The Technology 202: A bipartisan pair of senators want companies to put a price on your data

to scrutinize Silicon Valley’s power. An Amazon spokeswoman pushed back on the Times characterization of the counterfeitting problem, telling Streitfeld, “This report cites a handful of complaints, but even a handful is too many and we will keep working until it’s zero.” The company said it adopted a strict ban on counterfeit products and last year blocked accounts to more than one million suspected bad actors. Amazon CEO and owner Jeff Bezos also owns The Washington Post. NIBBLES: U.S. trade officials have banned shipments to four Chinese technology companies and one research institute specializing in supercomputing, my colleagues Craig Timberg and Ellen Nakashima report. The ban, which cites national security concerns, is another blow as the United States increasingly takes actions aimed at China’s rapidly evolving tech sector. “The timing here is important because China is really just on the cusp of moving away from U.S. dependence to a certain degree of independence in high-performance computers,” Bob Sorensen, vice president of research and technology at Minneapolis-based Hyperion Research, told Ellen and Craig. While China and the U.S. have been longtime rivals over supercomputing given the technology’s potential to enhance warfare, China has traditionally lagged behind in chip production. The new ban could slow down supercomputing research by the targeted entities, at least temporarily. BYTES: Hacked CBP officials have understated the scope of the material taken in the hack — saying that fewer than 100,000 photos of travelers were affected by a May breach. The agency said that none of those photos were available on the “dark Web.” Instead, Drew found a trove of sensitive information, including schematics and “extensive detail” on technology installed at various points of entry as well as at U.S. military bases. Hacked documents showed plans for expanding government “use of license plate readers and facial-recognition cameras, including such details as how many cameras are focused on which traffic lanes at some of the busiest border crossings in the world.” The hacked documents included plans from Perceptics, the contractor that probably was breached, for a new facial recognition software that could identify obstructed faces at the border. Lawmakers and advocates are using the breach to warn about the dangers of unregulated government surveillance using emerging technologies. “This kind of breach highlights the dangers of mass collection of sensitive data,” Rachel Levinson-Waldman, senior counsel at the think tank Brennan Center for Justice, told Drew. “Large-scale collection of personal


Facebook’s Libra helps power bitcoin to 15-month high and new interest in cryptocurrency

After months of “crypto winter,” bitcoin surged above $11,000 for the first time since March 2018, and experts think Facebook could be fueling the rise. Bitcoin soared as high as $11,304 early Monday morning before dropping back, to $10,885, according to market data from Coindesk. The world’s largest cryptocurrency is now up 170 percent for the year, suggesting investors have shed some of the skepticism that took hold after the bitcoin bubble burst in 2018 — its worst year on record. The digital coin had peaked well past $19,000 in December 2017, then went into a months-long tumble that bottomed out near $3,400 in January. “The strong resurgence in the Bitcoin price is mainly due to the renewed mainstream interest in cryptocurrencies and the technology that underlines it,” Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at ThinkMarkets, wrote in a Forbes column. “Projects like Facebook’s Libra have provided a much-needed tail wind for this space.” Last week, the newly formed Facebook subsidiary Calibra announced plans for a digital currency called Libra. The company framed it as a potential alternative to traditional financial services for the billions of people worldwide who lack access to banking. Libra will be accessible via a digital wallet in Messenger and WhatsApp and could launch as early as next year. It’s backed by 28 companies and nonprofits, including finance and tech giants such as Mastercard and Uber. Though Libra is built on the same blockchain technology that underlies bitcoin, Calibra head David Marcus is adamant that the two are not direct competitors. “Many want to pit Libra vs. Bitcoin. In my mind, these two are not in the same category,” Marcus tweeted last week. “BTC is a decorrelated (investment) asset. Libra is designed to be a stable medium-of-exchange. I have been, and remain a fan of BTC, but for very different purposes.” Even if it doesn’t take off with its 2.4 billion users, Facebook’s entry into the cryptocurrency sphere could help legitimize a sector that struggles to garner broader public interest and confidence. The appeal of cryptocurrency has long been undermined by its reputation as a fringe alternative to traditional financial systems, as well as by volatility, security issues and lack of regulation. The Libra "could be uniquely positioned to gain mass digital adoption,” researchers at the cryptocurrency exchange Binance wrote in a report. “In doing so, it paves the way for more end users by driving broader


Ethiopian general accused of leading coup attempt in north is killed in a firefight

had been hunting down Asamnew since he and soldiers loyal to him attacked a meeting of the Amhara government in the regional capital Saturday, killing the governor and his adviser. The region’s attorney general died of his wounds on Monday, according to local media reports. The attack Saturday was followed hours later by the assassination in Addis Ababa of the chief of Ethiopia’s military and a retired army general by a bodyguard. The killings were widely seen as an attack on Ethiopia’s new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, who has pushed through sweeping changes since his election last year. Asamnew, the renegade general blamed for the violence, had been pardoned by Abiy after being jailed by the previous government and accused of plotting a coup. He had recently used social media posts to incite a rebellion in Amhara, according to reports in Ethiopian media. The shootout in which Asamnew was killed comes as the government roots out others suspected of supporting the rebellion. Four high-ranking Amhara officials, including the deputy head of security, were taken into custody Monday, according to Abere Adamu, chief of the Amhara police commission. An additional 178 people have been arrested on suspicion of taking part in violence in the region, he said. An Internet shutdown has been in force across Ethiopia since Saturday’s killings. Flags in Ethiopia flew at half-staff Monday, which was declared a day of national mourning. Addis Ababa, the nation’s capital, was peaceful as soldiers stood guard in Meskel Square and manned roadblocks. Abiy, 42, has initiated broad political and economic moves, including the surprise acceptance of a peace agreement with neighboring Eritrea, the opening of major state-owned sectors to private investment and the release of thousands of political prisoners, including opposition figures once sentenced to death. Although Abiy’s policies are widely popular, some members of the previous regime are unhappy with the changes, and the prime minister has survived a number of threats. Ethiopia is a key regional ally of the United States in the restive Horn of Africa region. Tibor Nagy, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Africa, said the latest violence was a “shock, but it could have turned out so much worse.” “Thankfully, Prime Minister Abiy escaped this attempt because there are many, many more people in Ethiopia who support his reforms than those who are opposed to them,” he told reporters in Pretoria, South Africa. — Associated Press


يجب مساءلة النظام المصري بشأن وفاة مرسي، فالأنظمة الدكتاتورية الأخرى تراقب

رغم المخاطر لا يقلل من الصدمة والفزع الناجمَين عن وفاته. الآن يجب أن يتحمل قتلة مرسي المسؤولية. تعرفتُ على محمد مرسي لأول مرة في مايو/أيار 2012، بعد فترة وجيزة من ترشيحه لمنصب مرشح حزب الحرية والعدالة. كانت قد مرت مصر للتو بثورة غير مسبوقة، وكانت الآمال كبيرة لمستقبل ديمقراطي. قدمتُ له المشورة بشأن وسائل الإعلام والاتصالات خلال الحملة وقمنا بتطوير علاقة وثيقة للغاية. بعد الحملة، قمت برحلات سريعة ومتعددة بين القاهرة ومنزلي في كندا للمساعدة في العديد من القضايا. كان هناك العديد من الإخفاقات خلال العام الذي تقلّد فيه مرسي منصب الرئاسة، ولكن كان هناك العديد من النجاحات أيضًا. تم تضخيم حجم الإخفاقات من قبل الكثيرين وكتم النجاحات. كان مرسي رجلاً محبًا ورجل دولة ناجح من نواح كثيرة. كان يهتم ببلده وبالمصريين. رفض تنفيذ تخفيضات جذرية في دعم الوقود والغذاء كانت ستؤثر بشكل غير متناسب على الفقراء والطبقة الوسطى. وبدلًا من ذلك، فقد أمر مجلس وزرائه بالتركيز على إصلاح نظام الدعم للقضاء على الفساد وتحسين الفوائد. معركته ضد الفساد زادت من غيظ القوات الواقفة ضده. كان الفساد تجارة مربحة في مصر ولا يزال كذلك. ولد مرسي في قرية في ريف مصر ولم يفقد أبدًا رابطه القوي مع المصريين الفقراء والكادحين. كان يمكن أن يستضيف القصر الرئاسي وفدًا من زعماء القبائل من سيناء في الصباح ثم يستقبل هيلاري كلينتون أو كاثرين آشتون في فترة ما بعد الظهر. كان يمكن لمرسي أن يتواجد ويتحرك في كلا العالمين، لكن قلبه كان مزروعًا بكل إخلاص في تربة مصر. وفاة مرسي لها تبعات كبيرة. لا يزال النظام العسكري في القاهرة يحتجز الآلاف من المصريين في ظروف وحشية. لقد أعدم بالفعل العشرات وحكمت محاكمه على آلاف غيرهم بالإعدام. إنّ أوروبا والولايات المتحدة متواطئتين في وفاة مرسي من خلال دعمهما للنظام العسكري. إذا استمروا التزام الصمت في وجه هذه الجريمة، فإنّ الديكتاتورية العسكرية في مصر ستزداد جرأة وسيُسجن المزيد من الناس ويُقتلون وستقع مصر بشكل أعمق في هاوية القمع. علاوة على ذلك، فإنّ حكام مصر ليسوا السلطويين الوحيدين الذين يتابعون ردة فعل العالم على وفاة مرسي. السودانيون والجزائريون يراقبون أيضًا وهم يفكرون في كيفية إخماد حركاتهم الديمقراطية. في نهاية حملة الانتخابات الرئاسية لعام 2012، لم تكن لدي أي خطط للعودة إلى مصر. لقد دخلتُ مجال السياسة عن طريق المصادفة وكنتُ أعتزم العودة إلى حياتي الطبيعية كأكاديمي وطبيب في كندا. كان مرسي يمزح قائلًا إنه سيكون من الصعب عليّ التراجع عن الخطوط الأمامية للأحداث العالمية. أخبرته أنّ خطتي السرية كانت أن أجعله يوقع على العلم المصري الذي كنت سأبيعه عندما يصبح رئيسًا. آخر اجتماع لنا خلال الحملة كان


