FACES MILITARY NFL Doja Cat’s 3rd album 3M found partly Raiders’ Nassib becomes a highlight among the responsible for league’s 1st active player week’s new releases vet’s hearing loss to announce he is gay Page 18 Page 3 Page 24 Navy shows video of Fla. explosion that registered as quake ›› Page 4 stripes.com Volume 80 Edition 48 ©SS 2021 WEDNESDAY,JUNE 23, 2021 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas AFGHANISTAN Taliban take key district, augmenting recent gains BY KATHY GANNON Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan — Tali- ban fighters took control of a key district in Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province Monday and en- circled the provincial capital, po- lice said, as the insurgent group added to its recent battlefield vic- tories while peace talks have stale- mated. The Taliban’s gains came as the Pentagon reaffirmed the U.S. troop withdrawal was on pace to conclude by early September. Fighting around Imam Sahib district began late Sunday and by midday Monday the Taliban had overrun the district headquarters and were in control of police head- quarters, provincial police spokesman Inamuddin Rahmani said. Taliban militants were roughly a half-mile outside Kunduz, the provincial capital, but had not en- tered into the city, he said, al- though there were reports of small TREY FOWLER/U.S. Navy bands of Taliban near the outskirts The Virginia-class attack submarine USS John Warner is pictured at Naval Station Rota in Spain last August. Shipyard workers are at times and residents trying to leave for forced to borrow, or “cannibalize,” parts from a submarine entering maintenance to get another sub back in service without delays. Kabul. Dozens of districts have fallen to the Taliban since May 1, when U.S. and NATO troops began their final departure from Afghanistan. Like Imam Sahib district in northern Kunduz, their significance often Concerning cannibalism lies in their proximity to roads and major cities. Imam Sahib is strategically lo- Navy’s deadliest new submarines are hobbled by spare-parts woes cated near Afghanistan’s northern border with Tajikistan, a key sup- BY TONY CAPACCIO so that vessels in the $166 billion class built by each succeeding model, or “block.” The subs ply route from Central Asia. Bloomberg General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls In- can stalk underseas adversaries with torpe- Rahmani said police and Af- The U.S. Navy has swapped more than 1,600 dustries can return to operations, according to does, strike surface vessels or attack land tar- ghan National Army soldiers had parts among its new Virginia-class subma- data from the Naval Sea Systems Command gets with Tomahawk cruise missiles while jointly tried to defend the district. rines since 2013 to ease maintenance bottle- and the Congressional Budget Office. staying on patrol for months. He said it still wasn’t clear how necks as components that are supposed to last The 48-ship Virginia class is the pillar of the The parts problem is a readiness issue “that many casualties the Afghan Na- 33 years wear out decades sooner. Navy’s undersea strategy into the second half goes with the overall concern that the Navy is Parts are being shuttled regularly among of the 21st century to counter China’s growing SEE TALIBAN ON PAGE 5 the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines surface fleet, with increasing firepower in SEE CANNIBALISM ON PAGE 5 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Wednesday, June 23, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER Powell: Economy growing rapidly, inflation up EXCHANGE RATES Military rates South Korea (Won) 1,138.30 Associated Press price declines last year at the onset Powell also said the Fed had for- Switzerland (Franc) 0.9198 Euro costs (June 23) $1.16 Thailand (Baht) 31.73 WASHINGTON — The economy of the pandemic, which make infla- mally begun discussing when and Dollar buys (June 23) 0.8188 Turkey (NewLira) 8.7035 British pound (June 23) $1.36 is growing at a healthy clip, and that tion figures now, compared with a how the central bank might reduce Japanese yen (June 23) 107.00 (Military exchange rates are those available has accelerated inflation, Federal year ago, look much larger. Higher the current $120 billion a month of South Korean won (June 23) 1,104.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger­ Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell gas prices, and rapid increases in Treasurys and mortgage-backed many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) 0.3766 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur­ says in written testimony scheduled consumer spending as the economy bonds that the Fed is purchasing Britain (Pound) 1.3894 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.238 your local military banking facility. Commercial to be delivered Tuesday at a con- reopens, coupled with supply bottle- each month. China(Yuan) 6.4775 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.2465 gressional oversight hearing. necks, have also contributed to ris- Powell was to testify Tuesday