Seals on roads, seals in driveways, seals at front doors: A Canadian town faces a marine invasion

Roddickton-Bide Arm is a quaint coastal town on the northern peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, Canada. It is also a community facing a menacing threat, one that, in the telling of a local newspaper, is reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s chilling 1963 classic “The Birds.” But in the far eastern reaches of North America, the assault isn’t aerial. It arrives by sea. Several dozen harp seals have overrun the town of about 1,000, which may need to amend its designation as the “Moose Capital of the World” if the marine mammal influx continues. The spotted gray animals have been popping up all over Roddickton-Bide Arm. Some say they started arriving around Christmas. Others claim to have seen them weeks before. But it was this week when they became unmissable. They crawl down roads. They populate parking lots and gas stations. They appear in driveways and backyards. This is hardly a scene from a Hitchcock film. But it’s not a feel-good story either. Two seals were struck by cars and killed on Tuesday, authorities confirmed to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The slick gray coat worn by the animals tends to blend in with the road. Residents have been unable to help, as national regulations make it illegal to touch marine mammals, though enforcement has proven difficult. So locals have watched as the seals search for food and water, sometimes crying out. “This is disturbing for the residents to watch,” the town’s mayor, Sheila Fitzgerald, told CTV News. “We are getting inundated with phone calls from people that are saying, ‘You’ve gotta do something. The seals are in my driveway,’ or ‘The seals, I see them suffering.'" The mayor told the CBC that she thinks the animals are confused. “They’re pitiful to look at. I mean, they haven’t eaten,” she said. The seals may be puzzled by their new surroundings, but the reason they have come ashore is straightforward. Scientists with the country’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans told Canadian media that harp seals migrate south from the Arctic each winter. Early in the season, when it’s still relatively warm, there tends to be little ice near the shore, so the animals hug the coastline. But when the water then freezes behind them, they have trouble getting back out to the open ocean. Disoriented, some find their way to land. The problem could be compounded by thinning ocean ice, which scientists see


Will the shutdown affect snow removal in D.C. this weekend?

The government is shut down and there appears to be no end to the standoff. Oh, and it’s going to snow this weekend. Forecast models continue to jump around, but The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang is predicting two to four inches by the end of the weekend. That may not be a big deal in some quarters, but in the Washington region where roads, parks and bridges fall under the purview of multiple local, state and federal entities, it could have significant repercussions. Washington already paid ($46,000 a week!) to pick up the trash that wasn’t being collected by the National Park Service on the Mall, because of the partial government shutdown, which began Dec. 22. Even so, the shutdown left some wondering: will D.C. be on the hook for shoveling snow and plowing roads under the Park Service’s jurisdiction? On this front, we have good news: A spokeswoman for the National Park Service said the agency will do its part to treat roads and clear snow from parkways and other commuter routes. Spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles said crews will also handle clearing sidewalks under NPS jurisdiction. The agency also announced Thursday that it will resume trash collection, urgent roadwork and sanitation services at its parks in and around the District starting Friday. In all, nearly 300 miles of roads, 155 bridges and more than 100 miles of sidewalks in the greater Washington area are under the Park Service’s jurisdiction — just another sign of the overlapping responsibilities that can make simple tasks difficult in the nation’s capitol a bureaucratic nightmare. After the historic snowstorm in 2016 dubbed “Snowzilla,” NPS crews moved more than 8.25 million cubic feet of snow from memorials, roads, parking lots and sidewalks. Just how much snow was that? Enough to fill the Washington Monument 18.4 times. The weight of all that snow was 1.6 times as heavy as the entire Lincoln Memorial.


Hundreds of FEMA contractors ordered to halt work as government shutdown drags on

Hundreds of government contractors engaged in disaster preparedness work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency were ordered two weeks ago to stop work on projects, raising concerns about whether the protracted government shutdown is straining the agency’s ability to respond to future disasters. FEMA emergency funds designated for current disaster response have not been affected by the shutdown, meaning current disaster recovery efforts in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico should continue despite the partial shutdown, the agency said Thursday. But on Dec. 26, FEMA ordered hundreds of contractors to halt work on outstanding government contracts, withholding payments for disaster planning work such as flood mapping, government administrative functions like contract management support, and facilities maintenance work. “Any work done after the receipt of this notice is at your own risk and will not be reimbursed,” FEMA’s head of contracting activity, Bobby McCane, wrote in an advisory to contractors. The agency also temporarily stopped processing flood insurance applications over the holidays, though it resumed doing so after criticism from lawmakers and housing industry representatives. FEMA spokeswoman Elizabeth Litzow said no current disaster response projects are being put on hold because of the partial shutdown. The agency is currently not processing new disaster declaration requests unless it would be likely to “compromise the safety of life or protection or property,” Litzow said, in which case the request would move forward despite the partial shutdown. “FEMA programs and services currently operating, including emergency work as well as public infrastructure and mitigation projects, will not be impacted if the shutdown continues throughout this week," Litzow wrote in an email. “There are no disaster projects on hold presently and we are not aware of any that will have to be put on hold in the near future.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether the protracted shutdown could hurt FEMA’s preparedness for a future disaster. In a Wednesday tweet President Trump threatened to withhold FEMA aid as a way to punish the state of California over what he called a “disgraceful situation” with its recent forest fires. “Millions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest management, would never happen,” the president tweeted. “Unless they get their act together, which is not likely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives and money!”


Washington Post Publisher Frederick J. Ryan, Jr. delivers remarks on Capitol Hill at Jamal Khashoggi Remembrance

tribute. Jamal’s death has touched his Washington Post colleagues deeply. Yet this story is not just about the murder of one innocent journalist. Jamal’s killing is part of an escalating attack against press freedom that is being waged by tyrants around the world. This is why we cannot let Jamal’s story simply fade away. His assassination is in many ways a “red line”: a threshold where those who believe in human rights and free speech must stand firm against those who would callously snuff them out. The brutality of Jamal’s murder, reported to be on orders of the Crown Prince … the extensive Saudi efforts to cover it up … and our government’s apparent willingness to accept these repeated lies … have shocked the collective conscience of freedom-loving people around the world. How we respond to Jamal’s killing demonstrates how committed we are to a fundamental American value: support for a free press both at home and abroad. Americans rely on independent journalists around the world—especially those working in closed societies where facts are hard to come by—to cut through the propaganda and bring us the truth. Our political leaders need full and detailed information in order to make crucial decisions about America’s national security. American business leaders need reliable insights in order to make wise commercial investments. American voters need to know which countries are friends and which are foes, so they can evaluate our foreign policy and hold our elected officials accountable. Having such information is fundamental to our freedom. And any policy by any government that silences reporters, and restricts access to this information, is an attack on our country and everything we stand for. The world is carefully watching how America will respond to this challenge. We should not allow the size of a tyrant’s checkbook to blind us to the importance of standing up for our values. Congress can demand full and immediate transparency into the circumstances of Jamal’s killing. You can, and we hope will, hold the perpetrators of Jamal’s murder to account—no matter where the investigation leads. Jamal’s killers, and those who would seek to emulate them, must hear from the United States and the civilized world: If you jail, if you torture, or if you murder a journalist, there will be serious consequences. Thank you for the leadership you are providing to protect these values that are so fundamental to our freedom.


‘I am frustrated’: Furloughed workers use dogs, housework and hiking to distract from shutdown anxiety

Government employees are entering their third week without work — and without pay as a result of the shutdown.


Shutdown threatens national security, FBI agents group warns

the White House and lawmakers, FBIAA leaders wrote that their agents “are subject to high security standards that include rigorous and routine financial background checks. . . . Missing payments on debts could create delays in securing or renewing security clearances, and could even disqualify agents from continuing to serve in some cases.” O’Connor said FBI investigations already are being affected. No one at the FBI is getting paid, but investigators are still working while much of their support staffs, including some surveillance experts, are not, O’Connor said. The FBI lab in Quantico, Va., has faced significant staff reductions, and the money available for investigative expenses such as undercover drug buys is dwindling, he said. “Operations are being hindered,” O’Connor said. “This situation is not sustainable.” The FBI has nearly 13,000 special agents, and already some families are making tough choices to manage household finances. Several current FBI employees said Thursday they worry that there is no sign of the shutdown being resolved soon and that, as a result, they could miss not one but two paychecks. Dave Gomez, a retired FBI supervisor whose wife works at the bureau, said he is pulling money from his retirement savings to make sure they can pay their mortgage. Gomez, who experienced a shutdown during the Obama administration, said that back then he told his agents not to worry, because shutdowns last only a week or two, not long enough to miss a paycheck. “What’s happening now is a shock for a lot of agents, and I think you will see a lot of agents stressed about missing a paycheck,” he said. “FBI agents aren’t different than other Americans in that a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck.” The shutdown affects all the federal law enforcement agencies within the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. U.S. marshals guarding the trial of accused drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in New York, amid extremely tight security, are working without pay. Agents with the Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel and Customs and Border Protection officers all are working without pay and much of their support staffers. “The thing that concerns us the most,” said Patrick O’Carroll, executive director of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, “is with all the ‘nonessential’ personnel that are not


