This costume designer repaired a butterfly’s wing, then watched in delight as it flew away

hesitate. “Because of the work I do, it was no-brainer,” said McCloskey, who is a master embroiderer by trade, mostly doing work for independent films through her company, Faden Design Studios. She took out the tools she needed: tweezers, small scissors, glue, a wire hanger, a towel and talcum powder. She also had a spare wing from a butterfly that had died days earlier. She had kept the butterfly thinking it was beautiful and that she might display it in a shadow box on her wall. But instead, she said she found a better use for it. A migrating monarch — which can live for several months — doesn’t have nerve endings in its wings, so she wasn’t concerned about hurting it. As the video instructs, she immobilized the butterfly by placing a wire hanger over its body, then carefully cut the mangled wing away and glued the replacement wing on what remained of the injured wing. She waited for the glue to dry, then sprinkled a small amount of talcum powder on the wings to prevent them from sticking together due to any glue that had not fully dried. The whole thing took 10 minutes. “You have to be sure the donor wing you have fits,” she said. “It overlaps by less than a millimeter, and I used the tiniest bit of glue. It is such a scant amount of glue.” She put the butterfly back in its cage with some food and left it overnight. “I woke up the next morning and said, ‘Please be alive,'” she said. She saw it moving, and knew the surgery was a success. “I said, ‘All right, buddy, let’s go,'” she said. She went into her garden and released her other eight butterflies. Then she looked at the one with the prosthetic wing. “He climbed on my finger, checked out the surroundings and then took off,” she said. “He landed on some bushes, and sure enough, when I went to reach for him, he flew up in the direction of the sun.” That was the last she saw of him, she said, flush with pride. “He was on his mission,” she said. Read more: A photo of a Syrian refugee boy gazing into a gym went viral. Then the owner gave him a lifetime membership. This sick woman’s friends have kept their promise to visit her every weekday — for 21 years


Everything you need to know about a government shutdown

A shutdown complicates the lives of federal workers and the millions of Americans who rely on them.


Trump officials weigh keeping national parks open even if government shuts down

As a Friday deadline for a government shutdown approached, the Trump administration began setting plans in motion to halt scores of federal functions — even as it scrambled to keep hundreds of national parks and monuments open to the public to minimize anger over the disruption of services. With government funding set to expire at midnight Friday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was still working out details of a plan to permit the parks to function without rangers or other staff on site. With many parks in peak season, drawing thousands of visitors, the lack of finality was causing wide confusion across the park system. Officials from three sites said Thursday they were unsure how to proceed. "We don't have a plan yet," said Abby Wines, spokeswoman for Death Valley National Park in California, which is seeing 80,000 visitors a month. "We just got a memo about this yesterday. Today's the first day we're seriously thinking about this." Other federal agencies were preparing plans to close. Across Washington, senior officials were pulling out the detailed manuals that tell them whom to send home and whom to keep on the job if the government runs out of money, either because their mission is essential or is funded by a source other than Congress. About 800,000 federal workers were furloughed during the last shutdown in 2013, which lasted 16 days. Roughly the same number would be affected today. The full impact of a shutdown would not be apparent until Monday. In the District, the Smithsonian's 17 museums and the National Zoo would remain open Saturday and Sunday, using funds from previous appropriations. They would close on Monday — though the zoo animals would still receive food and care. The National Gallery of Art also is planning to stay open this weekend to accommodate crowds flocking to its popular "Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry" exhibit, set to close Sunday. Monday also would bring the cessation of some other services: Some long-term recovery efforts would be affected in areas stricken by catastrophic hurricanes, wildfires or mudslides, officials said. The Internal Revenue Service would send home thousands of employees, leaving questions about the new tax law unanswered. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would furlough about 61 percent of its staff — roughly 8,400 people — in the midst of one of the harshest flu seasons in recent years. And


Massive confusion spreads through federal bureaucracy ahead of shutdown deadline

according to Treasury officials. A prolonged impasse could affect the pace at which IRS attorneys can issue new guidelines to resolve legal questions the law raises and to implement computer updates to IRS software for processing tax forms, tax experts said. A shutdown would halt key rail, airline and other investigations, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which said 95 percent of its more than 400 employees would be furloughed. Among the work that would stop: Investigations into an Amtrak derailment near DuPont, Wash., in December that killed three people, and into a near miss at San Francisco International Airport in July, when an Air Canada flight nearly landed on the wrong runway, according to the NTSB. At the State Department, consular offices abroad would continue to process visas, as long as the fees they generate pay for the cost. Ambassadors would continue meeting government officials around the world. Travel would be curtailed, but is allowed to proceed if the trips are for national security purposes, including negotiating treaties and attending bilateral meetings, or to save lives, as in the case of medical emergencies or providing refugees with food and medicine. Many training courses will be suspended, except for classes related to diplomatic security, anti-terrorism and preparing government employees to go to dangerous postings such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Furloughed employees across the government will be advised to turn off their cellphones and have no email communications with colleagues who continue to work. They are prohibited from using social media accounts, and virtually all public speeches are forbidden. A skeletal team of public affairs spokesmen will be working to communicate with the media, but they are allowed to discuss only issues pertaining to national security. The National Park Service issued a contingency plan Friday evening that outlined how access to public lands would be maintained to the greatest extent possible under a shutdown, even as buildings would be locked and visitor services would cease. At Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, some of the buildings could shut as soon as Saturday, though much of the park's 760,000 acres will remain open to visitors. The park is home to many large alligators and pythons, and there will not be as many park rangers working to enforce safety precautions. "We are going to put some information out that encourages people to use extra caution," spokeswoman Ardrianna McLane said. juliet.eilperin@washpost.com lisa.rein@washpost.com damian.paletta@washpost.com


The government shutdown: We’ve been here before, and it lasted weeks.

Ours isn’t the first winter of government discontent. Yes, America, we’ve been here before. Long before the spectacle of President Trump and Congress scrambling and failing to avert a government shutdown, an entrenched budgetary standoff between House Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Bill Clinton ground government to a halt for a record four weeks. The vast federal workforce was furloughed from Dec. 16, 1995, to Jan. 6, 1996, the longest failure of basic governmental function in the history of the republic. That breakdown came just a month after a five-day shutdown, and was further extended by a historic pair of winter storms that shut the government down again on the very day Washington’s civil servants were finally going back to work. In all, the winter of ’95-’96 was a frozen mess for federal functionality. The government’s spending authority expired on Dec. 15, a Saturday, so the full brunt of the shutdown wasn’t felt until 280,000 workers stayed home on Monday. (The previous shutdown had idled about 800,000 workers, but Congress had funded several more departments in the meantime). As the political sniping continued up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, the parks were dark, offices locked and the pulse of government went into winter hibernation. Tourism took some of the biggest hits. Tour groups, with no Smithsonian museums to visit, canceled in droves. Taxi drivers cruised empty for hours. Hotels and restaurants cut staff. “I want those congressmen to come down here and explain to our employees who we have to lay off why they’re going to have to pick between paying the rent and buying presents this Christmas,” Mike Dickens, president of a Bethesda-based hotel company, told The Washington Post. And it wasn’t just Washington. By week three, the more than 1,600 hospitality workers outside of Yosemite National Park had been laid off. Desperate, some museums turned to private funds to unlock the doors, even briefly. The National Gallery of Art tapped its Fund for International Exchange to pay 25 guards it needed to open a blockbuster Vermeer exhibit for a week, to the delight of tourists and cabin-bound government workers alike. (Weirdly, another Vermeer exhibit closes at the National Gallery on Sunday amid threat of another government shutdown.) Then came the cruel climatic twist, just as the White House and Congress finally reached a deal. Clinton, Gingrich and then-Sen. Majority Leader Robert Dole (R-Kan.) came to terms on Jan 6,


Want to save more money? Try these three financial fasts

At the beginning of the year, a lot of folks try to figure out what to do to become better money managers. As the good book says, their spirit is willing, but their flesh is weak. Meaning they want to change but can't overcome a lot of the things that torpedo their good intentions. You want to stop overspending, but the call of the mall is too great. You know your grocery bill is out of control, but you keep telling yourself food is a necessity. I would like to propose three types of financial fasts to help you on your journey to financial freedom — a food fast, a clothing fast and the 21-day financial fast. Let's start with overspending in the grocery store. Up to 40 percent of all food is wasted at an annual cost of $218 billion, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Consumers are responsible for 43 percent of this waste — more than restaurants, grocery stores or any other single part of the supply chain," the organization says. How many times have you started home from work — or anywhere for that matter — and thought about what you had in the refrigerator to eat and decided you wanted something different? So you stopped at the supermarket to pick up a few things. An hour later, you had a cart full of groceries. A week later, you're throwing out food. If overspending at the supermarket is your weakness, try this food fast: Eat yourself out of house and home. For the next month, I want you to eat all the food you have already purchased. You cannot go to the grocery store except to buy perishables such as eggs, milk, bread, etc. In a recent online discussion, one reader decided to try this fast, writing, "After making soup, I have decided that we have more than enough food in our home. Instead of mindlessly going to the grocery store and picking up food we want to eat, we are eating what is in our home. I have multiple cans of food, frozen meals, potatoes, onions, flour, sugar, beans, etc. Why am I constantly in the store? Okay, we do need milk and eggs, but otherwise we are fine in the food department. So, I am embarking on an eat-what-I-have-at-home campaign. I figure it will save me money and declutter at the same time."


