# cache

url: https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml
title: The Washington Post
created_at: 2024-03-19 00:09:31
entries:
{"entries": [{"title": "Wizards lose Bilal Coulibaly (fractured wrist) for the rest of season", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Wizards lose Bilal Coulibaly (fractured wrist) for the rest of season"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/wizards-bilal-coulibaly-wrist-injury/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/wizards-bilal-coulibaly-wrist-injury/", "summary": "2024-03-18T23:13:02.444Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/YWIPM33JCZAJXCTIHWI5UEKHDU/20240318-193808.088/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7ACK5VTZHKC3BQ7UIBRIRZR6SE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Coulibaly suffered the injury in Saturday's game in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)</small></div><p>The injury-riddled Washington Wizards received more bad news Monday when the team announced Bilal Coulibaly will miss the remaining 14 games of the season with a fractured right wrist. The injury ends a bright rookie year for the 19-year-old, who was averaging 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 43.5 percent from the field.<p><p>The fracture, which occurred during <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/16/festive-night-chicago-wizards-prove-too-green-compete/\" target=\"_blank\">Saturday night\u2019s loss in Chicago</a>, will not require surgery, according to the Wizards, which indicates Coulibaly could still play for the French national team at this summer\u2019s Paris Olympics alongside his childhood friend Victor Wembanyama. The tournament begins July 27.<p><p>Coulibaly might not have been the most hyped draft pick in Wizards history, but he ends his first year as perhaps the most beloved rookie in seasons.<p><p>He was the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/10/10/bilal-coulibaly-wizards-first-impression/\" target=\"_blank\">third-youngest player</a> in the NBA and his <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/16/bilal-coulibaly-wizards/\" target=\"_blank\">exuberant youth </a>combined with his low-key demeanor, self-possession and talent beyond expectation earned him a special place in Wizards fans\u2019 hearts during an otherwise bleak season.<p><p>At 6-foot-8, Coulibaly is a slight physical presence but showed a preternatural court awareness early on. He used his length to disrupt plays on defense and moved well. Even his shooting \u2014 a cause of some concern after the Wizards traded up to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/24/wizards-bilal-coulibaly/\" target=\"_blank\">select him with the seventh overall pick in June </a>\u2014 impressed: he shot 34.6 percent from beyond the arc on 2.9 attempts per game, solid for a rookie.<p><p>But Coulibaly was most lauded this year for the gusto with which he accepted challenging defensive assignments. The Wizards wanted him to absorb as much experience as possible, so he almost always matched up against the best guard or wing on the floor, including Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brunson.<p><p>His 27.2 minutes per game was fifth-most among rookies. He ranks 14th in points per game and 12th in rebounds per game among rookies and was selected to the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/17/bilal-coulibaly-rising-stars-nba-all-star-weekend/\" target=\"_blank\">rising star showcase </a>over All-Star Weekend last month.<p><p>The Wizards (11-57), meantime, will have to limp along without him \u2014 and a handful of other starters. They\u2019ll be without seven players for Tuesday\u2019s game against Houston: Deni Avdija (knee), Marvin Bagley III (back), Tyus Jones (back), Eugene Omoruyi (ankle) and Landry Shamet (calf) will not play. Isaiah Livers is out for the season with a hip injury. Kyle Kuzma is listed as questionable for Tuesday with shoulder soreness.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T23:13:02.444Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/YWIPM33JCZAJXCTIHWI5UEKHDU/20240318-193808.088/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7ACK5VTZHKC3BQ7UIBRIRZR6SE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Coulibaly suffered the injury in Saturday's game in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)</small></div><p>The injury-riddled Washington Wizards received more bad news Monday when the team announced Bilal Coulibaly will miss the remaining 14 games of the season with a fractured right wrist. The injury ends a bright rookie year for the 19-year-old, who was averaging 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 43.5 percent from the field.<p><p>The fracture, which occurred during <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/16/festive-night-chicago-wizards-prove-too-green-compete/\" target=\"_blank\">Saturday night\u2019s loss in Chicago</a>, will not require surgery, according to the Wizards, which indicates Coulibaly could still play for the French national team at this summer\u2019s Paris Olympics alongside his childhood friend Victor Wembanyama. The tournament begins July 27.<p><p>Coulibaly might not have been the most hyped draft pick in Wizards history, but he ends his first year as perhaps the most beloved rookie in seasons.<p><p>He was the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/10/10/bilal-coulibaly-wizards-first-impression/\" target=\"_blank\">third-youngest player</a> in the NBA and his <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/16/bilal-coulibaly-wizards/\" target=\"_blank\">exuberant youth </a>combined with his low-key demeanor, self-possession and talent beyond expectation earned him a special place in Wizards fans\u2019 hearts during an otherwise bleak season.<p><p>At 6-foot-8, Coulibaly is a slight physical presence but showed a preternatural court awareness early on. He used his length to disrupt plays on defense and moved well. Even his shooting \u2014 a cause of some concern after the Wizards traded up to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/24/wizards-bilal-coulibaly/\" target=\"_blank\">select him with the seventh overall pick in June </a>\u2014 impressed: he shot 34.6 percent from beyond the arc on 2.9 attempts per game, solid for a rookie.<p><p>But Coulibaly was most lauded this year for the gusto with which he accepted challenging defensive assignments. The Wizards wanted him to absorb as much experience as possible, so he almost always matched up against the best guard or wing on the floor, including Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brunson.<p><p>His 27.2 minutes per game was fifth-most among rookies. He ranks 14th in points per game and 12th in rebounds per game among rookies and was selected to the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/17/bilal-coulibaly-rising-stars-nba-all-star-weekend/\" target=\"_blank\">rising star showcase </a>over All-Star Weekend last month.<p><p>The Wizards (11-57), meantime, will have to limp along without him \u2014 and a handful of other starters. They\u2019ll be without seven players for Tuesday\u2019s game against Houston: Deni Avdija (knee), Marvin Bagley III (back), Tyus Jones (back), Eugene Omoruyi (ankle) and Landry Shamet (calf) will not play. Isaiah Livers is out for the season with a hip injury. Kyle Kuzma is listed as questionable for Tuesday with shoulder soreness.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 23, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "D.C. Council chairman blames budget delay on mayor\u2019s office", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "D.C. Council chairman blames budget delay on mayor\u2019s office"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/18/dc-budget-delay-bowser-lee-council-mendelson/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/18/dc-budget-delay-bowser-lee-council-mendelson/", "summary": "2024-03-18T16:53:30.901Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/YNHWXNMEJVH5BEGY647DLQSE74/20240318-193873.737/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5I5I3SG2YAI6ZPBVVEOQVFESHM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The chair of the D.C. Council on Monday canceled this week\u2019s planned delivery and presentation of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser\u2019s fiscal 2025 budget proposal \u2014 an unusual step that he blamed on the mayor\u2019s administration.<p><p>Typically, Bowser (D) presents her annual budget proposal at a morning meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, and then answers more questions about her proposal at a council hearing that was planned for Friday. But in an email to the entire council Monday morning, Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) canceled both of this week\u2019s meetings and said the city\u2019s Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee \u2014 who must first certify Bowser\u2019s budget proposal before she transmits it to the council \u2014 still had not received it. Natalie Wilson, a spokeswoman for Lee, confirmed Monday afternoon that the budget still had not been transmitted.<p><p>A spokesperson for Bowser did not return multiple requests for comment Monday.<p><p>The delay threatens to further complicate a budget season that has already sparked <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/07/dc-budget-tax-increase-bowser-mendelson/\" target=\"_blank\">discussions</a> about potential cuts and tax increases to fill the financial gaps, as the city grips with modest revenue growth projections, an unstable commercial real estate market and some major upcoming expenses paired with expiring pandemic-era federal aid.<p><p>To ensure a timely start to budget deliberations, council members in January <a href=\"https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/PR25-0537\" target=\"_blank\">voted</a> on fiscal 2025 budget submission requirements that called on Bowser to deliver her proposal no later than Wednesday. Under D.C. law, the council has 70 days after the mayor transmits her budget proposal to adopt a final version, kick-starting its tight annual timeline to hold <a href=\"https://dccouncil.gov/2023-2024-performance-oversight-fy-2025-budget-schedules/\" target=\"_blank\">dozens of agency hearings</a>, make revisions and hold multiple votes.<p><p>Further complicating the situation is that Lee this year reiterated his office\u2019s request to have 10 days to certify the mayor\u2019s budget once he received it before it could be presented to the council. Wilson said the CFO has always had a \u201cpencils-down\u201d date set 10 days before the mayor delivers her budget to the council, giving them enough time to ensure the proposal is balanced and that any documents are legally sufficient.<p><p>Lee reminded city leaders of that timeline in a Feb. 5 memo to Mendelson, City Administrator Kevin Donahue and the budget directors for both the council and Bowser\u2019s administration, noting he\u2019d need to receive the budget on or before March 10 to stay on schedule. In a March 11 letter to the same group, Lee noted that because the budget proposal had not been sent to his office by March 10, it could not be transferred to the council this Wednesday as planned.<p><p><p><p>In an interview, Mendelson said the delay was unusual. If the budget delivery is delayed until the end of March, he said, the council\u2019s 70-day window to approve it would bump right up against the District\u2019s June 4 primary election where several members are on the ballot for reelection.<p><p>\u201cCampaigning takes full time. Considering a $20 billion budget takes full time. The last several weeks when we are voting \u2014 and we vote twice \u2014 are all consuming with the budget,\u201d Mendelson said. \u201cYou throw in the campaign, and it becomes unthinkable.\u201d<p><p>Mendelson said there have also been disagreements between the CFO and legislators in recent weeks about how quickly the city must move to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/07/dc-budget-tax-increase-bowser-mendelson/\" target=\"_blank\">replenish its local reserves</a>. He said while that may have initially slowed things down, Bowser\u2019s administration had identified a plan last week.<p><p>\u201cThe reserves are not the issue for the delay,\u201d he said.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T16:53:30.901Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/YNHWXNMEJVH5BEGY647DLQSE74/20240318-193873.737/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5I5I3SG2YAI6ZPBVVEOQVFESHM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The chair of the D.C. Council on Monday canceled this week\u2019s planned delivery and presentation of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser\u2019s fiscal 2025 budget proposal \u2014 an unusual step that he blamed on the mayor\u2019s administration.<p><p>Typically, Bowser (D) presents her annual budget proposal at a morning meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, and then answers more questions about her proposal at a council hearing that was planned for Friday. But in an email to the entire council Monday morning, Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) canceled both of this week\u2019s meetings and said the city\u2019s Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee \u2014 who must first certify Bowser\u2019s budget proposal before she transmits it to the council \u2014 still had not received it. Natalie Wilson, a spokeswoman for Lee, confirmed Monday afternoon that the budget still had not been transmitted.<p><p>A spokesperson for Bowser did not return multiple requests for comment Monday.<p><p>The delay threatens to further complicate a budget season that has already sparked <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/07/dc-budget-tax-increase-bowser-mendelson/\" target=\"_blank\">discussions</a> about potential cuts and tax increases to fill the financial gaps, as the city grips with modest revenue growth projections, an unstable commercial real estate market and some major upcoming expenses paired with expiring pandemic-era federal aid.<p><p>To ensure a timely start to budget deliberations, council members in January <a href=\"https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/PR25-0537\" target=\"_blank\">voted</a> on fiscal 2025 budget submission requirements that called on Bowser to deliver her proposal no later than Wednesday. Under D.C. law, the council has 70 days after the mayor transmits her budget proposal to adopt a final version, kick-starting its tight annual timeline to hold <a href=\"https://dccouncil.gov/2023-2024-performance-oversight-fy-2025-budget-schedules/\" target=\"_blank\">dozens of agency hearings</a>, make revisions and hold multiple votes.<p><p>Further complicating the situation is that Lee this year reiterated his office\u2019s request to have 10 days to certify the mayor\u2019s budget once he received it before it could be presented to the council. Wilson said the CFO has always had a \u201cpencils-down\u201d date set 10 days before the mayor delivers her budget to the council, giving them enough time to ensure the proposal is balanced and that any documents are legally sufficient.<p><p>Lee reminded city leaders of that timeline in a Feb. 5 memo to Mendelson, City Administrator Kevin Donahue and the budget directors for both the council and Bowser\u2019s administration, noting he\u2019d need to receive the budget on or before March 10 to stay on schedule. In a March 11 letter to the same group, Lee noted that because the budget proposal had not been sent to his office by March 10, it could not be transferred to the council this Wednesday as planned.<p><p><p><p>In an interview, Mendelson said the delay was unusual. If the budget delivery is delayed until the end of March, he said, the council\u2019s 70-day window to approve it would bump right up against the District\u2019s June 4 primary election where several members are on the ballot for reelection.<p><p>\u201cCampaigning takes full time. Considering a $20 billion budget takes full time. The last several weeks when we are voting \u2014 and we vote twice \u2014 are all consuming with the budget,\u201d Mendelson said. \u201cYou throw in the campaign, and it becomes unthinkable.\u201d<p><p>Mendelson said there have also been disagreements between the CFO and legislators in recent weeks about how quickly the city must move to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/07/dc-budget-tax-increase-bowser-mendelson/\" target=\"_blank\">replenish its local reserves</a>. He said while that may have initially slowed things down, Bowser\u2019s administration had identified a plan last week.<p><p>\u201cThe reserves are not the issue for the delay,\u201d he said.<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 23, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Byron Janis, classical pianist who dazzled through his pain, dies at 95", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Byron Janis, classical pianist who dazzled through his pain, dies at 95"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/03/18/byron-janis-pianist-dead-obituary/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/03/18/byron-janis-pianist-dead-obituary/", "summary": "2024-03-17T20:31:47.189Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/R6PJLAHZ5JBXHF5L7Z2EA2LJWM/20240318-194463.630/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/I6XDSKULU7WS64LUPFPXQT7MQM.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Pianist Byron Janis in 1966 with his wife, Maria, the daughter of movie star Gary Cooper. (Patrice Habans/Paris Match/Getty Images) </small></div><p>Byron Janis, an American pianist celebrated for his extraordinary combination of technical virtuosity and urgent expression in Romantic-era music, died March 14 at a Manhattan hospital. He was 95.<p><p>The death was announced by his wife, Maria Cooper Janis, who did not specify a cause.<p><p>Mr. Janis had a career of supreme triumphs and near-constant physical struggles.<p><p>While still in his teens, he was already making recordings for RCA Victor, then the most prestigious label in America, and he became the first pianist taken as a student by the legendary Vladimir Horowitz, with whom he worked for three years. He played more than 100 concerts around the world before he turned 20.<p><p>He toured the Soviet Union twice at the height of the Cold War and, in 1962, at age 34, he presented a daunting performance in Moscow of three major piano concertos in a single program: works by Robert Schumann, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Sergei Prokofiev.<p><p>\u201cI have now heard a pianist who can play three utterly different concertos with a perfect sense of style \u2014 one of the greatest pianists of this age,\u201d his conductor, Kirill Kondrashin, said at the time. The audience hollered so long and with so much enthusiasm, Mr. Janis took six bows.<p><p>Mr. Janis suffered from hand problems throughout his life, essentially playing with only nine fingers. When he was 10, he was fighting with his sister and put his hand through a glass door, cutting the little finger on his left hand down to the bone.<p><p>\u201cI was rushed to the hospital, and they had to operate,\u201d he told the Chicago Tribune in 1998. \u201cI lost the use of a tendon, and the little joint on that finger did not bend. To this day, that finger is numb. Totally numb.\u201d<p><p>Mr. Janis learned early on to play through his pain \u2014 a matter, he insisted, of will power.<p><p>His health troubles persisted. In 1965, Mr. Janis underwent surgery for bursitis in his right shoulder and took six months off. He took another year off in the early \u201970s and soon developed psoriatic arthritis that spread to both hands, to his wrists and eventually to all his distal joints. \u201cWhen I move,\u201d he wrote in \u201cChopin and Beyond,\u201d his 2010 autobiography, \u201cit\u2019s basically bone on bone. It hurts like hell.\u201d<p><p>For a dozen years, Mr. Janis was quiet about his challenges, while taking fewer and fewer engagements. Then, at a White House event in 1985 with first lady Nancy Reagan, he not only spoke candidly about his condition, but announced that he would become an \u201cambassador for the arts\u201d for the Arthritis Foundation, for which he played several benefits.<p><p>In 1988, he celebrated the 40th anniversary of his Carnegie Hall debut with a gala recital. Music critic Donal Henahan, writing for the New York Times, observed that Mr. Janis \u201ctended to play as in the past, in brilliant lunges and bursts, relaxing only as if to build up energy for the next attack.\u201d<p><p>\u201cTo those who believe there is only one way to play Chopin, in great arches and unbroken lines, such fluctuations might seem intolerably eccentric,\u201d Henahan wrote. \u201cIn fact, they represented that current rarity, a mature artist\u2019s personality mirrored in an infinitely various masterpiece.\u201d<p><p>Mr. Janis was born Byron Yanks in McKeesport, Pa., on March 24, 1928, and grew up in Pittsburgh; he changed his last name before a radio appearance when he was 10. Both parents were of Polish descent but grew up in Russia. His father ran a sporting goods store, and his mother was a homemaker.<p><p>He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he was \u201cdiscovered\u201d by two prekindergarten teachers who could not believe that at age 4 he could listen to them on the piano and duplicate the music by ear on the xylophone.<p><p>When they came to his home the next week, he said he thought he was in trouble. Instead, they encouraged formal lessons. He swiftly was recognized as a budding talent and performed on a local radio station. Under the tutelage of Abraham Litow, he began concert recitals and impressed the celebrated New York-based pianists Josef and Rosina Lh\u00e9vinne.<p><p>When Mr. Janis was 7, he moved with his mother to New York to study with Adele Marcus, a young pianist who later served as an assistant to the Lh\u00e9vinnes at the Juilliard School before going on to a distinguished teaching career on her own.<p><p>At 15, Mr. Janis made his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra playing Rachmaninoff\u2019s Second Concerto under the direction of the 13-year old Lorin Maazel; the younger of the two prodigies later became the music director of the PSO.<p><p>Mr. Janis made his Carnegie Hall debut in October 1948. \u201cNot for a long time has this writer heard such a talent allied with the musicianship, the feeling, the intelligence, and artistic balance shown by the 20-year-old pianist Byron Janis,\u201d Olin Downes, who had been publishing music criticism since 1906, wrote in the Times.<p><p>He had made his first recordings for RCA Victor in 1947, a performance of a piano arrangement of Johann Strauss\u2019s \u201cBlue Danube\u201d and continued to work with the company throughout the 1950s. He decamped for Mercury Records in the early 1960s, and his recordings of the Rachmaninoff First and Prokofiev Third concertos with Kondrashin were among the first discs ever made by American engineers in Russia. Both RCA and Mercury have issued CD sets containing Mr. Janis\u2019s complete discs for those labels.<p><p>For years, Mr. Janis was one of the best-known classical musicians in the world, playing major stages from Philadelphia to Paris. In 1965, he canceled a concert scheduled in Mobile, Ala., to protest what he called \u201cthe repugnant, brutal, and thoroughly un-American\u201d racial policies of segregationist Gov. George C. Wallace.<p><p>Mr. Janis\u2019s first marriage, to June Dickson-Wright, with whom he had a son, ended in divorce. In 1966, he married Maria Cooper, the daughter of the late movie star Gary Cooper. They lived in a penthouse apartment on Park Avenue until Mr. Janis\u2019s death, and she is his only immediately survivor. His son, Stefan, a poet, translator and art critic, died in 2017.<p><p>Mr. Janis and his wife shared an interest in what is often called \u201cparapsychology.\u201d In her introduction to Mr. Janis\u2019s memoir, Cooper Janis complained that there was \u201cnothing \u2018para\u2019 about it\u201d but affirmed that both of them had what she called \u201cextraordinary human experiences.\u201d (The subtitle for the memoir was \u201cMy Extraordinary Life in Music and the Paranormal.\u201d)<p><p>In 1967, Mr. Janis discovered a handwritten manuscript of two waltzes by Chopin: the G-flat major, Op. 70, No. 1; and the E-flat major, Op. 18. In 1973, he located two variants of the same waltzes in a library at Yale University. Unknown manuscripts from great composers are a rare find, especially if there are sketches that show the piece might have developed in another way.<p><p>The first set of manuscripts were found in an old French chateau that dated to 1500, Mr. Janis told NPR in 2017. \u201cCount La Panouse, whose property it was, showed us around and took us in to the old antique room, where there were all kinds of letters and things\u201d he said. \u201cThere was a box marked old clothes. We opened the trunk, and that was something that looked like a manuscript. I said, I found a waltz here. He said, \u2018Oh, my grandmother used to write down music all the time and fool around.\u2019 I said, \u2018No, no, no. This is not your grandmother. This is Chopin!\u2019\u201d<p><p>Mr. Janis, who taught at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts and the Manhattan School of Music, among other places, and was an occasional composer and conductor. He was a soft-spoken, gracious man who made himself accessible to pianists and scholars.<p><p>He seemed to enjoy the reverence often accorded age. \u201cAt last they stopped saying \u2018young pianist\u2019 about me,\u201d he told The Washington Post in 1983.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/PFOY6OJ3V63NMJAF5DCU7E5UD4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Mr. Janis in an updated photo. (Christian Steiner/Maria Cooper Janis via AP) </small></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-17T20:31:47.189Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/R6PJLAHZ5JBXHF5L7Z2EA2LJWM/20240318-194463.630/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/I6XDSKULU7WS64LUPFPXQT7MQM.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Pianist Byron Janis in 1966 with his wife, Maria, the daughter of movie star Gary Cooper. (Patrice Habans/Paris Match/Getty Images) </small></div><p>Byron Janis, an American pianist celebrated for his extraordinary combination of technical virtuosity and urgent expression in Romantic-era music, died March 14 at a Manhattan hospital. He was 95.<p><p>The death was announced by his wife, Maria Cooper Janis, who did not specify a cause.<p><p>Mr. Janis had a career of supreme triumphs and near-constant physical struggles.<p><p>While still in his teens, he was already making recordings for RCA Victor, then the most prestigious label in America, and he became the first pianist taken as a student by the legendary Vladimir Horowitz, with whom he worked for three years. He played more than 100 concerts around the world before he turned 20.<p><p>He toured the Soviet Union twice at the height of the Cold War and, in 1962, at age 34, he presented a daunting performance in Moscow of three major piano concertos in a single program: works by Robert Schumann, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Sergei Prokofiev.<p><p>\u201cI have now heard a pianist who can play three utterly different concertos with a perfect sense of style \u2014 one of the greatest pianists of this age,\u201d his conductor, Kirill Kondrashin, said at the time. The audience hollered so long and with so much enthusiasm, Mr. Janis took six bows.<p><p>Mr. Janis suffered from hand problems throughout his life, essentially playing with only nine fingers. When he was 10, he was fighting with his sister and put his hand through a glass door, cutting the little finger on his left hand down to the bone.<p><p>\u201cI was rushed to the hospital, and they had to operate,\u201d he told the Chicago Tribune in 1998. \u201cI lost the use of a tendon, and the little joint on that finger did not bend. To this day, that finger is numb. Totally numb.\u201d<p><p>Mr. Janis learned early on to play through his pain \u2014 a matter, he insisted, of will power.<p><p>His health troubles persisted. In 1965, Mr. Janis underwent surgery for bursitis in his right shoulder and took six months off. He took another year off in the early \u201970s and soon developed psoriatic arthritis that spread to both hands, to his wrists and eventually to all his distal joints. \u201cWhen I move,\u201d he wrote in \u201cChopin and Beyond,\u201d his 2010 autobiography, \u201cit\u2019s basically bone on bone. It hurts like hell.\u201d<p><p>For a dozen years, Mr. Janis was quiet about his challenges, while taking fewer and fewer engagements. Then, at a White House event in 1985 with first lady Nancy Reagan, he not only spoke candidly about his condition, but announced that he would become an \u201cambassador for the arts\u201d for the Arthritis Foundation, for which he played several benefits.<p><p>In 1988, he celebrated the 40th anniversary of his Carnegie Hall debut with a gala recital. Music critic Donal Henahan, writing for the New York Times, observed that Mr. Janis \u201ctended to play as in the past, in brilliant lunges and bursts, relaxing only as if to build up energy for the next attack.\u201d<p><p>\u201cTo those who believe there is only one way to play Chopin, in great arches and unbroken lines, such fluctuations might seem intolerably eccentric,\u201d Henahan wrote. \u201cIn fact, they represented that current rarity, a mature artist\u2019s personality mirrored in an infinitely various masterpiece.\u201d<p><p>Mr. Janis was born Byron Yanks in McKeesport, Pa., on March 24, 1928, and grew up in Pittsburgh; he changed his last name before a radio appearance when he was 10. Both parents were of Polish descent but grew up in Russia. His father ran a sporting goods store, and his mother was a homemaker.<p><p>He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he was \u201cdiscovered\u201d by two prekindergarten teachers who could not believe that at age 4 he could listen to them on the piano and duplicate the music by ear on the xylophone.<p><p>When they came to his home the next week, he said he thought he was in trouble. Instead, they encouraged formal lessons. He swiftly was recognized as a budding talent and performed on a local radio station. Under the tutelage of Abraham Litow, he began concert recitals and impressed the celebrated New York-based pianists Josef and Rosina Lh\u00e9vinne.<p><p>When Mr. Janis was 7, he moved with his mother to New York to study with Adele Marcus, a young pianist who later served as an assistant to the Lh\u00e9vinnes at the Juilliard School before going on to a distinguished teaching career on her own.<p><p>At 15, Mr. Janis made his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra playing Rachmaninoff\u2019s Second Concerto under the direction of the 13-year old Lorin Maazel; the younger of the two prodigies later became the music director of the PSO.<p><p>Mr. Janis made his Carnegie Hall debut in October 1948. \u201cNot for a long time has this writer heard such a talent allied with the musicianship, the feeling, the intelligence, and artistic balance shown by the 20-year-old pianist Byron Janis,\u201d Olin Downes, who had been publishing music criticism since 1906, wrote in the Times.<p><p>He had made his first recordings for RCA Victor in 1947, a performance of a piano arrangement of Johann Strauss\u2019s \u201cBlue Danube\u201d and continued to work with the company throughout the 1950s. He decamped for Mercury Records in the early 1960s, and his recordings of the Rachmaninoff First and Prokofiev Third concertos with Kondrashin were among the first discs ever made by American engineers in Russia. Both RCA and Mercury have issued CD sets containing Mr. Janis\u2019s complete discs for those labels.<p><p>For years, Mr. Janis was one of the best-known classical musicians in the world, playing major stages from Philadelphia to Paris. In 1965, he canceled a concert scheduled in Mobile, Ala., to protest what he called \u201cthe repugnant, brutal, and thoroughly un-American\u201d racial policies of segregationist Gov. George C. Wallace.<p><p>Mr. Janis\u2019s first marriage, to June Dickson-Wright, with whom he had a son, ended in divorce. In 1966, he married Maria Cooper, the daughter of the late movie star Gary Cooper. They lived in a penthouse apartment on Park Avenue until Mr. Janis\u2019s death, and she is his only immediately survivor. His son, Stefan, a poet, translator and art critic, died in 2017.<p><p>Mr. Janis and his wife shared an interest in what is often called \u201cparapsychology.\u201d In her introduction to Mr. Janis\u2019s memoir, Cooper Janis complained that there was \u201cnothing \u2018para\u2019 about it\u201d but affirmed that both of them had what she called \u201cextraordinary human experiences.\u201d (The subtitle for the memoir was \u201cMy Extraordinary Life in Music and the Paranormal.\u201d)<p><p>In 1967, Mr. Janis discovered a handwritten manuscript of two waltzes by Chopin: the G-flat major, Op. 70, No. 1; and the E-flat major, Op. 18. In 1973, he located two variants of the same waltzes in a library at Yale University. Unknown manuscripts from great composers are a rare find, especially if there are sketches that show the piece might have developed in another way.<p><p>The first set of manuscripts were found in an old French chateau that dated to 1500, Mr. Janis told NPR in 2017. \u201cCount La Panouse, whose property it was, showed us around and took us in to the old antique room, where there were all kinds of letters and things\u201d he said. \u201cThere was a box marked old clothes. We opened the trunk, and that was something that looked like a manuscript. I said, I found a waltz here. He said, \u2018Oh, my grandmother used to write down music all the time and fool around.\u2019 I said, \u2018No, no, no. This is not your grandmother. This is Chopin!\u2019\u201d<p><p>Mr. Janis, who taught at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts and the Manhattan School of Music, among other places, and was an occasional composer and conductor. He was a soft-spoken, gracious man who made himself accessible to pianists and scholars.<p><p>He seemed to enjoy the reverence often accorded age. \u201cAt last they stopped saying \u2018young pianist\u2019 about me,\u201d he told The Washington Post in 1983.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/PFOY6OJ3V63NMJAF5DCU7E5UD4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Mr. Janis in an updated photo. (Christian Steiner/Maria Cooper Janis via AP) </small></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 23, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Trump says Jewish Democrats \u2018hate\u2019 their religion", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Trump says Jewish Democrats \u2018hate\u2019 their religion"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/donald-trump-jewish-voters/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/donald-trump-jewish-voters/", "summary": "2024-03-18T22:15:58.493Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/UPPGNXWYFJF2PPMTKQGHY4QATE/20240318-195259.599/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YFQWKH3XIYPNYK2UETM7LEO3O4.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Former president Donald Trump gave a lengthy interview with his former adviser Sebastian Gorka, a far-right agitator, that was posted online. (Tom Brenner/For the Washington Post )</small></div><p>Former president Donald Trump again claimed that the Democratic Party \u201chates Israel,\u201d and that Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats \u201chate\u201d their religion, echoing previous attacks he\u2019s made about Jewish Democrats.<p><p>\u201cI think they hate Israel,\u201d Trump said of Democrats. He then said that Democrats \u201csee a lot of votes\u201d among Americans who oppose the Israel-Gaza war. The comments were in a lengthy interview with his former adviser Sebastian Gorka, a far-right agitator, posted online on Monday.<p><p>\u201cAny Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion,\u201d Trump added.<p><p>Trump made the comments in response to a question from Gorka on Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer\u2019s (D-N.Y.) <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/14/israel-elections-netanyahu-charles-schumer/\" target=\"_blank\">call for a \u201cnew election\u201d in Israel last week</a>.<p><p>Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States and a staunch ally of Israel, said on the Senate floor on Thursday that he thinks Israelis understand \u201cbetter than anybody that Israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah opposed by the rest of the world\u201d and would choose better leaders if elections were held.<p><p>Schumer suggested that Israel hold new elections \u201conce the war starts to wind down\u201d to \u201cexpress their vision for the postwar future,\u201d and that the outcome of the election would be up to the Israelis \u2014 not Americans. But many Republicans took Schumer\u2019s words as an attack on Israel, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) describing the call for a new election as \u201cgrotesque.\u201d<p><p>Trump, in his interview with Gorka, went on a lengthy rant on the Democratic Party and Jewish Democrats. Doubling down on his attack on Schumer, the former president claimed that the Senate majority leader \u201cwas always pro-Israel\u201d but that he\u2019s \u201cvery anti-Israel now.\u201d<p><p>\u201cWhen you see those Palestinian marches, even I am amazed at how many people are in those marches,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAnd guys like Schumer see that and to him it\u2019s votes.\u201d<p><p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/senschumer/status/1769864510825767154?s=46\" target=\"_blank\">In a post on X</a> on Monday, Schumer said making \u201cIsrael a partisan issue only hurts Israel and the US-Israeli relationship.\u201d<p><p>\u201cTrump is making highly partisan and hateful rant,\u201d he said. \u201cI am working in a bipartisan way to ensure the US-Israeli relationship sustains for generations to come, buoyed by peace in the Middle East.\u201d<p><p>Spokespeople for the Democratic National Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<p><p>In a statement to The Washington Post, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said there is \u201cno justification for spreading toxic, false stereotypes that threaten fellow citizens. None.\u201d<p><p>\u201cAs Antisemitic crimes and acts of hate have increased across the world \u2014 among them the deadliest attack committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust \u2014 leaders have an obligation to call hate what it is and bring Americans together against it,\u201d Bates said. \u201cLike President Biden said, he was moved to run for President when he saw Neo Nazis chanting \u2018the same Antisemitic bile that was heard in Germany in the 1930s\u2019 in Charlottesville.\u201d<p><p>This is not the first time Trump has targeted Jewish Democrats.<p><p>On the final day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year celebration, Trump <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/18/trump-liberal-jews-attack/\" target=\"_blank\">claimed last year that </a>\u201cliberal Jews\u201d who didn\u2019t support him were voting \u201cto destroy America &amp; Israel.\u201d<p><p>In March 2019, he falsely <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-says-democratic-party-is-anti-israel-and-anti-jewish/2019/03/08/aaeed4d6-41b1-11e9-9361-301ffb5bd5e6_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">said </a>the Democratic Party is \u201canti-Israel\u201d and \u201canti-Jewish.\u201d Later that year, he tried to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-frustrated-by-unpopularity-with-jews-thrusts-israel-into-his-culture-war/2019/08/21/81557d10-c428-11e9-b72f-b31dfaa77212_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">brand </a>the Democratic Party as antisemitic by claiming that voters who support the Democratic Party were being \u201cvery disloyal to Israel and to the Jewish people.\u201d<p><p>His use of the word \u201cdisloyalty\u201d <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-questions-sincerity-of-tlaibs-tears-as-she-talked-about-her-grandmother/2019/08/20/03d7b532-c339-11e9-b72f-b31dfaa77212_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">immediately drew criticism</a> from Jewish groups who said Trump was echoing antisemitic tropes about where American Jews\u2019 loyalty lies. Trump insisted then that his comments were not antisemitic.<p><p>Trump has repeatedly voiced his frustration over his unpopularity among Jewish voters, a bloc that supported Biden over Trump by a 70 percent to 27 percent margin in 2020 according to the <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JKd0lNwopBqXpDglgvkrlqWgbTvsNNNSaWVtj-EkLJs/edit#gid=970549130\" target=\"_blank\">Pew Research Center\u2019s validated voter survey</a>.<p><p>A different <a href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/03/15/u-s-presidential-candidates-and-their-religious-engagement/#how-much-do-americans-think-candidates-stand-up-for-people-with-their-religious-beliefs\" target=\"_blank\">Pew poll</a> released last month found that 79 percent of Jewish Americans have an unfavorable view of Trump, while 62 percent were favorable toward Biden. That same poll found that 35 percent of American Jews said Trump stands up for people with religious beliefs similar to theirs at least some of the time, while 59 percent said he does this \u201ca little\u201d or not at all.<p><p><i>Scott Clement contributed to this report.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T22:15:58.493Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/UPPGNXWYFJF2PPMTKQGHY4QATE/20240318-195259.599/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YFQWKH3XIYPNYK2UETM7LEO3O4.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Former president Donald Trump gave a lengthy interview with his former adviser Sebastian Gorka, a far-right agitator, that was posted online. (Tom Brenner/For the Washington Post )</small></div><p>Former president Donald Trump again claimed that the Democratic Party \u201chates Israel,\u201d and that Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats \u201chate\u201d their religion, echoing previous attacks he\u2019s made about Jewish Democrats.<p><p>\u201cI think they hate Israel,\u201d Trump said of Democrats. He then said that Democrats \u201csee a lot of votes\u201d among Americans who oppose the Israel-Gaza war. The comments were in a lengthy interview with his former adviser Sebastian Gorka, a far-right agitator, posted online on Monday.<p><p>\u201cAny Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion,\u201d Trump added.<p><p>Trump made the comments in response to a question from Gorka on Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer\u2019s (D-N.Y.) <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/14/israel-elections-netanyahu-charles-schumer/\" target=\"_blank\">call for a \u201cnew election\u201d in Israel last week</a>.<p><p>Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States and a staunch ally of Israel, said on the Senate floor on Thursday that he thinks Israelis understand \u201cbetter than anybody that Israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah opposed by the rest of the world\u201d and would choose better leaders if elections were held.<p><p>Schumer suggested that Israel hold new elections \u201conce the war starts to wind down\u201d to \u201cexpress their vision for the postwar future,\u201d and that the outcome of the election would be up to the Israelis \u2014 not Americans. But many Republicans took Schumer\u2019s words as an attack on Israel, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) describing the call for a new election as \u201cgrotesque.\u201d<p><p>Trump, in his interview with Gorka, went on a lengthy rant on the Democratic Party and Jewish Democrats. Doubling down on his attack on Schumer, the former president claimed that the Senate majority leader \u201cwas always pro-Israel\u201d but that he\u2019s \u201cvery anti-Israel now.\u201d<p><p>\u201cWhen you see those Palestinian marches, even I am amazed at how many people are in those marches,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAnd guys like Schumer see that and to him it\u2019s votes.\u201d<p><p><a href=\"https://twitter.com/senschumer/status/1769864510825767154?s=46\" target=\"_blank\">In a post on X</a> on Monday, Schumer said making \u201cIsrael a partisan issue only hurts Israel and the US-Israeli relationship.\u201d<p><p>\u201cTrump is making highly partisan and hateful rant,\u201d he said. \u201cI am working in a bipartisan way to ensure the US-Israeli relationship sustains for generations to come, buoyed by peace in the Middle East.\u201d<p><p>Spokespeople for the Democratic National Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<p><p>In a statement to The Washington Post, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said there is \u201cno justification for spreading toxic, false stereotypes that threaten fellow citizens. None.\u201d<p><p>\u201cAs Antisemitic crimes and acts of hate have increased across the world \u2014 among them the deadliest attack committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust \u2014 leaders have an obligation to call hate what it is and bring Americans together against it,\u201d Bates said. \u201cLike President Biden said, he was moved to run for President when he saw Neo Nazis chanting \u2018the same Antisemitic bile that was heard in Germany in the 1930s\u2019 in Charlottesville.\u201d<p><p>This is not the first time Trump has targeted Jewish Democrats.<p><p>On the final day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year celebration, Trump <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/18/trump-liberal-jews-attack/\" target=\"_blank\">claimed last year that </a>\u201cliberal Jews\u201d who didn\u2019t support him were voting \u201cto destroy America &amp; Israel.\u201d<p><p>In March 2019, he falsely <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-says-democratic-party-is-anti-israel-and-anti-jewish/2019/03/08/aaeed4d6-41b1-11e9-9361-301ffb5bd5e6_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">said </a>the Democratic Party is \u201canti-Israel\u201d and \u201canti-Jewish.\u201d Later that year, he tried to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-frustrated-by-unpopularity-with-jews-thrusts-israel-into-his-culture-war/2019/08/21/81557d10-c428-11e9-b72f-b31dfaa77212_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">brand </a>the Democratic Party as antisemitic by claiming that voters who support the Democratic Party were being \u201cvery disloyal to Israel and to the Jewish people.\u201d<p><p>His use of the word \u201cdisloyalty\u201d <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-questions-sincerity-of-tlaibs-tears-as-she-talked-about-her-grandmother/2019/08/20/03d7b532-c339-11e9-b72f-b31dfaa77212_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">immediately drew criticism</a> from Jewish groups who said Trump was echoing antisemitic tropes about where American Jews\u2019 loyalty lies. Trump insisted then that his comments were not antisemitic.<p><p>Trump has repeatedly voiced his frustration over his unpopularity among Jewish voters, a bloc that supported Biden over Trump by a 70 percent to 27 percent margin in 2020 according to the <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JKd0lNwopBqXpDglgvkrlqWgbTvsNNNSaWVtj-EkLJs/edit#gid=970549130\" target=\"_blank\">Pew Research Center\u2019s validated voter survey</a>.<p><p>A different <a href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/03/15/u-s-presidential-candidates-and-their-religious-engagement/#how-much-do-americans-think-candidates-stand-up-for-people-with-their-religious-beliefs\" target=\"_blank\">Pew poll</a> released last month found that 79 percent of Jewish Americans have an unfavorable view of Trump, while 62 percent were favorable toward Biden. That same poll found that 35 percent of American Jews said Trump stands up for people with religious beliefs similar to theirs at least some of the time, while 59 percent said he does this \u201ca little\u201d or not at all.<p><p><i>Scott Clement contributed to this report.</i><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 23, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Stephen Breyer\u2019s new book sheds light on Supreme Court cases on abortion, guns", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Stephen Breyer\u2019s new book sheds light on Supreme Court cases on abortion, guns"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/stephen-breyer-book-supreme-court/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/stephen-breyer-book-supreme-court/", "summary": "2024-03-18T15:03:06.568Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/F7FHTMKGYZFRHKXTN2INPYT5GU/20240318-194778.780/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AFPVFKT7TYI6ZDGIW2LFMS5HSY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Justice Stephen G. Breyer at the announcement of his retirement from the Supreme Court at the White House on Jan. 27, 2022. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Retired Supreme Court justice Stephen G. Breyer has never been one to shy from his criticism of textualism and originalism, the twin approaches to interpreting the Constitution<b> </b>strictly through the meaning of its text as it was understood at the time of writing.<p><p>During his nearly three decades on the Supreme Court, Breyer took a more pragmatic approach, issuing opinions or dissents and giving lectures that <a href=\"https://hls.harvard.edu/today/in-harvard-lecture-breyer-challenges-originalists/\" target=\"_blank\">challenged originalists\u2019 approach</a> usually favored by conservatives. His new book, down to its title \u2014 \u201cReading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, <i>Not </i>Textualism\u201d \u2014 aims to cement his belief in former chief justice John Marshall\u2019s philosophy that \u201cthe Constitution must be a workable set of principles to be interpreted by subsequent generations.\u201d<p><p>The book also serves as Breyer\u2019s warning that the textualist approach by the high court\u2019s current conservative majority has led to wrongly decided cases with significant consequences for the country \u2014 most notably the restriction of access to abortion and the expansion of gun rights.<p><p>Over more than 250 pages, Breyer breaks down what textualism and originalism are, while laying out why he believes the philosophies limit how the law is applied in the modern day. One of the basic problems with the \u201coriginalist\u201d approach, he writes, is that it presumes judges can be historians when they have little experience \u201canswering contested historical questions or applying those answers to resolve contemporary problems.\u201d<p><p>\u201cI do not say \u2018never\u2019 look to history. Often it is a useful tool,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cBut to tell judges they must rely exclusively upon history imposes upon them a task that they cannot accomplish.\u201d<p><p>Alan Morrison, the associate dean for public interest and public service at George Washington University Law School, said that it should be no surprise that Breyer \u2014 who was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1994 and retired in 2022 \u2014 would write a book raising questions about certain court decisions and expressing concern for the court\u2019s future. In fact, Morrison noted that former justice John Paul Stevens did the same in his <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/john-paul-stevens-looks-back-on-nearly-a-century-of-life-and-law-but-worries-about-the-future/2019/05/11/494d5768-7332-11e9-9f06-5fc2ee80027a_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">2019 memoir</a>.<p><p>\u201cI think what Justice Breyer\u2019s trying to do here is to lay it out in an accessible manner ... to try to get people to understand why he believes that textualism is not a very good idea,\u201d said Morrison, who noted that Breyer is a friend. \u201cThe beauty of the book is he does it with specific cases and he shows why textualism doesn\u2019t work and why other approaches are necessary,\u201d Morrison added.<p><p>In the book, Breyer examines in detail two major Supreme Court cases from 2022 \u2014 his last term on the bench \u2014 that he argues were wrongly decided because the majority used a textualist approach to interpret the Constitution, to the detriment of an already politically divided nation: <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/roe-wade-decision-pdf/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization</i></a>, which ended the constitutional right to abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years, and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/23/supreme-court-gun-control/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>New York State Rifle &amp; Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen</i></a><i>, </i>which determined that law-abiding Americans have a right to carry a handgun outside the home for self-defense.<p><p>Breyer in his book outlines just some of the ways America has evolved since 1790: an exponentially larger population, with more citizens living in densely packed cities, coupled with guns that evolved to allow a shooter to kill more people, more quickly \u2014 \u201cto a degree likely unimaginable to the Founders.\u201d<p><p>\u201cIn part for these reasons, guns today pose a unique threat to American society if not properly regulated,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cBut originalism says that judges cannot consider these modern developments and practical realities. Nor can judges weigh the resulting interest of federal, state, and local governments in regulating guns to protect the health and welfare of all their citizens.\u201d<p><p>In his dissent in <i>Bruen</i>, Breyer argued that the majority\u2019s decision would make it more difficult for state lawmakers to take steps to limit the dangers of gun violence. The Second Amendment allows states to \u201ctake account of the serious problems posed by gun violence,\u201d wrote Breyer, who was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.<p><p>In his book, Breyer further argues that a pragmatic approach to interpreting the Constitution as a \u201cworkable\u201d document is required to \u201chold together a diverse population for hundreds of years,\u201d citing the court\u2019s decision in <i>Bruen.</i><p><p>\u201cHow can a jurisprudential philosophy grounded in that Constitution ignore these practical realities and the deadly consequences of striking down the efforts of democratically elected bodies to address those realities?\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cI do not think it can.\u201d<p><p>Breyer also goes into considerable detail criticizing the <i>Dobbs </i>decision, in which the court\u2019s conservative supermajority overturned <i>Roe v. Wade </i>on the reasoning that those who ratified the Constitution in 1788 and the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 did not understand the document to protect reproductive rights<i>.</i><p><p>However, Breyer argues, it was only White men who ratified the Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment, because at both points in time women \u201cwere not understood as full members of the political community.\u201d (Women would not gain the right to vote until 1920.)<p><p>\u201cThe recognition of women\u2019s rights \u2014 from the right to vote to the right to an abortion \u2014 flowed from, and contributed to, women\u2019s ever-growing role in society, particularly in the workplace and in politics,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cIn the face of this progress, originalism would limit the kinds of liberty interest cognizable under the Fourteenth Amendment to those contemplated by men who existed in a time when women were not considered to have a legal identity separate from their husbands.\u201d<p><p>Moreover, Breyer writes that a textualist approach does not necessarily bring a certainty to the law that its proponents argue it does. For instance, there remains a litany of abortion-related questions \u2014 whether the Constitution assures a woman an abortion to save her life; whether states can forbid sending abortion medication through the mail \u2014 that could lead to further Supreme Court cases.