Sexual assault allegations complicate confirmation of Trump’s nominee for military’s No. 2 officer

U.S. military official said investigators spoke to 53 people in three countries and 13 states, reviewed thousands of emails, and ended up “out of rocks to turn over” after following all the leads provided. After interviewing people who previously served under Hyten, investigators didn’t find indications of such behavior with other subordinates, said the military official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the details of a legal matter. “Did we find a case where the service member says on this date, x happened, and when we looked at it, they were on different continents? We didn’t,” the official said. “So was it physically possible? Yes.” The Army colonel who made the allegations said she is willing to testify under oath to the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is overseeing Hyten’s confirmation process, preferably in a closed-door session. Speaking to The Washington Post, she described the military justice system that adjudicated her case as flawed and said the alleged incidents merit action by the military as Hyten prepares to ascend to a position of even greater power. The Army colonel, who said she was in the force for 28 years, including two tours in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq, and had served a variety of prestigious assignments involving high-level strategy, said she didn’t tell anyone about the incidents at the time. A spokesman for Hyten at Strategic Command declined to make the general available for comment. In a statement, the spokesman said Strategic Command fully cooperated with the investigation. Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have already questioned the Pentagon about its handling of the case. In a June 25 letter to acting defense secretary Mark Esper, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said they had “serious concerns and questions” about the procedures the Department of Defense followed during the investigation. The senators said they were “gravely troubled” that the Pentagon designated an Air Force general who was junior in grade to Hyten to decide whether to proceed to a court-martial or other disciplinary measures. Gen. James M. Holmes, commander of Air Combat Command, who is part of a small Air Force four-star general officer corps along with Hyten, served as the convening authority in the case. Warren and Duckworth also expressed concern that Hyten wasn’t removed or suspended from his post at U.S. Strategic Command during a criminal investigation against


The 6 biggest questions about space travel, answered

around space with our cameras, orbital passports and zero-gravity fanny packs in a decade? Not so fast. Here’s what potential space explorers need to know. What does space tourism involve? The most widely touted versions involve rocketing passengers more than 50 miles into the atmosphere and achieving minutes of weightlessness and witnessing Earth views before returning to land. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin differ in the details of how they will get to space and the altitude they’ll reach, but they are promoting relatively similar experiences and plan to carry six passengers at once. There are even more ambitious offerings: Space Adventures, which has sent seven people to space as tourists, offers multiday experiences including a “circumlunar” mission, a trip to the International Space Station and a spacewalk add-on; the company has contracted with Boeing to help sell seats aboard its spacecraft. Bigelow Space Operations, a branch of space-technology company Bigelow Aerospace, said last month it had “paid substantial sums as deposits and reservation fees to secure up to four SpaceX launches to the International Space Station.” For those craving weightlessness without the actual space travel, Zero Gravity Corporation gets you there 15 times, for 20 to 30 seconds each, in a trip, through aerobatic maneuvers. How much does it cost? Virgin Galactic is reportedly charging up to $250,000 for its trips. Reuters reported that Blue Origin will charge between $200,000 and $300,000. For the biggest spenders, Bigelow Space Operations has set the price of a space station trip at $52 million; most of that cost is to get there. NASA estimated that staying at the station would set travelers back about $35,000 a night. Space Adventures does not list prices on its website. (If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.) The last tourist in space, Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, reportedly paid $35 million for his 2009 trip to the space station arranged by the company in partnership with Russia’s space agency. The option of least resistance is Zero Gravity Corporation, which sells a single seat on its flights (which, again, don’t actually go to space) for $5,400 plus tax. Who can go? Other than prohibitions associated with cost, no companies have announced any limitations on who can travel. On its website, Virgin Galactic says its plan is to “open space to everybody,” from ages “spanning the teens to the 90s.” How soon can people


What’s it really like to live in space?

hang up! It's me, it's me!' " And she's like, " 'What? Shannon? Is that you?' " And I'm like, " 'Yeah, I'm calling from space.' " Steve Swanson Flew on two NASA space shuttle missions between 2007 and 2009; flew to the International Space Station on Rusia's Soyuz in 2014 You just can't set something down and [expect] it's going to be in the same spot. It just doesn't work that way. And even if it has Velcro on it somebody can easily come by and knock it off. Velcro isn't that strong really. And so if you don't really take care and put everything back exactly where it belongs and tuck it away, you will lose it. I think it was my first trip. We get a set of silverware to eat with, and I lost my knife — a butter knife. And you can get by without it. You don't really use it for much. But I felt bad 'cause I don't want to get in anybody's way. I let people know, "Hey, if you find a knife, it's mine." You have to fess up to that. And I did not find it the whole time until we are strapped in to enter the Earth's atmosphere. We are watching the engines, I'm up on the flight deck and helping out with the whole burn to make sure it all goes correctly. And after the burn, I look up and my knife is floating right in front of me. It was just the most crazy thing. Chris Hadfield Flew three space missions as a Canadian astronaut between 1995 and 2013; retired Canadian air force colonel When we talk about the world being four and a half billion years old, it's unimaginable. I can conceptualize the number, but I can't internalize it. But when you come around the world so often, you can start to see the age of it. You can see the ancient patterns of it, these huge swirls of a billion-year-old geology, the way that it reflects the light and the textures of the world. The transient weather, the forces reshaping the world every day, but also the permanent nature of continental drift and how this all fits together, the enormity of it. And in my three flights total I was in space for half a year. During that time, you go from one side of


Toyota to build new SUV, not Corolla, at plant in Alabama

AUTO INDUSTRY Toyota to build SUV at Huntsville plant Toyota says it will scrap plans to build the Corolla compact car at a new factory under construction in Alabama. Instead, it will build a new SUV at the plant it is building with Mazda in Huntsville. The company said Wednesday that the decision is being made in response to growing demand for SUVs and light trucks. For the first half of this year, Corolla sales are down 5.3 percent, to just under 153,000. Toyota will continue to build Corollas at its factory in Blue Springs, Miss. The new $1.6 billion Alabama plant is expected to start making vehicles in 2021. Mazda also plans to build a new SUV there. The factory is slated to employ up to 4,000 workers. Associated Press GAMING Nintendo to launch Switch Lite console Nintendo on Wednesday introduced a new cheaper, version of its portable Switch gaming console, as the Japanese company sought to expand the potential market for games. The Switch Lite will retail for $199.99, or $100 less than the original device. The new console will be released Sept. 20 and will come in yellow, gray and turquoise, the company said in a statement. Nintendo shares have rebounded this year on optimism that the cheaper Switch, a stronger pipeline of games and a potential entry into China will help overcome last year’s missteps and broaden Nintendo’s customer base beyond dedicated fans. In April, Nintendo gave a muted financial forecast that sent shares sliding. “Adding Nintendo Switch Lite to the lineup gives gamers more color and price point options,” said Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser in the statement. The original Nintendo Switch, which launched in March 2017, allows people to play in three modes — handheld, tabletop and television — while the Switch Lite is designed for handheld mode. Bloomberg TECHNOLOGY FCC approves spectrum auction The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted 3 to 2 to auction a key band of underused 2.5 GHz spectrum to help advance next-generation 5G wireless networks and scrap requirements that it be used for education. The mid-band spectrum was reserved in the 1960s for what is now known as the Educational Broadband Service. Sprint uses leased spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band in its existing 4G network and 5G network that it is being rolled out. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the commission was taking “a major


This crash sounded like an indictment of autonomous vehicles, but the NTSB report tells a different story

blame. Though no one was injured or killed in the crash, which happened just past noon on Nov. 8, 2017, the NTSB undertook the investigation because the advent of autonomous vehicles is bound to result in crashes between driverless vehicles and traditional ones. “The NTSB would normally not investigate a minor collision, but the involvement of a highly automated vehicle warranted having our investigators examine the circumstances surrounding the collision,” Kris Poland, deputy director of the NTSB’s Office of Highway Safety, said in a statement released with the report. “We wanted to examine the process of introducing an autonomous shuttle onto public roads as well as the role of the operator, the vehicle manufacturer, and the city." The autonomous bus was operating as a shuttle on a 0.6-mile designated loop beginning and ending at a downtown shopping center. The battery-powered bus did not have a steering wheel, brake pedal, or accelerator pedal. Instead, it was operated by a handheld controller that looked much like those used to play video games. An attendant was aboard the bus. The crash took place after the shuttle turned from Carson Avenue onto South 6th Street. A tractor-trailer truck was attempting to back into an alley off 6th street. The following is what the NTSB release said happened next. " The truck driver said he saw the shuttle turn onto 6th Street and assumed it would stop a ‘reasonable’ distance from the truck . . . The shuttle’s sensor system detected the truck at 147.6 feet and tracked it continuously as it backed up. Programmed to stop 9.8 feet from any obstacle, the shuttle began to decelerate when it was 98.4 feet from the truck. When the shuttle was 10.2 feet from the truck and nearly stopped, the attendant pressed one of the emergency stop buttons. The attendant and passengers waved to gain the truck driver’s attention but 11 seconds after the shuttle stopped, the right front tire of the slow-moving truck struck the shuttle" Based on its investigation, the NTSB concluded that the probable cause of the crash “was the truck driver’s action of backing into an alley, and his expectation that the shuttle would stop at a sufficient distance from his vehicle to allow him to complete his backup maneuver.” A contributing factor, the NTSB said, was that the bus attendant was not in a position to take manual control over the bus.


