U.S. announces new sanctions on Russians: Who’s on the list

The Obama administration imposed new sanctions on seven Russian officials, as well as 17 companies linked to President Vladimir Putin's "inner circle." Here's who's on the list, from the Treasury Department: Oleg Belavencev, Putin's presidential envoy to Crimea, takes part in an official event in Yalta on April 17. (Reuters) Belavencev, Oleg Evgenyevich Sergey Chemezov, director general of Rostec, attends a news conference in Moscow in December 2007. (Reuters) Chemezov, Sergei Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak speaks during a news conference in Sochi, Russia, on Sept. 26. (AP) Kozak, Dmitry. Murov, Evgeniy Alekseyevich Alexei Pushkov,chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs, attends a news conference in Moscow in 2012. (Reuters) Pushkov, Aleksei Konstantinovich Putin, left, talks with Rosneft President Igor Sechin in July. (Reuters) Sechin, Igor Igor Sechin speaks with then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in 2011. (AP) Volodin, Vyacheslav. The following entities have been added to OFAC's SDN List: AQUANIKA Avia Gruop LLC Avia Group Nord LLC CJSC ZEST INVESTCAPITALBANK JSB SOBINBANK SAKHATRANS LLC (a.k.a. OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTYU SAKHA (YAKUTSKAYA) TRANSPORTNAYA KOMPANIYA; a.k.a. SAKHATRANS OOO), 14 ul. Molodezhnaya Rabochi Pos. Vanino, 682860 Vaninski, Raion Khabarovski Krai, Russia. SMP Bank STROYGAZMONTAZH Stroytransgaz Group Stroytransgaz Holding Stroytransgaz LLC Stroytransgaz OJSC Stroytransgaz-M LLC THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY INVESTMENT COMPANY ABROS (a.k.a. LLC IC ABROS) Transoil VOLGA GROUP


Flying Dog makes most Maryland beer ever

pilot brews where we did a lot of experimentation,” he told me. Without getting too far into the weeds of yeast strains and dry hops, the brewery wound up with something Brophy “wouldn’t quite categorize in any particular way,” but he said you could refer to it as a Saison as a reference point. “How would a hop flavor work with or against the Old Bay spice, with its aroma and its flavor?” he asked, describing their challenge. “There’s a lot of combinations where those characteristics could clash. You want to find harmony. It takes a little while to find this balance you can strike, where these characteristics actually enhance each other to make a very pleasant drinking experience. … The beer is really refreshing. It’s unfiltered. It’s light, and has that third-quenching element. The aromatics have a little bit of that Old Bay spice, and a little in the flavor. Just enough to let you know it’s there, that sensory component that makes you want to have another sip.” 4) You won’t miss the Old Bay flavor. How much Old Bay is involved? Brophy declined to get into the specifics of the recipe, for proprietary reasons. But … “It’s not insignificant,” he said. “You can taste it in the beer. If you make the beer and you call it Old Bay beer and people have to use their imagination to figure out where’s the Old Bay, that seems kind of gimmicky to me. If we say there’s Old Bay in it, there’s Old Bay in it, and you’re gonna taste it.” If you follow the craft beer world, you know that there’s some tension about experimental beers. Is the pursuit making the best beer, or is the pursuit finding the gimmickiest gimmick? Brophy, of course, is aware of that tension, but he said Dead Rise wasn’t created just to be a goof. “I’m a pretty traditional brewer,” he said. “To do something just for the sake of saying you used a 2000-year old recipe or some totally oddball ingredient, you’re being extreme just for the sake of being extreme. But in this case, we could kind of picture in our minds this light refreshing beer. We put a lot of time into it, a lot of time into it. … The aromatics of the Old Bay are apparent, it’s apparent in the flavor, but the beer and the Old


Time for a reality check on Russia

Reuters The White House announced today that it is imposing a new round of sanctions on Russia, aimed specifically at people and companies close to President Vladimir Putin in response to the continuing crisis in Ukraine. Here’s what will happen next: Republicans will say these sanctions are not nearly tough enough, and reflect Barack Obama’s weakness on foreign affairs. The White House will counter that they are, in fact, being as tough as possible. But here’s the reality: the White House knows that these sanctions are unlikely to have much more than a small effect on the outcome of this crisis. And Republicans know that for all their posturing, they have no better ideas. That isn’t to say that sanctions are completely meaningless; they may well provide a drag on the Russian economy that Putin will find inconvenient. They might play a role in making a negotiated settlement more likely. But Putin’s approval ratings right now are spectacular, and a conflict with the West will probably keep them high, substantially mitigating the pressure he feels to do what we want, rather than what he wants. The fact is, our leverage over Putin’s actions, and over the outcome in Ukraine in general, is severely limited. In a way, this is a sign of a world that is much safer than it used to be. Because what we don’t have at our disposal is the threat that if Russia doesn’t do what we want, we might just start World War III and vaporize every man, woman, and child on earth in a global nuclear conflagration, which was the threat that used to hang over every disagreement between us and the Soviets, no matter how minor. In 1962, we literally almost destroyed the human race over Cuba, for pete’s sake. That won’t happen this time, which is very good for the world (even if that isn’t much consolation if you’re a Ukrainian). Obama’s foreign policy critics live in a fantasy world where the United States still enjoys enormous leverage over Russia and every other country, a world where we have the ability to bend any situation to our will if only we display enough resolve. Not only is that not true now, it wasn’t true back in the Cold War days for which they so obviously pine. We had “leverage” in the sense that we were more willing to exert pressure against the


Applying the Fourth Amendment to the global Internet

It focuses on two types of problems not yet addressed by courts. First, the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez prompts several puzzles about how the Fourth Amendment treats monitoring on a global network where many lack Fourth Amendment rights. For example, can online contacts help create those rights? What if the government mistakenly believes that a target lacks Fourth Amendment rights? How does the law apply to monitoring of communications between those who have and those who lack Fourth Amendment rights? The second category of problems follows from different standards of reasonableness that apply outside the United States and at the international border. Does the border search exception apply to purely electronic transmission? And if reasonableness varies by location, is the relevant location the search, the seizure, or the physical person? The article explores and answers each of these questions through the lens of equilibrium-adjustment. Today’s Fourth Amendment doctrine is heavily territorial. The article aims to adapt existing principles for the transition from a domestic physical environment to a global networked world in ways that maintain the preexisting balance of Fourth Amendment protection. On the first question, it rejects online contacts as a basis for Fourth Amendment protection; allows monitoring when the government wrongly but reasonably believes that a target lacks Fourth Amendment rights; and limits monitoring between those who have and those who lack Fourth Amendment rights. On the second question, it contends that the border search exception should not apply to electronic transmission and that reasonableness should follow the location of data seizure. The Internet requires search and seizure law to account for the new facts of international investigations. The solutions offered in this article offer a set of Fourth Amendment rules tailored to the reality of global computer networks. Allow me to add an autobiographical note. I began this article several years ago, but I put it aside after a first draft. I did so in part because there was no hurry: Although the issues it addressed surely were relevant to three-letter agencies, I guessed that the issues wouldn’t reach the public or any Article III courts for many years to come. Snowden changed that. I dusted off the old draft and returned to the issue after the Snowden disclosures began, a decision that Friday’s opinion makes more timely than I would have expected. In any event, comments are very welcome on the draft.


Meet Michael Schlow, Tico’s top toque

Le Diplomate's Stephen Starr, Osteria Morini's Michael White -- he's come to stake his claim in the District. Schlow has family in Silver Spring, and visited D.C. frequently as a kid. He also began to develop his professional career here, working for Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate: "I always looked up to him," Schlow said. He had been eager to return to D.C. and found space in the Louis complex at 1926 14th St. NW -- right next to the Trader Joe's -- through a frequent patron of his Boston restaurants, who also happened to work for the building's developer, JBG. "This is not an opportunity for me to drop off a restaurant and go back to Boston," he said. "If this is successful, I will absolutely do more restaurants here." And on a street where food has become the focus, Schlow's laid-back attitude may be seen as a refreshing change. Tico, a duplicate of his Boston restaurant of the same name, aims to be a neighborhood gathering place for simple American food with a Latin twist: Think fried chicken tacos, or breaded manchego with spicy pomegranate dip in place of mozzarella sticks. "Nothing is authentic," Schlow said. The menu was inspired by his travels throughout Spain and Latin America, but also through the mother of all invention: necessity, of course. "A lot of the dishes were bred out of me having nothing in my house to eat," he said. A shredded cabbage salad with a spicy salsa verde that he says is among the most popular dishes on Tico's menu was the result of some experimentation when he was faced with a near-empty fridge. "Acid, salt, chilies. As a chef, that's what I want," Schlow said. "It's food with full flavor that won't challenge you too much." The restaurant, which will seat 140, will open with dinner, and add brunch and lunch later on. It won't be able to have outdoor seating right away, but all of the front windows open wide, which will give patrons the feeling of being outdoors. The bar will feature more than 140 tequilas. George Rodrigues, formerly of Tico Boston, has moved down to run the D.C. kitchen. While the most popular dishes on Tico's menu will migrate here with him, he and Schlow are also working on adding more ceviches, and creating dishes that utilize ingredients from the mid-Atlantic, such as Maryland crabs.