Lawmakers pay tribute to slain journalist Khashoggi 100 days after killing

Dozen of lawmakers and Washington leaders paid tribute to slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Thursday at the Capitol, 100 days after the Washington Post columnist disappeared inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey, pledging to keep his story alive in the fight for global freedom of the press. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) condemned the Trump administration for its tepid response to U.S. intelligence’s determination that Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, directed the assassination because of Khashoggi’s influential writings in opposition to the government. “There are some in our country who were saying that it was really a commercial interest, should override our values and how we speak out and act upon those values,” Pelosi told a standing-room-only crowd inside a Capitol reception room. She added, “If we decide that commercial interest should override the statements that we make and the actions that we take, then we must admit that we have lost all moral authority to talk about any atrocity.” Rep. Will Hurd (R-Tex.), a former undercover intelligence officer, recalled how he learned to appreciate journalistic risk-taking when he would arrive in international hot spots only to discover reporters already there “sipping tea or having a beer.” Hurd said the killing, which the Saudi government eventually acknowledged under international pressure, sparked a conversation even in the parts of southwest Texas that he represents. “A lot of people have come up to me and said, why is this important? It’s causing a lot of people to remember why our press is so important,” he said. Fred Ryan, publisher of The Washington Post, noted that dozens of other journalists were murdered last year and that thousands more were imprisoned or faced other attacks on their freedom. He called on the bipartisan gathering of congressional leaders to keep pushing the cause of journalistic freedom and to hold the administration accountable. “Jamal’s killing is part of an escalating attack against press freedom that is being waged by tyrants around the world, and that’s why we can’t just let Jamal’s story fade away. His assassination, I believe, is a red line, a threshold,” Ryan said. paul.kane@washpost.com


Self-rolling suitcases and roll-up TVs: CES 2019’s craziest and coolest gadgets

to a someone else passing by — and then lock on and follow you at up to 6 miles per hour, avoiding obstacles along the way. (The company also put the same tech into a lawn mower.) When I tried it, the suitcase kept up about 75 percent of the time, even when I spun around in circles. You can wear a companion wristband that vibrates if your suitcase strays too far. Now can we get one that also unpacks itself? $800, available on Amazon in the second half of the year. Sometimes, CES makes strange bedfellows. Samsung TVs will now support an app for Apple’s iTunes movies and TV shows. That means you can buy video from Apple without plugging in Apple’s own streaming box, the Apple TV. And new sets from a variety of makers including Samsung and LG will also support AirPlay 2, Apple’s tech for beaming music, pictures and video from iPhones and Macs to the big screen. Why is Apple suddenly playing nice with other hardware brands? It’s part of a bigger push by the tech giant into making money through services, including subscriptions for music and (perhaps soon) streaming video. Available this spring on 2019 and 2018 Samsung smart TVs. Japanese inventors really want robot pets to become a thing. First there was Sony’s Aibo the dog. The latest, from a firm called Groove X, is like a cat from the future: It doesn’t do anything. But its sophisticated technology makes you feel like you need to pick it up and cuddle, particularly when it flaps little cloth-covered arms. Some 50 sensors and cameras — many in a “horn” on top of its head — recognize faces and the heat of humans and other organic pets. Sold in sets of two, they’ll play with each other and also compete for your attention. Before you adopt one, though, know Lovots really do demand a lot of attention. Half an hour with two of them bopping around and begging to be loved left me a little batty. $3,000 each including a charging “nest,” shipping in the United States in 2020. So far, entertainment is the biggest use for virtual reality. A startup called Tripp wants to use to it help you chill out. Strap on a headset and the Tripp software transports you to a groovy land, where an always-changing kaleidoscope of images and concentration games


Favorite art museum still shut down? These 10 are open — and worth visiting

With the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian museums in lockdown as a result of the government shutdown, art-seeking tourists and locals alike must recalibrate their itineraries. Fortunately, Washington has many exhibition spaces that don’t close their doors whenever the president and the Congress can’t play nice. And don’t forget Baltimore, where, at the end of a short MARC train ride, you’ll find even more to see. Here are 10 of the worthiest options, all of which are open — thank you very much. Several are even free. NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM Flickering Treasures: Rediscovering Baltimore's Forgotten Movie Theaters (through Oct. 14) Since the advent of moving pictures, Baltimore has seen some 240 theaters come and (more often) go. Baltimore Sun photojournalist Amy Davis documented 72 of these buildings, many now adapted to other uses or simply abandoned. This exhibition of photographs from Davis’s book of the same name surveys the handiwork of such theater architects as Baltimorean John J. Zink, who also designed the District’s Uptown and Atlas theaters (the latter now a performing arts center). It also celebrates the revival of such movie palaces as 1914’s Hippodrome (also remade for live performances in 2004) and the 1915 Parkway, which reopened in 2017. 401 F St. NW. Admission $10; ages 3-17, students, seniors and AARP members PHILLIPS COLLECTION Nordic Impressions: Art From Aland, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, 1821-2018 (through Sunday) Nordic art is not widely shown in the United States. Perhaps the most famous artist in this survey exhibition is August Strindberg, who’s better known as a playwright (“Miss Julie”). Strindberg’s impressionistic 1894 oil-on-paper “Wonderland” is a highlight of the impressive if slightly lumpy show, which covers seven countries and nearly two centuries. The work ranges from 19th-century studio painting, which reveals the influence of France and the Netherlands, to contemporary video art, which could have been from anywhere that has electricity. 1600 21st St. NW. Admission $12; students and seniors $10; ages 18 and under free. Free admission for any federal employee with a valid government ID during the shutdown. phillipscollection.org. ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS Roberto Huarcaya: Amazogramas (through Jan. 27) Strolling through this enveloping show is a bit like walking through a dense jungle — except here, the foliage is all black-and-white. In an Amazonian nature preserve in his native Peru, photographer Roberto Huarcaya made photograms — or contact prints


Shutdown is an unwelcome reminder of the D.C. region’s vulnerability to federal dysfunction

overall impact would be lost output of $46 million a day, or 2.8 percent of the region’s production, according to Fuller. “This becomes bigger the longer it lasts, but it’s starting with a fairly small footprint,” Fuller said. The shutdown also injures the large numbers of businesses that rely indirectly on federal activity. Kristina Bouweiri, owner of Reston Limousine, the area’s largest limousine and bus company, has worked for decades to diversify her business by reducing its dependence on federal contracts. Only a tenth of her $28 million in annual revenue comes directly from the federal government, compared with four-fifths in the 1980s. But count her among those hurt by the shutdown. “We work with a lot of international organizations, and many of them have canceled their January trips because they were coming to meet with [now furloughed] federal government officials,” Bouweiri said. “The government workers aren’t eating out. They’re not hiring buses to go on wine tours.” Overall, her business is down 15 percent. “The shutdown is bad for everyone, when you have such a large group of people not working,” Bouweiri said. “It really affects every resident of the DMV.” The shutdown has put the convention and tourism industry on red alert. Destination DC, the District’s official marketing organization, immediately revived the “DC Is Open” campaign, which it created in 2013 when the shutdown hit during the busy fall tourism season. The goal is to let people know that although the Smithsonian museums and zoo are closed, plenty of other entertainment remains available. “You can still come and enjoy a Caps game or theater at Arena Stage or . . . other world-class museums” such as the Phillips Collection or Newseum, Destination DC CEO Elliott Ferguson said. He acknowledged that much damage has been done, especially to the city’s image overseas. “When you’re in a different country, and the news all comes from D.C., and it’s all focused on politics, then there’s a perception that it’s not the most fun or attractive place to go in the U.S.,” Ferguson said. “We hope this doesn’t continue on to March or April, which is a peak period for us.” Like many residents, Ferguson pointed to one upside of the government’s closure: the drop in traffic. He said, “I just came from a lunch meeting, and the first thing they said was, ‘Wow, it’s so easy to get around.’ ” robert.mccartney@washpost.com


‘We will be out for a long time’ unless Democrats budge, Trump says, as shutdown enters 4th week

started going to the courts to challenge the shutdown. In one major action, five federal employee unions representing a combined 244,000 members working in coastal Virginia, Southern California, central Montana and the Washington area filed suit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Friday, demanding full compensation for time and overtime worked over the three weeks of the shutdown. “This lawsuit is not complicated: We do not believe it is lawful to compel a person to work without paying them,” said Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, one of the groups suing. “With this lawsuit we’re saying, ‘No, you can’t pay workers with I.O.U.s. That will not work for us.’ ” While no prior lawsuit has forced the government to pay employees during a shutdown, a Federal Claims judge ruled in 2017 that some federal employees were entitled to damages for the delay in their paychecks. Congress on Friday passed legislation to guarantee back pay for all workers affected by the shutdown — for those who have been furloughed and those who have continued working as personnel deemed essential to the protection of life and property. Trump said Friday that he would sign it. In past shutdowns, both furloughed and nonfurloughed workers have gotten back pay, though federal contractors and their employees are generally left uncompensated. Local authorities have stepped up to aid workers and families affected by the missing paychecks. Starting Monday, Tampa International Airport is hosting a food bank for about 700 federal employees working at the airport, as well as offering other assistance with day-to-day needs. In Washington, the city government on Saturday served free lunches for those 18 and under at nine recreation centers, and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) pledged to do so every Saturday until the shutdown ends. In tweets Saturday, Trump reacted sharply to a televised comment that he lacks a strategy for ending the shutdown. The tweets came shortly after an NBC “Today” panel in which network reporters Peter Alexander and Kristen Welker and Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker discussed the topic. “I do have a plan on the Shutdown,” he tweeted. “But to understand that plan you would have to understand the fact that I won the election, and I promised safety and security for the American people. Part of that promise was a Wall at the Southern Border. Elections have consequences!” But Democrats are fully