<p><p>\u201cThe <i>Dobbs </i>majority\u2019s hope that legislatures and not courts will decide the abortion question will not be realized. After all, different states will enact different laws and enforce them differently,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cOne can \u2014 with ease \u2014 think of similar issues invoking the Second Amendment and affirmative action; those questions may also prove complex and reappear in the Court, requiring answers, which may in turn lead to further cases.\u201d<p><p>In his book, Breyer does not directly criticize Supreme Court justices who hew to textualism and originalism, going only so far as to refer to \u201cseveral new Justices [who] have spent only two or three years at the Court\u201d who have weighed in on major cases. The three new justices to whom he is presumably referring \u2014 Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, all picked by former president Donald Trump \u2014 are mentioned only a handful of times, if at all.<p><p>\u201cMajor changes take time, and there are many years left for the newly appointed Justices to decide whether they want to build the law using only textualism and originalism or instead taking advantage of all of the methods I have described here,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cBut in planning how they would like to change the interpretive system, they must think about what will work best for the Court and for the country. They may well be concerned about the decline in trust in the Court \u2014 as shown by public opinion polls.\u201d<p><p>Breyer\u2019s book is set to be released March 26, coinciding with the date the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case that will <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/12/13/abortion-drug-supreme-court-mifepristone-fda/\" target=\"_blank\">decide whether to limit access</a> to the medication mifepristone, which used in more than half of all abortions in the United States.<p><p><i>Ann E. Marimow contributed to this report.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T15:03:06.568Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/F7FHTMKGYZFRHKXTN2INPYT5GU/20240318-194778.780/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AFPVFKT7TYI6ZDGIW2LFMS5HSY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Justice Stephen G. Breyer at the announcement of his retirement from the Supreme Court at the White House on Jan. 27, 2022. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Retired Supreme Court justice Stephen G. Breyer has never been one to shy from his criticism of textualism and originalism, the twin approaches to interpreting the Constitution<b> </b>strictly through the meaning of its text as it was understood at the time of writing.<p><p>During his nearly three decades on the Supreme Court, Breyer took a more pragmatic approach, issuing opinions or dissents and giving lectures that <a href=\"https://hls.harvard.edu/today/in-harvard-lecture-breyer-challenges-originalists/\" target=\"_blank\">challenged originalists\u2019 approach</a> usually favored by conservatives. His new book, down to its title \u2014 \u201cReading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, <i>Not </i>Textualism\u201d \u2014 aims to cement his belief in former chief justice John Marshall\u2019s philosophy that \u201cthe Constitution must be a workable set of principles to be interpreted by subsequent generations.\u201d<p><p>The book also serves as Breyer\u2019s warning that the textualist approach by the high court\u2019s current conservative majority has led to wrongly decided cases with significant consequences for the country \u2014 most notably the restriction of access to abortion and the expansion of gun rights.<p><p>Over more than 250 pages, Breyer breaks down what textualism and originalism are, while laying out why he believes the philosophies limit how the law is applied in the modern day. One of the basic problems with the \u201coriginalist\u201d approach, he writes, is that it presumes judges can be historians when they have little experience \u201canswering contested historical questions or applying those answers to resolve contemporary problems.\u201d<p><p>\u201cI do not say \u2018never\u2019 look to history. Often it is a useful tool,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cBut to tell judges they must rely exclusively upon history imposes upon them a task that they cannot accomplish.\u201d<p><p>Alan Morrison, the associate dean for public interest and public service at George Washington University Law School, said that it should be no surprise that Breyer \u2014 who was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1994 and retired in 2022 \u2014 would write a book raising questions about certain court decisions and expressing concern for the court\u2019s future. In fact, Morrison noted that former justice John Paul Stevens did the same in his <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/john-paul-stevens-looks-back-on-nearly-a-century-of-life-and-law-but-worries-about-the-future/2019/05/11/494d5768-7332-11e9-9f06-5fc2ee80027a_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">2019 memoir</a>.<p><p>\u201cI think what Justice Breyer\u2019s trying to do here is to lay it out in an accessible manner ... to try to get people to understand why he believes that textualism is not a very good idea,\u201d said Morrison, who noted that Breyer is a friend. \u201cThe beauty of the book is he does it with specific cases and he shows why textualism doesn\u2019t work and why other approaches are necessary,\u201d Morrison added.<p><p>In the book, Breyer examines in detail two major Supreme Court cases from 2022 \u2014 his last term on the bench \u2014 that he argues were wrongly decided because the majority used a textualist approach to interpret the Constitution, to the detriment of an already politically divided nation: <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/roe-wade-decision-pdf/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization</i></a>, which ended the constitutional right to abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years, and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/23/supreme-court-gun-control/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>New York State Rifle &amp; Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen</i></a><i>, </i>which determined that law-abiding Americans have a right to carry a handgun outside the home for self-defense.<p><p>Breyer in his book outlines just some of the ways America has evolved since 1790: an exponentially larger population, with more citizens living in densely packed cities, coupled with guns that evolved to allow a shooter to kill more people, more quickly \u2014 \u201cto a degree likely unimaginable to the Founders.\u201d<p><p>\u201cIn part for these reasons, guns today pose a unique threat to American society if not properly regulated,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cBut originalism says that judges cannot consider these modern developments and practical realities. Nor can judges weigh the resulting interest of federal, state, and local governments in regulating guns to protect the health and welfare of all their citizens.\u201d<p><p>In his dissent in <i>Bruen</i>, Breyer argued that the majority\u2019s decision would make it more difficult for state lawmakers to take steps to limit the dangers of gun violence. The Second Amendment allows states to \u201ctake account of the serious problems posed by gun violence,\u201d wrote Breyer, who was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.<p><p>In his book, Breyer further argues that a pragmatic approach to interpreting the Constitution as a \u201cworkable\u201d document is required to \u201chold together a diverse population for hundreds of years,\u201d citing the court\u2019s decision in <i>Bruen.</i><p><p>\u201cHow can a jurisprudential philosophy grounded in that Constitution ignore these practical realities and the deadly consequences of striking down the efforts of democratically elected bodies to address those realities?\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cI do not think it can.\u201d<p><p>Breyer also goes into considerable detail criticizing the <i>Dobbs </i>decision, in which the court\u2019s conservative supermajority overturned <i>Roe v. Wade </i>on the reasoning that those who ratified the Constitution in 1788 and the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 did not understand the document to protect reproductive rights<i>.</i><p><p>However, Breyer argues, it was only White men who ratified the Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment, because at both points in time women \u201cwere not understood as full members of the political community.\u201d (Women would not gain the right to vote until 1920.)<p><p>\u201cThe recognition of women\u2019s rights \u2014 from the right to vote to the right to an abortion \u2014 flowed from, and contributed to, women\u2019s ever-growing role in society, particularly in the workplace and in politics,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cIn the face of this progress, originalism would limit the kinds of liberty interest cognizable under the Fourteenth Amendment to those contemplated by men who existed in a time when women were not considered to have a legal identity separate from their husbands.\u201d<p><p>Moreover, Breyer writes that a textualist approach does not necessarily bring a certainty to the law that its proponents argue it does. For instance, there remains a litany of abortion-related questions \u2014 whether the Constitution assures a woman an abortion to save her life; whether states can forbid sending abortion medication through the mail \u2014 that could lead to further Supreme Court cases.<p><p>\u201cThe <i>Dobbs </i>majority\u2019s hope that legislatures and not courts will decide the abortion question will not be realized. After all, different states will enact different laws and enforce them differently,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cOne can \u2014 with ease \u2014 think of similar issues invoking the Second Amendment and affirmative action; those questions may also prove complex and reappear in the Court, requiring answers, which may in turn lead to further cases.\u201d<p><p>In his book, Breyer does not directly criticize Supreme Court justices who hew to textualism and originalism, going only so far as to refer to \u201cseveral new Justices [who] have spent only two or three years at the Court\u201d who have weighed in on major cases. The three new justices to whom he is presumably referring \u2014 Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, all picked by former president Donald Trump \u2014 are mentioned only a handful of times, if at all.<p><p>\u201cMajor changes take time, and there are many years left for the newly appointed Justices to decide whether they want to build the law using only textualism and originalism or instead taking advantage of all of the methods I have described here,\u201d Breyer writes. \u201cBut in planning how they would like to change the interpretive system, they must think about what will work best for the Court and for the country. They may well be concerned about the decline in trust in the Court \u2014 as shown by public opinion polls.\u201d<p><p>Breyer\u2019s book is set to be released March 26, coinciding with the date the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case that will <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/12/13/abortion-drug-supreme-court-mifepristone-fda/\" target=\"_blank\">decide whether to limit access</a> to the medication mifepristone, which used in more than half of all abortions in the United States.<p><p><i>Ann E. Marimow contributed to this report.</i><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 23, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Trump seeks to appeal judge\u2019s order keeping Fani Willis on Georgia case", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Trump seeks to appeal judge\u2019s order keeping Fani Willis on Georgia case"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/18/trump-appeal-fani-willis-georgia/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/18/trump-appeal-fani-willis-georgia/", "summary": "2024-03-18T20:31:55.058Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/JBEFRQLUHFH5BC47S2A3POWQ7I/20240318-192280.808/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WC77SCEG5TC7LX2VOGWRQB5KSI.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis attends a hearing on the Georgia election interference case March 1 in Atlanta. (Alex Slitz/Reuters)</small></div><p>ATLANTA \u2014 Former president Donald Trump and several allies charged in the Georgia election interference case asked the presiding judge to let them appeal his <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/15/fani-willis-trump-georgia-case/\" target=\"_blank\">ruling</a> allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) to stay on the case.<p><p>In a Monday court filing, Trump and eight co-defendants requested that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee grant them a \u201ccertificate of immediate review\u201d of his <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/15/fani-willis-trump-georgia-case/\" target=\"_blank\">order</a> last week denying defense motions seeking to disqualify Willis over claims that she had an improper romantic relationship with an outside prosecutor she had appointed to lead the case.<p><p>The certificate, if approved, would allow defendants to appeal McAfee\u2019s order before the Georgia Court of Appeals.<p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/the-trump-trials/?method=SURL&amp;location=ART\">Subscribe to The Trump Trials, our weekly email newsletter on Donald Trump's four criminal cases</a><p>On Friday, McAfee ruled that Trump and the others had \u201cfailed to meet their burden\u201d in proving that Willis\u2019s romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade and allegations that she was financially enriched by trips the two took together were enough of a \u201cconflict of interest\u201d to remove her from the case. However, McAfee also found a \u201csignificant appearance of impropriety\u201d and said either Willis and her office or Wade had to leave the case. Wade resigned later Friday.<p><p>In their Monday motion, Trump and the others argued that Wade\u2019s resignation was \u201cinsufficient to cure the appearance of impropriety the Court has determined exists.\u201d<p><p>\u201cThe Court found that District Attorney Willis\u2019 actions had created an appearance of impropriety and an \u2018odor of mendacity\u2019 that lingers in this case, as well as the continuing possibility that \u2018an outsider could reasonably think that District Attorney Willis is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences,\u2019\u201d the defense motion stated, quoting McAfee\u2019s ruling.<p><p>\u201cDefendants believe that the relevant case law requires dismissal of the case, or at the very least, the disqualification of the District Attorney and her entire office under the facts that exist here,\u201d the motion added.<p><p>Trump and others had also argued that Willis should be disqualified because of comments she made in a Jan. 14 speech at a historic Black church in Atlanta where she <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/01/14/fani-willis-georgia-trump/\" target=\"_blank\">suggested that the criticism of her and Wade was racially motivated.</a><p><p>McAfee ruled Friday that defendants had not proven that Willis\u2019s comments had tainted the potential jury pool, partly because it was too early to know. He also said case law on forensic misconduct by prosecutors was too vague to determine whether Willis\u2019s remarks met that standard. But the judge was deeply critical of Willis\u2019s speech, describing it as \u201clegally improper.\u201d<p><p>Trump and the others pointed to McAfee\u2019s opinion about the speech as they argued that a higher court should review his ruling.<p><p>\u201cWhether District Attorney Willis and her Office are permitted to continue representing the State of Georgia in prosecuting the Defendants in this action is of the utmost importance to this case, and ensuring the appellate courts have the opportunity to weigh in on these matters pre-trial is paramount,\u201d the defense motion stated.<p><p>The defense motion was initially filed by attorneys for eight co-defendants who originally sought to disqualify Willis, including Trump, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Trump campaign aides Mike Roman and Harrison Floyd, former Trump campaign attorney Robert Cheeley, former Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer and Trump Georgia elector Cathleen Latham. Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark joined the motion a short time later, a delay caused by a \u201cpaperwork mistake,\u201d according to his lawyer Harry MacDougald.<p><p>A spokesman for Willis declined to comment.<p><p>Steve Sadow, an attorney for Trump, said in a statement that McAfee\u2019s ruling on Willis \u201cis ripe for pretrial appellate review.\u201d<p><p>McAfee has given no hints about whether he will grant defendants the right to appeal his ruling on Willis. In a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/13/trump-georgia-election-case-charges-dropped/\" target=\"_blank\">separate order last week dismissing six counts</a> of the original 41-count indictment, the judge included language informing prosecutors he would approve an appeal if they requested one. No such language was included in Friday\u2019s order on Willis \u2014 an omission that surprised some involved in the case.<p><p>Defendants had 10 days from last Friday to seek a certificate of review. There is no timetable for McAfee as he considers whether to allow an appeal to move forward. If McAfee grants a review, Trump and others would have another 10 days to file their case before the state Court of Appeals, which then has 45 days to determine whether to take the case. If the appellate court declines to take the case, Trump and the other could ask the Georgia Supreme Court to hear it.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T20:31:55.058Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/JBEFRQLUHFH5BC47S2A3POWQ7I/20240318-192280.808/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WC77SCEG5TC7LX2VOGWRQB5KSI.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis attends a hearing on the Georgia election interference case March 1 in Atlanta. (Alex Slitz/Reuters)</small></div><p>ATLANTA \u2014 Former president Donald Trump and several allies charged in the Georgia election interference case asked the presiding judge to let them appeal his <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/15/fani-willis-trump-georgia-case/\" target=\"_blank\">ruling</a> allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) to stay on the case.<p><p>In a Monday court filing, Trump and eight co-defendants requested that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee grant them a \u201ccertificate of immediate review\u201d of his <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/15/fani-willis-trump-georgia-case/\" target=\"_blank\">order</a> last week denying defense motions seeking to disqualify Willis over claims that she had an improper romantic relationship with an outside prosecutor she had appointed to lead the case.<p><p>The certificate, if approved, would allow defendants to appeal McAfee\u2019s order before the Georgia Court of Appeals.<p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/the-trump-trials/?method=SURL&amp;location=ART\">Subscribe to The Trump Trials, our weekly email newsletter on Donald Trump's four criminal cases</a><p>On Friday, McAfee ruled that Trump and the others had \u201cfailed to meet their burden\u201d in proving that Willis\u2019s romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade and allegations that she was financially enriched by trips the two took together were enough of a \u201cconflict of interest\u201d to remove her from the case. However, McAfee also found a \u201csignificant appearance of impropriety\u201d and said either Willis and her office or Wade had to leave the case. Wade resigned later Friday.<p><p>In their Monday motion, Trump and the others argued that Wade\u2019s resignation was \u201cinsufficient to cure the appearance of impropriety the Court has determined exists.\u201d<p><p>\u201cThe Court found that District Attorney Willis\u2019 actions had created an appearance of impropriety and an \u2018odor of mendacity\u2019 that lingers in this case, as well as the continuing possibility that \u2018an outsider could reasonably think that District Attorney Willis is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences,\u2019\u201d the defense motion stated, quoting McAfee\u2019s ruling.<p><p>\u201cDefendants believe that the relevant case law requires dismissal of the case, or at the very least, the disqualification of the District Attorney and her entire office under the facts that exist here,\u201d the motion added.<p><p>Trump and others had also argued that Willis should be disqualified because of comments she made in a Jan. 14 speech at a historic Black church in Atlanta where she <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/01/14/fani-willis-georgia-trump/\" target=\"_blank\">suggested that the criticism of her and Wade was racially motivated.</a><p><p>McAfee ruled Friday that defendants had not proven that Willis\u2019s comments had tainted the potential jury pool, partly because it was too early to know. He also said case law on forensic misconduct by prosecutors was too vague to determine whether Willis\u2019s remarks met that standard. But the judge was deeply critical of Willis\u2019s speech, describing it as \u201clegally improper.\u201d<p><p>Trump and the others pointed to McAfee\u2019s opinion about the speech as they argued that a higher court should review his ruling.<p><p>\u201cWhether District Attorney Willis and her Office are permitted to continue representing the State of Georgia in prosecuting the Defendants in this action is of the utmost importance to this case, and ensuring the appellate courts have the opportunity to weigh in on these matters pre-trial is paramount,\u201d the defense motion stated.<p><p>The defense motion was initially filed by attorneys for eight co-defendants who originally sought to disqualify Willis, including Trump, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Trump campaign aides Mike Roman and Harrison Floyd, former Trump campaign attorney Robert Cheeley, former Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer and Trump Georgia elector Cathleen Latham. Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark joined the motion a short time later, a delay caused by a \u201cpaperwork mistake,\u201d according to his lawyer Harry MacDougald.<p><p>A spokesman for Willis declined to comment.<p><p>Steve Sadow, an attorney for Trump, said in a statement that McAfee\u2019s ruling on Willis \u201cis ripe for pretrial appellate review.\u201d<p><p>McAfee has given no hints about whether he will grant defendants the right to appeal his ruling on Willis. In a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/13/trump-georgia-election-case-charges-dropped/\" target=\"_blank\">separate order last week dismissing six counts</a> of the original 41-count indictment, the judge included language informing prosecutors he would approve an appeal if they requested one. No such language was included in Friday\u2019s order on Willis \u2014 an omission that surprised some involved in the case.<p><p>Defendants had 10 days from last Friday to seek a certificate of review. There is no timetable for McAfee as he considers whether to allow an appeal to move forward. If McAfee grants a review, Trump and others would have another 10 days to file their case before the state Court of Appeals, which then has 45 days to determine whether to take the case. If the appellate court declines to take the case, Trump and the other could ask the Georgia Supreme Court to hear it.<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 23, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Supreme Court refuses to delay prison time for Trump aide Peter Navarro", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Supreme Court refuses to delay prison time for Trump aide Peter Navarro"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/navarro-supreme-court-prison-report/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/navarro-supreme-court-prison-report/", "summary": "2024-03-18T20:51:42.677Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/AGMNCW6YU5HRRCKXD22CFODPQI/20240318-183036.369/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FWT3YJQVT4I6ZOLW6SSDW5AK5M.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Peter Navarro, then-White House trade adviser, speaks with President Donald Trump and members of the coronavirus task force in March 2020. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Monday refused to delay prison time for Peter Navarro, a former senior aide to President Donald Trump, as he appeals his conviction for refusing to testify before Congress about his involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.<p><p>Navarro, a 74-year-old economist, is scheduled to report to federal prison in Miami before 2 p.m. Tuesday.<p><p>In a one-paragraph order, Roberts, who oversees emergency requests from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, said he saw no basis to disagree with an appeals court ruling last week that Navarro must serve time while his appeal is underway.<p><p>Navarro was sentenced in January<b> </b>to four months after a jury convicted him on two counts of contempt of Congress.<p><p>The <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.40540/gov.uscourts.cadc.40540.1208604640.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit </a>last week refused Navarro\u2019s request to remain free. A three-judge panel said Navarro \u201chas not shown that his appeal presents substantial questions of law or fact likely\u201d<b> </b>to undo his conviction or sentence.<p><p>After the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/january-6-capitol-riot/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_10\" target=\"_blank\">Jan. 6</a>, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Navarro <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/09/navarro-subpoena/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_10\" target=\"_blank\">published a book</a> in which he described a plot to throw the election to Trump during the counting of electoral votes that day. He credited the idea to right-wing podcast host and former Trump strategist Stephen K. Bannon.<p><p>When the House committee investigating the attack issued subpoenas for Navarro and Bannon to elaborate on those plans, both men ignored them. Now the two are fighting <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/21/bannon-sentence-contempt-jan6/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_12\" target=\"_blank\">prison sentences</a> for contempt of Congress. The District Court judge presiding over Bannon\u2019s case, however, allowed him to stay out of prison while Bannon pursued an argument on appeal not available to Navarro \u2014 that in refusing to testify,<b> </b>he was relying on advice from his attorney.<p><p>Navarro\u2019s attorneys, who declined to comment Monday, told the Supreme Court on Friday that their client is \u201cindisputably neither a flight risk nor a danger to public safety should he be released pending appeal.\u201d<p><p>The attorneys said their client refused to comply with a congressional subpoena because he thought he was required to assert executive privilege. They argued that the law is not clear on whether Congress intended to punish senior presidential advisers in such circumstances.<p><p>But Navarro had no documentation to show that Trump ever planned to assert that privilege to keep his aide from testifying, and Trump has never publicly corroborated Navarro\u2019s account.<p><p>In denying Navarro\u2019s request on Monday, Roberts agreed with the appeals court finding that Navarro had given up the right at this stage to challenge the District Court\u2019s conclusion that executive privilege was not invoked.<p><p><i>Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T20:51:42.677Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/AGMNCW6YU5HRRCKXD22CFODPQI/20240318-183036.369/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FWT3YJQVT4I6ZOLW6SSDW5AK5M.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Peter Navarro, then-White House trade adviser, speaks with President Donald Trump and members of the coronavirus task force in March 2020. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Monday refused to delay prison time for Peter Navarro, a former senior aide to President Donald Trump, as he appeals his conviction for refusing to testify before Congress about his involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.<p><p>Navarro, a 74-year-old economist, is scheduled to report to federal prison in Miami before 2 p.m. Tuesday.<p><p>In a one-paragraph order, Roberts, who oversees emergency requests from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, said he saw no basis to disagree with an appeals court ruling last week that Navarro must serve time while his appeal is underway.<p><p>Navarro was sentenced in January<b> </b>to four months after a jury convicted him on two counts of contempt of Congress.<p><p>The <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.40540/gov.uscourts.cadc.40540.1208604640.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit </a>last week refused Navarro\u2019s request to remain free. A three-judge panel said Navarro \u201chas not shown that his appeal presents substantial questions of law or fact likely\u201d<b> </b>to undo his conviction or sentence.<p><p>After the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/january-6-capitol-riot/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_10\" target=\"_blank\">Jan. 6</a>, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Navarro <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/09/navarro-subpoena/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_10\" target=\"_blank\">published a book</a> in which he described a plot to throw the election to Trump during the counting of electoral votes that day. He credited the idea to right-wing podcast host and former Trump strategist Stephen K. Bannon.<p><p>When the House committee investigating the attack issued subpoenas for Navarro and Bannon to elaborate on those plans, both men ignored them. Now the two are fighting <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/21/bannon-sentence-contempt-jan6/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_12\" target=\"_blank\">prison sentences</a> for contempt of Congress. The District Court judge presiding over Bannon\u2019s case, however, allowed him to stay out of prison while Bannon pursued an argument on appeal not available to Navarro \u2014 that in refusing to testify,<b> </b>he was relying on advice from his attorney.<p><p>Navarro\u2019s attorneys, who declined to comment Monday, told the Supreme Court on Friday that their client is \u201cindisputably neither a flight risk nor a danger to public safety should he be released pending appeal.\u201d<p><p>The attorneys said their client refused to comply with a congressional subpoena because he thought he was required to assert executive privilege. They argued that the law is not clear on whether Congress intended to punish senior presidential advisers in such circumstances.<p><p>But Navarro had no documentation to show that Trump ever planned to assert that privilege to keep his aide from testifying, and Trump has never publicly corroborated Navarro\u2019s account.<p><p>In denying Navarro\u2019s request on Monday, Roberts agreed with the appeals court finding that Navarro had given up the right at this stage to challenge the District Court\u2019s conclusion that executive privilege was not invoked.<p><p><i>Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.</i><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:54:09 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 22, 54, 9, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Industry-friendly Va. \u2018skill games\u2019 bill could get caught in arena fight", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Industry-friendly Va. \u2018skill games\u2019 bill could get caught in arena fight"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/18/skill-games-virginia-arena-bill-youngkin/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/18/skill-games-virginia-arena-bill-youngkin/", "summary": "2024-03-14T19:37:33.272Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/XGBSQ5VPLBHEDAIPACEQXRZFZQ/20240318-184238.386/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YNAUU3SC24I6VGOHDX6UEQNC7Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A bill before Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin would bring \u201cskill games\u201d to much of the commonwealth. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>RICHMOND \u2014 A bill to bring slots-like gaming machines to neighborhood stores and restaurants across<b> </b>Virginia hangs in limbo, approved by the General Assembly but awaiting action from Gov. Glenn Youngkin.<p><p>The Republican has been <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/14/virginia-youngkin-arena-budget-taxes/\" target=\"_blank\">on a tear with vetoes</a> since the legislature adjourned March 9 without authorizing his plan<b> </b>to build a $2 billion, publicly financed <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/13/capitals-wizards-move-alexandria-potomac-yard/\" target=\"_blank\">sports arena in Alexandria for the Washington Capitals and Wizards</a>. Youngkin hinted weeks ago that the <a href=\"https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=241&amp;typ=bil&amp;val=sb212\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cskill games\u201d bill</a> \u2014 championed by the legislature\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/10/virginia-arena-leonsis-lucas-youngkin/\" target=\"_blank\">chief arena roadblock</a>, Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) \u2014 could be a target. He ramped up the threat Friday with a <a href=\"https://x.com/TeamYoungkin/status/1768698680800899576?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">post on X</a> claiming that Democrats\u2019 vision for Virginia is \u201ca pot shop on every corner and \u2026 a slot machine in every 7-Eleven.\u201d<p><p>Advocates on both sides of skill games, wary of getting caught up in the arena fight, have been left wondering: Is the governor really giving a heads-up about a pending veto, or merely using that threat as a bargaining chip as he tries to revive his potentially legacy-making arena plan? Skill game supporters fear Youngkin, who has until April 8 to act on the measure, might veto it out of spite, while critics of the industry worry he might go along with it as part of a deal to get the arena.<p><p>Youngkin, who can revive the arena plan when the legislature reconvenes April 17 to consider his vetoes and amendments to bills, did not answer directly when asked<b> </b>at an appearance in Chesapeake on Monday if he would use skill games as a bargaining chip. He said he did not need to bargain to get a better state budget \u2014 a bill he is widely expected to amend by adding language for the arena plan. He also reiterated concerns about underage players and safety related to skill games.<p><p>A handful of legislators met behind closed doors last month in the homestretch of the General Assembly session to iron out differences between two bills to bring the gaming machines<b> </b>\u2014 which look and operate much like video-style slot machines \u2014<b> </b>to restaurants, stores and gas stations across the commonwealth.<p><p>Among the many points of disagreement: The House version would have allowed each truck stop to host up to five skill games, the Senate, seven. The surprising compromise they eventually struck upped that number to 10.<p><p>While it also sets a 25 percent tax on game revenue and requires a central monitoring system to make sure the state gets its full share, the compromise bill is widely seen as favorable to an industry that since 2020 the General Assembly has twice seen fit to ban.<p><p>In<b> </b>the version sent to Youngkin, the legislation would shield most of the people involved in skill games from the kinds of background checks imposed top to bottom on the casino industry. It requires no local referendum for the games to be installed in neighborhood locations and imposes no statewide limit on the number of machines; a 15,000-machine maximum in an earlier version got scrapped. Compared to casinos, the bill contains weak provisions for guarding against play by minors and problem gamblers.<p><p>\u201cIf this comes to pass, we\u2019re going to look a lot more like Nevada than Virginia,\u201d said Ronnie Jones, a longtime Louisiana State Police official who led that state\u2019s Gaming Control Board for seven years and became active in the fight against skill games after moving to Norfolk two years ago. \u201cThe fingerprints of the industry are all over the compromise that came out. There are too few guardrails.\u201d<p><p>Legislators who\u2019ve led the charge for the games stand by their support for \u201cskill\u201d or \u201cgray\u201d machines \u2014 so called because they occupied a legal gray area before the state banned them and because operators claim that winnings depend on a player\u2019s skill, not pure chance like conventional slots. Supporters call the games a financial lifeline for mom-and-pop convenience stores, a source of new revenue for the state \u2014 and a matter of economic fairness, because they would let small businesses get a piece of the gaming action dominated by the state\u2019s casinos and \u201chistorical horse racing\u201d parlors, which feature a video horse-racing game similar to slots.<p><p>\u201cThe skill game legislation that\u2019s now before the governor helps small businesses survive in these tough economic times and it\u2019s only fair to let Virginia small businesses participate and not allow an out-of-state [casino] monopoly in the gaming industry to persist,\u201d said state Sen. William M. Stanley Jr. (R-Franklin), who as a private attorney represented truck-stop owner and former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler in an unsuccessful lawsuit challenging the state\u2019s ban on the machines.<p><p>Stanley \u2014 who also has a racecar team and podcast with Sadler, both sponsored by Pace-O-Matic, the largest maker of skill games<b> </b>\u2014 was not the author of the bill but was on the conference committee that hashed out the compromise. The state\u2019s Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council determined Stanley could debate, vote and otherwise participate in legislation related to skill games as long as the measure would apply to the industry as a whole, not just Pace-O-Matic.<p><p>House and Senate bills \u2014 sponsored by Sen. Aaron R. Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) and Del. C.E. \u201cCliff\u201d Hayes Jr. (D-Chesapeake) \u2014 started out identical. Both would allow the games to operate after a simple registration with the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC), no background checks required. They would have allowed five games in ABC establishments and 10 in truck stops and imposed a 15 percent tax on the revenue generated.<p><p>The bills diverged sharply after<b> </b>Del. Paul E. Krizek (D-Fairfax) successfully pushed for a rewrite<b> </b>of the House version as chairman of the chamber\u2019s gaming subcommittee. His version sought to hold skill games to a standard closer to casinos, putting them under the direction of the Virginia Lottery, which regulates casinos. It also would have required criminal background checks for anyone directly involved in the \u201cmanufacture, distribution, operation, or hosting of any electronic gaming device.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/QQMILD7EICHBVTXZZXOOPWNZCY.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Del. Paul E. Krizek (D-Fairfax) (Minh Connors for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>His bill would have required the Lottery Board to deny or revoke skill game licenses to anyone who has been convicted of a felony, illegal gambling, a crime of moral turpitude or has been \u201cfound to have engaged in conduct prejudicial to public confidence in electronic gaming devices.\u201d Krizek\u2019s bill also gave the Lottery director discretion to refuse a license to someone who \u201clacks good character, honesty, or integrity.\u201d<p><p>\u201cI can tell you this is a cash business and when this much cash is involved, bad things are going to happen if you don\u2019t do strict security on the people who are involved,\u201d said Jones, the former Louisiana gaming board official.<p><p>But backers of the compromise version contended that the background checks could be too onerous for mom-and-pop stores and restaurants, perhaps making it hard for them to find employees.<b> </b>The compromise bill calls for background checks, but only<b> </b>for the individual who files the application for skill games.<p><p>Krizek, a vocal skeptic of skill games,<b> </b>said he<b> </b>hopes Youngkin amends the bill to look more like his substitute, with more robust regulations \u2014 including more expansive background checks.<p><p>\u201cIf he does amend it, we\u2019ve given him a really good road map,\u201d Krizek said.<p><p><i>Gregory S. Schneider in Chesapeake, Va., contributed to this report.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-14T19:37:33.272Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/XGBSQ5VPLBHEDAIPACEQXRZFZQ/20240318-184238.386/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YNAUU3SC24I6VGOHDX6UEQNC7Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A bill before Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin would bring \u201cskill games\u201d to much of the commonwealth. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>RICHMOND \u2014 A bill to bring slots-like gaming machines to neighborhood stores and restaurants across<b> </b>Virginia hangs in limbo, approved by the General Assembly but awaiting action from Gov. Glenn Youngkin.<p><p>The Republican has been <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/14/virginia-youngkin-arena-budget-taxes/\" target=\"_blank\">on a tear with vetoes</a> since the legislature adjourned March 9 without authorizing his plan<b> </b>to build a $2 billion, publicly financed <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/13/capitals-wizards-move-alexandria-potomac-yard/\" target=\"_blank\">sports arena in Alexandria for the Washington Capitals and Wizards</a>. Youngkin hinted weeks ago that the <a href=\"https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=241&amp;typ=bil&amp;val=sb212\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cskill games\u201d bill</a> \u2014 championed by the legislature\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/10/virginia-arena-leonsis-lucas-youngkin/\" target=\"_blank\">chief arena roadblock</a>, Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) \u2014 could be a target. He ramped up the threat Friday with a <a href=\"https://x.com/TeamYoungkin/status/1768698680800899576?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">post on X</a> claiming that Democrats\u2019 vision for Virginia is \u201ca pot shop on every corner and \u2026 a slot machine in every 7-Eleven.\u201d<p><p>Advocates on both sides of skill games, wary of getting caught up in the arena fight, have been left wondering: Is the governor really giving a heads-up about a pending veto, or merely using that threat as a bargaining chip as he tries to revive his potentially legacy-making arena plan? Skill game supporters fear Youngkin, who has until April 8 to act on the measure, might veto it out of spite, while critics of the industry worry he might go along with it as part of a deal to get the arena.<p><p>Youngkin, who can revive the arena plan when the legislature reconvenes April 17 to consider his vetoes and amendments to bills, did not answer directly when asked<b> </b>at an appearance in Chesapeake on Monday if he would use skill games as a bargaining chip. He said he did not need to bargain to get a better state budget \u2014 a bill he is widely expected to amend by adding language for the arena plan. He also reiterated concerns about underage players and safety related to skill games.<p><p>A handful of legislators met behind closed doors last month in the homestretch of the General Assembly session to iron out differences between two bills to bring the gaming machines<b> </b>\u2014 which look and operate much like video-style slot machines \u2014<b> </b>to restaurants, stores and gas stations across the commonwealth.<p><p>Among the many points of disagreement: The House version would have allowed each truck stop to host up to five skill games, the Senate, seven. The surprising compromise they eventually struck upped that number to 10.<p><p>While it also sets a 25 percent tax on game revenue and requires a central monitoring system to make sure the state gets its full share, the compromise bill is widely seen as favorable to an industry that since 2020 the General Assembly has twice seen fit to ban.<p><p>In<b> </b>the version sent to Youngkin, the legislation would shield most of the people involved in skill games from the kinds of background checks imposed top to bottom on the casino industry. It requires no local referendum for the games to be installed in neighborhood locations and imposes no statewide limit on the number of machines; a 15,000-machine maximum in an earlier version got scrapped. Compared to casinos, the bill contains weak provisions for guarding against play by minors and problem gamblers.<p><p>\u201cIf this comes to pass, we\u2019re going to look a lot more like Nevada than Virginia,\u201d said Ronnie Jones, a longtime Louisiana State Police official who led that state\u2019s Gaming Control Board for seven years and became active in the fight against skill games after moving to Norfolk two years ago. \u201cThe fingerprints of the industry are all over the compromise that came out. There are too few guardrails.\u201d<p><p>Legislators who\u2019ve led the charge for the games stand by their support for \u201cskill\u201d or \u201cgray\u201d machines \u2014 so called because they occupied a legal gray area before the state banned them and because operators claim that winnings depend on a player\u2019s skill, not pure chance like conventional slots. Supporters call the games a financial lifeline for mom-and-pop convenience stores, a source of new revenue for the state \u2014 and a matter of economic fairness, because they would let small businesses get a piece of the gaming action dominated by the state\u2019s casinos and \u201chistorical horse racing\u201d parlors, which feature a video horse-racing game similar to slots.<p><p>\u201cThe skill game legislation that\u2019s now before the governor helps small businesses survive in these tough economic times and it\u2019s only fair to let Virginia small businesses participate and not allow an out-of-state [casino] monopoly in the gaming industry to persist,\u201d said state Sen. William M. Stanley Jr. (R-Franklin), who as a private attorney represented truck-stop owner and former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler in an unsuccessful lawsuit challenging the state\u2019s ban on the machines.<p><p>Stanley \u2014 who also has a racecar team and podcast with Sadler, both sponsored by Pace-O-Matic, the largest maker of skill games<b> </b>\u2014 was not the author of the bill but was on the conference committee that hashed out the compromise. The state\u2019s Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council determined Stanley could debate, vote and otherwise participate in legislation related to skill games as long as the measure would apply to the industry as a whole, not just Pace-O-Matic.<p><p>House and Senate bills \u2014 sponsored by Sen. Aaron R. Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) and Del. C.E. \u201cCliff\u201d Hayes Jr. (D-Chesapeake) \u2014 started out identical. Both would allow the games to operate after a simple registration with the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC), no background checks required. They would have allowed five games in ABC establishments and 10 in truck stops and imposed a 15 percent tax on the revenue generated.<p><p>The bills diverged sharply after<b> </b>Del. Paul E. Krizek (D-Fairfax) successfully pushed for a rewrite<b> </b>of the House version as chairman of the chamber\u2019s gaming subcommittee. His version sought to hold skill games to a standard closer to casinos, putting them under the direction of the Virginia Lottery, which regulates casinos. It also would have required criminal background checks for anyone directly involved in the \u201cmanufacture, distribution, operation, or hosting of any electronic gaming device.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/QQMILD7EICHBVTXZZXOOPWNZCY.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Del. Paul E. Krizek (D-Fairfax) (Minh Connors for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>His bill would have required the Lottery Board to deny or revoke skill game licenses to anyone who has been convicted of a felony, illegal gambling, a crime of moral turpitude or has been \u201cfound to have engaged in conduct prejudicial to public confidence in electronic gaming devices.\u201d Krizek\u2019s bill also gave the Lottery director discretion to refuse a license to someone who \u201clacks good character, honesty, or integrity.\u201d<p><p>\u201cI can tell you this is a cash business and when this much cash is involved, bad things are going to happen if you don\u2019t do strict security on the people who are involved,\u201d said Jones, the former Louisiana gaming board official.<p><p>But backers of the compromise version contended that the background checks could be too onerous for mom-and-pop stores and restaurants, perhaps making it hard for them to find employees.<b> </b>The compromise bill calls for background checks, but only<b> </b>for the individual who files the application for skill games.<p><p>Krizek, a vocal skeptic of skill games,<b> </b>said he<b> </b>hopes Youngkin amends the bill to look more like his substitute, with more robust regulations \u2014 including more expansive background checks.<p><p>\u201cIf he does amend it, we\u2019ve given him a really good road map,\u201d Krizek said.<p><p><i>Gregory S. Schneider in Chesapeake, Va., contributed to this report.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:54:09 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 22, 54, 9, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "The captain is back: Two surgeries later, Tyler Adams rejoins USMNT", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "The captain is back: Two surgeries later, Tyler Adams rejoins USMNT"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/tyler-adams-usmnt-captain-health/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/tyler-adams-usmnt-captain-health/", "summary": "2024-03-18T14:14:03.405Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/TN4DMEKJJZHENNGU4A3F4NGGZM/20240318-184794.948/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OJRMOKYPOLDASXJTLDHPSXFSSE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Tyler Adams has not played for the U.S. team since captaining the 2022 team in Qatar. (Aijaz Rahi/AP)</small></div><p>Tyler Adams was a centerpiece of the <a href=\"https://www.ussoccer.com/teams/usmnt\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. men\u2019s national soccer team</a>, starting in midfield in the long buildup to the 2022 World Cup and serving as the young captain of a young squad in Qatar. He was not just the on-field leader but the eloquent spokesman for a program in the bright lights after eight years in the shadows.<p><p>But then his name went missing from the roster in one camp after another, absent from friendlies and official competitions for more than a year.<p><p>It was as if \u201call of a sudden you fall off a cliff and you\u2019re kind of irrelevant in that moment,\u201d Adams said.<p><p>He had hamstring surgery last spring and a second procedure in the fall. Now, for the first time since the World Cup, Adams is back with the national team.<p><p>He was among<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/13/usmnt-roster-nations-league-tyler-adams-josh-sargent/\" target=\"_blank\"> 23 players named last week to a squad</a> seeking to win a third consecutive <a href=\"https://www.concacaf.com/nations-league/\" target=\"_blank\">Concacaf Nations League</a> title. The Americans will face Jamaica in a semifinal Thursday in Arlington, Tex. Mexico will play Panama in the other match. The third-place and championship games are Sunday.<p><p>As Adams continues to rebuild his career, his Premier League club, Bournemouth, and the U.S. team have put a cap on the amount of playing time this week.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s not flying out the gates, but I know I can contribute 45 to 60 minutes,\u201d Adams said Monday during a video call with reporters.<p><p>\u201cTyler is obviously a huge part of this team, a huge part of our culture,\u201d goalkeeper Matt Turner said. \u201cHe\u2019s a true leader on the pitch and off the pitch, and it\u2019s really great to have him back and get reintegrated with the group.\u201d<p><p>Adams, 25, returned from his latest layoff this month, appearing in a Bournemouth reserve match before logging about 20 minutes in the first team\u2019s 4-3 victory over Luton Town last week.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019ve been continuously working nonstop in the past months to make sure this time would come,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if anyone thought it would come this soon.\u201d<p><p>U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter was in regular contact with Adams and the Bournemouth staff throughout the player\u2019s recovery. Berhalter weighed whether to call in Adams for the active roster or training purposes only; they agreed he was ready to contribute in a limited capacity.<p><p>\u201cEverybody from top to bottom is excited to have him back in,\u201d U.S. assistant B.J. Callaghan said. \u201cHe just gets to be able to rejoin a group and bring his style of leadership into a group that already has a really strong leadership core.\u201d<p><p>Adams\u2019s return to the U.S. lineup would reconstitute a midfield that, along with Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah, anchored the team in Qatar and is primed to lead the charge to the <a href=\"https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026\" target=\"_blank\">2026 World Cup</a>, which will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.<p><p>Watching the national team from afar the past year, \u201cI was the biggest fan in those moments,\u201d Adams said. \u201cMissing games is always really difficult. I struggle with that. I know the influence I can have as a leader just through communicating with guys and being around the team. There were many difficult moments, a lot of ups and downs.\u201d<p><p>The physical element also proved difficult.<p><p>\u201cThe rehab process was a long one and enduring one,\u201d he added. \u201cYou learn a lot about yourself in those tough moments. \u2026 My world flipped upside down.\u201d<p><p>Adams was with Leeds United in early 2023 when he ruptured his hamstring attempting a back-heel pass in training. He had surgery about a week later. The injury, though, did not prevent a $25 million transfer to Bournemouth, a move that allowed him to remain in the Premier League after <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/leeds-relegated-after-4-1-home-defeat-by-spurs-2023-05-28/\" target=\"_blank\">Leeds\u2019s relegation</a> to the second-flight English Championship.<p><p>A setback delayed his first appearance for his new club until late September for a League Cup match. Adams played 20 minutes but <a href=\"https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/23825437.afc-bournemouth-head-coach-andoni-iraola-tyler-adams-injury/?ref=twtrec\" target=\"_blank\">reinjured the hamstring</a>.<p><p>\u201cDo I want to try to be conservative and test the waters and see if it will be okay?\u201d he remembered asking himself. \u201cOr do I just want to go through another surgery and make sure the problem is solved for the long term. I decided to take the longer term solution.\u201d<p><p>The second surgery sidelined him through the winter. There was a silver lining, though. Time away from the game meant more quality time with his girlfriend, Sarah Schmidt, and their newborn son.<p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s never a good time to be injured, but to be able to have this opportunity to become a dad and not have to think about the stresses of the game and going away and missing things \u2026 has been a huge blessing in disguise,\u201d Adams said. \u201cIt\u2019s really the best thing that has happened to me.