Only you can protect your home during construction

The inspiration for this column came to me recently while I was working on my daughter and son-in-law’s new home up in Downeast Maine. I’m not the builder, but I act as their primary adviser, plumber, electrician and radiant heat installer. My son-in-law and I arrived at the house to work at about 7 a.m., and at 8:30 a.m., a medium-sized box truck and a pickup truck pulled onto the lot. Five workers tumbled out of both vehicles, and they started to put in fiberglass insulation under all the floors in the house. With the help of my son-in-law, a month or so ago we had installed 900 Uponor heat transfer plates and 6,000 feet of Uponor hePEX tubing that will keep my daughter, son-in-law and new granddaughter as snug as bugs in a rug. Uponor happens to be one of the leaders in radiant heat products and technology. Read the beginning pages of their installation manual about the simple science behind radiant heat, and you’ll be amazed. The middle-aged leader of the insulating crew — let’s call him Sebastian (not his real name) — and I got into a friendly discussion about exactly how the insulation batts should be installed. Sebastian asked me, “Do you want a one- or two-inch airspace between the insulation and your PEX tubing?” “I don’t want any airspace,” I replied. “The Uponor installation manual says to put the insulation in direct contact with the tubing.” “Well, my entire career we’ve always installed the insulation with an airspace,” Sebastian countered. “That’s the way to do it.” "That’s very interesting, Sebastian. Since heat travels directly to cold, you want the insulation to be in contact with the heat pipes. This forces the heat upward into the floor. If what you suggest is the right way to do it, why are you filling the wall cavities all the way with your fluffy insulation? Why not leave airspace between the back of the drywall and the batt?” I said the above as respectfully as possible because most older people don’t like to be challenged or to have their intelligence questioned. I could tell the gears in his head were spinning. We then had a quick discussion about the new high-performance vapor retarder my son-in-law and I were installing over his insulation. Once again, his lack of scientific critical thinking soon bubbled to the surface. Downeast Maine can get


How chefs find restaurants when they travel

helpful tool when traveling. Yenbamroong finds the most popular or reliable site in the place he’s visiting and does his digging there. In Thailand, that’s Wongnai. In France, it’s Le Fooding. “Every country has their own thing. That’s a big tool,” Yenbamroong says. Gao uses Dianping in China. As helpful as Instagram and apps can be, some chefs still turn to classic methods of discovery. “If you are at a nice hotel, ask the concierge,” Ripert says. He also refers to the Michelin Guide, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants brand, magazines and newspapers. Lately, Ripert has turned to La Liste, which aggregates information from different media sources to provide restaurant ratings. Map out your goals You can spend an eternity figuring out where to eat; don’t waste those efforts by letting logistics get in the way. Figure out restaurant locations, when they’re open and whether you need a reservation. “When I’m visiting a country or discovering a city, I organize myself pretty well so I don’t make mistakes,” Ripert says. “I make my reservations ahead of time, and I give myself a bit of space to explore.” For his next trip, to Singapore, he’s saved room in his structured dining schedule to explore hawker stalls and booked anchor reservations at hard-to-get-into places, like Odette. On a three-day trip to Taiwan, Gao managed to squeeze in visits to 30 food spots. The feat took as much strategic planning as it did dedication. “I definitely map everything out on Google before I go,” Gao says. “When you’re traveling, you don’t really know the geography, and your time is finite.” If you’re doing food research ahead of your trip, take the few extra seconds to star their locations in Google Maps. Download that map so it’s available offline, particularly if you’re traveling internationally with limited Internet access. Once you’re on the ground, you’ll be able to easily see where you are in relation to your food goals at all times by opening up your map. Put yourself out there Ricker, however, usually shows up to a new place without a plan. “I like to just get out on the street and start walking,” he says. “I’d rather walk around where I am and find a place that looks good. I find pleasure in doing that.” Get yourself out and about, and take in the lay of the land. See where people are congregating,


Beyond Meat’s latest plant-based burger is meatier, juicier and a big step closer to beef

In the battle to create the best plant-based burger, Beyond Meat just fired a shot. The company has reformulated its Beyond Burger, making it meatier and better looking, with “marbling” to emulate the fat in traditional burgers. The new formulation is rolling out to grocery stores this week. Beyond, like its competitor, the Impossible Burger, had previously engineered a burger that “bleeds” — it has beet juice that gives the alternative protein the characteristic pink of a ground beef burger. Both burgers were a breakthrough in the fake meat world, where previous veggie burgers were derided as tasteless pucks. If the goal is to get humans to eat less meat — for their health and the health of the planet — making a burger that simulates the taste and texture of meat is critical in winning converts. A marbled plant-based burger is a step further in that direction. Where do those white fatty flecks come from? The company has added bits of coconut oil and cocoa butter, which melt into the burger when it’s grilled, and give it a juicier flavor. It has also added mung bean and rice proteins to the formula, which also includes pea protein. The additions give the burger more fiber and protein. It also has a “more neutral flavor and aroma profile,” according to a news release; some buyers had previously complained that the burger had a foul odor when cooked. The burger still has the beet juice, but it’s less pink on the inside, and it turns browner when it cooks — a change made possible by an apple extract. We tried the burger, and agreed: It tastes meatier, with more umami flavor. But even more striking was the texture: It had a coarser texture that was closer to ground beef. And the melting flecks of coconut oil and cocoa butter, created little pockets throughout the burger that made it less dry, dense and puck-like compared with the previous iteration, especially when the two were sampled side-by-side. The company will also sell packaged ground “beef,” which is made from the same formula, meaning you can hand-form your own burgers or make other dishes that would traditionally call for ground beef. Beyond Meat went public at the beginning of May, and its stock has had ups and downs since then. But since its $25 IPO, shares have risen to $165, giving it one of the


With sanctions on Iran’s supreme leader, Trump targets both a religious authority and an economic empire

— along with other companies the group controls. That year, a Reuters investigation found the group was worth about $95 billion. That economic heft had been built up over decades claiming abandoned properties following the 1979 revolution, before moving into other spheres of business, according to Reuters. The sanctions imposed on Khamenei on Monday, as well as the previous ones placed on organizations linked to him, are what are known as secondary sanctions — designed to deter American individuals or organizations from conducting business with him by threatening penalties. Given that Khamenei himself rarely travels outside of Iran and is unlikely to hold U.S. assets personally, the impact on him is likely to be minimal. Nephew, who helped coordinate the Obama administration’s 2013 designation of organizations linked to Khamenei, said the impact of new sanctions would ultimately come down to whether the U.S. government names new entities and individuals as being linked to Khamenei. Otherwise, “it’s pretty unlikely there’s be much of an impact,” Nephew said. The Trump administration has indicated it will impose sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later this week — a move that probably will have a considerable economic impact on Zarif and is laden with symbolism. As Iran’s top diplomat since 2013, Zarif has been at the center of Iran’s nuclear diplomacy for almost half a decade. He has traveled to New York City frequently to visit the United Nations, where he was also Iran’s ambassador from 2002 until 2007. With Zarif as the face of Iranian diplomacy, the punitive measures would send a message about how the United States views negotiations. But it may also cause complicated economic problems for the Iranian foreign minister, who spent 20 years in San Francisco, New York and Denver and whose two children were born in the United States. Hesameddin Ashena, an adviser to Rouhani, tweeted on Monday that punishing Zarif would turn him into “Iran’s Mandela.” Nephew said that though sanctions on Zarif would unlikely stop him from visiting the United Nations, they could create problems for organizations that hosted him for the public diplomacy events in New York that he attended on his visits. “They can’t block him from speaking at the United Nations, but he can’t just go around town,” Nephew said, noting that many of these appearances at think tanks and other institutions were used by Zarif to criticize the Trump administration.


Consequences in the Khashoggi killing

The new report by U.N. special rapporteur Agnes Callamard confirms clearly the CIA’s findings that the brutally murderous attack on The Post’s noble and principled journalist Jamal Khashoggi was premeditated and is linked to the terrorizing dictator of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman [“U.N. report offers new details in Khashoggi killing,” front page, June 20]. From this moment on, it becomes clear that the consequences for the Saudi crown prince for this crime, in synergy with the crimes of the war on Yemen, the poorest nation of the Middle East, must be swift and severe. Furthermore, the sordid behavior of our shamelessly unpresidential president, who has continued to make “deals” with the murderous power structure of one of the world’s most dangerous state actors of terrorism, must also have severe and swift consequences. Our Founding Fathers would probably never have fathomed that one of our presidents could sink as low and get away with it. President Trump (and Jared Kushner) must cease and desist all business with Saudi Arabia. Alfred Gluecksmann Read more letters to the editor.


الفلسطينيون يريدون الحرية وليس رشاوى إدارة ترامب

محمد اشتية هو رئيس وزراء السلطة الفلسطينية. كشفت إدارة ترامب يوم السبت عن الجزء الاقتصادي من خطتها الدبلوماسية بشأن فلسطين وإسرائيل التي طال انتظارها. هذا الإصدار أتى قبل يومين من بدء “ورشة عمل اقتصادية” في البحرين يوم الثلاثاء، والتي تهدف إلى حشد دعم إقليمي للمقترح. لسوء الحظ، فإنّ ما تم الكشف عنه يؤكد اعتقادنا هنا في السلطة الفلسطينية بأنّ الخطة التي يتم صياغتها من قبل كبير مستشاري البيت الأبيض جارِد كوشنر وغيره من مسؤولي إدارة ترامب هي ببساطة إعادة تجميع لمفهوم بالٍ وتم تفنيده يعرَف باسم “السلام الاقتصادي” طالما دعا له رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو، وهو صديق قديم لعائلة كوشنر. في حين أنها تفتقر إلى التفاصيل وتفتقر بشكل كامل إلى العنصر السياسي، فهذه الخطة تدعو إلى إنشاء صندوق استثمار بقيمة 50 مليار دولار للاقتصاد الفلسطيني واقتصاد الدول العربية المجاورة، وممر نقل بقيمة 5 مليارات دولار بين الضفة الغربية المحتلة وقطاع غزة. ما لا يتمكن كوشنر وزملاؤه من إدراكه هو أن الفلسطينيين لا يحتاجون أو يرغبون في الحصول على المساعدات. نحتاج إلى الحرية وحقوقنا ولكي تنهي إسرائيل سيطرتها على حياتنا واقتصادنا. كان القادة السياسيون ورجال الأعمال الفلسطينيون يقاطعون مؤتمر البحرين حتى قبل الكشف عن تفاصيل الخطة. ذلك لأنه منذ أن تولى الرئيس ترامب منصبه، فقد وقف بشكل شبه كامل مع حكومة إسرائيل اليمينية، ولم يقدم لنا أي سبب للاعتقاد بأن إدارته يمكن أن تؤخذ على محمل الجد كوسيط سلام نزيه. خلال العامين الماضيين، شن ترامب وكبار مستشاريه حربًا على الحقوق الفلسطينية. تخلى ترامب عن أكثر من 70 عامًا من السياسة الأميركية الرسمية المعتادة، حيث اعترف بالقدس كجزء من إسرائيل ونقل السفارة الأميركية إليها. لقد أغلق السفارة الفلسطينية الفعلية في واشنطن وقطع كل المساعدات تقريبًا للشعب الفلسطيني، بما في ذلك إلى وكالة الأمم المتحدة المسؤولة عن سلامة اللاجئين الفلسطينيين. إنّ حرمان الحكومة الأميركية المساعدات عن الفلسطينين لا يساعد في دعم جهودي لإدارة الأمور بشكل فعّال. حتى أنّ كوشنر، وهو صهر ترامب، تساءل خلال هذا الشهر عمّا إذا كان الفلسطينيون مستعدون للحكم الذاتي. هل يكون مستغرباً إذاً، بالنظر إلى كل هذا، إن شكك الفلسطينيون في خطة كوشنر الاقتصادية الجديدة؟ إنها ليست أكثر من مجرد تجديد لأفكار قديمة مثل السلام الاقتصادي الذي ينادي به اليمين الإسرائيلي، حيث يُتوقع من الفلسطينيين التخلي عن مطالبهم بالحرية في مقابل الاستثمار وحوافز اقتصادية أخرى. على الرغم من أن كوشنر نفى هذا الأمر، إلا أن مؤتمر البحرين وعرضه بدون أي مكون سياسي دليل واضح على أن هذا هو المقصود. ما لا يتمكن كوشنر ومؤلفو الخطة الآخرون من إدراكه هو أنه لا يمكن رشوة الفلسطينيين لقبول أي شيء أقل


