live music and discounted buckets of beer. 1 p.m. to midnight. 627 H St. NW. Free. The Graham Hotel Some parties start an hour or two before the fireworks and shut down an hour or two later. Doors at the Graham Hotel in Georgetown open at noon, and guests won’t be kicked out until 2 a.m. Among the attractions are unlimited food from a backyard barbecue (served until 9 p.m.); a DJ (spinning until 8 p.m.); free snowballs with an optional boozy upgrade (3 to 8 p.m.); and special cocktails and beer or seltzer buckets. Noon to 2 a.m. 1075 Thomas Jefferson St. NW. $100. The Hawthorne U Street’s Hawthorne has a big advantage over much of the competition on Independence Day: a glass rooftop that can slide open or close depending on the weather. The rooftop fills up quickly on July 4, thanks to excellent views looking toward downtown, a DJ spinning party tunes and annual food and drink deals. (Last year included $5 beers and $6 mixed drinks.) Get there early or you might be stuck on the wrong floor. 2 p.m. to 4 a.m. 1336 U St. NW. Free. Officina One of the big winners of the fireworks move could be the bars at the Wharf, which are now closer to the launch site. Officina, which has one of the top rooftops at the Wharf, is throwing an “Italian BBQ” with a menu of roasted porchetta, seafood, salads and a gnocchi bar. 4 to 10 p.m. 1120 Maine Ave. SW. $125. Tiki TNT Tiki TNT, the Wharf’s tiki bar and rum distillery, has an unobstructed view at the northern end of the development. Tickets include a cookout-style dinner — a burger, a hot dog, macaroni salad, a bag of chips and a choice of drink — and a cash bar. Only the rooftop bar will be open after 6 p.m. 7 to 10 p.m. 1130 Maine Ave. SW. $45-$65. W Hotel With its perch across the street from the White House and the Treasury Building, the W’s rooftop bar offers front-row-quality views of the Mall on July 4, with prices to match. A $275 ticket to the annual Boom with a View party gets you in the door and includes food stations and a “limited” open bar, as well as tax and gratuity, while a table for eight costs $3,000. 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. 515 15th St.


The blunder that could cost the U.S. the new space race

Are we about to embark on a new space race? In January, China became the first sovereign state to soft-land a probe on the far side of the moon. It’s no secret that China is working toward a future crewed mission. This presents a serious challenge to American supremacy in space. President Trump has responded by pushing for a crewed lunar mission as early as 2024, with the ultimate aim of looking toward Mars. In addition to accelerating the United States’ own space program, Trump’s advisers are working to stall Chinese technological development by inhibiting access to the U.S. commercial space sector. They are also working to limit international intellectual exchange. Chinese students are experiencing long delays in processing their visas, and White House adviser Stephen Miller has even called for a blanket visa ban. Others are advocating a blacklist of companies from “aggressor states.” But such a combative approach would be a disaster. During the Cold War, the United States used such tactics to undermine China’s technological development, and it backfired badly. An effort to deport Chinese scientists became a strategic own goal. Engineering experts, embittered at their rejection, hastened the process of technology transfer while paradoxically limiting American influence on Chinese science. The Chinese flaunted this history, a not-so-veiled warning to the United States, with their chosen lunar landing site: the von Kármán crater. Theodore von Kármán was a professor at the California Institute of Technology and Columbia University, and the mastermind of early aeronautical and astronautical engineering in the United States. Along with his graduate student Frank J. Malina, he pioneered the original American rocket program and co-founded NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His mathematical approaches to aerodynamics gave us the sweptback wings of the modern jet aircraft. In the tumultuous days of the 1940s, high-speed aircraft and rockets weren’t just scientific developments — they were cutting-edge technologies thought to confer serious strategic advantage. As World War II gave way to the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union jostled to acquire this new expertise. Governments were on high alert to ferret out potential spying, creating a tense political environment for those involved in classified research. The need for secrecy and the potential threat of communism created a problem for von Kármán and his team, because many in his orbit were already Communists, having joined the party in the 1930s. These included Malina and his


U.S. tells Europe: Choose between us and Iran, as new trading system launches

the alternative trading system to persuade Iran to stay within the deal’s stockpile limits will work. The key test — whether the barter system can succeed in processing a transaction — remains ahead. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, described the development as “positive” but said there is still a “gap” with Iran’s expectations under the deal, including the ability to sell oil. Tehran will study the development and make a decision on how to proceed, he said. The Trump administration has been critical of the program, which it sees as an attempt to evade its sanctions. Speaking to reporters in London, Hook said the United States was willing to intensify sanctions, which he said would continue until Iran becomes a “normal” state. “We will sanction any imports of Iranian crude oil,” he said, according to Reuters, adding that the United States was looking into reports of Iranian crude going to China. Before pulling out last year, President Trump repeatedly denounced the deal, reached during the Obama administration between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, calling it “rotten.” Meeting Friday with Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, Trump urged the German leader to join the United States in keeping up “maximum” pressure on Iran, the White House said. But Europe is doubling down on the nuclear deal. Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden released a statement Friday stressing the importance of preserving the pact, describing it as a “major contribution to stability in the region.” Iran has expressed skepticism about whether the European barter system, known as Instex, can give it sufficient economic benefit to stay in the deal but has described it as the “last chance.” If the barter system fails to “meet Iran’s demands within the framework for the nuclear deal,” then Iran will “take the next steps more decisively,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told state television Friday. Instex is aimed at shielding from U.S. sanctions small- to medium-size European companies that want to trade with Iran. It will initially focus on essential goods not subject to the sanctions, such as humanitarian, medical and agricultural products. A new round of U.S. sanctions, targeting Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other senior Iranian officials, was announced by Washington on Monday. Trump has said that after the downing of the U.S. Navy drone, which Iran


Japan aims for ‘harmony’ at G-20. Is it sidestepping climate change?

need for “a strong statement on climate change” and couldn’t accept “a watering down” of what had been said at the last G-20 meeting, in Buenos Aires last year. Asked whether he had a “red line,” like Macron, Juncker said, “My lines don’t have colors.” Japanese officials believe it is better to have some kind of consensus, even if it is relatively mild, than another document that sets 19 parties on one side and the United States on the other. But environmental groups fear that Abe and the G-20 could produce an anodyne communique that fails to grasp the seriousness of the crisis facing the planet. They accused Japan of showing “no ambition, no sense of urgency and a lack of political will.” “It is not only unacceptable, but it also undermines global efforts to fight this pressing issue,” said Kimiko Hirata, international director of Kiko Network, a Japanese nonprofit working to prevent climate change, speaking on behalf of a coalition of such groups. Abe has stressed the role of innovation in tackling climate change and marine plastic litter in ways that do not undermine economic growth. When it comes to energy, he has focused on developing hydrogen as a fuel and on carbon capture, utilization and storage. But environmental groups say that such technologies are unlikely to be economically viable in the near future and that this strategy lacks the urgency required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. G-20 countries committed in 2009 to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels, but a report this month showed that subsidies have actually increased in recent years; subsidies to coal plants, for instance, have doubled in the past three years. Meanwhile the United States, backed by the U.S. plastics industry, has blocked efforts to phase out production and consumption of single-use plastics and to draw up a legally binding treaty to tackle the marine plastic litter problem, environmental groups say. Accordingly, in Karuizawa, ministers agreed only that countries would take “voluntary” action on the issue. “Japan is again hiding behind Trump,” Hirata said. “It was trying to get a stronger agreement at the G-20 on marine plastic. But Japan sees the Trump administration as an important ally, and that puts an agreement in danger.” In his opening remarks, Abe was referring to the new imperial era, called Reiwa, or “beautiful harmony,” which began with the coronation of Emperor Naruhito this year. simon.denyer@washpost.com damian.paletta@washpost.com


At a retreat, Carter and Mondale talked about the old days, and went after Trump

who has known Carter since 1966 and worked in his White House. Beck said Carter and Mondale, two military veterans who made a career in public service, are concerned about the country’s direction under Trump. “Their frustration bubbled up from that,” he said. Carter returned several times to Trump’s policies toward immigrants and asylum seekers. He said that “discrimination against newcomers to our country, just seeking relief from persecution,” is a “serious human rights mistake.” “The United States doesn’t stand anymore for human rights” under Trump, Carter said. “We are opposed to some human rights, openly and without being embarrassed by it.” Much of Carter and Mondale’s discussion focused on issues from the era when they were in power: Vietnamese boat people, the return of the Panama Canal to Panamanian control, apartheid policies in South Africa. The audience, many of whom worked for the Carter administration four decades ago, reveled in the time travel. They enjoyed the Bingo, the visits to historic homes, and they eagerly bid in the annual auction, which raised almost $4 million for the Carter Center last year. This year’s auction items included a rocking chair and cedar chest handcrafted by Carter, an electric guitar signed by all the members of the Rolling Stones, and Bass Force One, a fishing boat painted to look like Air Force One. But it was current events that seemed to most energize the duo. Carter said he, unlike Trump, would have demanded more investigation into the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post columnist killed in October by Saudi security agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. “I believe we would have demanded a complete accounting about how high up the orders came from,” Carter said, adding that he believed the assassination could only have been carried out with the approval of the top levels of government. A recently concluded U.N. investigation into Khashoggi’s death faulted the United States and other countries for not exerting enough pressure on Saudi Arabia despite “credible evidence” that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in Khashoggi’s killing. Carter spoke while Trump was at a Group of 20 summit in Japan, photographed smiling with bin Salman, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Asked about the rise of authoritarianism around the world, Carter said the U.S. commitment to human rights has been eroded since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist


‘Has anyone tried fixing America with crystals and bee pollen?’: Late-night hosts tackle Marianne Williamson’s surprising debate performance

was actually even what that woman could have accomplished tonight.” The night began when, as late-night host Seth Meyers put it, Williamson “rose up out of a lake under the full moon to be at the debate.” About 27 minutes in, Williamson received her first question: How would she lower the costs of prescription drugs? “It’s really nice if we’ve got all these plans, but if you think we’re going to beat Donald Trump by just having all these plans, you’ve got another thing coming,” Williamson said. “He didn’t win by saying he had a plan. He won by simply saying ‘Make America Great Again.’ ” That idea didn’t seem to fly with CBS host Stephen Colbert, who specifically drew attention to the candidate calling policies and plans “superficial fixes.” “Yes, we need to go deeper than these superficial, carefully thought out political policies,” Colbert said with mock sincerity. “Has anyone tried fixing America with crystals and bee pollen? Yoga?” As the debate progressed, Williamson’s unusual commentary, spoken in what one person described as the voice of an “old timey actress,” inspired online commentators to try to describe her presence in the debate. “Marianne Williamson is like a sentient glass of Chardonnay,” a person tweeted. Others felt it was clear that Williamson’s New Age beliefs were on full display. “Marianne Williamson is like if GOOP became a person,” one user tweeted, referencing the natural health company owned by Paltrow, the actress. Williamson drew even more Twitter reaction by saying her first act as president would be to call Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, an interest she has publicly stated in the past. “[Ardern] said her goal was to make New Zealand the place where it’s the best place in the world for a child to grow up,” Williamson said. “I would tell her, ‘Girlfriend, you are so on,’ because the United States of America is going to be the best place in the world for a child to grow up.” When it came time for Williamson’s closing statement, Meyers could hardly contain himself as he played a clip of the debate. “Mr. President, if you’re listening, I want you to hear me, please,” an impassioned Williamson said. “You have harnessed fear for political purposes and only love can cast that out. So I, sir, I have a feeling you know what you’re doing. I’m going to harness love for political


Afghan leader ventures into Pakistan in search of elusive peace with insurgents

Taliban officials in Qatar, aimed at settling the 18-year Afghan war. Since the talks began in September, Ghani’s government has been excluded because of Taliban opposition, and its efforts in April to arrange informal talks between Afghans and the insurgents were canceled amid disputes over the proposed size and makeup of the Kabul delegation. The U.S.-Taliban talks now appear to be coming closer to a partial agreement on the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on an unannounced visit to Kabul on Tuesday, said he hoped that a full peace deal could be reached by Sept. 1 — ahead of Afghanistan’s presidential election scheduled for Sept. 28. There are now about 14,000 U.S. forces in the country. It was not clear how and when the talks would broaden to include Afghan participation, but a Taliban spokesman said this week that once a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal is announced, the talks would “automatically enter the next stage” and that both can “move forward simultaneously.” Germany and Norway have been preparing to organize or host potential talks among Afghans. Ghani’s arrival in Pakistan followed an unusual visit here by about 50 Afghan politicians, including several of Ghani’s top rivals in his bid to seek a second five-year term. The visitors — some of them longtime critics who had never been to Pakistan — spent two days at a posh mountainside resort, where Pakistani officials offered assurances that they are keenly interested in a peaceful, stable Afghanistan. The Afghan president’s visit, which he proposed several months ago, was notable because his previous attempt at rapprochement in mid-2016, when he led a delegation to Pakistan ahead of planned peace talks, was undercut by the stunning revelation that longtime Taliban leader Mohammad Omar was dead. After that, the peace process languished, and Ghani repeatedly accused Pakistan of protecting anti-Afghan militias, a charge that has also been made by U.S. officials. In January, he claimed that the “key to war is in Islamabad, Quetta and Rawalpindi” — three cities known respectively as Pakistan’s political capital, its exile center for Taliban leaders and its military headquarters. Even after the Trump administration launched U.S.-Taliban talks last fall, many Afghans remain convinced that Pakistan — which supported Taliban rule in the late 1990s — is a major obstacle to peace and seeks to keep Afghanistan weak and unstable. This week, Pakistan seemed determined


Maryland shows states how to save modern medicine

Pat McLaine is a professor of nursing at the University of Maryland and a member of the Maryland Nurses Association. David Wallinga is senior health officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council. A growing scourge is threatening modern medicine as Americans know it. Each day, hundreds of us die or are maimed by infections caused by superbugs — a.k.a. drug-resistant bacteria — but often they’re not even named as a cause of those deaths. New estimates suggest superbug infections are now the third-leading cause of death in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer, claiming up to 162,000 lives each year. That’s more people than are killed in all manner of accidents and more than double the annual deaths from opioid overdose. About two-thirds To curb the epidemic of drug resistance, experts have long warned we need to stop squandering antibiotics when they aren’t needed. That means we must improve how meat is produced. While Washington’s efforts to end this senseless waste have fallen short, Maryland is setting a model for other states. In late May, the state finalized a law that goes further than any other — and much further than the Food and Drug Administration’s federal rules — to prohibit this routine use of human-class antibiotics on farm animals, holding them in reserve instead for when animals are sick and when they need surgeries or other medical procedures. This follows the advice of medical and public-health institutions from the World Health Organization to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The new law also greatly improves the collection of data on the agricultural use of those drugs. For nearly 80 years, we have taken antibiotics for granted. Already, bacterial infections are becoming harder to treat, and impossible in some cases. If antibiotics continue to lose their effectiveness, modern medicine as we know it will be in jeopardy. Many basic surgical procedures may no longer be feasible. When clinicians can no longer treat the infections that often complicate essential procedures such as dialysis, C-sections, joint replacements, organ transplants and cancer chemotherapy, these interventions will simply become unavailable. We would return to the pre-antibiotic era, when people died from a cut or minor injury that could not be treated. The result is likely to be longer hospital stays and increased pain, suffering and costs. And yet ending routine antibiotic use in animals that aren’t sick is a step that continues to


Millennials have sparked a sober revolution, and alcohol brands are starting to notice

four-packs of slim cans for about the same price. She says half of American drinkers say they’d like to drink less alcohol, and that goes up to two-thirds for millennial drinkers. “Mental health is becoming a much bigger discussion point; it’s about keeping that edge and that clarity,” Klaus says. She argues nonalcoholic social drinking can help combat the distancing effects of cellphones and social media. “It’s about being a bit more present with your friends. Connection, people really want connection.” Nonalcoholic beer, which chugged along with modest performers for years, has seen a resurgence, from craft brewers to Heineken, which in January launched a nonalcoholic malt beverage called 0.0. It’s far more costly to produce a nonalcoholic beer by removing alcohol from a beer, or by keeping a nonalcoholic beer from turning into an alcoholic beer, said Philip Brandes, the founder and head brewer at Bravus Brewing Co. in Costa Mesa, Calif., said to brew the first nonalcoholic craft beer. “Initially we tried six-packs of 12-ounce cans priced comparably with other alcoholic craft beer at around $12.99,” Brandes said. “What we found is that since the category is still nascent and people weren’t aware a great-tasting nonalcoholic craft beer existed, they were hesitant to pay that much to try the product. We then moved to a four-pack of 12 oz. cans at around $8.50 and product began to fly. Same price per can, but a lower price point equated to a lower risk to the customer.” Right now, no-alcohol brews account for just 5 percent of the beer market. But Brandes, citing market research that it could be a $7 billion worldwide market in about 5 years, says sales growth has outpaced alcoholic beer 5 to 1 over the past six years. Jeff Stevens of WellBeing Brewing, whose soon-to-be launched Victory Citrus Wheat with natural electrolytes is somewhere between a beer and a sports drink, notes significant growth in Europe and Asia. “Along with the ‘Dry January/Sober Curious/Mindful Drinking’ movements, I believe this market is just getting started and poised for growth,” Stevens said. Distill Ventures, an investment company focused on entrepreneurs creating drink brands, launched a nonalcoholic drinks program in 2017, saying they believed “Non-Alc had the potential to be the most exciting category within drinks.” Many at the luncheon were skeptical. Today, of the more than 15 founder-led drink brands in their portfolio, a quarter are nonalcoholic.


Trump arrives at global economic summit with full agenda and list of grievances

he decides whether to further increase tariffs on an additional $300 billion in Chinese goods. He is under pressure from some advisers and business executives to delay these new tariffs, but he has not said how he plans to proceed. “It’s ripe for taxing, for putting tariffs on,” he said on Fox News Channel this week. He said he would impose “very substantial” tariffs if he does not cut a deal with China, and he signaled that he feels no pressure to back down. At last year’s G-20 summit in Argentina, Trump and Xi agreed to start trade negotiations that were supposed to rewrite the economic relationship between the two countries, but those talks faltered more than a month ago. Trump then moved ahead with tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports and has threatened to impose the duties on the rest of China’s exports to the United States if Xi does not agree to major changes. Among other things, Trump has said that China must stop stealing U.S. intellectual property, stop forcing U.S. companies to share technology and limit Chinese subsidies for domestic companies that disadvantage U.S. competitors. Trump also has insisted that China purchase more agricultural products from U.S. farmers. Some White House aides have suggested that the president could use the Japan summit with Xi to reset talks and delay the imposition of new tariffs, but Trump has publicly been noncommittal. Meanwhile, Trump took aim at NATO and at the U.S.-Japan military alliance in comments shortly before leaving Washington — remarks sure to dismay his hosts. “If Japan is attacked, we will fight World War III . . . with our lives and with our treasure,” he told Fox Business on Wednesday, adding, “If we’re attacked, Japan doesn’t have to help us at all.” Japan, he said, “can watch it on the Sony television, okay, the attack.” Japan hosted Trump for a lavish state visit last month, during which he called the alliance between the two countries “ironclad,” stronger than ever and only about to get stronger. Tobias Harris, an expert on Japan at Teneo Intelligence, a political risk consultancy in Washington, said the Trump administration could be trying to get leverage over Japan in its ongoing trade talks and upcoming negotiations on sharing the costs of the U.S. military presence in Japan. But he argued that the comments did not represent a serious threat to the


Trump says he is ‘very angry’ over murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi but again defends Saudi crown prince in the case

