COLLEGE FOOTBALL MILITARY 2020 VISION Burrow and LSU cap Soldier cites SHARP A look at what’s perfect season, top testimony in appeal of ahead for the Clemson for title sex crimes conviction military this year Back page Page 3 Pages 13-28

Pensacola base shooting was an ‘act of terrorism,’ FBI finds » Page 3

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Volume 78, No. 193 ©SS 2020 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Trump to divert additional $7.2B from Pentagon for border wall

BY NICK MIROFF The Washington Post WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is preparing to divert an additional $7.2 billion in Pentagon funding for border wall construction this year, five times what Congress authorized him to spend on the project in the 2020 budget, according to internal planning figures obtained by The Washington Post. The Pentagon funds would be extracted, for the second year in a row, from military construc- tion projects and counternarcot- ics funding. According to the plans, the funding would give the government enough money to complete about 885 miles of new fencing by Spring 2022, far more than the 509 miles the adminis- tration has slated for the U.S. bor- der with Mexico. Trump took $2.5 billion from military counterdrug programs for border barrier construction in 2019, but this year his admin- istration is planning to take sig- nificantly more — $3.5 billion. Trump administration officials also are planning to take $3.7

JAMES R. TURNER/U.S. Navy billion in military construction funding, slightly more than the Sailors use needle guns to remove rust from the anchor chain of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter at Naval $3.6 billion diverted in 2019. Station Rota, Spain, in February. The move would bring the total amount of federal funds allocated to border fencing to $18.4 billion under Trump, who made the bor- der barrier a priority during his campaign for the presidency in 2016. He also pledged to make Mexi- co pay for the barrier, delighting crowds at his rallies. Metal corrosion is a $6 billion problem for the Navy, cruise ships and more The Trump administration has completed 101 miles of new bar- BY SAMANTHA MASUNAGA The orange stain of metal corrosion may Zumwalt. “Corrosion through the entire ship riers so far, according to the lat- Los Angeles Times be a nuisance in the bathroom, but on ships, is a huge, huge issue.” est figures, far less than the 450 it can be catastrophic. Hulls can collapse, Coating the metal with a substance — ef- miles the president has promised t’s a $6 billion scourge that afflicts ballast tanks weaken and motors fail, all be- fectively separating it from the water and air to erect by the end of the year. Navy destroyers, cruise ships and his- cause of rust. There’s no way to fully eradi- — is one way to slow its progress. But construction along the bor- toric vessels like the Queen Mary with- cate it. An annual conference called MegaRust der — largely on land the federal out fear or favor. The only option: constant vigilance. brings together hundreds of professionals government already owns — has It’s such a problem that professional “Ships are full of saltwater systems, they’re who want to see the latest corrosion-fighting been continuing even as legal I techniques and tech. Live demonstrations of challenges have aimed to disrupt organizations and conferences are dedicated full of salty ocean air,” said Scott Tait, a re- to its existence — and its suppression. tired Navy captain who most recently was sandblasters are a highlight. People still talk it. It’s also on your showerhead. at the helm of the guided-missile destroyer SEE RUST ON PAGE 6 SEE WALL ON PAGE 6 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES PlayStation will again skip electronics expo Military rates Switzerland (Franc)...... 0.9684 Euro costs (Jan. 15) ...... $1.1412 Thailand (Baht) ...... 30.24 Dollar buys (Jan. 15)...... €0.8763 Turkey (New Lira) ...... 5.8827 BY MIKHAIL KLIMENTOV has decided not to participate in Other developers and publish- British pound (Jan. 15) ...... $1.33 (Military exchange rates are those Japanese yen (Jan. 15) ...... 107.00 available to customers at military banking The Washington Post E3 2020,” a Sony Interactive En- ers have foregone the event in South Korean won (Jan. 15) ...... 1,123.00 facilities in the country of issuance Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the tertainment spokesperson told the past, opting instead to host Bahrain (Dinar) ...... 0.3770 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For For the second year in a row, GamesIndustry.biz. “We have livestreams and events of their British pound ...... $1.3001 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., PlayStation will skip the Elec- great respect for the ESA as an own, or seeking programming op- Canada (Dollar) ...... 1.3065 purchasing British pounds in Germany), China (Yuan) ...... 6.9012 check with your local military banking tronic Entertainment Expo, also organization, but we do not feel portunities outside of E3. Denmark (Krone) ...... 6.7193 facility. Commercial rates are interbank known as E3. The marquee video the vision of E3 2020 is the right In August of 2019, it was re- Egypt (Pound) ...... 15.8604 rates provided for reference when buying Euro ...... $1.1121/0.8992 currency. All figures are foreign currencies game industry event has tradi- venue for what we are focused on vealed that the ESA was hosting Hong Kong (Dollar) ...... 7.7769 to one dollar, except for the British pound, tionally served as a venue for pub- this year.” sensitive information — includ- Hungary (Forint) ...... 299.09 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Israel (Shekel) ...... 3.4643 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) lishers, developers and console The news comes on the heels of ing phone numbers and home Japan (Yen) ...... 109.96 makers to unveil new projects to a several rough news cycles for E3 addresses, among other data Kuwait (Dinar) ...... 0.3034 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) ...... 8.8768 mass audience, but even with the and the Entertainment Software — belonging to over 2,000 con- Philippines (Peso)...... 50.58 Prime rate ...... 4.75 impending release of the PlaySta- Association, the organization that tent creators and journalists in an Poland (Zloty) ...... 3.79 Discount rate ...... 2.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...... 3.7515 Federal funds market rate ...... 1.55 tion 5, Sony is sitting out the show. hosts the event. PlayStation first excel spreadsheet that was acces- Singapore (Dollar) ...... 1.3473 3-month bill ...... 1.53 “After thorough evaluation SIE skipped the event in 2019. sible to anyone with a direct link. South Korea (Won) ...... 1,156.34 30-year bond ...... 2.31 WEATHER OUTLOOK WEDNESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST WEDNESDAY IN EUROPE THURSDAY IN THE PACIFIC

Misawa 34/30 Kabul 37/16 Seoul 32/25 Baghdad 57/40 Kandahar 41/30 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 33/26 48/42 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 52/43 48/43 38/28 Iwakuni 48/42 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 67/64 Brussels 47/42 Guam 63/47 48/45 Ramstein 47/41 80/77 Lajes, 48/41 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 58/38 68/57 60/57 49/36 39/33 Aviano/ Vicenza 42/30

Naples 54/41 Okinawa Morón 70/66 61/44 Sigonella Rota 54/41 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 79/72 60/53 56/53 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 29 Classified ...... 12 Comics ...... 31 Crossword ...... 31 Faces ...... 30 Opinion ...... 32 Sports ...... 33-40 Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY Soldier: Jury prejudiced by info on training

BY NANCY MONTGOMERY Bragg, N.C., in 2016. They were ington’s 2017 sexual assault as to the legal ‘reasonableness’ there was no prejudice given the Stars and Stripes kissing on a bed when the other court-martial was allowed, after standard,” Capt. Zachary Gray, use of the evidence, the military soldier said she was uncomfort- Washington’s lawyer indicated Washington’s lawyer, wrote in judge’s instructions, and the over- A soldier convicted of a sex able and told him to stop. his defense would be that Wash- his brief to the court. It “unfairly all weight of the government’s crime is arguing that testimony “Shush; just let it happen,” ington had mistakenly but rea- prejudiced Pvt. Washington by evidence which resulted in appel- explaining the military’s sexual Washington replied, according to sonably believed his accuser had injecting the spectre of command lant’s conviction,” Capt. Christo- assault prevention training “un- court documents. consented to him kissing her gen- at his trial” and should not have pher Leighton wrote. fairly prejudiced” a jury, docu- He then covered her mouth itals over her pants. been allowed into evidence by the The woman reported to au- ments filed to the nation’s highest with his hand, undid his pants Prosecutors called the SHARP military judge. thorities that night that she’d military court say. and continued, kissing her body trainer to testify to the educa- Gray added that although the been assaulted and later texted The Court of Appeals for the as she tried to wriggle away and tion Washington and others had woman asked Washington to stop, Washington to ask why he had Armed Forces will hold a hear- told him twice more to stop, until received. he “would not have been able to not stopped despite her repeated ing Wednesday to decide whether he was interrupted by a knock on What did the training say sol- understand her because her voice pleas. Pvt. Tyler Washington’s convic- the door, court documents said. diers should do if one person said was muffled by his hand.” “I thought that was one of those tion for abusive sexual contact, It happened a week after re- “no” while engaged in kissing and Army appellate lawyers said moments when the person says his confinement for 30 days and quired Sexual Assault Harass- caressing? in briefs that Rivera’s testimony stop but they want to keep going,” his bad conduct discharge were ment/Assault Response and The other should “stop, walk was relevant and “limited to the he replied, according to court fair. Prevention training, typically away,” Sgt. 1st Class Wilfredo Ri- purpose of rebutting the defense documents. “Been with people Washington and another soldier called SHARP, that discussed vera testified. of reasonable mistake of fact.” like that before sorry.” were privates at their first duty consent. That testimony was “likely “Furthermore, even if the [email protected] station when they met at Fort SHARP testimony at Wash- to confuse the (jury) members military judge did commit error, Twitter@montgomerynance FBI: Fatal shooting at NAS Pensacola an ‘act of terrorism’ BY ROSE L. THAYER Saudi students are at three Flor- Stars and Stripes ida bases, The Washington Post reported. Saudi students make The shooting in December at up about 16% of the 5,181 stu- Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., dents from 153 countries in these that left three sailors dead and programs. eight other personnel wounded “The relevant U.S. attorney was an act of terrorism, accord- offices independently reviewed ing to results of federal investiga- each of the 21 cases involving de- tion released Monday. rogatory information and deter- Evidence showed when 2nd Lt. mined that none of them would, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, in the normal course, result in a member of the Royal Saudi Air federal prosecution,” Barr said. Force, entered a classroom facili- However, Saudi Arabia de- J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP ty on base Dec. 6 and opened fire, termined this material demon- Attorney General William Barr, joined by FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich, left, and other officials, he was motivated by jihadist ide- strated conduct unbecoming of told reporters at the Justice Department in Washington on Monday that a federal investigation concluded ology, Attorney General William an officer in the Saudi Royal Air that the Dec. 6 shootings at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla., constituted a terrorist attack. Barr said during a news confer- Force and Royal Navy and the 21 ence in Washington to announce cadets have been dismissed from the findings of an investigation their training in America and motion. They fully cooperated in from being shot. He then helped conducted by the FBI and other were scheduled to return to Saudi the investigation, as did the other others escape, all while taking state and federal law enforce- Arabia on Monday, he said. Saudi cadets who were inter- additional fire from Alshamrani. Apple says ment agencies. The Defense Department viewed by the FBI at Pensacola “Airman Blackwell’s heroic The investigation revealed worked with Saudi Arabia to with- and at additional bases across the acts also saved countless lives Alshamrani, who was at the naval draw the students from training country.” that day,” Barr said. it’s helping base for pilot training, posted a and coordinated with the Saudi After entering the building The Pensacola base, where message on social media on Sept. Embassy in the United States to Dec. 6, Alshamrani cased the fa- the Naval Education Training FBI probe 11 that said, “the countdown has return these students to Saudi cility before shooting unarmed Command is headquartered, em- begun,” Barr said. The gunman Arabia, Pentagon press secretary personnel. He was shot and killed ploys more than 16,000 military Bloomberg News also posted other anti-American, Alyssa Farah said in a statement. by an Escambia County sheriff’s personnel and 7,400 civilian em- anti-Israeli and jihadist messages Among those Saudis, 17 stu- deputy. ployees, according to its website. Apple said Monday that on social media, and he did so dents had social media contain- During Monday’s announce- Nearly 60,000 students graduate it is helping the FBI inves- two hours before his attack at the ing some jihadi or anti-American ment, Barr took a moment to annually from the various pro- tigate a Dec. 6 terrorist at- naval base. During Thanksgiving content, but there was no evidence highlight “acts of courage” by grams on base. tack at Naval Air Station weekend, he visited the National of affiliation or involvement with three service members during Barr closed his briefing by dis- Pensacola, Fla., pushing September 11 Memorial & Mu- any terrorist activity or group, the shooting spree. cussing Alshamrani’s two cell- back on criticism by Attor- seum in New York City. Barr said. Fifteen individuals had Two Marines, Gunnery Sgt. phones, which investigators still ney General William Barr. Concerns that other Saudi stu- some kind of contact with child Ryan Maisel and Staff Sgt. Samu- have not been able to access. However, Apple didn’t dents assisted in the attack or held pornography, he said. One indi- el Mullins, were outside the build- During the gunfight with first comment on Barr’s main similar ideology led the FBI to in- vidual had a significant number ing when gunfire erupted and responders, the shooter placed assertion that the company one of the phones on the floor vestigate all Saudi students in the of such illegal images. The rest ran unarmed into the building to has provided no “substan- and fired a single round into the program. While there is no evi- had one or two images, in most confront Alshamrani, Barr said. tive assistance” to unlock They pulled a fire extinguisher device. The other phone also was dence of assistance or knowledge cases posted in a chat room by two iPhones belonging to from the wall as they ran toward damaged when collected by the of the attack by other members of someone else or received through the alleged terrorist. the Saudi military who are train- the gunfire. FBI, which has court authoriza- social media. The company provid- ing in the United States, 21 stu- Barr also said early reports “Although they were unable to tion to search the phones to deter- ed information about the dents will be sent back home for that other Saudi cadets accompa- engage the shooter, they helped mine who the shooter might have shooter’s Apple accounts, anti-American social media posts nied Alshamrani and took video save many lives by performing been in communication with lead- or child pornography, according of the attack were not true. CPR and other medical aid on the ing up to the attack. Experts at the iCloud backups and trans- to Monday’s announcement. “The shooter arrived by him- victims,” Barr said. FBI were able to fix both phones action information to in- About 850 Saudi students par- self,” he said. “Other Saudi cadets He also said Navy Airman Ryan so they are operational, but are vestigators, it said. It added ticipate in Pentagon-sponsored happened to be in the area and, Blackwell was shot five times, yet still seeking the passwords. that it provided “all of the information” it has. training programs across the after the attack began, they took still managed to cover a fellow [email protected] country and about 300 of the some videos of the resulting com- sailor with his body to keep her Twitter: @Rose_Lori PAGE 4 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 MILITARY Milley: Pentagon mulling cutback to forces in Africa

BY JOHN VANDIVER view to determine if additional Stars and Stripes ‘ We’re developing cuts were needed. Resources must be shifted toward counter- STUTTGART, Germany — The options for the ing China and Russia, which are Pentagon is considering plans to the Pentagon’s top priorities, reduce the number of troops it secretary to Esper has said. has in Africa so they can be rede- consider. ployed to other missions, includ- ’ The issue of troop levels in Af- Gen. Mark Milley ing a larger role in the Pacific, the rica is likely to be on the agenda when Townsend testifies before military’s top officer said. SARAYUTH PINTHONG/U.S. Air Force “We’re developing options for Congress this month. the secretary to consider, and we the Pentagon has gone back and Militant groups in Africa pose A trainee at Air Force basic military training signs into his new are developing those options in forth over what size its force in a threat to U.S. interests on the computer at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, on Dec. coordination with our allies and Africa should be. continent, AFRICOM has said. 11. The Air Force is turning to tablets and online study guides to partners,” Gen. Mark Milley told In 2018, it reduced the number But so far no group has shown a improve training and track progress. Agence France-Presse on Mon- of special operations troops on the capacity to pose a serious threat day as he traveled to Brussels to continent, mainly in West Africa, in the West. meet with fellow NATO military by several hundred. That could change, however, USAF looks to improve chiefs. The cuts were part of the pivot AFRICOM has warned. The lead- The topic of a possible U.S. cut- to “great power competition” with ers of some extremist groups, back in Africa is likely to come up China and Russia, the Defense such as al-Shabab in Somalia, Department said at the time. basic training with during closed-door talks with ally have ambitions to strike outside The reduction came a year after France, which uses American lo- Africa, AFRICOM has said. gistical and intelligence support four U.S. soldiers were killed in an There are about 6,000 Ameri- tablets, online study for counterterrorism missions in ambush in Niger, which brought can military personnel in Africa West Africa. added scrutiny from Washing- BY JAMES BOLINGER ficer Academy, “although lots of Military assets “could be re- ton of the mission of U.S. Africa at any given time, and the U.S. testing … needs to occur before duced and then shifted, either to Command. isn’t looking to pull all of them Stars and Stripes that happens.” increase readiness of the force in Soon after Gen. Stephen out, Milley said. The Air Force is using tablet- Airman Leadership School is a the continental U.S. or shifted to” Townsend assumed command of “Economy of forces does not style computers and web-based six-week course attended by senior the Pacific, Milley was quoted as AFRICOM in May, Defense Sec- mean zero,” he told AFP. study guides during basic military airmen who have been selected for retary Mark Esper requested that saying. [email protected] training to reinforce classroom promotion. The Noncommissioned During the past couple of years, the new chief conduct another re- Twitter: @john_vandiver lessons and track trainees’ prog- Officer Academy, NCOA, is at- ress, officials said Monday. tended by technical sergeants as Two flights of basic trainees, a requirement to be promoted to roughly 100 recruits, began test- master sergeant. The online study ing the new platforms Dec. 11, guide also allows the Air Force Sculpture planned for D-Day vet said Capt. Tyler Hoff, a training to update the curriculum at any flight commander with the 321st time. The printed curriculum may BY JOHN VANDIVER Training Squadron at Joint Base be updated only every six months, Stars and Stripes San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. when the new study guides are The tablets use adaptive learning printed, Hoff said. Overlooking Omaha Beach is a software that recognizes when a For example, immediate chang- small memorial to honor Native trainee is struggling in a specific es to the Air Force history section American troops who took part in subject and adjusts the curricu- can be made to reflect current op- the Normandy invasion more than lum accordingly, he said. erations in the Middle East while 75 years ago, and now a group of During Air Force basic train- students are in class. French locals want to add to it. ing, recruits study a broad range Lamelin said the new platform An effort is underway to erect of subjects, including Air Force has encountered a few glitches, in- a large bust of D-Day vet Charles history, law of armed conflict and cluding Wi-Fi connectivity issues Shay, who stormed the beach as a cyber awareness, said Master Sgt. and ensuring trainees keep the medic and today calls Normandy Paul Lamelin, a military training tablets charged and don’t break home. instructor for the 321st Train- them. Two of the program’s com- “It is better to do it while ing Squadron who oversees a test puters had to be replaced after Charles is still alive,” said Marie- flight. being dropped, he said. Only one Pascale Legrand, Shay’s caretak- The concept of using comput- flight was issued impact-resistant er in Normandy, who is part of the ers and an online curriculum for cases, while the other has bare effort. studying and testing may improve tablets. A group of Normandy residents the quality of training by provid- The Air Force is not paying for came up with the idea of creating GoFundMe ing instructors with immediate the program, Hoff said. Under the a bust of Shay, which when fin- feedback about trainee perfor- contract to test the curriculum A fundraising effort was launched to sculpt a bronze bust of D-Day software, civilian corporations ished will weigh 165 pounds and mance, Hoff said. veteran Charles Shay, who now lives in Normandy. The sculpture Each tablet, which allows train- are footing the bill, although the sit in the center of the Charles would be placed at an existing memorial to Native Americans later ees to type notes in class, is linked service will pick up the tab if it de- Shay Indian Memorial in Saint- this year at Omaha Beach. to a “parent” device that notifies cides to roll the system out across Laurent-sur-Mer, France. The instructors when a student is not basic training. memorial opened in 2017 and bluffs at Omaha Beach. said there is every expectation studying or is struggling in a cer- The contractors also helped the since then, U.S. Army generals Shay, a Penobscot Native Amer- that Shay will be on hand for the tain area, he said. service ensure that trainees are have made a point of visiting dur- ican, was just 19 when he was bust unveiling, slated for June 5. All other trainees are using the not distracted by social media and ing D-Day ceremonies. among the first wave of troops to While he has the ailments that traditional printed study guide do not use the devices to access The community plans to unveil land at Omaha Beach. come with age, he remains active with the same material. unapproved websites, Hoff said. the statue in time for the 76th Since 2007, he’s made annual D- and likes to keep up with current If the learning platform proves Each device is set up to mimic a anniversary of D-Day on June Day pilgrimages to the Normandy events like the wildfires in Aus- itself at basic training, it could be- child-parent set-up. Students can 6, said Legrand, who has spent American Cemetery, where 9,388 tralia, which have him particu- come part of Air Force enlisted use the devices only for certain 3,000 euros to launch the project. war dead are buried. hours each day, and any unap- larly concerned, she said. professional military training, A GoFundMe campaign also has “The heroes, the real heroes, proved activity is immediately sent He’s also has taken a strong lik- Hoff said. been started to help with the esti- are laying here in the cemeter- One idea is that the tablet will to the parent device controlled by ing to French wine. mated total cost of $13,000. ies,” Shay said in an interview stay with the new airmen as they the instructors. Local officials have already with Stars and Stripes last year. “He’s 95 years old and this is continue to technical school, the The study will wrap up Jan. 21 granted permission for the proj- “These are our heroes. We should one of his pleasures. And there next phase of training, Hoff said. when the trainees take their final ect, Legrand said. Now, plans never forget them.” is nothing wrong with that,” Le- He said the computer could po- test before graduation, Lamelin are being made to dig at the site Shay, lonely in his native Maine, grand said. tentially stay with that same air- said. and place a cement foundation to moved to Normandy in 2018 to [email protected] man through Airman Leadership [email protected] keep the bust secure on the windy live with his friend Legrand. She Twitter: @john_vandiver School or Noncommissioned Of- Twitter: @bolingerj2004 Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 5 PACIFIC Divers find unexploded shell near US base

BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS It is unclear whether the shell — believed tercraft operating in the area,” he added. In 2018, workers discovered 25 mm anti- Stars and Stripes to be a naval artillery round — is Ameri- Base officials coordinated with the city aircraft shells at the construction site of a can or Japanese or how old it is because of of Yokosuka, Yokosuka District of the new child-development center. YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan corrosion, he said. The dredging company Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Leftover ordnance is regularly found — Contractors diving near the base docks divers found the shell beneath about 43 the South Kanto Defense Bureau during across Japan. In 2016, a 5-inch unexploded on Monday found an unexploded artillery shell from an American warship was dis- shell during a site survey, base spokesman feet of water. the response, he said. Randall Baucom said. An explosive ordnance disposal team It is not uncommon for unexploded ord- covered at a construction site near Camp Yokosuka security responded to the area this week will use small explosives to de- nance and other decades-old weaponry Kinser, Okinawa, and a contractor found near Berth 5 to secure a perimeter around stroy the munition where it lies “so it is no to be discovered on the base, which once 12 Japanese mines in an ordnance area at the area where the 5-inch munition rested longer a danger to any future dredging op- belonged to the Japanese Imperial Navy Sasebo Naval Base. about 22 yards from the shore, Baucom erations,” Baucom said. before it was seized by Allied forces at the [email protected] said. “There is no threat to personnel and wa- end of World War II. Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos Former US naval base at Subic Bay set for redevelopment

BY SETH ROBSON U.S. warships and for Marines who Subic Bay plan, which aims to de- Stars and Stripes practice beach landings nearby in velop knowledge-based industries, Zambales province. logistics terminals, public utilities Japan will help the Philippines The strategic harbor’s impor- and roads to grow the local econo- redevelop the former U.S. naval tance has grown amid Chinese ef- my, Bloomberg reported Jan. 9. base at Subic Bay, Japan’s Ministry forts to build military facilities on Meanwhile, China has financed of Foreign Affairs has announced. artificial islands and claim sover- a $987 million, 44-mile freight rail Philippines finance secretary eignty over territory to the west in line connecting Subic Bay to Clark Carlos Dominguez and Japa- the South China Sea. Freeport, on land once occupied by nese Minister for Foreign Affairs Last June, the U.S. Navy an- the U.S. Air Force’s Clark Air Base, Toshimitsu Motegi confirmed the nounced it was “exploring the via- the agency reported. plans after they met in Manila on bility of a shipyard in Subic Bay for Japan’s interest in Subic Bay was Thursday. use as a potential repair and main- expected, according to Patricio Abi- The pair agreed to cooperate in tenance facility.” nales, a Philippines expert at the “drawing up a master plan, which The shipyard’s owner, Hanjin University of Hawaii. would bring out potential for eco- Philippines, declared bankruptcy “Pundits in Japan have been nomic development in the Subic earlier in 2019 owing $900 million pushing for Japan to … aggressively Bay area,” according to a Japanese to South Korean creditors. counter Chinese advances in South- government statement. A pair of Chinese firms subse- east Asia with their own initiatives,” Subic Bay was once home to quently expressed an interest in he said. thousands of U.S. sailors and their buying the facility, sparking alarm families before the Navy vacated its in some quarters. Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report. bases there in 1992. The Japan International Cooper- [email protected] It’s still a regular port call for ation Agency will help develop the Twitter: @SethRobson1

Couple taking son home after his death in S. Korea

Stars and Stripes youth program assistant at the until the bill serving at Yongsan military in- Child Development Center on had been stallation in Seoul,” Leroy Allen SEOUL, South Korea — An Yongsan, a sprawling Army base paid. The said Tuesday. Alabama couple was sched- in Seoul that is in the process of hospital de- A friend started a GoFund- uled to fly home Tuesday along being closed. He was much loved nied the body Me page that raised more than with their son’s body, nearly two by the children, their parents was held for $10,000 to help the family. weeks after the child care worker and his co-workers, who became payment, The Department of Defense at Yongsan Garrison died during alarmed when he failed to show blaming bu- mortuary affairs team collected open-heart surgery at a South up for work on Dec. 30. reaucratic the body last week and an au- Korean hospital. Leroy and Margie Allen, of issues for topsy was performed at Camp An autopsy confirmed that Madison, Ala., flew to Seoul as the delay. Humphreys, the new U.S. mili- Gregory Allen, 31, died from Allen soon as they heard their son had “We do tary headquarters base south of pulmonary embolism on Jan. 2 not want the fallen ill, but they struggled for Seoul. after arriving Dec. 30 at Soon days to retrieve the body from circumstances that we had to A funeral has been scheduled Chun Hyang University hospital the hospital after he died, leaving endure by the hospital demand- for Saturday in Gregory Allen’s in Seoul in a disoriented state, ac- a $24,000 bill for his care. ing money at 3 a.m. to happen to cording to his parents. Leroy Allen said hospital offi- any other soldiers, civilians, fam- hometown of Ferriday, La. Gregory Allen was a child and cials refused to release the body ily members and contractors still [email protected] Navy helo crew airlifts ailing fisherman to Guam hospital

