The Silicon Valley food start-up best known for its vegan mayo thinks it can cure malnutrition in Africa

and consistency of soft polenta. The porridge is made from cassava, red palm oil, sugar, salt, a soy protein concentrate and a vitamin/mineral mix, most of which are sourced in Liberia. More important, from a nutrition standpoint, Power Gari contains high concentrations of vitamins A, D, C, B6 and B12, plus iron, zinc and 12 grams of protein. Those are valuable assets in a country where roughly one-third of children under 5 are stunted and almost two-thirds have anemia, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development. The local diet is heavy on rice, cooking oils, and dried meat and fish. Generally speaking, fortified foods have become a common way for governments and nonprofits to address deficiencies. “If fortified foods are not available, helping them get into the market affordably is a valuable role for the private sector,” said Challiss McDonough, a senior spokeswoman for the World Food Program. JUST may seem like an odd private firm for the job. Since Tetrick founded the company in 2011, it has become known for its plant-based mayos, dressings and cookie doughs, which are sold at retail and widely used in food service. The company is also working on lab-grown meat and recently launched a plant-based “egg” product, called Just Scramble. The company has attracted $310 million in investments from some of Silicon Valley’s largest venture capital firms, including Khosla Ventures and the Founders Fund. It has also been plagued by several well-publicized scandals and a string of internal intrigues, the latest of which culminated in the resignation of the entire board, minus Tetrick, last summer. But Tetrick and his colleagues have dismissed their skeptics, saying they don't understand the company's full potential. That potential includes changing the diets of billions in the developing world, said Tetrick, for whom the Liberia project is personal. Before founding JUST, the 37-year-old entrepreneur worked in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa and spent a brief stint employed by then-President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Liberia. The experience convinced him that socially minded, for-profit businesses could change the lives of poor consumers by developing specialized products for them, potentially having even a larger impact than dedicated development organizations. “Folks who live on under $2 a day shouldn't be looked at as victims or people who just deserve our worst food or our charity,” Tetrick said. “Because when we shift the lens a little bit and we actually look at them


China detains relatives of U.S. reporters in apparent punishment for Xinjiang coverage

poor health. “My father is paralyzed on one side and needs a constant care. My mother has recently had a surgery on her feet and is very weak,” she said in the statement. “I need to know where they are and that they are OK. I need to be able to speak to them. They have not committed any crime.” Shortly after calling her aunt earlier this month, Hoja said, she received a call from a friend in West Virginia whose mother lives in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital. Her friend said that around 20 of Hoja’s relatives have been arrested by the Chinese police because of her reporting. When her brother was detained, police told Hoja’s mother that her employment with RFA was the reason for his detention, the news outlet said. It said Hoja has heard that her relatives may have been detained for being in communication with her through a WeChat messaging group. Juma, deputy director of RFA’s Uyghur Service, reported that his brothers Ahmetjan and Abduqadir Juma were detained in May 2017. Ahmetan’s whereabouts are unknown, while Abduqadir has been taken to a prison in Urumqi. He suffers from heart and health issues that require medical care, but his sister has been denied access to him. “The family is deeply concerned about his health and well-being while being held in a prison known for its inhumane conditions,” RFA said. RFA Uyghur broadcaster Niyaz’s youngest brother, Hasanjan, was arrested last May and soon afterward sentenced to six years in jail for “holding ethnic hatred.” Human rights groups say China represses the rights, culture and freedom of worship for Uighur Muslims. Xinjiang has been home to long-running separatist unrest, and several violent attacks have occurred there in recent years, blamed by the authorities on Islamist extremism. In a report issued Tuesday, Human Rights Watch described how a system of predictive policing, involving constant mass surveillance and big data analysis, was being deployed to bolster the crackdown in Xinjiang. The police gather data from all-pervasive security cameras, some of which have facial recognition or infrared capabilities, the report said. “WiFi sniffers” monitor smartphones and computers, while car license plate and identity card numbers are gathered at the region’s countless security checkpoints, all cross-checked against health, banking and legal records, it said. Police officers, Communist Party cadres and government workers also visit homes to gather data on families, their “ideological situation” and


Scientists detect signal from ‘cosmic dawn,’ when stars first lit up the universe

fund the construction of an antenna in the Australian desert to listen for this signal. The instrument was deceptively simple, just two metal plates perched atop a dining room-table-type structure and situated at the center of a 30-meter-wide mesh carpet. But it sensed everything: the cacophony of human communication, the din of radio waves coming from the Milky Way and, beneath it all, the subtle buzz of the cosmic microwave background. “The cosmological signal is ... 0.1 to 0.01 percent of the total amount of radio power we’re received,” said Judd Bowman, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University and the lead author of the first Nature study. But by subtracting out the louder, closer signals, Bowman and his colleagues could pin down the signature of emerging stars emanating from the moment 180 million years after the Big Bang. For comparison, the most distant astronomical object ever observed is a galaxy that existed 400 million years after the universe began. To ensure their signal was real, rather than a quirk of their instrument or a fluke in their data, Bowman and his colleagues spent two years considering and discarding a range of alternative explanations. They repositioned the antenna, tested it in the lab with simulated radio sky, even built a copy of the instrument to demonstrate that the experiment was reproducible. So far, they haven't been able to prove themselves wrong. The stars whose light led to the newly detected signal were very different from the ones that glitter in our night sky. Comprising just hydrogen and helium — the only elements that existed in the early universe — they burned blue, bright and fast. But when they died, they produced the explosions that gave rise to the heavier elements, including the carbon and oxygen atoms on which all life depends. “These stars made the seeds for everything that came out of them,” Bowman said. “It's like the fertilizer on the field, in a way. You can’t grow the crops without putting the right ingredients in the mix. That's what these stars did.” He and his colleagues were surprised to discover that the signal was twice as large as models predicted, meaning the hydrogen fog must have absorbed more radiation than was thought possible. Bowman's team approached Rennan Barkana, an astrophysicist at Tel Aviv University in Israel, and asked for his take. In the companion study, Barkana writes that dark matter


Northern Ireland has become an unexpected hurdle for Brexit

LONDON — In the days of the Troubles, as the 30-year sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland was known, the borderlands between the North and the Republic of Ireland were called “bandit country” — a frontier of milk smugglers, gun runners and frequent clashes between British soldiers and Irish Republican Army cells. Today, because the sides made peace and because both the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland are members of the same European Union, the border between them is wide open to the point of invisibility. Manufactured goods, alongside tens of thousands of people, and a lot of sheep and Guinness stout, pass freely on a daily basis, without customs checks or passport control, over new highways, farm roads and country lanes. But that border is now a major point of contention in the Brexit debate, as Britain and the E.U. sort out how to disengage next year. European negotiators on Wednesday released draft language for a treaty that would have Northern Ireland essentially remain in the E.U. customs union, which would allow for an open border for trade and travel between Northern Ireland, still a part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland in the south, a member of the European bloc. In Parliament, British Prime Minister Theresa May immediately called the proposal unacceptable, signaling a rocky road ahead. May said the Brussels draft would “undermine the U.K. common market and threaten the constitutional integrity of the U.K. by creating a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea, and no U.K. prime minister could ever agree to it.” Presenting the proposed treaty, Brussels’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that Europe was open to other suggestions but that it must preserve the open border. He signaled that Europe needed to hear clear answers from May and that time was running out. This vexing issue of the Irish border was hardly mentioned before Britain’s historic June 2016 vote to leave the European Union. But the balance between Republicans and Unionists, and between north and south on the Irish island, remains fragile and unsettled 20 years after the sectarian violence ended with the Good Friday Agreement. May is squeezed by the border issue in part because she failed to achieve a majority in the last British elections and so had to enter into a soft coalition with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland, made up of Protestants loyal


A supermarket in Amsterdam has an aisle with more than 700 grocery items — and no plastic

A supermarket in Amsterdam opened Wednesday with an aisle that has more than 700 grocery items — and no plastic. The store, Ekoplaza, said it is the first of its kind to have an entire aisle without plastic packaging. Instead, food is displayed in glass, metal and cardboard containers, as well as materials that can be composted. While some of the packaging may look plastic, it’s actually a biofilm made of trees and plants that will break down within 12 weeks in a home composter. The products in the plastic-free section include: meat, rice, sauces, milk, chocolate, yogurt and fresh fruit and vegetables. Environmentalists on social media celebrated the move. Ekoplaza said that by the end of the year, all 74 of its stores across the Netherlands will have a plastic-free aisle. The next store to roll out the eco-friendly aisle is in The Hague, which is expected to debut in June. The aisles will be a “test bed” for packaging materials that are able to be composted, according to a news release from the store. “Plastic-free aisles are an important steppingstone to a brighter future for food and drink,” said Ekoplaza chief executive Erik Does in a statement. Just weeks ago, British Prime Minister Theresa May floated the idea of plastic-free supermarket aisles as part of her green agenda. The idea came to Ekoplaza from the environmental group A Plastic Planet. The group has developed a plastic-free mark so shoppers can quickly identify products that have no plastic. “There is absolutely no logic in wrapping something as fleeting as food in something as indestructible as plastic,” said Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, in a statement. “Plastic food and drink packaging remains useful for a matter of days yet remains a destructive presence on the earth for centuries afterwards.” Across the globe, people use more than a million plastic bottles each minute, mostly for drinking water, according to Ekoplaza’s website. Less than 9 percent of those bottles are recycled. Sutherland encouraged other grocery stores to also “turn off the plastic tap.” “For decades shoppers have been sold the lie that we can’t live without plastic in food and drink,” she said. “A plastic-free aisle dispels all that. Finally we can see a future where the public have a choice about whether to buy plastic or plastic free.” But Jessica Green, assistant professor of environmental studies at New York