5 casual restaurants that almost made the list of the D.C. area’s 25 best

Just because a dining guide is published doesn’t mean it’s complete. To my way of thinking, my recent list of the 25 best casual restaurants in the D.C. area is more open-ended than finite. I mean, 25 percent of the lineup could have been different, depending on which day or week I compiled the guide. Plus, if I’m honest with myself, a significant portion of my list could have been populated with pizzerias and taquerias had I cratered to my lifelong affection for these handheld bites, which have attained a kind of spiritual perfection, at once simple in appearance and complex in execution. But such a guide would not represent the full spectrum of dining in Washington, or even all of my personal tastes. It would just be a list of my indulgences, which has less value than a broader accounting of my favorite places to eat. So difficult choices are made. Restaurants that I love were not included, among them the five places below (plus one honorable mention). I thought I’d give you some insights into my decision-making, while giving you more places to try. 1. Charcoal Town Shawarma Why it didn’t make the list Why it should have 2. El Sol Restaurante and Tequileria Why it didn’t make the list Why it should have 3. Frankly . . . Pizza!, Why it didn’t make the list Why it should have 4. Lucky Buns Why it didn’t make the list Why it should have 5. Saba’ Traditional Yemeni Cuisine Why it didn’t make the list Why it should have Honorable mention tim.carman@washpost.com


In the battle to create the best plant-based burger, Beyond Meat just fired a shot. The company has reformulated its Beyond Burger, making it meatier and better looking, with “marbling” to emulate the fat in traditional burgers. The new formulation is rolling out to grocery stores this week. Beyond, like its competitor, the Impossible Burger, had previously engineered a burger that “bleeds” — it has beet juice that gives the alternative protein the characteristic pink of a ground beef burger. Both burgers were a breakthrough in the fake meat world, where previous veggie burgers were derided as tasteless pucks. If the goal is to get humans to eat less meat — for their health and the health of the planet — making a burger that simulates the taste and texture of meat is critical in winning converts. A marbled plant-based burger is a step further in that direction. Where do those white fatty flecks come from? The company has added bits of coconut oil and cocoa butter, which melt into the burger when it’s grilled, and give it a juicier flavor. It has also added mung bean and rice proteins to the formula, which also includes pea protein. The additions give the burger more fiber and protein. It also has a “more neutral flavor and aroma profile,” according to a news release; some buyers had previously complained that the burger had a foul odor when cooked. The burger still has the beet juice, but it’s less pink on the inside, and it turns browner when it cooks — a change made possible by an apple extract. We tried the burger, and agreed: It tastes meatier, with more umami flavor. But even more striking was the texture: It had a coarser texture that was closer to ground beef. And the melting flecks of coconut oil and cocoa butter, created little pockets throughout the burger that made it less dry, dense and puck-like compared with the previous iteration, especially when the two were sampled side-by-side. The company will also sell packaged ground “beef,” which is made from the same formula, meaning you can hand-form your own burgers or make other dishes that would traditionally call for ground beef. Beyond Meat went public at the beginning of May, and its stocks have had ups and downs since then. But since its $25 IPO, shares have risen to $165, giving it one of the


A 6,000-mile path will witness a total solar eclipse next week. The spectacular display won’t be easy to see.

It’s been nearly two years since the “Great American Eclipse.” Millions crammed into a 70-mile wide path of totality stretching from coast to coast, where the moon blotted out the sun to usher in a spontaneous nightfall. It was a planetary cavalcade unlike anything most had seen. Next Tuesday, Earth will again find itself the backdrop of the moon’s shadow, but this time, basking in the lunar umbra won’t be so easy. Though the path of totality spans 6,000 miles, most of it is over the remote South Pacific. Only a narrow zone in Chile and Argentina will witness totality before sunset — weather permitting. This time around will be a higher-stakes but higher-reward event. It’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and Mother Nature’s caprice manifests itself in the chaotic conditions of the Andes Mountains. La Serena — a coastal city of 200,000 about 250 miles north of Santiago and the first community to be plunged into darkness — is frequently buried beneath a deck of marine stratus clouds. Making matters more complicated is the low elevation of the sun. Since totality strikes at 4:38 p.m. — just one hour, 18 minutes before sunset — the solar disk will hover a mere 13 degrees above the northwest horizon as the moon intercepts its light. That means even distant clouds could spoil the show. During the 2017 eclipse, the sun was 60 degrees high, so the only clouds that mattered were the those directly above. The eclipse in Chile will be much trickier. The eclipse also could boost cloud cover near the coast. As incoming light drops and temperatures fall, an “inversion” will strengthen as the ground cools faster than the air. That will speed up the production of ocean stratus clouds even more. There is the option to go inland in hopes of escaping the pesky marine layer, but that would be no easy feat. Only one major road — Route 41, partially paved and largely dirt — snakes its way inward within the path of totality. The addition of hundreds of thousands of astrotourists will bring traffic like never before, meaning anyone hoping to spot the eclipse needs to be in position by lunchtime. And that late in the day, many viewing locations will be shadowed by mountains and hills, making finding an unobstructed viewing location all the more challenging. Amid all the hurdles, the payoff of this eclipse


Marc Elrich gives NIMBYism a victory over safety in Montgomery County

IMAGINE THIS all-too-realistic scenario in Montgomery County, a locality of 1 million people: Amid reports of a mass shooting, major fire or pileup on the Beltway, police and firefighters grab their radios — and get busy signals. That’s what first responders face in the county, Maryland’s most populous, partly as a result of dithering by elected officials. The county was fortunate last month when its badly antiquated emergency communications network crashed, twice, over Mother’s Day weekend, knocking out three-quarters of the radio channels used by police, firefighters and other emergency personnel. First responders were reduced to texting and calling each other; luckily, no major emergencies occurred during the outages, which began late on a Friday night and lasted into the next day. Plenty of warnings about the system had been issued before that. In fact, a new $45 million network of 22 communications towers and sites, to replace the existing 11, was supposed to be in place six years ago. It was postponed by procurement and budget problems, and the county now has the dubious bragging rights to an embarrassingly obsolete network. Still, sites were selected and construction was scheduled to be complete next year until County Executive Marc Elrich (D), bowing to community opposition, pulled the plug on two planned sites earlier this year. That was a victory for NIMBYism over safety. The two canceled installations, in Olney and Darnestown, were disliked for being unsightly; some residents say they also pose a health risk, although evidence for that is thin. In fact, in a county as urbanized as Montgomery, the surprise isn’t really that two sites have encountered local opposition; it’s that only two sites have. County officials insist the 20 remaining sites, scheduled for completion by late 2020, will provide a major upgrade on the status quo. They also acknowledge that a 20-site network will not meet the state-of-the-art standard: a network that covers 95 percent of the county’s terrain 95 percent of the time. Meeting that goal requires two additional sites, but relocating the two that Mr. Elrich canceled poses thorny technical problems. Because adjacent sites require clear sightlines, unimpeded by hills or buildings, moving one may trigger a domino effect of complications, including delays and higher costs. Officials insist that if alternative sites prove not to be feasible or will mean undue delay, returning to the previous site locations is possible. In April, two council members,


