NASCAR VIRUS OUTBREAK FACES NC governor US economy shrank Comics stick with OKs Charlotte 4.8% last quarter, stand-up, even as race in May with worst to come clubs are closed Back page Page 8 Page 16 Online: Get the latest news on the virus outbreak » stripes.com/coronavirus stripes.com Volume 79, No. 9 ©SS 2020 THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Esper defers Sailors begin projects Returning moving back to fund US to the onto carrier border wall Roosevelt hit by virus BY JOHN VANDIVER BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS Stars and Stripes Stars and Stripes STUTTGART, Germany YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, — Military projects primarily Japan — The Navy began moving aimed at countering Russia, in- sailors back aboard the aircraft cluding upgrades to a U.S. Navy carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, base in Spain, are among those sidelined in Guam after nearly a being put on the backburner as fourth of its 4,000-member crew the Pentagon shifts funds to pay tested positive for coronavirus. for a border wall. The sailors returning to the ship Defense Secretary Mark Esper Wednesday had been restricted to this week or- off-base hotel rooms for nearly a dered $545 month as officials tested all crew million in members for the coronavirus and construction sanitized the carrier, according projects to to a statement Wednesday from be redirect- the Joint Region Marianas Public ed to fund a Affairs Office in Guam. wall along Sailors who tested negative for the U.S.’s coronavirus in three separate southern tests were allowed to embark the border with Roosevelt. Mexico. The carrier had been deployed Esper The move to the western Pacific when it restores funding to 22 projects diverted to Guam on March 26 that were deferred at domestic after several of its sailors tested bases and instead defers or can- positive for the virus. Since then, cels 18 projects overseas and one more than 900 Roosevelt sailors in Texas. Europe’s portion added have tested positive, one of whom up to around $270 million worth of died, according to the Navy. project delays and cancellations. About 700 sailors stayed The projects deferred at the aboard to “maintain the ship’s es- Navy base in Rota, Spain, are a sential functions and to conduct joint mobility center, a small craft deep cleaning and sanitation of berthing facility and a munitions the ship’s space over the past few facility, Esper’s directive stated weeks,” the Navy statement said. Monday. A hot cargo pad where “Now, the ship is fully pre- explosives can be unloaded at pared to receive healthy Sailors Moron Air Base, Spain, used by who have spent up to 27 days in crisis response Marines, also was quarantine ashore,” the state- postponed. ment said. In Germany, a logistics hub Also Wednesday, Acting Navy Secretary James McPherson di- in Germersheim was deferred. rected Adm. Mike Gilday, the Funding for a taxiway at an air chief of naval operations, to con- base in Rygge, Norway, was duct a new follow-up command canceled. investigation after receiving Gil- All the Europe projects were day’s recommendations from the connected to the European Deter- initial inquiry into the outbreak rence Initiative, which sets aside and the Navy’s response. That re- money for countering Russia — a Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier RELATED sponse included the firing of the USS Theodore Roosevelt prepare to top priority in the Pentagon’s na- ship’s commander, Capt. Brett embark the ship Wednesday after weeks tional defense strategy. New investigation ordered into Crozier. Rep. Adam Smith, the Demo- of cleaning and essential watch standing. cratic chairman of the House Page 6 [email protected] outbreak on Roosevelt JORDAN E. GILBERT/U.S. Marine Corps Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos SEE PROJECTS ON PAGE 4 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Thursday, April 30, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................0.9721 Google’s growth slows as ad market shrinks Euro costs (April 30) ............................ $1.06 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 32.42 Dollar buys (April 30) .......................€0.8981 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.9778 British pound (April 30) .......................$1.21 (Military exchange rates are those BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE restrictions have given most ad- impacted” during March and Japanese yen (April 30) .....................105.00 available to customers at military banking South Korean won (April 30) .........1,188.00 facilities in the country of issuance Associated Press vertisers little incentive to mar- that the pain has spilled into this Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3780 ket their products and services. month, too. But both Pichai and Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For British pound .....................................$1.2450 BERKELEY, Calif. — Google nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., The results released Tuesday Alphabet’s chief financial offi- Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3919 purchasing British pounds in Germany), reported its weakest revenue China (Yuan) ........................................ 7.0770 provide an incomplete picture cer, Ruth Porat, emphasized that check with your local military banking Denmark (Krone) ................................6.8638 growth in nearly five years as because ad demand in most parts people are using Google’s search facility. Commercial rates are interbank Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.7495 the pandemic-driven recession of the world wasn’t hit hard until engine and YouTube video ser- Euro ........................................$1.0865/0.9204 rates provided for reference when buying began to shrivel its advertising late February and early March. vice more than ever under stay- Hong Kong (Dollar) ..............................7.7510 currency. All figures are foreign currencies Hungary (Forint) .................................326.96 to one dollar, except for the British pound, sales in the first quarter. That’s when the coronavirus ac- at-home restrictions, a trend that Israel (Shekel) .....................................3.4965 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, The January-March earnings celerated and governments im- could lead to long-term gains once Japan (Yen) ...........................................106.53 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) for Google parent Alphabet offer posed lockdowns to fight it. the economy recovers. Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3096 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) .................................10.3415 a first look at how the digital ad Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai For now, though, Alphabet Philippines (Peso)................................. 50.47 Prime rate ................................................3.25 market has fared amid wide- acknowledged during a confer- is feeling a financial pinch, al- Poland (Zloty) ..........................................4.18 Discount rate .......................................... 0.75 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7578 Federal funds market rate ...................0.05 spread orders requiring con- ence call that the company’s ad though not as severely as most Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.4128 3-month bill ............................................. 0.12 sumers to stay at home. Those sales had been “significantly companies. South Korea (Won) ..........................1,214.99 30-year bond ...........................................1.21 WEATHER OUTLOOK THURSDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST THURSDAY IN EUROPE FRIDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 57/47 Kabul 77/48 Seoul 73/57 Baghdad 89/59 Kandahar 92/68 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 75/58 72/52 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 54/42 57/45 66/57 Iwakuni 62/55 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 81/78 Brussels 63/47 Guam 87/73 58/48 Ramstein 68/55 82/79 Lajes, 57/44 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 95/76 102/80 64/61 56/50 66/52 Aviano/ Vicenza 62/48 Naples 64/56 Okinawa Morón 71/68 69/56 Sigonella Rota 71/51 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 89/81 65/51 66/62 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 15 Classified .................. 18 Comics ...................... 19 Crossword ................. 19 Faces ........................ 16 Opinion ..................... 17 Sports ...................21-24 Thursday, April 30, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY Bomber hits near Afghan commando base BY J.P. LAWRENCE ploded in a Kabul neighborhood Stars and Stripes about one mile northeast of the U.S. Embassy, police spokesman KABUL, Afghanistan — Three Ferdous Faramarz said. people were killed and 15 injured None of the armed groups that in a suicide bombing near a base operate in and around Kabul, in- housing U.S.-trained commandos in Kabul on Wednesday, a day cluding the Taliban and Islamic after the top American general State, immediately claimed re- in Afghanistan visited the facility sponsibility for either attack. and called for less violence in the Violence in Afghanistan soared country. last month, a United Nations No commandos were hurt in report said Monday. The “ac- the attack, which happened near celeration of violence” came de- a graveyard about 600 feet from spite the deal signed by the U.S. the base, said Ghafar Nooristani, and Taliban on Feb. 29, which a spokesman for the Afghan Spe- was intended to pave the way for cial Operations Corps.