Pollen ‘nerds’: U.S. government enlists scientists to track drug loads, crack cold cases

thousands of years ago, which was interesting, too,” she said. “But this is more rewarding in a way because it’s happening now. It can affect people’s lives. It can help people.” The palynologists working for Exxon or Shell earn many times more than those in government labs like the CBP facility in Chicago. “Basically, you have to be an idealist to work on the government side,” Laurence said. They are trying to recruit more palynologists to the CBP lab because their current backlog of cases is 18 months to two years. At Texas A&M, Laurence wrote his dissertation on “ancient starches,” analyzing material from earthen ovens to identify what grains were being cooked. His mentor, Vaughn Bryant, began promoting forensic palynology in the 1970s, after learning about its application in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Bryant often worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to identify the origins of honey samples because importers will sometimes purchase cheap honey abroad and repackage it as a local product to boost the price. Bryant said he got little traction promoting the law enforcement potential for forensic palynology until the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then spent a decade analyzing samples for U.S. intelligence agencies. “The next thing that happened was, I got call from the Department of Homeland Security, and they said: ‘Do you think you could help us find out where this marijuana is coming from?’ ” Bryant said he began working for DHS around 2006 and was soon testing a range of narcotics samples from seizures. But he already had a full-time job teaching and doing research. “I started talking to DHS, and they said they’d be willing to fund a graduate student to learn how to do it. Andy was that student.” “What I tell people is this: When forensic palynology works, it’s fantastic, but doesn’t work all the time,” Bryant said. “It’s just one tool to use to complement other forensic applications. It’s just one technique you can apply.” Bryant, 78, said he has terminal cancer, but he has been heartened to see his protege, Laurence, continue the work. “I felt like Moses, wandering the desert for 40 years,” he said, laughing. “It wasn’t until we had a major catastrophe until someone listened, and after that, they couldn’t get enough info.” “Federal agencies finally woke up to fact that this stuff can be very useful,” he said. nick.miroff@washpost.com


Trump has a lot to say about Brexit. But do Brits listen?

between continental Europe and Britain would be abruptly cut without arrangements in place to alleviate the impact — a scenario that appears increasingly possible under Johnson. The Corbyn-led Labour Party and other Brexit critics argue that such an abrupt exit from the European Union would trigger food and drug shortages and force Britain into trade talks with the United States from a weakened negotiating position. Those concerns are partially motivated by Trump’s remarks. In June, the president suggested that Britain’s National Health Service would be part of any post-Brexit trade talks. Although Trump quickly backtracked, British politicians, including those considered close to him, continue to express opposition to the idea. Johnson said in July that he would “under no circumstances” agree to put the NHS up for sale. Analysts have questioned how much sway Trump would have over a trade deal, even if he was serious about it. “The power that the president has to sort of force [a trade deal] into being by sheer force of will is actually fairly limited,” said Jacob Parakilas, a consultant and former deputy head of the U.S. and the Americas program at the London-based Chatham House think tank. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned this year that Congress would block any trade deals with Britain if the British government were to weaken the Northern Ireland peace pact known as the Good Friday Agreement. That hurdle had already doomed then-British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit agreement with the E.U., which was designed in a way that would have upheld the peace pact by keeping border controls suspended. It also would have tied Britain to the E.U. to a greater extent than hard-line Brexiteers were willing to agree to. May was unable to get Parliament to approve her deal, and she ultimately resigned. Trump started to lash out at May’s more moderate Brexit strategy early on in his term and advocated in favor of the more hard-line approach backed by Johnson — a fellow Conservative and rival of May — and others. In an interview with the Sun tabloid, published while he was in Britain for talks with May last year, Trump praised Johnson as someone who would make a “great prime minister” and complained that May “didn’t listen” to his Brexit advice. (May later told the BBC that Trump advised her to “sue the E.U. — not go into negotiations.”) Her more moderate plans,


The new policy on citizenship is a disservice to service members

The Citizenship and Immigration Services’ issuance of a policy on Wednesday rescinding previous guidance stating that children of U.S. service members and other government officials abroad are considered “residing in the United States” and automatically given citizenship under a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act is a disservice to our service members. The guidance states that “U.S. citizen parents who are residing outside the United States with children who are not U.S. citizens should apply for U.S. citizenship on behalf of their children under INA 322, and must complete the process before the child’s 18th birthday.” Those serving overseas now having to apply for citizenship means that even if this process is almost automatic, they can’t be considered as a presidential candidate, as the Constitution states that a presidential candidate must be a natural-born citizen of the United States. Quite disturbing to a U.S. Army veteran and Defense Department employee. Philip VanWiltenburg Read more letters to the editor.


Pence critical of Russia — days after Trump advocates inclusion at next G-7 summit

integrity of Ukraine” since 2014 and “will continue to stand with the people of the Ukraine on your security, on territorial integrity, including Ukraine’s rightful claim to Crimea.” Other issues loomed for Pence’s meeting with Duda. The Trump administration has been slow to call out Poland’s governing party, Law and Justice, as its elected officials breach the country’s constitution and support candidates and leaders who seek to erode LGBTQ rights. Most recently, Poland’s deputy justice minister was forced to resign after it emerged that his ministry had waged a harassment campaign against judges resisting government efforts to control the judiciary. When asked if he confronted Duda on issues of gay rights, press freedom and judicial independence during their private meeting Monday, Pence said he did discuss judicial independence with Duda — but he did not say whether press freedom or LGBTQ rights were part of the conversation. “We talked about the importance of judicial independence and the rule of law,” Pence said. “As I told President Duda, we are grateful for his commitment to strengthening the foundations of the rule of law in Poland. It is right and just, but it also, we believe, is the surest way to encourage better foreign direct investment.” Amid the ongoing trade war with China, Pence also signed a security declaration Monday with Poland that puts new pressure on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies, which the United States has asserted is involved with espionage activities. Pence traveled later Monday to Shannon, Ireland, where he met with that nation’s foreign minister, Simon Coveney, who warned Pence that Brexit in the United Kingdom could cause “disruption” for Ireland and the peace at its northern border. Pence said he was “grateful for your candor,” following Coveney’s remarks before a throng of reporters and television cameras. “We will continue to work closely with our partners in Ireland and the United Kingdom to support a Brexit plan that encourages stability and also one that keeps the strong foundation forged by the Good Friday Agreement,” Pence said, a reference to the landmark 1998 peace accord with Northern Ireland. Pence is scheduled to meet later this week with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Pence, whose paternal and maternal roots can be traced to Ireland, is staying at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg. He is traveling with the second lady, Karen Pence, and his mother, Nancy Pence Fritsch. robert.costa@washpost.com


This tool will show you exactly when fall foliage will peak across the country

changes to show where fall foliage is minimal, patchy, partial, near peak, peak and past peak. By swiping through, you can easily find the best time to visit the region of your choosing: The map is an incredible piece of technology, but remember — there’s no guarantee it’ll match Mother Nature exactly. “While no tool can be 100 percent accurate, this tool is meant to help travelers better time their trips to have the best opportunity of catching peak color each year,” the site says. With that disclaimer in mind, go forth and plan your seasonal adventures. To get you started, here are several ideas across the country: Oregon is, of course, the home of Tillamook, Jacobsen Salt and Willamette Valley pinot noir. It’s also an excellent West Coast destination for autumn leaf-viewing. The foliage map pins the second week of October as optimal to visit the Oregon coast. Don’t feel like driving? Enjoy the leaves from the comfort of the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, starting in Wheeler. And stick around for the most spooky fall festivity in America — Eugene’s Halloween Coffin Races, which take place Oct. 19. The White Mountains of New Hampshire are looking not so white come late September. Part of the Appalachian range, and once home to the poet Robert Frost, the region is a great playground for outdoors enthusiasts who want to hike their way through the changing scenery. If you’d like to zero in on your trip research, New Hampshire has its own fall-foliage tracking tool as well. Colorado is a skier’s paradise in the winter and a hiker’s paradise the rest of the year. In the fall, the state bursts into shades of gold. Start in Denver, rent a car and hit leaf-rich roads like the Peak to Peak Highway, Colorado Highway 62, Trail Ridge Road and the Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway. According to the Fall Foliage Map, your best time for Colorado leaf action is around late September (depending on the part of the state). If you’re looking to travel internationally for the sake of photosynthesis, head across the Pacific to northern Japan. The most beautiful time to visit Japan is arguably cherry blossom season, but late fall is a close second. Japan has an abundance of vibrant red bucolic hillsides that are best enjoyed from the small-town comforts of traditional inns, temple stays and hot spring retreats. Read


Mexican government says more than 3,000 hidden graves found in the search for the disappeared

MEXICO CITY — For years, Mexican newspapers have carried chilling tales of mothers searching for their missing children and discovering hidden graves. Now, for the first time, the federal government has disclosed the number of clandestine sites where those who have been disappeared in Mexico’s raging narco-violence have turned up. Nearly 5,000 bodies have been discovered in more than 3,000 graves since late 2006, said Karla Quintana, the head of the government’s National Search Commission. That’s well above previous estimates by academics and journalists. Quinto Elemento Lab, a Mexican investigative journalism organization, published a report last November identifying 1,978 graves. Quintana said 3,024 informal graves contained 4,874 bodies — and thousands of bone fragments. At least 40,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since 2006. Officials believe the majority were victims of organized-crime groups. But in many cases, local or state authorities might have been complicit. Until recently, most of the search was carried out by relatives of the victims, who have banded together in groups to dig in barren desert plains and on forest-covered hills. They have complained for years that the government has ignored their requests for help. Now, the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who took office in December, is scaling up the effort to find the missing. Quintana said the “data of horror” she was releasing wasn’t just a question of numbers. “This is about thousands of people seeking family members who are missing from their homes,” she said at a news conference last week. The number of disappeared rose sharply starting during the administration of President Felipe Calderón. Calderón, who served from 2006 to 2012, launched a U.S.-backed offensive against increasingly powerful drug gangs. The military was deployed to fight criminal groups, and killings soared. Violence eventually declined, but in 2017 began to spike again, and is now reaching historic levels. One reason for that is the splintering of once-mighty cartels into warring factions, analysts say. Another is the disruption of corrupt political deals that once protected traffickers, as Mexico’s longtime one-party rule has been replaced by electoral competition. Quintana told The Washington Post that her office compiled the number of clandestine graves from data collected by state prosecutors’ offices. “It’s the first time we’ve said, ‘This is the magnitude of the problem,’ ” she said. The graves varied in size: Some contained only a few bodies; others held dozens. Five hundred twenty-two have