Why 2019 is shaping up to be a stellar year for space exploration

go according to schedule. Virgin Galactic had a fatal accident in 2014. And Musk recently tweeted that the uncrewed first flight of the spacecraft designed to carry humans “will be extremely intense.” “Early flights are especially dangerous, as there’s a lot of new hardware.” Those caveats aside, here’s a look at some of what’s to come in 2019. Commercial crew In 2014, when NASA awarded Boeing and Musk’s SpaceX contracts to fly its astronauts to the space station, then-NASA administrator Charles Bolden said it would set “the stage for what promises to be the most ambitious and exciting chapter in the history of NASA and human space flight.” He vowed the first flights would take place by 2017, ending NASA’s reliance on Russia to fly its astronauts to space. The program has suffered setbacks, including a lack of congressional funding. Now both Boeing and SpaceX are scheduled to fly test flights with humans this year, though many think there will be continued delays to the program, potentially pushing at least one of the human flights to next year. SpaceX was expected to fly a test mission without humans on board this month, but NASA recently announced that would be delayed to February. In the meantime, NASA is conducting a safety review of the companies, spurred by Musk smoking marijuana on a podcast. SpaceX After coming off a momentous 2018, in which it flew a record 21 times, the company hopes to continue its cadence this year. But it started 2019 on a down note, announcing late Friday that it was laying off 10 percent of its more than 6,000 employees, saying it needed to become “a leaner company” to achieve its many goals. The announcement came a few months after the Air Force awarded lucrative contracts to many of its competitors, but not to SpaceX, which was seen by many in the industry as a blow to the company. Still, it maintains it is healthy, with a full manifest of commercial satellites to launch, in addition to the national security payloads it lifts for the Pentagon and the cargo it carries to the space station for NASA. It is planning two more flights of the Falcon Heavy rocket, the most powerful in operation today. Last year, it flew for the first time, bringing a Tesla Roadster on a trip toward Mars. After mastering the art of recovering the first stages


is hoping that the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft could finally fly together by 2020. But many think the first flight will slip again, and a government watchdog recently painted a poor picture of the rocket’s development. In a scathing report, NASA’s inspector general found that the cost of the program could balloon to as much as $9 billion. Despite the criticism, NASA has stood by the program, saying it is key for the agency to reach the moon. Launchers and satellites The year 2019 could also go down as the year of the small-launch vehicle. While SpaceX and others are focused on building massive and powerful rockets, some companies have been developing much smaller launchers. They are designed to meet the needs of a revolution in satellite technology that has shrunk their size down to that of a shoe box in some cases. Small satellites don’t need huge, expensive rockets, hence the boom of companies racing to build small launchers. Rocket Lab, a company based in New Zealand and California, is leading the way. It launched three times last year, and CEO Peter Beck said in an email that “2019 will be even bigger.” The company is planning to launch on a monthly basis and eventually start operations from the Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Virgin Orbit, another of Branson’s companies, plans its first flight to orbit this year. And Vector is also planning its first launch to orbit this year. If that’s successful, it hopes to fly a handful more times. The small satellite industry is at a point where the personal computer was “in 1987, where it’s about to explode,” said Jim Cantrell, the company’s co-founder and CEO. OneWeb agrees. The company, which is backed by Virgin, Airbus, Qualcomm and others, plans to launch a constellation of satellites into low Earth orbit that would beam the Internet down to remote parts of the world. It plans to launch its first patch of satellites next month on a rocket made by Arianespace, the French rocket manufacturer. SpaceX is also getting into the small satellite business. It is raising $500 million to put up a constellation of satellites called Starlink that could beam the Internet across the globe. Last year, it won approval from the Federal Communications Commission to put up as many as 12,000 satellites. But others have warned that putting so many spacecraft into


Brexit shows how direct democracy can be dangerous

the project of “harmonizing” political practices and economic policies, with a probable consequence of homogenized national cultures. The embryo of the E.U. was a free-trade zone — a single market. But as the unification project became more ambitious, it required the derogation of national parliaments and, hence, of nations’ sovereignties. So, in 1988, Margaret Thatcher voiced what became Conservative Euroskeptics’ cri de coeur: “We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them reimposed at a European level with a European superstate exercising a new dominance from Brussels.” Hoping to cauterize the Conservative Party’s long-festering wound, in 2016, then-Prime Minister David Cameron succumbed to the plebiscitary temptation, scheduling the referendum that he believed Remain would win. It lost, he resigned, and Theresa May, who had voted Remain, became prime minister. She called an election expecting to increase her parliamentary majority and, thus, her leverage in negotiating terms of divorce from the E.U. Instead, she lost her majority and was forced into an alliance with a Northern Ireland party. It is dismaying that most of the binding law in Britain comes from the European Commission in Brussels. But why, with its primacy at stake, did Parliament punt one of the most momentous decisions in British history to a referendum? The bedrock principle of representative government is that “the people” do not decide issues, they decide who shall decide. And once a legislature sloughs off responsibility and resorts to a referendum on the dubious premise that the simple way to find out what people want is to ask them, it is difficult to avoid recurring episodes of plebiscitary democracy. Last October, 700,000 people marched in London demanding a second referendum, which would indeed be based on better information: Few who voted Leave nearly 31 months ago had any inkling of the complexity of unwinding decades of ever-thickening legal relationships. May contends that another referendum would “break faith with the British people.” This, however, postulates a false clarity about what the Leave-voting majority willed. May favors “delivering the Brexit people voted for,” but even the political leaders who favored Brexit voted simply for leaving, the details — wherein the devil always is — be damned. A second referendum would have to offer a binary choice, lest there be an unhelpful plurality outcome. But should the choice be: “Hard Brexit” (no agreement about future relations with the


The oceans are warming faster than we thought, and scientists suggest we brace for impact

warming hiatus between 1998 and 2013. At the time, scientists posited there wasn’t really a hiatus, but that the heat was simply building up in the oceans, or that there was a data collection issue. They were right, but that didn’t save the models from criticism. This synthesis suggests the models are doing just fine. In fact, in the oceans, they are performing even better than expected, and have marched in lockstep with the extreme ocean heating observed by thousands of temperature-collecting floats all over the world. If climate models have actually performed well in the past, it gives scientists more confidence in their predictions for the future. Trenberth said their comparatively concise article published Thursday “highlights some of the developments that have occurred since the last IPCC report," which came out in 2014. The previous one came out in 2007. Articles like the one in Science are helpful to remind people of the advances that happen in science between the big, sweeping reports, said Tom Di Liberto, a climatologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The IPCC reports have research deadlines at least a year before they are published; science in the most recent report may have been done six to eight years ago and “there’s a whole lot of stuff that has happened since then,” Di Liberto said. “It speaks to the broader issue of science communication,” he continued. “Science works slower than the way we communicate now.” Looking forward, there are two scenarios scientists are working with. The low-emissions scenario that the Paris climate change agreement was built around is no longer realistic, Trenberth said. The high-emissions, business-as-usual scenario will probably continue until about 2040, in his opinion, but eventually society will figure out how to manage the crisis. “Yes, we need to try and stop emitting greenhouse gas. But the inertia is large,” Trenberth said. “Therefore the climate is going to continue to change.” He believes adaptation is the way forward, rather than geoengineering, which is “not thought out well at all and problematic.” Di Liberto agrees that we’re already feeling the effects, but he sees things changing in society, too. “We’ve spent too much time and effort on people who may not be convinced” that climate change is real and important, he said. “But now there seems to be this grass-roots movement of young people who care. I don’t remember a time like this.”


The shutdown may snarl a 60-year study of wolves and moose — the world’s longest predator-prey research

On the 20th day of the partial government shutdown, John Vucetich was proceeding as planned: doing a little packing and a lot of work on data sets related to the world’s longest continuous study of predators and their prey. On Monday, he is scheduled to embark on the 61st annual survey of moose and wolves on Isle Royale, an isolated island in the icy waters of Lake Superior. “What I’m doing right now is madly preparing for the winter study, because of course it could happen,” Vucetich, an ecologist at Michigan Technological University, said Thursday. “It just might not happen.” That’s because Isle Royale is a national park that is inaccessible to Vucetich and his colleagues because of the shutdown, which has also hobbled other scientific work. The study — which mainly consists of counting moose and the wolves that prey on them and observing the animals' interactions — depends on winter conditions and on a helicopter contract and pilot that cannot easily be extended after the planned end date, he said. A shortened study period would amount to lower quality data, Vucetich said. “If we are indeed unable to count wolves and moose this year,” he added, “that will be a missing spot in the database forever.” The shutdown might also interrupt a National Park Service-led project to relocate as many as 30 wolves to Isle Royale, a 200-square-mile ecosystem where wolf numbers have dropped from a peak of 50 in the early 1980s to just one highly inbred pair. The first four wolves were moved and released in the fall, and one later died; the Park Service planned to release others this month. The plan is aimed at restoring a predator-prey relationship that has long ebbed and flowed but is now severely out of balance: As of last year, there were 1,475 moose on Isle Royale and just the two wolves to control them. The moose population is growing by 15 percent a year, Vucetich said, and they are devastating the wooded island’s vegetation. Moose came to Isle Royale in the early 20th century, probably by swimming to it, and wolves arrived in the late 1940s by walking across an ice bridge from Canada. After its peak, the wolf population plummeted because of disease, and the moose population mushroomed. The moose population fell and rose again, while the wolves have struggled with inbreeding. The ice bridges that mainland


How can the government expect people to work without pay indefinitely?

