FBI reviewed Flynn’s calls with Russian ambassador but found nothing illicit

Michael Flynn, U.S. national security advisor, arrives to a swearing in ceremony of White House senior staff on Sunday. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) The FBI in late December reviewed intercepts of communications between the Russian ambassador to the United States and retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn — national security adviser to then-President-elect Trump — but has not found any evidence of wrongdoing or illicit ties to the Russian government, U.S. officials said. The calls were picked up as part of routine electronic surveillance of Russian officials and agents in the United States, which is one of the FBI’s responsibilities, according to the U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss counterintelligence operations. Nonetheless, the fact that communications by a senior member of Trump’s national security team have been under scrutiny points up the challenge facing the intelligence community as it continues its wide-ranging probe of Russian government influence in the U.S. election and whether there was any improper back-channel contacts between Moscow and Trump associates and acquaintances. Although Flynn’s contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak were listened to, Flynn himself is not the active target of an investigation, U.S. officials said. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that U.S. counterintelligence agents had investigated the communications between Flynn and Kislyak. President-elect Donald Trump named retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn his national security adviser on Nov. 18, but Flynn has a history of making incendiary and Islamophobic statements that have drawn criticism from his military peers. Of particular note was a Dec. 29 telephone conversation, initiated in an exchange of text messages the day before. Trump officials previously had said the call took place on the 28th. On the 29th, the Obama administration announced sanctions against Russia and expelled 35 officials from the Russian Embassy in response to what the U.S. intelligence community has said was interference in the presidential election on Trump’s behalf. Earlier this month and on Monday, during his first official White House news conference, press secretary Sean Spicer said that the call covered several subjects. They included a Russian invitation to the Trump administration to take part in Russian-sponsored Syrian peace talks that began Monday in Kazakhstan. The men also talked about logistics for a post-inauguration call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Flynn also conveyed condolences for a Russian plane crash that killed a famed military band the day before the call, said Spicer,


Fair and fuzzy: Bear cub separated from mama, rescued by Va. wildlife officials

The cub was found in Lunenburg County, Va. about 50 miles away from the North Carolina border. (Wildlife Center of Virginia) Their cries helped two hunters find them. Animal officials in Virginia said two small black bear cubs were discovered alone in a den without their mama. Hunters called animal officials and biologists recommended they leave the cubs overnight and wait for mom to return. But the next day, the little bears were still alone. The cubs’ den is in Lunenburg County, Va. — about 40 miles north of the North Carolina border — and the pair was first spotted by rabbit hunters on Saturday, officials from the Wildlife Center of Virginia said. During a check that day on the baby bears, a biologist noticed one cub had crawled out of the den and was “extremely cold and wet,” according to a press release. The biologist began warming and rehydrating the cubs, but one died that night. A doctor examines the small cub, which officials said is likely 10 days old. (Wildlife Center of Virginia) On Monday, the lone cub was taken to the Wildlife Center of Virginia, in Waynesboro. Officials believe the baby bear is about 10 days old and in good health, according to the release. He’s now in the center’s intensive care unit and being fed around the clock. What does that mean for little bears? Every four hours, for a total of six feedings a day. His prognosis was listed as fair. His fur? Fuzzy. Biologists also plan to check den sites next week for a surrogate mama bear for the teeny cub, added officials who said “cubbing season” has only just begun.


Hogan: Limit opioid prescriptions to 7 days, boost penalty for dealers whose drugs cause fatal overdoses

Oxycodone pain pills. (John Moore/Getty Images) Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday announced new measures aimed at addressing the state’s growing opioid epidemic, including proposals to limit prescriptions for pain medications and increase prison terms for drug dealers convicted of distributing opioids that result in lethal overdoses. Hogan (R) also signed an executive order establishing a central “command center” to coordinate local and state efforts to combat opioid abuse, a problem that resulted in 1,400 fatal overdoses in Maryland last year. The governor, whose cousin died of a heroin overdose, said he will introduce legislation to restrict opoiod prescriptions to a seven-day supply, with exceptions for certain types of treatment such as for cancer and hospice care. Many experts say a growing number of heroin addicts started using the drug as less-expensive way to feed an addiction to prescription painkillers. “We have to cut that pipeline of new users,” said Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R), who joined the governor during the announcement at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. Rutherford headed a heroin and opioid task force that Hogan established during his first year in office. At least seven states have enacted strict limits on opioid prescriptions over the last two years, including Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Kentucky adopted such legislation in 2012. The governor also promised legislation to create a new felony category allowing sentences of up to 30 years for sales of opioids or synthetic opioids resulting in a lethal overdose, with an exemption for those who sell the drugs to sustain an addiction. States have approached sentencing for such drug transactions differently, with some using felony-murder statutes to increase penalties while others use manslaughter or depraved-heart laws. Hogan’s proposed exception for addicts aligns with a sweeping criminal-justice overhaul approved in Maryland last year as part of an effort to shift from punishing drug addiction to treating it. The governor said he will also propose a bill that would allow the state to take action against drug prescribers and dispensers based on investigations by licensing boards and federal authorities. Hogan noted that he has increased the number of treatment beds in the state by 50 percent compared to the previous administration, and that his 2018 budget includes $4 million in new funding to boost efforts to treat addiction. Several advocacy groups applauded the governor’s latest efforts but said the state needs to do


Meetings of activists planning to disrupt inauguration were infiltrated by conservative group

with knowledge of the investigation. To O’Keefe, who for years has targeted liberal groups with undercover stings, the arrest validates his group and its controversial methods. Project Veritas has been criticized for selectively editing videos, but its work led to the resignation of Democratic political operatives caught discussing ways to disrupt Trump rallies. In 2009, O’Keefe’s group infiltrated Acorn, a community-based housing and social services agency, and recorded two members offering improper advice. Congress later defunded ACORN, and it dissolved. “I’ve spent years trying to fight the mainstream media that doesn’t view me as a journalist,” O’Keefe said in an interview. “This is the first time that a video we shot has led to an arrest. It legitimizes what we’re doing. It’s a new era for us.” Lacy MacAuley, a DisruptJ20 spokeswoman, said on Wednesday that the group never actually intended to use a stink-bomb at the DeploraBall. The discussions caught on video, she said, reflected a false story the group created after members became convinced they had been infiltrated. MacAuley said the group did not know the infiltrator’s intentions. She said members made up the plot to distract that person from their real plans at the ball, which she said consisted mostly of street protests. A police arrest affidavit says DisruptJ20 provided a similar account to law enforcement. D.C. police said they arrested Scott R. Charney, 34, of Northwest Washington on Thursday, the day before the inauguration and hours before the DeploraBall in downtown Washington. Charney lists himself on LinkedIn as a sales associate as well as a foreign-policy analyst who has worked for several think tanks. Charney was charged with conspiracy to commit assault, a misdemeanor, in connection with the alleged planned acid attack. He was freed from jail with a court hearing scheduled Feb. 3. Police said they are searching for two others who were also at the Dec. 18 recorded meeting, which took place at a pizza restaurant in upper Northwest Washington. Charney could not be reached for comment. His attorney, Elise Haldane, said she was unaware of the Project Veritas recordings, which are posted on the group’s Internet site, until informed by a reporter. After viewing the videos, she declined to comment. She would not confirm whether Charney was one of the people who appears or is heard in the video. The first signs of trouble during the inauguration festivities occurred outside the DeploraBall. Protesters


In winter, coaxing the Belgian endive

crops with the ones that the supermarket carries in winter. A couple of years ago, I bought some to make an appetizer I’d thought up. When you break off individual leaves from the little heads, they’re shaped like elongated spoons. So I spread mayonnaise on the leaves, then filled them with finely grated carrots or beets, which made a colorful and delicious platter. Those supermarket heads were hefty, smooth and perfectly shaped, but I was disappointed at how few leaves I got from them. Because the plants had a large, hard core, extending nearly halfway up from the base, their leaves were smaller and smaller as I went up. The core itself, though edible, was nothing special. The heads we grew at home, though they were almost as large as purchased ones, had cores that were tiny in comparison, and the leaves were more uniform and plentiful. What had we done right? Most likely, the practices of large-scale growers are designed to yield perfectly shaped heads, which are impressive to customers. And the large cores add weight, which increases profit when heads are sold by the pound. But ours were just right for my purposes as a cook. Belgian endive has long been considered a luxury item, but it has grown in popularity. The leaves, chopped or whole, lend a delightful crunch to salads and are perfect for scooping up a savory dip. In most of Europe, and not just Belgium, it is a traditional crop, and even more popular as a cooked vegetable. Try braising it in a meat stock, caramelizing it in a pan with butter, or simmering it and topping it with a cheese sauce. And do try growing your own. Yes, it’s a rather long process, but not a difficult one. The variety to grow is Totem, which takes 115 days to mature. Time your sowing to allow harvest just as light fall frosts are occurring. In Washington, that means starting them in early August — sow the seeds in a garden bed and thin seedlings to four inches apart. When you dig up the plants around Halloween, discard the greens, leaving an inch of stem to preserve the growth tip. Sort through the roots, discarding forked or damaged ones. Trim the ones you keep to seven inches. To store the roots, you need a very cool but frost-free spot without light. A cellar or unheated


The new paradigm of high-tech facilities in America

Cupcakes are arranged against a wall in the cafeteria of Google's data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 2013. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press) I take issue with Anne Applebaum’s claim in her Jan. 22 op-ed, “Trump’s dark utopian nationalism,” that “the ‘jobs’ and the ‘borders’ that Trump promised to ‘bring back’ do not exist anymore, in a world of air travel and artificial intelligence and automation.” Though it is likely that vast numbers of blue-collar, production-line jobs will not return to the Rust Belt, those jobs will be disappearing everywhere. This will make it more likely that high-tech facilities, closer to the supply chains and consuming points of distribution, will be built right here at home, facilitated by lower energy costs and reduced transportation costs. The newest Google data centers and Amazon distribution facilities are examples, some operating with the interior lights on only for maintenance to save energy. The shift to this new paradigm, with more high-tech facilities and jobs (plant design, robotics design, and manufacture and software), will increase, replacing the old paradigm. There is a way forward. One just must be willing to see it. Michael Adelman, Bethesda