President Trump on Saturday professed to be “very angry” over the murder last year of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate, but the president again declined to pin responsibility on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he called “my friend.” Trump said nothing about Khashoggi at a photo op Salman before their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit here, ignoring shouted questions about the matter from reporters. In brief remarks, Trump called it a “great honor” to be with the crown prince and noted that “Saudi Arabia is a good purchaser of American products.” Salman returned the compliment. But asked at a news conference later in the day whether he raised the issue with Salman privately, Trump said Riyadh has prosecuted “13 people” in connection with Khashoggi’s death and suggested more prosecutions were coming. Still, Trump again defended Salman, saying there was no “finger directly” pointing at him, despite a U.N. report that concluded there was, in fact, credible evidence tying the plot to the royal family. Khashoggi was living in self-imposed exile after writing columns that criticized the Salman family; he was abducted and dismembered after visiting the consulate in October 2018 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Trump and other senior administration officials have consistently minimized the assassination, suggesting that it would be unwise for the United States to punish Riyadh or cut off relations with Mohammed over the killing because Saudi Arabia is an important partner to the United States in the Middle East. Trump posted a photo on Instagram of him posing with Salman. In the photo, the president is smiling broadly. The front page of the Japan Times’ Saturday newspaper featured a G-20 “family photo” of dozens of world leaders waving at the camera, while Trump is engaged in conversation with Salman, standing next to him. “I’ve spoke to his father at great length,” Trump said, referring to King Salman. “They’ve been a terrific ally. They’re creating millions of jobs in this country. “They’ve taken it very, very seriously. They will continue to,” Trump added “I let everybody know I’m very unhappy about that whole event.” The president emphasized that he did not find it acceptable for a journalist to be murdered. “Or anyone else,” he said. “I’m extremely angry and unhappy about a thing like that taking place.” david.nakamura@washpost.com seung-min.kim@washpost.com ● ● ● ● ● ●


Skywatch: What’s happening in the heavens in July

Bright, large evening planets and a low, morning beacon help celebrate the golden anniversary of Apollo 11 and its leap into history. If you’re on an East Coast beach, wake early to watch the rising sun in July’s early days, but tickle your toes in the sand before dawn to catch the effervescent Venus low in the east-northeastern horizon. This stunning planet is a -3.9-magnitude (very bright) object, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. On Monday morning (July 1), the elderly crescent moon hangs out to Venus’s right. Toward the middle of July, Venus starts a vacation in the sun’s glare until September. When the sun sets in the west, Jupiter is high in the southeast in the early evening, looking snazzy at -2.6 magnitude now, quite bright. As the night darkens, find the reddish star Antares (a first-magnitude double star) to the large planet’s right. Saturn The ringed planet’s opposition means we can see it all night, and from late June through late July, Saturn is a bright zero magnitude — chilling in the constellation Sagittarius — throughout the heart of summer. A fattening gibbous moon approaches Jupiter on July 12, passing the large planet July 13. The plump moon hugs Saturn on July 15 and passes it by July 16 — when the moon is full to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch. The South Pacific, Chile and Argentina can enjoy a four-minute total solar eclipse July 2. San Francisco’s Exploratorium (exploratorium.edu/eclipse) teams with the National Science Foundation to offer a video stream of it from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern time. This total solar eclipse cannot be seen from the United States. The partial lunar eclipse July 16 is good for observers in Europe, Africa and South Asia, according to eclipse expert Fred Espenak (mreclipse.com). North America will completely miss it. Down-to-Earth Events: ●July 2 — ●July 5 — ●July 6 — ●July 14 — ●July 16 — ●July 18 — ●July 19 — ●July 2o — ●July 20 — ●July 21 —


$2 beers! $1 hot dogs! Louisiana Lafayette football sets new standard for concession prices.

— Hamburger/Cheeseburger, $3 — Pretzel, $3 — Frito Chili Pie, $3 — ICEE, $3 — Cheese Nachos, $3 — Large Popcorn, $3 Premium Concessions: — 16-oz. Craft Can, $4 — 16-oz. Craft Draft, $5 — 16-oz. Domestic Draft, $4 — Premium Hot Dog, $4 — Premium Hamburger/Cheeseburger $6 — Smoked Sausage/Hamburger Po’boy, $8 — Boudin Ball (3) w/ Dip, $7 — Shrimp & Grits, $8 — Vegetarian Jambalaya, $6 — Fried Mac & Cheese w/ Dip, $6 As Football Scoop’s Zach Barnett points out, you now can get three hot dogs, three 16-ounce. beers and a popcorn for $10 at a Louisiana Lafayette football game, which is probably cheaper than buying three hot dogs, three 16-ounce beers and a popcorn at the grocery store. The Falcons introduced uncommonly cheap prices on certain concession items when Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened for the 2017 NFL season and announced in March that they would be cutting prices on five popular items by 11 percent for 2019: Hot dogs will cost $1.50, the specialty “ATL Bud Burger” will cost $7.50, and a waffle ice cream cone will cost $4.50. The price drops seem to have worked: An executive with the parent company that controls the sports holdings of Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in March that, despite slimmer profit margins, sales volume increased by 50 percent after the price cuts and that 10 percent of fans arrived an hour or earlier before kickoff of Falcons games, which led to a jump in pregame food sales and merchandise sales. Other college programs have followed suit. The University of Texas, which has seen average attendance fall from a program high of 101,175 in 2009 to 92,778 in 2017 and 97,713 last season, announced price drops for football games at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on items such as popcorn (from $4.50 to $3), fountain sodas (from $5 to $3) and hot dogs (from $5 to $4). But the money needed for one hot dog at Texas will get you two in Lafayette, plus a beer to wash them down. Read more: For broadcasters, Women’s World Cup rallies record audiences with an event and a cause Megan Rapinoe won’t back down, says ‘I stand by the comments I made’ about the White House Norway, minus its star, seeks revenge against England Analysis: VAR is working at World Cup, FIFA says. That’s not wrong, but it could work better.


A climate-focused presidential debate? Here’s what moderators should ask.

Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, has said climate change is the “driving motivation” for his presidential campaign; some of his opponents agree, particularly after an April CNN/SSRS poll found that 82 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters described the issue as “very important.” One of these candidates will face off in the general election against a president who ran on the assurance that “I believe in clean air. Immaculate air. But I don’t believe in climate change.” This month, President Trump falsely asserted that “the United States right now has among the cleanest climates there are, based on all statistics, and it’s even getting better.” Vice President Pence won’t acknowledge the scientific consensus that climate change is a threat to our country. Clearly, whichever Democrat snags the nomination will have a hard time selling the urgency of this problem. But many of the candidates have been able to skate by so far without offering many specifics about what they’d do or how they’d do it, including at the NBC News debates this past week, where the climate was a relatively minor concern. The Washington Post asked seven climate experts and scientists: In a presidential debate focused entirely on this subject, what would they ask the candidates? — David Swerdlick Carol M. Browner Question: The background: Carol M. Browner, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, is chairwoman of the board of directors of the League of Conservation Voters. Katharine Hayhoe Question: The background: Katharine Hayhoe is a professor of political science and the director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. Bill Nye Question: The background: Bill Nye is a science educator and mechanical engineer. He hosts the podcast “Science Rules!” and is the creator of the Emmy-award winning series “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” Beverly Wright Question: The background: Beverly Wright is a sociologist and the founder and executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. Ann Carlson Question: The background: Ann Carlson is the Shirley Shapiro professor of environmental law and the co-director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA. Nick Pyenson Question: The background: Nick Pyenson is a research geologist, curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and the author of “Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth’s Most Awesome Creatures.” Kristie L. Ebi Question The background:


Blind riders say Metro shutdown is making independent travel nearly impossible

away. Some passersby called out instructions. Others walked faster. Valdez is one of an estimated 17,000 riders affected by the 15-week shutdown of six Blue and Yellow line stations for a platform reconstruction project through Sept. 8. While the 107-day shutdown — the longest in Metro history — has been tough for all riders, it has been especially hard on blind and visually impaired commuters whose long-memorized routes have been disrupted, threatening their independence. Their travel woes have been exacerbated by shuttle and bus drivers, many of whom are also navigating unfamiliar routes. Blind people of working age — of whom there were roughly 60,000 in the Washington region in 2017, according to census estimates provided by the American Council of the Blind — are heavily dependent on public transit, said the council’s Clark Rachfal. To get to work on their own, they painstakingly “build a mental map of their surroundings,” he said. So when Metro replaced train service between the closed stations with free shuttles and hired new drivers or reassigned Metrobus operators to drive them, things got dicey, said Kayla Richardson, 29, who is blind and commutes on the Yellow Line. Richardson, who lives in Alexandria and works at the National Industries for the Blind, said the new setup, subject to pressures like traffic and susceptible to driver error, is not only unfamiliar, but worse — totally unpredictable. “Metrobuses don’t ever stop in the same spot, and that makes it quite difficult, and the other thing is, the new drivers don’t remember to announce the stops,” Richardson said. “I have to constantly ask for help or try to look lost so I can get people’s attention.” Valdez said she has to ask for help twice as often as she did before the shutdown. “My commute has always been Metro, shuttle, walk home, open door, inside,” Valdez said. “You see familiar faces, make chit chat. You never have to be like, ‘Oh is the bus over here?’ But now you have to ask.” Metro spokesman Ian Janetta noted that the agency has deployed staff members “trained to guide visually impaired customers” to all affected stations. He said Metro worked closely with the agency’s Accessibility Advisory Committee to ensure that “customers with accessibility needs” had adequate options during the closures. But the mere need for external support can be part of the nightmare, said Alexandria resident Katrina Martin, 43, another


Saudi crown prince is center stage at G-20, only nine months after Khashoggi killing

