Trump, Russia seek to use end of Mueller investigation as pivot point in relationship

With the special counsel investigation of Russian election interference now complete, the Trump administration cautiously offered a fresh start with Russia on Tuesday as the two countries find their interests colliding on a range of international issues. President Trump dispatched Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, bearing a message that the United States is ready to renew discussions on a lengthy list of topics, including arms control, Iran and Venezuela. Pompeo, greeting Putin at the Russian leader’s vacation home in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, spoke of “truly overlapping interests that we can build on.” “We can work together to make each of our people more successful and, frankly, the world more successful, too,” Pompeo said. “And so President Trump wants to do everything we can, and he asked me to travel here to communicate that.” The same disagreements that have soured U.S.-Russian relations for more than two years remain, including over whether Moscow interfered in the 2016 election and Russian anger over retaliatory U.S. sanctions. U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Russia engaged in a widespread effort to undermine the election and harm Trump’s opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton. But the Trump administration and Putin’s government appear eager to use the closure of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation and the presentation of his report last month as a pivot point. The issue of Russian interference has hung over Trump’s entire presidency, clouding his efforts to deal with Moscow. Questions about ongoing Russian influence were fueled by Trump’s resistance to the findings of his own intelligence agencies and his deference to Putin. In their first phone call in months, on May 3, Trump chose not to confront Putin over the election interference or warn him not to do it again. “On our behalf, we have said it multiple times that we also would like to rebuild fully fledged relations, and I hope that right now the conducive environment is being built for that,” Putin said through an interpreter as he greeted Pompeo. “For all of special counsel Mueller’s exotic work, he carried out an impartial investigation and confirmed the lack of any trace and any collusion between Russia and the acting administration — which we from the very beginning characterized as utter nonsense.” Putin added: “This was one of the reasons for the worsening of our interstate ties. I hope that today, the


Washington Chorus is in the market for another music director

The drill is starting to feel familiar: The Washington Chorus announced Tuesday that Christopher Bell, who started as music director in 2017, will step down at the end of his three-year contract in June 2020. Bell, who is from Northern Ireland, said he is leaving for personal reasons. “The death of my father at the end of 2017 requires me to focus more on family and personal matters, things that I cannot do based full time in Washington,” he said in a statement. Bell’s tenure seemed like it was just getting started. He arrived from Europe with a high-profile résumé and the promise of focusing on core choral values. In the two years Bell has been in Washington, the chorus has performed a few times with the National Symphony Orchestra (including the recent world premiere of “Arctica” by Lera Auerbach) and offered, among other things, an abridged concert version of “Carmen” and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The chorus has seen more transition than it expected, with both a new music director and new executive director unexpectedly leaving. In February, Stephen Marc Beaudoin, formerly executive director of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, assumed the post of executive director, replacing interim executive director Rita Shapiro, who was pinch-hitting after the unexpected departure of Chase Maggiano, himself a new executive director who, in 2016, had replaced the chorus’s longtime top administrator, Dianne Peterson. Like Bell, Maggiano left the post for personal reasons. Beaudoin, originally trained as a singer, said that coming to the Washington Chorus was “like a homecoming” after a career spent largely in the nonprofit world. He is committed, he said, to making sure that “underrepresented composers are part of our future.” As for Bell’s successor, Beaudoin said last week that a search committee had been formed and that the chorus hoped to name a new music director by December. Given that two other major choruses in Washington, the Cathedral Choral Society and the Washington Bach Consort, have new music directors this season, Washington is getting a lot of experience with new choral blood. First, though, comes the announcement of what will be Bell’s final season, the 2019-20 season, expected soon. Bell will also lead the chorus in the final concert of this season, a program of the Duruflé Requiem and James MacMillan’s “Cantos Sagrados,” on June 9. anne.midgette@washpost.com


Hogan signs bills to raise smoking age, legalize marijuana edibles and expand child-care tax credits

signed into law Monday by Gov. Larry Hogan. Even though the smoking age will be 21 for most people, members of the military will still be allowed to buy tobacco products at age 18. A companion bill will close a loophole so that vaping pens — widely blamed for an uptick in teen nicotine use — will be regulated like cigarettes. The state will also enhance its tax credit for working parents, allowing families who earn up to $141,000 to claim at least part of the state’s child-care tax credits, up from the previous threshold of $50,000. It’s one of several laws among the 180 Hogan (R) signed Monday that were crafted to help mothers, including one enhancing jail time for violent crimes committed against pregnant women and several initiatives aimed at reducing the number of women who die during pregnancy or childbirth. As the state’s once-troubled medical-marijuana industry begins to find its footing, the state expanded a program to allow dispensaries to sell pot brownies and other edible forms of the drug and to let research institutions study the effects of medicinal use. At the same time, a new antitrust law enacted Monday will place a cap on the number of medical-marijuana businesses a single company can own. State lawmakers passed 864 bills this year, according to state records, and several hundred are still awaiting Hogan’s signature or veto. The governor can also allow bills to become law without his signature. Hogan has so far vetoed just four bills this year, and the majority-Democratic General Assembly overrode each veto before adjourning its session April 8. Other legislation signed Monday will make Maryland the first state to use tax returns to recruit uninsured people onto Medicaid or low-cost health-care policies. The bill creates a checkoff box on state tax returns where people without insurance can opt into a program to help find it. Maryland would then be able to automatically enroll people in Medicaid or help them buy low-cost policies through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. Another first-of-its-kind law will let Prince George’s County become the first school system in the nation to use public-private partnerships to build schools. Prince George’s officials say the strategy removes so many bureaucratic hurdles that schools could be built 14 years sooner and as much as 20 percent cheaper. The district initially plans to build five to seven schools under the new system. erin.cox@washpost.com


The Energy 202: Democratic rivals pounce on Joe Biden over climate change

‘middle ground’ when it comes to climate policy.” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), who has made climate change his chief cause in the 2020 race, added: “Facing a crisis does not permit half-measures. Half-measures mean full extinction of millions of species and full economic damage to communities across America.” The standard-bearers of the Green New Deal, a call to drastically reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade that has been endorsed by more than a half-dozen Democratic candidates, also dinged Biden for his yet-to-be-released position. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the chief sponsor of the resolution in the House, called Biden’s position a “dealbreaker.” Varshini Prakash, a co-founder of the activist group Sunrise Movement, which helped bring the Green New Deal into the limelight, said that “Biden’s ‘middle ground’ will drown entire communities forever.” Biden sought to tamp down the criticism by reminding voters on Twitter that he introduced climate legislation back in the 1980s as a member of the Senate. “What I fought for in 1986 is more important than ever — climate change is an existential threat,” Biden said. “Now. Today.” He added that he will release specifics on his climate plan “in the coming weeks.” Indeed, Biden’s legislation called on the United States to set up a task force to plan for the mitigatation of global warming. A version of the bill, first introdcued in 1986, eventually did become law with Ronald Reagan’s signature, according to PolitiFact. When reached for comment, the Biden campaign described the candidate’s forthcoming plan as “bold,” without getting into any details of it. “He knows how high the stakes are,” said Biden spokesman T.J. Ducklo. “As president, Biden would enact a bold policy to tackle climate change in a meaningful and lasting way, and will be discussing the specifics of that plan in the near future. Any assertions otherwise are not accurate.” Nearly every Democratic official has cast President Trump’s policies of trying to revive coal and roll back climate regulations as a threat to the well-being of the planet. But disagreements arise over deciding on the best way to unseat him. Biden’s path to victory probably involves winning back a portion of blue-collar whites who voted for Trump in 2016. Technologies such as carbon capture, a nascent way of seizing climate-warming emissions and storing them underground, offers a promise that heavy-industry energy workers will play a role in reducing


Compete with China? Support a GI Bill for diplomacy.

2017 alone. Key ambassadorships — including across the Middle East — are still unfilled, leaving our diplomacy adrift. Foreign Service recruiting is also plummeting, with fewer Americans taking its entrance exam today than at any point over the past decade. An entering class of the Foreign Service in 2018 was roughly 100 people , down from 366 in 2016 and 450 a decade ago. China is taking a different approach. President Xi Jinping has declared that “it is time for China to take center stage in the world,” and his budgets are matching words with deeds. In the six years since Xi assumed power, China’s investment in its diplomatic ranks has more than doubled . Its rate of growth for spending on diplomacy in 2018 grew twice as much as its spending on defense (15 percent to 8 percent). What used to be a tiny foreign service now counts 7,500 diplomats , second only to ours. U.S. diplomats are reportedly outnumbered 5 to 1 by Chinese counterparts working on economic initiatives in Africa and elsewhere. These investments do not even include those of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the $1 trillion plan to entrench Beijing’s economic statecraft across Eurasia and Africa. If Washington continues to increase its spending on defense while gutting its spending on diplomacy, it will not only fail to compete but also increase the risks of future conflict. It was a strong military together with experienced, resourced and far-sighted diplomacy that won the Cold War with few shots fired. The United States must similarly invest for this new era of great-power rivalry, particularly against disciplined, patient and resourced competitors. If Trump will not lead, it falls to Congress to prepare the country. To date, Congress has rightly resisted Trump’s proposed spending cuts, but spending alone is not the issue. We need radical rethinking on how the diplomatic corps can recruit and retain talented Americans. We propose the Renewing American Diplomacy Act to establish a bipartisan commitment that investments in diplomacy must keep pace with investments in the military. In addition, our proposal can transform the recruitment and retention of talented Americans from the institutions no competitor can match: our colleges and universities. This would include three elements. First, it would expand student loan repayment programs for those who sign up for a State Department career out of college. The State Department is currently authorized to pay up


These fish started life as boys. Now scientists aren’t sure what sex they are.