The Daily 202: Hope Hicks’s evasiveness highlights how far Trump is pushing the envelope on executive privilege

former congressman -- The House Ethics Committee voted to establish an investigative subcommittee to look into the sexual harassment allegations against Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.), a former member of the panel. -- Foreign officials from at least four countries — -- “Kushner was one of several White House officials who received a memo Friday announcing that because of their interim security clearances, their status was being downgraded from the ‘Top Secret/SCI’ level to the ‘Secret’ level, a far lower level of access to classified information,” per Ashley Parker, Dawsey and Philip Rucker. -- The Rob Porter fallout continues: Four Commerce Department appointees who were working on interim clearances have lost their jobs. -- Senior White House communications aide Josh Raffel is leaving the Trump administration within the next two months. GET SMART FAST: THERE’S A BEAR IN THE WOODS: -- Russian operatives compromised the state websites or voter registration systems in seven states before the 2016 election, according to the U.S. intelligence community. -- Robert Mueller’s team has been asking questions about Trump’s activities in Russia as he considered a presidential bid. -- The head of U.S. Cyber Command said Trump has given him no new authorities or capabilities to strike at Russian cyber-operations ahead of the midterms Quite an exchange -- Mueller’s team moved to drop 22 charges of tax and bank fraud against former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates as part of his plea agreement. -- Manafort will appear in court for the first time today since Gates pleaded guilty. -- The attorney general appeared to confirm a Justice Department investigation into the surveillance claims made in the memo written by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes. SUCH A MYSTERIOUS CAST OF CHARACTERS: -- Joseph Mifsud, the Maltese professor who offered former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos “dirt” on Hillary Clinton’s stolen emails, has disappeared without a trace. -- Longtime Trump confidante Roger Stone communicated directly with WikiLeaks during the 2016 election, despite telling lawmakers under oath last year that his sole contact with the group was via an unidentified “intermediary.” -- A Belarus-born “model” credited with exposing ties between the Kremlin and Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska — Manafort's former patron — is pleading for U.S. help after she was detained in Thailand. In return for American assistance, she said she’s willing to share information on “missing links” between Trump and Russia. MORE WEST WING INTRIGUE: -- Trump has tapped


The crown prince of Saudi Arabia is giving his country shock therapy

achieve modernization targets. “We want to work with believers,” he said. The decrees appoint younger royals to key governorates, including Prince Turki bin Talal as deputy governor of Asir. This appointment suggests royal-family accord, since his brother, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, was among 381 arrested on corruption charges last November. (He was later released.) MBS sacked the defense chief of staff and appointed new military leaders, changes he said had been planned for several years to get better results for Saudi defense spending; he said the kingdom, with the world’s fourth-largest defense budget, has only the 20th or 30th best army. He described ambitious plans to mobilize Yemeni tribes against the Houthis and their Iranian backers in Yemen, a war that has dragged on longer than the Saudis hoped. MBS said his anti-corruption putsch in November was an example of the shock therapy the kingdom needed, because of endemic corruption. “You have a body that has cancer everywhere, the cancer of corruption. You need to have chemo, the shock of chemo, or the cancer will eat the body.” The kingdom couldn’t meet budget targets without halting this looting, he said. The crown prince said he remembers corruption personally, as people tried to use his name and connections starting in his late teens. “The corrupted princes were a minority, but the bad actors got more attention. It harmed the energy of the royal family.” All but 56 of those arrested have now been freed after paying restitution: “Most of them know they have made big mistakes, and they have settled.” MBS said that a “shock” was also needed to check Islamist extremism in the kingdom. He said his reforms, giving greater rights to women and fewer to the religious police, were simply an effort to reestablish the practices that applied in the time of the prophet Muhammad. The crown prince said he had been unfairly criticized for pressuring Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign in November. “Now he’s in a better position” in Lebanon, relative to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, MBS said. Hariri is visiting the kingdom soon for talks. MBS’s enthusiasts sometimes liken his bid to consolidate power to that of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. But MBS dismissed this comparison, adding a contemporary twist: “You can’t create a new smartphone. Steve Jobs already did it. What we are trying to bring here is


NTSB reiterates call for new safety measures along rail corridors in preliminary report on S.C. Amtrak crash

the main track onto a side track and collided with the parked freight train. NTSB officials said they are still trying to recover footage from the Amtrak locomotive’s front-facing video camera. Investigators were able to find the camera, but said the footage ended before the trains collided. They also have recovered the event recorder from the CSX locomotive. In a briefing with reporters shortly after the collision, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said the crash likely could have been avoided had a technology known as positive train control been in place. PTC would have detected the railroad switch was in the wrong position and stopped the Amtrak train from proceeding, he said. Railroads, including commuter rail systems such as Maryland’s MARC and Virginia’s VRE, are required to have the system in place by the end of this year, but efforts to install it have lagged. In Cayce, officials said the signalling system had been disabled along that rail corridor to allow crews to work on installation of a PTC system. The rail corridor where the crash took place, is owned and operated by freight giant CSX. As an interim step, NTSB officials last month urged FRA officials to issue an emergency order that would require trains to travel at reduced speeds when moving in areas where signalling systems are not operating and force them to confirm that track switches are in the correct position before moving forward. The NTSB cited a similar collision between two Union Pacific freight trains in urging the rail safety regulators to act. FRA officials said Wednesday that no decision has been made on whether they will issue the order. NTSB’s preliminary report on the crash in Cayce, was released the same day the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report saying that as many as two-thirds of the nation’s 29 commuter railroads may not have allocated enough time to meet the requirements to install a PTC system or may not meet the criteria needed to qualify for a two-year extension. The report also found that the FRA does not yet have a formal process in place to ensure railroads are getting consistent information and are meeting the requirements needed for certification. The report offered two recommendations: that the FRA establish a system for helping railroads understand what requirements they must meet in order to qualify for an extension and that the agency’s administrator should develop a


The Ticker: Did Russia learn its lesson in PyeongChang?

Olympics and a simple ban of anything donning the tri-colored flag of the Russian Federation during the Winter Olympics seemed to fool no one. As the Russian men’s hockey team stood triumphant atop the podium, as the Olympic anthem played instead of their own, it was hard not to think the gesture meant more to Russia’s foes than anyone else. —Anthony J. Rivera Fourteen of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s executives earn more than $200,000; many of Team USA’s athletes scrape by. Gymnasts were serially sexually abused for years; the USOC missed all of it. The governing body has been transparently corrupt for too long. It’s time to start over. — Read the full column, by Sally Jenkins Whoosh forward in the bobsled of your imagination to the 2038 Winter Olympics, and wonder: Will this scene from last Wednesday even be viable? Will there be two gay men, sitting in abutting chairs, relaying their experiences for NBC’s “Today” show? Freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy and figure skater Adam Rippon, the first out, gay Americans to compete in the Olympics, hope athletes’ sexual orientation will be 2018’s news. — Read the full story, by Chuck Culpepper Former college basketball coach Rick Pitino, most recently of Louisville, doesn’t have to worry about whether his latest scandal will hinder his shot at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. After all, he’s already in it, having been inducted in 2013. With more and more of such alleged coaching misconduct coming to light, should the Hall reconsider its rules? — Read the full column, by John Feinstein It’s just minutes after midnight on a Wednesday in Alabama, and at a local dive, a Raiders scout is stopped by a stranger while exiting the bathroom: “You got a card or anything?” A few blocks down, you can spot Dan Marino at another watering hole. Nearby is Jerry Jones, who’s leaning against a piano and chomping on an unlit cigar. Welcome to the weirdest week in the NFL calendar. — Read the full story, by Dan Steinberg A lot of familiar faces have shown up for the Washington Nationals’ spring training as Ryan Zimmerman, Max Scherzer and Daniel Murphy bring continuity to a team with new leadership and an eye toward October. But one hairy, 6-foot-5 “gorilla” is noticeably absent from the clubhouse. — Read the full story, by Jorge Castillo Which countries won the most medals in PyeongChang?


The Iditarod is hounded by cruelty allegations, infighting and a doping scandal

In 45 years of existence, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race — the annual 1,000-mile competition in Alaska — has never experienced a stretch as rough as this. A documentary released in the United States last year, “Sled Dogs,” accused the race of cruelty toward its canine competitors. One of the Iditarod’s major sponsors severed ties in May. The race announced a substantial budget cut in September. The following month, the sport’s biggest star, Dallas Seavey, became embroiled in the Iditarod’s first doping scandal. Now, days before its start on Saturday, the Iditarod’s board is under pressure following an independent report commissioned by four top sponsors. The report suggested that the board’s relationships with mushers and sponsors are so strained that they threaten the race’s survival, and it proposed that six of nine board members resign due conflicts of interest with the race’s outcome. The Iditarod Official Finishers Club, a de facto mushers’ union, has since echoed those calls for resignations. “It’s a very divided community at the moment,” said Craig Medred, an Alaska freelance journalist who has covered the Iditarod for 35 years and first published the report on his blog. “And given the outside threats they’re facing [from animal rights activists], it’s not a good place to be in.” The Iditarod’s troubles have come amid a broad shift in public opinion about animal-centric sports and entertainment. In recent years, SeaWorld — which was also the subject of a negative documentary, “Blackfish” — ended its killer whale shows and captive orca breeding, while Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, citing changing public tastes, retired its elephants and later closed for good. Greyhound racing is practiced in only six states, while horse racing’s popularity and profits have fallen. That cultural shift has not gone unnoticed by Iditarod officials, who have discussed what it means for dog racing, said Chas St. George, the Iditarod’s chief operations officer. In an interview, St. George acknowledged that the race needs to evolve, though he would not specify how. “How this next generation feels, thinks emotionally about animals, that’s critical to us,” St. George said. “I guess there was a time in this race, and other events like this, where dogs were not as ‘human’ as they are today … We need to evolve down that path because we think it’s important that we reflect the same kinds of values that any dog owner