Local Digest: Jan. 24, 2016

THE DISTRICT D.C. police search for armed robber D.C. police are searching for a man they believe held up several people at gunpoint on two consecutive days this month in Northwest Washington. Victims in each case told police the man held a gun to a person’s head. The robberies occurred Jan. 15 in the 1500 block of L Street NW in downtown, and on Jan. 16 in the 2700 block of Arizona Avenue NW, near the Palisades neighborhood, just off MacArthur Boulevard. Police said that in each case, the gunman got out of the passenger side of a dark four-door sedan, possibly a black Audi. The gunman is described as black, in his 20s and between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10. He is slim, with an athletic build, has a dark complexion and was last seen wearing a black jacket, dark pants and a gray hat or hoodie. — Peter Hermann Shooting near Nationals Park A man was shot behind a liquor store across from Nationals Park on Tuesday and then ran toward people gathered for a job fair at the stadium, D.C. police said. Authorities said the shooting was not connected to the job fair to fill concession-stand positions. The job fair was reset to Jan. 31, according to the Nationals. Police said the victim was shot in the face and shoulder and was reported conscious and breathing when he was taken to a hospital. No arrests have been made, but the shooter was seen driving away, police said. Police said the shooting occurred shortly after 10 a.m. in the 1300 block of South Capitol Street SW. — Susan Svrluga and Peter Hermann MARYLAND Man shoots woman at school bus stop A woman was shot at a school bus stop with children present Tuesday morning. The victim has been hospitalized, and police are searching for the gunman. No children were injured in what Prince George’s County police have said is a domestic-related attack. The shooting occurred about 7:12 a.m. at the stop at Chester and Winthrop streets in the Oxon Hill area, according to Jennifer Donelan, a police spokeswoman. A man began arguing with the woman at the bus stop, the altercation turned physical and the man pulled a gun and fired, Donelan said. Police said they could not give a status on the woman’s condition for her protection as a witness to domestic violence. Police on Tuesday evening identified the


Montgomery County Animal Watch

Montgomery county These cases were received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Alleged cat neglect: Dog attack and bite: A dog owner reported that as she was walking her dog past a residence, two canines bolted out of an open door and attacked her dog. The complainant was bitten on the hand and thigh by one of the dogs, a border collie, and was knocked to the ground during the scuffle. The second dog did not bite. Animal services met with the owner of the dogs, who said she didn’t realize the dogs were loose. During the incident, the dog owner was packing her car for a trip and thought she had shut the front door. The complainant was offered an affidavit but declined. The dog that bit the complainant was placed under a 10-day home quarantine. Bites to the victim’s hand and thigh were minor. Cats at no-kill shelter Cats and kittens will be available for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County’s no-kill shelter at the following location. For information, call 301-740-2511 or visit awlmc.org.Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County no-kill shelter, 12 Park Ave., Gaithersburg. Hours: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Humane Society adoptions The Montgomery County Humane Society’s private rescue shelter has dogs, puppies, cats and kittens available for adoption. Call 240-252-2555 or visit mchumane.org.MCHS Adoptions and Education Center, 601 S. Stonestreet Ave., Rockville. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except holidays. Reduced FEES FOR CATS Cats and kittens will be available for adoption at the next open house of Friends of Montgomery County Animals at the following location. Call 301-977-4833 or visit fmca.org or facebook.com/fmcainfo.PetSmart at Milestone Center, 20924 Frederick Rd., Germantown. Hours: 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


2017 calendar is filled with events that will disrupt D.C. traffic and transit

Washington Nationals fans Jake Flippen, 9, left, and Camdan Henderson, 9, right, cheer on Opening Day 2013. This year, it’s April 3. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) The inauguration is behind us, but we’ve only just begun in terms of potential traffic nightmares this year. Mark your calendars for some of the worst of our collective experiences with travel congestion. Friday. Feb. 4-5. Feb. 11-28. March 4-April 9. March 11. March 20-April 16. April 3. May 25-26. May 28. July 4. Sept. 10. Oct. 22. Nov. 21-22. Dec. 7. Did I miss something you think should be marked in red on your traffic calendar?


Cute critter alert: New gray seal pup born at National Zoo

A new female gray seal was born Jan. 21 at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. (Jacqueline Conrad/Smithsonian National Zoo) A new gray seal pup was born at the National Zoo. The zoo said in a statement that the pup was born Saturday and “appears to be nursing, moving & bonding well” with its mother, Kara. The pup is a girl and was born at 12:43 a.m. She weighed 37 pounds as of Tuesday. Zookeepers are watching the pup closely. Her mother is 33 and is the oldest gray seal to give birth at the zoo, officials said. This is the third pup for Kara and Gunther, the 26-year-old father. The new seal pup does not yet have a name, and zoo officials said they had not decided when or how the pup will be named. The National Zoo's new gray seal pup will eventually shed her white lanugo coat and reveal a mottled and gray pattern like that of adult seals. (Jacqueline Conrad/Smithsonian National Zoo) Officials said caretakers are “cautiously optimistic that the pup will thrive, and Kara is caring for her pup without interference.” The pup will wean and shed its white lanugo coat and a gray and mottled pattern that is common for adult seals will emerge, officials said. Once she is weaned, she will slowly be introduced to the other seals. And she will go on display to the public in the spring. Zookeepers said they figured Kara was pregnant because her appetite changed and she started to gain weight. Seals have been trained to “voluntarily participate” in ultrasounds and radiographs with veterinarians nearby. In August, zoo officials said they confirmed Kara was pregnant. She had biweekly ultrasounds to check on her and the pup’s development. And like any popular animal at the zoo, her developments will be documented on social media accounts, including on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Gray seals were at one point on the endangered list but are now considered a “species of least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, according to the National Zoo. In the wild, zoo officials said, gray seals can be found in areas ranging from North America to the Baltic Sea. The zoo said it was recommended to them that Kara and Gunther be bred from a survival plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The plan helps match animals across the country for


Loudoun County Animal Watch

Loudoun County These were among recent cases reported by the Loudoun County Department of Animal Services. For animal shelter hours and location, and information on adoption, licensing, rabies clinics and low-cost neutering, call 703-777-0406. Shooting investigated: Scared cow becomes scary cow: Wild and woolly: Stray-dog success story: The skinny on another stray: — Compiled by Sandy Mauck


With ‘Star Trek,’ Air and Space Museum collection explores new frontiers

Margaret Weitekamp is a curator in the Space History Department at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. (Andre Chung/for The Washington Post) Margaret Weitekamp, 45, is curator for the social and cultural history of spaceflight collection at the National Air and Space Museum. She lives in Burke, Va. Why does the model USS Enterprise that they used in the original “Star Trek” TV show belong in a Smithsonian museum? The museum has an interest in how spaceflight has been imagined as an important venue for visualizing what could be possible. As humanity started to go into space in reality, that has led artists and creative people to start thinking about what it might mean for humanity to move out into the universe. “Star Trek” is one surprisingly durable and enduring vision of what that could look like. What do you learn from looking at the model? There are literally two sides to this model. One is the fully painted, fully decorated side of the model that faced the camera, and the other side was never fully decorated because the camera would never see it. It allowed us to tell two different stories: the 1960s television star that played the character of the Enterprise, and the other side is in some ways that character without makeup. It was part of an elaborate special-effects process that centered on a material model, which is 11 feet long and 200-odd pounds. What’s your favorite object in the collection? We have a Buzz Lightyear action figure that was flown into space as part of a NASA project that uses toys in space as a way of teaching lessons about science to audiences back on Earth. On its flight back, they had buttoned everything up in the shuttle for reentry, but there were weather problems on Earth that meant they had to delay. The crew remembered, “Don’t we have Buzz Lightyear somewhere?” and pulled the toy out and played with it, zooming it around. So even astronauts who work very, very hard, given a little bit of free time and the availability of this very, very fun Buzz Lightyear action figure, took it out and played with it. For a curator, we’re looking for these evocative pieces that tell more than one story. What is the craziest space thing you’ve ever held in your hand? Yesterday I went on a tour of the meteorite lab


D.C. police identify man fatally shot in Northeast Washington

THE DISTRICT Slain man identified; no arrests made A man who was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in Northeast Washington has been identified as a 35-year-old, according to D.C. police. Willie Starkey of Northeast died at an area hospital shortly after the shooting, which occurred about 2:40 p.m. behind a laundromat in the 1600 block of Benning Road NE. The area is near Starburst Plaza and across the street from the Hechinger Mall. No arrests have been made. — Peter Hermann Explosion inside a police drug vault An explosion occurred Wednesday afternoon inside a drug vault at a D.C. police warehouse in Southwest Washington where evidence is stored, according to police and fire officials. The incident occurred shortly after 2 p.m. in a building near the police training academy in Blue Plains, at the far southwestern tip of the District near Interstate 295. One civilian suffered minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital, officials said. The cause of the explosion on D.C. Village Lane SW was being investigated by the D.C. Fire Department and was undetermined Wednesday afternoon. Dustin Sternbeck, the chief D.C. police spokesman, said the blast occurred inside the drug vault. The extent of damage to the vault and to potential evidence could not immediately be determined. MARYLAND Shooting suspect turns himself in A man suspected of shooting a woman Tuesday at a crowded school bus stop in Prince George’s County has turned himself in, authorities said. Police say Ronald Eugene Simms, 42, got into a domestic altercation with a woman at a bus stop near Forest Heights Elementary School in Oxon Hill shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday. Simms, who knew the woman, pulled out a gun and shot her, Prince George’s County police said. The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment. Several children witnessed the incident and scattered from the scene, police said, but none were hurt. — Lynh Bui VIRGINIA Amtrak train hits vehicle near Quantico An Amtrak train carrying 95 passengers hit a vehicle near Quantico, Va. on Wednesday, officials with the passenger railroad service said. Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said no injuries were reported to passengers or crew members and that the New York-bound Amtrak 84 Northeast Regional, which originated in Norfolk, resumed service about 11:35 a.m. Prince William County Police spokesman Jonathan Perok said the truck was carrying cooking oil and the driver was not injured. He said the cause


