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Volume 79 Edition 170A ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION SATURDAY,DECEMBER 12, 2020 Free to Deployed Areas McKenzie: Drawdowns to limit future operations

BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY Stars and Stripes WASHINGTON — The troop drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq planned to be completed by mid-January will restrict the re- maining forces in both countries and limit how the United States as- sists with future operations there, the top general for U.S. Central Command said Thursday. “We’re just going to have to be very careful and focused when we do it,” Marine Gen. Frank McKen- zie said during a virtual event with DefenseOne, a news organization. On Nov. 17, acting Defense Sec- retary Christopher Miller an- nounced President Donald Trump had decided to reduce the U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan by Jan. 15, just five days before Presi- U.S. Space Force dent-elect Joe Biden is sworn into The U.S. Space Force is one of eight teams participating in this year’s Call of Duty Endowment video gaming event to raise money for veterans. office. The force reduction will leave roughly 2,500 troops in Afghanis- tan and 2,500 in Iraq as both coun- tries continue to see violence Heeding the Call to help against government forces and ci- vilians by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and the Taliban. With less troops, the work of ad- Military gamers participate in event to assist veterans transitioning to long-term careers vising and assisting Afghan forces with counter-terrorism oper- BY ERICA EARL said Dan Goldenberg, the endow- ations will be done “at a higher Stars and Stripes ment’s executive director. level,” McKenzie said. daylong video gaming Competitors include players “We will have to be very careful event raised nearly $1 from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and very smart how we pick and million to help veterans Marine Corps and Space Force choose where we go and where we Afind work and careers and the United Kingdom’s British don’t go. And the margins will be before it even went live Friday, ac- Army, Royal Air Force and Royal less, but we believe it still will en- cording to a nonprofit affiliated Navy. able us to carry out our core objec- with the popular Call of Duty fran- The C.O.D.E Bowl kicked off at tive” of preventing ISIS and al- chise. 10 a.m. Friday on the U.S. West Qaida from attacking the U.S. or The Call of Duty Endowment is Coast; however, the virtual event other partner countries from Af- hosting a livestream face-off of was to stream all day across time ghanistan, the general said. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, zones on the Call of Duty Twitch The United States will not have the most recent version of the and YouTube channels. trouble getting down to less than first-person shooter game, to raise The Call of Duty Endowment Activision 3,000 in Afghanistan by January, awareness and money to place Modern warriors are returning to the Cold War for a video game veterans in long-term careers, SEE GAMERS ON PAGE 5 tournament featuring the latest edition of the first-person shooter. SEE DRAWDOWNS ON PAGE 4 BUSINESS/WEATHER

Airbnb shares more than double PAGE 2 •ESXCHANGE RATESTARS AND STRIPESSaturday,• December 12, 2020

Military rates So. Korea (Won) 1094.09 Associated Press Nasdaq Stock Market under the crazy after all,” Chesky said. Switzerland (Franc) .8895 Euro costs (Dec. 14) $1.18 Thailand (Baht) 28.18 Airbnb proved its resilience in a symbol “ABNB.” “Airbnb is rooted in the funda- Dollar buys (Dec. 14) 0.8047 Turkey (NewLira) 7.8262 British pound (Dec. 14) $1.29 year that has upended global trav- Instead of the traditional ring- mental idea that people are good Japanese yen (Dec. 14) 102.00 (Military exchange rates are those available el. Now it needs to prove it can live ing of the bell prior to the trading and we’re in this together.” South Korean won (Dec. 14) 1060.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger­ up to investors’ sky-high expecta- day, Airbnb presented a video of Airbnb raised $3.7 billion in its many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) .3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur­ tions. Airbnb hosts from around the offering, making it the biggest Britain (Pound) .7573 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2775 your local military banking facility. Commercial The San Francisco-based home world ringing their doorbells. In a U.S. IPO this year, according to China(Yuan) 6.5470 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.1414 sharing company made a trium- video message, CEO Brian Ches- Renaissance Capital, which tracks Egypt (Pound) 15.7103 when buying currency. All figures are foreign phant debut on the public market ky also thanked the millions of IPOs. The company had initially Euro .8252 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7513 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ Thursday. Its shares closed at guests who have stayed at its list- set a price range of $44 to $50 for it Hungary (Forint) 292.53 pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­euro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2517 $144.71 apiece, more than double ings. In 2019 alone, 54 million shares, but raised that to a range of Japan (Yen) 104.00 INTEREST RATES the $68 price that Airbnb had set. guests stayed at an Airbnb. $56 to $60 earlier this week indi- Kuwait(Dinar) .3051 Norway (Krone) 8.8157 Prime rate 3.25 The closing price gave the compa- “You gave us hope that the idea cating rising investor demand. Philippines (Peso) 48.12 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.66 Federal funds market rate 0.25 ny a valuation of just over $100 bil- of strangers staying together, in Airbnb wants to add more hosts Saudi Arab (Riyal) 3.7509 3­month bill 0.08 lion. The shares are trading on the each others’ homes, was not so and properties. Singapore (Dollar) 1.3365 30­year bond 1.64 WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SATURDAY IN EUROPE SUNDAY IN THE PACIFIC

Misawa 46/36

Kabul Seoul 40/29 49/30 Baghdad 66/49 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar Mildenhall/ 49/29 61/41 50/31 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 34/30 48/33 51/33 Iwakuni Kuwait City 57/43 Bahrain Brussels Zagan Sasebo Guam 68/52 79/65 Ramstein 40/31 59/45 47/38 45/40 86/79 Riyadh Lajes, 69/45 Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 64/59 44/38 77/65 Aviano/ 43/36 Vicenza 43/35

Naples 56/49 Okinawa Morón 73/68 66/58 Sigonella Rota 57/48 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 65/60 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 84/76 64/48 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Comics ...... 19 Crossword ...... 19 Video Games...... 13 Movies ...... 14-15 Opinion ...... 18 Sports ...... 20-24 Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 WAR ON TERRORISM Airman honored for protecting fallen soldier

BY PHILLIP WALTER ation to clear some 450 ISIS fight- WELLMAN AND CHAD ers from the rugged terrain in GARLAND Nangarhar province turned into Stars and Stripes 17 days of continuous close com- KABUL, Afghanistan — Staff bat, Barrett said. Sgt. Alaxey Germanovich dozed The actions Germanovich was off briefly during a break in a har- honored for came about a week rowing two-week fight to oust Is- into the mission, on April 8, 2017, lamic State fighters from a re- when ambushed coalition forces mote valley in eastern Afghanis- fought a grueling 8-hour gun bat- tan, but he awoke to the sound of a tle under machine gun and sniper belt-fed machine gun. fire from all sides, the award cita- The Air Force combat controll- tion says. er rushed into the fight, calling in Germanovich is the 12th mem- Hellfire missiles to take out two ber of the Air Force’s Special Tac- suicide bombers, then directed tics community to receive the bombing and strafing runs medal for extraordinary heroism against an overwhelming enemy since the 9/11 attacks. Special PHOTOS BY MICHAEL WASHBURN/U.S. Air Force force that had pinned down an Ar- Tactics airmen are ground spe- The father of Staff Sgt. Alaxey Germanovich, 26th Special Tactics Squadron combat controller, pins the my Special Forces team he was cial operations troops that direct Air Force Cross medal on his son, Thursday at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. accompanying. airstrikes, recover personnel and He later used his body to pro- conduct battlefield surgeries. wasn’t working, so we started pended all of their ammunition have.” tect one of the Americans, 7th Spe- ISIS opposition had been heavy dropping 2,000-pound bombs. and grenades, but there were still Germanovich’s actions protect- cial Forces Group (Airborne) from the get-go, with gunfights That worked for a little bit.” enemy fighters all around and the ed over 150 friendly forces, Bar- member Staff Sgt. Mark De Alen- and airstrikes “all day, every With ordnance falling, he called AC-130W Stinger II gunship over- rett said. “He was intrepid and re- car, after he was cut down by a day,” Germanovich said in an Air for the team to dash for cover. As head was low on fuel. lentless,” she said. PKM machine gun as the team of Force video released after the they dove behind a rock, one “As they (the AC-130) were But he was only doing the job U.S. troops closed on an enemy ceremony. It got worse as they bomb burst in the air, throwing leaving, I said, ‘If you don’t come he trained for, he said. sniper position. pushed the ISIS fighters toward deadly fragments across the area back, we’re dead,” Germanovich “You reflexively just want to For his bravery, Germanovich the Pakistan border. they’d just run from, he said. said. protect your teammates, you was presented the Air Force “Near the end of the valley … it At one point, the leader of the It did return and began “doing don’t care about anything else,” Cross, the service’s highest medal became more violent,” said Ger- 7th Special Forces Group (Air- God’s work” firing on the enemy, he said. “Every single one of those for combat bravery, in a ceremo- manovich, who is assigned to the borne) A-team identified an ene- he said, giving him and the others guys would have done everything ny at Cannon Air Force Base in 26th Special Tactics Squadron, 24th my sniper position in a narrow a chance to move De Alencar to in their power to do anything they New Mexico on Thursday. The Special Operations Wing. cave at the top of a rocky outcrop- safety. Germanovich helped car- could to help the next guy.” award is second only to the Medal He and the Special Forces sol- ping. The Americans assaulted ry his comrade nearly a half-mile Following the ceremony, Ger- of Honor. diers were pinned down “basical- the cave, but De Alencar was shot uphill to a helicopter landing zone manovich led the ceremony’s at- “You risked your life and ly in the open,” he said in the vid- in the process and mortally for evacuation. tendees in pushups, a Special weathered blistering enemy fire eo. He was forced to call in heavy wounded. “This battle was a case study in Tactics tradition, to honor De to save the lives of others,” Air strikes against a large enemy Germanovich, then a senior air- toughness and extraordinary Alencar, who he called “D.” Force Secretary Barbara Barrett force occupying a tree-line, with man on his first deployment, put competence,” Col. Matthew Al- “D paid the ultimate price,” he said during the event, which was some hitting less than a football himself between nearby enemy len, the special operations wing said in the video, his eyes tearing streamed live on social media. field away from him. forces to protect his fellow Amer- commander, said at Thursday’s up. “I got to walk away. … I got “This Air Force Cross is a tribute “That’s really where dropping icans with his body, the citation ceremony. “But it was also a case lucky.” to your persistence.” bombs really gets scary,” he said says. study in love. The type of love that What was supposed to be a in the video. “We started with like As the battle dragged on, the demands teammates fight for one [email protected] weeklong U.S. and Afghan oper- some 500-pound bombs. That American and Afghan forces ex- another and give everything they Twitter: @pwwellman Report: Afghans losing hope for peace process amid attacks Associated Press Ongoing peace talks between national rights groups have forces, something the Taliban the coronavirus pandemic, the in- KABUL, Afghanistan — Opti- the Afghan government and the warned both sides to avoid inflict- have insisted on, saying these stitute said. mism among Afghans regarding Taliban in Qatar had been at an ing civilian casualties. forces were created by foreign The Taliban now control or the country’s peace process has impasse until last week, when in a The Kabul-based think tank powers. hold sway over half the country, decreased significantly in the breakthrough, the two sides found the 75.9% of survey respon- The institute polled 8,627 peo- and are at their most powerful past few months amid a spike in agreed on rules and procedures dents said a cease-fire should be ple across Afghanistan’s 34 prov- since the U.S.-led invasion in violence, according to a survey for the negotiations. the top priority of the intra-Af- inces — 58% men and 42% women 2001. released Friday. However, since the Afghan-Ta- ghan talks. — and received funding to con- In a report earlier this year, The Institute of War and Peace liban talks started in September, Additionally, 71% of those duct the survey from the Europe- Washington’s Special Inspector Studies found optimism had drop- violence has spiked significantly. polled did not want to dissolve the an Union and the Swedish Inter- General for Afghan Reconstruct- ped to 57% when the survey was The Taliban have staged deadly country’s army and security national Development Coopera- ion, which monitors billions of conducted from Sept. 29 to Oct. attacks on Afghan forces while forces after a peace deal. Afghan tion Agency. The survey had a 5% dollars in U.S. aid to the country, 18. That’s down from 86% of those keeping their promise not to at- President Mohammad Ashraf margin of error. said Afghanistan may not be surveyed according to the previ- tack U.S. and NATO troops. The Ghani has denounced the idea. A few districts in some prov- ready for peace unless it finds a ous assessment conducted over attacks have drawn a mighty re- Another 64% were also against inces were not surveyed due to way to reintegrate Taliban fight- the summer and released in Au- taliation by the Afghan air force, any fundamental reforms to the high levels of violence and insta- ers into society and combat “en- gust. backed by U.S. warplanes. Inter- structure of the country’s security bility, as well as issues related to demic corruption.” PAGE 4 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 MILITARY Rand Paul objection delays defense bill

Associated Press Senate that’s your prerogative. lican Sen. Mitt Romney and other vilian employees need to defend of bad ideas were kept out,'' WASHINGTON — A Senate But most of our people would like lawmakers would limit planned American lives and American in- McConnell said. vote on a wide-ranging defense to get it done" this week, Thune troop withdrawals in Germany. terests,'' McConnell said in a Sen- Trump tweeted Tuesday that policy bill was delayed after Ken- said. Paul singled out Cheney by ate speech ahead of an expected he will veto “the very weak" de- tucky Republican Rand Paul ob- “His thing is just to delay this name in a floor speech, saying she vote Thursday or Friday. ”It will fense bill unless it repeals Section jected to the measure, casting the and use all the time so it pushes and her father, former Vice Presi- give our troops the 3% pay raise 230, a part of the communications next steps in doubt and raising the vote on (the dent Dick Cheney, share a neo- they deserve. It’ll keep our forces code that shields Twitter, Face- the slim prospect of a government defense bill) into conservative belief in “perpetual ready to deter China and stand book and other tech giants from shutdown if a short-term spend- next week, war." strong in the Indo-Pacific.'' content liability. ing bill caught up in the dispute is which pushes “The philosophy of these peo- The Democratic-controlled The dispute over social media not approved by Friday. the override ple is about war and substantiat- House overwhelmingly approved content — a battle cry of conser- Paul said on the Senate floor vote” on a possi- ing war and making sure that it the defense bill on Tuesday, defy- vatives who say the social media that he opposes provisions in the ble Trump veto becomes and is perpetual war,'' ing Trump’s veto threat and set- giants treat them unfairly — in- defense bill that would limit Pres- into the follow- Paul said. ting up a possible showdown with terjects an unrelated but compli- ident Donald Trump's ability to ing week, Thune Cheney hit back on Twitter, the Republican president in the cated issue into a bill that Con- draw down U.S. troops from Af- said of his fellow charging that Paul was "currently waning days of his administra- gress takes pride in having ghanistan and Germany. His ob- Republican, holding up passage of the tion. passed unfailingly for nearly 60 jections on Thursday threatened Paul. Paul #NDAA, blaming America, and A total of 140 Republicans years. It follows Trump’s bid over another must-pass bill, a one- A procedural vote delaying hazardous duty pay to joined 195 Democrats in backing the summer to sabotage the pack- week spending measure that on the defense bill was expected hundreds of thousands of our ser- the bill, which received support age with a veto threat over Con- would keep the government open Friday, setting the stage for final vice members and their families. from more than 80% of the House federate base names. through Dec. 18. The House has votes on the defense bill and the Inexcusable.'' — well above the two-thirds sup- If he does veto the defense bill, passed the stopgap measure, but stopgap spending measure later She added: "Rand and I do have port required to override a poten- Congress could cut short its a government shutdown would in the day. one thing in common, though. tial veto. Christmas recess to hold override occur if the Senate does not act on Paul said he is concerned that We’re both 5’2” tall.'' Trump has vowed to veto the votes, senior House members it by midnight Friday. the measure on troop deployment The dispute over the defense bill unless lawmakers clamp said. Paul said he would drop his ob- “creates 535 commanders-in- bill came after Senate Majority down on social media companies “I think we can override the ve- jection if GOP leaders allowed a chief in Congress” and hampers Leader Mitch McConnell, in a he claims were biased against to, if in fact he vetoes," House Ma- final vote on the National Defense the president's ability to deploy rare break with Trump, urged him during the election. Trump jority Leader Steny Hoyer, D- Authorization Act on Monday. troops as he sees fit. Democrats passage of the measure despite also wants Congress to strip out a Md., said Tuesday. “I hope he Senators from both parties were support the measure because Trump's threat to veto it. provision of the bill that allows re- does not veto. I hope he reconsid- eager to finish work on the bill they oppose Trump, Paul said, but McConnell, R-Ky., said Thurs- naming of military bases that now ers. And I think he will get sub- this week. the amendment would also apply day that it was important for Con- honor Confederate leaders. stantial pressure (from Republi- South Dakota Sen. John Thune, to future presidents, including gress to continue a nearly 60-year McConnell did not address cans) that, you know, you don’t the No. 2 Senate Republican, said President-elect Joe Biden. streak of passing the National De- Trump’s veto threat, but said the want to put the defense bill at risk. he thought Paul — who has pro- One amendment, co-sponsored fense Authorization Act, which af- bill “will secure President The defense measure guides voked government shutdowns be- by Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and firms 3% pay raises for U.S. Trump’s major progress at mod- Pentagon policy and cements de- fore — was using the time-crunch Jason Crow, D-Colo., would block troops and authorizes billions in ernizing our capabilities, our cisions about troop levels, new for maximum leverage to remove troop withdrawals in Afghanistan military programs and construc- technologies and our strategic nu- weapons systems and military the provision on troop withdraw- unless the Pentagon submits in- tion. clear deterrent.'' readiness, military personnel pol- als. ter-agency reports certifying that “This NDAA will unlock more The bill "does not contain every icy and other military goals. “I think he’s just trying to fig- the drawdowns would not jeopar- than $740 billion for the training, policy that either side would like Many programs can only go into ure out ways to derail the bill. dize national security. A separate tools and cutting-edge equipment to pass. But a huge number of cru- effect if the bill is approved, in- And … when you’re in the U.S provision pushed by Utah Repub- that our service members and ci- cial policies are included and a lot cluding military construction. Drawdowns: NATO and coalition forces to replace US units in Afghanistan