The Health 202: California’s attorney general wants to enforce the nation’s health-care laws

non-ACA-compliant plans. "Within a matter of weeks, the department decreed that insurance companies have substantial wiggle room as long as they offer at least one health plan that meets the Affordable Care Act’s rules," “As events move swiftly on the ground — with Blue Cross of Idaho announcing that it hopes to start selling alternative “Freedom Blue” plans in March — the state’s maneuver has sparked a tempest that has spread to Washington,” she continues. "Dispute is raging over whether Idaho’s maneuver is legal, and whether it is a clever balm for broken insurance markets or a slide back to shoddy, unfair insurance practices that the ACA had fixed." OUCH: Yesterday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the creation of a new task force focused specifically on targeting opioid manufacturers and distributors, and holding them accountable for unlawful practices, “Opioid abuse is driving the deadliest drug crisis in American history,” Sessions said at a news conference with several U.S. attorneys. “It has strained our public health and law enforcement resources and bankrupted countless families across this country.” “Sessions’s announcement is part of a flurry of activity this week at the White House, on Capitol Hill, in a U.S. courthouse and elsewhere that may mark the beginning of an intensified federal effort to address the uncontrolled drug epidemic sweeping the country,” --Sessions is also trying to go after illegal drug sales online, but that's a tall order, The dark web consists of Internet services -- mostly sales of illegal weapons, stolen identities, child pornography and large amounts of deadly drugs -- that can be accessed with anonymity using special networks. "But some experts warn that, depending on the approach the Justice Department takes, the disrupted sites could simply resurface elsewhere or thrive internationally — and its tactics could raise privacy concerns," Kathryn writes. “Much as with crackdowns on traditional drug markets, shutting online marketplaces and arresting their operators have resulted in other marketplaces replacing them.” --House Republican leaders may have closed the door yesterday on any kind of swift response to this month’s shooting at a Florida high school, our colleagues Mike DeBonis and Seung Min Kim report. Their hesitation may in part be due to mixed signals from the White House. “Since the shooting, students have called for new gun restrictions as part of any legislative response, including a new age limit of 21 for buyers of long guns, matching the


Amazon is buying smart-doorbell maker Ring

the companies announced Tuesday. Ring, based in Santa Monica, Calif., was founded six years ago with a single product: a WiFi-enabled video doorbell that allows homeowners to monitor their front doors using an app on their smartphones. A built-in motion detector alerts users when a visitor arrives at their stoops, and gives them the option to see, hear and speak to guests before they let them in. The company has since introduced other products, including security cameras, home alarms, and WiFi-enabled smoke detectors and flood sensors. “Ring’s home security products and services have delighted customers since day one,” an Amazon spokesman said in a statement. “We’re excited to work with this talented team and help them in their mission to keep homes safe and secure.” (Jeffrey P. Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, also owns The Washington Post.) The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal. The announcement comes fours months after Amazon debuted its own smart-home technology to allow delivery workers to bring packages straight into customers’ homes. For $250, Amazon Key allows Prime members to grant keyless access into their homes to select individuals, including delivery workers, dog walkers or house cleaners. The system works in conjunction with the Amazon Cloud Cam and a compatible smart lock. (Ring doorbells, by comparison, range in price from $179 to $499.) Two months ago, Amazon purchased a similar start-up, Blink, which also makes video doorbells and home-security cameras. With its purchase of Ring, the company is doubling down on its efforts to dominate the fast-growing home-security market. But this isn’t the first time Amazon has taken notice of Ring: The online giant invested in the start-up two years ago through its Alexa fund, which provides venture capital for products that use voice technology. Ring, valued at about $760 million, has raised $209 million in funding to date, according to Pitchbook. “Ring is committed to our mission to reduce crime in neighborhoods by providing effective yet affordable home security tools,” a company spokesman said in a statement. “We’ll be able to achieve even more by partnering with an inventive, customer-centric company like Amazon.” Read more: Americans are finally coming back to Macy’s to shop for clothes Mattress start-up Casper is opening its first store — with complimentary naps Target is opening two new stores in Washington Walmart is launching online bedding, cosmetic brands in bid for upscale shoppers


Americans are finally coming back to Macy’s to shop for clothes

$4.31 per share, from $472 million, or $1.54 per share, a year earlier. Shares of Macy’s stock rose nearly 12 percent Tuesday morning after the news, before closing at 3.5 percent. “Consumers had the ability to spend,” Dana Telsey, chief executive of Telsey Advisory Group, told CNBC on Tuesday. “Retailers and brands were able to come out with products people wanted. We have a little bit of an apparel cycle: Whether it was fragrances, dresses, active or men’s tailored, it all seemed to work.” Macy’s said it boosted sales by dialing back discounts, adding exclusive products and investing in its private-label brands. Customers on average spent 3 percent more on each item they purchased during the quarter, according to Gennette. The company is also adding more exclusive products, which make up about a third of its inventory. Last month, it began selling a line of “modest” clothing, including maxi dresses, jumpsuits and hand-dyed hijabs. Other exclusive brands include lines by Tommy Hilfiger and Martha Stewart. “Macy’s has realized it needs to focus on its sweet spot: clothing for adults and kids,” said Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the New York-based Luxury Institute. “This is a company that has always been about mainstream apparel, and I think they’ve found a way to make that work for them again.” (That appeal, he added, didn’t necessarily translate to teenage consumers. Indeed, Macy’s executives said sales of junior apparel slipped during the most recent quarter.) Macy’s has made a number of sweeping changes in recent months. The Cincinnati-based retailer has closed dozens of stores, invested in new businesses and revamped its loyalty rewards program. It is also increasingly looking beyond the mall for expansion. The company opened 36 Bluemercury beauty stores last year, as well as 30 off-price Backstage locations. It plans to add another 100 Backstage stores this year to compete with rivals such as Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth. “Macy’s is hot on the heels of a good fourth quarter,” said Stephen Beck, managing partner at New York consultancy cg42. “But there’s still a long way to go before we see a truly healthy turnaround.” Read more: Mattress start-up Casper is opening its first store — with complimentary naps Target is opening two new stores in Washington Walmart is launching online bedding, cosmetic brands in bid for upscale shoppers Olympian Chloe Kim sends ‘hangry’ tweet. Companies rush in with free food.


Justice Dept. to target opioid manufacturers, distributors in new push to curb deadly epidemic

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday that a new task force would target drug manufacturers and distributors for their roles in the opioid epidemic, raising the possibility of filing criminal charges against them. The Justice Department also said it would file a statement of interest in hundreds of lawsuits against drug companies brought by cities, counties and medical institutions seeking reimbursement for the cost of the drug crisis. Sessions said the Justice Department would seek repayment as well, arguing that the federal government has borne substantial costs. “We will use criminal penalties. We will use civil penalties. We will use whatever laws and tools we have to hold people accountable if they break our laws,” Sessions said at a news conference attended by several state attorneys general. Sessions’s announcement was part of a flurry of activity this week at the White House, on Capitol Hill and elsewhere that may mark the beginning of an intensified federal effort to address the deadly drug epidemic sweeping the country. The White House is holding a drug crisis summit Thursday with Cabinet secretaries. Hearings on eight anti-drug bills in the House will begin Wednesday before the Energy and Commerce Committee. And the new secretary of health and human services, Alex Azar, has embraced the expansion of medically assisted drug treatment. John M. Gray, president and chief executive of the Healthcare Distribution Alliance, which represents drug distributors, said in a statement Tuesday that “distributors share the common goal with Attorney General Sessions of ending this opioid epidemic. In support of that goal, we have put forth a number of practical solutions and policy proposals that would meaningfully reduce misuse and abuse of prescription opioids. “At the same time,” he added, “we know that we cannot do this alone.” The association that represents pharmaceutical manufacturers declined to comment. States and cities have absorbed most of the cost and carnage of the drug crisis, which killed nearly 64,000 people in 2016 and is straining local emergency and health services. About two-thirds of the overdose deaths were caused by opioids, led by illicit fentanyl. The failure of drug manufacturers and distributors to report diversion of narcotic painkillers from pharmacies to the black market, coupled with widespread over-prescription by doctors, allowed hundreds of millions of pills such as oxycodone and hydrocodone to spill onto the street in recent years. Those legal drugs, intended to treat moderate to severe pain,