Amid international outrage over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia’s ongoing military campaign in Yemen last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was positioned at the very edge of the traditional “family photo” of world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in November. Looking every bit a pariah, Mohammed walked away alone after the photo was taken as other leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations mingled and as protesters outside the venue demanded his arrest. Just half a year later, the crown prince is no longer isolated at the G-20. In the photograph of world leaders taken Friday in Osaka, Japan, Mohammed was front and center — standing between President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the event’s host. For his supporters, it is yet another sign that Mohammed survived questions over his mercurial de facto rule and has been welcomed back by the global political establishment. “Clearly he has retained a lot of his stature,” said Ali Shihabi, founder of the pro-Riyadh Arabia Foundation in Washington, noting that the crown prince had been well-received by the leaders of India, China, Japan and South Korea in the past six months. “If anything, his high visibility at G-20 is only enhancing” his reputation, Shihabi said. “His robes also help.” The crown prince’s traditional attire may not be the only thing that made him more visible in this year’s photograph. Official protocol dictates where world leaders stand in the family photo, with the general rules being that heads of state, rather than heads of government or international organizations, are at the front and those who’ve spent more time in office are closer toward the center. Though Mohammed is not technically a head of state and is less senior than some others, Saudi Arabia is also scheduled to host next year’s G-20 summit in Riyadh. David Miliband, former British foreign secretary and chief executive of the humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee, said the largely warm welcome of Mohammed and other supposed pariahs like Russia’s Vladimir Putin at the summit reflected an age of impunity in global politics. “All those countries that have a relationship with Saudi Arabia need to use those relationships in a way that curbs the failed war strategy in Yemen,” Miliband said about the upcoming summit in Saudi Arabia. Mohammed, 33, was initially celebrated on the world stage for spearheading an ambitious domestic reform


Encounters with wildlife increase with urbanization. Here’s how to live in harmony.

same animal could be a carrier for rabies, parasites, influenza, salmonella or other pathogens that are issues for people and household pets. Proximity to people and pets is discouraged for all wildlife species, even the cute ones. As for other critters, if wildlife such as coyotes, deer or foxes do appear in the yard, the best option for a peaceful encounter is to give them space. When met by people, most wild animals, if not habituated to humans, will either escape the imminent danger humans pose or hunker down to hide until the coast is clear for them to leave. It is when people move in closer ─ whether intentionally to help or harm or accidentally through unawareness ─ that a wild animal will feel the need to physically defend itself. For the untrained person, it is always wisest to go inside and wait it out. Homeowners who don’t want any furry or scaly visitors should be mindful not to provide food or shelter. Secure outdoor trash can lids, scoop up spilled seed at birdfeeders and remove outdoor pet food bowls that may attract these creatures. Stacks of firewood and piles of yard debris provide shelter to smaller critters, so if this is not your goal, consider alternatives. In those instances where an unwanted guest does not move on, it is best for all involved to contact local wildlife experts for assistance rather than trying to handle the situation without help from those with proper training. Not only will this avert any unwanted injuries to people or animals, it will also prevent any unintentional violations of the state and federal laws that protect most wildlife in the United States. What if you want some backyard wildlife? Some folks want to create space for nature by offering the food, shelter and water that animals are seeking. This option helps restore some of the functions and services that natural ecosystems provide. Bird feeders, pollinator plantings, (unchlorinated) water features, and native trees and shrubs can be artfully incorporated into landscaping to provide beauty and supply backyard habitats. This is supplemental support and is different from caring for wild animals as if they were domesticated. Deliberately feeding animals like squirrels, deer or raccoons can create a hazardous situation for people and wildlife, leading to increased risk of negative encounters, disease and harm. This practice is not supported or encouraged by professional wildlife biologists. health-science@washpost.com


Long before the Max disasters, Boeing had a history of failing to fix safety problems

a dual reporting structure that left inspectors subject to more than one boss. Boeing declined to comment. The highly delegated certification process has come under increased scrutiny since the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crashes, with questions being raised about how the anti-stall system that investigators say was a factor in both crashes was certified as safe. The Justice Department’s criminal division is looking into the 737 Max, and a congressional committee, the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General and several internal and external panels are investigating the FAA’s approval of the plane and the agency’s broader certification system. Falsified certifications After a cargo door on a United Airlines 747 broke off near Honolulu in 1989, the Boeing jet faced an “explosive decompression,” and nine passengers were “ejected from the airplane and lost at sea,” according to the National Transportation Safety Board. A problem in the door control system — a bad switch or wiring — allowed the locked door to become unlatched and blow open. “Also contributing to the accident was a lack of timely corrective actions by Boeing and the FAA following a 1987 cargo door-opening incident on a Pan Am B-747,” the NTSB said. So FAA officials were alarmed to discover in 2015 that a mechanic at a bus and airplane parts maker north of Nagoya, Japan, Iwado Industry Co., had falsified certifications on hundreds of cargo doors. Iwado was acting as a supplier to Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which in turn provided parts directly to Boeing. For years, the Iwado mechanic had been working on part of the door’s mechanical system without the correct tool and had been falsely recording that the work had been done properly, according to the FAA. The submissions were also certified as correct by a second layer of quality-control workers. Safety experts say that type of breach calls into question the trustworthiness of operations. “It’s disturbing that people might think that they can cut corners and lie, if that’s happening, when in fact the consequences of those falsehoods could be severe,” said Arnold Barnett, an aviation safety researcher and professor of statistics and management at MIT. Boeing said all the large 777 doors were “re-measured” by both suppliers after the FAA’s discovery and “no non-conformances were found.” After a follow-up FAA visit, “all parts were confirmed to be safe and compliant,” Boeing said. The mechanic was retrained the day the


Costco quietly becomes a destination for clothes

Kelly Davis has started doing something she once considered unthinkable: buying clothes at Costco. The 31-year-old had long resisted the warehouse chain’s clothing aisle; it just felt weird buying dresses and shirts at the same place she bought groceries. Plus, she said, “It’s where my mom shops." But eventually, a pair of Jessica Simpson jeans — light blue, distressed, with holes — for only $13 did her in. “Costco has really stepped up its game,” said Davis, who lives near Dallas. “The clothes are actually stylish. It’s not just old mom stuff anymore.” At a time when retailers throughout the apparel industry are going to great lengths to reinvent their stores and websites to hold shoppers’ interest, Costco has emerged as an unlikely success story. Clothes and footwear now generate more than $7 billion a year in sales for Costco; that’s more than Old Navy, Neiman Marcus or Ralph Lauren. Revenue in that category has climbed about 9 percent a year since 2015, outpacing sales growth for food and electronics, according to recent earnings calls. Those are stunning numbers for a retailer better known for its no-frills stores and bulk everything. Its nearly 800 locations don’t have fitting rooms, mannequins or window displays. Instead, tops and trousers are folded and piled high on tables, where shoppers can find Tommy Hilfiger, Eddie Bauer and Calvin Klein alongside Costco’s own Kirkland Signature line. “Costco has quietly become an apparel destination,” said Simeon Siegel, a retail analyst for Instinet. “It is clearly resonating with shoppers and winning over brands at the expense of department stores.” Dozens of major retailers, including Sears, David’s Bridal and Gymboree, have filed for bankruptcy in the past two years. Others, like Macy’s and J.C. Penney, are closing hundreds of stores as they try to figure out how to win back shoppers who have migrated online. Costco, though, continues to do about 95 percent of its business in-store. Its 85 million members pay an annual fee, which starts at $60, to buy groceries, electronics, household items and clothing at near-wholesale prices. “Costco does a good job of getting products customers want,” said Joe Feldman, a retail analyst for Telsey Advisory Group. “Lucky Brand jeans happen to be in the store this week, or North Face jackets. You see people coming back for the treasure hunt.” Low prices don’t hurt, either. Costco is able to offer some of the best


For Afghan women, competing in the Olympics is only part of the struggle

won gold at the 2016 South Asian Games. But her Olympic dreams fizzled that year when she tried to compete in a lower weight class and ended up so weak she failed to qualify. She called it the “biggest mistake” of her career. Now, her heart is set on 2020. “If I achieve that goal, I’ll have no more wishes,” she said. Her transition to professional athlete was made easier by her parents, who support her Olympic dreams and allow her to travel regularly for practice and competitions abroad. Other Afghan women are forced to hide the fact they are athletes from their families. In a run-down gym tucked down a quiet alley in western Kabul one recent afternoon, Sadia Bromand, 23, changes out of her street clothes and into long black leggings, basketball shorts and a black headscarf. Then she wraps her hands and slides on her red boxing gloves. She spends half her week boxing with her coach in this gym, and the rest training at the national Olympic facilities in Kabul. She had hoped to qualify for the 2016 Games as a sprinter but was asked to coach a teammate instead. So she switched to boxing, hoping she would make it in 2020. Then her parents found out. As a sports reporter and avid runner, Bromand had already defied some societal expectations of Afghan women. But her parents saw boxing as one step too far. “It was like they were in flames,” she said. They worried she would get hurt, be considered unmarriageable, or worse, that the Taliban would track her down and kill her. Now she keeps her practice routine secret from most of her family, but she said even the national boxing federation doesn’t offer enough support for her to have a fair shot at qualifying for 2020. Federation President Shikeb Satari said Bromand works hard but, as a relative newcomer to the sport, doesn’t have a realistic shot at the Olympics. But Bromand won’t give up. “My life has been much more difficult outside the ring than inside the ring,” she said. “My whole life has been fighting.” When she feels discouraged, she looks at the tattoos etched into her skin that remind her of what she’s working toward. On her right arm: “Nothing is impossible.” On her left are the five Olympic rings, accompanied by three simple words: “Yes I can.” siobhan.ogrady@washpost.com sharif.hassan@washpost.com


CDC warns swimmers about ‘Crypto,’ a parasite that can live for days in pools

Federal public health officials are urging people to take precautions to protect themselves against a microscopic parasite that can live for days in swimming pools and water playgrounds and cause severe intestinal problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report last week about the increased number of outbreaks caused by the fecal parasite Cryptosporidium, more commonly known as “Crypto.” The parasite, a common cause of water-related disease outbreaks across the United States, causes cryptosporidiosis, a disease characterized by nausea, vomiting and “watery diarrhea” that can last for weeks, according to the CDC. Although most cases do not require medical treatment, public health experts warn the parasite may pose a greater risk to people who are especially young or old or who have compromised immune systems and are at increased risk for “life-threatening malnutrition.” The warning came from the CDC’s recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which highlighted an average 13 percent increase in cryptosporidiosis outbreaks each year from 2009 to 2017. The CDC said that over the past decade, there have been more than 400 reported outbreaks in the United States, leading to nearly 7,500 people becoming sick. Of those, more than 200 people were hospitalized, and one person died as a result of the disease, according to the report. The most common cause of the outbreaks was swallowing contaminated water from recreational places, researchers said. In about 35 percent of the outbreaks, sicknesses were linked to swimming pools and playgrounds, according to the report. Contact with infected cattle accounted for about 15 percent, and contact with infected people in child-care settings accounted for about 13 percent, according to the report. Michele Hlavsa, who heads the CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program, said in a news release last week that “young children can get seriously sick and easily spread Crypto." “They don’t know how to use the toilet and wash their hands, or are just learning how,” she said. “But we as parents can take steps to help keep our kids healthy in the water, around animals, and in child care.” Cryptosporidium lives in the intestines of infected people and animals who shed a form of the parasite in their feces, according to the CDC. Public health experts say that even trace amounts of infected fecal matter on hands or swimsuits can contaminate food, beverages or swimming pools — and others who ingest it can become infected, as well.