Va. Senate votes to expand use of marijuana oil to treat more illnesses

Vials of marijuana-infused oil intended for medicinal use in Minnesota are seen in this photo from 2015. The Virginia Senate approved a bill to expand the use of an oil derived from marijuana to patients suffering from aliments besides epilepsy. (Glen Stubbe/Associated Press) RICHMOND — The bill — co-sponsored by Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Fauquier) and Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D-Arlington) — builds on legislation passed two years ago that was intended to make it easier for Virginians with severe forms of epilepsy to use two oils derived from marijuana. This year’s measure, which passed on a 29-to-11 vote in the majority GOP chamber, expanded the list of ailments to include cancer, glaucoma, HID, AIDS, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, nail-patella syndrome, cachexia or wasting syndrome, multiple sclerosis and complex regional pain syndrome. The two marijuana-extracted oils lack the plant’s intoxicating properties but help alleviate debilitating seizures for some epileptics. The law passed two years ago provides a way for epileptics or their legal guardians to avoid prosecution for possession of cannabidiol oil (also known as CBD) and THC-A oil. Passage of that law came after intense lobbying by parents of children with intractable epilepsy. These children suffered dozens of seizures a day and had exhausted every conventional drug or suffered debilitating side effects from them. That 2015 bill was so narrowly tailored that it faced virtually no opposition, even from law-and-order Republicans. But expanding the list of illnesses raised concerns from some Republicans, who warned about a slippery slope toward marijuana legalization. They also noted that there had not been any exhaustive studies of the oil’s effectiveness for other ailments or testimony from patients this year. Sen. Mark D. Obenshain (R-Rockingham) and Sen. Richard H. Black (R-Loudoun) were among those opposed, with Black warning about “a return to the 1960s.” “Believe me, it was not pretty,” said Black, a Vietnam veteran, describing widespread drug use in the military of that time. “It was the worst of all times.” Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), the Senate minority leader, said the concerns were misplaced, since the oil has no hallucinogenic effects. “We’re not going to become a nation of potheads because people with MS and other kinds of ailments are using this kind of oil,” he said. Saslaw also noted that even the last few presidents have admitted to smoking pot, “although one claimed he didn’t inhale.


Video shows killer opening fire in laundromat parking lot

Person of Interest in Homicide, 1600 b/o Benning Rd, NE, on January 24, 2017 D.C. police on Thursday released video that shows a gunman firing a weapon during a shooting on Tuesday afternoon that claimed the life of a man behind a laundromat in Northeast Washington. The gunman dressed in puffy hooded coat is seen walking across a parking lot in the 1600 block of Benning Road NE. He stretches out his right hand and fires what appears to be twice, with three witness standing feet away. The video does not show the person who was shot. Police identified the victim as Willie Starkey, 35, of Northeast. He was shot about 2:40 p.m. and died a short time later at a hospital. Authorities have not discussed a possible motive. The shooting occurred across the street from the Hechinger Mall.


Investigators’ report: 3 Amtrak workers in fatal crash had used drugs

I — you know, I knew I was going to hit him,” Hunter told the NTSB investigators two days after the accident. “I could feel the train lift up, and . . . I just kind of curled up in a ball in the deck of the locomotive and waited for it to stop.” The engine derailed but remained upright. Hunter and 40 people on board were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Release of the NTSB’s investigative docket Thursday will be followed at an as yet undetermined date by the board’s finding of probable cause for the accident. (The NTSB concluded that a post-accident test that found morphine in Adamovich was the result of the drug being administered when he was taken to a hospital emergency room.) The FRA knew by April that drug use among railroad workers was on the rise, but when tests on Carter, Adamovich and Hunter came back positive, alarm bells went off. In 2014, no one tested positive for drug use after a rail accident. In 2015, there were just two post-accident positives. Railroad workers are among the most heavily drug-tested employees in the country, faced with drug screening before they are hired, random on-the-job testing and another round of testing every time they make a significant mistake. After several years in which heroin and illegal opioid use had increased in the general population, it was evident that use of those and other drugs was on the rise in the railroad industry. In approximately 50,000 random tests each year, there had been no appreciable increase since 2009. But that changed abruptly in 2015: Random tests of railway workers — including engineers, train crew and dispatchers — found drug use had soared by 43 percent. Then-FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg reacted swiftly to that news. She summoned the heads of the nation’s passenger and freight lines to a closed-door session in Washington last year, laying out her concerns and asking for their help in combating the swelling problem. Feinberg had a similar meeting with rail union leaders and then relayed her concerns to the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee. She also issued a rule requiring maintenance workers like Carter and Adamovich be added to the list of railroad employees subject to drug testing. When the railroad industry asked for a one-year delay in the testing program — saying they were concerned over whether it covered contract


Have a scientific passion? Become a citizen scientist.

From counting bees to studying stars, amateur scientists can make contributions to professionals’ work, Caren Cooper argues. Science “doesn’t have to be authoritarian,” she tells her fellow researchers. (Rob O'neal/Associated Press) Deborah Blum is the author of five books, most recently “The Poisoner’s Handbook,” and the director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. As the daughter of an entomologist, I came to citizen science early. By the time I was in elementary school, I could identify the tiny black ants (Argentine) marching in determined lines down the sidewalk. By the time I was in high school, I was “volunteering” to help study the mating chemistry of bees. “Don’t worry,” my father shouted as I stood in a buzzing cloud of male drones, clutching a balloon bearing an array of come-hither pheromones. “They don’t sting.” I shut my eyes anyway, but he was right. They didn’t. Male drone bees are designed for reproduction rather than hive defense. And I wasn’t particularly worried — standing in a buzz of bees was just part of my normal life. Or so I sometimes resentfully thought. It was only later that I realized how much the everyday science of my childhood had shaped the way I would see and value the intricate and unexpectedly beautiful weave of life around me. That kind of illumination is cited in many of the arguments offered today by those promoting citizen participation in scientific research. The movement’s leaders are looking beyond the education of the individual; they also emphasize the way direct participation makes science more accessible to Americans who, many worry, are becoming alienated from the research process. Further, there are areas of research that require a near-army of data-gatherers. Tracking shifts in bird migration, say, in response to climate change cannot be done without dedicated volunteers. "Citizen Science: How Ordinary People are Changing the Face of Discovery," by Caren Cooper (Overlook Press) All of these issues have helped foster an increasingly well-managed array of citizen science projects far beyond the father-recruits-daughter approach of my childhood. Consider, for instance, the rise of websites such as ISeeChange.org, an online “journal” in which everyone adds to a portrait of climate change by detailing change in their own communities — or even back yards. Or programs such as SciStarter, which are designed to help people find an intriguing research project or even design one. And consider the corresponding increase


This physician wants her patients to use fewer medications

efficient in processing medications. That often leads to more of the drugs sticking around in the body and magnifying their effects — and side effects. Polypharmacy has been shown to contribute to higher rates of hospitalizations and death and — of course — to higher costs. The problem is widespread: According to some studies, about 20 percent of adult patients are routinely on five or more drugs, and in people older than 65, between 30 and 70 percent are treated with polypharmacy. In nursing homes and other residential facilities, that rate goes up to 90 percent. Most patients — 89 percent, in one recent study of polypharmacy — have told researchers that they would be interested in stopping a medication if their physician agreed that was the right course of action. So what can we physicians do? First, we need to appreciate the scale of the problem and the potential harm of polypharmacy. We need to recognize that there are professional and cultural norms that push us to prescribe (rather than find other solutions) and to overprescribe. We doctors need to get out of our comfort zone. Yes, it is easier to keep somebody on a medication and just keep refilling it when the pharmacy calls, but is it better for the patient? We need to get over our fear of causing harm by deprescribing. That’s not an irrational fear, of course. Indeed, many medications (for example, anti-depression medications, some high blood pressure drugs and steroids) need to be stopped gradually because stopping abruptly can be dangerous. We also need to make sure we are treating the patient, not the disease. That means considering whether and what to prescribe while taking into consideration the patient’s age, other health conditions and overall life expectancy. As doctors, we need to ask ourselves, for example: For an 87-year-old woman with metastatic cancer, should I prescribe a medication to lower her cholesterol level? The answer is probably no: It is highly unlikely that the patient would benefit from this drug and very likely that she would suffer from harms caused by the drug and its interactions with her other medications. Common classes of medications that are good candidates for deprescribing include: ● Anti-anxiety medications known as benzodiazepines, which can contribute to cognitive impairment, delirium, falls (and related injuries), breathing problems and motor-vehicle accidents. ● Atypical antipsychotics, which are often used to treat psychosis and,


This might be the world’s best-rated $7 wine. How did Walmart get a lock on it?

