2014 Boston Marathon: Viewer’s guide, race time and course

The finish line gets a touch-up on the morning of the race. (Robert F. Bukaty / AP) On Monday morning, there will be another Boston Marathon, with thousands of runners making their way across a 26.2-mile course that covers seven municipalities. [Click here for the race winners] The first race since last year’s bombings will be emotional, David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox said. “There’s going to be happiness around, too, more than sadness because the way the city bounced back.” While no one will forget the tragedy, this Patriots Day race will be a celebration of running and a beginning of a return to normalcy. This year’s race will be bigger, it will be more secure and, as always, there will be a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park along the way. A few things to know, including how to watch the race outside Boston: A large crowd gathers to pose for photos at the Boston Marathon finish line, one day before the race. (Robert F. Bukaty / AP) The field has increased by 9,000 to 36,000 runners and Boston Athletic Association organizers expect over a million spectators to line the course. This is not, though, the largest field; 38,000 runners partipated in the 100th race in 1996. There will be increased security, of course, with the challenges of guarding a lengthy course, although Boston Gov. Deval Patrick said Sunday on “Face the Nation” that there’d been no specific threats. “Somebody said it may be the safest place in America…,” he said, “but I will say that we’ve tried to strike a balance between enhanced security and preserving the family feel of this day.” Still, there are a number of marked differences this year, including the banning of bandits — runners who run without being registered. There are no plans to apprehend bandits, though, unless they violate the ban on bulky costumes or otherwise act up. There will be 3,500 police officers, double the usual number, along the course with some undercover, specially trained officers. At least 100 video cameras will monitor crowds. A memorial to the four who were killed stands near the finish line. (Andrew Burton / Getty Images) There are important changes for spectators, who should carry their belongings in clear plastic bags rather than backpacks in order to avoid being searched. (The bombs last year were placed in dark backpacks.) The race (see


Boston Marathon by the numbers

Police officers monitor runners waiting to take the bus to the start of the Boston Marathon in the Boston Commons on Monday. (Andrew Burton/Getty) The Boston Marathon is Monday, a race that will have more runners and heavier security due to last year’s bombing. Here are 20 numbers to give you an idea about the scope of the race (many via the Boston Athletic Association): 18: 27,000: 35,755: 14,307: 298: 5,633: 95: 30,411: 8,129: 1,914: 3,500: 500: 800: 26: 30: 40: 400: 1,800+: 10,000: 950:


Map: How many runners from each state entered Monday’s Boston marathon

Boston marathoners, per 10,000 residents. (Niraj Chokshi/Google Maps) Western states and Washington, D.C. are overrepresented at Monday’s Boston marathon. New England states, of course, lead the field in per capita runners entered for the race Monday, though Utah stands out as the only non-New England state to join that pack, according to calculations based on official statistics from the Boston Athletic Association, which hosts the Boston marathon. (Note: The stats mentioned here reflect the number of people who entered the marathon. Data for how many people started and finished were not yet available online as of Monday evening.) As the host state, Massachusetts is far and away the leader, with 8,129 runners entered for the marathon or 12.1 for every 10,000 residents. New Hampshire is next with 4.3 runners per 10,000 residents, followed by Washington, D.C. with 3.5. Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine come next, followed by Utah and Connecticut, each of which has 1.6 runners per 10,000 residents entered in Monday’s race. The next states with the highest per capita runners are Colorado and Oregon, each sending 1.2 per capita runners. Minnesota follows with 1.1 and then come Washington state, Virginia and Maryland with 1 runner per 10,000 residents. Check out the interactive map below for more and the bonus breakdown of runners by age and gender below that. You can find more stats at the official BAA page. Read more: A heartbreaking Boston Marathon story you haven’t heard The 2014 Boston Marathon: Live updates Boston Marathon 2014: Viewer’s guide, race time and course Boston reflects, revs up for first marathon since last year’s bombing 13 questions with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh A little more than a year after a tragic bombing, runners return to Boylston Street with purpose for the famous race. Rita Jeptoo of Kenya set a course record, and Meb Keflezighi became the first American man to win since 1983. View Photo Gallery —A little more than a year after a tragic bombing, runners return to Beacon Street with purpose for the famous race.


Boston Marathon 2014: American man wins for first time since 1983 (Live updates)

tighter security, with 3,500 uniformed police officers monitoring the area. The scene on Boylston Street, where the Boston Marathon finishes, on Sunday. (Andrew Burton/Getty) Already, during the week of tributes and commemorations leading up to Marathon Monday, a man brought a bag with a rice cooker to the race’s finish line on the anniversary of the bombing, just hours after a tribute attended by first responders and survivors. Boston Police tripled the number of officers at the #BostonMarathon this year. It's evident in Cleveland Circle http://t.co/vLG1zKxULy Although some had wondered whether the fear of another attack would keep people away, the city is bustling. Many people gathered in the days before the race, laying flowers at the storefront where the bombs went off and leaving tributes to those who were killed. Headed to the start! #bostonmarathon http://t.co/nAxUHov0Vq At one point during the race, a runner fell, unable to make it to the finish line. Other runners stopped to help him up, carrying him across the finish. Crowds assembled at the finish line well before 7 a.m., reports Wesley Lowery in Boston. Buses and trains were packed as throngs headed to Marathon parties as well as bars, restaurants and the finish line. “I grew up here, but I hadn’t been back for years,” said Michael Herlihy, 59, who stood just past the 26-mile marker on Bolyston. “This year, I had to come.” Thousands were standing in front of the spots where the bombs were placed last year by 2:49 p.m., the time the bombs went off last year. Rather than a moment of silence or fear, it was a moment of triumph; loud cheers rang out in the area in support of the runners still running. Beautiful morning at the finish line of the 118th Boston Marathon. http://t.co/ntYZwb0OAS You can watch the marathon live on the Boston Athletic Association’s site. Competitors in the wheelchair division of the 118th Boston Marathon leave the finish line Monday, April 21, 2014 in Hopkinton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) Here are some other things you shouldn’t miss: The Marathon route in 3 minutes: Where and when: After a tragedy, running to honor his wife: Mayor Walsh speaks: The city is looking forward to welcoming this year’s 36,000 Boston Marathon partipants and moving beyond the shadow of last year's deadly bombings. This post will be updated throughout the day. First published: 7 a.m. Last updated: 3 p.m.


Meb Keflezighi is the first American to win the Boston Marathon since 1983

Meb Keflezighi, of San Diego, Calif., breaks the tape to win the 118th Boston Marathon on Monday. (Charles Krupa/AP) Meb Keflezighi won the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, finishing the race in two hours, eight minutes and 37 seconds. Keflezighi is the first American man to win the Boston Marathon since Greg A. Meyer in 1983. In addition, Keflezighi’s time — confirmed by the Marathon shortly after he finished — is the second-fastest time ever posted by an American man running this race. Keflezighi, who was born in Eritrea and came to the U.S. when he was 12, became a legendary distance runner at UCLA. And he has a bit of a habit of winning things that Americans have not won in many, many years. He won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, becoming the first American man since 1976 to win a medal in the men’s marathon. In 2009, he became the first American to win the New York City Marathon since 1982. “It can’t get any better,” Keflezighi said at the time. On Monday, he ran the Boston Marathon for the third time but his first since 2010. He was unable to run last year, but was still in town to watch and was in a hotel on Copley Square when the bombs went off. Good luck to everyone running today! http://t.co/X7OpeWhVHf Head here for the latest updates from the Boston Marathon.


Meb Keflezighi is first U.S. man to win Boston Marathon since 1983

Meb Keflezighi crosses the finish line. (Jared Wickerham / Getty Images) For the first time since 1983, an American male has won the Boston Marathon. Meb Keflezighi finished first with an unofficial time of 2:08:37. Keflezighi, who will turn 39 in May, lives in San Diego and came to the U.S. from Eritrea with his family when he was 12. He was a silver medalist in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. .@runmeb became the first American man in 31 years to win the Boston Marathon http://t.co/VPUPzlOooV http://t.co/fLKGgJKEqv Keflezighi, who said he has “visualized [today’s] race every day since [the bombings],” held off Wilson Chebet of Kenya who finished 11 seconds behind him. Keflezighi looked over his shoulder a number of times during the final mile and, when he realized he was going to win, he raised his sunglasses to the top of his head pumped his fist and made the sign of the cross. “It was my dream to win Boston,” he said, “and to make it just like the Red Sox did [when they won the World Series] and do the same thing for the people.” With Keflezighi were the four who lost their lives last year. The names of the three who were killed by the bombings at the finish line (Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi and Martin Richard) and the MIT officer (Sean Collier) who died days later were written in small, neat letters on the four corners of his bib. The names of the four who died are visible on the winner’s bib. (Jim Rogash / Getty Images) No U.S. runner had won the race since Lisa Larsen Rainsberger took the women’s title in 1985; the last American man to win was Greg Meyer in 1983. Rita Jeptoo celebrates her win. (Jared Wickersham / Getty Images) Rita Jeptoo of Kenya was the women’s winner, winning in Boston for the third time in her career. Jeptoo, who won last year’s race, set a course-record time of 2 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds, breaking the mark of 2:20:43 set in 2002 by Margaret Okayo of Kenya. American Shalane Flanagan finished sixth in 2:22:01.


