All of the untrue things Trump said in his Time interview about truth

go unpaid. In reality, NATO states are supposed to commit 2 percent of their GDP to defense, a mark many don’t hit. That they don’t do so has certainly been raised before, including by former defense secretary Bob Gates in 2011. Brexit Brexit, I was totally right about that. You were over there I think, when I predicted that, right, the day before. … Brexit, I predicted Brexit, you remember that, the day before the event. I said, no Brexit is going to happen, and everybody laughed, and Brexit happened. Many many things. They turn out to be right. … I got attacked on Brexit, when I was saying, I said long before the day before, I said the day before the opening, but I was saying Brexit was going to pass, and everybody was laughing, and I turned out to be right on that. I took a lot of heat when I said Brexit was going to pass. The referendum vote on whether or not Britain should leave the European Union — Brexit — was held on June 23, 2016. In March, he told a British interviewer that he thought it would happen. “I think that Britain will separate from the EU,” he said. “I think that maybe it’s time, especially in light of what’s happened with the craziness that is going on with immigration, with people pouring in all over the place I think that Britain will end up separating from the EU.” On June 22, he did discuss Brexit on Fox Business. But his assertion was hardly the brash prediction he made it out to be after the fact. “I don’t think anybody should listen to me because I haven’t really focused on it very much,” he said in that interview. “My inclination would be to get out, because you know, just go it alone.” This is another hallmark of Trump’s convincing himself he’s right — misrepresenting what he said in the first place. Brussels Brussels, I said, Brussels is not Brussels. … I talked about Brussels. I was on the front page of the New York Times for my quote. I said Brussels is not what it used to be, very sad what has happened to Brussels. I was absolutely lambasted. A short time later they had the major attack in Brussels. One year ago today. Exactly one year ago today. And then people said you


‘I immediately recognized him’: What we know about the London attacker

Three people were killed by an assailant in a car and knife attack near Britain's Parliament. The attacker was later shot and killed by police. BIRMINGHAM, England — British authorities have identified the man responsible for Wednesday’s terrorist attack in London as 52-year-old Khalid Masood, born as Adrian Russell Ajao. Originally from Kent, he had been living in Birmingham, Britain’s second-largest city, where neighbors said Thursday they had last seen him several months ago. Marjoli Gajecka, 26, frequently visited her mother's house next to Masood’s apartment. “I immediately recognized him when I saw the photo of him lying on an ambulance stretcher,” said Gajecka, referring to a photo that had circulated on social media and purportedly showed the attacker. Masood was fatally shot by police after a vehicle and knife rampage near Parliament in London that left three people dead and at least 29 wounded. Khalid Masood is treated by emergency services outside the Houses of Parliament London, March 22. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP, File). “They were just an ordinary family. I would never have assumed that he was in any way related to terrorist activity,” she said. According to Gajecka, Masood lived in Birmingham with a wife and at least two children — one girl and one boy. He was sometimes seen in his garden, playing with his children, Gajecka and other former neighbors said. One man living in a house across the street, who declined to be identified because he did not want to be associated with Masood’s name, said he had assumed that the apartment was empty for years because he had never seen anyone walk in or out of it. Authorities searched the apartment after being contacted by Enterprise, a rental car company. "An employee identified the vehicle after seeing the licence plate in an image online. We ran another check to verify, and immediately contacted the authorities," said company spokesman John Davies. A general view of the house where Khalid Masood lived, in Birmingham, England. (AP) The license plate of the car used in the attack belonged to a Hyundai, rented in Birmingham on March 16 at Enterprise's Springhill Branch, according to the London-based International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King's College. Its researchers used open-source methodology to track down the car's registration and to verify the renter's identity within two hours of the attack. Authorities neither confirmed the address of his apartment


In Belarus, Europe’s “last dictator” is actually allowing protest. Here’s why.

collapse of Belarus’s economy, Lukashenko has cautiously pivoted his international policy to face westward. Consider: Lukashenko allowed two members of the opposition to win seats in the 2016 parliamentary election, freed all political prisoners and relaxed visa restrictions. He has also not supported Russian actions in Crimea and Ukraine, has demanded lower prices on Russian oil and has repeatedly criticized Russia’s policies toward Belarus. In response, the European Union and the United States have lifted many of their most restrictive sanctions, the number of bilateral agreements between Belarus and Western countries and institutions are increasing and there might now even be an opportunity for Belarus to receive another loan from the International Monetary Fund. European and U.S. interest in promoting democracy abroad might be waning. But the economic carrots so far remain. Belarus’s dictator might still reasonably think that if he had subdued the opposition with characteristic violence and arrests, he might have endangered these important material gains. Will Lukashenko continue to tolerate the dissent? None of his reforms have won Lukashenko any friends in Moscow. Russian state-run media regularly criticize him. The Kremlin would probably be all too happy to have him replaced with a more compliant successor. Given all that, Lukashenko may be calculating that he cannot afford to let the demonstrations continue for too long, lest Russia use them to justify his ouster. Perhaps in response, he has stepped up repression in recent days. Between Feb. 17 and March 20, more than 240 people have been arrested and dozens have been sentenced to 15-day jail sentences. There’s no way to know whether he will continue these measures. But if the West were to no longer make demands for reform, a more violent crackdown would likely be the result. Over the past few days, spokesmen for the European Union, the United Nations and the United States have all expressed concern about the detained protesters. That’s been echoed by international organizations, which have criticized the regime for violating individual rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association. If Lukashenko continues to punish the opposition, he risks losing the gains purchased with his earlier concessions to the West. There may be renewed debate in the United States about whether to keep funding democracy promotion. But Western efforts in Belarus are making at least one dictator think twice before engaging in repression. Charles D. Crabtree Christopher J. Fariss Paul Schuler


‘They’re afraid to come’: University leaders worry Trump policies will deter international scholars

other countries, or be made permanent; and that there might be other complications in the visa process, making travel in and out of the country risky. Amirhossein Sharifzadeh, a junior at Dartmouth from Iran — one of the countries targeted in Trump’s executive orders — is majoring in computer science and physics. He created a crowd-funding page when he realized he was unlikely to get a visa to work this summer as he had planned, and if the March order is upheld, would not be allowed to return to the United States if he went home to Iran for the break. He applied for a summer program at the University of California at Berkeley to study quantum computing, hoping to go on to earn a doctorate and work for NASA one day. “Due to our president’s executive order both Dartmouth and UC Berkeley cannot let me work to earn and pay my own way,” he wrote on the site. People donated more than his $5,000 goal within one day. Asked about the visa concerns of international students, a State Department official said in an email: “Studying abroad is a personal decision. As every student has in the past, they will have to look at what options are available to them and make the decision that best fits their needs and career goals.” Gillian Christensen, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a written statement that Trump administration actions aim to strengthen a U.S. immigration system that “has been repeatedly exploited by terrorists and other malicious actors who seek to do us harm.” But she said the department would “treat all of those we encounter humanely and with professionalism.” With policy in flux, those options aren’t always clear at this point. William Pinsky, who leads the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, said he is not sure that the more than 4,000 international medical graduates who need visas will be able to get them before residencies begin July 1, which would disrupt not only their educations but staffing at the hospitals. One of every four doctors in the United States went to medical schools outside of this country and Canada, he said, so those international graduates are critical. “It’s not that we don’t want the best security for the country,” he said, but he is worried the policies may unintentionally harm health security. Their visas require them to


It’s very likely we don’t understand probabilities

Pit Manager Nicole Mavromatis uses a level to check the balance of a roulette wheel at Maryland Live Casino in 2013. (Photo by Linda Davidson / The Washington Post) If there’s one thing I know absolutely, irrefutably, 100 percent for certain, it’s that people don’t understand probabilities. This is on my mind because of March Madness, and this new feature at 538 where they not only tell you who is most likely to win but also update the probabilities as the game goes on. While watching the game on TV, you can follow the changing odds on your computer screen while you simultaneously live-tweet the event and text your friends on your smartphone. Ideally, you will do this while switching channels between CBS and TBS, except when the networks show both games on a split screen. Also you should make calls to your bookie. And your psychiatrist. According to 538, my Gators have a 54 percent win probability Friday night. But Neil Greenberg’s fancy stats column gives the Gators a 62 percent chance of winning. Is that a contradiction? No: Just two different estimates of something innately uncertain and involving multiple metrics of imprecise significance. That’s my guess, at least. This shifting-probabilities gimmick at 538 reminds us that probabilities aren’t the same things as predictions. We don’t know how the probability cloud will collapse into a singular reality (sorry to go all quantum physics on you). We live in a world that at both micro and macro levels is chaotic, fluid, and fundamentally — if I may use another highly technical term — squirrelly. Unfortunately, it’s pretty much impossible to live a normal, emotionally stable life without finding various perches of certainty, belief, faith, conviction, etc. You can’t go around in a probabilistic daze. Evolution rewards snap judgments. Sometimes you just have to take off running. But we make mental errors all the time. For example, we typically fail to see how low-probability outcomes will become far more likely, if not a certainty, given enough opportunities. We also overestimate the extent to which our direct experience predicts future probabilities. Anecdotes mislead. So do statistical studies with very small data sets. (Here in the science pod we keep on the lookout for studies that turn out to be based on the thoughts of three guys on bar stools.) My friend Michael Lewis has published a book, “The Undoing Project,” that explores