La Moneda was such a hit in England, Walmart decided to sell it in the United States. The first allotment sold out. (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post) The label for La Moneda Malbec Reserva 2015 from Chile looks like nothing special, until you notice the small decal on the side touting 95 points and a platinum medal from Decanter magazine. Even if you don’t know that Decanter is Britain’s leading wine journal, 95 points is an impressive score for any wine, especially a cheap one. Last June, when it won best single-variety red costing under 15 pounds in Decanter’s annual World Wine Awards, consumer demand crashed the website of Asda supermarkets, La Moneda’s exclusive retail outlet. Demand spiked so high that Asda’s parent company, Walmart, decided to sell the wine in the United States. So last fall, Walmart introduced the La Moneda Malbec into 577 of its 4,600 or so U.S. stores, priced at $6.96 a bottle. Having tasted a sample, I can tell you it is really good, and it was still delicious and lively three or four days after opening, my unscientific way of assessing wine quality. Unfortunately, it is not available in Washington-area Walmart stores — or possibly in any Walmart. A company spokesman says the initial U.S. allotment “sold through” over the holidays. Furthermore, it’s unclear whether U.S. customers will ever be able to buy La Moneda. The supplier is already selling Walmart the 2016 vintage, but only for the U.K. market, and the spokesman would say only that the company is always looking for “new opportunities” to offer similar values for its American customers. Nonetheless, the La Moneda story gives us a glimpse into how many good, inexpensive wines reach the shelves of chain stores such as Walmart, Costco, Total Wine & More and BevMo. It’s not the romantic tale of artisan vintners lovingly coddling their expensive oak barrels to produce a few hundred cases of mind-blowing vino. Most wine is an industrial agricultural product, made at large wineries sometimes derisively called “tank farms” for the huge stainless-steel tanks that hold thousands of gallons waiting to be bottled on demand. Economy of scale helps make wine inexpensive enough to be our daily tipple. Exclusive private-label wines are one way retailers vie for a competitive edge. The La Moneda malbec is one of 60 such “distinctive labels” Walmart sells, including $3 table wines and more premium


Trump shuts the door on men and women who have sacrificed for America

painstaking. To even apply for the SIV, one must meet ALL of the following criteria: Be a national of Iraq or Afghanistan; and Have worked directly with U.S. armed forces or under Chief of Missions authority as an interpreter for at least 12 months; and Have obtained a favorable, written recommendation from a military or civilian member of the U.S. government. All this to simply apply for the SIV. To be approved, the interpreter must clear these additional hurdles:• Receive the written nomination; • Prove he or she provided at least 12 to 24 months of honorable and valuable service to the United States war effort; • Prove he or she is under immediate duress due to that service;• And, lastly, pass the most extreme form of vetting the United States can muster — a comprehensive national security background investigation completed by every single component of the U.S. national security apparatus (the CIA, FBI, National Security Agency, etc.). All agencies conduct separate investigations and do not coordinate cross-agency. The decision from the national security apparatus must be unanimous, meaning that all the agencies involved must approve the application package. If even one agency dissents on a visa approval, that applicant is barred from entry to the United States and placed on the no-fly list — forever. These men and women have served our country honorably — in some cases, for more than a decade. A decade of combat service to America, fighting alongside Americans, wearing the same uniforms, bleeding their blood for our country. Is that not the most American thing one could do — fight for the ideals they believe in to better one’s country? These wartime allies are true-blooded Americans, though they were born half a world away. Would we deny a man who was injured in multiple improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, repeatedly led U.S. service members through enemy territory safely and fostered local relations? Would we deny a man who is credited with saving five American soldiers lives, including mine? Remember, this man’s name is Janis, and if he were an American-born veteran, we’d pin medals to his chest and call him a hero. This ban leaves thousands of our wartime allies to fend for themselves against the very enemies we asked them to fight. Veterans of the Vietnam War speak often of their half-century injury at having abandoned so many of our Vietnamese allies. Friday,


Beer of the Week: A creamy English ale in a can, without the plastic widget

Coventry Cream Ale, brewed by Baltimore's Oliver Brewing. (Oliver Brewing ) If you drink English ales in America, you’ve probably bought a can containing a widget, a plastic device that releases nitrogen into the beer when the can is opened, creating a thick head and signature creamy body. (Tetley’s and Boddingtons are the most common examples.) Coventry Cream Ale While Oliver offers nitro drafts at its pubs, including Baltimore’s Pratt Street Ale House and Ale House Columbia, Coventry Cream Ale marks only the second time Oliver has released a nitro can. The brewery recommends a “hard pour”: dumping the contents of the can straight into a pint glass rather than slowly pouring down the glass’s inside wall. After the beer settles, it reveals a dark ruby-amber color and a thick, finger-width head that sticks around for most of a pint. This is a traditional and fruity English bitter, full of sweet caramel and biscuity malts. The main ingredients come from across the pond: Oliver’s house yeast is Ringwood, a strain that’s a staple of Yorkshire ales; the lemon and slightly minty flavors that shine through result from a combination of Kent Goldings, Bramling Cross, and famous and floral Fuggle hops. Compared to non-nitro ales, Coventry Cream Ale is smoother and less prickly; brewer Stephen Jones says the nitrogen takes the beer in the direction of a traditional cask-conditioned ale, which is poured without extraneous carbonation. “I’ve always thought of nitrogenation as a way of mimicking cask,” he says. The texture also hides the strength. While I would have thought this was closer to a session (low-alcohol) beer, it’s actually 6 percent alcohol by volume. That’s stronger than a similar ale would be in Coventry, the English city where Jones earned a biochemistry degree and worked in a brewery. But hey, in America, we do things a little differently. — Fritz Hahn Oliver Brewing’s Coventry Cream Ale. oliverbrewingco.com. $10.99 to $11.99 per four-pack of 16-ounce cans. More from Food: Beer Column archive


The serious health risks of metabolic syndrome

syndrome is a combination of risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke. Although definitions vary on the precise mix of signs and symptoms that make up the syndrome, the patient had what Lipman thinks are the most characteristic. Most notable: abdominal obesity, or a waist circumference of at least 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women. That’s worrisome because abdominal fat is more metabolically active than fat in the rest of the body, which means it’s more likely to cause heart attacks and strokes. In addition, that type of fat is associated with resistance to the blood-sugar-lowering action of insulin, the hormone responsible for escorting glucose from our blood into our cells, where it is used as fuel for energy. In fact, a former name for the metabolic syndrome was insulin resistance, and the condition is often a prelude to Type 2 diabetes. The specs for the remaining components of the syndrome include triglycerides over 150 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol less than 40 mg/dl in men and 50 in women, blood pressure levels over 135 and 85, and a fasting blood sugar over 100 mg/dl. Multiplying the risk The patient had all five warning signs, and as a math teacher, he knew how that multiplied his risks. In one meta-analysis, his chances for developing Type 2 diabetes were up to more than five times the normal rate, and his risk for cardiovascular disease was doubled. People with the syndrome face an increased chance of such other health problems as gout, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, kidney failure, polycystic ovary disease and even liver cancer. Overall, his odds of dying prematurely were about 150 percent higher than someone without the syndrome. How to solve the problem Some risk factors for the syndrome are beyond a person’s control. For example, it is more common among women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans. But there are a number of steps you can take, and the patient knew what he had to do before Lipman told him. The doctor and patient discussed diet. The patient’s choice was to switch to the Mediterranean-style diet (high in nuts, whole grains, fruits, veggies, olive oil and fish). In one study this popular — and tasty — diet resulted in greater weight loss and improvement in insulin resistance and blood lipids compared with a control diet. He decided to cut out pasta,


This couple is actually leaving the country because of President Trump

and Denise Yeager visited Ireland after the election and are also heading to Central America, the Far East and Eastern Europe in search of a new place to live out the Trump administration. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post) After the election, the Yeagers spent a month in Ireland, their first visit. They liked it very much. So, Ireland is on the list of places to land. “I’m committed to being out of the country for just as long as we can,” Yeager says. “I don’t see us coming back on a permanent basis.” That is, until Trump is out of the White House. “What we’re trying to escape is the disappointment of my homeland,” he adds. When they’re abroad, the Yeagers use public transit, bike, crash in hostels, inexpensive hotels or with locals whom they find through couchsurfing.com. They don’t frequent restaurants much, preferring to cook wherever they happen to land. The Ultimate Cheapskate knows how to travel cheaply. And he’s been smart about saving. Their next country-hunting adventure will be to Panama and Costa Rica. Spain and Portugal are on the list, also New Zealand and Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. They love Eastern Europe, particularly Croatia and Poland, countries where Americans can live relatively inexpensively. “I love the raw, real feel of a place that you can’t find with a lot of tourists there,” Yeager says. Would he consider Russia? He would like to ride the length of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, not in luxury, but like ordinary Russians with chickens. Denise is having no part of that. Otherwise, she’s game. “Many people tell us they wish they could do the same thing and leave,” she says. They’re looking for countries that offer good health care, affordable housing, friendly people, limited paperwork. (So no Canada for them.) “I’ve never felt this strongly, not even with Nixon,” Yeager says. Rather than seeing themselves as prodigal Americans, “we see ourselves as citizen ambassadors.” The goal is to represent a different, non-Trumpian America, their America, to the world. Yeager finds that he’s happiest when “I can’t speak the language of the country where I am. I can’t possibly speak politics.” But, he adds emphatically, “We have no intention of giving up our U.S. citizenship.” They’re just giving up, for a while, on their residency. So it’s urgent to find someone to rent or buy their home. “Make me an offer,” he says again.


