Police continue to investigate weekend shooting that wounded 8, killed one in Columbia Heights

hit inside,” Osorio said, adding that between restrictions for the coronavirus and now the shooting, he’s not sure how much longer his restaurant can survive. He said his insulated plate-glass window could cost $5,000 to replace. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham described the shooting as targeted and said that it was believed to stem from a dispute involving a neighborhood street crew. Authorities could not immediately say whether Peterson or any of those wounded were among those who were targeted. Victims range in age from 18 to 72. Two were in serious condition on Sunday. The others suffered wounds that are not considered to be life-threatening. Peterson’s relatives could not be reached on Monday. The shooting on 14th Street and another one hours later on Stanton Road in Southeast Washington — claiming the life of Rayfone Gassaway, 37, of Alexandria — brought to 106 the number of people killed in the District this year, up 20 percent from this time in 2019, which set a decade high. July has been a particularly deadly month, with two dozen people killed in 20 days, most by gunfire. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said Monday that police plan to unveil some new crime strategies later this week. “We’re too high,” Bowser said of the number of homicides. “We have an increase over last year, and the trajectory doesn’t look good.” Newsham said the shooting on 14th Street involved a crew dispute, and he added that authorities are “familiar with some of the players.” Bowser described it as a “neighborhood conflict.” Layla Bonnot, the advisory neighborhood commissioner whose district includes the street where the shooting happened, said she has trying to get D.C. officials to make that block of 14th Street a priority. Noting several vacant properties, Bonnot said that block “is one I haven’t felt safe walking alone.” She added, “It’s heartbreaking what happened here.” Bonnot said the empty storefronts “make it an attractive area for crime, unfortunately. … It’s an area we talk about a lot, but we’ve seen very little change.” The commissioner said she talked to residents who described the gunfire as shaking their houses. “It’s hard to ensure business people come and invest and stay when something like this happens,” Bonnot said. The worker at La Molienda Restaurant was too frightened to give her name. In a brief interview in Spanish, the woman said no one inside the


Marine Corps Marathon is canceled for the first time in its 45-year history

especially when you’re watching the news every single day, what’s happening to the other events, what’s happening in the city,” Banker said. “Not only do you have to think about the runners, you have to think about the spectators. Are you going to tell them to stay home?” The Marine Corps Marathon had been one of the last mega-marathons remaining on the country’s 2020 race calendar. Boston Nealis said runners can opt for a full refund of their entry fees, which for most was about $172, or they can defer with no fee to 2021, 2022 or 2023. Any runners who had previously paid to defer will have that fee refunded as well. And runners who still want 2020 swag, including the medal, shirt and commemorative face mask, will have the option of running a virtual marathon for $45 after their original fee is refunded. “I don’t know what more we could do for the runner,” Nealis said. Race cancellations rarely resulted in full refunds before the pandemic, but many races with the financial wherewithal to manage it have offered them this year as a gesture of support to disappointed runners. The Marine Corps Marathon debuted in 1976 as a post-Vietnam recruiting tool and showcase of military goodwill. It grew into a huge event, with an accompanying 10K, 50K and kids’ run, that annually draws 30,000 runners to the Washington area from all over the world — often with families and friends in tow. A Towson University study after the 2013 race found that runners pumped $88 million into the local economy on race weekend. The threat of cancellation loomed over previous editions of the race. There was talk of calling off the 2002 race when sniper attacks terrorized the area, but the gunmen were caught three days before. The 2012 and 2013 editions were threatened by Hurricane Sandy and a government shutdown, respectively. But Nealis said that the closest call was in 2001, when the race was set for six weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Rather than shutting down, as some other large events had done, the Marines marshaled loads of extra security, and the marathon became a moving demonstration of strength and healing. Haunting photos captured runners — some carrying flags, some stopping to salute, some kneeling on the asphalt to pray — passing within yards of the monstrous gash in the side of the Pentagon.


Olympic figure skater Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya dies at age 20

talent, granted Alexandrovskaya her release in 2016, and she found quick success with Windsor, who became the first indigenous Australian to compete in the Winter Games. They were the first skaters from Australia to win an ISU championship, at the 2017 Junior Grand Prix in Nagoya, Japan, and they also finished first that year at the Tallinn Trophy in Estonia. The president of Ice Skating Australia, Peter Lynch, said Saturday in a statement that Alexandrovskaya was a “brilliant athlete with incredible drive and determination that was nurtured by our friends at the Russian Skating Federation, but then found a new home here in Australia forming an incredible pair skating partnership with Australian Harley Windsor.” He added, “Together they did what many thought impossible … [and] created greatness that will rest in the Australian record books for many years.” “It is enormously sad to lose Katia, who was a vibrant and talented person and an incredible athlete,” said Ian Chesterman (via the Associated Press), chef de mission for the 2018 Australian Olympic team. “She was quiet and humble in her manner but incredibly determined to be the best she could be. “Life since the Games has not been easy for her and this is another timely reminder of just how fragile life is.” The Australian Olympic community was already mourning the death of snowboarder Alex “Chumpy” Pullin, a three-time competitor at the Games who was given the honor in 2014 of holding his country’s flag in Sochi. Pullin, 32, drowned July 8 while spearfishing off Australia’s Gold Coast. Geoff Lipshut, the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia’s chief executive officer, hailed Alexandrovskaya and Windsor as “Australia’s first figure skating world champions.” “She came to Australia to fulfill her sporting dreams,” said Lipshut, who has been tabbed as chef de mission for his country’s delegation to the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. “The news today is so sad, my thoughts are with Katia’s family in Russia, Harley and the skating community in Australia. “I will remember Katia as a young person of great talent and remarkable potential.” Read more: IOC president cautions against Olympic boycotts, is uncertain about fan attendance in Tokyo Olympic disappointment: The 1980 U.S. team that never was and the boycott Games For women in sports media, dealing with toxic masculinity is far from new Blue Jays, barred from playing in Toronto, must find new site for 2020 home games


Reopening commences at the Smithsonian, with the zoo and Udvar-Hazy welcoming visitors starting Friday

Nineteen weeks after shutting down because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Smithsonian Institution is ready to reopen two of its venues. On Friday, the Smithsonian will welcome visitors to the National Zoo in Washington and the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., marking the first time the public can visit the world’s largest museum complex since it closed March 14. Other Smithsonian museums remain temporarily shuttered, with opening dates not yet announced. “As a public entity, we thrive on serving our visitors and making our collections readily available to them, virtually and in person,” Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III said in a statement Monday. “However, the safety and well-being of our staff, visitors and volunteers come first and are paramount, so we are taking a deliberate, phased and cautious approach to reopening. Our goal is to be safe and measured in order to adjust and pivot as necessary.” Beginning today, the Smithsonian will release 5,000 daily passes for the National Zoo and 1,500 for Udvar-Hazy. Visitors can reserve as many as six passes up to 30 days in advance by visiting si.edu/tickets or by calling 800-514-3849. Limited walk-up passes may be available after 1 p.m. The National Zoo will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and the Udvar-Hazy Center will be open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Some exhibits, demonstrations and indoor spaces may be closed or have limited capacity. Tours will not be allowed.


National Gallery reopening provides relief for art lovers — from the pandemic and from the heat

as they were before the shutdown, a rare and splendid consequence of the new normal. “There’s an old saying, ‘Life without art doesn’t make much sense,’ ” said visitor June Humbert of Bethesda, who with her husband, Richard, was among the first to enter. Humbert said she felt “just relief” to be back in the museum she regularly frequented before the global shutdowns. “Art is very important to me, and the National Gallery is an important thing to us,” she said. “You hope the end [of the pandemic] is coming. Maybe it will come in parts, but we desperately need the rest of our lives back.” That sentiment was repeated often among the first 500 visitors, who were admitted in half-hour intervals throughout the day. The visit was a milestone, they said, and a reminder of a happier past. “We always come to the museum. Its absence was devastating to us,” said D.C. resident Belinda Perry, who was taking in the impressionist gallery with her friend David Cumberbatch, also a D.C. resident. “It’s a major selling point of D.C., its endless supply of exhibits.” Cumberbatch, who works in the nearby courthouse complex, would come to the gallery at lunchtime. Monday’s late-morning visit was a hopeful sign. “It’s the first time I got up and showered and got dressed in four months,” he joked. “It is normalizing to be here.” In keeping with D.C. and federal guidelines, the museum restricted the number of visitors to about 100 per hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors were required to wear masks as they entered through the Sixth Street doors, where they showed their passes to staff members seated behind glass shields before walking through newly installed metal detectors. Passes required for entry are distributed on the gallery’s website every Monday at 10 a.m. for the following Monday through Sunday. All of the passes for this week are gone, and more than half of the passes for July 27 to Aug. 2 were snapped up within hours of their release, a museum spokeswoman said. The museum’s Sculpture Garden is open, and passes aren’t required. The museum’s cafe is selling prepackaged food and beverages, and its shop is open with limited inventory. Purchases must be made by credit card. Additional galleries in the museum’s West Building will welcome visitors after D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announces the next phase of the city’s