13 times that economic sanctions really worked

President Vladimir Putin in Petrozavodsk, Russia. The United States has just announced sanctions on individuals close to Putin to protest Russia's actions in Ukraine. (ALEXEY DRUZHINYN/KREMLIN POOL/RIA NOVOSTI/EPA) Given that the concept has been around since at least the Greek ages*, it's a little worrying that there is still so much debate about whether economic sanctions actually work or not. Right now, that problem appears especially acute: Sanctions seem to be the main, if not only, Western weapon for dealing with Russian aggression in Ukraine. Just Monday, the United States announced sanctions on those individuals close to President Vladimir Putin, part of a broader campaign of targeted visa bans and asset freezes on the Russian elite over Russia's actions in Ukraine. However, the success of the sanctions already in place is proving hard to ascertain: As Russia’s deputy prime minister said of the last round of U.S. efforts: "Send me your teeth ground in impotent rage." So when have economic sanctions actually worked? One of the best known investigations of that question is "Economic Sanctions Reconsidered," first published in 1985, by Gary Clyde Hufbauer, Jeffrey J. Schott, Kimberly Ann Elliott. That book, now on its third edition (from 2009), attempts to access the aims and success of every economic sanction for which it can find data. According to the latest edition, the sanctions listed below are the only instances from 1914 to 2008 in which not only was the stated goal of the measures reached, but the sanctions themselves were instrumental in achieving that goal – thus receiving a full rating of 16 out of 16. It isn't a long list, and many of the entries are a little obscure. Where possible, the cost to the nation targeted has been included: 1921: the League of Nations vs. Yugoslavia In 1921, the League of Nations threatened economic sanctions against Yugoslavia if it attempted to seize land from Albania. Yugoslavia backed down. 1925: the League of Nations vs. Greece Four years later, the League of Nations threatened sanctions against Greece unless it withdrew from Bulgaria's border territory. Greece withdrew. 1948-1949: the United States vs. Netherlands As the Dutch East Indies struggled to become an independent Indonesia after World War II, the United States suspended the Marshall Plan aid to authorities in the region after the Dutch arrested Indonesian leaders. After threats of sanctions, the Dutch agreed to Indonesian independence in 1949. The


Fire on high: An annular solar eclipse that only penguins might love

The sun is obscured by the moon during an annular solar eclipse in Tokyo May 21, 2012. (Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg) The quest for fire meets the march of the penguins. In a kind of cosmic oddity, the annular solar eclipse late tonight – or more precisely tomorrow morning, Eastern time – can be seen by human eyes only in the remote reaches of Antarctica. For this annular eclipse, noted likely by its short-lived “ring of fire,” may have but an audience of penguins, since humanity lacks representation. This is the first solar eclipse of 2014. Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between Earth and the sun. Total eclipses, which produce the “diamond ring” effect, happen when the moon is closer to Earth and precisely covers the sun. For annular eclipses, the moon is a tiny bit further from earth, but still fits within the sun’s disc and has a skosh more room. Thus a “ring of fire” forms around moon’s silhouette. Video: Ring of Fire – May 10 2013 Annular Solar Eclipse, Pilbara, Western Australia Ring of Fire - May 10 2013 Annular Solar Eclipse, Pilbara, Western Australia The northern edge of the antumbral shadow – that portion of the Moon’s shadow that extends beyond the umbra – first touches Antarctica at 1:57 a.m. Eastern time (5:57 Universal Time). Greatest eclipse is at 2:03 a.m. Eastern time, according to retired NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak. At that point the sun appears on the Antarctic horizon for a 49-second annular phase. At 2:09 a.m. Eastern time, the shadow leaves Earth’s surface and the annular eclipse ends. Link But … you can view the partial phases You can view the partial eclipse phases from Australia live from the comfort of your home computer at Slooh.com. Coverage begins tonight at 2 a.m. Eastern, as the live image stream with discussions led by Slooh host Geoff Fox, with expertise from astronomer Paul Cox and solar researcher Lucie Green. Ask questions during the webcast by using hashtag #Slooh The Slooh webcast is also available via YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/embed/h342KVTsQMg A non-central rarity Espenak says this eclipse is unusual “because the central axis of the Moon’s antumbral shadow misses Earth entirely while the shadow edge grazes the planet.” In other words, the central axis just missed landing on Earth, or as a baseball broadcaster might explain, the shadow “is a just a bit outside.” In


PM Update: Showers tonight and Tuesday, with plenty more after that

* Flash flood watch Tuesday evening through Wednesday night for entire region * Rain moved into the D.C. metro region between 3 and 4 p.m. this afternoon and it’s here to stay for a while. Showery waves cycle through the region tonight and Tuesday while the potential for heavy rain may hold off until Tuesday night and Wednesday. Through Tonight: Tomorrow (Tuesday): See my forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter The crescent moon rises over D.C. Saturday morning (Jim Knapp via Flickr)


Why the uninsured are sitting out Obamacare

With Obamacare's first enrollment period finally in the books, two new surveys out this morning offer new insight into why the still-uninsured decided to remain on the sidelines this year. Hint: It has a lot to do with cost. This newest monthly Kaiser Health Tracking poll, which has provided some of the most reliable data on the public's opinion interaction with the Affordable Care Act over the past four years, finds that nearly 4 in 10 uninsured adults cited affordability as their main reason for skipping health insurance coverage. Twenty-two percent cited employment reasons (they were unemployed or couldn't get coverage through their job), while another 11 percent said they missed the deadline and 9 percent said they just didn't want insurance. And how much of a motivator is Obamacare's individual mandate? When Kaiser asked people about the requirement to have insurance, it didn't change their affordability calculation much — 36 percent cited affordability as their main reason for staying uninsured. Interestingly, about half (45 percent) of the uninsured said they thought they would have to pay the individual mandate penalty this year, though actual enforcement of the mandate will likely be light this year. Further, the population of people who'd trigger the mandate is likely much smaller — the Congressional Budget Office previously projected just 2 percent of the total population, or 6 million people, would have to pay the mandate penalty in 2016. The industry-backed Enroll America offers further context on the affordability question in a new report analyzing the group’s efforts to increase enrollment in 10 states. Based on conversations with about 1,350 people who attempted to get insurance but ultimately didn’t, Enroll America found Web site issues (37 percent) and affordability (21 percent) ranked among the top two reasons for not enrolling. Now, the Enroll America data aren't nationally representative of the population of uninsured Americans, and the group only focuses on individuals in urban areas in 10 states where the federal government is running the local Obamacare insurance marketplace. The report pulls out a couple of trends, though, that are notable. For starters, complaints about Web site problems decreased each month from November 2013 to February 2014, but they didn’t go away entirely. More than half of consumers (56 percent) in November reported technical problems, which decreased to 27 percent in February, according to the Enroll America report. Meanwhile, the group said complaints about the


Why the sanctions against Russia probably won’t work

on the populace, but the Kim family remains in power. Both countries received oil and economic support from Russia and China respectively. The U.S. Congress imposed sanctions on South Africa over President Ronald Reagan’s veto in October 1986, prompting many U.S. companies, such as General Motors and Mobil Oil, to withdraw. The sanctions contributed to ending apartheid, but domestic foes of apartheid had already shaken the country for two years with demonstrations, consumer boycotts and strikes, sparking a flight of capital, no-shows for military service and a reassessment by influential members of the ruling National Party. The United States and European nations are currently negotiating with Iran, which is widely seen to have been brought to the bargaining table by tight sanctions on oil exports and transactions by Iran’s central bank. But the United States imposed sanctions on Iran after the 1979 hostage-taking, and other countries added sanctions after Iran resumed its uranium-enrichment program in 2005. Sanctions were tightened again in 2012, leading to a sharp drop in Iranian oil exports that provide the bulk of government revenue. But Molchanov argues that Russia is different. “Even if Russia were to cross the border into eastern Ukraine , it would be hard to imagine a full embargo on Russian exports because the world needs the oil,” he said. Iran at its peak was exporting about 2.5 million barrels a day, and the embargo eventually cut that to about 1 to 1.5 million barrels a day. “The world can lose a million barrels a day from Iran, and it’s not especially painful,” Molchanov added. “But if it lost 9 million barrels a day from Russia, there is no supply elsewhere that could fully compensate for that loss immediately. If Russian exports went to zero tomorrow, there would be a global oil crisis.” One argument in favor of imposing economic sanctions on Russia is the theory that Putin has made a bargain with the Russian people (similar to the implicit bargain made by China’s Communist Party): The Russian people give him power, and he will give them better living standards. But Russian living standards weren’t that great before the Ukraine crisis. Moreover, many Russia experts think that is the wrong way to look at Russia. Gaddy says that Russians want a better standard of living, but not if it means they aren’t treated as a great power. He said that given a choice


Wonkbook: The economics of the new Russia sanctions

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. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service) Wonkbook’s Number of the Day: Wonkbook’s Chart of the Day: Wonkbook's Top 5 Stories: 1. Top story: The problem with the Russia sanctions Why the new sanctions against Russia probably won't work. U.S. imposes new sanctions on Russia. Primary source: Explainers: 13 times that economic sanctions really worked. Adam Taylor in The Washington Post. What does the latest round of U.S. sanctions on Russia mean? Julia Ioffe in The New Republic. Why the energy sector? Sechin is Russia's version of Darth Vader. The administration's strategy: Gradually increase the pain. But is the pain enough? Moscow breathes sign of relief again. The concern: Moving too quickly will cripple Europe's economy. Republicans prepare legislation with tougher sanctions. Russian energy, transportation giants' debt ratings cut. This action by the Russians won't make the administration happy. U.S. employing novel sanctions tactic against Putin ally. Visa, MasterCard feeling sanctions' impact on banks. The euro is benefiting from the crisis. BERSHIDSKY: Putin has little to fear. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Obama's Russia rally. THE WASHINGTON POST: Obama's half-measures. KAPLAN: A wiser move than most, but it still won't do much. Top opinion SPERLING: Fixing America's broken housing market. McARDLE: Poor people have carbon footprints, too. BROOKS: The amazing Piketty cultural phenomenon. DOMENECH: What the right should learn about inequality. THIESSEN: Sorry, Democrats; Obamacare is still electoral kryptonite. MILBANK: Immigration advocates are turning the tables on Obama. Traveling animal interlude: 2. The Fed's meeting should be a yawner — and that matters Not much to see here, folks — and that's a good thing. Explainer: There is some behind-the-scenes suspense, though. One bright spot in housing: Pending home sales jump, end losing streak Housing's drag on good-paying jobs. Is the evidence for a low-wage recovery really there? Why Senate Democrats are planning a minimum-wage vote they know will fail. Other economic/financial reads: Obama team pushes Freddie-Fannie overhaul endgame. Nick Timiraos in The Wall Street Journal. Tech support interlude: 3. Why the Treasury is watching the Pfizer-AstraZeneca deal Why is Pfizer going after AstraZeneca? One word: Taxes. Could the move breathe life into tax reform? Why the move is sort of like a tax