Missing bobcat returns to National Zoo

Ollie the bobcat escaped her enclosure at the National Zoo on Monday. She returned Wednesday afternoon, shortly after zoo officials had called off the search. (Barbara Statas/Smithsonian’s National Zoo) This story has been updated. Ollie, a bobcat at the National Zoo who went missing Monday morning, was captured late Wednesday afternoon near the zoo’s bird house, zoo officials said. “We found her thanks to a tip from a visitor,” great cats curator Craig Saffoe said at a news conference Wednesday evening. Saffoe said that after receiving the tip, he and a zookeeper set live traps near the bird house and within 15 minutes had captured Ollie. “She is doing well right now,” said Brandie Smith, associate director for animal care sciences. “The only effect from her adventure at the zoo is that she has a small cut on her left front paw.” Ollie awaits an evaluation at the zoo's veterinary hospital on Wednesday. She had a small cut on her left front paw. (Amy Enchelmeyer/ Smithsonian's National Zoo) Ollie, who is nearly 7 years old, was resting in the zoo’s vet hospital Wednesday night and was scheduled for full checkup Thursday morning. When asked how far from the zoo Ollie had wandered, Saffoe said probably a mile or two. Several people in the Woodley Park and Cleveland Park neighborhoods reported spotting the cat in the past two days. “She didn’t go too far, which is really reassuring to us,” Saffoe said. “I think she wanted to go out and have a little bit of fun. See what it was like on the outside and [then] ‘I think I’m ready to come back inside now.’ ” The adventure started Monday morning, when Ollie didn’t show up for breakfast at around 10:40 a.m. A zookeeper had seen her inside her mesh enclosure around 7:30 a.m. An initial search of the zoo was unsuccessful, so officials alerted the media and the public. People were encouraged to not approach the animal but to call the zoo if they spotted the feline, who looks like a 25-pound version of a household cat but with a bobbed tail. Bobcats are not known to be aggressive to people and typically will hide when humans are around. On Tuesday, zookeepers and members of the D.C. Humane Rescue Alliance began looking in nearby neighborhoods. By the next morning, Ollie was still missing and zoo officials announced that they were


Officials ask whether Trump will affect Los Angeles’ Olympics bid

for Los Angeles’ bid, even if they aren’t certain whether he is a help or hindrance in the process. “With Trump, I think it’s more personal,” said David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians. “This involves approximately 100 people voting. A certain number are women, a certain number are Muslim and a certain number are from Spanish-speaking countries. A lot of them have reason to feel offended by Trump. It’s almost beyond politics.” Wallechinsky says the challenge facing LA2024 organizers is to make the city’s bid about California without necessarily alienating the president. “It’s awkward because they need the support of the U.S. government for security,” he said, “so they can’t just separate themselves.” Officials with the U.S. Olympic Committee spent the weekend trying to understand the ramifications of the travel ban. The USOC said in a statement Monday afternoon that the organization has received assurances from federal officials that they “will work with us to ensure that athletes and officials from all countries will have expedited access to the United States in order to participate in international athletic competitions.” “Like the United States, the Olympic Movement was founded based upon notions of diversity and inclusion, of opportunity and overcoming adversity. As the steward of the Olympic Movement in the United States, we embrace those values,” read the statement from USOC chair Larry Probst and CEO Scott Blackmun. “We also acknowledge the difficult task of providing for the safety and security of a nation. It is our sincere hope that the executive order as implemented will appropriately recognize the values on which our nation, as well as the Olympic Movement, were founded.” The president’s executive order on Friday did spark some more pressing concerns. A team of U.S. freestyle wrestlers was slated to compete in a world championship tournament Feb. 16-17 in Kermanshah, Iran. Shortly after Trump’s order went into effect, the Iranian government announced it would limit visas to Americans. Rich Bender, the executive director of USA Wrestling, said Monday the U.S. team is still planning to compete in Iran. He said USA Wrestling has received assurances that the American athletes will be allowed to enter Iran. “Is it possible we won’t get visas? It’s certainly possible,” Bender said. “But we’re optimistic and hopeful that we’ll find out soon our visas have been stamped and we’ll be wheels up shortly.” Lisa Delpy Neirotti, an associate professor


Still missing: Ollie, the 25-pound bobcat from D.C.’s National Zoo

After two days missing, Ollie the bobcat who lives in the National Zoo has been found. Over in Virginia, there's another zoo animal still on the loose. Still missing: a 25-pound bobcat named Ollie from Washington’s National Zoo. And early Tuesday morning, zookeepers, police officers for the zoo and rescue experts continued to search for the female cat around the facility’s property in Northwest Washington. Overnight, officials at the zoo said they received several calls from the public with “consistent information” that the animal may be in nearby Woodley Park or Cleveland Park. Officials warned that Ollie, while cute in pictures and inside her enclosure at the zoo, is not a house cat. Don’t call, “Here, kitty, kitty.” In fact, they warn, no one should approach the bobcat if they see her. Instead, take note of the time and her exact location. Anyone with information should call the zoo at 202-633-7362, officials said. Ollie the bobcat escaped her enclosure at the National Zoo on Jan. 30. (Barbara Statas, Smithsonian’s National Zoo) On Tuesday morning, zoo officials said a crew was using heavy nets and protective gloves in the search, along with food to try to entice the big cat. Zoo officials said there is “no imminent danger” to the public because bobcats are not “known to be aggressive to humans.” But Ollie can be a threat to small dogs and cats. D.C. schools spokeswoman Michelle Lerner said in an email that 13 nearby schools were “on alert status, which includes moving recess indoors.” James Albright, the principal of Alice Deal Middle School, one of those affected, said in a message to school families: “While I don’t encourage vigilantism, please keep an eye out for Ollie.” On Tuesday, the D.C. Humane Rescue Alliance said that at least four experts who are trained in finding and tracking animals humanely are helping to search for Ollie. One of the Human Rescue Alliance’s experts was heavily involved in finding Rusty, a red panda that escaped from the zoo in 2013. Matt Williams, a spokesman with the Humane Rescue Alliance, said his group is focusing on the area outside the zoo in Rock Creek Park. “They will do what they can to make sure the bobcat is returned safely,” he said. Using a tranquilizer is the best option to bring the animal back to the zoo, Williams said. If the search team sees her, they


‘Call 911!’ She fought a masked intruder in her daughter’s bedroom. Then he fired a gun.

loved every minute, even breaking concrete in the direct sun, because I was besides amazing people helping to make an amazing change in the community!” she posted on Instagram. “This photo was taken of us on the playground with the children of Escuela Libertad.” She already had plans to make another trip with the company this summer, in Peru. At Howard High, where she made the honor roll, her favorite classes were science and Spanish. She had set her sights on Towson University, her parents said. When Charlotte wasn’t in school, she threw on blue scrubs and volunteered at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, where she completed one shift in the pediatric emergency room and several others in the intermediate care unit. Although she talked about a career as a doctor, her father thought she might become an FBI agent, because she loved watching “Homicide Hunter” on the Investigation Discovery network. “She liked finding out how things happened, why they happened,” Suzanne said. “She liked puzzles,” Jim said. “That’s what drew her to medicine,” Suzanne said. “She wanted to fix things.” ‘It’s gonna be great’ On the last night of Charlotte’s life, she spent New Year’s Eve at the home of a sick friend, giving her a foot massage. Marisa Poisal, 15, a Howard High sophomore, said Charlotte might have stayed overnight if she hadn’t been sick. “She came here because she wanted to take care of me,” Poisal said. “She was going to stay here all night, but I was throwing up.” Instead, Suzanne picked Charlotte up and drove her home. Now Poisal, who lunched most days with Charlotte in the atrium next to the school cafeteria, keeps a box of memories to remember her friend: the program from Charlotte’s funeral on Jan. 7, some concealer Charlotte had given her, and a roll of toilet paper that Charlotte fetched for her on New Year’s Eve when Poisal ran out of tissues. But Marisa also prizes Charlotte’s Instagram photos. Charlotte had two accounts: charlOttez , a public account with 64 posts, and her private one, with 521. Poisal laughed when she arrived at a photo Charlotte posted Dec. 14 of the two of them. “Picture with someone I love bc I just decided to start writing the book of which I’ve been thinking about the plot for months y’all it’s gonna be great,” Charlotte wrote. Poisal was privy to the


The gardener’s little helper

beetles were present, but they were suited to cleaning up after marsupials such as kangaroos, not ungulates such as cows. So African cow-pie-loving beetles were brought in to do the job. A home gardener need not take such measures, even though many of us put manure from cows, horses and other beasts on our gardens. If the manure is too fresh, especially when applied in warm weather, flies can be a problem. So it’s best to compost it first or till it in promptly. In cold climates, fresh manure can be applied in fall, as freezing and thawing of the soil will open up fissures where it can gradually sink in. It also helps to have dung beetles around, even if you don’t spread any manure. You’ll find dung beetles on most lists of the top helpful creatures in the garden, along with bees, earthworms, predatory wasps and mosquito-eating bats. It’s worth finding out more about what they do, especially if, for you, beetles are guilty until proven innocent. Some beetle species, such as Japanese beetles, are garden pests, especially when displaced from their native lands, where they would be kept more in balance by natural enemies. Many are beautiful, either in appearance, such as the iridescent scarabs, or in performance, such as fireflies at night. Lady beetles are happy to gobble up the aphids on your plants. And dung beetles are happy to process dung. They bury it, consume it and transform it into a soil amendment. Dung beetles are found in a number of insect families and have diverse habits. Some eat only dung, and some eat and break down other materials as well. Some eat the dung of herbivores, others that of omnivores. Nesting habits vary, too. Some burrow into a pile of manure and lay their eggs there, so that their larvae will have food when they hatch. Others bury eggs in the soil just under the pile. More ambitious ones tunnel deep down and lay their eggs in dung-filled brood chambers. The most heroic are the male ball-rolling beetles that carve perfect spheres out of dung, at least twice their size and weight, roll them some distance away and bury them in pre-excavated nests. If a female is impressed with a male’s sculpting talent and physique, she will follow him as he rolls the dung ball, sometimes riding on top as if it were a


Montgomery County Animal Watch

Montgomery county This case was received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Burtonsville Loose pit bulls Humane Society adoptions The Montgomery County Humane Society’s private rescue shelter has dogs, puppies, cats and kittens available for adoption. Call 240-252-2555 or visit mchumane.org.MCHS Adoptions and Education Center, 601 S. Stonestreet Ave., Rockville. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except holidays. Reduced FEES FOR CATS Cats and kittens will be available for adoption at the next open house of Friends of Montgomery County Animals at the following location. Call 301-977-4833 or visit fmca.org or facebook.com/fmcainfo.PetSmart at Milestone Center, 20924 Frederick Rd., Germantown. Hours: 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Cats at no-kill shelter Cats and kittens will be available for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County’s no-kill shelter at the following location. For information, call 301-740-2511 or visit awlmc.org.Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County no-kill shelter, 12 Park Ave., Gaithersburg. Hours: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week continues through Feb. 5

Chef Michael Schlow prepares dishes at Conosci. The restaurant is participating in the Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week, through Feb. 5. (Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post) TODAY METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON RESTAURANT WEEK: SATURDAY CHOCOLATE LOVERS FESTIVAL: HOW WE EAT: A UNIQUELY HUMAN DILEMMA: SUNDAY PIE BAKING WORKSHOP: WINE CLASS: — Kara Elder Submit event listings at events.washpost.com at least 14 days in advance.


