D.C. bills would block e-cigarette sales without a prescription, ban flavored products

D.C. lawmakers on Tuesday proposed sweeping measures to curb the rise of youth vaping, including a ban on flavored e-cigarettes and requiring a prescription to buy other electronic smoking products. A bill introduced by D.C. Council Member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7) would ban the sale of vaping products at any location that is not a medical marijuana dispensary or a pharmacy. The District would be the first U.S. jurisdiction with such stringent restrictions on e-cigarette sales. “We are quite literally watching a new generation of young people get hooked on nicotine through vaping,” said Gray, who chairs the health committee. The anti-vaping bills come a week after President Trump announced plans to ban most flavored e-cigarettes unless the products are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Michigan became the first state to ban flavored e-cigarettes earlier this month, and on Tuesday, New York state enacted a ban that became effective immediately. On Monday, Montgomery County announced legislation that would ban vape shops and delivery of e-cigarettes to stores within a half-mile of middle or high schools. “All this underscores the extent of the public health emergency presented by e-cigarettes, and the District cannot wait for the federal government to act,” said D.C. Council Member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), who introduced the bill to ban flavored e-cigarettes. “The industry targets young people with blatantly youth appealing flavors like cotton candy and gummy bears, and the strategy works.” Anti-tobacco advocates are pressing states and localities to restrict e-cigarettes, even though the federal government is already doing so. “The tobacco industry will do everything it can to delay, weaken and defeat the FDA’s proposal and is certain to challenge it in court,” said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “That means it’s more important than ever for cities and states to protect kids by prohibiting the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes.” The District already has some of the nation’s toughest tobacco laws with a smoking age of 21, nearly $5 in taxes on a pack of cigarettes and a prohibition on vaping in bars. E-cigarettes have been pitched as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes because vaping involves heating nicotine into inhalable vapor without tar and other chemicals. But nicotine remains addictive and vaping has been linked to lung disease, according to federal data. Gregory Conley of the American Vaping Association said bans on flavored e-cigarettes


Beer-Bettered

Until recently, most chefs reached for a bottle of wine when they wanted to give recipes a booze lift. But with beer sommeliers (and more than 1,600 craft breweries nationwide) touting the versatility of a good cold one, wine’s grain-based cousin is just as welcome at the kitchen table. “Even if you evaporate all the alcohol off like in stew,” says Claudio Pirollo, the chef and part-owner of Et Voila, a Belgian bistro in the Palisades, “beer’s taste is more powerful than wine.” Drink in these suds-soaked eats and you too may believe that anything wine can do, beer can do better. Pretzel and Beer Pasta Oval Room, 800 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202-463-8700. (Farragut West) Stout-Braised Pork Belly 901 Restaurant, 901 9th St. NW; 202-524-4433. (Gallery Place) Collard Greens Lost Society, 2001 14th St. NW; 202-618-8868. (U Street) Hoegaarden Beer Ice Cream Et Voila, 5120 MacArthur Blvd. NW; 202-237-2300. Take-Home Taste: Beer Mustard Butter from Chef Jeff Tunks, District Commons Ingredients Procedure Assembly


Bipartisan congressional report puts cost to taxpayers of recent government shutdowns at $4 billion

The past three U.S. government shutdowns have cost taxpayers roughly $4 billion, according to an incomplete tally released Tuesday following a months-long bipartisan congressional investigation. A report detailed at least $3.7 billion in back pay to furloughed federal workers and at least $338 million in other costs associated with the shutdowns, including extra administrative work, lost revenue and late fees on interest payments. The tally was based on a survey of 26 federal agencies but did not include data from some of the largest government agencies, including the departments of Defense, Agriculture, Justice and Commerce, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. Those agencies were unable to provide complete shutdown cost estimates, according to the report by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is chaired by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). “Rather than saving taxpayer money, shutdowns produce significant costs to the American taxpayer,” said the report, which noted that Congress has routinely provided full back pay to federal workers who were furloughed and unable to work. The report estimates the collective lost productivity of the furloughed workers at the surveyed agencies as 56,938 years. The report covers three government shutdowns from the past five years: 16 days in October 2013 during the Obama administration; three days in January 2018 during the Trump administration; and, most recently, a record 35 days in December 2018 and January 2019 during the Trump administration. The 180-page report details numerous government functions that were suspended during the shutdowns, including investigations of “bad actors who were potentially breaking federal laws” by agencies including the Justice Department. Other impacts noted in the report from the most recent shutdown include the cancellation of about 60,000 immigration hearings; delays in decisions on potentially dangerous consumer products; closed and unattended national parks; and closed Smithsonian museums, which resulted in a loss of “significant revenue from its on-site shops, theaters and dining facilities.” John.Wagner@washpost.com


Pentagon urges restraint after strikes on Saudi oil facilities

mount missile or covert attacks against Iranian energy infrastructure as a reciprocal measure, he said. Stavridis argued that any reaction would be best carried out with allies on board. He predicted that Saudi Arabia would initially resist an overt retaliatory attack and would instead want to bolster its missile and cyber defenses and urge allies to join military operations protecting commercial shipping around the Persian Gulf. As officials consider their options, they must also navigate resistance on Capitol Hill, where some lawmakers are seeking to constrain the administration’s ability to launch military action against Tehran. “Iran’s behavior in the region is highly problematic on many levels, but Saudi Arabia’s oil interests do not determine whether the United States goes to war — the U.S. Congress does,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) said in a statement on Monday. Robert Malley, who was a senior Middle East official in the Obama White House and now serves as president of the International Crisis Group, said the administration could seek to develop a legal basis for a retaliatory attack if it was determined to pursue one, even if Congress did not issue an explicit authorization. “More often than not, the legal argument is used as cover for a political decision about whether to go to war or not,” he said. If the president decides against an overt military response, he could also turn to clandestine cyber action. In June, when Trump was contemplating a missile strike against Iran, the Pentagon teed up a cyber option to help enable the strike. It involved Cyber Command disabling Iranian computer systems that controlled missile and rocket launches to prevent them from shooting down American weapons, according to people familiar with the matter. Cyber Command in June instead conducted a different operation, disrupting a computer database used by Iran to plan attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf hours after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a U.S. surveillance drone in the region. Such actions are considered by the Pentagon to fall below the use of force and are seen as effective without risking open conflict. Even as officials suggested that no military steps were imminent, the possibility of an unexpected White House decision hung over Pentagon discussions about the recent attacks. “I suspect everyone takes a breath,” Stavridis said, especially until the government has a more complete picture of the attacks. “But nobody really knows.” missy.ryan@washpost.comdan.lamothe@washpost.com


Dama gazelle dies after months of ill health, National Zoo reports

A creature who kept the vultures away from her offspring — literal vultures, in this case — has died at the National Zoo. In a statement released Monday, the zoo reported the loss of Zafirah, a female Dama gazelle. She was euthanized Sept. 12, after showing signs of declining health since late last year, the zoo said. But in almost 10 years of life, she bore three offspring, and it was her protectiveness of them that led the zoo to take note of her attitude toward vultures. Vultures, in the popular mind, are predatory birds that seek out the carcasses of animals that have died. In addition, they are often thought of as keeping an eye peeled for those about to perish. Zafirah lived in the zoo’s cheetah conservation station, as do two Rüppell’s griffon vultures, Tuck and Natalie. The mere size of such creatures may have made them fearsome. They can grow to have wingspans of eight feet. But, whatever Zafirah’s reasoning or instinct may have been, she tried to keep them away from her offspring, the zoo said. “If they came too close” to the calves “for her liking,” the zoo said, she would chase them away. Otherwise, the zoo said, when in good health, Zafirah showed such characteristics as an appetite for leaf-eater biscuits. These contain vitamins and protein, fat and fiber. Aside from her wariness of vultures, she appeared, according to the zoo, to be the most laid-back member of her species there. At present, the zoo said Monday, it continues to have three Dama gazelles at the cheetah conservation station. In the wild, fewer than 500 Dama gazelles exist, the zoo said. They have been designated as critically endangered, as a result of habitat loss caused by human and livestock expansion, hunting, and drought. In producing three offspring, the most recent in December 2018, Zafirah helped keep her species alive. In that, it might be imagined that both symbolically and literally, she kept the vultures away. martin.weil@washpost.com


Judge denies bail for mechanic accused of sabotaging jetliner

Alani made about wishing Allah would use “divine powers” to harm non-Muslims. Alani is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iraq who has worked as an airline mechanic for 30 years. He has no prior criminal record. He is not charged with a terrorism-related crime. But his potential links to the Islamic State give rise to the possibility that his actions had a darker purpose, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Medetis. Alani is charged with sabotaging a Boeing 737 with 150 passengers and crew onboard at Miami International Airport in July because, he told authorities, ongoing labor negotiations were jeopardizing his chances at earning overtime. The aircraft did not take off and no one was hurt. Alani did work overtime to help fix the plane. — Associated Press PENNSYLVANIA Republican state Sen. Mike Folmer resigned Wednesday after being arrested and charged with possession of child pornography on his cellphone. The Patriot-News reported that the charges against Folmer, 63, include sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility. The investigation was triggered by a tip that a user had uploaded an image of child pornography using the Tumblr app, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement. Officials said the tip led to a search of Folmer’s home in Lebanon, Pa., where they found child pornography images on his cellphone Tuesday night. Folmer did not respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday morning. On Wednesday afternoon, Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, both Republicans, announced Folmer’s resignation. Folmer was first elected to the state Senate in 2006. — Lateshia Beachum CALIFORNIA University of California President Janet Napolitano, who oversaw historic expansions of the 10-campus system and championed immigrant students, said Wednesday she will step down in August 2020. Napolitano, a former homeland security secretary and Democratic governor of Arizona, made the announcement at a meeting of the university system’s Board of Regents in Los Angeles. Napolitano, 61, has battled a recurrence of breast cancer but said her health is good and did not play a role in her decision to step down. During her tenure, Napolitano was criticized by state lawmakers after a state audit found problems with the financial management of her office. A report from State Auditor Elaine Howle in 2016 found that Napolitano’s office failed to disclose millions of dollars in reserve funds. — Associated Press