In the aftermath of Khashoggi’s killing, Saudi influence machine whirs on in Washington

After the killing in October of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, a handful of lobbying firms and think tanks made a move rare in Washington: They publicly severed ties with Saudi Arabia, swearing off the kingdom’s money. But nine months later, Saudi Arabia’s efforts to influence U.S. policy continue unabated — bolstered by President Trump’s embrace of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite a recent United Nations report that the prince was complicit in the grisly killing and dismemberment of the Washington Post contributing columnist and political dissident. Since fall 2018, high-powered lobbyists and lawyers have reaped millions of dollars for assisting the kingdom as it works to develop nuclear power, buy American-made weapons and prolong U.S. assistance to the Saudi-led coalition waging war in Yemen, foreign lobbying records show. One Washington-based communications firm — whose parent company initially expressed concern when Khashoggi disappeared — recently reported collecting nearly $19 million for what it says was several years of work for the Saudi government. A New York-based public relations firm run by a former Clinton administration appointee signed on in February to represent a Saudi interest for as much as $120,000 a month, filings show. The firms representing the kingdom operate under wide political cover provided by Trump. The president posed for photos with Mohammed on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan late last month, calling him “my friend.” When asked about Khashoggi’s murder, Trump has repeatedly emphasized the economic benefits of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. “Take their money,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last month, describing his posture toward the kingdom. “Take their money.” Shaped by a sophisticated influence machine that was built over decades, Saudi support on Capitol Hill has been tested in recent months amid international outrage over Khashoggi’s death and a war in Yemen that has killed tens of thousands of civilians and led to massive hunger. And last month, the United Nations released a report on a months-long investigation that found “credible evidence” that top Saudi officials, including Mohammed, were liable for Khashoggi’s murder. The report reinforced the conclusions of U.S. intelligence officials, who concluded that Mohammed ordered the assassination. Saudi officials have dismissed both the CIA’s claims and the U.N. findings, saying the U.N. report contained “contradictions and baseless allegations.” Last week, the lead U.N. investigator said the international community should impose “political accountability” by


The decline of Dean & DeLuca: Why premium grocers are biting the dust

Synonymous with gastronomic luxury and excess for 42 years, the Dean & DeLuca high-end grocery chain is in trouble. In 2018, it backed out of three leases in Manhattan and pulled the plug on a second Washington, D.C.-area store. It abruptly closed all four of its Charlotte locations in April 2018, and shortly after that its Maryland and Wichita locations. The Upper East Side location on Madison Avenue in New York ceased operation this June 30 and the St. Helena, Calif., store was shuttered on July 4, both considered flagship stores. This could herald hard times for other fabled ultra-premium grocers. Last May, the New York Post reported that the gourmet grocer has not only been quietly closing stores, but also failing to pay landlords and vendors, embroiled in battles with suppliers big and small. Founded by Giorgio DeLuca and Joel Dean, the company was bought by Thailand-based Pace Development Corp. in 2014 for $140 million. As recently as 2018, owner and real estate tycoon Sorapoj Techakraisri announced plans to expand the brands by hundreds of stores within two years, dramatically expanding the company’s presence in Asia and the Middle East. Other similar super-premium grocery brands such as Balducci’s have closed underperforming stores — although Zabar’s remains stalwart, Lobster Salad-Gate notwithstanding. Which prompts the question: Is there too much competition for the gourmand’s affections? “There are a couple things at play,” says David Henkes, a senior principal at food service industry analyst firm Technomic. “When you look at the grocery space, even Whole Foods has slowed. You look at the little (chains) that are coming in from other places, many of them are much more discount grocers. That’s where a lot of the growth has been on the retail side.” The proliferation of specialty grocery stores has been fierce, confounding predictions that grocery sales would pivot to online sales. Amazon has bet big. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have been joined by Germany-based discount chain Aldi, “healthy food” chains like Asheville, N.C.-based Earth Fare, swiftly expanding Sprouts Farmers Market and more upscale Lucky’s out of Colorado. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post). Other relative newcomers have chiseled from the ultraluxury grocers, the kinds of places where you can taste a little French cheese and kibitz about precisely which piece of wild sockeye looks just right. Food halls and markets like Grand Central Market in Los


2018, owner and real estate tycoon Sorapoj Techakraisri announced plans to expand the brands by hundreds of stores within two years, dramatically expanding the company’s presence in Asia and the Middle East. Other similar super-premium grocery brands such as Balducci’s have closed underperforming stores — although Zabar’s remains stalwart, Lobster Salad-Gate notwithstanding. Which prompts the question: Is there too much competition for the gourmand’s affections? “There are a couple things at play,” says David Henkes, a senior principal at food service industry analyst firm Technomic. “When you look at the grocery space, even Whole Foods has slowed. You look at the little (chains) that are coming in from other places, many of them are much more discount grocers. That’s where a lot of the growth has been on the retail side.” The proliferation of specialty grocery stores has been fierce, confounding predictions that grocery sales would pivot to online sales. Amazon has bet big. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have been joined by Germany-based discount chain Aldi, “healthy food” chains like Asheville, N.C.-based Earth Fare, swiftly expanding Sprouts Farmers Market and more upscale Lucky’s out of Colorado. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post). Other relative newcomers have chiseled from the ultraluxury grocers, the kinds of places where you can taste a little French cheese and kibitz about precisely which piece of wild sockeye looks just right. Food halls and markets like Grand Central Market in Los Angeles, Ponce City Market in Atlanta or Eataly in New York were one of the biggest food trends of the past couple years, whittling market share from fine casual restaurants as well as upscale grocers. And Henkes says that for the kinds of ultra-premium fancy foods Dean & DeLuca built its reputation on — aged balsamic vinegars and fancy pink salts from the Himalayas — much of it is now available online at the touch of a couple buttons. “And for prepared foods, that niche of their business is a much more competitive space, as well. Those areas where they were differentiated has become much more commoditized. The competitive landscape has really changed,” Henkes notes. Only seven Dean & DeLuca stores remain in the United States. According to the New York Times, small vendors in New York are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars, while larger vendors have discontinued credit. Store shelves in remaining stores are reportedly sparsely stocked.


The 10 best places in the D.C. area to watch a movie under the stars

America — is, hands down, the loveliest outdoor screening venue in the area. Wine and beer are offered for sale, along with kettle corn and, if you preorder, a choice of prepared picnic dinners (including a vegan option). It’s also super-chill; one filmgoer ordered Domino’s pizza delivered to the house before a recent screening of “Sense and Sensibility.” Arguably, the series’s only drawback is that it features the same handful of films over and over, including “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” timed to Halloween. That may soon change, according to events coordinator Hillary Hughes, who says that there’s a possibility of adding such Austen-inspired films as “Clueless” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” to the mix. Fridays through July 31 at 2 Coming soon Pro tip Bathroom facilities Beachiest As you wait for showtime at Movies on the Potomac , a twice weekly screening series on National Harbor’s boardwalk-like waterfront plaza, you’ll see, rising from the sand, J. Seward Johnson’s monumental sculpture “The Awakening.” Beyond that, at the end of a pier: the Capital Wheel, a giant Ferris wheel set against the glistening backdrop of the Potomac River and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. There’s also one of the area’s sharpest, most high-tech outdoor screens: an 18-by-32-foot digital LED display with built-in speakers. More old-fashioned: the kettle corn and fresh-squeezed lemonade that’s for sale — and the folks who gather on Sundays for wholesome family fare, and on Thursdays for the slightly more grown-up “Date Night.” Thursdays and Sundays through Sept. 22 at National Plaza, National Harbor, Md. Coming soon Pro tip Bathroom facilities Stateliest The setting of the Library of Congress’s third annual Summer Movies on the Lawn is — there’s no other word for it — grand. Straight ahead: the Library of Congress. Behind you: the Supreme Court. To your right: the U.S. Capitol. But what’s on that screen, set up on the north lawn of the Beaux-Arts Jefferson Building, is just as pedigreed: All the movies have been selected from the Library’s National Film Registry, a list of works chosen for preservation because of their “cultural, historic and aesthetic” significance to the nation’s film heritage. This summer, as part of the Library’s year-long initiative celebrating “America’s Changemakers,” the films will focus on two groups of trailblazers: pioneering women and technological innovators. Thursdays through Aug. 15 at 10 First St. SE. Free. No alcohol. Coming soon Pro tip Bathroom facilities michael.osullivan@washpost.com


How to handle the worldwide jellyfish threat (no, don’t treat stings with urine)

booking your next beach vacation, find out if, and when, jellyfish are an issue. In Australia, for example, jellyfish are most common between November and May. In Hawaii, jellyfish often show up on south-facing beaches eight days after a full moon. In the Mediterranean, blooms usually appear in the summer. Unfortunately for travelers, there is no worldwide database for recent jellyfish sightings, and tourism officials are sometimes reluctant to publicize jellyfish swarms out of fear that such news will scare off visitors. But social media groups run by beachfront communities, and inquiries at seaside restaurants and pubs, can yield valuable real-time information. In some places, such as Israel, residents share information daily on local websites such asMeduzot.co.il. Visitors to Hawaii can access a Jellyfish Arrival Calendar, which can help with planning but does not track actual sightings. Ultimately “the best approach is prevention,” Yanagihara said. She recommends that swimmers in jellyfish-prone waters wear full-body Lycra suits because the stings of most jellyfish cannot penetrate them. Do not touch jellyfish that have washed ashore, because they still contain venom, even when dead. The latest first-aid protocol stipulates two important steps. First, immediately rinse the site with vinegar — take some to the beach with you — which prevents a sting from getting worse because it stops additional venom from entering the skin. Second, soak the site in skin-safe hot water — not scalding — for 20 to 45 minutes. Doing so inhibits the venom already injected into the skin and eases the pain. Applying fresh water, ice, baking soda or urine can exacerbate the problem, according to Yanagihara, who was involved in a study of what works best. If dousing with vinegar does not fully remove the tentacles, a piece of fabric or tweezers (but never your fingers) can be used to extricate any jellyfish remnants from skin. Scraping or applying any other type of pressure can release more venom. Immediately seek medical assistance from a lifeguard, or emergency services in case of a severe reaction, including shortness of breath or severe swelling. While jellyfish are often reviled by swimmers, Yanagihara said, “it is important to remember that man poses a larger threat to the marine ecosystem than jellies pose to man.” travel@washpost.com More from Travel: In Albania, age-old traditions and Mediterranean beaches on the cheap Visiting the nation’s newest national park: Indiana Dunes Over touristed: Cape Cod. Underappreciated: Cape Ann.