BY WYATT OLSON territory, the Coast Guard said in about 2:30 p.m. Hawaii time. in search-and-rescue operations Stars and Stripes a news release Monday. A duty flight surgeon with throughout the Mariana Islands. The crew of a Navy helicopter The man was found uncon- Squadron 25 recommended the “The ability to extend our flew an ailing 61-year-old crew scious in his room by other crew crewmember be medically evacu- reach to almost 150 miles away member from a fishing boat to a members, the Coast Guard said. ated as soon as possible, the Coast from Guam to conduct a medical hospital on Guam on Saturday, He was flown to U.S. Naval Guard said. evacuation of a critically ill pa- the Coast Guard said. Hospital Guam in stable condi- Squadron 25 is the Navy’s only tient highlights this partnership The MH-60 Seahawk crew, tion. Emergency medical person- permanently deployed MH-60 to serve our community and mar- from Navy Helicopter Sea Com- nel then transported him to Guam expeditionary squadron, provid- iners,” Cmdr. Allison Cox, search bat Squadron 25 on Guam, hoist- Memorial Hospital. ing armed helicopter capability and rescue mission coordinator ed the fisherman from the Sheng Coast Guard watch-standers to the Navy’s 7th and 5th Fleets. for Coast Guard Sector Guam, Hong, a 252-foot Taiwanese- in Honolulu received word of the The squadron’s flight surgeon, said in the news release. flagged fishing boat, which was man’s condition from the Rescue pilots and crews are also criti- [email protected] about 150 miles south of the U.S. Coordination Center Taipei at cal in assisting the Coast Guard Twitter: @WyattWOlson PAGE 6 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 MILITARY Rust: Navy describes corrosion control as a ‘never-ending challenge’ FROM FRONT PAGE ‘ about the year an exhibitor showed “It’s necessary, but off a laser. it’s pretty miserable. But rust prevention itself has consequences. For regular main- Busting rust is tenance, a ship must be brought to nobody’s favorite a dry dock . Navy ships typically go to a dry thing to do. ’ dock every five to seven years for Scott Tait repairs and maintenance, includ- retired Navy captain ing paint restoration, and ships used for freight transport usually go five years between dry dock sessions. For ships that carry com- tur sailed into a San Diego port mercial cargo, every day spent in to undergo regular maintenance. When the ships were lifted out of dry dock is a day not spent bring- ANTONIO GARCIA/U.S. Marines ing in revenue. the water and settled into a dry “If it’s not dealt with, the cost of dock, the weathering of the hulls Marine Cpl. Ed Rios, left, and Cpl. Anthony Weber, tank crew Marines with the 22nd Marine going back and trying to correct was obvious. Expeditionary Unit, scrub rust and other debris off of a M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank in the well deck things that should have been dealt The redness on the Decatur’s of the USS Kearsarge. Tank crew Marines routinely perform preventative maintenance on the tanks to with early can become exorbi- hull was still visible, but the bot- inhibit rust and other mechanical issues. tant,” said Bradley Martin, senior tom of the Stethem looked more policy researcher at Rand Corp. like sand art, with ripples of faded if it were writing on a chalkboard. and a retired Navy captain. red, green-gray and black. Brown The work is hot, dusty and To tackle this never-ending barnacles marched up its side. dark. Workers sometimes have cycle, the Navy uses paints de- Dashes of orange rust formed to squeeze themselves into tight signed to discourage rust on parts a stripe, like a lane line on a spaces, surrounded by steel that’s of the ship exposed to the water, freeway. baked by the outside sun. including the hull and tanks. Cor- Dealing with rust isn’t cheap. “You really got to enjoy what rosion typically forms where paint According to a 2014 report, the you do to work down here,” said gets damaged. When anchors Defense Department has pegged Young, who has been preserving bump against the hulls, that often the cost for Navy ships and ves- ships for 17 years. creates an opportunity for rust. sels at $3 billion, close to a quar- Some newer Navy ships, like “The saying down here is: ‘Paint ter of their overall maintenance the Zumwalt-class guided-missile is what holds the fleet together,’ ” expenses. (Recent examples: destroyers, are being designed said Bill Young, a San Diego- BAE Systems won two Defense from the start with corrosion in based business unit leader for In- Department contracts totaling mind. The topside structures of ternational Marine and Industrial $170 million for two Navy ships those ships are made of fiberglass Applicators, which repairs and in San Diego.) In an email, the composite materials, which do not LACORDRICK WILSON/U.S. Navy primes ship surfaces. Navy bluntly described corro- corrode like steel. On the bottom of ship hulls, the sion control as a “never-ending U.S. Navy Seaman Ian Otamias uses a needle gun to remove rust Other ships have a brick-shaped Navy uses a special epoxy-based challenge.” from the weather decks aboard the guided missile destroyer USS piece of zinc mounted to bare red paint to prevent rust and limit Sailors know the feeling first- Ross in 2014. metal — a notion that dates back barnacle growth. The color is easi- hand. Traditionally, they don life to the 1800s. er for divers to see and indicates to vests and protective gear, stand on “It’s necessary, but it’s pretty ship and at a dry dock. After don- The addition of zinc protects maintenance crews where the un- a “paint float” suspended by ropes miserable,” said Tait, the retired ning several layers of clothing, in- the ship’s metal structures from derwater hull ends and the upper over the edge of the ship and chip Zumwalt captain. “Busting rust is cluding coveralls and a protective the chemical reaction that re- part begins. But like all things, away at rust with hand scrapers or nobody’s favorite thing to do.” hood with a breathing apparatus, sults in corrosion. After that brick over time, its luster fades. a high-pressure needle gun. And on-ship maintenance can’t crews shoot ground-up minerals — known as a sacrificial anode This fall, the guided-missile Elsewhere, sailors will look for get it all. To really tackle rust, like copper slag through a blast — meets its untimely demise, an- destroyers Stethem and Deca- rust inside the ship. work must be done both on the hose to erase the rust as cleanly as other is bolted in its place. Wall: Appeals court ruled work can proceed while challenges are pending

FROM FRONT PAGE summer with top military officials about The federal appeals court in New Or- “This is a victory for the rule of law,” A federal district court in El Paso, Texas, once more siphoning money from the Pen- leans ruled 2-1 last week that the plain- Grisham’s statement said. “We are com- ruled last month that the White House tagon budget to construct the barriers. But tiffs suing the Trump administration to mitted to keeping our borders secure, and broke the law when it commandeered those plans were on hold because of the block the use of the military funds — El we will finish the wall.” funds for the border wall that had been au- legal challenges to the maneuver. Paso County, Texas, and the Border Net- Homeland Security officials have re- Several dozen Pentagon construction work for Human Rights, an activist group thorized by Congress for another purpose. peatedly moved the goal posts to scale projects were delayed or suspended as a — likely lacked the legal standing to make The court froze $3.6 billion the adminis- back Trump’s ambitious construction tar- result of last year’s reprogramming of $3.6 the challenge. tration budgeted for new barriers. billion, including road repairs, a waste The decision came six months after the gets, bringing criticism that they have not But the Trump administration appealed treatment plant and school construction U.S. Supreme Court issued a similar rul- worked fast enough to deliver on the presi- that ruling, and last week the 5th Circuit projects on military bases. It’s unclear ing lifting an injunction from a federal dent’s signature promise. Court of Appeals in New Orleans lifted whether those projects will be delayed court judge in California that temporarily During an event at the border in Yuma, the injunction, saying work could proceed again, or whether a different set of repairs blocked the administration’s first attempt Ariz., last week marking the completion of while legal challenges to the government and improvements could be postponed. to reprogram military funds. the 100th mile of barrier, acting Homeland are pending. The White House asked Congress for $5 The 5th Circuit panel said the adminis- Security Secretary Chad Wolf said the ad- The president and his administration billion for 2020 border barrier construc- tration would be entitled to the same re- ministration has not fallen behind. viewed that ruling as additional encour- tion, and Trump’s demand led to the 35- lief granted by the Supreme Court in that “I can tell you that we remain confident agement to take the money again this year, day government shutdown a year ago. The decision. that we are on track to 400, 450 miles that according to administration officials fa- shutdown ended with Democrats agreeing Stephanie Grisham, the White House are either completed or under construction miliar with the plans. to provide $1.4 billion in taxpayer funding press secretary, celebrated the court’s rul- The White House did not respond to a and the White House turning to military ing in a statement, saying it had “lifted an by the end of 2020,” Wolf told reporters. request for comment Monday, and a Penta- budgets to obtain billions more. illegitimate nationwide injunction,” and It was the first time an administration gon representative declined to comment. Congress authorized nearly $700 billion “in doing so has allowed vital border wall official had counted barriers “under con- Trump’s son-in-law, White House ad- in defense spending for 2020, a slight in- construction to move forward using mili- struction” toward the president’s pledge to viser Jared Kushner, had discussions last crease over last year’s levels. tary construction funds.” complete 450 miles by Election Day. Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 7 MIDEAST Iran: Arrests made in downing of airplane

Associated Press knowledged on Saturday — three President Hassan Rouhani said breaking away from limits on its “It was the U.S. that made for days after — that its Revolution- in a televised speech, adding that nuclear program and Europe un- TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said an agitated environment. It was ary Guard had shot down the those found culpable “should be able to find ways to keep Tehran the U.S. that created an unusual Tuesday that authorities have plane by mistake as the force punished.” committed. made arrests for the accidental situation. It was the U.S. that braced for a possible military “There are others, too, and I The U.S. sanctions have devas- threatened and took our beloved shootdown of a Ukrainian pas- confrontation with the United want that this issue is expressed tated Iran’s economy. (Soleimani),” he said. senger plane, which killed all 176 States. honestly,” he said, without Tensions sharply escalated people on board and set off pro- The plane, en route from Tehran elaborating. further on Jan. 3, when a U.S. Rouhani called the govern- tests in the country demanding to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Rouhani called the incident “a airstrike killed Iran’s most pow- ment’s admission that Iranian accountability after officials ini- was carrying 167 passengers and painful and unforgivable” mis- erful commander, Revolutionary forces shot down the plane a “first tially concealed the cause of the nine crew members from several take and promised that his ad- Guard Maj. Gen. Qassem Solei- good step.” crash. countries, including 82 Iranians ministration would pursue the mani, in Baghdad. He added that Iranian experts Iran’s Judiciary spokesman and 57 Canadians, many of whom case “by all means.” In response, Iran launched bal- who retrieved the Ukrainian Gholamhossein Esmaili said were Iranians with dual citizen- “This is not an ordinary case. listic missiles on military bases plane’s flight recorder, the so- “some individuals“ were arrested ship. There were several children The entire the world will be housing U.S. troops in Iraq to called black box, have sent it to after “extensive investigations.“ among the passengers, including watching this court,” he said. avenge Soleimani’s killing. The France for analysis. His statement on the judiciary’s an infant. Tensions have been escalating Ukrainian plane was shot down in Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the website did not say how many Iran’s president on Tuesday since President Donald Trump Tehran as Iranian forces were on head of the Guard’s aerospace di- people had been detained or name called for a special court with “a pulled the U.S. out of Iran’s 2015 alert for possible U.S. retaliation. those arrested. ranking judge and dozens of ex- nuclear deal with world powers, While Rouhani pointed to mis- vision, said over the weekend his Iran at first dismissed allega- perts“ to be set up to probe the then reimposed sanctions that takes and negligence, he also re- unit accepts full responsibility for tions that a missile had brought incident. had been lifted under the accord. peated the government’s line that the shootdown. He said when he down the plane, but in the face of “The responsibility falls on The deal has quickly unraveled the plane tragedy was ultimately learned about the downing of the mounting evidence officials ac- more than just one person,“ since then, with Iran steadily rooted in U.S. aggression. plane, “I wished I was dead.” EU rebukes US warns Iran over vessels nuclear transiting violations Persian Gulf Associated Press Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates BRUSSELS — Britain, France — The United States on Tuesday and Germany ratcheted up pres- warned of threats to commercial sure on Iran on Tuesday to cease vessels in and around the Persian its violations of a landmark nucle- Gulf in the wake of its confronta- ar deal, stressing that they want tion with Iran. to resolve differences through Tensions have soared since the talks while starting the clock on a U.S. airstrike earlier this month process that could result in a so- that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem So- called “snapback” of United Na- leimani, Iran’s top general and tions sanctions. the architect of its regional mili- JEAN-FRANCOIS BADIAS/AP The three countries, which tary activities. Iran responded signed the international agree- Britain, France and Germany have launched action under the Iran nuclear agreement paving the way by firing ballistic missiles at U.S. ment in 2015 along with the Unit- for possible sanctions in response to Tehran’s attempts to roll back parts of the deal, European Union troops in Iraq, without wound- ed States, Russia and China, said foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, above, said Tuesday at the European parliament in Strasbourg, France. ing anyone, and accidentally shot in a letter to the European Union’s down a Ukrainian jetliner near foreign policy chief that they had tions, but to register today our The aim of the move by France, any good will and constructive Tehran, killing all 176 on board. no choice but to trigger the deal’s concerns that Iran is not meeting Germany and Britain is “to find effort“ that preserves the nuclear “Heightened military activity “dispute mechanism,” given its commitments,” the countries solutions and return (Iran) to full deal. He was quoted Tuesday by and increased political tensions Iran’s ongoing transgressions. said in a joint statement. compliance within the framework in this region continue to pose se- The three said they rejected EU foreign policy chief Josep of this agreement. he said. the official IRNA news agency. rious threats to commercial ves- Tehran’s argument that Iran was Borrell, who coordinates the Hours later, Iran’s Foreign The Europeans stressed that sels,” the U.S. said in a maritime justified in violating the deal be- agreement on behalf of the world Ministry warned of a “serious they want to “resolve the impasse warning. “Associated with these cause the United States broke the powers, said the pressure on Iran and strong response“ to the Euro- through constructive diplomatic threats is a potential for miscal- agreement by pulling out unilat- from Europe does not mean inter- pean move. dialogue.” They also specifically culation or misidentification that erally in 2018. national sanctions will automati- However, Foreign Ministry could lead to aggressive actions.” “We have therefore been left cally be slapped on the Islamic spokesman Abbas Mousavi said distanced themselves from sanc- It said vessels transiting the with no choice, given Iran’s ac- Republic. Iran was is “fully ready to answer tions imposed by the U.S . Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz — through which one-third of all oil US officials cite deterrence to defend lethal drone strike traded by sea passes — could en- counter GPS interference or com- Associated Press other U.S. officials interviewed Iran to the brink of war. eration had a more fundamental munications jamming. by The Associated Press, stopped As lawmakers protested, the purpose: breaking up what they WASHINGTON — For all of It said some vessels have re- short of saying definitively that Trump administration seized on viewed to be a perilous cycle of p or ted c om mu n ic at ion s f r om “ u n- the Trump administration’s insis- no specific plot was broken up. the “imminent threat” rationale, violence that could have brought known entities falsely claiming to tence that the threat of an “immi- Still, the shifting rationale has though Pompeo later said he the U.S. and Iran even closer to be U.S. or coalition warships.” nent” attack led to the American raised questions about the nature didn’t know the time frame for hostilities. Soleimani was un- It said ships contacted by drone strike on Iran’s top general, and credibility of the threat posed Soleimani’s next attack and other doubtedly planning other poten- Iranian forces should identify U.S. officials behind the scenes by Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, officials indicated there was no tially deadly operations against themselves and say that they are say the strike was motivated as the architect of a decadeslong clear sense of the next targets . American interests as he had for proceeding in accordance with much, if not more, by a broader reign of terror in which Iranian In recent days a clearer pic- decades, the officials said. But a international law. It advised ships effort to rein in a dangerously proxy fighters killed hundreds of ture of the decision-making pro- driving concern was that the ad- to refuse to allow Iranian forces emboldened Iran. Americans and contributed to the cess leading up to the strike has ministration feared a loss of “de- to board but not to forcibly resist Secretary of State Mike Pom- deaths of hundreds of thousands emerged. While U.S. officials terrence” with Iran, according to them, and to immediately contact peo and Attorney General Wil- in the region. Critics of President stopped short of saying definitive- three senior administration offi- the U.S. 5th Fleet. liam Barr gave voice to the Donald Trump’s decision say ly that there was no specific plot cials who spoke on the condition Iran was accused of sabotaging broader rationale on Monday, he should have consulted Con- disrupted by Soleimani’s death, of anonymity to discuss sensitive oil tankers in the Persian Gulf saying deterrence was a key com- gress before taking an action that they have acknowledged in recent internal deliberations surround- last year. It acknowledged seizing ponent of the strike. But they, like brought the United States and days that the long-considered op- ing the strike and its aftermath. a British-flagged oil tanker. PAGE 8 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 NATION House to vote Wednesday to send impeachment articles

BY JOHN WAGNER, which she said is the equivalent of should include witnesses and who COLBY ITKOWITZ, “a cover-up.” might be summoned to testify. RACHAEL BADE “The American people will fully McConnell has said that he AND MIKE DEBONIS understand the Senate’s move to wants the trial — only the third The Washington Post begin the trial without witnesses impeachment of a president in and documents as a pure politi- U.S. history — to follow the format WASHINGTON — Speaker cal cover-up,” she said. “Leader used 21 years ago in the trial of Nancy Pelosi announced that the McConnell and the President are President Bill Clinton. House will vote Wednesday on afraid of more facts coming to Under those rules, House im- a resolution appointing House light. The American people de- peachment managers and lawyers impeachment managers and serve the truth, and the Constitu- for Trump would first give open- transmitting the articles of im- tion demands a trial.” ing statements and then senators JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AP peachment to the Senate, allow- The House impeached Trump would have an opportunity to ing the trial of President Donald on two charges on Dec. 18. Pelosi present written questions to both Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the House will Trump to begin this week. had held the charges as she sought sides. Only at that point would vote Wednesday on sending articles of impeachment to the Senate The speaker initially made the assurances that the Senate would the Senate decide whether to call and on appointing House impeachment managers. announcement during a closed- call witnesses, but decided late witnesses. door meeting Tuesday morning last week to transmit them with- McConnell blasted House Dem- peachment witnesses by Demo- Jeffries said he believes the of House Democrats, according to out an agreement. ocrats on Tuesday for presenting crats is former national security Democrats already have the three officials who requested ano- The crux of the Democrats’ a “half-baked” impeachment reso- adviser John Bolton. Bolton ear- support of Sens. Susan Collins, nymity to share details of a private case is the allegation that Trump lution and pressing the Senate to lier this month that he would be R-Maine; Lisa Murkowski, R- meeting. Pelosi later confirmed tried to leverage a White House call witnesses that were not part willing to testify if he receives a Alaska; and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, the move publicly in a statement. meeting and military aid, sought of House proceedings. Senate subpoena. on witnesses, which puts them one In her statement, Pelosi, D- by Ukraine to combat Russian “Two things cannot be both White House spokesman Hogan vote short of the simple majority Calif., said the House had “upheld military aggression, to pressure true,” McConnell said during re- Gidley said Tuesday that the needed to make decisions about its Constitutional duty to defend Ukrainian President Volodymyr marks on the Senate floor. “House White House is “happy for any- the trial, including whether to call one to come forward and testify” democracy For The People: pass- Zelenskiy to launch an investiga- Democrats’ case cannot simulta- witnesses. during a Senate trial but added ing two articles of impeachment tion of former vice president Joe neously be so robust that it was He then named Sens. Martha against President Donald Trump Biden and his son Hunter Biden, enough to impeach in the first that the president’s lawyers would McSally of Arizona, Joni Ernst of — abuse of power and obstruction as well as a probe of an unfounded place but also so weak that the probably invoke executive privi- Iowa, Cory Gardner of Colorado of Congress.” theory that Kyiv conspired with Senate needs to go fishing. If the lege to limit testimony. “The President and the Sena- Democrats to interfere in the 2016 existing case is so strong, there’s House Democratic Caucus and Lamar Alexander of Tennes- tors will be held accountable,” she presidential election. no need for the judge and the jury Chairman Hakeem Jeffries said see as the ones he believes could said. In anticipation of the historic to reopen the investigation. If the Democrats are hopeful they can get Democrats to the 51-vote Pelosi knocked Senate Majority event, senators in the chamber existing case is weak, House Dem- convince enough GOP senators to threshold. Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., controlled by McConnell have ocrats should not have impeached vote with them on calling witness- “There are any number of indi- for becoming a co-sponsor of a been maneuvering behind the in the first place.” es in the Senate trial, naming four viduals for who we hope decency resolution to dismiss the charges, scenes about whether the trial Among the highly sought im- he specifically has in mind. will prevail,” Jeffries said. Researchers: Russia hacked company key in Ukraine scandal

Associated Press president and Democratic presidential the Ukrainian government to investigate interview, he told The Associated Press hopeful Joe Biden, previously served on Biden, a political rival, ahead of the 2020 that top candidates for the U.S. presidency BOSTON — A U.S. cybersecurity com- pany says Russian military agents have Burisma’s board. election. A second charge accused Trump and House and Senate races in 2020 have successfully hacked the Ukrainian gas It was not clear what the hackers were of obstructing a congressional investiga- in the past few months each been targeted company at the center of the scandal looking for or may have obtained, said tion into the matter. by about a thousand phishing emails. that led to President Donald Trump’s Area 1’s CEO, Oren Falkowitz, who called “Our report doesn’t make any claims as Falkowitz did not name the candidates. impeachment. the findings “incontrovertible” and posted to what the intent of the hackers were, what Nor would he name any clients. Russian agents launched a phishing an eight-page report. But the timing of the they might have been looking for, what Russian hackers from the same military campaign in early November to steal the operation suggests that the Russian agents they are going to do with their success. We intelligence unit that Area 1 said was be- login credentials of employees of Burisma could be searching for material that is just point out that this is a campaign that’s hind the operation targeting Burisma have Holdings, the gas company, according to damaging to the Bidens. going on,” said Falkowitz, a former Nation- been indicted for hacking emails from the Area 1 Security, a Silicon Valley company The House of Representatives im- al Security Agency offensive hacker whose Democratic National Committee and the that specializes in e-mail security. peached Trump in December for abus- company’s clients include candidates for chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. vice ing the power of his office by enlisting U.S. federal elected offices. In an earlier during the 2016 presidential race. Officials: Shooting at kosher store was planned for months

Associated Press online posts. thorities said Monday. that had been impounded, may after a lengthy gunbattle with the “This was a senseless and cow- Five weapons and hundreds of have stopped the U-Haul van An- police that sent the sound of gun- NEWARK, N.J. — The two ardly act,” U.S. Attorney Craig rounds of ammunition were found derson and Graham were driving fire booming for hours through people who fatally shot a police Carpenito said. in the store afterward. Investiga- because it fit the description of a the neighborhood in New Jersey’s officer then killed three people Anderson, 47, and Graham, 50, tors also found a bomb in the cou- vehicle connected to the slaying of second-largest city, across the at a kosher grocery in Jersey shot and killed Jersey City De- ple’s van that could have sprayed a livery car driver in Bayonne a street from a school. City planned an assault for some tective Joseph Seals in a chance shrapnel fragments “five football few days earlier. Investigators found among An- time and were equipped to cause meeting in a cemetery Dec. 10, fields long,” Gregory Ehrie, spe- Anderson and Graham blud- derson’s social media posts a ref- greater destruction, authorities then drove to the market and cial agent in charge of the FBI in geoned and then shot the livery erence to Jews as “imposters who said Monday. killed Mindel Ferencz, 31, who Newark, said. The van also con- driver Michael Rumberger, 34, of- inhabited synagogues of Satan.“ State and federal law enforce- owned the store with her husband; tained materials that could have ficials said, though it wasn’t clear Anderson received about $560 ment officials revealed details Moshe Deutsch, 24, a rabbinical made a second bomb, he said. if he had been targeted. The pair per month as a military veteran about the months leading up to student from Brooklyn who was It’s not known for certain what also had done online research on and may have sold property and a the shootings by David Anderson shopping there; and store employ- prompted the confrontation be- a Jewish center in nearby Bay- van to make money, officials said, and Francine Graham, a couple ee Douglas Miguel Rodriguez. tween Seals and the shooters. onne in the days before the attack but investigators have found no who expressed hatred of Jews and Rodriguez held the back door Officials speculated that Seals, a in Jersey City, Carpenito said. evidence he received outside as- law enforcement in notes left at open for a wounded customer to 13-year veteran who was meeting Barricaded in the kosher store, sistance to purchase weapons or the grocery shooting scene and in escape before he was shot, au- someone about returning a car Anderson and Graham were killed bomb-making materials. Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 9 NATION Violent weekend People wait to in Philadelphia apply for asylum in the United States leads to 7 dead along the border in Tijuana, BY CHRIS PALMER show, the most killings this early Mexico. AND ALLISON STEELE in a year in five years. Gun violence has continued to GREGORY The Philadelphia Inquirer BULL/AP plague the city even as other vio- PHILADELPHIA — Demitri- lent crime tallies remain relative- us Moore, 15, finished his chores ly low: 356 people were slain last before walking out the door of his year, the highest total since 2007, North Philadelphia home on Sat- and more than 1,400 people were urday afternoon, washing three shot, the highest total since 2010. loads of laundry for his mother Mayor Jim Kenney on Mon- and younger brothers before leav- day expressed frustration over ing to visit his father’s house. what he called an “overwhelming Moore never made it. On the weekend,” and over how many way, he was shot twice in the people can access guns, whether chest by a gunman who remained legally or not. Judge refuses to reconsider at large Monday, leaving Moore’s “The guns are still the one relatives wondering why he was part of this that we can’t control,” gunned down and planning fu- Kenney said after an unrelated neral arrangements for the teen news conference in Rhawnhurst, they called “Man-man.” referring to the city’s inability border family separations “They shot my baby right in his under state law to enact its own heart,” Moore’s mother, Rasheida gun regulations. Quinn, said Monday, crying as a Police said the weekend’s inci- BY ELLIOT SPAGAT tially massive in scope, invades an presidency, starting in July 2017. friend embraced her. dents remained under investiga- Associated Press area that is particularly within the The government is providing in- Philadelphia police released tion, and most had not yet resulted province of the executive branch formation to the ACLU, which, in SAN DIEGO — A U.S. judge few details about Moore’s killing, in arrests. to secure the nation’s border and some cases, has volunteers going ruled Monday that the Trump ad- which was part of a barrage of goes beyond this court’s class cer- door to door in Guatemala. In Moore’s case, his mother ministration is operating within violence in the city over the week- tification and preliminary injunc- “The court strongly reaffirmed said she learned what happened its authority when separating end. In less than 48 hours, police tion orders, which were focused that the Trump administration when detectives knocked on her families stopped at the Mexico said, seven people were killed on the administration’s practice bears the burden if it attempts to door on Saturday. Police said border, rejecting arguments that and 12 others were wounded by of separating families at the bor- separate families based on an ac- the 15-year-old was fatally shot it was quietly returning to wide- gunfire, including a 44-year-old on the 3100 block of North Rose- der for the purpose of deterring cusation that the adult is not the spread practices that drew inter- immigration, and failing to reuni- child’s parent,” said ACLU attor- man shot in the hand and leg wood Street around 1:35 p.m. and national condemnation. fy those families,” Sabraw wrote ney Lee Gelernt. “We are evalu- when he was robbed of $4, and an pronounced dead about 15 min- The American Civil Liberties in a 26-page decision. ating the decision to determine 18-month-old boy who suffered a utes later at Temple University Union argued that the adminis- In a partial victory for the next steps on how to ensure that graze wound to the head. Hospital. tration was splitting families over ACLU, Sabraw said the govern- children are not separated from The violence spanned neigh- Amid the spree of crimes, Ken- dubious allegations and minor borhoods across the city and was ney said, city officials would do transgressions, including traffic ment must settle any doubts their parents based on minor particularly acute on Sunday, “everything we can” to reduce offenses. about parentage before separat- infractions.” when 10 people were killed or in- the violence, adding that as police It had asked the judge in July ing families by using DNA tests Sabraw noted that the adminis- jured in less than 10 hours, police continue to investigate, commu- to rule on whether the govern- that deliver results in about 90 tration acknowledged it erred by said. nity crisis responders were being ment was justified in separating minutes. separating a mother who needed The outburst pushed the city’s sent to affected neighborhoods 911 children during the first year The ruling was a rare instance emergency surgery and a father homicide total to 14 in the first 12 and seeking to speak to residents after the judge halted the general of the San Diego judge siding who was HIV-positive. He re- days of the year, police statistics and help prevent retaliation. practice in June 2018. with the administration. In June jected the ACLU’s contention that U.S. District Judge Dana Sa- 2018, he halted the practice of some accusations of gang affilia- braw indicated he was uncomfort- separating families under a “zero tion were unfounded, saying that able second-guessing government tolerance” policy to deter illegal the government relies on “objec- decisions to separate children on immigration and ordered that tive evidence, not allegations or Off-duty detective the grounds that parents were about 2,800 children be quickly intuition.” considered unfit or dangerous, reunited with family. Lack of ad- Days before Sabraw halted the or in other limited circumstances equate tracking systems at the widespread practice of separating struck by car, killed like criminal history, communi- time made reunification a monu- families in 2018, Trump retreat- cable diseases and doubts about mental task. ed under extraordinary criticism parentage. He found no evidence Sabraw later ordered the ad- by exempting families from his after helping woman that the government was abusing ministration to identify more than “zero tolerance” policy to crimi- its discretion. 1,500 additional children who nally prosecute every adult who “It is an invitation that is poten- were separated earlier in Trump’s crosses the border illegally. Associated Press She is sur- vived by her LOS ANGELES — An off-duty parents and sheriff’s detective was struck and two sons. killed by a car after she helped an Leist was Calif. Rep. Hunter officially vacates office elderly woman cross a street in at a red Los Angeles, authorities said. light wait- BY CHARLES T. CLARK som announced last week that he based on accusations that he and The accident occurred on Sun- ing to make The San Diego Union-Tribune will not call a special election be- his wife and former campaign day in the Valley Village neigh- a left turn cause of the timing of Hunter’s manager, Margaret Hunter, stole borhood as Detective Amber Leist when she SAN DIEGO — Rep. Duncan resignation. $250,000 of campaign funds, Hunter, the lone Republican in was returning to her car after as- saw the el- Hunter’s offices will remain using it for family vacations, gro- sisting the woman, according to San Diego’s congressional del- derly woman open under the administration ceries, his extramarital affairs Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Leist egation, officially left office Mon- fall to the of the nonpartisan clerk of the and other noncampaign uses, in- Villanueva. day after he pleaded guilty to a House. All staff, in Washington ground, Vil- cluding airfare for a pet rabbit. Leist, 41, died at a hospital, Vil- lanueva said. She parked her car felony involving illegal campaign and locally, will work on constitu- He ultimately reached a deal lanueva said. and ran to help the woman cross spending early last month. ent services and not on policy “She was an outstanding detec- the street. Hunter, who followed his father or political issues, said Hunter and pleaded guilty on Dec. 3 to a tive,” he said at a press confer- On her way back, Leist was into politics, had represented the spokesman Michael Harrison. single count of conspiracy to con- ence. “She would lead by example struck by a vehicle, he said. 50th Congressional District since Their salaries will continue vert campaign funds to personal through her act of kindness.” The driver stopped and tried to January 2009. to come from the annual House use, a felony for which he could Leist, a 12-year veteran of the help the deputy, Villanueva said. The seat will remain vacant budget. be sentenced up to five years in department, was assigned to the The Los Angeles Police De- until a new Congress is sworn in Hunter, 43, was indicted in Au- prison. He is scheduled to be sen- West Hollywood station. partment is investigating. in January 2021. Gov. Gavin New- gust 2018 on 60 federal counts tenced on March 17. PAGE 10 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 NATION Texas honors deacon who shot church gunman