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T14:14:03.405Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/TN4DMEKJJZHENNGU4A3F4NGGZM/20240318-184794.948/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OJRMOKYPOLDASXJTLDHPSXFSSE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Tyler Adams has not played for the U.S. team since captaining the 2022 team in Qatar. (Aijaz Rahi/AP)</small></div><p>Tyler Adams was a centerpiece of the <a href=\"https://www.ussoccer.com/teams/usmnt\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. men\u2019s national soccer team</a>, starting in midfield in the long buildup to the 2022 World Cup and serving as the young captain of a young squad in Qatar. He was not just the on-field leader but the eloquent spokesman for a program in the bright lights after eight years in the shadows.<p><p>But then his name went missing from the roster in one camp after another, absent from friendlies and official competitions for more than a year.<p><p>It was as if \u201call of a sudden you fall off a cliff and you\u2019re kind of irrelevant in that moment,\u201d Adams said.<p><p>He had hamstring surgery last spring and a second procedure in the fall. Now, for the first time since the World Cup, Adams is back with the national team.<p><p>He was among<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/13/usmnt-roster-nations-league-tyler-adams-josh-sargent/\" target=\"_blank\"> 23 players named last week to a squad</a> seeking to win a third consecutive <a href=\"https://www.concacaf.com/nations-league/\" target=\"_blank\">Concacaf Nations League</a> title. The Americans will face Jamaica in a semifinal Thursday in Arlington, Tex. Mexico will play Panama in the other match. The third-place and championship games are Sunday.<p><p>As Adams continues to rebuild his career, his Premier League club, Bournemouth, and the U.S. team have put a cap on the amount of playing time this week.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s not flying out the gates, but I know I can contribute 45 to 60 minutes,\u201d Adams said Monday during a video call with reporters.<p><p>\u201cTyler is obviously a huge part of this team, a huge part of our culture,\u201d goalkeeper Matt Turner said. \u201cHe\u2019s a true leader on the pitch and off the pitch, and it\u2019s really great to have him back and get reintegrated with the group.\u201d<p><p>Adams, 25, returned from his latest layoff this month, appearing in a Bournemouth reserve match before logging about 20 minutes in the first team\u2019s 4-3 victory over Luton Town last week.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019ve been continuously working nonstop in the past months to make sure this time would come,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if anyone thought it would come this soon.\u201d<p><p>U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter was in regular contact with Adams and the Bournemouth staff throughout the player\u2019s recovery. Berhalter weighed whether to call in Adams for the active roster or training purposes only; they agreed he was ready to contribute in a limited capacity.<p><p>\u201cEverybody from top to bottom is excited to have him back in,\u201d U.S. assistant B.J. Callaghan said. \u201cHe just gets to be able to rejoin a group and bring his style of leadership into a group that already has a really strong leadership core.\u201d<p><p>Adams\u2019s return to the U.S. lineup would reconstitute a midfield that, along with Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah, anchored the team in Qatar and is primed to lead the charge to the <a href=\"https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026\" target=\"_blank\">2026 World Cup</a>, which will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.<p><p>Watching the national team from afar the past year, \u201cI was the biggest fan in those moments,\u201d Adams said. \u201cMissing games is always really difficult. I struggle with that. I know the influence I can have as a leader just through communicating with guys and being around the team. There were many difficult moments, a lot of ups and downs.\u201d<p><p>The physical element also proved difficult.<p><p>\u201cThe rehab process was a long one and enduring one,\u201d he added. \u201cYou learn a lot about yourself in those tough moments. \u2026 My world flipped upside down.\u201d<p><p>Adams was with Leeds United in early 2023 when he ruptured his hamstring attempting a back-heel pass in training. He had surgery about a week later. The injury, though, did not prevent a $25 million transfer to Bournemouth, a move that allowed him to remain in the Premier League after <a href=\"https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/leeds-relegated-after-4-1-home-defeat-by-spurs-2023-05-28/\" target=\"_blank\">Leeds\u2019s relegation</a> to the second-flight English Championship.<p><p>A setback delayed his first appearance for his new club until late September for a League Cup match. Adams played 20 minutes but <a href=\"https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/23825437.afc-bournemouth-head-coach-andoni-iraola-tyler-adams-injury/?ref=twtrec\" target=\"_blank\">reinjured the hamstring</a>.<p><p>\u201cDo I want to try to be conservative and test the waters and see if it will be okay?\u201d he remembered asking himself. \u201cOr do I just want to go through another surgery and make sure the problem is solved for the long term. I decided to take the longer term solution.\u201d<p><p>The second surgery sidelined him through the winter. There was a silver lining, though. Time away from the game meant more quality time with his girlfriend, Sarah Schmidt, and their newborn son.<p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s never a good time to be injured, but to be able to have this opportunity to become a dad and not have to think about the stresses of the game and going away and missing things \u2026 has been a huge blessing in disguise,\u201d Adams said. \u201cIt\u2019s really the best thing that has happened to me.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:54:09 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 22, 54, 9, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "White House says Israel lacks \u2018coherent and sustainable strategy\u2019 in Gaza", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "White House says Israel lacks \u2018coherent and sustainable strategy\u2019 in Gaza"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/18/israel-gaza-biden-netanyahu-rafah/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/18/israel-gaza-biden-netanyahu-rafah/", "summary": "2024-03-18T19:07:32.177Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/MUH3BEDJTRH3ZC2GRJ5IFODP3E/20240318-175544.440/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5IEJJURCSMVFP2LAN25KDFBJM4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">National security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a news conference at the White House on Monday. (Al Drago/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)</small></div><p>President Biden has summoned a senior Israeli military, intelligence and humanitarian team to Washington for consultations over Israel\u2019s plans to launch a major military operation in Rafah, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call Monday that any effort to \u201csmash\u201d into the southern Gaza city would be a mistake, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.<p><p>\u201cThe president has rejected, and did again today,\u201d Netanyahu\u2019s contention that questioning Israel\u2019s plans for Rafah is the same as questioning its need to defeat Hamas, Sullivan said, calling it a \u201cstraw man\u201d and \u201cnonsense.\u201d<p><p>It was time for Israel and the United States to \u201cget down to brass tacks\u201d about their differing views on the war in Gaza, he said.<p><p>In the talks, which Sullivan said Israel had agreed to, the United States will \u201clay out an alternative approach that would target key Hamas elements \u2026 without a major ground invasion.\u201d He said the meeting would be held by the beginning of next week.<p><p>Sullivan insisted that the first call between the two leaders in more than a month was \u201cvery businesslike.\u201d But he made clear that it reflected Biden\u2019s rapidly growing concern that a military offensive in Rafah would make the situation immeasurably worse for the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Gaza and for Israel\u2019s long-term security. The administration has said it \u201cwould not support\u201d such an action, but has not said what form that lack of support would take.<p><p>The president, he said, \u201creserves his calls for the prime minister for when he believes there\u2019s a key strategic moment that needs to go forward.\u201d Sullivan said he had never heard Biden raise his voice in conversations with Netanyahu, but said that both \u201chad the opportunity really to elaborate each of their respective views in a full-throated way\u201d during Monday\u2019s call.<p><p>The conversation came as a new report from a group of international aid organizations known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative, or IPC, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/gaza-famine-report-ipc/\" target=\"_blank\">outlined a dire situation</a> in which more than 1.1 million people \u2014 half of the Gaza population \u2014 face catastrophic levels of hunger and starvation. \u201cThis is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded\u201d by the IPC, United Nations Secretary General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said at a news briefing.<p><p>In a statement issued by his office after the call with Biden, Netanyahu said he discussed \u201cIsrael\u2019s commitment to achieving all of the war\u2019s goals: Eliminating Hamas, freeing all our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza never constitutes a threat to Israel \u2014 while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that will assist in achieving these goals.\u201d<p><p>Biden, in increasingly public statements, has said that Israel\u2019s military operations<b> </b>risk those objectives. Despite U.S. entreaties, senior administration officials have said, Netanyahu\u2019s government has not shared a plan for an imminent attack on Rafah that would achieve the goal of eliminating Hamas, while sparing civilian lives. More than 31,000 Gazans have been killed since the war began, according to local health authorities.<p><p>\u201cThe president has repeatedly made the point that continuing military operations need to be connected to a clear strategic end game,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cThe president told the prime minister again today that we share the goal of defeating Hamas, but we just believe you need a coherent and sustainable strategy to make that happen.\u201d<p><p>\u201cNow, instead of paus[ing] to reevaluate where things stand in the campaign and what adjustments are needed to achieve long-term success, instead of a focus on stabilizing the areas of Gaza that Israel has cleared\u201d so that Hamas does not retake them, \u201cthe Israeli government is now talking about launching a major military operation in Rafah,\u201d Sullivan said.<p><p>The administration has pressed Israel instead to secure northern Gaza, where its scorched-earth military campaign began last fall, so that aid can be delivered to the hundreds of thousands of people remaining there who are on the brink of famine, and so that the hundreds of thousands more who fled to the south can return home. Late Sunday, Israel again attacked al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza City in search of Hamas fighters it had said were cleared out in its previous assault.<p><p>\u201cHamas came back into al-Shifa,\u201d Sullivan said, \u201cwhich raises questions about how to ensure a sustainable campaign against Hamas so that it cannot regenerate, cannot retake territory. And from our perspective, it is connecting Israel\u2019s objective to a sustainable strategy that is the vital thing we need to focus on right now, rather than having Israel go smash into Rafah.\u201d<p><p>\u201cThe president didn\u2019t make threats\u201d in the call with Netanyahu, Sullivan said. \u201cEach of them recognizes that we are at a critical moment in this conflict.\u201d<p><p>But \u201cwords are not enough,\u201d Sullivan said of Israeli pledges to allow humanitarian aid to flow. \u201cIt\u2019s action that matters. And the action that matters is flowing trucks and ships-worth of humanitarian assistance. \u2026 We\u2019re going to continue to press on Israel to see the kind of action we want to see.\u201d<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T19:07:32.177Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/MUH3BEDJTRH3ZC2GRJ5IFODP3E/20240318-175544.440/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5IEJJURCSMVFP2LAN25KDFBJM4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">National security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a news conference at the White House on Monday. (Al Drago/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)</small></div><p>President Biden has summoned a senior Israeli military, intelligence and humanitarian team to Washington for consultations over Israel\u2019s plans to launch a major military operation in Rafah, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call Monday that any effort to \u201csmash\u201d into the southern Gaza city would be a mistake, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.<p><p>\u201cThe president has rejected, and did again today,\u201d Netanyahu\u2019s contention that questioning Israel\u2019s plans for Rafah is the same as questioning its need to defeat Hamas, Sullivan said, calling it a \u201cstraw man\u201d and \u201cnonsense.\u201d<p><p>It was time for Israel and the United States to \u201cget down to brass tacks\u201d about their differing views on the war in Gaza, he said.<p><p>In the talks, which Sullivan said Israel had agreed to, the United States will \u201clay out an alternative approach that would target key Hamas elements \u2026 without a major ground invasion.\u201d He said the meeting would be held by the beginning of next week.<p><p>Sullivan insisted that the first call between the two leaders in more than a month was \u201cvery businesslike.\u201d But he made clear that it reflected Biden\u2019s rapidly growing concern that a military offensive in Rafah would make the situation immeasurably worse for the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Gaza and for Israel\u2019s long-term security. The administration has said it \u201cwould not support\u201d such an action, but has not said what form that lack of support would take.<p><p>The president, he said, \u201creserves his calls for the prime minister for when he believes there\u2019s a key strategic moment that needs to go forward.\u201d Sullivan said he had never heard Biden raise his voice in conversations with Netanyahu, but said that both \u201chad the opportunity really to elaborate each of their respective views in a full-throated way\u201d during Monday\u2019s call.<p><p>The conversation came as a new report from a group of international aid organizations known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative, or IPC, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/gaza-famine-report-ipc/\" target=\"_blank\">outlined a dire situation</a> in which more than 1.1 million people \u2014 half of the Gaza population \u2014 face catastrophic levels of hunger and starvation. \u201cThis is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded\u201d by the IPC, United Nations Secretary General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said at a news briefing.<p><p>In a statement issued by his office after the call with Biden, Netanyahu said he discussed \u201cIsrael\u2019s commitment to achieving all of the war\u2019s goals: Eliminating Hamas, freeing all our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza never constitutes a threat to Israel \u2014 while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that will assist in achieving these goals.\u201d<p><p>Biden, in increasingly public statements, has said that Israel\u2019s military operations<b> </b>risk those objectives. Despite U.S. entreaties, senior administration officials have said, Netanyahu\u2019s government has not shared a plan for an imminent attack on Rafah that would achieve the goal of eliminating Hamas, while sparing civilian lives. More than 31,000 Gazans have been killed since the war began, according to local health authorities.<p><p>\u201cThe president has repeatedly made the point that continuing military operations need to be connected to a clear strategic end game,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cThe president told the prime minister again today that we share the goal of defeating Hamas, but we just believe you need a coherent and sustainable strategy to make that happen.\u201d<p><p>\u201cNow, instead of paus[ing] to reevaluate where things stand in the campaign and what adjustments are needed to achieve long-term success, instead of a focus on stabilizing the areas of Gaza that Israel has cleared\u201d so that Hamas does not retake them, \u201cthe Israeli government is now talking about launching a major military operation in Rafah,\u201d Sullivan said.<p><p>The administration has pressed Israel instead to secure northern Gaza, where its scorched-earth military campaign began last fall, so that aid can be delivered to the hundreds of thousands of people remaining there who are on the brink of famine, and so that the hundreds of thousands more who fled to the south can return home. Late Sunday, Israel again attacked al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza City in search of Hamas fighters it had said were cleared out in its previous assault.<p><p>\u201cHamas came back into al-Shifa,\u201d Sullivan said, \u201cwhich raises questions about how to ensure a sustainable campaign against Hamas so that it cannot regenerate, cannot retake territory. And from our perspective, it is connecting Israel\u2019s objective to a sustainable strategy that is the vital thing we need to focus on right now, rather than having Israel go smash into Rafah.\u201d<p><p>\u201cThe president didn\u2019t make threats\u201d in the call with Netanyahu, Sullivan said. \u201cEach of them recognizes that we are at a critical moment in this conflict.\u201d<p><p>But \u201cwords are not enough,\u201d Sullivan said of Israeli pledges to allow humanitarian aid to flow. \u201cIt\u2019s action that matters. And the action that matters is flowing trucks and ships-worth of humanitarian assistance. \u2026 We\u2019re going to continue to press on Israel to see the kind of action we want to see.\u201d<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 22, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Want to fix the social worker shortage? Start with the licensing exam.", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Want to fix the social worker shortage? Start with the licensing exam."}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/18/social-work-licensure-flawed/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/18/social-work-licensure-flawed/", "summary": "2024-03-12T14:49:40.153Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/L3IT65O3IRB2NAI6O7RNO5BX4E/20240318-180388.888/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZW3IW5ZWF3CMC5DBQYW6K7J7PY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A woman speaks with social services workers in Charles County, Md., in January. (Jonathan Newton for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Kristi Love worked thousands of supervised hours to prepare. She earned a master\u2019s degree in social work from Howard University. She has been uplifting people living in the nation\u2019s capital for over a decade.<p><p>\u201cBut I can\u2019t call myself a licensed social worker,\u201d she said.<p><p>And she is not alone in a field desperate for people like her. Even as rising mental illness, housing instability and other challenges send hiring managers scrambling for licensed social workers, one thing often gets in the way: an antiquated licensing exam.<p><p>She\u2019s tried three times to pass it, and always barely misses.<p><p>The multiple-choice answers don\u2019t reflect the real-world scenarios social workers face,<b> </b>Love said. Instead, the test focuses on the theoretical ideals of a profession that has always been both noble and flawed, long defined by White intellectuals who try to do good as defined by their world view.<p><p>\u201cAs a Black person, coming from Black people and Black professors, that test wants me to think like a White social worker in Idaho,\u201d said Love, who<b> </b>works in the field, but without the pay and opportunities a license would offer her. She speaks often about the disconnect as the president of the <a href=\"https://abswmetrodcchapter.org/index.php/about-us/\" target=\"_blank\">Association of Black Social Workers of Metropolitan Washington D.C. </a><p><p>A rising generation of practitioners is pressing the field\u2019s gatekeepers \u2014 who extol the virtues of evidence-based service \u2014 to examine the facts:<p><p>Between 2018 and 2021, 76 percent of White test-takers passed on the first try on the bachelor\u2019s level exam.<p><p>Those numbers drop to 52.8 percent for Hispanic applicants, 63.6 percent for Native Americans, 59.6 percent for Asians and 33 percent for Black test-takers, according to an <a href=\"https://www.aswb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-ASWB-Exam-Pass-Rate-Analysis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">analysis </a>by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), which designs and administers the licensing exams.<p><p>Also troubling is a <a href=\"https://www.aswb.org/exam/contributing-to-the-conversation/aswb-exam-pass-rates-by-state-province/\" target=\"_blank\">66 percent pass rate</a> for folks over 50, an obstacle in what is a popular field for career-switchers or people returning to the workforce after their kids get older.<p><p>These are all applicants who, like Love, have college degrees in social work, did extensive clinical training and had intense internships. And we\u2019re about to need more of them.<p><p>Job openings for social workers are expected to be triple that of other occupations in the coming years, according to the<a href=\"https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-13/projected-employment-growth-for-community-and-social-service.htm\" target=\"_blank\"> U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.</a><p><p>Advocates for reconsidering licensure \u2014 which include the <a href=\"https://www.socialworkers.org/News/News-Releases/ID/2611/NASW-Opposes-Association-of-Social-Work-Boards-ASWB-Exams\" target=\"_blank\">National Association of Social Workers</a> \u2014 say the test is not written for all of the test-takers, the communities they trained in and the communities they want to serve.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s very antiquated,\u201d said Valeria Carter, a social worker and director of clinical programs at the Hillcrest Children and Family Center, who failed her first try at the test decades ago, and now sees scores of capable college graduates who have logged thousands of clinical hours stumble.<p><p>They might answer a question about grief rooted in that front-line experience, she said, instead of reaching for a stages of grief<b> </b>framework pioneered in 1969 by Elisabeth K\u00fcbler-Ross.<p><p>The nation\u2019s reckoning with standardized testing has extended to licensure exams across the nation and in different fields. Some states are reimagining bar exams for lawyers. Like universities charting their own course amid discourse on cultural biases in the SAT, each state sets its own rules on social workers.<p><p>Illinois eliminated exams as a requirement for licensure and in two years, the number of social workers there doubled, according to the <a href=\"https://www.naswil.org/post/illinois-breaks-barriers-in-mental-health-workforce-achieving-remarkable-growth-in-licensed-social\" target=\"_blank\">state\u2019s chapter </a>of the National Association of Social Workers.<p><p>The D.C. Council is considering something similar.<p><p>\u201cThis is a common-sense step that the District can take to make a real, immediate impact on our shortage of social workers,\u201d said D.C. council member Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large), in his introduction of the <a href=\"https://www.robertwhiteatlarge.com/social-work-license-modernization-act/\" target=\"_blank\">Social Work License Modernization Amendment Act</a> last year.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/CGXVWA467HQSO36ULAIKWEI2MU.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">D.C. Council member Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large) speaks to a group gathered to conduct surveys of homeless people as part of the annual Point-in-Time census last January. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The shortage has been profoundly felt in the nation\u2019s capital on several fronts \u2014 a dynamic D.C. officials have acknowledged amid <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/02/10/dc-homeless-case-manager-shortage-housing-assistance/\" target=\"_blank\">scrutiny of the District\u2019s housing programs</a>.<p><p>It was clear when officials began clearing encampments and struggled to get people who had been living in tents into housing simply because there weren\u2019t enough licensed case workers to handle the load.<p><p>\u201cIn the past four years, we\u2019ve had 90 unlicensed social workers apply,\u201d said Will Doyle, a social worker with Pathways to Housing DC \u201cAnd we couldn\u2019t hire any of them.\u201d<p><p>This is about more than numbers. Clients need access to social workers who understand them.<p><p>This is acute in D.C.\u2019s deaf community, one of the largest in the nation thanks to the presence of Gallaudet University.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ANSIDVQXVII6XC62QFGKK3QTRM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>\u201cTwenty years later and I am not a licensed clinician yet,\u201d said Concetta Pucci, field program assistant and lecturer in the social work department at Gallaudet. Pucci graduated with a master\u2019s degree in social work from New York University in 2002 and failed the licensure test five times. She now has a PhD, but still no license.<p><p>\u201cWe have 20,000 deaf people living in the DMV area and we have 10 licensed clinical social work workers who identify as deaf or are fluent in American Sign Language,\u201d Pucci said. And five of them are faculty members at Gallaudet.<p><p>There is no data on pass rates for hard of hearing applicants, but Judy Mounty, a Gallaudet University graduate who now has a private practice, has studied, <a href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15367100903524091\" target=\"_blank\">written</a> and testified about the difficulties of the exam for years.<p><p>\u201cThis issue has deprived Maryland of more than 1,200 committed and competent mental health providers, including people of color, older candidates, nonnative speakers of English, and deaf and hard of hearing individuals,\u201d Mounty said, in<a href=\"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/cmte_testimony/2023/fin/1s6rM-Udkl5jD8H9bTzefat-xJ0HgnkTZ.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"> testimony</a> last year in Maryland, which is considering legislation similar to D.C.<p><p>Most who challenge the exam don\u2019t want to do away with licensing altogether. There are arguments for provisional licensing or calls for the association to gather a more diverse group of social workers to rewrite the test to reflect real-life scenarios, rather than classroom theory.<p><p>The testing folks admit there\u2019s a problem.<p><p>\u201cIn this new analysis, we observe that pass rates for some demographic groups are lower than for others, highlighting the need to identify potential steps that ASWB can take to address these differences while adhering to the public protection mandate that guides its mission,\u201d wrote board president Roxroy A. Reid and chief executive Stacey Hardy-Chandler, in the <a href=\"https://www.aswb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-ASWB-Exam-Pass-Rate-Analysis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">introduction</a> to their data study.<p><p>Some in the profession worry that an already marginalized and underpaid profession will be further delegitimized if licensing standards are softened or eliminated.<p><p>But let\u2019s be honest. Social work is about dynamic, unpredictable and utterly unique things \u2014 humans.<p><p>Few people understand that, or them, better than Love.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-12T14:49:40.153Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/L3IT65O3IRB2NAI6O7RNO5BX4E/20240318-180388.888/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZW3IW5ZWF3CMC5DBQYW6K7J7PY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A woman speaks with social services workers in Charles County, Md., in January. (Jonathan Newton for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Kristi Love worked thousands of supervised hours to prepare. She earned a master\u2019s degree in social work from Howard University. She has been uplifting people living in the nation\u2019s capital for over a decade.<p><p>\u201cBut I can\u2019t call myself a licensed social worker,\u201d she said.<p><p>And she is not alone in a field desperate for people like her. Even as rising mental illness, housing instability and other challenges send hiring managers scrambling for licensed social workers, one thing often gets in the way: an antiquated licensing exam.<p><p>She\u2019s tried three times to pass it, and always barely misses.<p><p>The multiple-choice answers don\u2019t reflect the real-world scenarios social workers face,<b> </b>Love said. Instead, the test focuses on the theoretical ideals of a profession that has always been both noble and flawed, long defined by White intellectuals who try to do good as defined by their world view.<p><p>\u201cAs a Black person, coming from Black people and Black professors, that test wants me to think like a White social worker in Idaho,\u201d said Love, who<b> </b>works in the field, but without the pay and opportunities a license would offer her. She speaks often about the disconnect as the president of the <a href=\"https://abswmetrodcchapter.org/index.php/about-us/\" target=\"_blank\">Association of Black Social Workers of Metropolitan Washington D.C. </a><p><p>A rising generation of practitioners is pressing the field\u2019s gatekeepers \u2014 who extol the virtues of evidence-based service \u2014 to examine the facts:<p><p>Between 2018 and 2021, 76 percent of White test-takers passed on the first try on the bachelor\u2019s level exam.<p><p>Those numbers drop to 52.8 percent for Hispanic applicants, 63.6 percent for Native Americans, 59.6 percent for Asians and 33 percent for Black test-takers, according to an <a href=\"https://www.aswb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-ASWB-Exam-Pass-Rate-Analysis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">analysis </a>by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), which designs and administers the licensing exams.<p><p>Also troubling is a <a href=\"https://www.aswb.org/exam/contributing-to-the-conversation/aswb-exam-pass-rates-by-state-province/\" target=\"_blank\">66 percent pass rate</a> for folks over 50, an obstacle in what is a popular field for career-switchers or people returning to the workforce after their kids get older.<p><p>These are all applicants who, like Love, have college degrees in social work, did extensive clinical training and had intense internships. And we\u2019re about to need more of them.<p><p>Job openings for social workers are expected to be triple that of other occupations in the coming years, according to the<a href=\"https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-13/projected-employment-growth-for-community-and-social-service.htm\" target=\"_blank\"> U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.</a><p><p>Advocates for reconsidering licensure \u2014 which include the <a href=\"https://www.socialworkers.org/News/News-Releases/ID/2611/NASW-Opposes-Association-of-Social-Work-Boards-ASWB-Exams\" target=\"_blank\">National Association of Social Workers</a> \u2014 say the test is not written for all of the test-takers, the communities they trained in and the communities they want to serve.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s very antiquated,\u201d said Valeria Carter, a social worker and director of clinical programs at the Hillcrest Children and Family Center, who failed her first try at the test decades ago, and now sees scores of capable college graduates who have logged thousands of clinical hours stumble.<p><p>They might answer a question about grief rooted in that front-line experience, she said, instead of reaching for a stages of grief<b> </b>framework pioneered in 1969 by Elisabeth K\u00fcbler-Ross.<p><p>The nation\u2019s reckoning with standardized testing has extended to licensure exams across the nation and in different fields. Some states are reimagining bar exams for lawyers. Like universities charting their own course amid discourse on cultural biases in the SAT, each state sets its own rules on social workers.<p><p>Illinois eliminated exams as a requirement for licensure and in two years, the number of social workers there doubled, according to the <a href=\"https://www.naswil.org/post/illinois-breaks-barriers-in-mental-health-workforce-achieving-remarkable-growth-in-licensed-social\" target=\"_blank\">state\u2019s chapter </a>of the National Association of Social Workers.<p><p>The D.C. Council is considering something similar.<p><p>\u201cThis is a common-sense step that the District can take to make a real, immediate impact on our shortage of social workers,\u201d said D.C. council member Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large), in his introduction of the <a href=\"https://www.robertwhiteatlarge.com/social-work-license-modernization-act/\" target=\"_blank\">Social Work License Modernization Amendment Act</a> last year.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/CGXVWA467HQSO36ULAIKWEI2MU.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">D.C. Council member Robert C. White Jr. (D-At Large) speaks to a group gathered to conduct surveys of homeless people as part of the annual Point-in-Time census last January. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The shortage has been profoundly felt in the nation\u2019s capital on several fronts \u2014 a dynamic D.C. officials have acknowledged amid <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/02/10/dc-homeless-case-manager-shortage-housing-assistance/\" target=\"_blank\">scrutiny of the District\u2019s housing programs</a>.<p><p>It was clear when officials began clearing encampments and struggled to get people who had been living in tents into housing simply because there weren\u2019t enough licensed case workers to handle the load.<p><p>\u201cIn the past four years, we\u2019ve had 90 unlicensed social workers apply,\u201d said Will Doyle, a social worker with Pathways to Housing DC \u201cAnd we couldn\u2019t hire any of them.\u201d<p><p>This is about more than numbers. Clients need access to social workers who understand them.<p><p>This is acute in D.C.\u2019s deaf community, one of the largest in the nation thanks to the presence of Gallaudet University.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ANSIDVQXVII6XC62QFGKK3QTRM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>\u201cTwenty years later and I am not a licensed clinician yet,\u201d said Concetta Pucci, field program assistant and lecturer in the social work department at Gallaudet. Pucci graduated with a master\u2019s degree in social work from New York University in 2002 and failed the licensure test five times. She now has a PhD, but still no license.<p><p>\u201cWe have 20,000 deaf people living in the DMV area and we have 10 licensed clinical social work workers who identify as deaf or are fluent in American Sign Language,\u201d Pucci said. And five of them are faculty members at Gallaudet.<p><p>There is no data on pass rates for hard of hearing applicants, but Judy Mounty, a Gallaudet University graduate who now has a private practice, has studied, <a href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15367100903524091\" target=\"_blank\">written</a> and testified about the difficulties of the exam for years.<p><p>\u201cThis issue has deprived Maryland of more than 1,200 committed and competent mental health providers, including people of color, older candidates, nonnative speakers of English, and deaf and hard of hearing individuals,\u201d Mounty said, in<a href=\"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/cmte_testimony/2023/fin/1s6rM-Udkl5jD8H9bTzefat-xJ0HgnkTZ.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"> testimony</a> last year in Maryland, which is considering legislation similar to D.C.<p><p>Most who challenge the exam don\u2019t want to do away with licensing altogether. There are arguments for provisional licensing or calls for the association to gather a more diverse group of social workers to rewrite the test to reflect real-life scenarios, rather than classroom theory.<p><p>The testing folks admit there\u2019s a problem.<p><p>\u201cIn this new analysis, we observe that pass rates for some demographic groups are lower than for others, highlighting the need to identify potential steps that ASWB can take to address these differences while adhering to the public protection mandate that guides its mission,\u201d wrote board president Roxroy A. Reid and chief executive Stacey Hardy-Chandler, in the <a href=\"https://www.aswb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-ASWB-Exam-Pass-Rate-Analysis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">introduction</a> to their data study.<p><p>Some in the profession worry that an already marginalized and underpaid profession will be further delegitimized if licensing standards are softened or eliminated.<p><p>But let\u2019s be honest. Social work is about dynamic, unpredictable and utterly unique things \u2014 humans.<p><p>Few people understand that, or them, better than Love.<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 22, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Supreme Court hears free speech case that united the NRA and the ACLU", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Supreme Court hears free speech case that united the NRA and the ACLU"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/nra-supreme-court-aclu-free-speech/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/nra-supreme-court-aclu-free-speech/", "summary": "2024-03-17T15:35:55.610Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/QWW3GGY4TNHRNEZSIBZQBF36WQ/20240318-181910.100/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/KOOY4GG3DEI6VNHREW3WFTN36Q.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The headquarters of the National Rifle Association in Fairfax, Va. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE)</small></div><p>The Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a case in which the National Rifle Association accused a former New York state official of improperly pressuring banks and insurers to cut ties with the gun-rights group after the Parkland, Fla., high school massacre in 2018.<p><p>The case could have significant implications for free speech and how government officials weigh in on contentious topics. The NRA has argued that the official took aim at the group for its speech, violating the First Amendment, while the official countered that she was acting properly in enforcing the law and expressing her policy views.<p><p>In an unusual twist, the NRA is represented by the liberal American Civil Liberties Union, which says the group\u2019s\u2019 speech was undeniably targeted.<p><p>The NRA says that as head of the New York State Department of Financial Services, Maria T. Vullo leaned on insurers to break with the NRA and used her significant authority over banks and insurance firms to compel them \u201cto blacklist an organization because she opposes the organization\u2019s political speech.\u201d<p><p>Vullo allegedly<b> </b>violated the First Amendment by, among other things, sending official guidance letters to the banks and insurers after the Parkland shooting encouraging them to review relationships they had with it or similar gun-rights organizations<b>,</b> the NRA said. The group also says Vullo investigated NRA-endorsed insurance policies and suggested to insurers that they could avoid liability for other issues if they cut ties with the NRA.<p><p>In court filings, Vullo\u2019s attorneys disputed the claim that she improperly coerced firms into breaking with the NRA. Her attorneys said the insurance products at issue broke New York law and posed \u201ca serious and unique risk to public safety,\u201d so it was reasonable for Vullo to prioritize them. And they pushed back on the suggestion that the NRA\u2019s speech was targeted or hindered.<p><p>\u201cThe NRA alleges that Vullo interfered with its relationships with insurers and banks, limiting only what the NRA could do, not what it could say,\u201d her attorneys wrote. \u201cThe NRA has never claimed, much less plausibly so, that it was unable to exercise its speech rights.\u201d<p><p>Both sides have warned of a dangerous precedent if the other emerges victorious. Vullo said accepting the NRA\u2019s arguments here \u201cwould chill speech necessary for a functional government,\u201d because public officials would be kept from making any critical comments that could be \u201crecast as retaliation.\u201d<p><p>The NRA, meanwhile, said Vullo\u2019s side would effectively \u201cgive government regulators free rein to selectively target unpopular speech\u201d \u2014 and warned that state officials could then take aim at any number of political opponents, including abortion rights groups or environmental organization.<p><p>\u201cIf New York can do this to the NRA, Texas or Florida could use the same tactics against groups advocating immigrants\u2019 rights, the right to abortion, or other vital civil liberties,\u201d David D. Cole, the ACLU\u2019s legal director, said in a statement Monday.<p><p>Arguing on the NRA\u2019s behalf Monday, Cole said Vullo\u2019s actions crossed a clear line and abused her office\u2019s power.<p><p>\u201cGovernment officials are free to urge people not to support political groups they oppose,\u201d Cole said during the arguments. \u201cWhat they cannot do is use their regulatory might to add \u2018or else\u2019 to that request.\u201d<p><p>Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said Monday that there was a spectrum to weigh when considering instances when government officials urge a person or entity to act. He described an official at one end of the spectrum with significant power ordering someone to act or face significant punishment, and an official at the other end with no real authority making a suggestion.<p><p>\u201cIn between, there are a lot of different gradations,\u201d he said. \u201cSo how do you define when it goes too far along that line?\u201d<p><p>Cole answered by saying one important factor is how much power the official involved has over the person or entity they are addressing. But ultimately, he said, the question is whether \u201ca reasonable person\u201d would feel that the request suggests a threat or consequence.<p><p>Neal K. Katyal, an attorney for Vullo, urged the justices not to accept the NRA\u2019s claims, saying that would only empower other lawsuits that would hinder valid government enforcement actions.<p><p>The NRA is \u201cseeking to weaponize the First Amendment and exempt themselves from the rules that govern you and me, simply because they\u2019re a controversial speaker,\u201d said Katyal, who was acting solicitor general under President Barack Obama.<p><p>In a statement after arguments, Katyal said a decision favoring the NRA \u201cwould fundamentally inhibit government speech on virtually any topic\u201d and \u201cempower a limitless set of claims against the government based on empty arguments that any regulatory or enforcement action penalizes the speech of the regulated.\u201d<p><p>The NRA case is vitally important, because a broad ruling could force government officials to back away from public debate, said Alex Abdo, litigation director for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.<p><p>\u201cOn the one hand, we don\u2019t want the government to be able to threaten \u2026 others to carry out its censorship,\u201d Abdo said. \u201cOn the other hand, we need a government empowered to be able to participate in public debate about the important issues of the day.\u201d<p><p>Not all observers are convinced this is a free-speech issue, however. Dru Stevenson, a professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston, who signed onto <a href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22-842/301640/20240227181242495_22-842%20Amici%20Brief.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">an amicus brief</a> in the case supporting Vullo, said her letters did not threaten anyone and were only urging firms to review their ties to the NRA due to the possible reputation risk involved.<p><p>Stevenson said he and other law professors who focus on \u201cthe nerdy subject of regulatory law\u201d are unnerved by the case because issuing \u201cthis type of guidance is an everyday occurrence for regulators.\u201d<p><p>The case is <i>NRA v. Vullo</i>.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-17T15:35:55.610Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/QWW3GGY4TNHRNEZSIBZQBF36WQ/20240318-181910.100/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/KOOY4GG3DEI6VNHREW3WFTN36Q.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The headquarters of the National Rifle Association in Fairfax, Va. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE)</small></div><p>The Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a case in which the National Rifle Association accused a former New York state official of improperly pressuring banks and insurers to cut ties with the gun-rights group after the Parkland, Fla., high school massacre in 2018.<p><p>The case could have significant implications for free speech and how government officials weigh in on contentious topics. The NRA has argued that the official took aim at the group for its speech, violating the First Amendment, while the official countered that she was acting properly in enforcing the law and expressing her policy views.<p><p>In an unusual twist, the NRA is represented by the liberal American Civil Liberties Union, which says the group\u2019s\u2019 speech was undeniably targeted.<p><p>The NRA says that as head of the New York State Department of Financial Services, Maria T. Vullo leaned on insurers to break with the NRA and used her significant authority over banks and insurance firms to compel them \u201cto blacklist an organization because she opposes the organization\u2019s political speech.\u201d<p><p>Vullo allegedly<b> </b>violated the First Amendment by, among other things, sending official guidance letters to the banks and insurers after the Parkland shooting encouraging them to review relationships they had with it or similar gun-rights organizations<b>,</b> the NRA said. The group also says Vullo investigated NRA-endorsed insurance policies and suggested to insurers that they could avoid liability for other issues if they cut ties with the NRA.<p><p>In court filings, Vullo\u2019s attorneys disputed the claim that she improperly coerced firms into breaking with the NRA. Her attorneys said the insurance products at issue broke New York law and posed \u201ca serious and unique risk to public safety,\u201d so it was reasonable for Vullo to prioritize them. And they pushed back on the suggestion that the NRA\u2019s speech was targeted or hindered.<p><p>\u201cThe NRA alleges that Vullo interfered with its relationships with insurers and banks, limiting only what the NRA could do, not what it could say,\u201d her attorneys wrote. \u201cThe NRA has never claimed, much less plausibly so, that it was unable to exercise its speech rights.\u201d<p><p>Both sides have warned of a dangerous precedent if the other emerges victorious. Vullo said accepting the NRA\u2019s arguments here \u201cwould chill speech necessary for a functional government,\u201d because public officials would be kept from making any critical comments that could be \u201crecast as retaliation.\u201d<p><p>The NRA, meanwhile, said Vullo\u2019s side would effectively \u201cgive government regulators free rein to selectively target unpopular speech\u201d \u2014 and warned that state officials could then take aim at any number of political opponents, including abortion rights groups or environmental organization.<p><p>\u201cIf New York can do this to the NRA, Texas or Florida could use the same tactics against groups advocating immigrants\u2019 rights, the right to abortion, or other vital civil liberties,\u201d David D. Cole, the ACLU\u2019s legal director, said in a statement Monday.<p><p>Arguing on the NRA\u2019s behalf Monday, Cole said Vullo\u2019s actions crossed a clear line and abused her office\u2019s power.<p><p>\u201cGovernment officials are free to urge people not to support political groups they oppose,\u201d Cole said during the arguments. \u201cWhat they cannot do is use their regulatory might to add \u2018or else\u2019 to that request.\u201d<p><p>Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said Monday that there was a spectrum to weigh when considering instances when government officials urge a person or entity to act. He described an official at one end of the spectrum with significant power ordering someone to act or face significant punishment, and an official at the other end with no real authority making a suggestion.<p><p>\u201cIn between, there are a lot of different gradations,\u201d he said. \u201cSo how do you define when it goes too far along that line?\u201d<p><p>Cole answered by saying one important factor is how much power the official involved has over the person or entity they are addressing. But ultimately, he said, the question is whether \u201ca reasonable person\u201d would feel that the request suggests a threat or consequence.<p><p>Neal K. Katyal, an attorney for Vullo, urged the justices not to accept the NRA\u2019s claims, saying that would only empower other lawsuits that would hinder valid government enforcement actions.<p><p>The NRA is \u201cseeking to weaponize the First Amendment and exempt themselves from the rules that govern you and me, simply because they\u2019re a controversial speaker,\u201d said Katyal, who was acting solicitor general under President Barack Obama.<p><p>In a statement after arguments, Katyal said a decision favoring the NRA \u201cwould fundamentally inhibit government speech on virtually any topic\u201d and \u201cempower a limitless set of claims against the government based on empty arguments that any regulatory or enforcement action penalizes the speech of the regulated.\u201d<p><p>The NRA case is vitally important, because a broad ruling could force government officials to back away from public debate, said Alex Abdo, litigation director for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.<p><p>\u201cOn the one hand, we don\u2019t want the government to be able to threaten \u2026 others to carry out its censorship,\u201d Abdo said. \u201cOn the other hand, we need a government empowered to be able to participate in public debate about the important issues of the day.\u201d<p><p>Not all observers are convinced this is a free-speech issue, however. Dru Stevenson, a professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston, who signed onto <a href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22-842/301640/20240227181242495_22-842%20Amici%20Brief.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">an amicus brief</a> in the case supporting Vullo, said her letters did not threaten anyone and were only urging firms to review their ties to the NRA due to the possible reputation risk involved.<p><p>Stevenson said he and other law professors who focus on \u201cthe nerdy subject of regulatory law\u201d are unnerved by the case because issuing \u201cthis type of guidance is an everyday occurrence for regulators.\u201d<p><p>The case is <i>NRA v. Vullo</i>.<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 22, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Border security talks could push spending bills past shutdown deadline", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Border security talks could push spending bills past shutdown deadline"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/government-shutdown-update-2024/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/government-shutdown-update-2024/", "summary": "2024-03-18T14:42:03.568Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/GFAWW3EGO5C3ZAPD7BQR7ID5E4/20240318-173774.746/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IB66M35ME2ZQLVIG5CLSCPNHTI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">President Biden and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) walk down the House steps on Friday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) </small></div><p>White House and congressional negotiators on Monday began to privately acknowledge they may run out of time to prevent at least a brief partial government shutdown this weekend, as talks to fund the Department of Homeland Security \u2014 along with nearly three-quarters of the federal government \u2014 came up short of final agreement.<p><p>Representatives for President Biden and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have been locked in days-long deliberations on how to fund border security and immigration enforcement operations at DHS, which is already staring at a shortfall under its current budget.<p><p>But even after the sides appeared to reach a tentative agreement late Sunday night, those talks, like similar conversations over the weekend, failed to yield results by Monday afternoon, according to multiple people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss fragile negotiations.<p><p>Funding for roughly 70 percent of the federal government \u2014 including the departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security as well as the Internal Revenue Service \u2014 will lapse at 12:01 a.m. Saturday unless Congress acts before then. House Republican conference rules say members need 72 hours to review legislation before a vote, and the spending bills to resolve the impasse weren\u2019t released by early Monday evening. If the bill text doesn\u2019t come out until late Monday or Tuesday, the House probably wouldn\u2019t vote until Friday, leaving very little time for the Senate to follow suit.<p><p>Lawmakers might be able to wrap up the spending bills not long after the deadline, blunting the impact of a partial shutdown that mostly takes place at night or on a weekend. But a prolonged closure could have cascading effects on the government and economy. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/28/irs-shutdown-furlough-inflation-act/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5\" target=\"_blank\">More than half of IRS employees would face furloughs</a> at the height of tax filing season. The roughly 1.3 million active-duty U.S. military service members would remain on the job without pay. So would Transportation Security Administration screeners, many of whom called in sick in protest during a previous shutdown, sparking nationwide travel delays.<p><p>Biden administration officials sounded an optimistic tone Monday: \u201cThis is obviously an administration that is hopeful and hopes that Congress gets to the bottom of this and gets to a point where we keep the government open,\u201d White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing with reporters.<p><p>But on Capitol Hill, the mood darkened, as debates over immigration policy clouded the overall<b> </b>funding picture.<p><p>Former president Donald Trump\u2019s rhetoric around the subject \u2014 he helped kill a bipartisan compromise on border security last month and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/16/trump-immigrants-not-people/\" target=\"_blank\">said Sunday that undocumented migrants were \u201cnot people\u201d</a> and were \u201canimals\u201d \u2014 has fueled distrust at the bargaining table. Johnson and other leading Republicans have endorsed the former president and are said to consult with him on immigration policy.