The Health 202: States are going after opioid makers

The shockingly fast rise of opioid abuse — the rate of death from opioids was five times higher in 2016 than in 1999 — combined with intensifying public attention make the drugs prime legal fodder for states facing the problem on the ground. “Democrats and Republicans alike, they are both passionate about solving the issue,” Canty said. “We have whole communities that can’t work, that can’t prosper. It has sucked the life out of their states in so many ways.” --In his remarks Saturday to the NGA, Azar homed in on medication-assisted treatment, which the medical community stresses is crucial in helping people back away from their drug addictions. Azar told the governors the administration is “dedicated to empowering you and your allies in this fight” and said his agency has identified a five-point strategy focused on data, research, pain, overdoses and access. A few actions Azar said HHS is taking include: --Working with states and other stakeholders “to support more timely, specific public health data and reporting,” particularly through the Centers for Disease Control. --Supporting research on pain and addiction, in part through the National Institutes of Health. --Making sure health-care payments, prescribing guidelines and best practices promote healthy, evidence-based methods of pain management through the federal Interagency Pain Management Task Force. --Making available HHS grants, research and technical assistance to improve access to overdose-reversing drugs. AHH: Despite fears expressed by some abortion providers, the Trump administration won't ban Planned Parenthood and similar groups from applying for Title X family planning grants. Valerie Huber, acting deputy assistant secretary for population affairs, said all eligible organizations -- including Planned Parenthood -- are free to apply for the funding, although she added the administration is considering changes to Title X through regulation. OOF: Flu activity is decreasing for the first time in this fierce flu season, suggesting the worst may be over, “But the intensity of illness caused by the respiratory virus, the worst since the swine flu pandemic of 2009-2010, continues to take its toll,” Lena writes. “Another 13 child deaths were reported for the week ending last Saturday...That brings the total to at least 97 pediatric deaths since October.” OUCH: Authorities have announced a $10,000 reward for information in the case of a CDC employee who disappeared in Atlanta two weeks ago. Tiara Cunningham, his sister, was the last family member to speak with Timothy before he disappeared. She


The Cherry Blossom Pop-Up Bar is back with Godzilla and drinks ranked by sweetness

blossoms overhead, a room full of butterflies and a mural of a Japanese streetscape next to a 10-foot-tall animatronic Godzilla — Taylor decided to change the menu to steer guests to — or away from — the sweeter drinks. The Bee Key, a pictograph on the menu next to each cocktail, rates each drink's sweetness from one bee (“Not Sweet”) to three bees (“Sweet"). “We want to make everyone happy,” he says. “Even if it's 5 percent of guests, let's make the Bee Key” to help them out. [Mark your calendar: 16 things to do around Washington in March] But a menu key ranking drinks by sweetness is something one might expect to find at the Cheesecake Factory or T.G.I. Friday's — not at a watering hole run by the owners of America's best cocktail bar. It feels like a compromise: Taylor and the Pop-Up Bar crew are going to keep making elevated cocktails, with unusual spirits and house-made juices. The target audiences at these bars, however, are not the same as at the Columbia Room. It's more about the experience — photos, cool garnishes and glassware, exploring the various rooms — than asking the bartender about the ingredients in the “Cherry Blossom G&T” or what the heck quinquina is. To build the ratings, Taylor created the 10 drinks for the menu, using Japanese ingredients and flavors to craft “our interpretation of Japanese-style drinks.” Then he assembled a panel that included Columbia Room bartenders and Miracle on Seventh bar managers and had them taste the cocktails blind before ranking them by sweetness. The score shown on the menu is the average. The only drink to receive three bees is the Beana Colada, a thick piña colada with Plantation rum, coconut and red bean paste, an ingredient frequently used in Japanese desserts. “I wouldn't say it's polarizing, but you definitely have to like red bean paste,” Taylor says. Served in a ceramic maneki-neko (“Lucky Cat”) tiki vessel, it has a grainy texture and strong tropical flavors — pineapple, coconut and caramelized fruit — that warrants its trio of bees. But during a preview tasting this week, the level of sweetness still seemed uneven. The two-bee Calpico Fizz, for example, uses Calpico — a yogurt-like Japanese soft drink — and strawberry grenadine in a riff on the creamy Ramos Gin Fizz. It's sweet and creamsicle-like, down to the Hello Kitty marshmallow garnish.


3 things to do in D.C. this weekend

March 2 & 3: Galactic March 2: Wolf! March 3: Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day Parade


Peak bloom for D.C.’s famed cherry trees will begin March 17, Park Service says

cherry trees that bloom at different times. Peak bloom dates are calculated using Yoshino cherry trees, which are the city’s most dominant variety, making up more than 70 percent of all 3,700 cherry trees, Litterst said. According to the Park Service, trees reached their green bud stage — the first of six stages leading to peak bloom — on Feb. 25. Last year, peak bloom was pushed back after a cold snap, which killed nearly half the blossoms as they were beginning to emerge, Litterst said. However, if the region were to be hit with freezing temperatures now, he said, the blossoms would be protected because they are still in the bud stage. Considered the world’s largest U.S.-Japanese celebration, the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki to the District. Takehiro Shimada, minister for Communications and Cultural Affairs at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, said he is excited that such a symbolic event has continued for more than 100 years. “During even the bad times and the good times, the citizens of Washington, D.C., cherished these cherry trees as a symbol of the friendship between the United States and Japan,” Shimada said. Given the festival’s long history, Mayhew said, the goal each year is to create events that ensure people will return. She said the festival is expected to draw an estimated 1.5 million visitors. Additions to the lineup of events include the first Blossom Bash concert, scheduled April 6 at the Anthem, featuring alternative rock bands Third Eye Blind and Bush as well as Lovelytheband, an indie-pop group. Also new this year, tennis fans can participate in or watch the action at the National Cherry Blossom Festival Doubles Tennis Tournament on March 24-25 at the East Potomac Tennis Center in the District. The festival’s signature events — the parade, kite festival and fireworks show — are also revamped every year with new performers and attractions, Mayhew said. This year, the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival was renamed Petalpalooza and will feature live music, interactive art installations and fireworks. The free event will be held April 7 at the Wharf. “It’s just a lot of fun and energy, and we want to actually invite people to get amped up for spring,” Mayhew said. “Beyond the blossoms, it’s the most important thing to celebrate, just continuing to celebrate spring in Washington.” allyson.chiu@washpost.com


Maryland is bracing for an invasion of lanternflies, and racing to slow their spread

which the lanternfly is willing to gather to feed and reproduce. The damage to those species starts with the lanternfly’s feeding style. Rather than consuming leaves, bark or fruit, the lanternfly uses its specialized mouth parts to penetrate a plant’s exterior, then sucks out the sweet, life-giving sap inside. This badly weakens the plants, leaving them vulnerable as winter looms. For instance, the lanternfly robs grapes of so much sweetness that farmers cannot bring the fruit to market. And the insects’ gooey excretion, or “honeydew,” attracts insects and a form of sooty mold that can finish off the already weakened plants. It also sticks to houses, decks, railings and patios in infested areas. Researchers have yet to get accurate tallies of spotted lanternfly populations, dispersal rates or crop losses, but anecdotal evidence suggests the numbers are high. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has declared the lanternfly a potential threat to the state’s $13.1 billion annual production of fruit and other crops and its $16 billion-a-year timber and wood industry production. The bugs arrived on Swackhamer’s family farm in late 2014, which she said “makes it personal.” She reports that egg masses and adult specimens are often known to overwhelm tree trunks so thoroughly that the bark is no longer visible. The U.S. Agriculture Department, which had already provided $5.5 million to help Pennsylvania researchers explore how to eradicate or control the lanternfly, recently announced it will provide $17.5 million more in emergency funding. A few promising countermeasures have emerged, but so far they are developing more slowly than the bug is proliferating. One Penn State research team is studying genetic markers in hopes of pinpointing the lanternfly’s place of origin in China. That could help the team identify its native predators. Other groups are exploring the use of “trap trees” or eliminating 85 percent of the female trees of heaven in a given area, and then targeting the lanternflies that flock to the remaining 15 percent with one or more pesticides that have proved effective. Swackhamer said researchers also have found a number of insects and parasitoid wasps that show promise as predators, including certain spiders and varieties of praying mantis. For the time being, she urged residents to kill lanternflies by scraping egg masses off hard surfaces, double bagging them and throwing them away, or by placing eggs in alcohol or hand sanitizer to kill them. The relatively warm


trunks so thoroughly that the bark is no longer visible. The U.S. Agriculture Department, which had already provided $5.5 million to help Pennsylvania researchers explore how to eradicate or control the lanternfly, recently announced it will provide $17.5 million more in emergency funding. A few promising countermeasures have emerged, but so far they are developing more slowly than the bug is proliferating. One Penn State research team is studying genetic markers in hopes of pinpointing the lanternfly’s place of origin in China. That could help the team identify its native predators. Other groups are exploring the use of “trap trees” or eliminating 85 percent of the female trees of heaven in a given area, and then targeting the lanternflies that flock to the remaining 15 percent with one or more pesticides that have proved effective. Swackhamer said researchers also have found a number of insects and parasitoid wasps that show promise as predators, including certain spiders and varieties of praying mantis. For the time being, she urged residents to kill lanternflies by scraping egg masses off hard surfaces, double bagging them and throwing them away, or by placing eggs in alcohol or hand sanitizer to kill them. The relatively warm winter of 2016-2017 led to an unexpected lanternfly population explosion last year and prompted the Pennsylvania agriculture department to place 13 southeastern counties under quarantine. Residents of those counties must secure permits before transporting across county lines any of several dozen items, including mulch, tree bark, decorative stone, tractors, barbecues and toys that have been kept outside. Because lanternflies attach themselves to many surfaces, they easily travel from place to place. Swackhamer urged people to check their clothes before getting into their vehicles. “They’re annoyingly friendly, and once you open your car door, they’ll jump right in,” she says. “We want people to be aware of what they look like and prevent them from hitching a ride.” Malinoski and her Maryland extension colleagues have been working to spread the word about the likely incursion. They have held seminars in Cecil and Harford counties as well as in northern Baltimore County and shared photos and information by fliers and social media across Maryland. Relatively few Maryland residents are aware of the problem, she said, but if residents become informed, they can report sightings early. She asked residents to view photos on her department’s website and to use the same site to