Beijing brings back the panda as 2022 Olympic mascot

A smiling panda and a walking Chinese lantern will be the mascots for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing. The mascots were revealed Tuesday at a ceremony at the Shougang Ice Hockey Arenain the Chinese capital. Beijing Mayor Chen Jining described them as adorable, unique and exquisite. “In a visually appealing way, they epitomize our aspiration for the Beijing 2022 Games and extend our warm invitation to friends throughout the world,” he said. The panda, named Bing Dwen Dwen, is the Olympics mascot. Colorful circles around its face symbolize skating tracks and 5G technology, according to the website of the Beijing organizing committee. “Bing,” the Chinese word for ice, shows purity and strength, while “Dwen Dwen” means sincerity, liveliness and health, the website said. The choice of the iconic animal, considered the national treasure, was not a surprise to people in China. While many acclaimed Bing Dwen Dwen for its cuteness on social media, some were not impressed by the lack of creativity in choosing a panda. The giant panda was one of the five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, and it also was the symbol for the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990. “Today is an important step on a milestone in Beijing’s journey to make history as the first ever, in Olympic history, to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games,” said Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee president. Based on a traditional red lantern, Paralympic mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon creates the cheerful atmosphere of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which will fall around the time of the Winter Games, the organizing committee said. It sports a yellow scarf, a circle of yellow doves around its head and a traditional Chinese paper cutting. “Shuey” means snow in Chinese and the characters for “Rhon Rhon” mean inclusiveness and integration, implying people around the world living in harmony, the committee said. The Paralympics is a multisport event for athletes with a range of disabilities. The mascots were chosen from more than 5,800 submissions from 35 countries.


Merriam-Webster toasts an expanding food and drink vocabulary with a ‘tallboy’ and ‘matcha’

A “tallboy” — as a term used to describe oversize beer cans, not a chest of drawers — has been around since at least the mid-1950s, when the once-dominant Schlitz Brewing started selling 16-ouncers. More than 60 years later, the tallboy has finally earned its place in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a source that has been teaching people about the English language since 1847. “Tallboy” was one of more than 530 new words and definitions added to the Merriam-Webster website, the online resource that’s accessed tens of millions of times each month. “A long time coming, right?” says Emily Brewster, the all-too-appropriately named senior editor for Merriam-Webster. The delayed recognition for “tallboy” among lexicographers is not unusual, Brewster says. The dictionary does not attempt to be a leading predictor of language, she adds, but more a reflection of words that have become “established members of the language.” Each word must satisfy a few basic criteria before it can be considered for inclusion in Merriam-Webster: There must be “substantial evidence” of the word in current use, with a generally set definition, and the word must be found in a variety of publications over an extended period of time, Brewster says. The criteria, she emphasizes, are “as intentionally vague as they sound.” So while the term “tallboy” has been part of the brewing and bar industries for decades, it has only recently started to appear in mainstream publications on a consistent basis, probably because craft breweries have embraced oversize cans as a way to compete with the global breweries that hog all the shelves in 7-Eleven coolers. (These days, the term “tallboy” can be applied to even bigger-format containers, including 19.2-ounce cans that hold roughly the same amount of suds as an imperial pint.) About 20 staffers at Merriam-Webster are devoted to seeking out new or revised dictionary entries. Any one of those employees can propose a new word or phrase, such as “deep state” (“an alleged secret network of especially nonelected government officials and sometimes private entities … operating extralegally to influence and enact government policy”), or expand the definition of a current entry, such as “inclusive” (“allowing and accommodating people who have historically been excluded”). Their proposals will then be reviewed by other editors, who assess the merits of the words or definitions. Stephen Perrault, director of defining at Merriam-Webster, makes the final call, Brewster says. “It’s a pretty long and


World Digest: Sept. 18, 2019

CANADA A high school student in Canada has been diagnosed with a severe respiratory illness related to vaping, officials said Wednesday, in what is thought to be the first reported case in the country. Christopher Mackie, medical officer of health and chief executive of the Middlesex-London Health Unit in London, Ontario, said the youth was on life support at one point but has since recovered and is at home. Health officials in the United States are investigating a mysterious surge of severe breathing illnesses linked to vaping. They have identified 380 confirmed and probable cases in 36 states and one territory, including six deaths. Mackie said the student had been using electronic cigarettes daily. He said officials know the brand used and whether cannabis was used, but he declined to disclose those details. Health Canada issued a warning recently urging people who vape to watch for symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath and chest pain. — Associated Press CONGO Congo’s army has killed the commander of the Rwandan Hutu militia group FDLR, who had been wanted by the International Criminal Court over war-crimes allegations, a spokesman said Wednesday. Sylvestre Mudacumura was shot in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu province, Gen. Richard Kasonga said, calling it a “real feat of the Congolese army.” Mudacumura was one of the most wanted men in Congo, where dozens of rebel groups are active, the spokesman said, and was accused of ordering or carrying out some of the worst forms of violence against the Congolese people, including rape. “His neutralization is a good action in the service of our people,” Kasonga told the U.N.-backed Radio Okapi. Rwanda’s government said the death brings good news for peace and security in the region. Some FDLR leaders are linked to perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. The FDLR is made up mostly of Hutu refugees from Rwanda who took shelter in Congo after the genocide. Kasonga appealed to other rebel groups in eastern Congo, and other FDLR members, to surrender or face the same fate as Mudacumura. Mudacumura had been under U.N. sanctions since 2005 for involvement in arms trafficking. The ICC arrest warrant was issued in 2012 on counts of war crimes. — Associated Press INDONESIA Indonesia is sending 547 containers of waste back to wealthy nations after discovering that they were contaminated


British voters used to care about political parties. Now they just care about Brexit.

the party he now leads. The Brexit fight is leading to a political realignment Ever since the June 2016 referendum to “remain” in or “leave” the E.U., voters have been leaving their old parties and joining new ones on the basis of their views on Brexit. Conservatives who were pro-Europe before the referendum — about 39 percent of the party voted to remain — have abandoned the party, while Euroskeptics from other parties have swung behind the Conservatives. These realignments over Brexit have led to some of the most extreme volatility in recent British political history. But they also tell us something about the importance of issue positioning for voters. A large body of social science literature, dating to at least a half-century, argues that party loyalties, rather than policy preferences, drive voters’ choices. In this view, voters do not hold consistent or stable ideological preferences. Instead, they respond above all to partisan cues when they evaluate policies. In the British context, an earlier generation of scholarship argued that “allegiance to party is one of the central facts of the British elector’s political awareness.” The most extreme version of this argument, outlined in one journalist’s recent summary of the academic research on American politics, maintains that “there’s basically no plausible position a politician or political party can endorse or enact that will have a meaningful impact on their likelihood of retaking political power.” In contemporary British politics, at least, that is not true. Traditional political loyalties have weakened, electoral volatility has increased, and voters are punishing and rewarding political parties and candidates for their policy positions — or at least, their positions on one big issue, Brexit. On some issues — European integration, in this case — most voters don’t simply follow their psychological attachments to their political parties. Brexit has given rise to new political identities, which cut across old party lines and shape how voters view the world. This makes electioneering complicated Johnson has doubled down on these new divisions by pursuing a confrontational approach as Conservative Party leader. He has purged Tory moderates, including two former chancellors and the grandson of Winston Churchill, and declared that he would “rather be dead in a ditch” than ask Brussels for a delay to Brexit. As a result, the Conservatives face electoral losses in areas that backed remain, such as the south and southwest, as well as Scotland, where popular


Detroit has thousands of vacant lots. Here’s why some are becoming honeybee farms.

study from the University of Pennsylvania. In neighborhoods below the poverty line, feelings of depression decreased by more than 68 percent. Detroit Hives began with a $1,600 grant from Detroit SOUP, which Jackson and Lindsey won after competing in a “Shark Tank”-like dinner where local entrepreneurs present project proposals and guests vote on which initiative should receive funding. The pair said they took a one-day intensive beekeeping class and immediately bought three hives with up to 60,000 honeybees each, plus equipment, for about $1,200. They started squatting on a 5,000-square-foot plot of land made of three vacant lots, which they had not yet bought, Jackson said. In summer 2017, Jackson and Lindsey took a three-month beekeeping course where they learned the difference between queen bees and worker bees, how to treat bees facing diseases or pests, and how to extract honey. While they were taking the class, the pair paid $340 to buy the land on Detroit’s east side and cleaned it up. “We were revitalizing Detroit while the bees were revitalizing the flowers and the community,” Jackson said. Detroit Hives is now a full-time job for Jackson, whose background is in advertising, and Lindsey, who earned a psychology degree and has worked in customer-service jobs. The nonprofit group is funded through scholarships, grants, donations and tours coordinated through Airbnb. The project has expanded, and Detroit Hives now has 35 hives at nine vacant lots, schools and community gardens across the city. Jackson and Lindsey also have transformed some of their sites into urban gardens to be pollinated by the more than 450 bee species native to Michigan. Honeybees are not native to the United States, so Jackson said he and Lindsey sometimes “give them a helping hand.” If the bees are building too much honeycomb, the pair trim it off so parts of the hive don’t stick together and make inspecting them difficult. They check for diseases, make sure the queen is laying eggs and ensure the bees have enough food for the winter. The best time to harvest the honey is when the bees can have at least 50 pounds for themselves, Jackson said. This point typically falls in September, and the pair expect to collect about 300 pounds of honey this year. Detroit Hives sells its honey online, at farmers markets, on tours and through the food-delivery service DoorDash, which Jackson said transports the sweet nectar “from


