U. S. charges Chinese hackers in alleged theft of vast trove of confidential data in 12 countries

to Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. Many of the industries targeted in the Stone Panda hacks are featured in the Chinese government’s Made in China 2025 program, which aims to supplant the United States as the global leader in 10 advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing, Rosenstein added. China responded to the charges angrily as it accused the United States of “fabricating facts out of nothing” and called the indictments “thoroughly nasty.” “We urge the U.S. to immediately correct its mistakes, stop its slanderous smearing of China on cybersecurity issues and withdraw the so-called indictments against Chinese personnel, so as to avoid serious damage to bilateral relations and cooperation on related fields,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday, adding that the Chinese government has “never participated in or supported” trade-secret thefts. Beijing also accused Britain and other U.S. allies of joining Washington in spreading fabricated “rumors” about China with “ulterior motives.” It warned that this could hurt their ties with China. “We urge these countries to respect the facts and stop the deliberate defamation of China,” the Foreign Ministry said. In November, in one of his last official actions, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a major initiative to combat Chinese commercial spying, building on four years of prosecutorial effort. The department vowed to aggressively pursue trade-secret theft cases and identify researchers and defense industry employees who have been “co-opted” by Chinese agents seeking to transfer technology to China. While the show of anti-China unity was notable, the administration pulled back from plans for tougher action after warnings from the treasury secretary. Mnuchin’s 11th-hour intervention left administration hard-liners fearing Beijing would view the limited actions as a sign that the president lacks the stomach for an all-out confrontation. “We don’t comment on sanctions actions or deliberations, but it’s important to note that these issues are completely separate from trade,” said a Treasury Department spokesman asked to comment on the reports. Thed administration’s action entailed statements from four Cabinet agencies — Justice, State, Energy and Homeland Security — while Treasury remained on the sidelines. The condemnations also pose a complication as Trump and Xi seek to negotiate a trade deal. Over dinner in Buenos Aires earlier this month, the two leaders agreed to a truce in their months-long tariff war. Talks between U.S. and Chinese diplomats are expected to begin early next month. The Trump administration


Trump was right to pull out of Syria and Afghanistan. This is what he should do next.

Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is on the Armed Services Committee and represents Silicon Valley. President Trump is receiving an onslaught of criticism for his decision to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Congressional Democrats should not pile on without offering an alternative vision. We should applaud the president’s desire to put an end to these interventions, but should challenge him to assemble a team that does so with better planning and diplomacy. We should articulate a foreign policy doctrine of responsible withdrawal that prioritizes restraint and human rights. Let’s start with a fact that the mainstream media has glossed over when criticizing Trump’s Syria decision: His decision is in compliance with U.S. and international law. The presence of U.S. troops in the Syrian civil war was never authorized by Congress. We are also violating international law by invading Syria without the approval of the United Nations. Before any administration official can advocate keeping troops in Syria to fight the Islamic State, Congress needs to offer authorization. Trump also deserves credit for standing up to the war hawks within his own administration who started inventing rationales for remaining in the country: countering Iran and seeing an end to the Assad regime. That is the definition of mission creep. While Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a brutal dictator and should be tried at the Hague for international war crimes, the United States should not militarily overthrow him. There is no doubt Trump should have articulated a more prudent withdrawal strategy. He could have consulted beforehand with our allies and regional partners. One alternative to an immediate withdrawal in Syria is announcing a full withdrawal over the next few months. That would give us time to prepare local forces and to deploy intelligence platforms and networks that address potential terrorist threats. We also cannot just leave without some consideration of our moral obligations to the Syrians that come from having engaged in war. We need to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians and accept our fair share of refugees. Trump should have used his leverage with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ensure a cease-fire and guarantee protection for the Kurds. We should not sell Turkey Patriot missiles until we get that commitment. In the case of Afghanistan, Trump announced that we will be reducing our troop level by 7,000. This is, fortunately, a reversal of his deployment of 3,000 troops there in September 2017.


Jamal Khashoggi’s final months as an exile in the long shadow of Saudi Arabia

to Washington. His departure triggered a further attempt to secure his obedience. This time it came not from Qahtani but the Saudi information minister, who called Khashoggi in August to tell him that the writing ban had been lifted and that the government might be prepared to give him money to set up a pro-Saudi think tank in Washington. The minister, Awwad Alawwad, the former Saudi ambassador to Germany, also relayed a potentially unsettling request. “The crown prince would like to see you,” the minister said, according to a Khashoggi colleague who overheard the call. Saudi officials deny that the minister mentioned Mohammed. Always conflicted about his relationship with the royals, Khashoggi explored the think tank offer, and even submitted a proposal, according to documents reviewed by The Post. His plan described an entity that would be called the “Saudi Research Council” in Washington, with an initial budget of $1 million to $2 million. The proposal outlined ideas such as cultivating relationships with other influential organizations, but it seemed aimed at shoring up the Saudi reputation abroad. It notes, for example, that “an irresponsible media” had unfairly maligned the kingdom over alleged connections to terrorist groups for many years, and that the council could work on behalf of Riyadh “to regain its positive role and image.” The proposal also outlined a plan to form a team for the purpose of “monitoring potential negative news.” The team would follow emerging story lines and social media “that might explode against the kingdom” then “notify the ministry in Riyadh.” The prospect of such a Saudi-friendly endeavor appealed to members of Khashoggi’s family who at times faced travel restrictions and other hardships imposed by Riyadh in apparent retaliation for his work. Khashoggi’s eldest son, Salah, a banker in Saudi Arabia, and other family members urged him to pursue the think tank plan. But Khashoggi was also being prodded by others to reject Riyadh’s entreaties, and it’s not clear that the ministry of information was ever prepared to proceed. Khashoggi appears to have reached a fateful decision in this period to turn further away from the only country he ever considered home. His marriage subsequently disintegrated and his eldest son cut off contact with him for months, friends and associates said. Khashoggi’s children declined to be interviewed for this article. In conversations, Khashoggi seemed alternately despondent and invigorated, proclaiming to one friend: “I am a


As Trump battles Congress, federal workers are caught in the middle

to do them.” Large numbers of federal workers would remain on the job, however, even though they would not get paid until the budget impasse is over. If the agencies close at midnight, it will not be noticeable to most Americans, since most federal offices will be closed anyway. Border Patrol agents will still be on patrol for middle-of-the-night border crossers and on duty at ports of entry. Air traffic controllers will still be on overnight shifts. Meat inspectors who work the midnight shift will report to work. So will wildland firefighters. At the Justice Department, roughly 80 percent to 84 percent have been deemed essential, in large part because the Bureau of Prisons must keep running, and because of public safety and national security dimensions of the FBI and other Justice officials. “In the civil arena, typically attorneys with filing obligations that cannot be rescheduled will be allowed to meet court deadlines for filings [and] appearances,” the department said in a statement. Even though employees deemed “essential” will be paid when the shutdown ends, the delay will squeeze those who are relatively low-paid, like Forest Service firefighters. “Many of these are seasonal employees living close to the poverty line,” said Randy L. Erwin, national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, which represents about 30,000 of those who will be affected by the shutdown. “These are people who cannot just float a no-interest loan to the government.” Some agencies have their own income streams. The government-owned Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides electricity to 10 million people in seven states, will not be affected. In the event of a U.S. federal government shutdown, the Smithsonian can use prior-year funds to remain open to the public. All Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo will remain open at least through Jan. 1. Smithsonian museums are always closed Dec. 25. People sending thank you cards for holiday gifts will still be able to ship those out in the mail. U.S. Postal Service operations would not be affected by a shutdown, and all post offices would stay open as usual, a spokeswoman said in a statement, because the U.S. Postal Service is “an independent entity that is funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars.” Some government workers refused to let the budget impasse spoil their Christmas cheer. In the event of a government shutdown, the North


The Smithsonian and National Gallery plan to remain open despite shutdown

is anyone’s guess. Finding the money to stay open is a big deal for the Smithsonian. “It’s one of our busiest times of year,” spokeswoman Alex Fairchild says. Attendance can jump 50 to 75 percent in the weeks around Christmas, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture had announced that the museum would extend its hours until 7:30 p.m. from Dec. 26 to 29 to meet the increased demand for tickets. If the Smithsonian closes for an extended period, it can be a boon for the city’s numerous private museums. During the 2013 shutdown, which stretched for 16 days, the National Museum of Women in the Arts “got calls from tour groups who had been planning to go to other museums and wanted to make sure we’d be open,” says director of communications Amy Mannarino. More than 3,000 furloughed workers took advantage of the museum’s offer of free admission with a government ID, “which, for us, was a very significant number at that time,” Mannarino says. The National Building Museum and the Phillips Collection, which saw its daily attendance double during the 2013 shutdown, plan to offer free admission again to those with government IDs. There were reassurances from Kennedy Center and Ford’s Theatre, which receive federal funds but don’t use them to stage performances, that all shows will go on. (The Kennedy Center will cut its hours and public tours because the government pays for such services as security and trash removal, which are curtailed during a shutdown.) Meanwhile, there was silence from the National Park Service, which didn’t return repeated phone calls or emails about the effects of a shutdown on the nation’s front yard. During recent shutdowns, the Park Service has simply not staffed its properties, including the Mall, by closing restrooms and canceling tours. But since it can’t prohibit access to the Lincoln Memorial or the grassy areas near the Smithsonian facilities, tourists and locals roamed the area freely. (The enduring image of the 2013 shutdown remains a crowd removing barricades in front of the World War II Memorial so a group of veterans on an Honor Flight could visit.) Another thing missing from the never-ending discussion on the potential shutdown: happy-hour specials. Hill staffer favorite Capitol Lounge announced a menu of cleverly named cocktails that will cost $5 for the shutdown’s duration, including the MadDog 20/20-based Nothing Really Mattis and a tequila