<p><p>\u201cWe\u2019re back to where we were in December and January when we were trying to do the border deal, where the Republicans are back to asking for things that won\u2019t actually do anything for the border,\u201d said one Democratic aide with knowledge of the talks who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private negotiations.<p><p>Border issues have complicated other funding measures, as well. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/candidates/joe-biden-2024/?itid=lk_inline_manual_23\" target=\"_blank\">Biden</a>, Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) remain at an impasse about <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/15/ukraine-no-us-aid/?itid=lk_inline_manual_23\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. spending to support Ukraine</a>, talks that have gone awry over Republican attempts to link the money to border security. Bipartisan talks in the Senate reached a sweeping immigration and border security compromise that was intended to satisfy GOP requests, but House lawmakers rejected it, as did Trump, and the Senate then voted it down <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/08/sen-murphy-calls-gop-border-meltdown-bizarre-maddening/\" target=\"_blank\">last month</a>.<p><p>The federal spending picture was not supposed to be this fraught. Biden and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) agreed last spring to suspend the nation\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/26/debt-ceiling-explained/?itid=lk_inline_manual_28&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_29\" target=\"_blank\">debt ceiling</a> in exchange for limiting federal spending in 2024. Some House Republicans detested that deal, which they hoped would generate deeper spending cuts. Disagreements over spending ultimately led a band of rebels to oust McCarthy from the speakership in October.<p><p>Johnson has abided by those spending amounts, though, and agreed with Schumer in January to a top-line spending figure \u2014 $1.7 trillion \u2014 for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Congress already passed, and Biden signed, the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/08/government-shutdown-senate-funding-bill/\" target=\"_blank\">first leg of a government funding package worth $459 billion</a> earlier this month. Negotiators have mostly agreed on measures to fund the rest of the federal government but are stuck on the Homeland Security provisions \u2014 which might be difficult to pass on their own because of the political frenzy around immigration.<p><p>Jean-Pierre declined to discuss the status of the negotiations Monday with reporters but said the Department of Homeland Security \u201cneeds a bill that adequately funds operational pace.\u201d<p><p>The number of migrants arriving along the Mexican border has fallen significantly since December, when authorities tallied 250,000 illegal entries, the highest monthly total ever.<p><p>A crackdown by Mexican authorities has slowed the pace of arrivals so far in 2024, but DHS officials expect a seasonal increase in illegal crossings this spring. That would put new strains on U.S. border agents and detention facilities.<p><p>The bipartisan bill that failed in the Senate<b> </b>last month included nearly $14 billion in supplemental funding for immigration and border security, including $6 billion for ICE detention and deportation operations. The funds would have allowed the agency to boost its detention capacity from 40,000 to 50,000 beds, according to administration officials.<p><p>Instead, ICE officials are facing a $700 million budget shortfall, and the agency has started drafting emergency plans to cut costs by releasing thousands of detainees. With fewer available detention beds, ICE has warned that it will also have to cut back on the number of people who cross the border illegally that it can accept from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.<p><p>That would increase the odds that migrants who enter the United States illegally will be released into the country, rather than detained and deported, regardless of whether they have strong asylum claims.<p><p>Jean-Pierre said the department has deported or returned more migrants during the past 10 months than during any year since 2013: \u201cThey have maximized their operations.\u201d<p><p>But<b> </b>deportations have soared because record numbers of migrants are entering the United States. Authorities have tallied about 2 million illegal crossings along the Mexican border on average since Biden took office, the busiest stretch in history.<p><p>Asked if the White House became involved in the budget negotiations too slowly, Jean-Pierre pushed back.<p><p>\u201cThat is something that is the basic duty of Congress,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is their job to keep the government open.\u201d<p><p><i>Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T14:42:03.568Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/GFAWW3EGO5C3ZAPD7BQR7ID5E4/20240318-173774.746/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IB66M35ME2ZQLVIG5CLSCPNHTI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">President Biden and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) walk down the House steps on Friday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) </small></div><p>White House and congressional negotiators on Monday began to privately acknowledge they may run out of time to prevent at least a brief partial government shutdown this weekend, as talks to fund the Department of Homeland Security \u2014 along with nearly three-quarters of the federal government \u2014 came up short of final agreement.<p><p>Representatives for President Biden and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have been locked in days-long deliberations on how to fund border security and immigration enforcement operations at DHS, which is already staring at a shortfall under its current budget.<p><p>But even after the sides appeared to reach a tentative agreement late Sunday night, those talks, like similar conversations over the weekend, failed to yield results by Monday afternoon, according to multiple people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss fragile negotiations.<p><p>Funding for roughly 70 percent of the federal government \u2014 including the departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security as well as the Internal Revenue Service \u2014 will lapse at 12:01 a.m. Saturday unless Congress acts before then. House Republican conference rules say members need 72 hours to review legislation before a vote, and the spending bills to resolve the impasse weren\u2019t released by early Monday evening. If the bill text doesn\u2019t come out until late Monday or Tuesday, the House probably wouldn\u2019t vote until Friday, leaving very little time for the Senate to follow suit.<p><p>Lawmakers might be able to wrap up the spending bills not long after the deadline, blunting the impact of a partial shutdown that mostly takes place at night or on a weekend. But a prolonged closure could have cascading effects on the government and economy. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/28/irs-shutdown-furlough-inflation-act/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5\" target=\"_blank\">More than half of IRS employees would face furloughs</a> at the height of tax filing season. The roughly 1.3 million active-duty U.S. military service members would remain on the job without pay. So would Transportation Security Administration screeners, many of whom called in sick in protest during a previous shutdown, sparking nationwide travel delays.<p><p>Biden administration officials sounded an optimistic tone Monday: \u201cThis is obviously an administration that is hopeful and hopes that Congress gets to the bottom of this and gets to a point where we keep the government open,\u201d White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing with reporters.<p><p>But on Capitol Hill, the mood darkened, as debates over immigration policy clouded the overall<b> </b>funding picture.<p><p>Former president Donald Trump\u2019s rhetoric around the subject \u2014 he helped kill a bipartisan compromise on border security last month and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/16/trump-immigrants-not-people/\" target=\"_blank\">said Sunday that undocumented migrants were \u201cnot people\u201d</a> and were \u201canimals\u201d \u2014 has fueled distrust at the bargaining table. Johnson and other leading Republicans have endorsed the former president and are said to consult with him on immigration policy.<p><p>\u201cWe\u2019re back to where we were in December and January when we were trying to do the border deal, where the Republicans are back to asking for things that won\u2019t actually do anything for the border,\u201d said one Democratic aide with knowledge of the talks who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private negotiations.<p><p>Border issues have complicated other funding measures, as well. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/candidates/joe-biden-2024/?itid=lk_inline_manual_23\" target=\"_blank\">Biden</a>, Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) remain at an impasse about <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/15/ukraine-no-us-aid/?itid=lk_inline_manual_23\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. spending to support Ukraine</a>, talks that have gone awry over Republican attempts to link the money to border security. Bipartisan talks in the Senate reached a sweeping immigration and border security compromise that was intended to satisfy GOP requests, but House lawmakers rejected it, as did Trump, and the Senate then voted it down <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/08/sen-murphy-calls-gop-border-meltdown-bizarre-maddening/\" target=\"_blank\">last month</a>.<p><p>The federal spending picture was not supposed to be this fraught. Biden and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) agreed last spring to suspend the nation\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/26/debt-ceiling-explained/?itid=lk_inline_manual_28&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_29\" target=\"_blank\">debt ceiling</a> in exchange for limiting federal spending in 2024. Some House Republicans detested that deal, which they hoped would generate deeper spending cuts. Disagreements over spending ultimately led a band of rebels to oust McCarthy from the speakership in October.<p><p>Johnson has abided by those spending amounts, though, and agreed with Schumer in January to a top-line spending figure \u2014 $1.7 trillion \u2014 for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Congress already passed, and Biden signed, the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/08/government-shutdown-senate-funding-bill/\" target=\"_blank\">first leg of a government funding package worth $459 billion</a> earlier this month. Negotiators have mostly agreed on measures to fund the rest of the federal government but are stuck on the Homeland Security provisions \u2014 which might be difficult to pass on their own because of the political frenzy around immigration.<p><p>Jean-Pierre declined to discuss the status of the negotiations Monday with reporters but said the Department of Homeland Security \u201cneeds a bill that adequately funds operational pace.\u201d<p><p>The number of migrants arriving along the Mexican border has fallen significantly since December, when authorities tallied 250,000 illegal entries, the highest monthly total ever.<p><p>A crackdown by Mexican authorities has slowed the pace of arrivals so far in 2024, but DHS officials expect a seasonal increase in illegal crossings this spring. That would put new strains on U.S. border agents and detention facilities.<p><p>The bipartisan bill that failed in the Senate<b> </b>last month included nearly $14 billion in supplemental funding for immigration and border security, including $6 billion for ICE detention and deportation operations. The funds would have allowed the agency to boost its detention capacity from 40,000 to 50,000 beds, according to administration officials.<p><p>Instead, ICE officials are facing a $700 million budget shortfall, and the agency has started drafting emergency plans to cut costs by releasing thousands of detainees. With fewer available detention beds, ICE has warned that it will also have to cut back on the number of people who cross the border illegally that it can accept from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.<p><p>That would increase the odds that migrants who enter the United States illegally will be released into the country, rather than detained and deported, regardless of whether they have strong asylum claims.<p><p>Jean-Pierre said the department has deported or returned more migrants during the past 10 months than during any year since 2013: \u201cThey have maximized their operations.\u201d<p><p>But<b> </b>deportations have soared because record numbers of migrants are entering the United States. Authorities have tallied about 2 million illegal crossings along the Mexican border on average since Biden took office, the busiest stretch in history.<p><p>Asked if the White House became involved in the budget negotiations too slowly, Jean-Pierre pushed back.<p><p>\u201cThat is something that is the basic duty of Congress,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is their job to keep the government open.\u201d<p><p><i>Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.</i><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 05:54:13 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 21, 54, 13, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Israeli forces raid Gaza City hospital; U.S. confirms death of top Hamas leader", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Israeli forces raid Gaza City hospital; U.S. confirms death of top Hamas leader"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/israel-hamas-gaza-shifa-issa/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/israel-hamas-gaza-shifa-issa/", "summary": "2024-03-18T09:06:56.702Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/TG5W3LUY25B6PFBKCRJNROHSR4/20240318-174355.557/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6N3PWXCKROCQ54YN2PTDCQ75IA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Palestinian residents leave the area with a few items after the Israeli army forces besiege the al-Shifa Hospital. (Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images)</small></div><p>JERUSALEM \u2014 Israel\u2019s army said Monday it had killed a Hamas official inside Gaza City\u2019s al-Shifa medical complex, an operation that unfolded as experts warned that the northern part of the enclave may already be in the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/gaza-famine-report-ipc/\" target=\"_blank\">grip of famine</a>.<p><p>The White House, meanwhile, confirmed that Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of the Hamas\u2019s military wing, was killed in an Israeli strike earlier this month in central Gaza.<p><p>The highest-ranking <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/12/israel-gaza-hamas-leaders/\" target=\"_blank\">militant commander</a> to be killed in more than five months of war, Issa was believed by Israel to have played a central role in Hamas\u2019s day-to-day military operations and to have helped plan its attack on Oct. 7.<p><p>\u201cThe rest of the top leaders are in hiding, likely deep in the Hamas tunnel network,\u201d national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday. \u201cAnd justice will come for them, too.\u201d<p><p>The news of Issa\u2019s death was overshadowed by the operation at al-Shifa \u2014 the latest Israeli attack on hospitals, which the IDF has said are used by Hamas as a cover for military activities. The assaults have damaged or shuttered a number of major medical facilities and, according to humanitarian groups, put Gaza\u2019s health system on the verge of collapse.<p><p>Israel\u2019s claims about the military significance of the operation at al-Shifa were swiftly contested by Palestinian officials, who identified the target of the raid as a police official. Civilians in the hospital said they were trapped by the fighting.<p><p>The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the raid had \u201celiminated\u201d Faiq Mabhouh, a senior official within Hamas\u2019s Internal Security division who was responsible for coordinating the group\u2019s militant activities across the Gaza Strip. The Hamas-run al-Aqsa network said that Mabhouh was a director of police operations who coordinated and protected aid deliveries. The Washington Post could not independently confirm his role.<p><p>Overall, 20 militants were killed in \u201cvarious engagements\u201d around the hospital, the IDF said, adding that money and weapons had been recovered from one of the buildings.<p><p>Once the enclave\u2019s largest hospital, al-Shifa had \u201conly recently restored minimal health services\u201d after an <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/21/al-shifa-hospital-gaza-hamas-israel/\" target=\"_blank\">Israeli raid</a> on the facility in mid-November, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1769701236809289934\" target=\"_blank\">posted</a> Monday on X. \u201cHospitals must be protected,\u201d he said, warning that fighting was \u201cendangering health workers, patients and civilians.\u201d<p><p>In going after Mabhouh, Israel appeared to continue a pattern of attacks on members of Gaza\u2019s police force. Civil servants under Hamas\u2019s prewar government, police officers played a key role guarding international aid convoys until last month, when Israel began targeting them.<p><p>The subsequent withdrawal of police from the aid delivery process, according to humanitarian groups and U.S. officials, left convoys open to looting by desperate civilians and criminal gangs, and made it <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/03/gaza-aid-convoy-israel-war/\" target=\"_blank\">nearly impossible</a> to get assistance to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/06/gaza-hunger-starvation-malnutrition-aid/\" target=\"_blank\">starving families</a> in the north.<p><p>Israel asserts that all Hamas members are legitimate military targets. Last week, the IDF <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/13/israel-strike-unrwa-center-hamas/\" target=\"_blank\">struck</a> a U.N. food distribution center in Rafah, in the south, killing a U.N. staffer and injuring more than 20. Israel said the attack killed a Hamas commander; Hamas described the dead man as the deputy head of police operations in Rafah.<p><p>The Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, says more than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel\u2019s military campaign to end Hamas rule \u2014 launched after the militant group led <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/27/hamas-attack-israel-october-7-hostages/\" target=\"_blank\">an ambush</a> on Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/31/israel-attack-victims-forensic-identification/\" target=\"_blank\">killing</a> some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/15/israel-hostages-hamas-gaza-children/\" target=\"_blank\">hostages</a>. The IDF estimates it has killed between 11,500 and 13,000 militants.<p><p>Civilians across the enclave, particularly the estimated 300,000 people trapped in the north, are struggling to survive. On Monday, a U.N.-backed report said that famine may already have reached the northern region, and that more than half of Gaza\u2019s 2.2 million residents were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.<p><p>\u201cStarvation is used as a weapon of war,\u201d said Josep Borrell, the European Union\u2019s most senior foreign policy official Monday. \u201cLet\u2019s dare to say by whom. By the one that prevents humanitarian support entering into Gaza.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RNS4HF4C3JVUGR75YSE7CYJJBA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Displaced Palestinian children wait inside their makeshift tents at a camp beside a street in Rafah on Wednesday. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Israel denies that it is limiting the flow of aid into Gaza, blaming the U.N. for failing to distribute aid and Hamas militants for diverting it from those in need.<p><p>The Biden administration has continued to supply its closest Middle Eastern ally with weapons and diplomatic support, even as it urges the Israeli military to do more to limit the bloodshed and allow aid to flow freely.<p><p>Amid <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/biden-israel-gaza-rafah-palestinians/?itid=ap_yasmeenabutaleb\" target=\"_blank\">growing strain</a> in their relationship, Biden spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time since Feb. 15. According to Sullivan, Biden told Netanyahu he was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d with Israel\u2019s plans for a ground invasion of <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/gaza-palestine-displacement-rafah-maps-photos/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzAzMjIxMjAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzA0NjAzNTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MDMyMjEyMDAsImp0aSI6ImNiZGQxMWRjLWVmNzEtNGYyOC1hZTQ1LTZlYjg3NDUyOGE3NCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS93b3JsZC9pbnRlcmFjdGl2ZS8yMDIzL2dhemEtcGFsZXN0aW5lLWRpc3BsYWNlbWVudC1yYWZhaC1tYXBzLXBob3Rvcy8ifQ.suOnsEoPfc8o9aws-NH-G7JBO8FEkQhMvG7KyHmMbTk&amp;itid=gfta\" target=\"_blank\">Rafah</a>, where some 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.<p><p>But he also backed the latest Israeli raid on al-Shifa: \u201cIsrael states that it was going after senior Hamas commanders and Hamas militants, and it is clear that Hamas fired back at Israel from that hospital,\u201d he said.<p><p>While much about what transpired inside the hospital remained unclear, videos posted online and verified by The Post provided clues about how the raid unfolded outside. In a <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AJA_Palestine/status/1769629558536376420?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">video</a> posted to X at 9:38 a.m. Monday in Gaza, at least two tanks are visible on al-Qassam Road, directly outside the southeastern gates of al-Shifa, the hospital\u2019s primary entrance. The video is filmed overlooking the complex\u2019s courtyard, around which several of its key medical buildings are located.<p><p>A military bulldozer is shown tearing up the pavement of the courtyard in <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AJA_Palestine/status/1769675921924010154?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">another video</a> posted to X at 12:43 p.m. local time, filmed near the emergency unit building.<p><p>A <a href=\"https://twitter.com/TheMossadIL/status/1769760817862381837\" target=\"_blank\">third video</a>, posted later Monday, appeared to show about half of the courtyard had been bulldozed. Several vehicles, including at least two ambulances visible in the earlier footage, appear to have been destroyed, mashed together in a heap of soil, cars and pavement.<p><p>Reached by phone inside the hospital, Duaa, 43, told The Post she was among a large group of people who had been trapped in the facility\u2019s waiting room since late Sunday night. She spoke on the condition she be identified by her first name, fearing reprisals for speaking to the media.<p><p>\u201cNo one can come in and out,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is no one who is armed or a terrorist. We are all innocent and civilians.\u201d<p><p>One of Duaa\u2019s sons was hospitalized in al-Shifa after a leg amputation, she said. She was a single mom \u2014 her husband was killed early in the war, she said \u2014 and was desperate to get him better treatment and a prosthetic leg. Those gathered inside the hospital had little to no access to food, water or bathrooms for hours on end, she said.<p><p>Another patient at the hospital, Mohammed Hassan, 29, also reached by Duaa\u2019s phone, said that loud noises had startled the patients there Sunday evening.<p><p>\u201cThey closed the doors and we don\u2019t know anything,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just hear the sound of gunfire and shelling.\u201d<p><p>The IDF described the raid as a \u201cprecise operation,\u201d targeting IDF senior Hamas militants that had \u201cregrouped inside al-Shifa Hospital and are using it to command attacks against Israel,\u201d according to spokesman Daniel Hagari.<p><p>But the role of Faiq Mabhouh, the only named target, was shrouded in conflicting claims.<p><p>He was the brother of former Hamas military commander Mahmoud Mabhouh, who was assassinated in Dubai in 2010, according to Michael Milshtein, a former head of the Palestinian division of Israeli military intelligence. Unlike his brother, Mabhouh had been an important figure in upholding law and order in the enclave, Milshtein said, and his death would have a limited impact on the \u201cmilitary capabilities of Hamas.\u201d<p><p>Senior police officials often wear \u201cdouble hats\u201d and are involved with the military wing, he said, but added that Mabhouh\u2019s role in the police was likely enough to make him a target for Israel. \u201cHe represents Hamas and he\u2019s a senior figure,\u201d he said. \u201cThis was the main problem.\u201d<p><p>Gaza\u2019s Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal also linked Mabhouh to the aid apparatus serving north Gaza, calling him \u201cthe Director of Operations at the Ministry of Interior and the coordinator of aid operations with other agencies such as UNRWA and the tribes.\u201d But UNRWA denied having any connection to Mabhouh.<p><p>The IDF said late Monday that 200 \u201cterror suspects\u201d had been arrested for questioning inside al-Shifa and that the operation was ongoing.<p><p>An Al Jazeera correspondent, Ismail Alghoul, was among a number of journalists detained at the scene, the network said. The Qatari-owned network said that Alghoul was released after 12 hours, during which time he was beaten and his recording equipment was destroyed. The IDF said it was looking into the claims.<p><p><i>Loveluck and Harb reported from London. Loveday Morris in Berlin, Jarrett Ley in New York, Hazem Balousha in Amman, Jordan, and Cate Brown in Washington contributed to this report.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T09:06:56.702Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/TG5W3LUY25B6PFBKCRJNROHSR4/20240318-174355.557/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6N3PWXCKROCQ54YN2PTDCQ75IA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Palestinian residents leave the area with a few items after the Israeli army forces besiege the al-Shifa Hospital. (Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images)</small></div><p>JERUSALEM \u2014 Israel\u2019s army said Monday it had killed a Hamas official inside Gaza City\u2019s al-Shifa medical complex, an operation that unfolded as experts warned that the northern part of the enclave may already be in the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/gaza-famine-report-ipc/\" target=\"_blank\">grip of famine</a>.<p><p>The White House, meanwhile, confirmed that Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of the Hamas\u2019s military wing, was killed in an Israeli strike earlier this month in central Gaza.<p><p>The highest-ranking <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/12/israel-gaza-hamas-leaders/\" target=\"_blank\">militant commander</a> to be killed in more than five months of war, Issa was believed by Israel to have played a central role in Hamas\u2019s day-to-day military operations and to have helped plan its attack on Oct. 7.<p><p>\u201cThe rest of the top leaders are in hiding, likely deep in the Hamas tunnel network,\u201d national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday. \u201cAnd justice will come for them, too.\u201d<p><p>The news of Issa\u2019s death was overshadowed by the operation at al-Shifa \u2014 the latest Israeli attack on hospitals, which the IDF has said are used by Hamas as a cover for military activities. The assaults have damaged or shuttered a number of major medical facilities and, according to humanitarian groups, put Gaza\u2019s health system on the verge of collapse.<p><p>Israel\u2019s claims about the military significance of the operation at al-Shifa were swiftly contested by Palestinian officials, who identified the target of the raid as a police official. Civilians in the hospital said they were trapped by the fighting.<p><p>The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the raid had \u201celiminated\u201d Faiq Mabhouh, a senior official within Hamas\u2019s Internal Security division who was responsible for coordinating the group\u2019s militant activities across the Gaza Strip. The Hamas-run al-Aqsa network said that Mabhouh was a director of police operations who coordinated and protected aid deliveries. The Washington Post could not independently confirm his role.<p><p>Overall, 20 militants were killed in \u201cvarious engagements\u201d around the hospital, the IDF said, adding that money and weapons had been recovered from one of the buildings.<p><p>Once the enclave\u2019s largest hospital, al-Shifa had \u201conly recently restored minimal health services\u201d after an <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/21/al-shifa-hospital-gaza-hamas-israel/\" target=\"_blank\">Israeli raid</a> on the facility in mid-November, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1769701236809289934\" target=\"_blank\">posted</a> Monday on X. \u201cHospitals must be protected,\u201d he said, warning that fighting was \u201cendangering health workers, patients and civilians.\u201d<p><p>In going after Mabhouh, Israel appeared to continue a pattern of attacks on members of Gaza\u2019s police force. Civil servants under Hamas\u2019s prewar government, police officers played a key role guarding international aid convoys until last month, when Israel began targeting them.<p><p>The subsequent withdrawal of police from the aid delivery process, according to humanitarian groups and U.S. officials, left convoys open to looting by desperate civilians and criminal gangs, and made it <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/03/gaza-aid-convoy-israel-war/\" target=\"_blank\">nearly impossible</a> to get assistance to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/06/gaza-hunger-starvation-malnutrition-aid/\" target=\"_blank\">starving families</a> in the north.<p><p>Israel asserts that all Hamas members are legitimate military targets. Last week, the IDF <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/13/israel-strike-unrwa-center-hamas/\" target=\"_blank\">struck</a> a U.N. food distribution center in Rafah, in the south, killing a U.N. staffer and injuring more than 20. Israel said the attack killed a Hamas commander; Hamas described the dead man as the deputy head of police operations in Rafah.<p><p>The Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, says more than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel\u2019s military campaign to end Hamas rule \u2014 launched after the militant group led <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/27/hamas-attack-israel-october-7-hostages/\" target=\"_blank\">an ambush</a> on Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/31/israel-attack-victims-forensic-identification/\" target=\"_blank\">killing</a> some 1,200 people and taking more than 250 <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/15/israel-hostages-hamas-gaza-children/\" target=\"_blank\">hostages</a>. The IDF estimates it has killed between 11,500 and 13,000 militants.<p><p>Civilians across the enclave, particularly the estimated 300,000 people trapped in the north, are struggling to survive. On Monday, a U.N.-backed report said that famine may already have reached the northern region, and that more than half of Gaza\u2019s 2.2 million residents were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.<p><p>\u201cStarvation is used as a weapon of war,\u201d said Josep Borrell, the European Union\u2019s most senior foreign policy official Monday. \u201cLet\u2019s dare to say by whom. By the one that prevents humanitarian support entering into Gaza.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RNS4HF4C3JVUGR75YSE7CYJJBA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Displaced Palestinian children wait inside their makeshift tents at a camp beside a street in Rafah on Wednesday. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Israel denies that it is limiting the flow of aid into Gaza, blaming the U.N. for failing to distribute aid and Hamas militants for diverting it from those in need.<p><p>The Biden administration has continued to supply its closest Middle Eastern ally with weapons and diplomatic support, even as it urges the Israeli military to do more to limit the bloodshed and allow aid to flow freely.<p><p>Amid <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/biden-israel-gaza-rafah-palestinians/?itid=ap_yasmeenabutaleb\" target=\"_blank\">growing strain</a> in their relationship, Biden spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time since Feb. 15. According to Sullivan, Biden told Netanyahu he was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d with Israel\u2019s plans for a ground invasion of <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/gaza-palestine-displacement-rafah-maps-photos/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzAzMjIxMjAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzA0NjAzNTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MDMyMjEyMDAsImp0aSI6ImNiZGQxMWRjLWVmNzEtNGYyOC1hZTQ1LTZlYjg3NDUyOGE3NCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS93b3JsZC9pbnRlcmFjdGl2ZS8yMDIzL2dhemEtcGFsZXN0aW5lLWRpc3BsYWNlbWVudC1yYWZhaC1tYXBzLXBob3Rvcy8ifQ.suOnsEoPfc8o9aws-NH-G7JBO8FEkQhMvG7KyHmMbTk&amp;itid=gfta\" target=\"_blank\">Rafah</a>, where some 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.<p><p>But he also backed the latest Israeli raid on al-Shifa: \u201cIsrael states that it was going after senior Hamas commanders and Hamas militants, and it is clear that Hamas fired back at Israel from that hospital,\u201d he said.<p><p>While much about what transpired inside the hospital remained unclear, videos posted online and verified by The Post provided clues about how the raid unfolded outside. In a <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AJA_Palestine/status/1769629558536376420?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">video</a> posted to X at 9:38 a.m. Monday in Gaza, at least two tanks are visible on al-Qassam Road, directly outside the southeastern gates of al-Shifa, the hospital\u2019s primary entrance. The video is filmed overlooking the complex\u2019s courtyard, around which several of its key medical buildings are located.<p><p>A military bulldozer is shown tearing up the pavement of the courtyard in <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AJA_Palestine/status/1769675921924010154?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">another video</a> posted to X at 12:43 p.m. local time, filmed near the emergency unit building.<p><p>A <a href=\"https://twitter.com/TheMossadIL/status/1769760817862381837\" target=\"_blank\">third video</a>, posted later Monday, appeared to show about half of the courtyard had been bulldozed. Several vehicles, including at least two ambulances visible in the earlier footage, appear to have been destroyed, mashed together in a heap of soil, cars and pavement.<p><p>Reached by phone inside the hospital, Duaa, 43, told The Post she was among a large group of people who had been trapped in the facility\u2019s waiting room since late Sunday night. She spoke on the condition she be identified by her first name, fearing reprisals for speaking to the media.<p><p>\u201cNo one can come in and out,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is no one who is armed or a terrorist. We are all innocent and civilians.\u201d<p><p>One of Duaa\u2019s sons was hospitalized in al-Shifa after a leg amputation, she said. She was a single mom \u2014 her husband was killed early in the war, she said \u2014 and was desperate to get him better treatment and a prosthetic leg. Those gathered inside the hospital had little to no access to food, water or bathrooms for hours on end, she said.<p><p>Another patient at the hospital, Mohammed Hassan, 29, also reached by Duaa\u2019s phone, said that loud noises had startled the patients there Sunday evening.<p><p>\u201cThey closed the doors and we don\u2019t know anything,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just hear the sound of gunfire and shelling.\u201d<p><p>The IDF described the raid as a \u201cprecise operation,\u201d targeting IDF senior Hamas militants that had \u201cregrouped inside al-Shifa Hospital and are using it to command attacks against Israel,\u201d according to spokesman Daniel Hagari.<p><p>But the role of Faiq Mabhouh, the only named target, was shrouded in conflicting claims.<p><p>He was the brother of former Hamas military commander Mahmoud Mabhouh, who was assassinated in Dubai in 2010, according to Michael Milshtein, a former head of the Palestinian division of Israeli military intelligence. Unlike his brother, Mabhouh had been an important figure in upholding law and order in the enclave, Milshtein said, and his death would have a limited impact on the \u201cmilitary capabilities of Hamas.\u201d<p><p>Senior police officials often wear \u201cdouble hats\u201d and are involved with the military wing, he said, but added that Mabhouh\u2019s role in the police was likely enough to make him a target for Israel. \u201cHe represents Hamas and he\u2019s a senior figure,\u201d he said. \u201cThis was the main problem.\u201d<p><p>Gaza\u2019s Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal also linked Mabhouh to the aid apparatus serving north Gaza, calling him \u201cthe Director of Operations at the Ministry of Interior and the coordinator of aid operations with other agencies such as UNRWA and the tribes.\u201d But UNRWA denied having any connection to Mabhouh.<p><p>The IDF said late Monday that 200 \u201cterror suspects\u201d had been arrested for questioning inside al-Shifa and that the operation was ongoing.<p><p>An Al Jazeera correspondent, Ismail Alghoul, was among a number of journalists detained at the scene, the network said. The Qatari-owned network said that Alghoul was released after 12 hours, during which time he was beaten and his recording equipment was destroyed. The IDF said it was looking into the claims.<p><p><i>Loveluck and Harb reported from London. Loveday Morris in Berlin, Jarrett Ley in New York, Hazem Balousha in Amman, Jordan, and Cate Brown in Washington contributed to this report.</i><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 05:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 21, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Lindsey Graham, visiting Kyiv, urges Ukraine to pass mobilization law", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Lindsey Graham, visiting Kyiv, urges Ukraine to pass mobilization law"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/lindsey-graham-visiting-kyiv-urges-ukraine-pass-mobilization-law/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/lindsey-graham-visiting-kyiv-urges-ukraine-pass-mobilization-law/", "summary": "2024-03-18T17:21:33.792Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/5FHCSCDIDRHCZHW45QA6AUH3LI/20240318-141952.527/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MKXW72B63YI6VL7CBEHLG63AWE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) holds a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 24, 2020. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) </small></div><p>KYIV \u2014 Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called on Ukrainian lawmakers Monday to quickly pass <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/04/ukraine-mobilization-zelensky-russia/\" target=\"_blank\">a mobilization bill </a>that would make more citizens eligible to be drafted into the military, and he sharply questioned exempting men under 27 from the fight.<p><p>Graham called for the swift legislative action \u2014 even as U.S. lawmakers remain unable to reach their own consensus on aid for Ukraine \u2014 while visiting Kyiv, his first trip to the Ukrainian capital since abruptly turning against a $60 billion aid package for the country last month.<p><p>As he issued his advice on the draft, Graham, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, could offer no true assurances about the pending aid package, instead telling reporters that he is \u201cmore optimistic than I\u2019ve ever been that something will get out of the House pretty soon.\u201d<p><p>Ukraine is already short of soldiers and ammunition, and Russia is advancing on the battlefield, having recently seized the eastern city of Avdiivka after a Ukrainian retreat. Ukraine\u2019s new mobilization law, which has been under debate for months as the country faces a severe shortage of battle-ready troops, proposes lowering the country\u2019s draft age to 25. Although citizens can voluntarily join the military starting at age 18, and men between 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country under martial law, the draft has until now protected younger men \u2014 many of whom are students \u2014 from being <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/15/ukraine-village-mobilized-men-war/?isMobile=1\" target=\"_blank\">forcibly mobilized</a>.<p><p>\u201cI would hope that those eligible to serve in the Ukrainian military would join. I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s at 27,\u201d he told reporters Monday. \u201cYou\u2019re in a fight for your life, so you should be serving \u2014 not at 25 or 27.\u201d<p><p>\u201cWe need more people in the line,\u201d he said.<p><p>He also urged Ukrainians not to base their decisions to join the military on whether the United States continues to support them. \u201cNo matter what we do, you should be fighting,\u201d he said. \u201cNo matter what we do, you\u2019re fighting for you.\u201d<p><p>Graham has made several trips to Ukraine since 2022 and has repeatedly advocated for more aid for Ukraine. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/14/lindsey-graham-ukraine-trump/\" target=\"_blank\">But he reversed course last month</a> and voted against an urgently needed aid package, saying Donald Trump was \u201cdead set\u201d against it and would prefer to negotiate such aid as loan packages.<p><p>In Kyiv on Monday, he pushed for that approach.<p><p>\u201cI was very direct with President Zelensky. You can expect me to always be in your corner, but it\u2019s not unfair for me to ask you and other allies: Pay us back down the road, if you can,\u201d Graham said. \u201cI think the loan idea is going to be pretty popular, not just among Republicans but also among Democrats.\u201d<p><p>In a statement after their meeting Monday, Zelensky said it is \u201ccritically important\u201d that Congress reaches a decision on support for Ukraine. His office <a href=\"https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/prezident-ukrayini-zustrivsya-iz-senatorom-kongresu-ssha-lin-89737\" target=\"_blank\">also said he raised issues</a> including shortages of missiles and air defense with Graham.<p><p>Ukrainian troops have long complained of a shortage of 155mm artillery shells \u2014 a deficit Graham acknowledged Monday. \u201cYou\u2019re lacking the 155 rounds. We\u2019re going to get you some more,\u201d he said in the news conference.<p><p>The senator also criticized slow deliveries of U.S.-provided long-range missiles known as ATACMS, saying they \u201cshould have been here yesterday.\u201d<p><p>He said he hoped Ukraine will soon \u201cget ATACMS so you can knock the damn bridge down linking Crimea to Russia.\u201d Although the United States bars Ukraine from using U.S.-provided weapons to strike inside Russia, Ukraine has used ATACMS to attack targets inside Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.<p><p><i>Serhiy Morgunov in Warsaw contributed to this report.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T17:21:33.792Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/5FHCSCDIDRHCZHW45QA6AUH3LI/20240318-141952.527/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MKXW72B63YI6VL7CBEHLG63AWE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) holds a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 24, 2020. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) </small></div><p>KYIV \u2014 Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called on Ukrainian lawmakers Monday to quickly pass <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/04/ukraine-mobilization-zelensky-russia/\" target=\"_blank\">a mobilization bill </a>that would make more citizens eligible to be drafted into the military, and he sharply questioned exempting men under 27 from the fight.<p><p>Graham called for the swift legislative action \u2014 even as U.S. lawmakers remain unable to reach their own consensus on aid for Ukraine \u2014 while visiting Kyiv, his first trip to the Ukrainian capital since abruptly turning against a $60 billion aid package for the country last month.<p><p>As he issued his advice on the draft, Graham, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, could offer no true assurances about the pending aid package, instead telling reporters that he is \u201cmore optimistic than I\u2019ve ever been that something will get out of the House pretty soon.\u201d<p><p>Ukraine is already short of soldiers and ammunition, and Russia is advancing on the battlefield, having recently seized the eastern city of Avdiivka after a Ukrainian retreat. Ukraine\u2019s new mobilization law, which has been under debate for months as the country faces a severe shortage of battle-ready troops, proposes lowering the country\u2019s draft age to 25. Although citizens can voluntarily join the military starting at age 18, and men between 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country under martial law, the draft has until now protected younger men \u2014 many of whom are students \u2014 from being <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/15/ukraine-village-mobilized-men-war/?isMobile=1\" target=\"_blank\">forcibly mobilized</a>.<p><p>\u201cI would hope that those eligible to serve in the Ukrainian military would join. I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s at 27,\u201d he told reporters Monday. \u201cYou\u2019re in a fight for your life, so you should be serving \u2014 not at 25 or 27.\u201d<p><p>\u201cWe need more people in the line,\u201d he said.<p><p>He also urged Ukrainians not to base their decisions to join the military on whether the United States continues to support them. \u201cNo matter what we do, you should be fighting,\u201d he said. \u201cNo matter what we do, you\u2019re fighting for you.\u201d<p><p>Graham has made several trips to Ukraine since 2022 and has repeatedly advocated for more aid for Ukraine. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/14/lindsey-graham-ukraine-trump/\" target=\"_blank\">But he reversed course last month</a> and voted against an urgently needed aid package, saying Donald Trump was \u201cdead set\u201d against it and would prefer to negotiate such aid as loan packages.<p><p>In Kyiv on Monday, he pushed for that approach.<p><p>\u201cI was very direct with President Zelensky. You can expect me to always be in your corner, but it\u2019s not unfair for me to ask you and other allies: Pay us back down the road, if you can,\u201d Graham said. \u201cI think the loan idea is going to be pretty popular, not just among Republicans but also among Democrats.\u201d<p><p>In a statement after their meeting Monday, Zelensky said it is \u201ccritically important\u201d that Congress reaches a decision on support for Ukraine. His office <a href=\"https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/prezident-ukrayini-zustrivsya-iz-senatorom-kongresu-ssha-lin-89737\" target=\"_blank\">also said he raised issues</a> including shortages of missiles and air defense with Graham.<p><p>Ukrainian troops have long complained of a shortage of 155mm artillery shells \u2014 a deficit Graham acknowledged Monday. \u201cYou\u2019re lacking the 155 rounds. We\u2019re going to get you some more,\u201d he said in the news conference.<p><p>The senator also criticized slow deliveries of U.S.-provided long-range missiles known as ATACMS, saying they \u201cshould have been here yesterday.\u201d<p><p>He said he hoped Ukraine will soon \u201cget ATACMS so you can knock the damn bridge down linking Crimea to Russia.\u201d Although the United States bars Ukraine from using U.S.-provided weapons to strike inside Russia, Ukraine has used ATACMS to attack targets inside Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.<p><p><i>Serhiy Morgunov in Warsaw contributed to this report.</i><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 05:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 21, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Two Italian men became parents. Soon they could be outlaws.", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Two Italian men became parents. Soon they could be outlaws."}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/post-reports/two-italian-men-became-parents-soon-they-could-be-outlaws-/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/post-reports/two-italian-men-became-parents-soon-they-could-be-outlaws-/", "summary": "2024-03-18T20:32:10.474Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The Italian Parliament is expected to pass a law that makes overseas surrogacy a crime, which would eliminate the last pathway to parenthood for many same-sex couples. It\u2019s part of a wave of efforts around the world trying to reshape what families look like. <p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T20:32:10.474Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The Italian Parliament is expected to pass a law that makes overseas surrogacy a crime, which would eliminate the last pathway to parenthood for many same-sex couples. It\u2019s part of a wave of efforts around the world trying to reshape what families look like. <p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 20, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "RBG Award gala canceled after Ginsburg family criticizes honorees", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "RBG Award gala canceled after Ginsburg family criticizes honorees"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/2024/03/18/rbg-award-opperman-musk-murdoch-canceled/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/2024/03/18/rbg-award-opperman-musk-murdoch-canceled/", "summary": "2024-03-18T19:49:38.132Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/PMTYJU4DEJAKBASCUAEWQ5JX7E/20240318-163723.234/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RGCP5KYOIC4JBLUW6HARMSJGF4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Julie Opperman, left, at the 2022 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award in Washington, looks on as Sylvester Stallone hangs a pair of pink boxing gloves on a portrait of the late Supreme Court justice. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)</small></div><p>An award given in the name of Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been abruptly canceled after the family of the late Supreme Court justice and others objected that this year\u2019s slate of recipients do not reflect her values.<p><p>The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation last week announced that it would award the prize to Elon Musk, Martha Stewart, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Milken and Sylvester Stallone. Critics couldn\u2019t help but observe that these \u201cfive iconic individuals\u201d \u2014 as the awards news release described them \u2014 included among them convicted felons and conservative billionaires who own right-wing media enterprises.<p><p>In a seven-paragraph statement released Monday afternoon, Julie Opperman \u2014 chairperson of the foundation named after her late husband \u2014 addressed the criticism that erupted in the wake of the announcement.<p><p>\u201cThe Foundation is not interested in creating controversy. It is not interested in generating a debate about whether particular honorees are worthy or not. And while Justice Ginsburg\u2019s concept of EQUALITY for women was very controversial for most of her life, the Foundation does not intend to enter the fray. Indeed, Justice Ginsburg was known for her civility,\u201d Opperman wrote.<p><p>Jim Ginsburg, the justice\u2019s son, told The Post via email that he is \u201crelieved\u201d that the awards will not proceed.<p><p>Opperman said the foundation will \u201creconsider its mission and make a judgment about how or whether to proceed in the future.\u201d The award previously had only honored women, but had been expanded to include men for this year\u2019s ceremony, which had been scheduled to take place at the Library of Congress on April 13.<p><p><i>This is a developing story that will be updated.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T19:49:38.132Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/PMTYJU4DEJAKBASCUAEWQ5JX7E/20240318-163723.234/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RGCP5KYOIC4JBLUW6HARMSJGF4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Julie Opperman, left, at the 2022 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award in Washington, looks on as Sylvester Stallone hangs a pair of pink boxing gloves on a portrait of the late Supreme Court justice. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)</small></div><p>An award given in the name of Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been abruptly canceled after the family of the late Supreme Court justice and others objected that this year\u2019s slate of recipients do not reflect her values.<p><p>The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation last week announced that it would award the prize to Elon Musk, Martha Stewart, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Milken and Sylvester Stallone. Critics couldn\u2019t help but observe that these \u201cfive iconic individuals\u201d \u2014 as the awards news release described them \u2014 included among them convicted felons and conservative billionaires who own right-wing media enterprises.<p><p>In a seven-paragraph statement released Monday afternoon, Julie Opperman \u2014 chairperson of the foundation named after her late husband \u2014 addressed the criticism that erupted in the wake of the announcement.<p><p>\u201cThe Foundation is not interested in creating controversy. It is not interested in generating a debate about whether particular honorees are worthy or not. And while Justice Ginsburg\u2019s concept of EQUALITY for women was very controversial for most of her life, the Foundation does not intend to enter the fray. Indeed, Justice Ginsburg was known for her civility,\u201d Opperman wrote.<p><p>Jim Ginsburg, the justice\u2019s son, told The Post via email that he is \u201crelieved\u201d that the awards will not proceed.<p><p>Opperman said the foundation will \u201creconsider its mission and make a judgment about how or whether to proceed in the future.\u201d The award previously had only honored women, but had been expanded to include men for this year\u2019s ceremony, which had been scheduled to take place at the Library of Congress on April 13.<p><p><i>This is a developing story that will be updated.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 20, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "5 key moments from Elon Musk\u2019s interview with Don Lemon", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "5 key moments from Elon Musk\u2019s interview with Don Lemon"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/18/elon-musk-don-lemon-interview/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/18/elon-musk-don-lemon-interview/", "summary": "2024-03-18T16:30:55.744Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/2RM5CEHH4VGLTAH75SFKELTZ4Q/20240318-165219.197/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/SJHNHO3IGDDMUQPUIGPDA32FNQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Don Lemon released his interview with X owner Elon Musk, which prompted Musk to cancel his deal to host a new program by the former CNN anchor on the platform. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)</small></div><p>On Monday, Don Lemon released the wide-ranging interview with Elon Musk that prompted the billionaire to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/03/13/don-lemon-elon-musk-cancellation/\" target=\"_blank\">cancel X\u2019s deal</a> with the former CNN anchor last week after Musk disliked<b> </b>his lines of inquiry.