‘The face of the opioid epidemic’: How a college dropout became a fentanyl kingpin.

began by selling Adderall, a prescription drug used to treat attention-deficit disorder, but soon moved on to more serious drugs. According to prosecutors, Shamo, an Eagle Scout and college dropout, “established himself as the CEO of a nationwide drug distribution network” and became a “drug dealer to other drug dealers.” They bought fentanyl powder from an online marketplace and received the order by mail in packages shipped from China, one of the main global sources of the drug. (The other is Mexican cartels.) Shamo and his co-workers also bought pill presses and used them to manufacture fake tablets of Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication, and what prosecutors called “poison” painkillers — shaped and stamped like legitimate pharmaceutical drugs. Then they resold the pills on the dark-net marketplace and distributed them via U.S. mail. “Evidence showed Shamo received messages from customers that they were getting sick,” the Utah U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement after the verdict. His response was to send more pills to the complaining customers. “There was no shortage of fake pain pills,” the statement said. “Co-defendants in the case, who were responsible for packaging and shipping, used a vacuum to clean up pills from the floor because they believed it was not worth their time to pick them up because of the volume of pills they were manufacturing.” In a criminal case, federal law enforcement considers an undercover purchase of 100 pills of Oxycodone to be substantial. Shamo, prosecutors said, sold at least half a million pills over about two years. Shamo’s verdict arrived weeks before OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, reached a tentative deal with 24 states and thousands of local governments that, if finalized, would be the first wide-ranging settlement to hold a drug company accountable over its role in the opioid crisis, which has taken more than 200,000 lives through overdoses since 1999, according to federal statistics. The negotiated terms required the Sacklers to relinquish control of Purdue Pharma but admit to no wrongdoing. The widespread abuse of fentanyl, which began in 2013, has become the deadliest drug epidemic in American history. The Washington Post previously reported The most common distribution method for fentanyl is the U.S. Postal Service, a fact the Treasury Department acknowledged in an August statement announcing sanctions against three Chinese nationals accused of trafficking fentanyl. That, according to the Associated Press, is how federal authorities’


Shinzo Abe’s desperate bet on Trump is backfiring on Japan

enjoy a “relationship of trust.” That testimonial hasn’t aged well. Right out of the gate, Trump reneged on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal that had cost Abe vast amounts of political capital getting his protectionist-minded Liberal Democratic Party onboard. For Team Abe, the 12-nation TPP was vital to curbing China’s surging influence in Tokyo’s backyard. Now, Trump’s trade war with China is costing Abe his main legacy — the longest economic expansion since the 1980s — and the political clout that came with it. In August, Japanese exports fell for a ninth straight month, while real wages dropped for a seventh. After taking power in 2012, Abe pledged to end deflation once and for all. Tokyo opened the fiscal and monetary floodgates, driving the yen down by 30 percent. The hope was that an export boom would prod companies to fatten paychecks, kicking off a virtuous cycle. But all is in jeopardy now as economists fear another Japanese recession. This in turn jeopardizes Abe’s career-long pursuit to revise the pacifist postwar Constitution so that Tokyo can once again field a conventional, offensive military. Abe’s plan to use the currency afforded by a strong economy to pass that legislation to change “Article 9” is now falling by the wayside. So are Tokyo’s national interests. Trump’s “love” affair with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has Abe’s fellow nationalists in a whirl. Bad enough that Trump humiliated Tokyo by disclosing — against protocol — that Abe reportedly nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Worse that Trump looks the other way as Kim tests short-range missiles that could hit Tokyo — or U.S. troops in Okinawa. This leaves Abe with some explaining to do in nationalist circles. And the bromance didn’t even earn Tokyo a pass on trade. As Trump’s China tariffs are decimating the Asian supply chains on which Japan relies, Trump is browbeating Tokyo for bilateral trade concessions. The initial trade agreement reportedly agreed on this week does not solve these concerns. There are few details about the plan, with no mention of the real sticking point: automobiles. Trump, for example, has threatened 25 percent tariffs on cars and auto parts at any time. He is also pressuring Abe to buy billions of dollars in military hardware and prod private companies to buy surplus corn that China won’t. Will these issues be fixed by the pact? “The Abe-Trump romance is a


Court case tests U.S. military’s deployment restrictions for HIV-positive service members

Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, who chastised the government for providing “no evidence, whether anecdotal or otherwise, of the effect of HIV on a servicemember’s medical fitness or the military’s readiness.” The two men, who have each worked more than five years in logistics and maintenance roles, were not offered alternative jobs, which they said they would have accepted rather than facing discharge. The court injunction has allowed them to remain in their posts pending trial. Justice Department lawyers urged the appeals court in filings to reverse the earlier ruling and to defer to the nation’s military leaders when it comes to deciding “the amount of risk to tolerate and who to send to the battlefield.” Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had made it a priority to trim the number of service members unable to deploy with a policy known as “deploy or get out.” Attorney Geoffrey P. Eaton, representing the airmen with the LGBT military association Modern Military Association of America and Lambda Legal, told the court Wednesday that the policy violates the Air Force’s own rules prohibiting discharge based solely on HIV status. The third judge on the panel, Albert Diaz, asked Eaton why the military’s policy is irrational in light of the unique combat environment. “Isn’t the military entitled to make judgments about risks?” Diaz asked. Eaton said the military’s “categorical bar” for service members like the two airmen ignores advances in medical treatment. “The military’s regulations are going in the wrong direction,” he said. “They are no longer justified.” A group of former military officials backed the airmen in court filings, saying there is no justification for preventing HIV-positive service members from deploying. The policy, they said, is outdated and without scientific support. “The latest medical expertise and our own collective military experience show that these risks are more theoretical than actual,” according to the brief joined by the military officials, including Ray Mabus, who was secretary of the Navy; Eric K. Fanning, who was secretary of the Army; and Deborah Lee James, who was secretary of the Air Force. “Even if such risks exist to some small extent, they do not justify categorically discharging service members who in all other respects are fit to serve. It is more damaging to military readiness to deny those service members the opportunity to deploy where they are needed,” the brief stated. ann.marimow@washpost.com


Morning Bits: Trump’s obstruction in plain sight

Incrimination, plain and simple. “Mr. Lewandowski, under sharp questioning by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, confirmed that Mr. Trump had once asked him to help pressure the attorney general to curtail the scope of the Russia investigation, but said he did not believe he had been asked to do anything illegal.” It is plain to everyone that we have no Iran policy. “After leading voices in the Trump administration laid the blame squarely on Iran, it isn’t obvious how the U.S. can effectively retaliate against a country that is already under maximum economic sanctions. Iran is too big for the U.S. to invade even if there were appetite among U.S. voters for another Gulf war, and has demonstrated its ability to strike back hard should the U.S. decide to escalate.” Plainly, some have too much money and not enough scruples. “A woman accused of paying $400,000 to get her son into the University of California, Los Angeles, as a fake soccer recruit has become the 52nd person charged in a sweeping college admissions bribery scheme, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.” Could it be any more plain that Republicans are fleeing a sinking ship? “GOP Rep. Paul Cook (Calif.) will retire from Congress at the end of this term and run for a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, he said on Tuesday.” Plainly, his wall isn’t getting built. “The Defense Department has decided not to proceed with three border wall projects in California and Arizona, citing ‘insufficient contract savings,’ according to a court filing.” Relying on the Saudis military plainly is a bad idea. “For years, Saudi Arabia has been a major buyer of U.S.-made weapons. … The operation appeared to circumvent the defenses of Saudi Arabia’s military, including the six battalions of Patriot missile defense systems produced by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon — each of which can cost in the region of $1 billion.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) operation is plainly better. “Some of Bernie Sanders’ fiercest supporters are sounding the alarm that the campaign is bogged down by disorganization, personality clashes, and poor communication between state operations and national headquarters." Read more: Jennifer Rubin: The best evidence of obstruction of justice Greg Sargent: Get ready for a spectacular display of Trump’s corruption The Post’s View: Trump has dug himself into a hole with Iran Kenneth M. Pollack: How Trump played himself and gave