Christian Coleman cleared after USADA withdraws doping charges

After a reversal by the sport’s national anti-doping organization, the top-ranked sprinter in track and field’s marquee event has been cleared to compete in this month’s world championships and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Christian Coleman, the reigning American 100-meter champion and owner of the fastest 100 time in the world this year, had faced the prospect of a two-year ban after the U.S. Anti-Doping Association charged him with missing three drug tests in a one-year span. A hearing had been scheduled for Wednesday, but the USADA on Monday withdrew its charge against Coleman on a technicality. In a statement released Monday afternoon, USADA explained how Coleman’s three “whereabouts violations” had occurred over the course of more than a calendar year based on how dates are recorded for a specific violation, which exempted him from a penalty. USADA recorded Coleman’s first violation, it said, on June 6, 2018, when it attempted to test Coleman but could not after discovering he had not properly updated his location. Coleman also did not show up for drug tests on Jan. 16 and April 26 of this year, giving him three in 12 months and triggering the ban. But Coleman insisted, citing the International Standard for Testing and Investigations, that his first violation — failure to file his location properly — should be dated on the first day of the quarter in which it occurs. USADA agreed with the interpretation. That meant his first violation is dated April 1, 2018 — more than a year before his third violation this April 26. Ultimately, USADA did not change its stance that Coleman committed three violations. It just altered the way it viewed when they occurred. Missing a drug test is considered a violation, and Coleman’s saga probably will draw more scrutiny to a sport steeped in doping controversies. “Consistent application of the global anti-doping rules is essential in every case,” USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said in a statement. “In this case we applied the rules to Mr. Coleman in the manner that USADA understands should be applied to any other International-level athlete. We must approach every case with the primary goal of delivering fairness to athletes under the rules and providing transparency and consistency in order to build their trust and support for the anti-doping system. “Every athlete is entitled to a presumption of innocence until their case is concluded through the established legal process.


Britain’s Johnson, Corbyn headed for ferocious Brexit showdown when Parliament returns Tuesday

to suspend Parliament. The day after his announcement, two key Johnson political allies resigned from their posts. Johnson’s supporters argue that anti-Brexit activists are the ones subverting democracy by not honoring the will of the people reflected in the referendum. “A lot of us are frustrated and angry because our vote has not been respected,” said James Saunders, 35, part of a group of marchers who carried British flags and taunted anti-Johnson protesters on Saturday. He praised Johnson’s maneuver as necessary to stop Corbyn and others from pushing for a second referendum on Brexit. “If that happens,” he said, “democracy will be destroyed in the United Kingdom.” Johnson painted the situation as a choice between his plan and “chaos.” “Are you going to side with Jeremy Corbyn and those who want to cancel the referendum?” he asked in an interview published in the Sunday Times. “Are you going to side with those who want to scrub the democratic verdict of the people — and plunge this country into chaos?” Saturday’s national protests did not necessarily pit “Leave” against “Remain.” It was largely people from both sides of the debate, joining to oppose Johnson’s move to suspend Parliament. James Cashman, a history student at the University of Oxford, carried a sign that read, “I voted to leave. This is not my will.” “I voted to leave because I wanted to protect and promote parliamentary sovereignty, the right of the British people to make laws enacted in a British Parliament,” said Cashman, 21. “But how can I sit at home when Boris Johnson has chosen to basically suspend British democracy by closing Parliament?” he asked. “It is absolutely an outrage. Once you let them do it once, they will do it again.” Some are fighting Johnson in court cases filed in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Former Conservative prime minister John Major is supporting one of the challenges — an unusual move by a former leader against a sitting one. A Scottish judge on Friday temporarily sided with Johnson, rejecting an appeal filed by 75 anti-Brexit legislators to block the suspension of Parliament. Hearings in that case and the others are scheduled for this week. But even the protesters interviewed over the weekend said the legal challenges were a long shot. Most said that they believed Johnson has the legal right to suspend Parliament and that the real battle is political and


PM Update: Pleasant into tonight, then hot with some late-day storms Wednesday

Today was rather summery for what is considered by many the first unofficial day of fall. The astronomical calendar is having a laugh today, given highs approaching 90 in spots. And it’s only a preview of things to come. Nineties seem close to assured Wednesday. Listen to our daily D.C. forecasts: Through tonight: View the Tomorrow (Wednesday): Scattered storms may develop late in the day. Any that do could be intense. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has this area in the southern part of a “marginal” risk for severe weather, as isolated wind damage is possible from any of the more potent storms. Storms are a risk at any time during the afternoon into evening, but for now it seems that the most widespread threat is focused in the 4-8 p.m. time frame. See Matt Rogers’s Pollen update: Want our 5 a.m. forecast delivered to your email inbox?


The Technology 202: New NYU report urges social media companies to take down ‘provably’ false information

politics. BITS: Facebook may no longer show the number of "Likes" a post receives in your news feed Based on code found in Facebook’s Android app by researcher Jane Manchun Wong, the test would experiment by showing some users just a few reaction emojis but not a full count of who liked the status. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, already began experimenting with removing like counts earlier this year to some positive results. (Facebook did not release internal findings about its Instagram experiment and has argued in the past the feature isn't entirely bad for users.) An expansion of the test across Facebook’s products could be a way to placate growing criticism from regulators about the addictive nature of the platform. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced legislation in July that would give the Federal Trade Commission the authority to ban practices designed to exploit users and keep them on a platform. Facebook recently reached a settlement with the FTC following the agency’s broad investigation into its privacy practices, and Facebook says the FTC has opened an antitrust investigation. NIBBLES: YouTube will now require channel owners to approve community-provided translations after trolls exploited the tool to harass users and spread offensive content, The change comes after a YouTube user named JT flagged the high level of offensive materials in translations for the popular YouTuber creator PewdiePie and pointed out how the harassing content crowded out legitimate translations. The video resulted in a harassment campaign against JT in retaliation, Russell reports. JT brought the issue to the attention of YouTube on Twitter, but was originally instructed to just report the offending translations. YouTube then changed its policies a few days later: YouTube has grappled with how to address hate speech on its platform amid increasing scrutiny this summer, particularly with regard to guidelines for its content creators. BYTES: A new Chinese face-swapping app climbed the top of China's iOS App Store over the weekend, but critics are already sounding the alarm about the app maker's privacy practices The app, Zao, allows users to upload a photo of themselves and swap it onto the faces of actors in scenes from popular movies and television shows. But much like FaceApp, the Russia-based app that attracted scrutiny earlier this summer, Zao came under fire for having “free, irrevocable, permanent, transferable, and relicense-able” rights to all this user-generated content. The company changed its policy to


Green Almond Pantry is a delicious little lunch counter built on a mother’s love

Peter Pastan still had a hand in the restaurant, when 14th Street still had every diner’s attention. Onal-Urel is Turkish native who ditched plans to pursue an MBA and, instead, went to cooking school and started working for Pastan at Obelisk, the Italian destination near Dupont Circle. She returned to her homeland to serve as executive chef at a pair of luxury hotels, but Pastan lured her back in 2012 to open Etto, where Onal-Urel’s smiling face seemed to hover just above a counter loaded down with her blistered peppers, ember-grilled eggplants and other elegant statements from the hearth. Onal-Urel left Etto two years ago to focus on her own thing, an informal, homestyle business that would be part Italian, part Turkish and almost totally selfless. She started by selling prepared foods at farmers markets before partnering with Can Yurdagul, owner of Sushi Capitol, to open a bricks-and-mortar shop in the former Seasonal Pantry space in Shaw. Almost everything about the market and lunch counter is a symbol of a mother’s love: its focus on the midday meal; its honest, unfussy plates; and its modest ambitions, which allow Onal-Urel to break the invisible chains that keep chefs shackled to their restaurants, sacrificing any notion of a home life. “The whole thing I created because of my daughter,” Onal-Urel says of her child, Su, aged 8. “If you’re working in restaurants, you’re missing family time.” Green Almond Pantry is built for speed, starting with the chef’s recipes. Onal-Urel doesn’t have the luxury to tinker obsessively with her food, like those tweezer chefs with the Michelin stars and the borage blossoms strategically placed on their plates, like diamonds set in a ring. She builds dishes based on intuition, tradition, experience and the limited equipment crammed into her tiny, subterranean kitchen. That exquisite smoky eggplant dip with the double-barrel blast of acid? Its smokiness comes entirely from a single propane burner, while its sourness comes from red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Onal-Urel almost apologizes for her methods, but I think her genius lies in her improvisation. In the early days, back when she was still using 2 Amys’ kitchen to prepare dishes for her farmers market stalls, Onal-Urel had to learn to work with the limited space allotted her. So when, for example, a case of cabbage would arrive, she had to devise ways to break it down fast and pack it


