text stringlengths 237 126k | date_download stringdate 2022-01-01 00:32:20 2023-01-01 00:02:37 ⌀ | source_domain stringclasses 60
values | title stringlengths 4 31.5k ⌀ | url stringlengths 24 617 ⌀ | id stringlengths 24 617 ⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Point shuts out Sherwood to secure another state semifinal appearance
Eagles 31, Warriors 0
North Point is moving on to the Maryland 4A/3A semifinals. (Michael Errigo/The Washington Post)
On his team’s first offensive play of the second half, North Point running back Tyrone Hudson took a handoff and burst through the line of scrimmage into open space. In the secondary, the senior juked one and then two would-be Sherwood tacklers, but the speed at which he made those Warriors miss caused him to lose his balance. For the final 10 yards of a 50-yard touchdown run, Hudson stumbled forward until he was close enough to reach the ball out to the end zone.
This is a North Point team that knows how to generate momentum. On Friday night, the Waldorf school traveled north to beat Sherwood, 31-0, in the Maryland 4A/3A quarterfinals.
The Eagles are headed to a state semifinal for the third time in the last five seasons. They will face Urbana next week as they continue to chase their first state championship.
“Tonight was about realizing this really could’ve been our last game,” Hunter said. “So we had to block out the crowd, block out the noise and play our brand of football.”
Two months ago, a scene such as this hardly seemed possible. The exit signs showed up early for the Eagles this fall. They began the year 0-2 — a close season-opening loss to powerhouse Wise followed by a low-scoring, disappointing defeat at the hands of Great Mills. The chance to bail on the season, to give up hope for much of anything down the line, was certainly there.
Interim coach Bill Condo, who inherited the program from Tom Petre after last season, told his team the season would be defined by its finish, not its start.
“I told them it’s all about what type of ball we’re playing in the cold weather this time of year,” Condo said.
Momentum started building after the 14-8 loss to Great Mills. The Eagles won six games in a row and finished the regular season 6-3. If that record wasn’t enough to prove how much the team had evolved, the first round of the playoffs provided ample opportunity: In a rematch with Great Mills, North Point earned a 50-0 victory.
Despite the strong postseason form, the Eagles couldn’t get out of their own way early Friday night. A long touchdown run was called back by a holding penalty, a potential touchdown catch was dropped and a red zone trip was spoiled by a bad snap. But a stout Eagles defense allowed the offense plenty of time to get organized, and a 14-yard pass from Kaleb Hart to Collin Farmer with 13 seconds left gave North Point a 7-0 lead at the half.
When Hudson doubled that margin just after the break, a 14-point lead felt like much more. North Point scored three more times from there, steadily running away with the game.
“It took a while for this team to hit its stride,” said Hart, who ran for two second-half scores. “We had some little mistakes to fix and we had to come together as a team. Feels like we’ve got it going now.” | 2022-11-19T03:16:45Z | www.washingtonpost.com | North Point shuts out Sherwood to secure another state semifinal appearance - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/north-point-shuts-out-sherwood-secure-another-state-semifinal-appearance/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/north-point-shuts-out-sherwood-secure-another-state-semifinal-appearance/ |
With ‘Big Three’ watching, Wizards earn a big win over Heat
The Wizards' Kyle Kuzma buried a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to send Friday night's game against the Heat to overtime. Washington won, 107-106. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
In his first return to Capital One Arena in more than 11 years, Gilbert Arenas was asked for his thoughts on the current Washington Wizards squad.
Arenas, mischievous as ever, smiled and joked that he hadn’t been watching the team at all while Bradley Beal was out, then said how proud he was to see his old pal Wes Unseld Jr. ascend to the head coaches’ chair.
“We remember his first scouting report, up there shaking, he didn’t know what he was talking about," Arenas said.
Arenas had a prime view of the Wizards’ 107-106 overtime win against the Miami Heat on Friday, but it wasn’t exactly Beal he was watching at the end of a dramatic game.
With less than 10 seconds left in overtime, Beal held the ball at the top of the arc, tried to get open but instead dished to a cutting Taj Gibson, the team’s 37-year-old, third-string center. Gibson’s attempt at a short-range floater was off, but fortunately for Washington so was Miami’s attempt at the other end with less than two seconds on the clock after a pair of timeouts.
The Wizards (9-7) will gladly take a win any day of the week, but Friday’s was more an escape than a victory.
The Heat (7-9) was without a staggering nine players because of injuries when its came to Washington, including its top three scorers in Jimmy Butler (knee), Bam Adebayo (knee) and Tyler Herro (ankle).
Yet even the dregs of its roster looked more assured, in better shape and more energized than the Wizards. Miami led by 15 points in the first half behind a dual effort from Kyle Lowry and Max Strus, who stepped up in their flashier teammates’ stead.
Lowry gave Washington fits all night and logged a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists (Miami had 23 assists in total). Strus worked as a sharpshooter all night and racked up 22 points.
Together they combined for seven three-pointers.
Nineteen-year-old Nikola Jovic, the 27th pick in this year’s draft and the Heat’s youngest starter ever according to the Associated Press, added 18 points.
Trouble began at the start of the second quarter, which the Heat opened with a 14-5 run against Washington’s bench. The Wizards were without backup guard Jordan Goodwin (left knee soreness), an added challenge for a unit that has been flat for the past handful of games. They were similarly uninspiring Friday.
Miami worked its zone defense well enough, but it was Washington’s defense that made the difference in a negative way by fouling far too much. The Heat made 25 of 32 shots at the free throw line compared with the Wizards’ paltry 10 of 14.
Beal led the team with 27 points and eight assists to balance out seven turnovers. Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and 17 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma added 21 points and eight rebounds.
Corey Kispert added 17 points off the bench.
Beal and Kuzma combined to send the game to overtime after a tight fourth quarter. Beal had the ball in his hands near the end of regulation, this time identifying an excellent pass.
He swung the ball from near half court with all the strength his upper body could muster to find Kuzma deep in the corner, and he hit a three-pointer to send the crowd into a frenzy. Lowry missed a rushed, last-second floater on the other end to send the game to overtime tied at 104.
Arenas, calmly watching without standing up with the rest of the crowd at Capital One Arena, clapped from his seat at midcourt.
Here’s what else you need to know about the Wizards’ victory:
‘Big Three’ reunites
Arenas was in town because the Wizards honored him, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler — their “Big Three” — as a part of the team’s ongoing celebration of the 25th anniversary since the Bullets became the Wizards. Butler is an assistant coach with the Heat.
Miami is hurting
Overstuffed injury reports haven’t been rare in the past few years as teams have dealt with covid-19 outbreaks on the roster. But the Heat, without a single player in the league’s health and safety protocols, pulled off a feat Friday with nine players sidelined. It had more assistant coaches than available players on the bench.
In addition to Butler, Adebayo and Herro, Dewayne Dedmon (non-covid illness), Udonis Haslem (personal reasons), Victor Oladipo (knee) and Duncan Robinson (hand) sat out. Gabe Vincent (knee) was in uniform but not available. Former Georgetown big man Omer Yurtseven (ankle) and Oladipo (knee) have yet to play a game this season because of longer-term injuries.
A short night for Gafford
Backup center Daniel Gafford picked up two fouls in less than five minutes on court and spend the rest of his night on the bench. He didn’t score or grab a rebound, and he wasn’t the only unproductive member of the second unit — wing Will Barton also went scoreless and had just one rebound Friday.
Third-string center Taj Gibson played in Gafford’s place and had eight rebounds. Rui Hachimura, predictably solid, had 13 points and eight rebounds.
No update on Wright
Backup guard Delon Wright was initially scheduled to be re-evaluated this week after suffering a hamstring strain in late October. Unseld had no update on Wright and said the medical staff would look at him by the end of the weekend. | 2022-11-19T03:33:58Z | www.washingtonpost.com | With 'Big Three' watching, Wizards earn a big win - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/wizards-heat-big-three/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/wizards-heat-big-three/ |
Virginia’s players took the court honoring their slain fellow athletes, then defeated Baylor in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS — The 16th-ranked Virginia men’s basketball team faced No. 5 Baylor on Friday night in what, under normal circumstances, would have been one of the more compelling early-season matchups of the season.
Except this week has been anything but normal for the Cavaliers, who admitted after their 86-79 win in the opener of the Main Event at T-Mobile Arena that they were understandably distracted in their first game since three members of the school’s football team were fatally shot in Charlottesville.
Their thoughts instead frequently wandered back to the Grounds, where a memorial service was being planned Saturday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena for Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry.
All three were juniors, as is a fourth player, Mike Hollins Jr., who is recovering in a hospital following multiple surgeries.
“I’ll be honest: It was really hard to stay focused in practice Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Cavaliers center Kadin Shedrick, who had 17 points on 6-for-6 shooting. “I was kind of worried how I was going to come out here and perform because I wasn’t locked in. I’m not going to lie. I was thinking about them.”
U-Va. football game vs. Coastal Carolina canceled after three players are killed
Guard Armaan Franklin led the charge with a career-high 26 points, including 18 in the second half, in Virginia’s first victory over a top-five opponent since 2020. The transfer from Indiana shot 7 for 12, made 3 of 6 three-pointers and went 9 for 10 at the foul line.
Guard Reece Beekman added 10 points and 10 assists, and forward Ben Vander Plas rounded out four Cavaliers in double-digit scoring with 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field. Virginia (3-0) shot 55.6 percent overall and sank 9 of 14 three-pointers.
“We know the pain and the grief so many are going through, the football program and those young men and the coaching staff, and then on another level the families,” Virginia Coach Tony Bennett said. “We’re kind of the ripple effect. A lot of our guys were close to those young men. The sadness we feel, we talked about it afterward. You played hard. Whether you won or you lost, it’s okay.”
Getting back onto the court did provide some mental relief, and the Cavaliers were able to gain significant separation with elevated attention to defense in the second half during a 30-5 run that gave them a 60-38 lead with 10:48 to play. Virginia went 8 for 9 on three-pointers in that torrid stretch.
Baylor (3-1) rallied to trim the margin to single digits several times in the final minutes, getting as close as 79-73 with 1:04 left, but the Cavaliers avoided substantial peril by making 18 of 21 free throws over the final 7:12 to reach Sunday’s championship game against the winner of No. 8 UCLA and No. 19 Illinois.
Box score: Virginia 86, Baylor 79
“We played for them today. We played for the whole Charlottesville community,” Franklin said. “Just trying to be strong for each other, but it’s hard not to think about it, three great people.”
Virginia had been scheduled to play Northern Iowa at John Paul Jones Arena the night after a lone gunman opened fire on a charter bus carrying approximately 25 students who had attended a play and dined together in the District as part of a school trip.
A shelter-in-place order was issued with law enforcement engaged in a massive manhunt for the suspect, who was apprehended Monday morning some 80 miles away in Henrico County. After the lockdown was lifted, the athletic department announced the cancellation of the game.
Two days later, Saturday’s football game against Coastal Carolina at Scott Stadium was canceled, allowing family, friends and teammates of the deceased to attend the memorial along with other members of the stunned Charlottesville community.
The basketball team hasn’t finalized plans for Saturday, but Bennett indicated players will watch via live stream and conduct a practice in preparation for the title game.
“This has probably been one of the single hardest weeks of my life, just mentally and all that, as it is for a lot of my teammates and really the whole Charlottesville community,” Shedrick said. “It meant a lot to come out here and do it for them.”
Cavaliers players warmed up wearing blue long-sleeve shooting shirts with “UVASTRONG” across the chest and the last names of their fallen fellow athletes printed on the back. There was a moment of silence shortly before the singing of the national anthem.
“It’s just not right,” Bennett said. “I don’t know what else to say. You tell your guys, you hug them a little bit more. You tell your kids that you love them, but we’re not in a great place in this society.” | 2022-11-19T04:17:32Z | www.washingtonpost.com | In mourning and distracted, Cavaliers upset No. 5 Baylor - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/virginia-cavaliers-baylor-bears-basketball/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/virginia-cavaliers-baylor-bears-basketball/ |
This photo provided on Nov. 19, 2022, by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and his daughter inspect the site of a missile launch at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. North Korea’s state media said its leader Kim oversaw the launch of the Hwasong-17 missile, a day after its neighbors said they had detected the launch of an ICBM potentially capable of reaching the continental U.S. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) (朝鮮通信社/KCNA via KNS) | 2022-11-19T04:48:19Z | www.washingtonpost.com | North Korea unveils Kim's daughter at missile launch site - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/north-korea-unveils-kims-daughter-at-missile-launch-site/2022/11/18/db3ddc30-67bf-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/north-korea-unveils-kims-daughter-at-missile-launch-site/2022/11/18/db3ddc30-67bf-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
Spalding completes breakout season with dominance in MIAA title game
Spalding 34, Calvert Hall 10
Sean Johnson and Spalding punished Calvert Hall, 34-10, in the MIAA A conference championship game Friday at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post)
On a humid afternoon in the summer of 2020, Coach Kyle Schmitt visited a turf field in Annapolis to meet a quarterback interested in joining his Archbishop Spalding program. The session turned into a day Schmitt will never forget. Malik Washington, a rising eighth grader, showcased his arm and vast potential.
In his first season as a starter this fall, Washington realized those expectations, reinvigorating Spalding’s offense to transform the Cavaliers into the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association’s powerhouse. With Washington leading the charge, Spalding won its first MIAA A conference championship, 34-10, over Calvert Hall on Friday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
“It doesn’t even feel real yet,” said Washington, who threw for nearly 3,000 yards this season. “I’m just trying to take in the moment. I feel like I still have football to play, but for this season, we went out on top.”
Schmitt, who began coaching at Spalding (11-1) in February 2013, has long prided himself on utilizing a run-heavy offense. But after witnessing Washington’s progression in seven-on-seven games this past summer, Schmitt adjusted his team’s schemes.
Schmitt visited Shepherd University in West Virginia to grasp how coaches utilized quarterback Tyson Bagent, who broke the Division II passing touchdowns record this fall. In preseason practices, Schmitt’s defenses typically dominate. With Washington on the opposite side of the ball, the offense looked just as strong in August.
Last season, Spalding’s lone loss came in the MIAA semifinals. After that team graduated 16 starters, the Cavaliers dropped their season opener Aug. 26 against New Jersey power Don Bosco Prep.
Washington settled in after that loss. Spalding beat national powerhouses Imhotep Charter (Pa.) and Gonzaga and won every MIAA game by at least two touchdowns. The Cavaliers defeated Calvert Hall (6-6), last year’s champion, by 35 points on Sept. 23.
In Friday’s rematch, Washington capped a quick opening drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Maxwell Moss. With the Cavaliers possessing a large lead midway through the fourth quarter, the longtime friends hooked up again for a 33-yard touchdown. The duo connected for 21 touchdowns and more than 1,300 yards through the air this season.
“It’s surprising in the fact that he’s a really young player and still leads this team and plays as well as he does,” Moss said. “But at the same time, the type of player that he is, he can just come out and do that. It doesn’t matter what the stage is.”
St. Mary’s wins B conference
With 3½ minutes remaining in the MIAA B conference final Friday afternoon, St. Mary’s (Annapolis) quarterback Carson Petitbon received the snap on third down while Concordia Prep braced for a stop.
After escaping the pocket to avoid a sack, Petitbon turned sideways and elevated the ball to fit through two defenders and earn a first down. Despite falling short of the end zone, Petitbon scored on a sneak nearly a minute later to seal the Saints’ 21-13 win at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Petitbon, who hails from a storied football family, transferred from Gonzaga in June to build his legacy. The senior completed that Friday by rushing for three touchdowns to clinch the first undefeated season since 1968 for the Saints (12-0).
“It ended up turning out the way that I wanted it to be, and even more,” Petitbon said. “Even if we lost, I’m just so thankful to be here and be home with people that love me and support me. This is just the cherry on top.” | 2022-11-19T04:48:38Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Spalding completes breakout season with dominance in MIAA title game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/spalding-completes-breakout-season-with-dominance-miaa-title-game/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/18/spalding-completes-breakout-season-with-dominance-miaa-title-game/ |
By David Smale | AP
Wilson set a career best for a second straight game after scoring 25 points in the Jayhawks' 69-64 win over No. 7 Duke in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. The Thunderbirds (3-2) didn’t figure to provide as tough a challenge, but they hung with Kansas (4-0) until the final minute at Allen Fieldhouse. | 2022-11-19T04:51:18Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Wilson scores 33, No. 6 Kansas outlasts Southern Utah 82-76 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/wilson-scores-33-no-6-kansas-outlasts-southern-utah-82-76/2022/11/18/4e984f30-67bb-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/wilson-scores-33-no-6-kansas-outlasts-southern-utah-82-76/2022/11/18/4e984f30-67bb-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
Dear Amy: My son just graduated from college and is out on his own. His mother and I threw him a graduation party. He received gifts from people at the party, and he thanked those people in person, but he has not sent any acknowledgment to family and friends who mailed him a gift.
Several family members reached out to me to ask whether he had received their gift, which was very embarrassing. As a child, we made sure that he always wrote thank-you notes. It troubles us that he does not see the need to do that now that he is “an adult.”
I told him this was basic etiquette and that even an email or a text would be better than nothing. He agreed with me — but still has done nothing! I don’t know — is there anything more I can do or say to get him off the dime?
Disappointed: One tough aspect of parenting young adults is facing the reality of their faults and failings. As a parent, you’ve no doubt encouraged your son to consider the consequences of his behavior. He’s probably paid attention to you when you’ve warned him about drinking and driving or the dangers of credit card debt.
You’ve taught him (made him) write thank-you notes to acknowledge gifts (an especially trenchant lesson from a dad, who will sometimes leave this task to someone else), but I wonder whether the lesson might be effective if you said: “Son, here’s a pro tip: If you want people to be kind and generous toward you in the future, then you must express your gratitude. If you don’t, they’ll think you’re a jerk. There are other big gift-receiving moments down the pike for you. Keep that in mind.”
He may not care right now whether family members think he’s a jerk, but you’ve raised him well, so he eventually will care.
Thank-you notes are great — and always appropriate. Nicely worded texts/emails are sufficient (especially when they include a photo) — but honestly, I think a phone call is a joy. And doing this belatedly is far better than not doing this at all.
Dear Amy: Our oldest daughter is in her 40s. She has had a difficult time since she was a teenager. Nothing awful (no drugs), just an inability to focus on adjusting to the realities of life. Although a very bright girl, it took her 10 years to finally finish college.
She was able to get a great job in a metro area with a computer firm where she worked for eight years. Then after a few months of complaining, she left to move to another city. In desperation, she got a job delivering pizzas just so she could afford rent. Very soon we saw the possibility that she would end up on the streets.
My husband and I bought a townhouse that was affordable for us and provided her with a place to live, and a small monthly stipend. The only requirement is that she keeps working and pays the HOA fee. Fast-forward a few years, two new jobs later, and a boyfriend living with her who has some health issues that prevent him from working.
He is good to her and good for her. He does a great job in handling house repair and provides her with comfort and company. We don’t mind making sure that she is safe and sheltered, but we really would like her boyfriend to make a monetary contribution to their lives. How can we broach this with her?
Concerned: You have willingly and generously set up a situation that sounds feasible and stable for all parties. Unless your daughter asks for more from you (or fails to pay her share), then why should her partner’s contribution matter?
Grateful: “Feeling Duped” provided the public service by telling her story. I was happy to help. | 2022-11-19T06:19:30Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Ask Amy: My son won’t send thank you notes for grad gifts - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/11/19/ask-amy-son-gifts-thank-you/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/11/19/ask-amy-son-gifts-thank-you/ |
Dear Carolyn: When my fiance and I decided to get married, we wanted to keep things very laid-back and small. That’s our style, and we’re not interested in a big wedding. It seemed as if everyone supported that, but our moms talked us into having a small celebration and inviting about 30 people total.
The initial planning seemed fine, but as we’ve progressed, somehow things have snowballed to twice the size, including all sorts of things we originally didn’t want to do, such as having attendants in matching outfits and floral arrangements and a big cake and other la-di-da stuff. I said no to a minister friend of my mom’s performing the ceremony, and she got uncharacteristically upset and rude about it.
This whole issue has caused us to take a step back and think again about what we want. We decided what we want is an intimate, meaningful ceremony, just the two of us and our two best friends.
So we’re canceling the wedding. I’m dreading telling my mom, because I think she will take the decision as a strike back at her, after the big blowup about the minister. How can I tell her without making it seem as if she is the main reason for us canceling and going back to our original plans?
— Snowballed
Snowballed: All you can do is tell the truth as kindly as you can and as fully as you need. It is not within your power to govern how people will receive it.
Be loving and patient with your mom, and let that stand as your proof that you’re not angry at her or blaming her for anything. Again, she might not receive the information that way, at least at first, and the timing won’t help, because she probably will associate the blowup with the cancellation — but be consistent in your affection, and let that consistency speak for you.
It does sound as if you’re planning to exclude your parents from the new/old version of the wedding. That is your prerogative, and it’s also understandable, given how hard it seems the moms have pushed to get what they want out of this for themselves without regard for your and your fiance’s preferences.
However, if you can be true to your vision of “an intimate, meaningful ceremony” and include parents, then do at least consider it as one obvious way to “tell her without making it seem as if she is the main reason for us canceling and going back to our original plans.”
If you feel you can’t do that because experience says you can’t trust the moms to respect your boundaries, then so be it; that’s on them, not you, for sowing such distrust with their past behavior. But you might not regret offering them some grace.
Re: Wedding: I don’t think it’s unreasonable to tell your mom that the several additions to the wedding are exactly what you didn’t want in the first place!
My husband and I pushed through with our wedding, and it turned into basically a big person-pleasing ceremony. The other day I asked him, “What do you think about how our wedding turned out?” and he said, “Ugh.” My feelings exactly. Do you! | 2022-11-19T06:19:36Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Carolyn Hax: Mom goes overboard on wedding. Couple decides to cancel. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/11/19/carolyn-hax-mom-overboard-wedding/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/11/19/carolyn-hax-mom-overboard-wedding/ |
Ali Imron, one of the key suspects in the 2003 Bali bombings, is escorted by police officers as he leaves a court on July 21, 2003, after his first trial in Indonesia. (Dita Alangkara/AP)
JAKARTA, Indonesia — When Ali Imron was an active member of the Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, he claimed that he needed only two hours to turn a recruit into a killer.
“Two hours was all it took me to convince someone to become a suicide bomber,” he told The Washington Post. “So I know the power of terrorists. I know how compelling they can be.”
Imron, now 43, has been in prison since 2003 for assembling and transporting the explosives used in the Bali bombings, a terrorist attack in Indonesia that killed 202 people and left 200 more injured. From his cell in the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police Headquarters, or Polda Metro Jaya, Imron says he now uses his skills of persuasion for good. He says he has dedicated himself to preventing others from making the same decisions he made — and he says he could do it more effectively if he were freed.
The Redemption of Mohammed Khalid
In the two decades since the Bali bombings, the Indonesian government has transformed dozens of ex-terrorists like Imron into prominent deradicalization advocates, carving out roles for them in the country’s wider efforts to confront religious extremism. The approach has increasingly come under scrutiny as Indonesia debates whether to grant greater freedoms to former terrorists.
Since the Bali bombings in 2002, few attacks on such a scale have occurred in Indonesia. Between 2003 and 2009, the Jakarta JW Marriot, the Australian Embassy and the Ritz Carlton were attacked, most likely by Jemaah Islamiyah, but those assaults did not cause a death toll as severe as in the Bali bombings.
This success in squashing the movement has been attributed to the police’s ability to arrest key players and dismantle the terrorism networks, as well as to deradicalization efforts by former members such as Imron.
“Post-Bali bomb, the police, with international support and pressure, moved relatively effectively in shutting down JI networks,” said Ian Wilson, a lecturer in politics and security studies at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia.
From 2002 to 2019, Indonesia had a recidivism rate of less than 6 percent for those convicted of terrorism-related offenses, compared with 13 percent for crimes such as drug offenses, government data shows.
“I give the Indonesian authorities a lot of credit for their creativity,” said Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College who has been studying deradicalization programs across Southeast Asia. “The Indonesians have given these people [former militants] really important soap boxes, which we would never do in the West.”
According to Judith Jacob, a security analyst at the risk and intelligence company Torchlight, Indonesia’s embrace of former terrorists in deradicalization efforts is rare. Only a handful of other countries have tried similar approaches, with varying degrees of success.
In Northern Ireland, ex-political prisoners have played a central role in violence prevention since the brokering of peace in the 1990s. Saudi Arabia’s version of deradicalization involves putting former militants into facilities where they learn about more-moderate Islam, receive counseling and take part in fitness programs.
France’s deradicalization centers seen as a ‘total fiasco’
Since Imron’s arrest, Indonesian authorities have enlisted his help in a variety of ways, allowing him to visit schools and conduct television interviews from prison. In 2007, despite public backlash, he was allowed to publish a book warning others about the dangers of terrorist ideologies and how to steer clear of them.
“It needs to be bigger than just the police,” Imron said of Indonesia’s deradicalization efforts. “It has to be about prevention, not just arrests.”
Imron doesn’t wear prison overalls and is allowed his own clothes because he is a long-term inmate. His hair, eyebrows and beard are flecked with gray, and he has a paunch from lack of exercise. He has apologized publicly many times for his actions, but some victim groups have rejected his expressions of contrition.
“I feel the burden of what I did with me always,” Imron said in October, days before the 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings. “Until I die, I will keep saying I’m sorry.”
Jemaah Islamiyah emerged in the 1990s seeking to establish a Muslim caliphate across Southeast Asia and came to worldwide attention with the Bali bombings. As the government boosted funding and resources for counterterrorism efforts, there was a parallel effort at deradicalization outsourced to civil society groups or “ex-jihadis,” Jacob said. Imron is perhaps the most prominent, but there are others, including Umar Patek, who also was involved in the Bali bombings. The attack, carried out on Oct. 12, 2002, by suicide bombers, targeted a street popular with foreigners and involved the detonation of a backpack bomb inside a nightclub, then a car bomb seconds later as people fled into the street.
Patek, 52, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 for mixing the chemicals used in the bombs. In August this year, after serving 10 years of his sentence, he became eligible for parole. Part of his application for early release cited his participation in a deradicalization program in prison.
From 2003: Indonesians begin to see conspiracy as homegrown
In a video interview released by the prison in East Java where he is incarcerated, Patek said that if released, he would do more to help prevent extremist violence. “I’d like to help the government to educate people about the issue, for millennials and maybe terror inmates in prisons,” he said.
But news of Patek’s potential release has drawn the ire of officials and victims’ families in Australia, some of whom have cast doubt on the effectiveness of Indonesia’s deradicalization efforts.
Patek’s release “will cause further distress to Australians who were the families of victims of the Bali bombings,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Queensland. “We lost 88 Australians in that terrorist attack. It was a barbaric attack.”
Some family members of the victims, however, have come to appreciate the ex-militants’ efforts. Hayati Eka Laksmi’s husband was killed in the bombing when the car he was in was blown up by the van that exploded outside the Sari Club in Kuta. She met Imron in prison.
“At first, I wanted to slash at him with a razor and rub chilis into his wounds,” she said. “But then I would have been the same as him. I didn’t want to fight violence with more violence. I forgave him so he could be better. I wanted him to be better so that he and others wouldn’t go back to Jemaah Islamiyah. I told him, ‘Don’t let anyone else feel like us.’ ”
While Indonesian authorities have touted the effectiveness of their deradicalization efforts, Jacob, the security analyst, cautioned that it’s not clear how much these former radicals have changed their views.
“Does it mean that an individual renounces all beliefs in a group’s ideology or just a commitment to violence?” she asked.
But Julie Chernov Hwang, a professor at Goucher College and the author of “Why Terrorists Quit,” maintains that figures such as Imron play a decisive role.
“His influence, although limited to inmates in Polda Metro Jaya, has been tangibly felt,” she said, adding that many of the people she interviewed between 2010 and 2016 cited conversations with Imron as important to challenging their views on violence.
His influence, however, is largely limited to other inmates at his prison, Chernov said. “Were Imron allowed more freedom of movement, he would have a wider reach.”
Imron agrees.
“In here, I can’t work to deradicalize people effectively,” he said.
“Because I’m the one who did it, I can help to guide others so they don’t do the same things,” he said. “The law can’t make terrorists conscious about what they’ve done wrong.” | 2022-11-19T07:54:10Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Indonesian Ali Imron helped bomb Bali; now he deradicalizes terrorists - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/indonesia-bali-bombing-deradicalization/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/indonesia-bali-bombing-deradicalization/ |
Ukraine live briefing: Icy winter begins with widespread power cuts in Ukraine; fierce fighting on eastern front
Local residents charge their mobile phones on the street in Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 18. (Reuters)
As winter sets in, Ukrainians are bracing for months of icy temperatures without enough heating or lighting. Much of the country continues to suffer power supply disruptions, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, after a punishing barrage of Russian airstrikes this week targeted Ukraine’s already-battered energy infrastructure.
At least 17 regions, plus the capital, Kyiv, were grappling with emergency shutdowns or scheduled blackouts, Zelensky said in his nightly address. Kyiv said the Kremlin is targeting energy supplies to compensate for battlefield setbacks, including a humiliating recent retreat from the southern city of Kherson.
The missile fragments that landed in Poland could have been Ukrainian, the spokesman for Ukraine’s air force said in an interview Friday. Yuriy Ignat said that the air battle between Russia and Ukraine near the Polish border on Tuesday was so intense that dozens of missiles were flying through the air within a matter of minutes. Ukraine initially denied that it was responsible for the blast, which NATO has described as a tragic accident.
The explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September were caused by “gross sabotage,” Swedish authorities said Friday, noting that they discovered traces of explosives at the site of the blasts. The public prosecutor and Sweden’s Security Service did not assign blame, while Russia has denied any involvement in the incident.
The United Nations Human Rights Office is looking into videos that the Kremlin said show Ukraine executing Russian prisoners of war, Reuters reported. U.N. officials said this week they found “patterns of torture and ill-treatment” by Russia against prisoners of war that had fought for Ukraine, and “sporadic cases of torture and ill-treatment” by Ukraine against Russian prisoners of war who had been in custody for extended periods.
Ukrainian and Russian forces are engaged in fierce fighting in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky said Friday. Despite Russia’s battlefield setbacks in the north and the south, there has been no respite on the eastern front, he said, adding that about 100 Russian attacks were repelled in the Donetsk region Thursday. Kremlin-aligned officials were “seemingly increasingly concerned” about Ukraine’s counteroffensives in the south, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War think tank said Friday.
Military mobilization in the Donetsk People’s Republic, a separatist enclave, will be carried out only if Russian President Vladimir Putin issues such a decree, the enclave’s acting head, Denis Pushilin, said in a video message on his Telegram channel Friday. Russia illegally annexed Donetsk in September but has not yet mobilized military-age men there for the war.
Canada said that Ukraine’s military is winning the war against Russia. Defense Minister Anita Anand made the remarks at the start of the annual Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, the Associated Press reported. “The spirit and determination of the Ukrainian people and President Zelensky continue to inspire us all,” she said. “Ukraine’s armed forces are driven, disciplined, and better-trained — and they are winning.”
The United States and at least 50 other nations signed a declaration Friday pledging to restrict the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, “when their use may be expected to cause harm to civilians or civilian objects.” In a statement, the State Department pointed to “atrocities committed by Russia’s forces” in Ukraine as the impetus for “a global unified approach on this issue.” The U.S. military has also engaged in intense urban bombing campaigns, including in Iraq and Syria.
The pro-Russian former president of Moldova, Igor Dodon, was freed from house arrest Friday. He immediately pledged to participate in protests against his pro-Western successor, Reuters reported. The Eastern European nation said earlier this year that it feared a potential Russian invasion. The Kremlin’s security services used Dodon’s Socialist Party as its primary vehicle to manipulate Moldovan politics, The Washington Post recently reported.
Stealthy Kherson resistance fighters undermined Russian occupying forces: During more than eight months of Russian occupation, an underground resistance movement formed in Kherson, the lone regional capital Putin’s military was able to capture since the start of its invasion last February, Isabelle Khurshudyan and Kamila Hrabchuk report. | 2022-11-19T07:54:16Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Russia-Ukraine war latest updates - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/russia-ukraine-war-latest-updates/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/russia-ukraine-war-latest-updates/ |
PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid had 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists and the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers overcame a 13-point deficit to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 110-102.
NEW ORLEANS — Jaylen Brown had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Derrick White highlighted a 26-point performance with six 3-pointers, and the Boston Celtics beat the New Orleans Pelicans 117-109 for their ninth straight win.
LAS VEGAS — Armaan Franklin scored a career-high 26 points, and No. 16 Virginia used a big second-half run to knock off No. 5 Baylor 86-79 in the team’s first game since three Cavaliers football players were killed in a campus shooting.
DOHA, Qatar — Flag-draped fans poured into Qatar on Friday ahead of the Middle East’s first World Cup as organizers banned the sale of beer at stadiums — a last-minute decision that stunned FIFA sponsor Budweiser but was largely welcomed by the country’s conservative Muslims and shrugged off by some visitors. | 2022-11-19T09:29:39Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Friday's Sports In Brief - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/fridays-sports-in-brief/2022/11/19/078ca78e-67e4-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/fridays-sports-in-brief/2022/11/19/078ca78e-67e4-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
Shark fins are packed into a Hong Kong storefront on Nov. 17, the day dozens of countries voted for better protections for sharks. The city is a global hub for the shark fin trade. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images)
Dozens of countries voted this week to regulate a global trade that has killed millions of sharks and threatened numerous species in recent decades — all over a bowl of soup.
Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) voted to limit or regulate nearly all species being traded for the main ingredient in shark fin soup. The proposal was led by Panama, the host country of the 19th Conference of the Parties to CITES, also known as the World Wildlife Conference, which runs through Nov. 25.
The decision is a “landmark in not only the number of species it covers, but in the amount of the trade that is going to be regulated,” said Sue Lieberman, vice president of international policy for the Wildlife Conservation Society. “If you’re going to ask, ‘How can it be that we are losing the world’s sharks?’ The answer is, yes, it’s because of a bowl of soup.”
Lieberman added that China is the largest consumer of shark fins, while Hong Kong is the largest port for the trade.
Before the vote, CITES regulations applied to about 20 to 25 percent of shark species that are frequently fished for their fins. Now, about 90 to 95 percent of those species will be covered, Lieberman said.
Countries participating in the CITES convention will have to issue permits certifying that the fins are legally obtained and that the level of fishing is sustainable. Those permits are usually checked at ports when shark fins are imported and exported, Lieberman said.
About 36 percent of the world’s shark and ray species are threatened with extinction, according to the World Wildlife Fund, but demand for their fins and meat has long blunted conservation efforts.
“Sharks are really in quite a special class when it comes to fisheries because an awful lot of them live a long time. As a result of that, they take a long time to reach maturity and start having young,” said Colman O Criodain, global head of wildlife policy at World Wildlife Fund International. “They’re very vulnerable to overfishing — a little bit of fishing does a lot of damage.”
Eighty-eight countries voted in favor of the expanded regulations, while 29 voted against it and 17 abstained, the Wildlife Conservation Society said. Dissenting countries included Indonesia, China and Japan.
“The vast bulk of the shark and ray catch worldwide happens in about 20 countries,” O Criodain said. “We know that a lot of these countries struggle with governance on a number of fronts.”
He added that enforcement is “not going to be easy, but in the long run, it’s for the best.”
According to O Criodain, sharks are generally the ocean’s top predators, “so if you’re going to be losing them in significant numbers, you’re going to seriously change the profile of the marine ecosystem.”
“In the long run, you’re going to impede the capacity of the ocean to deliver the food and the other benefits that humans need to survive,” he said. | 2022-11-19T09:29:47Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Countries vote for ‘landmark’ regulations on global shark fin trade - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/shark-fin-trade-climata-environment-wildlife-vote/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/shark-fin-trade-climata-environment-wildlife-vote/ |
In this photo released by the Taipei Zoo, ailing giant panda Tuan Tuan lies on the ground at the Taipei Zoo in Taipei, Taiwan on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Tuan Tuan, one of two giant pandas gifted to Taiwan from China, died Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 after a brief illness, the Taipei Zoo said. (Taipei Zoo via AP) (Uncredited/Taipei Zoo) | 2022-11-19T09:30:01Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Symbol of reunion with China, panda Tuan Tuan dies in Taipei - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/symbol-of-reunion-with-china-panda-tuan-tuan-dies-in-taipei/2022/11/19/0fba107e-67e7-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/symbol-of-reunion-with-china-panda-tuan-tuan-dies-in-taipei/2022/11/19/0fba107e-67e7-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
The International Bureau of Weights and Measures, based near Paris, helped organize the conference that led to the new prefixes being created. (Michel Euler/AP)
The Earth can now be said to weigh about six ronnagrams, instead of 6,000 yottagrams. Jupiter can be described as having a mass of about 1.9 quettagrams, instead of just 1.9 million yottagrams. And an electron’s weight is one rontogram, or 0.001 yoctograms.
Ronna refers to the use of 27 zeros after a first digit — or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 — and quetta means there are 30 zeros. Ronto is the inverse of ronna, making it 0.000000000000000000000000001, while quecto is the inverse of quetta. The newest members of this prefix club join the more familiar kilo (1,000), mega (1,000,000), milli (0.001) and micro (0.000001).
“At first glance this may not sound like a particularly exciting change,” wrote Oliver Jones, a professor of environmental chemistry at Australia’s RMIT University, in an email. But “standard prefixes, which are the same the world over, help us say what we mean and for others to understand us.”
The latest additions were “driven by the growing requirements of data science and digital storage, which is already using prefixes at the top of the existing range,” Britain’s National Physical Laboratory said in a statement. All the data in the world will total about 175 zettabytes (21 zeros), or about 0.175 yottabytes, by 2025, predicts market intelligence company IDC.
Scientists are about to change what a kilogram is. That’s massive.
Richard Brown, NPL’s head of metrology, or measurement, presented the four new prefixes for approval by delegates representing the 64 countries, including the United States, that are members of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
The new terms are necessary as the amount of digital data grows, Brown told the Associated Press. “In the last 30 years, the datasphere has increased exponentially, and data scientists have realized they will no longer have words to describe the levels of storage,” he said.
Jones, the RMIT professor, said the new units “help us manage digital infrastructure, advance scientifically and maintain society, and that is why this change is important.”
Regular use of the most recent additions to the measurement system is likely to be limited to scientists and data professionals. But the conference’s participants said that the prefixes needed to be introduced preemptively, to prevent the adoption of unofficial prefixes.
The delegates also agreed to stop adding leap seconds to official clocks by 2035. These had been used to make up the difference between atomic time and the Earth’s slowing rotation. Leap seconds can create “discontinuities that risk causing serious malfunctions in critical digital infrastructure,” including those that dictate global telecommunications and energy transmission systems, the conference said. | 2022-11-19T10:06:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Quetta and ronna listed as new prefixes for SI measurement - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/ronnagram-si-prefix-quetta-measurements/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/ronnagram-si-prefix-quetta-measurements/ |
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys still have Super Bowl-caliber talent. (Morry Gash/AP)
The NFL season is nearing its later stages, with Week 11 already underway, and yet some more recent major upsets — the Washington Commanders knocking off the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings outlasting the Buffalo Bills in overtime — left virtually all the divisional races in play. The Vikings are the only team on the verge of running away with a division title, but no other team has a lead of more than two games in the loss column. That uncertainty unlocks potential value in the futures markets, even this late in the year.
One team that appears full of value is the 6-3 Dallas Cowboys, a squad I was bearish on in the preseason. In September, I advocated wagering on the Cowboys winning fewer than 9½ games, citing their unusually high benefit from turnovers in a successful 2021 season. The injury to quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 1 seemed to strengthen the case before backup Cooper Rush guided the team to a 4-1 record in relief. Prescott returned in late October and Dallas has gone 2-1 since, averaging nearly 35 points a game. It’s still possible the Cowboys come in under 9½ wins, but we should also start considering them as a value play in the postseason, as the NFC’s representative in the Super Bowl and possibly even the winner.
Before you scoff at the notion, let’s quickly look at the NFC landscape. The Cowboys are 1½ point favorites on the road this week against the 8-1 Vikings, and the 7-2 New York Giants are just 3-point favorites over the 3-6 Detroit Lions. That, and the rest of this week’s point spreads — along with the games leading up to this point — tells me the oddsmakers have Dallas ranked among the five best teams in the league, probably ahead of everyone other than the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bills (with a healthy Josh Allen), the Eagles and perhaps the San Francisco 49ers.
Yet you can find the Cowboys at +1500 odds to win the Super Bowl (bet $100 to win $1500), a price comparable to that of the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and less than the Vikings (+1100). I understand the paths through the playoffs for these teams will be different — the Vikings could be in position to get the NFC’s only first-round bye — but I still think Dallas has value.
Based on projected performance for the remainder of the season and postseason, I would put the fair-value for Dallas to win the Super Bowl at +930. The Cowboys should also be +400 or +500 to win the NFC outright, according to my projections, but you can find +600 prices out there. That’s decent value for this late in the season. Conversely, my estimates say the Vikings should be +2500 to win the Super Bowl and +900 to win the NFC, yet the standard prices are +1100 and +500, respectively.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans are also worth a look. Entering this week, Cincinnati had been the league’s 10th-best team after adjusting for strength of schedule, according to Football Outsiders, while Tennessee ranked 13th even before its Thursday night win over the Packers. Pro Football Focus had those teams ranked 13th and eighth entering the week, respectively. Prices on those two teams were around +3000 to win it all entering this week, whereas my estimates indicate they should have been closer to +2000.
If you are looking for a division winner with value, gaze toward the AFC East, where both the New York Jets and New England Patriots are intriguing wagers. The Miami Dolphins lead the division with a 7-3 record, yet the betting markets believe the Bills are still the class of the field. In my simulations, the Bills win the division 51 percent of the time, followed by the Dolphins (27 percent), Patriots (12 percent) and Jets (11 percent). Those last two probabilities are low — the Jets are 6-3, like the Bills, while the Patriots are 5-4 — but remember, we care most about value vs. the lines. Since we can get better than 11-1 odds on either of those two teams to win the division when their estimated chances imply odds lower than that, it warrants further consideration.
One other wager I would consider is under 12½ wins for the Kansas City Chiefs at +140 or better. Silly, right? The Chiefs are 7-2 and should be favored in every one of their eight remaining games; the most difficult appears to be a Week 13 visit to the Cincinnati Bengals, where I project the Chiefs will be about a three-point favorite. Still, history indicates that teams starting 7-2 in a 16-game season finish with 11 wins, on average, with just half those teams winning 11 games or more.
The Chiefs, of course, will play 17 games, but I feel all right using a 16-game season because there is no guarantee the Chiefs will play their starters for the entire finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, if they play at all. Nearly three-fourths of the teams that started 7-2 won 12 or fewer games, which would imply a price of -270, whereas the market is offering +140 or higher. | 2022-11-19T10:14:56Z | www.washingtonpost.com | The Dallas Cowboys have value as a Super Bowl contender - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/super-bowl-odds-dallas-cowboys/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/super-bowl-odds-dallas-cowboys/ |
When colleges face threats, these teams quietly try to prevent violence
Threat assessment teams have arisen across the country at colleges and universities
Students and community members gather Monday for a candlelight vigil after a shooting that left three students dead at the University of Virginia. (Shaban Athuman/Richmond Times-Dispatch/AP)
The student suffered from a delusional fear that a faculty member meant to cause him harm. A poem he wrote, discovered on his computer, envisioned deadly violence. The University of Southern California also learned the student had bought a gun in the apparent belief he needed to protect himself.
That led to swift intervention, recalled Patrick Prince, USC’s associate vice provost for threat assessment and management. “We got him hospitalized,” Prince said. The student eventually graduated, and Prince keeps in touch. “He’s doing very well.”
Threat assessment has become an increasingly vital task during the past two decades at colleges and universities across the country. Teams of internal experts field tips, sift through evidence, and conduct quiet investigations to determine whether a student or an employee could turn violent, or would benefit from help. Almost always, the cases they monitor remain hidden from public view — unless calamity strikes.
The shooting last Sunday at the University of Virginia that left three students dead and two others injured has generated sharp scrutiny of how the 26,000-student school in Charlottesville responds to potential threats. The suspect, U-Va. student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., came to the attention of the university’s threat assessment team in mid-September after another student said Jones told him he had a gun.
There was no specific threat tied to the remark, U-Va. officials said, nor did Jones’s roommate see him with a gun. But U-Va.’s threat assessment team also learned that Jones had been convicted of a misdemeanor concealed-weapon violation last year, officials said, and Jones refused to cooperate when U-Va. investigators tried to learn more. He apparently did not disclose the offense, contrary to university rules. Officials emailed him on Oct. 26 to say that he faced imminent disciplinary action. Such internal proceedings — involving punishment for breaking student conduct rules — often take weeks or months to resolve.
There is no national count of the number of colleges and universities with threat assessment teams. But most colleges now have such a group, said John Ojeisekhoba, president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. A few states, including Virginia, require them.
These teams have grown more common since the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech, and Ojeisekhoba said they’re needed more than ever. In the past year, the association has seen a significant rise in cases that needed scrutiny.
“We’re very concerned,” Ojeisekhoba said.
U-Va. is not the only university reeling from recent violence. Four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed last Sunday in a rental home, devastating and frightening the 11,000-student campus. Officials were racing to investigate the mysterious attack and did not identify a suspect in the immediate aftermath. They warned Wednesday that they cannot say there is no ongoing threat to the community in Moscow, Idaho.
Experts say mass shootings are frequently premeditated. “These offenders don’t just ‘snap,’ but rather engage in a systematic progression of behavior or pathway before the actual event occurs,” according to a recent analysis for the campus law enforcement association. There are many variations on the path from contemplation to action, but they all begin with some ideation toward violence. The key is to identify people on that trajectory, the analysis found, and “disrupt that process.”
Ojeisekhoba cited an example at a college in California where a student got upset in class and made a hand motion as though firing a gun at someone. A concerned classmate reported it. Through a threat assessment, Ojeisekhoba said, officials found a cache of weapons the student had amassed, and specific targets the student had identified.
Kicking out a student doesn’t necessarily extinguish a threat.
At the University of Arizona, a student named Murad Dervish was reported for harassment and threats to staff members at the building, according to court records. The university expelled him and banned him from school activities. Staff were told to call for help if they spotted him on campus.
On Oct. 5, someone called 911 when Dervish was seen entering a building where he had studied under Thomas Meixner, the head of the Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Department, according to police. There, he allegedly shot and killed Meixner. He has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree burglary, possession of deadly weapon by prohibited possessor, and three counts of endangerment.
An attorney for Dervish did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
After the killing, Robert C. Robbins, president of the university, told the campus community on Oct. 17 that the university has had a threat assessment management team for nearly 20 years, “since the tragic killings of three University employees.” He said any member of the community can reach out to the multidisciplinary team to report threats. Several days later, Robbins announced that a retired FBI agent would be joining the team.
Threat assessment teams are about much more than law enforcement. Experts say the best units bring together campus police, student affairs, residential life, faculty, counseling and psychological services and other key elements of a university.
Sometimes they are merged with student-care teams dedicated to preventing suicide. Sometimes they are separate.
U-Va. counts at least 12 representatives on its threat assessment team. The state law that requires the teams at public colleges and universities was enacted after the Virginia Tech massacre. Many private colleges also have created such teams.
U-Va. Police Chief Timothy J. Longo Sr., a member of the university’s threat assessment team, told reporters Monday that the student affairs office had “made efforts” to contact Jones in the weeks before the shooting about the report of his gun possession. U-Va. spokesman Brian Coy said the threat assessment team moved to escalate the Jones case for disciplinary action after he “repeatedly refused to cooperate” with university officials seeking information.
“It’s always helpful” to speak directly with the people who may pose the threat, said Dave Okada, president of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. “It’s going to vary based on circumstances. Can you orchestrate having a conversation with them without being threatening? There may be times when you may not want to.”
U-Va. declined after Longo’s news conference to make available for interviews any officials affiliated with its threat assessment team. It also declined to answer numerous written questions about its handling of the Jones case, including whether officials knocked on the door of the student’s campus residence in an effort to talk with him.
Several security experts reached by The Washington Post declined to share opinions about U-Va.’s handling of the Jones case because they don’t know much about the details of what happened.
S. Daniel Carter, a campus safety consultant based in Georgia, said it appeared from U-Va.’s disclosures that the university took multiple steps in the assessment of Jones.
“It sounds like they did it by the book,” Carter said. “They had information. They acted on information.” Still, he said, there were unanswered questions. “If everything was done by the book, and something catastrophic happens, it may be time to revisit the book.”
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), at U-Va.’s request, plans to appoint a special counsel to review the university’s response to the shooting and interactions with Jones beforehand. Among the questions, U-Va. President James E. Ryan said, is “whether we did all we could to prevent or avoid this tragedy.” He pledged to share the results when the review is complete.
Virginia attorney general to name special counsel after fatal U-Va. shooting
Universities deal with dozens or even hundreds of cases a year. Many actively encourage students and employees to report threats.
Virginia Tech, which has about 37,000 students, said its threat assessment team handled 509 cases in 2020 and 492 last year. Some of those are cases involving potential suicide threats, the university said.
At George Mason University, with 39,000 students, the threat assessment team as of Wednesday was tracking 38 active cases of potential threats, said Juliet Blank-Godlove, dean of students and co-chair of the team. The team meets weekly, or more often if needed. “If something comes up, we don’t wait,” she said.
It is hard to measure the performance of these teams.
“Success is when there’s not a tragic incident,” Blank-Godlove said. “And there could be situations where perhaps an intervention stopped a tragic event, but we won’t know that, and we’d be speculating if we said it did.”
Blank-Godlove called the U-Va. shooting “absolutely tragic.” Like some other experts, she said she could not comment further on the case because she didn’t know the details. “My guess is that there’s more things we’re not aware of,” she said.
Gene Deisinger, a consultant who helps train threat assessment teams in Virginia, Illinois and elsewhere, cautioned that gun issues are not simple. “Lots of people have weapons, and there’s some that have misdemeanor convictions, and the vast majority of those don’t go on to commit critical acts of violence,” he said.
Often when there is a campus shooting, Carter said, hindsight turns up issues that require more scrutiny. “Unfortunately, we learn lessons about what we didn’t know.”
After the shooting, one U-Va. student was shocked to discover that he had just been assigned to live with Jones next semester. That student’s mother, who showed The Post evidence of the housing assignment, spoke on the condition of anonymity to guard the student’s privacy. The student has since been reassigned to another room. But the mother said she wondered whether the threat assessment involving Jones and guns was flagged or considered when the housing assignment was made. “My husband and I really need some questions answered,” she said.
U-Va. did not respond to questions from The Post about the mother’s account.
Marlon Lynch, vice president for public safety and police chief at Michigan State University, said an allegation that a student had a gun would be addressed by the department of police and public safety. It would make contact directly, Lynch said, seeking to determine the credibility of the allegation and an appropriate response. “If a roommate says, ‘Yes, I saw them with a gun,’ ” in a dorm, he said, the department would want to make sure the roommates and other students living there are safe, and then attempt to make contact without creating a dangerous situation.
In most cases students are compliant, Lynch said, but investigators could get a search warrant if needed.
After Jones was arrested, a search of his residence found a rifle and a handgun, according to Virginia State Police.
Prince, of USC, said margins for error are thin. “If we don’t do the right thing, we could have terrible outcomes.” Effective threat assessment, he said, requires a major institutional commitment. “Identifying risk is easy. Identifying true risk is a challenge.” | 2022-11-19T11:16:04Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Threat assessment teams make tough calls. The UVA shooting is an example. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/11/19/uva-shooting-threat-assessment-team/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/11/19/uva-shooting-threat-assessment-team/ |
A crowd of people at Times Square in New York in August 2019. (Bebeto Matthews/AP)
On Nov. 15, Planet Earth welcomed its eight-billionth living inhabitant, according to an authoritative projection from the United Nations. The figure represents an increase of 1 billion in global population since 2010 and 2 billion since 1998; in 1950, the world’s population was less than a third of what it is now. The U.N.-declared “Day of Eight Billion,” said Secretary General António Guterres, “is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet.”
We agree. Of course, a growing population creates more pressure on the natural environment and man-made infrastructure alike. It is one factor in accelerating climate change. Accentuating the challenges associated with contemporary population growth is the fact that the bulk of it is taking place in economically less-developed countries in Africa and Asia. The United Nations projects that more than half of the 1.7 billion global population increase between now and 2050 will occur in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania, all of which the World Bank deems low- or lower-middle income.
