The facts and the theories in the case of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet

of a distress call. Even then, the absence of any debris in the area where it vanished is puzzling. - Pilot suicide: Pilot suicide was cited as a possible cause behind the crash of a Silk Air flight from Jakarta to Singapore in 1997 that killed 104 people; it was also a possible reason for the crash of an Egypt Air flight from Los Angeles to Cairo in 1999, killing 218 people. But investigations into both crashes were inconclusive, and no evidence has emerged that this could have been behind the latest incident. - A bomb: Malaysian authorities say five men checked in for the flight but did not board, raising the possibility someone may have planted a bomb on board. But Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, head of Malaysia’s civil aviation, insisted that all the baggage loaded on the plane had been properly checked, and any bags belonging to no-show passengers had been off-loaded – apparently without significantly delaying the plane’s departure. A bomb could have caused sudden and fatal decompression, and such a sudden loss of altitude that the transponder’s signal was no longer visible to the nearest receiving station. But why would a terrorist group not issue a statement claiming that they had carried out the attack? - A bungled hijack: The fact that two passengers apparently boarded the plane with stolen passports prompted speculation about a possible hijack. A bungled hijack could also have explained the plane’s apparent attempt to turn before vanishing: if the plane departed from its route before crashing, that might explain why the debris has been hard to locate. Hijackers could have turned off the plane’s transponder, although the plane should in theory still have been visible on primary radar. Again, though, the lack of a statement from a would-be hijack group is puzzling. And why would a Malaysian plane bound for China be a target for hijackers? And how did they get around the locked cockpit door? What's especially disheartening about this case is that it's not entirely clear when, or even if, we'll find out more information that could lead to a fuller picture of what happened. It took almost three years for those investigating Air France Flight 447 to come to a conclusion, and that was only possible because, after two years of looking, they found the black box. With no sign of any debris yet, that stage hasn't even begun.


Holder addresses the heroin crisis gripping many states

In his weekly video message, Attorney General Eric Holder called the rise in deaths from overdoses of heroin and prescription painkillers an “urgent and growing public health crisis.” The rise in deaths from heroin overdoses and prescription painkillers is an “urgent and growing public health crisis,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in his weekly video message, our colleague Philip Rucker reports. Legislatures around the country are dealing with the epidemic. Eighteen states have amended laws in recent years to increase access to naloxone, a drug that can reverse a heroin overdose if administered quickly, the Justice Department said. Similar legislation is making progress in Utah, Ohio and Tennessee, where Republican governors are expected to sign the measures. Seventeen states have also passed so-called “good Samaritan” laws, offering some measure of immunity to those who seek medical help for someone who has overdosed. In Vermont, the problem has gotten so bad that Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) dedicated much of his state-of-the-state address in January to the epidemic, calling it “a crisis bubbling just beneath the surface.” Chicago has emerged as such a hub for the distribution of heroin across the Midwest that area radio station WBEZ recently ran a nine-part series on the epidemic. Nationally, overdoses are up 45 percent, Holder said in his message. “Addiction to heroin and other opiates including certain prescription painkillers is impacting the lives of Americans in every state, in every region and from every background and walk of life,” he said.


Military veterans especially unhappy at federal agencies

A few items that caught our attention Monday: Morale problems for military veterans at federal agencies Defense Department mulling options for overhauling military retirement system: Cabinet members facing Congress this week: White House says government becoming less attractive as employer: Nuclear waste stored in parking lots: GSA wants $35 million for cybersecurity center: Follow Josh Hicks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Connect by e-mail atjosh.hicks@washpost.com. Visit The Federal Eye, The Fed Page and Post Politics for more federal news.


Technology tracks our every move. How can an entire plane go missing?

a civilian air traffic controller knew where it was is less clear. We know that Flight 370's transponder signal was lost just as the plane was supposed to be entering Vietnamese air space — and because transponders are meant to work with radar, that suggests the plane was close enough to shore to be on somebody's screen. What about those flight maps that passengers see while they're on board a plane? Could those be used to reverse-engineer Flight 370's location? Not really. According to Melissa Rudinger, the vice president of government affairs at the Frederick, Md.-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, those maps you sometimes see in the seat back in front of you are actually the result of data being collected by ground stations that's "packed into a format you can view." So even if you could get your hands on that information, it would probably still contain the same unknowns that are confounding investigators right now. (The Washington Post) Could somebody have turned off the aircraft's transponder? That's a tricky question. Pilots can send coded messages over the transponder in an emergency. But we're not really sure what happened to the transponder in this case. We don't know, for instance, if anybody tried to tamper with it. But why would they? Reports suggest that nobody on the plane made a distress call of any kind — no radio transmission, nothing. That implies there wasn't time to cry for help in the midst of a technical breakdown or a violent struggle. If that's the case, it's not likely an attacker — if there was one — would try messing with the transponder while they were still trying to gain control of the aircraft. Are there any other failsafes? In the United States, aircraft are required to come with an emergency locator transmitter. Meanwhile, on the commercial market, you can also get personal locator beacons that transmit distress signals on a universally recognized radio frequency. (This technology is often marketed to climbers, backpackers and other adventure-seekers.) The International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, is the global body that sets standards for emergency locator transmitters. "If a country wants to be a world player in aviation, they are adopting the ICAO standards," said Rudinger. "But it's up to each individual country whether they want to adopt." Okay, so what about passengers' cellphones? Could they be tracked? The reason you can be


Ten major international airlines disasters in the past 50 years

the U.S. military disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. The plane was carrying 96 military passengers and 11 crew members from Travis Air Force Base in California and was headed for Saigon, Vietnam. The disappearance of the Flying Tiger Line plane led to one of the largest search operations ever mounted, involving 48 aircraft and eight surface vessels and covering an area of more than 200,000 square miles. Nothing was ever found. The crew of a Liberian tanker reported sighting a "bright light strong enough to light" a ship's deck about 500 miles west of Guam, which the U.S. officials said "may have been the missing aircraft exploding in flight." Air India 855 Shortly after Air India's Boeing 747-237B made a right turn over the Arabian Sea after leaving Bombay on Jan. 1, 1978, it began rolling to the left and never regained control. The plane crashed off the coast of Bandra, killing all 213 people on board, making it one of the biggest air disasters in Indian aviation history. An investigation into the crash concluded that the cause of the accident was "irrational control inputs by the captain" that prevented the crew from regaining control of the plane. Japan Airlines 123 The Crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 Twelve minutes after taking off from Tokyo on Aug. 12, 1985, and headed for Osaka, the Japan Airlines' Boeing 747SR experienced unusual vibration and control problems. The plane descended quickly from 23,900 feet to 6,000 feet, and 32 minutes later, crashed into Osutaka Ridge. The explosion led to the death of 520 passengers on board, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in the world. Only four passengers survived. TWA 800 This animated reenactment, created by the Central Intelligence Agency, shows the disintegration of TWA Flight 800. (CIA/AP) A Boeing 747-100 operated by Trans World Airlines exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on July 17, 1996. The plane was carrying 230 people from New York to Rome, all of whom were killed in the crash. A four-year investigation by NTSB concluded that the crash occurred following an explosion in the fuel tank, which was most likely caused by a short circuit. However, conspiracy theorists continued to speculate that TWA 800 was brought down by a missile from a U.S. military aircraft and that the government was covering it up. Egypt Air 990 Engine wreckage from EgyptAir Flight 990 is seen at the


Adam Doherty has never run a marathon. Can he win one on Saturday?

The Rock ’n’ Roll USA Marathon route winds through the heart of Washington. (Competitor Group Inc.) When Adam Doherty takes off along with the rest of the elite runners at Saturday’s Rock ’n’ Roll USA Marathon, he’ll just look like another blur of limbs. But the 23-year-old will be the only one of them guaranteed to nail a personal record. How come? “I’ve never run a marathon before,” says Doherty, who graduated from Dartmouth College last year. That 26.2-mile distance is a goal that’s been on his mind since high school, when Doherty’s coach told him that a marathon would play to his strengths. Since then, he’s been busy competing for his school teams — mostly in the 3000 meters and 5000 meters — and has never had the time to train for one. Now that Doherty is a working stiff in Charlottesville, Va., the opportunity presented itself. And he had another motivation that should sound familiar to anyone who’s ever signed up for a race: “I wanted to find something to help me stay in shape.” The Doherty approach, however, isn’t exactly the typical training program. For most first-timers, the aim is just to get to that finish line. Doherty is shooting for a specific — and exceptionally speedy — time. He’s aiming to do it in about 2:30, which could win the race. Adam Doherty He isn’t working with a coach, although he has gleaned tips from his college teammates and former Dartmouth coach Mark Coogan, who competed in the marathon at the 1996 Olympics. “In the past eight years of running, I’ve gathered what I should be doing in my training,” Doherty says. That’s translated into waking up every morning, usually before dawn, and logging some mileage. Recently, he’s added in a second daily run to boost his overall volume. And, once a week, he tackles a long run (the longest: 21 miles). It all adds up to about 80 miles a week. So Doherty is ready to go the distance, even if he is a bit anxious about Saturday. “The big worry is you get out there and feel good — 15 to 20 miles even — and then things can go south,” he says. If that happens, Doherty will know exactly how he can redeem himself: Sign up for another marathon. The Rock ’n’ Roll race (both the marathon and the half) starts Saturday at