ورشة البحرين الخاصة بالاقتصاد الفلسطيني مشروع فاشل

واضحة. الأكثر إزعاجاً هو سذاجة فريق ترامب في محاولة مكشوفة لإعادة صياغة خطط بنيامين نتنياهو الفاشلة حول السلام الاقتصادي التي هدفت لاستخدام الحوافز الاقتصادية من أجل صرف النظر عن الأسئلة السياسية الجوهرية المتعلقة بحقوق الشعب الفلسطيني. إن خطط إدارة ترامب للاستثمار وضعت هدفاً يصل إلى 50 مليار دولار. بينما من الممكن تطبيق خطة لدعم الاقتصاد الفلسطيني دون أي تكلفة وذلك من خلال رفع القيود الإسرائيلية على الفلسطينيين. فدراسات البنك الدولي أوضحت أن ما يعيق انطلاق الازدهار للفلسطينيين ليس غياب الاستثمار بل هو التقييدات الإسرائيلية على الفلسطينيين وخاصة تحديد تنقل الناس والبضائع بحرية وسلاسة. فالتحرك السلمي الذي انطلق في واشنطن عام 1993 بين منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية وإسرائيل والذي صدر عنه اتفاق المبادئ شمل طريقاً آمناً بين غزة والضفة الغربية. ولكن هذا لم يحدث. ففتح المسار كان سيحرك الاقتصاد والأهم من ذلك كان سيعطي للشعب أملاً. لكن ما تم هو حرمان الشعب الفلسطيني الاستفادة من حوالي 60% من مناطق الضفة الغربية المصنفة مناطق “ج” حيث السيطرة الكاملة لإسرائيل، والتي كان من المفروض نقلها للفلسطينيين في نهاية المرحلة الانتقالية التي كان مفروضاً ألّا تتجاوز الخمس سنوات التي انتهت قبل نهاية القرن. لكن تلك الفترة المؤقتة تحولت إلى ربع قرن وبدون أية نهاية منظورة. البنى التحتية – وهي أساس أي خطة اقتصادية – كالمطار والميناء، تمنع إسرائيل إقامتها. كما يتم منع الفلسطينيين من التنقيب عن النفط في الضفة أو عن الغاز من شواطئ غزة. يتاح للفلسطينيين شراء الماء من إسرائيل رغم أنها تضخها من آبار تحتية فلسطينية في الوقت الذي تتوفرالمياه بكميات كبيرة للمستوطنين اليهود. قطاع الاتصالات الذي يعتبَر عنصراً أساسياً في تطور الاقتصاد مقيّد بإجراءات إسرائيلية مشددة. فرغم وجود المعدات لسنوات في مخازن إسرائيلية، إلا أن إسرائيل سمحت باستخدام الجيل الثالث فقط للهواتف الخلوية في الضفة عام 2018 ولم تسمح استخدام المعدات لنفس الجيل في غزة. أما الجيل الرابع فممنوع في الضفة والقطاع. إذا كان هدف ورشة البحرين اقتصادياً فهناك طريق أسهل بكثير للتقدم. يمكن لإدارة ترامب أن تضغط على إسرائيل لرفع القيود التي تسمح بتنقل الناس والبضائع وهو الأمر الذي سيحسن الاقتصاد ويوفر الازدهار. إن التوجه لحلول مبنية على الواقع ستكون لها الفرص الأكبر لتحسين الاقتصاد الفلسطيني وتوفر فرص للنقاش في المسار السياسي. طبعاً ذلك يتطلب من إدارة ترامب التفاعل بصورة صادقة مع القيادة الفلسطينية دون المحاولات الجارية حالياً لتجاوزهم. هذا، مع إعادة فتح مكتب الممثلية الفلسطينية في واشنطن المغلق منذ أيلول- سبتمبر 2018، ستكون خطوات في الاتجاه الصحيح لإعادة الحوار. الحوار المطلوب يجب أن يهدف إلى الاستماع إلى كافة الأطراف ومساعدتهم في إيجاد حل سلمي يجلب حرية طويلة الأمد وازدهاراً للفلسطينيين.


Here’s why Ebola has been so hard to contain in Eastern Congo

Public health authorities have recorded more than 2,000 cases in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo. Last week, a 5-year-old boy died of Ebola in neighboring Uganda, signifying the outbreak has spread across the border. The latest update published by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests the Congolese outbreak is not close to ending — the number of new cases is actually on the rise. This is the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. In the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, health authorities recorded more than 28,000 cases, and more than 11,000 people died. Why has the current Congolese outbreak been so challenging for the government and other stakeholders to contain? Most reports focus on insecurity in eastern Congo. Analysts have observed a spike in Ebola cases coinciding with organized attacks by armed groups on response teams. But insecurity isn’t the only challenge hampering Ebola response. Recently published research drawing on data collected in the two deadliest outbreaks suggests one other major factor hampering response: citizen mistrust of government. Here’s what you need to know. Ebola in Congo, 2018-2019 Ebola is a viral disease that infects immune system cells. Early symptoms resemble the flu or malaria. Ebola can be gruesome — potentially resulting in internal or external bleeding, organ failure — and often death. Congolese health officials officially announced the current Ebola outbreak in August 2018. As of June 16, there are 2,168 confirmed and probable Ebola cases, and 1,449 reported deaths. The region in which the Ebola outbreak is occurring is small, comprising a few territoires (counties) in the far north of North Kivu and several territoires in Ituri province. However, these are some of the most insecure areas in Congo, where up to 175 armed groups are active. The government has little meaningful control of its territory, especially outside major cities. Citizens have experienced conflict since the First Congo War began in 1996, and while there are periods of calm from time to time, violence is an unfortunate fact of life for many residents of the outbreak zone. This makes Congo’s Ebola crisis different from previous outbreaks, dating back to 1976. While the Congolese have effectively contained previous outbreaks, those occurred in other, much more secure regions of the country. Likewise, the 2014 West Africa outbreak occurred in countries that were stable and fully under government control. Insecurity hampers health-care logistics Why does this matter? For one


The Technology 202: Small tech companies worry about retaliation if they complain about their larger rivals

Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are divvying up tech oversight and considering opening investigations into some companies, including Google. Any potential investigation could be a more confidential avenue for the companies to share their concerns with Washington than testifying in front of House lawmakers. “People now can form a line around the block at the Department of Justice and speak under the veil of confidentiality,” Luther Lowe, Yelp’s senior vice president of public policy who supports greater antitrust scrutiny of Google, told me. Google chief executive Sundar Pichai has said he’s not surprised by the antitrust scrutiny here at home after the company has gone through recent investigations in Europe. He said in a recent CNN interview it’s “perfectly fine” for companies to face increased scrutiny when they get big enough. He did note there are some benefits for companies to being big because they’re able to make long-term investments in new techologies like quantum computing without fear of short-term returns. “Scrutiny is right, and we will participate constructively in these discussions,” he said. You are reading The Technology 202 , our guide to the intersection of technology and politics. BITS: Former Facebook chief security officer Alex Stamos wants to disabuse lawmakers of the notion that artificial intelligence is a quick fix to counterterrorism as he testifies in front of Congress today “There’s a lot of overstatement in Silicon Valley and D.C. over the capability to use machine learning,” Stamos tells The Technology 202 in an interview. “Machine learning has some significant limitations. It can’t be told to do something, it must be trained.” And in some cases, it “fails spectacularly.” The technology’s limitations were recently highlighted in the aftermath of the Christchurch, New Zealand, shooting, when companies struggled to remove a flood of graphic videos of the attack. The companies’ response to the shooting videos is expected to be high on the agenda as the House Homeland Security Committee grapples with the role of AI in countering terrorism. In his research, Stamos has found that AI can be up to 1,000 times more successful in moderating some content than others — but that relies on a number of factors including the content it has been trained on. Stamos says failing AI was just one of “three or four” issues, including a toxic Internet ecosystem friendly to white supremacist content, that allowed for the content to proliferate. But


The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards has made changes, but has anything really changed?

to fine dining, who can get the voters in the seats matters. When asked about how they could possibly visit enough restaurants worldwide to populate the list of 10 they were required to turn in on voting day, one self-identified voter said: “It’s absurd. The math doesn’t add up.” It certainly doesn’t add up to diversity. There was some welcome news for Crenn, as her San Francisco restaurant, Atelier Crenn, made the top 50 for the first time this year (coming in at 35). But despite all the changes, very few women-led kitchens were voted into a spot. Nearly 1 in 2 restaurants on the list are in Europe, while there is still only one restaurant each from mainland China and all of Africa on the list. India and many other countries were left off. And yet, despite the criticism — or maybe in part because of the continued media attention it continues to bring the awards — the party goes on. With few exceptions, the chefs still show up. Around 1 a.m. at a private party in Singapore the night before the awards, Gaggan Anand of Gaggan in Bangkok, which was named No. 4 on this year’s list, led a small crowd of journalists, Instagrammers, food fans and fellow restaurant industry people in a chant against one of 50 Best’s rating rivals. “F— Michelin!” the chef shouted again and again, using an expletive and trying to coax some of his contemporaries into joining in. How long the party lasts is a different question. New awards and lists have popped up as competitors recently, directly targeting 50 Best and trying to grab for bits of its spotlight and influence among fine-dining fans. Changes may help the list stay fresh, and make much larger strides on diversity, but ultimately, 50 Best, like so many other entities fighting for relevance in the world of marketing, news and entertainment, may find its biggest challenge will be keeping up with the times in other ways. Asked about a recent tweet in which he downplayed the importance of Michelin, traditional media and 50 Best, restaurateur Nick Kokonas of Chicago’s Alinea (No. 37 on this year’s list), said, “I’ll put Instagram as No. 1 on my list of most important drivers of restaurant business and reputation.” Genung is a writer based in Hong Kong and the creator of the Family Meal newsletter about the restaurant industry.


A mysterious explosion left a crater in a German field. It may have been a WWII bomb.

From the air, the massive crater resembles a pink virus floating against a pool of green. But from the ground, the destruction is clear and devastating: A 33-foot wide, 13-foot gouge into the earth that began in the 1940s with an Allied sortie and ended Sunday morning in a massive blast in a barley field in central Germany. No one was hurt in the blast, the German news site Hessenschau reported. The explosion was thundering and unexpected, leading some residents in Ahlbach farmland to speculate it was an earthquake. Explosive experts combed the crater, and no bomb elements were initially found, the nearby city of Limburg said in a statement, prompting the theory that it was the work of an asteroid. However, a second look, with the help of drones, helped build evidence that has pointed to a likely culprit — a 550-pound dud of a bomb dropped decades ago that remained buried and untouched until its detonation mechanism eroded with time. Between 1940 and 1945, Allied bombers dropped 2.7 million tons of bombs on Europe. About half of that ordnance fell on German targets, eradicating Nazi war infrastructure and killing more than 400,000 German civilians. But about 10 percent of bombs dropped over Germany failed to explode, according to Smithsonian Magazine, leaving deadly artifacts in the ground to be found by firefighters, engineers and construction workers so often it has become routine. The city of Limburg said the bomb probably had a chemical detonator that failed when the bomb was dropped. Not all bombs explode on impact. Sometimes chemical components were used to delay explosions until a bomb could burrow into the ground to create a bigger crater and cause more damage. With such bombs used in World War II, gravity helped. The components relied on a north-south orientation after a bomb fell as designed — with an air-powered fin that spun as the bomb descended. That fin drove a metal rod into a glass plate, releasing corrosive acetone that dissolves celluloid discs, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Different thicknesses of discs were used — the thicker the disc, the longer the process took. The acetone eventually dissolved them, triggering a spring that would thrust a firing pin into a detonator. But often bombs did not land correctly, coming to a rest either sideways or upside down. In those cases, the reaction stalls and the acetone falls away from the


Saudi Arabia murdered a journalist. Trump doesn’t seem to mind.