Leadership lessons from the Boston Marathon bombing response, one year later

From left, Rita Jeptoo, Shalane Flanagan, Yeshi Esayias, Buzunesh Deba, Mare Dibaba, and Jemima Jelagat Sumgong run shortly after the start in the women's division of the 118th Boston Marathon Monday, April 21, 2014 in Hopkinton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) It's Marathon Monday. But as the runners complete what is sure to be an emotional day in Boston, it's worth focusing not only on the people running the race, but the civic leaders and first responders who came together in the aftermath of the tragic bombing last year and led with what a new report calls "remarkable results." Two weeks ago, the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI), a joint program of the Harvard School of Public Health and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Center for Public Leadership, released its analysis of the leadership lessons from the response to the Boston Marathon bombings last April. The report, well worth reading for anyone interested in crisis leadership, was presented at a symposium on April 8 in conjunction with the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region that included leaders from Boston's police force, hospitals, local government and emergency management divisions, as well as federal law enforcement and emergency management officials. The most remarkable thing about the response to the Boston bombings, the report says, is that no one was really in charge, and yet what the people involved "accomplished together was nothing less than astounding." There were leaders of the crisis, of course. Gov. Deval Patrick stepped in as the initial public political face of the crisis due to Mayor Thomas Menino being hospitalized for surgery, arriving at the command center immediately following the bombings to help coordinate the agencies involved, despite precautions from his staff that advised him to locate at the State House for his safety. Boston Police Superintendent Billy Evans led the operation to arrest Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who prosecutors said, along with his older brother, carried out the attack. And Richard DesLauriers, the Boston FBI Special Agent in Charge, led the investigation. Still, this was not an event where a hierarchical leader presided over the response. Rather, the leaders involved exhibited something akin to "swarm intelligence," the report says, "a phenomenon in which no one is in charge and yet, with all following the same principles and rules leaders are able to accomplish more together than any one leader could have achieved separately." The authors from NPLI write that "we


Runner can’t make it to the Boston Marathon finish line, so others carry him to the end

Marathons are massively difficult enterprises for the people who participate, feats of incredible endurance that are accompanied by a staggering physical toll. Sometimes, the people who train and train are simply unable to finish. That happened on Monday at the Boston Marathon, with a runner falling down just shy of the finish line. Here, in three images, is what happened next: Runner falls just short of the finish. Four others pick him up and carry him. I'm literally in tears http://t.co/vb9cjxG6pQ Runner gave out near 26 mile mark, right by the site where 1st bomb went off. 1 guy stopped to help, then another http://t.co/gcwMxpssdK The crowd exploded into loudest cheer I've heard today. Walking, then jogging, they all, all 5, finished the race http://t.co/HE4QJnh35L Sigh, fine: People are wonderful sometimes, I guess. UPDATE:


A heartbreaking Boston Marathon story you haven’t heard

Scott and Meg Menzies at Fenway Park in 2012. (Courtesy Scott Menzies) Update He said he wore Meg's 2012 Boston Marathon bib (the paper with her assigned number) beneath his shirt. "I thought about her a lot. I felt her on the hills. I kept hearing her say 'push, keep on pushing,'" he said. He said he was strong until about mile 23, when his legs began to tire. Over the last mile he slowed intentionally, to savor the experience. "I was doing this for her and really didn't have a chance to think about anything else," he said. "It was an emotional time." Update: Original Post Meg, 34, a stay-at-home mom from Hanover, outside Richmond, was training to run the Boston Marathon again and, though she was too humble to tell many people, had her eye on a spot at the U.S. Olympic trials. Scott, also 34, an Ashland police sergeant, just tried to hang on during the eight-mile runs with his speedy wife. The school bus had been a half-hour late. They should have been farther along their route. They were running single file against traffic, the way you're supposed to, with Scott first and Meg right behind him. Around 8:15 a.m., a Toyota Sequoia driven by Michael Carlson, a physician who was allegedly drunk, veered off the road while rounding a curve. Scott was able to jump out of the way. Meg was not. She was struck and declared dead two hours later. A tribute to Meg Menzies, at the intersection where she was killed. (Courtesy Loren Rosado) Today, Scott Menzies will run the Boston Marathon in his wife's place with the support of tens of thousands of runners and others around the world who have rallied around him through an extraordinary Facebook group called Meg's Miles. "The only reason I want to do it is because that's what she was doing," Scott Menzies told me Friday. "She was training, and I want to finish it for her. And it’s kind of a selfish thing for me, but that’s where she would be. I want to see what she would see." In 2004, Carlson lost his wife in a head-on collision near Buffalo. He is also battling leukemia, according to local media reports. He is raising the couple's three children and his wife's two children from a previous marriage. He received a $7.7 million settlement in a


Updated contract information released for Terps football coaches

Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley is now the Big Ten’s fourth highest-paid assistant coach after his raise. (Doug Kapustin for The Washington Post) As the Randy Edsall era enters its fourth season, the Maryland football team integrates three new coaches onto its staff and the Terrapins march into the Big Ten, a significant restructuring of contracts has coincided with the progress. According to copies released through an open records request, offensive coordinator Mike Locksley and defensive coordinator Brian Stewart each received multi-year extensions to coincide with Edsall’s contract with significant raises. All three deals now expire in January 2017, with three more seasons remaining. Locksley’s total contract now nets him $625,000 per season, up from $507,000 for 2013. According to USA Today’s latest salary database, this would have made him the Big Ten’s fourth-highest paid assistant last season. Stewart now makes $417,560, up from $355,250 last season. The extensions for Stewart and Locksley had been previously reported. According to contract amendments also released via the open records request, Locksley’s bonuses for graduation rates and academic performance were deleted, while his competitive goals section was amended to include Big Ten-centric bonuses for a title game appearance ($10,000) and victory ($20,000), as well as $25,000 if Maryland finishes in the top 40 of recruiting class rankings on Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247sports.com, and $20,000 for finishing in the top four of Big Ten schools. His contract previously only included bonuses for Rivals and Scout, not 247sports. Stewart’s amendment makes no mention about deleting his academic and graduation rate bonuses, though he also did not have recruiting bonuses in his original deal. His buyout structure did not change, but Locksley’s now contains a sliding scale based on the date of release. If Locksley leaves from Feb. 14, 2014 to Dec. 31, 2014, he owes $115,000. Leaving from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2015 forces him to owe $100,000, while leaving from Jan. 1, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017 triggers a buyout of $50,000. Hired this offseason, offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell both signed two-year deals that expire on Dec. 31, 2015. They join Stewart and Locksley as the only four Maryland assistant coaches whose deals do not end following the 2014 season. Keith Dudzinski (inside linebackers), Lyndon Johnson (outside linebackers), Andre Powell (running backs/special teams), John Dunn (tight ends/recruiting), Drew Wilson (strength and conditioning) and Fran Foley (football


Pimp your ride: Personalized prostheses

polo shirt, while others use religious symbols. In Boston, victims of the marathon bombings last year can be spotted with messages such as "Boston Strong" on their prostheses. Former professional bungee jumper John Reinke has a lion on one leg, an evil clown on the other. A Miami Dolphins fan known as @oneleggedphin72 on Twitter isn't shy to show his off. Fred Robinson, who has a University of Kentucky Wildcat logo airbrushed on his leg, lost it while swimming, only to have it found by a shrimping boat captain. Brian Sealock, of Winchester, shows off his Washington Capitals-themed leg at Verizon Center, and has even had players autograph it. Crone has made prosthetic legs themed for a number of teams, including the Redskins and Nationals. One client mixed it up with a GW basketball logo, a Red Sox logo, a Redskins 'R' and an American Eagle. Other Redskins-themed artificial limbs have been spotted around town, including one with Robert Griffin III's face. The cost of below-the-knee prostheses range from $10,000 to $35,000. Each lasts between three and eight years, depending on use. Clients often own more than one, usually one for athletic activities and another for everyday use. Some amputees prefer that their prosthetic limbs are designed to match their body, including complexion. Contractors are called in to do that and the prices are substantially higher. "I offer it up to them. If they're kind of on the fence, I'll show them examples. Everyone's got their own comfort," Crone said, though about 75 percent of his clients don't request any personalized matching. "When the patient provides the material, we don't have to charge anything extra." Clients often think about how to personalize their prostheses even before amputation. Paula Golladay, a pre-amputation counselor who herself has been an amputee since 2002, was worried that she would be losing the Snow White tattoo on her leg. To make up for it, she got Snow White on both of her prosthetic legs. "People come to it from different mindsets," Golladay said. "My main goal is to move away from why it happened to the 'now I'm going to go forward with my life.' When you have customization done, you admit not only to yourself but to the world that you accept the skin that you are in and that you're proud of being an amputee." Paula Golladay's Snow White design. (Courtesy Charles Crone)


Skechers beats Nike in Boston Marathon

Meb Keflezighi won the Boston Marathon with Skechers on his feet and the names of the 2013 bombing victims on his bib. (Jim Rogash / Getty Images) Take that, Nike. There was Meb Keflezighi, wrapped in the stars and stripes as the first American winner of the Boston Marathon since 1985 and on his feet were … Skechers. The sight was a rarity in the $7 billion market for performance running shoes, but it may not be for long. Skechers, which the Wall Street Journal reports had an 18-percent increase in sales last year, signed Keflezighi as a spokesman in 2011 when it launched its line for high-performance athletes. Forget those butt-firmer shoes; this is serious stuff and Skechers got a huge boost from a victory that further establishes Keflezighi as one of the top American marathoners. He also won the New York City Marathon in 2009 and won a silver medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He previously ran in Nike shoes, but split with the company in 2010 because he felt it didn’t offer him enough money. “I have nothing against Nike,” he told the Journal last month. “It’s a business decision they have to make. But at the same time, there’s people that are employed by Nike that hopefully regret their decision.” Keflezighi’s win caps a tough weekend at the Beaverton, Ore., apparel conglomerate that got its start with running shoes and helped stoke the running movement. On Friday, CNET reported that the company had laid off a number of employees in its FuelBand division, a move that could eventually mark the end of FuelBand. Rather than focus on the wristband that allows users to track various aspects of their fitness, Nike will focus on building software for fitness trackers. Don’t worry too much for Nike, though. They’re still got those Air Jordan XX9 high-def sneakers going for them.