Reader submissions from small towns that are militarizing their police forces

smaller than the 3,900 people of Dundee, Mich. But here are the other towns sent by Post readers: - Guthrie, Okla. (population: 10,600) - Franklin County, Maine (population 30,630) - Fort Pierce, Fla. (population 42,600) - Door County, Wis. (population: 27,800) - Brunswick, Maine (population: 22,000) - Texarkana, Tex. (population: 37,200) - Yreka, Calif. (population: 7,679) - Oxford County, Maine (population: 57,500) - Baker City, Ore. (population: 9,800) - Sanford, Maine (population 20,800) - Joplin, Mo. (population: 49,500) - South Portland, Maine (population: 25,000) - Hamburg, N.Y. (population: 57,000) - Washington, Iowa (population: 7,300) - High Springs, Fla. (population: 5,400) - Old Orchard Beach, Maine (population: 8,900) - South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (population: 21,400) - Preston, Idaho (population 5,100) - High Springs, Fla. (population 5,494) - Gardena, Calif. (population: 59,500) - Stillwater, Okla. (population: 46,600) - Chickasaw, Ala. (population: 6,000) - Alamosa County, Colo. (population: 16,100) One correction to the earlier post. I noted that Madison, Ind. (population 12,000), had acquired an MRAP. That’s true, but I mistakenly linked to a story about Madison, Wis., getting one. Here’s the story about Madison, Ind., (population: 12,000). In Montgomery County, Tex., the sheriff’s department made headlines a couple of years ago when it acquired a drone by way of a federal grant. So far, domestic police agencies have argued for drones only for surveillance purposes. But the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department broke new ground when a spokesman said the agency was considering arming the new drone with rubber bullets and tear gas. The drone then crashed into an armored personnel carrier during a joint exercise with the department’s SWAT team. Yes, the drone crashed into their armored truck. The $250,000 drone was apparently salvageable, because last week, they crashed the thing again, this time into a lake. I’ll leave you with this photo a reader sent of the Wharton County, Tex., SWAT Team (or they call it, the S.T.A.R. team — short for the Sheriff’s Tactical and Raid division). The trend toward police militarization has been in motion since the early 1980s. The MRAP distribution is only the latest chapter. The photo, taken from the sheriff’s department Web site, was snapped in 1999, shortly after a raid to serve a search warrant for illegal drugs. In 2007, the team was part of a drug raid in which police shot and killed 17-year-old Daniel Castillo. The victim wasn’t the target of the search.


Inside the sleepy Egyptian district where 682 residents were sentenced to death

into and upended the lives of so many Egyptians. (Laris Karklis / The Washington Post) In al-Atf Haydar, one of the small communities that make up al-Edwa district, the fallout has devastated the Saber family. Hassan Saber, a local lawyer, signed on to defend his younger brother against accusations that he participated in the violence that day. Haggag Saber, 35, says he was in Cairo on Aug. 14 when rioters stormed al-Edwa’s police station in retaliation for the killing of hundreds of pro-Morsi demonstrators at Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya Square. He had gone there to buy supplies for the stationery shop he runs in the village — and he brought dated receipts and a witness to the court to prove it. But even if Haggag was involved in the attack, the presiding judge heard only the prosecution before issuing his verdict, barring the defense from making its case. In anticipation of the harsh ruling, and because of continued police raids on his home, Haggag fled al-Atf Haydar for Cairo over the weekend. “These are all politically motivated accusations. There is no rule of law anymore,” Haggag said in a telephone interview. “There is no judiciary; they just follow the policies of the military regime,” he added. In July, the military deposed Morsi, who was backed by the Muslim Brotherhood. Wedged between the village clover fields and piles of rotting garbage — a testament to the lack of government services in places such as al-Edwa — is Haggag’s unfinished concrete home, where his wife and three children still live, uncertain about their future. “We are doing the best we can,” Haggag’s wife, 25-year-old Um Mohammed, said. Wearing a full-face veil, she sat plaintively in front of a lilac-colored wall, cradling her 18-month-old daughter. Above the dining table was the only decoration: a photograph of the Dome of the Rock, a Muslim holy site in Jerusalem. “The children know what is happening, and they pray for him,” she said. “But this regime is unjust, and no one will keep silent. People are dying — and this doesn’t please God; it pleases no one.” Hassan’s young wife, Abeer, served chilled banana milk as the sun set on the village. “Sissi only wants to rule Egypt through his tanks,” Hassan shouted, referring to Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, the powerful presidential hopeful and former defense minister. Sissi oversaw the dismantling of the Islamist protest camps in August,


GOP congressman pushes for medical marijuana

Griffith Discusses the Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act A conservative Republican is leading an effort to legalize medical marijuana. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) told the Loop Tuesday he surprised some colleagues when he told them he was the author of a new marijuana bill, but he hopes having a Republican at the helm will “make people take another look at it.” It’s not a new position for Griffith, who staked this position as Majority Leader in the Virginia legislature, and even drafted legislation in 2010 that swiftly died in the House of Delegates. Now as a member of Congress, Griffith has taken this libertarian view to a larger stage, introducing LUMMA, the Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act. Griffith’s bill would ensure states could make their own decisions about medical marijuana usage without the federal government stepping in. His bill would also reclassify marijuana under the Justice Department’s controlled substances lists, so the drug wouldn’t be linked with harder drugs, such as heroin. “I am saying if we can use [opioids], why the fear of using [marijuana] for legit medicinal purpose?” Griffith said. Public support for medical marijuana use is overwhelming. A CNN/ORC poll in January found 88 percent of American adults supports legalizing the drug for medical reasons. Griffith still thinks legalizing marijuana fully, so just anyone can go down to “Billy Bob’s marijuana shop,” is “irresponsible,” he said. But there has also been a sea change in public opinion on legalizing marijuana for recreational use, as Colorado and Washington state did. A Pew Research Center study in February found 54 percent support making the drug legal, compared with 2010 when 41 percent supported marijuana legalization.


Va. Rep. Griffith introduces federal ‘Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act’

cancer patient who was provided marijuana secretly in order to build up his appetite to eat and survive. “Isn’t it cruel,” Griffith said, “to not allow real doctors, real drug companies and real pharmacists to use marijuana for legitimate medical reasons for real patients? We use all sorts of opioids under the same scenario that this bill would allow us to use marijuana.” He said the Virginia law “is the right way to go, but the DEA can’t let anyone use it legally. This eliminates that and allows you to move forward.” Beth Collins from Fairfax holds up a sign explaining how her family is divided between Colorado and Virginia over the legalization of medical marijuana during the National Walk for Epilepsy on March 22 in Washington. (Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post) Beth Collins of Fairfax, who moved to Colorado Springs last fall with her 14-year-old daughter Jennifer and saw a drastic reduction in Jennifer’s seizures with medical marijuana, said the proposal “looks really good. It’s definitely a step in the right direction.” She said she had experience giving Ritalin and Adderall to her children, and “the side effects are much worse with those” than with medical marijuana. Collins did note that Colorado does not allow anyone to take its marijuana out of the state, so there would need to be more progress on this front on the state level in Virginia, or in Maryland or D.C. which have legalized medical marijuana for its residents. But that is partly Griffith’s goal, to allow states to develop their own laws and get the feds out of it. Lisa Smith of Virginia Parents for Medical Marijuana said she was greatly encouraged by movement on the federal front. Her 13-year-old daughter Haley daughter continues to suffer as many as several dozen epileptic seizures a day, and she has been working with Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, her daughter’s former neurologist, to draft legislation to allow true medical marijuana use. She said opponents have noted the lack of scientific research on the effects of medical marijuana, and “this could go a long way toward getting scientific data. They can’t get data now because of the federal restrictions.” Post reporter Colby Itkowitz of the In The Loop column has more on Griffith’s bill, including a link to a recent CNN poll which found that 88 percent of Americans support medical marijuana when prescribed by a doctor.