The stars of the show at Cut by Wolfgang Puck might surprise you

(Good/Excellent) I was of two minds when news broke that the freshly minted Rosewood Hotel in Georgetown planned to host the eighth Cut by Wolfgang Puck. On the one hand, I have fond memories of dinner at the California chef’s first steakhouse, in Los Angeles, the weekend of the 2006 Academy Awards. The meal held its own against the scenery, which found me sitting next to “Grey’s Anatomy” star Sandra Oh and mere tables away when Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes slipped through a side door and strolled through the exhibition kitchen shortly before their daughter Suri came into the world. A true Hollywood moment! Differently, I felt Washington had reached a tipping point (again) with steakhouses, no matter their lineage or the size of their grills. With three meals at Cut behind me, I still feel that way. The market doesn’t crave more meat, try as hard as this restaurant sometimes does to promote it. “I’ve got dinner for you!” a smile in a suit announces as companions and I are perusing menus. Everyone’s eyes widen. The gent’s hoisting a tomahawk — 40 ounces of crimson prime rib-eye — on a black walnut board. “Dry-aged 50 days,” the attendant says. Ten inches of jutting bone add to the spectacle. It would be easy for Wolfgang Puck to phone it in at this stage of his long and varied career. One of America’s original celebrity chefs, the Austrian native, 70, counts 26 restaurants in his far-flung empire and walls of awards to his credit, a Michelin star for the original Cut included. Puck isn’t merely going through the motions in Washington, however. Instead, he and Andrew Skala, 39 — a Puck protege whose 12-year tenure with the master most recently found him at the Cut in New York — have composed a menu for the times that’s well supplied with vegetables and seafood, occasionally in cunning guises. You may think you know what charred leeks will look like. You will be surprised to encounter a vegetable that’s been cooked over coals, freed from its blackened exterior and spread across a plate: “Flat onion soup!” a friend says admiringly of the presentation. The soft interior of the leeks has the supple texture of fresh pasta; a shower of toasted hazelnuts and a ginger-sparked vinaigrette transform the vegetable into a sumptuous salad. Eggplant is roasted in the fire as well, until its


Whether or not Roundup is safe, the gardener has better options

component of my gardening. This isn’t for the sake of my own health — I have faith in the EPA’s science-driven regulatory system, and when I have used products, I have read the label carefully and followed the instructions diligently. My aversion to them is based on the feeling that pesticides in general aren’t good for beneficial insects, birds and other animals, or for the rich soil biology that is the underpinning of any healthy garden. If you are turning to herbicides regularly, I think there is something wrong with your approach to gardening. There are times when herbicides are needed, or at least justified. Some weeds should stay at arm’s length; poison ivy, giant hogweed and the thorny vine named tear-thumb are obvious examples. If you have a large property, say an acre or more, physical removal of weeds can be too onerous. (If you hire a landscape maintenance crew, its approach may be to use herbicides rather than hand-weed. That’s part of the control you lose when others do the work.) Hardy woody vines may have extensive root systems that cannot be removed without undue effort or machinery. You must cut the stem near the ground and then paint the wound with the applicable herbicide, and such candidates include porcelain berry, English ivy, trumpet creeper, and weedy honeysuckles, bittersweet and wisterias. Also, the Mid-Atlantic must be one of the weediest places on Earth, thanks to the heat and rainfall of the growing season and the relative mildness of the winter. So there are reasons to use herbicides. But it’s important to understand that reaching for a herbicide is treating a symptom, not the disease. Weeds exist in two stages. Where they have overtaken neglected beds and lawns, you must take back the territory. This may involve the use of herbicides, though there are other, non-chemical methods. After you have beaten back a weed infestation, you have to stop the weeds from returning. Remove them regularly and do so before they set seed. Weeds fill empty spaces and germinate in disturbed soil, as buried weed seeds find light and moisture. If you pull or spray a weed without addressing the void, weeds will return swiftly. The most effective and sustainable remedy for weeds is to crowd them out with desirable plants. In the lawn, this is achieved by having a full, vigorous stand of turf grass. If your grass


Struggling orchestras take note: These regional groups are alive and well, and play interesting music

This summer, a small local orchestra made big waves: The National Philharmonic, a Maryland-based ensemble, announced that it was going to have to close. The ensuing publicity helped the orchestra raise the funds it needed and stave off disaster. It also turned the spotlight on the region’s small orchestras — many of which are financially healthy — and on how many gems are overlooked in the crowded cultural landscape. Large orchestras, such as the National Symphony Orchestra, operate year-round for many millions of dollars. The smaller orchestras presented below offer perhaps five programs a year, with freelance professional players, on a fraction of that budget. Yet their programming tends to be strikingly diverse in comparison with some of their larger brethren, and they all maintain strong education and outreach programs in local schools. Are orchestras dying? These smaller groups are alive and well, and they are certainly worth the attention of any music lover in the season ahead. Ever since it changed its name from the Montgomery County Chamber Orchestra, the National Philharmonic has shown its ambitions to compete with the big guys. The largest of the orchestras surveyed here, it performs in the same hall as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and at about the same ticket prices. That’s steep competition, and having to sell so many tickets to a large concert hall also leads to middle-of-the-road programming and a mixture of pops concerts. (This year, one program is devoted to the music of Abba.) Now in the hands of a new interim CEO — who’s also a violist in the orchestra, and who jumped in with a rescue plan at the height of this summer’s crisis — the orchestra continues to be led artistically by its founder, Piotr Gajewski, a capable if by-the-book conductor. The National Philharmonic also stands out by virtue of having its own chorus, the National Philharmonic Chorale, which means it gets to program more big choral works than other orchestras its size — this year including Richard Einhorn’s oratorio “Voices of Light,” written to accompany Carl Dreyer’s classic silent film “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” and Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis.” Founded: Venue: Number of players: Concert season: Tickets: Season opener: Pity Annapolis: Culturally overshadowed by Baltimore and Washington, its orchestra remains a well-kept secret for many area music lovers. Still, it’s a jewel of its city, with a track record of enthusiastic music directors and


North America has lost 3 billion birds in 50 years

and hues or hearing their dizzying repertoires of songs and sounds. They provide essential “services” to ecosystems, the study said. Some are “seed dispersers” — they eat seeds from tree fruits and then spread them across wide areas through defecation, helping create new trees; when they’re not around, “seed predators,” such as rodents, consume seeds from fallen fruits but crack them open, rendering them unable to grow, said Sekercioglu, who has studied birds’ roles in ecosystems. He cited studies finding that birds save conifer farms in the Pacific Northwest many hundreds of dollars per hectare by eating harmful insects and help Jamaican coffee farmers reduce the use of pesticides. Some birds are pollinators. Some are predators, and some are prey. “They’re integral to the system. It’s like a very large corporation in a marketplace — they’re diversified across all areas,” said co-author Mike Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy. “If that corporation starts to have problems, then it starts showing up everywhere.” The study notes some bright spots. On the rise are wetland birds such as ducks and geese, which have benefited from conservation efforts by hunting groups. Also increasing are raptors such as bald eagles, which were close to extinction before the prohibition of the insecticide DDT. Endangered species protections helped them rebound, and they remain protected under other federal laws. Those examples show that conservation policies and protections can work, the authors say. But sparrows and meadowlarks may be trickier: There’s no hunting constituency to rally behind them, and their numbers aren’t low enough to warrant federal protection. Still, Rosenberg said, these birds can be helped. Sustainable agricultural practices that depend less on pesticides and programs that offer farmers incentives to set aside land for wildlife should expand, he said. “We’re seeing this steady intensification of agriculture and pastureland being converted to pure corn … squeezing out every last bit of that habitat, getting rid of hedgerows, trees, grassy margins where these birds used to thrive,” Rosenberg said. “But we know of lots of examples where sustainable agriculture systems can produce the food we need.” Parr said more conservation funding should be directed to the Central and South American nations where many of North America’s birds spend most of their lives, in cooler months. Ordinary people can aid birds by keeping cats indoors, turning off outdoor lights during spring and fall migrations, and reducing the use of


World Digest: Sept. 19, 2019

PHILIPPINES Health officials declared a polio outbreak in the Philippines on Thursday, nearly two decades after the World Health Organization said the country was free of the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said at a news conference that authorities have confirmed at least one case of polio — in a 3-year-old girl in southern Lanao del Sur province — and detected the virus in sewage in Manila and in waterways in the southern Davao region. The WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund expressed deep concern over polio’s reemergence in the country and said they would support the government in immunizing children, who are the most susceptible, and strengthening surveillance. WHO and UNICEF said the outbreak is concerning because it is caused by vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2. The weakened virus used in vaccines replicates for a short time in children’s intestines, helping them develop immunity by building up antibodies, and is excreted in their feces. In rare instances, the agencies said, the weakened virus can strengthen in areas with poor sanitation and hygiene. Children who have not been properly immunized can be susceptible. There is no known cure for polio. — Associated Press LEBANON A government investigation has concluded that two Israeli drones were on an attack mission when they crashed in Beirut last month, one of them armed with 10 pounds of explosives, Lebanon’s defense minister said Thursday. Elias Bou Saab said the investigation showed the drones came from over the Mediterranean Sea on Aug. 25, with one drone crashing on the roof of the militant group Hezbollah’s media office in southern Beirut, while the other exploded and crashed into a nearby plot of land 42 minutes later. Bou Saab said it was “the most dangerous act of aggression by Israel” since its month-long war with Hezbollah in 2006. “It was the first time we see drones carrying explosives fly over the airport, endangering civil aviation and commercial flights, and explode in the streets of Lebanon,” he said. Bou Saab described a sophisticated military mission involving three other unmanned aerial vehicles controlling the attack drones from above. He said it was clear they were not on an intelligence mission. The attack raised the potential for conflict amid heightened regional tensions. Israel has not confirmed its involvement, but its prime minister has accused Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah of racing to build a


A cure for the common cold? ‘It’s possible,’ scientists say, after new study finds key protein.