BY ROBERT T. GARRETT growing debate over gun violence Gov. Greg The Dallas Morning News in Texas. Abbott presents A GOP state leader and four the Governor’s AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Republican lawmakers who Medal of Abbott on Monday bestowed the strongly support gun rights, how- Courage on state’s highest civilian award on a ever, stood behind the governor. Monday to Jack deacon who last month returned Through more than three de- Wilson, who fire against an attacker who cades in public office, Abbott has shot and killed killed two parishioners during been a reliable Second Amend- the gunman who Sunday worship at a White Settle- ment supporter. In recent weeks, opened fire on ment church. after multiple mass shootings in a congregation Jack Wilson of Granbury, who Texas, though, Democrats have in White provided firearms training to criticized him for not proposing Settlement, members of the congregation and gun ownership restrictions and Texas, on Dec. once operated On Target Fire- background check improvements 29. arms Training Academy in Fort — and especially for not calling a Worth, is “a hero” for risking special legislative session to pass RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL, his life to gun down the shotgun- them. AUSTIN (TEXAS) wielding assailant, Abbott said. AMERICAN-STATESMAN/ Abbott has had two task forces AP “So many lives were saved working on responses to mass because of Jack Wilson’s quick shootings. He and some gun action, his calmness under pres- rights advocates have called for sure and, above all else, his cour- better enforcement of existing gun legislation. shot and killed Anton “Tony” He and Abbott stressed that age and his willingness to risk his laws, such as on domestic violence own life to save the lives of oth- protective orders and reporting He noted that the assailant Keith Wallace, 64, of Fort Worth and they and church members contin- ers,” he said. of criminal convictions. Thomas Kinnunen, had a lengthy Richard White, 67, a member of ue to try to comfort the relatives In a ceremony on the lawn at Since the White Settlement criminal history and exhibited the church’s security team. Wil- of the two slain churchgoers, the Executive Mansion in Aus- attack, several GOP leaders, in- signs of mental instability. son then intervened. Wallace and White. Wallace was tin, the Republican governor cluding Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who Scruggs called Kinnunen “a On Monday, the former fire- a nurse. Farmer, the church’s se- awarded Wilson the Governor’s attended Monday’s ceremony, walking poster for the need for a arms instructor said he had no nior minister, has said White was Medal of Courage. Abbott also have also touted laws passed by red flag law,” under which judges choice, though he is uncomfort- his best friend. gave him a framed gubernatorial the Legislature in recent sessions could remove guns from people able being called a hero. Wilson said 16 of his fam- commendation. as helping make churches safer. deemed a threat to themselves or “When events arise, you’re ily members were at the Dec. 29 “Your courage will stand as Ed Scruggs of the gun control others. going to do one of two things,” worship service. an example for generations to advocacy group Texas Gun Sense While it’s not clear yet how said Wilson, who is running as “I feel more as a protector than come,” it read. “This deed of in- said he agrees that Wilson “did Kinnunen obtained the shot- a Republican for Hood County I do a hero because I did lose two spiring selflessness will not soon a lot to protect the congregation gun, Scruggs said it’s possible commissioner in the March 3 pri- real good friends,” he said. be forgotten.” that day.” he bought it under conditions in mary. “You’re either going to step Abbott said Texans “thank God At the ceremony, Abbott, Wil- Scruggs, however, questioned which no background check was up and do what’s right or walk for putting Jack Wilson in that son and Wilson’s pastor at West whether the two congregants’ required. away. And I’m not one to walk church that day.” He continued, Freeway Church of Christ, Britt deaths might have been prevent- Police have said that Kinnunen away — not from this or anything “Only God knows who is alive Farmer, made no mention of the ed had Texas enacted stronger entered the church Dec. 29 and else.” today because of Jack Wilson.” New suit puts scuba firm at fault in fatal fire High court stays ruling BY MIRANDA GREEN crew wasn’t prepared for such cident, but lawyers representing es to victims would be equivalent The Washington Post a fire and the boat did not have the victims said the probable ori- to the current market value of the proper charging capabilities for gin were the lithium batteries for Conception’s burned out hull: $0. in suicide LOS ANGELES — Owners of a the technology on the boat. portable devices that were being In the filing, the boat’s owners, scuba-diving boat that caught fire “There was no night watch, charged in the boat’s galley. Glen and Dana Fritzler, argued texting case off California’s Channel Islands there wasn’t adequate training, The lawsuit filed Monday is that they “used reasonable care last summer, trapping passengers the location of the charging sta- on behalf of three passengers — to make the Conception seawor- Associated Press below deck and killing 34 people, tions in a level above the sleep- Yulia Krashennaya, 40, Kaustubh thy,” and that the boat was “at failed to follow mandated safety ing birth with multiple electronic Nirmal, 44, Sanjeeri Deopujari, all relevant times, tight, staunch WASHINGTON — The Su- protocols and did not provide ad- devices with ion batteries was a 31 — and the crew member who and strong, fully and properly preme Court on Monday left in equate charging procedures for death trap,” Mongeluzzi told The died in the blaze, Allie Kurtz, 26. manned.” place the conviction of a Mas- electronic equipment, which like- Washington Post. The lawsuit argues that the boat Mongeluzzi said the timing sachusetts woman who sent her ly caused the blaze, according to The catastrophe happened after was unseaworthy and that the of the company’s filing, not long boyfriend text messages urging new legal claims on behalf of four a night of celebrating three birth- owner and operators were aware after the fire and before any re- him to kill himself. of the victims. days. Thirty-three passengers of the risks. sults of the investigations had Michelle Carter is serving a Several claims filed in U.S. Dis- and one crew member retired to The victims’ lawyers also aim been released, was particularly 15-month sentence after being trict Court in California on Mon- the tightly packed bunks below to encourage a case of criminal alarming to the victims. convicted of involuntary man- day allege that crew and owner slaughter in the 2014 death of negligence were responsible for deck in the early morning hours ineptitude against the ship’s cap- “The defendants filed a limi- of the last day of the voyage. tain, Jerry Boylan, using a statute tation of liability action 72 hours her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III. the wrongful deaths on board the A judge determined that Carter, A National Transportation known as seaman’s manslaughter. after this tragedy, before many Conception, a well-known and who was 17, caused the death of Safety Board preliminary report It dates back to the 19th century of the bodies had even been re- popular vessel that had ferried the 18-year-old Roy when she or- found that all six members of as a means to punish negligent covered and before funerals even generations of divers and sightse- dered him in a phone call to get the crew were asleep at 3:15 a.m. steamboat captains for deadly occurred,” Mongeluzzi said. “I ers to coastal spots off Santa Bar- back in his carbon monoxide- bara since the early 1980s. The when the fire broke out. Govern- accidents. Such a charge must thought it was outrageous, in- filled truck that he’d parked in a Sept. 2 overnight fire in the gal- ment regulations mandate that be brought against Boylan by the humane and a slap in the face to Kmart parking lot. ley area killed everyone who was commercial ships must maintain federal government, which has these grieving families.” The phone call wasn’t record- sleeping below deck during the a roving watch with someone yet to file any formal actions. Mongeluzzi said his clients ed, but the judge relied on a text Labor Day weekend trip — the awake aboard at all times. Monday’s filings directly re- are seeking more than damages: Carter sent her friend in which only survivors were the captain Douglas Schwartz, a lawyer for spond to an earlier legal action they want answers that could po- she said she told Roy to get back and four crew members who had the Conception’s owner, Truth taken by the Conception’s owners tentially lead to more stringent in. In text messages sent in the been in a sleeping area above. Aquatics Inc., denied the NTSB in the immediate aftermath of the regulations. days leading up to Roy’s death, Robert Mongeluzzi, a Califor- report’s findings, calling the deadly incident. On Sept. 5, Truth “Certainly the message goes to Carter also encouraged Roy to nia lawyer who represents the preliminary insight “unfortu- Aquatics filed a claim for an ex- the these defendants specifically, follow through with his suicide victims, said an initial investiga- nate.” He has said that staff had emption from liability, invoking a but to the industry generally: plan and chastised him when tion by authorities showed that checked on the galley at 2:30 a.m. pre-Civil War maritime law that The issue of egress for vessels is he didn’t, Massachusetts courts there were several lapses on the Truth Aquatics did not respond was most notably used in the 1912 something that’s of critical impor- found. boat that allowed the catastrophe to a request for comment on the sinking of the Titanic and, more tance,” Mongeluzzi said. “I think Carter’s case has garnered na- to happen. Passengers and a crew claims Monday. recently, the Deepwater Horizon that if this lawsuit were to save tional attention and sparked legis- member in the sleeping compart- Federal agencies have yet to oil spill. one life, they will feel like their lative proposals in Massachusetts ment were unable to escape, the release an official cause of the ac- Under the law, liability damag- loved ones didn’t die in vain.” to criminalize suicide coercion. Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 11 WORLD Philippine volcano trembles, spews lava half a mile high

BY JOEAL CALUPITAN lightning. More than 500 international AND JIM GOMEZ The alert level since the erup- and domestic flights were can- Associated Press tion began Sunday has been 4, in- celed or delayed due to the over- dicating a hazardous eruption is night airport closure, affecting TAGAYTAY, Philippines — A possible in hours to days. Level 5, about 80,000 passengers, airport volcano near the Philippine capi- the highest, means such an erup- manager Ed Monreal told The tal spewed lava into the sky and tion is underway. Associated Press. trembled constantly Tuesday, About 50 volcanic earth- “Hopefully the wind direction possibly portending a bigger and quakes were detected over eight does not change. As long as the more dangerous eruption, as tens hours Tuesday, indicating rising ash fall does not reach us, then of thousands of people fled vil- magma, the institute said. It also we can be back to normalcy,” lages darkened and blanketed by warned that heavy and prolonged Monreal said. heavy ash. ash fall was possible in nearby The disaster-response agency Government work was sus- villages. counted more than 40,000 evac- pended and schools were closed “The speed in the rise of uees in Batangas and nearby in a number of towns and cities, magma is important (in deter- Cavite provinces who took shelter including Manila, because of mining) when the volcano will in nearly 200 evacuation centers. health risks from the ash. Hun- have a strong eruption and if it Officials expected the number to dreds of flights were canceled or will slow down and freeze,“ said swell. AARON FAVILA/AP delayed, affecting tens of thou- Renato Solidum, who heads the Solidum warned residents from sands of passengers. institute. “As of now, we don’t see returning to high-risk villages Residents evacuate from a volcanic-ash covered village in Laurel, The continued restiveness of activities slowing down and the based on perceptions that the Batangas province, southern Philippines on Tuesday . Taal volcano the Taal volcano and several new earthquakes still continue.” eruption was easing. He warned is spewing ash half a mile high and trembling with earthquakes as fissures in the ground nearby The picturesque volcano in the of pyroclastic flows, super-heated thousands of people flee villages blanketed by heavy ash. likely mean magma is rising and middle of a lake in Batangas prov- material from the volcano that may lead to further eruptive ac- ince south of Manila rumbled to can travel at great speed and in- have called for a total evacuation where much of the world’s seis- tivity, the Philippine Institute life Sunday in a powerful explo- cinerate anything in their path. of endangered communities with- mic activity occurs. of Volcanology and Seismology sion that blasted a 9-mile column The small island where the in a 8.7-mile radius of Taal. A long-dormant volcano, Mount said. of ash, steam and rock into the 1,020-foot volcano lies has long Taal’s last disastrous eruption, Pinatubo, blew its top north of The volcano was spurting foun- sky. Clouds of volcanic ash blow- been designated a “permanent in 1965, killed hundreds of peo- tains of red-hot lava half a mile ing over Manila, 40 miles to the danger zone,” though fishing vil- ple. It is the second-most restive Manila in 1991 in one of the big- into the sky, and the massive col- north, closed the country’s main lages have long existed there. of about two dozen active volca- gest volcanic eruptions of the umn of ash and volcanic debris airport Sunday and part of Mon- Those villages were all evacu- noes in the Philippines, which lies 20th century, killing hundreds of at times lit up with streaks of day until the ash fall eased. ated, though volcanology officials along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” people. Indian state Australia air-drops food for stranded animals challenges BY KIM BELLWARE The aid for the brush-tailed rock-wallaby land equivalent to the size of South Carolina. The Washington Post is the latest effort by Australian officials and In a weekend interview with the Australian citizenship conservationists to save what they can in one Broadcasting Company, Morrison acknowl- Thousands of pounds of sweet potatoes of the most diverse — and now devastated — edged climate change’s impact on the bush law in court and carrots rained down from the sky over biodiverse habitats in the world. An estimated fires, which have exacerbated the country’s New South Wales last week in an effort to 1 billion animals have been lost in the fires hot, dry summers that lead to the tinderbox feed endangered species like the brush-tailed as scientists warn that species of mammals, conditions. Associated Press rock-wallaby whose food sources have been birds, insects, fungi and plants may have been Morrison, however, stopped short of call- destroyed in Australia’s historic wildfire NEW DELHI— The southern wiped out before they were even discovered. ing for significant cuts to carbon emissions or season. Even animals that survive the fires are still Indian state of Kerala on Tues- taking action that some say could have a nega- The helicopter-aided effort was the most at risk. If their habitat is gone, “it doesn’t mat- day became the first to legally tive economic impact on the country’s energy widespread food drop ever conducted for the ter,” Manu Saunders, a research fellow and challenge a new citizenship law sector. that has triggered nationwide endangered wallabies, NSW Environment insect ecologist at the University of New Eng- The prime minister sought to defend the demonstrations. Minister Matt Kean said in a statement . land in Armidale told The Washintgon Post. government’s handling of wildfire season pre- In a petition to the Supreme “The wallabies typically survive the fire “They’ll die anyway.” Court, the state government said itself, but are then left stranded with limited The toll the fires have taken on Australia’s paredness, pushing back against concerns that the law violates the secular na- natural food as the fire takes out the vegetation wildlife remains unknown. The crisis, howev- he didn’t take enough initiative considering ture of India’s Constitution, and around their rocky habitat,” Kean said. “The er, has pushed Prime Minister Scott Morrison the dire warnings from local fire chiefs and accused the government of divid- wallabies were already under stress from the to shift ever-so-slightly on his government’s Home Affairs, the federal agency that deals ing the nation along communal ongoing drought, making survival challenging approach to climate policy as the fires have in disaster and emergency preparedness, that lines. for the wallabies without assistance.” killed 27 people and torched millions of acres of this would be an unprecedented fire season. The citizenship law backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party provides a path to naturalization for people from Bangladesh, Afghanistan Cardinal denies manipulating retired pope on book and Pakistan, unless they’re Mus- lim. It has triggered nationwide Associated Press Benedict making clear the 92- has said he will publish a docu- wielded papal authority. year-old pope had written the text ment in the coming weeks that After the first reports, Fran- protests and clashes with police, VATICAN CITY — The Vatican and approved of publishing it as a is expected to touch on whether cis’ supporters quickly alleged leading to 23 deaths. cardinal who co-authored a bomb- Critics say the law, which was shell book with Emeritus Pope book. married men could be ordained Benedict had been manipulated passed by Parliament on Dec. 11, Benedict XVI reaffirming priestly The controversy underscores priests in the Amazon, to deal with by members of his right-wing en- will be used in conjunction with celibacy Tuesday strongly denied the conservative-progressive bat- a priest shortage there. tourage into writing something a citizenship registry that could he manipulated the retired pope tle lines that have deepened in the Benedict’s reaffirmation of the that amounted to a frontal attack require all Indians to produce into publishing. Catholic Church following Bene- “necessity” of priestly celibacy on Francis. Some claimed it was documents proving their origins, Guinean Cardinal Robert dict’s 2013 decision to retire, and implied that the former pope was evidence of elder abuse, given a challenge in a country where Sarah, who heads the Vatican’s lit- his successor Pope Francis’ more trying to influence the thinking of Benedict’s 92 years and increas- many people lack official records urgy office, spoke out after news reform-minded papacy. the current one. ing frailty. including birth certificates. reports quoting “sources close Benedict’s involvement in the His intervention was all the more Conservatives, many of whom The law has also been rejected to Benedict” claimed the retired book, “From the Depths of Our surprising, given he had vowed to long for Benedict’s orthodoxy, ar- in the western state of Maharash- pope never saw or approved the Hearts,“ had the appearance of live “hidden from the world“ when gued it was no such thing and noted tra, where Congress is part of a finished product. being an attempt to interfere with he retired in 2013, specifically to that Francis too has reaffirmed coalition government. Sarah reproduced letters from Pope Francis’ ministry. Francis avoid any suggestion that he still the “gift” of priestly celibacy. PAGE 12 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 WORLD French lawyers Bus falls join strike over pension reform into China BY NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY Associated Press LYON, France — In France, even law- yers go on strike. sinkhole Magistrates draped their black robes on the staircase leading to Lyon’s main courthouse on Monday to protest the gov- The Washington Post ernment’s plans to end the special retire- ment system for lawyers and others who A large sinkhole opened on a busy road work in the legal sector. Others arranged in northwest China on Monday, swallowing weighty legal tomes on the floor to spell a public bus and passersby before causing “SOS.” an explosion that killed at least six people. The walkout is part of a nationwide State media later reported at least 15 peo- movement to stop President Emmanuel ple were injured and another 10 remain /AP CCTV Macron from overhauling the French missing. pension system, which has been called The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. A bus plunges into a sinkhole in the center of a downtown street in Xining, China. local time on a heavily-trafficked street in an ambitious but clumsily handled re- Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, plosion is seen before yellow smoke pours by man-made behaviors tied to groundwa- form that has been stymied by 40 days of state media reports. It marks the latest in- out of the sinkhole. The sinkhole measured ter pumping or construction, according to strikes. stance of sinkholes opening around busy 32 feet wide, state officials told the South the U.S. Geological Survey. Over the weekend, Macron’s prime or rapidly-developing parts of China. China Morning Post. In China, mineral and coal mining as minister offered to compromise on the Video from the scene captured by CCT It’s unclear how many passengers were well as rapid construction projects are be- most divisive part of the plan — raising the age to be eligible for a full pension and circulating on Chinese social media on the bus . The incident drew more than lieved to be the causes of the country’s nu- 1,000 people and 30 vehicles to the search from 62 to 64. But that major concession showed people gathered at a bus stop out- merous and often deadly sinkholes. side the Great Wall Hospital in the city’s and rescue efforts, the Xinhua News wasn’t enough to satisfy unions, whose In 2018, four people died after a sinkhole Chengzhong District when the road sud- Agency reported according to Agence toughest members want the government denly buckles, sending people on the street France-Presse. opened up on a busy street Dazhou of Chi- to scrap the reform altogether. running. Several more people on the street Sinkholes are commonly caused when na’s Sichuan province. In 2015, five people In addition to raising the retirement age fell in the hole as it widened, swallowing soft material like limestone, carbonate died after being swallowed by a 32-foot to save money, Macron wants to stream- the front end of the bus and a street sign. rock or salt bed erodes beneath the sur- sinkhole in the industrial city of Shenzen line France’s 42 different state-managed After a few seconds, the flash of a fiery ex- face; they can occur naturally or be caused just outside Hong Kong. retirement regimes. Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 13

Modernization for the Marine Corps How many more ships?

Escalating tensions for US, North Korea

Air Force suicide crisis

Changes to the GI Bill

VA: burn pits, female vets, mental health

Army: deadlifts, pushups and power throws

Challenges ahead in Afghanistan More troops to Poland What’s ahead for the military A 16-page special pullout section PAGE 14 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 2020 VISION Soldiers, get ready for ACFT in ’20

BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes WASHINGTON he Army has spent years devel- oping its next-generation fitness assessment to gauge soldiers’ abil- Tity to accomplish combat-related tasks, and in 2020 the Army Combat Fit- ness Test will become the service’s official physical evaluation. The six-event test will replace the Army Physical Fitness Test in October. The three-event APFT has been the Army’s basic physical assessment since 1980, and leaders have long said it failed to adequate- ly predict which soldiers could accomplish physical tasks necessary in war. But the new test also has faced criticism. Soldiers have expressed concerns that the equipment needed to conduct the test — in- Max D. Lederer Jr. Publisher cluding kettlebells, medicine balls, pullup bars, a deadlift bar, weights and an exer- Terry Leonard Editor cise sled — is not readily available to all [email protected] soldiers, whereas the APFT relied only on bodyweight exercises. COREY DICKSTEIN/Stars and Stripes Robert H. Reid Senior Managing Editor Megan Reed, a spokeswoman for the Soldiers assigned to the 128th Aviation Brigade at Fort Eustis, Va., attempt the leg [email protected] Army’s Center for Initial Military Train- tuck portion of the Army Combat Fitness Test in 2018. ing, which has spearheaded the new test- Tina Croley Managing Editor for Content ing, said all Army units across active duty, “As soldiers become more familiar with ness test, at least a handful of soldiers have [email protected] Reserve and National Guard should have testing, training and administration, we earned perfect scores of 600 . ACFT equipment by May. anticipate success in the ACFT across all “This test is about changing a culture of Sean Moores Managing Editor for A lso concer ning: Data from more than 6 0 Army components,” she said. fitness in the Army, and with that culture [email protected] Presentation Army battalions conducting field testing of The Army announced its initial stan- change, is changing the way we approach the new assessment show a large disparity dards to pass the ACFT in September as physical fitness testing,” Reed said. “The Laura Evans 2020 Vision designer between male and female performance. well as alternative test events for those ACFT was never designed to be ‘maxed’ [email protected] Army leaders have expected challenges with permanent profiles for physical is- out, but to properly assess a soldier’s physi- from soldiers adapting to the new test, but sues and injuries. cal abilities and preparedness.” Andrea Villari 2020 Vision cover illustration Reed said they believe the service will see Despite complaints from soldiers about [email protected] [email protected] scores rise steadily throughout the year. the more difficult nature of the new fit- Twitter: @CDicksteinDC Army enters 2020 focused on solidifying new recruiting campaign changes

BY COREY DICKSTEIN rebuild of its recruiting and marketing Stars and Stripes enterprise. In 2020, the Army is looking for recruits WASHINGTON — The Army is revamp- to enter the service as infantrymen, mul- ing the way it recruits after missing its re- tiple launch rocket system crewmembers, cruiting goal in 2018 for the first time in air and missile defense crewmembers, more than a decade. It plans to build on cryptologic linguists and psychological 2019 efforts to refocus its recruiting sys- operations specialists, Ferguson said. The tem and marketing strategy to better con- service is offering bonuses, in some cases nect with Generation Z — those born from up to $40,000, to attract recruits in those the mid-1990s and about 2010 — who have and other jobs. grown up in a digital world. In all, the Army is offering bonuses or The Army believes it is in a good posi- loan repayment options to those who enlist tion to bring enough recruits into the ser- in 50 military occupational specialties. vice and to retain enough soldiers to fulfill They can range from a $1,000 bonus for its fiscal year goals, according to Army those who enlist as a land combat electron- officials. ic missile system repairer for three years Army Secretarty Ryan McCarthy and to $40,000 for those who enter as a crypto- other top leaders have touted recruiting logic linguist with a six-year commitment, changes launched in 2019 as promising. she said. They have added hundreds of recruiters; focused their efforts on social media and As part of its efforts to reach Generation online gaming platforms; paid special at- Z, the Army in November launched a mar- tention to 22 urban cities where the Army keting campaign aimed at 17- to 24-year- has seen little success in recent decades; olds titled “What’s Your Warrior?” and emphasized efforts to reach minorities Brig. Gen. Alex Fink, the chief of Army and women. For example, marketing prod- Enterprise Marketing, said the strategy is BENJAMIN DOBBS/U.S. Navy ucts have been added in languages other aimed at educating young people not di- than English. L t. Gen. Bruce Crawford, the Army’s chief information officer, administers the oath of rectly familiar with opportunities within In fiscal year 2020, “all of the new initia- enlistment with more than 60 future soldiers, sailors and airmen during a mass joint- the Army, which include jobs far from the tives will be fully functional for the entire service swearing-in ceremony at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Nov. 10. front lines. year. This will give us a solid period of time The campaign has hyper-focused, tar- to gather data and evaluate the impact of covered its recruiting methods had largely vice that has faced challenges recruiting geted online ads aimed at young people, the new initiatives before making further gone unchanged since the 1990s. and retaining service members in recent and will largely feature jobs like those in adjustments to how we do business,” said The Army is optimistic about reaching years. All of the military services have cyberoperations or biochemistry, Fink Lisa Ferguson, a spokeswoman for U.S. its goals for fiscal year 2020, which began struggled to retain pilots, for example, said in November. Army Recruiting Command. in October, Ferguson said. Still, the service who have flocked to high-paying commer- “Young adults already know the ground Those efforts became necessary after must add thousands of recruits, including cial aviation gigs, and the strong economy combat role we play,” he said. “We need to the service missed its recruiting goal in in some demanding specialties, to meet its has has driven prospective troops into the surprise them with the breadth and depth 2018, falling 6,500 short of its goal to enlist needs in the next year when it aims to en- private sector. But the Army is the only of specialties in the Army.” 76,500 recruits in the fiscal year. After a list more than 68,000 recruits. service in recent years to fail to meet its [email protected] hard look at went wrong, the service dis- The Army is not the only military ser- recruiting goal or to attempt a ground-up Twitter: @CDicksteinDC Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 15 2020 VISION

New decade brings new tensions after New normal? collapse of US-N. Korea nuclear talks

BY KIM GAMEL Korea develop and field nuclear weapons to deter Negotiations Critics pointed out that Kim has not made any AND YOO KYONG CHANG a U.S. attack ... and to be accepted by the world collapsed when promises other than a vague agreement to “work Stars and Stripes as a nuclear state,” Klingner said. toward the complete denuclearization of the Ko- Trump and Kim rean Peninsula,” during his first summit with SEOUL, South Korea Turbulence ahead failed to reach Trump in June 2018 in Singapore. he previous decade ended with real Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the mili- fears that North Korea might test-fire Complicating matters, President Donald agreement on tary would consider resuming joint military an intercontinental ballistic missile, Trump faces a reelection battle and impeach- the extent of exercises with South Korea that have been sig- Tdashing hopes for peace and provoking ment proceedings this year as well as new tur- sanctions relief nificantly curtailed to facilitate diplomacy. a new cycle of “fire and fury.” moil in the Middle East after the U.S. airstrike “Well that’s something we will take a look That didn’t happen. that killed Iran’s top general in Iraq. in exchange at, certainly, depending on Kim Jong Un’s next Instead, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un The longtime alliance between the United for the move,” Esper said when asked about the pros- kept the world in suspense by ringing in the States and South Korea has been shaken by dis- pect during a recent interview with MSNBC. New Year with a threat to unveil a new strategic agreement over the approach to the North and dismantlement “We continue to urge the North Koreans to get weapon “in the near future” and to abandon his Trump’s demands that Seoul sharply increase of a major back to the diplomatic table.” self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile its share of the cost for housing 28,500 American nuclear facility The next test for the administration’s stance and nuclear tests. troops on the peninsula. on joint drills will be in the spring, when the al- It was an ominous start to 2020, with nuclear North Korea, meanwhile, has continued to during their lies have held major operations known as Key talks moribund and tensions high amid uncer- make progress in developing nuclear weapons second summit Resolve/Foal Eagle. tainty over the North’s next move. that could threaten the U.S. mainland despite in February in “What’s clear at this point is that the maxi- “I think Kim is closing the door on negotia- punishing international economic sanctions. mum ambiguity stance by the United States has tions but has not yet slammed it shut,” said Bruce It conducted 15 weapons tests last year, dem- Vietnam. not resulted in the outcome we have sought,” Klingner, a former CIA Korea deputy chief now onstrating advances in developing solid-fuel said Jessica Lee of the Quincy Institute for Re- with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative short-range missiles that could target South sponsible Statecraft, a U.S. think tank launched think tank in Washington. “I think it’s very likely Korea, Japan and tens of thousands of American last year to promote diplomatic engagement and he’ll do some kind of provocation. troops in the region. military restraint. “We’re not sure if he’ll jump immediately to an Trump, who declared that he and Kim “fell in “Instead what we need is more clarity and pos- ICBM or a nuke test, or whether he’ll move up the love” in 2018, has adopted an increasingly harsh itive inducements that will bring North Korea escalation ladder more incrementally,” Klingner tone in recent weeks as his administration came President Donald back to the negotiating table,” she said. Lee said said Jan. 6 in a telephone interview. “But he still under mounting pressure to change its strategy. Trump and North those could include partial sanctions relief, an has an eye on trying to influence the U.S. to give Insisting that his bromance with Kim is Korean leader end-of-war declaration and the opening of liai- in on what North Korea has been demanding for still on, Trump revived his “rocket man” nick- Kim Jong Un talk son offices in exchange for the dismantlement of years.” name for the North Korean leader and threat- before a meeting facilities at North Korea’s main nuclear facility. Those demands range from lifting punishing ened to use military force if needed to achieve in the Demilitarized economic sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear denuclearization. Zone (DMZ) near ‘A new normal’ weapons program to ending joint U.S.-South Ko- The president also conceded doubt about Panmunjom, North rean military exercises and sales of fighter jets Kim’s plans in more recent remarks. “I don’t Korea, in June. Others called for increased sanctions on North and other sophisticated equipment to the South. think he’d break his word to me, but maybe he Korea and countries such as China that are ac- BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, cused of enabling sanctions evasion. “I think Kim’s long-term game is the same as will,” the president told reporters Jan. 5 aboard AFP VIA GETTY his father’s and grandfather’s — to have North Air Force One. IMAGES / TNS CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 PAGE 16 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 2020 VISION

Reducing violence and troop numbers in Afghanistan a difficult task for US

BY PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN Current efforts have corresponded with a record nest,” said Laurel Miller, former U.S. acting Special Stars and Stripes number of civilian war fatalities, according to the Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. United Nations. The number of American service “The Taliban sees its ability to inflict violence as members killed in the conflict reached a five-year its main form of leverage. And the U.S. has been very he United States looks set on reducing vio- high in 2019, with 20 dying in combat. explicitly using stepped-up attacks on the Taliban as lence while decreasing its footprint in Af- The U.S. resumed talks with the Taliban last a form of leverage-seeking,” Miller said. ghanistan in 2020 but doing so will be a month after a three-month pause to focus on “how Negotiations among the Taliban and Afghan gov- challenge, and ending the war outright is T to reduce violence,” the State Department said. But ernment would be the core of a peace process that unlikely, experts say. just days later, the talks were suspended because the U.S. has been trying to advance over the past The U.S. ramped up its military campaign in Af- of a Taliban attack near the largest U.S. base in the year. The Taliban consider the government illegiti- ghanistan in recent years to push the Taliban into a country . mate and insist meetings can only begin once Wash- peace settlement. Recent comments by military of- “The chances are relatively small of a serious, ington agrees to withdraw. ficials suggest a shift in operations could be on the measurable reduction in violence, at least until such horizon. time as negotiations among Afghans begin in ear- CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Sgt. Cory Castillo, a Cavalry Scout assigned to the 1-108th Cavalry Regiment of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, provides security during a key leader engagement in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, in February.