Corwin Heatwole believes the home team can produce a better bird

An assembly line of headless, featherless chickens whirs above me as two birds per second are eviscerated and their meat, livers, hearts, necks and gizzards are turned into money. I am touring an expensive new processing line at the Farmer Focus certified-organic-chicken plant in Harrisonburg, Va., the flagship of Corwin Heatwole’s bid to grab a slice of the growing market for food that’s good for you. Farmer-entrepreneur Heatwole is expanding his capacity at an inflection point in the food industry, the protein sphere in particular. The demand for organically raised meat and meat substitutes is fueling investor belief that a food wave is in full swing. Plant-based meat substitutes like Beyond Meat are capturing the imagination of consumers as they become more conscious of what they are eating. Heatwole is positioning privately owned Farmer Focus to ride the wave. The new processing line, purchased from a Netherlands manufacturer, represents a $5 million investment by Heatwole and his financing team, which includes agriculture-technology investors such as S2G Ventures. But the boost in capacity will help Farmer Focus respond to the growing demand for organic food. “This expansion will allow us to grow from our current production level of 175,000 birds per week to up to 650,000 birds per week,” said chief executive Heatwole, standing on a chilly, water-sloshed, factory floor in hairnet, safety glasses and white coat. Heatwole was born and raised in Rockingham County, the heart of Virginia’s agriculture industry. He has been a farmer and a poultry man “from when I was walking around the farm with my father, barefoot. I grew up on farms, enjoyed farming and loved the farm.” His $100 million company, Shenandoah Valley Organic (Farmer Focus is the brand name), is the result of a five-year-old idea: Take control over raising chickens away from giant poultry conglomerates and turn it over to the farmers. The Farmer Focus plant in the Shenandoah Valley is tapping into a $2 billion-and-growing U.S. market for organically raised chickens. About 50 farms within an hour’s drive supply Heatwole with tens of thousands of birds that eventually end up in poultry coolers at 2,600 stores along the Northeast Corridor and as far west as California. “Organic is a movement,” said Scott Nash, founder of MOM’s Organic stores, a Washington-area chain. Farmer Focus is one of the most popular items at MOM’s meat counter. “Consumers prefer . . . better health and


Federal appeals court faults Baltimore police for gag orders, calls practice unconstitutional ‘hush money’

BALTIMORE — With a rebuke to Baltimore officials for doling out “hush money,” a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that gag orders common in police misconduct settlements undermine the right to free speech. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit found nondisclosure agreements to be unconstitutional. Advocates of police accountability trumpeted the judges’ 2-to-1 ruling. “Each case gets hushed up, and that’s just wrong,” said Deborah Jeon, an attorney on the case from the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. “We’re really optimistic that by doing away with these clauses, we’ll be able to hold police accountable in a much more vigorous way.” City Solicitor Andre Davis said he will ask to make his case to all 15 judges on the appellate court. When Baltimore police settle misconduct lawsuits, they routinely require claimants to sign nondisclosure agreements. The claimants must promise not to discuss their case or settlement with the news media. If they talk, city attorneys may take back half of the money. That’s what happened to Ashley Overbey. According to the judges’ written opinion, the Baltimore woman sued three police officers, alleging they beat, Tasered, verbally abused and arrested her in her home after she called 911 to report a burglary. She sued and settled for $63,000, the judges wrote. They noted that Davis has said 95 percent of settlement agreements include nondisclosure clauses. In Overbey’s case, the clause barred her from discussing publicly her opinions, allegations or the facts of the case, the judges wrote. They said she was banned from discussing details of the settlement or saying anything beyond that a satisfactory agreement had been reached. “If Overbey were to ever make a prohibited comment regarding her lawsuit, the city would be entitled to a refund of half of her settlement,” the judges wrote. City officials, however, could discuss the matter freely — if they chose. When Overbey’s settlement was reported in the Baltimore Sun, she responded to readers’ online comments accusing her of initiating the arrest to get a big payout. She fired back, recounting details of the incident online. City attorneys said her comments violated the nondisparagement clause in her agreement. They paid her half of the money: $31,500. The judges noted her own attorney took $20,500 of it. She was left with $11,000. In June 2017, Overbey teamed up with local news website Baltimore Brew to sue the city in federal


Exploring the moon’s past and future

Eli Kintisch, a video producer and writer in Washington, is a correspondent for Science magazine. As celestial objects go, our moon is kind of dull. It’s desolate, rocky, and devoid of life, liquid water and clouds. These days, astronomers rarely study the moon — and in fact, their telescopes actively avoid it, as its reflected light disrupts observations of more distant, captivating features of the universe. And the rest of us? As Oliver Morton observes in his new book, “The Moon,” our nearest neighbor is “often seen but rarely looked for.” But with the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind” this coming week, the moon has orbited back into the popular imagination. And for good reason, Morton says. He makes the convincing case that there’s no more important object above our heads — other than the sun. The moon “completes the Earth,” he writes. Its gravitational pull creates tides, ordering biology and hydrology across the planet. Lunar phases, meanwhile, have “defined time since time was first defined.” In the 17th century, observations of reflected “earthshine” on the moon — in which the earth reflects the sun’s light upon the lunar surface — challenged the Aristotelian geocentric model of the solar system. “In Galileo’s words,” Morton writes, “it drew the Earth ‘into the dance of stars.’ ” Morton celebrates what he calls the Return to the Moon — the effort of nations and private companies to deploy robotic landers on the lunar surface in preparation for a new round of human visits. “The first tickets for the Return have been booked,” he writes. “Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire, has purchased a trip to the Moon for sometime in 2023, though he realizes that the flight may be delayed, what with the relevant spaceship not yet having been built or tested.” Yet, Maezawa has made a significant down payment in the belief that Elon Musk’s company SpaceX will get him there. Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, who is spending billions on his space company, Blue Origin, also has grand ambitions beyond Earth. “Bezos talks of a future a few decades hence in which a million people live in orbit, at least for some of their time, running industries that no longer have a place on Earth,” Morton writes. Morton’s science writing is compelling and clear. Sections on the formation of the moon and the history of lunar science are


D.C. police investigate fatal shooting in NoMA neighborhood of Northwest Washington

THE DISTRICT Man fatally shot near NoMa neighborhood A 33-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday afternoon in Northwest Washington. D.C. police said the incident happened around 4:10 p.m. in the 1100 block of North Capitol Street NW near the NoMa neighborhood. Authorities said they received a call for a report of a shooting, and when officers arrived they found a man with “multiple gunshot wounds.” He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police identified the victim as Clifton Telfaire of Northwest Washington. Morgan Kane, commander of the 1st District, where the shooting happened, said in a Twitter video that the scene is “a heavily traveled area, so they’re hoping someone saw something that can help with the investigation.” — Dana Hedgpeth MARYLAND Man arrested in attack on Metro platform Metro police said they arrested a 44-year-old man on an allegation of sexually assaulting a woman at the station platform in Cheverly, Md., on Thursday. Transit police said the attack happened on the Vienna-bound platform of the Orange line at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday. No witnesses were in the area, police officials said on Twitter. Police said that after the attack, the alleged assailant boarded a train bound for the District and exited the system at the Deanwood station, the next stop on the line and in the District. The Cheverly station manager reported the attack to police, who used cameras to find the suspect, a spokesman for the Metro Transit Police Department said. Transit officers stopped Abraham Berhanu Taddesse of Cheverly near the Deanwood station and took him into custody, officials said. Metro investigators later obtained a warrant in Maryland charging him with rape in the first degree. He does not yet have an attorney for the Maryland charge pending a court appearance and remains in custody in the District, said Thomas Healy, the attorney who represented him during an extradition hearing Friday. Police said the victim was taken to a hospital for evaluation. — Clarence Williams Glenn Dale man slain, police investigating Prince George’s County police are investigating the death of a man shot in Mount Rainier. Hosheyah Smith, 20, of Glenn Dale, arrived at a hospital at around 6 p.m. Wednesday to be treated for injuries related to a shooting, police said. Smith had been shot near 37th and Shepherd streets before he was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced


Man shot and killed near NoMa neighborhood in Washington

A 33-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday afternoon in Northwest Washington. D.C. Police said the incident happened around 4:11 p.m. in the 1100 block of North Capitol Street NW near the NoMa neighborhood. Authorities said they received a call for a report of a shooting, and when officers arrived they found a man with “multiple gunshot wounds.” He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police later identified the victim as Clifton Telfaire of Northwest. Morgan Kane, commander of the 1st District where the crime happened, said in a Twitter video that the scene of the fatal shooting is “a heavily traveled area, so they’re hoping someone saw something that can help with the investigation.” A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call 202-727-9099. The D.C. region has seen nearly 150 homicides so far this year, according to tracking done by The Washington Post. Of those, more than 80 have been in the District. dana.hedgpeth@washpost.com


