NFL FACES NATION Bills looking to flip script Andy Serkis says world Wakanda forever? against Brady, Patriots can use fresh take on Not according to in AFC East showdown ‘A Christmas Carol’ USDA free trade list Back page Page 20 Page 14 Graham says drawdown announcement might not be imminent » Page 3 Volume 78, No. 177 ©SS 2019 CONTINGENCY EDITION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas AP photos SenateAction Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – Presidentand Donald Trump reaction Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi McConnell blasts House impeachment of Trump, signals Senate acquittal BY MARY CLARE JALONICK, LAURIE KELLMAN why the United States Senate exists.” AND ZEKE MILLER 45th president becomes Signaling in the strongest terms yet that the GOP- Associated Press controlled Senate will acquit Trump, Majority Leader only 3rd to be impeached Mitch McConnell of Kentucky declared that the House WASHINGTON — The top Senate Republican on in American history impeachment “risks deeply damaging the institutions Thursday denounced the “most unfair” House im- of American government.” peachment of President Donald Trump and reassured Page 8 Trump and his supporters that “moments like this are SEE ACTION ON PAGE 8 Troops at Bagram Air Base catch early premiere of Star Wars movie BY J.P. LAWRENCE with you,” said Army Sgt. Danny Ramirez from Ba- Sgt. David Stanfield, Stars and Stripes gram Airfield in a phone interview. from the 10th Combat “It was one of the things I thought I was going to Aviation Brigade, KABUL, Afghanistan — Troops howled their best miss out on,” added Ramirez, a lifelong Star Wars shows off his Chewbacca impressions as they waited for the latest fan who watched the previous eight movies of the Star Wars-themed Star Wars movie, which premiered in a special show- saga in preparation. tattoo before ing for troops in Afghanistan on Thursday. Troops at Bagram, the largest U.S. base in Afghan- viewing “The Rise About 10,000 service members deployed through- istan, lined up outside one of the Morale, Welfare and of Skywalker” on out the Middle East had a chance to see “Star Wars: Recreation buildings an hour early to secure seats Thursday at Bagram The Rise of Skywalker” a day before fans back home for one of four showings of the movie on its first day. Airfield, Afghanistan. in America, thanks to a partnership between the Inside, decorative Death Stars, TIE fighters and Army and Air Force Exchange Service and Walt Millennium Falcons hung over their heads. Disney Studios. VICTORIA GOLDFEDIB “It’s actually, really, really exciting, to be honest SEE STAR WARS ON PAGE 6 U.S. Army PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Friday, December 20, 2019 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Uber to pay $4.4M to end sex harassment probe Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9781 Euro costs (Dec. 20) .........................$1.1409 Thailand (Baht) .....................................30.20 Dollar buys (Dec. 20) ........................€0.8765 Turkey (Lira) .........................................5.9385 British pound (Dec. 20) ........................$1.34 Associated Press (Military exchange rates are those a culture of sexual harassment sexual harassment in a timely Japanese yen (Dec. 20) ...................... 107.00 available to customers at military banking South Korean won (Dec. 20) ..........1,135.00 and retaliation against individu- manner. Commercial rates facilities in the country of issuance SAN FRANCISCO — Uber for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the als who complained about such The commission initiated the Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3770 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For Technologies Inc. will establish a British pound .....................................$1.3040 harassment.” investigation after a former Uber nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., $4.4 million fund to settle a fed- Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3116 purchasing British pounds in Germany), A claims administrator will engineer wrote a widely circu- China (Yuan) ........................................ 7.0100 eral investigation into allegations check with your local military banking Denmark (Krone) ................................6.7180 send notices to women who worked lated blog post exposing sexual facility. Commercial rates are interbank that the San Francisco company Egypt (Pound) ....................................16.0391 at Uber between Jan. 1, 2014, and harassment at the company, in- Euro ........................................ $1.1124/0.8989 rates provided for reference when buying allowed a rampant culture of sex- currency. All figures are foreign currencies ual harassment, the U.S. Equal June 30, 2019. The commission cluding propositions from her Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7981 Hungary (Forint) ................................. 297.18 to one dollar, except for the British pound, Employment Opportunity Com- will determine which claimants boss. Susan Fowler said her com- Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4831 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, mission announced Wednesday. may be eligible for money from plaints to human resources were Japan (Yen) ...........................................109.28 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) the $4.4 million fund. ignored. Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3036 INTEREST RATES The agreement ends an investi- Norway (Krone) ...................................8.9699 gation launched in 2017 in which The company has also agreed The company fired 20 people Philippines (Peso).................................50.63 Prime rate ................................................4.75 the commission found reasonable to create a system to identify se- after an investigation by former Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.83 Discount rate ..........................................2.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ........................... 3.7491 Federal funds market rate ...................1.55 cause to believe the ride-hail- rial offenders and managers who U.S. Attorney General Eric Hold- Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3552 3-month bill .............................................1.53 ing tech company “permitted fail to respond to concerns about er’s law firm. South Korea (Won) ..........................1,165.95 30-year bond ...........................................2.35 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 35/24 Kabul 51/30 Seoul 37/26 Baghdad 63/46 Kandahar 53/44 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 38/27 46/41 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 50/45 45/39 42/29 Iwakuni 50/45 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 71/66 Brussels 51/40 Guam 64/52 54/50 Ramstein 51/45 84/80 Lajes, 47/33 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 64/46 70/59 68/64 46/33 53/43 Aviano/ Vicenza 50/46 Naples 59/54 Okinawa Morón 73/66 64/60 Sigonella Rota 61/53 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 82/73 63/48 63/59 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ...19 Comics ....................21 Crossword ...............21 Faces ......................20 Opinion ..............22-23 Sports ............... 25-32 Friday, December 20, 2019 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 MILITARY Graham walks back talk of drawdown announcement BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes WASHINGTON — The United States could conduct its missions in Afghanistan of fighting ter- rorist groups and supporting the Afghan military with about 8,600 troops, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday. But he also told reporters on Capitol Hill that an official an- nouncement of a U.S. military drawdown there might not be imminent. /Facebook LEIGH CHARVAT Graham, R-S.C., said Army A jury awarded Staff Sgt. Matthew Charvat, his wife, Leigh, and Gen. Scott Miller, the top com- their two children $2 million in damages after finding in their favor mander of U.S. and NATO forces in a lawsuit against Lincoln Military Housing and San Diego Family in Afghanistan, had convinced Housing . A California judge said Dec. 6 that amount was too high. him during his visit to Kabul this week that the 12,000 to 13,000 troops serving there now were more than are needed in the coun- Judge: $2M is too try. But the senator, a key ally and confidant to President Donald Trump, said he had not discussed the issue in depth with the presi- high for damages dent, seeming to clarify reporting this week that an announcement of a drawdown would come be- fore the end of the year. in housing lawsuit “We have some people there probably in redundant roles, and BY ROSE L. THAYER Trapp, who also presided over the capability of an 8,600 force is RAHMAT GUL/AP Stars and Stripes the Charvats’ trial two months sufficient to maintain our coun- ago, did not throw out the jury’s terterrorism mission and provide U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday from the Resolute Support A judge has ruled that $2 mil- ruling that Lincoln be held liable, basic support to the Afghan mili- headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, that President Donald Trump lion in damages for a Marine only that the family was awarded tary,” he said. would announce an American troop drawdown this week . On Corps family sickened by mold in too much money. The $500,000 Graham has long been ada- Wednesday at the Capitol, Graham said he had not discussed the military housing is excessive, ac- for each member is significantly mant that the United States main- issue in depth with the