JORDAN TRENT/U.S. Army

FROM PAGE 3 the hammer on the Kim regime before its It sought an incremental approach to national security adviser who led nuclear The United States had braced for the capabilities expand even further.” talks with the United States that would in- negotiations with North Korea known as worst after North Korea hinted that Wash- The downward turn occurred nearly as clude sanctions relief, security guarantees the six-party talks from 2006-2008, said ington would receive an unwanted “Christ- fast as the whirlwind peace process that and other rewards for steps taken. Trump the North never planned to give up its nu- mas gift” if it failed to offer concessions by began in early 2018 when the North partic- has insisted he will maintain economic clear weapons program. an end-of-year deadline set by Kim. ipated in the Winter Olympics and a series pressure on the North until denucleariza- “I think they may be at the end of the American surveillance planes flew over of summits and goodwill initiatives. tion is achieved. day willing to make some reduction in the divided peninsula several times. The decision to engage reversed months Negotiations collapsed when Trump and their nuclear capabilities,” he recently told The special envoy to the North Stephen of rising tensions as North Korea test-fired Kim failed to reach agreement during their Stars and Stripes. “What they want is arms Biegun, newly minted as deputy secretary increasingly sophisticated missiles while second summit in February in Vietnam. control instead of full denuclearization in Trump and Kim traded personal insults of state, traveled to Seoul last month with The leaders agreed to resume working- return for the abandonment of what they and threats that pushed the peninsula to hopes of meeting his North Korean coun- level talks during a third meeting on the call U.S. hostile policy.” the brink of another war. terparts but left empty-handed. He also stressed the importance of veri- Trump announced he was “stopping the Korean border June 30, but negotiators The fact that the North didn’t launch an again failed to reach consensus during fication since the previous nuclear agree- ICBM offered little relief as Kim’s speech, war games,” leading the U.S. and South Korean militaries to cancel or sharply cur- working-level talks in Sweden in October. ment collapsed in part over its obstruction which was reported on New Year’s Day in of inspections. lieu of his traditional televised address, tail annual military exercises. “They are so good at cheating,” he said. suggested he was likely preparing for a re- The drills have long been a linchpin in External influence turn to confrontation over diplomacy. the alliance between the two countries that “That’s usually the problem.” fought together against the communist- Vying with the United States for influ- The killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem “The false calm is over; the old North ence, China and Russia signaled decreas- Korean nuclear crisis is back on — only it backed North in the 1950-53 Korean War, Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike earlier this ing support for the sanctions, which could has just entered a deadly serious phase,” which ended in an armistice . month after he arrived in Baghdad and the political economist Nicholas Eberstadt However, 2019 was marked by diplo- make it more difficult to enforce efforts to resulting chaos has the potential to be a wrote in an opinion piece published Jan. 1 matic deadlock as negotiators were unable prevent North Korea from earning foreign game-changer for North Korea as well. in The New York Times. to overcome key differences that have long currency for its weapons programs. “They may feel that Kim could be per- “The government in Pyongyang is look- plagued efforts to rein in North Korea’s China’s support for sanctions was con- sonally threatened or attacked,” he said. ing to establish a new normal: one where nuclear ambitions. sidered key to the North’s decision to come “But the biggest impact is that it will affirm it gets to threaten San Francisco with in- The North, which has been ruled by the to the table in early 2018, but Beijing loos- in their mind a need for nuclear weapons.” cineration and we get to do nothing,” he Kim family since it was founded in 1948, ened the noose as it sparred with Trump in [email protected] said. “The United States’ only option for sees its nuclear arsenal as a deterrent a trade war last year. Twitter: @kimgamel precluding this nightmare is to bring down against regime change. Chun Yungwoo, a former South Korean [email protected] Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 17 2020 VISION ‘There’s a reckoning coming’ New details on commandant’s plans for Marine Corps modernization expected this year

BY CHAD GARLAND phibious warships to support an invasion “We run the risk of becoming less effec- While fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan Stars and Stripes force made up of two Marine Expedition- tive as a deterrent,” McGrath said. “We since the early 2000s, the Corps has often ary Brigades. may become more effective as a warfight- operated as if it was supported by the Navy, arines will likely get greater He left no quarter for concepts the ing force, but how you deter and how you rather than a support to it, McGrath said. clarity in the coming months Corps has held dear for decades, such as fight aren’t always the same things.” Berger is looking to flip that dynamic. on the commandant’s bold new the Marine Air-Ground Task Force , the McGrath and others expressed early Naval integration is seeing renewed Mvision for a leaner and mean- service’s principal organizing structure enthusiasm for the commandant’s ambi- focus at the Corps’ Training and Educa- er force to fight near-peers like China for all missions, which includes command, tious goals, which Berger said will involve tion Command, which was in the process and Russia in contested waters and on ground combat, aviation and logistics ele- “substantive change” over the next four of ensuring Marine Corps doctrine aligns coastlines. ments. That formation, first formulated in years aimed more closely integrating with with that of the Navy and joint forces, said Gen. David Berger outlined a dramatic the 1960s, cannot be the default response the Navy and getting the Corps’ sea legs Tom Hartshorne of the command’s policy, reshaping of the Marine Corps in guidance to crises, he said in his planning guidance, back after nearly two decades of operat- standards and doctrine division. TECOM published last summer, and in December which called for closer integration with ing largely as a second would incorporate into the doctrine new published early notes on an expected 10- other services, even at individual unit land army. operations concepts related to the com- year effort to modernize the service and levels. mandant’s guidance, he said. align it with the National Defense Strategy. Driving the sweeping changes is the The command is also working to He promised the first results of a force de- possibility that the U.S. military might strengthen partnerships with Navy coun- sign, based on wargaming and analysis, not control the sea in a future conflict, as terparts. It may decide to increase the would be coming this spring. adversaries improve their ability to deny number of Navy officers attending Marine “There’s a reckoning coming,” said U.S. freedom of movement or target Corps schools and augment its education Bryan McGrath, a seapower expert, speak- its ships with long-range, precision command with a Navy captain, Hartshorn ing with Stars and Stripes last month. weapons. said. Berger’s guidance has touched on other Such capabilities could keep the Berger’s vision would ultimately seek changes he intends to make across the force Marines’ large amphibious ships at bay, or to integrate the Marine Corps as a naval — including revamping its industrial-era force them to disperse landing forces and weapons system, like the carrier strike manpower system — but his top priority is consolidate them later inland, said B.A. group or submarine forces, McGrath said. designing a force suited to evolving threats, Friedman, a military analyst who focuses Berger believes that “in the synthesis especially in the Indo-Pacific theater. on amphibious warfare. of those two forces (the Navy and Marine The success of those efforts will likely “The problem is that the U.S. military is Corps) is a very powerful conventional depend heavily on the details, which at the currently equipped for [large-scale] am- deterrent and warfighting force,” moment are hard to come by. phibious assault and lacks some of the McGrath said. “I think he is abso- At Marine Corps Combat Development smaller craft and ships that would be lutely right.” Command, Capabilities Development and more conducive to [smaller-scale] garland.chad@ Integration, officials could not disclose de- amphibious raids and other forms of stripes.com tails of the force redesign efforts, the com- amphibious operations,” he said. Twitter: @ chadgarland mand said in a statement in December. Early indications suggest the “That kind of stuff is much more cloudy Corps is overinvested in manned now,” said McGrath, managing director of platforms and transports, the The FerryBridge Group, which provides commandant said last month, consulting services to the Navy. “I think while it’s invested too little in un- you can imagine that things will be small- manned systems for lethal or er, things will be faster, there will be more logistical missions on land, unmanned than there was before.” sea and air. But it’s unclear, for example, whether But planners will need Berger’s plans will require shedding a to strike the right balance number of large amphibious ships to pay between older manned sys- for itself, McGrath said, or if that would put tems and new unmanned it at odds with President Donald Trump’s technology, McGrath said. desire for a 355-ship Navy — a goal that Wider use of automated or acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly remotely piloted craft could said the service should aim to reach in a “lower the bar for conflict” Gen . David Berger, 38th decade. compared to use of those commandant of the Marine Berger has said he is willing to trade carrying thousands of sail- Corps, speaks during a passage force structure for modernization dollars ors and Marines, each with of command ceremony at Marine if necessary. He also has declared an end a “beating American heart,” Barracks Washington in July. to the Corps’ insistence on having 38 am- he said. ROBERT KNAPP /U.S. Marine Corps

FROM PAGE 4 “The prospects for a political settlement Defense Secretary Mark Esper recently process becomes too burdensome has But even this preliminary agreement now seem less amenable than they were suggested that a drawdown of the 13,000 grown since October, when he ordered a between the U.S. and Taliban is proving before the September fall-apart,” Glaser U.S. troops deployed to Afghanistan was withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria. difficult to achieve. said, contradicting a November assessment imminent, regardless of a Taliban deal. “It is a concern for every serious analyst The resumption of talks last month came by chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Shifting to a more narrow counterter- of Afghanistan and it’s entirely possible,” after President Donald Trump in Septem- Gen. Mark Milley, who said that a success- rorism mission is one of several reduction Walsh said. ful conclusion to U.S.-Taliban talks could options that the Pentagon is considering, ber canceled months of negotiations that But the growing possibility of a pro- happen in the “not too disant future.” Milley told Congress last month. officials on both sides said had reached an tracted, low-intensity conflict with Iran agreement in principle. He cited a Taliban Even if the U.S. and Taliban reach an Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a staunch — which shares a long border with Afghan- attack that killed an American service agreement, it could take years of negotia- supporter of a continued American pres- member when announcing the halt. tions between Taliban and Afghan officials ence in Afghanistan, told reporters on istan — has led to speculation that Trump The agreement called for the immediate to agree on issues fundamental to ending Capitol Hill in late December that the U.S. might postpone any reduction plans to put reduction of several thousand U.S. troops the war, said Thomas Ruttig, co-director of could carry out its missions with about pressure on Tehran. Regardless of that followed by a phased withdrawal of the re- the Afghanistan Analysts Network. 8,600 troops. situation, Glaser said the fact that Trump’s maining forces in the country, in exchange Issues that need to be worked out include NATO combat operations in Afghanistan decision on Syria was “effectively reversed for Taliban promises not to harbor interna- deciding how to share power, amend the switched to a training and advising mis- by the bureaucracy” indicates American tional terrorists, officials said. constitution and integrate Taliban fighters sion in 2014, which the U.S. supports. The troops could remain in Afghanistan for the Trump has since hinted a cease-fire into the national security forces. U.S. also carries out a separate counter- foreseeable future. might be required to finalize a deal. How- “The million-dollar question for the U.S. terrorism mission that targets groups like “The lesson in Syria is that despite the is whether it’s willing to stay committed al-Qaida and Islamic State. The Trump ever, the Taliban denied this month reports president’s willingness to withdraw from that suggested a temporary cease-fire was to the peace process through those intra- administration loosened the rules of en- these wars — even eagerness you might say forthcoming. The U.S.’ insistence on a Afghan negotiations, and potentially pause gagement in Afghanistan in 2017, allowing cease-fire would likely impede or prevent and halt its drawdown if the Taliban are American airpower to be used more offen- — he seems incapable of actually bringing the agreement’s conclusion, said John Gla- not negotiating in good faith,” said Johnny sively against the Taliban. that to fruition,” Glaser said. ser, director of foreign policy studies at the Walsh, a senior expert on Afghanistan at Speculation that Trump might unilater- [email protected] Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. the U.S. Institute of Peace. ally pull out of Afghanistan if the peace Twitter: @pwwellman PAGE 18 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 2020 VISION

BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY Stars and Stripes WASHINGTON fter Navy spouse Samantha Wilson moved from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, to Naval Air Station Whidbey Is- Aland in Washington state in November 2018, she landed a job but needed child care for her 1-year-old daughter. She signed up on the Defense Department’s MilitaryChildCare.com, but the website estimated it would take a year before her daughter, Emilia, could get a full-time spot at the base’s Child Devel- opment Center. While Wilson was able to find a day care off base, the unsubsidized $1,200 per month cost forced her to make hard choices and defer paying down her student loans. The expensive day care, she said, was not even highly rated. “I didn’t trust the day care, but it was day care,” she said. “They were able to have her all day.” In February, Wilson was able to place her daughter at a home-based day care approved and subsidized by the military. “It was a tough four months,” she said. Military families face specific challenges to find available, affordable, high-quality child care. They frequently move, face job uncertainty for civilian spouses and often live in locations far from family support. The military child care system meant to support these families is overwhelmed by the demand. Military child care centers can be at capacity, have too few employees or both. A new law addresses some of the most pressing issues for 2020, including capacity and hiring, and authorizes $121 million for construction at mili- tary child care centers. The Navy is one of the hardest hit services, due in part because many bases are located near major population centers that have their own child-care shortages and high costs. The Navy’s Master Chief Petty Officer Russell Smith said in February that the service has a deficit of about 8,000 spaces, nearly 54% of the overall DOD shortfall. In the past year, the Navy has increased the number of spots at Child Development Centers by about 1,000, according to Vice Adm. John Nowell, chief of naval personnel. “Our problem is that the demand ... has grown by about ... 5,000 to 6,000,” he said. Navy Fleet Master Chief Wes Koshoffer said in November that the Navy will add 1,000 spots in 2020. “This is a nationwide challenge, but as the Navy has a dominant footprint in some of the most se- verely impacted areas, we are the hardest hit,” he said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Adding to the struggle for all military families are deployments that leave a working civilian spouse to struggle to get a child to and from day care. Long, nontraditional military work hours don’t often match those of day care centers. Representatives on Capitol Hill questioned mili- tary leaders last year during committee hearings about child-care issues and possible solutions. The fiscal year 2020 National Defense Autho- rization Act, signed into law Dec. 20, requires a comprehensive assessment of child care capacity at military installations to identify and fix waitlist backlogs. The law also authorizes direct hiring of Child Development Center staff and makes background investigations and training certifications for pro- Children take part in the Teddy Bear viders transferrable between installations. This Picnic at the Child Development Center would help military spouses who are day care staff- Moody Air Force Base, Ga., in April. ers when they move to a new base, and it will help child development centers staff more quickly. ERICK REQUADT/U.S. Air Force Within 90 days of the bill’s enactment, service secretaries must submit to Congress a report on child care development center projects that need to be funded. The NDAA authorized military construction funds for child development centers for each service: $27 million to the Army, $62.4 million to the Navy and $31.5 million to the Air Force. The services must spend the money to “alleviate issues with the condition and capacity of child de- velopment centers in support of military families,” the NDAA says. [email protected] New law addresses lack of available, affordable child care Twitter: @caitlinmkenney Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 19 2020 VISION Navy’s timeline to build 355 ships Fleet goals hastened but feasibility questioned

BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS saved the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. and properly ready,” he said. three expeditionary support base ships, Stars and Stripes Truman from the scrap pile. The Navy The shipbuilding pace could be at risk two command and support ships and one planned to decommission the Truman in 2021. The Navy in late December is- aircraft carrier. YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan in 2024 and put the money saved toward sued a memo to the White House’s Office It would be the largest effort to raise he acting Secretary of the other projects. After the announcement of Management and Budget proposing to the number of ships in nearly four de- Navy in December directed drew scrutiny, Vice President Mike cancel the development of five destroy- cades, according to the Congressional the service to reach 355 or Pence in April told the crew the White ers, one submarine and a frigate to save Budget Office. more ships — from aircraft House reversed course on the decision. money in the 2021 budget, according to a Proponents of a 355-ship Navy point T The Navy’s 2020 Dec. 27 Defense News report. out the obligations that come with a na- carriers to unmanned submersibles five-year shipbuild- The same memo also suggested de- tional defense strategy that focuses on — within 10 years, an accelerated ing plan calls for 55 commissioning four littoral combat ships “great power” competition with China timeline that trims two decades off new ships by 2025. and three dock landing ships in 2021, all and Russia. previous plans. It’s still unclear how of which have between eight and 17 years Thomas Callendar, former senior re- Yet it remains unclear how the Navy Modly’s 10-year of planned hull life left. search fellow for defense programs for could reach that number — or whether it timeline would be On Jan. 7, Republican Sen. Susan Col- the Heritage Foundation, in an Octo- should. met. lins expressed concern over the reports ber 2018 report argued that leaving the Acting Secretary Thomas Modly’s As of Jan. 10, the to Defense Secretary Mark Esper in a let- Navy with less risks the “nation’s ability predecessor, Richard Spencer, in March Navy had a 293- ter co-signed by fellow Maine Sen. Angus to deter aggression and win in conflict asked Congress for $31 billion to build ship fleet, accord- King Jr., an independent. when necessary.” 355 ships by 2049, a goal set in the law Modly ing to the service. “We write to express our strong support “The fatal collisions of 2017 demon- under the 2018 National Defense Autho- In its 2020 budget, for a 355-ship Navy and to urge continued strated how years of fiscal pressure could rization Act. the service requested 12 new ships — an support from the Department for a robust stretch a Navy that is too small for the de- Modly, speaking Dec. 5 at a U.S. Naval aircraft carrier, three attack submarines, shipbuilding budget,” Collins wrote. “Ul- mands the nation places on it to its break- Institute defense forum, called out the three new guided-missile destroyers, two timately, Congress is responsible for an- ing point,” he wrote, referring to separate lack of a strategy to meet those goals oilers, a frigate and two towing, salvage nual Department of Defense and Navy collisions involving the USS Fitzgerald while reiterating that a 355-ship Navy “is and rescue ships. appropriations, and we will continue to and USS John S. McCain that together stated as national policy.” Some see 355 as a soft target. support a growing fleet in order to protect killed 17 sailors. “We have a goal of 355; we don’t have “More important is ensuring that we our national security … as threats around Post-collision reports indicated that a plan for 355,” Modly said. “We need to have the maximum capability to address the world continue to grow.” too rigorous deployment tempos in the have a plan, and if it’s not 355 — what’s every challenge we’re going to be facing,” President Donald Trump in 2016 cam- 7th Fleet led to the waiving of certifica- it going to be and what’s it going to look Spencer said in October at the Brookings paigned on a promise to grow the Navy to tions before setting sail, leaving crews like?” Institution, a Washington think tank. He 350 ships, which became 355 the follow- undertrained. The Navy’s revised 30-year shipbuild- called 355 ships an “important aspira- ing year under the defense authorization “While the increased funding and ing plan for fiscal year 2020 includes an tional goal.” act, demanding the expanded battle force priority placed on Navy readiness have average of 10 new ships per year. Coupled The same month, Vice Chief of Naval “as soon as practicable.” helped to turn the tide, unless the fleet with an April 2018 decision to extend de- Operations Adm. Robert Burke told jour- Congress decided on 355 number at becomes significantly larger, the Navy stroyer service lives to 45 years, the plan nalists he was unsure whether the Navy the behest of a 2016 force-structure re- will be unable to meet its operational de- would bring the fleet to 355 by 2034 — 15 would reach 355 ships. port analyzing the Navy’s current assets mands and ensure that the fleet is ready years earlier than the March shipbuild- “I think with today’s fiscal situation, and future needs. It suggested adding 18 to respond rapidly to crises,” Callendar ing plan projected, according to a Con- where the Navy’s top line is right now, we attack submarines, 16 large surface com- wrote in the report. gressional Research Service report. can keep around 305 to 310 ships whole, batants, four amphibious warfare ships, [email protected] In 2019, the Navy added nine ships and properly maintained, properly equipped three combat logistics force vessels, Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos

An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to the “Proud Warriors” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 72, lands on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman while transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Dec. 17. The Navy had planned to decommission the carrier in 2024 but reversed that decision.

GABRIELLE JOYNER/U.S. Navy PAGE 20 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• JANUARY 15, 2020 F3HIJKLM PAGE 21 2020 VISION Welcome, shoppers Starting Jan. 1, all service-connected disabled veterans, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war and primary veteran caregivers became eligible to shop at commissaries and exchanges. It’s the largest patronage expansion — up to 4 million people — in more than 60 years, said Virginia Penrod, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. They join active duty, Guard and Reserve members, military retirees, Medal of Honor recipients and authorized family members who already shop there. The on-base stores sell discounted groceries to authorized customers, including their own private label brands. Check for restrictions at overseas commissaries. To find out what form of ID you need to shop, or to find bases near you, go to www. commissaries.com.

J ONATHAN VALDES MONTIJO/U.S. Air Force Uniform changes  There’s another color option this year for soldiers sporting black fleece caps — coyote brown. Until now, the brown fleece cap has mostly been for the Marine Corps and Navy, while soldiers were only allowed to wear the black one. The Army will continue to issue the black caps, but soldiers can buy their own brown ones.  The Air Force adopted the Army’s utility uniform for improved fit and comfort, planning a three-year slow death for the current airman battle uniform, or ABU. By April 2021, the ABU will be history. The six- color operational camouflage pattern uniform will help troops blend with each other on deployments, and it’s said to fit better and work in all climates. By June, airmen must be wearing boots, socks and T-shirts to match the OCP. Just last year, the Army officially re- tired its green-blue-gray universal camouflage pattern to make way for the OCP. S ARAYUTH PINTHONG/U.S.Air Force M ILTON HAMILTON/U.S. Air Force

VA support for caregivers The VA’s Caregiver Support Program, which now assists only caregivers of post- 9/11 veterans, will expand. Starting in June 2020, caregivers of veterans who served after 1974 will be able to apply for full ser- vices, and sometime in 2021, caregivers of veterans who served during or after World War II can apply. Once the expansion is fully phased in, caregivers of all veterans who served from 2020 holiday wish list World War II on will be eligible for full ben- efits from the Caregiver Support Program. Green plastic Army women figurines will be To be eligible for full benefits, caregivers out by Christmas 2020 in four poses, including must be caring for veterans with medical a female captain holding a handgun and bin- conditions linked to their service. oculars, and a kneeling female solider holding The program expansion is part of the VA a bazooka. Mission Act passed in 2018 by Congress. The upgrade comes from BMC Toys, whose president Jeff Imel decided to expand the line after he got a letter from a 6-year-old girl ask- ing why there were no “girl Army men.” “Every kid wants to be the hero of their story,” he told NPR. “Girls should be able to connect to the toys just as much as boys do.” iStock

allied interests in, from, and through The final frontier the space domain.” Space Force became the sixth The Joint Space Operations Cen- branch of the military in Decem- ter at Vandenberg Air Force Base, ber with the signing of the 2020 fis- California, has been redesignated cal year NDAA. The independent as the Space Operations Center branch is nested within the De- — or SPOC. (Who says the mili- 3.1% pay raise COLA boost partment of the Air Force, much tary has no sense of humor?) as the Marine Corps is connected January ushered in the biggest pay for retirees, survivors Lots of details are still to be raise since 2010 for U.S. service mem- to the Department of the Navy, of- determined: Military retirees and eligible survivors  bers, and also brought a long-awaited ficials have said. Which state will be the per- salary increase for federal civilian will receive a 1.6% boost in their monthly “Establishing a Space Force is manent home of the Space Com- employees. The raise should show up pay beginning this month based on the Pen- going to be one of the most impor- mand? California, Alabama, in paychecks issued Jan. 15. tagon’s annual cost of living adjustment. tant things that happen in the next Florida, Louisiana, Colorado CBS Service members and Defense De- The increased pay will be doled out to year, and it is vitally important for and Texas have been mentioned /Getty Images partment civilians are each slated most military retirees, survivors of service America’s defense and America’s since Trump’s announcement. to receive an average 3.1% bump in members who died on active or inactive way of life,” new Air Force Sec-  What will the uniforms look annual pay as part of the $737 bil- duty and survivors of retirees who partici- retary Barbara Barrett said in like? Will the logo be out of this lion military budget for 2020 — $22 pated in the Survivor Benefit Plan, which December. world? billion more than last year’s defense pays the family of someone who opted for Its mission: “Deter aggression  How can you join the measure. monthly annuities following the death of an and conflict, defend U.S. and al- Space Force? The 2020 raise is the largest for ser- eligible military retiree. The 2020 adjust- lied freedom of action, deliver Watch for cos- vice members since a 3.4% annual pay ment is less than last year’s 2.8% increase, space combat power for the Joint/ mic updates at the hike in 2010. Since then, annual in- but it is comparable to adjustments in other Combined force, and develop joint official website: Defense Finance and Accounting Service creases have ranged from 1% to 2.6%. recent years. warfighters to advance U.S. and spaceforce.mil PAGE 20 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• JANUARY 15, 2020 F3HIJKLM PAGE 21 2020 VISION Welcome, shoppers Starting Jan. 1, all service-connected disabled veterans, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war and primary veteran caregivers became eligible to shop at commissaries and exchanges. It’s the largest patronage expansion — up to 4 million people — in more than 60 years, said Virginia Penrod, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. They join active duty, Guard and Reserve members, military retirees, Medal of Honor recipients and authorized family members who already shop there. The on-base stores sell discounted groceries to authorized customers, including their own private label brands. Check for restrictions at overseas commissaries. To find out what form of ID you need to shop, or to find bases near you, go to www. commissaries.com.