chemical pesticides such as atrazine, washed off farms by rain, have turned creeks, streams and rivers into chemical soups that disrupt the endocrines of marine life. These substances throw off functions that regulate hormones and the reproductive system, said USGS biologist Vicki Blazer, a co-author of the latest study and lead author of numerous earlier reports. At one polluted site Blazer examined in the Susquehanna River near Hershey, Pa., two years ago, 100 percent of the male smallmouth bass sampled had eggs. The surprising thing found in the most recent survey, Iwanowicz said, is that the bass are being sexually transformed in more pristine waters at national wildlife refuges managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency's 560 refuges -- 71 in the Northeast -- provide a sanctuary for 1,000 fish species, 700 bird species and about 200 species of mammals. Smallmouth bass are "like the canary in the coal mine," Iwanowicz said. "In the case of this specific study, we’re getting a better handle on how widespread [the problem] is. We’re seeing this signal at national wildlife refuges, … evidence that in areas that are managed for animal health, stuff is going on behind the scenes." Among the 19 refuges included in the study were Blackwater and Patuxent in Maryland, Mason Neck and Rappahannock River Valley in Virginia, Great Swamp in New Jersey, Cherry Valley in Pennsylvania and Moosehorn in Maine. "These effects have been observed in other organisms, including mammals," said Don Tillitt, another co-author who is a research toxicologist at the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center in Missouri. "The mechanism occurs in the epi-genome, around the genome. Not the genes, but how those genes are expressed." A USGS study released in March found that male fish exposed to a synthetic hormone called 17a-ethinylestradiol, or EE2, produced offspring that struggled to fertilize eggs. And their grandchildren suffered a 30 percent decrease in their fertilization rate. The problem extends well beyond the Chesapeake Bay region that includes the District, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania. The USGS, which found intersex bass in the Columbia, Colorado and Mississippi river basins in 2009, calls it a "global issue" given changes that have been identified in locations worldwide. The previous study also determined that the chemical BPA, used widely in plastics, had a similar effect on the small Japanese medaka fish. Marine scientists track the medaka because


Sen. Boxer quietly backs bipartisan medical marijuana bill

marijuana and offer clarity to states that have approved the drug for medical use. Among its many features, the bill would reclassify marijuana in the federal government’s eyes, moving it from the Schedule 1 category of drugs deemed to have no accepted medical use to Schedule 2. “Senator Boxer is a strong supporter of California’s medical marijuana law and she believes that patients, doctors and caregivers in states like California should be able to follow state law without fear of federal prosecution,” Zachary Coile, Boxer’s communications director, said in a statement. According to federal records, Boxer, who is not seeking reelection next year, cosponsored the bill on Tuesday, although her office issued no announcement of her support. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) also sponsored the bill last week, saying in a news release that “the time has come for the federal government to stop impeding the doctor-patient relationship in states that have decided their own medical marijuana policies.” Boxer’s support is in line with her past comments on marijuana. In 2010, her campaign manager told Talking Points Memo that Boxer opposed a state legalization measure “because she shares the concerns of police chiefs, sheriffs and other law enforcement officials that this measure could lead to an increase in crime, vehicle accidents and higher costs for local law enforcement agencies.” But, the spokeswoman added, Boxer does support California’s medical marijuana law. “Sen. Boxer represents the state that led the way on medical marijuana, and it’s about time she took some action to defend the will of California’s voters from federal interference,” Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, an advocacy group, said in a statement. California in 1996 became the first state to pass a medical marijuana law. Nevada’s medical marijuana laws went into effect last year. In addition to rescheduling the drug, the federal bill would exclude some strains of cannabis-derived oil from the federal definition of marijuana. Such oils used to treat epilepsy and seizure disorders have very low or no levels of THC, the ingredient associated with the drug’s pscyhoactive effects. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act would also let Department of Veterans Affairs doctors recommend marijuana for patients, expand opportunities to research the drug, and let banks and financial services companies offer their services to the industry. Read more: The Republican argument to end marijuana prohibition Sens. Booker, Gillibrand and Paul unveil federal medical marijuana bill


Brendan Brazier’s new ‘Thrive Energy Cookbook’ urges athletes to consider a vegan diet

what you do, you can be better at it.” By choosing the right ingredients, such as leafy greens, legumes and quinoa, it’s possible to alleviate stress, boost energy levels and improve mental clarity, he says. “Athletes once thought it didn’t matter what they ate because they wouldn’t get fat. And that was true,” Brazier says. But now they’ve learned, he adds, that there’s more to fueling up than calories alone. Just because Brazier has scaled back his personal athletic pursuits, it’s still a lot of work to keep up with him. He’s created Vega (myvega.com), a line of plant-based protein snack bars, shakes and supplements. He and Karan have teamed up to open Thrive Energy Lab (thriveenergylab.com), a juice bar and cafe in Waterloo, Ontario, where customers can enjoy several of the dishes featured in the new cookbook. Two more Canadian locations are in the works, and Brazier hopes to bring the concept to the U.S. soon. And in March, he launched Thrive (mythrivemag.com), a quarterly magazine with vegan recipes and celebrity interviews. “It’s written for a type of person: high achievers,” says Brazier, who notes that American soccer star Landon Donovan is on the cover of the June issue. Brazier is also thinking about goals: Last month he met in D.C. with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and “Let’s Move!” executive director Sam Kass about piloting a fitness and nutrition program in Gabbard’s district. That sounds like a much better idea than seed-crust pizza. Ingredients 1 ripe avocado, peeled 1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 1 small clove garlic, chopped Small handful of fresh mint leaves, torn, leaving some for garnish 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin powder Small handful of fresh cilantro leaves, torn 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt 1 cup coconut milk Pinch of chili powder 1 teaspoon green onion, for garnish Fresh mint leaves, for garnish Makes Six Servings Combine cucumber, avocado, lime juice, garlic, ¾ of the mint, cumin, cilantro, pepper and sea salt in blender and puree. Add coconut milk and lightly blend, adjusting salt if needed. Serve chilled in bowls and top with a pinch of chili powder and green onions. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Drizzle with coconut milk for a beautiful contrast. Reprinted with permission from “Thrive Energy Cookbook” ($23, Da Capo Press) by Brendan Brazier You might also enjoy: Celadon Spa owner suggests sunscreens for summer exercise


Martin Baron gave a commencement speech today. Talked about tough decisions as an editor.

we needed to know whether the Church had repeatedly failed to disclose abuse, reassigning priests who had been credibly accused. The Church was the most powerful institution in Boston. And yet we went ahead with an investigation. And we went to court. We argued that the law and public interest demanded that documents kept secret by the Church be made public. Thankfully, we prevailed. Church files that had been locked away would be made public by court order. And, with independent reporting, we documented a pattern of cover-up lasting half a century. That did not win us universal acclaim. In 2002, a future ambassador to the Vatican declared — quote — “awarding the Pulitzer Prize to the Boston Globe would be like giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Osama bin Laden.” Well, we were later awarded that prize. More important, the public won the truth. Truth changed the way the Church — and other major institutions – now deal with sexual abuse. Victims were given a voice – and the hearing they’d long been denied. And one of the world’s most powerful institutions was held accountable. No one should be immune from responsibility, least of all the powerful. No one should be denied a hearing, least of all the powerless. We owe them a duty to listen and help. * * * * There is nothing more powerful in our society than the federal government. It has the power to tax. To wage war. To investigate and prosecute and imprison. Those who founded this country were wary of that power, fearful that it might subvert our civil liberties. They sought limits, writing them into the Constitution. This power of government came to occupy me shortly after I became executive editor of The Washington Post. So, story No. 3, my final one. * * * * A year ago, an unidentified individual sent a journalist named Bart Gellman an encryption key and instructions to create an account on an anonymous computer server. The two began an almost daily encrypted conversation. And then the source claimed to possess information about secret programs at the National Security Agency, programs he viewed as deeply troubling. The source was Edward Snowden, now a fugitive in Moscow. Over time Snowden would transmit documents containing the government’s most closely held secrets. Gellman would propose stories based on these documents to The Washington Post. Publishing those stories would


Tom Sietsema’s 2014 Spring Dining Guide Now Available

Including behind-the-scenes videos of how chefs prepare signature dishes at six featured restaurants The Washington Post Magazine released its fifth annual Spring Dining Guide where food critic Tom Sietsema visits 19 previously reviewed restaurants. In addition to restaurant reviews, star-ratings, prices and locations, readers can view a sequence of high-speed still photographs in a stop motion movie form of dishes being prepared. The Dining Guide is available online here and in The Washington Post Magazine Sunday. Sietsema now awards Jose Andrés’s Minibar four stars for “intense rethinking of common textures and flavors.” Here are highlights of how some of the other restaurants across the region have improved or not: • Graffiato by Mike Isabella In 2011: Italy meets New Jersey Again: “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” • The Classics In 2006: A good case for cloning Now: Trimmed ambitions • Bayou Bakery In 2011: Where’s the heat? Now: A truer taste of Crescent City A round up of spring cocktail creations by some of the area’s top bartenders is also featured in this edition of the Magazine.