The Brexit fight is threatening Britain’s entire system of government

The battle for Brexit in Britain is pitting Parliament against the government — and it is fundamentally changing the country’s constitution along the way. As the impasse continues between an executive who is determined that Britain will leave the European Union on Oct. 31 with or without a deal and a legislature that seems unwilling to let Brexit happen without one, fears are growing that Britain is heading toward a constitutional crisis. With that deadline looming and a new government installed under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the country’s uncodified constitution now looks like collateral damage in a power struggle between legislative and executive. The British constitution is a mixture of statute, conventions, judicial decisions and principles — some are written down, others are not. But many of the most fundamental and most complex areas are now part of the fight for who controls the future of Brexit. Parliament returns Tuesday from a long summer break. Last week, the government announced that it had asked Queen Elizabeth II to “prorogue,” or suspend, Parliament for four or five weeks, with the suspension starting less than two weeks after members are due to return. The government argues it is simply employing what is a normal mechanism to end one parliamentary session and start a new one, thereby allowing themselves a Queen’s Speech, the traditional means by which prime ministers announce — in a speech given by the monarch in the Houses of Parliament but written by the government — their proposed policy and legislation for the new session. The problem is that there are only two months until the deadline for Brexit, even if no deal is agreed about the terms or the future relationship between Britain and Europe. Much of Parliament seems opposed to leaving without a deal and had expected to have opportunities to try to force the government to seek yet another extension — the initial deadline was March 29. This suspension of Parliament dramatically reduces their chances, by leaving little time for any alternative proposals to pass. Conservative rebels are expected to push new legislation to delay Brexit again, but Johnson has threatened that any Tory MPs who vote against the government will not be allowed to run on the party’s ticket in the next election. Johnson could even seek a snap election before the Oct. 31 deadline. The battle has further damaged the British constitution and the way


U.S. punishes Iran’s space agency over satellite program

The Trump administration placed new sanctions on Iran’s space agency Tuesday, saying it was developing ballistic missiles surreptitiously under the guise of a program purported to launch satellites. The State Department designation, the first imposed on the Iran Space Agency and two affiliated research institutes, was another step up in tensions between Tehran and Washington. The animosity has grown exponentially since the United States withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal last year and began a diplomatic and economic pressure campaign, accusing Iran of working undercover to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads over a long distance. “The United States will not allow Iran to use its space launch program as cover to advance its ballistic missile programs,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in announcing the sanctions. “These designations should serve as a warning to the international scientific community that collaborating with Iran’s space program could contribute to Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon delivery system,” he added. The sanctions came a few days after a rocket exploded Thursday at the Imam Khomeini Space Center. Iranian officials said the explosion was caused by a technical malfunction. President Trump declared that the United States had nothing to do with the explosion and tweeted an apparent surveillance photo of the damage. Pompeo said the incident during an attempted launch of a satellite into orbit “underscores the urgency of the threat.” The Iranian government says it is working to launch satellites, including for communications purposes, but its tests have resulted in explosions several times. The United States considers satellite launches a violation of a U.N. Security Council Resolution calling on Iran to shun the development of ballistic missiles that could be equipped with nuclear weapons. A fact sheet put out by the State Department said the technologies used in developing space launch vehicles are “virtually identical and interchangeable” with those used in ballistic missiles. The new sanctions could be used as a foundation for imposing penalties on foreign companies and governments that do any business with the Iran Space Agency. carol.morello@washpost.com


The Daily 202: Four questions for the fall, starting with Joe Biden’s durability

life-threatening health crises to return to their home countries, days after a damning story about a migrant woman with a rare genetic disease who was told she'd face deportation if she didn’t leave the country voluntarily. -- The kidnapping of a pastor in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, underscores the threat migrants face when they are forced to return to Mexican border towns. -- More Cubans are seeking asylum in Mexico amid a clampdown on their legal path to the U.S. THE NEW WORLD ORDER: -- Vice President Pence’s top aide said this morning that Pence and members of his traveling entourage are staying at a golf resort in Ireland owned by Trump at the president’s suggestion. But he defended an arrangement that Democrats have criticized as enriching the president, citing logistical concerns. -- The first day of school in Hong Kong brought class boycotts, as tens of thousands continued protesting. -- Lam said she would quit if she could, saying her ability to resolve the crisis at this point is “very limited.” -- The Hong Kong protests are also dividing families. -- Huawei accused the U.S. of cyberattacks and threats made to its employees to disrupt its business. -- Prime Minister Boris Johnson signaled that he is prepared to call a high-stakes snap election next month if his political opponents try to block his plans for Britain to exit the European Union on Oct. 31. “Johnson, who took office in late July on a defiant pledge to deliver Brexit by Halloween ‘do or die,’ could see his government crash and burn quickly in a national vote, or he could potentially emerge in a far stronger position. But an election could also see Corbyn, a far-left leader and harsh critic of Trump, end up as prime minister, leaving Brexit and the U.K.’s relations with the United States filled with uncertainty. … Britain’s next general election is scheduled for 2022. But under the British system, a general election can be called at virtually any time, as long as two-thirds of Parliament supports it. … The most likely date for an election would be about Oct. 14, ahead of a key European Council meeting on Oct. 17. … In a speech Monday, Corbyn said he would support an election.” -- After a Taliban bomb killed at least 16 civilians in Kabul, Afghans are calling for a foreign compound that houses foreign nationals to be


Grand Canyon to make second run at corralling bison herd

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — In the two years since Grand Canyon officials approved a plan to reduce the number of bison roaming in the national park, the herd has only grown in size. No one is sure exactly how many of the giant animals call northern Arizona home because they’re hard to count amid the Ponderosa pine trees, but it’s in the hundreds. Left unchecked, the herd could reach 1,500 in several years, severely damaging the landscape and water resources, the park says. The reduction plan has been hampered by weather and disagreements over how to kill some of the bison if shipping them off isn’t enough. The Grand Canyon tried to round up some animals last year, but wintry weather set in and the bison headed farther north on a plateau. The park is taking a second run at capturing this month. “We’re getting a little late start,” said Jan Balsom, a senior adviser at the park. The Grand Canyon bison are descendants of those introduced to northern Arizona in the early 1900s as part of a ranching operation to crossbreed them with cattle. The state of Arizona now owns them and has an annual draw for tags on the neighboring Kaibab National Forest. The National Park Service released a plan in September 2017 that called for a mix of corralling the animals near the highway that leads to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, and for skilled volunteers to shoot a certain number of bison inside and outside the park. It has made no significant progress on guidelines for lethal options. The Park Service fenced off watering holes on the North Rim to try to force the bison into the national forest, where they legally can be hunted. But it didn’t keep the bison out. The 25 hunters who drew tags in a state hunt earlier this year came up nearly empty-handed, bagging just two animals. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission recently amended the spring hunts for 2020 and 2021 to give hunters more time overall to kill bison. Meanwhile, the animals’ population is growing. The park hopes to corral dozens of the animals at the North Rim, where the bison breed exclusively after hunting pressure forced them out of the forest about a decade ago. It uses thumb-size pellets to lure the bison into eight-foot-high corrals that can hold up to 100 animals. Balsom said the park plans


As the Impossible and Beyond burgers take off, will real veggie burgers go extinct?

and burgers. Ours is made with beer-battered and caramelized onion, delicious Chao cheddar and our homemade barbecue sauce.” Nitehawk Cinema, which has two locations in Brooklyn, also serves both a Beyond Meat patty and a traditional veggie burger. Michael Franey, executive chef at the Williamsburg location, says he likes having the option on the menu. “I know there are a lot of vegetarians and vegans who don’t like the texture of ground meat,” he says. “They’re both called a veggie burger, but they’re very different experiences,” adds Blessing Schuman-Strange, executive chef at the Prospect Park location. Still more chefs are choosing to continue making veggie burgers in-house. In Nashville, at Hugh-Baby’s, run by pitmaster Pat Martin, they blend black beans, onions, cashews and smoked mushrooms to create a hearty patty with an umami essence. “As much as I love meat, I personally love veggie burgers,” Martin says. “It’s hard to find a really good one, so I wanted to make one that I loved. As a society, we’re moving more towards plant-based eating, so it was important for me to have a veggie option on the menu.” As for why he continues to make it in-house rather than outsource to Beyond or Impossible, it’s about having his fingerprint on everything he serves, and the financials bear that out. Tal says the only con about serving the premade patties is that the much slimmer margins drive up the cost for customers. At Bird and Cleaver in Fort Wayne, Ind., an omnivorous restaurant that heavily features vegan options, Lindsay Cheesebrew serves only a housemade veggie burger made from quinoa, walnuts, mushrooms and white beans. “I think it’s just not as special if you can get it everywhere,” she says of the tech burger patties. “At the end of the day, it’s still a processed burger.” Amanda Cohen, chef at New York’s Dirt Candy, will be launching her own veggie burger restaurant — “the market demands it,” she says — come fall and will reach far back into history for her take: a 900-year-old recipe from the Ming Dynasty of China that uses 10 all-natural ingredients. She has resisted veggie burgers in the past, despite serving broccoli dogs and carrot sliders at her restaurant. While she recognizes that tech burgers fill a need for those who would like to eat less meat or were never able to eat a burger for religious reasons,


How Boris Johnson’s push toward a no-deal Brexit is playing out in the E.U.

