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 ⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In latest death camp case, German court gets the biggest question right
By Lawrence Douglas
Irmgard Furchner, 97, appears in court for the verdict in her trial on Dec. 20 in Itzehoe, Germany. (Christian Charisius/AP)
Lawrence Douglas is chair of the Department of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought at Amherst College.
This month, a German court convicted Irmgard Furchner as an accessory to the murder of 10,505 people. From 1943 to 1945, Furchner served as the secretary to the commandant of Stutthof, an SS concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. Bizarrely, because the 97-year-old defendant had begun her secretarial duties at 18, she was tried in juvenile court. Partly for this reason, the court gave a lenient sentence of two years, suspended. Furchner might be the last person convicted of taking part in the Nazis’ annihilation of 6 million European Jews.
The legal reckoning with the Holocaust began early, even before the war ended, with the Soviet trials of perpetrators of mass murder in Krasnodar and Kharkov in 1943. The following years and decades witnessed several of the most resonant trials of the 20th century: the Nuremberg trial of the major Nazi war criminals, the first international criminal proceeding in history, in 1945-46; the 1961 Jerusalem trial of Adolf Eichmann, the logistical mastermind behind the deportation of Jews to SS killing centers; and the 1987 French trial of former Gestapo officer Klaus Barbie, the so-called “butcher of Lyon.”
In comparison with these historic trials, the Furchner proceeding, with its suspended sentence of a nonagenarian tried as a juvenile, might appear to be a strange denouement. Yet the value of the verdict should not be overlooked.
In an important sense, this case brings the pursuit of justice for the Holocaust full circle. As early as 1950, in the trial of two officers at Sobibor, an SS killing facility in eastern Poland, a court in Frankfurt held that everyone active at the camp had been “linked to a single process whose sole purpose was the killing of Jews.” The court insisted that even those SS men who had worked in the camp’s bakery and the Schuhkommando — the group in charge of collecting, sorting and storing the shoes of the murdered Jews — bore responsibility for “the success [of the killing operation].”
But no other German court followed this lead. In 1969, in a disastrous ruling, the Bundesgerichtshof (BGH), Germany’s highest appellate court, failed to conceive of Auschwitz as a unified criminal complex in which the complicity of all those who had worked in the camp could be imputed. Instead, the court treated Auschwitz as a site in which many thousands of discrete crimes occurred, each of which needed to be independently proved. This ruling created huge obstacles to the successful prosecution of camp functionaries, especially because the German statute of limitations had long tolled on all Nazi-era crimes with the exception of homicide. Without evidence of a specific act of homicide by a named camp functionary, prosecution was essentially impossible. Those inclined to cynicism might say that was exactly the point. In any case, for decades, Germany’s prosecution of former camp guards ground to halt.
The conviction of John (Ivan) Demjanjuk by a Munich court in 2011 marked a belated break with this regrettable case law. In convicting Demjanjuk, the court recognized that all guards at an SS killing center, such as Sobibor where Demjanjuk served, were accessories to murder — because that had been their job. In such cases, the court reasoned, it was unnecessary to provide evidence of a specific act of killing to prove guilt. By working as a guard in a killing center, Demjanjuk’s guilt followed lockstep from his function.
Still, the Munich court calculated Demjanjuk’s complicity in a strangely aggregated manner. In holding Demjanjuk complicit in the death of about 28,000 Jews, the court imputed the defendant’s guilt for each specific transport of Jews that arrived during his months serving at Sobibor. Each transport, the court reasoned, represented a distinct act of complicity and so was treated as a separate count against Demjanjuk. Alas, this conclusion represented the persistence of the flawed understanding embraced by the BGH in 1969. By the reasoning of Demjanuk’s judges, Sobibor suddenly and episodically constituted itself as a murder center only when transports arrived. This, of course, was wrong: Sobibor existed as a murder center and the court should have treated Demjanjuk’s complicity holistically, not as a collection of aggregate crimes.
Now, in convicting Furchner, the court in the northern German town of Itzehoe has finally embraced a unified understanding of participation. In contrast to the Demjanjuk case, the court treated Stutthof itself as a criminal complex. The court did not deny that Furchner played an extremely minor role in the larger campaign of extermination. In contrast to Demjanjuk, she had not escorted any Jews from the train to the gas chamber; neither had she patrolled a guard tower, preventing escape. But in typing the orders of the commandant, she contributed, however marginally, to the success of the Stutthof camp — a unified and coordinated criminal operation created to destroy people.
Her suspended sentence reflected both her age and her low level of responsibility. But her conviction made clear that participation in an exterminatory system, at whatever level, deserves to be recognized as a crime. In perhaps its last judgment on the Holocaust, a German court finally returned to its early recognition that complicity attaches to all who participate, however peripherally, to a genocidal system. | 2022-12-28T22:49:44Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | In Irmgard Furchner case, German court got the biggest question right - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/28/irmgard-fulchner-nazi-death-camp-secretary-complicity/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/28/irmgard-fulchner-nazi-death-camp-secretary-complicity/ |
Southwest put investors ahead of its customers and employees
A flight schedule board at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport after Southwest Airlines canceled another 3,000 flights on Dec. 28. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Southwest Airlines was the grinch that stole this year’s Christmas for travelers across the country. The airline has canceled more than 15,000 flights since Dec. 22, stranding passengers and crew for days. Even worse were the horror stories of passengers unable to reach customer assistance, let alone rebook their flights, and sleeping en masse at airports. While every other U.S. airline managed to get back on track shortly after the rough Christmas week weather, Southwest has only seen its problems escalate: It accounted for more than 90 percent of Wednesday’s flight cancellations by U.S. airlines and about 99 percent of Thursday’s — a full week after the winter storm initially hit the Midwest. This is no longer about weather affecting flights. It’s about basic competence, and Southwest deserves a failing grade.
At a minimum, Southwest should fully compensate affected passengers and swiftly upgrade its outdated computer system. Giving full refunds for canceled flights and paying for food and hotel stays are the least the airline can do. But nothing can make up for missed holiday meals and hugs with family or having to forgo highly anticipated vacations. Many customers can’t even rebook on Southwest until Saturday — or later. Getting their baggage back is yet another nightmare.
The core problem is Southwest’s failure to modernize its infrastructure. Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, told CNN the airline still uses phones and a computing system from three decades ago. While 1990s fashion might be back en vogue for teenagers, that era’s data processors should not be running one of the nation’s largest airlines in 2022. The system was unable to figure out where crews were, making it impossible to match up pilots, flight attendants and planes.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called the situation “unacceptable” and plans to investigate the meltdown. “From what I can tell, Southwest is unable to locate even where their own crews are, let alone their own passengers, let alone baggage,” he said.
What’s particularly egregious is the fact that Southwest had the money to upgrade its systems but chose to hand it to shareholders instead. The airline recently announced it would pay a dividend again that amounts to $428 million a year. Southwest also received more than $7 billion from the U.S. federal government to shore up its operations during the pandemic. It paid a quarterly dividend for years before the coronavirus struck, signaling to Wall Street that the airline had cash to spare.
In other words, given a choice, Southwest put its investors ahead of its customers and crew. Now, the full ramifications of those decisions are causing massive pain — and what will almost certainly be a collapse of trust from the budget-minded travelers who have consistently ranked it among the best airlines when it comes to customer satisfaction.
Chief Executive Bob Jordan is promising to make needed upgrades and has vowed to “go above and beyond” for those who have been impacted.
But the fact is, Southwest should have seen the debacle coming and averted it long before now. This isn’t the first time Southwest has had this kind of systemwide meltdown. In October 2021, the airline canceled more than 2,000 flights over four days, blaming bad weather in Florida. The ordeal cost the airline $75 million. Executives apologized and handed out vouchers to irate customers. As recently as Dec. 21, The Post reported, an internal company memo foreshadowed the current crisis. As the storm was preparing to hit, the memo warned, Southwest’s Denver operation was reaching a “state of operational emergency” because of an “unusually high number of absences” of ramp employees, who handle baggage and help planes park at gates.
Southwest markets itself as a different kind of carrier — a plucky, friendly one that shook up the stodgy airline industry in the 1970s to make jet travel easier, more flexible and more affordable. The airline prides itself on its corporate culture, unfailingly nice employees, cabins where there are no seat assignments and fares that are often among the cheapest to be found. Its logo is in the shape of a heart, and its stock symbol is LUV. All of that — as well as Southwest’s bottom line — has now been put at risk by its leadership’s shortsighted decisions to ignore needed investments while tending to investors. | 2022-12-28T22:49:50Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Southwest put investors ahead of its customers and employees - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/28/southwest-holiday-cancellations-investors-customers/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/28/southwest-holiday-cancellations-investors-customers/ |
Jury-rigged and unjustified: The Title 42 saga
A Venezuelan migrant boy plays with an action figure near the Rio Grande in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Tuesday. (Herika Martinez/AFP/Getty Images)
Republicans and Democrats broadly agree that the nation’s asylum and immigration systems are broken. Both are aware that Congress, paralyzed by partisanship, has failed to provide a fix. But that failure cannot be a pretext for the democracy hack that GOP elected officials from 19 states have undertaken in asking the Supreme Court to retain a Trump-era anti-covid public health measure that has been repurposed as an immigration enforcement tool along the southern border. And by siding with those officials, at least temporarily, the conservative majority on the high court has made a mockery of the law.
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, the lone conservative to join his three progressive colleagues in opposing the court’s decision on Tuesday, was right to point out the flimsy legal basis that underlay the order. “The current border crisis is not a COVID crisis,” Gorsuch wrote. “And courts should not be in the business of perpetuating administrative edicts designed for one emergency only because elected officials have failed to address a different emergency. We are a court of law, not policymakers of last resort.”
The policy in question, known as Title 42, was imposed in March 2020 as the nation was reeling at the onset of a new, poorly understood pandemic. It suspended the legal asylum system, enabling border authorities to quickly expel migrants without giving them the benefit of filing a claim. Since then, Title 42 has been used 2.5 million times to turn migrants back — though many of them, having received no adjudication of their claims, tried repeatedly to cross the border unlawfully.
Whatever Title 42’s benefit at the outset — and there is scant evidence it was effective in combating the pandemic — it had run its course by the time Joe Biden took office. His administration made no effort to justify it; that, along with the repeal of other Trump-era immigration measures, was taken by migrants as a signal of a more lax border. In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered Title 42 terminated.
In November, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan pointed to the fact that no evidence buttressed its continued use to protect public health, ruling against the Republican officials who sought to keep it in place. Even as Title 42 was used to block asylum seekers at the border, the judge noted, millions of other travelers were crossing, in buses and cars, with few impediments. What’s more, the CDC had previously rescinded the use of quarantine and other restrictions on the grounds that they were ineffective.
Republicans made no attempt to justify Title 42, a public health measure, on public health grounds, Yet in keeping it in place while the GOP officials continue to press their appeal, the Supreme Court ignored all that, acting more as lawmakers than as judges.
There is little doubt that a new surge of migrants, on top of already record-setting apprehensions, would likely pose a challenge for border enforcement and states along the frontier, at least temporarily, if Title 42 ends. Republicans are right that the Biden administration, by sending mixed messages, has encouraged migrants to try their luck in entering the country unlawfully.
It remains the case that the immigration and asylum system, overwhelmed by a years-long backup in its caseload, cannot be jury-rigged by borrowing a public health measure for an unintended purpose. It is a job for Congress, not courts, to forge a solution. | 2022-12-28T22:49:56Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Supreme Court makes a mockery of Title 42 law in latest ruling - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/28/title-42-supreme-court-saga/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/28/title-42-supreme-court-saga/ |
A D.C. council member’s health discrimination claim echoes a larger workplace issue
D.C. Council member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7) on Jan. 2, 2021, outside the Wilson Building in Washington. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post)
On Jan. 3, which begins the D.C. Council’s next two-year term of service, Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) will ask members to ratify his proposed reorganization of the council’s committee structure and his designation of committee chairs. Under Mendelson’s plan, every council member will chair a committee, except incoming members Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3) and Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5). Mendelson’s proposals, however, have not encountered universal approval at city hall. Veteran Ward 7 council member and former mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) has asked that Mendelson reconsider his recommendations. Here’s why.
Gray regards Mendelson’s proposal as a demotion, one that seeks to remove him as chair of the council’s influential Health Committee (which Gray has chaired since 2017) and designate him as chair of a newly created panel limited to a health portfolio encompassing matters located east of the Anacostia River. Gray is also upset by the reasons for the shrinking of his responsibilities. In a “Dear Colleague” letter to council members, Gray said, “The Chairman told me that a number of you advocated for these changes and cited my personal health as your rationale.”
Indeed, in a meeting to announce the changes, Mendelson said his intent in making the change was “to accommodate [Gray’s] recovery and facilitate robust oversight while his hours and mobility are limited.”
What’s the health fuss all about?
A year ago in December, Gray had a stroke. He began immediate treatment for the stroke, and he said his neurologist and cardiologist cleared him to return to a full work schedule in June. In August, he tore his Achilles’ tendon. He underwent surgery to repair the tendon and started physical rehabilitation.
Gray said he has had no cognitive damage but has been seeing a speech therapist. He stated in his “Dear Colleague” letter and in a letter to his constituents, “Like many people who have had a stroke, at times my ability to communicate is not what it once was.” That, most likely, has been obvious to witnesses of council meetings. But, Gray added, “the speech therapist with whom I work is optimistic that I will continue to improve.”
“Let there be no misunderstanding,” Gray wrote. “I am well and have been cleared by my doctors for work and related activities.”
But Mendelson told me in a phone interview this week that “council members are concerned about Vince’s recovery and felt it would be better to give him a lighter load.”
And therein lies the rub. At least for me.
The council enacted the D.C. Human Rights Act (which apparently does not apply to lawmakers) that makes it unlawful to deprive residents of an equal opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of life in this city, including public service. Denying people the privileges of employment (job downgrading) based upon physical disability — speech from a stroke, decreased mobility caused by foot surgery — is a serious step. Stripping Gray — or anyone else for that matter — of job responsibilities based on whispering campaigns involving a person’s health seems contrary to the spirit if not letter of the act.
If there is an impairment that justifies reducing a worker’s responsibility — whether an office manager, trash collector or city official — ought not that impairment be medically determined by an acceptable medical source, such as treatment providers? Certainly not by co-workers rendering uninformed observations to the boss.
Gray has catalogued a list of activities achieved by his Health Committee since his return to work from his stroke, ranging from completing all performance and budget oversight hearings to moving legislation out of committee for full council action. If that record is subject to challenge, then those championing his removal from chairing the Health Committee should, as fully accountable public servants, publicly do so.
Concern for Gray’s full recovery is understandable and laudable. So, too, is fair workplace performance evaluation. Well intentioned but incomplete and uniformed judgments should have no standing in the workplace, including the D.C. Council.
Council members have much to think about come Jan. 3. | 2022-12-28T22:50:02Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Vincent Gray claims D.C. Council chair used his health to demote him - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/29/dc-council-health-discrimination-vincent-gray/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/29/dc-council-health-discrimination-vincent-gray/ |
Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) on Capitol Hill. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)
Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) on Wednesday announced he has cancer, but he said the condition is curable and he expects to work during treatment.
The congressman, who led the second impeachment of President Donald Trump and is a member of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, announced the diagnosis in a news release.
Raskin, who has represented Maryland’s 8th District since 2017, said he is about to begin a course of chemo-immunotherapy as an outpatient at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in the District.
“I am advised that it also causes hair loss and weight gain (although I am still holding out hope for the kind that causes hair gain and weight loss),” his news release said.
He said he would continue to work during treatment but has been cautioned by doctors to reduce unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus, flu and other viruses.
Raskin added that with “the benefit of early detection,” as well as his family, staff and friends, he plans to “to get through this and, in the meantime, to keep making progress every day in Congress for American democracy.”
“My love and solidarity go out to other families managing cancer or any other health condition in this holiday season,” he said, “ — and all the doctors, nurses and medical personnel who provide us comfort and hope.” | 2022-12-28T23:03:16Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin announces cancer diagnosis - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/28/jamie-raskin-cancer-maryland/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/28/jamie-raskin-cancer-maryland/ |
Holiday travelers checked their baggage and put their faith in a system. Now, they wonder whether it’s gone for good.
Perspective by Dan Zak
Caution tape restricts access to a baggage-claim area at St. Louis Lambert International Airport on Wednesday. (Jeff Roberson/AP)
On Sunday, Christmas Day, one of those bags belonged to Jazmin English, a 26-year-old paralegal from Old Bridge, N.J. Her evening flight on United Airlines from Newark to Tampa was delayed three times, then canceled. She says she waited in line for customer service from 11:44 p.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Monday, only to be told that the bag couldn’t be tracked. She joined a horde of other travelers searching through scores of bags that airline employees were unloading from canceled flights. She waited another four hours at a baggage service counter, only to be told that: Her. Bag. Was. In. Tampa.
“I said: ‘Sir, how can my luggage be in Tampa if I’m here? There’s no way you guys sent an empty plane to Tampa with bags after I was told all my flights are canceled,’” says English, who spent 26 sleepless hours in the airport before calling it quits.
“Generally speaking, I am not an emotional person,” she says. “But after I had finally gotten home on Monday night, I literally broke down. I had an anxiety attack. I was exhausted. It’s not like I was sitting around. I was running from terminal to terminal. I took the AirTrain maybe three times. I was literally depleted on every level.”
It was a despicable performance at an already stressful time, says a former senior manager at American Airlines, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to criticize both the industry and its passengers.
“At the holiday season, where you’ve got your presents, you’ve packed your extra diapers and baby formula, and you were bringing Grandma’s special scarf for the family picture, the emotional aspect of not being with your luggage at this time is higher than any other season,” says the former manager. “And seeing those pictures of lost luggage would give me a heart attack if I thought Grandma’s scarf was somewhere in there. I think it’s going to be weeks in some places before people get their baggage back.”
“And the people who checked their house keys and their medicine? I want to say to the customer: You should take some ownership of this,” the former manager says.
The whoopsie-daisy of airline technology was exacerbated by the precision of iPhone technology. A family from Chattanooga, Tenn., made it to Vail, Colo., for a ski vacation, but their goggles and gaiters didn’t. They knew exactly where the luggage was — at the baggage center at the Denver airport — because Dad had AirTagged it with his iPhone. It showed up on an his Find My app as a heart-eyed-cat emoji plotted on an aerial map of the airport.
Air travel “is so unimaginably complex,” says Ostrower, who estimates that he flies between 75,000 and 100,000 miles a year. “No one person can wrap their head around all of it: whether it’s the airplane, the baggage system, the networks that exist to operate airlines, the financials. If people knew how complex the system was and what it takes to get an airplane off the ground, they either wouldn’t complain or they’d never fly.” | 2022-12-28T23:03:23Z | www.washingtonpost.com | The lost luggage of the airport travel mess - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/12/28/lost-luggage-airline-meltdown/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/12/28/lost-luggage-airline-meltdown/ |
Scrutiny mounts over Buffalo’s response to deadly blizzard
By Justin Sondel
Holly Bailey
An aerial photo of Buffalo on Dec. 28. (Joed Viera/AFP/Getty Images)
BUFFALO — The city of Buffalo’s response to the massive blizzard that left at least 34 people across the region dead came under growing attack Wednesday, as emergency responders continued to search for survivors and plows moved mini-mountains of snow that kept the city under a driving ban for a sixth consecutive day.
Speaking at a daily briefing, Mark Poloncarz, the executive of Erie County, which includes Buffalo, slammed city leaders for failing to clear streets quickly and accused Mayor Byron W. Brown’s administration of being disengaged in the coordinated local and state response. Poloncarz said the county “took over” cleanup in one-third of Buffalo and had discussed with state officials the possibility of assuming responsibility for all plowing inside city limits during future large storms.
“We have an elected officials call every morning, and the city of Buffalo was not on it,” Poloncarz said. He added: “The mayor is not going to be happy to hear about it, but storm, after storm, after storm, after storm, the city, unfortunately, is the last one to be opened, and that shouldn’t be the case. It’s embarrassing, to tell you the truth.”
Brown, speaking at a separate briefing minutes later, deflected the accusations, emphasizing that Buffalo was the hardest-hit area of the storm. He said Polocarz had not expressed concerns to him and insisted there was “no feud” between the two.
“People have been working around-the-clock since the beginning of this storm,” Brown said. “Some people handle that pressure a lot differently. Some keep working. Some keep trying to help the residents of our community, and some break down and lash out.”
The blame-casting threatened to hamper coordination during the aftermath of the worst storm to hit the region since 1977 and drew fresh scrutiny to Brown, who has led the city for nearly 17 years. Brown was reelected in 2021 to a fourth term as a write-in candidate despite corruption scandals at City Hall and complaints about mismanagement in a deeply impoverished city.
“Our city government is failing us,” said community organizer India Walton, a socialist who was the Democratic nominee for mayor. “There’s deflection, gaslighting, excuse-making, and that means that 30 people are dead as a result, and somebody needs to be held accountable.”
Even in a famously snowy region, the storm had a crushing impact that experts and elected officials attributed to a combination of historic blizzard conditions, a scarcity of emergency management resources and the determination of some residents accustomed to extreme weather to carry on with their lives — especially in the days before Christmas.
And unlike past storms, which have often hit small towns outside Buffalo, this one walloped the city, imperiling more people, knocking out power to more residences and snarling streets packed with cars that ended up serving as roadblocks to emergency responders.
But questions about preparedness — including the timing of a travel ban, which was issued during the Friday morning commute just minutes before 79-mile winds hit the area — have mounted as Buffalo digs out from under the snowdrifts. Brown said Friday that the city was “absolutely” capable of dealing with the snow from a storm of this magnitude, but he also said “the city’s snow-fighting plan doesn’t address blizzards. It addresses normal snowfall.”
In an interview, Buffalo Common Council member Rasheed Wyatt said he did not “want to point fingers” but acknowledged that the storm revealed a need to review city plans. No changes were made after a large snowstorm in November, he noted.
“We have to learn some lessons from what happened,” Wyatt said, adding: “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime storm. But I’m not just going to put it all on that. There are things that we could have done better.”
Asked why the travel ban was not issued earlier, Poloncarz said officials weighed projections indicating the storm band would not hit until midmorning and the need for overnight shift workers to be able to get home. “If anyone’s to be blamed, you can blame me,” he said. “I’m the one who has to make the final call on behalf of the county.”
Officials said Buffalo’s driving ban is expected to remain in effect until at least Thursday morning. With temperatures warming to the 40s, county officials said Wednesday they were now preparing for the possibility of flooding from snowmelt, though they said it was unlikely to cause problems.
Authorities were also dealing with many reports of looting, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said. Authorities arrested nine suspects on Tuesday, he said, describing stores where “the shelves, the cash registers, things have absolutely been destroyed. It’s uncalled for. It’s disgusting, to be perfectly honest.”
At least 34 people in the county lost their lives to the storm, Poloncarz said, with 26 of those in Buffalo. Buffalo officials said 28 had died within city limits; it was unclear why those numbers differed.
More victims were likely to be found, officials warned. Members of the National Guard began fanning out Wednesday, going door to door to check on residents in neighborhoods that lost power, Poloncarz said.
“We are fearful that there are individuals who may have perished, including alone, or people who are not doing well in an establishment, especially those that still don’t have power,” Poloncarz said.
Among those who perished was lifelong resident and retired truck driver William Clay. According to his sister, Sophia Clay, he took seriously the threat of storms, having seen firsthand how the weather of this city on the edge of Lake Erie can turn in an instant from cold and still to a blinding, furious and deadly snow.
Sophia Clay last spoke to her brother around midnight Saturday morning — Christmas Eve — when she called to wish him a happy 56th birthday. “He sounded happy,” she said. “He told me he loved me, and that he would see me soon.”
A little while later, the family believes, Clay set out on foot to walk to a nearby convenience store to pick up last-minute supplies. That night, a relative arriving at Clay’s home found the house empty and alerted other family members.
Concerned, Sophia Clay posted a Facebook message asking neighbors to look out for her brother. Hours later, the family was alerted to a photograph circulating on social media of a man face down in the building snow blocks from her brother’s home. She knew it was him: She recognized his coat.
Sophia Clay said she called the Buffalo Police. “They said they were on their way,” she said. But hours later, the family was horrified to see new photos of the body still there. “Hours upon hours upon hours, he just laid there,” she said.
The family felt helpless. Driving was banned. Increasingly unconvinced local officials would respond, Clay’s relatives began to try to figure out a way to go pick up his body on their own.
Clay’s body was finally recovered late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The family still hasn’t been able to go to the medical examiner’s office to see the body in person, though his sister identified her brother by a photo of a tattoo on his arm.
“I think he was overtaken by the storm and just became disoriented,” Sophia Clay said. “That’s the only thing I can think of, because he knew how bad these storms can be. He knew to be afraid.”
What is painful is that her brother was dressed for the elements. She confirmed through the coroner that her brother was wearing a coat and layers. He had his hat on. “It wasn’t enough,” she said. | 2022-12-28T23:03:29Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Scrutiny mounts over Buffalo’s response to deadly blizzard - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/28/buffalo-blizzard-driving-ban-response/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/28/buffalo-blizzard-driving-ban-response/ |
A Mesa Airlines jet takes off from Long Beach International Airport on Jan. 10 in Long Beach, Calif. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)
Additional screening revealed a reason for the unease: Wrapped around the off-duty Mesa Airlines attendant’s abdomen was a package containing more than three pounds of fentanyl, according to a complaint filed by a Homeland Security Investigations agent. White initially claimed it was a weight loss pack.
On Friday, the 41-year-old flight attendant pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute. In her plea, she admitted using her job as a flight attendant — “a position of trust” — to try to avoid the drug’s detection.
White’s guilty plea comes as illegal fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, floods the United States and fuels a deadly epidemic. A recent Washington Post investigation found that it has become the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced last week that it had seized more than 379 million doses of fentanyl in 2022 — an amount DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said was enough “to kill everyone in the United States.”
According to her plea, White flew from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to San Diego International Airport on Oct. 4. She left the secure area of the San Diego airport and returned to security with plans of flying to Boston.
She tried to go through the “known crew member” queue, which allows airline crew members to bypass the more rigorous screening process that passengers go through. It was then that she was chosen to go through the regular line.
While walking through a metal detector, the federal complaint said, White set off the alarm. She was sent through one of TSA’s “advanced imaging technology” scanners, and agents noticed she appeared hesitant before entering.
The scanner flagged her abdomen, and White was taken to a private screening room, where agents removed the package from her abdomen. While in police custody, the complaint states, White said the item was “not what you think.” She said it was a “mercury pack” given to her by a co-worker for weight loss.
She admitted in the plea that she planned to deliver the fentanyl to another person. It was not immediately clear who — or where — that person was.
“Drug traffickers use air, land and sea for personal gain, putting people’s lives in danger,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly Howe said in a news release. “We will continue the great work with our partners to bring traffickers to justice and keep our community safe.”
Fentanyl’s explosion in the United States followed the DEA’s crackdown on the domestic opioid industry, as Americans addicted to prescription painkillers found them suddenly difficult to obtain. Mexican drug cartels filled the void, producing fentanyl in covert labs.
San Diego has emerged as ground zero for trafficking the drug into the United States, The Post found, with more than half the fentanyl seized along the southern border found there. | 2022-12-28T23:03:35Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Flight attendant pleads guilty in attempted fentanyl smuggling - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/28/flight-attendant-admits-she-tried-smuggle-fentanyl-airport/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/28/flight-attendant-admits-she-tried-smuggle-fentanyl-airport/ |
D.A. Anne T. Donnelly said residents “must have an honest and accountable representative.”
George Santos, a Republican elected to the House, is facing new questions about his background. (David Becker for The Washington Post)
The Nassau County District Attorney announced that she is opening an investigation into Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.), whose surprise victory in November was quickly followed by revelations that he lied about his business experience, educational background and family ancestry.
The district attorney, Anne T. Donnelly, said in a statement: “The numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated” with Santos “are nothing short of stunning.” The residents in the congressional district “must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress” and “if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.” Donnelly’s spokesman, Brendan Brosh, said in a statement, “We are looking into the matter.”
Days after an explosive New York Times story on Dec. 19 detailed lies Santos told about his background, Santos gave a handful of interviews in which he acknowledged he was untruthful about having worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, graduating college and claims that he is Jewish. Also unclear is the exact source of the $700,000 Santos claimed to have loaned his campaign in 2022, just two years after filing a financial disclosure report during an unsuccessful 2020 congressional run that stated he had no major assets or earned income.
Santos and his representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
News of the investigation came as another detail in Santos’s biography unraveled Wednesday.
During his 2020 congressional race, he told a dramatic story on a podcast about how the prestigious private school he attended refused to help his financially struggling family just months before his graduation.
In the October 2020 interview, which resurfaced on social media Wednesday, Santos, referring to his parents, said: “They sent me to a good prep school — which was Horace Mann Prep in the Bronx. And in my senior year of prep school, unfortunately, my parents fell on hard times.” Santos went on to say that at the time his family couldn’t “afford a $2,500 tuition,” and “So, anyway, I left school [with] four months till graduation.”
But a spokesman for the Horace Mann School told The Post that the school has no record of Santos attending the institution.
After contacting the school and providing them with several variations of Santos’s name which he has used in public, Ed Adler, a spokesman for Horace Mann, wrote in an email, “George Santos or any of the aliases you [cite] never attended HM.”
Analysis: The scale of George Santos’s deceit — and the remaining questions
In November, Santos won an open congressional seat on Long Island held by a Democrat. With that victory, Santos made headlines as the first non-incumbent who is an openly gay Republican to be elected to Congress. He also falsely described himself as Jewish and a fantastically successful businessman.
Amid that newfound attention, Santos’s story unraveled.
Santos acknowledges ‘résumé embellishment’ but answers little on finances
Some Democrats have called for Santos not to be seated as a member of Congress next week. House Republican leaders have largely remained silent about the matter, as Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) seeks enough votes to become House Speaker when Republicans take control of the chamber when the new term begins Tuesday.
Rep.-elect Michael Lawler (R), who defeated an incumbent Democrat in a suburb north of New York City, said in a statement Wednesday, “With multiple federal, state and local investigations seemingly underway, Mr. Santos should cooperate fully, if he is to regain the trust of his constituents and colleagues.” It was not immediately clear whether other investigations were underway. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York, whose jurisdiction includes Long Island, declined to comment.
Bruce Blakeman — a Republican Nassau County, N.Y., executive — told CNN on Wednesday that Santos needs to address the “emotional issues” that led to his lying. “A normal person wouldn’t do that,” Blakeman said.
In the video that surfaced Wednesday, Santos unspools a heart-wrenching story about his education that even his interviewers at the time seem to question.
One man in the video, who is identified on-screen as Bill Cannon, says to Santos: “Wait a minute George. Horace Mann wouldn’t hit you up with a scholarship?”
Santos replied, “Unfortunately at the time, I wasn’t the only student going through that same issue.” | 2022-12-28T23:04:18Z | www.washingtonpost.com | George Santos is under investigation in New York - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/28/george-santos-investigation/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/28/george-santos-investigation/ |
Washington Hebrew Congregation to pay $950,000 in suit over child safety laws
Settlement ends proceedings in lawsuit by D.C. attorney general that alleged congregation ignored city laws designed to keep children safe
The Washington Hebrew Congregation in Northwest. (Perry Stein/TWP)
The Washington Hebrew Congregation will pay nearly $1 million to the city and families after a judge ruled the Northwest Washington synagogue violated the District’s consumer protection law when it failed to follow several child safety regulations while operating its preschool.
The settlement announced Wednesday ends proceedings in a 2020 lawsuit filed by D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D) that alleged the congregation frequently ignored city laws designed to keep children safe. Racine’s lawsuit came after earlier accusations and a 2019 lawsuit filed by a group of parents alleging that a teacher had sexually abused toddlers at the preschool.
A D.C. judge ruled in September that the congregation violated safety regulations by hiring unqualified teachers and assistant teachers, as well as by failing to maintain paperwork that showed staff were qualified and operating a summer program without a license. He also ruled that the congregation failed to properly report accusations that staff members used physical force with children.
Washington Hebrew Congregation violated D.C. law, judge rules
But the judge, siding with the congregation, ruled the District “failed to meet its burden and the court” regarding an allegation Washington Hebrew violated the city’s Nonprofit Corporations Act. Before the settlement, other allegations were set to go to trial, including a claim that the synagogue violated a city regulation that requires at least two adults to be present with toddlers in licensed child development centers.
The Washington Hebrew Congregation has denied liability for the District’s allegations and claims, but it said in a statement Wednesday that the settlement allowed the congregation to “avoid continued, protracted, and costly litigation.” Licensing violations were corrected previously, according to the settlement.
The settlement “allows Washington Hebrew Congregation to close this chapter and move forward,” Washington Hebrew President Lewis Wiener said in a statement. “Under outstanding new spiritual and administrative leadership, WHC can continue to grow as a warm, welcoming community, open to all who wish to build a meaningful Jewish life.”
Families sue Washington Hebrew preschool over alleged sexual abuse
As part of the settlement, the Washington Hebrew Congregation will pay $550,000 to the District — $400,000 in civil penalties and $150,000 to cover the city’s costs and expenses for investigating and litigating the case.
An additional $300,000 will be paid to families who enrolled their children in Washington Hebrew’s summer child-care program, Camp Keetov, from 2016 to 2018. The camp had more than 150 children over three summers, according to a release from Racine’s office about the settlement.
Lastly, $100,000 will be paid to a District-approved charitable organization.
Racine said in a statement that the settlement held the synagogue accountable for putting the city’s “youngest, most vulnerable residents in harm’s way.”
“What happened at Washington Hebrew Congregation is every parent’s worst nightmare,” Racine said. “Instead of protecting the children under their care, Washington Hebrew disregarded the law and failed to report incidents of harm, hired unqualified teachers, and ran an unlicensed summer child-care center for years.”
The Washington Hebrew Congregation has implemented a corrective action plan from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, which is the District’s equivalent of a state education department. In 2019, OSSE gave the congregation a license to operate a year-round program, and inspection reports from 2020 and 2021 indicated the congregation complied with OSSE regulations.
D.C. authorities say ‘insufficient ... cause’ exists to make an arrest in alleged sexual abuse at a preschool
“It is important to note that, occurring nearly four and a half years ago, the violations were administrative in nature,” Washington Hebrew Congregation said in a statement. “Not one was related to the supervision or alleged abuse of children.”
Meanwhile, a separate lawsuit filed by a group of parents against the congregation is ongoing. That lawsuit alleges that leaders at the congregation’s Edlavitch-Tyser Early Childhood Center ignored warning signs while a teacher sexually abused toddlers.