FLSA are headed for a showdown. Until 1980, agencies for the most part did not furlough employees when their appropriations lapsed. They curtailed spending in other areas, such as travel or new contracts. That maneuver ended dramatically in April 1980. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti presented a legal opinion to President Jimmy Carter that called for a much stricter interpretation of the Antideficiency Act. Civiletti included a dire warning. In “appropriate cases,” the Justice Department would criminally prosecute federal officials found to be in violation. This had never happened before. And no federal officials were eager for it to happen to them. In a case decided in early 2017 stemming from the 2013 government shutdown, the chief judge on the Court of Federal Claims found that the government violated the FLSA when employees were not paid at least the federal minimum wage (which is already most likely below their normal hourly wage), and overtime due to them, on time. Almost two years after this ruling, the Justice Department is still working with the plaintiffs to calculate damages owed to the affected class of federal employees. Last week, two federal prison employees and their union filed another class-action suit seeking pay and damages for similarly situated workers from this shutdown. This week, two Customs and Border Protection officers filed suit as well. And on Friday, the class for an FLSA lawsuit potentially became much larger — it was the first scheduled federal payday falling fully within the shutdown, and no checks were issued. Only one thing is certain about this shutdown. At some point, it will end. When the government fully reopens and the shutdown’s effects on the management and functioning of the government are still fresh, Congress may want to consider taking action to prepare for shutdowns of the future. It could start with legislation addressing how the Antideficiency Act and FLSA can better coexist. Such legislation could make clear the government could lawfully pay FLSA-required wages for labor performed during a shutdown. A broader solution would entail Congress permanently appropriating pay now and then later reconciling it with agency budgets for all federal employees who are required to work during any future shutdown. Of course the best solution for the maintenance of efficient and effective government and its workforce will always be to avoid shutdowns entirely by appropriating funds on time. Representative Randall and his colleagues would no doubt agree.


Metro revenue and federal funding at risk as shutdown enters ‘uncharted territory’

Metro officials are concerned the government shutdown is cutting into the agency’s revenue as the system that carries a sizable share of the federal workforce runs full service despite thousands of employees staying home on furlough. If the shutdown persists, Metro board members said, the agency may be forced to ask local jurisdictions for more money to support its operating budget, scale back service to recoup some of its costs or find savings elsewhere. Metro has declined to release data on the impact of the shutdown; officials say they want to gather a fuller picture before issuing the information. But internal data available to agency staff and obtained by The Washington Post show ridership this week was down about 50,000 trips per day on average through Wednesday, with decreases ranging from 6 percent to 11 percent compared to the same week last year. It was unclear how much of the losses could be attributed directly to the shutdown because year-over-year ridership is not an exact comparison. “We already know anecdotally it’s been significant,” said Metro board member Christian Dorsey, chairman of the panel’s finance committee. “I’m just hoping that once we total it up we don’t have our hair on fire because it’s so huge — and then the longer it goes the more it’s magnified.” For Metro, which services numerous federal hubs, including L’Enfant Plaza, Medical Center and Pentagon, the impact of an extended shutdown could be acute. During the 2013 government shutdown, Metro ridership dropped more than 20 percent, and the agency was forced to run shorter trains to meet the reduced demand. The two-week shutdown cost the agency more than $5 million, according to media reports. The agency has estimated federal workers make up 40 percent of its rush-hour ridership. Meanwhile, this shutdown was slated to become the longest in history over the weekend, surpassing the 21-day shutdown between 1995 and 1996. However, because the beginning of the shutdown fell during what is typically a lighter ridership period — during the Christmas holiday — the immediate impact was not expected to break Metro’s $1.8 billion operating budget. But there were hints this week that the shutdown was beginning to make a dent. “It’s how long does this go and what does that mean?” Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said as the shutdown stretched into its third week. The effects go beyond ridership, he said. Wiedefeld said


The flu has sickened about 7 million in the U.S. so far, CDC estimates

information at the end of each season after analyzing the data. The preliminary figures released Friday don’t include estimates of flu-related deaths, which officials said will be provided at a later time, when there is sufficient data to support a more precise estimate. CDC officials hope these estimates, which they plan to update weekly, will help get out their public health message. Flu season is not over, and it’s not too late to get vaccinated, Fry said. A flu shot can prevent infections and also reduce the severity of complications, including death, from the disease. Even if someone gets sick with flu, antiviral drugs may be an option, she said, especially for people who are at high risk of serious flu complications, including young children, adults 65 and older, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease. Antiviral drugs can lessen symptoms and shorten the time someone is sick by a day or two, clinicians say. They can also prevent complications such as pneumonia. “We’re well into the flu season,” Fry said. Flu is widespread in 30 states, according to the latest data, and the season is expected to last for several more weeks. It’s too early to know how bad the 2018-2019 flu season will be. “But it does not look anywhere as severe as last year,” she said. Still, people should not assume that they don’t need a flu shot, because influenza can cause serious illness each season, she said. During the previous flu season, the virus killed and hospitalized more people in the United States than any seasonal influenza in decades. The CDC estimated that flu sickened 49 million people, hospitalized 960,000 and killed about 80,000 people. The previous high for a regular flu season, based on analyses dating back more than three decades, was 56,000. It also killed 185 children last season, a record for seasonal influenza. So far this season, 16 pediatric deaths have been reported to the CDC. The figure doesn’t include the immigrant boy from Guatemala who tested positive for influenza and died on the southern border with Mexico while in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security. A final report on that case is pending. The CDC doesn’t know the exact number of people who have been sick and affected by influenza because in most parts of the country, it is not on the


How the fossil fuel industry got the media to think climate change was debatable

Late last year, the Trump administration released the latest national climate assessment on Black Friday in what many assumed was an attempt to bury the document. If that was the plan, it backfired, and the assessment wound up earning more coverage than it probably would have otherwise. But much of that coverage perpetuated a decades-old practice, one that has been weaponized by the fossil fuel industry: false equivalence. Although various business interests began pushing back against environmental action in general in the early 1970s as part of the conservative “war of ideas” launched in response to the social movements of the 1960s, when global warming first broke into the public sphere, it was a bipartisan issue and remained so for years. On the campaign trail in 1988, George H.W. Bush identified as an environmentalist and called for action on global warming, framing it as a technological challenge that American innovation could address. But fossil fuel interests were shifting as the industry and its allies began to push back against empirical evidence of climate change, taking many conservatives along with them. Documents uncovered by journalists and activists over the past decade lay out a clear strategy: First, target media outlets to get them to report more on the “uncertainties” in climate science, and position industry-backed contrarian scientists as expert sources for media. Second, target conservatives with the message that climate change is a liberal hoax, and paint anyone who takes the issue seriously as “out of touch with reality.” In the 1990s, oil companies, fossil fuel industry trade groups and their respective PR firms began positioning contrarian scientists such as Willie Soon, William Happer and David Legates as experts whose opinions on climate change should be considered equal and opposite to that of climate scientists. The Heartland Institute, which hosts an annual International Conference on Climate Change known as the leading climate skeptics conference, for example, routinely calls out media outlets (including The Washington Post) for showing “bias” in covering climate change when they either decline to quote a skeptic or question a skeptic’s credibility. Data on how effective this strategy has been is hard to come by, but anecdotal evidence of its success abounds. In the early 1990s, polls showed that about 80 percent of Americans were aware of climate change and accepted that something must be done about it, an opinion that crossed party lines. By 2008, Gallup found


Shutdown effects are being felt at airports

Three weeks into the partial government shutdown, airports and their workers are beginning to feel some serious pain. At least one major airport has had to temporarily shutter a concourse because of staffing issues related to the shutdown. Others are opening food pantries to support the Transportation Security Administration staffers working without pay. Miami International Airport closed one of its concourses for half the day on Saturday. Airport officials said they plan to do the same on Sunday and Monday out of concerns they wouldn’t have enough employees to operate all the security checkpoints. That decision was made after an unusually high number of workers called in sick. The number of illness-related absences has doubled since the shutdown started, Miami officials said. That jump is probably related to a national trend of TSA employees calling in sick to protest having to work without pay during the shutdown. Miami International Airport spokesman Greg Chin said the decision to close parts of the airport was a “precautionary measure to optimize staffing” during peak times when large numbers of cruise-line passengers leave the city. The 10 to 12 affected flights will depart from other terminals. Airports across the country are facing staffing shortages, according to statistics released by the TSA. On Friday, 5.6 percent of the administration’s 51,000 workers did not show up for work, compared with 3.3 percent who took unscheduled absences on Jan. 13, 2018. But the impact of those absences on fliers and airport security has been hotly debated. After several news outlets published stories featuring long lines at airport security, the Department of Homeland Security pushed back, calling the reporting “fake news.” Officials say there have been no major delays, and no impact on national security. On Friday, the TSA released data showing that virtually all of the 1.96 million passengers who flew on Friday cleared security within 30 minutes. About 95 percent waited less than 15 minutes, according to the data. “Security standards remain uncompromised at our nation’s airports,” TSA spokesman Jim Gregory wrote in an email. “We thank the public for their continued support and acts of kindness.” Airport officials, however, warn that the situation could get much worse if the shutdown isn’t resolved soon. Many say they’re drafting contingency plans to deal with a shortage of TSA workers, like shutting certain security checkpoints or supplying extra staff temporarily to run bins or perform other nonsecurity functions.