Springfield assisted-living unit closes to new admissions amid illness outbreak

A Fairfax County, Va., senior citizens residence has closed its assisted-living unit to new admissions and taken additional steps to halt an outbreak of respiratory illnesses after the death of two residents, county health department officials said Friday. The move comes after 55 people became ill, 20 of whom required hospitalization. Two of those hospitalized died after suffering respiratory infections from an unknown pathogen at Greenspring, a retirement community in Springfield. Benjamin Schwartz, director of epidemiology and population health in Fairfax County’s Health Department, said tests on those infected have come back negative for common virus- or bacteria-borne respiratory illnesses, including the flu and Legionnaire’s disease. Samples have been sent to the Virginia Health Department in Richmond and forwarded to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for additional testing. “We don’t know the cause yet,” Schwartz said. He said there are so many potential causes of respiratory illness that it’s possible a cause won’t be determined. It’s also difficult to know whether the illness played a role in the deaths of the two patients because both had preexisting medical conditions, he said. In the meantime, patients who have become sick are being quarantined in their rooms. Some group activities have been canceled, and additional inspection, cleaning and sanitary precautions have been put in place, Schwartz said. The complex is operated by Erickson Living, which serves about 24,000 people in a network of campuses for older people in 11 states. Courtney Benhoff, an Erickson Living spokeswoman, said the Springfield location’s staff was working closely with the county Health Department to halt the outbreak. She also said about half of those residents who were hospitalized have since returned to the complex, and some were diagnosed with conditions that were unrelated to the outbreak of respiratory infections. The illnesses have affected only residents in Greenspring’s continuing-care and assisted-living unit, which houses 263 people. The symptoms ranged from coughing to pneumonia that required hospitalization, Schwartz said. The outbreak began when a person became sick on June 30, and county health officials were alerted Monday, Schwartz said. He said Greenspring has done an “excellent job” keeping the county informed of developments and following the Health Department’s recommendations to stop the spread of infection.


Why governments around the world are afraid of Libra, Facebook’s cryptocurrency

Since Facebook announced plans last month for its own cryptocurrency called Libra, it has ruffled feathers and sparked fears among governments all over the globe. Facebook has framed the digital coin as an alternative to traditional financial services for the billions of people worldwide who lack access to banking. But lawmakers say Libra would threaten government-backed currencies and consumer privacy, while giving Facebook reign over an unprecedented global financial system. Earlier this month, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), chair of the House Financial Services Committee, and other congressional leaders, sent a letter to Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, asking that the social media giant delay Libra until lawmakers have had time to interrogate it. "Because Facebook is already in the hands of over a quarter of the world’s population, it is imperative that Facebook and its partners immediately cease implementation plans until regulators and Congress have an opportunity to examine these issues and take action,” lawmakers wrote. Here’s a rundown of Facebook’s plans for its digital currency and the issues lawmakers want to see addressed before Libra comes to fruition. Libra is a digital coin, anchored in the same blockchain technology that underlies cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and Ethereum. The virtual currency will be backed by 28 companies and nonprofits, including finance and tech giants like Mastercard, Visa and Uber. It is not, however, backed by any banks. Facebook created a subsidiary, Calibra, to oversee the virtual currency and the digital wallet that will house it. The wallet will be built into Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, but will also be available as a stand-alone app. Through it, Facebook’s 2.4 billion users around the world will be able to spend, transfer or save money with almost no fees. Users’ real identities will not be tied to their public transactions; they will be conducted under pseudonyms for privacy’s sake. The currency and digital wallet will be governed by the Libra Association, a not-for-profit organization of businesses, nonprofits and academic institutions, which will be based in Geneva. Facebook aims to have 100 members of the Libra Association by the time Libra goes live. Once the currency launches — which Facebook expects to be in the first half of 2020 — Facebook will “not control the network, the currency, or the reserve backing it,” Calibra head David Marcus wrote in a blog post. The social media giant will have the same amount of power


A 363-foot projection of a rocket will be flashed on the Washington Monument to celebrate Apollo 11 anniversary

A 363-foot projection of a rocket will be flashed on one side of the Washington Monument next week to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is sponsoring events to honor the Apollo 11 mission of July 20, 1969. The mission, which launched astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins from Earth on a Saturn V rocket, culminated with Aldrin and Armstrong successfully landing on the moon. Part of the commemoration includes “Apollo 50 Festival” live performances, exhibits and speakers. Those events will take place July 18 to 20 on the Mall between Fourth and Seventh streets NW. As part of the celebration, the image of a 363-foot Saturn V rocket will be projected on the east side of the Washington Monument from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. on July 16, July 17 and July 18. On July 19 and 20 at the monument, a free show with archival footage will “re-create the launch of Apollo 11 and tell the story of the first moon landing,” the Smithsonian said. The show runs at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. both nights. Viewers can see the show from areas on the Mall in front of the Smithsonian Castle between Ninth and 12th streets NW. For information, go to airandspace.si.edu/go-for-the-moon. The event is being sponsored by the Air and Space Museum and the Department of the Interior and will be produced by 59 Productions, which has handled the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and other high-profile events. In a statement, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said: “Almost 50 years ago, the Apollo 11 mission captivated the world as two American astronauts were the first to step foot on the moon, forever changing space exploration.” dana.hedgpeth@washpost.com


Interstellar Probe, a mission concept for NASA, aims to travel 93 billion miles past the sun

from the sun Our sun sits on a minor arm of the spinning, star-strewn pinwheel of the Milky Way, about 25,000 light-years from the galactic core. Zooming through the cosmos at roughly half a million miles per hour, the solar system is buffeted by gusts of gas and dust and bombarded by energetic particles whose origins are a mystery. But we on Earth are partly shielded from this chaos by the heliosphere, a balloon-like structure inflated by the solar wind. Charged particles flowing from the sun stream out to the edge of the solar system — past the planets, beyond Pluto, through the frozen halo of the Kuiper belt, to a place called the heliopause. This is the liminal zone between the river of solar particles and the ocean of interstellar space; the boundary between our celestial neighborhood and the wider universe. Only two spacecraft have reached that zone and lived to tell the tale: the twin Voyager probes, which launched in 1977 and took more than 35 years to reach the heliopause. (The Pioneer probes left the solar system but were defunct by that time.) Now their radio communications are increasingly feeble, and several instruments have failed. Voyager 1, the most distant human-built object in the universe, is now 145 astronomical units from Earth (an astronomical unit is equal to the distance between Earth and the sun). At that pace, it would take 283 years to reach 1,000 AU — 93 billion miles from the sun — the place McNutt hopes to reach. “To really explore what’s out there . . . you want to get out of the solar system as quickly as possible,” he said. And for that, you need a really big rocket. NASA might soon have one. The ultrapowerful (but long-delayed) Space Launch System, which is capable of nearly twice as much thrust as the biggest rocket in operation, is expected to make its first flight sometime in 2020 or 2021. With the SLS, Interstellar Probe could leave Earth at a speed of about 9 miles per second. After looping around Jupiter, the probe would fall back toward the sun, picking up speed from our star’s gravitational pull. It would pass the orbits of the inner planets and soar through the solar corona until finally, just above the sun’s blazing surface, it would fire a second rocket and zoom off into the dark as fast


Via Sophia upgrades the hotel dining experience in downtown D.C.

and mint oil. Fabio Trabocchi would be proud to serve the elegant appetizer at his seafood-themed Fiola Mare. Another smile-inducer, juicy grilled quail propped up on crisp polenta shows that the kitchen can do rustic as well as refined. The wooden paddles on the walls suggest pizza in your future, an option underscored by an oak-powered black oven in the rear. Take the hint and ask for a plate-sized pie, the prize of which combines folds of spicy salami, Fresno chiles, a suggestion of mozzarella and a drizzle of honey on a crust you’ll want to finish. The pleasantly chewy base, made with whole-wheat flour and fermented for two days, doesn’t taste like anyone else’s in town, and a little time in the 800-degree oven imparts a fine char. The best is saved for last. Chicken might sound like a snooze, but chicken cooked skin-side down, under a weight, results in a wonderful crunch. “It’s all about the skin,” says the chef. Throw in crisp maitake mushrooms, artichoke confit and a vinaigrette stoked with red pepper and guanciale and you’re in Italian American heaven. Where to settle in? The shaded front patio facing Franklin Square if you like to people-watch and don’t mind urban sound effects; the marble bar if you want a quick bite; the dining room with its silvery chairs and marble columns should you desire a touch more comfort. Is San Pellegrino a sponsor? A diner wonders, given the forest of green water bottles on display. (Having renovated the lobby and dining room, formerly the sad 14K Restaurant, owner EOS Hospitality is focusing on banquet spaces and guest rooms. The due date for completion is fall 2020.) The service reminds you this is a new restaurant, eager to be embraced. “If you have any questions, any at all, let me know,” a waiter let me know during one visit. The attention can border on the hypervigilant — except, oddly, when a full cocktail is whisked away with no one wondering why it was basically untouched. (Gin, Cocchi vermouth, honey and dragon fruit puree make for a surprisingly bland lavender drink.) On the flip side, the last time I was in, multiple overseers were engaging with what appeared to be hotel guests and tourists, as if they were all TripAdvisor contributors. Hey, it’s a competitive market for mouths these days! “We want to be known as an amazing