The Washington region knows how a shutdown feels. And it’s not good.

Washington-area residents and elected officials tried to prepare Friday for the effects of a federal government shutdown, a familiar possibility that keeps thousands of residents from being paid, costs contractors serious money and leaves restaurants and businesses with far fewer customers. While Congressional leaders and top White House officials huddled in last-minute discussions, the people who call Washington home year-round were getting ready for the worst. There are about 283,500 federal employees in the Washington region, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The potential loss in economic activity adds up to about $150 million per day, said Terry Clower, director of George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis. "That's a big thing," Clower said. "Do you recapture some of that down the road? Maybe. But it gives you an order of magnitude of what's happening day-to-day." Prince George's County resident Wanda McClary said she has been pulling as many extra shifts as she can as a security guard at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, knowing that a shutdown means the museum could close and the 52-year-old and her colleagues would face their own financial shortfall. "We have no idea what will happen," said McClary, who lives in District Heights. "The only thing that saves me is that I love what I do." With funds already tight in a local economy hampered by $13 billion in federal cuts since 2013, many local and state officials expressed anger at the current budget impasse in Congress that, for their governments, either means shutting down programs that rely on federal dollars or footing the bill to keep them open. "Marylanders are sick and tired of Washington's dysfunctional blame games," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said in a statement, echoing — but in a bipartisan way — Democrats in the state legislature who earlier in the week sent a letter to President Trump and GOP leaders in Congress declaring: "Enough is Enough." "Let me be very clear to everyone in Washington, both Republicans and Democrats — stop the finger-pointing and do your jobs," Hogan said. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said even the talk of a shutdown is causing too much instability in the region. "I just don't think there's any excuse," Northam told reporters Friday afternoon. "It bothers me not only as the governor of Virginia but also as a business person." Short-term fixes, he said, such as


government for contract work. In many families, both parents work for the government and are on the higher end of the pay scale. At the same time, Baker expressed support for Democrats in Congress who have refused to agree to a spending bill that does not include protections for young immigrants and children at risk of losing health insurance. "These are critical issues that need to be dealt with," Baker said. "Congress needs to do its job. This is no way to run a government." Nearly as many federal workers — about 73,500 — live in neighboring Montgomery County. "To the extent that this becomes a prolonged crisis, that could have a very damaging effect on the county," said Council President Hans Riemer (D-At Large). "Any adverse decisions they make have an effect on us." In Arlington County, tourists may be kept from visiting some local attractions, said county spokeswoman Jennifer K. Smith, which in turn would affect sales tax revenue. The Arlington National Cemetery will remain open during any shutdown, according to the cemetery website. Ivonne Grande, assistant manager at the Pie Five pizzeria in the L'Enfant Plaza food court, said a shutdown would reduce business at the federal government complex to a trickle. In turn, that could lead to shorter hours for workers or layoffs, she said. "About 60 percent of our customers are government workers, and the other 40 percent are tourists," Grande said. Nearby, a cluster of federal employees prepared for their weekend uncertain about whether they would be reporting for work on Monday. Some gleefully hoped for a few days off, trading notes about the previous government shutdowns in 2013 and 1995 and making tentative plans to catch a movie or visit a (nongovernment) museum if another shutdown occurs. Others worried about their mortgages and how they'll feed their kids if they go too long without pay. "By the time you get to that fifth or sixth week, you've got to be real frugal," said Grady Bryant, who works for the Department of Homeland Security and has been through two shutdowns. Dana Kegler, a management program analyst at the Department of Homeland Security, said she was upset about the possibility of a shutdown because political theatrics are threatening "people's livelihoods." "It's a showdown, and what's at stake is folks who could be out of work," she said. "It's a cat-and-mouse game that isn't cool." antonio.olivo@washpost.com


Government shuts down after Senate bill collapses, negotiations fail

to expand the playing field to other issues such as funding to combat opioid abuse and pension bailouts. "Are Democrats going to shut the government . . . because we want basic reforms and enforcement measures that are going to prevent further flows of illegal immigrants and unskilled immigrants?" said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who is pushing for hard-line immigration policies in return for a DACA fix. "Seems to me like a tough position to win in light of the 2016 election." Marc Short, Trump's director of legislative affairs, said that the effort by Democrats to put an immigration fix in the spending bill was unreasonable, given that legislative text has not been drafted and the program doesn't expire until March. "There's no DACA bill to vote on, and there's no emergency on the timing," Short said. The posturing took place mainly in front of reporters. Missing were the furious back-and-forth negotiations that preceded the 16-day shutdown in 2013, when Republican leaders sought to force a rollback of the Affordable Care Act and met several times with President Obama to seek an accommodation. Shortly after 6 p.m., Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Tex.) looked at his watch and vented frustration. "Government shuts down in what, five hours and 40 minutes? And there's no solution? I don't know whether Senator Schumer is just determined to take it down," he said. "Obviously, we don't want to shut the government down, either, but they seem to be determined to do so." Visibly, only Graham shuttled back and forth between the Republican and Democratic leadership offices, shopping a proposal to replace the four-week funding extension passed by the House with a slightly shorter one. As the 10 p.m. vote approached, Cornyn declared: "No deal." Schumer rejected a proposal that would have extended funding by three weeks, to Feb. 8, instead of four. Schumer floated a 10-day extension, which would have set another deadline just before Trump delivered his State of the Union address on Jan. 30. Shortly after midnight, McConnell closed the vote and declared an impasse. The Trump administration worked up plans to keep national parks and monuments open despite a shutdown as a way to blunt public anger, and while the military would not cease to operate, troops would not be paid unless Congress specifically authorizes it. In a sign of the preparations on Capitol Hill, congressional staffers received formal notice Friday


Climate change is hitting African Americans hard. Here’s how Maryland can lead.

is linked to preterm births and underweight babies, heart disease and cancer. Yet we can't send the doctors' bills to the fossil-fuel industry. Communities of color We can and must change the energy model rooted in environmental racism and climate disruption. The Clean Energy Jobs Inititative proposes that we boost current efforts by doubling Maryland's renewable electricity goal from 25 percent by 2025 to 50 percent by 2030. That means utilities would have to buy more solar and wind energy. It also means we would stop kidding ourselves that burning trash is a clean energy source. In the process, Maryland would prevent 290 premature deaths a year from asthma attacks alone. Coping with climate disruption would reduce the hidden medical costs that fossil-fuel pushers conveniently overlook when promoting their so-called cheap energy. Getting more of our energy from solar and wind would also create jobs. Already, our state's solar industry employs more than 5,400 people . Between 2015 and 2016, the solar industry grew 20 times faster than our state's economy. By requiring more renewable energy, Maryland could create nearly 20,000 jobs in the solar industry, while a typical 250-megawatt wind farm would create almost 1,100 jobs. So far, African Americans have been left behind in Maryland's transition to clean energy, making up only 5.9 percent of the solar workforce. Similarly, women hold just 28 percent of these jobs. Strengthening our clean-energy goals would give us a chance to train a diverse workforce and to create wealth in communities where we have too long accepted economic inequality. All while reducing pollution, improving our health and cutting 8.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year by 2030, the equivalent of taking 1.7 million cars off the road. The National Climate Assessment released in November outlines the already dire consequences of our historic inaction and warns of unpredictable and sudden changes to come. It is no wonder then that Maryland residents — particularly the young — are clamoring for clean energy to power their world: Curtis Bay students organized and eventually blocked an incinerator near their neighborhood, resisting efforts to again make their home a dumping ground. Students, business owners, faith leaders and environmental stewards worked for years to finally ban fracking in our state. Communities are fighting pipelines and power plants. With the Clean Energy Jobs Initiative, we can continue this momentum and make Maryland a leader in climate justice.


U.S. troops can watch NFL championship games, with AFN deemed ‘essential’

furloughed at midnight Saturday. Sports broadcasting had not been deemed an essential activity and was stopped to comply with the shutdown. According to White, uniform leadership at AFN, the comptroller and legal team were able to turn on a channel based on operational necessity and because funds had already been paid on the contract. The first channel is news and the second is sports, which can be run with minimal staffing that complies with the shutdown by not incurring any extra cost or personnel. USO facilities were to cover some, but not all, military personnel looking for NFL action. The facilities are common on military installations, but some locations, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, may not have access to the high-speed Internet necessary to stream the games. Other military installations, such as Navy ships, may have access to AFN but not a USO outpost. The AFN is commonly the only portal for servicepeople to access American television while stationed abroad. Talks aimed at ending the shutdown are continuing, with this shutdown the first furlough of federal employees under single-party control of Congress and the White House. It does not appear the shutdown will affect security preparations for the Super Bowl, set for Feb. 4 in Minneapolis. “FBI operations are directed towards national security and violations of federal law, and must be able to continue during a lapse in appropriations,” the FBI said in a statement. “As such, all FBI agents and support personnel in field offices are considered excepted from furlough.” That includes agents working on Super Bowl security checks and counterterrorism measures, said James J. Wedick, a retired FBI agent of three decades and a security consultant. He worked through the 1995 government shutdown and said the bureau’s day-to-day operations are virtually indistinguishable from when federal agencies are funded. “What will be disappointing to some degree is that it will affect other [parts] of government,” he said. “So if we’re [the FBI] relying on something, we might have to extend additional resources because something we were counting on isn’t there anymore.” Mark Maske and Dan Lamothe contributed to this report. Read more: Tom Brady is hurt (or is he?) as Patriots prepare for Jaguars; Vikings-Eagles get set Amid government shutdown, the military becomes major front in political battle Air Force athletic schedule is a casualty of the government shutdown Once-quiet Jalen Ramsey has become the NFL’s trash-talking,