<p><p>Musk, who rarely grants interviews to journalists, sat for an hour-long conversation in which Lemon peppered him with questions about some of his most controversial behavior, from his drug use to his growing political influence to his stance on content moderation. Lemon said Musk called to tell him the deal was off hours after they taped the interview at Tesla\u2019s Austin headquarters earlier this month.<p><p>\u201cI challenge you, Elon, to watch the whole interview and tell the world why this isn\u2019t what you claim you want on X,\u201d Lemon said before introducing the interview, which was posted Monday on X and YouTube.<p><blockquote><p>The Don Lemon Show episode 1: Elon Musk<br /><br />TIMESTAMPS:<br />(02:23) News on X<br />(10:07) Donald Trump and Endorsing a Candidate<br />(13:04) The New Tesla Roadster<br />(16:46) Relaxation and Video Games<br />(17:54) Tweeting and Drug Use<br />(23:19) The Great Replacement Theory<br />(30:03) Content Moderation\u2026 <a href=\"https://t.co/bLRae4DhyO\">pic.twitter.com/bLRae4DhyO</a></p>&mdash; Don Lemon (@donlemon) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/donlemon/status/1769692006551593144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 18, 2024</a></blockquote>\n\n\n<p>X, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/27/elon-musk-twitter-x-anniversary/\" target=\"_blank\">the social media platform Musk took over in 2022</a>, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post. But in a post on the platform last week, the company\u2019s corporate account confirmed that it ended the deal with Lemon.<p><p>\u201cLike any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show,\u201d the company said. In his own post, Musk criticized Lemon\u2019s show, which he said \u201cwas basically just \u2018CNN, but on social media,\u2019 which doesn\u2019t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying.\u201d<p><p>Here are five takeaways from Lemon\u2019s conversation with Musk.<p><h2>Musk resists responsibility for hate speech on X</h2><p>Lemon repeatedly asked Musk whether he bears responsibility for the spread of hate speech or other dangerous content on X, but the tech magnate was dismissive. When Lemon brought up instances of racist and antisemitic content on the platform, Musk argued such posts didn\u2019t violate X\u2019s standards.<p><p>\u201cI think we have a responsibility to adhere to the law, Musk said, adding that if a post is illegal, \u201cwe\u2019re going to take it down.\u201d To remove posts that didn\u2019t break the law would mean \u201cwe\u2019re putting our thumb on the scale or being censors,\u201d he argued.<p><p>When Lemon questioned whether X has become a breeding ground for conservative conspiracy theories, Musk responded that \u201cold Twitter was fundamentally a tool of the far left.\u201d But when it came to questions about his own posts \u2014 which have recently tilted to the right \u2014 Musk said that he often reposts things he doesn\u2019t entirely agree with but thinks \u201cthat people should consider.\u201d<p><h2>Musk suffers from depressive episodes</h2><p>Asked about his drug use, Musk acknowledged that he has a prescription for the dissociative anesthetic ketamine to \u201ctreat a negative chemical state in my brain, like depression\u201d that affects him intermittently.<p><p>Musk denied abusing the drug, saying it does not affect what he decides to post on his social media platform, which has repeatedly landed the billionaire and his companies in hot water. He said he takes \u201ca small amount once every other week, or something like that.\u201d<p><p>\u201cIf you use too much ketamine, you can\u2019t really get work done,\u201d Musk said. \u201cI have a lot of work.\u201d<p><p>Musk\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/tech/elon-musk-tesla-money-drugs-board-61af9ac4\" target=\"_blank\">alleged drug use</a> has been a point of concern for investors, but in the interview, he suggested it\u2019s been beneficial to the company\u2019s bottom line.<p><p>\u201cFrom a standpoint of Wall Street, what matters is execution,\u201d Musk said, adding that \u201cfor investors\u2019 standpoint, if there is something I\u2019m taking, I should keep taking it.\u201d<p><h2>Musk described his meeting with Donald Trump</h2><p>When Lemon asked about Musk\u2019s recently reported encounter with Donald Trump, Musk said that it happened by chance while he was having breakfast at friend\u2019s home in Florida. (The New York Times reported that wealthy Republican donors were among other attendees.) When Lemon pressed for details about what was discussed, Musk seemed flustered and waited a few moments to respond. \u201cLet\u2019s just say, he did most of the talking,\u201d Musk said.<p><p>He declined to specify what they spoke about, except to deny that Trump asked him to contribute to his presidential campaign or to help<b> </b>pay his legal bills. Musk said that he does not plan to donate to any candidate\u2019s campaign.<p><p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to put a thumb on the scale monetarily,\u201d Musk said.<p><p>Musk did not rule out the possibility of endorsing a presidential candidate, adding that he is \u201cleaning away from Biden.\u201d<p><h1>America needs to \u2018move on\u2019 from racism, Musk says</h1><p>In response to questions about his resistance to diversity, equity and inclusion policies (which Musk has decried as racist), Musk argued that the country should \u201cmove on\u201d and not make racism \u201ca constant subject.\u201d<p><p>Of late, Musk has been retweeting posts that promote misinformation about the intelligence of racial minorities, <a href=\"https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/03/elon-musk-racist-tweets-science-video/\" target=\"_blank\">Mother Jones </a>has reported. He\u2019s also been posting frequently about the Biden administration\u2019s immigration polices, repeatedly claiming Democrats want to maximize the number of undocumented immigrants in the country to help win the election.<p><p>\u201cWe are all descended from slaves,\u201d Musk said during the interview with Lemon.<p><p>\u201cWell, not everyone was a slave,\u201d Lemon corrected, adding that it was \u201cinsulting\u201d for Musk suggest that people who experienced racism or discrimination should \u201cjust move forward and ignore the past.\u201d<p><h2>Musk rejects the idea that the \u2018buck stops\u2019 with him</h2><p>The most tense exchange in the interview arose when Lemon brought up Musk\u2019s previous statement that X advertisers could \u201ckill\u201d the platform with a boycott. (Several<b> </b>advertisers <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/17/elon-musk-x-companies-pulling-ads-anti-semitism/\" target=\"_blank\">left the platform</a> over concerns their ads were appearing alongside antisemitic content and other hate speech.)<p><p>When Lemon suggested that the companies\u2019 suspension of their advertising was a form of free speech, and that Musk might bear responsibility if X fails, he grew frustrated.<p><p>\u201cYou said, \u2018If they kill the company, it\u2019s them,\u2019 but doesn\u2019t the buck stop with you?\u201d Lemon asked.<p><p>Musk appeared rattled.<p><p>\u201cDon, I have to say, choose your questions carefully,\u201d he responded. \u201cThere\u2019s five minutes left.\u201d<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T16:30:55.744Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/2RM5CEHH4VGLTAH75SFKELTZ4Q/20240318-165219.197/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/SJHNHO3IGDDMUQPUIGPDA32FNQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Don Lemon released his interview with X owner Elon Musk, which prompted Musk to cancel his deal to host a new program by the former CNN anchor on the platform. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)</small></div><p>On Monday, Don Lemon released the wide-ranging interview with Elon Musk that prompted the billionaire to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/03/13/don-lemon-elon-musk-cancellation/\" target=\"_blank\">cancel X\u2019s deal</a> with the former CNN anchor last week after Musk disliked<b> </b>his lines of inquiry.<p><p>Musk, who rarely grants interviews to journalists, sat for an hour-long conversation in which Lemon peppered him with questions about some of his most controversial behavior, from his drug use to his growing political influence to his stance on content moderation. Lemon said Musk called to tell him the deal was off hours after they taped the interview at Tesla\u2019s Austin headquarters earlier this month.<p><p>\u201cI challenge you, Elon, to watch the whole interview and tell the world why this isn\u2019t what you claim you want on X,\u201d Lemon said before introducing the interview, which was posted Monday on X and YouTube.<p><blockquote><p>The Don Lemon Show episode 1: Elon Musk<br /><br />TIMESTAMPS:<br />(02:23) News on X<br />(10:07) Donald Trump and Endorsing a Candidate<br />(13:04) The New Tesla Roadster<br />(16:46) Relaxation and Video Games<br />(17:54) Tweeting and Drug Use<br />(23:19) The Great Replacement Theory<br />(30:03) Content Moderation\u2026 <a href=\"https://t.co/bLRae4DhyO\">pic.twitter.com/bLRae4DhyO</a></p>&mdash; Don Lemon (@donlemon) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/donlemon/status/1769692006551593144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 18, 2024</a></blockquote>\n\n\n<p>X, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/27/elon-musk-twitter-x-anniversary/\" target=\"_blank\">the social media platform Musk took over in 2022</a>, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post. But in a post on the platform last week, the company\u2019s corporate account confirmed that it ended the deal with Lemon.<p><p>\u201cLike any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show,\u201d the company said. In his own post, Musk criticized Lemon\u2019s show, which he said \u201cwas basically just \u2018CNN, but on social media,\u2019 which doesn\u2019t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying.\u201d<p><p>Here are five takeaways from Lemon\u2019s conversation with Musk.<p><h2>Musk resists responsibility for hate speech on X</h2><p>Lemon repeatedly asked Musk whether he bears responsibility for the spread of hate speech or other dangerous content on X, but the tech magnate was dismissive. When Lemon brought up instances of racist and antisemitic content on the platform, Musk argued such posts didn\u2019t violate X\u2019s standards.<p><p>\u201cI think we have a responsibility to adhere to the law, Musk said, adding that if a post is illegal, \u201cwe\u2019re going to take it down.\u201d To remove posts that didn\u2019t break the law would mean \u201cwe\u2019re putting our thumb on the scale or being censors,\u201d he argued.<p><p>When Lemon questioned whether X has become a breeding ground for conservative conspiracy theories, Musk responded that \u201cold Twitter was fundamentally a tool of the far left.\u201d But when it came to questions about his own posts \u2014 which have recently tilted to the right \u2014 Musk said that he often reposts things he doesn\u2019t entirely agree with but thinks \u201cthat people should consider.\u201d<p><h2>Musk suffers from depressive episodes</h2><p>Asked about his drug use, Musk acknowledged that he has a prescription for the dissociative anesthetic ketamine to \u201ctreat a negative chemical state in my brain, like depression\u201d that affects him intermittently.<p><p>Musk denied abusing the drug, saying it does not affect what he decides to post on his social media platform, which has repeatedly landed the billionaire and his companies in hot water. He said he takes \u201ca small amount once every other week, or something like that.\u201d<p><p>\u201cIf you use too much ketamine, you can\u2019t really get work done,\u201d Musk said. \u201cI have a lot of work.\u201d<p><p>Musk\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.wsj.com/tech/elon-musk-tesla-money-drugs-board-61af9ac4\" target=\"_blank\">alleged drug use</a> has been a point of concern for investors, but in the interview, he suggested it\u2019s been beneficial to the company\u2019s bottom line.<p><p>\u201cFrom a standpoint of Wall Street, what matters is execution,\u201d Musk said, adding that \u201cfor investors\u2019 standpoint, if there is something I\u2019m taking, I should keep taking it.\u201d<p><h2>Musk described his meeting with Donald Trump</h2><p>When Lemon asked about Musk\u2019s recently reported encounter with Donald Trump, Musk said that it happened by chance while he was having breakfast at friend\u2019s home in Florida. (The New York Times reported that wealthy Republican donors were among other attendees.) When Lemon pressed for details about what was discussed, Musk seemed flustered and waited a few moments to respond. \u201cLet\u2019s just say, he did most of the talking,\u201d Musk said.<p><p>He declined to specify what they spoke about, except to deny that Trump asked him to contribute to his presidential campaign or to help<b> </b>pay his legal bills. Musk said that he does not plan to donate to any candidate\u2019s campaign.<p><p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to put a thumb on the scale monetarily,\u201d Musk said.<p><p>Musk did not rule out the possibility of endorsing a presidential candidate, adding that he is \u201cleaning away from Biden.\u201d<p><h1>America needs to \u2018move on\u2019 from racism, Musk says</h1><p>In response to questions about his resistance to diversity, equity and inclusion policies (which Musk has decried as racist), Musk argued that the country should \u201cmove on\u201d and not make racism \u201ca constant subject.\u201d<p><p>Of late, Musk has been retweeting posts that promote misinformation about the intelligence of racial minorities, <a href=\"https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/03/elon-musk-racist-tweets-science-video/\" target=\"_blank\">Mother Jones </a>has reported. He\u2019s also been posting frequently about the Biden administration\u2019s immigration polices, repeatedly claiming Democrats want to maximize the number of undocumented immigrants in the country to help win the election.<p><p>\u201cWe are all descended from slaves,\u201d Musk said during the interview with Lemon.<p><p>\u201cWell, not everyone was a slave,\u201d Lemon corrected, adding that it was \u201cinsulting\u201d for Musk suggest that people who experienced racism or discrimination should \u201cjust move forward and ignore the past.\u201d<p><h2>Musk rejects the idea that the \u2018buck stops\u2019 with him</h2><p>The most tense exchange in the interview arose when Lemon brought up Musk\u2019s previous statement that X advertisers could \u201ckill\u201d the platform with a boycott. (Several<b> </b>advertisers <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/17/elon-musk-x-companies-pulling-ads-anti-semitism/\" target=\"_blank\">left the platform</a> over concerns their ads were appearing alongside antisemitic content and other hate speech.)<p><p>When Lemon suggested that the companies\u2019 suspension of their advertising was a form of free speech, and that Musk might bear responsibility if X fails, he grew frustrated.<p><p>\u201cYou said, \u2018If they kill the company, it\u2019s them,\u2019 but doesn\u2019t the buck stop with you?\u201d Lemon asked.<p><p>Musk appeared rattled.<p><p>\u201cDon, I have to say, choose your questions carefully,\u201d he responded. \u201cThere\u2019s five minutes left.\u201d<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 20, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "At the Met, exquisite singing in a confounding staging of \u2018La Forza\u2019", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "At the Met, exquisite singing in a confounding staging of \u2018La Forza\u2019"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/03/18/review-la-forza-del-destino-met/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/03/18/review-la-forza-del-destino-met/", "summary": "2024-03-17T14:50:36.684Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/R5QNXSV2JZHSDMIMOI26O4I77Y/20240318-163469.696/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AT2IBRKGMVAQ5EPI7QNIRC6V2E.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lise Davidsen, left, as Leonora and Brian Jagde as Don Alvaro in the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s new production of Giuseppe Verdi's \u201cLa Forza del Destino.\u201d (Karen Almond/Met Opera)</small></div><p>This past Saturday in New York City, I witnessed multiple brawls and stabbings at a dilapidated subway station. But I wasn\u2019t at the MTA, I was at the Metropolitan Opera, trying my best to focus on the extraordinary singing in a deeply confounding staging of Verdi\u2019s \u201cLa Forza del Destino.\u201d<p><p>Premiered in 1862 (and revised in 1869) \u201cLa Forza\u201d is not one of Verdi\u2019s more frequently performed works, last showing up at the Met in 1996 with a production starring Sharon Sweet, Pl\u00e1cido Domingo and Vladimir Chernov. And there are reasons for this.<p><p>Though it checks nearly every conceivable box on one\u2019s opera checklist \u2014 forbidden love, mistaken identities, an overbearing father, vengeance, bloody daggers and a declaration early on that nothing can stop the passions of young lovers \u2014 it doesn\u2019t quite have the alchemy of grand scale and intimate focus that characterizes Verdi\u2019s more popular works. And while it brims with lovely music, particularly sinuous solos for clarinet, it\u2019s slightly lacking in what the young ones might call bangers.<p><p>Perhaps it\u2019s this sense that \u201cLa Forza\u201d could use a little extra help that inspired director Mariusz Treli\u0144ski to airlift its somewhat convoluted action \u2014 originally set in the mid-18th century around Spain and Italy (near the time of the War of Austrian Succession) \u2014 to \u201ca contemporary city\u201d and plop the whole story on a turntable stage. Verdi\u2019s Risorgimento-pumping glorification of war may also account for its infrequent appearance on mainstages. (Oh, that and the long-standing lore that <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2012/11/10/164866294/verdis-la-forza-born-under-a-bad-sign\" target=\"_blank\">the opera is cursed</a>.)<p><p>It\u2019s a \u201cLa Forza\u201d laden with choices, but none better than its casting. The night I attended was the final appearance by superstar soprano Lise Davidsen in her turn as Leonora \u2014 her run celebrated at the end of the performance with a blizzard of confetti torn from program pages and tossed from the upper tiers. (Soprano Elena Stikhina will sing the remaining three performances.)<p><p>Her \u201cMe, pellegrina ed orfana\u201d in Act I was an early indication of her power and precision; her Act II arias as she seeks refuge at a monastery (\u201cSono giunta! grazie o Dio!\u201d and \u201cMadre, pietosa Vergine\u201d) a demonstration of her strengths as an actress. A soaring \u201cPace, pace, mio Dio\u201d in Act IV was met with prolonged, grateful applause after a third act that squandered much of the night\u2019s momentum. Those who missed Davidsen in this production would be wise to secure tickets for next season, when she\u2019ll sing the title role in \u201cTosca\u201d as well as Leonore in \u201cFidelio.\u201d<p><p>Tenor Brian Jagde\u2019s tormented Alvaro was mighty right out of the gates in a duet with Leonora (\u201cAh! Per sempre, o mio bell\u2019angiol\u201d) \u2014 steely highs, leathery lows, just the right balance of brute force and disarming tenderness. He earned a prolonged ovation in Act III with his grieving plea for pity (\u201cO, tu che in seno agli angeli\u201d). His foil, baritone Igor Golovatenko as Don Carlo di Vargas, offered strong, penetrating vocals \u2014 especially so in his Act III deliberation of betrayal (\u201cMorir! tremenda cosa!\u201d) \u2014 but his rage too often read as vaguely comic.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FZ3EGKAV7ZHLFNVDYKFPNTTG4E.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Judit Kutasi as Preziosilla in the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s new production of Giuseppe Verdi's \u201cLa Forza del Destino.\u201d (Karen Almond/Met Opera)</small></div><p>The primary trio was fortified by a stellar supporting cast. Mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi (who also concluded her run on Saturday, to be replaced by mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova) was a visually bedazzled and sonically dazzling Preziosilla (usually attended by a troupe of six dancers in rabbit masks). And while her \u201cRataplan, rataplan, della gloria\u201d was a vexing tonal detour (more Giuseppe\u2019s fault than hers), she was nothing short of the center of Act II\u2019s gravity.<p><p>As the Marquis of Calatrava, bass Soloman Howard didn\u2019t strike the imposing figure he needed to in the first act \u2014 his voice insinuating authority more than commanding respect. He sounded far stronger later in the show in the dual role of Padre Guardiano (who takes in the desperate Leonora), and made spooky appearances loitering around the set as the ghost of the (accidentally) shot Marquis. Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi was marvelous as the growling, ill-tempered Fra Melitone.<p><p>Met music director Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin superbly led the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra through the many (often abrupt) mood swings of the opera. He leavened a densely dramatized overture sequence with brisk woodwinds and sprightly strings. In Act II, this light touch helped fluff up Carlo\u2019s fibs and stoke pity for Leonora. He kept the music sturdy enough to bolster fiery choral parts and allowed space for softer, gauzier passages (which the chorus handled with particular elan). And his orchestra was busy with standout performances \u2014 Raphael Figueroa\u2019s endearing, assertive cello playing; Anton Rist\u2019s splendid (and demanding) clarinet solos; Hannah Cope\u2019s lucid harp. (It was also a delight to hear so much of organist Howard Watkins on<b> </b>the Met\u2019s \u00c6olian-Skinner pipe organ.)<p><p>If there is a reason to see this vaguely Americanized \u201cLa Forza\u201d before it packs up and retreats to its own hermitage, it\u2019s simply to hear it.<p><p>Vague contemporizing has become a specialty of the Met in recent seasons \u2014 and onstage it\u2019s starting to feel like a bit like a recycling program. Boris Kudlicka\u2019s sets were wonderfully detailed and spatially inventive (often putting the stage\u2019s slow rotation to clever use), but oddly familiar: The chain-link fences caging the Act III military encampment felt reinstalled from the cigarette factory in the company\u2019s recent \u201cCarmen\u201d; the big-screen exposition (filmed in a style somewhere between a dream sequence and a fashion editorial) felt a little more than inspired by the updated \u201cLucia di Lammermoor\u201d; and it wouldn\u2019t be a modernized Met production without cars (\u201cCarmen\u201d), or even better, wrecked cars (\u201cLady Macbeth of Mtsensk\u201d). And in more ways than one, the turntable stage itself felt like an enactment of destiny.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/INVBO3XYCZDZJHSGFC6R3BCRKI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lise Davidsen as Leonora in the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s new production of Giuseppe Verdi's \u201cLa Forza del Destino.\u201d (Karen Almond/Met Opera)</small></div><p>Projections, lots of them, have become another requisite of the Met modernization strategy. When the unspecified nation in this staging plunges into war following the death of the Marquis, the fact is driven home by trios of Black Hawk helicopters advancing through thick clouds of smoke. A ring of flames encircles Preziosilla. And at the end of the second act, Leonora\u2019s vision of the Virgin Mary hovers above her, followed by a mysterious and heavily bead-adorned woman.<p><p>The mid-apocalyptic fourth and final act is introduced through a projected sequence that pans over a bombed-out city, reduced to rubble \u2014 a discomfortingly familiar image from the real world, here put to ambivalent use. And while the rotating reproduction of a nearly destroyed NYC subway station (unless some other contemporary city has a Helvetica standard and a stop at 155th Street) was certainly a feast for the eyes, if it was supposed to land as a reveal, it did not.<p><p>All of which is to say that lately, when the Met opts to spirit an opera to the present, it tends to land in a milieu that wicks its wow factor from the elevated presentation of the mundane. And while a modernized or otherwise reimagined staging of \u201cLa Forza\u201d might have assisted in tightening up its looser ends, each act in Treli\u0144ski\u2019s vision had me distracted trying to calculate the value of the updates. (And if the mumbling in the lobby was any indication, I wasn\u2019t alone.)<p><p>I left with more questions than answers: What was up with the rabbit dancers? Why did the battle scene at the encampment swerve into sloppy slo-mo choreography? How on this blighted earth is the subway still running?<p><p>But the big question was \u201cWhat was it all for?\u201d In trying to make pieces of this opera feel closer to home, Treli\u0144ski\u2019s vision only makes the whole feel far more removed \u2014 a mix of high-resolution and stubborn abstraction that feels oddly at odds with itself.<p><p><i>\u201cLa Forza del Destino\u201d runs at the Metropolitan Opera through March 29, </i><a href=\"https://www.metopera.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>www.metopera.com</i></a><i>.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-17T14:50:36.684Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/R5QNXSV2JZHSDMIMOI26O4I77Y/20240318-163469.696/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AT2IBRKGMVAQ5EPI7QNIRC6V2E.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lise Davidsen, left, as Leonora and Brian Jagde as Don Alvaro in the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s new production of Giuseppe Verdi's \u201cLa Forza del Destino.\u201d (Karen Almond/Met Opera)</small></div><p>This past Saturday in New York City, I witnessed multiple brawls and stabbings at a dilapidated subway station. But I wasn\u2019t at the MTA, I was at the Metropolitan Opera, trying my best to focus on the extraordinary singing in a deeply confounding staging of Verdi\u2019s \u201cLa Forza del Destino.\u201d<p><p>Premiered in 1862 (and revised in 1869) \u201cLa Forza\u201d is not one of Verdi\u2019s more frequently performed works, last showing up at the Met in 1996 with a production starring Sharon Sweet, Pl\u00e1cido Domingo and Vladimir Chernov. And there are reasons for this.<p><p>Though it checks nearly every conceivable box on one\u2019s opera checklist \u2014 forbidden love, mistaken identities, an overbearing father, vengeance, bloody daggers and a declaration early on that nothing can stop the passions of young lovers \u2014 it doesn\u2019t quite have the alchemy of grand scale and intimate focus that characterizes Verdi\u2019s more popular works. And while it brims with lovely music, particularly sinuous solos for clarinet, it\u2019s slightly lacking in what the young ones might call bangers.<p><p>Perhaps it\u2019s this sense that \u201cLa Forza\u201d could use a little extra help that inspired director Mariusz Treli\u0144ski to airlift its somewhat convoluted action \u2014 originally set in the mid-18th century around Spain and Italy (near the time of the War of Austrian Succession) \u2014 to \u201ca contemporary city\u201d and plop the whole story on a turntable stage. Verdi\u2019s Risorgimento-pumping glorification of war may also account for its infrequent appearance on mainstages. (Oh, that and the long-standing lore that <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2012/11/10/164866294/verdis-la-forza-born-under-a-bad-sign\" target=\"_blank\">the opera is cursed</a>.)<p><p>It\u2019s a \u201cLa Forza\u201d laden with choices, but none better than its casting. The night I attended was the final appearance by superstar soprano Lise Davidsen in her turn as Leonora \u2014 her run celebrated at the end of the performance with a blizzard of confetti torn from program pages and tossed from the upper tiers. (Soprano Elena Stikhina will sing the remaining three performances.)<p><p>Her \u201cMe, pellegrina ed orfana\u201d in Act I was an early indication of her power and precision; her Act II arias as she seeks refuge at a monastery (\u201cSono giunta! grazie o Dio!\u201d and \u201cMadre, pietosa Vergine\u201d) a demonstration of her strengths as an actress. A soaring \u201cPace, pace, mio Dio\u201d in Act IV was met with prolonged, grateful applause after a third act that squandered much of the night\u2019s momentum. Those who missed Davidsen in this production would be wise to secure tickets for next season, when she\u2019ll sing the title role in \u201cTosca\u201d as well as Leonore in \u201cFidelio.\u201d<p><p>Tenor Brian Jagde\u2019s tormented Alvaro was mighty right out of the gates in a duet with Leonora (\u201cAh! Per sempre, o mio bell\u2019angiol\u201d) \u2014 steely highs, leathery lows, just the right balance of brute force and disarming tenderness. He earned a prolonged ovation in Act III with his grieving plea for pity (\u201cO, tu che in seno agli angeli\u201d). His foil, baritone Igor Golovatenko as Don Carlo di Vargas, offered strong, penetrating vocals \u2014 especially so in his Act III deliberation of betrayal (\u201cMorir! tremenda cosa!\u201d) \u2014 but his rage too often read as vaguely comic.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FZ3EGKAV7ZHLFNVDYKFPNTTG4E.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Judit Kutasi as Preziosilla in the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s new production of Giuseppe Verdi's \u201cLa Forza del Destino.\u201d (Karen Almond/Met Opera)</small></div><p>The primary trio was fortified by a stellar supporting cast. Mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi (who also concluded her run on Saturday, to be replaced by mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova) was a visually bedazzled and sonically dazzling Preziosilla (usually attended by a troupe of six dancers in rabbit masks). And while her \u201cRataplan, rataplan, della gloria\u201d was a vexing tonal detour (more Giuseppe\u2019s fault than hers), she was nothing short of the center of Act II\u2019s gravity.<p><p>As the Marquis of Calatrava, bass Soloman Howard didn\u2019t strike the imposing figure he needed to in the first act \u2014 his voice insinuating authority more than commanding respect. He sounded far stronger later in the show in the dual role of Padre Guardiano (who takes in the desperate Leonora), and made spooky appearances loitering around the set as the ghost of the (accidentally) shot Marquis. Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi was marvelous as the growling, ill-tempered Fra Melitone.<p><p>Met music director Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin superbly led the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra through the many (often abrupt) mood swings of the opera. He leavened a densely dramatized overture sequence with brisk woodwinds and sprightly strings. In Act II, this light touch helped fluff up Carlo\u2019s fibs and stoke pity for Leonora. He kept the music sturdy enough to bolster fiery choral parts and allowed space for softer, gauzier passages (which the chorus handled with particular elan). And his orchestra was busy with standout performances \u2014 Raphael Figueroa\u2019s endearing, assertive cello playing; Anton Rist\u2019s splendid (and demanding) clarinet solos; Hannah Cope\u2019s lucid harp. (It was also a delight to hear so much of organist Howard Watkins on<b> </b>the Met\u2019s \u00c6olian-Skinner pipe organ.)<p><p>If there is a reason to see this vaguely Americanized \u201cLa Forza\u201d before it packs up and retreats to its own hermitage, it\u2019s simply to hear it.<p><p>Vague contemporizing has become a specialty of the Met in recent seasons \u2014 and onstage it\u2019s starting to feel like a bit like a recycling program. Boris Kudlicka\u2019s sets were wonderfully detailed and spatially inventive (often putting the stage\u2019s slow rotation to clever use), but oddly familiar: The chain-link fences caging the Act III military encampment felt reinstalled from the cigarette factory in the company\u2019s recent \u201cCarmen\u201d; the big-screen exposition (filmed in a style somewhere between a dream sequence and a fashion editorial) felt a little more than inspired by the updated \u201cLucia di Lammermoor\u201d; and it wouldn\u2019t be a modernized Met production without cars (\u201cCarmen\u201d), or even better, wrecked cars (\u201cLady Macbeth of Mtsensk\u201d). And in more ways than one, the turntable stage itself felt like an enactment of destiny.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/INVBO3XYCZDZJHSGFC6R3BCRKI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lise Davidsen as Leonora in the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s new production of Giuseppe Verdi's \u201cLa Forza del Destino.\u201d (Karen Almond/Met Opera)</small></div><p>Projections, lots of them, have become another requisite of the Met modernization strategy. When the unspecified nation in this staging plunges into war following the death of the Marquis, the fact is driven home by trios of Black Hawk helicopters advancing through thick clouds of smoke. A ring of flames encircles Preziosilla. And at the end of the second act, Leonora\u2019s vision of the Virgin Mary hovers above her, followed by a mysterious and heavily bead-adorned woman.<p><p>The mid-apocalyptic fourth and final act is introduced through a projected sequence that pans over a bombed-out city, reduced to rubble \u2014 a discomfortingly familiar image from the real world, here put to ambivalent use. And while the rotating reproduction of a nearly destroyed NYC subway station (unless some other contemporary city has a Helvetica standard and a stop at 155th Street) was certainly a feast for the eyes, if it was supposed to land as a reveal, it did not.<p><p>All of which is to say that lately, when the Met opts to spirit an opera to the present, it tends to land in a milieu that wicks its wow factor from the elevated presentation of the mundane. And while a modernized or otherwise reimagined staging of \u201cLa Forza\u201d might have assisted in tightening up its looser ends, each act in Treli\u0144ski\u2019s vision had me distracted trying to calculate the value of the updates. (And if the mumbling in the lobby was any indication, I wasn\u2019t alone.)<p><p>I left with more questions than answers: What was up with the rabbit dancers? Why did the battle scene at the encampment swerve into sloppy slo-mo choreography? How on this blighted earth is the subway still running?<p><p>But the big question was \u201cWhat was it all for?\u201d In trying to make pieces of this opera feel closer to home, Treli\u0144ski\u2019s vision only makes the whole feel far more removed \u2014 a mix of high-resolution and stubborn abstraction that feels oddly at odds with itself.<p><p><i>\u201cLa Forza del Destino\u201d runs at the Metropolitan Opera through March 29, </i><a href=\"https://www.metopera.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>www.metopera.com</i></a><i>.</i><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 20, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Printable brackets for NCAA men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball tournament", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Printable brackets for NCAA men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball tournament"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/printable-bracket-ncaa-tournament/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/printable-bracket-ncaa-tournament/", "summary": "2024-03-18T20:23:21.803Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/TYR2KUEI6BEGJKRSUUB3WN3HIY/20240318-165285.857/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The NCAA women\u2019s and men\u2019s basketball tournament fields are set with the First Four games set to tip off Tuesday and Wednesday and first-round action starting Thursday.<p><p>You can download and print the brackets here for your March Madness pool.<p><p><b>Men\u2019s bracket</b><p><p><a href=\"https://washingtonpost.com/documents/e2b661dc-0811-47a9-bd22-fe0343efe0e6.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Download a PDF of the men\u2019s bracket</a> | <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/march-madness-bracket/\" target=\"_blank\">See the interactive men\u2019s bracket</a><p><p><b>Women\u2019s bracket</b><p><p><a href=\"https://washingtonpost.com/documents/9736d383-84b6-450b-89e9-6154ad50cef7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Download a PDF of the women\u2019s bracket</a> | <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/womens-march-madness-tournament-bracket/\" target=\"_blank\">See the interactive women\u2019s bracket</a><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T20:23:21.803Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/TYR2KUEI6BEGJKRSUUB3WN3HIY/20240318-165285.857/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The NCAA women\u2019s and men\u2019s basketball tournament fields are set with the First Four games set to tip off Tuesday and Wednesday and first-round action starting Thursday.<p><p>You can download and print the brackets here for your March Madness pool.<p><p><b>Men\u2019s bracket</b><p><p><a href=\"https://washingtonpost.com/documents/e2b661dc-0811-47a9-bd22-fe0343efe0e6.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Download a PDF of the men\u2019s bracket</a> | <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/march-madness-bracket/\" target=\"_blank\">See the interactive men\u2019s bracket</a><p><p><b>Women\u2019s bracket</b><p><p><a href=\"https://washingtonpost.com/documents/9736d383-84b6-450b-89e9-6154ad50cef7.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Download a PDF of the women\u2019s bracket</a> | <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/womens-march-madness-tournament-bracket/\" target=\"_blank\">See the interactive women\u2019s bracket</a><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 20, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "The intermittent fasting trend may pose risks to your heart", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "The intermittent fasting trend may pose risks to your heart"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/03/18/intermittent-fasting-time-restricted-eating/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/03/18/intermittent-fasting-time-restricted-eating/", "summary": "2024-03-17T12:37:49.264Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/NFT7TCKPBRHFZLIBZTFTUDWMLU/20240318-151738.380/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UBOTWDSORRDDPK5ENK245RVZJE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A young woman checking the time before eating. (iStock) (iStock)</small></div><p><p><p>Intermittent fasting \u2014 when people only eat at certain times of day \u2014 has exploded in popularity in recent years. But now a surprising new study suggests that there might be reason to be cautious: It found that some intermittent fasters were more likely to die of heart disease.<p><p>The findings were presented Monday at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago and focused on a popular version of intermittent fasting that involves eating all your meals in just eight hours or less \u2014 resulting in at least a 16-hour daily fast, commonly known as \u201ctime-restricted\u201d eating.<p><p>The study<b> </b>analyzed data on the dietary habits of 20,000 adults across the United States who were followed from 2003 to 2018. They found that people who adhered to the eight-hour eating plan<b> </b>had a 91 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease compared to people who followed a more traditional dietary pattern of eating their food across 12 to 16 hours each day.<p><p>The scientists found that this increased risk also applied to people who were already living with a chronic disease or cancer.<b> </b>People with existing cardiovascular disease who followed a time-restricted eating pattern had a 66 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease or a stroke. Those who had cancer meanwhile were more likely to die of the disease if they followed a time-restricted diet compared to people with cancer who followed an eating duration of at least 16 hours a day.<p><p>The study results suggest that people who practice intermittent fasting for long periods of time, particularly those with existing heart conditions or cancer, should be \u201cextremely cautious,\u201d said Victor Wenze Zhong, the lead author and the chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China.<p><p>\u201cBased on the evidence as of now, focusing on <i>what </i>people eat appears to be more important than focusing on the time when they eat,\u201d he added.<p><p>Zhong said that he and his colleagues conducted the new study because they wanted to see how eating in a narrow window each day would impact \u201chard endpoints\u201d such as heart disease and mortality. He said that they were surprised by their findings.<p><p>\u201cWe had expected that long-term adoption of eight-hour time restricted eating would be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular death and even all-cause death,\u201d he said.<p><h2>Losing lean muscle mass</h2><p>The data didn\u2019t explain why time-restricted eating increased a person\u2019s health risks. But the researchers did find that people who followed a 16:8 time-restricted eating pattern, where they eat during an eight-hour window and fast for 16, had less lean muscle mass compared to people who ate throughout longer periods of the day. That lines up with a previous clinical trial <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2771095\" target=\"_blank\">published in JAMA Internal Medicine</a>, which found that people assigned to follow a time-restricted diet for three months lost more muscle than a control group that was not assigned to do intermittent fasting.<p><p>Holding onto muscle as you age is important. It protects you against falls and disability and can boost your metabolic health. <a href=\"https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0194697\" target=\"_blank\">Studies have found</a> that having low muscle mass is linked to higher mortality rates, including a higher risk of dying from heart disease, said Zhong.<p><p>He stressed that the findings were not definitive. The study uncovered a correlation between time-restricted eating and increased mortality, but it could not show cause and effect. It\u2019s possible for example that people who restricted their food intake to an eight-hour daily window had other habits or risk factors that might explain their increased likelihood of dying from heart disease. The scientists also noted that the study relied on self-reported dietary information. It\u2019s possible that the participants did not always accurately report their eating durations.<p><p><p><p><p><h2>A trendy form of dieting and weight control</h2><p>Intermittent fasting has been widely touted by celebrities and health experts who say it produces weight loss and a variety of health benefits. Another form of intermittent fasting involves alternating fasting days with days of eating normally. Some people follow the 5:2 diet, in which they eat normally for five days a week and then fast for two days.<p><p>But time-restricted eating is generally considered the easiest form of intermittent fasting for people to follow because it doesn\u2019t require full-day fasts.<b> </b>It also typically doesn\u2019t involve excessive food restriction. Adherents often eat or drink whatever they want during the eight-hour eating period \u2014 the only rule is that they don\u2019t eat at other times of day.<p><p>Some of <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10111287/\" target=\"_blank\">the earliest studies</a> on time-restricted eating found that it helped prevent mice from developing obesity and metabolic syndrome. These were followed by mostly small clinical trials in humans, some of which showed that time-restricted eating <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29951594/\" target=\"_blank\">helped people lose weight</a> and improve <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5990470/\" target=\"_blank\">their blood pressure</a>, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. These studies were largely short-term, typically lasting one to three months, and in some cases <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10111287/#R14\" target=\"_blank\">showed no benefit</a>.<p><p>One of the most rigorous studies of time-restricted eating was published in <a href=\"https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2114833\" target=\"_blank\">the </a>New England Journal of Medicine in 2022. It found that people with obesity who were assigned to follow a low-calorie diet and instructed to eat only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily lost no more weight than people who ate the same number of calories throughout the day with no restrictions on when they could eat. The two diets had similar effects on blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and other metabolic markers.<p><p>The findings suggest that any benefits of time-restricted eating likely result from eating fewer calories.<p><p><p><p><p><h2>More questions about intermittent fasting</h2><p>Christopher Gardner, the director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, said he encouraged people to approach the new study with \u201chealthy skepticism.\u201d He said that while the findings were interesting, he wants to see all the data, including potential demographic differences in the study subjects.<p><p>\u201cDid they all have the same level of disposable income and the same level of stress,\u201d he said. \u201cOr is it that the people who ate less than eight hours a day worked three jobs, had very high stress, and didn\u2019t have time to eat?\u201d<p><p>Gardner said that studying intermittent fasting can be challenging because there are so many variations of it, and determining it\u2019s impact on longevity requires closely following people for long periods of time.<p><p>But he said that so far, the evidence supporting intermittent fasting for weight loss and other outcomes is mixed at best, with some studies showing short-term benefits and others showing no benefit at all. \u201cI don\u2019t think the data are very strong for intermittent fasting,\u201d he added. \u201cOne of the challenges in nutrition is that just because something works really well for a few people doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s going to work for everyone.\u201d<p><p><p><p>He said that his biggest complaint with intermittent fasting is that it doesn\u2019t address diet quality. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t say anything about choosing poorly when you\u2019re eating,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat if I have an eight-hour eating window but I\u2019m eating Pop Tarts and Cheetos and drinking Coke in that window? I\u2019m not a fan of that long term. I think that\u2019s potentially problematic.\u201d<p><p><p><p><p><p><i>Do you have a question about healthy eating? Email </i><a href=\"mailto:EatingLab@washpost.com\"><i>EatingLab@washpost.com</i></a><i> and we may answer your question in a future column.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-17T12:37:49.264Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/NFT7TCKPBRHFZLIBZTFTUDWMLU/20240318-151738.380/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UBOTWDSORRDDPK5ENK245RVZJE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A young woman checking the time before eating. (iStock) (iStock)</small></div><p><p><p>Intermittent fasting \u2014 when people only eat at certain times of day \u2014 has exploded in popularity in recent years. But now a surprising new study suggests that there might be reason to be cautious: It found that some intermittent fasters were more likely to die of heart disease.<p><p>The findings were presented Monday at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago and focused on a popular version of intermittent fasting that involves eating all your meals in just eight hours or less \u2014 resulting in at least a 16-hour daily fast, commonly known as \u201ctime-restricted\u201d eating.<p><p>The study<b> </b>analyzed data on the dietary habits of 20,000 adults across the United States who were followed from 2003 to 2018. They found that people who adhered to the eight-hour eating plan<b> </b>had a 91 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease compared to people who followed a more traditional dietary pattern of eating their food across 12 to 16 hours each day.<p><p>The scientists found that this increased risk also applied to people who were already living with a chronic disease or cancer.<b> </b>People with existing cardiovascular disease who followed a time-restricted eating pattern had a 66 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease or a stroke. Those who had cancer meanwhile were more likely to die of the disease if they followed a time-restricted diet compared to people with cancer who followed an eating duration of at least 16 hours a day.<p><p>The study results suggest that people who practice intermittent fasting for long periods of time, particularly those with existing heart conditions or cancer, should be \u201cextremely cautious,\u201d said Victor Wenze Zhong, the lead author and the chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China.<p><p>\u201cBased on the evidence as of now, focusing on <i>what </i>people eat appears to be more important than focusing on the time when they eat,\u201d he added.<p><p>Zhong said that he and his colleagues conducted the new study because they wanted to see how eating in a narrow window each day would impact \u201chard endpoints\u201d such as heart disease and mortality. He said that they were surprised by their findings.<p><p>\u201cWe had expected that long-term adoption of eight-hour time restricted eating would be associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular death and even all-cause death,\u201d he said.<p><h2>Losing lean muscle mass</h2><p>The data didn\u2019t explain why time-restricted eating increased a person\u2019s health risks. But the researchers did find that people who followed a 16:8 time-restricted eating pattern, where they eat during an eight-hour window and fast for 16, had less lean muscle mass compared to people who ate throughout longer periods of the day. That lines up with a previous clinical trial <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2771095\" target=\"_blank\">published in JAMA Internal Medicine</a>, which found that people assigned to follow a time-restricted diet for three months lost more muscle than a control group that was not assigned to do intermittent fasting.<p><p>Holding onto muscle as you age is important. It protects you against falls and disability and can boost your metabolic health. <a href=\"https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0194697\" target=\"_blank\">Studies have found</a> that having low muscle mass is linked to higher mortality rates, including a higher risk of dying from heart disease, said Zhong.<p><p>He stressed that the findings were not definitive. The study uncovered a correlation between time-restricted eating and increased mortality, but it could not show cause and effect. It\u2019s possible for example that people who restricted their food intake to an eight-hour daily window had other habits or risk factors that might explain their increased likelihood of dying from heart disease. The scientists also noted that the study relied on self-reported dietary information. It\u2019s possible that the participants did not always accurately report their eating durations.<p><p><p><p><p><h2>A trendy form of dieting and weight control</h2><p>Intermittent fasting has been widely touted by celebrities and health experts who say it produces weight loss and a variety of health benefits. Another form of intermittent fasting involves alternating fasting days with days of eating normally. Some people follow the 5:2 diet, in which they eat normally for five days a week and then fast for two days.<p><p>But time-restricted eating is generally considered the easiest form of intermittent fasting for people to follow because it doesn\u2019t require full-day fasts.<b> </b>It also typically doesn\u2019t involve excessive food restriction. Adherents often eat or drink whatever they want during the eight-hour eating period \u2014 the only rule is that they don\u2019t eat at other times of day.<p><p>Some of <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10111287/\" target=\"_blank\">the earliest studies</a> on time-restricted eating found that it helped prevent mice from developing obesity and metabolic syndrome. These were followed by mostly small clinical trials in humans, some of which showed that time-restricted eating <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29951594/\" target=\"_blank\">helped people lose weight</a> and improve <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5990470/\" target=\"_blank\">their blood pressure</a>, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. These studies were largely short-term, typically lasting one to three months, and in some cases <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10111287/#R14\" target=\"_blank\">showed no benefit</a>.<p><p>One of the most rigorous studies of time-restricted eating was published in <a href=\"https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2114833\" target=\"_blank\">the </a>New England Journal of Medicine in 2022. It found that people with obesity who were assigned to follow a low-calorie diet and instructed to eat only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily lost no more weight than people who ate the same number of calories throughout the day with no restrictions on when they could eat. The two diets had similar effects on blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and other metabolic markers.<p><p>The findings suggest that any benefits of time-restricted eating likely result from eating fewer calories.<p><p><p><p><p><h2>More questions about intermittent fasting</h2><p>Christopher Gardner, the director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, said he encouraged people to approach the new study with \u201chealthy skepticism.\u201d He said that while the findings were interesting, he wants to see all the data, including potential demographic differences in the study subjects.<p><p>\u201cDid they all have the same level of disposable income and the same level of stress,\u201d he said. \u201cOr is it that the people who ate less than eight hours a day worked three jobs, had very high stress, and didn\u2019t have time to eat?\u201d<p><p>Gardner said that studying intermittent fasting can be challenging because there are so many variations of it, and determining it\u2019s impact on longevity requires closely following people for long periods of time.<p><p>But he said that so far, the evidence supporting intermittent fasting for weight loss and other outcomes is mixed at best, with some studies showing short-term benefits and others showing no benefit at all. \u201cI don\u2019t think the data are very strong for intermittent fasting,\u201d he added. \u201cOne of the challenges in nutrition is that just because something works really well for a few people doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s going to work for everyone.\u201d<p><p><p><p>He said that his biggest complaint with intermittent fasting is that it doesn\u2019t address diet quality. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t say anything about choosing poorly when you\u2019re eating,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat if I have an eight-hour eating window but I\u2019m eating Pop Tarts and Cheetos and drinking Coke in that window? I\u2019m not a fan of that long term. I think that\u2019s potentially problematic.\u201d<p><p><p><p><p><p><i>Do you have a question about healthy eating? Email </i><a href=\"mailto:EatingLab@washpost.com\"><i>EatingLab@washpost.com</i></a><i> and we may answer your question in a future column.