‘This doesn’t look like the best economy ever’: 40% of Americans say they still struggle to pay bills

prices and stocks have soared. In contrast, data from the Fed show that families of color and Americans born after 1970 are the least likely to have recovered the wealth they lost in the crisis. Households earning less than $60,000 also tend to carry heavy debt loads, according to data from credit-score company Equifax, often taking out loans for college, which they cannot get rid of in bankruptcy, or loans to pay bills, which can put them further behind. The prevailing view among Wall Street investors and Washington policymakers is that there is little to worry about because student loans are backed by the government and delinquency rates for other kinds of debt are fairly low, meaning most people can make their monthly payments. “Credit quality is about as good as I’ve ever seen it,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “There is nothing that suggests inordinate stress on low-income households . . . certainly nothing compared to times past.” But Boshara, of the St. Louis Fed, pointed out that credit card and auto loan delinquencies have risen this year, the opposite of what Wall Street expected in good economic times. Four in 10 Americans say they still struggle to pay their bills, despite the strong economy, according to a quarterly survey by UBS that has shown no improvement since 2014. An April Gallup poll found that 36 percent of Americans were “very” or “moderately” worried about not being able to pay their normal monthly bills, little changed from 2018, but up from 2017 when 31 percent were very or moderately worried. And looking at how households are doing by class, race or age reveals a concerning picture. For Maddy Dannemiller, who lives outside Columbus, Ohio, the tipping point came when her then-boyfriend hit a deer while driving her car. The vehicle was badly damaged, and the couple decided it was not safe enough for their children, prompting her to buy another. Her monthly payment jumped to over $450 a month because she didn’t have a credit history. (Dannemiller’s late mother had co-signed the loan on her first car.) Then the couple broke up, and Dannemiller says she is supporting three children on her own. As a nurse’s aide, she makes above Ohio’s $8.55-an-hour minimum wage but not much over $10. Her landlord is a relative who sometimes gives her a break on rent, but she is routinely


U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan, military says

KABUL — A U.S. service member was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday, a NATO statement said. A spokesman for the Resolute Support mission said that, in accordance with policy, no additional information will be released until 24 hours after the deceased’s next of kin is notified. In a tweet, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said two American soldiers were killed and three wounded in a bomb attack in Wardak province, west of Kabul. He offered no additional evidence. A seventh round of talks between U.S. and Taliban representatives concluded early last week in Doha, Qatar. The negotiations focused on the possible withdrawal of U.S. troops and efforts to end the 18-year war. The top U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, described the recent discussions as “the most productive session to date.” American officials have expressed a desire to reach a peace deal by Sept. 1, ahead of Afghan presidential elections scheduled for later that month. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks during the peace talks, including a July 1 assault in Kabul that claimed dozens of lives. The United States has been fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2001. More than 2,400 U.S. military personnel have died in the conflict. Saturday’s announcement brings the number of U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan in 2019 to 12. jon.gerberg@washpost.com Two U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan, military says Dozens killed in Taliban attack on central Kabul, setting back latest peace talks


EPA to allow use of pesticide considered ‘very highly toxic’ to bees

2016, the EPA approved use of the pesticide for crops that do not attract bees, as well as for use on certain plants after blooming was complete. The agency also has repeatedly granted emergency waivers to states to allow the use of sulfoxaflor on certain crops because of a lack of effective alternatives for farmers — including more than a dozen such exemptions this year alone for sorghum and cotton. "That helps you see how important a tool this is,” Dunn told reporters Friday. In deciding to grant broad approval to sulfoxaflor, Dunn said the agency relied on a host of new, industry-backed studies that showed the insecticide dissipates in the environment more quickly than widely used alternatives, thereby lowering the risk to bees. In addition, the agency said sulfoxaflor often requires fewer applications than other insecticides, resulting in reduced risks to wildlife. “Our data on this insecticide is among EPA’s largest data sets on the effects of a pesticide on bees,” Dunn told reporters, saying the agency had carefully considered its risks and benefits. “EPA highly values pollinator protection.” She added that farmers must still abide by numerous restrictions when using the pesticide. For instance, it can be applied to certain tree fruits, berries and other crops only after they have bloomed. Restrictions also exist to prevent drifting of the pesticide in windy conditions. Corteva, the agricultural division of DowDuPont, welcomed the EPA’s approval for what it called “critical” uses of the pesticide, saying in a statement Friday that “growers should have access to tools that can be used safely according to the product label.” The Agricultural Retailers Association, which represents suppliers of seed and other products to farmers and ranchers, also praised the EPA’s decision. “It is encouraging to see EPA take a hard look at the science about sulfoxaflor and its effects on pollinators and issue a science-based decision on its permitted use,” the group’s president, Daren Coppock, said in a statement. “This is how the system is supposed to work: scientific experts making science-based decisions.” But Lori Ann Burd, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s environmental health program, called Friday’s decision little more than a gift to industry, and one that did not come with public input. “Their failure to provide any notice of this decision is a new low for this administration,” Burd said in an interview. “But the worst part of this is


A white store owner’s call led to a black street musician’s ‘outrageous’ arrest, roiling New Orleans

of way or exceeding the noise limit. The result, musicians say, is that they’re often hassled by law enforcement at the behest of business owners and forced to move away from busy corners where they can collect the most tips. “We’re not committing any crime,” Anthony Brooks, one of Grant’s bandmates, told NOLA.com. “We’re not robbing, killing, stealing, jacking. We’re just playing music.” Zalkind said that he’s the only business owner on Frenchmen Street who actually allows the bands to perform out front for any length of time. But he, too, is concerned about his ability to make money. The bookstore is busiest from 9 p.m. to midnight, he said, but brass bands tend to attract crowds that block potential customers. Visitors like being able to converse with the store’s staff and get recommendations, “but that experience is lost when you have 100 decibels of sound coming through the bookshop,” he said. Those tensions came to a head on Monday night, when Zalkind called police to ask them to remove the Young Fellaz Brass Band, after weeks of mounting frustrations. He was inside the shop and didn’t personally witness what transpired when police arrived at about 9:30 p.m. but was later told the band initially obeyed officers’ instructions and began to leave. When police drove around the block a second time, however, they found the band had returned to the same corner and started to play again. Authorities say that Grant hit one of the officers in the chest with his instrument when he was told again to move, damaging that officer’s body camera. He “refused repeated requests by both officers and citizens to calm down,” police said in a statement, forcing the officers to detain him until backup arrived. On social media, Grant’s bandmates have expressed skepticism about that account. Bystander video doesn’t show what happened before the musician was pinned to the ground, and police haven’t said whether body-camera footage of the alleged attack exists. “He is one of the nicest, most gentle people I have ever come across,” said Taplin, the attorney who represented Grant in court the following day. Though she hasn’t independently been able to verify if he hit the officer with his trumpet, she said, “it’s hard to imagine him being aggressive.” Aubrey Harris, a New Orleans-based attorney, said that Grant was thrown to the ground, held in a chokehold and Tasered by officers,


Shoppers Food was sold. What will happen to its stores in Maryland and Virginia?

Nine months after one of the Washington region’s major grocery chains was purchased by a Rhode Island-based company, local officials, residents and employees are demanding answers about the fate of more than 40 supermarkets the chain operates in the area. SuperValu, the parent company of Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, was sold in October to United Natural Foods Inc., a distributor of natural and organic foods that is a major supplier for Whole Foods Market. In March, the chief executive of United Natural Foods said the company was “well down the path” of selling the chain, which used to be known as Shoppers Food Warehouse. This summer, its outlet in Chillum, Md., shut its doors. A store in Falls Church, Va., will close Sept. 1. But it’s unclear when the 44 remaining Shoppers locations in Maryland and Virginia will close and what will replace them — prompting calls for more transparency from elected officials and the union that represents Shoppers’ employees. “This is ridiculous,” state Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George’s) said at a rally this month outside the Shoppers in Coral Hills, Md. “Consider the employees and not just the profits.” United Natural Foods spokesman Jeffrey Swanson said in a statement that the company has been “open about its plans to divest of its retail banners” and hopes to find buyers for the stores who will keep operating them as grocery stores. “Please know that this process takes time and involves other parties,” Swanson said. “As such, we aren’t able to provide details until there is something concrete to announce.” In Prince George’s County, which had 12 Shoppers stores until the Chillum outlet closed, the loss of any supermarket would be felt especially hard. About 15 percent of the suburb is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a “food desert,” and residents — especially in poorer communities inside the Beltway — have long complained about a dearth of healthy grocery options. Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D), who says bringing healthy foods to the county is a top priority, sent a letter to United Natural Foods executives this spring requesting that the company take into account the well-being of residents and sell to another grocer if they close their stores. She has not received a response. “We share the frustration of the community and the workers because we don’t have a lot of information either,” said


Police shooting of an Ethiopian Jew prompts a Black Lives Matter moment in Israel

