VIDEO GAMES WAR COLLEGE FOOTBALL Latest Zelda Staff reduced at BYU set to replace offering should Baghdad embassy Liberty as opponent please fans amid tensions for Coastal Carolina Page 13 Page 3 Page 24 TSA rules that only dogs can fly in cabins as service animals ›› Page 9 stripes.com Volume 79 Edition 165A ©SS 2020 CONTINGENCY EDITION SATURDAY,DECEMBER 5, 2020 Free to Deployed Areas Biden will ask public to mask for 100 days BY ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press WASHINGTON — Joe Biden said Thursday that he will ask Americans to commit to 100 days of wearing masks as one of his first acts as president, stopping just short of the nationwide mandate he’s pushed before to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The move marks a notable shift from President Donald Trump, whose own skep- ticism of mask- wearing has con- tributed to a poli- ticization of the issue. That’s made many peo- ple reticent to embrace a prac- Biden tice that public health experts say is one of the easiest ways to manage the pan- demic, which has killed more than TIMOTHY KOSTER/Connecticut National Guard Public Affairs Office 275,000 Americans. Soldiers assigned to the Connecticut National Guard unload a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from an Alaska National Guard C-17 Globemaster at The president-elect has fre- the Army Aviation Support Facility in Windsor Locks, Conn., in August. The 2-104th had completed an extended deployment to Afghanistan. quently emphasized mask-wear- ing as a “patriotic duty” and dur- ing the campaign floated the idea of instituting a nationwide mask mandate, which he later acknowl- edged would be beyond the ability Drawdown showdown? of the president to enforce. Speaking with CNN’s Jake Tap- per, Biden said he would make the request of Americans on Inaugu- Defense spending bill would seek to limit further troop reductions in Afghanistan ration Day, Jan. 20. “On the first day I’m inaugu- BY PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN tions unless the Pentagon and other agencies rated, I’m going to ask the public Stars and Stripes NDAA includes funding submit a report detailing how having fewer for 100 days to mask. Just 100 days KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. lawmakers for Stars and Stripes U.S. troops in Afghanistan could impact U.S. to mask — not forever, just 100 have moved to block the Trump administra- Page 4 national security and other issues. days. And I think we’ll see a signif- tion’s rapid drawdown of American forces Such a report would be required before icant reduction” in the virus, Bi- from Afghanistan, with a measure in the 2021 campaign promise to extract the U.S. from its troop numbers drop below 4,000, or whatever den said. National Defense Authorization Act that would longest war. the total number is when the bill becomes law, The president-elect reiterated require input from other government agencies While Trump suggested in October that all and again before numbers dip below 2,000, the his call for lawmakers on Capitol before more troops can be withdrawn. U.S. troops could be home by Christmas, that bill says. Hill to pass a coronavirus aid bill The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan looks unlikely. “The Administration has a constitutional and expressed support for a $900 has dropped from roughly 13,000 at the start of The measure in the NDAA, which sets out obligation to provide the Congress and the 2020 to around 4,500 last month, as President the military budget for 2021, authorizes Con- SEE MASK ON PAGE 8 Donald Trump tries to make good on a 2016 gress to withhold funding for further reduc- SEE DRAWDOWN ON PAGE 4 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Saturday, December 5, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER 2 Chinese firms blacklisted in US EXCHANGE RATES Military rates So. Korea (Won) 1084.01 Associated Press further action before President- ministry accused Washington of Switzerland (Franc) .8895 Euro costs (Dec. 7) $1.19 Thailand (Baht) 30.16 BEIJING — The U.S. govern- elect Joe Biden takes office Jan. abusing national security argu- Dollar buys (Dec. 7) 0.8015 Turkey (NewLira) 7.7873 British pound (Dec. 7) $1.32 ment has stepped up a feud with 20. ments to handicap fledgling Chi- Japanese yen (Dec. 7) 102.00 (Military exchange rates are those available Beijing over security by adding The Pentagon added four com- nese industrial competitors. South Korean won (Dec. 7) 1062.