcombe, who, at the age of 13, befriended Napoleon Bonaparte when he arrived on St. Helena; Maryam Pougetoux, the 19-year-old Sorbonne president of the French National Union of Students, who became the public voice of the student protest movement in 2018.
As a fanatic bicyclist, Robb devoted a section of “The Discovery of France” to the origins of the Tour de France. Here, he dedicates a chapter to the tour not as mere athletic event but as a pseudo-religious phenomenon: It is a modern fete for a secular country, complete with bloody, doped-up martyrs and, like the author, passionate acolytes. It was here that I found I wanted more stories about the author and his intrepid wife, like the time the two biked along the tour route with the racers. At one particularly difficult bend, Robb writes that his hands were trembling as a light rain slickened the road beneath him. “I pulled on the brakes and felt the ominous juddering which can occur when the bars of an accelerating bicycle are gripped too tightly.”
He brings us to the present, with a discussion of the absurdity of the republic’s unyielding commitment to “laïcité” (secularism), the “gilets jaunes” (yellow vests) protest movement, the construction of rural-urban villages since the 1970s that has eroded traditional village life, the desire of President Emmanuel Macron to be loved.
Robb’s five-page guide at the end of his book is a perfect how-to for bike enthusiasts who want to duplicate some of his excursions. He playfully proposes a “cycling with Caesar” trip, which passes the place where the hedge-building Nervii tribe were massacred. Other advice: The unpaved Roman road to Reims offers a “firm white surface with easily avoidable potholes”; in the Vercors region, “winter or summer, wet or dry,” it is important to ask locally about landslips, rockfalls and road trips; all the sites mentioned in Paris “can be visited on a bicycle in less time than it takes to find a parking space.”
I confess that I am not much of a bike rider. Severe nearsightedness, a horrible sense of direction and awkward balance contribute to my desire to either walk, ride a train or be driven around France. But this book is an adventure for all, even those unwilling to risk death on two wheels.
Elaine Sciolino, a former Paris bureau chief for the New York Times, is writing a book on how to fall in love with the Louvre.
An Adventure History
By Graham Robb
Norton. 527 pp. $32.50 | 2022-07-29T12:12:03Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Book review of France: An Adventure History by Graham Robb - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/07/29/joyful-tour-french-history-main-avenues-back-roads/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/07/29/joyful-tour-french-history-main-avenues-back-roads/ |
The pope who thought he could negotiate with Hitler
Review by John Loughery
Pope Pius XII, pictured in 1940, secretly met with an emissary of Nazi Germany, according to an account David I. Kertzer found in newly opened Vatican archives. The pope agreed not to interfere in Nazi activities in exchange for protections for Catholics. (Mondadori/Getty Images)
Of all the thorns in the side of the many apologists for Pope Pius XII, Brown University professor David I. Kertzer is probably the most formidable. Avoiding the strident tone of Garry Wills’s “Papal Sin” or John Cornwell’s aggressively titled “Hitler’s Pope,” Kertzer’s books about the papacy are models of calm, uncluttered prose, prodigious research, and the ability to appeal to both a scholarly and a general audience. In his new book, “The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler,” Kertzer brings all of his usual detective and narrative skills to bear. The story isn’t an inspiring one.
The reputation of Pius XII has not worn well since his death in 1958. His detractors see a pontiff indifferent to the suffering of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis and a weak spiritual leader intimidated by Adolf Hitler and manipulated by Benito Mussolini. Pius’s defenders say this view paints a radically distorted picture of a man who was caught between the need to protect his church, with its 40 million German Catholics, and the barbarism of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.
By the mid-1960s, the Catholic Church could no longer ignore the clamor. Between 1965 and 1981, a 12-volume compilation of the Holy See’s World War II documents was released by the Vatican. It has long been suspected, though, that evidence not flattering to Pius XII was held back. In 2019, Pope Francis decided it was time to admit outside historians to the archives. The author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe” and “The Pope Who Would Be King: The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe,” Kertzer was in Rome at the door of the archives on the day the relevant files were opened for study. The result is the most comprehensive account of the Vatican’s relations to the Nazi and fascist regimes before and during the war, the temporizing of the pope, and the opportunities for moral courage that were lost.
It seems remarkable in retrospect that Pius XII ever thought he could come to terms with Hitler. Days after the pope’s coronation in 1939, the German dictator showed the world how much the Munich Pact meant to him when he invaded Czechoslovakia and incorporated it into the Reich. Yet Pius XII, hesitant and often out of touch with hard realities, believed he could negotiate with a man he perceived as a needed bulwark against communism. The fate of Europe’s Jews never entered into his thinking.
It is disturbing to read of the new pope’s decision to shelve the encyclical attacking racism and antisemitism that his predecessor, Pius XI, had planned to release the day before his death, and of his warm birthday greetings to the Führer in April 1939, six months after the horror of Kristallnacht. These and other sorry facts have long been known, though.
Truly shocking is Kertzer’s discovery in the archives of an account of a secret meeting between the pope and a representative of the Reich, King Victor Emmanuel’s German son-in-law, only weeks before the invasion of Poland. The Vatican has carefully kept all mention of this meeting out of the official record, and only with the 2020 opening of those files has it come to light.
In that meeting, Pius XII agreed to avoid involvement in what he called “partisan politics” in the Reich, which would have included the activities of the Gestapo, the Nazi euthanasia program and the reign of terror visited on the Jews, in return for an end to restrictions on parochial-school education and attacks on his clergy. “No one here is anti-German,” the pope told Hitler’s emissary, according to a Vatican transcript. “We love Germany. We are pleased if Germany is great and powerful. And we do not oppose any particular form of government, if only the Catholics can live in accordance with their religion.” The pope personally repeated this message to Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Nazi foreign minister, soon after the defeat of Poland and the closing of churches and convents there.
Kertzer’s depiction of Vatican politics during the war is even more heartbreaking. Pius XII continued to believe that he could tame an inferno of hate if he remained committed to diplomatic overtures and placating language, and he declined to condemn the invasion of Catholic Belgium, the Netherlands or France. Polish pleas for help went unanswered. He was outspoken about the Allied bombing of Rome, but about the roundup of Rome’s Jews in 1943, he said nothing. He refused to excommunicate Hitler, Heinrich Himmler or Mussolini, all nominal Catholics to the day they died. Though Pius XII talked of martyrdom on occasion, he had no intention of moving in that direction.
“The Pope at War” is more than an examination of one man’s failings, though. Among the book’s many satisfactions is the wide net the author casts with ably drawn portraits of the German diplomats, Italian politicians, ambassadors and nuncios, cardinals and Vatican bureaucrats with whom the pope interacted. This is a chronicle with very few heroes. One, a French cardinal, Eugène Tisserant, tried to persuade Pius XII to speak out against Nazi genocide, to no avail. “I fear that history will have much to reproach the Holy See for,” he remarked in 1940. How prescient were those words.
John Loughery is the author of four biographies, including “Dagger John: Archbishop John Hughes and the Making of Irish America” and “Dorothy Day: Dissenting Voice of the American Century.”
The Pope at War
The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler
By David I. Kertzer
Random House. 621 pp. $37.50 | 2022-07-29T12:12:10Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Book review of “The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler” by David I. Kertzer - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/07/29/pope-who-thought-he-could-negotiate-with-hitler/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/07/29/pope-who-thought-he-could-negotiate-with-hitler/ |
Off the coast of Italy, Nemo’s Garden grows basil, strawberries, lettuce and other greens -- a novel type of aquaculture focused on sustainability.
Perspective by Tristen Rouse
A diver, part of Ocean Reef Group, emerges from Nemo's Garden after having harvested the tobacco plants inside Biosphere No. 2. (Giacomo d'Orlando)
About 25 feet under the ocean surface, just off the coast of Noli, Italy, six plastic biospheres glow, part of an experiment with a novel type of aquaculture.
The biospheres, tended by a group of scuba divers, are growing basil, strawberries, lettuce and other greens that are being farmed there for human consumption. Once harvested, the plants have been found to possess higher levels of essential oils and antioxidants — suggesting a potential use in pharmaceuticals — and a purer, more intense taste when eaten.
“I had a sensation that after tasting one leaf of basil, it felt like eating a whole plant,” said Giacomo d’Orlando, a photojournalist who spent months documenting the underwater greenhouse. “I’ve never smelled a basil so perfect.”
It’s all part of a vision by Sergio Gamberini, a chemical engineer and the president of the Ocean Reef Group. Based in Genoa, Italy, the scuba equipment company is cultivating this undersea experiment.
Founded in 2012, the project — dubbed Nemo’s Garden — began as an attempt to combine Gamberini’s passions for scuba diving and gardening. Today, it aims to create a sustainable method of growing food in a world increasingly affected by climate change.
Inside the biospheres, the crops are reared in tightly controlled conditions. They grow without dirt, which means there are no parasites and no need for pesticides. And they are irrigated by the seawater that naturally evaporates and then condensates onto the interior walls of the dome.
“What I’m describing is nothing different than when we were in elementary school, and they explain how rain works,” said Luca Gamberini, Sergio’s son and project manager at Nemo’s Garden. Irrigation through condensation means the biospheres don’t pull from existing freshwater resources.
Outside the biosphere, the consistent temperature of the water creates a stable growing environment for the plants, which is monitored by devices powered via solar panels. All this means that Nemo’s Garden is a completely self-sustaining project.
D’Orlando, a photojournalist with a sharp focus on environmental issues, learned to scuba dive so he could photograph Nemo’s Garden. Just 10 days after he finished his certification, he was in the water with divers installing three new biospheres.
Sounds of a healthy ocean can bring degraded marine ecosystems back to life
“I was emotional,” said d’Orlando, recalling that first dive. Being underwater and making pictures of the biospheres, he wanted to stay submerged forever.
“Every time I had to go up, I was in a rush to get my other tank and go down again,” d’Orlando said.
Installing the biospheres is relatively easy, Gamberini said. “Kudos to my engineering team.”
The domes — made of a lightweight, transparent polycarbonate — are mounted on land. Then, they’re flipped upside down for transport. With the curvature of the dome on the bottom, they float, can be guided into position and then flipped right side up. At that point, the dome fills with water and sinks the biosphere to the ocean floor, where it’s chained down and air from a scuba tank is pumped in to displace the water. The air causes the domes to float, held in place by the chains, and divers can install the platform used to stand inside the dome and the necessary electronics, which come by way of waterproof boxes.
“All we did, we did on our own, with rational, limited technology that can be transported,” Gamberini said.
The use of environmentally sustainable methods and lightweight materials, which are easily moved and installed, is intentional. These efforts feed into the larger dream of Nemo’s Garden: to make this technology accessible in areas where climate change, soil desertification and water scarcity have made food production increasingly difficult.
“That’s our ultimate goal,” Gamberini said.
Ocean animals face a mass extinction from climate change, study finds
Should Nemo’s Garden be replicated, d’Orlando wants to be there to see it.
After that initial dive, d’Orlando would periodically return to photograph the seeding and development of plants, the operating space of the Ocean Reef Group, the crop harvest and the chemical testing of the plants done by researchers at Pisa University.
For him, photographing its expansion would be the next logical step in documenting something he believes in.
“I don’t know if, in my life, I will find another project unique like this,” d’Orlando said. | 2022-07-29T12:12:16Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Photographer documents underwater greenhouses - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/2022/07/29/nemos-garden-underwater-greenhouse/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/2022/07/29/nemos-garden-underwater-greenhouse/ |
Congress hasn't funded a federal office focused on climate, health equity
Good morning and welcome to The Climate 202! Happy Friday. As a scheduling note, the newsletter won't be published next week, although we may have a special edition if the Senate passes the climate and clean-energy agreement between Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.).
More on that agreement below. But first:
Biden created a federal office focused on climate and health equity. Congress hasn't funded it.
A week after taking office, President Biden signed a sweeping executive order that established a federal office focused on addressing the health consequences of climate change, which disproportionately affect poor communities and communities of color.
But nearly a year after the Department of Health and Human Services launched the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, Congress has not provided any funding, forcing the office to operate without full-time staff at a time of worsening climate disasters across the country, according to interviews with four officials there, Maxine reports this morning.
Without permanent staff, the climate office has been loaned detailees from other federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. But those employees could be called back to their home agencies if the office does not receive funding in the coming months.
“Right now, it is an unfunded office,” said Adm. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health. “What we really need is funding to have a permanent staff.”
The administration had grand plans for the office. It was tasked with marshaling federal assistance for Americans sweltering under deadly heat waves, breathing dangerous wildfire smoke, fleeing massive flooding and struggling to access clean drinking water amid a historic drought parching the West.
“Many climate and health calamities are colliding all at once,” Biden said before signing the executive order in January 2021. “Just like we need a unified national response to covid-19, we desperately need a unified national response to the climate crisis.”
But like much of Biden's climate agenda, the success or failure of the office hinges on Congress. And so far, lawmakers have not filled its coffers.
In his budget plan released in March, Biden requested $3 million to support eight full-time positions in the climate office.
The government funding package that passed the House last week would deliver the full $3 million. So would the spending bill that the Senate Appropriations Committee unveiled on Thursday.
However, the government spending bills that lawmakers released last year also included $3 million for the climate office — until that money was stripped from the legislation at the last minute as part of an agreement behind the scenes. That has caused apprehension among officials in the office.
A growing consensus
In recent years, the medical community has increasingly recognized climate change as a leading threat to public health.
The Lancet, a top medical journal, warned last year that global warming is set to become the “defining narrative of human health” — triggering food shortages, deadly disasters and disease outbreaks that would dwarf the toll of the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 100 doctors and nurses traveled to last fall's United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, where the World Health Organization sponsored a health pavilion for the first time in the organization’s history.
“It shouldn’t be controversial to set up an office to make sure our communities and health systems are ready to face extreme weather threats being made more frequent and common by climate change,” Balbus said. “The 200 leading health journals in the world have made it clear that climate change is the greatest threat to public health this century. This issue needs focused attention now.”
Environmental justice implications
Under the Justice40 initiative, Biden has vowed to “deliver at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities.”
In May, as part of that initiative, Health and Human Services announced the formation of an Office of Environmental Justice. It is housed within the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity — meaning that it, too, has no funding.
“Certainly front-line communities — poor communities, communities of color — always seem to get the brunt of pollution and health hazards,” said Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), who participated in a recent roundtable with the climate office on protecting farmworkers from extreme heat.
“So that office needs the resources,” Soto said, “to speak up for those who have lacked a voice historically.”
The Manchin-Schumer deal could be the most significant climate bill yet
The $385 billion deal for climate and energy that Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) announced on Wednesday could sharply cut carbon pollution and lower Americans’ power bills, even though it falls short of what is needed for the nation to meet President Biden’s goal of slashing emissions in half by 2030, Anna Phillips reports for The Washington Post.
The agreement — which includes generous tax credits for clean energy and electric vehicles — could put the United States on track to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, according to the Rhodium Group, a research firm.
The agreement includes $260 billion in clean energy tax credits and $80 billion in new rebates for electric vehicles and energy-efficient homes, Maxine and our colleagues Jeff Stein and Rachel Roubein report. But it includes some significant trade-offs that will probably increase greenhouse gas pollution by requiring the federal government to open up new drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska. Although the concessions were probably necessary to gain Manchin’s support, some environmentalists criticized the measure.
“If you look at the details, it’s a terrible deal,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “I don’t see frankly how the math even works, because the amount of leasing we would be locking in until 2032 would just be game-over for the climate.”
Meanwhile on Thursday, Senate Democrats forged ahead on a new, urgent push to finalize the economic package, hoping they might be able to bring it to the floor as soon as next week, Tony Romm, Mike DeBonis and Marianna Sotomayor report for The Post.
Senate panel releases spending bills with big boosts for clean energy
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday released all 12 spending bills for fiscal 2023, proposing major increases for clean energy spending, E&E News’s George Cahlink, Sean Reilly, Scott Streater and Jeremy Dillon report. The House last week passed six spending bills for the next fiscal year.
Under the new plans:
The Energy Department would receive $49.3 billion, an increase of $4.5 billion compared with current spending and $1.1 billion more than the House plan.
The Biden administration would get $500 million to bolster domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies through the Defense Production Act. The House allocated $100 million for the program.
The Environmental Protection Agency would receive $10.6 billion for its science and technology office, climate, water, and air quality programs, environmental justice initiatives, and regulatory work on toxic chemicals.
Most of the Interior Department’s top agencies, including the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service, would see modest funding increases, with the entire department receiving about $16 billion.
The Park Service would get $20 million for its work on a Civilian Climate Corps, which was cut from Democrats' budget reconciliation package. Those investments are intended to “create jobs in the conservation workforce with the goal of expanding on-the-ground conservation work on park lands,” according to the Senate Appropriations panel.
Corporate commitments
Shell and Total extend share buybacks amid record profits
Shell and TotalEnergies extended share buybacks on Thursday after their second-quarter profits again shattered records, as the price of oil continues to climb, Shadia Nasralla and Ron Bousso report for Reuters.
Taken together, the two largest oil companies in Europe are buying back $8 billion in shares for the third quarter, frustrating some investors. In the past year, Total and Shell shares have risen about 35 percent and 49 percent, respectively.
Other major fossil fuel companies — including Eni, ExxonMobil and Chevron — are set to announce their second-quarter results on Friday. BP will announce its results Tuesday.
Global warming made U.K. heat wave 10 times more likely, study says
The heat wave that stretched across the United Kingdom last week was made “at least 10 times more likely” by human-caused climate change, according to an analysis from the World Weather Attribution group, William Booth reports for The Post.
The researchers concluded that the same heat wave that brought unusual triple-digit temperatures to Britain would have been “statistically impossible” in a pre-industrial world without global warming, based on two of the three meteorological stations in England it examined.
If the world continues on its current emissions trajectory without taking bold action on climate change, such hot spells could happen every three or four years, according to models run by the British Meteorological Office.
Massive flooding in Kentucky invades homes, leaves at least 8 dead
Unprecedented flooding swept across eastern Kentucky early Thursday, submerging communities and leaving several people missing or trapped and at least eight people dead, Ian Livingston reports for The Post.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) called the event “one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky’s history” and said “we expect double-digit deaths” at a news conference Thursday.
The state, which had already experienced heavy rainfall for 48 hours before the flooding event, was expected to receive 1 to 3 additional inches of rain Thursday. It could see rainfall rates as high as 2 to 3 inches per hour on Friday.
The federal government’s National Climate Assessment shows that heavy rainfall, linked to human-caused climate change, is now about 20 to 40 percent more likely in and around eastern Kentucky than it was around 1900.
Record highs roast Northwest; heat wave looms for rest of Lower 48 — Matthew Capucci for The Post
Climate activists demonstrate outside Congressional Baseball Game — Hau Chu and Clarence Williams for The Post
Climate change is killing more elephants than poaching, Kenyan officials say — Jennifer Hassan for The Post
We heard you liked frogs. Please confirm. 🐸
Green frogs prefer the “sit and wait” method of hunting. They’ll often eat slugs, flies, spiders, moths and any other mouth-sized things that happen to come along. Which frogs have you seen lately? pic.twitter.com/jax3mxL26c | 2022-07-29T12:12:22Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Congress hasn't funded a federal office focused on climate, health equity - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/29/congress-hasnt-funded-federal-office-focused-climate-health-equity/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/29/congress-hasnt-funded-federal-office-focused-climate-health-equity/ |
Post Politics Now A late-July scramble for Democrats to pull off more wins
Take a look: What to know about the Justice Department’s investigation of Trump
On our radar: Americans dismayed at end of Roe are less certain they will vote, poll finds
The latest: Man accused in plot to kill Kavanaugh eyed other justices, FBI says
The latest: Jan. 6 texts missing for Trump Homeland Security’s Wolf and Cuccinelli
The latest: Gen Z activist mocked by Gaetz has now raised $1M for abortion access
Noted: Man arrested with gun outside Rep. Jayapal’s home is charged with stalking
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appears at a news conference Thursday on protecting women's reproductive health care on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will hold a ceremony to celebrate Thursday’s passage of the $280 billion Chips and Science Act, a measure that would subsidize domestic semiconductor manufacturing and invest billions in science and technology innovation, before sending the legislation to President Biden for his signature.
As Congress prepares to head into its August recess, Democrats are scrambling to chalk up a couple more wins, including several priorities in an economic package brokered with Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) that could clear the Senate next week.
Meanwhile, Pelosi is certain to face questions at her weekly news conference Friday about whether she intends to visit Taiwan during an upcoming trip to Asia. Her office has been silent on her plans to this point, citing security issues. Some Biden administration officials are concerned that Chinese leaders would see a visit by Pelosi to Taiwan as a provocation.
9:30 a.m. Eastern time: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) holds a news conference. Watch live here.
9:30 a.m. Eastern time: Pelosi holds a bill enrollment photo opportunity for the Chips and Science Act before sending it to Biden. Watch live here.
10:45 a.m. Eastern time: Pelosi holds her weekly news conference. Watch live here.
1:30 p.m. Eastern time: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. Watch live here.
The Department of Justice is examining former president Donald Trump’s conduct relating to its Jan. 6 insurrection criminal probe. (Video: Blair Guild/The Washington Post)
The Post reported earlier this week that the Justice Department is investigating President Donald Trump’s actions as part of its criminal probe of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to four people familiar with the matter.
In this video produced by The Post’s Blair Guild, our colleague Devlin Barrett explains what the Justice Department is looking into and where things might be headed. He notes that the investigation has two tracks: one involving the Capitol riot, the other involving a false-elector scheme. Take a look above.
Republicans seized Thursday on a Bureau of Economic Analysis report showing that gross domestic product fell for the second quarter in a row to argue that the economy is in recession.
Our colleagues at The Early 202, Theodoric Meyer and Leigh Ann Caldwell, spoke to Jared Bernstein, a member of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, about why he doesn’t think the economy is in recession and other related issues. Here are a few highlights:
On his takeaways from Thursday’s report: “It’s a report that shows both some of the real head winds facing American households right now, but also some of the tail winds. For example, consumer spending — very important, it’s almost 70 percent of the economy — was up 1 percent in the second quarter, and that’s inflation-adjusted.”
On his past writing that a recession is typically defined as two consecutive quarters of declining growth: “Sometimes it is, but occasionally it isn’t. And that’s what I meant there.” The variables scrutinized by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which officially determines whether the economy is in recession, often correlate with GDP, he said. “It’s just that right now they don’t. Real personal income absent government transfers was up 1 percent in Q2. Consumer spending was up 1 percent in Q2. Industrial production was up in Q2, and payrolls were up pretty gangbusters in Q2.”
On decisions being made by the Federal Reserve related to inflation: “One of the things that distinguishes our White House from our predecessors is that we just don’t get into the Fed’s knitting like that. We very much respect the Fed’s independence, and we’re not going to comment on any granular aspects of their policy.”
With a long-elusive spending deal newly in hand, Senate Democrats are finalizing their economic package, hoping they might be able to deliver on a central piece of President Biden’s agenda as soon as next week.
The Post’s Tony Romm, Mike DeBonis and Marianna Sotomayor report that the new, urgent push toward a vote came a day after the party achieved what once felt like an impossible breakthrough: an agreement between Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) on a bill that would lower health-care costs, combat climate change, reduce the deficit and revise the U.S. tax code.
Our colleagues write:
Now in possession of 725 pages of legislative text, Democrats eagerly began digesting the size and scope of the measure, which amounts to far less than the more ambitious, roughly $2 trillion proposal that the House adopted last year. But a wide array of party lawmakers appeared ready to embrace the new agreement anyway, having seemingly put months of acrimonious bickering with Manchin finally behind them.
The bill includes the largest investment in fighting climate change in U.S. history, aiming to boost clean-energy technology even as it delivers some of the support Manchin sought for fossil fuels. It also aims to lower health-care costs, particularly through changes to Medicare that could reduce some prescription drug prices for seniors. Speaking to reporters later Thursday, Schumer announced that Democrats plan to add other elements that target the price of insulin.
To cover its costs, the bill looks to bolster the Internal Revenue Service to pursue tax cheats while setting a minimum tax on corporations, targeting profitable firms that pay nothing to the U.S. government. And it raises more than $300 billion that can be used to reduce the federal deficit.
The Post’s Hannah Knowles, Emily Guskin and Scott Clement report that fully 58 percent of the country supports a federal law establishing the right to an abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb, the standard the Supreme Court enshrined for nearly 50 years and overturned last month. More from our colleagues:
Almost a third of Americans say abortion will be one of the “single most important” issues shaping their midterm vote. That’s less than the 39 percent calling rising prices a top issue but higher than the 23 percent citing crime and 20 percent citing immigration.
The Post’s Dan Morse has details:
“Im gonna stop roe v wade from being overturned,” the suspect, Nicholas Roske, 26, wrote in an online message to an associate.
“What u tryna do,” the associate asked.
“Remove some people from the supreme court,” Roske allegedly responded, before adding, “I could get a least one, which would change the votes for decades to come, and I am shooting for 3.”
You can read Dan’s full story here.
Text messages for then-President Donald Trump’s acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf and acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli are missing for a key period leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to four people briefed on the matter and internal emails.
The Post’s Carol D. Leonnig and Maria Sacchetti report that the discovery of missing records for the top DHS officials, which has not been previously reported, increases the volume of potential evidence that has vanished regarding the time around the Capitol attack. Our colleagues write:
Olivia Julianna, the 19-year-old reproductive rights activist who this week turned an insult from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) into a fundraiser, has now raised more than $1.3 million for women seeking abortions.
The Post’s Andrew Jeong has the latest on the donations inspired by Olivia Julianna, a political strategist for the nonprofit group Gen-Z for Change:
The $1.3 million raised by the group by early Friday is more than 10 percent of what the National Network of Abortion Funds — which includes about 90 abortion funds in the United States and Mexico — distributed in an entire year.
Authorities in Seattle filed a felony stalking charge this week against a man who was arrested outside the house of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) earlier this month with a loaded weapon.
The Post’s Amy Cheng reports that Brett Forsell, 49, was arrested on July 9 after Jayapal called 911 to report that a person outside her residence was yelling obscenities and may have fired a pellet gun, according to a probable cause report from the Seattle Police Department.
More details from Amy:
Police officers later found Forsell standing in the middle of the street outside Jayapal’s Seattle home with his hands raised in the air and a loaded semiautomatic pistol holstered on his waist, according to the report. | 2022-07-29T12:12:40Z | www.washingtonpost.com | A late-July scramble for Democrats to pull off more wins - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/29/democrats-wins-pelosi-taiwan-biden/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/29/democrats-wins-pelosi-taiwan-biden/ |
Gary Antuanne Russell, left, will have older brother Gary Russell Jr., in his corner for Saturday's fight, the family's first since the passing of father and trainer Gary Russell Sr. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)
Gary Russell Jr. had parked his restored 1965 Mustang in front of the family home in Capitol Heights, Md., for three weeks in early May, informing the ailing patriarch and trainer of the accomplished boxing Russells he wouldn’t drive it again without his father riding in the passenger seat.
Type 2 diabetes was ravaging Gary Russell Sr.’s body to the point where his left foot was amputated in December. Strokes also had severely diminished Russell Sr., but his eldest son continued to press him to take a spin around the old neighborhood.
The motivational tactics worked.
“We’ve got to go for a ride in this damn car,” Russell Jr. told his father, who guided the featherweight to the WBC title he held for almost seven years. “I need you to see what I did to it. I need you to bless it for me. We went for a ride, and he loved the car. He loved the worked I put into it.”
Russell Sr., 63, died the next day. Among the boxing progeny he left behind in addition to Russell Jr. was 140-pounder Gary Antuanne Russell, who is fighting Saturday for the first time without his father in his corner. Antuanne, 26, will face Cuba’s Rances Barthelemy with Russell Jr. as his trainer.
The scheduled 10-rounder at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center matches unbeaten Antuanne against a former lightweight contender (29-1-1, 15 knockouts) 11 years his senior. Antuanne (15-0-0) has won all of his bouts via knockout and remains in the hunt for a major title shot.
The fight is one of the co-features before the main event between Danny Garcia and Jose Benavidez Jr., in a Premier Boxing Champions triple-header airing on Showtime.
“It’s very heavy on me, very emotional,” Antuanne said last week during a break from training. “My father not being here, just his aura, his presence, that’s not there anymore. Training has been intense. Pain from the training, his absence, we’ve got to endure that and keep moving forward.”
Russell Sr. was at Russell Jr.’s upset loss to Filipino Mark Magsayo in Atlantic City in January. Russell Sr. sat in the front row at the Borgata Event Center in a wheelchair rather than planted on his customary corner stool but still managed to holler encouragement and strategy.
A month later Russell Sr. attended Antuanne’s most recent fight in late February, when he scored a technical knockout over Viktor Postol in the 10th and final round at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. It marked the most impressive victory of Antuanne’s career.
Russell Jr. had taken on a larger role in helping to gird Antuanne for the Postol fight in light of their father’s failing health. The brothers have grown that much more connected since Russell Sr.’s passing, determined to continue his legacy by keeping the family name at the forefront of the sport.
“My dad told me that a parent who’s failed to prepare their offspring for life without them is a parent who’s failed them,” Russell Jr. said. “My father definitely has not failed us in any way, shape or form. He left us equipped with the tools, the skill set, the mental tenacity to be able to properly maneuver our way through this jungle called life. That’s the biggest thing.”
Russell Jr.’s future in the ring, however, remains uncertain. He is three months removed from surgery on his right shoulder after aggravating an injury during the Magsayo fight. There’s no timetable for his next bout, with his primary focus these days overseeing the family business in place of his father.
In all, four of Russell Sr.’s sons pursued boxing thanks to his direction, with each winning national Golden Gloves titles. Russell Jr. and Antuanne also made the U.S. Olympic team, and Gary Antonio Russell, 29, is an undefeated bantamweight with championship aspirations.
“The last conversation we had was, ‘We could take over the world,’ and it wasn’t exaggeration,” Antuanne said. “He felt we could get something done and leave a dent, an imprint in the world. He saw the journey he took his family through. He built it and put it together himself.”
The first Father’s Day without Russell Sr. was especially heartbreaking for the family that has endured other tragedies. The first was the murder of Devaun Drayton, one of Russell Sr.’s 11 children and a promising amateur fighter. Drayton, 17, was fatally shot in March 2004 in Northeast.
Another son, Gary “Boosa” Russell, was 25 when he died of a heart attack in December 2020.
The family, meantime, has dedicated this training camp to Russell Sr., whose presence is unmistakable at the Enigma gym in Capitol Heights. Poster-sized images of Russell Sr. adorn the walls surrounding the practice ring. Several photographs feature Russell Sr. with all of his boxing sons.
Antuanne points to one of him tightly embracing his father, with Russell Jr. sitting to his immediate right. The scene reminds Antuanne of the relationship Russell Sr. had with his sons in which fatherhood always mattered far more than boxing.
Lamont Peterson always protected his younger brother. Now he trains him.
Antuanne recalled, for instance, Russell Sr. often reprimanding him or his brothers for failing to heed instruction in the ring and hours later preparing a feast for the entire family, typically consisting of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collared greens and biscuits.
Occasionally there might be a special treat of lemon meringue pie, Russell Sr.’s favorite.
“He’d cuss us out, walk out the gym and come back and tell us to do it all over again to see if we could get it right, and if we don’t get it right, he’d cuss us out again,” Antuanne said. “But by the time we got home he was a full-fledged father. He had dinner ready for us every night. He never brought the things that went on in the gym into the household. That was his whole credo.” | 2022-07-29T12:13:22Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Russell brothers carry on father’s legacy in boxing ring - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/gary-antuanne-russell-boxing/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/gary-antuanne-russell-boxing/ |
Friday briefing: A confusing economy; Kentucky flooding; Democrats’ climate bill; Mega Millions; Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’; and more
The U.S. economy shrank again — and experts are still confused.
Why? The nation’s GDP has fallen for six months now, which technically fits the definition of a recession. However, experts disagree on whether this is a full-fledged slump.
Over the last three months: Retailers bought fewer things, including cars, and people have changed their spending habits. Construction and government spending also dropped.
There’s catastrophic flooding in eastern Kentucky.
What to know: In one place, the Kentucky River rose 17 feet in 12 hours, and more rain is expected today. At least eight people have died, and that toll could rise significantly, officials said yesterday.
The rising waters submerged homes, trapped people on rooftops, swept away cars and bridges, and heavily damaged roads.
Democrats’ new spending deal would have a huge impact on American life.
How? It includes Affordable Care Act changes, the biggest climate bill in history and the largest corporate tax hike in decades. We break down the full package here.
On the climate: There are billions to make green energy cheaper, tax rebates for buying electric vehicles, rewards for cutting emissions and more.
What’s next: The Senate could vote as soon as next week, though some Democrats haven’t weighed in yet on their support.
Russian troops have stalled in Ukraine.
They’ve made no significant progress since July 2, when Russia gained full control over a key region in eastern Ukraine.
Why? Partly because of Ukraine’s new supply of Western weapons. Experts also suspect Russia may be close to exhausting its capacity, though it could rebound.
What this means: Ukraine has the chance to regain momentum, and Russia may need to give up its goal of conquering the entire Donbas region, on its border.
San Francisco and New York declared monkeypox emergencies yesterday.
Why? This lets them target more resources toward fighting the outbreak. More than 40% of the confirmed 4,907 U.S. cases are in California and New York.
What is monkeypox? A normally rare virus similar to smallpox. We list the full symptoms here.
How does it spread? That’s part of why experts are concerned — it’s spreading person to person, which isn’t usual. It’s not considered an STD, but it can spread during sex.
Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is over $1 billion.
That’s the third-highest total in the lottery game’s history. There hasn’t been a ticket matching all six numbers since April 15.
But before you get too hyped: Millions of people are expected to buy the $2 tickets for their shot at the prize, and the odds of winning are very low, roughly 1 in 303 million.
Beyoncé dropped a new album overnight.
Why this is exciting: It’s her first big solo release since “Lemonade” in 2016, although she has worked on projects like “The Lion King” and her “Homecoming” concert film.
What to know: “Renaissance” has 16 songs, including “Break My Soul,” which she released last month. Listen on Spotify, YouTube and other streaming services.
And now … what to read this weekend: Try one of these thrillers and mysteries. What to make: A delicious peach dessert. | 2022-07-29T12:13:40Z | www.washingtonpost.com | The 7 things you need to know for Friday, July 29 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/the-seven/2022/07/29/what-to-know-for-july-29/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/the-seven/2022/07/29/what-to-know-for-july-29/ |
In Virginia, a weekend full of ‘Dirty Dancing’
In southwestern Virginia, Mountain Lake Lodge, where parts of “Dirty Dancing” were filmed, hosts themed weekends throughout the year. (Photos by Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)
At Mountain Lake Lodge in southwestern Virginia, nobody puts any of the Babys — or the guests dressed like their favorite “Dirty Dancing” character — in the corner. Not Practice Baby, Watermelon Baby, Bridge Scene Baby, Didn’t Do the Lift Baby, Finale Baby or Cardboard Corner Baby, a distant relative of Metaphorical Corner Baby.
“I need all of my White Top Babys,” said a visitor corralling her costumed friends for a group photo by the Kellerman’s Mountain House sign, the fictional summer retreat featured in the 1980s movie. “Peasant Top Babys, you’re next.”
During “Dirty Dancing” weekends at the resort, Baby is front and center, along with the rest of the cast who wriggled their way into the hearts and hips of millions of moviegoers. The flick was partly filmed at the 86-year-old lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which, after Hollywood waved its wand, became Kellerman’s in the Catskills circa 1963. (Other scenes were shot at a Boy Scouts camp in North Carolina that is no longer standing.) The sylvan property set on a 2,600-acre nature preserve has been hosting the tribute since 1988, a year after the movie’s release. The themed event, held five or six times a year, sells out months in advance.
“It’s an iconic movie. It brings you back to that time when you were a teenager and all those good feelings you had. Your first love, your first date, all of those fun things,” said Heidi Stone, the hotel’s president and chief executive. “I don’t think it’s going to go away anytime soon. The love is just continuing down the generations.”
To prepare for the weekend, Heidi recommends screening the film in advance and paying particular attention to the settings: the arrival area outside the main lodge, the Houseman family’s cabin and the entrance to the staff quarters, where the watermelon entered the picture.
“Watch the movie before you come, so that when you drive up, you are like, ‘Oh my word! It’s really Kellerman’s,’ ” Heidi said from a table at Harvest, the restaurant where the Housemans dined and discussed deep issues. (It was the ’60s, after all.)
The movie studio altered little of the resort that Texan businessman William Lewis Moody built in 1936 as a cool mountain escape for overheated city dwellers. It added a few flourishes, such as striped awnings on Harvest’s windows and white bollards with chains trimming the driveway. The filmmakers, however, did not fill the lake: The body of water was swimmable in the 1980s but dried up more than two decades later. (The lake’s level ebbs and flows; in 2020, it was two-thirds full, the highest point since 2008.)
When I pulled up to the stately sandstone lodge, I idled the engine, hoping the specter of Max Kellerman would materialize. It didn’t. So I drove to the back of the building, accidentally reenacting the scene in which Johnny, after breaking into his own car, steers his Chevrolet Bel Air the wrong way down the driveway. Clearly, Patrick Swayze was my co-pilot.
Mountain Lake Lodge offers a range of accommodations, including rooms in the main lodge and cabins named by the families who built and owned the getaways before deeding them back to the property. On any other day of the week, a room is just room. But on this weekend, the Virginia Cottage was a celebrity in its own right: The three-bedroom with the green roof and wraparound porch was Baby’s Cabin. Room 232 also has a “Dirty Dancing” connection: Swayze slept here during filming. Scanning a printout of the hotel registry from Sept. 1, 1986, I noticed the name of another famous guest bunking on the same floor: Cynthia Rhodes, the Penny to Swayze’s Johnny.
Before dinner, I dropped by the bar, where a pair of older gents with a small dog knew their audience. They hollered over to me, “Google He-Man and Skeletor dancing.” I watched the advertisement spoofing the film’s finale while draining a glass of Lisa’s Strawberry Lemonade, which was spiked with vodka. At Harvest, the host led me to the most coveted table in the dining room. Behind my shoulder, a sign on a pillar showed a photo of the Housemans sitting at the same four-top and noted that the sconces, stone interior and tables were unchanged from 35 years ago. Chef Michael Porterfield deserved a plaque, as well, and not just for feeding upward of 300 diners a night. The word around the resort was that he gave Swayze a ride on the back of his motorcycle.
I had to chew fast to make the evening costume contest, which explained the inordinate number of petal-pink dresses, cutoff jean shorts and watermelon accessories at dinner. “I need any supporting cast members, including watermelons. Lisa, where are you?” called out Debbi Sheldon Richey, the dance instructor who was performing judging duties. “I need everyone except Baby and Johnny.” (Lisa was Baby’s older sister.)
Debbi approached each contestant with a simple question: “Who — or what — are you?” “We’re the Schumachers. We have some wallets,” said a couple dressed as the elderly kleptomaniacs. “I’m the corner,” said an angle. “I’m the watermelon, and I came all the way from Scotland,” said the transatlantic fruit. There were several Pennys in leotards and tights, a Lunchtime Lisa and more Schumachers, including the winner: the mother of Finale Baby, a guest from San Francisco who was celebrating her 40th birthday with her own cast of nearly three dozen friends and family members.
For the Baby division, every outfit and scene was represented, including Baby dressed as a baby. (The prequel?) Debbi declared Magic Show Baby, who was carrying a stuffed chicken prop, the victor. “In my 16, 17 years of judging, this is the first time I’ve seen the chicken,” Debbi said after the pageant. I asked about her most memorable Baby. “The mom was the corner and the daughter was the pouty daughter,” she said, still amazed at the young girl’s thespian skills, assuming she was acting.
Though the event clearly attracted more women than men, we had enough Johnnys to make a quorum. “What truly made Johnny was the dancing,” said Debbi, upping the competitive bar.
An outdoor screening of the movie followed. But before the lights went down, I introduced myself to Baby who carried a watermelon from England (Lucy Fellows) and her mother, 50th birthday Baby (Louise). I thanked Louise for the vegan birthday cake, a slice of which the waitress had served me. The next day, I joined their family in the Grand Ballroom for trivia. In between questions — “Which ‘Seinfeld’ actor played Stan?” “What was Baby going to do after college?” “What was the first song Baby and Johnny danced to?” — I asked Louise how she had heard about Mountain Lake Lodge.
“A quiz show in England,” said the lifelong “Dirty Dancing” fan.
On the game show, Louise told me, the host had asked the contestant how she planned to spend her winnings. She said she was going to a “Dirty Dancing” weekend in Virginia. Months later, they packed up their stuffed watermelon and flew to North America. During trivia, I noticed that Louise and Lucy were answering most of the questions. “Martin, are you a fan of the movie?” I loud-whispered to Louise’s husband. “As a bloke, I’m not really interested in it, but I appreciate it,” he replied. “I am more of a ‘Pretty Woman’ guy.”
Next Fellows family trip: Beverly Hills, Calif. And the next “Dirty Dancing” activity: scavenger hunt.
We joined forces and tackled the eight challenges together, taking a mint from the place where Baby’s father said his daughter was going to change the world (Harvest’s hostess stand) and bunny-hopping on the springy green lawn. Martin gamely played all of the male roles.
“I’m sorry I lied to you, but you lied, too,” Lucy said to her pretend father, Jake Houseman, imaginary tears streaking down her cheeks. Fake Jake rubbed his eyes.
In the lake, we tromped through the overgrowth to find the cinder blocks Swayze had used as a pedestal during the practice lift scene. Louise raised her arms like Superman poised to take flight while Martin crouched down and feigned an attempt to raise his wife by her hips. No knees popped, nor did any lips turn a shade of hypothermia. “Because the water was so cold during filming, there are no close up shots of this scene in the movie,” a plaque stated. “Baby’s lips were blue!”
At the afternoon dance lesson, Debbi made an important announcement, probably crafted by a team of lawyers: “We do not do lifts.” Instead, we learned several flightless dances, including the merengue, solo salsa and swing. “Hitchhike, hitchhike, hitchhike, toe, heel, flick, step, right, rock, recover, step, hold,” Debbi directed. “Now do that twice.”
I had my moves down for the evening dance party. However, a torrential downpour threatened to cancel the fete. I was chatting with Dennis Williams, a dance instructor, in the lobby when he was pulled away to test the water levels of the dance floor. The outdoor nightclub was deemed safe and, after dinner, guests started trickling in.
The dance felt a bit like a prom attended only by the wallflowers and parent chaperones, but then the 40th birthday celebrants arrived and blew life into the party. A cardboard cutout of a diminutive Johnny showed up. He slow-danced with a few guests and crowd-surfed several times. When the DJ played the movie’s final song, Johnny was kicked to the sidelines and we all jumped into place on the dance floor. Many of us had been training for this moment, this time of our life, for 35 years.
Mountain Lake Lodge
115 Hotel Cir., Pembroke, Va.
mtnlakelodge.com
The lodge, where the 1987 movie was partly filmed, runs “Dirty Dancing” weekends multiple times a year. The 2023 dates are April 28-30, June 23-25, July 28-30, Aug. 25-27, Sept. 15-17 and Oct. 27-29. The themed packages start at $599 per person based on double occupancy and include two-night accommodations, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and all activities, such as a movie screening, dancing instruction and dance party. | 2022-07-29T12:13:47Z | www.washingtonpost.com | At Mountain Lake Lodge in Virginia, 'Dirty Dancing' fans have the time of their lives - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/07/29/dirty-dancing-virginia-lodge-travel-vacation/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/07/29/dirty-dancing-virginia-lodge-travel-vacation/ |
In this image made from video taken from social media, a massive video screen suspended above the stage fells onto performers at a concert of Cantopop boy band Mirror, in Hong Kong, Thursday, July 28, 2020. (AP)
A dancer remains in a serious condition after a giant screen fell during a concert of Hong Kong’s boyband Mirror Thursday, injuring two performers.
The group, with its 12 singers and dancers, is hugely popular in the territory and known for its pop music in Cantonese, or Cantopop. Clips shared on social media show a video panel suspended above the stage crashing down during Thursday’s concert, amid screams from the audience.
The rest of the show was stopped as the injured dancers, who were performing alongside the band, were taken to hospital. Several audience members were reportedly treated for shock.
The city’s new Chief Executive John Lee said he was “shocked … I express sympathy to those who were injured and hope that they would recover soon.”
Authorities in Hong Kong have launched an investigation and say they had been in contact with organizers to discuss safety the day before the incident. The city’s Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said Friday that initial findings indicated a metal suspension cord had snapped, according to local media.
Concerns were raised over Mirror’s 12-concert series at the Hong Kong Coliseum earlier this week, after one performer fell off the stage — although he was not seriously hurt. Soon after, a petition calling for increased safety measures for the band’s shows gathered more than 13,000 signatures.
The concert’s organizer, MakerVille, said in a statement that all remaining shows would be canceled. Refunds will also be issued to those who attended Mirror’s July 28 performance.
The hugely popular boyband was created through a reality television show in 2018 and has been credited with reviving Cantopop and cheering up the city, which has in recent years experienced heightened tensions with mainland China and mass protests, in addition to the coronavirus pandemic. | 2022-07-29T12:13:59Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Accident at Hong Kong boyband Mirror's concert leaves two injured - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/hong-kong-mirror-band-concert-accident-screen/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/hong-kong-mirror-band-concert-accident-screen/ |
A paleontologist said he was ‘disgusted’ by the sale, which he called ‘a disaster’ that would deprive scientists of an invaluable specimen
A skeleton of a Gorgosaurus, a Tyrannosaurus rex relative that roamed the Earth about 77 million years ago, sold for $6.1 million at Sotheby’s auction July 28. (Video: Reuters)
The Gorgosaurus — or “fierce lizard” — didn’t have to worry about being hunted 77 million years ago when it terrorized the Earth. A cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex, the dinosaur could stretch to 30 feet and weigh as much as three tons. Armed with a mouthful of double-serrated teeth, it had no trouble stabbing and slashing the flesh of its prey.
