Maryland biotech Novavax to lay off 30 percent of its workforce

Gaithersburg vaccine developer Novavax plans to dismiss 30 percent of its workforce after development of a critical vaccine stumbled in the final stages of regulatory review, the company announced as part of an earnings statement this week. The company indicated it would spend between $3 million and $4 million on severance expenses and other restructuring costs. About 160 people will lose their jobs in Maryland. “We will miss our colleagues who have helped us get this far and thank them for all their enormous contributions,” chief executive Stanley Erck said in a call with investors. “With hard work and a bit of good fortune, we hope to welcome them back in the future.” The company’s stock price lost 15 percent of its value the morning after announcing its third quarter earnings on Wednesday. The company reported a loss of $66.3 million — twice its financial losses last year — on revenue totaling $3.2 million. Such heavy losses are common among biotechnology companies, which spend tens of millions of dollars on research as they push new treatments through the Food and Drug Administration’s onerous review process. Biotech stocks tend to be especially volatile in part because the difference between wild profits and steep losses can hinge entirely on regulators’ approval. The downsizing is a blow to economic development boosters in suburban Maryland, who have touted the region’s biotech industry as a key creator of high-paying jobs. State and local officials in Maryland made a big bet on Novavax this summer when they approved $7.5 million in taxpayer-funded grants and loans to help the company pay for its expansion. The company signed a 14-year lease on a new 150,000 square foot office in Gaithersburg, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said in a statement at the time that Novavax would add up to 850 jobs and retain the 400 it then employed. That was before disappointing results from a trial of a key vaccine meant to treat Respiratory Syncytial Virus, a common virus that primarily affects infants and the elderly. The company failed to meet a critical milestone in proving the vaccine’s effectiveness in the last of three phases of regulatory approval, when the vaccine showed “low attack rates and absence of efficacy” in a trial results released in September. Investors soured on the company and its stock price immediately lost more than 80 percent of its value. This week Novavax said


Warren Buffett blames former Wells Fargo chief John Stumpf for bogus-accounts scandal

brand, Alibaba Group, said sales by the thousands of retailers on its platforms passed $13.4 billion in the first 15 hours of the event — more than four times the $3 billion that the comScore research firm says Americans spent last year on Cyber Monday. Rivals including JD.com, VIP.com and Suning offered deep discounts on clothing, travel packages, smartphones and other goods. Singles’ Day was begun by Chinese college students in the 1990s as a version of Valentine’s Day for singles. The Nov. 11 date was picked to be “11.11” — four singles. Originally, young people would treat each other to dinner or give gifts to woo that special someone to end their single status. — Associated Press Also in Business ● J.C. Penney Co. cut its forecast for sales this year, signaling that the department-store chain has more work to do in reviving consistent growth. Comparable-store sales will rise 1 percent to 2 percent in the year through January, the company said Friday. That’s down from a previous projection that they would increase up to 4 percent. Same-store sales fell 0.8 percent last quarter. ● Kenneth Cole is closing almost all its stores, effectively ending its run as a U.S. brick-and-mortar chain. The fashion house and shoe company will shutter its 63 outlet stores over the next six months, chief executive Marc Schneider said Friday. That leaves Kenneth Cole with just two full-priced U.S. stores, one in Arlington and one in New York City. The company will be focusing efforts on its e-commerce site and international business, Schneider said. ● Pfizer is to offer its pneumococcal vaccine at the lowest possible price to nongovernmental organizations seeking to protect vulnerable people from illness in humanitarian crises. In what it called a major expansion of its humanitarian assistance work, the drugmaker said its Prevnar 13 shot, which protects babies and children against pneumonia and other diseases, would be offered in a new, multi-dose vial at the lowest prevailing global price, currently $3.10 per dose. The move follows a similar action by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline. ● Airlines are dealing with another computer outage that is disrupting flight schedules heading into the weekend. American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines confirmed that a technology glitch briefly interrupted their operations on Friday, and other carriers may also have been involved. The problems seemed to have been fixed by midday, and airlines reported that flights


Autonomous vehicles could bring transit solutions to the whole region

California Gov. Jerry Brown, front left, rides in a driverless car to a bill signing at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., on Sept. 25. (Eric Risberg/Associated Press) The Nov. 7 Metro article “On the right track, or flights of fancy?” covered new transportation ideas for the D.C. region, including gondolas, ferries and a magnetic levitation train (known as maglev). Each of these focused on specific locations. The article completely missed, however, the change that could affect the entire region rather than just a few locations: autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles come in many flavors, with some practical already. Low-speed (up to 25 miles per hour) vehicles can provide service along an existing corridor at lower cost and greater frequency than many traditional options. That could work on, say, Columbia Pike. These vehicles can also link a community to existing rail transit or to job centers — in, say, Tysons Corner or Bethesda. They are in use in a growing number of locations, even though they fall short of the ultimate goal of being able to travel on any road at any time. In time, technology will allow faster speeds and an ability to cover roads beyond a defined region. Gondolas are an attractive — and even fun — option, but now is the time for the area to pursue tools that can provide benefits for all parts of the area, at a lower cost and in a shorter time frame. Richard Mudge, Potomac


Seal out pests, but don’t kill them

People walk around their neighorhood in Crofton, Md., on Jan. 22. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post) I must take exception to The Post’s misguided advice on how to “ward off pests” during winter preparations [“Don’t get left out in the cold when it comes to winter planning,” Local Living, Oct. 27]. Spraying insecticide and putting out mousetraps are ultimately pointless and cause unnecessary suffering and death for small creatures who mean us no harm. Insects will get in no matter what you do, and spiders are actually beneficial because they eat other bugs. Mice can be destructive, but the better approach is to keep them out by sealing potential access points around a home’s ground level. Random application of poisons and traps is also dangerous for other animals who normally stay outside. Is it really necessary for us to simply kill everything that might be bothersome? Eric Wenocur, Olney


Ready to see the most super of all supermoons?

For people who cherish superlatives, the skies have something to offer Monday morning, as the moon makes its closest approach to Earth in many years. It is expected to look unusually big and unusually bright. Monday’s full moon will be what lunar watchers have come to call a “supermoon.” It is the name given to the moon when it is both full and near its closest approach to Earth in a given month. The jaded and the moon-weary may scoff and note that we had a supermoon just last month, on Oct. 16. But Monday’s supermoon might be described as one of the most super of all supermoons. On its elliptical orbit, the moon will come to within 221,524 miles of the Earth. That’s not close enough to make anyone duck or cower. But those in the know say that it will be closer than at any time since January 1948, almost 69 years ago. The moon orbits the earth, but the dimensions of the orbit do not remain constant. Instead, gravitational tugs from other bodies in the solar system cause small variations in the size of the moon’s orbit, said Noah Petro, deputy project scientist for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. As a result, of the close approach, many of us on earth will be nearer the moon at 6:22 a.m. Monday than ever before in our lifetimes. In the East, the moon will have set Monday morning before it is totally full. But even if seen a little earlier, perhaps on Sunday night, or later, on Monday night, after it rises again, it is expected to be an uncommon sight. (Clouds permitting, of course.) Specialists say its diameter will look about 14 percent larger than when it is farthest from us. That translates to a 30 per cent boost in brightness, which could make the moon noticeable, memorable and highly visible.


Beer of the Week: Right Proper Brewing and Pizzeria Paradiso Maslow

collaborated with Right Proper Brewing — founded by former Paradiso employee Thor Cheston — on a farmhouse ale called Maslow, named after the creator of the hierarchy of needs theory. (Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post) Twenty-five years ago, chef Ruth Gresser opened the first Pizzeria Paradiso in Dupont Circle. Ten years ago, she turned the basement of the Georgetown location into Birreria Paradiso, one of Washington’s first craft-centric beer bars, helmed by beverage director Thor Cheston, who went on to found Right Proper Brewing. It seems only appropriate that as Paradiso hits the silver anniversary, it would celebrate by collaborating with Right Proper on a special house beer for the occasion. “I didn’t want to do a stereotypical ‘Paradiso’s house beer,’ ” says current beer director Josh Fernands. “I wanted something more esoteric.” After kicking around ideas, Right Proper head brewer Nathan Zeender decided to brew a tribute to the bar itself. “I was thinking about beers that go back to the early days at [Birreria] Paradiso, where I got my better beer education: [Jolly Pumpkin] Bam Bière, [Brasserie de la Senne] Taras Boulba, Allagash Wit,” he says. “Something in that tradition, with a sturdy amount of hopping.” The result is a farmhouse ale called Maslow, which Fernands named after psychologist Abraham Maslow, who created the theory of the hierarchy of needs. It’s well structured yet approachable, with aromas of lemon grass and citrus from Right Proper’s house yeast culture; spice from Sterling, German Tettnang and Cascade hops; and a lingering flintiness and minerality in the finish. Zeender also used wheat and flaked oats to make the body a bit softer. “It reminds me of all those wonderful Belgian beers I had 10 years ago in that basement in Georgetown,” he says. Maslow will be available at all three Pizzeria Paradiso locations (Dupont Circle, Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria) beginning Nov. 16, and it will be sold by the glass and growler at Right Proper’s brewpub in Shaw and brewery taproom in Brookland. The release comes with good news for beer fans in the Old Dominion: To get Maslow to the Old Town restaurant, Right Proper signed a deal with Fairfax-based Ferment-Nation distribution, which means more of the brewery’s boundary-pushing beers will be available in Virginia bars soon. — Fritz Hahn Right Proper Brewing and Pizzeria Paradiso Maslow. rightproperbrewing.com and eatyourpizza.com. About $6 per glass. More from Food: Beer Column archive