Mattis endured a lot. Here’s why this was the last straw.

an ersatz Cabinet meeting staged for TV cameras, Mattis just said it was an honor to serve the men and women of the nation’s armed services. I never caught him bending his own strict code of conduct toward the troops — until last month. That was when he went along with Trump’s decision to send American troops to the Mexican border to counter an alleged invasion by a caravan of desperate would-be immigrants. I don’t need insider accounts to know that Mattis choked on using troops as part of Trump’s base political ploy. But at least the troops sent to Texas were not exposed to danger. The same cannot be said for Trump’s irrational, boastful, abrupt public announcement of his decision to withdraw the 2,000 or so American troops now in Syria’s war zone. Informing the world, including the Islamic State and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, of the shape of troop movements even before a plan for getting those troops out safely has been drawn up, was the last straw of treacherous action for Mattis. Telegraphing withdrawal while they are still in the field exposes troops to attack by the enemy, or from previously friendly forces now likely to feel betrayed, and would complicate hopes of reinforcement in extremis. Mattis is fond of calling Washington a “strategy-free zone” no matter who is in the White House. (Mattis’s blunt arguments with Obama-era officials over Iraq got him fired as a theater commander, a move that probably boosted his chances of getting the top job at the Pentagon with Trump.) Now Trump seems determined to make Mattis a prophet by operating without any strategic underpinning for his actions. The Syrian withdrawal could — with difficulty — be justified as part of an overall realignment of U.S. forces in the region, as could Trump’s desire to cut in half the 14,000-troop presence in Afghanistan. But Trump has made it clear that he is acting for purely political reasons having to do with campaign pledges he made, as has been the case with his threats to shut down the government over border wall funding. Such moves will have offended the core of decency that is Mattis’s most dominant personal characteristic. He would have been upset by the implicit betrayal of the Kurds (an old American habit) in Syria and of our Western allies who rallied to the American war in Afghanistan. But Trump’s cavalier


What happens when the government shuts down: Late paychecks, closed museums and more

With President Trump and Congress at an impasse over federal spending, the country is in the throes of a partial government shutdown that has shuttered offices and threatens to hold up paychecks during the holiday season and affect popular tourist attractions nationwide. Here’s a selection of some of the questions people might have. Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Airport security checkpoints will also remain at full staffing, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Safety Administration said, though she added that those workers will not be getting paid. (The assumption is that they will be paid retroactively.) And for those of you taking trains: Amtrak “will continue normal operation” during any short-term shutdown, a spokesman said Friday. Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Employees deemed essential, otherwise known as “excepted workers,” who must work during the shutdown, will get paid for that time after the shutdown, according to guidance released by the Office of Personnel Management. For furloughed employees, however, it’s up to Congress whether they get paid for the shutdown period; after every previous shutdown, Congress has passed legislation mandating that furloughed workers be paid. Q: A: A person planning to be away from the office next week does not necessarily have to rush back Wednesday just for the “orderly shutdown” process. The Office of Management and Budget says agencies can let them do that on the first day they were already set to come back. Q: A: mark.berman@washpost.com lisa.rein@washpost.com


The lure of chaos is leading Britain straight into the abyss

gridlock might make it possible. The prime minister has not managed to secure a parliamentary majority for the withdrawal plan that she negotiated with the European Union. Instead, she has postponed the vote, and this week the government started planning for a “no deal” exit. If this comes to pass, hundreds of trade and other agreements between Britain and the continent will simply become invalid on March 29, the day the negotiating clock runs out. Unless the E.U. decides to offer extensions, customs checks and tariff barriers will automatically snap into place — and nobody really knows what that means. There could be shortages of food and medicine; already, the British state is buying extra refrigeration units. Flights could be grounded. Contracts could be invalidated. Millions of British citizens living in Europe, and millions of E.U. citizens living in Britain, will be in legal limbo. Britain’s relationships with its most important allies and economic partners could be permanently affected by a period of chaos, for many decades into the future. But the real point is that nobody knows what will follow, because no nation in modern times has ever deliberately cut itself off from all of its most important trading partners, and ended all of its more important cultural and political relationships, overnight. My guess is that the impact will be drawn out, so that it will be many years before the damage is clear; others think it will be swift, causing immediate hardship. But mostly it is unknown — which makes it the perfect focus for hopeful fantasies. Given the British reputation for caution and conservatism, it’s quite astonishing how many now welcome the prospect of economic crisis with enthusiasm. A sudden drop in economic activity will be good for the nation’s soul, some believe; everyone will buck up, tighten their belts and work harder. “The British are among the worst idlers in the world,” a group of pro-Brexit MPs wrote recently. What is needed, they seem to think, is a shock, a period of hardship, a challenge. This will return a slothful, decadent Britain to its essence, reveal the country’s plucky character. Boris Johnson has also called for a revival of “the dynamism of those bearded Victorians,” a return to the era of colonial glory. On the other side of the political spectrum, there is a different sort of fantasy. The opposition Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, hails from


There may be peace on Earth somewhere. But there’s murder in D.C.

range in a stairwell next to the apartment building where he lived with his mother and grandmother. One of the suspects arrested and charged with first-degree murder was Malik Holston — who was 16 years old. In July, 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson, heading to an ice cream truck, was hit in the chest by one of several shots fired indiscriminately into a crowd of people by two men in black masks who drove off in a black Infiniti. Holding Makiyah in her arms, her mother, Donnetta Wilson, was heard to cry out, “Please don’t let my baby die.” Prayers don’t always get answered the way we want. Makiyah died in a hospital shortly afterward. Last May, the homicide rate spiked 41 percent from the same time the previous year, from 39 to 55. Police Chief Peter Newsham, during a “Crime Walk” tour in the 14th Street NW corridor with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), declared: “We’re going to stop this little uptick in violence. . . . We’re going to end up having a good summer here in the District.” Promises don’t always come true. Another writer’s rant? Yes . . . and no. I can’t get past the cruelty, the suffering, the violence. It’s hard to enter a season of great joy and a time for a forward look at life in the midst of so much brokenness. At a news conference Tuesday, when two homicide arrests were announced, Bowser denounced violence in our city that she said is “fueled by illegal firearms.” I don’t think that’s the whole story. Hatred, greed, jealousies, fear for survival fuel violence. The drug business, dysfunctional gang culture, poor social conditions where aggression and threatening behavior abound inspire violence. What guns do is make violence easier, enabling the people who want to kill or hurt badly. Yes, get at the guns. D.C. police are taking guns off the streets as fast as they can find them: 2,191 last year, 1,870 in 2016; 35 firearms recently recovered between Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, including a Taurus 9mm handgun toted by a 16-year-old. But getting at what ails this city means delving deep into the problems that are churning families, children, neighborhoods and community life — in which turning to a gun is easy — and where the spirit of Christmas has no home. That’s where our attention belongs. kingc@washpost.com Read more from Colbert King’s archive.


What closes when the government shuts down?

Affairs is not one of the affected agencies, so the hospitals will operate normally. Weather forecasts - OPERATING The National Weather Service continues services related to weather forecasts, but any further research would cease. GOVERNMENT FACILITIES Federal office buildings for affected agencies - CLOSED Facilities for the affected agencies would be closed. Presidential libraries - MIXED The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) administers presidential libraries for all presidents since Herbert Hoover. NARA-operated portions of presidential libraries will be closed. Any other portion of the library administered by a private foundation may stay open. International Space Station - OPERATING NASA will continue to support planned operations at the International Space Station. Local parks, schools, libraries and city government buildings - OPERATING Since these entities are controlled locally and not by the federal government, they are not affected by the shutdown. RECREATION National parks and monuments - MIXED Many national parks would be open, but their visitor centers and restrooms would be closed and there would be no trash collection or park rangers on duty. Historical homes and select monuments, like the Statue of Liberty, would be closed. Smithsonian museums (and the National Zoo mole rat cam) - OPERATING Smithsonian institutions are funded through the end of the year, so mole rat queen viewing continues undeterred. TRAVEL AND SHIPPING Passport offices - MIXED Passport and visa services will remain open. However, those located inside federal buildings of agencies that have shut down will be closed. Read more Airports - OPERATING Air traffic controllers, TSA officers and customs agents would continue to work at airports, although some may be working without pay. Amtrak - OPERATING Amtrak continues normal operations during a short-term shutdown. Border security - OPERATING The Department of Homeland Security decribes border security as mission critical and related personnel as essential. U.S. Postal Service - OPERATING The U.S. Postal Service is an independent agency, so it is not affected by the partial government shutdown. OTHER Many federal research operations - CLOSED Some government research projects, such as geological and weather research, will cease. The Census Bureau would delay reports on home spending and new constructions. Nongovernmental organizations that already received government grants, however, would not be affected by the shutdown. Civil litigation - MIXED Some civil litigation will be curtailed or postponed at the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission. Other agencies may do the