But a mass extinction event and several ice ages later, a new threat — money — emerged this week to capture one of 20 known skeletons of the apex carnivore, which, like its more famous cousin, stood on two legs and had a pair of tiny arms.
On Thursday, a wealthy collector spent $6.1 million to buy the only known skeleton of a Gorgosaurus that’s available for private ownership, according to Sotheby’s, the auction house that brokered the deal. The sale resurrected a long-simmering feud in the paleontology community, which for years has decried the increasing commercialization of the field, including the sale of fossils to private buyers.
Gregory Erickson, a professor of paleobiology at Florida State University, told the BBC he fears multimillion-dollar sales like the one on Thursday “sends a message that it’s just any other commodity that you can buy for money and not for scientific good.”
Scientists discover ‘the holy grail of dinosaurs’ in Africa
The Gorgosaurus lived in the late Cretaceous Period, predating the T. rex by about 10 million years, Sotheby’s said in its listing of the skeleton. While smaller, it was “much faster and fiercer” than the T. rex, which scientists believe was more of a scavenger because its teeth were better suited for cracking bones.
The one that sold Thursday died around 77 million years ago in the Judith River area in what’s now Chouteau County, Mont. There, it remained until it was excavated in 2018 on private property, Sotheby’s said. Had it been found on federal land or north of the Canadian border, the skeleton would have been publicly owned, available for scientific study and public viewing, the New York Times reported.
“I’m totally disgusted, distressed and disappointed because of the far-reaching damage the loss of these specimens will have for science,” Thomas Carr, a vertebrate paleontologist at Carthage College who studies tyrannosauroids like Gorgosaurus, told the Times. “This is a disaster.”
It’s a debate that’s been raging for decades. Sotheby’s first auctioned off a fossilized dinosaur skeleton in 1997 when it sold a T. rex nicknamed Sue to the Chicago-based Field Museum for about $8.4 million. The fossil got its nickname from Sue Hendrickson, the commercial excavator who discovered it in 1990 in South Dakota.
In 1998, John Hoganson, paleontologist emeritus of the North Dakota Geological Survey, foreshadowed a tension that would only grow over the next 24 years between scientists like himself, who want to keep fossils in the public domain for scientific study, and those involved in “a thriving international market for fossils and the resulting collecting and selling of fossils by profiteers,” according to CNN.
More than a decade later, the business of private prospecting was booming, according to a 2009 Smithsonian Magazine article titled “The Dinosaur Fossil Wars.” Spurred by finds like Sue, amateur excavators swamped the American West and Great Plains in what they increasingly saw as a modern-day gold rush. Their eagerness to capitalize on everything from a five-inch shark tooth to a once-in-a-lifetime score like a full dinosaur skeleton has put them in conflict with scientists and the federal government.
“In terms of digging for fossils, there are a lot more people” than there used to be, Matthew Carrano, curator of dinosauria at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, told Smithsonian. “Twenty years ago, if you ran into a private or commercial fossil prospector in the field, it was one person or a couple of people. Now, you go to good fossil locations in, say, Wyoming, and you find quarrying operations with maybe 20 people working, and doing a professional job of excavating fossils.”
Five years later, researchers warned that the tension had grown and would continue to do so, posing “the greatest challenge to paleontology of the 21st century.” In a 2014 paper, the researchers said that new discoveries had led to a new “Golden Age” in the field that paleontologists could use to inspire people about their work and science generally. But the researchers warned that those scientists needed to do a better job of conveying the value of fossils to the general public.
The perception that “it’s okay to sell and buy fossils” has become “deeply entrenched,” according to the 2014 article in Palaeontologia Electronica.
“The vast majority of the general population are unaware that the commercialization of fossils is even a problem,” the researchers wrote.
Erickson, the paleobiology professor, told the BBC that the public’s fascination will continue. Multimillion-dollar sales are the result of a society gripped by “dinomania,” fueled at least in part by cultural touchstones like the Jurassic Park franchise.
But, Erickson added, it goes deeper than that. Dinosaurs — T. rex, Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus, Pterodactyl — are some of the first creatures that inspire awe and excitement in children. The frenzy around their fossils, and even a chance to own one, is a way to tap into that wonder again.
“Right from childhood people are enamoured of dinosaurs,” Erickson told the BBC, “so I can see why people buy dinosaur fossils.” | 2022-07-29T12:32:20Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Gorgosaurus dinosaur skeleton sells for $6.1 million to private buyer - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/gorgosaurus-dinosaur-skeleton-auction/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/gorgosaurus-dinosaur-skeleton-auction/ |
Mr. President, it’s okay to rest: Don’t normalize working through covid
President Biden meets SK Group — virtually — on Tuesday, one day before he tested negative for the coronavirus. (Yuri Gripas/Pool/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
President Biden, it’s okay to rest.
I’ve been wanting to tell our commander in chief this ever since we got the news July 21 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and had mild symptoms.
“I’m doing well. I’m getting a lot of work done — gonna continue to get it done,” Biden said in a video posted that day on Instagram. On Twitter the president posted a picture of himself maskless and on the phone, and he thanked people for their concern. “Keeping busy!” he said.
On Wednesday, Biden tested negative and emerged from isolation, praising vaccines and at-home treatments for his recovery. He told reporters, “When my predecessor got covid, he had to get helicoptered to Walter Reed Medical Center. He was severely ill. Thankfully, he recovered. When I got covid, I worked from upstairs of the White House ... for the five-day period.”
Biden is not the only covid-stricken government figure who pledged to keep busy — Anthony S. Fauci and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have done the same.
But I’m afraid Biden is modeling the wrong behavior. His statements about working through covid reflect a cultish obsession with busyness that America needs to abolish. Biden could have focused on signaling that rest, along with vaccines and treatments, is a necessary part of health care in the covid age. But we live in a culture that sees rest as weakness and working as strength. And our country’s public health will continue to suffer for it.
After about a week, I decided I felt well enough to attempt a short drive. But in the car, cognitive confusion set in, along with a fatigue like nothing I had ever experienced before. I made it back home and passed out for eight hours. I tried getting back to work, but I’d fall asleep in my chair after reading only a few paragraphs. I couldn’t drive for weeks. So I began to take rest seriously. It took about a month and a half to get any energy back.
Of course, many Americans feel pressure to work through illness. We might not have enough sick leave or vacation days, and many hourly workers, or those who support a household, can’t afford to take even a day off. Pushing through increases the risk that a person will have post-exertional malaise, in which a person recovering from illness finds themselves in a “push and crash” loop; they feel better so they exert themselves, then their body again needs total rest.
We believe in science, right? We tout the power of vaccines, which are backed by medical science and decades of research. But the importance of sleep and rest in fighting illness and restoring immunity are also well documented. Sadly, the science on rest seems no match for America’s testosterone-infused, capitalistic culture that idolizes grit.
In my case, many of the voices that helped give me the psychological permission to slow down and take time to heal have been social justice activists who challenge that culture. Such as the 20th-century radical Audre Lorde, who once said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
And: “Rest pushes back and disrupts a system that views human bodies as a tool for production and labor,” Tricia Hersey wrote. “It is a counter narrative. We know that we are not machines. We are divine.” Hersey is the founder of the Nap Ministry, which aims to spread the gospel of rest, particularly for Black people. Challenging grind culture is more than just lying down. As the Nap Ministry tweeted, “It is a lifelong meticulous practice that starts with a slow deprogramming, collective thinking, radical care, and refusal.”
While covid case counts rise across the country yet again, it’s more urgent than ever for us to reject the notion that work is more important than our bodies. My fellow Americans, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are not possible without rest, for it is a source of strength. | 2022-07-29T12:58:27Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Mr. Biden, don't normalize working through covid - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/biden-should-not-normalize-working-covid/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/biden-should-not-normalize-working-covid/ |
There are myriad financial advantages to getting married. You might have access to higher quality health care thanks to a spouse’s benefits plan. You may have increased borrowing power from pooling incomes, making it easier to buy a home. You could have a lower tax burden (unless you’re both high earners, then it’s often higher).
Marriage in the US also unlocks an under-discussed retirement option: the spousal IRA.
Whether your employment situation changes because of layoffs, or you’re taking time off to care for a family member, return to school or just take a break, a spousal IRA offers a way to stay on track for a healthy retirement. Yet many people don’t know it exists.
It can take the form of either a traditional or Roth IRA; the key difference is it’s only available for married couples where one spouse elects to leave the workforce and is earning little to no taxable income.
Once the money is contributed into a spousal IRA, it belongs to the person whose name it’s under. This means stay-at-home parents and those who leave the workforce temporarily have a way to protect their financial futures, especially in the case of a future divorce. (Most of the time, these spouses are women: As of June 2022, labor force participation rates for women ages 25 to 54 were 76.4% in the US, while men’s were 88.4%, according to the Department of Labor.)
To be eligible, you must be a married couple and file joint taxes. One spouse must still earn enough to cover both their own contributions and the contributions for the separate spousal IRA. For example, in 2022, those under 50 can contribute up to $6,000 to an IRA; those 50 and above can contribute $7,000 to an IRA. That means an earning spouse under the age of 50 needs an income of at least $12,000 to make full use of a spousal IRA ($6,000 for contributions to their own IRA, and $6,000 for their spouse’s).
Spousal IRAs also offer a tax advantage. Depending on income levels, the couple could elect to do a Traditional IRA, which allows their taxable income to be reduced now, or use a Roth IRA, in which they contribute post-tax income but are able to withdraw the money tax-free in the future.
It’s fine if the earning spouse is covered through a retirement plan at work, but this could impact how much of your contributions you can deduct from your taxable income. For example, if you’re married, filing jointly and covered by a retirement plan at work, then your ability to take a tax deduction from traditional IRA contributions phases out at an adjusted gross income of $129,000 in 2022. The twist is, you can still contribute to a traditional IRA, you just don’t get a tax benefit for doing so. Those with an AGI of less than $109,000 can take the full deduction; those more than $109,000 but less than $129,000 get a partial deduction. (The numbers are different for Roth IRAs.)
It should be standard for couples living on a single income to fund a spousal IRA in order to both protect the non-earning spouse and better prepare for the future. Worst case, there’s a divorce and the non-earning spouse has some retirement funds. Best case, there’s even more set aside for both in retirement.
Of course, family finances are a significant reason a spousal IRA may fall by the wayside. For many Americans, trying to balance the cost of living while battling inflation, plus saving for a child’s college education and possibly caring for aging parents, can easily put retirement planning on the backburner.
Preparing for one’s twilight years is already challenging for many in the US. In 2019, the median amount that Americans aged 55 to 64 had in retirement accounts was $134,000, according to the Survey of Consumer Finances. (The mean was more optimistic, at $408,000.) That figure has likely gone down due to the pandemic, when people may have paused or borrowed funds, and the recent market downturn.
Yet most personal finance advice focuses on $1 million by the retirement age, usually 65, being a low-end benchmark to retire comfortably. This would mean $40,000 a year upon which to live if you apply the 4% withdrawal rule. Many people are nowhere close to this figure, even when supplemented with Social Security.
Whether or not you utilize a spousal IRA, at least one person should be putting money toward retirement. Although it’s easy to forgo future planning in the name of caring for others and more immediate needs, you need to put on your own financial oxygen mask before assisting others. There are loans your child can take out to pay for college, for example, but no such loan exists to provide you with a comfortable retirement.
So, couples with the means to be thinking about retirement should consider every tool at their disposal. And you don’t have to max out contributions to a spousal IRA. Even contributions less than the $6,000 or $7,000 maximum will be advantageous. Many partners will need to leave the workforce at one point or another — that shouldn’t stop them from protecting their financial futures. | 2022-07-29T13:42:01Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Every Serious Couple Should Talk About Spousal IRAs - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/every-serious-couple-should-talk-about-spousal-iras/2022/07/29/a8a3c5e4-0f42-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/every-serious-couple-should-talk-about-spousal-iras/2022/07/29/a8a3c5e4-0f42-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html |
As third-party launches go, it’s rare to have one with as little intuitive appeal as that of the Forward Party, Andrew Yang’s latest attempt to draw attention to himself. Yang is joined by former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and by David Jolly, who was a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Florida for two terms. Whitman and Jolly were moderate Republicans whose party no longer has any use for moderates; Yang ran for president in 2020 and then for mayor of New York City last year without making much of a mark. In addition to a lack of star power, the new party also features no issue agenda.
The obvious wild card in the 2024 contest is Trump. Normally, unpopular incumbents leave room for independent candidates because voters who would normally support the incumbent party aren’t thrilled about doing so, while voters who tend to support the out-party have no particular attachment to the nominee, and might be inclined to give an outsider a look. If Trump is the Republican nominee, that process may not play out as it normally does, since most voters would begin the campaign with very strong opinions about the outcome. There’s also a possibility that Trump could wind up running as an independent if the Republican Party refuses to nominate him.
None of the noteworthy third-party efforts of the 20th century generated viable political parties, and Yang, Whitman and Jolly aren’t likely to establish anything lasting even if they find a popular candidate to run in 2024. Some political scientists will tell you that the structure of US elections makes viable third parties hopeless, but others argue otherwise and they seem to have plenty of evidence on their side. Not only do multiple parties successfully elect legislators in Canada and the UK, but the US in the 19th century had similar results.
It’s not just rules and habits. The major US parties have proven to be good at absorbing new groups and new policy ideas (sometimes, to be sure, pushed along by short-lived third-party efforts). And that leads to the argument for the two-party system, as long as both parties are functioning well. As long as the Democrats and the Republicans are permeable, so that there’s a low bar for newly activated citizens to have a voice in party affairs, the need for multiple parties isn’t strong.
And while that hasn’t always been the case in US history, it is a fairly strong tendency. Open nominations with self-chosen candidates, formal party organizations that are easy to join and informal party networks that welcome the like-minded combine to give new groups the chance to meaningfully participate. And that tends to reduce the fuel needed for new parties.
• Natalie Jackson on House votes on marriage and contraception.
• Donald Moynihan on Republican plans to take apart the civil service.
• Rick Hasen on reforming the 1887 Electoral Count Act.
• Sarah Binder at the Monkey Cage on why legislating on climate is so hard.
• Also at the Monkey Cage: Joshua A. Schwartz and Sabrina B. Arias on climate policy at the state and local levels. | 2022-07-29T13:42:01Z | www.washingtonpost.com | US Third Parties Aren’t Always Pointless - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/us-third-parties-arent-always-pointless/2022/07/29/fe4fb956-0f3a-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/us-third-parties-arent-always-pointless/2022/07/29/fe4fb956-0f3a-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html |
(Richard Vogel/AP File)
In reporter Paul Pringle’s vivid retelling, his blockbuster expose of a campus scandal was thwarted at every turn by law enforcement and university officials. But the biggest obstacle, he contends, were the editors at his own newspaper, the Los Angeles Times.
Pringle’s new book, “Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels,” recounts his pursuit of a story about Carmen Puliafito, a former dean of the University of Southern California’s medical school. The highly regarded eye surgeon had a secret life as a drug abuser who associated with addicts and criminals.
The book, which alleges that top editors at the Times tried to slow-roll and suppress the story for months to protect the university, has been greeted with enthusiastic write-ups. A reviewer at the New York Times lauded it as “a master class in investigative journalism.” Another — in the Los Angeles Times, no less — compared Pringle’s book to famous tales of journalistic heroism such as “All the President’s Men” and “Spotlight.”
Pringle’s former editors have their own review: It’s a pack of lies.
“The entire premise is false,” said Marc Duvoisin, who oversaw Pringle’s original story in 2017 as the Times’s managing editor, in an interview.
The Times’s former editor and publisher, Davan Maharaj, told The Washington Post the book is “largely a work of fantasy … Much of it takes place in his own imagination.” A third editor who worked on the story, Matthew Doig, published a 3,500-word rebuttal of the book online, complete with scans of his handwritten edit notes, to counter Pringle’s “half-truths and bad-faith misrepresentations.”
Rather than kneecapping Pringle, the editors contend, their caution averted what could have been a disastrous libel suit against the Times. They say the story’s long gestation ultimately led to reporting breakthroughs that enriched and expanded Pringle’s initial drafts of the story.
Pringle’s publisher — Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers — says it stands by his account.
The Times published Pringle’s story in July 2017, about nine months after he handed in his first draft. The article alleged that Puliafito, a practicing doctor and a major fundraiser at USC, had smoked methamphetamine, associated with prostitutes and committed other misdeeds during his tenure at the medical school, before he abruptly stepped down in 2016.
The story was hailed as a journalistic coup, winning accolades and setting the stage for Puliafito’s downfall — as well as the eventual resignation of USC’s president, C.L. Max Nikias, who said at the time he regretted his accomplishments “have been overshadowed by recent events.”
A state medical board stripped Puliafito’s medical license in 2018 for taking illicit drugs. His attorney, Peter Osinoff, told The Post that Puliafito was never charged with drug-related crimes, that his behavior at USC was the result of an undiagnosed mental condition, and that he has been sober for several years.
The article also shook loose a tip that led to another major story: the exposure of a USC gynecologist who allegedly had been sexually abusing his patients for more than two decades. Pringle and two other reporters won the Pulitzer Prize in 2019 for their investigation of George Tyndall and the university’s cover up of his behavior. Those stories led USC to pay $1.1 billion to settle victims’ claims. As of May, Tyndall has pleaded not guilty to 35 felony counts.
But behind the scenes, Pringle writes in “Bad City,” top editors tried to prevent his reporting on Puliafito from being published. He alleges that Maharaj, the Times’s then-editor and publisher, tried to kill the story to protect a friendship with Nikias and to preserve the paper’s financial relationship with the university, though he acknowledges at one critical juncture that Maharaj told him he “wasn’t closing the door” to more reporting.
There’s no question it was a slog getting the Puliafito story published. It took 15 months from the time Pringle got the first tip about the doctor before the Times reported a word about him. Pringle handed in his first draft in late October of 2016; the draft underwent still more reporting, new drafts, edits and rewrites, and several legal reviews over the following nine months.
Pringle presents this as evidence of bad faith by Maharaj, Duvoisin and other editors. He says it took a “secret” team of four reporters — working in defiance of top editors and at risk of their jobs — to continue work on the story and rescue it from oblivion.
It’s a dramatic account — one that Duvoisin, Maharaj and Doig dispute.
Duvoisin said in an interview that the “secret” team of reporters wasn’t much of a secret. “Everyone knew,” he said, because Pringle’s direct supervisor had told top editors about it. (The supervisor, editor Shelby Grad, said in an interview that he told Duvoisin about the team “a week or two” after they started helping Pringle).
Contrary to Pringle, they say the long march to publication was a result of the need for more facts, more details, more corroboration of the allegations. “This was a battle over journalistic standards,” Duvoisin told The Post. “I was just not prepared to buckle on mine.”
The former Times editors shared two drafts of the story with The Post to bolster their case that it grew stronger with each round of editing. A draft from February 2017, for example, doesn’t mention a key figure in the story — a “girlfriend” of Puliafito’s who allegedly overdosed in a hotel room with him. Pringle subsequently tracked her down and interviewed her. The reporting team also later added descriptions of videos and photos in which she and the dean are seen using drugs.
These critical details were included in a version of the article that was written by early April. “The new reporting is tremendous,” Duvoisin wrote to Grad on April 6. But to Pringle’s irritation, Duvoisin and Doig asked for more reporting, including about two figures who subsequently added eyewitness corroboration.
As for the story’s long ramp up, Maharaj said that Pringle’s editors “were merely trying to get him to provide the necessary evidence for a sensitive story.” Duvoisin said the Times’s legal counsel advised him that publishing earlier versions of the story could subject the paper to a costly defamation suit.
But perhaps the most contentious claim in the book is Pringle’s overarching thesis: that Maharaj and his inner circle were resistant to the USC story because of Maharaj’s relationship with Nikias, the university president, and because the university was an important civic player and Times’s advertiser.
At one point in early 2017, Pringle describes his startled reaction when Grad told him over the phone that Duvoisin had vetoed Pringle’s idea of going to Nikias’ home and asking for comment, a fundamental method of reporting. “I smell newsroom corruption!” Pringle erupted. “Newsroom corruption!”
The Times, he writes, was financially entangled with USC through the university’s sponsorship of the paper’s annual book festival. He also asserts that Maharaj had been a candidate for “a high-ranking position” at the school during his tenure as the Times’s editor.
Not so, says Maharaj. “I never pursued a job at USC. I was never offered a job at USC, and I had no interest in a job at USC,” he said, adding that his association with Nikias was little more than cordial and professional. As for the book festival, Maharaj said it was “a money loser or, at best, struggled to break even. Does Pringle have evidence to the contrary?”
Pringle’s own work for the Times, meanwhile, may contradict the book’s claim that “Maharaj and his enablers had surrendered” to USC at the time he was reporting of the story. Before pursuing Puliafito, his investigative projects for the newspaper included a number of hard-hitting pieces about the university. He reported on a sweetheart lease deal between the school’s athletic department and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission in 2012, and on questionable practices by the school’s athletic director in 2015 — all of it during Maharaj’s tenure as editor.
“I never said I was prohibited from covering USC,” Pringle told The Post. But stories about the university were “held to a much different standard” than other topics, and subjected to delays and intense review. “I’ve written many stories that never went through this kind of torture,” he said.
To be sure, there were buckets of bad blood at the Times during the period described in “Bad City.” Under the ownership of Tribune Publishing of Chicago, which later changed its name to Tronc Inc., the Times underwent years of management turmoil and staff cuts, leaving its newsroom bruised and suspicious. Maharaj was a deeply unpopular editor, and the target of much of the internal loathing. In a damning story published in 2016, Los Angeles magazine faulted him for “feckless and sometimes mean-spirited editorial leadership.”
Pringle, who acknowledges being an anonymous source for that story, cites it as evidence of Maharaj’s misfeasance on the USC story. But it reads another way, too: that Maharaj may have been extra cautious about all big investigative projects, and treated the USC story no differently.
Nevertheless, Pringle writes that he took extraordinary measures against his own newspaper as his frustration mounted. He discussed taking his byline off the story before publication as a protest, and said he was so mistrustful of his editors that he sought his own attorney. As the story faced its final delays, he wrote an anonymous letter on Times letterhead to billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong urging him to buy the newspaper and replace its management. (Soon-Shiong did so in 2018, though there is no indication the letter influenced him.)
Pringle then lodged an ethics complaint against Maharaj and Duvoisin with the company’s human-resources department, asserting that the editor’s alleged USC connections were a conflict of interest. The complaint in June 2017, he and others at the Times say, triggered an internal investigation and a stampede among newsroom employees to pour out their grievances about the editors.
A month after the Times published the Puliafito story, Tronc fired Maharaj, Duvoisin, Doig and others in what the paper vaguely described as a “shake up.” Pringle, who still works at the Times, said in an interview that their removal was a “vindication” of his complaint.
But it could also be read as a rejection of it: the H.R. investigation specifically cleared the editors of any conflict in their handling of the USC-Puliafito story. (Maharaj is now an independent writer and editor in southern California, Duvoisin is the editor of the San Antonio Express-News, and Doig is the investigations editor at USA Today).
There was also something else. In the month between publication of the Puliafito investigation and the editors’ dismissal, the Maharaj-led Times published 15 news stories following up on its initial story, including several assessments of USC’s role in the scandal. Ten of these stories were published on the front page.
If Maharaj and Duvoisin had ever been protective of the university, their reluctance had plainly disappeared. | 2022-07-29T13:42:26Z | www.washingtonpost.com | A reporter accused his bosses of burying a scandal. They say he’s lying. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/07/29/pringle-bad-city-usc-scandal/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/07/29/pringle-bad-city-usc-scandal/ |
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant (center) and former NBA player God Shammgod (right) attend the “NYC Point Gods” film premiere at the Midnight Theatre in New York. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Kevin Durant has been virtually invisible and nearly silent since issuing his trade request to the Brooklyn Nets on June 30, popping up briefly on social media in shooting clips and Twitter sparring matches. His recent debut on TikTok lasted just seven seconds and consisted of him staring into his phone’s camera as he asked how to work the app.
But the 12-time all-star ventured onto the red carpet in Manhattan on Tuesday to promote his new Showtime film, “NYC Point Gods.” After the rare summer public appearance, Durant sent a text message to Cam’ron to thank him for his contributions to the documentary, which traces the history of New York point guards from Tiny Archibald and Pearl Washington to Mark Jackson, Kenny Smith and Stephon Marbury.
“You stole the show,” Durant wrote to the Harlem rapper. “You turned the theater up.”
Compartmentalization is key for modern superstars, whose off-court interests can occasionally overlap with their day jobs in unexpected ways. While Durant, the player, has asked out of Brooklyn after a complicated three-year run, Durant, the executive producer, delighted in celebrating New York’s rich basketball history with a film that focuses more on stylistic influence and cultural impact than on NBA accomplishments.
“[Durant is] where he’s at every summer,” said Rich Kleiman, his longtime business partner with Thirty Five Ventures and an executive producer on the film. “He has an insane work ethic. He’s in the gym every single day. He relies on his routine and the work he puts into the game. He’s 15 years in the NBA. We’re 10 years working together. Every time you think something is the end of the world, or you think you’ve got to go hide out in a hut and disappear from the world, you realize it’s just life. He’s focused on that, and all the other stuff will figure itself out.”
“NYC Point Gods,” which releases Friday, is a natural successor to Durant’s first Showtime film “Basketball County: In the Water,” an homage to his childhood in Prince George’s County. Kleiman, a New York native who grew up watching Jackson’s Knicks, conceived the nostalgic 83-minute journey through the five boroughs, which is directed by Sam Eliad and includes interviews with Jackson, Smith and Marbury; NCAA coaches Jim Boeheim and Rick Pitino; and rappers like Fat Joe and Cam’ron, who do indeed provide some of the film’s most memorable scenes.
In one, Fat Joe describes fending off a street ball bidding war for Bronx point guard Kareem Reid, who played college basketball at Arkansas. Jay-Z had offered Reid a bag filled with untold thousands of dollars to join his team, but Fat Joe successfully countered by offering “a lifetime of friendship.”
“I’ve got good money,” Fat Joe laughed. “I don’t have Jay-Z’s money.”
In another, Cam’ron recounts how God Shammgod, a 6-foot point guard who starred at Providence, tried to improve his vertical leap by wearing specialty shoes that lifted his heels off the ground and forced him to walk around on his toes. A film staffer then pulls out a pair of the shoes during his interview, prompting a wide-eyed Cam’ron to marvel at the 1990s artifact.
“The first time I saw that scene I had tears streaming down my face,” Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza said. “I remember seeing the shoes advertised in the back of a basketball magazine. I had a pair. I’m sure there would be a wide cross-section of people who would admit that they owned a pair, with some embarrassment.”
These interplays between basketball and hip-hop reflect Kleiman’s professional roots as a music manager and executive, and they reinforce the film’s main argument: New York City point guards set trends that have since gone global. With stops in LeFrak City, Coney Island and Rucker Park, “NYC Point Gods” catalogues the unforgiving environments that birthed a generation of players known for intricate ballhandling, natural scoring instincts and showmanship.
“The challenge was trying to separate yourself in a city with so many people doing the same thing that you’re doing,” said Smith, a 10-year NBA veteran who is now a TNT commentator. “If I lived in Idaho, I don’t really have to work as hard to be noticed.”
Shammgod gives the inside story of his eponymous crossover dribble before a montage rolls with Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook deploying the move in NBA games. Rafer Alston’s “Skip to my Lou” persona gets a deep dive, as fans are shown hanging off chain link fences to watch him play in street-ball games. And Kenny Anderson revisits a 1991 showdown between Georgia Tech and Duke, when he famously scored in transition after freezing Bobby Hurley with three crossovers in quick succession.
This signature flash is front and center throughout. Marbury notes that an ABC “20/20” feature called him a “young Mozart” when he was a teenager and distills what made him so captivating then and now: “A New York City point guard will give up his girl and his chain before he give up his dribble.”
Left mostly unsaid by the film: Anderson, Marbury and others didn’t quite make the transition from playground legends to NBA legends. “NYC Point Gods” acknowledges that city point guards often get labeled as poor shooters, and it hints that strong-willed personalities can be a blessing and a curse.
In footage from the 1988 NBA draft, Jackson, who has just been named Rookie of the Year, watches warily as Rod Strickland, another NYC product, is selected in the first round by the New York Knicks. Their pairing lasted less than two seasons before Strickland was traded.
Meanwhile, the current generation, which includes Kemba Walker and Cole Anthony, isn’t as glittery as previous iterations. In the NBA, pass-first floor generals like Jackson have given way to do-it-all point forwards, and the three-point era has made it much harder for non-shooters to survive. Even so, Smith pushed back on the notion that the mythical New York City point guard is fading.
“I don’t know if it’s dead,” Smith said. “Modern basketball is based off some of the things that were emphasized in New York City playgrounds. If you look at Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, the ability to handle the basketball, that was a distinct style when you were growing up. That style is the style of today.”
This lasting influence has become fertile ground for filmmakers. Marbury was the subject of a 2019 film “A kid from Coney Island,” and Netflix recently announced plans for a new documentary about “AND1,” a brash clothing and sneaker brand that rose to prominence in the early 2000s and later launched a worldwide basketball tour.
“NYC Point Gods” is a wide-ranging overview, but it includes so many players and local touchstones, like the Gauchos youth basketball program and Archbishop Molloy High School, that it must cruise through them quickly. As with “Basketball County,” Durant seems intent on highlighting less-heralded players whom he appreciates and places that shaped him. Kleiman said that Thirty Five Ventures is interested in pursuing a project about Seattle’s hoops culture, which has produced Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy and Nate Robinson.
There’s a purity to that mission that can be easy to miss in the blinding focus on Durant’s standoff with the Nets.
“[Durant’s] relationship with New York City dates back to when he was a kid,” Kleiman said. “Everyone loves playing at the [Madison Square] Garden, now playing at Barclays [Center]. One of his most memorable games was at the Rucker. Being a professional, you are able to separate certain things. I don’t think there’s any negativity in Kevin’s mind right now at all. He was excited to be [at the premiere], and he loves New York.” | 2022-07-29T13:43:14Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Still in trade limbo, Kevin Durant releases 'NYC Point Gods’ - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/kevin-durant-nyc-point-gods/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/kevin-durant-nyc-point-gods/ |
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray no longer has four hours of compulsory study time in his contract. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)
The Arizona Cardinals on Thursday removed the “independent study” clause from the contract extension signed by quarterback Kyler Murray, saying it had created a “distraction” as the team began its preparations for the 2022 regular season.
“It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract.”
Last week, Murray and the Cardinals agreed to a five-year extension worth $230.5 million, including $160 million in guaranteed money. But the new contract included a clause that mandated Murray complete at least four hours of “independent study” each week during the season, preparation that went beyond film sessions with his teammates at the team facility.
The clause also said that Murray would not receive any credit if he was “not personally studying or watching the material while it is being displayed or played” or if he was “engaged in any other activity that may distract his attention (for example, watching television, playing video games or browsing the internet) while such material is being displayed or played.” If Murray did not complete his four hours of study, he would be considered to be in default of his contract.
When news of the unprecedented contract language broke earlier this week, Murray’s film-watching habits and the perceived disrespect shown to him by the Cardinals became the subject of debate. In December, the quarterback himself had said he’s “not one of those guys that’s going to sit there and kill myself watching film. I don’t sit there for 24 hours and break down this team and that team and watch every game because, in my head, I see so much.”
On Thursday, Murray rebutted the notion that he does not watch enough film, saying his stature — at 5 feet 10, he’s one of the shortest starting quarterbacks in the NFL — makes it necessary to stridently study the Cardinals’ next opponent.
“I’m honestly flattered that y’all think that at my size, I can go out there and not prepare for the game and not take it serious,” Murray told reporters. “It’s disrespectful, I feel like, to my peers, to all the great athletes and great players that are in this league.
“I’m already behind the eight-ball, and I can’t afford to take any shortcuts — no pun intended,” Murray added.
On Tuesday, Cardinals Coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters he didn’t think the clause was a big deal and said he’s never worried about Murray’s study habits.
“I have not,” Kingsbury said. “When I watched what he’s done since he got here, the first year and his development in all areas, all he’s done is gotten dramatically better each and every year. That’s what I judge it by. | 2022-07-29T13:43:21Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Cardinals drop homework clause from Kyler Murray contract - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/kyler-murray-homework-clause/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/kyler-murray-homework-clause/ |
The third event of the LIV Golf series will be held in Bedminster, N.J. (Justin Lane/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
The PGA Tour’s decision to ban golfers who joined the breakaway LIV Golf Invitational Series renewed speculation about the legality of the tour’s policies — and whether government intervention could ultimately determine the viability of the Saudi-funded league.
That issue has gained more currency of late, with reports that the U.S. Justice Department is investigating the PGA Tour for potential antitrust violations, a probe that could determine the tour’s ability to control where and when its golfers play.
But with the tour dismissing any concerns over the investigation and LIV continuing to add high-profile players while releasing plans for its second season, there have been few indications of how a potential legal drama could play out.
The outcomes of Justice Department investigations are often nearly impossible to predict, said Gabe Feldman, director of the Tulane Sports Law Program, who teaches antitrust issues at the school. But the general arguments the sides would probably make are less opaque.
The investigation, Feldman said, is likely to center on whether the PGA Tour’s rules “produce more harm than benefits,” whether “the anti-competitive effects of the restrictions outweigh any pro-competitive benefits” and whether “the rules they have in place are not reasonably necessary to achieve any legitimate business justification.” The tour does not allow its members to play non-sanctioned events without permission. It regularly grants releases for players to enter tournaments outside of North America — particularly events held by the DP World Tour in Europe, with which the PGA Tour has an operating agreement — but has denied permission for LIV events.
The Justice Department is probably exploring whether there’s enough evidence to determine “whether some of the actions that the PGA Tour is taking are designed to harm competition as opposed to designed to make their product more attractive,” Feldman said. “And is the PGA doing something that is making it more difficult for competing tours to exist and potentially limiting the ability of the golfers to make more money?”
But Jacob S. Frenkel, the chair of government investigations and securities enforcement at the Dickinson Wright law firm in Washington, said the PGA could say it has a legally valid reason to ban the LIV players.
“The PGA will argue that its refusal to deal with the LIV Golf tour and its participants is designed to protect or further the PGA’s legitimate business purposes and interests,” Frenkel said. “Proof of an objective and valid business justification should defeat any allegation of a violation of the antitrust laws.
“An entity with monopoly power has no general duty to cooperate with its business rivals and even may refuse to deal with them if the business can articulate a valid business reason for the refusal.”
The PGA Tour also could say that having the best golfers compete together is better for consumers of the sport, and that the “pro-competitive benefits” of staging attractive tournaments would outweigh the anti-competitive effects of restricting where and when golfers can play, Feldman said.
“And so the PGA has to argue: ‘Well, in order for our product to be popular, we need all the best golfers playing in all the same tournaments, because people want to see the best against the best ,’ ” Feldman said. “… They want to see all the best at the same time, and the only way they can accomplish that, [the PGA Tour] would argue, is by having these rules in place.”
An antitrust investigation, especially one not considered complicated, could be completed in a year or less, Frenkel said, and could result in a range of outcomes, from nothing to a criminal indictment, which then would lead either to an acquittal, a guilty plea, or a conviction. Typically, he said, if the DOJ finds that an organization like the PGA Tour committed a violation, the two sides would consent to “a deferred prosecution or a non-prosecution agreement where the PGA would enter into some sort of compliance agreement, implement remedial measures and pay a fine.
“But that is a big ‘if,’ ” Frenkel said, adding that an investigation into an organization whose rival appears to be doing well seems unlikely to result in a significant punishment.
The Justice Department, which has not confirmed it is investigating the PGA Tour, did not respond to a request for comment. The investigation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal earlier this month.
Should a LIV player or the league itself sue the PGA Tour on antitrust grounds, they would need to prove they have suffered actual harm and that the PGA Tour’s actions reduced competition in violation of federal law. Frenkel said proving harm “would not be particularly easy when they’re being compensated in a manner that may be greater than the ultimate compensation from the PGA Tour.”
“They made a personal decision to disassociate from the PGA and affiliate with a competing tour. They weren’t forced to do that,” Frenkel said. “As a PGA Tour participant, they also agreed to certain standards, not just standards of the organization but standards of personal conduct. For me, it’s difficult to articulate a viable theory that would survive litigation for individual golfers to sue the PGA Tour, but again, in our society, filing a lawsuit is easy. Being right and prevailing are the ultimate challenge in any litigation.”
Feldman, however, said the LIV golfers still could have a case, despite their earnings. They could argue, for example, that they would have been earning such larger incomes years ago if not for the PGA Tour’s rules.
The LIV tour itself could argue it has been harmed because the PGA Tour’s actions have driven up its acquisition costs — and its cost of doing business — via the penalties against defectors.
“And even if they survive, and even if they thrive, they can argue hypothetically that they paid twice as much for the players because of the PGA’s restrictions,” Feldman said, “and so they’re entitled to the difference between what they would have paid and what they had to pay.”
The PGA Tour has been down this path once before. In 1994, antitrust lawyers at the Federal Trade Commission tried to get the U.S. government to nullify the rule that requires golfers to receive permission to play in conflicting events — and another that said players needed to get permission to appear on television programs not approved by the PGA Tour — because they created possible “unfair methods of competition.”
But after extensive lobbying by then-commissioner Tim Finchem — a former official in President Jimmy Carter’s administration — the FTC’s four commissioners unanimously voted to reject the staff antitrust lawyers’ recommendation to take legal action against the PGA Tour.
“We went through this in 1994 and we are confident in a similar outcome,” the tour said in a statement after the Wall Street Journal story. | 2022-07-29T13:43:27Z | www.washingtonpost.com | What to expect from the DOJ's probe of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/pga-tour-doj-liv-golf/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/pga-tour-doj-liv-golf/ |
Mass. just banned hair discrimination. These twins helped pave the way.
(iStock/handout/Washington Post illustration)
Five years ago, Mya and Deanna Cook, Boston-area high school students, made national headlines after their school punished them for wearing braided hair extensions. The twin girls, who are Black, fought back — gaining the attention of the ACLU of Massachusetts, the NAACP and lawmakers from across the country, who said the school policy banning hair extensions, and the punishments doled out, were racially discriminatory.
This week, the Cooks, now college seniors, stood beside Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) as he signed the state’s version of the CROWN Act, which bans discrimination against natural hairstyles. The new law, which passed unanimously in both chambers of the statehouse, makes Massachusetts the 18th state to protect Black people from being punished for the way they wear their hair.
It was a full circle moment for the twins, now 21, who are entering their senior year of college.
“It felt just amazing,” said Mya Cook, a psychology major at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. “I remember being in high school and having teachers say, ‘Just stop. You’re not going to change the rules of this school. You’re not going to make a difference.’ ”
The first CROWN Act, which stands for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” was passed in California in 2019. Since then, bills protecting natural hair styles, such as Afros, braids, locks twists and Bantu knots, have spread across the country. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version earlier this year. (The Senate has not yet taken up the bill.)
House passes Crown Act, banning discrimination against Black hairstyles
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), one of the authors of the House’s CROWN Act, said during floor debate in March that passage of the bill was a “bold step” toward “affirming the right for all of us to show up in the world as our full and authentic selves.”
Some conservative lawmakers, however, have mocked this kind of legislation. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) referred to it as “the bad hair bill,” while others, like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), said the bill is a distraction from issues “the American people care about.”
To this, Rep. Al Green (D-Tex.) responded: “When you say the American people don’t want it, you cannot exclude Black people. ... This is a kitchen table issue in Black households.”
“Because when Johnny comes home and he’s been fired because of his hair, that’s a kitchen table issue. That’s unemployment,” Green added.
For Mya and Deanna Cook, the rule imposed by Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, Mass., was disruptive and humiliating. “It was a cold awakening to how no one is safe from [racial] discrimination,” said Deanna Cook, who studies anthropology and business at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The rule mandated that students not wear “drastic or unnatural hair colors or styles such as shaved lines or shaved sides or have a hairstyle that could be distracting to other students (extra-long hair or more than two inches in thickness or height is not allowed),” according to NBC News. It also explicitly forbade hair extensions.
The Cooks, who were 15 at the time, told the Unladylike podcast last year that they were inspired to try braided extensions after their friends encouraged them to. For years, they had chemically straightened their hair. During spring break of their sophomore year, they decided to change it up, they said.
Their friends and some of their teachers complimented them on their new look when they returned to school, said the twins, but one teacher pulled them aside, saying their hair violated the school’s policy. After the twins refused to change their hair, they said they received around 40 hours of detention and were barred by school administrators from attending prom or participating on the school’s track team.
At the time, the school argued that the dress code, which also bans makeup and nail polish, was intended to make students less conscious of wealth disparities.
Even as the Cooks garnered support from other students and members of their community, they said they felt ostracized and targeted by school staff. “What really sticks out to me is how they really tried to demonize our hair at such a young age,” said Mya Cook, who called the enforcement of the rule blatantly racist.
“I was shocked that the adults in my life were doing that to me at the time,” Deanna Cook said. “I was a child ... and they were okay embarrassing us every day. They were okay bullying us. They were okay putting us on the spot and making us look bad, making an example out of us.”
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School did not respond to a request for comment.
Black girls at Mass. school win freedom to wear hair braid extensions
Their case caught the attention of the state’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a discrimination complaint with the state’s Education Department. The Massachusetts attorney general’s office also instructed the school to immediately stop enforcing the policy.
Even though there are federal and constitutional protections against racial discrimination, bills like the CROWN Act are important because this kind of discrimination is so rampant, said Carol Rose, executive director of the Massachusetts ACLU.
Many school and workplace policies restricting natural hairstyles are presented as race-neutral, even as they disproportionately impact Black people, Rose said.
This is because these rules are based on White, Christian and Western norms when it comes to appearance, she said. For example, banning hair that is more than two inches in thickness and height “disproportionately affects students of color whose hair is coarser, thicker [and] doesn’t lie flat compared to White students.”
Rose added that by specifically calling out hair discrimination, the CROWN Act “sends a message to employers, to school officials, to national leaders that policies that are on their face ‘neutral’ but actually are discriminating based on hair and race are expressly forbidden.”
Black girls say D.C. school dress codes unfairly target them. Now they’re speaking up.
Research has shown that Black school girls are more likely to have the way they dress and present themselves scrutinized and punished. A 2019 report from the National Women’s Law Center found that, among 29 D.C. schools, majority-Black high schools had more dress code restrictions on average than other schools. Even policies written as being gender-neutral focused mainly on clothes typically worn by girls, according to the report.
Rose noted that in Massachusetts, Black girls are greater than four times more likely to face school discipline than their White peers.
Today, the Cook sisters enjoy wearing natural hair styles — Mya prefers a wash-and-go, and both sisters say that, despite the “rocky start,” they still love wearing braids. They also hope the CROWN Act will be passed on the federal level so that more people can be protected from hair discrimination.
Deanna Cook said they plan to keep advocating for such laws to be passed: “The more that people know about it, the more people that talk about it, the more traction it’ll get.” | 2022-07-29T14:03:45Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Massachusetts bans hair discrimination with Crown Act - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/crown-act-massachusetts-hair-discrimination/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/crown-act-massachusetts-hair-discrimination/ |
Alexandria schools will require coronavirus vaccine for staff
A lunchroom in Alexandria City Public Schools in August 2021. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post)
Alexandria City Public Schools will require staff to receive the coronavirus vaccine ahead of the upcoming academic year, the school board decided Thursday at a specially called meeting — at which the board also named an interim superintendent, Melanie Kay-Wyatt.
The school board voted unanimously to approve several policies for the year including one that requires school employees to submit proof of vaccination. Only staff who can “satisfactorily establish religious or medical exemptions by law” may forego vaccination and instead take weekly coronavirus tests.
School staff who fail to abide by these rules “may be required to take leave without pay or may be separated from service,” the approved policy states. Alexandria is one of the only Northern Virginia districts to require employee vaccination; although Arlington Public Schools has approved a similar policy, the school districts in Fairfax and Loudoun are not mandating employee vaccination. None of the four systems is requiring student vaccination.
Alexandria begins school Aug. 22.
Kay-Wyatt, who currently serves as the school district’s chief of human resources, will take over as interim superintendent on Sept. 1, earning a monthly salary of $21,383. She will be the second Black female interim superintendent in the history of the Alexandria district, which enrolls approximately 15,000 students.
Kay-Wyatt is replacing Gregory C. Hutchings Jr., who resigned his position as superintendent this summer to lead an education consulting company he recently founded, Revolutionary ED, that aims to combat systemic racism in U.S. public schools. Kay-Wyatt’s contract as superintendent will extend through June 2023 or until the school system concludes its search for a permanent superintendent — a search that began Thursday night, according to a school news release.
“I am honored and excited to serve our school community and students,” Kay-Wyatt said in a statement Thursday.
Before working for the Alexandria system, which she joined in July 2021, Kay-Wyatt worked in human resources for Spotsylvania Public Schools, served as a principal and assistant principal for Fredericksburg City Public Schools and was employed as a special-education teacher with the Fredericksburg district and Culpeper County Public Schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Mary Washington College and master’s degrees and a doctorate in education and educational leadership from Old Dominion University, the University of Mary Washington and Virginia Commonwealth University.