Jews, known as Fidel, shows that 11 young Ethiopian men have been fatally shot by the police over the past 20 years, six of them in the past five years. The most recent, before Teka, was 24-year-old Yehuda Biadga, killed in January in the coastal city of Bat Yam. No officers have been brought to trial for those killings. “We live in a country where the police feel comfortable to resolve a situation that is not particularly dramatic not with an arrest but with a shooting,” said Rina Ayalin Gorelik, a lawyer at the Clinic for the Advancement of Equality at Bar-Ilan University. The center is providing Teka’s family with legal advice. Officials have expressed sympathy over the tragedy, but the violent protests have also drawn sharp rebuke. In a meeting with representatives of the Ethiopian community, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said he shared their pain over Teka’s death and promised to establish a process within the police force to tackle racism and improper behavior. But, he added, “violence and anarchy” would not be tolerated. The protests have waned in recent days, but many in the Ethiopian community see the fight as far from over. “Last week’s protests were spontaneous, but the young people have said they will not let this pass silently,” said Michal Avera Samuel, Fidel’s director. “Our parents’ generation were quiet, but after 35 years in Israel, we can’t continue being quiet about this. There is no other community in which the police raise their guns in this way.” She said that many young Ethiopians cross the street when they see police approaching. “The police are supposed to help everyone, but sadly we have to think carefully before we call them,” Samuel said. In the wake of Teka’s death, Ethiopian Israelis have taken to social media to share stories of discrimination. In posts on Facebook, with the hashtag #Face_It, they describe racist experiences in every sphere of life — in the workplace, in the education system, on the street and even in stores. One woman, who did not reveal her name, recalled inquiring as to the price of a pair of shoes in a Jerusalem store only to be told, “This is not the same for people like you!” Another wrote about overhearing a conversation in her local grocery store, with comments such as “Israel should never have allowed the Ethiopians to come,” “they’re animals” and


Congress should show Trump that the Saudi crown prince is no ‘friend’ of America

THOUGH THERE has been no accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and women who were tortured for seeking greater rights are still in prison, President Trump has returned to calling Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a “friend” who is doing “a spectacular job.” Fortunately, there remains a bipartisan majority in Congress that rejects this indefensible judgment and the president’s strings-free steps to supply the kingdom with more weapons and nuclear technology. The question is whether a coalition can come together to pass legislation that will reshape U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia and its brutal and reckless ruler over Mr. Trump’s objections. The effort is, by definition, a long shot. Mr. Trump has already vetoed one bill aimed at ending U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s disastrous intervention in Yemen, and he will surely also veto a series of resolutions that disapproved of $8 billion in weapons sales he authorized through an emergency procedure to bypass Congress. He retains the support of the Republican Senate leadership in opposing any measure that would hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable, even though the CIA and a U.N. report have said he is likely responsible for the Khashoggi murder, or would restrict arms sales, even though U.S. bombs have been used to attack schools, mosques and hospitals in Yemen. One possible way forward is through amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act now moving through Congress, which Mr. Trump would find hard to veto. This week, the House approved a provision sponsored by Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) that would require the director of national intelligence to submit a report to Congress naming any Saudi official implicated in “the directing, ordering, or tampering of evidence” in the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Post contributing columnist. Those identified would be denied U.S. visas. The measure would almost certainly sweep in more than the 17 Saudis already subject to U.S. sanctions for the Khashoggi murder, and probably Mohammed bin Salman. Mr. Trump would retain the power to waive punishments; but the DNI report could, at least, publicly place responsibility for the murder where it belongs. Unfortunately, the bill is likely to be opposed by Senate Republican leaders when the defense act goes to conference. Democrats will need help from GOP senators such as Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Todd C. Young (Ind.), who have taken a strong stand against Saudi war crimes and human rights


Saudi Arabia is making the world complicit in a miscarriage of justice

Agnes Callamard is the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and director of Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University. The trial of 11 defendants in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi is underway in Saudi Arabia behind closed doors. But it is unlikely to deliver real justice. While five unnamed defendants face the death penalty, top Saudi officials have not been investigated or charged in Khashoggi’s brutal, premeditated killing. As detailed in my report to the United Nations last month, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible for Khashoggi’s extrajudicial execution, enforced disappearance and torture. The evidence suggests that 15 Saudi agents acted under their official status and used state resources to commit murder. High-level officials in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, oversaw the elaborate planning, which involved private jets, diplomatic clearances, a forensic doctor and Saudi consular staff in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia has since failed to investigate the crime in good faith. Khashoggi’s murder is not a Saudi domestic matter. He was a journalist and U.S. resident who was extrajudicially killed in Turkish territory. Saudi Arabia committed an unlawful extraterritorial act aimed at violating freedom of expression, threatened the sanctity of consular relations and interfered with the interests of the international community as a whole. It is extremely troubling that, thus far, there has been little effective international response — legal, political or diplomatic. Yes, the United States and the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are observing Saudi Arabia’s trial. But they have agreed not to disclose its details. Effectively, they are allowing themselves to be made complicit in what is, by all appearances, a miscarriage of justice. Some states have issued targeted sanctions against 17 or more individuals, but these fail to address the responsibility of Saudi senior leadership and divert attention away from the responsibility of the kingdom itself. Around the world, public opinion has demanded justice for Khashoggi. Courts have ruled against the “business as usual” approach regarding arms exports. Legislators have taken steps to sanction Saudi Arabia. But these are rarely reflected in the policies of the executives — and, indeed, even overridden. The readiness of some world leaders to move on from the case without action was made painfully clear last month during the Group of 20 meeting in Osaka, Japan, where the Saudi crown prince was warmly greeted by foreign leaders, including President Trump. This return to business


If you love your vegetables, these plant-based dinner recipes are for you

Plant-based cooking keeps growing in popularity, and for good reason. Not only are there more (and better) plant-based meat alternatives for the folks who really crave a burger, but vegetables are pushing to center stage as something exciting, colorful and fun to play around with in the kitchen. They’re no longer just roughly chopped and served in a sad, unfulfilling salad. Whether you’re a vegan, someone looking to cut down on meat or you just plain love your veggies, these easy dinners are sure to satisfy. Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwiches, Shiitake-Noodle Salad. Heavy meals are a no-go for summer. Here, roasted mushrooms pack in spicy, savory flavor, while rice noodles, crunchy peanuts, shredded veggies and fresh herbs round out the meal. You can serve this hot or at room temperature, and drizzle some spicy chile oil on top if you need more heat. Corn Cakes With Black Bean Spread Poblano, Sweet Potato and Mushroom Fajitas Lemony Green Bean Pasta Salad. For your laziest summer evenings, this simply dressed pasta does the trick. Crisp-tender green beans and slightly wilted arugula light up in a lemony dressing. Crunchy pistachios seal the deal. Kale and Black-Eyed Peas With Smoky Grits. Is there a more homey dish than a creamy bowl of grits? Sauteed kale and black-eyed peas play well with smoky paprika to make this a soothing, warm supper. Black Bean Salad With Mango Sauce. Some people hate eating salads for dinner. We are not those people. But we do need them to be filling. Here, black beans and plenty of crunchy vegetables provide bulk, while a thick mango dressing lifts it into new territory. Black Pepper Tofu Pot. Toasted sesame oil, soy sauce and black pepper join forces to develop some serious umami. The recipe calls for butter, but you can easily substitute coconut oil for a different layer of flavor. Green Tahini Salad More from Voraciously: Puree, liquefy, crush: How to choose and use a blender Coconut milk makes this vegan ice cream especially smooth and luscious For lazy summer days, this corn, tomato and tortilla-chip salad does all the work for you


Susannah George named The Washington Post’s Afghanistan and Pakistan bureau chief

Announcement from Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl and Deputy Foreign Editor Eva Rodriguez: We’re very happy to announce that Susannah George of the Associated Press will become our next Afghanistan/Pakistan bureau chief. Susannah is a prize-winning journalist with deep experience in reporting from perilous places, including assignments in Egypt, Libya, Bahrain and Tunisia during the Arab Spring and in Iraq on multiple tours, including a 30-month stint that ended last year. She is an accomplished manager, having served as AP’s acting bureau chief in Baghdad during the prolonged battle to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State. Her work from Baghdad twice won honors from the Overseas Press Club, and it was part of the AP’s Pulitzer finalist package in 2018 that showed the human cost of the U.S.-led defeat of the Islamic State in Mosul was far greater than anticipated. Susannah is an Arabic speaker who spent much of her childhood in Gaza and the West Bank and is a graduate of George Washington University. She began her career as a field producer and editor for National Public Radio; worked as a freelance journalist from the Middle East for Public Radio International, Sky News and Foreign Policy; and has spent the last year in the AP’s Washington bureau as a correspondent covering national security and intelligence. Susannah will be based in Pakistan, but will spend much of her time in Afghanistan. She will start work in the newsroom on Aug. 19, and will take up her duties in Afghanistan by mid-September.