How a Trump presidency will affect 15 industries

think what the industry is concerned about is a partial repeal that takes away customers and doesn’t replace them with anyone.” Pharmaceutical companies saw a bright spot in the outcome. Public anger about high drug prices stoked worries about political reforms that might threaten their business model. Investors see a Trump presidency and a Republican Congress as a bulwark against government action to rein in prices. The wild card may be Trump, who has expressed support for Medicare to bargain on drug prices. — Carolyn Johnson (Rich Pedroncelli/AP) Marijuana Americans wake up Wednesday to find a drug policy landscape radically altered. California, Massachusetts and Nevada legalized recreational marijuana, while voters in a handful of Southern and deeply conservative states embraced medical marijuana with open arms. More than 1 in 5 Americans now live in states where the recreational use of marijuana is, or soon will be, legal. “This is the most momentous Election Day in history for the movement to end marijuana prohibition,” said Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project, which supported legalization initiatives. But jubilation over marijuana’s ballot wins was quickly tempered by the uncertain future marijuana faces under a Trump Justice Department. “The prospect of Donald Trump as our next president concerns me deeply,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “His most likely appointees to senior law enforcement positions — Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie — are no friends of marijuana reform, nor is his vice president.” Regardless of what happens at the state level, marijuana remains illegal for all uses under federal law. The Obama administration has officially adopted a policy of noninterference with state marijuana laws. The Justice Department’s position has been that as long as state legalization efforts did not threaten certain federal priorities — such as keeping marijuana out of the hands of minors, preventing driving while under the influence of drugs and keeping marijuana grow operations out of federal lands — it would exercise “prosecutorial discretion” and direct its limited law enforcement resources to other drug priorities, such as dealing with the opiate epidemic. Some congressional observers are skeptical that there will be any appetite in a new Trump administration for quashing marijuana reform. “Go against millions of supporters, against states’ rights, against where the public is?” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D.-Ore.). “It would be the beginning of tremendous problems for the Trump administration that they don’t need.”


Muslim Americans share the pain of having family convicted of supporting terrorism

of them, the group has become the only support system they have. In the decade following 9/11, as an increasing number of terrorism prosecutions cropped up around the country, civil liberties lawyers and activists noticed the need to support Muslim families with members who were targets of counterterrorism investigations. They created a group called the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms and, in 2012, held their first conference. “For a lot of us, it was the very first time we had met,” said Mariam Abu Ali, who maintains the innocence of her brother Ahmed, convicted in 2005 of plotting with al-Qaeda to kill President George W. Bush. “It was a breath of fresh air, a sense of finally finding the support that we had been seeking all along.” Abu Ali said she had heard of many terrorism cases in Virginia, where she lived at the time, but it wasn’t until the conference that she realized how many others were in her family’s situation. At the retreat, families participated in moderated discussions on different issues, including the criminal justice system. Many families shared their concern that their husbands and sons were “entrapped” by the government because paid informants were used to build cases against them. “Are we being treated as equal citizens as Somali Americans?” asked Harun Abdurahman, a senior in high school who was at the retreat with his father, Yusuf Abdullah. His brother, Zacharia Abdurahman, was one of the six men who pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State in the Minneapolis case. Abdurahman said there should be educational programs for young men such as his brother, not prison sentences. “I come to the conference to listen [to other people],” said Nadia Alessa, whose son Mohamed Alessa was convicted of conspiring to travel to Somalia to join the militant group al-Shabab. She was attending the retreat for the fourth time. “Some hurt more than I do. My son got 22 years, but some have life sentences.” They also discussed the stigma of terrorism. “I felt shunned by my Pakistani community,” said Shaheena Siraj, who lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, and whose son Matin was convicted of conspiring to plant explosives in a Manhattan subway station. “Many of my close friends don’t associate with me anymore,” said Yusuf Abdullah, 50, tall and thin in a purple flannel shirt. After his son’s plea, he said, he


Not getting enough out of running races? Walk.

and you hate it, then you should walk.” Just remember that there’s usually a maximum time allowed on a course, Jones adds, and stragglers may wind up on a bus. That’s one reason committed walkers may want to skip traditional 5Ks and 10-milers and instead try something like Avon 39. Over the course of the two-day event held in seven U.S. cities, including Washington, participants cover 39.3 miles. All of them are walkers — or what they call “39ers” — says Jill Surdyka, director of community engagement, who notes that their motivation usually comes from the mission, which is to raise money and awareness to fight breast cancer. “Some of the things people find appealing is that we’re not a race. There is no winner,” Surdyka says. “The majority do walk the full 39 miles, but if they decide not to, it’s okay.” However many miles they go, participants spend that time with a group of a few thousand other people, “hearing their stories and learning what’s moving them,” Surdyka adds. There’s an emphasis on doing it together, so anyone signing up without friends or family is encouraged to join the “Solo Strutters” team. “It’s not an easy event,” Surdyka says. “But if you’re looking to a run a marathon, this isn’t what you sign up for.” Avon 39 is what helped Leigh Helberg, 44, get comfortable with becoming a walker. The Los Angeleno got into running a bit later in life — she was in her 30s when she went for her first jog. Within a few months, however, she had crossed the finish line of the L.A. Marathon. She soon was signing up for races of all distances and often ending up on the winner’s podium. She bought books about running, redesigned her diet to improve her times, and put stickers that said “26.2” and “Marathon Mom” on the bumper of her car. And then she was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 39. Helberg instead was racing through surgeries, including a bilateral mastectomy and a hysterectomy. At first, Helberg tried to keep up her old habits in her new reality. She remembers being so determined to get a good time at a breast cancer 5K that she didn’t care about anything else. “As people were walking hand in hand, I was pissed off and shoving them. All I could think in that moment was, ‘Get out


Prince William County news in brief

as part of a fill-the-truck charity campaign. Chamber hosts a panel discussion on the Manassas Airport The role of the Manassas Airport in local economic development will be the subject of a Prince William Chamber of Commerce program Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the City Palace event center, 9720 Capital Ct., Suite 107, Manassas. The event includes a buffet lunch and will feature a panel discussion with Juan Rivera, the airport’s director; Bolling DeSouza, managing partner of AeroSolutions; Philip Rogers, co-founder and president of Optical Air Data Systems; and others. Tickets are $55; chamber members $40. For information or tickets, call 703-368-6600 or visit pwchamber.org. Recycling campaign focuses on food and beverage cartons American Disposal Services, headquartered in Manassas, has partnered with Carton Council, a carton-recycling nonprofit, to launch a campaign to increase the recycling of food and beverage cartons, including those containing milk, orange juice and broth. According to American Disposal Services, recycling cartons helps reduce waste in landfills and also allows natural resources to be reused, as cartons are recycled into paper products such as paper towels, napkins and building materials. For information, visit recyclecartonseastcoast.com. Registration for spring semester at NVCC begins Monday Open registration for Northern Virginia Community College’s spring semester begins Monday. The 16-week semester starts Jan. 9. Students may register at any of the six campuses or at nvcc.edu. Thanksgiving warning: Be careful with turkey fryers The Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue is warning residents about the dangers of turkey fryers. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the incidence of home fires more than doubles on Thanksgiving, resulting in injuries, property loss and even deaths. Turkey fryers contribute to the statistic, the fire administration says. Officials warn that: →Hot oil can spill or splash and start a fire. →Fryers designed for outdoor use are prone to collapsing. →Cooking oil is combustible, and its vapors can ignite. →Frozen or partially frozen turkeys will cause hot oil to splatter or produce hot steam, which could lead to burns. →Hot cooking oil exposed to snow or rain can splatter, which could lead to burns. →Oil inside a pot can remain dangerously hot for hours after use. →Fryers should not be used in or under a garage, deck, breezeway, porch, barn or any structure that can catch fire. →Water should never be used to extinguish a grease fire. — Compiled by Sarah Lane


Japan’s prime minister hopes to start building ‘trusting relationship’ with Trump

Friday. However, she added that Japan is already paying its fair share toward base costs. Analysts here are less guarded, hoping that Trump will temper his position once he appoints staff and starts receiving policy briefings. “We don’t really know whether Trump means what he said during the campaign,” said Akira Sato, a ruling-party lawmaker who served as vice minister of defense until last year. “He’s a businessman, so it’s possible that he’d not be so knowledgeable about security issues.” Japan allocated $1.9 billion in its last budget for the American bases, which house almost 50,000 U.S. personnel, although its total contribution, including other costs like civilian salaries, is more than double that. South Korea, which has about 28,500 American troops, pays almost $900 million, or 40 percent of the total cost, for the bases it hosts. The installations serve as forward operating bases for the U.S. military in the Asia-Pacific region, helping to contain a nuclear-armed North Korea and, increasingly, a more muscular China. Analysts say that it’s possible that the U.S. government under Trump will charge its allies more for the cost of the military bases, but almost all agree that Trump is unlikely to order them closed. “Japan shouldn’t take his remarks at face value,” said Masashi Nishihara, president of the Research Institute of Peace and Security in Tokyo, adding that Trump said all sorts of “wild things” on the campaign trail. “Having American forces in Japan is not only good for Japan but also for the U.S., which needs to keep an eye on North Korea, China and the Indian Ocean,” Nishihara said. Abe, who made a similar point in parliament Monday, will be able to set this explanation process in motion during Thursday’s meeting, Nishihara said. But a more immediate issue to tackle will be Russia. Trump has made his admiration for Putin clear, saying in an NBC forum in September that he “has been a leader far more than our president has been,” and Abe has also been pursuing closer ties with the Russian president. Putin will travel to Japan in mid-December, visiting a hot-spring resort with Abe in his home prefecture, then holding a day of meetings in Tokyo. Putin is said to be particularly eager to see Japanese companies invest in Russia’s Far East and has requested meetings with big-business representatives. “Abe will want to know how far and how fast Trump