complications from the virus. Some other rare enteroviruses, which might also be defeated by a broad-spectrum antiviral drug, can cause severe symptoms, including paralysis. “When we started our research, we started with those two problems in our mind,” he said. The California scientists searched for a way to inhibit the virus from spreading from cell to cell, which could eventually lead to a new antiviral drug. Carette started his hunt for a possible cure to the common cold by knocking out genes for possible “host proteins” one by one using CRISPR, a gene-editing technique that can alter specific DNA sequences from a cell or organism’s genome. Carette’s team knocked out a different gene in thousands of cancer cells until they had systematically deleted each gene in the human genome. Each cell lacked one gene and one corresponding protein. Then, his team exposed the cells to two enteroviruses. Some of the cells succumbed to the viruses, but others flourished. The absence of one obscure protein consistently stopped the virus in its tracks: SETD3. The researchers then turned off the gene for SETD3 in healthy human lung cells, which are often infected by rhinovirus strains. The virus failed to multiply and spread there. Finally, Carette said they used a live mouse to test whether an organism without the protein could avoid the virus. Scientists injected the mice with an enterovirus with effects similar to polio. Unaltered mice deteriorated until they died of paralysis caused by the virus. But the SETD3-deficient mice survived. That missing protein appears to be important for pregnant mice and may play a role in uterine contractions, but was otherwise unnecessary for healthy mice, the researchers found. “We definitely have a new and exciting way to try to tackle the common cold,” Carette said. Other immunology researchers said the study is promising. “I think the quality of the work is outstanding, and the different, parallel investigations that were conducted to prove this really interesting and important finding were also exceptionally well done,” Alex Khromykh, a virologist and senior research fellow at the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Center at the University of Queensland, told The Post. “As a researcher, I would salute this kind of study and really support them. As a physician or doctor that wants to have these drugs ready tomorrow, that’s probably unlikely. But with the proper development, it’s possible to happen later.” Although the study’s results


He was ‘perfectly healthy’ before the mosquito bite. Nine days later, he was brain dead.

he just never came out of it.” Doctors confirmed several days after the elder McChesney’s passing that he had contracted EEE, News 8 reported. McChesney is among at least seven people who were infected with EEE in Michigan in July, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Twenty-one people in six states have been diagnosed with EEE this year, and five people have died, the Associated Press reported. Those counts reflect an uptick from the annual average of seven EEE-related illnesses and three deaths. Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, North Carolina and Rhode Island have had confirmed EEE cases in 2019, according to the AP. The deaths have occurred in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Michigan. Mark Fischer, an expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the AP it was unclear why EEE cases were high this year but that the numbers typically increase once every several years. Most infections happen in the summer, the AP reported. EEE is most common in eastern and Gulf Coast states and is often transmitted in and around swampy areas, according to the CDC. People older than 50 and younger than 15 are most at risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus. Most people who become sick will abruptly experience symptoms four to 10 days after a mosquito bite. Typical symptoms includes chills, fever, malaise, joint pain and muscle pain, according to the CDC. Many people who survive are left with brain dysfunction, personality disorders, seizures or other mental and physical issues. No human vaccine or specific treatment for EEE exists. The CDC advises people to wear long sleeves and pants to prevent mosquito bites, use insect repellent, install screens on windows and doors, and empty standing pools of water to prevent mosquito breeding sites. Although horses are at risk for EEE infection, the CDC says infected horses are unlikely to spread the disease to people because the amount of the virus in their bloodstreams usually is not enough to pass it on to mosquitoes. An EEE vaccine exists for horses. Read more: How a ‘Sesame Street’ Muppet became embroiled in a controversy over autism 1 in 9 high school seniors vape nicotine near-daily, new survey says amid e-cigarette scare The U.S. abortion rate falls to lowest level since Roe v. Wade ‘The face of the opioid epidemic’: How a college dropout became a fentanyl kingpin.


Federal government shutdowns don’t save money. They cost taxpayers billions.

No one is hurt more by government shutdowns than government employees. In addition to losing the services that affect all Americans, they also face the uncertainty and tension that come without wages until backpay is approved. “The financial cost was enormous, but the human cost was even higher,” said J. David Cox Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees. “The stress on families, kids, marriages, the homes and cars lost, the medical care forgone — shutdowns are nothing but pain and loss.” “The American people need to know how much they are getting cheated when politicians can’t find a way to reach compromise and keep the federal government running,” added Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees. “Federal workers just want to come to work and do their jobs. Shutdowns keep them from doing that. Federal workers hate government shutdowns.” The White House Office of Management and Budget did not respond to a request for comment. Shutdowns happen when the president and Congress cannot agree on funding for agencies. Government budgets should be enacted by Oct. 1 each year, but that has not happened in more than 20 years. Instead, the government has been funded through temporary measures, called continuing resolutions, that have lasted from one day to a full fiscal year, according to the report. But Congress too often can’t even agree on temporary funding in time to keep agencies open. With no funding, agencies are required to close many operations. When that happens, people and services hurt. The subcommittee compiled a list of what happens to services during shutdowns, including: To avoid shutdowns, Portman and Carper said, Congress should maintain a regular, annual budget process to allow federal agencies to effectively plan and to avoid “any possibility of a lapse in funding,” and establish automatic short-term funding measures for agencies whose budgets are not approved. The government’s next fiscal year begins Oct. 1, which means another shutdown threat looms. “Now, Congress has three few weeks to work together to fund the government to avoid another shutdown,” Carper said. “Democrats and Republicans must come together, stop governing through continuing resolutions that are woefully inefficient, and do our most basic job by ensuring that our government has the funds it needs to operate.” joe.davidson@washpost.com Read more: Trump voters now blame him for the government shutdown Report shows sharp drop in federal employee morale under Trump


When to shoot, sip or pass on moonshine around the world

understanding how people live in different parts of the world. As far as we know, humans have been drinking alcohol for about 5,000 years, and we’re doing just fine.” Lowder has logged serious miles roaming the world for his work in the beverage industry. The result has been a lot of interesting drinking. In Shanghai, he’s a fan of Huangjiu, a local spirit that tastes like a cross between oloroso sherry, amaro and baijiu. In Seoul, there was the specialty makgeolli bar, where he learned that the unfiltered wine (usually brewed using rice and nuruk, a fermentation starter) could be made with a variety of starch and nut milks with any kind of yeast. “The one that surprised me the most was a bottle of peanut milk that had been fermented with champagne yeast,” Lowder says. “Everything was poured from mostly unlabeled plastic bottles, and in the end, we were allowed to buy whatever we wanted to take home.” Lowder doesn’t approach all local alcohol the same way. Distilled alcohol (think vodka, tequila) tends to be fair game for testing, while fermented drinks (beer, wine) require careful treading. Unlike distillates, ferments have a lot of room for error. You want to make sure you’re drinking a product that was fermented in a sanitary setting. “If it’s just a ferment on the street, like a pot of bubbling rice water or something, I usually don’t go for it,” Lowder says. “If it’s not distilled, you’re really drinking at your own risk. At least if your local cheap hooch is high ABV [alcohol by volume, given as a percent], you know it’s not harboring some colony of death spores that are going to end your life.” Ultimately Lowder is more worried about fake alcohol than incorrectly made booze. With a high-proof distillate, he knows what he’s getting. But counterfeit alcohol is made with the intention of being as cheap to produce as possible and might contain toxic ingredients such as methanol. Counterfeit alcohol has been the culprit in cases of mass death in countries such as Indonesia and India, and has been suspected in relation to recent deaths in the Dominican Republic. “There is a lot of fake alcohol being served in the bottles of many renowned Indian and international brands,” adds Jitender “Jeet” Singh, the beverage manager at KYTA Hospitality in Mumbai. “The government is very strict about this. They regulate


Three U-Md. students contract salmonella

MARYLAND Health officials are investigating after three students at the University of Maryland at College Park were sickened with salmonella, school officials said. Two of the three students had eaten at campus dining facilities and one had eaten elsewhere. Salmonella can be transmitted through contaminated food or contact with an infected animal. — Justin Wm. Moyer VIRGINIA A man died after driving a vehicle into an Annandale home early Thursday, officials said. Fairfax County police said John Carey, 66, of Annandale, was driving a Subaru Legacy north on Wakefield Chapel Road about 2:35 a.m. when the vehicle went through the intersection at Little River Turnpike and into a house. Carey, who was alone in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said, and two people inside the home weren’t injured. Police said speed appeared to be a factor in the crash. — Dana Hedgpeth


D.C.-area forecast: One last spectacular September day before some heat returns this weekend

TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT 10/10: EXPRESS FORECAST Today: Tonight: Saturday: Sunday: View the FORECAST IN DETAIL With little to no rain chance until perhaps Monday, our region will remain abnormally dry, on the brink of drought. At least outdoor plans won’t have much hindrance, assuming a bit of a dry heat can be tolerated Saturday, with a hint of humidity Sunday. Get our daily forecasts on your Amazon Alexa device. Today (Friday): Tonight Follow us on Tomorrow Tomorrow night: A LOOK AHEAD Sunday: Sunday night: A cold front approaching on the autumnal equinox Monday lowers our forecast confidence. Just a bit of humidity (dew points may rise above 60) with a rather wide potential range of temperatures. With enough sunshine we could get to near 90 again. But clouds arriving earlier in the day could hold us back in the 80s. Could see a shower or storm by the afternoon or evening. Confidence: Low-Medium Assuming the cold front passes through the region by early Tuesday, we should enjoy cooler and less humid conditions again, with comfortable highs in the upper 70s to low 80s. Sunshine should dominate most, if not all of the day. We’ll of course watch the timing of this front as we get closer. Confidence: Low-Medium


The Daily 202: ‘He had every right to do it.’ Giuliani defends Trump trying to coerce Ukraine’s president, ‘if he did.’