Washington Hebrew school says parents waived right to sue over sex abuse
A hearing is scheduled for March.
“Our case will continue, as it is important to find some measure of justice for the children who have suffered due to WHC’s negligence, and to hold WHC’s Edlavitch-Tyser Early Childhood Center accountable,” Karen Dunn, an attorney representing some of the families, said in a statement. “We look forward to presenting the facts and evidence to the jury at trial.” | 2022-12-28T23:15:50Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Washington Hebrew Congregation to pay $950,000 in suit over child safety laws - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/12/28/washington-hebrew-settlement-sexual-abuse/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/12/28/washington-hebrew-settlement-sexual-abuse/ |
Luka Doncic made NBA history Tuesday. In addition to making the game-tying shot to force overtime in an eventual victory over the New York Knicks, the 23-year-old Dallas Mavericks star became the first player in league history to record a 60-20-10 triple-double.
With 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists, Doncic tied James Harden for the highest-scoring triple-double (while notching 11 more rebounds but one fewer assist) and surpassed Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Russell Westbrook.
Triple-doubles with more than 50 points
Only four players other than Luka Doncic have scored more than 50 points in a triple-double: James Harden (three times), Russell Westbrook (twice), Wilt Chamberlain (twice) and Elgin Baylor (once).
Source: statmuse.com
To engrave his name in NBA history, Doncic had to beat two personal bests. The fifth-year guard’s previous highest-scoring game was 51 points in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 10.
On Tuesday, he tied the score with one second left in regulation to cap an 18-point fourth quarter. In overtime, he scored seven more points to finish off the 126-121 victory. The three-time all-star’s 60 points surpassed the Mavericks record of 53 set by Dirk Nowitzki in 2004.
Previous Doncic high
Doncic also set a career high with 21 rebounds. His previous best was 20 in a win over the Sacramento Kings on Aug. 4, 2020.
Doncic also dished out 10 assists. That fell well short of his career high of 20 in a win over the Washington Wizards on May 1, 2021.
Doncic high
“I’m tired as hell,” Doncic said during a postgame interview. “I need a recovery beer.”
That libation was well-earned. | 2022-12-28T23:42:04Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Inside the numbers of Luka Doncic's 60-point triple-double - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/28/luka-doncic-triple-double-history/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/28/luka-doncic-triple-double-history/ |
“This is an A-1 class human being, and he’s obviously meant a lot to this place for a long time,” Las Vegas Coach Josh McDaniels said of quarterback Derek Carr. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)
In what could be the first concrete step toward ending Derek Carr’s lengthy tenure with the Raiders, Las Vegas Coach Josh McDaniels said Wednesday that the quarterback will be benched for the final two games of the season.
Getting under center will be Jarrett Stidham, a fourth-year quarterback who has yet to start an NFL game.
At 6-9, with losses in two of their past three games, the Raiders have only a faint hope of making the playoffs. Their next two games will be at home against the 11-4 San Francisco 49ers and the 12-3 Kansas City Chiefs.
“This is more about an opportunity to see a guy that we haven’t seen play in a situation like this against a couple of good teams, really good teams,” McDaniels said at a news conference. “Derek’s played a lot of football. There’s a lot of evaluating that’s going to take place here once the season’s over, in terms of how we make the most progress, what makes the most sense for everybody and how we move forward.”
Should Stidham suffer an in-game injury, he will be replaced by Chase Garbers, a rookie undrafted free agent out of California who has been on Las Vegas’s practice squad.
The 31-year-old Carr will be made inactive, suggesting that the team might want to keep him healthy for an offseason trade. NFL Network reported Wednesday that Carr and the Raiders mutually agreed after recent discussions that it would help minimize distractions if he stepped away. He will not practice with the Raiders, per reports, and his absence will be listed as “not injury related.”
The franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (35,222) and passing touchdowns (217), Carr has been with the Raiders since they made him a second-round pick out of Fresno State in 2014. He immediately took over as their starter and proved a stalwart, starting 143 of a possible 146 games, including a first-round loss last season in the playoffs.
That was just the second time the Raiders made the postseason with Carr, and after he threw for a career-high 4,804 yards in 2021, his performance this year has slipped. Carr leads the NFL with 14 interceptions, and his 60.8 completion percentage is well below his cumulative mark of 68.7 from the previous four seasons. Over the Raiders’ past four games, he completed just 53.4 percent of his passes, with six touchdowns, seven interceptions and a passer rating of 66.8.
McDaniels, in his first season with the Raiders after a number of years as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, said Wednesday that there are no “easy conversations” when letting an accomplished quarterback know he’s being benched but that it was “the nature of the position.”
“I couldn’t be more complimentary of him, the way he handled it,” the 46-year-old coach said of Carr, who was named to three straight Pro Bowls from 2015 to 2017. “This is an A-1 class human being, and he’s obviously meant a lot to this place for a long time. We’ll see how this goes, moving forward. I’m not going to sit here and predict the future. There’s a lot that could happen, and we’re going to take those things one day at a time. Right now, we’re going to get ready for the 49ers.”
This just might have been Derek Carr's final pass as a #Raiders QB https://t.co/2Jt9pBrrP8
McDaniels’s familiarity with Stidham, 26, goes back to the former Auburn star’s selection by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. The Raiders traded a sixth-round pick to New England in May for Stidham and a seventh-rounder. Over four NFL seasons and 11 appearances, he has completed 52.5 percent of his passes for 342 yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions and a 52.8 passer rating.
“He works really hard, and he’s very bright,” McDaniels said. “He understands our offensive system. He’s prepared like he’s playing every week since he’s been in the NFL. … I expect him to be ready to go, like he’s always been.”
If the Raiders decide they want to trade Carr, a complicating factor could be his contract, which calls for him to be paid his 2023 salary of $32.9 million and another $7.5 million of his 2024 salary Feb. 15. The NFL’s new league year, when trades can be made official, won’t begin until March 15. He could be released before Feb. 15, which would save Las Vegas a nearly $35 million salary cap hit and leave it with $5.6 million in “dead cap” charges for next season (per Spotrac).
Another option could be for the Raiders to keep Carr at least one more year, possibly on a restructured contract. McDaniels said Wednesday there was no “finality” to the decision to bench him.
“None of us is happy with where we’re at,” the coach added, “but we think it’s an opportunity to evaluate a younger player who hasn’t had much time to play. In talking to Derek — who was great — he understands the scenario that we’re in, and the situation, and is very supportive of the two young guys. … He’ll do anything he can to help them.” | 2022-12-29T01:13:52Z | www.washingtonpost.com | End of a Raiders era? QB Derek Carr benched for rest of season. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/28/derek-carr-benched-jarrett-stidham/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/28/derek-carr-benched-jarrett-stidham/ |
“This season has been a season that we never thought was going to happen the way it did,” said Denver quarterback Russell Wilson, shown at right in September with former coach Nathaniel Hackett. (David Zalubowski/AP)
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson said Wednesday he was “devastated” by the firing of Nathaniel Hackett and wished he could have “played better” for the former Denver coach.
Hackett was let go Monday, following a 51-14 Christmas Day loss to the Los Angeles Rams that dropped the Broncos to 4-11. The 43-year-old, who was in his first season with Denver, became the fifth NFL coach since the 1970 merger to fail to reach the end of his debut campaign.
A Super Bowl winner and nine-time Pro Bowl selection with the Seahawks, Wilson was traded from Seattle to Denver in a blockbuster March swap that saw the Broncos give up a massive package of draft picks — including two first-round selections, two second-rounders and a fifth-rounder — plus several players to secure Wilson’s services. Denver followed that by giving Wilson, who still had two years left on an existing contract, an extension reportedly worth $245 million, with $165 million in guaranteed money.
Wilson, who missed two games this season with head and hamstring injuries, is on pace for career lows in completion percentage (60.1), touchdown percentage (2.9) and passer rating (82.6). His 49 sacks taken are the most in the NFL, and his mark in expected points added per play (negative-0.010, per rbsdm.com) ranks 25th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks.
Wilson said Wednesday he had “confidence” in himself because of his past success but acknowledged: “You have dark days sometimes. It’s been up and down. It’s been a tough year, in a lot of ways, just physically. I’m used to scoring a lot of touchdowns and winning a lot of games, and that hasn’t happened. It’s the first time it’s been like this.”
Coming back Sunday from a stint in the NFL’s concussion protocols, Wilson had one of his worst outings of the season against the Rams. He threw quick interceptions on the Broncos’ first two drives, helping spot the previously 4-10 Rams a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. While Wilson finished with three picks and one touchdown on 15-for-27 passing for 214 yards, some teammates got into altercations with each other as well as with members of the Rams, further offering evidence of a Denver squad in disarray.
Wilson began his news conference Wednesday by telling reporters: “First of all, obviously, devastated about Coach Hackett because I think he’s an amazing man, amazing teacher, amazing father — just watching him with his kids — and what he’s been able to do and how he’s taught the game for us. This season has been a season that we never thought was going to happen the way it did. He was a guy who put all of his time and all of his effort into us as players, as staff members, everybody. Coaches as well. I think he’s an amazing coach, one of the brighter minds I’ve been around.”
Jerry Rosburg, who had been serving as an assistant, has taken over as interim coach. In a statement Monday, team CEO Greg Penner said that after “extensive conversations with [General Manager George Paton] and our ownership group, we determined a new direction would ultimately be in the best interest of the Broncos.”
“That wasn’t what it was all about. That’s not why we’re getting a new coach, to turn around Russ,” the general manager continued. “It’s about the entire organization. … It’s not whether Russ is fixable or not. We do believe he is. We do.”
“We saw flashes of Russ this year,” Paton added. “… He’ll be the first one to tell you he didn’t play up to his standard, didn’t play up to our standard. He needs to be better.”
Wilson echoed those remarks Wednesday, telling reporters: “We’ve got to be better, and that starts with me. So I’m looking forward to turning this thing around and making it special.” | 2022-12-29T04:47:58Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Russell Wilson: ‘I wish I could’ve played better’ for Nathaniel Hackett - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/28/russell-wilson-nathaniel-hackett/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/28/russell-wilson-nathaniel-hackett/ |
Carolyn Hax: Wishing boyfriend would drop his offensive friend
Carolyn Hax is away. The following first appeared Sept. 17, 2008.
Dear Carolyn: My boyfriend and I each have one or two friends whom the other doesn’t really like, and it’s okay with us. However, recently, my boyfriend became friends with someone I find very offensive. This person will say things that I find racist or sexist. In addition, he drinks heavily. (I mean, he calls himself the Manimal.)
I have told my boyfriend how I feel, and he said that he doesn’t spend much time with him — and that I have to get to know him before judging him, because he can be a nice person, too. Now that we’re back at school, I really do not want my boyfriend hanging out with him. When he’s with him, my boyfriend tends to drink more than usual. What to do?
— Va.
Va.: Nothing. You’ve made your point. The more you try to control your boyfriend, the less you witness his free will in action. There’s no more productive way to discover someone than to let him be himself. So wait and watch.
If you don’t like what you see, though, then here’s an important thing not to do: blame the Manimal. Your boyfriend is fully responsible for his taste in friends and his behavior in their presence.
You, likewise, are responsible for your companionship choices — not to be confused with a responsibility for making your companions change to justify your choice. Something to keep in mind if you find yourself with a Boyfriendimal on your hands.
Dear Carolyn: My girlfriend of two years was invited to the wedding of a classmate of hers. I asked whether I could attend as her date. She said that, because the invitation didn’t include me, I shouldn’t go. I asked whether she wouldn’t mind asking the bride. She refused.
I assumed she would stay only a very short time. By midnight, I finally hear from her. She proclaims that I am completely wrong and should not have made this into a big deal. My problem is that she didn’t even try. And she was going to see two people with whom she has history. I believe I wasn’t included because of them, which she denies.
R.: Your girlfriend was right: An invitation addressed only to her means you weren’t invited, and it’s not acceptable to pressure couples to add guests.
If you really believe your girlfriend is a liar who can’t be trusted without a chaperone, then please direct your efforts to asking yourself why you haven’t just broken up with her — instead of angling for invitations to weddings you apparently had no other reason to want to attend than to supervise her.
Dear Carolyn: My mom increasingly calls me for advice, especially about how to handle younger (but adult) siblings — which is odd, in that we’re “good kids,” so clearly my parents have some idea what they’re doing. Some days, I find it flattering, but others, I find it very stressful.
Va.: Advising can make you feel responsible for someone’s choices, which explains the stress. But just as your mom chooses to seek your counsel, she can also choose not to heed it. All you can do is offer an informed opinion when you have one you want to offer and, even more important, recognize when you don’t. And recognize that oracles can have questions, too. | 2022-12-29T05:14:12Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Carolyn Hax: Wishing boyfriend would drop his offensive friend - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/12/29/carolyn-hax-boyfriend-offensive-friend/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/12/29/carolyn-hax-boyfriend-offensive-friend/ |
Miss Manners: Husband keeps ruining events and then apologizing
Your husband is, Miss Manners hopes, habitually apologizing for specific similar offenses. But he is not apologizing once for them all — a more-than-semantic distinction, as the latter might cover as-yet-uncommitted transgressions.
After graciously accepting multiple apologies, no husband would be surprised that any spouse would say, “Thank you for apologizing, dear. But you must be as tired of doing that as I am of it being necessary. What can we do to ensure it doesn’t happen again?”
When the college's president was in town on a fundraising trip, he contacted me to see if we could meet for coffee or a meal. Since I know budgets are tight at his institution, I insisted he be my guest for dinner at a lovely, and not inexpensive, restaurant.
It's been nearly two weeks since we met, and I have yet to receive a thank-you note, email or text. I know everyone is busy, but are business thank-you notes now optional?
They are not optional, a fact Miss Manners is surprised that someone expecting something (your college president) forgot.
Dear Miss Manners: We live in a popular vacation area and often host friends and family for long weekends and even full-week stays. We’re often asked to accommodate additional guests and sometimes even animals.
We have plenty of room, so that’s not the issue; we really just don’t want to. I’ve answered “sorry, no” with a smile, but have never done so without repeated challenges — being asked why, or having to rebut “but this is how it could work” arguments.
Not taking “no” for an answer is rude; repeating “I’m sorry, but we just can’t” in the face of such pestering is, emphatically, not. Unless, of course, you insult their dog. | 2022-12-29T05:14:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Miss Manners: Husband keeps ruining events and then apologizing - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/12/29/miss-manners-always-apologizing-husband/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/12/29/miss-manners-always-apologizing-husband/ |
Gervonta Davis denied striking the mother of his young daughter. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)
According to a Broward County police report (via the Associated Press), the 28-year-old is accused of hitting a woman with a “closed hand type slap,” causing a small wound to her lip. He was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Parkland, Fla., and was released from jail Wednesday afternoon (per ESPN) after a hearing set his bail at $1,000.
In a 911 call shared Wednesday by TMZ Sports, the woman is heard pleading for help and alleging Davis “attacked” her and was “going to kill” her. She says she is “trying to go home” in her car, which she says also contains her young child.
“I never put my hands on [them],” he wrote in all-caps, adding, “I’m not a monster.”
He added that the woman only sounded upset on the 911 call because he “wouldn’t give her my truck.” He later deleted the post.
A native of Baltimore and a five-time world champion in three weight classes over his career, Davis is set to face Hector Luis Garcia on Jan. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington. The Showtime platform, which is featuring the fight as a pay-per-view event, told ESPN it is looking into Tuesday’s arrest.
In search of a spark, Commanders name Wentz starting QB | 2022-12-29T05:14:31Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Gervonta Davis arrested on domestic violence charges - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/gervonta-davis-arrested/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/gervonta-davis-arrested/ |
LeBron James’s patience is wearing thin as Lakers lag in standings
With the Los Angeles Lakers on track to miss the playoffs for a second straight season, LeBron James said Wednesday that he "[doesn't] want to finish my career playing at this level from a team aspect." (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence that James, who turns 38 on Friday, had championship contention on his mind while playing in Miami, where he won two of his four titles and made four straight Finals appearances from 2011 to 2014. After all, James flirted with the possibility of a return to play for the Cavaliers while in Cleveland for All-Star Weekend in February, complimenting the team’s young core and saying that the “door’s not closed” on the idea of him going home to Ohio for a third stint.
Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka said in September the organization was willing to “do everything we can, picks included, to make deals that give us a chance to help LeBron" win another title. After an opening night loss to the Golden State Warriors, James noted that “to be completely honest, we’re not a team that’s constructed of great shooting,” and the roster’s many flaws have only been magnified in Davis’s absence. Even so, the Lakers have yet to make any trades this season to acquire the necessary athleticism, size and wing depth to keep up with the league’s best. | 2022-12-29T06:19:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | LeBron James's frustration is evident after Lakers' loss to the Heat - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/lebron-james-expresses-frustration-lakers/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/lebron-james-expresses-frustration-lakers/ |
Ukrainian forces at a bridge over the Oskil River in the Kharkiv region on Oct. 3. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post)
A months-long examination by The Washington Post of Ukraine’s successful Kharkiv and Kherson counteroffensives involved interviews with more than 35 people, including Ukrainian commanders, officials in Kyiv and combat troops, as well as senior U.S. and European military and political officials. Here are some key findings:
1. Ukrainian Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky suggested the Kharkiv counteroffensive when the General Staff asked for diversionary operations. It was designed to prevent Russia from concentrating all its forces on defending Kherson in the south, but it was also an operation that Syrsky argued had a strong prospect of success in its own right. To plan the offensive, Syrsky met in a large operations room in Ukraine’s east with his top aides and key brigade commanders. On a 520-square-foot 3D-printed terrain map of the part of the Kharkiv region held by Russia, each commander walked the path of his unit’s planned assault, discussing coordination, contingencies and worst-case scenarios. “It was painstaking work,” Syrsky said.
2. U.S. officials were not particularly involved in the planning for the Kharkiv counteroffensive. They were as surprised as the Ukrainians when the Russian lines collapsed. Beyond supplying the Ukrainians with game-changing weaponry, the United States provided critical targeting information that helped the Ukrainians ration their limited supplies of ammunition. Ukraine would regularly give the United States and its allies a “high value” list spelling out the sorts of targets it was looking to hit, and often received precise coordinates.
3. In response to the Kharkiv rout, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Gen. Sergei Surovikin as his first overall commander for the Russian war effort. With a direct line to Surovikin, Putin began to receive a more unvarnished picture of the problems on the battlefield, according to two people familiar with the matter, who said that previously Putin had been given overly rosy assessments by his top defense officials.
4. The Americans were deeply involved in helping Ukraine plan for a counteroffensive in the south. The Ukrainian military was under considerable political pressure to undertake a broad counteroffensive across the entire southern front, which would have included an attempt to push southward into the Zaporizhzhia region and sever the “land bridge” from the Russian border to Crimea. In a July war-gaming exercise that Ukrainian commanders held in Germany with Western counterparts, the American and British couldn’t get the operation to work in their simulations. That helped convince the Ukrainians that a narrower operation focused on Kherson was a better military option.
5. Frustration in Kyiv with a lack of progress prompted the Ukrainian government to replace the commander of the Kherson operation in late September. The decision was kept under wraps at the time so as not to provide Russia with any kind of propaganda victory. The Americans were informed. Maj. Gen. Andriy Kovalchuk was replaced by Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavsky, a trusted lieutenant of Syrsky’s. “I think there were folks who were probably getting impatient with the movement in the south,” said a senior U.S. military official. “It was a really good start and then it just kind of stopped.” | 2022-12-29T06:24:06Z | www.washingtonpost.com | 5 key takeaways from how Ukraine's counteroffensives reshaped the war - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/ukraine-counteroffensives-kharkiv-kherson-takeaways/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/ukraine-counteroffensives-kharkiv-kherson-takeaways/ |
A London Landmark to Cherish? When Pigs Fly
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 13: A light installation called “Run Beyond” by Angelo Bonello is seen on the launch day of the Light Festival at Battersea Power station on January 13, 2022 in London, England. Running from January 13 to February 27, the curated collection of installations includes work by six artists, with two displays making their UK exhibition debut. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) (Photographer: Leon Neal/Getty Images Europe)
The times change and we change with them. And so do our buildings. That at least is true of Battersea Power Station, a beloved monument to some and an eyesore to others that was finally reincarnated in 2022 as a shopping mall and luxury apartment complex. Perhaps no other structure has so neatly bracketed London’s journey through the past century.
Count me among the monument camp. Like millions of other suburban kids, I used to thrill at the sight of this vast art deco edifice on family trips through the capital in the 1970s. It’s difficult to imagine that it was still a working power station at the time, one that at its peak supplied a fifth of London’s electricity. It’s also hard to think of another building that has inspired such awe in me. The Taj Mahal, certainly. But I didn’t spy that regularly out of the car window on the way to my uncle’s house in southeast London, so it has less of a personal connection.
Outsiders may puzzle at the grip that a smoke-spewing functional shed for industrial machinery has exerted on the British public imagination. Thousands of column inches have been spilled over the fate of Battersea Power Station since it was finally decommissioned in 1983, after five decades of service, and controversy over its fate has never been stilled. The building isn’t pretty, I grant you. Its majesty is intimidating; there was something of William Blake’s “dark satanic mills” about the sight of the plant’s four chimneys, particularly when silhouetted against a reddening sky. Beauty can inspire terror, as well as delight.
Despite being a disused power station, it is one of the most recognizable British buildings in the world. One pop culture reference above all is responsible for that global profile: the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals, for which the band floated a giant inflatable pig above the station (it escaped, endangering nearby aircraft, as Peter Watts recounts in his superb 2016 history of the plant, Up In Smoke). Other uses in film and television are too numerous to list. They include the opening scenes of Alfred Hitchcock’s Sabotage in 1936, which portrays two smoking chimneys of what was then a half-built plant; Doctor Who; 1984; Children of Men; and The Dark Knight.
It’s no accident that the site appealed inordinately to the noirish, totalitarian and dystopian science fiction forms. Dereliction may only have magnified its aura. For years, it appeared that the station might be allowed to rot until it fell down of its own accord. “Why don’t you just knock the bloody thing down?” Prince Philip is said to have asked one owner, Victor Hwang of Hong Kong’s Parkview Group. That might well have happened had then-Environment Secretary Michael Heseltine not granted it Grade II listed status in 1980, bringing the plant under regulations designed to protect buildings of special architectural or historic interest.
When I left the UK at the end of 1990, Battersea Power Station had been vacant for seven years. When I returned in September, after more than three decades in Asia, its formal opening to the public was still a month away. In the meantime, a succession of plans and quixotic fantasies were floated: a theme park; a museum; a 300-meter-high “eco tower”; a casino; a football stadium (for Chelsea Football Club, currently housed across the river in Fulham); a giant cinema complex; a horse-racing track.
Prince Philip notwithstanding, some of the shifting parade of owners who found themselves in control appeared to harbor a genuine feeling for Giles Gilbert Scott’s masterpiece of industrial design and desired to develop something that would do justice to such a landmark — noble sentiments that helped their visions to founder. Others were simply unlucky with timing. Inevitably, the project that finally came to fruition, shepherded by a Malaysian consortium, had a more hard-headed commercial pragmatism, emphasizing London’s contemporary obsession with luxury housing above other factors.
The restored plant finally opened in mid-October, and constitutes only the second phase of a £9 billion ($10.9 billion), eight-stage project that will create 4,239 homes across 42 acres. The development company’s marketing literature describes it as one of London’s “most visionary and eagerly anticipated new developments.” Some reviews have been complimentary. Others have been scathing, seeing the project as an exemplar of the worst excesses of the London property market. (Battersea Power Station is within the Nine Elms district, the subject of a regeneration plan where recently built apartment blocks have gained notoriety for segregated “poor door” entrances that exclude social housing residents from shared amenities. The US Embassy moved to Nine Elms in 2017.)
A “concession stand for the tat rich people buy themselves to feel something,” was the verdict of an article in the conservative Spectator magazine. “Every square inch monetised,” read a headline in the liberal Guardian newspaper, noting the paucity of affordable housing (386 homes, or 9% of the total, reduced from an already-low 15%). A piece in the socialist Tribune magazine accused the development of “crass, vulgar commercialisation.”
I confess to mixed feelings. I spent much of my own visit, on a mid-December weekday, feeling gratitude for the fact that the building still exists, having looked for so long as though it might not survive. The first glimpse, after exiting the purpose-built Battersea Power Station underground stop, still causes an intake of breath. The renovation, meanwhile, has clearly been done with a great deal of care and attention, and with a respect and consideration for the character of the building.
Yet the longer I looked, the more disappointed I felt. The £7 million glass box villas on the roof of the main and lower sections destroy the dramatic lines of the building. They remind me of the illegal rooftop structures that perch incongruously on village houses in Hong Kong — unsightly blemishes that the government makes periodic, unsuccessful attempts to eradicate. Worse, the surrounding curvilinear and stacked-coin apartment blocks designed by the firms of Norman Foster and Frank Gehry crowd too closely around. They impede the sight lines. What gave Battersea Power Station its geometric force was the way it towered over the surrounding space. It is unquestionably diminished.
And, at the risk of stating the obvious, no matter how tastefully designed the interior may be, it is a shopping mall. Not a particularly special mall, either, for such a special building. Past the Swiss watch and Cartier shops at the entrance, much of the inside is filled with the generic chain stores you can find anywhere: Starbucks, Pret a Manger, Uniqlo, Lululemon. As a retail destination, Battersea Power Station appears to fall between two stools. It has a magnificent location, yet lacks the scale or the parking to compete with larger centers like Westfield or Brent Cross. (Advocates of the build-it-and-they-will-come persuasion may point out that thousands more residents and office workers will populate the area as more apartments are built and once Apple Inc. moves its UK headquarters to the building.)
At the same time, it’s debatable whether the renovation makes enough of the structure as a unique attraction to keep people coming back. The main gimmick is a glass elevator that shoots passengers up one of the chimneys for 360-degree views 109 meters above ground (not as high as the 135-meter London Eye). There is no museum. The restored Control Room A is, by all accounts, spectacular — but it isn’t open to the public, being reserved for private events.
In the end, the feeling that prevails is that it could have been so much more. Is this sentimentality? Perhaps. Battersea Power Station was built for a utilitarian purpose, not as a monument to posterity. There’s a historical symmetry to the arguments over its future. When construction first started in 1929, there was an outcry from rich residents of nearby Chelsea and Westminster. So contention was never far away. No one would place a coal-fired power plant in the inner city these days. By the time the plant was fully complete in the 1950s, it was already being overtaken by atomic power. Modern nuclear plants generate more than 10 times as much as Battersea’s peak capacity.
If the character of a city changes, then the nature of its prototypical buildings will change too. Battersea Power Station was once a symbol of Britain’s industrial innovation and prowess. The mallified version swamped in luxury housing reflects what the capital has become. Like it or not, it’s as much a symbol of London as the working plant was when people like my great uncle called the city the “big smoke.”
At least it lives. And none of us know the future. The globalized property boom that has turned city centers from London to New York to Sydney into playthings of rich real estate investors shows signs of cracking. Perhaps the capital will evolve again and one day my favorite building will transform once more into something more communal and inclusive. We can dream. Pigs might fly again.
Don’t Fear the UK’s Coming Zombie Apocalypse: Matthew Brooker
Tokyo’s Tearing Down an Iconic Building. That’s a Good Thing.: Gearoid Reidy | 2022-12-29T06:46:00Z | www.washingtonpost.com | A London Landmark to Cherish? When Pigs Fly - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/a-london-landmark-to-cherish-when-pigs-fly/2022/12/29/2a43b424-873e-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/a-london-landmark-to-cherish-when-pigs-fly/2022/12/29/2a43b424-873e-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Relatives mourn the death of Palestinian teenager Mahdi Hashash, who died of shrapnel wounds amid an Israeli raid, during his funeral in the refugee camp of Balata near the West Bank city of Nablus on Nov. 9. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty Images)
Israeli forces killed more Palestinians in the West Bank in 2022 than in any year since the United Nations began systematically recording fatalities in 2005, after the last major Palestinian uprising.
The surging violence, experts warn, reflects a combustible mix of on-the-ground and generational changes — and could escalate further as Israel’s most far-right government, which includes Jewish supremacists who have incited violence against Palestinians, is sworn in Thursday.
Palestinian and Israeli rights groups and U.N. experts have blamed the bloodshed on Israel’s excessive use of force and open-fire rules during near-daily military operations, as well as rising assaults by settlers in the West Bank, where Palestinians live under Israeli occupation. Israel said its forces are responding to fatal attacks on Israelis by Palestinian militants, which have also spiked this year.
Israeli security forces killed 146 Palestinians in the West Bank and predominantly Palestinian East Jerusalem through Dec. 19 of this year, compared with 75 in 2021, according to figures provided by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. Four more Palestinians in the West Bank were killed by Israeli settlers, OCHA said.
Most of the Palestinians were killed during Israeli military raids and clashes in the West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus, according to the United Nations. More than half were under age 25. Among those killed were two U.S. citizens — Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and 78-year-old Omar Assad — whose deaths gained worldwide attention and sharpened international criticism of Israel.
In a statement to The Washington Post, Israel’s military said that “the vast majority of those killed by [Israel Defense Forces] fire … were involved in terrorist activity that posed a direct threat to human life.”
Israeli soldiers used live fire “when necessary” during “counterterrorism activities,” the statement continued, in response to “violent riots, which often include explosive devices, Molotov cocktails and rocks hurled at IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.”
Attacks by Palestinians, including knife, bomb and shooting attacks in central Tel Aviv, downtown Jerusalem and West Bank settlements, killed 29 Israelis in 2022 — including soldiers and civilians — according to the country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. Nineteen were killed by Palestinians from the West Bank, according to OCHA.
Many of the casualties in the West Bank this year were young Palestinians who have only ever known military occupation and the repressive politics of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA), which was set up as a caretaker government three decades ago and is now widely unpopular.
“People are very very fed up, whether it’s in Jerusalem or Jenin or Nablus. The last 20 years have not shown any improvements in the situation,” said a spokesperson from the Palestinian rights group al-Haq, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal by Israeli security forces, which raided the organization’s headquarters in Ramallah in August.
“The near-daily raids in areas under control of the PA show that the sovereignty of PA doesn’t exist,” the spokesperson said.
“We have a new dynamic in the West Bank and around Jerusalem” with a “new generation” of Israelis and Palestinians in conflict, Tor Wennesland, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told The Post. “There is an urgent need to de-escalate.”
He cited “growing tension in so-called friction zones” — areas where Israeli settlements continue to encroach on Palestinian land and violence is mounting.
Also notable this year, analysts say, was the emergence of two new Palestinian militant groups — the Jenin Battalion and the Lions’ Den — both led by disaffected young men with local support networks, loyal online followings and easy access to arms.
Young Palestinians arm themselves for a new era of violent resistance
Israel’s military declined to provide the number of internal investigations opened this year into potential misconduct related to Palestinian deaths. In September, Israel announced the results of its inquiry into the death of Abu Akleh, who was shot in the head while covering a military raid near Jenin in May.
The IDF said it found a “high possibility that Ms. Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire fired toward suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen during an exchange of fire,” though it has not released evidence showing the presence of gunmen in the area. An investigation by The Post contradicted the IDF’s claim that there was an exchange of fire in the minutes before Abu Akleh was killed.
The IDF said it would not pursue criminal charges against the soldiers.
“No one is being held accountable in most cases where Palestinians are killed,” said Dror Sadot, spokesperson for the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, which also tracks Israeli and Palestinian casualties and military violations. “There is no one demanding accountability.”
Far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir, slated to become Israel’s next national security minister, has proposed giving police and soldiers wider latitude to use live ammunition and shielding them from criminal prosecution for killing or injuring Palestinians.
The al-Haq spokesperson said that many of those slain in Israeli raids this year appeared to be bystanders, or were victims of excessive force.
In early December, Israeli fire killed teenage girl in Jenin who was on her roof as a raid unfolded nearby, Wennesland told the U.N. Security Council this month. Days earlier, he said, Israeli forces fatally shot a 16-year-old boy who was throwing stones at a checkpoint outside Ramallah.
“The continued killings of Palestinians by Israeli security forces in incidents where they did not appear to present an imminent threat to life” are “disturbing,” he said in his statement.
“I am increasingly concerned by the fragility of the current political and security dynamics, particularly in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” he added. | 2022-12-29T07:47:06Z | www.washingtonpost.com | 2022 one of deadliest years for West Bank Palestinians, U.N. says - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/palestinians-killed-west-bank-israel/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/palestinians-killed-west-bank-israel/ |
Ukraine live briefing: Explosions in Kyiv, across country as officials say 100 missiles incoming
President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers his speech during the annual address to the Verkhovna Rada parliament in Kyiv on Dec. 28, in an image released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service. (Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty Images)
KYIV, Ukraine — Air raid sirens were ringing in Kyiv and other regions across Ukraine on Thursday morning, as officials reported that more than 100 missiles were incoming in several waves. A series of loud booms could be heard in the Ukrainian capital, and local officials said that air defenses were working in the Kyiv, Odessa and Zhytomyr regions.
In his year-end address to parliament, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence and hope while speaking about the impact 10 months of war have had on his country. “Our national colors are today an international symbol of courage and indomitability of the whole world,” he said. “In any country, on any continent, when they see blue and yellow, they know that it is about freedom.”
“We helped the West find itself again,” Zelensky added, speaking to efforts from Western nations to support Ukrainian with military and humanitarian aid. The president, who recently had prominent meetings with American and French officials, also called for negotiations regarding Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and praised Ukraine’s “heroic warriors” for defining “new NATO standards.”
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported explosions in the capital Thursday morning, as city officials urged residents to head for shelters. It was unclear whether the explosions were from air defenses or successful strikes. Around the same time, the governor of the Zhytomyr region reported a missile landing there; the head of the Mykolaiv military administration said five rockets were shot down over the Black Sea; Kharkiv’s mayor reported a series of explosions in the city; and Lviv’s major reported the sound of explosions.
Zelensky’s parliament speech offered a pep talk for Ukrainians worn down by 10 months of war, framing his country’s defense as the key to the unification of all of Europe — and again calling for Ukraine’s entrance into the European Union.
As American Paul Whelan’s detention in Russia reached for four years, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he and President Biden “will not stop, we will not relent, we will not cease until all Americans can celebrate Paul’s return” and praised the Whelan family’s “generosity of spirit” for celebrating Brittney Griner’s return to the United States.
