After Ethiopia trip, Bowser touts renewed bond with homeland of many D.C. residents

She met with the president and the prime minister, talked transportation and health care with local officials, visited an orphanage and an ancient church, and smiled broadly as a street was christened for her more than 7,000 miles from her hometown. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), back from a five-day diplomatic and trade mission to Ethiopia, described the trip on Thursday as a way to solidify ties with a country where an estimated 30,000 Ethiopians have relocated from to the District. “We are promoting our D.C. values of inclusivity around the world,” she said when asked about the trip’s benefits for city residents. “Letting the world know that we are Washingtonians, not just who you see in the White House, and that has been increasingly important in the last two and a half years.” On her visit to Ethiopia, her fifth international trip since her 2014 election, Bowser led a 70-member delegation that toured Addis Ababa, the capital, where they renewed a sister-city agreement, met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Sahle-Work Zewde, and sampled lamb stew, injera and other local delicacies. After a one-hour flight to the town of Lalibela, they toured underground cathedrals and a school that was modernized by a Bowser donor who was on the trip. Before returning home, the mayor also accepted congratulations when Addis Ababa’s mayor, Takele Uma Banti, dedicated Mayor Muriel Bowser Street. The mayor’s office announced the designation in a news release that also reported that another location in Addis Ababa had been renamed Washington D.C. Square. Her delegation included two council members, Brandon T. Todd (D-Ward 4) and Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5), nine administration officials, two members of her security detail and the mayor’s official photographer. The $77,000 in travel expenses was paid by the D.C. government, said Chanda Washington, spokeswoman for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, which organized the trip along with the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. The delegation’s more than 50 nongovernmental members — a mix of business executives, community leaders and school officials — paid their own way, she said. The delegation included supporters who collectively — along with their companies — contributed more than $110,000 to Bowser’s campaigns and inaugural fund, according to campaign finance records. But LaToya Foster, the mayor’s communications director, said the chamber of commerce — and not Bowser — sent the invitations to the


Saudi spies hacked my phone and tried to stop my activism. I won’t stop fighting.

in exile, something that wouldn’t have been possible before. It also allowed the government to track public opinion. At first the government was responsive. Royal decrees were announced on Twitter. Rumors circulated but also got debunked. Officials faced pressure to be more transparent. That all changed with the rise of MBS. Saudi Twitter gradually morphed into a propaganda platform, with the government deploying trolls and pressuring influencers to amplify its messages. More than 30 influencers told me that the Saudi government blackmailed them with material obtained by hacking their phones. They were given two options: Tweet propaganda or have your private content, including pictures, released on Twitter. McKinsey & Company, the consulting firm, prepared a report on how public opinion is shaped on Twitter (according to a source the report was reviewed by MBS but the company denies it was prepared for him). They identified me among the top three most influential users on Twitter. I’m now in exile; another got arrested, and the third user vanished. His tweets were all deleted. In September 2017, more than 100 Twitter influencers were arrested. The charges were never made public. In December of that year, Jamal tweeted: “Saudi government trolls have a devastating effect on the national public opinion." In unison, Saudi trolls ridicule free folks and resistance, Jamal added. He worried the propaganda was dividing the country. He is right. Fake accounts and hired writers spread hatred among Saudis with tribal and racist attacks. But Twitter is still worth fighting for — it remains the only free platform for many Saudis. After Jamal’s death, my team spent months trying to counter the troll narratives with trending hashtags. It’s sad to see that Twitter may be one of the factors behind Jamal’s brutal murder. It’s a heartbreaking development because we had so much hope on the platform. In 2013, Jamal posted: “Someday Twitter will win a Nobel prize.” But now we see it’s slipping into darkness. Will Twitter take measures to protect our public square? Right now I’m worried, but I will continue to fight for free expression, at least online. Read more: Jamal Khashoggi: A missing voice, a growing chorus Hala Al-Dosari: Saudi Arabia’s monarchy has left the country fragile and unbalanced Hatice C Karen Attiah: Let the world hear Jamal Khashoggi’s last words in Arabic Jason Rezaian: Khashoggi and I were targeted for our journalism. But I still have hope.


Arrokoth is the most distant space object ever seen up close

The bundle of ice and rock was discovered using a telescope operated out of Maryland. It was studied up close by a spacecraft built in the same state. So when NASA scientists had to choose an official name for the most distant object they had ever explored, they borrowed a word from the original inhabitants of this region: Arrokoth, the Powhatan/Algonquian term for “sky.” “Bestowing the name Arrokoth signifies the strength and endurance of the indigenous Algonquian people of the Chesapeake region,” Lori Glaze, the director of NASA’s planetary science division, said at a naming ceremony Tuesday. “Their heritage continues to be a guiding light for all who search for meaning and understanding of the origins of the universe and the celestial connection of humanity.” The name also replaces a nickname with an unintended white supremacist connection: “Ultima Thule,” a medieval term used to describe the lands beyond the edges of maps. Nazis used it to refer to a mythical homeland of the Aryan people, as was reported in Newsweek, and it remains in use by modern far-right groups. Arrokoth (pronounced AR-oh-kodh) is a Kuiper belt object, one of millions of icy bodies that exist beyond the orbit of Neptune. As a frozen fragment of the material that formed the planets, scientists say, it holds clues to the earliest days of the solar system. It was discovered in 2014 with the Hubble Space Telescope, which is operated by the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. Viewed through Hubble’s lens, it appeared as little more than a faint pixel of light in a sea of black. But just after midnight on New Year’s Day, when NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft swooshed past the object, Arrokoth became the most distant object humans have ever seen up close. Images streamed down to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., where New Horizons was built and operated, revealed a reddish, snowman-shaped world. Alan Stern, the principal investigator for the New Horizons mission, initially defended the Ultima Thule nickname. “Just because some bad guys once liked that term, we’re not going to let them hijack it,” he told reporters who asked about the Nazi connection shortly after the January flyby. But new names for space objects have to be approved by the International Astronomical Union, which has strict guidelines for identifying objects in the sky. Ultimately, NASA opted to put forward the name


Soldiers with top-secret clearances say they were forced to use an app that could endanger them

there was a failure of confidence it was secure. Questions about security reviews during development and development costs were referred to the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, which did not address them or make Trotter available. The concern among service members circulated on Army Reddit and the Army WTF! moments Facebook page, a popular digital hangout for soldiers. Soldiers deleted the app in revolt. Trotter called another formation Wednesday to address the controversy, admonishing whomever talked about the issue online, soldiers in the unit said. The app was later removed from both Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store. “We are confident that the appropriate security protocols are in place to protect our Soldiers’ personally identifiable information,” the unit said, calling the app an unclassified communications tool. Straxis, the brigade said, had developed similar apps for other units. The app was removed for a “preplanned maintenance update” and will return to the app stores, the unit said, although it did not explain the timing of the removal right after the outcry within the unit. On Wednesday, the brigade said the soldiers had no “formal obligation” to download the app. A day later, it reversed course, conceding the app was originally “mandatory,” but following “further discussion and feedback” from unit soldiers, the brigade decided it would only “highly encourage” use of the app. The soldiers also were frustrated over the legal review of an order to install an app on personal smartphones. Trotter told the soldiers that her decision was reviewed by Army attorneys, they said, but it was unclear to soldiers if Trotter could mandate an app on their privately owned devices. One soldier said he was often away from his wife, and they sent intimate photos to each other. He could not be sure if they would land onto a server monitored by his commanders. “I don’t want someone else looking at my wife’s [breasts],” he said. The military has recently blundered in cyberspace, including an issue where troops with fitness apps unwittingly broadcast location data at secret bases worldwide. And between July 2017 and January 2018, the Army accidentally emailed spreadsheets containing sensitive information about immigrant recruits from China and Russia to some recruits themselves. This story has been updated. Read more: Hundreds of immigrant recruits risk ‘death sentence’ after Army bungles data, lawmaker says A dog helped kill Baghdadi, joining a long history of canine war heroes


A guide to local favorites in Ballard

organic vegan cake doughnuts have stomach-satisfying heft. Although the creative, seasonal flavors and traditional preparations are solid, you really can’t top the maple-glazed flavor perfection of Mighty-O’s French Toast doughnut. address: Mighty-O Donuts, 1555 NW Market St. Seattle, WA 98107 latlng: phone: 206-547-0335 website: https://www.mightyo.com/ twitter: mightyodonuts instagram: mightyodonuts Connecting the fresh water of Lake Washington with the Puget Sound’s salty streams since 1917, the Ballard Locks are a marvel of engineering that remain impressive to watch in action a century later. Meanwhile, the complex’s Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden is ideal for tranquil, sunny Seattle afternoons, thanks to its lush paths for strolling and the rolling green hills that overlook the water. It’s ideal for lounging and sunbathing. address: Ballard Locks, 3015 NW 54th St. Seattle, WA 98107 latlng: phone: 206-783-7059 website: http://www.ballardlocks.org/ twitter: instagram: Washington state is a world-renowned oyster oasis, and the Walrus and the Carpenter is Seattle’s go-to oyster bar (plus, the restaurant’s other offerings are superb). The flavors of the local waters are best enjoyed by grabbing a drink and shucking your way to a pile of shells. Show up before the 4 p.m. open if you want to ensure you get a spot. address: The Walrus and the Carpenter, 4743 Ballard Ave. NW Seattle, WA 98107 latlng: phone: 206-395-9227 website: https://www.thewalrusbar.com/ twitter: thewalrusbar instagram: thewalrusbar The Sunset is the ideal blend of bar and music venue: The front of the house, Betty’s Room, is its own (pretty sound-tight) space where folks can enjoy cozy, colorful maritime chic even if they’re skipping the concert. Push through the door to the back room and you’ll find one of the better concert spots in town, where the low ceiling and corner-tucked stage make every show feel intimate. It’s a favorite spot of rising independent (mostly rock and singer-songwriter) acts. address: Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. NW Seattle, WA 98107 latlng: phone: 206-784-4880 website: http://sunsettavern.com/ twitter: sunsetballard instagram: In terms of indulgences, it doesn’t get much sweeter than this pair: a tiny chocolate cake with a gooey, warm center, served on a wooden slab next to a scoop of ice cream that cuts the cocoa overload. Hot Cakes (which also has a location on Capitol Hill) does dessert right, both day and (late) night, with a host of baked delights (milk chocolate hazelnut, vegan dark chocolate, s’mores) plus alternatives like wonderfully chewy cookies and boozy milkshakes. address:


A guide to local favorites on H Street

a commercial area for the city’s working class, and many of the buildings were destroyed during the 1968 race riots. Fast-forward a few decades, and it’s where old D.C. meets new. Old bodegas stand next to new coffee shops. Native Washingtonians order pancakes from Tony’s, while transplants enjoy a chocolate croissant from Maketto. View on Google Maps A small community art gallery with no website, phone number or address. Simply go to the alley off H Street between Seventh and Eighth streets on a weekend and knock on the door with the mosaic of the person with spiky blond hair. address: Between Seventh and Eighth streets, off H Street NE latlng: 38.900759, -76.995241 phone: website: twitter: instagram: The mural filling the side of Smith Commons restaurant, with a manifest-destiny theme, was painted by a Baltimore artist. Ask a local about its deeper meaning. address: 1245 H St. NE. Washington, D.C. 20002 latlng: phone: website: twitter: instagram: This quick-service Chinese restaurant specializes in street food, with a bar upstairs frequented by D.C.’s bartenders. You can order food at the bar, too. address: Copycat, 1110 H St. NE. Washington, D.C. 20002 latlng: phone: 202-241-1952 website: https://www.copycatcompany.com/ twitter: copycatco instagram: copycat_co It’s a coffee shop/Chinese-Cambodian sit-down restaurant/apparel shop with a large outdoor center courtyard. It’s also home to D.C.’s most photographed green tea matcha latte. address: Maketto, 1351 H St. NE. Washington, D.C. 20002 latlng: phone: 202-838-9972 website: http://maketto1351.com/ twitter: maketto1351 instagram: maketto1351 The fast-casual chicken restaurant uses ingredients from regional farmers. It serves craft beer and cider for under $5, and don’t miss the mac and cheese. address: Farmbird, 625 H St. NE. Washington, D.C. 20002 latlng: phone: 202-506-6778 website: http://www.farmbird.com/ twitter: farmbirddc instagram: farmbirddc The ramen shop serves, well, ramen, but also Japanese beer and miso chocolate-chip cookies. No reservations, but put your name in 45 to 60 minutes before you want to eat. address: Toki Underground, 1234 H St. NE. Washington, D.C. 20002 latlng: phone: 202-388-3086 website: https://www.tokiunderground.com/ twitter: tokiunderground instagram: tokiunderground Where I live: Best way to get around the city: Don’t leave without having: But the local favorite is really: If I moved, I’d most miss: Melina is a Washington Post photographer based in the District and spends her free time climbing, skiing, traveling and exploring. Her work is inspired by memories of her father, a CBS cameraman, and her passionate and loving Italian mother. instagram: melinamara twitter:


A guide to local favorites in Mount Pleasant

Traditionally a largely Latino neighborhood, Mount Pleasant has emerged as one of the most diverse and vibrant neighborhoods in the District of Columbia while maintaining a village-like vibe where everyone knows one another. Surrounded by the city’s largest park and the National Zoo, it’s a place with a farmers market on Saturdays, pupusa shops, cafes and plazas. There’s something for everyone. View on Google Maps When Heller’s Bakery, a Mount Pleasant staple of 80 years, closed, Elle moved in and just removed a few letters from its predecessor’s sign. The space is now a cafe by day and a full-service restaurant and bar by night. Pastries are baked, and locally roasted coffee is brewed every morning with gluten-free options. address: Elle, 3221 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. Washington, D.C. 20010 latlng: phone: 202-652-0040 website: https://www.eatatelle.com/ twitter: eatatelle instagram: eatatelle This Salvadoran-owned restaurant serves some of the best pupusas and fajitas around and offers live music almost every night. When nearby restaurants require reservations, Haydee’s will always make room for one more guest. (Although they may make you wear a sombrero.) address: Haydee’s, 3102 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. Washington, D.C. 20010 latlng: phone: 202-483-9199 website: http://haydees.us/ twitter: instagram: This dimly lit cafe with pictures of Karl Marx on the walls serves Mediterranean and Italian cuisine with live music. The saganaki, or a square piece of Greek cheese, comes to your table on fire, creating an experience to remember. address: Marx Cafe, 3203 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. Washington, D.C. latlng: phone: 202-518-7600 website: http://www.marxcafemtp.com/ twitter: marxcafemtp instagram: While on vacation in 2010, President Barack Obama visited a small but beloved ice cream parlor in Maine. Several years later, Mount Desert Island Ice Cream came to Washington, making small-batch ice cream with bold flavors like mango habanero, butterscotch miso and honey-baked apple. Don’t worry. It has the classics, too, like vanilla and chocolate. It also whips up milkshakes and floats. address: Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, 3110 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. Washington, D.C. 20010 latlng: phone: 240-804-7038 website: http://www.mdiic.com/ twitter: instagram: mdiicecream Where I live: Best way to get around the city: Don’t leave without having: But the local favorite is really: If I moved, I’d most miss: Melina is a Washington Post photographer based in the District and spends her free time climbing, skiing, traveling and exploring. Her work is inspired by memories of her father, a CBS cameraman, and her passionate and


A guide to local favorites in Blagden Alley

It’s rumored that first lady Eleanor Roosevelt once called Blagden Alley “the most despicable alley in America,” but if she were to visit today, she’d probably see it differently. The historic alley, now restored, feels like a hidden world. An entire day can be spent in Blagden Alley without leaving — morning at the cafe, lunch at the sandwich shop, dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and drinks on a rooftop bar. View on Google Maps Even though it’s technically a bar, the word doesn’t do justice for a place that often makes “best cocktail in America” lists. If you want bites of food, you can order its four-course seasonal tasting menu. address: Columbia Room, 124 Blagden Alley NW. Washington, D.C. 20001 latlng: phone: 202-316-9396 website: http://columbiaroomdc.com/ twitter: columbiaroom instagram: columbiaroom It’s the largest contemporary art gallery in D.C., showcasing both local and international art. The building doubles as an event space, hosting all of the city’s coolest parties. address: Long View Gallery, 1234 Ninth St. NW. Washington, D.C. 20001 latlng: phone: 202-232-4788 website: https://www.longviewgallerydc.com/ twitter: longviewgallery instagram: longviewgallery On four garage doors in Blagden Alley, artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer painted the letters L-O-V-E in rainbow colors. Now it’s one of the most Instagrammed murals in the city. address: Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001 latlng: phone: website: twitter: instagram: Just north of Blagden Alley is a community garden sandwiched between two rowhouses. Run by City Blossoms, the garden hosts cooking demos and movie nights in the warmer months. address: The Marion Street Intergenerational Community Garden, 1519 Marion St. NW. Washington D.C. 20001 latlng: phone: 202-431-8991 website: twitter: instagram: Seylou bakes whole-grain breads in a wood-fired oven Wednesday through Sunday at 1 p.m. Get in line early: They sell out quickly. address: Seylou Bakery, 926 N St. NW, Suite A. Washington, D.C. 20001 latlng: phone: 202-842-1122 website: https://www.seylou.com/ twitter: seyloubakery instagram: seyloubakery The original tiny shop parked in a converted garage gives you a tour of the world in sandwiches. All 19 are named after a major city, such as the “Seoul,” with bulgogi beef, kimchi and Asian slaw. address: Sundevich, 1314 Ninth St. NW. Washington, D.C. 20001 latlng: phone: 202-319-1086 website: http://sundevich.com/ twitter: sundevich instagram: sundevich Where I live: Best way to get around the city: Don’t leave without having: But the local favorite is really: If I moved, I’d most miss: Melina is a Washington Post photographer based in


A guide to local favorites in Downtown

It wasn’t so long ago that downtown Phoenix turned into a ghost town after 5 p.m. Since those days, a lot has happened: Arizona State University and the University of Arizona have moved campuses downtown; the CityScape retail and food hub and the light rail were built; and new bars and restaurants, art galleries, and music venues have emerged, ultimately making the city center a bona fide walkable downtown experience. View on Google Maps Arizona Wilderness features a winning combination: a wide selection of sustainable beers and a large outdoor patio on which to enjoy them. address: Arizona Wilderness DTPHX, 201 E. Roosevelt St. Phoenix, Ariz. 85004 latlng: phone: 480-462-1836 website: https://azwbeer.com/ twitter: instagram: azwildernessdtphx This postage-stamp-size wine stall inside the Churchill sells wines made with minimal additives at four price points ($15-$30). It will uncork the wine for you so you can drink it in the Churchill’s outdoor communal dining area, and cork up the remaining to bring home. address: Sauvage Bottle Shop, 901 N. First St., No. 109. Phoenix, Ariz. 85004 latlng: phone: 602-935-4947 website: https://www.sauvagephx.com/ twitter: instagram: One of the few independent theaters in town, FilmBar shows art movies, foreign films, cult classics, vintage favorites and even the occasional singalong. Enjoy the movie with wine, beer, Tamale Store tamales and snacks from the concession stand. address: FilmBar, 815 N. Second St. Phoenix, Ariz. 85004 latlng: phone: 602-595-9187 website: https://www.thefilmbarphx.com/ twitter: instagram: thefilmbarphx Play vintage arcade games and pinball machines while sipping video-game-inspired cocktails and a rotating menu of draft beers. On weekends, DJs and food trucks join the mix. Check the website for free-token nights. address: Cobra Arcade Bar, 801 N. Second St., No. 100. Phoenix, Ariz. 85004 latlng: phone: 602-595-5873 website: https://cobraarcadebar.com/ twitter: cobraarcadebar instagram: cobraarcadebar Vintage-lovers will find a great selection of wearable and collectible clothes and accessories for women and men, along with a few items for kids. address: Antique Sugar, 801 N. Second St., No. 104. Phoenix, Ariz. 85004 latlng: phone: 602-277-5765 website: http://www.antiquesugar.com/ twitter: antiquesugar instagram: antiquesugar Seven days a week, Phoenix Public Market serves up seasonal fresh food, pastries, coffee and drinks in its casual dining room, bar and patio. Every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon (1 p.m. from fall to spring), it’s also a popular open-air farmers market with local produce, prepared foods, product vendors, artists and food trucks. address: Phoenix Public Market, 14 E. Pierce St. Phoenix,