Morning Bits

that it is ratcheting up the pressure on Vladimir Putin and inflicting significant pain on the Russian economy. But the new sanctions stop short of hitting the key energy firms that are the backbone of Russia’s economy — and that are the most vulnerable to sanctions pressure from the West. The U.S. Treasury designated a number of individuals in Russian president Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, including Igor Sechin, a former deputy prime minister of Russia and currently the president of Rosneft, one of the company’s largest oil companies, with a market capitalization of about $65 billion.” The complications from the newly released Benghazi, Libya, e-mails are multiplying. “The newly released emails also show that on Sept. 27, 2012 a Fox News report — titled ‘US officials knew Libya attack was terrorism within 24 hours, sources confirm’ — was circulated at the most senior levels of the administration. This included going to then-deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough; then-White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan; Morell; and Rhodes, among others, but the comments were redacted, citing ‘personal privacy information.’ ” Goodness knows what they said. And no adviser has a right of personal privacy in e-mails sent on government computers doing government business, by the way. The number of experts who differ with the president on pot is increasing. “A director from the National Institutes of Health warned House lawmakers Tuesday against legalizing marijuana use, saying it could act as a gateway drug. The testimony from Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health, highlighted the split among federal agencies on drug policy and comes as the Obama administration takes a hands-off approach to state enforcement of marijuana laws.” A recent study also found casual pot use changes the brain. His critics are certainly piling up — and on. “[Secretary of State John] Kerry’s been confronted with this lesson throughout his career in public life, repeatedly getting caught in impolitic descriptions of what he would argue are just realistic assessments of where things stand. . . . Once again, he’s fed a problematic narrative about himself as a man who goes knee deep with his foot in his mouth, and a larger narrative of an Obama administration foreign policy that’s stumbling and in trouble — which the president defended over the weekend as ‘you hit singles, you hit doubles; every once in a while


Supreme Court decision is a breath of fresh air for the Northeast

Smoke rises from the Colstrip Steam Electric Station, a coal burning power plant in in Colstrip, Mont. (Matthew Brown/ AP) Lost in the furor of Tuesday's news was a big Supreme Court decision that many consider a win for anyone in the Northeast who enjoys the privilege of breathing. A 6-to-2 decision by the Supreme Court upheld an Environmental Protection Agency rule that regulates the pollution that Rust Belt and Appalachian states send downwind to East Coast states, mostly by burning coal to generate electricity. The gases at issue here are nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides, carried on prevailing winds from 27 midwestern states to places like New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. Here's what the EPA Web site says about the health impact of nitrogen oxide: Nitorgen oxides "react with ammonia, moisture, and other compounds to form small particles. These small particles penetrate deeply into sensitive parts of the lungs and can cause or worsen respiratory disease, such as emphysema and bronchitis, and can aggravate existing heart disease, leading to increased hospital admissions and premature death. Ozone is formed when [nitrogen oxides] and volatile organic compounds react in the presence of heat and sunlight. Children, the elderly, people with lung diseases such as asthma, and people who work or exercise outside are at risk for adverse effects from ozone. These include reduction in lung function and increased respiratory symptoms as well as respiratory-related emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and possibly premature deaths." As for sulfur dioxide, the message is very similar: "Current scientific evidence links short-term exposures to SO2, ranging from 5 minutes to 24 hours, with an array of adverse respiratory effects including bronchoconstriction and increased asthma symptoms. These effects are particularly important for asthmatics at elevated ventilation rates (e.g., while exercising or playing.) Studies also show a connection between short-term exposure and increased visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, particularly in at-risk populations including children, the elderly, and asthmatics." According to the American Lung Association, particles smaller than 10 microns (one-seventh the diameter of a human hair) can work their way deep into lung tissue. Particles smaller than .1 microns can pass through the lungs and into the blood stream. How dangerous are they? In one study of 545 U.S. counties between 2000 and 2007, "researchers found that people had approximately four months added to their life expectancy on average due to cleaner


cause or worsen respiratory disease, such as emphysema and bronchitis, and can aggravate existing heart disease, leading to increased hospital admissions and premature death. Ozone is formed when [nitrogen oxides] and volatile organic compounds react in the presence of heat and sunlight. Children, the elderly, people with lung diseases such as asthma, and people who work or exercise outside are at risk for adverse effects from ozone. These include reduction in lung function and increased respiratory symptoms as well as respiratory-related emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and possibly premature deaths." As for sulfur dioxide, the message is very similar: "Current scientific evidence links short-term exposures to SO2, ranging from 5 minutes to 24 hours, with an array of adverse respiratory effects including bronchoconstriction and increased asthma symptoms. These effects are particularly important for asthmatics at elevated ventilation rates (e.g., while exercising or playing.) Studies also show a connection between short-term exposure and increased visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, particularly in at-risk populations including children, the elderly, and asthmatics." According to the American Lung Association, particles smaller than 10 microns (one-seventh the diameter of a human hair) can work their way deep into lung tissue. Particles smaller than .1 microns can pass through the lungs and into the blood stream. How dangerous are they? In one study of 545 U.S. counties between 2000 and 2007, "researchers found that people had approximately four months added to their life expectancy on average due to cleaner air. Women and people who lived in urban and densely populated counties benefited the most." Another study of six U.S. cities from 1974 to 2009 estimated that about 34,000 premature deaths a year could be prevented by reducing annual levels of particle pollution. Chronic exposure to particle pollution has been linked to "slowed lung function growth in children and teenagers; significant damage to the small airways of the lungs; increased risk of dying from lung cancer; increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and increased risk of lower birth weight and infant mortality. "...Research into the health risks of 65,000 women over age 50 found that those who lived in areas with higher levels of particle pollution faced a much greater risk of dying from heart disease than had been previously estimated. Even women who lived within the same city faced differing risks depending on the annual levels of pollution in their neighborhood."


Russia’s Deputy PM tells U.S. astronauts to go to space on a trampoline; the joke may be on him

Twitter account to fire off insults against the economic policies which he himself is personally targeted by. On Tuesday, Rogozin lashed out again, this time at newly announced U.S. ban on high-tech exports to Russia. "The U.S. introduced sanctions against our space industry. God knows, we warned them: we respond to declarations w/ declarations, to actions w/ actions," Rogozin tweeted, later adding: "After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest the U.S. delivers its astronauts to the ISS [international space station] with a trampoline." Rogozin does actually have a point, although his threats carry much less weight than he may hope. It's true that Russian shuttles are currently the only option for getting U.S. citizens to get to the space station, and the United States pays Russia some $71 million per person they get up there. In fact, Russia is due to get a $457.9 million payment for its services soon. If it really wanted to, Russia could stop U.S. astronauts from reaching the station, despite the fact that the United States funded as much as $100 billion of the space station's $160 billion price tag. Worse still, it could refuse to let the two U.S. citizens currently on the space station return home. Thankfully, that seems a remote possibility – $457.9 million a lot of money for Russia's aerospace industry, and few believe that Russia would actually give it up. Plus, as Jeffrey Kluger noted at Time Magazine last month, Russia may not want to push the United States into the hands of SpaceX and Orbital Sciences, two private American companies that hope to be able to send passengers to the station soon. So, while things may be a little awkward for a while, don't expect a change to the status quo. Rogozin's comments on Tuesday are just his latest criticism of U.S. sanctions. At the beginning of April, he mocked Western attempts to targeted his foreign assets, tweeting, "Have you found my accounts, money transfers, real estate, luxury cars, yachts, etc?" His criticism is legitimate – asset seizures only work if there are foreign assets to seize (or if those can be found), and, as The Post's Michael Birnbaum recently reported, there are few signs of sanctions on the street in Russia. However, when Rogozin asked those who sanctioned him to "send me your teeth ground in impotent rage," he may have gone a bit far.


Planet headed toward ‘post-antibiotic era’ when treatments don’t work: WHO

A carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae is pictured in this illustration provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via Reuters) The planet may be headed toward a "post-antibiotic era" when common infections once easily controlled by antimicrobial medicines may be lethal, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday in its first look at antibiotic resistance that has developed in all parts of the world. "The problem is so serious that it threatens the achievements of modern medicine," the organization said, adding that "a very real possibility for the 21st century" is a time when standard treatments no longer work, the chances of death from infection rise and the risk of disease spreading to others will increase. "Effective antibiotics have been one of the pillars allowing us to live longer, live healthier and benefit from modern medicine," Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s assistant director-general for health security said in a news release. "Unless we take significant actions to improve efforts to prevent infections and also change how we produce, prescribe and use antibiotics, the world will lose more and more of these global public health goods and the implications will be devastating.” Such alarm in the health-care community and elsewhere about resistance to antibiotics is not new. In September, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of "potentially catastrophic consequences" of drug-resistant microorganisms, saying they now kill an estimated 23,000 people in this country every year, and other public health groups have been clamoring about them for years. But the WHO reported that "very high rates of resistance" have been observed around the world to common bacteria that cause urinary tract, wound and bloodstream infections, as well as pneumonia. Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis is a growing and under-reported concern, and rising resistance to anti-HIV drugs has been detected. At the same time, surveillance of the growing threat by officials across the globe is not coordinated. In a region-by-region breakdown, WHO reported that in some settings in the Americas, up to 90 percent of Staphylococcus aureus infections are resistant to methicillin, a situation that has come to be abbreviated as MRSA. The bacteria that causes pneumonia is now less susceptible to penicillin throughout the world and exceeds 50 percent of cases in some places. In 36 countries, the last-resort treatment for gonorrhea is proving less effective.


The meteoric, costly and unprecedented rise of incarceration in America

them. This also means that economic, social and political problems tied to incarceration tend to fall on communities that have many other related challenges. "There is little question," as the report puts it, "that incarceration has become another strand in the complex combination of negative conditions that characterize high-poverty communities in U.S. cities." Consider New York city, where just 15 of 65 community districts on the below map accounted for more than half of all city residents sent to prison in 2009. Those same communities have poverty rates that are twice as high as the city average, and they are more than 90 percent minority. Distribution of incarceration in New York City (2009). People admitted to prison per 1,000 adults by census tract of residence with community district borders. (NRC) In these communities, incarceration is part of the poverty trap. Men and women with few prospects are more likely to wind up in prison. Then when they come out, their prospects for employment are even bleaker. "Their criminal responsibility is real," the NRC writes, "but it is embedded in a context of social and economic disadvantage." That concentrated disadvantage is also passed to the next generation. Research has linked incarceration to frayed relationships between parents and between men and their children. It's linked to economic distress for families, housing insecurity and reliance on public assistance. Incarceration reduces fathers' involvement with their children, even after their release from prison, and it undermines their roles as parents and earners. Having an incarcerated father also increases a child's chances of having behavioral problems, bad grades and lower educational attainment. At the community level, high rates of incarceration are associated with lower civic and political engagement — not just for former prisoners, but for the communities around them. Incarceration disenfranchises former felons, nearly 6 million of whom could not vote in 2010. That's five times more than in 1976. That also means that 1 in 40 voting-age adults is disenfranchised in the U.S. Or 1 in 13 voting-age blacks. And all of this incarceration has had minimal benefit Over the four decades when incarceration rates steadily rose, actual crime rates fluctuated: NRC. NOTE: The different crime rates have been rescaled, as noted in the figure, to facilitate comparison of time trends. SOURCE: Tonry (2012). Since the 1990s, crime has generally fallen, but this does not necessarily mean that crime fell because of increases in