maneuvering. Neither they nor other E.U. leaders are willing to favor a departing member, Britain, over a faithful ally, Ireland, whose leaders dearly want to avoid a hard border with Northern Ireland — one possible outcome of Brexit. It’s a matter of principle and one that Johnson seems to be underestimating. So far, Ireland has shown little willingness to back down. And even if Britain holds a general election in the weeks before the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline, it may simply put the country on autopilot toward a no-deal departure, rather than help avert it, analysts say. What would a no-deal Brexit look like for Europe on Nov. 1? A no-deal Brexit would be chaotic in ways both predictable and impossible to foresee. France has hired an extra 700 customs agents, and Belgium and the Netherlands have each hired hundreds more to conduct checks of goods coming from and going to Britain. Leaders have tried to calm worries. But the sudden new border would be a major challenge. Small and medium-size businesses would be hit especially hard, analysts say, because it makes little economic sense for a small company to hire someone to handle the consequences of a no-deal Brexit when it is still unclear whether that will happen. “Smaller businesses who are firefighting many other changes have taken the view that there’s nothing they can do to prepare for Brexit,” said Paul Hardy, the Brexit director at DLA Piper, a law firm. Some policies are still up in the air. The previous British government said it would be generous toward E.U. citizens who wanted to travel to Britain for business. Johnson’s allies have suggested that they could be far tougher about visas and other bureaucratic matters, unsettling companies and raising the possibility of tit-for-tat reprisals from E.U. countries against British nationals. What is the E.U. doing to get ready for a no-deal Brexit? For nearly a year, European policymakers have been readying emergency regulations that would seek to minimize the chaos for the remaining 27 E.U. countries if Britain departs without a deal. The measures wouldn’t fully avoid the pain of a British departure. But, for instance, they would help keep planes in the air between the European Union and Britain — something that would otherwise be in doubt. In a sign that there may be lingering questions about whether E.U. countries are ready for no-deal confusion, an unusual


Google uncovers 2-year iPhone hack that was ‘sustained’ and ‘indiscriminate’

Security researchers at Google uncovered a “sustained” — at least two years — and indiscriminate campaign to hack iPhones through certain websites, allowing attackers to steal messages, files and track location data every 60 seconds. In a deep-dive blog post published Thursday evening, Ian Beer, a security expert on Google’s Project Zero, detailed how hackers had been using malicious websites to exploit an iPhone software vulnerability. The post did not name the websites nor say how many people were affected. “There was no target discrimination; simply visiting the hacked site was enough for the exploit server to attack your device, and if it was successful, install a monitoring implant,” Beer wrote. “We estimate that these sites receive thousands of visitors per week. ” The implant also collected password keychains, messages, address books and other personal information from users’ apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram and Gmail. This type of widespread yet random attack is rare, and it may be one of the biggest attacks ever on iPhone users. But there was a limit to the malware’s power — it was erased if the iPhone was restarted, freeing the user unless they returned to one of the malicious websites. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post. As Google’s external security team, Project Zero researchers are dispatched to find all manner of weaknesses in popular technology. Since it was created in July 2014, the team has found and reported nearly 1,600 hardware and software vulnerabilities. But Project Zero has taken heat for its tough tactics: After reporting a bug, the team gives the vendor 90 days to fix it before Project Zero discloses the details publicly. (In some cases, Google will offer an additional 14-day grace period.) Google contends that the hard deadline produces the best results. Earlier this month, Project Zero said that about 95.8 percent of the bugs it finds and reports are patched before the 90-day deadline. But when Project Zero informed Apple of the breach on Feb. 1, it gave the company seven days to fix it, citing the need for urgency. The iPhone maker released iOS 12.1.4 on Feb. 7. Apple is notoriously guarded with its products, shielding them from even well-meaning hackers looking to probe iOS vulnerabilities. But the company gradually opened its products up to researchers, and it recently announced plans to release a hacker-friendly phone to certain experts in


Hints From Heloise: Who’s liable for missing package?

Dear Heloise: Does this release the company from liability if the package gets stolen before I get home? Margaret W. in Pennsylvania Margaret W. in Pennsylvania: However, if a pattern develops where packages are constantly missing, the company may require an alternate delivery plan/location. Dear Readers: It is still hot out. What are some hints to help you not forget your child in the car? ● Put the child’s toy, blanket or bottle in the front seat. ● Leave your bag, phone or briefcase in the back seat. ● Practice this mantra: “Look before you lock.” ● Position the car seat in the middle of the back seat, instead of on one side. You can see the child better. Readers, if you are not following your usual routine, pay extra attention to your actions and surroundings, and be sure to educate everyone who cares for your kids about the danger of hot car deaths. Dear Heloise: I think all jewelers should put magnetic clasps on their necklaces — it's so helpful. Eleanor T., Omaha Eleanor T.: People with pacemakers should not use magnetic jewelry. It can interfere with the performance of the unit. Also, if you are pregnant, talk to your doctor about magnetic jewelry. Kids can be fascinated by magnets, but a magnet can come out of its housing, and ingesting a magnet is dangerous. Magnets around credit cards? The jury is out; keep them separate to be safe. Dear Heloise: I know — I'm obsolete, retired, out of touch. I use a landline phone, write real letters, use U.S. mail, read newspapers and books, listen to real AM/FM radio, paint and draw, use a bicycle, take the bus, fly kites and talk face to face with humans. A Reader in Los Angeles Reader in Los Angeles: Dear Heloise: Dorothy C., Manchester, N.H.


What happens now in Britain? Boris Johnson’s rivals have four tough options.

a “do or die” Brexit. With even less time on the clock, Johnson’s rivals are ultimately left with four options, none of which will be easy. If Britain does not reach a withdrawal agreement with E.U. member states before its Oct. 31 deadline, it would be forced to resort to basic World Trade Organization rules on its borders. Economists predict that this could massively disrupt supply chains in key areas such as food and medicine. Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, had sought to avoid this possibility and requested extensions to help find a withdrawal agreement she could get through Parliament. Though Parliament voted against her proposed agreements three times, it also voted against a no-deal Brexit in January, 318 to 310. The problem is that vote cannot be binding. “No deal” is the default, and unlike May, Johnson has refused to rule it out or ask for a delay. So unless lawmakers opposed to a no-deal Brexit find a way to block that scenario or form a majority following a possible snap election, “no deal” will happen. The most logical alternative to a no-deal Brexit is, of course, a Brexit with a deal. But as May found when she was prime minister, that is not exactly easy. Britain’s Parliament is divided among those who support a hard break with Europe, some who want to keep many of the existing bonds and those who do not want Brexit at all. Then there is Europe. Any withdrawal agreement needs to first be agreed to unanimously by all 27 remaining E.U. states before it goes to Britain’s Parliament. So far, the bloc has shown incredible consistency in standing up for its members; in particular, favoring the “Irish backstop” agreement that seeks to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. As with other Brexit hard-liners, Johnson opposes the backstop and wants to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement without it — something member states have said is not possible. But as a no-deal Brexit is in the interests of neither Britain nor Europe, he may try to use the shorter time frame to convince one side to relent. The lawmakers seeking a further delay to the Brexit date this week may be hoping that a Brexit deal might still be possible, or that the dragging-out of the process could even result in a new referendum. Johnson holds only the slimmest and most


3 DC Beer Week events that aren’t just about having a cold one

DC Beer Week is more than a celebration of the region’s craft beer scene — it’s also an excuse to infuse beer into all sorts of activities. Here are three from this year’s edition (Sunday to Sept. 15), where a cold one isn’t necessarily the main attraction. Fun run The festivities kick off on Sunday at 10 a.m. with a fun run from Right Proper’s Brookland facility (920 Girard St. NE) to Red Bear Brewing Company in Ivy City. Runners get a beer at each location; same-day registration is available ($10-$25). Comedy and craft beer New York-based comedian Gordon Baker-Bone headlines this stand-up showcase at RedRocks (1348 H St. NE; Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m., $25). Relatively young D.C. brewery Sankofa will have two beers on tap, and your first pint comes with your ticket. Yacht rock cruise DC Brau owners Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock know that yacht rock is best enjoyed on a boat, so the duo will DJ two hours of the smooth, soulful music (think: Michael McDonald) during a sunset booze cruise that includes a beer and departs from The Wharf (950 Wharf St. SW; Sept. 13, 6-8 p.m., $75).


In West Virginia, my family tried to connect with the land — and disconnect from our devices

steps and switchbacks for 700 feet to the top, impressed by the handful of rock climbers we can see scaling the peak the hard way. While we walk, I chat with my 16-year-old daughter, Mia, who says she thinks “society” has a problem with cellphone addiction. “I try to talk to my friends at lunch, and a lot of times they’re just looking at their phones,” she notes, adding that she sometimes wishes she didn’t have a phone — or, much better, that no one had one. After lunch at the nearby Front Porch Restaurant, we head off to the Green Bank Observatory, home to the Green Bank Telescope, used to gather radio data from space. It’s the reason the surrounding 13,000-square-mile area (most of it state and national forest) is labeled the National Radio Quiet Zone, where radio transmissions are limited to prevent disruptions to the telescope’s reception — though only the approximately 150 people closest to the observatory aren’t allowed WiFi, or in some cases even microwaves. We’re given a bus tour of the grounds and background on the massive, 17-million-pound telescope and how scientists there work, in part, on finding signs of life beyond Earth. We’re all too tired for games when we finally get back to the cabin. Mia points out that we were so busy, it wasn’t such a challenge to ignore her phone. My husband says he’s been surprised by how many times he’s reached for his pocket to check his email throughout the day and stopped himself — “several times an hour,” he notes. “It makes me realize how it’s basically become a robotic habit.” I’ve been the same way: It’s an almost unconscious impulse whenever there’s a moment of downtime. It makes me want to retrain myself to be comfortable with a little boredom, if that’s what a lack of digital stimuli is these days. On Sunday, as we head home, we do a postmortem. We didn’t check our emails or post photos on or scroll through social media all weekend. Countless Pokémon went uncaught, friends and family went untexted, and all the maps we consulted were paper. “I think we should do a trip like this every year,” Dante B says, putting in his ear buds as we near home. “But I’m going to listen to a podcast now.” Castaway Caboose (Durbin). Lost River State Park (Mathias). Big Bend Campground (Cabins).