A local’s guide to Prague

the vista by his name. Climb up from the riverbank or walk down from Letna Hill to experience the view “Stalin” (a statue likeness) and his stone comrades had before the sculpture of the group was demolished in 1962. Today, a giant red metronome counts the pace of the city. The plinth is an ideal spot for watching the sunset, skaters and people in general. There are occasional exhibitions in the bunkerlike area under your feet, which was shortly occupied by a pirate radio station and a rock club in the ’90s. BTW: address: Stalin, Letenske sady, Prague 7 – Letna, 170 00 latlng: phone: 011-420-774-564-436 website: https://containall.cz/ twitter: instagram: Sapa is not just an authentic market where you can get the best pho in town and find practically anything you’d want to buy, from fruits and vegetables to hats, suits, toys and car parts. There’s also a Buddhist temple for worship, and it’s an institution for the local Vietnamese community, which is, according to the government, the third-largest in the country after Slovaks and Ukrainians. Originally invited to migrate to Prague under job programs by the Czechoslovak Communist regime, many Vietnamese decided to stay after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Others joined in the following decades. BTW: address: latlng: 50.001719, 14.474159 phone: website: http://www.sapa-praha.cz/ twitter: instagram: You are in the country of beer lovers. So yes, that means (almost) endless options of where, when, how and what beer you can drink. One great option is Vyletna, a beer garden/pub, sports center and civic project aimed at rejuvenating a historical building. Grab a pint and play chess, table tennis or a few tunes on the piano. If it’s packed, move just a few feet away to the next spot, Letna Beer Garden, for a gorgeous view of the city. BTW: address: Letna Park beer gardens, Letenske sady 32, Praha 7 – Letna, 170 00 latlng: phone: 011-420-770-100-880 website: https://www.facebook.com/vyletna twitter: instagram: Formerly a slaughterhouse, a market hall and now a performance space, Jatka 78 is home to physical theater, dance, contemporary circus and other forms of experimental and independent art. The ambition of founder Rostislav Novak was to create an international meeting point for arts and ideas of different genres. His collective Cirk La Putyka popularized “new circus” in the Czech Republic, so much so that Jatka 78 sells out. The upside is that you don’t have to worry


Here’s how Russia will attack the 2020 election. We’re still not ready.

Renee DiResta is the technical research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory and a Mozilla Fellow. In 1983, an anonymous letter from an author claiming to be an American scientist appeared in an Indian newspaper, asserting that the HIV virus raging across the world was a bioweapon released by the United States. Over the next several years, similar claims appeared in leftist and alternative newspapers around the world and ended up becoming widely believed among those predisposed to distrust the Reagan administration. As late as 2005, a study showed that 27 percent of African Americans still believed that HIV was created in a government lab. We now know that these claims were part of a massive Soviet disinformation campaign. And as successful as this operation was, the methods it used look modest and primitive in the age of the Internet. During the 2016 election campaign, Russian intelligence used the same technique, known as “narrative laundering,” to inject its preferred stories into mainstream American media. In the 2016 disinformation operation, Russian intelligence officers and their proxies supercharged their misleading stories with real documents: emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager. (Roger Stone, who has just been found guilty on charges of lying to Congress and witness tampering, served as a conduit for some of that material.) Our research, published in a report appearing this week, describes and analyzes the Russian narrative laundering playbook. It is quite possible that these exact techniques will be used again. And why shouldn’t they? We’ve done almost nothing to counter the threat. At least we know the primary culprit: Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, GRU operatives used WikiLeaks and fake personas (“DC Leaks” and “Guccifer 2.0”) to disseminate the hacked emails, which came to dominate coverage in both traditional and social media. That is yet another lesson that has survived from Soviet days: Narrative laundering is especially effective when the stories are built on real documents. Although it is difficult to measure precise effects, the GRU was undoubtedly successful in changing the way Americans were talking about the two candidates at the time. (The WikiLeaks dump was timed to distract from the coverage of Trump’s “Access Hollywood” sexual harassment scandal.) Of the five distinct forms of Russian interference, the “hack and leak” campaign by the GRU, and the subsequent media coverage it inspired, likely


For D.C. students, lessons in growth, of the garden variety

imbue her students with a “sense of magic,” while also reinforcing science lessons. “Right now, they’re often scared of bees and will see them and run. But when spring comes, after they’ve spent all semester learning about pollinators and how bees are important, they’ll see bees and run up to them,” she says. “Now that there’s more food out here, they can eat things that were pollinated by honey bees, which is awesome,” Grubbs adds. Ellen Royse, who teaches high school environmental science and urban ecology at Capital City, started using the forest pedagogically even before it existed: Last year, after learning of Yamamoto’s plans, she had her urban ecology students survey the plants and insects in the site selected for the forest. They found mostly crabgrass and English ivy, and a few insect species. This year’s class will return and resurvey. As the trees and shrubs grow, so will the students’ ability to see connections between a place’s flora and broader metrics of environmental quality. Royse sees a second benefit: exposing students who will soon enter the work world to lesser-known career possibilities. When Smith came to speak to her class, “kids were like, ‘This is his job? He goes around and plants things and harvests food?’ ” she said. Career preparation is the primary appeal of the garden for Nuri Cortez, an 11th-grader taking Royse’s class. She and her peers run a weekly farmers market selling vegetables and herbs from the garden alongside produce from local farms. Once the food forest starts producing berries and nuts, those will be added to the mix. Cortez hopes the marketing and people skills she learns will help her start a food store in her parents’ native Bolivia. The forest garden also helps her see relationships between her local environment and larger issues she learns about in school or hears about on the news, she said. “Right now, the environment’s in crisis, with the forest fires in the Amazon,” she said in September. “That concerns me.” The forest garden is already meeting some of its goals. Third-graders point out evidence of deer grazing on plants with the expertise of naturalists. One girl makes her way to the Asian pear tree almost hidden against the schoolyard’s back fence and drops the fruit into her backpack. But it will take time for some of Yamamoto’s plans to fully ripen. Hazelnut trees planted in the


Trump issues pardons in war crimes cases, despite Pentagon opposition to the move

President Trump intervened in three cases involving war crimes accusations on Friday, issuing full pardons to two soldiers and reversing disciplinary action against a Navy SEAL despite opposition raised by military justice experts and some senior Pentagon officials. The White House said in a statement Friday night that Trump, as commander in chief, is “ultimately responsible for ensuring that the law is enforced and when appropriate, that mercy is granted.” “For more than two hundred years, presidents have used their authority to offer second chances to deserving individuals, including those in uniform who have served our country,” the statement said. The service members were notified by Trump over the phone late Friday afternoon, according to lawyers for Army Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn and former Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, the SEAL. Golsteyn faced a murder trial scheduled for next year, while Gallagher recently was acquitted of murder and convicted of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State fighter in Iraq. The third service member, former Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, was expected to be released Friday night from prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He was convicted of second-degree murder in 2013 and sentenced to 19 years for ordering his soldiers to open fire on three men in Afghanistan. Golsteyn and Lorance received full pardons, while the president will direct the Navy to restore Gallagher to his previous rank before he retires, the White House said. His demotion marked the only significant penalty he received following his acquittal on the murder charge. The news, first reported by The Washington Post ahead of the White House announcement, came at the tail end of a day dominated by impeachment hearings and efforts by some senior Pentagon officials to change Trump’s mind, according to three U.S. officials. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said some commanders have raised concerns that Trump’s move will undermine the military justice system. Other U.S. officials and advocates for the service members have said that carrying out the president’s order should not be difficult. The system has commanders overseeing the legal process in the military’s chain of command, with Trump serving at the top as commander in chief. The Army said in a statement Friday night that it will implement the pardons of Golsteyn and Lorance, and acknowledged the president’s powers to grant pardons. “The Army has full


The Trump administration’s immigration jails are packed, but deportations are lower than in Obama era

is now monitoring ICE’s compliance with the injunction and is seeing mixed results. The U.S. government might have valid reasons to be suspicious of Madjitov, but officials declined to say what they are. According to federal court filings that do not name Madjitov, his wife’s brother, also an Uzbek immigrant, traveled to Syria in 2013 to join the al-Nusra Front, an extremist group with ties to al-Qaeda. Saidjon Mamadjonov was killed shortly thereafter. And the FBI later accused Madjitov’s other brother-in-law, Sidikjon Mamadjonov, of hiding what he knew about Saidjon’s death during interviews with federal investigators. But no one ever accused Madjitov or his wife, Madina Mamadjonova, of wrongdoing. The couple settled in Windsor, Conn., where Madjitov worked as a home health aide and Mamadjonova gave birth to two boys. Madjitov planted a garden of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant and apple trees in the family’s yard. On Fridays, they would go to the mosque together, and on weekends they would go to the park and out for pizza or Chinese food. “I always worked with my lawyer wherever I lived — I always notified DHS where I lived, and they always gave me a work permit,” Madjitov said. “We were a very happy couple,” said Mamadjonova, who said she has struggled to support the family since his arrest and has been battling depression. “He was very affectionate, a very kind and caring father.” On Oct. 31, 2017, another Uzbek immigrant who claimed to have been inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group drove a rented truck onto a crowded bike path in Manhattan, killing eight people. A few weeks later, law enforcement officials came to Madjitov’s house searching for information about the brother-in-law who had died in Syria three years earlier. The couple said they told investigators they didn’t have anything. A month after that, on a cold December morning, ICE showed up and arrested Madjitov because hehad a final order of removal. Mamadjonova said her husband was still in his pajamas when ICE asked her to go retrieve his identification documents from the bedroom. “When I came back, he was handcuffed,” said Mamadjonova, who was 39 weeks pregnant with the couple’s third child at the time. “He was crying.” The Trump administration, which increased its removals of Uzbek nationals by 46 percent in 2017, never again asked Madjitov about Saidjon or terrorism. ICE said Madjitov’s file contained no criminal record,