Someone forged a Nobel Peace Prize nomination of Trump, Norwegian officials say

He has filed a report with the Oslo Police District for investigation. Oslo Inspector Rune Skjold, head of the economic crimes section, told The Post that police did not know the location of the person who sent the forged nominations when asked whether they came from the United States. However, he said Oslo police have contacted the FBI for assistance. The perpetrator, he said, had used the same false identity two years in a row. The process for Nobel Prize nominations and selections is secretive and has been so since the prize’s inception in 1901. The names of the nominees and any information about how the winners were selected cannot be revealed for 50 years. Nominators must meet various criteria to qualify. They can be, among other things, members of national governments or heads of state, certain university professors, former Peace Prize winners, and current and former members or advisers of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Njolstad said the committee routinely reviews nominations for authenticity, “and this time the routine check showed there was cause for concern.” He said he was limited in the details he could provide due to the ongoing police investigation. This year, there are 329 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, the second-highest number of candidates ever, just behind 2016’s 376 candidates. Of the 329 candidates, 217 are individuals and 112 are organizations. Last year’s winner was the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, of Switzerland. Over the past 10 years, Nobel Peace Prize winners have included Malala Yousafzai in 2014, who had been attacked by the Taliban after campaigning for girls’ education in Pakistan; Liu Xiaobo in 2010, the Chinese dissident who was imprisoned by China at the time he was awarded the prize, and President Obama in 2009, whose selection was controversial given he had just sent more than 30,000 troops to Afghanistan a week before accepting it and it was only months into his presidency. Obama is one of four U.S. presidents who have been awarded the prize. The others were Jimmy Carter, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. The 2018 winner will be announced in October, followed by a ceremony in Oslo on Dec. 10. More from Morning Mix: ‘Mr. Magoo’: Trump’s private nickname for Sessions raises intriguing questions Someone forged a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Trump, Norwegian officials say Mennonite woman jailed for refusing on religious grounds to testify in death-penalty case


Kohl’s has a new plan to get you into its stores: Groceries

to reinvent their brick-and-mortar locations. Some, like Target, Macy’s and Nordstrom, are distilling inventory into smaller, more-focused locations. Others, like Apple and Best Buy, are adding communal spaces, demonstration areas and workshops in hopes of getting shoppers to linger. Selling groceries has also become a popular tactic. The country’s largest retailers, including Walmart, Target and Amazon, are investing heavily in their grocery businesses as a way to persuade shoppers to stop by on a weekly basis. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.) “Groceries are one of the few things that most people buy routinely, which is why Amazon, Walmart and Target have been making big moves in this space,” said Stephanie Waters, global retail industry principal for SAP Hybris. “But,” she added, “selling groceries is also very hard. It takes a lot of investment and expertise, and profit margins are very slim.” The Kohl’s Aldi tie-up, though, could be promising for both retailers, she said. The arrangement allows Kohl’s to gain additional foot traffic without having to figure out how to operate a grocery business. And for Aldi, renting space within Kohl’s stores is likely to be less costly than building stand-alone locations. The partnership would also help familiarize mainstream America with the German grocery chain, which is planning to rapidly expand in the United States, opening 900 stores by 2022. “We’ve seen so many different business models throughout retail, but this is the first time I’ve seen a department store look to groceries,” Waters said. “Everyone’s trying to get a share of the food dollar these days.” Analysts say Kohl’s has been particularly innovative in repurposing its stores. The company’s stores are primarily located in strip malls and stand-alone shopping centers, making it convenient for customers to quickly run in and out. Analysts say that approach has also given the retailer a leg up against competitors like Macy’s and Sears, which are often located in sprawling shopping malls on the outskirts of town. But small-format stores don’t always mean higher sales. Best Buy announced this week that it is closing all 257 of its smaller stand-alone stores specializing in mobile phones and other gear after a 10-year run. “Why are we closing these stores? We began opening these stores more than a decade ago before the iPhone was even launched,” Best Buy chief executive Hubert Joly said on a Thursday morning call with


partnership would also help familiarize mainstream America with the German grocery chain, which is planning to rapidly expand in the United States, opening 900 stores by 2022. “We’ve seen so many different business models throughout retail, but this is the first time I’ve seen a department store look to groceries,” Waters said. “Everyone’s trying to get a share of the food dollar these days.” Analysts say Kohl’s has been particularly innovative in repurposing its stores. The company’s stores are primarily located in strip malls and stand-alone shopping centers, making it convenient for customers to quickly run in and out. Analysts say that approach has also given the retailer a leg up against competitors like Macy’s and Sears, which are often located in sprawling shopping malls on the outskirts of town. But small-format stores don’t always mean higher sales. Best Buy announced this week that it is closing all 257 of its smaller stand-alone stores specializing in mobile phones and other gear after a 10-year run. “Why are we closing these stores? We began opening these stores more than a decade ago before the iPhone was even launched,” Best Buy chief executive Hubert Joly said on a Thursday morning call with analysts. “Fast-forward to 2018, and the mobile phone business has matured, margins have compressed, and the cost of operations in our stand-alone stores is higher than in our big-box stores.” Instead, Best Buy will continue to focus on creating stores within its stores, including Samsung Experience Shops and Dyson demonstration areas, where customers can try out new products and get personalized advice. Kohl’s, meanwhile, is also expanding its partnerships with well-known brands like Nike and Skechers, and offering exclusive lines from celebrities including skateboarder Tony Hawk and designer Vera Wang. Nearly half of the company’s sales come from its private-label brands, executives said. Last year, the Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based retailer began accepting Amazon.com returns at its stores. It also began opening Amazon shops within some Kohl’s locations and says it plans to add more this year. “Some of the more radical steps, such as allowing Amazon returns in some stores and the introduction of Amazon shop-in-shops paid dividends,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, wrote in a note to clients. “This kind of thinking also shows that Kohl’s understands the need to give customers reasons to visit stores and is not afraid to experiment to achieve this.” Read more:


Leaked U.N. draft report sees ‘very high risk’ the planet will warm beyond key limit

it wants a better-than-even chance of holding warming below 1.5 degrees. Two of those years have already elapsed, as of this writing. A third will have nearly elapsed by the time the draft report is finalized and released in October. (In December in Poland, it will feed into a broader United Nations deliberation about the adequacy of countries’ current promises to cut emissions.) And once this “carbon budget” for 1.5 degrees Celsius is used up, emissions would have to plunge to zero to preserve the 1.5 degree goal — something that would almost certainly never happen, as it would sharply impair the world economy. Since such rapid and severe cuts aren’t likely, the report notes that it’s virtually unavoidable that the planet will “overshoot” 1.5 degrees Celsius. To cool Earth afterward and avoid staying at dangerously high temperatures for long, it would then be necessary to remove carbon dioxide from the air at a massive scale — but that, too, is highly problematic. Carbon removal scenarios generally involve reforesting large amounts of land, or growing trees or other plants on that land and using it for energy, and storing the resulting carbon dioxide emissions underground. But “increased biomass production and use has the potential to increase pressure on land and water resources, food production, biodiversity, and to affect air quality,” the draft notes. “Therefore, the scale and speed of implementation assumed in some 1.5 C pathways may be challenging.” “Avoiding a 1.5 C warming would be very, very difficult without a significant overshoot,” said Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer, noting that he was commenting solely on the state of the science itself, rather than the leaked document. “Such a warming would cause increased bleaching and perhaps destruction of living coral reefs at some locations, although at other places, reefs would probably survive a warming closer to 2 C.” “Some of the high level messages I think come as no surprise, in that we are not on track anywhere near toward 1.5 C, and getting there would require enormous changes,” added Shindell, noting that he was not speaking as an author of the draft report or on behalf of the IPCC, but simply as a scientist with expertise in the matter. “That basic conclusion, I think it’s okay to say that it’s not a surprise to anybody. Any climate scientist would have told you that even without the report.” The


‘Paws crossed!’: Mama panda at National Zoo is artificially inseminated

fingers — or paws: One of the giant pandas at the National Zoo in Washington has been artificially inseminated. The zoo said a team of veterinarians, scientists and zookeepers performed the insemination Thursday on Mei Xiang (pronounced may-SHONG). As their Twitter account said: “Paws crossed!” Mei Xiang started showing behavioral changes in mid-February. Those changes were indications, zoo experts said, that she was “almost ready to breed.” Once her estrogen levels peaked at the end of February, officials said she was ovulating and “able to become pregnant,” according to a statement. But getting a giant female panda pregnant is tricky. They are only in estrus or able to get pregnant for 24 to 72 hours each year. Yes, each year. In September, zoo officials had said Mei Xiang was not expecting a cub after a medical procedure in May that was to help her become pregnant. She has given birth to three surviving cubs: Tai Shan; Bao Bao and Bei Bei. Steve Monfort, acting director of the National Zoo, said Thursday in a statement, “hopefully, we will have a health cub and celebrate another conservation success for the zoo and this vulnerable species.” Keepers said in the past week, Mei Xiang has been restless, wandering her yard and doing scent-marking and vocalizing — “all behaviors that increase in intensity before she reaches peak estrus.” The male panda, Tian Tian, also noticed her changes and “began displaying behaviors toward her indicating that he was ready to breed as well,” officials said. Experts used “fresh and frozen semen from Tian Tian” for the artificial insemination. It will be a waiting game to know if there will be a new cub at the zoo. Panda fans can follow the possible pregnancy on social media under the hashtag #PandaStory. The team of keepers for the pandas, however, won’t know if the procedure was “successful for several months.” Pregnancies for giant pandas and “pseudopregnancies,” where a panda can seem pregnant but is not, can last between three and six months. Veterinarians will do ultrasounds and track Mei Xiang. The breeding plans for her are a part of a plan with the China Wildlife and Conservation Association and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which tracks panda research programs in the U.S. Because there are only an estimated 1,800 giant pandas in the wild, they are considered “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.