Even Trump’s revisionist claims about the coronavirus disappearing are probably wrong

was an H2N2 pandemic in 1957 and 1958, and an H3N2 pandemic a decade later. Then there’s the H1N1 strain that emerged in 2009 and has become a focus of the president. Trump's rhetoric would suggest that those pandemics ended because the viruses died out. But none of them did. The 1918 H1N1 strain evolved over time into a less dangerous form, meaning that descendants of it still circulate today, as the CDC notes. The annual vaccines created to limit the spread of the seasonal flu include protections against iterations of the 1918 virus. The 1957 H2N2 strain had a slightly different fate. It circulated for years after the pandemic first emerged but was then displaced — by the H3N2 virus that prompted the 1968 pandemic. That virus continues to circulate today. The 2009 H1N1 virus was, happily, less deadly and less contagious than the novel coronavirus, making comparisons between the government response to it and to the current pandemic tricky. But, as you might expect, it, too, continues to circulate. Again: This doesn’t mean that these viruses pose the same risk as does the current coronavirus and necessitate the same response. Each caused a pandemic because of its novelty, spreading broadly through a population that had no ability to resist its spread given that no one had immunity through prior exposure or through vaccination. By now, that’s not true for the prior pandemic viruses that are again included in seasonal vaccines, diminished in their power or limited in their ability to spread. It remains true, though, for the coronavirus. At some point, the coronavirus will similarly diminish as a risk to the public. Maybe that will be because of a vaccine. Maybe it will happen without a vaccine, as Trump has said, although that will require a lot of infections to build antibodies — and a lot of deaths. Maybe it will fade as a threat because of focused containment efforts, although the experiences of other countries suggest that good news about the decline of the virus can quickly become bad news about its resurgence. And maybe — maybe! — it will someday be eradicated entirely, somehow. It’s possible, although recent history suggests that’s unlikely. Maybe in that sense, Trump will be “right,” under the revised definition of “right” he’s hoping we apply to his past comments. Of course, there’s a chance he might be proved right as the


British Airways is retiring its entire fleet of 747s amid slump in air travel

prices, he said, as the uncertainty around the coronavirus will keep demand for air travel and fuel low for some time. Boeing, the 747’s maker, was already struggling before the coronavirus crisis, seeking to rehabilitate its image after two deadly crashes within five months led to the global grounding of its 737 Max — a prime candidate for replacing 747s — in 2019. That crisis has cost Boeing more than $9 billion and led to the firing of chief executive Dennis Muilenburg; the Chicago-based company now faces lawsuits from victims’ families, shareholders and airlines such as American and Southwest. These losses have been compounded by the pandemic: In recent months, Boeing has laid off about 14,000 workers as part of a plan to reduce its workforce by 10 percent to offset its coronavirus-related losses. Boeing restarted production of the 737 Max on July 9, after six months of dormancy, but it faces deep trouble if it sees a wave of order cancellations because of low demand. “The COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating impact on the airline industry means a deep cut in the number of commercial jets and services our customers will need over the next few years, which in turn means fewer jobs on our lines and in our offices,” Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun said in a May statement announcing the recent layoffs. Boeing delivered the first 747 in 1969 and has sold more than 1,555 through 2019, according to a report by Teal Group. The jumbo jet could seat 500 people and had no major competitor until the arrival of the Airbus A380 in the mid-2000s. The plane’s size — a 230-foot-long frame, with a nearly 200-foot wingspan and a tail as high as a six-story building — inspired awe and affection in millions of air travel workers and travelers over the past five decades. “This plane was called the ‘Queen of the skies’ for a reason,” Aboulafia said. “It was a beautiful plane and it transported a lot of people on their first international trips — probably me included, if I think back that far.” * A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the arrival date of the first Airbus 380. It was put into service in the mid-2000s. This story also incorrectly stated that Lufthansa was the last carrier to use Boeing’s 747. Several smaller airlines still use the jumbo jet. This version has been updated.


They got tested for coronavirus. Now, they wait. Growing delays have put lives in limbo.

federal effort to smooth out supply chain troubles. “We’re increasing the potential to spread the virus,” said Jaberi, noting that asymptomatic people who seek tests and face long waits for results may not dutifully quarantine. While the delays are more pronounced among private lab companies that do the bulk of testing in this country, public labs are not immune. Earlier this month, Jaberi said, state workers retrieved samples from backlogged private labs contracted with the state and rerouted specimens to labs at the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University. A state task force is debating how to prioritize testing and whether to publicly issue guidance curtailing access to who gets a test. “Are we getting to the point where testing is getting to be a scarce resource, and we need to make more explicit recommendations as a state?” Jaberi asked. In Maryland, Clifford Mitchell, director of the Environmental Health Bureau, said testing results have taken as long as two weeks at private labs. State labs still have capacity to turn around tests in a day, but the labs are reserved for complex molecular analysis and treating outbreaks. Mitchell agreed the prolonged delays mean “you’ve lost a critical advantage in being able to slow the spread of the disease.” But he’s reluctant to suggest the government roll back the message that anyone who wants a test should seek one. Broad testing and contact tracing remain the best tools for controlling the pandemic, he said. Eventually, testing capacity will catch up. “We want people who think they may be exposed to get tested,” he said. “And we want to test people who are worried about spreading it to other people.” For some people, the delay lowered the odds they’d seek another test in the future. “To me, it’s a disaster,” said Cecilia Rogers, 70, who lives on Capitol Hill and decided to get tested after joining a Black Lives Matter protest in early June. “There’s no point in being tested if you have to wait that long to get the results.” The first time she sought a test, she waited in line for an hour before counting 66 people ahead of her in the 90-degree heat and giving up. The second time, on June 18, a worker pulled all senior citizens to the front of the line. She didn’t find out she tested negative until 19 days later, on July 7,


Activist Danielle Nierenberg wins the Julia Child Award, following in the footsteps of celebrity chefs

your delivery guy. Showing kindness to them. Buying local still holds true — but one thing everyone can do is respecting these folks and honoring what they do. A big part of your work is setting up conversations and conferences. It’s easy to say, well you’re preaching to the choir, and all the people you’re inviting already agree with each other. But you’ve recently started bringing corporate entities into these discussions — how productive is that? Our role is to make people uncomfortable. Having food-justice advocates on the same stage as corporate food executives and policymakers and legislative staffers can do that. If you had asked me 15 years ago, would I be talking to these companies, I would have said, “Heck no, they’re part of the problem.” But now I understand: If we’re not talking to the people we disagree with, the food system will always be broken. The protests over the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement have pushed racial inequities in the food system into the spotlight. What would a more racially just food system look like? If there’s an underserved community, sometimes we think if we just pop in a grocery store, that will fix things. There’s a tendency to go into communities and tell people what they need rather than asking them what they want and need. If you ask Karen Washington at Rise & Root Farm, what she says about her BIPOC [black, indigenous and people of color] community is, they need investment. There needs to be investment in people who don’t look like me. If we want a more socially just and racially just world, we must invest in entrepreneurs and leaders who are already there doing the work, and that’s how you create sustainable systems. So we’re all cooking at home more these days. What’s been the hero of your pandemic pantry? My husband and I live in Baltimore, and we usually eat out a lot, so this has been a big change. Honestly our go-to is pretty simple — it’s Mexican food. I figure I can keep tortillas, cheese and beans around. More from Voraciously: Coronavirus-shaped cakes and cupcakes are popping up in fine-dining restaurants, bakeries and home kitchens Welcome to the new buffet, which isn’t a buffet anymore Thamee got national acclaim for its Burmese food. Now it wants to become a model for racial justice.


For those at risk for cancer, weighing the risk of covid-19 with delays in screening and treatment

same concern. In response, they created the OncCOVID app, which draws on national cancer data sets, factoring in a patient’s individual characteristics, but equally important the prevalence of covid-19 in someone’s local community, to assess an individual’s risk in terms of when to start treatment. The app (not available directly to patients) allows oncologists to enter more than 45 characteristics about an individual — age, location, cancer type and stage, treatment plan, underlying medical conditions, and any proposed length of delay in treatment. Daniel Spratt, associate professor and vice chair of research in the department of radiation oncology at Michigan Medicine and a senior researcher on the project, told me this personalized risk assessment sometimes ran counter to the three-bucket approach. Other institutions, he claims, “have largely adopted a crude three-tier system of how to personalize who and when to treat cancer. We went from viewing cancer as a complex and heterogeneous entity of over 10,000 types, to viewing it as three large buckets.” Spratt says they found, “over 25 percent of patients classified as tier 2 [delay six to eight weeks] should likely be delayed longer than many tier 3 patients [delay more than eight weeks], and similarly over 30 percent of tier 2 patients should be tier 1 and be prioritized for immediate treatment.” Should those diagnosed with cancer seek treatment in places where covid infection is lower? “It depends on local prevalence of the virus and what measures are in place to restrict the spread of the virus,” Spratt says. “If during the peak of the pandemic or a second wave, like what is happening in Houston, it very well may be safer to receive immunosuppressive chemotherapy or surgery in a county with substantially lower prevalence of covid.” But he also points to the quality of the hospital and its oncology expertise, not to mention that a patient might not have a support system in a distant city. As for me, does this mean I should travel out of my state — where covid-19 cases have been rising — for my colonoscopy because of my concern about getting the disease during the procedure? Probably not, as long as the clinic follows CDC guidance, which I learned it does when I called to ask. I’ve now scheduled the procedure because I sure don’t want to become one of those additional colon cancer deaths Sharpless warned us all about.