Our discovery of new planets could launch a modern Age of Exploration

"NASA's Kepler Space Telescope has discovered the first validated Earth-size planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a distant star, an area where liquid water might exist on its surface. The planet, Kepler-186f, is ten percent larger in size than Earth and orbits its parent star, Kepler-186, every 130 days. The star, located about 500 light-years from Earth, is classified as an M1 dwarf and is half the size and mass of our sun." It’s beginning to look like the universe is more habitable than we ever thought possible. Not only are astronomers discovering and cataloguing Earth-like exoplanets with stunning regularity (69 and counting since 2009), they are now finding them right in our own interplanetary backyard. The latest buzz in astronomy circles is over Kepler-186f, a planet that appears to be a dead-ringer for our own planet Earth. It’s almost exactly the same size as Earth and the same relative distance from the sun in the Kepler 186 solar system. It’s also the first-ever planet that is located within the “habitable zone.” This is big news for planet-watchers since it means that the surface of Kepler-186f could theoretically support liquid water rather than just ice or vapor. Best of all, Kepler-186f is only 500 light years away from Earth, making it practically a next-door neighbor if you compare it to something like the Andromeda Galaxy (the Milky Way’s neighbor, located 2.5 million light years away from Earth). If other planets within our galaxy are indeed inhabitable, it might just usher in the next great era of manned space exploration. In many ways, this new era of manned space exploration would be similar to the Age of Exploration centuries ago that led to the discovery of the New World and the creation of new trade routes around the globe. Hundreds of years ago, it seemed just as daunting to reach these new lands by crossing the world’s oceans in wooden ships. You can almost imagine explorers setting off with maps marked with cryptic phrases like “Here There Be Dragons” and hoping for the best. In short, explorers were uncertain whether they’d ever return. However, it’s likely that NASA would play a supporting, rather than a starring role, in any future plan to colonize space. This is primarily a reality of the new budget situation in Washington and the inability of Congress to agree on NASA’s future strategy. This weekend, for


Are some moms more hard wired than others to exercise?

a 100K race, and the sleep-deprived mama stopped midway to take a nap, and went on to claim second place among the women runners. Others have accomplished similar post-partum feats, like Paula Radcliffe, who won the 2007 New York Marathon, and had a 10-month-old at the time. For me, my babies did the opposite of making me want to exercise. I was, like most moms, exhausted. And if I had a free moment, I just wanted to sleep — not train for a marathon. For others, it seems babies may have heightened their already strong drive to exercise, run and win. This all goes back to something I’ve wondered for a long time: How do some people have the energy for physical challenges like this, or for getting up for 6 a.m. exercise classes (which I’ve started and stopped and am trying to start doing again)? How do some have four kids and work and doing seemingly everything without breaking a sweat? Is it nurtured, or is it nature? And how can I get me some of that? My old colleague and friend, Jennifer Baker Moore, is the mother of four kids and needs to do at least a half hour of cardio on the days when she’s not teaching some sort of intense exercise class. “I feel that if I exercise, I actually DO have more energy,” she wrote to me. Which is a funny notion, because I’ve never known her to not have energy. (In fact, colleagues started calling her “Hurricane” years ago, if that tells you what she’s made of.) That said, she mentioned she comes from a family of women who exercise frequently. One is a police officer, one is a marathoner, another has her black belt, and, well, you get the idea. So in place of that, my push is coming from friends who push me to join them for that early class, or go to the gym with them during lunch. Another friend and I try to schedule nights to hit the sidewalks for late evening walks and talks. But to naturally want to do at least a half hour of cardio a day? Or would I ever decide to run a marathon while still breastfeeding? I just don’t think it’s in my makeup. But I’ll say it here: I’m going to that 6 a.m. class tomorrow. But it’s not going to be easy.


The strange political bedfellows of the pot debate

and medical use of marijuana is no longer confined to states that are thought to be Democratic strongholds. Arizona and Nevada have legalized medical marijuana, and Mississippi and Nebraska have decriminalized it. Despite that, many governors are loath to support full legalization. Instead, the push by both Democrats and Republicans tends to swing more toward decriminalizing marijuana or making it legal only for medical purposes. And that's where the strange alliances come up. "It's interesting that it comes full circle, but part of the reason is that marijuana prohibition affects so many other areas of public policy and other issues," said Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project. Sen. Rand Paul Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during the inaugural Freedom Summit meeting for conservative speakers in Manchester, New Hampshire April 12, 2014. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) The Republican from Kentucky does not go as far as his father, who was for legalization. Paul is in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. He said young people often dabble in the drug, and some are arrested and put in prison. "I don't want to put them in jail and ruin their lives," Paul said. Paul has advocated for prison reform, and said he believes that low-level drug offenses have a disproportionate effect on young minority men. Paul told the Las Vegas Sun he believes each state should decide whether or not to legalize marijuana. But as for the drug itself? "I personally think that marijuana use is not healthy," he said. "People that use it chronically have a loss of IQ and a loss of ambition, but at the same time states have the right to make these decisions." Rick Perry Texas Governor Rick Perry in Fort Worth, Texas. REUTERS/Mike Stone Perry, the Republican governor of Texas, urged a move toward decriminalization at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. "What I can do as the governor of the second largest state in the nation is to implement policies that start us toward a decriminalization and keeps people from going to prison and destroying their lives, and that’s what we’ve done over the last decade," Perry said. Perry told Jimmy Kimmel that he had never used marijuana. But he wondered about exposure to some of the smoke coming from people at South by Southwest, particularly that of rapper Snoop Dogg. "But does secondhand count?" Perry asked.


Soupergirl to open in downtown D.C.

Downtown Washington's liquid assets improve in mid-May, when Soupergirl opens a tidy takeout on M Street NW. "It has come to our attention that the hungry citizens of downtown D.C. need healthful, delicious soup and salad. We are heeding that call!" says Sara Polon, the daughter half of the Soupergirl duo that includes her recipe-maven mom, Marilyn. The food is vegan and kosher-certified. Marilyn (left) and Sara Polon will open Soupergirl on M Street NW in May. (Rivka Friedman) The 750-square-foot downtown spot, a former Yo-Cake, will not have seating. But it will sport a counter window and offer a wider variety of soups (five that change daily) than the Takoma store, Polon says, as well as green salads, grain salads, catering and delivery. The timing's on point to share Soupergirl's four popular gazpachos: watermelon, beet, tomato and peach. The business began as a Web-based ordering system in 2008; their Takoma neighborhood store opened in 2011. Soupergirl products are sold in Whole Foods Markets, in eight Sweetgreen locations in the area and at the Dupont Circle FreshFarm Market on Sundays. Polon says this is the first of what she hopes will be several retail Soupergirl shops around Washington. Soupergirl, 1829 M St. NW. 202-609-7177. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open date, as of this posting: May 12.


W.T. Woodson senior Emily Cox finishes first Boston Marathon

said. Emotionally, it was everything she expected out of her first Boston and the first race since the 2013 finish line bombing. Cox, the youngest female competitor in a field of 36,000, thought Heartbreak Hill would be the toughest part of the race. Instead, a man at the top hosing down passing runners made it one of the more relieving parts of the course. The next six or so miles were the most painful. “My legs were not happy by that point,” Cox said. “But you felt like you couldn’t start walking, just because of all the spectators.” Cox finished in 3:46:08. She qualified for next year’s Boston Marathon with her finish time in the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon, which allowed her to focus on the experience of this year’s race instead of her time. The Marine Corps, which Cox has run three times, draws the most spectators near Georgetown. Cox said every mile of the Boston course was as packed as that span of the Marine Corps. Reports estimated that more than one million people came out to line the Boston route this year, twice the usual number of spectators. “There were so many people thanking the runners, yelling ‘Boston Strong,’– it was an incredible sense of community, a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said. “Next time I run I want to put my name of my shirt, cause I’m pretty sure the people that did had their name cheered by 4,000 different people.” She realized at one point she was running near charity runners on a team for Martin Richard, the eight-year-old killed in last year’s attack. It was a reminder for her of the people running for bigger causes this year and motivation for her to keep going as her legs became more and more tired. Everyone picked up the pace despite the pain and sped toward Boylston Street as they neared the finish line. “Knowing that you’ve done all the training, all the community has been through — it’s just the entire experience packed in a nutshell right at the end,” Cox said. “I was an emotional mess after.” She got her first look inside Fenway Park during the post-race party and is heading straight from Boston to Providence, where she will attend Brown’s admitted students day — after she hikes up the hill from the train station to campus on sore legs. More: Video:


Oldest person to…Win the Boston Marathon? Climb Mt. Everest? Win an Oscar?

At two weeks shy of 39, Meb Keflezighi was the oldest person to win the Boston Marathon in more than 80 years. We're all about health and fitness here, so check out some other feats of longevity, athletic and otherwise: Oldest marathoner: Fauja Singh, 100, 2011 Toronto Marathon. 8:11. Meb Keflezighi celebrates his Boston Marathon win Monday. (AP/Charles Krupa) Oldest runner to win the Boston Marathon: Clarence DeMar, 41, 1930, 2:34:48. Oldest male finisher at Monday's Boston Marathon: 81 (5-way tie); Best time: Harold Wilson, Tyler, Tex., 3:58:55 Oldest female finisher at Monday's Boston Marathon: Katherine Beiers, 81, Santa Cruz, Calif., 5:40:34 Oldest man to climb Mt. Everest: Yuichiro Miura, 80, May 2013. Oldest woman to climb Mt. Everest: Tamae Watanabe, 73, May 2012. Oldest person in space: John Glenn, 77, United States, 1998. Oldest NFL football player: George Blanda, 48, kicker and backup quarterback, 1975, Oakland Raiders. Oldest NFL football player exposed to physical contact: Bobby Marshall, 45, end, 1925, Duluth Kelleys. Oldest NFL cheerleader: Laura Vikmanis, 42, Cincinnati Bengals, 2011. Oldest U.S. president (in office): Ronald Reagan, 77, 1989. President Ronald Reagan delivering his State of the Union Address in 1985. Oldest person to appear in a Major League Baseball game: Satchel Paige, 59, 1965, Kansas City A's. Oldest person to appear in a World Cup rugby match: Diego Ormaechea, 40, 1999, Uruguay. Oldest player to represent his country in a soccer match: Stanley Matthews, 42, 1957, England. Oldest pediatrician: Leila Denmark, 103, Atlanta, 2001. Oldest male Olympic gold medalist: Oscar Swahn, 64, Sweden, shooting, 1912. Oldest female Olympic gold medalist: Lida Peyton Pollock, 63, United States, team archery, 1904. Oldest Academy Award Winner (major categories): Jessica Tandy, 80, Best Actress, "Driving Miss Daisy," 1989. Oldest blogger for a major U.S. newspaper: Lenny Bernstein, 56, 2014, The Washington Post (unless otherwise corrected). View Photo Gallery —The Baltimore woman is listed in the 2010 and 2011 Guinness World Records as the oldest competitive female bodybuilder in the world.