This is why the federal government has a hard time regulating prescription opioids

fight hard against attempts to change how they label and market approved drugs. For instance, in the 1970s, the FDA was concerned tranquilizers were being overprescribed. Doctors and pharmacists saw medication with labels said the drugs could be given for “stress” and in “stressful situations” — which could be interpreted very broadly. The FDA wanted to change these phrases to instruct practitioners to prescribe these drugs only during “transient situational disturbances.” To do that, it undertook a multiyear, high-profile effort involving FDA hearings, congressional hearings, extensive negotiations, and substantial pressure from the agency, legislators and the public. In 1980, the FDA finally reached a landmark deal requiring companies to adopt labels reading, “Anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic.” But labels don’t necessarily change behavior. And while consumers now receive some information on bottles, packaging and ads that previously only went to medical professionals, such details are limited, often misinterpreted and purely advisory. Meanwhile, courts have long protected other controversial marketing practices — including direct-to-consumer advertising, disease awareness campaigns and sponsored medical conferences and journal ads — under the First Amendment. Accordingly, as FDA officials noted in the 1970s, regulating what information doctors and patients received was “unlikely to be a terribly effective strategy for altering physician behavior,” adding that “it is going to take a lot more than simply drug-labeling changes by us.” To make a difference, agencies would need greater post-approval powers — over prescription and adverse-event data collection, and over advertising, marketing, distribution, sale, prescribing and even consumption practices. 3. Organized interests fight stronger regulation Congress and presidents have also tried to address addiction and abuse. Congress can pass, with the president’s approval, new restrictions on drugs or can move drugs into more-stringent regulatory categories. But to do so, they have to battle two groups that resist such efforts — the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry. Medical providers fiercely guard their autonomy; drug producers guard their profits. Both mobilize vigorously against new rules, using substantial resources, connections with lawmakers and policymaking expertise to avoid or delay controls, generally quite successfully. For instance, in the 1970s a leading producer paid lobbyists three times the Senate regulatory committee’s annual budget to work against proposed regulations. One of those was future secretary of health, education and welfare Joseph Califano Jr., who successfully exploited connections, procedures and choke points


He helped U.S. troops and fled Afghanistan. CBP detained him in Houston, an advocacy group said.

This story has been updated. KABUL — A former interpreter for U.S. troops in Afghanistan was detained Friday after arriving at a Houston airport with his family and was threatened with deportation back to Kabul, a legal service advocacy group said, a move that could jeopardize his life. Mohasif Motawakil, 48, was detained by Customs and Border Protection. The agency allowed his wife and five children to be released at 10 p.m. Friday following pressure from lawmakers, said William Fitzgerald, a spokesman for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. An attorney for RAICES is representing the Afghan man. Motawakil served as an interpreter for U.S. troops from 2012 to 2013 and later as a U.S. contractor, Fitzgerald said. He and his family likely had been granted special visas allotted for Afghans and Iraqis who supported U.S. war efforts and who are endangered because of their work, usually by the Taliban and other militants who consider them traitors and prize their capture. The process of obtaining special immigrant visas takes years for many applicants, who must get letters of support from U.S. officials vouching for them and must demonstrate that their lives have been imperiled. Someone, possibly in the family, opened sealed medical records, prompting CBP to detain the family over concerns that the records could have been “faked,” Fitzgerald told The Washington Post. “Then [CBP] said they would be deported,” he said, adding that the family is “confused and traumatized” over the ordeal. CBP said the family was detained after a routine inspection but, citing privacy laws, declined to provide more details. “The father remains detained and his wife and children were allowed into the U.S. pending the outcome of his proceedings,” the agency said in a statement Saturday. A State Department information page instructs immigrants not to open their sealed document packet, but it does not suggest why or warn immigrants about potential consequences. It was not clear why or how the packet was opened. The State Department referred questions to CBP and declined to comment, citing the government shutdown. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul did not return a request for comment. An attorney for RAICES has not been able to meet with Motawakil, Fitzgerald said. “How unjust that this Afghan family, who helped our military, is in same airport as counsel — & yet have been walled off from one another,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett


In war-weary Kabul, burning coal and tires keeps residents warm — and the city choked by smog

environmental experts measure ambient PM2.5 pollutants, particulate matter so small it can embed in human lungs, causing severe problems including heart attacks, strokes and respiratory infections, along with stunted development in children. The WHO’s recommended daily exposure level is 25. Kabul’s population has tripled over the past decade, and the capital buzzes with Soviet-era cars emitting thick plumes of exhaust. Apartment buildings and factories send columns of coal smoke into the air, which grows even smoggier in winter as temperatures plummet and residents crank up their furnaces. At 11:10 a.m. Friday, Kabul’s air quality ranked worst in the world with a score of 277, ahead of Delhi and the Pakistani city of Lahore, according to a snapshot from the commercial air-quality website AirVisual, which logs readings from consumer-operated sensors around the globe. Those readings are perhaps the only way Kabul residents can quantify the severity of air pollution day-to-day. Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency, or NEPA, has its own air-quality monitors but does not publicly release the data, said Mohammad Iqbal Hamdard, a spokesman for the agency, adding that NEPA is working toward a format geared for social media. NEPA officials monitor the AirVisual score in Kabul, but the agency does not make decisions based on it, he said. At the same moment Friday, Salt Lake City ranked highest in the United States on AirVisual, with an air quality index of 93. Residents here were relieved when two separate days of heavy snow this past week drove away the smog. Precipitation is typically the only thing that cuts the haze during the winter months. NEPA has made an effort to warn the public of the health risks associated with air pollution, said Abdul-Hadi Zheman, a former chief of staff for the organization. Zheman resigned in late December, citing frustration over mismanagement and what he said was a lack of strategic vision at the agency. He joined an exodus that has included other senior officials and more than a dozen environmental experts within the past year, said Ghulam Mohammad Malikyar, a former technical deputy director who left the agency months ago. While some Afghans are unaware of the dangers of air pollution, even those who know the risks have little choice but to continue the behavior that causes it, Zheman said. More than half of all Afghans live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank, forcing many, like Sharif,


After the death of a student, SAE fraternity is suspended at UC-Irvine

The University of California at Irvine has suspended a fraternity after a student’s death at an off-campus home. Noah Domingo, a first-year student studying biological sciences, died Saturday morning. Domingo had been initiated into the fraternity during the fall term, according to a spokesman for Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Police were called to a home near campus at 9:42 a.m. Saturday because of reports of an unresponsive man, according to Irvine police spokeswoman Kim Mohr. Police interviewed witnesses, but the investigation is preliminary, she said, and the coroner has not released a cause of death. UC-Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman sent an email to campus Saturday saying that “our collective hearts are broken” and that university leaders had reached out to the family with condolences. On Sunday evening, Edgar Dormitorio, the interim vice chancellor for student affairs, followed up with information about the university’s response, although he said details could not be shared because the investigation into the death was ongoing. The SAE chapter was placed on interim suspension, he wrote, meaning the fraternity was told to stop all activities pending the investigation by Irvine police and the university. Dormitorio said officials would work closely with fraternities and sororities on campus to provide support and to “closely examine the larger context in which this tragedy occurred." The university’s winter quarter began last week, university spokesman Tom Vasich said, and the first two weeks of each quarter typically have many Greek life activities. Members of the campus chapter of SAE did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the death, said the local chapter had promoted an invitation-only event Friday after rush week. The chapter’s Facebook page was blank Monday, with a black field behind the fraternity seal. Sigma Alpha Epsilon has suspended chapter operations during the review, according to the organization, and has directed the local chapter to cooperate fully with all investigations. “We are heartbroken by the death of our UCI brother, Noah Domingo,” Mike Sophir, chief executive of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said in a written statement Monday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, and we appreciate the support the university and its staff have provided to students in this difficult time.”


The Technology 202: Six ways the shutdown is affecting the tech sector

The Wall Street Journal reported that some biotech companies planning to list shares in January have had to push back their plans because of the shutdown. In past shutdowns, the SEC has been able to draw on surplus cash to remain open during government shutdowns. It did not have the funds available to do that this time, according to the Journal. 3. Robo-call and identity theft victims are left in the lurch. Don’t expect the onslaught of spam phone calls to stop while the government is shut down, my colleague Tony Romm reported. Federal regulators aren’t around to take consumers’ complaints or investigate the most egregious offenders. “It’s a neighborhood with no police on the beat,” Alex Quilici, the chief executive of an app that helps users block robo-calls, told Tony. And victims of identity theft are also left without a clear avenue for restitution. Louette Duvall, a 67-year-old woman who had her purse with all her credit cards stolen, told NBC News that she tried to contact the FTC after the incident. No one at the closed agency answered the phone, and its identity theft website said the service was down because of the shutdown. “It was like I can’t stop it and my government is not there to help,” she told NBC. 4. The Federal Communications Commission isn’t certifying new devices heading to market. Radio frequency devices such as phones and TVs undergo an often lengthy process to get certified by the Federal Communications Commission. That’s not happening during the shutdown, as Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat on the committee, pointed out: Though businesses are used to waiting a long time to have these devices approved, a prolonged government shutdown could affect their timelines for rolling out new products. 5. Stories of employees without paychecks could affect government’s ability to recruit top tech and science talent. There are also implications for tech efforts by government, which has an uphill battle when it comes to recruiting tech and science talent. It can’t offer the cushy perks or lofty salaries that come with positions in Silicon Valley. But as the Verge noted, the threat of weeks without pay may make federal government jobs less appealing to a young generation of scientists. “I don’t know if I want a job that could be used as a pawn to further someone’s agenda,” Kathleen Farley, a graduate student at Rutgers University at Newark, told


The Finance 202: Government shutdown threatens to take real bite out of economic growth