ABOUT TWO weeks after the disappearance of our colleague Jamal Khashoggi, and before much was known about his fate, President Trump warned of “very severe” consequences if Saudi Arabia was responsible. Now, eight months later, this comment has been tossed aside by Mr. Trump, just another outburst of bluster that he either forgot or never meant. Instead, Mr. Trump has become a steadfast champion of the royal court that sent a team of killers to murder Khashoggi. We now know, thanks to a report by the U.N. special rapporteur, Agnes Callamard, that the killing of Khashoggi on Oct. 2, 2018, in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul was premeditated. Two Saudi officials on the team held a discussion just minutes before Khashoggi walked in. “Joints will be separated,” one of them said. “It is not a problem. The body is heavy. First time I cut on the ground. If we take plastic bags and cut it into pieces, it will be finished. We will wrap each of them.” Moreover, Ms. Callamard said Khashoggi’s death was an “extrajudicial killing for which the State of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible.” Mr. Trump disclosed during an interview with “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday that he had a “great conversation” on Friday morning with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose team was dispatched to dismember Khashoggi. Did Mr. Trump bring up the murder? “I did not,” he said, “because it really didn’t come up in that discussion.” Mr. Trump said the call was to discuss his pressure campaign against Saudi Arabia’s arch foe, Iran, after the shoot-down of a U.S. drone. Mr. Trump then immediately deployed a favorite evasive technique, saying Iran “killed many, many people a day” and the Middle East is a “vicious, hostile place,” as if that were enough to explain Khashoggi’s death. Next, Mr. Trump pirouetted to arms sales to Saudi Arabia, tossing out wildly exaggerated estimates of the value. “So Saudi Arabia is a big buyer of America product,” he said. “That means something to me.” He added, “Take their money.” Moderator Chuck Todd asked: Should there be FBI assistance to the investigation of Khashoggi’s death? “I think it’s been heavily investigated,” Mr. Trump replied, not answering the question. In fact, the Saudis have yet to reveal how they disposed of Khashoggi’s body, never mind hold the masterminds to account for his murder. On Monday, Secretary of


It’s time to stop taking the Trump administration’s word for it on Iran

On Monday, a number of media outlets credulously described President Trump’s announcement of new, “hard-hitting” sanctions against Iran in the wake of his retreat from military action. But was this really in response to the tanker attacks that precipitated the standoff? Well, actually, the president said, “This is something that was going to happen anyway.” Indeed, Capitol Hill insiders point out that the process for signing off on new sanctions by the Pentagon, State Department and Treasury Department takes time. It’s unlikely then that these sanctions were just ordered up. The Treasury Department in a news release also identified sanctions “against eight senior commanders of Navy, Aerospace, and Ground Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These commanders sit atop a bureaucracy that supervises the IRGC’s malicious regional activities, including its provocative ballistic missile program, harassment and sabotage of commercial vessels in international waters, and its destabilizing presence in Syria." And what was really new or hard-hitting about these? Foreign-policy experts were left scratching their heads. Sanctions in place already bar any U.S. company from transacting business with the Iranian government, and we’ve already reactivated financial sanctions. Does adding in the names specifically of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials change anything? Aaron David Miller of the Wilson Center says he “can’t see these sanctions squeezing much more juice out of the Iranian orange.” He adds, “Targeting the Supreme Leader whose foundation is worth billions (but how many assets are really exposed?), the Revolutionary Guard individuals involved in [the] shoot-down of the drone and maybe [Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad] Zarif are largely symbolic whose economic impact may be minimal but will slam door on any diplomatic engagement since they’ve now personalized the sanctions.” Miller concludes, “Trump had to do something in the wake of the flip-flop over the military strike; and these sanctions are certainly safer than attacking Iran and killing a lot of Iranians. Still, sooner or later, confrontation is where we’re headed.” Other veteran diplomats are equally skeptical. Targeting just the supreme leader and his office don’t carry much weight. It was quite unlikely that the supreme leader was doing business with any international banks anyway. Trump, it seems, is still using smoke and mirrors to convey the impression of action when, in fact, his bluff was called and he has few other options for responding to Iran. While his base may be snowed into thinking


These researchers study terrorists. Sometimes, they also stumble across scoops.

The project was “very much in line with our focus and expertise and we were naturally happy to partner with them,” Vidino says, adding that the program works with many domestic and international media outlets. He is also a frequent contributor to the BBC. The program’s research goes beyond documents and social media. It includes interviews with former Islamic State members, relatives of terrorists, FBI agents and attorneys. Encounters with family members of Islamic State militants, in particular, can be difficult and require sensitivity. “You’ve got to put it in context. I’m the parent of two kids, so if I’m sitting across the room from a mother whose son just joined al-Shabab, I can think of myself and how I would feel if my son did the same thing,” Hughes says. “You can’t discount that the individual joined a foreign terrorist organization that’s doing horrible things to a lot of people, but you also can’t discount the human cost of those who are left behind after that decision is made.” The work could soon become more labor-intensive: Lately, social media platforms have come under fire for not removing extremist content, as happened after a video of the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March was widely shared on Facebook. If the platforms take down this content, Hughes says, they are likely to drive the material to a larger number of smaller sites — an outcome that would create new challenges for researchers. For law enforcement, meanwhile, such a change would probably have both drawbacks and benefits, he explains: “It does make the intelligence and law enforcement jobs more difficult from the standpoint of looking at a target, but probably better from the standpoint of not getting more recruits.” Will there be more scoops coming from Hughes? Maybe not quite as many, since he is sharing his PACER techniques with more journalists. In the past two months, he has trained more than 500 reporters across the country on how to use the site. And they, in turn, have shared tips on filing Freedom of Information Act requests. “I wasn’t expecting that level of response; it’s been mildly overwhelming,” he says. “And it’s been really interesting to me and quite useful to exchange notes with reporters, because in many ways the tips that they have when it comes to doing investigations are skill sets that I didn’t necessarily have.”


Trump imposes new sanctions on Iran, warns U.S. ‘restraint’ is limited

imposing the sanctions, which come atop dozens of previous economic penalties applied over Iran’s alleged support for terrorism and other actions. “He’s respected within his country. His office oversees the regime’s most brutal instruments, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the president said, which the United States blames for an attack on two tankers near the Strait of Hormuz on June 13. Trump appears to be gambling that the pressure campaign will compel Iran’s leadership to agree to a new nuclear agreement and not prompt it to lash out militarily for what it views as an illegal effort to strangle Iran’s economy. But analysts said the United States is reaching a point of diminishing returns when it comes to sanctions pressure. “The entities that Khamenei’s office controls have already been subject to U.S. sanctions,” said Suzanne Maloney, an Iran scholar at the Brookings Institution. “Any new measures are only incremental and possibly redundant. The Iranian economy has already been forced to become more insular and less interconnected — which leaves the residual economic activity paradoxically more resilient to U.S. restrictions.” Beginning last year, when Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal, his administration has effectively banned Iranian oil exports, the country’s main revenue source, and moved onto smaller targets such as the iron, steel, aluminum and copper industries. “Further economic sanctions are almost entirely symbolic, rather than being economically significant,” said Elizabeth Rosenberg, a sanctions expert at the Center for a New American Security. “Sanctions at this point are a sideshow to the real threat of military escalation and all-out war.” Despite his aversion to a military strike, Trump said he has legal authority to order such an action without congressional approval, something some lawmakers have insisted he obtain. “I do like keeping them abreast, but I don’t have to do it legally,” he said in an interview with the Hill on Monday. On Monday, the Trump administration presented a case against Iran at the U.N. Security Council, arguing that Iran or its proxies were behind numerous assaults in the Middle East. The United States was not directly targeted in those actions, until the drone attack. Iranian Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi told reporters at the United Nations that the unmanned “spy” plane violated Iranian airspace and ignored repeated radio warnings before it was shot down. The United States maintains that the aircraft was flying over international waters. “We cannot accept any


It’s time for regulatory agencies to start putting public health ahead of private profit

that had won over American consumers. As part of its campaign to protect its members from exposure to toxic chemicals such as DDT and Aldrin, the UFW began a consumer boycott of grapes. This was a smart move because while grape buyers might not be moved to act to protect the workers harvesting grapes, they were alarmed to learn that pesticides, specifically the residue left on produce, made the fruit unsafe to eat. This enlisted consumers into the UFW’s fight to protect farmworkers, whose bodies were on the front lines of pesticide exposure. The hearings helped the UFW prove the public could not trust the Food and Drug Administration’s claims that widely used agricultural pesticides were safe, for consumers and workers. They also showed a weakness in state-level regulations. A UFW study revealed that residues of DDT, a suspected human carcinogen, were on California grapes sold in Washington state grocery stores, despite claims to the contrary from state regulators. The UFW also revealed that grapes sold at a California Safeway store were contaminated with the toxic pesticide Aldrin, linked to convulsions and kidney damage among other human health effects. Growers had claimed that Aldrin hadn’t been used in three years, but Safeway’s independent tests confirmed its presence. Instead of investigating how the pesticide found its way onto the grapes, the FDA and growers simply questioned the tests’ accuracy without even checking the reports. The emphasis on consumer safety worked. A few months later, California’s state agriculture regulators barred 91 pesticides from use on crops and planned to impose restrictions on 120 others. Many growers were forced to sign UFW contracts banning chemicals such as Aldrin and DDT. Contracts also specified that growers monitor farmworkers’ pesticide exposure using the same standards California state law already required for crop dusters and pesticide industry workers. UFW activism also helped propel federal policy shifts by connecting consumer and farmworker interests to environmental issues that concerned the newly created Environmental Protection Agency. The combined efforts of the UFW, environmental groups and other organizations resulted in federal bans of many toxic pesticides, most prominently DDT, which endangered the environment, including birds and aquatic life, and had potentially dangerous effects for people. Emphasizing the combined dangers pesticides posed to consumers, workers and the environment was effective. And yet, despite these advancements, U.S. regulatory agencies continued to favor business and profits over public health and environmental concerns, especially