FROM PAGE 1 forces since the peace agreement was signed in February, McKen- including the removal of excess zie said he is still concerned about equipment, McKenzie said. Even their attacks on Afghan forces, with the drawdown, they will still which have also resulted in civil- work with allies and partners to ian casualties. There is also still no carry out their mission in Afghan- process for determining whether istan and Iraq. the Taliban is not allowing ISIS or “One point I want to make is our al-Qaida from operating within its NATO and coalition partners are territory, he said. going to be with us, even as we go McKenzie said he hopes the on- down. In fact, there will be more going peace negotiations between coalition and NATO forces in Af- the government of Afghanistan ghanistan than U.S. forces when and the Taliban will help reduce we arrive at this number,” he said. the violence, however, the coali- McKenzie said the NATO mis- tion will still be there to help the sion in Iraq is expected to expand Afghan security forces defend as partner countries bring in more themselves. people to the country to work with “We believe that is a practical the United States after their draw- way forward,” he said. RODERICK JACQUOTE / U.S. Central Command Public Affa down. Army Brig. Gen. Donn H. Hill, front right, the commander of Train Advise Assist Command – East, speaks While the Taliban has stopped [email protected] with Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, middle, the commander of U.S. Central Command, during attacks on American or coalition @CAITLINMKENNEY McKenzie’s visit in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2019. Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 5 MILITARY Court uphelds rape convictions for 3 Air Force airmen BY NANCY MONTGOMERY convictions of Briggs and at least Stars and Stripes three other service members be- The U.S. Supreme Court has up- ing vacated and prevented the De- held the rape convictions of three fense Department from pursuing Air Force airmen, reversing a rul- new reports of rapes alleged to U.S. AFRICA COMMAND ing from the military’s top court have been committed from 1986 to A screen shot from a video shows the impact of the airstrikes conducted Dec. 10 that killed eight dismissing their cases because 2006. al­Shabab bomb makers in the vicinity of Jilib, Somalia. they fell outside the statute of limi- The justices found that the mil- tations. itary code weighed “heavily in fa- Thursday’s 8-0 decision stated vor of the government’s interpre- AFRICOM: Somalia strike that a five-year statute of limita- tation” of the law to prosecute tions does not apply to military rape claims going back to the rape cases and that they can be 1980s. kills 8 expert bomb makers prosecuted at any time. Justice Amy Coney Barrett was One case concerned the 2014 not on the bench when the case BY JOHN VANDIVER ations aimed at undermining se- For years, al-Shabab, an al-Qai- conviction of Lt. Col. Michael was heard. Stars and Stripes curity across Somalia,” Lt. Gen. da-aligned group, has been seek- Briggs for the 2005 rape of a sub- Harmony Allen, who was raped STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. Kirk Smith, AFRICOM deputy ing to overthrow the U.S.-backed ordinate after the woman report- and beaten by Master Sgt. Ri- airstrikes killed eight al-Shabab commander, said in a statement. government of the country. ed it in 2013. chard D. Collins in 2000 — a sep- bomb makers this week in Soma- AFRICOM said the terrorists This year, AFRICOM conduct- The Court of Appeals for the arate case which was prosecuted lia, marking the first such attack in killed were known to play impor- ed about 50 airstrikes in Somalia. Armed Forces last year reversed in 2017 and also dismissed by the the country since the Pentagon di- tant roles in producing explosives Even without troops on the Briggs’ five-month jail sentence CAAF ruling — said that the Su- rected the military to withdraw its for al-Shabab, including car ground, a U.S. drone site in neigh- and dismissal from the service. preme Court ruling had brought forces from the country by early bombs. boring Djibouti is capable of The appeals court decided that her “peace.” next year. On Dec. 4, the Pentagon an- launching attacks. a 1977 Supreme Court decision “For years, I had to live with the On Friday, U.S. Africa Com- nounced that it would pull its 700 Maj. Gen. Dagvin Anderson , fact that my rapist was set free banning the death penalty for rape mand posted a video of the strike, troops out of Somalia in a move ex- who leads Special Operations with nothing stopping him from meant that rape was not a military which hit an area where a known pected to be completed before Command Africa, said the latest doing to another innocent woman capital offense — and thus was not expert bomb maker resided, the President-elect Joe Biden takes strike showcases the ability of the what he did to me,” she said in a exempt from the five-year statuto- command said. office on Jan. 20. The plan is to re- U.S. to “defend both ourselves and statement Thursday. “Today’s de- The attack, which occurred in position those forces in other parts our partners.” ry limit for most military crimes. cision changes that, and after all the vicinity of Jilib in southern So- of eastern Africa. “We will continue to maintain Although Congress in a 2006 these years, I can finally take a malia, showed a billow of smoke AFRICOM, however, has said strong force protection and strike law had specifically said that rape deep breath knowing that justice after an initial blast. the departure of a ground force in those who seek to harm us or our could be prosecuted “at any time has been served.” “Al-Shabaab’s continuous at- Somalia doesn’t mean an end to partners,” he said. without limitation,” CAAF ruled tacks demonstrate its willingness operations in the country or their that the law wasn’t retroactive. to accept high numbers of civilian efforts aimed at supporting Soma- [email protected] [email protected] That decision led to the rape Twitter:@montgomerynance casualties while advancing oper- lia’s military. Twitter: @john_vandiver Gamers: Organization hopes to place 100,000 veterans in jobs by 2024 the game Call of Duty was in- from thousands of applicants. FROM PAGE 1 spired by actions of service Last year, the event was held in had already raised over $900,000 members,” said Goldenberg, a Los Angeles with some participa- from its sponsors, financial ser- 25-year Navy veteran. nts joining remotely. This year, vices company USAA, Ram Since its launch, the organiza- all players will be participating Trucks and Scuf Controllers, tion has placed 77,000 veterans in remotely because of the corona- Goldenberg said Thursday by jobs and has raised over $44 mil- virus and because British forces phone to Stars and Stripes. lion in employment grants, Gold- are taking part, Goldenberg said. Individuals may contribute on- enberg said. Its goal is to place Airman 1st Class Austin Snyd- line on the “donate” tab at callof- 100,000 veterans in careers by er, an aircraft maintenance spe- dutyendowment.org. Goldenberg 2024. The average cost of job cialist with the Air Mobility Com- said the livestream gaming event placement per person is $499. mand at Scott Air Force Base is not only about raising money The endowment also raises near St. Louis, said he has put in but also raising awareness about money each year by featuring an several hours of online tourna- the endowment as a resource for in-game item available for pur- ments and analyzing recordings veterans while giving service chase. Last year’s item was a of matches to prepare to com- members a fun event to look for- gear pack designed by Medal of pete. ward to. Honor recipient Florent Groberg. “I'm honored and thrilled to be “There are more than 60,000 Call of Duty Endowment This is the second year for the able to enjoy my favorite pastime nonprofits with the word ‘veter- The Call of Duty Endowment hosted a livestream faceoff of Call of livestreaming charity event, and with my brothers in other an’ in them,” Goldenberg said. Duty: Black Ops Cold War, to raise awareness and money to place the first year featuring teams branches as well as our allies,” “It can be like finding a needle in veterans in long­term careers. from branches other than the Snyder said in an email to Stars a haystack.” U.S. Army. and Stripes Thursday. “The ener- The coronavirus pandemic last year, according to the U.S. CEO Bobby Kotick of Activ- Each of the eight teams partici- gy and hype that comes when you sent unemployment rates soaring Department of Labor. ision Blizzard, the Call of Duty pating will have four players beat a good team is unmatched. It in the U.S. this year, and veterans The endowment also saw a 31% parent company, founded the en- coached by a professional gamer really gets the blood going!” were not spared. Their unem- rise this year in veterans seeking dowment in 2009. from the official Call of Duty ployment rate in November reac- employment through its website, “The company has an affinity League.Goldenberg said each [email protected] hed 6.3%, nearly double the rate Goldenberg said. to the military, especially since service branch selects its players twitter: @thisearlgirl PAGE 6 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 VIRUS OUTBREAK US panel endorses broad use of Pfizer

Associated Press on how quickly the Food and Drug Adminis- when Britain became the first country to supplies will be reserved primarily for WASHINGTON — A U.S. government tration signs off, as expected, on the expert begin dispensing the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. health care workers and nursing home resi- advisory panel endorsed widespread use of committee’s recommendation. While there are a number of remaining dents, with other vulnerable groups next in Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, “This is a light at the end of the long tun- unknowns about the vaccine, in an emer- line until ramped-up production enables putting the country just one step away from nel of this pandemic,” declared Dr. Sally gency, “the question is whether you know shots to become widely available on de- launching an epic vaccination campaign Goza, president of the American Academy enough” to press ahead, said panel member mand — something that will probably not against the outbreak that has killed close to of Pediatrics. Dr. Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Phi- happen until the spring. 300,000 Americans. In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the ladelphia. He concluded that the potential Next week, the FDA will review a second On Friday the head of the FDA said his government advisers concluded that the benefits outweigh the risks. vaccine, from Moderna and the National In- agency had told Pfizer it “will rapidly work” vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner The decision came as COVID-19 cases stitutes of Health, that appears about as to grant emergency use of the vaccine fol- BioNTech appears safe and effective for surge to ever-higher levels across the U.S., protective as Pfizer-BioNTech’s shot. A lowing the positive recommendation. Many emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 with deaths setting an all-time, one-day re- third candidate, from Johnson & Johnson, FDA observers predicted action by Satur- and over. cord of more than 3,100 on Wednesday. which would require just one dose, is work- day ahead of a Sunday meeting by the Cen- That endorsement came despite ques- Pfizer has said it will have about 25 mil- ing its way through the pipeline. Behind ters for Disease Control and Prevention. tions about allergic reactions in two people lion doses of the two-shot vaccine for the that is a candidate from AstraZeneca and Shots could begin within days, depending who received the vaccine earlier this week U.S. by the end of December. But the initial Oxford University. US has over 3,000 one-day death toll Associated Press the devices used to treat sleep ap- MISSION, Kan. — Just when nea. the U.S. appears on the verge of When he goes home to sleep rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine, during the day at the end of his the numbers have become gloo- grueling overnight shifts, he mier than ever: Over 3,000 Amer- sometimes has nightmares. ican deaths in a single day. One “I would be sleeping and I million new cases in the span of would be working in a unit and five days. More than 106,000 peo- things would go completely ple in the hospital. wrong and I would shock myself The crisis across the country is awake. They would be very vis- pushing medical centers to the ceral and very vivid,” he said. “It breaking point and leaving staff would just really spook me.” members and public health offi- In South Dakota, Dr. Clay cials burned out and plagued by Smith has treated hundreds of tears and nightmares. COVID-19 patients while working All told, the crisis has left more at Monument Health Spearfish than 290,000 people dead nation- Hospital and at Sheridan Memo- wide, with more than 15.5 million rial Hospital in neighboring confirmed infections. Wyoming. The U.S. recorded 3,124 deaths He said patients are becoming Wednesday, the highest one-day stranded in the emergency room total yet, according to Johns Hop- for hours while they await beds on kins University. Up until last the main floor or transfers to DAVID GOLDMAN / AP week, the peak was 2,603 deaths larger hospitals. And those trans- Vanessa Castaneda, left, gets swabbed for COVID­19 as her son, Joshua, 3, waits his turn on the lap of his on April 15, when New York City fers are becoming more challeng- stepdad, Mario Araujo, at a drive­thru testing site outside McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I, Wednesday. was the epicenter of the nation’s ing, with some patients sent as far outbreak. The latest number is away as Denver, 400 miles from state has to initiate “crisis stan- subject to revision up or down. the two hospitals. “At the end of the day the virus dards of care” — when life-saving New cases per day are running “That is a huge burden for fam- treatment would be reserved for at all-time highs of over 209,000 ilies and EMS systems as well doesn’t care whether you believe in patients most likely to survive — on average. And the number of when you take an ambulance and car crash victims could be treated people in the hospital with CO- send it 400 miles one way, that it or not.” in hospital conference rooms and VID-19 is setting records nearly ambulance is out of the communi- diabetics with infections could be every day. ty for essentially a whole day,” he Clay Smith denied beds. A U.S. government advisory said. South Dakota doctor Little was among the first gov- panel on Thursday endorsed Smith added that some patients ernors to publicly wear a mask in widespread use of Pfizer’s CO- have gone from thinking “I “These are seasoned emergen- expanded mask rules to require the spring and has encouraged VID-19 vaccine to help conquer thought this was a hoax” to “Wow, cy and critical care personnel,” face coverings be worn outdoors, others to do so, but anti-mask sen- the outbreak. Depending on how this is real and I feel terrible.” But she said. “We do not cry very of- not just inside. timent is intense in the conserva- fast the FDA signs off on the pan- he also has seen people with CO- ten — and especially not a num- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf tive state. el’s recommendation, shots could VID-19 who “continue to be dis- ber of us all at once.” temporarily halted school sports In New York City, which was begin within days, inaugurating believers. It is hard to see that.” In Illinois, where authorities re- and other extracurricular activ- ravaged by the virus in the spring, the biggest vaccination campaign “At the end of the day the virus corded an additional 196 deaths ities, ordered gyms, theaters and one doctor sounded a note of rela- in U.S. history. doesn’t care whether you believe Thursday, Dr. Meeta Shah at casinos to close and banned in- tive optimism, saying that at least In St. Louis, respiratory ther- in it or not,” he said. Rush University in Chicago said door dining at restaurants. physicians are more capable of apist Joe Kowalczyk said he has New Orleans’ health director, medical workers are already be- In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little managing the virus now. seen entire floors of his hospital Dr. Jennifer Avegno, described a leaguered and waiting for the didn’t order a statewide mask “Early in the spring we did not fill up with COVID-19 patients, recent visit to a hospital where “other shoe to drop” from holiday mandate or enact additional re- know enough,” said Dr. Jolion some of them two to a room. He she watched doctors, nurses, re- gatherings. strictions despite the public McGreevy, who directs Mount Si- said the supply of ventilators is spiratory therapists and others “Every day you think, ‘Today is health agency announcing that nai Hospital’s emergency depart- dwindling, and the inventory is so risk exposure to the disease in a going to be awful,’” Shah said. COVID-19 is now the leading ment. “We really are operating thin that colleagues on one shift long, futile attempt to save a dying In Virginia, Gov. Ralph North- cause of death in the state. But the from a place of knowledge, now — had to ventilate one patient by us- COVID-19 patient. Some broke am, a doctor by training, an- Republican governor warned that which is a big leap from where we ing a BiPAP machine, similar to down in tears afterward, she said. nounced a midnight curfew and if hospitals continue to fill and the were in the spring.” Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 7 VIRUS OUTBREAK ROUNDUP Wash. reduces death toll as wedding leads to rise in virus cases