Transcript: Transformers Cities

averaging something like 85 mph. What that means if you live in D.C. or New York is you are going to be on the train for about 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to downtown Manhattan. And given the demographics in this area, we have got something like 15 to 20 percent of the population, 15 to 20 percent of the GDP of the United States, we need a better mobility solution. So my company, about 10 years ago, started talking with a lot of colleagues that we had at the Central Japan Railway Company, which is the world leader in high-speed rail, and trying to figure out is there some application for their bullet trains in the United States and is there some application for their next generation of train, which is superconducting maglev, in the United States. And what we very quickly realized is that superconducting maglev is really the perfect solution for the Northeast Corridor. It travels at over 300 mph. So from downtown D.C. to downtown New York City would be a one-hour trip. So we like to say Georgetown to Midtown in one hour. And that would include two stops along the way. So right now, we are pretty far along, actually, in this process. We're working through our environmental impact statement, to your point about working with the regulators. And it is moving along. It is a challenging thing to do an EIS, it's called, an environmental impact statement, on such a large project. We are looking right now just at D.C. to Baltimore. So it's the first segment that we're going to build. But even that, you know, it is a very substantial undertaking in terms of construction and expenditure. But we are working through that. We are expecting that our EIS is going to be published for the public sometime later this year, we hope. And then after that, we are going to transition into doing the actual final engineering and beginning construction in hopefully about two years. MS. ZAKRZWESKI: And so I think a lot of people in this room are familiar with what it feels like to be sitting in traffic between here and Baltimore. So with your proposal, how quickly would you be able to travel to Baltimore from D.C.? MR. RAINEY: So the concept right now is that the line would go from D.C. to BWI to


What’s behind Ethiopia’s recent political violence?

a petition for statehood is submitted. Analysts at the International Crisis Group caution that the Sidama bid for statehood may “catalyze a violent unraveling of the Southern Nations.” Other groups, including Wolayta, Hadiya and Gurage, have also started to advocate for statehood. When Abiy came to power in 2018, he advanced a number of political reforms. Ethiopia normalized relations with Eritrea, released political prisoners and allowed opposition leaders to return from exile. However, the next stages of reform — institutional changes that embrace a more liberal order — are slower and harder to implement. The government has taken a number of steps in this direction. For example, Abiy has reached out to civil society in making appointments to the Federal Supreme Court, the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia and the Human Rights Commission. But reconstructing the security and intelligence services has proved more difficult. As a result, significant insecurity has escalated in many parts of the country, leaving nearly 3 million internally displaced people. The government faces the challenge of anticipating and mitigating ethno-nationalist violence, particularly as the country prepares for elections next year. Will Ethiopia be ready for elections in 2020? Prime Minister Abiy’s reputation as a reformer will face a serious test in getting the country ready in time for the 2020 elections. The appointment of Birtukan Mideksa, a former opposition party leader, to head the country’s election board demonstrates Abiy’s recognition of the symbolic and political importance of the 2020 polls. The government has also appointed a new, professional electoral board, after consultations with opposition parties. Abiy Though many observers anticipate that the 2020 polls will be the most competitive in years, the EPRDF is likely to retain its parliamentary majority. The ruling party, with some 7 million members, remains the dominant institution across the diverse states. The EPRDF controls the distribution of central resources, the endowment funds that own a significant portion of the economy and the distribution of key agricultural inputs such as fertilizer. Its power may have diminished since the 2015-2018 mass protests, but the EPRDF retains an integrated network of cadres across Ethiopia. The opposition parties remain at odds with each other on specific issues, making a broad counter-alliance to compete with the EPRDF unlikely. Many Ethiopians both within the EPRDF and the opposition recognize the need for a national discussion on issues relating to the constitution — and in particular the nature


There’s a crisis unfolding in Asia. The U.S. is the only actor that can fix it.

drama unfolded because South Korea’s Supreme Court last year ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation for forced labor during colonization. Tokyo’s position is that the 1965 normalization agreement waived reparations. South Korea’s position, based on the court decision, is that the agreement does not apply to individuals. Recently, a South Korean court ordered the seizure and distribution of a Japanese company’s assets, which crossed Tokyo’s red line. Japan retaliated by imposing tight restrictions on critical exports to South Korean semiconductor companies that build components for chips that go into smartphones, tablets and a host of industrial electronics. According to Bloomberg, Japan’s action mainly affects Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which account for a combined 60 percent of global memory-chip-making capacity. The geopolitical and economic costs of this conflict are substantial and rising. Both sides may have technical merits to their arguments, but they are myopically damaging their larger diplomatic and economic interests, as well as those of the United States. First, alliance cohesion is critical to U.S. strategy in northeast Asia. Regional security challenges posed by North Korea and China require that Washington and its allies maintain unity. Due to the latest tensions, trilateral defense cooperation needed to prepare for North Korean aggression has basically stalled. North Korea and China know this. Both have — separately and in parallel — tried to put further distance between South Korea, Japan and the United States during periods of tension among the allies. Second, China under Xi Jinping has assumed a more active and aggressive posture throughout Asia, especially on maritime territorial issues. Xi would probably do more if not constrained by U.S. alliances. China would love for U.S. forces to leave the Korean Peninsula, to have a freer hand to coerce Taiwan and to establish effective control over waters in the East China Sea and South China Sea. The current Japan-South Korea conflict does China’s work for it. It provides a permissive environment to pull South Korea away from both the United States and Japan. It creates more space for Beijing and Tokyo to flirt with each other, dangerously validating the Chinese belief that Japan’s reliance on China is growing and that these alliances are ultimately malleable. Third, Japan’s actions legitimize a dangerous practice: implementing unilateral sanctions of questionable legal basis against specific industries in the service of diplomatic retaliation. China did this against Japan in 2010 when it banned exports to


Free trade doesn’t just lead to job loss. It means more deaths from drug overdoses and increased military recruitment.

— the military tends to send more recruiters to these communities. Trade-related job losses lead to higher levels of opioid addiction The opioid epidemic now kills roughly 130 people in the United States every day. While this is a national public health emergency, less-educated white men in Appalachia have been particularly harmed. In 2015, the overdose mortality rate in Appalachia was 65 percent higher than the rest of the country. Less-educated white males suffer overdose deaths at such a high rate that it has lowered their overall life expectancy. As can be seen in the figure above, Appalachia has the highest rate of trade-related job loss in the country. And trade puts downward pressure on the wages and job prospects of less-educated manufacturing workers, the majority of which are white men. Job loss generally increases the risk of depression and drug misuse. Since jobs lost from trade are relatively “good” manufacturing jobs — offering better wages, benefits, and higher unionization rates than the rest of the private sector — it may be even more difficult for workers to adjust after layoffs. Worse still, the risk of drug use has significantly increased with the introduction of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, into heroin markets around the United States. In a recently published paper, Simeon Kimmel and I explored the nationwide relationship between free trade and the opioid epidemic. We found that 1,000 trade-related job losses in a given locality were associated with a 2.7 percent increase in opioid-related overdose deaths. When fentanyl was present in the local heroin supply, however, the same size trade shock was associated with an 11.3 percent increase in such overdose deaths. People go into the army — since they don’t have many other options Since the mid-1990s, free trade has also steadily sent Americans into the military. Trade-related job losses reduce the economic and educational opportunities available to unskilled workers and therefore increase the supply of potential military recruits. Demand for recruits also increases, as the U.S. government responds to these economic shocks by increasing recruitment efforts and enlistment goals in trade-affected counties. Hickory, N.C., an Appalachian city once known as the “furniture capital of the world,” suffered 11,000 trade-related job losses between 1996 and 2010. In the face of these trade shocks, enlistment in the U.S. Army quadrupled for the local county. I spoke with a local high school ROTC leader, who explained that students


The immigration policies causing further uncertainty for asylum seekers

Post Reports is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you’ve come to expect from the newsroom of The Post. For your ears. Martine Powers is your host, asking the questions you didn’t know you wanted answered. Listen online. How changing immigration policies have caused more uncertainty for asylum seekers Nationwide immigration raids failed to materialize this weekend after President Trump vowed to round up families who entered the country recently and face deportation orders. Immigration reporter Nick Miroff gives background on a new round of changes to asylum policies introduced Monday. Latin America correspondent Kevin Sieff says that changing immigration policies have already started playing out across the border. He reports from Nuevo Laredo, which he says is a “remarkably dangerous” city that’s part of the administration’s “Remain in Mexico” program. “The idea that the U.S. would be forcing asylum seekers to wait there is really controversial and really worrying for a lot of human rights officials and a lot of Mexican officials who wonder how asylum seekers will stay safe there,” Sieff explains. More on this topic: The latest legal battle over the Affordable Care Act “The Affordable Care Act is a law that's been under one kind of threat or another almost since it was passed by a Democratic Congress in 2010,” says health-care policy writer Amy Goldstein. She’s been reporting on the latest challenge to the law, currently playing out in a federal appellate court in New Orleans. Goldstein explains that, although Republican attorneys general are arguing against the ACA’s constitutionality, Republicans might be the ones to suffer in 2020 if millions of Americans lose their health coverage. More on this topic: 2020’s youngest Olympian? 10-year-old Sky Brown has fractured a bone kick-flipping off stairs. She’s taken plenty of tumbles off her backyard skate ramp. But as sports feature writer Rick Maese explains, the skateboard-sized athlete has the kind of outsized talent that might get her to next summer’s Olympics in Tokyo, attracting a younger audience to the program that’s added sports like skateboarding and rock climbing to its roster. More on this topic:


SpaceX blames faulty valve for Dragon spacecraft explosion

An investigation into what caused the SpaceX capsule to blow up in April during an engine test has pinpointed a faulty valve that caused a propellant leak, a company official said Monday. The valve is being replaced by a disc that would eliminate the possibility of such a leak, said Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX’s vice president of build and flight reliability. But he called the finding “preliminary” said the investigation into the cause of the explosion that sent a plume of smoke wafting over the Florida space coast is continuing. He did not rule out a flight with crew by the end of the year, a goal it had been pushing toward for months, but said that had now grown “increasingly difficult.” “We want to make sure we find all the corrective actions,” he said. SpaceX is designing the Dragon spacecraft to ferry NASA’s astronauts to and from the International Space Station. In March, it completed a successful test flight, sending the spacecraft, without anyone on board, to the station. It docked autonomously and then flew back to Earth again, safely landing in the Atlantic ocean. With that key milestone completed, the company seemed to be making progress toward a flight with astronauts by the end of the year. But then in April it tested the engines that are designed to propel the spacecraft — and the astronauts in it — safely away from the rocket booster in the event of an emergency. The test did not go well. The spacecraft exploded after the leak into an internal pressure system, leaving NASA and SpaceX with another setback in a program that has seen several. Last year, Boeing also had a propellant leak in the emergency abort system of its spacecraft. The company has said that it has since fixed the problem. In 2014, NASA awarded contracts, worth nearly $7 billion combined to the two companies, but both have suffered a series of setbacks and delays. NASA is hoping they’ll be ready to fly soon since the agency has been forced to rely on Russia to fly its astronauts to space since the Space Shuttle was retired eight years ago. The setbacks forced NASA recently to purchase two more seats on Russian spacecraft for about $170 million total. Those will ensure that the agency doesn’t have to face the embarrassing prospect of not having an American astronaut on board the station —