Peg Leg Vintage, Blo dry bar and Sisu’s jarred salads make our Grab Bag

Tress Address Skin, Again Market Research


5 of our favorite strip mall restaurants, including Bangkok Golden, China Bistro, Taco Bamba and more

Who would have thought you’d find some of the most authentic Lao food in the Washington area in a restaurant flanked by a tobacco shop and a nail salon? Or that one of the city’s best taquerias is a few doors down from a karate studio where little kids practice snap kicks? Strip malls are most commonly home to a hodgepodge of tanning salons, tax prep offices and discount-mattress outlets, which may be why you’re overlooking the acclaim-worthy restaurants next door to those places. Because rents are lower than they would be in a stand-alone restaurant location, strip-mall spaces often appeal to first-time restaurateurs. Many of the ones who made this list are first- or second-generation immigrants with a passion for recipes that reflect their culture. “People want to bring [their recipes] to their new home and share food from their country,” says Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University and author of “An Economist Gets Lunch.” Even better, Cowen says the savings from these no-frills spots can get passed on to diners. We shine a spotlight on a few of our favorite eateries, chosen for their selection of fine-tuned dishes steeped in authenticity. Bangkok Golden 6395 Seven Corners Center, Falls Church; 703-533-9480, bangkokgolden7corners.com. There’s no shortage of stellar Thai food in the area. But Lao food? Not as much. You can get both at Bangkok Golden, where you’ll find a separate menu for each cuisine. (Combined, the menus contain more than 80 dishes.) Though it shares its western border with Thailand, Laos has developed its own style of cooking. “We use the same kind of herbs [as Thailand], like lemon grass and ginger and fish sauce, but the matter of cooking it is different,” says Seng Luangrath, who opened the 50-seat restaurant in March 2010. Of note is the Nam Khao (crispy rice salad) served with shredded coconut, lime juice, onion and ham ($9) and the beef larb served in a spicy sauce with lime leaves, rice powder, shallots and sticky rice ($11). Bangkok Golden’s success has come mostly from word of mouth, and Toki Underground chef Erik Bruner-Yang (no stranger to standout Southeast Asian food) is a fan. Taco Bamba 2190 Pimmit Drive, Falls Church; 703-639-0505, tacobambarestaurant.com. Chef Victor Albisu’s position in Idylwood Plaza Shopping Center is an advantageous one: His mother’s market and butcher shop, Plaza Latina, is just a few doors down. “We


Here’s why you don’t actually want to cuddle a panda

Not even National Zoo staff are allowed to sneak a snuzzle with Bao Bao. “As tempting as that would be, that’s not our role here. Our role is to be as true to what their wild counterparts are doing,” giant panda keeper Nicole MacCorkle says. Plus, if you DID get to pet her, it might be a letdown. Panda hair isn’t as soft as it looks, especially as a panda gets older; it feels kind of like a scratchy wool sweater. Want to know more about Bao Bao and her big year ahead? Get the full scoop here.


Face Time: Michael Mina

Fresh off of opening his 19th restaurant, Michael Mina is no stranger to milestones. Earlier this week, the Michelin-rated chef celebrated the fifth anniversary of Bourbon Steak, his swanky steak house in Georgetown’s Four Seasons (2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) that concentrates on meat done well. We talked to the San Franciscan while he was in town to celebrate the occasion. You can’t physically be in the kitchen at all of your restaurants. How do you communicate your vision to all the chefs? Is there a dish that stands out to you on the current Bourbon Steak menu? What void do you believe Bourbon Steak is filling in D.C.’s dining scene? On your website Cook Taste Eat (cooktasteeat.com), you give away a lot of your recipes and techniques. Why’s that? Why do you think some people are afraid to cook meat? What kind of things do you cook for yourself at home? Do you have any holiday cooking traditions?


D.C. area prepares for government shutdown

It’s not a hurricane; it’s a shutdown. So instead of gathering nonperishables, the owner of Z-Burger was busy Monday stockpiling four of his restaurants with enough produce, meat and buns to handle a considerable promotion. “We plan on giving out 5,000 burgers every day of a shutdown” to all affected employees and contractors, said Peter Tabibian, Z-Burger’s owner. A government shutdown would affect more than 700,000 workers around the D.C. metro area, and as the chances of averting doomsday shrunk Monday, local businesses, tourists and residents spent the day preparing for an onslaught of out-of-work federal workers. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue said Monday it would transform into a de facto community center starting at 10 a.m. today. Dubbed “Shutdown Central,” Sixth & I planned to offer free Wi-Fi and coffee, as well as pingpong and nonstop streaming of “The West Wing.” Elsewhere, panda-enthusiasts braced themselves for National Zoo panda-cam withdrawal, and tourists tried to get in as much sightseeing as possible amid threats that barricades would be erected to parts of the National Mall in the event of a shutdown. For those on the government’s payroll, many were focused less on what to do than how to pay the bills. “We’re not in the best state financially due to medical bills,” said Helen McGee, whose husband works for the D.C. government and was worried that a lengthy government shutdown could affect his paycheck. “We really depend on getting paid on time.” And that’s why Tabibian said he was preparing to launch his promotion. “We want to show Z-Burger cares more about the people than the government does,” he said. Other Shutdown Deals for Federal ID holders:


These extreme athletes are proof that pregnant women don’t have to take it easy

complications between the female athletes and the control group. “There has been a lot of stigma around vigorous sports and pregnancy,” said Thorgerdur Sigurdardottir, one of the report’s researchers. “We have a lot of studies that haven’t been able to show that extreme exercise is harmful to the fetus or the exercising mother-to-be.” Although Sigurdardottir said the study was too small in scope to make sweeping conclusions across populations, it could still lessen concerns over having a healthy childbirth while remaining physically active. “Being pregnant doesn’t mean you stop moving,” Anna-Lee Markstedt said. Markstedt, a professional obstacle course racer based in Belgium, remained active until she gave birth. She cartwheeled into the delivery room. Five months after giving birth to her second child, she took fourth place in a world championship obstacle course race in Europe. Markstedt credits her ability to compete so soon after childbirth with remaining physically active into her third trimester. Yet, between 80 and 85 percent of pregnant women are not active enough to meet the guidelines for prenatal exercise, according to Margie Davenport, a University of Alberta professor specializing in pregnancy and postpartum health. One reason for this low exercise rate is because of the confusion on whether exercise is safe for the mother and baby, Davenport said. “We need to start changing the conversation away from what are the risks of exercising during pregnancy to what are the risks of not exercising during pregnancy,” Davenport said While it’s possible to maintain a healthy level of activity throughout pregnancy, women are encouraged to directly consult their primary care doctor. “Women who are elite athletes are in a unique category. They can tolerate more exercise than a typical pregnant patient that is not an elite athlete,” said Jaqueline Worth, an OBGYN at Village Obstetrics in New York City and author of “The New Rules of Pregnancy.” Worth recommends 30 minutes of mild exercise a day. For George, who co-owns a mountain guiding company with her husband, deciding to continue skiing and working while pregnant came down to modeling the kind of life she wants for her seven-year-old daughter. “I’m living my passions and hopefully she will learn from that and live her own passions," she said. Read more: Serena Williams is the latest in line of women to compete — and win — while pregnant Stop trying to make Caster Semenya fit a narrow idea of


I train racehorses in France. They live long and love their jobs.

This problem we hadn’t yet solved. He had run a big race last time out on our home track in Maisons-Laffitte and was the favorite for the race at Longchamp later that day. So we had things to think about. Whether Prince would get injured in his race was not one of those worries. Prince was racing a mile and a quarter on soft turf. This was a middle-distance race for us. In the United States, it would be considered a route, or long-distance race. Prince didn’t start his day with an injection or any other sort of medication. In fact, the only medical treatment he had ever been given in the six months I’d had him was a week of ulcer medication when he arrived. American racing has evolved into a different sport, far removed from its 17th-century English roots, when riders galloped along the rolling Newmarket heath for miles. Speed is king, on punishing dirt tracks over short distances. Horses are stabled on-site, in dusty barns hard on sensitive lungs. A litany of so-called therapeutic medications keeps them ticking. Bute for aches and pains. Clenbuterol for dusty lungs. And the elephant in the room: Lasix for exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging. Lasix is injected into more than 90 percent of thoroughbreds in the United States on the day they race, ostensibly to prevent bleeding in the lungs during intense effort. There is little proof that the drug accomplishes this task, but there is a lot of evidence identifying Lasix as a performance-enhancing drug. The result has been a fragilization of the animal, a decrease in the longevity of a racing career and an increase in fatal accidents. And a public that says they’ve had enough. The rest of the racing world is not without its issues — attendance and betting are falling as a younger generation loses interest — but there is an awareness that we must be better stewards to the animals we keep. Outside the United States, if a horse has a problem and needs treatment, that horse isn’t racing. We train our horses in training centers and on private farms, away from the close quarters of the racecourse. Horses are exercised on various surfaces and in different directions, often walking through parks or forests to get to the training gallops. We have longer-distance races over more forgiving surfaces, reducing the emphasis on brutal speed. Horses are remarkable


Elon Musk’s SpaceX is striving to win the race to build the Internet in space

SpaceX was poised to launch 60 satellites to space Wednesday night, a significant step forward in the race to provide Internet service across the globe from a constellation of satellites whizzing around the planet. The launch would be the first step in a competition that pits Elon Musk’s company SpaceX against other companies, notably OneWeb, the enterprise backed by Softbank, Airbus, Richard Branson and other big investors that launched its first satellites in February. Amazon also recently confirmed it plans to put up a constellation of its own, adding yet another high-profile billionaire, Jeff Bezos, to what has become a new space race. (Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon, owns The Washington Post.) On Twitter, Musk recently wrote that the company would need to put up six more batches of 60 satellites for “minor” coverage for what it calls its Starlink program, and an additional 12 batches for “moderate” coverage. But he warned that “much will likely go wrong on 1st mission.” In a call with reporters, Musk cautioned that “there is a lot of new technology here, and so it’s possible that some of these satellites may not work. In fact there is a small possibility that all of the satellites might not work.” In the race to put up large constellations, it’s unclear which of the companies, if any, will be successful. At stake is the chance to be one of the world’s largest Internet providers by building the architecture in space, giving WiFi access to billions of people without it. In the past, others have tried and failed to do just what SpaceX, OneWeb and others are hoping to accomplish. Teledesic, a company funded by Bill Gates in the mid-1990s, failed after costs soared into the billions. Attempts by Iridium and Globalstar failed after both ended up in bankruptcy. Musk said he was well aware of that history. “I do believe we will be successful, but it is far from a sure thing.” He declined to comment on his competitors, saying only that the company was focused on Starlink and that “it’s always good to have competition.” He added, though, that SpaceX would be happy to launch any of his competitors’ satellites. OneWeb, founded by Greg Wyler in 2012, has said his goal is to “connect every school in the world, and bridge the digital divide.” In a statement, Amazon said that its program, known as