National parks in D.C. area mostly open, but few rangers or bathrooms

The majority of the Washington area’s national parks will remain open during the government shutdown, but there may not be anyone there to answer your questions, and the restrooms will likely be closed, the National Park Service said Sunday. Most park roads, trails and green space will still be accessible, but no visitors centers or services will be available, which means no restrooms, the Park Service said. Also, park areas that normally close after dark will be closed at all times, and emergency and rescue services will be limited. Some sites will be closed because of the government shutdown, including the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site, although performances will still be held at the theater as scheduled. Among the other shuttered facilities: the entrance roads and visitors centers at the Great Falls parks on both the Virginia and Maryland sides of the Potomac River; Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium; and the White House Visitor Center also will be closed for the duration of the shutdown. Also closed are Hains Point, the Clara Barton National Historic Site, Fort Marcy, Oxon Hill Farm, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, according to a Park Service news release. The Smithsonian museums will stay open through Jan. 1, and the National Gallery of Art will stay open through Dec. 31, using funds that have already been allocated to them. As they have during past shutdowns, the privately operated National Building Museum and the Phillips Collection will be open and plan to offer free admission to those with government IDs. The parking lot at the Gravelly Point viewing area near Reagan National Airport is still open for people to park their cars and watch the planes land. But the portable restrooms are locked because of the government shutdown and not available for use. Portable restrooms are being provided by Guest Services Inc. at the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument grounds (the monument was already closed for repairs), the World War II Memorial, and at the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park. All marinas on national park property will remain open, the Park Service said, including Belle Haven, James Creek, Columbia Island, Washington Sailing Marina and Fort Washington Marina. Also open are Glen Echo Park, the golf courses at East Potomac and Langston parks, and the tennis courts at East Potomac and Rock Creek parks.


One month after student death, Maryland is still working to combat adenovirus on its campus

see every year.” As the virus spread in College Park, U-Md. officials notified fraternities and sororities so they could take protective measures during social events. They also contacted students with conditions that might put them at higher risk, such as those with asthma or diabetes. Among the students who have stopped by the student health center for adenovirus testing: Jonathan Allen, student body president. He was feeling poorly, so decided to be tested for the virus. His came back negative. “It’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said. “Get checked up and take a virus test, if need be.” During winter break, crews will work to clean residence hall rooms, wiping down bed frames, light switches and doorknobs, McBride said, a precaution that doesn’t normally happen during the gap in the academic calendar. Earlier in the first semester, U-Md. dealt with concerns regarding mold in a campus residence hall, which became so severe students had to temporarily relocate to hotels. The student who died of an adenovirus-associated illness, 18-year-old Olivia Paregol, lived in Elkton Hall, the dorm affected by mold, prompting questions about whether the virus and the mold might be related. But the CDC said no link exists between mold and adenovirus, and McBride also dismissed those concerns. “We’re seeing cases in residence halls across campus, and both on and off campus, and there’s definitely not a consistent connection between students who are living in Elkton and those who we’ve detected to have adenovirus,” McBride said. McBride said he has spoken with a lot of parents and understands their concerns — one student has died, and others have been admitted to the hospital. So he tries to reassure parents that most healthy people who get adenovirus or another seasonal virus might feel sick but probably won’t suffer complications. He encourages those who fall ill to check in with their doctor. “There’s nothing unique to our campus that has created this outbreak. It could have easily happened on any college campus,” he said. “I don’t think that people need to be afraid to come back to our campus specifically, as long at they’re following that advice that we’re giving, to keep everyone healthy this season.” Read More: University of Maryland’s accreditation under review in wake of football death Two senior lawmakers urge Loh to stay as U-Md. president A Maryland soccer player’s field work: Preventing goals and saving frogs


Trump’s focus on an Army murder case highlights a divided nation still at war

an idea that only could be carried out by Trump. “The president can issue a pardon in this case today,” he said. “What better time to take action in a case like Matt’s than during the Christmas season?” Other observers see a strategy taking shape. Rachel E. VanLandingham, a military justice expert at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, said placing Golsteyn’s case “in the public square” for discussion is “disgusting” and “brilliant.” “If you think you can play on the president’s desire to throw red meat to his base, go for it,” said VanLandingham, who served as a lawyer in the Air Force. “It’s highly unusual and irregular, but it’s smart.” Veterans watching the case have clashed, arguing over whether Golsteyn is being unfairly targeted by the Army or lionized by supporters despite an alleged war crime. Joe Kassabian, who deployed twice to Afghanistan, said he thinks the length of time that the United States has been at war has led to “this explaining away of abhorrent behavior” carried out by U.S. troops. “People just saying, ‘He’s at war! What do you expect?’ ” said Kassabian. He pointed out that the United States was on the other side of the issue 74 years ago this month. On Dec. 17, 1944, 84 American prisoners of war who had surrendered after being surprised by a unit of German soldiers were executed in the Malmedy massacre. Sean Parnell, a former captain in the 10th Mountain Division, said he sees the situation differently. In his estimation, the rules of engagement in combat keep U.S. troops from responding when they otherwise would, creating tough judgment calls. Parnell recalled a situation in 2006 in which an insurgent infiltrated the Army as a translator and opened fire on his platoon, killing one U.S. soldier and wounding others. Despite there being evidence and surviving witnesses, Parnell said, the military let the man go because of missing paperwork. “We let this guy back on the battlefield,” Parnell said. “He’s out there right now, and I don’t know if he’s alive or dead 10 years later, but he was allowed to go back out onto the battlefield and potentially go back to killing Americans. That drives me insane.” VanLandingham, who once served as the chief of international law for U.S. Central Command, said she thinks the polarized response to Golsteyn’s case speaks to something more enduring than present-day politics.


Amid government shutdown, a host of bigger worries

at the 50 American flags encircling the Washington Monument. Almost all of the museums were open, and it was business as usual for the food trucks lining 14th Street NW. T-shirt sellers hawked their “Make America Great Again” hats and Barack Obama T-shirts. Officials with the Smithsonian Institution said the museums had enough cash socked away to remain open through the shutdown for at least a week. The story was different at many national parks across the nation, which did close their gates and doors. At Fort Sumter National Monument in South Carolina, where Confederate forces launched the Civil War by firing on a Union garrison in 1861, the visitor center was closed. On the park’s website , above the usual photo of an American flag flying at the fort, was a red banner warning: “Government Shutdown.” Other services were unaffected, including the U.S. Postal Service, food safety inspections, law enforcement and airport security, the White House said in a briefing for reporters. But if the shutdown lasts beyond next week, the impact could be felt much more widely. That, in turn, could further rattle the markets, cutting into the value of retirement accounts and other funds. Jon Meacham, the presidential historian and author of “The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels,” said the shutdown comes at a defining moment in America, as an anxious public yearns for Washington to calm down and start solving the nation’s problems. “In a sense, American history can be understood as a perennial battle between fear, which manifests itself in a politics and culture of exclusion and defensiveness, and hope, which manifests itself in inclusion and larger-heartedness,” said Meacham, who delivered one of the eulogies for former president George H.W. Bush earlier this month. “We’re now immersed in a fearful time, a moment where we speak of walls and tariffs rather than the free flow of ideas and people and goods. But here’s the good — or at least goodish — news: History tells us that hope tends to win in the long run. There’s the Klan, but then there’s Dr. [Martin Luther] King. There’s Joe McCarthy, but then there’s [President Eisenhower]. “Right now, there’s Trump. But if folks work hard enough, soon there’ll be a restoration of dignity and forward thinking. That’s the task.” On Saturday, as politicians squabbled, the nation’s political divide was evident among tourists wandering the Mall.


Shutdown to stretch on until at least Thursday as Senate adjourns with no deal over budget, Trump’s border wall

are set to take over the House in January after big wins in the midterm elections. The president wrote on Twitter on Saturday morning that “We are negotiating with the Democrats on desperately needed Border Security . . . but it could be a long stay.” Now, that gridlock is affecting large parts of the federal government. Funding for numerous agencies, including those that operate national parks, homeland security, law enforcement, tax collection and transportation, expired at midnight. Close to 400,000 federal workers are expected to be sitting at home without pay until a deal is reached, and numerous services will be halted in that time, with the effects broadening the longer the funding lapse lasts. Dozens of national parks and monuments were closed Saturday. The Securities and Exchange Commission has posted a list of the services it will soon suspend, including the processing of certain business records. The Justice Department, Commerce Department and Internal Revenue Service are preparing to keep thousands of workers home without pay. Employees at those agencies deemed essential will continue working without pay, including many Transportation Security Administration workers dealing with the influx of holiday travelers. After every previous shutdown, Congress has passed legislation to retroactively pay employees. The rest of the government, including the military, is funded through September by separate legislation Congress and Trump passed earlier this year. Senior administration officials Saturday put the onus on Senate Democrats to put forth options that include $5 billion for Trump’s promised border wall, saying it was a must for any deal. “The president came into office promising a wall along the southern border. We couldn’t just let there be no wall,” an official said on a briefing call with reporters. Under the terms of the call, the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity. When a reporter reminded the officials that Trump campaigned on a promise that Mexico would pay for construction of the wall, the officials said the administration continues to conclude that Mexico ultimately would pay for the wall but would not entertain questions about how that might be. The Mexican government has said it would not fund the wall. During Trump’s lunch at the White House on Saturday with the small group of conservative lawmakers, the shutdown and border security were discussed. No Democrats were at the meeting, nor were the Republican leaders of each chamber. Many of the conservatives present pushed