Mr. Guterres’s use of “celebrate” is appropriate nevertheless; his word choice represents a milestone of sorts itself. Too often in the past, conventional wisdom about population growth has tended to be pessimistic — even apocalyptic. In 1798, British economist Thomas Malthus forecast that an increasing population would soon outstrip, disastrously, nature’s capacity to feed so many people; in 1968, the title of an influential tract spoke of a “population bomb.” And yet here we are: The world’s population has octupled since Malthus’s day, more than doubled since 1968, and living standards around the world have vastly, though unevenly, improved during that time.
For most of human history, the world’s population remained essentially stagnant for the unhappy reason that high death rates offset high birthrates. Demographic expansion occurred once humankind figured out how to raise the productivity of all the new farmers and workers being born and to produce better, more abundant food, health and education — driving death rates down. Pessimists such as Malthus failed to comprehend this process, which has come to be known as the “demographic transition.” It turned out that a scramble for resources among increasing numbers of people would create not only scarcities and conflicts — but also incentives to overcome them through innovation. Britain was one of the first countries to make this transition, followed by many others over the past two centuries. In the ultimate phase, which is now underway in most highly urban, industrialized countries, both birthrates and death rates reach low levels and population stabilizes — or even shrinks.
These are the “achievements” to which the secretary general rightly alluded. There is every reason to hope Africa and South Asia can experience the same demographic transition; another formerly poor and predominantly rural region, Latin America is on its way toward doing so. Richer countries can help through job-creating foreign investment and trade, though, to be sure, governments in the developing world will have to do their part by maintaining transparent governance and the rule of law. Another lesson of demographic history is that, even if South Asian and African economies do develop rapidly, labor-force growth might outstrip employment opportunities. As British demographer Paul Morland has shown, this is the main reason for history’s migrations, and contemporary movements of people suggest it still holds true. Countries such as the United States, whose own birthrates have fallen, should revise and stabilize immigration policy to channel migration to their advantage.
Another reason not to worry about impending population growth: It’s mostly inevitable anyway. As the United Nations’ World Population Prospects report explains: “Two-thirds of the projected increase in global population through 2050 will be driven by the momentum of past growth that is embedded in the youthful age structure of the current population.” Policies directly aimed at reducing fertility could not affect this, the report argues. This analysis comes with an asterisk, though. The United Nations does not formally include education as a factor influencing population growth, but not all demographers agree. Wolfgang Lutz of the Wittgenstein Center for Demography and Global Human Capital at the University of Vienna has argued that education — especially of women and girls — can speed the demographic transition to lower fertility rates, by empowering people to pursue careers, make informed use of contraception and delay childbearing. Whereas the United Nations foresees world population hitting 10.4 billion people sometime in the 2080s before plateauing, Mr. Lutz has projected that it could peak just below 10 billion in 2070. In his optimal “rapid development” scenario, the maximum would be 8.7 billion in 2050.
Whoever is right, the end of population expansion is now foreseeable — a moment well within the potential lifespan of the eight-billionth person born on Nov. 15. Instead of population growth and growing birthrates, the fast-approaching new demographic challenge is societal aging. Japan, South Korea and several European countries are already shrinking in population; they will struggle to find enough workers to take care of the elderly and pay into their pension systems. Nowhere will this phenomenon be more consequential than China, whose population of 1.4 billion is on track to cease growing in 2023 and will be surpassed by India’s.
Having boomed economically for four decades thanks in part to an enormous cohort of working-age people, China faces demographic stagnation and, as a result, more difficulty sustaining economic growth. This is traceable in large part to its Communist government’s “one-child” policy, in force between 1980 and 2016, which was an especially simplistic — and, with its coerced abortions and sterilizations, harsh — application of Malthusian thinking. The United Nations expects China to have 100 million fewer people by 2050, a much higher percentage of whom will be elderly than at present. A team from China’s own Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences has predicted that China’s population will be less than half of what it is today by the end of the century.
The hope is that the massive challenge of global aging will spur innovation just as the challenges of rising population did in the past. In that sense, it’s a good thing that millions of new people — with their new ideas and fresh energy — are on the way. | 2022-11-19T12:21:20Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | World population is 8 billion people and rising. That's a good thing. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/19/world-population-8-billion-people-growth/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/19/world-population-8-billion-people-growth/ |
Though stubbornly high prices are weighing on consumers, retailer miscalculations could offer a lifeboat for savvy shoppers this holiday season
Shoppers in Georgetown on Nov. 9. Retail sales data, consumer surveys and quarterly financial results from some of the nation’s largest chains suggest that consumers are being more strategic — hunting for deals, comparing prices and trading down — and cutting back on what they buy themselves this holiday season. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg News)
This time last year, Alexis Taub’s direct-to-consumer jewelry business was flooded with orders for tennis bracelets and tennis necklaces.
“People did not care what they were spending,” she said, noting that the pieces could run several thousand dollars. “The amount of orders we had for them was crazy.”
This year, there’s been a shift — customers are opting for gifts in the low three-figure range, like gold hoops and single-stone bracelets and necklaces.
“People are so price-conscious now,” said Taub, 29, who owns Alexis Jae Jewelry in Westchester, just north of New York City. “Our volume is actually up even though the average order value is down.”
Retail sales data, consumer surveys and quarterly earnings reports from some of the nation’s largest chains released this week suggest a more subdued holiday shopping season than in 2021, when Americans were shaking off their pandemic stupor. Consumers are being more strategic — hunting for deals, comparing prices and trading down — as well as cutting back on what they buy themselves.
“There’s a sort of an underlying resilience, which is always out there,” said Jonathan Sharp, a managing director with the consumer and retail group at the consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal. “I think at the moment, though, that masks the fact that the consumer is making it really difficult for retailers to make this consumer spending profitable.”
And while stores are giving these savvier shoppers what they want, like earlier sales and more markdowns, he said, the catch is that “it is actually eroding their margins.”
This was reflected in the latest federal data. On Wednesday, the Census Bureau reported that retail sales surged 1.3 percent in October — though much of that spending went to necessities such as gas and food. Americans also spent more on furniture and even cars but continued to pull back on technology, such as laptops and smartphones, and appliances.
Meanwhile, third-quarter financial results from such brands as Wayfair, Kohl’s and Target showed that profits slowed despite early and steep discounting to offload excess inventory. Target alone saw its net income plummet nearly 90 percent from the same three months last year.
“It has sent a wave of concern through the sector, and people are being very cautious with guidance, and they’re prepared almost for the worst,” said Neil Saunders, a managing director at the analytics company GlobalData. “… This idea that consumers are defying gravity, and that they will go on spending at elevated levels ad infinitum, I think is coming to a close.”
But now, even more-affluent shoppers are feeling the strain and making more modest choices. A recent consumer sentiment survey from Alvarez & Marsal showed that 45 percent of consumers earning $150,000 or more are concerned that products have become too expensive. That’s a 10 percentage-point increase since the spring.
Walmart and Marmaxx — its brands include TJX and Marshalls — were the winners this earnings season, Saunders said, swooping up those higher-income folks who wanted better value when shopping. On Tuesday, Walmart said its third-quarter sales popped 8.7 percent; investors cheered by powering its stock price 6.5 percent.
Walmart’s pull is its promise of “everyday low prices” and convenience: Shoppers can pick up groceries, a pair of shoes and a new flat-screen TV all at the same time. It also has one of the largest retail footprints in the country.
Quarterly sales at the umbrella company for TJX and Marshalls grew 3.3 percent from 2021 and a staggering 17.3 percent from pre-pandemic 2019, Saunders said.
“One of the reasons that they are good at growing is because they are a value player,” he said. “They are getting customers who are trading down from other parts of the market.”
According to Alvarez & Marsal, 7 in 10 consumers are modifying their spending this holiday season. Almost 40 percent of shoppers said they will spend less on gifts for themselves this year, 35 percent said they will spend less on gifts for others, and about a quarter said they are giving fewer people gifts.
“It’s quite an across-the-board intention to retrench on gifting,” Sharp said.
“Because it has gotten more stressful and expensive in recent years, I’ve kind of just more or less downgraded in terms of like, rather than buying big elaborate things in my travels, I’ll buy maybe like a little trinket … which tends to be a lot cheaper,” said De Leon, who is volunteering in Louisiana before moving to Georgia to work as a firefighter.
“I’ve always been blessed to have a certain degree of money, so money was not a huge problem for me in the past, so I have never been very disciplined about how I spend it,” said Qazi, a data analyst. “But this year I’m like, no, I actually need to pay a lot more attention because there’s only so much money going around.”
The National Retail Federation and other trade groups are optimistic about the holiday shopping season. Earlier this month, the NRF forecast that retail sales would grow 6 to 8 percent this November and December. The figures do not account for inflation. Even without a precise comparison, it’s a fact that “people are paying more for less,” Saunders said.
“No one goes into the holiday saying, ‘Hey, let’s be gloomy,’” Saunders said. “People want to have a good holiday. They want to buy nice gifts. They want to have nice food on the table. So people are still prepared to spend, and they are prepared to dig quite deep to spend as well.” | 2022-11-19T12:25:42Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Inflation forces holiday shoppers to be more strategic in gift buying - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/19/inflation-impacts-holiday-season-shopping/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/19/inflation-impacts-holiday-season-shopping/ |
It’s White House wedding day — but the wildest one was Alice Roosevelt’s
By Ronald G. Shafer
President Theodore Roosevelt, right, with Alice Roosevelt Longworth and Nicholas Longworth. (C.L. Wasson/Library of Congress)
At her White House wedding in 1906, Alice Lee Roosevelt, the lively daughter of Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, grabbed a military guard’s sword and sliced her wedding cake in half. “Let somebody else do the rest,” she said with a laugh.
On Nov. 19, President Biden’s eldest granddaughter will be married in the 19th White House wedding. The nuptials of Naomi Biden and Peter Neal on the South Lawn will probably be less raucous than the early-20th-century matching of “Princess Alice” and Rep. Nicholas Longworth (R-Ohio).
The high-spirited Alice was a handful when Roosevelt, the vice president, moved into the White House in 1901 after President William McKinley was assassinated. “I can do one of two things,” Roosevelt told a visitor. “I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both!”
Alice loved to ride in fast cars, ride fast horses — and bet on racehorses with bookies — and sneak a smoke on the White House roof. She carried a pet garter snake named Emily Spinach in her purse. In 1903, she rode in a submarine in Narragansett Bay, two years before her father became the first president to go underwater in a sub.
She is “more than a fair portrait and landscape painter … speaks several languages” and “is fond of poetry, favoring Keats and Shelly,” a columnist wrote in 1905. The columnist said that a member of the snooty Knickerbocker Club in New York “after seeing the zest with which she danced, remarked in his languid way, ‘Bah, Jove! She is a chip off the old block.’ ”
Alice became a worldwide celebrity. In 1905, Roosevelt sent his daughter on a diplomatic voyage to the Far East with War Secretary William Howard Taft. The congressional delegation included Longworth, a wealthy playboy. He and Alice began a romance at sea. “One morning Congressman Longworth, Miss Alice’s devoted slave, presented himself attired in white flannels,” the New York World reported. Alice dared him to jump into the ship’s pool, then dived in herself, fully clothed. “What could poor Longworth do, flannels and all but gallantly follow the President’s daughter?” the paper recorded.
Alice later wrote that Longworth wasn’t the man in flannels, but in any case, that December, she and Longworth announced their engagement. Their wedding was set for Feb. 17, five days after Alice’s 22nd birthday. Longworth was 36. It would be the first White House wedding since 1874, when President Ulysses S. Grant’s daughter Nellie married Algernon Charles Frederick Sartoris, a prominent Englishman.
Washington was abuzz as the wedding neared. “This is ‘Alice Roosevelt week,’ ” the National Tribune reported. “Nobody in this town who pretends to be anybody is going to think of anything else but going to the White House wedding. Not since pretty Nellie Grant married her foreign lover against her father’s wishes in the big East Room of the White House has there been as much interest manifested in a wedding in the United States.”
The presidents who hated their presidential portraits
On Feb. 17, crowds of spectators gathered outside the White House gates to get a peek at the wedding guests. The guests included Nellie Grant Sartoris, Supreme Court justices, congressmen, diplomats and Alice’s cousin, future president Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR’s wife, Eleanor, was pregnant and stayed home.
At noon, Alice, wearing a long white satin dress, marched up the aisle in the East Room on the arm of President Roosevelt. After vows were exchanged, the bride “tripped down from the altar like a school girl, and in the exuberance of her mood almost danced her way through the assemblage of nearly a thousand admiring men and women,” reported The Washington Post, which devoted its entire front page to the wedding.
“Alice adorned herself with the pearl necklace from the Cuban government, a diamond broach from her parents, the kaiser’s diamond bracelets, and Nick’s wedding present to her, a diamond and pearl necklace,” Stacy A. Cordery wrote in her book, “Alice.”
The bride and groom retreated to the Blue Room for a private lunch with friends. When the big wedding cake was served, Alice exclaimed to the military guard, “Your sword, Major, your sword.” Drawing his sword, the guard “grasped the blade and thrust the pearl mounted hilt in the bride’s direction,” the Hartford Courant reported. “Without any hesitation, she took the weapon firm in her right hand and with one sharp thrust of the point into the centre of the cake cut deep into it. Then deftly drawing the sword hilt downward, she divided it.”
About 4 p.m., the newlyweds and some friends slipped out of a window in the Red Room to avoid the waiting crowd. A limousine was waiting to whisk the couple to the nearby estate of Washington Post Publisher John R. McLean. “Showers of rice” were thrown by “the jolly young people who had been skylarking the afternoon away in the White House,” the New York Times reported.
Most of the public loved the wedding. But a Chicago pastor called it “a vain display of would-be royalty. … ‘Princess Alice,’ who is nothing more nor less than a plain American girl, outdid any of the efforts of Queen Victoria.”
The marriage soon became strained. Longworth continued his womanizing. Once, a fellow congressman ran his hand over Longworth’s bald head and said, “Nice and smooth. Feels just like my wife’s bottom.” Longworth felt his own head and replied, “Yes, so it does.”
Alice also had affairs. In 1925, at age 41, she gave birth to a daughter, Paulina. The father was married Sen. William Borah (R-Idaho), Alice wrote in her private diary. Longworth doted on Paulina until his death in 1931 at age 61. He had become a popular House speaker, and in 1962, a House office building was named after him.
“Mrs. L.” became known for her tart tongue. After telling bawdy jokes about President Woodrow Wilson, she was banned from the White House. She called President Warren G. Harding “just a slob.” She said “the Hoover vacuum is more exciting” than President Herbert Hoover but supported him against cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election. Still, Alice often visited the White House during FDR’s four terms. According to the syndicated column Capital Stuff, she once said Roosevelt was “one part mush and two parts Eleanor.”
She liked Democratic presidents Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy and reportedly voted for Lyndon B. Johnson, but her favorite was Republican Richard M. Nixon, who hosted her 87th birthday party at the White House. In 1971, she attended the White House wedding of Tricia Nixon and Edward Finch Cox.
Mrs. L. never remarried. She presided over Washington society from her home on Embassy Row and became known as the capital’s “other Washington Monument.” A pillow in her sitting room was embroidered with a saying she popularized: “If you haven’t got anything nice to say about anyone, come and sit here by me.”
In 1974, she told The Post, “I don’t think I am insensitive or cruel. I laugh, I have a sense of humor, I like to tease. I must admit a sense of mischief does get hold of me from time to time. … Isn’t it strange how that upsets people?”
Alice Roosevelt Longworth died Feb. 20, 1980, at age 96. United Press International noted that her wedding nearly seven decades before was “one of the prime social events of the century’s first decade.”
Ronald G. Shafer is the author of “Breaking News All Over Again,” a collection of his Washington Post Retropolis columns. | 2022-11-19T12:25:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Can Naomi Biden's White House wedding compare to Alice Roosevelt's? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/11/19/alice-roosevelt-white-house-wedding/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/11/19/alice-roosevelt-white-house-wedding/ |
Fact-checking ‘The Crown’: Did Britain’s royals abandon Russia’s royals in 1917?
The Romanov family in 1913. From left: Olga, Maria, Czar Nicholas II, Czarina Alexandra, Anastasia, Alexei and Tatiana. (Hermitage Museum, Russia)
Note: This article contains spoilers about “The Crown.”
In the new season of “The Crown,” the sixth episode opens with a different set of British royals than the ones the Netflix show has followed for five seasons.
It’s 1917, and King George V is at the breakfast table with his wife, Queen Mary, and eldest son, the future King Edward VIII. A letter arrives from the prime minister, informing the king that the government plans to send a ship to rescue Russia’s Czar Nicholas II and his family, but since the czar is the king’s cousin, they don’t want to do so without his permission.
The king, with a parrot on his shoulder, seems more interested in collecting stamps than dealing with affairs of state, and he defers to the queen. The scene ends before we learn her decision.
Next we’re transported to Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where the czar, his wife, four daughters and son are being held. Tricked into thinking they are about to be rescued — by “cousin George,” they presume — the family is led to a cellar where they are gruesomely murdered by Bolshevik revolutionaries.
Fast-forward to 1991: Queen Elizabeth II, played by Imelda Staunton, watches news coverage as the communist Soviet Union collapses and Boris Yeltsin, promising democracy, takes control. Soon the queen learns that years earlier, when Yeltsin was a lower government official, he ordered the destruction of Ipatiev House.
The remainder of the episode deals with the royals’ thawing relations with Russia and an effort to find the Romanov remains and give them a dignified rest. Prince Philip, played by Jonathan Pryce, is asked to give a DNA sample to help identify the remains, since he is also related to the Romanovs (he and the queen were third cousins). Philip’s close friend, Lady Penny Knatchbull, develops an alternative theory on why the British royals didn’t rescue the Romanovs, and Philip and Elizabeth fight over his perceived abandonment of his ancestors by hers.
Fact-checking ‘The Crown’: Is Prince Philip a total jerk?
So how much of this is true? Did King George V really abandon the Romanovs to a terrible death? Did Philip really provide DNA to identify their remains? And might their rescue have been scuttled because of petty jealousies between two women?
Many parts of the breakfast scene are broadly accurate. In 1917, the prime minister really did ask the king for permission to carry out their Romanov rescue plan. In general, the king really was more interested in stamp-collecting than just about anything else, and he really did eat breakfast with a parrot on his shoulder — though Charlotte, as she was called, was pinkish gray, not blue-and-yellow like the parrot on the TV show.
George V and Nicholas II really were cousins — first cousins, in fact. The two men bore a remarkable resemblance to one another, something commented upon all their lives when the families vacationed together or gathered for royal weddings. Nicholas called George “Georgie” in letters, and when Nicholas and his family were murdered, George wrote in his diary, “I was devoted to Nicky, who was the kindest of men, a thorough gentleman, loved his country and his people.”
That may well have been true, but “Nicky” also oversaw the 1905 shooting of unarmed protesters by his soldiers, leaving perhaps 1,000 people dead, and failed to take seriously constitutional reforms that might have saved his throne and his life.
When Nicholas was forced to abdicate at the beginning of the revolution, England was allied with Russia against Germany in the First World War, which explains much of its interest in preserving the czar’s life. This is when the prime minister, with the king’s permission, first extended an offer to rescue him.
But things were complicated. Once it became clear Nicholas would not be returning to the throne, the British government had to think about keeping good relations with the new Bolshevik regime. Plus, in England, the king was unpopular and may have faced the threat of his own forced abdication if he was seen as being too welcoming to the Romanovs — especially given Nicholas’s wife, Alexandra, was German. So the offer of rescue was retracted.
There was another reason for the retraction put forward in the episode by Prince Philip’s close friend, Lady Penny Knatchbull: that George’s wife, Queen Mary, was jealous of Nicholas’s wife, the Czarina Alexandra. They had grown up together as German princesses, Alexandra the prettier of the two, Knatchbull explained. Alexandra had rejected romantic overtures from George’s older brother, who subsequently became engaged to Mary. When the older brother died suddenly, Mary married George instead. Because of this, Knatchbull claimed in the show, Mary and Alexandra were rivals, and Mary “didn’t want the prettier, grander Alexandra in England upstaging her.”
It’s true that Alexandra rejected George’s older brother, but that’s where the facts end. Mary and Alexandra did not grow up together as German princesses. Although Mary’s father held a German prince title, Mary was born and raised in England. There’s no evidence the two women were rivals — this seems to have been invented for the show to mirror the rivalry between the queen and Knatchbull for Philip’s attention.
Last, Philip really did provide a DNA sample that helped identify some of the Romanovs’ remains. Though both Elizabeth and Philip were related to the Romanovs, Philip’s connection came through Alexandra, with whom he shared a common female ancestor, meaning only he could provide a mitochondrial DNA match. With his sample, scientists confirmed in 1993 that four of the remains belonged to Alexandra and three Romanov daughters.
The show doesn’t mention it, but the body of Nicholas’s brother was exhumed to provide a DNA match for Nicholas’s remains. The remains of Alexei and the last Romanov daughter were found later; Philip provided another DNA sample in 2007 to confirm their identities. | 2022-11-19T12:25:45Z | www.washingtonpost.com | 'The Crown': Did British royals abandon Russia's Romanovs in 1917? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/11/19/prince-philip-romanovs-assassination-dna/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/11/19/prince-philip-romanovs-assassination-dna/ |
Young reporters are forced to contend with waves of abuse and harassment, driving some out of the industry before they even get started.
Olivia Krupp, 19, a sophomore at the University of Arizona and a student journalist, was the target of an online harassment campaign after writing a critical piece about a TikTok creator. (Kitra Cahana)
Krupp’s ordeal highlights the growing threat that online harassment poses to journalists, especially those just starting out. Targeted online harassment has become a pervasive threat to newsrooms across the country. A 2019 survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists found that 85 percent of respondents believed their career had become less safe in the past five years and more than 70 percent said they experienced safety issues or threats as part of doing their job.
The problem is particularly inescapable for student journalists. As the first generation of digital natives, Gen Z students’ lives are intertwined with the internet in a way that older journalists’ might not be. “So much of our lives are online and so much of how people perceive us and our identity is online,” Krupp said. “Part of me is my social media presence, it’s a big part of my life. And that’s true for all my friends and all other young people I know.”
Growing a public image is also crucial to getting hired out of school, but maintaining that image online also gives harassers more places to target their attacks. “You have to brand yourself,” said Alec Sturm, a 17-year-old freshman at Syracuse University. “You have to build your own brand and have an image, or else people aren’t going to find you to hire you, that’s the pressure we get. Whether it’s your own newsletter, or website, you have to be able to market yourself and create a brand for yourself.”
And as university publications build their reach online, student journalists’ work is accessible in a way it wasn’t before. Stories can go viral and spread beyond just students. The Wildcat, the university’s student newspaper, prints only three times a semester, but its digital edition is available every day, reaching an audience of nearly 40,000 students and readers across the web.
Death threats and doxing
Krupp’s profile of him, published in the online version of The Daily Wildcat under the Opinion section, critiqued Pakter and his fans, comparing him to Andrew Tate, an influencer whose misogynistic posts have gotten him banned from YouTube and TikTok. She called Pakter’s TikTok commentary “troublesome” and questioned whether he was a good role model for his thousands of followers.
Krupp found out her story had gone live when she began receiving text messages. Her phone was suddenly barraged from numbers she’d never seen before. “I hope when our society wakes again you are lined up and shot,” read one text viewed by The Post. Dozens of others viewed by The Post berated her appearance, threatened her, and called her misogynistic slurs.
Pakter had posted a TikTok about Krupp’s article, she discovered, which included her phone number. Krupp messaged Pakter and begged him to take the video down. He did not respond. (The video was later removed for violating TikTok’s community guidelines.)
“There’s no person I hate and have less respect for,” Pakter said in the TikTok video, “than people who make a living and make their platform off of s----ing on others.” He proceeded to release text messages between himself and Krupp and recount their interview, calling her column a “hit piece.” In the video, Pakter displays Krupp’s Instagram account on the screen behind him, saying, “I have absolutely no respect for you. I think you’re a scumbag, and we’ll see what happens next.”
Pakter’s fans quickly mobilized. The messages and calls flooded Krupp’s phone for days. “The calls were coming in at such a rapid pace that I couldn’t even get into my phone to call my mom,” she said. Her Instagram account was overrun with hateful comments. On TikTok, Pakter’s fans bragged in his comment section about the harassment they carried out against Krupp. “They were, like, I just called her 65 times. She’ll pick up eventually,” she said. They critiqued her photos and body, calling her fat and calling for her to be fired from The Daily Wildcat.
“Hope you get rap3d,” read one comment. “Fat clown,” read another. Others read, “Karma’s a bitch, ain’t it sweetie,” “Defaming people for clout isn’t journalism,” and “Y’all let this piece of meat have an opinion, her mouth should be tied shut the rest of her life.” A number she didn’t know texted her, “you journalists are f---ing scum.”
“I have never promoted nor do I condone harassment, threats of violence, or any form of intimidation against a journalist — or anyone else,” Pakter said in a statement he emailed in response to a Post request for comment. After The Post contacted him for comment he also posted a TikTok condemning the harassment campaign against Krupp.
Both Krupp and her mother contacted the school, asking them to take action to curb the abuse. She also contacted the Tucson police, who sent her to the campus police, who sent her back to the Tucson police, who eventually declined to press charges against Pakter for “knowingly terrifying, intimidating, threatening or harassing” her, which is illegal in Arizona.
The Daily Wildcat wrote a letter to the school on Krupp’s behalf. “At a minimum,” the letter read, “we ask that the Dean of Students Office release a joint statement with UA Student Media condemning these disgusting, inappropriate comments.”
The school promised to investigate, but when Krupp’s mother followed up, asking them to take action after weeks of abuse, the administration still declined to issue any public support for Krupp.
“Walking to class, it’s humiliating to have things like this said about me,” she said. “My friend and I were walking and these boys were like, ‘Oh there’s the journalist,’ being mean. I’ve had people come up to me when I’m out. I’ve been getting stares in my classes. It’s affected my ability to concentrate and be relaxed in any public setting.”
On Nov. 8, 2022, after The Post sought comment, the University of Arizona’s office of the provost sent a letter to students. “Our student journalists should not be subjected to intimidation, harassment, or threats of violence for exercising their constitutional rights and pursuing educational opportunities that advance their career goals,” it read.
Krupp said it was too little, too late. “It’s ungenuine,” she said, “we had to ask them a million times for a statement. We’ve been chasing after them the whole time trying to get answers and action. A statement like that should have been released a month ago.”
A shifting media landscape
As the local news industry has been gutted, student journalists have increasingly become the primary reporters covering many local issues. Recently, a candidate for the board of trustees of the Mountain View Los Altos High School District in Northern California allegedly threatened a high school reporter after the Los Altos High School student newspaper published an article reporting on the candidate’s position against students being required to wear masks to stop the spread of covid-19.
Several student journalists who spoke to The Post under the condition of anonymity because they feared further harassment said they shied away from big stories because of the backlash they knew they’d receive simply for reporting on something controversial.
“I hear from advisers that students are reluctant to put themselves out there or cover news in ways we used to before,” said Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel at the Student Press Law Center, a nonprofit organization that aims to protect press freedom rights for journalists at high school and university student newspapers. “I’ve been doing this for close to 30 years, and it’s a climate I’ve never really seen before, the way people are going after students.”
Sturm, the Syracuse freshman, said that the abuse many student journalists receive online is totally decoupled from the stories they write. For instance, though he covers sports, after Sturm updated his Twitter avatar to a photo of himself wearing a mask, he was met with vitriol. “I have my pronouns in my bio, and it snowballed into a lot of threats,” he added.
Lily Doton a senior at Castleton University in Vermont, said that her identity has made her a target. “I’m an Asian student at a predominantly White school in a predominantly White state,” she said. “When my first column started being published I was scared. I’m pretty easily recognizable walking around campus and town. I was worried someone I had made angry would want to confront me in person. I spent awhile constantly looking over my shoulder.”
Because young people are more likely to have a larger online footprint, it’s easier for bad actors to gather information about them to generate controversy. All experts The Post spoke to were adamant that reputational harm is a primary goal of online harassment campaigns.
“Harassers and bad actors are trying to muddy the waters and make it very difficult for young, diverse voices to enter the media ecosystem,” said Katherine Jacobsen, the U.S. and Canada program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists. “What we’ve seen is that women and people of color are much more likely to get harassed than straight White male counterparts, and that really has a silencing effect for those voices.”
Bad actors use online harassment to generate the perception of controversy around certain young journalists. That stigma of being a “controversial” reporter then cuts the young journalists off from meaningful career opportunities. “To have that kind of reputational damage, especially that early in your career when you’re trying to get hired for the first time and you have nothing to lean on,” Jacobsen said, “is incredibly damaging.”
“Even if the reporter was in the right, it doesn’t matter,” said Alex Tey a student at New York University and former editor in chief of the Washington Square News, the university’s independent, student-run newspaper. “Being a trans woman of color and writing things about this stuff online, you know you’re vulnerable. I’m just waiting for lightning to strike, and then I’ll forever be associated with this backlash.”
Journalism schools should be teaching students how to handle the amount of harassment they will face daily as working journalists, in their inboxes, on social media they’re essentially required to have for work, in person. So much of it disguised as “feedback” or “advice.”
— Rachel Leingang (@rachelleingang) July 17, 2020
The Student Press Law Center’s Hiestand said that schools need to recognize that without strong counteraction, harassers become emboldened. An institution’s silence in the wake of attacks is viewed by the instigators as tacit approval. “Schools need to understand that this will create real problems in these students’ lives,” he said. “Not putting their heads in the sand is the most important thing.”
Targets of online harassment have little to no legal recourse if the online threats haven’t manifested physically and defamation lawsuits are costly and require extensive proof.
Krupp said that while the whole experience has been traumatic, it’s also been a powerful learning experience. She has no plans to quit journalism, but she is more careful about privacy. When she does begin to apply for full-time jobs, Krupp said that the number one thing she will look for is a newsroom that can properly navigate these types of campaigns. | 2022-11-19T12:26:14Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Online harassment of student journalist Olivia Krupp highlights the problem - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/19/student-journalist-harass-arizona/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/19/student-journalist-harass-arizona/ |
Working on managing your own emotions, asking the right questions and helping to determine the level of support they need are effective ways to empower adolescents
By Jenny Taitz
As a clinical psychologist, I often find myself sitting across from college students struggling with challenges such as anxiety and suicidality, who confide that their parents don’t get it. Not surprisingly, I also work with parents of young adults who want to help their children but can’t seem to connect. It can be disheartening that people who matter deeply to each other misread cues at critical emotional junctures, but part of what I teach parents is how to help their teens feel heard and supported so they can move forward.
Roughly 50 percent of adolescents meet the criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis at some point, and we’ve all heard of the unmet mental health issues in teens along with concerning rates of suicidality. While young adults crave autonomy, the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain that manages thinking flexibly and managing impulses — continues to develop until age 25, which means that however mature they seem, your teen needs adult help when it comes to regulating emotions and handling crises.
Still, I’ve seen even the most well-meaning parent panic when their child is struggling with mental health issues, then inadvertently say the wrong thing such as, “you’re overreacting.” Sometimes they offer children too much space, assuming their teenager will come to them with a problem. But there are effective ways to empower your adolescent, including working on managing your own emotions, asking the right questions and helping to determine the level of support they need.
Practice being kind and nonjudgmental: To increase the likelihood of your teen opening up to you in hard times, it’s helpful to be open and warm in ordinary moments. It can also help to remind yourself that feeling distress is part of being a young adult, says psychologist Lisa Damour, author of “Under Pressure,” and the co-host of the podcast “Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting.” “Part of how we can support young people is to normalize stress,” she says.
Don’t be a “snowplow parent”: It’s not your job to remove any potential problems your adolescent is facing. Experiencing and coping with mistakes and failures can prove to be a “hidden curriculum” that helps young adults grow and find their purpose, say Belle Liang and Timothy Klein, authors of “How to Navigate Life.”
Many parents I treat, especially those who experience anxiety themselves, feel eager to rush in to save the day around non-urgent issues such as helping their teen make up for a late assignment. That only keeps their young adult from learning from consequences and developing better problem-solving skills. Instead, Damour recommends listening and empathizing, which reduces the intensity of negative emotions. Rather than entering fix-it mode, the goal should be to “help your young person build a broader repertoire for managing,” Damour advises. That may include talking about cultivating healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, exercising and steering clear of substances.
Give them hope: If your teen is struggling with issues more serious than average stress, such as depression or anxiety, let them know that what they’re experiencing isn’t permanent and that feeling better is possible and within reach. “Symptoms of depression don’t define you, they are part of your life experience and will change through effort, adaptive coping strategies and finding the right supports,” advises Jessica Schleider, a psychologist and assistant professor at Stonybrook University. Schleider developed brief single session interventions that are free online, that help reduce hopelessness and depression, especially if you are waiting to meet with a professional.
Ask about self-harm thoughts: If you’re concerned, however, that your child is considering suicide or self-harm, “the single biggest thing is to collect yourself and find a way to ask about that directly,” says David Jobes, a psychologist and professor at Catholic University who developed the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality, an evidence-based clinical intervention to help prevent suicide. He encourages parents to rally their strength, approach their loved one at a good time when you have their undivided attention, then be direct — “Are things ever so bad that you think about suicide? Do you ever have thoughts of doing things to hurt yourself?” — and make sure you’re ready to hear the answer. “You need to listen and just hear it and hold it, rather than invalidating, preempting or pointing things out,” Jobes says. “You want to convey the message that we’re here, whether that’s physically, or emotionally; on the phone, or by text. We’ve got you.”
Many young adults are terrified of broaching suicidal feelings with their parents, which can mean that suicidal thoughts aren’t discussed until there is an emergency. That’s why it’s so important to lay the groundwork for your teen to feel comfortable sharing. Also, keep in mind thoughts of suicide are fairly common, with nearly 10 percent of people having these thoughts over the course of their lives.
“We can all have thoughts that feel eerie, they are just thoughts, and we can talk about them together,” Schleider says, adding that it’s crucial your teen knows they can come to you. While suicidal feelings can feel terrifying and warrant seeking professional help, remember that you must be someone your child can turn to, so don’t overreact. Instead, aim to go into these conversations prepared with potential resources.
Lean on research-based approaches: As a parent, Jobes says, you can call crisis hotlines and use tools, such as the Stanley-Brown safety plan, and share these with your teen, giving them some agency over what seems helpful to them. Some of the assistance Jobes encourages exploring, while waiting to meet with a professional, includes the crisis text line, the national hotline 988, exploring Dialectical Behavior Therapy — an evidence-based approach to treating suicidal feelings — content on Now Matters Now or DBT-RU, or joining the Lived Experience Academy or the peer-led Alternatives to Suicide. Certainly take precautions and remove access to any lethal means.
Despite conventional wisdom, when the risk of suicide isn’t imminent, there may not be a need for medications such as SSRIs, or hospitalizations. Instead, Jobes encourages understanding the drivers that are making your child consider suicide and offering your child a range of options, including psychotherapies recognized to reduce risk of suicide, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, to directly deal with challenges that fuel suicidal feelings. After decades of experience in the field of adolescent suicidology, Jobes has observed that “what’s at the heart of most suicidal struggles are relational issues.” These can include anything from issues at home to school bullying to romantic breakups, and medications or hospitalizations generally don’t meaningfully improve those concerns as much as good psychotherapy, Jobes says.
One of the studies in suicide prevention that I often think about in my work, is psychiatrist Jerome Motto’s simple yet lifesaving finding that clinicians sending brief, caring check-in messages that show someone is invested in a person’s well-being can significantly reduce suicide risk. Communicating that you genuinely care and are there, repeatedly, and without judgment, is a profound gift.
No matter what the young adult you love is facing, consider your role, as Jobes prescribes, “Like a lighthouse, just keep sending the message, I’m here. There are rocks out there. I will continue to send out a beacon of light to help guide you, but you’re the captain of your own ship, and together we can get you safely to the shore.”
Jenny Taitz, PsyD, ABPP, is a clinical psychologist and an assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at the University of California at Los Angeles. She is the author of a forthcoming book on stress, “How to be Single and Happy,” and “End Emotional Eating.” | 2022-11-19T12:26:26Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Teen mental health issues are on the rise. Here's how parents can help. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/11/19/teens-mental-health-parents-help/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/11/19/teens-mental-health-parents-help/ |
Advocate who testified about D.C. crime bill fatally shot, police say
Kelvin Blowe testified before the D.C. Council as members considered overhauling the city’s criminal code.
Kelvin Blowe appears before the D.C. Council in December 2021. He was fatally shot Tuesday in Southeast. (Screenshot of D.C. Council meeting)
The five-plus years Kelvin Blowe spent behind bars for robbery in the District instilled in him a passion to right inequities he believed he encountered.
He joined an organization for returning citizens when he got out of prison and became a policy advocate for the D.C. Justice Lab, a social justice group where the former Marine worked on a complex project pushing for a rewrite of D.C.'s criminal code.
In December, the 32-year-old infused his personal story into an esoteric D.C. Council hearing on the topic, testifying that his travels through the criminal justice system put him in contact with people convicted on facts that “were essentially identical, but were somehow charged differently.”
Blowe never got to see the results of his advocacy. He was fatally shot early Tuesday by a gunman who, according to police, emerged from a stolen car after a crash with Blowe. Authorities said they believe Blowe also possessed a weapon, as they recovered a gun next to his body.
Hours after the shooting, the D.C. Council unanimously passed the bill about which Blowe had testified.
“It is very difficult to accept that someone who survived the worst of what we have to offer — sent off to the military, sent off to prison — couldn’t survive living on the streets of D.C.,” said Patrice Sulton, a civil rights lawyer and executive director of the D.C. Justice Lab. “He dedicated himself to preventing the exact kind of harm that befell him.”
Blowe was shot shortly before 5:30 a.m. in the 2500 block of Southern Avenue SE. His family said he had been taking two colleagues home after a shift working as a private security guard in Maryland.
Police said he was driving a blue Chevrolet Malibu and slowed to turn left off Southern Avenue when the driver of a stolen silver Lexus tried to pass him on the left and swerved over the double yellow line. The two vehicles collided. A police spokesman said Blowe approached the Lexus, and an armed occupant got out and shot him.
It was unclear what kind of interaction — if any — occurred immediately after the crash between Blowe and the people in the Lexus. Police said a gun was found next to Blowe’s body; his uncle, Keith R. Johnson, said a detective told him it had not been fired, and that it was unclear whether he pointed it at or threatened the occupant of the Lexus. The people in the Lexus fled and have not been found. Blowe’s family said they did not know he had a weapon.
Blowe had appeared frequently before the Council on a variety of matters, telling lawmakers he struggled to acclimate to society when he returned from the Marines after two tours in Afghanistan. He was diagnosed with PTSD after his deployment, and then again had troubles when he got out of prison. Both times, he said, he lacked the support and training he needed. He advocated for additional resources on behalf of the Justice Lab and the National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens.
Blowe’s death, Johnson said, “is a tragic loss not just to our family, but to our city as a whole.” Johnson, a pastor who runs a Christian ministry and is a minister on staff at Alexander Memorial Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro, said his nephew was building a new life, and had a girlfriend he talked about marrying.
“His long term goal was to be mayor of Washington, D.C.,” said Johnson, 57, who will officiate his nephew’s funeral planned for early December. “He wanted to be in a position to affect other young Black men who got lost and are in the system. He was working to build a future. He had decided to become an asset to society, and not a liability.”
Blowe was raised in Prince George’s County, where he lived with his mother and grandmother. After graduating high school, he went to community college and took classes at the University of the District of Columbia, his uncle said.
In a YouTube video, Blowe said he had a “zero-point something” GPA and decided he wasn’t ready for college. He joined the Marines in 2011 and served a little more than four years, with tours in Afghanistan and Jordan, military records show.
Johnson said his nephew told him the military taught him about camaraderie, dedication and discipline, but also tragedy.
Johnson said Blowe was in a Humvee that struck a roadside bomb, killing a close friend and gravely injuring another. He said Blowe abused alcohol and other substances before his discharge, and was later diagnosed with PTSD, struggling to understand how he emerged uninjured from the explosion, while others did not.
The Marine Corps said Blowe had been a rifleman and that his awards included a Good Conduct Medal. He deployed to Afghanistan for six months in 2012 and for three months to Jordan in 2013.
In the YouTube video, Blowe said his battle with alcohol led to bad decisions, and to his arrest for robbery. According to police, Blowe and an accomplice abducted a man and forced him to withdraw money from a bank machine in the summer of 2016. He was convicted and sentenced in 2017 to five years and six months in prison, and got out in March 2021. In the video, he said he emerged “homeless, jobless and had no vision and no guidance on what I was going to do or how I was to get it done.”
Blowe said he found the National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens, which helped him with money, a place to live and job training. He started a transportation company to drive people around, while also immersing himself in the reentry group, where his work caught the attention of the D.C. Justice Lab. Blowe said in his video that success doesn’t mean a house in suburbia with a white picket fence. “I’m out, and I’m staying out,” he said, “and that’s a success.”
Courtney Stewart, the CEO of the National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens, described Blowe as “very forthcoming and very honest with what he was dealing with.” He said that earned him credibility as a spokesman and advocate.
“He was, in my opinion, a poster child for reentry,” Stewart said.
Sulton said she noticed Blowe’s work with the reentry group. “He was so incredibly thoughtful,” she said, adding he worked on a variety of projects, including a measure before the Council that would simplify and expand the ability to seal and expunge some criminal records, to help remove impediments to them getting jobs and making other advancements.
Sulton said Blowe wrote his own testimony he gave before the Council, and that his perspective shaped how she, as a lawyer, approached her own advocacy. “He was able to speak to issues in a way that not just authentic, but was persuasive,” she said.
At the December Council hearing on criminal code revisions, Sulton said he articulated how he felt some laws were unfair and how “that is not how the law is supposed to function.” Blowe summed up his life-arc in a few word introduction to the chair of the public safety committee, Charles Allen (D-Ward 6): “I’m a Washingtonian, a returning citizen and a United States Marine Corps veteran.”
Blowe’s 62-year-old mother, Kim Renee Blowe, said her son was active in his uncle’s ministry and, along with his brothers, helped take care of her at her home in Southern Maryland.
Johnson said he is working through what he will say at his nephew’s funeral, torn between his role helping raise Blowe and as a pastor searching for a greater meaning behind the tragedy. He said he is thinking about scripture recounting “witnesses cheering us on as we go through our trials and tribulations on our way to heaven.” | 2022-11-19T13:09:16Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Advocate who testified about D.C. crime bill fatally shot, police say - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/criminal-justice-advocate-killed-dc/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/criminal-justice-advocate-killed-dc/ |
Qatar, a country slightly smaller than Connecticut, will host the World Cup this year. (Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Into this wee land they’ll shoehorn 32 teams in eight groups to decide a winner across 29 days, plus an anticipated 1.2 million fans, including those from the Arab world celebrating the first Arab World Cup, even those dancing Thursday night around Doha’s gorgeous souk. They’ve wedged in eight stadiums, none an imposing drive from any other, such that it’s possible to stare off a highway and spot two of them without moving the eyeballs.
“It’s too small a country,” an 86-year-old Swiss man told a Swiss newspaper earlier this month. “Football and the World Cup are too big for it.” The remarks rang as odd because they came from Sepp Blatter, who served as president of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, from 1998 to 2015, including in late 2010 when 22 FIFA voters chose Qatar over the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia.
Further, it’s November, making this World Cup a drastic outlier. From its origins in South America and Europe through the most recent edition in Russia four years ago, the World Cup has been a summertime affair. Yet from the moment Blatter opened the envelope to pull out a card marked “QATAR” at a 2010 ceremony, a card now on view in Qatar’s national museum, it seemed clear a sport so demanding could not happen in the malevolent summer air by the Persian (or Arabian) Gulf.
That meant this World Cup shifted to November here, with daytime temperatures typically in the 80s and nighttime air breathable and sweet. That meant this World Cup gave a hard elbow to the world’s national leagues, such as Europe’s big five in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France, which had to suspend play for a month. That meant the chances for injuries or impaired fitness have risen, with the most leagues churning until last weekend and the customary idle pre-World Cup month removed.
Washington Post sports reporter Steven Goff traveled to Doha, Qatar, for his eighth World Cup before the tournament kicks off Nov. 20. (Video: Julie Yoon/The Washington Post)
That tightened calendar found its starkest ache earlier this month in Munich, when the rigors of league play this close to a World Cup happened to snag the Senegalese star Sadio Mané, one of the world’s best players. A leg injury he suffered that night required the surgical reattachment of a tendon to a fibula, made his initial inclusion on Senegal’s team seem far-fetched, and culminated recently in his crushing removal from the squad.
Even as the World Cup has arrived amid the sound of the Muslim call to prayer, ringing through the metropolitan area, it has wreaked global bickering about cultural mores. One epitome happened on Friday when Qatar, where alcoholic beverages do not flow except in certain hotels, reversed its earlier decision to allow stadium sales of beer, long considered an essential soccer ingredient in many other cultures.
Far more controversially, the country has taken criticism for its practices around human rights, including the treatment of guest workers, especially those whose construction work built this World Cup, and the criminalization of gay relationships. “It’s ridiculous that the World Cup is there,” the Netherlands Manager Louis van Gaal said. “FIFA says they want to develop football there. That’s bulls---. It’s about money, about commercial interests.”
Qatar has not shied from rejoinder. To a German newspaper earlier this month, foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said: “It is ironic when this tone is struck in Europe in countries that call themselves liberal democracies. It honestly sounds very arrogant and very racist.”
The way of life in Qatar could not differ more from, for example, the way of life in Brazil, whose festive fans make an unfailing World Cup backdrop given the only country to qualify all 22 times.
With all of the above swirling around, a certain randomness seems possible soccer-wise. The 32 national teams have lacked the usual time to gel again as they reconvene to play in eight groups of four, three matches each, with the top two from each group advancing to a 16-team knockout stage. The hurry of it all could benefit some teams and hinder others.
That makes it plausible that it could be here that the world breaks the recent World Cup stranglehold by Europe, which has yielded four different winners of the last four events — Italy, Spain, Germany, France — and 13 of the 16 semifinalists in that span. If that trend finally subsides, it might be by dint of Brazil, the tournament favorite and five-time winner trying to end a drought its fussy fans find egregious: 20 years without a title, and harrowing losses to Europeans — France (2006 quarterfinals), the Netherlands (2010 quarterfinals), Germany (2014 semifinals in a haunted-house 7-1 rout in Brazil) and Belgium (2018 quarterfinals). Brazil will bring an attack with Neymar, Richarlison, Vinicius Junior and a knack for considerable prettiness.
If not Brazil, then it could be Brazil’s neighborly friend to the south, Argentina, which, like Brazil, spent 17 matches of World Cup qualifying with zero losses.
France still has the cup from 2018 but has a habit of following peaks with nadirs, while England has big hope based on recent years but bad form of late, while Germany has not been Germany in the last two large international tournaments and Spain has shifted from a grand generation to a precocious one.
Speaking of generations, Belgium brings back its best-ever one, semifinalists last time while possibly a notch beyond its ripening, while the Netherlands returns after an aching absence in 2018. The same goes for the United States, a young team second in North American charm to Canada, which appears as the one of the darlings of drought-breaking, included for the first time in 36 years.
The other such darling, Wales, appears for the first time in 64, when it played creditably in a quarterfinal in 1958, falling 1-0 to Brazil and budding icon Pelé, then just 17. Wales opens on Monday against the United States, one day after the home side, Qatar, opens the whole bale of matches against Ecuador as a host team far better than anticipated when the envelope opened 12 years ago.
All the while, two of the most famous people on the planet will figure to bow out: Cristiano Ronaldo, the 37-year-old Portuguese; and Lionel Messi, the 35-year-old Argentine and goal-making magician celebrated worldwide.
Messi has a tormented relationship with the four past World Cups already stashed in his bio. He and Argentina reached a final in Brazil in 2014, falling 1-0 to Germany, and their roster does have quality beyond himself. “We have a very nice group that is very eager, but we think about going little by little,” Messi told CONMEBOL, the South American soccer governing body, in a recent interview. “We know that World Cup groups are not easy.”
If he and they were to ride off in a manner that would please much of the world, it might even overshadow the exceptional idea of where it all took place. | 2022-11-19T13:26:55Z | www.washingtonpost.com | World Cup set to start in Qatar - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/world-cup-qatar-start/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/world-cup-qatar-start/ |
These Native Americans focus on family amid Thanksgiving’s dark history
A film transparency of the painting, The First Thanksgiving 1621 by J.L.G. Ferris, depicts Natives and Pilgrims gathering to share a meal. (Washington Post Illustration; The Foundation Press, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio./Library of Congress)
For centuries, Thanksgiving has been billed as an opportunity for friends and family to gather, with peace and gratitude in their hearts. But for Native Americans, celebrating the autumnal holiday isn’t as simple.
The short-and-sweet story told in schools depicting the first Thanksgiving as a harmonious harvest celebration between Native people and Pilgrims “was a very romanticized, Whitewashed education about Indigenous peoples,” said Jordan Daniel, who’s a member of the Lower Brule Sioux tribe.
In reality, 1621 was not the first celebration of Thanksgiving between the English and the Wampanoag people, said David Silverman, a George Washington University professor who specializes in Native American history. The Wampanoags tried to ally with the English for trade and to maintain political independence from another Native group after an epidemic dwindled their numbers.
“Tensions built for years as the English population grew and began dispossessing, subjugating and evangelizing Native people,” Silverman said. Finally, war broke out around 1675, and after the English won, they enslaved about 2,000 American Indian prisoners of war, he added.
In 1970, the United American Indians of New England began commemorating Thanksgiving Day as a National Day of Mourning to honor their ancestors who experienced cultural genocide at the hands of European colonialists.
Native Americans as a whole say they’re still fighting for what’s rightfully theirs. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe still doesn’t have control over their entire ancestral land. The Supreme Court has been weighing the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which Congress passed in 1978 to remedy the practice of removing Native children from their homes and sending them to non-Native boarding schools and families.
Pete Coser, Jr. an educator and member of the Muscogee Creek Nation also pointed to the recent news that Harvard University’s Peabody Museum apologized for its collection of hair samples taken from 700 Native American children and pledged to return them to families and tribal communities. “It goes to show many different dynamics about this holiday and this particular year,” he said.
Despite the painful history Thanksgiving rehashes, Indigenous people also see themselves as resilient. The fourth Thursday in November is an opportunity for them to celebrate their roots and crush stereotypes, Coser says.
Pete Coser, Jr.
Pete Coser, Jr., who lives in Oklahoma, says Thanksgiving for him feels like being in a real-life Hallmark movie.
As Coser’s family readies their feast for the day, Coser’s aunts, sisters and mom banter over who cooks the best dishes. Coser loves his oldest sister’s pumpkin gooey cake. And when the food is ready, multiple generations gather at the table to enjoy turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole and potato salad. They end the day with games such as Uno, Clue and — when it’s just the adults — Cards Against Humanity.
Although Thanksgiving harks back to a tumultuous history for Indigenous people, Coser doesn’t let tragedy define his Muscogee Creek, Choctaw and Chickasaw lineage, or the Mashpee Wampanoag ancestry his three sons and daughter also have from their mother’s side.
His last name hails from the Coosa region, which was one of the biggest chiefdoms in the Southeast, straddling what is now Georgia and Alabama. And while the Spaniards who colonized the area saw the tribal leaders, called mekko, as chiefs, they’re actually kings, Coser said.
“What I tell my kids is that ‘You come from royalty. You come from powerful people,’” he said. “They have a place on this Earth that they can point to and say, ‘That’s where I’m originally from.’”
Coser’s family takes pride in being Native American, not just on Thanksgiving, but throughout their everyday lives. They embrace being Indigenous while also being lacrosse players, musicians, educators, historians, psychologists and accountants.
“We’re not people of the past,” Coser said.
Jordan Daniel
Although northern Virginia mom Jordan Daniel loved how Thanksgiving brought her family together, she no longer celebrates Thanksgiving the way she used to.
Instead, she observes Truthsgiving through a 4-mile running event hosted by Rising Hearts, the grass roots organization she founded. Each year, Daniel has used the event as a way for both Native and non-Native people to raise awareness and money for Indigenous social issues.
Daniel first learned the true history of Thanksgiving from a Do Something article, which motivated her to place more importance on “honoring the past, celebrating the present and building a future” for Native people like herself.
She still gathers with her family on the day, but she plans to make Indigenous cuisine that goes beyond the Indian tacos, fry bread and Wojapi her family has eaten in previous years. She wants to incorporate foods known in Native culture as the three sisters: beans, corn and squash.