Dozens of ethnic Chechens have fled Russia in an effort to escape Putin’s draft for the war in Ukraine. This week, the group of about 50 people arrived in Bosnia, from where they hope to travel on to the European Union, the Associated Press reported, citing a Bosnian Security Ministry statement.
Shelling in the Kherson area continued Wednesday, following attacks Tuesday in which the maternity ward of a hospital in Kherson was hit. Again, the General Staff of the Armed Forces reported infrastructure damage and casualties. Government officials are encouraging civilians in Kherson to evacuate and offered shelter, humanitarian assistance and cash for doing so.
Only a “few civilians” are left in Bakhmut, a city that once housed 70,000, Zelensky wrote on Telegram. The area has been under heavy bombardment, but the D.C. think tank Institute for the Study of War said on Tuesday that Russian forces may have “culminated” in the region, meaning they’ve reached a point where they no longer “have the capability to continue its form of operations, offense or defense.”
Inside the Ukrainian counteroffensive that shocked Putin and reshaped the war: After Ukrainian forces repelled Russia from Kyiv in an unexpected triumph at the beginning of the war, the Kremlin refocused its efforts on the south and east. But this fall, successful Ukraine-led counteroffensives in Kherson and Kharkiv created hope, once again, that Ukraine could win.
In a months-long examination Isabelle Khurshudyan, Paul Sonne, Serhiy Morgunov and Kamila Hrabchuk reconstructed the Kharkiv and Kherson counteroffensives through 35 interviews with Ukrainian commanders, officials, combat troops as well as senior U.S. and European military and political officials. They show how “undermanned and underequipped” Russian forces failed to hold vast swaths of territory, surprising the Kremlin and validating Ukraine’s supporters.
“Our relationship with all of our partners changed immediately,” Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, who commanded the Kharkiv offensive, told The Washington Post. “That is, they saw that we could achieve victory — and the help they were providing was being used with effect.”
Ables reported from Seoul. | 2022-12-29T07:47:12Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Russia-Ukraine war latest updates: Explosions in Kyiv, across Ukraine - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/russia-ukraine-war-latest-updates/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/russia-ukraine-war-latest-updates/ |
Alabama A&M takes on Ohio State on 3-game skid
BOTTOM LINE: Alabama A&M aims to break its three-game slide with a victory against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have gone 6-0 at home. Ohio State scores 80.9 points while outscoring opponents by 15.3 points per game.
The Bulldogs are 0-3 in road games. Alabama A&M is 2-6 against opponents over .500.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 15.3 points for the Buckeyes. Zed Key is averaging 14.0 points over the last 10 games for Ohio State.
Garrett Hicks averages 2.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Bulldogs, scoring 15.8 points while shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc. Dailin Smith is averaging 12 points and 1.7 steals over the past 10 games for Alabama A&M. | 2022-12-29T08:17:47Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Alabama A&M takes on Ohio State on 3-game skid - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/alabama-aandm-takes-on-ohio-state-on-3-game-skid/2022/12/29/16606cd6-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/alabama-aandm-takes-on-ohio-state-on-3-game-skid/2022/12/29/16606cd6-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
BOTTOM LINE: Lafayette takes on the American Eagles after CJ Fulton scored 20 points in Lafayette’s 90-65 victory over the La Salle Explorers.
The Leopards are 0-2 on their home court. Lafayette gives up 67.8 points to opponents and has been outscored by 6.0 points per game.
The Eagles are 5-2 on the road. American has a 2-1 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Leopards and Eagles face off Friday for the first time in Patriot play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Leo O’Boyle is shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc with 2.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Leopards, while averaging 12.6 points. Kyle Jenkins is shooting 51.8% and averaging 11.5 points over the past 10 games for Lafayette.
Matt Rogers is scoring 13.7 points per game and averaging 5.5 rebounds for the Eagles. Geoff Sprouse is averaging 2.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for American. | 2022-12-29T08:17:53Z | www.washingtonpost.com | American hosts Fulton and Lafayette - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/american-hosts-fulton-and-lafayette/2022/12/29/4326940c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/american-hosts-fulton-and-lafayette/2022/12/29/4326940c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Appalachian State visits Marshall following Taylor's 22-point performance
Appalachian State Mountaineers (7-6) at Marshall Thundering Herd (11-2)
Huntington, West Virginia; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Marshall -11.5; over/under is 144.5
BOTTOM LINE: Marshall plays the Appalachian State Mountaineers after Andrew Taylor scored 22 points in Marshall’s 99-73 victory against the Glenville State Pioneers.
The Thundering Herd are 8-0 on their home court. Marshall averages 19.2 assists per game to lead the Sun Belt, paced by Taevion Kinsey with 5.4.
The Mountaineers are 2-2 on the road. Appalachian State is the Sun Belt leader with 26.8 defensive rebounds per game led by CJ Huntley averaging 4.2.
The Thundering Herd and Mountaineers match up Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Micah Handlogten is averaging 7.5 points, 11 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for the Thundering Herd. Kamdyn Curfman is averaging 3.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Marshall.
Donovan Gregory is shooting 43.1% and averaging 12.3 points for the Mountaineers. Tyree Boykin is averaging 1.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Appalachian State. | 2022-12-29T08:17:59Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Appalachian State visits Marshall following Taylor's 22-point performance - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/appalachian-state-visits-marshall-following-taylors-22-point-performance/2022/12/29/c493eab8-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/appalachian-state-visits-marshall-following-taylors-22-point-performance/2022/12/29/c493eab8-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Boston University hosts conference rival Navy
BOTTOM LINE: Boston University takes on Navy in a matchup of Patriot teams.
The Terriers have gone 4-0 at home. Boston University is 1-0 in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Midshipmen are 2-5 on the road. Navy ranks fifth in the Patriot with 31.2 rebounds per game led by Tyler Nelson averaging 5.8.
TOP PERFORMERS: Walter Whyte is averaging 14.5 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Terriers. Jonas Harper is averaging 9.5 points and 1.5 steals over the past 10 games for Boston University.
Nelson averages 2.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Midshipmen, scoring 13.4 points while shooting 49.3% from beyond the arc. Daniel Deaver is averaging 9.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the last 10 games for Navy. | 2022-12-29T08:18:05Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Boston University hosts conference rival Navy - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/boston-university-hosts-conference-rival-navy/2022/12/29/e1272e92-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/boston-university-hosts-conference-rival-navy/2022/12/29/e1272e92-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Bradley and VMI host Furman
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Furman -18; over/under is 150
BOTTOM LINE: VMI takes on the Furman Paladins after Rickey Bradley, Jr. scored 23 points in VMI’s 80-77 overtime loss to the Fordham Rams.
The Paladins are 7-1 on their home court. Furman leads the SoCon with 82.6 points and is shooting 50.0%.
The Keydets are 0-6 on the road. VMI is the top team in the SoCon shooting 39.6% from deep. Sean Conway paces the Keydets shooting 47.5% from 3-point range.
The Paladins and Keydets meet Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: JP Pegues is shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc with 2.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Paladins, while averaging 8.9 points and four assists. Mike Bothwell is shooting 56.3% and averaging 20.2 points over the last 10 games for Furman.
Conway is averaging 15.8 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Keydets. Asher Woods is averaging 15.1 points over the last 10 games for VMI. | 2022-12-29T08:18:11Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Bradley and VMI host Furman - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/bradley-and-vmi-host-furman/2022/12/29/b867dc30-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/bradley-and-vmi-host-furman/2022/12/29/b867dc30-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Bufkin and Michigan host Central Michigan
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Michigan -21.5; over/under is 146
BOTTOM LINE: Michigan faces the Central Michigan Chippewas after Kobe Bufkin scored 22 points in Michigan’s 80-76 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The Chippewas are 0-5 on the road. Central Michigan has a 3-4 record in games decided by at least 10 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Dug McDaniel is averaging 5.6 points for the Wolverines. Hunter Dickinson is averaging 18.2 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 55.9% over the past 10 games for Michigan.
Brian Taylor is averaging 14.6 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Chippewas. Jesse Zarzuela is averaging 11.5 points over the last 10 games for Central Michigan. | 2022-12-29T08:18:17Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Bufkin and Michigan host Central Michigan - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/bufkin-and-michigan-host-central-michigan/2022/12/29/53c87974-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/bufkin-and-michigan-host-central-michigan/2022/12/29/53c87974-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Cincinnati hosts Tulane following Cook's 27-point game
BOTTOM LINE: Tulane faces the Cincinnati Bearcats after Jalen Cook scored 27 points in Tulane’s 84-63 win against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils.
The Bearcats have gone 8-1 at home. Cincinnati is 0-1 in one-possession games.
The Green Wave play their first true road game after going 7-4 with a 2-3 record in neutral-site games to start the season. Tulane is second in the AAC scoring 78.6 points per game and is shooting 45.9%.
TOP PERFORMERS: David Dejulius is scoring 16.6 points per game and averaging 1.4 rebounds for the Bearcats. Landers Nolley II is averaging 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds over the last 10 games for Cincinnati.
Cook is shooting 46.0% and averaging 20.2 points for the Green Wave. Jaylen Forbes is averaging 16.8 points over the last 10 games for Tulane. | 2022-12-29T08:18:35Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Cincinnati hosts Tulane following Cook's 27-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/cincinnati-hosts-tulane-following-cooks-27-point-game/2022/12/29/8b46fc2c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/cincinnati-hosts-tulane-following-cooks-27-point-game/2022/12/29/8b46fc2c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Coastal Carolina hosts Louisiana following Brown's 20-point game
BOTTOM LINE: Louisiana visits the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers after Jordan Brown scored 20 points in Louisiana’s 100-72 loss to the Texas Longhorns.
The Chanticleers have gone 4-2 at home. Coastal Carolina is fifth in the Sun Belt with 10.9 offensive rebounds per game led by Essam Mostafa averaging 4.1.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jomaru Brown is scoring 15.3 points per game and averaging 2.4 rebounds for the Chanticleers. Mostafa is averaging 14.3 points and 10.5 rebounds over the last 10 games for Coastal Carolina.
Themus Fulks is averaging eight points and 5.8 assists for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Jordan Brown is averaging 19.7 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 57.9% over the last 10 games for Louisiana. | 2022-12-29T08:18:48Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Coastal Carolina hosts Louisiana following Brown's 20-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/coastal-carolina-hosts-louisiana-following-browns-20-point-game/2022/12/29/d6da3a42-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/coastal-carolina-hosts-louisiana-following-browns-20-point-game/2022/12/29/d6da3a42-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Cohen leads Saint Francis (PA) against Cent. Conn. St. after 28-point game
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Saint Francis (PA) -2.5; over/under is 140.5
BOTTOM LINE: Saint Francis (PA) takes on the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils after Josh Cohen scored 28 points in Saint Francis (PA)’s 77-66 loss to the Robert Morris Colonials.
The Red Flash are 3-3 on their home court. Saint Francis (PA) has a 3-9 record against opponents over .500.
The Blue Devils are 1-7 in road games. Cent. Conn. St. is 0-2 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Red Flash and Blue Devils face off Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cohen is averaging 22.5 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Red Flash. Landon Moore is averaging 12.1 points over the last 10 games for Saint Francis (PA).
Kellen Amos is averaging 13.6 points for the Blue Devils. Nigel Scantlebury is averaging 10.5 points over the last 10 games for Cent. Conn. St.. | 2022-12-29T08:18:54Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Cohen leads Saint Francis (PA) against Cent. Conn. St. after 28-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/cohen-leads-saint-francis-pa-against-cent-conn-st-after-28-point-game/2022/12/29/e489188e-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/cohen-leads-saint-francis-pa-against-cent-conn-st-after-28-point-game/2022/12/29/e489188e-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Cohill and Youngstown State host Cleveland State
Cleveland State Vikings (7-6, 2-0 Horizon) at Youngstown State Penguins (9-4, 1-1 Horizon)
Youngstown, Ohio; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Youngstown State -6.5; over/under is 141
BOTTOM LINE: Youngstown State hosts the Cleveland State Vikings after Dwayne Cohill scored 26 points in Youngstown State’s 76-65 victory over the Central Michigan Chippewas.
The Penguins have gone 4-1 at home. Youngstown State averages 85.0 points and has outscored opponents by 11.7 points per game.
The Vikings are 2-0 in Horizon play. Cleveland State is 1-0 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cohill is shooting 60.0% and averaging 18.2 points for the Penguins. Malek Green is averaging 14.5 points over the last 10 games for Youngstown State.
Tristan Enaruna is averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds for the Vikings. Deshon Parker is averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 assists over the past 10 games for Cleveland State.
LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 7-3, averaging 84.2 points, 33.3 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 7.7 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.2 points per game. | 2022-12-29T08:19:00Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Cohill and Youngstown State host Cleveland State - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/cohill-and-youngstown-state-host-cleveland-state/2022/12/29/af12aeb8-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/cohill-and-youngstown-state-host-cleveland-state/2022/12/29/af12aeb8-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Cornell hosts Binghamton following Falko's 36-point game
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cornell -14.5; over/under is 153
BOTTOM LINE: Binghamton takes on the Cornell Big Red after Jacob Falko scored 36 points in Binghamton’s 73-67 loss to the Niagara Purple Eagles.
The Big Red have gone 5-0 in home games. Cornell averages 84.7 points while outscoring opponents by 12.1 points per game.
The Bearcats are 1-4 in road games. Binghamton is 3-5 against opponents over .500.
TOP PERFORMERS: Greg Dolan is averaging 14.3 points and 4.8 assists for the Big Red. Nazir Williams is averaging 11.8 points over the past 10 games for Cornell.
Falko is averaging 15.8 points and 3.6 assists for the Bearcats. Miles Gibson is averaging 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last 10 games for Binghamton. | 2022-12-29T08:19:12Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Cornell hosts Binghamton following Falko's 36-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/cornell-hosts-binghamton-following-falkos-36-point-game/2022/12/29/79749694-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/cornell-hosts-binghamton-following-falkos-36-point-game/2022/12/29/79749694-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
CSU Bakersfield faces UC Riverside on 4-game slide
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: UC Riverside -10.5; over/under is 124
BOTTOM LINE: CSU Bakersfield comes into the matchup against UC Riverside as losers of four games in a row.
The Highlanders are 2-1 in home games. UC Riverside averages 11.1 turnovers per game and is 3- when it turns the ball over less than its opponents.
The Roadrunners are 1-4 on the road. CSU Bakersfield is 0-1 in games decided by less than 4 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Zyon Pullin is scoring 20.3 points per game with 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Highlanders. Flynn Cameron is averaging 10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals over the past 10 games for UC Riverside.
Kaleb Higgins is averaging 12.4 points and 3.7 assists for the Roadrunners. Marvin McGhee is averaging 7.9 points over the last 10 games for CSU Bakersfield. | 2022-12-29T08:19:18Z | www.washingtonpost.com | CSU Bakersfield faces UC Riverside on 4-game slide - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/csu-bakersfield-faces-uc-riverside-on-4-game-slide/2022/12/29/fd5fa756-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/csu-bakersfield-faces-uc-riverside-on-4-game-slide/2022/12/29/fd5fa756-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
CSU Fullerton hosts UCSB after Mitchell's 22-point game
UCSB Gauchos (9-2) at CSU Fullerton Titans (6-6)
Fullerton, California; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: UCSB faces the CSU Fullerton Titans after Ajay Mitchell scored 22 points in UCSB’s 61-50 win against the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
The Titans are 5-0 on their home court. CSU Fullerton has a 2-0 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Gauchos are 2-2 in road games. UCSB is third in the Big West with 14.7 assists per game led by Mitchell averaging 4.6.
The Titans and Gauchos match up Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Latrell Wrightsell Jr. is shooting 44.4% and averaging 15.5 points for the Titans. Jalen Harris is averaging 12.8 points over the last 10 games for CSU Fullerton.
Mitchell is scoring 15.4 points per game and averaging 3.3 rebounds for the Gauchos. Cole Anderson is averaging 1.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for UCSB.
Gauchos: 8-2, averaging 72.0 points, 33.6 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 7.3 steals and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.2 points. | 2022-12-29T08:19:24Z | www.washingtonpost.com | CSU Fullerton hosts UCSB after Mitchell's 22-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/csu-fullerton-hosts-ucsb-after-mitchells-22-point-game/2022/12/29/5afd028c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/csu-fullerton-hosts-ucsb-after-mitchells-22-point-game/2022/12/29/5afd028c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Delaware hosts Hofstra after Nelson's 20-point performance
BOTTOM LINE: Delaware hosts the Hofstra Pride after Jameer Nelson Jr. scored 20 points in Delaware’s 95-76 loss to the Ohio Bobcats.
The Fightin’ Blue Hens have gone 4-2 in home games. Delaware is third in the CAA with 31.4 points per game in the paint led by Jyare Davis averaging 8.0.
The Pride are 2-4 in road games. Hofstra has a 1-0 record in one-possession games.
The Fightin’ Blue Hens and Pride match up Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nelson averages 1.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Fightin’ Blue Hens, scoring 19.8 points while shooting 31.0% from beyond the arc. Davis is shooting 47.0% and averaging 16.6 points over the past 10 games for Delaware.
Aaron Estrada is averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals for the Pride. Darlinstone Dubar is averaging 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds over the past 10 games for Hofstra. | 2022-12-29T08:19:36Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Delaware hosts Hofstra after Nelson's 20-point performance - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/delaware-hosts-hofstra-after-nelsons-20-point-performance/2022/12/29/0f38b3c8-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/delaware-hosts-hofstra-after-nelsons-20-point-performance/2022/12/29/0f38b3c8-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Green Bay takes on Detroit Mercy on 3-game losing streak
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Detroit Mercy -15; over/under is 141
BOTTOM LINE: Green Bay is looking to stop its three-game skid with a win over Detroit Mercy.
The Titans are 3-0 in home games. Detroit Mercy is fifth in the Horizon scoring 73.3 points while shooting 41.5% from the field.
The Phoenix are 1-1 in conference games. Green Bay is 0-7 against opponents with a winning record.
TOP PERFORMERS: Antoine Davis is shooting 40.0% from beyond the arc with 4.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Titans, while averaging 24.2 points and 3.2 assists. Damezi Anderson is averaging 9.5 points over the last 10 games for Detroit Mercy.
Cade Meyer is averaging 11.6 points for the Phoenix. Zae Blake is averaging 9.4 points over the last 10 games for Green Bay. | 2022-12-29T08:20:25Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Green Bay takes on Detroit Mercy on 3-game losing streak - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/green-bay-takes-on-detroit-mercy-on-3-game-losing-streak/2022/12/29/241a25a6-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/green-bay-takes-on-detroit-mercy-on-3-game-losing-streak/2022/12/29/241a25a6-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Hall and Clemson host NC State
BOTTOM LINE: Clemson hosts the NC State Wolf Pack after PJ Hall scored 25 points in Clemson’s 79-66 win against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The Tigers have gone 7-0 in home games. Clemson has a 9-2 record against teams over .500.
The Wolf Pack are 1-2 in conference matchups. NC State averages 80.6 points and has outscored opponents by 13.0 points per game.
The Tigers and Wolf Pack face off Friday for the first time in ACC play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Chase Hunter is scoring 14.8 points per game with 2.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Tigers. Hunter Tyson is averaging 14.5 points and 9.3 rebounds over the last 10 games for Clemson.
Jack Clark is averaging 9.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals for the Wolf Pack. Terquavion Smith is averaging 17.9 points over the last 10 games for NC State. | 2022-12-29T08:20:31Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Hall and Clemson host NC State - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/hall-and-clemson-host-nc-state/2022/12/29/cc69828e-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/hall-and-clemson-host-nc-state/2022/12/29/cc69828e-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: SFA -4.5; over/under is 144.5
BOTTOM LINE: SFA hosts the Abilene Christian Wildcats after Sadaidriene Hall scored 20 points in SFA’s 80-69 win over the Jackson State Tigers.
The ‘Jacks have gone 5-2 in home games. SFA ranks sixth in the WAC in team defense, allowing 66.6 points while holding opponents to 43.2% shooting.
The Wildcats are 2-2 on the road. Abilene Christian is sixth in the WAC scoring 78.3 points per game and is shooting 48.1%.
TOP PERFORMERS: AJ Cajuste is averaging 9.9 points, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the ‘Jacks. Hall is averaging 13.5 points over the last 10 games for SFA.
Cameron Steele averages 1.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Wildcats, scoring 9.6 points while shooting 42.9% from beyond the arc. Tobias Cameron is averaging 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds over the last 10 games for Abilene Christian. | 2022-12-29T08:20:37Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Hall leads SFA against Abilene Christian after 20-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/hall-leads-sfa-against-abilene-christian-after-20-point-game/2022/12/29/ddc39592-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/hall-leads-sfa-against-abilene-christian-after-20-point-game/2022/12/29/ddc39592-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Hawaii puts home win streak on the line against UC Davis
UC Davis Aggies (7-5) at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (9-3)
Honolulu; Friday, 12 a.m. EST
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hawaii -7; over/under is 135.5
BOTTOM LINE: Hawaii will try to keep its four-game home win streak alive when the Rainbow Warriors take on UC Davis.
The Rainbow Warriors are 5-2 on their home court. Hawaii ranks seventh in the Big West shooting 33.2% from downtown, led by Beon Riley shooting 50.0% from 3-point range.
The Aggies are 1-4 on the road. UC Davis has a 1-2 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Rainbow Warriors and Aggies meet Friday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Noel Coleman is scoring 14.7 points per game and averaging 3.1 rebounds for the Rainbow Warriors. Kamaka Hepa is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Hawaii.
Elijah Pepper is averaging 19.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Aggies. Ty Johnson is averaging 16.3 points over the last 10 games for UC Davis. | 2022-12-29T08:20:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Hawaii puts home win streak on the line against UC Davis - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/hawaii-puts-home-win-streak-on-the-line-against-uc-davis/2022/12/29/987697ea-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/hawaii-puts-home-win-streak-on-the-line-against-uc-davis/2022/12/29/987697ea-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Providence Friars (10-3, 2-0 Big East) at Butler Bulldogs (8-5, 0-2 Big East)
Indianapolis; Thursday, 6:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Providence visits the Butler Bulldogs after Bryce Hopkins scored 29 points in Providence’s 103-98 overtime win over the Marquette Golden Eagles.
The Bulldogs are 6-1 on their home court. Butler ranks sixth in the Big East with 32.8 points per game in the paint led by Manny Bates averaging 9.2.
The Friars are 2-0 in Big East play. Providence is fifth in the Big East with 25.3 defensive rebounds per game led by Hopkins averaging 7.2.
The Bulldogs and Friars match up Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Chuck Harris is shooting 45.8% and averaging 14.2 points for the Bulldogs. Simas Lukosius is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Butler.
Hopkins is averaging 16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds for the Friars. Ed Croswell is averaging 13.2 points over the last 10 games for Providence. | 2022-12-29T08:20:49Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Hopkins leads Providence against Butler after 29-point showing - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/hopkins-leads-providence-against-butler-after-29-point-showing/2022/12/29/b9e76662-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/hopkins-leads-providence-against-butler-after-29-point-showing/2022/12/29/b9e76662-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
BOTTOM LINE: James Madison visits the Georgia State Panthers after Alonzo Sule scored 21 points in James Madison’s 107-100 overtime loss to the Coppin State Eagles.
The Panthers have gone 7-3 in home games. Georgia State ranks eighth in the Sun Belt in rebounding with 33.9 rebounds. Ja’Heim Hudson leads the Panthers with 8.2 boards.
The Dukes have gone 2-3 away from home. James Madison leads college basketball in inside scoring, averaging 46.3 points per game in the paint this season. Mezie Offurum leads the team with 6.0 points per game in the paint.
The Panthers and Dukes meet Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Dwon Odom is scoring 15.3 points per game with 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Panthers. Hudson is averaging 10.4 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 48.1% over the last 10 games for Georgia State.
Offurum is averaging 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Dukes. Vado Morse is averaging 13.2 points over the last 10 games for James Madison. | 2022-12-29T08:21:26Z | www.washingtonpost.com | James Madison visits Georgia State after Sule's 21-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/james-madison-visits-georgia-state-after-sules-21-point-game/2022/12/29/acd61ce2-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/james-madison-visits-georgia-state-after-sules-21-point-game/2022/12/29/acd61ce2-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Kountz and Northern Colorado host Weber State
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Weber State -3.5; over/under is 143
BOTTOM LINE: Northern Colorado visits the Weber State Wildcats after Daylen Kountz scored 22 points in Northern Colorado’s 67-65 loss to the Air Force Falcons.
The Wildcats are 2-1 on their home court. Weber State ranks third in the Big Sky in team defense, giving up 68.7 points while holding opponents to 46.5% shooting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Dillon Jones is averaging 14.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals for the Wildcats. Steven Verplancken Jr. is averaging 12.0 points over the last 10 games for Weber State.
Matt Johnson averages 2.5 made 3-pointers per game for the Bears, scoring 13.4 points while shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc. Dalton Knecht is averaging 17.8 points and 8.1 rebounds over the past 10 games for Northern Colorado. | 2022-12-29T08:21:38Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Kountz and Northern Colorado host Weber State - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/kountz-and-northern-colorado-host-weber-state/2022/12/29/42b035be-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/kountz-and-northern-colorado-host-weber-state/2022/12/29/42b035be-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
BOTTOM LINE: Houston Baptist plays the New Orleans Privateers after Brycen Long scored 21 points in Houston Baptist’s 111-67 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
The Privateers have gone 0-5 away from home. New Orleans has a 0-5 record in games decided by at least 10 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Long is shooting 43.3% from beyond the arc with 3.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Huskies, while averaging 15.5 points and 1.5 steals. Bonke Maring is shooting 59.7% and averaging 14.5 points over the last 10 games for Houston Baptist.
Tyson Jackson is averaging 10.4 points for the Privateers. Jordan Johnson is averaging 2.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for New Orleans. | 2022-12-29T08:21:50Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Long and Houston Baptist host New Orleans - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/long-and-houston-baptist-host-new-orleans/2022/12/29/12f56fce-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/long-and-houston-baptist-host-new-orleans/2022/12/29/12f56fce-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Longwood Lancers face the High Point Panthers on 3-game win streak
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Longwood -5.5; over/under is 151.5
BOTTOM LINE: Longwood seeks to keep its three-game win streak alive when the Lancers take on High Point.
The Lancers have gone 5-1 at home. Longwood is third in the Big South scoring 79.1 points while shooting 47.6% from the field.
The Panthers have gone 1-3 away from home. High Point averages 82.1 points while outscoring opponents by 5.2 points per game.
The Lancers and Panthers match up Thursday for the first time in Big South play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Isaiah Wilkins is scoring 12.3 points per game with 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Lancers. DeShaun Wade is averaging 10.6 points over the last 10 games for Longwood.
Jaden House is shooting 46.1% and averaging 21.2 points for the Panthers. Abdoulaye is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for High Point. | 2022-12-29T08:22:02Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Longwood Lancers face the High Point Panthers on 3-game win streak - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/longwood-lancers-face-the-high-point-panthers-on-3-game-win-streak/2022/12/29/9f40f098-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/longwood-lancers-face-the-high-point-panthers-on-3-game-win-streak/2022/12/29/9f40f098-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Loyola Marymount (CA) hosts Applewhite and Portland
Loyola Marymount Lions (10-4) at Portland Pilots (8-7)
Portland, Oregon; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Portland -2.5; over/under is 148.5
BOTTOM LINE: Portland plays the Loyola Marymount Lions after Alden Applewhite scored 20 points in Portland’s 76-65 loss to the UC Riverside Highlanders.
The Pilots have gone 6-2 at home. Portland scores 79.3 points while outscoring opponents by 7.1 points per game.
The Lions are 1-2 in road games. Loyola Marymount (CA) ranks fifth in the WCC with 35.0 rebounds per game led by Keli Leaupepe averaging 7.1.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tyler Robertson is averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists for the Pilots. Moses Wood is averaging 2.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Portland.
Cameron Shelton is averaging 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals for the Lions. Leaupepe is averaging 14.3 points over the last 10 games for Loyola Marymount (CA).
LAST 10 GAMES: Pilots: 4-6, averaging 78.2 points, 30.7 rebounds, 17.7 assists, 6.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.8 points per game. | 2022-12-29T08:22:14Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Loyola Marymount (CA) hosts Applewhite and Portland - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/loyola-marymount-ca-hosts-applewhite-and-portland/2022/12/29/bbfaf3a0-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/loyola-marymount-ca-hosts-applewhite-and-portland/2022/12/29/bbfaf3a0-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Madsen leads Utah against Cal after 26-point outing
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cal -10; over/under is 128.5
BOTTOM LINE: Utah takes on the California Golden Bears after Gabe Madsen scored 26 points in Utah’s 75-71 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs.
The Golden Bears are 1-7 in home games. Cal has a 0-9 record against teams over .500.
The Utes have gone 2-0 against Pac-12 opponents. Utah is 1-1 in one-possession games.
TOP PERFORMERS: Devin Askew is scoring 16.9 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the Golden Bears. Lars Thiemann is averaging 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds over the past 10 games for Cal.
Madsen averages 2.9 made 3-pointers per game for the Utes, scoring 14.0 points while shooting 42.2% from beyond the arc. Branden Carlson is averaging 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over the last 10 games for Utah. | 2022-12-29T08:22:20Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Madsen leads Utah against Cal after 26-point outing - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/madsen-leads-utah-against-cal-after-26-point-outing/2022/12/29/2482e884-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/madsen-leads-utah-against-cal-after-26-point-outing/2022/12/29/2482e884-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Miguel leads South Florida against Memphis after 23-point outing
South Florida Bulls (7-6) at Memphis Tigers (10-3)
BOTTOM LINE: South Florida visits the Memphis Tigers after Selton Miguel scored 23 points in South Florida’s 92-73 victory against the NJIT Highlanders.
The Tigers have gone 6-0 in home games. Memphis is third in the AAC scoring 76.8 points while shooting 47.3% from the field.
The Bulls are 1-1 in road games. South Florida is fourth in the AAC allowing 66.3 points while holding opponents to 41.3% shooting.
The Tigers and Bulls square off Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kendric Davis is averaging 19.3 points, 5.8 assists and 1.9 steals for the Tigers. DeAndre Williams is averaging 15.2 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 58.3% over the last 10 games for Memphis.
Tyler Harris is shooting 38.0% and averaging 15.5 points for the Bulls. Miguel is averaging 1.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for South Florida. | 2022-12-29T08:22:39Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Miguel leads South Florida against Memphis after 23-point outing - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/miguel-leads-south-florida-against-memphis-after-23-point-outing/2022/12/29/0bb5e5d6-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/miguel-leads-south-florida-against-memphis-after-23-point-outing/2022/12/29/0bb5e5d6-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Oakland -1.5; over/under is 153.5
BOTTOM LINE: BJ Freeman and the Milwaukee Panthers take on Trey Townsend and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in Horizon action.
The Golden Grizzlies are 2-2 on their home court. Oakland averages 10.5 turnovers per game and is 1- when it turns the ball over less than its opponents.
The Panthers are 2-0 in conference games. Milwaukee ranks third in the Horizon scoring 38.0 points per game in the paint led by Markeith Browning II averaging 5.3.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jalen Moore is averaging 12.7 points and 5.7 assists for the Golden Grizzlies. Townsend is averaging 18.0 points over the last 10 games for Oakland.
Justin Thomas is averaging 7.7 points, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals for the Panthers. Browning is averaging 10.1 points over the last 10 games for Milwaukee. | 2022-12-29T08:22:45Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Milwaukee takes on Oakland for conference showdown - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/milwaukee-takes-on-oakland-for-conference-showdown/2022/12/29/00d57b9a-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/milwaukee-takes-on-oakland-for-conference-showdown/2022/12/29/00d57b9a-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Morehead State visits Tennessee State after Fitzgerald's 30-point performance
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tennessee State -3; over/under is 143
BOTTOM LINE: Tennessee State hosts the Morehead State Eagles after Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. scored 30 points in Tennessee State’s 98-83 win against the Brescia Bearcats.
The Tigers have gone 7-1 at home. Tennessee State is 1-0 in one-possession games.
The Eagles are 1-5 on the road. Morehead State averages 12.2 turnovers per game and is 3-1 when turning the ball over less than opponents.
The Tigers and Eagles match up Thursday for the first time in OVC play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jr. Clay is averaging 16.4 points and 4.6 assists for the Tigers. Fitzgerald is averaging 14.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 40.0% over the past 10 games for Tennessee State.
Kalil Thomas averages 1.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Eagles, scoring 7.1 points while shooting 33.9% from beyond the arc. Alex Gross is averaging 12.1 points and 7.1 rebounds over the past 10 games for Morehead State. | 2022-12-29T08:22:51Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Morehead State visits Tennessee State after Fitzgerald's 30-point performance - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/morehead-state-visits-tennessee-state-after-fitzgeralds-30-point-performance/2022/12/29/68ce1a5e-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/morehead-state-visits-tennessee-state-after-fitzgeralds-30-point-performance/2022/12/29/68ce1a5e-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Nelson and Manhattan host Saint Peter's
BOTTOM LINE: Manhattan visits the Saint Peter’s Peacocks after Anthony Nelson scored 22 points in Manhattan’s 80-69 win over the Marist Red Foxes.
The Peacocks have gone 5-1 at home. Saint Peter’s gives up 65.5 points and has been outscored by 1.5 points per game.
The Jaspers are 2-0 against conference opponents. Manhattan is 2-2 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Peacocks and Jaspers square off Friday for the first time in MAAC play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Latrell Reid is averaging 6.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals for the Peacocks. Isiah Dasher is averaging 13.5 points over the last 10 games for Saint Peter’s.
Josh Roberts is averaging 12.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks for the Jaspers. Samir Stewart is averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Manhattan. | 2022-12-29T08:22:57Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Nelson and Manhattan host Saint Peter's - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/nelson-and-manhattan-host-saint-peters/2022/12/29/a675fa0c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/nelson-and-manhattan-host-saint-peters/2022/12/29/a675fa0c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers play the Western Michigan Broncos on 4-game win streak
BOTTOM LINE: No. 15 Wisconsin is looking to build upon its four-game win streak with a victory over Western Michigan.
The Broncos have gone 1-5 away from home. Western Michigan is 0-1 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tyler Wahl is shooting 42.2% and averaging 14.5 points for the Badgers. Connor Essegian is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Wisconsin.