Cataclysmic cargo: The hunt for four missing nuclear bombs after a B-52 crash

for the bombs continued, searchers encountered radiation and located pieces of the weapons. “The number of people involved” in the recovery effort, according to a short Air Force film, “grew from the original 68 to some 562 at the peak of operation.” Trucks, bulldozers and other heavy equipment “plowed, piled up and loaded the contaminated crust and debris into large steel containers for storage, shipment and final disposition,” according to the film’s narrator. The Danish government barred the local Inuit population from hunting within the crash zone or boiling meat with melted seawater. The Air Force eventually filled 67 25,000-gallon tanks with contaminated snow, according to Maj. Gen. Richard O. Hunziker, the Air Force commander who supervised the cleanup and recovery efforts. On Jan. 28, the Air Force reported parts of all four bombs had been recovered as well as radiation levels that suggested the TNT components of the bombs had exploded during the crash, according to Sheehan. The cleanup continued — and the aftermath of the crash lingered for decades. In the mid-1990s, as recounted by Kristensen, Denmark learned from declassified U.S. documents of the plane’s real route and position at the time of the crash. Public outrage intensified when the Danish government discovered that, despite Danish policy, the United States had stored nuclear weapons in Greenland. Events at Thule returned to the headlines in 2008 with a report by the BBC that — despite U.S. claims to the contrary — searchers were only able to locate three of the four hydrogen bombs. A Danish inquiry challenged the BBC’s findings, but anxieties about potential nuclear contamination remained. In 2010, the Guardian’s Stephen Pax Leonard wrote, unresolved concerns about nuclear contamination from the Thule accident represented one of several threats to the way of life of native Eskimo hunters. While the Thule crash left political problems and environmental concerns in its wake, it resulted in a significant policy shift that would have no doubt disappointed the bomb-happy general of Kubrick’s dark comedic masterpiece. “The day after the crash,” according to Kristensen, “the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered an end to the program of flying nukes.” Read more Retropolis: He was America’s most famous pediatrician. Then Dr. Spock attacked the Vietnam draft. An asteroid was streaking toward Earth. A collision seemed all too possible. ‘Houston, we have a problem’: The amazing history of the iconic Apollo 13 misquote


In nation’s capital, much remains open on first day of government shutdown

cell phone and saw we were shut down," he said. "I went back to bed." But he and his wife, Natalie, learned from staff at their hotel that most museums and memorials were still accessible. As they walked into the National Portrait Gallery Saturday, the couple said they were "very surprised," and pleased. "They said Monday is when it's all going to close," Natalie Kilburn said. Or maybe not. On Saturday afternoon, Smithsonian officials announced that they would be able to keep their facilities, including the National Zoo, open on Monday as well. National Park Service spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles said memorials and open-air parks would remain open for the duration of the shutdown. However, those sites will not be staffed, meaning that some amenities — such as visitors' centers and bathrooms — would be closed. Portable toilets have been set up at the Lincoln, Jefferson and World War II memorials, Washington Monument and in West Potomac Park. Arlington National Cemetery will likewise remain open throughout the shutdown, according to the cemetery's website. Although cleaning crews have been furloughed, the D.C. government and business improvement district have agreed to help out with trash pickup at federal sites. Despite the scarcity of visible effects in the capital, regional leaders were still uneasy about the harm a prolonged government shutdown could do to the regional economy, whose lifeblood is the federal workforce. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) castigated legislators on Twitter Saturday morning. "Congress should have their pay docked for every day they allow this reckless and irresponsible #shutdown to continue. #DoYourJob," Hogan wrote. Even tourists felt some early effects of the shutdown. While the National Gallery was open Saturday with its full slate of programs, the National Archives next door were closed, with a sign out front citing the shutdown. Matthew Gurbach of Shaker Heights, Ohio, was among those milling outside, along with his wife and three children. Gurbach said he was happy they had at least been able to see a Vermeer exhibition at the National Gallery. He said he blamed the Republicans for the impasse, pointing among other things to a May tweet from the president suggesting that the country "needs a good 'shutdown' " to resolve spending disagreements. His fourth-grader, Madeline, seemed to accept the situation more stoically, at least as far as the National Archives were concerned. "I didn't want to go in there anyway," she said. peter.jamison@washpost.com


Paul Bocuse, French chef who popularized nouvelle cuisine movement, dies at 91

Paul Bocuse, a preeminent French restaurateur who became one of the first celebrity chefs, popularized the nouvelle cuisine movement of lighter and seasonal fare and created an international cooking contest dubbed the culinary Olympics, died Jan. 20 in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, outside Lyon. He was 91. French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb announced the death. Mr. Bocuse (pronounced boh-KYOOZ) underwent triple-heart bypass surgery in 2005 and had Parkinson's disease. The chef made his name in greater Lyon, an area once known for its "meres," or mothers, who were widely respected in the early 20th century for their homestyle bistros or bouchons. Absorbing the lessons of the city's mothers and other chefs who crossed his path, Mr. Bocuse helped transform Lyon into one of the most decorated culinary destinations in Europe. In the process, he became the most influential French chef of his generation. For his artistry and innovations in the kitchen, he received his profession's top honors, including a Michelin three-star rating, the restaurant guide's highest, which he held for more than half a century, one of the longest runs in Michelin history. Mr. Bocuse's success earned him the nickname the "Lion of Lyon," although the Christian Science Monitor noted that the chef probably cultivated the title himself by placing a life-size statue of a lion outside his restaurant. Long after his heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, when he was the world's most visible proselytizer for nouvelle cuisine, he continued to command respect. The Culinary Institute of America and the French restaurant guide Gault et Millau named him "chef of the century." Unlike the chefs before him, Mr. Bocuse was not content to remain in the kitchen, striving to maintain the three Michelin stars that he first earned in 1965. He set out to commercialize himself in a way that scandalized traditionalists decades before cooking shows, magazines and personalized cookware turned chefs into brands. He co-founded restaurants at Epcot and Disneyland Paris and was affiliated with nearly 20 others from Europe to Asia. In 1969, he helped plan the menu for the inaugural Concorde flight, perhaps the first meal ever officially dubbed "nouvelle cuisine." He wrote best-selling cookbooks and appeared internationally on TV cooking shows. Wine, jam, a salmon knife and other products bore his name. Mr. Bocuse helped transform a profession that for centuries had been little more than a gritty, hidebound trade in which kitchen secrets were guarded as state


At national parks, the confusing reality of the government shutdown’s first day

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Jay Brown and Michelle Tukel picked a surreal weekend to visit sprawling Joshua Tree National Park. They arrived from Detroit to find the Southern California desert covered with a morning dusting of snow, and it was — briefly — colder than Michigan. Stranger yet, the popular park was open but eerily devoid of staff. Interested in learning about the trailheads, Brown, 61, found the doors to the visitor center locked. Brown approached a man wearing a beige uniform, thinking he was a park ranger, but the man turned out to be a Boy Scout supervisor who also was looking for information. "I'm a little worried," said Brown, the chief financial officer of an automotive manufacturing company. "I don't want to go in and get lost in this freezing cold with nothing but my shoelaces. But apparently that's what we're going to do." He and his wife were among multitudes of Americans who visited the nation's parks and monuments Saturday and confronted one of the confusing realities of the government shutdown — certainly the one that affected the public most on Day 1. Some national parks were open, but unsupervised. Several iconic parks and monuments were closed, including the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, presidential homes and other historical and cultural sites primarily made up of buildings that can be locked. Even some bathrooms were chained shut. As with the chaotic hours before the shutdown, when even the nation's federal agencies weren't sure how to close or what to tell employees, the Trump administration's decision to keep the national parks largely open presented people with confounding choices. The move, part of an effort to reduce the public-facing impact of a shutdown, left many asking themselves if they should enter the parks and risk their lives without the support of park rangers. And it left others upset that their plans to experience American treasures were thwarted. "Good thing I didn't have my heart set on seeing the Statue of Liberty," said Catherine Crichlow, 29, of Cincinnati, a web developer who was visiting New York for the first time. Boat tours still operated around Liberty Island, but visitors had to admire Lady Liberty from a distance. The National Parks Conservation Association estimated that approximately a third of the 417 National Park Service sites were completely closed Saturday. Other national parks