Ask Amy: Dad reneges on help with daughter’s down payment

Dear Amy: I am a 28-year-old woman, working at a job I love. My father routinely lies to me. When I was growing up he sold his business for several million dollars. He chose not to pay his taxes, invested the money, lost it all and then kept it hidden from my mother until the truth came out that he was under IRS investigation. He has always been secretive and deceptive with his money, hiding money in the ceiling, taping it to the backs of photo frames and opening secret bank accounts and bragging that my mom didn’t have access. Fast-forward 10 years. My parents are divorced. I paid my own way through college, spent four years in counseling and am in the process of buying my first home. My dad agreed to give me $10,000 toward my down payment in lieu of contributing toward a wedding. Two weeks later he denied ever having that conversation. Last month, he was bragging about saving more than $75,000 in 2015. He says he received approximately $500,000 in inheritance. When my offer was accepted on a home, I let him know that I needed him to write the check. He accused me of being “manipulative” and “backing him into a corner.” Now I am angry and bitter. I don’t know if I should still try to work toward having a healthy relationship, or back off with the realization that his money is more important to him than keeping his word. What do you think? Sad Sad: According to you, he has always lied, cheated and lost when it comes to money. You should not have any financial dealings with him. Furthermore, you should check your own wallet after spending time with him. He sounds like an operator. Dear Amy: Every three years I visit my home town and stay with my brother and his wife for about 12 days. I make a sincere effort to be considerate, giving them space, doing some cooking and buying supplies. I take them out to dinner and rent my own car. This year they took time off from their business to gadabout with me. I was thrilled they could join me, because visiting them (and other family members and friends) is why I go home. On my departure day, my brother told me which washing cycle to use for washing the sheets. I put the sheets in


In the hot D.C. dining scene, the allure of the power restaurant is waning

by this city’s version of the royals are surprisingly few. Sure, there’s a fresh crop of big, luxe new dining houses: Le Diplomate. Maestro’s and Joe’s. Rasika West End. Fiola Mare. And there are the classics, tried and true. Cafe Milano. Tosca. The Palm. (Always, always, the Palm.) How the incoming Trump administration will affect the D.C. dining scene remains to be seen, particularly given that the president-elect himself has a taste for McDonald’s, meatloaf and Oreos, and not small plates or Mid-Atlantic, foraged cuisine. Inside his massive hotel just blocks from the White House, on Pennsylvania Avenue, is a steakhouse, a class of eatery that has long reigned in Washington. But on the whole, it’s as if the city has been drained of the kinds of places where your name and ever-so-slightly Botoxed mug might net you fawning attention, and your favorite wine is poured before you’ve even ordered it. The notion that we are still that sort of power-dining town, Villamora says, is “an easy cliche about the Washington restaurant scene.” The inevitable caravan of new staffers and return of the Republican establishment to Washington might return the power restaurant to prominence. But there’s plenty of evidence that it won’t. Restaurateurs say that the congressional schedules of recent years have lawmakers spending more time at home than hobnobbing in steakhouses in Washington. And when they are in town, they’re going Dutch, thanks to ethics rules that read like commandments. But the most noticeable threat to the spend-and-be-seen crowd? All the new restaurants. The hot Washington restaurants name-dropped by Bon Appétit and Michelin aren’t the sorts of places where lobbyists post up with a steak and a cigar. They’re on Barracks Row or Ninth Street NW, in Shaw, even in an alley once known as an illicit skateboarder hangout. There’s Kyirisan in Shaw; Maketto on H Street NE. Tail Up Goat in Adams Morgan. Bad Saint, a 25-seat nook of a restaurant, is in Columbia Heights. And if few of them are rolling out the red carpet for the media elite or the usual lawmaking suits, there are some that even dare to shun them outright. Shaw Bijou, which opened this month amid a storm of angry hellfire over its pricey tasting menu, recently announced a members-only program. But rather than sign up the usual suspects, the owner told Washingtonian magazine that the restaurant’s VIPs will be selected on


Trump’s denial of catastrophic climate change is a clear danger

change isn’t a distant concern; it is a clear and present danger. Mr. Trump may not believe that, but the generals in the Pentagon have no doubts. A Pentagon report says that climate change is an “urgent and growing threat to our national security.” In January, Pentagon officials were instructed to include climate change in every decision, from readying troops for battle to testing weapons. As environmentalist Bill McKibben pointed out last week, climate change is already here. The world’s global warming — and the melting of the Arctic ice caps — are now occurring at a much faster rate than scientists previously predicted. Most of the summer sea ice in the Arctic has melted. That’s enough heat, McKibben reports, that record-warm water swept across the Pacific this spring, killing “vast swaths of coral.” That’s enough heat to already cause steady increases in droughts and shocking downpours and floods in wet areas. It has already begun to raise the levels of the ocean. Scientists now suggest that, even with the Paris climate talks, we are on a trajectory to increase the Earth’s temperature 3.5 degrees Celsius or more. If we do that, many cities around the world will be underwater. Under Obama, the United States played a leading role in getting China — and eventually India — to join the 2015 Paris agreement, with countries pledging carbon reduction commitments needed to keep the world from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius. Many scientists believe that goal is not enough, but meeting even that level will require dramatic and immediate action. One-hundred-and-nine countries responsible for nearly eighty percent of greenhouse-gas emissions have now ratified the agreement, enacting it into international law. The United States represents about 20 percent of the pledged reductions of world greenhouse-gas emissions. Much of this will come from Obama’s Clean Power Plan, designed to enforce Environmental Protection Agency standards on carbon emissions, calling on the states to reduce power plant emissions by 32 percent by 2030. In the campaign, Trump announced that he would seek to repeal the Clean Power Plan and withdraw from the Paris agreement. He has also pledged to go forward with the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, to slash investment in climate research and development in renewable energy and efficiency innovation, to open up leasing of oil, gas and coal on federal lands onshore and offshore and to revive coal. He has


House GOP not conservative enough? Rep. Andy Harris says he can fix that.

spat with the District over marijuana in 2014, when he led the opposition to legal pot shops in the nation’s capital. He has likened the proliferation of medical pot to telling patients to chew on mold instead of taking penicillin. “I’m sorry that in contradiction to the best new medical evidence that states decide to go ahead and approve recreational marijuana which has proven to be incredibly detrimental to developing brains,” he said of votes in California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine last week to approve recreational marijuana. “I think we should very, very carefully consider the expansion of what has to be considered a dangerous drug.” The congressman is also determined to fight D.C. efforts to achieve statehood — even though voters in the city overwhelmingly approved a statehood referendum last week. “I still think founders got it right in making a federal enclave that is not a state,” Harris said. “Go back and read the Federalist Papers that deal with it. . . . People have a choice. They can move to any of the other 50 states.” During the interview, Harris displayed the type of loyalty that he would bring to the RSC when asked to weigh in on criticism that Trump’s new chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, is a racist, an anti-Semite and a white nationalist. In his answer, Harris invoked the debate over mandated insurance coverage of birth control, which he has compared with the government burning churches in his mother’s native Ukraine. “The postelection rhetoric has been pretty hot,” he said. “It’s very interesting that the same people who would be very willing to deny religious freedom to people who hold deeply held religious beliefs on certain issues all the sudden want to criticize others with very little evidence. That’s pretty hypocritical, if you ask me.” Turning to the economy, Harris said his top priority is reducing the deficit, which debt hawks say could be a challenge if Trump pushes a big infrastructure bill at the same time he tries to cut taxes. Harris said that he sees no conflict and that he expects Trump’s plan to rely on private funding and tax credits, unlike what he describes as the Democrats’ deficit-busting stimulus bill. He noted that the president-elect is emphasizing expanding military installations and creating jobs, focuses that are popular on the Eastern Shore. “Large parts of my district really do look like the


China’s most-wanted corruption suspect repatriated from U.S. after 13 years on the run

Australia. The ruling Communist Party’s anti-corruption wing, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said Yang had surrendered to authorities, abandoning her “resistance” after she was promised “lenient treatment in accordance with the law.” The CCDI said Yang had decided herself to withdraw her application for asylum in the United States. In July, her attorney was quoted as saying that the 70-year-old’s health had started to deteriorate and that she wanted to return to China for medical treatment. She was the 37th fugitive to return so far under what China initially dubbed Operation Fox Hunt, which expanded into Operation Skynet. The search for corrupt officials and business people who have fled abroad is part of President Xi Jinping’s signature campaign against corruption. Yang’s brother, regional official Yang Jinjun, was the first suspect on the list to be sent home from the United States, repatriated in September 2015 for U.S. immigration violations. After Chinese authorities began investigations against her, Yang fled first to Hong Kong in 2003, before heading to Singapore, France, the Netherlands and Italy, the CCDI said in a statement. News reports Last year, she told Reuters that the most-wanted fugitives list was a political document targeting enemies of the Xi administration rather than a roster of true criminals. She claimed to have been arrested when she tried to enter the United States using a false passport, although China said she was placed in custody when Chinese officials gave U.S. law enforcement officials evidence of her crimes. Concern about the Chinese legal system, where torture is thought to be widespread and where trials directed by the Communist Party are lacking in due process, is partly why China does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. But U.S. officials, under considerable pressure from China, have said they would consider Chinese requests to repatriate suspects if they received credible evidence against them. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Yang’s surrender had been secured under the U.S.-China Joint Liaison Group on Law Enforcement Cooperation. “Her return is an important achievement of China-U.S. law enforcement cooperation on fighting corruption,” he said at a regular news conference. “China appreciates and thanks the assistance and cooperation offered by the United States and other countries.” A Chinese police official was elected president of Interpol last week, alarming rights advocates who worry that the global police organization could be used to attack Xi’s political opponents.


Missing University of Maryland student found

Kaitlyn George, a University of Maryland student who had been reported missing, is safe, university police said. (University of Maryland) A University of Maryland student who had been reported missing has been found, according to authorities. Few details were immediately available as to where Kaitlyn George had been found. But police at the University of Maryland at College Park campus said in a Twitter message that she was okay. They also said they expect to release more details later. Police had said they did not suspect foul play in her case. George had been reported missing about 6:30 p.m. Thursday. She was supposed to meet a friend about 5 p.m. at the Eppley Recreation Center to go on a hiking trip. When she didn’t show up, her friend reported her missing to campus police. Later, police released surveillance footage showing her in various areas, including in Baltimore on a bus and outside a marina.