In a news release, school board chair Meagan Alderton praised Kay-Wyatt for her work in the Alexandria schools’ human resources department, crediting her with improving recruitment and hiring as well as developing and debuting staff vaccination and testing requirements during the pandemic.
Kay-Wyatt is “the right person to lead our school division at this time,” Alderton said in a statement. | 2022-07-29T14:47:18Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Alexandria City Public Schools will require coronavirus vaccine for staff - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/07/29/alexandria-schools-staff-vaccine/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/07/29/alexandria-schools-staff-vaccine/ |
Lesia Watkins speaks with her husband, Jimmy, on Thursday near their Jackson, Ky., home, which is unreachable due to high water levels from the Kentucky River. (Arden S. Barnes for The Washington Post)
President Biden issued a major disaster declaration for Kentucky on Friday as thousands remained without power from disastrous flooding that has killed at least 15 people since Wednesday.
The disaster status frees federal funding to support recovery in eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian foothills, where a flood watch remained in effect and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said he expected the death toll to more than double.
“We know some of the loss will include children,” he said in a video update. “We may have even lost entire families.”
With people stuck on roofs and in trees, first responders conducted about 50 air rescues and hundreds of boat rescues Thursday, Beshear said. Efforts were continuing Friday, and he said the flooding in some areas was not expected to crest until Saturday.
The region also sustained significant property damage. Hundreds of homes have been lost in what Beshear called “the worst flooding disaster, at least of my lifetime, in Kentucky.”
“Hundreds of Kentucky families are going to lose everything,” he said Thursday on “NBC Nightly News.”
The National Weather Service’s Jackson station predicted that rainfall would gradually slow Friday as a cold front moved into the area. More storms, however, are expected to arrive Sunday through Tuesday.
The deluge was caused by the same weather that caused historic flooding on Tuesday in St. Louis, where at least one person was killed and several others were stranded in their cars and homes. The rainfalls there and in Kentucky have less than a 1 in 1,000 chance of happening in a given year.
Human-caused climate change has spurred extreme precipitation events to increase significantly in the past century. Heavy rainfall is now roughly 20 to 40 percent more likely in and near eastern Kentucky than it was around 1900, according to the U.S. government’s National Climate Assessment. | 2022-07-29T15:09:48Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Biden issues disaster declaration as Kentucky flooding kills at least 15 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/kentucky-flooding-deaths/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/kentucky-flooding-deaths/ |
D.C. must do better by Black moms
By Chinyere Rushing-Tucker
A baby in a crib. (iStock)
Chinyere Rushing-Tucker is a doula and Bradley method instructor in D.C.
The pandemic undoubtedly interrupted our lives, from daily habits and social interactions to our very expectations of what is “normal” or “safe.” Yet even before the coronavirus hit, we knew that something very normal — carrying and birthing a child — was not necessarily safe, particularly for women of color and our babies. Childbirth and infancy in the nation’s capital are still deadlier than covid-19, and the trends are heading in the wrong direction.
I have been a certified doula and childbirth education instructor for more than 16 years. Pregnancy and birth are my business. Yet, where I am today came from my own experience of becoming pregnant with my first child and feeling the acute vulnerability in the face of the unknown that is common to many first-time mothers. Some women cope with these feelings by surrendering themselves to the health-care system. But as a Black woman aware of the statistically worse health-care outcomes for women of color, I felt I needed more — more information, more understanding of potential options and more tools to help achieve a safe and peaceful delivery of my son.
The unwelcome truth is that the United States has a preterm birth problem. We have one of the highest rates of preterm birth among high-resource countries, with 1 in 10 babies born too soon. The United States was one of two countries to see an increase in maternal mortality, according to the most recently available statistics.
This matters because preterm birth is the leading cause of death in newborns. Premature babies who make it are still vulnerable to a range of serious health and developmental consequences that can persist into adulthood, from learning and behavioral problems to acute respiratory, gastrointestinal, hearing, vision and other challenges. There is a huge economic toll as well, with one study finding medical costs associated with childbirth to be about 10 times higher for children born prematurely.
For Black women, the trends are even worse. Black mothers are more likely to die in the course of pregnancy and birth, and have been for the past 100 years. Educational attainment appears to make no difference. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that maternal deaths are more common among Black mothers with a college education than among White mothers with less than a high school diploma.
Furthermore, in 2021, when the national rate of premature births slightly decreased, for Black babies it went up. In D.C. today, the preterm birthrate among Black women is 85 percent higher than the rate among all other women.
Yet, as I learned, being a pregnant Black woman in D.C. doesn’t have to mean being helpless and at the whim of circumstances. “Knowledge is power,” as the old saying goes. In the course of doing my research, I learned about different types of health-care providers and places where I might birth my baby. Upon switching health-care providers, I learned about the Bradley Method and signed up with my husband.
It completely changed our outlook on birth. Giving birth doesn’t have to be something that just happens to a person, or a crisis-filled medical drama fueled by the unknown. I learned this during the birth of our first child.
We had what would be considered a non-progressing labor. My contractions started on July 15 and remained consistent for the next four days, with very little to show for the work I was doing. Our son wasn’t born until July 20, but he was healthy and strong. Though I was a bit tired after five days of labor, I was overjoyed to know that the skills and knowledge we had gained from our hands-on preparation empowered us to avoid major interventions.
Though our birth had challenges, we could face them from a position of empowerment, which allowed us to have the type of positive birth experience that escapes so many of my peers. I felt compelled to help educate birthing women and their partners.
Pregnant women and their partners have many choices in the process of pregnancy and labor. Women can learn to increase their self-awareness and tune into their own bodies. Partners can learn how to be a birth coach to lower stress throughout the pregnancy and delivery. Both can learn how to have a voice with health-care providers, including what options they have if things go in a different direction than planned (as babies have a way of doing).
The good news for all pregnant women: There are things we can do to increase the possibility of having the birth experience we desire — including tools for cutting down on preterm birth.
These include some behavioral choices, such as not smoking, drinking or abusing drugs. Good nutrition, a diet anchored in protein, colorful fruits and vegetables and whole grains, is important. So is cutting down on stress. A recent study found that chewing sugar-free gum with xylitol significantly decreased the rate of preterm births in a large group of women in a rural part of Malawi. This African nation was chosen because it has the world’s highest preterm births at nearly 20 percent. Compared with a control group who received only oral health education, the group who sreceived the education and daily xylitol sugar-free gum had a 24 percent lower rate of preterm birth.
We also know that social support is crucial for humans — even more so when making new ones. I’ve seen women pursue childbirth education with friends or a family member by their side. We also know that one of the prevalent theories for why Black women have disproportionately worse health-care outcomes is lack of support from the medical community or dismissiveness toward concerns when shared. That’s why several of the recommended policy actions from the March of Dimes to better support maternal and infant health are focused on increased community support for women, such as expanding access to doula care and midwifery and reducing implicit bias.
D.C. enacted a paid family-leave program, but our dismal statistics show that more is needed to support women before they give birth. Whatever method of childbirth a woman is drawn to, she needs to know that she has choices. Public policy and the health-care community must adopt the posture of supporting women in supporting themselves. | 2022-07-29T15:10:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | D.C. must do better by Black moms - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/dc-must-do-better-by-black-moms/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/dc-must-do-better-by-black-moms/ |
“So … what’s your beat?” As a new(ish) columnist, I get asked that question a lot. Sometimes, I’ll answer with a version suited to the boxes that journalism beats usually come in. Sure, I cover international affairs, social issues, human rights and culture. It’s not a bad question, but unlike my cat, Artemis, I’m not really fond of boxes. I just don’t fit into them very well. So I’m starting a newsletter that will allow me to explore all of the topics I’m interested in.
Growing up, I wanted to be a philosopher, or a classical mythologist. I wanted to know what the ancients thought about how to live a good and noble life, how to understand other cultures and people different from me, even if I disagreed. As a kid, I didn’t feel restricted by my race, or gender or where my parents came from (Ghana and Nigeria, to be specific). I’ve tried on many different selves and been part of many different communities; I’ve been a video gamer, an athlete, a public defender’s assistant, an aspiring boxer, a talk show radio host in Ghana, an international development worker and now, a Muay Thai fighter and a newbie motorcyclist.
But in my time as a journalist, I have worked on the stories of people around the world who are trapped. From Nigeria to Texas, I’ve been on the ground with people and communities who have been trapped by personal traumas, racism, terrorism, and state-sanctioned violence.
This newsletter will be an exercise in exploring what it means to live freer lives in times of difficulty and injustice. What does it mean to free ourselves and others of the personal and societal boxes we find ourselves trapped in? What are the taboos that hinder us from having more honest lives? How can we engage our imaginations to organize and fight for a better world? These are not only political questions, but cultural, sociological and spiritual ones as well.
My true beat is liberation. In that spirit, I hope the newsletter will provide a weekly jailbreak from the traditional column format, which has its virtues but can be restrictive, too. Second, I hope that I can bring attention to new ideas, overlooked issues and intriguing people who can help us all make sense of this world. Third, I hope this can be a space for a better relationship with readers and other world-weary-but-determined idealists.
I’d like my newsletter to be interactive, and for my readers to know that you have a hand in shaping what we talk about. Every week, I’ll have a submission box for questions/prompts that I can share for the following week’s installment.
With all the challenges in the world, I hope that this newsletter can offer a bit of fresh air and, dare I say it, joy and hope.
And yes, there will be cat pics. Sign up for my newsletter here.
As an added bonus, The Washington Post is also offering a free 30-day subscription trial for my newsletter subscribers. You can sign up for that here. | 2022-07-29T15:10:24Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Karen Attiah newsletter: Sign up to get it in your inbox - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/karen-attiah-newsletter-sign-up/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/karen-attiah-newsletter-sign-up/ |
By Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan Jr.
Richmond Police Chief Gerald M. Smith at a July 6 news conference in Richmond. Police said they thwarted a planned July 4 mass shooting after receiving a tip that led to arrests and the seizure of guns. (Steve Helber/Associated Press)
Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan Jr., a Democrat, represents Fairfax and Arlington in the Virginia House of Delegates. He was the author and sponsor of Virginia’s red-flag law.
I have run out of adjectives to describe mass shootings in our country and their maddening regularity: heartbreaking, terrifying, tragic. We have all used those words so many times that they almost lose their meaning.
But there are two adjectives we don’t use often enough. Predictable — we know another one will happen soon. Too soon. And preventable — we can prevent mass shootings. We simply cannot grow so numb — or so duped by the National Rifle Association and Citizens Defense League and their “slippery slope,” “good guy with a gun” and “price of freedom” arguments — that we miss any opportunity to reduce and even prevent these horrifying events. We cannot ever accept this as normal.
The recent shooting in Highland Park, Ill., was even more unsettling because it felt like something could have been done. Law enforcement officers had interacted with the shooter. He had made chilling threats. Red flags were obvious, but opportunities to act on the red flags and prevent the tragedy were missed.
And that is frustrating. Tragically, gut-wrenchingly frustrating.
We have a red-flag law in Virginia. We have since 2020, when the General Assembly passed and then-Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed the law, and Virginia joined 18 other states and D.C. with laws that allow law enforcement officials to remove guns from someone whom a court has found to be a threat to themselves or others and, importantly, to prevent that person from buying or possessing any guns going forward for a prescribed, temporary period of time. In Virginia, it is called a substantial risk order, and it is saving lives.
According to the Virginia State Police, 385 risk orders were issued by courts in Virginia in the first 22 months it has been law, and they’ve been used in every corner of the commonwealth. Even in jurisdictions that had declared themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries.”
As reported in the Wall Street Journal, a team of researchers from eight universities studying red-flag laws in six states found that 9.5 percent of the orders involved threats of mass shootings. And — I hope you’re sitting down for this — 21 percent of those threats were targeted at K-12 schools. That’s more than 130 threats to our kids’ schools across six states. And the average age of the people making those threats? Twenty. Years. Old.
Virginia was not included in that study because its law is too new, but there is no reason to believe our experience will be any different. The research shows that red-flag laws have, in the words of the researchers, “real preventive impact.”
So why no risk order in Highland Park? Illinois has a red-flag law. What happened, or didn’t happen?
We don’t yet know all the facts, but it appears that law enforcement or the family or both failed to use the red-flag law when the future shooter was clearly demonstrating that he was a risk to himself and others.
We cannot let that happen again. The recent bipartisan gun-safety legislation passed by Congress will, among other things, provide funding to states that have red-flag laws to train law enforcement officers and increase awareness by them and our citizens about such laws. We need to increase awareness that they exist and make sure people know how they can work with law enforcement to seek a risk order when they are concerned about someone who might be a risk to themselves or others.
I hope Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) — whose Republican allies in the legislature tried to repeal the red-flag law, and who has made clear his opposition to gun-safety reforms — will accept and use the federal money to increase the use of our red-flag law. I urge him to do so, and I hope all Virginians will let him know how important it is that Virginia use every resource at our disposal to fully implement our red-flag law. We need our state government and state law enforcement to be working with localities and local law enforcement to make sure Virginians know about this lifesaving law.
Let’s not miss any red flags in Virginia. | 2022-07-29T15:10:36Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | We don’t want any missed flags in Virginia - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/we-dont-want-any-missed-flags-virginia/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/we-dont-want-any-missed-flags-virginia/ |
We must help the immigrants at Union Station
By Ignacio Sosa
Migrants hold Red Cross blankets after arriving April 27 at Union Station. (Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press)
Ignacio Sosa is a Cuban immigrant who lives in Rosslyn.
As an immigrant from Cuba, I decided to lend a hand to some of the immigrants who have been bused to D.C. by Texas and Arizona. I recently witnessed a bus with 55 immigrants arrive at Union Station. Most of the people on this bus were immigrants from Venezuela, though there was a family of five from Ghana and a lone Cuban man. There were many children, most under the age of 6 and one a newborn. There was also a pregnant woman.
Most had traveled by foot from Venezuela to the U.S. border. Some showed me videos of the bodies of migrants who died traveling through the dense jungle near Colombia’s border with Panama. This included the corpse of a Haitian immigrant who was bitten by a venomous snake. Almost all were robbed along the way.
Once in the United States, the immigrants were admitted into the country pending a resolution of their asylum claims. Most of these people had sponsors in various parts of the United States. But they were bused to D.C. in a political act by the governors of Arizona and Texas. Once the migrants arrived in D.C., transportation to other U.S. cities had to be arranged and paid for by private individuals and charities. The same goes for housing for those with no connection to anyone in the United States.
The meager federal and lack of D.C. funds to help any of these destitute people is startling. I did what I could, but one private citizen can’t buy plane, train and bus tickets for the dozens of immigrants arriving daily at Union Station.
The call from D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) for the National Guard to help the immigrants at Union Station risks militarizing a humanitarian crisis. D.C. and the federal government have the resources to provide the social services these folks need without resorting to the military.
I will let others debate the efficacy of the United States’ border policies, or the morality of shipping vulnerable people to a city where few have any connections. This is a plea for the federal and D.C. governments to help the private D.C. charities whose resources in dealing with this crisis are depleted. At a minimum, Texas and Arizona should redirect resources used to buy bus tickets to D.C. to purchasing bus tickets to cities where the immigrants have connections.
With as many as 8,000 migrants crossing the border each day, we need to treat this as a major humanitarian crisis. | 2022-07-29T15:10:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | We must help the immigrants at Union Station - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/we-must-help-immigrants-union-station/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/we-must-help-immigrants-union-station/ |
Seeking belonging, in Ukraine and beyond
In Jules Slutsky’s photographs, Ukrainians at home and abroad reach for ties to their homeland
Perspective by Jules Slutsky
Jules Slutsky is a Brooklyn based photographer who was born in Ukraine during the collapse of the USSR. Her work explores the ephemeral elements of memory and the subtlety of identity formation through our environments and family histories.
Photos and other objects from the archives of photographer Jules Slutsky's family. (Jules Slutsky)
I was born and raised in Uzhhorod, a small town in western Ukraine, and my family and the people of Ukraine have become ever-present subjects in my photography. In looking to them, I’ve gravitated toward questions of national identity, home and immigration; heritage, familial history and collective identity.
The Ukrainian national identity is an outlier compared with traditional European cultures, as it resembles more closely the cultural rifts within the once-colonized countries of India, South Africa and the Caribbean. For close to two centuries, Ukrainians have struggled against Russia for independence and cultural freedom. The Soviet state was bent on eliminating any cultural difference that didn’t fall in line with the Soviet agenda. My grandfather, a journalist, would wait nightly on the doorstep of his home for the KGB to pick him up, knowing that the books he owned were warrant enough for this arrest.
My exploration of my country’s search for national identity through the examination of my family’s history resulted in a photo series titled “So You Speak Russian?,” a nod toward Ukraine’s political and cultural desecration as it continues to reel from the effects of Soviet-era rule. I photographed in various regions of the country, from isolated villages in the Lviv oblast, where the source of water for many is still a hand-turned well and where showers were considered a luxury even before the war, to the cities of Kyiv, Lviv and my hometown, Uzhhorod. Major cities have started to industrialize, and there is a growing embrace of many Western ideals, both social and cultural. Nevertheless, much of the country still lives in poverty, and corruption is rampant. I documented strangers, family and friends in their homes and neighborhoods, on streets that look forgotten, or against walls that have begun to chip. I was attempting to capture the tension of a modern people in the process of breaking out of the confines of a system that has perpetually worked against them, of children whose future is uncertain and of seniors who have little support to fall back on.
This year, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, my eye has fallen on the Ukrainian diaspora within the United States, in an attempt to chart a path in which Ukrainians can save their country while preserving their cultural identity and place in the world. The portraits are of people who work to keep the Ukrainian culture, spoken language and history alive, from illustrators and writers to parents in New York who are trying to help their children connect with traditions from back home. In one way or another, all of them are taking small but deeply felt steps to preserve their national identity. This work attempts to address our need, one that is both deeply personal and universal, for belonging and ties to our homeland. | 2022-07-29T15:10:50Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Seeking belonging, in Ukraine and beyond - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/07/29/ukrainians-photo-essay-identity-nationality/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/07/29/ukrainians-photo-essay-identity-nationality/ |
Fragments of U.S.-made HIMARS rockets, according the Russian defense ministry, are shown after the shelling at a pretrial detention center in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict, in the settlement of Olenivka in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine July 29, 2022. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
Ukraine and Russia traded accusations on Friday over the shelling of a prison in the eastern Donetsk region that allegedly killed and wounded Ukrainian prisoners of war, including those captured after the fall of the port city of Mariupol in May.
A spokesman for the Russian-backed breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said a Ukrainian strike using U.S.-supplied HIMARS — High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — had hit a prison in the town of Olenivka, killing at least 53 Ukrainian troops and wounding about 75.
Ukrainian authorities, however, denied any involvement and in turn accused Russian forces of carrying out the attack, which they described as a war crime.
In posts on Telegram, DPR spokesman Daniil Bezsonov referred to the casualties as “prisoners of Azovstal” — the steel plant in Mariupol that finally fell to Russian forces after a long drawn-out siege. Unverified video shared on Telegram showed charred human remains in the burned-out shell of what was purported to be the prison.
Russia’s defense ministry framed the incident as “a bloody provocation” intended to discourage Ukrainian soldiers from surrendering.
The heads of Ukraine’s armed forces, however, accused Russian forces of carrying out “a targeted artillery shelling of a correctional institution in the settlement of Olenivka, Donetsk oblast, where Ukrainian prisoners were also held.”
“In this way, the Russian occupiers pursued their criminal goals — to accuse Ukraine of committing ‘war crimes’, as well as to hide the torture of prisoners and executions which they carried out there,” it said in a statement.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, writing on Twitter, accused Russia of committing a war crime and called for condemnation from the international community.
“I call on all partners to strongly condemn this brutal violation of international humanitarian law and recognize Russia a terrorist state,” he said.
None of the claims could be independently verified.
The soldiers who finally surrendered in Mariupol after spending months holed up in the steel works included an estimated 2,400 from Ukraine’s Azov Battalion and on Friday, Andrii Biletsky, described as the “founder of Azov,” vowed revenge.
“I, on behalf of the Azov units, announce a hunt for everyone involved in the mass murder,” he said on his Telegram channel. “Every rank-and-file performer and every organizer, regardless of position and place of stay, will bear responsibility. No matter where you hide, you will be found and exterminated.”
The Azov Battalion is among Ukraine’s most battle-hardened military units but has attracted controversy over its links to far-right nationalist ideology. Russian President Vladimir Putin has framed his invasion of Ukraine as an attempt to “de-Nazify” the country, partly referring to the Azov forces.
Robyn Dixon, Mary Ilyushina and David Stern contributed to this report. | 2022-07-29T15:11:37Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Ukrainian soldiers killed in attack on Donetsk prison holding POWs, Russia says - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/ukraine-russia-donetsk-prison-strike-azov/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/ukraine-russia-donetsk-prison-strike-azov/ |
Massive sports complexes are latest front in war for visitors, dollars
By Roman Stubbs
Grand Park Sports Campus is a sprawling 400-acre development that includes 26 baseball and softball diamonds and 31 fields for soccer, football and lacrosse. (Video: AJ Mast for The Washington Post)
WESTFIELD, Ind. — Andy Card sat inside his favorite Mexican restaurant in an Indianapolis suburb after his son’s high school basketball game a decade ago and, over a burrito, began to draw his first design of a youth sports facility on a napkin. He had traveled the country for his sons’ sports for years, visiting one discombobulated tournament after another, often watching his kids compete in auxiliary gyms without air conditioning, always transfixed by the thousands of athletes and their parents who would pay for events time and time again.
Nearly 60 percent of the country’s youth play organized sports, according to some estimates. Families spend more than a combined $30 billion per year on their kids to participate, according to the Aspen Institute, with travel costs exceeding registration, equipment and private coaching, underscoring the increasing gap between elite competition and traditional recreation programs. The youth sports industry grew by a reported 55 percent from 2010 to 2017 and is worth an estimated $19 billion — more than the revenue of the NFL or NBA. It’s an increasingly professionalized landscape where parents and their kids are looking to cash in on their own brands and mom-and-pop sports clubs are operating as big businesses, leaving them ripe for abuse and financial malfeasance.
High school sports will feel the impact of NIL changes. For some, that’s cause for concern.
‘It is not making money’
Tough love or verbal abuse? For coaches and parents, the new lines are hard to define.
“Folks, I don’t care whether we make money or not. … It is meant to be an economic driver, and that it’s doing,” Patton told the finance committee members. “So not even talking about depreciation of $2.9 million … it is not making money. And that’s OK, but this is for the taxpayers to understand: that Grand Park does not make money.”
Competition down the road
At the St. James, 16 top-tier high school teams find a haven for a basketball showcase
“I think the city has done all they can … but the city has taken it about as far as they have taken it,” Card said. “It’s time now for someone like myself that’s going to inject other stuff that they haven’t been able to attract.”
Whitestown is planning to build a 220,000 square foot youth sports facility on the grounds of a former junkyard called Wrecks Inc. (Video: AJ Mast for The Washington Post)
“We want to make this a place people want to come to. … When we started to do feasibility studies and run the numbers, what really started to come to us is that the best we could do for the community is invest in youth sports,” said the town’s council president, Clinton Bohm. “We saw a lot of our parents, a lot of our community members are in these travel leagues — be it lacrosse or baseball or basketball — they’re traveling around the state, let alone states away, to go to these tournaments and spending so much time away from our community.”
“The demand is definitely there … which is great for the private sector and being able to run turf space,” he said, “but there are more kids playing sports than there are facilities.”
‘No better business’
Former NWSL coach was accused by youth players of misconduct. He coached his way to power and prominence anyway.
“Do you know how fun it is to come to work today in shorts … and be around all of these kids and just watch them have a blast?” he said. “Dude, there’s no better business, I’m telling you.” | 2022-07-29T15:57:02Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Massive youth sports complexes are latest front in war for visitors, dollars - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/youth-sports-business-facilities/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/youth-sports-business-facilities/ |
Will Smith issues new apology for Chris Rock slap: ‘I am deeply remorseful.’
In a brief YouTube video, Smith said Rock wasn’t ready for a face-to-face apology. “Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
In this combo of file photos, Chris Rock, left, appears at the FX portion of the Television Critics Association Winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2020; and Will Smith appears at the 94th Academy Awards nominees luncheon in Los Angeles on March 7, 2022. (AP)
On Friday morning, Will Smith released a brief video answering some questions about slapping Chris Rock during the Academy Awards. The incident tarnished Smith’s Hollywood Golden Boy image (perhaps forever), led to his decade long ban from the Academy and sparked a serious conversation about what role violence has, if any, in public displays of anger.
“Disappointing people is my central trauma," said Smith, facing the camera. "I hate when I let people down. It hurts.”
In the five minute YouTube video, Smith addressed frequent questions he received after the incident. Did Jada tell him to do it? No. Why didn’t he apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech just moments later? It was “a blur.”
It was an A-list ovation for Will Smith at Vanity Fair’s Oscars after-party
During the Oscars, Rock took the stage to present the winner of the documentary feature category, but started with a joke. Targeting Jada Pinkett Smith closely cropped head which may have been a result of her struggles with alopecia, he said, “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” Smith, then strode up to the stage, slapped Rock across the face before returning to his seat where he repeatedly yelled: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f---ing mouth.”
While Smith offered an apology on social media shortly after the event, Rock has largely stayed silent — until a stand-up event in New Jersey just five days ago .
“Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock said, according to Us Weekly. Then, during a sketch about people being overly sensitive and playing the victim, Rock told the audience that he’s “not a victim.” In fact, he “shook" it off and returned to work. He doesn’t "go to the hospital for a papercut.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/06/01/jada-pinkett-smith-oscars-alopecia/
Smith also apologized to Rock’s mother, Rosalia Rock, who said during a television interview that, “when [Smith] slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me.”
But according to Smith, Rock still isn’t ready for a face-to-face apology.
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out,” Smith said. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.” | 2022-07-29T16:14:21Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Will Smith apologizes for Chris Rock slap at Oscars - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/07/29/will-smith-slap-chris-rock-apology-oscars/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/07/29/will-smith-slap-chris-rock-apology-oscars/ |
An outdoor stage at Nakasuk School in Iqaluit, Nunavut, is prepared for the visit of Pope Francis on Friday. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)
QUEBEC CITY — Making his last stop on a penitential trip that has drawn mixed reviews from the Indigenous people he came to see, Pope Francis on Friday will visit a remote region near the Arctic Circle, where residential schools transformed life for the majority-Inuit population.
During the most somber overseas visit of his pontificate, Francis this week has offered a series of apologies for the cruelty of Canada’s residential school system, which aimed to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children into Christian culture. Most of the schools were run by Catholic entities.
“[The apology] fell short,” RoseAnne Archibald, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said in a TV interview this week. She was one of the Indigenous leaders who greeted Pope Francis when he arrived in the country on Sunday.
Pope Francis visits a Quebec that’s rapidly shedding its Catholicism
Nunavut faces challenges both social and environmental. The suicide rate is multiples higher than that of the rest of Canada, and the climate is warming there significantly faster than the global average, melting permafrost and putting pressure on the water supply.
Francis has managed the Canada trip despite being nearly immobilized by knee pain. Leading up to the trip, organizers had been worried the Vatican might cancel — as it had a planned papal visit this month to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
In Canada, Francis has essentially moved from one seat to the next — his popemobile, his Fiat500, his wheelchair — relying on assistance any time he rises to his feet. The trip has proceeded at a notably slower pace than others during his pontificate. He has been holding roughly two events per day, rather than the usual four or five. In Quebec on Friday morning, he used a walker.
“It’s clear that he is making a sacrifice” to be in Canada, said one Indigenous “I want to hear about how the church will restore what it took,” she said.
Amanda Coletta contributed to this report. | 2022-07-29T16:18:42Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Pope Francis in Canada: Penitential pilgrimage ends in Iqaluit, Nunavut, amid criticism - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/pope-francis-nunavut-canada-criticism/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/pope-francis-nunavut-canada-criticism/ |
Where Justice Alito and Rep. Greene overlap on religious liberty
Associate Justice Samuel Alito poses during a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff/Pool/Reuters)
What attracted the most attention from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s recent speech at a conference centered on religious liberty was his mockery of foreign leaders. He scoffed at those from overseas who expressed alarm at the overturning of Roe v. Wade in an opinion he wrote, to the audience’s amusement.
But that wasn’t the point of his speech. The point, instead, was to insist that religious liberty — and religion itself — had reached a point in which it required robust defense.
After noting extreme examples of hostility to religion, including the actions of the Islamic State and Nazi Germany, he presented his thesis.
“The problem that looms is not just indifference to religion. It’s not just ignorance about religion,” he said. “There’s also growing hostility to religion, or at least the traditional religious beliefs that are contrary to the new moral code that is ascendant in some sectors.”
You’ll notice the heavy burden placed on the word “or” in that last sentence: There’s hostility to religion or at least to traditional beliefs that conflict with this “new moral code.” The “new code” to which he refers, we can safely assume, is the push toward recognizing the value and identities of people who’d long been excluded from power if not the social conversation entirely. So it’s not really that there’s hostility to religion as much as it is that Alito views this conflicting “moral code” as a threat to his “traditional” beliefs.
The rest of Alito’s speech reflected that same tension. Perhaps the clearest articulation of his concern centered on how the Constitution’s right to freely worship was interpreted.
“ ‘Freedom of worship’ means freedom to do these things that you like to do in the privacy of your home or in your church or synagogue or your mosque or your temple,” he said. “But when you step outside into the public square in the light of day, you had better behave yourself like a good secular citizen. That’s the problem that we face.”
Alito pointedly declined to offer examples of how this happens but, considered together, these two quotes articulate his position clearly. He sees a secular society — he uses “citizen” intentionally — imposing a new moral code that suppresses religious belief outside of the home. What he doesn’t see is how the expression of traditional beliefs outside of the home can be viewed as suppressing secular or other religious traditions and beliefs. The contrast between “traditional” and “new” is a contrast meant to suggest a gradation of value.
“Religious liberty is under attack in many places because it is dangerous to those who want to hold complete power,” he said at another point. This is a theme he has hit before, as when he criticized pandemic restrictions on religious gatherings as ominous incursions on religious freedom instead of as efforts to prevent a contagious virus from spreading. It’s not just that he thinks that secular culture is oppressive, it’s that he sees it as an intentional effort to squash opposition. Again, he started by referencing the Holocaust.
All of this reflects a familiar pattern on the right. Polling has repeatedly shown that Republicans in particular view Christians and Whites as targets of discrimination equivalent to or even more so than Black Americans or Jews.
It’s safe to assume that this is because many see the increase in non-White and non-Christian voices as a threat to White, Christian dominance since the country was founded. Alito doesn’t broach race, but it’s clear that he sees Christian values as facing discrimination from those secular citizens.
For context, Alito was in the majority when the Supreme Court ruled that a Christian baker could refuse to provide services to the wedding of a same-sex couple on religious grounds. He was in the majority in a number of recent cases in which the court took the side of Christian groups or individuals against the government, including where a public school football coach had been fired for holding prayer sessions at midfield. These he seems to have seen as secular, new-moral-code impositions on traditional beliefs and not as religious beliefs imposing on those around them.
It is true that the number of self-identified Christians in the United States has declined. The number of White Christians has declined even more (since the percentage of the country that is White is lower than it used to be).
It’s not that there’s a “new moral code,” as such. It’s that there are more non-Christian people to question the implied, often systemic primacy of Christian values and rules in American society. Just as there are more non-White people who might be skeptical of the ways in which American society can be structured to advantage Whites.
Speaking at a religious liberty conference, Alito focused on religious liberty. But the entrenchment of defenders of Christian America takes a lot of forms.
Over the weekend, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was interviewed by a host from a right-wing YouTube channel.
“We need to be the party of nationalism. And I’m a Christian and I say it proudly: We should be Christian nationalists,” Greene said. “And when Republicans learn to represent most of the people that vote for them, then we will be the party that continues to grow without having to chase down certain identities or chase down, you know, certain segments of people.”
This is typically not subtle. She’s saying that, by becoming a party of explicit Christian nationalism, the GOP wouldn’t have to “chase down” non-White voters, because they would build a robust enough base of support just from White Christians.
Alito doesn’t say he wants a Christian nation. He says, instead, that religious belief is in tension with secular citizenry. He said in November 2020 that “you can’t say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman,” which imposes on free speech. He says, in other words, that things like letting a same-sex couple marry because they are in love is a “new moral code” that is necessarily hostile to his traditions. That closing a church along with everything else at the height of the pandemic is an example of how government is oppositional to his religious expression.
He and Greene are fighting in the same direction and with the same instincts, if not explicitly to the same end. To non-Christians, the difference between a country that is explicitly Christian and one in which Christian values are given more weight can at times be hard to distinguish. | 2022-07-29T16:40:29Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Where Justice Alito and Rep. Greene overlap on religious liberty - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/29/where-justice-alito-rep-greene-overlap-religious-liberty/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/29/where-justice-alito-rep-greene-overlap-religious-liberty/ |
One of China’s largest-ever debt restructurings is starting to take shape, with the Communist Party now in the driver’s seat, after China Evergrande Group was formally declared to be in default. The world’s most indebted developer, at the center of a broader debt crisis in the country’s property industry, has unveiled preliminary principles for the restructuring of its offshore debt. While the state’s intervention has quelled fears of a disorderly collapse that would jolt the world economy, bondholders are wondering how much of their money they’ll see after the dust settles. Meanwhile, Evergrande is under pressure to deliver thousands of pre-sold housing projects -- and pay its workers -- to avoid sparking social unrest.
Evergrande, founded in 1996, grew through massive borrowing. Back in 2010, it sold what was at the time the biggest high-yield dollar bond among Chinese builders at $750 million. The firm subsequently embarked on even more of a debt binge to fuel growth, becoming the largest dollar-debt borrower among peers and for a time the country’s biggest developer by contracted sales. It owns more than 1,300 projects in 280 cities, according to the company’s website. Following a liquidity scare in 2020, Evergrande outlined a plan to roughly halve its $100 billion debt pile by mid-2023. But China’s housing market started slowing down amid regulatory curbs. Another liquidity scare sent the company’s stock and bonds tumbling, and after having made late payments on some dollar bonds it missed a deadline in December to pay two dollar-bond coupons before grace periods ended.
Chief Executive Officer Xia Haijun was forced to resign on July 22 amid a company probe into how 13.4 billion yuan of deposits were used as security for third parties to obtain bank loans, which some borrowers then failed to pay back. Chief Financial Officer Pan Darong was also made to step down. Evergrande’s annual property sales fell for the first time in at least a decade last year, plummeting 39% from 2020’s level as sales were frozen for months before resuming in April 2022. Meanwhile, it had some 1.97 trillion yuan in liabilities as of June 30, 2021 -- the most among its peers in China. Almost half of that amount was bills to suppliers and other payables, while interest-bearing debt totaled 572 billion yuan, down 20% from the end of 2020. The company had also reduced its net debt-to-equity ratio to below 100%, meeting one of the government’s “three red lines” -- metrics imposed to limit borrowing by real estate companies. Evergrande had $19.2 billion in offshore dollar bonds outstanding, the most among Chinese developers. Another risk is the firm’s guarantees on related-party debts, including private-placement bonds with limited disclosure.
5. Is it making any progress?
Evergrande said on July 29 that it may offer some assets outside of China to repay creditors, including shares of its electric vehicle and property management services, and added that it plans to announce a full restructuring plan this year, according to a filing. The restructuring will include Evergrandes’ offshore notes, debt obligations of its subsidiaries, and repurchase obligations by its unlisted online sales platform FCB Group. Evergrande said “the principle of fair treatment of creditors will be reflected in the restructuring proposal.” It also said it had partially or completely resumed construction of 96% of its pre-sold and undelivered projects, while the number of construction workers was back to 86% of the group’s normal requirements.
The industry is in a deep slump. Combined contracted sales at the top 100 developers were halved year-over-year in the first half of 2022. Property loan growth slowed to the weakest pace in over two decades at the end of March. Yields on Chinese junk dollar bonds have been above 20% as defaults this year have already set an annual record. Many have had to seek extensions on both onshore and offshore debt in order to avoid potential missed payments. | 2022-07-29T16:44:51Z | www.washingtonpost.com | What’s Next for China Evergrande, Crushed by Debt - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/whats-next-for-china-evergrande-crushed-by-debt/2022/07/29/aec9ffbc-0f59-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/whats-next-for-china-evergrande-crushed-by-debt/2022/07/29/aec9ffbc-0f59-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html |
Report alleges pattern of neglect, abuse at D.C. psychiatric institute
The report from Disability Rights DC alleges multiple incidents of abuse and neglect at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. (iStock)
A new report from the District’s disability rights watchdog alleges systemic abuse and neglect at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, which advocates say has left some patients traumatized and injured at the hands of staff.
Disability Rights DC, a nonprofit with a federal mandate to advocate for individuals with disabilities in the District, released the report Wednesday, just over a year after it published a report with similar findings at the private, for-profit hospital. In that June 2021 review, advocates detailed examples of alleged malpractice at the facility — including a 2020 incident in which they say a patient died and did not receive timely care from the hospital’s staff.
Disability Rights DC has the authority to investigate allegations of neglect and abuse in mental health facilities in the city, and is able to review medical records, reports and video footage of alleged incidents. Advocates said reports of abuse at PIW have only increased since their report last year, and just like in the previous study, they charge the city agencies responsible for overseeing the facility to go further to ensure patients are protected.
“We would’ve expected an improvement after our first report, and instead we got more calls,” said Andrea Procaccino, a staff attorney at Disability Rights DC. “We didn’t see evidence they were implementing any meaningful changes that would prevent these things that were going on.”
The additional calls spurred additional investigations, Procaccino said. The latest report describes a May 2021 incident, for example, in which an adolescent was allegedly stabbed in the cheek by another patient, causing a laceration, while the facility’s staff did not intervene.
“The videotape shows a striking lack of staff presence and effective staff interaction,” the report reads, adding that police arrived an hour after the incident took place. “More and better trained staff were clearly needed to ensure the safety of these adolescents, who were exposed to a terrifying experience.” The report uses pseudonyms and includes hand-drawn stills of the videos to protect patient privacy.
In a statement, PIW said it is “dedicated to caring for and treating patients with compassion, dignity and respect” and has worked with thousands of patients over the years.
“Incidents are thoroughly investigated by regulatory authorities and by our internal team, per standard procedure,” the statement said. “Where appropriate, we implement operational changes. Due to HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] patient privacy laws, we cannot comment on specific patients or their care."
D.C. Health and the Department of Behavioral Health, which share joint responsibility for oversight of PIW’s services, did not return a request for comment on the report.
Opened in 1967, PIW is located in Tenleytown and is the only private, for-profit hospital in the city that treats patients for psychiatric and substance use disorders. The hospital contains 130 beds; patients can be admitted on a voluntary or involuntary basis and typically stay five to 10 days at a time, Procaccino said.
Report faults D.C. psychiatric hospital, city oversight after patient’s death
The range of allegations includes instances where PIW staff used drugs or other improper means to restrain patients — tactics that go against the hospital’s policy, according to the report. The nonprofit’s investigation found a patient, “Sarah Simpson,” was restrained twice using “unapproved techniques”; in one instance, six staff members allegedly converged on Simpson, causing her head to hit the floor. Simpson called the situation traumatic and Disability Rights DC alleges that PIW did not report either incident to the Department of Behavioral Health until almost three months later.
In the second incident, PIW staff allegedly “failed to provide timely medical care” to Simpson after she reported arm pain to staff, administering an X-ray that confirmed swelling five days after her complaint, the report said.
The investigation found that another patient, “Maria Peters,” was allegedly dragged across the floor twice by a male staffer at the hospital — the report said they called her “disgusting” multiple times and pushed her into a room.
“She indicated that she resisted being forced in the room because she was very frightened, and she was fearful that the staff person was going to sexually assault her,” the report said.
In addition to improper restraint, Disability Rights DC said it investigated incidents where PIW staff allegedly injected patients with psychiatric medication against their will. A patient referred to as “Sarah Miller” reported that PIW staff told her she “had to accept” medication even though she did not consent to it. The report suggested the incident was in violation of D.C. law, which in most cases requires providers to obtain informed consent from a patient before administering mental health medication.
Among PIW’s recommendations to resolve the reported issues: increasing staff to ensure units remain safe; hiring a consultant who specializes in trauma-informed care; and more robust oversight from D.C. Health and the Department of Behavioral Health, “which must have reliable incident reporting and a robust investigatory process," the report says. The recommendation for increased oversight also appeared in last year’s report. At a D.C. Council oversight hearing earlier this year, some advocates criticized the Department of Behavioral Health for unsatisfactory supervision of PIW, Washington City Paper reported.
PIW’s parent company, Universal Health Services, paid out $122 million to federal and state governments in 2020, settling claims that it provided inadequate services. Last week, Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore) named Universal Health Services in a probe into alleged abuse at treatment facilities that house children. Universal Health Services did not return a request for comment.
Justin Wm. Moyer contributed to this report. | 2022-07-29T16:44:58Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Disability Rights DC report on Psychiatric Institute of Washington alleges neglect, abuse of patients - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/dc-psychiatric-institute-washington-neglect/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/dc-psychiatric-institute-washington-neglect/ |
FILE - In this combo of file photos, Chris Rock, left, appears at the the FX portion of the Television Critics Association Winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2020; and Will Smith appears at the 94th Academy Awards nominees luncheon in Los Angeles on March 7, 2022. Smith has again apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscar telecast in a new video, saying that his behavior was “unacceptable” and revealing that he reached out to the comedian to discuss the incident but was told Rock wasn’t ready. (AP Photo/File) (Uncredited/AP) | 2022-07-29T16:45:42Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Will Smith posts an apology video for slapping Chris Rock - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/will-smith-posts-an-apology-video-for-slapping-chris-rock/2022/07/29/4dface42-0f53-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/will-smith-posts-an-apology-video-for-slapping-chris-rock/2022/07/29/4dface42-0f53-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html |
This photograph provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources shows an endangered North Atlantic right whale entangled in fishing rope being sighted with a newborn calf on Dec. 2, 2021, in waters near Cumberland Island, Ga. A federal circuit court has reinstated a ban on lobster fishing gear in a nearly 1,000-square-mile area off New England on Wednesday July 13, 2022 to try to protect endangered whales. The National Marine Fisheries Service issued new regulations last year that prohibited lobster fishing with vertical buoy lines in part of the fall and winter in the area. The ruling was intended to prevent North Atlantic right whales, which number less than 340, from becoming entangled. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources/NOAA Permit #20556 via AP) (Uncredited/Georgia Department of Natural Resources) | 2022-07-29T16:46:19Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Ships must slow down more often to save whales, feds say - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ships-must-slow-down-more-often-to-save-whales-feds-say/2022/07/29/c6e51aae-0f50-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ships-must-slow-down-more-often-to-save-whales-feds-say/2022/07/29/c6e51aae-0f50-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html |
Model says Spanish body positivity campaign used her photo without consent
A woman sits by the beach in Barcelona on July 28. (Francisco Seco/AP)
A Spanish government campaign to promote body positivity has come under fire after a model said she was featured without her consent.
The image, featuring five women with different body shapes at a beach together with the words “Summer is ours too,” was released on social media Wednesday.
The aim was to celebrate body diversity and “the right of all women to enjoy public spaces,” the government said.
“All bodies are beach bodies,” tweeted Social Services Minister Ione Belarra after the campaign launched, while another minister commented: “All bodies are valid and we have the right to enjoy life as we are, without guilt or shame. Summer is for everyone!”
The problem, says one of the women who appears in the illustration, is that she did not consent to her image being used.
British model Nyome Nicholas-Williams said that the photo was taken from her Instagram feed and that she was not contacted by the Spanish government or the artist before the campaign launched.
“I think it does show that women’s — especially Black women’s — bodies are so policed and our bodies as women are not our own,” she told The Post, noting that an Instagram follower first alerted her to the campaign.
“It’s a very positive campaign, but why was I not approached and asked?” she said.
Nicholas-Williams said she has not managed to contact the other women featured in the campaign and did not know whether they had been paid or consented to appear.
The artist behind the campaign, Arte Mapache, apologized to the models involved, writing on Twitter that the illustrator mistakenly thought that the image was unlicensed and free to use. The artist offered to share the 4,490 euros (almost $4,560) paid for the image and would work to “repair the damage caused … and try to solve this matter privately with the parties involved.”
Spain’s Women’s Institute praised the artist’s response: “Thank you for your anti-fatphobia activism, for recognizing the error regarding illustration and being open to listening to the women involved in the fight against fatphobia and racism.”
Nicholas-Williams said that her agent was in touch with the artist but that she has still not received any communication from the government agencies involved in the campaign.
“I think the apologies should come from the people who made the campaign. The illustrator has apologized — and I accept her apology, she made an error, she’s a human. But I think this is a problem of governments and people that have more power: They just don’t see the error in the things that they do.” | 2022-07-29T16:47:02Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Spanish body positivity campaign used model's Instagram photo without consent - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/spain-body-campaign-model-nyome/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/spain-body-campaign-model-nyome/ |
Trans people shouldn’t have to hide to help Democrats win
By Jennifer Finney Boylan
(Michael Hirshon for The Washington Post)
Jennifer Finney Boylan is a professor of English at Barnard College of Columbia University and a fellow at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Her next book, “Mad Honey,” co-authored with Jodi Picoult, is scheduled to be published in October.