Coronavirus updates: Halfway through the year, the pandemic is only intensifying in many states

weeks before they can resume classroom instruction. Texas also pushed back start dates for in-person learning, allowing school districts more flexibility on when they decide to return after facing pushback for what many educators, parents and school officials said was a risky deadline for getting back to normal. And in Chicago, the country’s third-largest public school district, officials announced this week they would pursue a “hybrid” model involving a mix of at-home and in-person instruction. The South Korean study suggesting young people between 10 and 19 years old spread covid-19 much like adults comes days after CDC Director Robert Redfield said that there is not “much evidence” of children driving transmission, though he allowed that the risks could become clearer as children head back to school. The Trump administration has generally pointed to foreign countries’ experiences reopening their schools as evidence that the United States can move ahead safely. The pandemic also remains a persistent source of uncertainty in the sports world. The latest disruption hit summer baseball, as the Toronto Blue Jays said Saturday they are “in the process of finalizing the best home location for the remainder of the 2020 season” after the Canadian government barred the team from playing home games at their ballpark in Toronto. Officials said covid-19 was to blame. “Based on the best-available public health advice, we have concluded the cross-border travel required for MLB regular season play would not adequately protect Canadians’ health and safety,” said Marco Mendicino, minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship. The announcement arrived just days before Opening Day in Major League Baseball. The Blue Jays’s home opener is July 29 against the visiting Washington Nationals. Responses to the United States’ rise in infections have been inconsistent at the state and local level, creating a nationwide patchwork of public health measures and reopening plans. Former FDA head Gottlieb warned on CNBC on Friday that lack of policy action at the state level left it up to the “collective action of individuals” to protect themselves and their communities. In hard-hit Texas, for example, it’s been Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) challenging a planned in-person Republican Party of Texas convention that he argues poses too great a health risk with infections in the area spiraling out of control. A federal appeals court just blocked a lower-court ruling that would have allowed the Texas GOP to proceed with the gathering in downtown Houston.


An e-book for families provides answers to important questions about covid-19

Will school start again this fall? How many tests do we really need to tackle covid-19? How long should people quarantine if they do contract the virus? Adults have all of these questions, but so do kids. William Haseltine, a medical researcher and public health veteran with a history of pioneering ambitious projects to tackle HIV/AIDS, cancer and genomics, is tackling those issues with “A Family Guide to Covid.” The free, downloadable e-book answers all sorts of questions about covid-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, from “Why has my life changed?” to “What are the long-term effects?” Written in a Q&A format, the book contains a section specific to children’s questions and a much longer portion devoted to answering adults’ queries. It also has a long list of resources to help those who want to know more about antibody testing or the effectiveness of gloves. “My friends and colleagues know I am plainspoken, and I don’t pull my punches when I see truth,” Haseltine writes. And he doesn’t. In response to a child’s question about whether doctors can save people who are sick, he writes, “Doctors can save most people if they can get to a hospital in time, just like with other diseases. It is sad they can’t save everyone.” Haseltine acknowledges that he doesn’t have all the answers — we’re still learning basics about the disease and that answers, and even questions, will be changing as we learn more. To that end, he’ll be regularly updating the book. “A Family Guide to Covid” can be read or printed on demand at accessh.org/covidfamilyguide. It’s also available on Kindle at Amazon. (Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon, is the owner of The Washington Post.)


Former CDC chief: Most states fail to report data key to controlling the coronavirus pandemic

Six months after the first coronavirus case appeared in the United States, most states are failing to report critical information needed to track and control the resurgence of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to an analysis released Tuesday by a former top Obama administration health official. The analysis is the first comprehensive review of covid-19 data that all 50 states and Washington, D.C., are using to make decisions about policies on mask-wearing and opening schools and businesses. In the absence of a national strategy to fight the pandemic, states have had to develop their own metrics for tracking and controlling covid-19. But with few common standards, the data are inconsistent and incomplete, according to the report released by Resolve to Save Lives, a New York nonprofit led by former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Tom Frieden and part of the global health organization Vital Strategies. Some essential information that would show response effectiveness is not being reported at all. Only two states report data on how quickly contact tracers were able to interview people who test positive to learn about potential contacts. Not a single state reports on the turnaround time of diagnostic tests, the analysis found. Week-long waits for results hobble efforts to track real-time virus spread and make contact tracing almost irrelevant. “States around the country have done good work. They’ve been doing the challenging, hard, meticulous job of collecting, analyzing and presenting crucial information," Frieden said during a news briefing Tuesday. “But because of the lack of national leadership, we don’t have common standards, definitions, targets or accountability.” As a result, despite a “tsunami of data points,” the United States is “flying blind on the actual risk and the effectiveness of the response.” Frieden noted that Monday’s case total in the United States exceeded that of all cases in Europe, all in Asia and all in Africa. “With 4 percent of the world’s population, we have one-quarter of covid-reported deaths,” he said. “And during the 45 minutes of this briefing, more than 20 people will die from covid in the U.S. and thousands more will become infected.” His team and other public health leaders are recommending that states and counties report 15 indicators they say are essential for an effective response. The metrics were drafted with input from states and public health organizations and modeled after practices from around the world, Frieden


Trump says we’re doing better than ‘most other countries’ on coronavirus. Not even close.

As President Trump prepares to rekindle his coronavirus briefings, he appears to have landed on a new talking point: Three times in three days, President Trump has downplayed the outbreak in the United States by suggesting that other countries’ even-worse problems are being ignored. He might want to rethink that comparison. “You know, it’s not just this country; it’s many countries,” Trump told Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.” “We don’t talk about it in the news. They don’t talk about Mexico and Brazil and still parts of Europe — which actually got hit sooner than us, so it’s a little ahead of us in that sense. But you take a look, why don’t they talk about Mexico?” He added in the Oval Office on Monday: “When you watch the news — the local news — and you see it, and it’s like all about the United States. They never like to talk about what’s going on in the world. But you look at Mexico, Brazil, many countries in Europe, many countries all over — Russia." And he said in a tweet Tuesday morning, “You will never hear this on the Fake News concerning the China Virus, but by comparison to most other countries, who are suffering greatly, we are doing very well ...” But these comparisons don’t at all show what Trump suggests, and that last one -- the idea that “most other countries" are worse off -- is stunningly false. We’ve previously dealt with Trump’s claim that we have one of the best mortality rates in the world -- and repeatedly debunked it -- but what about the overall number of cases and deaths? One of the main comparisons used to illustrate the grim nature of the continued outbreak in the United States is a comparison with Europe. Here’s how we compare with both the European Union and all of Europe on confirmed coronavirus cases per capita, using data from the University of Oxford’s Our World in Data: Trump has cast this as mostly a symptom of our superior testing, which isn’t accurate. But let’s look at the metric he emphasized in the Wallace interview: deaths. The difference is indeed less stark when you look at per capita mortality. But even then, the United States is about five times as bad as Europe and 10 times worse off than the E.U. Trump’s point about Europe’s outbreak having started


Texas to delay high school football for big schools amid coronavirus pandemic

The University Interscholastic League, which administers high school sports in the state of Texas, announced Tuesday that the high school football seasons for schools with large enrollments will be delayed by one month while smaller schools will be allowed to start their football seasons at their usual time. The delays for the state’s larger schools specifically will affect volleyball along with football. Teams in those sports at large schools now will be allowed to begin practice Sept. 7 instead of Aug. 3, as initially planned. The first football games at those schools cannot begin until Sept. 24, and the season now will run into the new year instead of ending just before Christmas. Texas, which began the first phase of its reopening amid the novel coronavirus pandemic on May 1, well before most other states, has seen a sizable increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, straining health care systems in the state’s urban centers. In late June, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) paused the state’s reopening plan during the rise in cases, shutting down bars, limiting indoor dining in restaurants and issuing a statewide mandate requiring Texans to wear masks in public in any county with 20 or more positive covid-19 cases. “This plan provides a delay for schools in highly-populated metro areas, primarily conferences 5A-6A, given the challenges with COVID-19 those communities are facing, while providing schools in other areas, primarily 1A-4A, an opportunity to start seasons on schedule,” the UIL said in a statement. “Acknowledging the situation is not always clear-cut and that COVID-19 affects every community differently, the plan also allows for local flexibility and encourages districts to plan for possible interruptions in order to complete district seasons.” “Our goal in releasing this plan is to provide a path forward for Texas students and schools,” UIL Executive Director Charles Breithaupt said in the statement. “While understanding situations change and there will likely be interruptions that will require flexibility and patience, we are hopeful this plan allows students to participate in the education-based activities they love in a way that prioritizes safety and mitigates risk of COVID-19 spread.” Earlier this month, Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa told MSNBC that he doubted football could be played in Texas, where the sport takes on supreme importance at the high school level. “That’s a true contact sport, I don’t see how we can pull that off. There’s been some