Letting the Internet name your baby is actually a pretty good idea

Anything the Internet comes up with is probably better than “Khaleesi,” pictured in this still from Game of Thrones. (HBO) Canadian programmer and new dad Stephen McLaughlin took a lot of flack from easily scandalized observers over his choice to outsource his daughter’s name on the unruly forums of reddit. Now, four months after the voting began, the baby — and the final name! — are here: The McLaughlins ended up with “Amelia Savannah Joy.” So, okay, there’s technically one more middle name in there than any child should rightly need. But it’s pretty! It’s conventional! It is, in fact, not terribly different from other names the Internet has dreamt up, when called to christen newborns in the past. There was Ian Huntress in October 1995, the name “Ian” plucked from a pile of 1,500 suggestions on his parents’ webpage. In 2010, a Toronto woman crowdsourced her baby’s name on Facebook; the winning name, Melania Alpinelli, edged out Aria by a mere nine votes. Admittedly Melania is a bit unusual, and Ian a bit bland. But have you seen the things people are naming their kids these days?! “Khaleesi” (as in the fictional character), Paisley (as in the pattern) and Londyn (as in nothing, because that’s spelled wrong) were all relatively popular this year. An acquaintance recently encountered a baby named “Skilite” — pronounced sky light, as in overhead window. Besides, Internet naming has long been the go-to custom for things like baby zoo animals and asteroids, and that seems to work just fine. The Toronto Zoo closed its contest to name a baby gorilla just this afternoon. Meanwhile, the National Zoo held an online vote to name its newest panda cub — and I think we can all agree the resulting name, Bao Bao, ended up being pretty cute. It’s no wonder that several companies offer “naming contest” platforms, which let the user crowdsource his baby’s name (… or brand name, or pet name, or band name…) from a private group or the greater public. The principle being drawn upon, in each of these cases, is a theory called “the wisdom of the crowd” — codified in James Surowiecki’s 2005 book of the same name, though the roots of the idea date back earlier. Basically, Surowiecki argues, a diverse group of independent, decentralized people will have more information — and thus make better decisions — than an individual acting


The story behind that Boston Marathon photo of runners carrying a competitor toward the finish

Runner falls just short of the finish. Four others pick him up and carry him. I'm literally in tears http://t.co/vb9cjxG6pQ It was a sadly common sight on Boylston Street during Monday’s Boston Marathon. The runner, a Massachusetts man, was struggling. He could barely stand, his legs and arms shaking. But he had pushed his body this far — nearly 26 miles — and surely he could make another few blocks to the celestial blue and yellow banners that mark the finish line. As a runner struggled to complete the Boston Marathon, fellow marathoners Dave Meyer and Jim Grove stopped to help him. They were then assisted by two other runners who helped carry the man. The elite runners had long finished by this point, and thousands of charity runners lie in his rear. This man represents the middle of the pack, the runners who qualify. They know they’ll never win the race, but still they run for the love of the sport. For the love of the competition. As he passed The Forum restaurant — the site where one of two bombs went off around this time of the day, just before 3 p.m., during last year’s marathon — the man’s legs gave out. Not far behind him was Dave Meyer, 57, of Grayslake, Ill. Meyer was having a terrible race, running well under his normal pace. He was exhausted, he was disappointed. But, most of all, he wanted to finish the race. “I made the turn onto Boylston Street, I looked up and saw the finish line and I thought: Thank the Lord. I was just focused on getting there and getting some water,” Meyer said. As he got to the race’s final leg, Meyer noticed a man in front of him struggling to stay on his feet, his legs vibrating rapidly, nearly about to give out. “I was approaching about mile 26. I could see the other runner in front of me, his legs were wobbly. He looked like he was about to go down…” Meyer recalled. “A Meyer caught up to the injured runner, and lifted him, wrapping the runner’s left arm around his shoulder. Together, Meyer thought, they would both make it to the finish. “I kept telling him, we’re gonna make it. We’re gonna make it, but you’re gonna have to help me get there.” But the runner couldn’t. He had exhausted all of his


How Ryan Hall helped Meb Keflezighi win the Boston Marathon

Josphat Boit, who finished in 11th place at 2:12:52, got clear of the main pack before the 15k marker, the front group of Africans were content to stay behind. Runner-up Wilson Chebet of Kenya said after the race that the Africans assumed that Kefelzighi, who turns 39 in May, would fade – as most out front alone usually do – and that they would be able to catch him down the stretch. The Africans were running at a slow enough pace that the top Americans got antsy and were ready to pass the them, until Hall cautioned against it. Nicholas Arciniaga, who finished seventh 2:11:47, explained: “I was in the lead pack with all of the other Americans and all of the Africans and about 15k to 20k, Ryan Hall and I were running side by side, in front of the lead pack but not really pushing it, and Ryan just kept turning over to me, talking (to me and saying), ‘Hey don’t push the pace. If they want to let those guys go, they are going to have work to catch back up to them. We are not going to help them out with that at all. If we want an American to win, this is how it’s going to be done.” Craig Leon, the 12th-place finisher, echoed Arciniaga’s account: “I think it was maybe halfway or a little past halfway and it had slowed kind of considerably and Jason (Hartmann) and I were kind of moving our way through the pack and were just going to maintain pace (and keep moving up), and at one point, Ryan he looked at both of us, and he was like, ‘Let’s give Meb a little bit of distance. I think he’s up there with JB. (Josphat Boit).’ “So we kept it slow. I don’t know if that did anything to help. But those guys had to work to catch Meb. I think Ryan was really smart to (think to) be able to say that (in the middle of the race).” Hall, who finished fourth in the 2011 Boston Marathon with a personal best of 2:04:58, came in 20th place at 2:17:50. But his personal sacrifice helped an American win and for that Hall was proud. Had higher hopes and expectations of myself,but I'm thankful to b healthy and a part of @bostonmarathon this important year.So proud of Meb! (H/T Business Insider)


Looking for a race less challenging than a marathon?

Children and dogs are frequent participants in the annual 0.05K race from Annapolis to Eastport. Some of them even pass the official "pace car." (2006 photo by Craig Herndon for The Washington Post) Between yesterday's Boston Marathon and this weekend's Nike Women's Half Marathon, it's a busy week for distance running. For some neophytes, though, the idea of running 26.2 or 13.1 miles at a time can be a little daunting. If you'd like to participate in an outdoor road race without all the strenuous training, threat of shin splints or revisions to your diet, perhaps these two upcoming races are more your speed. Flying Dog Sprint for Spat 0.10K When The Maritime Republic of Eastport's 17th Annual 0.05K Bridge Run When


Fertilizer plant explosion in West, Tex., was preventable, investigators say

Investigators walking through the aftermath of a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Tex., in April 2013. (Adrees Latif/Reuters) A little more than a year after a massive explosion tore through a fertilizer plant in West, Tex. — leveling homes, killing 15 people and injuring more than 200 others — investigators said that the catastrophe could have been averted. “The fire and explosion at West Fertilizer was preventable,” Rafael Moure-Eraso, chairman of the Chemical Safety Board, said in a statement Tuesday. “It should never have occurred. It resulted from the failure of a company to take the necessary steps to avert a preventable fire and explosion and from the inability of federal, state and local regulatory agencies to identify a serious hazard and correct it.” The CSB, a federal agency that investigates chemical accidents at industrial facilities, released its preliminary findings on Tuesday, just five days after the one-year anniversary of the disaster. One particular issue highlighted by the CSB’s investigation, which it said is focusing on preventing a similar accident in another area, deals with the storage of ammonium nitrate fertilizer at the facility. Volunteer firefighters from West were not aware that the ammonium nitrate stored at the fertilizer offered an additional explosion hazard, which placed them in harm’s way during the blast, the investigators said. Firefighters need to be better protected and prepared for emergency responses that could involve ammonium nitrate, according to investigators. In addition, regulations governing the storage and handling of ammonium nitrate should be updated, Moure-Eraso said. There are 1,351 facilities in the country that store the fertilizer. The explosion and fire tore through the plant and destroyed surrounding homes on April 17, 2013. Doors and roofs were blown off of homes by the blast, which ravaged a large stretch of West. Last week, on the first anniversary of the blast, hundreds gathered in West to honor and remember the victims. Investigators from the CSB will present additional information at a public meeting in West on Tuesday.


Rainbow magic: Beautiful views in Washington, D.C. (PHOTOS)

Rainbow poses over Cleveland Park (Ian Livingston via Flickr) Between 6 and 7 p.m. Tuesday, a small shower traversed the District. As the sun’s rays intercepted the shower on its departure, a beautiful, full-sky rainbow emerged. Here are several photos of this spectacular sight, from CWG readers…. 1. From Nats Park Great night for a @Nationals game! What do you think @capitalweather? http://t.co/nrhBiWqrIt 2. Capitol capture Rainbow over The Capitol! Gotta love DC! @dcblogs @ohhidc @capitalweather @capitolfilemag @theHillisHome http://t.co/JQvDhzYKtb 3. From Gravelly Point (Beth Avery via Facebook) 4. From Van Ness @capitalweather Rainbow over #VanNess UDC during this evening's sun shower. http://t.co/1L01a8oIRU 5. City-wide Rainbow over the district! @capitalweather @ohhidc #dc http://t.co/1zHZWjUigJ 6. Taste it! 7. A faint double


