MILITARY FACES COLLEGE BASKETBALL Army has plans to Actor Page Villanova coach Wright spend big, improve comes out as says playing in isolation housing in Europe transgender takes mental toll on team Page 3 Page 18 Page 24 US rewards program aims to boost sanctions on North Korea ›› Page 4 stripes.com Volume 79 Edition 164 ©SS 2020 THURSDAY,DECEMBER 3, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas VIRUS OUTBREAK Barr says no evidence of extensive voter fraud BY MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON — Disputing President Donald Trump’s per- sistent, baseless claims, Attorney General William Barr declared the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread vot- er fraud that could change the outcome of the Barr 2020 election. Barr’s com- ments, in an interview Tuesday with the The Associated Press, contradict the concerted effort by Trump, his boss, to subvert the re- sults of last month’s voting and block President-elect Joe Biden from taking his place in the White House. Barr told the AP that U.S. attor- neys and FBI agents have been working to follow up specific com- plaints and information they’ve received, but “to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.” The comments, which drew im- mediate criticism from Trump at- torneys, were especially notable coming from Barr, who has been one of the president’s most ardent ROBERT F. BUKATY/AP allies. Before the election, he had A member of the National Guard assisting at a COVID-19 mobile testing location looks out of a tent used for drive-thru tests Tuesday in Auburn, repeatedly raised the notion that Maine. Amid the coronavirus resurgence, states have begun reopening field hospitals to handle an influx of sick patients that is pushing health mail-in voting could be especially care systems — and their workers — to the breaking point. vulnerable to fraud during the coronavirus pandemic as Ameri- cans feared going to polls and in- US Army Japan ‘Dark couple UK authorizes DOD announces stead chose to vote by mail. bans indoor dining of weeks’ at Pfizer vaccine for death of 12th More to Trump’s liking, Barr re- vealed in the AP interview that in around Tokyo morgues, hospitals emergency use service member October he had appointed U.S. At- Page 4 Page 6 Page 6 Page 7 torney John Durham as a special SEE BARR ON PAGE 9 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Thursday, December 3, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER Walmart drops $35 minimum for online members EXCHANGE RATES Associated Press which it hopes will compete with basic items like fresh groceries, Military rates Poland (Zloty) 3.71 Saudi Arab (Riyal) 3.7508 NEW YORK — Shoppers on Amazon’s Prime membership however, will still carry a $35 min- Euro costs (Dec. 3) $1.18 Singapore (Dollar) 1.3399 Dollar buys (Dec. 3) 0.8081 So. Korea (Won) 1,102.54 Walmart.com who pay a $98-a- program. imum and can come as soon as the British pound (Dec. 3) $1.30 Switzerland (Franc) 0.8956 year membership fee will get free Walmart+ members will re- same day. Japanese yen (Dec. 3) 102.00 Thailand (Baht) 30.23 South Korean won (Dec. 3) 1,076.00 shipping on orders of any size ceive free next-day and two-day Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s Turkey (Lira) 7.8465 Commercial rates (Military exchange rates are those avail­ starting Friday. shipping on non-perishable items chief customer officer, declined to able to customers at military banking fa­ Bahrain (Dinar) 0.3771 cilities in the country of issuance for Ja­ Walmart announced the mem- shipped by Walmart, no matter provide a membership number Britain (Pound) 1.3309 pan, South Korea, Germany, the Nether­ Canada (Dollar) 1.2934 lands and the United Kingdom. For nonlo­ bership perk on Wednesday, do- the purchase amount. The move for Walmart+, but said that re- China (Yuan) 6.5652 cal currency exchange rates (i.e., ing away with a previous require- builds on the retailer’s pledge to moving the $35 threshold was Denmark (Krone) 6.1605 purchasing British pounds in Germany), Egypt (Pound) 15.6616 check with your local military banking fa­ ment that orders amount to at continue adding benefits to its something customers had wanted Euro 0.8276 cility. Commercial rates are interbank least $35 to qualify for free ship- membership program, which also to see. Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7521 rates provided for reference when buying Hungary (Forint) 296.91 currency. All figures are foreign curren­ ping. includes unlimited free grocery “The pandemic hasn’t gone Israel (Shekel) 3.2861 cies to one dollar, except for the British Japan (Yen) 104.50 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ The perk comes two months af- deliveries and fuel discounts. away,” Whiteside told The Associ- Kuwait (Dinar) 0.3047 pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­ euro.) ter Walmart launched its mem- Delivery directly from Wal- ated Press. “And we felt it was the Norway (Krone) 8.8486 Philppines (Peso) 48.00 bership service called Walmart+, mart’s brick-and-mortar stores on right time to do it.” WEATHER OUTLOOK THURSDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST THURSDAY IN EUROPE FRIDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 37/33 Kabul Seoul 61/30 36/25 Baghdad 68/54 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar Mildenhall/ 38/26 49/41 69/35 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 32/27 41/33 42/30 Iwakuni Kuwait City 53/48 Bahrain Brussels Zagan Sasebo 70/66 77/73 Ramstein 34/26 49/46 Guam 43/40 35/31 84/80 Riyadh Lajes, 79/63 Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 63/60 36/30 80/71 Aviano/ 33/30 Vicenza 37/32 Naples 54/51 Okinawa Morón 68/65 58/44 Sigonella Rota 60/48 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 60/51 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 83/78 62/58 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Classified .................... 13 Comics .........................14 Crossword ................... 14 Faces .......................... 18 Opinion ........................ 16 Sports ................... 20-24 Thursday, December 3, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Army has big plans for housing in Europe Service to spend more questions about the quality of their accommodation and servic- than $1B through 2027 to es. The Stuttgart community, home improve troops’ dwellings to U.S. European and Africa Com- BY JOHN VANDIVER mand, is slated for more than $30 Stars and Stripes million in major housing renova- STUTTGART, Germany — The tions, primarily for enlisted fam- Army this week said it plans to ilies, Heeter said. Other improve- spend more than $1 billion over ments include $10 million for add- the next six years to improve fam- ing balconies and rolling shutters, ily housing at all its garrisons in a common feature in German Europe, where the service has housing that helps keep homes faced complaints about poor fam- cool in the summer. ily living conditions. The Army’s garrison in Vicen- “All of our efforts to improve za, home to the 173rd Airborne housing areas and their dwellings Brigade, is slated for $370 million are critical to readiness of our Sol- in construction planned for new diers and their families,” said military family homes of all ranks. Mark Heeter, Installation Man- The military housing com- agement Command-Europe plaints in Europe aren’t unique. spokesman, in a statement Tues- Last year, Army garrisons around day. the world began holding town hall Housing projects already un- meetings after investigations re- derway or in the works total $1.2 vealed poor living conditions in fa- billion through 2027, according to cilities in the U.S. and overseas. IMCOM-E. All seven Army garri- IMCOM-E said it is encourag- sons in Europe will benefit from ing residents to voice their con- the program, which involves con- cerns at meetings and participate struction on 1,300 new dwellings GUNNER SAUNDERS /U.S. Army in housing surveys to help Army and improvements at 3,500 exist- Housing on Panzer Kaserne in Stuttgart, Germany. The Army in Europe has more than $1 billion worth of officials stay on top of problems. ing units that have either been re- projects planned to improve housing at its garrisons, many of which have received poor quality marks. “Across the board, our leaders cently completed or tapped for are focused on making the hous- work, IMCOM-E said. installations worldwide. sive wait times for basic repairs. Results were especially bad for ing experience for their Soldiers IMCOM-E is touting its efforts In recent years, military fam- In Europe, an Army survey of Army-owned housing in Stuttgart, and families positive ones,” Hee- ahead of an upcoming Defense ilies, including those in Europe, residents in June rated Germany Germany, and Vicenza, Italy, ter said. Department housing survey later have sounded off on a wide range and Italy posts as “very poor” and which ranked 23rd and 24th, re- this month that aims to take the of complaints to include mold and in need of significant improve- spectively, out of 26 sites where [email protected] pulse of customer satisfaction at spotty hot water service to exces- ments. residents were asked to respond to Twitter: @john_vandiver Soldier honored for risking life to pull man from burning car BY CHAD GARLAND used his sweat-soaked T-shirt to smother Stars and Stripes the flames on the man’s body, he said. “He A soldier who pulled a driver from a was on fire, from the waist down," he said in burning vehicle and used his T-shirt to put the video.