Khashoggi fiancee criticizes Trump’s response to killing of Saudi journalist

and property to Khashoggi’s four adult children. Cengiz was the last person to see Khashoggi before he entered the consulate to obtain papers for their planned marriage. He never emerged from the building, where according to U.S. and Turkish authorities he was killed and dismembered by a team of assassins dispatched from Riyadh. She also described an alarming conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after Khashoggi’s death, in which the Turkish leader cautioned about the danger posed by Saudi Arabia under the volatile crown prince. “What we are faced with now is not a normal country, not a normal leader,” Erdogan said, according to Cengiz. He added that Mohammed is “someone who tends to behave erratically.” The White House and the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. Turkey and Saudi Arabia are rivals, and Erdogan’s government reacted with anger to the kingdom’s apparent belief that it could kill one of its citizens with impunity on Turkish soil. A Turkish intelligence recording shared with the CIA included audio of a struggle inside the consulate and Khashoggi gasping for air. Turkish surveillance footage also showed Saudi operatives clumsily trying to cover their tracks in Istanbul, and it helped to disprove Saudi claims that Khashoggi had left the consulate unharmed. Saudi officials have denied that Mohammed was involved in or even aware of the operation to kill Khashoggi, insisting that it was carried out by rogue elements of the government. Saudi authorities have announced investigations of 21 people in connection with the killing, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for five men accused of being directly involved. Cengiz said she had met Khashoggi at a conference last year and that the two soon made plans to wed. She said that he sometimes voiced concerns that Saudi Arabia would retaliate for columns he wrote that were critical of the government by seizing his passport or other means but that he did not fear for his safety. She said she accompanied him to the consulate of her own accord that day, and that while he left belongings including a phone with her outside, he did not express any concern that he might be abducted or take any precautions such as leaving her with instructions on whom to call. Cengiz said she had considered relocating to the United States after Khashoggi’s disappearance but opted to settle in London, where


Marine Corps punishes drill instructors and officers after hazing incidents

examined numerous allegations against drill instructors in the battalion’s Papa Company, including one case in which a recruit’s tooth was chipped in July 2018. In a handwritten statement, the recruit recalled that she tried to tell other recruits to slow down while they were moving in formation, upsetting the senior drill instructor. The recruit could not recall whether the Marine pushed her arm or the weapon itself. “I knew I was in the wrong for overstepping when I shouldn’t have, but I wasn’t used to anyone messing with the weapon," the recruit wrote. The senior drill instructor later found the recruit on a bathroom bench at night writing to a former Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor, a sergeant major, about the incident. The recruit told an investigating officer the instructor confiscated several letters and asked other recruits the next day whether they would say she had abused them. The drill instructor said she eventually told others in control about the incident, and the recruit was transferred to a different platoon. The drill instructor was informed she could be charged with failure to obey an order or regulation, according to military documents, which do not clarify what commanders chose to do. In August, another 4th Recruit Battalion drill instructor slammed a recruit’s hand with a foot locker, according to the documents. The recruit received medical treatment and later reported she believed the incident was an accident. However, other recruits said drill instructors told them to say it was unintentional, according to the investigation. It is not clear whether commanders determined what happened. One recruit interviewed in the case reported she and three other Marines were forced to go through a chamber that introduces recruits to CS gas twice within minutes during training, instead of once as typically required. The recruit wrote in a witness statement that drill instructors said “enlisted look out for enlisted,” something she construed to be a message to keep quiet. In a separate investigation, 13 people reported a senior drill instructor in the battalion for acting inappropriately, the documents said. A case was opened after a recruit told an officer in May 2018 that she was ordered to put “feces soiled underwear” on her head, and a second recruit backed up the allegation, documents said. In a statement to an investigating officer, the senior drill instructor involved said the incident occurred after a recruit left underwear under


Trump administration may overhaul rules limiting bank overdraft fees

introduced legislation that would cap credit card interest rates at 15 percent, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has proposed making it easier to jail bank executives for corporate misdeeds. Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Sherrod Brown of Ohio introduced a bill last year to ban overdraft fees on debit card transactions and ATM withdrawals in many circumstances. “Overdraft fees are a tax on paychecks that are already stretched thin,” Brown said in a statement Tuesday. CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger “should stop helping big banks rob working families of their hard-earned money.” These Democratic plans have little chance of passing Congress this year, but banking industry analysts say they are likely to become talking points during the 2020 presidential campaign. They could also lay the groundwork for banking industry reform if Democrats take control of the Senate. “This represents a risk to banks as it will further politicize overdraft fees,” Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with Cowen’s Washington Research Group, said of the CFPB review. Even if the CFPB’s effort results in only modest changes, there could still be political fallout, Seiberg said. “It won’t matter if the banks asked for this. Progressives will attack the industry for trying to escape the overdraft regulations,” he said. However, the Independent Community Bankers of America said it welcomed review of the overdraft rule. It could “minimize the economic impact on community banks that provide this service as a safe and convenient option to help consumers to manage their financial shortfalls,” said Rhonda Thomas Whitley, the group’s vice president and regulatory counsel. The CFPB has been undergoing a transformation under the Trump administration, adopting a business-friendly approach to the financial world’s prickliest issues. Over the last year, the bureau has proposed rolling back rules on payday lenders and limiting debt collectors to calling consumer seven times a week, while sending an unlimited number of emails and texts. The CFPB plan to review the overdraft rule “is another step by the Trump Administration to erode the agency’s power and leave consumers paying the price,” Booker said in a statement. Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the name of the Independent Community Bankers of America. The story has been updated. Read More: Trump administration hands payday lenders a major victory Trump administration wants to allow debt collectors to call 7 times a week and text, email as much as they want


During the Metro shutdown, riders could turn to water taxis for transportation

handle about 31,000 boardings a day — are shut down from May 25 to Sept. 8 so deteriorating platforms can be replaced. While it might not work for most people, Potomac Riverboat is betting hundreds a day could abandon Metro shuttles and buses for the water taxi, which now mostly takes tourists between Alexandria’s waterfront and the Wharf, near the federal government offices around L’Enfant Plaza. The company is adding seven weekday runs between 6:40 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. beginning the Tuesday after Memorial Day. The company will also continue running boats back in the afternoon. It’s offering a $10 round-trip weekday fare during the shutdown for the 30-minute ride. That’s half off the current $10 one-way fare. It’s also offering a $199 commuter package for unlimited commuting-time rides, which, over the course of the 15-week shutdown, could work out to less than half the $3-per-trip Metro fare for the roughly 26-minute ride from King St.-Old Town to Smithsonian. There’s no single-tracking on the water. But Lawler sailed the boat slowly at first, passing white buoys that mark a no-wake zone where boats are not supposed to create waves for other vessels. In the glassed main cabin at deck level sat five passengers, but another 20 were on the open top deck, even when the wind whipped up as the boat gained speed. They stared blankly as Metro commuters do. But it was a different kind of zoning out as they watched the water and the contours of the shore change. Lawler was relaxed too, even as he steered around logs washed into the water by recent storms, which he said can bend a prop. Lawler worked in real estate for 40 years, eventually rising to vice president at Re/Max. He moved to D.C. 11 years ago to work for the the National Association of Realtors to keep track of legislation and regulations and then travel the country explaining it. During that time, he would take Metro to work. He’d take weeks off, though, sailboats for a boat manufacturer or run whale-watching charters in the Caribbean. But now he sails full time. “This is my retirement job, being on the water,” he said. “At Re/Max, I was in charge of forecasting how many homes we’d sell in a year and delivering that. As a publicly-held company, everybody’s looking at you. If you can’t project and deliver, you’re not going to


For some national politicians, over-the-top competition isn’t limited to elections

is planning to break the female lawmaker’s record of 22:05 that she set last year in the House, as well as Kelly Ayotte’s Senate women’s record of 24:52. Sinema said she loves the challenge of achieving things that are “audacious and too hard,” which is why she chose the Ironman and why she is attempting to qualify for Boston at a marathon this month. She calls her approach disciplined rather than competitive. “I’m the same as an athlete, as a candidate and as a senator — very disciplined,” she said. “Which means you decide what you want, you focus relentlessly on it you do all the work to achieve it, and then you achieve it.” Chertok said that the long, hard training required to compete in endurance events may appeal to people in jobs that require a lot of public interaction, giving them “an opportunity for solitude in a professional life that doesn’t really grant much of that.” Then-Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2016. She finished the marathon in 2:38:13. (Bank of America Chicago Marathon). The 2007 Marine Corps race was one of more than 40 marathons then-Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) took part in during her eight years in office. (Marine Corps Marathon). Then-Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) in 2007. Today at 70, Gordon says he is still often introduced as “the fastest man in Congress” thanks to a never-beaten 1995 performance in the lawmaker category of a D.C. three-mile race. (ACLI Capital Challenge) Our judges voted former congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), by far the most prolific endurance racer on our list, into the top spot with her 3:49:05 marathon at age 54. It was the fastest of more than 40 marathons she ran during her eight years in the House. Many of those were speedy enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Schmidt grew up working on pit crews for the auto racing team her father co-founded and says competition is in her blood. She says the will to finish no matter what applies to both running and politics. “It’s a mind-set,” Schmidt said, just days after completing her 20-somethingth Boston in April. “You just have to roll with it and move forward and always look at the goal. You want to finish the race. You want to win that election.” Now 67, Schmidt is still adding to a lifetime marathon total, which