I was nervous. I’d known most of the ladies in my mother’s bridge group — conservatives, Republicans, evangelicals — since I was a child. But now that I’d come out as trans, I was being unveiled, like a new iPhone. The doorbell rang. My heart pounded in my throat.
This was back in 2001. My mother was a woman so Republican she had voted for a Democratic president only once, in 1936, when she disappointed Alf Landon. “You don’t change horses in midstream,” she explained.
Now, here I was, having — you know — changed horses. Mom made a tray of little cucumber sandwiches and a big pitcher of gin and tonics. I opened the door.
A woman named Mary Alice looked me up and down. Then she said, “Damn, Jennifer, you make a fine broad!”
One by one, the others followed. To my surprise and relief, they pledged their support — to me, and to my mom — even if transgender issues weren’t something they wholly grasped.
What they did understand was that I was a human being, the child of their friend, and that what I needed at that moment, above all, was love.
That was then. Now, 21 years later, conservatives, Republicans and evangelicals have made anti-transgender rhetoric a central pillar of their ideology.
In June, the Texas GOP released its party platform, defining gay experience as “abnormal” and opposing “all efforts to validate transgender identity.” Back in March, Robert Foster, a former Mississippi state lawmaker who ran for governor in 2019, tweeted that people who support people like me “need to be lined up against [a] wall before a firing squad to be sent to an early judgment.” Last week, a school board candidate near Pensacola, Fla., said doctors who treat transgender youths “should be hanging from the nearest tree.”
It’s not exactly cucumber sandwiches anymore.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), addressing a group of right-wing students, said this month that his pronoun is “kiss my ass.”
This should be proof, if any were needed, that trans people are now, officially, the right wing’s whipping girls. As a result, some progressives suggest that we should just lie low until after November, or — who knows? — perhaps some date even later than that.
Even Hillary Clinton seemed to agree in an interview with the Financial Times in June. Instead of contesting the premise of a question about whether Democrats are losing the midterms because of “the transgender debate,” she said, “Look, the most important thing is to win the next election. The alternative is so frightening that whatever does not help you win should not be a priority.”
It’s not the first time trans people have been told to stand aside, or been blamed for the ascension of conservatism. The day after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, a commentator on MSNBC suggested that Clinton had lost because of the Democratic Party’s focus on transgender bathrooms and other “boutique issues.”
Try to imagine what it’s like to have someone in your own party suggest that your identity, the struggle that in so many ways has defined your life, is a boutique issue.
I want to elect progressives as much as the next woman, and I’m willing to be pragmatic about the issues we should focus on. Surely inflation and climate change and job creation ought to be at the center of our agenda. But to be told that, in order to achieve these goals, I need to be invisible, that I need to avoid upsetting the most intolerant souls in the country — well, that’s just humiliating.
Back when I opened the door to re-meet my mother’s friends, I felt — sometimes — like the only one of me in the world. Being trans felt like a burden that was almost too much to bear. Now, trans and nonbinary people seem to be everywhere. Instead of despair, they’re rejoicing, delighting in the glory of gender and its many curious and wonderful permutations.
Which is exactly what Republicans have seized upon. Because what feels to us like joy and glory — new pronouns, gatekeeper-less transitions — is the very thing that conservatives want to redefine as terrifying and strange.
After all the attention paid to bathrooms in 2016, the focus has now shifted to the participation of trans women in sports and to health care for trans children. Understanding these issues requires more than engaging with scientific research on endocrinology. It requires moral imagination — a sense of being able to empathize with the struggles of people whose experience of being human might be profoundly different from one’s own.
I’m grateful for people who have a sense of moral imagination. But is it really as complex as all that? Maybe all we really need — even now — is love. Love for those we do not understand, love for people who struggle to be known, love for people who every day are told that instead of being embraced with grace, they should be lined up before a firing squad and shot.
If we’re going to lose the next election, I would rather we lose because we advocated for the most vulnerable, because we refused to cede ground to voices of ignorance and hate.
There is room in this country for everyone. Even me. | 2022-07-29T17:46:19Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Trans people shouldn’t have to hide to help Democrats win - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/trans-people-shouldnt-have-hide-help-democrats-win/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/trans-people-shouldnt-have-hide-help-democrats-win/ |
TV producer Norman Lear turns 100: His career in pictures
Norman Lear became possibly the world’s most famous centenarian on Wednesday, and he’s got no intention of slowing down. As he told The Washington Post, “I feel like I could do a second 100.”
To celebrate Lear’s 10 decades, we took a look back at his career, which includes creating and producing sitcoms such as “All in the Family,” “Maude,” “Good Times,” “The Jeffersons” and “One Day at a Time,” all while becoming a passionate voice for progressive political causes. As his close friend Mel Brooks said, “Norman has so much to give us, I don’t think 100 is nearly enough.”
Nov 9, 2017 | Los Angeles
Norman Lear, who turned 100 on Wednesday, produced some of the most groundbreaking sitcoms of the 1970s.
March 1978 | Los Angeles
Lear and his second wife, Frances, were married for 28 years.
Sept. 18, 1978 | Hollywood
Lear, center top row, with "All in the Family" actors Jean Stapleton, seated, left, and Carroll O'Connor, seated, right, holding their Emmys for outstanding lead actress and actor in a comedy series. Rob Reiner, top left, won for supporting actor. At top right is executive producer Mort Lachman.
Sept. 19, 1978 | Washington
President Jimmy Carter, right, greets Lear at the White House. At left are "All in the Family" cast members Sally Struthers and Jean Stapleton.
March 29, 1979 | Los Angeles
By the late 1970s, Lear began to channel his efforts toward liberal politics. He founded the advocacy organization People For the American Way in 1980.
AP Photo/AP
Lear, center, celebrates with "The Jeffersons" cast members, from left, Marla Gibbs, Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Ned Wertimer, Berlinda Tolbert, Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover.
Sept. 29. 1999 | Washington
President Bill Clinton, right, and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, center, award Lear the 1999 National Medal of Arts at Constitution Hall.
Stephen Jaffe/AFP/Getty Images
Jan. 22, 2006 | Universal City, Calif.
Lear, left, and former "All in the Family" star Rob Reiner attend the 2006 Producers Guild awards.
Nov. 19, 2012 | New York
Lear, left, television producer Ryan Murphy and actor Alan Alda attend the 40th International Emmy Awards.
Feb. 21, 2019 | Los Angeles
Lear and his wife, Lyn, attend the 2019 Hollywood For Science Gala.
Nov. 7, 2019 | Beverly Hills, Calif.
Norman Lear presents an award at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's 4th Annual Patron of the Artists Awards.
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Dec. 18, 2019 | Anaheim, Calif.
Lear, left, gathers with actors Anthony Anderson and John Amos.
Eric McCandless/ABC/Getty Images
July 26, 2016 | Burbank, Calif.
Lear was an executive producer of "One Day at a Time," a reimagined version of a show he produced in the 1970s.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Television
Jan. 12, 2020 | Santa Monica, Calif.
Lear accepts Best Comedy Special for 'Live in Front of a Studio Audience' onstage at the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards.
May 20, 2019 | Los Angeles
Lear sits in Archie Bunker's chair on the set of "Live in Front of a Studio Audience," a special featuring episodes of "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" that aired on ABC in 2019.
ABC/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Television
Photo editing by Annaliese Nurnberg and Moira Haney; Text by Travis Andrews; Production by Troy Witcher | 2022-07-29T17:58:52Z | www.washingtonpost.com | In pictures: Norman Lear turns 100 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/interactive/2022/photos-norman-lear-100-birthday/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/interactive/2022/photos-norman-lear-100-birthday/ |
Intense storms expected in area south of D.C. metro area Friday afternoon
Scattered storms could produce torrential downpours, damaging winds and, perhaps, a brief tornado; a severe thunderstorm watch is in effect
2 p.m. — Severe thunderstorm watch posted for north central Virginia and Southern Maryland
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Maryland and Virginia until 8 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/VkD6Wny6DK
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for areas south of the immediate D.C. metro area, as that’s where fuel for severe thunderstorms is most prevalent. To the north, cloud cover has slowed the build-up of instability.
A line of nasty storms has developed along the Interstate 95 corridor between Fredericksburg and Richmond and will sweep eastward through Virginia’s Northern Neck and the southern part of Southern Maryland over the next couple of hours.
In the immediate area, we still expect scattered showers and storms later this afternoon into the evening. Activity currently developing near and west of Interstate 81 is pushing eastward. We can’t rule out isolated severe weather and will monitor the situation.
Original article from 1:30 p.m.
As a cold front approaches the D.C. area this afternoon, it will encounter warm and muggy air, triggering scattered showers and thunderstorms across parts of the area this afternoon and evening.
The main window of storminess locally seems likely to fall between 2 and 7 p.m., moving west to east. In the immediate D.C. area — near the Beltway — timing may favor the 4 to 5 p.m. zone, give or take.
A couple more showers and storms, likely of lesser intensity, may occur into the night before the cold front passes.
Drenching downpours, plentiful lightning and some zones of damaging wind gusts are the main threats from any thunderstorms. An isolated tornado may also develop. As such, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has placed the immediate D.C. area and places south or east under a Level 2 of 5 slight risk for severe storms.
A severe thunderstorm watch will probably be issued for parts of the area this afternoon.
A muggy air mass is entrenched across the area as a cold front approaches from the Ohio River Valley. While the front pushes east, it will help showers and thunderstorms develop out ahead of it.
Widespread cloudiness this morning has limited temperature-induced instability — the fuel for thunderstorms — somewhat thus far. Higher instability is building to the south of the area and some of that may move north as skies clear a bit this afternoon. How far north the unstable air mass makes it is critical for where the strongest storm activity develops and sweeps through.
Relatively strong winds in a river of air aloft, known as the jet stream, plus the summertime instability below should conspire to allow some storms to become intense. At this point, it seems the biggest source of fuel for storms will be located from near the District and to the south, where the Weather Service said a severe thunderstorm watch is likely to be issued.
Some bow-shaped thunderstorms segments capable of strong and potentially damaging winds up to around 60 mph are possible. A rotating storm or two, known as supercells, may also develop given the stronger winds aloft. While the tornado threat is low, a brief touch down can’t be ruled out in any rotating storm. A smattering of hail is also possible, although it should not be too widespread or large.
A lack of storm inhibition — sometimes called a “cap” — noted in Storm Prediction Center discussion could allow showers and storms to develop pretty much whenever, although they’ll probably be most numerous late afternoon
The most widespread risks from any showers and thunderstorms are heavy rain and lightning. With a very humid air mass in place, torrential downpours are possible.
“The potential for multiple rounds of thunderstorms with very high rainfall rates in an air mass characterized by [precipitable water values] over 2 inches could result in an isolated flood threat through this evening,” wrote the Weather Service office serving our region.
These kinds of moisture values can lead to exceptional rainfall rates of one to three inches per hour. This would lead to some flooding potential, especially in urban areas and particularly if storms repeatedly move over the same spots.
Although storms are anticipated to be rather progressive and hit-or-miss, thus limiting the flood threat, some spots remain waterlogged from frequent rains this month. Through Thursday, the District had picked up 7.11 inches of rain in July, compared to the average of 4.2. It’s the 17th wettest July on record to date.
While the main round of showers and storms likely winds down and moves away before sunset, some more showers or even a storm remain possible into the overnight before the front fully passes.
By Saturday morning, considerably drier air will be moving into the area, setting up a beautiful start to the weekend. | 2022-07-29T18:16:17Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Intense storms expected in area south of D.C. metro area Friday afternoon - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/dc-storms-severe-flooding-winds/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/dc-storms-severe-flooding-winds/ |
Next week an enormous heat dome may swell over the country
High temperatures on next Thursday as simulated by the National Weather Service. (Pivotal Weather) (Pivotal Weather)
It’s the prelude to an even bigger heat wave building across the rest of the Lower 48, which will bring sweltering conditions to much of the Plains, Midwest and Corn Belt as the calendar flips to August.
Grueling heat in the Pacific Northwest
Seattle weather records for July 29th since 1945.
Number of times w/measurable rain...4. The least number rain days of any calendar day.
Total rainfall on 29th in 77 yrs...0.31". Driest day of the year.
Number of times w/high 90+...9. The most of any calendar day. #wawx pic.twitter.com/0d6yODDBQy
It’s been a hot week in the Pacific Northwest, and the heat isn’t winding down yet. Seattle hit 94 degrees on Tuesday, 91 on Wednesday and 91 on Thursday. Friday’s predicted high is 93 degrees, and Saturday is projected to hit 92.
Five days is the longest streak on record at or above 90 degrees in Seattle. That occurred back in early July 2015. At present, Seattle is expected to tie that record on Saturday, but there’s a decent chance that Sunday could hit 90, too. That would be a record for longest stretch of consecutive 90 degree days. The National Weather Service is forecasting 88 degrees on Sunday.
The stretch could also be among the top 5 warmest five-day windows in Seattle. Based on the Weather Service’s current predictions, the five-day average high could be 92.6 degrees, tying with Aug. 9-13, 1977 for fifth place.
“Extreme heat will significantly increase the risk of heat-related illnesses for much of the population, especially those who are heat sensitive and those without effective cooling or adequate hydration,” wrote the National Weather Service in Seattle.
Portland is close to shattering its record longest streak at or above 95 degrees — six days, set back in 1981 and 1941. So far it’s been four days — 99 degrees on Monday, 102 on Tuesday (a daily record) and 96 on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is projected to hit 99 degrees before reaching 101 on Saturday and 96 on Sunday.
We sound like a broken record...this map only shows locations that hit at or above 100°, and yes, tomorrow is expected to be the same or hotter...please don't hate the messenger 🥺#wawx #idwx #heatwave pic.twitter.com/CTLV0C9QpA
The city of Portland could easily be hotter if a phenomenon called “downsloping” was occurring. That would involve air subsiding down the Cascades before going through what’s called “adiabatic compression” as the air heats up and dries out.
Instead, a “thermal low,” or a strip of low pressure induced by hot, rising air, is straddling the Cascades. That prevents downsloping, but also fends off a cooling sea breeze. The result? Portland is caught in between a cooling influence and a heating effect, sitting right on the fence at about 100 degrees.
Farther inland, temperatures are even hotter — Kennewick, Wash. could be near 111 degrees on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures will settle back to around the century mark by Monday.
In the northern reaches of California’s San Joaquin Valley, highs will peak around 115 degrees in spots. Heat alerts also spread into the Great Basin of Nevada, the Columbia River Basin and Idaho.
On Thursday, numerous locations in interior parts of Northern California, Oregon and Washington saw record highs of 100 to 115 degrees, including Medford, Ore. (111), Redding, Calif. (115), and Yakima, Wash. (109).
A new heat dome to dominate the Lower 48
Next up on the nationwide weather map is an even bigger heat wave that’s set to bring sweltering weather to much of the Lower 48. Signs point to a virtually coast to coast event, with a sprawling heat dome that could languish for a week or more.
The heat dome will deflect the jet stream into Canada, allowing hot weather to build in to its south. The eastern half of the country will also be facing tropical humidity with dew points nearing 70 degrees. That could lead to heat indexes in the 100 to 110 degree range.
The heat will begin to build markedly toward the middle of next week. Highs between 100 to 105 degrees will spread over Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa on Wednesday; that could include Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita, Kansas City, Omaha and Des Moines.
Upper 90s are more likely in the Upper Midwest, including Chicago, and throughout the Mississippi River Valley. On the east coast, lower to mid 90s could reach all the way to the Mason-Dixon Line.
If you're hoping for some relief from the #heat, the GEFS & EPS models both have just one word for you - fuhgettaboutit! Pinwheel of #heatdomes spinning around the hemisphere predicted through the first half of August with the most impressive heat dome right over the Central US. pic.twitter.com/Z8YFXcrgO9
— Judah Cohen (@judah47) July 28, 2022
There are signs that the heat could peak across the Lower 48 between Aug. 5 and 7, before consolidating over the Great Plains. Thereafter, active weather, in the form of severe thunderstorms, could roll through the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as “ridge running” thunderstorms crest over and ride along the northern periphery of the heat dome. | 2022-07-29T18:16:17Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Pacific Northwest sizzles with bigger heatwave to build across Lower 48 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/heatwave-pacific-northwest-us/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/heatwave-pacific-northwest-us/ |
The same dangerous atmospheric setup — intensified by climate change — spurred the back-to-back devastating deluges in St. Louis and eastern Kentucky
A home sits almost completely submerged in Jackson, Ky., on July 28. (Arden S. Barnes for The Washington Post)
First, a record-breaking deluge engulfed St. Louis on Tuesday, killing one person. Then, Wednesday night, eastern Kentucky bore the brunt of a second onslaught of high water that swamped entire communities. At least 16 people have died, and the toll is expected to rise.
The back-to-back deluges unloaded double-digit rainfall totals and sent stream levels to record heights.
Both flood disasters were spurred by 1-in-1,000 year rain events. Triggered by the same atmospheric setup, they exemplify the type of dangerous weather scientists think will become more common as the Earth warms.
How the flood occurred
Not all flash floods begin the same way. Sometimes, slow-moving tropical storms unleash downpours for days over a large area, such as Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017 or Hurricane Florence in North Carolina the next summer. In other instances, single stalled thunderstorms unload all of their water on one unfortunate location.
This week’s floods involved a parade of thunderstorms passing over the same areas, like train cars along a track.
But all flash floods share one thing in common — so much rain falls that systems designed to safely divert water are overwhelmed.
In the natural world, water is controlled by absorption into soils and evacuation into streams and rivers. Man-made measures to regulate water include culverts and storm drains. But these systems have limits, depending on their design and location, and the intensity of the rain. Once these systems are overwhelmed, water begins to run off in earnest.
The longer it rains, and the heavier that rain is, the more likely flash flooding becomes.
This week, the atmospheric pattern in place over the Mississippi and Ohio valleys proved supportive of exceptionally heavy rain that displayed unusual persistence.
It all began with a zone of high pressure over Bermuda and thunderstorms over the Gulf of Mexico. The storms injected water vapor from the warm gulf waters high into the atmosphere, where it was blown to the north by winds racing around that high-pressure zone. Every day, storms erupted south of Louisiana, and reliable flow pumped that tropical air inland.
The journey of the sopping air hit a roadblock, however, in a stationary weather front stretched from Kansas to Virginia, which overlaid a dome of excessively hot air sprawled over the Southern United States.
All of the atmospheric moisture began to pool near this stalled boundary, day after day. Eventually, the amount of moisture grew to near-record levels.
The waterlogged atmosphere, heated by the powerful late-July sun, became loaded with storm fuel known as instability.
As storms developed along the front, evening after evening, they drew energy from an atmosphere that was very unstable and very wet, and they dropped rain with incredible ferocity. And because the high-altitude winds that dictate the motion of thunderstorms were blowing parallel to the front, the downpours moved over the same areas for hours, one after the other.
This is how Hazard, Ky., received more than nine inches of rain in just 12 hours Wednesday, and how more than 10 inches fell near St. Louis on Monday. It is why flash flooding again struck St. Louis on Thursday.
In the valleys of eastern Kentucky, the flooding was magnified by the mountainous terrain, which funneled water into the towns below, while sending river levels to all-time highs.
Understanding 1,000-year rain events and the role of climate change
This week’s atmospheric pattern was so good at producing flash flooding that the deluges in both St. Louis and many areas of eastern Kentucky qualified as 1,000-year rainfall events, a concept that can be difficult to understand.
A thousand-year deluge describes an amount of rain that has only a 0.1 percent chance of falling in a given year. Some places might see multiple 1,000-year events over 1,000 years; some might not see any.
9” of rain in 12 hours in Hazard, KY is simply in its own Universe. To say it’s an expected 1-in-1000 year event, in a 20th century climate, is an understatement. But with climate change, what was almost impossible then is now not only possible, it’s probable. pic.twitter.com/yFV6PIZBIf
Because the designation of a 1,000-year rain event is site-specific, the United States will often see many such events scattered about in a given year.
But a limitation of the concept is that it assumes that the climate is stationary or unchanging. Human-caused climate change, however, is making such extreme — and statistically unlikely — precipitation events more common. A 1,000-year rain event probably no longer means the same thing it did decades ago when the climate wasn’t as warm or humid.
According to the U.S. government’s Fourth National Climate Assessment, the heaviest precipitation events have intensified substantially across most of the country, including in Kentucky and Missouri. This is happening as a warmer atmosphere, capable of holding more moisture, can produce heavier rain.
The assessment found that the amount of rain that falls in the top 1 percent of events has increased by 27 percent in the Southeast, and 42 percent in the Midwest, over the past 60 years.
Both St. Louis and Hazard have seen increases in intense rainfalls in the past few decades.
As temperatures continue to rise because of human-caused climate change, 1,000-year rain events, and the tragedies they so often leave behind, will probably become more common. | 2022-07-29T18:16:35Z | www.washingtonpost.com | St. Louis and Kentucky floods: How climate change intensified them - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/kentucky-stlouis-flood-climate-explainer/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/kentucky-stlouis-flood-climate-explainer/ |
Mega Millions lottery tickets are shown at a lottery retailer in Surfside, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press)
The $1 billion Mega Millions prize on Friday night that’s had millions of Americans scrambling to buy tickets, and dreaming of ridiculously unlikely plans, would not have happened if not for one player somewhere in Southern California who is wondering what could have been. A player at the Country Store in the desert town of Baker, Calif., matched the first five numbers on Tuesday, but was unable to match the Mega number that would have netted the individual the $830 million jackpot instead of the $2.9 million consolation prize, according to the California Lottery.
But the close call has set the stage for Friday’s drawing — one in which players can somehow win even more money. Mega Millions announced Friday that the jackpot total had been revised to an estimated $1.28 billion, making it the second-largest pot in the game’s history. The lump sum for the big prize is $747.2 million, according to Mega Millions.
The anticipation for the billion-dollar drawing has led players to 7-Elevens, supermarkets, liquor stores and anywhere else that sells Mega Millions tickets for a shot at glory, even if history shows winning that much money doesn’t always equate to happiness.
Despite the odds of matching all six numbers being roughly 1 in 303 million, the question remains: What would you do if you won the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot? While some joked on social media about how they’d bring back the Choco Taco or be able to afford Bruce Springsteen tickets, The Washington Post spoke to readers about what they’d do if they somehow won the big one.
Hire an attorney as quickly as you can
The excitement that comes with learning of a Mega Millions victory could be undercut after realizing how much life is going to change — and maybe not for the better. Family members they didn’t know existed and friends they haven’t seen in decades will probably want to get reacquainted with the person, or people, who win the $1 billion Mega Millions prize. Robert Pagliarini, who is president of California-based Pacifica Wealth Advisors and has worked with lottery winners, told The Post this week that one of the first things winners should do is connect with an attorney and financial adviser.
When asked the first thing he would do if he were to win the money, Post reader Aaron Hutton replied, “Get the best attorney I can and change all my phone numbers.” Hutton, 50, of Plano, Tex., said he’s watched one too many documentaries about how lottery winners struggled with sudden wealth, especially when it came to the requests from loved ones.
“It’s more of a curse than a blessing, so if you do win it, you have to structure the money in a way that you don’t have access to it,” said Hutton, an IT professional. “You’re going to be inundated. The average American is just not ready for this situation and won’t know what to do with family and friends coming at them, asking for money.”
Someone in this tiny town won $731 million. Now everyone wants a piece of it.
Pay off that debt
It’s rare that one moment can instantly pay off all of someone’s debt — student loans, a mortgage, credit cards — but this is exactly what could happen if a player were to buck the improbable odds and win Mega Millions. Players in other lottery games have done so in the past. In 2017, Amanda Dietz played a $5 scratch-off game for the Michigan Lottery and won a $300,000 prize that helped her pay off all of her student loans.
About 1 in 5 Americans hold student loans, totaling about 45 million people. More than half of those with federal student loans have $20,000 or less to pay, with about a third of all borrowers owing less than $10,000, The Post reported. Seven percent of people with federal debt owe more than $100,000.
Gabriela Miankova, 33, told The Post that if she were to play and win Mega Millions, paying off her student loans would be the first thing she’d do.
“I can’t really afford to take out loans for anything else right now,” said Miankova, who is from suburban Chicago but is pursuing her master’s degree in the United Kingdom.
Like past winners, Miankova said she’d also pay off the rest of her parents’ mortgage and all of her brother’s student loans.
Irza Waraich, 18, is in a similar boat, as her Staten Island family has talked about ways to limit their spending to afford her sister’s college education at Stony Brook University.
“I’d pay for her education, as I would feel responsibility for that,” said Waraich, a rising freshman at Baruch College in Manhattan.
Buy a new house
Winning the lottery and immediately buying a new house goes together like peanut butter and jelly. Financial experts and past winners have repeatedly shared how buying a home is arguably the most common purchase for someone who has come into sudden wealth through the lottery. Pagliarini said mostly all lottery winners look to buy homes for themselves or their loved ones.
There have been countless stories of big winners buying bigger houses — like the man who put some of his $180 million Mega Millions winnings toward a luxury mountain home in Southern California — and HGTV’s “My Lottery Dream Home” has highlighted some winners’ purchases since 2015.
Miankova, who rents, said it would be her “dream” to buy a home. Mark Glickman, a senior lecturer on statistics at Harvard University, told The Post this week that he’d like to buy a vacation home in La Jolla, Calif., where he just returned from vacation.
While it would also be important to Hutton to think about a home for his family or loved ones, he would be more concerned with making sure the financial futures of his three children were secured.
“We’d have to decide where the boundaries are,” Hutton said. “But with sums this much, whatever you do is going to be a drop in the bucket compared to the total amount of money.”
Donate to causes important to you
After the big-ticket items are purchased, some winners have used their newfound wealth toward issues or projects that mattered most to them.
In 2011, John Kutey and his wife, Linda, used some of his $28.7 million share from the winning Mega Millions ticket of $319 million he bought with co-workers to put toward building a water park in Green Island, N.Y., in honor of their parents, according to the Albany Times Union. In Canada, Bob Erb advocated for the legalization of marijuana in the country after winning $25 million in 2012. Crystal Dunn took her smaller winnings of more than $146,000 from a Kentucky Lottery online game earlier this month and gave some of it away to strangers in the form of $100 grocery store gift cards.
In a summer dominated by headlines about gun laws and abortion rights, some Post readers said they’d direct their winnings toward the hot-button issues of the moment.
Though Hana Varsano is not allowed to legally play Mega Millions, the 16-year-old would give some of her hypothetical winnings to LGBTQ charities in response to some of the laws being passed in the United States, such as Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Law, popularly known by critics as the “don’t say gay” bill. She said she’d also want to put funding toward abortion resources for women in states where “trigger laws” are in place.
“I would also donate money for more reproductive health education so women don’t get misinformed,” said Varsano, of Culver City, Calif.
Waraich agreed, noting that causes surrounding guns and abortion, as well as Ukraine and the Middle East, would benefit from any Mega Millions winner.
“There are still a lot of problems going on,” she said. “Whoever wins the lottery — me or you or whoever — they could donate it to multiple causes.”
But get something nice for yourself, too
With all the practical spending and investments out of the way, the Mega Millions winner, or winners, will be presented with a seemingly endless list of possibilities for impulse purchases. Some have been traditional — cars, traveling, collector’s items — but other examples have ranged from gambling binges in Atlantic City to starting a women’s professional wrestling organization to funding a crystal meth ring. Not much is unavailable from a menu featuring decadence and sometimes despair.
Miankova envisions what all that money could do to help her live in Spain and fund a three-month trip around the world. Hutton, an avid racing fan, would look to buy a Porsche and attend the Monaco Grand Prix, the legendary, and expensive, Formula One race. He’d also want to start a racing team of his own.
“Racing is one of those things you can sink a ton of money into,” he said.
Remember to have fun playing Mega Millions
Don’t bank your future on winning Mega Millions because it probably isn’t happening.
Hutton is likely to pick up two tickets — one with numbers at random, one with numbers of his children’s birthdays. His biggest win to date is $250 from a scratch-off ticket. “That was huge,” he said.
Even if Miankova were to play, she said the buzz around the “what if?” of the Mega Millions jackpot is only temporary.
“I have these big dreams, but winning is very unrealistic,” she said. “That would be just wasting my money.”
Ali Pannoni contributed to this report. | 2022-07-29T18:16:41Z | www.washingtonpost.com | If you won the $1.2 billion Mega Millions jackpot, what would you do? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/mega-millions-billion-jackpot-debt-house/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/mega-millions-billion-jackpot-debt-house/ |
Kansas nuns oppose state abortion amendment, challenging archbishop
By Jack Jenkins
Volunteers canvass in Leawood, Kan., to urge people to oppose a state constitutional amendment that could further restrict abortion access. (Christopher Smith/For the Washington Post)
Two Kansas nuns are voicing opposition to a proposed abortion-related amendment to their state’s constitution, despite its support by the local archbishop. The nuns argue that the measure, if approved, would have negative repercussions for women and allow politicians to “impose religious beliefs on all Kansans” by passing restrictive abortion bans.
In a letter obtained by Religion News Service and later published in the Kansas City Star, Sisters Angela Fitzpatrick and Michele Morek, members of the Ursuline Sisters order, explain their intention to vote Tuesday against a proposed amendment that, if passed, would alter the state’s constitution to remove the explicit right to an abortion.
The sisters point out that abortion is already heavily regulated in Kansas and that voting against the amendment does not remove the legislature’s authority to pass abortion regulations. Instead, they argue, voting against the measure will “make it less likely that government mandate will control health decisions of Kansas women.”
The nuns also note negative consequences resulting from abortion bans passed in other states since the U.S. Supreme Court last month issued a ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case establishing the right to an abortion nationwide. If Kansas voters agree to alter the state constitution — which the state Supreme Court ruled in 2019 affirms the right to an abortion — similar abortion bans could be passed in Kansas.
“A church sign said, ‘Jesus trusted women. We do too,’ ” the nuns’ letter reads. “As Catholic women religious, we support Pope Francis and the social justice teachings of our Church. We respect all people and value life. In other states some doctors are afraid to provide lifesaving procedures for ectopic pregnancies or incomplete miscarriages. A child rape victim was further traumatized by having to travel across state lines to receive health care.”
The letter, which the sisters sent to various publications in Kansas, doubles as a challenge to Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., who has been a vocal advocate of the amendment. This month, Naumann published a letter in the Wichita Eagle combating allegations by a local rabbi who argued that the amendment would allow Catholics and conservative Christians to impose their faith on others in the state — including Jewish Americans who do not believe life begins at conception.
“From a Catholic perspective, abortion is not primarily a religious issue but a fundamental human rights issue,” wrote Naumann, who previously chaired the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “Our faith helps us understand the dignity of every human life created in the divine image as taught in the Hebrew scriptures, but reason alone is sufficient to know that it is wrong to destroy an innocent human life.”
But Sister Angela, a founding member of the Catholic social justice lobby known as Network, and Sister Michele, who serves as a liaison to fellow nuns for the Global Sisters Report, pointed to a lack of care for the those on the other side of the issue — and the state’s need to support those choosing to carry a pregnancy to term.
If the amendment passes, “politicians in Topeka can impose religious beliefs on all Kansans, and make it more difficult for women to make decisions about their own health,” the opening to their letter reads. “Has the legislature recently helped create an environment supporting pro-life choices by providing better healthcare, parental leave, Medicaid and other support for poor women — and daycare and child support for post-born babies?”
Representatives for Naumann and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas did not respond to requests for comment. | 2022-07-29T18:17:42Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Nuns decry Kansas abortion amendment, bucking Archbishop Joseph Naumann - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/07/29/kansas-abortion-amendment-catholics/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/07/29/kansas-abortion-amendment-catholics/ |
Skywatch: Perseid meteors at their peak will compete with a fat moon
You’ll see the starry heavens from the city or suburbs, but if you happen to be at an Atlantic Ocean-facing beach, wake before sunrise to enjoy the cool morning, sandy toes and fun planets.
For August, planetary amusement starts in the evening. The giant Saturn (zero magnitude, bright) rises in the east-southeast before 9 p.m. early in the month, and it now hangs out all night, as it reaches “opposition” on Aug. 14, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. (The full moon joins the ringed planet on Aug. 12.)
From an earthly perspective, Saturn — found now on the border of the constellations Aquarius and Capricornus — and the sun are opposite one another. Think of opposition as a “full Saturn,” much like a full moon. By 2 a.m. now, Saturn will be due south and it will be in the western sky before sunrise.
Jupiter — our other favorite gaseous giant — rises in the east just before midnight. You’ll find it bordering the constellations Cetus (the whale) and Pisces. It reaches -2.9 magnitude, making it exceptionally bright in August, according to the observatory. Jupiter reaches opposition in September.
Just after midnight now, our reddish neighbor Mars ascends into the east-northeastern sky. It loiters in the eastern sky above the constellation Taurus before sunrise. While zero magnitude now, this red-tinted planet gets brighter for the rest of the year. We’ll see the Mars opposition in December.
As glorious as ever, Venus (-3.9 magnitude, incredibly bright) rises around 4:15 a.m. now in the east-northeast. The sun follows. You will find our other neighboring planet chilling with the twins in the Gemini constellation.
Thus, the morning presents Venus in the east, Mars high in the southeast, Jupiter in the south and Saturn in the western heavens. The waning moon sneaks past Jupiter on Aug. 15 and scoots past Mars on Aug. 19.
The Perseid meteors — arguably popular skygazing’s most famous shooting stars — are back in August, but they compete for attention from a fat moon at their peak on Aug. 12/13, according to the American Meteor Society.
Generally, the Perseids peak at 80 to 100 shooting stars an hour in dark skies in a good year. This is not a good year. Because of the brightness of the full moon, this year’s spectacle will mostly be washed out. (The moon is officially full before midnight Aug. 11, according to the observatory.)
The good news is you don’t need to see the Perseids at their peak. This week is a good time to catch a few shooting stars several hours before sunrise. Meteors are made when Earth’s atmosphere makes contact with the dusty trails of comets gone by. Get away from streetlights and be patient. The parent comet of the Perseids is Comet Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered by the astronomer Horace P. Tuttle, as he observed the sky from near Boston, and Lewis Swift, at Marathon, N.Y., in 1862 — the middle of the Civil War. Tuttle went on to become an astronomer at the Naval Observatory. He died in 1923 and is buried in an unmarked grave at Oakwood Cemetery in Falls Church.
Down-to-Earth Events:
* Aug. 6 — Stargaze at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., with telescopes provided by the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC). Meet at the bus parking lot, but park at the main visitor lot. 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. GPS: 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, Va., 20151. NOVAC Information: shorturl.at/lns17. Museum detail: shorturl.at/anq15
* Aug. 27 — Enjoy the starry heavens at Sky Meadows State Park in Fauquier County with NASA Jet Propulsion Lab ambassadors providing an astronomy program and members of NOVAC offering views through telescopes. 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. GPS: 11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane, Va., 20144. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. NOVAC: novac.com. Sky Meadows: shorturl.at/cuEFS. Park fee: $10. | 2022-07-29T18:17:48Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Skywatch: Perseid meteors at their peak will compete with a fat moon - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2022/07/29/skywatch-perseid-meteors-their-peak-will-compete-with-fat-moon/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2022/07/29/skywatch-perseid-meteors-their-peak-will-compete-with-fat-moon/ |
Bollywood star Alia Bhatt on her new projects and the next wave of Indian entertainment
Alia Bhatt is one of Bollywood’s biggest actors whose films have garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success. She co-produces and stars in the upcoming Netflix dark comedy, “Darlings.” On Tuesday, Aug. 2 at 11:00 a.m. ET, join The Post’s Dave Jorgenson for a conversation with Bhatt about her wide-ranging career, how she sees the next wave of Indian entertainment and her upcoming projects.
NEXT is a new series on Washington Post Live that brings together rising changemakers, innovators and influencers to talk about issues at the center of the business, social and cultural zeitgeist - from Hollywood to the Hill.
Actor & Co-Producer, “Darlings”
Pop Culture Reporter | 2022-07-29T18:18:25Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Bollywood star Alia Bhatt on her new projects and the next wave of Indian entertainment - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2022/08/02/bollywood-star-alia-bhatt-her-new-projects-next-wave-indian-entertainment/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2022/08/02/bollywood-star-alia-bhatt-her-new-projects-next-wave-indian-entertainment/ |
Russian national indicted for U.S. political influence operation
Florida activist group was used to sow discord and spread pro-Russian propaganda, Justice Dept. says
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference in June. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Federal authorities charged a Russian man Friday with a years-long malign influence campaign targeting American politics — alleging that he used American groups in Florida, Georgia and California to sow discord and push pro-Russia propaganda.
Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, who lives in Moscow, worked for nearly eight years with Russian officials to fund and direct the U.S. groups, according to the indictment filed in Florida. The 24-page indictment does not name the groups but charges that Ionov also advised the campaigns of two unidentified political candidates in Florida.
Ionov “allegedly orchestrated a brazen influence campaign, turning U.S. political groups and U.S. citizens into instruments of the Russian government,” Matthew Olsen, head of the Justice Department’s national security division, said in a written statement.
Justice Dept. investigating Trump's conduct as part of Jan. 6 criminal probe
In 2017 and 2019, Ionov allegedly monitored and supported the campaigns of two Americans running for local office, identified in court papers only as Unindicted Co-Conspirator-3 and Unindicted Co-Conspirator-4. Before the 2019 primary, Ionov allegedly wrote to a Russian official that he had been “consulting every week” on one campaign. After one of the candidates advanced to the general election, a Russian intelligence officer allegedly wrote to Ionov that “our election campaign is kind of unique” and asked, “are we the first in history?” Ionov later sent the intelligence officer details about the election, referring to that candidate as the one “whom we supervise.”
In 2016, according to authorities, Ionov paid for the St. Petersburg group to conduct a four-city protest tour in support of a “Petition on Crime of Genocide Against African People in the United States” — a document the group had previously submitted to the United Nations at Ionov’s behest.
Charging documents did not identify the group, but officials familiar with the case said it was an organization known as Uhuru House, which is run by the African People’s Socialist Party. Uhuru House did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
FBI Special Agent in Charge David Walker said at a news conference Friday that the case includes “some of the most egregious and blatant violations that we’ve seen by the Russian government in order to destabilize and undermine trust in American democracy. ... The Russian intelligence threat is continuing and unrelenting.”
Officials said they were executing search warrants in the St. Petersburg area Friday to gather more evidence against Ionov, the only person charged in the case.
“This indictment is just the first of our responses, but it will not be the last,” Walker said.
Ukraine could be turning the tide of war as Russian advances stall
U.S. authorities say Ionov is the founder and president of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, which is funded by the Russian government. He allegedly used the group to provide money and instructions to American political groups and instructed them on behalf of the Russian intelligence agency FSB.
“Secret foreign government efforts to influence American elections and political groups threaten our democracy by spreading misinformation, distrust and mayhem,” Kenneth A. Polite Jr., head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, said in a statement.
In 2015, Ionov allegedly paid for the leader of the group in St. Petersburg to travel to Moscow. For the next seven years, Ionov “exercised direction and control over senior members” of the group, according to the indictment.
At least one of the Americans dealing with Ionov seemed to understand that the Russian government was backing his efforts. According to authorities, after returning from Russia, the leader of the St. Petersburg group said it was clear Ionov’s group was “an instrument” of the Russian government but added that did not “disturb us.” In a follow-up email discussion, leaders of the group discussed that it was “more than likely” that the Russian government was using Ionov’s group to sow division inside the United States, according to the Justice Department.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, Ionov allegedly told his FSB handlers that he had enlisted the St. Petersburg group to support Russia in the “information war unleashed” by the United States and Europe.
Ionov is also accused of directing and controlling an unidentified political group in California that advocated for that state’s secession from the United States. In 2018, according to authorities, Ionov provided financial support for the group’s protest at the state capitol in Sacramento, and tried to persuade the leader of the group to physically enter the governor’s office.
After the protest, Ionov allegedly wrote to an FSB officer, saying the officer had asked for “turmoil,” and adding, “there you go.”
He is also accused of directing the efforts of a group based in Atlanta, paying in 2022 for members of the group to travel to San Francisco to protest at the headquarters of a social media company that had restricted posts supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ionov went so far as to provide designs for signs used at the protest, authorities said.
He is charged with conspiring to have U.S. citizens act as illegal agents of the Russian government. | 2022-07-29T18:33:40Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov charged with Russian influence campaign - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/07/29/russia-influence-ionov-florida-uhuru/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/07/29/russia-influence-ionov-florida-uhuru/ |
Kelis accuses Beyoncé, Pharrell of song ‘thievery’ on ‘Renaissance’
Kelis, photographed in April 2019. (Rachel Murray/Getty Images for UOMA Beauty)
Representatives for Beyoncé and Williams haven’t responded to The Washington Post’s requests for comment.
According to Joe Bennett, a forensic musicologist and professor at the Berklee College of Music, there are two main copyrights in music: the musical work as it relates to songwriting and publishing; and the sound recording, often referred to as the masters. A common industry model, called out in recent years by Taylor Swift, is for the record label to own the masters and the songwriters the musical work.
Neither Beyoncé nor Williams and Hugo were any under legal obligation to contact Kelis before drawing from “Milkshake,” Bennett said, as Williams and Hugo, who produced the 2003 single as the Neptunes, were also the only songwriters listed on it. They received writing credits on the Beyoncé track, “Energy,” and the full credits note that the song contains an interpolation of Kelis’s “Milkshake.” (Interpolation means that “Energy” doesn’t contain actual audio from “Milkshake” but an interpretation of it.)
Kelis met the Neptunes through a mutual friend when she was 19, and they hit it off creatively. Speaking to the Guardian two years ago about her early music, Kelis recalled that she was “told we were going to split the whole thing 33/33/33, which we didn’t do.” She said she was “blatantly lied to and tricked,” and that she didn’t make money off the sales of her first two albums, both Neptunes-produced.
“Their argument is: ‘Well, you signed it.’ I’m like: ‘Yeah, I signed what I was told, and I was too young and too stupid to double-check it,’ ” Kelis told the Guardian. | 2022-07-29T19:08:30Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Kelis accuses Beyoncé, Pharrell of song ‘thievery’ on ‘Renaissance’ - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/07/29/kelis-beyonce-pharrell-renaissance/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/07/29/kelis-beyonce-pharrell-renaissance/ |
D.C. may end right-on-red for cars, let cyclists yield at stop signs
By Alisa Tang
Sam O’Brien and Naomi Field, both 24-year-old research technicians at Children’s National Hospital, stop at 11th Street and Columbia Road NW on their commute home to Dupont Circle on July 13. (Alisa Tang/The Washington Post)
While biking around D.C., Sam O’Brien and Naomi Field check for cross-traffic at stop signs, then often roll through without coming to the stop required by law.
“If there’s nobody around, what’s the harm?” O’Brien said at 11th Street and Columbia Road NW during the couple’s late-afternoon commute home to Dupont Circle from Children’s National Hospital, where they work as research technicians. “Bikers are already rolling through stop signs whenever it’s safe. I see it all the time.”
It’s common practice among cyclists — treating the stop sign as a yield, commonly called the “Idaho Stop” after the state where it became legal in the 1980s — and though few people are ticketed for the practice, advocates say some have been. Soon, however, D.C. cyclists might not have to worry about breaking that law.
The D.C. Council’s transportation committee this month approved legislation that would allow people on bicycles and scooters to treat a stop sign as a yield sign. The bill also would ban right-on-red turns for cars beginning Jan. 1, 2025, except at intersections where the District Department of Transportation determines such right turns would be safer.
The measures are part of the Safer Streets Amendment Act of 2022, which incorporates language from several pieces of legislation aimed at making walking and cycling safer. D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), chairwoman of the council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment, requested that the bill be included on the agenda for a vote when the council reconvenes in September.
“Despite the Vision Zero commitment, our streets remain far too dangerous,” Cheh said in a statement, referring to the traffic-safety program that aims to reduce traffic injuries and deaths. “This bill takes several important steps to reprioritize streets for people over cars and increase traffic safety for all, no matter how you get around the District.”
Treating stop signs as yield signs, according to a council transportation committee report on the bill, would move cyclists through intersections more quickly — making them less exposed, increasing their visibility to drivers and reducing their chances of being hit — and help cyclists maintain momentum.
“Stopping and starting can be hard on the bike in the neighborhood if it’s every block. It’s quite onerous,” said Ralph Buehler, a professor of urban affairs and the planning program chair at Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs. “The classical neighborhood has four-way stops every intersection.”
Adopting the Idaho Stop also decriminalizes what is a common biking behavior and, the committee report said, “eliminates cause for police stops that disproportionately impact people of color and divert law enforcement resources toward unnecessary activities.” The report adds that decriminalization would encourage ridership, which can lead to more bicyclists and safety in numbers.
Perspective: The ghostly displays of D.C.’s unsafe streets are growing
A measure that would have allowed cyclists to treat red lights as a stop sign was removed from the legislation, although the bill does grant DDOT authority to post signs allowing riders to proceed through red lights.
“After meeting with DDOT safety experts and engineers and some members of the public, the committee was swayed that riders treating red light as stop signs may not be appropriate here in the District, given the many complicated intersections that we have,” Cheh said during a July 13 committee meeting.
For vehicles, right turns on a red light — legalized in D.C. in 1979 amid a nationwide push to allow the turns as a fuel-saving measure during a global oil crisis — has created a “hostile environment for people on our streets,” regularly leading to pedestrians “nearly being hit by cars carelessly turning against a red light,” the committee wrote.
It cited a 1981 study showing that after states in the mid-1970s legalized right on red, there was a significant increase in drivers making such turns and striking pedestrians and bicyclists, with the majority of incidents involving drivers looking left for a gap in traffic and hitting a pedestrian or cyclist to the right of the vehicle.