Associated Press the holiday season,” he said. SEATTLE — The state Depart- In the statewide address, he told ment of Health has reported 2,550 residents that the state is seeing a new cases and reduced the num- surge in cases after Thanksgiving, ber of COVID-19 deaths by 166. and reminded them that Christ- The state removes deaths from mas is just two weeks away. the statewide total when the pri- “Unless we take the right pre- mary cause of death is determined cautions, science tells us the cases not to have been COVID-19. will continue to rapidly acceler- The Seattle Times reports the ate,” he said. update brings the state’s totals to He told Arkansans: “We must 192,413 cases and 2,850 deaths, do a few things differently this meaning that 1.5% of people diag- year.” nosed in Washington have died, Hutchinson suggested Arkan- according to the state. The data is sans travel less for the holiday, as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. and if they do travel out of state to ELLIOT SPAGAT / AP In Washington’s most populous take rapid tests before and after. A pedestrian walks past Pacers Showgirls International in San Diego, on Thursday. While California's new King County, 755 new cases were He noted he liked one family’s stay­at­home order has shut down restaurant dining, shuttered salons and kept church services outside, reported, and the number of idea to do their Christmas gather- two strip clubs in San Diego are still welcoming patrons nightly, protected by a court order. San Diego deaths was reduced by 50, to 894. ing outside. He also suggested County officials on Wednesday, voted 3­2 to appeal the judge's ruling that has allowed Pacer Showgirls International and Cheetahs Gentleman's Club to stay open after the establishments sued the county and The DOH also reported 88 new businesses forgo a holiday party state over being ordered to close their doors. hospitalizations as of Wednesday this year, and if not have the state because of the virus and said health department approve their 12,084 people have been hospital- social distancing gathering, as his gency loans provided to business- supplies of vaccination on Tues- navirus cases. ized in the state since the pandem- office is doing. es early in the pandemic and an day. Many of the hospitals and larger ic began. Kentucky executive order to prevent small Holiday religious services such funeral homes in the Fort Worth In Moses Lake, contact tracing businesses from seeing their un- as Roman Catholic midnight Mass area have reached their storage has connected additional CO- LOUISVILLE — Kentucky employment taxes skyrocket. In would not be affected by the cur- capacity or will soon, said Nizam VID-19 cases and possible deaths Gov. Andy Beshear announced addition, the state will spend $37 few, the governor said. Upcoming Peerwani, Tarrant County’s chief to a 300-person wedding near the Thursday that the state’s restau- million for the construction of af- late games by the Cincinnati Ben- medical examiner. Adams County-Grant County line rants, bars, gyms and other busi- fordable housing. gals, Cleveland Browns, Colum- The Tarrant County Medical in November, KXLY-TV reported. nesses will be able to return to “While we continue to wait for bus Crew and the Cincinnati Bear- Examiner’s Office, which has a The Grant County Health Dis- their previous capacity limits Congress to finally get its act to- cats football team are also ex- capacity normally of 100 bodies, trict said Thursday evening it has starting Monday, Dec. 14. gether, today, we are taking a se- empted, but DeWine asked fans to said each truck can store 50 bod- linked 47 cases in its county to “When we talk about COVID ries of additional state actions to limit watch parties to their own ies. wedding attendees. Of those being a fast moving train, it help businesses struggling to hang households. Officials expect to start using cases, two people were staff mem- doesn’t just immediately turn; you on to avoid the prospect of more Oregon the trucks in the next few days. bers at Lake Ridge Center, a nurs- have to slow it down, stop it and layoffs and to try to keep some Also Thursday, a South Texas REDMOND — Some Central ing home in Moses Lake. Since the turn it around. We still believe businesses from going out of busi- county that has been hit especially Oregon schools that were offering wedding, 65 COVID-19 cases have that’s what we’re seeing,” Beshear ness,” Hogan said during a news hard by the pandemic announced in-person instruction this week been reported at Lake Ridge and said. conference. “During this crisis, that its county judge, the county’s canceled those plans for the rest of 15 residents have died. The Democratic governor our small businesses have had to highest elected official, tested pos- the year, as more staffers and stu- The agency also found potential pointed toward the state’s test pos- make very difficult decisions to itive for COVID-19. dents quarantined because of ex- links to health care workers in- itivity rate as a “leading not a lag- move ahead with layoffs and fur- posure to the coronavirus. Virginia cluding one person who worked at ging” indicator that community loughs despite their best efforts.” Redmond school officials in RICHMOND — Gov. Ralph Samaritan Hospital and one nurs- spread is slowing, and urged busi- Ohio Deschutes County halted class- Northam announced new mea- ing student. Contact tracing also nesses to reopen with a commit- COLUMBUS — Ohio’s over- room learning after 91 students sures to combat the coronavirus revealed 11 Moses Lake School ment to enforce social distancing night curfew will be extended into and staffers were told to isolate, Thursday that include a stricter District staff members attended guidelines. the new year, Gov. Mike DeWine The Bulletin reported. In neigh- mask mandate and a curfew that the wedding and tested positive “We’ve got to enforce that mask announced Thursday as he urged boring Crook County, School Su- will requires most Virginians to for COVID-19, the county said. mandate, that’s the way we don’t residents to do everything possi- perintendent Sara Johnson sent a stay at home between midnight Grant County found 14 addition- have to take steps like this again,” ble to protect themselves and oth- letter Monday, telling parents the and 5 a.m. al cases in people with a family he added. ers from the coronavirus during rural district of about 3,000 stu- The executive order is set to member who attended the wed- Bars and restaurants will be the Christmas season. dents would resume comprehen- take effect on Monday and will al- ding or had a social gathering with able to open indoor dining at 50% The curfew first enacted last sive distance learning next week so reduce the state’s cap on public someone who went to the wed- capacity, and continue curbside month will continue to run from 10 through at least Jan. 4. gatherings from 25 people to 10. ding. One of those cases involved a pickup, delivery, and outdoor din- p.m. until 5 a.m. until Jan. 2, the “The impact of quarantines due Northam is expanding the state’s person employed by Moses Lake ing. They must stop serving food governor said. The curfew re- to potential exposures has severe- longstanding mask requirements School District, the county said. at 11 p.m. and close by midnight. Gyms, fitness centers, pools and stricts movement outside homes ly impacted our staffing levels,” to include outdoor areas where so- Arkansas other indoor recreation facilities but allows multiple exceptions for the letter reads. cial distancing isn’t possible and will also be able to resume oper- work, grocery shopping, medical Some 22 Crook County staff and all indoor areas shared with oth- LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Asa ations at 50% capacity. emergencies and other trips. 12 students have been told to quar- ers, except for households. The Hutchinson on Thursday evening Some epidemiologists have ques- antine, with at least three staffers current mask mandate requires implored Arkansans to take pre- Maryland tioned its effectiveness. testing positive so far for the virus, only that masks be worn in indoor cautions during the upcoming ho- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on “We simply cannot afford — on district spokesman Jason Carr public settings. lidays as coronavirus cases surge Thursday announced a series of the very eve of a safe and effective told Oregon Public Broadcasting. The modified stay-at-home or- but declined to implement any ad- measures that he hopes will spur vaccination — to further over- der will have some exceptions, in- ditional restrictions. job creation and help businesses whelm our hospitals and health- Texas cluding for Virginians traveling to “More restrictions on business- that have struggled financially as care providers with a holiday tsu- FORT WORTH — A North Tex- work and seeking medical atten- es would add a whole host of addi- a result of the coronavirus pan- nami,” DeWine said, calling these as medical examiner’s office has tion. The mask mandate does not tional challenges, from increased demic. next few weeks “an inherently brought in two refrigerated trucks apply to children under five. The unemployment to closed business The new efforts include the for- dangerous time.” to store dead bodies in response to executive order will be in place and bankruptcies, all right during giveness of $75 million in emer- Ohio is set to receive its first low capacity amid a surge in coro- through the end of January. PAGE 8 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 NATION Biden filling his Cabinet with an Obama feel Associated Press quently back to the Obama well as WASHINGTON — President- he fills out his government. elect Joe Biden is getting the old “Many of the folks who are re- gang back together. turning are returning because Increasingly deep into the proc- they believe in public service and ess of selecting Cabinet members know that after four turbulent and and other senior staff, the incom- destructive years and a brutal ing Biden administration has a pandemic, this is a particularly distinctly Obama feel. important time to serve,” said Da- There’s Denis vid Axelrod, who served as a se- McDonough, nior adviser to Obama. “Their ex- former Presi- perience is valuable. Their values dent Barack and outlooks are consonant with Obama’s chief of (Biden’s). The challenge is to look staff who Biden forward and not back and inno- announced on vate beyond what’s simply been Thursday would broken.” be nominated as The swelling ranks of Obama of- McDonough the secretary of ficials in Biden’s orbit seem to veterans affairs. Susan Rice, Oba- have some limits. ma’s former national security ad- Former Chicago Mayor Rahm viser, was named the director of Emanuel, a three-term former Biden’s White House Domestic congressman who served as Oba- Policy Council. ma’s first White House chief of That’s on top of Biden already staff, seems increasingly unlikely tapping Obama’s agriculture sec- to win a Cabinet post. He had lob- retary, Tom Vilsack, to head the bied for the yet-to-be-filled trans- department once again, former portation secretary slot but has Secretary of State John Kerry to faced criticism for his handling as MARK HUMPHREY/AP serve as special envoy on climate mayor of the 2014 deadly police Former national security adviser Susan Rice takes part in a discussion on global leadership at Vanderbilt and Kerry’s Obama-era deputy shooting of Laquan McDonald, a University in Nashville, Tenn., in February. Antony Blinken to lead the State Black teen shot 16 times by a white Department. Jeff Zients, who did officer. send with his Cabinet picks. And stints as acting Office of Manage- Still, the reliance on Obama vet- the left-leaning climate group Biden and Harris named ment and Budget director and a erans carries risks. For one, some Sunrise Movement on Thursday top economic adviser in the Oba- of the nominees represent the called the pick of Vilsack for agri- ma White House, will return as Bi- Washington establishment that culture secretary over Rep. Mar- Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ den’s coronavirus response coor- Trump dubbed the “swamp” dur- cia Fudge, an Ohio Democrat who Associated Press some point during his term been a dinator. ing his 2016 campaign and are still was looking to become the agen- WASHINGTON — Time maga- Person of the Year, nearly a dozen With the exception of President distrusted by some Republicans. cy’s first Black secretary, as a zine has named President-elect of those in a presidential election Donald Trump, a political out- Progressive Democrats, mean- “slap in the face to Black Ameri- Joe Biden and Vice President- year. This is the first time we have sider when he was elected in 2016, while, view the Obama era with cans.” elect Kamala Harris its “Person of included a Vice President.” recent new presidents have relied frustration, believing that those in Biden did nominate Fudge to the Year.” Time’s other Person of the Year heavily on pools of talent that had power acted too cautiously at a serve as housing and urban devel- Time’s editor-in-chief Edward candidates were President Do- cut their teeth in their parties’ pre- time that called for bold change. opment secretary and retired Felsenthal says Biden and Harris nald Trump; frontline health care vious administrations to fill out They’re pressing Biden to focus in four-star Army general Lloyd won the honor for “changing the workers and Dr. Anthony Fauci; their own government. But Biden, particular on the diversity of his Austin to serve as defense secre- American story, for showing that and the movement for racial jus- who is assuming the presidency in Cabinet after several early picks tary. If confirmed, he would be the the forces of empathy are greater tice. the midst of the worst public were white men. first Black Pentagon chief. than the furies of division, for Also Thursday, Time named the health crisis in a century and a Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, The president-elect’s allies say sharing a vision of healing in a Korean boy band BTS its Enter- flagging economy, is putting a aNew York Democrat, questioned he’s making good on his pledge to grieving world.” tainer of the Year and named Los greater premium on past experi- earlier this week “the overall fill out a Cabinet that reflects the Felsenthal notes, “Every elect- Angeles Lakers star LeBron ence and, as a result, has gone fre- message” that Biden is aiming to diversity of the nation. ed President since FDR has at James its Athlete of the Year. Hundreds of GOP members sign onto Texas-led election lawsuit Associated Press Seventeen Republican attor- ing to overturn the election in the millions of people, under the base- Supreme Court to hear the case HOUSTON — The Texas law- neys general are backing the un- Texas case, as the President has less claim the Republican incum- have acknowledged that the effort suit asking the U.S. Supreme precedented case that Trump is told them to do,” tweeted Rick Ha- bent lost a chance at a second term is a long shot and are seeking to Court to invalidate President- calling “the big one” despite the sen, a law professor at the Univer- due to widespread fraud. distance themselves from elect Joe Biden’s victory has fact that the president and his al- sity of California, Irvine. “But we Two days after Paxton sued, 17 Trump’s baseless allegations of quickly become a conservative lit- lies have lost dozens of times in are in bad shape as a country that states filed a motion supporting fraud. North Dakota’s Wayne Ste- mus test, as 106 members of Con- courts across the country and 17 states could support this the lawsuit, and on Thursday six of nehjem, among the 17 attorneys gress and multiple state attorneys have no evidence of widespread shameful, anti-American filing” those states asked to join the case general supporting the case, said general signed onto the case even fraud. And in a filing Thursday, by Texas and its attorney general, themselves. Trump has acted to North Dakota is not alleging voter as some have predicted it will fail. the Congressional Republicans Ken Paxton, he said. join the case, tweeting Thursday fraud in the four states at issue. The last-gasp bid to subvert the claimed “unconstitutional irregu- The lawsuit filed against Michi- that “the Supreme Court has a “We’re careful on that,” said results of the Nov. 3 election is larities” have “cast doubt” on the gan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and chance to save our Country from Stenehjem, who noted that his of- demonstrating President Donald 2020 outcome and “the integrity of Wisconsin repeats false, dispro- the greatest Election abuse in the fice has received thousands of Trump’s enduring political power the American system of elec- ven, and unsubstantiated accusa- history of the United States.” calls and emails from constituents even as his term is set to end. And tions.” tions about the voting in four Hours later, Trump held a meet- asking the state to support the suit. even though most of the signato- To be clear, there has been no states that went for Trump’s Dem- ing at the White House, scheduled “But it’s worth it for the Supreme ries are far-right conservatives evidence of widespread fraud and ocratic challenger. The case de- before the suit was filed, with a Court to weigh in and settle it once who come from deep red districts, Trump has been seeking to sub- mands that the high court invali- dozen Republican attorneys gen- and for all,” he said. the filing meant that roughly one- vert the will of the voters. Election date the states’ 62 total Electoral eral, including Paxton and several Montana Attorney General Tim quarter of the U.S. House believes law experts think the lawsuit will College votes. That’s an unprece- others who are backing the effort. Fox called the lawsuit “belated” the Supreme Court should set never last. dented remedy in American histo- Still, some of the top state Re- and said its chances “are slim at aside election results. “The Supreme Court is not go- ry: setting aside the votes of tens of publican prosecutors urging the best.” Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 9 NATION Congress snagged on state aid in virus deal Associated Press bility shield he is seeking for com- ing by a bipartisan group of law- senior Democrat first shared the bers to be prepared to return to WASHINGTON — An emerg- panies and organizations facing makers to strike compromise. Republican leader’s views after Washington to vote on the year- ing $900 billion COVID-19 aid potential COVID-19 lawsuits — in Other legislative pile-ups being granted anonymity to dis- end deals, while the Senate was package from a bipartisan group exchange for the state and local threatened Friday’s related busi- cuss the private conversations, planning a rare Friday session. of lawmakers has all but collapsed funds that Democrats want. ness — a must-pass government which were first reported by Poli- The breakdown over the CO- after Senate Majority Leader The GOP leader criticized “con- funding bill. If it didn't clear Con- tico. VID aid package, after days of be- Mitch McConnell said Republican troversial state bailouts” during a gress, that would trigger a federal Deadlines, real and perceived, hind-the-scenes talks by a group senators won’t support $160 bil- speech in the Senate, as he insists government shutdown on Satur- haven’t been sufficient to drive of lawmakers fed up with inaction, lion in state and local funds as part on a more targeted aid package. day. Washington’s factions to an agree- comes as President Donald of a potential trade-off in the deal. The hardened stance from McConnell’s staff conveyed to ment, despite the U.S. breaking a Trump has taken the talks in an- McConnell’s staff conveyed to McConnell, who does not appear other negotiators it’s “unlikely” record-high 3,000 daily COVID other direction — insisting on a top negotiators Thursday that the to have enough votes from his Re- the trade-off proposed by the bi- fatalities, and hospitals straining fresh round of $600 stimulus GOP leader sees no path to an publican majority for a far-reac- partisan group would be accept- at capacity from soaring case- checks for Americans. agreement on a key aspect of the hing compromise, creates a new able, as COVID aid talks continue, loads nationwide. Sending direct cash payments lawmakers’ existing proposal — a stalemate over the $900-billion- according to a person granted The House recessed for a few to households was not included in slimmed-down version of the lia- plus package, despite days of toil- anonymity to discuss the talks. A days, with leaders warning mem- the bipartisan proposal. Takano calls on Wilkie, senior VA staff to resign

BY STEVE BEYNON fused to fully cooperate with the Stars and Stripes investigation, refusing a second WASHINGTON — Rep. Mark round of interviews. Takano on Thursday called on “In early 2019, VA’s own re- Veterans Affairs Secretary Rob- search found that at least 1 in 4 ert Wilkie and his senior staff to women veterans experience sex- resign immediately after a federal ual or gender harassment at VA. watchdog’s report found they Instead of working with me to ad- campaigned to discredit a Navy dress an underlying problem at officer who said she was sexually the DC VAMC from the start, Sec- assaulted at a VA hospital. retary Wilkie and the senior-most “As I have said before, VA re- officials at VA went out of their quires cultural way to raise suspicions and cast change to put an speculation and doubt about An- end to sexual ha- drea and the legitimacy of the rassment and as- whole incident,” Takano said in a sault at VA facil- prepared statement. ities— that The White House did not re- change starts at spond Thursday to a request for the top,” said Ta- comment. GILLIAN FLACCUS / AP kano, D-Calif., At the time, Wilkie had said Wilkie Protesters stand behind barricades at their encampment outside a home in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday.chairman of Goldstein’s claims were “unsub- House Veterans’ Affairs Commit- stantiated,” which an initial IG re- tee. “It is clear to me that Secre- port determined wasn’t true. tary Wilkie is not up to that task. Charges were not filed against the Large gentrification protest in He has lost the trust and confi- alleged assailant, partly because dence of all those he is charged to there were no working security Portland stretches into 3rd day serve.” cameras. The incident spurred a In September 2019, Andrea public squabble between Wilkie Associated Press camped out at the site, and police erty is known as the Red House on Goldstein, an adviser on female against House Democrats. PORTLAND, Ore. — A gentrifi- didn’t say. Mississippi for its location on veterans’ issues for the House VA Jim Byrne, the former VA dep- cation protest in Oregon’s largest The standoff recalled more North Mississippi Avenue. committee and a Navy Reserve of- uty secretary, said Wilkie became city that has blockaded several than four months of confronta- On Thursday, the family’s sup- ficer, said she was assaulted in the obsessed with the idea that the city blocks in Portland entered its tions between police and protes- porters said in a statement that cafeteria of the VA hospital in sexual assault was a ploy by Dem- third day Thursday as demonstra- ters decrying racial injustice and Wheeler’s office had reached out Washington, D.C. A male contrac- ocrats to make him look bad. tors dressed in black and wearing police brutality that only abated to the Kinney family late Wednes- tor for the VA slammed his body The IG’s report follows the ski masks shored up their ma- weeks ago. day and promised to “keep it Kin- against hers and made sexually damning report about Fort Hood keshift barriers aimed at keeping Mayor Ted Wheeler said the ney” in an initial conversation. suggestive comments, she said. that showed systemic issues of police out. city would not tolerate an “auton- The statement implored the The contractor is still employed at failed leadership at the base that The fencing, lumber and other omous zone,” a reference to a mayor to ”call off” the police and the Washington DC VA Medical contributed to a pattern of vio- roadblocking material first went weekslong protest in Seattle sheriff’s deputies who secured the Center, according to an IG spokes- lence, including sexual harass- up on Tuesday after officers ar- where protesters essentially took home and made arrests on Tues- man. ment, assault and death. rested about a dozen people in a over a several-block area near day. On Thursday, the VA inspector “Never before has our nation’s clash over the eviction of a Black downtown during racial injustice “We look forward to continuing general released a report that military or veteran community and Indigenous family from a protests. that conversation as we move found Wilkie and his staff ques- shied away from the hard battles house. Supporters of the Kinney fam- more towards our goal of securing tioned Goldstein’s credibility and that must be fought to mold our The street behind the blockade ily, the Black and Indigenous fam- the Red House for the Kinney tried to portray her as a serial ac- country into a more perfect in the neighborhood of homes, ily that faced foreclosure, have family and their generations to cuser of dubious claims and as- union,” Takano said. “The trage- coffee shops and restaurants was said the home was unjustly taken come,” the family’s statement cribing her motives to a Demo- dies like the murder of SPC Va- laced with booby traps aimed at through predatory lending prac- said. cratic conspiracy to smear the VA. nessa Guillen and the toxic envi- keeping officers out — including tices that target people of color. Wheeler’s office said in a state- The tone of Wilkie and the VA ronment created at bases like Fort homemade spike strips, piles of The property sold at auction for ment that the city was “actively senior staff set the stage for a fail- Hood are a call to action and proof rocks and thick bands of plastic $260,000 in 2018, the family said, working across bureaus and with ure to address issues with the that we have much work to do to wrap stretched at neck-height while private land next door is partners” to resolve the standoff, safety of women at VA hospitals, dismantle a culture where sexual across the roadway. It’s unclear valued at more than $10 million. but did not confirm having had investigators found. The secreta- harassment and assault are toler- exactly how many people were The small, maroon-painted prop- contact with the family. ry and his top officials also re- ated.” PAGE 10 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 WORLD Ethiopia to return refugees to Eritrean camps