Pot sales spark warehouse boom in Colorado

A Feb. 10, 2012 photo shows Matthew Huron, owner of two medical marijuana dispensaries and an edible marijuana company in Denver, examining a marijuana plant in his grow house. Medical marijuana is legal in 17 states, but the industry has a decidedly black-market aspect — it’s mostly cash-only. That’s because banks won’t touch pot money. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski) They’re scrambling for space to grow marijuana in Denver. The demand is so great that warehouse space is renting for four times the price it fetched before marijuana sales began in Colorado, the Denver Post reports. “Commercial real estate tracker Xceligent Inc. estimates that marijuana cultivation and manufacturing facilities in the city occupy about 4.5 million square feet — the equivalent of 78 football fields. This industry has come on so fast that initially I was uneasy — it seemed like a fad,” said Brad Calbert, president of the Colliers International brokerage in Denver. “But what’s making it sustainable is supply, demand and capital. Supply is deficient, demand is excessive, and capital is abundant.” But recreational marijuana sales brought in only $2 million in tax revenue in January, according the figures from the state’s Department of Revenue. That represents about $14 million worth of pot, sold from about 59 businesses. According to the Washington Post’s Niraj Chokshi: When compared to expectations for the first six months of the year, January sales appear discouraging. If they hold for the remainder of the fiscal year, the state will see about $21 million in revenue. A mid-2013 fiscal analysis of the proposal that became the law, however, foresaw an additional $33.5 million in revenue generated in the first six months of the year. An estimate last month from Gov. John Hickenlooper’s (D) budget office predicted revenues of about $35.2 million. The new tax figures are the first official accounting of pot sales since they began on Jan. 1 under a new Colorado law enacted in 2012. The state of Washington has also legalized marijuana sales but legal retailing hasn’t started up there yet. There are numerous reports of pot being sold via Craigslist and other sites, however, with customers ordering it up as if it were pizza. Washington issued its first legal marijuana growing and processing license last week, according to the Associated Press. It was issued to Sean Green, who has previously operated medical marijuana dispensaries in Spokane as well as the Seattle suburb


Americans split on Obama’s handling of Russia, Post-ABC poll finds

A bipartisan majority of Americans support hitting Russia with sanctions for its actions involving Ukraine, but the public splits on President Obama's handling of the issue in a President Obama receives mixed marks for handling Ukraine, despite popularity of sanctions. (Charles Dharapak / AP) A solid 56 percent supports a coordinated effort of U.S. and European sanctions against Russia, which continues to strengthen its grip over the Crimean peninsula. Nearly as many strongly support sanctions (28 percent) as oppose them altogether (31 percent). See poll results and breakdowns by group But Obama, who ordered sanctions Thursday against individuals aiding the takeover, receives lukewarm 42 percent approval and 43 percent disapproval marks, with a substantial 15 percent holding no opinion. Overall, Democrats and Republicans are in rare agreement in supporting sanctions, and familiar discord about Obama. Just over six in 10 of partisans in both camps support sanctioning Russia. And in an unheard of alignment of the far left and far right, 68 percent of liberal Democrats support sanctions, as do 69 percent of conservative Republicans. Political polarization reverts right back when judging Obama however, with his 70 percent approval marks among Democrats collapsing to just 17 percent among Republicans. Obama has struggled to rally passionate support from his base during international conflicts, and Ukraine is no exception. Just 32 percent of Democrats "strongly approve" of Obama's handling of Ukraine, while 55 percent of Republicans "strongly disapprove." Among all Americans, strong disapprovers outnumber strong approvers by 11 percentage points (27 to 16 percent). Obama's approval ratings have been in the low to middling range on a number of specific foreign policy issues as well as for his handling of international affairs overall. In an early March Post-ABC poll, Obama had a 45 percent approval rating on international affairs. In a January Post-ABC poll he had ratings of 33 percent and 39 percent each for handling Syria and Iran, respectively. Europeans have joined the U.S. in imposing sanctions, a move which may reassure many Americans. The poll finds support for sanctions dropping from 56 percent to just 40 percent if Europe is not involved, with 51 percent opposing a U.S.-only approach. The poll also finds a significant gap between Americans coming of age before and after the end of the cold war. Roughly six in 10 Americans who turned 18 while the U.S.S.R. still existed (ages 40 and over) support combined U.S.-European


Morning Bits

Indonesian Navy pilots check their map during a search operation for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight near the Malacca straits on March 10. (Binsar Bakkara/Associated Press) This isn’t exactly shocking considering the red-state incumbent’s voting record. “A new poll finds that 42 percent or Arkansans would vote for Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and 51 percent would choose Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., if their Senate election were held today.” The suffering is stunning. “In a report timed to coincide with the start of the fourth year of the conflict, the group Save the Children said the effects of untreated illnesses on Syrian children were only partly reflected in the documented statistics. They show that at least 1.2 million children have fled to neighboring countries, that 4.3 million in Syria need humanitarian assistance and that more than 10,000 have died in the violence.” What is surprising is that we didn’t do this a long time ago. The House speaker: “We can supplant Russia’s influence, but we won’t so long as we have to contend with the Energy Department’s achingly slow approval process. As we speak, the administration is sitting on 24 applications for natural gas exports; it’s approved just 6 in the last three years. This amounts to a de facto ban that only emboldens Vladimir Putin, allowing him to sell large quantities of natural gas to our allies. . . . The president should do the right thing here and end this de facto ban so we can strengthen our economy here and our security here and abroad.” You would have thought someone on his staff would have found this alarming. “A Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated activist whose organization recently came under fire for holding an anti-Semitic rally in support of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will head a fundraiser for Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.).” The blowback was unnerving, it seems. “The Obama administration is abandoning a surprise plan to alter Medicare’s drug coverage after withering criticism from Congress and K Street. Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner alerted lawmakers Monday that her agency would not go forward with a proposal to give insurers more leeway to limit the number of drugs they cover for Medicare beneficiaries.” The administration seems to be in complete disarray. Astonishing Stupefying


How ‘Cosmos’ brilliantly reconciles science and religion

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of the television show, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” which premiered Sunday, March 9. (AP Photo/Fox, Patrick Eccelsine) When the science educator Bill Nye agreed to a February debate with Ken Ham, the president of the Creation Museum, there was reason to worry that it wouldn’t be a productive exercise. The objections were numerous: “There’s a history of these debates and they never change anything!” “Nye isn’t an expert in evolution, or in public debating!” “Even if Nye won the debate on the merits, the spectacle would end up doing more harm than good” (and in fact, the debate seems to have given the Creation Museum a fundraising boost). But maybe the best argument against the debate was that it wasn’t really possible for the two participants to do more than talk past each other. As Ham put it in his opening statement, “the creation/evolution debate is really a conflict between two philosophical worldviews based on two different accounts of origins or historical science beliefs.” Nye is right that “these are concepts unique to Mr. Ham,” and that Ham is attempting to create an equivalence between two models that don’t have the same evidentiary support. But Ham isn’t wrong that what was on display in their debate are two profoundly different interpretive lenses. Ultimately, people looking at the world and each other through those lenses aren’t going to be able to reconcile their different priorities and operating principles. Rather than trying to answer the objections of creationists, or to look through both lenses at once and hope it’ll produce a satisfactory result, Nye might have taken a lesson about how to talk about religion and science from one of his old Cornell professors: Carl Sagan. Last night, Fox debuted a sequel to Sagan’s 1980 PBS mini-series, “Cosmos: A Personal Journey,” titled “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” hosted by astrophysicist and Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson. “A Spacetime Odyssey” and Tyson side-step this kerfuffle altogether and adopt a different conceptual framework for managing it. Rather than suggesting that science and religion are in conflict, in its first episode “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” used the story of Dominican friar and scholar Giordano Bruno to suggest that embracing the scientific method is a way of showing profound respect for divine power. Bruno appears in passing in the book, which Sagan published in conjunction with the broadcast of the PBS


The Partisan opens Wednesday as a ‘different kind of meat-centric restaurant’

the Italian flatbread, to make your own sandwiches with pork, salsa verde, pickled peppers, salt and arugula. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post) "I've been saving pig marrow for a year for this place to open," Anda says. "I have a lifetime supply, so when this becomes cool to have pig marrow, nobody else will have it because ... I own the market." On the liquid side of the restaurant, the Partisan will feature the triple threat of Jeff Faile (cocktails), Brent Kroll (wine) and Greg Engert (beer). The wine list will feature 400 bottles as well as 25 labels on tap. Beer will eat up 17 taps, with an additional 50 brands available by bottle or can. Faile's cocktail menu will boast 10 drinks, plus another four spirits on tap. Faile and Anda are even combining talents to produce charcuterie-inspired cocktails and cocktail-inspired charcuterie. The 42-day dry-aged Black Angus ribeye is topped with a lemon-marrow-tarragon butter, grated horseradish and shaved celery root. "So this is like for one person," cracks Ed Witt. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post) What's more, Faile believes the Partisan will be the first bar in the District to have a tap dedicated to malört, the wormwood-based Swedish liqueur that has become synonymous with Chicago. "I'm kind of interested to see how that's going to work out," Faile says, laughing at his own decision to feature the bitter spirit. "I wanted to bring [a taste of] Chicago to D.C." The Partisan is non-partisan when it comes to proteins. It also includes seafood, such as this rockfish tartare with macerated onions, grapefruit zest, jalapenos and toasted farro on top of a roasted-fennel- and-tomatillo puree. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post) So what spirit pairs best with cured meats? "Whiskey," Faile says without even a minor pause to ponder the question. His whiskey program will run at least 25-bottles strong. The idea with the salads, Anda says, is to provide contrasts to the fatty, meat-heavy menu. The plate consists of roasted hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and young kale salad with shaved salsify, caramelized shallots, house-made goat cheese and a Pedro Ximenez sherry vinaigrette. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post) "Rye whiskey is probably the best thing with the spice and the dryness of it," Faile says. "It just cleans the palate right out, and you're ready to go again. But again I'm biased. I fully admit that. Rye whiskey will go with anything." Correction: The malört on