A year in the adorable life of Bao Bao

Related: Year of the panda, and 154 other zoo babies Bao Bao August 23, 2013: Two weeks: Six to eight weeks: Almost three months: Three months: Five months: Seven months:


Multi-million-dollar house in Georgetown snapped up in less than two days

The Italianate style home of lawyer Michael Nussbaum in the Georgetown neighborhood of Northwest Washington sold in less than two days. The house at 3029 Q St. NW was listed privately for $4.4 million. The buyer’s name and sales price were not disclosed. Maxwell Rabin and Jonathan Taylor of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty represented the seller, Nussbaum’s widow, Gloria Weissberg. Eileen McGrath of Washington Fine Properties represented the buyer. [Michael Nussbaum, First Amendment lawyer who defended writers, dies at 76] Nussbaum, who died in 2011, represented bold face names – Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ralph Nader and Seymour Hersh – and high-profile corporations – Lloyd’s of London and Merrell-Dow Pharmaceuticals – during his four-decade career. The house is part of historic Cooke’s Row, four double houses designed by Morris Starkweather and built in 1868 for Henry Cooke and his 12 children. Before President Grant appointed him the first territorial governor of the District, Cooke served as president of the Georgetown Street Railway Company and president of First National Bank of Washington. Nussbaum and Weissberg purchased the 6,700-square-foot home in 1994 and extensively renovated it. The six-bedroom, seven-bathroom house has 12-foot ceilings, hardwood floors and five fireplaces. A sunroom with three walls of glass overlooks a private garden and large patio. A detached garage fits one car.


Meet the NASA astronaut who is still excited to fly after 3 rockets exploded

eager to experience weightlessness and see Earth from a distance. As for the Russian Soyuz rocket that would fly him to the station, he said he is “confident in the vehicle we are going to fly on.” [A search for answers after Antares rocket explodes during liftoff] But despite his scheduled departure being two weeks away, top NASA officials still haven’t given him the official green light, as they work with their Russian counterparts to fully understand what caused a previous flight to go awry two months ago. The officials have said they need to be confident that any problems have been resolved before Lindgren is allowed to fly. In April, the unmanned Progress 59 mission, carrying cargo to the station, started spinning out of control once it reached orbit. It eventually crashed to Earth, scorched and scattered in pieces. [Watch an unpiloted Russian spacecraft spin out of control in space] It was part of a string of recent failures. Last year, an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket blew up seconds after liftoff. Last month, a SpaceX Falcon 9 exploded two minutes into its flight. [SpaceX’s rocket just exploded. Here’s why that’s such a big deal.] But those rockets were carrying food, water and supplies — not people. The mission on July 22 would ferry three astronauts to the station: Lindgren, Sergey Volkov of Russia and Kimiya Yui of Japan. Last week, the Russians successfully launched the unmanned Progress 60 to the station. It delivered some much-needed supplies on Sunday morning and gave NASA a measure of confidence. In an interview from Russia's Star City, Lindgren said he is aware that the Russians "have been conducting a very comprehensive review of the Progress mishap, trying to identify the root cause. … We have a couple more flight readiness reviews. We expect that those should go fine.” He said U.S. and Russian officials were meeting about the investigation on Tuesday and that there are more reviews next week. And while he waits for the official go, he said he’s preparing as if he already has it. “The posture I’ve adopted is, we’re confident,” he said. But he added that “flexibility is the name of the game.” If everything goes as planned, Lindgren, a flight surgeon and father of three, will join the three astronauts already aboard the station. That includes Scott Kelly, the U.S. astronaut who is spending a year in space.


SpaceX’s rocket just exploded. Here’s why that’s such a big deal.

An unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket bound for the International Space Station exploded a couple of minutes after liftoff Sunday morning. It was the third cargo mission to the space station to be lost in recent months. Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder tweeted that "there was an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank." He added: "That's all we can say with confidence right now. Will have more to say following a thorough" analysis. NASA officials said it was not clear what caused the explosion. During an afternoon press conference William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations, said there was "no negligence here." The three failures from three different launch providers show "the challenges facing engineering and the challenges facing space flight in general." [Elon Musk’s SpaceX is on a roll, but here’s why the pressure is really on] The rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 10:21 a.m., and everything seemed fine until 2 minutes at 19 seconds. Then video of the launch showed harrowing, if now familiar, images of a rocket exploding into a plume of smoke. The Falcon 9 was carrying more than 4,000 pounds of food and supplies to the space station, where American Scott Kelly is spending a year. There were no astronauts onboard. The explosion also lost many student experiments and a water filtration system. Also onboard was a piece of hardware that would be used to help two new crew vehicles dock to the station. The failure follows two earlier mishaps, which had put tremendous pressure on SpaceX to deliver a successful flight. An Orbital Antares rocket blew up in October, and then a Russian Progress 59 spun out of control after reaching orbit. The Orbital failure raised questions about NASA's bold plan to outsource the cargo resupply mission to contractors in the wake of the space shuttle retirement in 2011. “We are disappointed in the loss of the latest SpaceX cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. "However, the astronauts are safe aboard the station and have sufficient supplies for the next several months. We will work closely with SpaceX to understand what happened, fix the problem and return to flight. The commercial cargo program was designed to accommodate loss of cargo vehicles." But before the launch, Stephanie Schierholz, a NASA spokeswoman, said that the station had plenty


How immigration reform could boost our national defense

university graduate programs in the United States are foreign-born. Much of the $6 billion in taxpayer money given by the National Science Foundation to STEM research in U.S. universities each year is spent on research conducted by these foreign students. And a 2012 Congressional Research Service study found that the ranks of foreign-born grad students in the United States are multiplying: In 1990 we had just over 91,000 foreign graduate students, while in 2009 we hosted almost 149,000 foreign graduate students studying in the United States. Our country is investing a significant amount of taxpayer money into foreign-born students and their research, yet once they graduate, we kick them out of the country. Meanwhile, STEM graduates who are U.S. citizens are typically drawn to Silicon Valley, big companies, start-ups or academic institutions. This leaves a huge gap in national defense, where the need for STEM expertise is arguably greatest. International defense contractor BAE’s outgoing U.S. CEO Linda Hudson recently spoke about immigration reform and the defense industry’s hiring problem. “For the most part, in defense we are not permitted to hire foreign nationals,” she said. “I cannot help but wonder if hobbling our ability to hire top scientists, mathematicians, programmers, and engineers who happen to have been born on foreign soil doesn’t carry national security risks of its own.” Hudson has been an outspoken proponent of the benefits of immigration reform, arguing for a path to citizenship for foreign students who want to stay and work in the United States. We cannot let politics block action critical to preserving our national defense. Congress must act, and do so quickly. We must encourage foreign students getting STEM graduate degrees from our best universities to stay here, providing them a quick pathway to citizenship. More, we have to establish mechanisms so these bright minds are able to get the necessary security clearance to work in the U.S. defense industry. The security and future of our nation depend on a strong military, one that leads the world in technological capability. Yet unless we open our eyes and figure out a way to utilize the talent we do have, we lack the incoming human capital to maintain our edge. It is past time for the House to pass immigration reform and get our country back on track. This isn’t simply an economic issue – our national defense depends on it. Shapiro is president and


What research tells us about how Brian Williams should respond

When Dan Ariely first heard the Brian Williams news — that the popular anchor had apologized for misstatements about a personal experience during the Iraq War — his first thought was about the irony. Ariely, a behavioral economist and Duke professor, had just wrapped up making a documentary on the topic of dishonesty. In part of the film, he features the story of Marilee Jones, the dean of admissions at MIT who admitted to misrepresenting her academic degrees. That section included footage of none other than Brian Williams reporting on Jones' story. "We finished the movie two days before this broke, and we couldn't decide if we should add something to the movie, or just enjoy the irony," Ariely said in an interview. Of course, Ariely has given much more thought to why people lie than to that cutting-room decision. His 2013 book The Honest Truth About Dishonesty explored why everyone does it, what subjects people fib about the most and how we lie even to ourselves. He's also thought plenty about what may have led Williams to make the claims he did — and how he should respond now. We asked Ariely for his take on those points, and he highlighted something he's found in his research on dishonesty: People often cheat and lie to help other people. "We call this altruistic cheating," Ariely said. "In all kinds of cases, people actually take tremendous risk for themselves for the benefit of some other goal." While we don't know exactly what motivated Williams, the anchor did say in his on-air apology last week that the most recent time he made the claim — in tribute to a retired soldier who provided ground security on the day in question — was "a bungled attempt by me to thank one special veteran and, by extension, our brave military men and women, veterans everywhere, those who have served while I did not." Could the effort to highlight the work of service members have played a role in why Williams inflated his claims? Ariely thinks it could have. "Look, the guy doesn't need to grandiose himself. His career is going incredibly well. I think the way he was trying to do it was to basically use himself to make this story more interesting, more powerful." Still, Ariely speculated there's likely more to it than just that. Much research has examined why we have false


Opening of David M. Rubenstein Gallery at National Archives delayed — again

First the shutdown — now the snow. Tuesday’s grand opening of the David M. Rubenstein Gallery at the National Archives was postponed on account of the weather, adding yet another delay to the Archives’ long-anticipated museum-expansion project. In October, the Foundation for the National Archives announced that construction of the 3,500-square-foot gallery was on hiatus due to the government shutdown. The opening — originally scheduled for Nov. 8 — was pushed back by a month and two days. Then, the weather happened. “They’ve been having bad luck,” said Chelsea Beroza, a spokeswoman for the foundation. The public opening is now scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday, following a media preview. The National Archives’s research rooms and museum are closed today. The David M. Rubenstein Gallery was built to house the new “Records of Rights” exhibition, which will focus on human rights and the ideals of freedom. The exhibition’s centerpiece is a copy of the 1297 Magna Carta that’s on long-term loan from Rubenstein, the Washington financier-philanthropist. Rubenstein donated $13.5 for the project, which received matching federal funds. “People began to say, ‘Why don’t we have a separate gallery where we talk about the struggle for freedom and equality this country has gone through?’ ” Rubenstein said in a recent interview with The Post. “The Magna Carta inspired people to feel that they had certain rights that were a part of their inalienable rights.” David S. Ferriero, archivist of the United States, told my colleague Lonnae O’Neal Parker that the gallery will allow the National Archives to “show not only the impact of that document on our own rights but also to display three areas of rights that we’ve never had the space to display before. We hold these records so people can use them to hold their government accountable and track how decisions were made. There isn’t any other place in the city that has that repository.” Thomas Heath contributed to this report.