Maryland open houses March 25-26

Meadows Way 5004 Pasture Ct 7955 Brightmeadow Ct 1202 Oella Ave 8055 High Castle Rd 1202 Oella Ave 514 Oella Ave FULTON 20759 8825 Longwood St GLENELG 21737 14564 Edgewoods Way 14552 Edgewoods Way GLENWOOD 21738 2825 Hunt Valley Dr 15157 Players Way #21 3226 Huntersworth 3106 Ellerslie Ct HIGHLAND 20777 6700 Cortina Dr WOODBINE 21797 5717 Ivy Way 7323 Donald Ct 1501 Hoods Mill Rd WOODSTOCK 21163 10005 Village Green Dr MONTGOMERY COUNTY BETHESDA 20814 7827 Aberdeen Rd 5710 Grosvenor Lane 10606 Montrose Ave #m4 7829 Aberdeen Rd 9428 Old Georgetown Rd 9301 Rockville Pike 5000 Battery Lane #804 7802 Fairfax Rd 5019 Acacia Ave 7710 Woodmont Ave #711 7710 Woodmont Ave #507 20816 5602 Newington Rd 5611 Lamar Rd 5320 Albemarle St 5101 River Rd #705 4978 Sentinel Dr #12-501 5412 Waneta Rd 5101 River Rd #1212 6450 Brookes Lane #10 6450 Brookes Lane #7 20817 9713 Holmhurst Rd 18 Wynkoop Ct 7616 Westlake Ter #68 8736 Ridge Rd 6305 Kenhowe Dr 6309 Bradley Blvd 9107 North Branch Dr 8715 Bradmoor Dr 7420 Westlake Ter #201 6215 Goldsboro Rd 6417 Greentree Rd 6404 Lone Oak Dr 6508 Kenhowe Dr 5324 Goldsboro Rd 6001 Wilmett Rd 8924 Charred Oak Dr 9129 Redwood Ave 8809 Melwood Rd BOYDS 20841 18414 Clear Smoke Rd 18406 Ashmeade Rd BRINKLOW 20862 19825 Tanbark Way BROOKEVILLE 20833 21311 Denit Estates Dr 1712 Pretty Penny Ct 2417 Epstein Ct BURTONSVILLE 20866 3772 Angelton Ct CABIN JOHN 20818 6511 81st St 6517 Persimmon Tree Rd 6425 83rd Pl CHEVY CHASE 20815 4601 Park Ave N #1205 7305 Summit Ave 9200 Jones Mill Rd 6605 Glenbrook Rd 17 Hesketh St 102 Oxford St 4127 Woodbine St 5100 Dorset Ave #213 7171 Woodmont Ave #401 6304 Wisconsin Ave 8101 Connecticut Ave #n-400 202 Primrose St 4515 Willard Ave #812s 8911 Connecticut Ave CLARKSBURG 20871 23009 Turtle Rock Ter 22604 Shining Harness St 25214 Peach Tree Rd DAMASCUS 20872 26701 Haney Ave 10110 Shelldrake Cir DERWOOD 20855 6906 Wick Lane 17506 Toboggan Lane 17411 Founders Mill Dr 7620 Tarpley Dr 5708 Lake Christopher Dr DICKERSON 20842 23900 Barley Field Lane 20936 Big Woods Rd GAITHERSBURG 20877 595 Whetstone Glen St 20878 339 Parkview Ave 11151 Captains Walk Ct 11728 Happy Choice Lane 125 Timberbrook Lane #204 222 Beckwith St 12016 Winesap Ter 14408 Coral Gables Way 14532 High Meadow Way 138 Mission Dr 14980 Dufief Dr 326 Inspiration Lane


What Lin-Manuel Miranda wishes he had known about money in his 20s

Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton” performs at the Tony Awards in June in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Lin-Manuel Miranda is doing pretty well for himself these days. But when the creator of the Tony-winning musical “Hamilton” was in his 20s, he made a financial mistake that a lot of people in their 20s and 30s might also be making today. The author and actor admitted in a recent interview with Morgan Stanley that he was so cautious about spending and taking on debt when he was starting out that he didn’t get his first credit card until he was 28. By then, Miranda had written and starred in “In the Heights,” his first show on Broadway, and he “had enough money in the bank” when he tried to buy his first apartment, he said. But that money wasn’t enough to overcome his short credit history. As a result, Miranda had to ask his father to co-sign on his mortgage, according to the interview. “There is so much I wish I knew about money when I was first starting out my adult life, but in particular, the importance of building good credit,” said Miranda, 37. His experience shows one of the major challenges some people face when it comes to accessing loans: It often takes credit to get credit. In addition to looking at factors such as income, lenders typically like to see that you have a steady track record of paying your bills on time before they approve you for a loan. Opening a credit card can be one of the easiest ways to build that payment history because the monthly loan payments are tracked on a consumer’s credit report, says Matt Schulz, senior industry analyst for CreditCards.com. But like Miranda, many millennials who are nervous about taking on too much debt are shying away from plastic. Some 49 percent of millennials surveyed in January said they do not have a credit card, according to CreditCards.com. Some young workers may be nervous about borrowing after graduating into a tough job market and struggling to pay back their student loans, Schulz said. One option is to start building credit by using a secured credit card, which requires you to provide a few hundred dollars up front as collateral, Schulz says. Typically, you would receive a credit card with a spending limit up to the amount of money you provide. So say you


These beer gardens are the best places to finally welcome spring

is a popular hangout in Shaw. Get there early if you want to get a seat. (Photo by Astrid Riecken For The Washington Post) Dacha Beer Garden Given the lines that wrap around the corner of Seventh and Q streets, you might think this Shaw beer garden gives drinks away on sunny days, instead of pouring a half-dozen beers from Germany's 900-year-old Weihenstephan brewery (into regular glasses as well as one-liter boots) and a strong selection of local and national craft ales. Despite the see-and-be-seen vibe, Dacha is a good place to hang out, provided you get a seat. The newly upgraded food menu includes rabbit croquettes, grilled wings and flash-fried oysters. 1600 Seventh St. NW. dachadc.com. The beer garden at Denizens Brewing is the best outdoor drinking destination in Silver Spring. (Photo by Taylor Barnes/Courtesy of Denizens Brewing Co.) Denizens Brewing The best outdoor drinking destination in Silver Spring features fresh craft beers, picnic tables and corn hole. But Denizen's patio is used for more than sipping Indian black lagers or Belgian-style tripels in the sun: Yoga classes take over the space twice a month, trivia is held outside on Tuesday nights and Saturday evening live music returns April 15. 1115 East-West Hwy., Silver Spring. denizensbrewingco.com. Garden District The cozy beer garden at the corner of 14th and S streets NW reopened in late February after its traditional winter break. Gates open at noon on weekends for liters and half-liters of German beer and American craft ales, plus grillmaster Tad Curtz's smoky brisket, pulled pork and gooey grilled cheese. 1801 14th St. NW. gardendistrictdc.com. Patrons enjoy a mild sunny afternoon in the beach patio at MacDowellBrew Kitchen. (Photo by Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post) MacDowellBrew Kitchen The patio at MacDowell Brew Kitchen, covered by a thick blanket of sand, is a landmark in Leesburg. The hull of a fishing boat called the Sea Witch serves as a bar, with 20 taps surrounded by bar stools. Kids push trucks and toys through the sand. The Beach, as it's known, was shut down for much of last summer amid zoning issues, construction delays and a legal challenge from the city. But the renovated outdoor area officially reopens March 25, and there will be such additions as tiki huts over the spring to crank up the island theme. 202-B Harrison St. SE, Leesburg. macdowellbrewkitchen.com. Westover Beer Garden Arlington's Westover Market is


Whole Foods is opening its first store in Prince George’s next month

Pedestrians pass in front of a Whole Foods Market store in Union Square in New York. (Julie Jacobson/AP) The first Whole Foods store in Prince George’s County will open April 12, the Texas-based chain announced this week. The 40,000-square-foot store at 6621 Baltimore Ave. (Route 1) in Riverdale Park will expand the grocery shopping options for residents in the booming Route 1 corridor. This is the latest development opening in the area near the University of Maryland’s College Park campus in recent years. Just two miles north, a four-star hotel and other retail and restaurants are set to open this summer. The grocery store will feature a venue with a self-serve fresh brewed coffee and espresso services, and a “superfruit acai bowl bar and self-serve mochi.” Whole Foods officials said it is designed for self-service ease in all departments and will sell new and locally sourced and seasonal products. “We’re excited to join Riverdale’s vibrant and growing community with the opening of our first Whole Foods Market in Prince George’s County,” said Pia DaSilva, the Riverdale store’s team leader said in a statement. “The store will be a great addition to Riverdale and a new gathering place for the community.” The opening ends years of waiting for the upscale grocery, a project that officials say symbolizes the county’s progress and an opportunity to drive economic development in this portion of Prince George’s County. The Route 1 corridor is an area where the county is focusing revitalization efforts, and where it hopes to attract more upscale retail and dining options. The Whole Foods store is part of a $250 million mixed-used development known as Riverdale Park Station, at a site north of East-West Highway. The project, planned by the Cafritz family, also includes a boutique hotel, other retail and residences. County officials said it will generate nearly $5 million a year in tax revenue for the county. The high-end grocery was first proposed to open in January 2015, but the project was delayed for years in a contentious approval process that entailed legal battles, lengthy hearings and public outcry in Riverdale Park and in the adjacent communities of College Park and University Park. After the project was approved, it faced major setbacks with the storm-water management plan, the relocation of utilities and construction of a required bridge crossing that will provide vehicular, bike and pedestrian access between the new development and