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 20, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Pence\u2019s refusal to back Trump points to a larger problem", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Pence\u2019s refusal to back Trump points to a larger problem"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/pences-refusal-back-trump-points-larger-problem/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/pences-refusal-back-trump-points-larger-problem/", "summary": "2024-03-18T17:35:09.708Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/7PFKU5UXW5DTJJGNNROXXNECLI/20240318-160425.259/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/DQAAPVE2DUI6VLLZ5334242GIE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Then-Vice President Mike Pence, center, then-Attorney General William P. Barr, left, and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listen as then-President Donald Trump participates in a Cabinet meeting in 2020. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) </small></div><p>Both of Donald Trump\u2019s defense secretaries have warned in no uncertain terms about how dangerous he is, with one recently calling him a \u201c<a href=\"https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4393651-esper-dubs-trump-a-threat-to-democracy-on-capitol-riot-anniversary/\" target=\"_blank\">threat to democracy</a>.\u201d One of his attorneys general has called the criminal evidence against him \u201cdamning\u201d and warned that he would <a href=\"https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4375167-barr-predicts-abuse-of-government-power-if-trump-reelected-2024/\" target=\"_blank\">abuse his power</a>. A chief of staff <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/02/john-kellys-full-throated-confirmation-trumps-ugliest-comments-parsed/\" target=\"_blank\">keeps </a><a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/11/politics/trump-despots-advisers-sound-alarm/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">confirming</a> the ugliest anonymously sourced reports about him. And now his vice president has said he can\u2019t possibly endorse him.<p><p>Mike Pence\u2019s announcement Friday that he <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/16/mike-pence-why-no-trump-endorsement/\" target=\"_blank\">would not endorse Trump</a> is huge news, given that this was the man who served shoulder-to-shoulder with Trump for four years as his No. 2 \u2014 and often obsequiously so.<p><p>But Pence\u2019s non-endorsement is less surprising in another context: He\u2019s merely the latest member of Trump\u2019s cabinet to balk.<p><p>While Republican members of Congress have largely come around to Trump as he\u2019s effectively secured the GOP nomination, those who served more closely with him in his administration have been another story.<p><p>Fewer than one-third of the more than 40 people who served in cabinet roles under Trump have publicly aligned with him during the 2024 campaign.<p><p>While even fewer have publicly endorsed him \u2014 as noted <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-cabinet-endorsements-rcna96648\" target=\"_blank\">last summer by NBC News</a> \u2014 several others have made their intentions clear, in either public comments or behind-the-scenes actions.<p><p>Former secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for instance, never endorsed in the primary but recently affirmed he would <a href=\"https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12980799/Mike-Pompeo-teases-Donald-Trump-endorsement-slams-Anthony-blinken.html\" target=\"_blank\">support the GOP nominee</a>. Others, like former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and former commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, kept their powder dry through most of the primary before ultimately endorsing Trump last month. Former Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon recently <a href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/25/trumps-super-pac-raised-46-million-in-six-months-00137743\" target=\"_blank\">gave $5 million to a pro-Trump super PAC</a>. Some other advisers have also worked with Trump-aligned groups or causes.<p><p>But that leaves around 30 who haven\u2019t come on board, at least publicly.<p><p>And it\u2019s not just those who have been outwardly critical of Trump, like former defense secretaries Jim Mattis and Mark T. Esper, former attorney general William P. Barr and former top aides John Kelly and Mick Mulvaney. Many others have more quietly steered clear.<p><p>Among the notable absences from Trump\u2019s corner:<p><p>This list doesn\u2019t include the non-cabinet officials who have broken with Trump, including multiple White House national security advisers. Nor does it include White House aides who have been <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2024/02/27/will-anti-trump-republicans-vote-for-biden/\" target=\"_blank\">outspoken against him</a>. And then, of course, there\u2019s Nikki Haley, who is <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/06/haley-exit-trump-republican-party-presidential-race/\" target=\"_blank\">holding out on endorsing Trump</a> after dropping out of the GOP primary this month.<p><p>These officials balking at Trump during the 2024 primaries was remarkable enough. But now that Trump has effectively secured the nomination, their continued absence from his team is even more conspicuous.<p><p>If nothing else, Pence might have signaled that people who helped Trump run his administration don\u2019t need to do what they\u2019ve clearly been reluctant to do. And if they don\u2019t, that will say plenty.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T17:35:09.708Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/7PFKU5UXW5DTJJGNNROXXNECLI/20240318-160425.259/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/DQAAPVE2DUI6VLLZ5334242GIE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Then-Vice President Mike Pence, center, then-Attorney General William P. Barr, left, and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listen as then-President Donald Trump participates in a Cabinet meeting in 2020. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) </small></div><p>Both of Donald Trump\u2019s defense secretaries have warned in no uncertain terms about how dangerous he is, with one recently calling him a \u201c<a href=\"https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4393651-esper-dubs-trump-a-threat-to-democracy-on-capitol-riot-anniversary/\" target=\"_blank\">threat to democracy</a>.\u201d One of his attorneys general has called the criminal evidence against him \u201cdamning\u201d and warned that he would <a href=\"https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4375167-barr-predicts-abuse-of-government-power-if-trump-reelected-2024/\" target=\"_blank\">abuse his power</a>. A chief of staff <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/02/john-kellys-full-throated-confirmation-trumps-ugliest-comments-parsed/\" target=\"_blank\">keeps </a><a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/11/politics/trump-despots-advisers-sound-alarm/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">confirming</a> the ugliest anonymously sourced reports about him. And now his vice president has said he can\u2019t possibly endorse him.<p><p>Mike Pence\u2019s announcement Friday that he <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/16/mike-pence-why-no-trump-endorsement/\" target=\"_blank\">would not endorse Trump</a> is huge news, given that this was the man who served shoulder-to-shoulder with Trump for four years as his No. 2 \u2014 and often obsequiously so.<p><p>But Pence\u2019s non-endorsement is less surprising in another context: He\u2019s merely the latest member of Trump\u2019s cabinet to balk.<p><p>While Republican members of Congress have largely come around to Trump as he\u2019s effectively secured the GOP nomination, those who served more closely with him in his administration have been another story.<p><p>Fewer than one-third of the more than 40 people who served in cabinet roles under Trump have publicly aligned with him during the 2024 campaign.<p><p>While even fewer have publicly endorsed him \u2014 as noted <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-cabinet-endorsements-rcna96648\" target=\"_blank\">last summer by NBC News</a> \u2014 several others have made their intentions clear, in either public comments or behind-the-scenes actions.<p><p>Former secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for instance, never endorsed in the primary but recently affirmed he would <a href=\"https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12980799/Mike-Pompeo-teases-Donald-Trump-endorsement-slams-Anthony-blinken.html\" target=\"_blank\">support the GOP nominee</a>. Others, like former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and former commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, kept their powder dry through most of the primary before ultimately endorsing Trump last month. Former Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon recently <a href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/25/trumps-super-pac-raised-46-million-in-six-months-00137743\" target=\"_blank\">gave $5 million to a pro-Trump super PAC</a>. Some other advisers have also worked with Trump-aligned groups or causes.<p><p>But that leaves around 30 who haven\u2019t come on board, at least publicly.<p><p>And it\u2019s not just those who have been outwardly critical of Trump, like former defense secretaries Jim Mattis and Mark T. Esper, former attorney general William P. Barr and former top aides John Kelly and Mick Mulvaney. Many others have more quietly steered clear.<p><p>Among the notable absences from Trump\u2019s corner:<p><p>This list doesn\u2019t include the non-cabinet officials who have broken with Trump, including multiple White House national security advisers. Nor does it include White House aides who have been <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2024/02/27/will-anti-trump-republicans-vote-for-biden/\" target=\"_blank\">outspoken against him</a>. And then, of course, there\u2019s Nikki Haley, who is <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/06/haley-exit-trump-republican-party-presidential-race/\" target=\"_blank\">holding out on endorsing Trump</a> after dropping out of the GOP primary this month.<p><p>These officials balking at Trump during the 2024 primaries was remarkable enough. But now that Trump has effectively secured the nomination, their continued absence from his team is even more conspicuous.<p><p>If nothing else, Pence might have signaled that people who helped Trump run his administration don\u2019t need to do what they\u2019ve clearly been reluctant to do. And if they don\u2019t, that will say plenty.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 20, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "AstraZeneca will cap inhaler costs at $35 per month", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "AstraZeneca will cap inhaler costs at $35 per month"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/astrazeneca-inhaler-price-cap/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/astrazeneca-inhaler-price-cap/", "summary": "2024-03-18T17:48:46.760Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/F36NUZJURFDNDDCJIVL55M7YHE/20240318-155313.138/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/Z446YRF4OEI6XERKYQGJO5F4JA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">AstraZeneca offices in Cambridge, England. (Alastair Grant/AP)</small></div><p>AstraZeneca is capping out-of-pocket costs for inhalers and related medication at no more than $35 per month, the drugmaker <a href=\"https://www.astrazeneca-us.com/media/press-releases/2024/astrazeneca-caps-patient-out-of-pocket-costs-at-35-per-month-for-its-us-inhaled-respiratory-portfolio.html\" target=\"_blank\">announced </a>Monday.<p><p>The<b> </b>Britain based pharma giant said the expanded savings are intended to help vulnerable patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially those without health insurance. The price cap takes effect June 1.<p><p>\u201cAstraZeneca\u2019s expanded savings programs build on our long-standing commitment to addressing barriers to access and affordability for patients living with respiratory diseases to ultimately help patients lead healthier lives,\u201d AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot said in a statement.<p><p>The move matches a cost-reduction program from Boehringer Ingelheim, a German pharmaceutical company that rivals AstraZeneca in the inhaler market. It follows the launch of an investigation by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, in which Democratic senators and Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, <a href=\"https://www.help.senate.gov/chair/newsroom/press/news-chairman-sanders-baldwin-lujan-markey-launch-help-committee-investigation-into-efforts-by-pharmaceutical-companies-to-manipulate-the-price-of-asthma-inhalers\" target=\"_blank\">wrote </a>to four major inhaler companies asking them to lower prices.<p><p>Sanders released a statement Monday congratulating AstraZeneca and urging other companies to follow suit. The other two leading manufacturers \u2014 GlaxoSmithKline and Teva \u2014 have not agreed to a price cap.<p><p>The lawmakers have pointed to sizable differences in inhaler co-pays between the United States and Europe. For example, GlaxoSmithKline charges $319 for Advair HFA, a prescription inhaler, in the United States compared with $26 in Britain,  according to the lawmakers.<p><p>\u201cIf AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim can cap the cost of inhalers at $35 in the United States, these other companies can do the same,\u201d Sanders said in Monday\u2019s release.<p><p>A GlaxoSmithKline spokesperson said in an email that the company \u201chas a strong track record of responsibly pricing medicines while creating solutions that provide patients with access to scientific breakthroughs.\u201d The company provides medicines and vaccines at no cost to patients who are eligible for its charitable programs, the spokesperson added.<p><p>Teva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<p><p>The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, a patient advocacy group, said it welcomes efforts to make asthma drugs more affordable and called on health-care industry stakeholders to do their part to reduce costs.<p><p>\u201cDrug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers, employers, and the government operate in a perverse system that drives prices higher \u2014 and all stakeholders must work together to improve affordability and access,\u201d AAFA President Kenneth Mendez said in a statement.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T17:48:46.760Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/F36NUZJURFDNDDCJIVL55M7YHE/20240318-155313.138/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/Z446YRF4OEI6XERKYQGJO5F4JA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">AstraZeneca offices in Cambridge, England. (Alastair Grant/AP)</small></div><p>AstraZeneca is capping out-of-pocket costs for inhalers and related medication at no more than $35 per month, the drugmaker <a href=\"https://www.astrazeneca-us.com/media/press-releases/2024/astrazeneca-caps-patient-out-of-pocket-costs-at-35-per-month-for-its-us-inhaled-respiratory-portfolio.html\" target=\"_blank\">announced </a>Monday.<p><p>The<b> </b>Britain based pharma giant said the expanded savings are intended to help vulnerable patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially those without health insurance. The price cap takes effect June 1.<p><p>\u201cAstraZeneca\u2019s expanded savings programs build on our long-standing commitment to addressing barriers to access and affordability for patients living with respiratory diseases to ultimately help patients lead healthier lives,\u201d AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot said in a statement.<p><p>The move matches a cost-reduction program from Boehringer Ingelheim, a German pharmaceutical company that rivals AstraZeneca in the inhaler market. It follows the launch of an investigation by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, in which Democratic senators and Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, <a href=\"https://www.help.senate.gov/chair/newsroom/press/news-chairman-sanders-baldwin-lujan-markey-launch-help-committee-investigation-into-efforts-by-pharmaceutical-companies-to-manipulate-the-price-of-asthma-inhalers\" target=\"_blank\">wrote </a>to four major inhaler companies asking them to lower prices.<p><p>Sanders released a statement Monday congratulating AstraZeneca and urging other companies to follow suit. The other two leading manufacturers \u2014 GlaxoSmithKline and Teva \u2014 have not agreed to a price cap.<p><p>The lawmakers have pointed to sizable differences in inhaler co-pays between the United States and Europe. For example, GlaxoSmithKline charges $319 for Advair HFA, a prescription inhaler, in the United States compared with $26 in Britain,  according to the lawmakers.<p><p>\u201cIf AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim can cap the cost of inhalers at $35 in the United States, these other companies can do the same,\u201d Sanders said in Monday\u2019s release.<p><p>A GlaxoSmithKline spokesperson said in an email that the company \u201chas a strong track record of responsibly pricing medicines while creating solutions that provide patients with access to scientific breakthroughs.\u201d The company provides medicines and vaccines at no cost to patients who are eligible for its charitable programs, the spokesperson added.<p><p>Teva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<p><p>The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, a patient advocacy group, said it welcomes efforts to make asthma drugs more affordable and called on health-care industry stakeholders to do their part to reduce costs.<p><p>\u201cDrug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers, employers, and the government operate in a perverse system that drives prices higher \u2014 and all stakeholders must work together to improve affordability and access,\u201d AAFA President Kenneth Mendez said in a statement.<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 03:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 19, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Supreme Court rejects appeal by New Mexico official ousted from office over Jan. 6", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Supreme Court rejects appeal by New Mexico official ousted from office over Jan. 6"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/griffin-supreme-court-insurrection-clause/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/griffin-supreme-court-insurrection-clause/", "summary": "2024-03-18T16:29:10.158Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/EM3CH7LG2FDVHESPNFGKFUY6DA/20240318-153933.331/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2R6SM3Z4W7LTVCJ2SGNLIHTEYM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Couy Griffin was convicted by a federal judge in March 2022 of entering restricted grounds at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP)</small></div><p>The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up an appeal by a former New Mexico county commissioner who was removed from office after he participated in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.<p><p>In September 2022, Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin became the first elected official to be <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/06/biden-midterms-cabinet-meeting-massachusetts/#link-PM3HKOE2PVH3HDDQLDPWOD6M2Y?itid=lk_inline_manual_5\" target=\"_blank\">removed</a> from office in connection to the Jan. 6 attack thanks to a provision in the 14th Amendment \u2014 the insurrection clause \u2014 which states that no person who holds any office \u201cshall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion\u201d against the government.<p><p>A New Mexico state district court found that Griffin, then the Otero County commissioner, was disqualified from office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2024/02/07/section-3-14th-amendment-insurrectionists/\" target=\"_blank\">created to prevent former Confederates</a> from returning to power after the Civil War. The Supreme Court\u2019s decision not to hear Griffin\u2019s appeal solidifies that lower court\u2019s opinion, and will keep him out of office.<p><p>In a statement to The Washington Post, Griffin\u2019s lawyer Peter Ticktin said Griffin and his legal team are looking for ways to return to court in New Mexico and re-litigate the decision.<p><p>To appeal the decision to keep him out of office, Griffin employed legal arguments similar to those used by former president Donald Trump in his own separate case before the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/04/supreme-court-trump-ballot-decision/\" target=\"_blank\">Supreme Court challenging a Colorado court\u2019s decision</a> to keep him off that state\u2019s primary ballot over his actions on Jan. 6.<p><p>In Trump\u2019s case, the Supreme Court ruled this month that states can\u2019t bar the former president or other candidates from appearing on a ballot for federal office under the insurrection clause, concluding that while states may \u201cdisqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office,\u201d they \u201chave no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency.\u201d<p><p>With their rejection of Griffin\u2019s appeal on Monday, the justices made clear that different rules apply to state and local candidates than to those seeking federal office.<p><p>Griffin, who is also a pastor, gained national notoriety for holding horseback caravans in support of Trump. In March 2022, a federal judge convicted him of entering restricted grounds on Jan. 6. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail and a $3,000 fine. <p><p>At the time of the conviction, District Judge Trevor McFadden told Griffin that, as an elected state official, he had taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. \u201cThe actions and statements you\u2019ve taken since then are in tension with that oath,\u201d the judge said. <p><p>Griffin responded afterward that he felt he was upholding his oath \u201cto make sure that our elections are transparent and legal\u201d and that he traveled to Washington \u201cto stand and peaceably protest\u201d and represent \u201cmillions of other Americans that feel the same way that I do.\u201d<p><p>Video of the attack shows Griffin and his videographer climbing over barricades and barriers, then clambering onto the inauguration stage in front of the Capitol and spending over an hour speaking through a bullhorn to the surging mob.<p><p>It was Griffin\u2019s trial that forced prosecutors to disclose the location of Vice President Mike Pence during the riot, over Secret Service objections, to prove that Griffin had entered a restricted area, though he did not enter the Capitol itself. McFadden acquitted Griffin of disorderly conduct but <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/22/couy-griffin-guilty-verdict-trespassing/?itid=lk_inline_manual_17\" target=\"_blank\">convicted him</a> of the misdemeanor charge of entering a restricted building or grounds.<p><p>In September 2022, New Mexico District Court Judge Francis Mathew removed Griffin from office, saying that, while Griffin\u2019s actions were nonviolent, they met the definition of disqualifying behavior. Mathew\u2019s decision to remove Griffin from office marked the first time since 1869 that a court disqualified a public official under the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment.<p><p><p><p>Griffin reacted Monday to the Supreme Court\u2019s decision by taking to social media and asking former president Donald Trump to make Griffin his running mate in 2024.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019m officially barred thru a court order of running for any other office other than the office of President,\u201d Griffin <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CowboyCouy/status/1769738811917951401?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">wrote</a>. \u201cI wonder if that holds true to the office of Vice President?\u201d<p><p>The Supreme Court\u2019s decision to keep Griffin from state office could affect efforts by other states and local governments to oust other individuals who participated in the attack. The case against Griffin was filed by the same group that led the effort to disqualify Trump from the ballot in Colorado, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.<p><p>In a statement, the organization\u2019s president, Noah Bookbinder, said that by refusing to take up Griffin\u2019s appeal, the court is keeping in place \u201cthe finding that January 6th was an insurrection, and ensures that states can still apply the 14th Amendment\u2019s disqualification clause to state officials.\u201d<p><p>\u201cCrucially, this decision reinforces that every decision-making body that has substantively considered the issue has found that January 6th was an insurrection, and Donald Trump engaged in that insurrection,\u201d Bookbinder wrote. \u201cNow it is up to the states to fulfill their duty under Section 3 to remove from office anyone who broke their oath by participating in the January 6th insurrection.\u201d<p><p><i>Tom Jackman and Spencer S. Hsu contributed to this report.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T16:29:10.158Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/EM3CH7LG2FDVHESPNFGKFUY6DA/20240318-153933.331/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2R6SM3Z4W7LTVCJ2SGNLIHTEYM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Couy Griffin was convicted by a federal judge in March 2022 of entering restricted grounds at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP)</small></div><p>The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up an appeal by a former New Mexico county commissioner who was removed from office after he participated in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.<p><p>In September 2022, Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin became the first elected official to be <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/06/biden-midterms-cabinet-meeting-massachusetts/#link-PM3HKOE2PVH3HDDQLDPWOD6M2Y?itid=lk_inline_manual_5\" target=\"_blank\">removed</a> from office in connection to the Jan. 6 attack thanks to a provision in the 14th Amendment \u2014 the insurrection clause \u2014 which states that no person who holds any office \u201cshall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion\u201d against the government.<p><p>A New Mexico state district court found that Griffin, then the Otero County commissioner, was disqualified from office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2024/02/07/section-3-14th-amendment-insurrectionists/\" target=\"_blank\">created to prevent former Confederates</a> from returning to power after the Civil War. The Supreme Court\u2019s decision not to hear Griffin\u2019s appeal solidifies that lower court\u2019s opinion, and will keep him out of office.<p><p>In a statement to The Washington Post, Griffin\u2019s lawyer Peter Ticktin said Griffin and his legal team are looking for ways to return to court in New Mexico and re-litigate the decision.<p><p>To appeal the decision to keep him out of office, Griffin employed legal arguments similar to those used by former president Donald Trump in his own separate case before the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/04/supreme-court-trump-ballot-decision/\" target=\"_blank\">Supreme Court challenging a Colorado court\u2019s decision</a> to keep him off that state\u2019s primary ballot over his actions on Jan. 6.<p><p>In Trump\u2019s case, the Supreme Court ruled this month that states can\u2019t bar the former president or other candidates from appearing on a ballot for federal office under the insurrection clause, concluding that while states may \u201cdisqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office,\u201d they \u201chave no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency.\u201d<p><p>With their rejection of Griffin\u2019s appeal on Monday, the justices made clear that different rules apply to state and local candidates than to those seeking federal office.<p><p>Griffin, who is also a pastor, gained national notoriety for holding horseback caravans in support of Trump. In March 2022, a federal judge convicted him of entering restricted grounds on Jan. 6. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail and a $3,000 fine. <p><p>At the time of the conviction, District Judge Trevor McFadden told Griffin that, as an elected state official, he had taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. \u201cThe actions and statements you\u2019ve taken since then are in tension with that oath,\u201d the judge said. <p><p>Griffin responded afterward that he felt he was upholding his oath \u201cto make sure that our elections are transparent and legal\u201d and that he traveled to Washington \u201cto stand and peaceably protest\u201d and represent \u201cmillions of other Americans that feel the same way that I do.\u201d<p><p>Video of the attack shows Griffin and his videographer climbing over barricades and barriers, then clambering onto the inauguration stage in front of the Capitol and spending over an hour speaking through a bullhorn to the surging mob.<p><p>It was Griffin\u2019s trial that forced prosecutors to disclose the location of Vice President Mike Pence during the riot, over Secret Service objections, to prove that Griffin had entered a restricted area, though he did not enter the Capitol itself. McFadden acquitted Griffin of disorderly conduct but <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/22/couy-griffin-guilty-verdict-trespassing/?itid=lk_inline_manual_17\" target=\"_blank\">convicted him</a> of the misdemeanor charge of entering a restricted building or grounds.<p><p>In September 2022, New Mexico District Court Judge Francis Mathew removed Griffin from office, saying that, while Griffin\u2019s actions were nonviolent, they met the definition of disqualifying behavior. Mathew\u2019s decision to remove Griffin from office marked the first time since 1869 that a court disqualified a public official under the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment.<p><p><p><p>Griffin reacted Monday to the Supreme Court\u2019s decision by taking to social media and asking former president Donald Trump to make Griffin his running mate in 2024.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019m officially barred thru a court order of running for any other office other than the office of President,\u201d Griffin <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CowboyCouy/status/1769738811917951401?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">wrote</a>. \u201cI wonder if that holds true to the office of Vice President?\u201d<p><p>The Supreme Court\u2019s decision to keep Griffin from state office could affect efforts by other states and local governments to oust other individuals who participated in the attack. The case against Griffin was filed by the same group that led the effort to disqualify Trump from the ballot in Colorado, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.<p><p>In a statement, the organization\u2019s president, Noah Bookbinder, said that by refusing to take up Griffin\u2019s appeal, the court is keeping in place \u201cthe finding that January 6th was an insurrection, and ensures that states can still apply the 14th Amendment\u2019s disqualification clause to state officials.\u201d<p><p>\u201cCrucially, this decision reinforces that every decision-making body that has substantively considered the issue has found that January 6th was an insurrection, and Donald Trump engaged in that insurrection,\u201d Bookbinder wrote. \u201cNow it is up to the states to fulfill their duty under Section 3 to remove from office anyone who broke their oath by participating in the January 6th insurrection.\u201d<p><p><i>Tom Jackman and Spencer S. Hsu contributed to this report.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 03:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 19, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Are all olive oils equally healthy for you? A look at the research.", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Are all olive oils equally healthy for you? A look at the research."}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/03/18/olive-oil-heart-cholesterol-health/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/03/18/olive-oil-heart-cholesterol-health/", "summary": "2024-03-04T15:30:46.465Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WP5ZDDVJO3A7N7DGNQIP6FOKQE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Research has linked olive oil to lower blood pressure and positive effects on the heart, diabetes risk and weight. (Antonio Calanni/AP)</small></div><p><a href=\"https://www.consumerreports.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Consumer Reports</i></a><i> has no financial relationship with any advertisers on this site.</i><p><p>Olive oil has been called liquid gold thanks to its lush flavor and rich color, not to mention its high price. But another key reason it\u2019s so prized is because of its health benefits.<p><p>Olive oil is the main source of fat in the Mediterranean diet, and often it gets the credit for that diet\u2019s positive effect on your heart, diabetes risk and weight. While there\u2019s no doubt that olive oil is good for you, just how good is it? Are the different types of olive oil equally healthy? And is it better for you than other oils? We combed through the research to find out.<p><h2>The benefits</h2><p>Research links olive oil to lowered blood pressure, <a href=\"https://www.consumerreports.org/health/high-cholesterol/your-guide-to-cholesterol-control-a2665297083/\" target=\"_blank\">LDL cholesterol</a> \u2014 which is considered the \u201cbad\u201d version \u2014 and inflammation; and increased HDL cholesterol \u2014 considered the \u201cgood\u201d type; and a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline.<p><p>You don\u2019t need to consume a lot. A <a href=\"https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.10.041\" target=\"_blank\">2022 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology</a> involving about 92,000 people found that consuming more than 1\u00bd teaspoons of olive oil daily reduced the risk of dying early from any cause by 19 percent compared with consuming less.<p><h2>The power of extra virgin olive oil</h2><p>In the United States, you\u2019ll see olive oil bottles labeled \u201cextra virgin\u201d and just plain \u201colive oil.\u201d Both are high in monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease. But extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has extra health advantages.<p><p>It contains more than 200 antioxidant plant compounds, including polyphenols, which research suggests are responsible for much of the oil\u2019s positive effects (as well as its signature flavor). Polyphenols may help tamp down inflammation in the body, which is thought to contribute to a number of chronic conditions from heart disease to Type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer\u2019s disease. (See the results of CR\u2019s tests of the <a href=\"https://www.consumerreports.org/health/cooking-oils/how-to-choose-a-good-extra-virgin-olive-oil-a8557720032/\" target=\"_blank\">best EVOOs</a>.)<p><p>Regular olive oil has almost none of these compounds and doesn\u2019t boost health in the same way as EVOO, says Mary M. Flynn, an associate professor of medicine at the Miriam Hospital and Brown University in Providence, R.I., who has studied olive oil from a health perspective for more than 25 years.<p><p>A <a href=\"https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/13/2916\" target=\"_blank\">review article</a> conducted by Flynn and her colleagues published in the journal Nutrients in 2023 concluded that consuming two tablespoons of EVOO a day can produce improvements in blood pressure and HDL and LDL cholesterol levels within as little as three weeks.<p><p>And a <a href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-022-01221-3\" target=\"_blank\">2023 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition</a> found that people who consumed 1\u00bd tablespoons of EVOO per day were 57 percent less likely to die of cardiovascular disease compared with those who ate none. Consuming the same amount of regular olive oil didn\u2019t have this benefit.<p><p>The differences are due to the way the oils are produced. EVOO is unrefined. It\u2019s made through an all-mechanical process that\u2019s \u201cnot that different from squeezing oranges to make orange juice,\u201d says chemist Selina Wang, an associate professor of cooperative extension in the department of food science and technology at the University of California at Davis, and an expert trained in olive oil analysis. This preserves the antioxidants. Regular olive oil by contrast, is further processed in a way that reduces its antioxidant content.<p><h2>EVOO vs. other types of oils</h2><p>So does all this make EVOO a better choice than other oils you might use for cooking, baking and eating \u2014 like canola, safflower, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut or simply \u201cvegetable\u201d oil?<p><p>There\u2019s a consensus among experts that EVOO is one of the healthiest oils you can pick, and some studies have suggested it has an edge over other oils. For example, researchers found that in Greek men and women over age 70, the exclusive use of olive oil in food prep and cooking was linked to higher scores on a scale of successful aging attributes (such as a good body mass index and participation in social activities), compared with those who used no olive oil and those who used olive oil and other fats. The <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352251/\" target=\"_blank\">study, which was published in 2019 in the journal Foods</a>, analyzed diet data from more than 3,300 people.<p><p>Still, it\u2019s not definitive that olive oil is the best.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019m not aware of any strong data to indicate that olive oil is any better than other mostly unsaturated oils,\u201d said Alice Lichtenstein, senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. A lot of the research on olive oil has been in studies that examined the diets of large groups of people and tracked health outcomes over time. But, Lichtenstein says, while such observational studies are important, they can show only associations, not cause and effect.<p><p>\u201cOther parts of the Mediterranean diet likely also contribute to the health benefits ascribed specifically to olive oil,\u201d Lichtenstein says. And other plant oils can also be healthful. Soybean and canola oils, for example, are good sources of alpha-linolenic acid, the plant form of omega-3s, which may protect against heart disease; olive oil has almost none.<p><p>What has been established: Replacing saturated fats, like butter or coconut oil, with unsaturated fats in our diets is healthier. A <a href=\"https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000510\" target=\"_blank\">2017 American Heart Association Presidential Advisory published in Circulation</a> concluded that using either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats instead of saturated fat would help to reduce heart disease. So, Lichtenstein says, olive oil is a good choice, but you can use whatever plant oil you like.<p><h6>Copyright 2024, Consumer Reports Inc.</h6><p>Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Read more at <a href=\"http://www.consumerreports.org/\">ConsumerReports.org</a>.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-04T15:30:46.465Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WP5ZDDVJO3A7N7DGNQIP6FOKQE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Research has linked olive oil to lower blood pressure and positive effects on the heart, diabetes risk and weight. (Antonio Calanni/AP)</small></div><p><a href=\"https://www.consumerreports.org/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Consumer Reports</i></a><i> has no financial relationship with any advertisers on this site.</i><p><p>Olive oil has been called liquid gold thanks to its lush flavor and rich color, not to mention its high price. But another key reason it\u2019s so prized is because of its health benefits.<p><p>Olive oil is the main source of fat in the Mediterranean diet, and often it gets the credit for that diet\u2019s positive effect on your heart, diabetes risk and weight. While there\u2019s no doubt that olive oil is good for you, just how good is it? Are the different types of olive oil equally healthy? And is it better for you than other oils? We combed through the research to find out.<p><h2>The benefits</h2><p>Research links olive oil to lowered blood pressure, <a href=\"https://www.consumerreports.org/health/high-cholesterol/your-guide-to-cholesterol-control-a2665297083/\" target=\"_blank\">LDL cholesterol</a> \u2014 which is considered the \u201cbad\u201d version \u2014 and inflammation; and increased HDL cholesterol \u2014 considered the \u201cgood\u201d type; and a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline.<p><p>You don\u2019t need to consume a lot. A <a href=\"https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.10.041\" target=\"_blank\">2022 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology</a> involving about 92,000 people found that consuming more than 1\u00bd teaspoons of olive oil daily reduced the risk of dying early from any cause by 19 percent compared with consuming less.<p><h2>The power of extra virgin olive oil</h2><p>In the United States, you\u2019ll see olive oil bottles labeled \u201cextra virgin\u201d and just plain \u201colive oil.\u201d Both are high in monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease. But extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has extra health advantages.<p><p>It contains more than 200 antioxidant plant compounds, including polyphenols, which research suggests are responsible for much of the oil\u2019s positive effects (as well as its signature flavor). Polyphenols may help tamp down inflammation in the body, which is thought to contribute to a number of chronic conditions from heart disease to Type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer\u2019s disease. (See the results of CR\u2019s tests of the <a href=\"https://www.consumerreports.org/health/cooking-oils/how-to-choose-a-good-extra-virgin-olive-oil-a8557720032/\" target=\"_blank\">best EVOOs</a>.)<p><p>Regular olive oil has almost none of these compounds and doesn\u2019t boost health in the same way as EVOO, says Mary M. Flynn, an associate professor of medicine at the Miriam Hospital and Brown University in Providence, R.I., who has studied olive oil from a health perspective for more than 25 years.<p><p>A <a href=\"https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/13/2916\" target=\"_blank\">review article</a> conducted by Flynn and her colleagues published in the journal Nutrients in 2023 concluded that consuming two tablespoons of EVOO a day can produce improvements in blood pressure and HDL and LDL cholesterol levels within as little as three weeks.<p><p>And a <a href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-022-01221-3\" target=\"_blank\">2023 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition</a> found that people who consumed 1\u00bd tablespoons of EVOO per day were 57 percent less likely to die of cardiovascular disease compared with those who ate none. Consuming the same amount of regular olive oil didn\u2019t have this benefit.<p><p>The differences are due to the way the oils are produced. EVOO is unrefined. It\u2019s made through an all-mechanical process that\u2019s \u201cnot that different from squeezing oranges to make orange juice,\u201d says chemist Selina Wang, an associate professor of cooperative extension in the department of food science and technology at the University of California at Davis, and an expert trained in olive oil analysis. This preserves the antioxidants. Regular olive oil by contrast, is further processed in a way that reduces its antioxidant content.<p><h2>EVOO vs. other types of oils</h2><p>So does all this make EVOO a better choice than other oils you might use for cooking, baking and eating \u2014 like canola, safflower, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut or simply \u201cvegetable\u201d oil?<p><p>There\u2019s a consensus among experts that EVOO is one of the healthiest oils you can pick, and some studies have suggested it has an edge over other oils. For example, researchers found that in Greek men and women over age 70, the exclusive use of olive oil in food prep and cooking was linked to higher scores on a scale of successful aging attributes (such as a good body mass index and participation in social activities), compared with those who used no olive oil and those who used olive oil and other fats. The <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352251/\" target=\"_blank\">study, which was published in 2019 in the journal Foods</a>, analyzed diet data from more than 3,300 people.<p><p>Still, it\u2019s not definitive that olive oil is the best.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019m not aware of any strong data to indicate that olive oil is any better than other mostly unsaturated oils,\u201d said Alice Lichtenstein, senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. A lot of the research on olive oil has been in studies that examined the diets of large groups of people and tracked health outcomes over time. But, Lichtenstein says, while such observational studies are important, they can show only associations, not cause and effect.<p><p>\u201cOther parts of the Mediterranean diet likely also contribute to the health benefits ascribed specifically to olive oil,\u201d Lichtenstein says. And other plant oils can also be healthful. Soybean and canola oils, for example, are good sources of alpha-linolenic acid, the plant form of omega-3s, which may protect against heart disease; olive oil has almost none.<p><p>What has been established: Replacing saturated fats, like butter or coconut oil, with unsaturated fats in our diets is healthier. A <a href=\"https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000510\" target=\"_blank\">2017 American Heart Association Presidential Advisory published in Circulation</a> concluded that using either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats instead of saturated fat would help to reduce heart disease. So, Lichtenstein says, olive oil is a good choice, but you can use whatever plant oil you like.<p><h6>Copyright 2024, Consumer Reports Inc.</h6><p>Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Read more at <a href=\"http://www.consumerreports.org/\">ConsumerReports.org</a>.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 02:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 18, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Supreme Court likely to reject limits on White House social media contacts", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Supreme Court likely to reject limits on White House social media contacts"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/supreme-court-social-media-free-speech-biden/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/supreme-court-social-media-free-speech-biden/", "summary": "2024-03-15T19:35:38.765Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/EECLGWCCZBAWNFPGGH3XNSGUTE/20240318-141539.397/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ASB6FPHRTUITSSHDMGUIMWHROE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Demonstrators, led by anti-vaccine activists, rally Monday outside the Supreme Court as justices hear arguments over restrictions on the government's ability to encourage social media companies to remove content deemed misinformation. (REUTERS/Bonnie Cash) </small></div><p>The Supreme Court seemed prepared Monday to reject a Republican-led effort to sharply limit the federal government from pressuring social media companies to remove harmful posts and misinformation from their platforms.<p><p>A majority of justices from across the ideological spectrum expressed concern about hamstringing White House officials and other federal employees from communicating with tech giants about posts related to public health, national security and elections that the government deems problematic.<p><p>The case involves a lawsuit initiated by two Republican-led states \u2014 Missouri and Louisiana \u2014 and individual social media users. They accuse the Biden administration of violating the First Amendment by operating a sprawling federal \u201ccensorship enterprise\u201d to influence platforms to modify or take down posts.<p><p>Justices Elena Kagan and Brett M. Kavanaugh, who previously worked in Democratic and Republican administrations, respectively, suggested that such exchanges were routine occurrences and did not amount to government censorship or coercion in violation of the constitutional right to free speech.<p><p>Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. seemed to agree, noting that the federal government has numerous agencies that do not always speak with a single voice.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s not monolithic,\u201d he said in an exchange with the attorney representing Louisiana. \u201cThat has to dilute the concept of coercion significantly. Doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<p><p>The case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to shape how government officials interact with social media companies and communicate with the public online at a time when such platforms play an increasingly important role in elections and public debate. The justices are being asked to clarify when government attempts to combat misinformation  cross the line from permissible persuasion to unconstitutional coercion.<p><p>The dispute is one of several before the justices this term testing Republican-backed claims that social media companies are working with Democratic allies to silence conservative voices online.<p><p>During oral argument Monday, the high court appeared ready to embrace a narrow ruling, with several justices suggesting that the states and individuals behind the lawsuit did not have sufficient legal grounds to sue the Biden administration. Several justices said the individuals could not show a direct link between the government\u2019s pressure on the platforms and the tech companies\u2019 removal of posts that the government deemed problematic.<p><p>Kagan pressed Louisiana\u2019s lawyer for evidence that the government \u2014 not the social media companies \u2014 was responsible for taking down the posts at issue.<p><p>\u201cHow is it government action as opposed to platform action?\u201d Kagan asked.<p><p>The First Amendment prevents the government from censoring speech and punishing people for expressing different views. But the Biden administration says officials are entitled to share information, participate in public debate and urge action, especially when it comes to providing accurate public health and election information.<p><p>Louisiana\u2019s principal deputy solicitor general, Brian Fletcher, said government officials have long-standing authority to use the bully pulpit to inform and persuade. The lower court ruling, he said, would prevent thousands of government officials, including FBI agents and presidential aides, from addressing<b> </b>threats to national security and public health.<p><p>The <a href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-411/299644/20240202144405984_2024-02-02%20-%20Murthy%20v.%20Missouri%20-%20Brief%20of%20Respondents%20-%20Final%20with%20Tables.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana told the court</a> that the federal government went too far by coercing social media companies to suppress and censor speech of individual users and by becoming deeply involved in the companies\u2019 decisions to remove certain content.<p><p>Louisiana Solicitor General J. Benjamin Agui\u00f1aga said the Biden administration had subjected the platforms to unrelenting pressure, using profanity and badgering \u2014 not the bully pulpit.<p><p>\u201cThat\u2019s just being a bully,\u201d he told the court.<p><p>The record before the Supreme Court includes a slew of email messages between Biden administration officials and social media companies, including Facebook\u2019s parent company Meta and X, showing tense conversations in 2021 as the White House and public health officials campaigned for Americans to get the coronavirus vaccine.<p><p>The District Court judge in Louisiana who heard the lawsuit <a href=\"https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/missouri-v-biden-ruling.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">ruled against the Biden administration</a>, saying it appeared to have operated \u201cthe most massive attack against free speech in United States\u2019 history.\u201d The court\u2019s order barred thousands of federal employees from improperly influencing tech companies to remove certain content.<p><p>The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit narrowed the decision, however, saying the<b> </b>order applied to a smaller set of government officials and agencies, including the surgeon general\u2019s office, the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FBI.<p><p>A three-judge panel of the conservative appeals court said the White House likely \u201ccoerced the platforms to make their moderation decisions by way of intimidating messages and threats of adverse consequences.\u201d The panel also found the White House \u201csignificantly encouraged the platforms\u2019 decisions by commandeering their decision-making processes, both in violation of the First Amendment.\u201d<p><p>In October, the <a href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23a243_7l48.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Supreme Court intervened</a> and allowed the Biden administration to resume communications with social media companies while the litigation continued. The court\u2019s three most conservative justices dissented, calling the majority\u2019s move \u201chighly disturbing\u201d and saying that \u201cgovernment censorship of private speech is antithetical to our democratic form of government.\u201d<p><p>Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch, said allowing those communications to continue could be seen as \u201cgiving the Government a green light to use heavy-handed tactics to skew the presentation of views on the medium that increasingly dominates the dissemination of news. That is most unfortunate.\u201d<p><p>Separate from the lawsuit, House Republicans are investigating how tech companies handle requests from Biden administration officials and demanding thousands of documents from internet platforms. Conservatives activists have also filed lawsuits and records requests for private correspondence between tech companies and academic researchers studying election and health-related conspiracies.<p><p>The Supreme Court<b> </b>case is <i>Murthy v. Missouri</i>.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-15T19:35:38.765Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/EECLGWCCZBAWNFPGGH3XNSGUTE/20240318-141539.397/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ASB6FPHRTUITSSHDMGUIMWHROE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Demonstrators, led by anti-vaccine activists, rally Monday outside the Supreme Court as justices hear arguments over restrictions on the government's ability to encourage social media companies to remove content deemed misinformation. (REUTERS/Bonnie Cash) </small></div><p>The Supreme Court seemed prepared Monday to reject a Republican-led effort to sharply limit the federal government from pressuring social media companies to remove harmful posts and misinformation from their platforms.<p><p>A majority of justices from across the ideological spectrum expressed concern about hamstringing White House officials and other federal employees from communicating with tech giants about posts related to public health, national security and elections that the government deems problematic.<p><p>The case involves a lawsuit initiated by two Republican-led states \u2014 Missouri and Louisiana \u2014 and individual social media users. They accuse the Biden administration of violating the First Amendment by operating a sprawling federal \u201ccensorship enterprise\u201d to influence platforms to modify or take down posts.<p><p>Justices Elena Kagan and Brett M. Kavanaugh, who previously worked in Democratic and Republican administrations, respectively, suggested that such exchanges were routine occurrences and did not amount to government censorship or coercion in violation of the constitutional right to free speech.