“At the heart of it all, it’s just about supporting and amplifying Indigenous voices in our communities and … having an open heart and open mind,” she said. “It challenges what you thought growing up, but I think we’re collectively, as a community, doing a lot of the work of unlearning and relearning.”
Josh Arce
Josh Arce, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation living in Dallas, has always spent his Thanksgivings partaking in food and fellowship with multiple generations of those he calls family, even if they’re not blood-related: cousins, aunties, uncles and grandmas.
“It may not be your grandma, but they’re an adopted grandma,” he said. “There’s this pluralism of families that takes place, and it’s naturally kind of that way in Native cultures.”
Back when Arce lived in Lawrence, Kan., that family included Native students who weren’t able to go home for Thanksgiving. Arce plays dominoes and eats traditional foods such as wild rice casserole, usually made with sausage or ground turkey, cream of mushroom soup, or dishes made with squash or pumpkins.
“We have this historical trauma, we have intergenerational trauma,” he said. But when Native Americans have fun on Thanksgiving, “those are creating good memories to replace those negative, traumatic memories.”
Verna Volker
Verna Volker, who’s based in Minneapolis, lives far from her extended family in New Mexico, home of the Navajo Nation. Thanksgiving has often given Volker a reason to fly over and reconnect with them.
Last year, Thanksgiving was especially sentimental for Volker because her mother died a few days before the holiday. Family members, even more than for a typical Thanksgiving, flew in from across the country for her mom’s funeral. The time they shared further accentuated how important family time was to Volker. Ever since Volker was a child, her family has weathered the storms of trauma and grief as a group.
“Even in our grieving, we were together and we were laughing,” Volker said.
Over the years, her family has feasted on a mixed menu of popular Thanksgiving dishes and ones specific to Navajo culture, such as mutton stew and hominy stew.
Whether on Thanksgiving or in daily life, she loves seeing Indigenous people in a positive light and works to debunk stereotypes that show Native people as drunks, overly sexual or rich from casino money.
“There’s so much negativity on our people,” she said. “I want to change that narrative.” | 2022-11-19T13:52:51Z | www.washingtonpost.com | These Native Americans focus on family amid Thanksgiving’s dark history - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/11/19/thanksgiving-native-americans/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/11/19/thanksgiving-native-americans/ |
A person’s chronological age matters less than their how well their bodies and brains are functioning, experts say
John Tomkins operates a forklift while loading concrete casts on Thursday in Algodones, N.M. He is 77 and plans to keep working after he turns 80. (Ramsey de Give for The Washington Post)
Last year, when Bob Hyde was 78, he stood in front of a mirror and decided it was time to retire. Hyde, who lives in Rio Rancho, N.M., ran his own accounting company and was glad to be free of deadlines, payroll, and hiring. He learned to make sourdough bread and kimchi, and began teaching himself clarinet.
But retirement lasted less than a year. “I missed the engagement,” he said. Hyde had been employed since he left home at 16 and joined the British army. Now, on the cusp of 80, he is back in the workforce, doing accounting for a concrete company.
“I found I needed something to engage my mind,” Hyde said, adding that he has a cushy job compared to his 77-year-old boss, who is “out there every day as they’re pouring concrete.”
“I think retirement is voluntarily putting one foot in the grave, or if you like, ordering up the particle board box.”
Much hand-wringing has accompanied the fact that Joe Biden is by far the oldest person to hold the nation’s highest office. When he turns 80 on Nov. 20, he will be the first octogenarian to serve as president, spurring questions about how old is too old for the job.
But working past 80, while still the exception, is not as rare as it once was. In recent decades, the number of octogenarians in the U.S. workforce has soared, from around 110,000 — or 2.5 percent of the 80-plus population — in 1980 to a high of around 734,000 — or 6 percent of all octogenarians — in 2019, according to a Washington Post analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. (The numbers begin falling after the pandemic started, with around 693,000 — or 5.5 percent of the population — working last year).
That makes sense, given that American life expectancy has steadily increased — from 47 for a baby born in 1900 to 68 in 1950 to 79 in 2019, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control, (though life expectancy, too, dipped in the last couple of years).
Since there are more octogenarians around, it stands to reason that more of them are still working — and if they are healthy, experts say there is no reason they shouldn’t. The number of years since a person’s birth, or chronological age, matters less than their biological age — how well their bodies and brains are functioning, said Dan Belsky, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
“An 80-year-old today and an 80-year-old twenty years ago represent different pockets of individuals; they’re not directly comparable,” he said. “Today there are many physically active, cognitively healthy 80-year-olds, taking classes, running around, governing.”
Ageism can make it harder for older people seeking employment, but unlike countries with broad mandatory retirement ages, the United States has few restrictions on working after a certain age (commercial pilots, for example, must retire by 65). As the population continues to gray, many politicians and other leaders have stayed in their jobs well past typical retirement age. Nancy Pelosi is 82, Mitch McConnell is 80, Anthony Fauci is 81. “We’ve never seen a cohort occupy dominant positions in society for so long,” Belsky said.
That may have surprised President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who finished his second term at 70, at that time the oldest a president had been. A possibly apocryphal story has him saying a sitting president should never be older than that. But Stuart Jay Olshansky, a professor of public health at the University of Illinois in Chicago, warned against blanket declarations about age and ability. “Just because you as an individual might not be able to do something over the age of 70 or 80 doesn’t mean somebody else can’t do the job,” he said. “There’s people that can make it out into their late 80s and 90s that are processing as well as or better than other people that are younger.”
Scott Goldstein, 80, started working at Hecht’s department store in the District when he was 14; he is now a lawyer working 40 hours a week in Miami and has no intention of stopping. “I’ve seen friends who have sort of retired and deteriorated mentally, and I don’t want that to happen to me,” said Goldstein, who is also a pilot and flies small planes on weekend. “I remain mentally alert while I work.”
Some brain changes do take place in older age, said Joe Verghese, chief of cognitive and motor aging and of geriatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Health System. “Your ability to process information for instance, slows down, the processing speed slows down. Your ability to multitask when you’re presented with different information at the same time, that gets affected as well,” he said, adding that slower processing can affect a person’s ability to make split-second decisions.
“Your judgment is a factor of not only biological process, but experience, and your judgment skills might actually improve over time because you have multiple experiences to draw from,” he said. When it comes to the job of president, “Most of the major decisions that I can think of that have affected this country haven’t been split-second decisions, they would have been decisions that required consensus building, taking input of people, and I think age gives you a bit of greater ability to do that.”
This Senate is the oldest in American history. Should we do something about it?
One reason older people may take longer to make decisions is because after one’s early 40s, the myelinization, or insulating sheath around brain axons, begins to break down, meaning messages are not transmitted as effectively, said Rex Jung, a neuropsychologist and assistant professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico.
That can make precision pursuits such as math more challenging, but it can also loosen up one’s brain associations, making it easier to see the big picture, and to improvise and create, which could explain why jazz musicians and abstract artists often do some of their best work in older age, he said.
It can also be an asset for, say, a world leader. “One of the benefits, if you will, of this slowing down, is slowing down, and being more deliberate in our thought processes, [making] sure that you do look before you leap, and aim before you fire,” Jung said, adding, “Older people are known for this thing called wisdom.”
Even so, not all of them want to still be working. John Tomkins, owner of Precast Manufacturing New Mexico, where Hyde is employed, still works 40 to 60 hours a week because he can’t afford to retire. “This is a small business, I’ve invested my life and my money into it,” he said, adding that he started working at the company, which his father started, in 1958 at age 12.
A widower, Tomkins would like to travel and see more of the country, he said. But “every time I think about selling it there is something that happens that prevents me from doing so.”
At the same time, he said, working “keeps my mind and my body sharp. … I never had any desire to belong to a country club or play golf or any of that nonsense. If I’m going to be alive I’m going to be doing something productive. I think human value comes from the goods and services that we produce. What else is there in life?”
“It never occurred to me that I would be doing anything else,” she said. “I’m not the sort of person who sort of wondered all my life when I might retire. When the game first clicks for a child, she said, “To see their little eyes, the joy of that moment, it’s very wonderful … It energizes me.”
Hazel Domangue, 82, teaches memoir-writing to seniors and U.S. veterans at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md., and recently formed a company, Precise Expression, LLC, to offer writing instruction. She said her views on working in old age have evolved.
“When I was younger I thought the same thing that others think — ‘No, he’s too old, he should have retired a long time ago,’ ” she said. “But as I grew older, grew old, it’s just not true.”
One advantage Biden may have is that he has spent his life in government, Domangue said. “He’s doing what he’s done for years, for 50-plus years, and he understands the job,” she said “He’s not going as a neophyte. He’s doing what he knows how to do. … If your mind is still sharp, why not?”
Tomkins would go further. Two of his best employees, a welder and a salesman, were men in their 80s, and given the choice, he would opt to hire from that age bracket.
“Today if you want someone with experience, wisdom and a work ethic, I think I would prefer to go with the older crowd,” he said. “This generation [of young workers] want flexible work hours, they don’t want to be managed, they don’t want to be told what to do, they may or may not show up on time. I would stick with the older generation anytime.” | 2022-11-19T13:57:25Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Biden turns 80 and joins growing ranks of octogenarians who still work - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/joe-biden-80-workers/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/joe-biden-80-workers/ |
The SpaceX launch of the Inspiration4 crew from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 15. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
Space weather affects Earth thanks to the magnetic field that forms a shield between Earth and space. That magnetosphere is regularly buffeted by winds, flares, mass ejections and particles emitted by the sun, causing disturbances known as geomagnetic storms. These storms are responsible for phenomena such as the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. They can also wreak havoc on GPS systems, power transmissions and satellite communications.
When the International Space Station retires, it will plunge into the ocean to die, NASA says
Although the February storm was relatively minor, it caused a disturbance in Earth’s upper atmosphere that produced significant drag and made it impossible for the satellites to begin their orbit-raising maneuvers, the researchers write. Instead of reaching orbit, the satellites fell toward Earth, burning up as they reentered its atmosphere.
The Space Weather Prediction Center does not produce specific warnings about satellite drag or variations in atmospheric density for commercial satellite launches. Both factors can keep satellites from reaching orbit, and in a worst-case scenario could cause them to collide with space junk and other objects orbiting Earth.
In the paper in Space Weather, the scientists recommend stronger forecasting and alert systems while highlighting gaps in space physics that could affect prediction accuracy.
“This information will certainly become essential when dealing with space traffic coordination in an increasingly crowded space environment,” they write.
In the future, the scientists say, they’ll upgrade their models and begin providing new alerts. Space weather will ebb and flow, the study suggests, but public-private cooperation must remain a priority to prevent further losses.
Narwhals, ruffs and other animals that defy gender stereotypes | 2022-11-19T13:57:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Loss of 38 satellites prompts call for better space weather forecasts - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2022/11/19/space-weather-forecasting/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2022/11/19/space-weather-forecasting/ |
From Belize to Panama, these destinations are best experienced below the surface
Advice by Shannon Sims
A scuba diver displays a large sea urchin while diving at a coral reef in Belize's Great Blue Hole. (Pete Niesen/Shutterstock)
1Turneffe Atoll, Belize
2Roatan, Honduras
3Corn Islands, Nicaragua
4Cocos Island, Costa Rica
5Coiba National Park, Panama
Hurricane season is coming to an end, which means a vacation to Central America is less likely to be squashed by tempestuous conditions. That’s why right about now many snorkelers and scuba divers are planning their underwater getaways to some of the best marine spots in the region.
With easy direct flights from the United States and Canada, and cheap excursions from the shore once you land, this stretch of the Americas is ideal for inflation-pinched vacationers still looking for fun. We’ve rounded up some of the best water destinations from Belize to Panama that beckon with their schools of fish and laid-back vibes.
Turneffe Atoll, Belize
Belize’s Great Blue Hole, a giant sinkhole, scores high on many divers’ bucket lists. But it’s an expensive, long day trip, with just a small amount of time spent under the water exploring due to its depth. As an alternative or an addition to the Blue Hole, consider Turneffe Atoll.
Located about a 45-minute ferry ride from Belize City or an hour and a half from San Pedro Town, Turneffe is a lightly populated, 30-mile long coral reef surrounding a lagoon, which features the largest marine reserve in the country. Because it is closer to the mainland than the Blue Hole, a day trip is cheaper, and you’re able to spend more time at the bottom checking out the local sea life, including barracuda, sea turtles and eagle rays.
Turneffe is also great for groups that include both snorkelers and more experienced divers, thanks to a mix of shallow areas and deep sea walls. As an added bonus, the area is home to one of the newest wreck dives on the planet. Last year, a ship once used for sugar transportation and molasses storage called the Witconcrete Wreck was intentionally sunk as a new hub of marine activity.
Now is an ideal time to plan your Turneffe trip, says Greici Leao of Belize Pro Dive Center. “Mid-November we’ll have wall dives with pristine waters at Turneffe,” she said, adding that November dives dodge the hurricane season, the high season and the windy season.
Because the Blue Hole is so much more popular than Turneffe, be sure to contact dive shops ahead of time, as they might not regularly make the trip or may require a minimum number of participants. Or, you can go all-in and stay on the atoll itself at one of a handful of upscale resorts like the Belize Dive Haven.
Roatan, Honduras
About 40 miles from the mainland, Roatan is world-renowned for its diving options — and perhaps the best stop for someone looking to see what Central America has to offer beneath the surface. The island is one of Honduras’s three main Bay Islands, along with Utila and Guanaja.
Divers to the area, which is the second-largest reef in the world, are spoiled by a wide variety of scuba experiences, from coral gardens and caverns to walls and wrecks like the El Aguila and Odyssey. And it’s all super accessible, located just a few minutes from the shore. “Here on Roatan it’s pretty much like honeymoon diving, really simple and really easy,” said Nicholas Bach, patrols and infrastructure coordinator for Roatan Marine Park. “Usually the visibility is remarkably good, there aren’t really any strong currents to name of, and the dive sites are all really close by.”
For those travelers that prefer not to dive, hotel-lined West Bay Beach is often ranked among the finest beaches in the world and also offers snorkeling. Meanwhile, other parts of the island offer a quiet refuge from the crowds: “The nice thing about Roatan is you’ve got beaches on a portion of the island and hotels and bars, and other places that are more secluded. So the benefit of being here is you can really choose how isolated you want to be,” adds Bach.
The Corn Islands — Big Corn and Little Corn — are sister islands about 40 miles off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and a great option for ocean-lovers looking for something off the beaten path.
Big Corn Island is lined in several places by mangrove swamps, and some of the reefs closest to the shore have suffered from degradation. But the great draw underwater is Blowing Rock, a rock formation that rises up to the surface of the water and houses lots of marine life; it’s the hallmark dive of the Dos Tiburones Dive Shop on the north shore of the island.
There are no roads or cars on Little Corn Island, and it’s just one square mile, but it boasts 20 different dive spots teeming with lobster, nurse sharks and vibrant coral. For the adrenaline seekers, there’s the Tunnels, which are a series of underwater swim-throughs beneath the reef where sharks like to hang out. Historically, the island was a hub for lobster fishermen, but in recent years the shallow reefs have become an increasingly popular choice for snorkelers and dive beginners. Plus, it’s one of the cheapest scuba spots in Central America: at Dolphin Dive Little Corn, a single dive costs just $35.
Cocos Island, Costa Rica
Visiting Cocos Island, an uninhabited, 9-mile square located 340 miles off Costa Rica in the Pacific, is a major undertaking. You’ll have to sign up with a liveaboard vessel, which is basically a cruise for diving fanatics. Eat, sleep, dive and repeat with a small group of fellow marine lovers. Liveaboards can be exhilarating bonding experiences, but because of their commitment and cost — which starts at around $400 per day for a 10-night trip — they often draw only the most dedicated divers.
It will take about 36 hours of cruising to make it to the island, which is also a national park and UNESCO site. But once there, visitors get to enjoy an untouched oceanic playground that Jacques Cousteau once called “the most beautiful island in the world.” Large schools of hammerhead sharks and manta rays flock to the area. Visibility is great over the December holidays, since it’s the driest season. Come January you may be lucky enough to witness the migration of pilot or humpback whales as they cross the Pacific.
Coiba National Park, Panama
Though it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, Coiba National Marine Park is considered a hidden gem among ocean enthusiasts — a vast, little-visited reserve made up of 38 different islands. Located on the Pacific side of the country, head first to the town of Santa Catalina, where boat tours depart to go to Coiba. It’s about a six-hour drive from Panama City, or a quick 20-minute flight, and then the boat ride to Coiba is around two hours more, depending on conditions.
The history of the area is a testament to its remoteness: for 100 years Coiba Island, the largest island, was a penal colony with as many as 3,000 prisoners roaming the forest. Panamanians have always considered Coiba spooky and dangerous, but there’s been an unexpected benefit to its alleged haunted past. Because access to the island was restricted for so long, the jungle managed to remain preserved, and today it is considered one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.
Tour operators often include all meals, beverages and snacks in their packages. Although there isn’t much lodging in the park, the government does have some cabins available for rent — think of it as camping with walls. If it sounds like a lot of trouble to get there, it is. But for those adventurers willing to make the journey, white-tipped sharks and hammerheads await, and starting around December mammoth whale sharks pass through as well. Coiba is also beloved by surfers; it’s considered a top spot in Central America to catch a wave. | 2022-11-19T13:57:53Z | www.washingtonpost.com | The best diving in Central America, from Belize to Panama - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/best-diving-belize-nicaragua-panama/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/best-diving-belize-nicaragua-panama/ |
Kim Jong Un’s daughter seen for first time — at a missile launch site
This photo provided on Nov. 19, 2022, by the North Korean government shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and his daughter inspect the site of a missile launch at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)
Photos published by state media Saturday showed Kim holding hands with his young daughter at a missile launch site and inspecting a missile. Another photo showed the pair, this time joined by Kim’s wife Ri Sol Ju, at an observation platform during a missile launch. The photos are from Friday’s intercontinental ballistic missile launch — the second launch of its kind this month — according to state media.
It is the first time North Korea has mentioned Kim’s daughter, although state media didn’t provide her name or age, identifying her only as Kim’s “beloved daughter.”
While the child was not named, observers believe her to be called Kim Ju Ae. Her name was first revealed in 2013 by retired NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said after visiting North Korea that he had met the leader’s “baby” daughter.
According to Shreyas Reddy, a correspondent for North Korea monitoring website NK News, this is the first mention of any of Kim’s children by state media. South Korean intelligence agencies believe the North Korean leader has fathered two other children, born in 2010 and 2017, although their names and gender are not known.
“Her first public appearance at such a young age is in itself significant and a break from tradition, but it stands out even more that she was introduced to the country as well as the wider world at an event as prominent as the launch of North Korea’s biggest missile,” Reddy told The Post. “While we can say it is definitely a significant moment, at this early stage we cannot be certain what the purpose is.”
“Some prominent North Korean defectors told us that this clearly marks her as a successor to Kim Jong Un, a massive change in Pyongyang’s largely male-dominated leadership and a break from the Kim family’s patrilineal rule,” he said. Other suggested the move was instead an attempt to offer a more human face to the North Korean leader, he added.
Few confirmed details about the current leader’s private life exist. Speculation about a potential successor began in 2020 when Kim was rumored to have been gravely ill, although South Korean officials cast doubt on the reports, citing a lack of evidence. The following year, he returned to the public eye looking slimmer than ever, prompting further questions about the reasons for his sudden weight loss. | 2022-11-19T13:57:59Z | www.washingtonpost.com | North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's daughter makes first public appearance - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/north-korea-daughter-kim-jong-un/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/north-korea-daughter-kim-jong-un/ |
What was U-Va. shooting suspect’s motive? Clues offer possibilities.
From left, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry. The three Virginia football players were killed in a shooting on Sunday. (University of Virginia Athletics/AP)
“Chris was a good dude at heart. I told him, ‘You don’t have to do it,’ ” said Hill, who had played high school football with Jones in Petersburg, Va.
Hill was grasping to reconcile memories of his kind, outgoing friend with reports of another Jones that emerged this week — an accused mass shooter. Authorities say Jones methodically shot and killed three football players, and injured two others on a bus that had just returned to the U-Va. campus from a field trip Sunday night.
Six days later, perhaps the biggest question about the horrific tragedy still haunts Hill, victims’ families and a grieving U-Va. community: Why?
“It’s just hard to try to piece all this together, knowing the Chris we know,” Hill said.
“Any declaration of a particular motive for the shootings would be purely speculative and unfounded at this time,” the statement said. “Defining Jones’s motive is a priority of those investigative efforts, and a task that takes time to pursue and achieve.”
A prosecutor said at Jones’s arraignment this week that a witness on the bus told investigators that Jones appeared to be aiming at certain people, but what — if anything — would lead him to target Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry remains murky.
Ryan Lynch, a U-Va. student who witnessed the shooting, said she was told by others on the bus that Jones said something to the effect of, “You guys are always messing with me,” before he opened fire. But she said that comment was strange because she did not see Jones interacting much with other students. The group had gone on a trip to D.C. to see a play about Emmett Till and eat Ethiopian food at a restaurant.
How a class trip ended in gunfire at U-Va.
Michael Hollins Sr. said his son Michael Hollins Jr. — who was injured in the shooting — told him that Jones asked one of the players about a video game before shooting. He added that his son did not know Jones.
But according to the players, there was no overlap between victims and Jones — who was a member briefly in 2018. Perry joined U-Va. football in 2019, one year after Jones left. So, too, did Hollins, according to U-Va.'s website. Davis came on team in 2020. Chandler was a new transfer this year from Wisconsin. The fifth victim was a 19-year-old female student; her family declined to comment.
Armando “Mandy” Alonso Jr. — a former member of the football team from 2017 to 2021 — played with Jones as well as two of his victims, Davis and Perry.
“I don’t think Chris ever knew or played with any of them,” Alonso said. “He was only there for a few months.”
A man who opened the door at Jones’s mother’s house this week and identified himself as Jones’s 19-year-old brother said Jones had long been picked on, starting in high school and extending into college.
“It followed him,” the man said.
He claimed his brother was at the “breaking point.”
“He held it in for too long,” he said. “It’s been happening for months.”
Jones seemed to echo some of those claims in a 2021 interview with the U-Va. student newspaper — though he suggested the bullying predated his time in college. A student named Christopher Jones, whose photo accompanying the article appears to be the same man arrested in the shooting, said he had found a home in the school’s chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, where he was president.
“I was bullied a lot, and that caused me to distance myself from people,” Jones said. “And as I got older, I realized that a lot of things in life I can’t do by myself, so I decided when I got to college, I was going to find a group of people like-minded, driven about achievement. And I found it. I found Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated.”
Several members of the fraternity declined to comment to The Washington Post, with one saying they had been ordered by national leadership not to speak to reporters. The national organization issued a statement offering condolences for the U-Va. tragedy but did not mention Jones’s involvement with the fraternity. Executive Director John F. Burrell confirmed that members of the chapter at U-Va. had been asked not to speak publicly about Jones and declined to answer any additional questions.
Former Charlottesville police chief Rashall Brackney said Jones and other U-Va. football players were involved in a serious brawl at the Asado bar near U-Va. in late 2019. It’s unclear if any of the victims in the recent shooting were in any way connected to that fight.
Jones told police he “paid $500 from a guy at 711” for the gun, according to the report. Jones told the officer he wanted the gun for protection for his family because he had lost two of his brothers. Family members did not respond to requests for comment about that statement.
In September, university officials said a student informed administrators that Jones said he owned a gun during an investigation into a “potential hazing issue,” which they have not detailed. University officials said the gun report touched off an investigation by the threat assessment team.
Jones’s roommate told the team that he did not see Jones with a gun, but it appears the threat assessment team never talked with Jones, and officials said he did not cooperate with the probe. During the investigation, officials discovered Jones’s 2021 gun conviction, which they said Jones had not reported to the university as required by school rules.
Accused U-Va. gunman scrutinized for weapon by threat assessment team
A handgun was found near the scene of the shooting and investigators discovered a rifle and handgun while searching Jones’s residence in Charlottesville after the shooting, state police said. All firearms have been sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for processing.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Thursday that he would appoint a special counsel to investigate U-Va.’s handling of the events leading up to the shooting.
“It was something different every day,” she said.
Johnson, a 21-year-old fourth year, remembered Jones asking her if she was excited to graduate. When she replied in the affirmative, he agreed: “Yeah, I’m ready to finally graduate,” she recalled him saying.
Kayla Hendrick, another 21-year-old fourth year at U-Va., said she noticed a change in Jones from the time they went to high school together in Petersburg. Before coming to college, Hendrick described Jones as “outgoing” and “goofy.” She said he liked to sing “anything R&B” and was known for his smarts.
“You could tell has been through a lot these past four years,” she said. “His light was dimmer. He was just always by himself.”
“It’s possible and perhaps likely that we will never find one single thing that will explain this,” Ryan said. “It may also be that we that we never truly understand why this happened. But what we learn we will share.”
William H. Reid, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas who spent hours interviewing mass shooter James Holmes, said motives in such events typically emerge early in the investigation — there is an obvious anger, desire for revenge or passion that sparked the rampage.
“The things that go on in assailant’s mind are routinely not the normal pathways that one would expect,” Reid said. “When you … try to make it look logical that’s very often a fool’s errand. It has to do with a mind that’s not working well at least in this particular area.”
Alice Crites and Karina Elwood contributed to this report. | 2022-11-19T14:10:17Z | www.washingtonpost.com | What was the U-Va. shooting suspect's motive? Clues offer possibilities - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/uva-shooting-suspect-motive-jones/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/uva-shooting-suspect-motive-jones/ |
Cooper Kupp’s injury robs Rams offense of the only thing that was working
Cooper Kupp grimaced — as did countless Rams fans — after he was injured on a hit by the Cardinals’ Marco Wilson. (Harry How/Getty Images)
If there’s any silver lining for the Los Angeles Rams, it’s that while wide receiver Cooper Kupp will be out of action for at least four weeks, the high-ankle sprain he suffered Sunday is not necessarily a season-ending injury. That said, it’s hard to imagine there will be a season worth coming back to, given the remarkable degree to which the 3-6 Rams were dependent on Kupp for any semblance of offense.
Without the 2021 AP offensive player of the year, a Los Angeles campaign already in contention for the worst of any defending Super Bowl champion could get even more bleak.
Where it all came together last season, when the Rams won their first championship since the 1999 campaign, it has almost completely fallen apart through 10 weeks, particularly on offense. Behind an injury-ravaged offensive line, quarterback Matthew Stafford — who is dealing with his own health-related issues — is having his worst season in years. Los Angeles can’t run the ball, and it can’t consistently score.
Just about the only thing on offense that had been working was Kupp, who has the highest share of his team’s receptions and receiving touchdowns of any player in the NFL. Following a 2021 season in which he won Super Bowl MVP honors after notching a receiving triple crown by leading the league in catches (145), yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16), the sixth-year player was back in the top five in those categories. Kupp was having such a good season, he remains among the league leaders even after a Week 10 game in which he accumulated negative-one yard on just three catches in a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The uncharacteristically poor outing, attributable in part to the fact that the Rams started backup quarterback John Wolford with Stafford in concussion protocol, turned into a team-wide disaster when Kupp got hurt in the fourth quarter while trying to leap for an inaccurate pass. As Kupp landed, he was hit in the lower right leg by Cardinals cornerback Marco Wilson, leaving him writhing on the sideline.
#Rams WR Cooper Kupp has his ankle rolled up on as he lands and although ankle cut off on the replay, can see mechanism for high ankle injury. Headed to the locker room for X-rays. pic.twitter.com/f241ucIdha
Now the Rams have lost their offensive crutch for at least the four weeks mandated by his placement on injured reserve. Until Kupp gets back, assuming that happens at all in 2022, Coach Sean McVay will have his greatest challenge since taking over the team in 2017.
“What we’ve got to be able to do,” McVay told reporters this week, “is say, ‘All right, let’s put our heads together. Let’s figure out who we’re playing with. What do those guys do well? How do we make sure the plan is in alignment with that?’ And continue to try to really just pour into these guys and develop them.”
One thing seems certain: At least one member of the Rams’ wide receiving corps will have a massive opportunity to emerge from the shadow of Kupp, who has accounted for 35 percent of the Rams’ scrimmage yards this season. Thus far, though, none of his cohorts have been able to take advantage of all the attention defenses placed on him.
On throws this season to Kupp, Stafford has marks of 77.4 in completion percentage, 8.74 in yards per attempt and a 106.6 passer rating. Those numbers drop to just 66.5, 6.03 and 77.2, respectively, when the veteran quarterback has targeted anyone else (per TruMedia via the Athletic).
Allen Robinson should be in line for a much bigger role, but he has been a major disappointment in his first season since coming over from the Chicago Bears. The ninth-year wide receiver, who caught 102 passes for 1,250 yards in a season as recently as 2020, has just 29 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns through nine games.
In other circumstances, what is rapidly turning into a lost season might convince the Rams’ decision-makers to go into tank mode for a high draft pick. However, barring another trade, 2023 will mark the seventh year in a row the team won’t have a first-round selection, in this case because of the final payment to the Lions in a 2021 swap that brought Stafford to Los Angeles and sent former Rams starter Jared Goff to Detroit. That was just one of several high-profile trades swung in recent years by Rams General Manager Les Snead.
While the Rams’ trades gave them talent upgrades in Stafford and, among others, cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Aqib Talib, linebacker Von Miller and wide receiver Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles also benefited from unusual good health. In each of the previous six years, Los Angeles had been one of the NFL’s least hard-hit teams in terms of injuries (per Football Outsiders). Now, the cavalcade of calamities washing over the roster is exposing a lack of quality depth, particularly on offense.
The Rams struck gold in 2017 when they drafted Kupp in the third round out of Eastern Washington, but the second-round picks they spent at wide receiver in 2020 and 2021 on, respectively, Van Jefferson and Tutu Atwell have yet to pay off. The Rams also have an unsettled situation at running back despite using a third-round pick in 2019 on Darrell Henderson and a 2020 second-rounder on Cam Akers. Henderson has never appeared to have the full trust of McVay. After showing promise as a rookie, Akers tore an Achilles’ tendon and has yet to return to that form.
This Sunday’s game against the Saints in New Orleans will take place almost 33 years to the day since Rams wide receiver Willie “Flipper” Anderson set an NFL record with 336 receiving yards, on 15 catches, against the Saints. It was somewhat of an out-of-nowhere performance for Anderson, a 1988 second-round pick who turned into a dangerous deep threat for several seasons but was rarely targeted heavily and never made a Pro Bowl.
It’s not realistic to ask any of the Rams’ recently drafted wide receivers to submit similarly unexpected heroics, but the team will probably need a major leap from someone if it is going to salvage its season. Ben Skowronek, a seventh-round pick last year, has done well to earn playing time, and tight end Tyler Higbee, drafted by the Rams in the fourth round in 2016, has emerged as a reliable short-area target for Stafford. But neither figures to be that someone. The undersized Atwell (listed at 5-9 and 165 pounds) has barely seen the field in two seasons, so a spotlight will shine brighter on Jefferson. He had a solid sophomore season last year with 802 yards and six touchdowns on 50 catches, but Jefferson missed the first six games this season with a knee injury and has not yet reclaimed a sizable role.
Jefferson finally made an impact last week with a touchdown grab against the Cardinals, though he ended the day with just 27 yards on three catches. That game also saw the return of rookie running back Kyren Williams, a fifth-round pick who was injured on the first play of the season opener.
“It’s going to give a lot of guys an opportunity to be able to step up,” McVay said this week of Kupp’s injury. “Any time you lose a player like that, you never replace him, but what it does provide is an opportunity for us to learn about a lot of other guys from that receiver room and, really, our offense in general.”
Those comments point to another silver lining for the Rams, in addition to a medical prognosis for Kupp slightly less dire than initially feared. McVay’s offense, which previously was almost always ranked in the top 12 in points and yards, was performing at a bottom-of-the-barrel level this season. If losses keep piling up, Los Angeles will have nothing to lose by throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks, which could provide unforeseen benefits for next season and beyond.
In the meantime, there doesn’t appear to be a leg to stand on for anyone who thinks the Rams offense can turn things around without its sole pillar of production. | 2022-11-19T14:32:04Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Cooper Kupp's injury makes things even worse for the Rams - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/cooper-kupp-injury-rams/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/cooper-kupp-injury-rams/ |
IN SPACE - AUGUST 21: In this NASA handout, the umbra, or moon’s shadow, passes over Earth during the total eclipse Monday, August 21, 2017. Viewing the eclipse from orbit were NASA’s Randy Bresnik, Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson, ESA (European Space Agency’s) Paolo Nespoli, and Roscosmos Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Sergey Ryazanskiy. The space station crossed the path of the eclipse three times as it orbited above the continental United States at an altitude of 250 miles. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images) (Photographer: NASA/Getty Images North America)
The most sophisticated satellites can cost more than $1 billion to build and launch. Yet all that money and technology hasn’t been able to buy something every car owner takes for granted: on-demand repairs and tune-ups. Now, thanks to years of development by governments and private companies, outer space satellite servicing is becoming a reality — and a business.
Just this month, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, announced that a robotic repair arm it developed will be ready for launch in 2025. By then, it will be just the latest advance in satellite tune-ups, ready to help clear a path through the growing accumulation of space junk orbiting the earth.
That’s good news for satellite owners and the businesses and consumers who rely upon them. But these technologies are also a cause for concern. Militaries, in particular, worry that orbiting machines designed to repair satellites may also be used to attack them. Those concerns, in turn, can lead to mistrust and potentially grave miscalculations and conflict. Limiting those misunderstandings will be crucial to further growing the booming commercial space industry.
Astronauts were the original in-orbit solution for fixing or upgrading government and scientific equipment like Skylab and the Hubble Space Telescope. But such costly and dangerous missions would never have been launched for a commercial venture.
Over the last 15 years, the incentives have been shifting. First, the growth of commercial space activities has spurred thinking about whether and how to wring more life out of expensive satellites that were never designed to be refueled or repaired.
Second, the growing fleet of working satellites in Earth orbit — the number doubled to around 6,000 in the last two years — is sharing space with 26,000 pieces of space junk, including 3,000 dead satellites, any of which could destroy a working satellite in a collision. In 2009, an inactive Russian satellite smashed into a communication unit operated by a US company; the International Space Station regularly dodges space junk.
Satellite repair programs have accelerated as the dangers and opportunities mount. In 2020, a Northrop Grumman Corp. company loaded 15 years of fuel onto a small spacecraft and sent it to hook up with an aging communication satellite, where it now provides auxiliary power to keep the older unit properly oriented to Earth. In a few years, Northrop’s MEV-1 will drag and dump the exhausted satellite into an orbit where it can do no harm, and then move on to its next space client.
As of April, there are at least 30 companies, globally, developing in-orbit satellite servicing and life-extension technologies.
Governments, too. DARPA, under the Department of Defense, has a longstanding research program, which produced its robotic repair arm. Sometime after 2025, Nasa plans to launch a repair robot to cut into a satellite and insert a refueling line for a top-off. The European Space Agency, Russia and the Chinese space program are working on their own technologies.
As important and exciting as these advances are, they’re also potentially dangerous. Technologies designed to extend the life of a satellite can also be used to destroy one; if the intent behind a mission isn’t clearly spelled out, suspicions will rise. In January, for example, China sent a spacecraft to grab and drag a decommissioned Chinese satellite into an out-of-the-way orbit. In theory, this was an excellent use of satellite-servicing technology. But military analysts in the US and elsewhere were unnerved by the potential to use this same technology against a commercial or military asset such as a US spy satellite.
The threat isn’t just an intellectual exercise anymore. Satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX have played a crucial role in providing communications infrastructure to Ukraine’s military during the Russian invasion. Last month, a Russian official warned the UN General Assembly that “quasi-civilian infrastructure may become a legitimate target for retaliation.” Only a few months before Russia’s invasion, it successfully tested an anti-satellite missile against a dead Russian satellite, creating a massive debris cloud that has already endangered spacecraft, including the International Space Station. A dual-use servicing satellite would be a more subtle means of achieving similar ends.
It’s a concern heightened by the increasing frequency of US-China interactions in space, such as a mysterious cat-and-mouse game between a US surveillance satellite and two Chinese inspection satellites earlier this year in which they maneuvered to get better looks at each other.
As incidents like these become more common, the risk rises that a satellite servicing mission could be misperceived as hostile. And there’s no technological solution for that. Instead, it will require the slow and patient development of global norms for operating satellite servicing missions. Transparency should be the top priority, and private entities should be quick to embrace policies that require public notification of intent, location and timing of servicing missions. Then if companies — or governments or militaries — ignore those norms, it will be obvious to all.
The good news is that in-orbit servicing can be as transformative to space exploration and commercialization as the reusable rockets pioneered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Not only can these satellites extend missions, save money and reduce collision hazards, but the associated technologies — including robotic repair arms — could pioneer the development of in-space manufacturing. In the meantime, the growing threat from space junk will simply become a waste management issue in the sustainable use and commercialization of the final frontier. All that’s needed to reduce the risks and make the most of the benefits is that the world’s spacefaring nations and companies agree to a more transparent and safer space.More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:
Final Score in Space: Earth 1, Asteroid 0: Stephen L. Carter
Macron’s Moonshot Looks Like a Long Shot: Laurent & Hughes
Human Rights on Mars Won’t Be the Same as on Earth: Tyler Cowen | 2022-11-19T15:28:58Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Satellite-Saving Robots Can Turn Killer, Too - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/satellite-saving-robots-can-turn-killer-too/2022/11/19/4554ef48-6813-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/satellite-saving-robots-can-turn-killer-too/2022/11/19/4554ef48-6813-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
Houses in Foxhall Village in Northwest D.C. are in the Tudor Revival style. The neighborhood of about 300 homes was built in the mid-1920s to early 1930s. (John Kelly/The Washington Post)
Answer Man admits there was a time when any mention of Foxhall Road brought to his mind a Colonial manor house he assumed must have once stood in the area. Surely the road north of Georgetown took its name from Fox Hall, which in turn must have taken its name from the animals who lived in the nearby woods.
Well, it turns out Foxhall Road NW was named for a person. And his name wasn’t even Foxhall. It was Foxall: Henry Foxall, America’s first big-time defense contractor.
Foxall (1758-1823) was an Englishman who immigrated to Pennsylvania and set about making agricultural implements at his Philadelphia foundry. After Thomas Jefferson asked him to open a foundry in Washington to manufacture weapons, you could say that Foxall transitioned from plowshares into swords. In 1800 he moved to Washington, establishing the Columbia Foundry. He was soon making about 100 cannon a year.
The foundry was on the banks of the Potomac, across from the Three Sisters Islands, an easy commute from Foxall’s Georgetown home and an even easier one from his summer home, Spring Hill Farm. That estate was on land bounded today by P Street, 44th Street and Foxhall Road NW.
Foxall sold the foundry in 1815, the same year he funded the construction of a Methodist church at 14th and G streets NW. He had become wealthy building tools to kill men, now he would endow a tool to save their souls. (The descendant of that church, Foundry United Methodist, is on 16th Street NW.)
Last week in this space, Answer Man explored Foxhall Crescents, an upscale 1980s housing development designed by Arthur Cotton Moore that aped the Royal Crescent in Bath, England. Not far away is an earlier housing development that is even more redolent of Blighty: Foxhall Village.
Visiting Foxhall Village is like stumbling upon a quaint English town that has magically materialized between Reservoir Road, Foxhall Road, Glover-Archbold Park and P Street NW. The only way it could be more English is if a series of mysterious murders there had come to the attention of an amateur detective who uses her disarming skills to reveal the culprit.
The first ad in The Washington Post for Foxhall Village appeared on Oct. 4, 1925. Even allowing for the hyperbole of the times, it came on pretty strong: “Never before in the history of the Nation’s Capital have homes like this been offered to the people of Washington! This is a literal fact!”
Developers Harry K. Boss and H. Glenn Phelps had purchased land that had been part of Foxall’s Spring Hill Farm. Boss had apparently become smitten with English rowhouse design on a trip to England, a trip that included a visit to the aforementioned Royal Crescent in Bath.
The firm hired District architect James Cooper to design 190 townhouses in the Tudor Revival style. This is a look immediately recognizable by its half-timbering: dark wooden beams standing out against a pale stucco background. Cooper’s designs also included slate roofs, decorative herringbone brickwork, double-hung wood sash windows and chimneys topped with decorative clay pots. (As with other exclusive developments in Ward 3 at the time, racial covenants prohibited the sale of homes to African Americans and Jews.)
Foxhall Road was once known as Ridge Road, for its position along the high ground overlooking the Potomac. It was also occasionally rendered on maps as “Foxall” Road. Boss and Phelps chose the “Foxhall” spelling for their village. When another developer, William Waverly Taylor, built 106 rowhouses on land south of the Boss and Phelps neighborhood in 1928, he dubbed the development Foxall Village. It also featured Tudor Revival style homes.
Six more houses were built five years later by a third developer, Cooper Lightbown and Son. These, too, were Olde English-y in design. In 2007 the entire neighborhood — some 310 buildings — was designated the Foxhall Village Historic District.
When The Post wrote about Foxhall Village, it complimented the way the dwellings were arranged, with some homes further out, others further back — staggered setbacks, in architect parlance. This created “a pleasing individuality” while also “preserving the harmony of each group.”
Thus, within a mile of each other we can see two architects choosing two different approaches: At Foxhall Crescent, Moore attempted to make separate houses look joined, while at Foxhall Village, Cooper attempted to make connected houses look separate.
Paul and Charlotte DonVito moved into Foxhall Village in 2002. Charlotte is English. Does the neighborhood remind her of where she grew up?
“Yes,” said Paul. “But, if anything, it’s a more perfect England than where she was from. It’s definitely an idealized version of Britain.”
Ye Olde Helping Hand
It’s the season for giving thanks. (As Boss and Phelps might have said: This is a literal fact!) It’s also the season for giving to those who are less fortunate.
The Washington Post Helping Hand is raising money for three District charities that work to end homelessness and hunger: Miriam’s Kitchen, Bread for the City and Friendship Place. You can donate to any of them — or all of them! — by visiting posthelpinghand.com. | 2022-11-19T15:29:05Z | www.washingtonpost.com | From Foxall to Foxhall: Exploring a Tudor village in Northwest D.C. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/foxhall-village-dc/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/foxhall-village-dc/ |
By Lateshia Beachum, The Washington Post | AP
Nicholas Jackson, the 2020 Jr. World’s Bull riding champion, arrives at the horse show with his family, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022 in Upper Marlboro, Md. From left are Nicholas, Reagan, 12, Dylan, 9, and Ryan, 12. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via AP)
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — When the Super Bowl of horse shows returned to Prince George’s County after more than a 20-year absence, County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks knew who her guests of honor would be: Morissa Hall, 16, and 14-year-old Nicholas “Nic” Jackson.
She singled the teens out at a news conference touting the 64th annual Washington International Horse Show at the Show Place Arena as cowboy-boot-walking proof that Prince George’s County is the rightful home for equestrian sports in the metro area.
“I really think that first time I achieved straight A’s, (the horse) might’ve been motivation,” she said. “After a while, I forgot about the horse. … So, it’s just a standard I hold for myself.”
Moriarty, a nurse and clinical research nurse manager, grew up in Landover Hills with a father who had family horses in Tennessee she would sometimes visit throughout her childhood. Morse’s maternal great grandparents had workhorses on their farm, and he had relatives who used draft horses for farming, in Front Royal, Va. He also had an uncle in Prince George’s County who had a stable with a friend that held up to 20 horses, he said.
“It’s like you go to a Ferrari racecar track with a Yugo. It doesn’t matter how good of a driver you are, you still got a Yugo,” Morse said. “As her father, I want her to be competitive. I want to give her a shot. She has to have a better horse. … It’s nothing for these kids to have a $200,000 horse.”
“I don’t know that these kids would be excelling as they are had I not I had a leg up, you know. My dad had a leg up,” she said. “Although I did not (do) rodeo as a child, we had the leg up at the property available. We had the know about the horses.”
Corey Jackson, 46, a Winston-Salem, N.C., native, fell in love with horses by watching Saturday morning “shoot’em-ups,” or westerns, with his grandfather. As a child, whenever there was a rodeo that came to town, he made sure he was there.
On a typical day, Nic finishes his schoolwork around 3 p.m. before heading out to “buck the dummy” or ride a dummy bull that simulates riding. He’ll then get one of his bulls to get real-life experience.
“There’s usually a small group of (Black kids). We all see each other at most of the bigger rodeos we go to,” he said, noting that he never focused on the quantity. “I never thought of it that way.” | 2022-11-19T15:29:23Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Maryland teens buck tropes, snatch championships - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-teens-buck-tropes-snatch-championships/2022/11/19/c559653a-6812-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-teens-buck-tropes-snatch-championships/2022/11/19/c559653a-6812-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
U.K. nurses, struggling to pay bills, say strike is for future of healthcare
Medical staffers move a patient at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, which is operated by the East Lancashire National Health Service Trust, in Blackburn, England, in May 2020. (Hannah McKay/Bloomberg)
LONDON — Leena Myllynen so often struggled to pay her rent and other bills when she worked as a nurse at a British hospital that she considered leaving the profession altogether.
Between a pandemic that left hospitals short-staffed and record inflation that slashed the value of her salary, “I was completely exhausted and just demoralized,” she told The Washington Post. “I was never, ever able to make it through to payday, even when I worked extra hours,” the 32-year-old nurse said.
That is why she left Britain’s taxpayer-funded National Health Service — a cherished British institution and one of the world’s largest employers. It is also why, she says, many nurses across Britain voted this month to strike for the first time in the 106-year history of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the country’s largest nursing union. The strike is expected before the end of the year.
The pandemic that overwhelmed medical services worldwide has not spared the NHS, which has a backlog of millions of patients awaiting treatment for a wide range of illnesses. And the unprecedented pressures for funding in the NHS after the pandemic has affected access to health care even for some medical workers.
When Myllynen’s partner, an NHS doctor, experienced severe pneumonia and blood clotting, they went from one emergency room to another looking for a hospital bed, she said. “He ended up sleeping on the floor [of an emergency room] for 12 hours” because of the lack of beds, she recalled.
“The short-staffing that’s resulted from the poor pay and conditions affects all of us,” Myllynen added. “We are patients, too.”
Britain is experiencing its highest inflation rate in 41 years, and it is squeezing funding for the health-care system. Forecasts of a long recession and surging energy prices have led to warnings that people could see “the biggest fall in household incomes in generations,” as Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said.
The nursing union, which has hundreds of thousands of members, says the pay problem has worsened staff shortages and jeopardized patient safety. According to research commissioned by the RCN, the earnings of an experienced nurse fell in real-terms by at least 20 percent since 2010 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Although British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described nurses’ demand for a nearly 17 percent pay increase — 5 percent above inflation — as “unaffordable,” he said talks this week between the health secretary and union leaders would help those involved “see how we can resolve this.” Health officials hope for an agreement to avert a wave of walkouts this winter.
Britain frustrated by political, economic tumult as Liz Truss quits
British government officials say a pay offer made in July, with an average increase of 4.75 percent for nurses in England next year, was in line with recommendations by an independent NHS pay review body.
The plan would boost the average basic pay for nurses from around $42,000 as of March 2022 to nearly $44,000, according to the government, which argues that larger increases would worsen inflation and expand the country’s debt.
But, as a cost-of-living crisis hits everyone, paramedics, ambulance workers and cleaners also are voting on joining the nurses in a strike.
Leanne Patrick, a nurse specialist in gender-based violence for the NHS in Scotland, said she voted in favor of the nurses’ strike not for herself but for the challenges she sees in the majority-female profession. The mother of two said nurses were not paid fairly for their skills or for the level of risk they manage, and she said she hoped the walkout would make their voices heard.
The pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis led to health facilities “hemorrhaging staff” after years of below-inflation pay increases and brought about “a kind of tipping point,” Patrick told The Post.
U.S. health-care system ranks last among 11 high-income countries, researchers say
She said many nurses backed the strike because “we know it … affects, not just us, but other nurses, and ultimately, patient care.”
When staffing shortages prevent nurses from providing “safe levels of care,” Patrick said, nurses realize “they’re going home worrying about patients at the end of the day.”
And when nurses also feel undervalued, she added, “it’s not surprising to think that after all this heartache,” they think, “Could I do something a lot less stressful … for a similar amount of pay?”
Since she left the NHS last year, Myllynen, who works in the northern English city of Leeds, has moved to a nursing job in the private sector at a charity, so she did not take part in the RCN vote. But she said she supports the decision, which she described as “the last option,” and hopes it will help to resolve a problem that she says has been building for years.
“This strike is not selfish; it’s about saving the NHS,” she said. “... it’s about our own health care in the future.” | 2022-11-19T16:25:25Z | www.washingtonpost.com | U.K. nurses' vote to strike is 'about saving the NHS,' supporters say - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/britain-nurses-strike-vote-inflation/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/britain-nurses-strike-vote-inflation/ |
Idaho students probably were asleep when stabbed, police say
Flowers and other items are displayed at a growing memorial in front of a campus entrance sign at the University of Idaho on Wednesday. Four students were found slain Sunday at a residence near campus. (Ted S. Warren/AP)
The four University of Idaho students who were killed Sunday in an off-campus house probably were asleep when they were stabbed, the county coroner said, and some of them showed signs of trying to fight their attacker.
Each was stabbed multiple times, and some had defensive wounds, the Latah County coroner said in a statement released late Friday by police in Moscow, Idaho.
After a week of grief, uncertainty and fear in the college town, police were still searching for the attacker and asked the public for help. Authorities have received more than 500 tips and conducted 38 interviews, the Moscow Police Department said, but are seeking more tips.
Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Wash.; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho, were killed in the early hours Sunday, probably an hour or two after they all got home, police said. The three women were roommates, and Chapin and Kernodle were dating.
Authorities revealed some new details about the four friends’ activities the night before the killings, pieced together from surveillance footage and interviews.
That Saturday evening, Goncalves and Mogen were out at a bar downtown. They stopped at a food truck and hailed a ride home, police said.
They got home at 1:45 a.m., about the same time Kernodle and Chapin returned to the residence after hanging out at the campus’s Sigma Chi fraternity house.
Idaho students were killed with sharp weapon in targeted attack, police say
Two other roommates also were home that night, and detectives said they do not believe they were involved in the crime, Moscow police said. Neither was injured or held hostage, Moscow Police Chief James Fry has said.
The autopsy showed that Kernodle tried to fight off her killer, according to an interview that KTVK/KPHO conducted with her father, Jeffrey Kernodle. “Bruises, torn by the knife. She’s a tough kid,” he told the Arizona-based station.
He said doors to the home the roommates shared locked automatically and required a code to unlock.
“It doesn’t make sense,” he told KTVK/KPHO on Friday.
Police were searching for evidence in the contents of three dumpsters near the residence. They also were trying to determine whether a fixed-blade knife had recently been purchased at any local businesses.
Police were alerted by a 911 call just before noon Sunday, reporting an unconscious person at the residence. They have not identified the 911 caller; Idaho State Police spokesman Aaron Snell told ABC News on Thursday that neither of the uninjured roommates was the caller.
After initially assuring residents of the northwestern Idaho city that there was no danger to the public, the police chief said at a news conference Wednesday that the killer was “still out there” and told residents to be vigilant. Authorities have said it was a targeted attack, but Fry told reporters, “We cannot say that there is no threat to the community.”
Many students left the university’s 10,000-person campus after news of the attack, going home early for the Thanksgiving break.
More than 40 FBI agents have been assigned to the case, including 22 investigators in Moscow working with the Idaho State Police and local authorities. Police published a map showing where the four students were seen that night and asked anyone near the areas who saw anything suspicious or has video footage to contact authorities.
Chapin, a freshman, was studying recreation, sport and tourism management. Kernodle, a junior, was majoring in marketing. Mogen, a senior, also was studying marketing. Goncalves, a senior, was majoring in general studies.
In statements to various news outlets, their families have expressed intense grief.
Chapin, who enjoyed sports and traveling, was one of a triplet, so close with his siblings that they all chose to attend the University of Idaho, his parents told the Seattle-based television station KING-TV. Kernodle “truly was a once-in-a-lifetime type of person,” her sister Jazzmin Kernodle said in a tribute posted on Instagram.
The four were good friends, Jazzmin Kernodle said.
“I knew each of them were such great friends to Xana, and she adored them so much,” she wrote on Instagram. “Ethan and Xana were so happy together and it made me so happy seeing the way he made her feel.”
Goncalves and Mogen were kind, adventurous, worthy women who loved their lives, Goncalves’s family wrote in a statement shared with the Spokane, Wash.-based television station KXLY. Goncalves was “dedicated, outspoken, motivated and full of life.” Maddie was “one of the most genuine, kind and caring humans on the earth,” they said.