The unlearned lessons of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder

THE SENATE’S bipartisan repudiation of President Trump’s policy toward Saudi Arabia this month was driven by disgust at the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi — and by Mr. Trump’s refusal to acknowledge that responsibility for it lay with the Saudi crown prince. But the vote also revealed that senators have drawn some conclusions from the Khashoggi affair that go beyond a refusal to accept the premeditated murder and dismemberment of a distinguished journalist. The case has altered understanding of U.S. equities with Saudi Arabia and underlined the growing threat posed by regimes that lawlessly pursue their critics beyond their borders. Above all, the vote was a rejection of the crude nationalism espoused by Mr. Trump, according to which the United States would tolerate crimes such as the Khashoggi murder so long as the responsible regimes purchased U.S. weapons or offered other commercial favors. Mr. Trump, who for decades was a harsh critic of Saudi Arabia, has pivoted to defending it as a “good ally” that helps stabilize the Middle East and the global oil market while helping to contain Iran. He has repeatedly said any response to the Khashoggi murder should not put at risk the $450 billion in total purchases and investments he claims the regime is offering, including $110 billion in weapons sales. As has been documented by The Post and other independent fact-checkers, Mr. Trump’s sales numbers are wildly inflated and unlikely to materialize. His preoccupation with deals raises the question of whether he has his own businesses in mind; since his election, the Saudis have been major patrons of Trump hotels. The larger truth is that, with Mohammed bin Salman as its de facto ruler, the kingdom has become a strategic liability to the United States. The crown prince has destabilized the region with his reckless adventurism, including the abduction of the pro-American Lebanese prime minister and a boycott of neighboring Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East. His disastrous intervention in Yemen has strengthened Iran while triggering what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. His boasts to White House counselor Jared Kushner that he would help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while forming an “Arab NATO” have proved empty. When the Saudi government tried to push up oil prices this month in contravention of Mr. Trump’s public lobbying, it was a reminder that it will pursue its own


A meteorologist’s warning: We’re running out of time to save ourselves

dime, though those of us in my profession do our best to warn you in advance. Climate, however, follows trends across years and decades. Climate scientists have also been warning you in advance of how quickly and alarmingly it is changing. Much was made about a recent report by a United Nations commission that illuminated the disastrous effects of a warmer world and the danger of filling our air with more greenhouse gases. More sobering news has followed: a U.S. government report stating that climate change has arrived and will harm virtually every part of our country and economy. We’ve also seen a record-setting year for carbon dioxide emissions globally. Still, the recent news is not actually new. The warming trend has been evident for decades. We have known since the 19th century that greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere, threatening ecosystems, communities and our way of life. What is new is that these reports encourage urgent action. Because we’ve waited too long to act on climate, our vulnerabilities are no longer calculated in generations or decades, but years. Florida has seen the devastating impacts of major hurricanes. We can expect more. On our coasts and inland waterways, harmful blooms of blue-green algae and the red tide have suffocated marine life and strangled tourism and local economies. Climate change has likely made those situations even worse. Entire ecosystems, such as the Everglades, are threatened. Risks of sea-level rise are starting to affect real estate prices across Miami, putting pressure on coastal property prices and leading to what some call “climate gentrification.” Construction workers and farmers are increasingly at risk of overexposure to heat, chancing hospitalizations and even fatalities. I could go on. How do we stem the warming of our world and the resulting consequences? One way is through communication. Communicate to friends and family — anyone who will listen — the urgency of action on climate. Communicate to elected officials — local, state and federal — that you demand they take serious action to combat this crisis. Communicate with your consumer habits as well — lighten your carbon footprint, and don’t support companies that harm the environment. In recent months, I’ve noticed another trend: a growing demand for immediate action. It makes me hopeful. Because that is the only trend that has the power to protect our communities and stop the unmistakable, undeniable trend of a warming world.


In Venezuela, Russia pockets key energy assets in exchange for cash bailouts

or third-biggest customer in the world, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. At least initially, Venezuela had the money to make payments on its purchases, which included Sukhoi jet fighters and an estimated 5,000 MANPADS surface-to-air missile systems. “The Yankee hegemony is finished,” Chávez said in 2008 as the two countries carried out joint air and sea exercises. Chávez made frequent trips to Moscow, visiting Putin when the Russian leader served as prime minister until he resumed the presidency in 2012. But much of the relationship was managed by Igor Sechin, the chief executive of Rosneft who also served as Putin’s deputy prime minister. Moisés Naím, a distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who was dean of Venezuela’s leading business school and trade minister during the pre-Chávez era, described the ensuing relationship as passing through several stages. After the first stage, he said, when Venezuela was among the “best clients of the Russian arms industry,” Russia found it was getting harder to collect on debts owed by Caracas, and the purchases turned into loans. “That changed the main actors in the relationship,” Naím said in an interview. “It was no longer the Russian arms salesmen and warlords but the financiers.” As Venezuela struggled to manage its debt, IOUs were gradually converted to bonds and other instruments that could be used to acquire state assets. Investors took advantage of opportunities to make their mark on the ground, although the results were often disappointing. Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska tried and failed to establish a major smelting operation. A manufacturing plant to produce tens of thousands of Kalashnikov AK-103 rifles a year in Venezuela, announced by the Russian Defense Ministry in 2006, remains unfinished. Corruption, labor troubles, the effort to continue social programs as revenue dropped along with oil prices and, finally, U.S. sanctions left Maduro with few choices soon after he took over in 2013. Without the charisma or political sophistication of his predecessor, Maduro took the economy from bad to worse. Oil, even if still in the ground with little prospect of early production, remained Venezuela’s major asset, and the Maduro government began to use it, through joint production agreements and title transfers, to finance its debt and boost national income. Much of Russia’s credit has been in the form of prepayment for oil exports that supply, among other facilities, a major


National Christmas Tree will be lit again after donations save it from darkness during shutdown

In a Christmas season of drastically reduced ambitions, perhaps this qualifies as a miracle. The National Christmas Tree that sits behind the White House will be reopened to the public on Monday after becoming an unfortunate totem of Washington’s political dysfunction when it went dark over the weekend amid the federal shutdown. The tree and its lighting had been damaged by a rogue climber on Friday, and it was unclear whether it would be fixed in time for the holiday. But the private sector stepped in when the federal government could not. The National Park Foundation, a nonprofit that is the official charity to help private money improve the national park system, gave the National Park Service enough money both to investigate the damage caused by the climber and to keep the park open and lighted through Jan. 1, it announced Monday. “The National Park Foundation’s support to President’s Park is one example of how private philanthropy can help support national parks when they need it most,” Will Shafroth, president of the National Park Foundation, said in a statement. The darkening of the tree, which sits in a park just below the White House’s South Lawn, was the result of two seemingly disparate events on Friday evening. In one, the United States Congress failed to come up with a passable budget after disagreements about funding President Trump’s request for a border wall, requiring a partial government shutdown after midnight. In the other, a man scaled about 15 to 20 feet of the tree, which damaged it and its lighting, police said. A National Park Service spokeswoman told The Washington Post that night that the tree lights would remain off while the damage the man caused was assessed. But then midnight came. The tree was closed over the weekend, drawing a flurry of news coverage. If it is possible for an event to be the opposite of a Christmas miracle, this was it: a simple and inexpensive government tradition, just steps from the White House, brought to a halt as a result of a political tug-of-war. The National Park Service said through spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles that the tree was closed from the climbing incident but that the shutdown on Dec. 22 “complicated efforts” to fix the problem. On Monday, the foundation provided a cash donation that will allow the site to be reopened, relighted and managed through the new year. The


Southeast man charged with murder in Maryland killing

THE DISTRICT Police make arrest in SE homicide case A D.C. man was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing a person early Saturday with a sharp object, police said. Police allege that Stephen Maye, 49, of Southeast, killed Derek A. Walcott, of Temple Hills, Md., sometime before 12:23 a.m., when authorities were summoned to the 5100 block of B Street SE. Walcott was unconscious and died at the scene, police said, having suffered “multiple sharp force injuries.” His body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy. — Fredrick Kunkle Area restaurants offer shutdown specials In what’s either a kind gesture toward beleaguered federal employees or a cynical attempt to profit from their suffering, bars across the D.C. region are offering drink specials for government workers who have excess free time — but less cash — because of the shutdown. Capitol Lounge, a few blocks from where U.S. lawmakers must try to hammer out a deal, is featuring feds $5 cocktails like “Nothing Really Mattis” and “Mexico Will Pay For This.” At the Shaw beer garden Dacha, furloughed government workers can get a liter of Pilsener for $10. Chef José Andrés and Michael Lastoria, CEO of the chain &pizza, say they will offer free food to federal employees at their restaurants. — Rachel Weiner MARYLAND Emergency crews rescue horse from hole Emergency crews rescued a 2,000-pound horse from an abandoned cistern in Burtsonsville, Md., Sunday morning after the animal fell in. About 30 Montgomery County Fire and Rescue workers came to the scene, along with a specialty animal rescue team from Frederick. Workers dug a trench next to the well and broke through a cement and cinder block wall so the horse could make his way out of the hole, spokesman Pete Piringer said. The process took two hours. The horse, Bravo, was on a trail near the private stable where he boards when he slid into the hole, back legs first, Piringer said, until only his head was above ground. — Rachel Weiner