<p><p>Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. seemed to agree, noting that the federal government has numerous agencies that do not always speak with a single voice.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s not monolithic,\u201d he said in an exchange with the attorney representing Louisiana. \u201cThat has to dilute the concept of coercion significantly. Doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<p><p>The case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to shape how government officials interact with social media companies and communicate with the public online at a time when such platforms play an increasingly important role in elections and public debate. The justices are being asked to clarify when government attempts to combat misinformation  cross the line from permissible persuasion to unconstitutional coercion.<p><p>The dispute is one of several before the justices this term testing Republican-backed claims that social media companies are working with Democratic allies to silence conservative voices online.<p><p>During oral argument Monday, the high court appeared ready to embrace a narrow ruling, with several justices suggesting that the states and individuals behind the lawsuit did not have sufficient legal grounds to sue the Biden administration. Several justices said the individuals could not show a direct link between the government\u2019s pressure on the platforms and the tech companies\u2019 removal of posts that the government deemed problematic.<p><p>Kagan pressed Louisiana\u2019s lawyer for evidence that the government \u2014 not the social media companies \u2014 was responsible for taking down the posts at issue.<p><p>\u201cHow is it government action as opposed to platform action?\u201d Kagan asked.<p><p>The First Amendment prevents the government from censoring speech and punishing people for expressing different views. But the Biden administration says officials are entitled to share information, participate in public debate and urge action, especially when it comes to providing accurate public health and election information.<p><p>Louisiana\u2019s principal deputy solicitor general, Brian Fletcher, said government officials have long-standing authority to use the bully pulpit to inform and persuade. The lower court ruling, he said, would prevent thousands of government officials, including FBI agents and presidential aides, from addressing<b> </b>threats to national security and public health.<p><p>The <a href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-411/299644/20240202144405984_2024-02-02%20-%20Murthy%20v.%20Missouri%20-%20Brief%20of%20Respondents%20-%20Final%20with%20Tables.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana told the court</a> that the federal government went too far by coercing social media companies to suppress and censor speech of individual users and by becoming deeply involved in the companies\u2019 decisions to remove certain content.<p><p>Louisiana Solicitor General J. Benjamin Agui\u00f1aga said the Biden administration had subjected the platforms to unrelenting pressure, using profanity and badgering \u2014 not the bully pulpit.<p><p>\u201cThat\u2019s just being a bully,\u201d he told the court.<p><p>The record before the Supreme Court includes a slew of email messages between Biden administration officials and social media companies, including Facebook\u2019s parent company Meta and X, showing tense conversations in 2021 as the White House and public health officials campaigned for Americans to get the coronavirus vaccine.<p><p>The District Court judge in Louisiana who heard the lawsuit <a href=\"https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/missouri-v-biden-ruling.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">ruled against the Biden administration</a>, saying it appeared to have operated \u201cthe most massive attack against free speech in United States\u2019 history.\u201d The court\u2019s order barred thousands of federal employees from improperly influencing tech companies to remove certain content.<p><p>The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit narrowed the decision, however, saying the<b> </b>order applied to a smaller set of government officials and agencies, including the surgeon general\u2019s office, the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FBI.<p><p>A three-judge panel of the conservative appeals court said the White House likely \u201ccoerced the platforms to make their moderation decisions by way of intimidating messages and threats of adverse consequences.\u201d The panel also found the White House \u201csignificantly encouraged the platforms\u2019 decisions by commandeering their decision-making processes, both in violation of the First Amendment.\u201d<p><p>In October, the <a href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23a243_7l48.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Supreme Court intervened</a> and allowed the Biden administration to resume communications with social media companies while the litigation continued. The court\u2019s three most conservative justices dissented, calling the majority\u2019s move \u201chighly disturbing\u201d and saying that \u201cgovernment censorship of private speech is antithetical to our democratic form of government.\u201d<p><p>Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch, said allowing those communications to continue could be seen as \u201cgiving the Government a green light to use heavy-handed tactics to skew the presentation of views on the medium that increasingly dominates the dissemination of news. That is most unfortunate.\u201d<p><p>Separate from the lawsuit, House Republicans are investigating how tech companies handle requests from Biden administration officials and demanding thousands of documents from internet platforms. Conservatives activists have also filed lawsuits and records requests for private correspondence between tech companies and academic researchers studying election and health-related conspiracies.<p><p>The Supreme Court<b> </b>case is <i>Murthy v. Missouri</i>.<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 02:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 18, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "MrBeast strikes Amazon deal for biggest competition series in TV history", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "MrBeast strikes Amazon deal for biggest competition series in TV history"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/18/mrbeast-mgm-amazon-game-show-creator/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/18/mrbeast-mgm-amazon-game-show-creator/", "summary": "2024-03-18T17:34:29.090Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/L4JXFIJACJAEHCWPV5H5NOVTZI/20240318-141429.296/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/HYGNS2ELW7YQKS6MGWC45NB43Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Jimmy Donaldson, the popular YouTube video maker who goes by MrBeast, wears a Lionel Messi jersey as he stands in a sideline box at the start of an MLS soccer match between Inter Miami and CF Montreal on March 10 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) </small></div><p>YouTube star MrBeast has struck a deal with Amazon MGM to produce a massive reality TV competition game show \u2014 a watershed moment for the entertainment industry that shows how online content creators with millions of followers are being sought after by more traditional entertainment companies.<p><p>The show, called Beast Games, would be the first foray into traditional entertainment by MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson. Donaldson has soared to success on YouTube in recent years, becoming the individual with the most subscribers on the platform.<p><p>Known for outrageous stunts such as burying himself alive or re-creating the show Squid Game as a reality TV-style competition, Donaldson also has a reputation for combining his internet shows with a charitable aspect, such as rescuing 1,000 abandoned dogs or building 100 wells in Africa. Until now, however, his entertainment has not extended beyond the internet.<p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/03/mr-beast-money-hometown-greenville-creator-economy/\">How YouTuber MrBeast transformed his hometown</a><p>Beast Games will consist of 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million dollar cash prize, the largest single prize that\u2019s ever been offered on television or streaming. Donaldson will host and executive produce the show, which will be available in 240 countries and territories around the globe.<p><p>\u201cMrBeast has captured the attention and imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world,\u201d Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement. \u201cWe are excited to work with Jimmy and his talented team to bring his brilliant, high production, and stakes-raising concepts to Beast Games for our global customers to experience.\u201d<p><p>Donaldson has constructed his own studio for creating content in Greenville, N.C., and he will continue to operate his social media business throughout the Amazon show, according to a source familiar with his business operations.<p><p>Donaldson recently told Time magazine that his channel earns between $600 to $700 million per year (much of which gets funneled back into his videos). \u201cEach video does a couple million in ad revenue, a couple million in brand deals,\u201d he <a href=\"https://time.com/collection/time100-leadership-series/6693255/mrbeast-interview/\" target=\"_blank\">said</a>. \u201cI\u2019ve reinvested everything to the point of \u2014 you could claim \u2014 stupidity, just believing that we would succeed. And it\u2019s worked out.\u201d<p><p>Amazon beat out at least one other major streaming service to land the deal, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and Donaldson will have creative control over the show. News of the deal was first reported by <a href=\"https://www.gamespot.com/articles/youtube-star-mrbeast-nears-100-million-prime-video-deal-for-competition-series-report/1100-6520504/\" target=\"_blank\">Puck News in January</a>, which claimed the deal to be worth $100 million.<p><p>\u201cWhen MrBeast first told us about his concept for the show, we were blown away by his ambition to make Beast Games the biggest reality competition series ever,\u201d said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. \u201cWe\u2019d like to thank Aaron DeBevoise, Nic Paul, and the Spotter team for the introduction and kick-starting this journey for us.\u201d (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)<p><p>YouTubers who have attempted to jump from the internet to traditional Hollywood have had lackluster results. In 2010, YouTube star Lukas Cruikshank, who was the first creator to reach 1 million subscribers on the platform, released \u201c<a href=\"https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/fred-the-movie-is-a-harrowing-endurance-test-born-of-the-youtube-generation/\" target=\"_blank\">Fred: The Movie</a>,\u201d based on the character Fred Figglehorn who he played on his channel featuring celebrities such as John Cena and Jennette McCurdy. The movie bombed with a rare 0 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and universally negative reviews.<p><p>In 2019, NBC gave a talk show deal to top YouTuber Lilly Singh to replace the show \u201cLast Call with Carson Daly,\u201d who moved to the \u201cToday\u201d show. However, the show struggled to gain traction and <a href=\"https://deadline.com/2021/05/a-little-late-with-lilly-singh-to-end-on-nbc-netflix-kenya-barris-1234751161/\" target=\"_blank\">ended after two seasons</a>.<p><p>More recently, TikTok stars have attempted to crack into the streaming universe with reality shows such as \u201c<a href=\"https://www.netflix.com/title/81341222\" target=\"_blank\">Hype House</a>\u201d on Netflix, which lasted only one season, and \u201cThe D\u2019Amelio Show\u201d on Hulu, which has run <a href=\"https://www.hulu.com/guides/the-damelio-show\" target=\"_blank\">for three seasons</a>.<p><p>\u201cMy goal is to make the greatest show possible and prove YouTubers and creators can succeed on other platforms,\u201d MrBeast said in a statement. \u201cAmazon gave me the creative control I need to try and make it happen. I hope to make the YouTube community proud.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T17:34:29.090Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/L4JXFIJACJAEHCWPV5H5NOVTZI/20240318-141429.296/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/HYGNS2ELW7YQKS6MGWC45NB43Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Jimmy Donaldson, the popular YouTube video maker who goes by MrBeast, wears a Lionel Messi jersey as he stands in a sideline box at the start of an MLS soccer match between Inter Miami and CF Montreal on March 10 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) </small></div><p>YouTube star MrBeast has struck a deal with Amazon MGM to produce a massive reality TV competition game show \u2014 a watershed moment for the entertainment industry that shows how online content creators with millions of followers are being sought after by more traditional entertainment companies.<p><p>The show, called Beast Games, would be the first foray into traditional entertainment by MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson. Donaldson has soared to success on YouTube in recent years, becoming the individual with the most subscribers on the platform.<p><p>Known for outrageous stunts such as burying himself alive or re-creating the show Squid Game as a reality TV-style competition, Donaldson also has a reputation for combining his internet shows with a charitable aspect, such as rescuing 1,000 abandoned dogs or building 100 wells in Africa. Until now, however, his entertainment has not extended beyond the internet.<p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/03/mr-beast-money-hometown-greenville-creator-economy/\">How YouTuber MrBeast transformed his hometown</a><p>Beast Games will consist of 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million dollar cash prize, the largest single prize that\u2019s ever been offered on television or streaming. Donaldson will host and executive produce the show, which will be available in 240 countries and territories around the globe.<p><p>\u201cMrBeast has captured the attention and imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world,\u201d Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement. \u201cWe are excited to work with Jimmy and his talented team to bring his brilliant, high production, and stakes-raising concepts to Beast Games for our global customers to experience.\u201d<p><p>Donaldson has constructed his own studio for creating content in Greenville, N.C., and he will continue to operate his social media business throughout the Amazon show, according to a source familiar with his business operations.<p><p>Donaldson recently told Time magazine that his channel earns between $600 to $700 million per year (much of which gets funneled back into his videos). \u201cEach video does a couple million in ad revenue, a couple million in brand deals,\u201d he <a href=\"https://time.com/collection/time100-leadership-series/6693255/mrbeast-interview/\" target=\"_blank\">said</a>. \u201cI\u2019ve reinvested everything to the point of \u2014 you could claim \u2014 stupidity, just believing that we would succeed. And it\u2019s worked out.\u201d<p><p>Amazon beat out at least one other major streaming service to land the deal, according to the Hollywood Reporter, and Donaldson will have creative control over the show. News of the deal was first reported by <a href=\"https://www.gamespot.com/articles/youtube-star-mrbeast-nears-100-million-prime-video-deal-for-competition-series-report/1100-6520504/\" target=\"_blank\">Puck News in January</a>, which claimed the deal to be worth $100 million.<p><p>\u201cWhen MrBeast first told us about his concept for the show, we were blown away by his ambition to make Beast Games the biggest reality competition series ever,\u201d said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. \u201cWe\u2019d like to thank Aaron DeBevoise, Nic Paul, and the Spotter team for the introduction and kick-starting this journey for us.\u201d (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)<p><p>YouTubers who have attempted to jump from the internet to traditional Hollywood have had lackluster results. In 2010, YouTube star Lukas Cruikshank, who was the first creator to reach 1 million subscribers on the platform, released \u201c<a href=\"https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/fred-the-movie-is-a-harrowing-endurance-test-born-of-the-youtube-generation/\" target=\"_blank\">Fred: The Movie</a>,\u201d based on the character Fred Figglehorn who he played on his channel featuring celebrities such as John Cena and Jennette McCurdy. The movie bombed with a rare 0 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and universally negative reviews.<p><p>In 2019, NBC gave a talk show deal to top YouTuber Lilly Singh to replace the show \u201cLast Call with Carson Daly,\u201d who moved to the \u201cToday\u201d show. However, the show struggled to gain traction and <a href=\"https://deadline.com/2021/05/a-little-late-with-lilly-singh-to-end-on-nbc-netflix-kenya-barris-1234751161/\" target=\"_blank\">ended after two seasons</a>.<p><p>More recently, TikTok stars have attempted to crack into the streaming universe with reality shows such as \u201c<a href=\"https://www.netflix.com/title/81341222\" target=\"_blank\">Hype House</a>\u201d on Netflix, which lasted only one season, and \u201cThe D\u2019Amelio Show\u201d on Hulu, which has run <a href=\"https://www.hulu.com/guides/the-damelio-show\" target=\"_blank\">for three seasons</a>.<p><p>\u201cMy goal is to make the greatest show possible and prove YouTubers and creators can succeed on other platforms,\u201d MrBeast said in a statement. \u201cAmazon gave me the creative control I need to try and make it happen. I hope to make the YouTube community proud.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 02:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 18, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Jackson Rutledge wants to know the \u2018why.\u2019 The Nats\u2019 data push helps.", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Jackson Rutledge wants to know the \u2018why.\u2019 The Nats\u2019 data push helps."}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/jackson-rutledge-pitching-data-nationals/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/jackson-rutledge-pitching-data-nationals/", "summary": "2024-03-11T18:10:09.532Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/ZV7XUNTQBNALLPWWYVZWZZMFFE/20240318-141694.949/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/3PFOAS75VNVFK7LR34PXOCHOWE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Right-hander Jackson Rutledge was Washington's first-round pick in 2019. (Saul Martinez for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. \u2014 Spend a little time around Jackson Rutledge, and you\u2019ll learn that he doesn\u2019t use the language of a normal pitcher, much less one who is 24 years old. While others know how their bodies work, the right-hander will talk about his \u201chips counterrotating and turning into posterior pelvic tilt.\u201d While most modern pitchers turn to data, Rutledge gets into the weeds. And while plenty of pitchers have curious minds, it\u2019s usually not the first thing their coaches mention about them.<p><p>But that\u2019s Rutledge, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/06/04/nationals-select-junior-college-right-hander-jackson-rutledge-with-no-pick-mlb-draft/\" target=\"_blank\">the Washington Nationals\u2019 2019 first-round pick</a> who has always wanted to know the \u201cwhy\u201d in everything, a trait he concedes he probably drove his parents crazy. It\u2019s also a reason the Nationals kept him around camp until Sunday, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/josiah-gray-nationals-opening-day-starter/\" target=\"_blank\">when he was optioned to Class AAA Rochester</a>: Manager Dave Martinez figures his time in their rotation is not much further away and wanted him to ask as many questions as he could. He started in the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/15/nationals-spring-breakout-prospects/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cSpring Breakout\u201d game between the Nationals and New York Mets</a>, intended to let young prospects shine; if all works out, he\u2019s another young arm in the stable alongside MacKenzie Gore (25), Josiah Gray (26) and Cade Cavalli (25).<p><p>In many ways, Rutledge is the hyper-realized version of a modern MLB pitcher: not just tall, but 6-foot-8; not just analytically oriented, but the sort of pitcher whose relationship with numbers is so tight that it\u2019s led to overthinking, though that\u2019s a problem he hopes he has started to curb.<b> </b>Rutledge, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/09/13/nationals-jackson-rutledge-debut/\" target=\"_blank\">who made his MLB debut this past September</a>, had two solid starts and two subpar ones for the Nationals last year and finished with a 6.75 ERA with the big league club. His minor league ERA sat at 3.71, up from a career 4.53 ERA in affiliated ball.<p><p>For Washington, which has previously employed a more old-school approach than other organizations, Rutledge lines up with a desire to modernize. This year, from pitching coach Jim Hickey down through <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/17/sean-doolittle-nats-pitching-strategist/\" target=\"_blank\">pitching strategist Sean Doolittle</a>, the Nationals are speaking the same language.<p><p>\u201cAlthough I am well-versed in it, I sometimes even have a lot of questions,\u201d Rutledge said. \u201cSo just having the staff and just the ability to talk to people and kind of figure out \u2018Let\u2019s put this in English. What does this mean in baseball terms?\u2019 It\u2019s really nice.\u201d<p><p>\u201cI think we\u2019ve come a long way in a short period of time,\u201d General Manager Mike Rizzo said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of bright young analytical minds that sit right outside of my office and you\u2019ve seen them interacting with the baseball people and the coaching staff. We\u2019ve got more technology then we\u2019ve ever had, we\u2019ve got more manpower to handle that technology. I think that we will slowly indoctrinate that into the into coaching staff.\u201d<p><p><p><p>Keeping with that pursuit, the Nationals were in close contact with Rutledge\u2019s offseason trainer at Premier Pitching Lab, a data-focused complex in his home state of Missouri that he began attending at 14 and interned at after his freshman year of college. That year, the lab\u2019s director of pitching, Cody Fick, recounts, Rutledge wanted to add a slider. For other pitchers, that could take months. For Rutledge, it was largely an observational pursuit: he watched other pitchers at the lab and needed just a few mound sessions to get that in his system.<p><p>\u201cSeeing him observe at a high level, it\u2019s probably his strongest characteristic,\u201d Fick said. \u201cI think that speaks to the type of athlete he is, but also the type of type of filter he has for information and data.\u201d<p><p>\u201cHe contributes to the environment of the building when he\u2019s in it,\u201d said Jason Immekus, the lab\u2019s head throwing trainer. \u201cHe\u2019s thoughtful, respectful to everyone, no matter who they are, if they can help him or not.\u201d<p><p>The question, then, becomes whether Washington is prepared to work with a player with Rutledge\u2019s mind for data. In spring training, coaches and front office personnel have said that\u2019s an answer that\u2019s trending in the right direction: that the relationship with members of the team\u2019s research and development staff has also grown stronger with another year together \u2014 people are starting to speak the same language. They also brought in some new voices from forward-thinking organizations.<p><p>With a young roster, coaches have noted that pitchers have been particularly eager for feedback. Many times, younger pitchers have been willing to stop in the middle of a bullpen session to debrief pitch sequencing or look at pitch shapes.<p><p>Though pitchers at his height have been known to take longer to develop \u2014 it\u2019s harder to sync up mechanics with consistency at 6-foot-8 than it is at, say, 6-foot-2 \u2014 there are signs that Rutledge is moving in the right direction. He said pitching has started to feel effortless and his stamina has increased because he\u2019s using his lower half better, having fully recuperated from hip surgery he underwent in college. He dropped his curveball from his arsenal and added a cutter.<p><p>\u201cHe\u2019s the ultimate competitor, but he\u2019s on that side of things that he wants to utilize the information that is available and create different types of edges for himself,,\u201d Fick said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s got a brain that allows them allows him to get into all of those things.\u201d<p><p>And yet?<p><p>\u201cOnce \u2018pitch one\u2019 starts, it\u2019s all about competing,\u201d Rutledge said. \u201cThere\u2019s no more, like, \u2018Oh, this pitch is seven percent more effective,\u2019 or whatever it is. It\u2019s just about beating that guy in the box.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-11T18:10:09.532Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/ZV7XUNTQBNALLPWWYVZWZZMFFE/20240318-141694.949/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/3PFOAS75VNVFK7LR34PXOCHOWE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Right-hander Jackson Rutledge was Washington's first-round pick in 2019. (Saul Martinez for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. \u2014 Spend a little time around Jackson Rutledge, and you\u2019ll learn that he doesn\u2019t use the language of a normal pitcher, much less one who is 24 years old. While others know how their bodies work, the right-hander will talk about his \u201chips counterrotating and turning into posterior pelvic tilt.\u201d While most modern pitchers turn to data, Rutledge gets into the weeds. And while plenty of pitchers have curious minds, it\u2019s usually not the first thing their coaches mention about them.<p><p>But that\u2019s Rutledge, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/06/04/nationals-select-junior-college-right-hander-jackson-rutledge-with-no-pick-mlb-draft/\" target=\"_blank\">the Washington Nationals\u2019 2019 first-round pick</a> who has always wanted to know the \u201cwhy\u201d in everything, a trait he concedes he probably drove his parents crazy. It\u2019s also a reason the Nationals kept him around camp until Sunday, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/josiah-gray-nationals-opening-day-starter/\" target=\"_blank\">when he was optioned to Class AAA Rochester</a>: Manager Dave Martinez figures his time in their rotation is not much further away and wanted him to ask as many questions as he could. He started in the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/15/nationals-spring-breakout-prospects/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cSpring Breakout\u201d game between the Nationals and New York Mets</a>, intended to let young prospects shine; if all works out, he\u2019s another young arm in the stable alongside MacKenzie Gore (25), Josiah Gray (26) and Cade Cavalli (25).<p><p>In many ways, Rutledge is the hyper-realized version of a modern MLB pitcher: not just tall, but 6-foot-8; not just analytically oriented, but the sort of pitcher whose relationship with numbers is so tight that it\u2019s led to overthinking, though that\u2019s a problem he hopes he has started to curb.<b> </b>Rutledge, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/09/13/nationals-jackson-rutledge-debut/\" target=\"_blank\">who made his MLB debut this past September</a>, had two solid starts and two subpar ones for the Nationals last year and finished with a 6.75 ERA with the big league club. His minor league ERA sat at 3.71, up from a career 4.53 ERA in affiliated ball.<p><p>For Washington, which has previously employed a more old-school approach than other organizations, Rutledge lines up with a desire to modernize. This year, from pitching coach Jim Hickey down through <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/17/sean-doolittle-nats-pitching-strategist/\" target=\"_blank\">pitching strategist Sean Doolittle</a>, the Nationals are speaking the same language.<p><p>\u201cAlthough I am well-versed in it, I sometimes even have a lot of questions,\u201d Rutledge said. \u201cSo just having the staff and just the ability to talk to people and kind of figure out \u2018Let\u2019s put this in English. What does this mean in baseball terms?\u2019 It\u2019s really nice.\u201d<p><p>\u201cI think we\u2019ve come a long way in a short period of time,\u201d General Manager Mike Rizzo said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of bright young analytical minds that sit right outside of my office and you\u2019ve seen them interacting with the baseball people and the coaching staff. We\u2019ve got more technology then we\u2019ve ever had, we\u2019ve got more manpower to handle that technology. I think that we will slowly indoctrinate that into the into coaching staff.\u201d<p><p><p><p>Keeping with that pursuit, the Nationals were in close contact with Rutledge\u2019s offseason trainer at Premier Pitching Lab, a data-focused complex in his home state of Missouri that he began attending at 14 and interned at after his freshman year of college. That year, the lab\u2019s director of pitching, Cody Fick, recounts, Rutledge wanted to add a slider. For other pitchers, that could take months. For Rutledge, it was largely an observational pursuit: he watched other pitchers at the lab and needed just a few mound sessions to get that in his system.<p><p>\u201cSeeing him observe at a high level, it\u2019s probably his strongest characteristic,\u201d Fick said. \u201cI think that speaks to the type of athlete he is, but also the type of type of filter he has for information and data.\u201d<p><p>\u201cHe contributes to the environment of the building when he\u2019s in it,\u201d said Jason Immekus, the lab\u2019s head throwing trainer. \u201cHe\u2019s thoughtful, respectful to everyone, no matter who they are, if they can help him or not.\u201d<p><p>The question, then, becomes whether Washington is prepared to work with a player with Rutledge\u2019s mind for data. In spring training, coaches and front office personnel have said that\u2019s an answer that\u2019s trending in the right direction: that the relationship with members of the team\u2019s research and development staff has also grown stronger with another year together \u2014 people are starting to speak the same language. They also brought in some new voices from forward-thinking organizations.<p><p>With a young roster, coaches have noted that pitchers have been particularly eager for feedback. Many times, younger pitchers have been willing to stop in the middle of a bullpen session to debrief pitch sequencing or look at pitch shapes.<p><p>Though pitchers at his height have been known to take longer to develop \u2014 it\u2019s harder to sync up mechanics with consistency at 6-foot-8 than it is at, say, 6-foot-2 \u2014 there are signs that Rutledge is moving in the right direction. He said pitching has started to feel effortless and his stamina has increased because he\u2019s using his lower half better, having fully recuperated from hip surgery he underwent in college. He dropped his curveball from his arsenal and added a cutter.<p><p>\u201cHe\u2019s the ultimate competitor, but he\u2019s on that side of things that he wants to utilize the information that is available and create different types of edges for himself,,\u201d Fick said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s got a brain that allows them allows him to get into all of those things.\u201d<p><p>And yet?<p><p>\u201cOnce \u2018pitch one\u2019 starts, it\u2019s all about competing,\u201d Rutledge said. \u201cThere\u2019s no more, like, \u2018Oh, this pitch is seven percent more effective,\u2019 or whatever it is. It\u2019s just about beating that guy in the box.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 02:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 18, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "13 new and weird travel gadgets we actually want to try", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "13 new and weird travel gadgets we actually want to try"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/travel-goods-show-vegas/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/travel-goods-show-vegas/", "summary": "2024-03-15T16:07:04.255Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/UZSSLZBMONDLJA4XJTPHRS7MPI/20240318-142180.805/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UFE3JWAHFXOHEY75ZAJ2FJVG5U.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A Kiddietotes exhibitor demonstrates a hybrid scooter and rolling luggage at the Travel Goods Association Show in Vegas on March 13. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>LAS VEGAS \u2014 Last week, the <a href=\"https://travelgoods.show/\" target=\"_blank\">Travel Goods Association</a> peered into the future of travel products. Though the showcase was not as sci-fi as the nearby <a href=\"https://www.thespherevegas.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Sphere </a>\u2014 no artificial intelligence luggage or automaton neck pillows \u2014 the <a href=\"https://expowmclv.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Expo at World Market Center </a>brimmed with intriguing innovations and inventions.<p><p>More than 175 businesses displayed their wares at the three-day event, such as <a href=\"https://www.osprey.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Osprey </a>and <a href=\"https://www.briggs-riley.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Briggs &amp; Riley</a>, and rookies, including Props and Idea Mountain.<p><p>Troy Petenbrink, a D.C.-based travel expert known as the <a href=\"https://thegaytraveler.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Gay Traveler</a>, spotted several trends on his eighth visit to the show.<p><p>\u201cI think we\u2019re continuing to see innovation around lighter products. Obviously how a product looks is really important, especially in the age of social media,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are also looking for a product that can serve multiple purposes or has some versatility to it.\u201d<p><p>Petenbrink said companies are still committed to the green movement, such as <a href=\"https://www.monarcbrand.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Monarc</a>, which constructs bags out of single-use plastics bound for oceans and landfills. However, travelers have been slow to adopt eco-friendly materials and carbon-neutral goals.<p><p>\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s been fully embraced yet,\u201d Petenbrink said. \u201cThe manufacturers are trying to figure it out.\u201d<p><p>Several fads have fallen out of fashion, especially with the advent of AirTags and other tracking devices,  such as tech-heavy luggage. \u201cIt sounded great on paper, but another app draining your battery wasn\u2019t flying. Also, we had issues with some of the smart luggage having batteries that you had to take out before you boarded the plane because of safety issues,\u201d Petenbrink said.<p><p>We spent a full day at the show, searching for the most interesting and unusual products that we couldn\u2019t wait to take on a test drive \u2014 or flight.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NK4KPHDDPLNSXKG35KJZ2B4PIA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">EasyPack Luggage features a stack of shelves that help organize packing and stand in for a hotel closet or dresser. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>Luggage with legs and shelves</h3><p><a href=\"https://ideamountain.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Journey System</b></a><b>, Idea Mountain, $299</b>: The Swiss Army knife of luggage is five bags in one, featuring a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/packing-tips-carry-on-luggage/\" target=\"_blank\">carry-on-size</a> backpack that contains a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/fanny-pack-travel-hack/\" target=\"_blank\">day pack</a>, hanging toiletry bag, laptop sleeve and hip pack \u2014 all removable. Founder Tys Sniffen, a self-described \u201cone-backpack traveler,\u201d also threw in drawstring bags for shoes and tech accessories, a pair of vacuum storage bags and such intuitive touches as a magnetic key chain. The components snap or clip together and create a cohesive whole that will uphold your reputation as a minimalist traveler.<p><p><a href=\"https://propsluggage.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Props Luggage</b></a><b>, $399</b>: As the mother of four daughters, Maggie Gerth spent a lot of time on <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/cheap-vegas-hotel-rooms/\" target=\"_blank\">hotel </a>floors, rummaging through <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/best-budget-suitcase-luggage/\" target=\"_blank\">suitcases</a>. Since carrying a fleet of luggage stands wasn\u2019t feasible, she invented a hard-shell wheeled carrier with a built-in rack. When the polycarbonate legs are down, the bag transforms into a luggage rack (we know <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/luggage-bed-health-risks/\" target=\"_blank\">putting luggage on the bed is gross</a>) \u2014 or a dresser, if you choose to live out of your suitcase. If you need a work station in a pinch, Props doubles as a table that can hold up to 50 pounds. When it\u2019s time to move on, the lightweight appendages fold up.<p><p><a href=\"https://easypackluggage.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Easy Pack Luggage</b></a><b>, $239, medium; $329, large:</b> The secret to effortless <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/last-minute-packing/\" target=\"_blank\">packing</a> is shelving. The wheeled luggage has stacked trays that form compartments in the bag\u2019s main cavity. Organize your clothes by day, activity or climate and then collapse the shelves before zipping up. At your destination, remove the two aluminum supports from the interior pockets, pop them into their holders and raise the shelves to create an insta-closet. You can use the vertical suitcase as your wardrobe or hang the shelves on a door or closet rod for touchless storage.<p><p><a href=\"https://kiddietotes.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Kiddietotes</b></a><b>, Scooter Luggage, $129</b>: The luggage that rolls like a scooter \u2014 and vice versa \u2014 is as much for children as it is for parents, who often turn into pack animals on family trips. \u201cIt teaches kids a little bit of responsibility and autonomy,\u201d said Nicole Jonasson, a consultant with the company. The scooter, which she said is aimed at 3- to-8-year-olds, makes toting a carry-on fun and whine-free. At the gate, the deck folds up into the backside of the luggage, which is compliant with the airlines\u2019 carry-on dimensions. The one giveaway that the bag leads an exciting double life: The wheels spin in colored LED lights.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZAHDHYFDM5MBVI4EV7VHLCQISA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Karout Musical Pillow improves the in-flight movie experience with its neck pillow embedded with speakers. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>Accessories for hydrating and resting your head</h3><p><a href=\"https://nwtradellc.com/shop/ols/products/karout-all-in-one-musical-pillow\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Karout Musical Pillow</b></a><b>, $59.99</b>: If you\u2019ve ever strained to hear an <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/01/04/top-movies-shows-flights-2023/\" target=\"_blank\">airplane movie</a>, rest assured it\u2019s not your ears: It\u2019s the lousy in-flight audio system. The <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/best-travel-neck-pillow/\" target=\"_blank\">neck pillow </a>embedded with speakers offers theater-quality sound while coddling your head. Plug in the AV cable to enjoy the seat-back entertainment or use Bluetooth for your personal gadget. The cushion is inflatable \u2014 air pump included \u2014 but it slipped when I tried it on. The founder said he is looking into memory foam, which could help the speakers align with my ears and not my neck.<p><p><a href=\"https://shop.myhydaway.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Hydaway</b></a><b>, Collapsible Water Bottle, $31.95; Insulated Bowl, $11.99 or $19.95</b>: I picked up my first Hydaway collapsible cup during my maiden travel goods show years ago. This time around, I was excited to see the company\u2019s newest <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/interactive/2023/best-travel-gifts/\" target=\"_blank\">collapsible items</a>: a 25-ounce water bottle and a silicone bowl. The bottle squishes to an inch-and-a-half disc that can fit in the side pocket of your yoga pants or cargo shorts. The dishware crumples to an inch and expands to 12 ounces or a quart. An insulated sleeve with an outdoorsy design \u2014 northern lights, evergreen forest \u2014 keeps food at its optimum temperature for up to an hour. Secure the lid to deter bugs from swimming in your soup or cereal.<p><p><a href=\"https://alpakagear.com/products/bravo-sling-mini-waterproof\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Alpaka</b></a><b>, Bravo Sling Mini Waterproof, $89</b>: The waterproof satchel will free beach goers from having to babysit their valuables. The ninja-chic bag, which can be worn three ways (waist, crossbody, over the shoulder), is made of Cordura, a durable nylon fabric often used in military garb. The welded waterproof zippers and laser-fused seams also keep the ocean away from your dry goods. The sling\u2019s IPX6 rating means that your items can survive a splashing but not a deep-sea dive with a mermaid. The bag is spacious enough to fit your essentials, plus, if you often grow bored at the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/beach-motel-mold-air-conditioning/\" target=\"_blank\">beach</a>, a Nintendo Switch.<p><h3>Apparel for your feet and rainy days</h3><p><a href=\"https://litegearbags.com/product/kompressor-poncho/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>LiteGear</b></a><b>, Kompressor Poncho, $39.95</b>: Always carry this fashionable and compact poncho and you\u2019ll never get caught in trash bag rain gear again. The garment folds into a small pouch that you can clip onto a bag or belt around your waist. Its waterproof design \u2014 taped seams, double-placket front zipper, hood with three cinches \u2014 will repel even the fiercest downpour. The garment is large enough to wear over a heavier coat or backpack. Once the sun emerges, the poncho turns into a ground cloth, so you can nap or picnic without getting soggy.<p><p><a href=\"https://kytin.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Kytin</b></a><b>, Parasole, $50 for nylon; $55 for merino wool</b>: Kytin\u2019s slip-on footwear fits like an athletic sock but walks like a shoe, thanks to its sturdy polymer sole. In addition to creating a barrier against grimy hotel and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/02/23/airport-carpet-portland-orlando/\" target=\"_blank\">airport floors</a>, Parasoles soothe tired dogs with dual-layer compression, arch support and cushioning. Choose from nylon or merino wool and any number of cheerful colors (mango frost, sunset yellow, beet root) that will brighten any ice machine run or jaunt through TSA security.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YV5TEQCP6YE2QY7JHW246ZVBXE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Juan Marcelino, a LifeStraw exhibitor, demonstrates the Water Filter Straw, which cleans contaminated water of bacteria, parasites and microplastics. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BYNXWHLJZSH2RNXKABGWU5VVPM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">LifeStraw\u2019s Water Filter Straw clears contaminated water of bacteria, parasites and microplastics, so travelers can safely sip from a beverage glass. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>Wipes and clean water</h3><p><a href=\"https://www.kleanfreak.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Klean Freak</b></a><b>, Body Wipe, $15 for a 12-pack; Flushable Wipe, $9 for a 20-pack</b>: Tim Goalen, the company\u2019s founder, decided that wipes needed to grow up. \u201cI hated baby wipe baths,\u201d said the avid adventurer who resides in Utah. The biodegradable towelettes are oversize and come in such candle-caliber scents as peppermint, tea tree and lavender.  For those uh-oh moments when toilet paper is not available, he created flushable wipes that smell of pine, peach, grapefruit or spearmint \u2014 and nary a whiff of portable potty deodorizer.<p><p><a href=\"https://lifestraw.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>LifeStraw</b></a><b>, Peak Series Solo, $29.95; Water Filter Straw (not released yet), $34.95</b>. LifeStraw, which initially focused on humanitarian projects, has been broadening its scope to help travelers in destinations with contaminated water, such as backcountry wilderness and India. The Peak Series Solo, which the company introduced last spring, features a screw top and spout that attaches to a regular water bottle and filters out contaminants before they reach your lips. For the stainless-steel straw, which will launch in May, travelers can sip directly from a glass of tainted water. For both products, the filter eliminates bacteria, parasites and bacteria, as well as grit and grime collected from outside the Vegas expo center.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YRBRBMETVON2QSVC7WSTVI5MGU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Chris Osse, the company\u2019s founder, demonstrates the Armbie, which helps travelers relax their arms in tight spaces. As seen at the Travel Goods Association Show in Vegas. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>The wackiest products</h3><p><a href=\"https://retrastrap.myshopify.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>RetraStrap</b></a><b>, $29.99</b>: After Omar Abass dislocated his shoulder, he struggled to wheel his luggage through <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/interactive/2023/flying-airport-etiquette/?itid=hp_most-read_p009_f001_1\" target=\"_blank\">airports.</a> His injury inspired him to create a strap that lets you pull your bag with your torso. \u201cIt reduces the stress on your muscles and joints and uses your center of gravity,\u201d he said. I doubted the practicality of this product until I tested it myself. I draped the adjustable strap over my chest like a beauty pageant sash and started walking. I barely noticed the suitcase tailing me, even when I took a sharp turn. With my free hands, I could hold a coffee and a phone, or record myself waving at baffled passersby.<p><p><a href=\"https://armbie.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Armbie</b></a><b>, $22.95</b>: Chris Osse owes his invention to a middle seat on a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt. Wedged between \u201ctwo linebackers,\u201d he said he spent the entire trip with his arms pinned to his body. His design \u2014 a polyester band that resembles a giant tube top \u2014 allows travelers to relax their arms without crossing personal boundaries. He added that the accessory also provides warmth, simulates deep compression therapy and relieves anxiety. It can also reduce the strain of holding a book, which he demonstrated by wriggling his arms like T-Rex reading an imaginary novel. When I tried the Armbie, I felt as cozy as a swaddled baby, but I could achieve the same effect with a large scarf.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-15T16:07:04.255Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/UZSSLZBMONDLJA4XJTPHRS7MPI/20240318-142180.805/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UFE3JWAHFXOHEY75ZAJ2FJVG5U.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A Kiddietotes exhibitor demonstrates a hybrid scooter and rolling luggage at the Travel Goods Association Show in Vegas on March 13. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>LAS VEGAS \u2014 Last week, the <a href=\"https://travelgoods.show/\" target=\"_blank\">Travel Goods Association</a> peered into the future of travel products. Though the showcase was not as sci-fi as the nearby <a href=\"https://www.thespherevegas.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Sphere </a>\u2014 no artificial intelligence luggage or automaton neck pillows \u2014 the <a href=\"https://expowmclv.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Expo at World Market Center </a>brimmed with intriguing innovations and inventions.<p><p>More than 175 businesses displayed their wares at the three-day event, such as <a href=\"https://www.osprey.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Osprey </a>and <a href=\"https://www.briggs-riley.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Briggs &amp; Riley</a>, and rookies, including Props and Idea Mountain.<p><p>Troy Petenbrink, a D.C.-based travel expert known as the <a href=\"https://thegaytraveler.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Gay Traveler</a>, spotted several trends on his eighth visit to the show.<p><p>\u201cI think we\u2019re continuing to see innovation around lighter products. Obviously how a product looks is really important, especially in the age of social media,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are also looking for a product that can serve multiple purposes or has some versatility to it.\u201d<p><p>Petenbrink said companies are still committed to the green movement, such as <a href=\"https://www.monarcbrand.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Monarc</a>, which constructs bags out of single-use plastics bound for oceans and landfills. However, travelers have been slow to adopt eco-friendly materials and carbon-neutral goals.<p><p>\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s been fully embraced yet,\u201d Petenbrink said. \u201cThe manufacturers are trying to figure it out.\u201d<p><p>Several fads have fallen out of fashion, especially with the advent of AirTags and other tracking devices,  such as tech-heavy luggage. \u201cIt sounded great on paper, but another app draining your battery wasn\u2019t flying. Also, we had issues with some of the smart luggage having batteries that you had to take out before you boarded the plane because of safety issues,\u201d Petenbrink said.<p><p>We spent a full day at the show, searching for the most interesting and unusual products that we couldn\u2019t wait to take on a test drive \u2014 or flight.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NK4KPHDDPLNSXKG35KJZ2B4PIA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">EasyPack Luggage features a stack of shelves that help organize packing and stand in for a hotel closet or dresser. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>Luggage with legs and shelves</h3><p><a href=\"https://ideamountain.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Journey System</b></a><b>, Idea Mountain, $299</b>: The Swiss Army knife of luggage is five bags in one, featuring a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/packing-tips-carry-on-luggage/\" target=\"_blank\">carry-on-size</a> backpack that contains a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/fanny-pack-travel-hack/\" target=\"_blank\">day pack</a>, hanging toiletry bag, laptop sleeve and hip pack \u2014 all removable. Founder Tys Sniffen, a self-described \u201cone-backpack traveler,\u201d also threw in drawstring bags for shoes and tech accessories, a pair of vacuum storage bags and such intuitive touches as a magnetic key chain. The components snap or clip together and create a cohesive whole that will uphold your reputation as a minimalist traveler.<p><p><a href=\"https://propsluggage.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Props Luggage</b></a><b>, $399</b>: As the mother of four daughters, Maggie Gerth spent a lot of time on <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/cheap-vegas-hotel-rooms/\" target=\"_blank\">hotel </a>floors, rummaging through <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/best-budget-suitcase-luggage/\" target=\"_blank\">suitcases</a>. Since carrying a fleet of luggage stands wasn\u2019t feasible, she invented a hard-shell wheeled carrier with a built-in rack. When the polycarbonate legs are down, the bag transforms into a luggage rack (we know <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/luggage-bed-health-risks/\" target=\"_blank\">putting luggage on the bed is gross</a>) \u2014 or a dresser, if you choose to live out of your suitcase. If you need a work station in a pinch, Props doubles as a table that can hold up to 50 pounds. When it\u2019s time to move on, the lightweight appendages fold up.<p><p><a href=\"https://easypackluggage.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Easy Pack Luggage</b></a><b>, $239, medium; $329, large:</b> The secret to effortless <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/last-minute-packing/\" target=\"_blank\">packing</a> is shelving. The wheeled luggage has stacked trays that form compartments in the bag\u2019s main cavity. Organize your clothes by day, activity or climate and then collapse the shelves before zipping up. At your destination, remove the two aluminum supports from the interior pockets, pop them into their holders and raise the shelves to create an insta-closet. You can use the vertical suitcase as your wardrobe or hang the shelves on a door or closet rod for touchless storage.<p><p><a href=\"https://kiddietotes.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Kiddietotes</b></a><b>, Scooter Luggage, $129</b>: The luggage that rolls like a scooter \u2014 and vice versa \u2014 is as much for children as it is for parents, who often turn into pack animals on family trips. \u201cIt teaches kids a little bit of responsibility and autonomy,\u201d said Nicole Jonasson, a consultant with the company. The scooter, which she said is aimed at 3- to-8-year-olds, makes toting a carry-on fun and whine-free. At the gate, the deck folds up into the backside of the luggage, which is compliant with the airlines\u2019 carry-on dimensions. The one giveaway that the bag leads an exciting double life: The wheels spin in colored LED lights.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZAHDHYFDM5MBVI4EV7VHLCQISA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Karout Musical Pillow improves the in-flight movie experience with its neck pillow embedded with speakers. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>Accessories for hydrating and resting your head</h3><p><a href=\"https://nwtradellc.com/shop/ols/products/karout-all-in-one-musical-pillow\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Karout Musical Pillow</b></a><b>, $59.99</b>: If you\u2019ve ever strained to hear an <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/01/04/top-movies-shows-flights-2023/\" target=\"_blank\">airplane movie</a>, rest assured it\u2019s not your ears: It\u2019s the lousy in-flight audio system. The <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/best-travel-neck-pillow/\" target=\"_blank\">neck pillow </a>embedded with speakers offers theater-quality sound while coddling your head. Plug in the AV cable to enjoy the seat-back entertainment or use Bluetooth for your personal gadget. The cushion is inflatable \u2014 air pump included \u2014 but it slipped when I tried it on. The founder said he is looking into memory foam, which could help the speakers align with my ears and not my neck.<p><p><a href=\"https://shop.myhydaway.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Hydaway</b></a><b>, Collapsible Water Bottle, $31.95; Insulated Bowl, $11.99 or $19.95</b>: I picked up my first Hydaway collapsible cup during my maiden travel goods show years ago. This time around, I was excited to see the company\u2019s newest <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/interactive/2023/best-travel-gifts/\" target=\"_blank\">collapsible items</a>: a 25-ounce water bottle and a silicone bowl. The bottle squishes to an inch-and-a-half disc that can fit in the side pocket of your yoga pants or cargo shorts. The dishware crumples to an inch and expands to 12 ounces or a quart. An insulated sleeve with an outdoorsy design \u2014 northern lights, evergreen forest \u2014 keeps food at its optimum temperature for up to an hour. Secure the lid to deter bugs from swimming in your soup or cereal.