New bill aims to rein in police militarization

I’ve been covering He explains in an op-ed for USA Today co-written with activist Michael Shank: Something potentially sinister is happening across America, and we should stop and take notice before it changes the character of our country forever. County, city and small-town police departments across the country are now acquiring free military-grade weapons that could possibly be used against the very citizens and taxpayers that not only fund their departments but who the police are charged with protecting . . . In fact, in the last several months, the following towns around the country, many of them small, have acquired free MRAPs from U.S. war zones: Texas’s McLennan and Dallas Counties; Idaho’s Boise and Nampa; Indiana’s West Lafayette, Merrillville, and Madison; Minnesota’s St. Cloud and Dakota County; New York’s Warren and Jefferson Counties; South Carolina’s North Augusta and Columbia; Tennessee’s Murfreesboro; Arizona’s Yuma; Illinois’s Kankakee County; and Alabama’s Calhoun County. Seem like a lot? It is. And that’s only in the last few months. This trend is not only sweeping America’s small cities, it’s hitting American college campuses as well. Ohio State University recently acquired an MRAP. Apparently, college kids are getting too rowdy. These are just some of the most egregious examples. There are countless stories of police departments getting (and often later selling) assault weapons, drones, and other military-grade equipment that is absolutely ill-suited for America’s main streets. The Pentagon’s 1033 program, which “provides or transfers surplus Department of Defense military equipment to state and local civilian law enforcement agencies without charge,” is a big part of this disturbing trend . . . This is why Rep. Johnson plans to introduce legislation to reform the 1033 program before America’s main streets and civilian police militarize further. The program currently lacks serious oversight and accountability, and it needs some parameters put in place to define what is appropriate. The legislation will ban MRAPs, other armored personnel carriers, drones, assault weapons and aircraft. Finally, the legislation will ensure that the Department of Defense undertakes an annual accounting of what’s been transferred, by whom and to whom to prevent military items from being auctioned on eBay or sold to friends. These Pentagon giveaways have been going on informally since the early days of the Reagan administration. It was formalized with an office and budget in 1994. So there’s a bit of a “slapping a lock on the barn door after


A piece of Mount Vernon sells for $18.6 million

A historical reenactor at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Drats! You just missed your chance to buy a piece of history — and at discount, no less. In one of the biggest residential real estate sales in the D.C. area in more than two years, Tysons Corner tycoon Gerald “Jerry” Halpin recently sold his “River View Estate” for $18.6 million, about $6.4 million less than the original asking price. The Fairfax County property, originally part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, sits on 16.5 acres of Potomac River front, features a 6,000-square foot main house with six bedrooms, and a 2,000-square foot guest house for the guest who needs the equivalent of two (okay four) D.C.-sized apartments to feel comfortable. According to Martha Holland, vice president of marketing at TTR Sotheby’s International Realty which handled the sale, the property “will not be developed as far as we know” and will remain a private residence. Sotheby’s is staying hush-hush on the boldfacer who signed on the dotted line, but we’re guessing it’s someone with cash to spare. RELATED: “Buy your own 6,000-square foot piece of Mount Vernon for just $25 million.” More from the Reliable Source: “President Obama has all the ‘Game of Thrones’ spoilers,” “Dems nod to Ted Cruz with Dr. Seuss reading during climate change talkathon,” and “Lindsay Czarniak, Craig Melvin welcome baby boy.” Even more sightings, surreal estate, BOLO and Love, etc: Sign up for The Reliable Source newsletter.


Japan’s energy dilemma, in one chart

Before the Fukushima disaster happened three years ago today, nuclear power met 31 percent of Japan’s energy-generation needs. Since then, the country shut down all its reactors, to the point where nuclear energy provided only 1 percent of Japan’s power last year. The chart below, based on data from the Japan Institute of Energy Economics, shows how Japan has managed to keep the lights on since 2011: significant increases in oil and natural gas consumption, and to a lesser extent, coal. Since Japan has few natural resources of its own, most of this energy has to be imported from elsewhere. The Abe administration recently released a draft energy plan calling for a long-term return to nuclear power – a stark turnaround from his predecessor, who had pledged a complete phaseout of all nuclear plants by the 2030s. While a majority of Japanese oppose nuclear power, the economy remains a bigger concern. Keeping 48 nuclear reactors idle is wreaking havoc with the country’s electric utilities and causing energy prices to rise – natural gas prices were up 17 percent last year. Moreover, the country recently posted a record deficit combined with disappointing growth figures. Hence, Abe’s dilemma: Is it better to return to nuclear power and risk angering a public leery of further catastrophe? Or should he continue to chart the current course and face strong energy headwinds for the foreseeable future? Based on the recent draft energy report, the administration appears to be leaning toward the former.


Pulling the brake on the Amtrak writer’s residency

leave at 3 a.m., but not enough to get you back. So we end up paying top dollar on the back end for a trip to New York, but mostly because no one’s riding the longer routes, like the California Zephyr (a 2,438-mile trip between Chicago and San Francisco). The federal subsidies to Amtrak prompted Republican senators Jeff Flake of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma to write Wednesday to Amtrak’s president, expressing their concern over the residency’s free rides. “Given Amtrak’s prodigious annual taxpayer subsidies, this plan raises multiple red flags,” they wrote. Math, the antidote to romance. Also deflating: The Amtrak Residency’s terms and conditions, which prescribe a search for publicists, not the next great American novelist. Applications and writing samples that pass an initial evaluation will then be judged by a panel “based on the degree to which the Applicant would function as an effective spokesperson/endorser of [the] Amtrak brand.” That brand, it seems to me, is inertia. Slow-moving and price-gouging. Exclusive yet shabby. Especially when measured against the affordable high-speed rail in Europe, China and Japan. Amtrak, with its residency program, is exploiting the romance of the railways to endear itself to a demographic that likely can’t afford its prices. And yet we haven’t been a railroad nation for decades. We are people of the bus. Our muse is the motor coach, our mecca the Delaware Welcome Center Travel Plaza. Furtively gorging on Popeye’s is not as romantic as pretending you’re Eva Marie Saint in a dining car, of course, but the true romance of writing is that it can be done from anywhere, in an $18 bus ride up I-95, and not just from a complimentary cabin in the service of a public relations campaign that reserves “the absolute, worldwide, and irrevocable right to use, modify, publish, publicly display, distribute, and copy Applicant’s Application, in whole or in part, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and marketing, and to sublicense such rights to any third parties.” Fine print aside, the nation’s writers seem energized by the residency, if Twitter is any indication. Why rain on the parade, then? Two reasons: Contrarianism and romance, but especially romance. The American spirit thrives in transit. Kerouac wrote that “there was nowhere to go but everywhere.” Steinbeck began “Travels with Charley” by acknowledging “the urge to be someplace else.” William Least Heat Moon, disappearing from life’s


What Washington can learn from Colombia’s genius plan to lift millions out of poverty

is help us to massify training because we want Colombia to have the largest number of developers for the base of the pyramid. Colombia plans to connect 96 percent of its towns to broadband this year. (Vive Digital Colombia) Those companies have sometimes been criticized for expanding inequality. Is there a tension between technology's potential to equalize and its potential to create more inequality? Technology can create inequality — but we are also reducing inequality. When you connect a potato grower in the Andean mountains, and he doubles his income thanks to Internet, you are reducing inequality. And Colombia is a country that has reduced inequality the most in the region in the last three years. Colombia recently held elections. How did technology manifest itself in the race? For the first time in Colombian history, people voted for candidates that were concerned about technology. Their campaigns were based on ICT policies. Can you be more specific? Some of them, for example — computers are key for the development of this country. There are no value-added taxes on computers or tablets. Today in Colombia, computers are 10 percent cheaper than in the United States. In the next four years, we are going to implement our interpretation of digital rights. One of those rights is for everyone to have a space in the cloud for free. That space in the cloud is going to help every single citizen in Colombia interact with the government. Through services in the cloud, people will have an official e-mail account, medical records will reside there officially, and all major transactions will be stored there, as well. It is going to be the point of contact between the government and the citizen. And commercial companies will have access to that cloud, as well? We are going to have a lot of services called the Citizen Folder — every citizen will have an official folder in the cloud with privacy restrictions and cybersecurity measures, but private companies will be able to interact with it, yes. Sounds like a potential privacy nightmare. Other countries in the region, such as Brazil, have taken a firm stance against the Obama administration on surveillance. Does Colombia have a similar take? We are very active on Internet governance issues. We are going to be in Brazil soon to discuss that. It is a concern of the Colombian government, as well. We have to


Baltimore Symphony Orchestra brings Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos to the Meyerhoff and Strathmore

Jonathan Carney, the BSO’s concertmaster, will direct the orchestra’s performance of all six Brandenburg Concertos. (James Bartolomeo) Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Jonathan Carney knows he’s going to look a little silly wielding a child-sized violin in the BSO’s performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. “Playing a small instrument when you’re a big person is a physical challenge,” says the 6-foot 2-inch Carney, who as concertmaster is the BSO’s lead violinist and occasional conductor. “But it’s a challenge I feel was worth taking because the sound of the instrument is so unique.” Carney will be playing a piccolo violin for the first of the six concertos at the behest of none other than Johann Sebastian Bach. In the 1700s, regular violins had limited ranges, so the composer called for a small violin to handle the concerto’s high-flying solo. For similar reasons, Bach wrote a solo for piccolo trumpet in the second concerto. So stifle your giggles when you see the BSO’s 6-foot principal trumpet player, Andrew Balio, dwarf the diminutive horn. “Bach was a virtuoso on so many instruments, and he made everyone live up to that standard,” Carney says. “He pushed the instruments right to the edge of their technical capacities.” Baroque orchestras couldn’t always meet Bach’s demands, which is probably part of the reason the concertos were ignored for more than a century after Bach presented them to the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721. (A margrave was a nobleman, sort of like a count.) The music was beyond the capacities of the Margrave’s court orchestra, so he filed it away and didn’t even send Bach a thank-you note. The world nearly lost some of the greatest instrumental music ever written, Carney says. “The Brandenburg Concertos were ahead of their time,” he says. “They are incredibly sophisticated, technically and harmonically.” The concertos were finally published in 1850, but they didn’t become well known until the 1950s, when recordings of the lively pieces became runaway hits. Today, they are among the best known and most frequently played baroque compositions — though not usually all together at the same concert. “You get to hear the entire project as Bach envisioned it played in front of you, and it’s a rare occurrence,” Carney says. “It’s just not done very often.” That’s because, in addition to their technical challenges, the concertos also present logistical ones. Each calls for a different set of instruments — the


Pot is hot. Sugar is not.