Silver Line’s Nowakowski to head Long Island Rail Road

Pat Nowakowski, the former head of the Silver Line rail project is headed north — to take the job as president of the Long Island Rail Road, the busiest commuter rail road in the country. And from the look of recent headlines, Nowakowski is going to have his hands full. Outgoing LIRR president Williams says she was "very surprised" by firing. Attended a.m. MTA meeting, received word from Prendergast after... Nowakowksi announced earlier this month that he was leaving his job as executive director of the Silver Line rail project, a position he had held since 2009. Officials at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority called his departure a huge loss for the rail project. A nationwide search is being conducted for his replacement. His last day on the job is May 2. “Pat Nowakowski is a railroad expert with a rare mix of skills and a long career of accomplishments, and I am pleased to welcome him to the Long Island Rail Road,” said Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) chairman and chief executive Thomas F. Prendergast in making the announcement. “Our customers have high expectations for safe and reliable service, and events last year throughout the MTA family have shown why we must always stay focused on the basics of how best to provide that service.” Prior to signing on as head of the $5.6 billion Silver Line project, Nowakowksi served more than 27 years with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), including seven years as assistant general manager of operations. Nowakowski earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Delaware and a master’s in business administration from Drexel University. As head of the Silver Line rail project, his annual salary was $257,695. The Silver Line is one of the largest infrastructure projects of its type currently under construction in the United States. After months of delays and setbacks, it is expected to open sometime this summer — about seven months behind schedule and roughly $150 million over budget.


Senate Republicans press for tougher sanctions on Russia

File: Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Senate Republicans vented their displeasure with the Obama administration’s efforts to punish Russia over Ukraine Wednesday with a new bill to increase sanctions. “Rather than react to events as they unfold, which has been the policy of this administration, we need to inflict more direct consequences on Russia prior to Vladimir Putin taking additional steps that will be very difficult to undo,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who headed 21 co-sponsors. The Russian Aggression Prevention Act of 2014 would impose immediate new sanctions if Russia doesn’t withdraw from the Ukrainian region of Crimea, stop “destabilizing activities” in eastern Ukraine, and move most of the 40,000 troops it has along Ukraine’s border within seven days of passage. In addition to Russian officials and business leaders, the sanctions would apply to major Russian companies, including energy behemoths Gazprom and Rosneft, and the state-run defense exporter Rosoboronexport, as well as a number of banks. The bill includes a presidential national security waiver. Most of the bill’s co-sponsors, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) are on record criticizing President Obama’s foreign policy from Russia to Syria to China as weak and ineffective. The administration provided no initial reaction to the legislation. White House press secretary Jay Carney reiterated Wednesday that “if Russia continues to refuse to engage in an effort to further destabilize the situation in Ukraine, to de-escalate the tensions, there will be costs to that decision. They have already -- some have already been imposed. We have substantial authorities, under the executive order signed by the president, to increase those costs.” Obama approved a third round of sanctions Monday The Republican bill also authorizes $100 million in direct military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and small arms, and increased U.S. military protection for NATO members in eastern Europe. The administration has said it believes economic and diplomatic pressure against Russia is more effective deterrence than providing weapons to Ukraine’s weak military forces.


Chinese toddler pees in Hong Kong street, stirs online firestorm

The video went viral, playing to the longstanding frustrations of Hong Kong residents who resent the influx of mainlanders into their city. Hong Kong's commerce secretary used the occasion to urge residents to calmly teach their mainland brethren better manners, a statement that, while aimed at being conciliatory, smacked of condescension. Every year, some 30 million to 40 million Chinese tourists visit Hong Kong, which maintains its own immigration and customs controls. In the past, Hong Kongers have rallied against all sorts of perceived Chinese invasions: from pregnant mainlanders taking up space in hospitals to Chinese shoppers buying up Hong Kong-produced infant formula (rather than risk potentially tainted supplies on the mainland). Epithets have been traded. Some Hong Kongers refer to the mainlanders derogatorily as "locusts," while a Chinese professor triggered a ruckus in 2012 when he labeled Hong Kongers the "dogs" of the lapsed British empire. China's netizens have also responded to the anti-mainland prejudices. According to Shanghaiist, an online campaign kicked up in the wake of last week's toddler episode that called for more Chinese tourists to take their children to Hong Kong to pee in more streets. In response, some Hong Kong protesters mimicked going to the toilet atop of portraits of Chairman Mao. The Global Times, a Beijing-based state newspaper, issued a stern editorial on the matter, condemning Hong Kong's coterie of "hooligans": This handful of radicals in Hong Kong remind us of the rampant skinheads and neo-Nazis in Europe. Xenophobia is the cult of these groups. Their opinions have an effect on public opinion, but their actions will usually make trouble for mainstream society. But it went on to add, perhaps more reasonably: Hong Kong returned to China not long ago, which means it is still a young member in this big Chinese family. It is unavoidable that some troublemakers will keep posing challenges to society. But it must be noted that these people cannot be dealt with at the cost of the harmony of the whole nation. Patriotism demands this massive country should have a certain tolerance for frictions within different groups. The concern in Hong Kong over the mainland "threat" isn't just about urine in the streets and baby formula off store shelves. Hong Kong residents are seeing an erosion of political freedoms as Beijing's authority tightens over the restless special administrative region. In February, a prominent journalist known for his work covering


Colorado Symphony Orchestra embraces that Rocky Mountain high

A marijuana plant flourishes under grow lights at a warehouse in Denver. (Ed Andrieski/AP) The Colorado Symphony Orchestra plans to reignite interest in classical music, playing a series of “cannabis-friendly” concerts sponsored by the state’s blooming marijuana business. Facing falling attendance and a shrinking budget, the state’s only full-time professional orchestra announced on Tuesday its “Classically Cannabis: The High Note Series,” which will begin May 23 with small ensembles of musicians playing in a downtown Denver gallery. The shows will be put on by pro-pot promoter Edible Events and are being billed as fundraisers, the Denver Post reported. Edible Events’ Jane West told Rolling Stone concertgoers are encouraged to bring joints, baked goods or tinctures of weed. “We try to create upscale events where people can come and enjoy some cannabis just like they would a glass of wine,” West said. The events, however, are strictly BYOC — bring your own cannabis. According to an events listing on Colorado Symphony Orchestra’s Web site, pot will not be sold. “The cannabis industry obviously opens the door even further to a younger, more diverse audience,” Colorado Symphony Orchestra CEO Jerome Kern told The Associated Press. In return for sponsorship, marijuana-related companies get “the legitimacy of being associated with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.”


Bird conservation group to challenge rule allowing wind farms to kill eagles

promulgating a regulation that authorizes the granting of 30-year permits for the taking of eagles by wind farms and electricity transmission projects. Here is ABC’s release and notice of intent to sue. Under federal law, it is illegal to “take” protected species unless one obtains an “incidental take permit” from the federal government. The Interior Department rule, finalized in December, extends the maximum time period for which such permits can be granted from 5 to 30 years. ABC calls the regulation the “FWS 30-year Eagle Kill Rule.” ABC claims the rule lacks a sufficient scientific foundation and that Interior failed to comply with applicable environmental statutes in promulgating the rule. From the NOI letter: this major rule change – which will apply to industrial activities of all kinds that incidentally take eagles but, as acknowledged by the Service, was promulgated specifically to respond to the wind power industry’s desire to facilitate the expansion of wind power projects in occupied eagle habitat, id. at 73709 – was adopted in violation of several federal wildlife protection and environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321-437 (“NEPA”), the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531-1544 (“ESA”), and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 668-668d (“BGEPA”). Consequently, ABC is initiating legal action in order to have the rule invalidated pending full compliance with federal statutes that are designed to ensure that the environmental impacts of, and alternatives to, agency actions are thoroughly analyzed before those actions are implemented. ABC strongly supports wind power and other renewable energy projects when those projects are located in an appropriate, wildlife-friendly manner and when the impacts on birds and other wildlife have been conscientiously considered and addressed before irreversible actions are undertaken. On the other hand, when decisions regarding such projects are made precipitously and without compliance with elementary legal safeguards designed to ensure that our nation’s invaluable trust resources are not placed at risk, ABC will take appropriate action to protect eagles and other migratory birds. The 30-year eagle permit rule – adopted in the absence of any NEPA document or any consultation under section 7 of the ESA, 16 U.S.C. § 1536, and in a manner that subverts the fundamental eagle protection purpose of BGEPA – is a glaring example of an agency action that gambles recklessly with the fate of the nation’s bald and golden eagle populations.


Iggy Azalea, Panda Bear, Wye Oak and more top D.C. concerts in May

on YouTube, but didn't begin to get at the depth Ahn is hiding beneath her delicate falsetto. The singer's third album, "This Is Where We Are," which was released in February, grinds harder, incorporating keyboards and pounding drums in an expression of ear-friendly electro-pop that, at its poppiest, recalls Lykke Li and, at its most experimental, the late, great Broadcast. Buzz factor: 6. The 29-year-old Ahn is no longer on the major label that helped bring her fame. But in her remaking, the singer-songwriter stands to garner indie-rock fans who might not have noticed her before. Saturday at the Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. 202-787-1000. www.thehamiltondc.com. $15-$20. Leave It Open Iggy Azalea Rapper Iggy Azalea. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images) Iggy Azalea is the Australian answer to Nicki Minaj (or, more accurately, Foxy Brown) - a sneering raunch rapper whose single "Fancy" just toppled Pitbull and Ke$ha's "Timber" for the No. 1 spot on the rap charts. It's hard, however, not to see Azalea - like Miley and Ke$ha before her -- as a hip-hop hobbyist, a blonde rapping about being "in the murda bidness" while dressing like a Britney clone. For rap fans, her ascent is bound to prove polarizing and debate provoking. Buzz factor: 10. The rapper's debut album, "The New Classic," released barely two weeks ago, has plenty of swagger. It has garnered so much buzz that Azalea's date at the Fillmore is sold out. Friday at the Fillmore, 8656 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 301-960-9999. www.fillmoresilverspring.com. Sold out. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger The GOASTT (The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger) - "Moth To A Flame" Panda Bear Panda Bear. (Photo by Brian DeRan). Animal Collective's knob-turner-in-chief, Panda Bear (a.k.a. Noah Lennox), takes a dreamier approach to his solo work. He's also more experimental, abandoning the grounded pop rhythms that have helped give Animal Collective such broad appeal. Instead, his own music floats across genres as diverse as Beach Boys-esque chillwave and eerie chamber music without missing so much as a beat. Buzz factor: 7. Panda Bear is putting the final touches on his third solo album, tentatively titled "Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper." For those who can't wait, the spring tour that brings him to the 9:30 Club this month is serving as a preview of the new material. May 16 at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. 202-265-0930. www.930.com. $25.