“No amount of words or statements could ever attempt to capture who they were or what they wanted in life or what was stolen from us all,” the family wrote. “We are angry. You should be angry. And to whomever is responsible, we will find you.”
A vigil will be held Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. on the school’s campus, the university announced Thursday.
Marisa Iati contributed to this report. | 2022-11-19T17:00:23Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Four Idaho students were asleep when they were attacked, police say - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/11/19/idaho-students-killed-asleep-stabbed/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/11/19/idaho-students-killed-asleep-stabbed/ |
Haji Wright, center, celebrates with Weston McKennie, left, and Yunus Musah during a friendly against Morocco in June in Cincinnati. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
DOHA, Qatar — Desmond Armstrong, a defender on the 1990 U.S. World Cup team, was reviewing the potential American roster for this year’s tournament a few weeks ago when it occurred to him that Black players would make up about half the squad and many would probably start in the opener Monday against Wales.
He began rattling off names: Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Antonee Robinson … The list went on and on.
It’s a far cry from Armstrong’s national team days, when he and defender Jimmy Banks were the only Black players not only on the roster but in the elite talent pool.
“I would say the biggest contrast back then to now is that it was lonely,” Armstrong said. “It’s not just one guy like me out there, quote-unquote, carrying the banner for every African American potential player.”
This year’s 26-man team includes a record 12 Black players, an increase of three from 2014 — the last time the United States qualified — and the same number as the 1994, ’98 and 2002 squads combined. (Rosters were capped at 22 players from 1990-1998 and 23 from 2002-2018.)
“It’s not a secret that African Americans lean toward basketball, lean toward American football, lean toward baseball, lean toward other sports,” McKennie said. “In my neighborhood [in Little Elm, Tex.], you rarely saw any African American kids playing soccer. So now to be able to do what we love, and at the same time, have an impact on the game for African Americans, it’s amazing because now they can look at it and say, ‘You know, that can be me … and there’s another sport we can fall in love with.’”
Nine additional Black players were in contention for Coach Gregg Berhalter’s team before the Nov. 9 roster announcement. Four players to make the cut are Hispanic, providing the largest delegation of players of color in U.S. World Cup history.
“The diversity of this team is the diversity of America,” Berhalter said.
Maurice Edu, a 2010 World Cup midfielder and now a Fox Sports commentator, said he speaks often with friends about the possibility of an all-Black starting lineup soon, which is “incredible to see how far the game has gone in terms of reach.”
Edu, who is Black, emphasized the importance of Black role models who played in World Cups for the United States. For him, that was Eddie Pope, Earnie Stewart and DaMarcus Beasley, among others. The 2010 and ’14 squads had 17 Black players combined, including Tim Howard, Oguchi Onyewu and Jozy Altidore.
“There’s still more room for growth, but if this team has success, it just continues that pipeline,” Edu said. “Seeing players like them, there are going to be more young Black kids focused on the game.”
Armstrong, 58, was born in Washington but moved to Montgomery County, Md., as a child and excelled in the sport in Columbia, a youth soccer hotbed in Howard County. When visiting his grandmother in Northeast D.C., neighborhood boys would yell at him, “Yo, soccer boy, how’s that hockey?”
Armstrong said, laughing, “I was always known as ‘Soccer Boy’ there. The connotation was it’s a White boys’ sport.”
The 1990 squad was almost exclusively White players in their early to mid-20s who had passed through traditional development circles and starred for NCAA programs. The makeup of this year’s team is far from that. When at full health, the three-man starting midfield features all Black players: McKennie, Adams and Musah.
The pathway for McKennie and Adams went through MLS academies in Dallas and New York, respectively. Both skipped college to turn pro.
Musah was born in New York to Ghanaian parents, learned the game in Italy and England, and plays for Valencia in Spain’s La Liga. He was eligible to represent four countries.
Florida-born defender Shaq Moore traces family roots to Trinidad and Tobago. Midfielder Kellyn Acosta, from greater Dallas, is Black, Japanese and Puerto Rican. Winger Tim Weah, a native New Yorker, is the son of a Liberian father (former superstar George Weah) and Jamaican mother.
DeAndre Yedlin, the only current U.S. player with World Cup experience, is a Black man with Latvian-Jewish and Native American blood. Ferreira moved to the United States in 2009 when his father, David, joined FC Dallas, and, in 2019 became a U.S. citizen.
Striker Haji Wright, a Los Angeles native, has Liberian and Ghanaian roots. Robinson and Cameron Carter-Vickers, both defenders, are from England, sons of Black American fathers who played soccer at Duke and basketball at LSU, respectively. (Howard Carter was a 1983 first-round draft pick.)
Current and former Black players credit increased outreach and greater access to the game, though soccer’s influence in the United States remains larger in the suburbs than in cities, where, elsewhere in the world, the game pulsates.
At the Aspen Institute’s Project Play Summit in Washington in May, U.S. Soccer Federation President Cindy Cone said, “A lot of it comes down to how our sport is viewed, and how do we shift that thinking from that it’s a rich, White kids’ sport to a sport that is literally played [everywhere]. As the most diverse country in the world, how do we change that focus to make sure that every kid feels welcomed into our game?”
While the number of Black players on the national team has grown, Hispanic representation has stalled, despite Latinos making up almost 20 percent of the U.S. population. Soccer is the most popular sport in those communities.
The largest Latino contingent on a U.S. World Cup squad was five in 1994. This year, it’s striker Jesús Ferreira, forward Gio Reyna, and midfielders Luca de la Torre and Cristian Roldan. However, only Roldan, whose parents emigrated from El Salvador and Guatemala, has roots in Central America. (Roldan’s brother, Alex, represents El Salvador.)
In a mild surprise, striker Ricardo Pepi was not chosen for the World Cup squad. A dual national from El Paso, Pepi could’ve become a hero in the Mexican American community, said ESPN commentator Hérculez Gómez — “someone Mexican Americans could identify with.”
Gomez, who has Mexican roots and played for the United States in the 2010 World Cup, said “to not have that is a bitter pill.” He also noted none of the Mexican American players who committed to Mexico made El Tri’s World Cup squad either.
Socioeconomic barriers, U.S. officials agree, have played a big part in failing to attract youths from some minority families. Berhalter noted progress in building a pipeline to the national team but also asked, “How do we expand [access], get into underserved communities and give greater opportunities?”
Armstrong, a Hall of Famer, has made that effort in the form of a youth program in East Nashville, where children from myriad backgrounds have embraced the game.
“We’re at the beginning stages” of getting more underrepresented children involved in the game and on a pathway to youth national teams, he said. “We will not see the results of that for 20 years. When that does happen, then it will be like, ‘Okay, now soccer has reached every corner, every inch of America.’” | 2022-11-19T18:31:50Z | www.washingtonpost.com | U.S. men's World Cup roster reflects 'the diversity of America' - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/usmnt-world-cup-roster-diversity/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/usmnt-world-cup-roster-diversity/ |
A man shovels a car free from a snowdrift on Saturday in Hamburg, N.Y., as the Buffalo area gets a break in the snowstorm. (Sarah Irwin/via REUTERS)
BUFFALO — While Western New Yorkers know how to handle snowstorms as well as anyone in the Lower 48, even some of the hardened veterans of massive lake-effect events were left in awe by the rapid accumulation seen in the first 24 hours south of Buffalo — one meteorologists say will be for the record books.
The neighborhoods at the southern tip of Buffalo and towns and villages to the south and east saw more than five feet of snow accumulate in some areas from Thursday to Friday. The massive snowdrifts made driving near impossible, with response teams struggling to get around engulfed vehicles.
The massive snowfall was blamed for at least two deaths: Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted “cardiac events related to exertion during shoveling/snow blowing” as the cause.
Bob Crowell, a 76-year-old lifelong resident of East Aurora, a picturesque town often used as a set in the filming of Hallmark holiday movies about 20 miles southeast of Buffalo, estimated that he had drifts in his yard that topped five feet.
Photos: Massive lake-effect snowstorm pummels western New York
Many stuck in the persistent bands downwind of Lake Erie made the most of their situation, posting pictures and video of waist-high snow outside front doors and confused dogs trying to figure out how to get outside to use the bathroom.
“It’s fun,” he said. “The kid in you still comes out and it’s like. ‘Oh, a snow day!’ But then you realize you’ve got to deal with it.”
Orchard Park, the suburban home of the Buffalo Bills football team was the hardest hit of all, with 66 inches touching down from Thursday into Friday, potentially setting the record for the most snowfall in a 24 hour period in New York State.
By Saturday morning, Orchard Park reported a staggering 77 inches. Totals over 60 inches were also reported around Hamburg and Blasdell, about 10 miles to Buffalo’s south. (The Bills’ “home” game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday will be played in Detroit.)
Excessive amounts of snow also buried areas on the northeast shores of Lake Ontario. Watertown, N.Y., reported 57 inches, and a location about 20 miles to its east posted 72 inches.
Cromwell recounted the storm of November 2014, another that made international headlines, particularly for the shocking photos of a massive wall of clouds forming over Lake Erie before dumping more than seven feet of snow in a similar area of Buffalo.
Even that storm, he said, seemed less shocking because the snow fell over a longer period of time and in two waves.
“I’ve got to be honest with you, the weather forecasters, they were pretty … accurate,” he said. “I was hoping that maybe they’d get egg on their face on this. But they hit it right on the nose. They knew this was going to be big.”
But the most extreme, crippling snow amounts around the city were very localized — which is typical with lake-effect snow. While snow totals over 40 inches were common just a few miles south of Buffalo, some locations on the city’s north side only posted 5 to 10 inches.
City residents for the most part were nonplussed by what they characterized as a typical late fall snowstorm. Heavy snows began throughout the city Thursday night, but quickly shifted south after only a few hours, leaving about seven inches of snow for the bulk of city dwellers to clean up Friday morning.
Students were released early from classes on Thursday and schools were closed on Friday. Many of the city’s other institutions and businesses were also closed or started the day off late.
Taria Daniels was out in front of her Moselle Street home in the Delevan-Grider neighborhood on the city’s East Side with her son and two nephews clearing a path to get her car on the street midday Friday. She was set to leave for her shift as a patient care assistant in the northern suburb of Tonawanda in a few hours.
“It’s every year, though, with Buffalo,” Daniels said. “It’s nothing new with us.”
Daniels said she went to the grocery store to prepare, as she would normally do for any predicted snowstorm. But she described the half-a-foot or so the city had seen to that point as “light.”
If the band moved north and buried the city in multiple feet of snow, as was still a possibility in the forecast at the time, she was prepared to hunker down with her family, she said. Though she was concerned about getting home from her shift before the next bout of snow set in.
“If it gets to six feet, it’s over,” she said. “I’m not coming outside, none of that.”
During the early afternoon Friday it looked like the northward shift of the lake effect band was beginning, with heavy snows and strong winds blasting downtown.
Inside the bar at the Marriott hotel attached to the LECOM Harbor Center, a facility that hosts amateur and college hockey games, bartender Mustafa Kalayci stood behind a glitzy granite slab, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the seventh story restaurant as several tables, including members of the national media in town to cover the storm, worked on their meals.
Kalayci, originally from Turkey, was thrilled by the snow. He said that while some guests were not able to travel they were lucky to be in the hotel and not stuck in an airport trying to get home.
“There’s a lovely, beautiful place they can stay warm and look at outside,” he said.
Still, Huseyin Taran, the hotel’s general manager, said the storm had severely disrupted business. A youth hockey tournament at the attached hockey complex was canceled. Instead of being at capacity, the hotel was at 30 percent occupancy for the weekend.
“Obviously the Bills game (being moved to Detroit) has a big impact as well,” he said.
But the projected shift northward of the lake effect band would not materialize until late Friday and as the day moved forward more businesses decided to open.
As the day pressed on with the snow band remaining over the southtowns, bars and restaurants throughout the city opened up and resumed business as normal.
The snow bands did eventually shift north again, running back through Buffalo and then to points north, dropping an additional foot on the city between midnight and 5 a.m. Saturday. The National Weather Service forecast office in Buffalo, located about 6 miles east of downtown, added 17.2 inches Friday night into Saturday morning bringing its storm total to 30.2 inches.
One more heavy band of snow is expected to again move through much of the Buffalo area Saturday night, dumping another 6 to 10 inches of snow before the region can fully begin to dig out on Sunday, when just brief, scattered snow showers are forecast.
As Evelio Vasquez Jr., a concrete work and lifelong western New York resident, was helping his neighbor clear the sidewalk in Delevan-Grider neighborhood, he took the snowfall in stride.
“We’ve got bad winters, but I’ll take that over the earthquakes and the hurricanes and all that other stuff,” he said. | 2022-11-19T18:32:09Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Shoveling out in Buffalo: Parts of western N.Y. buried by 77 inches of snow - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/11/19/buffalo-snowstorm-western-new-york/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/11/19/buffalo-snowstorm-western-new-york/ |
A grieving father retraces his wife’s last route - then goes further
Dan Langenkamp led a sea of cyclists from where U.S. Diplomat Sarah Langenkamp’s ride began on the day she died to Capitol Hill
Dan and Sarah Langenkamp pose with their two sons when they were younger. (Courtesy of the Langenkamp family)
When the day came to leave Ukraine, Sarah and Dan Langenkamp didn’t have time to pack up their home. They had to leave behind their furniture, their clothes and their children’s toys, not knowing if they would see any of it again.
Dan Langenkamp expected they wouldn’t.
But in recent days, as a result of what he describes as the heroic efforts of embassy workers and a Ukrainian housekeeper, boxes filled with those belongings began showing up at the family’s Maryland home.
For the family, their arrival has brought relief — and pain. Relief because it means they will no longer have to live out of suitcases. Pain because those boxes contain so many reminders of Sarah Langenkamp, who was killed in August when the driver of a flatbed truck struck her as she rode her bicycle from an open house event at her sons’ elementary school.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Dan Langenkamp said of sifting through his wife’s belongings. So many items call out for her, he said, “They say ‘I need her.’ They say, ‘I need the owner of my stuff for me to be useful, and she’s not here.’ ”
Those boxes don’t just contain yoga pants; they contain her yoga pants. They don’t just contain boots; they contain her boots.
“Right now, it’s cold and she has this beautiful pair of winter boots that are just empty,” he said. “I had to put them in the back of the closet.”
On Saturday, drivers passing through Bethesda, Md. and D.C. might have seen a sea of cyclists riding through the streets together. They were following Dan Langenkamp along the last route his wife traveled — and then, they rode further than she was able. Together, they rode from her children’s elementary school to the crash spot on River Road. They then continued on, riding until they reached the Capitol Reflecting Pool. There, they called on federal lawmakers and officials to dedicate resources and put in place measures that would help make roads across the nation safer.
More than 1,500 people were expected to participate in the “Ride for Your Life” event, which was promoted by Trek, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Families for Safe Streets and others. Among those who participated were people who loved Sarah Langenkamp, including her children, and people who had never met her but recognized in her death a need for action. She was a U.S. diplomat who fled Ukraine to seek safety, only to die on a Washington-area road.
A U.S. diplomat left Ukraine, only to die on a Washington-area road
“Deadly road design is a policy choice,” said Colin Browne, of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. “The tools for making streets safer for everyone — people walking, rolling, biking, taking the bus, driving — exist, and they are in use in cities all over the world.”
Browne described Saturday’s ride as a way to protest “a simple, grim reality: hundreds of people die and thousands suffer life-altering injuries on our region’s roads every year, not because we don’t have know how to prevent it, but because too many of our elected officials and agency leaders are still afraid to make driving and parking marginally less convenient.”
In an earlier column, I told you about Sarah Langenkamp. I’ve also told you in other columns about other pedestrians and cyclists who have been fatally injured on roads in the region: 32-year-old Brett Badin, 5-year-old Allison Hart, 70-year-old Michael Hawkins Randall, 64-year-old Charles Jackson, 65-year-old Michael Gordon and 40-year-old Shawn O’Donnell. Those last four deaths happened within the same month.
At 5, she was killed riding her bike in a crosswalk. Her legacy should be safer streets.
Behind each of those names is a family that was unexpectedly thrust into mourning and activists who rose up to ask, again, for officials to do more to prevent future deaths.
There have been other rides and gatherings in the region aimed at bringing awareness to the need for road safety improvements. But most of those have demanded local officials take action. At Saturday’s event, participants called on Congress to fund safe biking and pedestrian infrastructure and the Transportation Department to implement measures to improve truck safety. One measure would require large trucks to add structural guards on the lower front and sides to prevent cars, bicycles or pedestrians from sliding underneath.
Langenkamp said his wife could have survived if that measure had been in place. The truck that hit her was traveling in the same direction as her when it turned right into a parking lot, according to police.
“These deaths are really violent,” Langenkamp said. “We should not cover that up. Nobody should be killed on our streets like this. People say she was ‘struck by a truck’ or ‘hit by a truck.’ No, she was crushed by a truck, and killed instantly on the side of the road.”
His voice shook as he said that. He knows that’s not a gentle image, but what she experienced was not gentle, and he believes people need to recognize that to fully understand what traffic victims and their family members experience.
On Saturday, several people gave speeches and a few high-ranking officials sent statements that were read aloud. One of those came from U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. In it, he acknowledge the significance of the event coming the day before World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
“Each year, on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, we mourn those who have lost their lives in traffic crashes,” the statement read. “But mourning is not enough. We must all dedicate ourselves to ending this crisis on our roadways and creating a safer transportation system so that more families do not have to share this grief.”
After his wife’s death, Langenkamp received notes from senators and other U.S. officials. One letter came from President Biden.
“Sarah will always be remembered for her unwavering commitment to our Nation,” reads Biden’s letter. “She was an exceptional diplomat who dedicated herself to fulfilling America’s promise to its citizens and the world. We are especially grateful to your family for both your and Sarah’s courageous service in Ukraine.”
In a letter, Attorney General Merrick Garland told of working with Sarah and described her as representing “the best of America, working tirelessly and at considerable personal risk and sacrifice on behalf of our country to pursue peace, democracy, prosperity, and adherence to the rule of law.”
Dan Langenkamp worked at the state department with his wife, but he has taken a leave since her death. He has spent his days instead, he said, trying to make sure she didn’t die for nothing and learning how to parent two children on his own. Their sons were 8 and 10 and had just enrolled in a new school when the crash happened
“It’s been really hard,” Langenkamp said. “It was super emotional to go to Target the other day to buy some extra winter stuff. We always went to Target together, and suddenly I was this hapless dad by myself doing it. I was trying to choose pants that fit, and Sarah knew that stuff cold.”
When he talks about unpacking those boxes, he wavers between describing it as part of the “unraveling of our lives” and the “raveling our lives.”
“Sometimes,” he said, “I’m walking back from my sons’ school and I’m thinking, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do this by myself.’ ” | 2022-11-19T18:32:15Z | www.washingtonpost.com | A grieving father leads a sea of cyclists on his wife’s last route - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/langenkamp-bicycle-ride-road-safety/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/langenkamp-bicycle-ride-road-safety/ |
This image shows a scene from the documentary “A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting.” (HBO Max via AP) (Uncredited/HBO Max)
PITTSBURGH, Pa — Filmmaker Trish Adlesic was in Pittsburgh celebrating her father’s 91st birthday on October 25, 2018. Two days later, a gunman walked into the nearby Tree of Life synagogue and killed 11 people in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. | 2022-11-19T18:32:34Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Tree of Life shooting survivors' stories told in documentary - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/tree-of-life-shooting-survivors-stories-told-in-documentary/2022/11/19/2cc8ebb0-682b-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/tree-of-life-shooting-survivors-stories-told-in-documentary/2022/11/19/2cc8ebb0-682b-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
A crowded field of rivals could take shape, but many in GOP now look to Florida Gov. DeSantis as the alternative to a politician who has led Republicans in 3 bad elections.
In this Nov. 3, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump stands behind Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis at a rally in Pensacola. (Butch Dill/AP)
Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president last week. No one should underestimate the former president’s potential to become the Republican nominee again or to win the general election in 2024. Nor should anyone overestimate his strength. Trump begins his third campaign for president weakened and embattled.
Few Americans are ready for the 2024 presidential campaign to begin. Congressional Republicans, now that they narrowly control the House, will be in the forefront of trying to define the party’s future. It will be a messy process, as legislators rarely speak with one voice. One important question will be the degree to which the House majority signals anything different from what Trump has offered, whether denials of election results, policies or grievances and attacks.
Trump is still the dominant figure in the party, but his lackluster announcement speech last Tuesday night could not disguise his diminished standing. His record as a party leader falls far short of his musings about what kind of president he was. That record of two disappointing midterms and a losing reelection bid is why many Republicans are looking to others to lead them — and first on that list is Ron DeSantis, coming off his commanding reelection as Florida governor.
On the legislative side, under Trump’s leadership, Republicans lost control of the House in 2018 and the Senate in 2020. And while the GOP regained the House in this year’s election, the party fell well short of expectations, and Democrats will retain control of the Senate.
Republicans also lost a slew of statewide races for positions that could determine the 2024 electoral college outcome. This was in large part due to failures by candidates Trump promoted and because of voters’ fears of giving too much power to a party under his domination.
Trump’s reelection announcement on Tuesday last week prompted Attorney General Merrick Garland to announce Friday the appointment of a special counsel to take over ongoing Justice Department investigations into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and his role in fomenting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Those investigation will remind some Republicans of the baggage the former president carries. Others will see him as the victim he claims to be and they could come out in force to back his third presidential bid.
Presidential candidates don’t always have the luxury of deciding when it’s ideal to run. Circumstances often dictate that. When Barack Obama was deciding in late 2006 whether to run for president in 2008, David Axelrod, his chief strategist, sent him a memo that said: “History is replete with potential candidates for the presidency who waited too long rather than examples of people who ran too soon … You will never be hotter than you are right now.” Obama gave himself about a 25 percent chance of winning the nomination. Still he ran.
In the fall of 1998, as George W. Bush was heading toward reelection as governor of Texas and then to an expected campaign for president in 2000. Nonetheless, he expressed surprise at the strength of the forces pushing him to make the race. “I feel like a cork in a raging river,” he said.
DeSantis finds himself in the position of Obama going into the 2008 cycle, likely never to be in a better position to run for president, even if the odds today don’t necessarily favor him winning the nomination, and even if the time is not ideal given that he has young children and that his wife, Casey, has recently come through a battle with breast cancer.
DeSantis is not in the position that Bush was in after winning his reelection in 1998. Bush, a son of a former president, was the acknowledged front-runner for his party’s nomination. DeSantis is the alternative to Trump that many in his party are seeking, but someone who nevertheless would have to defeat a former president known for his skill and ruthlessness in taking down potential rivals.
In the spring of 1999, Bush stayed in Austin and let the world come to him. Republicans kept arriving daily — elected officials, donors, strategists and policy experts. As other candidates trooped to Iowa, a group of Iowa Republicans chartered two planes to Austin. Bush used the time to consolidated support among fellow governors and other elected officials, build a financial network and immerse himself in briefings.
DeSantis could run a similar front porch campaign from Tallahassee in the coming months, as his team prepares for a possible candidacy. The governor said last week that people should “chill out” about 2024. In his reelection campaign, he declined to say he would serve out his four-year term.
DeSantis has a team in place. He has proven his ability to raise plenty of money and a pile of money that could be transferred to a super PAC to support a candidacy. His record as governor — often described as a combination of traditional conservatism with a heavy dose of culture wars — already gives Republican voters something to look at.
He gained national attention by resisting covid lockdowns. He took on the Walt Disney Company over the teaching of gender identity issues to young schoolchildren. He brags that Florida is “where woke goes to die.” He dealt swiftly with Hurricane Ian, earning plaudits at home. Democrats and Republican see him as Trumpism without Trump. Democrats see it and recoil. Many Republicans very much like it.
DeSantis has proven himself to voters in Florida. He has not proven himself nationally in a presidential arena. There are questions about his capacity to make the step up. Does he have the personality and temperament for a long presidential campaign? He is not known having good people skills and has offended some wealthy donors with what they see as a highhanded style. The video he released just before his reelection, which said, “On the eighth day …, God made a fighter,” suggests that hubris could be an issue. If he steps in but isn’t able to step up, then Republicans will be looking at something different, and Trump might be the beneficiary.
There are Trump critics who might run, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie among them. Christie believes that Trump must be confronted directly, not passively, if Republican hope to deny him the nomination, and he won applause with that message at the Republican Governors Association meeting, held the same night Trump announced. Christie said anyone running in 2024 owes it to voters to say exactly what they think of the role Trump has played in the past few years. “I don’t think that subtlety works,” he said. “You have to be direct.”
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who has described Trump as “[expletive] crazy,” said last week he might be interested. So are others, including two prominent women in the party, South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.
The governor not named DeSantis that some other Republicans believe could be well positioned is Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin, whose 2021 victory put him into the spotlight as someone who managed to keep Trump at bay without offending Trump’s supporters. He also tapped into parental dissatisfaction with school policies, though his critics said he also played the race card in doing so.
Youngkin has spent the past few months campaigning for gubernatorial candidates around the country, though he showed more losses than wins in those efforts. He handed out his signature red vests and hoped to show that he can appeal to Trump loyalists, Never Trumpers and the swing voters who helped him win in 2021 but who failed to strongly back Republicans this year. Republicans say his style, less sharp-edged than DeSantis’s, could go down more easily in the retail campaigning demanded in the early states. | 2022-11-19T18:32:40Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Can DeSantis or another GOP challenger take down Trump in 2024? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/trump-desantis-gop2024-sundaytake/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/trump-desantis-gop2024-sundaytake/ |
Supreme Court justice has said leak of Dobbs decision made conservative majority ‘targets for assasination’
Ann E. Marimow
Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. speaks at the Federalist Society's 40th anniversary at Washington's Union Station on Nov. 10. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. denied an allegation from a former antiabortion activist that Alito or his wife disclosed to conservative donors the outcome of a pending 2014 case regarding contraceptives and religious rights.
The New York Times reported Saturday that Rob Schenck, who on his website identifies himself as a “once-right-wing religious leader but now dissenting evangelical voice,” said he was told the outcome of the case, Hobby Lobby v. Burwell, several weeks before it was announced. Schenck said a conservative donor to his organization relayed the information after a dinner with Alito, who wrote the majority opinion in the case, and the justice’s wife.
But the donor, Gayle Wright, told the Times that Schenck’s account was not true, and Alito issued a statement denying it as well.
“My wife and I became acquainted with the Wrights some years ago because of their strong support for the Supreme Court Historical Society, and since then, we have had a casual and purely social relationship,” the statement said. “I never detected any effort on the part of the Wrights to obtain confidential information or to influence anything that I did in either an official or private capacity, and I would have strongly objected if they had done so.”
How one man brought affirmative action to the Supreme Court. Again and again.
In response to questions Saturday about the denials from Alito and Wright, Schenck confirmed in a statement “the extensive details and facts” he provided in The Times account and declined to comment further.
Schenck’s allegation comes after the unprecedented leak this spring of Alito’s draft opinion upholding a restrictive Mississippi abortion law and overturning the constitutional right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade nearly 50 years earlier. The leak was a shocking breach of the court’s secretive and closely held deliberations, and Alito recently denounced it as a “grave betrayal of trust.”
Supreme Court term begins amid questions about its legitimacy
According to The Times, Schenck sent a letter to Roberts in June volunteering the information about the 2014 dinner with the Alitos, which he did not attend. He wrote that the “series of events” that he was disclosing “may impinge on the investigation you and your delegates are undertaking in connection with the leak of a draft opinion.”
This is not the first time Schenck has publicly revealed what he describes as efforts by Christian conservatives to influence the direction of the court. Schenck in the past has told Politico and Rolling Stone about efforts he undertook on behalf of his nonprofit, Faith and Action, to ingratiate himself with the three justices who at the time were the court’s most conservative — Alito, Justice Clarence Thomas and the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
But The Times report, by Jodi Kantor and Jo Becker, said Schenck had not previously shared allegations about knowing in advance the outcome of the Hobby Lobby case, which held that family-owned businesses did not have to provide certain contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act’s insurance requirements.
Ginni Thomas's emails with Trump lawyers add to tumult at Supreme Court
“The evidence for Mr. Schenck’s account of the breach has gaps,” the reporters wrote. “But in months of examining Mr. Schenck’s claims, The Times found a trail of contemporaneous emails and conversations that strongly suggested he knew the outcome and the author of the Hobby Lobby decision before it was made public.”
Schenck provided an email from Gayle Wright, who along with her now-deceased husband, Donald, were major contributors to Schenck’s nonprofit. Schenck told the Times that when he learned the Wrights would be the dinner guests of Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, in 2014, he asked Gayle Wright to learn what she could about the pending Hobby Lobby case.
A day later, Gayle Wright wrote: “Rob, if you want some interesting news please call. No emails,” The Times reported.
According to The Times report, Schenck said Wright told him that the decision would be favorable to Hobby Lobby and that Justice Alito had written the majority opinion. Three weeks later, Alito delivered the court’s opinion.
Wright disputed Schenck’s account in an interview with The Times. She said she believed she fell ill during the dinner at the Alitos’ home in Alexandria that night and that the justice drove her and her husband back to her hotel. That might have been the news she wanted to share with Schenck.
“Being a friend or having a friendly relationship with a justice, you know that they don’t ever tell you about cases. They aren’t allowed to,” Wright told The Times “Nor would I ask. There has never been a time in all my years that a justice or a justice’s spouse told me anything about a decision.”
Nina Totenberg was friends with RBG. Got a problem with that?
In his statement, Alito said that is the only way he knew the couple. “I have no knowledge of any project that they allegedly undertook for “Faith and Action,” “Faith and Liberty,” or any similar group, and I would be shocked and offended if those allegations are true,” his statement said.
“The Senate Judiciary Committee should immediately move to investigate the apparent leak by Justice Alito,” said Demand Justice executive director Brian Fallon. “The whistleblower in this report, Rev. Rob Schenck, should be called to testify about both the leak and the years-long lobbying effort he once led to cultivate Alito and other Republican justices.” | 2022-11-19T18:36:12Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Supreme Court Justice Alito denies NYT report that he leaked Hobby Lobby opinion - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/alito-hobby-lobby-supreme-court-nyt/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/alito-hobby-lobby-supreme-court-nyt/ |
As opposition leader Imran Khan plans a mass protest march to the capital, Islamabad, the military vows to stay out of the fray
Supporters of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan watch an address by him on Monday. (Rehan Khan/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
ISLAMABAD — Massive crowds are expected to converge on the capital, fired up by a charismatic ousted premier bent on returning to power. The economy is in free fall and the weak coalition government seems helpless to stop it. The countryside has been devastated by hellish drought and biblical floods.
But for a moment, the nation’s attention is riveted on the outcome of a ritual, closed-door process in a drab military compound to choose and install Pakistan’s next army chief — the most powerful figure in this nuclear-armed state and still-fragile democracy of some 221 million people.
By law, the chief must be changed every three years, and the handoff is always tense. The military has seized power three times since the majority-Muslim country was founded 75 years ago, and it has often manipulated electoral politics behind the scenes. Not until the prime minister approves a candidate, and the outgoing general passes a bamboo baton to his successor, does the nation heave a sigh of relief.
This time, the tension and the stakes are especially high. The deadline for installing a new army chief is 10 days away, and an escalating political standoff between the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Imran Khan, the former prime minister who was forced out of office in April, has polarized the country and threatened to erupt in violence.
“The battle lines are sharply drawn now, making the situation untenable,” Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, wrote in an op-ed this week. Khan, she alleged, is making matters worse by “hurling allegations” at the army but also privately seeking its support. The looming fear, Lodhi wrote, is that the situation will “snowball into civil strife.”
There were official signals Friday that the new army chief would be named by early next week after Shehbaz formally chooses among the final candidates, an apparent effort to reassure a jittery public that the transition would be smooth. The defense minister, Khawaja Asif, told reporters that if the army has become “neutral, we should accord them respect and get rid of the 75-year baggage.”
Khan, who was shot in one foot by a gunman as he addressed a mass rally on Nov. 3, had delayed his planned “long march” to the capital while recovering. But on Saturday, he announced that he would join supporters in the capital on Nov. 26 — three days before the new army chief takes charge — and lead thousands in a mass protest to demand new elections. For now, arriving protesters are being diverted to a hastily erected tent camp in the suburbs, while hundreds of extra security personnel are guarding the capital.
“We are all impatient to start the march. It is not for fun, it will bring us real freedom,” said Hassan Kayani, 23, a real estate agent sitting under a tent. The Sharif government, he said, has “done nothing for the people, but we love Mr. Khan because he has done so much. We respect the army and we want it to be on the same page with Mr. Khan. And we want the new chief to be chosen for merit, not to protect corrupt politicians.”
The outgoing army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, has been a forceful advocate of keeping the armed forces out of politics. In many speeches to military cadets and officers, he has told them to defend the nation but also to respect civilian rule and the constitution. This week, he began making farewell rounds to military bases and repeated his commitment to retiring on time.
But Bajwa, 62, also has come under attack from some circles for emphasizing military neutrality. Critics accuse him of retreating from the army’s traditional influence as a broker in civilian conflicts, which often stem from corruption or political vendettas. Pakistani politicians of all stripes still privately seek military backing, and some have reportedly urged the military to stop Khan’s unruly comeback crusade in the streets.
“The power of the army chief is so huge that it can create a messiah complex,” said Hussain Haqqani, a former Pakistani diplomat who has written extensively about the military. He said Pakistani politicians often “ignore the basic rules” of democracy and seek support from friendly generals, “but that is always bad for the military as an institution.”
There are reportedly several final candidates among half a dozen senior generals, all with long and accomplished careers. The selection is generally made on the basis of seniority and merit, although in recent weeks, there has been an unusual amount of public speculation, much of it online, about the alleged political leanings of various candidates.
The toxic political environment has roiled the armed forces, drawing them into a civilian slugfest and leading to accusations of military involvement in violence, including the Oct. 23 killing of Arshad Sharif, a prominent Pakistani TV journalist who was shot by police in Kenya, and the attack that wounded Khan, although the arrested suspect said he acted alone.
Military officials have denied any connection to the attacks, and even the director of Pakistan’s clandestine spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, who had never before spoken in public, appeared at a news conference after Sharif’s death. In an emotional statement, Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum defended the military’s integrity and warned that the “politics of hatred” could destabilize the country.
Anjum’s agency operates with unusual autonomy and has been accused of kidnapping and torturing political dissidents, but he endorsed Bajwa’s efforts to shift the armed forces “from a controversial role to a constitutional role.” He also asserted that Khan had pressured the military to help save his job this year through “extra-constitutional means” and had asked Bajwa to remain beyond his three-year mandate.
Khan, a maverick politician and former cricket star with a huge fan base, rose to power after campaigning for social justice and against the country’s wealthy elite. Since being forced from office in a legislative no-confidence vote, he has campaigned nonstop to return to power, exhorting rallies of cheering fans to demand new elections. But Sharif, a leader of the old-guard political class, has insisted elections will not be held until August.
Among the Khan supporters gathering at the tent camp Saturday, many criticized the Sharif government as corrupt and indifferent to the poor, but none seemed to bear the military any ill will, and several said it was important for Khan to patch up relations with the new army leadership. But on Saturday, it remained to be seen how the security forces would react if Khan reached the capital and exhorted thousands of agitated followers to surge through the streets.
“There is still a lot of uncertainty and worry,” said Asad Durrani, a retired army general and intelligence chief. “Politically, we know we cannot have a hybrid system of power, and the army has to step back. Tactically, if there is a commotion, the security forces should be able to contain it, cool things down and then discuss.” But if the long march spins out of control, he warned, “a lot of china can be broken.” | 2022-11-19T19:15:25Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Pakistan holds breath for new army chief as Imran Khan organizes a mass protest - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/amid-political-turmoil-pakistan-holds-its-breath-new-army-chief/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/amid-political-turmoil-pakistan-holds-its-breath-new-army-chief/ |
The first train to liberated Kherson from Kyiv arrives in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on Saturday. After an interruption of nearly nine months because of the Russian occupation, Ukrainian passenger rail services have been restored on the line. (Wojciech Grzedzinski for The Washington Post)
Waking up in the cars behind her on the overnight train were other passengers visiting their families for the first time — a man who hadn’t seen his son since March, a son who hadn’t seen his parents since the start of the war.
There was the celebrity chef José Andrés, traveling to Kherson with his team offering meals through his organization World Central Kitchen. And there were people who came along just to be a part of it — to see a place that for months was synonymous with Russian occupation and had now become a symbol of Ukrainian strength. | 2022-11-19T19:15:31Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Joy ride: Kherson cheers as first train rolls in from Kyiv after occupation - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/kherson-train-service-occupation-russia/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/kherson-train-service-occupation-russia/ |
FIFA head compares self to migrant workers in response to Qatar critics
In a news conference on Nov. 19, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he felt gay, African, disabled, and other descriptors ahead of the World Cup. (Video: Reuters)
Infantino’s comments quickly drew criticisms of their own; one calling his words “absolutely astounding.”
A FIFA spokesperson said the organization had no additional comment.
Since FIFA awarded the tournament to the Qatar in 2010, criticism and protests from human rights advocates, players, workers, and others have been steady: The sheikhdom has a large number of migrant workers, criminalizes homosexuality and restricts the rights of women.
Qatari authorities have disputed some of the criticism.
In an Oct. 25 address, the country’s emir, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said Qatar “has been subjected to an unprecedented campaign that no host country has ever faced,” the Associated Press reported. He said claims against the country include “fabrications and double standards.”
On Saturday, Infantino accused Europeans who have criticized Qatar, and FIFA’s decision to hold the World Cup there, of hypocrisy.
‘Very welcoming’
Some fans have said they plan to boycott the games, especially those in the LGBTQ community due to Qatar’s laws on homosexuality. In May, Tamim said all would be welcome at the World Cup and said the country would not stop anybody from coming.
“Qatar is a very welcoming country,” he said when asked about LGBTQ guests at a news conference. “We welcome everybody, but also we expect and we want people to respect our culture.”
Infantino on Saturday said he had confirmed with Qatar’s leaders that all fans would be welcome, regardless of religion, race or sexual orientation.
“This was our requirement, and the Qatari state sticks to that requirement,” he said. “Do you want to stay home and hammer and criticize and say how bad they are, these Arabs or these Muslims or whatever, because it’s not allowed to be publicly gay?”
He also addressed the ban on alcohol sales at World Cup stadiums, an eleventh-hour change announced Friday, saying the decision was made jointly between Qatar — a country that strictly limits alcohol sale and consumption — and FIFA.
“Honestly, if this is the biggest issue we have for the World Cup, I will resign immediately and go to the beach and relax,” he said.
‘Absolutely astounding’
Human rights advocates swiftly criticized Infantino’s remarks.
“Demands for equality, dignity and compensation cannot be treated as some sort of culture war — they are universal human rights that FIFA has committed to respect in its own statutes,” Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice, said in a statement.
Cockburn said FIFA should use a significant part of its profits from the World Cup to compensate migrant workers and their families if the organization “is to salvage anything from this tournament.”
Sky News sports reporter Melissa Reddy called it “an absolutely astounding address.”
“You do not know what it feels like to be gay, Infantino, you do not know what it feels like to be African, and you cannot conflate being discriminated against because of red hair and freckles to what any of the groups you’ve just referenced have experienced,” she said in a Sky News broadcast from Qatar posted to Twitter.
“I do not think Infantino is the right man to speak about hypocrisy. I do not think ‘whataboutism’ is the correct route for a FIFA president to try and enforce change,” Reddy said. “If we all get stuck on what’s happened before or what’s going on elsewhere and we have to stay silent because of that, we will never bring about any effective change.” | 2022-11-19T19:32:51Z | www.washingtonpost.com | FIFA President Gianni Infantino shocks in World Cup news conference - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/fifa-world-cup-infantino-qatar/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/fifa-world-cup-infantino-qatar/ |
Video from inside the GOP war room in Arizona reveals a breakdown in relations between campaign attorneys and a top lawyer for the county
Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake talks to journalists after voting on Nov. 8 in Phoenix. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post)
Hours before Kari Lake was projected to lose her race for Arizona governor, attorneys for her campaign and for the Republican National Committee spoke by phone Monday to a lawyer for Maricopa County, home to Phoenix and more than half the state’s voters.
The Lake representatives posed a series of questions about voting problems on Election Day, nearly a week earlier. Then, toward the end of the phone call, an attorney for the RNC stressed the importance of rapid answers, according to the Maricopa attorney, Tom Liddy, a lifelong Republican who heads the county’s office for civil litigation.
Liddy recalled that the RNC attorney, whom he and others identified as Benjamin Mehr, told him that there were “a lot of irate people out there” and that the campaign “can’t control them.”
Liddy said in an interview Friday that he considered those words a threat.
On Friday night, a Twitter account associated with Lake’s campaign posted a video of a portion of the call that captures Liddy cursing and raising his voice. The Lake campaign did not respond to a request for the full video, which was taken from inside the GOP’s war room at a Scottsdale resort. County officials said they were blindsided that the conversation had been recorded and then posted publicly with the names of only one side bleeped out.
Tim La Sota, an attorney for the Lake campaign who was present for the call, did not dispute Liddy’s characterization of the conversation but said he did not interpret Mehr’s comments as a threat. Mehr did not respond to a text message seeking comment. An RNC spokesman called Liddy’s account of the call “false” and issued a statement attacking Maricopa County officials as “completely inept.”
The tense exchange, between two Republican lawyers, lays bare the internal GOP war over the administration of elections. Nowhere is that feud more ferocious than in Maricopa County, the second-largest voting jurisdiction in the country, which became a focal point of former president Donald Trump’s efforts to reverse his 2020 loss. Vote-counting is still proceeding in the county, and the race for state attorney general, which could shape enforcement of election law, hangs in the balance.
The interaction captured on video reveals how intensifying distrust broke into open hostility in the aftermath of the midterm elections. Lake’s campaign has cited problems with printers that plagued voting across Maricopa County to argue that the results should not be certified and that county officials should be thrown out of their jobs.
Lake has not conceded to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who declared victory shortly after major networks called the race on Monday.
The exasperation evident on the call has continued to define Lake’s public comments in the days since, while her campaign’s legal strategy remains unclear. People close to her campaign say potential litigation would be aimed not at reversing the results but at narrowing the margin.
Lake has not called for protests, as Trump did following his loss, but her team has shared memes about Hobbs portraying the Democrat as a dog and calling her “unfit” and “downright shady.”
The video clip circulated by the Lake campaign shows the RNC attorney, seated before a computer, holding a phone in his hand, with another person on the other side of him also holding up a phone as if to record the episode. In the clip, the RNC attorney says it would be helpful “for us to be able to say that Tom Liddy is giving us good information.”
“Guess what? Let me educate you,” Liddy replied, according to the video recording. “I cannot control what you say. Okay? You can say whatever you want to say. I can’t control that. Now, if you’re not happy working with me … then we’ll just stop. I don’t give a s---.”
At one point, Liddy said: “It sounds like you’re threatening me.” Mehr responded: “I’m definitely not threatening you, and I promise that.”
Liddy repeated the RNC attorney’s words back to him, as he recalled them. “If I don’t get these answers to you quickly, you’re not going to be able to tell the crazy people that I’ve been helpful,” Liddy said, according to the video recording. “I don’t give a f---.”
“I’m just saying what I’m worried about,” Mehr responded, to which Liddy told him, “I don’t care.”
Liddy’s call log shows the conversation lasted 12 minutes. He said the brief video lacks crucial context explaining his reaction to Mehr’s remarks — namely the alleged invocation of angry members of the public.
La Sota, the Lake campaign attorney, told The Washington Post the call was one of many conducted with the county about “garden-variety” issues with ballots. Questions raised early in the call focused on the nature of outstanding ballots and the number of people who failed to properly check out of a voting center after encountering mechanical problems, potentially preventing them from casting a ballot elsewhere.
He sympathized with Liddy, La Sota said, noting that the county attorney was in the middle of a stressful situation. Liddy, a lifelong Republican, is the son of G. Gordon Liddy, the lawyer who devised the botched burglary that led to the Watergate scandal and the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. He served as deputy counsel for the RNC during the 1990s.
Liddy told The Post he reported the exchange to his boss, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, as well as to Sheriff Paul Penzone (D) and Bill Gates, the Republican chairman of the county’s governing board.
Lake’s campaign has been excoriating Maricopa County for problems with printers at 70 voting sites. The problems, which involved ink that was too light for ballots to be read, required some people to wait in long lines, travel elsewhere to vote or deposit their ballots in secure boxes that were transferred downtown and counted there. The county has yet to determine the cause of the printer problems.
On Thursday, Lake told her followers on social media, “Arizona, we are still in this fight.” She traveled that day to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, where she received a standing ovation at a luncheon hosted by the America First Policy Institute, a think tank founded last year by Trump allies and former members of his administration, according to a person who was there. That evening, she addressed a crowd at the club and claimed, falsely, according to a video circulated on social media, that officials “shut down the machines on Election Day.”
The county, for its part, has blamed Republican leaders in the state for spreading misinformation about early voting and making baseless claims of malfeasance. In the days surrounding the Nov. 8 election, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office relocated Gates to an undisclosed location because of threats, Gates confirmed Friday to The Post.
The county attorney’s office represents the two entities responsible for elections: the board of supervisors and the county recorder. After the 2020 race, Liddy played a leading role in advising county officials as Trump and his allies sought to delay and reverse certification of the results, and to undermine confidence in the results through a partisan ballot review that culminated in an investigation into county officials by Arizona’s Republican attorney general, Mark Brnovich.
Liddy told The Post that he reacted to the RNC attorney’s comments in the context of threats buffeting county officials and others who defended the legitimacy of the 2020 election. Among those targeted was Rusty Bowers, the Republican speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, who resisted a pressure campaign to undo Trump’s loss in the state and faced protests outside his home as a result, including as his 42-year-old daughter was dying at his home in January 2021.
“This is in the context of us having people in the streets all throughout 2020; of people going out to the streets in front of Rusty Bowers’s home while his daughter was dying; of hundreds, if not thousands, of threats of death or imprisonment that have been sent to my clients who are officers or employees of Maricopa County, of death threats to me and to my son,” Liddy said.
Liddy said that the questions posed by Lake’s campaign were routine and that he worked to answer them promptly.
“What I found shocking,” he added, “is that a member of the bar would threaten another lawyer.”
The Monday call came amid increasingly fraught relations between Republican campaigns and Maricopa County.
On Nov. 10, two days after the election, a Phoenix-based attorney representing the RNC wrote to the county’s director of elections to ask that his department “remain running 24 hours a day” to process ballots and release results, according to emails obtained by The Post. A county leader replied that the elections department was already “operating at peak capacity.” Election officials had previously emphasized that counting could take as many as 12 days.
This past week, Lake issued a series of video testimonials on Twitter from voters who claim to have been denied a chance to cast their ballots. The voters described encountering mechanical glitches or other barriers they described as discouraging, though some concluded their direct-to-camera remarks by saying they did ultimately cast a ballot.
La Sota, the Lake campaign attorney, has also requested wide-ranging communications and other documents from the county, according to a copy of the request obtained by The Post. Addressed to Liddy, the request seeks all communications before Election Day among county officials and agents “with regard to problems with tabulation or printing of ballots at vote centers.”
La Sota wrote that none of the voter centers open for early voting on Oct. 12 encountered tabulation problems, which he argued “would not make any logical sense.” A county spokeswoman confirmed that printer problems only surfaced on Election Day. But early ballots were all tabulated downtown, the same place where ballots with ink that was too light were sent for counting. | 2022-11-19T20:03:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Leaked call shows clash between Kari Lake campaign and Maricopa County - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/kari-lake-maricopa-county-arizona/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/kari-lake-maricopa-county-arizona/ |
Garland’s appointment of a special counsel was cautious. But also bold.
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Justice Department on Friday. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg News)
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday made a typically cautious decision in a bold way: He appointed a special counsel to investigate former president Donald Trump, but chose a veteran lawyer known for an aggressive streak and a fast prosecutorial metabolism.
This was a step Garland didn’t want to take; he believed the department’s career lawyers were capable of doing the job with integrity and independence. But he had been anticipating — and, careful lawyer that he is, preparing for — this possibility for months.
The first shoe to drop was President Biden’s statement that he intended to run again. That wasn’t enough, in Garland’s assessment, to trigger the requirements of the Justice Department’s special counsel regulations. Even if Trump was teasing another presidential run, the department’s twin investigations — into the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection — could proceed as normal.
But Trump’s announcement that he would enter the 2024 race forced Garland’s reluctant hand. The rules, he believed, didn’t leave him any choice.
I thought Garland had more leeway to make the judgment call the other way, but in retrospect it seems almost inevitable that the by-the-books attorney general would go the special counsel route. Justice Department regulations provide that the attorney “will appoint a Special Counsel when he or she determines that criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted” and that investigation or prosecution “would present a conflict of interest for the Department or other extraordinary circumstances.”
The regulations offer an out, one I had advised Garland to take: The attorney general doesn’t have to name a special counsel if he decides that would not be in the public interest. But consider: An administration headed by a president who has announced his intention to seek reelection is investigating a former president who just declared he will run again. If this does not constitute an extraordinary circumstance, what would? What lesson would not appointing a special counsel send to future attorneys general? These are serious concerns.
If Garland had a mission on leaving the bench to return to Justice, it was to repair the department’s reputation for independence and integrity, battered after four years of Trump administration meddling, and to reassure its demoralized troops. Naming a special counsel was never going to assuage the concerns of Trump partisans that the Biden administration is out to get him, as the immediate reaction from Trumpworld underscored. Trump denounced the effort to take any whiff of politics out of the decision-making as “the worst politicization of justice in our country.” A Trump campaign spokesperson called the announcement “a totally expected political stunt by a feckless, politicized, weaponized Biden Department of Justice.”
But Garland’s goal was not to persuade the unpersuadable. It was, in the familiar language of the law, aimed at how a reasonable person would perceive the fairness of the investigation, and whether a reasonable person would think a special counsel was warranted under the facts at hand and the language and spirit of the regulations. It was telling that in this regard, Garland did not acknowledge that investigating Trump constituted a conflict of interest for the department — just that the circumstances had become extraordinary.
And this is where the bold part comes in: Special counsels usually have big names. Former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III, tapped to oversee the Trump-Russia probe, is the most recent such example. History offers others: Harvard Law School professor Archibald Cox to conduct the Watergate investigation as special prosecutor; former U.S. attorney Robert Fiske and then former appeals court judge Kenneth Starr to handle the Whitewater investigation as independent counsels. They come to the job with a public reputation that, at least in theory, lends credibility to their oversight.
Jack Smith, Garland’s choice, is decidedly low profile. I spoke with a number of former prosecutors who not only didn’t know Smith — they hadn’t even heard of him. But Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor who has been working at The Hague investigating war crimes in Kosovo, offers advantages that the boldface names don’t. He knows how the department works. He knows how to speed an investigation along. “Stop playing with your food,” Mueller used to instruct hand-wringing prosecutors. Smith is, by all accounts, no food-player. And he offers a potential counter-balance to Garland’s innate cautiousness; hard-charging is the word that comes up in speaking with former colleagues.
“Jack Smith makes me look like a golden retriever puppy,” tweeted Andrew Weissmann, the famously aggressive former Enron and Mueller prosecutor who worked with Smith for years in the federal prosecutor’s Brooklyn office.
One example of Smith’s inclination to aggressiveness: the 2011 decision to charge former North Carolina senator John Edwards for accepting illegal presidential campaign contributions to help support his mistress. This was a stretch, as I wrote at the time, and the subject of controversy within the department. Smith, the head of the department’s Public Integrity Section, pressed to indict. The case ultimately fizzled as a jury acquitted Edwards on one count and deadlocked on five others; the department chose not to seek a retrial.
“For those concerned that the appointment of a Special Counsel will delay things: just the opposite,” Weissmann wrote. “Jack is a super fast, no-nonsense, and let’s-cut-to-the-chase kind of guy. And now, with less DOJ bureaucracy in decision-making, the investigations can move faster.”
That may be over-optimistic, but Trump should not sleep soundly. As a prosecutor, “you have to be able to admit that if it’s not there, it’s not there,” Smith said when he took the public integrity job in 2010. “I think that’s hard for people to do and having been a prosecutor for 15 years that is something I can do.”
A fair point, and an important one. Still, logic suggests that the arrival of a hard-charging prosecutor is an ominous sign for Trump: Smith didn’t leave his job as a war crimes prosecutor in The Hague to preside over a non-case. | 2022-11-19T20:20:57Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Garland’s appointment of a special counsel was cautious. But also bold - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/19/garland-special-counsel-jack-smith-trump/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/19/garland-special-counsel-jack-smith-trump/ |
Brianna Sacks
Twitter has reportedly closed its offices and hundreds of employees have resigned in recent days. (George Nikitin/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
LOS ANGELES — Kate Hutton was watching a Dodgers game one Friday night when she saw something strange in the outfield: The foul poles swayed, her TV feed trembled.