In 2019, D.C. ended right on red at about 100 intersections as part of the Vision Zero program of Mayor Muriel E Bowser (D). Nonetheless, city data shows the number of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities in traffic crashes has remained relatively steady since 2011, with a slight increase in pedestrian deaths in 2021.
Bowser pledges $10 million for road safety after recent traffic deaths
Opponents of eliminating right turns on red lights ask whether the change actually would result in safer streets.
AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Ragina Ali said that a few years ago, the organization consulted traffic and civil engineers who were concerned “that prohibiting right turns on red would create more gridlock and would do little to improve traffic safety, and in fact could create even more dangerous intersections.”
“Our position ... continues to support comprehensive, ongoing traffic safety education to inform road users of all ages, and all modes of their responsibility in practicing safe traffic behaviors,” Ali said in a statement. “This includes respect and compliance for traffic laws so that all road users may share the road responsibly, predictably and safely.”
Advocates for bicyclists say they hope a right-on-red ban will make the District safer.
District plans to end right turns on red at about 100 intersections in 2019
“It’s going to hopefully lead to less fatalities and crashes,” said Jeremiah Lowery, the advocacy director for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. “At first we just banned right on red for a few intersections throughout the city, and I think that’s confusing for drivers. So I think we should just go ahead, just ban them all.”
About the stop-as-yield measure for cyclists, Lowery added: “Hopefully police will spend less time ticketing bicyclists and more time enforcing traffic laws that actually do keep us safe.”
Traffic counts fell during the coronavirus pandemic, but road fatalities still increased
For Field, 24, the effort to ban right turns on red evoked relief.
“I’ve just almost been hit by so many cars turning right on red because they don’t ever look. If there is a bike lane, if there isn’t a bike lane, they do not look,” Field said, pointing behind her to the corner of Sherman Avenue and Columbia Road in Northwest, where she said she was nearly struck by a car a year ago.
O’Brien, 24, said he doubts the no-right-on-red proposal will be popular among drivers, but as an occasional driver himself, he said he supports the measure.
“Saving a minute and a half, two minutes does nothing for me,” he said. “If it makes people safe, I’m all for it.” | 2022-07-29T19:25:54Z | www.washingtonpost.com | DC mulls bill that bars right on red, allows ‘Idaho stop’ for bikes - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/07/29/dc-right-red-idaho-stop/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/07/29/dc-right-red-idaho-stop/ |
Cybersecurity specialists said the agency bungled a routine task by telling agents to back up their own records, which is ‘not something any other organization would ever do’
Will Oremus
A lone member of the Secret Service stands on the White House roof and watches former president Trump leave Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)
Cybersecurity experts and former government leaders are stunned by how poorly the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security handled the preservation of officials’ text messages and other data from around Jan. 6, 2021, saying the top agencies entrusted with fighting cybercrime should never have bungled the simple task of backing up agents’ phones.
Experts are divided over whether the disappearance of phone data from around the time of the insurrection is a sign of incompetence, an intentional coverup, or some murkier middle ground. But the failure has raised suspicions about the disposition of records that could provide intimate details about what happened on that chaotic day, and whose preservation was mandated by federal law.
“This was the most singularly stressful day for the Secret Service since the attempted assassination of [Ronald] Reagan,” said Paul Rosenzweig, a senior policy official at the Department of Homeland Security during the George W. Bush administration who’s now a cybersecurity consultant in Washington. “Why apparently was there no interest in preserving records for the purposes of doing an after-action review? It’s like we have a 9/11 attack and air traffic control wipes its records.”
Rosenzweig said he polled 11 of his friends with cybersecurity backgrounds, including information-security chiefs at federal agencies, on whether any of them had ever done a migration without a plan for backing up data and restoring it. None of them had. “There’s a relatively high degree of skepticism about [the Secret Service] in the group,” he said.
The Secret Service said it began deleting data from officials’ phones in the same month as the Capitol siege, when their agents were among the closest eyewitnesses both to former president Trump, now under criminal investigation for his push to overturn the election, and to former vice president Pence, who’d narrowly escaped the mob.
The agency said that the deletions were part of a preplanned “system migration,” that agents had been instructed to back up their own phones, and that any “insinuation” of malicious intent is wrong.
But tech experts said such a migration is a task that smaller organizations routinely accomplish without error. The agency also went through with its reset of the phones more than a week after Jan. 16, 2021, when House committees told officials at DHS to hand over all relevant “documents or materials” as part of their investigations into the deadly assault.
If the Secret Service had truly wanted to preserve agents’ messages, experts said, it should have been almost trivially easy to do so. Backups and exports are a basic feature of nearly every messaging service, and federal law requires such records to be safeguarded and submitted to the National Archives.
Several experts were critical of the Secret Service’s explanation that it had asked agents to upload their own phone data to an agency drive before their phones were wiped. Cybersecurity professionals said that policy was “highly unusual,” “ludicrous,” a “failure of management” and “not something any other organization would ever do.”
The error is especially notable because of the Secret Service’s vaunted role in the federal bureaucracy. Besides protecting America’s most powerful people, the agency leads some of the government’s most technically sophisticated investigations of financial fraud, ransomware and cybercrime.
“Telling people to back up their stuff individually just sounds crazy,” said one technology chief interviewed by The Post, who asked to remain anonymous because he was discussing sensitive information security practices. “This is why you have IT people. Why not tell people to go buy their own ammunition?”
On Thursday, The Washington Post revealed that phone records from Trump’s acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli in the days leading up to the Capitol riots also apparently vanished due to what internal emails suggested was a “reset” of their phones after they left their jobs in January 2021. Wolf has said he gave his phone to DHS officials with all data intact, and the reset appears to have been separate from the Secret Service’s migration.
Some experts said they could see how such errors were possible. Both the DHS and Secret Service are known for a culture of secrecy, a disdain for oversight and a preference for operational security above all else. Among the potential technical complications, these experts said, was the fact that DHS and Secret Service personnel can use iPhones and Apple’s iMessage for communications, which encrypts texts and stores them on the phone.
But several experts said they could not understand why the agencies had not worked more aggressively to safeguard phone records after Jan. 6 — not only because they were legally required to, but because the information could have helped them scrutinize how they had performed during an attack on the heart of American democracy.
In a letter to the House select committee investigating the insurrection, Secret Service officials said they began planning in the fall of 2020 to move all devices onto Microsoft Intune, a “mobile device management” service, known as an MDM, that companies and other organizations can use to centrally manage their computers and phones.
The agency said it told its personnel on Jan. 25 to back up their phones’ data onto an internal drive, including offering a “step-by-step” guide, but that employees were ultimately “responsible for appropriately preserving government records that may be created via text messaging.” The Secret Service said agents were told that enrolling their devices in the new system, via a “self-install,” was mandatory, though it was not clear that actually performing the backup was.
The migration, the agency said, began two days later, on Jan. 27 — 11 days after the committee had first instructed DHS officials to preserve their records. Some experts questioned why, even if the process had been preplanned, the agency did not pause the migration or assume a more direct role in preserving agents' data during that 11-day span.
The Secret Service said that the migration process had deleted “data resident on some phones” but that none of the texts DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari had been seeking were lost.
The agency watchdog had requested all text messages sent and received by 24 Secret Service personnel between Dec. 7, 2020, and Jan. 8, 2021. The agency returned only one record — a text message conversation from a former U.S. Capitol Police chief to a former chief of the Secret Service’s Uniformed Division on Jan. 6, asking for help.
Cuffari’s office said last week it had launched a criminal investigation into the missing data. But congressional Democrats have since pushed for Cuffari’s removal, saying the Trump appointee’s failure to promptly alert Congress had undermined the investigation and diminished the chances that lost evidence could be recovered. Cuffari’s office, they said, learned in December that messages had been erased but did not tell Congress until this month.
Cuffari said earlier this month that “many” texts from Jan. 5 and 6 had been erased after he’d made his first request. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that Cuffari’s office made its request for the first time in February 2021, after the migration was underway.
Asked for comment Friday, the Secret Service provided a previously issued statement, saying it was cooperating with the investigation.
Data migrations of these sorts are not uncommon, experts said. One of the basic rules for conducting them is that devices should be backed up with redundant copies in such a way that the process can be reversed if something goes wrong. Microsoft Intune, specifically, offers guides for how to back up devices, restore saved data and move devices onto the service without deleting their data outright.
The baffling decision-making and the timing of the deletions has led some critics to question whether the agencies were seeking to conceal inconvenient facts. The messages, they pointed out, may have shed a negative light on the behavior of Trump, a man whom many in DHS and on the Secret Service had long fought — not just professionally, but personally and politically — to protect.
One former senior government official who served under Trump said they viewed the missing texts not as a conspiracy but as the inevitable result of an organizational failure by DHS to set up systems that would ensure proper data retention on employees’ devices.
The use of iPhones, which prioritize individual users' privacy over organizations' ability to centrally manage data, creates challenges for data retention that are solvable through the right practices. But relying on individual Secret Service agents to upload their iMessages, without any other backup system or way to ensure compliance, before permanently wiping their devices suggests that such practices were not in place.
“What they're doing is they're shifting the burden to the individual user to do the backup, and that's a failure of policy and governance,” the former official said. “It's the overarching program that was set up for failure.”
The former official added that it's unclear how much, if any, sensitive communication Secret Service agents would have been doing via iMessage anyway. In many government agencies, employees carry personal devices as well as their work devices, and rules about keeping work communications on work devices aren't always diligently followed.
The Secret Service blocks its phones from using Apple’s iCloud, a popular service for automatically saving copies of phone data to the web, according to an agency official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter under investigation.
Using iCloud backups could have ensured that copies of the messages would have been preserved even after a phone reset. But the system could have also been seen as a security risk because it made agents’ digital conversations more vulnerable to hackers or spies.
A former head of technology at another agency within DHS, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe security practices, told The Post that not using iCloud “does come with trade-offs” but could also reduce the need for security officials to “worry about very sensitive data” being exposed.
Agents could have copied data onto an agency backup drive, even without iCloud. But the Secret Service, more than other top security agencies, “tends to want to do their own thing and segment off their IT solutions as much as possible,” the person said. “They have good reason, and the security culture itself is fairly good because of the mission.”
Robert Osgood, director of the computer forensics program at George Mason University and a longtime forensics examiner for the FBI, said federal law enforcement agencies are typically “really good at storing data” and that, under normal circumstances, it would take “a comedy of errors” for an organization such as the Secret Service to delete data critical to a high-profile investigation.
But “a comedy of errors does happen in the government, unfortunately, and happens more times than people think,” Osgood said. Secret Service agents on the president’s security detail, he added, may also face unique incentives to avoid leaving data trails about sensitive matters.
“By the nature of what they do, they can’t be the eyes and ears of Congress or the Inspector General or the DOJ, because that would actually interfere with their mission” to maintain the president’s trust and privacy, Osgood said.
Preserving the records could have also been complicated by officials’ choices on how they communicated. It’s unclear how many agents used messaging apps such as Signal or Wickr, which have become popular for their encryption and security protections, or carried personal phones on Jan. 6. One former government official said such behavior is common in DHS, especially within small or select groups such as the presidential and vice-presidential details.
As part of DHS, the Secret Service would have been required to use some form of “mobile device management” service even before the Intune migration, a former FBI cybersecurity agent told The Post.
But the agency has not specified what MDM it migrated from, and each system works in different ways. Some allow for complete access to phone contents by IT administrators, while others permit only a couple of actions, such as deleting or “wiping” data from a device after it has been discontinued. Some MDMs, including Intune, also allow organizations to restrict what apps employees can download to their devices, potentially limiting their options for messaging to officially approved apps.
If the agency had pursued a typical migration process, experts said it would be strange for the agency to have lost data for only some agents, or for more than a day. A veteran data forensics expert at a large consulting firm who was not authorized to speak publicly said it “does sound fishy” that so much data would go missing.
Leaving backups of critical data to individual employees would be an odd choice for an organization’s IT department if the top priority were to make sure nothing was lost, said Paul Bischoff, an online privacy expert at the security firm Comparitech.
“If individual staff members were responsible for backing up and resetting their own devices instead of trained IT staff, I can see a lot of opportunities for user error to crop up,” Bischoff said. “That might result in some data being accidentally lost, or it could just be a convenient alibi.”
It also remains unclear whether the data is gone forever. It is sometimes possible to retrieve data deleted in a factory reset of a phone, depending on how the data was stored, Bischoff said. “Until the old data is actually overwritten with new data, it can remain on disk even after a factory reset and in many cases be recovered using forensic software.” That may not be possible, however, if it was encrypted or overwritten before the reset.
Osgood said he takes the Secret Service at its word that it didn’t intentionally destroy what it should have known could be critical evidence in a historic investigation. But he said its explanations to date leave “more questions than answers.” | 2022-07-29T19:38:58Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Loss of Secret Service texts from Jan. 6 baffles experts - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/29/jan6-texts-data-security/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/29/jan6-texts-data-security/ |
Canadian court says ignoring request to wear condom violates consent
(CatLane/iStock)
People who don’t wear condoms during sex despite requests from their sexual partners to do so can be convicted of sexual assault, Canada’s Supreme Court ruled Friday, potentially setting an important legal precedent on the issue of consent.
The ruling involves the case of a Canadian man accused of not wearing a condom against his partner’s wishes.
The complainant, a woman whose name has not been made public, says she met Ross McKenzie Kirkpatrick, from British Columbia, online in 2017. The two of them met up in March that year for about two hours before deciding to have sex. According to the woman’s testimony, she told the accused that she insisted on using condoms, and he agreed.
They met again at his house and had sex twice, the first time with a condom, she told a court in 2018. The second time, according to the Supreme Court, the complainant did not know that Kirkpatrick was not wearing a condom because the conditions were dark.
Kirkpatrick claimed that he asked “does this feel better than the last time?”, in reference to the lack of condom use, but the complainant thought he was referring to the sexual position. He was charged with sexual assault and acquitted in 2018, after the trial judge said there was no evidence the woman had not consented to the physical act of sexual intercourse, regardless of condom use.
But British Columbia’s Court of Appeal ordered a new trial, finding that the first judge was wrong to dismiss the sexual assault charge based on a lack of evidence. Mr. Kirkpatrick appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Canada’s Supreme Court hears case on alleged condom deception
Kirkpatrick asked the judge to apply the Supreme Court’s decision in a 2014 case in establishing the definition of consent. The 2014 case, R v. Hutchinson, involved a woman who consented to have sex with her boyfriend, Craig Jaret Hutchinson, only if he wore a condom. Hutchinson pierced holes in the condom and impregnated his girlfriend. He was convicted of sexual assault, and his conviction was upheld by the top court with the majority of the justices arguing that sabotaging the condom constituted fraud.
Mr. Kirkpatrick argued that, unlike Hutchinson, there was no evidence of fraud in his case.
But speaking on behalf of the majority of judges on the Supreme Court, Justice Sheilah L. Martin said that when condom use is a condition for sexual intercourse, “there is no agreement to the physical act of intercourse without a condom.” The condom becomes part of the “sexual activity in question” and should be considered separate and equally weighted to ordinary sexual consent.
“Since only yes means yes and no means no, it cannot be that ‘no, not without a condom’ means ‘yes, without a condom’,” Martin wrote.
The court ruled that Hutchinson does not apply to Kirkpatrick, but it still applies in cases involving condom sabotage and fraud.
“Condom sabotage and non-consensual condom removal are coercive practices that undermine women’s sexual authority, bodily integrity, and their right to decide in what sexual activity they are willing to participate,” Canadian lawyers Lise Gotell and Isabel Grant wrote in a research paper on the Kirkpatrick case. “It’s deeply troubling that in 2020 we are still trying to sort out the role of these practices in establishing consent to sexual activity.”
In May, a woman in Germany was found guilty of sexual assault for poking holes in her partner’s condoms. A German court likened the woman’s actions to “stealthing" — a slang term for the nonconsensual removal of a condom during sex.
In Britain, stealthing is considered rape but there has only ever been one successful prosecution, in 2019, according to the BBC. A California law passed in 2021 made stealthing a civil offense, allowing victims to sue perpetrators in court. | 2022-07-29T19:39:04Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Canada’s Supreme Court says ignoring request to wear condom could violate consent - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/canada-supreme-court-condom-sexual-assault/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/canada-supreme-court-condom-sexual-assault/ |
If enacted, the bill could make climate-friendly technologies more affordable and lower overall energy costs
Solar panels on a roof in Rockport, Mass., in June. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
With upward of $300 billion in spending focused on cutting emissions and promoting clean energy production, the agreement reached Wednesday between Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) could become the nation’s most significant climate bill to date — containing many provisions that, if enacted, would have direct effects on the lives of millions of Americans.
Dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the deal includes a slew of incentives, such as tax credits for electric vehicles, or EVs, and sustainable home improvement efforts, that aim to change the way households consume and use energy, and could help individuals wanting to make greener choices.
The legislation has the potential to be “transformative,” said Leah Stokes, an associate professor of environmental politics at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
“The bill will make it more affordable for everyday Americans to afford clean technology,” Stokes said. Its incentives, she added, could help address some of the upfront costs associated with investing in more sustainable innovations, such as EVs or energy-efficient heat pumps. In turn, Stokes and other experts emphasized, many Americans could expect to see significant reductions in their overall energy costs.
If households invest in climate-friendly and energy-efficient technologies, with financial support from the bill, it could help the average household save $1,800 on its annual energy bill, according to an analysis by Rewiring America, a nonprofit dedicated to electrification. Another analysis from RMI, a clean-energy think tank, found that the tax incentives for clean energy sources, which would ramp up the use of wind and solar over the next decade, could save American households as much as $5 billion within two years.
Here’s a breakdown of several key incentives that could have practical and direct benefits for you. Keep in mind, though, that there are limitations and eligibility requirements that, depending on individual circumstances, may determine how much you can take advantage of some subsidies.
Many buyers of both new and used electric vehicles would receive a tax credit.
The real “game changer,” Stokes said, is that bill would also do away with a previous limit that kept manufacturers of popular EVs from being able to offer tax credits once they sold a certain number of vehicles.
For new electric vehicles, a $7,500 tax credit could be applied at the point of sale. Those who purchase used EVs could be eligible for up to a $4,000 credit.
The new credit for previously owned EVs could be significant in helping the country shift away from vehicles powered by fossil fuels, said Joe Britton, executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association.
“That will be one of the really kind of unseen catalysts,” Britton said, noting that about 70 percent of Americans are not in the market for a brand-new car.
“Because once you get behind the wheel of an EV, you’re 95 percent likely to never go back,” Britton added, “and so exposing Americans of all income levels to electrification will have a really positive impact on our ability to transition.”
While there has been discussion that paying people to get non-EVs off the road might be a better approach, the bill’s provisions would likely be “much simpler,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. “The programs to retire vehicles get complicated.”
Almost anything would have been better stimulus than ‘Cash for Clunkers’
Although tens of millions of Americans could benefit from these tax credits, there are eligibility requirements.
For new EVs, the tax credit would apply to incomes less than $300,000 “in the case of a joint return or a surviving spouse,” $225,000 for those filing as a head of the household and $150,000 for single filers. For used EVs, incomes for the same categories cannot exceed $150,000, $112,500 and $75,000, respectively.
There are also limits to how much the vehicle can cost.
“If you wanted to buy an electric Lamborghini, sorry, it won’t be eligible,” Nadel said.
To be eligible for a credit, new EVs that are vans, SUVs or pickup trucks can’t exceed $80,000 while other types of vehicles can’t cost more than $55,000. Used EVs could be eligible if they cost no more than $25,000.
The credit is also dependent on manufacturers making eligible vehicles, Britton said. But, he noted, the bill includes funding that would help achieve those targets.
Clean energy and efficiency incentives
The bill contains numerous incentives, including rebate programs and tax credits, meant to encourage home improvements that would increase energy efficiency and utilize more clean-energy technologies.
For example, the HOMES rebate program would reward eligible households for energy savings, Nadel said. People would typically receive $2,000 if they make changes that save them 20 percent or more on overall energy costs and $4,000 if they save 35 percent or more. Those amounts could increase for low-or-moderate-income households, which the bill defines as individuals or families with total incomes less than 80 percent of the median income of the area in which they live. Households in underserved communities would also be eligible for incentives.
Additionally, the bill would encourage home electrification projects and efficiency upgrades. Eligible people who install heat pumps for space heating or cooling; heat pump water heaters; electric pump clothes dryers; or electric stoves, cooktops, ranges or ovens, among other technologies, could benefit from rebates and tax credits.
What’s more, other home improvements, such as upgrading insulation, air sealing or ventilation to also help boost energy efficiency, could become subsidized.
The legislation would also support residential and community solar.
The previous credit for residential solar projects was set to expire at the end of 2023, but if it passes, the bill would institute a 30 percent credit for households that install solar panels through 2032 before a subsequent two-year phase-down period.
“That’s a significant number,” Erin Duncan, vice president of congressional affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association said of the 30 percent credit. Duncan said provisions in the bill “will allow the industry as a whole to have greater predictability about what they can offer consumers and also allow consumers to make choices based on when it’s right for them.”
Other elements of the agreement would help make it easier for community solar projects — or projects that multiple community members can invest in and benefit from — to move forward, she added. “Community solar could be incredibly important for democratizing who can participate in this energy choice.”
Funds for affordable housing improvements
The deal would also provide funding, including a $1 billion grant program, for owners or sponsors of eligible affordable housing to make the properties more energy and water efficient.
Some eligible projects would include addressing climate resiliency as well as improving indoor air quality or sustainability, implementing the use of low-emissions technologies, including zero-emission electricity generation, energy storage or building electrification.
If affordable housing properties are able to make renovations with help from the bill’s funding, Nadel said it would mean “tenants in those apartments will have much more modern, comfortable, energy-efficient apartments” and lower energy bills.
Overall, experts have largely praised the climate deal, calling on lawmakers to act swiftly to pass the legislation so people can begin taking advantage of these incentives.
“For consumers, this is a sea change in the most positive of ways that will make our communities more resilient and help us keep our costs manageable,” Duncan said. “We’re also going to create tons of jobs for our neighbors, or maybe for ourselves, so I think it’s really exciting. | 2022-07-29T19:47:41Z | www.washingtonpost.com | How the climate bill could save you money and change what you buy - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/07/29/climate-deal-savings-ev-solar-home/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/07/29/climate-deal-savings-ev-solar-home/ |
Marty Daniel, chief executive of Daniel Defense, testifies remotely during a hearing examining the practice of gun manufacturers on July 27 in Washington. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
Over the past week, a Florida jury has listened as medical examiners testified in excruciating detail about the autopsies they performed on the 14 students and three staff members murdered in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Jurors heard how bullets fired from the AR-15-style rifle hit the victims with such force that they caused extensive and devastating damage, while the weapon’s rapid fire action magnified the carnage. Alaina Petty, 14, was shot four times; Martin Duque Anguiano, 14, was shot eight times; Carmen Schentrup, 16, was shot five times; Meadow Pollack, 16, was shot nine times.
That gruesome account — and the pain of parents who sobbed or fled the courtroom — resonated as we listened to the indifferent testimony of executives of companies that market assault weapons such as the one used in the Parkland school slaughter. Appearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, leading manufacturers of assault weapons that have been used in the country’s deadliest mass shootings said they bear absolutely no responsibility for the violence.
“I believe that these murders are a local problem that have to be solved locally,” said Marty Daniel of Daniel Defense, which manufactured the AR-15-style rifle that an 18-year-old used in May to murder 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tex. “I don’t consider what my company produces to be ‘weapons of war,’ ” said Christopher Killoy of Sturm, Ruger & Co., which produced the weapons used by mass shooters in Sutherland Springs, Tex., in 2017 and Boulder, Colo., in 2021.
There is no question, as the gun manufacturers argued, that the individuals who pull the trigger are culpable for their terrible crimes. The gunman in the Parkland shooting has pleaded guilty; the jury hearing the penalty phase of his trial will determine whether he is to be sentenced to death or to life in prison without parole. But gun companies can’t wash their hands of responsibility for the damage caused by their products — particularly when their marketing strategies are designed to appeal to angry, insecure, young males — the very demographic that is increasingly the profile of mass shooters. “Consider your man card reissued,” read one advertisement. Another: “Your status at the top of the testosterone food chain is now irrevocable.” To make it easier to obtain the weapons, the companies offer generous credit plans.
A report released by the House committee found that the country’s top five gun manufacturers have collected more than $1 billion in revenue over the past decade, much of it from the sales of assault-style weapons. At the same time, they have failed to take even basic steps to monitor the violence associated with their products. None of the companies have systems to track injuries and deaths caused by AR-15-style rifles, whether from accidental discharge, product malfunction or deliberate use. Nor do they monitor crimes committed with the products.
It’s no surprise that the gun manufacturers fail to collect data that might make their products safer. Congress has provided them unique protection from legal liability. As a consequence, there is no disincentive to their irresponsible business practices when it nets them record-breaking profits. One would have hoped that Petty, Anguiano, Schentrup, Pollack and the other children lost to gun violence might give the gun industry some pause. Since that is clearly not the case, it is up to Congress to crack down. | 2022-07-29T19:48:19Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Assault weapons are deadly. But manufacturers care only about profits. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/assault-weapon-manufacturers-violence-profits/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/assault-weapon-manufacturers-violence-profits/ |
Lie, deny, misdirect: Coal nostalgia is having its last gasp
J.D. Vance, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, attends a campaign rally at the Westmoreland Fair Grounds in Greensburg, Pa., on May 6. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)
At a moment when an important bill addressing climate change is on the verge of passage thanks to Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) — the most powerful advocate the coal industry has in Washington — coal’s most fervent defenders are going back to the strategy they have long pursued to deal with coal’s decline.
First, lie to voters in coal country, telling them all the old coal jobs might return, and bring prosperity with them. Second, fight against anything that might actually help the downtrodden citizens of those places construct a future after coal’s inevitable demise.
It shows that in some ways, coal is less important as an industry than it is as a symbol.
On Thursday, West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore placed five major financial institutions on a list that makes them ineligible for state business. Why? Because he has determined that their tentative steps to shift investments away from fossil fuels amount to a “boycott.”
So if they’re not going to support coal, West Virginia is going to boycott them. Take that, fancy Wall Street bankers!
Elsewhere, the agreement between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) was treated as a betrayal of the people of coal country. “Manchin’s Spending Bill Shafts Coal Miners,” trumpeted the conservative Daily Caller. On Fox News, Sean Hannity said Manchin “gave in to the radical climate alarmist cult, new green deal cult,” adding that the deal will hurt the people of Manchin’s state “dramatically.”
And Ohio GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance, guardian of Appalachia, took a stand against green energy:
All of this “bring American manufacturing back” from the Democrats is fake unless we stop the green energy fantasy. Solar panels can’t power a modern manufacturing economy. That’s why the Chinese are building coal power plants, something Tim Ryan’s donors won’t let America do.
So the current iteration of the character known as J.D. Vance is adamantly against modern renewable energy, and would prefer instead to promote bitter nostalgia for an industry everyone knows is dying.
But in a previous iteration — in “Hillbilly Elegy”, the best-selling book that made his name — Vance offered brutally candid criticism of the same struggling folks he’s now trying to pander to. While chastising his own people as afflicted by numerous social pathologies, including laziness, hypocrisy and a penchant for violence, he said this:
We talk about the value of hard work but tell ourselves that the reason we’re not working is some perceived unfairness: Obama shut down the coal mines, or all the jobs went to the Chinese. These are the lies we tell ourselves to solve the cognitive dissonance — the broken connection between the world we see and the values we preach.
Now Vance wants to pander to those same delusions, that coal jobs disappeared not because of automation and competition from cheaper sources of fuel but because nasty Democrats care too much about elitist renewable energy.
Like more than a few Republican politicians, Vance is a smart guy who thinks his target voters are stupid or uninformed. That may not be an outlandish thing to believe, at least on this topic. When Donald Trump ran for president in 2016, he told West Virginians that he’d bring back lost coal jobs. “Get ready,” he informed miners, “because you’re going to be working your asses off.”
It was a lie, but they ate it up. Then in 2020, despite the fact that the jobs didn’t come back, they gave him their votes with just as much enthusiasm as they had four years before.
About those jobs: You can calculate the number of jobs in the coal industry in different ways, but the U.S. Energy Information Administration says that 42,000 Americans worked in coal in 2020, down from 52,000 the year before Trump took office. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the number at 36,740 in 2021. Either way, it’s a minuscule figure, amounting to around 1 in every 4,000 American jobs, and it keeps getting smaller.
Coal is more important in some places than others, of course. In announcing the blow he struck at Wall Street, Moore cited a report arguing that the coal industry “supports” 33,000 jobs in West Virginia, which includes many people who don’t work directly in coal. Even if that’s accurate, it means coal accounts for about 4 percent of the jobs in West Virginia. Which is not nothing, but it’s also not the future.
What all these Republicans have in common goes beyond their repetition of the fable that standing forcefully against liberals will revive the coal industry and restore the days when their constituents had good mining jobs. (Of course they don’t mention that what was good about those jobs was made possible by labor unions against whom they’ve waged war for decades.)
It’s also their steadfast resistance to doing anything to prepare for what is inevitably coming, a future in which renewables are the dominant energy source. Those Democrats on whom they heap such scorn are positively desperate to offer jobs and economic development to communities once built around coal. But the Republicans who govern them say, “Hell no — we’d rather cling to this shriveling industry and tell people a great coal revival is just around the corner.”
We all know it isn’t. Now just imagine if the voters in these places found the wherewithal to tell Republicans to stop lying to them and do something to make a better future. They haven’t done it yet, but every election — including the one just three months away — gives them another opportunity. | 2022-07-29T19:48:25Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | With a climate bill on its way, Republicans renew their coal delusions - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/jd-vance-climate-coal-delusions/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/jd-vance-climate-coal-delusions/ |
Randy Clarke, Metro’s new general manager, waits for a train Monday. (Gaya Gupta / The Washington Post)
Fairly or not, the mayorship of New York is often called the biggest dead-end job in American politics because so many occupants of that office have floundered. Lately, managing D.C.’s transit system is starting to get the same rap — for the same reasons. Metro’s general manager does not campaign for office or face reelection, but woe to the incumbent who lacks political acumen. Without it, their chances of success are meager.
This week, Randy Clarke arrived at Metro headquarters to take over the capital region’s sickly transit network, the nation’s third largest by passenger count. Metro is not alone among the country’s big-league systems in facing an array of daunting problems. In Metro’s case, those problems have endured and mounted for so many years — and, during the past year, spiraled into even greater disorder — that they are starting to look insoluble.
The system’s last chief — Paul J. Wiedefeld, a competent manager and a decent man — was only the latest to leave the job in a cloud of dysfunction. He departed in May, six weeks before his scheduled retirement, amid reports that about 250 subway train operators had not bothered to update the training and testing required for recertification.
Before coming to Washington, Mr. Clarke had been running a much smaller and less fraught system, in Austin. At the helm of Metro, he will need not just managerial chops but also political finesse. He will need it partly because Metro is a franchise that serves and is shared among two states, the District of Columbia and a handful of localities whose agendas sometimes diverge, making the job an ongoing diplomatic minuet. He will also need finely tuned political antennae to keep Metro from hurtling off a very steep financial cliff, triggering crippling cuts to service and endangering the system’s credibility.
That cliff is looming because subway passenger counts (and therefore revenue projections) are so low: They were just 38 percent of pre-covid levels in June. Thanks to more than $2 billion in federal pandemic rescue funds, it has muddled through so far, although with other serious problems owing to wheel malfunctions on its newest passenger cars. But the federal money will start to run out next summer, leaving a funding gap of more than $300 million in Metro’s $2.4 billion operating budget for 2023. Translation: fewer trains and shorter operating hours in a region whose economic recovery depends on Metro’s good health.
It is critical that Mr. Clarke begin devising a solution now, before the till runs dry. That will mean lobbying legislative leaders and governors in Annapolis and Richmond, as well as key figures in D.C., for a cash infusion.
No one knows how long the passenger shortfall will last. Around the country, many employees continue to work remotely — including federal workers in D.C. For Metro to fully recover its previous revenue base, those workers will need to return to the office. Mr. Clarke can encourage their return by providing steady, safe and efficient service. That means finding the cash to pay for it. | 2022-07-29T19:48:37Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | As the new Metro chief, Randy Clarke should plan for financial challenges - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/randy-clark-metro-washington-chief-financial/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/randy-clark-metro-washington-chief-financial/ |
Ron DeSantis is taking on woke corporations. Good.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks in Hollywood, Fla., on July 23. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is seeking to bar financial intermediaries, such as banks, from discriminating against customers on the basis of their political, religious or social views. That’s a great idea — and an excellent reason for why he’s surging among Republicans nationwide.
The concept is a sound one: Financial institutions are the bloodstream of private enterprise; a business or an individual cut off from them is economically helpless. Preventing banks and other financial entities from using their market power to force compliance with their views maintains everyone’s freedom.
Imagine if you couldn’t set up a bank account because of your views. You couldn’t open a credit card or deposit your paycheck. You would be consigned to the cash economy, which is an increasingly shrinking space as more and more stores go cashless. Yet some companies have already taken steps toward that horror. During the mass trucker protests in Canada, GoFundMe decided to withhold funds donated to the Freedom Convoy and return them to donors. You may disagree with the views of those protesters, but why should a company such as GoFundMe determine whether they are worthy?
People who worry that DeSantis’s proposal would infringe upon the freedoms of financial companies ignore how we already circumscribe corporate liberties to maintain individual freedoms. Businesses used to send political messages in worker’s pay packets; that’s now illegal, even though it directly limits political speech. Labor unions can have access to corporate property under certain circumstances as courts seek to balance the business’s property rights against the employee’s right to join a union. DeSantis’s measure would simply extend this old principle to a new problem.
One can even argue that this principle — that private economic power can be regulated to preserve individual freedom and autonomy — is at the heart of the modern state. The early economic regulations of the Progressive Era, such as minimum wage laws and the regulation of monopolies, were often opposed as infringements on the freedom of corporations and their owners. The New Deal’s extension of that principle is what gave rise to the modern regulatory-welfare state, and was vociferously opposed by groups such as the American Liberty League as unconstitutional infringements.
Franklin D. Roosevelt rejected their argument clearly in his fifth fireside chat. “The toes of some people are being stepped on and are going to be stepped on,” he told Americans. But it was right, he said, to curtail liberty for “the comparative few” whose improper exercise of that freedom was “harmful to the greater good.”
That principle was the foundation for the 1960s-era civil rights revolution, which made it illegal for private companies to discriminate on the basis of race and gender. The entire point of that movement was to prevent private economic power from being wielded to push a disfavored minority to society’s sidelines. A person’s ability to participate in our democracy is perhaps the core freedom that any citizen has. The Florida proposal seeks to protect that, and should be applauded by anyone who genuinely values robust free speech and political debate.
DeSantis’s embrace of FDR’s principle is political gold because conservatives increasingly fear that “woke corporations” are wielding their considerable power to deny them their core political freedom. The social reformers and labor advocates at the turn of the 20th century suffered from that era’s corporate establishment abuse of power, too, so they organized to curtail an employer’s power when they had the chance. That’s exactly what conservatives today want from their leaders.
This allows DeSantis to stand out from his potential competitors. As a governor, he can act to protect conservatives. Others, such as former vice president Mike Pence and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, can only talk. DeSantis also often leads rather than follows public opinion, pushing his competitors to trail behind in meek imitation. Even former president Donald Trump seems to have been caught flat-footed by his former protege’s emergence.
Liberal reaction to DeSantis’s moves against woke corporations merely betray how much the left has become beholden to the corporate establishment. Would they oppose corporate efforts to deny people access to bank accounts because, for example, they support the Green New Deal or Black Lives Matter? Of course not. They worry about DeSantis because they believe that large business is now their cultural ally. That’s exactly the stance pre-New Deal Republicans were in, defending establishment privilege against popular anger. Look how well that worked for them.
Successful American political leaders have always defended the powerless many from the powerful few. DeSantis understands that woke corporations are simply the latest powerful threat from which the people need protection. History suggests he can ride this horse to the political bank. | 2022-07-29T19:48:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Ron DeSantis is taking on woke corporations. Good. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/ron-desantis-is-taking-woke-corporations-good/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/ron-desantis-is-taking-woke-corporations-good/ |
Ryan Kerrigan spent 10 of his 11 seasons in the NFL with Washington and became the franchise's all-time official sacks leader. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
Ryan Kerrigan has called it a career.
The former Washington defensive end, the franchise’s all-time sacks leader, announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons. Although NFL players don’t officially retire with specific teams, Kerrigan signed an honorary one-day contract with Washington on Friday to make it his first and last team.
“We are thrilled that Ryan Kerrigan is retiring in the burgundy and gold,” owners Daniel Snyder and Tanya Snyder said in a statement. “Ryan is one of the most accomplished players in franchise history both statistically and in how he carried himself with class both on the field and off the field in the community.
“We are honored that Ryan reached out and wanted to sign a one-day contract with the organization. Our all-time official sacks leader belongs in the burgundy and gold and we’re proud to welcome him home. We’d like to contract Ryan on a tremendous career. Although we will miss cheering for him on Sundays, we look forward to supporting him in whatever his next chapter has in store. Ryan and his family will always have a place here with this franchise.”
Washington drafted Kerrigan 16th overall in 2011, and he spent 10 years with the club before he was released. He played the 2021 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kerrigan played 156 games for Washington — including 139 consecutively in his first nine seasons — and totaled a franchise-record (since 1982, when the stat became official) 95.5 career sacks. Kerrigan also finished his career with 457 tackles (120 for loss), three interceptions that were returned for touchdowns and 26 forced fumbles.
But he was regarded as more than a star on the field. Off the field, he was leader and a mentor to many players — including those who would eventually push him out at defensive end and prompt the franchise to go younger.
“RK didn’t have to open his arms to me and help me throughout the whole season,” Chase Young said after his rookie year. “You hear them stories where that doesn’t happen all the time. I always thank RK for doing that and always thank him for the type of man that he is, just welcoming me with open arms and teaching me the game. RK knows it’s all love. We’re going to have this relationship forever. That’s big bro. I’ve got nothing but love for RK. He knows that.”
Kerrigan issued a lengthy statement Friday to thank his family, the Snyders, his former coaches and teammates and Washington’s fans. He wrote that he’s “proud to call D.C. ‘home,’ ” and that he “never lost sight of just how cool it is to be an NFL player.” On Saturday, he plans to join fans at training camp and relive the experience from the sidelines.
“While I’m thankful for the amazing times and memories I was able to have as a player, I’m equally thankful to now have the wisdom and courage to walk away,” Kerrigan added. “We all eventually come to the end of our playing days, and that time is now for me.” | 2022-07-29T19:49:45Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Ryan Kerrigan, former Washington defensive end, retires from NFL - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/ryan-kerrigan-retires/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/ryan-kerrigan-retires/ |
Woman accused of shooting husband at D.C. hotel fired in self-defense, lawyer says
Defense attorneys argued Shanteari Weems was in fear for her life after accusing her husband, an ex-Baltimore police officer, of child sexual abuse
D.C. Superior Court (Keith L. Alexander/The Washington Post)
The owner of a day-care center accused of shooting her husband in a luxury Washington hotel after confronting him about child sex abuse allegations fired in self-defense, her attorney said Friday in a hearing where she was ordered to remain jailed pending trial.
It was an argument quickly challenged by prosecutors, who say the woman, Shanteari Weems, 50, had prepared for the shooting in advance and even sketched out plans in a notebook declaring that she intended to seek “justice.”
In ordering Weems to remain detained, D.C. Superior Court Magistrate Judge Sherry Trafford said she had “great concerns” about the “dangerousness” of Weems and her ability to make decisions “rationally” following the July 21 shooting at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Southwest Washington.
During the nearly two-hour preliminary hearing, Tony Garcia, Weems’s attorney, argued that his client was confronted by the mother of one of the children at Lil Kids Kastle day care earlier that day alleging Weems’s husband, James S. Weems Jr. had sexually assaulted her child.
Garcia said his client drove from Baltimore County to Washington to confront her husband, a former Baltimore police officer who was working private security for the National Urban League’s convention in the city, about the allegations. Shanteari Weems took her licensed handgun for protection knowing her husband also had a licensed handgun, her attorney said. Garcia said when she arrived at Room 853, she raised the allegations before her husband became aggressive. In fear, she shot him twice, in the neck and in his left thigh, Garcia said.
“My client indicated that this man, who she knew to be armed, made a physical advance toward her,” Garcia said. “It is our position that she told the officers she was scared.”
Garcia said his client was distraught by the allegations against her husband.
“She wanted justice for these kids,” Garcia said. “She wanted him to face justice. Her duty was to these single fathers and mothers.”
But Assistant U.S. Attorney LaVater Massie-Banks argued Shanteari Weems planned in advance to hurt her husband and outlined details in a notebook that was found in the hotel room.
“Yes, her husband was accused of molesting children and could be why this event occurred,” Massie-Banks said.
Then, picking up a copy of the notebook, the prosecutor continued: “The first line on the note is, ‘I’m on my way to shoot James. I don’t intend to kill him. I intend to paralyze him.’ And that is exactly what happened. He was shot in his neck and his leg.”
Shanteari Weems is charged with aggravated assault while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon.
On Tuesday, Baltimore County police said they charged James Weems with 13 sex crimes in the abuse of “at least three children” at the Lil Kidz Kastle. On Wednesday, Weems who was released from a local Washington hospital, appeared in D.C. Superior Court and was ordered to stay in a D.C. jail infirmary until officials transport him to Baltimore County. Massie-Banks said county officials plan to retrieve Weems on Monday.
During the hearing, D.C. Detective Andrew Gong testified that when he interviewed Shanteari Weems after the shooting, she never said she was afraid or acted in self-defense following confronting her husband. Gong said she seemed “confused.”
The shooting, at around 7:40 p.m. last week, created a frenzy for hotel guests and staff, prompting the evacuation of guests.
Gong testified that when police arrived at the hotel room, they had difficulty getting inside the room because it was barricaded from the inside. Gong testified police could hear Shanteari Weems inside the room telling them “everything was fine” and that “nothing was going on.”
Once the officers got inside, Gong said police saw blood on the floor of the hallway and bathroom. Police also noticed a handgun in a handbag that had been removed from a holster. They also found another gun inside a lockbox in the hotel room.
Gong said James Weems told police he was shot after “having an argument about a situation in Maryland.” Gong said the husband never gave details of the argument.
Gong testified Shanteari Weems told him she came to Washington often in the past, but had never brought her gun with her until that day. Shanteari Weems, who worked as a correctional officer before opening the day-care center, also told the detective that she and her husband never had any prior domestic situations and police were never called to their residence. Gong said she never said her husband threatened her or that she was fearful of him.
The detective then read another line from Shanteari Weems’s notebook in which she wrote, “I intend to get justice.”
It was that line that the judge highlighted during her ruling.
“He has the same rights she has,” Trafford said. “He is presumed innocent until proven guilty. She chose to confront him for what she believes he has done. And in the course of that and ended up shooting him.”
The next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 9.
After the judge issued her ruling, about a half-dozen supporters of Shanteari Weems watching the hearing on video began yelling at the judge “Free Ms. Weems” and “What if these were your grandkids?” Another yelled, “No justice was served here. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
The comments from the viewers continued for several minutes before the feed to the courtroom was abruptly shut down. | 2022-07-29T21:10:23Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Shanteari Weems argued self defense after shooting husband over child sex allegations - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/shanteari-child-sex-abuse-mandarin-hotel/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/shanteari-child-sex-abuse-mandarin-hotel/ |
PM Update: Scattered showers and storms this evening ahead of a decent weekend
* Severe thunderstorm watch for far southern parts of the area until 8 p.m. *
Numerous clouds through the day helped keep the heavier storms to our south. We still run a risk of some into the evening, but probably not as strong as they could have been with more sun. Despite the lack of sun, it felt pretty nasty out there with temperatures deep into the 80s to around 90. A cold front that moves through tonight delivers nicer weather for the weekend.
Through Tonight: We continue to see a shower or storm threat into the evening. The most significant activity probably stays to our south, but a storm or two could still be intense locally. Any storm can also produce heavy rain, potentially leading to some isolated flooding. After storms end, skies tend to clear through the night. Lows range from the mid-60s to near 70. By morning, humidity has dropped enough for it to be noticeable.
Tomorrow (Saturday): Lots of sun and lower humidity make for a pretty nice day. Highs are mainly in the mid-80s, but some upper 80s are possible. Winds blow from the north around 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: We may see a few more clouds than today, but it shouldn’t be much bother. Highs are again mainly in the mid-80s. With higher humidity filtering back in, it may feel a bit less comfortable than Saturday. Winds are from the south around 5 to 10 mph.
See Camden Walker’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For related traffic news, check out Gridlock. | 2022-07-29T21:10:30Z | www.washingtonpost.com | PM Update: Scattered showers and storms this evening ahead of a decent weekend - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/07/29/dc-area-forecast-nicer-weekend/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/07/29/dc-area-forecast-nicer-weekend/ |
18 months later, the insurrection is still a gut punch
Protesters during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)
Regarding the July 23 front-page article “Hearings test GOP desire to tune out”:
Even though it has been a year and a half since the violent insurrection at the Capitol, that day is still a punch to my very being. I worked for Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex.) for 13 years, so I am very familiar with the workings on Capitol Hill. My parents were proud members of the “greatest generation.” My father willingly served to defend this country in World War II. I cannot imagine their heartbreak at seeing the symbol of our democracy being attacked by Americans.