U-Md. at College Park is warned that it could lose accreditation

accreditation also can find themselves unable to transfer their credits to another, accredited institution. The Middle States commission is one of seven regional accrediting agencies that oversee the country’s colleges and universities. Brian Kirschner, a spokesman for the commission, told The Washington Post in November that the agency sought information from the school that related to two required standards: ethics and integrity and the student experience. Although the warning should be taken seriously, the university is highly unlikely to lose its accreditation, said Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education, an organization representing the higher-education community. “It is uncommon, but certainly not unknown for accrediting agencies to raise questions about a college or university at any time, but particularly after a widely publicized event or a situation where a university’s handling of an issue might not have been as smooth as it could have been,” Hartle said. Penn State University received a similar warning after the child sexual abuse scandal involving former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, and the University of North Carolina was warned after news reports of academic violations by athletes, Hartle said. “This is not good news for a university; it’s something they would prefer not to happen,” he said, adding that the university needs to demonstrate to the commission that it realizes things were “managed badly” and that steps have been taken to prevent that from happening again. In its email Sunday, the USM administrators said the board recognized that “its final decisions could have been handled more effectively. Middle States has noted both this lapse as well as the actions taken by the board to prevent a reoccurrence.” This is not the first such warning for the University of Maryland system. In 2016, the commission issued a similar warning to Frostburg State University, saying it needed to improve learning assessment; the university made corrections and announced that its accreditation was reaffirmed the following year. The College Park campus also is reeling from the death last fall of an 18-year-old freshman from adenovirus. In May, the family of Olivia Shea Paregol filed a notice of claim against the school, setting the stage for a possible lawsuit. Paregol’s father said her death could have been prevented if the university had disclosed that the virus was spreading through the campus. The commission’s warning does not appear to be related to that event. tara.bahrampour@washpost.com joe.heim@washpost.com


A guide to local favorites in Flaminio

Flaminio is a slice of modern Rome, just a 10-minute tram ride from one of the city’s northern gates, Porta del Popolo. Architecture from almost every modern and contemporary era can be found here, from 1930s rationalist buildings to structures built for the 1960 Olympics that reflect that decade’s urban-planning philosophy to 21st-century award-winning sites. Get your camera ready. Flaminio is the Rome you aren’t used to, but the residents are. The area is family-oriented and art-focused. View on Google Maps Chef Kotaro Noda infuses regional dishes with Japanese spices, aromas and sensibility. The trattoria-style restaurant is one of the country’s most affordable Michelin-star eateries. address: Bistrot 64, Via Guglielmo Calderini 64, Rome latlng: phone: 011-39-06-323-5531 website: https://www.bistrot64.it/ twitter: instagram: Architect Zaha Hadid’s award-winning Maxxi museum houses a collection of Italy’s art and architecture from the 21st century. address: Maxxi, Via Guido Reni 4A, Rome latlng: phone: 011-39-06-320-1954 website: https://www.maxxi.art/en/ twitter: museo_maxxi instagram: museomaxxi One of the newest bridges in Rome, the “music bridge,” from 2011, is a beautiful double-arched footbridge perfect for a romantic walk or photo ops. Under the south side is an informal skate park. address: Ponte della Musica, Ponte della Musica Armando Trovajoli, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy latlng: 41.926799, 12.461158 phone: website: twitter: instagram: A leftover from the 1920s, the Stadio dei Marmi is one of the prettiest tracks ever built, with low, marble stadium seats lined with statues of athletes posed in classical attire, surrounding a grass field and turf track. The entire Foro Italico complex is one of the best examples of Fascist-era architecture. A huge part of this complex is the 1960s Stadio Olimpico, host of the 1960 Olympics and stadium for Rome football teams AS Roma and SS Lazio. address: Foro Italico/Stadio dei Marmi, Viale del Foro Italico, Rome latlng: phone: website: twitter: instagram: Taking up the ground floor of a 1920s palazzo, Metropolita is a chic salon and cocktail lounge whose interiors play on the building’s Art Deco heritage, with retro sci-fi cinema touches. address: Metropolita, Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 2, Rome latlng: phone: 011-39-06-324-0249 website: https://metropolita.it/ twitter: instagram: metropolita.roma A diligently sourced collection of 20th-century furniture and design from epic names, including Gio Ponti, Enzo Mari and Gaetano Sciolari. address: Spot Gallery, Via Giovanni Paolo Pannini 9/9A, Rome latlng: phone: 011-39-06-9193-5306 website: https://www.spotgallery.it/ twitter: instagram: Take me to your leader, or your conductor. Three monumental alien-pod-shaped domes, covered


What’s it like to run 90 miles around the Beltway on the hottest day of the year? ‘Terrible.’

he set a record at the World Marathon Challenge, in which he ran seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, beating the previous year’s time by more than 45 minutes. This year, he completed that challenge again before tacking on three more marathons in the United States to set the record for most quickly completing 10 marathons in 10 days. He also has finished the Boston Marathon 18 times and holds multiple distance running world records. Last month, he traveled to Wales to race against 60 horses. For Wardian, the Beltway run was just his latest endurance test as he works toward some of his bigger, long-term goals. “[I want to] run across the United States if I can get the support and funding, and the time from work to do that,” Wardian said. “And then eventually I want to run across all the continents and the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail.” Until he can get the time off work to chase his dreams, he is proving you don’t need to change continents to make history. In fact, Wardian said his next goal is to run from his home in Arlington to his in-laws’ place in Rehoboth Beach, Del., a journey of a little more than 100 miles. He also said he would like to run the Cross County Trail in Fairfax County. Wardian credited his crew and the local running community for his ability to pursue such feats, and he said social media has allowed him to connect with more people about his races and stunts. Many of his friends cheered him on online and in person last weekend, Wardian said, and he received support from Montgomery County Road Runners. “It takes a village to do these types of things,” Wardian said. “Without the support of the people that came out, and my sponsors and my family and the people I work with, none of this is possible.” Wardian also used his latest venture to confirm what he has long suspected: Beltway drivers could indeed find a faster means of transportation. “I think, for sure, at some points with the backups, I definitely think [running] could be faster,” he said. Read more: A 70-year-old shattered an age-group record. The Los Angeles Marathon says he cheated. After Colin Kaepernick complaint, Nike reportedly pulls shoe with ‘Betsy Ross flag’ design 15-year old Cori Gauff stuns Venus Williams at Wimbledon


The Daily 202: Racist Facebook posts point to cultural problems inside the Border Patrol that money alone cannot fix

Trump said his delayed raids to round up and deport undocumented migrants inside the U.S. will begin after the Fourth of July. -- A Trump administration plan to tighten eligibility for public benefits could result in millions of kids losing access to health care. -- Mexico’s crackdown on migrants has overwhelmed its shelters and antagonized its southern neighbors. “A 19-year-old Salvadoran woman was fatally shot after the truck carrying her and other migrants sped through an immigration checkpoint in the state of Veracruz. … Salvadoran officials have been careful not to speak out publicly during the investigation. But privately, they have expressed deep concerns about the possibility that more migrants could be shot and killed by Mexican police.” -- Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his country bears responsibility for the recent drowning deaths of the father and his toddler daughter in the Rio Grande. -- A Univision anchor noted that the State Department is urging Americans not to visit Tamaulipas because it’s so dangerous, even as CBP forces hundreds of migrants to wait there as part of the new Migrant Protection Protocols program: WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: -- In the first major shake-up for a 2020 presidential campaign, five senior staffers are leaving former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper’s (D) campaign. The campaign sent a news release announcing that M.E. Smith, who managed the reelection campaign last year of Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), will replace Komar “The news comes on the heels of the first Democratic debate, at which the former Colorado governor's middling bid wasn't re-energized,” ABC News’s Sasha Pezenik reports. “Perhaps more important, this shakeup comes the day after the close of second-quarter for campaign fundraising, making it especially telling that Hickenlooper’s finance director is among those on their way out. Hickenlooper [is] lagging behind the Democratic National Committee's 130,000-donor benchmark required to participate in debates in September. … “Sorenson confirmed he'll be moving to Beto O'Rourke's team as national finance director. After Hitt told ABC News that ‘for personal and professional reasons, it made sense to be in Texas’ for Sorenson, she confirmed she’d also be ‘transitioning out’ very soon. The trail ahead may grow rockier for the Hickenlooper team as Brendan Koch, deputy finance director, also may be leaving the team.” -- Other campaigns are feeling pressure, as well, that could lead to forthcoming shake-ups: More than half of the Democratic candidates face the possibility of being


A 70-year-old shattered an age-group record. The Los Angeles Marathon says he cheated.