“I’ve joked that my muscle memory is not going to be, ‘Drop, cover, hold on,’” Hutton said, referring to the earthquake readiness mantra ubiquitous on the West Coast. “It’s going to be, ‘Grab phone, tweet.’”
But today, Twitter’s future is in question. The site’s new owner Elon Musk fired about half of the company’s 7,500 employees two weeks ago and then issued an ultimatum on Wednesday that prompted hundreds more to leave. Several teams essential to keeping the site functioning were cut to a single worker or none by the end of the week, and engineers said the site is likely to crash sooner or later.
The recent turbulence and uncertainty has highlighted the degree to which our civic institutions rely on Twitter to communicate the quotidian and the critical, and raised questions about whether they’re prepared for its demise.
The Post interviewed a dozen local, state and federal officials across the country, who said that Twitter is one of their most effective ways of communicating with the public — they’ve seen it save lives and boost civic engagement. But it’s also been used to spread lies and sow confusion. It can be both boon and scourge, they said, and if the platform goes dark, it would reshape the way governments disseminate information.
“We’ve been sharing messages for a long time, long before Twitter came into existence,” said Karina Shagren, the communications director for the Washington Military Department, which oversees the state’s emergency management division. “We’ve always been modifying strategies and we’ll do it again if we need to.”
The agency posted a PSA last week after it lost its “official” designation as Twitter toyed with account labels, a possible preview of the chaotic environment to come. “It’s just another tool in the toolbox,” Shagren said. “But it’s been helpful to have.”
Roughly one-in-five adult Americans use Twitter, a recent Pew survey found — far fewer than the number of YouTube, Facebook or Instagram users. And there can be wide differences in activity based on region. And officials acknowledged that members of vulnerable communities and the elderly are least likely to use the platform.
“It’s a great way to amplify a message,” said Hutton, who now works for Seattle’s emergency management office. “Twitter does not reach everyone in any city, but it’s a great way to get a message out into the groundwater of the public information landscape.”
So even if you’re not on Twitter, that news eventually “trickles downstream into the platforms you do use to get your information,” she said.
“Here you have a situation involving thousands of people in one particular location, and we needed to get information out,” Weisberg said. The department’s posts were brief — they announced the operation and noted which street to avoid — and they were picked up by local reporters.
If Twitter shut down, “the impact would be huge,” Weisberg said.
In Santa Barbara County, the local fire department has responded to two of the worst disasters in California history — the Thomas Fire and the deadly mudslides that followed — and the agency has a range of ways to communicate.
But Twitter is “our main way to disseminate coverage as it is happening,” said Mike Ellison, one of the department’s public information officers. “If Twitter goes under, we will have to rethink how we get our urgent messages out.”
Outside of official channels, Twitter has also cultivated niche communities of experts and enthusiasts who play a vital role in keeping the public informed about live and looming disasters. “Fire Twitter,” for instance, is especially active and the @CAFireScanner account, which boasts more than 132,000 followers, is among the most prolific sources of fire news across the state.
An account operator told The Washington Post in a direct message that they spend about 80 to 100 hours a week on the platform during peak fire season. In 2020, the worst season on record, Fire Twitter “helped a lot of people through that chaos,” the scanner’s operator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for privacy reasons, said. “It would be a massive problem if Twitter were to disappear.”
During a fire, people often reach out to ask where it’s spreading and how to evacuate.
“You saved our life on Twitter during the August 2020 fire,” one user wrote last week. “It was 2AM. My husband went to bed. I was on Twitter. The info you provided prompted me to get hubby up, get the pony out of the barn, call our next door neighbors and evacuate!”
Craig Ceecee, a PhD candidate studying meteorology at Mississippi State University, also described the stakes as life-or-death. During the historic bout of tornadoes in the Midwest last year, Ceecee’s tweets, from the account @CC_StormWatch, helped alert residents of radar activity in their area, warning that they still had time to get out.
On Thursday, Ceecee sent an emotional message to his 12,000 followers, frustrated by the turmoil on Twitter: “I just pray things are solved,” he wrote.
“I realized if we lose this method of communication, how are we going to spread the word when there’s a disaster going on?” Ceecee said in an interview. “You may not know for hours, potentially, what’s really going on.”
The platform’s reach extends beyond disasters and police work. Officials have used Twitter, particularly in recent years, to combat conspiracy theories, many of which started or spread there. This has been most visible during recent election cycles, when voting administrators spent hours on the site swatting away baseless claims of fraud or malfeasance.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, public health officials took a similar approach to false information about the virus. “We spent a lot of money trying to fight back against disinformation during covid,” said Brian Ferguson, the deputy director of crisis communications at California’s Office of Emergency Services.
In that fight, Twitter was “a very important tool for us because there are super users and influencers that we can reach out to to help us get out information,” he said.
For Cal Fire’s Captain Robert Foxworthy, at least, a Twitter blackout wouldn’t change much. His agency, California’s state-run fire department, sees far more activity on Facebook. “We lived in an age before Twitter,” he said. “We still got information out and we still will get information out. Twitter is one small piece of this.”
Besides, when strong winds and wildfires knock out cell service, phones are useless and people turn to radio, he added, which happened during last year’s devastating Dixie Fire. Foxworthy said the department hasn’t planned any contingencies in the case of a sudden Twitter outage.
“We still have it and we are still using it, but if we don’t, people will get information another way,” he said. “It’s hard for some people, but think about what happened before Twitter.”
Maria Sacchetti and Justin George in Washington contributed to this report. | 2022-11-19T20:38:23Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Twitter's chaos has officials worried about communicating with the public - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/11/19/twitter-emergencies/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/11/19/twitter-emergencies/ |
Election officials work long hours to certify the general election while preparing for an earlier-than-usual runoff
A voter casts her ballot at Kennesaw First Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 8. (Kevin D. Liles for The Washington Post)
ATLANTA — Georgia election workers are scrambling to review and certify the general election results under strict new deadlines required by a 2021 Republican-backed voting law while simultaneously preparing for a U.S. Senate runoff election that is happening sooner than usual, also because of the new law.
Many election staff report working 12 to 16 hours every day to finish a jumble of tasks on a compressed timeline required by the 2021 law. Those jobs include counting outstanding provisional and overseas ballots and certifying county election results; completing a hand-counted audit of the select ballot batches; inspecting and updating voting systems; and coordinating preparations for early voting in the runoff between Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R), which will begin as soon as Tuesday in some counties.
“This has probably been the hardest year I’ve ever seen in elections,” said Zach Manifold, the election supervisor for Gwinnett County, Georgia’s second most populous that forms part of the core of metropolitan Atlanta.
“I think everybody’s interested to see how the next few weeks play out,” Manifold said. “This runoff is basically telling everybody, ‘Congratulations, you did everything great in 90 days! Let’s see if we can do it in 28.’ So I think the deadlines have held up so far decently but I think you’re probably going to feel it a lot more in a runoff.”
After the 2020 presidential election, when former president Donald Trump and his allies falsely alleged rampant and coordinated election fraud, Georgia Republicans enacted sweeping legislation that overhauled the state’s voting laws. In addition to imposing new requirements for casting an absentee ballot, adding an array of rules to county election administration and increasing the power of legislators to investigate election offices, the law shortens the window between a general election and any potential runoff to about a third of the time.
Expand access? A historic restriction? What the Georgia voting law really does.
The law — both in its practical effect and legal implications — has at times confused election administrators, like when state officials realized they could no longer legally offer Saturday early voting ahead of the runoff due to another law that bans voting around holidays, including a state holiday that once honored Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. After Democrats sued, a judge ruled Friday that counties can offer early voting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Counties are facing pressure from voting rights groups to ensure voters have as much access to the ballot as possible under the shortened timeline. Georgia’s runoff election is taking place four weeks after the midterm election. In contrast, after the 2020 election, pivotal dual Senate runoffs took place in January 2021 to determine the balance of power in the Senate.
“It’s been very hard. Elections are a complicated process already even without all the changes that have happened in the past couple of years,” said Manifold, who has a weekly meeting with other election supervisors over the most populous counties in the state.
Manifold, who has served in his position for a little over a year, said about 70 percent of his staff were new to election administration work. Many counties in Georgia, especially those in populous and Democratic leaning areas, report that at least half of their staff are new to their jobs, leading to “a lot of growing pains across the board,” he said.
The lack of experience has led to some hiccups, though counties reported relatively short and fast moving lines at polling places during early voting and on Election Day. Workers have not experienced the mass threats and harassment this year that drove so many from the profession in 2020.
Manifold noted that most counties have smoothly completed their certifications and audit processes in contrast to past years when errors and slow processing were often twisted into false claims and mounting threats against poll workers. He also praised the secretary of state’s office for “a terrific job” in supporting counties despite also employing a largely new and less experienced staff.
While Georgia’s 2021 voter law instructs counties to begin early voting for any potential runoff “as soon as possible” after a general election, election staff are occupied by the challenges of finalizing the last election before they can begin administering the next. Tasks like mailing absentee ballots or determining what dates in-person early voting will be available are largely in limbo as counties balance their various duties.
Voting rights groups have argued that early voting should begin as early as Nov. 22.
“There’s an extremely tight runoff window … which presents a significant barrier to both election offices and voters alike,” said Kristin Nabers, the state director for All Voting is Local, a voting rights group. The group is one of eight groups who sent a letter to counties urging them to hold early voting at more locations, hours and days than required by law.
“It’s not like you just vote, go get some more poll workers and you’re ready to vote again. There’s a lot of stuff that counties have to do in between, as far as counting, certifying, testing the machines, doing the limiting audit … everything has to go exactly right to stay on schedule,” she said.
In the meantime, many counties have decided to expand access to the runoff ballot beyond the minimum requirements of the 2021 voter law. A handful of counties, for instance, have agreed to open their polling places from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. rather than the standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. required by the law.
At least nine of Georgia’s 159 counties will hold Sunday voting in the Senate runoff the weekend after Thanksgiving and a day before mandatory early voting begins across the state. All are located in the state’s major population clusters. DeKalb and Douglas, both in metropolitan Atlanta — will hold early voting in the days before Thanksgiving.
“They’re very busy, but they are confident that they can get it all done,” said Matt Mashburn, a member of the state’s election board, on how county election workers are juggling the various demands. “I’m really proud of their attitude, they’re gonna roll up their sleeves, and they’re gonna get it done,” said Mashburn, a Republican.
Despite the administrative challenges, he said many election workers remain confident they can administer the runoff without major issue.
“Our poll workers and staff are so resilient,” Manifold said. “We throw everything at them and pile on new processes and forms, changing directives — and they always pull it off.” | 2022-11-19T21:35:01Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Georgia election officials scramble to prepare for runoff - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/georgia-runoff-election-voting-law/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/georgia-runoff-election-voting-law/ |
‘It’s time both parties start defining solutions to problems rather than simply assigning blame,' one political watcher says.
The newly elected members of the 118th Congress pose for a class photo at the Capitol. Independent voters have been seesawing their support in hopes that the political parties revert to the center. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
It’s conventional wisdom that whichever party holds the White House will lose the House majority in that first midterm election.
After all, this year’s contests served up the majority to Republicans, however narrowly, the fourth time in the past five midterms that the House majority changed hands.
But there’s nothing historically normal about this era’s political yo-yo cycle, in which one side claims power and tries to rush through its agenda before voters snap power back to the other side.
Add to that frenzy a consultant-driven maze of deeply polarizing negative advertisements that have repelled the most critical bloc of voters, independents, who keep seesawing in their support every few years.
“Both parties have resorted to the politics of fear and anger — which may appeal to the base, but independents see it as only adding to the animosity dividing the country,” David Winston, a veteran GOP pollster, wrote after crunching exit polling data. “It’s time both parties start defining solutions to problems rather than simply assigning blame, or they risk losing the ability to build a majority coalition.”
A Washington Post analysis of more than 1,000 political ads right before the midterms
Many activists, particularly liberals on social media, will bemoan this as some sort of false equivalence. But top politicians in both parties pointed to independent voters recoiling from Donald Trump’s MAGA Republican extremism for the surprisingly strong showing of Democrats this year.
“They want a little stability, they want a little grounding. They don’t want the kind of extremism, and it’s sort of incendiary extremism, it’s nasty,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview on Monday.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) echoed that. “We underperformed among independents and moderates because their impression of many of the people in our party and leadership roles is that they’re engulfed in chaos,” he told reporters Tuesday.
This much up-and-down governance is not the norm.
In fact, over the past 64 elections, the House majority has changed hands just 13 times, according to the House’s historical site.
The norm, in fact, is for one party to win the House majority — usually in a midterm — and then hold power for a good long run of about 14 to 16 years. The classic example came in 1894, following an economic depression that started the previous year, when Republicans gained more than 100 seats and held the House until the 1910 midterm elections.
Today’s instability in congressional power only has one similar period, just after World War II. Republicans won the House majority in 1946 (after a 14-year reign for Democrats) but lost it two years later, only to reclaim it in 1952 and then lose it in the 1954 midterm elections.
That era was marked by a back-and-forth of Americans trying to sort out our place in the world, along with a GOP lurch into McCarthyism that the public ultimately rejected.
Over the next 52 years, the majority changed just once, in 1994, when the Democrats finally lost power.
This current volatility comes almost entirely from independent voters jumping between the two parties in the hopes that one will govern closer to the center.
In a memo Winston sent on Nov. 9 to his clients, which includes congressional GOP leaders, he highlighted how big political waves that flip House majorities are always the result of big shifts from the middle: Democrats won independent voters by 18 percentage points in 2006; Republicans won by 19 points in 2010; and Democrats won by 12 points in 2018.
Moreover, the 2022 exit polling showed a couple of data points that should have spelled disaster for Biden: just 33 percent of voters this fall identified as Democrats, the lowest total since before the 1980 election, and Republicans accounted for 36 percent of voters.
Those identifying as independents disliked Biden, with just 37 percent viewing him favorably and 60 percent unfavorably.
With sky-high inflation coming in as the top concern for voters, the recipe was set for a Democratic debacle — until they saw what little the Republicans had to offer.
Independent voters favored Democrats by 2 percentage points on the national exit poll, 49 percent to 47 percent for the GOP.
In the past 10 midterm elections, the president’s party won the independent vote in just one other campaign, in 2002, when George W. Bush’s approval ratings were in the mid-60s in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The sweet spot for Democrats came with those swing voters who softly disapprove of Biden’s job performance. As Winston noted, voters who “somewhat disapproved” of Biden favored Democrats by a 52-36 margin in the midterm election.
“Few said Biden was a big factor in their vote. So even though they may have disapproved of the president abstractly, this wasn’t a ‘knives out for Biden/Dems’ crowd,” Nick Gourevitch, a pollster for the Democratic firm Global Strategy Group, wrote in a tweet thread Friday.
Basically, Democrats picked up governor’s mansions and several state legislatures, retained the Senate majority, and almost held the House majority because the voters who mattered most tuned Biden out.
But those same voters did not tune Trump out.
The ex-president’s low popularity with independents, after almost two years removed from the White House, remains significantly worse than Biden’s: Just 30 percent of independent voters in the midterms had a favorable view of Trump, with 66 percent unfavorable.
Considering this, strategists for Republican Mehmet Oz’s Senate run committed one of the most glaring acts of political malpractice during the final weekend of the Pennsylvania campaign. They put their candidate onstage in Pittsburgh not just with Trump but also with the politically toxic gubernatorial candidate, Doug Mastriano.
Oz had been trying to position himself as a sensible moderate and Democrat John Fetterman as the liberal extremist. Instead, he appeared onstage with an ex-president who received just 39 percent of Allegheny County’s vote in 2020, and with Mastriano, who couldn’t even muster 30 percent in the state’s second most-populous county this year.
In the same city, on the same day, Fetterman appeared onstage with Barack Obama, who won the county by about 16 points in both of his presidential campaigns. Obama grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Less than two months into his presidency, Obama nominated the city’s favorite son, Steelers owner Dan M. Rooney, to be ambassador to Ireland.
Fetterman won Allegheny County by almost 28 percentage points, en route to a comfortable victory of almost 5 points statewide.
In Georgia, pundits focused on how Christian evangelicals did not abandon Herschel Walker after accusations that the former football star encouraged women to get abortions.
But Walker’s controversies crashed his support with moderate suburban swing voters: He received 203,000 fewer votes than Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who comfortably won reelection.
An unknown Libertarian candidate received more than 81,000 votes in the Senate race, triple the number of votes that an unknown Libertarian received in the Georgia governor’s race. More than 17,000 voters in the governor’s race simply skipped over the Senate contest.
Kemp narrowly lost Cobb County, a suburban stronghold north of Atlanta, receiving 47 percent of the vote there. Walker received 40 percent.
Now, Walker heads into a runoff on Dec. 6 against Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D) as the underdog.
So after independent voters swung every four years in midterm elections, left then right then left then right, they finally settled right smack in the middle this year. Democrats will hold the Senate by the narrowest of margins, with Republicans in charge of the House by a statistically similar edge.
Democrats could be on the cusp of seizing an edge with independent voters, similar to how they used the backlash to McCarthyism to control Congress for decades to come. Or Republicans could reject Trumpism and claim the center, possibly taking charge in Washington.
Winston has little hope that either party will make the smart play.
“Strategists have clung to the notion that elections are all about the base — dogma that this election disproves, as so many others have done in the past,” he wrote. | 2022-11-19T21:56:49Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Independents want an end to polarization. Politicians are ignoring that. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/independent-voters-message-midterms/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/19/independent-voters-message-midterms/ |
Alleged ‘Potomac River rapist’ found dead in jail awaiting trial
He was apprehended after advances in DNA testing.
Giles Daniel Warrick, accused of being the “Potomac River Rapist,” was found dead Saturday at the D.C. jail, authorities said. His trial was scheduled for Nov. 30. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
A man charged in a brutal 1998 rape and murder in the District and linked to nearly a dozen other sexual assaults in the city and Maryland was found dead in jail Saturday, D.C. authorities say.
Giles Daniel Warrick, accused of being the “Potomac River Rapist,” was scheduled to go on trial Nov. 30. Instead, authorities are now investigating his death. Further details could not immediately be released, D.C. police spokeswoman Elizabeth Grannis said Saturday afternoon.
Warrick was arrested in South Carolina in 2019. Through DNA testing, police had linked him to the slaying of Christine Mirzayan, a woman who on Aug. 1, 1998, was abducted and dragged into the woods off Canal Road in Georgetown. Her body was found a day later. Police said Mirzayan had been sexually assaulted and struck in the head with a 73-pound rock.
Police suspected Warrick, 63, of being connected to as many as 10 brutal attacks in the area. Warrick, a father of three, lived in Maryland and worked as a landscaper at the time of the crimes.
His lawyer, Stephen Mercer, declined to comment Saturday.
Advances in genetic testing allowed police to have genetic samples collected at crime scenes compared with people who submitted their DNA to explore their family lineages. That led police to five relatives, and detectives narrowed the list to Warrick, authorities said.
After finding the DNA link, police went to a home where Warrick then lived in South Carolina and asked him for a DNA sample. Police told him the results would take weeks, but they took less than 24 hours. During that time, police kept the home under surveillance. When they suspected Warrick was about to flee, they arrested him.
Inside the home after the arrest, police found what they said was a “goodbye letter” to his fiancee. “I’m so sorry this ended this way,” Warrick wrote. “I left you in a mess. I never meant for this to happen. All I wanted to do is love you. Please forgive me. Please don’t cry. All my junk is yours.” | 2022-11-19T23:06:31Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Alleged ‘Potomac River rapist’ found dead in jail awaiting trial - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/potomac-river-rapist-dead/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/potomac-river-rapist-dead/ |
FILE - In this image provided by the city of Tulsa, Okla., crews work on an excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery searching for victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on Oct. 26, 2022, in Tulsa. The latest search for remains of victims of the massacre ended Friday, Nov. 18, with 32 additional caskets discovered and eight sets of remains exhumed, according to the city. (City of Tulsa via AP, File) (Uncredited/City of Tulsa) | 2022-11-19T23:06:37Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Latest search for Tulsa Race Massacre victims comes to end - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/latest-search-for-tulsa-race-massacre-victims-comes-to-end/2022/11/19/abf91b16-6854-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/latest-search-for-tulsa-race-massacre-victims-comes-to-end/2022/11/19/abf91b16-6854-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
Terrapins 95, Billikens 67
Maryland forward Donta Scott tied his career-high with 25 points in a win over Saint Louis on Saturday. (Jessica Hill/AP)
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Maryland’s perfect start continued Saturday with a 95-67 romp over Saint Louis in a semifinal game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Terps (4-0) will face Miami in the championship game Sunday afternoon.
The reasons for the lopsided victory were numerous. But Coach Kevin Willard focused on the fact the Terps outrebounded the Billikens (3-1) by a 41-35 margin which resulted in 17-second-chance points.
“I thought if we could outrebound them we would have a great chance of winning because they had really dominated the glass in their first three games and really hurt Memphis on second shots,” Willard said. “The biggest thing for us was if we could get rebounds we could get out in transition. I think our transition offense is getting better.
“I thought we did a really good job on the boards.”
As a result of the Terps’ ability to outrebound Saint Louis and kick their transition offense into gear, they scored 14 fast-break points compared with six for the Billikens.
Senior forward Donta Scott led a quintet of Terps in double figures with a game-high 25 points. He was followed by Donald Carey (16), Hakim Hart (16), Ian Martinez (14) and Jahmir Young (11). It was the first time since Jan. 3 that five Maryland players had double-digit points in the same game.
Javonte Perkins led Saint Louis with 17 points while Yuri Collins added 12.
“Every day I put in the work so eventually those shots will fall,” Scott said of his ability to torch Saint Louis.
The Terps also shot a commendable 40.6 percent (13-32) from beyond the arc. Coming into Saturday’s game Maryland was shooting 25.4 percent on three-pointers.
“Coach Willard really emphasizes the inside-out threes,” Scott said. “We penetrate into the paint and then kick it out to teammates. That’s a big part of our game.”
The game was tied 2-2 less than two minutes into the first half. After that, the Terps grabbed the Billikens by their collective throats and never let go, leading for the final 38 minutes.
Maryland was ahead 22-17 when it went on a 10-0 run sparked by four points by Hart.
The Terps closed out the half with a 13-4 run due in large part to three-point shots by Hart, Scott and Carey. When the buzzer sounded, the Terps had a 51-27 lead.
Another reason for the Terps’ 24-point halftime advantage was the fact they held the Billikens to 25 percent shooting (8-32) while Maryland shot a commendable 51.4 percent (19-37).
The second half was a classic version of garbage time.
With Scott scoring seven points in the first 4:33, the Terps built a 62-38 lead. Martinez scored 10 of his points in the second half as Maryland’s lead ballooned to as many as 32 points.
“Everybody is ready to push us and make us better,” Scott said. “We just have to show it and now we’ve shown it.”
Willard, who’s in his first season as the Terps head coach, without question is enjoying the ride.
“This team’s been a blast to coach,” he said. “Everyone of them has a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, from the transfers to the guys that stayed for me. I think everybody is really locked in. We’re working hard. It’s a great group. They’re unselfish. They’re great kids. What you see on the court is a result of their hard work.”
Willard is the first Maryland men’s basketball coach to start 4-0. Even Lefty Driesell and Gary Williams were unable to get off to faster starts. Driesell was 2-2 to start in 1969-70 and Williams was 3-1 to open the 1989-90 season.
Scott tied his career high in points and reached double figures for the 48th time in his career.
Carey, a transfer from Georgetown, joined him by notching double figures for the 69th time while Hart did so for the 28th time.
Scott now has 986 career points and 519 rebounds. He’s looking to become the 17th Terp since 1995 to reach the 1,000-point plateau and 500-rebound milestone. | 2022-11-19T23:58:49Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Maryland basketball stays unbeaten by routing Saint Louis - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/maryland-terrapins-basketball-saint-louis/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/maryland-terrapins-basketball-saint-louis/ |
A light show is displayed over the Doha, Qatar, skyline during the FIFA Fan Festival opening ahead of the World Cup at Al Bidda Park. (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
For all Qatar’s progress though, it will be tested over the next month as it hosts the World Cup — an event that has invited a degree of scrutiny and criticism the country has rarely experienced and that threatens a global image carefully cultivated over the years through creative diplomacy, humanitarian work and commercial endeavors like sponsorship of sports.
Recent weeks have brought renewed attention to the plight of migrant workers who suffered or died building the infrastructure for the event, and to concerns over how LGBTQ fans will be received in a country that criminalizes homosexuality. In the past two days, the debate shifted to outrage over a decision to ban beer at stadiums.
Qatari officials have bristled at much of the criticism, arguing the country is being unfairly singled out in a manner that suggests an undercurrent of racism — and that ignores the pathbreaking nature of the tournament.
“Hosting football’s premier event in an Arab and Muslim-majority country for the first time is a truly historical moment and an opportunity to break stereotypes about our region,” Qatar’s foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said in a text message. “Football has the power to build bonds of friendship and overcome barriers of misunderstanding between nations and people.”
And for Qatar, a successful tournament could serve to validate its myriad efforts over the years to raise its global stature, and amplify its clout.
Abdullah al-Arian, a professor of history at Georgetown University in Qatar and editor of a new book, “Football in the Middle East: State, Society, and the Beautiful Game,” said the World Cup was “one component of a much broader strategy intending to position Qatar as a significant regional actor.
“It’s carving out space for itself outside the shadow of neighbors like Saudi Arabia and Iran. And it’s done this in part by investing in large-scale development projects, as well as media, popular culture, education, medicine. The World Cup fits right into that,” he said.
Not long before the tournament, Qatar faced a far more rigorous test. The story is told in the museum in Doha — an incubator of the evolving national narrative — in an exhibit about the “Ramadan blockade”: a siege of Qatar imposed by neighbors including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in 2017 that lasted nearly four years.
The blockade divided the Middle East, separated families from Persian Gulf states who had cross-border ties, and saddled Qatar — a country with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world — with an unaccustomed hardship, as it suddenly scrambled to provide citizens and residents with food and other supplies.
Saudi Arabia and its allies accused Qatar of terrorism, which it denied. Their anger stemmed from Qatar’s support for Islamist groups across the region, its sponsorship of the Al Jazeera news channel and its general refusal to fall in line with its neighbors. The feud ended last year, with Qatar refusing to comply with a list of demands made by the Saudi-led bloc, including that it shut down Al Jazeera. But the tensions persist.
Key U.S. allies ease years-long feud as Saudi Arabia lifts blockade of Qatar
There was agreement in the region on “common threats,” Mohammed said. “Yet sometimes we don’t agree on the techniques,” for countering them, he conceded.
For now, Qatar appears to have other priorities. Before it was overwhelmed with the demands of the World Cup, Qatar returned to its role as regional mediator, assisting the United States as a third-party interlocutor with Iran and the Taliban — including helping to evacuate U.S. citizens and allies during the country’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Qatar hosts a major base for the U.S. military’s Central Command and has largely avoided confrontation with the Biden administration, even as its neighbors, bristling at what they see as American disengagement from the region, have pursued closer ties with China and Russia.
The United States has “other priorities. We cannot blame this on disengagement,” Mohammed said. Governments in the region, he added “need to start to take more responsibility.”
Qatar’s “international role has matured over the past decade,” said Elham Fakhro, a research fellow at the Center for Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter. The blockade came as a “shock,” but Qatar still managed to pull off “several diplomatic victories,” she said, including brokering conflicts on behalf of the United States.
“The ideal scenario for Qatar moving forward will be one where it can balance between its international foreign policy ambitions, while avoiding another breakdown in regional relations with its neighbors,” she said.
As the tournament starts, Qatar is now hosting those neighbors, with thousands of fans coming from around the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, which is competing in the tournament and is supposed to send one of the largest contingents of ticket holders — a stunning turnaround after the animosities unleashed during the blockade.
As fans poured in from all over the region, including Tunisians, Iranians, Moroccans and Saudis, it had lent the tournament a “unique flavor,” al-Arian said: the latest example, if it all goes smoothly, of Qatar’s mediating role. | 2022-11-19T23:58:55Z | www.washingtonpost.com | For Qatar, the World Cup is a high-stakes test and a show of clout - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/qatar-world-cup-2022/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/19/qatar-world-cup-2022/ |
TCU kicker Griffin Kell (39) and Michigan kicker Jake Moody (13) each made game-winning field goals Saturday to keep their teams unbeaten. (LM Otero/AP and Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Michigan State (loser)
Navy (winner)
Fun (loser)
It was a good afternoon for #CollegeKickers.
Well, two of them delivered when it mattered most for playoff contenders, at least.
Any look at the penultimate weekend of this college football regular season has to include a nod to Griffin Kell of TCU and Jake Moody of Michigan, whose closing-second kicks preserved undefeated seasons for their respective teams.
There was at least a teensy bit less pressure on Moody, who drilled a 35-yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining to secure a 19-17 defeat of Illinois. The No. 3 Wolverines (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) always had next week’s game against Ohio State to claim the Big Ten East. Win that and the conference title game, and Michigan was going to have some playoff hopes.
Besides, the harrowing part for the Wolverines started long before Moody’s star turn. Michigan kicked off to the Illini (7-4, 4-4) after Moody’s previous field goal with 3:14 to go, and the Wolverines had to burn off their timeouts to get the ball back with 2:15 remaining. The ensuing eight-play drive included a fourth-down conversion before Moody put things to rest.
Even with a replay booth review of a second-down completion, things were downright orderly for the Wolverines compared to how No. 4 TCU escaped Baylor with a 29-28 victory.
The Horned Frogs were stymied on third down with 18 seconds remaining, and without the benefit of a timeout had to scramble the field goal team onto the field. TCU got the play off with three seconds to spare, and Kell striped a 40-yard field goal to keep Team Hypnotoad undefeated.
TCU (11-0, 8-0 Big 12) will close the regular season at home against Iowa State, then play for the Big 12 title the next week in Arlington, Texas. Its playoff hopes hinge largely on maintaining an unblemished record, and a loss would have opened the door for the likes of Southern California to improve their postseason position.
Instead, Kell — like Moody only about a half-hour later — handled things calmly and kept the current playoff pecking order unruffled as the end of the season draws closer.
A week ago, the Commodores were simply happy to end a 26-game SEC losing streak. Now, they’ve won back-to-back games entering next week’s in-state meeting with playoff contender Tennessee.
Mike Wright threw three touchdown passes and Ray Davis rushed for 122 yards as the Commodores (5-6, 2-5 SEC) defeated Florida, 31-24, to keep their bowl hopes alive.
The Gators (6-5, 3-5) had won eight in a row in the series, and hadn’t lost at Vanderbilt since 1988. That’s an accomplishment for second-year Commodores coach Clark Lea to tout as progress regardless of how the season finale unfolds in Nashville.
The path to bowl eligibility got a whole lot harder for the Spartans, who squandered a 17-point lead — at home — in a 39-31 overtime loss to Indiana.
Michigan State (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) had won back-to-back games and three of its last four to even things out after a rough start. And it appeared the Spartans were on their way to turning next week’s trip to Penn State into a game without a ton of pressure — a postseason berth all but assured, with the guarantee of a winning season a nice bonus to play for.
But after Michigan State took a 31-14 lead in the third quarter, Jaylin Lucas brought back the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown. The Hoosiers tacked on a field goal moments later after an interception, tied it early in the fourth quarter and then won it in the second overtime.
And now? The Spartans have to win in Happy Valley to extend their season beyond November, a distinct step back for a program that went 11-2 and won the Peach Bowl last season.
It hasn’t been the most enjoyable season in Annapolis. The Midshipmen are already out of bowl contention. They opened with a loss to Delaware, which in retrospect could play a big part in keeping Navy out of the postseason. And they have their share of close losses — Air Force, SMU and Notre Dame by a combined 12 points.
But Saturday illustrated how Navy can still be a major nuisance, as it derailed No. 20 Central Florida, 17-14, in a tailor-made-for-the-Mids 11 a.m. kickoff in Orlando.
Navy didn’t do anything it doesn’t normally do. It threw the ball only once. It chewed up clock (39:36). It limited penalties (four for 25 yards).
And then the Mids did some things that usually portend victory for them. They held Central Florida to 3 of 12 on third down. It limited big plays on the ground. And it cashed in a third-quarter fumble recovery for Bijan Nichols’s go-ahead 45-yard field goal that ultimately provided the final margin.
Navy (4-7, 4-4 American) now has three weeks to get ready for Army, which — let’s face it — is a far more significant barometer for success in Annapolis than how a mid-October conference game unfolds. The Mids won’t have a destination to visit around Christmas, but they still have a major neutral-site game in December to look forward to.
C’mon, man. Isn’t it bad enough to have to play in late-November conditions in traditional Big Ten precincts? | 2022-11-20T00:16:14Z | www.washingtonpost.com | College football winners and losers for Week 12 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/college-football-winners-losers-week-12/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/college-football-winners-losers-week-12/ |
In Virginia, a spicy celebration of fermented joy
The commonwealth observes its first Kimchi Day this year.
Sehee Curro, left, and Amelia Itteilag, both of Silver Spring, prepare kimchi with materials provided during the Kimchi festival in Springfield, Va. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
For those who still do it the traditional way, November is the month after the cabbage harvest when families and friends gather to make a year’s worth of kimchi, slathering a pungent red paste into the folds of the cabbage and stuffing it in to jars to ferment. The jars are buried in the ground, or, in the modern era, stored in a special kimchi fridge. The resulting dish, ubiquitous in Korean cuisine, is salty, sweet, spicy, sour and carries a punch of umami.
In Korean culture, kimchi is far more than that. It tells the story of the history and persistence of the Korean people, of the peninsula’s geography and climate. It is a source of pride. It brings families together, with some still gathering to prepare dozens of heads of cabbage each fall.
For these reasons and many more, Virginia will mark its first Kimchi Day on Tuesday, to recognize the centrality and import of the dish for Koreans, and to celebrate the growing Korean American community in the commonwealth.
On Saturday, in recognition of the milestone, the Korean American Women’s Association hosted a kimchi festival at Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Springfield, reenacting a familial ritual. At folding tables throughout the church cafeteria, a racially mixed crowd of about 150 got a chance to make their own kimchi, donning plastic gloves and smearing the paste — reddened by gochugaru, the Korean chili powder — in the folds of the cabbage.
Virginia’s Kimchi Day was established when Elaine Shin (D), the first Korean American woman to serve in the state House of Delegates, proposed a resolution to make it official in January. It passed with bipartisan support.
“We are home to one of the largest Korean populations in the country. The communities of Annandale and Centreville in Northern Virginia are vibrant and bustling population centers and hubs,” Shin said, stumping for the resolution during a Rules Committee hearing, according to WAMU/DCist.
Northern Virginia, and Annandale in particular, is home to a robust Korean community, where signage displays Hangul lettering and where Korean restaurants, churches, grocery stores, bakeries and beauty stores abound. So strong are the ties between the region and Korea that Fairfax County Economic Development Authority has an office in Seoul.
Mark Keam, who is Korean American and recently retired from the House of Delegates to serve in the Biden administration, said Kimchi Day recognizes an important cultural export, and the way that Korean culture is being embraced in the United States. Keam, who moved to the United States as a teenager, said he was shy about sharing Korean food and culture growing up, worried that it “would clash with mainstream American culture.”
“In fact, it’s the opposite,” Keam said. “By coming and bringing our stuff here and using it and making it mainstream, we’re actually helping create American culture.”
President Biden and Vice President Harris welcomed popular Korean boy band BTS to the White House in May to talk about anti-Asian hate. Korean food has also become more ubiquitous, with items like kimchi now available at many mainstream grocery stores. Yumi Hogan, the Korean-born wife of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, famously installed a kimchi fridge in the governor’s mansion. “Crying in H Mart,” the memoir of a Korean American musician who interrogates her biracial upbringing, is a bestseller.
But it was not always this way. When EunSook Loiland, 60, moved here more than three decades ago, there was not much of a community.
“I could have never imagined this,” said Loiland, a professional pianist, gazing around the room at people with plates piled high with Korean specialties — noodles, dumplings, meat and savory kimchi pancakes. “I am so excited about this.”
Loiland grew up in Korea, moved to London and then, on a trip back to Seoul for a fall festival, met an American soldier stationed there. The two fell in love, and she moved to Virginia to be with him on a fiancee visa. But his distaste for kimchi imperiled their relationship. When he asked her to stop eating it, she nearly left him.
“Why should I marry him? Kimchi is my life,” she said, recalling what she was thinking at the time. But he got over it and now consumes more kimchi than his wife.
And on Saturday, the longtime married couple arrived together at Good Shepherd Church with their son to prepare kimchi. | 2022-11-20T00:29:19Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Virginia marks first Kimchi Day to celebrate Korean American community - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/kimchi-day-virginia-korean-food/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/19/kimchi-day-virginia-korean-food/ |
For Coolidge, revenge is all Gravy with a win over Bell
Colts 21, Griffins 6
Coolidge Coach Kevin Nesbitt and the Colts celebrate their second Gravy Bowl victory in three seasons. (Tramel Raggs)
The Hollywood ending for Bell in Saturday’s Gravy Bowl seemed almost too good to be true: a rematch with nemesis Coolidge for the right to move up to the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Stars division in the final game of Griffins star Demiko Suggs’s career.
Turns out, it was too good to be true.
The Colts handled Bell at Theodore Roosevelt, 21-6, avenging last year’s loss to the Griffins while winning their second Gravy Bowl in three years. The loss also cost Bell a chance to move up to the Stars, the DCIAA’s top tier of football. A school must win consecutive Gravy Bowls to be promoted.
In the DCIAA, it's Stars and Stripes and plenty of gripes
The loss also marked a tough end for Bell’s Daniel Tyson, the DCIAA coach of the year, who told his team afterward he was stepping down after 15 years at the helm.
“The way things had went with their guys winning coach of the year and player of the year, it felt like the city had put the writing on the wall for them,” Coolidge Coach Kevin Nesbitt said. “But we weren’t trying to be a part of any Disney movie, so our guys came out and shut all that [stuff] down.”
From the start, it was clear that the Colts (10-2) were playing at a different level. Coolidge repeatedly imposed itself on the Griffins (10-2) in the trenches, taking the starch out of Bell’s usually stout defense.
The Colts’ opening drive, which resulted in a two-yard touchdown run from Gravy Bowl MVP Sean Brooks, covered 67 yards and drained more than seven minutes off the clock.
“We had a chip on our shoulder,” Brooks said. “Last year they punched us in the mouth and we didn’t really do anything to respond. That ain’t Coolidge football, so this year we had to get our get-back.”
The touchdown margin held until the final second of the first half. With the ball on their own 30-yard line and most expecting the Colts to let the clock run out, Nesbitt sprinted onto the field and called a timeout with one second left. The timeout was met with a shower of boos. Then Coolidge senior quarterback Jeremiah Roberson connected with Anthony Nicholson for a 70-yard touchdown pass that tilted the game.
“Man, I love our fans, but that was just a reminder that they need to relax and let us do our thing,” Nesbitt said. “Went from booing to calling me Jesus just like that.”
Coolidge kept its grip on things in the second half, forcing a stop and then going on another seven-minute drive, punctuated by an eight-yard touchdown run from Marcell Simmons.
“At halftime, we talked about them being close to quitting,” Nicholson said. “So when we got back out there, we just wanted to make them feel us and put the game away.”
Suggs accounted for Bell’s lone score with an eight-yard run in the fourth quarter, a touchdown set up by an 88-yard pass from running back Antonio Washington to Jayden Watts.
Bell dropped to 2-6 in the Gravy Bowl.
“When I came to coach at this school more than 15 years ago, my goal was to make Bell a formidable respected program,” Tyson said of his decision to step down. “I hope I achieved that, but it’s time to allow the next generation of coaches to get us to the next level. It has been the time of my life to coach at my alma mater.” | 2022-11-20T00:38:08Z | www.washingtonpost.com | For Coolidge, revenge is all Gravy with a win over Bell - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/dciaa-gravy-bowl-coolidge-bell/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/dciaa-gravy-bowl-coolidge-bell/ |
University of Virginia Athletic Director Carla Williams, left, and football coach Tony Elliott wipe tears from their eyes during a memorial service for three slain football players. (Steve Helber/AP/Pool)
CHARLOTTESVILLE — Tony Elliott stood Saturday afternoon before a microphone on a stage on the floor of a basketball arena instead of in the center of a football locker room, making a speech he should never have had to make. His job seven days earlier had been to inspire young men to win football games. His job now is to inspire still. The charge wasn’t supposed to come with this level of complexity.
The University of Virginia held a memorial service for Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry on Saturday after the three football players were gunned down Monday by a fellow student following a field trip to Washington. The events of the week were impossibly sad. John Paul Jones Arena filled with 9,075 people who paid respects and embraced in attempts to sort it all out.
Last week, Elliott was a first-year football coach, struggling through an inaugural season. This week, he must become a healer, a brother, a counselor, a father figure. His style of offense and ability to recruit don’t matter at the moment. His words and deeds do.
He took the mic near the end of the program.
“To everyone here, I say: We will turn today’s tragedy into tomorrow’s triumph,” Elliott said. “ … We have a mission going forward. And that mission requires a tremendous amount of responsibility. Amidst the pain and suffering, there is hope.”
In memorial service, UVA community mourns shooting victims
That has to be the message at a time like this, because the alternative is unthinkable. The ceremony ran nearly two hours, in part because so many of Devin and Lavel and D’Sean’s teammates wanted to speak so much about them. There was room for public remembrances. There was a need for public remembrances.
Of Davis’s “187” tattoo — not for his area code, but for the exit off Interstate 26 in South Carolina that brought him back to his tiny hometown of Ridgeville.
“No matter what it was,” said sophomore cornerback Elijah Gaines, “when he smiled, I smiled.”
Of Chandler’s propensity to dance after every practice; his sense of rhythm was debatable.
“Your joy for life is contagious,” said sophomore running back Cody Brown, in a letter to Chandler that he read to the crowd, “and you made everyone around you happy.”
Of Perry’s life as, according to junior linebacker Hunter Stewart, a “Renaissance man.” An artist who played the piano and rapped, football fit in somewhere.
“He had the personality to light the room up,” said sophomore safety Donovan Johnson.
The late players were spoken of individually and glowingly. The arena was lifted with the light moments from the past. Videos on the scoreboard showed their smiles, over and over again, their smiles. What smiles.
“We are better, and we will do better because of Devin, Lavel and D’Sean,” Athletic Director Carla Williams said. “To the families, we love your sons.”
Her voice cracked.
“We love your sons,” she repeated. “And we will make sure their legacy never fades at the University of Virginia.”
She left the podium in tears. She fell into her chair. She bit her bottom lip. She was handed a tissue.
That’s what’s ahead, moments like this in public and in private, for who knows how many and who knows how long. The program Saturday was appropriate and, in so many ways, necessary. Community members came in suits and in blue-and-orange Cavaliers gear. Choirs sang. Grammy-winning gospel singer Cece Winans belted out “Goodness of God.” The Chandler, Davis and Perry families hugged each other, cried together, and managed to laugh together. It was important — it was imperative — that their sons be remembered not as the three murdered Virginia football players, but as Devin. As Lavel. As D’Sean.
To do that, Elliott brought up a Bible verse: 1 Corinthians 15:41, which he read as: “The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another. And the stars differ from stars in splendor.”
And so he differentiated his fallen stars.
“As I celebrate the splendor of Lavel and all that he has given to us,” and he spoke about forcefully debating the greatest basketball player of all-time at Davis’s locker. Davis took Kobe Bryant. Elliott … didn’t.
“His passion for his beliefs was so strong,” Elliott said, “that he inspired me to believe deeper.”
“As I celebrate the splendor that Devin has given us,” and he spoke about the times Chandler would fall asleep in meetings, a smile on his face still, because he had been working so hard.
“You felt and heard Devin before you ever saw him,” he said.
“As I celebrate the splendor that D’Sean has given us,” and he spoke about Perry sharing his artwork with him.
“I have never had a prouder moment as a coach,” Elliott said.
There have to be prouder moments ahead. The University of Virginia is a different place after the events of last Monday. The survivors on the bus where a shooter gunned the players down — including two recovering from wounds — will never be the same. The football program must inevitably be different, too. A two-hour program in a basketball arena is a nice package. The emotions can’t and won’t be contained to Saturday.
There will, at some point, be the matter of football. It wasn’t Saturday, when the Cavaliers elected to cancel their last home game against Coastal Carolina. That game was replaced by a private Senior Day ceremony in the school’s indoor practice facility — not what anyone involved had envisioned last Saturday. Whether the Cavs will contest the season finale against Virginia Tech remains to be determined. They are 3-7, as if that matters.
What will matter is what happens going forward. Elliott knows strife. When he was 9, his mother was killed in a car accident. He spent time homeless in southern California before he moved across the country, to South Carolina, to be raised by an aunt and uncle. At Clemson, he grew from a walk-on wide receiver to a team captain, returned as a coach and became the offensive coordinator for a national champion. That’s the kind of resume that lands a head coaching job in the ACC at age 42.
The task he faces now won’t fit on a job application. It is raw and it is human. As he closed his remembrance, Elliott evoked Davis’s jersey No. 1, Chandler’s 15 and Perry’s 41.
“Because of 1, 15, 41, we have a responsibility to rebuild this community and program on the legacy of their stars,” Elliott said. “And do so in such a way as to bring light into the world. Lavel, Devin, D’Sean — I am so looking forward to the strength, motivation, courage and love that you all will provide to the triumph in the days ahead.”
Before John Paul Jones Arena emptied into the dark, cold November evening, into dinners and Thanksgiving and the holidays beyond, those numbers displayed on the scoreboard in the center of the arena: 1, 15, 41. The task ahead involves keeping the memories of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry alive while somehow building the lives of the players they left behind.
The memorial service was moving. It can’t predict what lies ahead. Tony Elliott and his players should be in our thoughts whether they face Virginia Tech or not. They are bearing more than they ever imagined. | 2022-11-20T00:46:44Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Virginia football team, Tony Elliott - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/virginia-football-memorial-service/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/virginia-football-memorial-service/ |
Buckeyes 43, Terrapins 30
Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden (5) had to fight for every yard against defensive lineman Henry Chibueze (92) and the Maryland defense during Saturday's game. The Buckeyes won 43-30. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
The Maryland football program has trudged through a deflating two weeks, with a pair of losses zapping enthusiasm out of this season, and the Terrapins have a history of lopsided letdowns against the best teams in the Big Ten. Yet here they were deep into a tight contest against No. 2 Ohio State, often the standard-bearer of the conference, with a chance.
The Terps needed to drive nearly the entire length of the field and had just 36 seconds and no timeouts. But a six-point deficit was all that stood between them and a monumental upset. In a blink, that rare glimmer of hope faded into a familiar result. The ball slipped from the hands of quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, and Ohio State turned the sack into a touchdown, sealing a 43-30 victory in College Park.
Tagovailoa limped off the field after he had a superb outing that kept the Terps (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) in the game, but it was not enough in the final moments to pull off a stunning victory.
The Terps trailed by just three with 6:36 to go, and they delivered a key defensive stop on fourth down to get the ball back around midfield. Maryland’s offense couldn’t capitalize and had to punt, handing the Buckeyes a chance to seal a win. The Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0) marched down the field, draining the clock, but the Terps held them to a field goal. For Maryland, that kept the door open for a go-ahead touchdown drive with the little time remaining, but Ohio State once again rose to the occasion to squash Maryland’s hopes.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Tagovailoa had begged to stay on the field on fourth down, and his coach obliged. The quarterback scrambled to the right sideline and found senior wide receiver Jeshaun Jones in the end zone. The one-yard touchdown pushed Maryland within three points of the Buckeyes with 9:49 remaining, but the Terps never scored again.
Tagovailoa’s strong outing — 293 yards on 26-of-36 passing while accounting for three touchdowns — was the best he has played in a game of this magnitude. The Terps entered this game after abysmal performances in road losses against Wisconsin and Penn State. Their strong start Saturday ignited optimism that an upset might be within reach, and the Terps held on to those hopes until the final moments.
Maryland had a narrow 13-10 edge at halftime — only for Ohio State to block Colton Spangler’s punt early in the third quarter and score two plays later. The Terps’ lead vanished, and the Buckeyes climbed further ahead with a field goal on their next series. Ohio State scored on three straight possessions (two touchdowns, plus the field goal), while the Terps started the second half with three straight punts.
Maryland chipped away at the deficit with a five-yard rushing touchdown from Tagovailoa and then a successful two-point conversion to start the fourth quarter. When Ohio State responded with a score to go up 33-21, the Terps blocked the extra-point attempt, and Jakorian Bennett ran it back to the end zone for two points. That cut the Buckeyes’ lead to 10, and Tagovailoa followed it with the touchdown drive that ended with the fourth-down score.
The Terps have often struggled mightily against top-tier opposition, but Saturday, they held firm against the formidable Buckeyes and didn’t let this game slip away until the end. After Ohio State marched down the field for a touchdown on its opening series, the Terps’ defense reined in the offensive unit led by star quarterback C.J. Stroud, a Heisman Trophy contender. Maryland forced three punts in the first half and held the Buckeyes to a field goal on their other productive drive.
Maryland’s offense, in a rhythm after back-to-back rough performances the past two weeks, complemented that stifling defense with its own solid start. The Terps could have capitalized more in the first half. They settled for a pair of field goals after first-half drives stalled inside the 20-yard line — moments that can be haunting in a narrow loss.
Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, the Terps have never beaten the Buckeyes, and the games have often been decided by wide margins. Maryland has lost by at least 48 points four times and by at least 21 in two additional games. In 2018, the only other meeting between the two teams, the Terps had a chance to pull off a dramatic upset but lost in overtime after an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt.
Maryland entered this matchup on a losing skid. This week, the staff pored over film, reevaluating every piece of how the program operates and performs. Players, from walk-ons to seniors, took turns speaking in front of their peers as they took accountability and looked for a spark. The problem, though, was that when the Terps returned to the field with a chance to bounce back, they ran into Ohio State, an undefeated squad with national championship ambitions. | 2022-11-20T01:39:02Z | www.washingtonpost.com | No. 2 Ohio State outlasts Maryland - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/ohio-state-maryland-football/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/ohio-state-maryland-football/ |
Whitman girls make it two straight titles, top QO for 4A championship
Whitman players celebrate following the Maryland 4A championship at Loyola University in Baltimore. (Tom Brenner/For the Washington Post )
BALTIMORE — Anxiety crept into the Whitman girls’ soccer team last Sunday when word spread that the Vikings’ top forward, Gemma Davitian, tore her ACL in a club game and wouldn’t play in the Maryland 4A final. Before practice a day later, Whitman defender Charlotte Shapiro gathered her teammates on the field.
“We’re still winning states,” Shapiro told them.
On Saturday evening, the Vikings showed their depth and proved they’re one of the D.C. area’s top teams, beating Montgomery County counterpart Quince Orchard, 2-0, at Loyola University to secure back-to-back championships.
“Throughout this whole season, we’ve always found a way to win,” Whitman midfielder Maya Wiese said. “Coming into this, we’re like, ‘We are going to win this game. If we do what we’ve done all season, we are going to win.’ There’s definitely nerves, but I think everyone just knew if they left everything they had out on the field, that would be enough.”
Whitman (16-1) also imposed its dominance over Quince Orchard (14-4) in the regular season, beating the Cougars twice by a combined score of 5-0. While both programs have enjoyed success, the Vikings have been stronger recently. Since Quince Orchard’s last state title in 2007, Whitman has won four championships and reached the finals five times.
After beating Broadneck in last year’s final, the Vikings tried to locate their identity without forward Delaney DeMartino, last year’s All-Met Player of the Year, who graduated in May. But two of Whitman’s top players suffered early-season injuries, and after Davitian went down, the Vikings were without a key forward from last year’s team.
The Vikings started slow Saturday but broke through in the second half. Nearly seven minutes in, Wiese sent a cross into the box that found forward Sheridan Snow, who delivered a header that gave Whitman the lead. It was a play the duo practiced all week after noticing a weakness in Quince Orchard’s defense on film. About nine minutes later, Shapiro scored off a free kick from outside the box.
The victory was a testament both to the Bethesda program’s depth and tradition. The Vikings’ only loss since October 2021 came against Bethesda-Chevy Chase on Oct. 10. With two of Whitman’s top forwards expected to return from injury next season, the Vikings are expected to be a state title threat again in 2023.
