NFL FACES MILITARY Redskins Tried ‘Tiger King’? French port plays nickname Check out these key role in Army, to be retired true-crime series NATO missions Back page Page 14 Page 5 Soldier, civilian plead guilty to robbing Okinawan exchange » Page 3 stripes.com Volume 79, No. 62 ©SS 2020 TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas Blaze aboard Bonhomme Richard PHOTOS BY AUSTIN HAIST/U.S. Navy Firefighters battle a blaze aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard on Sunday evening at Naval Base San Diego. The cause of the fire is still under investigation and the origin of an explosion that also occurred on the ship Sunday is still unknown, The Associated Press reported. Dozens treated for minor injuries from ship fire BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Of the 17 sailors who were Stars and Stripes hospitalized Sunday, five have remained in the medical facility for observation and are in stable condition. More than 30 sailors have suffered minor injuries So far, minor injuries include heat exhaustion and from the fire that broke out Sunday and firefighters smoke inhalation, according to Schwegman. continue battle aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard at A fire was reported aboard the amphibious assault Naval Base San Diego, Calif. ship at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday while it was moored at As of Monday morning, 34 sailors and 23 civilians the pier, said Mike Raney, a spokesman for Naval Sur- have been treated for minor injuries, said Lt. Cmdr. Ni- face Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. A Navy firefighter is assisted with her gear. cole Schwegman, a spokeswoman with Naval Surface SEE BLAZE ON PAGE 4 COVID-19 reinvades states that had beaten it back BY DAVID R. BAKER, GABRIELLE Many places that suffered most in the the biggest single-day increase of the U.S. won’t seriously hurt them. COPPOLA AND MICHAEL TOBIN first wave of infections, including Califor- pandemic — and experts say the resur- Even though some of the states led by Bloomberg nia, Louisiana, Michigan and Washington gence in the first battlegrounds has com- Democratic governors delayed restarting state, are seeing case counts climb again mon causes. They include a population no their economies until weeks after more The first states to endure the coronavi- after months of declines. It’s not just a mat- longer willing to stay inside, Republicans eager peers like Georgia, they still jumped rus this spring hoped the worst would be ter of more testing. Hospitalizations and, in who refuse face masks as a political state- too soon, critics say. behind them. some places, deaths are rising, too. ment, street protests over police violence Instead, the virus is coming back. Florida reported 15,300 cases Sunday, and young people convinced the virus SEE COVID ON PAGE 6 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Tuesday, July 14, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Military rates Switzerland (Franc)............................ 0.9411 Hedge fund plans to buy McClatchy newspapers Euro costs (July 14) .............................. $1.11 Thailand (Baht) ..................................... 31.37 Dollar buys (July 14) ........................ €0.8604 Turkey (Lira) .........................................6.8658 British pound (July 14) .........................$1.23 (Military exchange rates are those Associated Press It owns 30 papers including the U.S. newspaper business. Japanese yen (July 14).......................104.00 available to customers at military banking South Korean won (July 14)...........1,169.00 facilities in the country of issuance Miami Herald, the Charlotte Ob- Chatham’s other media holdings Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the NEW YORK — Hedge fund Bahrain (Dinar) ....................................0.3770 server and the Sacramento Bee. include Canadian newspaper chain Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For British pound .....................................$1.2649 Chatham Asset Management nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., It filed for bankruptcy protec- Postmedia and National Enquirer Canada (Dollar) ...................................1.3547 purchasing British pounds in Germany), plans to buy newspaper publisher China (Yuan) ........................................6.9995 tion because of a heavy debt load publisher American Media Inc. check with your local military banking McClatchy out of bankruptcy, end- Denmark (Krone) ................................6.5570 stemming from its $4.5 billion But industry expert Ken Doctor facility. Commercial rates are interbank Egypt (Pound) ....................................15.9266 ing 163 years of family control. rates provided for reference when buying purchase of the Knight-Ridder has noted it doesn’t make financial Euro ........................................$1.1354/0.8808 The companies did not put a newspaper chain in 2006, just as sense to combine those with Mc- Hong Kong (Dollar) .............................7.7509 currency. All figures are foreign currencies price on the deal in an announce- Hungary (Forint) ................................. 