A pharma company that spent $500,000 trying to keep pot illegal just got DEA approval for synthetic marijuana

the only pharmaceutical company known to be giving money to oppose legalization last year, according to a Washington Post analysis of campaign finance records. Syndros is a synthetic formulation of THC, the main psychoactive component in the cannabis plant. It was approved by the FDA last summer to treat nausea, vomiting and weight loss in cancer and AIDS patients. The DEA approval places Syndros and its generic formulations in Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act, indicating a “high potential for abuse.” Other Schedule II drugs include cocaine, morphine and many prescription painkillers. Whole-plant marijuana remains in Schedule I of the CSA, an even stricter regulatory category that designates a lack of medically accepted use in addition to a high abuse potential. Insys has been active in marijuana policy for several years. In 2011 it wrote to the DEA to express opposition to loosening restrictions on naturally derived THC, citing “the abuse potential in terms of the need to grow and cultivate substantial crops of marijuana in the United States.” Last year it petitioned the DEA to loosen restrictions on synthetic versions of CBD, another compound in the cannabis plant. The company is currently developing a CBD-based drug to treat pediatric epilepsy. “It appears they are trying to kill a non-pharmaceutical market for marijuana in order to line their own pockets,” a spokesman for Arizona's marijuana legalization campaign said of Insys last year. The company last year said that it opposed the marijuana legalization measure because “it fails to protect the safety of Arizona’s citizens, and particularly its children.” But it added that it “firmly believes in the potential clinical benefits of cannabinoids,” and that “we hope that patients will have the opportunity to benefit from these potential products once clinical trials demonstrate their safe and effective use.” Insys is also the subject of numerous state and federal criminal investigations, as well as a shareholder lawsuit, over its aggressive marketing of a product containing the potent and deadly opioid painkiller fentanyl. In December, the FBI arrested the company's former chief executive and five other executives on charges that they “paid kickbacks and committed fraud to sell a highly potent and addictive opioid that can lead to abuse and life threatening respiratory depression.” In addition to its synthetic marijuana products, Insys is also developing a drug to treat opioid overdose. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


This black hole is being pushed around its galaxy by gravitational waves

merger of two black holes. In a paper that will publish next week in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, Marco Chiaberge and his colleagues say that the weird behavior of the black hole in galaxy 3C 186 is likely the result of gravitational waves from another pair of colliding black holes. The Hubble Space Telescope image that revealed the runaway quasar. (NASA, ESA, and M. Chiaberge/STScI and JHU) The roving black hole was detected in an image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. The fuzzy splotch that was galaxy 3C 186 contained an incredibly bright spot, a quasar. This wasn't unusual — a quasar is the nucleus of a galaxy, and it's bright because of the disk of gas that surrounds the black hole at its center. What caught Chiaberge's eye was the quasar's location, 35,000 light-years from the center of its galaxy. “I thought we were seeing something very peculiar,” he said in a NASA news release. Chiaberge, who works at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and Johns Hopkins University, asked fellow astronomers for their observations from a range of other instruments, including the Chandra space observatory and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's telescope in New Mexico. The former measures X-rays; the latter specializes in detecting redshift, the stretching of light that is detected as something travels through space. Their observations confirmed the Hubble finding. They also helped pin down the black hole's mass (equal to that of a billion suns) and the speed at which the gas around it was traveling (4.7 million miles an hour). Meanwhile, the Hubble image offered a clue about what dislodged the black hole from its galaxy's center. The host galaxy bore faint, arc-shaped features called tidal tales, which are produced by the gravitational tug-of-war that takes place when two galaxies collide. This suggested that galaxy 3C 186 had recently merged with another system, and perhaps their black holes merged too. An artist's conception of how gravitational waves could propel a black hole from the center of a galaxy. (NASA, European Space Agency, and A. Feild/STScI) What happened next, scientists can only theorize. Chiaberge and his colleagues suggest that as the galaxies collided, their black holes began to circle each other, flinging out gravity waves “like water from a lawn sprinkler,” as NASA described it. If the black holes had unequal masses and spin rates, they might have sent more gravitational waves


In Trump’s budget: The unwisest cut

factor in drawing top scientists to this country from around the world. This year’s crop of Nobel Prize winners in physics makes the point nicely: all work in U.S. universities, and all were born abroad. At a time when our posture towards immigrants is already imperiling our ability to attract the most talented people from around the world, this is another nail in the coffin. It was only in 2011 that the number of patent applications submitted in China surpassed the total in the United States. With these budget proposals, look for that gap to widen more briskly. Third, this is a particularly poor time for retrenchment. Even if one disregards the gift we would be handing to other nations competing to take America’s place at forefront of science, the fact is that we now have tools and techniques – many funded through the NIH – that may finally enable some of the most intractable and feared ailments – lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease – to succumb to research. The therapeutics for these diseases are still very much in the future. With these cuts, that future is set back. Make no mistake: it will cost us in lives and suffering. Fourth, we will never really know what we gave up when science funding is withheld. Let me give you an example. In the 1950s and ’60s, out of sheer scientific curiosity, physicists began exploring the effect of magnetic fields on the spinning of atomic nuclei – a field called nuclear magnetic resonance. Chemists harnessed these techniques to study the structures of molecules with a previously unachievable precision, leading to important new drugs. Biomedical scientists then applied it to people, giving us the vitally important diagnostic tool we know today as the MRI. The same story could be told about the chain of discoveries and applications that led from solid-state physics to the transistor to microelectronics to computing to the Internet that enables the White House to blast out its tweets at 3 a.m. None of these enormously important applications could have been predicted when scientists first began doing basic research in these fields. You cannot trim research budgets to get better results; you can only be sure of getting fewer good results. There’s a “déjà vu all over again” quality to this for me. Just a few years ago, as the head of Oxford University, I confronted


Wells Fargo rolls out card-free access at all of its ATMs

Wells Fargo has upgraded all 13,000 of its ATMs to allow customers to access their funds using their cellphones instead of traditional bank cards. (Patrick Sison/Associated Press) Left your wallet at home? You may still be able to grab some cash. Starting on Monday, Wells Fargo will be the first major U.S. bank to offer a card-free option at all of its ATMs. The bank’s customers will be able to use their smartphones to access any of the bank’s 13,000 ATMs. Other major U.S. banks have rolled out card-free ATMs in limited locations. Here’s how it works: Customers must download and log into the Wells Fargo app on their smartphones and request an eight-digit code, which they can type into an ATM instead of inserting a debit card. Next, they enter their PIN, just as they would if they were using their cards. Wells Fargo is offering the cardless option at a time when consumers are increasingly comfortable with using their phones to check their balances, deposit checks and transfer cash, says Jonathan Velline, head of branch and ATM banking for Wells Fargo. Using the phone to tap into an ATM is a logical next step, he says. The card-free option can be more secure than using a debit card, Velline says, because it reduces the chance that fraudsters can steal and copy the numbers on your debit card. The smartphone app generates a unique code that expires within 30 minutes. Plus, consumers using the app have to prove their identity on their smartphones — either by providing their thumb print or by typing in their online banking password — in addition to entering their PIN numbers. (With your physical debit card, you only need to provide the PIN code.) Consumers can expect to see more cardless ATMs over the next couple of years. JPMorgan Chase is testing the technology at some locations, while Bank of America has introduced a card-free option at about half of its ATMs. For Bank of America, some machines currently accept mobile wallet programs, such as Apple Pay and Android Pay. Consumers need to only tap their smartphones on or near the ATM, provide their passcode or thumbprint on the phone, and then enter their PINs into the ATM. Wells Fargo says it is upgrading its ATMs to incorporate the digital phone readers and hopes to make the mobile wallet technology more widely available throughout


Larry Summers: The robots are coming, whether Trump’s Treasury secretary admits it or not

Even soccer players aren't safe from the reach of AI. (Dustin Fenstermacher for The Washington Post) As I learned (sometimes painfully) during my time at the Treasury Department, words spoken by Treasury secretaries can over time have enormous consequences, and therefore should be carefully considered. In this regard, I am very surprised by two comments made by Secretary Steven Mnuchin in his first public interview last week. In reference to a question about artificial intelligence displacing American workers,Mnuchin responded that "I think that is so far in the future — in terms of artificial intelligence taking over American jobs — I think we're, like, so far away from that [50 to 100 years], that it is not even on my radar screen.” He also remarked that he did not understand tech company valuations in a way that implied that he regarded them as excessive. I suppose there is a certain internal logic. If you think AI is not going to have any meaningful economic effects for a half a century, then I guess you should think that tech companies are overvalued. But neither statement is defensible. Mnuchin’s comment about the lack of impact of technology on jobs is to economics approximately what global climate change denial is to atmospheric science or what creationism is to biology. Yes, you can debate whether technological change is in net good. I certainly believe it is. And you can debate what the job creation effects will be relative to the job destruction effects. I think this is much less clear, given the downward trends in adult employment, especially for men over the past generation. But I do not understand how anyone could reach the conclusion that all the action with technology is half a century away. Artificial intelligence is behind autonomous vehicles that will affect millions of jobs driving and dealing with cars within the next 15 years, even on conservative projections. Artificial intelligence is transforming everything from retailing to banking to the provision of medical care. Almost every economist who has studied the question believes that technology has had a greater impact on the wage structure and on employment than international trade and certainly a far greater impact than whatever increment to trade is the result of much debated trade agreements. As for the secretary’s questioning of tech company valuations, no one can predict markets, so he may turn out to be right.