I wonder whether those people involved in the brutal attack on the Capitol had any idea how fortunate we are in this country. In most countries, such an attack would have been met with brutal force or gunfire.
I do not know how some members of Congress defend former president Donald Trump, with his clear intention of sending his followers to attack the Capitol.
I hope the misguided members of Congress will remember the oath they took to serve and defend the legal process of this country. There is no place for politics or political party affiliations in the attack on the Capitol. It was a clear, unjust action to prevent the verified and legal change of power.
The people who have testified for the Jan. 6 committee have been given the same words for their testimony: “Thank you for your service and for your bravery.” Bravery and service should be remembered by the elected members of Congress to save this country and the strong democracy our Founding Fathers put in place.
Melissa Ferring, Washington | 2022-07-29T21:19:49Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | 18 months later, the insurrection is still a gut punch - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/18-months-later-insurrection-is-still-gut-punch/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/18-months-later-insurrection-is-still-gut-punch/ |
How to stop or delay Pelosi’s Taiwan trip
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on July 20 in Washington. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
The July 24 news article “Pelosi trip to Taiwan may spark cross-strait crises, officials fear” correctly observed that President Biden cannot forbid House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) from going to Taiwan. But the article also pointed out that she is probably going there on a military aircraft, which is under the control of Mr. Biden, who is commander in chief. If Mr. Biden really does not want the speaker to go to Taiwan at this time (or be blamed for her trip), all he has to do is inform her that there are no military planes to take her there now, but one “might be available” after China’s major Communist Party Conference that the article pointed out will take place in the next few months.
Alan Morrison, Washington
Many problems will accompany a visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Frankly, it appears to be a silly photo op that will do nothing for U.S. national security. Beyond that, the United States has enough problems at home and abroad that it doesn’t need to look for them in China and Taiwan.
And if the United States hopes to find ways to work with China on matters of Russia and Ukraine, how does this visit help? The United States is arguing that territorial integrity (in Ukraine) matters but is running up against the one-China policy in Taiwan.
Many people argue that it would be a sign of weakness for the speaker to cancel her trip. But I think failure to make changes based on new information is pathetically weaker. She should not put American lives in danger for ego and PR events.
Jack Lechelt, Leesburg | 2022-07-29T21:19:55Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | How to stop or delay Pelosi’s Taiwan trip - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/how-stop-or-delay-pelosis-taiwan-trip/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/how-stop-or-delay-pelosis-taiwan-trip/ |
‘Missing middle’ misses the mark
Houses in the Madison Manor neighborhood in Arlington on July 12. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)
Ann Felker’s July 22 letter, “Affluent affordability,” was an excellent piece on the problems with the “missing middle” proposals. When someone of Ms. Felker’s credentials opposes an affordable-housing initiative, the Arlington County Board should listen. She pointed out “missing middle” proposals simply won’t work. She is not alone. “Missing middle” is also opposed by the majority of the respondents to the county’s survey.
The framework ignores the basic trends driving home prices in the county. Arlington’s affordable-housing “crisis” is based on the county’s proximity to D.C., the best schools in Northern Virginia and Amazon’s new headquarters. The limited number of townhouses that get built probably will not reduce the cost of housing. The new, high-income employees at Amazon will cause the value of these new houses to be rapidly bid up.
There are other problems with “missing middle”: increased traffic and parking in quiet neighborhoods, reduced tree canopy, expanded construction. All of this to support an idea that likely won’t work as its sponsors intended.
The “missing middle” framework will reduce the quality of life for thousands of Arlingtonians who own single-family homes, many of whom are not rich. We are schoolteachers; federal, state and county government employees; blue-collar workers; retired people. We grew up in or moved into and invested in this county. It is simply wrong for the County Board to threaten our way of life.
Arlington voters elected this board to solve problems, including the lack of affordable housing in the county. Implementing the “missing middle” framework would reduce quality of life and not solve the issue.
Al Warner, Arlington | 2022-07-29T21:20:01Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | ‘Missing middle’ misses the mark - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/missing-middle-misses-mark/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/missing-middle-misses-mark/ |
Performance venues should keep paper programs
Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the National Symphony Orchestra and the Choral Arts Society of Washington on March 21 at the Kennedy Center. (Kyle Gustafson for The Washington Post)
Michael Andor Brodeur’s July 24 Critic’s Notebook essay, “A difficult farewell to programs” [Arts & Style], explored the subject a bit too gently. I subscribe to all the National Symphony Orchestra, Fortas and ballet performances at the Kennedy Center, and I also subscribe to other theaters in the D.C. area. Have the performers and their audiences been betrayed by those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing? At stage plays, printed programs have, for the most part, been restored. These administrators quickly understood cellphone-only programs meant that random rings were guaranteed and that it also gave implicit permission not to turn off one’s phone during a performance.
It has always been my practice to turn off my phone to ensure I will not actively participate in the performance I attend. An organization cannot with any semblance of intellectual honesty require cellphone programs and then ask that cellphones be off during a performance.
The Kennedy Center “knows” the cost of no programs, as its statements indicate. (And, at every performance, I hear attendees bemoaning the lack of a printed program.) But the Kennedy Center has not passed on these savings to ticket holders.
The Kennedy Center has become a repository of philistinism, much to my regret.
David M. Whalin, Annandale
The recent decision by the Kennedy Center to stop printing paper programs in favor of QR codes is a brazen example of discrimination against senior citizens, the disabled and anyone who does not use a cellphone. I suspect that the real motive is to create an uncomfortable experience for old-timers to drive them away and replace them with a younger, more tech-savvy demographic. The underlying message from the Kennedy Center is quite clear: “Old people are no longer welcome, but we hope you leave us lots of money in your will.”
Ellen Scaruffi, Severna Park | 2022-07-29T21:20:12Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Performance venues should keep paper programs - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/performance-venues-should-keep-paper-programs/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/performance-venues-should-keep-paper-programs/ |
America, where we demonize our enemies and demand purity from friends
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the vice chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, during a hearing on Capitol Hill on July 21. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
When I was a young boy in Ohio, my mother insisted that my siblings and I attend every service at our Baptist church, every week. That meant all day on Sundays and sometimes on Wednesdays for Bible study. She gave meaning to the phrase “full immersion” Baptist.
Sunday school was fun for me — up to a point. I liked to listen to the Bible stories, sing the songs and use the paper, paste and glitter to make art. But Sunday school stopped being fun about the same time I started to ask questions.
What first got me in trouble was asking where my dog, Brownie, was going to go when he died. I liked my dog; I wanted him to go to heaven. But my teacher dropped her chin, looked over her eyeglasses and told me that animals didn’t go to heaven. My dog had no soul, she said, so when he died, he’d just be dead.
This didn’t sit well with me, and so I asked more questions. After all, my dog was a “good boy” — just like me. My questions led to more questions from the other kids: “Why doesn’t God like dogs?” And: “How can God be so mean?” Soon, the teacher drew the line. She said my questions were laying the groundwork for me to go to hell. I shut up immediately.
That back and forth is not too different from where we now find ourselves in America. Our political parties have become rigid, unforgiving religious sects that will tolerate no second-guessing — unless we want to be shunned.
In the liberal circles in which I mostly travel, it is nothing short of blasphemy to speak a positive word about any conservative for any reason. Many of my friends can’t even bear to hear their names mentioned. I was reminded of this when in conversation with a friend I mentioned my approval of Rep. Liz Cheney’s performance during the Jan. 6 hearings. I said I thought it was courageous of Cheney (R-Wyo.) to speak truth against the kind of pressure and opposition she’s facing from her party. I said I admired her for it. I don’t love Liz Cheney or plan to send her money or anything. But I figured it was okay to say that what she is doing is good.
My comment was met with a mixture of shock, hurt and outrage — as though I had stabbed my friend in the back. “How can you say that?” he asked, noting that Cheney had opposed same-sex marriage and was a legatee of the father of the Iraq War. When I told him Cheney had since changed her mind about same-sex marriage, he listed a litany of things that she had said or done in the past which put her beyond the realm of acceptable. And in that moment, for him, I had failed the liberal purity test. Because she is one of them.
Conservatives are the same; they hate liberals with an almost otherworldly passion. They like to put bumper stickers on their cars and trucks calling Joe Biden a communist; they have convinced themselves that the blue cities and states they despise are hellscapes of crime and desolation. They have made demonizing Kamala D. Harris, Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton a kind of obsession. In that world, saying anything complimentary about a Democrat is a marker of probable evil.
Their hatred is the result of consuming the same delusional media diet of red meat that helped set the stage for the Jan. 6 attack in the first place. The other side has its purity tests, too. For conservatives, Liz Cheney is a blasphemer, a heretic, and might soon be banished from the congregation.
I remember a time when it was considered normal and healthy to criticize the political team to which one belonged. We didn’t take the words of any leader, regardless of party, as gospel. And even if people in the other party had different values and cultures, it didn’t mean you had grounds for a violent showdown. Now, the purity tests are everywhere and something akin to a loyalty code makes it taboo to question your own side or call attention to its weaknesses and contradictions.
We are no longer a country of give-and-take. We are a country torn apart by something closer to religious strife, where both sides demand devotion to doctrine and rough punishments await those who step out of line.
When I was growing up, my hometown had more churches than you could count. You could go to any one of them you liked. As often or as little as you wanted.
But now, only two churches remain. You probably go to one or the other. But you must attend all day, every day. There’s no escape from services anymore; church is always in session. And if you don’t like the teachings, you can either go along without question or your church might decide you’re no longer fit for membership. | 2022-07-29T21:20:18Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Why do we demonize our enemies and demand purity from our friends? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/politics-polarization-criticism-cheney/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/politics-polarization-criticism-cheney/ |
Enough with the ‘is this a recession?’ blather
President Biden speaks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on July 28. (Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg)
That might seem like a crazy pair of questions. You might already be aware of this common definition of a recession: two consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product growth. You might also have noticed that a preliminary Bureau of Economic Analysis report released Thursday shows that the economy contracted at an annualized pace of 0.9 percent in the second quarter, following a decrease of 1.6 percent in the first quarter.
Thus, the pundit class launched into a quarrel over whether this really, truly constitutes a recession. As with everything else these days, the debate (mostly) split along partisan lines and became so fierce that Wikipedia had to close its entry on recessions to edits.
The right insists that, yes, obviously we’re in a recession. What part of “two quarters of negative GDP growth” don’t you understand? The left points out that actually, the official U.S. metric relies on a considerably more complicated cocktail of indicators. As President Biden argued Thursday afternoon, this very weird post-pandemic economy has given us weak GDP paired with a strong job market.
Biden’s points are not unreasonable. But it is probably unreasonable to spend much time arguing about them.
In fairness, some would argue that when it comes to the economy, perceptions can become reality. That is, if workers expect higher inflation, they’ll demand higher wages — which forces companies to raise prices. So it goes with a recession: If consumers think we’re in for a bad time, they might cut back on their spending to build up enough savings to cushion for a job loss. Since that spending is someone else’s income, those folks will then have to cut back, too, creating a cascade that can drive the economy into deeper trouble. Thus, the theory goes, if you can prevent the media from talking down the economy, we might all be better off.
But real-world evidence for this effect is surprisingly mixed. And it’s probably of little importance in our odd economic circumstances. People aren’t worried about losing their jobs right now. In fact, nearly three-quarters of Americans tell Gallup that it’s a great time to be looking for a quality job. Yet their economic confidence is low because real incomes are falling and interest rates have spiked, making it harder to buy a house or a car. You can’t message people out of thinking their economic circumstances have gotten worse — or out of worrying that this portends ill for the future.
Of course, the right, like the left, tries to use language that frames issues in a way that favors their side — from the “death tax” to rechristening advocates of trans inclusion as “groomers.” But theirs is a minor hobby compared to the left’s full-time obsession.
It is the left that has put us on a never-ending euphemism treadmill, transforming “illegal alien” into “illegal immigrant” and therefrom to “undocumented worker,” and so on — and across many sensitive issues. As linguist Steven Pinker has noted, the intent is to shed the negative associations attached to the old words. And, as he has explained, this doesn’t work: The negative associations are attached to the underlying concept, not the vocabulary.
Meanwhile, the constant word churn alienates people who find the neologisms alien and off-putting, especially less-educated voters that Democrats are now hemorrhaging. It also substitutes for, and distracts from, more substantive efforts. While New York State was preparing to declare monkeypox an emergency, New York City’s health commissioner was wasting time composing a letter to the World Health Organization, demanding they change the name of the disease to something more sensitive.
Sure, you can’t really blame the Biden administration for trying to put a positive spin on things. But the rest of us — and Democrats especially — would be better off if the left spent less time looking for better phrasing and more time finding solutions. | 2022-07-29T21:20:24Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Is the economy in a recession? It doesn't matter. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/recession-definition-doesnt-matter-economy-inflation/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/recession-definition-doesnt-matter-economy-inflation/ |
Superbugs require super solutions
A petri dish with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus cultures at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, England. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
I was pleased to see the July 26 editorial “An uptick in antibiotic resistance,” which spotlighted the growing public health crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Antibiotic and antifungal medicines are critical to the everyday practice of medicine, yet many existing medicines might soon no longer be able to stop these “superbugs,” putting routine medical care at risk of infection and increasing the chance of AMR becoming our next pandemic. The coronavirus unfortunately made matters significantly worse.
As more patients were hospitalized because of severe coronavirus infections in the first year of the pandemic, antibiotic use increased exponentially. Between March and October 2020, nearly 80 percent of patients hospitalized with covid-19 were given antibiotics to broadly fight the virus and treat secondary infections that were contracted while the patients were on ventilators or other medical devices, even if they didn’t have confirmed bacterial infections. The spike in antibiotic use, paired with hospitals stretched too thin to maintain stewardship practices, caused increased levels of resistance in several fungal and bacterial pathogens.
The biopharmaceutical industry agrees that we must use antibiotics judiciously, but those efforts are useless without a pipeline of novel antimicrobial treatments. That is why we came together to create the AMR Action Fund with a $1 billion industry investment to develop new antimicrobials. Comprehensive policy reforms such as the Pasteur Act, which would incentivize companies to develop new antimicrobial medicines, are needed more than ever. We urge policymakers to act now before it’s too late.
Jocelyn Ulrich, Potomac
The writer is deputy vice president of policy and research at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. | 2022-07-29T21:20:37Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Superbugs require super solutions - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/superbugs-require-super-solutions/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/superbugs-require-super-solutions/ |
There are good reasons not to use heat pumps
The July 23 Economy & Business article “An overlooked tool as Europe boils” touted the effectiveness of heat pumps and asked why they aren’t used more.
Well, here is why: because of their flawed design. Heat pumps use a liquid coolant to lower the temperature of outdoor air that is then recirculated into the house or building. This system works great between about 35 to 85 degrees, but, unfortunately, in my experience, it does not work well beyond these points. This is because the air gets harder to cool the hotter it already is. This causes the liquid coolant to take more time to burn off the heat, slowing down its ability to cool the house. And this is not just some theoretical limitation; the other day when it was nearing 100 degrees, my house’s thermostat was going up, not down like it should have been.
So, if you consider buying a house where the temperature regularly exceeds these limits, I would make sure you aren’t getting a heat pump.
Ethan Stearns, Bethesda | 2022-07-29T21:20:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | There are good reasons not to use heat pumps - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/there-are-good-reasons-not-use-heat-pumps/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/there-are-good-reasons-not-use-heat-pumps/ |
Ukraine is not Russia’s final goal
A destroyed warehouse, tractors and other farming implements on July 17 in Konstantinivka, Ukraine. (Wojciech Grzedzinski/For The Washington Post)
Regarding the editorials “Staying the course on Ukraine” [July 10] and “The atrocity resumes” [July 20]:
As noted, Russian missiles, artillery and air attacks on civilian targets, including hospitals, schools, shelters and housing areas, have killed and wounded thousands of Ukrainians, including children. We could add the murder, rape and torture of civilians in Russian-occupied areas and the forced relocation of thousands of Ukrainians, including children, to Russia.
We should not be surprised. This is a continuation of the Soviet way of war. In an article in the July 2022 issue of the Journal of Military History, Dmitry Plotnikov described the strategy developed by Soviet military theorist Aleksandr Svechin that incorporates two concepts: annihilation and attrition.
Annihilation seeks the swift and decisive destruction of the enemy military forces that leaves their army and nation defenseless. Attrition seeks to weaken and outlast the enemy with limited interim military, economic and political goals until annihilation is possible or the enemy stops resisting.
Devastation and terror inflicted on civilians have been integral to Russian military operations through World War II, Chechnya and Syria to Ukraine today. That, too, should not be a surprise. Condemnation and war crimes investigations will have no deterrent effect.
As the editorials made clear, there is an urgent need and U.S. national security interest to continue to help Ukraine defeat Russia. With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s delusional ambition to reestablish some Russian empire, it’s unlikely he would stop with Ukraine. The cost to Russia must become too high for the Russian people to bear. Until then, stay the course.
Jerry Hardiman, Bethany Beach, Del. | 2022-07-29T21:20:49Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Ukraine is not Russia’s final goal - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/ukraine-is-not-russias-final-goal/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/ukraine-is-not-russias-final-goal/ |
The United States’ international standing is jeopardized
A mob of Trump supporters stormed and breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)
Regarding Keith B. Richburg’s July 28 Thursday Opinion column, “Democracies are expected to hold presidents accountable”:
There has been much discussion about whether former president Donald Trump should be prosecuted for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the Capitol. The domestic consequences have been repeatedly weighed and debated. Little consideration has, however, been given to the international or foreign policy consequences.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield warned that failure to pay full U.N. dues was hurting the United States’ reputation around the world. Even more damaging, however, is the fact that the government has failed to ensure the rule of law by prosecuting the man who is accused of instigating the Jan. 6 violence to reverse the will of the American people, effectively overthrowing the U.S. government.
The insurrection was a clear violation of the right of Americans to participate in their own government. This right is enshrined in Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a treaty the United States has ratified.
The United States might irreparably damage its reputation if it fails to prosecute Mr. Trump.
Curtis Doebbler, Washington | 2022-07-29T21:20:55Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | The United States’ international standing is jeopardized - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/united-states-international-standing-is-jeopardized/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/united-states-international-standing-is-jeopardized/ |
As Harris touts abortion rights, backers hope she finally hits her stride
The VP has seized on reproduction rights as a marquee issue--but she is not the only ambitious Democrat to do so.
Vice President Harris meets in early July with Democratic state legislators whose GOP-led states are imposing abortion restrictions. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
Two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Florida’s Fentrice Driskell joined other state legislators at the White House to discuss threats to abortion access with Vice President Harris.
The vice president, Driskell said, stayed 10 minutes past the meeting’s scheduled conclusion, showed a familiarity with the dynamics of statehouses controlled by Republicans, and had her team follow up within the week to solicit more ideas.
“She ran for president previously, and so I’m sure she’s thinking about her future,” Driskell, the incoming Florida House minority leader, said of Harris. “Strategically, it’s a moment for Vice President Harris, because it gives her a platform and certainly presents the opportunity for her to associate her brand with leading on this topic.”
In the month since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, Harris has sought to position herself as her party’s leading advocate on the issue. She’s sat for televised interviews and met with legislators, legal experts, faith leaders and medical professionals, all while exhorting Democrats to bring their anger to ballot box.
The political challenge for Harris, however, is that she is hardly the only ambitious Democrat to seize on the abortion issue. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, for example, has attracted attention and loyalty among activists for a pitched battle with her state’s GOP-led legislature over abortion access.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a former and possibly future presidential candidate, continues to trumpet a proposal to put abortion clinics on federal lands, despite administration officials’ doubts. And former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, in a CBS interview, said she plans to stay “active and outspoken” on reproductive rights, while swatting away questions about another potential run for president.
As vice president, Harris has visibly struggled to find an issue that would stamp her as a forceful leader. From immigration to voting rights, she’s had trouble breaking through, and critics have said she can seem overly scripted.
Harris’s supporters say her passion for reproductive freedom is organic. She is the first female vice president, and her Black and Asian identity may be particularly resonant given that abortion restrictions disproportionately affect minority women.
While any vice president must be careful not to overshadow her boss, Harris may have more freedom when it comes to abortion, given Biden’s discomfort with an issue where the politics of his party do not always mesh comfortably with his lifelong Catholic faith.
All this, Harris’s advisers hope, gives her a path to connect with an energized constituency that she lacked in her unsuccessful 2020 bid for the presidency. She faces considerable pressure to show that her political skills have improved since that effort, which collapsed before a single primary vote was cast.
Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), the third-ranking House Democrat whose endorsement revived Biden’s candidacy in 2020, said Harris deserves a chance to grow into her role.
“Everybody should be given time to develop,” Clyburn said. “Joe Biden did not always have the experience that he and I have. At one point in his life, he was a Kamala Harris … You don’t become vice president at noon and then by one o’clock become the expert.”
Donna Brazile, who was Vice President Al Gore’s campaign manager when he ran for president, said Harris’s current ramped-up schedule speaks to her competing obligations — to the party, the Biden administration and to whatever future she hopes to build — and it is critical her role as a leader of the future does not get lost.
“She has to be the ‘what now’ leader and I think she understands that, and that is how the administration should understand her role,” Brazile said. “The clock is ticking, and she will never get a break. This is work, work, work. There’s always something to do. And it’s always somebody pulling, saying she needs to do more, not less.”
Harris’s recent flurry of activity on abortion rights has taken on an added urgency as some Democrats are asking whether the oldest president in history should run again — and who should be the Democratic standard-bearer if he steps aside.
Biden has said he will seek reelection in 2024, and Harris has said she will be his running mate. But some Democrats have noted that if victorious in another election, Biden would take the oath of office at age 82, and they have spoken privately of the need to turn to a new generation of leaders.
Amplifying those concerns, Biden tested positive for coronavirus on July 21, and spent five socially-distanced days taking Paxlovid anti-viral pills, in part because his advanced age makes him part of a vulnerable group. Biden worked while isolated in the White House residence and announced his recovery on Wednesday, saying, “My symptoms were mild, my recovery was quick, and I’m feeling great.”
As Biden remained isolated for nearly a week, Harris had one of the most active periods of her vice presidency. In meetings in Washington and across the country, as well as a series of television interviews, she has told Democrats that the best way to ensure abortion access is to win congressional majorities in this year’s midterm elections, where the party faces strong head winds.
“The court has acted — now Congress needs to act,” Harris told CNN a few days after the Supreme Court issued its ruling in the Dobbs case. Citing Senate races in Georgia, North Carolina and Colorado, she added, “We need to change the balance and have pro-choice legislators who have the power to make decisions about whether this constitutional right will be in law.”
For advisers and others close to Harris, her increased time in TV studios and her ballooning travel schedule are a welcome sign after a first year that they say featured too much time in Washington during the coronavirus pandemic, and not enough time in the public eye.
Last December, a group of Black women held a private meeting with Harris to urge her to become more vocal and visible.
“Getting out in the streets is a real thing for her — she actually desires that,” said Shavon Arline-Bradley, president of the nonprofit group D4Women in Action, who attended the meeting. “This is a midterm year and we’re in the thick of it.”
She added, “The people need to see her leadership. … I do think she’s concerned with her definition of who she is and defining what that legacy is for her.”
Harris’s first year was historic but uneven, marked by staff departures and mixed results on the issues that Biden asked her to spearhead. At the same time, she was tied to an administration that struggled to deliver on some of its biggest campaign promises, and endured the usual dependent role that comes with being vice president.
She traveled to Central America as part of her mission to address the root causes of migration, but her visit was characterized by an awkward exchange with NBC’s Lester Holt in which she committed to going to the U.S. southern border, but only after he pressed her.
Less than a year into office, Harris saw a series of staff departures, including the loss of her chief spokeswoman and director of communications, who were charged with helping shape her public image. Her chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, departed a few months later. A few weeks ago, Rohini Kosoglu, one of Harris’s closest and longest-serving aides, also left.
Some of the departures have raised questions about Harris’s management style, concerns that have dogged her through her two decades in public service.
In contrast, Harris supporters have been buoyed by her performance in a series of foreign trips — to the Munich Security Conference in advance of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and to Poland and Romania to shore up NATO allies. She has also added experienced Democratic strategists to her team, including new chief of staff Lorraine Voles, who was Gore’s communications director and an adviser to then-Sen. Hillary Clinton in 2008.
A Harris spokesperson declined to comment on the record for this article, pointing to her statement that she intends to be Biden’s running mate in 2024. Over the past year, her supporters have repeatedly said she is working to advance the aims of the Biden administration, and that criticism of her is outsized and often steeped in sexism and racism.
“I think it’s all about the administration’s goals, and I think that’s how she views it,” said Cedric L. Richmond, a former senior adviser to Biden who resigned in April to become a strategist for the Democratic National Committee. “It’s not about her branding, political ambition, anything like that, in her decision-making process.”
The coming months will determine the 2024 landscape. They will reveal whether Biden announces his reelection campaign, as he has suggested he will, and whether other prominent Democrats — from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to California Gov. Gavin Newsom — jump into the race. On the Republican side, former president Donald Trump’s potential candidacy remains an overriding question mark.
Clyburn said last month that he would back Harris in 2024 if Biden does not run, regardless of moves by other Democrats seeking the presidency.
“Right now, I’m for Biden, and second I’m for Harris,” he said. “So I don’t care who goes to New Hampshire or Iowa, I’m for Biden and then I’m for Harris — either together or in that order.” | 2022-07-29T21:21:01Z | www.washingtonpost.com | As Harris touts abortion rights, backers hope she finally hits her stride - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/29/vp-kamala-harris-abortion-rights/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/29/vp-kamala-harris-abortion-rights/ |
New York Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson (33) runs a drill during training camp at the NFL football team’s practice facility, Friday, July 29, 2022, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kadarius Toney’s rookie season with the New York Giants is best described as one great game, one good one and couple of flashes. | 2022-07-29T21:21:50Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Giants WR Toney showing positive signs after bad rookie year - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/giants-wr-toney-showing-positive-signs-after-bad-rookie-year/2022/07/29/cd1952ea-0f7e-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/giants-wr-toney-showing-positive-signs-after-bad-rookie-year/2022/07/29/cd1952ea-0f7e-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html |
Ukraine Live Briefing: Blinken calls on Lavrov to accept 'significant propo...
Viktor Bout waits for his verdict in the detention room at a criminal court in Bangkok in August 2009. (Apichart Weerawong/AP)
At the U.S. penitentiary in Marion, Ill., in a special unit so restrictive that it has the nickname “Little Guantánamo,” a broad-chested, mustachioed man nicknamed the “merchant of death,” who speaks at least six languages, is serving a 25-year term after building a gun-smuggling empire that spanned the globe.
His name is Viktor Bout. And his native Russia wants him home, badly. The big question: Why?
Bout, 55, is the most notorious arms dealer of his time, accused of profiting off weapons that fueled conflict in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
This week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States had proposed to Russia “a substantial offer” to secure the release of two Americans being held in Moscow, WNBA star Brittney Griner and security consultant Paul Whelan. Russian officials have hinted they expect a prisoner swap.
There is little doubt that Bout would be the top prize for Russian officials, who have protested his treatment since his 2008 arrest in Thailand after a Drug Enforcement Administration sting. Steve Zissou, Bout’s New York-based lawyer, warned this month that “no Americans will be exchanged unless Viktor Bout is sent home.”
What is less clear, however, is exactly why Russia cares so much about Bout. When CIA Director William J. Burns, at the Aspen Security Forum this month, was asked why Russia wants Bout, Burns responded: “That’s a good question, because Viktor Bout’s a creep.”
Though Russia has complained that Bout was entrapped by the DEA, many U.S. officials and analysts believe that its anger is not linked to the merits of the case, but rather Bout’s links to Russian military intelligence.
“It’s clear that he had significant ties to Russian government circles,” said Lee Wolensky, a National Security Council official in the Clinton administration who led early efforts to tackle Bout’s network.
Though less famous than the KGB and its successor the FSB, Russia’s military intelligence agency, commonly known as the GRU, has a reputation for taking bolder and riskier actions. It has been accused in recent years of everything from hacking elections to assassinating dissidents.
Additionally, reports suggest that Bout could have close ties to Igor Sechin, a former deputy prime minister of Russia and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both Sechin and Bout served with the Soviet military in Africa during the 1980s.
Bout has denied any such links to the GRU. He has also said he doesn’t know Sechin.
But that silence could be the point. The arms trafficker refused to cooperate with U.S. authorities, even as he sat for years, isolated and alone, in a cell thousands of miles from his home in Moscow for over a decade. That silence could be rewarded.
“He kept his cool in prison, never exposed anything to the Americans, as far as I can tell,” said Russian journalist Andrei Soldatov.
Simon Saradzhyan of Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs said that Bout could never have operated such a large smuggling business without government protection, but that he never spoke about it. “The Russian government is eager to retrieve him so that it stays that way,” Saradzhyan said.
Freeing Bout would send a message to others who could end up in trouble, said Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russian security: “The motherland will not forget you.”
“The Russians successfully bringing [him] back would be regarded as a triumph,” Galeotti said. “And let’s face it, at the moment the Kremlin is looking for triumphs.”
Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of the R.Politik political analysis group, said Putin wants something deeper than political gain. “We have a special word in the Russian language for people like Bout: Svoi. It means someone from ‘us.’ It’s someone who worked for the motherland, at least in [the government’s] eyes.”
Bout, who has said in interviews that he was born in Tajikistan in 1967, studied languages at the Soviet Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow. He said he was pushed into studying Portuguese and later sent to Angola to work as a translator with the Soviet air force.
Military institutes were key recruitment grounds for the GRU (the more refined KGB, meanwhile, stuck to universities), experts say. And while his links to Sechin are unclear, both studied Portuguese and overlapped with the Soviet military in Mozambique.
Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Bout, like many others who saw opportunity to profit amid chaos, became an entrepreneur. He used a small fleet of Soviet-made Antonov An-8 planes to set up an airfreight business and was apparently willing to take risks that others wouldn’t, flying to war zones and failed states.
Bout is also believed to have access to something more valuable than planes: knowledge of the fate of the Soviet Union’s enormous caches of weapons.
“He was moving out weapons out for a decade, from places like Ukraine,” said Douglas Farah, the president of the national security firm IBI Consultants and the co-author of a book about Bout.
By 2000, Bout was one of the world’s most notorious traffickers. He was dubbed “the leading merchant of death” in Britain’s Parliament, and was named in U.N. reports for supplying heavy weaponry to a rebel movement in Angola as well as Liberia’s Charles Taylor, then supporting a deadly civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone.
The extent to which Bout was working for Russian military interests is debated. Farah said he believed that given the scale of military equipment being moved, such work may have been tacitly approved by the GRU.
Wolensky said Bout came to the Clinton administration’s attention because he was disrupting peace processes that the president was backing across Africa.
“In some cases, he was arming both sides of the conflict,” Wolensky said.
Amid increasing international pressure, including an Interpol arrest warrant issued in 2004, Bout returned to Moscow.
By many accounts, Bout at that time stepped back from his most intense work in the arms trade. He lived in Golitsyno, a small town outside Moscow. A friend visiting his home in 2008 later noted that it was filled with books as well as, surprisingly, a DVD of the 2005 Nicolas Cage film “Lord of War,” which was reportedly inspired by Bout’s life.
Unfortunately for him, that guest — former South African intelligence agent Andrew Smulian — was working for the DEA.
Bout was arrested later in Thailand, where he had been secretly recorded by the DEA organizing the purchase of 100 surface-to-air missiles, 20,000 AK-47 rifles, 20,000 fragment grenades, 740 mortars, 350 sniper rifles, five tons of C-4 explosives and 10 million rounds of ammunition for people he thought were agents for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), an insurgent group.
The elaborate sting operation got around a key problem in the U.S. pursuit of Bout: He hadn’t broken any U.S. laws. In 2011, a federal court in New York found him guilty of a variety of charges, including conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals.
Russian officials have complained particularly about the aggressive and unusual targeting of Bout.
But the recording of Bout helped make the broader argument that he wasn’t a simple businessman. When the agents posing as buyers for the FARC said the weapons would be used against U.S. Air Force pilots working with the Colombian government, Bout could be heard telling them they had “the same enemy.”
“It’s not business,” he said. “It’s my fight.” | 2022-07-29T21:22:39Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Why does Russia want Viktor Bout back so badly? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/victor-bout-gru-sechin/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/29/victor-bout-gru-sechin/ |
How Beyoncé honors Black queer culture in ‘Renaissance’
(Washington Post illustration; Carlijn Jacobs)
In an era that has left LGBTQ rights vulnerable, Beyoncé has reaffirmed her support of the queer community. Her latest album, “Renaissance,” released on Friday, has been lauded by members of the LGBTQ community as the defining album of the summer.
Ahead of the release of Beyoncé’s seventh studio album, the singer dedicated “Renaissance” to her children and husband, her late gay Uncle Jonny and LGBTQ change-makers who have shaped Black popular culture.
“A big thank you to my Uncle Jonny. He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album,” Beyoncé wrote in a letter to fans. “Thank you to all the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long.”
Beyoncé has spoken about Jonny — who was the nephew of her mother, Tina Knowles — in the past, including after receiving the Vanguard Award at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards. In her speech, she said Jonny was “the most fabulous gay man I’ve ever known.” He died of AIDS-related complications.
Throughout Friday, fans celebrated the inspiration the music draws from, as well as the Black queer artists who are featured on the album. They contrasted this joy with the political moment: “Renaissance” comes at a fraught time for the LGBTQ community amid an unprecedented onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation as well as recent protests and attacks at Pride events.
“Beyoncé putting out an album that’s a love letter to the gays right as republicans are attempting to rescind the right for the LGBTQ community to get married is why she’s the best music artist of our generation,” author and podcast host Akilah Hughes wrote on Twitter.
The 16 tracks in “Renaissance” draw from house, disco and bounce music, genres that hark back to underground ballroom culture from the 1970s. In highlighting how queerness has paved the way for Black dance music, Beyoncé pays homage to the familial aspect represented through the house mothers, fathers and children in ballroom scenes. It’s a reminder of the love and inclusivity inherent in Black culture, said Omise’eke Tinsley, a professor of Black studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
“Beyoncé is singing on the side of a more expansive gender system and reminding Black people: This is our culture,” she said.
And while Beyoncé has consistently been an icon in queer spaces and championed the LGBTQ community, this album is an expansion to her advocacy, Tinsley added.
“What’s interesting and important about ‘Renaissance’ is that she’s moving away from a sisterhood … [of] primarily Black cis women, and she’s really partnering with trans and gender nonconforming folks,” Tinsley said. Beyoncé is “reminding us that Black sisterhood shouldn’t be cisterhood, that all Black women’s lives are worth celebrating.”
beyonce album is 10/10. production is insane.. she really presenting the last twenty years of cultural significance black gay men have had on pop culture. vogue to bounce to house = @Beyonce . big up @TheOnlyMikeQ @HONEYDIJON @bigfreedia and all the other creators on the album 🙌🏽
— diplo (@diplo) July 29, 2022
In addition to Beyoncé referencing queer culture in her album, the singer-songwriter also partnered with queer artists. “Break My Soul,” which has been celebrated as a gay anthem, was Beyoncé’s second collaboration with Big Freedia. She previously paired up with the rapper for “Formation” in 2016.
Other queer artists featured in the album include Ts Madison, Honey Dijon, Syd, Moi Renee, MikeQ and Kevin Aviance.
“This is Black culture, not the culture of kicking people out, not excluding people,” Tinsley said. “This is the culture of Black people raising and loving each other, not because we’re genetically related, not because we’re perfect, not because we fit in molds, but because we don’t, and we love each other anyway, and this is how we produce beauty.” | 2022-07-29T21:45:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Queerness permeates Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance.’ Here’s what fans say. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/07/29/beyonce-renaissance-queerness-lgbtq-fans/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/07/29/beyonce-renaissance-queerness-lgbtq-fans/ |
Montgomery County to offer rebates for private security cameras
The council voted on legislation that would allow residents and businesses to apply for rebates for cameras
A doorbell device with a built-in camera, a type of device that can be reimbursed by the Montgomery County Council if you live in a designated district identified by the police chief. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The Montgomery County Council passed a bill this week aimed at warding off crime by incentivizing residents and businesses in certain areas to buy personal surveillance cameras.
The program allows residents, business owners or non-profits to apply for a rebate or voucher to cover the cost of a camera on their property.
“As an opt-in program, the private security camera incentive program will empower community efforts to address crimes happening in their own neighborhoods,” Council member Craig Rice (D-District 2) said in a statement earlier this week announcing the program along with council member Sidney Katz (D-District 3).
Community members and businesses must have property in a “priority area” to qualify for the rebate, which the bill defines as police districts identified by the police chief as “needing additional security cameras based upon public safety indicators, including crime levels,” according to a council staff report.
Such programs aren’t new. The District created a rebate program in 2016 to offset crime, resulting in a network of more than 1,000 private cameras. But the bill in Montgomery County didn’t pass without some debate over privacy and racial disparities in over-policing.
‘We want coverage across the city’: D.C. mayor touts network of private cameras
Based on recommendations from the Montgomery County NAACP, the council amended the bill to prevent purchased cameras being “used deliberately” to record others’ private property. The bill also requires businesses prominently display notices that will alert visitors of the cameras, according to the council report.
They also voted to approve an amendment requiring the police chief to disclose regulations of the program, including the “methodology used to identify a priority area,” the “permissible collection, dissemination, use, and disposal of images recorded by a security camera purchased under the program,” and “minimum standards for security cameras purchased under the program.”
A racial equity and social justice impact statement submitted by the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO), noted in the council report, found that the bill could “widen racial and social disparities in policing as it broadens the Montgomery County Police Department’s authority to increase police surveillance in communities of color through private security cameras.”
The OLO recommended that the council gather diverse community input and require Montgomery County police to partner with the community to evaluate all new policing technologies through a racial equity and social justice lens, according to the council report.
The Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce also submitted a letter to the council supporting the bill but raising concerns about the funding provided to support working surveillance systems and installation costs.
“We would like to support this measure, but the fact that the program is proposed ‘subject to appropriation,’ concerns us,” the letter said. “We fear that it raises unrealistic expectations among businesses and residents for rebates that cannot be funded.”
Reimbursements have been limited to the costs of the camera, according to the council report.
D.C. offers rebates for installing surveillance cameras to deter crime
Some opponents of the bill argue that investment should go to other needed crime prevention resources in the county.
“It’ll capture the crime, but it’s not preventing the crime,” Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, Montgomery County community member and co-founder of “Racial Justice NOW!,” said in an interview. “Folks are saying, ‘Oh, there’s an increase in crime.’ Okay, well, where are the resources to ensure that these young people have access to those things that will keep them out of trouble?”
“That’s what we’ve been asking for, not security cameras,” she added.
Rice said in a memo sent to the Public Safety Committee that the bill’s purpose is to support “our most vulnerable residents” and community policing. The program will not require video to be shared with police, unless under a lawful warrant, or posted on social media, Rice said.
“This program does not provide direct, real-time access by police to video,” Rice said in the memo. “These cameras will be owned by private individuals and/or businesses from whom police may request access to footage.”
The police chief will also be required to provide a yearly report to the council about the implementation of the program, according to the council report.
Program details will be found on the Montgomery County Police department website, according to the news release. | 2022-07-29T22:24:23Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Montgomery County to offer rebates for private security cameras - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/montgomery-county-private-cameras-rebate/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/montgomery-county-private-cameras-rebate/ |
Man fatally shot in Washington Highlands in Southeast D.C.
A D.C. police vehicle. (Peter Hermann/TWP)
A man was fatally shot Friday afternoon in the Washington Highlands neighborhood in the Southeast quadrant of the city, the fourth person killed in that community in three days, according to D.C. police.
That latest shooting occurred shortly before 3:10 p.m. in the 3900 block of Wheeler Road SE, near Valley Street and along Oxon Run Park.
D.C. police had few immediate details but said the victim died at a hospital. He has not yet been publicly identified.
About 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, police said three people were shot — two of them fatally — in a parking lot in the 4300 block of Fourth Street SE, a little less than a mile away from Friday’s shooting, and also near Valley Road. Police said a person armed with an assault-style weapon fired at least 90 rounds.
Two hours later, about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, police said they found a man shot in a stairwell of an apartment building in the 4300 block of Livingston Road SE, about two blocks from the shooting on Fourth Street. He later died at a hospital.
Authorities said they have not found evidence linking the shootings in that one community but were investigating that question.
On Thursday, Police Cmdr. John Haines of the Criminal Investigations Division said possible motives under review include ongoing and historic feuds in Washington Highlands.
“Rival groups, crews, neighborhoods, will sometimes just target other neighborhoods and they indiscriminately shoot into areas they are having feuds with,” he said.
As of Friday, the District’s official homicide count stood at 124, an 11 percent increase over this time last year. That number does not reflect Friday’s shooting on Wheeler Road, which awaits a final determination from the medical examiner. | 2022-07-29T22:24:30Z | www.washingtonpost.com | 3 shootings in 3 days leaves 4 dead in SE D.C.'s Washington Highlands - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/shooting-fatal-washington-highlands-dc/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/shooting-fatal-washington-highlands-dc/ |
AbbVie agrees to pay up to $2.37 billion to resolve Allergan opioid lawsuits
AbbVie agrees to opioid settlement
AbbVie has agreed to pay up to $2.37 billion to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits against its Allergan unit over the marketing of opioid painkillers, state officials announced on Friday.
“We’ve worked hard to get the best result for Americans harmed by the opioid crisis, and it’s rewarding to take another step in the right direction,” Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller (D), who led negotiations with the company, said in a statement.
AbbVie, which has denied wrongdoing, did not respond to a request for comment.
The deal clears the way for Teva Pharmaceutical to finalize a $4.35 billion settlement of opioid lawsuits it announced this week. Teva bought Allergan’s generic drugs unit in 2016, and its settlement was contingent on Allergan reaching a nationwide deal.
AbbVie cut its forecast for annual net revenue to $58.9 billion from $59.4 billion previously, mainly because of stiff competition and weak demand for its leukemia drug Imbruvica.
U.S. wheat could relieve shortfalls
The United States is poised to deliver a bumper spring wheat crop in the upcoming weeks, which, if realized, could help relieve global shortfalls caused by turmoil in the Black Sea.
Fields in North Dakota, the top producing U.S. state, are forecast to yield a record high 49.1 bushels per acre of the grain, according to the final estimate of a three-day crop tour led by the Wheat Quality Council. North Dakota makes up about half of the nation’s spring wheat crop.
“We might have good yield potential right up until the day we get an early frost,” said Neal Fisher, administrator of the North Dakota Wheat Commission.
This year’s spring wheat has been under close watch for potential problems after plantings were slowed by downpours and flooding throughout the northern Plains. The delays followed last year’s severe drought that shrank harvests in both the U.S. and Canada.
The union representing flight attendants at Southwest Airlines has asked federal mediators to step in and help with stalled contract talks after more than three years of negotiations. Flight attendants with the 14,600-member TWU Local 556 union have already made plans to picket airports at the end of September after complaints that conditions for workers remain poor and that the Dallas-based carrier isn't moving fast enough toward a new contract.
A U.S. Appeals Court on Friday upheld rules set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requiring drones to have remote identification technology to enable them to be identified from the ground. The rules, which were finalized in April 2021, give drone manufacturers 18 months to begin producing drones with so-called Remote ID and are aimed at safely managing the growing use of drones in U.S. airspace.
Walmart has a new sales pitch for consumers contending with soaring prices: Buy used goods. A new "Walmart Restored" program will make it easier to shop for refurbished items from the likes of Apple, Samsung Electronics and Whirlpool's KitchenAid, the retail giant said in a statement Friday. The restored merchandise will be available online and in some stores this fall. | 2022-07-29T22:33:06Z | www.washingtonpost.com | AbbVie agrees to pay up to $2.37 billion to resolve Allergan opioid lawsuits - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/abbvie-agrees-to-pay-up-to-237-billion-to-resolve-allergan-opioid-lawsuits/2022/07/29/6abbc304-0f2d-11ed-bf3a-cdf532019c52_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/abbvie-agrees-to-pay-up-to-237-billion-to-resolve-allergan-opioid-lawsuits/2022/07/29/6abbc304-0f2d-11ed-bf3a-cdf532019c52_story.html |
Beyoncé’s look book of fashion’s exhaustingly fabulous era
Beyoncé is here. (Mason Poole)
The world has borne witness to the seventh coming of Beyoncé in the form of her studio album “Renaissance.” The 16 tracks are an expression of her moods and desires during the height of the pandemic when she decided to record music that allowed her to dream and to escape, as she wrote on her website. She also noted that her intention was to create a “safe space. A place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking.” And the music’s lyrics and loose-limbed grooves are a testament to that. From flashes of Donna Summer and Honey Dijon to glorious house beats, half the tracks call out to be remixed into individual dance floor mini-marathons and others immediately evoke images of sweaty bodies bouncing off one another in pre-pandemic bliss. The words and beats tantalize the imagination and unleash emotions that have, for so many people, been stifled: joy, abandon.
Photographs on her social media aim to evoke those emotions in concrete terms — in the form of bodysuits, disco balls, hologram horses and bedazzled saddles. If the music is an homage to uninhibited movement, the still images are steeped in fashion history, high-maintenance glamour and perfectionism — perhaps not the old-school version that Beyoncé eschews in her missive but a demanding rigor nonetheless.
There’s a lot of work in these looks.
To begin: There are bodysuits. But of course there are bodysuits. Has there ever been an extended Beyoncé moment that didn’t feature one? No, there has not. They are her signature. Her uniform. They should be renamed Bey-suits.