Get this: Just 8 percent of Americans said marijuana was the biggest health risk of four stimulants and depressants in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday. Almost twice as many A man smokes a marijuana joint, while Senators debate a bill at the Senate to legalize marijuana and regulate production and distribution in Montevideo, Uruguay. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, File) The NBC/WSJ survey parallels two other polls this year finding Americans see marijuana no more risk than alcohol or tobacco, an apparently benign assessment which in stark contrast to the Department of Justice's classification of marijuana as as a schedule 1 substance (read: most dangerous). The "sugar Now, the context of the NBC-WSJ finding -- marijuana's danger compared to other drugs (and candy) -- is critical. It's not that Americans doubt marijuana has any negative effects, but that they no longer stand out from other major causes of health problems. For instance, somewhere between 43-50 percent of Americans said marijuana is physically or mentally harmful, addictive or serves as a gateway drug in an extensive CNN/ORC poll in January. But those perceptions had dipped drastically since Gallup asked the same questions 42 years earlier, providing strong evidence that the public's fears of marijuana have faded over time. Nationally, support for marijuana broadly hit a majority in several polls in the past year (though not in a January Post-ABC poll), and demographic trends point to a continued rise in support due to generational turnover. A Pew Research Center survey released last week found almost seven in 10 of the millennials (ages 18 to 33) supporting legalization, compared with just 30 percent among the oldest generation. Even within generations, though, support has increased markedly over the past decade.


The best pierogi in the D.C. area, ranked

"So I bet you were enjoying the mild weather this week," says the polar vortex today, as it punches you right in the face with these 27-degree temperatures. Sigh. We may as well go back to our carbtastic, thick-sweater eating habits of yore. Cold weather gives us a craving for pierogi, those delicious Eastern European pockets of potatoey goodness. Here's where you can find them in D.C., ranked from best to meh. 1. Boundary Road Boundary Road's pierogi (Maura Judkis/for The Post) The winner. First of all, when you order Boundary Road's wonderfully savory quark-and-black-pepper pierogi, $16 will get you a huge plate, unlike the three-to four-pierogi that comprise a portion at some other restaurants. Regardless, those pillowy pierogi will disappear quickly. 2. Bistro Bohem Bistro Bohem's pierogi (Maura Judkis/for The Post) The Czech Bistro Bohem's rotating pierogi offerings aren't for purists: Those who think a pierogi should be potato-based may be surprised to see kale or ham as the main filler. But these pierogi will broaden your horizons, while the hearty coating of sauce will please sour-cream lovers. $8. 3. Domku Domku's pierogi (Maura Judkis/for The Post) Bacon. 4. Mari Vanna Potato vareniki at Mari Vanna. (Fritz Hahn for The Washington Post) Served with mushrooms, onion and sour cream, Mari Vanna's vareniki -- the pierogi's Russian counterpart -- are a crock of starchy goodness. They even come in dessert form, though the sour cherry vareniki could use a touch more sweetness. When it comes down to it, though, we'll always choose Mari Vanna's pelmeni, or meat-filled dumplings, the focus of a popular special on Tuesday nights, over their less-flavorful potato-stuffed cousins. 5. Rus-Uz Potato and mushroom vareniki at Rus-Uz (Photo by Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post) It should have been a warning that Ballston's favorite (and only) Russian-Uzbek restaurant lists its vareniki in the "ravioli" section of the menu. Available stuffed with farmer's cheese or potatoes and mushrooms, giant plates of vareniki arrive at the table boiled and buttery, topped with multiple scallion-dappled dollops of sour cream. You get a lot of dumplings for $11.99, and the preparation is traditional, but the flavors are rather subdued. 6. Russia House Russia House's pierogi (Maura Judkis/for The Post) Russia House gets points for creativity with its stuffing of lamb confit, potato and leeks. The problem is that the vareniki are too heavy on the toppings -- Riesling cream, and roasted parsnips and


‘Scandal’ recap Season 3, Episode 13: They’re all murderers

evil around her is so all-consuming that she starts laughing uncontrollaby. She actually sounds a lot like Papa Pope! It’s a classic Liv/Cy moment. Olivia: “They’re all murderers.” Cyrus: “Nobody’s perfect.” Olivia says she “wants to walk into the light and feel the sun on my face.” She tells Cyrus he’s on his own. Do. not. believe. Things are a little more believable back at B613, er, I mean Acme Limited. Apparently, not a fan of the Smithsonian, Jake has created an alternate universe in which he sells paper for a living. The face of this fake business is a receptionist with bad phone etiquette. That receptionist is named Quinn, who feels her talents are being underutilized. “Where’s my mission. Where’s my gun? I need to become a B613 agent!” Rowan, the one person who can probably most relate to Quinn’s undeniable urge to do B613’s dirty work, threatens to fire Leo Bergen if he can’t make the whole Sally-as-president thing work. The message: The only thing Papa Pope steadily employs is euphemisms. He will fire you even if you don’t work for him. Olivia goes to visit one of Rowan’s erstwhile employees. Having apparently listened to Jake’s argument that popcorn and wine does not a meal make, Olivia cheerily heads over to his apartment with burgers and wine. Is it just me or is their dialogue becoming just as tortured as Olivia-Fitz discussions. Liv wants to pretend to be normal. Jake makes some clever small talk about being employee of the month for hawking industrial grade paper and then he asks Olivia to run away with him. She demures and drinks more wine. See, crazy? He literally asks her to save him and all she can do is make out with him… for which I’ve deducted one crazy point. Later, she makes out with Fitz. In front of an open window, proving that Vermont or no Vermont, sun or no sun, she will always choose Fitz. I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE RT @scottkfoley: Someone needs to #standinthesun with Jake. #Scandal That’s not the only bad habit Olivia falls back into. Despite informing Dabby that she would have nothing to do with helping Cyrus cover up his shady dealings with Sally, she asks Fitz to throw the debate to stop Sally from confessing to murdering Daniel Douglas during the debate. I realized that I don’t think I’ve heard Fitz say anything


Happy Pi Day!

Today isn’t the great Pi Day that we’ll have next year (3/14/15, some may prefer to round and celebrate 3/14/16), but it’s Pi Day nonetheless. In honor of the day, I offer an old mnemonic of mine. Some of you may be familiar with the classic mnemonic How I need a drink, alcoholic of course, after the tough lectures involving quantum mechanics: count up the letters in each word, stick a decimal point after the 3, and you get 3.14159265358979. (See this page for a discussion of pi mnemonics.) How do you deal with zeroes (which crop up after about 30 digits)? Some people use ten-letter words; I decided to end the sentence. This allows you to continue until you get two zeroes in a row, which happens somewhere around 200 digits. Here’s my version, which gets you to 167 digits after the decimal point: How I need a drink, alcoholic of course, after the tough lectures involving quantum mechanics; but we did estimate some digits by making very bad, not accurate, but so greatly efficient tools! In quaintly valuable ways, a dedicated student — I, Volokh, Alexander — can determine beautiful and curious stuff, O! Smart, gorgeous me! Descartes himself knew wonderful ways that could ascertain it too! Revered, glorious — a wicked dude! Behold an unending number: pi! Thinkers’ ceaseless agonizing produces little, if anything! For this constant, it stops not — just as e, I suppose. Vainly, ancient geometers computed it — a task undoable. Legendre, Adrien Marie: ‘I say pi rational is not!’ Adrien proved this theorem. Therefore, all doubters have made errors. (Everybody that’s Greek.) Today, counting is as bad a problem as years ago, maybe centuries even. Moreover, I do consider that variable x, y, z, wouldn’t much avail. Is constant like i? No, buffoon! I developed this in the mid-’90s with David Tazartes and Steven LaCombe. It was discussed in a couple of places, like Ivars Peterson’s MathLand and The Scientist Magazine. As far as pi mnemonics go, it’s far from impressive: if you want impressive, I suggest “Poe, E.: Near a Raven”, which gives you 740 digits and is part of a much larger work called Cadaeic Cadenza. But if you really want to give your loved ones a gift for Pi Day, I recommend the following two books: Petr Beckmann’s A History of Pi, and David Blatner’s The Joy of Pi.


Busy weekend for street events in D.C. area

To Saturday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in D.C. and Four Courts Four Miler Race in Arlington, add Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Constitution Avenue NW. The Capital Weather Gang wants those heading for the events that start Saturday morning to know the chance of showers has diminished and is below 5 percent. However, they will have to deal with a somewhat chilly start. Sunday’s paraders may be cheered by a bit of sun early on, but by mid-to-late afternoon, the gang says, the sky will cloud over in advance of a wintry storm system. Keep an eye on that for the Monday morning rush, as well. St. Patrick’s Parade The parade will form on the National Mall, then go west on Constitution Avenue, from Seventh Street to 17th Street NW. D.C. police said Seventh Street will be closed between Constitution and Independence avenues from noon to 3 p.m. The streets near Constitution Avenue also will be closed during these hours, police said. The nearest Metrorail stations to the parade route are Federal Triangle, Archives and Smithsonian. Red Line riders may prefer to walk south a few blocks from the Metro Center or Gallery Place stations. See also


There’s more to wildlife in D.C. than street rats

Northern short-tailed shrew. (Patterson Clark / The Washington Post) Every city is its own little bubble of biodiversity, according to a study out last month. In other words, metropolises aren’t just for rats and pigeons; they’re unique habitats unseen elsewhere in nature. Here are three local critters to keep an eye out for this spring: Northern short-tailed shrew: Red fox: Black-crowned night heron:


‘We need to talk about Ireland’

People walk over over Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin, Ireland. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images) Ireland, one of the European Union countries hardest hit by the Great Recession, is slowly emerging from its economic meltdown. St. Patrick’s night seems like the appropriate evening to reflect on the country’s history, ancient and modern, and ruminate about Ireland’s potential futures. Live from the Round Room in Dublin’s Mansion House — scene of an Irish declaration of independence in 1919 — a diverse collection of musicians, artists and thinkers will take part in an event called “We Need to Talk About Ireland.” The 90-minute, eclectic spectacle will be streamed live on WorldViews at 5 p.m. EST on Monday, March 17. Watch a preview of the show below: On St. Patrick's Day, Mar. 17, 2014, the Round Room in Dublin's Mansion House will celebrate the history and culture of Ireland. (The Washington Post) “It’s a creative exploration of all the parts of us,” one of the organizers, Kathy Scott, told the Irish Times. “We are looking at our values, perspectives and meaning-making as individuals, communities and as a nation. We are now at a post post-traumatic stage in our story of Ireland. We are out of the crash, have absorbed the shock and what happens next? How do we integrate all of it and start over again?” This promising discourse will include informal and brief talks on subjects that range from Ireland’s monastic past to storytelling, post-collapse. Among the speakers are the poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, filmmaker Pat Collins, comedian Eleanor Tiernan, and a farmer and rural philosopher from County Clare, Patrick McCormack. The conversation will be interspersed with traditional singing in Gaelic, known as Sean-nós, or old style, fiddle-playing and performances by several choirs. Viewers can contribute to the discussion at: #Irelandtalks #pureirish.