National Zoo solicits mix tape suggestions for Bei Bei’s long flight to China

In an apparent expression of the idea that it is impossible to do too much for Washington’s departing young giant panda, the National Zoo has asked for suggestions for an appropriate mix tape. “If you were a giant panda taking a 16-hour flight to China, what would you want on your playlist?” the zoo asked on Twitter. Of course the animal’s name, Bei Bei, pronounced BAY BAY, seems so close to those words of farewell, BYE BYE, as well as the exclamation BAY BEE, as to elicit many poignant suggestions for the traveler. Under international agreement, the panda, admired in his four years here by legions both at the zoo and on TV, is to take flight Tuesday. It is part of a cooperative breeding program. So it might be said in the rueful lyrics of one song that “the days dwindle down to a precious few.” Suggestions included “One for My #BeiBei (And One More for the Road.”) Steve Casto expressed disbelief that any virtual playlist could be without the 1965 hit by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - “Bye Bye Baby, Baby Goodbye” “ Come on,” he said , “ Bye Bye Bei Bei, Bei Bei good bye “ Another suggestion sent to the zoo was “Bei Bei It’s Cold Outside”. That’s the one with the plaintive, “I’ve got to go away....I simply must go.” martin.weil@washpost.com


Taipei Symphony makes Strathmore debut with pride and passion

Taiwan’s Taipei Symphony Orchestra offered up a vibrant and celebratory performance Friday evening at the Music Center at Strathmore, showcasing its talented musician corps with pride in a program spanning three centuries and three continents. Under the baton of guest conductor Jahja Ling, the 91-member orchestra played with a sonorous sound in its Washington Performing Arts debut, striking a warm balance between the radiant strings, majestic brass and glowing winds in Leonard Bernstein’s “Overture to Candide.” In commemoration of its 50th anniversary, the Taipei Symphony programmed a work that it had commissioned in 2002: the Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, composed by compatriot Gordon Shi-Wen Chin. The four-movement composition is a sonic adventure of rhythms, intricate sonorities and emotions. Conductor Ling, who premiered the concerto when he was the San Diego Symphony’s music director, guided the orchestra through a colorful and intensely focused performance. Featuring Taiwan-born, U.S.-based violinist Paul Huang and Taiwanese American cellist Felix Fan — for whom the concerto was written — the orchestra supported the interplay between the violin’s sweet musings and the cello’s frenetic machinations in the opening “Drifting Shadow.” The two musicians complemented each other well, with Fan’s butterscotch tone and Huang’s lyrical lines flowing with ease. Their meandering melodies in “A Flowering Sacrifice” were beautiful yet unsettling, thanks in part to the ghostly glissandos in the strings, the sounds of paper crumpling and slowly ripping, a bass drum beating like a heart and water pouring and swirling in bowls. Ling threaded these effects gently beneath the soloists, adding to the movement’s primordial quality. Spirited runs in the orchestra heralded “In Expectation,” which evolved into a whimsical waltz. The musicians dove into “Yearning: A Sweet Torture” with operatic verve. Their runs and riffs propelled the soloists to a peak where violin and cello traded emphatic statements before agreeing on a joyous ending. Ling needed no score to conduct Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68, and the orchestra gave it an assured, in-the-moment performance. A rousing encore of a traditional Taiwanese folk song brought the concert to a fine conclusion. style@washpost.com


Tracking D.C.-area homicides

Mapping homicides in the District and the surrounding suburbs since 2000.


How Russia weaponized social media, got caught and escaped consequences

first election in which social media played a role — so what changed? Why were Russian operatives able to amplify their message so clearly? And what does that mean for the 2020 election? Let’s dig in. When President Barack Obama was elected to a second term in 2012, social media was just becoming central to everyday interactions. Facebook cracked 1 billion users in October of that year. Google fielded more than 100 billion searches per month in 2013. Still, the companies did not yet have the kind of advertising capabilities or the reach they have today. Arguably, that shift began in 2013. Google and Facebook acquired smaller companies, including advertising exchanges and other platforms like YouTube and Instagram, which expanded their reach. Facebook launched Custom Audiences and Lookalike audiences, which paired the characteristics provided by the advertisers with Facebook’s own algorithm. Essentially, they allow advertisers to target specific, individual users. Starting in 2014, a Russian troll farm called the Internet Research Agency began to promote propaganda and target American voters with polarizing messaging. In many ways, the agency behaved like a savvy Internet marketer, using the same tools and techniques that are common in digital advertising campaigns. “They would create campaigns on different platforms and target different subgroups using the data-targeting capabilities of those platforms,” said Dave Carroll, a professor of media design at Parsons School of Design. The agency iterated and evolved its targeting techniques. Ultimately, it developed what Carroll described as a “sophisticated understanding of who uses the platforms, what they use them for and what messages might resonate best on those platforms. And then how to use the targeted capabilities of those platforms to test their own messages and hone with greater effectiveness.” At the same time, Russian military intelligence (GRU) pushed propaganda into the media landscape through what researchers refer to as narrative laundering. They planted the seed of a story, attempting to have it picked up and distributed by larger and larger media outlets. They would promote these stories through fake personas on social media, made-up think tanks and alternative news outlets. The GRU also used a “hack and leak” strategy, whereby Russian operatives would hack entities such as the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign to leak the information to organizations such as WikiLeaks and to journalists. The content of these leaks was widely reported on, ultimately becoming a major national narrative of


The Technology 202: Josh Hawley escalates war with TikTok with new bill to limit U.S. data in China

bind, Kate Conger at the New York Times reports. “While Twitter’s potential new issues ads policy is more permissive than a total ban, it’s still going to be a challenge for groups who are trying to drive political or legislative change using the platform,” Nick DeSarno, the director of digital and policy communications at the Public Affairs Council, a nonpartisan, nonpolitical association for public affairs professionals, told Kate. The finalized ad policy also doesn’t police unpaid ads with misinformation, nor does the company have a fact-checking program in place, Tony and Isaac report. But Twitter argues that the new guidelines will make it easier for users to spot false information. “Anyone — whether they’re running an ad or not — can be held accountable for what they say and their actions in this space,” Del Harvey, the vice president for trust and safety at Twitter, said. NIBBLES: The international police agency Interpol will join calls from U.S. officials in condemning the spread of warrant-proof encryption services, citing their role in concealing child abuse, people briefed on the matter “Tech companies should include mechanisms in the design of their encrypted products and services whereby governments, acting with appropriate legal authority, can obtain access to data in a readable and useable format,” a draft of the resolution seen by Reuters said. The FBI introduced the resolution at an Interpol conference in Lyon, France, and it will be released without a formal vote by the other countries in attendance, sources told Joseph. The resolution echoes a recent push from the U.S. Justice Department, the United Kingdom and Australia to Facebook, urging the company to reverse its decision to use end-to-end encryption for its Messenger product. Interpol did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Sunday. The FBI referred questions to Interpol. BYTES: National security officials say that China is paying U.S. scientists to moonlight at Chinese institutions to gain access to U.S.-funded research and surpass the United States in technological development, U.S. authorities have flagged thousands of researchers recruited by Beijing for the “Talent Programs,” but prosecutors have found it difficult to prove wrongdoing in court. In one case, the Justice Department charged University of Kansas engineering professor Franklin Feng Tao with defrauding the university and U.S. government by failing to disclose his employment at a Chinese university. Tao alleged in court that the false charges were fabricated by an


Letter from the Editor

To our readers: The past year has brought a drumbeat of alarming news about the impact of climate change: shattered temperature records, deadly heat waves, accelerating sea level rise and more. Yet many people are working hard to turn things around, offering hope and inspiration. The Washington Post aims to give them the attention they deserve. Today we are introducing Climate Solutions, a new initiative focused on the individuals, companies and other organizations that are exploring ways to address our most significant environmental problems. We are launching this initiative with the support of Rolex, which seeks to spotlight innovators at the forefront of climate solutions. With strong reporting and writing as well as striking photography, videography and graphics, we will examine fresh approaches to persistent problems, such as plastic debris in the oceans and the environmental havoc wreaked by concrete, one of the most ubiquitous materials in the global economy. We will highlight the countries and companies that are pacesetters in reducing the emissions that cause global warming. And we will explore promising scientific innovations such as carbon capture and afforestation, as well as more contested concepts like solar radiation management. Along the way, we’ll introduce you to people who are committed to reducing their own carbon footprints. We’ll even help you sort through ideas for doing the same, with a regular feature called “Climate Curious.” Today we profile an Israeli company that says it can turn garbage into gold — specifically, a pseudo-plastic material that can be used to make an endless array of everyday items, from bricks to toys. The process promises to reduce not only the amount of waste we put into landfills, but also the greenhouse gases that would be emitted if that garbage were left to decompose. Another story takes you to Copenhagen, a city that vows to become carbon neutral by 2025. A third chronicles the race to save the world’s vanishing coral reefs. Future pieces will cover the push to plant a trillion trees, the original carbon-capture machines, as well as the American teenagers — mostly girls — galvanized by climate activist Greta Thunberg to save the planet. Climate Solutions can offer encouragement in a time of daunting environmental challenges. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please send them to climate@washpost.com. Sincerely, Martin Baron Executive Editor The Washington Post