Morning Bits: The absentee president

The National Rifle Association, absent its money and political muscle, whines a lot. “The National Rifle Association (NRA) in a Tuesday statement slammed Walmart’s changes to its gun policies as ‘shameful’ after a mass shooting last month in one of its stores. . . . The statement follows a decision by Walmart to end handgun sales, discontinue sales on certain types types of ammunition and ask customers to not openly carrying firearms.” Under President Trump, we have an absentee president. Someone else is in over his head: “Parliament was given a green light Tuesday to mount an effort to stop Britain from leaving the European Union without an agreement, in a high-pressure showdown with only a few weeks time for Parliament to act before the Brexit deadline.” Absent in much of the reporting post-Mueller report is a proper accounting of former deputy attorney general Rod J. Rosenstein’s unethical conduct. “Rosenstein certainly knew that Trump was firing [then-FBI Director James B.] Comey over the Russia probe. Yet he knowingly drafted a memo with a series of pretextual justifications for Comey’s dismissal. Rosenstein’s proffered reasons were not unreasonable in themselves. But they were clearly not the actual reasons. Rosenstein knew this. In this way he made himself part of the coverup. So not only did Comey have every reason to believe the chain of command was compromised. It in fact was compromised, as Rosenstein’s own actions show.” Yup. With an absentee Supreme Court on these cases, litigants head to state court. “North Carolina’s state legislative maps are so severely gerrymandered to benefit Republicans that they violate the state’s Constitution, a panel of three judges ruled Tuesday.” Bravo. He’s worse than absent, he’s a menace to public safety. “Trump claimed Dorian could hit Alabama — even after weather service refuted it.” Don’t be surprised if he’s absent from the ticket in 2020. “U.S. Vice President Mike Pence came under fire Tuesday for staying at President Donald Trump’s golf resort during his official visit to Ireland, despite most of his meetings with Irish leaders taking place more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) away in Dublin.” Worse, Trump suggested the vice president put money in POTUS’s pocket. Absent is any staffer who can fact-check him before such idiocy. “Trump was asked Sunday about the trip to Poland he canceled to monitor Hurricane Dorian. Asked if he had a message for that country, which was commemorating


Following Walmart’s lead, Kroger asks customers not to openly carry firearms in stores

would stop selling ammunition for military-style weapons and complete its exit from the handgun business. The company had been under pressure from gun-control advocacy groups, politicians and its own employees since the two store shootings. Roughly 40 white-collar workers in California walked off the job to protest Walmart’s gun policies last month, and e-commerce workers in Portland, Ore., and Brooklyn urged the company to stop selling firearms and organized a Change.org petition, which has since garnered more than 140,000 signatures. “In a complex situation lacking a simple solution, we are trying to take constructive steps to reduce the risk that events like these will happen again,” Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon said in a memo to employees on Tuesday. “The status quo is unacceptable.” The decision was a blow to gun rights advocates, some of whom had been showing up at Walmart locations carrying guns on their hips in the hope that the retailer would not shift its policies. Walmart sells guns in about half of its 4,750 U.S. stores but stopped selling military-style rifles favored by mass shooters in 2015. But until now, it made up about 20 percent of the ammunition market. Now, that share could fall to as little as 6 percent, the company said. Walmart will continue selling long-barrel deer rifles and shotguns, as well as other firearms and ammunition for hunting and sports shooting, In the wake of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people, Kroger announced it would stop selling guns to customers younger than 21 at the company’s Fred Meyer grocery stores in the Pacific Northwest, then decided to stop selling guns and ammunition altogether. Dick’s Sporting Goods also banned sales of assault weapons in its stores after Parkland. “A year ago, Kroger made the conscious decision to completely exit the firearm and ammunition business when we stopped selling them in our Fred Meyer stores in the Pacific Northwest,” Adelman said in the statement to CNBC. “Kroger has demonstrated with our actions that we recognize the growing chorus of Americans who are no longer comfortable with the status quo and who are advocating for concrete and common sense gun reforms.” Cincinnati-based Kroger is the second-largest grocer in the United States and counts Harris Teeter and Mariano’s among its many brands. It operates nearly 2,800 grocery stores in 35 states, many of which also include on-site pharmacy and jewelry stores.


Hong Kong leader fully withdraws extradition bill, but protesters say it’s not enough

lawmaker who also serves as a Hong Kong delegate to the National People’s Congress in China, said resistance to concessions has come in part from Beijing, which is concerned “it will send a signal to everybody in Hong Kong that the baby who cries the most will get the milk.” He added that while fully withdrawing the bill was the “right thing” to do, it was probably too late to have an impact. “The focus since the beginning of July has completely shifted now to the confrontation between police and rioters and how the public perceives it,” he said. “The public is totally polarized, but it is no longer about the extradition bill.” Tien added that if grievances between the police and the public are not addressed, “people are going to be carrying around this hatred for many years.” Lam, those familiar with her thinking say, fears a negative response from the police force if she were to open such an investigation. Political crises have erupted periodically in the semiautonomous territory, however, over fears that the Chinese government is seeking to exercise greater control, most recently in 2014 when Beijing rejected full universal suffrage for Hong Kong. Protests have taken on an increasingly anti-Chinese flavor — the national emblem has been defaced, the Chinese flag flung into Victoria Harbor and other symbols of Beijing’s control targeted. On Telegram, the encrypted messaging app used by protesters to help organize demonstrations, Lam’s decision was met with resistance and anger. Some forwarded a quote from “Winter on Fire,” a documentary film about Ukraine’s 2014 anti-government protests: “If we accept the government’s demands, those who have died will not forgive us.” Hong Kong stocks surged on the reports that the bill would be formally withdrawn, closing up nearly 4 percent. Some fear, however, that the crisis has fundamentally eroded business confidence in Hong Kong and revealed the extent of Beijing’s ability to pressure even multinational corporations in the city. The most glaring example is the upheaval and panic at Cathay Pacific, whose chief executive was effectively pushed out over concerns from China that the airline had not done enough to keep its staff from supporting the protests. On Wednesday, the airline announced that its chairman, John Slosar, had resigned, too, and would retire after a Nov. 6 board meeting. “I am sure that everyone at the Cathay Pacific Group would agree that recent weeks


In 2011, Egyptians quickly tired of protest. Here’s why that matters for Sudan and Algeria.

instability. But our data shows that local protest affected attitudes toward democracy regardless of whether people consumed this kind of media. What seems to have mattered was people’s personal experiences. In Egypt, sustained protest often disrupted people’s everyday lives — schools, hospitals and businesses were closed, and traffic was obstructed. Our findings show that skepticism about democracy was most evident among Egyptians living in areas where protests lasted longer and disrupted public space. We know from the work of other researchers that during periods of transition to democracy, people observe the accompanying political and economic developments and form opinions about whether democracy will be a successful form of government in their country. Our research suggests that in Egypt, those who experienced disruptive protest used this information to inform their views on how democracy would perform in the country. Why does this matter? As we’ve seen in Egypt, popular disillusionment with democracy can be harnessed to roll back democratic gains and even bring back authoritarianism. When democracy is seen as ineffectual, it becomes easier for counterrevolutionary figures to stoke nostalgia for the (real or imagined) stability and prosperity of the old dictatorship. In Sudan, protest leaders and the military have agreed to a three-year transition period. This will give figures from the former regime plenty of time to undermine new democratic institutions and discredit opposition forces. Over the next few years, Sudanese revolutionaries may benefit from being cognizant of public sentiment toward protest and responsive to public concerns about the disruptions it causes. The Algerian uprising faces a very different set of challenges. Although Algerians succeeded in deposing the country’s president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the country’s military remains firmly in charge. But even at this early stage, a recent online survey conducted by the Brookings Institution provides tentative evidence that a significant minority of Algerians may already be tiring of protest. The survey suggests almost 40 percent of non-protesters believe activists should demobilize and start preparing for elections. Only 18 percent of protesters felt the same way. There are many differences between these two countries and Egypt in 2011. But one similarity bodes ill for Sudan and Algeria. In all three cases (especially in Algeria), there is no well-established opposition movement able and willing to ensure protesters mobilize strategically. As the Egyptian experience shows, sustained and uncoordinated protest can be unnecessarily disruptive — and risks eroding public support for democracy. Thoraya El-Rayyes


15 things to do in the D.C. area this weekend

Friday, Sept. 6 Flash of the Spirit Worldwide Sounds Festival at various locations [The best things to see, drink and do in the D.C. area in September] Mdou Moctar at Black Cat ‘I made this dance and nobody cares but you’ at Dance Place Hungry Human Hippos at MedStar Capitals Iceplex Art Park at RIA Saturday, Sept. 7 The Reach opening festival Calle Latina Block Party at La Cosecha Rosslyn Jazz Festival at Gateway Park Uniform at Black Cat [4 concerts to catch in the D.C. area over the next several days] Sneaker Con at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center Danny Gatton tribute at the Birchmere Sunday, Sept. 8 D.C. Beer Week D.C. State Fair at Gateway D.C. Adams Morgan Day: This month is packed with neighborhood celebrations, including the H Street Festival (Sept. 21), Clarendon Day (Sept. 21), and Barracks Row Fall Festival (Sept. 28), but everything kicks off with the 41st edition of the Adams Morgan Festival, which will once again close 18th Street NW between Columbia Road and California Street. Highlights include a music stage at 18th Street and Columbia Road curated by Songbyrd Music House; a family fun zone with an obstacle courses and games at Marie Reed Elementary; an artists’ market with paintings, prints and photographs for sale; and parties on sidewalks of local businesses. Don’t miss the special Adams Morgan Festival IPA, a collaboration between Atlas Brew Works and Roofers Union, which will be available on tap at neighborhood bars while supplies last. Noon to 6 p.m. Free. Brandee Younger at Studio K of the Reach — Hau Chu, Fritz Hahn, Adele Chapin and Stephanie Williams


Americans face a rising tide of despair. We have a duty to act.