The U.S. has a stronger hand in its tech battle with China than many suspect

New U.S. sanctions against the Chinese telecom giant Huawei are beginning to bite hard, with a British assessment predicting that the firm may begin running out of complex, U.S.-designed semiconductors and other gear during the next year. The shortage could cripple parts of its business. The Huawei battle is the leading edge of a broad U.S. campaign against Chinese efforts to control key technology sectors, such as the 5G telecom market that Huawei dominates. U.S. and Chinese analysts have both warned in interviews that this technology conflict is leading to a decoupling of the global tech market that might leave both nations worse off. Washington is playing a stronger hand in this tech competition than some analysts have realized. U.S. companies still control the commanding heights, even after rapid Chinese advances. As a result, America’s ability to constrain China, at least in the near term, is greater than generally appreciated. “In a decoupled world, we’ll do better than the Chinese can,” contended a senior Trump administration official in an interview Tuesday. “There’s a lot of defeatism around about the U.S. technology position. People don’t understand the enormous technology advantage we have.” The administration’s upbeat assessment of the strong U.S. position against Huawei is confirmed by details in the new British government report. The British explain that by expanding in May its “Entity List” designation of Huawei, the United States can now prevent sales not only of technology produced by U.S. companies, but also the transfer of systems produced by global companies that depend on U.S. technology or software. “Designing and building equipment largely independent of US technology or tools within a couple of years presents a truly Herculean task,” argued an unclassified analysis released July 14 by Britain’s National Cyber Security center, a unit of its communications intelligence agency, known as GCHQ. Because Huawei depends on semiconductors and chips made by U.S. fabrication technology, “our estimate is that Huawei’s supply will be impacted within the next 3-12 months,” the report noted. Even if Huawei rushed to build its own alternatives, that process would take several years, and the hardware and software would be unreliable. “The equipment will have been built with unknown and untested tools, created under extreme time pressures. It is highly likely that the quality issues . . . will increase significantly,” the British report notes. “It will be extremely challenging to gain confidence in Huawei’s post-sanction equipment,


Some fitness instructors say they don’t feel safe at work. How should gym members react?

As gyms have reopened, many exercise enthusiasts have been leery — including personal trainers and group fitness instructors. Employees of two national chains, Solidcore and Equinox, have alleged via news articles or social media campaigns that they have raised safety issues with their employers that have been ignored. In a few cases, instructors say they were fired after expressing concerns. Navigating the gym environment amid the novel coronavirus pandemic would make anyone sweat as facilities across the country closed, reopened under a patchwork of different regulations, and in some states, are now closing again in response to rising case numbers. Saskia Popescu, an infection prevention epidemiologist, calls the gym a “high-risk environment.” Let’s look at some of the concerns trainers are raising, how gyms are responding and what gym-goers can learn from these disputes. Most fitness professionals we spoke with said their primary concern is becoming infected with the coronavirus and potentially exposing vulnerable people in their lives, including family and clientele. Their requests have mostly centered around notification, mask policies and cleaning. Some instructors are requesting that facilities be completely transparent when employees or members test positive for the coronavirus. This was among the requests made in an email to management, as well as in an Instagram post, by a group of anonymous gym employees calling themselves “Solidcore United.” The members of the group, then numbering 32, said they are employees at the boutique fitness studio, which has more than 50 locations nationwide. Lauren, a former Atlanta Solidcore coach who spoke on the condition that only her first name be used to protect her privacy, said her gym had “no plan” when a member recently tested positive for the virus. She said management informed some clients who had taken classes with that member but told the coaching staff only that an unspecified member had tested positive. After another coach learned the member’s identity and told Lauren, she realized she had been exposed. Because she has an immunocompromised relative, she decided to self-quarantine for 14 days, per her doctor’s recommendation. Masks are another issue. Solidcore United asked that all members and staff be required to wear them at all times, because instructors couldn’t consistently maintain six feet of distance from members because of space constraints, according to Emily Collinson, a former D.C. coach. Other fitness professionals want facilities to enforce government-mandated mask requirements. Professionals at other facilities also say they


The case for treating teachers around the world as essential front-line workers

state leaders deemed it more important to keep schools closed, even for the most vulnerable children, to avoid what could be significant spread of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. When the pandemic began, it was not clear how to keep people safe from the contagion when at close proximity, as they are in schools. And during the spring shutdown of schools throughout the country as covid-19 spread, teachers did work — from home. While the remote learning did not compare to what students receive in class, school still happened on some level for most kids as the new disease spread around the world, and health experts raced to learn about it to create treatments and, potentially, a vaccine. Not everybody agreed with the closure of schools, especially for students with disabilities, English-language learners and other students deemed to be at risk, but that was the decision made by school districts and states from coast to coast. This post makes the case that teachers should be treated like essential workers not just in the United States but around the world, and it explains what they should expect to get when they are asked to return to schools even while the pandemic is still with us. This was written by Alice Albright, chief executive officer of the Global Partnership for Education, and David Edwards, general secretary of Education International. The Global Partnership is a multi-stakeholder partnership and funding platform whose goal is to strengthen education systems in developing countries. Education International is a global union federation of teachers’ trade unions consisting of more than 400 member organizations in more than 170 countries and territories that represents over 30 million education personnel from preschool through higher education. It is worth noting that according to a report on essential workers by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonprofit Washington-based think tank, many essential workers are not receiving basic health and safety measures, and some are dying from covid-19 as a result. From EPI, here are some facts about essential workers: Schools around the world are slowly reopening, or preparing to, as part of a gradual easing of restrictions to curb the spread of covid-19. Reopening in an unpredictable and stressful new reality brings a raft of challenges. How will schools protect children and teachers from the virus? What equipment and procedures need to be in place to make schools safe, and who


Japan helps 87 companies to break from China after pandemic exposed overreliance

TOKYO — Japan is paying 87 companies to shift production back home or into Southeast Asia after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted supply chains and exposed an overreliance on Chinese manufacturing. While China’s economy is already recovering from the coronavirus shock, the pandemic threatens to dent its reputation as the “factory of the world” — at least in some industries. Indeed, alarm bells started ringing in Japanese boardrooms as soon as the novel coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, a major hub of the auto parts industry. Japanese automaker Nissan was forced to temporarily halt production at a plant in Japan in February over shortages of parts from China, while a Japanese consumer goods company, Iris Ohyama, found itself unable to meet surging local demand for masks after supplies to its factory in China were disrupted and export controls out of China were tightened. In March, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government wanted to bring production back home and diversify into Southeast Asia. The following month, the government set aside $2.2 billion in its coronavirus economic recovery package to subsidize that process. It has now announced a list of companies that will benefit from the first round of subsidies, with 57 companies receiving a total of $535 million to open factories in Japan and 30 others paid to expand production in Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. China is Japan’s largest trading partner, but Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has been trying for several years to reduce the country’s dependence on its giant neighbor. The 2008 global financial crisis, the 2011 northeastern Japan earthquake and the coronavirus pandemic all disrupted supply chains, while U.S.-China trade tensions are also a factor. “We already started to see the risks of the vulnerability of the supply chain, and we encouraged industries to look at such risks and asked them to diversify their source of supply,” a METI official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under ministry policy, said in an interview. “We think this is another chance to rethink global supply chains.” The subsidies aim to cover suppliers of the sorts of goods needed in an emergency — such as masks — as well as industries where supplies can be disrupted by an economic shock. Companies that are benefiting include producers of auto and aviation parts, hygiene products such as alcohol-based sanitizers, fertilizer, medicines and


subsidies, with 57 companies receiving a total of $535 million to open factories in Japan and 30 others paid to expand production in Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. China is Japan’s largest trading partner, but Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has been trying for several years to reduce the country’s dependence on its giant neighbor. The 2008 global financial crisis, the 2011 northeastern Japan earthquake and the coronavirus pandemic all disrupted supply chains, while U.S.-China trade tensions are also a factor. “We already started to see the risks of the vulnerability of the supply chain, and we encouraged industries to look at such risks and asked them to diversify their source of supply,” a METI official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under ministry policy, said in an interview. “We think this is another chance to rethink global supply chains.” The subsidies aim to cover suppliers of the sorts of goods needed in an emergency — such as masks — as well as industries where supplies can be disrupted by an economic shock. Companies that are benefiting include producers of auto and aviation parts, hygiene products such as alcohol-based sanitizers, fertilizer, medicines and paper products. Iris Ohyama was the first company to take advantage of the subsidy and is using the money to open a factory to produce masks in Sendai in northeastern Japan, to complement existing plants in the Chinese cities of Dalian and Suzhou. “We decided to produce inside Japan a portion of the production consumed in Japan,” said Executive President Akihiro Ohyama in an interview. Iris Ohyama has gradually been shifting production out of China in recent years, due to higher wage costs there, as well as tighter environment regulations, and recently higher tariffs to export from China into the United States. In addition to plants in Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam, it has opened factories in France and the United States to be closer to markets there, with plastic containers, plastic pet cages, small electrical items and masks made or soon to be made in Wisconsin, Arizona and Texas. “I think we are at the beginning of a new phase of globalization,” Akihiro Ohyama said. “Not many companies have yet been doing what we have been doing. But going forward, I think more companies will follow.” He said large items such as refrigerators and washing machines that involve complex


As Arizona struggles, neighboring New Mexico found a more cautious path to sustained growth