The Health 202: Elizabeth Warren is no longer a Medicare-for-all purist

and hospitals in those areas has decreased by up to 15 percent. “In less than a decade, the virtual hospital has grown from a few part-time employees working out of a converted storage room into one of the country’s most dynamic 24-hour ERs, where a rural health-care crisis plays out on screen,” Eli writes. “Each month the monitors show an average of 300 cardiac episodes, 200 traumatic injuries, 80 overdoses and 25 burns. There are patients suffering from heat stroke in South Texas and frostbite in Minnesota — sometimes on the same day. There are drowning deaths in summer, gunshot wounds during hunting season, car accidents on icy roads, and snakebites in spring.” — Two out of three Americans say marijuana use should be legal, the Pew Research Center has found. The survey data shows just 8 percent say it should not be legal at all, down from the 15 percent who said it should be completely illegal in 2016, our Post colleague Christopher Ingraham reports. The Pew survey found 78 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of Republicans support legalization. “As with many political issues, the public’s preferences on marijuana are well to the left of where the policy currently stands,” Christopher writes. “The plant remains illegal for all purposes under federal law. Recreational marijuana is legal in 11 states plus D.C., in most cases because of voter-approved ballot initiatives. Most other states have some form of medical marijuana law, although in many cases there are severe restrictions on the conditions for which medical marijuana can be used, or on the types of marijuana that can be used.” — Most of the advertisements spreading false information about vaccines on Facebook were funded by two groups, including the World Mercury Project, a group led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., our Post colleague Lena H. Sun reports. “Researchers said the results surprised them. Much of the anti-vaccine content posted on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter may appear to be organic, grass-roots discussions led by neighborhood groups and concerned parents, said David A. Broniatowski, an associate professor at George Washington University and one of the authors of the study,” Lena writes. “…The study was conducted before Facebook changed its policies around anti-vaccine advertising, but researchers said it provides a look at how the platform has been used to spread misinformation.” False claims have spread online and social platforms in


How to find a good pest-control company

As it cools down outside, a lot of us will wage war inside with an annual invasion of pests. If you find yourself in this situation, think twice before hiring someone to evict your pests — usually you can take care of the problem yourself. If you end up hiring a pest-control service, shop around — there are big differences in quality, and you don’t have to pay more for good service. You can prevent or control most household pest problems by cutting off access to foods, keeping your home as clean as possible, reducing or eliminating excess moisture and sealing cracks and other entry points. Some steps to take for specific pest problems: • Ants: If you can locate the ants’ nest, spray it with insecticide. If the nest is outside, follow the ants’ movements to and from food sources. If the nest is inside walls or otherwise inaccessible, cut off the paths ants follow by caulking cracks and crevices. Also try using baits — our favorite is Terro liquid ant bait. Place bait stations in many locations where ants can easily find them but are not accessible to children and pets. • Carpenter ants: Because they are drawn to damp wood, you will need to prevent water from accumulating in your house. Clean gutters and downspouts, and cut tree limbs and shrubs that overhang the house. • Cockroaches: Keeping your home clean and dry is the first step. Caulk to seal cracks and other entry points. You can try sticky traps or “bait stations.” Sticky traps probably will not solve an infestation, but bait stations can solve a small one. Understand it may take a week because they dispense slow-acting poison. Boric acid is another effective roach killer. Blow it into cracks and crevices where people will not come into contact with it. • Mice and rats: Close off openings more than ¼ inch through foundation cracks, around door and window frames and elsewhere. After closing entry points, you may be able to bring a small infestation under control with traps. Peanut butter is effective bait. Place traps perpendicular to walls, with trigger ends toward the walls so rodents will run over them. Large infestations will require poison baits, which are usually anticoagulants. Be careful to place them out of reach of pets and children, and do not forget where they are. Two pests that can be particularly


The Washington Post launches Climate Solutions coverage

The Washington Post today unveiled Climate Solutions, a line of coverage that will explore the people and organizations focused on tackling global warming. The launch is in partnership with Rolex, whose Perpetual Planet campaign is assisting key individuals and institutions in tracking climate change and creating solutions. Climate Solutions, which will have a dedicated editorial and video staff led by Post Climate and Environment Editor Trish Wilson, will highlight a range of promising developments, from technological advances aimed at combating climate change and the efforts to deploy them widely, to everyday practices people can employ to reduce their carbon footprint. In addition, Climate Solutions will cover the people and organizations working to jump start the fundamental changes scientists say are necessary in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. “In recent years, The Post has expanded and deepened its coverage of the environment and climate change, and we are proud of our independent, vigorous journalism,” said Martin Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post. “We have aspired to expand our coverage to focus not just on the problem but on possible solutions and the people who are at the forefront of progress. We are pleased now to be able to do that.” Climate Solutions is an extension of The Post’s award-winning climate and environment coverage. Most recently, the climate team has focused on humanity’s efforts to cope in climate change hot spots in the United States and around the world through its “2°C: Beyond the Limit” series. For nearly a century, Rolex has been involved in exploration. And, since 1976, through the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, Rolex has supported pioneering individuals with projects that make the world a better place – many of which involve tracking environmental change and the protection of habitats and species. The Awards now form a central pillar of Perpetual Planet, which along with Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue, is creating a network of marine-protected Hope Spots across the oceans. In addition, the National Geographic Society is mounting a series of Perpetual Planet Expeditions to monitor climate change. Climate Solutions can be accessed at https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/.


Bei Bei showered with attention as National Zoo prepares to send him to China on Tuesday

Crowds flocked to the National Zoo in Northwest Washington over the weekend to bid their final goodbyes to Bei Bei, the giant panda cub, as he prepares to leave the only home he has known for China. Zoo officials have had a week of special activities for humans at the zoo — along with frozen fruit cakes for Bei Bei — as keepers prepare to fly the 240-pound panda to China on Tuesday as part of a deal between the two countries. China owns all giant pandas and leases them to U.S. zoos; they have to go to China when they turn 4 so they can be bred. Bei Bei was born at the zoo in 2015 and is the last of the zoo’s three giant panda cubs to go. His name means “precious treasure.” His leaving comes at a time of uncertainty for pandas at the zoo, where they have been a nearly constant — and popular — attraction for the last 47 years. Mei Xiang, his mother, had a “false pregnancy,” where female pandas can show signs of being pregnant but aren’t really pregnant, in March. That followed two other false pregnancies in the last few years. For now, it’s not known whether the zoo will get any new giant panda cubs. And it’s also unclear whether China will want back Mei Xiang and Bei Bei’s father Tian Tian, who were both born in China and have been on a long-term leases to the United States. Their lease expires next year on Dec. 7. Bei Bei is the third giant panda to have been born at the zoo and moved to China. Tai Shan moved in 2010, and Bao Bao moved in 2017. A week of events has marked Bei Bei’s imminent departure. Visitors over the weekend were served dumplings, courtesy of the Chinese Embassy. In turn, they wrote postcards and made friendship bracelets for the panda. Bei Bei got treats, too, including ice cakes filled with frozen juice, sweet potato and sugar cane. Over the last week, the zoo has been putting up messages on its social media accounts that read like a walk down memory lane of Bei Bei’s four years at the facility, using the hashtag #ByeByeBeiBei. It has shared the first ultrasound showing the panda and images of the cub playing in the snow at his enclosure. The zoo shared that pandas spend 10


now, it’s not known whether the zoo will get any new giant panda cubs. And it’s also unclear whether China will want back Mei Xiang and Bei Bei’s father Tian Tian, who were both born in China and have been on a long-term leases to the United States. Their lease expires next year on Dec. 7. Bei Bei is the third giant panda to have been born at the zoo and moved to China. Tai Shan moved in 2010, and Bao Bao moved in 2017. A week of events has marked Bei Bei’s imminent departure. Visitors over the weekend were served dumplings, courtesy of the Chinese Embassy. In turn, they wrote postcards and made friendship bracelets for the panda. Bei Bei got treats, too, including ice cakes filled with frozen juice, sweet potato and sugar cane. Over the last week, the zoo has been putting up messages on its social media accounts that read like a walk down memory lane of Bei Bei’s four years at the facility, using the hashtag #ByeByeBeiBei. It has shared the first ultrasound showing the panda and images of the cub playing in the snow at his enclosure. The zoo shared that pandas spend 10 to 16 hours a day eating about 20 to 40 pounds of bamboo each day. Some might be surprised to know that although pandas may look fluffy, their fur is “very coarse and dense like wool,” the zoo said on Twitter. That fur “acts as a cushion when cubs tumble and fall.” There have also been some reminders of how cute and entertaining Bei Bei has been. One video from the panda cam at his exhibit showed Bei Bei doing two of his favorite things: climbing and tumbling. The zoo also encouraged panda fans to make a mix tape of music that the panda might want to listen to on his long flight to China. Over the weekend, zoo officials said they saw an uptick in visitors, with more than 12,700 coming Saturday and Sunday, compared with 5,500 during the same weekend in 2018. Some visitors this weekend came from Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida, New York and New Jersey, according to zoo officials. On Tuesday morning, Bei Bei will be taken from his enclosure at the zoo and put in a crate and driven to Dulles International Airport, where he’ll be put on a FedEx plane with keepers