22 and 23 doubled in the same period. The number of emergency room treatments for self-harm has increased, as well as hospital admissions for suicidal thoughts. America’s mental-health crisis is very real. Yet explanations for this rising tide of despair feel insufficient. The trend doesn’t seem tied to broad economic indicators — though the death of the blue-collar economy in some places might play a role. Some have tried to blame the anxieties produced by a “gig economy” — but indicting Uber for human hopelessness seems a stretch. Ready access to highly addictive opioids certainly is a source of numbed despair in many communities. Ready access to firearms plays a role in many suicides. Digital addiction and social media have transformed — and distorted — the social lives of most young people. Digital connection can deliver the poison of cyberbullying intravenously, in a steady drip. The withdrawal from direct, human contact with friends is associated with a variety of mental-health issues. A few things we know. Many Americans have tragically limited access to mental-health services. Some health- insurance plans don’t provide adequate coverage. Some people are forced to drive long distances or wait on long lists. Some are discouraged from seeking help by continuing stigma. (About 20 percent of Americans have lied to cover up their pursuit of mental-health services.) As a result of all these factors, more than one-third of adults with major depressive disorder don’t get treated. About 60 percent of adolescents who have major depressive episodes don’t receive care. We know that jails and prisons are not the best places to provide mental-health care — though likely more than 350,000 people with mental illness are currently behind bars. We should not trust many of these cases to the tender mercies of the penal system. And we know that the deepest human needs can’t be described in purely material or political terms. Though friendship, belonging and shared purpose are intangible, they are as essential to humans as air and bread. Yet nearly half of Americans say they are often lonely. About 20 percent of millennials report they have no friends at all. Many of us have lost faith in the institutions that once gathered individuals into common effort and identity. Many of us have grown rusty in the task of social connection. Mental health is different from many other policy issues. It involves both a public debate and


Record rain + heat = a Chesapeake dead zone among the biggest in decades

nearly doubled normal annual precipitation with nearly 72 inches at BWI Marshall Airport. Plant and animal species around the bay are suited to tolerate a range of salinity, but for the past year waters have been too fresh for many of them to survive. It’s too early to know the impact in detail, but anecdotally, the results of all that rain have been devastating for oysters and clams and some types of grasses. North of the Bay Bridge, there have been reports of oysters killed by low salinity. And around much of the bay, water has only recently become salty enough to plant lab-grown larvae on wild oyster beds with any hope they will survive. The unusually fresh water has also allowed invasive blue catfish — voracious eaters of oysters, juvenile crabs and anything else they can find — to spread. Grasses had to weather a surge of rainwater that scoured some beds, and also carried with it smothering sediment that blocked out sunlight. Early indications from bay-wide grass surveys this summer suggest those challenges hit some species hard, while others that thrive in freshwater conditions are standing strong, said Brooke Landry, a biologist at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “We have gotten to a point of resilience in at least a lot of the areas of the bay,” she said. “It doesn’t mean they can withstand anything you give them.” The bay will survive its latest struggles, said Beth McGee, director of science and agricultural policy at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. But there will be more to come, and that concerns her. “What pops up in my head is climate change,” McGee said. If there are more severe storms and more intense rainfall in the future, the low oxygen and low salinity in the Chesapeake this year “could portend our future.” What can be done? The health of the bay is, to a large degree, a function of the weather. That’s why bay advocates say more must be done to reduce the load of nutrients spread across farm fields or released from sewage treatment plants, efforts required under a multistate bay pollution “diet” that carries a 2025 deadline. Pierce, the Rock Hall waterman, said he fears it’s too late. With so much population growth and development within the bay watershed, the human impact on the estuary is simply too large. As much as environmentalists cheer progress at cleaning


The Daily 202: The biggest losers from Trump’s diversion of military funds for his wall

up $3.6 billion for 175 miles of fencing and other barriers on the southern border. These are spread across 23 states, three U.S. territories and 20 countries. Here are some of the most notable projects that Trump is raiding: 1) Puerto Rico will lose out on more than $400 million of planned projects. The Pentagon is defunding 13 projects at military installations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 10 of which were related to recovery from Hurricane Maria. Among them is the rehabilitation of Camp Santiago, a training facility operated by the Puerto Rico National Guard. Guam, another U.S. territory, will lose a quarter of a billion dollars in construction projects. North Korea threatened to strike the Pacific island in 2017. Trump’s disdain for Puerto Rico and his resistance to helping the U.S. commonwealth has been well established. It led to a delay of several months in a disaster relief funding bill. This could become a problem for Trump next year in Florida, where there’s a sizable Puerto Rican population. Because they’re U.S. citizens, they can vote in the presidential election if they move to the mainland. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) very narrowly won his race last year because he made big inroads with the island’s expats. In contrast, Trump has repeatedly alienated the community. The Miami Herald has a story on another cut in the Florida Panhandle: “When [Trump] visited Tyndall Air Force Base in May, he promised it would be rebuilt ‘better than ever’ after Hurricane Michael caused catastrophic damage. Four months later, the Department of Defense announced that a $17 million project to build a fire-rescue station at the base near Panama City will be put on hold to pay for portions of a wall … A spokesperson at Tyndall Air Force Base was not aware of the funding cut when reached by a reporter Wednesday.” 2) Another $770 million is being diverted from projects that have been approved to help American allies deter attacks from a revanchist Russia. This is the bulwark of the European Deterrence Initiative, which was created after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Along with Trump’s push to get Russia back in the G-7, this is the latest illustration of the president projecting weakness in the face of Kremlin bellicosity. A facility for special operations forces and their training will not get built in Estonia, the tiny but thriving


As North Carolina focuses on getting ahead of hurricanes, some residents are hesitant to move

Palm Beach — banded together a decade ago to develop a regional “climate change compact” that includes long-term planning on repairing beach erosion, creating salt- and wind-resistant urban tree canopies and increasing the use of renewable energy sources. The U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of 25 governors formed in 2017 after President Trump announced he would withdraw from the Paris agreement, has extended its focus beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions to resilience, sharing states’ plans for identifying their climate vulnerabilities and addressing the risks. Many advocates say more federal action is needed to mitigate the property destruction and other losses caused by the universal threat of climate change, which has no respect for state borders. “Some aspects of mitigation simply work best at the federal level,” said Heather Hurlburt, director of the New Models of Policy Change project at New America. “But we are seeing more action in large cities and more on the state level than the federal level.” A spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, responsible for federal disaster response, said the agency is “committed to building resilient communities,” including setting aside 6 percent of certain disaster expenses to provide funding for reducing disaster risk. North Carolina, for instance, recently received federal funding for Hurricane Matthew recovery that included $168 million for buyouts and elevating houses like Seal’s. While the human and financial costs of relocating communities can be huge, the broader financial considerations are compelling: A 2017 National Institute of Building Sciences report found that every $1 spent on mitigation efforts can save the nation $6 in disaster spending. In North Carolina, a change in administrations drove the shift in focus to climate resilience. Since his election in 2016, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has pushed a combined strategy of resilience and greenhouse gas reduction, issuing an executive order last year that requires state agencies to adopt policies that support preparing for extreme weather, instead of just responding to it. Jessica Whitehead, a scientist who worked with farmers and small communities on climate change adaptation, was tapped as the state’s first chief resiliency officer. The state’s director of emergency management, Mike Sprayberry, said Whitehead distilled the importance of integrating emergency management and resiliency in an early conversation. “She said the best rescue is the one you don’t have to make because you already moved that family out of the flood plain into good, affordable housing,” he


Trump might like Brexit less when he sees what it does to the economy

confidence would ripple through global financial markets. A further flight to safety by global investors could send the dollar even higher, which would make American goods more expensive for foreign buyers. That would depress U.S. exports, potentially increasing the trade deficit that the president insists he will narrow, economists said. “Brexit is a multiyear looming catastrophe,” said Douglas Rediker, chairman of International Capital Strategies, a financial consultancy. “If you go over the cliff, the cost is more than just a quantitative cost in terms of trading impacts. It’s a reminder to financial markets that other bad things can happen.” Despite the economic danger, the Trump administration continues to cheer on the long-running Brexit drama. At the White House on Wednesday, the president praised the embattled British prime minister shortly before his fourth parliamentary humiliation in little more than 24 hours. “He’s a friend of mine, and he’s going at it; there’s no question about it,” Trump told reporters. “Boris knows how to win. Don’t worry about him.” The president’s statement came after Vice President Pence backed Brexit during a meeting in Dublin with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who warned that the process will be “deeply disruptive” to the two-decade-old peace agreement in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Trump, who bragged in 2016 on Twitter that people would “soon be calling me MR. BREXIT,” spoke with Johnson by phone last month about how the two countries could quickly conclude a new trade agreement. The British leader has sought to cast a new trade deal with the United States as an example of the benefits of leaving the E.U., which sets trade policy for its 28 members. American and British negotiators have met six times in the three years since establishing a joint working group. Despite Trump’s optimism about “rapidly” closing a deal, the British leader has acknowledged that agreement in the next year is unlikely. Stumbling blocks include American demands to open the National Health Service to U.S. drugmakers and to allow genetically modified seeds on British farms. “A U.S.-U.K. deal will be a lot more difficult to make, and will take longer, than either Trump or Johnson thinks,” said William Reinsch, a former Commerce Department official now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It’s less about tariffs than it is about different standards and regulatory approaches. If we insist on ours, it will