How to ensure your child will have healthy relationships

(Bigstock) How do parents help kids learn how to have a healthy relationship? The story of L.Y. Marlow is one of heartbreak and hope. She comes from a family of four generations of women who “suffered and survived 60 years of domestic violence.” When she realized almost seven years ago that her daughter, a mother to a 6-month-old, was being abused by the baby’s father, Marlow quit her job as a project executive at IBM and launched a domestic violence prevention organization called Saving Promise. Promise is the name of her now 7-year-old granddaughter. The organization aims to decrease partner violence and increase awareness of it, “so that we can ultimately change what the CDC calls a national crisis,” Marlow said. She was abused by her first boyfriend. “My mother didn’t allow us to date until we were 16, and my first boyfriend, who I was in love with, was very charming,” she said. “I quickly learned that a lot of that charm and connection I thought we had easily transferred into behaviors of control and escalated into physical abuse.” And so Marlow, also the author of “Color Me Butterfly,” a novel inspired by her experience, and “A Life Apart,” a novel about a decades long love affair, is working to make sure other teens and adults do not end up in a situation like her family’s. “Parents must talk about it,” she said. “We’ve got to be willing to address the sensitive issues. … We’ve got to ask our kids what they think dating is.” Robyn Brickel, a licensed marriage and family therapist Talks about relationships don’t have to be serious sit-downs when the time comes for dating, Brickel said. Instead, “repetition is the best way to learn. If we’re repeating the same information differently throughout their lives, it’s going to be taken in.” Finally, she said, work to make sure you and your children have a secure, open relationship. Take them seriously and don’t say things like “Oh, it’s just a little eighth-grade relationship,” so they will be more apt to talk to you. Other tips from Brickel: * Make your home one where kids can have dinner and hang out. That way, you’re going to have the option of seeing relationships. And if all of a sudden your child doesn’t want to bring someone over, that may be a not-great sign. * If friends of your child


Two snowy owls captured near Maryland’s Martin State Airport

Meet the male snowy owl that was captured Mar. 14 at Martin State Airport (Photo courtesy of the Maryland Aviation Administration) Two snowy owls were captured this week near Martin State Airport in eastern Baltimore County, environmental officials said on Friday. A female snowy owl was captured Thursday evening just after sunset; a male snowy owl was captured Friday morning. This is not the first sighting of one of the majestic birds. In late December, a snowy owl was captured and relocated from BWI Marshall airport. The owls were examined by employees with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services and personnel from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The birds, which have been banded, will be relocated “well away” from the airport. The female owl will be outfitted with a transmitter to track her movements before she is released — part of Project SNOWstorm. Project SNOWstorm led by a biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, is an unprecedented, nationwide research effort that is gathering data on the largest appearance of snowy owls in decades. There have been numerous sightings of the birds in the D.C. region, in part because of there has been a bumper crop of young owls. As The Post’s Darryl Fears reported, the birds have been feasting on an unusually robust crop of lemmings. The birds have been spotted from New England to New York to downtown Washington to Jacksonville, Fla. Owl spotting has generated much excitement from members of the public who rarely see them so close-up. But for airport officials, the birds pose serious risks to air travel. According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration, snowy owls are among the bird species most likely to cause damage when struck by aircraft. The birds’ size, wingspan and fact that they tend to be low-flying pose a hazard to aircraft.


Beer is in the air: A guide to four spring beer festivals

Can you ever really have too many beer festivals? The D.C. area is about to find out. Attendees at the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest in Shirlington. Capitol City Brewing Company is unveiling a spring version of its popular beer festival in April. (Courtesy of Capitol City Brewing Company) Last week, Hand Crafted Tastings -- the company behind the New York Craft Beer Festival -- brought the first D.C. Craft Beer Festival to the Convention Center. Tomorrow is the Shamrock Beer Bash in a parking lot by Nationals Park. The second D.C. Beer Festival returns to Nationals Park on April 12. Two weeks after that, Capitol City Brewing Company holds its first SpringFest -- a carbon-copy of the popular Oktoberfest -- on the streets of Shirlington. And then May 9-10 brings Savor, the upscale national beer festival, back to the National Building Museum after a one-year hiatus in New York. Everyone knows craft beer is bigger than ever: Just look at the number of breweries, brewpubs and beer-focused bars popping up around the area. But the number of beer festivals seems to be overkill. To help make sense of it all, here's what you need to know about each festival. Shamrock Beer Bash Date D.C. Beer Festival Date SpringFest Date Savor Date


Senators return from Ukraine, call for aid package, Russia sanctions

the members of the delegation, which was led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Upon their return, four of the senators appeared on Sunday morning talk shows to increase the sense of urgency surrounding the bill, which passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week but has gotten tangled in a separate set of issues involving changes to the International Monetary Fund that some Republicans oppose. In an interview, Hoeven said that if the parties cannot work out their differences over the IMF provisions, which would shift $63 billion from its crisis fund to its general accounts, they should set that issue aside and move ahead of the other parts of the measure. Meanwhile, McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union" that "economic sanctions are a very important step. Identify these kleptocrats and - look, Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country. Its kleptocracy, its corruption, it's a nation that's really only dependent upon oil and gas for their economy. And so economic sanctions are important." The senators warned that the consequences of inaction would be dire. Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," called Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent actions in Ukraine "the single most serious act of aggression since the Cold War. He ended up the final ceremony at the Sochi Olympics, which are network-covered, trying to make it a charm offensive for the world that this is a modern Russian nation. And within hours he’s invading one of his neighbors, sending the same troops that were protecting the athletes at Sochi into the Crimea. Now, are we going to stand by and say this is acceptable conduct? Because this isn't the end of his ambition." At the same time, some of them acknowledged that the penalties may not be enough. "It’s going to be difficult," said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who appeared with Durbin. "Let’s face it, Russia has always had its design on Crimea, it considers Crimea a part of Russia. And so that’s going to be difficult. But all you can do is increase the cost significantly, and -- and hope that they don't move further into Ukraine. . . . We've got to move in hard now with sanctions, regardless of whether they move tomorrow or the next week or hold back. We're going to move forward with sanctions; not just us, but our European allies as well."


Obama imposes sanctions after Crimean vote; here’s the text of his order

behalf of the Russian state. In addition to the new E.O., the Treasury Department today has imposed sanctions on four other individuals under E.O. 13660, issued on March 6, for their actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine and in undermining the Government of Ukraine. They are Crimea-based separatist leaders Sergey Aksyonov and Vladimir Konstantinov; former Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Viktor Medvedchuk; and former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. Today’s actions send a strong message to the Russian government that there are consequences for their actions that violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including their actions supporting the illegal referendum for Crimean separation. The United States, together with international partners, will continue to stand by the Ukrainian government to ensure that costs are imposed on Crimean separatists and their Russian backers. Today’s actions also serve as notice to Russia that unless it abides by its international obligations and returns its military forces to their original bases and respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the United States is prepared to take additional steps to impose further political and economic costs. Vladislav Surkov: Surkov is being sanctioned for his status as a Presidential Aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sergey Glazyev: Glazyev is being sanctioned for his status as a Presidential Adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Leonid Slutsky: Slutsky is being sanctioned for his status as a State Duma deputy, where he is Chairman of the Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration, and Relations with Compatriots. Andrei Klishas: Klishas is being sanctioned for his status as a Member of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and as Chairman of the Federation Council Committee of Constitutional Law, Judicial, and Legal Affairs, and the Development of Civil Society. Valentina Matviyenko: Matviyenko is being sanctioned for her status as Head of the Federation Council Dmitry Rogozin: Rogozin is being sanctioned for his status as the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. Yelena Mizulina: Mizulina is being sanctioned for her status as a State Duma Deputy. Sergey Aksyonov: Aksyonov is being designated for threatening the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine, and for undermining Ukraine’s democratic institutions and processes. Aksyonov claims to be the Prime Minister of Crimea and has rejected the authority of the legitimate government in Kyiv. Vladimir Konstantinov: Konstantinov is


Obama warns Russia of ‘consequences for their actions’ in Ukraine

On Monday, the day after Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine, President Obama announced expanded sanctions on Russian officials in the White House briefing room. In the wake of Crimea's vote Sunday in favor of seceding from Ukraine, President Obama said Monday he had expanded sanctions against Russia to show "there are consequences for their actions." "In recent months, as the citizens of Ukraine have made their voices heard, we have been guided by a fundamental principle: The future of Ukraine must be decided by the people of Ukraine," Obama told reporters in the White House Briefing Room. "That means Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected and international law must be upheld. "And so Russia's decision to send troops into Crimea has rightly drawn global condemnation," he added. "And as I told President Putin yesterday, the referendum in Crimea was a clear violation of Ukrainian Constitutions and international law, and it will not be recognized by the international community." As a result of Sunday's vote, Obama said, he had authorized "a series of measures that will continue to increase the cost on Russia and on those responsible for what is happening in Ukraine," including asset freezes and a ban on travel to the United States for seven Russian and four Ukrainian officials. The president, who did not take questions, said the sanctions targeted "specific individuals responsible for undermining the sovereignty, territorial integrity and government of Ukraine. We're making it clear that there are consequences for their actions." He noted he is traveling to Europe next week and Vice President Biden is leaving Monday night for Europe to meet with the leaders of o Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania--all NATO allies. "Our message will be clear. As NATO allies, we have a solemn commitment to our collective defense, and we will uphold this commitment," he said. "Going forward, we can calibrate our response based on whether Russia chooses to escalate or to de-escalate the situation," Obama said. "Now, I believe there's still a path to resolve this situation diplomatically in a way that addresses the interests of both Russia and Ukraine." Such a path would require Russia withdrawing its forces from Crimea, supporting the deployment of additional international monitors in Ukraine and engaging in negotiations with the Ukrainian government, the president said. "But throughout this process, we're going to stand firm in our unwavering support for Ukraine," Obama concluded.