be- Egypt (Pound) 15.6498 when buying currency. All figures are foreign Still, Powell reiterated his view ing costs. fore a congressional oversight panel Euro 0.840 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7658 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ that inflation’s recent jump to a 13- “As these transitory supply ef- about the Fed’s unprecedented Hungary (Forint) 295.29 pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­euro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2603 year high would prove temporary. fects abate, inflation is expected to steps last year to provide extraor- Japan (Yen) 110.67 INTEREST RATES “Inflation has increased notably drop back toward our longer-run dinary support to financial markets Kuwait(Dinar) 0.3011 Norway (Krone) 8.6004 Prime rate 3.25 in recent months,” Powell said in the goal,” Powell said, referring to the at the outset of the pandemic, in- Philippines (Peso) 48.70 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.80 Federal funds market rate 0.09 prepared remarks. He blamed the 2% inflation rate the Fed typically cluding the first purchases of corpo- Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7502 3­month bill 0.05 rise on several factors, including targets. rate bonds in the Fed’s history. Singapore (Dollar) 1.3465 30­year bond 2.10 WEATHER OUTLOOK WEDNESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST WEDNESDAY IN EUROPE THURSDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 64/59 Kabul Seoul 86/77 77/65 Baghdad 104/78 Drawsko Osan Tokyo Kandahar Mildenhall/ 77/64 74/63 Pomorskie Busan 99/60 Lakenheath 70/55 64/44 71/65 Iwakuni Kuwait City 71/68 Bahrain Zagan Sasebo Guam 108/90 87/82 Brussels Ramstein 69/59 63/52 69/57 77/67 84/81 Riyadh Lajes, Stuttgart 109/82 Doha Azores Pápa 67/64 73/61 103/84 Aviano/ 88/65 Vicenza 85/63 Naples 90/72 Okinawa Morón 81/78 88/57 Sigonella Rota 104/68 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 77/60 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 93/83 80/76 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Classified .................... 13 Comics .........................16 Crossword ................... 16 Faces .......................... 18 Opinion ........................ 14 Sports .................... 19-24 Wednesday, June 23, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY 3M now found to be partly liable for vet’s hearing loss BY ROSE L. THAYER All claim their hearing was Stars and Stripes damaged from using 3M earplugs A federal jury on Friday con- that were issued for use during cluded that earplug manufacturer military service primarily during 3M has some liability for an Army the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. veteran’s hearing loss after using During the first trial, held in their product during military ser- April, a jury awarded $7.1 million vice. to three Army veterans who said The jury determined that the they suffered hearing loss and tin- Minnesota-based company failed nitus because of the earplugs. 3M to provide warnings about their won in the second trial in May, product, though the earplug was which involved one veteran. not defective, according to court This year’s cases have been documents from the trial held in bellwether trials, which can be Pensacola, Fla. used in multidistrict litigation to DANIEL HERNANDEZ/U.S. Air Force The plaintiff, Lloyd Baker, had present a representative of the A B­52H bomber takes off from Morón Air Base, Spain, on June 17. been diagnosed with hearing loss cases before a jury to gain infor- and tinnitus, and his damages mation for potentially reaching a were given an estimated worth of settlement for all cases. B-52 bombers traverse Arctic in $1.7 million by the jury. It can help both parties deter- Jurors found that 3M only held mine the costs of subsequent liti- 62% of liability, however, and is gation. 27-hour Europe-to-Pacific mission responsible for that percentage of Two more are scheduled for the damages, or about $1.05 mil- September and October and a BY WYATT OLSON cle and into the northern Pacific to away from the Middle East and to- lion. third for early next year. Mean- Stars and Stripes support U.S. Indo-Pacific Com- ward the Pacific, where China’s The remaining responsibility while, 3M said it will explore op- Air Force B-52H bombers re- mand, the Air Force said. military is steadily emerging. fell to Baker, according to court tions to appeal. turned to the United States from a The lengthy mission required Meanwhile, melting Arctic ice documents. “Friday’s outcome, as well as European deployment by way of a far-reaching aerial refueling, with due to global climate change is re- “We are humbled by the brav- our win in the last bellwether trial, 12,000-mile mission through the flying tankers from three major configuring the region and spur- ery and courage shown by service affirms our confidence in our Arctic and Pacific late last week, commands linking up with the ring competition among some na- members like Lloyd Baker, not on- case, and we will continue to de- the Air Force said in a news re- bombers.