than three hours, setting personal bests with times of 2:53.33 at the 2014 California International Marathon in Sacramento and then a 2:52.47 in Los Angeles a few months later. But the marathon in Sacramento questioned the irregular splits he posted in 2014 and 2016, eventually disqualifying him from both and banning him from the race. The marathon in Los Angeles, meanwhile, did not have the evidence to disqualify him but asked that he run the 2016 version of the race with an official observer. Meza instead chose to skip that marathon to run in a race in Northern California. According to the Times, the Los Angeles Marathon has again asked Meza to run with an observer if he chooses to enter the 2020 race. “That’s my only silver lining,” he said. Other races Meza has run have come into question, as well. Derek Murphy, a business analyst who described himself to the Times as a “plodding” runner, began a website called Marathon Investigation a few years ago to document cheating allegations against marathon runners, advancing his sleuthing to the point where marathon organizers have paid him for his investigations. If a runner posts irregular split times, he checks the marathon’s route map for potential shortcuts and goes over time-lapse and video documentation provided by race organizers from along the course to see if the runner either disappeared for a stretch or started running irregularly fast. In May, Murphy wrote about Meza’s time in Los Angeles, noting that the marathon was run in record-breaking heat and using photo evidence to claim that Meza was cutting the course. (One photo shows Meza emerging from the sidewalk to rejoin the race along Hollywood Boulevard.) He has also questioned Meza’s time from the Mesa-Phoenix Marathon in February, when he again set an age-group record with a time of 2:53.54. Murphy claims photo evidence proves that Meza’s split times were significantly slower than his overall time and that he did not appear when he should have on an official race video camera set up at the 22-mile mark, alleging that Meza skipped that portion of the course. Meza now has been disqualified from three marathons and a number of his other races have been questioned. Why would a 70-year-old man, a lifelong runner and former high school track coach who has spent his life helping others, allegedly take shortcuts to set records few would care


U.N. investigator says Saudi Arabia should not host G-20 summit after Khashoggi killing

The lead investigator for the U.N. probe into the slaying of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Tuesday that the world’s wealthiest nations have done little to hold Saudi Arabia to account and suggested the kingdom lose the privilege of hosting next year’s Group of 20 summit. U.N. Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard, who last month released a 101-page report that provided new details into the plot to assassinate Khashoggi and concluded that the Saudi state was responsible for it, said stripping Saudi Arabia of hosting rights should be part of an international effort for justice in the absence of a credible judicial process. “It is important to identify other options for judicial accountability and prosecution, but as well for different forms of accountability — political, diplomatic, strategic, cultural,” she said during a discussion at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Her comments came less than a week after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman took center stage at this year’s G-20 summit in Japan, boldly signaling his return to global prominence after Khashoggi’s killing in October. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributing columnist who had become increasingly critical of Mohammed, was slain and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 by a 15-member Saudi hit team. Callamard’s report asserted that the crown prince must have at least known about the operation in advance. “The only conclusion I could reach on the basis of the evidence is that the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible for the killing,” she said on Tuesday. The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment on Callamard’s remarks. So far, Saudi authorities have arrested 21 people in connection with Khashoggi’s killing and charged 11 of them. But Callamard said that accountability should not be “held hostage to the vagaries of legal processes in Saudi Arabia.” Given the likelihood that the Saudi government was involved in the journalist’s slaying, Callamard said the international community should impose “political accountability” by preventing Saudi Arabia from hosting the next G-20 meeting, scheduled to take place Nov. 21-22, 2020, in Riyadh. “Political accountability for Mr. Khashoggi will mean that it doesn’t happen, or it’s moved — [that] something is being done to ensure that the political system in the U.S. and other countries does not become complicit of that international crime and of the narrative that Saudi Arabia is trying to sell — fairly effectively, in


Iguanas spread in Florida as climate warms: ‘They’re a menace’

“Iguanas can also be killed year-round and without a permit on 22 public lands in south Florida.” Agency biologists say they don’t know how many iguanas are in Florida, but they know the kinds of problems they’re causing. These include “erosion, degradation of infrastructure such as water control structures, canal banks, sea walls and building foundations,” state biologist Dan Quinn said in an email. Along with doing damage by digging, iguanas destroy landscaping and ornamental plants, including some that are endangered. They can also carry salmonella. Green iguanas have been spotted in Florida since the 1960s, but their numbers have soared in recent years. They’re native to Central America, parts of South America and some islands in the eastern Caribbean. Climate change is helping them spread quickly in South Florida, said Joseph Wasilewski, who has studied green iguanas for 40 years. He’s part of the University of Florida’s “Croc Docs” team of scientists who study wildlife in Florida and the Caribbean. “Climate change certainly has something to do with it,” Wasilewski said. “It’s warming things up and allowing them to go further north.” Florida needs to get a handle on the green iguana invasion before it gets worse, Wasilewski said. He said he saw Grand Cayman island go from having no green iguanas in 2000 to having an estimated 1.6 million in 2018. The island launched a large-scale cull last fall, and nearly 800,000 iguanas have been killed so far. In Florida, “in the last five or 10 years, I’ve seen the population literally explode,” Wasilewski said. Green iguanas can grow up to five feet long and weigh around 17 pounds, although local trappers say they’ve seen bigger lizards than that. They live for 10 years or more, and the females can lay six dozen eggs at a time. They dig long tunnels, up to 80 feet — sometimes under sea walls, sometimes under houses and occasionally under highway overpasses. The state’s call to action has resulted in business opportunities. Blake Wilkins and Perry Colato are co-founders of Redline Iguana Removal. Wilkins, a biologist for Broward County, and Colato, a county firefighter, are childhood buddies who grew up catching the iguanas and turning them into pets. “They were all named Iggy,” Colato recalled. “We’d catch them by hand. There weren’t that many back then. But they have no natural predators here, and there’s nothing to limit their population.” Colato and


NASA faces a key test of Orion spacecraft, as it scrambles to meet Trump moon mandate

companies are vying to build the lander and the Gateway habitat. First, however, the space agency must demonstrate that Orion can fly crews successfully — and Tuesday’s test is a huge moment for a system whose sole purpose is to save astronauts’ lives. NASA’s partners to fly astronauts to the International Space Station, SpaceX and Boeing, have had problems with their abort systems — the space shuttle Challenger did not have such an escape system when its booster rocket exploded shortly after liftoff in 1986, killing all on board. SpaceX’s Dragon capsule exploded earlier this year during a test firing of its abort engines. And Boeing discovered a propellant leak during one of its tests. Boeing has said it has since successfully tested the system; SpaceX is still investigating what caused its spacecraft to explode. In Tuesday’s planned test, the Orion spacecraft will lift off from Launch Pad 46. Then, 55 seconds later, at an altitude of 31,000 feet, when it would be traveling at more than 800 mph, the abort system should kick in, pulling the Orion from its booster and sending it on a ride through the upper edges of the atmosphere. If astronauts were on board, they would experience the same seven Gs that Hague did in October, and the capsule would experience “tremendous aerodynamic forces," said Mark Kirasich, NASA’s Orion program manager, in a briefing Monday at the Kennedy Space Center. Normally, the capsule would be guided down softly by parachutes. But NASA officials said that since the parachutes for the system have already been tested, none will be used Tuesday. As a result, the capsule will be traveling at about 300 mph when it slams into the Atlantic Ocean several miles east of the Florida Space Coast. “We’re not expecting it to stay intact when it hits,” said Jenny Devolites, a NASA test manager. While the capsule would sink to the ocean floor, NASA would still be able to collect data from the flight. There are 900 sensors on the vehicle to measure temperature, pressure and acoustics, she said. During the October abort of the Russian launch, the first thing Hague noticed “was being shaken violently from side to side,” he said. The alarm sounded and a light flashed. “Once I saw the light, I knew we had an emergency with the booster,” he said. NASA officials have since called the mission a “successful failure.”


CBD-infused food and beverages are still illegal under U.S. law. So why are they everywhere?

In 2017, no one knew what CBD oil was. In 2018, folks stumbled saying “cannabidiol” (that’s CBD oil) out loud. In 2019, it’s everywhere, and everyone wants in on it. In flavors like “cucumber mint refresh” and “watermelon renew,” a new line of CBD-infused waters and teas is hitting major grocery stores in California and Colorado on Monday, each 16-ounce bottle containing 20 milligrams, or trace amounts, of “active hemp extract.” These beverages by the Oki company are among the first wave of large-production, mainstream products that are taking CBD out of the neighborhood head shop, dispensary or hippie health food store and into mainstream commerce. It fits into a new conception of health, wellness and functional foods that includes the nonintoxicating benefits of this chemical compound without the psychoactive THC found in marijuana. But at the federal level, CBD in food and drink is still illegal. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits adding even approved drugs to human or animal food in interstate commerce. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp, but the legal status of hemp-derived cannabidiol remains in limbo. This is largely because CBD can be derived from hemp or cannabis, but if a hemp plant contains more than 0.3 percent THC (the active “high” ingredient in marijuana) it is then technically a “marijuana” plant. It’s confusing. Experts say drafting and implementing regulations could take years. Amy Abernethy, the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner, has taken the lead on clarifying the agency’s position on regulation of CBD-infused products, using Twitter as a primary mechanism for conveying the agency’s thought process. On June 16, the FDA released a document called “What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out)” that states: “We are aware that there may be some products on the market that add CBD to a food or label CBD as a dietary supplement. Under federal law, it is currently illegal to market CBD this way.” When asked which instances of CBD sale might prompt legal action, the FDA said it had no additional comments but that the agency had opened a docket for the public to submit comments through July 2. There are 2,554 comments thus far, and that date has been extended to July 16. Brands as diverse as Ben & Jerry’s and Coca-Cola are chomping at the bit to launch CBD-infused products, and stores like Walgreens, Kroger and CVS have


big-box store, yet market research firm Brightfield Group predicts the CBD oil business could balloon to a $22 billion market by 2022. Being among the first “marquee” national brands has the potential to be very lucrative. In 33 states and D.C., medical marijuana is legal. In 10 of those states (plus D.C.) recreational marijuana is legal. Amid that legal patchwork, each state is adopting its own strategies for dealing with CBD in food and beverages. Indiana, Utah, Texas and Florida require a QR code that allows consumers to look up batch numbers, potency and other ingredients. In May, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) approved a bill to establish labeling requirements for CBD and hemp extracts. In Florida, a state hemp program goes into effect July 1 establishing licensing requirements and a framework for dealing with violations, corrective measures and enforcement in the sale of CBD products. So far, the FDA has looked the other way for intrastate commerce in CBD foods (Carls Jr. rolling out a CBD-infused “special sauce” burger in Denver for “4/20 Day,” say). But interstate sales are thornier. Many banks, insurance companies and merchant service companies are leery of providing services for national CBD companies and of the FDA stepping in to see whether the claimed CBD levels are present in the products (spoiler: they frequently aren’t) and issuing warnings to companies making “egregious and unfounded claims that are aimed at vulnerable populations,” claims that it cures Alzheimer’s, cervical cancer, fibromyalgia and more. Jim Bailey, the chief executive of Oki’s parent company Phivida, said there’s enormous potential in CBD — even though Oki labels make no mention of CBD, preferring to advertise “active hemp extract” to satisfy skittish retailers. “Define what luxury means to you today. It’s health and wellness, and there’s a movement back toward plant-based foods and functional foods. We started looking at CBD uses for anxiety and insomnia,” Bailey said. Oki water labels and marketing materials make no claims beyond, ““feel calm, feel balanced.” But the sheer scale of Oki’s launch might arouse the FDA’s ire. Produced and bottled outside of Dallas, waters from the Vancouver-based company are likely trucked through states like New Mexico, where marijuana remains illegal, before reaching their final retail outlet — the very definition of interstate commerce. Industry experts “States are confused and lost and seeking guidance,” Graff said. “Even bullet points like ‘comply with good manufacturing practices’ and