BY CARA ANNA comes days after the United Na- the statement said, adding that aid group also supports the Eri- made clear it intends to manage Associated Press tions refugee chief said the re- “transportation of food to the trean refugees. the process of delivering aid to Ti- NAIROBI, Kenya — Thousands ported targeting of Eritrean refu- camps is under way.” The refugee camps “have had gray, and it has rejected “interfe- of refugees fled camps in Ethio- gees, if confirmed, “would be ma- But communications and trans- no access to services and supplies rence” as fighting is reported to pia’s Tigray region as war swept jor violations of international port links to the Tigray region re- for more than a month,” the U.N. be continuing despite its declara- through, food ran out and col- norms.” Ethiopia has denied the main so challenging that the In- refugee agency told reporters on tion of victory. On Friday, Ethio- leagues were reportedly attacked. involvement of Eritrean troops in ternational Rescue Committee Friday. pia it said it had begun delivering But Ethiopia’s government said the conflict, but Tigray residents said Friday it was still trying to “Now, more than ever, it is a aid to areas in Tigray under its Friday it’s returning the “misin- who fled into Sudan have asserted confirm the details around the matter of urgency to cease all hos- control, including Shire and the formed” refugees back to their that gunfire came from the direc- killing of an employee in the Hit- tilities,” the European Union’s Tigray capital, a city of a half-mil- camps near Eritrea, the country tion of Eritrea as the conflict be- sats refugee camp in Shire town, commissioner for crisis manage- lion people. they originally fled. gan. the base of humanitarian oper- ment, Janez Lenarcic, said while “Suggestions that humanitarian In a statement asserting that Aid groups say thousands of the ations for the refugee camps. condemning the killings. assistance is impeded due to ac- the fighting in Tigray is over, Eth- Eritrean refugees have fled to Separately, the Danish Refugee Frustration remains among the tive military combat in several ci- iopia’s government said its mili- Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, Council said three staffers who United Nations and other human- ties and surrounding areas within tary offensive against the now-fu- and the Tigray capital, Mekele. worked as guards at a project site itarian organizations as the Ti- the Tigray region is untrue and gitive regional government “was Ethiopia’s government said were killed last month. gray region remains largely undermines the critical work un- not a direct threat” to the 96,000 their “unregulated movement” “Sadly, due to the lack of com- sealed off from the outside world dertaken by the National Defense refugees — even as international makes it difficult to ensure their munications and ongoing insecu- five weeks after fighting erupted Forces to stabilize the region,” aid groups said four of their staff- security and provide them with rity in the region, it has not yet between Ethiopia’s government Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy ers had been killed, at least one in aid. been possible to reach their fam- and the Tigray one following a Ahmed’s office said, adding that a refugee camp there. Their camps are now stable and ilies,” it said. It was not clear monthslong power struggle. sporadic gunfire should “not be Ethiopia’s announcement under Ethiopia’s “full control,” where they were killed, but the Ethiopia’s government has misconstrued as active conflict.” EU agrees Hong Kong media tycoon, to raise pro-democracy activist emission charged under security law Associated Press HONG KONG — Hong Kong cuts goal pro-democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN charged under the city’s national Associated Press security law, amid a widening BRUSSELS — European Union crackdown on dissent, according leaders reached a hard-fought to local media reports. deal Friday to cut the bloc’s net Lai, who founded the Apple Dai- greenhouse gas emissions by at ly tabloid, was charged on suspi- least 55% by the end of the decade cion of colluding with foreign compared with 1990 levels, avoid- forces and endangering national ing a hugely embarrassing dead- security, local broadcaster TVB lock ahead of a U.N. climate meet- reported Friday. He is the most ing this weekend. high-profile person out of more Following night-long discus- than two dozen charged under the sions at their two-day summit in law since it was implemented in Brussels, the 27 member states June. approved the EU executive com- He is scheduled to appear in mission’s proposal to toughen the OLIVIER MATTHYS/AP court on Dec. 12, and could face a KIN CHEUNG/AP bloc’s intermediate target on the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen greets maximum punishment of life im- Pro­democracy media tycoon way to climate neutrality by mid- Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during a round table prisonment. Jimmy Lai arrives at a police century, after a group of reluctant, meeting at an EU summit at the European Council building in Police said in a statement that station in Hong Kong Sept. 1. coal-reliant countries finally Brussels, Thursday. they arrested a 73-year-old man agreed to support the improved under the national security law, charged under the national secu- goal. more clarity about how to fund out the night by intense discus- but did not name him. rity law could also face trial in “Europe is the leader in the and handle the green transition. sions in the plenary session and Lai was arrested under the na- mainland China, where the legal fight against climate change,” But the long-awaited deal on a multiple chats in smaller groups tional security law in August. He system is highly opaque. tweeted EU Council president massive long-term budget and on the sidelines. and two executives of Next Digi- The sweeping legislation Charles Michel as daylight broke coronavirus recovery clinched Another delay in revising the tal, the company that operates the prompted more public protests over the EU capital city. “We de- Thursday by EU leaders swung EU’s current 40% emission cuts Apple Daily newspaper, were lat- and led to complaints that Beijing cided to cut our greenhouse gas the momentum. objective for 2030 would have er charged with fraud over accu- is violating the autonomy prom- emissions of at least 55% by 2030.” Large swaths of the record-high been particularly embarrassing sations that they violated lease ised to Hong Kong when it was German Chancellor Angela 1.82 trillion-euro package are set before the virtual Climate Ambi- terms on office space for compa- handed over to China from Britain Merkel said the 21-hour summit to pour into programs and invest- tion Summit marking five years ny. He was denied bail earlier this in 1997. Critics have said the law is during which the climate debate ments designed to help the mem- since the Paris deal, and leaders month. also damaging Hong Kong’s status was a constant worry, had much to ber states, regions and sectors worked to the wire to seal a deal. Beijing imposed the national se- as a business center. show for it. particularly affected by the green Greenpeace and other environ- curity law in response to protests Apple Daily criticized the law “It was worth having a sleepless transition, which are in need of a mental groups have said the im- in Hong Kong that began in June on its front page on July 1, calling it night," she said. deep economic and social trans- proved EU target is insufficient to 2019 over a proposed extradition the “final nail in the coffin” of the Five years after the Paris agree- formation. properly tackle climate change. law and expanded to include de- territory’s autonomy. ment, the EU wants to be a leader EU leaders have agreed that “To increase the chances of lim- mands for greater democracy in Lai has advocated for other in the fight against global warm- 30% of the package — some 550 iting global heating to 1.5°C and the former British colony. countries to take a harsher stance ing. Yet the bloc’s leaders were billion euros — should be used to avoid the worst effects of climate The legislation outlaws seces- on China, and last year he traveled unable to agree on the new target support the transition. breakdown, Greenpeace is calling sion, subversion, terrorism, and to the U.S. to meet with Vice Presi- the last time they met in October, Still, agreeing on common lan- for at least a 65% cut in EU emis- collusion with foreign forces to in- dent Mike Pence and Secretary of mainly because of financial con- guage was not an easy task. Nego- sions from polluting sectors by tervene in Hong Kong’s internal State Mike Pompeo to discuss the cerns by eastern nations seeking tiations were punctuated through- 2030,” the NGO said. affairs. In certain cases, those proposed extradition bill. Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 11 AMERICAN ROUNDUP

Ex-teacher sentenced for kicking kindergartener BELLE PLAINE — A KS former Kansas teacher who was caught on security cam- era kicking a kindergarten stu- dent in the school library has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and a year of probation. Crystal Smith, 55, was also or- dered to attend anger manage- ment classes after pleading guilty in Johnson County District Court, online court records show. A security camera at the Blue- jacket-Flint Elementary School in Shawnee, Kan., captured footage of the incident. The girl had craw- led into a bookshelf opening. Smith yanked her out, then kicked the girl as she lay huddled. When the mother confronted the teacher, Smith denied harm- ing the girl and told her the girl was not being truthful. The moth- er demanded school officials to in- vestigate. Flower Show to be held outdoors for first time PHILADELPHIA — PA The Philadelphia Flow- er Show, which bills itself as “the nation’s largest and longest-run- ning horticultural event,” will move outside next year for the JIM SLOSIAREK, THE (CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA) GAZETTE/AP first time in its nearly 200-year history because of the coronavirus pandemic. A spoke­tacular day The 2021 event will take place in Keith Snoop of Marion, Iowa, takes a curve as he pedals down the 4,000­foot Trashmore Trail during an out­of­season two­day access special FDR Park in south Philadelphia, at the Mount Trashmore Trails and Overlook in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday. Favorable weather made it possible for the Linn County the Pennsylvania Horticultural Solid Waste Agency to open two trails at the site for walking and mountain biking. At least 360 people walked or biked on the first day. Society announced. “We are working closely with trailer hauling garlic from Califor- THE CENSUS chary Terwilliger said. our colleagues at Philadelphia nia after staff at a northwest Indi- Prosecutors said Jackson and Parks and Recreation and a host of ana highway weigh station grew The number of black bears killed on the first day of New Jer- three other men defrauded Vir- planning experts including the suspicious, police said. 22 sey's annual black bear hunt. The second segment of the hunt ginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Department of Public Health in State troopers were called to the resumed with hunters in parts of eight counties using firearms. However, the stores by using debit and credit Philadelphia to develop the Flow- weigh station along Interstate 94 season will be extended by four days if the bear harvest “does not meet a mini- cards re-encoded with the stolen er Show into a safe, beautiful, and in Porter County by staff who had mum of 20% of bears tagged.” Hunters used archery to bag 62 bruins on the information. The news release extraordinary outdoor experience been inspecting a commercial first day of the hunt's first segment in October. They killed 336 bears with said investigators identified 20 di- for everyone,” the society said. truck's trailer loaded with 18,000 archery and muzzleloaders during the first segment between Oct. 12 and Oct. rect victims of identity theft from 17. Most of the bruins were bagged in Sussex County. pounds of minced garlic. Jackson’s role in the conspiracy, Holiday messages being State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield and at least 82 victims of the big- sent to care facilities said a staff member became sus- about 25 feet above the ground, an AK-47 rifle, wearing body ar- ger conspiracy. picious after spotting a black case said Julie O’Berg of the Spokane mor and demanding that the depu- FRANKFORT — Em- in the trailer that seemed inconsis- Fire Department. ties leave the property. The depu- Woman arrested at KY ployees of the Legisla- tent with the rest of its load, The The father, Kevin Hulme, was ties then took cover behind their airport with hidden knife tive Research Commission have (Northwest Indiana) Times re- not in the apartment when the tree patrol cars and told Donovan they launched a campaign to send ported. caught fire. had a warrant for his arrest, au- PHOENIX — A woman hand-written holiday cards to ev- Fifield said that case contained His wife ran to get help but thorities said. AZ was arrested at Phoe- ery long-term care facility around packages of a white substance, could not re-enter the apartment According to the news release, nix Sky Harbor Airport after al- the state. which later tested positive as co- because of smoke. Donovan fled into nearby woods legedly trying to pass through se- The goal was to send at least one caine. before he negotiated with depu- curity and board a flight to San card to each facility, but some Deputies confront, arrest ties, put down his rifle and surren- Francisco recently with a folding have asked for cards for each resi- 2 kids jump from 3rd man pointing AK-47 dered. knife concealed in her bra., au- dent. There are around 250 facil- floor to escape fire thorities said. ities in the state. EDEN — A North Car- Man pleads guilty to FBI officials in Phoenix said “If your family is anything like SPOKANE — Two NC olina man dressed in fraud at ABC stores Erine Aisha Robertson, 36, was mine, curtailing holiday traditions WA children had to jump body armor pointed an assault ri- charged with the federal crime of because of social distancing has from a third-floor window of a fle at deputies after they went to a NEWPORT NEWS — A attempting to carry a weapon on been hard on the soul,” Commis- Spokane apartment building to es- home to serve him with a warrant, VA Virginia man has plead- an aircraft. sion Director Jay Hartz said. “My cape a fire that was caused after a sheriff’s office said. ed guilty to participating in a Court documents show an hope is this card-writing initiative the family's Christmas tree burst The Rockingham County Sher- scheme to buy alcohol for resale alarm went off as Robertson fosters some of that human con- into flames. iff’s Office said in a news release from state-run liquor stores by us- passed through the sensor at the nection lost with the restrictions.” A 9-year-old boy who jumped as that deputies went to a home in ing stolen debit and credit card Transportation Security Adminis- people gathered below had to be Pelham to arrest Patrick James numbers, according to the U.S. At- tration checkpoint. Police find cocaine stash taken to the hospital to be checked Donovan, 46, on an misdemeanor torney’s Office. Authorities said Robertson was in trailer hauling garlic out but fire officials said his inju- simple assault charge stemming Tyrell Jackson, 44, of Norfolk taken to a private screening room ries were not life threatening. from an incident earlier in the day pleaded guilty to conspiracy to where she reached into her bra VALPARAISO — A stash The boy's 5-year-old sister, who in Caswell County. commit wire fraud and aggravat- and pulled out a small knife. IN of cocaine worth up to $2 also jumped, was not injured. Deputies said Donovan ed identity theft, a news release million was discovered inside a The third-story window was emerged from a carport carrying from Virginia U.S. Attorney G. Za- From The Associated Press PAGE 12 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 TRAVEL

Postcards from the edge A love letter from Timbuktu? A project in Mali delivers delight — and a lifeline for tour guides in the ancient city

BY BAILEY BERG after a series of suicide bombings in 2015 and lingering Special to The Washington Post insecurity. Now the top half of Mali is all but divorced from t’s not often that Phil Paoletta receives disgruntled the southernmost half, at least for foreigners. Even if Pao- emails about his and Ali Nialy’s project, but when he letta, who has lived in Mali for a decade, wanted to go visit PHIL PAOLETTA/The Washington Post does, it’s because someone thinks their West Africa- Nialy, he’d be turned around by officials before he got to Calligrapher Boubacar Sadeck works on a Postcards Ibased company is a scam. Timbuktu. From Timbuktu order in July 2018. Customers pick the The duo started Postcards From Timbuktu in 2016 with As Nialy explained how dire the guide industry in Tim- image and dictate what they want the postcards to say. a mission to help unemployed tour guides gain an income buktu had become, the idea for their venture clicked for by sending cards from a city that’s become shorthand for a Paoletta. some try to fool others into thinking they’re actually trav- far-flung, if not imaginary, place. After a successful test run to determine whether a post- eling, and some send cryptic messages anonymously. “They think Timbuktu isn’t a real place and we’re print- card from Timbuktu would get to its destination in other Paoletta said they have even witnessed family mediations ing fake postcards and stamps to make it seem like some- countries, they assembled a team of ghostwriters and set via the team’s handwritten letters. Passive-aggressive thing’s coming from a place in a joke,” Paoletta said. up a website. The process for ordering a card written and notes, presumably, hit differently when they’ve come from It then falls to Paoletta to explain that Timbuktu is, in postmarked in Timbuktu is fairly simple: pay $10, dictate a city on the edge of the Sahara desert. fact, a real city, that the person who wrote the message is the verbiage and choose a design. Of the $10 fee for the card, the guides usually make a not a grifter a la a fictitious “Nigerian prince,” and that one Some of the images on the cards Paoletta shot himself, little more than $3 on average, though it varies depending of their friends or family members ordered a postcard for others were gifted by professional photographers, and on how much it costs to ship the card. Some of the funds them thinking they would enjoy receiving correspondence some are public-domain historical pictures of Timbuktu. also go toward printing and website fees. from Mali. Alternatively, the sender can opt to have a design colored “We have grown up in [tourism], so this alternative More often than not, though, the recipients of the post- by kids at the elementary school. There’s no telling what income is very important for us in such a way that we can cards are delighted, especially this year, when internation- will be drawn on the card, but the proceeds will help the fulfill our daily needs and help our families,” Nialy ex- al tourism has largely come to a halt. In fact, the armchair- students get new school supplies (which more recently plained. travel nature of the postcards has led to the project’s most have included hand sanitizer). When there are big orders, the guides do fairly well — at successful year yet. From there, one of the unemployed guides hand-writes least compared with other workers in Timbuktu. The aver- “We had a lot of postcards for people that were stuck in the message (usually in English, German or French, but age salary in Mali is just under $80 a month, a sum they quarantine and wished they could be traveling,” Paoletta they’ll try their best with any language or alphabet sub- can reach penning roughly two dozen postcards. While it’s said. “This way, at least, they have a postcard that traveled mitted), and off it’s sent. not as much as they were making as guides (when it was all the way from Timbuktu.” While the concept is straightforward, Paoletta said the safer for tourists to visit Timbuktu, they earned about $40 The idea for the project came the same day Paoletta, an execution in Mali often follows a more meandering path. a day during peak season), it is consistent. Without this American hotel and restaurant owner in Bamako, the On average, the cards take two or three weeks to arrive, project, the guides probably wouldn’t have any income at capital city, received mail from a friend in the United but there have been exceptions. The biggest problems all — jobs are scarce, and many have been guides since States — his first parcel in six years. He was thinking Paoletta and Nialy have encountered is an inability to they were 7 or 8 years old, so they lack formal education. about how delightful it was to receive the letter when Nialy track the postcards. Once they’ve been dropped off at the “I don’t want to say it’s a long-term solution, but it is came to visit him. post office, they have no way of knowing where in the critical for them, especially since 2015,” Paoletta said. The latter had been a guide in the UNESCO World Heri- world they are. Still, they’ve had very few complaints, Writing the cards also allows them to continue sharing tage city since elementary school and had previously made which Paoletta finds refreshing. their city with others. a comfortable living walking tourists through his home- “We’ve become so accustomed to ordering something “I have the feeling that I’m doing what I like the most, town, bringing the fabled city to life with visits to mud and being able to track it down to the meter,” Paoletta said. which is tourism, even though the context is different,” brick, earthen mosques and museums that show the histo- “But these cards go on long, unpredictable journeys. It’s Nialy said. ry of the once-important trading post. But after Islamist surprising and nice that people seem to accept this time- Paoletta echoed that sentiment, saying the guides know militant occupation and attacks in 2012, tourism went into line.” there’s a whiff of the mystical around their city, and “they a free fall. The next year, the French military intervened The wording for the myriad dispatches have spanned enjoy showing people that it’s a real place, with real peo- and conditions improved, but numbers dwindled further the substance spectrum. Some people write love letters, ple, with interesting things happening there.”

PHIL PAOLETTA/The Washington Post Above and top: collection of postcards dispatched by Postcards From Timbuktu. The West African business began as a way to employ out­of­work tour guides in the ancient city. Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 13 VIDEO GAMES Demon’s Souls: The ideal PS5 launch game Cutting-edge technology transforms 2009 title into a stunningly immersive experience

BY GENE PARK graphical fidelity has led to them The Washington Post losing that chimerical quality he Valley of Defile- which came from the haunting ment. The Tower of simplicity of the PS3 polygons. Latria. Every time I But there are really only a few Trevisit a Souls game, examples that might seem dis- trepidation bubbles in my gut agreeable, all dwarfed by how before I realize I’m only worry- each of the five worlds have been Bluepoint Games photos ing about Demon’s Souls. Every lovingly reimagined. And after The new, revitalized version of Demon’s Souls for PlayStation 5, a revelation 11 years ago on the pang of fear I get when playing a all, Demon’s Souls is FromSoft- PlayStation 3, is now easily the best­looking game on any console, anywhere. Souls game stems from my first ware’s take on Western fantasy. steps through this game in 2009. It’s not a huge leap to see these your left ear, while a torch crack- Yes, Dark Souls is the game creatures reconceived by a West- les to the right of your head. It’s a that popularized the Souls-like ern developer. Souls experience like we’ve nev- genre. But it was Demon’s Souls, Bluepoint Games has created er felt, heard or seen. with its level design and atmo- what I believe is the ideal Play- Demon’s Souls now looks like sphere, that embedded itself into Station 5 launch game. First of what I imagined console games my memory. The PlayStation 3 all, it was Sony’s Japan studio might look like late in the PS5’s cult hit was nothing like I’d ever that suggested to FromSoftware generational cycle, yet here it is played before. Fellow games to conceive this game in the first for the PS5’s launch. The new critic Brad Gallaway, who rec- place. The Souls-like genre is engine adds clarity to the context ommended it to me, then called it essentially a Sony first-party of each world. The castle walls of “the fruition of a dream three creation, before FromSoftware Boletaria look more like a place generations old.” decided to branch out with Dark of recent unrest and chaos, while I was, and still am, inclined to Souls two years later. the Tower of Latria’s upper and agree. This PlayStation 5 remake PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan lower levels now make geograph- is a blessing for those of us who says that the PS5 is all about ical sense. Latria is split between traveled through Boletaria 11 sensory engagement. And De- two planes, one above the fog in years ago. And what nasty sur- mon’s Souls is a game that de- the highest floors of the tower, The “game feel” of Demon’s Souls is enhanced on the PlayStation 5 prises await everyone who mands attention to its details, its and another way below the fog, with 3D audio and the DualSense haptic feedback. skipped ahead and cut their teeth movements, how every weapon knee deep in mud and blood. My on Dark Souls and its ilk. This is feels, as well as its sights and 2009 brain never was able to where the real Souls genre be- sounds. It was one of the first make sense of the architecture gins. games that asked players to be- until now, when I’m finally able To reduce this launch title as a have as if they were actually to see the pillars and foundations mere remake of a PlayStation 3 creeping through the dark halls that hold the whole region togeth- game is to sell short this astound- of the Tower of Latria, hearing er. ing achievement by Bluepoint bells jingle down the hallway as The facial animations are an- Games. This is easily the best- some Eldritch horror awaits. other controversial addition, but looking game on any console Running through strange, unlit in my eyes, they only add to the today. More importantly, it clar- hallways would be ill advice in game’s otherworldly ghastliness. ifies that virgin voyage into this real life, and it’s a quick way to PlayStation-exclusive titles like genre in ways I never thought die in Demon’s Souls. Every level Uncharted and The Last of Us we’d experience. must be approached with caution have pioneered facial animation In 2009, the ambition of the and keen situational awareness. technology to express convincing level design here was hampered The “game feel” is enhanced emotion. Bluepoint Games seems by technology. Old-school video with 3D audio and the DualSense to flip that convention on its The settings in Demon’s Souls have the complexity of real locations. game “fog” and darkness would haptic feedback. The controller head. The faces convey emotion, obscure the darkest regions of now mimics what your charac- but not in any subtle way like up among five different regions, ware created in 2009 have the the game, most notably the afore- ter’s hands might be feeling. If we’d see in Ellie or Joel, but instead of one universal map. complexity of real places, which mentioned Valley of Defilement, your sword hits a wooden shield, mimicking Kabuki-style exagger- This gave the game a classic is why the game played so vividly which set the bog standard for your controller will vibrate softer ations that belie a deeper, un- structure, like World 1-1 in Super to fans of role-playing games. similar levels, like the infamous than against brassy, grinding spoken pain. And the new or- Mario Bros. But loading between And now Bluepoint has given Blighttown of Dark Souls. Here, I steel shields and walls. When the chestral remixes now take cues the hub and between each region Demon’s Souls all the details and can actually see what the entire sword in your right hand trem- from your action, adding rare in five seconds or less ties the polish needed to fully realize this valley looks like, far more vast bles with magical energy, so too moments of cinematic flair to game together in ways older game’s idealized concept of and cavernous than even my will the right side of your con- boss battles in an otherwise hardware simply couldn’t. Lev- “role-playing immersion.” It was imagination allowed. troller. Every squish of flesh deadly quiet journey. eling up, grinding, dying and a game of boundless creativity, On social media, there are when you turn your blade will be The biggest game-changing trying again are all the more and to have it reimagined so flashes of disagreement with heard from the controller’s feature of this console generation pleasurable and easier to do with vividly by Bluepoint Games is Bluepoint’s design decisions, speakers, all timed perfectly to is also this game’s biggest reason this friction largely removed nothing short of a minor miracle. particularly with certain enemies your on-screen action. With for celebration: fast loading from the process. Platforms: PlayStation 5 like the Fat Minister and the headphones on, it’s true that you times. Unlike later Souls-like The game itself is an all-time Online: playstation.com/en-us/ Maneater boss; the increase in can almost feel arrows whiz by titles, Demon’s Souls is divided classic. The settings FromSoft- games/demons-souls PAGE 14 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 MOVIES ‘76 Days’ of COVID Director Hao Wu manages to get an inside look at the start of the outbreak in Wuhan