Why abruptly abandoning the drug war is a bad idea for Mexico

That U.S.-led anti-drug policies seemed to promote rather than restrict the international drug trade seemed less important. Yet much of Mexico’s touted progress was simply savvy rhetoric. Mexican leaders learned to use the right “war on drugs” language that appealed to U.S. counterparts while using American resources to advance their own interests in practice. In fact, drug control was never a top priority of the Mexican government. America’s developing drug war enhanced militarized policing in Mexico, but evidence suggests that Mexican political leaders used this aid to suppress domestic political dissent instead, which in time boosted the very groups trafficking drugs. The Mexican government’s strategy backfired because in working so hard to protect its sovereignty from the United States in matters of drug control, it inadvertently ceded its sovereignty to Mexico’s earliest drug cartels, which emerged during this period. Operation Condor, the 1975 U.S.-sponsored herbicidal eradication campaign, offers an example of how militarization led to repression while doing little to stifle the drug trade. As U.S. planes sprayed Mexican drug-producing states with powerful herbicides, the Mexican military led an intensive drug interdiction campaign on the ground. Poor communities were left vulnerable to violent abuses by Mexican authorities in their search for drugs, which included unlawful searches and seizures of homes, soldiers stealing food and cash from suspected producers, and at times, authorities opening fire on citizens. As the U.S.-led global anti-drug campaign expanded during the 1980s, so did the Mexican Army’s role in drug policing. How deeply the strategy of militarization became embedded in narcotics policing was evident in its impact on a Mexican soldier’s career. Whereas during the 1960s, drug control was considered a nonviolent, civic action duty, by the 1980s, participation in Mexico’s increasingly violent anti-drug operations counted toward a soldier’s combat experience. This is strikingly different from the United States, where the military plays a significantly minor role in drug enforcement. The consequences of the decades-long militarization of Mexican drug policing have been twofold. They have ensured U.S. military aid, enhancing Mexican security forces and ultimately ensuring the federal government maintains order and control, especially in drug-producing regions. But history has also shown that at times the government’s policing practices have hurt its credibility with the Mexican people. The result was that in the vicinity of the drug trade, Mexican citizens came to distrust the federal government because of abuses committed in the name of drug policing.


Trump’s pardon of two former Army officers has sparked new controversy. Here’s why.

On Friday, the White House announced that President Trump would issue executive grants of clemency — full pardons — to former Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance and Maj. Matt Golsteyn. The order releases Lorance, who is serving a 19-year prison sentence for ordering his platoon to open fire on unarmed men in Afghanistan. It prevents the trial of Golsteyn, accused of the 2010 extrajudicial killing of a suspected bombmaker. The White House’s statement also ordered the preretirement promotion of former Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was recently acquitted of murder charges for two separate incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the issuing of pardons is undoubtedly within the constitutional authority of the presidency, the recent decisions have sparked a contentious debate in military affairs and national security discussion circles. What does this mean for civil-military relations, the public’s opinion of the military as an institution, and U.S. domestic politics? Here are some takeaways from these recent events. Presidential interventions in military justice matters seldom avoid controversy. While the power to offer pardons rests with the Oval Office, presidents have generally supported the decisions of the military justice system. However, as veteran and former defense official Phillip Carter remarks, the recent pardon decisions are uniquely challenging to the military’s attempts to “lay the ghosts of the Vietnam War” to rest. These ghosts have lingered since President Nixon’s intervention on behalf of William Calley, architect of the infamous 1968 My Lai Massacre in which a small hamlet in Vietnam was the scene for some of that conflict’s worst atrocities. As many national security analysts and military veterans have noted, such pardons risk implicitly signaling that such actions are organizationally acceptable behavior. Similar concerns were expressed after the May pardoning of former Army officer Michael Behenna, convicted of similar misconduct during a 2008 deployment in Iraq. However, advocates for the pardons argue that military service members have been unduly constrained by organizational policies governing combat action. The resulting debate has drawn in a variety of voices on both sides. The pardons for Golsteyn and Lorance come at the end of several years of advocacy from prominent ex-military members of Congress and media personalities. The White House’s statement specifically mentioned Marine veteran and Rep. Duncan D. Hunter and former Army officer and “Fox and Friends” pundit Pete Hegseth. The list of past advocates for a pardon also includes ex-Navy SEAL and former interior secretary


divergent worldviews and ethical frames have had on U.S. civil-military relations. More specifically, the decisions place the military institution in a potentially difficult position, as civil-military relations scholar Steve Saideman noted after the Behenna decision in May. By staying out of the discussion, the military risks being seen as implicitly approving the behavior of the soldiers in question; by engaging directly in it, they risk violating dearly held norms governing civilian control of the process. But there is important utility to an ethically grounded fighting force: not simply to maintain the “high ground” morally, but as Dempsey remarked, failure to do so “signals our troops and allies that we don’t take the Law of Armed Conflict seriously.” As many scholars will attest, a central feature of strong democratic governance is a military that is structurally subordinated to civilian control and avowedly nonpartisan. However, the outcry by many over the recent pardon decisions undoubtedly raises questions over precedent in organizational ethics and, as Army lawyer and legal scholar Dan Maurer has noted, about the nature of judicial independence within the military itself. The decisions don’t just affect the functioning of civil-military affairs. They have potentially significant political implications as well. Republican lawmakers and conservative media personalities such as Hegseth have played an important role in advocating for the pardons. This may speak to the larger political benefits at stake as a critical election year begins. Furthermore, perceived benefits among the Republican base may be part of the reason for the decision. In a 2017 survey experiment as part of my own research, I measured partisan reactions among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. respondents, gathered through an online propensity-score matched panel from the survey firm YouGov. The respondents were exposed to various types of negative institutional behavior by the military, rooted in actual news stories, and I compared their expressions of trust in the military institution with a control group that received placebo information. While independents were mostly perturbed by battlefield failures or mistakes, Democrats found organizational scandals or ethics violations the most problematic. Republicans, on the other hand, were unmoved by any new information about failures or mistakes by the military. These results point to a widening partisan gap over public judgments about the military, which though the most esteemed institution in U.S. society, is far more trusted by Republicans than other demographics. The pardons effectively end the procedural


Transcript: Marie Yovanovitch’s Nov. 15 testimony in front of the House Intelligence Committee

remove me. What continues to amaze me is that they found Americans willing to partner with them, and working together, they apparently succeeded in orchestrating the removal of a U.S. ambassador. How could our system fail like this? How is it that foreign corrupt interests could manipulate our government? Which country's interests are served when the very corrupt behavior we have been criticizing is allowed to prevail? Such conduct undermines the U.S., exposes our friends and widens the playing field for autocrats like President Putin. Our leadership depends on the power of our example and the consistency of our purpose. Both have now been opened to question. With that background in mind, I'd like to briefly address some of the factual issues I expect you -- you may want to ask me about, starting with my timeline in Ukraine and the events about which I do and do not have firsthand knowledge. I arrived in Ukraine on August 22nd, 2016, and left Ukraine permanently on May 20th, 2019. There are a number of events you are investigating to which I cannot bring any firsthand knowledge. The events that predated my Ukraine service include the release of the so-called black ledger and Mr. Manafort's subsequent resignation from President Trump's campaign, and the departure from office of former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. Several other events occurred after I returned from Ukraine. These include President Trump's July 25th, 2019, call with President Zelensky, the discussions surrounding that phone call, and any discussions surrounding the delay of security assistance to Ukraine in the summer of 2019. As for events during my tenure in Ukraine, I want to -- to reiterate first that the allegation that I disseminated a do-not-prosecute list was a fabrication. Mr. Lutsenko, the former Ukrainian prosecutor general who made that allegation, has acknowledged that the list never existed. I did not tell Mr. Lutsenko or other Ukrainian officials who they should or should not prosecute. Instead, I advocated the U.S. position that rule of law should prevail and Ukrainian law enforcement, prosecutors and judges should stop wielding their power selectively as a political weapon against their adversaries, and start dealing with all consistently and according to the law. Also untrue are unsourced allegations that I told unidentified embassy employees or Ukrainian officials that Presidents (sic) Trump's orders should be ignored because he was going to be impeached, or for any other


In a bid for reelection, Louisiana’s governor seeks to reverse weak turnout from black voters

African American turnout could be insurmountable for Rispone if the trend persists through Election Day. Still, Couvillon released a poll on Thursday that showed the contest deadlocked, with Edwards and Rispone both receiving about 45 percent of the vote. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Edwards said the early voting results show that his efforts to more directly reach out to African Americans appears to be paying off. “There is an energy, there is an excitement, and there is a sense of urgency that, for whatever reason, didn’t exist during the primary,” Edwards said. African American leaders say the black community is rallying around Edwards as they become more aware of his record, including his successful push to expand Medicaid, increase teacher pay and overhaul the state’s criminal justice system to try to reduce racial disparities. Activists say Rispone, a 70-year-old millionaire construction contractor, also has helped to energize the black community by mounting a campaign that at times has appeared dismissive of New Orleans, a majority-black city and the state’s largest. Rispone frequently criticized New Orleans during his primary campaign, including repeated attacks accusing it of being a “sanctuary city,” a label that state and city officials have rejected. During the runoff election, Democratic-aligned groups have fought back with their own bare-knuckled tactics. In one radio ad by a group called the Black Organization for Leadership Development, or BOLD, Banks compares Rispone to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. “What is the difference between David Duke, Eddie Rispone and Donald Trump? The only difference is that Rispone will be governor if you don’t stop him,” Banks says. Republicans blasted the ad, but the message resonated with some shoppers at Palms Plaza shopping center in the primarily African American Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans. “Because of the president himself, I think now it’s kind of like a wake-up call and people are taking things a lot more seriously,” said Anthonise Banks, 42, while sitting under the hair dryer at B U Natural Hair Studio. “When [Trump] comes here, it makes everyone more alert that we could have someone like that run our state, and we don’t need that.” Anthonise Banks, a teacher, already voted for Edwards during early voting — which was a common response from patrons here in Gentilly, especially women. But others remain apathetic during the final hours of the campaign. Politicians “don’t give a f--- about us.