Missing bobcat Ollie found on National Zoo property

Animal care staff identified Ollie via a transponder chip. ( Amy Enchelmeyer/Smithsonian's National Zoo) After a 2 1/2- day fling in the outside world, Ollie the bobcat returned to the National Zoo late Wednesday afternoon. She had a cut on her left front paw and enough of life away from home, the zoo said. She showed up, as the day was waning, near the zoo’s Bird House, not far from where she vanished Monday morning. A zoo visitor spotted her running across a path about 4 p.m. and notified authorities, who hurried to the area and baited a capture trap. Within 15 minutes, she had strolled into the trap, said Craig Saffoe, curator of great cats at the zoo. She was taken to the zoo hospital, where she was “100 percent safe and sound,” he said. After two days missing, Ollie the bobcat who lives in the National Zoo has been found. Over in Virginia, there's another zoo animal still on the loose. The zoo said it planned to examine her thoroughly for any diseases she might have picked up during her stay in the wild. Saffoe said she probably hadn’t gone far, and “came right back home.” “I think she wanted to go out, have a little bit of fun, see what it was like on the outside, [then] ‘I think I’m ready to come back inside now,’ ” he said. Saffoe said he was “over the moon, thrilled.” “When you find a member of your family, or you find somebody who’s been missing, it just kind of fills you with joy, crazy joy,” he said. Finding a bobcat in the woods of Rock Creek Park, where she had fled, was “less of a chance than finding a needle in a haystack,” Brandie Smith, the zoo’s associate director for animal care sciences, said Wednesday evening. “Our first instinct was ‘you know what, she’s going to go out, and she’s going to want to come back,’ ” Smith said. “And that’s exactly what she did. And we were ready for her the second that she came back.” Ollie is seen in a cage Wednesday at the National Zoo. (Smithsonian National Zoo) The zoo had announced earlier Wednesday that it had suspended its search for the 25-pound female. For the past two days, a team of zookeepers, police officers at the zoo and rescue experts from the D.C. Humane Rescue Alliance


Nestlé to move U.S. headquarters to Arlington, bringing 750 jobs

Nestlé will soon take up 40 percent of 1812 N. Moore St., a building in Arlington’s Rosslyn area that has remained empty since its completion in 2013. (Jeffrey MacMillan for The Washington Post) Nestlé USA, the maker of Häagen-Dazs, Baby Ruth, Lean Cuisine and dozens of other mass brands, is moving its U.S. headquarters to Arlington’s Rosslyn area, bringing roughly 750 jobs to a part of Virginia struggling with widespread office vacancies. The world’s largest packaged-food company — which bills itself as a nutrition, health and wellness company — will move in at 1812 N. Moore St., the region’s tallest building, which has remained vacant since it was completed in late 2013. Nestlé was lured to the area, executives say, by its proximity to lawmakers, regulators and lobbyists — and more than $16 million in state and county subsidies. “Frankly, this brings us closer to the heartbeat of our industry,” said Paul Grimwood, chairman and chief executive of Nestlé USA, which is part of the global giant Nestlé SA, based in Vevey, Switzerland. “It allows us to collaborate not just with consumers but also with other important stakeholders in Washington and on Capitol Hill.” The company’s current U.S. headquarters is in Glendale, Calif., where it has come under fire in recent years for bottling water during the state’s record multi-year drought. In 2015, Nestlé — which has nine brands of water, including Arrowhead — removed 36 million gallons of water from a natural forest in California to bottle and sell, prompting public criticism and at least one lawsuit. Nestlé, founded in 1866, has built itself into a global powerhouse with worldwide sales of around $90 billion in 2015. In addition to Nestlé Crunch, Butterfinger and Toll House, the company’s brands include Hot Pockets, DiGiorno, Nescafe, Boost, Gerber and Purina. The Switzerland-based packaged-foods giant is spending $39.8 million to build out the top nine floors of 1812 N. Moore St., the region’s tallest building. (Jeffrey MacMillan for The Washington Post) With Nestlé’s move, the Mid-Atlantic region will now boast three major candymakers. Mars, the privately held maker of Snickers, Milky Way and M&M’s, is based in McLean, Va., and Hershey is based in Pennsylvania. In recent years, Nestlé has made a steady push to remove unnatural flavors and colors from its chocolate bars and reduce the sugar in its Nesquik drink powders. It has also invested in health-care firms and medical


A billionaire’s disappearance has China’s heavy-handed touch

Xiao Jianhua, a Chinese-born Canadian billionaire, has gone missing from Hong Kong. (Associated Press/Next Magazine) HERE’S ONE sure way to know when Xi Jinping’s secret police have illegally abducted someone outside the country and then forcibly transported them to China: when the victim is obliged to issue a statement denying that any such thing occurred. That’s what has happened to billionaire investor Xiao Jianhua, who disappeared from the Four Seasons hotel in Hong Kong on Friday and, according to police and the South China Morning Post, crossed the border to the mainland. On Wednesday, a full-page advertisement in Mr. Xiao’s name appeared in a Hong Kong newspaper, insisting that “it’s not true that I’ve been abducted and taken back to the mainland.” Previous abductees have been forced to deliver similar declarations, making them a clumsy signature, rather than an act of concealment, of Mr. Xi’s thugs. The regime certainly has cause to hide this particular kidnapping, and for more than one reason. It represents another major violation of the legal autonomy Beijing guaranteed to Hong Kong when it obtained sovereignty over the former British colony 20 years ago. It is an affront to Canada, of which Mr. Xiao is a citizen, though he has spent most of his life on the mainland and no doubt is considered Chinese by the regime. The disappearance also looks like an effort by Mr. Xi and other elite figures to cover their tracks. A prodigy who entered Peking University at 15, Mr. Xiao built an investment empire by amassing shares in banks, mining and insurance companies and other properties, and developed close connections with the Communist elite. According to the New York Times, Mr. Xiao paid $2.4 million in 2013 to buy shares in another firm held by Mr. Xi’s relatives after a report by Bloomberg News on the family’s wealth. Mr. Xiao’s spokesman said he did it “for the family,” the Times reported. Another deal linked him with Jia Qinglin, a close ally of former president Jiang Zemin. Mr. Xiao may be the legitimate target of a corruption probe: He denied rumors he was evading prosecution when he first came to Hong Kong, where he has lived for a number of years. But Chinese analysts believe it as likely that he knows too much about Mr. Xi, who has been striving to consolidate his personal power and eliminate all opposition to his regime.


The Ballad of Ollie the Bobcat: Back in her cage, just like the rest of us

Ollie the bobcat escaped her enclosure at the National Zoo, but her brief fling with freedom came to an end Wednesday. (Barbara Statas, Smithsonian’s National Zoo) We’re all Ollie the Bobcat, aren’t we? Busting out of that enclosure at the National Zoo, where Ollie played second-string cat to those insufferable lions and tigers. We felt her pain, rooting her on during her ill-fated and all-too-brief escape. She was every American worker, underappreciated, shunted to the side. She was forced to share real estate with a caracal lynx — a lynx! Have you seen the ears on that thing? As our new president might say: Sad! The bobcat habitat wasn’t even on the zoo’s main circle around Big Cat mountain, just a little culvert, no more glamorous than the accounts payable or customer service department. No one was putting Ollie in a corner. She saw her opening and busted loose. Ollie the bobcat back in a cage after being recaptured. ( Amy Enchelmeyer/Smithsonian's National Zoo) She’s no fool. She knows what’s happening in this town. First, the new administration targets the federal workers, next the immigrants, then the zookeepers. Ollie had a plan — to get out while she could. Off the grid. Canada! She was a feline prepper. Sensing the constitutional apocalypse coming, she wanted to shake that dependence on the government kibble. She’d seen others try, of course. Rusty the red panda went on the lam in 2013, then was captured in Adams Morgan. How basic, Rusty. Adams Morgan? H Street’s way more happening. That same year, Natalie the flightless vulture used a gust of wind to hang-glide out of her enclosure. She was flyyyyyyyiiiiiiing! Then she landed in the zoo’s parking lot. She was back behind bars in no time. No, Ollie was going to do it better. After two days missing, Ollie the bobcat who lives in the National Zoo has been found. Over in Virginia, there's another zoo animal still on the loose. She had her own Twitter account with an inspiring bio: “Finally free and looking for some fun!” Ollie started posting foodie pics of tapas and craft cocktails. She tried steak. Slammed tequila. She slept in. Got VIP tickets to big games. Went to shows at the Black Cat. All the things we’d do if we busted out “Office Space”-style. Some in the city freaked out about Ollie. Schools shut down recess to protect


Md. man arrested in fatal shooting in Northeast Washington

D.C. police arrested a suspect Wednesday just hours after a man was fatally shot and a woman wounded in a double shooting in Northeast Washington. Myshawn D. Allen, 23, of Greenbelt, Md., was charged with first-degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill. The slain man was identified as Tyronn J. Hodges, 25, of Landover, Md. A woman who was with Hodges and who was also shot was not identified. Police said her wounds were not life-threatening. The shooting occurred about 7 p.m. in 900 block of Eastern Avenue NE. Officers who heard gunshots responded to that location and were met by a woman who had been shot several times, police said in a statement. Police then found a man who had been shot inside a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police did not describe a motive in the case.