Lamar Norman Jr. is averaging 18.3 points for the Broncos. Seth Hubbard is averaging 1.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Western Michigan. | 2022-12-29T08:23:09Z | www.washingtonpost.com | No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers play the Western Michigan Broncos on 4-game win streak - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/no-15-wisconsin-badgers-play-the-western-michigan-broncos-on-4-game-win-streak/2022/12/29/bde4a892-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/no-15-wisconsin-badgers-play-the-western-michigan-broncos-on-4-game-win-streak/2022/12/29/bde4a892-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
North Texas hosts Florida Atlantic following Ousmane's 37-point outing
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: North Texas -2.5; over/under is 126.5
BOTTOM LINE: North Texas hosts the Florida Atlantic Owls after Abou Ousmane scored 37 points in North Texas’ 78-54 win against the UTSA Roadrunners.
The Mean Green have gone 4-0 in home games. North Texas is the best team in C-USA in team defense, allowing 51.8 points while holding opponents to 37.8% shooting.
The Owls are 1-0 in C-USA play. Florida Atlantic is third in C-USA scoring 80.9 points per game and is shooting 49.3%.
The Mean Green and Owls square off Thursday for the first time in C-USA play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ousmane is averaging 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Mean Green. Tylor Perry is averaging 17.2 points over the last 10 games for North Texas.
Michael Forrest is shooting 37.3% from beyond the arc with 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Owls, while averaging 11.7 points. Vladislav Goldin is shooting 65.4% and averaging 10.7 points over the past 10 games for Florida Atlantic. | 2022-12-29T08:23:16Z | www.washingtonpost.com | North Texas hosts Florida Atlantic following Ousmane's 37-point outing - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-hosts-florida-atlantic-following-ousmanes-37-point-outing/2022/12/29/6f3d56e8-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-hosts-florida-atlantic-following-ousmanes-37-point-outing/2022/12/29/6f3d56e8-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Northwestern plays Brown, aims for 4th straight home win
BOTTOM LINE: Northwestern hosts Brown aiming to extend its three-game home winning streak.
The Wildcats are 6-1 in home games. Northwestern ranks eighth in the Big Ten with 14.3 assists per game led by Boo Buie averaging 4.4.
TOP PERFORMERS: Buie is averaging 14.1 points and 4.4 assists for the Wildcats. Chase Audige is averaging 14.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 40.9% over the last 10 games for Northwestern. | 2022-12-29T08:23:40Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Northwestern plays Brown, aims for 4th straight home win - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/northwestern-plays-brown-aims-for-4th-straight-home-win/2022/12/29/98e146d0-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/northwestern-plays-brown-aims-for-4th-straight-home-win/2022/12/29/98e146d0-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Ohio hosts Chicago State after Clayton's 23-point outing
Chicago State Cougars (3-13) at Ohio Bobcats (7-5)
Athens, Ohio; Friday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Ohio hosts the Chicago State Cougars after AJ Clayton scored 23 points in Ohio’s 95-76 win against the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens.
The Bobcats have gone 5-0 in home games. Ohio ranks second in the MAC with 14.8 assists per game led by Jaylin Hunter averaging 4.4.
The Cougars are 0-13 on the road. Chicago State ranks second in the DI Independent with 30.3 rebounds per game led by Jahsean Corbett averaging 8.3.
TOP PERFORMERS: Dwight Wilson is averaging 13.5 points and 9.4 rebounds for the Bobcats. Miles Brown is averaging 1.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Ohio.
Wesley Cardet Jr. is averaging 15.6 points for the Cougars. Corbett is averaging 13.3 points over the last 10 games for Chicago State. | 2022-12-29T08:23:46Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Ohio hosts Chicago State after Clayton's 23-point outing - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/ohio-hosts-chicago-state-after-claytons-23-point-outing/2022/12/29/bd563274-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/ohio-hosts-chicago-state-after-claytons-23-point-outing/2022/12/29/bd563274-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Omaha -13; over/under is 153
BOTTOM LINE: Oral Roberts plays the Omaha Mavericks after Connor Vanover scored 21 points in Oral Roberts’ 79-40 win against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
The Mavericks have gone 3-1 in home games. Omaha ranks ninth in the Summit in team defense, giving up 76.0 points while holding opponents to 46.9% shooting.
The Golden Eagles are 1-0 in conference play. Oral Roberts is the Summit leader with 26.9 defensive rebounds per game led by Vanover averaging 5.3.
The Mavericks and Golden Eagles match up Thursday for the first time in Summit play this season.
Max Abmas is scoring 19.0 points per game with 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Golden Eagles. Vanover is averaging 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 53.1% over the past 10 games for Oral Roberts. | 2022-12-29T08:23:52Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Omaha hosts Vanover and Oral Roberts - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/omaha-hosts-vanover-and-oral-roberts/2022/12/29/80cf9858-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/omaha-hosts-vanover-and-oral-roberts/2022/12/29/80cf9858-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
BOTTOM LINE: B.J. Omot and the North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks host Grant Nelson and the North Dakota State Bison in Summit play Friday.
The Fightin’ Hawks are 4-3 in home games. North Dakota gives up 71.6 points and has been outscored by 1.1 points per game.
The Bison are 0-2 in conference games. North Dakota State is 3-6 against opponents over .500.
The Fightin’ Hawks and Bison square off Friday for the first time in Summit play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Norman is shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc with 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Fightin’ Hawks, while averaging 8.2 points. Omot is shooting 44.0% and averaging 11.4 points over the past 10 games for North Dakota.
Nelson is averaging 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the Bison. Tajavis Miller is averaging 1.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for North Dakota State. | 2022-12-29T08:23:58Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Omot, North Dakota Fightin' Hawks to host Nelson and the North Dakota State Bison - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/omot-north-dakota-fightin-hawks-to-host-nelson-and-the-north-dakota-state-bison/2022/12/29/c579489c-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/omot-north-dakota-fightin-hawks-to-host-nelson-and-the-north-dakota-state-bison/2022/12/29/c579489c-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Pittsburgh faces No. 25 North Carolina following Hinson's 25-point game
BOTTOM LINE: Pittsburgh faces the No. 25 North Carolina Tar Heels after Blake Hinson scored 25 points in Pittsburgh’s 84-82 victory over the Syracuse Orange.
The Panthers are 6-1 on their home court. Pittsburgh ranks third in the ACC with 10.2 offensive rebounds per game led by Fede Federiko averaging 2.6.
The Panthers and Tar Heels square off Friday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Hinson is scoring 17.2 points per game and averaging 7.5 rebounds for the Panthers. Jamarius Burton is averaging 12.2 points and 4.2 rebounds over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
Caleb Love is scoring 18.3 points per game with 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Tar Heels. Armando Bacot is averaging 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds over the last 10 games for North Carolina. | 2022-12-29T08:24:10Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Pittsburgh faces No. 25 North Carolina following Hinson's 25-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/pittsburgh-faces-no-25-north-carolina-following-hinsons-25-point-game/2022/12/29/f668617c-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/pittsburgh-faces-no-25-north-carolina-following-hinsons-25-point-game/2022/12/29/f668617c-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Prairie View A&M visits Texas A&M after Coleman's 24-point showing
BOTTOM LINE: Texas A&M hosts the Prairie View A&M Panthers after Henry Coleman III scored 24 points in Texas A&M’s 64-52 victory against the Northwestern State Demons.
The Aggies are 5-1 on their home court. Texas A&M ranks seventh in the SEC with 14.0 assists per game led by Wade Taylor IV averaging 3.7.
The Panthers are 1-7 in road games. Prairie View A&M is third in the SWAC scoring 70.5 points per game and is shooting 41.1%.
William Douglas is scoring 15.0 points per game with 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Panthers. Jeremiah Gambrell is averaging 12.3 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 34.5% over the last 10 games for Prairie View A&M. | 2022-12-29T08:24:23Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Prairie View A&M visits Texas A&M after Coleman's 24-point showing - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/prairie-view-aandm-visits-texas-aandm-after-colemans-24-point-showing/2022/12/29/b2948d5e-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/prairie-view-aandm-visits-texas-aandm-after-colemans-24-point-showing/2022/12/29/b2948d5e-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Presbyterian hosts Campbell following Dell'Orso's 20-point outing
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Presbyterian -2; over/under is 127
BOTTOM LINE: Campbell faces the Presbyterian Blue Hose after Anthony Dell’Orso scored 20 points in Campbell’s 74-66 loss to the UNC Wilmington Seahawks.
The Blue Hose have gone 4-1 at home. Presbyterian is 0-2 in one-possession games.
The Fighting Camels have gone 1-4 away from home. Campbell averages 70.3 points and has outscored opponents by 2.8 points per game.
The Blue Hose and Fighting Camels square off Thursday for the first time in Big South play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Winston Hill is shooting 55.8% and averaging 10.6 points for the Blue Hose. Crosby James is averaging 9.8 points over the last 10 games for Presbyterian.
Ricky Clemons is scoring 12.6 points per game with 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Fighting Camels. Dell’Orso is averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds over the last 10 games for Campbell. | 2022-12-29T08:24:29Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Presbyterian hosts Campbell following Dell'Orso's 20-point outing - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/presbyterian-hosts-campbell-following-dellorsos-20-point-outing/2022/12/29/92125f92-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/presbyterian-hosts-campbell-following-dellorsos-20-point-outing/2022/12/29/92125f92-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Saint Mary's (CA) hosts Jawara and San Diego
San Diego Toreros (7-7) at Saint Mary’s Gaels (10-4)
Moraga, California; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: San Diego visits the Saint Mary’s Gaels after Seikou Sisoho Jawara scored 25 points in San Diego’s 83-78 loss to the CSU Northridge Matadors.
The Gaels are 7-2 in home games. Saint Mary’s (CA) is 0-1 in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Toreros are 1-2 on the road. San Diego has a 1-3 record in one-possession games.
The Gaels and Toreros match up Thursday for the first time in WCC play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Aidan Mahaney is averaging 13.6 points for the Gaels. Mitchell Saxen is averaging 12.9 points and 8.5 rebounds over the past 10 games for Saint Mary’s (CA).
Eric Williams Jr. is averaging 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Toreros. Jawara is averaging 1.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for San Diego. | 2022-12-29T08:24:47Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Saint Mary's (CA) hosts Jawara and San Diego - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/saint-marys-ca-hosts-jawara-and-san-diego/2022/12/29/c8e6f2d6-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/saint-marys-ca-hosts-jawara-and-san-diego/2022/12/29/c8e6f2d6-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Southern Illinois visits Murray State following Domask's 24-point game
Southern Illinois Salukis (9-4, 1-1 MVC) at Murray State Racers (7-5, 2-0 MVC)
BOTTOM LINE: Southern Illinois plays the Murray State Racers after Marcus Domask scored 24 points in Southern Illinois’ 70-68 win against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks.
The Racers have gone 4-0 at home. Murray State is fourth in the MVC with 7.7 offensive rebounds per game led by Damiree Burns averaging 3.3.
The Salukis are 1-1 against conference opponents. Southern Illinois is third in the MVC with 14.8 assists per game led by Domask averaging 3.3.
The Racers and Salukis square off Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Rob Perry averages 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Racers, scoring 15.2 points while shooting 37.7% from beyond the arc. Jamari Smith is averaging 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds over the past 10 games for Murray State.
Domask is shooting 49.7% and averaging 17.5 points for the Salukis. Lance Jones is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Southern Illinois.
LAST 10 GAMES: Racers: 6-4, averaging 70.6 points, 32.5 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 5.1 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.3 points per game. | 2022-12-29T08:25:18Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Southern Illinois visits Murray State following Domask's 24-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/southern-illinois-visits-murray-state-following-domasks-24-point-game/2022/12/29/a60d47d2-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/southern-illinois-visits-murray-state-following-domasks-24-point-game/2022/12/29/a60d47d2-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Stanford hosts Simpson and Colorado
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Stanford -2.5; over/under is 140
The Cardinal are 3-2 on their home court. Stanford averages 68.2 points and has outscored opponents by 4.4 points per game.
The Buffaloes are 0-2 against Pac-12 opponents. Colorado is 1-2 in one-possession games.
The Cardinal and Buffaloes match up Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: James Keefe is averaging 6.5 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Cardinal. Spencer Jones is averaging 1.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Stanford.
Simpson is averaging 17.2 points, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the Buffaloes. Tristan da Silva is averaging 14.9 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last 10 games for Colorado. | 2022-12-29T08:25:30Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Stanford hosts Simpson and Colorado - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/stanford-hosts-simpson-and-colorado/2022/12/29/760efdc8-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/stanford-hosts-simpson-and-colorado/2022/12/29/760efdc8-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Stewart and Santa Clara host San Francisco
BOTTOM LINE: Santa Clara plays the San Francisco Dons after Carlos Stewart scored 25 points in Santa Clara’s 73-58 victory over the Boise State Broncos.
The Broncos are 9-1 on their home court. Santa Clara ranks seventh in the WCC shooting 35.3% from downtown, led by Camaron Tongue shooting 57.1% from 3-point range.
The Dons have gone 2-1 away from home. San Francisco ranks ninth in the WCC shooting 33.9% from 3-point range.
The Broncos and Dons face off Thursday for the first time in WCC play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brandin Podziemski is averaging 18.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals for the Broncos. Stewart is averaging 14.7 points over the last 10 games for Santa Clara.
Khalil Shabazz is averaging 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals for the Dons. Tyrell Roberts is averaging 14.5 points over the last 10 games for San Francisco. | 2022-12-29T08:25:42Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Stewart and Santa Clara host San Francisco - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/stewart-and-santa-clara-host-san-francisco/2022/12/29/d3720d30-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/stewart-and-santa-clara-host-san-francisco/2022/12/29/d3720d30-874c-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
UT Martin visits Little Rock after Jefferson's 30-point showing
BOTTOM LINE: Little Rock hosts the UT Martin Skyhawks after Jordan Jefferson scored 30 points in Little Rock’s 77-75 loss to the Arkansas State Red Wolves.
The Trojans have gone 4-0 in home games. Little Rock gives up 78.8 points to opponents and has been outscored by 6.2 points per game.
The Skyhawks are 1-5 in road games. UT Martin has a 3-0 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Myron Gardner is averaging 13.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals for the Trojans. D.J. Smith is averaging 11.7 points over the last 10 games for Little Rock.
Parker Stewart is averaging 17.2 points and 1.7 steals for the Skyhawks. Desmond Williams is averaging 2.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for UT Martin. | 2022-12-29T08:26:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | UT Martin visits Little Rock after Jefferson's 30-point showing - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/ut-martin-visits-little-rock-after-jeffersons-30-point-showing/2022/12/29/54316420-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/ut-martin-visits-little-rock-after-jeffersons-30-point-showing/2022/12/29/54316420-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
BOTTOM LINE: UAB hosts the UTEP Miners after Jordan Walker scored 25 points in UAB’s 76-68 win against the Charlotte 49ers.
The Blazers have gone 8-0 in home games. UAB is the top team in C-USA with 41.0 points in the paint led by KJ Buffen averaging 9.2.
The Miners are 1-0 in C-USA play. UTEP is eighth in C-USA scoring 70.3 points per game and is shooting 46.4%.
The Blazers and Miners face off Thursday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Walker is averaging 24.5 points, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals for the Blazers. Eric Gaines is averaging 11.1 points, 4.8 assists and 1.7 steals over the last 10 games for UAB.
Tae Hardy is shooting 41.1% and averaging 12.8 points for the Miners. Shamar Givance is averaging 0.8 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for UTEP. | 2022-12-29T08:26:19Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Walker and UAB host UTEP - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/walker-and-uab-host-utep/2022/12/29/387f42b0-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/walker-and-uab-host-utep/2022/12/29/387f42b0-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Western Kentucky takes on Rice following McKnight's 28-point game
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Western Kentucky -5.5; over/under is 150
BOTTOM LINE: Western Kentucky plays the Rice Owls after Dayvion McKnight scored 28 points in Western Kentucky’s 65-58 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Hilltoppers are 4-0 in home games. Western Kentucky ranks ninth in C-USA with 7.2 offensive rebounds per game led by McKnight averaging 2.1.
The Owls are 0-1 in conference matchups. Rice ranks fifth in C-USA shooting 35.5% from 3-point range.
TOP PERFORMERS: McKnight is averaging 16.5 points, 4.6 assists and two steals for the Hilltoppers.
Max Fiedler is averaging 9.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Owls. | 2022-12-29T08:26:31Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Western Kentucky takes on Rice following McKnight's 28-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/western-kentucky-takes-on-rice-following-mcknights-28-point-game/2022/12/29/079be16c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/western-kentucky-takes-on-rice-following-mcknights-28-point-game/2022/12/29/079be16c-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Williams leads Troy against Southern Miss after 20-point game
BOTTOM LINE: Troy visits the Southern Miss Golden Eagles after Zay Williams scored 20 points in Troy’s 82-79 loss to the Mercer Bears.
The Golden Eagles are 6-0 in home games. Southern Miss ranks sixth in the Sun Belt with 24.7 defensive rebounds per game led by Felipe Haase averaging 5.5.
The Trojans are 3-3 on the road. Troy is 0-2 in games decided by less than 4 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mo Arnold is averaging 5.9 points, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals for the Golden Eagles. Haase is averaging 16.2 points over the last 10 games for Southern Miss.
Duke Miles is averaging 14 points for the Trojans. Christyon Eugene is averaging 12.6 points over the last 10 games for Troy. | 2022-12-29T08:26:37Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Williams leads Troy against Southern Miss after 20-point game - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/williams-leads-troy-against-southern-miss-after-20-point-game/2022/12/29/6843131e-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/williams-leads-troy-against-southern-miss-after-20-point-game/2022/12/29/6843131e-874d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
U.S. to impose new coronavirus testing requirements for travelers from Chin...
Travelers check in for a flight at the Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai on Dec. 12. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg News)
Fifty percent of travelers on a Dec. 26 flight to Milan tested positive for the virus, with more than a third of passengers on a second flight that day also infected, according to RAI, the Italian public broadcaster. “The measure is essential to ensure surveillance and detection of possible variants of the virus in order to protect the Italian population,” Italian Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said in a statement.
The move to relax borders that had been closed for nearly three years comes as coronavirus infections are surging across China, and with U.S. officials increasingly worried about Beijing’s lack of transparency about the state of the pandemic there. Earlier this month, China stopped releasing a daily count of asymptomatic cases, and it recently offered covid-19 death tolls that are regarded as highly improbable.
The new controls, and China’s reluctance to offer data, recall an earlier stage of the pandemic. But even as China faces a domestic health catastrophe, these measures are also regarded by experts as likely to be ineffective at a time of widespread vaccine availability, and with covid-related travel restrictions all but abolished in much of the world.
“At the moment, there is no clear-cut evidence of benefit in restricting travel from any country or doing targeted surveillance,” said Paul Tambyah, the Singapore-based president of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. “We learned this … early in the pandemic when travel restrictions or surveillance measures were mostly instituted long after the virus had already taken root in the country imposing the restrictions.”
“There isn’t real-world scientific evidence to support these measures,” said Karen Grépin, a professor at the University of Hong Kong who specializes in global health policy. She added that the situation was very different from three years ago, with many countries having access to vaccines and with significant parts of their population already exposed to the virus.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Wednesday that measures to combat the pandemic should “be science-based and proportionate without affecting normal people-to-people exchange.”
Health-care experts noted that comparably strict measures did not stop the omicron variant from spreading last winter. Officials in Singapore and Australia — two countries that shut their borders during earlier stages of the pandemic — said this week that they had no plans to impose additional restrictions on travelers from China.
Tambyah acknowledged concern that the virus might evolve but said that “if this virus behaves like every other human virus in history, the new variants are likely to be more transmissible and less virulent.”
The omicron variants circulating in China “are already present in the rest of the world, and most countries now have a good immunity wall,” said physician David Owens, co-founder of the OT&P Healthcare medical practice in Hong Kong.
What is China’s ‘zero covid’ policy and why did it trigger protests?
Beijing said last month that it would focus on getting boosters into the arms of its senior citizens, but it has so far relied on its domestically made vaccines, which many experts regard as less effective than Western mRNA shots.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the United States was “prepared to continue to support people around the world, including in China, with this,” but that Beijing so far had not asked for that help.
The coronavirus situation in China is “extreme,” said the University of Hong Kong’s Grépin.
But she argued that singling out the country was not helpful. “Having this kind of penalty is not the solution to increasing cooperation globally as we move forward,” she said. | 2022-12-29T09:05:44Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Italy and U.S. mandate covid tests of all passengers from China - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/china-covid-travel-restrictions/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/china-covid-travel-restrictions/ |
The Pentagon says it must come down, but the process of determining what comes next has only just begun
The Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, pictured in 2017, has stood for more than a century. (Calla Kessler/The Washington Post)
The Defense Department’s directive, included within an extensive mandate to strip away all remaining attachment to the Confederacy, is stark and vague. The statue is to be taken down, it says, its bronze features removed, and the Department of the Army, which manages Arlington, should find “the most cost-effective method” for disposal. While an advisory committee has identified some options — storing away the 22 main components, trashing the memorial entirely, or donating it to another organization or museum — thus far, no consensus has emerged.
How Black troops lost out in bid to sever Army post’s Confederate ties
The churn over Arlington’s Confederate Memorial joins other debates, reignited in 2020 by the murder of a Black man, George Floyd, about the place such expressions should occupy in a society still afflicted by the racism and division that trace to America’s Civil War.
At a virtual public meeting of the cemetery’s advisory panel last month, one committee member asked if the memorial could be returned to the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which commissioned it decades ago. “It is obviously one of the options that could be pursued,” Renea C. Yates, director of the Office of Army Cemeteries, responded.
Multiple members of the panel sounded frustrated that the monument’s fate had been decided without their input, and suggested it could be stored and someday brought back for exhibition as a historical artifact. More than 20 descendants of the sculptor, Moses Ezekiel, have already objected to such a notion, demanding the statue’s removal as far back as 2017 and calling it a “relic of a racist past.”
Stephen Carney, the cemetery’s command historian, told the committee about a previous plan Arlington National Cemetery’s staff had envisioned, involving a “semitransparent” viewing panel that would, in a sense, transport visitors back in time.
“Looking through it,” he said, “you would see the memorial as it stood.”
At Arlington National Cemetery, a convicted killer rests among heroes
The cemetery, with its arresting views of the D.C. skyline, is just across the Potomac River in Virginia. Originally a plantation belonging to descendants of Martha Custis Washington, including Confederate general Robert E. Lee, the land that would become the cemetery was acquired by the U.S. Army in 1861 and designated as a settlement for freed people two years later. Arlington became a national cemetery in 1864, but the southern part of the land remained a “Freedman’s Village” until 1900.
Completed in 1914, the sculpture depicts two false tropes common to the Lost Cause effort to romanticize Southern defeat in the Civil War: a weeping Black woman — a “mammy,” according to the cemetery — holding the baby of a White Confederate officer, and an enslaved man accompanying his enslaver into battle. In the past five years, cemetery caretakers have acknowledged the intentionally misleading imagery with interpretive efforts, including signage at the site and a webpage that explains how the memorial was part of a larger attempt to gloss over the evils of slavery.
Arlington is where his family became “part of the fabric of America,” Craig Syphax said, explaining that he’d favor seeing the memorial preserved for educational purposes.
“I wouldn’t be opposed to it being destroyed,” Syphax said. He added, “But I would rather see it just being held onto [so] the next generation could have something that could tell a story, a positive story somehow.”
At Arlington Cemetery, a Confederate monument to the South and slavery still stands
United Daughters of the Confederacy, which maintains a headquarters in Richmond, has condemned the use of Confederate memorials to advance “racial divisiveness or white supremacy,” the group’s president general, Jinny Widowski, wrote in a statement posted on its homepage. The organization nevertheless opposes the removal of such memorials from public spaces. It did not respond to a request for comment.
“I don’t see it as belonging to the UDC as much as some people might,” Foster said, noting that the memorial was financed through a fundraising campaign that extended beyond the organization. “On the other hand, I think if there is a museum where it can go and be properly contextualized, it’s a splendid example of the South’s attempt to vindicate slavery and secession, and can help people teach that.”
Removing monuments no longer deemed worthy of honor, Foster said, is a practice dating to ancient times. The instinct to preserve what remains is far newer. Attempts to do this can be seen in places like Russia’s “fallen monument park” for toppled Soviet statues.
Foster’s proposal: Find a museum with space to accommodate Arlington’s Confederate Memorial indoors, where it can be interpreted with care. The city of Richmond, which in December completed a two-year, $1.8 million project to remove statues honoring Confederate generals, has taken this course, transferring them to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.
“Making them part of the landscape is what gives them their power,” Foster said. “Where if you’re in a museum, you’re saying, ‘This is the past that we’re looking at. Not something that we celebrate in the present.’” | 2022-12-29T10:11:17Z | www.washingtonpost.com | What to do with Arlington Cemetery’s Confederate Memorial - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/12/29/arlington-cemetery-confederate-memorial/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/12/29/arlington-cemetery-confederate-memorial/ |
By Ana Vanessa Herrero
Samantha Schmidt
Opposition lawmakers are set to vote this week on ending the mandate of Juan Guaidó and ending his interim government. (Carolina Cabral/Source: Bloomberg)
The then-35-year-old head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly was swiftly backed by the Trump administration and governments around the world on the reasoning that he was now the highest ranking democratically elected official in the country.
But nearly four years later and with little to show for the effort, the experiment appears to be coming to an end. As early as Thursday, the opposition lawmakers who once rallied behind Guaidó are expected to end his mandate and eliminate his interim government. They approved those moves in a 72-23 preliminary vote last week.
The gold mining city that's destroying a sacred Venezuelan mountain
John Bolton said he planned foreign coups. The global outcry was swift.
“My question to all those promoting this, is if the international community would agree with a violation of the constitution,” he told The Post. He said some assembly members might still be persuadable.
The United States, with the help of conservative allies in Latin America, has managed to bar Maduro’s representatives from Venezuela’s seats in international and regional organizations including the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Development Bank and fill them instead with Guaidó's officials. But a wave of elections in some of the region’s most powerful countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile, has brought leftists to power with different priorities.
It’s not clear just how much money the opposition manages — or how it is using it. In a September news conference, Guaidó said that between 2020 and 2021 it spent $130 million from funds “protected by the United States.” In 2021, he said, his government used the money on humanitarian aid, “defense of democracy,” the National Assembly and the management of foreign assets.
In Venezuela, priests convicted of abuse have returned to ministry
Schmidt reported from Bogotá, Colombia. DeYoung reported from Washington. | 2022-12-29T10:33:08Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Guaidó likely to be removed as Venezuela's opposition leader - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/guaido-venezuela-opposition-ouster/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/guaido-venezuela-opposition-ouster/ |
Judy Woodruff on how her son with disabilities changed her view of health care
The ‘PBS NewsHour’ anchor is stepping down but still plans to report from around the country, with some stories about people with disabilities
By Roxanne Roberts
Judy Woodruff, center, and her husband Al Hunt, far right, with their children Hemi, left, Jeffrey, front center, and Benjamin in Washington in 2014. (Judy Woodruff)
Last month, TV anchor Judy Woodruff had some news of her own: She is stepping down from “PBS NewsHour” on Friday, Dec. 30.
One of the most respected and honored journalists on television could have retired. Instead, she’s embarking on a new PBS project, “America at the Crossroads,” where she’ll spend the next two years traveling around the country trying to figure out what voters want, what they need and how to repair the deep divides.
One subject close to her heart that she wants to highlight? People with disabilities.
Her oldest son, Jeffrey Hunt, was born with what she calls a “very mild” case of spina bifida. When he was a teenager, what was a supposed to be a routine operation left him in a wheelchair and in need of full-time care. It was life-altering for Jeffrey and the entire family.
Jeffrey, now 41, lives in a group home in Maryland, and says the love and support of his family got him to this point. “After I was injured my parents were with me every day,” he writes in an email. “They told me despite disabilities, I can succeed. I have succeeded thus far.”
It’s one thing to report on the kitchen table issues that affect people, another to live them. As a mother, Woodruff is keenly attuned to the needs of those with disabilities and their caregivers; as a Washington reporter, she has a deep understanding of what politicians and policymakers can do to help them.
“It made her dedicated to advancing the needs of people with these challenges in the medical system,” says longtime friend and colleague Andrea Mitchell, NBC News’s chief foreign affairs correspondent. “I think she’s more sensitive. She’s always been empathic, but this inevitably changed her.”
“I thought I was sensitive and compassionate before Jeff was injured,” says Woodruff. “But I found that there’s just a whole other level of what he was experiencing that affected me profoundly.” As a parent and caregiver, “you suddenly belong to this community that you never knew you were going to be part of, and none of us probably wanted to be there.”
Woodruff, 76, was a senior in high school when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. She became fascinated with politics and what it can do to change people’s lives, and spent two summers as a congressional intern in Washington. “I remember thinking: ‘This is the place where important things are happening. People are doing things that matter.’ And I just I just was captivated,” she says. She graduated from Duke with a degree in political science — the first in her extended family to attend college.
Not confident in her writing skills, she thought broadcast journalism might be a better fit. Her passion and ambition got her a job interview with an Atlanta station; her looks, she admits, got her a job as a weather girl.
She later reported on local politics and the state’s governor, Jimmy Carter, which landed her a job at NBC News in Washington, where she became one of the few women covering his presidential campaign. That’s where she met Wall Street Journal correspondent Al Hunt, who, he remembers, was smitten with the “the blonde with the great legs.” The two married in 1980 and have been a power couple in Washington for four decades.
Just before Jeffrey was born in 1981, she found out he had spina bifida, a medical condition caused when the spinal cord does not fully close during pregnancy; complications can include weakened leg muscles, incontinence and fluid on the brain.
The couple considered this a challenge but were determined to give Jeffrey a traditional childhood — and for the most part, they did. He was an active student, a swimmer and skier. They had another son and adopted a daughter. They hosted an annual roast of politicians and journalists in Washington to raise money for research and public awareness of spina bifida. Life was good.
In 1998, when Jeffrey was 16, his doctor recommended an operation to replace a shunt, which had been inserted when he was a baby to drain excess fluid on his brain. The night before, he was joking around with friends; the next day he was in a coma.
Woodruff and her husband raced their son to the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, where they spent the next four months. The doctor who saved Jeffrey’s life? Ben Carson, then a groundbreaking pediatric neurosurgeon — decades before he ran for president and served in the Trump administration. (In an email, Carson calls Woodruff “an extremely caring individual” and “one of the finest people in the world of news media that I have ever met.”)
Jeffrey was left unable to walk, with limited movement, vision and speech. As a mother, Woodruff went into survival mode. What she didn’t realize until much later was that she never grieved — for her son and for the life he might have lived.
“We were trying so hard to just keep everything on an even keel, make sure Jeffrey had access to good therapy, good teaching to bring him back to a semblance of where he had been before the injury,” she remembers. “We’re so focused on making everything as normal as possible that we didn’t really allow ourselves to grieve because he’s still there. He’s alive, right? He’s still Jeff, but he’s a changed Jeff. And there’s a mourning process that we didn’t go through.”
Woodruff says she was “devastated” by all of it. “I mean, that doesn’t even do justice. I remember I cried every day for two years after it happened.” She’s past that point but can still “just lose it all together” when she thinks about what might have been. “He’s a wonderful person. He’s an amazing human being. He’s so full of life and spirit. And he could have had a different life.”
All of this could have derailed her career; Woodruff, by then at CNN, was given all the time off she needed. But she was overwhelmed and considered quitting her job. How do you move forward when life breaks your heart?
She recalls confiding in one of Jeffrey’s doctors, who told her quitting wouldn’t heal her son. “He said: ‘What you need to do is go and be the best person you can, be the best mom you can be, support your family in a sense that you’re healthy mentally and physically. Jeffrey doesn’t need a mom who’s broken into pieces and miserable; he needs a mom who’s able to put one foot in front of the other.’”
As parents, she and Al were lucky to have the flexibility and financial resources to give Jeffrey whatever was required. As journalists, the experience gave them an intimate look at America’s health-care system.
“It makes you appreciative of how difficult and expensive a serious health issue is,” says Al. “It used to infuriate me when politicians would talk about how good the current health-care-delivery system was. They never went through the hell of not being about to afford the best care.”
He and Woodruff credit politicians such as Bob Dole, John McCain, Tom Harkin and Ted Kennedy, who fought for the Americans With Disabilities Act and other legislation that protects people with disabilities from discrimination and mandates public accommodations. Obamacare, he says, has also helped millions of families.
Jeffrey’s disability “hasn’t changed my view of politics per se — and I think Judy would say the same — but it’s provided a window in the inequities of American care,” Al says.
Their experience has also provided a better understanding of how health care and disabilities are reported in the media. “I’ve gotten to know journalists over the years who cover people with disabilities — and recognize, frankly, how little it’s covered,” Woodruff says. “There certainly are plenty of groups out there beating the drum for cancer and heart disease and covid. They’re all worthy. They’re all important.”
Covering disabilities is complicated by the fact that they occur for so many reasons — genetic conditions, illness, accidents, war injuries. “Because there are so many different organizations and people advocating, it’s been hard to come together and make one case,” she says. “It pits one good cause against another good cause.”
Judy Woodruff: Jim Lehrer was my close friend and a hero for our time
Woodruff says never felt health care should become her full-time beat, but she became more attuned to lack of funding for disabilities. “I was aware of it enough to say, ‘Okay, we should do this or we should do that interview, or we should pay attention to that debate over a vote.’”
She partnered with the Spina Bifida Association to raise visibility and funding for research and treatment; Jeffrey would often join her at conferences on the subject. After his operation, her outreach expanded to the broader community of the disabled and their caregivers.
There are also the smaller, personal acts. “Judy does so much quietly,” Mitchell says. She was visiting Woodruff’s home a few years back when a young mother arrived; her baby had spina bifida, and Woodruff had offered to spend some one-on-one time answering questions. “Judy and Al have transformed a family tragedy into a triumph of the human spirit.”
Jeffrey graduated from high school and college with the help of a series of full-time aides. He lives in a private group home at Target Community and Educational Services, a program affiliated with McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. He spends some weekends with his parents and attends church every Sunday.
As part of the college’s vocational program, he works part-time admitting students and faculty members to the McDaniel athletic center. He’s a huge fan of the school’s football team, as well as the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Wizards. He loves to ski — a sport he discovered when he was 4 years old — and goes to Vail, Colo., which has an adaptive ski program.
His other love? News — no surprise as the son of two journalists. He’s arguably his mom’s biggest fan: They talk every day; he follows current events carefully and constantly sends her questions she should ask.
“I watch her program every night and call her afterwards,” he writes. “After we discuss the program, she asks me if I know how much she loves me. She is serious at work, but at home she can be very funny. She makes me laugh a lot. She does great ‘Godfather’ imitations, like Tattaglia.”