“There’s no doubt the way we reopened the state led to a large spike in cases,” said Todd Sanders, president of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, “and that’s why the governor has gone back and given the authority to the cities to impose mask requirements. If those had been in place we might be in a different place.” Meanwhile in New Mexico, focus has shifted to keeping out tourists from hot spots in Arizona and Texas. Similarly, Lujan Grisham told The Post’s Jonathan Capehart last week that hospitals in her state have been required to take on patients from its overwhelmed neighbor but are nearing capacity. “It does create real challenges in New Mexico where I have a third the hospital capacity and a third the ventilator capacity per capita than any other state in the nation,” Lujan Grisham said. “So as we are picking up support to Texas and to Arizona, that means that we have less available for our folks here.” According to University of Arizona economist George Hammond, the Cares Act significantly cushioned Arizona from the full effect of the downturn. It seems likely, then, that Arizona’s plight will worsen if Congress fails to extend additional unemployment insurance benefits before they expire this month. The state’s maximum weekly benefit is just $240 a week, the lowest rate of any state but Mississippi ($235). In New Mexico, benefits will top out between $461 and $511 a week. A recent analysis of Census Bureau data by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, finds the Arizona-New Mexico divergence repeated nationwide. States that reopened early didn’t fare better economically, and they fared markedly worse in terms of public health. Regardless of the state governments’ actions, “most people at their core understand how dangerous this virus is, and they’re not willing to risk their lives to go out to dinner,” said Ryan Zamarripa, one of the report’s authors. Some of the strongest, most up-to-date evidence of the recovery comes from an ongoing analysis by economists at the Opportunity Insights team. In a recent working paper, the team analyzed huge streams of real-time data and found economic activity is being held back by consumers slashing spending in response to the coronavirus threat, not by government restrictions or lack of income. “If reopening early causes a spread of covid cases, then that brief period of economic activity is not worth


Most people in the United States are still highly susceptible to the coronavirus, CDC study finds

Only a small proportion of people in many parts of the United States had antibodies to the novel coronavirus as of this spring, indicating most of the population remains highly susceptible to the pathogen, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency also reported the number of actual coronavirus infections is probably far higher — by two to 13 times — than reported cases. The higher estimate is based on the study on antibodies, which indicates who has had the virus in the past. Currently, the cumulative number of reported cases in the United States stands at 3.8 million. The new data appeared Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine and on the CDC website. The information about antibodies was derived from blood samples drawn from 10 geographic regions, including New York, Utah, Washington state and South Florida. The samples were collected in discrete periods in two rounds — one in early spring and the other several weeks later, ending in early June. For two sites, only the earlier results were available. The blood samples were collected during routine screenings such as cholesterol tests. Such serological surveys are being conducted throughout the country as public health experts, government officials and academics try to determine the virus’s course, how many people have been infected and how many have produced antibodies in response. In New York City, almost 24 percent of the population had antibodies as of early May — the highest proportion by far of any of the locations but still far below the 60 to 70 percent threshold for herd immunity, the point at which enough people are immune to the virus, either through exposure or because they have been vaccinated. Herd immunity makes it far less likely the virus will be transmitted from person to person. In the other areas, the percentages of people with antibodies were in the single digits in late May and early June. That included Missouri, at 2.8 percent; Philadelphia, at 3.6 percent; and Connecticut, at 5.2 percent. The new data emerged as the nation struggles with a wily pathogen that can produce no symptoms at all, or sicken and kill — 138,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus to date. Large swaths of the nation are in turmoil as many communities debate how to reopen schools this fall, wrestle with rising virus-related hospitalizations and, in some cases, roll back restrictions


Postal banking is making a comeback. Here’s how to ensure it becomes a reality.

After more than a century of frequent bank failures, such traumatic events practically disappeared. In another departure from the past, the banks stopped magnifying, and sometimes causing, economic depressions. Americans began taking this more stable economic order for granted, and public interest in banking policy waned. As a result, in the mid-1960s, bankers encountered little public opposition when they successfully lobbied to shutter the Postal Savings System. As voters paid less attention to finance, industry promoted a deregulatory political agenda that made the economy less stable and banking services less accessible. Banking “deserts” developed in poor urban and rural areas where scarce branches are insufficient to meet community needs. Because of high and unpredictable fees, alongside steep minimum balance requirements, maintaining a bank account is difficult for low-income Americans. A $90 billion payday loan industry emerged as an alternative to banks for millions of “unbanked” consumers who spend hundreds — and even thousands — of dollars annually to obtain small, short-term loans. The increasingly pressing question of the unbanked — and financial access more broadly — has become inescapable in light of the recent obstacles to delivering stimulus checks. Faced with the economic challenges of covid-19, the federal government attempted to provide struggling Americans with some income — and the broader economy with much-needed stimulus — by issuing $1,200 payments to many people. But because the banking system effectively excludes 9 million American households, the straightforward matter of getting this money to its recipients posed a problem, in many cases for the very people who most needed this income. This disaster presents the Federal Reserve and the Postal Service with a critical opportunity to make financial services more accessible. The Biden campaign’s endorsement of government banking aligns with a long American tradition of advocacy for public banks. This change would expand access to affordable financial services, thereby raising the bar for existing banks, as well. Taking this stand with working people instead of Wall Street will appeal to many Americans, including key Midwestern voters who felt abandoned by the Democrats in 2016. Still, parties produce aspirational policy statements every election cycle. Once in office, presidential administrations must establish their legislative priorities. The New Deal experience reveals that political momentum toward government banking can be stymied when an administration lacks enthusiasm for the idea. After the votes have been counted, transforming party planks into laws requires sustained advocacy by organized citizens.


Comet Neowise has begun to dim, so catch it while you can

After impressing scientists and captivating skywatchers around the world for weeks, comet Neowise is beginning to dim. Already, astronomers have noted a reduction in its luminance in the night sky, with some reporting more difficulty finding the comet. While it still shines prominently in rural areas, city dwellers may soon be out of luck, since the comet made its closest pass to Earth on Wednesday and is now beginning its journey to the outer reaches of the solar system. The icy snowball is just three miles wide, but being cooked by the sun caused the comet to shed some of its frigid innards, ensuring that it was followed closely by a luminous tail as well as dusty debris. Neowise will soon draw farther both from the Earth and the sun, outrunning the sun’s effects and our ability to see the results. By August, it may become tricky to spot with the naked eye even beneath the clearest and darkest of skies. In the meantime, you may still have a few opportunities to catch the comet, despite its reduced splendor, before it vanishes for the next 6,000 years. On Tuesday night, for example, Neowise will appear just below and slightly to the left of the Big Dipper, a constellation of stars also known as Ursa Major. To spot it, look to the northwest about an hour after sunset. By Wednesday, Neowise will be in a similar spot in the west-northwest, climbing a bit higher above the horizon each day. Escaping city lights is key; the more stars you can see, the better the chances are that you’ll catch a glimpse of the comet. At first, it will look like nothing more than another star, but as your eyes adjust, you’ll begin to see its faintly visible debris trail. That tail is like a wind vane, revealing the direction the “solar wind” is sweeping away material shed by the comet. If you have a telescope or binoculars, that’s even better. The comet has been compared in brightness to the Milky Way. Neowise surprised the world in early July when it raced past the sun and survived unscathed. The comet was first discovered on March 27, spotted by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer; that’s how the comet earned the name “NEOWISE.” The spacecraft is not meant to detect comets, but rather to spot near-Earth asteroids and other objects. It has detected


The horror of living with coronavirus asymptomatically

Rucha Mehta Shah is a physician who recently graduated from fellowship in gastroenterology in Dallas and will be starting practice in Arizona. I was terrified when I tested positive for the novel coronavirus. How can a doctor be a patient and a provider at the same time? How could I protect my family? In between sobs, I told my husband, “You can intubate me — just don’t let me die.” Little did I know that — while certainly not as traumatic as falling ill — living asymptomatically with coronavirus in the United States would come with its own horrors. I was exposed to a colleague who was asymptomatic but tested positive, so I did what I felt was responsible and got tested. I did not think anything would come of it; after all, I had no symptoms, and I was so careful. When I got the call that I had tested positive, I froze. I had so many questions but could not vocalize any of them. I knew that I was supposed to be rational; it’s the mantra I follow every time I walk into an exam room. Yet, as the patient, I was barely able to tread water and stop myself from being pulled by the riptide of “what if.” What if I gave my husband and our puppy the virus? What if I got it from the store? What if my headache or sniffles turn into something worse? I became consumed by all things coronavirus to the point that I believed it was because of “people like me” — the asymptomatic ones walking around infecting everyone — that the disease was proliferating. While I am lucky not to have experienced symptoms, asymptomatic disease is still disease. The symptoms are just hidden: feelings of guilt, isolation, fear of infecting those you love, fear of potentially getting sicker. Once you have the disease, you realize that the only reason to wear a mask and quarantine is to protect others. I traced back my contacts to make them aware so they could decide if they wanted to get tested or self-quarantine. I struggled with the reception of this news by my friends and colleagues. While they expressed genuine concern about my health, many surprised me with frustration that I decided to get tested and their adamant refusal to be tested themselves or self-quarantine. Their comments made me feel that I did


Maryland jurisdictions want to roll back reopening

Monday that the National Zoo and the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia will welcome visitors Friday, marking the first time the public can visit the world’s largest museum complex since it closed March 14. Other Smithsonian sites remain shuttered, with reopening dates not yet announced. The Smithsonian is releasing 5,000 daily passes for the zoo and 1,500 for Udvar-Hazy, which can be reserved by phone or visiting the Smithsonian’s website. Metro announced that it will increase transit service significantly next month, from historic lows to at least 70 percent of what service had been before the pandemic. While some organizations took steps toward normalcy, others said the pandemic forced them into the opposite direction. Organizers canceled the Marine Corps Marathon for the first time in its 45-year history. Race director Rick Nealis said the decision was made Friday by Marine Corps Commandant David H. Berger after it became clear that key logistics could not be nailed down until uncomfortably close to race day, on Oct. 25. D.C. officials in a Monday news conference discussed the lengthening time it is taking some residents to receive coronavirus test results. They said that hospitalized patients are getting results within a day and that nursing home residents with tests processed by the city’s public health lab are learning results within two days. Commercial labs are taking much longer, in some cases seven to 10 days. “It speaks to the need for national leadership. We can collect samples. We’ve pretty much gotten that down. But we need the labs to complete the test,” said Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). “We can’t have our national leadership throwing up their hands.” Nesbitt said that if the testing backlog gets much worse, the city might have to return to encouraging testing only for high-priority populations. “At this point, we have the capacity to provide a test for anyone who needs a test,” she said. The city closed its public testing sites Monday because of the heat — the sites are outdoors — and will operate with shortened hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Nesbitt said that while the city will undoubtedly test fewer people on these days (public testing sites account for 40 percent of D.C.’s daily tests) and she has “some concerns” about the virus’s spread with fewer tests, private doctors’ offices could do more tests and absorb some of the demand.


