Volume 79, No. 55B ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2020 stripes.com Free to Deployed Areas VIRUS OUTBREAK Governors put onus Complex, bloody bond for safety on public BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As Tennessee registered what then was its highest single-day coro- navirus case increase, Gov. Bill Lee held a news conference and issued a stern response. It wasn’t a mandate to wear masks in public or clamp down on businesses or social gatherings. Instead, it was a plea for residents to do the right thing. “When we have people dying in this state as a result of this virus, we should be taking personal re- sponsibility for this,” the Republi- can governor said. It was the same message Lee issued in late March as the COVID-19 disease was beginning to spread. He has vowed to stick to the personal responsibility mantra, with no plans to reinstate stay-at-home restrictions or im- pose statewide mandates — even as photos of unmasked people crowding bars and outdoor con- certs across Tennessee spread across social media. Instead, Lee signed an execu- tive order Friday that allows local officials to issue their own mask mandates if they want — as Nash- US, Russia share brutal history in Afghanistan ville and Memphis had already done. Elevating a message of person- al responsibility over statewide BY KATHY GANNON Now both superpowers are linked again country that does not serve as a base for crackdowns on businesses and Associated Press over Afghanistan, with intelligence re- extremists to export terrorism. requirements for people in public ports indicating Russia secretly offered “The Russian endgame is an Afghani- ISLAMABAD bounties to the Taliban to kill American stan which will neither support jihadi SEE SAFETY ON PAGE 5 oscow and Washington are troops there. movements in the former U.S.S.R. nor host intertwined in a complex But analysts suggest that despite these American bases that might one day be and bloody history in Af- apparent differences, the two adversaries used against Russia,” says Anatol Lieven, ghanistan, with both suf- actually have much in common, especially a Georgetown University professor in the ‘ fering thousands of dead when it comes to what a postwar Afghani- What it boils down Mand wounded in yearslong conflicts. stan should look like: Both want a stable SEE HISTORY ON PAGE 4 to is, we must be Moscow and Washington each have bloody Afghan histories, but analysts suggest the two adversaries have much in common when careful individually. ’ it comes to their desires for postwar Afghanistan: a stable nation that does not serve as a base for exporting terrorism. Gov. Henry McMaster MAYA ALLERUZZO/AP Republican from South Carolina WAR ON TERRORISM MOVIE REVIEW MUSIC Stressing economic Immersive war film Country music industry benefits, US envoy ‘The Outpost’ works reckoning with difficult pushes Taliban deal as cautionary tale history on racial issues Page 3 Page 11 Page 12 Baseball takes uncertain step forward with team workouts » MLB, Back page PAGE 2 •STARS AND STRIPES• Sunday, July 5, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES US trade deficit rises 9.7% in May to $54.6B Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9460 Euro costs (July 6) ................................ $1.10 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 31.13 Dollar buys (July 6) ........................... €0.8681 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.8676 British pound (July 6) ........................... $1.22 (Military exchange rates are those Associated Press goods with China rose 7.3% to $27.9 billion in May. Japanese yen (July 6).........................105.00 available to customers at military banking So far this year, the overall U.S. deficit in the South Korean won (July 6) ............1,170.00 facilities in the country of issuance WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit rose for Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the trade of goods and services has fallen 9.1% to $223.4 Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3770 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For the third straight month in May. Both exports and billion from $245.7 billion in January-May 2019. British pound .....................................$1.2464 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., imports fell as the coronavirus outbreak continued Canada (Dollar) .................................. 1.3568 purchasing British pounds in Germany), World trade has plummeted in the face of the China (Yuan) ....................................... 7.0660 check with your local military banking to take a toll on world commerce. COVID-19 outbreak. In May, overall U.S. trade Denmark (Krone) ................................6.6309 facility. Commercial rates are interbank The Commerce Department said Thursday that Egypt (Pound) ................................... 16.1203 rates provided for reference when buying — exports plus imports — came in at $343.6 billion, Euro ........................................$1.1238/0.8899 currency. All figures are foreign currencies to one dollar, except for the British pound, the gap between the goods and services the United Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7501 down 28% from May 2019. Exports of crude oil and which is represented in dollars-to-pound, States buys and what it sells abroad rose 9.7% in May petroleum products dropped sharply in May as did Hungary (Forint) .................................313.87 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4337 to $54.6 billion, highest since December 2018. The auto imports. Japan (Yen) ........................................... 107.52 coronavirus pandemic has devastated world trade. In May, the United States ran a $76.1 billion deficit Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3078 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) .................................. 9.4888 U.S. exports fell 4.4% in May to $144.5 billion, lowest in the trade of goods such as autos and appliances. Philippines (Peso).................................49.50 Prime rate ................................................3.25 since November 2009. Imports slid 0.9% to $199.1 But it ran a $21.5 billion surplus, smallest since Feb- Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.98 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 billion, lowest since July 2010. ruary 2016, in the trade of services such as banking Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7508 Federal funds market rate ...................0.08 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3941 3-month bill ............................................. 0.15 The politically sensitive deficit in the trade of and education. South Korea (Won) .......................... 1199.36 30-year bond ...........................................1.43 WEATHER OUTLOOK SUNDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SUNDAY IN EUROPE MONDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 69/60 Kabul 86/71 Seoul 79/64 Baghdad 114/86 Kandahar 100/78 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 79/64 75/70 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 67/63 71/61 76/65 Iwakuni 74/70 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 98/91 Brussels 73/63 Guam 112/91 68/62 Ramstein 75/72 84/81 Lajes, 71/62 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 109/82 112/83 67/64 70/62 82/56 Aviano/ Vicenza 79/60 Naples 84/70 Okinawa Morón 83/80 106/66 Sigonella Rota 83/66 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 95/84 89/68 81/74 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 17 Books ....................... 14 Comics/Crossword ...... 15 Movies ...................... 11 Music ....................12-13 Opinion ..................... 18 Sports .................. 19-24 Sunday, July 5, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• PAGE 3 WAR ON TERRORISM US envoy pushes on with Taliban peace deal BY KATHY GANNON Gulf state’s capital of Doha. brother Wahidullah, who was the soared and countries worldwide resolution of outstanding issues so Associated Press “We agreed development plans go-between for those facilitating struggled with the dangers of those negotiations could begin. in support of peace can never start the attacks on U.S. troops. re-opening. He did not travel to Until now the biggest hurdle ISLAMABAD — Washington’s too early,” Khalilzad tweeted. The New York Times first Afghanistan citing the dangers has been the release of prison- envoy to Afghanistan stressed However, Washington has re- reported the U.S. intelligence of the pandemic and instead held ers. The peace deal called for the Saturday the economic ben- cently become embroiled in a con- claiming the payment of bounties video conference calls with both Afghan government to free 5,000 efits of the peace deal with the troversy over intelligence reports as well as Azizi’s involvement. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Taliban prisoners, in exchange Taliban, forging ahead with an that Russia Added to the uncertainty and and his government partner, for the Taliban releasing 1,000 agreement that has run into new was paying delays swirling around the U.S- Abdullah Abdullah. government personnel. So far the political obstacles both in the U.S. money to Taliban peace deal, the Pentagon Pakistan’s Foreign Minister government has freed 3,500 and and regionally. insurgents released a report on Wednesday Shah Mahmood Qureshi tested the Taliban around 700. Zalmay Khalilzad was wrap- with links that questioned the Taliban’s positive for COVID 19, just 48 Ghani earlier this week sug- ping up a week-long trip