Pro-medical marijuana Republican votes against medical marijuana amendment

Marijuana buds at the “Oregon’s Finest” medical marijuana dispensary in Portland on April 8, 2014. (Steve Dipaola/Reuters) A Republican congressman sponsored a bill to legalize medical marijuana, then two days later voted against an amendment to allow Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend the drug. Classic case of politicians having it both ways? Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) told the Loop on Thursday morning that he knew it’d be a hard one to explain. The amendment, which was introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and defeated in a 195 to 222 vote, would have allowed VA doctors to talk to veteran patients about the benefits of marijuana, which is currently not allowed. Griffith said the drug should be legal nationally first before clearing VA doctors to recommend it because it would be encouraging veterans to commit a federal felony. “It was a tough vote for me, but the VA is just following the law. I disagree with the law, we need to change it,” he said. Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, wasn’t satisfied. The amendment would free veterans in the 21 states and Washington, D.C., where medical marijuana is legal to consult with their VA doctors about using it to treat, among other things, their post-traumatic stress disorder. “(Rep. Griffith) knows change happens incrementally, yes we want to legalize it, but we can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” Angell said. The amendment received 22 Republican votes, while just 18 Democrats voted against it, including — to the surprise of marijuana advocates — Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). “Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz felt that it was premature to vote for such an amendment given that HHS has approved a new study to look at marijuana’s potential effects on PTSD,” Sean Bartlett, communications director, said. “While there is evidence that medical marijuana is effective in providing relief in some medical conditions, the Congresswoman looks forward to the results of that study before making a policy determination.” Though he voted against the amendment, Griffith called the vote a “godsend” because it provided him a list of lawmakers to reach out to support his bill. Griffith’s legislation would legalize the drug for medicinal use and lower its controlled substance status. “I was encouraged by the vote,” he said. “If we can change the federal law the amendment makes a lot of sense next year.”


The economics of adultery

I don't know what could," Anderson said. Separate research by Christin Munsch, a sociologist at Furman University, suggests another reason that adultery and the economy might be connected. After controlling for factors such as a person's income, education and satisfaction in his or her relationship, Munsch found that men who earned very little relative to their wives were much more likely to stray. Perhaps as men lost their jobs during the recession, they might have wanted to compensate for what they felt to be their professional failure by asserting their sexual prowess. Munsch also found that among very wealthy women, those who made significantly more than their husbands were also more likely to cheat. During the recession, a woman who was highly successful in her career might have been more likely to judge her husband's termination by her own experience and lose respect for him, Munsch said. Munsch, who is preparing her work for publication, says her research is based on survey data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While she has confidence in the survey's methods, Munsch she acknowledges that subjects might have lied to the government's pollsters. Dishonesty among those surveyed has been a real obstacle to research on infidelity. Sociologists and psychologists have long sought to understand how many married people are unfaithful and why they do it, and estimates of the proportion of cheaters based on surveys range widely -- from 25 percent to 75 percent of married people. To be sure, there are limitations on Ashley Madison's data, as well, since it is a particular kind of person who signs up on a dating Web site for married people. The site's advertising is aimed at well-educated women. Only about 32 percent of all Americans have a college degree, while almost three-quarters of Ashley Madison's users do. (In general, research suggests that people who are well educated are actually less likely to cheat.) As a result, Anderson cautioned, the Web site cannot settle the question of how often or how rarely people cheat on their spouses. "That is a question that we will never know the answer to," he said. More analysis would be needed to determine whether the financial crisis truly helped Ashley Madison's success during 2008 and 2009. Yet the preliminary evidence here suggests the economy did have some effect -- another reminder that unemployment can alter a person's sense of who they are.


SpaceX accuses its rivals of violating Russia sanctions. Now a federal court agrees.

SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk answers questions in front of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at the SpaceX Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Tex. ( Duane A. Laverty/ Waco Tribune-Herald via AP) A federal court has sided with entrepreneur Elon Musk in his bid to challenge top competitors in the space business, blocking aerospace partners Boeing and Lockheed Martin from buying a piece of Russian-made rocket hardware that's critical to their operations. The injunction, issued late Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, agrees with Musk's accusation that Boeing and Lockheed violated White House trade restrictions against Russia when purchasing RD-180 rocket engines from a state-owned corporation. Musk argued at a news conference last week that the U.S. government had improperly granted the two companies' space partnership — a company known as United Launch Alliance — a contract for 36 rocket launches without allowing SpaceX to compete for the job. On Monday, Musk sued the United States over the issue. The Russian firm, NPO Energomash, makes engines that United Launch Alliance (ULA) needs to put American military satellites, among other Pentagon equipment, into orbit. Here's the problem with that. NPO Energomash is directly connected to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the country's space program. Earlier this year, the Obama administration named Rogozin as a target of U.S. sanctions. So by selling engines to ULA, the court ruled, Rogozin was illegally benefiting from U.S. money. In response to the sanctions, Rogozin tweeted on Tuesday that perhaps NASA astronauts should find another way to the international space station — like a trampoline. The resulting injunction bars ULA from making any further purchases from NPO Energomash. "ULA is deeply concerned with this ruling and we will work closely with the Department of Justice to resolve the injunction expeditiously," ULA said in a statement. "SpaceX's attempt to disrupt a national security launch contract so long after the award ignores the potential implications to our national security and our nation's ability to put Americans on board the International Space Station." The injunction marks a big win for SpaceX, and a huge headache for ULA; the contract at issue is worth as much as $9.5 billion. By 2030, the Defense Department anticipates spending $70 billion on space launches.


“Stay away from camel milk and Egyptian tomb bats”

From Foreign Policy: A SARS-like disease that kills a third of those it infects is suddenly, and mysteriously, surging inside [Saudi Arabia]…. It’s called the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and though the majority of the cases have been found in Saudi Arabia, 14 other countries have reported instances. Make that 15: Egypt just reported a case at the end of April…. Among [the cases outside Saudi Arabia], at least two were among religious pilgrims: The first pilgrim, from Malaysia, reportedly drank camel’s milk in Jeddah before returning home …. Unfortunately, though camel’s milk and bats are indeed involved, staying away from them isn’t enough, since the virus can be spread from human to human.


No Savor tickets? Drink beer at these events instead.

Next week is the biggest week of the year for Washington's beer lovers. The catalyst is the annual Savor craft beer festival, which brings 76 of the country's top breweries to the National Building Museum on Friday and Saturday nights for tastings and seminars. All tickets for Savor sold out in around 30 minutes back in March, but if you didn't get them, don't worry: The real fun is found at the happy hours, brewer meet-and-greets and rare-beer events that spring up at D.C. beer bars. This is your chance meet Brooklyn Brewery founder Garrett Oliver or Sam Adams founder Jim Koch; try numerous rare beers from Founders or Stone; or sample Odell, Cigar City and other breweries that don't regularly show up on taps in this region. Dogfish Head Ale House in Fairfax will pour 16 Belgian-inspired beers from seven different breweries on May 10. (Photo by Evy Mages for The Washington Post) Starting Monday, we'll have a daily post with a rundown of the day's must-do beer tastings and events, most of which are free and require no reservations. But if you're planning ahead, some big events do require tickets. Here are six you might want to book now. The Ultimate Funkwerks Beer & Food Experience Where and when Founders Beer Brunch Where and when Belgium on the Beltway Where and when Third Annual Brewers Brunch Where and when Maine Beer Company Clam Bake Where and when All 'Ale the Ladies Meet-and-Greet Where and when


The latest obstacle in obstacle racing is bloody diarrhea

during a lake crossing. Fortunately I had duct-taped them to my ankles. But I can confirm that it's very difficult to do even a 5K without getting water or mud on your face, if not in your mouth. Obstacle racing has built a big following since then, and the risk of injury and macho swagger are part of the marketing pitch many of the races make to men and women, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who are stuck in front of computer screens all week. Indeed, one 48-hour version calls itself the Spartan Death Race and warns participants that they may not survive. Some have not. An Ellicott City, Md. man drowned during a Tough Mudder in West Virginia in April 2013, and two others died at a Warrior Dash in Kansas City in 2011. Others have been paralyzed and had heart attacks, though statistically such injuries are still rare. Lt. Col. Chad Claar, the public health flight commander at Nellis Air Force Base who led the research, said he is aware of two more cases and suspects there were many more among participants in the Tough Mudder race, a lot of them military personnel. Typically, the 22 cases found would represent just the tip of the iceberg of an outbreak such as this, he said. Other people probably sought treatment from private doctors or didn't become sick enough to require care, he said. The usual treatment is to make sure a patient is hydrated and not suffering complications, because by the time the symptoms appear, it isn't worth administering antibiotics, Claar said. The condition tends to run its course on its own. Claar said obstacle racers should "know some basic public health prevention," such as good hand-washing after such an event. "If you’re going to be exposed to water in the environment, make sure you’re not drinking" from an unapproved source, and if you submerge in water, make sure you don't get water in your mouth or eyes, he said. The researchers found two similar outbreaks associated with bicycle races in Norway in the 1990s and two more during mountain bike races in Wales in 2008 and British Columbia in 2010. They suggested that participants be warned about ingesting water or mud just as they are notified of the possibility of injury when they sign up for the events. Speaking from the heart, and the colon, I agree.