How U.S. sanctions hope to strike at Putin’s allies without actually targeting Putin

eventually came to the Kremlin and used his understanding of publicity and image to help sustain and strengthen Putin's presidency, with some even suggesting that he was the real power behind the throne. He was called "Putin's Rasputin" in the London Review of Books, and the "Gray Cardinal" by many others. While he apparently fell out of favor after anti-Putin protests in 2012, he was brought back last fall to help deal with Ukraine and other situations. Then there's Sergei Glazyev, once a fierce critic of Putin and even a rival to his presidency, who was brought into the president's fold in 2012, and is described as a "Presidential Adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin." Glazyev was tasked with developing the Customs Union between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, a precursor to the "Eurasian Union" that is said to be close to Putin's heart. It had been hoped that Ukraine might join the Customs Union, and Glazyev had acted as Putin's main emissary to the country over 2013. He had issued a number of warnings to Ukrainians as the Euromaidan protests progressed. Leonid Slutsky Andrei Klishas Valentina Matviyenko Of course, some will be upset that bigger names aren't on the list. Not only is Putin not on there, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the two politicians with the most international name recognition, are not included. Perhaps more importantly, many people who are believed to hold the real power in Russia, such as Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller and Igor Sechin, a close adviser to Putin referred to as "Darth Vader" and "the scariest man on Earth," did not make the list either. Will the sanctions actually sting? "There are a lot more people needing to be sanctioned to have any psychological effect on Putin," Browder argued in an e-mail. "The actual sanctions mechanism needs to go after individuals and companies who hold assets or economically benefit from those on the sanctions list. That would capture the Russian oligarch trustees and truly create panic among the ruling class in Russia." There's also a problem: The sanctions will only hurt those who actually have assets to target. Here's Rogozin's reaction: Comrade @BarackObama, what should do those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or U didn't think about it?)http://t.co/16KUTJPXOl I think some prankster prepared the draft of this Act of the US President) Will Englund contributed to this report.


McCaul: Missing Malaysian airplane could be used as giant bomb

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Monday that the missing Malaysia Airlines plane could be parked somewhere unknown and potentially used as a giant bomb. McCaul said on Fox News that he is convinced the plane was hijacked. From there, he said it either crashed somewhere or is still operational and potentially very dangerous. "What would be the purpose behind crashing it into the ocean?" McCaul said. "So the other possible theory that we're looking at is it could have landed somewhere, filled with explosives and then sent somewhere else to cause some great damage." McCaul added: "And I think we have to look at all possibilities." The search for the plane continues, nine days after it first went missing.


How a laser beam could quadruple the speed of the Internet

light offers an inherent advantage. Today's best backbone technology is capable of staggering bandwidth — in some cases up to 400 Gbps. For perspective, that's more than 40,000 times the speed of the average American's home connection. (Take that comparison with a grain of salt: Most Americans will never need the capacity of a backbone connection. Even the fastest consumer plans top out at 1 Gbps these days.) But the new laser technology, developed in part by National Medal of Science-winner Amnon Yariv, promises to quadruple bandwidth in the existing Internet backbone, if not more. "Our first run lasers, fabricated at Caltech, are capable of of a 4x increase in the number of bytes-per-second carried by each channel," Yariv, whose research was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said in an e-mail. "This number will increase with our continuing work, but even at this level, the economic advantages are very big." The more efficient laser is a marked improvement over existing ones in that it operates closer to a single frequency than any other yet created. The purity of the beam allows it to carry more data. Yariv compares the laser to a highway. The highway has a set number of lanes, and carries a certain number of trucks every day. With the Caltech upgrade, the trucks will now be able to carry four times the tonnage on the same highway. "A single channel carrying today, say, 40 Gbps, will go to 160 Gbps," said Yariv. Applied to top-of-the-line networks, that might mean eventual backbone speeds of 1,600 Gbps or more. (Just for fun, that's 164,000 times faster than the 10 Mbps connection serving the average American home today.) The discovery isn't likely to benefit individual Internet users like you and me in a huge way — at least, not directly. Internet subscribers are limited largely by the plan they've purchased from their ISPs. If you're paying for a 15 Mbps connection, for instance, you aren't suddenly going to be upgraded to a 60 Mbps plan. Still, dramatically expanding the rate at which data can be routed through the Internet to your ISP could have downstream implications for companies like Netflix. It'll also make a big difference as our homes become smarter, more connected and more automated, and as phone companies transition away from copper networks to carrying calls over fiber optic networks, as well.


Americans are ok with Russian sanctions. But, not much else.

Newly announced American and European sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin's "cronies" mark a key escalation of pressure in the dispute over Ukraine and Crimea. But the move also puts President Obama in a precarious position should punishments fail to halt Russian aggression, with a public back home deeply skeptical of ratcheting things up beyond international sanctions. Americans' reluctance was laid bare in a Why are Americans so reluctant to amp up the showdown with Russia? The CNN poll rules out sympathy for Putin's causemwith 81 percent saying Russia's actions in Crimea broke international law and 69 percent now calling the nation a threat to the U.S., up 25 points since 2012. But these concerns may be overwhelmed by a growing resistance to be the world's police force after a public souring on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When asked whether the U.S. should "mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own," 52 percent agreed with that sentiment in a Pew Research survey last fall, the highest in nearly 50 years of polling and up sharply over the last decade. And the conflict over Ukraine appears to be just the type of engagement Americans want to stay away from, according to an in-depth 2010 survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Just 24 percent said protecting weaker nations against foreign aggression is a "very important" foreign policy goal, ranking 18th out of 19 goals, significantly behind "combating world hunger" and "reducing our trade deficit." Obama is keenly aware of the public's skepticism toward intervention, saying in 2011 that "the tide of war is receding" as troops came home from Iraq. But as the Post's Scott Wilson wrote earlier this month: "Ukraine has emerged as a test of Obama’s argument that, far from weakening American power, he has enhanced it through smarter diplomacy, stronger alliances and a realism untainted by the ideology that guided his predecessor." The basic challenge Obama faces is how to force compliance from Putin in the face of such obvious public disinterest back home for escalating the situation. Obama promised Putin that aggression toward Ukraine would entail "costs," but if they are cheap, the Russian president may be willing to pay.


Rock ‘n Roll Marathon draws military brass, TV host

Runners in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon leave the starting point on Constitution Ave. in NW DC. One runner carried an American flag. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) Hey, isn’t that… Adm. James Winnefeld, the vice chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, crossing the finish line of Saturday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon in two hours, six minutes and 17 seconds. That’s some pretty fast brass for a 57-year-old. Also pounding the pavement was erstwhile TV host Carrie Keagan, (an L.A. import last seen on VH1’s talk show Big Morning Buzz Live) who finished her first half-marathon in three hours, 14 minutes and four seconds. Read more Reliable Source: Kevin Bacon, Rosario Dawson and Laila Ali will touch down in D.C. Peter Orszag child support trial to continue Savannah Guthrie and Mike Feldman tied the knot — and they’re expecting More Hey, isn’t that . . .? and even more sightings. . . . Had a sighting? Share it at reliablesource@washpost.com. Even more sightings, surreal estate, BOLO and Love, etc: Sign up for The Reliable Source newsletter. And follow us on Facebook and Twitter.


Lawmakers praise sanctions, say Obama must go further to curb Russian aggression

Several members of Congress voiced support for sanctions against Russian leaders announced by President Obama earlier today, but urged him to go further to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from taking further steps to annex Crimea and take the region from Ukraine. The sanctions, announced Monday morning, freeze the assets of seven Russian officials and four of their allies in Ukraine's Crimea region. The action by the Obama administration was praised by several members of Congress, while others blasted the sanctions for not going far enough. "The crisis in Ukraine calls for a far more significant response from the United States," declared Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), in a lengthy statement released Monday afternoon. "Today's Executive Order could be an important part of that response, but sanctioning only seven Russian officials is wholly inadequate at this stage." Without stronger U.S. and Western reaction, McCain said, “we run the risk of signaling to Putin that he can be even more expansive in furthering his old imperial ambitions, not only in Ukraine, but also in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic countries and parts of Central Asia.” McCain urged the Obama administration to “rush the modest military assistance to the Ukrainian government that its leaders have requested.” Sen. Ted. Cruz (R-Tex.) urged Obama to install anti-ballistic missiles in Eastern Europe. “Appeasement hasn’t worked,” he told The Washington Post. He said an expanded U.S. military presence in Poland and the Czech Republic, similar to a missile-defense plan proposed by President George W. Bush and scrapped by the Obama administration in 2009, would provide a counterbalance to Putin’s regional power. And it wasn't just congressional Republicans urging the Obama administration to take a stronger stance; several Democrats also signaled that they would support a more heavy-handed response. “I support the sanctions announced today, and I strongly urge the President to go further and consider a broader range of consequences,” Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), an Army combat veteran and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. “ If Russia is allowed to continue its aggressive push for control in Ukraine, there will be long-term, serious, and costly security risks for the United States and Europe. Russia must face serious consequences for its actions; the U.S. must consider options that truly isolate Russia economically and diplomatically—not just sanction a handful of oligarchs—and send a message of unity and strength from the international community."