Running the Marine Corps Marathon? 5 tips from ‘On Background’

Whether you’re a veteran marathoner or someone looking to break into long-distance running, there’s no better weekend in D.C. than this one to get inspired. On Sunday, 30,000 people will participate in the Marine Corps Marathon, a 26.2 mile race that winds through Arlington County and the District. In anticipation of “The People’s Marathon,” PostTV’s “On Background” jumped into the conversation on all things running for Thursday’s live show with guests Marine Corps Marathon race director Rick Nealis and RunningBrooke Fund’s Brooke Curran of Alexandria (who has raced on every continent). Host Nia-Malika Henderson also caught up with viewers and running experts, Jim Lynch and Jennifer Roe, after the show for a Twitter chat on what runners should know going into the Marine Corps Marathon. Here are some takeaways from “On Background” that will help you hit the ground running. 1. Remember: It’s a marathon — not a sprint. Here’s the advice our panel offered for new runners on how to prepare themselves for race day: Guest Brooke Curran, who has embarked on a global marathon campaign, offered her three tips for race day: 1) Do what you know and stick with it, 2) Don’t wear anything new, 3) Get a good night’s sleep two days before a race to prepare yourself for race day jitters the night before. 2. How do you fall in love with running? “Run by feel,” said Curran, who doesn’t run with a stopwatch. “You just gradually build up — listen to your body and listen to your breath.” 3. Following the Boston Marathon bombing, the spirit of the race, as well as security, will be elevated. Marine Corps Marathon race director Rick Nealis said there will be eight hours of helicopter coverage this year to provide a live feed of what’s happening on the ground. “When you have 30,000 runners, it is a participatory sport. Every runner I think realizes the importance we have to our sport to look around and have those extra eyes — and they’re empowered and expected if they see something wrong to speak up.” 4. The past years have seen a boom in popularity for marathons. “On Background” guests offered some historical reasons why: Nealis said two factors attracted more attention towards marathons in the ’90s: Oprah and charities. 5. Running is a mental exercise as well as a physical one. Our panel members shared some of their race


The weekend and beyond: Cherry blossom festival events begin, downtown run Sunday

delightful, but bike parking is limited. There is some parking near the Washington Monument and by the Jefferson Memorial. Parking. 5K Run/Walk for Colon Cancer Awareness The eighth annual 5K Run/Walk for Colon Cancer Awareness starts at 9 a.m. Sunday. D.C. police announced these street closings around Freedom Plaza for 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Pennsylvania Avenue NW from 14th Street to 12th Street, and 13th Street NW from Pennsylvania Avenue to E Street. Streets along the route of the event will be closed from 8:30 to 11 a.m. This is the route: Southeast on Pennsylvania Avenue NW from 12th to Third streets, south on Third Street to Independence Avenue SW, west on Independence to Fourth Street SW, south on Fourth Street to E Street SW, east on E Street to Third Street SW, north on Third Street to Maryland Avenue NW, northeast on Maryland Avenue NW to First Street NW, north on First Street to Constitution Avenue NW, west on Constitution to Pennsylvania Avenue NW, northwest on Pennsylvania to 12th Street NW. Download a map from this page on the sponsor’s Web site. 95 Express Lanes The conversion of the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on Interstate 95 into high occupancy toll lanes continues this weekend and this coming week. Sunday through Wednesday nights, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., the Virginia Department of Transportation plans to close Russell Road in the Quantico area for the placement of steel on I-95 above Russell Road. Through traffic on Russell Road will be directed to a detour. One lane on I-95 North will be closed. After the Russell Road operation is done, VDOT plans to close the Telegraph Road bridge over I-95 in that area for nine months. Workers will demolish and replace the old bridge. Falls Church lane closing Drivers will find the right northbound lane of North Washington Street closed at Jefferson Street in Falls Church through March 31 for work on storm sewers. Takoma Park work The Maryland State Highway Administration has begun a resurfacing project on East West Highway between Park and New Hampshire avenues in Takoma Park. The project, which will continue into the fall, is starting with work on the curb, gutters and sidewalk and then will move into road resurfacing during the spring. Drivers may find lanes closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays.


The weekend and beyond: Few major travel issues, till Monday

We’ll have plenty of visitors in the D.C. area for Monday’s presidential inauguration, so if you notice people pausing on the streets or in train stations and puzzling over directions, try to help them out. And if they happen to pause on the left side of Metro escalators, be gentle. While the temperature is going to plunge this coming week, the Capital Weather Gang says the weekend weekend travelers will encounter highs in the mld-40s, though it will be breezy. The Post’s Going Out Guide has some entertaining suggestions on weekend activities leading up to the inauguration. Rachel Karas offers nine tips for keeping yourself and your property safe in crowds. The guide also lists some of the events celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s life throughout the holiday weekend and beyond. There are plenty of traffic and transit issues that could affect your travels through the holiday weekend, but one thing I don’t have to list this time is Metro track work. Nothing is scheduled for this inauguration weekend. In this posting, I’ll focus on travel Friday night, Saturday and Sunday and end with links to many of the postings and stories we’ve done to guide travelers on Inauguration Day. Inauguration weekend While the inauguration traffic restrictions and transit schedule changes will be widespread on Monday, weekend travelers should encounter little difficulty getting around. The main thing to watch for on Sunday will be the “Emergency No Parking” signs that will start to appear on some downtown streets near Pennsylvania Avenue and the Mall. Metro will be operating its normal weekend service. The only planned change on Sunday will affect Judiciary Square station. The F Street entrance will close at 4 p.m. for the remainder of the day, because of an event at the National Building Museum. The road work schedule for the D.C. region is very light this weekend. In Virginia and Maryland, travelers can get up to date information on travel conditions by phoning 511. While it is a three-day weekend, the holiday getaway traffic should be relatively light. There may be some get-in traffic on local highways as people arrive in the D.C. area for the inauguration. Arlington road work Workers have closed a 150-foot section of South Wakefield street north of the Columbia Pike intersection till 5 a.m. Saturday. A detour takes drivers through Ninth Street South and South Buchanan Street. Emergency repairs to affect I-95


Why farmers are getting less and less of every dollar Americans spend on food

For each dollar consumers spend on food, only 7.8 cents go to farmers — a record low that reflects shifts in how Americans eat, according to the Department of Agriculture. Although consumers once cooked most of their meals at home, they’re now buying just as many at cafes and restaurants. And while shoppers were once content to husk their own corn and slice their own apples, they now buy those foods — and thousands of others — pre-husked, pre-sliced and otherwise processed. Economists say those trends, coupled with low commodity prices, caused farmers’ share of consumer food spending to fall 1.2 cents in 2016, reaching the lowest point, adjusted for inflation, since USDA began the measure in 1993. (It's the latest year for which data is available.) While falling share doesn’t hurt farmers, necessarily, it does expose the long-term, macro trends that shape the supply and cost of food. “This measure basically asks, ‘What value was added at each stage of the process?’ ” said Patrick Canning, a senior economist at USDA. “Long-term, we definitely see the farm share trending down over several decades.” Even a simple food, like an ear of corn, takes a long journey to get to consumers’ plates. Before that corn is planted, farmers buy seeds, fertilizers and farm equipment to get it into the ground. Once the corn is grown, it must be picked, packed, sorted, stored and shipped to grocery stores and restaurants — and each of those steps incurs labor and logistical costs. USDA’s food dollar series, which tracks average annual consumer expenditures in retail food stores and restaurants, attempts to break down which steps cost the most, relative to the final value of food. In each of the past four years, farmers’ share has dropped sharply. The relative importance of farms, agribusinesses (such as seed and fertilizer suppliers), packagers and processors has also fallen slightly since 1993. In 2016, agribusiness saw 2 cents of each food dollar, according to USDA. Canning cautions that it’s difficult to tease out individual causes. Higher transportation costs, which impact many crops, might have a lesser impact on produce from California, which is frequently consumed closer to the farm. In general, however, economists agree that a recent dip in commodity prices, driven by a surplus of corn, soybeans and milk, has pushed the farmers’ share down in the short-term. There has also been a separate, long-term erosion


A medical mystery on a college campus

Post Reports is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you’ve come to expect from the newsroom of The Post. For your ears. Martine Powers is your host, asking the questions you didn’t know you wanted answered. Listen online. Is having so many candidates bad for Democrats? So many Democrats are running for president that some will not qualify for the first debate — even though it allows for 20 candidates. Michael Scherer More on this topic: How university officials left their students in the dark about a viral outbreak In late 2018, University of Maryland student Olivia Paregol was stricken with a mysterious illness. For more than two weeks, university officials remained silent about the reason — a viral outbreak. Amy Brittain More on this topic: Trash at the bottom of the ocean Trash is everywhere — even in places where no human has set foot before. More on this topic:


University of Maryland mold adenovirus

floor. Sarah and Riley linked arms with Olivia and made their way through the dorm lobby into the cool night of Nov. 8. They watched as Olivia trudged to a parking lot where her dad was waiting in his car. She didn’t turn back to wave goodbye. As Olivia battled her mysterious illness, the University of Maryland was rocked by turmoil. Widespread mold that fall had forced the temporary evacuation of nearly 600 students in Elkton Hall after outraged parents besieged officials at the state’s flagship university. The administration already was dealing with a full-blown scandal over the death of Jordan McNair, a 19-year-old football player who succumbed to heatstroke in June. Athletic trainers had waited more than an hour to call 911 after he showed signs of extreme exhaustion. His death exposed deep problems within the athletic department and led to the dismissal of the football coach, the retirement of the university president and resignation of the chairman of the university system’s governing board. In November and December, the University of Maryland would become the epicenter of an outbreak of adenovirus, which can have symptoms similar to a cold or flu. But certain virulent strains can sicken healthy individuals and be particularly dangerous to people with weakened immune systems — people like Olivia, who was on medication for Crohn’s disease, a serious digestive tract condition. In these cases, medical experts say, early detection can be key to treating severe adenovirus. But the university waited 18 days to tell the community after learning the virus was present on campus. Officials discussed — but decided against — notifying students with compromised immune systems and residents living in Elkton Hall, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post. As the days passed, more and more students fell ill. Many parents and students have denounced the administration’s handling of the viral outbreak and the mold infestation, complaining its actions endangered thousands of students, faculty and staff on campus. In the end, more than 40 students were sickened with adenovirus, and 15 of them treated at hospitals, according to the university. Mold does not cause adenovirus but can set the stage for other health problems. The director of the university health center, in emails to administrators, acknowledged that “mold can cause respiratory irritation that may increase susceptibility of any viral infection.” In recent statements to The Post, university officials defended their actions, saying they


University of Maryland mold adenovirus

of recovery in a hospital bed. Ian and Meg asked him: What would he do? Whitman broke down into tears. He had children as well, he told them. And he would do everything to save the Paregols’ daughter, just as if she were his own. On Facebook, Ian asked family and friends to pray as Olivia underwent surgery on Saturday, Nov. 17. The pulse within her feet had become faint. Now doctors were struggling to pick up a pulse in her legs. Amputation was a possible last resort. Ian and Meg tried to channel Olivia’s mind-set. At what cost would she be willing to live? “Ultimately what we really need is a miracle,” Ian posted on Facebook. Early Sunday morning, on Nov. 18, the Paregol family made the 45-minute drive home from Hopkins to shower and change clothes. A nurse called with grim instructions: Come back as soon as possible. With permission from Ian and Meg, doctors stopped giving Olivia blood pressure medication. They warned that she could die within minutes. Country music — Olivia’s favorite — played in the room as her parents and two siblings, Zoe and Evan, took turns by the teenager’s bedside. They remembered the vacation to Turks and Caicos and trips in the family Prius with Olivia crammed in the middle seat between her brother and sister. One by one they held her hand for hours that Sunday afternoon and told her how much they loved her. At 10:15 p.m. on Nov. 18, Olivia Shea Paregol was pronounced dead. Doctors listed three causes of death: organ failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome and adenovirus. LEFT: Meg Paregol stands in her daughter Olivia's bedroom at her home in Glenwood. RIGHT: Ian Paregol sits for a portrait after getting a tattoo in memory of Olivia. (Photos by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post) Early the next morning, McBride wrote to Brooks, the CDC employee working with state health officials, saying he had an unconfirmed report that Olivia had died. Given that she had adenovirus 7, he wondered if they should go public. “We’ve discussed internally here, and we don’t feel that this changes our plans to do any messaging,” Brooks responded an hour later. “To be clear, we are not recommending that you NOT put out any additional communications (i.e. if you feel the need to send any additional messaging, we are fine with that). We just aren’t recommending that


The Florida Space Coast is bouncing back with help from SpaceX, Boeing and Blue Origin

starting to take form. It was unclear what its future was or how successful it would be. But there was an enthusiasm surrounding it, and local officials embraced it. “That was the second act for space in our county,” Weatherman said. Still, space is a risky business. While many new entrants are trying to make their mark on the Cape, not all of them will survive. And for all of the success stories here, there have been missteps. SpaceX has had two rockets explode, one destroying a pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Then, just recently, one of its spacecraft blew up during an engine test, sending a huge plume of smoke over the Cape. NASA has turned over a few facilities to private companies that showed promise but ultimately faltered. “Not everything worked,” Cabana, the director of the Kennedy Space Center, said. Some “lost contracts they thought they were going to get, and the bottom line was they were unsuccessful.” There is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for the commercial space industry. The investment money is pouring in. New companies seem to pop up every day. But some may be reminded of the old maxim: The quickest way to become a millionaire in space is to start out as a billionaire. A new arrival They had packed the beaches once again. This time for the launch of the Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket in the world currently in operation. At liftoff, it christened pad 39A on a warm Thursday evening in April, thundering away on a towering pillow of smoke. On the beaches, the crowds came not just for the launch, but a bit of rocket artistry unimaginable a generation ago. Instead of ditching its rocket boosters into the ocean after flight, SpaceX flies them back so they can be reused — a bit of aerial acrobatics the company says helps lower the cost of spaceflight. On this day, both side boosters flew back to one of the newest structures on the Cape: a pair of landing pads. The crowds craned their necks skyward to watch the boosters touching down in unison, twin sonic booms announcing their arrival. Hale, the Air Force museum volunteer, watched from a nearby park with his wife, awestruck, as this new chapter evoked a memory of the old — and a question: “Where is Walter Cronkite when you need him?” christian.davenport@washpost.com


‘I am asking for justice:’ Khashoggi’s fiancee urges Congress to put more pressure on Saudi Arabia in the wake of journalist’s killing

the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations comes one day after she criticized Trump’s response in a meeting with Washington Post journalists. Also speaking at Thursday’s hearing was Gulchehra Hoja, an ethnic Uighur journalist with Radio Free Asia in Washington. Hoja has said that more than 20 of her relatives — including her brother and her elderly parents — have been detained in China because of her reporting on human rights abuses in the Muslim-majority Xinjiang region. Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Sarah Repucci, senior director for research and analysis at Freedom House, also testified. In her interview with The Washington Post, Cengiz said the Saudi government has not contacted her to offer compensation or even condolences since Khashoggi was killed in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October. By contrast, the kingdom has given millions of dollars in cash and property to Khashoggi’s four adult children. Cengiz and Khashoggi met at a conference last year and made plans to marry soon after. At Thursday’s hearing, she said that when they were making their wedding preparations, “I was happier to be alive than I had ever been in my life.” All of that came crashing down seven months ago when, according to U.S. and Turkish authorities, Khashoggi was killed by a team of Saudi assassins after he entered the consulate to obtain papers for their planned marriage. “It wasn’t just Jamal that was killed” in the consulate that day, Cengiz said. “It was also what we’re talking about here — the values that the United States represents. Didn’t they get murdered as well?” She told lawmakers that she “still cannot make human sense of it.” “I still feel that I’ll wake up and it will get back to that,” she said. “And I cannot understand that the world still has not done anything about this.” At one point in the hearing, freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, thanked Cengiz for her courage and told her that Khashoggi had once encouraged her to run for Congress when they were attending an Iftar dinner together. “I remember he had said to me, he took a famous picture of Keith Ellison and I, and he said, ‘Ilhan, you need to run for Congress,’ ” Omar said, referring to the Democrat who previously held


Five more states take legal action against Purdue Pharma for opioid crisis

Five states announced Thursday that they are taking legal action against Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family who control the drug company, accusing them of deceptively pushing powerful painkillers and misrepresenting the drugs’ safety as the pills sparked the opioid crisis. Attorneys general of West Virginia, Maryland, Kansas, Iowa and Wisconsin took part in the coordinated effort against the manufacturer of the powerful narcotic OxyContin. All but Kansas targeted at least one member of the Sackler family, former president Richard Sackler, and Maryland named seven family members but not the company in an administrative filing. In a news conference, West Virginia’s attorney general, Patrick Morrisey said his state was seeking to hold both the company and Richard Sackler responsible for deaths and other harms from the worst drug epidemic in U.S. history. “Even when it became apparent that thousands of people were dying of opioid abuse, Purdue doubled down by continuing its relentless and deceptive campaign” to persuade doctors to write prescriptions for OxyContin, Morrisey said. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said his state’s efforts were based on “two foundational falsehoods” that Purdue promoted widely: That the risk of becoming addicted to Purdue’s drug was very low and that under-treating pain could cause great harm. At least 40 other states have sued companies involved in manufacturing, distributing or dispensing opioids. About 1,600 cities, counties, Native American tribes and others have also filed claims that have been consolidated in an enormous federal lawsuit in Cleveland. Recent state lawsuits are increasingly naming Sackler family members, in part because of evidence that they may have transferred billions of dollars out of the company and into personal accounts over about a decade. Some of the attorneys general also said Richard Sackler controlled the company’s strategy to push high doses and increasing amounts of the drug. In a statement issued Thursday, Purdue said the “complaints are part of a continuing effort to try these cases in the court of public opinion rather than the justice system. The states cannot link the conduct alleged to the harm described, and so they have invented stunningly overbroad legal theories, which if adopted by courts, will undermine the bedrock legal principle of causation.” In March, Purdue agreed to a $270 million out-of-court settlement with the state of Oklahoma, where the company faced its first trial on these issues. Members of the Sackler family will pay $75 million


I was told I was the target of threats from Saudi Arabia. This is why.