Amid government shutdown, the military becomes major front in political battle

or reserve personnel involved in maintenance and training. “Disrupting those schedules often has a domino effect,” Blume said. Military intelligence activities, which often rely on civilian personnel, could also be affected, she said. Mark Cancian, who was a senior budget official in 2013, suggested that if lawmakers resolve the impasse in a matter of days, the episode would be “disruptive but not catastrophic.” Even so, he said, the act of planning for a shutdown would cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Already on Saturday, other effects were felt across the military. One particularly sensitive one is the temporary suspension of $100,000 payments promised to military families in the event their loved one dies so that they can travel and prepare funerals. Several nonprofits, including Fisher House and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), offered to assist families that might be in need. Defense Department outreach efforts were curtailed, including aerial flyovers at sporting events, band performances and related travel, according to a memo by Dana W. White, Mattis’s assistant for public affairs. The American Forces Network, which carries television broadcasts of sporting events and other programming, was taken off air at midnight, leaving deployed U.S. troops without one common way to watch National Football League playoff games this weekend. But early Sunday, the Defense Department said that TV and radio broadcasts were deemed essential, and that two AFN channels — news and sports — would remain on. According to White, uniform leadership at AFN, the comptroller and legal team were able to turn on one channel based on operational necessity and funds had already been paid on the contract. The sports channel was chosen because it doesn’t cost any more money or manpower to manage a second channel, in compliance with shutdown guidance. “We will continue to find solutions to support our troops at home and abroad. Congress must come to a resolution, support our troops and pass a budget soon,” White said in a statement. While duties performed by uniformed personnel overseas are not immediately affected, the signal sent to troops in areas such as U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), where forces are deployed under hazardous conditions in Somalia, Niger and elsewhere, did not appear to be a welcome one. “We hope Congress has our country’s best interest in mind,” said Col. Mark Cheadle, an AFRICOM spokesman, when asked about the shutdown. Missy Ryan contributed to this report, which was


‘Their eyes are on D.C.’: Capital area said to have good shot at Amazon HQ2

wants a strong, stable working relationship with local authorities. That poses a challenge for a region where power is split among two states and a federal district. The area's well-known failure in recent months to agree on how to fund Metro has highlighted the problem. "Washington has a really good chance if they are cohesive," said Amy Liu, director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. "Unfortunately, that's not where the region is." Greater Washington was the only metropolitan area in the North America-wide competition with three locations to make the cut. That helped lead Dublin-based Paddy Power bookmakers to say the odds for Montgomery County jumped dramatically, from a long shot at 250-1 to one of the favorites at 8-1. The District was close behind at 10-1, while Northern Virginia placed at 20-1. The oddsmaker saw Boston as the most likely winner, with odds at 3-1, followed closely by Austin and Atlanta. Each of the three locations in the Washington area suggested more than one site for the Amazon campus, which the company said would require up to 8 million square feet of office space. Montgomery County and Northern Virginia have not publicly divulged the sites, for fear of hurting their competitive position. But local officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, identified some of the locations. Montgomery, they said, has proposed two Maryland sites: White Flint and another nearby in North Bethesda. Both enjoy support from the state and county. Sites proposed in Northern Virginia, the officials said, which also are said to enjoy state support, include: • A plot near Dulles International Airport occupied by the Center for Innovative Technology and supported jointly by Fairfax and Loudoun counties. • A site in the Crystal City/ Potomac Yard area, backed by Arlington and Alexandria. • Two sites in Prince William County — Potomac Shores in the eastern part of the county and Innovation Park in the western part. The District has publicly identified four sites: Anacostia Riverfront, NoMa-Union Station, Hill East and Shaw-Howard University. Some observers said the Washington region should have agreed jointly on a single site and offered it. A unified pitch would be stronger, and everybody in the area benefits no matter who gets the prize. "D.C. might stand to be a big beneficiary, even if Arlington gets the ultimate nod," said Harriet Tregoning, a former planning and development official at the U.S.


Experiences with opioid addiction and loss fuel Md. congressional hopefuls

and a lack of job opportunities. "It's a symptom of what happens when people lose hope," state Sen. Roger Manno (D-Montgomery) said in an interview. That sense of despair was on display last month at the opening of the first medical marijuana dispensary in Western Maryland as users lined up for hours to buy an alternative to potent painkillers. A 60-year-old woman with joint problems, who has taken fentanyl and hydrocodone, said she was already using marijuana to alleviate sharp, radiating pain that makes it hard to stand or sit for extended periods. "I just want to be normal again . . . and to get off the opioids, even though they help," said the woman, who asked that her name not be published. "I will not be a vegetable smoking marijuana, but with pain medications, some of them make you feel so comatose you don't want to get out of bed and function." Republican candidate Lisa Lloyd, a nurse practitioner who says her family has also been touched by addiction, proposes after-school apprenticeships to better occupy young people. "To be free of addiction, there has to be something else in their life," she said. Democratic candidate Chris Hearsey, an aerospace executive, was 12 years old when his father overdosed on Percocet in front of him. "He just collapsed," Hearsey said in an interview. As a child, he constantly heard about the war on drugs, but at the same time watched his father and uncle, both police officers, drink and take pills to cope with stress and pain. Del. Aruna Miller (D-Montgomery) said her brother-in-law, 55, died four months ago of an opioid addiction that no one knew he had "until it was too late." "This is something that we as a society need to be able to embrace as a public health issue," she said at the forum. "This is a disease. There shouldn't be a stigma associated with it." Clay Stamp, a longtime paramedic and emergency manager who Gov. Hogan put in charge of Maryland's opioid command center, agreed. "In my 30 years of doing this," he said, "I've never had a crisis where there's such a propensity of people wanting to put their heads in the sand." It took a national education and awareness campaign to reduce smoking, Stamp said. "And that's what it's going to take for this — and it's going to take money." jenna.portnoy@washpost.com


I spent the first year of Trump’s presidency visiting one of the world’s largest refugee camps. Here’s what I saw.

end of the earth, while all of your escape routes narrowed; how people explained to their children what the world outside the camp looked like; how they bore such bad luck with such grace. What I asked was whether I could have a few minutes of their time. Often, the refugees asked how I could help them — to do something for their children, improve their family shelter, ensure their trip was in the good plane, not the bad one. Foreign correspondents have a ready answer for such questions — that we can't directly assist the people we're writing about, that hopefully our stories will effect some larger, systemic change. But here's a sad truth: The refugees of Dadaab are given less food now than when I started writing about them. The 5-year-old girl with cancer whom I wrote about — who is in need of medical treatment in the United States — is still blocked from traveling there, because of national security concerns. The United Nations is still offering cash assistance to refugees who return to Somalia under a "voluntary repatriation" plan, even after some of the returnees were killed. Sometimes I met refugees who were part of the first wave of arrivals here, reaching Dadaab just as Somalia's civil war was beginning in the early 1990s. I asked them to describe the camp before it became a camp. "There was nothing," one man said. "We made huts from the branches we found." "Some of the children died of mysterious illnesses." Now Dadaab has its own markets with clothes from China and watermelon from Somalia and camels from central Kenya. But tree branches are still propping up plastic sheets. There is a ban on "permanent structures" because, after all, refugee camps are meant to be temporary fixes. How different is Dadaab in 1991 from northern Uganda in 2017 — a place flooded with more than a million South Sudanese refugees after intense fighting across the border? How different are the needs of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Turkey from the Somalis who converged here? One of the reasons I kept returning to the camp was because it held lessons so clearly applicable elsewhere — and almost always ignored. In 1993, long-term refugee situations typically lasted about eight years. Now, that number is up to 26 years. Dadaab is our future, inaction materialized. I spent a lot of time last


The Energy 202: Ryan Zinke leads public relations charge during government shutdown

THE LIGHTBULB In 2013, when the federal government shut down over an impasse between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans over the Affordable Care Act, images of campers canceling trips to closed national parks and veterans storming barricaded war memorials in wheelchairs filled newspapers and television screens, stoking anger among both Democrats and Republicans as each side sought to blame the other. Five years and one government shutdown later, the Trump administration has a different plan -- to make the government shutdown as low-profile and painless as possible for the general public. Leading that public relations charge is the overseer of the national park system, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. During the government shutdowns in 1993 and 2013, the closure of the iconic sites managed by the National Park Service, a division of the Interior Department, became a flash point for public anger and partisan bickering. Interior moved on Friday before the shutdown to keep hundreds of parks and monuments accessible, even if unstaffed. At Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, puzzled visitors found themselves in a park open but void of rangers, with visitor centers locked, The Washington Post reported Saturday. At the nation's oldest national park, Yellowstone, park-goers were greeted with signs explaining that visitors could enter the park at their own risk. After the Statue of Liberty closed on Saturday, the department and the state of New York struck a deal to reopen the statue and nearby Ellis Island, Zinke and Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Sunday. Likewise, Arizona's Republican governor, Doug Ducey, stepped in to ensure the Grand Canyon National Park remained open. Zinke acknowledged the confusion on Twitter. "Not all national parks are fully open," he wrote, "but we're working hard to make as much accessible as is safely possible." The interior secretary made himself the public face of the administration during shutdown on Sunday, One day after thousands of Women's March protesters demonstrated along the National Mall where bathrooms were closed, Zinke was greeting visitors to the National World War II Memorial, free of barricades, and tweeting about donated portable toilets being brought in. The Smithsonian, using the prior year's funds, kept its museums on the mall open through Monday as well. Zinke also greeted, and tweeted, photos of him with members of the public out on the Mall: Zinke's day out paid off with upbeat coverage on the conservative news website the


Vermont just became the 9th state to legalize marijuana. Here’s what makes it different.