The State Department speaks up against Russia

Moscow court for disobeying police orders and organising the protests.” Throughout the day of arrests by President Trump’s favorite authoritarian regime, the White House was utterly, eerily silent. Would the administration — as it has regarding the recent killings of prominent anti-Putin figures — remain silent, thereby signaling indifference to Vladimir Putin’s thuggery? On Sunday evening, the State Department came out with the administration’s first robust criticism of Russia. Spokesman Mark Toner delivered a stern written statement: The United States strongly condemns the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters throughout Russia on Sunday. Detaining peaceful protesters, human rights observers, and journalists is an affront to core democratic values. We were troubled to hear of the arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny upon arrival at the demonstration, as well as the police raids on the anti-corruption organization he heads. The United States will monitor this situation, and we call on the government of Russia to immediately release all peaceful protesters. The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve a government that supports an open marketplace of ideas, transparent and accountable governance, equal treatment under the law, and the ability to exercise their rights without fear of retribution. And still we have heard nothing directly from the White House about this incident or about Putin’s favorite new, deadly tactic. Perhaps encouraged by Trump’s refusal to criticize him, Putin has adopted murder as a regular instrument of state power. “The brazen daytime slaying of a Russian politician outside a Ukrainian hotel [last] week brings to eight the number of high-profile Russians who have died over the past five months since the US presidential election on November 8,” CNN reported. “Among the recent deaths were five Russian diplomats. Some of the deaths appeared natural and governments have ruled out foul play.” Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) While late in coming, the condemnation of Russia marks the first real criticism from the administration of any Russian action. It followed statements from prominent GOP and Democratic senators. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) tersely rebuked Putin: “Today’s protest shows that corruption, propaganda, and thinly veiled oppression are a weak foundation for a government – even one led by a man as ruthless as Vladimir Putin.” The ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Ben Cardin (Md.), put out his own statement: “I strongly condemn the arrest of hundreds of peaceful demonstrators in Moscow and across


Inside the D.C.-area’s most expensive homes for sale

Weiss and Christopher Ritzert, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty This Flemish Revival-style townhouse on Embassy Row has been renovated and remodeled. The townhouse includes five levels reached by an elevator and an attached one-car garage with a heated driveway. Built in 1908, the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom townhouse has 6,760 square feet including a one-bedroom in-law suite on the entry level. The upper level includes an entertaining space with a roof terrace. The 9,300-square-foot stone-and-stucco French country estate at 9121 Burdette Rd. in Bethesda is listing for $5,995,000. (HomeVisit) • 9121 Burdette Rd., Bethesda, Md. $5,995,000 Agent: Marc Fleisher and Lee Arrowood, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Built in 2007, this stone-and-stucco French country estate includes a separate guesthouse and a detached exercise room or studio for a total of more than 9,300 square feet of living space. The three-level house has an elevator, five bedrooms, eight bathrooms and four fireplaces. The master suite has two separate bathrooms and the lower level includes a home theater. The home also has a swimming pool and a five-car garage. The five-bedroom, six-bathroom 7,800-square-foot house at 3110 Chain Bridge Rd. NW in Washington is listing for $5.95 million. (HomeVisit) • 3110 Chain Bridge Rd. NW, Washington $5.95 million Agent: Ted Gossett, Washington Fine Properties This nearly 7,800-square foot house, built in 1951, has been renovated and expanded to include five bedrooms and six bathrooms. The first floor has a living room, a dining room and a family room with a wall of windows, plus a light-filled eat-in kitchen and a master suite. The house also has two masonry fireplaces and a two-car garage. The seven-bedroom, 13-bathroom, 17,600-square-foot house at 22781 Creighton Farms Dr. in Leesburg is listing for $5.8 million. (HomeVisit) • 22781 Creighton Farms Dr., Leesburg, Va. $5.8 million Agent: Mark McFadden and Tricia Messerschmitt, Washington Fine Properties Built in 2008, this 17,600-square-foot house rests on more than three acres in the gated Creighton Farms community. The three-level house has seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, seven fireplaces as well as high-tech smart house features. The master suite has a sitting room, an exercise room, a dressing room, a luxurious bathroom and a private balcony. The house also has multiple terraces, cover patios, a gazebo, a swimming pool, a putting green, a sport court and a detached three-car garage with a bedroom and loft upstairs. A second three-car garage is attached. The 2,891-square-foot condo at 3303 Water St.


One of the most troubling ideas about climate change just found new evidence in its favor

Visualization of a very wavy Northern Hemisphere jet stream. (NASA) Ever since 2012, scientists have been debating a complex and frankly explosive idea about how a warming planet will alter our weather — one that, if it’s correct, would have profound implications across the Northern Hemisphere and especially in its middle latitudes, where hundreds of millions of people live. The idea is that climate change doesn’t merely increase the overall likelihood of heat waves, say, or the volume of rainfall — it also changes the flow of weather itself. By altering massive planet-scale air patterns like the jet stream (pictured above), which flows in waves from west to east in the Northern Hemisphere, a warming planet causes our weather to become more stuck in place. This means that a given weather pattern, whatever it may be, may persist for longer, thus driving extreme droughts, heat waves, downpours and more. This basic idea has sparked half a decade of criticism and debate, and at the cutting edge of research, scientists continue to grapple with it. And now, a new study once again reinforces one of its core aspects. Publishing in Nature Scientific Reports, Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University and a group of colleagues at research institutes in the United States, Germany and the Netherlands find that at least in the spring and summer, the large scale flow of the atmosphere is indeed changing in such a way as to cause weather to get stuck more often. The study, its authors write, “adds to the weight of evidence for a human influence on the occurrence of devastating events such as the 2003 European heat wave, the 2010 Pakistan flood and Russian heat wave, the 2011 Texas heat wave and recent floods in Europe.” But what does it mean for global warming to alter the jet stream? The basic ideas at play here get complicated fast. The study itself, for instance, refers to “quasi-resonant amplification (QRA) of synoptic-scale waves” as the key mechanism for how researchers believe this is happening — terminology sure to impart terror in nonscientists worldwide. This animation shows changes in the polar jet stream from June 1, 2015 to July 31, 2015. The jet stream is approximated by crosses. The northerly shift of the jet stream may be linked to a warming arctic, and record melt of the Greenland ice sheet in 2015. On the other hand, some


Why President Trump has been very good for liberals

For the first time ever, half of Americans say they believe in climate change and that they are very concerned about it, according to Gallup. Thanks, President Trump. Climate change is merely the latest issue on which the American people have moved appreciably and significantly to the left in the Trump era. While it's difficult to ascribe any one of these shifts to Trump specifically, the pattern is becoming clearer. And there's growing evidence that Trump is unifying half (or more) of the country against things he has vocally supported — in ways they simply weren't unified before. The most recent example is Gallup's climate change numbers. For years before Trump's campaign, fewer than 40 percent of Americans were what Gallup labels “concerned believers” — i.e., they believed climate change was real and a very serious threat. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney on March 16 said that President Trump’s position is that “we’re not spending money” on climate change research “anymore.” The number ebbed as low as 33 percent midway through President Barack Obama's tenure — after Obama failed at cap and trade legislation and was pursuing global climate pacts — but it now stands at 50 percent early in Trump's presidency. Ditto Obamacare, which in the midst of the GOP repeal effort has risen to new highs in popularity. The Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll two weeks ago showed that 49 percent now had a favorable opinion of the Affordable Care Act — up from the mid-30s as recently as 2014. The Pew Research Center also showed Obamacare hitting a new high last month, at 54 percent approval. That was the first time it had majority support. It's also now apparently happening on the Keystone XL pipeline. The same Pew poll showed what was once an overwhelmingly popular project is suddenly polarizing — with more opposition (48 percent) than support (42 percent). President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled his administration's official go-ahead for the Keystone XL pipeline, a controversial project that was rejected by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama. As recently as 2014, Americans supported the pipeline nearly 2-to-1. A more long-running example of this is Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall. While it had been a somewhat popular proposal for years, Americans have now turned against it pretty strongly. And that's been even more evident as Trump turned it into a rallying cry at his campaign


David Fahrenthold wins Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting

Announcement from Scott Wilson, National editor, and Steven Ginsberg, senior politics editor: We are very excited to announce that David Fahrenthold has won The Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting for his exceptional work chronicling Donald Trump’s charitable giving. The Toner Prize, named for the late New York Times National Political Correspondent Robin Toner, is awarded to the journalist who best illuminates the electoral process, connects policy to politics and engages the public in the democratic process. Dave’s work certainly lived up to those high standards. His relentless reporting not only uncovered Trump’s checkered history of giving, it also gave voters a much better understanding of his values and priorities. And we all know how well Dave engaged the public in the course of his reporting. The Post has now won three of the last four Toner Awards; Karen Tumulty won in 2014 and Dan Balz in 2015. Please join us in congratulating Dave for joining this outstanding group and winning this prestigious honor.