An updated glossary with everything you need to know about Ukraine’s crisis

both targeted a number of Russian individuals with sanctions due to their involvement in the Ukrainian crisis. While the sanctions took aim at a number of Putin's inner circle and won plaudits from some, some on the list have mocked it as ineffective. The U.S. is said to be considering more sanctions. Sevastopol: The deep-water port in Crimea is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and was the headquarters of Ukraine’s navy. Sevastopol was under siege for 11 months during the Crimean War and was heavily bombed by the Germans during World War II. It’s also a popular seaside resort and looks, feels and sounds like a little corner of Russia. Transnistria: A sliver of Moldova that split away from the country as the Soviet Union collapsed and has effectively been a Russian and Ukrainian-speaking enclave ever since. In late March, a senior NATO leader warned that Russia might try and move its troops across Ukraine to reach this area. It's home to a Russian army base and has a population of about a half a million. Turchynov, Oleksandr: Current acting president of Ukraine and speaker of the Verkhovna Rada. According to the BBC, he has said he would seek to reopen negotiations with the European Union, but has also said he is "open to dialogue with Russia." Considered an ally of Yulia Tymoshenko. Tymoshenko, Yulia:: Tymoshenko rose to power as one of the predominant leaders of 2004's Orange Revolution and became prime minister of Ukraine in 2005. Her eventual fallout with Viktor Yushchenko lead to her star falling, however, and she lost the 2010 presidential election to Viktor Yanukovych. In her time in office, however, she helped negotiate a new gas deal with Russia that bypassed companies linked with Yanukovych but saw Ukraine pay a higher price. After Yanukovych came to power, she was charged with misuse of power and sent to jail, only to be released in February after Euromaidan. Ukraine: A country about the size of Texas with a population of about 46 million bordered by Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus and — this one is important — Russia. It got its independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Please note, it's not "the Ukraine," just "Ukraine." Verkhovna Rada: Often just called the Rada, this is Ukraine's parliament. It's played an important role in Ukraine's crisis, pulling back Viktor Yanukovych's more drastic anti-protest laws, releasing


1.6 million Americans don’t have indoor plumbing. Here’s where they live

a question possibly have relevancy in the year 2014? Or to put it more bluntly: Who doesn't have a flushing toilet? As it turns out, a lot of people. According to the latest American Community Survey, nearly 630,000 occupied households lack complete plumbing facilities, which means that they are without one or more of the following: a toilet, a tub or shower, or running water. The Census Bureau says that the average household contains 2.6 individuals, which means that today, in 2014, in the wealthiest nation on Earth, upwards of 1.6 million people are living without full indoor plumbing. As the map below shows, there is considerable geographic variation. Counties containing Indian reservations have astonishingly high percentages of households without plumbing -- 14 percent of households in Shannon County, S.D., don't have full plumbing. In Apache County, Ariz., the rate is more than 17 percent. Sparsely-populated census areas in Alaska also have very high percentages. Click through for interactive version » Counties along the Rio Grande in Texas have high rates of unplumbed households, as do a smattering of counties in Appalachia, particularly in eastern Kentucky and western Virginia. The southwestern portion of Alabama is another hot spot. Looking beyond the present day, it's worth remembering that indoor plumbing is a fairly new development for many communities. In 1950 fully one quarter of U.S. households did not have a flush toilet -- this means that the era of outhouses is well within living memory for many Americans. The town I live in, Oella, Md., was reliant on outhouses until 1984. And it's smack in the middle of the Acela corridor, between Baltimore and Washington. So the American Community Survey's questions on the issue aren't simply a laughing matter or an abstract exercise in privacy invasion -- it's about a real problem that still affects millions of people. Among other things, the government uses this data to allocate Section 8 and other federal housing subsidies; to assess the quality of housing stock in a given area; to determine the number of older Americans living in sub-standard housing who may be eligible for assistance; and to identify the Indian reservations that need the most housing assistance. All told, a Brookings Institution study estimated that American Community Survey data is used to guide over $416 billion in annual federal spending. Without that data, the government would be forced to spend that money blindly.


Why don’t more local breweries sell Nationals T-shirts?

The Burley Oak Brewery in Berlin, Md., sold Orioles-themed "limited edition" T-shirts in 2013. (Photo by Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post) If you go to an Orioles game, you'll notice that many people are wearing black, orange and white gear that advertises a local beer instead of the local baseball team. Flying Dog currently sells white shirts with an orange script Flying Dog logo across the front and a Maryland flag patch on the sleeve. (It's marketed as the Home Team Tee.) Heavy Seas markets an orange T-shirt with the brewery's name in script on the chest and Cal Ripken's famous number 8 on the back. One Burley Oak shirt replaced the O in "Oak" with a script O from the Orioles logo. A baseball-themed shirt for Duclaw's Hellraiser IPA uses the same O in the phrase "O Hell Yeah." These Orioles-themed Brewer's Art caps will be collector's items now that the Baltimore brewpub had to change the name of its Ozzy Ale. (Photo by Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post) Brewer's Art went a step further, selling black, white and orange ballcaps with the logo for its Ozzy beer in place of the famous bird. (This list doesn't include the ubiquitous orange-and-black Natty Boh baseball shirts, since it's no longer a Maryland brewery. But we do love those 16-ounce Orioles-colored cans.) Gear that combines beer and baseball hasn't caught on in Washington yet, even though DMV beers are wildly popular at Nationals Park, and there have to be plenty of people who'd love to wear Nationals-themed gear to games without splashing out $99.99 for a replica jersey, or $34.99 for the "authentic font personalized T-shirt." DC Brau used to sell a t-shirt that swapped the brewery's name for the word "Nationals" in the team's Fuddruckers-esque mid-2000s logo, but DC Brau's Brandon Skall says the brewery stopping printing them "a while ago," due to worries about copyright infringement. "I would love to reprint those shirts, but I don't want to step on any toes," he says. @unglesbaby http://t.co/w9EyeJM7eE One possibility might be just selling red-and-white DC Brau shirts, which are already available, but this just highlights how indistinct the Nationals' color palette is: A red-and-white T-shirt could be worn by someone rooting for the Cardinals, Reds or Red Sox. When DC Brau made dark burgundy shirts with large gold brewery logos on them, it was obvious which team you were surreptitiously supporting. And


Bloomberg celebrates challenged story on the NSA and Heartbleed bug

community, Turner replied, “Whenever a claim is just flat out wrong, we say as much.” Bloomberg’s defense of its scoop hinges on technicalities discussed at length in this follow-up piece by Riley on April 14. Heartbleed is a security vulnerability in a much-used form of encryption known as OpenSSL. Hackers and spies could have been exploiting the vulnerability to capture all kinds of Internet communications. Despite the intelligence community’s denial that it had used Heartbleed, Riley calls upon his unnamed sources to note that the “NSA has more than one way to circumvent the security of SSL and OpenSSL, a free version of the protocol.” Have a look: One work-around involves not defeating the SSL software itself but breaking into a different system on the targeted computer on which the software depends, according to one of the people. While disclosing that method might increase computer security generally, the NSA might consider that a hacking technique instead of an SSL vulnerability. The suggestion here is that perhaps terminology is all that separates Riley’s story from the denial issued by Clapper’s outfit. More details from Riley: The matter is further complicated because a bug like Heartbleed has to be turned into a specific exploit, a process that can branch out quickly, creating a class of vulnerabilities rather than just a single one. Small differences in the way a platform like OpenSSL is exploited could lead to differing conclusions about whether the exploits are the same. “Maybe it’s not Heartbleed, maybe it’s what they call alpha green, and alpha green is something that sends a packet to OpenSSL and creates an information leak,” said [cyberwar expert Jason] Syversen. “It’s going to be challenging to conclude whether it’s the exact same technique or not.” “Alpha green” and other imagined NSA code names are way beyond the scope of this blog. No matter how sturdy Riley’s scoop ends up, it at least smoked out a revelation from the intelligence community. Along with its denial of the Bloomberg article, the director of national intelligence’s office disclosed a governmental “bias” toward revealing bugs: “When Federal agencies discover a new vulnerability in commercial and open source software . . . it is in the national interest to responsibly disclose the vulnerability rather than to hold it for an investigative or intelligence purpose.” A big loophole is available, of course, for “a clear national security or law enforcement need.”


Twitter recap: #PostSnowden Panel Discussion on NSA and Surveillance

can tell me you told me so if I disappear one day, but I'm not worried about my safety - Barton Gellman (love this guy) #PostSnowden In a democratic system, the fact that the NSA program got so big without imp. people understanding is worrisome -@craigtimberg #postsnowden There's no practical way to use technology today and not leave a digital trail of some sort. #PostSnowden I don't know if "data exhaust" is a widely-used term, but it's so spot on. Thanks, @bartongellman. #postsnowden .@nakashimae: NSA revelations + reporting has served as an example of disclosure leading to debate leading to policy change. #PostSnowden "There's more." - Barton Gellman, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter on the leaks Snowden's sent him which haven't been used yet. #PostSnowden Gellman: We could go through his documents a lot faster if we dumped them on the Internet (We wouldn't) #PostSnowden Gellman: Snowden gave me the documents late last spring. He does not try to direct, suggest... what should be written. #PostSnowden .@bartongellman on weighing whether to publish info: "We can't let the ['Classified'] stamp itself be the sole decider." #PostSnowden "We have to weigh the stakes - there are stories we've killed ... that have revealed targets, operations" - @bartongellman #postsnowden 'There is more classified data in the world than the entire library of congress and more' -@bartongellman #postsnowden 'The tech industry went from being mad at the Post to realizing that they had been had' - @craigtimberg #postsnowden "The time that I found this slide was right around the time that I convinced [@PostBaron] to hire [@ashk4n]" - @bartongellman #PostSnowden .@ashk4n on NSA: "After looking at these slides, I got a sense that I know these guys... These are the Reddit geeks" #PostSnowden Reporter @bartongellman on NSA slides: "They need a lot of design help" #PostSnowden http://t.co/4xcCdPq7LC NSA has codewords for codewords #postsnowden I prefer the #postsnowden era to the pre-snowden times. Gives momentum to policy change in Germany http://t.co/SQdFSXCXcX Snowden and leaks forced transparency from gov't - thousands of pages of documents, etc. released #postsnowden .@nakashimae nothing worked until Edward Snowden came along #postsnowden .@nakashimae - journalists tried to pry from gov officials insight into "secret law" #postsnowden .@bartongellman first met @postbaron when approaching him about #PostSnowden docs - building trust was key #PostSnowden underway- @PostBaron opening remarks: we'll address the intense controversy surrounding publishing documents #PostSnowden event at @washingtonpost about to start! http://t.co/mY20PR8avI