drugs such as alcohol or opioids, its use does bring a number of health risks, including addiction, cognitive impairment and complications with pregnancy. Opponents of legalization have contended that the commercialization of marijuana will lead to more widespread use of the drug and hence be harmful to public health. But Vermont's bill largely sidesteps those concerns. There will be no retail sales in Vermont. No advertising. No industry looking for profits. While the debate around legalization is often framed as a stark choice between drug war-era prohibition and Colorado-style commercialization, Vermont demonstrates the range of policy options in between. Kilmer and his colleagues at Rand outlined a number of them in a 218-page report prepared for Vermont lawmakers in 2015. Allowing adults to grow and consume their own pot, as Vermont has done, is one of the more restrictive options along the policy spectrum. Between the Vermont and Colorado models there are numerous shades of legalization, from allowing the plant to be grown only by nonprofit co-ops to granting the government a monopoly on marijuana sales. Each approach brings different trade-offs with respect to public health. Vermont's law ensures that for now, there will be no commercial marijuana industry in the state. But on the flip side, Kilmer says, “the product will neither be tested for pesticides nor potency, and this approach will not generate tax revenue from cannabis sales.” Regardless of state law, marijuana remains illegal for all uses at the federal level. That fact was emphasized this month when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the rollback of long-standing federal protections for state-legal marijuana operations. But the Sessions announcement highlights another advantage of Vermont's approach to legalization: With no large-scale growers or retailers, the state will not offer much in the way of enforcement targets for zealous federal prosecutors. Given the limited amount of resources available for anti-drug efforts, it doesn't seem likely that federal authorities will be interested in Vermonters growing six pot plants in their yard when a full-fledged commercial industry is being set up across the border in Massachusetts. Vermont isn't the only state looking to legalize marijuana this year. The New Hampshire House of Representatives recently approved a legalization measure similar to Vermont's. New Jersey's incoming governor has vowed to make legalization a 100-day priority. Supporters are hoping to put legalization initiatives on the ballot this fall in Michigan, Arizona, Florida, Missouri and North Dakota.


How China forces American companies to do its political bidding

As China's economic might grows, Beijing is leveraging that power to coerce foreign companies to advance its political narrative and punish them when they step out of line. The Chinese Communist Party's treatment this month of hotel giant Marriott after a minor website error takes the effort to a new and dangerous level. In Washington, the Chinese government's overreaction to Marriott listing Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong and Macau as "countries" on an emailed questionnaire has sparked alarm. Trump administration officials, lawmakers and experts said the Communist Party is escalating how far it is willing to go in enforcing strict adherence to its political positions among foreign actors. After a Marriott Rewards employee "liked" a Jan. 9 tweet by the "Friends of Tibet" group praising the questionnaire, Chinese authorities called in Marriott officials for questioning, shut down their Chinese website and mobile apps, and demanded an apology. The Jan. 11 apology from Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson parroted the language the Communist Party uses to describe groups that stand opposed to Chinese repression or advocate for Tibetan autonomy. "We don't support anyone who subverts the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and we do not intend in any way to encourage or incite any such people or groups," Sorenson wrote. Marriott has more than 300 hotels in China, its second-largest single market, after the United States. While it began disciplinary proceedings against the employee who "liked" the offending tweet, Chinese netizens scoured the Internet and found dozens more foreign corporations that had listed as countries territories that are claimed by China. Chinese Internet bots fueled the purportedly popular outrage. Corporations including Delta Air Lines and Zara rushed out apologies of their own. But the Chinese government didn't stop there. Dozens of companies were told to scrub their websites for any related content or face severe consequences. The state-run media organ China Daily piled on with an op-ed headlined "No flouting of China's core interests will be tolerated." Chinese government officials even threatened the family of a Chinese student in Canada who responded favorably to the Friends of Tibet tweet. By combining government power, manufactured public outrage and negative state-sponsored media coverage, the Chinese government can place massive pressure on American companies to toe the party's political line. That aggressiveness is now becoming an issue in the U.S.-China relationship. "Everyone should be deeply concerned by the PRC's growing comprehensive campaign to exploit trade


‘It’s like the factory shut down’: for Washington region, furlough’s impact is acute

as normal. Bowser announced the city would pick up trash at about 126 National Park Service sites and would possibly step in to maintain roads, such as Beach Drive, that fall under federal government purview. The cost of maintaining park sites is about $100,000 per week, officials said. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) blasted the shutdown as "reckless and irresponsible" in a tweet over the weekend. The state announced a plan to speed up the unemployment insurance application process for federal workers, with an online application and dedicated phone lines for affected residents. Hogan said the state is home to nearly 150,000 federal government workers. "Let me be very clear to everyone in Washington, both Republicans and Democrats — stop the finger-pointing and do your jobs," Hogan said in a statement. It was not immediately known what measures Virginia was taking to head off the impacts of the shutdown. In a weekend statement, Gov. Ralph Northam (D) chastised federal officials for their inability to reach a compromise. "Virginia cannot afford this dysfunction," he said. "Last night Congress demonstrated that it would rather play political games than give millions of Americans, many of whom live in Virginia, the certainty they deserve about their paychecks, their health care and many other important issues." Some federal employees said they worried they won't be fully paid for the unexpected furlough. "There is a fear that they won't reimburse us for any money lost," said a Library of Congress employee who lives in Maryland and went through the 2013 shutdown. "It's never guaranteed. It's up to Congress to decide." Federal employees did receive back pay after the 2013 shutdown. Others said that even if they are paid, the possibility of going weeks until the shutdown ends and that paycheck arrives would disrupt their personal finances. "It feels very ominous," said Ben Kubaryk, an analyst at the Bureau of Labor Statistics who said he, too, would spend four hours Monday preparing for the furlough. "I have a mortgage to pay," he said. "Not knowing how long this is going to go on is what causes the anxiety." By sifting federal employees into pools of "essential" and "nonessential" work, the shutdown can also have a psychological effect, Connolly said. "This is a terrible psychic blow to so many of them who justifiably take pride in what they do and who they are," he said, "and for their


The government shutdown, as skewered by the first wave of cartoons

FROM IMMIGRATION “We have yet to reach an agreement on a path forward that would be acceptable for both sides,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said late Sunday, as reported by The Washington Post. So the government shutdown enters its third day, affecting federal agencies and hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Fortunately, America’s cartoonists are no federal workforce. Here is how some of them are rendering the first days of the shutdown: R.J. MATSON DARYL CAGLE ED WEXLER Read more: Shutdown 2013: Cartoons from a furloughed Washington Shutdown 2013: As government shuts down, Google marks anniversary of national park you suddenly cannot see


Shutdown could have serious consequences for the D.C. region

Shutdown could have serious consequences for D.C. region This is a developing story. It will be updated.


It’s up to the Pentagon to set things right for transgender service members

AS OF Jan. 1, the United States military finally began accepting transgender recruits. That's despite President Trump's tweets over the summer demanding a ban on all military service by transgender Americans. Barred multiple times by federal judges from implementing the president's order, the Trump administration chose to hold back from further efforts to prevent new recruits from joining — at least for the moment. Under an order by President Barack Obama's defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter, the Pentagon was set to begin accepting transgender recruits as of July 2017. But Mr. Trump's defense secretary, Jim Mattis, had already pushed that deadline to January 2018 when the president demanded that transgender enlistment be called off entirely. Mr. Trump's memorandum also requested that Mr. Mattis issue a report by Feb. 21, 2018, on the fate of transgender personnel currently serving. The defense secretary has promised that no service members will be discharged for their gender identity in the interim. The new policy has been barred from going into effect since late October, when the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found that Mr. Trump's order likely violated constitutional prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Since then, three more federal district courts have reached the same conclusion. Their injunctions prevented the military from expelling transgender service members and required it to begin welcoming transgender recruits in the new year, as originally intended. The Justice Department appealed three of these cases to higher courts, arguing that the government should be allowed to delay transgender people from signing up for service while litigation progressed. Two appeals courts rejected their arguments. Then, after beginning another round of appeals, the government decided instead to pause its defense of Mr. Trump's order while awaiting the Pentagon's Feb. 21 report. During Mr. Trump's first year in office, the Justice Department regularly turned to the Supreme Court to fight lower-court injunctions. This choice to yield gracefully — however briefly — is a welcome shift. Already, transgender Americans seeking to serve their country have begun applying to join the military. Yet those new recruits face a great deal of uncertainty as Mr. Mattis prepares his report to the president. While the litigation over Mr. Trump's policy will likely continue, it's not clear what course the Pentagon will recommend regarding recruitment or transgender people already in the armed services. The good news is that the Defense Department


Hidden hard drives and burner phones: How the ‘Icarus’ team is trying to protect an Olympic doping whistleblower