Montgomery County Animal Watch

This case was received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Silver spring Dog attack: Cats at no-kill shelter Cats and kittens will be available for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County’s no-kill shelter at the following location. For information, call 301-740-2511 or visit awlmc.org.Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County no-kill shelter, 12 Park Ave., Gaithersburg. Hours: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday; noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. Humane Society adoptions The Montgomery County Humane Society’s private rescue shelter has dogs, puppies, cats and kittens available for adoption. Call 240-252-2555 or visit mchumane.org.MCHS Adoptions and Education Center, 601 S. Stonestreet Ave., Rockville. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except holidays. Reduced FEES FOR CATS Cats and kittens will be available for adoption at the next open house of Friends of Montgomery County Animals at the following location. Call 301-977-4833 or visit fmca.org or facebook.com/fmcainfo.PetSmart at Milestone Center, 20924 Frederick Rd., Germantown. Hours: 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


Former embassy becomes a stylish residence

The Flemish Revival-style townhouse was built in 1908 and once served as the Libyan Embassy. It is now a private residence. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) In the early summer of 2007, H. Keith Powell was driving down Massachusetts Avenue just north of Sheridan Circle in Northwest Washington and noticed a sign in front of a white brick building. “It said something about an auction or foreclosure on a building that was right next door to the home of some friends of ours,” says Powell, 58, who heads Potomac Maritime, a ship-brokerage firm. “The building was very run-down and in horrendous shape.” The building was a Flemish Revival-style townhouse built in 1908 that once served as the Libyan Embassy. When Powell drove by, it had been unoccupied for 25 years following the end of the U.S. government’s diplomatic relations with Libya in 1981. Powell was curious and arranged a walk-through. He began negotiating with the owner of the property, a real estate developer who had bought the building from the Libyan government and hoped to turn the 4,600-square-foot, four-level property into condos — a plan doomed from the start because of zoning restrictions in the neighborhood. The building’s roof had been leaking for years, as pigeons and raccoons moved in. One of the side walls of the structure had partially collapsed, requiring a temporary fix that the State Department arranged so the house next door wouldn’t be damaged. To keep the building from going to auction, Powell had to make a successful offer and convince his wife, Marianne Powell, 55, that buying it was a good idea. With a deadline clock ticking toward the auction, Powell made his case. “He told me I had six or seven hours to decide if we wanted to take on the project,” says his wife. “In the end, I said, ‘Go for it.’ ” The property closed for $2,265,000, and Powell began assembling a dream team of architects, builders and designers to transform his Embassy Row problem child. He knew Anthony “Ankie” Barnes of Washington-based Barnes Vanze Architects socially and called him in for a consultation. “It was the worst semi-abandoned house I’ve even been in,” Barnes says. “The back of the house was so dangerous you couldn’t walk into it — it was literally falling down.” H. Keith and Marianne Powell painstakingly restore long-vacant building in Northwest Washington. Powell spent the next five months


Trump shouldn’t ditch the press

President-elect Donald Trump with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at the Capitol. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images) FOR THE second time since his election last week, President-elect Donald Trump broke with long-standing norms Tuesday to elude the small group of reporters assigned to cover his movements. “Give me a break!” was the response of one of his sons in dismissing as no big deal the family’s unannounced excursion for dinner. But the public should be concerned that Mr. Trump has so little regard for its right to information that he would allow the release of misleading notices to shield his activities. Like it or not, there are obligations to the office to which he has been elected. Mr. Trump should respect them if he is to have any credibility. After refusing to let the media travel with him last week when he met with President Obama at the White House, Mr. Trump Tuesday again ditched the reporters assigned to watch him. His spokeswoman told the press pool there would be no more news or travel for the evening — and Mr. Trump then departed with his family for the 21 Club, a restaurant near his Trump Tower residence. He spent some two hours there. Journalists became aware that he was leaving home only when they spotted the large motorcade. A reporter who happened to be dining at 21 spotted Mr. Trump, tweeting a picture that sent pool reporters scrambling to get in place. The press pool is a vital tool in keeping Americans informed. In case of an emergency, it is on hand to provide timely and important information. Think, for example, of 9/11 and how the country was helped by knowing where the president was and what he was doing. Equally important is the day-to-day information that is provided about where the president is, what he is doing and whom he is meeting with. Lest anyone think the reporters Tuesday night were planning on pulling up a chair and having a steak with Mr. Trump, the pool is normally kept away in a separate room or vehicle to allow the president privacy. Mr. Trump is not yet president, but the information protocols of the office still apply. His spokeswoman in an email to us on Wednesday said that the next administration intends “to follow precedent in regards to access as soon as possible.” That commitment is reassuring. It should take


The United States needs to hold Russia accountable for its aggression

seminal event as the democratic election of the American president was nothing short of astounding. The United States therefore needs to formulate an immediate and comprehensive international response to Russian aggression. First, we need to send a resolute message that Russia’s domestic tyranny and international belligerence have consequences. And we must make abundantly clear that there is a cost to attacking the United States, whether accomplished by a MiG or a mouse. We should consider expanded sectoral sanctions and targeted sanctions on individuals found to be complicit in crimes and atrocities, across a range of options to include the Russian energy sector and prohibiting U.S. participation in the purchase of Russian debt bonds. Second, we need to be there for our friends. Our allies in Central and Eastern Europe have been on the front lines of Russian interference. The Obama administration rightly provided considerable security assistance to these countries through the European Reassurance Initiative. But in addition to that initiative, we need a comparably resourced European Democracy Initiative, which would bolster those democratic institutions vulnerable to Russian pressure. Third, we must support the embattled human rights defenders inside Russia who continue to face growing repression from the state. Ildar Dadin is one such example. His recent letter from prison, in which he describes physical and psychological torture at the hands of prison guards, reminds one of similar missives from Alexander Solzhenitsyn in the Soviet Union or Wei Jingsheng in China, who wrote “The Courage to Stand Alone.” Today’s activists are living through bleak circumstances, but it is our obligation to speak out on their behalf and pressure Russian human rights violators by using the Magnitsky Act to the fullest extent. My policy positions on Russia are likely not in line with President-elect Trump’s vision at this time. But, I believe that these core values — speaking out against violations of international law, war crimes and human rights violations while standing up for democracy, accountability and freedom of speech — must be at the forefront of America’s foreign policy agenda, a view shared by many in the Senate on both sides of the aisle. I hope the president-elect and his team will work with us in areas where we can find common ground, but I will not hesitate to conduct rigorous oversight if these values are compromised. Read more here: The Post’s View: Trump’s election threatens human rights around the world


Congressman John Lewis, Colson Whitehead win National Book Awards

I just want to let everyone know that I spent years looking at the absolutely worst of America and its horrific history of racism, but in the end, I never lost faith that the terror of racism would one day end. Because for every racist idea, there was a nonracist idea. And in the midst of the human ugliness of racism, there is the human beauty of the resistance to racism. That is why I have faith, and I’ll never lose my faith.” Daniel Borzutzky won the poetry prize for “The Performance of Becoming Human.” His success was a special triumph for Brooklyn Arts Press, a small press run from a New York apartment. All finalists received $1,000 prizes. Each winner received $10,000. Biographer Robert A. Caro accepted the National Book Foundation’s medal for distinguished contribution to American letters. In accepting the lifetime achievement award, Caro recalled a dark moment when New York City urban planner Robert Moses told him that neither he nor any of his relatives or friends would ever talk to him for his planned biography. But Moses eventually changed his mind, and Caro’s resultant book, “The Power Broker,” won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for biography. He went on to write four volumes of “The Years of Lyndon Johnson.” The third volume of his series on the U.S. president won a Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2003. “It’s been a great journey,” Caro said. “I’ve always loved finding things out and trying to explain them.” Cave Canem, a nonprofit group founded to nurture the work of African American poets, received the National Book Foundation’s Literarian Award for service to the American literary community. MacArthur Fellow “Genius Grant” recipient Terrance Hayes, one of the earliest instructors at Cave Canem, presented the $10,000 prize, the first time the Literarian Award had been awarded to an organization instead of to an individual. Cave Canem was started 20 years ago by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady “to remedy the underrepresentation and isolation of African American poets in the literary landscape.” In her acceptance speech, Derricotte noted that just last year, Cave Canem participants had won a National Book Award, a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award. This was the first NBA ceremony since Lisa Lucas became the foundation’s new executive director in March. Comedian Larry Wilmore hosted the ceremony with a heavy dose of anti-Trump jokes. Ron Charles


Bear mauls woman in Maryland driveway in ‘rarest of rare’ attack

released. The other two cubs, all likely about 10 months old, also were spotted and determined to be in good health — and able to live on their own. Maryland’s bear population was considered endangered several decades ago but has since rebounded. While the bear population is more dense in western Maryland, bears occasionally are spotted in suburban Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. In Osborne’s neighborhood, wildlife officials said bear sightings are common. Officials and neighbors said the same sow that attacked Osborne — recognized by her limp — had also invaded a nearby chicken coop. “This bear has been seen multiple times by other homeowners,” Peditto said. “She had some interactions in the past there.” Bears typically aren’t aggressive in nature, but if they are routinely fed by humans, experts say, they will become accustomed to the food. Then the bear “expects to get a free handout and goes searching for the food,” Peditto said. He said there is no evidence that anyone had been feeding bears in Osborne’s neighborhood. Wildlife officials said there are cases each year of black bears attacking humans in North America. Typically, attacks involve someone trying to get too close — or accidentally stumbling into the middle — of a sow and her cubs, experts said. In the Frederick case, Peditto called it a case of being “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He said the dogs’ barking likely seemed threatening to the sow, then when Osborne appeared, that “raised the threat level from the bear’s perspective,” Peditto said. The dogs weren’t injured. Carol Folio, one of Osborne’s neighbors, said the attack serves as a reminder to be cautious, especially at night. She said she and her husband have lived in the area for nearly 40 years, with about 10 patio or backyard bear sightings. About a month ago, she said, her husband was gardening and turned to stand when he noticed a bear about 10 feet away. “He said he asked the bear, ‘What are you doing here?’ ” Folio recalled. It turned away and headed for the woods. Read more: ‘He’s figured out the big roads’: Black bear spotted nine times in suburbs Man kills 650-pound black bear while hunting This black bear was rescued after a milk jug got stuck on its head A dog in Great Falls has a big claw mark after a battle with a bear


Who needs a Nobel Prize? Who is Elena Ferrante? And other literary news in 2016.