but Safeway’s independent tests confirmed its presence. Instead of investigating how the pesticide found its way onto the grapes, the FDA and growers simply questioned the tests’ accuracy without even checking the reports. The emphasis on consumer safety worked. A few months later, California’s state agriculture regulators barred 91 pesticides from use on crops and planned to impose restrictions on 120 others. Many growers were forced to sign UFW contracts banning chemicals such as Aldrin and DDT. Contracts also specified that growers monitor farmworkers’ pesticide exposure using the same standards California state law already required for crop dusters and pesticide industry workers. UFW activism also helped propel federal policy shifts by connecting consumer and farmworker interests to environmental issues that concerned the newly created Environmental Protection Agency. The combined efforts of the UFW, environmental groups and other organizations resulted in federal bans of many toxic pesticides, most prominently DDT, which endangered the environment, including birds and aquatic life, and had potentially dangerous effects for people. Emphasizing the combined dangers pesticides posed to consumers, workers and the environment was effective. And yet, despite these advancements, U.S. regulatory agencies continued to favor business and profits over public health and environmental concerns, especially if there was any uncertainty about pesticides’ dangers. For example, 50 years later, products like Roundup are still on the market. Many homeowners and gardeners use it to control weeds but are unaware that, while some studies find no definitive cause for concern, others, including one from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, have deemed glyphosate, the herbicide used in Roundup, “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Besides possibly putting workers and property residents at risk, glyphosate is implicated in undermining bees’ health, and many scientists suspect that it may negatively affect the environment over time as well. Why the discrepancy between the swift ban on DDT and the delay on Roundup and other pesticides, which remain on the market despite seeming to threaten public health and the environment? Because at least some of DDT’s dangerous consequences were fairly immediately apparent, including how it decimated the bald eagle population. By contrast, for pesticides that may cause cancer (including DDT), the health consequences may not appear for decades after exposure. This produces uncertainty, making it easier for pesticide companies to fend off stricter limits and stronger oversight. The result is that agencies such as the EPA, Health Canada and


A college admissions rant

As anybody who has ever applied to a selective college can attest, the admissions process is usually somewhere between anxiety-ridden and an unadulterated nightmare. And that was before the news of Operation Varsity Blues, a federal investigation into college admissions fraud that resulted in the recent indictments of dozens of people, including parents and college coaches. This column is an informed rant about that process by someone who has been through it and who writes about it for a living — and it is likely to speak to many of you who have been through it, too. The author is Liz Willen, editor of the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. A version of this appeared on the report’s website, and she gave me permission to publish this. By Liz Willen Whenever I see another person charged or sentenced in the latest college admissions scandal, I’m transported a few years back to a tortured college application season, when a testing snafu invalidated the SAT scores of my then-16-year-old son and the nearly 200 others who took the exam at the same site. The reasons for this headache were never fully explained; we were told something about desks being too close together. Rescheduling became such a nightmare that my son refused to take the exam again. Who knew I could have simply paid someone extraordinary amounts of money to take it for him, or correct any wrong answers? If I had the money or inclination, I could even have pushed for a fraudulent special needs diagnosis so he could receive extended time, just like the parents, coaches and others involved in this calculated (and illegal) scheme to get kids into top colleges. The bribes, lies and cheating on display in the admissions scandal that has ensnared 50 people, including famous actresses and wealthy financiers, expose in stark terms the fallacy of college admissions as a meritocracy. Scales can tip in favor of donors, athletes and legacies; by some estimates these advantages double or quadruple an applicant’s chances of admission. Is there no end to how far parents with unlimited checkbooks and outsized expectations for their children will go? Consider recent headlines like this: “Parents Gone Wild: High Drama Inside D.C.’s Most Elite Private School.” The story describes how a dean at coveted Sidwell Friends (annual tuition $42,372) excoriated parents to stop verbally assaulting


World Digest: June 26, 2019

than 1,472 degrees Fahrenheit during the fire, according to a statement Wednesday by the Notre Dame Foundation. — Associated Press HONG KONG Protesters seek G-20 pressure on China Protesters in Hong Kong sought Wednesday to rally nations to their side at the upcoming Group of 20 summit, hoping to spur international pressure on China over a proposal to allow extraditions to the mainland. The appeals for leaders to confront China at the G-20 summit is likely to further anger Beijing amid Chinese claims that foreign meddling is helping stoke the Hong Kong protests. Beijing has said that its leaders will not discuss the bill during the summit, which begins Friday in Osaka, Japan. Protesters surrounded police headquarters in Hong Kong on Wednesday in another public display of frustration. Earlier, hundreds had moved through the streets to stop at consulates, including the United States’, to deliver letters calling for foreign governments to address their concerns at the annual summit. Many believe the bill, which has been tabled but not withdrawn, would be a blow to the “one country, two systems” framework enacted when Hong Kong was handed back from Britain to China in 1997. — Timothy McLaughlin ETHIOPIA 37 killed in attack that followed coup attempt Thirty-seven people were killed in an attack Sunday in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region, the governor said Wednesday. Benishangul-Gumuz borders the Amhara region, where authorities foiled an attempt to oust the regional government Saturday. Three officials, including the region’s president, were killed in that attack. Ashadli Hassen, governor of Benishangul-Gumuz, said the attack on villages in his region’s Metakal zone was carried out before dawn Sunday by armed men believed to be followers of the army general who attempted the coup in Amhara. The attackers returned to Amhara after the assault in which 18 were wounded, he said. Authorities said Monday the general who led the attempted coup was killed in a firefight. An internet shutdown remains in force following Saturday’s violence, which included the assassination of the national army chief by his bodyguard in the capital, Addis Ababa. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has ordered a crackdown in which hundreds are believed to be in detention. The unrest is the latest challenge to Abiy, who was elected last year as reformist. — Associated Press Leftist government to take reins in Denmark: Labour lawmaker readmitted after anti-Semitism remark: Blast leaves 12 injured in Vienna: — From news services


The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s management is failing

Thanks to Anne Midgette for reporting on how the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra musicians are trying to hold it together during the unfortunate lockout imposed by the BSO management [“Baltimore orchestra locks out musicians,” Style, June 18]. As a Maryland resident, taxpayer and arts lover, I am seriously ticked off at BSO management for what seems like bad faith. Earlier this year, Peter Kjome, the BSO’s president and chief executive, repeatedly advocated additional funding for the orchestra from the Maryland legislature, and he praised the legislature when the funding was passed. It was heartening to see labor and management successfully come together to jointly advocate a solution to the orchestra’s financial problems, including a task force to look at the orchestra’s long-term financial stability. But then, just days after the funding was approved, Mr. Kjome canceled the summer season and locked out the musicians. Mr. Kjome cited concerns that Gov. Larry Hogan (R) might not release the funds. But it sure seems as though BSO management used the governor’s public equivocation to do what it has wanted to do all along: cut the season and cut the musicians’ pay, just as BSO management proposed back in October. Mr. Kjome should use his clout — and the clout of other BSO supporters — to persuade the governor to release the funds and get the task force going. His failure to do so, after so publicly and repeatedly advocating the funding, smacks of bad faith. The BSO musicians and Maryland taxpayers deserve better. Lynn Rhinehart Read more letters to the editor.


The Health 202: Health officials say they’re out of room for the influx of unaccompanied migrant kids

an herb that advocates say can alleviate pain and other medical conditions. The warnings were sent to Folsom, Calif.-based Cali Botanicals and Kratom NC, of Wilmington, N.C. “As we work to combat the opioid crisis, we cannot allow unscrupulous vendors to take advantage of consumers by selling products with unsubstantiated claims that they can treat opioid addiction or alleviate other medical conditions,” Sharpless added. — In New Jersey, the state’s health commissioner will now allow paramedics to start treating patients with the drug buprenorphine at the scene of an overdose immediately after revival, Stat’s Lev Facher reports. The state will be the first in the nation to begin such an effort. The move is the latest example of how the use of buprenorphine, which is used to reduce opioid cravings and alleviate withdrawal symptoms, has ramped up as a way to address the opioid epidemic. Health officials in the state say administering the drug right away can not only immediately address withdrawal symptoms, it can essentially serve as a transition into long-term treatment for the patient. “The bold program is without precedent in the U.S., but serves as a testament to many states’ increasingly aggressive and innovative efforts to reduce drug overdose deaths,” Lev writes “As a safeguard, New Jersey’s 1,900 paramedics will need to obtain permission from the emergency physician overseeing their unit before administering buprenorphine when responding to an overdose call,” he adds. “The supervising physician must have a DEA waiver to prescribe buprenorphine, a spokeswoman said.” — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed a bill to make the state the 11th to legalize marijuana for recreational use. The law, which allows the growth, sale, possession and consumption of marijuana for people ages 21 and older, may also expunge criminal records for nearly 800,000 people whose records involved purchasing or possessing 30 grams or less of marijuana, the Associated Press’s John O’Connor reports. By signing the law, Pritzker also made good on one of his main campaign promises. “In the past 50 years, the war on cannabis has destroyed families, filled prisons with nonviolent offenders, and disproportionately disrupted black and brown communities,” Pritzker said. “Each year, law enforcement across the nation has spent billions of dollars to enforce the criminalization of cannabis. ... Yet its consumption remains widespread.” — And here are a few more good reads: Today What to expect from Democrats on the crowded debate stage:


U.S. consumer confidence down amid trade worries; hackers hit global telecoms in 7-year spying campaign, report says

ECONOMY Consumer index down amid trade worries U.S. consumer confidence fell to a 21-month low in June, with households more pessimistic about business and labor market conditions amid concerns about a recent escalation in trade tensions between the United States and China. The economy’s prospects were further dimmed by other data on Tuesday showing that sales of new single-family homes unexpectedly fell for a second straight month in May, suggesting lower mortgage rates had yet to provide a boost to the struggling housing market. Growing risks to the economy, especially related to the trade war between Washington and Beijing, and low inflation prompted the Federal Reserve last week to signal interest rate cuts beginning as early as July. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index dropped 9.8 points to a reading of 121.5 this month, the lowest since September 2017, from a downwardly revised 131.3 in May. President Trump last month imposed additional tariffs of up to 25 percent on $200 billionof Chinese goods, prompting retaliation by Beijing. — Reuters CYBERSECURITY Report: Hackers hit global telecoms Hackers broke into the systems of more than a dozen global telecom firms and stole huge amounts of data in a seven-year spying campaign, researchers from a cybersecurity company said, identifying links to previous Chinese cyberespionage activities. Investigators at U.S.-Israeli cyber firm Cybereason said on Tuesday that the attackers compromised companies in more than 30 countries and aimed to gather information on individuals in government, law enforcement and politics. The hackers also used tools linked to other attacks attributed to Beijing by the United States and its Western allies, said Lior Div, chief executive of Cybereason. “For this level of sophistication it’s not a criminal group. It is a government that has capabilities that can do this kind of attack,” he said. “Right now we’re still tracking them,” he said. “On Saturday we debriefed more than 25 different telcos.” A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said he was not aware of the report, but he added that “we would never allow anyone to engage in such activities on Chinese soil or using Chinese infrastructure.” — Reuters Also in Business The U.S. Justice Department San Francisco became — From news services