There are spangled ones and molded ones and one that is really just a bit of silver chain and rhinestones. In one portrait, she sits with her legs akimbo in a black lace Alaïa bodysuit with her gaze directed at the viewer and her lips slightly parted. This, too, is a signature. In virtually every photograph, she’s staring at her audience with her mouth slightly ajar. This default expression lends each photo a similar emotional tone.
Beyoncé in still images is not nearly as interesting as Beyoncé in motion. Her silence does not speak volumes. She doesn’t communicate that much in a glance that’s caught in the click of a shutter. It doesn’t matter whether she’s holding a broken bottle as if she’s fending off an unruly bar mate or hoisting an old-fashioned glass as if she’s signaling a waiter to freshen her drink. She’s giving the Beyoncé look. But no matter. That has always been more than enough.
There’s more Alaïa on display in the form of a custom acid-green lace dress with Mongolian lamb trim. There’s a Gucci silver satin velvet gown with winged sleeves and a red puffy cropped jacket from Dolce & Gabbana, too. There are western hats and red-soled stilettos, corsets and a silver horned bustier from Mugler that calls to mind the entirety of 1992′s “Too Funky” video on which designer Thierry Mugler collaborated with George Michael, which might well be one of the seven summits of fashion and music collaborations.
The clothes, with their broad shoulder and slinky lines and unabashed sexual provocation, recall the 1970s to the early 1990s, when fashion swerved from a kind of foreboding sexuality to giddy ostentation. The clothing sends the mind reeling to the shrewd confidence of Grace Jones and the sexual titillation of Madonna. The intense glamour conjures drag balls and drag queens. The posture makes one think of the fashion photography of Helmut Newton and Jean-Paul Goude.
Beyoncé posing on her knees with a gilded saddle on her back echoes Newton’s “Saddle I.” The image of her in the silver Gucci dress with one breast nearly exposed calls to mind his portrait of Paloma Picasso wearing a breast-revealing dress by Karl Lagerfeld. And there is a disco horse. Beyoncé sits atop it wearing chains and spikes and wielding a white hat; it calls to mind the pop culture moment from 1978 when Bianca Jagger rode a white horse into Studio 54 and helped cement the night club’s reputation as the era’s non plus ultra location for decadence and debauchery.
There’s a full commitment to the glimmering joy of that period — or at least the soft-focused memory of it. Back then, the pleasure bubbled up despite — and perhaps because of — dire circumstances. The dancing endured in the face of the AIDS epidemic, homophobia, economic peril and dire crime statistics. There was a lot to fear. And so, after a pandemic lockdown, civil unrest and an attempted insurrection, Beyoncé offers fizzy, blissful music. And after years of track pants and yoga pants and dressing only from the waist up, she also presents her audience with fashion that is turned out, spit polished, cinched up and exhausting. She is working hard in those corsets and stilettos.
It would be politically correct to argue that she’s putting on a display of strength and female empowerment with her pasties and seamed stockings. After all, Beyoncé has schooled the culture and the music industry on what it means to embrace one’s success and power. Her lessons have especially resonated among some Black woman. But there’s no denying that these pictures also express a delight in the male gaze — as well as the female gaze, the non-gendered gaze and the gaze of anyone who’d like to look.
The clothes tell the chaotic story of an era in pop culture when people were determined to have a good time. And when they did have a good time. Despite it all. | 2022-07-29T22:41:48Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Beyoncé’s look book of fashion’s exhaustingly fabulous era - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/beyoncs-look-book-fashions-exhaustingly-fabulous-era/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/beyoncs-look-book-fashions-exhaustingly-fabulous-era/ |
Police repeatedly punched teen as he lay on the ground, videos show
Video released by police shows officers repeatedly punching a teen who on July 27 fled a traffic stop in Oak Lawn, Ill. (Video: The Village of Oak Lawn)
A video from a bystander, which has been shared widely on Facebook, begins after the teenager is on the ground and shows two officers throw at least 10 punches at the teenager’s legs and face. One officer appears to press the teen’s head into the concrete as he punches his face several times.
Oak Lawn, Ill., Police Chief Daniel Vittorio defended the officers’ actions, saying at a news conference Thursday that “deadly force” was justified because the teenager was reaching for a bag, from which police said they later recovered a loaded pistol. Vittorio said the officers had “reasonable suspicion” that Abu Atelah was armed, based on his movements during the foot chase and arrest.
The use of force is being investigated internally — as is protocol after any application of force — but the officers are back at work, Vittorio said. An officer who was injured also went to a hospital, but Vittorio declined to elaborate on the officer’s injuries.
Rehab — whose organization is representing the family in the civil rights component of the case while another attorney is working the criminal aspect — said he recognizes that police have a right to use force to subdue an uncooperative suspect, but that the force in this case was “undue and excessive.” He noted that Abu Atelah weighs 115 pounds.
“We believe this is a classic case of excessive force, savage force, that was unnecessary,” Rehab said. “If they had just simply put handcuffs on his wrists once he was on the ground and proceeded as they should professionally, I don’t think we’d even be here.”
Rehab said the family is calling for “appropriate disciplinary measures” for the officers and a review of their training. The officers should be suspended until the investigation is complete, Rehab said.
Body-cam video shows a Louisiana trooper beat a Black man with a flashlight 18 times: ‘I’m not resisting!’
Vittorio said an officer pulled over a car about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday that smelled of marijuana and did not have a front license plate. Officers searched the driver, who complied, but when they asked the teenager in the rear seat to step out, he “appeared to be nervous and had an accessory bag draped over his shoulder,” Vittorio said.
As police began to search him, he took off running. After a brief foot chase, officers took him to the ground outside a McDonald’s restaurant, where he tried to open the bag, prompting them to use “control tactics” to release his hands from the bag, Vittorio said.
“They had reasonable suspicion that he was armed with a weapon in that bag, and he was not complying and he was trying to open that bag,” Vittorio said. “They were in fear of their safety.”
Officers then “drive-stunned” him and took him into custody, Vittorio said, referring to deploying a stun gun without firing its projectiles. They recovered a semiautomatic pistol from the bag that was loaded with three rounds, Vittorio said.
He said the officers suspected that the teenager had a weapon, based on how he reached for the bag during the chase and scuffle, which turned it into a “deadly force incident.”
“Had the offender drawn that weapon, he could have shot them,” Vittorio said. “Were they supposed to wait for him to pull it out?”
Division Chief Gerald Vetter, the department’s spokesperson, declined to answer further questions from The Washington Post on Friday, citing the ongoing investigation.
Three D.C. police officers suspended after video shows man repeatedly struck during arrest
Rehab said that the officers’ account that they were threatened by the gun “defies logic” and that they would have needed “extrasensory perception” to know Abu Atelah was armed.
“He was not brandishing the gun. He was not weaponizing it. He was not wielding it — they were under no threat,” he said. “This isn’t one of those cases where someone is running with a gun in his hands.”
Rehab said relations between the police and the Arab community are already “in dire need of improvement” in Oak Lawn, where 7 percent of the population is of Arab descent, according to the Census Bureau.
“From what we hear from the local community, they don’t feel properly protected and respected by the police,” he said.
While police held their news conference Thursday, Abu Atelah’s family and supporters rallied outside. His mother, Dena Natour, told CBS Chicago that the officers’ actions amounted to “beating him to death.”
“He has fractures all over his face, he’s bruised, he’s in the hospital right now with a neck brace,” Natour said. “Why did the police, over 300 pounds, attack my son that’s only 115 pounds? Why did they do what they did? It’s not called for, it’s not necessary, and not acceptable.” | 2022-07-29T22:41:54Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Oak Lawn police beat Hadi Abu Atelah during arrest, videos show - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/police-punch-teen-video/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/police-punch-teen-video/ |
By Michael Birnbaum
Sarah Kaplan
An aerial view of a strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and a lagoon in Funafuti, Tuvalu. The low-lying South Pacific island nation of about 11,000 people has been classified as "extremely vulnerable" to climate change by the United Nations Development Program. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Even as Democrats work to deliver the biggest-ever U.S. climate investment in a new spending package, many officials and activists overseas described the deal as falling short of the nation’s obligation to help other countries and galvanize global action to avert dangerous warming.
The Inflation Reduction Act would be a major boost for climate-friendly efforts inside the United States — a shift of unprecedented proportions. But it would do little to support vulnerable nations around the world that have been pleading for years that wealthy nations help them prepare for a warming world. It also wouldn’t cut America’s carbon emissions as much as President Biden has promised.
More than one climate diplomat used the word “minimum” in describing the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate measures, which analysts predict would reduce U.S. emissions by about 40 percent by the end of the decade compared to 2005 levels. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that it would devote about $385 billion toward combating climate change and encouraging energy production.
“It’s a step forward,” said Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy for Climate Action Network International, a coalition of nonprofit groups that advocates for emissions reductions, clean energy policy and environmental justice. “But the international community would call it a baby step when we actually need a leap.”
Singh, who is based in New Delhi, pointed out that the United States is the world’s biggest historical emitter, responsible for more than 20 percent of all greenhouse gases generated since 1850. It is also the world’s biggest economy, which means it has more capacity than any other nation to make the investments needed to shift away from fossil fuels.
According to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, nations must roughly halve emissions by 2030 to have an even-shot at limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels — a threshold that scientists say would save millions of lives in vulnerable communities and avoid a dangerous escalation of climate disasters.
To meet this goal, the United States last year pledged to cut its planet-warming pollution to 52 percent below 2005 levels. Further executive action and state-level policies would be required to make up the shortfall between Biden’s pledge and what could be accomplished through legislation.
“This will surely help raise the U.S. credibility on the international stage and support its active international diplomacy,” said a senior European climate official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal assessments of the consequences of the deal. “If passed it could help with the politics at an important moment” ahead of a new round of climate negotiations in Egypt this fall.
“But you can’t get a major economy to net zero without regulation. And many would want to see more funding for international climate finance, where U.S. shortfalls have already taken the world off-course from the $100 billion goal,” the official said.
Nor does the legislation provide funding to assist vulnerable countries already struggling with extreme heat, persistent drought, rising sea levels and an onslaught of other climate impacts — despite multiple promises that the United States would do so.
In remarks Wednesday, Biden called the Inflation Reduction Act a “huge step forward” that would help the United States meet its global climate commitments — though he noted it falls short of the $555 billion package he had proposed ahead of the Glasgow climate talks last fall.
The United States has only delivered $1 billion of a $3 billion pledge to the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund made under former president Barack Obama. Last fall Biden pledged to quadruple that amount, to $11.4 billion, but Congress has yet to appropriate that additional money.
And although Biden sought about $11 billion for international climate finance in his most recent budget request, it’s not clear that Congress will allocate those funds.
“Comprehensive climate action means not only reducing emissions domestically but also providing technology and financial support so we as a global community are able to come out of the crisis,” Singh said. “No one is safe until everyone safe. That’s the kind of situation we are in.”
David Waskow, director of international climate action at the World Resources Institute, said there were some provisions that will give U.S. negotiators more leverage at U.N. climate talks in Egypt this fall as they urge other countries to bolster their own ambitions. He was especially heartened by the $1.5 billion Methane Emissions Reduction Program, which would incentivize oil and gas companies to curb their emissions of the potent planet-warming gas.
Last year, the United States helped lead a coalition of more than 100 countries promising to cut methane 30 percent by 2030. But analyses show that methane emissions in key fossil-fuel-producing areas, such as the Permian Basin, have soared in the months since that pledge.
This program, along with initiatives to curb pollution from agriculture, will add “real momentum” to efforts to stop emissions of a gas whose immediate climate warming power is 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, Waskow said.
Still, others argued the bill doesn’t do as much as it could.
Singh pointed to provisions in the climate deal that would promote continued investments in fossil fuels, such as a requirement that the federal government allow for more oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Energy Agency and other major research groups have said that the world cannot afford to develop new fossil fuel infrastructure to have a hope of meeting the 1.5 degree Celsius goal.
U.S. policy “sets the tone for the kind of transition we need to make,” Singh said. By promoting further oil and gas projects, “to me it’s still showing a halfhearted leadership on climate action.”
But some experts said they were just happy for a win.
“Progress on a U.S. climate package is welcome news," Conrod Hunte, a diplomat from Antigua & Barbuda and a lead negotiator for a group of small island states that work together on international climate policy, said in an email. He added that the group hopes to see the United States and "other major emitters demonstrate their leadership with urgent action in the climate space to reduce CO2 or decarbonize.”
Carlos Fuller, a longtime negotiator at global climate talks and Permanent Representative of Belize to the United Nations, said in a message to The Washington Post that it was “certainly a big step forward, especially after the disappointing Supreme Court ruling against the EPA.”
Fuller lamented that the bill “includes new oil drilling” but said the "support to the auto industry for e-mobility is great, as this will trickle down to those countries which import U.S. vehicles.”
“One could ask for more, one could always do more,” said Anders Levermann, a climate scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. But he said he thought it was a major step.
“The climate deal as it’s put out, as I’ve read it, it’s trying to induce structural change,” Levermann said. “If the U.S. goes toward carbon neutrality, then the rest of the world won’t be able to ignore that.”
And as the world looks at Biden’s declining polling numbers, many fear that whatever the United States does now could easily be unraveled if Republicans win the White House in 2024. Solar panels may not be uninstalled in that scenario, but a U.S. president who is hostile to international climate talks would be a major setback to the broader effort to get the world’s biggest polluters — including China and India — to agree to intensify their efforts to reduce their emissions.
“Getting a deal done in Washington is the minimum of what U.S. has to do,” said a different senior European diplomat involved in climate negotiations.
“I don’t expect champagne popping,” the diplomat said. “Maybe a sigh of relief that there will be some climate action in the U.S. for the next two years. But with another change of administration looming over the horizon, it’s hard to talk about restoring credibility.”
Brady Dennis contributed to this report. | 2022-07-29T22:50:36Z | www.washingtonpost.com | U.S. climate deal is a ‘baby step,’ but diplomats say world needs bigger action - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/international-activists-diplomats-react-climate-bill/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/29/international-activists-diplomats-react-climate-bill/ |
Contraband believed to be headed to state prisons is seized in Oklahoma
Items possibly meant for prison are seized
No arrests were announced, but Inspector General Ted Woodhead said charges are expected against “numerous individuals” at the end of what he said is an ongoing investigation into the contraband.
Fire damages well-known Philadelphia cheesesteak spot: A fast-moving fire damaged one of Philadelphia's best-known cheesesteak shops early Friday, but authorities said no injuries were reported. Dozens of firefighters and other emergency responders went to Jim's Steaks on South Street when the fire was reported around 9:30 a.m. Officials said all the employees were able to safely evacuate the structure. Jim's Steaks opened its original location in Philadelphia in 1939. The South Street location opened in 1976.
Six suffer burns in Mississippi explosion: Several workers suffered severe burns following a Friday morning explosion at a saltwater disposal site in Madison County in central Mississippi. At least six people sustained burns on at least 50 percent of their bodies, said Minor Norman, the Madison County fire coordinator. There were four storage tank facilities to hold products from oil wells. The workers were in the process of changing out two tanks with new fiberglass tanks when the older tank exploded, Norman said. The injured worked for W.S. Red Hancock, a welding and fabrication company. | 2022-07-29T22:50:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Contraband believed to be headed to state prisons is seized in Oklahoma - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2022/07/29/55df5de8-0a31-11ed-911b-f04803b1891b_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2022/07/29/55df5de8-0a31-11ed-911b-f04803b1891b_story.html |
His memoir, ‘DC Confidential,’ spilled insider stories of British leaders
Christopher Meyer outside 10 Downing Street in 1994. (Martin Cleaver/AP)
For the next 18 months, Mr. Meyer was in the thick of a transatlantic war council between Blair’s government and the Bush administration as Britain became the main U.S. partner in the post-9/11 invasion of Afghanistan and the buildup to the war in Iraq. Blair broke with many European leaders to support U.S.-led contentions — contradicting U.N. arms inspectors — that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction.
Britain in 2002 issued its own intelligence report reinforcing the Bush administration line that Iraq appeared to have biological and chemical weapons that could be deployed in as little as 45 minutes. The claims over Iraq’s weapons program were proven false after the invasion, which touched off years of warfare, civil conflict and regional instability that claimed at least 150,000 lives, according to groups monitoring war casualties.
Mr. Meyer underwent emergency heart surgery just before U.S.-led forces moved into Iraq in March 2003 and did not return as ambassador. He later cast himself as a skeptic of the claims about Iraq’s arsenal and said he privately advocated to slow the march to war. But the growing bonds between Blair and Bush proved to be a “great accelerator,” he told the Telegraph in 2003.
“My presence in Washington wouldn’t have made the blindest bit of difference,” he said. “In my experience of the first Gulf War and of Kosovo and the Afghanistan war, when war starts, diplomacy takes a back seat.”
After leaving the diplomatic corps soon after, he still had more to say. His 2005 book “DC Confidential” was full of name-dropping asides — about camping with former secretary of state Henry Kissinger and white-water rafting with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld — but was unsparing with some British officials. Blair, he wrote, was “seduced” by U.S. power, and many of Blair’s envoys were political “pygmies” who failed to impress American counterparts.
Between 2003 and 2009, he served as chairman of Britain’s Press Complaints Commission, which deals with complaints about media intrusions into private lives, including the royal family. He then hosted several TV series including “Mortgaged to the Yanks” in 2006, recounting U.S. postwar loans to Britain, and “Getting Our Way,” a 500-year history of British diplomacy based on his 2009 book of the same name. | 2022-07-29T22:51:26Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Christopher Meyer, British ambassador to U.S. during 9/11, dies at 78 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/07/29/meyer-britain-ambassador-dies/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/07/29/meyer-britain-ambassador-dies/ |
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sits during a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff/the New York Times via AP, Pool)
Few public figures have been as maligned and attacked as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. From his hostile, history-making confirmation hearings in 1991 to a recent petition to cancel him from George Washington University’s law faculty, he has been liberal Americans’ favorite target for most of his public life.
No wonder the man prefers to vacation in RV campgrounds than the Hamptons.
Thomas’s concurrence last month reversing Roe v. Wade was a surprise to no one. Unlike some of his conservative colleagues, Thomas has long been straightforward about his pro-life stance and his preference for overturning Roe. His day finally rolled around at a pivotal moment when the court’s conservative composition reached critical mass.
Nevertheless, his suggestion that the court also should revisit rulings on contraception and same-sex marriage has released a different level of hostility. At GWU, some 7,000 students petitioned the university to fire Thomas, who has taught a constitutional law seminar since 2011. A separate petition sponsored by MoveOn is demanding Thomas’s impeachment, citing not only his concurrence in the abortion case but also the alleged participation of his wife, Virginia Thomas, in the rally ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and her efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The petition thus far has 1.2 million signatures.
Maybe Thomas became unnerved by the onslaught, though he doesn’t appear to be an un-nervy kind of guy. He’s been there, done all that. As an African American growing up in the South, Thomas knows something about rejection. As a conservative, he also knows about being slandered and maligned for his point of view. A man of deep Catholic faith, who has transcended his anger-filled youth and early rebellion against the Church, he’s not easily bullied.
My guess, all things being equal, is that Thomas has far better things to do with his time than teach law to youngsters. At 74, he is the longest-serving of the nine justices, has spent 30 years on the bench, and earned the right to do only what he wants. Trust me, at a certain age, you begin to allot your time more carefully.
For what it’s worth, I couldn’t disagree more with Thomas on some matters. But as a reporter first, I’m always interested in what other people think, say and do. As my late father-in-law Bratton Davis used to say, “I already know what I know. But if I’m talking, I won’t know what you know.” (He was trying to nudge the grandchildren toward quietude, but his point is especially apt in the context of a university.)
Most public conservatives are familiar with the sort of censorship the GWU students tried to advance. Students at Elon University in North Carolina once tried to boycott me and petitioned the university to cancel my speech, citing a humorous but serious book I wrote about saving the males. The university president denied the petition, hired an armed guard to follow me around and, get this, asked me not to give the talk I was planning to give — on free speech. I’m happy to wing a speech, which I did, but I shouldn’t have backed down. They needed to hear that lecture.
I wish Thomas hadn’t backed down either. I’m just a columnist, but Thomas is a Supreme Court justice and the only Black conservative justice in U.S. history. His recusal from teaching is a loss for the university and for the students’ whose self-anointed betters have effectively denied those who wanted a chance to hear Thomas — and perhaps to challenge him. The self-righteousness of the close-minded is nothing short of bigotry.
Conservatism has acquired a bad rep in recent years, thanks to you-know-who and his minions — including, alas, Thomas’s betrothed.
But true conservatives eschew ideology and welcome all ideas in the secure knowledge that they will prevail through logic, reason and an unromantic view of human nature. Until they win the war against the ideologues in their own midst, America has much more to fear from the tyranny of the mob than it does from a Supreme Court justice talking about the U.S. Constitution to, hello, law students. | 2022-07-29T22:51:32Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Justice Thomas should have stayed and fought at GWU - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/clarence-thomas-gwu-cancel-mob/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/clarence-thomas-gwu-cancel-mob/ |
Joe Manchin shocks Republicans by revealing he is a Democrat
Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) on Capitol Hill on July 19. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
The news hit like a thunderclap this week. Joe Manchin is … a Democrat?
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) turned with fury on the centrist senator from West Virginia. “It was obviously a double-cross by Joe Manchin,” he declared on Fox News. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) alleged “bad faith.” Rep. Kevin Brady (Tex.), the top Republican on the Ways and Means committee, perceived “deceit.”
What terrible thing had Manchin done to deserve such howls of betrayal from Republicans? Well, it seems Manchin, the Republicans’ formerly favorite Democrat, had dared to act like a Democrat.
Manchin agreed with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on legislation lowering prescription drug prices and providing renewable energy incentives, paid for by cracking down on large, tax-dodging corporations. After two years of Manchin’s resistance to such a deal, Republicans had come to believe he would never agree (though he never said as much). So when he did, they lashed out with self-destructive rage.
Forty-one Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would help veterans who had been exposed to toxic burn pits — even though 25 of the 41 had previously supported a nearly identical bill. In the House, GOP leaders fought to defeat a bipartisan agreement helping U.S. semiconductor chip makers compete against China, getting all but 24 House Republicans to vote against the bill. Now, Senate Republicans are saying that because of pique over Manchin’s actions, a bipartisan effort to codify marriage equality might be doomed.
Democrats, by contrast, showed rare unity, with the party’s woke wing heaping praise on the Manchin-negotiated energy and prescription drug bill. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), head of the Progressive Caucus, called it a “very, very major step forward.”
The episode is a key reminder that the supposed “polarization” in American politics is not symmetrical. Democrats, after a long struggle, are finally making a bid to hold the political center. They’ve reached near universal agreement on a bill that pays down debt, makes medicine cheaper, eliminates unfair tax breaks for the biggest corporations and the richest one-tenth of 1 percent, and implements an all-of-the-above energy policy that streamlines drilling permits while accelerating the switch to clean energy. And Republicans responded by voting against veterans and U.S. manufacturing.
Manchin, no partisan, scolded Republicans for “basically holding the veterans hostage because they’re mad.” He added: “My Republicans friends … get wrapped up in thinking ‘Well, we’ve got to be against something because it might make the other side look good.’ ”
The West Virginia senator has been a huge irritant to his fellow Democrats (he says he’s been “ostracized” and “victimized”), but he is at core an old-school populist. Democrats were tempted to drum him out of the party over his refusal to abolish the filibuster, which stymied President Biden’s agenda. But there have been considerable benefits in maintaining some semblance of a big tent.
Manchin backed Democrats’ coronavirus relief bill, was a key figure in negotiating the bipartisan infrastructure bill, attempted (but failed) to win Republican support for a voting rights package, helped to enact bipartisan gun safety legislation, and is on the cusp of securing bipartisan passage of Electoral Count Act reform to avoid a recurrence of Jan. 6. And now he has shocked everybody with his support for the clean energy and prescription drug package.
Selling his agreement to his constituents in Trump country during an interview on Thursday with West Virginia’s MetroNews, Manchin struck a populist note worthy of Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) or Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Manchin called it “ridiculous” to say the bill is a tax hike. “There were some very, very large corporations that could basically take advantage of the tax code and pay nothing. I didn’t think that was fair, and I think most Americans don’t think that’s fair,” Manchin said. “They are paying for the ability to be in this country, with the defense we have, the protections we have, and the opportunities. And they don’t want to participate? I want them to come forward. Tell me who you are.”
Asked to respond to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s claim that the Manchin bill amounts to “giant tax hikes” that will “kill many thousands of American jobs,” Manchin replied: “That’s just a shame.” Manchin said he worked with Republicans in the past on similar energy bills, “and now you’ve got a chance to get it and you’re going to boo-hoo it?” The longtime broker of bipartisan deals said of Republicans: “This is a bill we would have worked on in a bipartisan effort if we could’ve, but they can’t.”
Or, more accurately, they won’t.
Manchin, no doubt, has given his fellow Democrats fits for two years. But in one sense, he is very much one of them: He still wants to get things done. In the current American political system, only one side is even trying. | 2022-07-29T22:51:44Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Manchin's support for drug and energy bill reminds GOP he's a Democrat - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/manchin-drug-energy-bill-still-democrat/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/manchin-drug-energy-bill-still-democrat/ |
Life sentence for Canadian man who joined ISIS, narrated propaganda videos
Mohammed Khalifa, 39, admitted to executing two Syrian soldiers on videos.
A still from an ISIS propaganda video that Mohammed Khalifa narrated and appears in, called Flames of War. Khalifa is shown in the black mask and camouflage uniform, just before he shoots the kneeling Syrian soldier, left, execution-style, in the back of the head. (U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia)
A Canadian man who was radicalized online and uprooted his life to join the Islamic State in Syria, rising to a top position in the terrorist group’s English-language propaganda arm, was sentenced Friday to life in prison.
Khalifa admitted that he appears in the final scenes of two documentary-length Islamic State videos — “Flames of War: Fighting Has Just Begun” and “Flames of War II: Until the Final Hour” — executing Syrian soldiers who had been forced to dig their own graves.
Canadian ISIS propagandist pleads guilty in U.S. federal court
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III described Khalifa as “the Pied Piper who played the tune,” enabling the Islamic State to reach English speakers in the United States and Europe with violent propaganda.
Federal prosecutors said it was effective. The Islamic State recruited 40,000 to 60,000 foreign fighters to Syria in the years it was waging war for control of parts of that country, they said, and Khalifa was an “instrumental” figure producing English-language content for videos, audio statements and an online magazine.
Ellis said Khalifa’s sentence “has to stand as a warning, as a beacon, to others.”
“Don’t become the recruiting tool for ISIS or any other terrorist organization,” the judge said.
Inside the surreal world of the Islamic State’s propaganda machine
Khalifa was born in Saudi Arabia, lived in Canada from a young age, earned a college degree in computer systems technology in Toronto, and then started watching online videos during the Arab Spring that eventually led him to Syria, particularly the lectures of the al-Qaeda organizer Anwar al-Awlaki, Khalifa stated in plea documents.
In a letter to the judge in January, Khalifa wrote that he had left behind a “comfortable home,” a “promising career” and marriage prospects in Canada because he was disquieted by the attacks on Syria’s Muslim population by the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad.
Prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia argued that Khalifa was aware of the Islamic State’s activities torturing, ransoming and executing humanitarian aid workers and journalists while he served in the militant group’s propaganda bureau.
Khalifa admitted he joined the Islamic State in 2013 and was captured in 2019 after a firefight with the Syrian Democratic Forces. He swore a fighting oath twice to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He sought and received a “fatwa,” or religious dispensation, to battle the U.S-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Abu Badran, Syria, after Islamic State leaders had issued an order to flee.
In online communications, Khalifa referred to journalists and humanitarian workers being targeted by the Islamic State as “disbelievers” with whom the militant group “had no covenant.” In a broadcast, Khalifa called the shooter behind the 2019 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Omar Mateen, “our brother” and noted that it was the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11. Khalifa referred to the victims at the gay nightclub as “filthy crusaders” and “sodomites,” prosecutors said.
“The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, employed media and propaganda masterfully as part of its campaign of terror during the 2013-2018 time period,” federal prosecutors said in a sentencing brief. Khalifa “served as one of the Islamic State’s most prolific propagandists during the terrorist organization’s surge” and “personally engaged in extreme acts of violence to further the goals of ISIS.”
Edward Ungvarsky, an attorney for Khalifa, had argued that a life sentence would be “grossly excessive.” He declined to comment after Ellis’s ruling.
The world forgot this Syrian prison. The Islamic State did not.
“Not only did he express regret over their conduct, he affirmatively created a ‘counter narrative’ set of videos in the hopes he could persuade others to turn away from ISIS in the future and not repeat the mistakes that he made,” Ungvarsky and Cary Citronberg, another attorney for Khalifa, wrote in a sentencing brief. They also had argued that Khalifa should get prison-time credit for the rough treatment he received while held captive by the SDF.
In a news release after the sentencing, prosecutors said the “Flames of War” videos in which Khalifa is both the voice-over narrator and an executioner on the footage “glamorized portrayals of ISIS and its fighters as well as scenes of violence.”
In a court filing, prosecutors said Khalifa did not go down without a fight.
“When he had the opportunity to surrender to the Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria in 2019, the defendant threw multiple grenades and fired his AK-47 at Syrian soldiers to continue his murderous campaign on behalf of ISIS,” prosecutors said.
In Abu Badran, Khalifa, “alone and armed with three grenades and an AK-47, threw a grenade on the roof of a house where SDF soldiers were standing,” according to prosecutors.
“The grenade detonated and the defendant ran into the house and attempted to go to the roof, but an SDF soldier was firing from the stairs,” according to prosecutors’ sentencing brief. “The defendant began firing at the SDF soldier and attempted to use all three of his grenades during the attack. The defendant fired most of his ammunition during the assault before his AK-47 jammed. The defendant was unable to clear his weapon. The defendant received shrapnel injuries to his left leg, right leg, left arm and other parts of his body during the firefight.”
He surrendered after his rifle jammed, prosecutors said. | 2022-07-29T22:59:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Mohammed Khalifa sentenced to life. He was the English-language narrator in Islamic State propaganda videos. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/khalifa-life-sentence-isis-propaganda/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/29/khalifa-life-sentence-isis-propaganda/ |
As a multi-instrumentalist and professor of music and Irish studies, he took Irish music from the pubs to packed concert halls and even the halls of academia
Mick Moloney performs in 2009. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Mick Moloney, an Irish American musicologist and multi-instrumentalist who was a driving force in playing, recording, producing and teaching Irish folk music at concerts and arts and dance festivals across the United States, died July 27 at his apartment in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. He was 77.
In 1999, he received “for his work in public folklore,” a National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, handed to him by first lady Hillary Clinton.
His love was of traditional Irish music, some of it going back 200 years or more, much of it never recorded or even written down. He drew a sharp contrast between that trove of historical sound and the modern image of Irish music that often emerges among the diaspora every St. Patrick’s Day with nostalgic songs such as “Danny Boy” and “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.”
In addition to highlighting songs about mass immigration to the United States after Ireland’s potato famine in the mid-19th century, he also sang and wrote about what he considered significant parallels between the Irish and African American communities in the United States, both forced out of their homelands by colonialist force or neglect.
One of Mr. Moloney’s colleagues at NYU, Michael Beckerman, chairman of the music department, recalled: “Once I was teaching a class on musical impressionism and was about to play some gossamer delicate Debussy. I had prepped the students to listen with the greatest subtlety. I put on the recording and suddenly there was a wild stomping on the ceiling. ... We thought it would come down. I went upstairs, and it was Mick’s Irish dancing demo ... and since it was impossible to teach underneath, my entire class came up and learned amazing things about Irish dancing.” | 2022-07-30T00:08:50Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Mick Moloney, champion of Irish music, dies at 77 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/07/29/mick-moloney-irish-music-dies/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/07/29/mick-moloney-irish-music-dies/ |
By Nick Parker
A person buys a Mega Millions lottery ticket at a store in Arlington, Va., on Friday. (Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images)
Tonight’s Mega Millions lottery drawing for an estimated $1.28 billion would be the second-largest jackpot for the lottery game — if there’s a winner.
Friday’s drawing has led to massive interest across the country after the grand prize passed $1 billion this week for the third time in the game’s 20-year history. The lump-sum payout for Friday’s jackpot would be $747.2 million, according to Mega Millions.
If nobody hits all six numbers for Friday’s drawing, the $1.28 billion prize will roll into a larger one that could approach a record and be drawn Tuesday night.
“We are thrilled with the opportunity Mega Millions provides to retailers, players and good causes throughout the country,” Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, who leads the Mega Millions consortium, said in a Friday news release. “The Mega Millions group, and indeed much of the country, look with anticipation for tonight’s drawing.”
The Mega Millions numbers will be drawn at 11 p.m. Eastern time. The numbers are usually read on Tuesday and Friday nights in Atlanta by John Crow, host of the Georgia Lottery, in a segment that lasts around 45 seconds.
Where can I watch the Mega Millions drawing?
The live drawing can be viewed on news stations across the country; New York’s WABC and Philadelphia’s WTXF will be live-streaming the drawing. Viewing the drawing depends on the television provider, but the website Lottery Universe lists a few channels where the event can be watched live. Mega Millions also posts video of the drawing to its YouTube page, but not until after the drawing is complete.
How is the Mega Millions jackpot at $1.28 billion?
The near-record amount is because 29 consecutive draws have come and gone without a winner matching all six numbers. The last winner came from a ticket sold in Tennessee during the April 15 drawing, which featured a jackpot of $20 million.
What’s the largest Mega Millions drawing ever?
This week’s jackpot surpassed last year’s $1.05 billion Mega Millions prize, which was won by a single ticket shared by four members of a suburban Detroit lottery club. Like the South Carolina player, the Michigan group has also remained anonymous.
How have past lottery winners spent the money?
Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The tickets cost $2 each and can be bought before the 11 p.m. drawing. The individual state lotteries listed on the Mega Millions website show prospective players where they can purchase their tickets.
How likely is it to win Mega Millions?
The odds of winning Mega Millions are roughly 1 in 303 million, so don’t make plans to quit your day job just yet.
Bonnie Berkowitz and Shelly Tan contributed to this report. | 2022-07-30T00:21:54Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Mega Millions drawing could award $1.28 billion to winner Friday night - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/mega-millions-billion-drawing-winner/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/mega-millions-billion-drawing-winner/ |
Top pick Elijah Green flashes power at Nats Park: ‘I can do everything’
Elijah Green, 18, took batting practice with his future teammates during his Washington introduction Friday. Green, the team's first-round draft pick (No. 5 overall), put a few balls into the seats at Nationals Park (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
When the Washington Nationals take batting practice, there are typically four hitters in the final group. But there was an extra player taking swings in the last round Friday: Elijah Green, the Nationals’ 2022 first-round pick. Green, 18, spent the afternoon with the Nationals after being selected fifth overall July 17.
“Just meeting all the guys, future teammates, it’s just a great experience,” Green said. “It’s really surreal, hitting [batting practice] with all of them, just talking to them, picking their brains.”
The Nationals are experiencing the expected growing pains in the first year of their rebuild, but progress from their young players, coupled with nailing their draft picks, could accelerate the process. Green, an outfielder from the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., was the Nationals’ highest selection since they took Bryce Harper first overall in 2010. A year ago, the Nationals drafted Brady House, a high school shortstop from Georgia, with the No. 11 pick. Green said he knew House before he was drafted and the two have talked recently.
With Washington heading into what’s expected to be a second straight sell-off by Tuesday’s trade deadline, it’s possible many of the teammates Green hit with Friday will be gone by the time he makes it to the majors. But Green and House hold the promise of Washington’s next wave of talent.
In the majors, Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray and Luis García have already shown signs of progress. Behind them, prospects such as Cade Cavalli, Cole Henry and Jackson Rutledge are knocking.
Green, a University of Miami commit, reportedly signed for a $6.5 million, slightly above the slot value for the No. 5 pick ($6,497,700). As of Friday afternoon, the Nationals had agreed to terms with 19 of their 20 selections. JeanPierre Ortiz, a shortstop from IMG Academy who has committed to Florida International University, is the only member of the draft class who hasn’t signed; the deadline to sign draft choices is Monday.
Green said New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has reached out to him since the draft, inviting him to his house and offering congratulations. The two share the same agent.
Green will head to West Palm Beach, Fla., to begin his professional career Monday; he said he hopes to be in the major leagues in two to three years. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Green looked the part as he walked around the clubhouse and field Friday; Manager Dave Martinez joked he weighed 145 pounds when he was drafted.
After the first day of the draft, Kris Kline, the Nationals’ assistant general manager for amateur scouting, said Green had a chance to be a middle-of-the-order run producer, the type of hitter around which lineups are built.
“I feel like I can change the game with one swing,” Green said Friday. “I can do everything. A leader on the field, can change the game in every aspect of the game.”
Analysis | The Trea Turner trade made the Nats’ future clear. So would a Juan Soto trade.
It’s uncertain just where in the outfield is the best fit for him. Kline said he has a chance to stay in center field, where he has played for most of his career, because of his speed and quick first step. But Kline said he could also end up in a corner outfield position down the road.
On Friday, Green had a locker next to pitcher Joe Ross’s in the clubhouse. Juan Soto was one of the first players to introduce himself to Green, who called it a “crazy experience” after watching Soto on television for years. Then, Green changed into his warmups and met Martinez in his office. The two talked for a bit before he walked out to the field with Josh Bell. Later, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Earlier in the day, Green stepped up to the plate for his first round of batting practice with many from the organization watching, including Bell and Ross near the first base line. On his third swing, he laced a ball into the red seats in left-center field. A few pitches later, he hit an opposite field shot into the seats above the out-of-town scoreboard in right.
Green’s parents and sister stood nearby. His dad, former NFL tight end Eric Green, filmed home plate to get every swing. His sister filmed the scoreboard that flashed his exit velocity, launch angle and distance.
On his final swing, he got his bat head out in front and turned on a pitch. As soon as the ball connected with the bat, his dad yelled ‘Bye-bye!” as he watched the ball sail 10 rows up into the left field seats. It traveled 413 feet with an exit velocity of 111 mph.
Green nonchalantly walked out of the cage as batting practice ended, his dad in his ear from a distance yelling: “Yeah, my boy! Yeah, my boy!”
“It’s a lot of fun to get him here and let him hit some balls in the stadium,” Martinez said. “Get him motivated to go down there and knock the door down and get back here as soon as possible.” | 2022-07-30T01:09:46Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Top pick Elijah Green flashes power at Nats Park: ‘I can do everything’ - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/top-pick-elijah-green-flashes-power-nats-park-i-can-do-everything/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/29/top-pick-elijah-green-flashes-power-nats-park-i-can-do-everything/ |
He led Yale’s medical school, oversaw research at a pharmaceutical company and defended abortion rights. Late in his career, he revealed a lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder.
Physician and geneticist Leon E. Rosenberg taught at Princeton University in the last two decades of his career. (Denise Applewhite/Princeton University)
Leon E. Rosenberg, a renowned physician and geneticist who served as dean of the Yale School of Medicine, oversaw research at the pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb and later chronicled his lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder, writing about the condition in an effort to destigmatize mental illness, died July 22 at his home in Lawrenceville, N.J. He was 89.
The cause was pneumonia, said his wife, Diane Drobnis Rosenberg. He had squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer.
When Dr. Rosenberg decided to specialize in human genetics in the early 1960s, motivated by his detective-like experience diagnosing rare hereditary disorders in children, the field scarcely existed. It was generally considered niche, a minor part of medicine — hardly worth pursuing for an ambitious young physician-scientist.
“Medical genetics? There is no such field!” a Yale University nephrologist told him.
Yet Dr. Rosenberg went on to become a leading figure in what is now a sprawling field of study, conducting influential research on metabolic disorders and training generations of scientists. In a five-decade teaching career, he started out at Yale, took a detour into the pharmaceutical industry and spent nearly 20 years at Princeton University, teaching undergraduates and then reshaping the high school science curriculum at Princeton Day School before retiring in 2018.
“He really was a visionary who recognized much, much, much earlier than almost everyone else that genetics — and now genomics — would play a role in medicine that would stand on its own,” said his former PhD student Huntington F. Willard, a geneticist and chief scientific officer at Genome Medical. “Almost everything has at least some connection to genetics and genomics, and he saw that human genetics couldn’t be tucked under some other wing. It deserved to be by itself.”
Shuffling between the hospital and the laboratory, Dr. Rosenberg treated patients like Robby, a comatose 8-month-old boy. In the late ’60s, he diagnosed Robby with methylmalonic acidemia, or MMA — in which the body struggles to break down certain fats and proteins — and developed a new way to manage the disorder through supplements of vitamin B12. He continued to invoke Robby’s name for decades, telling students the story of his former patient while declaring that clinical care and scientific research were inextricably linked.
“He was an extraordinary teacher,” said Harold T. Shapiro, a Princeton economist and former university president who helped recruit Dr. Rosenberg to the school. “He was untiring,” Shapiro added, “in his willingness to speak to students at length” about careers in medicine.
Even as he maintained a busy schedule, Dr. Rosenberg suffered periods of major depression, which he revealed in a 2002 essay, “Brainsick,” that was published in the magazine Cerebrum and excerpted by the Baltimore Sun. Even counting some 300 scientific papers, it was perhaps the most important thing he ever published, he said.
As Dr. Rosenberg revealed in the essay and in a self-published memoir, “Genes, Medicine, Moods,” he attempted to treat his depression with Prozac before attempting suicide in 1998, around the time he began teaching at Princeton.
Taken to the hospital by his wife and one of his daughters, he was examined by one of his former Yale students, a physician. “No one will believe that you, of all people, would try to take your own life,” the doctor told him.
Dr. Rosenberg was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and said he came to understand that he was “brainsick” when he tried to kill himself.
“I view my suicide attempt as the end result of mental illness in the same way I view a heart attack as the end result of coronary artery disease,” he wrote. “Both are potentially lethal, both have known risk factors, both are major public health problems, both are treatable and preventable, and both generate fear and grief. But the shame associated with them differs greatly. Heart attack victims are consoled (‘Isn’t that a pity?’); suicide victims are cursed (‘How could he?’).”
Treated with electroconvulsive therapy and put on a low dose of lithium, he said he no longer experienced depression and found his professional productivity undiminished. With encouragement from his psychiatrist, his colleagues and his wife, he began speaking openly about his diagnosis — feeling, as his wife put it in a phone interview, “that mental illness was being swept under the rug.”
At times, he presented his case history to his students, bringing some of them to tears as he discussed his suicide attempt and bipolar disorder.
“It makes no sense to allow stigma, whose underlying premise is that people with mental illness are weak, to cow affected people into being unwilling to be diagnosed,” he wrote in the essay. “It is time that I and other physicians say so.”
The second of three sons, Leon Emanuel Rosenberg was born in Madison, Wis., on March 3, 1933, and grew up in the nearby town of Waunakee. His parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants; his father ran a general store, and his mother was a homemaker.
“He told me that his mother had a deformed thumb — she’d been in an accident,” his wife said. “All his childhood, he wanted to be a surgeon so he could fix it.”
Dr. Rosenberg graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin in 1954 and received his medical degree from the university in 1957, completing his internship at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. He worked for six years at the National Cancer Institute, where he began treating children with rare genetic disorders, before joining the Yale faculty in 1965.
By 1972, he had become the founding chairman of the school’s human genetics department. He later served as president of the American Society of Human Genetics and, in 1981, made headlines when he defended abortion rights at a Senate subcommittee hearing.
Invited to testify about an antiabortion bill with seven other doctors, Dr. Rosenberg was the only physician to condemn the proposed legislation, according to a New York Times report. In a rebuke to his colleagues, he said there was no scientific evidence that human life starts at conception and insisted that scientists who claimed otherwise had fallen prey to “personal biases.”
“Don’t ask science and medicine to help justify” a ban on abortion, he told the committee, “because they cannot. Ask your conscience, your minister, your priest, your rabbi, or even your God, because it is in their domain that this matter resides.” The bill died before it reached the Senate floor.
Beginning in 1984, Dr. Rosenberg served as dean of Yale’s medical school, leading an institution of more than 900 full-time faculty members while raising money, recruiting professors and launching a new Office of Minority Affairs, part of his effort to support and bolster the number of non-White students and faculty at the school. He left after seven years to become the chief scientific officer at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
The job offered him a chance to help develop new medical treatments and foster links between academia and the pharmaceutical industry. But he “found the culture of business not nearly as comfortable as that in academia,” he recalled in an autobiographical essay, “and barely managed to make it to mandatory retirement at age 65.” He was soon hired at Princeton as a senior molecular biologist and professor.
Dr. Rosenberg’s honors included the Kober Medal from the Association of American Physicians.
His marriage to Elaine Lewis ended in divorce. In 1979, he married Diane Drobnis, an editor for medical journals and textbooks, with whom he wrote a textbook of his own, “Human Genes and Genomes.”
In addition to his wife, of Lawrenceville, survivors include three children from his first marriage, Robert Rosenberg of Reading, Pa., Diana Clark of North Clarendon, Vt., and David Korish of San José, Costa Rica; a daughter from his second marriage, Alexa Rosenberg of Washington; a brother; six grandchildren; and a great-grandson.