Bob Dylan was named the winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016, in a stunning announcement that for the first time bestowed the prestigious award to someone primarily seen as a musician. (Chris Pizzello/AP) Jan. 4 Jan. 11 Jan. 17 Feb. 10 Feb. 19 Feb. 19 March 4 March 17 March 26 March 31 April 6 April 18 June 10 July 2 July 17 July 27 July 23 July 30 Aug. 2 Aug. 19 Aug. 20 Aug. 22 Sept. 3 Sept. 8 Sept. 14 Sept. 16 Sept. 16 Sept. 22 Sept. 24 Oct. 2 Oct. 13 Oct. 24 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 READ MORE: Notable fiction books in 2016 Notable nonfiction books in 2016 Best audiobooks of 2016 Best Science fiction and fantasy books of 2016 Best mystery books and thrillers of 2016 Best poetry collections of 2016 Best romance novels of 2016 Best memoirs of 2016 Best children’s and young adult books of 2016 Best graphic novels of 2016


Marijuana won big on election night: Four books to help process our new reality

Election? Major bummer, dude. But the big winner? Marijuana. New legalization measures mean that more than 20 percent of Americans now live in states where the recreational use of marijuana is, or soon is likely to be, legal. The city of Denver went so far as to approve a law allowing people to use marijuana at bars, restaurants and in other public spaces (with caveats). Four recent books about cannabis, although widely divergent in tone, show us how pot has gone mainstream and how to live — and cook — in this buzzy new world. “Marijuana: A Short History,” by John Hudak. (Brookings Institution) Just the existence of John Hudak’s book “Marijuana: A Short History” (Brookings; paperback; $14.95) is a sign of changed times, given that it is published by the normally staid Brookings Institution. Hudak’s title there is senior fellow in governance studies, and he writes like one: a little dry, but thorough and clear. His book is a concise and useful overview of the medical properties, history and legal issues around marijuana, and is thus excellent for anyone wanting a brief yet authoritative guide to the topic once considered the province of criminals, musicians and burnouts. A careful center-left technocrat, Hudak writes of trends in cannabis legislation and production, praising cannabis “entrepreneurs” who “have invested in development and become more innovative,” demonstrating “the laboratories of democracy at work.” Published just before the election, Hudak’s book was prescient. “Jesse Ventura’s Marijuana Manifesto” (Skyhorse, $24.99; with Jen Hobbs), perhaps not surprisingly, takes a less measured tone. Here, the former professional wrestler and former Minnesota governor unleashes an enthusiastic, if somewhat incoherent, jeremiad against the strictures of prohibition. Ventura’s scattershot arguments are fueled by a disconcerting mix of libertarianism and conspiracy-theory paranoia, and buttressed by citations that range from legitimate journals to websites of somewhat less rigorous standards. His manifesto is riddled with exhortations such as “think about it” and “get this” and “let me tell you,” along with profuse sprinklings of exclamation points — the prose equivalent of repeated elbow jabs to the ribs. Despite this, Ventura is not without a shaggy charm, especially when imparting admittedly ironclad observations such as, “Give a guy a joint, some Jimi Hendrix music, and a pizza, and that guy will be entertained for hours.” Unruly as his rhetorical strategies are, Ventura is ultimately quite convincing about the ineffectuality of the War on Drugs,


3 small-house champagnes you’ll want to have on hand

Exceptional Excellent Very Good (Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post) Who can have too much champagne? This week’s recommendations include three: the Jean Vesselle and Gonet-Medeville are “grower” champagnes, denoted by the difficult-to-read, minuscule production codes on the label that begin with “RM.” — Dave McIntyre Jean Vesselle, Oeil de Perdrix Brut NV Champagne, France, $47 Oeil de Perdrix, or “eye of the partridge,” is a type of rosé with a pale pink, almost bloodlike tinge. It has a sexy, silky texture that grabs your attention, but also intellectual stuffing to sustain the conversation through a long, lovely evening. Alcohol by volume: 12 percent. Distributed by Dionysus: Available in the District at Arrowine and Spirits, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Rodman’s, Whole Foods Market (Foggy Bottom, P Street); on the list at RPM Italian Cafe. Available in Maryland at Balducci’s and Bradley Food & Beverage in Bethesda, Dawson’s Market in Rockville, Finewine.com in Gaithersburg, Wine Source in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington, Balducci’s (Alexandria, McLean), Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean, Unwined (Alexandria, Belleview), Vinosity in Culpeper, Whole Foods Market (Arlington, Alexandria). Gonet-Medeville Rosé Extra Brut Premier Cru NV Champagne, France, $60 This gorgeous premier cru rosé champagne bursts with strawberry and red currant flavors, backed by firm acidity and an elegant finish. ABV: 12.5 percent. Distributed by Elite: Available in the District at Wide World of Wines; on the list at Et Voila, Malmaison. Available in Maryland at Bin 201 Wine Sellers and Wine Cellars of Annapolis in Annapolis, Viniferous in Frederick; on the list at Magdalena in Baltimore, Petit Louis Bistro in Columbia. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington; on the list at L’Auberge Chez François in Great Falls. Domaine du Pas de L’Escalette, Petits Pas 2015 GREAT VALUE Languedoc, France, $20 Julien Zernott and Delphine Rousseau are among my favorite producers in Languedoc. This tasty, velvety blend based on grenache calls for a hearty stew or roast. ABV: 13.5 percent. Distributed by Elite: Available in the District at Cork & Fork, Metro Wine & Spirits; on the list at La Piquette, Macon Bistro & Larder, Petit Plats, Zentan. Available in Maryland at Cork & Fork in Bethesda, West Street Liquors and the Wine Bin in Annapolis; on the list at B Bistro in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington; on the list at Ashby Inn in


One thing the election didn’t change: Our shopping habits

A Walmart worker organizes products for holiday shoppers at a Walmart store in Teterboro, N.J. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters) The surprising presidential election results may have changed a great many things: your dinner table conversations, for example, and the kinds of posts in your Facebook feed. But executives at major retailers say they’re betting that the political climate will do little to alter your shopping habits this holiday season. “We haven’t really seen any noticeable change in sentiment in our customers,” said Greg Foran, Walmart’s U.S. chief executive, on a Thursday conference call when asked whether the election would have an effect on the business. Foran’s comments echo what Brian Cornell, the chief executive of Target, said Wednesday when asked a similar question. “We remain very optimistic about the holiday season,” Cornell said, referencing economic factors such as a low unemployment rate. Both retailers reported relatively upbeat earnings results this week, adding to evidence that the retail industry is headed into the holiday shopping season with a tail wind. In its U.S. division, Walmart saw a 1.2 percent increase in comparable sales, a measure of sales online and at stores open more than a year. The uptick came as the retailer did a better job of keeping store shelves well-stocked, and as its online sales heated up. This time around, e-commerce accounted for a greater share of the growth on this metric than in any previous quarter. Still, profit declined as the big-box chain invests in raising wages for its workers and in building out technology and infrastructure to strengthen its digital business. Walmart’s revenue was $118.2 billion, up 0.7 percent from the same period last year. (Adjusting for currency fluctuations, revenue was $120.3 billion.) Profit slipped 8.2 percent, to $3.03 billion, or 98 cents a share. Target, meanwhile, reported improvement on some key measures: Foot traffic to its stores grew in the most recent quarter, and strong sales during the busy back-to-school shopping season helped narrow its decline in comparable sales. The retailer said it also has benefited from a recent change to its marketing tactics, in which it has moved to put a bigger spotlight on value and low prices. Target recorded a profit of $608 million ($1.06 per share) for the three months ending Oct. 29, up from $549 million (76 cents per share) a year earlier. Target’s revenue slipped to $16.4 billion, a 6.7 percent decrease from the


That rescue dog doesn’t need a home. He needs a flight companion to get there.

pup, smiling at his windshield-wiper tail. I returned Max to the vet for his final night in Colombia. Shawna-Lee White and Maureen Cattieu, right, of Cartagena Paws, wish Max bon voyage at the airport in Cartagena, Colombia. Washington Post reporter Andrea Sachs transported the puppy to the United States for adoption. (Andrea Sachs /The Washington Post) Kim Rodeffer holds up sign celebrating Max’s arrival at Reagan National Airport. She then drove him to his new home in San Antonio. (Andrea Sachs /The Washington Post) Max received a jubilant send-off at the airport, complete with bon voyage poster and kisses from Maureen. At security, I carried him through the X-ray machine and tucked him into his carrier while we waited to board. Before takeoff, he poked his head out of the open top like a periscope, surveying the alien landscape of a Boeing 737. In Atlanta, I stepped up to the immigration desk with confidence. The officer noted the “yes” I had checked under “bringing meats, animals, animal/wildlife products” and reminded me, “Do not forget the pup.” I followed the green agriculture sign to an officer who barely glanced at the folder. Before permitting us to leave, he warned me to keep the puppy in his carrier. Fear of biting or barking? I asked. No, he didn’t want Max to mark where other dogs had marked before. We had three hours before the next flight, so I gave Max a tour of Hartsfield-Jackson. I took him to the outdoor pet-relief area, where he flirted with a dog named Paisley, who was returning from three months in Antigua. I introduced him to duty-free shopping and treated him to a grilled chicken roll-up. On the plane, the flight attendants doted on him. After landing, he strutted down the aisle like Gigi Hadid. At Reagan Airport, we waited outside for the next member of Max’s village to arrive. A little after midnight, Kim Rodeffer drove up. We photographed him with a sign that read, “Max is in Washington D.C.” A week later, I watched an online video of Max racing around the backyard of his new home. His Colombian tail was wagging wildly against the Texas sky. More from Travel: Around the world in 20 days: How to visit seven countries in one 21,623-mile adventure This isn’t Darwin’s Galapagos: The wildlife-rich islands are more tourist-friendly than you think Still finding kicks on Route 66