‘This is going to be a bad one’: A new pest is causing quarantines in Va. and Pa.

property’s farmhouse. In the hedgerows, the fecundity of the pest is soon apparent. Sticky traps on tree trunks are smothered in dozens, hundreds of hapless lanternfly nymphs. There are plenty, not on the traps but on the branches of the woody vegetation. We find them in a second and third stage of development — they are black with white spots and maybe half an inch long. In their final pre-adult stage, the nymphs take on a red coloration. Even these juveniles are strong hoppers. They like to stop and stick their strawlike mouthparts into the vascular system of a tree or shrub, and feed like hungry teenagers on milkshakes. If you were to find something positive to say about the spotted lanternfly, it is that it does not bite us, suck our blood or give us disease. Another plus is that its preferred host is the misnamed tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), itself an introduction from China that has now widely naturalized. If lanternflies fed just on tree-of-heaven, all to the good, but the insect is known to sup from about 70 species. The mass feeding can seriously weaken its host. It likes grapevines and fruit trees, and afflicted plants suffer a much-diminished harvest. Winchester, apart from being the hometown of Patsy Cline, is known for its apple industry. The Route 50 corridor between Winchester and Washington now seems dotted with vineyards and destination wineries, whose owners must be worried. The pest is also attracted to oaks, black walnuts and maples — high-value species for the timber industry. If the lanternfly moves into your garden, the biggest problem may not be its weakening of ornamentals. When I was standing next to one hedgerow, I could feel what I thought were spots of rain. No, this was lanternfly excreta. The insects exude a sugary waste called honeydew, and in their great numbers, this becomes excessive. On one wall of vegetation, leaves were glossy wet, as if sprayed with a hose. Other insects excrete honeydew, but I have never seen such a dousing. Within a few days, honeydew draws a black fungus called sooty mold. In the yard, this can discolor decks, patio furniture, play equipment, arbors, vehicles and the rest. When the mold settles on leaves, a plant’s powers of photosynthesis are compromised. New pests come and go. The Japanese beetle remains a pain in the neck, the brown marmorated stink bug doesn’t


We used to fly from New York to Paris in 3 hours. Let’s do that again.

be directly adapted to future commercial aircraft designs. Some of the most promising opportunities to see the return of supersonic air travel in the near term are on long oceanic routes that will bring the world closer together. However, efforts by innovators in the private sector and NASA to deliver quieter supersonic aircraft — some even barely noticeable at altitude — may soon enable a reconsideration of the almost 50-year-old prohibition of supersonic flight over land. The FAA Reauthorization Act also sets a bold timeline to address one of the most significant barriers to civil supersonic flight: landing-and-takeoff noise. While aviation enthusiasts could appreciate the roar of the Concorde taking off with all four engines in afterburner, airport noise is a concern in many communities. Aircraft engines and components optimized for supersonic aircraft have different properties than those built for subsonic flight, and regulations may need to appropriately recognize these differences. In crafting a specific supersonic noise standard, any proposed regulatory changes must consider potential community and economic impacts as well as technological practicalities for this new, updated category of civil aircraft. The FAA Reauthorization Act calls for the FAA to propose new standards on landing-and-takeoff noise for supersonic aircraft no later than March 2020. We call on the international community to work with our regulators toward a noise standard that will enable civil supersonic flight globally. Subsonic aircraft engines have benefited from decades of fuel and noise optimizations, while supersonic aircraft engines have seen little research and development outside of military channels. The FAA’s work on supersonics testing and potential noise standards will promote U.S. innovation, allow industry to close this technology gap and ensure the highest levels of safety. Today’s buzz surrounding civil supersonics — both small business jets and Concorde-size airliners — is palpable. Low-sonic-boom research and potential regulatory changes are keys to success in this emerging market. Beyond supersonic flight, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has pursued an innovation and safety agenda on many fronts in aerospace, including unmanned aircraft, electric aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing, and even commercial space travel. Since 1903, the United States has led the world in flight. By removing innovation-killing regulations, the president will continue that legacy for years to come. We envision a world where safe, quiet and efficient aircraft take to the skies at the speed of sound and revolutionize global air travel. It’s time to fly supersonic again.


Chinese bank involved in probe on North Korean sanctions and money laundering faces financial ‘death penalty’

A U.S. judge has found three large Chinese banks in contempt for refusing to comply with subpoenas in an investigation into North Korean sanctions violations. The order triggers for the first time a provision that could cut off one of China’s largest banks from the U.S. financial system at the demand of the U.S. attorney general or treasury secretary. The three banks are not identified, but details in court rulings align with a 2017 civil forfeiture action in which the Justice Department alleged that China’s state-owned Bank of Communications, China Merchants Bank and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank worked with a Hong Kong front company accused of laundering more than $100 million for North Korea’s sanctioned, state-run Foreign Trade Bank. The bank at risk of losing access to U.S. dollars, the lifeblood of international finance, appears to be SPDB, China’s ninth-largest bank by assets, whose roughly $900 billion makes it comparable in size to Goldman Sachs. Matching details include SPDB’s ownership structure, limited U.S. presence and alleged conduct with the other banks. SPDB has no U.S. branch but maintains accounts here to handle U.S. dollar transactions. The ruling means that Attorney General William P. Barr or Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin can terminate the bank’s U.S. account and ability to process U.S. dollar transactions — a potentially crippling, if not lethal, punishment in global trade. The threat from U.S. investigators probing whether the banks knowingly helped finance North Korea’s nuclear-proliferation network comes at a time of spiraling U.S.-China economic relations, when the collapse of trade talks this spring triggered retaliatory tariffs and other measures. For example, Washington has threatened to cut off Huawei — the Chinese telecommunications giant the United States has charged with violating export sanctions related to Iran — from American suppliers and business. Beijing has answered by proposing to block the export of rare-earths minerals crucial to many U.S. industries. In the case of the three banks, the Hong Kong front company allegedly also had dealings with ZTE, another Chinese telecommunications maker, which in 2017 pleaded guilty and paid $1.19 billion in U.S. fines for selling sanctioned electronics to North Korea and Iran. The Justice Department referred questions about the bank case to the office of U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District, which is leading the investigation. A spokeswoman for Liu’s office declined to comment about whether the government is considering invoking the penalty. Shanghai Pudong Development


Bank officials and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. U.S.-based attorneys for SPDB and the two other banks declined to comment on the subpoena battle, which will go before a federal appeals court in Washington on July 12. In the banks’ case, a court opinion by Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia unsealed May 15 revealed she had found three banks in contempt for ignoring grand jury demands, and specified for the first time that the third bank violated an administrative subpoena issued under the USA Patriot Act. In court filings, the third bank has challenged the U.S. court’s jurisdiction to find it in contempt while it appeals the subpoena, even as it has asked Beijing authorities for permission to turn over documents. Each of the three banks says it acted in good faith under Chinese banking customer privacy laws, arguing the Chinese government requires requests for banking records in U.S. criminal inquiries to be made through a legal assistance pact between the two countries. Howell dismissed that argument, citing among other reasons China’s dismal compliance record with such requests; Washington’s “critical” national security interest in countering North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile programs; and the “overblown” prospect that the banks would be punished at home because each is partly or wholly owned by the state. A foreign bank has been ordered by a U.S. court to comply with a subpoena under the same section of the act once before, in 2010, but in that case a small Saudi bank quickly complied in a tax dispute over a single customer cashing $151,000 in unreported traveler’s and cashier’s checks, preempting further government action. The current case marks the first time a U.S. court has upheld subpoenas to a Chinese bank in a criminal sanctions probe, raising national security stakes in a debate over whether to invoke the financial penalty prosecutors informally refer to as a “death sentence” because of its potential to kill a bank’s business. Imposing the penalty would send a powerful message to China but carries short- and long-term risks for the global banking system, financial and international legal experts said. The Patriot Act proceeding shows how the U.S. government and the Justice Department “have taken the gloves off” with Chinese companies, said Julian Ku, a Hofstra University law professor who has studied China’s


The Energy 202: Seven minutes were devoted to climate change in the first Democratic debate

O’Rourke highlighted his visit to flood-soaked farmland in Iowa while descirbing parts of his $5 trillion plan to address climate change. And two other candidates who so far have barely registered in the polls, Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio and former congressman John Delaney of Maryland, talked about how putting a price on carbon emissions would be paid for. That was it. Five candidates. Then the moderators moved on to civil rights. At other points in the debate, candidates weaved rhetoric about energy and environmental policy into their answers on a myriad of other issues. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) often referred to building a “green economy.” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) dinged the giant oil services firm Halliburton for its low tax burden under current law. And Inslee went after President Trump’s inaccurate claim that wind turbines cause cancer. “We know they cause jobs,” he retorted. Warren was able to go into the most depth without directly being asked a climate-related question by describing her industrial proposal to invest $2 trillion in federal funding in clean energy programs when asked about creating new jobs. “There’s a $23 trillion market coming for green products,” she said. “We should be the leaders and the owners, and we should have that 1.2 million manufacturing jobs here in America.” The frustration among some Democrats was on display afterward. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who is not running for president, called the questioning "shockingly brief." And Booker, who is a candidate, told CBS afterward he is “very frustrated I did not get to talk more about my vision for dealing with the crisis of climate change.” For the past month, the Democratic National Committee has faced intense pressure from climate activists — and even candidates themselves — to host a climate-focused debate, They reasoned that a planetary problem deserves a nationally televised platform where it can get undivided attention. But the DNC has balked at the idea of any issue-specific debate, arguing if it concedes on this than many other single-issue debates will be demanded by the Democratic base. Of course, the committee cannot control what — or how many — questions NBC hosts ask. The network returns with the second installment of the debate Thursday evening, with a fresh slate of 10 contenders. — Another Trump official leaves amid ethics scrutiny: Why is he leaving? The woman replacing Wehrum: — EPA to reconsider decision on controversial