SpaceX launches GPS satellite with improved accuracy

Florida SpaceX launches advanced GPS satellite SpaceX has launched the U.S. Air Force’s most powerful GPS satellite ever built. A Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, hoisting the satellite into orbit. The satellite was supposed to soar Tuesday, but rocket concerns and then weather delayed the flight. Heather Wilson, secretary of the Air Force, said the satellite is three times more accurate than previous versions and eight times better at anti-jamming. It’s the first in a series and nicknamed Vespucci after the 15th-century Italian explorer who calculated Earth’s circumference to within 50 miles. Lockheed Martin developed the advanced GPS technology and is building the satellites at facility near Denver. Sunday’s blastoff was SpaceX’s 21st and final launch of the year, a company record. — Associated Press Ohio Car plows into church, injuring 6 worshipers A car smashed through a church wall during Sunday morning services, injuring six people and shattering stained glass. Firefighters said the six who were hurt at Crossroads United Methodist Church in Columbus were treated for cuts and other injuries. The Rev. Jay Anderson said members were singing a hymn when the car crashed through the wall. He says that the wall “just exploded” and that pieces of glass went flying. He said the church was unusually crowded with about 100 people because there was a special Christmas performance. The crash left a wide hole in part of the church. — Associated Press Caribbean Costa Rican fishermen saved by passing ship A cruise ship rescued two Costa Rican fishermen who had been stranded at sea for about three weeks. Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet tweeted Sunday that the sailors were saved Friday night between Grand Cayman and Jamaica by the ship Empress of the Seas. Van Fleet said the cruise ship was not scheduled to be there but had taken an alternate route because of bad weather. Van Fleet said on Twitter that the fishermen left from Costa Rica and had been adrift since Dec. 1. They said they had fallen asleep while their nets were soaking and ran out of gas while trying to return. Both received medical attention onboard. — Associated Press


Jennie-O recalls more than 164,000 pounds of ground turkey in widening salmonella outbreak

Jennie-O Turkey Store Sales is recalling 164,210 pounds of raw turkey because of possible salmonella contamination, the Agriculture Department says. Friday’s announcement came amid a continued outbreak of salmonella in turkey products dating to late last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced 52 new cases of salmonella, bringing the total to 216 infected across 38 states and the District of Columbia. One person in California died of the illness, and 84 others have been hospitalized, according to the CDC. The ground turkey products were produced in Minnesota on Oct. 22 and 23 and are labeled with establishment number P-579 on the side of the tray. The recall includes 1-pound, 2.5-pound and 3-pound packages of Jennie-O ground turkey products, which can be found in grocery stores such as Safeway and Giant. In a news release, the USDA included photos of the labels of these possibly contaminated products. They urged consumers to throw away or return any potentially contaminated products. The first reported illnesses associated with this strain of salmonella date back to Nov. 20, 2017, according to the CDC. In November of this year, days before Thanksgiving, the Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that a Jennie-O Turkey Store in Wisconsin was recalling 91,388 pounds of raw ground turkey. Steve Lykken, president of Jennie-O Turkey Store, said in a statement that the company has enacted new steps in their operations to prevent salmonella contamination, including vaccinating their turkeys. Salmonella has been around for years, he added, and the problem is not exclusive to Jennie-O. “Unfortunately, Salmonella Reading may continue to be found throughout the industry until all companies take the steps necessary to eliminate it from the system,” Lykken said. He added, “As always, turkey remains safe to consume when handled and prepared properly.” The CDC notes in their statement that in interviews, patients report eating “different types and brands of turkey products purchased from many different locations" and that one common supplier has not been declared responsible for the entire outbreak. The Department of Agriculture said that other companies may also be recalled over the course of their investigation. In November, the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement that it would be “grossly irresponsible and reckless” to identify the brands or name the companies that operate the facilities “when a link from an establishment to an illness has not been made.”


At just $9, this three-star Argentine bottle should be your new house red

Cata, Magruder’s, Paul’s of Chevy Chase, Potomac Wine & Spirits, Rodman’s; on the list at Daikaya, Magnolia. Available in Maryland at Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits in Annapolis, Dawson’s Liquors and Goska’s Liquors in Severna Park, Chesapeake Wine Co. and Wine Source in Baltimore, Fishpaws Marketplace in Arnold, Iron Bridge Wine Co. in Columbia, State Line Liquors in Elkton, Wishing Well Liquors in Easton. Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Blue Top Brut Champagne, France, $39 Here’s another fine champagne at a reasonable price. It features a golden-straw color and aromas of buttered toast and baking spice and a medium-full body. ABV: 12 percent. Imported by Vranken Pommery America, distributed by M. Touton Selection: Available in the District at 1 West Dupont Circle Wine & Liquors, Ace Beverage, the Bottle Shop, Cairo Wine & Liquor, Capitol Hill Wine and Spirits, Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, Eye Street Cellars, Harry’s Reserve Fine Wine & Spirits, Lion’s Fine Wine & Spirits, Mac Market, McReynolds Liquors, Morris Miller Wine & Liquor, Pan-Mar Liquor, Van Ness Wines and Liquors, Whole Foods Market (various locations), Wine Specialist; on the list at MXDC. Available in Maryland at the Bottle Shop in Potomac, Bradley Food & Beverage, Cork 57 Beer and Wine and Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda, Cork & Bottle Liquors in Laurel, Maryland Discount Beverage Center in Cumberland, Mel’s Liquor in Jessup, Old Farm Liquors and Ye Old Spirit Shop in Frederick, Old Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Bistro in Beltsville, Port of Call Liquors in Solomons, Silesia Liquors in Fort Washington, Yes! Organic Market (Hyattsville). Available in Virginia at Balducci’s (McLean), Grapevine and the Town Duck in Warrenton, Norm’s Beer & Wine in Vienna, Whole Foods Market (various locations). Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion Bourgogne Pinot Noir La Croix Blanche 2016 Burgundy, France, $38 The Rions produce this lovely, light- to medium-bodied burgundy, another example of a delicious “basic” wine from the regional appellation. It will make you want to splurge on their more appellation-specific wines, especially from their home village of Vosne-Romanée. ABV: 13 percent. Imported and distributed by Elite: Available in the District at Rodman’s, Whole Foods Market (Foggy Bottom, P Street); on the list at 1789, Alhambra, Bar Charley, Bistro Aracosia, Brasserie Beck, the Riggsby, the Source. Available in Maryland at Bo Brooks Lighthouse Liquors in Baltimore, Cranberry Liquors in Westminster, Franklin Liquors in Ijamsville, Lakefront Fine Wine & Spirits and


Why Brexit may be good for terrorists and the Kremlin and bad for European security

E.U. sanctions.” London will try to keep up with E.U. discussions by installing more diplomats with sanctions experience in its embassies in Berlin, Paris and Brussels. But its lobbying may have limited impact. Already, Britain has become an afterthought in sanctions discussions, some diplomats say. “We simply think that sanctions are necessary, and we will miss the U.K.,” Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said in an interview. “Because of this, there are less countries who are opposed to Russian policy.” May’s government has warned that cooperation would be compromised further if Britain leaves without any Brexit deal in place — an outcome that has become more likely as March 29 nears and the prime minister’s version of Brexit remains widely unpopular. “We and Europe know, from bitter experience, that often when there is a mistake or when something has been missed that we find, time and time again, that it has been due to a failure of cooperation,” British Security Minister Ben Wallace told a security convention last month. “A no-deal situation would have a real impact on our ability to work with our European partners to protect the public.” Even an operation as low-tech and basic as an extradition request would be far harder than it is now, with rules snapping back to a 1957 treaty. Many E.U. countries prohibit sending their own citizens to countries outside the bloc to face justice. In a no-deal Brexit, Britain could also lose the continued access it has negotiated to European plane travel records and databases of vehicle registrations, fingerprints and DNA profiles. “The impact of the U.K. leaving is considerable if not managed,” Rob Wainwright, a British former director of Europol, the pan-E.U. policing agency, told a British parliamentary committee. “Literally, people’s lives depend on it.” And although British military spending has been rising since the 2016 Brexit vote, any economic hit from the departure would leave less for tanks and soldiers. The best measure of Brexit’s effect on security may be the assessment of Europe’s adversaries. Sensing opportunity, they are encouraging as hard a split as possible. May “must implement the will of the people as expressed in the referendum, or that is no referendum at all,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a year-end news conference. He mentioned proposals to hold a second referendum to reconfirm British desires to split from the E.U. “Is this democracy?” he asked. michael.birnbaum@washpost.com


Hearing set for March to determine cause of Silver Spring apartment explosion

MARYLAND Apartment explosion hearing set for March The National Transportation Safety Board, which has spent more than two years investigating a gas explosion at a Silver Spring apartment complex that killed seven people in 2016, is planning to hold a meeting in March on the cause of the disaster. The board, which investigates major gas and pipeline accidents, is scheduled to provide information on “the probable cause” of the natural gas explosion and fire at the Flower Branch Apartments. In addition to the deaths, 65 people were taken to hospitals after the Aug. 10, 2016, incident, and three firefighters suffered injuries. Two of the complex’s buildings were leveled by the explosion. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found the explosion occurred after a gas leak in a basement utility room, where the meters were located. But who was responsible for the lines where the gas leak occurred has not yet been determined. The pace of the NTSB’s investigation has been criticized by survivors, their advocates, politicians and a judge who is presiding over lawsuits filed by victims and their families. The suits have been delayed while the NTSB investigation continues. The federal agency has said it’s been hampered by the retirement of the lead investigator on the Silver Spring explosion and other staffing issues, as well as the difficulty of investigating an explosion in which key evidence was destroyed by the blast and fire. The meeting will take place March 12, 9:30 a.m. at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center, 420 10th St. SW in Washington. — Jennifer Barrios 1 teen killed, 1 injured in Christmas crash One Maryland teenager has been killed and another has been hospitalized with serious injuries following a Christmas Day crash. Police say an eastbound Volkswagen was traveling on Route 100 when it hit two pedestrians trying to cross the major highway. The teenager who died has been identified as Stephen Carlisle, a 17-year-old from Glen Burnie. A 15-year-old girl, also from Glen Burnie, has been hospitalized at a trauma center with serious injuries. Authorities have not disclosed her identity. Investigators in Anne Arundel County say the preliminary cause of the deadly crash appears to be pedestrians unlawfully trying to dart across a controlled access highway. The 30-year-old driver remained at the crash site. The case will be reviewed by the state’s attorney. — Associated Press VIRGINIA Muslim group seeks waiver for