How a tweak became a tempest: Trump, Russia and sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attend a joint news conference in Budapest on Thursday. (Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool/via EPA) This is the story of how, in the hyperactive Age of Trump, something that initially appeared to be a major change in policy turned into a nothing-burger. Early Thursday morning, both political and journalistic antennae shot up when the Treasury Department posted a brief paragraph titled “Publication of Cyber-related General License.” Pursuant to last month’s sanctions by the Obama administration on Russia’s intelligence service for interfering in the U.S. election, it said, “certain transactions” with the service, known as the FSB, were to be authorized. At first glance, the notice appeared to be the first step toward lifting Obama-era sanctions on Russia, something President Trump has indicated he might want to do as he fashioned a new relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That interpretation was bolstered when former FSB director Nikolai Kovalyov, now a member of the Russian parliament, called it “the first step on the way leading to cooperation in the war on terror.” “This shows that actual joint work on establishing an anti-terrorism coalition is about to begin,” Kovalyov told Tass. The Russian news site reported that “U.S. authorities have eased” sanctions against Russia’s FSB. On Capitol Hill, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a strong sanctions supporter, told reporters that his staff was still examining the matter, although the initial read was that it was a “technical fix.” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, was far less sure. Instead of punishing Russia for its attacks on “our democracy,” Swalwell said in a statement, Trump “is easing sanctions against its team of hackers, the FSB.” He called on Congress to “act swiftly to reimpose these sanctions so that those who attack America know there’s a price to pay.” Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.) said that Trump had “inexplicably decided to reward” Russia for bad behavior. “For someone who purports to be the ultimate dealmaker,” Pascrell said in a statement, “this sounds like a raw deal to me.” Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) chose the moment to announce that he was joining a bipartisan group of sponsors of the “Counteracting Russian Hostilities Act of 2017,” a measure calling for even more sanctions against Russia. At the White House, press secretary Sean Spicer denied any policy change, saying such tweaks


The District’s jazz scene is all over the place. Is Luke Stewart holding it together?

WPFW (89.3 FM). The fuller Stewart’s calendar grows, the more resurgent the scene begins to feel “I’m all about breaking the cultural hegemony of New York and L.A., or wherever,” Stewart says. “D.C. is still an underdog city, so it’s important to develop the community so people from New York can come interact with the thing that’s happening here.” That’s his priority as a presenter. As a musician, Stewart says his greatest concern nowadays is learning how to express his commitment to social justice through nonverbal music. At a solo gig in Baltimore last year, he felt like he was getting close. He took the bandstand that night without saying a word, and when his set was over, audience members asked him whether his performance had been inspired by Freddie Gray, who died in police custody in Baltimore in 2015. “That’s exactly who I was thinking about up there,” Stewart says. “So I know it can happen. . . . When you’re playing instrumental music, the most you can hope for is that you’re playing with intention, with deliberate energy, and, hopefully, the audience is sensitive to it. If the context is right, it can be life-changing.” Stewart performs at the community arts space Rhizome during a Jan. 15 show. (Andre Chung for The Washington Post) Of the dozens of area jazz performances Stewart is involved in this spring, you’ll want to make these gigs a priority: On Feb. 11, Stewart presents flutist Nicole Mitchell’s thrillingly adventuresome Black Earth Ensemble at Capital Fringe. capitalfringe.org. Ancestral Duo Stewart joins the pioneering Wadada Leo Smith on Feb. 15 for a performance of the trumpeter-composer’s sweeping “Ten Freedom Summers” at Georgetown Day School. gds.org. Heart of the Ghost On April 21, Stewart marks the release of his new solo album with a performance at Metro Micro Gallery in Arlington. (The gallery will also host an art show with contributions from Stewart, opening April 8.) metromicrogallery.com. Michael Formanek’s Ensemble Kolossus Read more from the Spring Arts Preview: Art made on the front lines of the First World War From Bechdel to Chekhov, literary stars inspire this spring’s D.C. theater choices Washington Ballet leaps — with 4 can’t-wait-to-see programs — into grandeur Kennedy Center’s new experiment, its Shift orchestra festival, has promise A season of colors, from Renaissance glazes to psychedelic installations Starting with ‘she-ro’ Wonder Woman, spring’s movies look encouraging for exhilarating female roles


Iran bars U.S. wrestlers from tournament in response to Trump’s travel ban

of being dropped from the Olympic program. (JUSTIN LANE/European PressPhoto Agency) The Olympic world has been slowly processing the implications of Trump’s executive order this week. The U.S. Olympic Committee said Monday that it had received assurances from the federal government that “it will work with us to ensure that athletes and officials from all countries will have expedited access to the United States in order to participate in international athletic competitions.” While that news might comfort athletes coming to the United States to compete, the American wrestlers traveling to Iran were still dependent on Iran granting them visas. The IOC’s athletes’ commission sent a message Friday advising athletes who either were carrying passports or were born in one of the seven affected nations — or who had traveled to any of those countries in the past five years — to contact the USOC, which would then work with the State Department to secure travel visas. “We believe that all sportspersons must be treated on the basis of equality, and the absence of this can never be compensated,” the athletes’ commission said in a statement. “We hope that the work between the USOC and the US government will bring a solution that has a minimal impact on athletes, events and the sports world as a whole.” Trump’s order has drawn particular attention to the United States’ attempt to host the Summer Olympics in 2024, with some longtime Olympic observers saying it could have a negative impact on a bid by Los Angeles. Los Angeles is competing with Paris and Budapest to host the 2024 Olympics. The LA2024 committee formally filed its bid to host the Summer Games this week in advance of Friday’s deadline. Los Angeles submitted a cost-effective plan that utilizes many preexisting structures and facilities. Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA2024, said he is hopeful that the city’s case will be judged solely by the merits of the committee’s bid, not the country’s politics. “When we raised our hands to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it was because we believed in the power of the movement to unite the world. That was the ability to unite the world through sport, not politics,” Wasserman said. “We believe that now, frankly, more than ever.” The Los Angeles proposal is 127 pages long and highlights diversity 25 times, saying it is “a city full of creative energy and extraordinarily united


Man to face trial next year in killing of Savopoulos family, housekeeper, in D.C. mansion

Savvas Savopoulos and Amy Savopoulos in 2008. (Tony Powell/Washington Life Magazine) The man charged in the 2015 quadruple slayings of a Northwest Washington couple, their son and their housekeeper is not likely to be tried until September 2018. During a hearing Friday in D.C. Superior Court, prosecutors and attorneys for Daron Wint agreed to begin picking a jury Sept. 5, 2018. Wint, 34, is charged with multiple counts of murder and other crimes in the killings of businessman Savvas Savopoulos, 46; his wife, Amy, 47; their son Philip, 10; and their housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, 57. Police have said that the four victims were held captive the evening of May 13, 2015, and that the attacker or attackers fled with $40,000 in ransom money that had been delivered to the home in the 3200 block of Woodland Drive NW. A trial date in 2018 was expected after Wint’s public defenders told a judge last fall that they needed about a year to do DNA testing on evidence collected by the government in the case. Defense attorneys said prosecutors did not turn over the evidence until mid-2016, after spending about a year doing their own DNA testing. Veralicia Figueroa, the Savopoulos’s housekeeper. (Courtesy of Nelitza Guiterrez) Attorneys said they expect the jury selection process could take several days because of the intense publicity surrounding the case. And while the date has been picked, murder cases are often delayed and rescheduled as the date gets closer if attorneys argue that they need more time and a judge grants the extension. Wint, wearing an orange D.C. jail jumpsuit over a white, long-sleeve T-shirt, stood next to his attorney during the brief hearing. Although authorities initially said they thought Wint did not act alone in the slayings, Wint remains the sole defendant in the case. Daron Wint. (Courtesy of D.C. police) Prosecutors said they expect the trial to last six to eight weeks, which is considered lengthy for a trial with only one defendant.


How Maryland can combat the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Anantibiotic-resistant bacteria. (Janice Carr/Associated Press) Emily L. Heil, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice and science at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore, is coordinator of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center. A story of yet another person succumbing to an infection caused by a superbug, this time in Nevada, came across my news feed recently. Unfortunately, I don’t need to read about the woman’s recent death to know that we have an antibiotic-resistance crisis. As an infectious-diseases pharmacist and coordinator of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center, I live and breathe the science on antibiotic resistance and am acutely aware of the consequences of inaction. I have some alarming news: If we want antibiotics to work for future generations, we need to act fast to curb their overuse in animals. It is well-known that antibiotic-resistant bacteria have created an increasing challenge to health-care providers and have caused illnesses and deaths in our society. States should curb the overuse of antibiotics to prevent the spread of resistant bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates at least 23,000 deaths and 2 million illnesses occur each year in the United States as a result of resistant bacteria. Antibiotic resistance increasingly threatens to send society back to a pre-antibiotic era that would significantly curtail many of the advances made in medicine. Surgery, ventilator care, intensive-care units and many aggressive cancer chemotherapy regimens require antibiotics to work. While originally considered miracle drugs, many antibiotics have lost their ability to protect against harmful bacteria. Many of these bacteria have evolved and mutated, allowing them to resist, in the worst cases, all of our available antibiotic therapies because of the sheer volume of use in concentrated environments such as on farms. Incidence rates have risen overall, and the problem has spread worldwide as a result of inadequate infection-control practices and international travel. There are tremendous domestic efforts to curtail unnecessary antibiotic use in humans to enhance infection-control practices and antibiotic stewardship. These programs have helped drive a decrease in antibiotic prescriptions per capita for humans in recent years. But these programs do nothing to control animal applications, which encompass nearly 70 percent of the medically important antibiotics sold in the United States. The Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists recently published a position statement in an issue of Pharmacotherapy outlining the dangers