Fox News executive who decried ‘Darker, Gayer, Different’ U.S. Olympic team has retired

Last month, Fox News Executive Vice President and Executive Editor John Moody penned a column on the network’s website decrying the U.S. Olympic Committee’s push to make its teams more diverse, a response to a Washington Post story written by Rick Maese. Moody seemed to denounce the fact that the USOC was striving to attract athletes of all stripes in an attempt to have its teams look more like the American population as a whole and suggested that such diversity would negatively affect the United States’ standing in the medal table. “Unless it’s changed overnight, the motto of the Olympics, since 1894, has been ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger.’ It appears the U.S. Olympic Committee would like to change that to ‘Darker, Gayer, Different.’ If your goal is to win medals, that won’t work,” he wrote in a piece headlined “In Olympics, let’s focus on the winner of the race — not the race of the winner.” The network pulled down Moody’s story after it was published, saying it “does not reflect the views or values of FOX News,” and on Thursday the network told CNN that Moody had retired, a move it said was in the works before the column was published. A former New York bureau chief for Time magazine, Moody had been an executive at Fox News since its inception in 1996, though CNN reports that his role “was largely ceremonial and that he had little power in recent years.” His Olympic column drew outrage from a number of corners. “These athletes are at the Olympics because they already won by qualifying to represent the United States on the world’s stage,” GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said, per BuzzFeed, “and they did so despite facing discrimination from places like Fox News throughout their careers.” Read more from The Post: Aly Raisman files lawsuit against USOC, USA Gymnastics over alleged sexual abuse Scott Blackmun’s painful USOC legacy: Knowledge, inaction and misplaced priorities Larry Nassar attorney questions how he could have abused all of his accusers Cavaliers suspend J.R. Smith for ‘detrimental conduct’ just before game against 76ers Texas college fires baseball coach who just said no to Colorado recruit over state’s marijuana laws


Is anyone paying attention to China?

Amid the flurry of news about Hope Hicks and Jared Kushner and this week’s Trump reality show on guns, it would be easy to miss what’s happening in China. But it is huge and consequential. China is making the most significant change to its political system in 35 years. What impact will this have on China and the world? That’s the question that every policymaker, business executive and investor should be asking. Deng Xiaoping China’s unique model also produced an economic miracle. The country has had three decades of merit-based selection and promotion within the Communist Party, wise long-range planning and smart pro-growth economic policies. Since 1978, China’s gross domestic product has grown at an astounding average annual rate of almost 10 percent, which the World Bank calls “the fastest sustained expansion by a major economy in history.” For decades, China seemed to be getting more institutionalized. Deng had ruled as a supreme leader, wielding power more from behind the scenes than from any offices he held. His successor, Jiang Zemin , held all the key posts when he was in power. After his two terms as president, he continued to lead the Central Military Commission for two more years and even after that remained influential informally. When Jiang’s successor, Hu Jintao , finished his two terms as president, he simultaneously relinquished the top military position and lost nearly all power at once. But that trend has now been turned on its head. If term limits are abolished, which is now almost certain, Xi Jinping could stay China’s president, general secretary of the Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission for the rest of his life. And he is just 64. Xi has been a strong leader for China. He has tackled two of the nation’s most pressing problems, the corruption within the Communist Party and the pollution caused by China’s fast growth. These efforts have been very popular within the country at large. He has not, however, tackled other crucial challenges for China: long-stalled economic reforms and reduction of its rising debt levels. Xi’s supporters argue that his consolidation of power will now allow him to take these difficult steps and begin the next stage of reforms. The real challenge for China, however, is not about Xi’s economic policies. He has been reluctant to pursue tough, unpopular measures, but so are most governments everywhere, democratic or dictatorial.


Why cattle ranchers and tech start-ups are beefing over the meaning of ‘meat’

of animal agriculture. Beef producers say they are worried that consumers will not fully understand the difference between their products and those of their new competitors. The leading meat alternatives currently on the market, such as Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger and Impossible Foods’ Impossible Burger, typically use terms such as “plant-based.” Those products, which use isolated plant proteins to mimic beef, are essentially the second generation of the soy- and bean-based veggie burgers that became popular in the 1980s and '90s. Cultured meat will go one step further still, and it's unclear how those products will brand and differentiate themselves. Ranchers have already begun bristling at the aggressive branding of “clean meat” over “cultured” or “lab-grown” meat that more clearly declare its products’ origins. “We have a big problem with that,” said Beck, of the NCBA. “It implies something negative about our own product, and we don’t believe that has a basis in science or fact.” But “clean meat” has no intention of giving up its name, said Jessica Almy, policy director at the Good Food Institute, which advocates for alternatives to conventional animal meat. Almy argues that regulators don't have the power to selectively regulate the use of common food names. And even if they did, she added, there's no compelling reason to do so here, since there's not yet any evidence that consumers feel deceived by the use of words like “meat” and “beef” to describe lab-grown proteins. The term clean meat, in particular, is intended to communicate the environmental benefits of cultured meat products, Almy said. “I think the Cattlemen’s Association should face the competition head on,” Almy said. “If they really believe in their product, they should let consumers decide in the marketplace for themselves.” Of course, the name that's eventually given to “clean meat” could have a dramatic effect on its performance in the market — a fact that is not lost on cattle ranchers. Food label disclosures always carry a cost for someone, said Glynn Tonsor, a Kansas State agricultural economist. Right now, Tonsor added, clean meat is a niche market that does not threaten beef sales. To become a threat, clean meat will have to win over mainstream meat-eaters — and the label it sells under will affect that. “There are already a lot of alternative proteins out there,” Tonsor said — from chicken to Boca Burgers. “But this is the first one


Theresa May: ‘Life is going to be different’ after Brexit

no new ideas on how to solve the Irish border problem and noted that her “pick and mix” approach has been “constantly ruled out by the EU27.” “May was preparing the ground for medicine that both factions in the Conservative Party’s heated debate on Europe will find difficult to swallow,” he wrote. May tried to head off the criticism that she is trying to enjoy the benefits of being in the single market and customs union without the obligations, saying that “every free trade agreement has varying market access depending on the respective interests of the countries involved. If this is cherry-picking, then every trade arrangement is cherry-picking.” The speech comes at the end of a rough week for May. She saw pro-business lobby groups applaud the opposition Labour Party’s call for the U.K. to stay in a customs union. She tussled with E.U. officials over their proposal that would effectively see Northern Ireland remain part of the customs union. And she faced interventions from two former British prime ministers. John Major, the Conservative prime minister from 1990 to 1997, said lawmakers should have a free vote on the final deal and the option of a new referendum. If Brexit flops, he said, “there will be the most terrible backlash.” His successor, the Labour prime minister Tony Blair, said May’s Brexit plan is “literally not going to happen” and lambasted those who dismiss the Northern Ireland border issue as insignificant. “I find it not just disappointing but sickening that people should really be prepared to sacrifice peace in Northern Ireland on the altar of Brexit,” said Blair, who played a crucial role in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that helped end decades of violence. May delivered her speech at Mansion House, an 18th-century building in the center of London’s financial district, in front of an audience that included E.U. ambassadors and journalists. The venue was hastily relocated from the northeastern city of Newcastle, as Britain struggles to cope with its heaviest snowfall in decades. When asked by a German journalist if Brexit was “worth it,” May responded, “If that was an attempt to say, will we think again on Brexit, the answer is no, we won’t think again on Brexit.” But she added: “Unlike some politicians, I have actually been straight with people because there are choices to be made. There are some hard facts to be faced.” karla.adam@washpost.com william.booth@washpost.com


High winds prompt Smithsonian museums and zoo to close

The Smithsonian Institution’s museums and the national zoo will be closed Friday because of the high winds sweeping across the region. The National Gallery of Art also remains closed Friday because of the weather. A Smithsonian spokeswoman said the decision was made for safety reasons. Winds of up to 60 mph were reported in the region, causing delays to commuters on roads and Metro. The museums have closed in the past because of snow and hurricanes, she said. Tickets for Friday to the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be honored at any time, said the Smithsonian spokeswoman, Linda St. Thomas. The Smithsonian makes its decision about weather-related closures independent of the federal government, she said. Often the museums will open if the Metro is running, even if the federal government shuts down, as it did Friday. Metro was in operation Friday but at reduced speeds.