BY JOSH ROTTENBERG Poring through footage from young couple who have been Los Angeles Times overrun hospitals where health separated from their newborn s a documentary film- care workers heroically strug- baby and a weary nurse return- maker, Hao Wu has gled to save as many lives as they ing the cellphones of deceased focused throughout his could, and reflecting on his own patients to their grieving fam- Acareer on smaller, family back in China — including ilies. character-driven stories that a dying grandfather he was un- The LA Times spoke with Wu bridge the divide between his able to visit due to travel re- about how the film came togeth- native China, where he grew up, strictions — Wu quickly realized er, what it reveals about China’s and his adoptive home in Amer- that even this massive, globe- handling of the pandemic and the ica. In 2013’s “People’s Republic shaking story ultimately boiled messages he hopes viewers take of Desire,” for example, Wu down to the sort of intimate hu- away from it. followed three young Chinese man drama that had always fas- Los Angeles Times: Through­ people as they pursued internet cinated him. out the making of this film you fame through live-streaming, The resulting film, “76 Days,” were in the U.S. while your co­ while his 2019 Netflix film “All in offers an alternately harrowing directors were shooting footage My Family” chronicled his tradi- and inspiring look inside four in Wuhan. To this day, you’ve tion-minded parents’ road to hospitals in Wuhan during the never met them in person. How accepting his homosexuality. country’s 2 1/2-month lockdown did that collaboration work? When he was first approached as it became the world’s first Wu: I’d been following the in February about making a film COVID-19 epicenter. Co-directed news, but by mid-February, very about the growing COVID-19 by Wu and two Chinese film- little video footage had come out AP pandemic, Wu wasn’t sure how to makers — Weixi Chen and a of Wuhan. So when I started Hao Wu is a co­director of the documentary “76 Days.” The film was approach such an enormous, state-run-media reporter who is talking to reporters and film- shot in four Wuhan hospitals. Wu said at first he was reluctant to take headline-dominating subject. remaining anonymous so as not makers to see whether they on a newsy topic such as COVID, but he realized that the event boiled “Normally I tend to shy away to run afoul of the government — would share what they’d been down to the sorts of intimate human dramas that interested him. from newsy topics,” he says. “As the film premiered in September filming, my co-directors’ footage a filmmaker, I don’t know what at the Toronto International Film really jumped out at me. It was Every day after their shoot, discuss where they were at with more I could add to a topic that’s Festival and is now playing in so striking to me that they were they would back up their footage certain characters. I tried to give being well covered by the news virtual cinemas in the U.S. able to be so close to the action, onto the cloud and I was able to them some advice about charac- media already.” Dispensing with interviews to the human drama, the fear, the download it in New York. But ter focus and about coverage, but Based in New York, where he with experts and commentators, panic, as well as the patience of because of the Great Firewall in general they made most of the lives with his partner and their “76 Days” instead zeroes in on a the medical workers and their (regulating internet access in decisions on the ground them- two children, Wu began reaching handful of individuals as they efforts to comfort the sick. I talk- China), there was always a few selves because the situation was out to reporters and filmmakers navigate the crisis, including a ed to them and they were very days’ delay. Once I watched the changing really fast. Whatever on the ground in Wuhan to find health care worker comforting an gracious and started uploading rushes, I would try to talk to character we think is interesting out what they’d been seeing. old woman who is dying alone, a their rushes. them at least every other day to might be transferred the next day to a different hospital or might refuse to participate. It was very chaotic. This movie is entirely free of politics. There are no talking heads commenting on the Chi­ nese government’s handling of the crisis, just footage from the front lines. Was that a conscious decision early on? As I started editing, my view about the politics shifted. At the beginning, I think the entire country of China was angry at the government. There were a lot of questions about how much did the government know, how much did it try to cover up, why was the situation so bad in Wuhan? But as soon as the virus traveled to other countries, especially the U.S., and as the U.S. fumbled its response to the pandemic, every- one in China was shocked. Once China decided to take this super seriously, it quickly got it under control. Right now in China, their lives have gone back to normal. Movie theaters, res- taurants, bars — everything has reopened. But here, we just MTV DOCUMENTARY FILMS/AP struggle with no ending in sight. A man holds his newborn baby in a hospital during the peak of the COVID­19 outbreak in Wuhan, China, in a scene from “76 Days.” Given the constraints at the time on footage and information from Wuhan, it’s a rare window into the infancy of the pandemic. SEE WU ON PAGE 15 Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 15 MOVIES Wu: Happy just to be able to finish the film FROM PAGE 14 From early on, we’ve seen That made me think more about President Trump and many of my earlier intentions. his supporters blame China for We did interview some whis- this pandemic and call it the tleblower doctors who told the “China virus.” Is part of your aim public about the early cases of with the film to push back on the coronavirus. But by the time that and get viewers to see the we approached them, their sto- Chinese people in a different ries were not that fresh anymore light? and on camera, they were not Any message like that is sec- compelling. When we put them ondary because as a storyteller, next to the other footage, it was as I was putting the film together, jarring. So in the end, I removed the motivation was emotional. It’s all these other characters. I really about highlighting the found that less is more; the less I common humanities. If anything, tell about what is happening and I feel like especially in the last just let people observe, the more couple of years with the increas- emotional power the film has. ingly toxic China-U.S. relation- As someone who grew up in ship, both sides tend to view the MTV Documentary Films photos China and has lived in the U.S. other side as just a monolith. We In Wuhan, China, a doctor comforts a COVID­19 patient in a scene from the documentary “76 Days.” for many years now, do you see take away the individuality and cultural differences between the agency of the individuals. two countries that help explain When we’re talking about how differently the pandemic “China virus” and “they started has played out in each place? this,” we put that on the entire ‘76 Days’ an inside look at First of all, the reason I made population of China as a whole. the film this way is I saw more But on the ground there are so similarities than differences in many individuals making deci- many places. At least during the sions on a day-to-day basis the first outbreak of COVID Wuhan lockdown, everyone whether they want to be part of treated the virus as a common the effort to combat the virus, BY KEVIN CRUST enemy almost like in a war, and whether they can be nice to each Los Angeles Times people rise to the occasion in a other — those are tiny, tiny deci- The first minutes of the experiential COVID-19 time of war. I think that’s some- sions. So with this film I wanted documentary “76 Days” are claustrophobic and thing we’ve seen everywhere: to restore the human agency for disorienting — a feeling not unlike your first trip to how health care workers have these Chinese people who were the grocery store while wearing a mask. But it gets had so much courage to stay on trying to survive this. Otherwise better. the job, how volunteers are help- they become like statistics and In the controlled chaos of a hospital’s corridors, ing each other out, how we all news headlines. everyone is sheathed head to toe in PPE. We see a cheer our medical workers like Secondly, I just want people to woman screaming to say goodbye to her father and we did every day in New York watch this and see that COVID is having to be restrained. A crowd bangs on a door back in March and April. still really bad. I cannot believe pleading to be let in as the hospital staff reassures In terms of differences, I don’t there is still discussion going on them that they will all be admitted if they only like to try to generalize, but I’ve even after the election about remain patient. been thinking about this issue a whether COVID is a hoax or not. The date is Jan. 23, 2020, and it’s the first day of lot. I’m not a historian or a politi- ... People’s willingness to dis- Wuhan, China’s lockdown, which will stretch the cal commentator, but I feel like regard science baffles me. length of the film’s title. Wuhan has a population of An elderly woman with COVID­19, center, is the relationship in China be- There are a number of scenes 11 million — think New York City plus Chicago — escorted by two nurses after being admitted to a tween the people and the state in “76 Days,” like sick people and as the epicenter of the virus that rapidly spread hospital in Wuhan, China, in “76 Days.” has always been different. In banging on the door to be ad­ around the world, officials acted quickly and deci- Chinese Confucian history, the mitted to a hospital that is being sively to try to contain it. plaining and the days in bed crying is revealed to state has always been acting sort strained to its limits, that play The documentary, however, is largely concerned be suffering from dementia, a discovery that allows of as a patriarch, so in times of like something from a horror with the patients and frontline medical workers in the staff to better care for him. An infant nick- crisis when the state asks you to movie. With the pandemic now the four hospitals where it was shot. If Alex Gib- named “Little Penguin,” whose mother tested posi- do certain things people follow entering its most dangerous ney’s “Totally Under Control” (now on Hulu) is a tive for the virus, charms the nurses with her appe- orders. That’s not limited to Chi- phase, do you think this film may macro-report of what went wrong with the U.S. tite and sleep habits as her parents wait to be re- na; if you look at all the East feel too raw for some viewers? response to the outbreak, “76 Days” is an apolitical, united with her. A head nurse named Yang Li is Asian countries which have been The reactions so far overall microbial view of what happens to the people at its determined to return phones and death certificates under Confucian influence — have been the same: Most people point of impact. to the families of patients who did not survive. Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, would say, “I have no interest in About 30 minutes in, the initial daze begins to lift For a film that opens in a rather grim environ- Singapore, Taiwan — they’re all watching a film about COVID.” and individual stories emerge — though it’s not ment, “76 Days” is ultimately (and surprisingly) like that. Here in America, there But after they watched it, they always clear who is who due to the PPE or even uplifting as it moves through February and March is a strong belief in individual- were either shocked or incred- that we are actually in different hospitals. But the to Wuhan’s reopening in April, thanks to the emo- ism. ibly moved. connection between caregivers and their patients is tionally-driven verite approach taken by directors In World War I and World War For me, to be able to finish this powerful, even when regional dialects makes com- Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and a third credited as “Anon- II, the American government film given all the hiccups and munication challenging. There is a universal tone of ymous” (the latter two are video reporters who shot was able to mobilize the entire obstacles in making it, whatever tough love that initially seems brusque but becomes the footage while Wu edited in the U.S.). Consid- population to combat a common comes I’m happy. I feel like I more endearing the more we hear it. ering China’s lack of artistic freedom, it’s some- enemy. But this time, I feel like want to save this for posterity. Older patients are respectfully addressed as thing of a miracle the film exists. it’s both the culture and a failure This is such a great front-line, “Grandma,” “Grandpa,” “Auntie” and “Uncle,” told Like Gibney’s “Totally Under Control,” this is not of leadership at the very top. I do firsthand document about what to stay strong and encouraged to keep in touch with the ultimate COVID-19 documentary, simply one of feel like if we had a different it’s like leading to a pandemic. So their families via their omnipresent mobile phones. the first. We are likely to be watching films on this administration and that adminis- maybe more people will watch it One hospital worker tells a grandma that she can’t subject for years to come, but for it’s sheer in-the- tration was using consistent after the pandemic is over. ... I’ll be with her family but “we are your family now.” moment rawness, “76 Days” is one that will stick in messaging and reminding the be very pleased if a year or two Memorable personalities surface even though we your consciousness for some time. population we’re at war with the years or 10 years from now, peo- don’t always know their names — patients are usu- virus, maybe we would have had ple seek this film out to try to ally referred to as No. 40 or No. 98. A cranky grand- “76 Days” is unrated. Running time: 99 minutes. Available on streaming a completely different outcome. understand COVID-19. pa who spends the nights wandering the halls com- services. PAGE 16 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 HEALTH & FITNESS

BY SAMANTHA SCHMIDT The Washington Post t took a global pandemic and a badly timed breakup for Manny Argueta to realize just how far he had grown Iapart from his guy friends. iStock photos In the spring, after the 35-year-old had left the home he shared with his former girl-friend and moved into a studio in sub- urban Falls Church, Va., on his own, he would go an entire week without saying a word. There were no more game days with the guys, no more Friday nights in down- town bars, and Argueta was starved for social interaction. He returned to his Play- Station 4, jumping on the microphone with a stranger while playing “Overwatch” just to hear someone’s voice. He discovered the messaging app Discord and started chat- ting with his old gamer friends and watch- ing them play “Mortal Kombat 11” — even when he didn’t have the game set up him- self. He started recognizing how dependent his friendships had become on those Sun- day football games and nights at 14th Street lounges, on venting about Repub- licans or why the Washington Capitals didn’t make the playoffs. They hardly ever talked about relationships or family, or just serious topics. The group of four men, who how they were doing. He had never met met on their freshman floor at the Uni- many of their family members. versity of Virginia and are now in their 30s, For more than a decade, psychologists BONDING have been groomsmen in each other’s have written about the “friendship crisis” weddings. They have gone on international facing many men. A 2006 analysis publish- trips together. They consider the other ed in the American Sociological Review men in the group their closest friends. found that while Americans in general So why don’t they ever actually talk have fewer friends outside the family than BEYOND THE BAR about their feelings? they used to, young, white, educated men “I’ve always thought it’s funny that we have lost more friends than other groups. talk about things that are completely in- Male friendships are often rooted in The pandemic is forcing some men consequential 80 to 90% of the time,” said “shoulder-to-shoulder” interactions, such his friend, Alex Hyde, 32, over a recent as watching a football game or playing to realize they need deeper friendships joint Zoom call. video games, while women’s interactions When the friends get together in person, are more face-to-face, such as grabbing a for a beer or dinner, the deeper details coffee or getting together for a glass of Argueta was used to avoiding talking Way said, many men may be forced to “sneak in by accident,” Hyde said. Now wine, said Geoffrey Greif, a professor at about personal details in his conversations change the way they think about their that they can’t, the more serious topics the University of Maryland School of So- with male friends. But after struggling friendships and to connect in new, deeper don’t come as naturally over text. cial Work who wrote a book about male with his mental health and going through ways: “I think they’re being forced to for It feels more raw, Hyde said. “In general friendship. When Greif surveyed hundreds therapy this year, he said, he wants to start survival.” with other guys, there’s a certain amount of of men about how they most often social- finding ways to tell his friends what’s ac- A few years ago, Stephen Davis, 33, a tax harassment that goes with anything you ized with friends, 80% of men said “sports” tually going on. manager in suburban Alexandria, Va., say... you got to be ready for that.” — either watching or participating in them Niobe Way, a professor of developmental joined a group text with one of his best It feels impossible not to revert to mak- together. psychology who interviewed hundreds of friends and some other guys he vaguely ing fun of one another, Gordon said. “We Because of this, many men have prob- boys for her 2013 book “Deep Secrets: knew from college. The conversation was, have no self restraint ...I can’t not crack up. ably had a harder time than women figur- Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Con- at first, solely focused on the world of pro- We set each other off,” he said. “In an ideal ing out how to adapt their friendships in a nection,” argues the lack of vulnerability in fessional wrestling. They called it “Five world, we wouldn’t do that.” pandemic that is keeping them apart. male friendships is rooted in a misogy- MB,” short for Five Man Band. These are the kinds of conversations “The rules for guys pursuing other guys nistic, homophobic culture that discourag- But recently, the group has evolved into Argueta, in Falls Church, had come to for friendships are not clear,” Greif said. es emotional intimacy between men. But a space to vent about so much more. It’s expect from his friendships with men. “Guys don’t want to seem too needy.” it’s also part of a culture that does not value gotten them through multiple job changes, When a couple of friends came over to But the pandemic might be forcing this adult friendship in general. home moves and the births of four of their help him set up his PC, Argueta expected dynamic to change. “The goal of adulthood is to find a part- children — including two during the pan- them to roast him for looking like a “broke In emails and interviews with The Wash- ner, not to find a best friend,” Way said. demic. When Davis was struggling with college student” in his new studio, where ington Post, dozens of men shared stories “There’s nothing in our definition of suc- ideas for how to keep his son occupied he has barely put anything on the walls and about Zoom poker games, backyard cigar cess or maturity ... that includes friend- when playgrounds were closed, one of the he has cords all over his desk. Instead, the nights, neighborhood-dad WhatsApp ships.” other dads in the group suggested an obsta- two friends asked him to talk about what chains, Dungeons & Dragons groups and But research shows that close friend- cle course of pillows for his son to run led up to his breakup, and how he was Fantasy Football leagues where casual ships and social networks are essential. A through. When Davis’ wife’s water broke, handling the past few months. Argueta chats about sports and politics have sud- Brigham Young University study found he texted the Five Man Band before any- opened up to them — about his past rela- denly led to deep conversations — about that social connections — with friends, one else — even before his parents. tionship, the move, the pandemic, every- the struggles of virtual schooling, family family, neighbors or colleagues — improve The group has become closer than ever thing. He was more personal with them illness, breakups, births, wedding post- a person’s odds of survival by 50%. during the pandemic. They now send near- than he had ever been before. ponements and job losses. In 2018, the suicide rate among men was ly 100 text messages a day, a constant One of his friends reminded him he The moment feels heavier and so do the 3.7 times higher than among women, ac- stream of consciousness about what’s could call the group on Discord anytime. conversations. Some men said their friend- cording to statistics from the National going on in their lives. The conversations “Just talk, just say anything,” the friend ships have begun to look more like those of Institute of Mental Health. But some sur- feel more vulnerable, more honest than said. “Somebody’s going to answer.” their wives and girl-friends. For the first veys show men are less likely than women others Davis has ever had with friends in Argueta planned to send them a group time in their lives, they’re going on walks to admit they are lonely, while other re- the past. They’re the kind of conversations text message soon, thanking his friends for with male friends just to catch up. They’re search suggests men derive more of their he would have never been able to have coming over and for “bailing me out in FaceTiming old college friends and check- emotional intimacy from the women in while sitting at a bar and watching a game. more ways than you think.” He wanted to ing in on neighbors — not only to talk about their lives. In one study, married men were “There’s always too much noise to get to keep being honest about what he was going the NBA draft picks or their children’s more likely than married women to list that next level,” he said. through. soccer schedule, but to ask how they’re their spouse as their best friend. Jonathan Gordon sometimes wishes his “I’m going to be real,” he said. He won- doing. In this time of unprecedented isolation, college buddies would talk about more dered if they would do the same. Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 17 PAGE 18 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 OPINION

Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher Lt. Col. Marci Hoffman, Europe commander Lt. Col. Richard McClintic, Pacific commander Grant Austin waiver to lead DOD Caroline E. Miller, Europe Business Operations New York Daily News What need not reflexively trip up his never reflexively defer to the former. loyd Austin knows the military top nomination as Joe Biden’s choice to oversee It is well and good to test Austin on his in- EDITORIAL to bottom, and that’s good. After the Defense Department is that he hung up dependence from what Gen.-President Terry Leonard, Editor graduating West Point in 1975, the the uniform in 2016, which means he’ll need Dwight Eisenhower in 1961 dubbed the mil- [email protected] Lretired general served the Army a waiver from Congress to run the Penta- itary-industrial complex, but there’s no and his nation for four decades, rising to gon. magic to the particular seven-year cooling- Robert H. Reid, Senior Managing Editor lead the 10th Mountain Division in Afghan- Federal law requires a military officer off period. [email protected] istan, then to command troops in Iraq, then wait an arbitrary seven years, down from If most senators thought retired Gen. Jim Tina Croley, Managing Editor for Content to run U.S. Central Command. 10, before taking over the DOD. The sound Mattis — who’d been in civilian clothes four [email protected] Even as the prospect of his becoming the reason: Ever since George Washington years when Donald Trump tapped him — first Black defense secretary inspires a di- went from politician to general to politician deserved a chance, they should also extend Sean Moores, Managing Editor for Presentation [email protected] verse nation and military, Austin’s success- again, America has prided itself on ironclad one to Austin. es and failures on these many tours of duty civilian control of the armed forces. Here, After voting no on a waiver, New York’s Joe Gromelski, Managing Editor for Digital warrant serious scrutiny from the Senate, in stark contrast to lesser nations, men with Kirsten Gillibrand was the sole senator op- [email protected] as does his consulting work and service on chests full of medals take orders from offi- posing Mattis’ confirmation. Will she stand various corporate boards since retiring. cials elected by the people, and the latter on principle now against Austin? BUREAU STAFF Europe/Mideast Erik Slavin, Europe & Mideast Bureau Chief [email protected] Israeli club’s Arab owner signals game on +49(0)631.3615.9350; DSN (314)583.9350 Pacific ZEV CHAFETS Aaron Kidd, Pacific Bureau Chief Bloomberg Opinion [email protected] sraelis learned this week that a mem- +81.42.552.2511 ext. 88380; DSN (315)227.7380 ber of the Dubai royal family had pur- Washington chased a 50% share of the Beitar Je- Joseph Cacchioli, Washington Bureau Chief rusalem Football Club. At first glance [email protected] I (+1)(202)886-0033 it looked like fake news. No Arab billionaire Brian Bowers, Assistant Managing Editor, News has ever bought a business in Israel, much [email protected] less a high-profile, National League football club. And no team was a less likely candi- CIRCULATION date for Arab ownership. Beitar Jerusalem Mideast is a Likud-linked club with an infamously Robert Reismann, Mideast Circulation Manager nationalistic fan base and a longstanding [email protected] policy of barring Arab players from its ros- [email protected] ter. DSN (314)583-9111 But the deal turned out to be real. The Europe club, which Israeli owner Moshe Hogeg Karen Lewis, Community Engagement Manager bought for about $7 million in 2018, has a [email protected] [email protected] history of financial trouble and chronic +49(0)631.3615.9090; DSN (314)583.9090 debt. But it’s more than just a sports invest- Pacific ment. It’s a harbinger of major cultural and Mari Mori, [email protected] economic change for Israel. +81-3 6385.3171; DSN (315)227.7333 Hogeg declared it “the first real fruit” of the Israel-United Arab Emirates relation- MAYA ALLERUZZO/AP CONTACT US ship. It’s also a startling social experiment. Beitar Jerusalem FC soccer supporters watch the team practice Tuesday, a day after the Washington Hogeg’s new partner, Sheikh Hamed bin club announced that Emirati Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, had purchased a 50% stake in the team. tel: (+1)202.886.0003 Khalifa Al Nahyan, has made clear he’s 633 3rd St. NW, Suite 116, Washington, DC 20001-3050 coming to Israel not just for profit but to Reader letters change minds and hearts. The Sheikh is un- this arms package, will not violate the U.S. domestic reasons, have discouraged such [email protected] daunted by the threats of La Familia — the commitment to maintain Israel’s Qualita- contacts. Israel now has concluded multi- openly racist soccer thugs who’ve vowed to tive Military Edge,” he said, adding that Je- billion-dollar sales of natural gas to both Additional contacts wreck the deal. Instead, he has openly chal- rusalem regards the UAE “as an ally in con- countries, but these are essentially govern- stripes.com/contactus lenged them, telling journalists that he will fronting Iran.” The American Israel Public ment-to-government transactions. OMBUDSMAN reach out to their “misled and brain- Affairs Committee and other major pro-Is- The warm Emerati embrace is a new ex- washed” hooligans. rael U.S. advocacy groups are echoing that perience for Israelis. Several weeks ago, a Ernie Gates La Familia is a small but vocal part of the position. Essentially the government of Is- group of Arabs from a town near Tel Aviv The Stars and Stripes ombudsman protects the free flow Beitar fan base (the majority of which is rael is now lobbying on behalf of the UAE disguised themselves as tourists from Du- of news and information, reporting any attempts by the comprised of mainstream Likudniks who air force. bai and were mobbed by citizens offering military or other authorities to undermine the newspaper’s independence. The ombudsman also responds to concerns seem happy that their team will be getting a That same day, in Dubai, hundreds of Is- handshakes and seeking selfies. and questions from readers, and monitors coverage for $92 million injection of cash over 10 years). rael’s top business leaders gathered for the When the pandemic allows, Israel is ex- fairness, accuracy, timeliness and balance. The ombudsman welcomes comments from readers, and can be contacted by But the group is active in extremist politics first UAE-Israel Future Digital Technology pecting a bonanza of bona fide Gulf Arab email at [email protected], or by phone at 202.886.0003. and has taken part in the harassment of an- Summit. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chair- tourists. Tel Aviv is promoting itself as the ti-Netanyahu protestors. So far, Israel’s man of DP World, told them his company is new Beirut with all the open hospitality that Stars and Stripes (USPS 0417900) is published week- prime minister has avoided condemning in talks with an Israeli firm, DoverTower, to implies. Jerusalem is preparing for Muslim days (except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1) for 50 cents Monday them by name. But this week he sent them a jointly run the port of Haifa — in its own pilgrims. Traffic will be reciprocal. Dubai through Thursday and for $1 on Friday by Pacific Stars and Stripes, Unit 45002, APO AP 96301-5002. Periodicals signal. “It is instructive,” he explained to a way, an institution as historic and iconic as will be both a major destination for Israeli postage paid at San Francisco, CA, Postmaster: Send visiting foreign minister, “that an Emeriti Beitar Jerusalem. “The port facilities will visitors and a hub for business people short- address changes to Pacific Stars and Stripes, Unit 45002, APO AP 96301-5002. This newspaper is authorized by the has bought Beitar Jerusalem. It tells you allow us to link our ports in Europe to the ening flights to the Far East. Department of Defense for members of the military services overseas. However, the contents of Stars and Stripes are how fast things are changing.” Middle East,” he said. Not everyone is happy with the new rela- unofficial, and are not to be considered as the official views Change is indeed everywhere. On the day The two companies are also exploring a tionship. There has been an uptick of cyber- of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government. As a DOD newspa- per, Stars and Stripes may be distributed through official the football deal was announced, Israel’s direct shipping link between Israel’s Red attacks on UAE sites, presumably by Iran. channels and use appropriated funds for distribution to ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dormer, sent a Sea port of Eilat and Jebel Ali, Dubai’s main And the soccer thugs of La Familia will fight remote locations where overseas DOD personnel are located. The appearance of advertising in this publication does similar signal to congressional Democrats, seaport in the Persian Gulf. Sultan bin Su- to keep Arab players off the field. But from not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense or some of whom are expressing concern for layem estimated initial bilateral trade be- now on, nobody will assume that even the Stars and Stripes of the products or services advertised. Products or services advertised shall be made available for Israel’s safety over the Trump administra- tween Israel and the UAE at $5 billion. most improbable news about progress in purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical tion’s sale of F-35 war planes to the UAE. Israel has signed peace treaties with the Israel-UAE relationship is too good to handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of Dormer took the air out of that argument Arab governments before: Egypt in 1979 be true. the purchaser, user or patron. by telling an MSNBC interviewer that Is- and Jordan in 1994. But trade, tourism and © Stars and Stripes 2020 rael is “very comfortable” with the sale. joint economic projects have been negligi- Chafets is a journalist and author of 14 books. He was a senior stripes.com “We strongly believe that this agreement, ble, largely because Cairo and Amman, for aide to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 19

Eugene Sheffer Crossword Frazz Dilbert

ACROSS 49 Arrive 23 Spasm 1 Boom times 50 — -la-la 24 Spanish gold 4 Recedes 51 Wood strip 25 Republicans 8 “Downton 52 Espy 26 Use a shovel

Pearls Before Swine Pearls Before Abbey” countess 53 Melancholy 27 Corpulent 12 Menlo Park 28 Picnic crasher monogram DOWN 29 Hobbyist’s abbr. 13 Talk up 1 Six-sided state 31 Park outings 14 Some deer 2 — Alto, Calif. 32 Castro’s land 15 In the style of 3 Barking mammal 34 Classic car 16 Celestial bear 4 Chopin pieces 35 Answer to “Are 17 Actor Omar 5 Sacha Baron we there?” 18 Late November Cohen role 36 Intimidate, through January, 6 Booked solid with “out” Non Sequitur in general 7 Squirrels (away) 37 Vodka cocktail 21 Dog doc 8 Coffee add-in 38 Go yachting 22 That fellow 9 “I’m a klutz!” 39 Witty Bombeck 23 Roman robes 10 Seized vehicle 40 Latin 101 word 26 Lair 11 Org. 41 Sporty car roof 27 Passing craze 19 Tennis great 42 Pvt.’s superiors 43 Skater Lipinski 30 Golf bag item Lendl 44 “Zounds!” 31 Math ratios 20 Aachen article 32 Kid’s plea Answer to Previous Puzzle

Candorville 33 “Blue Bloods” extra 34 Predetermine 35 Peculiar 36 Chest muscle 37 Male swan 38 Customizable recipe direction 45 General assembly?

Carpe Diem 46 Teeny 47 Joke 48 Computer debut of 1998 Beetle Bailey Bizarro PAGE 20 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 SCOREBOARD

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PRO FOOTBALL COLLEGE HOCKEY DEALS