Mercury completes transit in front of sun. Next crossing set for 2032.

is not sufficiently large to cover whatever it’s moving in front of. The transit will begin shortly after sunrise on the East Coast. By the time the sun rises on the West Coast, the transit will be well underway, with Mercury nearing its deepest venture into the solar disk. The transit will wrap up at 1:04 p.m. Eastern time. In Europe and western Asia, the transit will occur during sunset. Over most of South America and the eastern United States/Canada, the whole event will coincide with the daylight hours, meaning the sun will be visible during the entire event. For the Pacific Coast, it’s a sunrise transit. Australia, the Maritime Continent, Southeast Asia, much of China and the Koreas will miss out on the event entirely. Nope. The tiny dot you’re looking for is just too small to see, even with eye protection. According to NASA, “Your best bet is a telescope with a certified sun filter, but other options include solar projection boxes and sun funnels.” You should never, under any circumstances, stare directly at the sun without proper protection. Though it may be tempting in this case, because Mercury is so small in comparison to the sun, you should not combine eclipse glasses and binoculars. That could cause permanent and irreversible eye damage. Live-streaming the event is probably your best option. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which is a space-based instrument staring at the sun, will be capturing imagery as Mercury photobombs the sun. You can tune into the live stream here. NASA and the European Space Agency also will provide updates from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). A few readers have asked about producing pinhole cameras as they did for the eclipse. Unfortunately, that won’t work in this case, either, because of the relative size of the two objects. Instead, projections using protectively covered telescopes could work, according to Space.com. Mercury transits occur 13 times per century, and the next one is slated for Nov. 13, 2032, although that one won’t be viewable from the United States. Mercury transits typically happen in May or November. That’s mainly because of how Earth aligns with Mercury’s orbit. In 2004 and 2012, Earth was treated to some rather spectacular transits of Venus. Our second planet from the sun, which is much larger and closer, appeared more noticeably on the solar disk. (Unfortunately, the next transit of Venus isn’t until 2117.)


Climate change will spark a baby boom of blue crabs. Then predators will relocate from the south and eat them.

Hillary L. Glandon, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, one of the three authors. The study published Thursday in the journal PLOS One has major implications for management of the bay’s wavering blue crab population, which supports a fishery worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Fishery managers in Maryland and Virginia have each placed limits on commercial crabbing to protect the animal in the hopes of boosting their struggling population. In this year’s annual baywide winter survey, the overall population nearly hit 600 million, a positive step for the crustacean, whose numbers fell to a critical low of 251 million about 12 years ago. But historical numbers were significantly higher before water quality, disease and relentless fishing imperiled the stock. A quarter-century has passed since the survey estimate last reached 800 million. In one brief shining moment early this decade, the juvenile population alone nearly matched this year’s overall population. It fell below a paltry 200 million last year before bouncing back to about 300 million this year. Blue crabs will be “a climate change winner,” said study co-author Tom Miller, a professor at the U-Md. center, “because they are a more tropical species.” Blue crabs range along the coastal Atlantic from Argentina, across the Caribbean Sea, all the way to New England up to Cape Cod. According to Miller, it was one of the rare positive effects from climate change. “We always hear about those species that are going to struggle or move. Blue crabs are going to do better.” Except there’s a “but,” and it’s a big one, said Anson Hines, director of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md., along the bay. Hines said the study does a good job tracking the changing climate and showing the unsurprising finding that a tropical species would flourish in warmer waters. But he emphasized another finding of the research, which shows that “things are not so simple.” A warming climate could lure more southern predators that enjoy snacking on blue crabs to the Chesapeake. On top of that, “warmer temperatures may have negative impacts on resources that are good for crabs,” Hines said. That includes underwater grasses in which they hide from predators, along with their own major food source, Baltic clams, that might not survive the warmth. “An added interesting aspect of this paper is that warming may also prolong the fishing


The world is getting hotter. Can temperature-controlled clothing provide some relief?

record, a stretch of scalding-hot months that have shattered temperature records around the globe. June has already been established as the globe’s hottest month on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Nine of the 10 hottest Junes have occurred since 2010,” NOAA reported. “Last month also was the 43rd consecutive June and 414th consecutive month with above-average global temperatures.” July has not provided the world with much relief. Paris reached 109 degrees during a heat wave earlier this month, and new heat records have also been set in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Last week, Britain suffered its hottest day ever, according to new provisional data released by the Met Office on Friday. The Reon Pocket is part of Sony’s First Flight crowdfunding program in Japan, which was created to encourage the development of new products and businesses, according to the company. The device is controlled using a smartphone that allows users to adjust their body temperature. After performing hundreds of simulations, Sony claims the device can lower the wearer’s body by 23 degrees or raise it by about 14 degrees. Sony claims the Reon Pocket only weighs about three ounces, making it easily concealed inside a “neck pocket,” which “can be worn without a sense of incongruity in appearance.” The rechargeable device will cost around $120 and be available only in Japan when it goes on sale next year, Sony said. A promotional video showing how the device works has already racked up more than 500,000 views. For those who don’t live in Japan, there are ample temperature-lowering clothing options online these days, some of them decidedly low-tech. There’s Snowballs, a company that makes cooling underwear for men, which markets itself as a way to increase male fertility by lowering the temperature in areas where sperm are produced. Women have cooling options, too. Cool58′s Bra Coolers claim its machine-washable pockets are not only discreet but also can be filled with freezable packs that cool the body when worn. “I feel like cooling down your chest starts cooling down your whole body,” Kristen McRobie, who uses bra coolers, told USA Today. MORE READING: A new autonomous delivery vehicle is designed to operate like a bicycle Ever wonder how much tech workers get paid in your town? This map might have the answer. After death of YouTube star, Amazon will push for e-scooter safety warnings in the U.K.


A field in D.C. will soon be home to 5,000 solar panels. It’s all because of local Catholic groups — and a message from the pope.

agency several hundred thousand dollars per year, according to Last. But the fiscal benefits are not the entire point, Morrow said. She cited “Laudato Si,” a 192-page paper Pope Francis released in 2015 that argues for a partnership between science and religion to combat human-caused climate change. In the document, whose title translates to “Be Praised,” Francis demanded an “ecological conversion” for faithful Catholics, exhorting them to embrace recycling, tree planting and carpooling. “We love being supportive of the pope’s position and believe that it really has helped advance the conversation within the Catholic community about our responsibility to be good stewards of this earth,” Morrow said. Vladimir Bulovic, a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who researches solar technology, said the work Catholic Energies is doing is vital and advances environmental goals. Using publicly available government data, Bulovic estimated that the production of the D.C. solar field will be equivalent to 2.5 percent — about one-fortieth — of all renewable energy currently generated in the District each year. That’s “a significant addition,” he said. “It’s important to be inspired about generating renewable energy capacity for the planet,” Bulovic said of Catholic Energies. Apart from their faith-driven funding, the solar panels are unusual in another way. They will sit atop a “pollinator meadow” of 650,000 nectar-bearing, flowering plants including black-eyed Susans, orange coneflowers and milkweed. The meadow is meant to reinvigorate local bee and butterfly populations, Last said. It will also become part of ongoing research, conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, into whether placing pollinator-friendly plants beneath solar panels increases their output and lifetime, said Rob Davis, the director of the Center for Pollinators in Energy, who consulted on the project. A University of Arizona study accepted for publication later this summer recently found that tomato plants can cool the area under solar panels, leading to augmented energy production, according to Davis. This “is a promising emerging trend in solar design and development,” Davis said. The plants were also a concession to locals, some of whom complained that solar panels would be too ugly — typically, they are built atop gravel or dirt. The field is adjacent to a large neighborhood where not all residents are fans of the project. The “majority” of people living near the field are concerned about the solar panels for several reasons, said Joyce Chandler, 57, a retired engineer


What the Space Age taught us: Earth is the best of all possible worlds

the researchers, Stuart Lee, said the air on the ISS “is very close to what we have on the ground.” The CO2 levels, he went on, are 0.3 percent of the air, compared to about 0.03 percent on the Earth’s surface. Scott Kelly quickly chimed in: “So it’s 10 times higher, Stuart. Right?” “So, yeah, it’s 10 times higher,” Lee acknowledged. Then there’s radiation. Earth’s magnetic field protects the ISS from much of the radiation of space. But an astronaut journeying to Mars would not have that protection and would be particularly vulnerable to “cosmic rays,” which are elementary particles of galactic origin that travel at nearly the speed of light and could potentially cause cancer, genetic damage and acute radiation sickness. Human psychology is another area of concern for NASA. Scott Kelly could look out a window and see the Earth. He could call home. He could be in touch, in real time. But a one-way trip to Mars using current technology would take at least six months — and probably longer. A radio signal between the spacecraft and the Earth would take minutes to travel across the interplanetary distances, rendering a normal conversation impossible. Boredom is a danger. So are interpersonal conflicts among crew members. “It’s a certainty when people go to Mars some of those people are going to suffer major psychiatric symptoms because that’s just the nature of the way people are,” said Twins Study co-author Andrew Feinberg of Johns Hopkins University. A human being is a composite organism — a collaboration involving trillions of microbes, most of them residing in our gut. The microbes emerge from, and have intimate connections to, the Earth. Mars not only doesn’t have the kind of air, water, gravity and radiation that we’re used to, it also, almost surely, doesn’t have the right kind of bacteria. None of this prevents a human mission to Mars or other places in space. Never underestimate the ingenuity of future generations. But the greatest technological leaps since Apollo have occurred in the realm of 0’s and 1’s — the digital revolution. Robots do well in space. Any mission to the moon or Mars has to justify a human presence. NASA plans to put another rover on Mars soon, one designed to obtain soil samples that can someday be sent back to Earth robotically. It’s a scientific echo of what the Apollo astronauts did. The