California high school sports seasons delayed until December or January

The sports seasons for more than 800,000 California high school athletes are on pause until December or January because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The decision by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which administers high school playoffs, was announced Monday and follows a summer surge in the virus that has caused most public and private schools in the state to start the academic year with online classes. The CIF’s 10 sections determine their starting and ending dates, according to the group. “This is the best possible plan we have with what’s going on to give students an opportunity to participate,” Vicky Lagos, the Los Angeles City Section commissioner, said (via the Los Angeles Times). “There are going to be issues in terms of facilities and multiple-sport athletes, but this is the best scenario for the most people. I have confidence the schools and coaches will work it out among themselves. My take from coaches is they want the opportunity to participate and be with the kids.” High school football practice was originally scheduled to begin Aug. 3, with games following Aug. 21. Now, the last day for the football state championships will be April 17. Girls’ volleyball, cross-country, boys’ water polo, girls’ golf, girls’ tennis and field hockey also face delays. Facilities were closed March 16, and principals and athletic directors are expected to meet with coaches this week to discuss how to use facilities with multiple-sport athletes. “I’ve been trying to make the best of the situation and control what I can control,” Chance Tucker, a defensive back at Encino’s Crespi High, told the Times. “I feel everyone is going to need to adapt just as they did when this whole quarantine happened, and it’s really up to them to stay on top of [conditioning] themselves.” Defensive end Korey Foreman, the nation’s top recruit who plays for Centennial High in Corona, Calif., tweeted: “If they make me choose between my senior season or going to college ... please believe i’m headed to my first camp .. no questions asked.” The Florida High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors met virtually Monday and discussed the fall sports calendar. The number of coronavirus cases in Florida has risen rapidly since mid-June, and the state has emerged as an epicenter for the virus. The board’s meeting lasted nearly five hours. Members discussed the start date for fall sports and how to allow


Housekeepers file complaint against U-Md. over working conditions, as heat and virus raise concerns

The housekeepers preparing the University of Maryland’s flagship campus in College Park for the return of thousands of students next month are unequipped to safely do their jobs, according to a labor complaint filed by their union. Since May, housekeepers and other facilities workers have asked the university to enforce mandatory coronavirus tests, provide coronavirus-specific training and distribute more equipment — including N95 masks, disposable gowns and extra cleaning agents. But union leaders say the university is unwilling to meet their demands. The unfair labor practices complaint was filed last week with the State Higher Education Labor Relations Board, which enforces labor contracts at public institutions. The complaint alleges the university refuses to negotiate health and safety protocols as workers return to campus in the midst of the pandemic. Officials with the board have received the complaint and requested a response from U-Md., said Denise Galante, special assistant to the executive director who oversees the state’s labor relations boards. The Higher Education Labor Relations Board will review the university’s response and then issue a decision. Natifia Mullings, a U-Md. spokeswoman, said the university does not comment on pending complaints or litigation proceedings. The complaint comes as the number of infections in the region has begun to tick up, following weeks of sharp declines and a slow reopening of businesses, restaurants and houses of worship. D.C., Maryland and Virginia reported 2,049 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, the highest single-day increase since late May. The seven-day average in cases for the region has been trending upward for nearly two weeks. The region also saw 11 more deaths, nine of them in Maryland. Keith Wrightson, a health and safety specialist for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said he’s particularly concerned about what workers say is a lack of training surrounding cleaning procedures. The union’s College Park chapter represents about 3,400 employees, including housekeepers, bus drivers, administrative assistants and other campus staff. “They’re being asked to do things that they would not normally do, and employers don’t understand their obligation to ensure worker safety and health. And that’s problematic for a lot of people,” Wrightson said. He added that housekeepers are using new cleaning products to kill the virus. “A lot of workers are being issued whatever and being told to go and clean.” As part of a broader effort to expand testing, the school offered voluntary coronavirus tests to


As coronavirus explodes in Venezuela, Maduro’s government blames ‘biological weapon’: the country’s returning refugees

people But as the coronavirus has torn through the region, and countries from Mexico to Argentina have locked down, many of these refugees, left jobless and hungry on the streets of Quito, Lima and Bogotá, are heading home. In recent weeks, a rush of 60,000 returnees has caused bottlenecks at Colombian border-control points. Some have spilled over to illegal crossings, known as trochas, along the lawless frontier between Colombia and Venezuela. Waiting for the returnees are Maduro’s soldiers and mandatory quarantines in the border states of Zulia, Táchira and Apure, the region seeing by far the most alarming spike in cases. Returnees say they are being held without face masks or social distancing. Mayra Jiménez, a 37-year-old manicurist, lost her job in Colombia when the country locked down. At the border, she said, she was given two rapid tests — one by the Colombians, the other by the Venezuelans. Both, she said, came out negative. Five days after returning home, however, she tested positive. She was sent for 35 days to a public hospital in Apure state. The facility had no working X-ray machine, so at one point she was transferred to the nearest hospital that had one — seven hours away. “I remember asking God to take care of my family,” said Jiménez, who has since recovered. “I swore to God that I would never leave my country again if He saved me.” Border-state hospitals, already ravaged by years of equipment breakdowns and chronic shortages of medicines and supplies, are struggling to cope with rising demand. Venezuela has reported more than 10,000 coronavirus cases and 96 deaths. But with limited testing and the authoritarian government in control of the data, both are widely believed to be undercounts. Staff at University Hospital Maracaibo last week said the facility, designated by the government as the city’s primary hospital for the coronavirus, was averaging 500 patients with symptoms, double the number a month ago. All eight ICU beds and 10 ventilators were in use, with dangerously long waiting lists for others who needed them. One medical resident spoke of alarming mortality. “The number of deceased is increasing,” she said. “We’re seeing normal days in which we lose up to 10 patients.” Staff say most of Maracaibo’s dead have not yet been included in the official count because tests are sent to Caracas for processing and take up to a month to get


The crisis that shocked the world: America’s response to the coronavirus

Isabelle Papadimitriou, 64, a respiratory therapist in Dallas, had been treating a surge of patients as the Texas economy reopened. She developed covid-19 symptoms June 27 and tested positive two days later. The disease was swift and brutal. She died the morning of the Fourth of July. The holiday had always been her daughter’s favorite. Fiana Tulip loved the family cookouts, the fireworks, the feeling of America united. Now, she wonders whether she’ll ever be able to celebrate it again. In mourning, she’s furious. Tulip, 40, had seen her country fail to control the novel coronavirus. She had seen Texas ease restrictions even as case counts and hospitalizations soared. She had seen fellow citizens refuse to wear masks or engage in social distancing. “I feel like her death was a hundred percent preventable. I’m angry at the Trump administration. I’m angry with the state of our politics. I’m angry at the people who even now refuse to wear masks,” she said. Six months after the coronavirus appeared in America, the nation has failed spectacularly to contain it. The country’s ineffective response has shocked observers around the planet. Many countries have rigorously driven infection rates nearly to zero. In the United States, coronavirus transmission is out of control. The national response is fragmented, shot through with political rancor and culture-war divisiveness. Testing shortcomings that revealed themselves in March have become acute in July, with week-long waits for results leaving the country blind to real-time virus spread and rendering contact tracing nearly irrelevant. The United States may be heading toward a new spasm of wrenching economic shutdowns or to another massive spike in preventable deaths from covid-19 — or both. How the world’s richest country got into this dismal situation is a complicated tale that exposes the flaws and fissures in a nation long proud of its ability to meet cataclysmic challenges. The fumbling of the virus was not a fluke: The American coronavirus fiasco has exposed the country’s incoherent leadership, self-defeating political polarization, a lack of investment in public health, and persistent socioeconomic and racial inequities that have left millions of people vulnerable to disease and death. In this big, sprawling, demographically and culturally diverse nation, the decentralized political structures gave birth to patchwork policies that don’t make sense when applied to a virus that ignores state boundaries and city limits. While other countries endured some of the same setbacks, few