THE TICKER The longest shutdown is on track to turn a month old this coming weekend, and the economic damage is starting to pile up. Given that there’s no end in sight, the damage may need to get significantly worse to break the stalemate. Economists disagree on what the shutdown has done to broader economic growth so far. But the knock-on effects — when government contractors or others who rely on federal workers as customers get stiffed, then fail to pay employees or creditors and, potentially, see their businesses fail — are hard to measure, Pantheon Macroeconomics chief economist Ian Shepherdson argued in a research note over the weekend. “Even a one-month shutdown would seriously hit growth, to say nothing of the misery caused,” he wrote. And if the situation drags on for the duration of the first quarter, “we would look for an outright decline in first quarter GDP.” The partial shutdown could also end the country’s 99-month streak of continuous job growth Deutsche Bank analysts are more sanguine, writing over the weekend the shutdown will do “minimal” harm if it ends soon and waving off any major impact to the January jobs report. But they do see more concentrated pockets of pain, noting for example that jobless claims in Washington, D.C., over the past three weeks have leaped to their highest levels in more than six years. The statistic points to the most immediate victims of the government funding quagmire: those 800,000 federal workers who missed a paycheck on Friday. As MSNBC’s Ali Velshi notes, a growing number of companies are scrambling to arrange contingencies for customers who could miss payments: “At the aggregate level, the economy generally does not reflect much damage from a shutdown,” Federal Reserve chairman Jay Powell said during in an interview hosted by The Economic Club of Washington last week. “A longer shutdown is something we haven’t had. If we have an extended shutdown, then I do think that would show up in the data pretty clearly.” But the GDP measure itself, and a number of other key economic indicators from the Commerce Department and beyond, are also on-hold as long as the shutdown persists. That is forcing the Fed — as well as investors — to fly partially blind. Reports detailing retail sales and housing starts due out this week, for example, likely won’t be released, High Frequency Economics chief economist Jim


Morning Bits: Trumps travails hang over the GOP

Republicans might prefer if President Trump didn’t hang around for a 2020 reelection race. “Overall, the President’s approval rating in the poll stands at 37% approve to 57% disapprove. Disapproval has risen five points since December, while his approval number has held roughly the same.” It’ll be hard for Republicans to hang tight. “By a wide margin, more Americans blame President Trump and Republicans in Congress than congressional Democrats for the now record-breaking government shutdown, and most reject the president’s assertion that there is an illegal-immigration crisis on the southern border.” Democrats will be encouraged to hang in there. “Trump’s message on the shutdown — blaming Democrats for refusing to concede on his border wall — isn’t convincing the American public. Instead, the majority of Americans think Trump and Republicans are at fault for the shutdown, according to two new polls.” The Russia probe will hang over everything Trump does. “Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that he will force a vote on a resolution to disapprove of the Trump administration’s decision to relax sanctions on companies connected to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, calling the move ‘wrongheaded.’ ” That’s one reason former supporters will not be hanging around in 2020. Sen Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) assesses: “Business schools and management consultants will look back for years and say this was the most inept negotiation. He boxed himself in a corner. He didn’t empower his negotiators like the vice president or Lindsey Graham or Mitch McConnell. He’s not allowed any win-win circumstance.” Will he hang around for the next two years? “With Democrats now in charge of the House, the special counsel believed to be wrapping up his investigation, news media outlets competing for scoops and the first articles of impeachment already filed, Mr. Trump faces the prospect of an all-out political war for survival that may make the still-unresolved partial government shutdown pale by comparison.” You wonder how long he’s going to be hanging around. “Pompeo Refuses To Say If He Knew About FBI Investigation of Trump As Russian Agent.” If he did and did nothing, he has shown his ambition outweighs his patriotism. Read more: Jennifer Rubin: How Republicans discovered what a real crisis is Karen Tumulty: Trump is the president of the Republican base — not the country Max Boot: The collusion case against Trump just got a lot stronger Randall D. Eliason: This is exactly


محرك القمع السعودي يستمر في العمل بأقصى سرعة

الكثير من الملفات”، كما يقول الأميركي الذي التقى مؤخرًا مع ابن سلمان. “إنّ فكرة أنّه يمكن قطع العلاقات معه بشكل جذري غير واقعية.” قال سعودي قريب من الديوان الملكي: “هنالك أشياء كان يعمل [القحطاني] عليها قد يضطر لإنهائها أو تسليمها لشخص آخر.” إحدى الدلائل على أنّ ابن سلمان لم يغيّر من استراتيجياته بالتنمر عبر الإنترنت على غرار القحطاني هي حملةٌ عدوانية عبر الإعلام الاجتماعي التي أُطلِقت هذا الأسبوع لمهاجمة خاشقجي والمعارض المقيم في كندا عمر عبد العزيز. ظهر وسم باللغة العربية على تويتر يوم الخميس يزعم بكشفه “حقيقة” تورط الرجلَين المزعوم في مؤامرات مضادة للسعودية بتمويل من قطر. عرضت إحدى المشاركات باللغة الإنكليزية صورًا للرجلَين مع تسمية توضيحية تقول: “جمال وعمر: عملاء قطر.” كما ظهر على تويتر فيديو مُبهِر بعنوان “فَضْحُ نظام قطر” أنتجته على ما يبدو شركة تحمل اسم أستديو مقره في دبي. يتضمن الفيديو ترجمة باللغة الإنكليزية تدّعي أنّ خاشقجي كان متورطًا في مؤامرة “لخلق ربيع عربي جديد يهدف لزعزعة استقرار الدول العربية، خاصة السعودية”. يجادل فيديو آخر جديد أنّ كان لا ينبغي على البوست أن تمنح خاشقجي منصة ككاتب أعمدة عندما كان يتلقى أيضًا نصائح تحريرية بشأن مقالاته من رئيسة مؤسسة قطر الدولية، وهي مجموعة ممولة من قطر مقرها واشنطن. من المفارقة أنّ الدليل الرئيسي الذي قُدِّم لدعم هذه الاتهامات بصلات خاشقجي مع قطر هو مقال نُشِر يوم 22 ديسمبر/كانون الأول في البوست بقلم سعاد مِخنت وغريغ مِلَر. ارتباطه بمؤسسة قطر بالكاد كان سرًا؛ لقد ذكرتُه في عمود طويل بشأن خاشقجي ظهر يوم 12 أكتوبر/تشرين الأول، بعد 10 أيام من اختفائه في إسطنبول. يبدو أنّ حتى أقوى مؤيدي ابن سلمان في الولايات المتحدة قلقون من حملة الإعلام الاجتماعي الجديدة. علّق رئيس معهد الجزيرة العربية المدعوم من قبل السعودية علي الشهابي في رسالة إلكترونية لي يوم الخميس: “ليس لدي أي فكرة عمّن يقف وراء هذه الحملة الجديدة، لكن الأمر بالتأكيد ليس من الحكمة.” قال إنّه رغم “حملة منسقة بتمويل من قطر وغيرها… فقد مارسَت أجهزة الإعلام في المملكة حتى الآن قدرًا كبيرًا من ضبط النفس منذ مأساة جمال، وآمل أن يستمر ذلك”. تبدو كافة مقاطع الفيديو ومنشورات الإنترنت في الحملة الجديدة احترافية على مستوى أستديوهات الإعلام الحديثة في دبي. ووفقًا لمصدر سعودي، قام القحطاني مؤخرًا برحلتين إلى الإمارات العربية المتحدة رغم أنّه يُفترَض أن يكون قيد الإقامة الجبرية في الرياض. لا يمكن تأكيد حدوث هذه الرحلات بشكل مستقل. قالت وزارة المالية الأميركية يوم 15 نوفمبر/تشرين الأول عندما كانت في صدد فرض عقوبات على القحطاني إنّه “كان جزءًا من جهود تخطيط وتنفيذ العملية” التي أدّت إلى وفاة خاشقجي. قال


Demands grow to release CIA assessment of Khashoggi murder

the commercial arms deals that Saudi Arabia has given to the United States. The Trump administration’s defense of MBS is built upon its denials of a reported CIA assessment that MBS ordered the murder. That CIA “high confidence” assessment was reportedly supported by intercepts of electronic messages between MBS and Saud al-Qahtani, a top adviser who is on the list of Saudi officials sanctioned by the U.S. government in November. Pompeo has attacked the reporting on the CIA assessment as “inaccurate” and said there is no “direct evidence” tying MBS to the murder. The CIA hasn’t commented. There’s now a growing effort to declassify and release the assessment, to see whether Pompeo is being truthful and whether MBS’s guilt can be proved. Last week, the Open Society Justice Initiative, a nonpartisan human rights project, filed a lawsuit against the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Defense Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, seeking to compel them to disclose the CIA’s assessment of the Khashoggi murder to the public. Open Society brought the legal action in the Southern District of New York under the Freedom of Information Act. “The full disclosure of these records is a vital step towards ending impunity for the perpetrators, no matter how powerful they might be, and allowing the public to evaluate for itself how the U.S. government is responding to this flagrant disregard for the rule of law,” said Amrit Singh, who directs the initiative’s project on national security and counterterrorism. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said last week that the new Congress will pursue justice and accountability for Khashoggi’s murder because it’s clear the Trump administration will not. “The assault on Khashoggi was an attack on our democratic principles and our democracy, really,” she said at a Capitol Hill event marking the 100-day anniversary of Khashoggi’s murder, hosted by the Committee to Protect Journalists. “Commercial transactions, whatever they may be, or even a strategic location is not a license to kill.” Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), who previously served as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, told the audience that true accountability must include calling out and punishing MBS himself. “If the administration will not do what is right, Congress can, and I think Congress will,” he said. “We can and we should wipe the smug smile of impunity off of Mohammed bin Salman’s face, and restore


How to ensure the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra stays a ‘major-league team’