Two communities of scientists host very different eclipse parties

It’s extremely rare to have a complete solar eclipse pass over an observatory. On Tuesday, it happened over two. The observatories in Chile’s Atacama Desert, the darkest, driest part of the world, are less than 70 miles apart  — one funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the other by 16 European countries. The two groups celebrated the phenomena in very different ways: One used it for a research push; the other, a party. “It’s only the third time this has happened in history,” said Lars Lindberg Christensen, head of outreach and initiatives for the European Southern Observatory (ESO). “After the totality, there will be a toast. We’re super excited to have so many people here." At ESO’s La Silla Observatory, which sits at almost a mile and a half in altitude, Christensen and his colleagues hosted 150 VIPs, including Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, business magnate Bill Gates and numerous ambassadors. About 1,000 members of the public attended, along with English rock star Steve Rothery, who performed a concert. Conditions were perfect for sky gazing. A few hours before the moment when the moon comes between the earth and sun, and casts the darkest part of its shadow on Earth, a dark blue strip of ocean was visible from the Europeans’ perch. A strong Antarctic Ocean chill, the Humboldt current, was creating a cloud inversion, which pulls all fog low to the coastline. This clear-sky weather of the desert mountain range, squished remarkably close to the coastline, is why the area became a go-to site for multiple giant telescopes starting in the 1960s. With viewing conditions optimal, the Europeans gave their VIP guests a close-up perspective of solar research. Ambassadors and others watched as ESO’s scientists pulled back the dome and used the massive New Technology Telescope to measure atoms of the sun’s corona, which appears as the wispy crown of light around the black disk of an eclipsing moon. The physics of this crown, actually the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere, “is still a little bit of a mystery,” Christensen said. It is best measured during the rare times when the moon visibly passes over the sun. For the Atacama desert, this last occurred over a century ago. The astronomers moved the massive telescope under enormous time pressure. They had under a minute to make measurements when the surface of the sun is blocked. This is


Maryland sees first heat-related death of the year

A woman has died in Maryland in the state’s first heat-related death of the year, officials said Wednesday. In a statement, the Maryland Department of Health and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the woman died in Anne Arundel County and was older than 65. Details about the death and the name of the victim were not released. “This tragic event reminds us about the dangers associated with hot weather, which can raise the body’s temperature, increasing the potential for heat-related illnesses, heat exhaustion and heat stroke,” Deputy Secretary for Public Health Fran Phillips said in a statement. “Marylanders are urged to take every precaution to avoid overheating and to stay hydrated — if necessary, move to a cooling center.” Temperatures have lingered in the 90s in the Washington region in the past week, with Saturday recorded as the hottest day of the year so far. Officials said information about staying safe in heat is available at the Maryland health department’s website. justin.moyer@washpost.com


The Technology 202: I drove a Tesla Model 3 and here’s what I learned: Trust but verify

a Facebook page with more than 60,000 likes promoting baking soda as a cancer treatment. The content is similar to that unearthed by my colleague Abby Ohlheiser, who released a report last week on YouTube’s and Facebook’s epidemic of directing cancer patients toward misleading medical advice and fake cures. On Facebook, she uncovered groups dedicated to unproven cancer cures that had thousands of members. Even with Facebook’s new standards, Abby points out that group members will still be able to easily access misinformation posted in the private forums. NIBBLES: U.S. Customs and Border Protection has suspended business with Perceptics, a contractor suspected to be at fault for a data breach that exposed tens of thousands of classified government documents, CBP officials initially played down the breach, saying that fewer than 100,000 photos of travelers had been breached. But Drew found a trove of sensitive information on the dark Web, including detailed schematics of technology at key points of entry and various classified CBP documents. Further investigation could lead to a blacklisting of Perceptics from government contract work. According to the company’s promotional materials it is CBP’s sole vendor for license plate scanners, Drew reports. It’s unclear how or whether the suspension will affect border operations, Drew reports. Perceptics is also facing a potential investigation by the Canadian Border Service Agency, which also buys its technology. BYTES: House Democrats are trying to head off a July hearing about Facebook's new cryptocurrency project by asking the company to stop development on the project until regulators can investigate, “If products and services like these are left improperly regulated and without sufficient oversight, they could pose systemic risks that endanger U.S. and global financial stability,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, wrote in the letter. “These vulnerabilities could be exploited and obscured by bad actors, as other cryptocurrencies, exchanges, and wallets have been in the past.” Facebook’s announcement of the cryptocurrency project last month set off an immediate firestorm of concern from lawmakers in the United States and abroad. The Senate Banking Committee will also host a hearing about the Libra project on July 16, where both Democrats and Republicans have requested more information from the company about how it will address consumer privacy protections with the project. — News from the private sector: — News from the public sector: — Tech news generating buzz around the Web:


Style Invitational Week 1339: Songs for a modern error

(Click here to skip down to the winning spelling bee poems and jokes) Tonight, tonight, a most distressing sight: It’s our first song parody contest of 2019, and this week’s theme comes courtesy of Loserbard Matt Monitto, complete with sample song (and even this week’s headline). We’ll be broad in scope. This week: Write humorous lyrics to a song about some modern woe, set to a familiar tune. It can be about a how-you-say First World problem, like Matt’s lament above, or something more serious as long as your anger and bitterness don’t overwhelm your wit (the Empress calls that “screediness”). We’ll give you an extra week — until July 22 — to get the parodies done. If you make a video, we might feature it in the online Invite (you could even use your own tune) but it’s the quality of the lyrics that matters most. See this week’s Style Conversational column at wapo.st/conv1339 for more guidance about writing songs for us. Submit entries at wapo.st/enter-invite-1339 (all lowercase). Winner gets the Lose Cannon, our Style Invitational trophy. Second place receives the “Mr. President Wig” worn for a minute by Loser Howard Walderman while he sang a parody of “Imagine” (“Imagine I’m the Donald”) at last weekend’s Flushies, the Losers’ annual awards “banquet.” Howard’s older than the Current Occupant but in way better shape: He recently medaled in swimming in the 80-to-84 group in the Maryland Senior Olympics. Other runners-up The Style Conversational: And from The Style Invitational four weeks ago . . . SPELLY LAUGHS: THE BEE POEMS & JOKES FROM WEEK 1335 In Week 1335 we asked for poems based on words from this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee — and we also invited some riddles. 4th place: Omphalopsychites (AHM-fuh-lo-SIGH-kites), people who meditate by focusing on their navels Genesis demonstratesIncontrovertiblyAbel and Cain were theFirst born that way. (Chris Doyle, Denton, Tex.) 3rd place: Badderlocks, brownish seaweed eaten in Northern Europe 2nd place and the bacon-scented soap and air 'freshener': Fucus (FEW-kus): And the winner of the Lose Cannon: Apophysitis (uh-PAH-fuh-SIGH-tuhs), painful bone spurs: Bee-flats: Honorable mentions Seitan, flavored wheat gluten, often a meat substitute: Murrelet, a seabird Stakhanovite (sta-KAH-no-vite), a Soviet worker awarded for exceeding production quotas Haustellum, an insect proboscis adapted to suck blood) “Badderlocks” jokes Q. What European diet features full meals plus snacks of seaweed? A. Badderlocks and the Three Squares. (Mark Raffman) Rhathymia (ra-THIM-mia


Scientists regret to inform you that this mystery space object is (probably) not aliens

was a comet, with ice that was vaporizing and giving it “a little bit of a kick” as it entered the solar system. But the scientists did not see a gas tail or directly detect any ice. Instead, the scientists categorized it more generally as planetesimal, meaning that ‘Oumuamua is probably “just a leftover remnant from another solar system’s birth process,” Meech said, like a giant boulder that at some point could have fused with other space rocks to form a planet, but didn’t. After that, scientists suspect, ‘Oumuamua was ejected from its own solar system. Now it’s on a road trip through the galaxy. “It was just traveling through space, kind of minding its own business, and at some point, it got close enough to our solar system that then it started feeling the gravitational tug from our sun, and then it got pulled through,” Knight said. Once in our solar system, ‘Oumuamua sped and tumbled into visibility. Using Earth telescopes, Meech’s team recorded data for a week. Then, from November 2018 through the first week of January, it was only faintly visible through the Hubble Space Telescope. ‘Oumuamua’s brightness changed in visibility, as one viewed the narrow side and then the long side. Knight compared it to looking at a bottle of soda. “If you’re seeing the length of it, it’s a very wide cross section,” Knight said. “But if you’re looking at it down the cap, you’re only seeing a narrow area.” Scientists don’t know exactly how big ‘Oumuamua is. They could estimate only because of how it reflected sunlight. Knight said “sizes from about [650 feet] to about [3,300 feet] would all be consistent with known asteroids and comets in our solar system.” For about the past 30 years, scientists predicted that objects from another star system could be discovered. Over the past 10 years, the technology to survey for such faint and fast objects improved. ‘Oumuamua is the first, but probably not the last, interstellar object to be observed. Over the next 10 years, scientists could probably see one every year. In early July, ‘Oumuamua was just beyond Saturn. “Over the next hundreds of years, it will be zooming out of our solar system,” Knight said. “And then eventually it will just be back out in interstellar space between stars.” Read more: Midwestern farmers’ struggles with extreme weather are visible from space How do you