The airstrike in Mosul was potentially one of the worst U.S.-led civilian bombings in 25 years

U.S. forces called for air support, and soon after, a combination of fighters and bombers, including what was believed to be a B-1 strategic bomber, dropped thousands of pounds of bombs on the village killing an estimated 140. According to a Reuters article from time, the Afghan investigation into the strike found that of the 140 victims, 93 were children and only 22 were adult males. Pentagon estimates put the civilian dead at a much lower, saying the majority of those killed were insurgents. The U.S. attack on Granai forced Gen. Stanley McChrystal — then the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan — to heavily restrict the criteria for airstrikes in Afghanistan. That criteria — decried by many ground troops and commanders — has served as the basis for the current rules of engagement in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Baghdad. Feb. 13, 1991. The attack on the Amiriyah air-raid shelter during the Gulf War by U.S. stealth aircraft resulted in the loss of anywhere between 200 and 300 civilians, according to a Human Rights Watch report from 1991. Later news reports said that more than 400 had been killed. The shelter was packed with civilians when bunker busting bombs penetrated the roof at around 5 a.m. According to the report, the Pentagon said it had intercepted military communications from the building and that military personnel were stationed near it. The U.S. military, however, also knew the building had been used as a shelter during the Iran-Iraq war. Lawyers in Belgium accused former president George H.W. Bush; Richard B. Cheney, who was Defense secretary at the time, and Colin Powell of war crimes because of Amiriyah strike, but in 2003 the country’s highest court dismissed the complaints. Around the same time, in February 1991, British bombers struck multiple bridges in southern and western Iraq, killing more than 100 in each attack, according to local reports at the time. The contrast is stark between the loss of life from the 1991 bombing campaign at the outset of the Gulf War and the opening salvos of Operation Iraq Freedom in 2003. A month-long Human Rights Watch investigation following the invasion found that “in most cases, aerial bombardment resulted in minimal adverse effects to the civilian population.” Read more: Islamic State is kidnapping thousands of people to use as human shields Iraq has never seen this kind of fighting in its battles with ISIS


From Brexit to ‘Legs-it’: Daily Mail disgusts Britain with ‘sexist’ front page

The Daily Mail's Tuesday edition. (Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images) The Daily Mail is no stranger to allegations of being uncouth. But the British tabloid's front page on Tuesday, which jauntily accosted readers with a photograph of Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and British Prime Minister Theresa May — arguably Britain's two most powerful politicians — next to the headline “Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!” prompted many to call for a boycott. The story itself was written by a woman, Sarah Vine. It was intended to be a “lighthearted verdict on the big showdown” between the two leaders on the eve of May triggering Article 50, initiating “Brexit,” the process by which the United Kingdom will leave the European Union. Sturgeon and a majority of her Scottish constituents did not support Brexit, and she has promised to hold another referendum on Scottish independence (and by extension, E.U. membership) next year after one held before the Brexit vote failed. In the Daily Mail, Vine wrote, “What stands out here are the legs — and the vast expanse on show. “There is no doubt that both women consider their pins to be the finest weapon in their physical arsenal.” “May's famously long extremities are demurely arranged,” she wrote, while “Sturgeon's shorter but undeniably more shapely shanks are altogether more flirty.” Sturgeon's pose, wrote Vine, was “a direct attempt at seduction. ... 'Come, succumb to my revolutionary allure,' she seems to be saying. 'You know you want to.'” Vine's “lighthearted” attempt at political commentary was ravaged by wide-ranging segments of British society, from angry mothers to leaders of political parties. Ashamed that my daughter is growing up in a country where women politicians' legs are front page news.Still far from #genderequality #legsit Former leader of the Labour party Ed Miliband tweeted: “The 1950s called and asked for their headline back.” Former prime minister Tony Blair’s former press secretary, Alastair Campbell, called the Daily Mail “utter scum” and suggested that anyone coming across the paper rip it up. Current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “It's 2017. This sexism must be consigned to history. Shame on the Daily Mail.” May's office refused to join the debate. At a daily briefing for journalists, the prime minister’s official spokesman, James Slack, who was the Daily Mail's political editor until recently, said, “You would not expect me to comment on what newspapers should or should not put on their


What Trump’s new climate actions mean: A FAQ

President Trump signed an executive order on March 28, to obliterate former president Barack Obama's environmental record. The order will instruct federal regulators to rewrite Clean Power Plan rules that curb U.S. carbon emissions, as well as halt other environmental regulations. On Tuesday, a week after the end of the sixth-warmest winter in the continental United States in recorded history, President Trump will announce a series of actions meant to unwind or dramatically halt Barack Obama’s efforts to fight climate change. What does this mean? What will the effects be? Can Trump keep his promises on energy job creation? Allow us to answer those questions in the form of a FAQ. 1. Do scientists believe that humans are causing the climate to warm? Do Americans? Climate scientists are in near-universal agreement that human activity — mostly the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil — are producing gases that remain in the atmosphere. There, they act like a sort of blanket, preventing heat from escaping into space and slowly — as in, over the course of decades — making the Earth warmer. The main contributor to climate change over time has been burning coal for the production of electricity, which releases carbon dioxide, among other things. Over the past few decades, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased steadily; since the advent of the Industrial Age, it’s increased exponentially. Pumphandle 2016 In correlation with that, global temperatures have risen higher and higher. The long-term effects of that increase are likely to include higher sea levels (as ice caps melt and water expands), more severe precipitation events and extended droughts. Climate change became a fraught political subject about 20 years ago, with the landmark climate agreement known as the Kyoto Protocol. President George W. Bush’s decision to step away from the agreement and, a few years later, Al Gore’s documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth” helped push climate change squarely into the political arena. Over the past decade, the subject has been one of the most partisan in American politics. Over the past few years, though, views have shifted. Recent polling from Gallup shows that concern about climate change has surged, with Americans accepting that human activity is causing the shift and that the long-term effects of climate change have already begun. Just this week, Gallup reported that half the country now identifies as “concerned believers” —


Russian billionaire attempts to stifle AP scoop

government,” Deripaska pushes back: “I want to resolutely deny this malicious assertion and lie. I have never made any commitments or contracts with the obligation or purpose to covertly promote or advance ‘Putin’s Government’ interests anywhere in the world,” writes Deripaska. And sounding a bit litigious, Deripaska further states that “misleading stories like this one create a defamatory news flow and generate background information based on complete lies.” Then comes the real purpose behind Deripaska’s ad: “I demand that any and all further dissemination of these allegations, by the AP or any other media outlet, must cease immediately.” Sorry, Mr. Deripaska, but that’s not the way it works here. You cannot demand the cessation of media reporting on these allegations, especially on a day when you yourself took out paid advertisements that itself recycle those very allegations. The gripe here appears to concern precisely what Manafort did for Deripaska, since there is no dispute that there was a paid business relationship. Deripaska’s rep insists that the work was narrowly aimed at improving the oligarch’s business interests; the AP, based on documents, takes a broader interpretation. “AP Exclusive: Before Trump job, Manafort worked to aid Putin,” reads the story’s headline. To bolster that claim, the AP cites, in part, a memo from Manafort that “proposed extending his existing work in eastern Europe to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Georgia, where he pledged to bolster the legitimacy of governments friendly to Putin and undercut anti-Russian figures through political campaigns, nonprofit front groups and media operations.” Should Deripaska wish to get into the finer points of Manafort’s undertakings, perhaps he should provide more details on the scope of work. Until then, we’ll just note the rather bulky overlap between the interests of Deripaska and Putin. And one thing: Why can’t a bona fide Russian billionaire/oligarch do a bit better than a quarter-page newspaper ad? Was a full-pager really going to break the budget of this aluminum magnate? For its part, AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton tells the Erik Wemple Blog, “We stand by our reporting.” There has been no retraction or correction request from Deripaska, says Easton in an email. Sean Spicer said using Paul Manafort, who was Trump's campaign manager for part of the 2016 presidential race, as an example to prove collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia is "ridiculous," because he was an "individual who was there for a short period of time."


With her first half-marathon hovering on defeat, two runners carried her to finish ‘together’

As 21-year-old Haley Klinger neared the finish line at Love Run Half Marathon in Philadelphia, her legs started to buckle. Video footage from Sunday’s race shows the young woman stop, grimace and reach down toward her feet. Without missing a step, two fellow runners grab her under her arms and carry her along with them. That was the moment triathlete Joseph McGinty, 31, turned around to find his training buddy, 45-year-old Bryan Crnkovic. He saw Crnkovic and the other man, who has not been publicly identified, helping an exhausted woman finish the race. So McGinty ran back and scooped her up in his arms. “I saw she almost fell to the ground, so I grabbed her and said, ‘Let’s go,’ ” McGinty told The Washington Post on Tuesday. He added: “It was instinct. Someone was in need and I wanted to help.” Feet from the finish line, McGinty set Klinger down to let her cross it on her own. Medics put Klinger, who was exhausted and dehydrated, in a wheelchair. Klinger, a junior nutrition student at Messiah College near Grantham, Pa., said “Love.Run.Philly” was her first half-marathon. She had spent a couple months training for it and she wanted to finish. “I wasn’t sure I could do it on my own but when they came, I was really grateful because they helped me push my limits,” Klinger said of her fellow runners. She said when McGinty picked her up, he told her, “We’re going to finish this race together.” “I wasn’t completely aware of what was happening,” Klinger said. “I really just wanted to finish the race — I just wanted to complete it and then sit down.” Klinger crossed the finish line in 1:54:51, according to the race results. Crnkovic and McGinty, who said they were running the race for training, finished in 1:59:23 and 1:59:28, respectively. They said they had no idea a video showing a simple good deed would catch fire on social media. On Sunday night, McGinty, from Philadelphia, and Crnkovic, from Drexel Hill, Pa., got a call from a friend who told them the video had swept across social media. “It’s kind of surreal,” McGinty said. “You just help someone in need; you don’t expect all this.” Crnkovic said it is not unusual for runners to try to help others who are struggling to finish a race — it’s just that, this time, the moment