Northern Ireland is in crisis because of a dispute over language

Ireland back into play. The extraordinary circumstances even prompted Ireland’s prime minister, Leo Varadkar, to urge the abstentionist Sinn Fein to take its six seats in the British Parliament to thwart a “hard Brexit” that would see Britain leave the E.U. customs union. Meanwhile the U.K. government only survives because of a Conservative-DUP pact in Westminster. The main unionist and nationalist parties have shifted their sights beyond Northern Ireland’s domestic politics, toward the bigger game of Northern Ireland’s long-term future. Will it remain part of the United Kingdom, as unionists want, or shift toward the Republic of Ireland as Sinn Fein is seeking? These outside circumstances make the language issue more volatile. Sinn Fein had prepared their voters to accept nothing less than a stand-alone language act, which the DUP would see as capitulation to nationalism. As the recent talks took place in relative secrecy, rumors of mandatory language training in schools and affirmative action in the civil service quickly spread. By the time British Prime Minister Theresa May and Varadkar arrived in Belfast on Feb. 12, signaling their support for a compromise deal including Irish language legislation, the DUP had gotten spooked. One assembly representative told us that his office had received calls in the following two days not only from hard-liners but also from “moderate, middle class” unionists. It is likely that DUP representatives’ offices got similar phone calls and fed the information back to their negotiating team. The deal was more than the DUP was willing to sell to its base. There is no obvious way out Most of the options for a deal are unpalatable to one or more of the parties. Direct rule by the U.K. government, which would bypass Northern Ireland’s Stormont government, is the most likely short-term outcome. Yet, the DUP-Conservative pact and the looming specter of a Brexit deal — on which Sinn Fein and the DUP are deeply divided — mean that direct rule would be politically tricky. Joint authority exercised by the U.K. and Irish governments is another option. Already some are calling for a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. Yet, the unionist community would be sure to oppose a stronger role for Dublin. New elections could be called, in the hope that the power balance would shift in favor of the moderate middle. Yet this would almost certainly be wishful thinking. The voting bases of DUP and Sinn Fein have only


Health officials fear an Australian tourist spread measles across New York

has taken root in some communities. State health officials on Friday advised people without immunizations to contact a health-care provider if they exhibit symptoms of measles, which include fever, rash, cough, pinkeye or a runny nose. There is some overlap, the state said, given the two-hour life span of the virus when airborne. At this point, if you are digging into your vaccination records, immunization for the disease may show up as MMR — the common cocktail immunization for measles, mumps and rubella. The state is being proactive with the alert, as symptoms typically appear about 10 to 12 days after exposure. So if you checked into La Quinta Inn and enjoyed Central Park views on Feb. 16 or 17, then symptoms of the disease may begin to show if you were infected. This episode is noteworthy, given New York City's population density and the tourist's path cutting through area hotels and probably the subway and cabs. The Met notched a record 7 million visitors in fiscal 2017, the museum said in its annual review, drawing art enthusiasts and others from all over the world. Children must be immunized against measles to enroll in schools and day care, New York state health officials said, and college students since 1990 have been required to furnish their immunization records for the disease. Despite global efforts to combat the disease, measles has remained a serious threat, mostly to children in the developing world. In 2016, there were 89,780 measles deaths worldwide, the first year the figure dipped below six figures, the World Health Organization said. The World Bank found Australia, at 95 percent, has a slightly higher rate of measles immunization than the United States, which stands at 92 percent. The disease has sometimes roared back in the United States in incidents tied to anti-vaxxer efforts. For instance, MMR vaccines in Somali communities in Minnesota dropped 50 percentage points from 2004 to 2014 because of activist work there, sparking the worst measles outbreak in the state in three decades. In 2015, dozens of people at Disneyland contracted the virus in an outbreak that prompted state officials to warn nonimmunized people to stay away from the park. Disneyland is in Orange County, Calif., an anti-vaxxer hotbed. Read more: CDC seeks new labs for bioterror pathogens to replace aging facility Nursing home workers charged after a World War II vet was left alone to die


A mother Googled her toddler’s symptoms — and believes it may have saved the child’s life

sometimes proceeds it called myelodysplasia. The Leukemia Foundation describes it “as a group of diseases that affects normal blood cell production in the bone marrow.” About 30 percent of patients with the disorder eventually develop acute myeloid leukemia, according to the organization. Less than two weeks after her biopsy, Tazmin's condition progressed — and she was diagnosed with leukemia, her mother said. Tazmin was immediately admitted to a hospital, where she started chemotherapy and later received a bone-marrow transplant. The treatments worked. Tazmin, now 2, is in remission, her mother said. “I used to say to my friends whilst changing her nappy ‘look at her legs’ but we said surely it couldn't be anything to worry about as she was perfectly fine,” Handley wrote on Facebook. “How wrong were we.” Jennifer Shu, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the case Handley first read about is unusual — explaining that there are typically signs that something is wrong. “You have to look at the child overall,” said Shu, a pediatrician at the Children's Medical Group in Atlanta. “If the child is happy and active and doing usual activities, it's probably nothing serious. But if you notice a sudden change in the child's activity or personality — and it doesn't get better — get it checked out by a pediatrician.” The doctor said that the Internet can be a good tool for parents, but she cautioned that search results for medical conditions can be tricky — looking up “leukemia,” for example, might yield a news story that has garnered a lot of attention but might not apply to the majority of people experiencing similar symptoms. “A parent's intuition is very valuable,” Shu said, explaining that parents know their children best. “If in doubt, seek care. But you have to put online searches into perspective.” Still, Handley said, she didn't know which symptoms to look for until she searched for them online. Now, the mother said she wants to raise awareness about the warning signs of leukemia. “They say you shouldn't Google anything about health, but you have to trust your instinct,” Handley wrote on Facebook, linking to the story that sparked her search. “I just knew something was wrong with our princess after reading this and then googled the symptoms.” Read more: ‘We had no hope’: The amazing story of the baby born with his brain outside his skull


Here’s what you should know about the flu season this year

at the peak of last season, so there is still a lot of flu out there.” She added that the 2017-2018 season is like other previous seasons dominated by a particularly virulent strain. In those seasons when that strain is dominant early, "we may see a late-season bump" from an increase in the other circulating virus strains.” Officials say this season has been unusual because flu slammed virtually the entire continental United States at the same time, and that intensity continued for several consecutive weeks. Reporter Lena H. Sun has been talking to health officials about this flu season. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions: Q: What's going on with the flu this season? This flu season started early, and the entire country experienced widespread and intense flu activity. There was a very rapid increase in the numbers of people going to see their doctors or health-care providers, affecting hospitals, schools and workplaces. Several weeks ago, hospitalization rates in California were four times higher than what they were in 2014-2015; in Oregon and Minnesota, hospitalization rates were double what they were back then. Q: Is there something particularly bad about this year's flu strains? This season, the predominant strain is also the nastiest, H3N2, which causes the worst outbreaks of the two influenza A viruses and two types of influenza B viruses that circulate among people and are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics each year. Seasons when H3N2 strain dominates are associated with more hospitalizations, more deaths and more illnesses. Those who are particularly hard hit are the very young, the elderly and people with certain chronic health conditions, experts say. As top CDC flu expert Daniel Jernigan said: “Of the viruses we hate, we hate H3N2 more than the other ones.” This strain, which has been around for 50 years, is able to change more quickly to get around the human body’s immune system than the other viruses targeted in this year’s seasonal flu vaccine. Since the beginning of 2018, however, the overall proportion of influenza A viruses is declining, and the proportion of influenza B viruses is increasing, and that could lead to a second bump in flu activity, officials said. The CDC estimates that flu has resulted between 9.2 million and 35.6 million illnesses and 12,000 to 56,000 deaths each year in the United States since 2010. Q: Are there any differences in flu symptoms


the vaccine is more effective against influenza B than it is against the predominant H3N2 strain. Influenza B viruses tend to emerge later in the season. Another influenza A virus, H1N1, is also covered more effectively by the vaccine, and has appeared in states that previously had lots of H3N2 activity. Even a partially effective vaccine offers some degree of protection against serious complications. Here is a vaccine-finder widget that can find locations that still offer the flu shot. Q: What if I think I have the flu? What kind of treatment is available? Antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu can lessen the symptoms and shorten the duration of illness. Most people who get the flu have mild illness and don't need antiviral drugs. But people who are very sick or people with flu symptoms who are at high risk for serious complications should be treated as soon as possible with antiviral drugs. That means people 65 and older, young children, people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or asthma, and pregnant women and others more vulnerable to serious flu illness. The CDC has been urging clinicians not to wait for confirmed testing but to begin treatment if they suspect flu in a severely ill or high-risk patient. Young children and children with high-risk conditions respond to Tamiflu best when it's given in the first 48 hours. Also, if you or your children are sick, stay home from work or school to avoid spreading it to unsuspecting others, especially people who have weak immune systems and are at higher risk. Q: What does flu do to the body, and why do some otherwise healthy people die? The virus causes damage all by itself, but the immune response it triggers, especially among young, healthy adults, also makes people sick and can lead to death. After entering the body, often inhaled through the nose or mouth, the influenza virus begins hijacking human cells in the nose and throat to make copies of itself. The virus implants in the mucous membranes at the back of the throat and upper part of the bronchial tubes. In doing so, it weakens or destroys the feather-like protective cells in the bronchial tubes that push out bacteria and other material, “like so many little oars,” said William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University. Without that protection, bacteria — including the kind that causes pneumonia


Let’s hope ‘Black Panther’ motivates many to learn about the pride of Africa

Regarding the March 1 WorldViews article “Ethiopia: Africa’s real Wakanda and its struggle to stay uncolonized”: Reading the article on the 122nd anniversary of the Battle of Adwa was heartwarming. Although I have not seen the “Black Panther” movie yet, it is encouraging to learn about a Hollywood production that depicts the African continent in a positive light. The popularity of the movie, I hope, will motivate many to learn about Africa, its people and various aspects of its neglected but glorious history, such as the victory at Adwa. As the article rightly noted, Ethiopia’s stunning defeat of a colonial power in 1896 has remained the pride of Africa and of all peoples of African descent around the world. The Ethiopians achieved the spectacular triumph through their unyielding spirit of unity, heroic deeds and priceless sacrifices. Theirs is a captivating story that narrates a nation’s quest to preserve its freedom and dignity. It carries a universal message of courage and perseverance. The lives and achievements of illustrious African leaders such as Emperor Menelik II, along with those of his remarkable wife, Empress Taytu, can also provide priceless lessons to the young in any land. In these challenging times for Ethiopia, I hope that the tenacity and unity that brought the victory at Adwa will be repeated to secure a better future for the entire nation. Tewodros Abebe