Thursday’s scores NFL injury report PHINS: DNP: RB Salvon Ahmed (shoulder), Thursday's scores Thursday's transactions G Ereck Flowers (ankle), LB Elandon Ro­ MIDWEST BASEBALL SOUTH NEW YORK — The National Football berts (chest), LB Kyle Van Noy (hip). LIMIT­ Denver 5, Miami 1 Major League Baseball Pittsburgh 34, Georgia Tech 20 League injury report, as provided by the ED: S Kavon Frazier (shoulder, ankle), RB North Dakota 2, Minnesota­Duluth 2, OT American League Southern Miss. 45, FAU 31 league (DNP: did not practice; LIMITED: Myles Gaskin (knee), WR Jakeem Grant CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Signed RF Adam limited participation; FULL: Full participa­ (back), CB Xavien Howard (shoulder), G Eaton. Solomon Kindley (foot), RB Malcolm Perry PRO SOCCER Schedule tion): LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Traded SS Leo­ (chest), TE Adam Shaheen (foot), QB Tua nardo Rivas to Cincinnati as player to be Saturday’s games SUNDAY Tagovailoa (left thumb), LB Andrew Van MLS playoffs named later when they acquired RHP Noe ARIZONA CARDINALS at NEW YORK GI- Ginkel (wrist, ankle), RB DeAndre Wash­ Ramirez on Monday. Rutgers (2­5) at Maryland (2­2) ington (hamstring). FULL: DE Shaq Lawson Play-in Louisville (3­7) at Boston College (6­5) ANTS — CARDINALS: DNP: B De'Vondre Eastern Conference TAMPA BAY RAYS — Acquired minor Campbell (ankle), WR DeAndre Hopkins (shoulder). league C/OF Heriberto Hernandez, INF Os­ , ppd. MINNESOTA VIKINGS at TAMPA BAY Friday, Nov. 20 Akron (1­4) at Buffalo (4­0). (not injury related, neck, back), CB Joh­ New England 2, Montreal 1 leivis Basabe and OF Alexander Ovalles nathan Joseph (neck), LB Isaiah Simmons BUCCANEERS — VIKINGS: DNP: LB Eric Ken­ from Texas Rangers in exchange for 1B/3B Navy (3­6) at Army (7­2) dricks (calf), RB Alexander Mattison (ill­ Nashville 3, Inter Miami 0 Michigan St. (2­4) at Penn St. (2­5) (neck, back), S Jalen Thompson (ankle). Nate Lowe, minor league 1B Jake Guenther LIMITED: RB Kenyan Drake (hip), DT Rash­ ness), TE Kyle Rudolph (foot). LIMITED: C First Round and a player to be named. SOUTH ard Lawrence (calf), S Charles Washing­ Garrett Bradbury (abdomen), G Ezra Cle­ Eastern Conference National League ton (groin). FULL: DT Leki Fotu (hip, ankle), veland (ankle), CB Jeff Gladney (calf), T Ri­ Saturday, Nov. 21 Wake Forest (4­3) at Louisville (3­7) ley Reiff (ankle), TE Irv Smith (back), DE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — An­ Texas A&M (7­1) at Tennessee (2­6) DT Domata Peko (knee). GIANTS: DNP: CB Orlando City 1, New York City FC 1, Orlan­ Madre Harper (knee). LIMITED: CB Darnay D.J. Wonnum (ankle, back). FULL: C Brett nounced the trade of RHP Zach Pop to Mia­ , ppd. Jones (neck). BUCCANEERS: DNP: CB Jamel do advanced 6­5 on penalty kicks mi for a player to be named later. Troy (5­5) at South Alabama (4­7), ppd. Holmes (knee), QB Daniel Jones (hamstr­ Columbus 3, New York 2 ing), LB Blake Martinez (back), T Matt Dean (groin), WR Mike Evans (hamstring), LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Announced Coastal Carolina (10­0) at Troy (5­5) TE Rob Gronkowski (not injury related). Tuesday, Nov. 24 the promotion of Janet Marie Smith to ex­ Houston (3­3) at Memphis (6­3) Peart (ankle). ATLANTA FALCONS at LOS ANGELES LIMITED: DT Steve McLendon (elbow), LB Nashville 1, Toronto 0, OT ecutive vice president of planning and de­ North Carolina (7­3) at Miami (8­1) Jason Pierre­Paul (knee), T Donovan Smith velopment. Duke (2­8) at Florida St. (2­6) CHARGERS — FALCONS: DNP: CB Ricardo New England 2, Philadelphia 0 Allen (concussion), G James Carpenter (ankle). FULL: LB Lavonte David (not injury NEW YORK METS — Announced the Tennessee (2­6) at Vanderbilt (0­8) related), WR Chris Godwin (finger). Western Conference trade of RHP Luis Oviedo, received in Rule Appalachian St. (7­3) at Georgia South­ (groin), WR Julio Jones (hamstring), T Ka­ leb McGary (not injury related). LIMITED: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS at PHILADELPHIA Sunday, Nov. 22 5 draft, to Pittsburgh in exchange for cash ern (7­4) EAGLES — SAINTS: DNP: DT David Onyema­ Sporting Kansas City 3, San Jose 3, considerations. LSU (3­5) at Florida (8­1) DE Dante Fowler (hamstring), RB Todd Gurley (knee), P Sterling Hofrichter (right ta (illness), CB Patrick Robinson (hamstr­ Sporting KC advanced 3­0 on penalty kicks SAN DIEGO PADRES — Named Rafael Auburn (5­4) at Mississippi St. (2­6) ing). LIMITED: DT Malcom Brown (shoul­ Minnesota United 3, Colorado 0 Freitas head athletic trainer, Terence Virginia (5­4) at Virginia Tech (4­6) hamstring), TE Hayden Hurst (ankle), DT Grady Jarrett (groin), S Keanu Neal (an­ der), WR Deonte Harris (neck), CB Janoris Portland 3, Dallas 3, Dallas advanced 8­7 Brannic head strength & conditioning MIDWEST kle), LB Foyesade Oluokun (neck), RB Ito Jenkins (knee), RB Latavius Murray on penalty kicks coach, Adam Vish a strength & condition­ (knee), T Ryan Ramczyk (elbow), WR Mi­ ing coach, Seth Steinhauer physical ther­ Georgia (6­2) at Missouri (5­3) Smith (neck), DE Jacob Tuioti­Mariner Tuesday, Nov. 24 (neck). FULL: RB Keith Smith (neck). CHAR- chael Thomas (ankle), DT Shy Tuttle apist, Josh Hopper coordinator of pitching N. Illinois (0­5) at E. Michigan (1­4) (wrist). FULL: DE Marcus Davenport (con­ Seattle 3, Los Angeles FC 1 development, A.J. Patrick director of Minnesota (2­3) at Nebraska (2­4) GERS: No Data Reported. DALLAS COWBOYS at CINCINNATI BEN- cussion), RB Ty Montgomery (hamstring). Conference Semifinals sports performance, Ted Tomczyk direc­ Illinois (2­4) at Northwestern (5­1) EAGLES: DNP: LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring), tor of sports medicine and Bryan Stroh se­ W. Michigan (4­1) at Ball St. (4­1) GALS — COWBOYS: DNP: T Cameron Erving Eastern Conference (knee), S Donovan Wilson (groin). LIMIT­ S Rudy Ford (hamstring), CB Michael Jac­ Sunday, Nov. 29 nior vice president of baseball develop­ Vanderbilt (0­8) at Missouri (5­3), ppd. quet (hamstring), T Jason Peters (toe). ment. Cent. Michigan (3­2) at Toledo (3­2). ED: CB Anthony Brown (ribs), RB Ezekiel El­ New England 3, Orlando City 1 liott (calf), DE Aldon Smith (foot). BEN- LIMITED: DE Derek Barnett (pelvis), CB Da­ Columbus 2, Nashville 0 BASKETBALL Wisconsin (2­2) at Iowa (5­2) rius Slay (knee). FULL: DT Fletcher Cox Texas (6­3) at Kansas (0­9) GALS: DNP: TE Drew Sample (not injury re­ National Basketball Association lated), S Brandon Wilson (hamstring). (neck), WR Alshon Jeffery (calf). Western Conference SOUTHWEST NEW YORK JETS at SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Tuesday, Dec. 1 NBA — Announced that the Brooklyn LIMITED: CB Mackensie Alexander (knee), Nets organization and G Kyrie Irving have LS Clark Harris (groin), WR Tee Higgins — JETS: DNP: S Ashtyn Davis (foot), RB Seattle 1, Dallas 0 Alabama (9­0) at Arkansas (3­6) Frank Gore (concussion, not injury relat­ each been fined $25,000 for violating UAB (4­3) at Rice (2­2) (hamstring), DT Xavier Williams (back). Thursday, Dec. 3 league rules governing media interview Louisiana­Monroe (0­10) at Arkansas St. FULL: QB Brandon Allen (chest), DT Geno ed), S Bennett Jackson (hamstring), LB Jordan Jenkins (shoulder), WR Denzel Minnesota United 3 Sporting Kansas access. (4­7), ppd. Atkins (not injury related), DT Mike Da­ City 0 Oklahoma St. (6­3) at Baylor (2­6) niels (not injury related), WR A.J. Green Mims (not injury related), G Greg Van Ro­ FOOTBALL Louisiana Tech (5­3) at TCU (5­4) (not injury related), G Alex Redmond (con­ ten (toe). LIMITED: WR Jamison Crowder Conference Championships National Football League Mississippi (4­4) at Texas A&M (7­1) cussion). (calf), G Pat Elflein (shoulder, ankle), WR Sunday, Dec. 6 BALTIMORE RAVENS — Activated WR , ppd. DENVER BRONCOS at CAROLINA PAN- Breshad Perriman (shoulder). FULL: RB Eastern Conference Willie Snead from reserve/COVID­19 list. THERS — BRONCOS: No Data Reported. Josh Adams (calf), T George Fant (knee), P Columbus 1, New England 0 Place WR Dez Bryant on the reserve/CO­ FAR WEST PANTHERS: No Data Reported. Braden Mann (left foot), S Marcus Maye VID­19 list. Activated TE Eli Wolf from the Utah (1­2) at Colorado (4­0) GREEN BAY PACKERS at DETROIT LIONS (rib), C Connor McGovern (back, hamstr­ Monday, Dec. 7 practice squad injured reserve. Washington (3­1) at Oregon (3­2) — PACKERS: DNP: TE Marcedes Lewis ing). SEAHAWKS: No Data Reported. Western Conference BUFFALO BILLS — Signed general man­ Boise St. (4­1) at Wyoming (2­3) (knee), TE Jace Sternberger (concussion). PITTSBURGH STEELERS at BUFFALO Seattle 3, Minnesota 2 ager Brandon Beane to a multi­year con­ LIMITED: CB Kevin King (achilles, groin), BILLS — STEELERS: DNP: WR Chase Clay­ Southern Cal (4­0) at UCLA (3­2) MLS Cup tract extension. WR Allen Lazard (core), G Lucas Patrick pool (illness), CB Joe Haden (concussion), CAROLINA PANTHERS — Activated DE Utah St. (1­5) at Colorado St. (1­3) Saturday, Dec. 12 San Diego St. (4­3) at BYU (9­1) (toe), P J.K. Scott (right quadricep), S Ver­ LB Robert Spillane (knee). FULL: K Chris Yetur Gross­Matos from the reserve/CO­ California (1­3) at Washington St. (1­2) non Scott (quadricep), WR Equanimeous Boswell (right hip), G David DeCastro (not Seattle at Columbus VID­19 list. Fresno St. (3­2) at New Mexico (1­5) St. Brown (knee, concussion), G Simon injury related), CB Steven Nelson (knee), CHICAGO BEARS — Placed WR DeAndre Stanford (2­2) at Oregon St. (2­3) Stepaniak (knee), WR Malik Taylor QB Ben Roethlisberger (not injury relat­ Carter on the reserve/COVID­19 list. UNLV (0­5) at Hawaii (3­4) (hamstring), T Rick Wagner (knee). FULL: ed), T Alejandro Villanueva (not injury re­ COLLEGE BASKETBALL CINCINNATI BENGALS — Placed S Shawn CB Jaire Alexander (knee, hand), LB Krys lated), DE Chris Wormley (illness). BILLS: Williams on the reserve/suspended list. Barnes (calf), LB Za'Darius Smith (ankle). DNP: S Jaquan Johnson (ankle). LIMITED: G Thursday’s men’s scores DALLAS COWBOYS — Placed DB Chidobe GOLF LIONS: DNP: T Tyrell Crosby (ankle), WR Jon Feliciano (knee, foot), QB Jake Fromm Awuzin on the reserve/COVID­19 list. Des­ Kenny Golladay (hip), CB Jeff Okudah (not injury related), DT Quinton Jefferson EAST ignated C Tyler Biadasz to return from in­ (groin). LIMITED: DE Austin Bryant (thigh), (hip), WR Andre Roberts (Achilles). FULL: jured reserve. Activated WR Aaron Parker Women's Open Championship DE Da'Shawn Hand (groin), S C.J. Moore QB Josh Allen (knee, ankle). Buffalo 81, Mercyhurst 64 from the practice squad injured reserve Coppin St. 85, UNC­Greensboro 80 LPGA Tour (ankle), QB Matthew Stafford (right TENNESSEE TITANS at JACKSONVILLE list. Thursday thumb), RB D'Andre Swift (illness). FULL: JAGUARS — TITANS: DNP: CB Breon Bor­ SOUTH DENVER BRONCOS — Designated TE Jake At Champions Golf Course RB Kerryon Johnson (knee). ders (hip), WR A.J. Brown (ankle), T Dennis Campbell 122, Florida National 92 Butt to return from injured reserve. Acti­ Houston, Texas HOUSTON TEXANS at CHICAGO BEARS — Kelly (knee). LIMITED: CB Adoree' Jackson East Carolina 73, North Florida 67 vated WR Diontae Spencer for the re­ Cypress Creek TEXANS: No Data Reported. BEARS: No Da­ (knee), LB Derick Roberson (hip). FULL: RB Jacksonville 77, New Orleans 70 serve/COVID­19 list. Darrynton Evans (hamstring), C Ben Jones Yardage: 6,731; Par: 71 ta Reported. Mississippi 80, Jackson St. 45 GREEN BAY PACKERS — Activated RB A.J. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at LAS VEGAS (knee), G Rodger Saffold (ankle), TE Jonnu Morehead St. 81, Transylvania 55 Dillon from the reserve/COVID­19 list. Jackrabbit Smith (knee). JAGUARS: DNP: C Brandon Yardage: 6,558; Par 71 RAIDERS — COLTS: DNP: TE Jack Doyle (not Troy 62, North Alabama 57 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Signed T Will injury related), P Rigoberto Sanchez (ill­ Linder (ankle). LIMITED: LB Dakota Allen W. Kentucky 86, Gardner­Webb 84 Holden to the active roster from the Balti­ Purse: $1.3 million ness). LIMITED: T Anthony Castonzo (hamstring), LB Kamalei Correa (hamstr­ more practice squad. (a) amateur (knee), DT Tyquan Lewis (hip), LB Bobby ing), RB Nathan Cottrell (knee), TE Tyler MIDWEST LAS VEGAS RAIDERS — Signed DT Lee Au­ First Round Okereke (ankle), DE Kemoko Turay (an­ Eifert (not injury related, shoulder), CB Minnesota 90, UMKC 61 try to the practice squad. Released WR Amy Olson 34-33—67 -4 kle), S Khari Willis (back, quadricep). FULL: Sidney Jones (Achilles), CB Greg Mabin North Dakota 75, South Dakota 71 Marcell Ateman. Hinako Shibuno 33-35—68 -3 DT Denico Autry (not injury related), TE (hamstring), RB James Robinson (knee), Ohio 92, Purdue­Northwest 72 LOS ANGELES RAMS — Promoted K Aus­ Moriya Jutanugarn 34-34—68 -3 Trey Burton (not injury related), DE Justin WR Laviska Shenault (thumb). S. Dakota St. 77, N. Dakota St. 75 tin MacGinnis to the active roster. A Lim Kim 34-34—68 -3 Houston (not injury related), QB Philip Riv­ WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM at SAN W. Illinois 80, Mount St. Joseph 55 MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Signed TE Hale ers (toe), T Braden Smith (groin), LB An­ FRANCISCO 49ERS — WASHINGTON: DNP: SOUTHWEST Hentges to the active roster from Indiana­ Linnea Strom 34-35—69 -2 thony Walker (ribs). RAIDERS: No Data Re­ RB Antonio Gibson (toe), T David Sharpe polis practice squad. Linn Grant (a) 33-36—69 -2 ported. (knee). LIMITED: T Morgan Moses (groin), Sam Houston St. 107, LeTourneau 65 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS — Activated Patty Tavatanakit 34-35—69 -2 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS at MIAMI DOL- G Brandon Scherff (calf). FULL: DE Ryan Texas Rio Grande Valley 68, Texas A&M­ WR Julian Edelman from the reserve/CO­ Gerina Piller 33-36—69 -2 PHINS — CHIEFS: DNP: LB Damien Wilson Anderson (knee), WR Terry McLaurin (an­ CC 64 VID­19 list. Activated TE Devin Asiasi from (knee). FULL: CB Bashaud Breeland (shoul­ kle). 49ERS: No Data Reported. FAR WEST injured reserve. Placed TE Ryan Izzo on in­ Charley Hull 35-34—69 -2 MONDAY der), T Yasir Durant (illness), RB Clyde Ed­ Portland 87, Oregon St. 86, OT jured reserve. Sophia Popov 35-34—69 -2 wards­Helaire (illness), LB Willie Gay BALTIMORE RAVENS at CLEVELAND NEW YORK GIANTS — Signed LB Trent Yuka Saso 32-37—69 -2 — No Data Reporte. San Diego St. 80, Arizona St. 68 (groin), CB Antonio Hamilton (ankle), WR BROWNS RAVENS: San Francisco 107, Long Beach St. 62 Harris to the practice squad. Jodi Ewart Shadoff 35-35—70 -1 Tyreek Hill (illness), DE Tanoh Kpassag­ BROWNS: DNP: WR Khadarel Hodge UC Riverside 74, N. Arizona 50 PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Placed LB P. Roussin-Bouchard (a) 35-35—70 -1 non (hip), DT Derrick Nnadi (ankle), T Mar­ (hamstring), CB Denzel Ward (calf). LIMIT­ Vince Williams on reserve/COVID­19 list. Lindsey Weaver 36-34—70 -1 tinas Rankin (knee), C Austin Reiter ED: T Jack Conklin (knee), C J.C. Tretter Thursday’s women’s scores TENNESSEE TITANS — Activated DB (knee), T Mike Remmers (neck, rib). DOL- (knee). FULL: WR Jarvis Landry (hip). Chris Jackson from the reserve/COVID­19 Mina Harigae 35-35—70 -1 EAST list. Amelia Garvey (a) 37-33—70 -1 AP SPORTLIGHT WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM — Des­ Megan Khang 32-38—70 -1 Baylor 65, West Virginia 45 ignated WR Antonio Gandy­Golden to re­ Maja Stark (a) 35-35—70 -1 Delaware 93, St. John’s 88 turn from injured reserve. Dec. 12 fractures to face, upper jaw and nose. Maine 62, Providence 48 Brittany Lincicome 33-37—70 -1 1982 — New England beats Miami 3­0 UMass 74, New Hampshire 55 HOCKEY Hyejin Choi 36-34—70 -1 1937 — Rookie Sammy Baugh throws National Hockey League second­half touchdown passes of 55, 78 with the help of a snowplow. Heavy rains SOUTH Sung Hyun Park 37-33—70 -1 the night before soaks the AstroTurf sur­ NASHVILLE PREDATORS — Announced and 33 yards to overcome a 14­7 Chicago Belmont 83, Tennessee St. 35 Jennifer Kupcho 36-34—70 -1 face at Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, sending F Tommy Novak to ECHL's Florida lead and give the Washington Redskins a Clemson 71, Virginia 55 Everblades until the start of the 2020­21 Ariya Jutanugarn 35-35—70 -1 Massachusetts. A snowstorm hits during 28­21 victory over the Chicago Bears for the game and an emergency ground rule Coastal Carolina 67, UNC­Pembroke 59 training camps for Nashville or Milwau­ Kaitlyn Papp (a) 34-37—71 E the NFL championship. allows the ground crew to use a snowplow Grambling St. 66, Louisiana­Monroe 42 kee. Caroline Masson 35-36—71 E 1953 — Maurice Richard of the Montreal to clear the yard markers. With 4:45 left to Syracuse 69, Miami 58 ORLANDO CITY SC — Signed eSports ath­ Azahara Munoz 37-34—71 E Canadiens becomes the NHL’s all­time go in the game, Patriots coach Ron Meyer Tennessee 90, Furman 53 lete Douglas Bendeck to represent the leading scorer with a goal and two assists Virginia Tech 88, Pittsburgh 71 Sarah Schmelzel 37-34—71 E motions to snowplow operator Mark Hen­ club in eMLS and the FIFA 21 Global Series. in a 7­2 victory against the New York Rang­ Wake Forest 57, North Carolina 54 Re­signed former eMLS representative Ashleigh Buhai 38-33—71 E derson to clear a spot on the field specifi­ ers at Montreal’s Forum. Richard finishes cally for placekicker John Smith. Instead MIDWEST Abe Valbuena as a content creator and Cristie Kerr 36-35—71 E the game with 611 points, one more than of going straight across along the yard Drake 82, Northwest Missouri State 30 consultant. Nasa Hataoka 36-35—71 E injured linemate Elmer Lach, who has held marker, Henderson veers left, directly in WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Announced the record since February 1952. Kansas 74, Oklahoma 64 Gabriela Ruffels (a) 35-36—71 E front of the goal post, giving Smith a clean Kansas St. 62, S. Dakota St. 53 the loan of G Zach Fucale to South Carolina 1965 — Chicago’s Gale Sayers scores six spot from which to kick. Smith hits 33­yard Sting Rays (ECHL). Carlota Ciganda 39-32—71 E touchdowns with 336 combined yards to Marquette 86, Cincinnati 75 game­winning field­goal. Nebraska 78, Illinois 72 SOCCER Lydia Ko 36-35—71 E lead the Bears to a 61­20 rout of the San 1986 — James “Bonecrusher” Smith Brittany Altomare 34-37—71 E Francisco 49ers. The six TDs give Sayers Northwestern 93, E. Illinois 57 Major League Soccer knocks out Tim Witherspoon in the first Ohio St. 104, Miami (Ohio) 65 Inbee Park 35-36—71 E an NFL­record 21 for the season. Sayers’ round to win the WBA heavyweight title in NEW YORK RED BULLS — Re­signed South Dakota 62, Wichita St. 54 eMLS cup champion, George Adamou, to a Nuria Iturrioz 36-35—71 E first touchdown is a reception, the next New York. four rushing and the final, an 85­yard punt Toledo 82, N. Illinois 79 contract extension to represent the club Perrine Delacour 38-34—72 +1 1987 — Guard Mookie Blaylock leads Ok­ return. lahoma to an NCAA­record 33 steals with SOUTHWEST in the 2021 eMLS season and other FIFA Lauren Stephenson 37-35—72 +1 1971 — Bobby Hull of the Chicago Black 13 in a 152­84 victory over Centenary. Global Series events in 2021. Announced Abilene Christian 95, Mary Hardin­Bay­ the loan of F Mathias Jorgensen to Den­ Mi Hyang Lee 38-34—72 +1 Hawks scores his 1,000th point with an as­ 1990 — Connecticut uses a stifling press lor 49 Mi-Jeong Jeon 39-33—72 +1 sist in the first period of a 5­3 victory over and quickness to jump to a 32­0 lead en mark's (Aartus Gymnastikforening) for Oral Roberts 66, Tarleton State 56 six­months with an option to purchase. Yealimi Noh 38-34—72 +1 the Minnesota North Stars. route to an 85­32 victory over New Hamp­ Texas A&M 79, UALR 56 1977 — NBA Commissioner Larry O’Brien Jenny Shin 37-35—72 +1 shire. New Hampshire plays 11 minutes National Women's Soccer League fines Kermit Washington $10,000 and sus­ and 48 seconds before scoring its first FAR WEST Danielle Kang 36-36—72 +1 SKY BLUE FC — Signed MF Nicole Baxter pends the Los Angeles Lakers forward for point. Arizona 65, Arizona St. 37 to a one­year 2021 contract with a 2022 op­ Hae Ran Ryu 35-37—72 +1 at least 60 days (26 games) for punching 1992 — Miami quarterback Gino Torret­ BYU 72, Montana St. 58 tion. Brooke Henderson 37-35—72 +1 Houston’s Rudy Tomjanovich during a ta, 26­1 as a starter for the top­ranked Hur­ Boise St. 84, E. Washington 64 Lizette Salas 36-36—72 +1 game on Dec. 9. The suspension is the ricanes, wins the Heisman Trophy. Torret­ Cal Poly 70, New Mexico St. 60 COLLEGE longest ever in NBA history and the fine is Stacy Lewis 37-35—72 +1 ta, with 1,400 points, edges San Diego Colorado St. 84, San Diego St. 77, 2OT ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY — An­ the maximum permissible under league State running back Marshall Faulk, who San Francisco 67, California 62 nounced Blake Anderson resigned as Hannah Green 37-35—72 +1 rules. Tomjanovich suffered Tomjanovich receives 1,080 points. Seattle 105, Northwest University 39 head football coach. Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 21 COLLEGE BASKETBALL/SPORTS BRIEFS Aztecs use size to upend Devils Big men power San Diego State Associated Press Bagley's absence turned it into an TEMPE, Ariz. — San Diego even bigger strength. State was so worried about Arizo- The Aztecs outscored Arizona na State's fast break, it sent three State 36-9 in the paint and had 17 players back on defense after ev- second-chance points on 11 offen- ery miss, leaving its two big men to sive rebounds against the smaller work the offensive glass. Sun Devils. San Diego State pulled Two against five turned out to away with an 18-2 run in the sec- be pretty good odds for the hard- ond half to stretch the nation's working Aztecs. longest road winning streak to 13 Jordan Schakel scored 25 straight games. points, Nathan Mensah had 17 “It was probably our closest to a points and 15 rebounds, and No. 24 complete game,” said Schakel, San Diego State dominated inside who shot 5-for-9 from three-point to beat No. 23 Arizona State 80-68 range. “We still have a long way to ROSS D. FRANKLIN / AP Thursday night. go, but it was nice to put that kind San Diego State forward Joshua Tomaic, left, tips away a shot attempt by Arizona State guard Remy “We sent the center and the of game together this early in the Martin, but is called for a foul during the second half of Thursday's game in Tempe, Ariz. power forward to the offensive season.” glass and those guys did a great The Sun Devils were pushed to State coach Bobby Hurley said. way inside with 10 points and 10 tion baskets during a 13-0 Aztecs job on their own,” Aztecs coach the perimeter most of the night by “There were a lot of examples of rebounds in the first half to give run. Brian Dutcher said. “It was a real the bigger Aztecs and, despite a that tonight.” the Aztecs a 35-33 lead. Arizona State had a stretch of key to the game.” couple of nice runs, didn't make The Aztecs were without three Arizona State missed 11 of its eight minutes without a field goal The Sun Devils (3-2) got vol- enough outside shots. Arizona players due to contact tracing, first 15 shots before finding a bet- as San Diego State extended the ume-scoring guard Alonzo Verge State shot 34% and missed 11 though only Keshad Johnson was ter offensive rhythm and cleaned lead to 59-45. Jr. back after he missed two straight shots during a key stretch expected to be part of the rotation. up the defensive glass better to “It was a combination of poor games due to COVID-19 contact in the second half. Bagley's loss was a bigger one rally from an early 12-point defi- shot selection, careless turnovers, tracing but were without forward Verge led the Sun Devils with 25 for the Sun Devils, leaving them cit. bad transition defense after mis- Marcus Bagley due to a lower left points. without their top rebounder. The Sun Devils struggled takes,” Hurley said. “We were still leg injury suffered Saturday “Do we really care about how San Diego State took advantage, against San Diego State's defen- up two, 43-41, with 15 minutes left against Cal. hard we’ve got to play? Do we scoring 12 points off six offensive sive pressure early in the second with all the things that I witnessed San Diego State (5-0) already know how hard we’ve got to play to rebounds midway through the half and began turning the ball and we found a way to do worse had a size advantage inside, and beat a team like that?” Arizona first half. The 6-10 Mensah had his over, leading to a series of transi- than that, which is scary.”