NEW YORK — Hard drives hidden around the country. Burner phones that couldn't be traced. A safe house in Los Angeles. For the filmmakers behind "Icarus," a cloak-and-dagger story of Russian Olympic doping, the themes of a documentary have for the past two years become the story of their lives. The Russian government has been increasingly trying to undermine — or, they fear, even outright capture — the film's main character, the whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, prompting filmmakers to engage in improbable acts of high-stakes secrecy. Now, even as the Netflix-backed documentary seeks an Oscar via genteel events hosted by the likes of Rob Reiner, they are confronting their most fraught fight yet. With Russia facing a ban on official participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics, the "Icarus" filmmakers have been urgently beefing up security around Rodchenkov — hoping to stay a step ahead of a Kremlin that they suspect will get its hands on the chemist and thus stop him from testifying at a Swiss proceeding on Jan. 25 that could decide whether dozens of athletes will be permanently disqualified. The filmmakers' actions, many of which are being described for the first time, show how narrow the border is between moviemaking and activism. "We never thought we'd be in this position, trying to shelter a whistleblower and change the world of international sports," said Jim Swartz, co-founder of Impact Partners, which produced and financed the film. But "you hear the word 'Olympics' and it means something. And then what you see is these guys doing everything they can to sweep doping under the rug. We had to do something." At stake is the fate of dozens of athletes, and some of the questions raised are: What is the proper punishment for Olympic cheating? Who should serve it? And how often should filmmakers be the ones doling it out? While shooting "Icarus," Rodchenkov described, on camera, how an anti-doping lab at the 2014 Sochi Games served as the place where drug-tainted urine of Russian athletes was swapped out for clean samples, via a network of underground tunnels. Rodchenkov knew this because, he said, he did the swapping. He also said he mixed cocktails of banned performance-enhancing drugs and fed them to athletes. The allegations made by Rodchenkov, who has since fled to the United States, spawned the 2016 investigation known as the McLaren Report. It also led to other inquiries and


ultimately prompted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to issue numerous bans — a formal one for the 2018 Games and lifetime bans for several dozen Russian athletes. Now those athletes are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to be reinstated, possibly even for the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, next month. In response, Russian authorities have charged Rodchenkov as a drug trafficker and sought his extradition. Without his testimony — which lawyers are hoping he will be allowed to give by video link — U.S. experts say that the bans almost certainly would be overturned. The Impact group — Swartz and fellow co-founders Dan Cogan and Geralyn Dreyfous, as well as "Icarus" director Bryan Fogel and Rodchenkov lawyer Jim Walden — have sought to protect the whistleblower so he can testify at the hearings. Around Christmas, they say, they learned from U.S. government sources of an increased threat to his life and hired additional security to bolster the government's efforts, using money from a nonprofit group they founded. Russia has denied allegations of widespread doping and said the accusations are part of a larger Western campaign to discredit the country. A press spokesman at the Russian Embassy in Washington did not comment for this article. The "Icarus" team says it worries for the physical and legal safety of its star witness. Although Washington and Moscow do not have an extradition agreement, "Icarus" principals say they worry that the Trump administration's relationship with the Kremlin could lead to the United States accommodating the request. Neither the State Department nor the Justice Department would comment for this article, nor would CAS or the IOC. The "Icarus" team also fears that Russian agents could harm Rodchenkov on U.S. soil. Leonid Tyagachev, a former head of Russia's Olympic Committee, in November called for the whistleblower's execution, telling a Russian radio station: "Rodchenkov should be shot for lying, like Stalin would have done." Walden says the risk of a targeted killing should not be underestimated. He cited the sudden and suspicious deaths of two other high-ranking Russian former anti-doping officials in the past two years. "No one expected them to die either," he said. "There's always a first. I don't want him to be the exception that proves the rule." A dark secret "Icarus" was not exactly designed as a flamethrower. Several years ago, the Los Angeles-based Fogel, known primarily for


This NASA spacecraft will get closer to the sun than anything ever before

Shortly after NASA was established in 1958, the nation's top scientists compiled a list of missions they thought the brand-new space agency should pursue. The proposals were heady, considering at that point only three satellites had ever been launched. Researchers suggested an Earth-orbiting telescope that could detect the universe's most distant stars, probes that would venture to the solar system's other planets, an initiative to land humans on the surface of the moon. With time, each of those dreams became a reality — the Hubble Space Telescope, the twin Voyager spacecraft, the Apollo program. All except one: an effort to get a close look at the sun, the source of Earth's light and heat, as well as solar storms that could disrupt our satellites and fry our electric grid. It took decades for the technology to protect scientific equipment from the sun's ferocious rays to be invented. On a recent morning, a spacecraft not unlike the one envisioned in 1958 sat in a sterile room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Its side panels were open to expose its inner workings — electronics boxes, a propulsion tank, instruments for measuring the sun's magnetic field and capturing images of its tumultuous atmosphere. The spacecraft's heat shield was encased in a separate container, emblazoned with large red lettering that admonished “HANDLE ONLY UNDER SUPERVISION” and “DO NOT EXPOSE TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT.” Pointing out the warnings, engineer Curtis Wilkerson chuckled. This summer, the Parker Solar Probe will launch on a journey that will send it skimming through the sun's atmosphere at a pace of 450,000 mph — fast enough to get from Washington to New York in about a second. It will fly within 4 million miles of the sun's surface — seven times closer than any spacecraft has gotten before. That heat shield will not only be exposed to sunlight, it must withstand blasts of 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit — while simultaneously maintaining the instruments on the other side at roughly room temperature. After 60 years of advances in science and technology, this craft will probe our star's mysteries and monitor behavior that could affect everyone on Earth. “We will finally touch the sun,” Nicola Fox, the mission's project scientist, likes to say. “But first,” Wilkerson said, “we have to get it to the launchpad,” Wilkerson is a systems assurance manager with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, which built the Parker Solar


Mulvaney helped shut down the government in 2013. Now he’s trying to keep it running without funding.

said in an interview Sunday that the government should continue providing services even amid the congressional impasse, and he accused the Obama administration of "weaponizing" the 2013 shutdown, closing high-profile parks and monuments to pressure Republicans into agreeing to a spending deal. He mentioned the national monuments in D.C. that were kept open on Saturday and how those monuments allowed a large number of protesters to demonstrate. "We were actually working to make sure the government was working for everyone, regardless of how they feel about the president," he said. Mulvaney's critics see more nefarious motives, accusing the budget director of spreading funds to create the false impression that a government shutdown doesn't matter — as well as to mask the importance of government's role in public life. The White House, they note, is focusing some of its efforts to blunt the shutdown on things that have the biggest public exposure, such as national parks. "I think there's sort of a pernicious aspect to that in this sense: Real right wingers like Mulvaney want to demonstrate that there aren't really real-life consequences to a government shutdown for most average Americans, and they're going to minimize that pain," said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, a Democrat whose Virginia district outside D.C. would be heavily affected by furloughs of federal employees. "This is kind of a cynical strategy to try to persuade the public that the government shutdown really isn't a shutdown, and it's all part of the Orwellian approach to messaging and governance that we have seen in the Trump era," he said. Mulvaney is no stranger to political fisticuffs and often seems to revel in it. During the current shutdown, he has made more than a dozen media appearances, prodding Senate Democrats to vote for government funding but acting as if he'd be perfectly capable of continuing to run the government if they don't. Democrats are withholding support for funding in part to force a concession on immigration policy, seeking protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Thus far, the effort to keep the government running has had uneven results. The Air Force Academy canceled all athletic events over the weekend, while the Naval Academy did not. The Statue of Liberty was set to close until the state of New York stepped in, while Everglades National Park has remained open, though most park rangers are


It’s the big new idea for stopping climate change — but it has huge environmental problems of its own

Widespread use of a futuristic energy technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere would create severe environmental problems, scientists argue in a new critique, casting doubt on one potential method of helping humanity escape the worst effects of climate change. The technology, known as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), comes in many variations. But the core idea is burning trees or other plants for energy while pulling in the resulting carbon dioxide and storing it below ground. When the plants grow back again, they would pull more carbon dioxide from the air, resulting in a net removal of the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. BECCS has been used only rarely thus far, but many had hoped widespread use of the technology would provide large amounts of energy while helping to fight climate change. It would be particularly important if the world misses its targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In that scenario, greenhouse gases concentrations would pass the maximum levels climatologists say could avoid bringing about extreme consequences of climate change, and hitting the targets would require “negative emissions” technologies that lower concentrations. But in the new paper, scientists argue that deploying BECCS technology on the scale needed to address the problem would use up massive amounts of water, fertilizer and land. That would probably lead to large environmental problems or even destabilize key planetary systems, wrote Vera Heck of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and three colleagues. “We could achieve substantial amounts of bioenergy potentials, but this would really come at the cost of extensive environmental damage in many other dimensions,” Heck said. To analyze BECCS, Heck and her co-authors examined invoke the influential concept of “planetary boundaries,” a list of nine ecological thresholds beyond which we should not push natural systems, because doing so “could generate abrupt or irreversible environmental changes.” Changing the Earth’s climate transgresses one a key boundary — in this sense, BECCS helps out. But at the same time, the new research says it could up the risk of crossing other boundaries — those concerning freshwater, the integrity of ecosystems, large-scale changes to land areas, and shifts in flows of nitrogen and phosphorous. The study found that large-scale BECCS initiatives, with biomass plantations stretching over millions of square miles, could store between 1.2 billion and 6.3 billion tons of carbon annually. That’s enough to make a very large dent in