If there’s a Trump bump for restaurants, Georgetown is first in line

restaurants followed, and so did the rowdy, drunken 20-somethings of the early Aughts. But with the closing of several major restaurants, including Citronelle, as well as the attention paid to 14th Street and Shaw, Georgetown hasn’t gotten as much attention in recent years. Even before the election, big-name restaurateurs made plans to branch into the neighborhood. José Andrés recently announced he would move America Eats Tavern from Tysons Corner to Georgetown. His former Minibar chef, Johnny Spero, is opening Reverie there next year. A longtime liquor license moratorium for the neighborhood expired this year, opening the door to more restaurants and bars. Lauren Boston, communications director for the Georgetown Business Improvement District, resisted the idea that the neighborhood’s fortunes might be tied to Trump. “We have a diverse political spectrum here and welcome everyone to dine and shop in Georgetown,” she said. The dining room at BLT Prime, overlooking the lobby of the Trump International Hotel. (Dixie Vereen/for The Washington Post) The Obama Effect Trump himself may never even set foot in the neighborhood. His effect on the local restaurant scene certainly won’t echo that of the Obamas, who are credited with breathing new life into boring old Washington. But many changes attributed to the Obama Effect are the result of market forces — an improving economy, a nationwide trend of young people moving into urban centers, and the fruition of developments, such as CityCenter, that had been planned during the Bush years. “We all love the involvement that the president had in the city, but I would not say that the boom happened because of that alone,” Andrés said. “Washington, its destiny was to have the boom. I was opening restaurants before Obama came here.” Still, the Obamas’ presence at a restaurant was a boon for business. “They were young, they dined out, they wanted to be part of the city,” said Ashok Bajaj, owner of the Oval Room, Rasika and other restaurants the Obamas visited. “They visited those places and gave their endorsement. It’s very good for me.” If there’s a Trump Effect, it’s likely to mostly benefit BLT Prime in the Trump International Hotel, which has the potential to become the center of the Republican social scene. Jane Freundel Levey, a historian for the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., imagines “little bursts of Trumpian socializing and excess” there. Nuschese, on the other hand, says that because the


Washington Post bestsellers: Nov. 20, 2016

By Nina George. Monsieur Perdu owns a floating bookstore on the Seine, which he takes to the south of France. [6] Nonfiction/General 1. MINDSET: THE NEW PSYCHOLOGY OF SUCCESS (Ballantine, $16). By Carol S. Dweck. [74] 2. ALEXANDER HAMILTON (Penguin, $20). By Ron Chernow. [52] 3. MILK AND HONEY (Andrews McMeel, $14.99) By Rupi Kaur. A collection of poetry and prose about survival. [22] 4. THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE TRIPOLI PIRATES: THE FORGOTTEN WAR THAT CHANGED AMERICAN HISTORY (Sentinel, $17). By Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. [4] 5. YOU ARE A BADASS: HOW TO STOP DOUBTING YOUR GREATNESS AND START LIVING AN AWESOME LIFE (Running Press, $16). By Jen Sincero. [35] 6. THE 5 LOVE LANGUAGES: THE SECRET TO LOVE THAT LASTS (Northfield, $15.99). By Gary D. Chapman. [200] 7. JUST MERCY: A STORY OF JUSTICE AND REDEMPTION (Spiegel & Grau, $16). By Bryan Stevenson. [29] 8. THE NEW JIM CROW: MASS INCARCERATION IN THE AGE OF COLORBLINDNESS (New Press, $19.95). By Michelle Alexander. [20] 9. TRUMP: THE ART OF THE DEAL (Ballantine, $16.99). By Donald J. Trump and Tony Schwartz. The mogul and president-elect on closing the deal. [2] 10. MICHELIN GUIDE WASHINGTON, DC 2017 (Michelin Travel Publications, $12.95). By the editors of Michelin Travel Publications. [5] Hardcover Fiction 1. NIGHT SCHOOL (Delacorte, $28.99). By Lee Child. A jihadist sleeper cell might have recruited an American. [1] 2. THE WHISTLER (Doubleday, $28.95). By John Grisham. A Florida judge may be taking mafia-linked bribes. [3] 3. THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE (Little, Brown, $29). By Michael Connelly. Harry Bosch looks for a mogul’s long-lost love child. [3] 4. THE CHEMIST (Little, Brown, $28). By Stephenie Meyer. An agent for the government’s most secret agency knows too much and must be eliminated. [1] 5. TWO BY TWO (Grand Central, $27). By Nicholas Sparks. A man loses everything but tries to keep life normal for his daughter. [6] 6. SMALL GREAT THINGS (Ballantine, $28.99). By Jodi Picoult. A black nurse stands trial when the baby of white supremacists dies in her care. [3] 7. THIS WAS A MAN (St. Martin's, $28.99). By Jeffrey Archer. The concluding volume of the Clifton Chronicles. [1] 8. THE AWARD (Delacorte, $28.99). By Danielle Steel. A woman, who joined the French resistance during World War II, is accused of collaborating with the Germans. [2] 9. AT THE SIGN OF TRIUMPH (Tor, $27.99). By David Weber. A church,


When a homeless alcoholic bounces in and out of the ER

the ability of the states to enforce laws against public intoxication — sometimes known as being drunk and disorderly — was upheld in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Powell v. Texas. Powell was an alcoholic who was often intoxicated in public and frequently arrested for this offense. As a result, he had accumulated a significant amount of fines that he was unable to pay. His lawyers argued that the state was punishing him for a disease. The Supreme Court disagreed; it ruled that making public intoxication a crime did not violate the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. By the early 1970s, the sentiment that alcoholism is a medical condition instead of a crime was taking hold. Alcoholism treatment and research had come under the umbrella of the medical profession and were increasingly being funded through the newly formed National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In 1971, the Uniform Alcoholism and Intoxication Treatment Act was drafted. The legislation urged states to set up continuities of care, which would place a publicly intoxicated person in detox instead of jail and later place the person in a longer-term sober residential treatment facility, though the specifics were to be determined by the states. Most of them enacted laws based on the 1971 act. Police departments and jails were more than willing to punt homeless alcoholics back to the health-care system for treatment. Soon, many states were struggling to fund the large number of detox beds they needed. At the same time, private hospitals were generally not willing to admit patients for alcoholism. Large detox programs funded by states or cities were replaced by ones run by smaller nonprofit community organizations. With Providence having no centralized detoxification program and a robust modern ED, it was no surprise that Mr. P wound up with my colleagues and me. Too late Mr. P died last autumn, having collapsed at a bus stop not long after being discharged from my ED. He was in cardiac arrest when help arrived, and he was brought to us, intoxicated and dead. It was unclear whether he had aspirated vomit into his lungs, had had a heart attack, or both. Our attempts to resuscitate him lasted for hours. In the years leading up to this moment, we had been unable to improve his life and health. Now, in cardiac arrest, Mr. P finally had a condition that


Trump may be Mr. Brexit. But his election could scramble Britain’s post-E.U. plans.

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump welcomes pro-Brexit British politician Nigel Farage to speak at a campaign rally in Jackson, Miss., on Aug. 24. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) LONDON — He was perhaps the biggest foreign cheerleader for Britain’s departure from the European Union before the country voted, and he celebrated on Scottish soil when it opted to get out. He says he wants to do a trade deal with Britain, and he invited a British politician to be his first international visitor upon winning the White House. In many ways, Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election would seem to be a boon for Britain as it prepares to file its divorce papers with the E.U. Boris Johnson, Britain’s voluble foreign secretary, said as much, calling it “a moment of opportunity.” But rather than grease Britain’s exit path, Trump’s elevation to the peak of U.S. power could make this country’s already tortuous road to Brexit even rougher. Reactions such as Johnson’s, said Queen Mary University of London politics professor Tim Bale, are merely “a front” that masks a deep anxiety among British officials over whether Trump can be trusted. “I think there’s an awful lot of nervousness in government and more generally, mostly down to the unpredictability of the guy,” Bale said. That worry is being felt worldwide. But in London, it is especially acute. Since World War II, Britain has positioned itself as the bridge linking the United States to Europe, with sturdy ties on either side. But now both ends of that connection are looking creaky. Britain’s June 23 decision to exit the E.U. has set the stage for years of complex — and potentially acrimonious — breakup negotiations in which most of the leverage lies with Europe. The continent’s leaders have taken a hard line in the months since the vote, insisting that Britain will not get the sweetheart deal it has sought. Brexit advocates have played down any concerns over strained relations with Europe, insisting that Britain outside the E.U. has the chance to reassert itself in the wider world — particularly in the Anglosphere with countries such as Canada, Australia and, most important, the United States. President Obama delivered a blow to that theory in the spring when he urged Britons to vote against an exit and said the country would need to go “to the back of the queue” in negotiating a free-trade deal