Trump administration weighed sanctions against major Chinese banks tied to North Korea

chief executive of Sayari Analytics, a Washington-based financial intelligence company that tracks illicit trade with North Korea. Moreover, the U.S. sanctions will not be heeded by all nations. Ports in China and Russia may service the ships, and insurers elsewhere may continue to issue them insurance. “The devil is always in the details in these things,” said Nicholas Eberstadt, the author of a book about the North Korean economy and a researcher at AEI. “It remains to be seen how effective these are — that will depend upon implementation. But it’s certainly a move in the right direction.” Sanctions can devastate The threat of a U.S. sanction against a foreign bank, by contrast, is considered a powerful motivation to shun North Korean accounts. A U.S. bank sanction strips a bank of the ability to conduct business in dollars — and most major banks rely on their access to dollars. Indeed, the effect of a banking sanction can be devastating. In February, for example, the United States took action to sanction a small Latvian bank allegedly connected to North Korea’s ballistic missile program. The owners denied culpability, but soon after announced the bank would be liquidated. The United States also moved in June to sanction a small Chinese bank. Treasury officials said that sanction prompted heightened vigilance at some Chinese banks, particularly those near the border with North Korea. But evidence that other Chinese banks have worked with North Korean front companies — wittingly or not — is widespread, and advocates for more sanctions say that others should be punished. ● Three North Korean bank representatives affiliated with the regime opened more than 38 accounts in banks in China and Hong Kong, according to a September U.N. report. ● A Justice Department filing unsealed last year asserted that some of China’s largest banks were providing bank accounts for Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development, a Chinese company that allegedly conspired with a North Korean bank to evade U.S. sanctions. Some of the banks involved are among the largest in the world — Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank Corporation and Agricultural Bank of China. ● Officials with the Bank of China’s Singapore branch helped a shipping company involved in North Korea arms trade to avoid U.S. sanctions, according to Singaporean court testimony. The bank officials instructed the shipping company to avoid detection by omitting ship names from payment forms. In


A self-described sex expert says she will spill information on Trump and Russia to get out of a Thai jail

MOSCOW — A self-described sex expert whose videos highlighted the ties between one of Russia’s richest men and the Kremlin has been jailed in Thailand and is calling for U.S. help, claiming she has information about links between Russia and President Trump. Anastasia Vashukevich, an escort service worker from Belarus who catapulted to a certain measure of fame after filming a yacht trip with Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska and Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko, was detained in Thailand over the weekend in a police raid on her “sex training” seminar. While still in custody Tuesday, she published Instagram videos asking U.S. journalists and intelligence agencies to help her. Deripaska, with whom Vashukevich said she had an affair, used to employ former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. But Vashukevich, better known by the alias Nastya Rybka, provided no evidence Tuesday to back up the claim that she had new information to offer related to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. A post to her Instagram account showed her sitting on the floor of what was described as a Thai jail cell and said she was sick. “I am the only witness and the missing link in the connection between Russia and the U.S. elections — the long chain of Oleg Deripaska, Prikhodko, Manafort, and Trump,” Vashukevich said in a live Instagram video Tuesday, apparently shot as she was driven in an open-air police van through the Thai resort city of Pattaya. “In exchange for help from U.S. intelligence services and a guarantee of my safety, I am prepared to provide the necessary information to America or to Europe or to the country which can buy me out of Thai prison.” Vashukevich said in her video that she had already given an interview to U.S. broadcaster NBC. Representatives for Vashukevich and Deripaska did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman declined to comment. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny made Vashukevich famous last month after he broadcast old footage from her Instagram account showing an August 2016 yacht trip with Deripaska and Prikhodko. Navalny used the footage to allege that Deripaska, a metals magnate, had bribed Prikhodko, one of Russia’s most influential government officials, with the luxury getaway accompanied by women from an escort service. Navalny also speculated that Deripaska and Prikhodko may have served as a link between the Kremlin and the


All the known times the Trump campaign met with Russians

Putin did not call Donald Trump ‘a genius’] Russian military intelligence begins a second cyber operation targeting U.S. political organizations using “FANCY BEAR”; “COZY BEAR” had already entered the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) system in July 2015. On the campaign trail, Trump critiques NATO frequently, saying the organization is “obsolete.” He continues to point out that “Putin says very nice things about [him].” Trump announces his national security advisers. March: March 14: March 19: March 21: Although Page first met with then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in January to discuss working with the campaign, this interview was the first time he learned that he would be affiliated with the campaign. March 24: When other advisers expressed concern, Clovis wrote, “We thought we probably should not go forward with any meeting with the Russians until we have had occasion to sit with our NATO allies.” March 26-29: [The Fact Checker has checked the president’s various misleading claims about NATO on several occasions.] March 29: March 31: Trump delivers his first foreign policy address. Page is invited to speak in Russia. Manafort communicated with a Russian employee and assumes “operational control” of the campaign. Papadopoulos continues to work toward a Trump-Russia meeting and learns the Russians have “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. April: April: Manafort instructs Hope Hicks to disregard The Washington Post’s questions about his business relationships with the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and a Ukrainian businessman. April 3: April 7: April 10-April 22: April 25: April 26: April 27: Donald Trump secures the GOP nomination for president. Papadopoulos reaches out to senior campaign officials about a Trump campaign-Russia meeting. Page suggests Trump go to Moscow. Donald Trump Jr. interacts with a Russian banking official. Manafort meets with a longtime Russian employee and is promoted. Early May: May: May 3: May 4-5: May 13-16: May 19: May 21: May 26: Trump Jr., Manafort and Kushner meet with a Russian lawyer with the promise that she had information that could “incriminate Hillary.” News breaks that the Democratic National Committee has been hacked likely by Russia. Papadopolous offers to meet with MFA on behalf of the campaign. Page requested permission to travel to Russia. Lewandowski is fired and Manafort replaces him. Papadopolous and Page interact with Sessions. June 1: June 3: [The Fact Checker has previously published a timeline of Trump Jr.’s contradictory statements about this exchange] June 7: June 9: According to Veselnitskaya At


A gun won’t give you the guts to run toward danger

the military is engaged in combat, it is easy to forget the realities. The Army has experienced this forgetfulness many times. When the military was called up for the first Gulf War, for example, hundreds of soldiers did not show up to deploy. In 2004, a fuel transportation unit refused a mission to deliver fuel because it was too dangerous. The mission was carried out by another unit, with no casualties. Although the members of the 507th Maintenance Unit — which included Pvt. Jessica Lynch, who was briefly taken prisoner in Iraq before she was rescued — did not shirk their duties, their almost complete lack of fighting skills when ambushed in 2003 reinforced the lesson: Peacetime training does not always do a good job of preparing people mentally for combat. Those entrusted to protect our schoolchildren need to learn basics such as how to handle firearms, yes, but also how to face fear, and that is not straightforward. In general, our society does not produce fighters. We actually discourage it. We tell children not to fight, to seek peaceful resolutions, and when there is danger, to call for help. Most adults who enter the police or the military have never thrown a punch in anger or in someone’s defense. They are sent to boot camp, which often involves drills to overcome fear. For example, soldiers are asked to conquer obstacle courses that involve heights, or to rappel from a tower. During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Army supplemented those sorts of drills with a system that trained soldiers in basic hand-to-hand combat, a practice that had waned in peacetime, but also required all soldiers to fight one another regularly, regardless of age, rank or gender. Before this new system was put in place, the Army did not have real hand-to-hand training. Soldiers trained to stab dummies with bayonets and execute hand-to-hand techniques on cooperative opponents. There were no face-to-face, fear-inducing confrontations. People often want the illusion of training but they don’t want to get hit in the face. Every police, security and school-guard organization charged with protecting children would benefit from reevaluating the way it is testing and building courage. Make people face danger regularly. Develop hand-to-hand programs. Require recruits to face heights and water obstacles, and fire the ones who do not hold up. Many Americans view the actions of the armed personnel in Parkland as


10 years after financial crisis, Senate prepares to roll back banking rules

scrutiny from $50 billion to $250 billion, easing — at least temporarily — scrutiny on banks such as SunTrust and BB&T. Fewer than 10 U.S. banks have more than $250 billion in assets, although the Fed would reserve the right to apply tougher scrutiny to a smaller bank if it felt this was justified. Critics charge that advocates of deregulation are guilty of overly short memories and a false sense of security. There has not been a banking crisis since the Dodd-Frank law — named for its sponsors, former senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and former congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) — passed a Democratic-controlled Congress in 2010 on nearly party-line votes and was signed by Obama. The law was a response to the 2008 financial crisis that felled hundreds of banks and large financial companies, nearly toppling some of the largest U.S. financial institutions, including Bank of America and Goldman Sachs. The Bush administration was forced to seek a $700 billion rescue package that stabilized the economy by keeping some of the largest firms afloat. The crisis was fueled by risky investments at all levels of the financial system. Local banks and mortgage brokers offered subprime home loans to people who had little chance of keeping up with their payments, and then sold those loans to firms up the chain. They were in turn bundled by larger firms and used for a string of exotic financial instruments sold around the world. When homeowners defaulted on their loans en masse, the bonds they’d been bundled into — as well as other assets based on those bonds — collapsed in value, threatening to take the global financial system down with them. The Dodd-Frank law, which tightened supervision of the largest financial companies, made it harder for banks to use exotic financial instruments that could destabilize the financial system, tightened mortgage lending rules and created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to prevent companies from ripping off borrowers. The law also created a system to wind down a large failing financial company in a way that limits taxpayer exposure in the future. The system for winding down failing banks has never been tested, and banks have been subjected to rigorous stress tests to determine whether they can withstand another shock. A number of large banks have been caught engaging in risky practices. Supporters say the bill includes a number of new consumer protections, including a