MILITARY MILITARY FACES Air Force saw Trump cancels Singer-songwriter Trainor record number Obama policy embraces hip-hop, EDM of suicides in ’19 on land mines on album ‘Treat Myself’ Page 6 Page 3 Page 14 Ravens QB Jackson is unanimous MVP pick » Back page stripes.com Volume 78, No. 206 ©SS 2020 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas IRAQ Selection rejection Protesters take to streets, voice displeasure with PM-designate picked by ruling elites BY SAMYA KULLAB they would not accept a candidate chosen by Iraq’s ister Mohammed Allawi, 66, to replace outgoing Prime Associated Press establishment. Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi was the product of many Meanwhile, an influential Shiite cleric also told his backroom talks over months between rival parties, end- BAGHDAD — Hundreds of anti-government dem- followers, who are camped out among protesters in the ing a political stalemate. onstrators in Iraq rejected on Sunday the new prime capital and the country’s south, to unblock roads and to Hundreds of students voiced their rejection of Allawi minister-designate who recently wasnominated by rival restore normalcy. government factions. Demonstrators have long swore Saturday’s selection of former Communications Min- SEE SELECTION ON PAGE 6 Above: An anti-government demonstrator jumps over burning tires while protesting against Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi in Najaf, Iraq, on Sunday . HADI MIZBA/AP Pentagon approves military bases for coronavirus quarantine Associated Press A Defense Department statement said where the death toll rose above 300 this APPROVED FOR USE weekend. More than 14,000 people have WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary HHS officials requested the use of several been infected with the coronavirus glob- Mark Esper on Saturday approved a re- facilities capable of housing at least 250 Fort Carson, Colo. ally, the vast majority of them on the Chi- quest from the Department of Health and people in individual rooms through Feb. Travis Air Force Base, Calif. nese mainland. Human Services for the possible use of 29. HHS would be responsible for all care, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas An order signed on Friday by Presi- military facilities to accommodate 1,000 transportation and security of the evacu- Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. dent Donald Trump temporarily bars people who may have to be quarantined ees, according to the statement. upon arrival due to a new virus. SOURCE: The Associated Press The viral outbreak began in China, SEE QUARANTINE ON PAGE 8 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Monday, February 3, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9634 Euro costs (Feb. 3) ............................$1.1337 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 31.23 Atari to open gaming resorts in US Dollar buys (Feb. 3)...........................€0.8821 Turkey (Lira) .........................................5.9809 British pound (Feb. 3) .......................... $1.35 (Military exchange rates are those Japanese yen (Feb. 3) ........................106.00 available to customers at military banking Associated Press South Korean won (Feb. 3) ............1,156.00 brand with a video game-themed Studio to build the first-ever Atari Commercial rates facilities in the country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3769 destination. branded hotels across the United Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For LAS VEGAS — Atari, the ar- British pound .........................................$1.32 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., “Atari Hotels level up hotel en- States. Together we’ll build a Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3233 cade game company that ush- purchasing British pounds in Germany), tertainment with fully immersive space that will be much more China (Yuan) ........................................6.9367 check with your local military banking ered in the gaming revolution in Denmark (Krone) ................................6.7391 experiences for every age and than just a place to stay,” Fred facility. Commercial rates are interbank the 1980s, is opening eight video Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.7989 gaming ability, including the lat- Chesnais, CEO of Atari, said in a Euro ........................................ $1.1089/0.9018 rates provided for reference when buying game-themed hotels across the est in VR and AR (Virtual and statement. Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7675 currency. All figures are foreign currencies United States, including ones in Hungary (Forint) .................................304.14 to one dollar, except for the British pound, Augmented Reality),” the com- In addition to Las Vegas and Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4484 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Las Vegas and Phoenix. pany said in a statement. “Select Phoenix, new hotels are planned Japan (Yen) ...........................................108.37 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) The company said this week hotels will also feature state-of- in Denver, Chicago, Austin, Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3039 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) ...................................9.1886 that it will break ground on its the-art venues and studios to ac- Texas, Seattle, San Francisco Philippines (Peso)................................. 51.00 Prime rate ................................................4.75 first hotel later this year in Phoe- commodate esports events.” and San Jose, Calif ., the company Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.87 Discount rate ..........................................2.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7518 Federal funds market rate ...................1.55 nix, as it seeks to create a unique “We are thrilled to partner said. Timeline for hotels other Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3648 3-month bill .............................................1.52 lodging experience combining the with GSD Group and True North than Phoenix were not released. South Korea (Won) ..........................1,197.80 30-year bond ...........................................2.01 WEATHER OUTLOOK MONDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST MONDAY IN EUROPE TUESDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 31/27 Kabul 39/26 Seoul 37/25 Baghdad 57/38 Kandahar 50/37 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 38/26 47/34 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 47/43 40/36 39/29 Iwakuni 47/41 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 63/59 Brussels 44/40 Guam 61/48 52/48 Ramstein 49/42 83/79 Lajes, 48/44 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 64/42 65/57 61/57 48/44 49/45 Aviano/ Vicenza 47/39 Naples 58/54 Okinawa Morón 66/62 69/49 Sigonella Rota 64/39 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 80/73 65/44 60/54 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 11 Classified .................. 13 Comics ...................... 15 Crossword ................. 15 Faces ........................ 14 Opinion ..................... 16 Sports ...................17-24 Monday, February 3, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 PACIFIC Trump authorizes wider use of land mines BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY when the threat is over. Stars and Stripes In a Pentagon fact sheet on the policy, it states the reliability of WASHINGTON — President U.S. land mines with self-destruct Donald Trump on Friday can- and self-deactivate safety features celed a 2014 policy by former is “very high,” with a 6 in 1 mil- President Barack Obama that lion chance of a land mine being restricted the use of anti-per- active longer than intended. sonnel land mines to the Korean “We can go back to giving our Peninsula. soldiers, Marines this capability “The Department of Defense which may be decisive in a future has determined that restrictions conflict. And at the same time be imposed on American forces absolutely committed to reduc- by the Obama administration’s ing and limiting civilian casual- policy could place them at a se- ties. Then why wouldn’t we do vere disadvantage during a con- that?” Vic Mercado said Friday to flict against our adversaries. The reporters at the Pentagon. He is president is unwilling to accept performing the duties of assistant this risk to our troops,” the White secretary of defense for strategy, House said in a statement. plans, and capabilities. The policy was changed to Combatant commanders are meet the demands of the Na- given the flexibility to plan the use tional Defense Strategy, which of land mines if it involves situa- has refocused the military on the tions that put military personnel challenges of near-peer adver- in harm’s way, including a major saries such as China and Russia conflict, according to Mercado. and away from counterterrorism With the old policy, land mines operations. were only used on the Korean CEDRIC HALLER/U.S. Marine Corps The change would authorize Peninsula and other command- only combatant commanders ers could not plan to use them Republic of Korea Marines demonstrate a minesweeping technique for U.S. Marines on April 21 during in “exceptional circumstances” as a deterrent against an enemy Korean Marine Exchange Program 14-6 in Pohang, South Korea. President Donald Trump has removed — without specifying what those — a concern during planning for a policy that restricted the use of land mines on the Korean Peninsula. circumstances could be — to use great-power conflicts. “advanced, non-persistent