HBO’s ‘Marathon’ documentary artfully explores a sense of magnitude

be viewed as a thoughtful study of the lessons of magnitude. While the film (airing Monday night) dutifully examines the motivations and actions by the Tsarnaevs and the “Boston Strong” movement that sustained the city through its grief, “Marathon’s” emotional heart rests in its sympathetic portraits of three families that were at the finish line that day. There are the Corcorans — Celeste and her husband, Kevin, with their adult children Sydney and Tyler. Celeste lost both legs and Sydney suffered critical injuries. And there are the Norden brothers, Paul and J.P., who lost their right legs. “Marathon” is careful not to present the stories of their recoveries as anywhere near complete, impressing upon the viewer that an event like this is never finished for the victims. That aspect is most evident in the story of Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, who open their lives the most to Stern and Sundberg’s camera. Jessica and Patrick, who were newlyweds in 2013, each lost a leg in the bombings. Patrick’s recovery and rehabilitation is quicker than Jessica’s; she undergoes numerous unsuccessful surgeries to save her other leg, in a valiant attempt to live up to all the Boston Strong-ness playing out around her, putting a primacy on full recovery and moving on. She yearns desperately for the kind of media-friendly ending that her husband presents, particularly when he runs in the 2016 marathon to much acclaim, including her tearful, undying support at the finish line. It was easier, she says, to play the part of strong survivor than to be honest about her setbacks. There’s a subtle but important message here that prefers real life over tidy conclusions. These people will never be the same, even with all the care, support, donations and attention they’ve received. “Marathon” does what it can to make you feel good about the human spirit, but it is also willing to concede that platitudes only go so far. You can only imagine what “Marathon” might look like to someone living in Syria, but that’s another of the unknowable mysteries of magnitude. Jessica and Patrick joined another family, who lost their son, in asking that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev be spared the death penalty and instead get a life sentence. Other victims understandably want to see Tsarnaev die. It’s another way “Marathon” artfully demonstrates just how personal our senses of ramification and closure can be. Marathon: The Patriots Day Bombing


FSO trades timidity for vigor after intermission

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein supplied the passion missing from the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1. (Lisa-Marie Mazzucco) Can that have been the same ensemble and the same conductor? The same Fairfax Symphony Orchestra that opened its concert Saturday with such a pallid reading of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 — but then returned after intermission to deliver a performance of his First Symphony full of passion and vigor? What an opening Brahms crafted for this concerto, with timpani roaring and the rest of the orchestra declaiming abrupt, emphatic shouts of confidence. But conductor Christopher Zimmerman barely broke a sweat here at the George Mason Center for the Arts. Seeming anything but confident, he conducted for correctness. He took the first movement slowly, as if to assure that every grace note was in place, every dynamics marking adhered to — and they were. But after a musician attends to all the stuff that’s in the score, there’s the rest, the actual music, and that’s what was missing here. Attacks may need more or less weight. An ensemble moves in time but on the eager front edge of the beat or, maybe, as if reluctantly, on the trailing edge. Zimmerman always took a middle ground, and it was a pretty uptight, emotionless one. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein, on the other hand, did her best to supply the musical heat, playing as if backed up by the most supportive orchestral partner. She was by turns explosive and lyrical. Cascades of chords emerged with a power undiminished by their clarity, and she was able to make the quietest lines speak eloquently. It’s too bad the FSO didn’t emulate her. The orchestra’s metamorphosis over the intermission was startling. It took off on the symphony as if hungry for all the excitement, grace and lyricism it had to offer. Zimmerman, anything but careful, led the way, sometimes sacrificing precision for passion but always reaching for what the music had to say. Even the horn player, who was so reticent in the concerto that he could barely be heard, did himself proud here. The performance was an example of what the FSO, at its best, can do.


Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concludes centennial season with energy and style

Marin Alsop, shown conducting the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in rehearsal, led the orchestra in the world premiere of T.J. Cole’s “Double Play.” (Chris Lee) When the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra played its inaugural concert in 1916, it was the first orchestra in the United States established solely as a municipal entity. Since then, the BSO has made vast amounts of music, in its home city and region, on national and international tours, and in broadcasts and recordings. Saturday night the BSO and its 12th music director, Marin Alsop, wrapped up their year-long centennial celebration with a rich, high-energy program at Strathmore. “Double Play,” by T.J. Cole, one of 10 composers commissioned to write works for the centennial year, had its world premiere. Cole used the song of the Baltimore oriole as some of her thematic material in a beautifully orchestrated score that was witty, succinct and great fun to listen to. John Adams’s “Absolute Jest,” a 25-minute concerto for string quartet and orchestra, composed for the San Francisco Symphony four years ago, was given its local premiere, with the St. Lawrence String Quartet as the dynamic soloists. Calling “Absolute Jest” a mash-up of Beethoven, particularly the Ninth Symphony and his late string quartets, doesn’t do it justice. It is at once very funny, deeply serious, manically obsessive and, not least of all, a sensuous delight for the ear. The synergy between the solo quartet and the orchestra was breathtaking. After intermission came Beethoven’s actual Ninth Symphony. The Baltimore Choral Arts Society and soloists Katie Van Kooten, Elizabeth DeShong, Joshua Guerrero and Reginald Smith joined with the orchestra. Alsop opted for a lean, concise reading, more straightforward than philosophical. If one occasionally missed a closer focus on detail, the score’s profoundly humanistic message was handsomely conveyed. Van Kooten and Smith were particularly admirable in their respective soprano and bass solos, while the beautifully prepared Baltimore Choral Arts sang magnificently.


For Obama, a bittersweet farewell from the world stage

that has gained currency worldwide, and the fact that social-media discourse makes no distinction between fact and fiction. Throughout it all, Obama made appeals to Trump as he fended off questions about how his successor would rewrite U.S. policy on trade, immigration, the environment and other issues. At one point, he plaintively predicted that reality would force Trump to adjust his approach to problems he has promised voters he would easily solve. “And I’ve said before, if these issues were easy — if ensuring prosperity, jobs, security, good foreign relations with other countries — if all that was simple, then it would have been done by every previous president,” he said at a news conference Sunday. “And I’m a pretty good presidential historian; I’ve looked at my 43 predecessors, and it seems like for all of them — even the best ones — that you end up confronting realities that you didn’t anticipate.” Obama faced the same predicament as both of his immediate predecessors: He hoped to make one final mark on the world stage even as a very different president, from the other party, waited in the wings. Bill Clinton journeyed to Ireland and Britain, in part to make the case for the Northern Ireland peace accord that his administration had brokered. But he ended up staying up most of the night while visiting then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie Blair, at Chequers, watching Vice President Al Gore concede the 2000 presidential election after the Supreme Court’s ruling on the outcome in Florida. Although George W. Bush emerged the victor that December day, he experienced an even more fraught final trip eight years later, when he journeyed to Iraq and Afghanistan to visit U.S. troops and negotiate the withdrawal of forces from Iraq. Standing at a news conference beside then-Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Bush was nearly hit by a shoe thrown by a reporter, Muntadhar al-Zaidi — the worst expression of contempt in Iraq. “This is a farewell kiss!” Zaidi yelled at first, unsuccessfully throwing a second shoe before Iraqi security officers tackled him. For Obama, the crowds were friendlier than they were for Bush — but they were much smaller than when he started his political rise in 2008. As he traversed Athens for a day and a half, the city’s residents were barely visible — largely because of security measures imposed by the Greek


Trump’s climate plan might not be so bad after all

solution. Climate economists have found that green energy R&D investment would be a much more efficient approach. This is very much in line with Trump’s campaign promise of “investment in research and development across the broad landscape of academia” and with its suggestion that we could develop “energy sources and power production that alleviates the need for dependence on fossil fuels.” This investment in U.S. ingenuity could help innovate the price of green energy down below fossil fuels. Only then will we truly be able to stop climate change. Statements by Trump’s campaign also indicate that the next administration will create a global development and aid policy that recognizes that climate is one problem among many. Asked about global warming, the campaign responded, “Perhaps the best use of our limited financial resources should be in dealing with making sure that every person in the world has clean water. Perhaps we should focus on eliminating lingering diseases around the world like malaria. Perhaps we should focus on efforts to increase food production to keep pace with an ever-growing world population.” This would be a big change. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development analyzed almost all aid from the United States and other rich nations and found that about one-fourth is climate-related aid. This is immoral when 2 billion people suffer from malnutrition, 700 million live in extreme poverty and 2.4 billion are without clean drinking water and sanitation. These problems can be tackled effectively today, helping many more people more dramatically than “climate aid” could. Despite its length, and for all of its heat and bluster, the election campaign left many unanswered questions and understandable concerns about the president-elect’s positions on climate change, aid and development. But, surprisingly, there is now an opportunity. To seize it, the Trump administration needs to go beyond just dumping the ineffective Paris agreement, to an innovation-based green energy approach that will harness U.S. ingenuity. Far from being a disaster, such a policy could mean a real solution to climate change and help the world’s worst-off more effectively. Read more on this topic: Bill McKibben: Donald Trump is betting against all odds on climate change Katrina vanden Heuvel: Trump’s denial of catastrophic climate change is a clear danger Michael Gerson: It’s time for conservatives to end the denial on climate change Fred Hiatt: Even ExxonMobil says climate change is real. So why won’t the GOP?