Our reaction to the federal shutdown can shape the region’s future

Many in the greater Washington business community woke up this morning to a very uncertain work week. A federal government shutdown, whether it lasts days or weeks, raises serious challenges to our region’s economic prospects. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) in a public statement on Friday said the federal shutdown would have a disproportionately negative effect on our region’s economy and would put jobs and economic growth at risk, adding it was “past time for leaders in Washington to get their act together and come to an agreement on long-term funding solutions for the federal government.” The already extant business uncertainty caused by past short-term funding agreements and sequestration will be exacerbated by this current shutdown. Bobbie Kilberg, chief executive of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, pointed to the many members of her group doing business with the federal government that would lose revenue in the near term and have a difficult time planning for future growth. Since our region’s government contractors receive approximately $1.3 billion in revenue each week from federal government procurement, a shutdown or the unpredictability of short-term spending deals are equally reason for concern. In addition to the potential harm to businesses, the federal shutdown will leave hundreds of thousands of federal employees with a lot of spare time and no paychecks. Federal rules do not allow non-essential individuals to work for the government without pay, so many federal workers will be furloughed for the duration of a shutdown. Just look at the numbers: The federal government is responsible for 367.900 civilian jobs in the Washington area with a weekly payroll of $777 million, along with another 64,500 military jobs accounting for $122 million in weekly payroll and benefits. Jeannette Chapman, deputy director and senior research associate at George Mason University’s Stephen S. Fuller Institute, cautioned that the harm from a short shutdown was more reputational than economic. A short shutdown would reinforce the view held by many nationally that the D.C. region is defined by government dysfunction. She believed the actual economic harm from a short-term shutdown would be small, “somewhat similar to a snow storm,” and any lost economic activity would be mostly made up post-shutdown. However, the longer the shutdown lasts into weeks or longer, she identified much greater economic harm. Chapman pointed to households of government employees that do not have savings to cover expenses during the shutdown, workers that generate income


Panda Cam on for now, but government shutdown could turn it off

For now, the super-popular Panda Cam that gives a live view of the National Zoo’s giant pandas is on but if the federal government shutdown continues, it could get turned off. At 6:30 a.m. Monday, one of the cameras showed a sleeping panda. It was unclear which one it was. The cameras stream video of several of the pandas — Tian Tian, Bei Bei and Mei Xiang — in their enclosures 24 hours a day. The zoo, along with the Smithsonian’s other sites, is open Monday despite the government shutdown. On the zoo’s website, the facility said it can “use prior year funds still available” to stay open. But it warned to check back for updates. Zookeepers who tend to the 1,800 animals will show up for work regardless, officials said. On Monday, zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson said “the Panda Cam is on today and operating. If the Smithsonian stays open, then yes, the Panda Cam will be operating.” But if the Smithsonian changes its status and closes because of the shutdown, the camera probably will, too. The Panda Cam has always been a popular attraction at the zoo. It allows viewers to see the pandas eating, being cared for and playing. Viewers have watched Mei Xiang care for her newborn cub, at times. When she gave birth in 2013 to a cub, the zoo had roughly 847,000 clicks on the panda-cam Web page in a month. If the zoo has to close as part of the furlough and there’s less foot traffic, however, some of the animals might notice. “We do see some differences in behavior with the animals,” Brandie Smith, the associate director for animal care sciences at the zoo, told WTOP. “A lot of people think the animals would be happy not to have the crowds coming here. But if you think about it, there are different people, different sites, different smells.” She said it is tough to tell the exact differences for each animal. But in one case, she said, an emu named Darwin “absolutely loves the crowds.” “He likes to be admired, so he’ll miss it when the visitors aren’t here.” And an orangutan named Lucy will miss the crowds. She likes to show off for people, according to zoo officials. “You’ll notice sometimes the animals that are looking a little differently, behaving a little differently when people aren’t around.”


DC’s cultural sites stay open — at least for now

The federal government has shut down, but most of the city’s federally-funded museums and arts centers are open and the performances are continuing – at least for now. Unlike the shutdown of 2013, most of Washington’s federally supported cultural spaces are open for business, using unused funds to keep the lights on and the staff paid. Here’s a brief run-down. The National Gallery of Art will open for regular hours (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Monday and Tuesday and all programs will take place. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is open Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. with a decision to come about the rest of the week. Smithsonian museums Kennedy Center Ford’s Theatre The Library of Congress is closed and all its programs have been canceled “until further notice,” according to its website.


The Health 202: How the government shutdown could affect your health care (or not)

THE PROGNOSIS The government shutdown isn't over Obamacare this time. But depending on how long it lasts, there will be ripple effects on health care as the Department of Health and Human Services sees half its workers furloughed. Happy third day of the shutdown. The effects of the shutdown were relatively limited over the weekend, but now that the workweek is starting, hundreds of thousands of workers will stay home and key federal agencies will be affected. "Federal contractors will see payments delayed, and the Internal Revenue Service will slow its preparations for the coming tax season," my colleagues writes. Trump, who to his aides relief it seems, has remained relatively quiet during the shutdown so far. Nonetheless, the president took to Twitter this morning to blame Democrats: But the effects of a shutdown -- especially if it continues -- on the federal workforce, and Americans by extension, are real. Granted, because so much of what HHS does is considered "essential," a smaller proportion of its workers are furloughed during a shutdown compared to other agencies. On Friday, HHS updated its last shutdown contingency plan — issued in the fall of 2013 when the government shut down for more than two weeks as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) demanded to defund the Affordable Care Act — with a new version. Per that document, here are five top things the agency keeps doing while the government is shuttered — and five services it halts. Services that continue: 1. States keep getting their Medicaid payments. 2. Seniors can keep seeing the doctor. 3. Premium subsidies continue for Obamacare enrollees, and the marketplaces remain open for those qualifying to sign up off-season. 4. The Food and Drug Administration continues drug reviews. 5. The nation's 1,400 community health centers stay open. Services that stop or slow: 1. The FDA's food-safety inspection program hits pause. 2. The National Institutes of Health can't enroll new patients in clinical trials or take action on grant applications. 3. No new mental health or social services grant awards and less monitoring of existing grants. 4. Payments for senior nutrition programs stop. 5. Response to this year's deadly flu outbreak could be slowed. AHH: A government shutdown comes at an especially inopportune time for flu season, which is particularly deadly this year per the latest data released Friday, "The flu activity indicators are notable for the sheer volume and intensity of


What ‘The West Wing’ tells us about the West Wing

be swayed by fiction. But what about its effects on supposedly more sophisticated elites? Does fiction influence how officials make foreign policy? In our article, we demonstrate evidence that the books by novelist Tom Clancy did just that, at least to some extent. Clancy dominated bestseller lists during the 1980s and 1990s, and officials in the Reagan and first George H.W. Bush administrations were among his biggest fans. It appears that Clancy’s fiction may have shaped policymakers’ opinions, on at least a few occasions. President Ronald Reagan suggested to Britain Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that she read Clancy’s novel “Red Storm Rising” in preparation for an upcoming summit meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Vice President Dan Quayle cited the same novel as evidence of the effectiveness of U.S. antisatellite weaponry. Clancy’s imagined plots may have had some positive effects on policy decisions. Terrorism expert Richard Clarke, for instance, told the 9/11 Commission that Clancy’s novels prompted him to worry about the possibility of groups like al-Qaeda using airplanes as weapons. But finding that popular culture influenced senior officials’ beliefs on matters of surpassing national importance raises questions about the broader basis upon which policymakers make decisions. Fake stories, real effects on politics We do not claim that popular culture can change political behavior, or that all politics are shaped by popular culture. But we do think that political professionals — and professional students of politics — may dismiss too quickly popular culture’s potential impact on mass and elite audiences alike. Political scientists work hard to bridge the gap between scholarship and popular understanding. If movies and television shape audiences’ impressions of politics, then how they portray the political process and political events may be more influential than all the peer-reviewed articles (or Monkey Cage posts) by credentialed academics put together. The chasm between realistic portrayals of politics and plausible but wrong stories may be deeper than social scientists have thought. And much of popular culture promotes misleading ideas about politics and politicians — that political change is easy, established politicians are typically venal, and politics is more personal than structural, to name a few stereotypes. Such images may partly explain the appeal of nontraditional politicians, like celebrities. But our research suggests that voters should check the origins of their beliefs to see if they rest on fact — or fiction. Furman Daniel, III is an assistant professor of global


Pakistan is close to eradicating polio. A double slaying shows the grim challenges still in the way.

virus in most of the world. The slain women were participating in a new drive in which hundreds of mobile vaccination teams are providing polio drops in communities across the country. The killings were carried out by unknown drive-by killers, who shot the mother and daughter in the head as they sped past on motorbikes. There was no warning, no explanation, and no claim of responsibility. But the attack resembled previous ones by militant groups such as the Taliban, which have killed more than 100 Pakistani vaccinators and their police guards in the past five years. Officials of national anti-polio organizations vowed the latest attack would not deter or slow efforts to end polio in Pakistan, one of the last few countries where the virus remains endemic. Another is Afghanistan. “The killings are very, very sad, but they will not have any impact on the eradication campaign, because the federal government and all the international partners are fully committed to eradicate polio from Pakistan. We will not be brought down by this,” said Aziz Memon, chairman of the Pakistan Polio Plus Committee, which is affiliated with Rotary International, in Karachi. Memon said the last known attack on vaccinators in Balochistan Province, a vast desert region where Quetta is located, took place more than two years ago, when organized opposition to the anti-polio drive was high and many families were refusing to allow their children to be vaccinated. Suspicion was aggravated in 2011 by the arrest of a Pakistani doctor who visited homes in a purported vaccination drive in the northwest region. He was later found to have been part of U.S. intelligence effort to locate al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was then killed in a U.S. raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011. Since then, some prominent Pakistani clerics have publicly endorsed the anti-polio campaign, and attacks have become less frequent. “We thought the refusal and violent agitation were over,” Memon said. He suggested the Quetta attack could have been more broadly aimed at opposing the government, and he noted that three provincial policemen were shot dead there the same day. The Pakistani Taliban claimed that attack. The slain mother and daughter were identified by police as Sakina, 38, and Rizwana, 16. The mother, whose youngest child is a year old, was paid $150 per month for her work. Memon said her husband is a truck driver