With little clarity on coronavirus, Americans crowdsource how to live in a pandemic

with a passion for roller derby, was eager to get back on the track. “I searched everywhere for information that would make it okay to go,” she said. “I really wanted to find it, but I knew I shouldn’t. Luckily, I couldn’t find it.” Kosich, who works for the University of New Mexico, knows from her training that “in public health, there are often no certain answers,” but she said the contradictory signals Americans are getting from different arms of government send even medical professionals hunting for guidance on social media. She follows infectious-disease specialists and local health officials on Twitter, but she sees friends and relatives relying on less-qualified sources. “My family in New Jersey was planning a party, and they see the governor keeping things shut down and they see people they know not listening to those rules, and they weigh those things as equal,” Kosich said. “They pick the one they want to be true. It can be frustrating.” The confusion in this crisis seems much worse than in previous epidemics, McKinney said. When SARS hit in 2003 and the H1N1 flu virus erupted in 2009, “we turned to the professionals and listened to the CDC, to people who have established reputations for being credible and straightforward,” he said. Now, between the lack of certainty about how this virus will behave over time, the country’s sharp political polarization, and the widespread denigration of expertise in many fields, “people feel lost,” McKinney said. “They don’t know how to do the risk assessment.” To fill the gap created by a government that has seemed to be at odds with itself, medical organizations and individual scientists have taken to publishing their own guidance. The Texas Medical Association, for example, put out a chart ranking the risks of 37 everyday activities, from low-risk opening the mail and getting takeout food to the highest-risk choices of going to a bar or attending large religious services. “With no clear direction from the federal government . . . there’s no right answer,” wrote Ezekiel Emanuel, a health policy adviser to President Obama who developed a Covid-19 Risk Index. “You just need to know the risks and how much risk you’re willing to take.” Just as the Internet two decades ago opened the way for patients to search for data that had been available mainly to doctors, now the crosscurrents in government and science on


combating the coronavirus have created information anarchy. “This is very, very difficult for the layperson,” said Elliot Jacob, a microbiologist who is vice president of Medifocus, a Maryland company that guides lawyers through medical research. “We all saw those models of how many people would die — several million Americans in those early models. That scared a lot of laypeople into thinking, ‘Do the experts really know what they’re talking about?’ ” The Trump administration’s point man on the virus, Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been the target of attacks by the president and some of his advisers. Scientific studies have raised hopes about treatments and vaccines — and dashed them. That’s the nature of preliminary work, but in the meantime, the country’s institutions must make decisions. Sports leagues start and stop reopening efforts. Governors and mayors tussle over who can mandate safeguards. Schools and colleges announce one policy, then almost instantly pivot to another. “We’re dealing with irrationality on all sides,” said Babur B. Lateef, an ophthalmologist in Northern Virginia who is chairman of the school board in Prince William County and a member of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors. In both positions, Lateef said he hears from parents who insist that school reopen entirely in person (“Get my kids in five days a week or give me my tax dollars back,” one father demanded), and from those who tell Lateef “I’ll have blood on my hands if we bring students back to school.” Both sets of parents cite experts they’ve found online or on TV to back their positions. “They’re quoting people they’ve found on social media or seen on Fox News, but we cannot let ourselves be influenced by emotional tweets and frenzied posts,” Lateef said. “We have to look at the science, and we did surveys of students and teachers.” (Not that it settled anything: Students and teachers were both evenly split between those who favor in-person instruction and those who want an all-virtual approach.) For decisions about his family, Lateef and his wife, who is also a physician, rely on the Johns Hopkins University and University of Washington tracking sites and Virginia’s health department. He tries to steer clear of social media. But for his school board job, Lateef needs to keep an eye on what’s popular online. He knows that whatever course his


Updated forecast: Showers and thunder wane into the night; heat indexes near 105 again Wednesday

severe weather event this evening, it is the start of a stormy few days. And it will be gross out again tomorrow. Surprise, surprise. Listen to our daily D.C. forecasts: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Echo | More options Through tonight: View the Tomorrow (Wednesday): Showers and storms are likely to roll off the mountains to the west by afternoon or early evening. Given more moisture, they could be more intense than Tuesday’s. Some severe weather, with wind damage being the predominant risk, will be a good bet. See Matt Rogers’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For related traffic news, check out Gridlock. Pollen update: Stagnant air: Want our 5 a.m. forecast delivered to your email inbox? 8:30 p.m. - A new batch has blossomed locally The severe weather risk should generally be waning. That said, some new storms have fired up over western suburbs and they are now moving into the District. Overall, this activity is less intense than earlier storms, but heavy rain and lightning continue to be widespread threats. 7:55 p.m. - Storms passing through the immediate area The storm over northern suburbs has been warned. It may produce some hail to the size of quarters and isolated damaging wind gusts. It made quite the scene as it passed D.C., riding an outflow boundary which gave it some brief shape. ..Scroll to the bottom for prior storm updates... 7:20 p.m. - Storms passing through the immediate area The storm over northern suburbs has been warned. It may produce some hail to the size of quarters and isolated damaging wind gusts. 6:40 p.m. - Additional storms popping and moving east The storm which was severe warned in southwest suburbs is on the move eastward. Places like Mount Vernon and Alexandria should get some briefly heavy rain in addition to gusty winds and lightning with this storm. A new storm may be developing near Great Falls to the north, as well. 6:11 p.m. - Isolated severe storm has developed locally A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties until 7 p.m. A storm has rapidly developed over the area and could cause some damaging wind gusts as well as drop some hail to the size of quarters. Heavy rain may also become a concern due to slow movement.


Ever wondered why you can see the moon sometimes during the day?

Kids are often taught to associate the sun with the day and the moon and stars with the night. Yet why does the moon sometimes come out during the daylight hours? The answer is somewhat simple: The moon and stars are always somewhere in the sky, but we can’t always see them. "The sun is so bright during the day that it kind of drowns out the light from the moon and the stars," says astrophysicist Cheyenne Polius. She is president and co-founder of the Saint Lucia National Astronomy Association in the Caribbean region. During the new moon, the moon is between the sun and the Earth, the side of the moon that is lit by the sun is facing away from our planet. This means that the moon is still up there, but we can’t see it in the daytime, because all of the sun’s light is getting reflected away from us. As the moon continues in its orbit around the Earth, away from the sun, increasingly more of its sunlit surface is visible. This is why the moon sometimes appears as a crescent or half-moon. When it’s farther from the sun and visible above the horizon, it’s easier to spot during the day. “The best time to see the moon during the day is when it’s in the first and last quarter phases (90 degrees away from the sun) because that’s when we can see half of the moon’s lit side while the sun is still up,” Polius says. Then, halfway through its orbit, the moon is “behind” the Earth with respect to the sun, and we can see the entire surface lit by the sun. This is what’s known as a full moon, but it’s visible only at night. Usually, the moon travels at an angle that still allows sunlight to reach it when it’s behind the Earth. But a few times in the year, it passes behind the Earth at a precise angle where no light can reach it. This is what’s called a lunar eclipse. Not only does the moon appear to change shape by way of an optical illusion, it also appears to move across the sky. Just as the sun appears to “rise” and “set,” the moon’s daily trips across the sky are mostly created by the rotation of the Earth. The moon can also appear to change colors, says Polius. When it


Rep. Ocasio-Cortez says GOP congressman accosted her outside Capitol

In a confrontation overheard by a reporter Monday outside the Capitol, Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) “disgusting” and told her “you are out of your freaking mind” for describing poverty as a root cause of crime, prompting the congresswoman to later condemn what she described as Yoho’s “virulent harassment” of her. Yoho also used a sexist slur to describe Ocasio-Cortez once she was out of earshot, according to the Hill newspaper, which first reported on the exchange. According to the Hill, Yoho uttered the words “f---ing b---h.” A spokesman for Yoho denied that the congressman used the epithet and said he instead uttered the word “bulls---” to himself, describing his view of Ocasio-Cortez’s policies. Asked about Yoho’s reported comments, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) called them “despicable” and “unacceptable” and told reporters Tuesday that the lawmaker should be sanctioned by the House, although he did not provide any details on what form such a sanction might take. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he was going to meet with Yoho on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the incident. On Twitter on Tuesday morning, Ocasio-Cortez denounced Yoho’s behavior and criticized another GOP lawmaker, Rep. Roger Williams (Tex.), who was present for at least part of the exchange. “I never spoke to Rep. Yoho before he decided to accost me on the steps of the nation’s Capitol yesterday,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Believe it or not, I usually get along fine w/ my GOP colleagues. We know how to check our legislative sparring at the committee door. But hey, ‘b*tches’ get stuff done.” She accused Williams of joining Yoho in “yelling” at her and blasted the Texas Republican for later telling a reporter he had not been paying attention to the confrontation between the other two lawmakers. A spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. According to the report by the Hill’s Mike Lillis, the confrontation took place Monday when Ocasio-Cortez was ascending the steps outside the east side of the Capitol and Yoho, who was descending after a vote, approached her. Yoho told Ocasio-Cortez she was “disgusting” for recently suggesting that a crime spike in New York City amid the coronavirus pandemic may have been driven by unemployment and poverty. “You are out of your freaking mind,” Yoho said, and Ocasio-Cortez told Yoho he was being “rude,” according to the Hill. After