sickened by a mysterious vaping-related lung illness. -- More than 3.3 million American women’s first sexual experience was rape, according to a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. -- The attorney general once celebrated as “masterful” a book that criticized campus sexual assault investigations. -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed the confirmation hearing for former Republican congressman Darrell Issa to lead the Trade and Development Agency over an undisclosed issue in his FBI background check. -- A sting operation led to the arrest of a New York Police Department officer who moonlighted as a bodyguard for El Chapo’s wife. THE NEW WORLD ORDER: -- North America has lost 3 billion birds representing hundreds of species in the past 50 years, an “overlooked biodiversity crisis,” according to a major study from top ornithologists and government agencies. “The study’s authors, who include scientists from Canada’s environment agency and the U.S. Geological Survey, were able to put a number on the decline because birds are probably the best-monitored animals on Earth. … Birds, because they are so well-monitored, should be viewed as canaries in coal mines, the authors argue — harbingers of a wider environmental malaise at a time when other creatures, including insects, are also thought to be fading but are more challenging to count. ... A recent United Nations report warned that 1 million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction as people log, farm and mine the natural world and as the climate warms. But in the case of most dwindling bird species, the problem is not that they are in immediate danger of vanishing. Instead, the authors say, bird populations are shrinking at rates we do not see, and so do not act upon. Conservationists refer to this as ‘shrinking baseline syndrome,’ and it can have devastating effects: Passenger pigeons were once so abundant that their massive flocks darkened U.S. skies. They were driven to extinction in just a few decades.” -- A group of more than 200 investment funds managing $16 trillion urged companies in Brazil to fight deforestation in the Amazon. -- In Maracaibo, Venezuela’s oil capital, life is a struggle, but so is death. -- The U.S. moved to expel a pair of Cuban diplomats from their posts at the country’s U.N. mission -- Hong Kong protesters claim that police officers on the island are beating and torturing


Maryland should clean up its own act before pointing fingers

●Reducing farm pollution is the most cost-effective way to achieve reductions, but Maryland failed to meet its nitrogen requirements for farmland. This is after hundreds of millions of dollars have been given to farmers to voluntarily reduce polluting the bay. ● Nitrogen from urban storm water increased in Maryland. ●Bay pollutants may increase in future years because most nitrogen reductions and most phosphorus reductions have come from the costly upgrades to large wastewater treatment plants, with the ban on phosphates in detergents helping. What were the consequences for these failures? None. The EPA failed to act. Perhaps Pennsylvania’s governor should write Hogan and the EPA calling for enforcement actions against Maryland. What does all this mean for living resources? Collapsed fisheries. The oyster is key to bay health and is the best barometer of it. A recent survey showed that from 1999 to 2017, Maryland’s oyster population declined by 50 percent, reduced to less than 1 percent of historic levels — an astonishing failure given the expenditure of millions of dollars on oyster recovery. The study found that overfishing was occurring in more than half of the bay. This cannot be blamed on Pennsylvania. The governor and legislature have been fighting over what to do. Meanwhile, the status quo prevails. The rockfish population has declined radically and is considered overfished. Maryland is required to reduce harvest but has not acted while Virginia has taken some bold steps to cut back. The shad fishery, once the largest, is so depleted that it has been closed for 39 years. Public health is affected as flesh-eating diseases threaten life and limb and become more prevalent in the bay because of excess nutrients fueling the growth of toxic organisms. Bacterial infections are common in humans and dogs, especially after a rainfall when health departments warn residents to avoid water contact. Under the Hogan administration, enforcement staff and actions have been greatly reduced. The grossly polluting chicken industry continues to dump manure on lands that cannot absorb its nutrients while the Hogan administration looks to delay existing regulations. When bay governors met on Sept. 5, there was a lot of talk and little action to resolving these problems. Let’s hope they stop the blame game and come up with bold steps to better address farm and storm-water pollution and stop the loss of forests to development. The future of the Chesapeake Bay is at stake.


Twitter suspends account of former top Saudi aide implicated in Khashoggi killing

ISTANBUL — Twitter said Friday it has suspended an account belonging to Saud al-Qahtani, a former adviser to Saudi Arabia’s royal court who was implicated by Saudi, American and Turkish officials in an operation last year that led to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Qahtani’s Twitter account, which had more than 1.3 million followers but went quiet after Khashoggi’s killing, was “permanently” suspended because of unspecified “violations of our platform manipulation policies,” Twitter said in a statement. The company said it also suspended hundreds of other accounts from several countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as part of its ongoing investigations into manipulation and state-backed information operations. It was not clear what prompted Twitter to act now against Qahtani, who was once a powerful media adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Qahtani was also an architect of the kingdom’s online propaganda efforts and a central player in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to rein in overseas critics like Khashoggi, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post. Khashoggi was killed Oct. 2 in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by a team of Saudi agents. His body, which was dismembered after he was killed, has not been recovered. “Over the past 18 months, MBS’s communications team within the Royal court publicly has chastised, and worse, intimidated anyone who disagrees,” Khashoggi wrote in a column in The Post in February 2018, referring to the crown prince by his initials. “Saud al-Qahtani, leader of that unit, has a blacklist and calls for Saudis to add names to it.” A few weeks after Khashoggi’s death, the Saudi government said Qahtani and several other senior officials had been dismissed from their posts. Saudi prosecutors said in November that they were investigating Qahtani’s role in Khashoggi’s killing and that he had been forbidden to leave the kingdom. At the same time, the Trump administration said it was imposing sanctions on Qahtani for his part in the “planning and execution of the operation that led to the killing of Mr. Khashoggi.” Qahtani has also been accused of overseeing the abuse and torture of jailed Saudi women’s rights activists. Over the past year, the Saudi government has refused to clarify Qahtani’s legal status, leading to speculation about his whereabouts and rumors that he continues to advise the royal court from behind the scenes. He was not among 11 people indicted by Saudi authorities in Khashoggi’s


World leaders are gathering at the U.N. Yes, U.S. sanctions can make this complicated.

policies. The U.S. government, the European Union and the U.N. Security Council itself have all experimented with various ways of sanctioning foreign officials and business leaders deemed responsible for proliferation, human rights abuses and various other misdeeds. And others, including the Russian government, have sometimes gotten into the game in response. Within the U.S. government, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has become the focal point for action against those deemed especially culpable. The office maintains a long and growing dossier of individuals and businesses saddled with asset freezes and travel bans — the “Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List.” The Trump administration has not been shy about employing these tools. In July, the administration, acting through the Treasury Department, slapped sanctions on Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif, noting the relationship between the ministry he leads and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards force. Venezuelan and Russian officials have run into U.S. sanctions Iranian officials aren’t the only targets. In April, Treasury sanctioned Jorge Arreaza Montserrat, the Venezuelan foreign minister in the regime of Nicolás Maduro. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pledged that the U.S. government would “target corrupt Maduro insiders, including those tasked with conducting diplomacy and carrying out justice on behalf of this illegitimate regime.” These measures followed several rounds of sanctions imposed on more than a dozen senior Russian government and business figures after the 2014 annexation of Crimea, and then allegations of interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Among the sanctioned Russians is Vladislav Surkov. A close Putin adviser some analysts have dubbed the “gray cardinal” of Putin’s regime, Surkov allegedly helped shape Putin’s media strategy and aspects of the country’s Ukraine policy. As foreign officials descend on New York, the U.S. government will be keeping a close eye on whether any of those on the list make a bid to attend. Venezuela’s President Maduro plans to skip the U.N. meetings, and it is not clear whether his sanctioned foreign minister will attend. But Iranian foreign minister Zarif reportedly has been granted a visa and will be en route to New York. What international law requires From the perspective of the United Nations and most other countries, the question of whether to grant entry visas to even unsavory foreign officials has a simple answer: The United States is legally bound to admit anyone on U.N. business. In the 1947 Headquarters Agreement, a treaty between the United States


Kushner to attend Saudi economic conference hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Jared Kushner is expected to visit Saudi Arabia next month for an economic conference, one year after a slew of businesses and political figures boycotted the event following the grisly killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Kushner, a senior White House adviser and President Trump’s son-in-law, is expected to attend the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh — unofficially known as “Davos in the Desert” — in late October, according to a list of attendees obtained by The Washington Post. The conference is at the Ritz-Carlton, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman imprisoned hundreds of the country’s business and political leaders for months in what he called an anti-corruption campaign as he consolidated power in the oil-rich kingdom. Kushner is likely to attend the conference but has not yet officially confirmed and would do so as part of a broader U.S. delegation, said someone familiar with his plans who was not authorized to discuss the issue on the record and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Last year, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin withdrew from the forum amid controversy after a team of 15 Saudi agents flew to Istanbul on government aircraft in October and killed Khashoggi, a contributing columnist for The Post, inside the Saudi Consulate there, where he had gone to pick up documents that he needed for his planned marriage to a Turkish woman. Investigators believe the team used a bone saw to dismember him. The CIA later concluded that the Saudi crown prince ordered the killing. Mnuchin may also attend the conference, said someone familiar with the planning, but was not included on the list of attendees obtained by The Post. A spokesman for Mnuchin did not respond to a request for comment. In an email statement, a White House official said it was important for the administration to continue working with partners such as Saudi Arabia on a range of issues, including “the recent attack on the global economy” — a reference to drone and missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities last weekend. Kushner, the person familiar with his plans said, is appreciative that the Saudis sent a significant delegation to the Peace to Prosperity economic workshop that he helped organize in Bahrain in June as part of the administration’s Middle East peace effort and is considering attending the Riyadh forum partly as a reciprocal gesture. Kushner and the president have come under scrutiny for defending — and


Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisian despot whose ouster helped spark Arab Spring, dies at 83

in a 2008 cable released by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. Mr. Ben Ali’s son-in-law, businessman Mohammad Sakher el-Materi, came under public scrutiny after WikiLeaks published diplomatic cables that described a dinner at his beachfront compound that included ice cream flown in from France and a chicken-devouring pet tiger named Pasha that he kept in a cage. Increasingly, conspicuous consumption of the Ben Ali and Trabelsi families threw into sharp relief the privilege enjoyed by the few in power and the privation of the vast majority of Tunisians. The surging violence in late 2010 quickly grew from a movement of poor and working-class communities — symbolized by a high-school-educated vegetable trader who set himself aflame to protest government policies — to include a professional class that had tired of one-man rule. Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali was born Sept. 3, 1936, in Hammam Sousse, a town on the coast of northern Tunisia, which was then a French protectorate. His first wife, Naima Kefi, was the daughter of a Tunisian army general who held a high position in the post-independence government. Mr. Ben Ali studied at the prestigious Saint-Cyr military academy in France and underwent further training in security and intelligence in the United States. He headed Tunisian military security from 1964 to 1974, then was sent to Morocco as military attache and Poland as ambassador before rising to national security jobs of increasing power. He helped lead crackdowns in 1978 on labor groups and in 1984 on riots over increases in food prices and other austerity measures. He divorced his first wife in the early 1990s and married his longtime mistress. In addition to Trabelsi, survivors include three children each from both marriages, the AP reported. In mid-December 2010, protests over lack of jobs soon gave way to full-scale rioting in Tunis and other cities that authorities tried to repress with increasing violence. More than 200 people died in clashes, which Mr. Ben Ali attributed to radicals and Islamist extremists seeking to spread chaos. Although internal security forces shot at demonstrators, the military chief of staff refused, sending a clear signal that Mr. Ben Ali’s days were numbered. The European Union said it was freezing assets controlled by the former leader and his family. The Tunisian government also issued an international arrest warrant for Mr. Ben Ali and members of his family on corruption charges involving ill-gotten money and real estate. adam.bernstein@washpost.com


Wing, FedEx and Walgreens to launch free drone delivery pilot program in Virginia

Wing, the drone company that is part of Google parent Alphabet, on Thursday said it will launch a drone delivery pilot program with FedEx and Walgreens in the southwest Virginia town of Christiansburg next month, making an early jump in a highly competitive field with implications for noise, privacy and the future of ordering everything from ice cream to toiletries. The 10-pound drones will travel more than 70 mph and carry packages up to three pounds each, Wing said. The packages will be lowered and released in customers’ yards. Walgreens will sell more than 100 products, from gummy bears to Tylenol. Blacksburg-area retailer Sugar Magnolia will sell ice cream and birthday cards. Wing initially will not charge for deliveries, which it said will occur in a limited but expanding area and sometimes arrive in five to 10 minutes. Other cities will follow, but the company would not say when or where. “What we’re most excited about is the engagement with the local community and really hearing from community members of all types at all levels what it will really take to make this valuable and acceptable and an everyday part of our future existence,” said Wing chief executive James Ryan Burgess. The announcement comes as companies from UPS to Uber are pushing to launch similar services, and as other firms continue airborne deliveries involving medical goods and other products as part of a federal pilot program launched with White House backing. Federal officials and companies backing those projects tout their potential to bring newfound convenience to customers and transform tasks as diverse as fertilizer application and pipeline inspection. But questions on noise, privacy and security remain. Wing acknowledged in a statement that its drones “make a unique sound that people are unlikely to be familiar with.” The company said it is working to develop “new, quieter and lower-pitched propellers.” “The aircraft are actually not too loud. They’re quieter than cars and trucks and typical noises you’d hear in a residential area, given equipment or other things operating,” Burgess said. He added that Wing’s engineers have been able to “reduce the tone and frequency of the aircraft to make them much more able to blend into the noise in a neighborhood.” Addressing privacy concerns, the company said its drones have a downward-facing camera “used exclusively for navigation,” in case the GPS signal drops out, and that they do not capture video.


Save eight old trees? Or build more affordable housing? A D.C. development dilemma.

It was a revolutionary affordable-housing project with air conditioning, washers and dryers and garbage disposals in every unit. And, it had been built around those majestic trees, some of them already decades old. But the 1980s were rough on Sursum Corda. The inward-facing concept for a quaint village also made it an ideal open-air drug market. It became a violent, frightening place that hosted one of D.C.’s truly horrific murders years later, in 2004 — the killing of a 14-year-old Jahkema Princess Hansen, who spoke to detectives the day before she was killed about another murder she witnessed. The execution of a child witness was just about the end of Sursum Corda. As gleaming new buildings sprouted around the block, it struggled as the Sursum Corda Cooperative Association tried to redevelop and find a buyer who’d keep affordable housing intact. Toll Brothers, the billion-dollar developers from Pennsylvania, bought it for $60 million last year, agreed to most of the development plan and demolition finally began. Bulldozers roared in, the units were flattened. But the heritage trees remained standing. Oops. The plans were approved, it turned out, before the heritage tree law was enacted. So council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who helped write the heritage tree law, tried to introduce legislation this week that would give Toll Brothers a special hall pass to cut the trees in exchange for a fine. “Arborists have determined that the trees would not survive attempts to be moved and transplanted elsewhere,” Allen explained on Facebook, after the tree folks started protesting. “And efforts to redesign the previously approved siting of the buildings would result in construction immediately next to the trees, likely endangering their health and reducing the number of housing units being created.” This isn’t easy, of course, because the tree people affordable-housing people are usually one and the same. “The creation of much needed affordable housing is paramount for our city and community,” Allen wrote. But the tree people worried this would set a precedent, tempting any moneybags developer to throw in an affordable unit or two and haul out the chain saw. So, at the last minute, Allen pulled the legislation this week, preventing a legal precedent. That essentially gives the developer the go-ahead to kill the trees, the most likely scenario. The good news? The developers paid a $270,000 fine into the city’s tree fund, and those eight trees will


Iranian judo team suspended after athlete pressured to avoid fighting an Israeli

The International Judo Federation on Wednesday banned Iranian athletes from its events over the country’s policy to boycott matches with Israeli participants. The move comes after one of Iran’s top judoka said he was pressured not to advance beyond the semifinals at the world championships in August to avoid facing an Israeli fighter. Saeid Mollaei walked off the team after he said he was pressured not to defeat Belgian Matthias Casse in a semifinal and went into hiding in Germany with the help of the IJF. The organization said the pressure on Mollaei was “in gross contradiction” with a letter in which Iran’s judo federation agreed to respect the Olympic Charter. The IJF told the Iranian federation it had 21 days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A story on the federation’s website suggested Mollaei could compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics without representing Iran; the Associated Press reported that the IJF is exploring the possibility of Mollaei competing on the IOC’s team of refugees. The Israeli government applauded the ban and said action from international sports organizations has been years in the making. “For far too long countries like Iran prefer to sabotage their excellent athletes, demanding they give up their dreams for the country’s relentless effort to delegitimatize Israel,” Elad Strohmayer, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Washington, said in a statement. “It’s absurd and cruel, and it’s commendable that the International Judo Federation is finally addressing it.” A representative from the Iranian mission at the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment. The president of Iran’s judo federation told a semi-official Iranian news agency that the suspension was “hasty and unfair,” according to the AP. The Iranian team will be allowed to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo because the Iranian Olympic Committee, not the judo federation, sponsors the athletes. Only the judo federation faces the suspension. Iran, which doesn’t formally recognize Israel as a country, has for decades prohibited its athletes from competing against Israeli opponents. That has led to repeated controversies about violations of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits “discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” In May, ahead of the world championships, the Iranian National Olympic Committee wrote to IJF leaders pledging the Islamic Republic would


Just in time for Oktoberfest: A ‘chic’ Ballston beer hall for the masses

Neighborhoods, like kids, grow up so fast. Since opening A-Town Bar and Grill in 2012, the owners of the hard-partying sports bar have watched Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood become even more upscale. So they decided to overhaul the 6,000-square-foot space to suit a more grown-up clientele, landing on Bronson Bierhall, a modern German beer hall concept. “We thought it was time to do something new and fresh,” said Gary Koh, whose partners in the restaurant also own sibling establishments Don Tito and the G.O.A.T. in Clarendon, and Barley Mac and the forthcoming Taco Rock in Rosslyn. Koh noted that the dated nearby Ballston Commons Mall has been revamped (it goes by the posher “Ballston Quarter” now, thank you very much), complete with a food hall serving oysters and artisanal ice cream. “Ballston” he predicts, “is going to be chic.” And so it was out with A-Town’s vinyl loungers and in with sleek, communal beer hall tables. Shots and sparkler-accompanied champagne bottles made way for 16 draft beers, including German imports and Virginia brewers’ Teutonic-style offerings. There’s still fun to be had for a younger crowd. Flat screens ring the bar, and for those who’d rather participate than watch, there are cornhole sets, tabletop shuffleboards, ping-pong tables and bocce courts. Live music Thursday through Saturday nights adds to the good-times vibe, though don’t plan on an intimate chat when you’re shouting over a guitarist belting out an “Old Town Road” cover. And as post-work happy hour groups give way to packs of young professionals (makeover aside, can you really take the “bro” out of the Bronson?), the food — at least in the restaurant’s early days — isn’t always cause for celebration. Diners would do well to skip the bland-pattied burger and dry schnitzel, and stick to some of the menu’s other beer-hall classics. I’d happily make a meal out of the pillowy pretzel, crowned with flaky salt and served with grainy mustard and tangy beer cheese sauce — with a glass of fresh Köstritzer black lager to wash it down. The five kinds of housemade sausages emerged from the kitchen tinkerings of Barley Mac chef Chris Harman and co-owner Mike Cordero, Koh says. Both the bratwurst and the wiener, reminiscent of a hot dog that spent a semester abroad, have a pleasantly snappy casing and a peppery pungency. The Bronson is rightly proud of its sausages, which are available to-go from