J ONATHAN VALDES MONTIJO/U.S. Air Force Uniform changes  There’s another color option this year for soldiers sporting black fleece caps — coyote brown. Until now, the brown fleece cap has mostly been for the Marine Corps and Navy, while soldiers were only allowed to wear the black one. The Army will continue to issue the black caps, but soldiers can buy their own brown ones.  The Air Force adopted the Army’s utility uniform for improved fit and comfort, planning a three-year slow death for the current airman battle uniform, or ABU. By April 2021, the ABU will be history. The six- color operational camouflage pattern uniform will help troops blend with each other on deployments, and it’s said to fit better and work in all climates. By June, airmen must be wearing boots, socks and T-shirts to match the OCP. Just last year, the Army officially re- tired its green-blue-gray universal camouflage pattern to make way for the OCP. S ARAYUTH PINTHONG/U.S.Air Force M ILTON HAMILTON/U.S. Air Force

VA support for caregivers The VA’s Caregiver Support Program, which now assists only caregivers of post- 9/11 veterans, will expand. Starting in June 2020, caregivers of veterans who served after 1974 will be able to apply for full ser- vices, and sometime in 2021, caregivers of veterans who served during or after World War II can apply. Once the expansion is fully phased in, caregivers of all veterans who served from 2020 holiday wish list World War II on will be eligible for full ben- efits from the Caregiver Support Program. Green plastic Army women figurines will be To be eligible for full benefits, caregivers out by Christmas 2020 in four poses, including must be caring for veterans with medical a female captain holding a handgun and bin- conditions linked to their service. oculars, and a kneeling female solider holding The program expansion is part of the VA a bazooka. Mission Act passed in 2018 by Congress. The upgrade comes from BMC Toys, whose president Jeff Imel decided to expand the line after he got a letter from a 6-year-old girl ask- ing why there were no “girl Army men.” “Every kid wants to be the hero of their story,” he told NPR. “Girls should be able to connect to the toys just as much as boys do.” iStock

allied interests in, from, and through The final frontier the space domain.” Space Force became the sixth The Joint Space Operations Cen- branch of the military in Decem- ter at Vandenberg Air Force Base, ber with the signing of the 2020 fis- California, has been redesignated cal year NDAA. The independent as the Space Operations Center branch is nested within the De- — or SPOC. (Who says the mili- 3.1% pay raise COLA boost partment of the Air Force, much tary has no sense of humor?) as the Marine Corps is connected January ushered in the biggest pay for retirees, survivors Lots of details are still to be raise since 2010 for U.S. service mem- to the Department of the Navy, of- determined: Military retirees and eligible survivors  bers, and also brought a long-awaited ficials have said. Which state will be the per- salary increase for federal civilian will receive a 1.6% boost in their monthly “Establishing a Space Force is manent home of the Space Com- employees. The raise should show up pay beginning this month based on the Pen- going to be one of the most impor- mand? California, Alabama, in paychecks issued Jan. 15. tagon’s annual cost of living adjustment. tant things that happen in the next Florida, Louisiana, Colorado CBS Service members and Defense De- The increased pay will be doled out to year, and it is vitally important for and Texas have been mentioned /Getty Images partment civilians are each slated most military retirees, survivors of service America’s defense and America’s since Trump’s announcement. to receive an average 3.1% bump in members who died on active or inactive way of life,” new Air Force Sec-  What will the uniforms look annual pay as part of the $737 bil- duty and survivors of retirees who partici- retary Barbara Barrett said in like? Will the logo be out of this lion military budget for 2020 — $22 pated in the Survivor Benefit Plan, which December. world? billion more than last year’s defense pays the family of someone who opted for Its mission: “Deter aggression  How can you join the measure. monthly annuities following the death of an and conflict, defend U.S. and al- Space Force? The 2020 raise is the largest for ser- eligible military retiree. The 2020 adjust- lied freedom of action, deliver Watch for cos- vice members since a 3.4% annual pay ment is less than last year’s 2.8% increase, space combat power for the Joint/ mic updates at the hike in 2010. Since then, annual in- but it is comparable to adjustments in other Combined force, and develop joint official website: Defense Finance and Accounting Service creases have ranged from 1% to 2.6%. recent years. warfighters to advance U.S. and spaceforce.mil PAGE 22 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 2020 VISION

ron, group and flight commanders truly make it personal is probably where we’re going to have the most impact.” REACHING OUT In a message posted on his official Facebook page Dec. 8, Goldfein told airmen, “Let’s take care of each other and preserve the connections and community that makes our profession special.” The message was linked to a six-minute video In response to alarming Air Force suicide rates, featuring Susan Deal, who lost her husband, Staff Sgt. Michael Deal, a former special tactics airman, commanders focus on connecting with airmen to suicide in 2012. Someone commented that the video “was tough to watch but needed,” adding that the Air Force has BY JENNIFER H. SVAN improved and continues to ensure there are acces- Stars and Stripes sible resources for airmen. “We are improving but unfortunately we are also he numbers set off alarms as early as February. experiencing the worst year in decades,” Goldfein In the first four weeks of 2019, 11 airmen and Air Force said. The total number of suicides for the year was still civilians died by suicide. being tallied as of late December, Air Force offi- Air Force senior leaders in a letter alerted commanders, cials said. The suicide epidemic has spurred airmen to urging them to “act now” to reduce suicides. reach out across social media to help one another. A But the numbers continued to climb. Facebook page created in the fall called “AF Wing- man Outreach” says the group wants to help reduce By the end of September, 100 airmen had taken their lives, Air Force suicides by opening “a means of commu- surpassing the 2018 total of 80 and putting the Air Force on course nication that has never existed before.” Member- ship reached more than 37,500 this month. to set a record hardly worth celebrating and one that mirrors a Other efforts that some commands were using similar trend across the military. to reduce suicide mid-December and underscore personal connections might gain traction in 2020, officials said. One is Operation GRIT, an effort that U.S. Air IfT the alarming suicide epidemic in the Air Force Goldfein doesn’t plan to mandate Air Force-wide pro- Forces in Europe—Air Forces Africa began in drives any change in 2020, it could be a grassroots grams or push for new regulations to address suicide. 2018 to strengthen personal and professional devel- effort that starts at the unit level, with commanders The effort has to be more personal, he said, and it opment and bonds among airmen. communicating more on a personal level with their starts with commanders reaching out and getting to airmen and knowing more about them and the strug- know their airmen. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 gles they face. And airmen are also reaching out to Some of that took place during a stand-downs last each other more on social media, a trend that likely fall, he said. The Air Force encourages airmen to ask directly will continue. “Those sessions where leaders showed a little bit if a person is considering suicide, actively listen, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein is un- of vulnerability and talked about the challenges they remove means for self-injury and to escort the derscoring that approach as the Air Force turns the faced, really opened up meaningful dialogue,” he said. person to a helping organization. page on a tough year. “I think where wing commanders and local, squad- KATHRYN R.C. REAVES/U.S. Air Force Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 23 2020 VISION

GI Bill students could see changes U.S. Air Force After the 78th Air Force suicide in 2019, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein ordered in housing allowance a daylong halt in operations via a July 31 letter to wing commanders worldwide. BY NIKKI WENTLING Stars and Stripes FROM PAGE 6 Feedback from more than 1,500 WASHINGTON airmen in 2019 shows the effort he Department of Veterans Affairs has been successful, but more implemented changes Dec. 1 to its data is needed to know whether process for calculating student vet- it’s “creating the long-term, dura- Terans’ housing allowances — a move ble culture change we seek,” said that sets up 80,000 GI Bill recipients to get Krystal Shiver, USAFE-AFAF- different amounts in the new semester than RICA Integrated Resilience Divi- they did last year. sion Chief. Republicans and Democrats said the Mentoring and feedback fo- changes — put in place over a year later than rums led by command teams and was mandated by Congress — were success- supervisors are key to the effort. fully implemented at the beginning of De- Conversations with airmen are cember. However, leaders from both parties included in daily routines, such as worry that students will be caught off guard staff meetings, roll calls, physical by the new amounts as the spring semester fitness sessions and shift turn- begins this month. Adding to the concern: overs, Shiver said. About 21,000 veterans will see smaller Headquarters Air Force re- checks. cently highlighted the initiative Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., the ranking Re- to all wing commanders as an op- publican on the House Committee on Vet- tional resiliency tool to consider erans’ Affairs, complimented the VA on the adopting, Shiver said. rollout of the changes in December. Howev- Other programs being rolled er, Roe’s office said he sought more answers out across the Pentagon to ad- about how the agency would help those vet- dress suicide in all branches could erans who would be surprised to receive less reach some airmen in 2020. money. /U.S. Air National Guard The National Guard in the fis- “I’m concerned that despite the VA’s best CRYSTAL HOUSMAN efforts, some students will be surprised cal year 2020 National Defense California Jobs Challenge (CAJC) scholar Nicholas Castro, 19, of Mission Viejo, Calif., when they see an unexpected decrease in Authorization Act received the speaks with a Cypress College staff member while getting his financial aid paperwork in payment,” Roe said. green light to expand a Tennes- place during his first visit to the college in Southern California in August. see National Guard program that In a statement before the new year, Roe encouraged student veterans to read up on allows members to receive im- Their staffs said the lawmakers were con- service members to transfer their education the changes and be prepared for the impact. mediate assistance from mental cerned about whether the VA is getting the benefits to their spouses or children. The The change was required of the VA by the health professionals through a word out about the opportunity for finan- proposal would’ve blocked troops with more Forever GI Bill, a major overhaul of veter- smartphone app. cial help. than 16 years of experience from transfer- ans’ education benefits that Congress passed The defense bill also requires Questions also ring their benefits. in 2017. It affects veterans who take classes the Pentagon to develop a com- remain about when Congress ended 2019 by approving the an- prehensive policy on providing at satellite or branch campuses. ‘ I’m For those veterans, their monthly allow- the VA will retro- nual defense bill, which included a measure mental health care to service concerned actively pay stu- that prohibits the Defense Department from members and a strategy on how to ances — for housing, utilities and food — will be based on the cost of living in the city where dent veterans who moving forward with the plan. The new law recruit and retain mental health that despite they’re taking classes, rather than defaulting were shortchanged stops the Pentagon from imposing limits providers. to their school’s main campus. the VA’s best on their housing on the transferability of education benefits The Center for Deployment For about 59,000 veterans, the change will efforts, some allowances in 2018 based on the number of years troops have Psychology at the Uniformed result in bigger checks. and 2019. In fall served. Services University says the most students will But about 21,000 veterans are expected to 2018, technology This year could also see more advocacy common factors for military sui- receive hundreds of dollars less each month. be surprised failures resulted in from veterans organizations and lawmakers cides and attempts are relation- Charmain Bogue, executive director of Edu- the VA sending out who want the VA to boost protections for GI ship problems, legal issues and when they cation Services at the VA, cited one example incorrect monthly Bill recipients against for-profit colleges. workplace difficulties. while testifying before the VA House com- see an housing stipends to In an agreement reached at the end of The Air Force, Goldfein said, mittee in November. San Francisco has a unexpected hundreds of thou- 2019, the for-profit University of Phoenix hasn’t been able to pin down the housing allowance of $4,300 each month, she decrease in sands of veterans. agreed to cancel $141 million in student reason for the recent suicide said, while Sacramento has $2,500. Under VA officials, debt and pay $50 million to the Federal numbers. the new calculation, a student attending a payment. ’ speaking to law- Trade Commission because of allegations “I don’t know that we have Sacramento branch of a San Francisco-based Rep. Phil Roe makers in No- of deceptive advertising to students, which data that tells us exactly what’s school would receive the lower rate. chairman, House vember, said they included targeting veterans for their GI Bill causing the spike in suicides,” Bogue promised the VA would offer a one- Committee on couldn’t yet offer money. Advocacy organizations said the Goldfein said. “I’m not willing to time relief payment for students who un- Veterans’ Affairs a definite timeline payout represented just a small portion of accept an answer that says this is expectedly receive less money at the start for when those the debt that borrowers owe. a societal problem because this of the spring semester. Those payments payments would go Along those same lines, efforts failed in is our Air Force and these are typically take three months to process, but out. They acknowledged the checks could be Congress at the end of last year to limit the our airmen … who are entrusted the agency is working to turn those around sent this summer. amount of money for-profit colleges could to our care. We’re not going to within two weeks, she said. A separate issue that GI Bill recipients receive from enrolling veterans. Advocates take our foot off the gas until we Roe’s office, as well as the office of Rep. won’t have to worry about this year is a plan, are likely to try again in 2020. get to zero.” Mark Takano, D-Calif., are looking for de- offered up by the Defense Department in [email protected] [email protected] tails from the VA about relief payments. 2019, that would’ve restricted eligibility for Twitter: @nikkiwentling PAGE 24 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 2020 VISION Negotiations between Washington, Poland regarding deployment of more US troops, improving facilities continue into new year

American rotational BY JOHN VANDIVER that Poland’s hard push for more would result in Currently, the small Army contingent in soldiers of the 4th Stars and Stripes a substantial agreement involving the perma- Poznan is in desperate need of reinforcement Infantry Division nent placement of forces in the country, which as is overseas Atlantic Resolve, the Pentagon’s salute during the STUTTGART, Germany serves as a strategic link between NATO’s east- campaign to deter Russian aggression and reas- national anthem at a he U.S. and Poland are still trying to ern edges and Western Europe. sure allies in eastern Europe, Deni said. welcoming ceremony figure out how to beef up the American “The deal was underwhelming given the dip- “Those guys are absolutely stretched. They for them in Zagan, military mission in the country after lomatic and political effort that went to it, the are just not as robust as they need to be to han- Poland, in 2017. Tmore than a year of negotiations, but amount of time involved,” said John R. Deni, a dle the stuff that is going on,” he said. “The op 2020 could be the year when the long-discussed tempo, the hours those guys are putting in — it MICHAEL ABRAMS U.S. Army War College professor and expert on Stars and Stripes initiative gets put into action. military mission in Europe. is relentless.” The plan, to add 1,000 rotational troops to the The U.S. has up to 4,500 non-permanent For the troops in Poland, living conditions are 4,500 in Poland, falls far short of Polish Presi- troops in Poland, where forces have been rotat- austere, resembling deployments to Iraq or Af- dent Andrzej Duda’s ambitious bid for a “Fort ing for several years. The mission: deterring ghanistan rather than central Europe. Trump” to serve as a home for a full armored Russian aggression along NATO’s eastern flank. “In terms of living and working, it feels a lot division of ground troops. U.S. soldiers and airmen are at numerous sites, like an immature deployment,” Army 1st Sgt. “I think Fort Trump became a symbol of Pol- including a small Army headquarters in Poznan, Sean Jones of the 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry ish overreach,” said Paul Taylor, a senior fel- a logistics hub in Powidz and drone, missile de- Regiment, told Stars and Stripes in July while low with the Friends of Europe think tank in fense and special operations missions in other on a rotation in Powidz. “Of course, we are pre- Brussels. parts of the country. pared to go to an austere environment and fight Duda’s offer, made during a White House ap- If the new agreement does come to fruition, it the enemy and train or whatever else. But this is pearance in September 2018, went bust one year will add important capabilities that shouldn’t be a rotation, not a deployment.” later when he and President Donald Trump dismissed, Deni said. The question now is how fast Washington and trumpeted a scaled-down plan that involves no For the Army, a key part of the deal is a plan Warsaw can come to terms on a plan to improve new mega bases or permanent forces. Instead, to transform an Army command headquarters facilities. the two leaders touted an agreement that am- in Poznan — known as a mission-command ele- Other aspects of the troop boost include build- plifies and gives formal declaration to military ment — into a full-fledged division headquarters ing up existing logistics and special operations missions underway. that would improve the military’s ability to man- missions, and setting up a drone squadron at an The Pentagon said it is premature to say age forces up and down the eastern flank. The air base in Lask. The Air Force has a drone mis- when the additional troops will be in place or Army in October rebranded the headquarters as sion in Poland at a separate location, so the deal which units they will come from since negotia- 1st Infantry Division (Forward), but to date no could involve a repositioning of existing mili- tions aren’t finished. additional troops have been added since negotia- tary assets. Meanwhile, some security analysts had hopes tions with Poland remain ongoing. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 25 2020 VISION

FROM PAGE 12 The troop increase for Poland shouldn’t be taken for granted; it could face financial obstacles. In recent years, the Polish economy has been stronger than many others in Europe — one of the few to escape recession during the 2008 financial crisis — and has experienced steady GDP expan- sion since then. “Poland has pledged money and that is predicated on an economy that con- tinues to grow the way it has, which is really unlikely,” Deni said. “The VETERANS question is, can the Poles sustain the fiscal commitment that they are tak- ing on?” But for Trump, the decision to in- crease in Poland, however modestly, is more related to his personal fond- ness for Duda than overarching secu- A FOCUS rity concerns. “I think it’s just because we have a president of Poland who I like, who I respect. And he asked whether or not we’d be willing to do that,” Trump said in September when asked why he agreed to the deal. ON WOMEN Because Poland enjoys a somewhat favored status with Trump among al- lies in Europe, it raises the prospect of the White House entertaining ideas of Finding new ways to better serve rearranging where troops are based in Europe if pressed again by Warsaw. “Trump would love to make it a growing number of female vets zero-sum game where you take as- sets out of Germany and put them in Poland” to show the Germans, Taylor said. “The trouble is it’s difficult to do.” In Germany, the U.S. has spent bil- lions over decades to build infrastruc- ture that involves schools, hospitals, training ranges and runways that give the military reach not just into Europe but also the Middle East and Africa. “No one wants to build all of that in Poland,” Taylor said. “The $2 billion the Poles put up wouldn’t even pay for the feasibility study. It would be hugely expensive, and it would take forever.” BY STEVE BEYNON at VA facilities. clinic for women veterans to be seen, peri- Still, Trump frequently complains Stars a nd Stripes Jeni Brett, 42, a retired Naval sonar tech- od,” she said. “We really need a place that’s about Germany and his top diplomats nician, is in therapy at the VA for military safe for us. The military wants to pretend in Europe have joined in, pointing out WASHINGTON sexual trauma. She says she has been a vic- we aren’t women and there are no gender that Warsaw meets NATO defense omen are the fastest growing tim of harassment from older veterans at differences.” spending guidelines while Berlin falls demographic in the military, the VA. The VA has established women’s centers short. and the number using Depart- “There’s benches outside where there’s across the country with mixed results. In U.S. Ambassador to Poland Wment of Veterans Affairs health guys sitting. If I go by myself, there’s al- some cases, those centers don’t provide Georgette Mosbacher in August cited care has tripled since 2000, according to ways some old man that opens the door and what female veterans say they need, in- lackluster German defense spending VA data. asks, ‘What’s a pretty lady like you doing cluding specialty care. as a reason to shift forces to Poland. While more women than ever are relying here?’ ” Julia Lindner-Reid, 48, a retired Air “Poland meets its 2% of GDP on the VA, it’s still a male-centric system, Brett said Force officer, had a uterine prolapse when spending obligation towards NATO,” with predominantly male waiting rooms, ‘ Just having that the male she gave birth, caused by Ehlers-Danlos Mosbacher wrote on Twitter. “Ger- exam areas and doctors. Female vets say some sensitivity veterans are syndrome, a condition that weakens con- many does not. We would welcome the lack of gender-specific care, privacy, rarely overtly nective tissue, skin and joints. The disor- American troops in Germany to equitable facilities and security can be bar- is incredibly inappropri- der has serious complications that affect come to Poland.” riers to seeking treatment. important. ate, but that Lindner-Reid’s health. “Just having some sensitivity is incredi- ’ it’s uncom- She said the VA women’s center in Iowa U.S. Ambassador to Germany Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev. Richard Grenell made similar com- bly important,” said Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., fortable to be City only has only one female doctor, and chairwoman of the House VA Subcommit- chairwoman, House flirted with she doesn’t know anything about the rare ments at the time. VA Subcommittee on “It is actually offensive to assume tee on Technology Modernization. Lee has or harassed disorder. Lindner-Reid said she has hit Technology Modernization every time roadblocks trying to find a doctor outside that the US taxpayer must continue been involved in veterans’ medical care and women’s health issues. She was one she shows up the women’s center — male or female. to pay to have 50,000-plus Americans of the sponsors of the Breaking Barriers alone or is one of the only women around. “I never got a satisfactory answer about in Germany, but the Germans get to for Women Veterans Act, which if passed “There’s a constant population of old why I had to stay in the women’s center,” spend their surplus on domestic pro- would require the VA to make changes to guys that hang out there,” Brett said, re- Lindner-Reid said. “If I were a man and I grams,” Grenell told Germany’s DPA better serve women. The VA would need to ferring to the Frank M. Tejeda VA Outpa- didn’t like my doctor, I could try a different news agency in August. retrofit facilities to support care for female tient Clinic in San Antonio, Texas, where one with no issue.” By contrast, Poland aligns with vets, and each location would have to have she gets treatment. “They have coffee and The issues facing female vets have cap- Trump’s priorities as it ups defense at least one full-time or part-time women’s doughnuts and guys just seem to be there tured the attention of the Iraq and Afghani- spending and procures expensive health provider. The bill, introduced last for the sake of it. It gets crowded; there are stan Veterans of America, which in 2018 U.S. weaponry with deals in place to year, remains in committee. men everywhere.” launched “one of our most important cam- buy High Mobility Artillery Rocket The VA has taken measures over the Brett said the atmosphere makes her re- paigns ever”: to recognize and improve Systems, Patriot missiles and F-35s. years to address concerns, including wom- luctant to go for therapy. “I’m not getting services for female veterans. Buying more American military kit en’s care centers, education campaigns, the treatment I need because I hate going Other veterans service organizations are and hosting more forces forges strong training, studies on barriers to care, and there, and it makes my anxiety skyrocket,” involved in addressing VA care. The VFW, bilateral ties to the U.S., which Poland mini residencies on women’s health top- she said. for example, urged Congress to pass the sees as ultimate bulwark against out- ics for nurses and primary care providers. Brett, who retired in 2006 as a chief petty Deborah Sampson Act, which would ex- side threats, Taylor said. Federal data suggests women are happy officer, said when she does get therapy, vir- pand newborn coverage for veterans who “Fundamentally, they believe it is with VA services overall, but some point to tually all the therapists are male. use the VA for maternity care. The legisla- worth far more than any guarantee its troubling culture. “There doesn’t seem to be an urge to get tion would provide other improvements to NATO can provide,” Taylor said. A national survey published by the VA in a female with sexual trauma to a female female veterans’ care. [email protected] 2019 found that one in four female veterans counselor. There needs to be a women’s [email protected] Twitter: @john_vandiver reported harassment from other veterans only clinic and not just for OB-GYN, but a Twitter: @StevenBeynon PAGE 26 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 2020 VISION

VETERANS BURNING ISSUE Burn pit legislation passed by Congress could lead to improved accountability, better care for vets exposed to hazards

JULIANNE SHOWALTER/U.S. Air Force

BY STEVE BEYNON “It’s unfortunate and you want to blame no information is here.” Stars and Stripes somebody, but at the end of the day ... it’s While the maps identify burn pits on life,” Guffey said. “But if something is Resources large bases abroad, they miss dozens of WASHINGTON going on that’s causing this, we need to forward operating bases and combat out- eterans and lawmakers have been stop it now. It seems a lot of people aren’t  Airborne Hazards and Open Burn posts overseas where troops operated in sounding the alarm for years that accepting the blame.” Pit Registry, for veterans and service small groups. The lack of data and a rigid burn pits could be this genera- There’s an information gap regarding members map of exposure locations could leave Vtion’s Agent Orange, with poten- how much exposure it takes to cause long- troops at risk of having a greater burden https://veteran.mobilehealth. tial health consequences for troops and the term health damage, which illnesses are of proof when they seek care or disability va.gov/AHBurnPitRegistry threat of delayed care and denied disabil- related and which service members were benefits at the VA. ity claims by the Department of Veterans exposed. Veterans eligible for the registry can also As it was with Agent Orange in Vietnam, Affairs. “The difficulty in getting these condi- get an optional no-cost, in-person medical “it’s very hard for a service member to This year, some lawmakers are looking tions recognized is ... how do you know the evaluation. Ask your VA primary care pro- document exactly where they were at or into legislation to declare that veterans service is related to the illness?” House vider or call 877-222-8387 to get started what they were exposed to, and the farther who served in certain locations were ex- Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman, with an environmental health coordinator. away we get from that, the harder it is to posed, paving the way for easier VA dis- Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif. said. document,” said Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., ability claims. And the Pentagon has been  The Defense Department banned most Burn Pits 360, a veterans’ advocacy chairwoman of the House Veterans Affairs tasked to close remaining pits and provide burn pits in combat zones amid a whirl- nonprofit with its own registry Subcommittee on Disability Assistance a comprehensive list of the sites used by wind of lawsuits and claims from post-9/11 https://www.burnpits360. and Memorial Affairs. “Our goal would be the military. veterans that they were getting sick at a org/the-burn-pits-registry to remove the burden of proof on the indi- It can be difficult to definitively link dis- young age. The military today mostly uses vidual to prove where they were on certain eases to the military dump areas piled high  clean-burning incinerators downrange. 2019 Annual Warrior Survey, for the dates.” with everything from plastics and medi- But the Pentagon policy makes allowances first time includes results from a question That’s where legislation could help. But cine to scrapped equipment and human in areas where burn pits are the only fea- about exposure to environmental hazards. there are worries over identifying areas. waste. sible way of getting rid of waste. woundedwarriorproject.org “Our concern was that some might try Reid Guffey, 33, an Iraq War veteran, Congress passed the $738 billion Nation- to use this data to deny veterans’ claims,” just finished chemotherapy treatment for al Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year said Joe Plenzler, communications direc- testicular cancer after three tours over- 2020, which included two key provisions particulate matter. seas. For one tour, the Marine had to sleep from Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., that require tor for the nonprofit Wounded Warrior Kayla Williams, an Iraq War veteran near a burn pit at al Asad Air Base in Anbar the Pentagon to draft a plan to eliminate Project, who served in Iraq. “We think province. When he left the military, he said all existing burn pits, and provide a com- and researcher for the project, said the it is good to require DOD to map out all his VA disability rating wasn’t high enough prehensive list of sites to the Department military’s air quality data is unreliable be- known locations, with the caveat that some to cover his cancer treatments. of Veterans Affairs. There’s no timeline for cause there wasn’t enough thorough test- locations may not be accounted for, and “I definitely have questions, I can’t say closing active pits, and it’s not clear how ing. Researchers have noted that the DOD that just because a location was not listed one way or another. But burn pits are defi- many remain. A DOD report to Congress understandably wasn’t sending air-quality should not be interpreted to mean that one nitely a concern of mine,” Guffey said. “I in April said there are nine still operating testers up mountains in Afghanistan under wasn’t there.” started doing research and saw other guys — seven in Syria, one in Afghanistan and enemy fire to check the burn pits. The VA website says, “At this time, re- were getting sick.” one in Egypt. “Somebody like me — I was in Iraq in search does not show evidence of long- Veteran advocacy groups and some law- In December, the Center for New Amer- 2003,” Williams told a group of reporters term health problems from exposure to makers have attributed cancers, respira- ican Security, a bipartisan think tank in in December. “There is some information burn pits. VA continues to study the health tory diseases and other health issues to Washington, mapped out burn pits in Ku- here on the short-term health risks I may of deployed Veterans.” exposure to burn pits in combat zones, the wait, Afghanistan and Iraq using Pentagon have been exposed to — much less on the [email protected] Middle East and Africa. data to document location, time period and potential long-term health risks. Virtually Twitter: @StevenBeynon Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 27 2020 VISION

VETERANS

Submitted photo BY STEVE BEYNON most recent available. There were 6,139 Daniel Somers, center, with his parents, Howard and Jean Stars and Stripes veteran suicide deaths in 2017, an increase Somers, celebrate Daniel’s graduation from the Defense of 129 from 2016. Language Institute in 2005. Daniel, a veteran of Operation Iraqi WASHINGTON “It’s one of our greatest tragedies,” Rep. Freedom, committed suicide in 2013. gt. Daniel Somers, 30, was an Iraq Phil Roe, R-Tenn., the ranking member of War veteran and California Army the VA House committee, said. “With the National Guardsman when he shot number of suicides on active duty, if we Shimself June 10, 2013. He left a sui- had those kind of casualties in combat ... cide note, later published online, damning the country would be on fire.” the VA system that he said had failed him. Most experts agree that tackling suicide His parents have spent the last six years ‘It’s one of is a monumental challenge. Despite efforts as strong advocates for the well-being of re- in Washington, the VA and the military, turning soldiers and for PTSD awareness. the problem has only gotten worse. “When he would visit, I remember this Lawmakers say they are looking into ef- one time he came downstairs and had an forts to combat the veteran suicide crisis in unlit cigarette in his hand and just kind of 2020. In December, a House panel passed looked at me,” his mother, Jean Somers, our greatest the Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act, told Stars and Stripes. “I don’t know how which awards federal funds to programs to describe it. It’s like he saw me but didn’t outside the VA that provide mental health register his mom. It was kind of a vacant care, saying more than half of veterans look in his eyes.” who end their own lives aren’t in the VA His service in Iraq included more than tragedies’ system. 400 combat missions as a turret gunner on Somers blamed the VA for not under- a Humvee, which left him with traumatic standing his “repeated and severe brain brain injuries, post-traumatic stress dis- Lawmakers seek ways to combat injuries,” and not treating his symptoms. order and several medical issues. But his parents say he was never able to get high- “Perhaps, with the right medication quality mental health treatment from the the veteran suicide crisis in 2020 at the right doses, I could have bought a VA. couple of decent years,” he wrote in his “Is it any wonder then that the latest fig- final note. “But even that is too much to ures show 22 veterans killing themselves ask from a regime built upon the idea that each day? That is more veterans than chil- suffering is noble and relief is just for the dren killed at Sandy Hook — every single weak.” day,” Somers wrote in his suicide letter, In May, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., which was published on gawker.com. “Why introduced the Sgt. Daniel Somers Veter- isn’t the president standing with those fam- ans Network of Support Act in Congress. If ilies at the state of the union? Perhaps be- passed, it would require the DOD to create cause we were not killed by a single lunatic, a pilot program for information sharing but rather by his own system of dehuman- among relatives and friends designated ization, neglect, and indifference.” by each service member — up to 10 people Somers’ parents say his last act was ar- — on VA benefits and services. ranging for someone to be there to take “Troops leaving military service face care of his body. confusing and complicated red tape when “He went a block away from where he navigating their veterans benefits. Educat- lived, used a gun and had someone call the ing and empowering our veterans’ loved police so they would be there so they could ones about the resources available will en- take care of what was left after he took his sure veterans never feel alone and get the support and benefits they’ve earned,” said own life.” CARLOS BONGIOANNI/Stars and Stripes Over 6,000 veterans commit suicide Sinema, a member of the Senate Veterans’ every year, and that number is growing, ac- Howard and Jean Somers testify before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Affairs Committee at the Capitol in Washington in 2014. cording to 2019 data from the VA. [email protected] The report includes data from 2017, the Twitter: @StevenBeynon PAGE 28 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 29 AMERICAN ROUNDUP Sign welcoming people to community found