Gregory Tucker was the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s vice president of public relations and community affairs from 1997 to 2004 and served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2014 to 2018. A generation or two still cringe at the memory of the famed Baltimore Colts sneaking-off in the dark of night more than 30 years ago, like a suddenly disinterested lover -- leaving behind feelings of rejection, resentment and regret -- and all for a new suitor in Indianapolis, of all places. Well, it’s about to happen again, but this time in the bright light of day. What has long been hailed as Baltimore’s “other major league team” is about to risk losing its major-league status. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Board of Directors, of which I was a member until this past June, has decided that Baltimore and Maryland can no longer afford a major league symphony orchestra, given what are real and persistent financial challenges. It is proposing cutting the season by 12 weeks. This is the orchestra that Yo-Yo Ma claims to have grown-up with. It is a renowned ensemble that has enticed the world’s legendary classical artists, performing the great symphonic repertoire while debuting new works by 20th- and 21st-century composers. It is an orchestra with a relentless commitment to innovative youth and family concerts and enriching educational concert experiences. And it is the orchestra with which legendary pianist Leon Fleisher, at the vibrant age of 90, performed Mozart recently to a full and adoring house. The presumption is that no one would notice the difference. We would still have live classical music, pops concerts, education and family concerts. But make no mistake, this would no longer be the world-class Baltimore Symphony Orchestra that has achieved international acclaim in its 102 years of existence as one of the world’s most important symphony orchestras, the winner of numerous Grammy Awards and Grammy nominations,. Of the about 1,800 orchestras in the United States, there are fewer than 20 full-time, 52-week orchestras with budgets in excess of $20 million. You can guess where the very best players go. Baltimore already has the fewest number of musicians and the lowest base pay when compared to nine peer orchestras. The BSO board rationalized its intentions by citing the need to “right-size” the orchestra with today’s budget realities. This, despite a sizable endowment of more than $70 million that was solicited


Ahead of Brexit vote, Theresa May makes a final plea

said. “We all have a duty to implement the result of the referendum.” May again pledged that “we are leaving on the 29th of March” and that she did not want to extend the deadline, as many have urged, by extending or revoking Article 50, which dictates the time table. But if May loses Tuesday in the House of Commons — and keeps her job and goes back to Brussels to talk more — then it is possible the deadline would be extended. May long promised fresh assurances from Brussels, and Monday, she presented a letter from E.U. chiefs that she said bolstered her case that her withdrawal agreement was the “best deal possible” and “worthy” of lawmakers’ support. In their five-page correspondence, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stressed that “we are not in a position to agree to anything that changes or is inconsistent with the Withdrawal Agreement.” But they did address the thorny issue of the “Irish backstop,” a guarantee that seeks to ensure that there is no hard border on the island of Ireland. Many of May’s critics fear that it could lead to Britain being permanently trapped in an E.U. customs union. Tusk and Juncker wrote that they did “not wish to see the backstop enter into force,” which would “represent a suboptimal trading arrangement for both sides.” They said the E.U. would work “as quickly as possible” to strike a new arrangement with Britain that would mean the backstop wouldn’t kick in. May said that the letters she and the E.U. leaders exchanged have “legal force” and “make absolutely clear the backstop is not a threat or a trap.” But the note didn’t quiet May’s critics, who said the assurances were vague and didn’t go far enough — that essentially the letter was a nothingburger. “The letter certainly isn’t legally binding,” Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, told the BBC. “The prime minister is going to struggle to justify what the delay was about.” The DUP is a Northern Irish party that props up May’s minority Conservative government. The British leader said she knew that the letters “do not go as far as some MPs would like” but added, “I am convinced that MPs now have the clearest assurances that this is the best deal possible and that it is worthy of their support.” william.booth@washpost.com karla.adam@washpost.com


U.S. air traffic controllers are working without pay. Their Canadian ‘coworkers’ sent pizza.

the pizza flier to Reddit, said he wasn’t surprised because air traffic controllers in Canada and the United States are very close, constantly “handing off” planes to one another. “It’s kind of a unique situation because these are co-workers you may never see in your life but nevertheless you’re working with them hand in hand,” he said. “The aviation industry is a huge family, it really is. You feel like you’re part of something much bigger than yourself, but at the same time, it’s really tiny. The international boundary doesn’t mean much when it comes to airspace.” Peter Duffey, president of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association, said the effort — which a few Twitter users dubbed #pizzadiplomacy — was entirely organic. He told CNN that, while the effort started out between facilities that work closely together, some pairings have been unlikely: Air traffic controllers in Fort McMurray, Alberta, for example, sent pizzas to El Paso, because they are both oil towns. During this shutdown, more than 24,000 Federal Aviation Administration employees have been working without pay, while more than 17,000 have been furloughed, including those who train and support air traffic controllers, The Post’s Michael Laris reported. On Friday, the first day many federal employees in the United States missed a paycheck because of the shutdown, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association filed a lawsuit against Trump and other officials for forcing them to work without pay. Missed paychecks are an unnecessary added stress in a job where “we have to be 100 percent correct, 100 percent of the time with zero room for error,” Duffey told HuffPost Canada. Sending pizzas was the least the Canadians could do for their American colleagues, he added. “I really feel for the folks that have got to come in to work on this high pressure, high stress job that now have to worry about how they’re going to make mortgage payments and how they’re going to put food on the family table for a couple weeks,” Duffey told the news site. “If there’s anything that we can do to let our brothers and sisters down there know that we are standing with them, it’s just an absolutely fantastic initiative.” Read more: Air traffic controllers get their first shutdown pay stub: $0.00 Air traffic controllers sue Trump for being forced to work with no pay Will the government shutdown affect your next flight?


I tried a dozen stress-relief snacks, tinctures and teas. So why am I still anxious?

comes from hemp, but it does not contain Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the marijuana compound that makes people feel high. A 2015 article in the journal Neurotherapeutics said CBD “has considerable potential as a treatment for multiple anxiety disorders,” though there has been limited research so far, and many more studies are needed. With the passage of the Farm Bill last month, CBD will come into wider use: When it’s derived from hemp and grown according to strict regulations, its use will be legal nationwide (cannabinoids that do not comply with these regulations will remain a Schedule 1 substance). Terpenes, another class of non-psychoactive compounds that can be derived from cannabis, are also touted as an ingredient in anti-stress products. These brands make mental-health relief seem easy — just one sip away. They position themselves as an alternative to anti-depressants, which Americans have had a love-hate relationship with ever since “Prozac Nation.” They’re cheaper than a therapist, and they don’t have a waiting list. This trend is “consumer driven and it comes out of dissatisfaction with traditional pharmacology,” said Susana Galle, a psychologist, certified naturopath and clinical nutritionist who often recommends supplements for her patients. “The reason somebody has anxiety doesn’t have to do with one neurotransmitter. It has to do with the bacteria in your gut, it has to do with the relationship with your parents. It has to do with your thyroid, it has to do with your boss. You have to do a very comprehensive evaluation.” But Ramsey thinks supplement brands overpromise. “I get very concerned as a clinician when I see people spending hundreds of dollars with great conviction on supplements and functional foods that have zero evidence that they’re helpful, instead of spending their very precious time and energy on treatments that we know work,” Ramsey said. “Americans are in love with Big Supplement and enraged at Big Pharma.” Here’s a stressful situation: Waiting for the tow truck, I chewed on a few Rescue Pastilles, the homeopathic stress remedy that happened to be in my purse. The website elaborated on the herbal ingredients’ effect: Rock rose would give me “courage and presence of mind,” while cherry plum brought “balanced mind when losing control” (“Of a vehicle?” I wondered). But not too many, because, uh, “excessive consumption may induce mild laxative effects.” I felt better shortly, but was it the active ingredients or merely the act of


Revelations about Manafort’s 2016 interactions with Russian associate show special counsel’s intense focus on Russia contacts

for a final report by the special counsel, a confidential document summarizing his findings that they say could be turned over to senior Justice Department officials next month. What Mueller will conclude — and even the full scope of his investigation — remains closely held by the special counsel. Mueller’s appointment was precipitated by Trump’s firing of FBI Director James B. Comey in May 2017 — a move that also led the FBI to open an investigation into the president to determine whether he obstructed justice and whether he sought to aid Russia, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity. That investigation, which has criminal and counterintelligence components, was continued by Mueller. The new information about Manafort indicates Mueller has been exploring what he may have communicated to Russians while working for Trump. And it serves as a stark reminder that as Trump was offering Russia-friendly rhetoric on the campaign trail, his White House bid was led for a time by a man with long-standing ties to powerful Russian figures. Manafort, an international lobbyist and political strategist, was embroiled in a multimillion-dollar financial dispute with Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska, who is close to President Vladimir Putin, according to court filings. He was also owed money by a political party in Ukraine that had failed to pay him for work he did after his client, the ousted leader Viktor Yanukovych, fled to Moscow amid public protests in 2014, filings show. Even as he was working for the Trump campaign, Manafort continued to communicate with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian employee of his consulting business who the FBI says was linked to Russian intelligence, prosecutors said in court papers last year. A talented translator with impressive language skills, Kilimnik had been trained at a Moscow university known as a recruiting ground for the Russian intelligence services. After a stint in the military and time spent working for the International Republican Institute in Moscow, he was hired by Manafort in 2005 to assist his political consulting business in navigating the complicated Ukrainian political scene. Friends said Kilimnik emerged as Manafort’s right-hand man in Kiev and Russia, including serving as Manafort’s liaison to Deripaska. In a written statement to The Washington Post in 2017, Kilimnik denied that he had connections to Russian intelligence. But in documents filed in court last year, Mueller’s prosecutors wrote that Manafort’s deputy, Rick


China has detained an old man and tormented his daughter. Trump thinks this is ‘honorable’?