Delivering a speech to the American Society of Human Genetics after he was elected the group’s president, Dr. Rosenberg addressed his “weary, wary and worried” colleagues, offering a bit of career and life advice:
“When your experiments don’t work, or your grant deadline is approaching, or your patients appear ungrateful, don’t unburden yourself to [your young colleagues]. Lock yourself in the closet, jog, complain to your spouse, have a beer, but don’t frighten the kids. They might just take you seriously. If you must tell it like it is, please be sure to give equal time to the privileges and pleasures of academic life, to the dazzling sense of well-being that follows a scientific discovery, and to the excitement that each of us knows lies beyond our current horizons.” | 2022-07-30T01:53:18Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Leon Rosenberg, trailblazing human geneticist, dies at 89 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/07/29/human-geneticist-leon-rosenberg-dead/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/07/29/human-geneticist-leon-rosenberg-dead/ |
Poor, minority communities more likely to have bad roads, study finds
The findings highlight another challenge as the Biden administration seeks to create a more equitable transportation system
A pothole along a street in Washington. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)
Poor communities, urban areas and those that are home to few White residents are more likely to have potholed, cracked and rutted roads, according to a new analysis of 220,000 miles of heavily traveled streets and highways across the country.
The study, released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office, examined the conditions of road surfaces across the country and found the disparities are evident even after accounting for traffic volume and weather patterns.
The findings point to another inequality in the nation’s transportation network at a time when the Biden administration says it is trying to use money from the $1 trillion infrastructure law to build a fairer system. Federal officials have set aside money to dismantle highways built through Black communities in the 20th century, but the study shows some communities lack even basic investments that would bring smooth, paved roads.
Federal officials classify roads as being in good, fair or poor condition. Researchers found that in otherwise similar places, there was a 7 percent chance of a road in an urban neighborhood with almost no White residents being in good condition. In a nearly all-White urban neighborhood, that figure was 22 percent.
Traffic deaths increased during the pandemic. The toll fell more heavily on Black residents, report shows.
Kyle Shelton, director of the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota, said he wasn’t surprised by the results, adding that efforts to measure inequities in the transportation system are relatively new. He called the report a “steppingstone” that should spur additional research.
“This is the type of baseline study that needs to be done to say, ‘here’s where some of the issue areas are,’” he said. “The takeaway there is, ‘yep, there’s probably an equity issue.’”
Shelton said the results likely reflect a long-standing tension between building roads to support fast-growing suburbs and maintaining existing streets, as well as the lower level of access poorer communities have to political power.
Federal transportation funding is typically passed to state transportation agencies, which decide where to spend the money. Urban leaders have complained that those agencies tend to favor the needs of suburban commuters, who often are richer and Whiter than many city dwellers.
GAO researchers found the Federal Highway Administration does not routinely track differing road conditions within states or use its data to identify disparities linked to race and income. The watchdog office urged the agency to conduct its own analysis and develop strategies for ensuring more equitable investments in highways.
“Because FHWA has generally not analyzed pavement condition within states, such as at the local level, it lacks awareness of pavement issues that could pose risks to its strategic goals, such as concentrations of poor pavement condition within a state or differences that disproportionately affect underserved communities,” the researchers wrote.
The Transportation Department, which oversees the FHWA, said it partially agreed with the recommendations, adding that it planned to look at where federal road funding is spent.
“Using those results, the FHWA will identify potential strategies to help states mitigate investment decision-making processes that may potentially lead to inequitable outcomes,” the department wrote in a response to the GAO. The agency declined to comment further.
Under federal rules, ‘significant progress’ on infrastructure can mean more road deaths and decrepit bridges
The highway administration requires state transportation departments to set statewide targets for road conditions, but the analysis sought to demonstrate the differing conditions within states. The GAO analyzed the condition of roads on what is called the National Highway System, a 220,000-mile network that includes interstates and smaller roads, and accounts for more than half of the miles traveled by vehicle nationwide.
Researchers studied the road system in a handful of ways.
They broke the country into 8-mile-by-8-mile squares, identifying where more than 10 percent of major roads are in poor condition — well above the national average of 2.4 percent. That analysis identified clusters of bad roads in parts of California, Louisiana, New Jersey and Michigan, among other states.
Researchers then compared data on road conditions — typically looking at how rough the surface is — while factoring in demographic information to identify racial and income disparities. In the Whitest census tracts, 1.3 percent of roads were in poor condition, compared to 3.7 percent in areas with the smallest shares of White residents.
While the study didn’t examine local streets, Shelton said he would expect similar patterns to hold. He said more research is needed to build a picture of the nation’s entire road network.
“This is a new assignment for a lot of agencies, and I think what we’re witnessing across the board is this challenge of we don’t have a baseline understanding,” he said.
The GAO report builds on other research that has found Black, Latino and Native American people are more likely to be killed in crashes, and that streets in neighborhoods home to high proportions of minority residents tend to be more dangerous. The Transportation Department has also identified longer commutes for people who don’t own cars and a higher burden of transportation costs on poorer families.
The department this year shared a plan to create a more equitable transportation system and has been including racial equity criteria as a consideration in its major grant programs.
The agency opened applications in July for funding from a new Reconnecting Communities pilot program, which will provide $1 billion to communities seeking to undo harm caused by highway construction. The money can be used to study removing highways or to find ways to reestablish links between neighborhoods with bridges or caps that cover sections of highway. | 2022-07-30T01:53:55Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Poor, minority communities more likely to have bad roads, study finds - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/07/29/road-conditions-poor-neighborhoods/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/07/29/road-conditions-poor-neighborhoods/ |
West Virginia legislature inches closer to near-total abortion ban with narrow exceptions
Abortion rights protesters chant outside the West Virginia Senate chambers in Charleston before a vote on an abortion bill on July 29. (John Raby/AP)
West Virginia’s GOP-controlled Senate passed a strict abortion ban with very few exceptions Friday during a hastily convened special session — putting the state on the verge of approving what could be the first new abortion law since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.
The state’s House of Delegates refused to concur with the Senate’s amendments to the bill and called for a conference committee to resolve the differences between the two chambers late Friday evening.
The legislation has moved swiftly through both chambers of the state legislature in the days since Gov. Jim Justice (R) issued a proclamation Monday asking legislators to “clarify and modernize” the state’s abortion laws at their session.
“As I have said many times, I very proudly stand for life and I believe that every human life is a miracle worth protecting,” Justice said at the time.
The proposed law would bar nearly all abortions, with narrow exceptions, including for pregnant people who face life-threatening complications, and for victims of rape or incest, so long as they report their assault.
Democrats in the Senate slammed the GOP for pushing the bill forward so quickly, calling the special session a “slow-moving train wreck.”
West Virginia isn’t the only state where lawmakers are rushing to enact new abortion regulations in legislative sessions this summer. Legislators in South Carolina and Indiana are also considering abortion bans.
Ahead of Friday’s vote, West Virginia Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin (D) complained that he and other Democrats had still not seen the final version of the bill, heard expert testimony or deliberated before being expected to weigh in.
“We believe [it] to be a radical and unreasonable bill for the state of West Virginia that is out of alignment with West Virginia values,” Baldwin said. “This bill would put doctors in jail for doing their job and trying to follow their oath.”
The state’s governor added abortion to the list of topics lawmakers could consider during the summer session Monday morning. Within hours, House delegates had drafted a restrictive law that had a first reading on the House floor that same day. A second reading took place on Tuesday. On Wednesday, public commenters were granted 45 seconds each to share their thoughts on the proposed law.
Some voiced deeply held religious beliefs and expressed support for the additional restrictions on abortions. A few religious leaders said they did not believe that faith should be the foundation of a state law and said they opposed the bill. Several women shared their personal experiences with abortion. One 12-year-old girl made an impassioned appeal to lawmakers to consider what her life would be like if she became pregnant at her young age after a sexual assault.
“If a man decides that I’m an object and does unspeakable and tragic things to me, am I, a child, supposed to birth and carry another child?” she asked. “Some here say they are pro-life. What about my life? Does my life not matter to you?”
Some state lawmakers have countered that they believe a pregnancy should not be ended in instances of rape or incest because, in their eyes, an unborn child is being killed for the crimes of the father.
Ultimately, the delegates narrowly voted to add an exception in instances of rape or incest to the abortion ban. By the end of the day Wednesday, the House of Delegates held a third and final reading and voted 69 to 23 to pass the bill.
Reproductive rights advocates say legislators did not consider public input or give the bill the proper vetting it deserves.
“This entire process and the bill itself have been crafted incredibly recklessly, without any meaningful input from the public,” said Alisa Clements, the West Virginia director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.
The Senate decided to fast-track the legislation, too, bypassing committee hearings so that a vote could take place on Friday afternoon.
Republicans offered multiple amendments, including one that removed criminal penalties for physicians from the bill.
Democrats proposed an amendment to loosen requirements for victims of rape and incest to qualify for an exemption to the ban on Friday, arguing they should also be allowed to approach teachers, coaches, social workers and others in a position of authority instead of only law enforcement officials. Some Republicans supported that change, but others said it would open a door for people to make false allegations to terminate a pregnancy.
“If somebody is willing to go in and kill their baby, they’re willing to go in and lie to get it done,” state Sen. Eric Tarr (R) said.
Enough Republicans joined Democrats to pass the amendment allowing minors to report a sexual assault to someone other than a police officer.
Both chambers of the state legislature must agree on a version of the bill and pass it before the proposed ban can land on the governor’s desk. | 2022-07-30T03:24:40Z | www.washingtonpost.com | West Virginia legislature inches closer to near-total abortion ban with narrow exceptions - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/west-virginia-legislature-inches-closer-near-total-abortion-ban-with-narrow-exceptions/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/29/west-virginia-legislature-inches-closer-near-total-abortion-ban-with-narrow-exceptions/ |
Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) talks on the phone as he heads to a meeting with members of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 21. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
The latest revelation comes as Democratic lawmakers have accused Cuffari’s office of failing to aggressively investigate the agency’s actions in response to the violent attack on the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.
Cuffari wrote a letter to the House and Senate Homeland Security committees this month saying the Secret Service’s text messages from the time of the attack had been “erased.” But he did not immediately disclose that his office first discovered that deletion in December and failed to alert lawmakers or examine the phones. Nor did he alert Congress that other text messages were missing, including those of the two top Trump appointees running the Department of Homeland Security during the final days of the administration.
Late Friday night, Cuffari’s spokesman issued a statement declining to comment on the new discovery.
“To preserve the integrity of our work and consistent with U.S. Attorney General guidelines, DHS OIG does not confirm the existence of or otherwise comment about ongoing reviews or criminal investigations, nor do we discuss our communications with Congress,” the statement read.
Cuffari, a former adviser to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R), has been in his post since July 2019 after being nominated by Trump.
DHS spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa said the agency is cooperating with investigators and “looking into every avenue to recover text messages and other materials for the Jan. 6 investigations.”
After discovering that some of the text messages the watchdog sought had been deleted, the Federal Protective Service, a DHS agency that guards federal buildings, offered their phones to the inspector general’s investigators, saying they lacked the resources to recover lost texts and other records on their own, according to three people familiar with the plan who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive investigation.
A senior forensics analyst in the inspector general’s office took steps to collect the Federal Protective Service phones, the people said. But late on the night of Friday, Feb. 18, one of several deputies who report to Cuffari’s management team wrote an email to investigators instructing them not to take the phones and not to seek any data from them, according to a copy of an internal record that was shared with The Post.
Staff investigators also drafted a letter in late January and early February to all DHS agencies offering to help recover any text messages or other data that might have been lost. But Cuffari’s management team later changed that draft to say that if agencies could not retrieve phone messages for the Jan. 6 period, they “should provide a detailed list of unavailable data and the reason the information is unavailable,” the three people said.
Cuffari also learned in late February that text messages for the top two officials at DHS under the Trump administration on the day of the attack were missing, lost in a “reset” of their government phones when they left their jobs in January 2021, according to an internal record obtained by the Project on Government Oversight. But Cuffari did not press the department’s leadership to explain why they did not preserve these records, nor try to recover them, according to the four people briefed on the watchdog’s actions. Cuffari also did not alert Congress to the missing records.
Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the House Homeland Security Committee and the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), chair of the committee that oversees inspectors general, said in a letter to Cuffari on Tuesday that they “do not have confidence” that he can conduct the investigation.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement Friday calling the missing messages “an extremely serious matter” and said he would ask the Justice Department to intervene.
“Inspector General Cuffari’s failure to take immediate action upon learning that these text messages had been deleted makes clear that he should no longer be entrusted with this investigation,” Durbin said in a statement. “That’s why I’m sending a letter today to Attorney General Garland asking him to step in and get to the bottom of what happened to these text messages and hold accountable those who are responsible.”
Cuffari opened a criminal investigation into the Secret Service’s missing text messages this month, one of dozens of inquiries his office does as part of its work overseeing the Department of Homeland Security, the nation’s third-largest agency. Many, including Democrats in Congress, viewed the timing and motive for the inquiry with suspicion, as Cuffari had not pushed to probe the fact that the records were deleted when he first learned of it months earlier. DHS encompasses agencies such as the Secret Service, the Federal Protective Service and immigration and border protection.
A former senior executive at the inspector general’s office who left the agency this year said Cuffari’s office instructed the executive to call the agency’s top forensic expert on a Saturday early this year to tell him to “stand down” on pursuing the forensics work for the Secret Service’s phones.
“That was done at the direction of the inspector general’s front office,” the former senior executive said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are no longer at the office.
Cuffari’s office has continued to issue reports and, on the day the lawmakers called for him to step aside, tweeted about awards that they had won for inspections. The awards are from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, an independent executive agency that supports inspectors general.
The Secret Service denied maliciously erasing text messages and said the deletions were part of a preplanned “system migration” of its phones. They said none of the texts Cuffari’s office sought had disappeared.
But Cuccinelli and Wolf both said they turned in their phones, as Wolf put it in a tweet, “fully loaded,” and said it was up to DHS to preserve their messages.
Cuccinelli, also on Twitter, said he handed in his phone before departing DHS and suggested that the agency “erased” his phone after he left. | 2022-07-30T03:24:41Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Homeland Security watchdog halted plan to recover Secret Service texts - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/07/29/homeland-inspector-general-texts/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/07/29/homeland-inspector-general-texts/ |
Edward Feiner, first chief architect for the U.S. government, dies at 75
During nearly a quarter-century with the General Services Administration, he brought style and prestige to the once shabby design of federal office buildings
Edward A. Feiner in Washington in 2019. (Perkins and Will)
Edward A. Feiner, who brought style and prestige to the once shabby design of federal office buildings, overseeing the construction and renovation of agency headquarters, border stations and courthouses across the country as chief architect of the U.S. government, died July 1 at a nursing home in Falls Church, Va. He was 75.
The cause was brain cancer, said his wife, Frances Feiner.
Mr. Feiner was regarded as an institution at the General Services Administration, the agency tasked with managing the sprawling federal real estate portfolio and where he worked for nearly a quarter-century. He served as chief architect from 1996 until his retirement in 2005.
With his crew cut and cowboy boots, he stood out among button-down bureaucrats and mod architects alike. By the end of his career, Mr. Feiner had earned the respect if not reverence of both with his leadership of one of the most expansive public construction projects since the New Deal.
“He championed the idea that federal buildings could and should have excellent designs that stem from our best talent and our highest ideals as a democracy,” General Services Administrator Robin Carnahan said in a statement after Mr. Feiner’s death. “His legacy is nothing less than a bolstered relationship between the American people and their government.”
The federal government had long cultivated a proud architectural tradition, from the Roman and Greek styles favored at the founding of the American democracy to the Art Deco flourishes used in many projects of the Works Progress Administration during the Depression. But by the 1960s and 1970s, such ambitions had dimmed considerably, and the typical government building became bland and utilitarian, the stylistic equivalent of a cardboard box.
Mr. Feiner, who saw that trend as a manifestation of the “mistrust” of government that festered among many Americans during the Vietnam War and Watergate era, sought to restore the design of federal office buildings to a place of pride.
Whether the space was a courtroom or a post office, he told Esquire magazine in 2003, “we want people to feel welcome, to have a degree of esteem for themselves and for their government.”
Mr. Feiner oversaw the creation of a program known as Design Excellence, founded on the ideals of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the future U.S. senator from New York who, as an aide in the Kennedy administration in 1962, formulated a list of “Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture.” One of them held that “design must flow from the architectural profession to the government, and not vice versa.”
Mr. Feiner overhauled the selection of federal building designs, eliminating the copious red tape that had skewed the process in favor of established firms with entire departments trained in navigating the bureaucratic morass.
Also in deference to Moynihan’s principles — Moynihan had declared that “the advice of distinguished architects ought to, as a rule, be sought prior to the award of important design contracts” — Mr. Feiner enlisted the advice of teams of architects in the awarding of contracts.
His tenure at GSA followed a period of austerity during the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and coincided with a $10 billion program for the renovation and construction of government facilities.
He led a facelift of federal offices and border stations. (Of the entry points he told the Wall Street Journal, “You should look forward to something that’s decent rather than going through what looks like a men’s room.”) But he became best known for his role in the construction of more than 150 courthouses to better accommodate the burgeoning federal judiciary and docket. Courthouses had become so overcrowded that proceedings were being conducted in spaces more suited for budgetary meetings of middle management.
“If we’re not willing to portray our government institutions as dignified and stable,” Mr. Feiner told The Washington Post in 1998, “what sort of services can we expect from them?”
Mr. Feiner worked alongside U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock and federal appeals court judge Stephen G. Breyer (later elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court), both of whom insisted that the design of federal courthouses befit the lofty functions carried out inside them.
The most noted courthouses built under the guidelines Mr. Feiner established included the waterfront John Joseph Moakley courthouse in Boston designed by Henry N. Cobb and Ian Bader of Pei Cobb Freed; the gleaming white Alfonse M. D’Amato courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y., designed by Richard Meier; and the glistening Wayne Lyman Morse courthouse in Eugene, Ore., designed by Thom Mayne.
Mr. Feiner had to contend with cost overruns and complaints from lawmakers including U.S. Sen. John S. McCain (R-Ariz.), who decried the Boston courthouse, with its six-story atrium, as a “Taj Mahal” and an “absolutely obscene waste of taxpayers’ dollars.”
Mr. Feiner took the position that a decade down the line, the expense would be barely noticeable. What would be noticeable, he insisted, was the courthouse.
In 2004, New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff wrote that some of the projects created under Mr. Feiner’s leadership “rank among the great examples of American civic architecture — as important, in our day, as the neo-Classical monuments of a century ago.”
Edward Alan Feiner was born in Manhattan on Oct. 16, 1946, and grew up in the Bronx. His father manufactured metal garbage cans, and his mother was a homemaker.
After graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School, Mr. Feiner enrolled at Cooper Union in New York, where he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1969. Two years later, he received a master’s degree, also in architecture, from Catholic University in Washington.
He spent most of his early career working for the Navy, designing missile bases, hospitals and other facilities, before joining GSA in 1981. He was the first person at the agency to hold the rank of chief architect.
After his government retirement, he joined the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and later Perkins & Will.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, the former Frances Freeman of Arlington, Va.; two children, Lance Feiner of Arlington and Melissa Rockholt of Leesburg, Va.; and three grandchildren.
In a world where most objects in life, from coffee cups to smartphones, seem disposable or replaceable, Mr. Feiner found satisfaction and meaning in the permanence of his work.
“Commercial buildings come and go,” he once told the publication Fast Company. “But it is our public buildings that will be here long after we’re gone.”
He liked to think, he said, that “there’s a little bit of me” in each of them. | 2022-07-30T03:24:48Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Edward Feiner, first chief architect for the U.S. government, dies at 75 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/07/29/edward-feiner-federal-buildings-architect/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/07/29/edward-feiner-federal-buildings-architect/ |
Dear Carolyn: My husband grew up with all four grandparents living within 10 miles of his family. He never had a babysitter: A nana or papa would just pop over if his parents needed a break. (His mom was a stay-at-home mom.)
It sounds lovely, but it’s different from my childhood — I had two working parents and only one living grandparent 300 miles away — and it’s different from our own circumstances. Our first baby is due in four months, and we’re several states away from our families.
Husband is convinced that our situation is impossible, irresponsible, cruel to the child, will result in our divorce and misery, etc. He wants to move “closer to family” but cannot articulate exactly how that would help: His folks are in their 80s and mine still work full time. Furthermore, we work in industries that don’t exist in either of our hometowns. There are no jobs for us there.
I know we might not have the village he did growing up, but I think I turned out okay without that. I’m frustrated by him deciding we’ve failed before we’ve even tried, and by his implication that his childhood was the only right way.
I guess I’m looking for a reality check: Am I the crazy one? If you didn’t have a blood-related village, did you make it work?
— Village-Deficient, Apparently
Village-Deficient, Apparently: Yikes.
1. I had no family village and came out just fine.
2. The “I came out just fine” standard is utter bullflooie. Some people survived plague. That doesn’t mean plague is the way to go.
3. The real issue is your husband’s insistence that something he can’t possibly have is the only thing worth having.
That attitude can make even a fully villaged childhood utterly miserable for your kid, because a parent who denies reality is going to respond to reality badly.
Good parents have a working relationship with the idea of not getting exactly what they want, then making something else out of it, often better than what they’d hoped for.
He’s not only about 10 squares behind this crucial starting point, but he’s also dead certain he’s right where nothing is black and white, which is hard to work with regardless of the topic.
So, again, yikes.
4. His “cannot articulate” is an opportunity to get at the source, which seems bigger than babysitting. Anxiety, maybe? Might explain his seeking refuge in the familiar and the absolute.
5. If you think he’s receptive to this message, then go for it. Otherwise, consider using a paid referee, in marriage counseling.
· As my mom said about the built-in grandma babysitting: “Oh, it wasn’t free. I paid.” There is a very big trade-off in having people in your business like that.
· But the village does not have to be related to you. You can and will create your own village right where you are. That’s what his parents did: They found grandparents instead of friends, but they created the care they needed just as you will.
· Can you guys grab some parenting classes now where it is possible to address this?
· Seriously, pay someone to babysit your kids. I was the built-in grandma. My health and strength were failing, and my daughter-in-law complained that I didn’t do everything the way she wanted. I had to tell her that I just couldn’t, and she was furious that she’d have to pay someone.
· Your husband sounds like he is having cold feet at best, or experiencing depression surrounding the birth. He should see his primary-care provider to get screened. Just having the conversation with the PCP may help him feel better.
· It sucks and it’s disappointing the grandparents won’t have the day-to-day involvement he always thought would happen. Empathizing may help him get to the next step of building the village around you. | 2022-07-30T04:12:35Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Carolyn Hax: As baby’s birth nears, husband idealizes family “village” - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/07/30/carolyn-hax-baby-living-near-family/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/07/30/carolyn-hax-baby-living-near-family/ |
There is no general rule when it comes to looking after one’s grandchildren. (Notice that Miss Manners pointedly does not say “babysitting.”)
Toasts should properly be given during the cocktail hour before dinner or after the main meal and before dessert — presuming dessert is not a collapsible soufflé. But Miss Manners is afraid that this information does not entitle you to scold your sister. Only to have the satisfaction of being correct. | 2022-07-30T04:12:36Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Miss Manners: We wanted to babysit our grandkids not drive them - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/07/30/miss-manners-babysitting-driving-grandkids/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/07/30/miss-manners-babysitting-driving-grandkids/ |
Six shot in three incidents in half hour, D.C. police say
Shootings in SE, NE and SW, according to police.
Six people were shot in the District Friday night in three double shootings in a half-hour, police said. At least one of the victims was critically wounded.
The critically wounded victim was a man who was shot in the first of the three incidents, according to officer Hugh Carew, a police spokesman.
It was reported to the police at 8:57 p.m. in the 4800 block of Alabama Avenue SE, Carew said. A woman was also shot in that incident, he said.
A second double shooting was reported about 15 minutes later in the 100 block of Darrington Street SW, Carew said. At 9:15 p.m. another shooting was reported, in the 1400 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE.
No obvious connection between the shootings was apparent late Friday; it was unclear why they all happened in so brief a period. The sites had little in common geographically, with none particularly close to the others.
However, Darrington Street is about a mile or two west of the Washington Highlands area where four people were killed within three days this week; the most recent killing was earlier Friday.
Darrington is a relatively short residential street. The sites of the other two Friday night double shootings are more prominent thoroughfares. | 2022-07-30T07:50:07Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Six shot in city in three incidents in 30 minutes - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/30/six-shot-one-criticalwashingon/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/30/six-shot-one-criticalwashingon/ |
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge became the first big leaguer with 40 homers this season, smashed a grand slam for No. 41 and robbed a home run in right field as the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 11-5.
HOUSTON — Justin Verlander pitched one-run ball into the eighth inning and won his MLB-leading 14th game, Aledmys Díaz hit two homers and Yordan Alvarez slugged his 30th home run of the season as the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 11-1.
HOUSTON — The Seattle Mariners acquired the top starting pitcher on the trade market, getting All-Star Luis Castillo from the payroll-paring Cincinnati Reds for four minor league prospects.
DETROIT — Taylor Pendrith of Canada shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-shot lead over Tony Finau into the weekend in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. | 2022-07-30T07:58:52Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Friday's Sports In Brief - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/fridays-sports-in-brief/2022/07/30/7dfa866c-0fd7-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/fridays-sports-in-brief/2022/07/30/7dfa866c-0fd7-11ed-88e8-c58dc3dbaee2_story.html |
In controversial sale, Hitler’s watch fetches $1.1M at Maryland auction house
Alexander Historical Auctions is located in this multipurpose building in Chesapeake City, Md. (Eileen Blass for The Washington Post)
A watch that belonged to Adolf Hitler was sold this week at a Maryland auction house for $1.1 million — well below the $2 million to $4 million price range the auctioneers had projected, and despite the objections of the Jewish community.
The sale of the Huber watch was listed as being completed Thursday at Alexander Historical Auctions in Chesapeake City, Md. The auction house says the watch was probably given to the Nazi leader on his birthday in 1933, then seized by a French soldier in 1945 from Hitler’s vacation home in the Bavarian Alps. Alexander Historical Auctions has stressed its authenticity, pointing to appraisals from watch experts and historians.
The watch was auctioned as part of a catalogue including a blue dress that belonged to Hitler’s wife, Eva Braun; signed pictures and correspondence of Nazi officials; and other items belonging to the Nazi leader. The auctions were criticized Thursday in an open letter signed by 34 Jewish leaders, who accused the auction house of “abhorrent” transactions that were overriding the “memory, suffering and pain of others” for financial gain.
In a phone interview, Alexander Historical Auctions’ president, Bill Panagopulos, said he appreciates the Jewish leaders’ views, though he found them frustrating. He said the buyer — whose identity Panagopulos declined to reveal — is a European Jew.
“Many people donate [Nazi artifacts] to museums and institutions, as we have done,” he said in a separate emailed statement. “Others need the money, or simply choose to sell. That is not our decision.” The sale has led to death threats sent to him and his family, Panagopulos said.
Hitler’s ‘weapon of mass destruction’ was hidden for decades. This weekend somebody bought it.
However, Panagopulos says, most of his sales are unrelated to World War II. He’s sold a photograph of George A. Custer, the Civil War general who fought for the Union but also killed Native Americans, for $460. A seal designed for the Confederate government, which supported slavery, went for $3,250. | 2022-07-30T08:03:11Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Hitler's watch sells for $1.1 million at Alexander Historical Auctions - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/hitler-watch-alexander-historical-auctions-nazi/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/hitler-watch-alexander-historical-auctions-nazi/ |
Ukraine Live Briefing: Russia accused of ‘deliberate mass murder’; Blinken and Lavrov discuss Griner deal
By Hari Raj
ODESSA, UKRAINE - JULY 29: A ship awaits in the grain elevators section the port in the city of Odessa, Ukraine, 29th of July 2022. (Wojciech Grzedzinski/For The Washington Post)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of the “mass murder” of Ukrainian prisoners of war in an occupied area of the eastern Donetsk region. Grain shipments from Ukrainian ports could resume soon. Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Zelensky said his diplomats had sent data about the attack on a prison in Olenivka to the U.N. and reiterated calls for Russia to be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism. Officials in the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic accused Ukraine of attacking the facility, but Kyiv denied any involvement and said Russia was destroying evidence of the torture of prisoners.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to accept a U.S. proposal for the return of WNBA star Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan in a call on Friday. Blinken, addressing reporters at the State Department, did not indicate whether the discussion was fruitful. There is speculation that the U.S. is seeking to swap Whelan and Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence in Illinois.
Grain shipments from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea could restart very soon. Ukraine says it is ready to resume exporting grain as part of a U.N.-brokered deal, once the routes for vessels leaving its ports are confirmed. More than 20 million tons of grain have been stuck in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February.
Ukrainian and E.U. officials have condemned Russia after a graphic series of videos appeared on pro-Russian telegram channels. The videos showed a group of men, one whom was seen wearing pro-Russian symbols, castrate and execute a prisoner dressed in military fatigues with Ukrainian military insignia. E.U. diplomat Josep Borrell described it as a “heinous atrocity.” The Washington Post was unable to confirm the date or location of where the videos were filmed.
Explosions have been heard for a second consecutive night in Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv, according to state broadcaster Suspilne. There was no immediate word on casualties. Russian shelling early on Friday hit a two-story building and a university.
Ukraine has likely successfully repelled small scale Russian assaults from the front line near Donetsk city, the British defense ministry said in an intelligence update Saturday.
Russia wants Viktor Bout back, badly. The question is: Why? The Washington Post’s Adam Taylor asks. Bout, 55, is the most notorious arms dealer of his time, accused of profiting off weapons that fueled conflict in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
There is little doubt that Bout would be the top prize for Russian officials, who have protested his treatment since his 2008 arrest in Thailand after a Drug Enforcement Administration sting. Though Russia has complained that Bout was entrapped by the DEA, many U.S. officials and analysts believe that its anger is not linked to the merits of the case, but rather Bout’s links to Russian military intelligence. | 2022-07-30T09:30:12Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Russia-Ukraine war latest updates - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/russia-ukraine-war-latest-updates/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/russia-ukraine-war-latest-updates/ |
Colombian pop singer and performer Shakira at a 2019 court appearance in Madrid. (Bernat Armangue/AP)
Shakira’s legal woes began in 2018 when Spanish authorities accused her of evading taxes amounting to 14.5 million euros, or nearly 15 million dollars, between 2012 and 2014 — a three-year period during which she claimed she had not yet officially moved to Spain. A judge concluded last year that prosecutors had gathered sufficient evidence to pursue tax fraud charges in court.
The Pandora Papers: Billions Hidden Beyond Reach | 2022-07-30T09:30:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Shakira faces over 8 years in prison if convicted of tax fraud in Spain - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/shakira-prison-tax-evasion-spain/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/shakira-prison-tax-evasion-spain/ |
Whitney Leaming
BORODYANKA, Ukraine — Maryna Hanitska had no choice. She wrapped her patients’ fragile bodies in trash bags and buried them in a hastily dug mass grave in the frigid cold under threat of Russian fire. It will haunt her forever.
Hanitska, 44, is the director of Borodyanka’s psychoneurological nursing home, a government-run center for men with schizophrenia, cerebral palsy, high-needs autism, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For about 50 years, the facility near Kyiv has treated the complex needs of some of Ukraine’s most vulnerable. But there was no precedent for treating the trauma of Russian occupation.
As the nation’s attention shifts to the new front lines in the east and south, people in Borodyanka are struggling to come to terms with what they lived through in the early days of the war, and what they lost. With grit and grace, Hanitska is doing all she can to ensure her patients are not left behind.
The 17-acre care center is fenced off from a quiet street at a key junction on the road to the capital. Inside, its aging halls and bedrooms are spare but clean. On-site is a small farm, laundry house, bakery and morgue. In a far corner, young trees grow in memory of those Hanitska had to bury.
Shortly after invading on Feb. 24, Russian forces besieged the facility and occupied the working-class town, about 50 miles northwest of the capital. Their swift arrival upended Hanitska’s plan to evacuate her patients by rail. An additional 84 residents from a nearby center, including 14 children, were evacuated to Borodyanka and placed in her care. She and about 10 staffers stayed as Russian bombings knocked out water and electricity. The nursing home’s blue and yellow trim — painted to match Ukraine’s colors after Russia first invaded in 2014 — still showed in the daylight.
“The 355 people at our institution needed care,” she said of her decision to stay. “That’s what the situation was. No one was coming to pick us up.”
Twelve patients died in the three terror-filled weeks that followed. Russian troops stationed themselves next to the facility, which they surrounded with mines and artillery.
“They were using us exclusively as a live shield,” Hanitska said. “They could fire wherever they wanted to. We’d only sit there and think, ‘Will the next strike hit us or that house nearby?’ It was extremely difficult to calm people down.”
Separated from her own family, she pleaded for soldiers to let them go. When a Chechen commander demanded she praise Russia’s president on video, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words — instead, she thanked him that she was alive.
Under constant shelling, patients and staffers leaned on one another. “We could somehow find common language with all of them,” Hanitska said. She promised to give out medals to residents of the facility who were able to help.
After nursing home staffers spent weeks caring for patients in hiding and cooking by campfire, Ukraine’s emergency services finally arrived. On March 13, they evacuated nearly all the patients, many of whom had not left the facility in decades. They were sent to overwhelmed hospitals in other parts of Ukraine or to their families, which were ill-equipped to care for them.
Twenty-six more residents, many of them elderly, died in the chaos of the evacuation or in the weeks that followed.
Having lost the battle for Kyiv, Russian forces retreated in early April — although not before soldiers trashed the care center.
Elsewhere in Borodyanka, and in Bucha, Irpin, and other suburbs of the capital, Russian troops left behind a shattered landscape and the bodies of hundreds of civilians.
Here can be seen the remains of high-rises split in two by Russian missiles.
Officials assumed the nursing center would not be able to reopen and cut its budget by about 75 percent, according to Hanitska.
“Everyone thought it was over,” she said.
Instead, Hanitska and the other staffers got to work. She cried as they scrubbed the center’s geometric tile floors and repaired its bullet-punctured windows. Volunteers brought mattresses, pillows and plates to replace what Russian soldiers had pillaged.
Patients returned to the nursing home in May and June; some were delivered, while Hanitska, known to her staff as “the commander,” personally picked up others.
“They were so happy; some of them were even kissing the ground, rejoicing that they were home,” she remembers.
The Kyiv regional government has since restored some funding — although it covers only medicine, food costs and salaries for the next three months.
Nearly all 250 staffers have returned, but Hanitska has had to impose vacation limits. The workers are needed more than ever.
Patients still ask whether the Russians and their bombs are coming back.
“They ask these questions every day, every day, many times a day,” said Kateryna Nikonchyk, 66, a nurse of more than 40 years who stayed through much of the Russian occupation.
“We say, ‘They won’t [come back]. Everything will be fine,’ ” Nikonchyk explained.
Hanitska hopes that’s true. But it’s her job to prepare for the war’s return.
If they need to leave again, evacuating everyone together is best for patient health; abroad, she said, would be even better. She has sent letters and asked around. So far, nowhere in the world is willing to take them all in.
Instead, she has hired a Ukrainian company to be responsible for getting them out. She lost confidence in her government after the last plan fell apart.
The war has changed her patients. “One can see it immediately — we’ve known them for a long time now,” Nikonchyk said.
Some residents are uncharacteristically aggressive. Hanitska winced as she showed a recently taken photo on her phone of a nurse with a nose bloodied by a patient’s cup.
Other residents came back depressed, unable to move. Nurses say patients remain restless at night, and some cry uncontrollably. Some started hoarding bread, the Ukrainian staple they did not have during the occupation.
“They still have this postwar idea that they need to stock up on bread and hide it in the bedside table,” Hanitska said. “I just walk around getting it out of there and throwing it away because it gets moldy.”
Many days are tense, but Nikonchyk says her patients continue to inspire her.
In mid-July, eight residents waved their hands and sashayed side-to-side in a dance choreographed to “Stefania,” Ukraine’s Eurovision-winning song.
“They started attending dance classes and expressing themselves in dance,” she said. “They wouldn’t try before the war. We were just astonished. … We never thought they could do that.”
Chef Natalya Mayakova, 46, has also marveled at how residents have improved since they arrived back “the color of pale tile.”
Mayakova remained by patients’ sides the first two weeks of the occupation; then she escaped to be with her sick child and husband. She returned in May to a kitchen missing metal plates and cups, a blender and a table. The roses in the cafeteria, which is full of natural light, had wilted.
Mayakova is still afraid the Russians will strike again. That fear is now a fact of life.
“I don’t know how long we are going to stay, but as long as we can,” she said. “We cannot leave our patients.”
“These people are special,” she added. “They cannot live without our support.”
As the day’s lunch of cucumber salad and porridge ended, a man holding several chunks of bread passed by Mayakova and leaned in.
“I love you,” he told her. She smiled in return.
Heidi Levine in Kyiv and Annabelle Chapman in Paris contributed to this report. | 2022-07-30T09:30:14Z | www.washingtonpost.com | A care center for Ukraine’s disabled deals with the trauma of occupation - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/ukraine-war-russia-occupation-trauma/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/ukraine-war-russia-occupation-trauma/ |
Judge Mohamed Tahar Kanzari, 49, who has been on a hunger strike for more than a month, rests on the floor of the Judges’ Club in Tunis. (Siobhán O'Grady/The Washington Post)
TUNIS — On his 33rd day without food, Judge Mohamed Tahar Kanzari lay curled on a mattress on the ground, a floral sheet covering his frail body.
The two other judges currently on strike were also hospitalized on Thursday. One was later released. They are also continuing their strike despite the decline in their physical condition.
Diego García-Sayán, the U.N. special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, said he is not aware of judges in any other country having ever participated in such a hunger strike, underlining the seriousness of Tunisian judges’ concern over the fate of their country’s judiciary.
The U.N. watchdog has voiced his concerns over threats to Tunisia’s judiciary independence and has been waiting several months to enter Tunisia on a formal visit that would allow it to investigate the situation. Such a visit is required in order to write an official report to present to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Said Benarbia, director of the Middle East and North Africa region for the International Commission of Jurists, said the June decree that led to Kanzari and others’ dismissals is just part of “the smear campaign that the president launched from the beginning about how the judiciary is corrupt and judges are corrupt.”
“It’s our duty [to help them],” Hmedi said. “Kais Saied’s regime did not anticipate this; he thought Tunisian magistrates would drop it and would align with his regime...He was shocked and stunned not only by the resistance, but by the level of resistance.”
He has gone without food for more than three weeks, is experiencing extreme fatigue, stomach problems and insomnia but said he will continue his strike until further notice. Like Kanzari, he was hospitalized and sent to the intensive care unit on Thursday night. He is suffering from severe kidney malfunction, Benbelhassen said.
He has two children who he said are watching his strike “with a lot of anxiety,” he said prior to his hospitalization. But the solidarity of his fellow judges — both those engaged in the hunger strike and others who are offering other forms of support have kept him motivated.
“The Tunisian revolution was the pride of the Arab world,” he said. “I could never have imagined this backsliding. … I could never have imagined finding myself in this situation.” | 2022-07-30T09:56:19Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Tunisia's judges go on hunger strike to protest Kais Saied's attacks on democracy - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/tunisia-judges-hunger-strike/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/30/tunisia-judges-hunger-strike/ |
An industry on the skids is suddenly positioned for a major resurgence
An employee performs quality control on a string of photovoltaic cells on the assembly floor at the Qcells solar panel manufacturing facility in Dalton, Ga. (Dustin Chambers)
DALTON, Ga. — The gamble by a company here churning out large volumes of solar panels was starting to look risky.
Its plan to be a launchpad for a solar manufacturing resurgence was already audacious in an industry so dominated by China, whose cheap products drove the closure of many American solar plants. Government investment championed by the White House was supposed to position domestic firms to compete, but a paralyzed Congress was refusing to write the check.
But the wager in Dalton by Qcells North America may have paid off with an ambitious climate package now on a path to President Biden’s desk. The bill, negotiated in part by Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), would deliver billions of dollars in tax and other incentives to U.S. solar manufacturers, equipping them with government support on a scale of those China used to corner the market.
“This is a historic climate bill, but it’s also one of — if not the — most significant industrial policy bills of this era,” said Harry Godfrey, who oversees domestic manufacturing policy for Advanced Energy Economy, a trade group that represents clean tech companies eager to ramp up U.S. production.
The boost to the industry comes at a time of solar power reckoning for America.
Bringing back domestic production is no longer a nostalgic aspiration. It is a national security issue. Solar panels produce some of the cheapest electricity, a significant asset at a time of skyrocketing energy prices and aggressive climate targets. China’s domination over the solar supply chain also poses an ever-growing threat to America’s energy independence and financial health.
“This is a globally competitive market the U.S. has fallen behind in,” said Scott Moskowitz, who heads marketing strategy at Qcells North America, a subsidiary of Korean industrial giant Hanwha. “This country never had policies that created the environment possible to compete. This legislation changes things a lot. It will make companies want to invest in new manufacturing in Georgia and around the country.”
Qcells established a manufacturing beach head in Dalton in 2018 at the urging of local officials. Its panels are assembled using wafers and cells from abroad, but the company aims to help reseed a domestic supply chain so that every component of a solar panel can be made in America.
“There is no shortage of demand,” said Moskowitz, standing on the floor of the sprawling Dalton factory. “It is just a question of whether factories like this can exist in this country and be profitable.”
The energy security risks created by the collapse of the U.S. solar manufacturing industry over the past decade have come into sharp focus amid power shortages gripping the globe, propelled by Russia’s control over key energy sources and supply chains. But the current state of play in solar production leaves America’s energy transition vulnerable to the whims of another rival superpower.
“Project developers here were willing to rely on China for panels and never thought through the long game and how overly dependent we would become,” said Mark Widmar, chief executive of First Solar, one of the only solar manufacturing giants still operating in the United States. “We are at a vulnerable inflection point. If we can’t figure this out now, I’m not sure we will be at a place where we can have a domestic industry.”
Widmar said on an earnings call Thursday that if the climate package passes, his company will look to expand more aggressively in the United States.
China now controls more than 80 percent of solar panel production. That includes commanding 95 percent of the production of certain elements that are essential to making a panel, including polysilicon and wafers. Much of the polysilicon supply for the world’s solar panels is processed in China’s Xinjiang region, where companies are accused of using forced labor.
The International Energy Agency warns in a new report that the lack of diverse supply chains leaves the United States and other nations on a shaky energy foundation.
China’s strategy of investing more than $50 billion to dominate the solar supply chain is paying enormous dividends for that country. As American companies struggle to bring new plants online that can supply enough panels for a few of gigawatts of energy, a single facility now being built in China will churn out 20 gigawatts of solar capacity — accounting for 1 in 7 panels produced worldwide.
It’s a harsh reality for the United States, where the modern solar cell was invented and which not long ago was positioned to lead the industry. Seven factories have closed here since 2018 alone.
The challenges facing the industry are underscored by an ongoing fight between the companies that make panels and the U.S. developers that buy and install them. The meager U.S. production has strained alliances in the solar world. Domestic manufacturers want the Biden administration to enforce trade laws that would restrict the flow of Chinese panels into the United States. Developers and installers protested a Commerce Department investigation into potential tariff dodging, warning there are so few American-made panels that it would trigger shortages, soaring prices and the cancellation of big projects.
The investigation threatened to choke off the flow of solar panels into the United States, jeopardizing Biden’s clean energy goals. Last month, the White House moved to avoid a shortage by exempting American purchasers of potentially illegally imported panels from penalties for two years.
The move landed like a gut punch to manufacturers. They were unimpressed by the accompanying measures Biden unveiled at the time to boost American manufacturing plants, which included engaging the Defense Production Act.
But the outlook brightened dramatically for American manufacturers with the revival of the climate bill, emerging Thursday night after a turnabout by Manchin. The senator’s earlier opposition had appeared to doom the legislation.
Why an energy crisis and $5 gas aren’t spurring a green revolution
Biden administration officials say the incentives give the American manufacturing industry motivation to ramp up production during the stretch in which tariff enforcement has been relaxed, showing that it can meet the intense demand for panels. At that point, under the White House road map, the federal government would resume aggressive enforcement of trade laws, further boosting the industry.
Big U.S. purchasers of solar panels say they remain ready to step up and buy American. One group of solar project developers has pledged to spend $6 billion on American made panels over the next four years. The group says it wants to send a market signal that if the industry scales up domestically, there are ready and willing buyers.
“We are trying to jump-start this domestic supply chain,” said Leo Moreno, president of AES Clean Energy. “It is a very large commitment from leading players.”
The plan hinges on the approval of the tax and other incentives in the climate package. “For this to be successful over the long term, suppliers need to scale up,” Moreno said. “If the subsidies end up not passing, they will not be able to.”
One company already scaling is First Solar, a firm that built its business plan around Biden’s climate agenda. It is building its third plant in Ohio and uses a different technology than others in the industry, making thin film modules that can be manufactured without the imported cells and wafers used in 95 percent of solar panel production.
Back in Dalton, the same community that sent anti-solar crusader Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) to Congress is rooting for the subsidies.
Dalton has long been known as the “flooring capital of the world,” a nod to the many textile manufacturing operations there that make carpet and other materials used in home building. Yet it is eager to diversify, looking to lure industries that are less vulnerable to the fluctuations of the housing market.
“We want them to be able to make solar panels here and be just as competitive as anywhere else,” said Carl Campbell, executive director of the regional development authority, which lobbied Qcells to locate in Dalton. “We’ve had a lot of people call and say, ‘Hey, how can I get involved? I want to help build something that is going to make a difference.’ … Regardless of where you fall politically, I think everybody can support good jobs with good benefits to do something that might help our world.” | 2022-07-30T11:01:38Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Climate package opens window for a resurgence of U.S. solar production - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/07/30/climate-solar-manchin-china/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/07/30/climate-solar-manchin-china/ |
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