Russian big shots ridicule sanctions: ‘the work of pranksters,’ one tweets

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin gives a thumbs up next to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) before the start of a signing ceremony in New Delhi December 24, 2012. (REUTERS/Grigory Dukor ) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who was hit with economic sanctions on Monday for his role in Russia’s move into Crimea, appears to be a man of simple tastes. If his robust Twitter presence — two separate accounts, 210,000 followers and nearly 15,000 tweets — is any indication, he loves Steven Seagal, shooting guns and taunting NATO and the West at every opportunity. At no moment was this proclivity more evident than Monday when Rogozin learned the U.S. was going to sanction him personally along with six other Russian leaders. According to that announcement, the punitive economic measures will freeze his personal assets in any U.S. jurisdiction, and Americans are for now forbidden from doing business with Rogozin. You could almost hear the chortles from Moscow. Comrade @BarackObama, what should do those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or U didn't think about it?)http://t.co/16KUTJPXOl I think some prankster prepared the draft of this Act of the US President) Canadian PM Stephen Harper put me on the list http://t.co/RfRrDg8gLB… Looks like they're also looking for my accounts and villas)) They wish The chief executive of Russia’s largest oil company and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin is also scoffing at the sanctions. Igor Sechin, head of Rosneft, called them “evidence of powerlessness,” according to Russian news agencies. Sechin has not been sanctioned but is a likely candidate if the penalties are broadened. Rogozin’s braggadocio is not an aberration. Both inside and outside cyber sphere, Rogozin has a reputation for theatrics. Born into a Moscow family in 1963, he was raised by a Soviet military scientist, his biography says. From there, he went on to amass a grab bag of degrees: journalism, economics, a PhD in philosophy. He got into national politics as the leader of the political bloc Rodina — motherland — in 2003. But two years later, his party was banned from some Moscow elections over allegations that his campaign’s slogan, “Clean Moscow of Rubbish,” was racist, according to a report by Ria Novosti, one of Russia’s largest news agencies. He rebounded to become Russia’s ambassador to NATO in 2008, where he frequently derided Ukraine’s attempt to join that military alliance. That year,


Wonkbook: Russia shrugs off U.S. sanctions in Ukraine crisis

Welcome to Wonkbook, Wonkblog’s morning policy news primer by Puneet Kollipara. To subscribe by e-mail, click here. Send comments, criticism or ideas to Wonkbook at Washpost dot com. To read more by the Wonkblog team, click here. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) Wonkbook’s Number of the Day: Wonkbook’s Chart of the Day: Wonkbook's Top 5 Stories: 1. Top story: As Russia shrugs off initial round of sanctions, what more can U.S. do? Russia recognizes Crimea’s independence, defying new U.S. and E.U. sanctions. Here's what the sanctions would do. Primary sources: Explainers: The failure of the U.S.-Russia reset in 9 photos. Adam Taylor in The Washington Post. Meet the 11 Russians and Ukrainians that the U.S. is sanctioning. Linda Kinstler in The New Republic. And in response, Russian officials scoffed. @DRogozin Russia also to respond with countervailing sanctions of its own. As Obama's strategy rolls on, so does Putin's defiance. " Analysis: Explainer: How far can Putin go? " Lobbyists in U.S. breathe sigh of relief at modest scale of sanctions. MILBANK: With sanctions, Obama aims to hit Vladimir Putin where it hurts. CHOTINER: Putin's aggression is not America's fault. THE WASHINGTON POST: West's sanctions deliver only slap on the wrist. RADNITZ: Why Putin wants us to believe he's crazy. GOLDBERG: HIRSH: What about a 'cool war'? Top opinion THE FINANCIAL TIMES: America's cavalier stance on the IMF. PONNURU: The Republican midterm temptation to do nothing. McLARTY: Why Democrats should side with the president on free trade. SOLTAS: Is this the best the economy can do? THE NEW YORK TIMES: A broken military justice system. KOHUT: Resurgent public optimism on the economy? Don’t hold your breath. Waking up interlude: 2. Obamacare hits 5 million signups. Pace of health insurance enrollment picks up as Affordable Care Act deadline nears. But we still don't know how many of those have paid. Fact-check: Another tool in Team Obama's youth-outreach toolbox: GIFs Explainer: Other health care reads: Obamacare was supposed to make markets more competitive. Has it? It's been a mixed bag. Jason Millman in The Washington Post. How to extend the Obamacare enrollment period. Clara Ritger in National Journal. How kids are bringing medical marijuana to the states. Emma Roller in National Journal. Animals interlude: 3. What's the biggest decision facing Yellen this week? This is the biggest decision Janet Yellen will have to make at her first meeting. Fed seen swapping jobless threshold for


Everything you need to know about Michelle Obama’s trip to China

the seat of Chinese imperial power from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, and the two will see a show and have a private dinner. American and Chinese leaders have not had especially close personal relationships and there is hope among foreign relations experts that Obama and Peng will form a bond. Along with shared causes, both are mothers of daughters and have been noted for their fashion sense and popularity within their home counties. Michelle Obama’s soft diplomacy approach will guide the entire trip. She doesn’t plan to talk about any of the issues that complicate the relationship between the two global competitors. The Chinese government’s human rights record crops up during almost every high-level meeting between the two countries, but don’t expect the first lady to bring any of that up. It’s not her role, White House officials have said, even though Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton both raised those concerns during their time as first lady. On her second day in Beijing, Obama will give a speech about cultural exchange at the Stanford Center at Peking University, where she’ll meet with Chinese and American students who have studied abroad in each other’s countries. About 200,000 Chinese students are studying in the U.S., more than from any other country. Only 20,000 American students study in China each year. The Obama administration wants to boost that number. Michelle Obama speaks in Washington. When she arrives in China later this week, she will stress the message that she’s carried on past trips outside the U.S. It’s about the importance of education for young people around the world, and the role Mrs. Obama says education played in helping her get ahead in her own life. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) The first lady and her family will also do a lot of sightseeing, including visiting the Great Wall. When Obama leaves Beijing, she will go to the interior of China, to Xi’an, home of the ancient Terracotta Warrior sculptures. After a day there, she will visit Chengdu in the Sichuan province, where she will give a second speech at a high school in Chengdu known for its technology. Her last stop will involve a bit of panda diplomacy, a Chinese practice that dates back to Mao Zedong, as she swings by Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Mao began the practice of giving pandas to foster relationships with other countries.


Taiwan is afraid that Chinese movies are becoming too good

the limited ability of businesses to move across the strait has had serious consequences. Just talk to Godwin Wang, assistant vice president at the Farglory Free Trade Zone outside Taipei. The government has helped set up these zones around the country's ports to help companies import and export goods with lower tariffs. When Farglory opened its high-tech, high-volume complex eight years ago, it expected to reach capacity in short order. Instead, it's done only about half the business it could handle -- mostly in lighter, more valuable goods like motherboards and outdoor wear -- as more and more Taiwanese companies just decide to move abroad seeking lower costs for labor and land. "They all feel a certain kind of pressure from mainland China," Wang says, of his cargo-shipping clients. "We are suffocating, because they are stealing our jobs." Farglory is pinning his business on one last hope: That consumers around the world will still believe Taiwan makes better products than China. To capitalize on that perception, it's built what it calls a "value-added center," where workers might add enough of a finishing touch to something imported from China -- putting the drivetrain on a bicycle, for example -- to qualify as "made in Taiwan" by the World Trade Organization's standards. "Of course you could do it in China. But then it's 'made in China,'" Wang says. "What it means is that the bike was 'made in Taiwan.'" So the bike can now fetch a much higher price, he says -- a widely-held impression in the region. The value-added center supplies 30 percent of Farglory's revenues at the moment, which Wang hopes to increase to 50 percent in the coming years. It's unclear, however, that the strategy is sustainable over the long term -- especially given that Taiwan's comparative advantage in advanced manufacturing is on the decline, as other regional economies learn how to replicate it. To make matters worse, Taiwan has also failed to join many regional trade agreements that might help the nation make up for its cautious openness. Having missed out on the first two rounds of the massive Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, it's hoping to get on board for the next round of talks. That, however, will require an overhaul of regulations governing trade and investment, which is proving difficult as well -- and frustrating for the American businesses that want access to the Taiwanese market.


Here are the 2014 Rammy Award finalists

King and Cedric Maupillier -- are repeats from last year. The same goes for restaurant group of the year, where Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong's Eat Good Food Group, Jose Andres and Rob Wilder's ThinkFoodGroup and Michael Babin's Neighborhood Restaurant Group all earned repeat nods. Here's the list. Let us know who you think should win in the comments. 2014 Rammy Award Finalists * indicates new category FORMAL FINE DINING RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Fiola UPSCALE CASUAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Et Voila! EVERYDAY CASUAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Graffiato NEW RESTAURANT Del Campo CHEF OF THE YEAR Victor Albisu - Del Campo Cathal Armstrong - Eat Good Food Group Haidar Karoum - Doi Moi, Estadio, Proof Tarver King - The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm Cedric Maupillier - Mintwood Place RISING CULINARY STAR OF THE YEAR Erik Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground Michael Friedman, The Red Hen Tim Ma, Maple Avenue /Water & Wall Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Ripple Johnny Spero, Minibar PASTRY CHEF OF THE YEAR Caitlin Dysart, 2941 Naomi Gallego, Blue Duck Tavern Jason Gehring, Menu MBK Santosh Tiptur, Co Co. Sala Tom Wellings, Fiola WINE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR 2941 *COCKTAIL PROGRAM OF THE YEAR Black Jack *BEER PROGRAM OF THE YEAR Birch and Barley/ChurchKey *SERVICE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR BLT Steak RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong - Eat Good Food Group José Andrés and Rob Wilder - ThinkFoodGroup Michael Babin - Neighborhood Restaurant Group Mark Kuller - Doi Moi, Estadio, Proof Gus DiMillo, David Wizenberg, Jeff Tunks - Passion Food Hospitality *REGIONAL FOOD AND BEVERAGE PRODUCER Catoctin Creek Distilling Company DC Brau Brewing Company Port City Brewing Company Rappahannock Oyster Co. Red Apron Butchery JOAN HISAOKA ALLIED MEMBER OF THE YEAR Acme Paper and Supply Company EagleBank Profish Ltd. Republic National Distributing Company SYSCO Food Services of Baltimore EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR Eric "Soup" Campbell - The Hamilton Molly Horn - Farmers Fisher Bakers Sandra Sanchez - Acadiana Stelios Alexandris - 1789 Pablo Lemus - Bourbon Steak MANAGER OF THE YEAR Boo Young Kim - District Commons Jorge Figueredo - Jaleo DC Kendra Graves - Farmers Fisher Bakers Robert Hall - Newton's Table Tyes Zolman - Pearl Dive Oyster Palace & Black Jack Public-voting categories: FAVORITE GATHERING PLACE OF THE YEAR Bar Pilar *UPSCALE CASUAL BRUNCH OF THE YEAR Art and Soul *EVERYDAY CASUAL BRUNCH OF THE YEAR DGS Delicatessen *FAVORITE FAST BITES OF THE YEAR Bayou Bakery