As federal shutdown continues, states bail out Lady Liberty, Grand Canyon

From his office's second-story window in Lower Manhattan, Stephen A. Briganti could see dozens of tourists "milling about" over the weekend, trying to understand why they could not travel to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. "This happens every time there's a [government] shutdown," said Briganti, president of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. "People coming from abroad, and even those coming from other parts of the country, don't realize the statue closes when the government shuts down." Now they won't have to worry. On Sunday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D-N.Y.) announced that Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty would stay open on the state's dime under an agreement struck with the Interior Department. Arizona has similarly said it will ensure the Grand Canyon remains open — whether the federal government reopens or not. The government shutdown, entering its third day despite frantic negotiations late Sunday on Capitol Hill, has sent home federal workers needed to maintain beloved U.S. icons — cleaners at the Statue of Liberty, rangers patrolling Mount Rushmore, plow drivers who clear snowy roads leading to the Grand Canyon. Some states are trying to step into the void left by the federal government, eager to contrast their competence with Washington's dysfunction. "No matter what drama occurs back in Congress, we have a responsibility to make sure the shutdown doesn't have an impact on Arizona's economy or our children's health care," Gov. Doug Ducey (R) said, noting that the state will fund its Children's Health Insurance Program until Congress can break the logjam over it. Governors have taken actions during previous shutdowns, with Cuomo also keeping the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open in 2013. For blue states such as New York that have already vowed to shield residents from the new Republican-backed tax law — which critics say disproportionately hit them — the shutdown offers another opportunity to try to contrast their record with that of a GOP-controlled Congress. As of Sunday evening, congressional negotiators had failed to resolve an impasse that centers on the fate of nearly 800,000 young immigrants known as "dreamers." "It's all about bringing people here. The concept of closing the doors to immigrants is repugnant to the concept of America," Cuomo, the grandson of immigrants, said at a news conference, adding that the state would spend $65,000 a day keeping the monuments open. An extended government shutdown would cost


A fifth-grader thought she brought gummy candies to school. They were laced with marijuana.

A 9-year-old student in New Mexico gave fellow students gummies — only to realize later they were not ordinary candies. The candies had apparently been laced with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical responsible for how marijuana affects the brain and were being used by the student’s parents as medical marijuana. Kristi Del Curto, dean of elementary students at Albuquerque School of Excellence, told the Albuquerque Journal the fifth-grader brought the box of gummies she found at home and shared with friends at the school cafeteria one morning. “She thought she was sharing candy, and if you saw the picture on the box, it did look like candy,” Del Curto told the paper. The student later felt dizzy during class and was sent to the school nurse. After school officials determined the fifth-grader had eaten THC-laced gummies, students were asked over the school’s public address system who else had the candies, the paper reported. Del Curto said five other students had gummies. Some did not seem to have been affected, and some others were “giggly,” she said. The student who brought the candies felt ill after eating five. One student told KRQE News 13 she immediately realized they were not ordinary candies after she ate one and started feeling dizzy. Paramedics were later called to check on the students. School officials informed parents of the incident, which happened a little more than a week ago, according to the school’s Facebook page. “We would like to remind all students and parents to be cautious about food/drink sharing… and we would like our community to be alert with drugs and any edibles that may or could be in different formats,” the school wrote. “We kindly ask our parents and community members not to talk explicitly about drugs/medicine when students are present.” Twenty-nine Eight states and D.C. have legalized recreational use of marijuana, but New Mexico is not one of them. Edibles, or food products laced with cannabis extract, have become a popular way to sell marijuana, and many are sold online, though interstate transport is illegal. In Colorado, for example, edibles accounted for 45 percent of all cannabis sales, according to a paper published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Edibles come in different forms, such as candies, gummies, chocolates, baked goods and beverages. They are largely considered a safer way to consume marijuana because they do not pose the harmful risks


Up to 1,000 more U.S. troops could be headed to Afghanistan this spring

The U.S. Army is readying plans that could increase the total force in Afghanistan by as many as 1,000 U.S. troops this spring beyond the 14,000 already in the country, senior military officials said. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has not signed off on the proposals for the new forces, which are part of a broader strategy to bolster Afghan forces so that they can pound the Taliban during the upcoming fighting season. The possible increases have the support of the Army's senior leadership, which has been working to determine the mix of troops required to execute a strategy centered on a new combat formation. The discussions at the Pentagon underscore the complex task the U.S. military faces as it prepares to deploy newly created combat advisory teams to some of the most violent, remote and heavily contested areas of Afghanistan. The Obama administration, "This is a concept that got accelerated for Afghanistan, and it has been quite a process," a senior military official said of the plan to send the U.S. Army's first-ever Security Force Assistance Brigade to Afghanistan early this spring. "It has been a roller coaster." The official, who is involved in the troop planning, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military planning. Military officials said that some troops, particularly at the headquarters level, might come out of Afghanistan as new forces move into the theater and that they expect the total force this spring to be about 15,000 troops. Trump's plan for the war increased the number of troops from 8,500 when he took office to about 14,000 today. The president also lifted restrictions on U.S. warplanes, triggering a major spike this winter in airstrikes aimed at Taliban formations and its leadership. A spokesman for Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said U.S. Forces Afghanistan had not specifically asked for an increase in troop levels, suggesting the increase, if approved, would be considered an adjustment under the current plan rather than an increase associated with a shift in strategy. The White House might want to weigh in on any plan to send additional troops to Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials. Even as he signed off on the new war strategy, Trump has expressed misgivings about sending more resources into a conflict that has been grinding on with few signs of progress. Senior administration officials said that the president has been


Huddled masses? Come back later: The Statue of Liberty closed by shutdown

late in the 19th century — is administered by the NPS. So is nearby Ellis Island, which is considered part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Visitors to the Statue of Liberty’s website on Saturday were greeted by this announcement: “Effective immediately and until further notice, the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island are closed due to a lapse in appropriations.” Some other places would remain open temporarily before closing if the shutdown lingers. The Smithsonian Institution said its museums and the National Zoo would stay open during the weekend and begin closing Monday if the shutdown remains in place. While the Interior Department has sought to keep public lands as accessible as possible, there have been mixed results. At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, for example, tourists can enter the visitor’s center but cannot access the Liberty Bell, which is in a locked building. The National Parks Conservation Association estimates that roughly 34 percent of park units would close under the new plan, either because they were made up of buildings or needed ferries or other specialized forms of transport to access them. In a post on Saturday, the association warned that the shutdown’s impact would vary, depending on the particular park. “Approximately a third of our 417 national park sites are now completely closed, including places like Ford’s Theatre, the Statue of Liberty, presidential homes, and other historic and cultural sites primarily made up of buildings that can be locked,” the NPCA wrote in the post. “Other park sites will remain semi-open, and what is accessible to the public will differ from park to park.” (Another update: In a news release, Ford’s Theatre noted that while the historic site would be closed for visits during the day, performances would continue as scheduled.) NPCA estimates that more than 21,000 Park Service employees are being furloughed during the park closures, with thousands more contract employees and small business owners also affected. That leaves a 3,298 “essential staff” to manage 80 million acres of national park lands, from Acadia to American Samoa to Zion, according to the NPCA. Saturday morning, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke tweeted out several photos of himself visiting with workers and tourists on the Mall, in which he said he was “Ensuring our @NatlParkService parks are as accessible as possible.” One photo showed him posing with a couple of department employees “heading out for


Four days on, the Sanchi oil tanker is still on fire in the East China Sea

This post has been updated. Four days on, rescue crews are still struggling to reach the Sanchi, an oil tanker on fire in the East China Sea. The tanker had collided with a South Korean freight boat on Saturday. Since then, an international effort has been launched to reach the Sanchi and put out the fire. Already, the rescue crews have battled beating rains, toxic gas and 10-foot waves to get near the vessel. On Wednesday, an explosion on the tanker forced a retreat. According to the Chinese Transport Ministry, the blast occurred while rescue crews doused the ship with foam to try to put out the flames. It's unclear what kind of damage the explosion caused. Thirty Iranians and two Bangladeshi nationals were aboard the tanker when the collision occurred. One body has been recovered but not publicly identified. Iranian officials say they are still hopeful that the crew is camped out, alive, somewhere safe — like the engine room. But experts are skeptical. Since the crash, the Sanchi has been billowing thick plumes of black smoke. Unless the fire can be brought under control, officials worry that an explosion might sink the ship, releasing its 1 million barrels of oil (which amounts to 42 million U.S. gallons) into the water. The resulting spill would be about three times as big as the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, one of the worst environmental disasters in history. The oil spilled would be double what the Prestige tanker released when it sank off the coast of Spain in 2002. That accident damaged beaches in France, Spain and Portugal, and led to the closure of one of Spain's richest fishing areas. (Some of the worst spills in history have been even bigger. When the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded off the southern coast of the United States in 2010, it spilled about 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. In 1979, the Atlantic Empress and the Aegean Captain collided, resulting in a 90-million-gallon oil spill. A 1991 explosion aboard the tanker ABT Summer off the coast of Angola spilled about 80 million gallons.) The Sanchi was transporting oil from Iran to South Korea on Saturday when it ran into the CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered ship carrying grain from the United States. The crash occurred about 160 miles off the coast of Shanghai and near the mouth of the