Study: Legalizing medical marijuana has not increased teen pot use

October, 2010 photo of marijuana plant under grow lights at a warehouse in Denver. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski) Among the concerns of those who oppose legalization of marijuana for medical purposes was that one way or the other, the pot would find its way to young people and encourage more drug use. But the first comprehensive study of teen drug use in the states where marijuana is available for medical uses shows that it just hasn’t happened. The study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, is sure to figure into the ongoing debate over the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes. The authors, led by Esther K. Choo, of Brown University’s Alpert Medical School, wrote: Our study suggests that — at least thus far — the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes has not increased adolescent marijuana use, a finding supported by a growing body of literature. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia The researchers looked at reported marijuana use by teens in states where medical marijuana is now legal, both before and after the laws were passed. and compared those numbers with nearby states where pot remains illegal for all purposes, controlling for demographic factors such as gender, age and race that might affect the outcome. The study used data gathered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s anonymous Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System survey, which is administered every other year by local and state schools to kids in ninth through twelfth grade. Although pot use remains common among teens, with one-third saying they’d tried pot before and a fifth reporting use in the past month, the results of the study show medical marijuana laws didn’t increase pot use by teens in any state. The authors don’t advocate anything as a result of study and advocates of legalization hoping to pass it around state legislatures may want to think twice before doing so. The authors note that: “Marijuana has a demonstrated impact on the still-developing adolescent brain” and that “in early adolescence, marijuana may have permanent detrimental effects on cognition. Marijuana has also been linked to schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders among adolescents. Longitudinal cohort studies of adolescents using marijuana found associations between use and later respiratory problems, general malaise, and neurocognitive problems, as well as social problems including lower academic achievement and functioning.”


Olivia Wilde: ‘Otis Alexander Sudeikis has LEFT the building! (I’m the building)’

Actress Olivia Wilde and fiance, actor Jason Sudeikis, welcomed their first child, son Otis Alexander Sudeikis on April 23, 2014. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Actress Olivia Wilde circumvented the tabloids and the paparazzi Wednesday, choosing to tweet the first picture of herself and her newborn son with “Saturday Night Live” alum Jason Sudeikis. Ladies and gentlemen, Otis Alexander Sudeikis has LEFT the building! (I'm the building) http://t.co/uHfY3adroc Wilde, probably best known for her role as “Thirteen” on “House,” spoke extensively about pregnancy and motherhood in a recent interview with Lucky magazine: “Pregnancy does shed away all of the bulls—. It gives you more empathy because you look at everyone and you think, You were a baby!” It also, she says, has bonded her with other mothers. “Pregnancy brings you into this sort of commune—you feel connected to women in a way that you never have.” As for her future baby boy, Wilde is enjoying her intimate relationship with him: “He’s moving around in there and no one else can tell—it’s a little secret friendship.” The couple welcomed their first child two weeks before his May 4th due date.


Obama finds Japanese robots ‘a little scary’

TOKYO -- President Obama played soccer Thursday with a Japanese robot -- and came away a bit scared. Obama's visit to the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, or Mirikan, aimed to highlight both Japan's technological prowess and the renewal of a 10-year scientific collaboration agreement between the two countries. While the event had plenty of examples of how the two countries are working together -- including a pre-recorded message from the International Space Station's Japanese commander and two American flight engineers serving alongside him -- the real stars of the show were a couple of robots. Honda's humanoid robot ASIMO, which was dressed in an astronaut suit and is about the height of a 10 year-old child, went through a series of exercises for the president. "It's nice to meet you," it said in a metallic voice, before approaching a soccer ball and telling Obama, "I can kick a soccer ball too." "Okay, come on," the president replied. The robot then took a couple of steps back and then then ran up to the ball to deliver a hefty punt. The president trapped the ball with his foot, later telling an audience of roughly 30 students he was slightly intimidated by ASIMO and the other robot he observed at the museum. "I have to say that the robots were a little scary, they were too lifelike," Obama declared. "They were amazing." The astronauts described how the two countries' space agencies were working together to monitor rainfall patterns with a Global Precipitation Measurement satellite (GPM), and Obama used it as an example of how Japan and the U.S. "have been at the cutting-edge of innovation," from some of the first modern calculators decades ago to smartphones. Technology, he told the students, "has allowed us to understand the planet that we share, and to understand not only the great possibilities but also the challenges and dangers from things like climate change -- that your generation is going to help us to find answers to some of the questions that we have to answer." "Whether it’s: How do we feed more people in an environment in which it’s getting warmer? How do we make sure that we’re coming up with new energy sources that are less polluting and can save our environment?" Obama asked. "How do we find new medicines that can cure diseases that take so many lives around the


103 words that tie the U.S. military to barren rocks in the East China Sea

islands have been claimed by Japan since 1895, China has increasingly argued that its own historical claims to the islands go further back and are thus more valid. In 2012, China released a number of maps that show the islands as its territory, while last year, the China’s Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that the island's were a "core interest" (i.e., worth going to war over). In Japan, nationalist politicians have also made the islands a rallying cry – in 2012, the Japanese government bought the island's from their private owner, in what appeared to be a bid to stop Shintaro Ishihara, a populist, nationalist leader, from buying them himself. There are significant concerns that a skirmish in the region could easily turn into a broader regional conflict if things went wrong. The U.S.-Japan Security Pact is said to be one of the most successful pacts between two major powers ever: In 2010, George R. Packard wrote in Foreign Affairs that it had lasted longer than any major treaty since the 1648 Peace of Westphalia. It's rarely been put to the test like this, however. Thankfully, both Obama's language and the language of Article 5 itself (which gives a big role to the United Nations in solving any dispute) are relatively cautious. And it's not entirely clear what exactly would be required if a conflict broke out. "Article 5 is deliberately vague regarding exactly what the United States would do in response to an attack on Japan," M. Taylor Fravel, an Associate Professor of Political Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told me in e-mail. "That would depend on the nature of the attack and the military requirements of a response. For example, in a limited conflict over the Senkakus, it is plausible that the US would provide reconnaissance and logistics support for Japanese forces that were defending or retaking the islands. Of course, the US would also provide non-miltiary support at the same time." Still, China's reaction to Obama's statements appears to show how seriously they are taking it. "The so-called security alliance between the U.S. and Japan is a bilateral arrangement made during the cold war period, and it should not be used to damage China's sovereignty and legitimate interest," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement, according to the South China Morning Post. "We resolutely oppose applying the Diaoyu Islands to the Japan-U.S. security treaty."


The deadly MERS virus is spreading at a terrifying rate

On Thursday, the Saudi Arabian health ministry confirmed 13 more cases of patients contracting MERS-CoV, the acronym for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, as well as two more deaths. MERS-CoV is an infectious disease with no known cure and is considered more deadly than SARS--which killed some 800 people during a 2002-2003 outbreak that first started in China. Since 2012, 83 people have died and 285 people have contracted the virus in the Kingdom alone. It has spread to the neighboring United Arab Emirates. Reports also suggest pilgrims from as far afield as Malaysia and the Philippines contracted the virus while on hajj in Mecca. What's been truly alarming has been the recent surge in numbers of those infected, with more confirmed reports so far this year than in all of 2013. Ian Mackay, an epidemiologist at the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre at the University of Queensland, has been monitoring the spread of the disease. In the chart he tweeted below, note the dramatic spike in cases in the past month (KSA is the acronym for the Kingdom). How does the view look from up there #MERS? More at VDU blog... http://t.co/d041Bqykk6 http://t.co/3AKpWY7eHQ The Saudi health ministry has been criticized for inadequately dealing with the situation. A lack of data shared by the Saudis has made it difficult for experts like Mackay as well as monitors at the WHO to study whether the virus has mutated and become more easily transmissible between humans--a development that could pave the way for a pandemic. Public health experts and epidemiologists are still struggling to understand where the virus originated and how it spreads--with most suggesting it emerged through contact with camels, and others pointing to bats as prime carriers of the virus. On Monday, the Saudi government removed health minister Abdullah al-Rabiah from his post, without offering an official explanation. His replacement, Adel Fakieh, promised "transparency and to promptly provide the media and society with the information needed." But that may not soothe local fears. In Jeddah, where the majority of cases have been reported, four doctors resigned earlier this month after refusing to treat MERS-CoV patients. That's hardly a vote of confidence as international health officials and Saudi Arabia's panicked neighbors look to the Kingdom to stave off a potential global outbreak.


Climate leaders Sullivan and Hayhoe make TIME 100 Most Influential People

Two “pioneers” serving the weather and climate profession are profoundly changing the world says TIME magazine. It honored NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan and Texas Tech climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe in its “100 Most Influential People List” released today – largely due to their leadership roles on climate change. Sullivan – a scientist and astronaut – has served as the head of NOAA since March. She has called on the agency to better leverage its “big data” to better understand climate change and our changing planet. Renowned astronaut John Glenn offers this flattering profile in TIME: Kathy is not just an ivory-tower scientist. She was part of NASA’s first class of female astronauts, selected in 1978, and went on to fly three shuttle missions. She is the first American woman to walk in space and served aboard the mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. That role in helping humanity look outward has not prevented her from looking homeward. The planet is suffering increasingly severe upheavals, at least partly a result of climate change — droughts, floods, typhoons, tornadoes. I believe my good friend Kathy is the right person for the right job at the right time. Hayhoe describes herself as a climate change evangelist. In addition to publishing scores of scientific analyses on climate change and participating in major assessments, she has dedicated herself to communicating the risks posed by climate change to wide-ranging audiences. As an evangelical Christian, Hayhoe has proven a credible and trusted voice on science among those of faith. Most recently, she has gained stardom through her role in Showtime’s major documentary series on climate change “Years of Living Dangerously.” Writes actor Don Cheadle about Hayhoe in TIME: It’s hard to be a good steward of the planet if you don’t accept the hard science behind what’s harming it, and it can be just as hard to take action to protect our world if you don’t love it as the rare gift it is. For many people, that implies a creator. Katharine and her husband, evangelical pastor Andrew Farley, have authored the defining book for the planet-loving believer, A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions. I got to know Katharine as we worked on Showtime’s climate documentary Years of Living Dangerously. But we are all getting to know and benefit from her work.