North and South Korea hold ceremony to link railways, but sanctions block way

SEOUL — North and South Korea held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for an ambitious project to link their railway and road networks, but until sanctions are lifted the plans appear unlikely to progress much further. A nine-car South Korean train carrying about 100 officials, lawmakers and members of families separated by the 1950-53 war on the peninsula took a two-hour journey from Seoul to the North Korean town of Kaesong to be greeted by officials from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. Officials from both Koreas signed a wooden railroad tie, unveiled a new signboard and watched a ceremonial linking of tracks between North and South. South Korean Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee said the rail link would bridge the physical and psychological distance between the two Koreas and become “a vein of mutual prosperity across Northeast Asia.” But an opposition leader in South Korea who did not attend the ceremony called it a “publicity stunt” staged by President Moon Jae-in to salvage his falling popularity. “His peace initiatives are speeding way ahead of the pace of denuclearization,” Na Kyung-won of the Liberty Korea Party told a party meeting early Wednesday. Moon insists that his outreach to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is the only way to build trust and persuade him to surrender his nuclear weapons. Skeptics argue that Kim is pocketing whatever concessions he is offered without intending to fully disarm. Either way, regular trains will not run between North and South Korea until United Nations sanctions are eased. Indeed, Seoul needed a U.N. exemption just to hold Wednesday’s ceremony, since it involved transporting vehicles and goods across the border. There are other obstacles, too, not least the extremely poor state of North Korea’s rail network and the massive investment that would be required to bring it up to standard. South Korean officials completed an initial survey of the main rail routes in the North this month, but further surveys of the rail and road networks are planned before a detailed blueprint for the project is drawn up. Still, there is no shortage of enthusiasm from Moon’s government, which talks ambitiously of an East Asian Railway Community as a first step toward European Union-style regional integration. “As Northeast Asia’s logistics hub, the Korean Peninsula will certainly attract more attention from companies around the world,” South Korean Transport Minister Kim said. “The expenses and efforts that went into hostility and


3 ways a U.S. government shutdown affects the rest of the world

do work for the U.S. government, many of whom are not U.S. citizens. “In the developing world, where most of our employees live paycheck to paycheck and accrue little personal savings, the consequences of no pay can be devastating,” John Campbell, a former diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in South Africa, wrote in 2011. 2. Procedure A government shutdown has a major effect not only on who goes to work but also what work gets done. The State Department, for example, said it will keep issuing passports and visas — although it warned that such activities “will remain operational as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations.” But some other services will not be provided, which can have unexpected consequences. The Atlantic Council’s Graham Lampa noted that the State Department responded to a recent tsunami in Indonesia by telling Americans in the region to follow the Twitter account of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta for updates. However, that embassy’s Twitter account announced that it had stopped tweeting regularly because of the shutdown. The U.S. Geological Survey, one of the world’s top resources for scientific research on seismological events, was unable to provide data on the tsunami. The shutdown can also have implications for humanitarian assistance and foreign aid: No new funding commitments or obligations can be made during a shutdown, except to protect life and property. Further restrictions may have to be implemented if the shutdown continues and current funds become insufficient. 3. Prestige To many nations, U.S. government shutdowns are bewildering. As WorldViews explained earlier this year, the prospect of a political dispute leaving large numbers of government workers without pay is unheard of in most other political systems. Yet there have been 22 federal government shutdowns in the United States since 1979, including three in the past year alone. Lawrence Martin, a columnist for Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper, wrote this in January after one of them: “Canadians like to think their system of governance is better than the American one. If they want more evidence, they need only look at what’s happening now — a government shutdown in Washington — and be thankful their system doesn’t allow the same shenanigans." Read more: Why other countries don’t have government shutdowns What do most U.N. ambassadors have in common? Decades of experience. ‘As usual, he’s dead wrong’: Former U.S. ambassadors explain London Embassy move after Trump criticism


At least half a dozen dogs, several rabbits died in Maryland fire

Several dogs and rabbits died on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in a fire in Frederick County, Md. The fire broke out on Marker Road in the Middletown area, and was reported about 11:30 p.m. in an outbuilding, according to the Middletown, Md., volunteer fire department. According to the department’s website, four or five dogs died in the fire, along with several rabbits. In addition, several other dogs were euthanized after suffering burns or smoke inhalation, the fire department said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Martin.Weil@washpost.com


The $20 Diner’s 10 best bargain restaurants for 2018

Fine dining is fantasy wish fulfillment as much as it is an evening of gastronomic pleasure — at least, at many of the hushed palaces gunning for Michelin stars. Personally, I’ve never wanted to be king, so I often bristle inwardly when attended to by a small cadre of servers who fold my napkins, de-crumb my table, help with my coat and generally behave as if they have nothing better to do than watch me agonize over what stinky slices I want from the cheese trolley. I’m a middle-class guy from a middle-class Midwestern family whose idea of a nice meal was a well-done T-bone from Mr. Steak in Omaha. Come to think of it, I felt pretty uncomfortable there, too, when I was a runt. Regardless, what I’m trying to say here is that the restaurants we love are not always based on food alone. We cannot distance ourselves from the imprinting of our childhoods. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been dazzled by dishes at fine-dining restaurants, most recently at Minibar, where guest chef Albert Adrià (brother of Ferran, the big brain behind the late El Bulli) served long, slippery strands of cod skin, prepared to mimic the shape and texture of soba noodles. I think I gushed about those “noodles” for the next 10 minutes. But even in my unbridled enthusiasm for this noodle innovation, there was a performative aspect to it, as if I was signaling to my tablemates that I was savvy enough to get it. That I can appreciate the kind of mind that looks at fish scraps and thinks, “soba noodles!” It can be exhausting to be so cool. I’d much rather be sitting at the bar at Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring, talking college football with a good friend, listening to both sides of “Sticky Fingers” on the jukebox and pounding down tater tots as if I would never have to step on the scale at my doctor’s office again. When I walk into a place like Quarry House, it’s as if I’m paying for the pleasure to not be self-conscious in public. For me, QH is a place as relaxing as home, and the food and drink are good enough not to break that spell. As I reflect on my favorite restaurants for the year, I’m painfully aware of how much comfort factored into my thinking, perhaps because 2018 was marked


World Digest: Dec. 25, 2018

THAILAND Legislature legalizes medical marijuana Thailand’s legislature on Tuesday agreed to amend the country’s drug law to allow the licensed medical use of marijuana, as well as kratom, a locally grown plant traditionally used as a stimulant and painkiller. Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia to take such action, which is also under consideration in neighboring Malaysia. New Zealand’s government this month enacted a law liberalizing the medical use of marijuana, which had previously been tightly restricted. The Thai legislation passed its final reading in the National Legislative Assembly by a vote of 166 to 0 with 13 abstentions. The changes, which become law when published in the Royal Gazette, legalize the production, import, export, possession and use of marijuana and kratom products for medical purposes. Purveyors, producers and researchers will need licenses to handle the drugs, while end-users will need prescriptions. Recreational use of the drugs remains illegal and subject to prison terms and fines commensurate with the quantities involved. Public hearings showed huge support for the measure. — Associated Press SYRIA Report: Israeli planes strike near Damascus Israeli warplanes flying over Lebanon fired missiles toward areas near the Syrian capital of Damascus late Tuesday, hitting an arms depot and wounding three soldiers, Syrian state media reported, saying that most of the missiles were shot down by air defense units. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency earlier reported that Israeli warplanes were flying at low altitude over parts of southern Lebanon. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said Israeli airstrikes targeted three positions south of Damascus that are arms depots for Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and Iranian forces. The reported attack near Damascus is the first since President Trump announced last week that the United States will withdraw all of its 2,000 forces in Syria, a move that will leave control of the oil-rich eastern third of Syria up for grabs. Following Trump’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would “continue to act against Iran’s attempts to entrench itself militarily in Syria, and to the extent necessary, we will even expand our actions there.” — Associated Press Suicide attack kills 3 outside Libyan Foreign Ministry: 14 security personnel killed in Boko Haram ambush: British professor reportedly returns after detention in Iran: — From news services