Study: With good jobs scarce, more twenty-somethings use the Army as a last resort

why people don't want to work," says Quarles, whose sky-blue track suit matches Lyerly's star-shaped earrings. "And they have these other things, like the Army. That's why people go, because they can't find a job, they can't take care of their kids. They don't lock people up if they're in the Army. That's how they recruit people now. The majority of people go into the Army because they don't have a job, and they don't want to get locked up over something stupid." That might be a bit of an overstatement, but Quarles actually isn't that far off base. The RAND Corporation released a study last week showing that more people were enlisting in the Army in their later 20s, rather than right out of high school -- 56 percent were older than 20 in 2009, the latest year for which figures are available. Of those, one-third said they joined because there were "no jobs at home," and nearly half said that those they found were "dead-end jobs." The older recruits also turn out to have higher reenlistment rates, and they get promoted faster. Which, of course, is good news for the Pentagon. Older folks are joining up. (RAND) "For these older recruits, the Army provided a second chance," said the study's author, Bernard Rostker. "Our findings suggest that these older youths will continue to be a valuable source of future recruits for the military." That doesn't mean it's an attractive option for everyone. Quarles really, really doesn't want to join the military: That would mean leaving his two boys behind and taking a step away from his career goals, for which he's already taken on loans. Plus, it's scary. "I shouldn't have to force myself to go to the Army, just because you never know what's going to go on in this world," says Quarles. "I could go into the Army, and we could go to war. I don't want to go into the Army just to maintain myself, and all of a sudden I get shipped off to Korea or wherever." At least, though, it would be something different. Quarles says he could get another job, but not one that would be worth the time. "I just can't do fast food again, like minimum wage stuff," says Quarles. He went to South Carolina State University on a basketball scholarship and worked as a manager at a store in


Ayotte calls for tougher sanctions on Russia

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) on Sunday called for "tougher sanctions" against Russia for its actions in Ukraine, saying the United States cannot wait until after the upcoming Ukrainian elections to ratchet up its punishment. "It'll be too late at that point," Ayotte said on "Fox News Sunday." "We already see the playbook of what happened in Crimea happening in eastern Ukraine." Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said the United States' "limited" economic and diplomatic sanctions on Russia are not enough. (Anja Niedringhaus/Associated Press). The United States has already implemented limited economic and diplomatic sanctions against Russia, but Ayotte said Moscow "is not getting the message." Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who also appeared on the show, agreed that tougher sanctions are needed in light of the growing crisis in Ukraine. He added that the United States needs to focus on support from European allies. "It's going to affect their economy much more than ours," he said. "Any sectoral sanctions that we administer without the Europeans aren't going to be effective. Our job is to get them on board."


Final exam question: Is it cheating to borrow some Ritalin?

Associated Press With final exams looming across the land, a team of researchers has asked an interesting question: Is it cheating if you take a hit of a friend's Ritalin to help you study? They asked 616 students at an unnamed Ivy League college For those of us who loaded up on coffee and NoDoz or took widely available methamphetamines in decades past, the survey raises this question: Is there really a difference between that behavior and borrowing a dose of the Ritalin or Adderall that now litter college campuses? If a stimulant helps you stay awake, concentrate and do the work, what difference does it make? Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, who led the research presented at a conference of the Pediatric Academic Society Saturday, sees an important distinction between legal and illegal stimulants. "Cheating may just connote in some people’s minds stealing this or cribbing that," Adesman said. "When I frame it as somebody doing something illegal for academic advantage, then I think that’s cheating." Adesman said illegal transfer of these medications poses health risks for the person taking them and opens the donor to criminal charges. Some users have turned up in emergency rooms with heart palpitations and other ailments, he said. Adesman said schools should revise their honor codes to make stimulant abuse a violation, as Duke University has. "Drink as much Red Bull, NoDoz, coffee lattes [as you'd like]," Adesman said. "But once you’re talking about committing a crime to gain an academic advantage, I think it should be proscribed."


For one veteran, showing photos of his deployment in Afghanistan is ‘easier’

that’s before you even talk about the Taliban, where they threaten to torture and kill the locals just for talking to the wrong person. When you’re describing your experience in Afghanistan to people, do you show your pictures? I think it’s easier. They appreciate seeing Afghanistan shown in a different light than what you see in the news, which is pretty much almost always just soldiers. They appreciate the closer looks at the tribal leaders and the girls in school. Honestly, I really don’t talk about my experiences when I was deployed very often. Most of my friends are military, so sometimes we swap war stories, but that’s really about the extent of it. I wanted to ask in particular about that image you said was your favorite photo. That one of the girl in the pink shawl. The reason that one stands out to me is that she was kind of caught off-guard. She almost seemed like completely alone, even though she was surrounded by people. Everyone else is in their own little world, either talking or writing, and she was staring right at me. A girl proudly shows off her pencils from the school supply drop-off by the District Governor, Abdul Qayum. (Alex Dudley) A girl watches from the sidelines as the men and boys fight over the items being delivered for the humanitarian aid drop on Nov. 13, 2010. (Alex Dudley) Children ham it up for the camera. “They especially loved to see themselves on the camera screen after having their photo taken,” Dudley says. (Alex Dudley) Men and boys fight over school, winter and kitchen supplies during a humanitarian aid drop. (Alex Dudley) A local man walks with children in Shah Joy province. (Alex Dudley) A member of the Afghan National Police hands out school supplies at the school in Shah Joy. “We always tried to have local national forces hand out school supplies and humanitarian aid in an effort for them to gain the trust of the local populations,” Dudley said. “Corruption is a major issue in Afghanistan, especially among the military and police, so the local population was inherently distrustful of any Afghan in a uniform.” (Alex Dudley) Romanian members of a Female Engagement Team (FET) bond with students from the all-girls school in Shah Joy. (Alex Dudley) Men fight over a bowl that was handed out during a humanitarian aid drop. (Alex Dudley)


They’re fierce, furry and ready to protect China

by getting sucked into their engines. The military has tried scarecrows, bird netting, firecrackers and even live ammunition to decimate their nests… to no avail. Soldiers — showing valor in the face of such risks as slipping and falling — had climbed up trees in the past to destroy the nests, said a captain quoted on a news Web site run by China’s military, only to see those strategic spots retaken by birds the next day. Enter the monkeys. The macaques are trained to respond to precise whistle commands from their handlers, according to the Chinese military, leaping into action, clambering up trees to destroy nests and scare away birds, according to an account on China’s Air Force News Web site on Sunday. The particular air force base employing the monkeys was left unidentified, described simply as being in the Beijing military zone. Base commanders in the account said the monkeys have destroyed more than 180 nests, at a pace of six to eight nests per monkey per day. China’s monkey program, of course, isn’t the first or the oddest attempt to tap animals for military use. The Pentagon has famously studied and deployed dolphins under the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, studying them for torpedo design and training them to detect floating mines and enemy divers (as well as angering some animal rights advocates in the process). There have been homing pigeons, as well as counterstrike falcons trained to intercept such pigeons. And dogs, most notably, have worked wars almost as long as they’ve been domesticated, serving in operations as critical as the 2011 assault on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. One war dog was even recently captured by the Taliban, which paraded it as a hostage in a propaganda video. (The dog, the Taliban captors reassured, was in good health and being cared for on a diet of chicken and beef kebabs.) (Chinese Air Force Network/Ministry of National Defense) In the recent account of China’s new monkey force, the military reporter ends his article by giving the primates as good a dollop of propagandic praise as any halfway decent PLA soldier receives. The reporter describes a Hawk aircraft roaring into the sky, as he looks back at the monkeys. And he finds, “My heart is full of respect. They are worthy of this life as guards of security and loyal comrades.” Gu Jinglu contributed to this report.


Weev on prison, computer crime law reform and his plan to troll Wall Street

serious code to write, as far as a cryptographic infrastructure; we're doing some stuff that means we're not going to be ready until August. You know, people want to give me money right now, and I'd love to take their money, but I'm not ready yet. What do you see as the long-term end goal? The long-term end goal is to give people who develop software exploits a means to make a living that is not cooperating with governments to spy on people and is not working with criminal organizations. It's to reward them for bringing that information to the public. And you don't see it as any way creating an incentive to not disclose issues to companies? There's already an incentive to do the wrong thing, huge financial incentives. The only possible reasonable financial incentive to do the right thing is to tell people what's already happening right now, and people keep going quiet. So, how is it better for them to tell you than, say, the companies with the problems? I've dealt with this before, obviously. The company has no incentive to inform the consumers. There are a couple states with very specific, narrow laws about what kinds of breaches much be disclosed to the consumer. But let's say your e-mail account was compromised and someone has all of your e-mails: There's not a law saying your e-mail provider has to tell you. So there's almost no incentive on behalf of the companies to inform consumers. There's no winning if you go to the companies. And, furthermore, what moral obligation do I have to someone who is doing wrong, hasn't confronted it and wants to silence it? I have no moral obligation to the company. I have a moral obligation to the public, to the general public. But could you see how it might appear that you would be profiting while harm inevitably comes to the consumer? I don't think so. If you look right now, the bad process of disclosure is hurting consumers very egregiously. Right now, disclosure works like this: If there's full disclosure of a software exploit, someone just releases a working exploit code. That's bad because then criminals can use the exploit code, right? If you can talk to the effects, and what's actually been compromised without giving people the weapons, then consumer safety will be much better served. There's no doubt about it.