D.C. area waterfront bars with views of more than waves

the panorama in front of me. 6158 Drum Point Rd., Deale, Md. 410-867-7110. www.skipperspier.com. Washington Harbour Every Washingtonian should make at least one trip down to the Georgetown waterfront on a weekend night: Guys with boats (or rich friends with boats) trying to entice women to come aboard; casually dressed young professionals and college students on dates at the crowded Tony & Joe's or Nick's Riverside Grill. (Sequoia's patio is usually a bit more adult, but somewhat removed from the action.) If you actually want to enjoy yourself, as well as the views of the Potomac, the best time to go is for a weeknight happy hour. Tony and Joe's offers a half-price raw bar and $1 off all drinks on weeknights from 4 to 7 p.m. 3000 K St. NW. www.tonyandjoes.com and www.nicksriversidegrill.com. Cantina Marina At Cantina Marina, a Dark and Stormy comes with a monumental waterfront view. (Photo by Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post) Laidback and divey, Cantina Marina caters to a variety of crowds: People who've rolled up for fish tacos and cold beers after a day of sailing; couples from the neighborhood who stopped in for margaritas while out walking their dog; happy hour groups getting something to drink before a Nationals game. The Dark and Stormys and Micheladas -- beers with hot sauce, spices and lime -- are the drinks to order. Nightly specials include $6 rum drinks on Monday and $3 Tecate on Tuesday. 600 Water St. SW. 202-554-8396 . www.cantinamarina.com. Pussers Caribbean Grille The only bar with waterfront seating near Annapolis' City Dock, Pussers allows tourists to watch boats cruising into the line of yachts known as "Ego Alley," and offers locals a place where they can tie up their boats at the end of the bar before grabbing a drink. On weekends, guitarists croon Jimmy Buffet-ish songs while bartenders whip up an endless stream of rum drinks. The house cocktail is the Painkiller, a sweet, creamy mix of Pussers Rum, pineapple, orange and coconut topped with a layer of grated nutmeg. (The menu refers to Painkiller #2, #3 and #4: The higher the number, the more rum in your glass.) 80 Compromise St., Annapolis. (Inside the Annapolis Marriott.) 410-626-0004. www.pussersusa.com. Proud Mary Restaurant Proud Mary bills itself as a tiki bar, but the atmosphere at the Fort Washington Marina's waterfront restaurant is about live jazz, soulful karaoke and gospel brunch instead of Trader


Vanska returns

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – April 14, 2014: Osmo Vanska rehearses with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Minn., on April 14, 2014. On April 24, he was reinstated to the position of the orchestra’s music director, which he had resigned during a 16-month lockout, the longest labor dispute in American orchestral history. (Photo by Jenn Ackerman for The Washington Post) A few hours before his scheduled return to the National Symphony Orchestra, the conductor Osmo Vanska was reinstated to his post as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, effective immediately, the Star Tribune reports. Vanska resigned last October during the longest labor dispute in American orchestral history, after the orchestra’s board and musicians failed to come to terms in time to make planned appearances at Carnegie Hall. The lockout lasted sixteen months; it was finally resolved in January, and the musicians returned to work on February 1. Vanska’s continued presence at the helm was widely seen, certainly by the orchestra’s musicians, as being necessary to the orchestra’s ability to rebuild trust within its community and move forward after losing more than a full season of performances. He recently spoke to the Washington Post about his own uncertainty about the future: “I am still living with many question marks.” Now, some of those have been resolved. And he is celebrating the fact in Washington. Tonight (Thursday), tomorrow and Saturday he leads the National Symphony Orchestra, where he was once a frequent guest, in a program of Sibelius, Mendelssohn and Aho.


CDC reports biggest measles outbreak since 1996

Measles have infected 129 people in 13 states in 2014, the most in the first four months of any year since 1996, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday as they warned clinicians, parents and others to watch for the potentially deadly virus. Face of boy with measles circa 1963. It was his third day suffering from the rash. (CDC) Thirty-four of the cases were imported via travel to other countries, including 17 from the Philippines, where a huge outbreak has affected 20,000 people and caused 69 deaths, said Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. There have been no measles deaths reported from the outbreak in the United States, and none since 2003. But Schuchat acknowledged that "it's probably just a numbers game, probably just a matter of time until we have more." One or two of every 1,000 cases of measles are fatal, according to the CDC. California, with 58 cases, has been hit hardest by one of the 13 separate outbreaks of measles in the United States. New York has seen 24 infections and Washington state has had 13. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that generally affects young children, causing fever, a runny nose, a cough and a distinctive rash all over the body. About one in 10 children also gets an ear infection and one in 20 comes down with pneumonia. A person with measles is contagious as long as four days before the symptoms are apparent, Schuchat said. Parents and even physicians who haven't seen measles in years may be unaware of the early warning signs, she said. In the past 20 years, a concerted public health campaign, especially among lower-income families, has made measles outbreaks rare. The disease has been considered eradicated since 2000. But today, the number of unvaccinated children has begun to become a problem, Schuchat said. Some people are choosing not to have their children immunized for personal reasons and others are unaware of, or unable to get, vaccinations, before they arrive in the U.S. She said the CDC is also seeing growth in the disease pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Before vaccinations were available, about 500,000 people were infected with measles annually in the U.S., a number that fell to about 60 after the disease was all but eliminated in 2000. Since 2010, it has increased to an


Elon Musk announces mysterious announcement, mysteriously

SpaceX's launch of the Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, USA. (EPA/SPACEX) Update: At 17 minutes past midnight Eastern time Friday, reporters got a cryptic e-mail in their inboxes: "Elon Musk will make an important SpaceX announcement today, Friday, April 25 at 1 p.m. ET at a Washington, DC venue to be announced shortly. The announcement will be followed immediately by Q&A." That was it. No further explanation. What has the entrepreneur got up his sleeve? Has he found a way to loft rockets into space on Tesla batteries? Has he made first contact with aliens? Maybe he is an alien? Whatever it is, we've got it covered. I'm heading to this event later this afternoon, so check back here — or on Twitter — for updates. The latest announcement comes one week after SpaceX successfully launched, for the first time, a reusable Falcon 9 rocket. Here's a video of the new technology in action: F9R First Flight Test | 250m More from The Switch: Netflix to become real TV and get its own ‘cable channel’ next week Everything you should know about the FCC’s new net neutrality proposal Ask us anything in The Switch’s new weekly livechat, Switchback


Drones could revolutionize weather forecasts, but must overcome safety concerns

in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 23, 2013. The image shows the Global Hawk (red dot) returning to Wallops. (NASA Wallops) Drones have the potential to fly into storm systems aside from hurricanes. The Los Angeles Times describes how Oklahoma State researchers have been developing drones capable of withstanding the high winds from tornadoes. “Remotely controlled by a pilot, the small aircraft weigh as much as 55 pounds and can cost $10,000 to $100,000, depending on the types of technology involved,” the Times piece says. “Sensors would collect data on temperature, humidity and pressure while intercepting a storm — crucial information in tornado prediction.” Several previous attempts have been made to collect direct atmospheric readings inside tornadic storms. To this day, too few direct measurements of the tornado environment have been attained to study precisely how and when a twister may form. Development of meteorological drones capable of gathering data inside severe storms would allow researchers to easily acquire the data they have long yearned for. Locally, the University of Virginia has also been testing drones to offer a supplement to weather balloons for atmospheric sounding measurements at low levels of the atmosphere, as discussed on the Smartdrones website and in the video below. Atmospheric Research with the Hexacopter From the air to the sea, the website, Awareness of risks must be considered when operating drones. There is the risk of losing drones that fail over the ocean. For example, the violent winds of a hurricane could throw a drone off its designated travel path. Reuters reports Commercial drones may eventually be developed for business practices. The major online retailer Amazon has already introduced plans to offer shipping deliveries by drones. Such commercially operated drones could be especially vulnerable to weather systems because of the expansive geography they would have to cover. The Federal Aviation Administration strictly enforces drones to ensure public safety. Drone testing has expanded substantially over the years and each new drone in the sky adds increased risks of accidental injuries. The FAA Fact Sheet for Unmanned Aircraft Systems describes how drones currently operating have been providing assistance for firefighting, disaster relief, search and rescue, law enforcement, border patrol, military training and testing and evaluation. If successfully and safely tested, future drones approved by the FAA would also add new tools for improving weather forecasting analyses. The author, Brendan Richardson, is a Capital Weather Gang intern


Smithsonian’s dinosaur hall to close Monday for five-year, $48M renovation

It was once called the Hall of Extinct Monsters for its displays of dinosaurs. Now, the popular hall at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is closing for a five-year overhaul. When it reopens in 2019, it will have its own T. rex. [This post has been updated.] Brace yourself for another extinction event. The massively popular dinosaur hall at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History will be closed as of Monday for a $48 million, five-year overhaul. As I reported earlier, most of the more popular specimens won’t reappear until 2019, when the high-traffic Fossil Hall at the world’s second-most-visited museum is reopened. Once completed, the 31,000-square-foot hall will have a new centerpiece: “the Nation’s T. rex,” one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever unearthed. (In Washington on a long-term loan from the Army Corps of Engineers, the T. rex was delivered to the Mall from Montana last week, via FedEx.) Natural History Museum director Kirk Johnson (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) From my earlier story: “Those five years are going to fly by,” promised museum director Kirk Johnson, who didn’t sound fully convinced. “It’s definitely going to be traumatic for me, because I’m a paleontologist. … I’m also thinking of the kids who won’t be able to see the dinosaurs.” Dinosaurs aren’t disappearing completely from Washington’s top tourist attraction. The Nation’s T. rex is being examined, cleaned, reinforced and scanned, piece by brittle piece, in an exhibition space dubbed the “Rex Room” over the next few months. The right femur of “the Nation’s T. rex,” moments after it was unveiled. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) The museum’s full-size T. rex replica known as “Stan” and a massive Triceratops cast, “Hatcher,” will be displayed on the museum’s second floor by Memorial Day. A stopgap exhibition, “The Last American Dinosaurs, Discovering a Lost World,” will open in November, two days before Thanksgiving. The interim exhibition will feature Stan, Hatcher and several skulls (including an Edmontosaurus) and will remain open until the Fossil Hall reopens. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich with a loaner. (Reuters file photo) A cast of the Nation’s T. rex skull will remain on display, too, in the museum’s Constitution Avenue lobby. Fun fact about the cast: It lived in then-Rep. Newt Gingrich’s office back when he was speaker of the House. Still, even with the interim exhibitions, Johnson told me earlier this year, the