The new plan to remove a trillion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere: Bury it

tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by paying farmers to modify their practices. Called the Terraton Initiative (a “teraton” is a trillion tons), the company forecasts that the initiative will sign up 3,000 farmers globally with more than 1 million acres in 2019. David Perry, the company’s chief executive, says he has lined up a group of buyers who will buy carbon credits — nonprofit groups as well as consumer-focused food companies that could claim their products are not merely carbon neutral, but carbon negative. Farmers will be given training and tools to institute what are known as “regenerative” practices. Indigo scientists will test soil samples for carbon content and farmers will be paid accordingly. “It’s completely outcome-based,” Perry said. “We don’t really care how you get there. There’s no requirement to be big or small, organic or conventional.” At the core is the idea that plants breathe, and through the process of photosynthesis turn carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into sugars that become leaves, stems and roots. When a plant dies, decay brings organic material, a component of which is large carbon-based molecules called humic acids, into the soil and binds them to the soil’s molecules. Thus the carbon is “captured” underground. The healthier and more fertile the soil, the more carbon it can store. The Rodale Institute, a major agricultural think tank, predicts that more than 100 percent of current annual global carbon emissions could be captured with a switch to widely available and inexpensive farming practices — such as not turning the soil over through tilling or plowing; replanting with cover crops after a main crop has been harvested; and rotating through different crops to put a variety of nutrients back in the ground. Merely planting trees won’t get the world very far. Large and slower-growing trees can sequester more carbon than smaller plants, but the world faces dramatic deforestation and has enormous agricultural needs. Farming seems like a practical focus for how to mitigate growing atmospheric carbon. Whether they can get to 1 trillion tons of carbon is unknown, Perry says, but this represents one of the largest agricultural experiments lately, with software and satellite tools available to every farmer who signs up. The goal is to find out which crops, practices and geographic locations have the ability to drive more carbon into the soil. To start, Indigo will pay farmers $15 per ton of


Governments could take decades to save species. Here’s what you can do now.

he said. “The less resources we need, the less pressure on the environment. People turning off the tap while they’re brushing their teeth. Not using a huge amount of water washing the car every bloody Sunday.” Wetlands and rivers that support fish and hundreds of other creatures are also being drained to support human consumption, the report said. Water is often funneled to development, ranches and farms and industries that produce everything from food to steel to paper. More than 40 percent of amphibian species and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened, the report said. “At least 680 vertebrate species had been driven to extinction since the 16th century and more than 9 percent of all domesticated breeds of mammals used for food and agriculture had become extinct by 2016, with at least 1,000 more breeds still threatened.” In the United States, farms are responsible for displacing tens of millions of acres of insect habitat. Not only do farmers spray poisons that kill the animals, but in the Midwest, they removed wild prairie land that preserved the soil and sustained thousands of species of bugs and birds. Wild prairie is an oasis for hornets and bees that are increasingly disappearing. Dickcissel birds and blackbirds dart about to gather food, mate and protect nests. Butterflies flutter between flowers and milkweed, which is also where monarch butterflies relax during their epic multigenerational migration through the United States between Mexico and Canada every year. Monarch butterfly populations have dropped dramatically because of insecticides and loss of habitat. But homeowners and gardeners can offset the loss. “Providing small spaces for species to live or hide from predators helps,” O’Mara said. Rather than using a bug zapper to kill mosquitoes, enlist a bat to do the job by putting a bat box in a tree or on a pole in the yard. An invasive fungus brought by travelers from Europe has killed at least 7 million bats in the United States. A disease known as white nose syndrome attacks the animals as they hibernate in abandoned mines and caves. “One bat eats 100 mosquitoes a day,” O’Mara said. “I’d rather have a mosquito in a bat’s belly than on my arm. Frankly bats do a lot more than eliminate mosquitoes. They’re also great pollinators. If it wasn’t for us being afraid as kids by vampires, bats wouldn’t be nearly as scary.”


The London Marathon’s method for reducing plastic bottles: Edible seaweed pouches

down on the flood of plastic waste that accompanies major sporting events. Created by a London-based start-up called Skipping Rocks Lab, the seaweed pouches, known as Ooho, are edible and biodegradable, dissolving in about a month when discarded, according to the company. To access the ounce of liquid inside each pouch, runners merely have to bite into the pouch or place the entire pod inside their mouth and start chewing. Video taken during the race showed runners doing exactly that, offering race organizers and company officials a mass experiment in the use of an alternative sustainable material. “What we use is the building blocks of seaweed,” Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, a Skipping Rocks Lab founder, told CNN, referring to the pouches thin outer membrane. “We remove all the green stuff and the smelly stuff.” “The marathon is a milestone. ... We are hoping we will demonstrate that it can be used at scale in the future,” Gonzalez added. Most kinds of plastic water bottles are recyclable, but their use has accelerated so much in recent years that efforts to reuse the material have failed to keep up, according to the Guardian. The paper reports that 1 million plastic bottles are purchased around the world every minute, a rate that is expected to increase in the coming years as demand for the bottles skyrockets in Asia. Scientists have called plastic litter, which is being dumped in the ocean at alarming rates, “one of this generation’s key environmental challenges.” Race organizers say they’re attempting to cut down on the use of plastic and assured critics on Twitter this weekend that bottles used in the event would be recycled. In total, CNN reported, the number of plastic bottles was reduced from 920,000 in 2018 to 704,000 this year. “The changes and the trials we’re introducing for this year have the potential to change how mass participation events are delivered in future,” Hugh Brasher, the marathon director, told CNN. On their website, Skipping Rocks Lab says it makes “packaging disappear.” The company claims its seaweed packets can be used for holding more than just water. The company is also pitching the packets as a way to hold alcoholic cocktails, juice and condiments like ketchup and salad dressing. “Espresso Martinis have been the most popular product at festivals, where eating the packaging is also part of the experience,” Pierre-Yves Paslier, Garcia Gonzalez’s business partner, told CNN.


A climate change solution slowly gains ground

past the boiling point of 100 degrees Celsius, hot enough to free the carbon dioxide so it can be pumped into pipes or storage tanks. Currently, the Climeworks uses free waste heat from a local incinerator, reducing its costs. Global Thermostat has a somewhat different model than the other two. The company is the brainchild of two Columbia University professors: Chichilnisky, an economist and mathematician who took part in the 1990s climate conference in Kyoto, and Peter Eisenberger, an applied physicist who has worked at Bell Laboratories, Exxon, Princeton and now Columbia University. With his flyaway hair, he bears a passing resemblance to Dr. Emmett Brown from the film “Back to the Future.” “When Peter and Graciela first talked about this, people thought it was crazy,” said Miles Sakwa-Novak, the plant’s young engineer. He says that Carbon Engineering essentially takes two mature processes and combines them in a new way, but that Global Thermostat is developing something new. “We literally farm the sky,” Chichilnisky says in a company video. The company’s early investors included the Canadian tycoon Edgar Bronfman and the utility NRG, one of the biggest U.S. emitters. The company’s process uses devices called monoliths that look like sponges to maximize surface area. That area is covered with amines, the nitrogen based chemical that naturally absorbs carbon dioxide from the air. The monoliths are similar to those used in catalytic converters and Chichilnisky says that the manufacturer Corning has provided key materials. The next step — prying the carbon dioxide loose — is harder and more expensive. Yet Global Thermostat only needs to heat up its amine cells to 80 degrees Celsius, less than what it takes to boil a cup of tea, lower than its competitors and thus relatively cheaper. This is the dark secret of virtually all carbon capture techniques: They tend to use large amounts of energy, which adds to carbon emissions and costs. Some say they can be combined with solar installations. So far, Carbon Engineering has tapped into cheap Canadian hydro power. Many analysts wonder why the direct air capture companies don’t place their devices near the exhaust of a natural gas or coal plant. Chichilnisky explains that sometimes lower concentrations work better, just as gasoline in a combustion engine needs oxygen. She said that their process requires less energy and works best at concentrations found in the air at 400 parts per million,


Lt. Col. Vindman to describe his alarm over president’s call with Ukrainian leader, girding for Republican attack

as a witness last month, Trump and his allies have denounced Vindman. The president called him a “Never Trumper witness,” and on Fox News, Laura Ingraham described Vindman as “a U.S. national security official . . . working inside the White House, apparently against the president’s interests.” The attacks picked up again on the eve of his testimony. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) suggested in a letter released Monday that Vindman fits the profile of “a significant number of bureaucrats and staff members within the executive branch [who] have never accepted President Trump as legitimate and . . . react by leaking to the press and participating in the ongoing effort to sabotage his policies and, if possible, remove him from office.” Vindman’s lawyer, Michael Volkov, called Johnson’s assertion “such a baseless accusation, so ridiculous on its face, that it doesn’t even warrant a response.” “Lt. Col. Vindman is a patriotic veteran, awarded the Purple Heart, who has selflessly served this country for over 20 years,” Volkov added. The attacks have upset Vindman and his twin brother, who both enlisted in the U.S. Army and launched careers in government, with both assigned to the White House National Security Council, according to a person familiar with Vindman’s thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing inquiry. He plans on emphasizing his service to the country, as he did during his closed-door testimony last month, said the person, who stressed that he has no animus toward the president and describes himself as nonpartisan. “I am a patriot, and it is my sacred duty and honor to advance and defend our country, irrespective of party or politics,” Vindman told lawmakers in October. “I have dedicated my entire professional life to the United States of America.” That theme is expected to be echoed by Democrats, who will seek to portray him as a lifelong public servant who took the risk of alerting his superiors to a presidential action that he believes ran counter to U.S. national security interests and possibly the law. Republicans plan to cast Vindman as a low-level aide who operated outside proper channels — and someone who they suggest may have been agitating against Trump and leaking information. On Monday evening, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Douglas A. Collins (R-Ga.), released a letter expressing “concern regarding the credibility and judgment” of Vindman. “According to the