“He’s doing remarkably well,” says Woodruff. Her son likes where he lives and has made a lot of friends — something she believes is harder for people with disabilities, who are often defined by their medical conditions. “People just treat you differently,” she says. “And that’s the part of it that really bothers me.”
She adds: “I’ve thought about this a lot. He could have been a very bitter person because of what happened. But he manages to have a remarkably positive outlook.”
Over the next two years, Woodruff says, she plans to do more segments on disability in America, with a special interest in the lack of resources for adults living with disabilities. It is an issue that cuts across politics, demographics and party lines; she hopes she can bring her personal experience to the stories and help restore some of the country’s broken trust in the media.
“We have to walk that fine line between having a heart and caring and being human, but also understanding that we have a job to do,” she says. “So I guess I’m asking the public to understand that. Most of us are trying to do the right thing. We’re trying to get the story right.” | 2022-12-29T11:08:07Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Judy Woodruff on how her son with disabilities changed her view of health care - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/12/29/judy-woodruff-pbs-newshour/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/12/29/judy-woodruff-pbs-newshour/ |
Israel’s far-right government sworn in amid surge of resistance
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presents the new government to parliament in Jerusalem on Thursday. (Amir Cohen/AFP/Getty Images)
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inaugurated the most right-wing government in Israel’s history on Thursday, launching a turbulent chapter of national division that pits newly influential ultrareligious, ultranationalist politicians against an opposition that warns the country’s democracy is in peril.
The new government returns Netanyahu — Israel’s longest-serving leader, who is embroiled in a corruption trial — to power for the third time, after a year and a half on the sidelines. His coalition, with control of 64 out of the Knesset’s 120 seats, was billed as a return to stability after years of political crisis. But it is anchored by Religious Zionism, a bloc of once-fringe, far-right parties that have promised to transform the country in their more conservative, religious and ideologically driven image. They have already begun to pursue plans to legislate discrimination against minorities, alter the system of checks and balances, hollow out the Israeli judiciary, exert influence over the army and security forces, and allow harsher treatment of Palestinians in both Israel and the occupied territories.
“This is not the end of democracy, it is the essence of democracy!” Netanyahu said at the inauguration event at the Knesset on Thursday, met by intermittent cheers from his supporters and boos from other members, who screamed “You’re a disgrace!” before being escorted out of the hall by security. Outside the Knesset building, hundreds gathered to demonstrate against the incoming government, hoisting posters with slogans like, “BIBlical disaster” and “crime minister.”
“Try very hard not to ruin it; we’ll be right back,” said Yair Lapid, the outgoing prime minister whose government included, for the first time in Israel’s history, an Arab-Islamist party within the ruling coalition.
Netanyahu has refused to hold the traditional transfer-of-power ceremony with Lapid.
The inauguration event followed marathon last-ditch negotiations to distribute ministries after Netanyahu had promised many of the most influential portfolios to the Religious Zionism parties. The result is a government that represents a relatively narrow constituency but is among the most bloated in history and filled with rotation agreements. Netanyahu tapped Eli Cohen for a one-year term as foreign minister and appointed former Israeli envoy to the United States Ron Dermer, widely seen as Netanyahu’s preferred successor, as minister of the newly created Strategic Issues Office. Aryeh Deri, head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, and Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism bloc, are set to rotate as finance minister.
Since clinching victory in the Nov. 1 elections, Netanyahu has repeatedly promised in Hebrew-language statements and in interviews with American news outlets that he will rein in the far-right factions whose policies would imperil Israeli democratic institutions. One legislative proposal would give the far-right members of the ruling coalition the unprecedented power to appoint judges and to override decisions by the Supreme Court. Many say the government may also make changes by not taking actions: With only four women, down from nine in the outgoing coalition, the government has announced it will not adopt an international agreement that aims to prevent violence against women.
Netanyahu has signed an agreement to change anti-discrimination laws and allow hospitals, hotels and other businesses to deny service to members of the LGBTQ community and potentially on the basis of religious belief. “As long as there are enough other doctors who can provide a service, it is forbidden to force a doctor to give treatment that contradicts their religious position,” said Orit Struck, a politician from Religious Zionism who will head the newly established National Missions Ministry, which will funnel millions of shekels into the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu has also helped push through legislation in recent days allowing for politicians who were criminally convicted — including his close ally Deri, who was convicted of tax fraud, and Itamar Ben Gvir, the firebrand leader of the Jewish Power Party who was convicted of supporting a terrorist group and of racist incitement. Ben Gvir is slated to serve as leader of a rebranded and significantly expanded National Security Ministry, through which he will receive legally mandated control over the Israeli police, including forces that operate in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu’s partners could pass legislation that would derail, or potentially cancel, his corruption trial.
In response, protests have been mounting across the country. Sheba Medical Center, along with several other Israeli hospitals, said in an Instagram video Monday: “we treat everyone.” Leaders of the judicial system and owners of high-tech companies and other businesses have issued a flurry of letters saying that, in case the law is changed to allow discrimination, they would no longer work with government-associated bodies.
“We believe and hope that our clients and also the companies and service providers we work with, there are certain basic values, and through collaborations and the unifying of forces we will be able to preserve an egalitarian, tolerant and respecting society in the state of Israel,” read a letter from 21 prominent Israeli law firms issued on Tuesday.
The Biden administration has expressed concern with the new government and has been scrambling for workarounds to dealing directly with some of its members, according to Israeli media. In a rare meeting on Wednesday, President Isaac Herzog told Ben Gvir that it was his responsibility to calm the “stormy winds” that his government has caused among millions in Israel and in the international Jewish community.
But many worry that Religious Zionism, which is led by staunch ideologues and openly seeks to change the status quo, will be beyond managing.
In recent weeks, the Israeli news site Ynet published two “black lists” that were drafted in 2019 by Avi Maoz’s anti-LGBTQ and anti-Arab party, which is a member of Religious Zionism. One list, which was updated this year on the party’s internal server, the report said, includes the names, sexual orientations, photos and other identifying details of feminist researchers, prominent LGBTQ journalists and liberal figures involved in public education. A second list names dozens of justice system officials, academics and even interns who were involved in a civil-society workshop that Maoz describes as representative of a “deep state, shadow government.” He says the group’s lessons on the integration of Arab citizens and on ways to fight racism are part of a “radical left” plot. Netanyahu did not issue a condemnation. | 2022-12-29T11:08:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Netanyahu's far-right Israel government sworn in amid resistance - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/israel-government-netanyahu-religious-zionism/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/israel-government-netanyahu-religious-zionism/ |
Up close with the sexiest nudes in modern art
A Philadelphia exhibition unites Amedeo Modigliani’s nude paintings, as well as his signature portraits and sculptured heads
Review by Sebastian Smee
Amedeo Modigliani's 1917 “Reclining Nude from the Back” is one of a half-dozen of the artist's nudes along with some of his other works on display in “Modigliani Up Close” at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. (Barnes Foundation)
PHILADELPHIA — What makes Amedeo Modigliani’s female nudes the sexiest in modern art?
I think it may be the most interesting question about him. Without the 30 or so pornographically repetitive but surpassingly sensual nudes he painted in 1916-1917, the sickly, doomed bohemian (soon to be the subject of the first Johnny Depp-directed film in 25 years) would likely be remembered as one of modernism’s minor mannerists: an interesting, precocious figure, alive to avant-garde preoccupations, but fatally formulaic and too cute by half.
Instead, Modigliani is incandescent — one of 20th century art’s lodestars — and one of the most faked artists of all time. His biography fuels the legend. But really, the nudes are the pith of it. When they were first exhibited in Paris in December 1917 — in what turned out to be Modigliani’s only solo exhibition during his lifetime — one of them, visible from the street, so roused passersby that the police were called in and the work censored.
The stated offense? Displaying pubic hair. But I suspect the real issue was nothing so crass or specific. It was an emanation, a force field, a public blast of gratuitous erotic energy that was bound to embarrass. A postcard of another Modigliani nude, printed by the Guggenheim Museum, was similarly discontinued in 1955 after it was classified “unmailable” by the U.S. Postal Service.
Half a dozen of Modigliani’s nudes are on display at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia (through Jan. 29). They’re joined by his signature long-necked, straight-nosed, blank-eyed portraits, piquant examples of his early work and a suite of his sculpted heads. The show, called “Modigliani Up Close,” was conceived to let scholars subject Modigliani’s materials and methods to technical analysis (presumably to help future experts distinguish authentic works from fakes). Revelations include insights into the Italian’s early preference for painting on used canvases and the identification of late canvases all cut from the same bolt of cloth.
What makes Modigliani’s late nudes so indelible (and at the same time vulnerable to imitation) is easily summarized. It’s their efficiency. Maximum heat, minimum fuss.
The heat is partly generated by Modigliani’s special way with flesh. Limned with dark hues, his models’ bodies are thrillingly aglow. Typically, he painted pale yellows tinged with pink over a gray-blue ground, setting warm skin tones against simplified backgrounds of burgundy, brown and black.
But the heat is also a reality effect. It’s the friction generated by regular, pulse-like infusions of truth in the form of armpit and pubic hair, flushed cheeks, asymmetrical eyes and stray locks. All these give credible texture to the prevailing School of Paris drive toward idealized abstraction.
Modigliani applied his principle of contrast (reality vs. stylization; detail vs. distillation; rough vs. smooth) equally to the forms. His female bodies are weighted and tactile but also suavely elongated, powerfully compressed and cropped to create a sense of expansion beyond the frame.
Their orientation is usually diagonal, from top left to bottom right, suggesting weird amalgams of upright and recumbent positions and varieties of squirming engagement with the fact — the process — of being gazed upon. Sometimes they seem almost to float, to unfurl across the horizontal canvases like giant, jazzy hieroglyphs.
An exception is the Museum of Modern Art’s “Reclining Nude,” (c.1919), where the model is both resolutely horizontal and asleep. Only her hips tilt forward to face the viewer (improbably, because there is no visible twist in her torso). Almost every part of her anatomy is defined exclusively by outlines. The absence of modeling is near total. Yet here and there, subtle shifts in tone and color do suggest volume. A lolling breast, outlined with shadow, seems to roll off the flat canvas into the viewer’s space.
Do Modigliani’s nudes objectify female bodies? Without a doubt. There is no psychology in these paintings, nor does the painter use eye contact or gesture to endow his sitters with anything much in the way of agency. And yet, at least in my experience, women find these pictures as beautiful as men. Whether it’s because they harmonize adoring idealization with the shapes and textures of real women or because of Modigliani’s almost uncanny ability to evoke actual sensation, I can’t say. But I think it’s hard for anyone to look at these paintings without feeling conscious of the tingle of stimulated nerve endings, the clench and release of stretched muscles.
Eros is life, and Modigliani’s determination to reproduce it on canvas was surely linked to his own atrocious morbidity. Born in Livorno, Italy, in 1884, he survived near-fatal bouts of pleurisy and typhoid in his early teens. At 16, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. His mother took him to Florence, and to the Uffizi where, like Henri Matisse (another artist who came to painting via illness), he fell in love with artists of the early Renaissance. He returned to study art in Florence and then Venice.
When he was 21, Modigliani moved to Paris. He lived in Montmartre, where he quickly befriended the likes of Pablo Picasso, Chaim Soutine — a fellow Jewish expatriate — and Maurice Utrillo, the son of the artist Suzanne Valadon. He was also mentored by Constantin Brancusi; the Romanian sculptor’s influence is clearest in the Italian’s carved stone sculptures and drawings.
In Paris, Modigliani behaved like a young man who knew the clock was running down. Eager to make a name for himself, he was willing to work hard. He wanted to live richly. Women adored him. He was a natty dresser — the best in Paris, according to Picasso, whose girlfriend, Fernande Olivier, recalled that “you couldn’t take your eyes off [Modigliani’s] beautiful Roman head with its absolutely perfect features.” Among his lovers were artists’ models and women famous for their own creative achievements, including the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova and the South African-born journalist Beatrice Hastings.
His biographer, Meryle Secrest, explains his drug and alcohol use as an attempt to alleviate or conceal the symptoms of his illness rather than a manifestation of unbridled Bohemianism. Either way, he had a problem.
It was probably the dealer Léopold Zborowski who suggested to Modigliani that he paint nudes. The Italian embarked on his famous series at the end of 1916. The Great War was raging, revolutionary fervor building, the grim reaper never busier. Inevitably, our knowledge of the period’s historical darkness — not only the carnage of the war but the ensuing influenza pandemic — enhances the paintings’ glow.
In March 1917, Modigliani met Jeanne Hébuterne, a young artist’s model and aspiring artist. They fell in love. After she became pregnant, they moved to Nice where, shortly after the Armistice, she gave birth to a baby girl. Early the following year, first Modigliani and then Hébuterne returned to Paris.
Around this time, dozens of Modigliani’s paintings were included in a group exhibition in a London department store. Critical acclaim ensued. Suddenly, Modigliani’s career was taking off. But a magical cure failed to arrive. His health deteriorated. His drinking worsened. His teeth fell out. Tuberculosis, in the form of meningitis, overran his brain.
He died on Jan. 24, 1920. The next day, Hébuterne, who was eight months pregnant with their second child, took her own life by jumping from her parents’ apartment on the fifth floor.
This is the truth, and also the myth, of Modigliani. It’s the story one tells because one cannot avoid it. But it overdetermines everything about the lives of its protagonists, not least the tragic couple’s surviving daughter, Jeanne, who grew up knowing little of her parents before compensating in adulthood by writing her father’s biography.
Modigliani was a good artist. He overcame extraordinary obstacles. He left behind portraits that were, for the most part, too stylized and repetitive to rise above the level of souvenirs, but also a series of nudes so powerful that rich people are willing to pay tens of millions of dollars to own them. The rest of us, seeking tokens of a life force that briefly stared down death, can find them in Philadelphia.
“Modigliani Up Close” at the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, through Jan. 29. barnesfoundation.org | 2022-12-29T11:21:20Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Up close with Modigliani and the sexiest nudes in modern art - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/12/29/modigliani-picasso-montmartre/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/12/29/modigliani-picasso-montmartre/ |
What’s next for the economy? 10 charts that show where things stand.
Economists remain divided on whether a recession is imminent
A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg)
1Inflation
2Gasoline prices
3Borrowing costs
4Home sales
5Manufacturing
6Job market
7Personal savings
8Stock market
9Gross domestic product
10Recession forecasting
The Federal Reserve has been aggressively trying to slow the economy enough to cool inflation. That appears to be working so far, but there are concerns that the economy — and especially the job market — could slow too quickly in the coming months, setting off a recession.
Major institutions remain divided on whether a downturn is imminent. Banks offer a range of scenarios — from predicting that the economy “just skirts” a recession (Morgan Stanley) to saying one is “very likely” to begin in the first half of 2023 (Bank of America).
Here, in 10 charts, is what we do know about the economy today.
Americans are finally beginning to feel relief after months of rapidly rising prices on basics such as food, fuel and rent. Overall inflation has fallen for five straight months and is expected to continue its descent in 2023.
A number of goods — including bacon, doughnuts and potatoes — have actually gotten cheaper in recent months, as pandemic-related product shortages and transportation tangles have gotten sorted out. Larger expenses such as utilities, health care and airline tickets have also become more affordable.
But the easing of inflation is just one part of the picture. In its effort to combat skyrocketing prices, the Fed has raised interest rates seven times in the past year. Although the central bank controls just one interest rate — the federal funds rate, which banks use to lend money to each other overnight — its actions have an almost immediate impact on all types lending, including mortgages, car loans and credit card rates, all of which are getting costlier.
More debt, higher fees: Credit card borrowers face mounting burdens
The run-up in borrowing costs — including a doubling in mortgage rates — has had a chilling effect on the housing market. Home sales have fallen for 11 straight months, and construction of new single-family homes is at its lowest level since May 2020, when much of the country was shut down. There are also signs that rapidly soaring home prices have stabilized in many parts of the country, a trend that economists expect to continue in the coming months.
It isn’t just the housing market that’s in free fall. Americans are spending less on other big-ticket items, too, such as furniture, cars and appliances that were in high demand early in the pandemic. As a result, U.S. manufacturing — considered an early indicator of where the economy is headed — has been on a steadily downward path.
The job market has for months been a bright spot in the economy. The unemployment rate of 3.7 percent remains near historic lows, and many employers say they’re still desperate to find and keep workers. Importantly, there hasn’t been a meaningful rise in layoffs even as hiring has slowed.
However, economists warn that the labor market is likely to get shakier in 2023, as the Fed’s tightening works its way across the economy. Barclays, for example, expects the unemployment rate to rise to about 5 percent next year, which would translate to more than 1 million job losses.
The good news is that most Americans have remained employed — and even gotten raises in the past year. But a lot of those wage gains have been obscured by persistent inflation, which has cut into families’ budgets and made it difficult to keep up with basic expenses like groceries, rent and utilities. As a result, more people are dipping into their savings accounts without replenishing them. The personal savings rate — which rose to an eye-popping 34 percent at the beginning of the pandemic, when many families benefited from government stimulus checks — has fallen dramatically in recent months.
It isn’t just personal savings accounts that have taken a hit in the past year. The stock market, which rose to meteoric highs in January, spent the rest of the year on rocky terrain. Highflying tech stocks that soared during the pandemic have seen some of the largest declines in recent months. Shares of Facebook parent company Meta have plunged nearly 70 percent in the past year, while shares of Amazon are down 55 percent. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
Overall, the S&P 500 index has lost 20 percent of its value from a year ago, wiping out trillions in investments.
More broadly, the U.S. economy has rebounded after unexpectedly shrinking in early 2022. An increase in government spending and a narrowing trade gap, with American retailers importing less and exporting more, helped gross domestic product late in the year.
“The irony is, we’re seeing the strongest growth of the year when things are actually slowing,” Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG, said in October, after the third-quarter GDP results. “There are some real cracks in the foundation. Housing is contracting. The consumer is slowing. GDP is growing, but not for all of the right reasons.”
Recession forecasting
So what’s next for the economy? Economists aren’t quite sure. There’s no question that we’re in for more of a cool-down, though it’s unclear how rapidly or dramatically that might happen. The Fed is hoping to slow the economy in a gradual and controlled way, though many experts agree that things could quickly spiral down, possibly leading to a recession. Current forecasts vary considerably, though several major U.S. banks still say it’s possible — if not expected — that the U.S. economy will contract at some point in the new year. | 2022-12-29T11:21:38Z | www.washingtonpost.com | What to watch in the 2023 economy: gas prices, housing, jobs and more - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/29/economy-2023-outlook-inflation-prices/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/29/economy-2023-outlook-inflation-prices/ |
Fairfax County battalion chief faced retaliation, federal agency says
Director in charge of women’s advocacy says hostility against her escalated after she left her position
Kathleen Stanley (Courtesy of Kathleen Stanley/ Courtesy of Kathleen Stanley)
It’s been four years since a battalion chief in charge of women’s advocacy at Fairfax County’s fire department wrote a letter of resignation that described a culture of toxic masculinity within the rank and file. Former battalion chief Kathleen Stanley claimed hostility within the department only escalated after she left her position — but stayed in the fire department — and that her opposition to sex-based discrimination threatened her job entirely.
Now, a federal agency that investigates workplace discrimination said it agrees.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) wrote a letter this month supporting Stanley’s 2018 claim that the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department retaliated against the battalion chief by changing the terms and conditions of her employment after she stepped down as the interim women’s program officer.
“Based on the evidence, I find reasonable cause to believe that beginning in at least February 2018, [the department] retaliated against [Stanley] by subjecting her to a hostile work environment and retaliatory terms and conditions of employment,” the letter stated.
The EEOC’s letter invited the fire department to reconcile with Stanley after “finding reasonable cause to believe that unlawful employment practices have occurred,” though it did not specify when officials had to decide whether they would to come to the table. If authorities refuse the offer, Stanley’s attorney said, the Justice Department could pursue civil litigation against the department.
“There is this underlying mantra that you can’t step out of line, you can’t raise your voice and you can’t bring things forward that are troubling,” Stanley said in an interview on Tuesday. “You can’t bring big problems forward that need to be fixed in the fire department. Otherwise, you’ll be beat down. When I brought all this stuff forward, I felt the full blunt of that force.”
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department denied Stanley’s allegations during the commission’s investigation, according to the EEOC. William Delaney, a department spokesman, declined to comment Tuesday on the commission’s decision, saying officials have not received the EEOC’s entire report.
After a female firefighter’s suicide, the ugly sexual harassment was supposed to end. It hasn’t.
The department, in which 32 of its 395 lieutenants, captains, battalion chiefs and deputy chiefs are women, has a history of complaints alleging gender discrimination. Stanley had been promoted to the women’s director position after firefighter Nicole Mittendorff died by suicide in 2016. The death drew wide attention because she was the subject of anonymous sexist remarks online by people who appeared to have knowledge of the Fairfax County fire department. Other female firefighters shortly after alleged they were also mistreated and some filed lawsuits.
Two years after taking the job, Stanley left the women’s director position, writing in a resignation letter that she felt defeated by her inability to advocate for the department’s female firefighters. Her letter described a list of problems and alleged the department’s zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment had not been enforced.
“The majority of the men in the fire department are amazing and they’re wonderful,” Stanley said. “They’re hurt by this small bevy of good ol’ White boy bullies. It is a very small percentage of them, but they wield so much power.”
The department announced a month after Stanley left the position that it had not substantiated her claims of a hostile work culture toward women. Stanley wrote to the commission that she was stripped of her computer hard drive, kicked off email threads regarding department meetings and blocked from teaching at the local academy. Officials offered her the opportunity to work outside the department, but she told them she wanted to keep on in her current role.
Report does not substantiate claims Fairfax County fire department is hostile to women
“On principle, I didn’t want them to drive me out of a career that I spent 27 years serving very loyally and very honorably,” she said.
Stanley said that officials ultimately attempted to take that away from her, too. She said the department gave her three options: work for county dispatch, the emergency management department or stay with the department but leave the battalion chief position.
The battalion chief had been able to keep her title after Gillian Thomas, a senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who is representing the firefighter, wrote a letter to the department refusing to accept the three choices, she said.
Richard Bowers Jr., the fire department’s chief at the time, retired in 2018 in response to allegations of departmental mistreatment toward women. Stanley said in the interview that after he retired, the department gave her the option to work at the fire academy, which she accepted. Stanley worked at the academy until she retired from the department in April 2019.
“I endured almost 30 years of thinking that I was actually contributing to changing the culture,” she said. “In the end, I don’t know if I did.”
Fairfax firefighter was sexually harassed, suffered retaliation, agency finds
Stanley is one of four female firefighters who have filed claims with the EEOC with the ACLU, Thomas said. Over the summer, Fairfax County rejected a proposed settlement agreement with one of those firefighters, whose claim of being inappropriately touched by a captain while she was a recruit was backed by the commission. The EEOC is still investigating the other two cases, Thomas said.
Fire Chief John Butler replaced Bowers in 2018. Delaney said Tuesday that since Butler had been appointed, the department had taken “great strides to enhance our diversity, inclusion, and equity” and would continue those efforts.
The EEOC proposed Stanley and the department enter a conciliation agreement, which would give authorities the opportunity to settle Stanley’s claim. The department has not announced whether it will participate in such discussions. | 2022-12-29T11:21:44Z | www.washingtonpost.com | EEOC says Fairfax fire dept. retaliated against female battalion chief - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/fairfax-fire-department-retaliation-eeoc/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/fairfax-fire-department-retaliation-eeoc/ |
How Steny Hoyer’s powerful position paid dividends to Maryland
Outgoing House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer in the majority leader's office at the Capitol on Dec. 16. (Robb Hill for The Washington Post)
The parade seemed to be inching along as if it were stuck in traffic. Rep. Anthony G. Brown had the honor of marching behind his neighbor in the Maryland congressional delegation, Steny H. Hoyer, and as Brown craned his neck to figure out what the holdup was, he realized: The holdup was Hoyer.
“And I was like, goodness gracious, man, this guy’s got to step it up,” Brown recalled of the parade nearly a decade later.
But it soon became clear why Hoyer was taking so long: He was stopping to shake the hand of every person lined up on both sides of the street.
To Brown, that parade in Greenbelt years ago encapsulated how Hoyer, despite rising to become the No. 2 most powerful Democrat in the House and a face of national leadership, retained close connections within Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland communities in the 40-plus years he has held the seat — both “literally and figuratively,” said Brown, the incoming Maryland attorney general.
Now, as Hoyer prepares to step down as House majority leader, his colleagues and allies at the local level say he’s leaving a legacy of using that clout to bring greater resources to his district and the state — or to bring major federal buildings, as he continues to aggressively pursue bringing the FBI headquarters to Maryland. He’s advocated beefing up funding for federal institutions and military installations. He’s evangelized other members about the value of bringing back earmarks — community project funding as they’re now known — and secured millions of dollars in projects in his district over the years.
And, winning reelection comfortably every year since 1981, he’s remained popular locally, avoiding the fates of others in House leadership like Joseph Crowley (N.Y.), the 20-year incumbent and Democratic caucus chairman who was ousted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or Virginia’s Eric Cantor, the Republican House majority leader who lost the support of Republican voters in his district while his national profile climbed.
“It was not just because of the power of that position, but because of the person who held it,” said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). “Hoyer was respected by every member of the House, both Democrats and Republicans, for the manner in which he conducted himself and the leadership. And that pays off big dividends in an institution where personal relationships mean so much. And he leveraged that to help Maryland.”
Reflecting on his time as majority leader from his royal-blue office in the U.S. Capitol, Hoyer said rising to leadership created opportunities that could benefit Maryland, like having a direct line to every House committee whose business could be impacting his state. But he said he never wanted national responsibilities to cloud his foremost priority: his constituents.
“[Former House speaker] Tip O’Neill said all politics is local. He was right,” Hoyer said. “You got to take care of your people if you expect them to vote for you. They need to feel that they have your attention.”
Steny Hoyer, a member’s member, leads the effort to get more benefits to lawmakers
He pulled out a list of community projects he secured in a spending package earlier this year, the kind of stuff that doesn’t typically get a spotlight but that revs Hoyer up.
“I’ve got $160,000 to provide wraparound services for residents at the Southern Cross Crossing Transitional Housing Project, where they’ve taken an old motel and they turn it into housing. And it’s wonderful, wonderful,” Hoyer said, going down the list of projects. “And that’s only $160,000. But $160,000 made a real difference.”
Hoyer, who has held some type of leadership position among House Democrats since 1989, steps down as the only Marylander to ever become majority leader — and remains the longest-serving Marylander in the House of Representatives.
After Hoyer and another prominent Marylander, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), interned together in Maryland Sen. Daniel Brewster’s office in the early 1960s, Hoyer launched his own career as a political newcomer in the state Senate.
Cardin and Hoyer entered the Maryland General Assembly the same year, in 1967, and largely grew up together in politics. Within two terms Hoyer became the Maryland Senate president — later Cardin became House speaker — and Hoyer’s leadership style hasn’t changed since, Cardin said: a consensus-builder who’s managed to maintain ties with both moderate and liberal factions in the party. In one of his last speeches on Dec. 22, Hoyer called his approach the “psychology of consensus,” urging House Democrats to carry that on.
Steny Hoyer sought ‘consensus.’ The next Democratic leaders may find that hard.
“The Steny Hoyer I see today in the House of Representatives exercises the same type of discipline and the same type of integrity that I saw as a freshman member of the Maryland General Assembly, as a young senator. And that is he makes relationships,” Cardin said. “He instills confidence among all of his colleagues. He works across party lines. He works across philosophical lines.”
Throughout his four-decade tenure, Hoyer has been known for shepherding major pieces of legislation into law, such as the American Disabilities Act, which he pursued despite opposition from the business community, recalled former longtime Maryland senator Barbara A. Mikulski. But locally, Mikulski said, he worked behind the scenes not only to boost projects in his district but across the state.
She has a saying for it: “Steny knew how to work on the macro issues — and the macaroni-and-cheese issues,” she said. “There would be an impact like on the Eastern Shore and people wouldn’t know, ‘oh, Steny Hoyer helped with this,’ or the VA hospital in Baltimore ― ‘oh, Steny Hoyer worked on this.’ But he did.”
Gary Kessler, who sits on the board of the Southern Maryland Navy Alliance, said he’s got the majority leader on speed dial if something goes wrong.
In St. Mary’s County near the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Kessler said, people still remember Hoyer as the congressional ringleader among Maryland lawmakers who spearheaded a pitch in the 1990s to save the naval base from potential closure — turning a nerve-racking military review known as Base Closure and Realignment into an opportunity for growth at the site. Today, that growth remains the bedrock of the local economy, Kessler said, and Hoyer stuck around, keeping the money coming, advocating for federal funding for new facilities or workforce recruitment programs to strengthen the base.
His rise in leadership had benefits, Kessler said: “Even in the leadership role he continued to advocate, reach out to senior leadership, even to the secretary-of-the-Navy level to address any issues or concerns we have down here,” Kessler said.
Prince George’s County leaders said that clout is materializing lately in one of the county’s biggest goals: bringing the FBI headquarters to Maryland.
Both local and federal lawmakers involved in the project have described it as a legacy item for Hoyer, who has been at the forefront of Maryland’s pitch to the General Services Administration that Prince George’s County is the best home for the FBI, which is housed in a crumbling building in downtown D.C. Two of the three sites under consideration for the new headquarters are in Prince George’s while the other is in Springfield, Va.
“He is dedicating a considerable amount of his personal time and attention, as well as that of his staff,” said Brown, who also represents Prince George’s and has been fighting for the sites. “It would certainly be a culminating victory for Steny and for Maryland,” should either site be selected, he said.
Hoyer’s pursuit of the headquarters fits within a record of seeking to bring more federal resources to Prince George’s. Hoyer, a son of the county who went to Suitland High School, is known for leading efforts to bring a new federal courthouse to Greenbelt, and in the 1990s helped ensure that a new IRS headquarters would be built in Prince George’s. His argument then was similar to what it is now: Prince George’s, a majority-Black county, has been neglected when it comes to federal office space compared to others such as Fairfax County, despite having a large population of federal workers.
Hoyer and the Maryland delegation put their feet to the pedal on that argument after President Biden issued an executive order last year requiring federal agencies to consider racial equity in their programs, policies and missions. Racial equity is included in the GSA’s criteria for site selection — but Hoyer and the delegation have lambasted a new decision this year to weigh proximity to Quantico and the Justice Department headquarters as the top criteria, which they say unfairly advantages the Virginia location.
The Maryland team’s tactics have at times rankled Virginia lawmakers, who say the criteria is sound, particularly after Hoyer and the Maryland senators engaged in eleventh-hour negotiations this month to add more language to the spending package regarding the criteria. They finally agreed to require GSA to consult with lawmakers representing the three sites, and Hoyer and the senators said they will use the opportunity to “improve equity” in the selection process.
Back home, local leaders like Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks see it as Hoyer going to bat for the county.
“I’ve been with him as he discussed this with the General Services Administration, and I was with him with Secretary [of Energy] Jennifer Granholm — I mean, whoever will listen, he’s selling why Prince George’s County is the best location for the new FBI headquarters,” Alsobrooks (D) said in a recent interview. “And he’s still working around-the-clock to make that happen.”
As Hoyer returns to being a rank-and-file member, rising Maryland political stars like Alsobrooks see his decision to pass the torch as aligned with something they say Hoyer has been doing for decades in Maryland: preparing the next generation of leaders.
Alsobrooks said that on the night she won her first election to become state’s attorney as a little-known lawyer, the first person to call to congratulate her was Hoyer. Before long, the powerful lawmaker was asking her to be the guest speaker at his annual women’s equality luncheon — an event that, like his annual Black History Month breakfast, was an incubator for up-and-coming leaders, she said.
He’s done the same for others, she said, noting how he endorsed Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) early in the Democratic primary and campaigned with him across the state, especially in Prince George’s, to help Moore on his way to victory.
“I watched him just reach into new leaders, leaders like Jazz Lewis who he’s been so proud of, and other leaders he makes it his business to support,” Alsobrooks said.
Lewis, who represents Prince George’s in the House of Delegates, calls Hoyer a mentor. He began working for Hoyer as a campaign manager in 2014, brainstorming ways to reintroduce one of the nation’s longest-serving members of Congress to younger or more liberal voters. He worked as a policy adviser in his office, sometimes picking up the phone if ever Hoyer ran into a person at a Bowie movie theater or a St. Mary’s grocery store who needed help with Social Security. When Lewis’s father died, Hoyer called him every day for a month just to check in.
“That’s the kind of mentorship I’m talking about, because he’s dealt with grief,” Lewis said, referring to the death in 1997 of Hoyer’s wife, Judy, a teacher for whom Hoyer established the Judy Centers for early-childhood education across Maryland and the nation.
Now, with Hoyer leaving the leadership role, Lewis said that “regardless, he is still Leader Hoyer.”
“That wasn’t a position that was given to him. He earned it because of his skill and experience and reach, and he still has all of that,” Lewis said. “And I think Maryland should be proud that he’s continuing to serve because it allows us to continue punching above our weight.”
In that final “magic minute” speech on the House floor last week, Hoyer said that even though he’ll no longer have the privilege to speak as long as he wants on the floor, he looks forward to continuing to represent his district and Maryland, noting “we still have much more to do on projects that will benefit our district and state.”
While he won’t be the majority leader, he will be the top Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee with direct oversight of GSA — just as it wraps up its selection of the next FBI headquarters site. | 2022-12-29T11:21:50Z | www.washingtonpost.com | How Steny Hoyer's role as House Majority Leader let Md. 'punch above its weight' - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/hoyer-majority-leader-maryland/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/hoyer-majority-leader-maryland/ |
For LGBTQ spaces, being safe takes on new urgency
After a year where anti-LGBTQ attacks have intensified across the country, queer bars, community centers and gay-owned businesses are rethinking how to best protect themselves
By Anne Branigin
“There’s the grief of losing friends. But the grief of losing your safe place — and the feeling that it’s not safe anymore — that’s a whole other process within itself too,” says Michael Anderson, who was working as a bartender at Club Q in Colorado Springs last month during a mass shooting. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post)
Like many business owners, Dave Peruzza keeps a first-aid kit on hand in case of accidents — a knick on the finger, maybe, or an allergic reaction. But in recent weeks, the owner of two Adams Morgan queer bars, Pitchers and A League of Her Own, added a new item to his kit: a tourniquet.
For most bar owners, “you don’t think about that stuff,” meaning the kind of device you need on hand to save someone from a gunshot wound, Peruzza said. But after November’s deadly shooting at Club Q, a Colorado Springs LGBTQ club, Peruzza, who considered himself vigilant about safety before, is even more “hyper aware.”