KENNEBUNKPORT ME — A sign welcoming people to the community of Ken- nebunkport has been found, po- lice said Monday. In a Facebook post, police said the sign “was, unfortunately, taken by those who would rather take that which is not their own.“ On Friday police posted that the “Welcome to Kennebunk- port” sign posted off the side of the Lanigan Bridge had gone missing. The bridge is a popular spot for visitors and tourists to take photos, often with the sign in the background. Police did not say if anyone would be facing charges for tak- ing it. Reports: Man rams cockpit, hits officers

NEWARK — A pas- NJ senger who sprinted at a plane’s cockpit during a flight, pounding on the door before at- tacking a flight attendant and fighting with officers at the New- ark airport, has been charged with aggravated assault and other crimes, according to media reports. Matthew Dingley, 28, of New York, was arrested Thursday for injuring the flight attendant and six officers, including one who was hospitalized with four broken ribs. A passenger on the United Air- lines flight from Washington to MARK MORAN, THE (WILKES-BARRE, PA.) CITIZENS’ VOICE/AP Newark told NBC that it started when Dingley sprinted at the cockpit and began to pound on the Pooch keeps pace door. The passenger, Mike Eg- bert, said Dingley then attacked A woman runs with her dog along the dike in Kingston, Pa., where the high temperature reached 48 degrees on Friday. a flight attendant who tried to in- tervene. Other passengers on the plane brought the situation under Idaho State Police said the two THE CENSUS News outlets said the golfer told control, Egbert said. kids were under 12 years old and him not to do that, and went to re- The man charged at officers sitting in the back seat of a 2007 The amount of money that went missing from an port him. An affidavit says that when the plane landed in New- Pontiac sedan as their father Ohio school’s vending machine over a six-year pe- when he returned, Dearden came ark, sending them falling down drove southbound on Interstate 15 riod, officials said. The losses at Linworth Alterna- up to him and stated he wanted the boarding stairs leading up to near Pocatello on Saturday night, $17K tive School in Worthington took place from 2013 to apologize, but he punched him the plane, Port Authority spokes- the Idaho State Journal reported. to 2019, with payments to vendors for the pop and knocked him to the ground. man Scott Ladd told NJ.com. As the father got out of the car to machine exceeding the cash receipts that were deposited, according to a report Dearden told deputies he was try to help an apparent stranded released by Ohio’s state auditor. An administrative secretary who was responsible defending himself because the Family: Dirty diapers vehicle in the snow-covered me- for collecting and depositing the money from the machine resigned in July; her golfer threatened him by pointing dian, state police said, Raymond attorney said she is cooperating with investigators, The Columbus Dispatch report- a golf club at him. in Amazon package Aguirre, 24, and Bobbe Jo Tor- ed. The district has since discontinued the self-fill soft drink machine program. The golfer suffered from a res, 29, jumped into the Pontiac broken rib, bruises and cuts that JERSEY CITY — A and sped away with the children required stitches. Dearden was NJ New Jersey family said still inside . charged with aggravated battery they received used diapers from Within an hour, Pocatello po- Frederick County to Children’s Avenue and 51st Street in mid- National Hospital in Washington town Manhattan just after the on a person 65 years or older for Amazon’s delivery service. lice found the Pontiac parked at the Jan. 8 incident. Nassly Sales said she was a home. Authorities said Agu- for treatment, news outlets re- start of the new year, at 12:01 a.m. shocked to see diapers covered irre and Torres were inside the ported. The girl’s injuries weren’t on Jan. 1. Police say a man with a 2 stabbed at Christmas in what appeared to be fecal mat- home, without the children, and considered life threatening, news piece of rolling luggage punched ter when she opened her Amazon they were arrested but were outlets reported . her and knocked her down. He tree burning event package, WPIX-TV reported on uncooperative. The trail was crowded because then hit her with the bag before Friday. Soon after, a family member the weather was unusually warm leaving the scene. FOUNTAIN HILLS Sales said she purchases dia- of the children called police to for January, according to Carroll Authorities released a photo AZ — Authorities say two pers for her two daughters each report that the kids had escaped Manor Fire Company Chief Mike and video of the incident, showing men were taken to the hospital month from the online retail gi- and walked to a relative’s home Smallwood. Rocks on the moun- the man punching the woman, after a stabbing at a Christmas ant’s Amazon Warehouse section, nearby. Police checked on them tain were slippery from recent who is holding onto another bag, tree burning event near Fountain which sells returned items at a and returned them to their father rains and fallen leaves, Small- before heading off. Hills. discounted rate . unharmed. wood said. Rural Metro Fire officials say An Amazon spokesperson said Man said to have taken a group was having a Christmas the company worked with the Girl, 10, suffers head Police seek man who golf balls, hit golfer tree burning event in the area of family to resolve the issue. injury in fall during hike hit woman with luggage Bush Highway and State Route OCALA — A Florida 87 when a fight broke out Sunday 2 children safe after FREDERICK — A NEW YORK — The FL man is in jail on charg- morning. Two men sustained stab escap ing stolen car MD 10-year-old girl fell NY New York Police De- es he beat an elderly golfer after wounds during the altercation, off rocks and suffered a head in- partment is searching for a man trying to steal his golf balls at a but the severity of their injuries POCATELLO — Two jury Sunday afternoon while on a who used luggage in an attack on course, officials said. is unclear. ID young children are safe hike with her family, according to a woman, leaving her with facial The Marion County Sheriff’s The Maricopa County Sheriff’s after police say they escaped officials in Maryland. injuries. Office said Tyler Dearden, 22, Office will be investigating the from the back seat of a stolen car A medevac helicopter took the Authorities say the 63-year-old was taking golf balls from a golf- incident. in Idaho. girl from Sugarloaf Mountain in woman was walking around 10th er’s bucket at a club in Ocala. From wire reports PAGE 30 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 FACES Porter to star on Peele’s The Rock to revisit younger TCA UPFRONTS ‘Homeland’ enters the home ‘The Twilight Zone’ years in new comedy series stretch with eighth season Colbert is sharing producing duties with Billy Porter is among the actors who will Dwayne Johnson will revisit his young- Chris Licht, executive producer for CBS’ Cast members Claire Danes and Mandy appear on Jordan Peele’s “The Twilight er years in a new NBC series, “The “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Patinkin, along with the executive produc- Zone” anthology series next season. Rock,” which is the retired pro wrestler’s and RJ Fried and Tim Luecke. The four ers of “Homeland,” appeared Monday to Jenna Elfman, Chris Meloni, Gillian nickname. also work on Showtime’s animated politi- address the eighth and final season of the Jacobs, Joel McHale and Jimmi Simpson The network said Jan. cal satire “Our Cartoon President.” groundbreaking espionage drama. also will each appear in an episode for 11 that it’s ordered 11 “I don’t have any other reference for this. season two, the CBS All episodes of the comedy Linklater heads doc series I’ve never done anything this long,” Danes Access streaming service inspired by Johnson, who said on confronting the end. “It’s been so announced Sunday at a will appear in each epi- focusing on animal rescue profoundly defining for me.” meeting of the Television sode and also serve as Animal rescue stories will be the subject In the final 12 episodes, launching Feb. 9 Critics Association. an executive producer. of a documentary series from filmmaker on Showtime, Carrie Mathison (Danes) is Porter, who won a best He was born in Northern Richard Linklater. recovering from months of brutal confine- drama actor Emmy last California and spent his Johnson “I come to this project hoping to shine ment in a Russian gulag. Her body is heal- year for “Pose,” will be childhood growing up a light on the folks I’ve met who are mak- ing, but her memory remains fractured. joined by Daniel Sunjata everywhere from Hawaii to Tennessee to ing a difference every day in the lives of The top priority of President Warner’s (“Graceland”) and Ethan Porter Connecticut with stops in between. unwanted, abused and disabled animals,” (Beau Bridges) administration is an end to Embry (“Grace and “We’re going to find the Rock wreaking Linklater said in a release announcing the the “forever war” in Afghanistan, and Saul Frankie,” “Blindspotting”) in an episode Berenson (Patinkin) has been dispatched havoc in the streets of Hawaii getting ar- CBS All Access series. titled “The Who of You.” Story details were to engage the Taliban in peace negotia- rested,” Johnson said via video. “We were “What strikes me most is the joy and not released. tions. But Saul needs Carrie’s help. forced to leave the island and move to all discovery on both sides of the relation- Peele, an Oscar-winner for “Get Out,” In a way, the final run of “Homeland” is places, Nashville, Tennessee. Those were ship between the animals and their human has written an episode, “Downtime,” that coming full circle to Season 1. This time, the years that were very formative and caregivers,” he said. “These are inspira- will star Morena Baccarin (“Deadpool”), Carrie herself is the one under suspicion helped shape me. The confluence of wild tional stories that I believe will be a posi- Colman Domingo (“If Beale Street Could for possibly having been turned by a for- personalities that came in and out of my life tive force in the world.” Talk”) and Tony Hale (“Veep”). eign government. “Her patriotism is ques- during these times are just fascinating.“ Writer-director Linklater’s films include Peele is co-creator, executive producer tioned,” Danes said. “That’s probably the It’ll be the second NBC series tied to the Oscar-nominated “Boyhood” and and narrator for the series, described as most profound insult she can imagine.” a “re-imagining” of the original Rod Ser- Johnson. He is returning for a second sea- “Before Sunset.” The re- ling anthology of the same name that aired son as host and co-executive producer of lease date and title for his Other news from 1959-64 on CBS. “The Titan Games.” docuseries are yet to be The 10-episode season is set to arrive announced.  The wild ride of the Gal- mid-year. Colbert is ‘Tooning Out the lagher family on “Shameless” News’ with animated series is coming to an end. The series, Sophia Macy moves on from which stars William H. Macy, scandal to ‘Twilight Zone’ Late-night host Stephen Colbert has yet Chris Rock, shown will air its 11th and final season another outlet for satire: He’s producing a Jan. 9, will star in this summer, Showtime entertain- Sophia Macy is entering “The Twilight new series featuring animated characters Season 4 of “Fargo” ment president Gary Levine said Zone.” Macy, 19, the elder daughter of who riff on current events and interview on FX. Monday. The debut date was not Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy, real newsmakers. immediately announced. The sea- KATHY HUTCHINS, son 10 finale of “Shameless,” which will star in a season two “In a time of breaking news overload, ZUMA PRESS/TNS episode titled “Among the ‘Tooning Out the News’ is just what the also stars Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Untrodden.” doctor ordered,” Julie McNamara, original Cutkosky and Shanola Hampton, will Sophia Macy was at the content executive for CBS All Access, told air Jan. 26.  center of her mother’s in- a TV critics meeting Sunday. Pop TV has ordered a comedy pilot volvement in the college “Tooning Out the News” will stream on focused on an irresponsible and lazy per- admissions scandal. “Des- the platform as daily short segments and a son getting impregnated by immaculate perate Housewives” star full weekly episode. conception. “Mother Mary” co-stars Ra- Huffman was sentenced The segments will range from five to chel Bloom, who won a Golden Globe for to two weeks in prison for Macy seven minutes each, with additional ma- “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” which ended last paying $15,000 to have terial added to round out the weekly spring after four seasons. She plays the a test proctor correct her daughter’s SAT half-hour, McNamara said. Production mother of the Antichrist. Bloom also answers. Sophia Macy was unaware of her is getting underway, she said, with a serves as an executive producer . Betsy mother’s actions. release date yet to be announced. Sodaro, who developed the character, stars as a reimagined version of Mary in the pilot that will shoot in Febru- ary. Sodaro also works as a writer Chris Rock ‘shocked’ to land lead role in ‘Fargo’ and an executive producer.  New versions of “Lassie,” Fans of FX’s quirky dramedy “Fargo” still very much ostracized and “George of the Jungle” and “Mr. might consider Chris Rock starring in the discriminated against. Then Magoo” will debut this month on latest installment a bit bizarre. Rock would there’s Chris Rock and his fam- CBS All Access. The series from agree with them. ily, a group of African Ameri- DreamWorks Animation’s Classic “I was shocked,” the comedian said Jan. cans, many of whom have come Media will be available to subscrib- 9 , describing his reaction when first con- up from the South. ... ers starting Jan. 17, the streamer tacted by creator Noah Hawley. He said he “These two groups are both said. They join a children’s pro- thought the executive producer was calling fighting to become mainstream gramming lineup that includes about hosting a charity project. Americans in a way that is part the new “Danger Mouse” and a “I did not think in my wildest dreams of what we see as the Ameri- library of shows such as “Inspec- it was to be on the show,” he said. “I was can experience — you show up tor Gadget” and “The Adven- pleasantly surprised.” and you work hard and eventu- tures of Paddington Bear.” Rock gives a rare dramatic turn as a ally you get the American dream.  NBC said it’s ordered a crime syndicate boss in the fourth season, Of course, hindsight shows us that 10-part series, “The New which is set in 1950s Kansas City. The proj- doesn’t always end the way you think it World,” that will explore ect is set to premiere in April. should end. So thematically there’s a the wilderness and wild- Hawley said he wrote the role specifi- lot of ideas that feel new and original. life of North, Central and cally for Rock: “Once I had the idea for it, I I look at ‘Fargo’ and at its heart it’s South America. It’s set immediately thought of Chris.” the story of America in many differ- to air in 2024. The series Asked about approaching the mostly seri- ent ways.” promises to take viewers ous role, Rock said he had to be more dis- “Fargo,” which was created by on a journey across the land mass that is ciplined than he would be in a comic role: Hawley, premiered in 2014. The “home to the greatest variety of life on “It’s like the New England Patriots. You TV series followed the 1996 Coen the planet.”  have to run the route and the ball will be brothers movie, which won an “Grey’s Anatomy” has said good- there. It’s about getting the part down, but Oscar for its star Frances bye to one of the long-running medical also getting my personality in there.” McDormand. drama’s original cast members. Justin Hawley talked last year about the next Each season of the series is Chambers, who played Alex Karev, left last season after a 15-year run. He installment of the limited series. set in a different year (2006, leaves only three other actors who have “This fourth story is bigger than any of 1979, 2010) and introduces a new been with the series since the first ep- them, probably all of them put together. It’s cast. Previous seasons have starred isode: Ellen Pompeo, James Pickens a collision of these two groups that are out- Billy Bob Thornton, Kirsten Dunst and Ewan McGregor. Jr. and Chandra Wilson. Chambers’ side mainstream America. One group is the last episode aired Nov. 14. newly arrived Italian immigrants, who are From The Los Angeles Times From wire services Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 31 PAGE 32 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 OPINION Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher Lt. Col. Sean Klimek, Europe commander Lt. Col. Richard McClintic, Pacific commander Why hostility to immigration runs so deep Caroline E. Miller, Europe Business Operations BY NOAH SMITH Joshua M. Lashbrook, Pacific Chief of Staff may fear that immigration poses a threat care about foreigners, or who buy into rac- Bloomberg News to their electoral strength. ist stereotypes. In a follow-up paper, Ale- But on top of all this, anti-immigration sina and Stancheva show mathematically EDITORIAL ublic opinion about immigration sentiment may be intertwined with suspi- how all of these factors combine to reduce is hard to understand. Americans cion of the welfare state. People may over- support for welfare. Terry Leonard, Editor express more favorable views to- estimate the amount of public resources Sure enough, Alesina and his colleagues [email protected] Pward immigration since Donald spent on immigrants. And they may be less found that when they ask people questions Robert H. Reid, Senior Managing Editor Trump was elected president. willing to distribute government benefits about immigration before asking them [email protected] But the poll numbers come with several to people from other countries. about redistribution (rather than after- caveats. First, the surge in support for im- Managing Editor for Content That’s the upshot of a recent paper by ward), their support for the welfare state Tina Croley, migration might simply be a reaction to the [email protected] economists Alberto Alesina, Armando goes down. Unsurprisingly, the effect is xenophobia of the Trump administration Miano and Stefanie Stantcheva. The au- stronger among conservatives. Sean Moores, Managing Editor for Presentation and could fade after he leaves office. Sec- thors conducted detailed surveys with So immigration seems likely to reduce [email protected] ond, the polls say little about the salience 24,000 native-born people in six developed support for redistribution. But advanced of the issue to the two sides; opponents of Western countries — the U.S., the U.K., countries all have big welfare states and Joe Gromelski, Managing Editor for Digital immigration might be more motivated [email protected] France, Germany, Sweden and Italy. What are unlikely to abandon them up any time than advocates, and thus fight harder. Fi- they discovered is a pervasive tangle of soon. Instead, it seems likely that many will nally, it’s worth noting that even now, those misperceptions. try to shut the gates to foreigners instead. BUREAU STAFF who support decreasing immigration out- First, native-born people in all the coun- Those who know the benefits of immi- number those who back increasing it. And tries surveyed tend to substantially overes- gration will have trouble formulating a Europe/Mideast this data is just for the U.S.; other countries timate the number of immigrants. Across response. Information campaigns telling Erik Slavin, Europe & Mideast Bureau Chief [email protected] may be going in the opposite direction. the entire demographic and political spec- people that immigrants are a net fiscal +49(0)631.3615.9350; DSN (314)583.9350 Why does the public seem to have an trum, people said that the share of immi- positive seem unlikely to work (the Ale- anti-immigration bias? The bulk of the grants in their countries was about 10 to 15 sina study, for example, found that respon- Pacific data shows that immigrants, at least in the percentage points higher than it actually dents weren’t very interested in learning Aaron Kidd, Pacific Bureau Chief U.S., are a healthy and positive force. They [email protected] was. They also tended to make mistakes actual facts after the survey was over). +81.42.552.2511 ext. 88380; DSN (315)227.7380 are highly upwardly mobile. They make about the people coming in, overestimat- Campaigning against racism and negative outsized contributions to technology and ing the share of Muslim immigrants and stereotypes of the undeserving poor may Washington industry. They don’t push down the wages underestimating the share of Christian help, but changing deep-seated attitudes is Joseph Cacchioli, Washington Bureau Chief of native-born workers and in the case of ones (except in France). And they tended always an uphill battle. [email protected] high-skilled immigrants they even raise to underestimate immigrants’ share of the One approach might be to admit more (+1)(202)886-0033 them. They commit fewer crimes than highly educated workforce. The research- Brian Bowers, Assistant Managing Editor, News skilled immigrants. Studies show that edu- [email protected] native-born Americans. They pay plenty ers also found that people tended to assume cated immigrants contribute much more of taxes that help support local and state that immigrants receive more welfare ben- in tax revenue than they take out; most CIRCULATION governments. They revitalize dying small efits than the native-born. people instinctively know that engineers towns and blighted neighborhoods. Why are So many people in rich countries seem or doctors are not likely to claim welfare Mideast so many Americans wary of what seems on to think of immigration much the way it’s benefits. Robert Reismann, Mideast Circulation Manager paper like an unadulterated good? depicted on the famous poem on the Statue Tilting the immigration system toward [email protected] [email protected] One possible reason is that Americans, of Liberty — a tired, hungry, poor huddled skilled workers, as Canada and other coun- DSN (314)583-9111 though more positive toward diversity mass. Even those who normally support tries do, won’t just help keep government than those in many other countries, also the welfare state might be inclined to curb coffers flush — it might help preserve Europe worry that their culture will be diluted by benefits if their country was faced with broad support for both immigration and Karen Lewis, Community Engagement Manager newcomers. Racial prejudice toward im- such a teeming horde of needy newcom- the welfare state, even in the face of stub- [email protected] [email protected] migrants from nonwhite countries plays a ers. That inclination will be even stronger born public misperceptions. role as well. And politics may also be a fac- among those who don’t like the idea of the +49(0)631.3615.9090; DSN (314)583.9090 Noah Smith is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He tor; because children of immigrants tend welfare state in the first place, who blame was an assistant professor of finance at Stony Pacific to vote for the Democrats, Republicans the poor for their poverty, who simply don’t Brook University . Mari Mori, [email protected] +81-3 6385.3171; DSN (315)227.7333 CONTACT US Washington Booker falls victim to the curse of the big field tel: (+1)202.886.0003 633 3rd St. NW, Suite 116, Washington, DC 20001-3050 BY JON HEALEY feature just to get attention. Think about it Reader letters Los Angeles Times — you can rattle off at least one thing about [email protected] almost all of the remaining contenders. nd then there was one. Yang, for example, is the guy who thinks Additional contacts Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., sus- automation is killing so many jobs, the stripes.com/contactus pended his campaign for the government should pay everyone $1,000 a ADemocratic presidential nomi- month. That may be reductive and unfair OMBUDSMAN nation Monday, having failed to escape to candidates who put a lot of work into Ernie Gates from the low single digits in the national or having a complete platform, but it’s the re- early-state-primary polls. His withdrawal, ality of a race with too many speakers and while not surprising, leaves the race with The Stars and Stripes ombudsman protects the free flow not enough microphones. of news and information, reporting any attempts by the only one black presidential candidate: late The second factor I’d cite is the unusu- military or other authorities to undermine the newspaper’s entry Deval Patrick, the former governor al nature of the incumbent. Sanders and independence. The ombudsman also responds to concerns of Massachusetts who has made barely a and questions from readers, and monitors coverage for fair- Tom Steyer, the investor turned activist ness, accuracy, timeliness and balance. The ombudsman ripple in the polls. And it comes on the heels turned presidential candidate, insist that welcomes comments from readers, and can be contacted of Julian Castro’s withdrawal, so there’s no it will take an unconventional candidate to by email at [email protected], or by phone at chance a Latino Democrat will face Presi- PATRICK SEMANSKY/AP 202.886.0003. defeat Trump. Meanwhile, middle-of-the- dent Donald Trump in November. road candidates such as Biden and Sen. Some people will no doubt complain Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., has dropped Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., say voters are about the rapidly dwindling number of mi- out of the presidential race and plans to Stars and Stripes (USPS 0417900) is published week- hungry for a return to normalcy. Either nority candidates in The Party That Looks focus on his Senate reelection. days (except Dec. 25 and Jan. 1) for 50 cents Monday way, Booker and the other folks who’ve through Thursday and for $1 on Friday by Pacific Stars and Like America — the only other nonwhites fallen by the wayside represented neither Stripes, Unit 45002, APO AP 96301-5002. Periodicals still in the field are Andrew Yang, the son can’t tell you how his approach to govern- postage paid at San Francisco, CA, Postmaster: Send a complete break with convention (except address changes to Pacific Stars and Stripes, Unit 45002, of Taiwanese immigrants, and Rep. Tulsi ing is different from any other candidate’s. APO AP 96301-5002. Gabbard, D-Hawaii, who is Samoan Amer- He, like Beto O’Rourke and Kamala Har- for Williamson, who proved that simply This newspaper is authorized by the Department of ican. But one thing the winnowed candi- ris, was a charisma candidate, and that being unconventional isn’t enough) nor a Defense for members of the military services overseas. pendulum-swing back to the salad days of However, the contents of Stars and Stripes are unofficial, dates have in common is mushy messages isn’t enough this go-around. and are not to be considered as the official views of, or and hard-to-define missions. Why? I’d point to a couple of factors. First pragmatic policymaking and bipartisan endorsed by, the U.S. government. As a DOD newspaper, governing of the Clinton presidency. Stars and Stripes may be distributed through official chan- Booker is a likable man who was run- and foremost, the Democratic field was so nels and use appropriated funds for distribution to remote ning as an uplifting force, a unifier for a big, the amount of background noise made It’s a shame that the Democratic field is locations where overseas DOD personnel are located. sharply divided America. His go-to word it hard for anyone to stand out. That worked becoming less diverse, but it’s a very good The appearance of advertising in this publication does thing that it is finally shrinking to a size not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense in the campaign was “love,” which certain- to the advantage of well-known figures or Stars and Stripes of the products or services advertised. ly differentiated him from the incumbent. such as former Vice President Joe Biden that enables meaningful scrutiny by the Products or services advertised shall be made available for (That seemed to be Marianne Williamson’s and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who start- voters. You may wish for different choices purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, — more youthful candidates, say, or more religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical theme too, meaning there was no market ed the race with a cushion and have pretty handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor for a love candidate in 2020. Just imagine much held on to it. Same for Sen. Elizabeth impressive records of accomplishment — of the purchaser, user or patron. the campaign ads we’re not going to see.) Warren, D-Mass., who’d already developed but at least your attention will be divided © Stars and Stripes 2020 And it goes without saying that Booker a big following among progressives. among fewer of them. would be a better president than Trump. Everyone else needed a distinct and Jon Healey is the Los Angeles Times’ deputy stripes.com But after watching him in the debates, I consistent focus or a clearly distinguishing editorial page editor. Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 33 SCOREBOARD/TENNIS Australian Open Sports Tennis Golf College basketball Auckland Open World rankings AP Men’s Top 25 on AFN Monday Through Jan. 12 The top 25 teams in The Associated At ASB Tennis Centre 1. Brooks Koepka USA 10.28 Press’ men’s college basketball poll, with Auckland, New Zealand 2. Rory McIlroy NIR 9.05 first-place votes in parentheses, records Purse: $546,355 3. Jon Rahm ESP 7.98 through Jan. 12, total points based on Qualifying Go to the American Forces Surface: Hardcourt outdoor 4. Justin Thomas USA 7.84 25 points for a first-place vote through Men’s Singles 5. Dustin Johnson USA 6.79 one point for a 25th-place vote and last Network website for the most Round Of 32 6. Patrick Cantlay USA 6.39 week’s ranking: up-to-date TV schedules. Benoit Paire (5), France, def. Jannik 7. Tiger Woods USA 6.36 Record Pts Pvs Sinner, Italy, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. 8. Xander Schauffele USA 6.07 1. Gonzaga (30) 18-1 1,574 1 myafn.net Mikael Ymer, Sweden, def. Frances 9. Justin Rose ENG 5.86 2. Baylor (31) 13-1 1,567 4 Tiafoe, United States, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. 10. Tommy Fleetwood ENG 5.43 3. Duke (4) 15-1 1,529 2 under way Vasek Pospisil, Canada, def. Joao Sou- 11. Webb Simpson USA 5.17 4. Auburn 15-0 1,359 5 sa, Portugal, 6-4, 6-2. 12. Patrick Reed USA 4.89 5. Butler 15-1 1,299 6 College football 13. Adam Scott AUS 4.71 6. Kansas 12-3 1,286 3 Hobart International 14. Gary Woodland USA 4.58 7. San Diego St. 17-0 1,266 7 15. Tony Finau USA 4.51 8. Oregon 14-3 1,163 9 Monday 16. Bryson DeChambeau USA 4.48 9. Florida St. 14-2 1,093 10 AP Top 25 At Hobart International Tennis Centre 17. Paul Casey ENG 4.40 10. Kentucky 12-3 960 14 amid haze The Top 25 teams in The Associated Hobart, Australia 18. Louis Oosthuizen SAF 4.39 11. Louisville 13-3 943 13 Press college football poll, with first- Purse: $251,750 19. Shane Lowry IRL 4.39 12. West Virginia 13-2 911 17 Associated Press 20. Francesco Molinari ITA 4.36 place votes in parentheses, final re- Surface: Hardcourt outdoor 13. Dayton 14-2 842 15 Women’s Singles 21. Hideki Matsuyama JPN 4.09 cords, total points based on 25 points for 14. Villanova 12-3 822 16 Round Of 32 22. Rickie Fowler USA 3.99 15. Michigan St. 13-4 735 8 MELBOURNE, Australia — a first-place vote through one point for a Magda Linette (6), Poland, def. Svet- 23. Bernd Wiesberger AUT 3.98 25th-place vote, and previous ranking: 16. Wichita St. 15-1 629 23 Smoke haze and poor air quality lana Kuznetsova, Russia, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (9). 24. Matt Kuchar USA 3.80 17. Maryland 13-3 616 12 Record Pts Pvs Veronika Kudermetova (5), Russia, 25. Matthew Fitzpatrick ENG 3.61 caused by wildfires temporarily 1. LSU (62) 15-0 1,550 1 18. Seton Hall 12-4 496 — def. Sam Stosur, Australia, 6-2, 6-2. 26. Henrik Stenson SWE 3.37 19. Michigan 11-5 358 19 2. Clemson 14-1 1,487 3 Viktoria Kuzmova, Slovakia, def. Zhu 27. Kevin Na USA 3.31 suspended practice sessions for 3. Ohio St. 13-1 1,426 2 20. Colorado 13-3 345 25 Lin, China, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (3). 28. Marc Leishman AUS 3.27 21. Ohio St. 11-5 270 11 the Australian Open at Melbourne 4. Georgia 12-2 1,336 5 Kristyna Pliskova, Czech Republic, def. 29. Danny Willett ENG 3.11 22. Memphis 13-3 232 21 Park on Tuesday, but qualifying 5. Oregon 12-2 1,249 7 Nina Stojanovic, Serbia, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. 30. Kevin Kisner USA 3.08 23. Texas Tech 10-5 111 22 6. Florida 11-2 1,211 6 Ons Jabeur, Tunisia, def. Anna Blinko- 31. Cameron Smith AUS 3.02 24. Illinois 12-5 109 — began later in “very poor” condi- 7. Oklahoma 12-2 1,179 4 va, Russia, 6-4, 6-1. 32. Matt Wallace ENG 2.96 25. Creighton 13-4 97 — 33. Shugo Imahira JPN 2.96 tions and amid complaints by at 8. Alabama 11-2 1,159 9 CiCi Bellis, United States, def. Marie Iowa 88, Stan- Bouzkova, Czech Republic, 3-6, 7-6, 6-3. 34. Tyrrell Hatton ENG 2.94 Others receiving votes: 9. Penn St. 11-2 1,038 13 ford 77, Arkansas 65, Indiana 50, Virginia least one player who was forced 10. Minnesota 11-2 952 16 Women’s Doubles 35. Sungjae Im KOR 2.90 Round Of 16 36. Billy Horschel USA 2.83 41, Penn St. 36, LSU 30, Arizona 20, Wis- to forfeit her match. 11. Wisconsin 10-4 883 11 consin 19, Liberty 11, N Iowa 10, Purdue 12. Notre Dame 11-2 879 14 Vania King and Christina McHale, 37. Chez Reavie USA 2.82 At the Kooyong Classic exhi- United States, def. Georgina Garcia Per- 38. Jazz Janewattananond THA 2.74 10, Duquesne 9, Washington 9, TCU 8, 13. Baylor 11-3 827 8 Rutgers 8, Virginia Tech 5, Oregon St. 4, bition in Melbourne, former No. 14. Auburn 9-4 726 9 ez and Sara Sorribes Tormo (4), Spain, 39. Abraham Ancer MEX 2.70 6-2, 7-5. 40. Jason Day AUS 2.64 Houston 4, BYU 3, ETSU 2, Saint Mary’s 15. Iowa 10-3 699 19 (Cal) 1, Harvard 1, Akron 1, Southern Cal 1-ranked Maria Sharapova strug- 16. Utah 11-3 543 12 1. gled in the heat and smoke and 17. Memphis 12-2 528 15 18. Michigan 9-4 468 17 Deals Monday’s men’s scores her match against Laura Siege- 19. Appalachian St. 13-1 466 20 mund was called off late in the 20. Navy 11-2 415 21 EAST 21. Cincinnati 11-3 343 23 Monday’s transactions A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luh- Boston U. 85, Loyola (Md.) 53 second set. Siegemund won the 22. Air Force 11-2 209 24 now. Cornell 70, Elmira 33 first set in a tiebreaker but play- 23. Boise St. 12-2 188 18 BASEBALL OAKLAND ATHLETICS — Traded INF NC A&T 98, Delaware St. 77 24. UCF 10-3 78 — COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE — Suspend- Alfonso Rivas to the Chicago Cubs for NC Central 69, Md.-Eastern Shore 64, OT ers and officials decided to stop 25. Texas 8-5 69 — ed Houston manager A.J. Hinch and gen- INF/OF Tony Kemp. SC State 101, Howard 95, OT play at 5-5 in the second. Others receiving votes: Texas A&M eral manager Jeff Luhnow through the SEATTLE MARINERS — Named Jeff SOUTH Mathers assistant High Performance co- 54, FAU 46, Washington 39, Virginia 28, 2020 World Series, fined the Astros $5 Alcorn St. 87, Grambling St. 69 “Both players are feeling the million and forfeited the Astros’ next two ordinator/performance specialist; Kyle Ark.-Pine Bluff 61, Alabama St. 56 Southern Cal 16, San Diego St. 13, Arizo- first- and second-round draft picks for Torgerson trainer; Aric Quinney trainer smoke so we are going to stop the na St. 12, SMU 10, Tennessee 8, California Bethune-Cookman 85, Morgan St. 78 sign stealing. Suspended former Hous- and James Buckley performance special- Florida A&M 65, Coppin St. 54 match at this point,” the umpire 6, Louisiana Tech 2, North Dakota St. 2, ton assistant general manager Brandon ist of Modesto (Cal); Dan LaBerry trainer Kentucky 2, Kansas St. 2, Louisiana-La- MVSU 72, Alabama A&M 66 Taubman through the 2020 World Series and Joe Murray performance specialist Southern U. 56, Jackson St. 50 said. fayette 2. for inappropriate conduct in the club- of West Virginia (SAL); Brennan Mick- FAR WEST At Melbourne Park, Dalila house. elson performance specialist of Everett Montana 85, Portland St. 70 American League (NWL); and Ryan Mullins performance Jakupovic was leading her first- Monday’s score CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Named Wes specialist of the AZL Mariners. College Football Championship Helms manager, Matt Zaleski pitching TAMPA BAY RAYS — Agreed to terms AP Men’s Top 25 schedule round Australian Open qualifying coach, Howie Clark hitting coach, Mike with Cs Chris Herrmann and Kevan New Orleans Wednesday’s games match against Switzerland’s Ste- LSU 42, Clemson 25 Daniel coach, Cory Barton trainer and Smith, OF Ryan LaMarre, RHPs Aaron Shawn Powell performance coach of Slegers and Angel German, INF Conrad No. 2 Baylor vs. Iowa State fanie Voegele when she dropped Charlotte (IL); Justin Jirschele manager, Gregor and LHP D.J. Snelten on minor No. 4 Auburn at Alabama to her knees with a coughing Richard Dotson pitching coach, Charlie league contracts. No. 5 Butler vs. No. 18 Seton Hall Pro football Romero hitting coach, Devin DeYoung National League No. 9 Florida State vs. Virginia spell. Ranked 180th, Jakupovic coach, Hyeon Kim trainer and Tim Rod- ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Agreed No. 10 Kentucky at South Carolina maker performance coach of Birming- to terms with OF David Peralta on a No. 16 Wichita State at Temple was a set up and one point away NFL playoffs ham (SL); Ryan Newman manager, Dan- three-year contract. No. 25 Creighton at Georgetown from a tiebreaker in the second ny Farquhar pitching coach, Charlie Poe SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Designated set when she experienced breath- Wild-card Playoffs hitting coach, Carson Wooten trainer INF Zack Cozart for assignment. Claimed AP Women’s Top 25 Saturday, Jan. 4 and George Timke performance coach RHP Jake Jewell off waivers from the L.A. ing difficulties and retired from Houston 22, Buffalo 19, OT of Winston-Salem (Carolina); Guillermo Angels. The top 25 teams in The Associated Tennessee 20, New England 13 Quiroz manager, Jose Bautista pitching FOOTBALL Press’ women’s college basketball poll, the match. Sunday, Jan. 5 coach, Cole Armstrong hitting coach, National Football League with first-place votes in parentheses, “I was really scared that I Minnesota 26, New Orleans 20, OT Patrick Leyland coach, Joe Geck trainer CLEVELAND BROWNS — Named Kevin records through Jan. 12, total points Seattle 17, Philadelphia 9 and Kevin Childs performance coach of Stefanski coach. based on 25 points for a first-place vote would collapse,” Jakupovic told Divisional Playoffs Kannapolis (SAL); Mike Gellinger manag- DETROIT LIONS — Named Cory Undlin through one point for a 25th-place vote Australian Associated Press. “I Saturday, Jan. 11 er, John Ely pitching coach, Cam Seitzer defensive coordinator. and last week’s ranking: San Francisco 27, Minnesota 10 hitting coach, Jeremy Kneebusch trainer HOUSTON TEXANS — Signed LB Davin Record Pts Pvs don’t have asthma and never had Tennessee 28, Baltimore 12 and Tyler Gniadek performance coach of Bellamy, CB Anthony Chesley, LB Nate 1. South Carolina (20) 16-1 737 4 breathing problems. I actually Sunday, Jan. 12 Great Falls (Pioneer); Ever Magallanes Hall, WR Chad Hansen, RB Karan Hig- 2. Baylor (7) 13-1 724 6 Kansas City 51, Houston 31 manager, Felipe Lira pitching coach, don Jr., T Rick Leonard, S Shalom Luani, 3. Stanford (1) 15-1 663 5 like heat. The physio came again Green Bay 28, Seattle 23 Drew Hasler pitching coach, Gary Ward QB Alex McGough, T Kyle Murphy and S 4. UConn 13-1 651 1 Conference Championships hitting coach, Scott Johnson trainer and Jonathan Owens to reserve/future con- 5. Louisville (2) 16-1 605 7 and I thought it would be better. Sunday, Jan. 19 Daniel Cobian performance coach/rehab tracts. 6. Oregon 13-2 601 2 But the points were a bit longer Tennessee at Kansas City of the AZL White Sox; Chris Getz direc- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — Fired of- 7. UCLA 16-0 588 8 Green Bay at San Francisco tor of player development; Grace Guerro fensive coordinator John DeFilippo. 8. Oregon St. 15-1 585 3 and I just couldn’t breathe any- Zwit senior director of minor league op- MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Signed WR Dil- 9. NC State 15-1 459 9 Pro Bowl lon Mitchell to reserve/future contracts. more and I just fell on the floor.” erations; Doug Sisson minor league field 10. Mississippi St. 15-2 448 13 Sunday, Jan. 26 coordinator/outfield and baserunning; WASHINGTON REDSKINS — Promoted Jakupovic said it was “not fair” At Orlando, Fla. Everett Teaford minor league pitching Kyle Smith to vice president of player 11. Kentucky 14-2 429 14 AFC vs. NFC coordinator; J.R. Perdew assistant minor personnel. 12. Texas A&M 14-2 394 10 that officials asked players to take Super Bowl league pitching coordinator; Ben Brous- HOCKEY 13. Florida St. 15-2 369 11 the court in those conditions. Sunday, Feb. 2 sard minor league hitting coordinator; National Hockey League 14. DePaul 15-2 366 15 At Miami Gardens, Fla. Ryan Johansen assistant minor league NHL — Suspended Edmonton Oilers F 15. Indiana 14-3 333 12 “It’s not healthy for us,” the NFC champion vs. AFC champion hitting coordinator; John Orton minor Zack Kassian for two games without pay 16. Gonzaga 16-1 327 16 league catching coordinator; Goldy Sim- for grabbing Calgary Flames F Matthew 17. West Virginia 13-1 289 19 Slovenian player said. “I was sur- mons minor league performance coordi- Tkachuk by the collar, throwing him to 18. Arizona St. 13-4 200 — prised, I thought we would not be nator; Ben Hansen senior biomechani- the ice and punching him several times. 19. Missouri St. 14-2 186 20 College hockey cal engineer; Rod Larson and Graham SOCCER 20. Maryland 12-4 159 17 playing today but we don’t have Harboe player development managers; Major League Soccer 21. Arizona 13-3 157 18 much choice.” Rafael Santana, Tommy Thompson and MLS — Named Joe Fletcher PRO man- 22. Iowa 13-3 109 — NCAA Division I poll Diego Francisco player development as- ager of senior assistant referres. 23. Arkansas 14-3 108 21 Former Wimbledon finalist sistants; Steve McCatty rehab pitching CINCINNATI — Transferred M Leonar- 24. Tennessee 13-3 102 23 MINNEAPOLIS — The top 20 teams in coach; Erin Santana education coordi- do Bertone to Thun (Super League-Swit- 25. South Dakota 16-2 86 22 Eugenie Bouchard needed some the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey nator; Anthony Santiago Latin/cultural zerland). Others receiving votes: Princeton 30, medical assistance during her poll, compiled by U.S. College Hockey development coordinator; Zach Jones, DALLAS — Signed D Eddie Munjoma to Northwestern 23, Rutgers 15, Georgia Online, with first-place votes in paren- Nate Pearson and Devin Pickett quality a three-year contract. Tech 5, Florida Gulf Coast 2. first qualifying match before theses, records through Jan. 12 and pre- control assistants; Scott Takao medi- INTER MIAMI — Named Gustavo Me- beating You Xiaodi 4-6, 7-6 (4), vious ranking: cal coordinator; Derek Garris physical tral sports scientist, Sebastian Saja Record Pts Pvs therapist/rehab coordinator; Brooks goalkeeper coach, Mauricio Marchetti Monday’s women’s scores 6-1. Bouchard called multiple 1. Cornell (21) 12-1-2 956 2 Klein physical therapist; Dale Torborg assistant coach and fitness coach, Brett 1. North Dakota (17) 17-2-2 956 1 EAST medical timeouts in the oppres- strength and conditioning adviser; Joe Uttley assistant coach and video analyst Fairleigh Dickinson 65, Sacred Heart 60 3. Minnesota State (12) 20-3-1 928 3 Lachik Arizona facility coordinator; Dan and Claudio Arzeno, Anthony Pulis and sive conditions. 4. Denver 15-4-3 823 5 LIU Brooklyn 63, CCSU 61 Flood Arizona clubhouse and equipment Albert Rude assistant coaches. Md.-Eastern Shore 65, NC Central 63 5. Boston College 13-5-0 788 4 manager; Bryant Biasotti assistant Ari- ORLANDO CITY — Acquired M J Urso You also asked for medical as- 6. Penn State 16-6-0 743 6 Merrimack 76, Mount St. Mary’s 55 zona minor league clubhouse manager; by transfer from Corinthians (Serie A- NC A&T 69, Delaware St. 45 sistance from the trainer and 7. Clarkson 15-4-2 708 7 Grant Flick assistant Arizona player de- Brazil). Sent the rights to M Jose Sifuen- 8. Minnesota Duluth 12-6-2 623 9 Robert Morris 69, St. Francis Brooklyn 44 began serving underarm on oc- velopment/Latin education assistant; tes to Los Angeles FC for general alloca- St. Francis (Pa.) 51, Wagner 50 9. Ohio State 14-6-2 612 8 Louis Silverio Dominican Republic Acad- tion money. casions in the third set. 10. Massachusetts 14-7-1 564 10 emy supervisor; Guillermo Reyes DRA LOS ANGELES FC — Signed M Jose Si- SOUTH 11. Providence 13-5-5 517 12 field coordinator; Carolina Santos DRA fuentes. Alabama A&M 68, MVSU 48 Bouchard said she would train 12. Northeastern 13-6-2 448 11 office manager; Manuel Santana DRA National Women’s Soccer League Alcorn St. 80, Grambling St. 54 indoors on Wednesday because it 13. UMass Lowell 12-5-4 382 13 complex operations coordinator; .gel SKY BLUE — Agreed to terms with M Ark.-Pine Bluff 73, Alabama St. 62 14. Arizona State 13-8-3 338 15 Rosario DRA catching coordinator; Leo Sarah Killion. Bethune-Cookman 74, Morgan St. 65 wasn’t “worth going outside” fol- 15. Bowling Green 13-9-2 249 16 Hernandez DRA pitching coach; Gerardo COLLEGE Florida A&M 58, Coppin St. 48 16. Harvard 8-5-2 198 18 Olivares DRA hitting coach; Jose Brito ARIZONA STATE — Extended football Florida Gulf Coast 72, North Florida 50 lowing her three-hour match. 17. Northern Michigan 13-7-2 194 19 DRA assistant pitching coach; Angel coach Herm Edwards’ contract through Howard 78, SC State 47 “I felt like it was tough to 18. Notre Dame 10-9-3 145 14 Gonzalez DRA assistant hitting coach; the 2024 season. Jackson St. 72, Southern U. 51 19. Michigan Tech 13-10-2 121 17 Julio Ramirez DRA outfield coach; Sergio CALIFORNIA — Agreed to terms with Jacksonville 88, NJIT 67 breathe and a bit nauseous,” the 20. Michigan State 11-10-1 58 20 Marte DRA trainer; and Jonathan Hasbun women’s swimming and diving coach Kennesaw St. 74, Lipscomb 66 Canadian said. “I felt like the 20. Quinnipiac 12-8-1 58 — DRA performance coach. Teri McKeever on a contract extension North Alabama 76, Liberty 71 Others receiving votes: Army 32, Sa- DETROIT TIGERS — Agreed to terms through the 2023-24 season. MIDWEST conditions got worse as the match cred Heart 32, Bemidji State 8, Michigan with RHP Ivan Nova on a one-year con- OKLAHOMA — Announced graduate William Penn 77, Peru St. 62 5, Dartmouth 4, Western Michigan 4, tract. WR Theo Howard is transferring from FAR WEST went on ... but I was out there for Maine 3, New Hampshire 2, Minnesota 1. HOUSTON ASTROS — Fired manager UCLA. Portland St. 78, Montana 65 a long time.” PAGE 34 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 COLLEGE BASKETBALL Around the Top 25 Big East returns to beast with 4 teams in Top 25