As the pandemic surges, there are three scenarios of what happens next

counts essentially to zero. That’s how these other countries have resumed most parts of pre-pandemic life. Their schools opened with few outbreaks; businesses are back; and large-scale events such as concerts are beginning to safely take place. There is an argument for a do-over — but this time, we all do it and we do it right. “The idea of a hard shutdown should be on the table,” says Andy Slavitt, former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “It would be more difficult and disruptive, but the short-term pain could bring the economy back more quickly.” An added benefit: If we were to reduce cases that much, we would have enough testing and contact tracing when reopening. 3. Whack-a-mole. Would this approach be sufficient? Perhaps, though the rebound that follows reopening would be much more rapid than with “full shutdown” since cases would not be fully suppressed. Problems of inadequate testing and tracing are almost certain to recur. There is also no evidence from other countries that such a piecemeal approach would work. Some states could get their infections under control but experience surges as a result of interstate travel. And even if political will exists to close businesses (and to offer necessary support for small businesses and employees), there will again be tremendous pressure to reopen before doing so is safe. So which scenario will it be? “This is America’s third strike,” says professor and epidemiologist Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota. First, the country wasn’t prepared for a pandemic. Next, the U.S. response was far from adequate — and we still lack a national strategy. Decision time has arrived. Is the specter of “status quo” bad enough to force an urgent course correction, or will complacency continue until death hits home for more families? It would take a lot to switch to “whack-a-mole” — and a “full lockdown” would save even more lives. Either way, we need to muster our collective willpower if we are to stop the death toll and destruction of covid-19. Read more: Leana S. Wen: Keep an eye on your coronavirus budget Rucha Mehta Shah: The horror of living with coronavirus asymptomatically Erin Marcus: I’m a doctor in Miami. Here’s how I know Florida’s covid-19 outbreak won’t improve any time soon. Paul Waldman: Could Trump’s handling of the pandemic have been any worse? Max Boot: Fauci is dead right:


Japan promises to ease no-entry restrictions on foreign residents stranded abroad

different rules apply. “My kids are asking about that. They are saying, papa, why are you treated in a different way than the Japanese?” he said. “I don’t know what to say to them. We are living here, we are working here, we are paying taxes. We are enjoying life in Japan.” Mroczek said he knew of Japanese people born and living abroad who are allowed to return here, while foreigners born in Japan are barred from crossing borders. “I am beyond disappointed,” he said. Business leaders say they understand that Japan wants to keep the virus out, with infections and deaths here a fraction of those seen in Europe and the United States. But they don’t understand why a system of testing and quarantining returning Japanese nationals can’t also be extended to foreigners living in the country. “It’s damaged [Japan’s brand] with those people who should have been its strongest supporters,” said Kopp. “People who have invested in learning the Japanese language, built their lives in Japan, who are contributing to Japanese society. Those are people who as a government it isn’t wise to alienate.” They include Alyne Delaney, an associate professor in cultural and environmental anthropology at Tohoku University who has been stranded in Denmark since a work trip in March. She draws a distinction between the “very disappointing” attitude of the Japanese government and that of the people of Japan “who I love and interact with.” Many have apartments in Japan they are still paying rent on, and bills to pay. Lee-Ann Haslam, a lecturer and artist, has been left to live on her savings, stranded at her mother’s home in Jamaica and unable to supply clients with her glass work. “It feels like Japan doesn’t have our back,” she said, “like we are persona non grata.” Julie Sergent, 29, works as a consultant for Japan’s hospitality industry. When her father died in France on April 27, the entire world was under restrictions, and she couldn’t make it back for his funeral. Since then, she has applied several times for permission to return to France to grieve for him, under a clause that allowed for exceptions to the ban for “humanitarian reasons.” The stress has had a serious impact on her mental health and ability to work, she said. On Tuesday, she was told a flat “no” to her latest appeal, on the grounds that the funeral


A hidden world, growing beyond control

hard to ferret out. But every so often, examples emerge. A recent one shows the post-9/11 system at its best and its worst. Last fall, after eight years of growth and hirings, the enterprise was at full throttle when word emerged that something was seriously amiss inside Yemen. In response, President Obama signed an order sending dozens of secret commandos to that country to target and kill the leaders of an al-Qaeda affiliate. In Yemen, the commandos set up a joint operations center packed with hard drives, forensic kits and communications gear. They exchanged thousands of intercepts, agent reports, photographic evidence and real-time video surveillance with dozens of top-secret organizations in the United States. That was the system as it was intended. But when the information reached the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington for analysis, it arrived buried within the 5,000 pieces of general terrorist-related data that are reviewed each day. Analysts had to switch from database to database, from hard drive to hard drive, from screen to screen, just to locate what might be interesting to study further. As military operations in Yemen intensified and the chatter about a possible terrorist strike increased, the intelligence agencies ramped up their effort. The flood of information into the NCTC became a torrent. Somewhere in that deluge was even more vital data. Partial names of someone in Yemen. A reference to a Nigerian radical who had gone to Yemen. A report of a father in Nigeria worried about a son who had become interested in radical teachings and had disappeared inside Yemen. These were all clues to what would happen when a Nigerian named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab left Yemen and eventually boarded a plane in Amsterdam bound for Detroit. But nobody put them together because, as officials would testify later, the system had gotten so big that the lines of responsibility had become hopelessly blurred. "There are so many people involved here," NCTC Director Leiter told Congress. "Everyone had the dots to connect," DNI Blair explained to the lawmakers. "But I hadn't made it clear exactly who had primary responsibility." And so Abdulmutallab was able to step aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253. As it descended toward Detroit, he allegedly tried to ignite explosives hidden in his underwear. It wasn't the very expensive, very large 9/11 enterprise that prevented disaster. It was a passenger who saw what he was doing and tackled him.


Southwest says it will no longer let travelers without masks fly, enacting the strictest policy among U.S. airlines

changes.” The policy is the strictest so far among U.S. airlines. Two other carriers, United and Delta Air Lines, have made similar changes to face covering policies. However, unlike Southwest, United and Delta may still allow some travelers to fly without wearing face coverings. Passengers flying Delta would have to undergo a separate screening process that could take more than an hour, the airline said. On United, customers will be reminded of the policy and could be denied boarding if they refuse to comply. Those with special medical conditions should contact the airline before their flights. As part of a revised policy announced Wednesday, United said face coverings also would be required in all areas of the more than 360 airports it serves. There is no federal requirement that air travelers wear masks when they fly, so airlines have largely been left to craft their own policies. A growing number of states, however, are now making masks mandatory. On Wednesday, governors in Ohio, Indiana and Minnesota made face coverings a requirement. Southwest is taking other steps to reassure travelers in the midst of a pandemic. The airline said that in early August, it will launch a pilot program at Dallas Love Field to screen passengers for elevated temperatures using thermal screening cameras. The pilot program would last from 30 to 90 days, airline officials said. “Southwest always operates a multi-layered approach to supporting the well-being of travelers and employees, which is especially important during the current COVID-19 pandemic,” Scott Halfmann, vice president of safety and security, said in a statement. “We are pleased to partner with Dallas Love Field on this pilot project as thermal screenings could be an important, additional layer of precaution that Southwest can offer customers starting at the very beginning of their travel journey.” Even with the launch of that program, the airline said it was still hopeful that the Transportation Security Administration would take on the responsibility for conducting the screenings. Southwest is among several U.S. airlines that have called on the agency to do so, given that it already conducts security screenings. However, the agency has not committed to launching such a program, saying that it is not clear it would be effective in identifying passengers who have covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Currently, Frontier Airlines is the only U.S. airline that does temperature screenings of all passengers before they board.


National Security Inc.

and four teammates from a private company, SRA International, teach these top-ranked staff officers to think in Web 2.0. They are trying to push a tradition-bound culture to act differently, digitally. That sometimes means asking for help in a public online chat room or exchanging ideas on shared Web pages outside the military computer networks dubbed .mil -- things much resisted within the Pentagon's self-sufficient culture. "Our job is to change the perception of leaders who might drive change," Saar said. Since 9/11, contractors have made extraordinary contributions -- and extraordinary blunders -- that have changed history and clouded the public's view of the distinction between the actions of officers sworn on behalf of the United States and corporate employees with little more than a security badge and a gun. Contractor misdeeds in Iraq and Afghanistan have hurt U.S. credibility in those countries as well as in the Middle East. Abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, some of it done by contractors, helped ignite a call for vengeance against the United States that continues today. Security guards working for Blackwater added fuel to the five-year violent chaos in Iraq and became the symbol of an America run amok. Contractors in war zones, especially those who can fire weapons, blur "the line between the legitimate and illegitimate use of force, which is just what our enemies want," Allison Stanger, a professor of international politics and economics at Middlebury College and the author of "One Nation Under Contract," told the independent Commission on Wartime Contracting at a hearing in June. Misconduct happens, too. A defense contractor formerly called MZM paid bribes for CIA contracts, sending Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who was a California congressman on the intelligence committee, to prison. Guards employed in Afghanistan by ArmorGroup North America, a private security company, were caught on camera in a lewd-partying scandal. But contractors have also advanced the way the military fights. During the bloodiest months in Iraq, the founder of Berico Technologies, a former Army officer named Guy Filippelli, working with the National Security Agency, invented a technology that made finding the makers of roadside bombs easier and helped stanch the number of casualties from improvised explosives, according to NSA officials. Contractors have produced blueprints and equipment for the unmanned aerial war fought by drones, which have killed the largest number of senior al-Qaeda leaders and produced a flood of surveillance videos. A dozen