A Ukrainian filmmaker imprisoned in Russia just won a Freedom to Write Award

Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov gestures from a defendant's box as he attends a court hearing in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov It's an honor that comes with a heavy dose of irony — PEN America just awarded its Barbey Freedom to Write Award to the acclaimed Ukrainian writer and filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, imprisoned in Russia. Sentsov, a filmmaker, has been an outspoken critic of Russia's intervention in Ukraine. He joins a distinguished list of other imperiled honorees, including Khadija Ismayilova, an Azerbaijani journalist arrested after producing a series of investigative scoops about government corruption, and Ilham Tohti, an imprisoned Chinese economist and scholar of Uighur issues. (Thirty-seven of the 40 Freedom to Write Award winners have been released from prison within 18 months of their award.) "He's been forced to sacrifice this promising career in film because of his decision to speak out," said Suzanne Nossel, executive director of PEN America. "It's just a very vivid illustration of the intolerance of dissent by Putin's government." Sentsov has no formal training in cinema. His first full-length film came, instead, from a passion for competitive eSports gaming. He organized several tournaments in his home town of Simferopol, on the Crimean Peninsula, and even ran an Internet cafe. When that business began to falter, he began pursuing another interest: film. He had "so many ideas for films in his head that it was impossible to keep them there," he told one friend. So he traveled to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, to persuade Olga Zhurzhenko, a student at the Kiev National I.K. Karpenko-Kary University of Theater, Cinema and Television, to help him make "Gamer," the story of a young man who hopes to escape his impoverished life by winning an eSport tournament. To fund the film, Sentsov sold his car and Internet cafe. The crew consisted of just five amateurs. That was, to Sentsov's mind, an asset. "Oleg wanted the characters the actors create on the screen to be 'real.' When actors have something in common with their characters, when they are not limited with acting rules and principles — then they stay on screen the same people they are in real life," Anastasiya Chorna, an actress in the film, explained. The movie was well-received by critics, and Sentsov had begun work on a second feature. Then Russia intervened in Crimea. And Sentsov abandoned his latest project to coordinate relief


Credible climate scientists need to boycott biased congressional hearings

perspectives to members of Congress but, rather, to perpetuate the myth that there is a substantive and serious debate within the science community regarding the fundamental causes or existence of human-caused climate change. We should no longer be duped into playing along with this strategy. Despite sending many skilled science communicators to testify at the hearings over the years and even when scoring tactical victories, the strategic effect of participating at these hearings has been to sustain the perception of false equivalence, a perception only exaggerated by the majority’s ability to select a grossly disproportionate number of witnesses far removed from mainstream science (it’s not coincidence that Judith Curry, professor emeritus, Georgia Institute of Technology, and John Christy, professor of atmospheric sciences, University of Alabama at Huntsville, are called upon so often by the Republicans). A better response would be to simply boycott future hearings of this kind and to call out these hearings for what they are: a tactic to distract the public from a serious policy debate over how to manage both the short- and long-term risks of climate change. These hearings are designed to provide theatrics, question knowledge that has been well understood for more than 150 years, and leave the public with a false sense that significant uncertainty and contention exist within the science community on this issue. If similar hearings are scheduled in the future, there are much more constructive ways to use the time and generate attention. We could examine the cutting-edge science linking different weather conditions to a changing climate, update Congress on the risk of oceans rising more rapidly than stated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports or examine the very contentious issues surrounding “climate intervention” or geoengineering. Congress could hold hearings on how to best adapt to the known changes already baked into the climate while preventing even more serious impacts by stabilizing Earth’s climate. There are risks, of course, with boycotting any congressional hearing or invitation to testify. There could be a loss of exposure and of facts not being entered into the congressional record. People can reasonably argue that, with the right message and the right messenger, there could possibly be a turning point in the public’s perception of this issue. While never giving up hope, we have yet to see that outcome — and continually sending scientists to testify about the reality of climate change has


The next phase of Brexit is about to start. Here are 4 things to watch.

games, but the process of Brexit will be more akin to a game of multilevel chess. The past few days have reminded May of the challenges she faces holding together another union: the United Kingdom. Scotland’s Parliament has backed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s call for a new independence referendum. The Northern Ireland Assembly elections have led to a stalemate over the formation of a new administration in Belfast. Brexit only complicates the Northern Ireland imbroglio, as the Republic of Ireland is an E.U. member and shares a land border with Northern Ireland. On the E.U. side, demands will likely be just as complex. The main institutions will want to exert as much influence as possible over the negotiations. The Commission and the Council will be central to any deal, but the consent of the European Parliament will be needed for any agreement to come into force. The history of negotiations involving the E.U. Central to the motivation on the E.U. side is the fear that Brexit might set a precedent. As Catherine de Vries argues in a forthcoming contribution to the JCMS Annual Review of the European Union, there is a desire among some on the E.U. side to “benchmark” exit from the E.U. as a distinctly unfavorable alternative for other member states. 4) Brexit won’t be quite like integration into the E.U., in reverse Leaving isn’t as simple as joining, but the E.U. accession process can offer some pointers. Studies of E.U. enlargement show that negotiations go to the wire — and agreement often is reached when states strike deals to grant temporary exclusions on sensitive issues, even after the summits were supposed to end. So this is what we might expect to see as the negotiations are due to conclude in fall 2018. Disentangling a marriage that lasted four decades will be no easy task. The tougher and more complicated negotiations, however, concern not the act of leaving the E.U., but the U.K.’s future trading relationship with the E.U. Given that striking trade deals and getting them ratified is challenging at the best of times, especially given the E.U.’s complexity, a transitional package looks highly likely, with negotiations on a more comprehensive trade deal stretching out into the distance. In the coming months and years, we should expect many meetings, threats, broken promises, reluctant concessions, the occasional slice of statesmanship and awkward partners on both sides. Tim Haughton


Britain begins its journey to a false promised land

stocked with lawyers and plates of cheese and tempers and wounds and grudges. And if all goes according to plan, Britain will successfully leave the E.U., a trade union that includes its biggest and most important trade partners, home to 44% of its exports, and more than half of its imports. By March 2019, the United Kingdom will enter into an unknown world that is, well, hardly a promised land. A London School of Economics study ahead of the Brexit vote that compiled all of the competing white papers noted that the United Kingdom would see a long-term loss in GDP as a result of Brexit. This does not mean the U.K. economy will contract, but it will grow slower than it otherwise might have had it stayed in the union. The studies that suggested the U.K.’s GDP could benefit in the long term with Brexit are dependent on a final divorce settlement essentially mirroring its current trade access to the E.U. – a prospect increasingly unlikely as Brussels digs in its heels to make an example of the United Kingdom. On Sunday, tens of thousands of anti-Brexit campaigners took to the streets in London against the planned withdrawal – a battle they lost at the ballot box 52-48 last June. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is on the firing line. The Brexiteers have gone from calling for a better trade deal to succumbing – some even suggest aiming for – a hard Brexit: an exit with no deal at all. In a fiery editorial, the Sunday Observer wrote that the British people, regardless of how they voted, are being “duped and misled by the most irresponsible, least trustworthy government in living memory.” Financial Times columnist Janan Ganesh tartly dismisses the leaders of the Brexit movement, noting that “at every stage, they overpromise. At every stage, reality finds them out. At every stage, they spin the new bottom-line as something they half expected all along and as nothing to fear.” When Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says a hard Brexit will not be as “apocalyptic as some people like to pretend,” he is probably right, but that misses the point. British Leave voters did not go to the polls on the campaign slogan: “Vote Brexit: It won’t actually be all that apocalyptic.” Here is where the “only time will tell” cliche is appropriate, but the Brexiteers who celebrate the United Kingdom’s


Good news for Africa’s elephants: China is losing its taste for ivory

(Bence Mate/World Press Photo Foundation via Reuters) BEIJING — China will close 67 ivory carving factories and retail shops on Friday, roughly one-third of the total, as it moves to implement a pledge to end all domestic ivory sales by the end of the year. The news is likely to foster hopes for an eventual end to the elephant poaching crisis in Africa, especially since a new study shows that prices of ivory in China are continuing to plummet. Reducing demand from China, the world’s biggest ivory market, is probably the single most important factor that could help end the widespread poaching of elephants in Africa. In a report issued Wednesday, Save The Elephants said the average wholesale price of tusks in China was $2,100 per kilogram in early 2014, but had fallen to $1,100 by late 2015, before reaching $730 in February 2017. The conservation group credits a combination of an economic slowdown, an official anti-corruption campaign, a government commitment to ending the trade and growing public awareness. Conservationists heralded the Chinese government’s pledge to close its domestic ivory industry as a “game-changer” and welcomed evidence it was being implemented. “These closures prove that China means business in closing down the ivory trade and helping the African elephant,” said Peter Knights, chief executive of WildAid, a San-Francisco-based group that has played a leading role in raising public awareness in China about the link between ivory and poaching. Knights said the latest price decline shows that ivory “is now a very bad investment.” He said he expects a further decline in prices by the end of the year. An assistant arranges a carved ivory tusk in a Hong Kong shop window on Oct. 15, 2015. (Simon Denyer/The Washington Post). Lucy Vigne, one of the authors of the Save The Elephants report, said the legal ivory trade in China was “severely diminished,” with licensed outlets gradually reducing the quantity of items on display and cutting prices. The legal trade in ivory in China, using a stockpile amassed before a global ban, was the cover for a much larger illegal trade that fueled poaching, conservationists say. “Law enforcement is key to success,” Vigne said in a news release. “This is already improving in China — we have seen a decline in the number of illegal ivory items on display for sale since 2013.” China’s State Forestry Administration announced the closure of the