يجب أن تتحد المعارضة المصرية ضد النظام وإلّا ستخاطر بالتعرض لقمع أكبر

حملة قمعية سياسية في تاريخ مصر الحديث – هذه حملة تستهدف الجماعات العلمانية والإسلامية على حد سواء. ومع أنّ مستويات الظلم غير مسبوقة، إلا أنها ليست كافية حتى الآن لسد الفجوة المتزايدة وانعدام الثقة بين الفصيلين المعارضَين في مصر. بالعكس، بل ترسخت سرديات الفصائل المختلفة بشكل أكبر خلال السنوات الأخيرة. لكل فئة تصور مختلف اختلافًا جذريًا عن الماضي، مبنيٌ على دعايات أيديولوجية استقطابية وارتباطات العاطفية بالأحداث. جسّدت مظاهرات يونيو/حزيران 2013 صراع كلا الفصيلين. فعلى مدى عقود طويلة كان الطموح السياسي للإسلاميين مسقوف بالبرلمان. وعندما انتُخِب مرسي، فقد كان فوزه يمثّل شيئًا أعمق من مجرد كونه رئيساً للبلاد: بالنسبة لجمهوره الإسلامي، كان مرسي تجسيدًا لنجاحهم في تحطيم الأسقف السياسية. أما العلمانيون، فقد كانوا يُعتبرون جزءًا من نخبة محدودة العدد ليس لها قاعدة جماهيرية ولا تملك القدرة على الحشد. ولذلك عندما نجحوا في الحشد ضد مرسي عام 2013، فقد رأى المؤيدون المظاهرات تجسيدًا لنجاحهم. وكل عام منذ 2013، يعيد طرفا المعارضة السياسية النظر في هذا التاريخ المتباين والذي يمثل قضايا جذرية عميقة. من جانب يحاول الإسلاميون نزع الشرعية عن احتجاجات عام 2013 من خلال التقليل من عدد المشاركين والمبالغة في دعم أجهزة الأمن لها. وبنفس الطريقة، يحاول العلمانيون نزع الشرعية عن مرسي من خلال تصويره كرئيس غير كفء لم يمثّل سوى الإسلاميين فحسب. وبهذا يلعب كل طرف على النقص السياسي التاريخي للآخر. وفي نفس الوقت، يستغل نظام السيسي ببراعة هذه النقوص ذاتها لخلق المزيد من الانقسامات – ويستخدم القمع كأداة لتعزيز سردية كل جانب عن الآخر. وسياسات اللوم المثيرة للخلاف ليست جديدة على المشهد المصري – وخاصة في هذا السياق. فتاريخيًا، حرّض الجيش فصائل معارضة مختلفة ضد بعضها البعض من أجل تحقيق التوازن بين ديناميكيات القوة. وهو اليوم يستخدم تكتيكات مماثلة – مثل شيطنة جماعات المعارضة وتقديم معاملة تفضيلية في الأحكام وظروف السجن لفصيل على الآخر – من أجل تعميق الصراع المستمر منذ عقود بين العلمانيين والإسلاميين. لكن ما يحتاج أن يفهمه كل من العلمانيين والإسلاميين السياسيين هو أنه على الرغم من وجود اختلافات كبيرة في الأيديولوجيا ورؤيتهما المستقبلية للبلاد، فإن هذه الاختلافات ليست وجودية. بل إن هذه المجموعات في الواقع بينها قواسم مشتركة أكثر مما يرغب أي من الطرفين بالاعتراف به: معاناة مشتركة وحلم مشترك لهما في المشاركة في تشكيل مستقبل بلدهما. في ظل القمع اللامتناهي للنظام، يجب أن يدرك كلا الفصيلين أن الواقع السياسي لا يمنحهما رفاهية الانخراط في خلافات نظرية أو نقاشات حول تصوراتهم المتناقضة حول سرديات الماضي. فالآن أكثر من أي وقت مضى، يجب عليهم إيجاد أرضية مشتركة لبناء مستقبل حر، تعددي، وديمقراطي يتعايشون فيه جميعاً. يجب على


A Capitol Fourth and a Salute to America: Politics are behind both, but in very different ways

the agencies under his purse strings. Yates balked at the earmark, not so much on the merits but more out of a sense that congressional protocol demanded that the speaker should have come to him, which would have given Yates the opportunity to grant a favor that could be redeemed later. As one of the “Cardinals,” as the Appropriations Subcommittee chairs were known, Yates did not appreciate O’Neill making a deal with McDade behind his back. The National Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center’s resident symphony, begged Yates to change his mind. NSO was at this time in terrible financial straits. Jack Golodner, director of the AFL-CIO Department of Professional Employees, which included the American Federation of Musicians, and a great friend of the Yates office, pleaded that the Capitol concerts would provide essential income for the NSO’s musicians. After several meetings with Golodner, NSO Board President Austin Kiplinger, Board Member Leonard Silverstein, and NSO executive director Oleg Lobanov, Yates agreed to an appropriation to the National Park Service that would provide for four seasonal concerts sponsored by Congress and the Interior Department, to be called “An American Festival, Concerts at the Capitol.” These concerts would be linked to Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day and a fourth floating performance, and would be conducted by Aaron Copland, the NSO’s own Mstislav Rostropovich, Arthur Fiedler and Erich Leinsdorf. An important stipulation was that the appropriation for each performance included three rehearsals, so that in labor union terms, the musicians got paid for a total of sixteen services, enough to keep the NSO afloat. O’Neill later told The Post that Yates was “the father of the idea for the concert” and the details were certainly those hammered out by the Chicago Democrat. “An American Festival” was a great success and evolved into the “National Memorial Day Concert” and “A Capitol Fourth.” Yates retired from the House in 1999 at age 89, and Colbert, joined by his son Michael, continued to produce the concerts through his death in 2017. The PBS website, celebrating Colbert, states the vision that inspired the project: “For an hour and a half, we unite the country in this celebratory moment where the joy is absolutely contagious. It’s a wonderful way to share and celebrate our birthday and democracy with all of America.” “A Capitol Fourth” is not about “our favorite President-me”. It is about us. It is about America.


How a world-class chef blossomed in Napa Valley: The French Laundry turns 25

I recommend approaching Yountville in the dark. Nighttime driving conceals Napa Valley’s Mayacamas Mountains and hillsides, so I wake in my hotel surprised and enchanted by the vineyard landscape. Darkness also helps me imagine the time before Napa Valley became an international wine destination. The industry ran on faith between the winery-decimating plague of Prohibition 100 years ago and the 1976 Judgment of Paris, when Napa wines beat French wines in a blind taste test. The latter event started a worldwide Napa Valley wine obsession that continues today. And for Yountville, a town nestled in southern Napa Valley, the opening 25 years ago this weekend of chef Thomas Keller's the French Laundry began its time of flourishing. Keller turned the French Laundry into an international bucket-list destination, a place where people who can't get (or can't afford) reservations take selfies in front of the sign. Equating Prohibition and a restaurant debut in historic significance to a wine region may seem an overstatement. But consider: Keller holds a total of seven Michelin stars across his now-imperial restaurant portfolio — two within blocks of each other in Yountville. The French Laundry’s perfect three stars is a rating only a handful of American restaurants have ever achieved. (One of the others is Per Se in Manhattan, also owned by Keller.) Next door to the French Laundry is a small house that has served as the American training ground for the world chef championship called the Bocuse d’Or, which takes place in Lyon, France, every two years. It is often called the “culinary Olympics.” So Yountville is now ground zero for the Bocuse d’Or’s Team U.S.A. On a recent evening I spent with Keller at the French Laundry, he mused: “I was born at the right time for the profession in the same way that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were born at the right time. The idea of American cuisine really blossomed for America when I was a young cook, so I was in the beginning, I was in the infancy of that.” Yountville has prospered over the past quarter-century as a standard-bearer of an increasingly well-lived American life in food, wine and the arts. The Yountville Chamber of Commerce boasts on brochures, “From Michelin Stars to Masterpieces!” The “Masterpieces” refer to Yountville’s flourishing arts programs. The Napa Valley Museum, opened in Yountville in 1998, has an exhibit on printmaking, with samples from


The Finance 202: Trump’s tax returns won’t answer all of Democrats’ questions

THE TICKER House Democrats raised the stakes in their push for President Trump’s tax returns Tuesday by suing in federal court to secure access to the documents. Getting ahold of the returns has become a priority for progressive activists, who have framed the records as a sort of Rosetta Stone to the sources, methods and scale of the president’s wealth. Several experts tell me the six years' worth of documents Democrats are seeking will help fill in a still mostly incomplete picture of Trump’s original claim to fame. But they will also probably leave some big questions unanswered: “We won't learn anything that he has chosen not to tell the IRS. The complexity of the Trump Organization — what The Post’s Paul Waldman describes as “an amalgam of approximately 500 separate partnerships and pass-through companies” — muddies the picture and could limit what the president’s returns will reveal. “We’re unlikely to know all the relationships between his different companies and all the partners and arrangements they have with other companies foreign and domestic,” says Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The records nevertheless will offer a bevy of information about Trump’s business life. Trump’s personal returns would also show the effective tax rate he has paid Additionally, Rosenthal testified, Trump’s returns would reveal “the sources and nature of income and deductions. How much salaries or wages? Any consulting income? How much business income? Investment income? Foreign‐source income and foreign taxes? Any charitable contributions? Any state taxes?” The records would likely unveil how much Trump pays in alimony, Hemel noted. “And we may learn something about his foreign bank accounts,” he said. But the best argument for Congress to recover the documents is “precisely the reason why the Ways and Means Committee wants them: to figure out whether the IRS has applied the federal tax laws to him in a fair and impartial manner, and whether he is paying what he owes. They'll also provide a glimpse of his complicated financial life, but not the whole picture.” PROGRAMMING NOTE: We're taking a brief break tomorrow and Friday for the holiday. We'll see you back here Monday. In the meantime, here's wishing you and yours a safe and happy Fourth. — Trump picks two for the Fed. The Post's Heather Long: “Trump plans to nominate Christopher Waller and Judy Shelton to fill the two remaining seats