López Obrador’s cost-cutting spree is transforming Mexico — and drawing blowback from bureaucrats

back on tests for sick patients. His own salary had shrunk by 40 percent. Now, he learned, he’d have to cancel half of all operations requiring anesthesia. “I’ve worked 40 years at this hospital,” said the white-coated doctor, sitting in an office that was dustier than usual, due to a new hole in the janitorial budget. “I’ve never lived such a stressful, worrying situation.” Around the country, hospitals revolted. The head of the social security system quit, saying the controls on health spending were “inhumane.” Within days, the government relented, freeing up some funding. Nieto didn’t have to drastically reduce surgeries after all. But he still lacks money for nurses and maintenance. Meanwhile, the hospital’s Internet capacity has been slashed in half. “Everything is still uncertain,” the doctor said. One of the most startling cutbacks has been in international travel. Government employees were informed in early May that they needed permission from the president’s office before taking any trip abroad. About two weeks later, López Obrador boasted that he’d gotten 100 requests — “and I only authorized 20.” Among those denied: Maria Novaro, director of Mexico’s national film institute. She was attending the Cannes Film Festival when she got the word. She promptly flew home from France. The order sparked panic at the government-funded Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education in Ensenada, 65 miles south of the U.S. border. Researchers there were used to getting academic journals at a post office box in San Diego. Worried they would need presidential authorization for their twice-a-week mail runs, they hired a private courier service. The regulation was later eased. Still, the international travel budget for federal workers was cut by 50 percent. More than 3,000 scientists and academics have signed a letter to López Obrador protesting drastic cutbacks at government research centers. In some offices, energy-saving measures are so severe that employees aren’t allowed to charge their cellphones. “This feels like the dismantling of a scientific network that took decades to build,” said Juan Martinez, a biologist at the Institute of Ecology. But if the scientists reflect one vision of Mexico — a country with a growing middle class and world-class researchers — López Obrador is focused on another. He recently defended the austerity program, reminding journalists that the indigenous Tarahumara in the north were lucky to have a teacher with more than a sixth-grade education. “I want with all my


How to feed kids, without resorting to ‘kid’ food

developed to encourage families to buy, cook and order separate foods for children. A number of experts say this can have negative long-term effects. Those kid-targeted foods are convenient for parents and appealing to children, but they may come at a cost. If current trends continue, more than 57 percent of today’s children in the United States are projected to be obese by age 35, according to research from Harvard University. Having a separate food category for children implies that children can’t or shouldn’t eat what everyone else eats. Decades of research, as well as other cultures, show that’s not true. But when we set low expectations for what children should eat, most kids aren’t going to surpass those expectations on their own. “I understand where the concept comes from, but I think there’s a better way to feed our kids,” said Nimali Fernando, a pediatrician and founder of the Doctor Yum Project, a nonprofit in Virginia. “Do you know what I feed the kids in my baby food class? I feed them brown rice with lentil spinach curry. That’s a first food. Babies love it.” Early childhood is when kids are most open to new flavors and textures. That doesn’t mean they like them immediately — although they may. It means they are willing to try them — which offers an opportunity to like them. “We are born with a predisposition to accept sweet and reject bitter tastes, but children’s food preferences are malleable from there,” said Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, a pediatric and behavioral medicine specialist at the University at Buffalo. There are encouraging signs that practices may be shifting. The booming category of children’s food increasingly includes more natural ingredients and healthier formulations. Sales of conventional baby- and kid-targeted foods and beverages declined by nearly 2 percent in the past year, according to data provided by Spins, a data company focused on wellness, while sales of kids’ products marketed as natural increased more than 9 percent. But even the healthiest-seeming products, such as fruit and vegetable pouches and organic, whole-grain granola bars, are tailored to fit what children already like, rather than challenge them to expand their palates. And in all areas, including food and emotional and mental development, children need stimulation. They need chances to push their limits. I’ve spoken with children’s feeding and health experts about the challenges of teaching healthy eating habits, and I’ve tried applying


She’s 10 years old and loves to skateboard. She could be an Olympian next year.

two struck up a friendship and stayed in touch. A few months later, skateboarding was formally added to the program for the 2020 Tokyo Games, and Adams later would take a position with the Great Britain national skateboarding team. “I was like, ‘Skateboarding’s in the Olympics?’ ” Sky recalls. “Everyone was like, ‘You don’t know what the Olympics are?’ ” As Sky learned more, she became increasingly excited. The Olympics offer a big platform, and she thought girls all around the globe might see her and want to pick up a skateboard. But she will be just 12 years old during the Tokyo Games, which her parents felt was too young. Maybe in 2024, they told her, when she will be 16. “But I was like, ‘Please, please, please!’ ” she recalls. Adams and Sky swapped social media messages and chatted on WhatsApp. Sky couldn’t shake the Olympic dream, and Adams started entertaining the possibility, too, excited by the impact Sky could have. Because Sky’s father was born in England, the young skater could compete for Japan or Great Britain in international competition. “I knew that Sky would be inspirational, and she’d help us raise the participation of skateboarding in this country, especially among females,” Adams says. The governing body for most every other Olympic sport has age restrictions that prevent athletes as young as Sky from taking part in Olympic competition. Skateboarding does not. "The idea is if a skater can earn enough points and do well enough in competition to qualify to participate in the Olympic Games, you shouldn’t eliminate their chance to participate based on how old they are,” said Josh Friedberg, the chief executive of USA Skateboarding. Even though Sky was named to Great Britain’s national team, she’s not guaranteed a spot in the Olympics. She has to accumulate points at competitions over the next year and show that she’s among the most competitive park skaters, regardless of age. Even if she makes it to Tokyo, winning a medal would be a stretch, but the history books would take notice. It’s not often someone as young as Sky reaches the Olympics. Inge Sorensen won a bronze medal in swimming for Denmark as a 12-year-old at the 1936 Olympics. Italy’s gymnastics team in 1928 had competitors who were 11 and 12. The youngest Olympian ever was Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who was all of 10 years old


Tuesday’s full moon a reminder of Apollo 11 mission 50 years ago

Nature, technology and in some cases memory are expected to join in Washington in providing reminders that the Apollo 11 mission to the moon was launched exactly 50 years ago Tuesday. Technology is to project a full-size image of the Saturn V moon rocket on the Washington Monument after dark. Nature, although beyond our control, is also predicted to perform a commemorative role, by providing a full moon in Tuesday’s night sky. A full moon would seem an embellishment, apparently not required for the launch. In 1969 when the giant Saturn rocket lifted off on July 16, the moon was far closer to being new than to being full.So in a certain lunar sense the legendary mission might be described as a shot in the dark. According to the Time and Date website, the moon was not full in July 1969 until 10:45 p.m. on the 28th, well after the astronauts had trod the lunar surface. This year the moon has appeared full in our night skies. Peak fullness arrives at 5:38 p.m. Tuesday, about three hours before moonrise. Without the possible screening effect of clouds, Washingtonians should be able to see it big and bright after it rises Tuesday night. Calculated to be within 1 percent of its maximum fullness Tuesday night, it may be a memorable reminder of the celebrated events of 50 years ago. Plans call for the image of the Saturn to be projected on the monument from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. martin.weil@washpost.com


The Finance 202: Facebook confronts a hostile Washington as it pitches digital currency

THE TICKER Fresh off getting slapped with a record-breaking $5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission, Facebook is facing new pushback this week from both the administration and Congress over its proposal to roll out a digital currency. The backlash suggests the social media giant faces a steep climb to win regulatory approval for Libra, the cryptocurrency it aims to roll out as soon as next year. It also highlights how far the stock of Silicon Valley’s tech titans have fallen with Washington policymakers, from faultless pioneers of the new economy to potentially dangerous monopolists whose power needs to be checked. Facebook’s immediate challenge with Libra and its broader struggle against new animus from Washington decision-makers will both be on display today. Meanwhile, across Capitol Hill, executives from Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple will face a grilling from the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on antitrust enforcement. The companies’ competitors, including Yelp CEO Jeffrey Stoppelman and representatives from Spotify, have been laying the groundwork for the hearing by making the rounds on the Hill, Axios’s David McCabe reported. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) Facebook has complicated the task of playing defense against antitrust charges by deciding simultaneously to go on offense with its ambitious cryptocurrency plan. And the company’s lobbying push on the issue is coming up short Libra has also drawn a chilly early reception from top regulators. The company has tried to pitch the product as an alternative for billions of Facebook users who can’t get access to traditional banking. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday said the potential for criminal or terrorist misuse of the currency makes it a national security concern. “We will not allow digital asset service providers to operate in the shadows and will not tolerate the use of the cryptocurrencies in support of illicit activities,” he said. While he said he hasn’t decided to oppose Libra’s rollout, he added he is “not comfortable today” with the plan, and Facebook has “a lot of work to do to convince” regulators. President Trump weighed in on the matter last week, stating he is “not a fan” of cryptocurrencies and suggesting Facebook may need a banking charter to proceed with Libra. That amounted to a rare point of agreement between Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who said in testimony before the House Financial Services Committee last week