TRANSCRIPT: Ad Astra: A Conversation with Brad Pitt, James Gray and NASA Officialsd Astra:

MS. HORNADAY: Is that proprietary. A sticker? MR. GRAY: Well, there's a whole other story behind the person who invented that who got caught up in the college admissions scandal thing. MS. HORNADAY: Oh, lord. Well, that-- MR. GRAY: Whose name is now on the product and--anyway, but yeah, that's a biorhythm thing. It's a real thing, a biorhythm thing that you put on your neck. It's, you know, for-- MS. HORNADAY: So, that's not future; that's actual practical-- MR. GRAY: Well, it's sort of near future, you know? MS. HORNADAY: Gotcha, gotcha. MR. GRAY: It's close to fact. MS. HORNADAY: Gotcha. But to my earlier question, are you able to watch these movies and not--and either not compulsively fact check them or--I mean, do you enjoy these science fiction speculative films? DR. NOBLE: I mean, yeah, you got to kind of turn that part of your brain a little. But yeah, and then we enjoy going to lunch the next morning and, like, discussing all of the things they got wrong with our colleagues. [Laughter] MS. HORNADAY: We call that Degrasse-ing, but-- MR. PITT: Okay, what did we get wrong? MR. GRAY: I've already gotten the emails, don't worry. MR. PITT: You have? MR. GRAY: I--we--there's an astronaut named Garrett Reisman, who's a terrific guy. You know Garrett Reisman? He's a great guy and I made him dinner many times and tried to get everything right. And he saw the movie a couple nights ago and I got, like, a two billion-word email. [Laughter] MR. GRAY: You know, very complimentary for the most part, but, you know--"But here's what you got wrong." And I just--oh, God, you know, it hurts. But you read it and you go, "Yeah, you're right. Okay, I got it wrong." MS. HORNADAY: And thank you for writing. [Laughter] MS. HORNADAY: I'd like to turn to the central performance of this film from Brad Pitt. It's an amazing performance, and it's number two of the year, I might add, after Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which was absolutely fantastic. But this was a really restrained, subtle--it's just a magnificent exercise in screen acting, especially through the eyes. It's--you know, because of the space suit and the visor and there are so many sequences where you're asked to do so much just physical expression. I'd like to show a clip. This scene sets up the


Grab a spoon. It’s time to make sense of the yogurt aisle.

So you want some yogurt? Swing by your local grocery store … and take your pick from one of the approximately 300 options. That’s the average number of varieties you’ll find in your typical American supermarket, according to a brand sales and marketing agency cited in a recent analysis by the Wall Street Journal. After many years of growth, yogurt sales have decreased in the past two years, likely driven by the proliferation of choices (which now include plant-based, high-fat, high-protein and low-sugar products) and the inevitable contraction of a booming trend. Trend or no trend, I still eat a lot of yogurt. I admit to succumbing to the tyranny of Greek yogurt (particularly the nonfat stuff, much to my increasing regret) for far too long, but I’ve realized that there are so many more possibilities worth exploring. Here’s how to make sense of what’s out there. Like many foods, yogurt is defined by the government. Essentially, it is cream or milk combined with two bacteria, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. The regulations also address fat content, acidity and sugar. How these and other elements are manipulated differentiates what you see on the shelves. Dairy and fat. The cultures. Acidity. Sugar. Straining. Now that you know what determines how a yogurt looks, feels and tastes, let’s talk about the specific types, which are often attached to different countries, even though many of them are actually made here. “This United Nations of yogurt options is exciting, but it can also make for a mind-boggling shopping experience,” my colleague Ellie Krieger, a dietitian, nutritionist and cookbook author, wrote a few years ago. Traditional American. Greek. Icelandic. Bulgarian. Australian. French. Nondairy. Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly called Liberté a Canadian brand. While it was founded it Canada, it is no longer based there. This version has been updated. More from Voraciously: How to pick, prep and cook leafy greens — a nutritional (and delicious) powerhouse Don’t want to mess up that big piece of meat you just bought? Enter the reverse sear. Before you pour all that maple syrup on your pancakes, here’s what you should know about it


Miriam Berger joins The Post’s Foreign staff

Announcement from Foreign Editor Doug Jehl, Foreign Deputy Editor Eva Rodriguez and Baghdad Bureau Chief Tamer El-Ghobashy: We’re happy to announce that Miriam Berger will join The Washington Post as a staff writer, part of Foreign’s newsroom-based team whose work adds speed and depth to our on-the-ground coverage from nearly 30 correspondents around the world. Miriam is an accomplished freelancer who has reported widely from across the Middle East. She is currently based in Jerusalem, and has written for The Post and other publications, including BuzzFeed News, Reuters, the Associated Press and The New York Times. She began her career as a full-time reporter for BuzzFeed News in New York. Miriam is also a skilled linguist; she speaks Arabic and Hebrew and has studied Farsi (in Tajikistan!). She is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Oxford University, where she earned a master’s degree in Modern Middle Eastern Studies, and was a Fulbright research fellow in Cairo. She will start in the newsroom on Oct. 7, after relocating from Israel.


Three University of Maryland students sickened with salmonella, officials say

Health officials are investigating after three students at the University of Maryland at College Park were sickened with salmonella, school officials said Friday. In a statement, David McBride, director of the University Health Center, said two of the three students had eaten at campus dining facilities and one had eaten elsewhere. “While there is no indication at this time that the source of this infection came from campus, we will keep the campus community informed once we learn from the state and county health departments if additional precautions should be taken,” the statement said. Salmonella is a bacterial infection that can be transmitted through contaminated food or contact with an infected animal. It can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, and leads to 1.2 million infections and 450 deaths a year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prince George’s County and Maryland state health officials recommend washing hands and other surfaces that come in contact with raw meat before cooking. justin.moyer@washpost.com


Nearly 100 doctors have tried to diagnose this man’s devastating illness — without success

advice to suffering patients, even in the absence of a diagnosis. Since its inception, the network has unearthed a diagnosis in approximately 35 percent of cases and identified 31 new syndromes. Some diagnoses are made through a sophisticated and time-consuming genetic analysis known as DNA sequencing. “There have been cases that were solved years later,” Novacic said. “We may find an answer in the future, even if we don’t have it now.” Patients are told that their information will be kept in an extensive database and that they will be notified if an answer is found. In late October 2018, Schwartz and his wife, whom he describes as “a pillar of strength and hope” spent a week at NIH. His team included cardiologists, rheumatologists, vascular specialists, a geneticist and an expert in dysautonomia, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, which controls breathing and heartbeat. Schwartz, who called the team “phenomenal,” underwent numerous additional tests, including a highly specialized PET scan not available outside the research hospital. Once again, experts were mystified. The case that most resembles Schwartz’s, Novacic said, is that of a marathon runner with very enlarged veins who suffered from recurrent blood clots. He was seen at NIH several years ago, but so far doesn’t have a diagnosis. In Schwartz’s case, the leading hypothesis is that his enlarged and overly stretchy venous system might reflect a subtle problem with the collagen in his connective tissue. It is possible that the collagen, a protein that functions as a sort of scaffolding and holds the body together, is not strong enough to support the walls of his veins. He also shows signs of dysautonomia. “Years of running might have exacerbated the problem,” Novacic said, possibly through the repeated pounding involved. But it is also possible, she noted, that running was in some way protective, delaying the onset of symptoms that might otherwise have materialized earlier. One possibility is that the underlying cause may be genetic. “Generally when we think of genetic disease, you think of a child born with it,” Novacic said. “But there are many situations where you have a predisposition to a certain problem and it doesn’t manifest for years.” Novacic said that Schwartz’s DNA is being sequenced at Baylor College of Medicine for possible clues. Results are still pending. To help control daytime swelling, NIH experts recommended that Schwartz wear specialized compression garments. “Without strong [blood]


Here’s a way to up your knowledge of space travel, astronauts, rockets — and even the history of NASA’s logo.

Ready to escape? Time travel and teleportation aren’t options (yet). Meanwhile, reading is probably your best option — and reading about space is even better. NASA might not come to mind when you think of which book to read next, but the space agency offers dozens of free e-books about space, science, aeronautics and the history of exploration. If you’re curious about the history of space travel, check out books on the history of the Hubble Telescope, NASA’s research facilities and the space shuttle program. There are more esoteric histories, too: “Emblems of Exploration,” for example, looks at the history of the NASA logo and those of its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and “Rockets and People, Volume 1” is the memoir of Boris Chertok, a Russian who designed rockets for the Soviet Union’s space program. Aeronautics are well represented in the collection, too. Keep your eyes out for books about the North American X-15, a rocket-powered research aircraft; the sonic boom; and even influential aerospace failures. The collection also includes books about NASA itself, and specific guides for researchers looking to conduct experiments aboard the International Space Station. The e-books open up the agency’s hood and make e-readers, smartphone screens and computers feel a bit more Space Age, so to speak. They’re available in formats that work with Nooks, Kindles and other platforms, or just as PDFs. Visit NASA.gov/connect/ebooks to see the full collection.