Trump doesn’t seem to value anything — except himself

Harold Pollack is a professor of social service administration at the University of Chicago. The Donald J. Trump Foundation agreed to dissolve on Dec. 18 after the New York attorney general condemned “a shocking pattern of illegality” at the organization. Its assets will be sold off under court supervision, and the government will distribute the remaining money to other groups. President Trump and his children may face additional sanctions, including more financial restitution and a temporary ban on serving on nonprofit boards. Judging by Trump’s behavior as a foundation operator, that ban may be superfluous. The Trumps are hardly the first wealthy family to seek cheap public relations points through a foundation, or to skirt the niceties of corporate governance and tax law along the way. What made the Trump Foundation unusual was how little else it did, and how little anyone involved in it appeared to care about anything, other than Trump’s self-aggrandizement. I write this from the perspective of an academic researcher who spent the past 25 years variously involved in fundraising efforts. By the nature of these things, I catch the occasional glimpse of how the top 0.1 percent live and their varied ways of giving. Some want to help reduce youth violence, polio or world hunger. One wants her name on the dining hall where she met her late husband. Another wants to ask you about Gwyneth Paltrow’s latest obsession. Another wants to support a hepatitis research center because a cousin died from this disease. One or two want to finance a $50 million center for cat leukemia or rodent studies. Some are jerks. Some are saints. People in both categories realize that an accident of fate granted them great wealth. They want to use at least some of it to do good. One might be dismayed or puzzled by whatever idiosyncratic agenda they find compelling. I myself lambasted Jeffrey P. Bezos for his huge investment in space travel (Bezos owns The Post). Whatever it is, there is almost always something that they genuinely find inspiring or important. Trump seems quite different. Despite his immense wealth, he does not seem to value any cause, or interest or even hobby outside himself. The sheer tackiness of his foundation’s spending remains striking: The pricey portrait of the president on display at a golf property, the use of foundation funds to pay Donald Jr.’s Boy Scout dues, the Tim


It (probably) wasn’t aliens, but this glowing cloud had Californians grasping for answers

Launch Alliance was set to fire its hydrogen-fueled Delta IV Heavy into space, carrying a top-secret spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. The only problem? The launch of the 1.6 million-pound vessel from Vandenberg Air Force Base was scrubbed nine minutes before the scheduled liftoff. Queue the alien theories. The National Weather Service’s Bay Area office posted a similar photo on Twitter, inviting followers to chime in with their guesses. Some speculated that it might be earthborn space junk reentering the atmosphere and burning up. A few reported hearing a noise. And then, finally, dash-cam video emerged, tracing the strange blue loop-de-loop cloud back to a meteor. The American Meteor Society received nearly 180 reports of the intense fireball, clustered in Northern California but stretching from Nevada to Oregon. Brighter than the full moon, the meteor burned a vibrant green as it disintegrated over the open waters 35 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge. The cloud that lingered was equally special. Known as a noctilucent cloud, its appearance marks an extremely rare sighting in the Lower 48. Noctilucent clouds form in the highest levels of the atmosphere. Most clouds appear white or gray, but noctilucent clouds shine a ghostly blue long after the sun has set, because they are 50 miles high. As a result, noctilucent clouds can catch sunlight even after the sun drops below the horizon. Noctilucent clouds appear almost exclusively around the poles, where a cooperative sun angle, plenty of twilight and extreme low temperatures promote noctilucent development. Still, they’re rare. At low latitudes, noctilucent clouds are practically unheard of — the atmosphere gets a little bit of help. On Aug. 4, 2014, a SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral greeted early risers in Orlando with a stunning azure display. However, that might be changing. There is research to suggest that outbreaks of noctilucent clouds may be related to climate change. As humans continue to emit methane, more of the greenhouse gas makes its way into the upper atmosphere. There, it becomes oxidized to form water molecules, adding moisture to foster noctilucent development where it otherwise wouldn’t be. In just the past century, atmospheric methane concentrations have doubled. That, plus a cooling of the mesosphere hinted at by climate models, means the beauty of these clouds may mask a hidden warning. An outbreak of noctilucent clouds has been noted in the past two months over Antarctica.


These 10 bars made the District a more interesting and fun place in 2018

grab a craft beer or pick a dram from the well-stocked whiskey selection. Through a set of doors is another, surprisingly large room with curving red leather booths running the lengths of the walls. Blues, jazz and Irish bands play on a low stage Wednesday through Friday. This welcoming spot is collaboration between the owners of neighborhood hangout Kingfisher and well-known D.C. bartender Brian Harrison, who served drinks with a hearty “Cheers, bro!” at the Reef in Adams Morgan for a decade. The bar doesn’t have a kitchen, so guests are welcome to bring in food from the Indian restaurant Pappe, located upstairs. 1317 14th St. NW. Elle Most of Elle’s plaudits are for its food: It was the No. 1 restaurant in Tom Sietsema’s Spring Dining Guide. But there’s more to this charming and airy little space, in Mount Pleasant’s old Heller’s Bakery, than fresh baked goods and filling meatball subs. The cocktails, overseen by a veteran of Rasika and the Columbia Room, are as seasonal as the dishes coming from the kitchen, taking advantage of fresh strawberries or Japanese winter squash, for instance. The wine list is well curated and funky. The only problem is Elle’s popularity: Reservations are hard to get, so many guests choose to dine at the bar, leaving scant space for those who just want a drink. Try to hit happy hour to beat the crowds. 3221 Mount Pleasant St. NW. Morris American Bar The soft, feminine touches of Morris American Bar — baby-blue walls offset with floral wallpaper, flowering plants on tables, brightly patterned cushions — help it stand out from the other dimly lit cocktail bars around town. Thankfully, this Mount Vernon Triangle spot is more than just a looker: Bartender and beverage director David Strauss served in a similar role at Barmini, and the crack staff builds excellent beverages, such as the current Cowboy Bebop, where the herbal-honey sweetness of Drambuie is an excellent bridge between cognac and orange curacao flavors. Some of the drinks, like the Como la Flor — mezcal, crème de violette and citrus combined in a soft purple vision — are as attractive as their surroundings. 1020 Seventh St. NW. Mission Navy Yard New restaurants and pop-up bars continue to sprout near Nationals Park, and Mission, which got its big reveal during the All-Star Game festivities in July, is the one with the most utility. Bigger is


As partial government shutdown heads into Day 6, the ‘cold reality’ sinks in

Congressional lawmakers see no clear end in sight to the nation’s partial government shutdown, as thousands of federal workers have been furloughed amid a deep divide over President Trump’s proposed border wall. The White House has demanded that Congress approve $5 billion for constructing a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, a request Democrats have rejected as wasteful. About 25 percent of the federal government has been shut down amid the standoff, with roughly 800,000 federal workers nationwide expected to be affected. Employees classified as “essential” — including airport security, the military and those in other emergency service jobs — will continue to work, while about 350,000 federal employees are on furlough at home without pay, according to Government Executive, a publication about federal employees. House members have been told there will be no votes on Thursday, meaning the partial shutdown will probably last until at least Friday. Many national parks across the country have also been closed, and the Internal Revenue Service planned to close taxpayer assistance lines, among other operations, weeks ahead of filing season. The shutdown also began affecting the nation’s court system, as the Justice Department asked a federal judge to temporarily pause certain cases until the government provides funding for the department. “Now that the holidays are behind us, the cold reality of the shutdown is going to start to hit,” said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), who represents Northern Virginia, home to thousands of federal workers. But neither side has hinted at softening its position. On Wednesday, shortly after arriving in Iraq for a surprise visit, Trump told reporters that he would be “going to the wall” for a visit before the State of the Union address at the end of January. Asked how long the shutdown might last, Trump responded: “Whatever it takes. We need a wall. We need safety for our country. Even from this standpoint. We have terrorists coming in through the southern border.” A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Democrats’ likely plan is to put a bill that funds the government, without money for Trump’s wall, on the floor on Jan. 3. That is the first day of the new session of Congress, when Democrats take control of the House. Democrats have supported including an additional $1.3 billion in border security funding, at one point agreeing to an additional $1.6 billion during negotiations with congressional


Saudi crown prince shores up support in government overhaul

ISTANBUL — Saudi Arabia replaced its foreign minister and shuffled other key government posts Thursday as its leaders continue to grapple with the backlash to the killing by Saudi agents of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The government overhaul, announced in a string of decrees by the Saudi leader, King Salman, elevated allies of the king’s son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to head a critical security agency and other posts, in moves seen as aiding the prince’s ongoing consolidation of power. No women were named to the most senior cabinet positions. Adel al-Jubeir, a veteran diplomat who is well known in Washington and served as ambassador there for eight years before being appointed foreign minister in 2015, was replaced by Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former finance minister, according to the decrees. Jubeir was named minister of state for foreign affairs, with responsibilities that remain unclear. In the past few months, Jubeir had served as the public face of the kingdom’s labored efforts to explain the death of Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributing columnist and critic of his country’s leadership who was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Saudi Arabia faced a torrent of criticism after denying any knowledge of Khashoggi’s fate for weeks after his disappearance and then as graphic details about his killing emerged. Turkish officials said that a team of Saudi agents, acting on orders from high-ranking officials in the Saudi government, had been dispatched to Istanbul to carry out what Turkey said was a premeditated murder. Khashoggi’s body, which was dismembered, according to Turkish and Saudi officials, has not been found. The Saudi government belatedly acknowledged the involvement of its operatives but insisted they had disobeyed instructions to bring Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia alive. Even as Saudi officials have insisted that Mohammed — the kingdom’s effective leader — knew nothing of the plot, the episode has led to greater scrutiny of his policies, including his decision to involve the Saudi military in a war in Yemen and his crackdown on domestic critics and rivals, including a group of prominent women’s rights activists. The Saudi government has publicly reacted to the criticism with defiance — for example, condemning a recent U.S. Senate resolution that blamed the crown prince for Khashoggi’s killing. But Saudi officials have privately signaled their concern about the international fallout. Some had predicted in recent weeks that the response would include a