BRIEFLY USOPC will no longer punish athletes for protests

Associated Press High on the list: What can athletes demon- tiyear contract extension Thursday. In addition to being one of the game’s best For generations, the IOC knew exactly strate about, and what will an acceptable The six-time All-Star could have become a defenders, Garrett is also a high-profile am- where to look for key support of its ban demonstration look like? free agent after the upcoming season. In- bassador for several charitable causes, against protests at the Olympics. stead, the team locked down his services, en- serving as the active player captain for Wa- In 1968, it was the U.S. Olympic Commit- Phillies hire Dombrowski suring George will remain not far from terboys, an organization focused on bring- tee that sent home its own athletes, Tommie PHILADELPHIA — Whether rebuilding where he grew up in Palmdale. ing clean water to communities in East Afri- Smith and John Carlos, when they raised or reloading, small market or large, Dave Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ca. their fists while on the medals stand at the Dombrowski has been a big success at every ESPN reported George’s contract was ex- Mexico City Games. major league stop. tended for an additional four years at $190 BC opts out of bowl game In 2019, it was the same organization that His next challenging project: a Philadel- million, in addition to the $35.4 million guar- BOSTON — Boston College, which man- placed its own athlete, Gwen Berry, on pro- phia Phillies team that’s gone nine years anteed him for the 2020-21 season. aged to escape the worst of the coronavirus bation for doing the same after her win at the without a winning record. outbreak and the schedule and roster shuf- Pan-Am Games. Dombrowski joined the Phillies as presi- Garrett wins Payton Award fling that has affected so many other college This week, the American federation put dent of baseball operations on Friday. One regrettable, violent moment nearly football teams, is passing on the opportunity the IOC on notice: It is no longer the IOC’s Andy MacPhail is the Phillies’ current changed everything for Myles Garrett. to play in a bowl so players can spend Christ- partner when it comes to enforcing the con- president and has planned to retire after the He wouldn’t let it. mas with their families. tentious Rule 50. The USOPC is now heeding 2021 season. He said in October he would be Suspended, disgraced and branded a vil- BC is the first school to forego the postsea- the calls from many of its own athletes and willing to step aside sooner to make way for a lain for his helmet-swinging attack on Steel- son because of the pandemic. will no longer punish them for kneeling or new baseball operations boss. ers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the clos- Meanwhile, four more major college foot- raising fists or any other kind of acceptable The 64-year-old Dombrowski has led ing seconds of a nationally televised game ball games scheduled for Saturday — in- demonstration at the Olympics. baseball operations for four teams over last year, Garrett found his playing career at cluding two with ranked Big 12 teams — “When you sit in my seat, you have to make more than three decades in the majors, tak- a crossroads. He considered quitting. were canceled, bringing the total to 10 for decisions that you think are on the right side ing a trio of franchises to the World Series. However, he pushed on and persevered. this week. No. 13 Oklahoma will not play at of history,” said CEO Sarah Hirshland. “And His clubs have won four pennants and two Garrett turned his story around. West Virginia because of COVID-19 issues I believe we’re on the right side of history.” Series titles. The Browns’ star defensive end on Thurs- with the Mountaineers. No. 23 Texas paused But there are details to iron out, and they day was named the team’s Walter Payton its football activities, calling off the season fi- strike to the heart of how much change is tru- Clippers’ George signs extension Man of the Year, which annually recognizes nale at Kansas. ly possible between now and next July, when LOS ANGELES — Paul George wants to the NFL’s best players for their excellence And the 10th-ranked Duke men's basket- the Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to take retire with the Los Angeles Clippers, and he on the field and dedication to community ball team said it will not play any more non- place. took a step in that direction by signing a mul- service. conference games this season. PAGE 22 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 COLLEGE FOOTBALL Michie: Navy unbeaten in 3 games at West Point

FROM PAGE 24 men won last year’s game 31-7 be- gade of Midshipmen and Corps of hind the stellar play of senior Cadets (about 9,000 total) will be quarterback Malcolm Perry, who there, and President Trump is rushed for 304 yards and two scheduled to fly in. touchdowns. Navy (3-6) leads Army (7-2) 61- 52-7 in the series, which started in QB questions 1890 when West Point cadet Den- Both teams have had quarter- nis Michie ac- back issues. Injuries have forced cepted a chal- Monken to use six players at the lenge from Navy position. Niumatalolo started to play a football freshman Xavier Arline in last game. The Mid- week’s 19-6 loss to Tulsa, the shipmen arrived team’s fourth straight setback, at West Point by and he could get the nod. ferry, and with “He did some good things last one year of foot- week, but he was also a freshman Monken ball experience last week,” Niumatalolo said. “But to none for Army what better stage to prepare you they easily prevailed 24-0 on The for the biggest game of the year Plain before about 2,000 specta- than playing the 22nd-ranked DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP tors. team in the country?” Colorado running back Jarek Broussard picks up yardage during the second half against San Diego State The Black Knights returned the Junior Christian Anderson was on Nov. 28 in Boulder, Colo. Colorado won 20­10. favor the next year at Annapolis, the starter for Army when the sea- winning 32-16 and a football rival- son began. Monken is keeping his WEEKEND PREVIEW ry like no other was beginning to choice a secret. Army’s triple op- blossom. tion is averaging just under 300 According to Gene Schorr’s, yards rushing per game to 185.3 “The Army-Navy Game,” players for the Midshipmen. on both teams personally congrat- Week 15: Buffs need win, USC ulated one another during an eve- No. 68 ning celebration in the Navy Navy senior tri-captain Billy boathouse after that initial Army Honaker will wear No. 68 in honor victory and cadet Michie and Na- of former offensive lineman Da- loss to reach Pac-12 title game vy quarterback Worth Bagley, the vid Forney, who died on campus at stars of those teams, shook hands, age 22 in February 2019. The num- BY GREG OLSON three games in five weeks canceled due to COVID-19, looking forward to the next meet- ber was not issued this season, but Associated Press have scored a combined 13 points in losing their last ing. Seven years later both men the team honored Forney by wear- A weekend devoid of drama appears to be setting two. were killed in the Spanish-Amer- ing a sticker on the backs of their up in college football unless you're Colorado. Heisman watch ican War. helmets that pictures him running Southern California (4-0, 4-0) can lock up a spot in “There’s so much history in out of the tunnel at the 2019 Army- the Pac-12 championship game if it beats crosstown Alabama's Mac Jones overtook Florida's Kyle both of these schools, so we’re Navy game carrying the Ameri- rival UCLA on Saturday even if Colorado beats Utah Trask as the favorite with a stellar performance playing for so much more than just can flag with the word “Brother- to remain undefeated in the Pac-12 South. against LSU. That's according to oddsmakers. football,” Army senior offensive hood” underneath. Colorado (4-0, 3-0) has had two games canceled by Jones closes the regular season at Arkansas after lineman J.B. Hunter said. “We’re COVID-19; the Trojans lost one game to the virus, the throwing for 385 yards and four touchdowns in the stoked for this opportunity. For us, Tough road one against the Buffaloes. Crimson Tide's 55-17 win. it’s very important. We don’t want If Navy wins and Army defeats If CU and USC win this weekend, the Trojans Trask gets his turn against LSU on Saturday. Don't anyone coming in our back yard Air Force next week, the Midship- would go to the title game based on the tiebreaker discount the possibility Trask totals over 400 yards (and winning). We’re just going to men will retain the Commander- that gives the nod to the team with the higher College passing for the fourth time this season against defen- hope that what we do is going to in-Chief’s Trophy, emblematic of Football Playoff ranking. The Trojans are No. 15 and sive coordinator Bo Pelini’s unit. work.” supremacy among the academies. the Buffs are No. 21. Two other Heisman contenders, Clemson's Trevor Navy is unbeaten in three Navy is the first team in service a- So if you're a Colorado fan, you're cheering hard for Lawrence and Notre Dame's Ian Book, are idle until games at West Point and won the cademy football history to play the Buffs in the morning and, if they win, for the they square off in the ACC championship game next previous encounter 13-0 in 1943, both of its rivals on the road in a Bruins at night. week. when the great Glenn Davis was a season. The Midshipmen lost 40-7 Top-ranked Alabama is the only team among the Numbers to know plebe at West Point. The Midship- at Air Force in early October. top four in the CFP rankings playing this week, and 0 — Second-half points allowed by Colorado in the Crimson Tide are 31-point favorites at Arkansas. back-to-back games against San Diego State and Ari- Notre Dame and Clemson are idle until they meet zona, the first time in 18 years the Buffaloes have next Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Championship blanked opponents after the half in consecutive game. games. Ohio State had its game against Michigan canceled 7 — Consecutive weeks Indiana has been ranked because of COVID-19 issues in the Wolverines pro- in the Top 25, matching the school regular-season re- gram. The No. 5 team in the CFP rankings, Texas cord set by the 1945 team. A&M, also will be off after having its game against Mississippi called off. 10 — Miami scoring drives of 80 yards or longer the last four games. The Hurricanes had two such Best game drives in their first five games. No. 25 Wisconsin at No. 19 Iowa:The Hawkeyes Under the radar (5-2, 5-2 Big Ten) are averaging better than 37 points San Jose State vs. Nevada, at Las Vegas:The win- during their five-game winning streak, their longest ner clinches a spot in the Mountain West champion- since the magical 2015 season that saw them go 12-0 ship game, with the loser advancing depending on the in the regular season. outcome of the Wyoming-Boise State game. Wisconsin (2-2, 2-2) has had a bumpy ride. Graham The Spartans (5-0) can become the first San Jose Mertz had one of the best starting debuts in FBS his- State team to go 6-0 since the 13-0 campaign in 1939. NICK WASS/AP tory against Illinois but hasn't come close to duplicat- Nevada (6-1) is led by sophomore Carson Strong, who ing that 20-for-21 performance. Navy defensive tackle Jackson Perkins carries an American flag has thrown for 330 yards per game with 21 touch- The Badgers, ranked as high as No. 9 before having before last Saturday's game against Tulsa in Annapolis, Md. Navy will downs against four interceptions. face Army on Sunday at West Point’s venerable Michie Stadium. Saturday, December 12, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 23 NFL

Scoreboard

American Conference East WLTPct PF PA Buffalo 9 3 0 .750 333 306 Miami 8 4 0 .667 303 212 New England 6 7 0 .462 277 279 N.Y. Jets 0 12 0 .000 180 353 South WLTPct PF PA Indianapolis 8 4 0 .667 328 273 Tennessee 8 4 0 .667 359 326 Houston 4 8 0 .333 288 323 Jacksonville 1 11 0 .083 251 352 North WLTPct PF PA Pittsburgh 11 1 0 .917 334 211 Cleveland 9 3 0 .750 306 321 Baltimore 7 5 0 .583 316 231 Cincinnati 2 9 1 .208 237 308 West WLTPct PF PA x-Kansas City 11 1 0 .917 370 254 Las Vegas 7 5 0 .583 323 347 Denver 4 8 0 .333 225 320 L.A. Chargers 3 9 0 .250 277 345 National Conference East WLTPct PF PA N.Y. Giants 5 7 0 .417 231 265 Washington 5 7 0 .417 264 260 Philadelphia 3 8 1 .292 253 307 Dallas 3 9 0 .250 268 393 South WLTPct PF PA x-New Orleans 10 2 0 .833 347 241 Tampa Bay 7 5 0 .583 344 280 Atlanta 4 8 0 .333 311 302 Carolina 4 8 0 .333 280 300 North WLTPct PF PA Green Bay 9 3 0 .750 379 299 JAE C. HONG / AP Minnesota 6 6 0 .500 319 329 Chicago 5 7 0 .417 246 284 New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, left, is sacked by Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald during the second half of Detroit 5 7 0 .417 286 358 Thursday's game in Inglewood, Calif. Newton was sacked four times before being replaced by Jarrett Stidham for the final three series. West WLTPct PF PA L.A. Rams 9 4 0 .692 325 246 Seattle 8 4 0 .667 353 321 Arizona 6 6 0 .500 332 296 San Francisco 5 7 0 .417 285 288 x-clinched playoff spot Akers, Rams run over Pats Thursday’s game Rams 24, Patriots 3 L.A. Rams 24, New England 3 Sunday’s games LA clinches 4th straight winning season New England 0 3 0 0 — 3 Arizona at N.Y. Giants Dallas at Cincinnati L.A. Rams 10 7 7 0 — 24 Denver at Carolina First quarter Houston at Chicago BY GREG BEACHAM placed by Jarrett Stidham for the final three series in Kansas City at Miami LAR—Goff 1 run (Gay kick), 11:21. Minnesota at Tampa Bay Associated Press the fourth quarter. LAR—FG Gay 35, 5:16. Tennessee at Jacksonville Second quarter Indianapolis at Las Vegas INGLEWOOD, Calif. — With rookie Cam Akers “We knew exactly what they were going to do,” N.Y. Jets at Seattle running wild for the Rams and his defensive team- Newton said. “We have to be better, and it starts with LAR—Young 79 interception return (Gay Atlanta at L.A. Chargers kick), 14:46. Green Bay at Detroit mates thoroughly stifling the Patriots, Los Angeles got me personally. I have to make more plays.” NE—FG Folk 29, 1:04. New Orleans at Philadelphia Third quarter Washington at San Francisco a tiny measure of payback for its Super Bowl embar- Five days after the Patriots scored 45 points at SoFi Pittsburgh at Buffalo LAR—Kupp 2 pass from Goff (Gay kick), rassment two years ago. Stadium against the Chargers, New England endan- 1:33. Monday’s game These Rams even looked good enough to contend gered its push for a 12th straight playoff berth with on- A—0. Baltimore at Cleveland for a chance at some actual Super Bowl redemption ly its second loss in six games. NE LAR later this season. When asked if he expected to start next week, New- First downs 10 17 Akers rushed for 171 yards in a breakout perform- ton replied: “That’s not my call.” Total Net Yards 220 318 ance, Kenny Young returned an interception 79 yards Bill Belichick doused the understandable specula- Rushes-yards 29-107 36-186 Passing 113 132 for a touchdown and the Rams clinched their fourth tion moments later: “Cam is our quarterback.” Punt Returns 5-47 1-8 straight winning season with a 24-3 victory over the The Rams got a superb game from Akers, the sec- Kickoff Returns 0-0 1-13 New England Patriots on Thursday night. ond-round draft pick out of Florida State who has Interceptions Ret. 1-0 1-79 Jared Goff rushed for a touchdown and threw a TD seized a major role in their offense over the last three Comp-Att-Int 14-23-1 16-25-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 6-33 1-5 pass to Cooper Kupp as the NFC West-leading Rams weeks. Akers’ yards mostly came in big chunks during Punts 6-51.7 6-41.3 (9-4) rolled to a one-sided victory in a rematch of their the biggest rushing game by an NFL rookie this season Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0 13-3 Super Bowl loss in February 2019. and just the ninth 150-yard game against a Belichick- Penalties-Yards 5-27 5-35 “We’ve got a lot of respect for them, but it’s a totally coached defense since 2000. Time of Possession 28:14 31:46 different year,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “It “It’s just (great) watching that guy really assert INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS doesn’t have anything to do with what occurred a cou- himself as a big-time player for us,” McVay said. “You RUSHING—New England, Harris 11-50, Michel 7-22, White 3-16, Newton 7-16, Stid- ple of years ago.” can just see this guy is going to be a really special play- ham 1-3. L.A. Rams, Akers 29-171, Goff 4-11, Henderson 2-5, Woods 1-(minus 1). While the Rams’ offense looked sharp, their defense er for us, and this was a great night for him.” PASSING—New England, Newton 9-16-1- 119, Stidham 5-7-0-27. L.A. Rams, Goff 16- pushed the Patriots (6-7) perilously close to disarray. Aaron Donald had 1 ½ sacks to move into the overall 25-1-137. New England managed only 220 total yards — just 62 NFL lead with 12 ½ this season while leading another RECEIVING—New England, Byrd 5-48, Meyers 4-47, Harry 3-49, White 1-2, Harris ASHLEY LANDIS / AP in the second half with a series of misbegotten drives. strong game from Los Angeles’ elite defense, which 1-0. L.A. Rams, Kupp 5-33, Woods 5-32, Hig- bee 2-34, Akers 2-23, Everett 1-9, Reynolds Rams rookie running back Cam Cam Newton went 9-for-16 for 119 yards and got recorded six sacks and also scored a touchdown in its 1-6. Akers rushed for 171 yards. sacked four times before the 2015 NFL MVP was re- third consecutive game. MISSED FIELD GOALS—None. PAGE 24 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 12, 2020 Pac-12 drama SPORTS Colorado needs win, USC loss to reach title game ›› Page 22

COLLEGE FOOTBALL Returning to their roots Army, Navy set to face off at West Point’s Michie Stadium for first time in 77 years

BY JOHN KEKIS Associated Press avy coach Ken Niumatalolo never tires of the feeling that permeates the locker room in the moments Nbefore the opening kickoff of the annual matchup against Army. “There’s a chill that goes through you unlike any other game,” Niumatalolo said. “It’s the craziest thing because you’re in the locker room and it’s quiet, a little bit serene, and then you step out- side and there’s this rush and you know it’s different.” The 121st meeting between the service academy rivals is Saturday, and this one will be very different. Because of the COVID-19 pandem- ic, for the first time in 77 years the game will be played at West Point’s venerable Michie Stadium. Both schools agreed to move it from its customary site in Philadelphia af- ter attendance limits were placed on outdoor events in Pennsylva- nia because of concerns over the new coronavirus and it was Ar- my’s turn to be the home team. This show must go on just as it did for two years during World War II at the urging of President Franklin D. Roo- sevelt, with games played at both academies. “We are excited we are able to play this game here for only the fourth time in history,” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “The state of our world right now has forced the game away from Philadelphia. It will be special to play it here. It will be very nostalgic and really a great piece in the history of this rivalry.” No fans will be allowed at Michie Stadium — capacity 38,000 instead of nearly 70,000 at Lin- coln Financial Field. But at least the entire Bri-

SEE MICHIE ON PAGE 22

Navy linebacker Ian Blake carries an American flag before a game against Tulsa last Saturday in Annapolis, Md. The Midshipmen will face off with Army on Sunday, and because of the COVID­19 pandemic the game will be played at West Point’s Michie Stadium for the first time in 77 years. NICK WASS/AP

Rams rout Pats, secure 4th straight winning season ›› NFL, Page 23