about my father’s case and tell his story to remind people that despite China’s economic success, it is still a country that has yet to embrace universally accepted values of human rights. “Any government that jails its own people for political dissent still has a long way to go to become a respected member of the international community.” Much has changed since Ti-Anna wrote those words. She went to college and law school. She married and had a child. But her father, Wang Bingzhang, remains in solitary confinement, perhaps now China’s longest-serving political captive. And since she wrote that op-ed a decade ago, Ti-Anna has never been permitted to see him, though other relatives are allowed visits from time to time. So when last summer she was granted a multiple-entry visa, she was, she told me, “pretty ecstatic.” She had appealed in her letter of request for “goodwill and compassion.” “I assumed if they read the letter and gave me a visa,” she said, “they were going to let me in.” A fair assumption, you might think. But when she landed in China on Wednesday morning, she was pulled aside at passport control, ushered into a holding room and told, after an hour, that she would not be permitted into the country. Her husband and baby could enter. Her brother Times Wang, traveling separately, was allowed to enter. But Ti-Anna was told: “You need to leave right now.” No reasons were offered; no appeal was permitted. “It felt very purposeful,” she said. “It’s way more agonizing to get the visa, make all these plans, have all this anticipation and then not be able to enter the country. “Immediately, of course, I began to think: ‘If I don’t get to see him this time, I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.’ This felt like the closest I would ever get. And then I would think of my dad. I can only imagine that he was looking forward to it as much as I was.” Six hours later, Ti-Anna was marched, with her husband and daughter, onto a jet, photographed in her seat and sent off to South Korea. Her father, who was later allowed a 40-minute visit with Times, called the action “extremely cruel.” Why would the regime grant a visa and then deny entry? Maybe someone had a change of mind. Maybe one ministry overruled another. Or maybe


Hardcore Brexiteers push to leave European Union with no deal ahead of key vote

Others, led by those who oppose Brexit, say there should be a second referendum, a do-over, to decide again whether to really, really leave or remain. The electoral commission has advised that staging this second “People’s Vote” would take at minimum 21 weeks. There is, of course, another option — one that was viewed as reckless, almost unthinkable just a few months ago, but has been gathering growing support among hard-line Brexiteers, and that is for Britain to leave the European Union with no deal. Without May’s two, maybe three years of negotiated transition, Britain would immediately be treated by the E.U. as a “third country,” subject to potentially onerous immigration controls, trade tariffs and border inspections. Out: today’s frictionless trade, where an order placed in the morning crosses the English Channel in the afternoon. In: gridlock at the ports. Also possible: airplanes grounded, holidays canceled, store shelves emptied. And worse, according to a string of think-tank analyses, economic forecasts and government reports. “Make no mistake, no-deal cannot be ‘managed.’ And it’s certainly not desirable,” Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, the U.K.’s largest business lobby group, warned in a speech Friday. In the placid farming and market town of Boston, which holds the prize as the most Brexit-loving city in Britain, the campaigners to leave say they are ready to roll the dice with no deal. “I think all the doom and gloom is exaggerated,” said Stevens, the pensioner. “It’s scaremongering is what it is.” Anton Dani, a local Brexit campaigner, cafe owner and councilor, agreed. “I think it’s time to say no deal. Let’s close the borders. Let’s keep our money.” Michael Cooper, another town councilor who campaigned hard for Brexit, says he is no fan of May’s agreement but prefers it to crashing out of Europe. “If Theresa May’s deal gets binned, we’re left with nothing,” he said. What he cannot abide is the idea of a second referendum. (“We would win again,” he said.) Or Brexit being snatched away. As he strolled down the commercial streets of Boston, he pointed out all the restaurants and shops — Taste of Lithuania and Baltic Foods — catering to the tens of thousands of Eastern European immigrants who poured into Boston over the past 15 years to work in the fields and food processing and packing plants — to do the low-wage, manual labor that native-born


Partial genome of endangered red wolf lives on in canines found off Texas coast

at an estimated 120 to 130 wolves in 2006. A federal report in April said only about 40 remained. An additional 200 red wolves live in zoos and wildlife facilities as part of captive breeding programs. A federal judge in November sided with environmental groups that argued in a lawsuit that efforts by federal authorities to shrink the territory of the wild group in North Carolina were a violation of law. The judge ruled U.S. Fish and Wildlife also violated the Endangered Species Act by authorizing private landowners to kill the canine predators even if they weren’t threatening humans, livestock or pets. The debate over red wolf protections could take on new dimensions with the discovery on Galveston. Sutherland said the Galveston canines have effectively quashed a decades-old impression that red wolves were a feckless predator overwhelmed by the numerical superiority of coyotes. He adds that the Galveston group has DNA that can’t be found in the animal’s captive population. “From a practical conservation biology standpoint, these animals have special DNA, and they deserve to be protected,” he said, explaining that conservation easements that restrict development along parts of the Gulf Coast are an essential first step. A spokesman for U.S. Fish and Wildlife said the agency is unable to comment during the partial government shutdown. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said in a statement that the Galveston discovery is “interesting,” but “we do not anticipate any regulatory changes or implications in Texas at this time.” Kim Wheeler, executive director of the North Carolina-based Red Wolf Coalition, cautioned that further study of the Galveston pack is needed. “We can get excited, but in my mind, we really need to let science do its due diligence to determine what this animal is,” she said, noting that red wolves can evoke strong feelings in people with livestock or who have other concerns with their predatory nature. Conservationists, meanwhile, say policymakers need to have a greater appreciation for hybrid animals. When the Endangered Species Act was implemented in the 1970s, conventional wisdom was that hybridization between species — such as the wolf and coyote — was rare and to be avoided. But experts say the thinking on that has changed. “Now we know hybridization is relatively common in natural systems and does not always have negative consequences, but the policy hasn’t quite caught up with this notion,” Heppenheimer said. — Associated Press


The Saudi engine of repression continues to run at full speed

post he ran until shortly after Khashoggi’s death. “I’m being blamed and used as a scapegoat,” Qahtani is said to have told his former aides. “Qahtani holds a lot of files and dossiers,” says the American who met recently with MBS. “The idea that you can have a radical rupture with him is unrealistic.” A Saudi who is close to the royal court agrees: “There’s stuff [Qahtani] was working on that he may have to finish, or hand over,” he said. One indication that MBS hasn’t altered his Qahtani-style Internet bullying tactics is an aggressive social media campaign launched this week to attack Khashoggi and Omar Abdulaziz, a dissident living in Canada. An Arabic hashtag on Twitter surfaced Thursday claiming to offer “Fact” about the two men’s alleged involvement in anti-Saudi conspiracies funded by Qatar. One English-language post showed pictures of the two men with the caption “Jamal and Omar: Qatar’s Agents.” Also appearing on Twitter was a slick video titled “Qatar System Exposed,” apparently produced by a company with the same name as a Dubai-based studio. The video includes English subtitles alleging that Khashoggi was involved in a plot to “create a new destabilizing Arab Spring to unsettle Arab countries, mainly, Saudi Arabia.” Another new video argues that The Post shouldn’t have given Khashoggi a platform as a columnist when he was also receiving editing advice on his columns from the head of the Qatar Foundation International, a Qatar-funded group based in Washington. Ironically, the main evidence offered to support these charges of Khashoggi’s links to Qatar is a Dec. 22 article in The Post by Souad Mekhennet and Greg Miller. The Qatar Foundation link was hardly a secret; I mentioned it in a long column about Khashoggi that appeared on Oct. 12, 10 days after he disappeared in Istanbul. Even MBS’s strongest supporters in the United States appear concerned by the new social media campaign. Ali Shihabi, the head of the Saudi-backed Arabia Foundation, commented in an email to me Thursday: “I have no idea who is behind this new campaign, but it certainly does not seem wise.” He argued that despite a “concerted campaign funded by Qatar and others . . . the kingdom’s media organs had so far exercised great self-control since the Jamal tragedy, and I would hope that continues.” The videos and Web postings in the new campaign all have the professional feel of


Here’s what the E.U. has to lose in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s divorce deal with the European Union was overwhelmingly rejected by Parliament on Tuesday, losing by a 230-vote margin. Now, with the E.U. firm in its refusal to renegotiate that deal, it is looking more likely that Britain will leave the bloc in March without a deal in place. While support for such a move is growing among some hard-line Brexiteers, others believe a “no deal” Brexit would be disastrous. “No-deal is a catastrophe,” said Peter Kellner, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former president of the online survey research company YouGov. Without a plan in place, the country could find itself unable to import or export goods to E.U. countries. Its planes and trains could be prevented from traveling to the European Union without onerous regulations, as might its citizens. But the European Union would suffer from a no-deal withdrawal, too. “Europe doesn’t want a no-deal Brexit because; while it would be catastrophic for Britain, there are European businesses that would be affected,” Kellner said. “Motor industries, pharmaceuticals. There are a whole host of industries where parts flow between E.U. countries and Britain.” In July, the International Monetary Fund warned that while Britain would bear the brunt of the economic losses, a hard Brexit would cause the E.U.’s economic growth to fall by as much as 1.5 percent by 2030. “It’s hard for me to see how [no deal] would benefit the E.U. at all,” said Amanda Sloat, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “By nature of the single market, you’ve got a heavily integrated economy that would come to a screeching halt.” The United Kingdom is one of the European Union’s three largest trading partners, making up 13 percent of its trade in a bloc that imposes no barriers. “The strength of euro area-UK integration implies that there would be no Brexit winners,” the IMF said in July, according to the Guardian. Sloat said that, in addition to trade, a hard Brexit runs the risk of being immediately financially detrimental to the European Union. If Britain leaves without a deal in hand, it’s possible it won’t pay its “divorce bill” of about $51 billion. In December 2017, Britain agreed to pay that sum to cover the costs of leaving. But in September, May and then-Brexit negotiator Dominic Raab suggested they may not pay up if no deal is