Trump’s climate change shift is really about killing the international order

to make U.S. manufacturing noncompetitive.” In 2016, he promised to pull out of the Paris and stop cut U.S. funding of U.N. global warming programs because they were “job-destroying.” It's an attitude shared by many of his most fervent supporters, and it has a long history. Flanked by cabinet members and coal miners, President Trump introduced and signed an executive order on March 28, that revokes Obama-era climate regulations and puts "an end to the war on coal,” he said. At a 1992 conference, President George H.W. Bush and 177 other governments signed something called Agenda 21. It's a totally voluntary United Nations “action plan” that offers suggestions for way local, state and national governments can combat poverty and pollution. It's fairly innocuous and, again, nonbinding. But antigovernment conservatives such as Phyllis Schlafly and Tom DeWeese latched onto the measure as a symbol of a much broader U.N.-backed conspiracy take control of America. DeWeese, whose think tank focuses on “the United Nations and its effect on American national sovereignty,” has described Agenda 21 as a “blueprint to turn your community into a little soviet.” The movement that sprung up around it left no hyperbole unused. In speeches, hysterical books and DVDs and interviews, anti-Agenda 21ers call it “the most dangerous threat to American sovereignty”; “An anti-human document, which takes aim at Western culture, and the Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions,” that will bring “new Dark Ages of pain and misery yet unknown to mankind,” and “abolish golf courses, grazing pastures and paved roads,” in the name of creating a “one-world order.” “It's taken to extremes that turn Agenda 21 into some sort of international scheme to take down the stars and stripes,” explains Ryan Lenz, as senior investigative reporter for the Southern Poverty Law Center who studies the groups that oppose to Agenda 21. “Nationalism is about protecting one's borders. Opposing Agenda 21 is just a way of saying other countries don't have a say.” Though most people don't know what Agenda 21 is, this argument — that fighting climate change is antithetical to American interests — has seeped into mainstream Republican thinking. In 2012, Newt Gingrich promised to “explicitly repudiate” the plan if elected president. Former Georgia Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R) “organized a four-hour, closed-door anti-Agenda briefing in October 2012" during which “attendees were told President Obama was using ‘mind control’ techniques to push land use planning, and


Iran provides a rare moment of bipartisanship

the audience that “as I said when I voted against that deal, if Iran is to acquire a nuclear bomb, it will not have my name on it.” He too sees a worsening of Iran’s conduct: “Many of us rightly predicted that an Iranian regime that prioritized funding terrorism over the well-being of its own citizens would see sanctions relief as a cash windfall for their terrorist proxies across the region. And on terrorism, we feared that much of Iran’s new economic capacity would be used to propagate violence against Jews.” He added, “It is no surprise then that Iran has not suddenly transformed into a responsible member of the international community. Rather it remains an agent of instability throughout the Middle East, a nefarious actor that continues to undermine American national security interests and our efforts to partner with countries throughout the region working to protect civilians and build democratic governance structures.” Congressional Democrats speaking at the 2017 American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, March 28, warned of acts of prejudice against Jewish people and people of other religions around the world. Given this shared assessment of Iran — the JCPOA is not going away but the United States needs to confront Iran in other arenas — it’s not surprising that a bipartisan bill, the Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017, with seven co-sponsors from each party, was introduced last week. These are not isolated pinpricks akin to those announced by then-national security adviser Michael Flynn after Iran launched another illegal missile test. (As the Jewish Telegraphic Agency wrote, “The act establishes new sanctions targeting Iran’s testing of ballistic missiles and its backing for terrorism, and also seeks to block the property of any entity involved in the sale of arms to or from Iran. It does not reintroduce sanctions lifted from Iran as part of the 2015 nuclear deal.”) In a summary released last week, senators described potentially far-reaching measures including mandatory sanctions on those involved with Iran’s ballistic missile program, new sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a requirement for the president “to block the property of any person or entity involved in specific activities related to the supply, sale, or transfer of prohibited arms and related material to or from Iran.” The administration has yet to take a position on the bill, but President Trump would be hard-pressed to come up with reasons


Will Brexit lead to Scotxit?

Scottish secessionists is to establish a government with more regulation and a larger welfare state than the current Conservative-controlled UK government allows. They hope to use North Sea oil revenue to finance that spending. But even assuming that the rump UK would allow Scotland to inherit all the oil, the decline in oil prices over the last few years is likely to undermine such plans. In addition, Scotland is a major net recipient of UK government transfers under the so-called “Barnett formula.” Those funds will be lost to the Scots if they become independent. Far from building a more interventionist state, an independent Scotland might well end up following the example of Slovakia. That nation separated from the Czech Republic in large part because Slovaks wanted more interventionism; but they found that fiscal constraints forced them adopt more free market policies. That experiment ultimately worked out well for the Slovaks and Czechs alike, as it led to impressive growth. In the best-case scenario, the same thing might happen with Scotland. Economic policy, trade, and borders, are by no means the only issues at stake in a potential second Scottish independence referendum. If it happens, we might well see a renewal of the debate over whether independence would lead to a new flourishing of Scottish culture, or instead undermine it. During the 2014 vote, that issue was contested by such cultural luminaries as Sean Connery (a prominent supporter of independence) and J.K. Rowling (a staunch opponent). The author of the Harry Potter novels may be more open to the idea of independence in the aftermath of Brexit. The United States, too, is likely to be affected by a new Scottish referendum. Britain is America’s closest ally on the world stage. If the UK is caught up in the simultaneous crises of Brexit and a renewed drive for Scottish independence, it may not be able to assist the US on security and other issues as much as is usually the case. The one certainty is that the combination of Brexit and a potential new Scottish independence referendum will raise a whole host of difficult issues for Scotland, the rest of Britain, and the EU. It will be an interesting time for experts on federalism, nationalism and secession – but a potentially difficult one for many ordinary citizens in all three polities. UPDATE: I have made a few minor additions to this post.


These scientists want to create ‘red teams’ to challenge climate research. Congress is listening

is to organize and fund credible ‘red teams’ that look at issues such as natural variability, the failure of climate models and the huge benefits to society from affordable energy, carbon-based and otherwise,” said witness John Christy, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, in his prepared testimony. “I would expect such a team would offer to Congress some very different conclusions regarding the human impacts on climate.” Wednesday’s hearing They argued that policymakers would benefit from assembling groups of experts to conduct assessments that challenge the accepted climate narrative. “A scientist’s job is to continually challenge his/her own biases and ask ‘How could I be wrong?’” Judith Curry, professor emeritus at Georgia Tech’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and president of the Climate Forecast Applications Network, said in her own testimony. “Playing ‘devil’s advocate’ helps a scientist examine how their conclusions might be misguided and how they might be wrong. Overcoming one’s own biases is difficult; an external devil’s advocate can play a useful role in questioning and criticizing the logic of the argument.” Curry also suggested that red teams or similar panels presenting diverse opinions on climate change could take on this role. Red teams are special groups designed to improve an organization’s performance by assuming the role of a rival, challenger or devil’s advocate. They have sometimes been used by agencies like the CIA and the Defense Department to help test out security operations or military tactics by assuming the role of enemies, hackers or foreign governments. But using them to challenge accepted climate science is “a completely ridiculous proposition,” said Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists. The National Academy of Sciences already provides independent scientific advice to the government, he said, and it has consistently supported the scientific consensus that climate change is largely driven by human activity. “The scientific community, in its various forms and in professional journals, has a very well-established, time-tested and by-and-large quite effective process for evaluating alternative hypotheses about any body of science — and that’s called independent peer review,” he told The Washington Post. “The notion that we would need to create an entirely different new approach, in particular for the specific question around global warming is unfounded and ridiculous and simply intended to promote the notion of a lack of consensus about the core findings, which in fact


Bob Dylan will finally pick up his Nobel prize — but don’t expect a lecture anytime soon

Bob Dylan performs in 2012. (Ki Price/Reuters) The Swedish Academy won’t have to hang on to the Nobel Prize intended for its elusive winner for much longer. Bob Dylan, who was awarded in literature last year, dodged phone calls from the academy for days before finally acknowledging the honor and eventually sending his regrets for not attending the official ceremony. He cited “preexisting commitments” to explain his absence. But now the American plans to make a swing through Stockholm for some shows, so the academy will go to him. “The Swedish Academy is very much looking forward to the weekend and will show up at one of the performances,” the organization said in a statement Wednesday. “The good news is that the Swedish Academy and Bob Dylan have decided to meet this weekend. The Academy will then hand over Dylan’s Nobel diploma and the Nobel medal, and congratulate him on the Nobel Prize in Literature.” The handover “will be small and intimate, and no media will be present; only Bob Dylan and members of the Academy will attend, all according to Dylan’s wishes.” Lauerates also receive nearly $1 millon, so long as they deliver a lecture on literature within six months. Dylan won’t be delivering a lecture, the Swedish Academy announced, but the group “has reason to believe that a tape version will be sent at a later point.” Canadian writer Alice Munro, who won the prize in 2013, was the most recent laureate to deliver a taped lecture. Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday, Oct. 13, for work that the Swedish Academy described as “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” It took weeks before Dylan acknowledged the prize in October, prompting one academy member to describe the American singer as “impolite and arrogant.” By December, everyone was told Dylan wouldn’t show up to the ceremony, but some held out hope that maybe he’d surprise them all with an unannounced performance. No dice. “I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person, but please know that I am most definitely with you in spirit and honored to be receiving such a prestigious prize,” Dylan had previously written in a note, read aloud during last year’s ceremony. “If someone had ever told me that I had the slightest chance of winning the Nobel Prize, I would have to think that I’d