Idle hands and future plans

How did this even happen, where the zoo became the nightclub of Easter Monday? That’s the question that Ron Moten, community activist and founder of Peaceaholics found himself answering in a conference room in Woodley Park earlier this week. After a shooting marred events at the National Zoo the day after Easter, there was a marginal panic. Some people wanted to shut the event down, saying that it has outgrown its usefulness. But ending the event typically geared toward black families and youth at the zoo would be the worst possible reaction to the violence. Why? Because the lack of constructive community events and traditions is what causes problems like this to begin with. Kids with nowhere to go and nothing to do will eventually put their hands on each other in one way or another. “There is nowhere for a young person to go Easter week and Monday to have fun. Everybody used to do stuff for youth. That doesn’t exist anymore,” Moten said in a phone conversation Friday. “So, the zoo has become the network, the social club, for young people. So, instead of young people going to venues, and places of fun that we had the opportunity to go to, instead of fixing them, we shut it down. So, they go to the zoo.” And it’s a responsibility that the National Zoo doesn’t shy away from. Officials understand that violence between young people is not going to be fixed with one directive. But it doesn’t mean they can’t try. “We’re a zoo. And a conservation education organization. Education is our mission. So we attract, we handle thousands of schoolkids and we have all kinds of programs that go right up to professional training programs,” Pamela Baker-Masson, director of communications at Smithsonian Institution, National Zoo, said Friday. “Are we resourced and are we able to reach the community in new and different ways? I think that’s what we have to figure out.” It’s more than just a high-minded academic approach. It’s a real-life on the ground issue that requires involvement from everyone, not just law enforcement. “Constructively, we can create atmosphere where youth can be youth, and make it safe. But it just ain’t gonna be the police, Moten said. Because they don’t care about the police. A young guy that’s coming from one of these neighborhoods in Maryland or Kenilworth, who ain’t got nothing, their mother and


Why Elon Musk is throwing his biggest potential customer under the bus

hard to imagine that [Russian Deputy Prime Minister] Dmitry Rogozin is not benefiting personally from the dollars that are sent there." Rogozin is among nearly a dozen Kremlin-linked officials who were personally targeted last month by White House sanctions. The market for launching national security rockets into space is dominated by a joint venture between aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The partnership, known as United Launch Alliance, secured a five-year contract in December 2013 with the U.S. Air Force for rocket boosters and launch services worth up to $9.5 billion. "We are aware of Mr. Musk's press conference and are reviewing the transcript," said Christa Bell, a ULA spokesperson. The Air Force did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Musk has criticized ULA's close relationship with the government in the past. But likely on his mind are the 14 other government launches that will be up for grabs starting next year. The Defense Department has estimated that it could spend $70 billion on space launches through 2030. To bid on those contracts, SpaceX will need a certification from the Air Force. But, he said, that process keeps getting held up. For the government, it's a question of reliability versus cost. Musk claims to be able to save the government a substantial amount on each launch. The Pentagon, however, has strong ties with Boeing and Lockheed that go back decades. "It's a good model in that it delivers a very reliable launch vehicle," said James Lewis, a space policy scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "If you just spent a billion dollars on a satellite, it's really painful when it crashes — particularly when it's self-insured so that Uncle Sam has to eat it." Musk says it costs $60 million to launch Space X's Falcon 9 rocket. He hopes to drive those costs down by developing a reusable rocket booster known as the Falcon 9R. On Friday, Musk announced that SpaceX had successfully tested a version of the 9R by "soft-landing" it on a patch of ocean. The rocket was destroyed by heavy waves about eight seconds after it landed, but the entrepreneur is already looking ahead to future tests. Eventually, the goal is to land the rocket upright on its extendable legs "with the accuracy of a helicopter," Musk told reporters. Related: Does the future of space travel lie with NASA or entrepreneurs like Musk?


Frank Ruta to close Palena on Saturday

have to see people" in your restaurant. If Ruta wasn't great at glad-handing, he was great in the kitchen at Palena. He produced a number of iconic D.C. dishes, including his truffled cheeseburger (which beat the competition in the Food section's cheap eats challenge between Washington and New York) and his roast chicken, a dish that was worth every second of its 40-minute preparation time. “You know, we don’t need to have the good guys close, that’s for sure,” said Bob Kinkead, the veteran Washington restaurateur and James Beard Award winner. “It’s sad. It was an institution.” It's not exactly clear what caused Palena's seemingly quick collapse, but when Ruta spoke to me last year, the chef indicated the restaurant's 2010 expansion from 60 to 200 seats "was a leap" that proved difficult to manage. He also indicated that his move to office, rather than kitchen, management had been a mistake, one that he had rectified. But it obviously wasn't enough to save the operation. "While we are proud of the high degree of critical success Palena has achieved over the years, we take even greater joy in your patronage and that we have been able to share life’s special moments with you," Ruta wrote in a note for his customers to read. "Cooking is what I love, and hopefully I will find a way to serve you at another venue in the future." According to Palena's statement, Ruta doesn't "rule out a return to the neighborhood." The full text of the Palena announcement: Palena to close its doors Saturday Washington, DC (April 25, 2014) The tight knit group of talented chefs, managers and servers that surround Ruta at Palena, and the many disciples of Chef Ruta cooking in kitchens throughout the region, celebrate their success, appreciate the devotion of their patrons and welcome the future. A note from Ruta to customers reads: Palena will be closing its doors this weekend after 13 years. We have had a great run serving the Cleveland Park neighborhood and the Washington, DC area and are sincerely grateful to the many that have supported us. While we are proud of the high degree of critical success Palena has achieved over the years, we take even greater joy in your patronage and that we have been able to share life’s special moments with you. Cooking is what I love, and hopefully I will find a


U.S., G-7 allies will impose new sanctions against Russia as soon as Monday

to the economic, trade and financial areas," the statement read. "We have now agreed that we will move swiftly to impose additional sanctions on Russia. Given the urgency of securing the opportunity for a successful and peaceful democratic vote next month in Ukraine's presidential elections, we have committed to act urgently to intensify targeted sanctions and measures to increase the costs of Russia's actions," it added. Ben Rhodes, the administration's deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, told reporters on Air Force One that G-7 leaders have agreed there must be further sanctions against Russia but that each country will determine which sanctions they will impose. The sanctions will be coordinated, but not necessarily identical. "We have discussed with our partners the types of sanctions targets that we’re considering. They have discussed with us the types of targets that they’re considering," Rhodes said. "So we believe that it’s important to move quickly, so I would expect to see movement at the beginning of -- well, I’d say early in the coming week." A senior U.S. administration official told reporters on background that "U.S. sanctions could come as early as Monday." White House National Security Adviser Tony Blinken says additional penalties against Russia will be put in place as early as Monday, but Sen. Bob Corker, (R-Tenn.) wants even more. Rhodes said new sanctions could target prominent business people and that bringing some pressure to bear on "cronies" would affect the Russian economy. "So I think it’s important to note that when you sanction just officials, that has one consequence. But when you start to get at the cronies, the individuals who, frankly, control large parts of the Russian economy and some of the entities under their control, you are imposing a significant economic impact beyond simply sanctioning an individual," Rhodes told reporters on Air Force One. "Those are the types of targets that the second executive order that the president signed that allows us to go after these so-called cronies. Those are the types of targets that we are looking at, among others." Rhodes said U.S. officials "understand there is unease about the economic consequences of sanctions on a large economy like Russia" among Europe's business community, but he also warned that if Russian troops currently massed on the border invade Ukraine, broader sanctions will follow that will have an impact on the international economy. "Yes, I think that everybody


READ IN: Monday, April 28, 2014: Welcome back Congress, Grimm surrenders, Love and Comstock win GOP nods, DHS’s ‘mission creep’, Clooney’s tequila a victim of Obamacare

Do you subscribe to Read In? Sign up here and get it free every morning in your inbox. A1: -- A devastating tornado touched down Sunday about 10 miles west of Little Rock, carving an 80-mile path of destruction through Vilonia and other suburbs and killing at least 16 people. It was the largest of several twisters produced by a storm system that hit the central and southern United States over the weekend. (Associated Press) -- The U.S. and the Philippines signed a 10-year defense agreement Monday, marking the biggest policy achievement to come out of President Obama's week-long trip to Asia. The deal is likely to get criticism from Chinese officials; the Philippines is one of five countries in disputes with China over territory in the South China Sea. The pact is a result of eight months of negotiations, and final i's and t's were dotted and crossed on Sunday. Under the agreement, U.S. ships and planes will head to the Philippines on a more frequent basis. (Washington Post) -- New American and European sanctions against Russia will be announced as early as today, targeting businessmen and companies close to Vladimir Putin. The sanctions were originally intended to be implemented on Friday, but President Obama decided to hold off at the suggestion of some members of the administration, like Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, in order to move in lockstep with Europe. Some White House officials say the United States has made coordinating with Europe too much of a priority. (New York Times) -- Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) surrendered to the FBI as officials prepared to unseal charges against him alleging mail and wire fraud, filed false tax returns, hired undocumented immigrants and obstructed justice. Grimm has denied any wrongdoing. Over the weekend, Staten Island Republicans pledged their support, but they don't have much choice: The deadline for Grimm to be replaced on the ballot in New York passed two weeks ago. (Washington Post, Politico, New York Times) -- Congress returns to Washington today for a nine-week slog to Independence Day. Either the House or Senate will be in session for the next two months, though the House gets a break in two weeks and the Senate is taking the week of Memorial Day off. (Roll Call, Associated Press) On the agenda: Messaging bills galore, though behind the scenes key senators are hammering out agreements on a transportation spending bill.