“This team is a perfect definition of just the word ‘team,’ ” Shapiro said. “The mind-set didn’t change for one second since the beginning of the season. Our goal has been to win states, and Gemma’s injury didn’t change that. We were really upset to miss her, but it almost made our incentive even stronger.” | 2022-11-20T02:10:02Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Whitman girls make it two straight titles, top QO for 4A championship - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/maryland-girls-soccer-whitman-quince-orchard/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/maryland-girls-soccer-whitman-quince-orchard/ |
COMMERCE, Texas — Darius Harper picked off a pass on the first play from scrimmage and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown, then stripped receiver Andrew Armstrong of the ball in the back of the end zone on the game’s final play to preserve Tennessee State’s 22-14 win over Texas A&M-Commerce in the regular season finale for both schools Saturday. | 2022-11-20T02:12:36Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Tennessee State escapes Texas A&M-Commerce with a 22-14 win - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/tennessee-state-escapes-texas-aandm-commerce-with-a-22-14-win/2022/11/19/624b0088-6872-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/tennessee-state-escapes-texas-aandm-commerce-with-a-22-14-win/2022/11/19/624b0088-6872-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
The Capitals opened the game with 12 shots to the Avalanche’s two but couldn’t beat Georgiev, Kuemper's replacement who notched his first shutout with his new team. Georgiev was far more motivated to bounce back from allowing five goals in a loss last season with the New York Rangers in his most recent game at Washington than facing Kuemper and proving he was a capable successor. | 2022-11-20T03:44:44Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Makar, MacKinnon score, short-handed Avalanche beat Capitals - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nhl/makar-mackinnon-score-short-handed-avalanche-beat-capitals/2022/11/19/5548886e-687d-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nhl/makar-mackinnon-score-short-handed-avalanche-beat-capitals/2022/11/19/5548886e-687d-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
Colorado's Andrew Cogliano (No. 11) is all smiles after scoring the crucial third goal Saturday night — a deflection off his skate. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The reeling Washington Capitals faced a tall task Saturday night to right themselves. The defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche arrived at Capital One Arena in strong form, near the top of the Western Conference.
The Capitals were not up to the challenge, however. A taut game through two periods ultimately turned into a 4-0 loss, their fourth straight. At 7-10-3, the Capitals are seventh in the eight-team Metropolitan Division, 13 points behind first-place New Jersey.
The hosts sent 32 shots at Avalanche netminder Alexandar Georgiev, but none got past him. The Capitals’ best chance in the final 20 minutes came from Anthony Mantha, who was stopped by Georgiev with a routine save with under seven minutes remaining.
“I don’t think we put ourselves in enough good positions to score goals tonight,” Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette said. “Everything was more perimeter than the interior, but just with the adversity throughout the course of the game, we didn’t do a good job of handling it.”
Darcy Kuemper, in his first game against his former team since signing here as a free agent in the offseason, stopped 25 shots.
Nursing a 2-0 lead midway into the third period, Colorado (10-5-1) delivered a dagger when Jacob MacDonald ripped a puck toward Kuemper that deflected in off Andrew Cogliano’s skate to put the Avalanche up 3-0. Artturi Lehkonen scored off a slick passing play with 3:48 left to produce the game’s final score.
The loss marked the second time this season the Capitals have been shut out (the first was a 2-0 loss to Dallas on Oct. 27). The Capitals are 2-6-3 in their past 11 games.
“I feel like we had a better start to this game than we’ve had the last few. It’s very frustrating. I feel like we’re such a good hockey team and it’s kind of gotten into our heads a little bit,” forward Marcus Johansson said. “And we just got to work through it, we got to find a way to work together to get through this.”
Washington, which outshot the Avalanche 14-7 in the opening period, controlled the majority of play in the first 20 minutes, but a pair of tripping penalties late proved costly.
Gifted a five-on-three chance in the final two minutes of the period, defenseman Cale Makar delivered with his one-timer from the left circle with 20 seconds remaining. Kuemper turned away a flurry of chances earlier in the power play but couldn’t get to Makar’s blast.
“We started with the right intentions,” Laviolette said. “In the first 15 minutes we were pushing, we were good defensively, and, like I said, situations happened on the ice, and I just don’t think they responded very well to them.”
The Avalanche doubled the lead with a highlight-reel tally from star Nathan MacKinnon at 13:14 of the second period. MacKinnon displayed some dazzling stickhandling, dangling the puck past Nicolas Aube-Kubel with ease before he flipped a shot past Kuemper.
Aube-Kubel returns
Aube-Kubel came back from his three-game suspension Saturday. He received the ban after an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay’s Cal Foote on Nov. 11. Aube-Kubel said he understood why he received the suspension but hoped it would have been shorter.
“It’s tough because he was in a vulnerable situation and it happened so fast,” Aube-Kubel said Saturday morning. “When you have a play in your head, you want to make it happen that way. Hopefully he’s better. Reached out to [Foote] and made sure he’s okay.”
Aube-Kubel’s return to the lineup Saturday also meant a little more while playing the Avalanche. Aube-Kubel won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche last season, scoring a career-high 11 goals and 11 assists in 67 games.
Backstrom, Oshie practice
Nicklas Backstrom practiced Saturday for the first time since he underwent hip resurfacing surgery in the offseason. Backstrom has been skating with Tom Wilson (knee) away from the team since late October.
“It’s fun to see him out there,” Johansson said. “It’s obviously a good sign. He looked good. He’s got that presence too, I think, when he’s just around and out there. I think it’s a good start to have him out there with the group.”
There is still no timetable for Backstrom’s return, but he didn’t look to be in pain during Saturday’s morning skate.
“It was good,” Laviolette said of Backstrom practicing again. “It’s part of the process where they do a lot of stuff behind this wall and then they do stuff that we don’t necessarily see on the ice and they progress and progress. And that’s the next progression, is to get out with our guys and start to move a little bit.”
T.J. Oshie also practiced in a noncontact jersey. He is still out indefinitely, and there is no timetable for his return. He sustained a lower-body in Nashville on Oct. 29.
Washington went 0 for 2 on the power play against Colorado, extending a stretch that is now 1 for 26 over the past six games. The unit’s only goal was in a 5-4 shootout loss to St. Louis on Thursday, when John Carlson scored late in the third period.
The Capitals only had one shot on goal through their first two power-play chances. | 2022-11-20T04:50:44Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Capitals fall to Avalanche for fourth straight loss - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/washington-capitals-colorado-avalanche/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/washington-capitals-colorado-avalanche/ |
She’s a great mom and mother-in-law, and I know her feelings are hurt that I won’t tell her how we met. What can I say to her to make her feel okay with never knowing the truth?
Holding: You maintain that your mother-in-law’s feelings are hurt because you won’t tell her how you met her son. But you did tell her.
She may have heard a rumor and wants to confirm it. But — this is your life and your story, and you should convey your own version of: “This is our story, and we’re sticking to it.”
Dear Amy: I am a single woman in my mid-30s. I have a Ph.D. and currently own a successful business. I recently reconnected with an old friend. Early in the friendship he disclosed that he has a highly contagious STD.
Because of this, we never crossed the line of “friendship.” Recently, we’ve had more time to reconnect and enjoy each other’s company. We’ve already established that we like each other beyond friendship, but we have not discussed whether a physical relationship is possible. I do have questions, but I’m not sure how to ask them.
I don’t think I can be in a love relationship without sex. Do you know if couples can be happy without sex? Considering the sensitivity of his diagnosis, how would I start the conversation about intimacy?
Right now, our friendship is parked in “the friend zone” because I don’t know what to do from here. We need some courage to discuss this. Your advice?
Friend-Zoned: You and your friend have already discussed his STD. He obviously felt comfortable enough to share this information with you earlier in your friendship.
The whole issue has taken on more urgency now that you’re looking for safe ways to exit the friend zone. Talking honestly is the most intimate act adults can engage in. Because of this, the prospect of having a deep, searching and honest conversation can be frightening.
The way to have a tough conversation is to commit to it, and then to do your best to communicate clearly. I think it helps to set aside time, and to start by stating: “This is hard for me to talk about, so please bear with me.”
Aside from discussing the various possibilities for a relationship, if you two decide to move forward, you and he should receive accurate medical information from a physician. I think you should also prepare yourself for the possibility that your friend might prefer to keep your friendship exactly where it is.
Dear Amy: Thank you for standing up for kids! The question from “J in N.Y.” made me wince. This was an uncle who was offended when his 3-year-old nephew refused to hug him, and the parents didn’t make the child.
Been There: I’ve received many responses to this question, all agreeing that children have the right to their own body autonomy, and parents should protect this right. | 2022-11-20T05:12:32Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Ask Amy: I don’t want mother-in-law to know how I actually met her son - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/11/20/ask-amy-met-husband-sex-work/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/11/20/ask-amy-met-husband-sex-work/ |
Bowie tops Severna Park, claims Md. 4A boys’ soccer title
Bowie boys' soccer players celebrate their 1-0 victory over Severna Park, a win that earned the Bulldogs their first soccer title since 2011. (Tom Brenner/For the Washington Post )
BALTIMORE — Early in the second half Saturday night, Bowie soccer forward Kareem Davis received a pass through the middle of the box. When Davis turned with the ball, only the goalkeeper was between him and the goal as the senior launched the ball into the top right corner of the net. Running toward the sideline to pose for the crowd at Loyola University, Davis fell to the turf in jubilation.
While Prince George’s County is known for producing basketball and football contenders, the county has generated the past two 4A champions. Northwestern won last year but was disqualified from this year’s postseason for using an ineligible player.
Bowie overcame injures to return to the final. After notching 18 goals and 15 assists last season, Davis suffered a groin and left ankle injury before the season. That left the Bulldogs with their most inexperienced roster this decade as they dropped a pair of early-season games.
Davis’s brother KJ was a member of Bowie’s state championship team in 2011; Kyle played soccer in college. Wanting to prove he’s still among the D.C. area’s best players, Davis underwent physical therapy to return a week before the playoffs. He scored twice in Bowie’s first postseason game against Wise on Oct. 28. | 2022-11-20T05:12:51Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Maryland 4A boys' soccer: Bowie tops Severna Park for title - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/maryland-4a-boys-soccer-bowie-severna-park/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/19/maryland-4a-boys-soccer-bowie-severna-park/ |
A rendering of Astroscale's ADRAS-J satellite, to be launched by Rocket Lab's electron launch vehicle. (Business Wire) ( and Business Wire/AP)
TOKYO — When China successfully towed a dead satellite into a “graveyard orbit” this year, it alarmed experts in Japan who have been trying to put their country at the forefront of the world’s expanding market in space-junk removal.
Some interpreted the Chinese feat as a demonstration of an orbit-offensive capability — the ability to make unwelcome, close approaches to other satellites. The technology involved is a precursor to what Japan is racing to build.
With commercial space activities taking off, the amount of junk orbiting the planet poses an increasing threat of collisions. Companies around the globe are working to develop the means to send this junk tumbling toward Earth so it will burn up in the extreme temperatures of reentry.
No rules govern who is responsible for cleanup — or space-debris mitigation, as it is called — but Japan intends to play a key role in their development. The nation has stepped up cooperation with the United States in response to China’s growing space capabilities.
“In space, Japan has always been a country of second gear. The first gear was always the United States, Soviet Union and, recently, China,” said Kazuto Suzuki, a space policy expert at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy. “This is a golden opportunity for Japan, but the time is very short.”
The Pentagon is looking for garbage collectors in space
Low Earth orbit is full of litter. Decades of exploration have left thousands of pieces of now-useless equipment and satellites that circle the planet at 17,500 miles an hour. Some are the size of a marble, others as big as a school bus.
Dealing with space debris requires cooperation and trust among countries, especially the top polluters — the United States, China and Russia. But that has been in short supply given the icy state of relations between Washington and both Beijing and Moscow. In 2021, the Chinese accused the United States of violating international treaty obligations after their space station had to maneuver to avoid crashing into Starlink satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.
Collaboration on this issue “only works if the countries are willing to put international interests ahead of their own paranoia about military concerns, and it’s not clear that China is, and the U.S. is definitely not,” said Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
“The problem is there’s no international air traffic controller for space,” he added.
Though U.S. efforts on mitigation are still nascent, Japan is moving forward fast. Its Aerospace Exploration Agency has joined with Astroscale, a company headquartered in Tokyo, to complete the world’s first debris-removal mission and offer routine removal services by 2030.
Astroscale also is developing technologies to refuel and repair satellites in orbit, which would prevent their becoming obsolete as quickly and help extend their life spans. Those same technologies would allow Astroscale’s missions to refuel in space and so each time remove more debris.
“Space is big, but the orbits around the Earth are not. The highways that we are using are limited,” said Chris Blackerby, a former NASA official who is Astroscale’s chief operating officer. “So if we keep putting stuff up there and leaving it up there, there is going to be an accident. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. We have to reduce that risk.”
By working with Astroscale, the Japanese government is trying to create standards for companies and countries to follow. Earlier this year, the government began the process of creating rules and regulations for entities involved in space-debris-removal research and missions. The goal is to make transparency and notification the norm, which experts say is important to avoid stoking suspicion between competitors and possible conflict.
Debris from China rocket launch to crash-land — and no one knows where
“Setting a precedent is a great way to hold other countries accountable,” Suzuki said. “It will — not legally, but morally — bind other countries. And if China, for example, is trying to find different ways to approach this, then China might need to explain why China is doing something different from what Japan did.”
Companies in North America, Europe and Australia are in pursuit. In the United States, where a recent FCC decision cut the rule for “de-orbiting” satellites post-mission from 25 years to five, both Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are engaged. Obruta Space Solutions in Canada is contracted with that country’s space agency to develop debris-removal technology. The Swiss start-up ClearSpace is working with the European Space Agency to do the same.
Chinese companies are also focusing on the issue. Origin Space, a space-mining start-up based in Shenzhen, last year launched a prototype of a robot that can snag space debris with a large net.
The greatest need for cleanup soon could be China’s. The country, which put up its first satellite only in 1970, aims to become a global space power by 2045. And with more than 500 satellites in orbit as of April, more rocket launches than any other country for several years, construction of its own space station and a burgeoning commercial space industry, it is poised to leave more debris behind than others.
In 2007, Beijing launched a ballistic missile at one of its defunct weather satellites. The impact created the largest cloud of space debris ever, and many of the more than 3,000 remnants will stay in orbit for decades.
Yet the country quietly achieved a milestone in debris mitigation this January when its Shijian 21 satellite reached that defunct satellite, docked with it and then towed it into what is known as a disposal orbit, far away from regular operational orbits. China notified the U.N. Office for space Affairs in advance of its action, which Suzuki called a good sign that Beijing recognizes the importance of transparency in these efforts.
On space-debris removal, China has supported and followed guidelines from the U.N. office and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee. In May 2021, for example, the government published new management standards for small satellites that require operators to submit plans for de-orbiting them, plus detailed safety measures in the case of malfunctions.
“China’s ambition is to be treated with respect and to be seen as an equal to the United States,” McDowell said. “There are areas like active debris removal where the U.S. has really dropped the ball, and there’s an opening for China to take the leadership.”
Kuo reported from Taiwan. Vic Chiang in Taipei, Taiwan, and Julia Mio Inuma in Tokyo contributed to this report. | 2022-11-20T07:10:11Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Japan and China race to develop the technology to remove junk from space - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/20/japan-china-space-junk-removal-compete/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/20/japan-china-space-junk-removal-compete/ |
USC quarterback Caleb Williams threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in a 48-45 victory over UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Saturday to clinch a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
PASADENA, Calif. – By the time the smoke had cleared from the pregame fireworks show and the sun had set past the mountains that loom over the Rose Bowl, the USC Trojans knew to brace for a long, tense and topsy-turvy evening.
Earlier Saturday, Ohio State held off Maryland, Michigan eked past Illinois with a fourth-quarter comeback and TCU escaped Baylor with a game-winning field goal. Three College Football Playoff hopefuls had flirted with disaster, and a fourth — Tennessee — was vanquished in blowout fashion by unranked South Carolina. Now, the nightcap called for Southern Cal’s Caleb Williams and UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson to face off in a quintessential Pac-12 shootout.
Both quarterbacks delivered, combining for more than 900 total yards and nine touchdowns in front of a sellout crowd of 70,865. But it was Williams who, after digging out of a 14-0 hole and leading a dramatic 48-45 win, capped off a victory lap around the field by climbing a ladder and triumphantly wielding a long sword as “Fight On!” chants rained down from the Trojan faithful.
“An iconic type game," said USC Coach Lincoln Riley, who won his first matchup against his new crosstown rivals. "It lived up to the billing. We tried to prepare our team for what a rivalry game looks and feels like. There’s going to be tons of emotion in it and momentum swings. You’ve got to be able to ride the wave.”
With the win, USC improved to 10-1, secured a spot in the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 2 in Las Vegas and put itself in position to move up a spot to No. 6 in the CFP rankings. UCLA fell to 8-3.
Williams (Gonzaga High), a D.C. native who followed Riley from Oklahoma to USC last summer, finished with 470 yards on 32-43 passing and two touchdowns. The standout sophomore added 50 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground.
“I went into this game expecting it to be a dogfight,” Williams said. “You’re going to have to do your job, and do it at a high level. And keep fighting, keep swinging.”
By outlasting Thompson-Robinson and overcoming an unsteady start to lead a near-unstoppable second-half attack, Williams bolstered his Heisman Trophy case in advance of next week’s showdown against Notre Dame. The Heisman field got a shake-up Saturday, as Michigan running back Blake Corum suffered a left knee injury against Illinois and Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker lost for the second time in three weeks.
“You don’t focus on [the Heisman],” Riley said. “You’re just trying to win each week for your team. Those are the guys that find a way to do it. [Williams] has been one of the best players in the country this year. He’s played really well. If any of those things come to fruition, that’s great. Those are byproducts. That’s not why he’s here.”
What eventually became a signature night began in auspicious fashion for Williams, who was stonewalled on fourth-and-short on USC’s first drive and picked off by UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano late in the first quarter.
The Bruins wasted little time capitalizing on Williams’s third interception of the season. Thompson-Robinson rolled out to his left before connecting with tight end Michael Ezeike down the right sideline for a 30-yard touchdown, leaving USC’s defense dazed and confused by the misdirection.
Thompson-Robinson had set the stage for this fierce affair when he said earlier this week that the Bruins “hate those guys across town.” Until midway through the second quarter, the fifth-year senior seemed intent on steamrolling USC, scoring on a one-yard keeper on UCLA’s second possession and scoring on another short run midway through the second quarter for a 21-10 lead. Thompson-Robinson, now UCLA’s all-time career touchdown leader, celebrated his second score by spinning the ball in the end zone and staring down USC’s band.
But Thompson-Robinson’s control wavered late in the second quarter, as he tossed a pair of head-scratching interceptions to help USC close the gap to 21-20 at halftime. UCLA Coach Chip Kelly did USC one final favor before the break, calling timeout just before Trojan kicker Denis Lynch came up well short on a 49-yard attempt. Given another chance, Lynch, who had already missed two field goal attempts in the first half, connected on a new career-long.
“I shouldn’t have tried to ice the kicker,” Kelly said on his way off the field. “That’s on me.”
Though those crucial three points helped provide the winning margin, they were mostly forgotten in a blur of a fourth quarter. Williams and Thompson-Robinson traded long drive after long drive, scoring so quickly at times that it was difficult to keep up.
Williams found wide receiver Kyle Ford on a fade for a 16-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. Then, Williams guided a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Darvin Barlow touchdown run, only for Thompson-Robinson to respond by capping an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a three-yard pass to Ezeike to cut USC’s lead to three.
Thompson-Robinson finished with 309 yards on 23-38 passing, 91 rushing yards and six total touchdowns, an effort made even more impressive by the fact that he got banged up and needed to wear a protective wrap on his throwing hand.
Though USC and UCLA combined for 28 points in the explosive fourth quarter alone, the endgame was settled by a pair of rare defensive stops. With a little under three minutes remaining, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu sacked Williams for a 11-yard loss near midfield, forcing USC to punt.
On the Bruins’ final drive, Thompson-Robinson squeezes a third-down completion to Jake Bobo for 27 yards, and he seemed poised to tie the game or pull off a dramatic upset on senior night. Instead, USC linebacker Korey Foreman stepped in front of a pass near midfield for a game-sealing interception. Foreman, a highly-regarded high school recruit who had played sparingly this season, embraced Riley during the emotional postgame celebration.
“It was really cool for him,” Riley said. “You just never know when it’s going to be your moment. He was ready. He dropped back and made a great play on the ball. It wasn’t an easy play. It’s a great example of not worrying about expectations. Just keep working and good things happen.” | 2022-11-20T07:53:46Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Caleb Williams and USC catch a wave and ride it to a comeback win over UCLA - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/caleb-williams-southern-california-ucla/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/caleb-williams-southern-california-ucla/ |
The world has failed to come to an agreement to stop burning fossil fuels. After two weeks of negotiations, a draft decision at the United Nations COP27 climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, promised a compensation fund for climate change damages but fell short of a push from the US and Europe for a “phase-down” of oil, gas and coal.
In fact, it’s worse than that. Although a phase-down of coal was agreed at last year’s Glasgow conference, other fossil fuels are going to remain immune. Twenty years from now, we are still likely to see global climate meetings failing to agree to a phase-down (let alone phase-out) of fossil fuels. And that’s OK — because what matters is not the words in an international agreement, but whether our carbon emissions are falling fast enough. On that front, the prospects are far better.
There’s a simple reason why getting consensus at UN climate meetings is so hard. The verbiage released at the end of COP meetings isn’t just words, but a quasi-legal text that serves to flesh out the binding commitments of the 2015 Paris Agreement. If just one of the 193 parties to that treaty objects to the conference decision, there will be no deal to announce. That’s why campaigners, fossil-fuel lobbyists and diplomats fight so hard over every emphasis. The COP decision isn’t exactly law, but it still influences the actions of governments and companies in the real world.
The situation with oil and gas is different to the one with coal. Heavy, messy, and expensive to transport, the solid fuel is far harder to trade than petroleum. Only half-a-dozen countries are major exporters. Hardly any count it as central to their economies, the way oil is to scores of nations. That makes it far easier to negotiate reductions.
What’s changed is the remarkable rise of renewable technologies that can compete with conventional energy on cost as well as environmental grounds. That’s shifted the split in climate talks away from the old rich-poor divide, to a new one between exporters and importers of fossil fuels. The move is best exemplified by last year’s net-zero promise from India, for many years the standard-bearer of emerging economies resistant to making such commitments until they could grow rich. Wealthy nations’ agreement this year to a loss and damage facility to compensate small and poor countries for climatic disasters is another sign of the new diplomatic alliances emerging. So was the ebullience of oil exporters in resisting any phase-down language.
In working out who will win in this fight between importers and exporters, it’s worth considering the options available to each group. If you’re a major petroleum exporter, there’s no viable alternative business out there. Oil has made your country rich. (For the likes of Saudi Arabia, it’s arguably made your country a country.) It’s such a dominant trade that rival industries have withered in its shadow — the phenomenon of Dutch Disease familiar to many commodity exporters.
The situation for importers is very different. What your population wants is affordable energy and food,, along with the fruits of development it brings. For a century or so, fossil fuels have been the only way to provide that — but consumers don’t much care if their scooter is powered with oil or their air conditioner with gas, as long as it works and doesn’t cost too much.
The events of 2022 have accelerated that trend. The last time the world faced an energy crisis like this — in the early 1980s, when the Iranian revolution and Iran-Iraq war choked off oil supplies while the US Federal Reserve’s war on inflation stamped out demand — oil consumption fell by 10% over the three years through 1982, still the sharpest such decline in history.
What’s different now is that there are viable, affordable alternative energy sources out there. Renewables, rather than coal or gas, are the cheapest way of generating new power for two-thirds of the world’s population. In major car markets, new electric vehicles already cost less to own and run than their combustion-powered equivalents. Even the gas that provides feedstock for the chemicals industry faces being undercut by green hydrogen before the decade is out.
The future that is crystallizing will be profoundly disruptive to the countries that are most dependent upon fossil-fuel exports — but it’s ultimately the consumers and importers who will decide which energy sources to lean on. Economics were already driving them relentlessly toward low-carbon alternatives. The war in Ukraine, and Russia’s attempt to wield energy exports as a weapon, have added a potent dash of national security to the mix.
What the world needs isn’t strongly worded international agreements, but a decline in emissions of carbon dioxide. Initiatives like this year’s loss and damage facility can certainly tighten the alliance between rich fossil-fuel importers and poor ones. The change needed is already happening far from the conference halls of Sharm El Sheikh — and it’s going to continue, regardless of the state of diplomacy.
• How to Fund Climate Plans Amid a Currency Crisis: David Fickling
• Leave Africa’s Carbon Emissions Alone: Eduardo Porter
• How a Warming Yukon Forced Its Farmers to Adapt: Adam Minter | 2022-11-20T09:47:04Z | www.washingtonpost.com | The World Will Never Agree to Phase Out Petroleum. And That’s OK - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/the-world-will-never-agreeto-phase-out-petroleum-and-thats-ok/2022/11/20/5918059c-68ae-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/the-world-will-never-agreeto-phase-out-petroleum-and-thats-ok/2022/11/20/5918059c-68ae-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 19: Manchester City flag is seen during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Huddersfield Town at Etihad Stadium on August 19, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) (Photographer: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe)
It’s hard not to reach that conclusion after contemplating England’s imposing $1.3 billion-plus roster. It’s the richest in the competition, roughly 80 times as valuable as the home team, Qatar, at the very bottom of the pile. If England’s scoring abilities are proportional to the money its players are worth, it should dispose of Iran in the opener by 21-to-1.
But even if there’s a team out there willing to spend $166 million for the French wunderkind Kylian Mbappé — his value according to football website transfermarkt, it is probably unreasonable to expect him to score 1,600 as many goals as Australia’s Garang Kuol, even though he is worth only around $104,000.
Brazil’s Pelé, arguably still the greatest football player of all time, made his World Cup debut in Sweden in 1958 when he was only seventeen. In 1960, his team, Santos, reportedly paid him $150,000 a year — about $1.5 million in today’s money. These days that would amount to middling pay. Paris Saint-Germain pays Mbappe $110 million a year. Even aging superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are on their way out, make $100 million or more, including sponsorships. They are not 67 times as good as the Brazilian master.
This is not just about football. In 1981 the University of Chicago economist Sherwin Rosen published an article entitled “The Economics of Superstars.” Rosen argued that technological progress would allow the most sought after talent in any given occupation to serve a bigger market and reap a greater share of its revenues. It would also reduce the spoils available to the less gifted in the business.
Pelé just had a small revenue base because not that many people could watch him play. In 1958 there were about 350,000 TV sets in Brazil. The first television satellite, Telstar I, wasn’t launched until July 1962, too late for Pelé’s World Cup debut. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino predicts that 5 billion people will watch the games in Qatar. That is 66% more than the entire world population in 1960.
This pattern shows up in other sports. In 1990, the most expensive payroll in Major League Baseball — at $24 million — belonged to the Kansas City Royals. This year the New York Mets top the list at $287 million. Inequality has widened considerably. While the Royals were paying about three times as much as the White Sox, the cheapest team in the league back in the day, the Mets’ payroll is almost six times that of the Oakland A’s at the bottom.
BTS wouldn’t have happened 20 years ago. Or, rather, it would be some locally popular Korean boy band. Last year they performed at the United Nations.
In “Rockonomics: The Economics of Popular Music” the economists Alan Krueger and Marie Connolly observe that in 1982 the top 1% of artists took in 26% of concert revenue. By 2003, their share had risen to 56%. That was, by the way, a much larger share of the pie than the 16% of national income taken that year by the one-percenters at the top of the US distribution.
Hiring the “best” top executive might only marginally increase the stock value of a company. But when the market cap is $2.4 trillion, tiny gains can add up to real money. As Gabaix and Landier wrote in an earlier paper, “Substantial firm size leads to the economics of superstars, translating small differences in ability to very large deviations in pay.”
Fortunately for all the football fans out there, whether sipping their Coke in the alcohol deserts of Qatar’s stands or watching comfortably at home while sipping their lager, markets can fail and send us astray.
There are all sorts of frictions in the market for soccer players, like long-term contracts with humongous buyout penalties that require teams to evaluate a player’s talent not over a year or two but over the arc of a career.
Ronaldo’s and Messi’s price tags seem weighted by nostalgia. Maybe Mbappe isn’t worth quite $166 million, if measured in pure soccersmanship. Perhaps his life story, growing up in the banlieue, has some specific value to Parisian fans.
At some $78 million, Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez is perhaps worth 2.5 times as much as his compatriot Paulo Dybala. But so far this year he has only scored eight goals for Internazionale Milano against Dybala’s seven for Roma.
So maybe Harry Kane gets hurt, or Harry Maguire does Harry Maguire or…. Maybe the World Cup does not “come home” this time either. It won’t be England’s first disappointment. After all, the most expensive team in world football is England’s own Manchester City. How many times has it won Europe’s Champions League? Zero. | 2022-11-20T09:47:10Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Looking for the World Cup Winner? Don’t Follow the Money - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/looking-for-the-world-cup-winner-dont-follow-the-money/2022/11/20/8774091e-68b2-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/looking-for-the-world-cup-winner-dont-follow-the-money/2022/11/20/8774091e-68b2-11ed-b08c-3ce222607059_story.html |
Federal court border ruling may increase migrant buses to D.C. area, advocates say
The arrival of the buses has slowed, but advocates helping migrants build new lives are preparing for a potential increase
Alejandra Pinto, 32, center, and her husband, David Hernandez, 28, stand in the doorway of the Days Inn hotel room they share with their two children. Hotels in the Washington region have become a new home for migrants after Texas and Arizona began offering thousands of them free bus rides from the border to D.C. in the spring. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)
After slowing to a trickle in recent weeks, the arrival to the Washington region of migrants on buses from Texas and Arizona is poised to accelerate again after a federal court ruling effectively restored asylum seekers’ access to the country’s borders, local immigrant advocates say.
Additionally, more people who were bused to other cities, such as New York or Chicago, are coming to the region after finding that those areas are too expensive or too cold, said Tatiana Laborde, managing director of SAMU First Response, the nonprofit group that has helped place those migrants in temporary shelters.
During a meeting last week among organizations supporting the migrants, the consensus was: “Okay, we’ve got to get ready,'” Laborde said about the possibility of a spike in arrivals.
“We think we have a better infrastructure now,” she added, referring to a network of support — including through an Office of Migrant Services created by D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) — that has been installed since the region was initially overwhelmed by the bus programs meant to criticize Biden administration border policies.
About 11,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela or Colombia, have been dropped off in the District — either at Union Station or the National Observatory that serves as Vice President Harris’s home — after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) launched his state’s program in April. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) followed suit a few weeks later.
Most of those people have since moved on to other areas, though about 700 — many of them children — remain in local hotels and shelters, advocates say. Most are inside two hotels in D.C., while about 50 people are in a hotel in Montgomery County, local nonprofits say.
A federal judge’s order last week to vacate Title 42 — the Trump-era policy that allowed U.S. border officials to quickly expel migrants because of the covid-19 pandemic — may lead to a surge in border crossings that will, in turn, mean more buses sent to the Washington region, immigrant advocates say.
But with the order stayed through late December to allow the Biden administration time to send more resources to the border and coordinate with local governments and aid group, it’s unclear how large that surge will be.
From border town to `border town,' bused migrants seek new lives in Washington D.C.
Abbott, who was reelected this month and is a potential presidential candidate, has said he intends to keep his state’s busing program going. He has raised $400,000 in private donations to fund the effort, which has been expanded to include other cities as destinations, most recently Philadelphia.
Arizona’s incoming governor, Democrat Katie Hobbs, has said she will halt her state’s busing program, which has accounted for nearly 2,580 migrants transported to the District.
“We’re really not sure what’s going to happen,” said Sharlet Ann Wagner, director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington’s Newcomer Network, which has handled the bulk of legal assistance, school enrollment and other long-term services for the migrants staying at the three hotels.
With the order to vacate Title 42 on hold, “it’s good to have that breathing space to do some planning,” Wagner said.
Border crossings overall have gone down after the Biden administration launched a program last month to admit 24,000 Venezuelans who have a U.S. sponsor able to house them and support them financially, provided those applicants crossed legally through Panama and Mexico.
That and the fact that other cities have become destinations led to a drop in buses arriving in D.C., to a manageable three busloads of migrants per week, Laborde said.
For those who have decided to stay in the area, the challenges of settling into one of the most expensive regions in the country are just beginning.
Most were admitted into the U.S. after indicating they want to pursue asylum but do not have federal work permits during that process, which can take several years amid a backlog of cases.
That has forced them into an underground labor market already filled with immigrants, making it harder to land jobs.
“We want to work,” Betsy Marquez, who traveled from Venezuela, mostly by foot, in the late summer and is now staying in one of the hotels, said in Spanish. “They won’t let us work. Everyone asks if we have permission.”
Many of the migrants arrived in the region without identification after surrendering those documents to federal agents at the border.
Others were given immigration court appointments in different parts of the country. Still more were unaware they even had to appear in immigration court after notices meant for them were mailed to the offices of nonprofits in the region that have not had contact with those migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security said those situations have been resolved. The mailing mix-ups involved cases where the migrants had no address for a U.S. contact or a nonprofit able to help them in their destination of choice, the department said.
In those cases, Border Patrol agents filled in the addresses of nonprofits on release paperwork based on information given by the migrants.
The agents have been instructed to no longer do that and, instead, list the name of the city and state where the migrants plan to reside on the release forms if no other information is available, DHS said. The migrants are given a form to update their addresses once they reach their destinations and, in many cases, mobile devices with which they can check in with immigration authorities, the department said.
Even so, the situation has caused some fear and confusion, local attorneys said.
Julia Rigal, an attorney at Ayuda, a D.C.-based immigrant advocacy group, said her organization has been urging migrants to monitor their hearing dates online.
“If you don’t show up [to that initial hearing], the judge will issue an in absentia removal order, which, then, obviously complicates your case a lot,” she said.
Biden prepares asylum overhaul at the border but court challenges loom
Meanwhile, the migrant families at the hotels have settled into a routine. In the D.C. hotels, that includes security gates and guards restricting access to those sites by visitors.
At a Days Inn in Northeast D.C., young mothers walk outside the gates in the mornings, pushing baby strollers while ushering their older children to school.
A group of men wait outside the hotel in their donated winter coats for rides that will take them to temporary jobs they’ve landed at construction sites or in restaurants.
Each day, the families are given three meals cooked by a city contractor, according to Bowser’s office.
The free food is appreciated, though not always ideal, some of the migrants said.
“It smells rotten,” Alejandra Pinto, who arrived with her family from Venezuela during the summer, said in Spanish. “It’s not something you’d buy fresh from the store. But one can’t say anything because we don’t feel we have the right to reject it.”
Volunteer groups working with the migrants say the security perimeter at the hotels in D.C. has made it more challenging to provide extra help.
“We have to call the families individually and have them come meet us outside of the hotel grounds,” said Mariel Vallano, an organizer with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, a coalition of groups that have been greeting the migrants when they arrive.
Bowser’s office said the security includes background checks for anyone working there and a restriction against case workers meeting with the migrants inside their rooms.
Wagner, with Catholic Charities, said the security is necessary, but residents are free to come and go as they please.
“Our primary concern has to be the safety and security of the residents; it’s a vulnerable population,” she said.
With the expected increase of migrant arrivals, Laborde said her organization, which is based in D.C., is searching for a second temporary shelter close to Union Station with enough space to accept a larger amount of migrants, a quest hampered by the pricey real estate market in the surrounding Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Bowser’s declaration of the issue as a public emergency in September allowed the city to release $10 million in funds to aid the migrants, with plans to seek reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FEMA awarded SAMU First Response nearly $2 million to operate its temporary shelter in Montgomery County, which has space for 50 people at a time.
Montgomery County, which provided that space, also offers migrants help with health care, long-term housing and school enrollment.
Providing long-term support to the migrants arriving on the buses would be easier with help from other localities in the region, Laborde said. But, so far, no other jurisdiction in the region has dedicated local resources toward the effort.
Fairfax County spokesman Tony Castrilli said the county already has a program that helps refugees, including migrants, resettle in the area.
“While that does not include formally accepting buses from other parts of the country, Fairfax County is committed to treating all who make their way here with dignity and respect,” Castrilli said in a statement.
Arlington County said it is monitoring the situation to see if any extra resources are needed for migrants who end up in its community, beyond what the county offers to anyone in need of food and temporary shelter. A Prince George’s County spokesman said officials there are working with community groups that offer aid to bused migrants but did not provide details.
Pinto, whose family fled Venezuela after her husband, an ex-government soldier, disobeyed orders to roust another family, said she and other migrants understand that their path to economic stability will be long.
In a region full of immigrants, “everyone else started the same way, with a lot of hardship,” she said. “We just have to keep hoping.” | 2022-11-20T11:18:33Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Court border ruling may increase migrant buses to D.C. area, advocates say - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/20/migrant-buses-washington-texas/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/20/migrant-buses-washington-texas/ |
Naomi Morris, a psychiatric nurse for the Downtown Emergency Service Center, has spent the last decade caring for some of Seattle's most vulnerable residents. (Peter Bohler for The Washington Post)
As American cities deteriorate, a psychiatric nurse reckons with the high price of compassion
By Eli Saslow
SEATTLE — She’d been released from the psychiatric ward with advice on the best ways to limit additional trauma and stress, so Naomi Morris, 46, walked back into her nursing job carrying a notebook of reminders. “You are not Atlas,” she’d written. “The city’s suffering does not fall on your shoulders.” She paused in the hallway to do a deep-breathing exercise and then sat down in a conference room with a half-dozen of her co-workers at a nonprofit program that served people who were homeless or formerly homeless.
“So, what all did I miss?” she asked.
“Pretty much more of the same,” one of her co-workers said, as he turned on a projector screen and pulled up a complete list of their clients, 84 of the sickest and most vulnerable people in Seattle. Most of them had been chronically homeless before getting placed into subsidized apartment buildings downtown. Many suffered from severe psychiatric disorders, at least half were addicted to methamphetamine or opioids, several were homicidal and suicidal, and ever since the pandemic began altering the character of American cities, almost every one of them had been getting progressively worse.
“He assaulted his neighbor and started a fire in his room last night,” read a caseworker’s daily report about one of Naomi’s patients, as she took out a pen and began to write notes. “Delusional. Paranoid. Police and fire called to the scene.”
“Spotted walking through traffic wearing bizarre attire,” read another daily report, on her next patient. “Menacing, disheveled, open wounds to face and ear.”
“Using a bucket as a toilet,” read another.
“Lonely. Sent texts asking how to hold a gun in case she decides to shoot herself.”
For the last two and a half years, this was how Naomi and her team of caseworkers, clinicians and addiction specialists at the nonprofit Downtown Emergency Service Center had started each morning: by making a day-by-day accounting of the rising mental health crisis that had overwhelmed and transformed Seattle and so many other places in the country. Just like most major metropolitan areas, from New York to Denver to Los Angeles, the greater King County area had experienced a historic spike in homelessness, suicides, homicides and drug overdoses in the last few years, overwhelming its already under-resourced mental health systems. The average wait time for inpatient psychiatric treatment had risen to a record 44 days. The Seattle Police Department had lost 27 percent of its force in the last two years and was increasingly reluctant to intervene in any situation involving a mental health crisis because of new laws limiting use of force. The government-run crisis team that had once responded within hours to evaluate and detain people who were considered an imminent danger to themselves or to others was now backlogged by weeks or sometimes months.
“So many parts of the system are breaking down,” one King County politician had said, and that meant it was increasingly Naomi alone who responded to each of her patients’ medical emergencies, who tried to administer their monthly antipsychotic medications, who tested their drugs for deadly traces of fentanyl, who treated them for lice, who coaxed them into appropriate clothing, who counseled them through violent delusions, who was herself often threatened and sometimes assaulted, and who occasionally went to conduct routine welfare checks and found her patients dead.
And it had been Naomi again whom King County chose to represent all of its front-line health-care workers in August and September, when she stood alongside local leaders as they declared a citywide mental health emergency and proposed a $1.25 billion tax levy in part to fund five new mental health crisis centers. “We need to fix what’s broken, and I’m part of what’s broken,” she’d said from the lectern in August, and then two months later she’d taken the day off from work, sent a few goodbye messages, and tried to poison herself by overdosing on insulin. She’d spent three days in the hospital and five more in the psych ward processing all of her recent trauma, and now she’d come back to work to find out if what had happened to her and to her city over the last few years was in fact still fixable.
“Attacked his oven and other appliances last night in what he says was self-defense,” went the next daily report, and Naomi closed her eyes and counted her breaths.
“Refusing meds and making disturbing comments about children — concerning given his history.”
“Oh no. Not again,” Naomi said. She’d been visiting that patient in his downtown apartment throughout the pandemic, and when he was taking his antipsychotic medication, he could be charming and polite. But whenever he stopped taking his medication, he acted out in frightening ways around the city. He’d been arrested and briefly jailed for trespassing, use of a weapon, harassment, indecent exposure and at least a half-dozen assaults.
“I don’t want this to turn into the next major incident,” she said. “He’s really talking about kids?”
“Yeah. It’s not headed in a good direction,” her co-worker said.
“Do we have a plan?” she asked, and she looked around the table for a moment even as she realized she already knew the plan, because it was the same for every patient on her list. At least nine people were spiraling into full-fledged crisis, and she was the only nurse on her shift.
“I’ll go see what I can do to help him,” she said.
She’d spent the last decade working as a psychiatric nurse in the most destitute parts of the city because she thought every crisis could be overcome. She’d dealt with mental illness in her own family. She’d bounced through foster care systems and abusive relationships, and she’d been homeless in Seattle herself in the late 1990s before going back to school. Her life had convinced her that anyone was capable of getting better, but lately that belief was being challenged, because each time she went to see a patient she found herself preparing for the worst.
She put up her hair so nobody could yank it. She took out her earrings so they wouldn’t get pulled. She packed a bag of antipsychotic drugs and overdose-reversal medications and then drove downtown to a subsidized apartment building called the Morrison, with 200 units reserved mostly for people with severe and persistent psychiatric disorders. Outside the entrance, six people were huddled together smoking methamphetamine. A middle-aged man in the lobby was banging his head against a trash can. A woman wearing no pants stepped off the elevator, spotted Naomi, and started throwing punches at the air. “You African,” she shouted. “You filthy Nigerian.”
“Good morning, lovelies,” Naomi said, smiling and greeting each person by name. She walked deeper into the lobby and saw the patient she’d come looking for, the man who had been refusing his medication and having delusions about children. He was mumbling to himself, pacing and spooning yogurt into his mouth with his fingers. Naomi walked over and put her hand on his shoulder.
“Okay, my friend. What arm are we doing today?” she asked, hoping to catch him off guard and administer his shot of medication quickly, so there was no time for indecision or debate.
“Huh?” he asked. “Who sent you?”
“Nobody. It’s just time again for your monthly dose,” she said, as she pulled out a vial of the long-acting medication that helped to keep him stable and limit his delusions. “Right arm or left?”
He tucked his arms behind his back. “No way,” he said. “There’s bad stuff in there.”
“It’s the same medication you’ve been taking for years,” she said. “It’s been good for you.”
“You don’t understand. People are trying to kill me!” he shouted, and he slammed his yogurt into a trash can and hurried past her. Naomi put his medication back into her bag, walked into the office of the building’s clinical director and shook her head.
“No luck, huh?” Tim Clark said. He pulled up a file on his computer and showed Naomi the patient’s latest incident report, from a few days earlier: “He said, ‘Someone is poisoning me and wants me to hurt a boy. I don’t hurt children. I don’t want to. But she said that’s the only way she would stop poisoning me.’”
“He’s decompensating,” Naomi said. “It’s probably going to get worse.”
“What the hell do we do?” Clark asked. Before the pandemic, the plan would have been fairly straightforward. Whenever people became an imminent threat to themselves or to others, the staff at the Morrison would call for one of the designated crisis responders (DCRs), the only people in King County with the legal power to evaluate and then commit someone to mandatory mental health treatment. Usually, within a few days, the person in crisis would be evaluated and then probably hospitalized for weeks or often months, until they’d stabilized enough to return to the community. But now hundreds more people were in crisis all across King County, those crises were becoming ever more urgent, and the understaffed DCR teams couldn’t keep up with a record number of requests.
Their average wait time to evaluate someone exhibiting homicidal or suicidal tendencies in King County had tripled during the pandemic, to an average of 277 hours. The staff at the Morrison had been waiting two months for a crisis evaluation on a resident who often ran through the hallways naked and compulsively flooded her apartment with so much water and human waste that it ran down the hallway, into the elevator shaft, and through the ceiling in the main lobby, causing more than $60,000 in damage to the building. They’d been waiting several weeks for crisis response on a resident who kept threatening people with a pocket knife; and on another, who had spent four weeks walking around with a dislocated arm, his condition worsening as he remained too disoriented to accept treatment; and on another, who was hoarding garbage in his apartment and defecating on the floor.
It increasingly felt to Clark like many of his residents were being neglected by the system, left to suffer and unravel in any variety of horrific ways. Thirty residents had died inside the building since the beginning of the pandemic, more than four times the normal rate. Overdoses had doubled, and assaults were up.
“I hate that he keeps talking about kids,” Clark said. “I’d sleep a lot easier if he’d just take his medication. He’s capable of some pretty scary stuff.”
“We can’t force him to take it, but I’ll keep trying,” Naomi said. “I’ll come back every day. I’ll be here tomorrow.”
“But what about between now and then?” Clark asked.
“I’m going to try not to think about it,” she said.
Her therapist had told her she was suffering from post-traumatic stress and work-induced anxiety. Innocuous sounds startled her several times each day. Her hands sometimes shook involuntarily. “Clear evidence of both personal trauma and secondary trauma,” her therapist had called it. She’d suggested that Naomi consider changing jobs, but Naomi wasn’t ready to abandon her patients, so each morning she kept going into work with a list of people who required urgent care.
The next morning, she was back at the Morrison, hoping to try again with the patient who was talking about children. She knocked on his door and called out his name. “I’ve got your medicine,” she said, but he didn’t respond. She took out her notebook, put a question mark next to his name, and moved on to the next patient on her list.
It was a man lying shirtless in his apartment and compulsively rubbing his head. There was a dead mouse in his kitchen and a plate of rotting food in the microwave. “Why are you here? Did I start killing people or something?” the patient asked, genuinely confused, and then he started to cry. “No. You haven’t killed anybody,” Naomi assured him. “You’re doing just fine.” He refused to take his medication, so she picked up some of his trash and left the pills next to his bed.
Next on her list was a man who took off his shirt and kept trying to hug her as she gently pushed him away. Next was a woman who had overdosed two days earlier at a nearby public fountain. Next was a woman who refused to acknowledge that she had cancer and instead believed she was pregnant with 100 snake babies. Next were three more patients, who needed monthly antipsychotic injections, and then finally there was only one name left on her list — a patient suffering from paranoid schizophrenia who was five days overdue for his medication and had started harassing neighbors and punching walls.
“Can you come down to the lobby for your shot?” she asked him, over the phone, and to her surprise a few minutes later he was striding off the elevator, smiling at her, flashing a thumbs up. He followed her to a small room in the apartment lobby and rolled up his sleeves as he watched her prepare the shot. She showed him the label on his medication and explained all the likely side effects: drooling, vomiting, restlessness, headaches.
“I don’t like being scared,” he said.
“You’re safe,” she reassured him. “I’m here to help.”
“Just don’t poison me, okay?” he said, and as he watched her put on her gloves, he began to fidget and whisper to himself.
“Go away,” he said. “Shut up. … No, stop that.”
“Are you all right?” Naomi asked. “Do you still want to do this?”
He nodded at her and then clenched his fist and banged his thigh. “Get out of my head, idiot,” he said to himself. “Go away! ... I won’t do that. … I refuse.”
“It’s just me here,” Naomi said, gently massaging his arm, as she looked out the doorway to see if anyone else was nearby in case he became more agitated. The lobby was empty. The person who usually sat at the front desk was outside smoking a cigarette. She tried to focus on giving the injection instead of thinking of all the ways during the pandemic that patient interactions had sometimes gone horribly wrong: The 14 times in the last year when she’d been pushed, grabbed, slapped, sexually harassed or verbally assaulted. The nurse in a similar job who had recently torn tendons in her shoulder while fighting off an attempted rape in a patient’s room. The Seattle social worker who had been meeting with a mental health client in her office in 2021 when he stabbed her 12 times, killing her.
And then there was the last time Naomi had been alone with this same patient sitting across from her now, just a few months earlier, when he’d looked at her with wild eyes and started growling and saying something she couldn’t quite understand. “What was that?” she’d asked him. “Are you a martyr?” he’d said, and she was confused. “What?” she’d asked again. “Are you a martyr?” he’d screamed, and then he’d gotten out of his chair, grabbed her shoulders and ripped off her N95 mask. He’d pinned her against the wall and pressed his hands against her face, repeating something about blood and sacrifice until someone in the lobby overheard the assault and pulled him away. “Oh, Naomi. I’m so sorry,” he’d said, a few moments later, once the delusion had passed. “Please don’t call the police. I’m sick. I need to take my medicine.” She’d accepted his apology and given him the shot, because that was her job, and now she’d come back to administer his medication again.
“Try to relax your shoulder,” she told him.
“To all the Gods and all the saints, please forgive me,” he said to himself, as he nodded and stared up at the ceiling. Naomi took a deep breath and raised the needle.
“No!” he shouted. He jumped out of his chair and stared down at her. She raised her hands and backed away. “It’s me. It’s Naomi,” she said.
He banged his fist against his knee. “Someone will pay,” he said, and then he turned around and ran out of the room.
A few nights later, she sat down for tea with her newest colleague on the nonprofit team, a nurse whom she’d started calling “White Jesus.” Josh Potter arrived from Tennessee a few months earlier with long hair, a deeply religious background and a pious selflessness when it came to caring for their patients.
“How are you feeling about this crazy job?” Naomi asked him.
“We get to care for some really broken people,” he said. “It’s about total nonjudgment and seeing the value in every human life.”
“Compassion. Harm reduction,” she said, nodding, because they believed in the same things. She drank her tea and looked at him again.
“But doesn’t it make you exhausted?” she asked
He shrugged. “Some days, but it’s something I believe in. We’re making a difference.”
“That’s how I used to feel,” she said, and then she started to tell him about the ways that both the city and her perspective had begun to shift during the pandemic, after commuters, tourists and even most other social workers stopped going downtown and many of her patients were left increasingly on their own without the adequate medical care or societal guardrails to keep their illnesses in check. She’d put on a mask, suffered through three rounds of covid and continued to visit her patients each day. Her team’s goal was to help people improve and then graduate to less-intensive levels of care, but in the last three years she could only think of a half-dozen patients who had graduated. “No wins and so many brutal losses,” she said, and she told him about the 19-year-old who had been found dead inside her tent, the patient who had jumped out a seventh-story window, and the 56-year-old whom she’d discovered in his apartment a few days after his death.
She had yet to tell her all of her co-workers about what had been happening to her during those months, even as she’d started talking to a therapist about the hardships of her work. She’d taken up crochet. She’d booked a vacation to Belize. She’d rallied her co-workers to fight for better working conditions. And when none of that seemed to alleviate her anxiety, she’d moved out of Seattle to a quiet condo in the suburbs with a view of a lake, where it turned out she still couldn’t get away from her fears, her depression or her rising sense of anger and hopelessness for both her patients and herself, until one morning in early October when she decided to call in sick. She stayed on her couch and watched birds fly over the lake. She ignored a phone call from work. She took out the insulin she used to treat her diabetes and decided in that moment to give herself several times the normal dose, which made her start to feel dreamy and numb. She texted a co-worker to please take care of her cat. She texted her sister goodbye. She took another massive dose of insulin, which made her blood pressure drop as she slipped in and out of consciousness, and the next thing she remembered she was riding in the back of an ambulance with paramedics who explained that her sister had probably saved her life by calling 911.
“Sorry you ended up with a nursing partner who’s such a hot dumpster fire,” she told Josh, and his smile seemed so kind and understanding that she told him what she’d been thinking about over the last several days. The doctors in the psych ward had recommended a partial hospitalization program to help her deal with trauma, which would require her to leave work for at least a few months. Maybe she’d come back after that, or maybe she’d look for a different nursing job where she could see more evidence of healing.
“I have nothing left,” she said. “I need to go away for a while.”
“Get yourself right,” he said. “Take some time.”
“I know it’s what I need, but I’m not sure how I’m going to do it,” she said. “I’m a psychiatric nurse. That’s who I am. We have all these people suffering, and I’m just going to leave them behind?”
“You can’t help anyone by running yourself into the ground,” he said, and she nodded and then thanked him.