“It’s nerve-racking for me and my security,” Peruzza said. One of his bar managers recently completed an active shooter training, and there are plans to conduct another one at the bar, he said.
But, Peruzza added, thinking about how to keep his queer and trans customers safe has been a constant focus since the beginning: “It’s just something that’s always been in the back of my mind.”
LGBTQ spaces — such as queer bars, community centers and gay-owned businesses — have long had to prioritize safety, especially in places where they historically could not rely on police to keep them safe.
Now, an old problem has reached a new level of urgency, business owners, performers and community leaders say. After a year where anti-LGBTQ attacks have intensified across the country, many gay and trans communities are rethinking how to best protect themselves.
Several national organizations have launched new initiatives aimed at strengthening defenses; local businesses have stepped up safety trainings for staff; and individuals are seeking classes and resources for de-escalating attacks.
For LGBTQ business owners, safety is “the number one issue. Period. Hands down. By a mile,” said Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Safety efforts are complicated by the many forms these threats have taken, advocates, performers and researchers said. At school board meetings, protesters have accused teachers and officials of promoting a “gender ideology” and “grooming” children for abuse. Extremists have threatened children’s hospitals. Members of the Patriot Front, a white supremacist group, were arrested in June for plotting a riot at a Pride event. In statehouses across the country, lawmakers filed scores of bills aimed at curbing the rights of LGBTQ educators, youth and families.
Jonathan Hamilt, executive director of Drag Story Hour, which supports organizers of such events, said there’s always been “some pushback” to its programming.
“We had sort of, like, the Westboro Baptist-style protests where they’d be across the street praying,” Hamilt said.
But the energy of these protests has shifted, said Hamilt. “We’ve become targets for white supremacy groups.”
Denise Spivak, CEO of Centerlink, an association of LGBTQ centers, said this coordinated extremist element is what makes this year’s attacks stand out from other periods of anti-LGBTQ violence.
“Our centers are now in a place where Jewish temples and Planned Parenthoods have been for decades,” Spivak said.
And these kinds of threats are no longer limited to a few conservative pockets of the country, said Nelson. “It’s happening in New York City, in Miami, here in Washington, D.C. ... It’s happening everywhere now.”
Many LGBTQ advocates don’t see the threat level abating anytime soon — and data supports their views.
In the immediate aftermath of the Club Q shooting, social media posts using the term “pedophiles” and “groomers” increased, one report found.
“Generally, there is an outpouring of, as they say, ‘thoughts and prayers,’” said Moustafa Ayad, an executive director at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which monitors extremism across the world. Instead, far-right groups and influencers attempted to justify the mass shooting.
This discourse — and the timing of it — “creates an existential threat. It widens the reach of some of these narratives that have started off in incredibly fringe places,” Ayad said. “It’s getting to a point where the fact that there haven’t been more [deadly] attacks is surprising.”
A month after the Club Q shooting, bartender Michael Anderson is focusing on how he can help the club reopen.
Club Q, a nondescript building tucked into a strip mall, was a vital part of the Colorado Springs LGBTQ community. So much so that Anderson likens it to a community center.
“There’s the grief of losing friends. But the grief of losing your safe place — and the feeling that it’s not safe anymore — that’s a whole other process within itself too,” Anderson said.
He is part of an effort to reopen the business, led by the club’s owner. They’re consulting with security teams to figure out what kind of systems could help protect them from attacks going forward.
“Having a visible security presence is going to be imporant moving forward,” Anderson said. He would feel better if there was a police officer stationed outside the club. But, he added, “there’s a balance between security and people being comfortable.”
Others are more critical of increased police presence. Many LGBTQ leaders pointed out that the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City — widely regarded as a seminal event in the fight for gay rights — was in response to a police raid.
“There’s a reluctance to get law enforcement more involved because, traditionally, law enforcement has targeted the queer community,” said Marti Cummings, a New York City-based drag artist. Nor have police always been responsive to LGBTQ people when they report violence committed against them, Cummings added.
This relationship to police is especially fraught for trans people, immigrants and people of color, advocates said. And other typical safety measures, such as increased surveillance from security cameras, can also be unsettling for people who are not out to their family or neighbors.
Many LGBTQ groups are looking toward community-based solutions. This month, Centerlink hosted a safety call for different community centers to share their experiences, ideas and resources; the group plans to hold this call every month going forward. In early 2023, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce will launch a “Safe Businesses, Safe Communities Project,” which will help LGBTQ and allied businesses in improving their security: helping them conduct safety reviews and establish emergency response plans; raising funds to install safety equipment, such as panic buttons; and sharing best practices for improving their relationships with law enforcement.
Drag Story Hour is starting a volunteer safety marshal program called “the Royal Guard,” which will train individuals to act as liaisons for performers and work with vendors to make sure their venues are secure. The program will be piloted in the Bay Area, with plans to expand to other chapters.
This approach — mobilizing members of the community to help support those targeted — is centered on creating a “safety ecosystem,” said Kalaya’an Mendoza, director of mutual protection at Nonviolent Peaceforce, an international humanitarian organization.
“There will never be enough cops to protect every single queer establishment — and I don’t think people would want that either. But there are enough of us as a community to be able to protect each other,” Mendoza said.
When the extremist group the Proud Boys descended upon the Fresno Drag Festival on Dec. 10, the event’s organizers were prepared, said Rosio Leon Velasco-Stoll, president and founder of the Fresno Spectrum Center, a community organization that supports the city’s LGBTQ residents.
For the last four years, the Drag Festival, a family-friendly event, was held without incident. But this year, a city councilmember had spread word of the festival online, accusing organizers of trying to “sexualize our children.”
Festival leaders upped the number of security guards from one to five. Members of antifa and the Brown Berets, a Mexican American activist group, volunteered to help counter the protesters, Velasco-Stoll said. Video journalists offered to document any harassment or assaults. An additional “30-40” members of the community also offered to come and protect the performers, she said.
“They’re like, ‘What can we do?’ ‘How many people should we bring?’” Velasco-Stoll said.
On the day of the festival, Velasco-Stoll estimated that supporters outnumbered protesters 3 to 1. As demonstrators hurled slurs and insults, counterprotesters shielded the entertainers behind a makeshift wall of umbrellas and hid families with children behind coats as they escorted them from their cars to the church where the festival was held.
Fresno police were at the protest but did not intervene. Fresno Police Lt. Bill Dooley told The Washington Post that FPD officers did not step in because “no criminal acts took place.”
In the weeks since, Velasco-Stoll has had trouble sleeping and eating. “I was surprised how long it took to get over it,” she said about the protest. The community center is also changing how it advertises events.
“We used to put the ages of kids that could show up. We won’t be doing that anymore,” she said.
But Velasco-Stoll is proud of the community’s defiance in the face of those threats. When the city councilmember who opposed the festival doubled down on his accusations of grooming, councilmembers walked out on their colleague. And Fresno’s LGBTQ residents are still eager to meet up at gay bars to celebrate on New Year’s Eve, she said.
“They’re not going to let that get them down or have them hidden, because they feel like, you know, that’s not a way to live.” | 2022-12-29T11:22:06Z | www.washingtonpost.com | For LGBTQ spaces, being safe takes on new urgency - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/29/lgbtq-businesses-safety/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/29/lgbtq-businesses-safety/ |
Mohamed Ibrahim and his Minnesota teammates will face Syracuse on Thursday in the Pinstripe Bowl. (Andy Manis/AP)
We have an interesting bowl schedule Thursday, with three games featuring Power Five teams. Here’s a look at the matchups, including any players and coaches who have departed via the transfer portal or are opting out. Spreads and totals were taken Wednesday from the consensus odds at VegasInsider.com.
In New York
Minnesota (-10.5) vs. Syracuse
Syracuse (7-5) was one of the intriguing stories of the season’s first half, winning its first six games and earning only its second top 25 ranking in 24 seasons. But the Orange’s schedule was backloaded with tougher teams, and that — combined with a host of injuries — sent it careening to a 1-5 finish. Syracuse’s undersized defense got pushed around by the tougher teams on the schedule: It gave up 226.8 rushing yards per game in its five losses and finished the season ranked 119th in rushing defense success rate. Only the three service academies had a higher percentage of rushing plays than Minnesota’s 66.2 percent, and running back Mohamed Ibrahim was second in the nation at 144.9 rushing yards per game for the Golden Gophers (8-4).
Key personnel losses: Sean Tucker, the best running back Syracuse has had in quite some time, opted out to prepare for the NFL draft along with starting left tackle Matthew Bergeron. The Orange also lost both coordinators, with Robert Anae leaving to run North Carolina State’s offense and Tony White departing to become Nebraska’s defensive coordinator. It’s unclear whether Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan will play in his final college game after missing more than a month with a concussion. Linebacker Braelen Oliver and safety Michael Dixon, key parts of the Golden Gophers’ defense, transferred.
Pick: Minnesota -10.5. Tucker’s departure robs Syracuse of its key offensive cog, and Ibrahim could have a massive day against an Orange defense that couldn’t stop anyone.
No. 13 Florida State (-9.5) vs. Oklahoma
The Seminoles (9-3) averaged 2.2 yards per play more than their opponents, a number bested only by Ohio State’s 2.5, and won their last five games by an average score of 44-15. The Sooners’ defense could not get off the field, its average of 77 plays per game better than only two Football Bowl Subdivision teams, and Oklahoma (6-6) defeated only one team that finished with a winning record (a rivalry win over an Oklahoma State team that finished 7-5). The Sooners allowed fewer than 38 points in only one of their six losses.
Key personnel losses: Florida State will have the bulk of its productive players available. Oklahoma will be down both of its starting tackles (Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris), its leading rusher (Eric Gray, who had 1,366 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground) and its leader in quarterback pressures (defensive tackle Jalen Redmond). All opted out to prepare for the draft.
Pick: Florida State -9.5. These are teams going in opposite directions, with the Seminoles looking to continue their momentum toward a strong 2023 and the Sooners hitting the reset button after Brent Venables’s first season.
What should have been one of the better matchups of bowl season was knocked down a peg or two because Texas (8-4) lost a few key players since the end of the regular season. Washington (10-2) hasn’t lost since an Oct. 8 upset at Arizona State, and neither team lost a game by more than seven points. Both teams had dynamite offenses in the regular season, but only Texas is strong on defense. Washington ranked 117th in expected points allowed per pass and 99th in expected points allowed per rush.
Key personnel losses: Texas running backs Bijan Robinson (the nation’s leader in scrimmage yards and Doak Walker Award winner) and Roschon Johnson (six yards per carry) opted out to prepare for the draft. No one remaining on the roster has more than 24 carries this season. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (first-team all-conference) also opted out. Washington’s roster is mostly unchanged from the regular season. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will play in the game even though he was a candidate to opt out.
Pick: Under 67.5. Robinson and Johnson accounted for 89 percent of Texas’s rushing yards and 55 percent of its offensive touchdowns. Even if Washington’s defense isn’t very good, that’s a whole lot of scoring out the window. | 2022-12-29T11:22:43Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Pinstripe Bowl, Cheez-It Bowl, Alamo Bowl betting preview - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/how-to-bet-todays-bowl-games/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/how-to-bet-todays-bowl-games/ |
The streaking Cincinnati Bengals can clinch a division title in Week 17. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
There are 24 teams still in postseason contention with two weeks left in the NFL season, which ties 2021 and 2006 as the third most in league history at this point in the season. (The record is 26, set in 2004.) The field could become a whole lot more clear after Week 17, however. Here’s a look at where things stand.
The Eagles will clinch the NFC East with a win or tie against the New Orleans Saints, or with a Dallas Cowboys loss or tie against the Tennessee Titans. Philadelphia will clinch the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs with a win, or with a tie plus a Minnesota Vikings loss/tie against the Green Bay Packers, or with a Cowboys loss/tie plus a San Francisco 49ers loss/tie plus a Vikings loss.
The Buccaneers will clinch the NFC South with a win over the Carolina Panthers.
The Giants will clinch a playoff berth most easily with a win over the Indianapolis Colts. New York also will clinch a playoff berth with losses by the Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers; or with losses by the Commanders and Seattle Seahawks; or with losses by the Seahawks and Lions plus a Packers loss/tie.
The Commanders will clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Cleveland Browns, plus losses by the Seahawks and Lions, plus a Packers loss/tie.
The Bills will clinch the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals plus a Kansas City Chiefs loss to the Denver Broncos.
The Bengals will clinch the AFC North with a win over the Buffalo Bills plus a Baltimore Ravens loss/tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers, or with a tie plus a Ravens loss.
The Dolphins will clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Patriots plus a New York Jets loss/tie against the Seattle Seahawks, or with a tie plus a Jets loss plus a Steelers loss/tie against the Ravens.
Still in contention: Seattle Seahawks (7-8), Detroit Lions (7-8), Green Bay Packers (7-8), Carolina Panthers (6-9), New Orleans Saints (6-9)
Eliminated: Los Angeles Rams (5-10), Atlanta Falcons (5-10), Arizona Cardinals (4-11), Chicago Bears (3-12)
y-1. Buffalo Bills (12-3, own tiebreaker over Kansas City Chiefs because of head-to-head victory)
x-3. Cincinnati Bengals (11-4)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8, own AFC South tiebreaker over Tennessee Titans because of head-to-head victory)
x-5. Baltimore Ravens (10-5)
x-6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6)
Still in contention: New England Patriots (7-8), New York Jets (7-8), Tennessee Titans (7-8), Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8), Las Vegas Raiders (6-9)
Eliminated: Cleveland Browns (6-9), Indianapolis Colts (4-10-1), Denver Broncos (4-11), Houston Texans (2-12-1) | 2022-12-29T11:22:49Z | www.washingtonpost.com | NFL playoff clinching scenarios for Week 17 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/nfl-playoff-scenarios-week-17/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/nfl-playoff-scenarios-week-17/ |
Tom Brady may not be his old self, but who wants to face him in the NFL playoffs? (Rick Scuteri/AP)
Colts (4-10-1) at Giants (8-6-1), 1 p.m.: All the Giants, presently the sixth seed in the NFC, need to do is win this one and they are assured a wild card. Because the holiday season should be a time of positivity, let’s note that Indianapolis limited the Chargers to 20 points in their latest loss Monday night, acquitting itself fairly well after allowing Kirk Cousins to throw for 460 yards and complete the largest comeback in NFL history the previous week.
Browns (6-9) at Commanders (7-7-1), 1 p.m.: Ron Rivera is nothing if not loyal, but he did not hesitate to switch from Taylor Heinicke to Carson Wentz with a playoff berth on the line. All Washington, coming off a blowout loss to the 49ers, has to do to qualify for the postseason despite being the NFC East’s last-place occupant is beat the Browns and Cowboys in its final two games. | 2022-12-29T11:22:55Z | www.washingtonpost.com | NFL Week 17 schedule, matchups and five-minute guide - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/nfl-week-17-schedule/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/29/nfl-week-17-schedule/ |
As the American Legion Bridge turns 60, its traffic woes draw scrutiny
Maryland officials are debating how to best relieve traffic congestion at the aging American Legion Bridge, one of the Beltway’s worst bottlenecks
The American Legion Bridge, seen during an evening rush hour in early December, has some of the worst traffic congestion in the Washington region. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)
The American Legion Bridge, a chronic source of misery for thousands of D.C.-area drivers, marks its 60th anniversary Saturday, highlighting the aging span’s pivotal role in the region’s crushing traffic congestion.
The 10-lane bridge — one of two Potomac River crossings on the Capital Beltway between Maryland and Northern Virginia — is inspected every two years and remains safe, Maryland officials say. However, its mounting maintenance needs have forced a debate about when the Beltway bottleneck should be rebuilt and how any expansion should jibe with broader traffic-relief efforts.
“The Beltway, by everyone’s admission, is failing horribly,” said Lon Anderson, the retired longtime spokesman for the motorist advocacy group AAA Mid-Atlantic. “As the Beltway fails, the American Legion Bridge fails. The bridge is being asked to do a job it was never built to do.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who leaves office in January, made the need for a new, wider bridge a main selling point of his traffic relief plan. The project, which was recently delayed in the planning phase, would add toll lanes to the western Beltway and up Interstate 270 to upper Montgomery County and Frederick.
The bridge’s replacement, estimated to cost about $1 billion, remains the least controversial part of the proposal, as even some toll lane opponents say it is needed in some capacity. The Woodrow Wilson Bridge, the Beltway’s other Potomac crossing that originally opened a year before American Legion did, was rebuilt and widened in 2008.
Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) has said his administration will reexamine Hogan’s plan with a focus on protecting the environment and considering input from local officials.
“The governor-elect has been clear on the core priority to improve congestion in the region, including upgrading the aging American Legion Bridge,” Moore spokesman Carter Elliott IV said in a Dec. 22 statement.
Highway officials in Maryland, which owns most of the bridge, say it was never intended to carry the average 240,000 vehicles that now cross it daily.
In addition to creating a chokepoint that backs up traffic at both ends, the bridge has no shoulders. Major collisions wreak havoc for hours, and any fender bender or flat tire brings backups. During peak times, Maryland highway officials say, it takes a reopened lane four minutes to recover for every minute it was blocked.
Meanwhile, a cluster of major roads intersect the Beltway at or near the bridge, further snarling traffic as it merges onto and off the highway. In particular, the George Washington Parkway, a key commuter route, dumps heavy traffic onto the Beltway’s inner loop at the Virginia end, bogging down the afternoon rush.
Major work begins to extend Beltway toll lanes in Northern Virginia
“You basically have a chokepoint with 240,000 [vehicles] per day,” said Maurice Agostino, acting deputy administrator for the Maryland State Highway Administration. “Any little incident, any change becomes magnified.”
David Versel, an Atlanta-based economic development consultant, said traffic grew as Montgomery County and Virginia’s Fairfax County boomed after the bridge’s 1962 debut, with job centers sprouting in Tysons, the Dulles corridor and Montgomery’s I-270 biotech corridor.
That growth shifted commute patterns, from downtown-centric to suburb-to-suburb, bringing more traffic to the Beltway, Versel said.
“The bridge was built to serve a different purpose at a different time,” said Versel, who studied transportation options between the two counties in 2013 as a senior research associate at George Mason University. “It was built at a time when there wasn’t any thought that this many people would live or work on both sides of the bridge.”
Maryland and Virginia reach agreement to rebuild and widen American Legion Bridge
Meanwhile, there are few other ways to cross the river separating Washington’s northern and western suburbs. The Point of Rocks Bridge is about 35 miles upstream. White’s Ferry, dating to 1786, said it carried about 800 people across the Potomac daily between Poolesville, Md., and Leesburg, Va., but it stopped operating in 2020 amid a property dispute.
“Your options to get to these places are the Beltway or the Beltway,” said Anderson of AAA. “There are people who have no business being on the bridge, but they have to be because there is no other way.”
Meanwhile, transportation experts say, expanding heavily congested river crossings is difficult and expensive.
“You can go anywhere with a significant river running through a major metro area, and you’re going to have similar problems,” said David Schrank, a senior research scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. “You can’t just go a mile over and build another road.”
Opponents sue over Maryland plan to add toll lanes to I-270, Beltway
The American Legion Bridge has eight through lanes and two auxiliary lanes for traffic merging between adjacent interchanges for the George Washington and Clara Barton parkways. The proposed 14-lane bridge would be almost twice as wide, with additional space for the four toll lanes, shoulders, and a new bike and pedestrian path.
Some critics say widening the bridge and that part of the Beltway with toll lanes would simply move the chokepoint further into Maryland, where the additional lanes would end near the exit for Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. The state ended the Beltway lanes there after local officials objected to a study showing that widening the highway east of the I-270 spur would destroy public parkland and up to several dozen homes.
Maryland scales back most controversial part of Beltway toll lanes plan
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D), a vocal critic of Hogan’s plan, said he supports expanding the bridge and western part of the Beltway. However, he said, the work should be paid for with federal infrastructure funding, rather than private financing that would require charging tolls.
The Hogan administration recently said it has applied for a federal infrastructure grant to replace the bridge. However, the rest of the Beltway and I-270 widening would rely on a team of companies financing the lanes’ construction in exchange for keeping most of the toll revenue for 50 years.
Biologists say a wider American Legion Bridge would harm critical research site
Elrich said he also favors expanding more environmentally friendly commuter-rail service and bus rapid transit. Even so, he said, he agrees the bridge and the Beltway between it and I-270 need to be widened, probably by up to two lanes in each direction and with “environmental sensitivity.”
“You’d be crazy to look at that bridge and not realize it’s a chokepoint,” Elrich said. “I think the big question is, do you need to do this as a toll road?”
Beltway expansion opponent Barbara Coufal said she noticed Hogan increasingly emphasized the need to replace the aging bridge as he sought support for his broader toll-lanes plan. Meanwhile, she said, she heard the state’s then-transportation secretary say the bridge wouldn’t need major refurbishing for a decade or so. The state, she said, could reduce Beltway traffic congestion by investing more in commuter rail and other mass transit.
“If we don’t need to rebuild the bridge, let’s avoid the expense and just re-deck it,” said Coufal, co-chair of Citizens Against Beltway Expansion. “Can we refurbish it and address the safety of the bridge and then rethink our transportation system?”
Agostino, of the Maryland State Highway Administration, said the bridge will need a new deck in the next 10 to 20 years and anti-corrosion painting in a few years.
State highway officials have recently increased the sense of urgency about the bridge’s replacement. A 2020 draft environmental study of the toll lanes project said the bridge needed to be replaced “sometime over the next few decades.” In the final analysis released in June, that wording had been changed to “sometime over the next decade.”
Maryland appeals court hears arguments in Beltway, I-270 toll lanes bid protest
Virginia officials also have a stake in relieving the bottleneck, as evening Beltway traffic regularly backs up more than three miles, starting as early as 2:30 p.m. The Virginia Department of Transportation said extending its Beltway toll lanes nearly three miles, up to the bridge, will provide its own benefits, regardless of when the bridge is widened.
The extended lanes are under construction and scheduled to open in late 2025. VDOT officials say continuing to widen their part of the Beltway will help motorists access the Virginia express lanes more safely, save more time, and lead to fewer drivers jamming local roads to avoid backups.
The nearly half-mile span, originally named the Cabin John Bridge, opened with six lanes on Dec. 31, 1962, on a windy morning too bitterly cold for a ribbon-cutting, according to local news reports. Eight miles of the Beltway, between River Road in Montgomery and Route 7 in Fairfax, opened at the same time.
The bridge’s original $2.8-million construction cost would amount to barely a rounding error in the estimated cost to rebuild and expand it.
State officials renamed it the American Legion Memorial Bridge in 1969 to honor the American Legion’s 50th anniversary and avoid confusion with another Cabin John Bridge nearby.
It was never intended to carry so much traffic. When designed in the 1950s, the bridge was to be part of an innermost Beltway, with two more eventually ringing the nation’s capital as it grew.
From the archives: How, and why, D.C.-area officials scrapped highway plans in the 1970s
But those outer Beltways and other planned highway segments never materialized, as local officials began to focus on building the Metro system and community groups protested urban highway proposals that would destroy homes.
AAA, some Washington-area business leaders and local officials continued to push for a second crossing upstream throughout the 1990s. The idea of a “techway” gained some traction in 2000, when then-Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) clinched $2 million for a federal study.
How the pandemic has shaped commuting in the D.C. region
But Wolf soon canceled the study amid fierce opposition, ignited after both advocates and opponents drew lines on maps showing where a new bridge might cross. The biggest hurdle: Any second crossing would need to connect to a new highway. That highway probably would cut through some of the region’s wealthiest neighborhoods, with multimillion dollar homes and a bucolic feel, on both sides of the Potomac. The Montgomery council also objected to any road through the county’s western agricultural preserve.
“I saw the maps and thought, ‘There goes the future of that project,’ ” Anderson recalled. “Whose mansions were you going to tear down — in Great Falls, Virginia, or Potomac, Maryland? The answer was neither.”
The idea hasn’t been seriously considered since.
Edgar Gonzalez, a former Montgomery transportation deputy director and a leader in a pro-toll-lanes group, said he believes political pressure for another crossing will continue to build as new residents and jobs bring more Beltway traffic.
“Even with the widening being planned, it will only be good until the 2040s,” Gonzalez said of the American Legion Bridge. “But then, as the region keeps growing, you’re going to need another outlet for the traffic.” | 2022-12-29T11:23:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | As the American Legion Bridge turns 60, its traffic woes draw scrutiny - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/12/29/american-legion-bridge-traffic/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/12/29/american-legion-bridge-traffic/ |
Why do people like being tipsy? Here’s how alcohol affects the brain.
The buzz produced by alcohol comes from a cocktail of pharmacology and social ingredients, research shows
George Wylesol for The Washington Post
In one study, over 700 male and female social drinkers were divided into groups of three strangers and instructed to drink for 36 minutes. The participants thought the drinks were a prelude to the experiment, but researchers were observing what they did at the table.
Initially, the strangers did not smile much. But as they consumed their vodka cranberry drinks, their expressions changed. They not only smiled more, but also caught each other’s smiles, and spoke more in succession. And they shared more of what researchers called “golden moments” when all three strangers smiled as one.
“It feels like the group is really coming together, and I think they’re part of that social, tipsy kind of experience,” said Michael Sayette, director of the Alcohol and Smoking Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh who was a co-author of the study.
What is it about being tipsy that is enjoyable?
Drinking is societally accepted but “alcohol is just like any other drug,” said Jodi Gilman, psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School and director of neuroscience for Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Addiction Medicine. “It affects the brain.”
Ethanol, the remarkably simple chemical compound that gives alcoholic drinks their buzz, permeates the cells of our body and brain within minutes of consumption. There is still a lot we do not know about alcohol’s effects on the brain. “It has such widespread effects in the brain,” said Jessica Weafer, a psychologist at the University of Kentucky. Unlike other drugs that affect particular brain regions or act on specific receptors, “alcohol is just kind of going all over the brain” making it difficult to study, she said.
Alcohol may cause us to become disinhibited by dampening activity in parts of our frontal cortex, which is important for executive control functions such as inhibiting behaviors we don’t want to do. By inhibiting our inhibitions, alcohol makes us feel more stimulated.
The participants were getting the alcohol intravenously, still “they enjoy it, even though they are just kind of laying down in a scanner,” Weafer said.
Alcohol affects the emotion centers of the brain as well. In one study, alcohol dampened the neural responses in the amygdala to negative facial expressions, which may be a reason drinking can serve as a social lubricant, said Gilman, who led the study.
A bit of liquid courage may help us become less sensitive to rejection or social anxiety. But it could also lead to bar fights or inappropriate behavior when someone has had too much to drink.
“The funny thing about brains is that brains like to hang out with other brains,” Sayette said. “What does the brain look like when you drink varies dramatically, depending on whether you're by yourself, or whether you're in a social situation.”
“It's not distilled down to extra release of dopamine,” Sayette said. “That’s too simplistic.”
Have a plan. How much will you drink? How will you get home? These decisions are easier to make when you aren’t disinhibited.
Know your limits. Each person has a different tolerance level. Slurring speech or loss of coordination can be warning signs to slow down. “You need to know when you’re feeling like you have lost control of your drinking,” Gilman said.
“It is certainly possible to be a responsible drinker,” Gilman said. “I think many people can have a drink at the holidays and be totally fine.” | 2022-12-29T11:23:19Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Why do people like being tipsy? Here’s how alcohol affects the brain. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/12/29/alcohol-tipsy-brain-social-impacts/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/12/29/alcohol-tipsy-brain-social-impacts/ |
Mindfulness can build stronger marriages. Here’s how to practice it.
Being present and intentional is vital to the appreciation, satisfaction and longevity of your relationship
Advice by Tricia Wolanin
On Your Mind: Mindfulness in Marriage (For The Washington Post)
Mindfulness has been shown to help with work, stress, anxiety and depression. It also can benefit your marriage. Being present and intentional is vital to the appreciation, satisfaction and longevity of your relationship.
I am a psychologist who has facilitated marital retreats for several years. People come to these retreats to resolve problems, supplement marriage counseling or to prevent issues from becoming problems. When they ask for strategies to improve their relationship, I suggest mindfulness as a useful tool.
Mindfulness has been described by Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
MBSR is an eight-week evidence-based program that was originally taught to individuals with chronic medical conditions, but has been found to be effective with the general population. With mindfulness, we can step back and not be immersed in the drama of mood fluctuations. Research shows it is also beneficial for couples.
A review of 16 studies focused on couples showed that mindfulness interventions increase self-compassion, well-being and quality of life. Mindfulness can relieve psychopathological symptoms such as anxiety and depression and psychobiological stress as measured through, for instance, salivary cortisol. Relationship quality, such as in intimacy, can be enhanced by mindfulness training.
Another study that looked at 2,117 newlywed couples who completed various questionnaires found that a person who is high in mindfulness as a trait, also scored high on forgiveness and gratitude. If we are paying attention and are present in our relationships, we can observe the ways in which our partner may be showing their love toward us.
I worked with a couple who had been married for 12 years. When the husband got home from work, the wife was excited to see him and talk about her day. The husband was still wound up with excess stress from the office and responded with irritation. A vicious frustration cycle would erupt most evenings.
In counseling, he began to see that she simply wanted to connect. She could note that his irritability was not with her, but was a remnant from work. Each took turns listening, without thinking of a comeback or proving how the other was wrong. They became more mindful of each other’s needs.
Their marriage improved; they had fewer arguments and more empathy for each other. They went on more dates each month and had an increased sense of enjoyment in their time spent together.
When we practice mindfulness, we can minimize distractions, discern what is going on in our bodies and emotions, and begin to be more present in our relationships. As this occurs, forgiveness and gratitude can increase.
Here are three ways to increases mindfulness in your relationship that have benefited my clients.
Hold hands for one minute
Set a timer for one minute and hold hands with your partner in silence. Keep your devices switched off and minimize distractions. Think about how your partner’s hand feels. Your mind will drift, but bring it back to the moment. Mindful hand-holding increases a sense of connectedness. It creates an experience of intimacy in the moment.
When I lead this one-minute hand-holding session in marital retreats, some find it exhausting, but others find it helpful. One participant began crying because she felt moved and connected to her partner. It has since become a ritual for many couples. If this is what mindfulness for one minute can do, imagine the results if people tried it for longer periods.
Try a new hobby together for the first time
New activities create a sense of wonder and inquiry. Our senses are heightened because we don’t know what to expect. Life momentarily is not monotonous. When we do new activities with our partner, both have an opportunity to experience and navigate the world with fresh eyes. Some hobbies tried by couples from the retreats I have led include yoga classes, escape rooms, virtual murder mystery events and quiz shows at pubs.
Sexual mindfulness has been found to improve sexual well-being in marriages. Mindfulness can lead to a greater sense of awareness and non-judgment during sex, but also an increase in sexual harmony, flourishing of the relationship, and consistency in orgasms, according to a 2021 report in Archives of Sexual Behavior.
In sexual mindfulness exercises, the idea is to play with our senses and be mindful of how we feel. For example, a couple can take turns for 10 minutes trying to entice their partner’s senses while their partner is blindfolded and observe what is pleasurable. You can use essential oils or the tip of a feather. When our eyes are covered, our other sensory gateways are awakened, and we can begin to take time to tune into the moment and our senses. In marital retreats I led, such exercises brought a sense of playfulness back into the relationship for many couples. Mindfulness includes observing the world with curiosity, and this exercise exemplifies this.
Many of us want our relationships to be healthy and long-lasting. Mindfulness helps us to continue to see our partner with a sense of curiosity, gratitude, acceptance and satisfaction, which can help the relationship be rich and fulfilling for a long time.
Tricia Wolanin, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who lives in Malaga, Spain. | 2022-12-29T11:23:25Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Mindfulness can build stronger marriages. Here's how to practice it. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/12/29/mindfulness-marriage-relationship-benefits/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/12/29/mindfulness-marriage-relationship-benefits/ |
Pope Benedict’s declining heath prompts prayers from world’s Catholics
A picture of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was set up next to a prayer bench at a Catholic church in his hometown, Marktl, Germany, on Thursday. (Kerstin Joensson/AFP/Getty Images)
VATICAN CITY — Benedict XVI has lived longer than anybody else who’s ever been pope.
Most Catholics can’t remember a world without him. Even his final chapter — as a retiree — has extended so long that many in Rome have grown accustomed to having a Catholic Church with two men in white, Benedict living quietly in a Vatican convent.
“We’ve had him like a grandfather living behind the church,” said Mountain Butorac, an American who lives in Rome and guides Catholic pilgrimages. “And now we’re about to lose him.”
The Vatican’s announcement Wednesday that Benedict’s health had worsened put the church on alert, and Catholics are bracing for the first papal death since 2005. Because Benedict is not a sitting pope, his death won’t lead to a conclave and won’t cause the same immediate upheavals. But it has become a moment for Catholics to reflect on a figure who has had a singularly enduring tenure, shaping numerous eras.
Though Benedict’s exact condition is unclear, Pope Francis called Wednesday for prayers and described the retired pontiff as “very sick.” He also paid a visit to Benedict after meeting with pilgrims.
On Thursday morning, the Vatican did not provide any updates on the pope emeritus. A spokesman said further information would probably come “in the event of changes.” Francis carried on with a usual day of meetings, according to a schedule released by the Vatican.
In the Corriere della Sera, Massimo Franco, a journalist who has interviewed Benedict and written a book about his post-pontificate, said Benedict is at his monastery with his longtime aide and several consecrated lay women. Franco said Benedict has been unable to speak for months.
Butorac, who lives near the Vatican, said he went to bed Wednesday with a window cracked open in case church bells tolled for Benedict’s death.
Around St. Peter’s Square, television crews staked out positions. But otherwise, the grand piazza looked as it normally does: with tourists snaking in lines to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the same square where Benedict, in 2005, had first greeted the Catholic world as pope from the basilica loggia and where he had bid farewell in 2013 after his stunning abdication, thanking a huge crowd and saying, “I am truly moved.”
“I’m definitely thinking of him,” said Jake Heying, visiting Rome from Spencer, Iowa. Heying, an accountant, said he identifies as a traditionalist Catholic and appreciated how Benedict held the line on church teaching. “To me, we need that as a church. Francis has taken things in a diametrically opposite direction.”
But Benedict leaves a complicated legacy. He was both preceded and succeeded by popes with more charisma and greater success at engaging with the non-Catholic world. He focused his travels primarily in Europe, never visiting Asia, and drew criticism for appointing cardinals representing the religion’s old base rather than its new ones. Even in Germany, he wasn’t beloved; when he addressed his home country’s parliament in 2011, dozens of lawmakers boycotted the event, and thousands protested outside.