BY DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press By the numbers It has been a long time since the Big East commanded the spotlight like it does in college basketball these days. In fact, you probably have to 4 go back about seven years to the days before conference realign- Ranked teams in the Big ment, when Bob Huggins was East: No. 5 Butler; No. 14 stalking the sidelines at West Virginia, Rick Pitino was leading Villanova; No. 18 Seton Louisville, and the conference Hall; and No. 25 Creighton. tournament at Madison Square Garden might as well have been a proving ground for national championship hopefuls. Those high-profile schools 2 and others are gone, of course. They’ve been replaced by such Overall RPI rating for the schools as Butler and Creighton and Xavier. But wouldn’t you Big East Conference. know it? They are a big part of why the Big East is a beast once again. The Bulldogs moved into fifth 99-25 ELISE AMENDOLA/AP in the latest AP poll this week, climbing one spot after another Forward Bryce Nze and Butler are the top-ranked Big East team at No. 5. perfect week. Perennial contend- Non-conference record for er Villanova resides at No. 14, four the 10 teams in the Big Alaska in their second game of spots ahead of Seton Hall, while East, a winning percentage the season. They hope to continue the Bluejays moved into the poll of 79.8%. that roll against Iowa State on at No. 25 to give the plucky Big Wednesday night, then with a trip East four ranked teams — more to Oklahoma State on Saturday. than the Atlantic Coast, Pac-12 SOURCE: Associated Press, NCAA.com “Any other team would say, and Southeastern conferences. ‘Oh, we got one at Kansas.’ But “This league is a grind,” said Chasing perfection we expected to win,” said Bears Creighton coach Greg McDer- guard Jared Butler, who led the mott, whose team knocked off There are only two unbeaten way Saturday with 22 points. Xavier over the weekend. “We lost teams left in major college bas- two games in a row against a very ketball and both should stay that Test for No. 1 good Butler team and a very good way. Fourth-ranked Auburn Villanova team and then you have (15-0) plays rival Alabama on After a revolving door of No. 1 a very good Xavier team waiting Wednesday night before a trip to teams this season, Gonzaga (18- on the other side of that. I think Florida on Saturday, and seventh- 1) has held onto the ranking for it’s very important you have the ranked San Diego State has lowly the past four weeks. But it might maturity and focus to understand Fresno State on Tuesday night finally get a test when it faces when you lose a couple games in before a visit from Nevada this Santa Clara on Thursday night. this league, you can’t throw ev- weekend. The Broncos (15-3) are riding erything out the window and try The Aztecs are off to their best high off a win over Saint Mary’s something else.” start since the 2010-11 season, and have lost just once since the Expect more of the Big East’s when Kawhi Leonard led them to first week of December. best teams to trade haymakers a 20-0 start and the No. 4 ranking. “I’ve been on them that there’s this week. They wound up with a 6-seed in accountability and honor that The fireworks begin in earnest the NCAA Tournament and ad- comes with the ranking,” Gon- on Wednesday night, when Butler vanced to the Sweet 16. zaga coach Mark Few said. “You (15-1, 3-0) welcomes Seton Hall to have to come out and own it. You Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs’ Brutal Big 12 should prepare and play as confi- lone loss remains a one-point set- dent as anyone.” back against Baylor, a team that Kansas will be trying to merely beat Texas Tech and Kan- bounce back from its first home A-10 high-flyers sas on the road last week to climb loss to Baylor — ever — when to No. 2 in the nation. The Pirates it visits Oklahoma on Tuesday No. 13 Dayton (14-2) has a (12-4, 2-0) have found their stride night. There is also a big game in chance to prove it’s the class of and won six straight. Morgantown, W.Va., where No. 12 the Atlantic 10 with a pair of Also on the docket Wednesday West Virginia plays red-hot TCU tough games this week. First, night, Xavier (12-5, 1-3) heads to the same night. star forward Obi Toppin and the Marquette (11-5, 1-3) in a meeting Making things tougher on the Flyers host VCU (12-4) on Tues- ALEX GALLARDO/AP of teams desperate for a league Jayhawks? Star guard Devon Dot- day night. Then they have to face win, and the Bluejays (13-4, 2-2) son is dealing with a hip pointer. Jordan Goodwin and Saint Louis Gonzaga guard Ryan Woolridge, center, drives for a layup in a win try to continue their roll with a The Bears, meanwhile, haven’t (14-3) , which has wins over Bos- over Loyola Marymount on Saturday. The top-ranked Zags get a test trip to Georgetown. lost since playing Washington in ton College and Kansas State. Thursday when they play Santa Clara. Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 35 NFL/NHL Browns come to terms with Caps end slump, Stefanski, GM search is on shut out ’Canes BY TOM WITHERS Associated Press Associated Press Ovechkin’s second goal at 17:01 CLEVELAND — Kevin Ste- was his 28th of the season and WASHINGTON — Alex Ovech- fanski is getting a turn at fixing gave him seven multi-goal games kin scored two first-period goals the busted Browns. in 2019-20. He needs four goals to and Ilya Samsonov stopped 23 The Vikings offensive coor- tie Mario Lemieux for 10th place dinator was officially hired by shots for his first career shutout with 690. Cleveland on Monday as the 18th as the Washington Capitals beat Washington led after one pe- full-time coach in franchise his- the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 on riod for the first time in the last tory and 10th since the Browns’ Monday night. 14 games. 1999 expansion return, which to The win broke the Capitals’ The Capitals had a chance to this point has been a resounding two-game skid and the Hur- increase their lead when they two-decade debacle. ricanes’ three-game winning had a two-man advantage for 45 The 37-year-old Stefanski, who streak. Carolina posted shutouts seconds in the third period, but spent 14 seasons as an assistant in its previous two games. couldn’t score. in Minnesota and has never been Samsonov improved to 13-2-1. It was the first shutout of the a head coach at any level, signed He’s won eight straight games season for Washington. a five-year contract. Financial and hasn’t lost since Nov. 15.  Th e C a p i t a l s h a v e s i g n e d terms were Petr Mrazek made 28 saves for Nicklas Backstrom for the long not im- the Hurricanes. term, agreeing to a $46 million, mediately The first goal was the 685th five-year contract extension on available. for Ovechkin, moving him past Tuesday. AL DRAGO/AP Stefanski Teemu Selanne for 11th place on The deal through the 2024-25 was to be Washington Capitals wing Alex Ovechkin, left, battles for the puck the NHL’s career list. It came at season carries a $9.2 million sal- introduced Monday with Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce. 11:58 of the first period. ary-cap hit. at a news conference Tuesday at Scoreboard Roundup FirstEnergy Stadium. Stefanski Parading Eastern Conference out a new Atlantic Division Blues win ninth straight at home GP W L OT Pts GF GA coach is an Boston 47 27 8 12 66 159 125 annual or semiannual exercise Tampa Bay 45 27 14 4 58 162 130 Associated Press straight and been outscored 15-6 Flyers, and the Bruins’ March- Toronto 46 24 16 6 54 166 153 with the Browns, who haven’t during that span. The Ducks are and lined up for his turn needing Florida 45 24 16 5 53 166 152 ST. LOUIS — Backing up Jor- been to the playoffs since 2002 and Buffalo 46 20 19 7 47 136 147 3-9-1 in their past 13 games. to score to keep the game going. Montreal 47 20 20 7 47 145 148 dan Binnington, Blues goalie Jake have been in a perpetual search “We get discouraged really Ottawa 45 16 22 7 39 121 154 Allen knows he needs to make his The two-time All-Star charged for a coach to help restore their Detroit 46 12 31 3 27 100 175 easily and that’s what comes toward the resting puck but bare- Metropolitan Division starts count. damaged image. Owners Dee when you’re struggling,” Ryan Washington 47 31 11 5 67 166 138 Allen stopped 20 shots and ly nipped it as he skated past. and Jimmy Haslam have hired Pittsburgh 45 28 12 5 61 154 122 Getzlaf said. “It’s been happen- Officials met briefly before five coaches, and the Browns are N.Y. Islanders 44 27 13 4 58 124 117 Brayden Schenn had two assists Carolina 46 27 17 2 56 150 125 ing in hockey for 200 years. It’s signaling the game was over. Be- 33-94-1 since since they agreed Philadelphia 46 24 16 6 54 146 142 Monday night, leading St. Louis the way it works and you have to cause Marchand made contact to buy the team before the 2012 Columbus 46 22 16 8 52 121 124 to a 4-1 victory over the Anaheim N.Y. Rangers 45 22 19 4 48 152 151 Ducks. stay confident in the system that with the puck, it was considered season. New Jersey 45 17 21 7 41 120 156 we’re doing.” Stefanski accepted contract Making his first start in nine a shot attempt. Western Conference days, Allen improved to 8-3-3 this Ducks goalie John Gibson made Travis Sanheim scored twice terms and agreed to accept the 30 saves and fell to 13-19-3. He is Cleveland job on Sunday, a day Central Division season. He lost his starting job in regulation for the Flyers, who GP W L OT Pts GF GA last January to Binnington, who 1-5-1 in his last seven starts. rallied from a three-goal deficit. after the Vikings’ season ended St. Louis 47 30 10 7 67 152 125 The Blues have 17 wins at home with a 27-10 playoff loss to the San Dallas 45 26 15 4 56 121 107 was called up from the American Rangers 6, Islanders 2: Ar- Colorado 45 25 15 5 55 162 134 this season (17-4-3), most in the Francisco 49ers. Winnipeg 46 24 18 4 52 141 140 Hockey League and led the Blues temi Panarin had two goals and NHL. One of their four home loss- “We were looking for a strong Nashville 44 21 16 7 49 150 145 to their first Stanley Cup title. three assists to match a career Minnesota 45 20 19 6 46 135 150 es in regulation came against the leader of this football team, a Chicago 46 20 20 6 46 134 150 He’s been the starter ever since. high with five points, and the host Ducks, who won 4-1 in St. Louis very bright coach with a high Pacific Division “I just try to keep fresh and stay New York Rangers beat the rival Arizona 48 25 18 5 55 136 125 on Nov. 16. In fact, the road team football IQ, who could establish Calgary 48 25 18 5 55 131 141 sharp in practice,” Allen said. “It Islanders in their first meeting of won the previous seven meetings a strong understanding of what Vancouver 46 25 17 4 54 155 143 wasn’t really a busy game for me the season. Vegas 48 24 18 6 54 149 145 between the teams. he expected of his players, hold Edmonton 47 24 18 5 53 144 148 but I tried to handle the puck as Jesper Fast had a goal and two But not on this night. them accountable and confi- San Jose 47 21 22 4 46 126 153 much as I could and get out of the assists, Adam Fox added a goal Los Angeles 47 18 25 4 40 118 146 “Playing poorly and on top of dently navigate the challenges Anaheim 46 17 24 5 39 116 147 net and talk and keep myself in and an assist, and Chris Kreider that playing the Blues in a tough and opportunities that present Note: Two points for a win, one point the game. It felt pretty good.” and Jacob Trouba also scored to for overtime loss. Top three teams in building, you know you have to themselves throughout a season,” each division and two wild cards per The Blues won their ninth help the Rangers get their third be on your A game,” Anaheim’s the Haslams said in a statement. conference advance to playoffs. straight home game, tying the win in four games overall and Monday’s games Adam Henrique said. “Kevin exemplifies these quali- Montreal 2, Calgary 0 franchise record for one season fifth straight at home. Brady Skjei ties and more. N.Y. Rangers 6, N.Y. Islanders 2 set in 1991. The run marks the Two goals in the second put Philadelphia 6, Boston 5, SO St. Louis ahead 3-1. The Blues had two assists and Alexandar “He has a tremendous ability to Washington 2, Carolina 0 longest home winning streak in Georgiev stopped 32 shots. relate well and communicate well St. Louis 4, Anaheim 1 the NHL this season. St. Louis dominated the period, attempting Tuesday’s games Jordan Eberle and Brock Nel- has outscored its opponents 36-15 a season-high 22 shots to 10 for with his players, has experienced Vegas at Buffalo son each had a goal and an as- many coaching facets of a team, Boston at Columbus during the streak. Anaheim. Detroit at N.Y. Islanders sist for the Islanders during their and understands how to put them Minnesota at Pittsburgh “Night-in and night-out, we’re “We just wore them down,” eighth loss in 13 games (5-6-2). in the best position to succeed Los Angeles at Tampa Bay playing our game,” coach Craig Berube said. New Jersey at Toronto Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves while also establishing a winning Chicago at Ottawa Berube said. “That’s a good Bozak gave St. Louis a 2-1 lead on 35 shots before being pulled culture.” Vancouver at Winnipeg thing, for sure. I think we’re more 2:21 into the second. A shovel pass San Jose at Arizona midway through the third period. The Browns spent two weeks Dallas at Colorado consistent and sticking to what from Mackenzie MacEachern talking to candidates and chose Nashville at Edmonton works.” found Bozak, who beat Gibson for Canadiens 2, Flames 0: Carey Wednesday’s games Price made 31 saves for his sec- Stefanski out of a group of eight, Chicago at Montreal Alexander Steen, Tyler Bozak, the goal. Robert Thomas stole the including Patriots offensive co- Philadelphia at St. Louis Jaden Schwartz and Ivan Barba- puck twice before he passed to ond shutout of the season and host Thursday’s games ordinator Josh McDaniels, who’s Pittsburgh at Boston shev scored for the Blues, who MacEachern, setting up the scor- Montreal snapped Calgary’s five- Carolina at Columbus ing chance. game winning streak. been part of six Super Bowl-win- Los Angeles at Florida have won four in a row after a ning staffs. N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders three-game skid. They are 12-2-1 Flyers 6, Bruins 5 (SO): Bos- Jordan Weal and rookie Ryan Montreal at Philadelphia ton star Brad Marchand over- Poehling scored for the Cana- The Browns were impressed Calgary at Toronto in their past 15 games. with him when he interviewed a New Jersey at Washington St. Louis (30-10-7) is tied for skated the puck at center ice on a diens, who have won two straight Vegas at Ottawa shootout attempt, clinching host since losing eight in a row. year ago. But Cleveland instead Tampa Bay at Minnesota first in the NHL standings (67 hired Freddie Kitchens, who was Anaheim at Nashville points) with Washington. Philadelphia’s victory. Price’s shutout was the 46th of Buffalo at Dallas overmatched in his first season San Jose at Colorado Max Comtois had the lone goal Travis Konecny scored in the his career, tying Ken Dryden for and was fired after going 6-10. Arizona at Vancouver for Anaheim, which has lost four fifth round of the shootout for the third on the franchise list. PAGE 36 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 NBA Scoreboard