311.77 to one dollar, except for the British pound, the newspaper industry went into Clatchy in order to cut costs. Israel (Shekel) ..................................... 3.4411 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, ment Sunday. The agreement still steep decline. And the emergence of Alden Japan (Yen) ........................................... 107.27 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) needs the approval of a bankrupt- Chatham was McClatchy’s larg- Global Capital as a bidder has given Kuwait (Dinar) .....................................0.3077 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) ...................................9.3909 cy judge; a hearing is scheduled est shareholder and debt holder. It rise to speculation that Chatham Philippines (Peso)................................. 49.42 Prime rate ................................................3.25 for July 24. beat out a bid from Alden Global will try to combine McClatchy Poland (Zloty) ..........................................3.95 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) ...........................3.7505 Federal funds market rate ................... 0.03 McClatchy is one of the largest Capital, another hedge fund that with Alden’s holdings or with an- Singapore (Dollar) ..............................1.3883 3-month bill ............................................. 0.13 newspaper companies in the U.S. has taken a leading role in the other big newspaper company . South Korea (Won) ..........................1,201.68 30-year bond ...........................................1.32 WEATHER OUTLOOK TUESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST TUESDAY IN EUROPE WEDNESDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 61/58 Kabul 83/59 Seoul 77/60 Baghdad 110/80 Kandahar 103/77 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 77/62 69/66 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 63/57 71/50 72/65 Iwakuni 74/71 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 95/90 Brussels 72/52 Guam 111/93 62/55 Ramstein 73/70 85/82 Lajes, 74/51 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 109/88 104/82 69/66 71/53 72/52 Aviano/ Vicenza 71/58 Naples 83/66 Okinawa Morón 84/81 102/67 Sigonella Rota 82/67 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 104/87 86/71 75/72 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 .................16-17 Sports .................. 19-24 Tuesday, July 14, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY 2 plead guilty to robbing Okinawa exchange BY MATTHEW M. BURKE Moton told a three-judge panel down the economy,” he said. help him out,” Smith said, adding Smith said he confessed immedi- AND AYA ICHIHASHI that he brandished the knife and COVID-19 is the respiratory dis- he didn’t need the money. ately when Japanese police and Air Stars and Stripes demanded the money. ease caused by the coronavirus. “I didn’t threaten nobody,” he Force investigators arrived at his “First, I asked to exchange the As a reminder of the ongo- said. “I didn’t see Moton’s knife. house three days after the crime. NAHA, Okinawa — Two men money, then I jumped over the ing pandemic, everyone in the I was outside of the counter when “I am truly sorry for the vic- from Kadena Air Base, a soldier counter,” he said. “Inside, I told courtroom was required to wear it happened.” tims,” he said. “I had never done and a civilian cook, during their the victims to step back, but the masks. Moton said they divided the anything like this my entire life.” first appearance in Naha District man pushed me, so I grabbed The two, both in custody, will money evenly. He exchanged the Moton also apologized. Court pleaded guilty Monday to the knife with my right hand to be back in court at 10 a.m. Mon- yen for dollars, sent some to his “I am sorry to the victims for robbing a currency exchange on scare him. He stepped back so I day for the hearing’s conclusion. family and gave some to a local what I did, and I will pay back Okinawa of nearly $65,000 on grabbed the money.” Smith’s wife is scheduled to testi- girlfriend identified only as “Ms. what I had sent to my family in May 12. No one was injured in the fy and both defendants are slated Bennet.” the States and the money I gave Pvt. Demetrius Moton Jr., 21, robbery. to read letters to the victims. The Police recovered $19,900 in the to Ms. Bennet if I have a chance,” and Hassan Smith, 34, a cook Moton told the panel he was same panel is expected to sen- trunk of Moton’s car. he said. for Kadena’s Child Development getting kicked out of the Army tence the pair following the con- Smith, who has five children “I hope the victims will forgive Center, were charged with rob- and needed the money for his clusion of testimony. under age 7, said he hid his share me and the judges will give us the bery and invasion of a building. wife and children. Smith, in his testimony, said from his wife and then sent it to mercy,” he said. “I just want to go The pair, wearing masks, robbed “I was worried that I won’t be the robbery was Moton’s idea.