“It was great to have a German pope,” said Ulrike Maiweg, a German and a Lutheran, who was visiting St. Peter’s on Thursday. “But there are so many things in the church that must change. And nobody wants to do it.”
Victims of clerical abuse also regularly accused Benedict of failing to grasp the systemic nature of the problem. Even in Francis’s tenure, the problems have not been solved; the pope drew up new rules for handling claims and holding bishops to account, but they have been applied unevenly and with little transparency.
Even in retirement, Benedict has not been able to escape scrutiny for his actions. An explosive Vatican report into the church’s handling of defrocked cardinal Theodore McCarrick, released in 2020, showed Benedict as being aware of allegations against McCarrick but seeking to handle them quietly and out of public view. More recently, a church-commissioned report in Germany said Benedict had mishandled several cases during his time as archbishop of Munich, from 1977 until 1982.
In a statement, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said Benedict had been “more concerned about the church’s deteriorating image and financial flow to the hierarchy versus grasping the concept of genuine apologies followed by true amends to victims of abuse.” | 2022-12-29T12:09:18Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Pope Benedict’s declining heath prompts prayers from world’s Catholics - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/pope-benedict-health-catholics/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/pope-benedict-health-catholics/ |
Here is Virginia’s plan to grow its network of express lanes in 2023
More than 80 miles of express lanes have been built in Northern Virginia in the last decade and more are coming in 2023 and beyond
Motorists use the regular and express lanes of I-66 near Manassas. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)
Northern Virginia added 22.5 miles of express lanes in 2022, ending the year with a network of more than 80 miles of dynamic tolling that in the past decade has changed traffic patterns on interstates 66, 95, 395 and 495. State transportation officials say more are coming.
After the fall debut of the 66 Express Lanes outside the Beltway, Virginia is poised to open another 10 miles of high-occupancy toll lanes in 2023 and another 2.5 miles in 2025, while the state is expected to determine whether it’s feasible to build an additional 11 miles to complete its portion of the Capital Beltway.
“We’re building a transportation network that includes opportunities for all modes of travel and tries to give people choices,” said Susan Shaw, megaprojects director at the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Though traffic congestion continues to trouble Northern Virginia, Shaw said the growing toll road system is delivering positive results, including gains in carpooling, benefits to transit users and revenue that helps to pay for other road infrastructure.
Toll operator Transurban, which operates express lanes on 495, 395 and 95, said it has seen growth of 105 percent in carpooling and bus trips on its system since 2012, when the 495 Express Lanes debuted. And, it said, the system moves more than 50,000 additional people, on average, each day between Springfield and Tysons compared to before the 495 Express Lanes were opened.
“Can you take a congestion-free ride on these corridors? Yes, you can and you couldn’t do that before,” Shaw said. “Does it mean that the general purpose lanes are congestion-free? They’re not and they’re not ever going to be. But nor would any system we would have built.”
Here’s what’s in line for the state’s toll-lane system:
10 miles of express lanes to Fredericksburg in 2023
Toll operator Transurban and VDOT say the 10-mile extension of the I-95 express lanes to Fredericksburg is on track for opening before the end of 2023, more than a year behind schedule. The $640 million project was caught up in a contractual dispute over soil conditions last year, but it has since been resolved and work is advancing, project officials said.
Recent milestones include replacement of a bridge over American Legion Road in Stafford County. Crews in early December finished erecting the structural steel on the project and are pouring concrete for bridge decks throughout the project.
Work zones will continue over the next months along the project area, from Route 610 in the Garrisonville area to Route 17 near Fredericksburg. That work will include shoulder closures as well as lane closures during nonpeak hours.
“Motorists are going to see a lot of work … They’re going to see a lot of the tolling equipment starting to get erected, a lot of final paving and a lot of final bridge construction,” said Robert Ridgell, megaprojects engineer at VDOT.
Virginia 95 Express Lanes to Fredericksburg to open in late 2023
Work intensifies on Beltway widening to American Legion Bridge
Construction is about to get more real on the 2.5 miles of the Capital Beltway near the American Legion Bridge, where crews are widening the road to bring the 495 Express Lanes closer to Maryland.
The $660 million project, from the Dulles Toll Road interchange to the George Washington Memorial Parkway, will add two express lanes in each direction in late 2025. The 495 Express Lanes now stretch 14 miles from Springfield to McLean and connect to the 395, 95 and 66 express lanes.
The northern extension project will include a parallel trail along the Beltway and new bus service across the bridge into Montgomery County. The lanes will also connect to the planned express lanes on Maryland’s side of the Beltway and I-270.
Construction began in March. The contractor has been removing hundreds of trees in the McLean area to make way for ramps, prompting protests by neighbors who say their removal is unnecessary. VDOT officials said they are working with residents to reduce the effects.
Lane closure kicks off major work on Beltway widening in Virginia
A new trail along the 66 Express Lanes
The 22.5 miles of the 66 Express Lanes outside the Beltway fully opened in late November, bringing the largest change to the Washington region’s road infrastructure in years. Along with the toll lanes, the state changed the corridor’s HOV requirements from two occupants in a vehicle to three, a major shift for carpoolers.
Crews have continued to work on rebuilding sound walls and completing slope work, while finishing 11 miles of bike trail along the route from Dunn Loring to Centreville.
Shaw said the trail work is focused on completing key connections at Gallows Road. Some segments of the trail could open in early spring but the goal is to have the trail completed in time for Bike-to-Work day on May 19.
A study for bidirectional express lanes on I-95
VDOT is studying whether to allow bidirectional travel on a section of the 95 Express Lanes. The lanes are reversible, which means the travel direction changes depending on the day and time. On weekdays, traffic is northbound during the morning commute and southbound in the afternoon.
Shaw said the state is considering having bidirectional travel on a 12-mile section, between the Franconia-Springfield Parkway and Dale City, an area that suffers from severe congestion in both directions even during the nonpeak hours.
She said the study will explore “innovative ways we can look to address and provide additional capacity in that area.” But many questions remain, she said, adding that it is too early to know whether the space would allow for traffic in both direction. Currently, two lanes operating in the same direction maintain a 55 mph limit.
“It’s going to be very important that we look at the transition areas and make sure that we’re not creating worse congestion in those areas,” she said. “It’s really at the very, very early stages just to see, what are the means, what is the demand, what innovative ways can we think about how to provide this additional capacity?”
Options to link toll lanes to the Wilson Bridge
On the other end of the 495 Express Lanes, VDOT is expected to wrap up a study looking at extending the lanes another 11 miles to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, a link that would complete the final leg of a tolling system on Virginia’s portion of the Capital Beltway.
Virginia explores extending 495 Express Lanes another 11 miles to Wilson Bridge
After meetings in 2022, VDOT officials said they are midway to completing the study and will unveil options in mid-2023. Shaw said officials are looking at adding one or two lanes in each direction and expect that even with the addition of four total lanes, the project would be within the existing right of way.
“It’s not a big widening or something where we’re going to be taking houses,” Shaw said. “But it still is a complicated area, just to figure out how to meet the travel demand in the corridor.” | 2022-12-29T12:31:09Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Northern Virginia to grow network of express lanes in 2023 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/12/29/virginia-express-lanes/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/12/29/virginia-express-lanes/ |
America’s genius lies in its respect for rebellion
A 1970s photo of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, right, is projected during a 2010 speech by Jobs in San Francisco. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
2022 has ushered in enormous economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The world is confronting ravaging inflation, an energy crisis, high interest rates and a possible recession. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent international tensions sky-high. And yet, when you sit back and examine it carefully, the country that looks most capable of navigating these murky waters is the United States of America.
As an essay in the Harvard Business Review puts it, “The current reality of the U.S. economy is that highly profitable firms are employing a record number of workers and paying them rising wages.” This is causing some problems as the Federal Reserve tries to slow the economy down, but those strengths are surely of long-term benefit. Americans’ personal savings have never been higher thanks to government covid-19 relief programs. American banks are stable — and dominate the world — thanks to the reforms implemented after the 2008 financial crisis. The United States has abundant energy of all kinds, old and new. And, thanks to the dollar, the U.S. government can run up debts with greater ease than any other country in the world.
Meanwhile, Europe faces a dire energy crisis, which will take years to fix. China has utterly botched its exit from its zero-covid strategy. Russia is isolated from global economic and technological flows because of harsh sanctions that were imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Developing countries face the double whammy of high energy prices and a strong dollar (in which a significant chunk of their debt is denominated). The United States has problems — but it’s still the country I would bet on.
So why does the United States show so much promise at a time when others are struggling? Behind the economic data, there does seem to be in America a spirit of innovation that is unusual and powerful. A recent book — though it is not directly about this subject at all — has helped me crystallize some of my own thoughts on this subject: Ronald Brownstein’s brilliant history of American pop culture in the mid-1970s, “Rock Me on the Water.”
Brownstein begins by describing American popular culture in the early and mid-1960s, particularly the movies and television shows, as bland, apolitical and lifeless. Hollywood was addicted, he writes, to “World War II movies, Westerns, musicals, and above all, gargantuan historical epics” such as “The Ten Commandments.” Television, right up to the late 1960s, was dominated by what was considered wholesome fare, which meant shows such as “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza,” “Here’s Lucy,” and “The Wonderful World of Disney.” The rising tide of baby boomers were tuning out. Weekly admissions at movie theaters fell by more than 50 percent from 1950 to 1960.
Then came rebellion and revolution in the form of sharp breaks with this conformist culture, first in music, then in movies and finally in the broadest of all formats, television shows. By the mid-1970s, rock music reigned supreme. The movie industry had been remade by sharp, edgy fare such as “Five Easy Pieces,” “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Taxi Driver.” The top television show was the funny but intensely political (and politically incorrect) “All in the Family.”
This break with the past strikes me as deeply American. Young people rejected the wisdom of their elders, dispensed with tradition and forged their own way — making new music, movies and television. They were disrespectful and disruptive, consumed with a kind of manic energy. But that energy created a new popular culture that remade America and the world. It is difficult to imagine that kind of attack on hierarchy and tradition coming out of other, more settled societies.
It sounds exciting in retrospect, but Brownstein reminds us how jarring the break was to many (perhaps most) Americans. Along with it came a disruptive, disrespectful politics that was often more than just angry. It was violent and messy. Those were the years of political assassinations, the Black Power movement, the Black Panthers and the Symbionese Liberation Army (the group that kidnapped Patty Hearst and engaged in what was back then “the largest police firefight that had ever occurred on American soil”). The New Left activism of Tom Hayden and Jane Fonda was a wholesale attack on both political parties and the entire U.S. political system.
The rebellion did not last long, and it triggered a backlash. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and other politicians rode to power denouncing the radical youth culture of the time. And yet that culture has proved deeply influential and lasting. In his biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson ties the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley in the 1970s to this same spirit of youth rebellion. The new, scrappy technology companies of the period — Microsoft, Apple, Intel — ended up remaking the global economy.
I do wonder whether American culture today still retains the elements that made it so disruptive in the 1970s. It feels more bourgeois; nowadays what starts as radical rebellion often turns quickly into big business. Ross Douthat describes much of the popular culture today as decadent and derivative — with endless remakes of comic book characters and stories. Where there is anger, often on the populist right, it is the kind of nostalgic rage that fueled Nixon and Reagan — a desire to take America back, not forward. The left, which once encouraged raucous, free-for-all debates on campus, has become more interested in creating safe spaces, policing thought and discouraging the airing of difficult, controversial disagreements.
I have to believe that this “decadence” is temporary. The United States’ core character remains one that encourages attacks on power and hierarchy, celebrates the upstarts and cares little for tradition and established practice. Businesspeople often quote Jobs’s famous commencement advice to Stanford students — “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish” — but Jobs was actually quoting Stewart Brand’s “Whole Earth Catalog,” an icon of the 1970s counterculture. You still see that spirit in many parts of American society — especially among the young, who are eager to break sharply with their elders, whether on race relations or climate change. They should take some inspiration from America in the 1970s — when the world’s richest and most powerful country demonstrated that it somehow retained the capacity for dissent, dissatisfaction and radical change. Somewhere in there is the country’s secret sauce for enduring success. | 2022-12-29T12:31:15Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | America’s genius lies in its innovation and love of rebellion - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/29/brownstein-1970s-rebellion-innovation-culture/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/29/brownstein-1970s-rebellion-innovation-culture/ |
Here’s how teachers can foil ChatGPT: Handwritten essays
Markham Heid writes about health and science for Medium.
The era of deepfake authorship has arrived. Since the release in November of ChatGPT, the artificial-intelligence program has impressed, entertained and caused more than a little hand-wringing about its ability to produce coherent and credible pieces of writing.
Much of the worry has focused on ChatGPT’s potential for powering fake news. But commentators have also worried about the toll AI-aided plagiarism could take on education. Teachers might soon find it impossible to detect AI-generated text. “The College Essay Is Dead,” the Atlantic declared.
That’s unlikely. There are some obvious workarounds. For example, even laptop-equipped students wouldn’t benefit from ChatGPT if they were required to write essays in class without the aid of their phone or an internet connection.
But there’s another fix — one that might have been worth implementing even before the arrival of ChatGPT: Make students write out essays by hand. Apart from outflanking the latest AI, a return to handwritten essays could benefit students in meaningful ways.
For one thing, neuroscience research has revealed that, to the human brain, the act of handwriting is very different from punching letters on a keyboard. Handwriting requires precise motor skills — controlling the individual strokes and the pressure of the pen — that vary for each letter, and these stimulate greater activity in a broader group of brain regions when compared with typing. (Anyone who has ever helped a child learn to write will recognize how much concentration and practice it requires.)
These letter-specific motor skills, coupled with subtle differences in other sensory input, engage the brain in ways that researchers have linked to learning and memory improvements. And those added layers of stimulation might be beneficial even when a student is merely copying an AI-written essay by hand.
“Handwriting forces those areas responsible for memory and learning to communicate with each other, which helps form networks that can make it easier to recall or learn new information,” Audrey van der Meer, professor of neuropsychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, told me.
Much of the research comparing the differing neurological effects of handwriting and typing has focused on children or younger students. But there’s evidence that, even for older students and adults, writing by hand is a more cognitively involved process. For example, some work has found that writing by hand leads to better processing of ideas, and that students produce more original work when they complete assignments in longhand. Meanwhile, research on foreign-language learners has found that handwriting is associated with improvements in some measures of accuracy and comprehension.
Especially when it comes to essay writing, producing something by hand is a fundamentally different task that writing it on a computer. When you’re writing by hand, you need to know where you’re going with a sentence — what you want it to say, and the structure it will take — before you begin. If you don’t, you’ll have to cross things out or start over. Typing on a computer requires far less forethought; you can dump out the contents of your brain and then hammer it into shape.
The dump-and-edit method isn’t necessarily an inferior way to produce quality writing. But in many ways, it is less challenging for the brain — and challenging the brain is central to education itself.
“Handwriting requires you to put a filter on what you’re producing in a way that typing doesn’t,” according to Karin H. James, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University.
A return to handwritten essays wouldn’t be easy for students. Schools have largely surrendered to a screen-dominated world, and the Common Core curriculum standards don’t mandate cursive training for grades K-12. Most secondary school students, never mind college kids, aren’t accustomed to writing longhand.
It wouldn’t be easy on teachers either, who might have to reduce the length of assignments or allocate extra class time for completion. They’d also have the chore of reading sloppy text that wasn’t neatly turned out by a word processor. But some might find all that preferable to harboring the constant suspicion that they’re being outwitted by a bot.
Toward the end of the 19th century, health issues forced the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche to abandon his pen in favor of a typewriter, a new invention at the time. Some of his friends noticed a change in his writing style — a change that one scholar later described as a departure from “sustained argument and prolonged reflection” to a terser “telegram style.”
Nietzsche himself felt the change. “Our writing tools work on our thoughts,” he observed. Ensuring that today’s students have more than one writing tool at their disposal might pay off in ways experts are only beginning to grasp. ChatGPT and other AI-powered technologies will win only if we agree to play on their home turf. | 2022-12-29T12:31:21Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Opinion | Here’s how teachers can foil ChatGPT: Handwritten essays - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/29/handwritten-essays-defeat-chatgpt/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/29/handwritten-essays-defeat-chatgpt/ |
US ‘Battery Belt’ Will Be a New Kind of Job Magnet
Construction along Highway 30 in Becancour, Quebec, Canada, on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Becancour is drawing corporate giants to the French-speaking Canadian province with its ambitions to make this industrial outpost, halfway between Montreal and Quebec City, a key gear for an EV battery supply chain to serve the continent. (Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg)
In 2022 we saw industrial policy passed by Congress intersect with investment plans from major manufacturers and startups, all emphasizing the future need for batteries for energy storage. But unlike the urban employment centers we’ve seen emerge in the last several decades, the regions now being dubbed the “Battery Belt” don’t feature college graduates clustering together in office buildings in a handful of expensive cities to create internet and software-related products. It’s more geographically diverse, with different economic and infrastructure needs than the prior era that was so heavily influenced by Silicon Valley.
A year ago I foresaw that the electrification of the auto industry would be a boon for the South. While that’s certainly been the case, the Midwest has also seen its share of wins this year. With an additional year of data to analyze, there are patterns emerging in the kinds of places being chosen for new battery plants.
While the Battery Belt will need a trained workforce, it won’t be as reliant on workers with elite educations as the Silicon Valley economy was. In the four counties in Georgia where battery plants exist or are being built — Jackson, Bartow, Coweta and Bryan — the percentage of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree are 23.5%, 19.8%, 33.3% and 33%, respectively. That compares with 50% for the main two counties encompassing Atlanta: Fulton and DeKalb.
Reading through press releases and articles with details on the plant announcements, a different role for government officials also stood in contrast to the internet and tech economy that we’re used to. We think of Apple Inc. as the company that was started in a garage, and Facebook being started in a college dorm room, and that’s contributed to the cult of the founder. Only if a community is lucky enough and suitably “cool” enough to attract young and talented people might it become the place where the next hundred-billion-dollar company is founded. The governor of California in the 2000s had very little to do with Facebook moving to California, even if in prior decades the government played an important role in creating and shaping Silicon Valley.
The Battery Belt isn’t like that. Once a community has enough of the above key factors, the question of whether or not it gets a billion-dollar plant comes down to whether its governor and economic development officials can work out a deal with manufacturing companies like Stellantis, Hyundai Motor Co., General Motors Co. or Ford Motor Co.
It’s perhaps noteworthy that Georgia and Ohio, with their more restrained Republican governors, have had more success in winning battery plants than the bombastic, attention-seeking governors of Texas and Florida. This should shift the priorities of both voters and politicians toward being more grounded and pragmatic rather than ideological and emotional.
It’s still early days in this trend — Battery Belt is a term that’s only caught on over the past several months, and most of these plants have only recently been announced or started construction. But it looks like the economic center of gravity in America, after being overly concentrated in communities full of college graduates, is finally broadening out as we set out to build the industrial economy of the future.
• Self-Driving Cars Are a Natural for Rural America: Adam Minter
• If We Want Lithium, Let China Finance It: Liam Denning
• We’ll Never Agree to Phase Out Petroleum: David Fickling | 2022-12-29T12:53:00Z | www.washingtonpost.com | US ‘Battery Belt’ Will Be a New Kind of Job Magnet - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/us-battery-beltwill-be-a-new-kind-of-job-magnet/2022/12/29/20f19b92-8771-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/us-battery-beltwill-be-a-new-kind-of-job-magnet/2022/12/29/20f19b92-8771-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Bones of ancient native dogs found at Jamestown
Researchers find DNA link to Indigenous dogs that starving colonists may have eaten
“Hare Indian Dog” by John Woodhouse Audubon, from “The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America” (1845-1848). (Whitney Western Art Museum 14.88.2, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyo.)
They were dogs that howled but didn’t bark. They resembled foxes, or wolves. And they had been the companions of Native Americans for thousands of years, after their ancestors arrived with early migrants from Asia.
Now, DNA that appears to be from descendants of these long-vanished canines has turned up at the Jamestown colonial site in Virginia, where starving settlers may have eaten them, experts at Jamestown and the University of Iowa said this month.
It is the first proof that Indigenous dogs were at Jamestown, and is a link to the bones of more than 100 that were found at a Native American site nearby in the 1970s and ’80s.
“It is really exciting,” said Leah Stricker, curator at Preservation Virginia’s Jamestown Rediscovery project.
“Many of the discoveries … made on this site support the historical record, but in the case of artifacts like these dog bones, the archaeological material is rewriting history,” she said in an email.
It’s “also exciting … that the DNA survives in some of these bones,” which are 400 years old, she said. “This opens up new and expanded avenues of research.”
Dogs are believed to have come to North America with early migrants from Northeast Asia about 14,000 years ago, experts say.
“The first people to enter the Americas likely did so with their dogs,” Angela Perri, an archaeologist at Texas A&M University, wrote with colleagues last year in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Where people went, dogs went.”
They were used for hunting, for warmth, for protection, as draft animals and perhaps as companions in the afterlife. The extinct Salish Wool hound of the Pacific Northwest was bred for its white fur, which was cut and woven for blankets.
In some instances, native dogs were eaten. The Northern Iroquois had a feast of the dogs dedicated to their war god in which dog meat was ritually eaten, the late historian Jeffrey P. Blick has written. Other groups practiced dog sacrifice.
Native dogs were soon replaced by European dogs, and almost no genetic trace of the Indigenous animals remains in today’s dogs, Perri said in an interview.
In 1607, Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in what would become the United States. It is located on the James River in southeastern Virginia, 160 miles south of Washington.
Little is known for certain about local Indigenous dogs, aside from fleeting references in historic accounts.
“What comes down to us today regarding the Native American domestic dog in Virginia are bits and pieces that must be stitched together” from sources from 1585 to 1705, Blick wrote in a paper in 2000.
The British observer William Strachey, for example, reported in 1612: “The doggs of the Country are like their woulves, and cannot barke but howle.” Others described native dogs as looking like foxes, “blacke and sharp nosed.”
The 19th-century artist and adventurer George Catlin later wrote: “The dog, amongst all Indian tribes, is more esteemed and more valued than amongst any part of the civilized world. … The Indian … keeps him closer company, and draws him near to his heart.”
Few images of local native dogs survive. One animal appears in the background of a painting of an Indian village in what is now northeastern North Carolina by the English artist John White, dating to about 1585.
The painting shows a dog about the size of a fox, with short hair, a long nose and a tail that curls up.
The Jamestown discovery came by accident, said Ariane Thomas, a PhD candidate in anthropology who specializes in anthropological genetics and ancient DNA at the University of Iowa.
She had been researching colonial dogs of European origin to see when they replaced Indigenous dogs. She also wanted to see if there was a link between ancient European and modern dogs.
“Is a bloodhound from 1625 the genetic ancestor of today’s bloodhounds in North America?” she said.
But data on early European dogs is also scarce.
She said she learned that Jamestown Rediscovery had colonial dog bone fragments in its large artifact collection. She and associate professor of anthropology Matthew E. Hill Jr. visited Jamestown in July.
They focused on teeth from seven dogs, and drilled into them to see if they could collect material that would yield DNA. No viable DNA existed in four of the dogs, Stricker, of Jamestown, said.
But DNA was acquired from the other three, and analysis showed they were likely Indigenous rather than European.
In addition, the bones from all three showed cut marks indicating that they had been butchered and eaten by colonists, said Michael Lavin, director of collections at Jamestown Rediscovery.
Jamestown’s settlers ran out of food in the winter of 1609-1610 — what was known as the “starving time” — and in desperation ate dogs, rodents, snakes and boots. There is also one account of cannibalism.
It is not known how or why the colonists acquired the native dogs, Lavin said.
One of the native dogs was genetically linked to a dog that was found buried with many others at the site of an ancient Indian settlement across the James River, about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown, near Hopewell, Va., Thomas, of the University of Iowa, said.
“That’s new news,” Lavin said.
Called Weyanoke Old Town, the site dates back several thousand years, Blick wrote.
In the 1970s and ’80s, archaeologists discovered the remains of 117 dogs there. It is believed to be the largest collection of prehistoric dogs from a single site in North America, and perhaps in the Western Hemisphere, according to Blick.
“According to the European colonial records, dogs up and down the Eastern seaboard … were reported to howl and not to bark, giving rise to the term, ‘barkless dogs,’” he wrote.
In two cases, dogs were found buried along with a severed right human forearm.
The reason is a mystery. Blick speculated that the arm may have been a war trophy, buried with the dog “to symbolically keep the enemy at bay in the afterlife.”
Hill, of the University of Iowa, said that for Native Americans, dogs “always had this kind of spiritual importance and power.”
“They quite literally have a foot in the human world and in the natural world, and they go back and forth,” he said.
In another case at Weyanoke, a dog was buried with an adult woman who was found in the fetal position with the animal’s remains curled up over her feet.
“In life, she may have used the dog to keep her feet warm during chilly weather,” Blick wrote. “And thus her fellow villagers felt obliged to provide her this comfort on her journey to the afterlife.” | 2022-12-29T12:53:07Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Remains of ancient dogs that didn't bark were found at Jamestown - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/12/29/dogs-native-jamestown-discovered/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/12/29/dogs-native-jamestown-discovered/ |
America’s student loan crisis stems from a war on education as a public good
Free or low-cost public college used to be the norm. But state funding dried up for ideological reasons.
Perspective by David A. Love
David A. Love is a faculty member in journalism and media studies at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information, and a writer based in Philadelphia. He writes on race, politics and justice issues.
From left, Sabrina Calazans, director of borrower outreach at Student Debt Crisis Center, and Howard University students Aiden Thompson and Sydney Stokes rally with other student loan debt activists outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 25. (Craig Hudson/For the Washington Post)
The United States is an outlier in terms of its prohibitively large student debt, which stands at $1.75 trillion and amounts to roughly 7.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, and exorbitant college costs. Indeed, other countries such as France and Germany offer low-cost tuition, and in countries including Finland, Brazil, Norway and Panama, there is no tuition at all. But education did not always come at such a high cost in America, where public education was once treated as a public good.
California Gov. Ronald Reagan fired the first shot by cutting funding to the University of California system and then for the first time making in-state students pay tuition as well as fees, as part of an effort to politicize education and make it a wedge issue. At the time, California public colleges and universities had become centers of student antiwar and civil rights activism. The Free Speech Movement formed at the University of California at Berkeley when students challenged campus policies against political protest and free speech. That student movement was later motivated by opposition to the Vietnam War. In the year following the assassination of Malcolm X, Merritt Junior College students Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in 1966 in Oakland, Calif. And students of color at San Francisco State University staged the longest student strike starting in 1968, leading to the birth of the ethnic studies movement across the country.
And so, at a time when higher education had begun to diversify its student body and expand opportunity for marginalized communities, conservatives made the case for college education as a private endeavor for the individual rather than a public good that benefits society. Reagan’s education adviser, Roger Freeman, warned, “We are in danger of producing an educated proletariat. … That’s dynamite! We have to be selective on who we allow [to go to college]. If not, we will have a large number of highly trained and unemployed people,” he added, claiming such conditions had created fascism in Germany.
Reagan — who according to an FBI memo was “dedicated to the destruction of disruptive elements on California college campuses” — cut funding to the UC system as a means to engage in austerity politics and please the conservative base. Narrowing the scope of government, Reagan charged tuition to “get rid of undesirables … those who are there to carry signs and not to study might think twice to carry picket signs.” The measure changed public education, and like-minded government officials in other states followed suit. Soon, other public institutions including the University of Florida and the City University of New York would turn their backs on free college.
We are living with the consequences today. While state and federal governments once covered most of the cost of attending public college, today much more of the burden falls on students. In addition, in an effort to climb in the rankings and increase revenue, many public universities have employed the practices of their private counterparts and excluded low-income and working-class students by pursuing wealthier students. Public universities have become less accessible to low-income students and students of color, and the covid pandemic has further exposed the inequities in higher education as fewer needy students are applying to college, in what has been described as an “alarming” nationwide exodus.
And in recent weeks the University of California system — where Reagan first waged the culture wars against public investment in higher education — has become ground zero in the labor union struggle on college campuses. In the largest action by academic workers in U.S. history, 48,000 graduate students employed by the University of California system and represented by the United Auto Workers went on strike for nearly six weeks, demanding higher wages and child care. While 12,000 striking postdoctoral employees and academic researchers reached an agreement and returned to work earlier this month, 36,000 workers remained on strike until last week when they voted to ratify new contracts. | 2022-12-29T12:53:13Z | www.washingtonpost.com | America’s student loan crisis stems from a war on education as a public good - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2022/12/29/history-student-loan-debt/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2022/12/29/history-student-loan-debt/ |
What’s it like to own a bookstore in our digitized age?
Shaun Bythell, owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, discusses his new book, “Remainders of the Day,” and the highs and lows of his job
Review by Dennis Duncan
Author and bookstore owner Shaun Bythell. (Ben Please)
For the last 20 years, Shaun Bythell has owned and run The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland. Not only is this Scotland’s largest secondhand bookshop, it is also the oldest in a city that has been officially designated “Scotland’s National Booktown.” In 2017, Bythell published “The Diary of a Bookseller,” a wry account of the eccentric staff and customers who pass through the shop. It was an international success, and Bythell followed it up two years later with “Confessions of a Bookseller.” His third volume of diaries, “Remainders of the Day,” continues to trace the daily routines and tribulations of a provincial bookdealer faced with the industry’s march toward digital and globalized means of selling books.
Miss going to the bookstore? Here are some books about books to help get you through.
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Q: How did you get into the book trade?
A: I came out of Trinity College Dublin with a degree in law and thought, “I don’t want a conventional life.” So I ended up just doing really crummy jobs. I grew up on a farm about a mile from here, and I was back for Christmas one year when I came into [The Bookshop] for a chat with the owner. He asked what I was up to, and I told him about my terrible jobs and that I was 30 and all my friends were buying houses. He said: “Well, I’m about to retire. Why don’t you buy my shop?” So I went to the bank and that was it. It was never a great dream I had. It was just an opportunity that came along at the right moment, and I’m lucky it did because it’s the best thing I could ever have imagined doing.
Q: Wigtown is Scotland’s official “Booktown.” What’s the history there?
A: Someone in the government decided that Scotland should have its own “book town” [like Hay-on-Wye in Wales], so there was a national competition to see who that should be. One of the criteria was that it had to be a town that needed economic regeneration, so almost inevitably it had to be somewhere a bit down-at-heel. This was 1998, I think. It didn’t work overnight, but it really has transformed the town. It’s a different place now. A lot of the shops are really just cafes that have a few bookshelves, but there are five shops now who are purely books. No cafe, just entirely dependent on our income from selling books.
Q: One of the things that comes out of your book is the sense of resistance to the digital and the corporate. How has bookselling changed over the last 20 years?
A: One thing that has changed for all of us is that, with the internet, you’ll only sell if you’re the cheapest. So if somebody puts a book on at five pounds, you’ll only sell if you put yours on at four. So it’s a race to the bottom with prices.
We had a massive downturn in 2008 after the financial crisis. We really got hit hard by that. So I was starting to worry that, with the pandemic, people would get so used to online shopping that we wouldn’t see any visitors when we reopened. But the moment the door opened we were flooded. Last summer was the best summer we’ve ever had. Maybe lockdown has done some good in that respect. People probably got a bit sick of just buying stuff online. And I think people have started to realize that if you don’t support bricks-and-mortar shops, they will go.
Sure, Google is handy, but what about the mighty book index?
Q: In “Remainders of the Day,” you quote the early-20th-century bookseller R.M. Williamson, who said, “There is a delight in just being in the presence of old books.” But you also point out that “very few of us [booksellers] make more than a subsistence living from it.” Can you say something about the tension between books’ emotional value vs. their economic value?
A: It’s a really interesting dynamic, and it’s always shifting. A lot of people, when it comes to selling their own collection that they’ve assembled, will overvalue it; whereas if they’re selling a great-aunt’s collection just so they can sell the house, they’ll undervalue it. The important thing for me is just to be consistent and treat them both the same way. But I completely agree with Williamson’s point that there is something delightful about being surrounded by books. A couple of weeks ago I cleared the library of [the Scottish journalist] Allan Massie, and I’m just going through the boxes now. Every time I open one I simply don’t know what’s going to pop out. There’s some early Margaret Atwood, a book signed by Prince Philip — it’s good stuff! So there’s always that excitement of not knowing what you’re going to find. It is like a treasure hunt.
Q: It comes across as quite a sociable trade. Is there something about books that makes customers more garrulous? Like, would it be different if you were running a cheese shop or a wig shop?
A: People do like to talk about the books they’re interested in, whereas there’s only so much you can say about cheese. When you’re in the shop behind the counter, people think you’re just there to talk to. But you still have to price books up and put them on the shelves, so you have to try to find a way of making it obvious that you’ve actually got a job to do.
Q: Well, you do describe the character of the average bookseller as one of “morose, unsociable shabbiness.” Is that because the job breeds a certain cynicism into you, or is it that morose, unsociable, shabby people are drawn to the trade?
A: I think it breeds it into you. I mean, it doesn’t describe every bookseller I’ve ever met, but for the overwhelming majority it’s a pretty accurate description. The secondhand-book trade is constant negotiation, whether it’s buying or selling, and that’s tiring. It does wear you down.
Q: We’ve talked a lot about cynicism. Tell us something positive about the career of a bookseller.
You find yourself exposed to new things on a daily basis. With every book that you’re pricing, it’s almost impossible to resist having a look and seeing what it’s about or finding out some biographical detail about the author. When I bought the shop, the previous owner had been in the trade for 30 years and would say: “I can talk for five minutes about any subject. You name it, but just five minutes.” You’re constantly learning.
Dennis Duncan is the author of “Index, A History of the.”
A Bookshop Diary
By Shaun Bythell
David R. Godine. 376 pp. $27.95 | 2022-12-29T12:54:01Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Shaun Bythell talks about his new book “Remainders of the Day” - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2022/12/29/bookstore-owner-bythell/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2022/12/29/bookstore-owner-bythell/ |
Few crypto gains appear on tax returns. That’s changing — but not this year.