The sole survivor of a family killing spree wonders: ‘Why am I the one who was left?’

for decades kill his wife, his son and then himself? For Laila, the doubt and grief are compounded by the fact that she is suddenly, irrevocably alone. “Why am I the one who was left?” she asked. “We were all together, all the time. It should have been all of us. I don’t get why I am still here.” The Siddique family on the day of Nasir's retirement from the Army in 2010 — from left, Nasir, Laila, Zarqa and Farhad. (Family photo) ‘Quite disturbed’ In a photo from his retirement ceremony in 2010, Nasir Siddique stands ramrod straight in his dark blue Army dress uniform, his lieutenant colonel’s silver oak clusters shining. Next to him smiles Laila, at 19 taller than her father. Next to her is her mother, Zarqa, and then a baby-faced Farhad in a baggy white shirt and crimson tie. Nasir’s military career was an unlikely one. There are fewer than 6,000 Muslims serving in the armed forces. When Nasir enlisted in 1981, following in the footsteps of his older brother Aasi, the number was even smaller. Nasir was not a brawny soldier. He was barely 5-foot-4 and never saw combat, instead specializing in budgeting and monitoring air quality on bases. He became a U.S. citizen in 1984 while on active duty at Fort Riley in Kansas. Three years later, he earned a degree in engineering from Kansas State University and a promotion to second lieutenant. “He wanted to make one-star general,” Aasi Siddique said. It wasn’t long before Nasir added another title: husband. He met Zarqa at a family wedding in Pakistan. She was nine years younger with striking, wide-set eyes. They exchanged love letters in Urdu before marrying in his home town of Sahiwal in 1989. Laila was born two years later; Farhad in 1996. They were a Muslim military family trying to fit in with those around them. Laila’s earliest memory is of her parents stringing up Christmas lights at their house in Davenport, Iowa. She was in fifth grade when the Pentagon and the World Trade Center were attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. Her father, assigned to Aberdeen Proving Ground, explained to her that people might see or treat them differently now. At work, Nasir stressed the values Islam shared with Christianity and Judaism. When Pakistani friends sent him articles criticizing the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, Nasir politely ignored them. And


Montgomery County Animal Watch

No case reports were available from the Montgomery County Animal Services Division for today’s Local Living. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Humane Society adoptions The Montgomery County Humane Society’s private rescue shelter has dogs, puppies, cats and kittens available for adoption. Call 240-252-2555 or visit mchumane.org.MCHS Adoptions and Education Center, 601 S. Stonestreet Ave., Rockville. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except holidays. Reduced FEES FOR CATS Cats and kittens will be available for adoption at the next open house of Friends of Montgomery County Animals at the following location. Call 301-977-4833 or visit fmca.org or facebook.com/fmcainfo.PetSmart at Milestone Center, 20924 Frederick Rd., Germantown. Hours: 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Cats at no-kill shelter Cats and kittens will be available for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County’s no-kill shelter at the following location. For information, call 301-740-2511 or visit awlmc.org.Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County no-kill shelter, 12 Park Ave., Gaithersburg. Hours: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday; noon to 3 p.m. Saturday; 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


New recruitment drive indicates deep manpower problems in Syria’s army

Army is facing a serious manpower shortage due to defections, desertions, draft evasion and casualties,” said Faysal Itani, a resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, a Washington-based think tank. Syria already conscripts men 18 and older into the army. Before the war, that service would last for two years. Now, many conscripts say they have served much longer, with no sign of discharge on the horizon. Men of fighting age are routinely picked up from checkpoints if their names are on a list of wanted conscripts. But others are unable to avoid the draft. Men fleeing military service are dotted throughout the Syrian diaspora. Many have been able to defer military service with a payment of $300, but not all have been as lucky. George, 35, a laborer from the western province of Homs, said he was arrested as he tried to leave Syria. In an interview in Turkey earlier this year, he described how he had been flown first to the northeastern city of Qamishli and later to the eastern province of Deir al-Zour. There, he manned a checkpoint facing an Islamic State position. “It was terror every day,” he said. “They knew I was a Christian, and I feared for my life.” Fighters have even been recruited from the prison population. Three inmates freed from the Adra Central Prison near Damascus told The Washington Post that prison officials had offered cellmates their freedom in return for a commitment to fight. More than 100 men had accepted, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. With the Syrian economy in free fall, the Damascus war effort has been bolstered by two powerful militia forces — known as the Tiger Forces and the Desert Hawks — that pay higher salaries and allow recruits more freedom to reap the spoils of war, taking bribes at checkpoints and looting areas newly retaken from the armed opposition. In an apparent attempt to circumvent that, the military’s statement Tuesday said state employees would retain the right to benefits they were already receiving through their jobs. Itani said the provision appeared aimed at “sweetening the deal,” adding that the announcement may also be a concession to one of the government’s key military allies, Russia. “Russia has preferred to deal with state institutions over militia, but that hasn’t always been practical due to the composition of forces fighting


How the son of an African goat herder became a Nobel Prize contender

Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Daniel A. Anderson/UC Irvine Communications) Chandrahas Choudhury is the author of the novels “Arzee the Dwarf” and the forthcoming “Clouds.” Ngugi Wa Thiong’o is Africa’s most celebrated novelist, a writer and activist who has been a perennial favorite to win the Nobel Prize in literature. For more than five decades, Thiong’o has in his novels (“Weep Not, Child,” “Petals of Blood”), plays (“The Black Hermit,” “The Time Tomorrow”) and essays (“Barrel of a Pen”) sparked much fruitful discussion and controversy about power and justice in colonial and post-colonial Kenya and — in a literary version of the same question — the place of English vis-a-vis other languages in modern African literature. In the late ’70s Ngugi, an outspoken dissident, was incarcerated for a year in a maximum-security prison and upon his release had difficulty finding work in his home country. Now a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of California at Irvine, he has published two memoirs of his early life — “Dreams in a Time of War” (2011) and “In the House of the Interpreter” (2015). “Birth of a Dream Weaver” is the third of this important and moving trilogy chronicling Ngugi’s life story. “Dream Weaver” focuses on Ngugi’s time at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. A swift-moving portrait of the artist as a young man, it describes the profound ripening of his artistic and moral consciousness. Indeed, it’s a book that should be read by any young person contemplating a degree in the humanities. But for the full force of its majestic revelations and wrenching insights about selfhood, literature, history and politics, one should give a whole weekend to Ngugi and read its prequels first. "Birth of a Dream Weaver: A Writer's Awakening," by Ngugi wa Thiong'o (The New Press) In those books, we saw the boy Ngugi among a vast brood of siblings in the large, raucous rural homestead of his father, a goat-herder. He is suddenly cast out when his mother, one of four wives, flees after being beaten by her husband. It’s the 1940s, the world is at war, and Kenya is an impoverished colony of Britain, with a nascent freedom struggle masterminded by an outlawed group called the Land and Freedom Army, or the Mau Mau. The young Ngugi is poor and often hungry, the captive of a present “born of the power plays of the past.” He


How America harnessed its resources to forge a new kind of empire

Andrew Carnegie, center, in front of a railroad tunnel under construction in 1885 in Pennsylvania. (Associated Press) David Oshinsky, director of the Division of Medical Humanities at the NYU Langone Medical Center, is the author of “Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America’s Most Storied Hospital.” In February 1941, as the armed forces of Nazi Germany, facist Italy and imperial Japan gobbled up great chunks of the globe, Time-Life publisher Henry Luce penned an editorial that resonates to this day. Calling upon Americans to accept their unique responsibilities and God-given destiny, he wrote: “Throughout the 17th Century and the 18th Century and the 19th Century, this continent teemed with manifold projects and magnificent purposes. Above them all and weaving them all together into the most exciting flag of all the world and of all history was the triumphal purpose of freedom. It is in this spirit that all of us are called, each to his own measure of capacity, and each in the widest horizon of his vision, to create the first great American Century.” Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Steven Hahn would respectfully disagree. Freedom has long been among the most elusive of our national goals, far from triumphant, he argues in “A Nation Without Borders,” a massive and masterly account of America’s political and economic transformation between 1830 and 1910. As to the first great American century, Hahn is certainly partial to the 19th — the one, he says, in which the United States harnessed its unrivaled resources to forge a new kind of empire. What happened afterward was simply an extension of what came before. Hahn, a recent addition to the history department at New York University, where I hold a part-time appointment, views the American experience as a continuum of an imperialist ideology dating back to our British forefathers. Expansion of one sort or another, he insists, is part of our national DNA. Whether clearing Native Americans from their land, obtaining close to 800,000 square miles from France in the Louisiana Purchase, or defeating Mexico in a one-sided fight that added Texas, California and much of the Southwest to the American map, the pursuit of empire — or Manifest Destiny — became a unifying force, supported by merchants looking for new markets, slaveholders dreaming of new possibilities in far-flung places like the Caribbean and small farmers seeking no more than a plot of land to till.


Trump backs away from some of his strident campaign promises

similar interrogation techniques in the questioning of suspected terrorists. “Don’t tell me it doesn’t work — torture works,” Trump said in February at a retirement community in South Carolina. “Okay, folks? Torture — you know, half these guys [say]: ‘Torture doesn’t work.’ Believe me, it works. Okay?” But Tuesday he suggested he might have changed his mind after interviewing a leading candidate for secretary of defense, retired Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, who headed the U.S. Central Command. Mattis argued that he had never found harsh interrogation techniques “to be useful,” Trump said, adding that the retired general preferred building trust with “a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers.” “I was very impressed by that answer,’’ Trump said. Trump spoke extensively about the implications of an unprecedented situation in which a businessman with global holdings will sit in the Oval Office. That prospect has prompted criticism that there will be inevitable conflicts of interest. His election, Trump acknowledged, has been good for his business, making the name that he emblazons on his properties and markets through his licensing agreements “a hotter brand than it was before.” As he plans his presidential transition, Trump remains involved in several of his private enterprises. He held a meeting at Trump Tower with three business partners building a Trump property south of Mumbai. His new hotel in Washington, just blocks from the White House, last week invited about 100 foreign diplomats to hear a sales pitch. It also raised eyebrows when Trump’s daughter Ivanka, a vice president at the Trump Organization, attended his meeting last week with the Japanese prime minister. While no statute specifically requires divestment by the president, all of them in modern history have put their assets under independent management, generally through a blind trust. The concern is to avoid running afoul — in actuality or appearance — of laws against bribery and other forms of corruption in dealings with corporations, foreign entities and powerful interests. Trump noted that he has turned the management of his businesses over to his children, giving him a requisite distance from the operation, but he protested: “If it were up to some people, I would never, ever see my daughter Ivanka again.” But his comments fueled more criticism. “Donald Trump campaigned against a culture of self-enrichment in Washington and pledged to ‘drain the swamp,’ but made clear today that he doesn’t think