Pianist Gabriela Montero enthralls audience with improvisations

Pianist Gabriela Montero (Shelly Mosman) Thursday night’s chill dissipated in the heat generated by some powerful musicmaking at Strathmore by the Baltimore Symphony. Led by guest conductor Markus Stenz, the orchestra turned in a refined and compelling account of Anton Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, prefaced by Mozart’s C Minor Piano Concerto, with the Venezuelan-born pianist Gabriela Montero as soloist. The Fourth is not the longest of Bruckner’s monumental symphonies, but it still occupies a considerable piece of real estate on any program. Spacious and leisurely, Thursday’s performance trod with a light foot. Stenz dispenses with the baton, relying instead on his two expressive hands, which seem to knead the music. If his beat is sometimes unconventional, the musicians clearly have no problem following. Infinite calibration of dynamics produced titanic climaxes that remained beautifully voiced and blended. In contrast, a pliant rhythmic pulse lent the symphony’s folk dance-inspired passages a delicate charm and poise. This acute symbiosis of concept and execution produced what may have been the most cohesive ensemble playing I’ve heard from the orchestra. Despite an unassuming stage demeanor, Montero is a commanding artist. Following the stormy orchestral turbulence that introduces Mozart’s concerto, her solo entrance was simple, filled with pathos, inspired. From that moment, Montero held her listeners in a grip that wasn’t released until she left the stage. We weren’t observers of Mozart’s tragic drama, but swept into it. The supplicating humility that alternates with eruptions of passionate intensity in the first movement culminated in a solo cadenza that Montero improvised on the spot, just as Mozart would have done when he played the concerto. In the slow movement, abetted by the orchestra’s exquisite wind choir, Montero created an island refuge of quiet calm. Its spell was broken by the variation finale, in which conductor, soloist, and ensemble together evoked a desperate, grief-stricken flight from destruction. Montero is a vividly imaginative improviser, a skill that has almost disappeared among contemporary classical pianists. After the concerto, in lieu of an encore, she asked for a theme from the audience on which she might extemporize. Someone sang the insistent opening theme from Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor. Immediately Montero launched into an exploration of the elements of the tune, moving from a classical context, through intimations of Chopin and Rachmaninoff-like effulgence, arriving finally at a spirited ragtime stride. It was music created real-time before our eyes and ears,


Trump travel ban, other pressures lead Pakistan to rein in Islamist militants

to make sure it succeeds.” Some commentators say that to prove it is serious about curbing Islamist extremism, the government must stop sending mixed signals to groups like Saeed’s as well as to hard-line sectarian movements, which are often banned but then allowed to regroup under new names. Saeed once headed a militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, that was accused by India of staging the Mumbai siege. Now he heads two other groups that claim to be charitable and educational, but are also fiercely anti-India. Fatemi said that the government also intends to counter extremist ideas with persuasion, registering radical seminaries and “bringing them into the mainstream” through a National Action Plan established by Sharif. “We are going to bring about a major shift in the thinking process of people on the fringes,” he said. But that message is not so easy to spread in an impoverished country of 180 million people, about 80 percent of them Muslims. Today, more than 2 million youths are studying in seminaries, and groups like Saeed’s enjoy wide popularity. The cause of Kashmiri oppression has been a national rallying cry for decades, and many Pakistanis have been taught to believe that India, Israel and the United States are mortal enemies of Islam. Among the few Pakistanis who express hope for sympathy from the Trump administration are the relatives of Afridi, who has been in prison for six years on charges of abetting Islamist militants. His family says it believes the real reason was his role in locating bin Laden, by conducting a medical survey in the city where the al-Qaeda leader was found and killed by U.S. Navy Seals. This week, relatives and attorneys for Afridi said the government had refused to renew identity documents for his family members and had placed their names on a list of Pakistanis who are banned from leaving the country. In an interview, his younger brother, Jamil Afridi, 55, said he hoped the Trump administration would come to the doctor’s aid. “My brother did nothing wrong. He was a true American hero who helped the United States eliminate the world’s most wanted terrorist,” Afridi said. “I congratulate President Trump and I am optimistic about him, because he said he would help free my brother once he was elected to office. He is a man of action who does what he says.” Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar contributed to this report.


I’d rather drink beer longer, not get drunk faster

But with an imperial pint of Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter (4 percent) or Dark Star’s Hophead Mosaic (3.8 percent) in hand, I’m reminded how nice it is to sit at the bar for a few hours and chat over a couple of beers without feeling a little bleary by the end. So-called session beers with ABVs under 5 percent began to gain a foothold in the American craft brewing scene in the past three or four years, thanks to successes such as Founders All Day IPA (4.7 percent ABV), Firestone Walker’s Easy Jack (4.5 percent), Green Flash’s Jibe (4 percent) and Ballast Point’s Even Keel (3.8 percent). Those are all breweries known for making aggressive, assertive IPAs and stouts, but they’ve shown they can dial back the alcohol while still making hoppy, flavorful beers. Of course, “session” applies to more than IPAs: Victory’s wonderful Donnybrook Irish Dry Stout is just 3.7 percent, and Boulevard’s delicious Unfiltered Wheat is 4.4 percent. The segment of the market is growing quickly — research firm IRI recorded 21 session IPAs sold in supermarkets in 2013, and 107 by mid-2016 — but they can still be hard to find in bars. It’s all too common to pick up a menu whose only choices under 5 percent are gose or Berliner weiss. I love tart and funky beer, but I’m not always in the mood for it. Session beers aren’t as sexy as imperial IPAs or the latest bourbon-barrel-aged stout. But if I drop into a bar to sample a new 11 percent imperial IPA, I’m probably going to have only one. If Port City’s Ways and Means — a spicy rye IPA with 4.5 percent ABV — is on tap, I’ll hang out longer and drink more. What’s not to love? More Things We Love from Food: The one device that gives me confidence when cooking meat I left my heart you know where, but this cookbook takes me back My favorite place to learn? A chef’s kitchen. The fun guy in me can’t imagine a world without mushrooms I have a food vice, and it’s yummy and gummy The surprisingly easy way I improve almost every meal The 2-in-one kitchen tool that helps me make anything and everything It’s just a little vintage trivet. But in its woven folds, I see my childhood. Have questions about cooking? Join our live chat Wednesdays at noon.


How a U.S. team uses Facebook, guerrilla marketing to peel off potential ISIS recruits

would ever be able to produce quantifiable results, something that’s “difficult, given what they are trying to do,” said Tara Maller, a former CIA military analyst and senior policy adviser for the Counter Extremism Project, a nonprofit organization that seeks to prevent terrorists’ use of social media. “While they can target the vulnerable audience they want to capture and provide counter-messaging, that is only one part of addressing the fight against extremism online,” said Maller, who says she is broadly supportive of the new approach. But she said that other government agencies and social-media companies must work in tandem to “remove the horrific content . . . that is radicalizing individuals online every single day.” State Department officials acknowledge that it may be difficult to prove that their ads dissuaded anyone from joining a terrorist group. Yet the program’s reach is indisputable: The videos have been watched more than 14 million times in a campaign that started in September and is pitched mainly to three countries: Tunisia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. The effort recently was expanded to include nine other nations from Europe to Asia, including France, Libya and Jordan. Other targeted countries remain secret to protect partnerships with their governments. Though the program is in its infancy, Lumpkin and his supporters see the potential for achieving a goal that has eluded Western governments for more than a decade: an effective and credible counter-message to jihadist propaganda online, at a cost that is minuscule by government standards. “There are places in the world where it costs a fraction of a penny per click,” Lumpkin said in an interview shortly before leaving his position Jan. 20. “For $15,000 you can buy an audience. And you make sure you’re hitting them with the best information based on their profiles. That’s good business.” ‘Starve them of recruits’ The Global Engagement Center was designed to emulate a Silicon Valley start-up, and months into its creation, it retains the same edgy, bare-bones feel. The entire workforce numbers just over 70 people, crammed into a cluster of offices at the State Department. The online ads program was designed by two computer whizzes, ages 36 and 28, who were recruited from the National Security Agency. Lumpkin, an energetic 52-year-old California native who started the unit, was picked by President Barack Obama to serve as a kind of entrepreneurial chief executive. Admired by former military colleagues for his


Afghan insurgent leader taken off U.N. sanctions list

included Maidan-Wardak in the western outskirts of Kabul and Bagram to its north, close to where the U.S. military base is located, he said. Khpalwak said routine and indirect contacts with the Taliban have been underway for some time, in an effort to bring them in from the cold, too, but with no tangible result so far. The Taliban militants who have gained some ground on the battlefield are pushing for total withdrawal of all foreign troops led by the U.S. military. The Taliban has termed Hekmatyar’s peace deal with Ghani an act of treason. The United States, Britain and some other Western nations hailed the signing of the deal with Hekmatyar, who is in his late 60s and was once the main recipient of U.S. aid during the war against the Soviets. He earned the nickname “Rocketyar” (companion of rocket) among some people in Kabul because of indiscriminate shelling of the capital when he, along with other factions, fought for its control in the 1990s. The delisting of his name has drawn anger among his critics and the war victims. Patricia Gossman, a senior researcher of Human Rights Watch in Afghanistan, termed the removal of his name as a failure by the government to insist on accountability rather than accommodating powerful factional leaders. “His return will compound the culture of impunity that the Afghan government and its foreign donors have fostered by not pursuing accountability for the many war crimes committed by forces commanded by Hekmatyar and other warlords,” she said in a message. “Afghans have paid a high price for appeasing the warlords.” In the past 15 years, most of Hekmatyar’s key aides have parted ways with the once-reclusive man, who is known by some for making and breaking deals. They serve as senior government officials while hundreds of his former foot soldiers bolstered the Taliban ranks. With affiliates of the Islamic State gaining ground in some areas of Afghanistan and the Taliban becoming stronger, Hekmatyar largely felt isolated and irrevalent, said Najib Mahmoud, a professor of political science at Kabul University. “He is not an effective political and military force, and the expiry date has elapsed because his military might has been dissolved or melted away during the protracted war,” Mahmoud said in a recent interview. “By bringing him over, the government wants to show that it has an achievement of some sort to say it has