“I have a few things I still need to do,” she said.
Early the next morning, she drove back to the Morrison and saw an ambulance and a police car parked outside. “Oh, no,” she said. She hurried to the elevator and took it up to the room of the patient who had been having delusions about children and then knocked on his door.
“Hello? It’s Naomi,” she called out. She waited a few seconds and then knocked again. She leaned into the door to listen, and she heard the sound of shuffling feet and then footsteps coming closer in the hallway behind her. She swung around and braced herself.
“Good morning, Naomi,” said one of the building’s employees, smiling and carrying a cup of coffee.
“Oh, God. You scared me,” Naomi said. She pointed toward the apartment door. “Have you seen him? I noticed the police outside.”
“Oh, that was for someone else — a fight in the elevator,” the employee said. “But I did see him a while ago wandering around upstairs. He needs that shot bad.”
She thanked him and went upstairs to another apartment where her patient sometimes went to use heroin, and where he’d overdosed and been revived by a friend a few months earlier. The door was partway open. She called out, but nobody answered. “God, I hate this,” she said. She reached into her bag to locate her overdose-reversal medication and then peered through the door, half-expecting to find her patient on the floor. She could see four used syringes on the kitchen table and dozens of fast-food wrappers scattered across the ground. A handwritten sign had been taped to the wall: “Home of the forgetful and the forgotten.”
“Anyone here?” she asked, and she was about to step into the room when her cellphone rang. It was one of her co-workers, calling to tell Naomi about another patient who said she was being held captive in her apartment by a man who wanted to hurt her. “Is it real or a delusion?” Naomi asked, and the co-worker said she wasn’t sure. “I’ll go check,” Naomi said, but before she could hang up, the co-worker started telling her about another patient, who was running naked in a public stairwell. The woman’s landlord had notified the county’s designated crisis responders, but they said they wouldn’t be able to come for at least another week.
Naomi hung up and tried to decide which emergency to respond to first, but before she could make up her mind, she heard a door open behind her and saw the patient she’d been searching for step out into the hall. He was shaking his head erratically and mumbling to himself.
“Hey!” she said, trying her best to sound cheerful.
“Get lost,” he told her.
“I just want —”
“Get the hell away from me! I’m on a mission,” he said, as he clapped his hands and rushed by.
“I’m trying to help you,” Naomi called out, but all she could do was watch as he went out the doors and into the city. She stood alone in the hallway.
“How am I supposed to fix all of this?” she said. | 2022-11-20T11:18:58Z | www.washingtonpost.com | A Seattle psychiatric nurse reckons with the city's most vulnerable - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/11/20/king-county-seattle-homeless-pandemic-/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/11/20/king-county-seattle-homeless-pandemic-/ |
Ford Field in Detroit will host the relocated Bills-Browns game Sunday. (Paul Sancya/AP)
The Buffalo Bills play a home-away-from-home game, Jeff Saturday seeks a 2-0 start as interim coach of the Indianapolis Colts, and the Minnesota Vikings see what they can do for an encore on the Sunday of Week 11 of the NFL season.
The Bills and Cleveland Browns will play at Ford Field in Detroit at 1 p.m. Eastern time. The NFL relocated the game Thursday from Orchard Park, N.Y., because of the massive snowstorm in western New York, with accumulations being measured in feet rather than in inches.
It’s not an ideal scenario for the Bills as they attempt to end a two-game losing streak that knocked them from first place in the AFC East and led some observers to question their once widely acknowledged status as the Super Bowl favorite. Quarterback Josh Allen has thrown six interceptions over the past three games and has been dealing with an elbow injury.
It will be an interesting scene for a rare neutral-site NFL game within the United States; Bills fans usually travel well but face weather-related obstacles in the Buffalo area if they want to get to this game. The Bills canceled their practice Friday and met virtually. The Browns traveled by bus from Cleveland to Detroit for their second-to-last game without suspended quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The Colts host the Philadelphia Eagles in another early-afternoon game as Saturday coaches his first game in Indianapolis. He never had coached above the high school level when Colts owner Jim Irsay hired him to replace the fired Frank Reich.
Expectations were decidedly low, at least outside the organization. But the Saturday-led Colts, after a last-minute starting-quarterback switch to Matt Ryan, began with a road triumph last Sunday over the Las Vegas Raiders. The competition is far more formidable this time: an Eagles team coming off its first loss of the season following an 8-0 beginning.
The Washington Commanders used their running game to control the clock in their victory Monday night over the Eagles in Philadelphia. The Eagles gave a sloppy performance. The offense had four turnovers. The defense allowed a dozen third-down conversations. Veteran defender Brandon Graham committed a silly penalty at game’s end to seal the defeat. As the Eagles seek a rebound, they probably will have to demonstrate they can slow down Colts tailback Jonathan Taylor.
The Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys in a late-afternoon game in Minneapolis, trying to improve their record to 9-1. They’re suddenly on even footing with the Eagles in the race for the top seed in the NFC playoff field and the first-round bye that comes with it.
They beat the Bills in Orchard Park last Sunday in the most compelling game of the NFL season thus far. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson provided a memorably great catch on a key fourth-down play. The Vikings took the lead late in regulation with a touchdown on a fumbled snap by the Bills on a quarterback sneak to try to move the ball away from their own goal line. The Bills forced overtime with a quick rush down the field for a field goal, but the Vikings prevailed in the extra session.
Now they host another NFC contender, the Cowboys. The Vikings can take another meaningful step toward showing that they can be trusted to be considered a true upper-tier team and a viable Super Bowl contender. | 2022-11-20T11:19:16Z | www.washingtonpost.com | NFL Week 11: Bills-Browns in Detroit, Jeff Saturday goes for 2-0 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/nfl-bills-browns-colts-vikings/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/nfl-bills-browns-colts-vikings/ |
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) delivers remarks on the House floor on Thursday, during which she said she would not seek reelection to House leadership. (Elizabeth Frantz for The Washington Post)
It’s a shame that Kevin McCarthy skipped Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 15-minute speech on Thursday announcing she was stepping down as the House’s Democratic leader. For the California Republican who hopes to be speaker himself, it was an ungracious act, of course, but also something worse.
Ignoring Pelosi was a big mistake, because McCarthy has a lot to learn about what made her consequential. So do the Democratic leaders who will follow her.
There was no shortage of thoughtful tributes to Pelosi that made much of her many legislative and political skills. The list is long: staying on top of the needs of her members, understanding their districts, demonstrating consistent adeptness at counting votes, knowing how to persuade and cajole, being very shrewd about which fights to pick, and when to pick them.
Americans got a rare inside look at her coolness under pressure in the videos of her response while the Capitol was under attack last year. And in a nation that has been shamefully slow in lifting a woman to the highest office in the land, her shattering of gender barriers and stereotypes is a blessing and a hope.
But the most important lesson she has to teach is one that our politics could use most of all. She did not succeed merely because she was proficient at politics and legislating. She made a difference because she had an overarching purpose.
The daughter of a New Dealer who lived through every iteration of modern American liberalism — its low points as well as its triumphs — Pelosi always knew where she wanted the country to go and which reforms were necessary to getting there. Her advice to women is good advice to men in politics, too: “Know your why.” She knew why she was there.
Pelosi-ism, if we can call it that, comes down to this: If you don’t have principles that define what you’re fighting for, there’s no point to being in politics. But if you’re impractical, you won’t achieve your objectives. You’ll lose.
The idea that it’s a false choice to insist a politician can be either principled or practical but not both was driven home for me during an interview with the writer Jonathan Cohn, author of “The Ten Year War,” the definitive account of the passage and survival of the Affordable Care Act. Cohn did not discount the roles of President Barack Obama or Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid in passing what we call Obamacare. But he told me flatly: “Without Pelosi, there is no Affordable Care Act.”
Her indispensable role was to insist that Democrats press on even after they lost their 60th vote in the Senate after the unexpected victory of Republican Scott Brown in the January 2010 special election in Massachusetts. Many of her House colleagues and some key figures in the Obama White House wanted to back off the major reform effort and instead pass a token bill — one Pelosi derided, as Cohn reported in his book, as the “eensy weensy spider teeny-tiny” bill.
She would have none of that. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), then a House member, told Cohn about a caucus meeting on the choice the party faced. “I just felt like the momentum was heading in the direction of surrender,” Murphy recalled. “Pelosi just did not allow it to happen. By sheer will, she turned that room around.”
Ultimately, her much-touted legislative skills allowed Pelosi and Reid (no slouch on these matters himself) to create the complicated process that got Obamacare on the books without 60 Senate votes. But there would have been no path at all if Pelosi had not held the line and bucked up the will of her colleagues.
Pelosi’s marriage of liberal vision and programmatic pragmatism creates the odd spectacle of progressives criticizing her as too willing to compromise even as conservatives denounce her as some wild-eyed leftist. The truth is that she is neither a sellout nor an inflexible ideologue. She is an updated version of the New Dealer her parents raised her to be, someone who tried to make as much progress as she thought the political traffic could bear.
As Cohn summarized Pelosi’s approach, “The best you can do is good. The best you can do is worth doing.”
None of this means that progressives should stop pushing for bigger and better. And, yes, sometimes, pragmatic compromises give up more than is necessary. But progress is still better than glorious defeat. The lesson for centrists is that you can’t achieve historic change by beating unnecessarily hasty retreats and evading necessary fights.
As for McCarthy, he can still watch Pelosi’s speech in the quiet of his office. While he does, he might ask himself whether his own “why” involves more than being remembered as the guy who organized a whole lot of Hunter Biden hearings. | 2022-11-20T12:19:35Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Why Kevin McCarthy should still watch Nancy Pelosi’s goodbye - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/nancy-pelosi-lessons-advice-kevin-mccarthy/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/nancy-pelosi-lessons-advice-kevin-mccarthy/ |
Top law schools bow out of U.S. News rankings. What’s the thinking?
A building at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass., on Dec. 5, 2019. (Steven Senne/AP)
In 1983, a weekly newsmagazine called U.S. News & World Report launched an annual ranking of colleges, planting the seed of what became a revolutionary change to the magazine’s business model — and eventually, to that of higher education. The magazine’s rankings of colleges, law and business schools, hospitals and so forth are now well into their fourth decade; they have outlived the print edition of U.S. News itself. And though critics frequently complained that the rankings were silly — how does it make sense to “rank” Amherst against West Point, or an evangelical Christian college like Wheaton? — schools vied to improve their position on the merciless ordinal list.
To improve their “selectivity” score, schools sought more applications, for example by upgrading campus facilities and casting wider recruiting nets. Scholarship money and tuition discounts were strategically deployed to boost the average test scores and GPAs of incoming students. Law schools and business schools sometimes hired their own graduates into temporary positions, raising suspicions that they wanted to raise their performance on job-placement metrics. None of which, you will notice, had anything to do with improving the quality of the education. Indeed it arguably made education worse, diverting resources from teaching into pointless, zero-sum competition.
So perhaps we should cheer the news that three major law schools are pulling out of the rankings. On Wednesday, No. 1-ranked Yale Law School announced it would no longer provide U.S. News access to the proprietary data which helps the service rank schools. Harvard (tied for No. 4) quickly signaled that it, too, would be withdrawing from the process. The following day, the ninth-ranked University of California at Berkeley joined the exodus. It’s plausible that a lot of other top law schools will follow.
But perhaps we should also ask why the schools are doing this and what effects their withdrawal are likely to have.
The schools cite only the highest motives. The statement from Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken proclaims that “U.S. News rankings are profoundly flawed — they disincentivize programs that support public interest careers, champion need-based aid, and welcome working-class students into the profession.” Harvard Law School echoes her complaints, saying the rankings “work against law schools’ commitments to enhancing the socioeconomic diversity of our classes; to allocating financial aid to students based on need; and, through loan repayment and public interest fellowships, to supporting graduates interested in careers serving the public interest.”
Yet it’s impossible not to notice the timing. Yale has recently suffered some reputational damage over its hostility to conservatives, leading some to wonder whether the school was pulling out to avoid the embarrassment of losing its No. 1 slot. This also comes right after the Supreme Court signaled that it is preparing to disallow affirmative action programs in higher education. One way to keep from being held accountable for discriminating against Asian students, or in favor of underrepresented minorities, is to down-weight or eliminate objective metrics such as test scores in favor of harder-to-compare criteria such as essays, interviews and recommendations. Since doing so would cause the schools to suffer in the U.S. News rankings, perhaps they’re preemptively taking their ball and going home.
Whether you think that’s a good or a bad thing is apt to depend on your feelings about conservatives as well as affirmative action. But even if you support the schools withdrawing from the rankings on either point, there are a couple of caveats worth considering.
The first is that the alternative to rankings is not some ideal world where every prospective student does deep, holistic research on every school they’re applying to, carefully weighing job placement prospects, cultural fit, faculty research profiles and so forth. The alternative is people going by the relative prestige of the school name, plus recruiting materials that might not (probably won’t?) give students anything like the full story.
That is all very well for Harvard and Yale, which have two of the best brand names in higher education. They can afford to drop some slots, even to get fewer applications, as they might well do when U.S. News starts guessing. They’ll still have a steady stream of wealthy, connected applicants who understand full well the value of their degrees.
As this suggests, it’s also fine for the highly educated children of the highly educated professionals who like to complain about rankings. I myself barely even looked at U.S. News when I applied to business school 20 years ago, because I grew up in New York City and knew a bunch of people who could tell me what various schools were like and how employers viewed their graduates.
But without the rankings, students who don’t have that kind of access would probably apply to Yale’s business school rather than my alma mater, the University of Chicago, since Yale is in general a more prestigious name — but unfortunately, that’s not true of its business school, which U.S. News rankings convey. More broadly, many aspiring MBAs would be utterly lost trying to assess the potential value of a specific degree (outside a handful of names that everyone knows) without the magazine’s didactic list.
U.S. News has provided value to those people, and it’s not going to stop just because Yale and Harvard and Berkeley law refused to cooperate. All that will happen is that the rankings will become less accurate — and less helpful to the very people from outside the current elites that these schools say they most want to recruit. | 2022-11-20T12:19:41Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Top law schools bow out of U.S. News rankings. What’s the thinking? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/us-news-law-school-rankings-withdraw/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/us-news-law-school-rankings-withdraw/ |
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry delivers a statement at the U.N. Climate Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday. (Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — The final decision of the U.N. Climate Conference on Sunday yielded a breakthrough in addressing the hazards already ravaging the planet but made little progress on emissions-cutting measures that could avert even worse disasters to come.
It was a double-edged outcome to negotiations that at times seemed on the brink of failure, as many wealthy nations argued for deeper, faster climate action and poorer countries said they first needed help dealing with the consequences of warming fueled mostly by the industrialized world.
Even as diplomats and activists applauded the creation of a fund to support vulnerable countries after disasters, many worried that nations’ reluctance to adopt more ambitious climate plans had left the planet on a dangerous warming path.
“Too many parties are not ready to make more progress today in the fight against the climate crisis,” European Union climate chief Frans Timmermans told weary negotiators Sunday morning. “What we have in front of us is not enough of a step forward for people and planet.”
The equivocal agreement, reached after a year of record-setting climate disasters and weeks of fraught negotiations in Egypt, underscores the challenge of getting the whole world to agree on rapid climate action when many powerful countries and organizations remain invested in the current energy system.
Rob Jackson, a climate scientist at Stanford University and chair of the Global Carbon Project, said it’s inevitable the world will surpass what scientists consider a safe warming threshold. The only questions are by how much and how many people will suffer as a result?
“It isn’t just COP27, it’s the lack of action at all the other COPs since the Paris accord,” Jackson said. “We’ve been bleeding for years now.”
He blamed entrenched interests, as well as political leaders and general human apathy, for delaying action toward the most ambitious goal set in Paris in 2015 of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels.
An analysis by the advocacy group Global Witness showed a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists among attendees at this year’s conference. Multiple world leaders, including this year’s Egyptian COP hosts, held events with industry representatives and spoke about natural gas as a “transition fuel” that could ease the shift to renewable energy. Though burning gas produces fewer emissions than burning coal, the production and transportation process can lead to leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
In closed-door consultations, diplomats from Saudi Arabia and other oil- and gas-producing countries pushed back against proposals that would allow for nations to set new and more frequent emissions-cutting targets and call for a phaseout of all polluting fossil fuels, according to multiple people with knowledge of the negotiations.
“We went into the mitigation workshop, and it was five hours of trench warfare,” said New Zealand Climate Minister James Shaw, referring to discussions over a program designed to help countries meet their climate pledges and curb emissions across economic sectors. “It was hard work just to hold the line.”
Humanity’s current climate efforts are wildly insufficient to avoid catastrophic climate change. A study published midway through the COP27 negotiations found that few nations have followed through on a requirement from last year’s conference to boost their emissions-cutting pledges, and the world is on the precipice of warming well beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius — crossing a threshold that scientists say will lead to collapse of ecosystems, escalating extreme weather and widespread hunger and disease.
Sunday’s deal also fails to reflect the scientific reality, described by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this year, that the world must rapidly reduce its dependence on coal, oil and gas. Though an unprecedented number of countries — including India, the United States and the European Union — called for language on the need to phase out all polluting fossil fuels, the overarching decision only reiterated last year’s pact in Glasgow on the need for a “phase-down of unabated coal power.”
“It’s a consensus process,” said Shaw, whose country also backed the fossil fuel phaseout language. “If there’s a group of countries who are like, we will not stand for that, it’s very hard to get it done.”
Yet the historic agreement on a fund for irreversible climate harms — known in U.N. parlance as “loss and damage” — also showed how the COP process can empower the world’s smallest and most vulnerable countries.
Many observers believed the United States and other industrialized nations would never make such a financial commitment out of fear of liability for the trillions of dollars in damage that climate change will cause.
But after catastrophic floods left half of Pakistan underwater this year, the country’s diplomats led a negotiating block of more than 130 developing nations in demanding that “funding arrangements for loss and damage” be added to the meeting agenda.
“If there is any sense of morality and equity in international affairs … then there should be solidarity with the people of Pakistan and the people who are affected by the climate crisis,” Pakistani negotiator Munir Akram said in the early days of the conference. “This is a matter of climate justice.”
Resistance from wealthy countries began to soften as developing country leaders made clear they would not leave without a loss-and-damage fund. As talks stretched into overtime on Saturday, diplomats from small island states met with European Union negotiators to broker the deal that nations ultimately agreed on.
Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, said the success of that effort gave her optimism that countries could also do more to prevent future warming — something that’s necessary to keep her tiny Pacific nation from vanishing into rising seas.
“We’ve shown with the loss-and-damage fund that we can do the impossible,” she said, “so we know we can come back next year and get rid of fossil fuels once and for all.”
And Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy for Climate Action Network International, saw another benefit of requiring payment for climate harms: “COP27 has sent a warning shot to polluters that they can no longer go scot free with their climate destruction,” he said. | 2022-11-20T12:50:05Z | www.washingtonpost.com | COP27 deal does little to avert future climate change disasters - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/11/20/cop27-climate-conference-deal-fund/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/11/20/cop27-climate-conference-deal-fund/ |
Emergency room staff work Nov. 1 at Providence St. Joseph Hospital Orange in California. Orange County officials declared a health emergency because of a wave of respiratory illnesses. (Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images)
When Christina Anderson’s mother started having chest pains in October, they rushed to the nearest emergency room in their hometown of Ottumwa, Iowa. Because of her mother’s ovarian cancer diagnosis, Anderson assumed they would be seen within a reasonable time. Instead, their trip became a nine-hour odyssey.
“When we first walked in, it was packed and unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Anderson said. “I saw people laying across the chairs; some slumped over who had been there for hours before we arrived, and some even got frustrated and left because they couldn’t wait anymore.”
Anderson’s story is not an isolated episode. Patients nationwide are facing similar experiences.
Hospitals across the United States are overwhelmed. The combination of a swarm of respiratory illnesses (RSV, coronavirus, flu), staffing shortages and nursing home closures has sparked the state of distress visited upon the already overburdened health-care system. And experts believe the problem will deteriorate further in coming months.
“This is not just an issue. This is a crisis,” said Anne Klibanski, president and CEO of Mass General Brigham in Boston. “We are caring for patients in the hallways of our emergency departments. There is a huge capacity crisis, and it’s becoming more and more impossible to take care of patients correctly and provide the best care that we all need to be providing.”
Along with a shortage of beds, Klibanski said her hospital system is extremely short-staffed. The fast-paced and anxiety-inducing environment of an emergency room is a deterrent for many health-care workers.
“Many people don’t want to work in hospitals,” Klibanski said. “There are other [less stressful] settings where they can work.”
The staffing shortages extend beyond physicians and nurses, and include technicians, respiratory therapists and other hard-to-fill jobs, Klibanski said.
More than half a million people in the health care and social services sectors quit their positions in September — evidence, in part, of burnout associated with the coronavirus pandemic — and the American Medical Association says 1 in 5 doctors plan on leaving the field within two years.
The shortages have hit the health-care system like a tsunami, according to Thomas Balcezak, chief medical officer at Yale New Haven Health Hospital. He said physicians, nurses and support staff have experienced a shift in how the public treats them compared with 2020.
“When covid first hit, there would be all of these parades past our hospital where people would call health-care workers heroes,” Balcezak said. “Now, we’re seeing nurses who show up in scrubs try to sign up for apartments being turned down because [management companies] don’t want people living there who work in health care.”
According to the American Hospital Association, 44 percent of nurses reported physical violence, and 68 percent said they experienced verbal abuse since the pandemic began.
In October, two health-care workers were shot dead at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Groups such as the Texas Nurses Association say hospitals remain among the most dangerous place to work.
“I’ve seen nurses and physicians be the victims of both physical and verbal violence,” Kang said. “It shouldn’t be a surprise when they leave a field where they are no longer respected.”
And the workload is daunting: Kang has witnessed physicians having to evaluate patients in waiting rooms in the emergency ward. Patients who need to be admitted will sometimes be forced to linger in the ER because of insufficient nursing staff to move them to the inpatient floors.
“It’s unfortunate because it’s an uncomfortable situation in terms of privacy as well as perception,” Kang said.
Some hospitals have set up overflow tents and activated transfer agreements with nearby facilities to manage the surge in patients.
In the Northeast, Boston Children’s Hospital announced in November it would postpone elective surgeries.
In October, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, which was running at capacity, reopened covid triage tents that were initially used to manage the Baltimore hospital’s overflow at the height of the pandemic.
In November, Colorado hospitals activated transfer protocols to help manage the overflow. The Colorado Hospital Association said the activation was because of “flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases, which are challenging hospital capacity, especially for the pediatric population.”
Data shows that overcrowding in hospitals leads to worse health outcomes. An analysis published in the Journal of Patient Safety found that longer waiting times in the emergency room were associated with a greater chance of medical errors.
But unlike pediatric hospitals, where capacity issues stem from an explosion of RSV cases and other childhood respiratory illnesses, older patients and those requiring long-term care face a different problem: They do not have any place to go once they have been discharged.
“Many patients will come into the hospital from a nursing home for care of some sort, and then when it’s time to discharge them, they can’t go back because there isn’t a bed available,” said Kathleen Parrinello, chief operating officer at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. “And then we can’t get patients into our emergency department because our beds are filled with more nursing home patients than we’ve ever had.”
The hospital bottleneck is only going to get worse. During the pandemic, 327 nursing homes were shut down nationwide, causing 12,775 residents to be displaced, and more were projected to close this year.
Parrinello said nursing home bed availability in her region has gone from 4,500 to 3,000 because of facility closures. But most of the capacity issues can be attributed to existing nursing homes not being able to manage their capacity. “They don’t have the staff to keep the beds open and take in those patients,” Parrinello said.
Out of the roughly 1 million hospital beds in the United States, more than 700,000 are registered with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Seventy-eight percent of hospital beds registered with CMS are filled with patients, and 4 percent of those are filled with covid patients, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
And the number of occupied beds is expected to increase as the United States heads into the late fall and winter as coronavirus season collides with an earlier onset of flu cases.
Influenza cases continue to rise, with the latest data from the CDC finding that there have been 23,000 hospitalizations and 1,300 deaths from flu so far this season.
Nearly 146 million doses of flu vaccine have been administered. And 31 million people ages 5 and up have received the updated coronavirus booster vaccine. But vaccines are not enough alone to fix the crumbling emergency room infrastructure.
In November, the American College of Emergency Physicians and 35 other health-care associations sent a letter to President Biden urging the administration to address ER staffing shortages and burnout. “Shift work, scheduling, risk of exposure to infectious-disease, and violence in the emergency department can all affect the mental health and well-being of the physicians and nurses,” they wrote.
Many of these long-standing issues were exacerbated by the pandemic, and the assumption was when the coronavirus surges subsided, things would return to normal. But Klibanski, of Mass General Brigham, said “there is no more normal.”
“Everything has changed, and now all those issues at the forefront are only getting more exacerbated over time,” Klibanski said. | 2022-11-20T12:50:17Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Hospitals hitting capacity from RSV, flu, covid and staffing shortages - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/11/20/hospital-capacity-rsv-flu-covid/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/11/20/hospital-capacity-rsv-flu-covid/ |
When the World Cup trophy was stolen — and found by a dog named Pickles
By Theo Zenou
The Jules Rimet Cup is shown to journalists by two Scotland Yard police officers in 1966 after it was found by Pickles the dog in London. (AFP/Getty Images)
Not even the “Ocean’s Eleven” crew could have pulled it off. The breathtaking heist went down on March 20, 1966, in London. The target was the World Cup.
England would be hosting the soccer tournament that summer. Despite being the birthplace of the beautiful game, the nation had never actually won the cup. Fifty-four-million English people hoped the losing streak would end on home soil. So four months before kickoff, amid a storm of hype, the World Cup trophy was put on display at Central Hall Westminster, an events venue in the heart of London, as the showpiece of a stamp exhibition.
Named after Jules Rimet, who had launched the World Cup, the trophy was a marvel. “It’s a work of art and an object of great historical significance,” said Simon Kuper, a soccer expert and the co-author of “Soccernomics.” Designed in 1929 by sculptor Abel Lafleur and made of gold-plated silver and lapis lazuli, it depicted the ancient Greek goddess of victory, Nike.
But then someone nicked Nike. Only a day after the start of the exhibition, the trophy vanished. Guards were clueless as to how it could have happened. “Nothing at all went wrong with our security,” said one, “the cup just got stolen.”
How the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa made it the world’s most famous painting
The news traveled around the world, and England became an international laughingstock. A sports official from Brazil, which had won the World Cup twice, called the theft “a sacrilege that would never have been committed in Brazil” because Brazilian gangsters venerated soccer.
Scotland Yard put its best detectives on the case. Their strategy to get the trophy back: “Well, we’re hoping. Either that it’s returned, or that we find out where it is.”
To be fair, the investigators had little to go on. Their sole lead was that “a suspicious-looking man” had been seen exiting the hall minutes before the cup’s absence was noticed. He was described as “early 30s, of average height with thin lips, greased black hair and a possible scar on his face.”
On March 21, Joe Mears, the chairman of the Football Association (FA), soccer’s governing body in England, received a package, according to historian Martin Atherton. Inside was the “removable lining from the top of the trophy” and a ransom note for £15,000. It was signed by a man calling himself “Jackson.” If Mears got the cops involved or talked to journalists, Jackson threatened, he would melt the cup.
Mears called Jackson to set up the swap. But he double-crossed the thief and informed Scotland Yard, which put together a briefcase of fake bills and promised to have undercover agents by his side.
At the last minute, Mears got an angina attack and couldn’t leave bed. It was therefore agreed with Jackson that Mears’s assistant, McPhee, would meet him instead. McPhee was actually a cop.
A vaccine heist in 1959 set off a frantic search to recover the serum before it spoiled
Jackson showed up alone at the swap. He looked nothing like the man seen at the scene of the crime. McPhee opened the suitcase and flashed him the money, which appeared real. Jackson explained he didn’t have the trophy with him, telling McPhee, “You will have to trust me and come with me for about a 10 minute drive, where I can pick up the cup.”
The two men left in McPhee’s car. The undercover cop was driving, and Jackson, looking in the rearview mirror, spotted “a funny old van” tailing them. Suspecting it was the police, he threw himself out of the moving car. A high-octane chase ensued. McPhee ended up arresting Jackson.
Jackson’s real name was Edward Betchley. He had a rap sheet as a petty thief but pleaded his innocence. “I didn’t steal the cup,” he insisted, explaining he’d been “offered £500 to act up as an intermediary” by someone called the Pole.
Scotland Yard was at a loss. Meanwhile, the FA, afraid the trophy would never be recovered, had a replica secretly made.
On March 27, a man named David Corbett took his dog Pickles for a walk in South London. Pickles was playing around on the ground when Corbett noticed “this package laying there, wrapped just in newspaper.” It was the World Cup.
The trophy went back to the FA, which promised to lock it up. Meanwhile, Pickles became an international sensation.
Brandi Chastain’s sports bra changed women’s soccer — and women’s history
England may have had a disastrous start to the World Cup, but it got a fairy tale ending. It ended up winning the tournament, its one (and so far) only victory. After the game, Queen Elizabeth II handed the trophy to English captain Bobby Moore.
No one was ever arrested for the theft. The mystery persisted for decades, until a well-connected reporter got a startling tip.
“One day in 2017,” said Tom Pettifor, the crime editor at the British tabloid the Mirror, “a contact of mine mentioned that they knew who had stolen” the World Cup.
The contact gave two clues: The culprit’s name was “Sidney Kew,” and he hailed from the “Walworth Road area” in South London, which Pettifor knew “was a tough, tough area” back then.
Pettifor set out to track Kew down. The investigation is recounted in his podcast “Stealing Victory” and in the documentary “1966: Who Stole the World Cup?” which aired this month on Channel 4 in Britain.
Pettifor pored over the police files from 1966 and realized that Betchley “had been arrested very close to the Walworth area.” He thought, “there’s something to this tip-off.”
Eventually Pettifor identified Sidney Kew. His full name was Sidney Cugullere.
Cugullere, Pettifor learned, grew up poor in London. He became a robber and was “jailed for most of his adult life.” Cugullere also fit the description of the man who had been seen leaving the exhibition after the heist.
Pettifor got in touch with Cugullere’s nephew, Gary, who confirmed “that his uncle had stolen the World Cup.” Gary also revealed Cugullere had died a few years earlier. At his funeral, the wreaths were made to resemble the World Cup trophy. The mystery of the trophy heist, it turned out, wasn’t a mystery to the culprit’s friends and family.
No need to wait for it: Stolen Alexander Hamilton letter now on display
Pettifor found out Cugullere had not intended to steal the trophy. “I’ve been told by people that knew Cugullere that he said he’d gone to Central Hall to case the stamps,” Pettifor said, adding that “the theft of stamps was a big thing in the 60s.”
The exhibition was closed for the day, but Cugullere found a way inside. He realized the trophy was easier to steal since “it was by itself.” The guards meant to protect it “were sitting in an annex having a cup of tea.” So Cugullere grabbed the trophy, hid it under his jacket and walked out.
But the toughest challenge lay ahead. As Pettifor put it: “Thieves say normally you don’t steal something unless you have someone to sell it to first.” Cugullere had no buyers. His attempt to blackmail the FA ended in disaster. His friend Betchley was arrested and charged with theft and extortion. “At the time,” Pettifor explained, “you could get a life sentence for [that].”
Yet Betchley went to jail for only two years, leading some to speculate that Cugullere might have struck a deal with the police. All we know is that, out of nowhere, Pickles found the cup a few days later.
But that was not the end of the story. The trophy was stolen again in 1983 in Brazil. As it turned out, not even Brazilian thieves could resist its lure. After the Seleção had won its third World Cup in 1970, the country was permanently given the trophy, which it kept in the offices of its Football Confederation.
After the robbery, Brazilian police concluded the cup had been melted into gold bars. But Kuper, who has reported on the case for the Financial Times, said it wouldn’t make sense to melt down a trophy that’s just plated in gold. “The value of the trophy is not the metal but the significance,” he said.
Kuper believes the cup was sold to a “crooked collector” sometime in the 1980s. “I think it’s quite a likely outcome that the Jules Rimet [trophy] is in somebody’s cupboard,” he said, “and they don’t want to talk about it because they got it through criminality.”
More on sports history
A century before Zimmerman, Walter Johnson transformed D.C. baseball
Millennia before UFC, there was the brutal Olympic sport of pankration
The modern NFL didn’t have a Black head coach until 1989. Here’s his story. | 2022-11-20T12:50:23Z | www.washingtonpost.com | When the World Cup trophy was stolen—and found by a dog named Pickles - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/11/20/world-cup-trophy-heist-pickles/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/11/20/world-cup-trophy-heist-pickles/ |
Investigations into FIFA’s actions reveal the global soccer organization has a long history of bribery and money-laundering. Will that change?
Analysis by Dan Hough
A fan poses for photos on the Corniche next to the Qatar 2022 logo ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Doha. (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The FIFA World Cup gets underway this week. Normally, the pretournament talk would have focused around which soccer players are set to catch the global imagination and which country’s team will earn the much coveted mantle of world champion.
Not this time. Much of the discussion has centered instead on the host nation, Qatar, and whether it should have been selected for the privilege of putting on the most watched sporting event on earth. Qatar is by far the smallest country ever to host the World Cup — and many critics have denounced the country’s treatment of migrant workers, its attitude to same-sex relationships and what looks like a brazen attempt to launder its image via “the beautiful game.”
Many of those criticisms may be merited, as other articles discuss. But one popular charge — corruption — is more complicated. Whatever Qatar did or did not do to secure the right to host the World Cup, any charges of corruption also implicate FIFA — the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, soccer’s global governing body.
The Qataris followed FIFA rules and the logic behind those rules. Qataris looking to win the right to host the 2022 World Cup played the game in much the same way that the Russians (2018), Brazilians (2014), South Africans (2010) and Germans (2006) appear to have done in the past.
What is corruption, exactly?
As my research shows, pinpointing where corruption begins and ends — or even what it actually means — is surprisingly difficult. There was a time when the likes of Aristotle argued that corruption was all behavior that wasn’t virtuous. But in recent years the focus has moved away from the moral discussion toward the broadly transactional. Not all corruption analysts are happy with this perspective, but it’s become the generally accepted way of unpacking the term.
Scholars now see corruption as a process with a number of constituent parts.
First, corruption is deliberate. No person is accidentally corrupt. Corruption is not an act of mismanagement or an accident. It happens as people want it to happen.
Second, corruption involves some sort of abusive behavior. To pin down where “abuse” begins and ends, we must know what the rules of engagement are. Without knowing what a given job specification says, for instance, we can’t be sure that someone has gone beyond that in making decisions.
Third, corruption involves entrusted power. That power can come via the ballot box (politicians) or it can come via appointment (bureaucrats and administrators).
And last, there has to be some sort of private gain. Corruption involves an output — be it money, reputation or services rendered — that would not otherwise have been forthcoming.
So, was the Qatari bid corrupt?
Following FIFA’s December 2010 decision, critics voiced widespread feelings of discontent about how Qatar had won its bid to stage the 2022 World Cup. Two distinct external investigations subsequently took place. Swiss prosecutors looked specifically at money laundering in conjunction with decisions to award the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar.
The other, much broader investigation by the U.S. Justice Department looked into claims made to enforcement agents by Chuck Blazer, a member of FIFA’s governing council for nearly two decades. The claims centered around accusations of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering by people in and around FIFA. The DOJ’s investigation also made a point of going beyond the Qatar vote to look at corruption claims going back decades.
The conclusions by U.S. authorities were eye-catching. The Justice Department prosecuted more than 50 individual and corporate defendants in and around FIFA; 27 people (and four corporations) pleaded guilty to various bribery and money-laundering charges. Many of the investigations remain underway. As the Justice Department noted in June, a number of banks and other entities also signed deferred prosecution or non-prosecution agreements, acknowledging their roles in facilitating this conduct.
FIFA, meanwhile, was quick to portray itself as the victim in all this. The global sports body argued, and the Justice Department ultimately agreed, that it was a bystander that a range of individuals and entities used to achieve their own (often corrupt) aims. When the department seized over $201 million from the accounts of former FIFA officials involved in bribery, money laundering and kickback schemes, the U.S. government subsequently gave that money back to FIFA as compensation. FIFA put that money into a new fund with the aim of boosting the organization’s broader work in the community and helping to promote women’s and girls’ soccer.
Does FIFA still have a problem?
If the definitions outlined above are a starting point, then the investigations that have been conducted into the behavior of top FIFA representatives over the past two decades suggest the organization has struggled with significant corruption issues.
Professors: Check out all TMC’s coverage in our expanded topic guides
Further, following criticisms about how the 2018 and 2022 World Cup host venues were awarded, FIFA attempted to revise the way it governed itself. An Independent Governance Committee would oversee this and make final recommendations to FIFA’s Executive Committee. The aim was to help avoid corruption scandals in the future.
Those changes were meant to center on injecting more transparency and accountability into how FIFA works. Law professor Mark Pieth, one of the architects of the policy changes, pulled no punches as to how successful they have been, claiming that the supposed modernization under current FIFA head Gianni Infantino has “plunged it into the Dark Ages of [former FIFA president Sepp] Blatter.” As Pieth notes, “they’re simply not up to regulating themselves.” Yet, this is exactly where FIFA is now.
People have asked legitimate and important questions about Qatar’s fitness to hold the tournament.
When it comes to allegations about corruption, however, it really is not the Qataris who have the case to answer. That’s where FIFA has some explaining to do.
Dan Hough is professor of politics at the Center for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex. He is the author of “Analysing Corruption” (Columbia University Press, 2017) and regularly tweets from @thedanhough. | 2022-11-20T12:50:29Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Is FIFA still corrupt? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/20/fifa-qatar-world-cup-corruption/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/20/fifa-qatar-world-cup-corruption/ |
Often, people with this condition mistakenly assume they have arthritis or tendinitis, or don’t notice a problem until their fingers start to bend
Dupuytren's contracture is a disease that affects the tendons in the hands, starting with lumps underneath the skin that can age into sinewy cords that pull the fingers into a curve. (BSIP/UIG/Getty Images)
Fifteen years ago, Jack Schultz first noticed several of his fingers curling inward toward his palm. Schultz, 75, of Columbia Station, Ohio, a retired manager of a plastics company, was perplexed. “What is this?” he recalls asking his doctor. “And can you fix it?”
The doctor knew what it was: Dupuytren’s disease (also known as Dupuytren’s contracture), a hand deformity that usually takes years to advance and often begins with lumps, or nodules, that are sometimes painful, in the layer of connective tissue under the skin in the palm. The lumps can develop into cords that pull one or more fingers into a bent position, often the ones farthest from the thumb, such as the ring finger and pinkie.
It’s “the most common crippling hand condition that people have never heard of,” says Charles Eaton, executive director of the Dupuytren Research Group, which estimates that at least 10 million Americans have Dupuytren’s.
When problems begin, many with the condition mistakenly assume they have arthritis or tendinitis, or they don’t notice a problem until their fingers start to bend.
“It tends to progress very slowly,” Eaton says, adding that only about a fifth of those with early signs of the disease will develop severely bent fingers. In about 10 percent, the lumps will disappear, while the remainder will experience no changes, or bent fingers not serious enough to require intervention, he says.
Eaton’s group is enrolling people with and without Dupuytren’s for a study that will collect and analyze blood samples to discover a biomarker — one or more molecules unique to Dupuytren’s — that could help scientists design drugs to treat it. This would be a first in Dupuytren research, Eaton says.
Experimental Alzheimer’s drug slows cognitive decline in trial, firms say
The disease is incurable, but there are noninvasive therapies as well as surgical treatments, the latter usually reserved for those with advanced disease. But even with treatment, symptoms often recur and can impair the quality of life.
“I can drive, but I have a problem holding things,” says Schultz, who has had five surgeries — four in his left hand, one in his right — and may need two more because both his hands are worsening again. “I have to be careful picking up a bottle or a thermos because I can’t open my fingers wide enough. I used to play a lot of golf, but now I have trouble holding a golf club.”
The ‘tabletop’ test
Gary Pess, a hand surgeon and medical director of Central Jersey Hand Surgery in New Jersey, agrees that the condition can be life-altering. “It’s hard to do the simple things you love to do,” he says. “It’s difficult to hold a child or put your hand in your pocket. You can’t open your hand to grab something that is large. If you are an artist, a pianist, a surgeon, it will interfere with your career.”
Risk factors include a family history of the disease, increasing age (the chances of developing Dupuytren’s rise steadily after age 50), Scandinavian or Northern European ancestry, tobacco and alcohol use, use of seizure medication and diabetes. It occurs more commonly in men than women.
Doctors usually recommend surgery if patients cannot pass the “tabletop” test, that is, when they can’t lay their hands flat on a table palms down. But don’t wait for this to happen before seeing a doctor, experts warn. “There is a much better success rate when you treat early,” Pess says.
Keith Denkler, a Larkspur, Calif., plastic surgeon who estimates he has treated about 10,000 Dupuytren’s fingers over the years, agrees. “We can’t cure it, but we can improve hand function and stave off its worst effects,” he says. “My philosophy is: Instead of waiting for it to get bad, do something simple.”
One do-it-yourself approach for mild disease is padding, or building up handles with pipe insulation or cushioning tape, and using deeply padded gloves for tasks that require heavy grasping, such as weightlifting and hedge-trimming.
If that doesn’t help, other early treatments include:
Needling. The approach involves inserting a needle through the skin to break up the cords of tissue causing the contracture. It can be repeated if bending returns. There are no incisions, and the procedure requires little physical therapy afterward. The practitioner, however, needs to be careful not to damage a nerve or tendon.
Injections. Doctors inject an enzyme into the taut cords to try to soften and weaken them so they can be broken and allow fingers to straighten. One product, collagenase clostridium histolyticum (marketed as Xiaflex), has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this use. Some doctors recommend cortisone injections for early disease.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy. Some studies suggest it can be effective in reducing pain and slowing the progression of Dupuytren’s disease. “It works by angiogenesis or creating new blood vessel formation,” says John L. Ferrell III, director of sports medicine for D.C.- based Regenerative Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. “If we are able to treat Dupuytren’s disease at its earliest stage, we can increase blood flow into this area, where there is a poor blood supply. This seems to decrease pain and help slow progression of the disease.”
One hitch: Although the therapy is FDA-approved for treating other musculoskeletal conditions, it is still an “off-label” remedy for Dupuytren’s and not widely in use for treating the condition.
Surgery is the only treatment for advanced disease. This involves an incision to remove the affected tissue to straighten the fingers. Denkler says the disease recurs within five years in up to 25 percent of patients who have invasive surgery.
“When you do surgery, you are cutting out the tissue, but it can re-form,” he says. “Dupuytren’s is a scarring condition, and surgery is a scarring procedure, so there can be failure.”
Open surgery generally works better for more severe bends and lasts longer, but it also has a higher permanent complication rate, Eaton says, and patients can experience pain, swelling, nerve injuries that cause numbness, problems with circulation to the finger and hand stiffness.
And “if the problem comes back, the risk of complications from repeat surgery are even greater,” he adds. “The minimally invasive procedures have a much lower complication rate and a much faster recovery.” | 2022-11-20T12:51:00Z | www.washingtonpost.com | How to cope with Dupuytren's, a crippling hand condition - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/11/20/dupuytrens-crippling-hand-disease-treatments/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/11/20/dupuytrens-crippling-hand-disease-treatments/ |
Distinguished pol of the week: The most powerful woman in American politics ever
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) returns to her office on Thursday after telling lawmakers she will step down as Democratic leader. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
I have not counted, but I am certain that I’ve recognized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a “distinguished pol” more times in these weekly tributes than any other person. After all, she has dominated the legislative branch in a way no speaker since Sam Rayburn has done — at times with a razor-thin majority.
But I admit my personal admiration for her is due in large part because she has earned her place as the most powerful and accomplished woman in politics in U.S. history.
Pelosi (D-Calif.) has overcome ridicule, threats, grotesque misogyny and demonization with breezy confidence. In many ways, she demonstrated a unique brand of feminine power. Invoking her experience as a mother and grandmother, her style might best be described as empathetic, drawing on an array of people skills few others possess. She had arguably the highest emotional intelligence of any political leader in memory.
Her deep appreciation for the needs of others made her a more informed and skillful leader. She knew her members, their districts, their families, their political challenges. She knew women in her caucus needed national security experience (as she once did), so she assigned them spots on key committees and subcommittees. And she knew that without reproductive rights, women would never achieve control over their lives or full equality.
She has been an indefatigable champion of “the children” and showed her maternal fury when, for example, Republicans objected to food support during the pandemic. She liked to recall that pro-lifers ridiculed her assertion that she understood more about childbirth than the pope. Of course, she did.
Pelosi expressed admiration for young women who entered politics when their kids were small. But her path was no less impressive, entering the House at age 47. She liked to joke that when she asked her youngest child, then a senior in high school, if she had a problem with her mother going to Congress, her daughter laughed, “Get over yourself.”
Without a woman role model to guide her, Pelosi developed her own style of leadership that relied on steely control and power as much as elegant presentation. Her iconic moments — ripping up the text of President Donald Trump’s absurdly dishonest State of the Union address, affixing sunglasses as she strode from the White House in her red Max Mara coat — provided women and girls with a bold role model.
No one gets to her position of power without a healthy ego, but it was often her ability to let others shine that resulted in success. Perhaps more than many male leader, she displayed a humility and pride in others’ accomplishments. With every bill and legislative win, she publicly recognized her committee chairs. And she frequently praised appropriators, trusting in their skills to make deals.
Unlike 80-year-old Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), she knew it was time to make way for a new, more youthful and hopefully more diverse Democratic leadership team (likely with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York as minority leader). Yet to make sure the new flock could take flight, she vowed to remain in the House to offer guidance.
For female professionals who came of age in the 1980s and 90s, there is no better example than Pelosi of a woman who could outshine, outclass and outperform overconfident male rivals. She has been, quite simply, better at her job than they were, and she knew it.
For her years of service, her example of “girl power,” her defense of democracy and her strength to define her own career path, we can say, well done, Madam Speaker. | 2022-11-20T13:51:05Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Thank you, Nancy Pelosi, for showing what a powerful woman looks like - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/pelosi-retire-speaker-powerful-women/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/pelosi-retire-speaker-powerful-women/ |
Returning to thorny issues, they’re likely to push for reforms to two major entitlement programs: Medicare and Social Security. Medicare spending is forecast to top $1 trillion for the first time next year, and rise at a faster pace than gross domestic product for the foreseeable future. Federal spending on entitlements overall — including Social Security, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies — is seen growing from $3 trillion next year to $12.5 trillion in 30 years.
The GOP wants to mitigate these costs by, among other things, raising the eligibility age for Medicare to match the Social Security retirement age, which is 67 for those born after 1960. In addition, Republicans would reduce Social Security benefits for those whose income was on the high end over their lifetimes and raise premiums for Medicare beneficiaries with higher incomes.
The financial stakes are high. Rapidly rising interest rates means now is the time to act, before the burden of servicing the debt to fund these programs becomes a major barrier to deficit reduction. Yet with only a narrow majority in a single chamber, House Republicans really only have one card to play, and it’s one that Americans may remember, perhaps not so fondly, from the early days of the Barack Obama administration.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy can refuse to bring so-called must-pass legislation — such as raising the debt ceiling or continued funding for the federal government — until top officials from both parties in the House and Senate sit down with Biden and negotiate a deal on entitlements that their respective chambers can pass and that Biden will sign.
The advantage of such an approach is that it produces a single take-it-or-leave-it proposal that centrist members of both parties can support. Trying to produce that type of deal through regular legislative channels would be impossible in the current political environment. Simply forming a bipartisan commission with no sense of urgency would result in a compromise proposal that is forgotten as soon as it is released.
The disadvantage of this approach is that it bets the health and future of the economy on the ability of a handful of politicians to work behind closed doors to come up with a single, comprehensive compromise on one of the most contentious issues in US politics that they can sell to their members before breaching the debt ceiling and causing the country to default on its debt obligations.
Then there’s the danger that they are only able to reach a deal that is similar to earlier proposals over the years and sounded good to almost everyone but went nowhere. More than anything else, this problem is what made the debt ceiling standoff in 2011 such a tragic affair. The compromise that sounded good and represented the best possible outcome of a good-faith process was also one that heavily gored both Republican and Democratic priorities while producing an immediate drop in the budget deficit that would have been larger than just about anyone had thought possible.
The issue was that the sudden austerity measures proposed were a major threat to an economy still struggling to recover from the financial crisis. This led legislators to a series of measures, beginning with the sequestration, that delayed the largest deficit cuts but only if Congress set another, higher-stakes deadline in the future. The result was a repeated rehashing of the same showdown with little to show for it in terms of fiscal reform.
What’s different now is that the fundamentals have shifted. Even economists who cheered the extra fiscal stimulus in the early months of the Biden administration have come to accept that it was too much. In addition, rising interest rates mean that reductions in spending today compound into increased savings as time goes on.
If there was ever a time for Republicans and Democrats to address long-term budget issues, it’s now. The immediate and long-term interests of the country are aligned in that Americans are experiencing the kind of financial pain — high interest rates and high inflation — that may become persistent without addressing the budget deficit over the long term.
As such, the very type of intransigence on the part of House Republicans that was foolish and reckless in 2011 would be constructive today. It’s the only card they have to play and likely the only chance for any meaningful budget reform in the near future. One can only hope that the American public wasn’t so burned by the ill-conceived attempts at forcing through austerity measures a decade ago that they reject them today.
• The Welfare-State Reality We’re Not Debating: Allison Schrager
• Medicare’s Drug Negotiations Can Get More Ambitious: Editorial | 2022-11-20T14:21:48Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Reform Medicare and Social Security? It Can Be Done - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/reform-medicare-and-social-security-it-can-be-done/2022/11/20/bedad3f0-68db-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/reform-medicare-and-social-security-it-can-be-done/2022/11/20/bedad3f0-68db-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |
NEW HAVEN, CT - SEPTEMBER 27: Yale University Law School is shown on the day the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee was holding hearings for testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford on September 27, 2018 in New Haven, Connecticut. Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her during a party in 1982 when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) (Photographer: Yana Paskova/Getty Images North America)
I am delighted that Yale Law School, where I have taught for more decades than I care to remember, has decided to withdraw from the US News and World Report rankings. No, I didn’t have advance warning, but the decision is one I’ve advocated for years.
Yale’s example was swiftly followed by the law schools at Harvard, UC Berkeley and Georgetown. As of this writing, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania are expected to be next. More defectors surely wait in the wings. Each school that leaves deprives US News of the vital data that it uses to create its rankings. After three decades of dominance, the rankings might be on the verge of collapse.
Some cynics wonder whether the sudden “run” on the rankings is a complicated ploy to get around whatever the Supreme Court decides on affirmative action, but no conspiracy theories are necessary to explain what’s happening. Because rankings of colleges and professional schools, though they have been around for a century or more, were a bad idea from the start.
Rankings exist for a simple reason: They save search costs. If you want to find a good Thai restaurant, for example, you could spend a lot of time trying this one or that one. But it’s cheaper in time and other resources to turn to Google or Yelp. In that case, relying on ratings by others makes sense. If the ratings are wrong, the loss is small.
But higher education is different, and the notion that there can be an ordinal rank is bizarre. As one law-school dean put it: “This business of ranking law schools is an age-old evil. To reduce complex institutions to these numbers is silly.” Those words weren’t uttered this week — the criticism is from 1989.
First, the criteria will always be arbitrary. Any quantitative measure rests on a qualitative judgment on what is worth measuring. With respect to law schools, critics have long posed pertinent questions: “Do expenditures per student merit nearly equal attention as median LSAT and GRE score? Is the relative bar passage rate really less important to students than the student-faculty ratio at their law school?”
Pick any criterion you like. A key component of the US News ranking involves an assessment of each school by peers, and another by lawyers and judges. Yet it’s unlikely that many deans have sufficient information about more than a handful of institutions. It’s a bit like being asked to rank a restaurant where you’ve never eaten. (Yes, respondents have the option of saying that they have insufficient information, but we lawyers don’t like to admit that.)
Second, remember Goodhart’s Law: Even if the criteria are correct, once the details of a ranking system have been disclosed, the list is bound to lose significance as institutions try to improve on measures that matter to the rankers. The US News ratings have led to a substantial reallocation of resources as law schools vie for a higher place — a reallocation driven not by what will best serve students but by what will most impress the rankers.
This process endangers the very purpose of a university. In his 2009 book on the commercialization of higher education, former Harvard President Derek Bok warned that the growth of rankings was part of a larger abdication to outsiders of decisions about what college was for and how it should look — decisions that should be made by faculties.