Jack Evans’s campaign has an interest in ‘tax lien folk’

introduced emergency legislation that froze the sale of liens involving seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. The finance and revenue committee hopes to mark up permanent reform legislation this week. While the public furor over the tax-lien fiasco died down, tax liens were never not out of mind. On Jan. 27, Don Dinan, a District attorney who chairs Evans’s mayoral campaign, sent an e-mail at 10:34 a.m. to an attorney who, according to his Web site, handles “numerous” Maryland and DC tax lien foreclosures on behalf of individual investors. Dinan wrote: “As you may know, I am Chair to the Evan’s [sic] campaign. I’d like to set up a fundraiser for jack among the tax lien folk. What do you think. Don.” The attorney, whose name I am withholding, replied within an hour, saying in part: “I have a reform proposal I’d like to submit to OTR [The office of Tax and Revenue]. … Can I send it to you to review with [name withheld].” At 11:44 a.m., Dinan wrote back: “Yes, I would be happy to review.” At 1:21 p.m., the attorney answered: “Ok. I’ll have it for you by the end of the day tomorrow.” The next day, the attorney wrote Dinan at 5:36 p.m.: “Don, Please see attached. My proposal (which has flaws) is intended to produce one main objective: to allow our clients who buy [tax liens] here to succeed so they can keep coming back each year. My remaining DC clients have narrow profit margins. Most have already left DC because it is too hard to make money with OTR.” I spoke with Dinan on Friday about the e-mails. He said he had been assisting Evans and his staff on tax-lien reform legislation and confirmed that the e-mail exchanges with the attorney had taken place. However, the fundraiser “among the tax lien folk” on Evans’s behalf did not take place. “They never went forward. We never pursued it,” Dinan said. In an interview today, Evans said he was unaware that his campaign chairman had tried to arrange such a fundraiser. He also said he was unfamiliar with the name of the lawyer who discussed with Dinan ideas about tax-lien reform legislation. So no harm, no foul, in the sense of tax-lien money landing in the campaign coffers of the legislator steering tax-lien reform legislation. That intersection did not occur. But not for want of trying.


White House launches new climate data initiative Wednesday

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images - White House counselor John Podesta is helping launch a new climate initiative Wednesday The White House is launching an initiative Wednesday that aims to expand the use of climate data nationwide, to help communities cope with the impacts of global warming. The effort includes making federal data more accessible through climate.data.gov; launching a design competition to demonstrate the extent to which Americans are vulnerable to coastal flooding; releasing new federal map data to depict which aspects of the nation's infrastructure are vulnerable to climate change; and enlisting private firms such as Google and the software company Esri to disseminate and store data. In a joint blog post, White House counselor John D. Podesta and the president's science adviser John P. Holdren wrote that the effort "will help create easy-to-use tools for regional planners, farmers, hospitals, and businesses across the country—and empower America’s communities to prepare themselves for the future." "Every citizen will be affected by climate change—and all of us must work together to make our communities stronger and more resilient to its impacts," they wrote. The administration tried to launch a similar effort back in 2010. Modeled loosely on the National Weather Service, the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the time, Jane Lubchenco, called it a National Climate Service. NOAA had begun exploring the idea toward the end of the Bush administration, when officials became increasingly concerned the agricultural industry as well as regional and local planners lacked the climate data they needed to make long-term decisions. But congressional Republicans resisted the idea. Under the initiative launched Wednesday Esri will work with with 12 cities across the United States to create free and open “maps and apps” to help state and local planning officials. Google will donate 1,000 terabytes of cloud storage for climate data, along with 50 million hours of high-performance computing with the Google Earth Engine platform to the effort. Dawn Zimmer, mayor of Hoboken, N.J., said in a statement that the move allows her city "to conduct a data driven analysis and demonstrate that a comprehensive strategy to address Hoboken’s flooding challenges is a cost-effective solution to protecting our area that will also save the federal government money in the long term." “As we work with a team of experts to make Hoboken more resilient, it is critical that we have the tools and data necessary to anticipate


Wonkbook: More sanctions against Russia on the way?

Welcome to Wonkbook, Wonkblog’s morning policy news primer by Puneet Kollipara. To subscribe by e-mail, click here. Send comments, criticism or ideas to Wonkbook at Washpost dot com. To read more by the Wonkblog team, click here. (Photo by Alexei Druzhinin/Reuters) Wonkbook’s Number of the Day: Wonkbook’s Chart of the Day: Wonkbook's Top 5 Stories: 1. Top story: More sanctions against Russia could be on the way. What would it mean? As U.S. ponders more sanctions, experts rethink NATO’s defense posture. Quotable: Poll: Businesses fret over tougher Russia sanctions. Cantor wants to punish Putin. The potential perils of those energy exports. Are natural-gas exports the next Keystone XL? Meanwhile, Congress pokes along on Ukraine aid bill. Other foreign policy reads: U.S. orders closure of Syria embassy in Washington. Karen DeYoung in The Washington Post. BLOOMBERG VIEW: What does the West want from Ukraine? PAUL: Crimea secedes. So what? IGNATIUS: What we learned in Crimea. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BERSHIDSKY: The czar's speech. NATIONAL REVIEW: Crimea is not the end. Top opinion McARDLE: Are young invincibles killing Obamacare? PORTER: A global boom, but only for some. HILDEBRAND: The time for tightening by the Fed may be nigh. FLAVELLE: Changing Americans' minds on climate change. ROBINSON: On Obamacare, wishy-washy won't work for Democrats. CHAIT: With tax reform proposal's demise, GOP's Prague spring is officially over. St. Patrick's Day interlude: 2. NSA surveillance even more extensive than previously thought Post exclusive: NSA surveillance program reaches ‘into the past’ to retrieve, replay phone calls. More excerpts: Here's how the tools work. Not just one country? What makes this program unique: Collection of email data goes back to Bush era. " Pentagon intelligence watchdog not aware of NSA phone collection programs. " Explainer: Animals interlude: 3. The GOP's Obamacare alternative faces a tough road ahead The GOP's alternative health-care plan looks to be going nowhere fast. The alternative could be just as messy as Obamacare. Speaking of messiness, Md. residents who had problems signing up for Obamacare will get more time — a sign of things to come? Interview with Ezekiel Emanuel: Explainers: 14 ways to get a hardship exemption. Scott Gottlieb in Forbes. 10 states are critical to health care plan enrollment. Phil Galewitz in Kaiser Health News. Other health care reads: Obama makes Obamacare pitch to Hispanics: We won’t deport relatives because you enroll in ObamaCare. Jonathan Easley in The Hill. Worries about


NTSB investigators find gas leak near Harlem explosion scene

New York emergency responders search through the rubble at the site of the building explosion. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters) The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that they had found a leak in a gas main “adjacent to” one of the buildings destroyed in an explosion in Harlem last week. Investigators found the leak in an eight-inch cast iron and plastic main on Park Avenue between 116th and 117th streets. The leak was found near 1646 Park Avenue, one of the two destroyed buildings. Segments of this gas main and other service lines in the vicinity will be shipped to the NTSB’s lab in Washington to be examined and tested, as will part of the cracked water main pipe in front of one of the buildings. The explosion on March 12 leveled two residential buildings, killing eight people and injuring dozens more.


Beer Madness begins, and we want you to vote

A bartender pours unmarked sample beers during the 2012 Beer Madness competition. (Leah L. Jones/The Washington Post) Sorry, Stone. Apologies, Allagash. This year’s Washington Post Beer Madness is limited to local breweries. And that’s a reason to celebrate. The annual blind-tasting bracket of amazing brews features 32 breweries from D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania, which will fight through four “regions” – Hops, Crisp, Malt and Fruit/Spice – until one is named the champion. Last year’s victor, Flying Dog’s Double Dog Double IPA, is taking a deserved rest and won’t defend its crown. Beer Madness 2014: The bracket As always, the Post’s Food section put together a On March 27, once the Food section has unveiled the judges’ Sweet 16, Meridian Pint will start offering free side-by-side tastes of each matchup. You can try one-ounce pours of the two beers, and then vote for your favorite on a ballot. (Don’t forget to give it back to your bartender.) This voting and tasting will continue every week until only one beer is left standing.


Iraqi ambassador to run Boston Marathon

Iraqi Ambassador Lukman Faily at the Tokyo marathon (Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington, D.C.) Among the thousands who will run the Boston Marathon for the first time next month in honor of last year’s bombing victims will be Lukman Faily, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States. His challenge, he said in a recent speech, is to keep United States interested in Iraq’s welfare. “What you have here in the United States, which some people have been calling the Iraq fatigue-ness, does not apply in Iraq,” Faily said during a talk at American University in February. “We don’t have U.S. fatigue-ness in Iraq. What we have is the eagerness by all Iraqis for a strong and long-term healthy relationship with the United States.” It’s with that platform in mind that Faily will run the Boston Marathon on April 21, to show that when terrorism happens in America, Iraq’s government will stand with the United States. “The ambassador was keen to run a marathon this year and given Iraq’s experience with terrorism, the Boston marathon was seen as a timely opportunity to show solidarity with victims from both our countries,” Ali Al-Mawlawi at the embassy told the Loop. Faily ran two marathons in Tokyo when he was ambassador there. He’s been in Washington around nine months, and Boston will be his first American race. And he’s taken to social media to promote it. On Monday, Faily tweeted: Only less than five weeks to the @bostonmarathon looking forward to my participation. Then Wednesday he tweeted that he spoke to Runner’s World magazine about the race: Just getting into the @bostonmarathon mode, I had an interview with @runnersworld . Will look forward to the publication.