While Boris Johnson fiddles, my Scottish emigre heart burns

still on a short menu of possible outcomes. When did we decide to hand the keys to our democracy to someone so willing to trade the future of so many for his personal ambition? How could we be so blind? There is not a whiff of democracy in the system that allowed fewer than 100,000 Tories to plant Johnson in the position of prime minister. We cannot count on them to do the right thing now. Long before the 21 Tory rebels found their spines, Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, seemed to have less trouble locating hers. What seems like five minutes ago, we were peers at the University of Glasgow. My left-leaning friends and I tended to think of Scottish nationalists as conservatives in disguise — “Tartan Tories,” we called them. Now, Sturgeon is to Britain what German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to Europe. Sturgeon said she’d be willing to do anything to stop Johnson taking Britain out of the E.U. without a negotiated deal, and was even willing to back an opponent, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Still, what if Brexit races ahead, and the reasonable brand of nationalism that prevails in Edinburgh loses its grip? We Scots like to talk a big game, like we patented the idea of social justice that makes us so proud to welcome the stranger. But will that still stand when we’re all by ourselves? Will a less-friendly kind of Scottish nationalism arise from the rubble of Britain? Might Brexit, and the accompanying reestablishment of a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, be the perfect storm that triggers the violence and shunning and shooting I thought I said goodbye to when, as a journalist, I reported on the signing of Northern Ireland’s peace deal over 20 years ago? I fear the Scottish nationalists, who seem so grown up and sensible now, won’t really cut it once they’ve divorced their southern cousins and ventured out into a bigger ocean. What I’d like to say to Johnson, if I could get my hands on him, is that he’s like one of those people sitting in a packed train with his legs asunder, taking up way more room than he needs or deserves. But like every bully and strongman, eventually — please, God — he will wilt. So, Boris, get your damned foot out of our way. You don’t deserve any more


The Lakota Music Project finds common ground through collaboration

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota is as big as Delaware and Rhode Island combined, and it has some of the highest poverty rates in the United States. For the past three years, it has also hosted performances of music written by high school composers for the instruments of a European-style symphony orchestra. “It’s really a great thing to see these kids, and the pride that the reservation has in having these kids be stars,” says David Gier, the music director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. The annual music academy is only one arm of the Lakota Music Project, a collaborative program developed with the orchestra and musicians of the tribe. The goal is to create cultural cooperation and break down barriers, enabling audiences to learn more about traditional art — of the Lakota, and of a symphony orchestra. “Through music, we are able to show a side of us that nobody gets to see,” says Emmanuel Black Bear, a traditional singer and two-time winner of a Native American Music Award. “There is a lot of negative media around the native people . . . [but] we have a rich culture. I wanted to be a part of something where we could show the positive side of our people through music.” Black Bear, along with the cedar flute player Bryan Akipa and nine members of the South Dakota Symphony, is bringing the Lakota Music Project to Washington in October, when he will perform at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and at Washington National Cathedral — part of a festival conceived and hosted by the PostClassical Ensemble to spotlight Native American influences on American classical music. “I find the Lakota Music Project a visionary undertaking,” says Joseph Horowitz, the PostClassical Ensemble’s executive director, “and I feel it deserves to be more widely known.” The project was spawned in 2005, shortly after Gier took up his post in Sioux Falls. “Education” and “community outreach” were not yet buzzwords in the orchestra world, but Gier was eager to develop such programs, and he quickly learned that the main racial tensions in his new community were between Native and non-Native Americans. He began approaching local leaders and experts, including Ronnie Theisz, a professor emeritus at Black Hills State University and the author of several books on Lakota culture. The two men talked about creating a true joint endeavor,


As a panda era closes, Bei Bei gets a checkup and ‘signs’ some keepsakes

A blood-oxygen monitor is clipped to the animal’s large pink tongue. An endoscope has been fed down his throat to examine his small intestine. And technician Jayne Hutcheson is swabbing his paws with blue paint for keepsake paw prints. Beneath the surgical lights, the National Zoo’s giant panda Bei Bei is on his back on the operating table. He has a catheter in his jugular vein held in place with staples, and a blood pressure cuff on one leg. His tiny black eyes are open, and bits of dust rise from his thick fur. But he has been anesthetized and does not react to the experts preparing him for his new adventure and, perhaps, the end of an era at the zoo. Bei Bei, the youngest of the zoo’s three giant pandas, is headed to China, probably this fall. And before he goes, veterinarians and technicians Wednesday gave him a thorough checkup at the zoo’s hospital. Over several hours, as the monitors beeped and technicians took notes, he was X-rayed and scoped. His abdomen was examined with ultrasound and his muscles were prodded by a nutritionist. Blood, photos and at least one selfie were taken. Near the end, visiting veterinarian J.D. Foster, from Washington’s Friendship Hospital for Animals, said: “This looks pretty darn good.” National Zoo veterinarian James Steeil replied: “I’ll take pretty darn good.” The zoo is entering a time of transition in its almost 50-year experience with giant pandas. After Bei Bei, 4, goes, the zoo will be down to its two adult pandas: Mei Xiang, 21, a female, and Tian Tian, 22, a male. By prior agreement with the Chinese, all giant panda cubs born in U.S. zoos must be sent to a breeding program in China once they turn 4. Bei Bei, a subadult, turned 4 in August. Two National Zoo cubs already have been shipped to China in recent years. Tai Shan, a male, was moved there in 2010, and Bao Bao, a female, was moved in 2017. In addition, the extended 20-year Chinese lease of the two adults will be up Dec. 7, 2020. China owns and leases all giant pandas in U.S. zoos. The National Zoo says it has not discussed in detail with China what will happen then. Would the zoo keep its two adults on a lease extension, and study them as they grow old? Would China exchange them for a


J.D. Foster, from Washington’s Friendship Hospital for Animals, said: “This looks pretty darn good.” National Zoo veterinarian James Steeil replied: “I’ll take pretty darn good.” The zoo is entering a time of transition in its almost 50-year experience with giant pandas. After Bei Bei, 4, goes, the zoo will be down to its two adult pandas: Mei Xiang, 21, a female, and Tian Tian, 22, a male. By prior agreement with the Chinese, all giant panda cubs born in U.S. zoos must be sent to a breeding program in China once they turn 4. Bei Bei, a subadult, turned 4 in August. Two National Zoo cubs already have been shipped to China in recent years. Tai Shan, a male, was moved there in 2010, and Bao Bao, a female, was moved in 2017. In addition, the extended 20-year Chinese lease of the two adults will be up Dec. 7, 2020. China owns and leases all giant pandas in U.S. zoos. The National Zoo says it has not discussed in detail with China what will happen then. Would the zoo keep its two adults on a lease extension, and study them as they grow old? Would China exchange them for a younger breeding pair? Should the current tension with China continue, would that be a factor? Zoo officials declined to speculate. But Brandie Smith, the deputy director, said Wednesday that the zoo has to decide where it wants to take its giant panda program next. “We’re talking about where we want our research to go in the future,” she said at the zoo. “A big part of our research was on giant panda reproduction.” With the birth of three cubs, “we cracked the code,” she said. “So it’s almost like it’s the end of that era. So what fills in that space?” “Also, we were big on giant panda population management,” she said. “The National Zoo, we really kind of helped create the breeding plan for the entire global panda population. Again, box checked. . . . So what comes in to fill that space?” Meanwhile, the zoo has been waiting to find out whether Mei Xiang might be pregnant or is experiencing a false pregnancy. In the latter case, the panda exhibits all the signs of pregnancy, but no cub is delivered. Mei Xiang, who has had numerous false pregnancies in past years, was artificially inseminated in March and is


Trump offers full support for Johnson as Pence prepares to visit London amid Brexit chaos

discuss the matter on the record. Pence’s travels illustrate better than anything how the United States has forgone any effort to be a mediator or go-between for Britain, Ireland and Brussels, Sloat said. “It’s impossible,” she said. “The U.S. has just put its thumb so far on one side of the issue.” When Pence arrived in Shannon, Ireland, on Monday evening, he sat inches away from Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney during a meeting at Shannon’s airport that was friendly but quickly drifted away from pleasantries as Coveney pleaded with the vice president for more solidarity with Ireland on Brexit. Coveney warned of the “disruption” Brexit could cause Ireland, in terms of rupturing the peace at its northern border, and called it a “huge issue for this country.” He told Pence that Ireland cannot tolerate upheaval at its free-flowing border or new inspection stops and hassles. Pence, ever calm, responded by saying he was “grateful for your candor.” But he made no explicit assurances about what the United States could promise on the details of Brexit. Instead, he broadly stated that he could “assure you” that the Trump administration would work with the United Kingdom and Ireland on a “Brexit plan that encourages stability” and respects the Good Friday Agreement that maintains peace in Northern Ireland. At a Tuesday news conference in Dublin alongside Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Pence drew audible gasps from members of the Irish media as he generally sided with Johnson’s position on Irish soil. “As the deadline for Brexit approaches, we urge Ireland, and the E.U. as well, to negotiate in good faith with Prime Minister Johnson,” Pence said. Varadkar made clear his government’s concerns. “We as a government have to stand our ground” on the Good Friday agreement, Varadkar said. “All I ask is that you bring that message back to Washington with you.” Speaking to reporters later, Pence was pressed on whether he would push for the peace deal to be maintained and make that a priority for the United States. “Let me leave the details to others,” Pence said. “We’re going to continue to affirm the importance of the Good Friday Agreement, but we really believe that there is an opportunity here, if all parties would come to the table and negotiate in good faith, to achieve a Brexit in a way that honors the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.” In Iceland


Brexit, lies — and a new birth for British democracy?