Witnessing atrocity, and still having faith

but I do ultimately believe that we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper, that the Good Samaritan story has real relevance and meaning for the world we live in today, and that we have a responsibility to attempt, at least, to make the world better — and to make the lives of people around us better, especially those who are suffering. Q. A. You see the regime in Sudan today attempting to undertake a national dialogue. But of course, look a little closer and you’ll see the groups that represent the vast majority of Sudan’s population are not welcome to be part of this. Or the conditions are not created — some level of freedom of speech, assembly and security — to allow them to be part. So it’s a dialogue amongst handpicked people in order to keep the status quo. I’m not easily taken in by these kinds of ploys, these diversionary tactics. It has pushed me not accept the superficial and the incremental. Q. A. It’s not up to the person in Iowa or Arkansas necessarily to say, “Here’s my analysis of exactly what the United States government, or the United Nations, or the African Union, needs to do.” That’s for the institutions themselves to figure out. But it is up to us to demand that our elected leaders, or the companies that we buy products from, are doing something; and to show that we won’t stand idly by while these kinds of atrocities occur. Q. A. But I think I’ve become more patient and more tolerant about the idea that some of these conflicts are unfolding in a way that’s consistent with world history. South Sudan is the newest country in the world, born out of a conflict and then born back into conflict, tremendous instability and corruption. Well, most countries that are born out of conflict slide back into conflict before they finally move forward. Sudan is 60 years old and South Sudan is three years old. Before the United States was 60, we had a terrible ethnic cleansing campaign against Native Americans and we had a trans-Atlantic slave trade. We hadn’t even fought our own civil war, which was in per capita terms one of the deadliest in world history. And centuries of instability, conflict and even genocide were part of the creation of the borders that we know today in Europe. So understanding and


How the anti-vaccine movement is endangering lives

(Rogelio V. Solis, File/Associated Press) Infectious diseases that we normally think of as rare in the United States are making a comeback. In recent years, pertussis -- also known as whooping cough -- has returned to the headlines. A measles outbreak that struck a Texas megachurch community late last summer sickened 21 people. And just recently, at least 16 people got sick during a measles outbreak in Ohio. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported 13 measles outbreaks so far in 2014 -- the most since 1996. The diseases are highly contagious, but they are also preventable; two of the many recommended childhood vaccinations protect against measles and pertussis. And measles had been considered effectively eliminated in the United States. What's going on, exactly? Here are some answers. Why are so many outbreaks happening? But aren't overall vaccination rates really high? CDC data show that vaccination rates are now above 90 percent range for several routine vaccines, including the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) and whooping cough vaccines. Public health officials target a 90 percent vaccination rate for most routine childhood vaccines. Experts say that a population has "herd immunity" when enough people are vaccinated to prevent a disease from taking hold. This chart shows how vaccination rates climbed after VFC's enactment: Credit: U.S. CDC. DTP/DTaP: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis or diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis; MMR: measles, mumps, and rubella; Hib: Haemophilus influenzae type b; Hep B: hepatitis B; PCV: pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; RV: rotavirus vaccine; Hep A: hepatitis A. If vaccination rates are high, why are we seeing so many outbreaks? Why are people not vaccinating their kids? Do vaccines cause autism? Science gives a resounding no. Anti-vaccine activists have also raised concerns about vaccines made with the mercury-based preservative known as thimerosal, which they worry could cause brain damage in developing kids. It's true that vaccines once routinely contained thimerosal, which government officials recognized as generally safe. But this preservative has been phased out of nearly all vaccines as a precautionary measure. Anti-vaccine activists also worry that the CDC's recommended vaccination schedule could overwhelm infants' immune systems by packing too many doses into a short period of time. Although the number of vaccinations that kids receive now is higher than it used to be, the main ingredients in the vaccines have actually decreased in amount. Even if these ingredient amounts hadn't decreased, research has found no relationship between


Savor week: Beer events for Monday, May 5

This weekend's Savor craft beer festival brings brewers and beer fans from across the country to the National Building Museum for two nights of tastings and seminars. But the real fun takes place at local bars the nights leading up to the festival, with happy hours, brewer meet-and-greets and rare-beer events. Every day this week, we'll publish a list of that night's must-do events that don't require RSVPs: Just show up and pay for what you drink. • Savor week events you'll need tickets for Monday's event lineup is slow, perfect for easing into the madness of Savor week. The 20 taps on Jack Rose's rooftop deck will be taken over by Flying Dog and DC Brau tonight. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post) DC Brau Bell's Brewery Savor week involves drinking a lot of strong beer. Might as well tune up your liver at Bier Baron, which is focusing on draft beers around 5 percent ABV or less. Highlights include Smuttynose's new Bouncy House IPA (4.5 percent), Victory Hop Ticket IPA (4.5 percent) and Peak Organic's Fresh Cut dry-hopped pilsner (4.6 percent). Doors open at 4 p.m.


ShopHouse goes seasonal, adds Chinatown location

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen While there's hardly a restaurant that hasn't put forth kale in the past two years (we're just Wildin explained that the kale, like the charred eggplant, blistered green beans and corn options, is prepared separately from meat, in a veggies-only wok; once he had piled up our bowl, he had prepared a vegan dish. The vegan bowl we built with Tim Wildin, brand director of ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen. (Lavanya Ramanathan/The Washington Post) Wildin started with jasmine rice, a staple of Thai cuisine. He then added organic tofu prepared with tamarind, vinegar, ginger, lime and sugar, followed by the sauteed minced kale, which is quickly wok-cooked with Thai chilies and rice vinegar. Finally, he added pickled vegetables, tamarind dressing and a fish-sauce-free version of the chili sauce known as nam phrik and pulverized garlic chips. The bowl was sour and spicy on its own, but if we tried it again, we'd ask for more basil and other herbs to temper that tartness. They play perfectly with the kale.


Did the FDA ‘reverse course’ on a rule regarding brewers?

(REUTERS/Joshua Roberts) “I’m urging the FDA to do an about-face on this misguided rule, which would stymie a mutually beneficial relationship between two” of New York’s most important industries. –Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), news conference, April 18, 2014 “After significant push, Schumer receives personal commitment from head of FDA that they will reverse course on ridiculous ‘spent grain’ rule that would have hurt New York’s craft brewers and family farmers.” –headline of news release from Schumer’s office, April 24, 2014 Members of Congress often like to claim that they forced a government agency to take action after an outrage has been discovered. But here’s an interesting case of taking credit for something that apparently was already being fixed. The Facts In food production, such as making orange juice, potato chips or beer, there often are left over food stuffs that are used for animal feed. Brewers, for instance, end up with tons of “spent grains” that many simply ship free of charge to nearby farms to feed cows. But in the course of writing proposed rules for the Food Safety Modernization Act, someone at the FDA drafted these lines, which appeared on page 64,765 of the Federal Register: [T]he Agency is not aware of any animal food at alcoholic beverage facilities that would be exempt from section 418 of the FD&C Act under the proposed interpretation, and therefore is not aware of any animal food at alcoholic beverage facilities that would be exempt from proposed subpart C, ‘‘Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls,’’ for animal food. For example, FDA understands that many breweries and distilleries sell spent grains, such as brewers dried grains and distillers dried grains, as animal food. Because those spent grains are not alcoholic beverages themselves, and they are not in a prepackaged form that prevents any direct human contact with the food, the Agency tentatively concludes that subpart C of this proposed rule would apply to them. Brewers became concerned that this language suggested costly new requirements for handling the spent grains and sought to be exempt from it. The Brewers Association published an estimate that it would cost $50 million a year—a number cited by Schumer at his news conference—though frankly it appears to be quite an extrapolation. (Survey results from 83 self-selected brewers making less than 1,000 barrels of beer a year were then assumed to apply to more than 1,600 brewers, yielding


Jrink, Press and Green Hope squeeze into D.C.’s juice scene

Dabren Wills, 31, ordered up a six-pack last week, so he’d be ready for good times — and good produce. Since he’s started regularly downing concoctions from Jrink Juicery, which opened recently in Dupont Circle, he’s noticed improvements in his energy level, memory and digestion. “And I like supporting new businesses,” Willis says. He’s in luck: D.C. has a bumper crop of home-grown ways to drink veggies. Jrink has expanded its menu just in time for the opening of its first storefront location — here are three new options. (Teddy Wolff/For Express) Jrink “Jrink” is pronounced exactly like “drink.” That’s useful, because D.C.’s busy bees don’t have the time to learn how to say new words. And they have even less time to make sure they’re eating well. Jennifer Ngai and Shizu Okusa, who were both working at the World Bank until a few months ago, understand that reality. It’s why they decided to make and sell cold-pressed juices last year. “We’re all life pressed,” Ngai says. “This is healthy convenience in a bottle.” (A heavy glass bottle that can be recycled — return 10 and get a free Jrink.) Don’t know what each Jrink ($8.75) is good for? Just read the labels. The names spell it out: “Fuel Me Up” is a blend of pear, kale, romaine, cucumber and lemon; “Wake Me Up” combines orange, carrot, grapefruit and ginger. Fans (including Nats star Bryce Harper) no longer need to wait for delivery, or hope bottles are stocked at one of the company’s retail partners. Jrink just opened its first location, a sweet spot with a couch, free Wi-Fi and a stellar view. It’s tucked inside Epic Yoga, so you can even get a side of exercise — if you have the time. Press juices are made on the spot, from ingredients customers can see. (Teddy Wolff/For Express) Press All the juices at Press are 100 percent organic and fresh, general manager Ben Blue brags as he grabs beets, carrots, apples, celery and ginger from the clear bins behind him. Those are the ingredients he sends through a centrifugal juicer to make a No. 2 ($8), an early customer favorite at the sleek spot in front of BodySmith Gym. BodySmith owner Stuart Smith and member Jim Reichert paired up for the project, which they hope will be the first of many locations. They’re still hammering out the food menu. But