A rule expected to take effect in 2024 will make it harder for crypto investors to skip out on reporting gains on their income taxes
Cryptocurrency investors have been able to skirt U.S. taxes on gains for years, but that will change with new reporting requirements in 2024. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg News)
The amount of revenue not uncollected is hard to calculate, given the purposely anonymous nature of cryptocurrency and the IRS’s own opacity — it has not revealed publicly the number of people paying capital gains on crypto investments in more than five years. But the Congressional Budget Office estimates that a new reporting requirement for the exchanges will result in $28 billion in taxes collected over the decade after it takes effect in 2024. A legal requirement that failed in Congress this month would have generated $16 billion more by banning a legal loophole called “wash sales” for crypto traders. Unlike traditional investors, they can book a paper loss when prices drop and immediately re-buy the asset.
“People can play games with [cryptocurrency] and not have to pay any taxes. It’s incredibly unfair to the vast majority of law-abiding taxpayers when the IRS is crippled,” said Edward Zelinsky, a tax law professor at Cardozo School of Law who has written critically about cryptocurrency. “I think that’s the problem with bitcoin — the tax evasion has become normatively accepted.”
In 2020, the IRS started explicitly asking about cryptocurrency on individual tax returns, with a yes or no question on every taxpayer’s return about whether the taxpayer acquired or sold any virtual currency that year. Saying yes did not mean the taxpayer necessarily owed any taxes on that digital transaction. Only 2.3 million taxpayers said yes.
Crypto traders are just as legally bound to pay taxes on their gains, but cryptocurrency exchanges have not been required to send those forms and won’t be required until the provision in the infrastructure bill takes effect in 2024. Without the forms, the IRS has had no way of knowing what those gains are short of going to court.
“Defining rules takes time, effort and investment, and that’s not something the IRS has had an abundance of in the past 10 years,” said Lawrence Slatkin,the vice president for tax at Coinbase. “We’re seeing a delayed reaction.”
“That’s not being done at scale yet, but we expect that to change in the next few years as the government is cracking down on this problem,” Lerner said. Just because your name is not publicly attached to your cryptocurrency trades doesn’t mean that the IRS can’t come after you. | 2022-12-29T12:54:07Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Few crypto gains appear on tax returns. That’s changing — but not this year. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/29/cryptocurrency-taxes/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/29/cryptocurrency-taxes/ |
The podcast network has become ubiquitous by targeting women listeners and treating podcasters like content creators.
Analysis by Taylor Lorenz
Dear Media has tapped into a winning formula: leveraging podcasts as a springboard for female influencers to build multimillion-dollar brands. (Dear Media)
When Pia Baroncini, an influencer and the creative director of the fashion label LPA, decided to launch a podcast at the start of the pandemic in 2020, there was only one company she wanted as a partner: Dear Media. “Dear Media’s ability to understand the podcast host is a creator and monetize from that angle is really the biggest appeal,” she said.
Now, two years later, she considers her podcast, “Everything is Best” — where she offers conversations on issues such as parenting, pregnancy, financial planning, entertaining — a big success. She credits her partnership with Dear Media.
Since its launch in 2018, Dear Media has quietly become one of the most prominent names in women’s media. The podcast network’s social media channels reach a combined audience of more than 120 million. Dear Media’s shows were downloaded more than 200 million times in 2022, and the company has launched over 50 lines of influencer merchandise and doubled its annual revenue in each of the past four years.
The brand has become ubiquitous in women’s spaces online. It’s hard to scroll through TikTok or Instagram without seeing a Dear Media podcast video clip. “You see a clip on TikTok and you know immediately it’s Dear Media,” said the TikTok star Corporate Natalie, who has nearly half a million followers on the app.
A post shared by Dear Media (@dearmediastudio)
Podcasting is forecast to be a $94.88 billion industry by 2028, and big players including Spotify and Apple have acquired or commissioned a slew of high-profile, exclusive shows. And the growth of platforms such as Anchor, which allows anyone to create a podcast, has led to a tidal wave of homegrown shows. But, as the economy contracts and this media sector enters what the podcast critic and analyst Nicholas Quah calls a “podcast winter,” competition is becoming fierce. That’s where Dear Media comes in.
“[There’s] generally a feeling of pessimism in the podcast business,” he said. “I haven’t seen that many attempts at building out a women’s focused multimedia lifestyle brand that has a distinct podcast presence like Dear Media. The big question of a network of that scale is whether they have the downloads.” Meaning, for Dear Media to survive, it must continue to churn out shows and expand its audience.
Dear Media seems to have tapped into a winning formula: leveraging podcasts as a springboard for female influencers to build multimillion-dollar brands. The Dear Media network hosts 63 shows, primarily chat shows (where hosts and guests have freewheeling conversations) with dozens more in development, and is constantly bringing on new talent. Its popular slate of shows includes “Not Skinny But Not Fat,” a pop culture show hosted by the influencer Amanda Hirsch, “Back to the Beach,” which is hosted by the reality TV stars Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti, both of whom starred on the MTV show “Laguna Beach,” and “Absolutely Not,” a comedy podcast hosted by the actress and comedian Heather McMahan.
“They’ve created this network of powerful women that all have really interesting channels,” Baroncini said. “...We’re all constantly doing pod swaps with each other.”
Last year, Dear Media launched its first limited series, “Summer of Gold,” hosted by the retired figure skater Michelle Kwan and co-produced with Togeth+r, a women’s sports media company. It tells the oral history of the 1996 Olympics, when the women’s sports teams swept gold. And this year, the network also introduced its first fiction show, called “Bone, Marry, Bury,” with Sarah Hyland, about romance and murder. Dear Media also has announced a show with the “Black-ish” star Tracee Ellis Ross called “I Am America.” It features stories that spotlight everyday Americans and “transcend[s] all the divisions we have in this country,” an announcement for the show reads.
Although Dear Media itself has managed to stay out of the online drama that is often synonymous with the influencer industry, it has not shied away from controversial talent. In October, the company recruited Claudia Oshry and Jackie Oshry Weinreb, daughters of far-right extremist Pamela Geller, to host a show, despite Claudia Oshry’s being mired in backlash for espousing views similar to her mother’s, such as repeatedly making racist comments and downplaying the coronavirus pandemic.
An untapped market
Dear Media was founded as a joint venture between the entrepreneur Michael Bosstick, who serves as the company’s chief executive, and Raina Penchansky, the founder of Digital Brand Architects (DBA), the leading lifestyle influencer management company, which helps social media creators monetize and expand their brands. DBA’s primacy in the field was cemented when the management company was acquired by United Talent Agency in 2019.
The business came to fruition after Michael Bosstick and his wife, Lauryn Bosstick, a massively popular lifestyle influencer known by her handle, @theskinnyconfidential, produced a successful podcast built off her brand called “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her.” The show featured frank conversations with entrepreneurs, content creators and authors.
Although their show was a success — the Bossticks have produced more than 500 episodes, never missing an episode a week in six years and garnering over 150 million downloads — they had trouble finding a podcast network. They didn’t feel that any of the leading networks took them seriously or were interested in serving a primarily female audience.
“It was at this time we realized how many other female-focused shows were also not getting the attention or resources they deserved,” Michael Bosstick said. “The top charts of major podcast platforms were all male-dominated, and there were very few women being represented in the way we both felt was appropriate. We had been collaborating with and speaking to so many incredible women and thought it was time to even out the charts a bit.”
What Dear Media recognized before most was that the media industry was shifting away from traditional brands and toward online creators. “The idea of building a platform by creators, for creators, that caters to female audiences looking into opportunities beyond just audio was born,” Michael Bosstick said.
Each Dear Media brand speaks to a specific type of woman or interest. Dear Media shows cover topics including fashion, entertainment and pop culture news, dating, marriage, pregnancy, the challenges of being a woman in the workplace, and more. The network does include men, but they largely speak to the company’s predominantly female audience.
“Consumers view Dear Media podcasts as a resource for real life,” said Siffat Haider, an influencer and the founder of the wellness brand Arrae, who hosts “The Dream Bigger Podcast.” “The [listener] finds a lot of Dear Media shows relatable, no matter where they are in their life. Whether it’s a parenting podcast or career podcasts, there’s a lot of genuine, real-life applications.”
“The hope is that you may come to Dear Media for a comedy show but then decide you also want to hear a parenting show. Or you may come in to listen to a business show and discover that you also like a pop culture show,” Michael Bosstick said. “Our goal is to create a wide enough offering that can appeal to anyone as they go through their weeks and days as well as through different moods throughout the week.”
“Branding is something that has been on the forefront of every business conversation,” said Paige Port, Dear Media’s president. “What does the brand look like on cover art, in the studio, when it comes to distribution. It’s something that’s become really recognizable, and when you see content on other platforms, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s a Dear Media show.’”
While Dear Media uses podcasts as a launchpad for the talent with which it works, the network’s success comes from its ability to help influencers build mini media empires around themselves. “We look at all the shows as brands within themselves, and when you look at them as brands instead of just audio channels, you can do so much more,” Michael Bosstick said, mentioning opportunities that include merchandise, live events, touring, product lines, streaming and IP. “This is a focus many of our competitors can’t or won’t entertain.”
For the talent, working with Dear Media opens up monetization opportunities not often available in traditional podcasting. “Why should I have a random advertiser on the podcast that I don’t really use?” Baroncini said. “I wanted to work with brands that are a part of my life and can seamlessly integrate with my other social media channels.”
Michael Bosstick has championed sponsored episodes, where guests pay thousands of dollars to be featured on a show, similar to the way influencers would produce sponsored content for brands on their social feeds. The practice is common in the online creator space, but in podcasting, it has traditionally happened only behind the scenes. Bosstick puts it out in the open. “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast” charges between $20,000 and $40,000 per sponsored interview, according to Bloomberg News. “We always frame it as: There’s no talking points; you don’t get to submit questions; the only thing is it’s just your brand being featured,” he told Bloomberg. And sponsored episodes account for only 1 to 3 percent of Dear Media’s total programming, he said.
The company also spins out consumer products. Dear Media has incubated The Skinny Confidential, Bosstick’s original lifestyle brand, and Woo More Play, a sexual-wellness toy company. The company also has invested in and helped to grow a supplement brand, a line of vegan and gluten-free cookie dough, a humidifier company, a line of sparkling wine cocktails and a line of natural remedies. It also runs a thriving merchandise business.
Chat shows remain Dear Media’s bread and butter, but the company is rapidly expanding into new formats. In 2020, Dear Media raised $8 million Series A investment, telling Forbes that the company planned to use that money to broaden its slate of programming. “We’re focusing on adding more diversity, not only in the types of women we represent, but also the type of content,” Bosstick said at the time.
In November, Dear Media introduced “dailys,” which are five- to 10-minute pieces aimed at the Dear Media audience. Port calls them “digestible, snackable episodes people can start or end their day with.” The company hired a team to focus on the product.
“You can listen while doing the dishes, folding the laundry, you can be on a walk, or working,” Port said. “It’s content that doesn’t take up a huge portion of your day and can be added onto shows you’re already listening to.” | 2022-12-29T12:54:45Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Dear Media podcasts focus on women, draw millions of downloads - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/29/dear-media-women-podcasts/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/29/dear-media-women-podcasts/ |
Thursday briefing: Buffalo’s blizzard response; new rules for travelers from China; George Santos scandal; ‘doge’ dog; and more
Buffalo’s response to the deadly blizzard is under scrutiny.
Why? It has taken almost a week for the city to dig out from the storm, which left at least 37 people dead across the region. A six-day driving ban just lifted at midnight.
Why was it so devastating? Among other things, the historic nature of the storm, bad timing with the holiday, and not enough emergency management resources.
In other storm-related news: There were warning signs before Southwest Airlines’ meltdown this week.
The U.S. announced coronavirus testing rules for travelers from China.
The requirement: All visitors age 2 and older will have to show a negative test result before entering the country. The rule is expected to go into effect Jan. 5.
Why now? China is facing a wave of covid cases as it lifts strict pandemic rules, but experts say testing travelers isn’t really necessary or effective now that vaccines are widely available.
An incoming congressman is facing an investigation in New York.
What’s happening? The Nassau County district attorney announced the inquiry yesterday into George Santos, who is set to become a member of Congress next week.
Why? Santos, a Long Island Republican who won a key House race last month, made false claims about his business experience, educational background and family ancestry, and questions remain about his campaign financing.
A wave of missile strikes was reported across Ukraine this morning.
The latest: Multiple explosions were heard in the capital, Kyiv, as part of what appeared to be the most intense bombardment of the country in nearly two weeks.
What else to know: A months-long examination by The Post reconstructed Ukraine’s stunning counteroffensives against Russia in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
Another leader of a failed plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor got jail time.
The background: Right-wing extremists targeted Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and planned to blow up a bridge as part of a 2020 scheme to trigger a civil war.
The latest: Barry Croft Jr., 47, got 19½ years in prison yesterday. His co-conspirator, 39-year-old Adam Fox, was sentenced Tuesday to 16 years.
The dog who inspired the “doge” meme is seriously ill.
If you’ve been online at all over the past decade or so, you’ve probably seen memes or a cryptocurrency logo with this dog, a Japanese shiba inu named Kabosu.
What to know: Kabosu is 17 years old. Her owner said she was hospitalized over the weekend and diagnosed with leukemia and an inflammatory disease.
Artificial intelligence became eerily human this year.
How? Math and computing advances led to AI breakthroughs, including chatbots that can answer complex questions and text-to-image generators that create amazing art.
What’s next? A fight is developing over the data that feeds the AI, as well as the energy-intensive software’s potential harm to the climate.
And now … if you’re looking for your next show: These were our entertainment team’s 2022 favorites. Plus, the best movies of the year, according to our film critic. | 2022-12-29T12:54:51Z | www.washingtonpost.com | The 7 things you need to know for Thursday, December 29 - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/the-seven/2022/12/29/what-to-know-for-december-29/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/the-seven/2022/12/29/what-to-know-for-december-29/ |
Pedestrian struck and killed in Bowie area
A pedestrian was struck and killed Wednesday evening in the Bowie area.
Maryland State Police said the incident happened just before 6 p.m. at Central Avenue and Enterprise Road. An initial investigation found that a Hyundai hit the man in the intersection.
The man was taken to a hospital where he pronounced dead. His name was not released, pending the notification of his family.
The driver of the Hyundai and a child who was a passenger in the vehicle were taken to a hospital. The extent of their injuries was not known.
Police said investigators found that “impaired driving was not a factor in this crash,” according to a statement. | 2022-12-29T13:14:51Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Pedestrian struck and killed near Bowie - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/pedestrian-struck-killled-bowie-md/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/pedestrian-struck-killled-bowie-md/ |
The arrival of Covid-19 and the societal disruptions that accompanied it understandably drove a lot of Americans to drink. But even as life has returned to more or less normal this year, the drinking binge has continued — which isn’t great news for anybody other than the makers and sellers of alcoholic beverages.
The consumer spending statistics compiled by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis are the timeliest estimates of alcohol consumption available. They show November’s spending on alcoholic beverages, adjusted for inflation and seasonal spending patterns, to have been 3% higher than a year earlier and 15% higher than just before the pandemic.(1)
Does that really mean Americans are drinking 15% more? Well, maybe. Consumers have been moving for years toward higher-quality, more expensive beer, wine and spirits, which implies that they may not have increased the quantity of their alcohol purchases by quite that much. On the other hand, restaurants’ and bars’ share of overall alcoholic beverage spending is still slightly lower than before the pandemic; given the big markups they charge on drinks, consumption could also be up by even more than spending. The annual consumption estimates published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism are available only through 2020, and they show a 3% per-capita increase in alcohol consumption that year, even as real spending on alcoholic beverages declined 3% because so many bars and restaurants were closed.
These statistics also show alcohol consumption in 2020 to have been the highest since 1990. Drinking declined sharply in the 1980s and 1990s, with hard liquor falling out of favor and beer consumption beginning a slower decline. The beer decline continues, but distilled spirits have made a big comeback.
This comeback was in part a revival of cocktail culture and craft distilling, which is hard not to view in a somewhat positive light. There are four times as many distilleries in the US as there were in 2001, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and almost four times as many people working at them. High-end drinks that people generally don’t drink in huge quantities have led the way — from 2016 to 2021, the volume of super-premium spirits sold in the US rose 77% while that of value brands rose 23%, reports the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
But there is clear evidence that more people are drinking too much. Deaths from alcohol-induced causes rose from 39,043 in 2019 to 54,258 in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the population-adjusted death rate is now more than double what it was in the 2000s.
The rise in drug-induced deaths has been much, much worse — going from 6.9 per 100,000 population in 1999, less than the alcohol-induced rate, to 33.8 in 2021. Provisional data also show an encouraging decline in alcohol-induced deaths in the first half of 2022, although that trend could change as final numbers become available. Even after the big increases of the past couple of years, US alcohol consumption likely still lags that of many affluent countries, especially in Europe (the most up-to-date international numbers available are from 2019). And yes, Americans drank lots more back in the 1970s — not to mention the 1830s, when estimated per-capita consumption was nearly three times what it was in 2020.
Of all the things one can worry about, then, America’s current drinking binge maybe shouldn’t be at the very top of the list. But it deserves more attention than it has been getting. The alcohol-induced deaths statistics understate the true toll: The CDC estimates that the number of deaths from cancer, heart disease, homicide and other causes that are attributable to excessive alcohol use is several times higher than the official alcohol-induced number, and over-imbibing has plenty of costs short of death. One study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine estimated the cost of excessive drinking in 2010 at $249 billion in lost productivity, additional health care and other charges, an amount equating to $2.05 per drink or $807 per person. In 2019 a quarter of US adults surveyed reported that they had engaged in binge drinking (four or more drinks within two hours for a woman and five or more for a man) in the past month, a share that has surely risen since. The increase in drinking since then has been most pronounced among women and Black Americans, which may concentrate and intensify some of the ill effects.
This calls for a government-policy response, and there’s a pretty obvious one at hand. Not prohibition, but a reversal of the decades-long easing of alcohol taxation. Because federal excise taxes on alcohol are charged by the gallon, not as a percentage of price, and haven’t changed since 1991, they’ve fallen a lot in real terms. By modestly increasing alcohol excise taxes now and indexing them to inflation for the future, Congress could discourage over-consumption and reduce the federal deficit by an estimated $114.1 billion over the next decade.
On a personal level, our appropriate responses will surely vary. I participated (as a consumer) in that cocktail and craft distilling revival, drank too much in 2020 and early 2021, cut back sharply after that and then increased my intake again this holiday season. I’m not sure yet if it’s going to be a dry January or a demi-sec one, but change is coming.
• A Sober Younger Generation Gives Japan a Hangover: Gearoid Reidy
• We Need a Public Health Campaign Against Teen Marijuana Use: Lisa Jarvis
• Italy’s Winemakers and Grapes Are Adapting to Climate Change: Francis Wilkinson
(1) Because of the vagaries of the chain-weighted indexing methodology that the BEA uses in calculating real personal consumption expenditures, one technically shouldn’t add real spending categories together as I’ve done in the chart and rate-of-change calculations. That is, if you added together real spending in all the different spending categories, the sum wouldn’t equal total real consumer spending as estimated by the BEA, with the difference growing the farther you get from the indexing base year (in this case 2012). Because I’m adding together just a few related categories, and not getting more than a decade away from 2012, the distortion here should be small. But I figured I should attach a warning label. | 2022-12-29T14:25:06Z | www.washingtonpost.com | The Pandemic Drinking Binge Just Keeps Going - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-pandemic-drinking-binge-just-keeps-going/2022/12/29/b7786418-877d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-pandemic-drinking-binge-just-keeps-going/2022/12/29/b7786418-877d-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
When Fixing the Housing Market, Don’t Forget the Neediest
In the Housing Act of 1949, Congress set out a laudable goal for one of the world’s wealthiest nations: to provide, as soon as feasible, “a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family.” More than 70 years later, amid a deepening housing crisis, that objective remains frustratingly unrealized. It’s also entirely within reach.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic triggered a wave of evictions, more than half of very-low-income households had “severe housing problems,” meaning that without aid they would be homeless, inadequately housed or spending 50% or more of their income on rent. Yet due to insufficient funding, just one in five received federal rental assistance, in some cases enduring waits of eight years or more. The rest — some 7.8 million households, disproportionately non-White — were relegated to conditions that undermined their dignity, their children’s future and the entire country’s productive potential.
Market-oriented measures to boost housing supply — such as removing restrictive local regulations and adjusting incentives — can make the problem more manageable. By reducing the share of incomes that rents consume, they would lower the roughly $50 billion annual cost of existing government assistance, as well as the estimated $60 billion cost of expanding federal Housing Choice Vouchers — which cover the difference between market rates and 30% of a household’s income — to all who need them. Still, the net added spending required to assist everyone would be in the tens of billions of dollars a year.
Where to find the money? For starters, stop subsidizing the rich. The government does so in part by allowing mortgage borrowers to deduct interest payments from their taxable income. Contrary to popular belief, this does little or nothing to promote homeownership: Research suggests that the deduction primarily inflates the price and size of homes. Yet it costs an estimated $30 billion in foregone revenue every year — a benefit that goes mostly to households earning more than $100,000.
That’s not all. Owners also pay no capital gains tax if they sell their homes at a profit (up to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for couples), and they can deduct thousands of dollars in property tax every year. These breaks together will cost the government about $50 billion in 2022.
The money that does go toward the poor could be better spent, too. Consider the low-income housing tax credit, aimed at encouraging private developers to build and renovate affordable rental units. A bipartisan favorite that the Biden administration has been pushing to expand, it’s expected to cost some $11 billion this year. But research suggests that only a fraction of the money goes toward added construction, with most rewarding development that would’ve happened anyway — and that what does get built tends to be in already-poor neighborhoods, worsening the concentration of poverty.
In sum, more than $90 billion in subsidies could be redirected toward housing vouchers for the poor — a program that has proved to be effective at averting homelessness, improving living conditions, lifting children out of poverty, and reducing racial disparities. Granted, eliminating long-established tax preferences for the wealthy will be a challenge — and deferring some taxes makes sense, to help middle-class families trade up as they grow. But striking a fairer balance shouldn’t be impossible. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, for example, capped the property-tax deduction at $10,000 and slashed the value of the mortgage-interest deduction by more than half, with no big public backlash or housing-market crash.
As policymakers seek to address a housing crisis that has spread to the middle class, they mustn’t forget the poor. For far too long, the US government hasn’t fulfilled its promise of providing adequate shelter for all. It can and should. The next and final editorial in this series will examine how to get America building again. | 2022-12-29T14:25:12Z | www.washingtonpost.com | When Fixing the Housing Market, Don’t Forget the Neediest - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/when-fixing-the-housing-market-dont-forget-the-neediest/2022/12/29/3687807e-8781-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/when-fixing-the-housing-market-dont-forget-the-neediest/2022/12/29/3687807e-8781-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
In a trailer park, boxes deliver fresh produce and a sense of belonging
By Tara Bahrampour
Brian Broadwell of the UpCounty Hub group helps a client bag a box of food in Germantown, Md., on Dec. 15, 2022. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)
His shoulders hunched against the raw wind and freezing rain, Gerson Lima trudged through puddles earlier this month with his 6-year-old son, Cristian. But they didn’t have far to go: It was just a couple of minutes’ walk from their trailer to the parking area where the food truck was parked. Every two weeks it brings ingredients for meals for the family of two adults and two children, who arrived seven months ago from Guatemala.
“It’s made a big difference,” said Lima, 28, one hand gripping a black umbrella, the other holding his son’s hand. “It’s helped a lot. It’s everything, especially now, because we just arrived and have no other means of transportation except the bus.”
For the next hour, residents of the Middlebrook Mobile Home Park in Germantown, Md., streamed in, some in cars, many on foot. Each left with a cardboard box that included pasta, sauce, rice, beans, cereal and canned vegetables, and a paper bag containing fresh green beans, onions, potatoes, apples, cranberries, cheese, onions and yogurt.
The distributions were born out of the covid-19 pandemic, when Grace Rivera-Oven, a public relations consultant, noticed the effect it was having on some of the neediest people she had worked with. As the economy and the schools shut down, families in the Middlebrook Mobile Home Park in Germantown, Md., many of them recent immigrants, found themselves stranded without work or resources.
“I knew that was a community that was going to be impacted,” she said. “The first thing we saw was the high infection rate; there’s very little social distancing that you can do in a trailer. Lots of people getting sick, a lot of people lost their lives early on.”
Rivera-Oven began collecting food donations for them in her garage. When she ran out of room, the BlackRock Center for the Arts, where she is a board member, allowed her to use their gallery space. She and other volunteers made and distributed 300 Easter baskets to children living in the trailer park. They began delivering donated food to the homes of 23 families, including some in quarantine or without cars.
Rivera-Oven eventually opened the UpCounty Hub, an organization that combats food insecurity in northern Montgomery County and also helps people connect to services such as SNAP, health care and rental assistance. Working with partners, the organization provided coronavirus testing and vaccination clinics, and kits with products like thermometers, toilet paper and plastic dinnerware. It helped kids living in the trailer park with broadband access, via hotspots, so they could log into remote learning. It also became a founding partner of Por Nuestra Salud y Bienestar, a program by the Latino Health Initiative focused on lessening the impact of covid-19 on the Latino community.
By the second Easter of the pandemic, the organization gave out 1,300 Easter baskets. With $600,000 a year from the county and another $400,000 a year from foundation grants and private donations, it now distributes more than 30,000 pounds of food and other essentials to over 1,300 households a week, via drive-through distributions, home deliveries and other methods. It gives out Thanksgiving turkeys and other holiday food and toys, and also provides case management services.
Job Peña, 27, who lives in Middlebrook with his partner and 2-year-old son, started coming to the distribution a couple of months ago, shortly after arriving from Peru. “The oil, the rice — in Peru we make a lot of rice — it just brings the basic necessities and helps to save some money,” said Peña, an electrician who was picking up a box and a bag for his family. It also saves time, he added, noting that it takes 15 or 20 minutes to walk to the nearest grocery store.
Guacolda Flores, 74, a Middlebrook resident, lost her husband of 32 years early in the pandemic. “I fell into a depression, because it was always the two of us,” said Flores, who is retired and has no children.
The food distributions were a lifeline for her and her neighbors, she said, adding that she appreciates the freshness and variety. “The food that is included in the boxes is actually food we will be eating and food that we need.”
Along with Latino immigrants, the distribution serves recent arrivals from Africa and refugees from Afghanistan.
“Most important is the psychological impact on this community that has felt lonely, even before the pandemic,” Rivera-Oven said. “Just having our presence and saying, ‘We are here, we care about you, and most importantly we see you. We see you and you are not a foreigner.’ That is what resonates most of all.” | 2022-12-29T14:25:23Z | www.washingtonpost.com | Fresh groceries help immigrants feel at home in Maryland trailer park - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/food-distribution-middlebrook-mobile-home/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/food-distribution-middlebrook-mobile-home/ |
‘When was it too late?’ Some U.S. Jews wonder about their place in America.
Sebastien Levi, Dan Levi, Emma Levi, Anna Levi and Ella Avni Levi during a visit to Gettysburg National Military Park and its museum in November. (Family photo)
Joe Py had been chipping away at a project he dreaded. In the past few years, he sold his valuable paperweight collection, got certified copies of his birth and marriage documents, and researched what it would be like to be Jewish in other countries. Where there weren’t Confederate flags down the street, articles about armed Christian militant groups in the local paper, and megawatt celebrities spouting explicit antisemitism. As the midterms approached, bringing more instances of terrifying anti-Jewish rhetoric, he and his wife had their house staged to sell.
“Our question was, in the 1930s, when did people know it was time? When was it too late?” said the 66-year-old Maine doctor.
While their Jewish friends and people at their synagogue weren’t considering moving the way they were, no one dismissed their preparations as ridiculous, he said. Their real estate agent said they weren’t the only Jewish family exploring moving. She offered to hide them if that were ever needed. The defeat of several prominent election deniers and Christian nationalists in the November midterms calmed Py and his wife enough to put a potential move on hold, but the questions about Jews’ place in America didn’t go away.
“This is totally new psychological-emotional territory,” he said.
The year 2022 began and is ending with some of the highest-recorded modern levels of antisemitic actions and Jewish worry. An atmosphere that experts say began as a shock with the 2016 election of Donald Trump and his comments against religious and racial minorities has matured, taken root and for some led to serious consideration or action toward emigrating. Warm pride in Jewish parts of the national zeitgeist such as “Seinfeld” has given way to cold calculations about what if.
The United States doesn’t track the religious identities of people who take citizenship or acquire visas elsewhere, and other countries don’t track that information about incoming Americans either, so it’s impossible to know how many of America’s approximately 7.5 million Jews — about 2.4 percent of the population — may have left or considered it. However, there has been a rise in paperwork for some popular destinations.
Germany, which has for decades offered citizenship to people whose ancestors were deprived of it by the Nazis, has seen the number of Americans pursuing that status climb from 42 in 2000 and 638 in 2016 to 1,195 in 2021. A majority of these people, according to the German Embassy, are Jewish. Israel, another popular destination, for a decade saw the number of American Jews immigrating there each year hover in the low 3,000s. In 2021, 4,051 U.S. Jews moved there, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Steven Windmueller, a Hebrew Union College political scientist who studies American Jews, said they are being simultaneously affected by the antisemitism that began showing itself around the 2016 election and a renewed interest in and rediscovery of their roots in other countries. New genetic testing services, plus time and distance from the Holocaust, have also changed U.S. Jews’ connection to their ancestral lands.
What’s not clear yet, he says, is “whether this is curiosity or people looking primarily for a safe haven.”
He speaks to Jewish groups around the country about Jews and political behavior, and hears a lot of “what ifs.”
“Folks are talking about ‘What if?’ What if Trump had won in 2020, or if the GOP had swept the 2022 midterms? These are people who say they’ve thought about moving out of this country, whether they should raise kids here,” Windmueller said. Jewish conversations about even the possibility of leaving have “intensified.”
Sebastien Levi, who grew up in France and lived in Israel before moving to the United States in 2010 with his family, idolized America as a tolerant, liberal place where minorities could thrive. In his mind, Emma Lazarus — a Jew whose poem about America welcoming immigrants is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty — along with the rule of law and Jerry Seinfeld added up to “how you can truly be a Jew and also an American.”
Now Levi, a cosmetics executive who lives with his wife and three kids in Brooklyn, is thinking seriously about moving away, at least for a time. The white supremacists marching in Charlottesville and Trump’s response were his “turning point.” Then came bans on books, election denial and security outside Jewish institutions he thought he’d only ever see in Europe. More recently, big-name celebrities including Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, have let loose explicit antisemitism.
“I don’t wake up like, ‘Oh my god,’ in fear. It’s more like, now you’re just wondering,” Levi said. “But when you see American democracy being weakened the way it is, a president who said, ‘I alone can fix it’ — this is not good for the Jews. Attacking democracy at the end of the day is attacking minorities and Jews.”
Levi’s worry even scarred something he’d dreamed of his whole life: his naturalization ceremony to become an American. In the days before it, he wrote to The Washington Post that his “American dreams had been shattered” and that the event had become a formality “that will allow me to have yet another passport, which is more than ever the most valuable commodity a Jew can have, these days and throughout our history. ... The ‘just in case’ mentality is really important. Just be ready.”
On the actual day of the ceremony, Levi was incredibly emotional. He carried a U.S. flag and and wrote a happy post on Facebook. The midterm elections had held at bay his worst fears.
Others have also found themselves on such middle ground.
Brian Greenspan, 51, is studying to be a nurse and at the same time working toward getting his Lithuanian citizenship through his father’s father, whose whole family was wiped out by Nazis. He and his cousins began gathering the paperwork after Trump was elected.
Attacker yells, ‘Kanye 2024’ during antisemitic assault, police say
Greenspan was never particularly observant, but has become more nervous in recent years, watching white supremacists in Charlottesville chant, “Jews will not replace us” in 2017 and then this year as NBA star Kyrie Irving promoted an antisemitic film called “Hebrews to Negroes.” To Greenspan, those things are directly connected to other things he sees as anti-democratic, such as laws making it harder to vote. “I’m Jewish, I’m gay, I’m liberal. I feel there are too many targets. I don’t know if Europe is better.”
Greenspan’s 2021 Halloween costume was a riff off a 2018 Facebook post by now-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who shared a conspiracy theory that California wildfires were started by a laser from space that might have been orchestrated by Jewish bankers.
The costume reflected Greenspan’s belief that such people are “ridiculous and yet incredibly dangerous,” he said.
“I think it’s weird to be Jewish in America. Our sense of humor and Yiddish words like ‘schlepping’ are as American as apple pie, but yet we’re still this other who is pulling the strings,” he said. “They talk about the frog in the water, and you slowly turn up the heat, and it never notices and suddenly he’s boiling. That’s what I am afraid of.”
Interest in emigrating may not extend to all generations, said Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath, a Jewish educator who recently wrote a book about how antisemitism is affecting teens and young adults.
“I think we’re in a time when young people especially are holding multiple truths,” she said. “They are very much inherently universalists in a world where Judaism calls for particularism. They are figuring out how to navigate this. They’re comfortable in the space of ‘yes — and.’”
Alex Edelman, a comedian whose Orthodox Jewish upbringing has informed his work, including the recent show “Just for Us,” about a Jew who sneaks into a white nationalist meeting, says he may represent what he calls millennial “pragmatic idealism.”
At 33, he shares what he described as his generation’s instinct and confidence to stay and change things.
“It never occurred to me to leave. I don’t know that that would be productive. If I find myself off in social circles with people I disagree with, and someone says: ‘Why don’t you leave this group?’ I think: The group will be more homogeneous without me; what will happen to my opinion and those who have it?”
Dana Milbank contributed to this report. | 2022-12-29T14:25:29Z | www.washingtonpost.com | ‘When was it too late?’ Some U.S. Jews wonder about their place in America. - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/us-jews-antisemitism-emigration/ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/29/us-jews-antisemitism-emigration/ |
FILE - Lucien Laviscount attends a screening of “Emily in Paris” during PaleyFest on Sunday, April 10, 2022, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. During interviews in recent weeks, The Associated Press asked celebrities promoting their own projects in Europe what they planned to watch this winter season. Laviscount, who plays Emily’s love interest Alfie in “Emily in Paris”, chases said he was into “anything inspiration, inspiring stuff.” (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Harrison, on the other hand, is “trying to indoctrinate my daughter into Tolkien's world” despite his wife’s distaste. | 2022-12-29T14:25:48Z | www.washingtonpost.com | The TV shows, movies on celebrities' own winter watchlists - The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/the-tv-shows-movies-on-celebrities-own-winter-watchlists/2022/12/29/ffb17e9e-877e-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html | https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/the-tv-shows-movies-on-celebrities-own-winter-watchlists/2022/12/29/ffb17e9e-877e-11ed-b5ac-411280b122ef_story.html |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.