Warren, Pacers Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Boston 27 11 .711 — Toronto 25 14 .641 2½ Philadelphia 25 16 .610 3½ Brooklyn 18 20 .474 9 New York 11 29 .275 17 Southeast Division hold off 76ers Miami 27 12 .692 — Orlando 19 21 .475 8½ Charlotte 15 28 .349 14 Washington 13 26 .333 14 Atlanta 8 32 .200 19½ Late block helps Indiana seal win Central Division Milwaukee 35 6 .854 — Indiana 25 15 .625 9½ Chicago 14 27 .341 21 BY MICHAEL MAROT three quarters. Warren and Ben Detroit 14 27 .341 21 Cleveland 12 28 .300 22½ Associated Press Simmons were the exceptions. While Simmons finished the Western Conference INDIANAPOLIS — When the first half 9-for-11 from the field Southwest Division Indiana Pacers were struggling and staked the 76ers to a 49-40 W L Pct GB Houston 26 12 .684 — offensively Monday, T.J. Warren halftime lead, Warren made just Dallas 24 15 .615 2½ bailed them out. enough shots to keep the Pacers Memphis 18 22 .450 9 San Antonio 17 21 .447 9 He did it defensively, too. close. New Orleans 15 26 .366 12½ Warren blocked a potential go- Northwest Division It looked like that might change Denver 27 12 .692 — ahead three-pointer with 29 sec- when the 76ers ran out to a 63-52 Utah 27 12 .692 — onds left, and the Pacers scored Oklahoma City 23 17 .575 4½ lead midway through the third Portland 17 24 .415 11 the final seven points for a 101- quarter. Minnesota 15 24 .385 12 95 victory over the Philadelphia Pacific Division But Turner led the Pacers back L.A. Lakers 33 7 .825 — 76ers. with a 15-4 spurt to tie the score. L.A. Clippers 27 13 .675 6 “Defensively, I’ve been more Phoenix 16 23 .410 16½ Josh Richardson started to Sacramento 15 25 .375 18 confident on that end,” Warren swing the game with a 17-point, Golden State 9 32 .220 24½ Sunday’s games said. “I just made the big play fourth-quarter flurry that in- New York 124, Miami 121 when I could and the result was cluded two free throws to give the Utah 127, Washington 116 Brooklyn 108, Atlanta 86 a win.” 76ers a 92-89 lead with 3:36 left. Memphis 122, Golden State 102 Indiana has now beaten the Instead, his three to make it 95- San Antonio 105, Toronto 104 Phoenix 100, Charlotte 92 76ers twice in 14 days and holds 94 with 2:02 to go accounted for Denver 114, L.A. Clippers 104 the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Con- the only Philadelphia points the Monday’s games New Orleans 117, Detroit 110, OT ference standings, a half-game rest of the game. Indiana 101, Philadelphia 95 ahead of Philadelphia. Turner made two free throws Boston 113, Chicago 101 Oklahoma City 117, Minnesota 104 And yet in a game Malcolm with 1:14 to go to give Indiana Portland 115, Charlotte 112 Brogdon finished with 21 points, Orlando 114, Sacramento 112 the lead, Warren kept it intact L.A. Lakers 128, Cleveland 99 seven rebounds and nine assists, by blocking Tobias Harris’ three Tuesday’s games and Myles Turner and Domantas Phoenix at Atlanta and the Pacers closed it out at the Utah at Brooklyn Sabonis both produced double- free-throw line. Houston at Memphis New York at Milwaukee doubles, it was Warren’s energy, Simmons had 24 points and 14 Cleveland at L.A. Clippers ability to get to the rim and a criti- rebounds, while Richardson fin- Dallas at Golden State Wednesday’s games cal defensive play that proved the ished with 23 points as Philadel- Brooklyn at Philadelphia difference. phia fell to 1-2 since losing Joel Detroit at Boston San Antonio at Miami “I think we just locked in on the Embiid with an injured finger on Indiana at Minnesota defensive end,” Turner said. “I his left hand. Toronto at Oklahoma City Washington at Chicago think that was really the story of “We just have to make more Charlotte at Denver the night.” open looks,” Harris said. “I think, Portland at Houston Dallas at Sacramento It wasn’t anything like Indi- all around, we haven’t shot it well Orlando at L.A. Lakers ana’s 115-97 rout on New Year’s from three so we’ve got to stick Thursday’s games DARRON CUMMINGS/AP Phoenix at New York Eve. with it. At the same time, we’ve Boston at Milwaukee This time, just about everyone Utah at New Orleans got to make more of the shots The Indiana Pacers’ T.J. Warren dunks during the first half of Denver at Golden State on both teams struggled through we’re getting.” Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Indianapolis. Orlando at L.A. Clippers Roundup James, Lakers win ninth in a row

Associated Press first triple-double, leading visiting Okla- Anthony Tolliver had a season-high 16 homa City over Minnesota. points, all in the fourth quarter, and the LOS ANGELES — LeBron James scored Gilgeous-Alexander came in averaging Blazers snapped a two-game overall losing 23 of his 31 points in a dominant second 23.7 points in his previous 13 games but streak and a four-game skid at the Moda half, and Dwight Howard added season highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds in the did much more than score in this one, also Center. CJ McCollum finished with 27 Los Angeles Lakers’ ninth consecutive vic- matching his career best in assists. points. tory, 128-99 over the Cleveland Cavaliers Danilo Gallinari scored 30 points for the Magic 114, Kings 112: Aaron Gor- on Monday night. Thunder, who have won 12 of their past 15 don made a three-point play with 1.1 sec- James added eight assists while passing games and six of seven on the road. He was onds remaining, and visiting Orlando beat Isiah Thomas for sole possession of eighth 11-for-12 from the free-throw line. Sacramento. place on the NBA’s career list. The long- Celtics 113, Bulls 101: Jayson Tatum Gordon finished with 19 points and nine time Cavaliers superstar led a decisive scored 21 points, Jaylen Brown 19 and host rebounds in his return to the Magic’s line- run during the third quarter and poured Boston coasted past Chicago. up after missing one game with calf tight- it on in the fourth for the Lakers, who still Enes Kanter had 15 points and nine re- ness. Nikola Vucevic had 26 points and 15 haven’t lost since Christmas. bounds, Kemba Walker added 14 points and rebounds, and Evan Fournier scored 25 Los Angeles won its third straight game Marcus Smart had 12 points for the Celt- points. without Anthony Davis, who is out with a ics, who won their second straight after a Pelicans 117, Pistons 110 (OT): Lonzo bruised backside. season-high three-game losing streak. Ball scored five of his 17 points in overtime Kevin Love had 21 points and 11 re- Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 30 points, and visiting New Orleans beat Detroit in a bounds for Cleveland in the third stop of including a couple of highlight dunks. matchup of injury-depleted teams. a six-game road stretch. Two days after Thaddeus Young added 17 points for Chi- The Pistons are still missing starters the Cavs posted a surprising win at power- cago, which has lost seven of eight. Blake Griffin (knee), Luke Kennard (knee) MARK J. TERRILL/AP house Denver, they couldn’t keep up with Trail Blazers 115, Hornets 112: Da- and Reggie Jackson (back), while the Peli- Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron a franchise icon who hasn’t slowed down mian Lillard scored 30 points, including a cans played without their top three scorers James, left, shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers since he moved to the West Coast. buzzer-beating three-pointer from nearly — Brandon Ingram (knee), Jrue Holiday center Tristan Thompson defends during Thunder 117, Timberwolves 104: Shai halfcourt to end the third quarter, and host (elbow) and JJ Redick (hamstring) — along the second half of Monday’s game in Los Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points, a ca- Portland handed Charlotte its fifth straight with Derrick Favors (hamstring) and Zion Angeles. The Lakers won 128-99. reer-high 20 rebounds and 10 assists in his loss. Williamson (knee). Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 37 MLB ANALYSIS Sign-stealing Astros get the investigation punishment but turns to Cora

BY JIMMY GOLEN Dodgers really Associated Press BOSTON — Alex Cora could be the next paid the price World Series-winning manager sent home for stealing signs. BY TIM DAHLBERG Commissioner Rob Manfred said the Associated Press Red Sox skipper was “an active partici- pant” in the sign-stealing scandal that cost AJ Hinch won’t be managing in the big Houston manager AJ Hinch and general leagues any time soon, if at all. Alex Cora manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs Monday. will soon join him in the unemployment Cora was Houston’s bench coach when line, and it’s hard to believe anyone will the team used electronics to illegally steal PAT SULLIVAN/AP ever give him another job that involves signs en route to a World Series champion- being a leader of men. Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, right, and A.J. Hinch pose after Hinch ship in 2017. The punishments — technically Cora’s was introduced as the new manager of the baseball club in Houston in 2014. Hinch The commissioner is still to come — fit the crime, and for and Luhnow were fired Monday after being suspended for their roles in the team’s said Cora was among that baseball commissioner Rob Manfred extensive sign-stealing scheme. those who “originated deserves a pat on the back. Give another and executed” as- one to Astros owner Jim Crane, who did pects of the cheating his part to clean up an increasingly smelly scheme, in which the mess in Houston by immediately firing team used a center both his manager and general manager. field camera to de- But that doesn’t bring real justice. It code catchers’ signals can’t. Not to the Los Angeles Dodgers, to pitchers and banged who are at 32 years without a World Series on a trash can with a MLB’s stop sign Cora title. bat or massage gun Not to Clayton Kershaw, whose postsea- near the dugout to let son failings were magnified in game 5 at hitters know which pitch was coming. Minute Maid Park when the Dodgers ace Astros fire Hinch, Luhnow after they were Manfred is withholding discipline for was raked for six runs and didn’t make it Cora until concluding a separate investiga- out of the fifth inning. tion into allegations that Boston used elec- And certainly not to Yu Darvish, whose suspended for roles in sign-stealing scheme tronics to steal signs in 2018, when the Red reputation — and nearly his career — got Sox won a franchise-record 108 regular- trashed when he was routed by the Astros BY RONALD BLUM “While it is impossible to determine season games and a World Series in Cora’s in two games of the 2017 World Series. AND KRISTIE RIEKEN whether the conduct actually impacted the first season as manager. Yes, the official record shows the Hous- Associated Press results on the field, the perception of some The Red Sox did not immediately com- ton Astros are still your 2017 World Series that it did causes significant harm to the ment on the report . champions . HOUSTON — The Houston Astros’ sign- game,” Manfred said. Manfred’s nine-page report mentioned But does anyone really believe it? stealing scandal cost manager AJ Hinch Manfred, in his most significant action Cora by name 11 times — more than any Watch the second inning of Game 3 once and general manager Jeff Luhnow their since becoming commissioner five years individual except Hinch or Luhnow, who again and then decide. That’s when Dar- jobs, and Boston Red Sox manager Alex ago, said Hinch failed to stop the sign steal- were fired by owner Jim Crane one hour vish was touched up for four runs and the Cora could be next. ing and Luhnow was responsible for the after Manfred suspended them for the Astros took a 2-1 lead in the series. Hinch and Luhnow were fired Monday players’ conduct even though he made the 2020 season. It was almost as if the hitters knew what after being suspended by Major League dubious claim he was not aware. Manfred “Cora was involved in developing both was coming — which, of course, they did. Baseball for the team’s illicit use of elec- said owner Jim Crane was not informed. the banging scheme and utilizing the re- If you’re not convinced, Game 5 should tronics to steal signs during Houston’s run An hour after MLB announced its pun- play review room to decode and transmit be evidence enough. Like Game 3 it took to the 2017 World Series title and again in ishment, Crane opened a news conference signs,” Manfred wrote. “Cora participated place at Minute Maid Park, where the cam- the 2018 season. by saying Hinch and Luhnow were fired. in both schemes, and through his active eras were rolling, the dugout trash can was In U.S. sports’ largest scandal since the “I have higher standards for the city and participation, implicitly condoned the play- booming and the Astros bats were blazing. New England Patriots’ “Spygate,” MLB the franchise, and I’m going above and be- ers’ conduct.” All with arguably the best pitcher in Commissioner Rob Manfred announced yond MLB’s penalty,” he said. “We need to It’s uncertain when MLB will conclude baseball since the turn of the century on the discipline and strongly hinted that move forward with a clean slate.” its investigation into the Red Sox. the mound for the Dodgers. Kershaw didn’t Cora — the Astros bench coach in 2017 Both Luhnow’s and Hinch’s suspensions make it out of the fifth inning, surrender- — will face equal or more severe punish- for the 2020 season were to be without pay. ing six runs in a wild game that saw the ment. Manfred said Cora developed the Crane said he will look outside the orga- By the numbers Dodgers score a dozen times — and lose. sign-stealing system used by the Astros. nization and internally for candidates to Kershaw, Darvish and the rest of the The Red Sox are under investigation for replace Luhnow. If he hires internally, the Dodgers were called chokers. Manager stealing signs in Cora’s first season as most likely candidate would be Pete Puti- Dave Roberts was taken to task on so- manager in 2018, when Boston won the la, who was promoted to assistant general cial media for not handling his pitchers World Series. manager this offseason. properly. Houston was fined $5 million, the maxi- Crane, who said he learned of the dis- $5M It turns out what really happened is the mum allowed under the Major League cipline this weekend, was visibly upset Astros cheated. Cora, their bench coach at Constitution, as punishment. The Astros during Monday’s news conference and in- the time, concocted a scheme to steal signs will also forfeit their next two first- and sisted that Houston’s championship, which Fine levied on the Houston Astros that made an already good team better. second-round amateur draft picks. culminated in a seven-game World Series for using electronics to steal signs To make matters worse, they celebrated The investigation found that the Astros over the Los Angeles Dodgers, was not during 2017 and 2018. It was the on the field at Dodger Stadium like they used the video feed from a center field tainted. had earned every moment of it. camera to see and decode the opposing “We want to be known as playing by the maximum fine allowed under the The bitter taste still lingers for both catcher’s signs. Players banged on a trash rules,” he said. “We broke the rules. We Major League Constitution. Dodgers fans and players. can to signal to batters what was coming, accept the punishment and we’re going to “We were close, but we did it the right believing it would improve the batter’s move forward ... if you read the report nei- way,” National League MVP Cody Bell- odds of getting a hit. ther (Luhnow or Hinch) implemented this inger told ESPN before the results of Sign stealing is a legal and time-hon- or pushed it through the system and (it) re- 2 MLB’s investigation were released. ored part of baseball as long as it is done ally came from the bottom up.” It didn’t help that the Dodgers made it with the naked eye — say, by a baserun- Hinch’s penalty was among the longest to the World Series the next year, too, only ner standing on second. Using technology for an MLB manager. Brooklyn’s Leo Astros employees fired (manager to see the visiting team celebrate a cham- is prohibited. Durocher was suspended for one year by A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow) pionship once again at Dodger Stadium. Astros players disputed whether know- Commissioner Happy Chandler in April And who was the manager jumping up and ing the pitches seconds in advance helped 1947 for the “accumulation of unpleasant after they were suspended by MLB down with his players and spraying cham- batters. Houston had fewer wins at home incidents” detrimental to baseball, and for their roles in the team’s sign- pagne with his players for the second year than on the road, winning 94 home games Cincinnati’s Pete Rose was banned for life stealing scandal. in a row at Chavez Ravine? and 110 on the road during the two sea- by Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti in That would be Cora, who for the moment sons. There was no sign-stealing system on August 1989 for betting on Reds games is still the manager of the Red Sox. the road. while managing the team. SOURCE: Associated Press PAGE 38 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, January 15, 2020 COLLEGE FOOTBALL Burrow, LSU cap magical season with national title BY RALPH D. RUSSO By the numbers Joe Brady, Burrow and an array Associated Press of talented receivers transformed these Tigers into one of the most NEW ORLEANS — From prolific offenses college football small-town Ohio kid to Louisiana has ever seen. Legend, Joe Burrow capped his The Saints’ Drew Brees, Bur- record-breaking, Heisman-win- 15-0 row’s idol growing up, could not ning season by bringing a nation- have done it better. al championship to LSU. It was Orgeron’s vision for LSU Burrow threw five touchdown LSU’s record this season when he was promoted from in- passes, ran for another score and after beating Clemson terim coach in 2016. There was finished off one of the most accom- 42-25 on Monday to claim plenty of skepticism when LSU plished seasons in college football tabbed the Cajun who had failed history by leading the top-ranked the national championship. in his first crack as a head coach Tigers to a 42-25 victory against with Mississippi. No. 3 Clemson on Monday night Orgeron has proven to be the in the playoff final. perfect fit for LSU. Just like “He’s one of the greatest play- 25-1 Burrow. ers in LSU history,” Tigers coach After tossing his fifth touch- Ed Orgeron said of Burrow. “He’s down pass of the night, a perfect- done so much for the state of Lou- Trevor Lawrence’s record ly placed jumped ball to Terrace isiana and LSU. We are so grate- as the starting quarterback Marshall Jr. from 24 yards out to ful to Joe Burrow.” at Clemson after the loss make it 42-25 with 12:08 left in The senior quarterback from the fourth, Burrow signaled TD The Plains, Ohio, led the Tigers in the national title game. and strolled to the sideline. (15-0) to their first national title The Superdome is LSU’s dome since 2007 and fourth overall, away from home, about 80 miles breaking a few more records from the Tigers’ Baton Rouge along the way in what was al- 29 campus, and it was rocking. ready an historic season. The five The LSU band broke out its TD passes and 463 yards passing unofficial anthem, “Neck,” and are the most for a BCS or College Number of games in a row as the Tigers bounced and waved Football Playoff title game, as are Clemson had won over towels on the sideline, Burrow his six total touchdowns. just sat on the bench, bobbing his DAVID J. PHILLIP/AP “This is what I wanted to do the past two seasons. head and waving one arm. from the time I was 5 years old, Joe Cool. Just doing his thing. LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr., top, catches a touchdown was hoist this trophy, and bring- SOURCE: Associated Press Next stop: The NFL Draft, where pass over Clemson cornerback Derion Kendrick during the second ing it back to Louisiana,” Burrow he will likely be the first pick in half of Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship said, then caught himself. “I guess champion Clemson’s 29-game April. game in New Orleans. LSU won 42-25. we’re in Louisiana, but staying in winning streak. For the first time Louisiana, we weren’t going to let in his college career, Clemson someone come in here and steal star quarterback Trevor Law- this from us in our home state. rence was on the losing team. The “We have a great fan base that Tigers (14-1) had won his first 25 came out and supported us. We starts. were going to keep this thing “It’s been a long time since I’ve right here.” stood in front of a team after a Under a shower of sparkling loss,” Clemson coach Dabo Swin- white, gold and purple confetti, ney said. Burrow raised the CFP champi- But on this night, Lawrence onship trophy toward the Super- (18-for-37 for 234 yards) was no dome roof. match for Burrow — the Ohio The party was on — no doubt State transfer who threw all of 16 already raging on nearby Bour- TD passes last season with LSU. bon Street. His ascent has been dizzying Burrow became the first major and unprecedented. Running a college quarterback to throw 60 version of the New Orleans Saints’ touchdown passes in a season as offense that was brought to LSU LSU snapped defending national by 30-year-old assistant coach

GERALD HERBERT/AP Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, center, is sacked during the second half. Lawrence completed 18 of 37 passes for 234 yards. Wednesday, January 15, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 39 COLLEGE FOOTBALL Lawrence, vaunted defense let Clemson down

BY PETE IACOBELLI ference champs built that 17-7 Associated Press lead. Coordinator Brent Venables NEW ORLEANS — Clemson had gotten the most he could out relied all year on a strong defense of versatile defenders like Sim- and quarterback Trevor Law- mons, safeties Tanner Muse and rence to give itself a shot at a sec- Nolan Turner and cornerback ond straight national title. K’Von Wallace. After losing four Both let them down against linemen to the NFL from last LSU and Heisman Trophy-win- year’s national champions, Clem- ning quarterback Joe Burrow. son used Simmons and Wallace to “It’s been a long time since I’ve speed rush from further back. stood in front a team with a loss,” In this one, LSU’s line was up Clemson coach Dabo Swinney to the task and Burrow had plenty said after LSU’s 42-25 win Mon- of time to find open receivers. day night. Clemson’s offense didn’t help Things started Clemson’s way much, either. Lawrence was just as Lawrence led the Tigers to 18-for-37 for 234 yards and no a 17-7 lead the first 20 minutes. touchdowns, repeatedly over- Then Burrow and his collection throwing receivers. He was also of offensive playmakers ran past sacked twice and hit hard on sev- the country’s best defense — just eral other occasions. like they did to everyone else all It was just the second time in season. 30 college games Lawrence did Clemson’s bid for a repeat not throw a TD pass. He said LSU — and a dynasty of three titles in did a good job getting pressure on four seasons — ended in a flurry him. of pitch-perfect touchdown pass- “But at the end of the day, I es from Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase just didn’t play well enough for and Thaddeus Moss. us to win,” he said. “Too many DAVID J. PHILLIP/AP “We could’ve played better,” missed plays by me, missed a lot said Clemson linebacker Isaiah LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase catches a touchdown pass in front of Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell. of receivers and it just wasn’t my Simmons, the Butkus Award win- Clemson, which had allowed only nine touchdown catches all season, gave up three in the first half night.” ner. “Obviously, we didn’t play as Lawrence and the defense had good as we wanted to. Too many year) early in the second quarter sistent and talented defenders, Clemson’s confusion on the always been able to close things big plays.” to being up 28-17 at halftime. was shredded by Burrow and the back end was evident on LSU’s out before in winning the past 29 And those plays came in a In the end, Clemson gave up LSU receivers. final first-half TD as Moss was games. Not against LSU, which hurry. 1,144 yards in its two playoff Terrell was outrun by Chase on standing by himself in the end wore out the Tigers and watched The secondary for Clemson games, including a semifinal win his first score, a 52-yard touch- zone awaiting Burrow’s simple 6- Clemson’s leading tackler, line- (14-1) surrendered just nine over Ohio State. It had allowed down that tied things at 7-all. yard flip to make it 28-17. backer James Skalski, ejected touchdown passes in its first 14 just 245 per game its first 13. Then he was the victim once more “You can’t hold us down forev- because of a targeting call in the games. It gave up three to LSU in Burrow picked on what was the as Burrow practically placed the er,” Burrow said. second half. the opening half, including a pair strength of Clemson’s defense, its ball in Chase hands just a few feet Clemson did, for a while. Don’t count Clemson out. The as the Southeastern Conference back seven. over Terrell’s shoulder for a 14- LSU had only 6 yards its first 6-foot-6 Lawrence will return for champions went from 10 points Clemson cornerback A.J. Ter- yard scoring pass as LSU went two possessions and punted four his junior year after going 25-1 as down (its biggest deficit of the rell, among the team’s most con- ahead for good, 21-17. times as the Atlantic Coast Con- a starter the past two years. ANALYSIS LSU makes its case as the best college team ever

BY PAUL NEWBERRY Best safeties. Best cornerbacks. Can’t beat than 23 points all season. Associated Press it.” But it was the LSU defense — maligned There was never any doubt that Joe much of the season as the team’s Achilles’ NEW ORLEANS — A year ago, Clemson Burrow & Co. could outscore just about heel — that pushed the team across the fin- made a pretty good case as the greatest anybody they faced. But when the guys ish line. team in college football history. on the other side of the line finally showed They harassed and harried Clemson It didn’t take long for another group of up, that’s when LSU ensured its place for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who started felines to take the standard even higher. perpetuity. 10-for-15 for 161 yards but completed only Take a bow, LSU. Clemson, winners of 29 straight games 8 of 22 for 73 yards the rest of the way. The top spot on that mythical pedestal and two of the previous three national “LSU did a good job,” Lawrence said. belongs to these Tigers now. titles, wasn’t going to go down easily. The “They brought a lot of pressures, they did With a Heisman Trophy-winning quar- great ones never do. When the orange- a good job of mixing up the coverages.” terback leading an offense for the ages and clad Tigers raced out to a 17-7 lead early It was the lowest-rated game of the soph- a defense that came into its own over the last six weeks, LSU competed a most per- in the second quarter, it was obvious that omore’s college career, with the final blow fect of seasons with a 42-25 dismantling LSU was in for a much tougher fight than it delivered by Grant Delpit when Lawrence of Clemson in the national championship got in either the Southeastern Conference took off on a run in the closing minutes. game Monday night. championship game or the Peach Bowl Delpit stuck his helmet into Lawrence’s Clemson’s 2018 team was the first to go semifinal game. gut, the ball went flying and Derek Stingley 15-0, a remarkable feat that justifiably led But Burrow kicked it into overdrive, scooped up the fumble to seal the victory. many of its players to say they should be GERALD HERBERT/AP turning to future NFL weapons such as With confetti fluttering all around in the remembered as the best team of them all. receiver Ja’Marr Chase and running back Superdome, someone asked LSU tight end LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton But LSU was even more impressive in Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Thaddeus Moss what it meant to be part of celebrates as he leaves the field following its own run through 15 straight opponents, “This is best group of guys anybody the greatest team in LSU history. his team’s win Monday. piling up points like a pinball machine and could ask for,” said Burrow, who was 31- He quickly corrected them. shoring up a defense that appeared to be for-49 for 463 yards. “This is a special “The greatest team in college football lacking that championship touch as late as “In my opinion, this is the best team group of guys. This doesn’t come around history,” Moss shot back. mid-November. in college football — ever,” LSU receiver every year.” In the end, LSU beat seven teams that This was the first team ever to beat each Terrace Marshall Jr. said. “We’ve got the Hard to argue with that. were ranked in the AP Top 10 at the time of the top four in The Associated Press pre- receivers. We’ve got the best quarterback. LSU piled up a staggering 628 yards of the game — a staggeringly impressive season poll. The average margin in those Got the best offensive line. Got the best de- against one of the country’s top defenses, a feat. games: 21 points. fense. Best pass rushers. Best linebackers. Clemson team that had not given up more Maybe the greatest ever. S TARS AND STRIPES Wednesday, January 15, 2020 F3HIJKLM Shakeup in Houston Astros fi re GM, manager in wake SPORTS of sign-stealing scandal » MLB, Page 37

Quarterback Joe Burrow holds the trophy after LSU beat Clemson 42-25 in the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday in New Orleans.

SUE OGROCKI / AP

CASE CLOSED LSU proves it’s the best team in college football Page 38

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