work of crafting a new trading relationship to replace E.U. membership has not even started. Rather than saving British taxpayers money, the withdrawal agreement lays down that Britain must pay a hefty exit fee of almost $50 billion to Europe. The British economy, which used to be one of the best performers in the Group of Seven leading industrial countries, has slumped toward the bottom of the league table. Peace in Ireland is at stake, and the Scots are again talking independence. Although opinion has shifted less than you might expect in the face of this evidence, a second referendum would probably overturn the vote to leave the E.U. Before the referendum, the current prime minister, Boris Johnson, seemed unsure which side he favored. As mayor of London, he had privately dismissed the idea of quitting Europe, recognizing the damage it would do to the city’s exports of financial services. In the run-up to the referendum, he drafted an unpublished newspaper column warning that Brexit would cause an economic shock, embolden enemies such as Vladimir Putin and perhaps even trigger the breakup of the United Kingdom. But, caring passionately and exclusively about his prime ministerial prospects, Johnson came out swinging in favor of Brexit. Johnson was fired from his first job as a journalist for fabricating a quotation. He was fired from a later job for lying about adultery. During the referendum campaign, his campaign bus was plastered with a big fat lie about taxpayer savings from leaving the European Union. Now, having secured the prime ministership by winning a paltry 92,000 votes from members of his Conservative Party — a total representing about 0.2 percent of the British electorate — Johnson has descended to new depths of cynicism. Contrary to Johnson’s referendum promises, but consistent with his unpublished fears, the Brexit process is threatening peace in Ireland. The British economy shrank in the most recent quarter. But rather than soften his pro-Brexit position, Johnson is doubling down, promising to get Britain out of the E.U. by the end of October by dispensing with the need for a withdrawal agreement. The prime minister presents this folly as a way to get the Brexit process over with, much as a dentist might end your agony by yanking out your molar. But Johnson’s latest promise is just another cynical lie. If Britain left the E.U. without a deal, it would immediately need


Boris Johnson suffers two major losses in Parliament, leaving his governing authority and the terms of Brexit in doubt

deal on three occasions, “which is more than can be said for the prime minister, the leader of the House and several members of the cabinet, whose serial disloyalty has been such an inspiration to so many of us.” The bill passed in the House of Commons on Wednesday would require Johnson, by Oct. 19, to win parliamentary approval for a Brexit deal or a no-deal one, or to write to the E.U. seeking a three-month delay on Brexit. With E.U. agreement, the new Brexit date would be Jan. 31. In effect, the bill would delay Brexit and forbid a no-deal one next month without Parliament’s approval — which it will not give. It would give London three more months to negotiate Brexit terms, which it has been unable to do in the past. For years, E.U. diplomats watched May negotiate positions with the organization, then fail to rally Parliament behind her. They briefly hoped Johnson might be more successful, but now they said they believe they were wrong. E.U. Brexit negotiators said they remain eager to see new proposals from Johnson’s team. But they are bracing for the impact of a possible no-deal Brexit. They have set aside $858 million to help E.U. countries hurt by that circumstance, redirecting money intended to help victims of natural disasters and globalization. “There’s a real problem with Johnson, and it’s a problem Theresa May didn’t have,” Keir Starmer, Labour’s Brexit negotiator, said on Sky News. “People disagreed with Theresa May, but when she stood at the dispatch box and said something, she meant it and she was trusted. “Johnson is not trusted. Even if he says the election will be on the 15th of October, most people in Parliament won’t believe him. This is his central problem.” At least one person remains fully confident in Johnson. In the Oval Office on Wednesday, President Trump said: “He’s a friend of mine, and he’s going at it, there’s no question about it. Boris knows how to win. Don’t worry about him.” Johnson won one victory Wednesday morning in one of several legal cases that have been filed over his decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks. A judge in Scotland’s highest civil court ruled that the decision was lawful, but those who brought the case — 75 lawmakers — could appeal. There are similar legal challenges in Northern Ireland and in England. kevin.sullivan@washpost.com karla.adam@washpost.com


A family scarred by the Afghan war hopes a peace deal will make their sacrifices worth it

in a phone interview from another province. “He volunteered for everything. His morale was very high. We rarely see such soldiers in the army.” Saifi described intense skirmishes with the Taliban during that period. At one point, the army’s forces were trapped for five days under fire in the Khanabad area. At another, he said they were cut off by Taliban fighters and unable to reach the provincial capital. Safi’s unit, he said, “established a strong line and fought hard,” opening up the way. “I lost a lot of men in that war,” the commanding officer said. “Then I lost him.” Safi also had an affinity for social media with an exhibitionistic flair. He frequently posed for war-zone photos and posted them with comments. He spoke to his family by cellphone almost daily, reassuring them that everything was fine. He recorded and sent out dramatic videos, including one of a village patrol, punctuated by bursts of gunfire, that shows soldiers scrambling and shouting. Akram said his son had dreamed of joining the army’s special operations forces but died while waiting for his application to be reviewed. Hours after the family got the news from Kunduz, an army official in Kabul called to say they needed his final paperwork for the transfer. “We told the man we were waiting for his body,” Akram said. There was no posthumous military award, but Safi’s family received a $2,000 payment that the Afghan Defense Ministry provides in all war deaths. Help for Afghan Heroes, a nonprofit group in Kabul that assists families of slain or disabled service members, arranged for his death certificate to be sent from the war zone so the funds could be processed. Safi’s death received considerable attention among Afghans on social media, where his photos and poems from the front lines had attracted thousands of followers on Facebook. His relatives also organized activities to commemorate him, making posters and banners to display on holidays. In the lobby of the high school where Safi’s brother Hamun is the principal, near the family’s apartment in a crowded suburb of east Kabul, a large wall-hanging depicts several of Afghanistan’s historic heroes, including King Amanullah Khan, a reformist monarch from the 1920s, and the late anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. There are also four photos of Capt. Lemar Safi in uniform, including one with his pointed message to the Taliban: “I am Muslim.” pamela.constable@washpost.com


The Finance 202: Fed says Trump’s trade fight is cutting U.S. economic growth

asked gun owners to leave their firearms outside the store going forward, joining a number of large retailers who have in recent days said that open-carry firearms are no longer welcome at their locations,” Bloomberg News’s Polly Mosendz and Robert Langreth reports. “In a statement Thursday, Walgreens’s biggest drugstore competitor, CVS Health Corp., said it was also requesting that customers not bring firearms into its stores. Wegmans Food Markets Inc. made a similar statement in a tweet … Earlier this week, Walmart Inc., which was for years among the U.S.’s biggest sellers of handguns and assault-style rifles, said it would stop selling bullets for some guns. It also said it was “respectfully requesting” shoppers not openly carry guns. Kroger Co., the grocery-store chain, also asked customers not to openly carry firearms.” — GM CEO touts talk with Trump: “General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra said her face-to-face session with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday was ‘productive and valuable,’ but declined to offer specifics,” Reuters’s David Shepardson reports. “Barra, accompanied by GM general counsel Craig Glidden, declined upon leaving the White House to say if she discussed the fate of the shuttered Lordstown, Ohio plant with Trump … People briefed on the matter said Trump and Barra were expected to discuss ongoing contract talks with the United Auto Workers union, the fate of the closing plants, trade issues with China and North America and the Trump administration’s plan to rewrite fuel economy standards through 2026.” — Hedge fund loses $1 billion on Argentina bet: “Hedge fund Autonomy Capital lost about $1 billion last month largely on investments tied to Argentina, making it one of the most prominent investors caught on the wrong side of market turmoil in that country,” the Wall Street Journal’s Rachael Levy reports. “The wager on Argentina is one of the largest for Autonomy’s founder, 50-year-old Robert Gibbins, who is known for making concentrated bets. Last year his fund began making bullish calls on the country’s recovery, including in a wide swath of Argentinian bonds and wagers that Argentina wouldn’t default on its debt. His fund also took positions in Argentina’s 100-year-bonds, according to a person familiar with Mr. Gibbins’s thinking, who declined to detail the size of the firm’s overall investment.” — Congressional probe finds lapses in Deutsche Bank controls. Reuters's Mark Hosenball and co.: “U.S. congressional investigators have identified possible failures in


Boris Johnson’s statements about the state of Brexit negotiations bear little relationship to reality, E.U. officials say

to discuss sensitive discussions. When Johnson came to power in July, many Europeans expressed hope that he would be more adept than his predecessor, Theresa May, in getting Parliament to support a deal to manage Britain’s withdrawal from the trade bloc. Instead, Johnson has sought to sideline Parliament by suspending it for five weeks ahead of the Brexit deadline. At the same time, he has told the British public that his Brexit negotiators have been hard at work — and making headway. “I’ve been negotiating over the past five weeks to get us a new deal,” Johnson said in a video posted Thursday on Twitter. “E.U. leaders were willing to negotiate a new deal because they knew we were willing to leave on October the 31st, deal or no deal.” E.U. officials have denied offering a new deal — or even substantially amending the deal negotiated over two years with May. Johnson’s primary objection is to the so-called backstop — a last-resort provision to prevent a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland and to maintain the commitments of the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement. In an Aug. 19 letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, Johnson wrote that the backstop, which would keep Britain closely tied to the E.U. for an indeterminate time, is “anti-democratic and inconsistent with the sovereignty of the U.K.” Johnson promised German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron last month that he would come up with an alternative means to maintain an open border. He seemed earnest enough that the leaders came away thinking he did not want to leave the E.U. without a deal, according to advisers briefed on their assessments. But Johnson has not yet come back with any ideas for how else to guarantee an open border, E.U. negotiators said. His Brexit negotiator, David Frost, met with his E.U. counterparts on Wednesday for more than five hours. He proposed to strip away most of the backstop, leaving only a handful of bare-bones provisions, including borderless travel and a single electricity market, E.U. diplomats said. The two sides met again Friday at Britain’s request. An E.U. diplomat said discussions focused on a British idea to avoid food safety controls on the Irish border. E.U. diplomats have gotten the sense that continued talks are probably more for show than for substance. The lack of engagement by Johnson’s team on the core issues