D.C. Mayor Bowser urges Trump to end partial government shutdown

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) is urging President Trump to work with Congress to end the partial federal government shutdown, saying the indefinite closure hurts the city’s residents and businesses. “During a shutdown, there are no winners and our nation’s federal workers, including the 170,000 federal employees who work in Washington, DC, pay the highest price,” Bowser said in a letter Wednesday. The mayor also reiterated that the city would step in to provide services such as trash removal at the Mall and other federal parks in the District. The extra trash removal will cost $46,000 a week, Bowser wrote. The city is also handling an influx of unemployment benefit claims that are common during government shutdowns because workers are not guaranteed back pay (which Congress has approved after prior shutdowns) and because contractors and others affected are also losing income. The District’s Department of Employment Services, which administers unemployment benefits for city residents, expects claims to surge next week after pending paychecks have been received. City officials say they received an extra 5,000 unemployment claims during the last extended government shutdown. Although the District government’s budget is tied to the federal budget, the city can continue operating during government shutdowns. But the city is not immune to the ripple effects of shutdowns, which include reduced spending at local stores by federal government workers. Roughly 800,000 workers nationwide have been affected in the shutdown, which extends to a quarter of the federal government. The president has demanded $5 billion in funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, but the proposal lacks support in Congress, and no agreement is in sight. Republican House leaders have indicated that they will take no action before Democrats take control of the chamber Jan. 3. As the shutdown entered its sixth day on Thursday, Trump claimed that most who are losing pay in the shutdown are Democrats, days after claiming that many workers losing pay had urged him to continue the shutdown to obtain border-wall funds. Bowser ended her letter with a reminder that the District has no voting representation in Congress despite having more residents than Vermont and Wyoming. “We hope that this key message will resonate during this shutdown: the 702,000 residents of Washington, DC, who pay the highest taxes per capita to the federal treasury, are stepping up to cover federal services during the shutdown, while we are the only


An unnatural disaster

nestled in an isolated, mountainous area of northern Yemen. Its residents are mostly illiterate and live in mud-brick homes. They have always been poor, but now their lives have sunk to unseen levels. Some villagers had once worked in neighboring Saudi Arabia and sent money home. But with borders closed and the territory crisscrossed with front lines, the jobs and the money evaporated. Now, most of the villagers survive by picking khat, the leafy stimulant chewed by most Yemenis. Ahmed still earns the same salary picking khat, roughly $2 a day, that he made before the war. But prices of sugar and other staple foods have shot up. “I can buy less food now,” said Ahmed, the sole provider for his wife and four children. Today, 40 percent of the roughly 90,000 people in Aslam District, which includes Al Jarb, are facing “famine-like” conditions — one step below famine, according to the aid groups’ analysis. In mid-November, a medical worker named Hazim Muhsin came to the village to conduct a nutritional survey. When he reached Abdo’s compound, he was shocked by the boy’s emaciated state. By then, Abdo’s parents had taken him to several hospitals and clinics, selling their wedding jewelry and other possessions to pay for transportation and medical care. Abdo would improve at first but always slip backward into cycles of vomiting and diarrhea. His parents also took him to a traditional healer who performed a folk ritual known as “maysam” — or branding — to eject the “devil” from him. Abdo continued to deteriorate. After seeing Abdo’s condition, Muhsin implored his father to send him to a government clinic. “But the father had reached a stage that he gave up,” recalled Muhsin. “He saw the boy wasn’t improving.” 'He will die in a week' After two weeks of trying to persuade Ahmed, Muhsin called Makiya Ahmed Mehdi, the head nurse at the pediatric clinic. He sent photos and videos of Abdo through WhatsApp. The rail-thin nurse had every reason not to follow up. Her clinic was overcrowded. The Yemeni government, which has withheld the salaries of more than 1 million government employees in rebel areas, hadn’t paid her in five months. Still, using money donated by a charity, Mehdi hired a pickup truck for $10 and went to Al Jarb, a 40-minute drive away. “If you don’t bring him to the clinic, he will die in a


An unnatural disaster

week,” Mehdi told Ahmed after examining his son’s symptoms — the loose skin, the scabs on his skull, the blank stares. A raspy cough hinted at a chest infection or even pneumonia. “I can’t take him there,” replied his father, who was slim and sunburned. “I don’t have money for transport.” Ahmed had been working less and less. Landowners had been cutting back on laborers in the khat fields as the increasing price of fuel, used to power water pumps, raised production costs. At the same time, a flood of unemployed laborers were willing to work for much less money than Ahmed. “Every day, my family waits for me to bring food,” Ahmed said. “If I don’t make money, they go hungry.” Mehdi offered to reimburse him the $10 fare to the clinic. But Ahmed said drivers require advance payments. Even if he had money, he could not afford to take off from work. His wife couldn’t take Abdo to the clinic either. She had left Ahmed a day earlier after they argued about whether to buy food — or save their son. Abdo suddenly gasped for air. Mehdi shook her head. She wondered how she was going to rescue him. The weakest eat last After Mehdi examined Abdo and listened to his father’s refusal, several villagers arrived and led her to another compound. In front of a one-room mud-brick house was 12-year-old Maysa Mohammed Ali. She couldn’t walk or speak and suffered seizures. Her ribs pressed against her skin, her face gaunt, her arms and legs a jumble of bones. She was lying on a piece of cardboard atop a cot. “We have nothing to feed her now,” said her mother, Shuwaya Mohammed. Maysa has 12 other siblings, and the whole family lives on the $1 to $2 a day their father earns from picking khat. The healthy ones are fed first, not least because they can voice their complaints, said her mother. Disabled Maysa, who can’t utter a word, is always the last to eat. “Only if there is extra food, we give it to her,” said her mother without any hint of emotion. “Sometimes she goes two or three days without eating.” A few minutes later, another villager arrived and told Mehdi of yet another case. But the sky was already darkening, and Mehdi didn’t have time to see the boy. “Three cases in one village!” said


Trump visits U.S. troops in Iraq for first trip to a conflict zone

Christmas with foil balls, twinkling lights and snowmen made of stacked tires painted white. The president stopped to sign several “Make America Great Again” hats that service members brought, and at one point he autographed an embroidered patch that read “TRUMP 2020.” Kyu Lee said that after he told Trump he was the chaplain for SEAL Team Five, the president responded, “Hey, in that case, let’s take a picture.” Trump’s speech to troops had the feel of one of his campaign rallies. Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” played as the service members awaited his arrival, and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” played when the president strode on stage. Troops chanted, “USA! USA!,” and Trump told them: “At ease! Let’s have a good time.” The feel-good atmosphere of Trump’s visit belied the pitched tension in Washington between the president and the Defense Department. Mattis tendered his resignation last Thursday over Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria and draw down numbers in Afghanistan, in addition to other differences. Although Mattis planned to leave in February, Trump on Sunday dismissed him early, demanding that the retired Marine Corps general leave the Pentagon by year’s end. Mattis and other top advisers had cautioned Trump not to order a precipitous withdrawal from Syria, where the 2,000 U.S. troops enabled a Kurdish-led militia to roll back the self-declared caliphate of the Islamic State. Trump has not said anything in the past week about the U.S. presence in Iraq, where about 5,000 American troops remain, assisting Iraqi government forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters in the north in the effort to secure the nation from the threat of the Islamic State. U.S. forces reentered Iraq in 2014 after the Islamic State established its self-declared caliphate in Syria and swept through Iraq, reaching the outskirts of the capital, Baghdad. Trump has long been critical of the war in Afghanistan, which has stretched on for more than 17 years, becoming the longest U.S. war. He directed the Defense Department to withdraw nearly half of the more than 14,000 troops deployed to Afghanistan, U.S. officials said last week, despite warnings from many of his senior advisers and military officials that the move would invite chaos and terrorism. Top U.S. officials have warned that absent a peace deal with the Taliban, Afghanistan could collapse and descend into further turmoil after a precipitous U.S. withdrawal. But as he visited Iraq,


Thais are getting a ‘New Year’s gift’: Medical marijuana

In Thailand, being caught with recreational marijuana can land you in prison for years. Yet the country moved this week to legalize medical marijuana — becoming the first nation in Southeast Asia to do so. This week, Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly, whose members are appointed by the country’s ruling military junta, approved changes to the drug laws that legalize the use of cannabis for medicine and research. The vote was 166-0 in favor, with 13 members abstaining. King Vajiralongkorn must now officially approve the decision. In a session that was broadcast on television, Somchai Sawangkarn, a lawmaker who helped draft the legislation, called the amendment “a New Year’s gift from the National Legislative Assembly to the government and the Thai people." There will still be tight restrictions on recreational marijuana. Patients approved to use the drug for medical purposes will need a prescription, and there will be limits to who can plant and sell it. Still, Chokwan Chopaka, an activist with Thailand’s Highland Network, told Reuters that this week’s move “is the first baby step forward” toward wider legalization. Agence France-Presse reported that Thailand’s National Farmers Council believes cannabis has the potential to become a “new economic crop” and could earn Thailand more than $3 billion a year. But many advocates in Thailand fear that foreign firms will infiltrate the market without government action to protect local interests. Worldwide, other countries are eager to capitalize on profits from the marijuana industry. This week, Israel’s parliament approved exporting medical marijuana for the first time. For now, Thailand is taking it one step at a time. “If we let it be used recreationally, our society is not ready yet, so I want to do this first step first — the issue of making medicine,” Somchai, the lawmaker, told the Associated Press in November. He said that later, “if society is ready,” marijuana “could become a food supplement.” “And eventually that could lead us to its recreational use,” he said. Read more A history of U.S. marijuana laws Marijuana is getting cheaper. For some states, that’s a problem. ‘I don’t feel like I’m doing something wrong’: Yuppies have discovered pot — and they like it