MUSIC: Choosing a song of this MLB summer like no other Page 32 Fast starts will be key MOVIES: ‘Palm Springs’ to awards in a timely time loop Page 20 short season BOOKS: Jim Carrey novel Back page predictably absurd Page 34 stripes.com Volume 79, No. 60 ©SS 2020 FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020 $1.00 VIRUS OUTBREAK Layoffs remain at elevated level as states rethink reopening plans BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press WASHINGTON — More than 1.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a historically high pace that shows that many employers are still laying people off in the face of a resurgent coronavirus. The persistently elevated level of layoffs are occurring as a spike in virus cases has forced six states to reverse their move to reopen businesses. Those six — Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan and Texas — make up one-third of the U.S. economy. Fifteen other states have suspended their re-open- ings. Collectively, the pullback has stalled a tentative recovery in the job market and is likely trig- gering additional layoffs. On Wednesday, the United States reported just short of the Ready to go record 60,000 cases set a day earlier. In the U.S., the number of confirmed cases has passed 3 million — meaning nearly one in every 100 people has been con- firmed as infected — and the death toll in the pandemic is more than 132,000. In addition, Dr. Anthony Fauci, in harm’s way the nation’s top infectious-dis- ease official, is advising that some states seriously consider “shutting down” again if they Long-derided littoral combat ships flex their muscles in Pacific are facing major resurgences of the virus, The Washington Post BY SETH ROBSON coast guard and paramilitary vessels. Lt. Mary Browning, reported. Stars and Stripes A few years ago, lightly armed and experimental assigned to the littoral “I think any state that is hav- littoral combat ships might not have been trusted combat ship USS ing a serious problem, that state TOKYO — A standoff this spring between China for such a high-profile standoff. Gabrielle Giffords, should seriously look at shutting and Malaysia in the South China Sea was a chance “The story of this ship is one that makes me monitors the ship’s radar down,” Fauci said Wednesday. for the U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ships to prove ashamed and embarrassed, as a former Navy per- while standing watch on “It’s not for me to say, because their mettle. son and as a person who’s responsible to the taxpay- the bridge July 2 in the each state is different.” The USS Gabrielle Giffords and the USS Mont- ers of my state,” the late Arizona Sen. John McCain South China Sea. Once gomery helped stave off Chinese intimidation of criticized for their cost SEE LAYOFFS ON PAGE 9 said of the vessels in 2010. a Malaysian-contracted drillship — the West Ca- The ships were criticized for their cost, lighter and light armaments, the pella — during April and May in disputed waters armament and lower survivability standard than ships are proving to be Lawmakers balking near Borneo. some larger ships. The first LCS’s — the USS Free- valuable in small ports The high-tech vessels were part of U.S. efforts to dom and USS Independence — had an expected and congested sea lanes at federal workers’ maintain a monthlong presence near the drillship, that are problematic for return to offices which had been approached by a flotilla of Chinese SEE READY ON PAGE 7 larger ships. BRENTON POYSER/U.S. Navy Page 10 USS Theodore Roosevelt heads home from fateful deployment Page 8 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Friday, July 10, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9383 Germany $2.440 $2.834 $3.084 $2.700 Azores -- -- $3.075 -- Euro costs (July 10) .............................. $1.11 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 31.22 Change in price +0.3 cents +0.8 cents +0.9 cents +0.7 cents Change in price -- -- +0.9 cents -- Dollar buys (July 10) ........................ €0.8606 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.8647 British pound (July 10) .........................$1.23 (Military exchange rates are those Netherlands -- $3.537 $3.747 $3.529 Belgium -- $2.258 $2.531 $2.341 Japanese yen (July 10) .......................105.00 Change in price -- +1.8 cents +2.0 cents +1.9 cents Change in price -- No change No change No change available to customers at military banking South Korean won (July 10) ...........1,163.00 facilities in the country of issuance U.K. -- $2.744 $2.994 $2.610 Turkey -- -- $2.885 $2.501* Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3771 Change in price -- +0.8 cents +0.9 cents +0.7 cents Change in price -- -- +0.9 cents +0.7 cents Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For British pound .....................................$1.2658 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3511 purchasing British pounds in Germany), China (Yuan) ........................................6.9867 check with your local military banking PACIFIC GAS PRICES Denmark (Krone) ................................6.5767 facility. Commercial rates are interbank Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.9546 rates provided for reference when buying Country Unleaded Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Euro ........................................ $1.1327/0.8829 Japan -- $2.879 -- $2.489 South Korea $2.259 -- $2.909 $2.519 Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7502 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Change in price -- +1.0 cents -- +1.0 cents Change in price No change -- +1.0 cents +1.0 cents Hungary (Forint) .................................312.40 to one dollar, except for the British pound, which is represented in dollars-to-pound, Okinawa $2.229 -- -- $2.489 Guam $2.239** $2.639 $2.889 -- Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4387 Change in price No change -- -- +1.0 cents Change in price No change +1.0 cents +1.0 cents -- Japan (Yen) ............................................107.14 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3079 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) ...................................9.3714 Philippines (Peso).................................49.44 Prime rate ................................................3.25 * Diesel EFD ** Midgrade Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.94 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7509 Federal funds market rate ...................0.08 For the week of July 10-16 Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3900 3-month bill ............................................. 0.14 South Korea (Won) ..........................1,195.10 30-year bond ...........................................1.39 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 65/62 Kabul 86/62 Seoul 81/66 Baghdad 114/88 Kandahar 101/75 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 81/68 79/71 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 63/53 67/60 73/69 Iwakuni 78/74 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 94/90 Brussels 80/63 Guam 111/90 64/60 Ramstein 76/73 84/81 Lajes, 70/63 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 111/85 111/83 67/64 79/66 90/66 Aviano/ Vicenza 82/63 Naples 87/70 Okinawa Morón 83/80 100/59 Sigonella Rota 89/64 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 105/87 78/69 76/73 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ............ 16 Classified ................... 42, 44 Comics ..................38, 44-45 Crossword .............38, 44-45 Faces ............................... 39 Opinion .......................40-41 Sports ......................... 47-56 Weekend ..................... 17-38 Friday, July 10, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY First woman graduates as Army Green Beret BY NANCY MONTGOMERY the House subcommittee over- intelligence officer wasn’t allowed often secretive missions. male counterparts, who com- Stars and Stripes seeing special operations, had to graduate the course in 1980 She did wear the Special Forces pleted the grueling indoctrination earlier announced the unidenti- after being told at the last minute Tab for the remainder of her ca- courses and other specialized An Army National Guard sol- fied soldier’s upcoming gradua- she had failed a field exercise. reer, after the patch was created training. dier graduated Thursday from tion and hailed it as “an important Wilder filed a sex discrimina- in 1983, The New York Times re- “Congratulations to a trail blaz- Special Forces training in North and hard-earned milestone.” tion complaint, and a general ported in February. She eventu- ing Green Beret, welcome to the Carolina and became the ser- “This achievement is a testa- later determined she had been ally transferred to the reserves Regiment!” said Joe Kent, on vice’s first female Green Beret. ment to this soldier’s individual wrongly denied graduation and and retired in 2003 as a lieuten- Twitter, responding to news Tues- Or the second, depending on strength, courage and commit- had qualified to serve in Special ant colonel. day that the woman had earned who’s counting. ment,” Stefanik said in a state- Forces, The Associated Press re- After Wilder graduated, how- her Special Forces tab. The woman received the Spe- ment June