I could go on. There’s history, for example. At first blush, the origins look innocent. Although law school rankings are often attributed to the political scientist Jack Gourman, who developed a methodology and published his results in the mid-1960s, there were earlier efforts. In 1957, the Chicago Tribune published a list of the 10 best law schools compiled according to the views of “those who know most about legal education” — a transparently arbitrary criterion.
The larger project of ranking colleges had a more odious start. The first listing in the modern sense was created in 1910, at the height of the Progressive Era, by the psychologist James McKeen Cattell, who in turn was driven in large part by his attraction to eugenics. His idea was that the handful of people (that is, “men”) gifted by nature with the greatest intelligence should attend the best schools, so that they might be trained to run things. Thus the rankings existed to help members of the ruling class decide where to send their sons.
We’ve come a long way. But we’re still making a lot of the same mistakes. In particular, we continue to pretend that we are able to measure with micrometric exactitude where each college or professional school ranks, whereas in practice these numbers will always be a product of our biases.
I take US News at its word when it says that it intends to continue the “journalistic” enterprise of listing the schools it considers best. I’m all in favor of that. And even though I tend to be data-driven, I hope to see a shift away from quantitative assessment toward qualitative information. If such a step means more work for potential applicants — well, some of us will consider that a feature, not a bug.
• Why We Need Law Schools: Noah Feldman
• RIP to the LSAT? Let’s Kill the Bar Exam, Too: Stephen Carter
• Crack Down on Law Schools That Don’t Pass the Bar: Megan McArdle | 2022-11-20T14:21:54Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Yale Starts an Exodus From a Rank Tradition - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/yale-starts-an-exodusfrom-a-rank-tradition/2022/11/20/7097b234-68dc-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/yale-starts-an-exodusfrom-a-rank-tradition/2022/11/20/7097b234-68dc-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |
By Caitlyn Burchett, The Virginian-Pilot | AP
Michael Murray, founder of Liberty Organization for Veterans and Emergency Responders, a nonprofit that provides post-traumatic stress treatment to active duty service member, veterans and first responders, sits with his dog Stryder at the Naval Aviation Monument Park along the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A rash of suicides tied to the USS George Washington over the past two years forced a focus on mental health services within the Navy — with congressional leaders advocating for psychological health directors at every Navy and Marine Corps installation and the Navy investigating conditions aboard Hampton Roads-based ships.
But one service member-focused mental health organization in Virginia Beach says the disconnect between service members and suicide prevention programs is not that Hampton Roads military installments lack mental health resources. Rather, it’s a perceived fear of repercussions if service members take the necessary time off to seek mental health treatment.
“A service member should never feel like there will be career repercussions for seeking mental health services,” said Michael Murray II, founder of Liberty-OVE.
But Murray said he has seen service members procrastinate making mental health appointments in the name of the “mission.”
“If I have one wrench-turner or one IT guy, and they are gone, that hurts,” Murray said. “We say silly things like ‘God, country, family, corps’ or ‘No one left behind’ — until a service member is absent from work due to medical appointments.”
Murray served in the Marines as an infantry officer for 19 years, deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq, before he retired in 2014 due to injuries during his service. Following his retirement, Murray founded Liberty Organization for Veterans and Emergency Responders, a nonprofit that provides post-traumatic stress treatment to active duty service members, veterans and first responders.
The National Alliance on Mental Health reported 8.4% of active duty service members were diagnosed with a behavioral health disorder in 2019. But according to a 2018 study released by the Defense Health Agency, 60-70% of military personnel with mental health symptoms do not seek professional help. Leading barriers include a fear of being seen as weak and harm to one’s career.
When service members are absent for mental or medical appointments, Murray said details of that absence are often widely disclosed, going beyond immediate supervisors, for accountability purposes. Service members may choose to reject mental health resources if they fear information about their personal situation will be shared with peers, he said.
“Patient privacy is gone,” Murray said. “For example, no one needs to know if I am having a problem with my wife and if it’s related to post-traumatic stress or alcoholism or anything else.”
According to Murray, government leaders and mental health advocates should focus on policies that protect service members as patients. Greater confidentiality could reduce the stigma of seeking mental health services.
Reps. Bobby Scott and Elaine Luria recently wrote a letter urging Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro to “expeditiously appoint” psychological health directors at every Navy and Marine Corps installation, a position they said should have been filled years ago.
The letter followed six suicides in the past two years connected to the USS George Washington, which is undergoing a multi-year refueling and overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding. Before that, five crew members on the USS George H.W. Bush died by suicide in 2019 during a three-month span while the ship was at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
Scott Hendrick, Liberty-OVE chief of operations, said appointing a psychological health director fails to address a bigger issue — it takes about six weeks for an active duty service member to get an appointment with a mental health professional. This wait time can be detrimental to someone seeking immediate help or appointments made that far out may not align with scheduled deployments.
“(Mental health resources) are backed up, undersourced and overworked just like most military members who serve today,” said Hendrick, who retired from a 26-year Air Force career as a chief master sergeant.
The pandemic exacerbated the length of time it takes active duty military members to get mental health services because the Department of Defense is “extremely slow to adapt to meet those dynamic problems,” Hendrick said. While civilian mental health services saw a shift to tele-health video appointments, Hendricks said mental health services governed by the Department of Defense effectively were shut down, with critical appointments being canceled or postponed until it was clear to safely return to the workplace.
“Something has to give and unfortunately members are losing faith in the institution in which they signed an unlimited liability contract for,” Hendrick said.
Following the suicides, the Navy offered to move 260 sailors off the USS George Washington while the carrier is undergoing an overhaul, placing them in on-base housing. The Navy also staffed the Washington’s medical team with an additional clinical psychologist and a mental health clinician and provided expedited appointing for mental health referrals to sailors attached to the stationary warship.
Lawmakers also have called for more attention on service member quality of life at military installments across Hampton Roads.
But Murray and Hendrick say the government is failing to utilize local nonprofit organizations — including theirs. The Liberty-OVE treatment model addresses post-traumatic stress through a series of questions which is meant to disconnect service members’ trauma from negative emotions — a treatment that has been dubbed the “trauma recovery intervention protocol” or TRIP.
This protocol is often conducted by the organization’s clinical director, but it is designed to be run from the peer-to-peer support level, which would allow one service member to effectively help other service members.
Murray said the organization’s goal is to secure a partnership with the Department of Defense to train mental health professionals on how to conduct its trauma recovery intervention protocol during therapy sessions with service members. But the group is having trouble securing a contract and Murray said some DOD policies make it difficult to connect with local service members.
While Liberty-OVE is listed on the Department of Defense’s community resource website, the group has been told it is not allowed to pass out flyers advertising services on area military bases, including Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, because it may show preferential treatment.
A spokesperson for Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story did not immediately return a request for comment on the policy.
Hendrick said in his opinion, the DOD “starts with no” rather than collaborating with other agencies and organizations to improve service members’ access to mental health resources.
“Red tape is figuratively and literally hurting our nation’s most precious resource, our military members and our veterans,” he said. | 2022-11-20T14:22:18Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Liberty-OVE founder: Repercussions feared for getting help - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/liberty-ove-founder-repercussions-feared-for-getting-help/2022/11/20/de710c5c-68db-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/liberty-ove-founder-repercussions-feared-for-getting-help/2022/11/20/de710c5c-68db-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |
By Tamela Baker, The Herald-Mail | AP
CASCADE, Md. — Gideon Kantor first arrived at what was then Camp Ritchie in Cascade as a teenager in 1943.
“This was my war,” Kantor told The Herald-Mail. “Nobody had to tell me why we were fighting.”
At age 97, Kantor returned recently to the former Fort Ritchie as U.S. Rep. David Trone, D-6th, announced the introduction of legislation to award the Ritchie Boys the Congressional Gold Medal — the highest expression of national appreciation Congress can bestow for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals, institutions or groups.
The Ritchie Boys’ secret history in Cascade
“Ritchie has a remarkable history — over 72 years of military support for the Maryland National Guard and the U.S. Army,” noted Landon Grove, director and curator of the developing Ritchie History Museum.
“But perhaps the most sought-after history from the site is from 1942 to 1946, when the U.S. Army took over the Maryland National Guard site — leased for $1 a year — and brought in over 20,000 soldiers who were trained in military intelligence.”
About 40% of those who passed through Camp Ritchie were immigrants, Grove said, and about 2,200 were refugees of the Holocaust. “They came to the United States to be saved, but it turns out immigrants saved the world,” he said.
Their ranks included Ralph H. Baer, who later pioneered video games; Gardner Botsford, who would become an editor of the New Yorker magazine, John Chafee, later a governor and senator from Rhode Island; David Chavechavadze, the great-great-grandson of Czar Nicholas I of Russia; Eugene Foder, already a noted travel writer when the war began; science fiction writer Ib Melchior; John Bertram Oakes, later editorial page editor for the New York Times; Laughlin Phillips, who later left the CIA to found Washingtonian magazine and then ran his family’s art museum, the Phillips Collection; David Rockefeller, who became chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank; writer J.D. Salinger, author of “Catcher in the Rye;” Vernon Walters, a future U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Archibald Roosevelt Jr., the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt; and singer-actor William Warfield, perhaps best-known for his role in the opera “Porgy and Bess” and the musical “Showboat.”
“While their work was valued at the highest levels of the Army, and many Ritchie Boys were recognized for their individual heroism, as a whole the accomplishments of Camp Ritchie and the Ritchie Boys were never officially documented,” said Bernie Lubran, president of the Friends of Camp Ritchie and son of Ritchie Boy Walter Lubran.
“Much of it was classified until just within the past 20 years. This, along with their decision, and their devotion to keeping silent about their training and service in World War II, have deservedly earned them the title of ‘secret heroes,‘” he said.
They rarely spoke about their service, Lubran said. In fact, he didn’t know much about about Camp Ritchie and his father’s experience there until after his father had died.
“I spent the past 20 years devoting myself to researching the lessons learned from Camp Ritchie, helping other families discover their Ritchie Boy family histories and educating the general public about the importance of what took place here at historic Camp Ritchie.”
Trone and Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., are introducing legislation in their respective chambers to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Ritchie Boys. Trone said that they’re recruiting bipartisan support to get the legislation passed.
“Their vital role they played in helping the United States fight the Axis Powers during World War II and ultimately win needs to be recognized: this extraordinary group of men with critical language skills, including Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany to join the U.S. Army,” Trone said.
“Their work deserves to be honored, recognized and celebrated. They have been described as the world’s greatest secret weapons for Army intelligence, and for good reason,” he said, noting that Ritchie Boys had been involved in every major battle in Europe after D-Day, gathering intelligence, interpreting enemy documents and liberating concentration camps.
He told the group assembled for the announcement, including Fort Ritchie’s current owner and developer John Krumpotich, that “it was really wonderful that the United States government did accept refugees from Germany and Austria as essentially loyal citizens, and gave them the opportunity to fight the Germans.
“They could have taken a different point of view and say, ‘We don’t care what the background is, they are Austrians and Germans and they should be interned.’ … I thank the U.S. government for having this good sense to use us in a manner that would help the war effort.” | 2022-11-20T14:22:24Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Ritchie Boys proposed for a Congressional Gold Medal - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ritchie-boys-proposed-for-a-congressional-gold-medal/2022/11/20/e8110e56-68db-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ritchie-boys-proposed-for-a-congressional-gold-medal/2022/11/20/e8110e56-68db-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |
China gave Tuan Tuan to Taiwan in 2008. (Taipei Zoo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Tuan Tuan, one of two giant pandas gifted to the island by China in 2008 as a symbol of unity and friendship, died Saturday afternoon while in an induced coma, officials at the Taipei Zoo said.
The 18-year-old male panda had grown increasingly frail and suffered a series epileptic seizures last week, zoo officials said at a news conference, giving no immediate cause of death. “At 1:48 p.m., Tuan Tuan’s heart stopped beating and will no longer suffer,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je added in a social media post Saturday.
Tuan Tuan’s declining health had been a source of serious concern for the zoo’s veterinary team since August. The bear struggled to walk on its hind legs, officials observed, and consumed only half the amount of bamboo he had been eating in previous months.
Efforts to save the animal inspired a rare moment of cooperation between China and Taiwan this month, when Beijing sent a pair of panda experts to visit Tuan Tuan and assist the bear’s team of veterinarians and daily caretakers. In a statement at the time, the Taipei Zoo expressed its gratitude for the collaborative effort — detailing how Taiwanese officials had been communicating with experts from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, in Sichuan province, to seek advice on caring for the bear.
According to CNA, Taiwan’s official news agency, zoo officials ended Tuan Tuan’s life after he suffered more seizures this month — suspected to be related to a brain tumor. The average life span of a wild panda is 14 to 20 years, but they can live much longer in captivity, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
“Tuantuan has been in the Taipei Zoo for more than 10 years, bringing joy and good memories to many Taiwanese friends,” Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement following its death. “More understanding will help cross-strait exchanges.”
Xi’s looming third term in China raises threat of war over Taiwan
For decades at least — some date it back to the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century — Beijing has practiced “panda diplomacy,” gifting the black and white bears to other nations, including the United States, Soviet Union, Hong Kong and North Korea. Initially, as a form of Taiwan turned down Beijing’s proposed pandas out of fear the animals would function as a propaganda tool for the mainland government. In 2008 however, after a change in government — the stance was reversed, and Taipei accepted Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, who were born two days apart. The bears became instant celebrities, prompting news reports of “pandamania.”
After pro-independence Tsai Ing-wen was elected as Taiwan’s president in 2016, China hardened its approach toward the island, cutting off official communication with the Taiwanese government and ending years of cross-strait collaboration that Beijing officials hoped would lead to unification and that Taipei officials thought would stave off conflict.
From the one-China policy to the Taiwan Relations Act, here’s what to know
Tensions have escalated further in the past year. In August, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited the island and met with Tsai, becoming the first House speaker to travel to Taiwan since 1997. Chinese leaders called it a violation of territorial rights and a deliberate provocation. In response, Beijing launched military exercises around the island that Taiwanese officials said were tantamount to a “sea and air blockade.” Chinese military aircraft now ignore the median line of the strait, an unofficial border that both sides largely respected for decades. The escalation has prompted many Taiwanese to say they fear the Chinese military could launch a full-scale invasion of the island.
Sands reported from London. | 2022-11-20T14:23:01Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Chinese panda Tuan Tuan, gifted to Taiwan as friendship symbol, dies - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/20/giant-panda-taiwan-tuan-china/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/20/giant-panda-taiwan-tuan-china/ |
World Cup live updates Qatar vs. Ecuador to kick off soccer’s premier event
The World Cup is a high-stakes test for Qatar
It’s a windy day in Al Khor, where...
Soccer’s global spectacle arrives with charm and concern in Qatar
Ecuador fans gather in Qatar ahead of the opening match of the World Cup. (Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images)
The 2022 World Cup is finally here, five months later than the quadrennial event’s usual June-July window in an attempt to avoid the extreme summer heat in Qatar. The host nation kicks things off Sunday in the Group A opener against Ecuador, a South American qualifier. After more than a decade of planning, controversy and concern, the soccer takes center stage. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern, and the U.S. broadcast is on Fox Sports 1. Follow along for live updates.
Qatar received an automatic bid as the host nation and was slotted into the host’s traditional spot in Group A for its World Cup debut. Ecuador earned its fourth World Cup berth and its first since 2014 by finishing fourth in South American qualifying. La Tri has advanced beyond the group stage only once, in 2016.
Qatar and Ecuador are two of the four lowest-ranked teams in the 32-team field. Ecuador (at No. 44) and Qatar (at No. 50) are ahead of only Saudi Arabia (No. 51) and Ghana (No. 61) in the world rankings, and neither is favored to advance out of their group. A loss Sunday would be particularly damaging to either team’s chances of reaching the round of 16.
This is the only game scheduled for the opening day of the tournament. The World Cup continues Monday with three group-stage games: England vs. Iran (8 a.m. Eastern, Fox Sports 1), Senegal vs. Netherlands (11 a.m. Eastern, Fox) and United States vs. Wales (2 p.m. Eastern, Fox).
It’s a windy day in Al Khor, where the roof is open at Al Bayt Stadium. Winds of 34 kilometers per hour (approximately 21.1 mph) are forecast.
Almost time forWorld Cup kickoff. Nice vibe outside Al Bayt stadium, lots of families, flags and facepaint pic.twitter.com/n6gqJTwW5r
— Kareem Fahim (@kfahim) November 20, 2022 | 2022-11-20T14:47:44Z | www.washingtonpost.com | World Cup live updates: Qatar vs. Ecuador - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/world-cup-scores-qatar-ecuador/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/world-cup-scores-qatar-ecuador/ |
FILE - Todd Chrisley, left, and his wife, Julie Chrisley, pose for photos at the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 2, 2017, in Las Vegas. Todd and Julie Chrisley were driven by greed as they engaged in an extensive bank fraud scheme and then hid their wealth from tax authorities while flaunting their lavish lifestyle, federal prosecutors said, arguing the reality television stars should receive lengthy prison sentences. They were found guilty on federal charges in June and are set to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross in a hearing that begins Monday, Nov. 21. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) | 2022-11-20T15:53:07Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley to be sentenced - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/reality-tv-stars-todd-and-julie-chrisley-to-be-sentenced/2022/11/20/5fb6c9be-68e1-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/reality-tv-stars-todd-and-julie-chrisley-to-be-sentenced/2022/11/20/5fb6c9be-68e1-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |
Linda Eastman McCartney in 1971 with her husband, Paul McCartney. When she was a toddler, she inspired a hit song called “Linda.” The song in turn inspired parents across the United States to give that name to their girls. (AP)
No great mystery as to how I got my first name: I’m named after my father. For some people, it’s not quite so straightforward. I recently asked readers to share the stories of how they came to be called what they are.
The District’s Jeffery Watson has an older brother and sister: Edward Robert Watson and Sandra Carol Watson. His brother is named after their grandfather and father, his sister after an aunt. But why Jeffery? There were no Jeffs in the family.
“Around the time I graduated high school, I was going through old photos with my grandmother and found one of mom with two ducks,” Jeffery wrote. “Grandma exclaimed, ‘Oh yes, there’s your mom with her pet ducks, Jeff and Oscar.’”
The mystery was solved. Jeff was named after his mother’s pet duck. A final twist: The family ate Jeff and Oscar because the birds were, in the words of Jeff’s grandmother, “mean sons-of-guns.”
Fabia Harris Mahoney was born in Liverpool, England, shortly after the end of World War II.
Wrote Fabia, of Bethesda: “My mother told me she was supposed to name me Frances after one of our deceased relatives, but didn't want to because in England at the time, a girl named Frances was called Fanny, which she didn't like.”
Fanny is a rather rude word over there.
Instead, Fabia’s mother — an amateur thespian during the war — decided to name her after a British actress named Fabia Drake.
“When Ms. Drake acted in the British TV miniseries ‘The Jewel in the Crown’ in the 1980s, I would tune in at the end just to see my name roll by in the credits,” Fabia wrote. “So far, I have come across only one other Fabia. And, please, my name is pronounced FAY-bia, not FAH-bia.”
Dennis Van Derlaske of Woodbridge was born in 1948. His father’s family thrived on nicknames. His mother’s not so much. She detested nicknames, thinking they were demeaning.
“So she named me Dennis, thinking that there was no nickname for that,” he wrote.
In 1951, Hank Ketchum’s “Dennis the Menace” comic strip debuted.
Wrote Dennis: “Guess what I was called all throughout the 1950s?”
Carol Marino of Alexandria was born in the month of December. Her mother didn’t have a name picked out but knew she wanted one that couldn’t be shortened or be turned into a nickname.
“As she was mulling over names, she heard Christmas carols being sung in the hospital hallway and thought ‘Carol’ would be perfect,” wrote Carol. “I, of course, would have preferred a name that could be shortened, like ‘Elizabeth’ to ‘Liz’!”
When Richard Spachtholz of Springfield was born — in January of 1947 — there was a song near the top of the charts called “Open the Door Richard.” Wrote Richard: “There were five boys on my block born that year named Richard.”
Another song, another name: Linda Icenhour of Williamsburg, Va., is one of the many girls whose name was inspired by the song “Linda,” released in 1946 by Ray Noble and Buddy Clark.
“The song made the top of the Billboard charts for nine weeks in 1947, the year I was born,” wrote Linda.
Linda became the top girls’ name in the United States from 1947 to 1952.
Wrote Linda: “The song was actually written in 1942 for a little girl named Linda Eastman, who grew up to marry Paul McCartney. I usually had at least one or more Lindas in just about every class in school while growing up.”
Patti Kavanaugh is at pains to point out that her first name is Patti, not Patricia, and that she’s not named after pop and country songstress Patti Page.
“I was named after the opera singer Adelina Patti,” wrote Patti, of Arlington. “I have constantly had to correct people that, yes, it’s just Patti, not Patricia, not Patrice, not spelled with a ‘y,’ not a nickname: It’s just Patti.”
When Barbara Zigli was young, she never bothered to ask her parents why they named her Barbara. Much later, she learned that Saint Barbara is the patron saint of miners.
“My mother’s father was a coal miner, so I asked her if that was why they named me Barbara,” wrote Barbara, of Arlington.
There was a long pause, then Barbara’s mother said, “Uh, yeah, that’s it.”
Barbara was immediately suspicious. “No, really, mom,” she demanded. “Why did you name me Barbara?”
“Promise me you won’t get mad,” Barbara’s mother said. “You’re named after Miss Barbara on [the TV show] ‘Romper Room.’”
Today is a good day to donate to The Washington Post Helping Hand, before you get tied up with this week’s holiday activities. To learn more about our three Helping Hand partners — Miriam’s Kitchen, Friendship Place and Bread for the City — visit posthelpinghand.com. | 2022-11-20T15:53:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Adults explain the stories behind the names their parents gave them - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/20/name-inspiration/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/20/name-inspiration/ |
Changes the Catholic Church could make for the better
Pope Francis holds a Ukrainian flag Nov. 16 at the weekly general audience at the Vatican. (Vatican Media via Reuters)
The Nov. 14 editorial “Sins of the fathers” raised serious concerns about the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis and the difficulty in reforming church practices to address this scourge quickly and justly.
Without tangible reforms, many Catholics, like me, will seek other faith communities.
The church faces a crisis in the lack of confidence in leadership, particularly bishops who lead local dioceses. Bishops work with little or no real oversight.
Pope Francis could implement limits on bishops’ tenure, perhaps 10 years. Regular leadership change would provide a natural independent review of diocesan operations and the management of priests and other personnel. Additionally, no bishop should lead a diocese where he served as a priest to ensure that the bishop has true independence and will not be influenced by past friendships.
It is time for the church to rid itself of the practices and rituals that alienate bishops from the people. Pope Francis would be wise to revise the medieval trappings and practices of the bishops. Sadly, many aspects of the office of bishop are far removed from the simple example of Jesus. Living simply and humbly will lead to greater credibility and respect for the authority of the bishop.
No set of reforms will completely rid the church of the criminal sexual behavior of some priests. However, fundamental changes in church leadership must be the focus of Pope Francis if he is to restore the Roman Catholic Church as the premier teacher of Gospel truths.
Thomas H. Powell, Gettysburg, Pa. | 2022-11-20T17:24:50Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Changes the Catholic Church could make for the better - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/changes-catholic-church-could-make-better/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/changes-catholic-church-could-make-better/ |
Law schools are right to withdraw from U.S. News rankings
Harvard Law School. (Chitose Suzuki/Associated Press)
We commend the decisions of Yale and Harvard law schools to stop participating in U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings [“Yale, Harvard law quit U.S. News rankings,” news digest, Nov. 17]. The reasons they offered were very similar to those we cited when we withdrew the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine from the process six years ago, as outlined in our Grade Point essay, “Med school leaders: Why we’re not participating in the U.S. News rankings anymore.”
Rankings might have some role for sports teams, but they are pointless for evaluating the strengths of institutions with varying missions. Worse, U.S. News’s criteria penalize excellent institutions that attract and enroll students from disadvantaged backgrounds. For these and many other reasons, we hope that Yale and Harvard’s medical schools quickly join their legal brethren and that the rest of American higher education follows. If they do, aspiring students, their families and our nation will benefit.
Charles Rice, Bethesda
The writer was president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences from 2005 to 2016.
Art Kellermann, Richmond
The writer was dean of the Uniformed Services University’s School of Medicine from 2013 to 2020. | 2022-11-20T17:25:02Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Law schools are right to withdraw from U.S. News rankings - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/law-schools-are-right-withdraw-us-news-rankings/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/law-schools-are-right-withdraw-us-news-rankings/ |
Talk of learning loss misses the humanity at the core of education
Contrary to what Dan Goldhaber, Thomas J. Kane, Andrew McEachin and Emily Morton wrote in their Nov. 17 Thursday Opinion essay, “Tutoring won’t solve lost student learning. We need a moonshot.,” what we need is a humane system, not a moonshot.
The hyperventilated discussion of learning loss comes out of data collected from NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress assessment. Furthermore, the authors overstate their case; they exploit laypeople’s lack of knowledge about the test and the interpretation of the data.
We who work in classrooms have no need for their insights. What we need is a societal commitment to take care of children, to provide them with a humane setting in which they can learn. Because they’re not in the classroom, the authors understandably miss this point. They conceive of this as an economic issue when the issue is well-being. Teachers and students alike are struggling to find meaning in a system that views them as means to an economic end. What kind of hope does that instill in children? How is this helping us to take care of children? It’s not, and I’d appreciate it if The Post could find a way to cover education in a way that honors the humanity at its core.
Matthew Hempstead, Westminster, Md. | 2022-11-20T17:25:08Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Talk of learning loss misses the humanity at the core of education - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/talk-learning-loss-misses-humanity-core-education/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/20/talk-learning-loss-misses-humanity-core-education/ |
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Investigators said Sunday that last week’s massive apartment fire in the Gaza Strip was ignited accidentally by a man using gasoline in a party trick, but did not explain how they reached that conclusion. The blaze killed 22 members of the same family and there were no survivors who could have described the events. | 2022-11-20T17:26:19Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Official claims deadly Gaza house fire caused by party stunt - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/official-claims-deadly-gaza-house-fire-caused-by-party-stunt/2022/11/20/c2cbfebe-68ed-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/official-claims-deadly-gaza-house-fire-caused-by-party-stunt/2022/11/20/c2cbfebe-68ed-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |
Live updates:World Cup live updates: Ecuador leads Qatar in event’s opener
“I want to represent this team in the right way, represent my family in the right way,” Tyler Adams said Sunday. “And you’re playing for something a lot bigger than yourself.” (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)
DOHA, Qatar — Since Gregg Berhalter became coach of the U.S. men’s national soccer team four years ago, 14 different starters have worn the captain’s armband over the 56-game stretch.
As the World Cup neared, though, Berhalter turned to his players to select their on-field leader. They voted for midfielder Tyler Adams, who, at 23, will become the youngest to marshal a U.S. World Cup squad since 1950 and the third youngest in program history.
“We think he has great leadership capabilities, and he leads by his actions and words,” Berhalter said at a news conference Sunday. “Tyler is a guy that’s just mature beyond his years and you notice it from the minute you start talking to him.”
Past U.S. World Cup captains have included Claudio Reyna (2006 and ’06), Carlos Bocanegra (2010) and Clint Dempsey (2014). All were deep into their national team and club careers.
After serving as captain nine times, all in the past 18 months, Adams will lead the team onto the field at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Monday for the U.S. Group B opener against Wales.
“It’s a huge honor for me,” said Adams, who is in his first season with Leeds United in England’s Premier League after launching his career with MLS’s New York Red Bulls and starring at Germany’s RB Leipzig. “I want to represent this team in the right way, represent my family in the right way. And you’re playing for something a lot bigger than yourself. You’re playing for all the people in the U.S. that are watching and supporting you.”
Adams is a member of the Leadership Council, a group of players that provides guidance to teammates and bridges the player-coach gap. Christian Pulisic, DeAndre Yedlin and Walker Zimmerman are also among the regulars. In deciding the World Cup captain, Berhalter conducted a vote, starting at the September camp, involving about 35 players in the talent pool.
“He’s a guy that teammates know exactly what they’re going to get from him,” Berhalter said. “They know that he’s going to go out and compete. They know he’s going to be thinking about the game. They know he’s going to be into the details of the game. Not just a competitor, he’s also a strategist. And that helps the group because he calms people down. And he’s a guy that people get behind.”
On Sunday, after Adams explained how he handles pressure, Berhalter interjected at the news conference: “He doesn’t have a problem with pressure. I remember when he was 18, 17 years old playing against the Red Bulls [when Berhalter was coaching the Columbus Crew]. It was difficult. He was all over the place.”
Adams then added, “and we won!”
Live updates: The 2022 World Cup gets underway Sunday as the host nation Qatar faces Ecuador in the Group A opener. Follow our live coverage for the latest news, updates and highlights. | 2022-11-20T17:42:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Tyler Adams named USMNT captain - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/tyler-adams-usmnt-captain-world-cup/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/tyler-adams-usmnt-captain-world-cup/ |
Kyrie Irving cleared to return to Nets after suspension
Kyrie Irving has been cleared to return to the Brooklyn Nets after serving an eight-game suspension for linking to an antisemitic film on his social media accounts. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Kyrie Irving has been cleared to return by the Brooklyn Nets following an eight-game suspension for linking to an antisemitic film on his social media accounts and for initially refusing to disavow the film’s content. The seven-time all-star guard is officially listed as available Sunday when the Nets host the Memphis Grizzlies.
Before rejoining Kevin Durant and company, Irving held a news conference Sunday in which he apologized multiple times and said that he was not antisemitic.
“I just want to offer my deep apologies to all those who were impacted over these last few weeks, specifically my Jewish relatives and Black relatives, all races and cultures,” Irving said. “I feel like we all felt an impact. I don’t stand for anything close to hate speech or antisemitism or anything that’s going against the human race.”
Irving, who last month had gotten into contentious exchanges with reporters who questioned why he had linked to the antisemitic film, acknowledged regrets Sunday about how he had handled the situation.
“I feel it was necessary for me to stand in this place and take accountability for my actions,” Irving said. “There was a way I should have handled all this. When I look back and reflect, when I had the opportunity to offer my deep regrets to anyone who felt threatened or hurt by what I posted, that wasn’t my intent at all. I meant no harm to any person or group of people.
“This is a big moment for me because I’m able to learn that the power of my voice is very strong and the influence I have within my community is very strong. I want to be responsible for that, and in order to do that, you have to admit when you’re wrong in instances where you hurt people.”
Irving also taped an extended interview with SNY on Saturday in which he said that he had met with members of the Jewish community.
“It was a learning journey,” Irving said. “It was a lot of hurt that needed to be healed and a lot of conversations that needed to be had. I’m a man who stands for peace. I don’t condone any hate speech or prejudice. … I’m not antisemitic. I never have been. I don’t have hate in my heart for the Jewish people.”
Following a week of controversy and evasive answers about his social media posts, Irving was suspended Nov. 3 by the Nets, who deemed him “currently unfit to be associated” and stipulated a list of conditions that he must meet to rejoin the team. After Irving initially refused to apologize for linking to the film, Brooklyn mandated that he undergo sensitivity training, donate $500,000 to anti-hate causes and meet with Nets owner Joe Tsai to talk through the situation.
Irving, 30, issued a public apology shortly after he was suspended, and he met with Tsai, as well as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Though Irving agreed to donate $500,000 in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League before his apology, the nonprofit organization’s CEO said that he wouldn’t accept the money because “Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions.”
The Nets’ initial suspension stated that Irving would miss “no less than five games,” raising the possibility that he could remain away from the team for an extended period of time and fueling speculation that he might not return at all. Several prominent players, including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, argued that the conditions of Irving’s return were too stringent. The National Basketball Players Association, which participated in conversations with the NBA and Irving, told its members Nov. 11 that it “protected [Irving’s] rights at every turn,” even as the suspension extended past the five-game mark.
Irving, who maintained a low profile throughout his suspension, worked his way through the stipulated return process, leading Nets Coach Jacque Vaughn to tell reporters earlier this week that Irving’s return could come Sunday.
Tsai said Nov. 11 that he and his wife had met with Irving the day before and left convinced that “Kyrie does not have any beliefs of hate towards Jewish people or any group.” He added that all parties were “working constructively toward a process of forgiveness, healing and education.”
After meeting with Irving on Nov. 8, Silver also concluded that he had “no doubt” that Irving was not antisemitic, according to the New York Times. Silver, however, said that a league investigation concluded that the film Irving linked to constituted “hate speech” and that Irving’s suspension had therefore been the “right outcome.”
In a statement posted to Instagram Nov. 3, Irving apologized “to all Jewish families and communities that are hurt and affected from my post,” acknowledging that he had linked to a film that “contained some false antisemitic statements, narratives and language that were untrue and offensive.”
The Nets, who named Vaughn as coach on Nov. 9 after partings ways with Steve Nash, are 7-9 entering Sunday’s game. Brooklyn has gone 5-3 during Irving’s suspension. Irving is averaging 26.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season. | 2022-11-20T18:12:37Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Kyrie Irving cleared to return to Nets after suspension - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/kyrie-irving-returns-nets-grizzlies/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/kyrie-irving-returns-nets-grizzlies/ |
Universal’s “She Said" flopped with $2.3 million in 2,022 theaters. The film, starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, served as Hollywood’s own big-screen treatment of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s downfall. Critics called “She Said,” which premiered at the New York Film Festival in October, a riveting modern-day newspaper thriller, and audiences gave it an “A” CinemaScore. Box-office expectations were never particularly high for the $30 million film, directed by Maria Schrader, but it was widely applauded for its tackling of the infamous #MeToo scandal.
The weekend’s biggest surprise came from a crowdfunded streaming series about the life of Jesus. The first two episodes of the third season of “The Chosen," distributed by Fathom Events, collected $8.2 million in 2,009 theaters. Fathom Events is owned by AMC Theatres, Cinemark Theatres, and Regal Cinemas, and specializes in alternative programming in brief theatrical runs. In “The Chosen,” Fathom found a sizable audience in the religious series. Fathom last year also distributed “Christmas with the Chosen: The Messengers,” which, with $13 million, ranks as the distributor’s biggest hit.
Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones and All,” starring Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet as young cannibals, debuted in five theaters before expanding nationwide on Wednesday. The acclaimed MGM release opened with $120,000, giving it a $23,983 per-screen average. Also launching in five New York and Los Angeles locations was Elegance Bratton's autobiographical drama, “The Inspection,” about his enlisting in the Marines during the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” era. The A24 release landed a per-screen average of $13,188. | 2022-11-20T18:56:38Z | www.washingtonpost.com | 'Wakanda Forever' extends reign, 'She Said' struggles - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/wakanda-forever-extends-reign-she-said-struggles/2022/11/20/5fe734fc-68fd-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/wakanda-forever-extends-reign-she-said-struggles/2022/11/20/5fe734fc-68fd-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |
A letter addressed to a top attorney for Maricopa County injects new uncertainty into a fraught post-election dynamic
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R) during a June 2 visit to the Yuma Sun newspaper. (Randy Hoeft/Yuma Sun/AP)
The inquiry heightens tensions between Maricopa County and the outgoing Republican attorney general, Mark Brnovich, who placed county officials under investigation after the 2020 election. Brnovich’s office wants answers from county officials before they submit their final election results later this month. His office did not respond to a request for comment.
A four-page document, issued Saturday on letterhead from Brnovich’s office, includes criticism of the county’s administration of the election but no findings that would call the outcome into question. Republican candidates lost the state’s most critical contests, including those for senator and governor.
Starting early on Election Day, printers at 70 of the county’s 223 polling sites produced ballots with ink that was too light to be read by vote-counting machines, county officials have said. That forced voters to wait in line, travel to another location or deposit their ballots in secure boxes that were transferred to downtown Phoenix and counted there.
County leaders have yet to explain what caused the problems, saying they will undertake a comprehensive review once ballot tabulation is complete. But they maintain that no one was denied the right to vote. An Arizona judge came to the same conclusion in denying a request from Republicans to extend voting hours on Election Day in light of the mechanical errors.
But the Election Day issues, now highlighted by the state’s top law enforcement official, are likely to fuel Republican efforts to dispute the outcome of the election, especially the razor-thin margin in the race for attorney general, according to top lawyers associated with both parties, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to share candid assessments of an ongoing legal matter. Democrats say they believe the claims will lack merit.
In the attorney general’s race, which appears destined for a recount, Democrat Kris Mayes led her Republican opponent, Abe Hamadeh, by just 850 votes as of Sunday. Hamadeh has promised to “lock up” people involved in the 2020 election. His campaign has been examining its legal options in coordination with national Republicans and advisers to Kari Lake, according to people familiar with the situation. Lake, the GOP nominee for governor, was projected last Monday to have lost her race and was more than 17,000 votes behind as of Sunday.
Lake has refused to concede, citing the widespread printer glitches to argue that her supporters were “disenfranchised.” Her campaign has been posting video testimonials from supporters who describe encountering the glitches, though some conclude by saying they were able to cast their ballots.
A Washington Post analysis found that the voting locations affected by the problems did not skew overwhelmingly Republican. The analysis found that the proportion of registered Republicans in affected precincts, about 37 percent, is virtually the same as the share of registered Republicans across the county, which stands at 35 percent.
Now, an election integrity unit within Brnovich’s office has weighed in. The embattled unit, created by Republican lawmakers after the 2018 midterm election brought top-to-bottom wins for Democrats, has faced criticism from election deniers and the political right more broadly for not spotlighting sufficient fraud, and from the left for using public resources to inflame misinformation about voting.
In the Saturday letter, an assistant state attorney general who leads the unit wrote that it had “received hundreds of complaints since Election Day pertaining to the administration of the 2020 General Election in Maricopa County.”
The letter is addressed to Tom Liddy, head of civil litigation for the county. It requests a report detailing difficulties with the printers, including which voting sites were affected and how county representatives determined that printer configuration settings were causing the issues with the ink. It asks for a “comprehensive log of all changes” to the settings.
Liddy declined Sunday to discuss the letter, saying he needed to meet with county officials charged with overseeing the election.
“We in Maricopa County are still waiting for the completed report from the attorney general of his ongoing investigation of the 2020 election,” Liddy said in a brief phone interview. “I am a bit surprised that he’s getting ready to start one on 2022 when he hasn’t finished the first one yet, but I wish him well.”
Bill Gates, the Republican chair of the county’s governing board, declined to comment.
The attorney general’s office also asks in the letter for information about people who may have failed to properly check out of a voting center after encountering the problems, potentially preventing them from casting a ballot elsewhere. And the letter raises concerns that ballots deposited in the secure boxes, known as “Door 3,” may have been mixed with other ballots, which the letter describes as a violation of statutory guidelines.
County officials have acknowledged isolated incidents of different batches of ballots being combined but have said that protocols, carried out with observers from both political parties present, include checking total ballots against check-ins at voting locations.
The letter requests a response by Nov. 28, the deadline for the county to certify results of the election. State certification is set for Dec. 5.
The assistant attorney general who signed the letter is Jennifer Wright, a lawyer whose 2011 bid for Phoenix mayor was backed by tea party activists. From 2010 to 2014, Wright co-chaired Verify the Vote Arizona and worked closely with True the Vote, a Texas-based organization that has made uncorroborated claims of rampant election fraud around the country.
Brnovich, the attorney general, affirmed the legitimacy of the 2020 election despite pressure from then-President Donald Trump to line up behind Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud. But as a failed candidate in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate this year, Brnovich emphasized his office’s work on election integrity and claimed that he was turning up “serious concerns.” His office has prosecuted about 20 cases of voter fraud over the past three years in a state of more than 4 million voters.
Days before the November election, Brnovich made his bluntest comments to date about candidates who deny Trump’s loss, calling them “clowns” engaged in a “giant grift.” County leaders last week approved moving forward with a lawsuit against Brnovich’s office over its alleged failure to produce public records stemming from the state’s investigation into them.
In the days since the Nov. 8 midterms, Republicans have been vague about possible litigation.
A legal expert said that even if Republicans attempt to use Brnovich’s letter to bolster their efforts to challenge the outcome of close races, it should have no implications for approving the results.
“It’s legally nothing,” said Tom Irvine, a now-retired lawyer with four decades of election law experience who represented Maricopa County in the 1990s and 2000s.
“There’s no proof that anyone was disadvantaged,” said Irvine, a Democrat. | 2022-11-20T18:56:44Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich demands answers from Maricopa County on Election Day printer issues - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/20/arizona-mark-brnovich-maricopa-county-kari-lake/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/20/arizona-mark-brnovich-maricopa-county-kari-lake/ |
Protesters kiss during a rally to raise awareness of the human rights situation of LGBTQ people in Qatar, in front of the FIFA Museum in Zurich on Nov. 8. (Michael Buholzer/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
World Cup organizers expect a total of 1.2 million fans to descend on Qatar for the 2022 soccer tournament — the first time it has been hosted in a Middle East nation in the event’s 92-year history. Every single one of those visitors, the Persian Gulf state’s ruler insists, is welcome.
But for LGBTQ fans, that may not be immediately obvious. Same-sex sexual activities are punishable in Qatar with a prison sentence and potentially — although it is never known to have been carried out — even capital punishment.
Here’s our quick guide to what LGBTQ soccer fans visiting Qatar can expect.
Qatar has multiple laws in place that criminalize LGBTQ people, in particular gay men.
Sex between adult men is prohibited and punishable by up to seven years in prison, according to a recent U.S. State Department report. The same does not explicitly apply to women.
The gulf state operates religious sharia courts, legally allowing for the possibility of married Muslim men to be executed if they are found to have engaged in adultery. For this reason the Human Dignity Trust, a London-based legal group that campaigns for LGBTQ rights worldwide, includes Qatar on its list of 11 countries around the world where the death penalty is a legal possibility for LGBTQ people, although it is not known to have ever been used specifically for this purpose in Qatar.
There are recent reports that LGBTQ people have been arrested and mistreated in the Persian Gulf state, including in the months before the World Cup, according to a recent analysis from New York-based Human Rights Watch. Researchers from the organization documented six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment by officials between 2019 and 2022 against four transgender women, a bisexual woman and a gay man. The Washington Post could not independently verify the accounts from the report.
FIFA, the global soccer organization that organizes the World Cup, insists that LGBTQ fans will be welcome alongside all other visitors this year. At the same time, it advises travelers to respect local culture and use common sense, but provides scant detail on what that entails.
Inside official tournament zones, FIFA says fans will be able to express their identity however they wish. “There is no risk; they are welcome to express themselves; they are welcome to express their love for their partners,” Gerdine Lindhout, FIFA’s head of fan experience, told ITV News on Wednesday. “They won’t get into trouble for public displays of affection.”
But when asked by The Post about what guidance existed outside the official zones, including where fan accommodations are located, a spokesman for the soccer association said by email that this was the responsibility of the host nation, Qatar.
Qatar has repeatedly insisted that everyone is welcome at this year’s World Cup and that LGBTQ people are no exception. The country is opening its doors “without discrimination,” ruling Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani told the U.N. General Assembly in September. The organizers also publicly confirmed that there are no restrictions on who is able to share accommodations while visiting for the World Cup.
When contacted by The Post, the event’s Qatari organizers suggested that all foreign travelers consider limiting public expressions of physical intimacy in line with local customs. “Everyone is welcome in Qatar, but we are a conservative country and any public display of affection, regardless of orientation, is frowned upon,” officials said in an emailed statement. “We simply ask for people to respect our culture.”
Despite vows that everyone will be welcomed, attitudes toward LGBTQ people can be conservative in the country. Khalid Salman, a former Qatari soccer player and official ambassador for this year’s tournament, told German television in an interview published this month that homosexuality is “damage in the mind.”
The U.S. Embassy in Doha urged American visitors to the tournament to consider both cultural and legal differences and that “sexual intercourse outside of marriage is illegal in Qatar.” The State Department advises that all same-sex sexual relations between men are also forbidden, even if consensual. “Penalties include lashing, lengthy prison sentences and/or deportation. There is no law criminalizing same-sex sexual relations between women, though cultural norms are conservative,” its travel advice page for Qatar says.
Britain, meanwhile, has provided advice that has appeared contradictory. In a radio interview last month, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged LGBTQ travelers to show “a little bit of flex and compromise” when in Qatar, but the prime minister’s office later rebuked this, saying that people should never have to “compromise who they are,” according to the Associated Press. The U.K.’s official advice says, “Private life in Qatar is largely respected but any intimacy between persons in public can be considered offensive, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or intent.”
Human rights groups and soccer fan clubs have criticized FIFA’s decision to let Qatar host the event, and many LGBTQ fans are dissatisfied with how the association has handled their safety concerns. “We have received nothing but vaguely worded statements of no real substance,” three English groups representing LGBTQ fans said in a joint statement this month, accusing FIFA of breaching its own commitment to using soccer as a tool for promoting human rights.
Antonio Pablo Herrero, a travel consultant specializing in LGBTQ tourism, has blunt advice for LGBTQ fans: “If you want to be safe, don’t go there,” he told The Post.
However, for travelers who decide to go ahead with visiting, Herrero advises concealing any visible expressions of LGBTQ identity while in Qatar. This means considering the clothes you choose to wear, deleting LGBTQ-specific dating apps from your cellphone, and — if you travel with a partner — making efforts to hide your relationship in public.
In solidarity, several top qualifying teams say they plan to feature rainbow flags in their traveling entourage and on their kits. The England squad flew to Doha on a Virgin Atlantic aircraft named “Rain Bow” painted with the airline’s LGBTQ+ mascot. The captains of several European nations, including Germany, say they will wear the rainbow symbol around their arms on the pitch — irrespective of whether it is permitted by FIFA. The U.S. squad has altered its official logo to include the seven colors of the LGBTQ rainbow as well, its coach told a news conference last week, according to Reuters.
“When we are on the world stage and when we are in a venue like Qatar, it is important to bring awareness to these issues,” said Gregg Berhalter, head of the U.S. squad. “We recognize that Qatar has made strides and there has been a ton of progress, but there’s some work still to do.” | 2022-11-20T19:04:55Z | www.washingtonpost.com | What can LGBTQ soccer fans expect at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar? - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/world-cup-qatar-gay-laws-lgbtq/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/world-cup-qatar-gay-laws-lgbtq/ |
Walker Zimmerman, DeAndre Yedlin and Tim Ream prepare for first U.S. World Cup match since 2014. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
DOHA, Qatar — The rebuilding project began in earnest almost five years ago with an interim coach, a flight of players entering adulthood and long-term designs on returning to the World Cup after a catastrophic spill.
It seemed so far away, literally and figuratively.
At sobering training camps, a U.S. men’s soccer program that had tumbled to unfathomable depths sought to find its feet again.
Infused with youth, the plan began with baby steps, first under caretaker Dave Sarachan and now Gregg Berhalter: integrating new players, establishing a culture and style, and regaining the trust of the public.
“We had no identity, no game plan,” captain Tyler Adams, 23, said Sunday. “It was almost like you were going to national team camp for fun and, although we’re enjoying the ride and having fun here, the past [several] years have been a lot of hard work of building our identity.”
After fits and starts, after regaining strength in the region and learning from unavoidable growing pains, the United States on Monday will return to the global stage with a Group B match against Wales — the Americans’ first World Cup appearance since pushing Belgium to the extra-time brink in the round of 16 in 2014.
Attacker Brenden Aaronson, 22, remembers his first invitation to camp three years ago. A year on the job, Berhalter showed the players a schedule on a video screen for what he wanted to accomplish leading to the World Cup.
“It was like the longest timeline when it first started,” Aaronson said. “It went all the way across the screen and then slowly but surely got shorter and shorter. And now it’s ultimately here — and it’s amazing. It’s crazy to think all that time just flew by, but I think as a group, we’re all ready to go and we all know what we need to do.”
Are they, though, ready for soccer’s ultimate testing ground?
“What I’ve seen is the maturity grow over the last 3½ years with this group and now I see a tremendous amount of focus,” Berhalter said. “This focus is going to help us go for success and, in no time, is going to tell us if we’re able to play with the best teams in the world.”
The U.S. roster features just one leftover from the tournament eight years ago in Brazil (defender DeAndre Yedlin). It includes two teenagers, 12 players between ages 20 and 24 and the second-youngest squad (behind Ghana) among the 32 hopeful teams in Qatar.
It’s a team that, based on many performances during its rebirth, has a very good chance of finishing in the top two in the four-team group and advancing to the round of 16. If the Americans accomplish that, their tournament would be deemed a success, no matter how much further they advance.
However, it’s also a team that, based on performances in the final two tuneups in September, could head home in 10 days. There are questions about defensive fortitude against seasoned attacks, the ability of the midfield to set the tone and the forwards to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
It’s a team that likes to play progressive soccer and fields a wealth of young players employed by clubs in Europe’s biggest leagues. But it’s also a team, thanks in part to the coronavirus pandemic and changes in global scheduling, has had few opportunities to test itself against world-class opponents since 2018.
“We’re going to play the sport that we’ve been playing our whole lives,” star forward Christian Pulisic said. “There’s no crazy advice that can be the turning point, the thing that’s going to help us win the World Cup. We’re a team that has been learning through these experiences.”
Youthfulness does not seem to trouble the players, who, given their age and experience, seem better positioned for success in the 2026 tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Are they ahead of schedule? Berhalter is eager to find out.
“We can speculate whether it’s a disadvantage or an advantage for hours here, but the truth is going to come out when we actually play the game,” said Berhalter, a defender on the 2002 squad that advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals in South Korea and Japan. “What I would say is we’re not making any excuses for ourselves. We are who we are, and we want to go out and we want to compete.”
The opener promises to be revelatory. A good showing, rewarded with three points for a victory or one for a draw, would offer hope heading into Friday’s showdown against England, the group’s heavy favorite and a tournament contender. A defeat would send the wounded Americans into the den of the Three Lions.
“Winning your first game bodes well for you,” defender Aaron Long said. “We know that as a team. There’s calculated risks you can take trying to win the game, but by no means are we going to go [all out] trying to win a game and then leave ourselves too vulnerable to get scored on and potentially lose the game.”
The Americans waited eight years to return to the World Cup, a blink of the eye compared to Wales, which last appeared on this grand stage in 1958. The Dragons are no strangers, though, to major competition, having advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 European Championship — the second most-important international tournament — and the round of 16 last year.
The supporters, known as the Red Wall, have arrived en masse from Cardiff, Swansea and elsewhere in the nation of 3.1 million.
“It’s a massive piece of history in our country, something we’ve all wanted for a long time,” star forward Gareth Bale said. “To be the team to get over the line and do that for our country is incredible.”
Bale also said the success was “the best thing to do for our country, to grow football in our country, to inspire another generation.”
The impact of taking the next step also rings true for the U.S. program, which aims to parlay World Cup exposure (and perhaps a place in the round of 16) into long-term gains for the sport at home.
“Three years or four years working up to this moment,” midfielder Weston McKennie said, “all the guys are ready to go.” | 2022-11-20T20:05:55Z | www.washingtonpost.com | USMNT awaits its first World Cup match vs. Wales - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/usmnt-world-cup-preview/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/20/usmnt-world-cup-preview/ |
D.C. woman, 18, fatally shot in NoMa hotel room
An 18-year-old woman from Southeast D.C. was found fatally shot in a NoMa hotel room Saturday night.
Akira Wilson was pronounced dead after authorities were called to the 1200 block of First Avenue NE. The victim was discovered in a room at the Hilton Garden Inn, south of New York Avenue NE, according D.C. police officer Hugh Carew.
Officers from the 5th District were called to the location around 9:50 p.m. after the sound of a gunshot was reported at the address, according to a police news release. D.C. Fire and EMS Department personnel who responded to the scene were unable to find any signs of life, and Wilson was pronounced dead.
Police are treating Wilson’s death as a homicide and are offering a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. Anyone with information about the shooting can call police at 202-727-9099, or send a text message to the department’s tip line at 50411. | 2022-11-20T20:27:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Akira Wilson fatally shot at NoMa's Hilton Garden Inn on Saturday - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/20/noma-hilton-garden-inn-homicide/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/11/20/noma-hilton-garden-inn-homicide/ |
FILE - Jason David Frank waves to the crowd as he makes his way down Peachtree Street in the annual DragonCon parade through downtown Atlanta, on Aug. 31, 2013. Frank, who played the Green Power Ranger Tommy Oliver on the 1990s children’s series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” has died, according to a statement Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, from his manager, Justine Hunt. He was 49. (Jonathan Phillips/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File) | 2022-11-20T20:27:49Z | www.washingtonpost.com | 'Power Rangers' star Jason David Frank dies at 49 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/power-rangers-star-jason-david-frank-dies-at-49/2022/11/20/cb924830-6908-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/power-rangers-star-jason-david-frank-dies-at-49/2022/11/20/cb924830-6908-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.