March. When the PST showed up at my door, I wasn’t surprised. You may wonder: Wouldn’t it be rash and counterproductive for MBS to continue to target dissidents abroad after the backlash that followed Jamal Khashoggi’s murder? Yes, but intimidation continues to pay off for the crown prince. One of the most poignant messages I have received recently came from a human rights activist living in an Arab country. “If you’re threatened when you’re in Norway,” he said, “what chance do I have here?” MBS is sending a message. In a dark way, this mirrors the logic of targeting Bezos: If the richest man on Earth can be targeted and potentially blackmailed, then who is safe? The threats against me and my colleagues are not a one-off incident — they’re part of a new repressive tactic. MBS seems to be shedding his “reformist” image, having realized that it’s longer believable. After failing to convince the world that he is Saudi Arabia’s Ataturk, he wants to try being Saudi Arabia’s Putin. But MBS is no Putin. He continues to be deeply dependent upon the West, particularly the United States. He’s only emboldened because the administration most capable of taking him to account is currently his bigger enabler. As long as the Trump administration — and especially President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — continues to shield MBS from accountability, the crown prince will continue to commit crimes, wreak havoc and sow the seeds of decades of instability in the Middle East and beyond. The Arab world is going through a tumultuous transition with both authoritarian hysteria and popular uprisings in the background. This is a battle of a generation. Allies of liberty across the world must rally to our help to tip the scales for us, or for our dictators. As for my team and me, our work continues. Not only out of loyalty to Jamal Khashoggi, but also out of a sense of historical duty. If MBS would see it as a priority to target us, it must mean that we’re being effective. This piece was adapted from remarks delivered at a press conference held in Oslo on Monday. Read more: Hala Al-Dosari: Saudi Arabia’s intolerance weakens its Islamic leadership David Ignatius: How a chilling Saudi cyberwar ensnared Jamal Khashoggi David Ignatius: Why was MBS so afraid of Jamal Khashoggi? Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression


He went where no human had gone before. Our trash had already beaten him there.

spotted it from his titanium cocoon. He was looking out over the Challenger Deep, Earth’s deepest known point, in the trench’s hadal zone, a region of the ocean named after the underworld god of Greek mythology, Hades. What he saw was sublime and serene. Translucent creatures undulated around his craft, Vescovo said. He was struck at how alive his surroundings were. “There was definitely life at the very bottom of the ocean,” he said. “It was not dead by any means. . . . I felt very excited, privileged to get to see it, but also very much at peace because it really is a quiet, peaceful, place.” The expedition identified at least three new species of marine animals, its scientists said, including a kind of amphipod, a crustacean that resembles a shrimp. Yet, even as the team discovered new life, it could not escape signs of the man-made havoc that probably will kill off many more species faster than humans can discover them. “I was disappointed to see human contamination in the deepest point in the ocean,” Vescovo said. “With over 7 billion people on the Earth, the oceans are going to be impacted negatively by mankind, but I hope we can at least minimize it in the future.” Reports of Vescovo’s findings prompted Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, which advocates ocean cleanup projects, to pose a dire question on Twitter: “A sub dive 7 miles deep in the ocean at the Mariana Trench finds possible new species of shrimp and a plastic bag. How long will the former survive if there’s more of the latter?” An alarming, landmark U.N. report released this month illustrated a version of Clinton’s point: As the population of humans has rapidly increased, the population of everything else has steadily declined. “How long can the two trend lines continue to head in opposite directions?” the author Elizabeth Kolbert asked in an essay for the New Yorker. “This is the key question raised by the report, and it may turn out to be the key question of the century.” A summary of the report warned that, “Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history — and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating." The report’s nearly 150 authors found human actions have “severely altered” 66 percent of the world’s marine environments, threatening a third of all marine mammals with extinction.


Ruby chocolate, or couverture, makes its American debut

Americans can now savor chocolate that’s neither milk, white or dark, yet is an unexpectedly all-natural pink. Swiss chocolate giant Barry Callebaut is rolling out ruby chocolate in the United States, nearly two years after unveiling its creation. It’s the first new natural shade of chocolate to enter the market since Nestle’s white bars hit store shelves in the 1930s. The new variant is derived from ruby cocoa beans, which are found in Ecuador, Brazil and the Ivory Coast. Ruby has no added colors or flavorings, and has a sweet and sour taste that’s distinctive from the bitter, milky or sweet profiles of other chocolates. Ruby made its global debut more than a year ago, when Japanese customers first bit into pink KitKats. Berry-hued bars, doughnuts and biscuits soon followed in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It’s now made its way into the crucial U.S. chocolate market, which at $22 billion is the world’s largest. Americans devoured an estimated 9.5 pounds, per capita, last year. Patrick Peeters, the head of innovation and master chocolatier at Chocolove in Boulder, Colo., said ruby chocolate has a lot of berry notes with a balance of sweet and milky that lends itself to be paired with fruit, coffee, tea, wines, cheeses and herbs. “As a chocolatier I fully embrace this new innovation,” he said of the unique flavor, calling it a boon to the confectionary market, and an exciting ingredient for chocolatiers, pastry chefs and chefs. Barry Callebaut chief executive Antoine de Saint-Affrique has described ruby as “hedonistic.” “There’s an indulgence aspect to it, but it keeps the authenticity of chocolate,” he said during a 2017 interview with Bloomberg News. “It has a nice balance that speaks a lot to millennials.” Barry Callebaut is the world’s largest chocolate maker, with more than $7 billion in revenue last year. It declined to share sales figures for its pink chocolate but noted that it is now available in more than 40 countries. In the United States, ruby products can be found through such retailers as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Harry & David and Vosges Haut-Chocolate. The company said it has not received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to label its ruby line as chocolate. The federal regulator sets what’s known as the “standards of identity” for a wide array of foods. The definitions are designed to protect consumers from fraud and to maintain the


In southern Afghanistan, U.S. airstrikes kill up to 18 members of Afghan forces

Butler said. “We regret this tragic loss of life of our partners.” Afghan officials in Kabul and Helmand gave conflicting information on the number of casualties, saying that between eight and 18 Afghan personnel were killed and that 14 others were wounded. They said the incident, which took place during a ground battle on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, was under investigation. The Taliban said in a statement that U.S. forces were behind the strikes, but the Helmand governor’s office said it was not clear whether Afghan or foreign forces had carried them out. The incident occurred amid the widespread combat between Taliban fighters and U.S.-backed Afghan forces that has gone on for months and caused heavy casualties among Afghan troops and civilians. The Taliban launched its annual spring offensive in March and has continued aggressive attacks since last week, the start of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting and prayer. The Taliban surge is seen as a means to gain leverage in ongoing peace talks with the United States. Errant airstrikes such as occurred in Helmand have been relatively rare during the years of conflict here, but Thursday’s incident bore a striking resemblance to a recent occurrence in southern Uruzgan province in March, when at least five Afghan soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in U.S. airstrikes. In that case, Afghan defense officials said, the soldiers had been patrolling near a checkpoint when they were attacked from the air. “The attack was caused by lack of proper coordination,” a defense official told the Reuters news agency at the time. In a statement about the March air attack, the U.S. military said its forces had conducted “precision self-defense airstrikes on people firing on Afghan and American forces” who were conducting a ground operation near an Afghan army checkpoint. Deadlier incidents have occurred. More than 40 civilians were killed in aerial attacks in October 2015 in the northern city of Kunduz while a ferocious battle was underway against Taliban insurgents for control of the area. A U.S. AC-130 gunship attacked a hospital run by the charity Doctors Without Borders, killing 42 people, after receiving confused or unclear target information from Afghan ground forces. The incident provoked an angry outcry from the Afghan public and led to a major investigation by U.S. military officials. Since then, U.S. military commanders have made repeated efforts to improve battlefield and air coordination with their Afghan counterparts. pamela.constable@washpost.com


Coyote-killing contests face growing outrage, state bans

New Jersey, New York and Oregon are considering some form of ban. Participants in such contests typically compete over a day or weekend to kill the largest animals, the most animals, or the heaviest cumulative weight of animals. Most center on predators including foxes and bobcats, and coyotes — adaptable Western canines that have rapidly spread across the nation and beyond — are a common target. Participants sometimes attract coyotes using “calls,” devices that simulate the sounds of prey or coyote cubs in distress. Winners get cash or prizes. Advocates for the contests say they help keep predators like coyotes, which some view as a threat to livestock or a nuisance, in check. Opponents say science does not back that up, and they condemn the events as gruesome celebrations of slaughter. The competitions are held in at least 45 states, said Jill Fritz, director of wildlife protection for the Humane Society of the United States, which for two years has worked with the California-based advocacy group Project Coyote to lead a push against the events. In a 2018 news release, the Humane Society said its undercover investigations at contests in New York and New Jersey documented “participants slinging the dead bodies of coyotes and foxes into piles” and joking about their deaths. “Some of the foxes are so tiny,” Fritz said. “It boggles the mind what they are celebrating.” Animal activist groups’ opposition to the events has been buoyed by support from some state wildlife officials and wildlife management scientists. The Wildlife Society, an organization that represents wildlife professionals and does not frown on hunting as a management tool, issued a statement in March that gently discouraged the contests, saying they “may undermine the public’s view of ethical hunting.” Mike Finley, chair of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, urged a ban in a March letter to Oregon lawmakers. He called coyote-hunting contests “counterproductive” — citing research showing the animals step up reproduction when killing increases — as well as “revolting." “As a hunter myself, I am proud of the key role the hunting community plays in conserving our state’s wildlife,” Finley wrote. “These killing contests, however, are not responsible hunting. They glorify killing for its own sake and cast Oregon’s entire hunting community in a bad light.” The Arizona Game and Fish Commission proposed the prohibition on predator-hunting contests following widening opposition at the local level. Several Arizona municipalities