A car-size asteroid exploded in the atmosphere south of Puerto Rico. Weather satellite and radar captured the moment.

to hear. But that doesn’t mean the sound isn’t there. The asteroid’s explosion produced a dramatic infrasound signal in the form of an “airwave” that rippled out around it. According to imagery shared by SpaceWeather.com, the asteroid split into at least three pieces. The explosion released energy equivalent to more than 6,000 tons of TNT, the fireball weighing 200 tons. Because infrasound waves have a very long wavelength, they can travel long distances. Combining knowledge over where the asteroid struck with the magnitude of the signal picked up in Bermuda, meteor expert Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario was able to conclude it was a “multi-meter sized near-Earth asteroid.” The University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy wrote that this particular asteroid was probably small enough that it burned up entering Earth’s atmosphere (SpaceWeather.com wrote that small fragments of the asteroid, known as meteoroids, probably sprayed the ocean surface). But spaceborne objects somewhat larger can pose a threat to Earth dwellers, as evidenced by the February 2013 meteor that injured more than 1,000 people in Chelyabinsk, Russia. NASA has identified most large near-Earth objects, the kind that could lead to a global catastrophe if they struck (expected to happen once every 700,000 years). But detecting smaller objects, still capable of damaging effects, has proved to be more of a challenge. In what it called a “breakthrough,” the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy declared in a media statement it had detected Saturday’s relatively small incoming asteroid in advance. Its telescopes observed the asteroid “four times in a span of 30 minutes,” the release said. That was roughly seven hours before the asteroid struck. “At that time, the asteroid was only [310,000 miles] from Earth — or 1.3 times the distance to the Moon.” When matched up with data from another telescope 100 miles away, “the asteroid’s entry path prediction improved significantly,” and it was deemed “likely” the asteroid would strike Earth. It estimated objects the size of Saturday’s asteroid can be detected roughly half a day in advance, with larger ones — such as the 2013 Chelyabinsk event — several days out. That one was the size “of a small house.” “For the first time, astronomers at the University of Hawaii have demonstrated that their ATLAS and Pan-STARRS survey telescopes can provide sufficient warning to move people away from the impact site of an incoming asteroid,” the institute wrote.


Wait — why are the U.S., Russia and the E.U. suddenly cooperating in Moldova?

a “partnership” — not a coalition — with the goal of ousting the ruling Democratic Party and curtailing corruption and oligarchic influence in the country. The West and Russia agreed to support a government coalition between ACUM and the Socialists — to squeeze Plahotniuc and his Democratic Party from power and reduce his massive influence over domestic political institutions. The oligarch’s last stand But Plahotniuc was not to be discarded so easily. His ruling Democrats refused to recognize the new Sandu government, arguing that the time limit for forming a new government had passed. Plahotniuc’s allies in the Constitutional Court declared the government invalid and, with no legitimate justification, voted to remove President Igor Dodon from office. The court appointed outgoing Prime Minister Pavel Filip as interim president in his place. Filip promptly disbanded parliament — which refused to leave — and called new elections. The Democrats then occupied the main government building, including the Interior Ministry and the General Prosecutor’s Office, protected by loyal policemen and sympathizers. For seven days, Moldova had two presidents and two prime ministers. Russian and Western envoys, including U.S. Ambassador Dereck J. Hogan, then joined to persuade Plahotniuc to stand down to prevent violence. After Plahotniuc and his political associates met with the U.S. ambassador’s delegation, the Democratic Party announced that it was stepping down to avoid violence and that its leader had temporarily left the country. Rumors circulated that Plahotniuc and associates had fled the coming purge and probable criminal investigations against him, his associates and his business operations. However, Sandu stated that “all of those responsible, including Plahotniuc, will be brought back to Moldova and held accountable.” So Russian and Western leaders closely cooperated on wresting Moldova from the control of its leading oligarch. Will the new coalition government endure? That’s hard to imagine. The two parties have little in common beyond the desire to purge Plahotniuc from power. Sandu announced that her government will move forward swiftly with closer relations between Moldova and the E.U., while at the same time welcoming greater economic cooperation with Russia. But these goals are mutually exclusive. New elections are planned as soon as Plahotniuc’s associates are sufficiently purged. The Kremlin is confident that, once Plahotniuc is out of the way, pro-Russian parties can more easily dominate Moldova. The pro-E.U. ACUM bloc won only 26.84 percent of the vote in the February elections and rules at


NBC’s technical glitch was bad. But the debate’s overall chaos was far worse.

Not enough time for candidates to do much real explaining or offer more than prepared sound bites. Not enough time — apparently — for talking about the main problem on Democratic voter’s minds: President Trump. Or a long list of other crucial issues from China to NAFTA. But mostly, the problem was the lack of depth resulting from the format. There were simply too many people. And all with the knowledge that another 10 candidates are on deck for Thursday night’s debate — though it will feature more of the heavy hitters. The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser described, in a tweet, an overheard comment: “Donald Trump is president and we’ve got Tim Ryan debating Tulsi Gabbard on Afghanistan on national TV.” It just didn’t work. Trump, of course, was tweeting his one-word commentary: “BORING.” And Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was performing the role of chief sycophant by saying that was an insult to boring people. How could a debate that took on such major issues as climate change, health care, immigration and possible war with Iran be legitimately described that way? Because, while there was passion and conviction — and certainly plenty of ideas — there was no chance of depth. Everything was glancing. Almost pointlessly so. Todd’s directive to the candidates to express the greatest threat to the country in one word was a particular triumph of shallowness. In general, though, the moderation was competent. Todd kept things moving and managed the glitch with a certain amount of grace, but he talked way too much. In fairness, Todd talked so much partly because he had to repeat that question three times and explain the glitch. According to a tally by FiveThirtyEight, he talked more than almost all the candidates, coming in fourth in word count behind Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke and Elizabeth Warren, in that order. For all the concerns about whether Rachel Maddow was too political to be included, she brought a level of relaxation and knowledge that leavened the chaos just a bit. Savannah Guthrie came out strong, pushing effectively for real answers — as when she insisted that former congressman Beto O’Rourke of Texas answer a specific question about raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans. José Díaz-Balart’s most effective moment was when he passionately talked about the tragic deaths of a Salvadoran migrant father and child. And Lester Holt lived up to his reputation


Japan seeks climate leadership at G-20 summit but can’t kick its coal habit

Trump administration is actively trying to reverse the decline of the U.S. coal industry. This month, Japan unveiled its plan to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 and to zero in the second half of this century, though experts say that is not fast enough to prevent a 1.5-degree-Celsius warming in the planet. An earlier draft calling for the phasing out of coal power was abandoned in the face of strong opposition from industry, environmentalists say. Japan, the world’s largest coal importer, says coal will still account for 26 percent of its energy production by 2030, from 32 percent now. Japan’s new climate-change strategy, the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper ironically observed in a headline, amounted to “coal power to be sustained in pursuit of a decarbonized society.” Throughout Asia, environmental groups accuse Japan of financing a Vietnamese coal plant, the Van Phong 1, using outdated technology below the standards it imposes at home. In Indonesia, Japanese finance is involved with coal projects cited in a viral documentary, “Sexy Killers,” that explores the link between the coal industry and political corruption. In the Philippines, Constantino says Japan is financing a coal industry that is rapidly becoming uneconomic and could leave behind billions of dollars in stranded assets. At home, environmental groups say Japan missed a huge chance to invest aggressively in renewables after a 2011 tsunami caused multiple reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Nuclear closures That disaster forced the entire nuclear industry to be shut down, but instead of boosting solar and wind power, the government poured more money into restarting the nuclear industry, an effort dogged by local opposition, safety concerns and technical setbacks. Now, it is banking on new technologies to usher in a low-carbon era — developing hydrogen as an energy source, as well as carbon capture, utilization and storage. “We need new technologies, innovation — and also to bring down the cost of existing technologies,” said Helen Mountford, a climate and economics expert at the World Resources Institute in Washington. “But that’s not going to be enough. We need to see a rapid transition in the energy sector, and the most obvious element of that is to give up coal.” There are some encouraging signs for environmentalists. Public concern about climate change is growing, especially after a heat wave last year caused more than 1,000 deaths, and many Japanese companies are signing


A party yacht and rooftop bars: The best ways to see Fourth of July fireworks in D.C.

The biggest question surrounding this year’s Independence Day celebrations has nothing to do with checkpoints or protests, and it affects people all over Washington: Will moving the fireworks’ launch area from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to West Potomac Park change the city’s best vantage points? After all, many more people watch the annual fireworks display from rooftop decks and other high ground than from the Mall itself. Regardless of whether the view changes, Washington bar operators are sticking to their usual plans for the Fourth, offering a mix of free, come-as-you-are rooftop events and big-ticket parties with open bars and unrestricted views. Boomerang Party Yacht For clean views of the fireworks, there’s nothing better than watching from the middle of the Potomac River. The Boomerang Party Yacht — a two-level boat outfitted with a bar, dance floor and rooftop deck — offers superior monument views on its weekend cruises from Georgetown’s Washington Harbour, and July 4 should be no different. Tickets for the three-hour tour include an open bar, snacks and a DJ. 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Board at 3100 K St. NW. $110. The Brixton The Brixton has become a U Street destination on July 4: It starts with a day party in the sun on the rooftop deck and morphs into a fireworks viewing party, followed by a dance party on the bar’s second floor. This year’s event benefits Martha’s Table: Donate five nonperishable food items and you’ll get a free beer; for 10 items, you can have a hot dog, too. 1 p.m. 901 U St. NW. Free. Cambria Hotel The Cambria Hotel in Shaw flies under the radar, but its rooftop has great views of downtown Washington. The party includes a DJ spinning “an eclectic mix of dance music.” 7 to 11 p.m. 899 O St. NW. $40. City Winery The Daylight crew’s DJs specialize in golden-era hip-hop, sultry R&B and thumping soulful house. They’re taking over the rooftop at City Winery on July 4, so expect a cookout vibe with food specials, frozen drinks and plenty of dancing, followed by fireworks viewing. 5 to 11 p.m. 1350 Okie St. NE. Free with RSVP. Crimson View Did you know there’s a great view of the fireworks hiding in the heart of Chinatown? Crimson’s rooftop bar at the Pod Hotel, which has views of the Washington Monument, hosts a free, no-ticket-needed July 4 party that includes