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger­ China’s biggest maker of proces- panies including Semiconductor “The actions of the U.S. side many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) .3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur­ sor chips and a state-owned oil Manufacturing International seriously violate the principle of Britain (Pound) .7398 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2811 your local military banking facility. Commercial giant to a blacklist that limits ac- Corp. and China National Off- market competition and the rules China(Yuan) 6.5308 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.1222 cess to American technology and shore Oil Corp. to a list of entities of international trade and econo- Egypt (Pound) 15.6689 when buying currency. All figures are foreign investment. deemed to be part of efforts to my that the U.S. side has always Euro .8226 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7507 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ Thursday’s announcement modernize the ruling Communist advocated,” said a ministry spo- Hungary (Forint) 294.85 pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­euro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2676 adds to steps taken by President Party’s military wing, the Peo- keswoman, Hua Chunying. “The Japan (Yen) 104.01 INTEREST RATES Donald Trump against China ple’s Liberation Army. That rais- U.S. side should stop abusing Kuwait(Dinar) .3041 Norway (Krone) 8.7667 Prime rate 3.25 since losing his reelection bid es the total number of companies state power or generalizing the Philippines (Peso) 48.10 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.25 Poland (Zloty) 3.68 Federal funds market rate 0.09 Nov. 3. Political analysts have on the blacklist to 35. concept of national security to Saudi Arab (Riyal) 3.7508 3­month bill 0.10 said Trump was likely to take On Friday, the Chinese foreign suppress foreign enterprises.” Singapore (Dollar) 1.3318 30­year bond 1.65 WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SATURDAY IN EUROPE SUNDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 46/36 Kabul Seoul 55/35 43/24 Baghdad 71/49 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar Mildenhall/ 42/26 55/37 68/39 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 47/40 42/33 51/33 Iwakuni Kuwait City 57/37 Bahrain Brussels Zagan Sasebo Guam 71/64 79/71 Ramstein 49/42 59/45 43/34 40/33 86/79 Riyadh Lajes, 82/66 Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 64/59 39/33 86/72 Aviano/ 52/44 Vicenza 52/38 Naples 58/46 Okinawa Morón 68/62 55/46 Sigonella Rota 57/42 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 58/47 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 84/76 64/53 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Comics .........................19 Crossword ................... 19 Health & Fitness ......... 12 Opinion ........................ 18 Sports ................... 20-24 Video Games ................13 Saturday, December 5, 2020 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 WAR/MILITARY Staff reduced at Iraq embassy amid tensions BY QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA any reasons. Associated Press A U.S. official, however, said BAGHDAD — The U.S. is with- the decision stems from concern drawing some staff from its em- about a possible Iranian retaliato- bassy in Baghdad, Iraqi and U.S. ry strike on the first anniversary officials said Thursday, tempora- of the U.S. airstrike that killed rily reducing personnel amid re- Iran's top general, Qassem Solei- gional security concerns. mani, and senior Iraqi militia U.S. Ambassador Mathew leaders near Baghdad's airport in Tueller said the reduction would January. The killing sparked out- not affect the mission's work, add- rage and led Iraq’s parliament to ing that he will continue to carry pass a non-binding resolution out his duties from the embassy days later calling for the expul- NASSER NASSER /AP for the “foreseeable future.” sion of all foreign troops from Iraqi army soldiers are deployed in front of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Jan. 1. "I will do so with the support of a Iraq. core team of American diplomats The government later retreated Tehran last week. administration last month. In to staff finishing their rotations and U.S. advisers to the Iraqi mil- from such threats, but Iraqi Prime Iran has accused U.S. ally Israel Iraq, the U.S. plans to reduce the and others going on leave. The of- itary,” he said in a video statement Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi still of being behind the assassination. number of troops from 3,000 to ficial spoke on condition of ano- posted on the U.S. Embassy's faces pressure from Iran-aligned Israel, long suspected of killing 2,500 by mid-January, before nymity in line with regulations. Facebook page on Thursday eve- groups to eject U.S. forces. Iranian nuclear scientists over the Trump is to leave office. In September, the Trump ad- ning following local reports that The U.S. official, who was not last decade, has repeatedly de- An Iraqi government official ministration warned Iraq that it the U.S.