In Mexico, a man was cleared of raping a 17-year-old girl because he acted without ‘carnal intent’

true. A judge found that Cruz had touched the victim’s breasts and penetrated her with his fingers. But, the judge said, that didn't make Cruz guilty of assault, because he'd acted without “carnal intent.” The judge also found that while Daphne was forced into the car, she was never “helpless.” Cruz was deemed innocent. Daphne's story — its horrible beginning and unjust end — has rippled across Mexico. Perhaps that's because the tale is so familiar. “To many citizens” in Veracruz, “there is little difference between the rich and the government, and between the government and the criminals,” according to the New Yorker piece. The ferocious Zeta drug cartel has a near-monopoly over the state. Eight out of 10 people there say they live in fear. Since 2011, at least 15 journalists have been killed and hundreds of people have vanished. (One human rights advocate, Father Alejandro Solalinde, called the city “a factory of forced disappearances.”) Unsurprisingly, few trust the justice system and fewer come forward after an attack. In 2014, only 1 in 10 was reported to local authorities, according to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography. The Mexican government’s National Institute for Women says more than 80 percent of sexual assaults are not reported, and barely 4.5 percent of criminals face sentencing in Mexico. A majority of victims told researchers that they didn't report because they didn't want to “waste their time,” the New Yorker piece said, citing a study. Women in Mexico are being abducted, raped and killed at record rates. Women in areas hit hard by the drug war are particularly vulnerable. In conflict zones, women become “territory” to be conquered, and rape is a tool used to intimidate rival gangs and the local population. Between 2001 and 2010, the number of women killed in Mexico's biggest drug battlegrounds jumped 500 percent. Thousands of others have disappeared. “Violence against women isn't an epidemic, it's a pandemic in Mexico,” Ana Güezmez, the country's representative to United Nations Women, told Reuters. Two of the others accused in the rape case are awaiting trial; the fourth was not indicted. In the meantime, Daphne tried going to university but was incapacitated by severe anxiety attacks. She withdrew and returned home before going to live with her sister in Europe. On Facebook, she wrote: “I just want this to end.” Read more: Censor or die: The death of Mexican news


General Social Survey Public support for marijuana legalization surged in 2016, according to data just released from the General Social Survey. Last year 57 percent of Americans told the survey's pollsters that they “think the use of marijuana should be legal,” up from 52 percent in 2014. The numbers from the General Social Survey — a large nationwide survey conducted every two years and widely considered to represent the gold standard for public opinion research — comport with other national surveys last year, which found support ranging from the upper 50s to low 60s. But the survey indicates two significant fault lines when it comes to marijuana policy: age and political party. Fully two-thirds of respondents ages 18 to 34 supported legalization in the survey, as well as majorities of those ages 35 to 49 and 50 to 64. But seniors 65 and older stood apart, with only 42 percent supporting legalization. General Social Survey On the other hand, support among all age groups has risen by similar amounts in recent years. In 2008, for instance, only 40 percent of the youngest respondents and just over 21 percent of seniors supported marijuana legalization. Breaking the numbers down by political affiliation tells a slightly different story. In the early 2000s, opposition to marijuana legalization was more or less a bipartisan issue. Only 29 percent of Democrats and 26 percent of Republicans voiced support for legal weed in 2000. General Social Surve Since then, support for legalization among Democrats and independents has risen much faster than among Republicans. In 2016, more than 60 percent of the former two groups supported legal marijuana. Among Republicans support stood at only 40 percent, a gap of more than 20 percentage points between Democrats and independents on the one hand, and Republicans on the other. Moreover, support for legalization among Republicans has leveled off over the past two years, rising just 1 percentage point since 2016. But support among Democrats rose by 3 points, and independents saw a much greater 8-point jump. Marijuana use, legal or otherwise, remains widespread in this country. Over 33 million adults currently admit to using the drug, according to Gallup. And with victories for legalization in California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts last year, roughly 1-in-5 Americans will soon have access to legal marijuana in their home states. But many lawmakers and law enforcement groups remain resolutely opposed to legalization. In Massachusetts,


PM Update: A seasonably chilly night, then cloudier and cooler Thursday

Peak cherry tree bloom at the Tidal Basin in D.C. (Navin Sarma via Flickr) Other than some occasionally gusty winds, today was a winner. Wall-to-wall sunshine and highs in the 60s are both about as good as it gets this time of year. Pleasant conditions persist this evening before clouds return Thursday. Through Tonight: View the current weather conditions at The Washington Post. Tomorrow (Thursday): See Dan Stillman’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Pollen update: What weather? Want our 5 a.m. forecast delivered to your email inbox? Subscribe here.


Wealthier nations can learn from how tiny Djibouti welcomes refugees

Children play on April 13, 2015, at a refugee boarding facility run by the U.N. High Commission for Refugees at Obock, a small port town in Djibouti located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Tadjoura, where it opens out into the Gulf of Aden. (Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images) Earlier this month, in Djibouti, we were conducting research in the Office of National Assistance for Refugees and Displaced Persons (ONARS). In response to our questions about effects of President Trump’s executive orders (also known as “travel bans”) on refugee resettlements, Hussein Chardi, the director of refugee camps at ONARS, carefully described his country’s raison d’être: In Djibouti, we have a big heart. We open our hand. Refugees should stay here and work with dignity. As the United States and some European countries add ever more isolationist policies, closed borders, and dramatic curtailments in the number of refugee resettlements, what can we learn from how this small country facing considerable security and economic threats from abroad treats humans on the move? Djibouti is a tiny, coastal country that has for centuries been situated at the confluence of numerous and multidirectional flows of traders, travelers, scholars, laborers, and refugees back and forth between the Arabian Peninsula and the African interior. The Red Sea’s Bab el Mandeb Strait, between Djibouti and Yemen, is only 20 miles across in places, enabling relatively easy intercontinental travel. With a population of fewer than 900,000 people, today Djibouti hosts 22,640 refugees and asylum-seekers. That equals 2.5 percent of its entire population. Djibouti was founded as a host country for persons seeking refuge. It won independence from France in 1977, just three weeks after the Ogaden War began between Ethiopia and Somalia. Tens of thousands of refugees, mostly fellow ethnic Somalis from Ethiopia, flooded across the border, seeking safety, food and water. All refugees were welcomed, according to one man we met at the ONARS office, Abdellahi Hargeye, whose family fled from Ethiopia to Djibouti in 1977. Eight years later, when famine and conflicts in the Horn of Africa intensified, hundreds of thousands more refugees poured across the Djiboutian border. Government officials in Djibouti proudly cite this history, a national ethic of hospitality, and the economic advantages of population movement and diversity as all central to the country’s new refugee law. The law includes newly promulgated regulations ensuring refugees, asylum-seekers, and Djiboutian citizens equal rights to education, health


What Theresa May’s letter on Brexit was really saying

The letter also indirectly references the troubled relationship among the nations of the U.K. The prime minister makes a point of stressing that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be negotiating as “one United Kingdom” — which also serves to remind anyone reading the letter that there is considerable disagreement on Britain’s collective negotiating position, given that the devolved nations have different priorities. May does however offer the possibility of further consolations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by implying that Brexit could lead to greater devolution: When it comes to the return of powers back to the United Kingdom, we will consult fully on which powers should reside in Westminster and which should be devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But it is the expectation of the Government that the outcome of this process will be a significant increase in the decision-making power of each devolved administration. (British government release) Again, the aim here seems to be to try to placate and reassure as many people at the same time as possible. And even as May is addressing an audience at home, she’s also talking to a global one. Another phrase repeated throughout the letter is the “special partnership.” May apparently envisages between the U.K. and the E.U. — clearly echoing the “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and the United States, while at the same time being noticeably different. Perhaps May is trying to signal that the U.K. does in fact have allies beyond the E.U., and that it could perhaps act as a bridge across the Atlantic. The statement May delivered to the House of Commons while this letter was being delivered was an interesting contrast. Throughout that speech she repeatedly used the word “together” to address the audience, trying to portray the process as being inclusive for all those living in Britain. As a BBC political journalist tweeted, this was a “Conciliatory tone toward E.U. Theresa the Dealmaker.” Striking PM adopting v. Conciliatory tone towards EU. Theresa the Dealmaker. But while the language of the letter certainly strikes a conciliatory tone at times, it still has a forceful edge. Amid all the talk of stability, continuity and joint values are several warnings about security. May reminds Tusk that “Europe’s security is more fragile today than at any time since the end of the Cold War” and stresses her desire to make sure Europe


The great bee bumble: Cheerios wanted to help. Its plan went terribly wrong.

listing included a plant that was invasive,” Turner said Wednesday, although the seed supplier said Chinese Forget-Me-Nots weren’t actually in the package. Biologist Kathryn G. Turner sounded an alarm when the Cheerios seed giveaway came to her attention. (Andrea Sylvestre Photography) Here’s what Lifehacker accurately reported: “Forget-Me-Not … is banned as a noxious weed in Massachusetts and Connecticut, for example. The California poppy is nice in California, but listed as an invasive and exotic pest plant in southeastern states. And many of the flowers on this list are not native anywhere in the U.S., so they are not necessarily good matches for local bees.” The revelation seemed to pain Turner because she knows that bees are in trouble — disappearing by the millions, which, in turn, puts many crops they pollinate at risk — and that General Mills was trying to do a good thing. On Wednesday, company spokesman Mike Siemienas explained: “The Honey Nut Cheerios wildflower packets contain the same varieties of seeds that consumers will find in seed racks at major national home store chains throughout the U.S.” And the packets are “just a small part of” General Mills’s bid to help bees, he said. The company has invested $4 million into the effort in the past five years in partnership with the Xerces Society, which works on behalf of pollinators such as butterflies and bees. “Large-scale habitat projects have already been planted or are already underway with farms supplying ingredients to Cheerios” and others, Siemienas said. California poppies and Canterbury bells bloom this month after a prolonged drought gave way to heavy winter rains, causing one of the biggest wildflower blooms in years at Diamond Valley Lake in California. (David McNew/Getty Images) But individuals can get involved, too, as a company statement noted: “Planting wildflowers is recommended by conservationists as one of the best ways to support pollinators. It’s a fun, simple way to help.” Fun maybe, but not so simple, according to Turner. Even though seeds are available in home improvement stores, that doesn’t mean they should be trafficked across the country in boxes to areas where they don’t belong, she said. Given some places’ ban on Forget-Me-Nots, for example, “I don’t know how they would be able to send seeds to those states.” Since that first tweet and the Lifehacker article, she has been giving insight and advice to the public. I talked about Cheerios