<p><p><a href=\"https://alpakagear.com/products/bravo-sling-mini-waterproof\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Alpaka</b></a><b>, Bravo Sling Mini Waterproof, $89</b>: The waterproof satchel will free beach goers from having to babysit their valuables. The ninja-chic bag, which can be worn three ways (waist, crossbody, over the shoulder), is made of Cordura, a durable nylon fabric often used in military garb. The welded waterproof zippers and laser-fused seams also keep the ocean away from your dry goods. The sling\u2019s IPX6 rating means that your items can survive a splashing but not a deep-sea dive with a mermaid. The bag is spacious enough to fit your essentials, plus, if you often grow bored at the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/beach-motel-mold-air-conditioning/\" target=\"_blank\">beach</a>, a Nintendo Switch.<p><h3>Apparel for your feet and rainy days</h3><p><a href=\"https://litegearbags.com/product/kompressor-poncho/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>LiteGear</b></a><b>, Kompressor Poncho, $39.95</b>: Always carry this fashionable and compact poncho and you\u2019ll never get caught in trash bag rain gear again. The garment folds into a small pouch that you can clip onto a bag or belt around your waist. Its waterproof design \u2014 taped seams, double-placket front zipper, hood with three cinches \u2014 will repel even the fiercest downpour. The garment is large enough to wear over a heavier coat or backpack. Once the sun emerges, the poncho turns into a ground cloth, so you can nap or picnic without getting soggy.<p><p><a href=\"https://kytin.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Kytin</b></a><b>, Parasole, $50 for nylon; $55 for merino wool</b>: Kytin\u2019s slip-on footwear fits like an athletic sock but walks like a shoe, thanks to its sturdy polymer sole. In addition to creating a barrier against grimy hotel and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/02/23/airport-carpet-portland-orlando/\" target=\"_blank\">airport floors</a>, Parasoles soothe tired dogs with dual-layer compression, arch support and cushioning. Choose from nylon or merino wool and any number of cheerful colors (mango frost, sunset yellow, beet root) that will brighten any ice machine run or jaunt through TSA security.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YV5TEQCP6YE2QY7JHW246ZVBXE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Juan Marcelino, a LifeStraw exhibitor, demonstrates the Water Filter Straw, which cleans contaminated water of bacteria, parasites and microplastics. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BYNXWHLJZSH2RNXKABGWU5VVPM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">LifeStraw\u2019s Water Filter Straw clears contaminated water of bacteria, parasites and microplastics, so travelers can safely sip from a beverage glass. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>Wipes and clean water</h3><p><a href=\"https://www.kleanfreak.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Klean Freak</b></a><b>, Body Wipe, $15 for a 12-pack; Flushable Wipe, $9 for a 20-pack</b>: Tim Goalen, the company\u2019s founder, decided that wipes needed to grow up. \u201cI hated baby wipe baths,\u201d said the avid adventurer who resides in Utah. The biodegradable towelettes are oversize and come in such candle-caliber scents as peppermint, tea tree and lavender.  For those uh-oh moments when toilet paper is not available, he created flushable wipes that smell of pine, peach, grapefruit or spearmint \u2014 and nary a whiff of portable potty deodorizer.<p><p><a href=\"https://lifestraw.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>LifeStraw</b></a><b>, Peak Series Solo, $29.95; Water Filter Straw (not released yet), $34.95</b>. LifeStraw, which initially focused on humanitarian projects, has been broadening its scope to help travelers in destinations with contaminated water, such as backcountry wilderness and India. The Peak Series Solo, which the company introduced last spring, features a screw top and spout that attaches to a regular water bottle and filters out contaminants before they reach your lips. For the stainless-steel straw, which will launch in May, travelers can sip directly from a glass of tainted water. For both products, the filter eliminates bacteria, parasites and bacteria, as well as grit and grime collected from outside the Vegas expo center.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YRBRBMETVON2QSVC7WSTVI5MGU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Chris Osse, the company\u2019s founder, demonstrates the Armbie, which helps travelers relax their arms in tight spaces. As seen at the Travel Goods Association Show in Vegas. (Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>The wackiest products</h3><p><a href=\"https://retrastrap.myshopify.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>RetraStrap</b></a><b>, $29.99</b>: After Omar Abass dislocated his shoulder, he struggled to wheel his luggage through <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/interactive/2023/flying-airport-etiquette/?itid=hp_most-read_p009_f001_1\" target=\"_blank\">airports.</a> His injury inspired him to create a strap that lets you pull your bag with your torso. \u201cIt reduces the stress on your muscles and joints and uses your center of gravity,\u201d he said. I doubted the practicality of this product until I tested it myself. I draped the adjustable strap over my chest like a beauty pageant sash and started walking. I barely noticed the suitcase tailing me, even when I took a sharp turn. With my free hands, I could hold a coffee and a phone, or record myself waving at baffled passersby.<p><p><a href=\"https://armbie.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Armbie</b></a><b>, $22.95</b>: Chris Osse owes his invention to a middle seat on a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt. Wedged between \u201ctwo linebackers,\u201d he said he spent the entire trip with his arms pinned to his body. His design \u2014 a polyester band that resembles a giant tube top \u2014 allows travelers to relax their arms without crossing personal boundaries. He added that the accessory also provides warmth, simulates deep compression therapy and relieves anxiety. It can also reduce the strain of holding a book, which he demonstrated by wriggling his arms like T-Rex reading an imaginary novel. When I tried the Armbie, I felt as cozy as a swaddled baby, but I could achieve the same effect with a large scarf.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 02:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 18, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "\u2018Banksy came overnight\u2019: A neighborhood wakes up to world-famous street art", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "\u2018Banksy came overnight\u2019: A neighborhood wakes up to world-famous street art"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/banksy-new-art-london-tree/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/banksy-new-art-london-tree/", "summary": "2024-03-18T11:45:37.184Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/UV455VUZGBCT5IX2GJ6IE6EJSU/20240318-125751.514/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BLGUNZXRXA7EXM5MHDYVWVJYQ4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">New artwork by Banksy near Finsbury Park in London on Monday. (Annabelle Timsit/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>LONDON \u2014 The Banksy appeared the way Banksy murals often do: overnight, unsigned and to everyone\u2019s complete surprise.<p><p>Before the <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C4p0mn7su0a/?igsh=MTB0bmJ5dmc0cjI1dw%3D%3D&amp;img_index=1\" target=\"_blank\">artist claimed credit</a>, this north London neighborhood was embroiled in a full-on whodunit.<p><p>Was it truly the world-famous, elusive artist who had painted streaks of bright green paint that appeared as if they were foliage behind a large tree? Were there telltale signs of his work in the portrait of the young person holding a pressure sprayer on the peeling wall?<p><p>By the gray and rainy Monday morning, this normally sleepy corner of Finsbury Park had turned into a circus. Journalists and local politicians descended on the scene after the mural appeared Sunday. A <a href=\"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68592907\" target=\"_blank\">Banksy expert rushed over</a> and declared it to be the likely work of the artist. Neighbors shared photos on chat groups; an unusual crowd gathered to snap selfies and give interviews to journalists.<p><p>There were other questions aside from the mural\u2019s provenance. What would it mean for the neighborhood? The Banksy work appeared on a wall just off Christie Court, a block of housing run by the local authority in the borough of Islington, where poor and working-class families live alongside very wealthy residents. \u201cBanksy came overnight and now my rent will skyrocket,\u201d one person posted on social media with an upside-down smiling face emoji.<p><blockquote><p>Banksy came overnight and now my rent will skyrocket \ud83d\ude43 <a href=\"https://t.co/SCafkFw2ww\">pic.twitter.com/SCafkFw2ww</a></p>&mdash; James (@jamestroe) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jamestroe/status/1769413549938381294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2024</a></blockquote>\n\n\n<p>And then, of course, there were questions about the meaning of the artwork itself.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s been done for a purpose: to get people talking, to get people interested,\u201d said Jeremy Corbyn, the member of Parliament who represents North Islington and a former leader of Britain\u2019s Labour Party, who arrived near the mural on Hornsey Road<b> </b>around 10:30 a.m. and was immediately flocked by cameras and curious constituents.<p><p>But talking about what, and interested in what? Banksy\u2019s anti-establishment street art has achieved global notoriety in recent years, and curiosity about the artist himself has lent an aura of mystery to his work. However, Banksy rarely \u2014 if ever \u2014 explains the meaning behind his street art, letting audiences interpret it for themselves. This makes reaching a definitive conclusion about any work by Banksy a tricky task.<p><p>Banksy\u2019s own pictures of the work had no caption on social media.<p><blockquote><div style=\"padding: 16px;\"> <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C4p0mn7su0a/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\"display: flex;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"></div> <div style=\"display: flex;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"></div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"></div></div></div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"></div> <div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"></div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"></div> <div style=\"display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;\"><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"></div> <div></div></div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div> <div style=\"display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"></div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"></div></div></a><p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;\"><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C4p0mn7su0a/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a></p></div></blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s typical Banksy,\u201d said Jenna Edwards, 31, a local resident who came to see the mural when she heard about it around the neighborhood. Edwards thinks it\u2019s a symbol of unity. \u201cNo matter if the branches and the leaves fall off, as long as you address the root, and we all come together, then we can grow back better,\u201d she said of the tree and its painted foliage.<p><p>Jonathan Ward, 55, a local resident and community activist, believes the mural carries an environmental message. Ward said the young person painted on the wall \u201cseems to be holding a weedkiller spray,\u201d in what could be a reference to the \u201cdamaging effect\u201d of products such as <a href=\"https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/news-media/research-highlights/childhood-exposure-to-common-herbicide-may-increase-the-risk-of-disease-in-young-adulthood\" target=\"_blank\">glyphosate</a>.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RQAGKRDPHNWSG4APDMBKI6QKOI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Part of the mural by Banksy. (Annabelle Timsit/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Some observers noted that the paint\u2019s shade of green is similar to a shade used by Islington Council, the district authority in charge, in street signs. Yet others said it was a reference to St. Patrick\u2019s Day, which was Sunday.<p><p>Rafael Schacter, an associate professor of anthropology and material culture at University College London, said in an email that the mural was \u201cone of the best Banksy works I\u2019ve seen in a while,\u201d and felt \u201cgenuinely site-specific.\u201d<p><p>\u201cThe brutally pollarded tree against the plain side wall of the adjacent building it sits against provides a really perfect backdrop,\u201d he said, speculating that the work was a statement on the debate about how to best maintain and care for trees. He said the use of color and technique \u201cin which hand-pumped garden pressure sprayers are re-purposed to paint graffiti \u2014 something similarly done with fire extinguishers \u2014 is a nice touch in term of the relation to \u2026 their use in gardening, often for weeding.\u201d<p><p>It quickly became an attraction. A group of 23-year-olds heard about the mural that morning and came to have a look. \u201cIt\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve ever seen [a Banksy] in the flesh,\u201d one said.<p><p>In a local coffee shop and bakery called Jolene, the barista told patrons about the mural as she handed them their coffee, directing them to the right spot. Young people working on their laptops talked about who they thought did it.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NIMDIFAFGSUUXZWR2ZUAPJIQYQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A footstep near the mural: Could this be the elusive Banksy\u2019s footprint? Amateur sleuths want to know. (Annabelle Timsit/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>In recent years, public art by Banksy has at times sparked<b> </b>extreme reactions in the communities where it has appeared: Last year, The Washington Post reported that the district council in Margate, a seaside town in eastern England, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/02/15/banksy-valentines-day-art/\" target=\"_blank\">dismantled an installation by Banksy</a> timed for Valentine\u2019s Day \u2014 prompting an outcry from residents who called it overreach by their local government at the expense of art that could draw tourists<b> </b>to their town.<p><p>And in December, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/24/banksy-stop-sign-art-stolen-london/\" target=\"_blank\">two people were arrested</a> after a piece of Banksy\u2019s work \u2014 a London stop sign adorned with what appeared to be drones \u2014 went missing.<p><p>Islington Council told The Washington Post in an email that its \u201cgraffiti removal team is aware of the artwork\u201d by Banksy \u201cand won\u2019t remove it.\u201d<p><p>The mural \u201chas sparked a real buzz across Islington and beyond, and we very much want the artwork to stay for people to enjoy,\u201d said Roulin Khondoker, executive member of Islington Council for equalities, culture and inclusion, in the email. \u201cWe want to find more ways that we can tell important stories through art and culture.\u201d<p><p><i>Adela Suliman and Anumita Kaur contributed to this report.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T11:45:37.184Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/UV455VUZGBCT5IX2GJ6IE6EJSU/20240318-125751.514/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BLGUNZXRXA7EXM5MHDYVWVJYQ4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">New artwork by Banksy near Finsbury Park in London on Monday. (Annabelle Timsit/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>LONDON \u2014 The Banksy appeared the way Banksy murals often do: overnight, unsigned and to everyone\u2019s complete surprise.<p><p>Before the <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C4p0mn7su0a/?igsh=MTB0bmJ5dmc0cjI1dw%3D%3D&amp;img_index=1\" target=\"_blank\">artist claimed credit</a>, this north London neighborhood was embroiled in a full-on whodunit.<p><p>Was it truly the world-famous, elusive artist who had painted streaks of bright green paint that appeared as if they were foliage behind a large tree? Were there telltale signs of his work in the portrait of the young person holding a pressure sprayer on the peeling wall?<p><p>By the gray and rainy Monday morning, this normally sleepy corner of Finsbury Park had turned into a circus. Journalists and local politicians descended on the scene after the mural appeared Sunday. A <a href=\"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68592907\" target=\"_blank\">Banksy expert rushed over</a> and declared it to be the likely work of the artist. Neighbors shared photos on chat groups; an unusual crowd gathered to snap selfies and give interviews to journalists.<p><p>There were other questions aside from the mural\u2019s provenance. What would it mean for the neighborhood? The Banksy work appeared on a wall just off Christie Court, a block of housing run by the local authority in the borough of Islington, where poor and working-class families live alongside very wealthy residents. \u201cBanksy came overnight and now my rent will skyrocket,\u201d one person posted on social media with an upside-down smiling face emoji.<p><blockquote><p>Banksy came overnight and now my rent will skyrocket \ud83d\ude43 <a href=\"https://t.co/SCafkFw2ww\">pic.twitter.com/SCafkFw2ww</a></p>&mdash; James (@jamestroe) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jamestroe/status/1769413549938381294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2024</a></blockquote>\n\n\n<p>And then, of course, there were questions about the meaning of the artwork itself.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s been done for a purpose: to get people talking, to get people interested,\u201d said Jeremy Corbyn, the member of Parliament who represents North Islington and a former leader of Britain\u2019s Labour Party, who arrived near the mural on Hornsey Road<b> </b>around 10:30 a.m. and was immediately flocked by cameras and curious constituents.<p><p>But talking about what, and interested in what? Banksy\u2019s anti-establishment street art has achieved global notoriety in recent years, and curiosity about the artist himself has lent an aura of mystery to his work. However, Banksy rarely \u2014 if ever \u2014 explains the meaning behind his street art, letting audiences interpret it for themselves. This makes reaching a definitive conclusion about any work by Banksy a tricky task.<p><p>Banksy\u2019s own pictures of the work had no caption on social media.<p><blockquote><div style=\"padding: 16px;\"> <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C4p0mn7su0a/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\"display: flex;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"></div> <div style=\"display: flex;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"></div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"></div></div></div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"></div> <div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"></div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"></div> <div style=\"display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;\"><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"></div> <div></div></div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div> <div style=\"display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"></div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"></div></div></a><p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;\"><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C4p0mn7su0a/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a></p></div></blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s typical Banksy,\u201d said Jenna Edwards, 31, a local resident who came to see the mural when she heard about it around the neighborhood. Edwards thinks it\u2019s a symbol of unity. \u201cNo matter if the branches and the leaves fall off, as long as you address the root, and we all come together, then we can grow back better,\u201d she said of the tree and its painted foliage.<p><p>Jonathan Ward, 55, a local resident and community activist, believes the mural carries an environmental message. Ward said the young person painted on the wall \u201cseems to be holding a weedkiller spray,\u201d in what could be a reference to the \u201cdamaging effect\u201d of products such as <a href=\"https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/news-media/research-highlights/childhood-exposure-to-common-herbicide-may-increase-the-risk-of-disease-in-young-adulthood\" target=\"_blank\">glyphosate</a>.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RQAGKRDPHNWSG4APDMBKI6QKOI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Part of the mural by Banksy. (Annabelle Timsit/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Some observers noted that the paint\u2019s shade of green is similar to a shade used by Islington Council, the district authority in charge, in street signs. Yet others said it was a reference to St. Patrick\u2019s Day, which was Sunday.<p><p>Rafael Schacter, an associate professor of anthropology and material culture at University College London, said in an email that the mural was \u201cone of the best Banksy works I\u2019ve seen in a while,\u201d and felt \u201cgenuinely site-specific.\u201d<p><p>\u201cThe brutally pollarded tree against the plain side wall of the adjacent building it sits against provides a really perfect backdrop,\u201d he said, speculating that the work was a statement on the debate about how to best maintain and care for trees. He said the use of color and technique \u201cin which hand-pumped garden pressure sprayers are re-purposed to paint graffiti \u2014 something similarly done with fire extinguishers \u2014 is a nice touch in term of the relation to \u2026 their use in gardening, often for weeding.\u201d<p><p>It quickly became an attraction. A group of 23-year-olds heard about the mural that morning and came to have a look. \u201cIt\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve ever seen [a Banksy] in the flesh,\u201d one said.<p><p>In a local coffee shop and bakery called Jolene, the barista told patrons about the mural as she handed them their coffee, directing them to the right spot. Young people working on their laptops talked about who they thought did it.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NIMDIFAFGSUUXZWR2ZUAPJIQYQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A footstep near the mural: Could this be the elusive Banksy\u2019s footprint? Amateur sleuths want to know. (Annabelle Timsit/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>In recent years, public art by Banksy has at times sparked<b> </b>extreme reactions in the communities where it has appeared: Last year, The Washington Post reported that the district council in Margate, a seaside town in eastern England, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/02/15/banksy-valentines-day-art/\" target=\"_blank\">dismantled an installation by Banksy</a> timed for Valentine\u2019s Day \u2014 prompting an outcry from residents who called it overreach by their local government at the expense of art that could draw tourists<b> </b>to their town.<p><p>And in December, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/24/banksy-stop-sign-art-stolen-london/\" target=\"_blank\">two people were arrested</a> after a piece of Banksy\u2019s work \u2014 a London stop sign adorned with what appeared to be drones \u2014 went missing.<p><p>Islington Council told The Washington Post in an email that its \u201cgraffiti removal team is aware of the artwork\u201d by Banksy \u201cand won\u2019t remove it.\u201d<p><p>The mural \u201chas sparked a real buzz across Islington and beyond, and we very much want the artwork to stay for people to enjoy,\u201d said Roulin Khondoker, executive member of Islington Council for equalities, culture and inclusion, in the email. \u201cWe want to find more ways that we can tell important stories through art and culture.\u201d<p><p><i>Adela Suliman and Anumita Kaur contributed to this report.</i><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 01:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 17, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "American University names new president: Jonathan Alger of JMU", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "American University names new president: Jonathan Alger of JMU"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/18/american-university-president-jonathan-alger/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/18/american-university-president-jonathan-alger/", "summary": "2024-03-18T16:02:52.640Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/TCMZRBU2BVFCJE2DJHU7W4PCOA/20240318-131591.910/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BBEYTNFGV4I6NOSGKPNVP4HDKE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A student walks past the Bender Library on the American University campus in Washington, D.C. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) </small></div><p>American University announced Monday that its 16th president will be Jonathan Alger, a higher education policy scholar who has been president of James Madison University in Virginia for the past dozen years.<p><p>Alger, who goes by Jon, will step into the position July 1, when current AU President Sylvia Burwell departs after seven years leading the private university in Northwest Washington.<p><p>Burwell was a nontraditional choice for the role; a former Obama administration official, she knew Washington and its power structures but did not have advanced degrees or academic experience.<p><p>Alger, by contrast, arrives with a long track record in academia: Before his lengthy tenure leading JMU, he served as senior vice president and general counsel at Rutgers University, and while at the University of Michigan he played a leading role in two <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/06/24/affirmative-action-for-diversity-is-upheld/f4773260-079b-4b35-b2bc-d5cd7460bd47/\" target=\"_blank\">landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases on race and admissions</a>. He taught graduate and undergraduate courses in leadership, law, higher education, public policy and diversity at all three schools. He graduated from Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School.<p><p>In his 12 years at JMU, a public university of about 22,000 students in Harrisonburg, Va., Alger increased external research funding and doubled its endowment. Under Alger, JMU moved up to the highest level of college football. Alger created full-tuition scholarships for students who are first in their families to attend college, and launched the Madison Center for Civic Engagement.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/TWNERHNEIVYWZ5ZORHOQOWPORU.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Jonathan (Jon) Alger has been named American University\u2019s 16th president. (American University)</small></div><p>\u201cJon Alger is known for his community engagement, deep commitment to scholarship and research, and passion for learning,\u201d Gina Adams, an alumna who is chair of the board of trustees at AU, said in a statement Monday. \u201cHis vision for American University, his understanding of the unique attributes of a university community, and his proven ability to address the complex challenges facing higher education have prepared Jon to lead American University moving forward.\u201d<p><p>Some higher education leaders praised the choice for <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/20/ketanji-brown-jackson-american-university/\" target=\"_blank\">AU</a>. \u201cAt a time when leading a university is more complex than ever, Jon brings a wealth of experience to the presidency, as a distinguished scholar of civil rights law and higher education; as a champion of academic freedom, shared governance, and access to excellence in higher education; and as a community builder,\u201d Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, said in a written statement Monday. \u201cHe leads with compassion, transparency, integrity, authenticity, moral courage, and humor.\u201d<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/04/colleges-teach-students-civil-discourse/\" target=\"_blank\">American University</a> has about 14,000 students.<p><p>\u201cAmerican University\u2019s stellar academic profile and global impact reflect the unique and inspiring characteristics of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni,\u201d Alger said in a written statement. \u201cEncouraging students to dream big is the heart of higher education, and the opportunity to join American University is a dream come true for me and my family.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T16:02:52.640Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/TCMZRBU2BVFCJE2DJHU7W4PCOA/20240318-131591.910/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BBEYTNFGV4I6NOSGKPNVP4HDKE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A student walks past the Bender Library on the American University campus in Washington, D.C. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) </small></div><p>American University announced Monday that its 16th president will be Jonathan Alger, a higher education policy scholar who has been president of James Madison University in Virginia for the past dozen years.<p><p>Alger, who goes by Jon, will step into the position July 1, when current AU President Sylvia Burwell departs after seven years leading the private university in Northwest Washington.<p><p>Burwell was a nontraditional choice for the role; a former Obama administration official, she knew Washington and its power structures but did not have advanced degrees or academic experience.<p><p>Alger, by contrast, arrives with a long track record in academia: Before his lengthy tenure leading JMU, he served as senior vice president and general counsel at Rutgers University, and while at the University of Michigan he played a leading role in two <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/06/24/affirmative-action-for-diversity-is-upheld/f4773260-079b-4b35-b2bc-d5cd7460bd47/\" target=\"_blank\">landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases on race and admissions</a>. He taught graduate and undergraduate courses in leadership, law, higher education, public policy and diversity at all three schools. He graduated from Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School.<p><p>In his 12 years at JMU, a public university of about 22,000 students in Harrisonburg, Va., Alger increased external research funding and doubled its endowment. Under Alger, JMU moved up to the highest level of college football. Alger created full-tuition scholarships for students who are first in their families to attend college, and launched the Madison Center for Civic Engagement.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/TWNERHNEIVYWZ5ZORHOQOWPORU.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Jonathan (Jon) Alger has been named American University\u2019s 16th president. (American University)</small></div><p>\u201cJon Alger is known for his community engagement, deep commitment to scholarship and research, and passion for learning,\u201d Gina Adams, an alumna who is chair of the board of trustees at AU, said in a statement Monday. \u201cHis vision for American University, his understanding of the unique attributes of a university community, and his proven ability to address the complex challenges facing higher education have prepared Jon to lead American University moving forward.\u201d<p><p>Some higher education leaders praised the choice for <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/20/ketanji-brown-jackson-american-university/\" target=\"_blank\">AU</a>. \u201cAt a time when leading a university is more complex than ever, Jon brings a wealth of experience to the presidency, as a distinguished scholar of civil rights law and higher education; as a champion of academic freedom, shared governance, and access to excellence in higher education; and as a community builder,\u201d Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, said in a written statement Monday. \u201cHe leads with compassion, transparency, integrity, authenticity, moral courage, and humor.\u201d<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/04/colleges-teach-students-civil-discourse/\" target=\"_blank\">American University</a> has about 14,000 students.<p><p>\u201cAmerican University\u2019s stellar academic profile and global impact reflect the unique and inspiring characteristics of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni,\u201d Alger said in a written statement. \u201cEncouraging students to dream big is the heart of higher education, and the opportunity to join American University is a dream come true for me and my family.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 01:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 17, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "\u2018Bloodbath\u2019 aside, Trump\u2019s violent rhetoric is unambiguous", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "\u2018Bloodbath\u2019 aside, Trump\u2019s violent rhetoric is unambiguous"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/bloodbath-aside-trumps-violent-rhetoric-is-unambiguous/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/bloodbath-aside-trumps-violent-rhetoric-is-unambiguous/", "summary": "2024-03-18T12:12:24.148Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/MPRE7YHVONGC7AIJVMJAXWQVMU/20240318-124364.645/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BFHKSELGFBKC22NR7WTAGQAVAA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Former president Donald Trump makes his way off the stage at the Oakland County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner in Novi, Mich., in 2023. (Emily Elconin for The Washington Post) </small></div><p>In an interview with Donald Trump that aired over the weekend, Fox News host Howard Kurtz presented Trump with a not-exactly-novel theory: that Trump uses \u201cover the top, sometimes inflammatory language\u201d to draw attention.<p><p>Trump conceded that \u201cif you don\u2019t use certain words, that maybe are not very nice words, nothing will happen.\u201d<p><p>The weekend provided ample evidence of that dynamic, particularly when<b> </b>Trump invited yet another tempest with his violent rhetoric. This time, he <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/16/trump-immigrants-not-people/\" target=\"_blank\">warned of a \u201cbloodbath\u201d</a> if he loses in November. Trump\u2019s allies claim he\u2019s being taken out of context and unfairly attacked.<p><p>To recap: Appearing at a rally in Ohio, Trump riffed on his proposal for a 100 percent tariff on Chinese-made cars to protect the U.S. auto industry.<p><p>\u201cNow, if I don\u2019t get elected,\u201d Trump continued, \u201cit\u2019s going to be a bloodbath for the whole \u2014 that\u2019s going to be the least of it. It\u2019s going to be a bloodbath for the country.\u201d<p><p>Here\u2019s what we can say: Trump might indeed have been speaking metaphorically in this case. But the broader context here is vital. And that context is that Trump has repeatedly invoked the prospect of <i>actual </i>violence by his supporters while speaking about similar circumstances \u2014 his losing or facing criminal accountability, for example. We also saw a pronounced example of his supporters seizing on his rhetoric when they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.<p><p>Which makes it much more difficult to dismiss the \u201cbloodbath\u201d comment as overheated rhetoric. Trump is, at the very least, deliberately playing with fire. And this is merely the most recent example.<p><p>Trump backers and even some conservative Trump critics dismissed the comment as, more or less, standard-issue political rhetoric. Some suggested that Trump was merely talking about a \u201cbloodbath\u201d for the auto industry (even though Trump was clearly saying the \u201cbloodbath\u201d would extend beyond that industry).<p><p>Regardless, a focus on the one word misses the point. It\u2019s not that this isolated comment is particularly egregious; it\u2019s that it\u2019s merely the latest example of this kind of rhetoric. And it\u2019s often more direct:<p><p>And this doesn\u2019t even account for the <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/2022/05/02/trump-call-violence-presidency\" target=\"_blank\">many, many examples</a> of his alluding <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/14/trump-again-nods-toward-violence-by-his-supporters-maybe-something-bigger/\" target=\"_blank\">more suggestively to righteous violence by his supporters</a>. He does this a lot. Sometimes it\u2019s direct; sometimes it\u2019s veiled and carries with it the plausible deniability that he craves.<p><p>But is it really ridiculous to suggest that the guy who warned of \u201criots,\u201d \u201cviolence in the streets\u201d and \u201cdeath &amp; destruction\u201d if he were wronged might be gesturing in that direction again? Of course not.<p><p>More than that, history gives weight to comments like this. And that history includes Trump\u2019s supporters turning violent after the 2020 election \u2014 and after they appeared to interpret his comments as encouragement.<p><p>At a 2020 presidential debate, Trump was asked to repudiate violence by white supremacists and the Proud Boys. Trump responded by telling the Proud Boys not to \u201cstand down,\u201d as had been suggested, but to \u201cstand back and stand by.\u201d That set off a fuss similar to the one we see today, with Trump allies and media critics asserting that this <a href=\"https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/09/30/celebrities-accuse-trump-of-white-supremacy-over-stand-back-and-stand-by-comments/\" target=\"_blank\">was much ado</a> <a href=\"https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/09/the-proud-boys-debate-moment-a-case-study-in-the-medias-mishandling-of-trump/\" target=\"_blank\">about nothing</a> \u2014 just some awkward phrasing! Trump and his White House resisted calls to clarify for days.<p><p>Months later, the Proud Boys \u2014 who in real time appeared to <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/us/trump-proud-boys-biden.html\" target=\"_blank\">interpret Trump\u2019s comments as a call to action</a> \u2014 played a central role in the Capitol insurrection.<p><p>Also interpreting Trump\u2019s various comments as a call to action, according to their legal defenses: <a href=\"https://www.justsecurity.org/81468/surveying-evidence-of-how-trumps-actions-activated-jan-6-rioters/\" target=\"_blank\">many other Jan. 6 defendants</a>.<p><p>With that kind of history, it\u2019s certainly a choice for Trump to keep talking like this. And there was even a time when Republicans worried about what Trump might be fomenting.<p><p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said explicitly in April 2016 that Trump, even at that point, had \u201c<a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cruz-trump-now-has-a-consistent-pattern-of-inciting-violence/\" target=\"_blank\">a consistent pattern of inciting violence</a>.\u201d<p><p>Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in dropping out of the race, directly linked Trump\u2019s rhetoric to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/03/11/trump-cancels-chicago-rally-over-security-concerns/\" target=\"_blank\">violent and angry clashes</a> in Chicago after a Trump rally was postponed.<p><p>\u201cThe broader anger that now exists in the American political discourse is a direct result of the fact that words have consequences,\u201d Rubio <a href=\"https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/rubio-campaign-press-release-must-watch-marco-rubio-has-the-perfect-response-the-trump\" target=\"_blank\">said</a>. \u201cThat when you run for President of the United States or if you are President of the United States \u2026 you can\u2019t just take on the attitude that I\u2019m going to say whatever I want.\u201d<p><p>Rubio added: \u201cYou can\u2019t say whatever you want. It has real-life consequences for people in this country, and all over the world. And we\u2019re starting to see it bear out.\u201d<p><p>Rubio\u2019s warning, in particular, is applicable to what we see today. Trump has shown no sign of moderating his rhetoric despite the example of Jan. 6. Whether he\u2019s doing it to merely provoke, because he wants to warn his critics, or because he actually wants his supporters to be ready to rise up, that doesn\u2019t change the fact that it can be dangerous \u2014 in a way that Trump, those around him and even his many defenders must know.<p><p>You can argue that one comment is being blown out of proportion. But the track record here is clear.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T12:12:24.148Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/MPRE7YHVONGC7AIJVMJAXWQVMU/20240318-124364.645/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BFHKSELGFBKC22NR7WTAGQAVAA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Former president Donald Trump makes his way off the stage at the Oakland County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner in Novi, Mich., in 2023. (Emily Elconin for The Washington Post) </small></div><p>In an interview with Donald Trump that aired over the weekend, Fox News host Howard Kurtz presented Trump with a not-exactly-novel theory: that Trump uses \u201cover the top, sometimes inflammatory language\u201d to draw attention.<p><p>Trump conceded that \u201cif you don\u2019t use certain words, that maybe are not very nice words, nothing will happen.\u201d<p><p>The weekend provided ample evidence of that dynamic, particularly when<b> </b>Trump invited yet another tempest with his violent rhetoric. This time, he <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/16/trump-immigrants-not-people/\" target=\"_blank\">warned of a \u201cbloodbath\u201d</a> if he loses in November. Trump\u2019s allies claim he\u2019s being taken out of context and unfairly attacked.<p><p>To recap: Appearing at a rally in Ohio, Trump riffed on his proposal for a 100 percent tariff on Chinese-made cars to protect the U.S. auto industry.<p><p>\u201cNow, if I don\u2019t get elected,\u201d Trump continued, \u201cit\u2019s going to be a bloodbath for the whole \u2014 that\u2019s going to be the least of it. It\u2019s going to be a bloodbath for the country.\u201d<p><p>Here\u2019s what we can say: Trump might indeed have been speaking metaphorically in this case. But the broader context here is vital. And that context is that Trump has repeatedly invoked the prospect of <i>actual </i>violence by his supporters while speaking about similar circumstances \u2014 his losing or facing criminal accountability, for example. We also saw a pronounced example of his supporters seizing on his rhetoric when they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.<p><p>Which makes it much more difficult to dismiss the \u201cbloodbath\u201d comment as overheated rhetoric. Trump is, at the very least, deliberately playing with fire. And this is merely the most recent example.<p><p>Trump backers and even some conservative Trump critics dismissed the comment as, more or less, standard-issue political rhetoric. Some suggested that Trump was merely talking about a \u201cbloodbath\u201d for the auto industry (even though Trump was clearly saying the \u201cbloodbath\u201d would extend beyond that industry).<p><p>Regardless, a focus on the one word misses the point. It\u2019s not that this isolated comment is particularly egregious; it\u2019s that it\u2019s merely the latest example of this kind of rhetoric. And it\u2019s often more direct:<p><p>And this doesn\u2019t even account for the <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/2022/05/02/trump-call-violence-presidency\" target=\"_blank\">many, many examples</a> of his alluding <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/14/trump-again-nods-toward-violence-by-his-supporters-maybe-something-bigger/\" target=\"_blank\">more suggestively to righteous violence by his supporters</a>. He does this a lot. Sometimes it\u2019s direct; sometimes it\u2019s veiled and carries with it the plausible deniability that he craves.<p><p>But is it really ridiculous to suggest that the guy who warned of \u201criots,\u201d \u201cviolence in the streets\u201d and \u201cdeath &amp; destruction\u201d if he were wronged might be gesturing in that direction again? Of course not.<p><p>More than that, history gives weight to comments like this. And that history includes Trump\u2019s supporters turning violent after the 2020 election \u2014 and after they appeared to interpret his comments as encouragement.<p><p>At a 2020 presidential debate, Trump was asked to repudiate violence by white supremacists and the Proud Boys. Trump responded by telling the Proud Boys not to \u201cstand down,\u201d as had been suggested, but to \u201cstand back and stand by.\u201d That set off a fuss similar to the one we see today, with Trump allies and media critics asserting that this <a href=\"https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/09/30/celebrities-accuse-trump-of-white-supremacy-over-stand-back-and-stand-by-comments/\" target=\"_blank\">was much ado</a> <a href=\"https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/09/the-proud-boys-debate-moment-a-case-study-in-the-medias-mishandling-of-trump/\" target=\"_blank\">about nothing</a> \u2014 just some awkward phrasing! Trump and his White House resisted calls to clarify for days.<p><p>Months later, the Proud Boys \u2014 who in real time appeared to <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/us/trump-proud-boys-biden.html\" target=\"_blank\">interpret Trump\u2019s comments as a call to action</a> \u2014 played a central role in the Capitol insurrection.<p><p>Also interpreting Trump\u2019s various comments as a call to action, according to their legal defenses: <a href=\"https://www.justsecurity.org/81468/surveying-evidence-of-how-trumps-actions-activated-jan-6-rioters/\" target=\"_blank\">many other Jan. 6 defendants</a>.<p><p>With that kind of history, it\u2019s certainly a choice for Trump to keep talking like this. And there was even a time when Republicans worried about what Trump might be fomenting.<p><p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said explicitly in April 2016 that Trump, even at that point, had \u201c<a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cruz-trump-now-has-a-consistent-pattern-of-inciting-violence/\" target=\"_blank\">a consistent pattern of inciting violence</a>.\u201d<p><p>Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in dropping out of the race, directly linked Trump\u2019s rhetoric to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/03/11/trump-cancels-chicago-rally-over-security-concerns/\" target=\"_blank\">violent and angry clashes</a> in Chicago after a Trump rally was postponed.<p><p>\u201cThe broader anger that now exists in the American political discourse is a direct result of the fact that words have consequences,\u201d Rubio <a href=\"https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/rubio-campaign-press-release-must-watch-marco-rubio-has-the-perfect-response-the-trump\" target=\"_blank\">said</a>. \u201cThat when you run for President of the United States or if you are President of the United States \u2026 you can\u2019t just take on the attitude that I\u2019m going to say whatever I want.\u201d<p><p>Rubio added: \u201cYou can\u2019t say whatever you want. It has real-life consequences for people in this country, and all over the world. And we\u2019re starting to see it bear out.\u201d<p><p>Rubio\u2019s warning, in particular, is applicable to what we see today. Trump has shown no sign of moderating his rhetoric despite the example of Jan. 6. Whether he\u2019s doing it to merely provoke, because he wants to warn his critics, or because he actually wants his supporters to be ready to rise up, that doesn\u2019t change the fact that it can be dangerous \u2014 in a way that Trump, those around him and even his many defenders must know.<p><p>You can argue that one comment is being blown out of proportion. But the track record here is clear.<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 16, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "9 bold broccoli recipes, including stir-fry, salad and burgers", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "9 bold broccoli recipes, including stir-fry, salad and burgers"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/03/18/broccoli-recipes-burgers-salad/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/03/18/broccoli-recipes-burgers-salad/", "summary": "2024-03-11T20:47:28.570Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>My introduction to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/01/07/how-to-cook-broccoli-cauliflower-cruciferous/\" target=\"_blank\">broccoli</a> was my mom boiling or steaming it to fill the role of the vegetables on my plate alongside meat and a starch. The only time I was excited for it was when it was served with a cheesy sauce made from Velveeta and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/10/06/canned-evaporated-milk-shelf-stable/\" target=\"_blank\">evaporated milk</a>. (And let\u2019s be real \u2014 I was definitely more excited for the cheese than the broccoli.) Today, I\u2019d happily eat an entire sheet pan of the roasted cruciferous vegetable, use it in a flavorful stir-fry or blend it into a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/broccoli-cheddar-soup/\" target=\"_blank\">creamy soup</a>.<p><p>Here is just a taste of the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2020/10/10/broccoli-recipes/\" target=\"_blank\">broccoli recipes</a> we have to put it to good use. Looking for more ways to cook the vegetable? Head to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/\" target=\"_blank\">our database of more than 10,000 recipes</a> for ideas.<p><h2>1. Roasted Broccoli Tartine With Spicy Whipped Beans</h2><p>Above. This dish from cookbook and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/05/02/hetty-mckinnon-plant-powered-newsletter/\" target=\"_blank\">Plant Powered II</a> newsletter author Hetty Lui McKinnon is a refined open-face sandwich with a wonderful interplay of textures. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/roasted-broccoli-tartine-spicy-whipped-beans/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>2. Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZK55WWVIGAI6XKFHL5C53TPTMQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Laura Chase de Formigny for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Fresh ginger and garlic, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/08/25/sesame-oil-toasted-untoasted/\" target=\"_blank\">toasted sesame oil</a>, and soy sauce give this simple, adaptable stir-fry loads of flavor. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/chicken-and-broccoli-stir-fry/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>3. Broccoli-Chicken Cheeseburgers</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MY7TO3UJCUI6ZA4PBT67NHGOHQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Diana Jeffra for The Washington Post )</small></div><p>Food writer Ali Slagle proves that broccoli can even be used to make juicy chicken burgers with this unique spin. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/broccoli-cheddar-chicken-burgers/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>4. Pizza Broccoli</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6W7MNICNH4I6ZJ5YT3JIX4RZFE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Marie Ostrosky for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Hand-crushed tomatoes and gooey mozzarella cheese transform broccoli into a dish that everyone will love. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/pizza-broccoli/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>5. Broccoli Cheese Strudel</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WGNF6P6CR6KIW3PNE67RTCYZ4U.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>This recipe, adapted from the beloved \u201c<a href=\"https://www.powells.com/book/moosewood-cookbook-original-edition-9780913668689\" target=\"_blank\">Moosewood Cookbook</a>\u201d by Mollie Katzen, makes a fine appetizer or can serve as the main course paired with a side salad. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/broccoli-cheese-strudel/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>6. Broccoli Salad With Curry Vinaigrette</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/23XI6OYVPTQQM5UZSDAMHU5TEA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>While <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/creamy-broccoli-and-bacon-salad/\" target=\"_blank\">creamy broccoli</a> <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/better-broccoli-salad/\" target=\"_blank\">salads</a> are a classic for a reason, try something different with this dish featuring crisp apples, sweet dates, toasted pumpkin seeds and a flavorful curry vinaigrette. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/broccoli-salad-curry-vinaigrette/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>7. Rigatoni With Broccoli Lemon Sauce</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/B6L7YKTQBMI6ZMPCAU45VD2EKE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Broccoli, garlic and capers get blended into a silky sauce before being tossed with pasta, parmesan, lemon, basil and walnuts in this recipe from \u201cMilk Street Vegetables\u201d by Christopher Kimball. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/rigatoni-broccoli-lemon-sauce/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>8. Crispy Parmesan Smashed Broccoli</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZADYRSTKUADMQKB4OKVZEHQSHE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Reminiscent of the broccoli and cheese I enjoyed as a kid, this recipe elevates the pairing to a wow-inspiring side dish with crunchy parmesan surrounding each floret. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/crispy-parmesan-smashed-broccoli/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>9. Whole Roasted Broccoli With Muhammara</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/R2ZFYSSZNP7DJEU66JHSYJQZDE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post)</small></div><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/whole-roasted-cauliflower/\" target=\"_blank\">Cauliflower</a> isn\u2019t the only cruciferous vegetable on the block worthy of the whole-roasting treatment. Here, it\u2019s nestled atop muhammara, the Middle Eastern red-pepper-and-walnut spread, to achieve true centerpiece-worthy status. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/whole-roasted-broccoli-muhammara/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-11T20:47:28.570Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>My introduction to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/01/07/how-to-cook-broccoli-cauliflower-cruciferous/\" target=\"_blank\">broccoli</a> was my mom boiling or steaming it to fill the role of the vegetables on my plate alongside meat and a starch. The only time I was excited for it was when it was served with a cheesy sauce made from Velveeta and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/10/06/canned-evaporated-milk-shelf-stable/\" target=\"_blank\">evaporated milk</a>. (And let\u2019s be real \u2014 I was definitely more excited for the cheese than the broccoli.) Today, I\u2019d happily eat an entire sheet pan of the roasted cruciferous vegetable, use it in a flavorful stir-fry or blend it into a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/broccoli-cheddar-soup/\" target=\"_blank\">creamy soup</a>.<p><p>Here is just a taste of the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2020/10/10/broccoli-recipes/\" target=\"_blank\">broccoli recipes</a> we have to put it to good use. Looking for more ways to cook the vegetable? Head to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/\" target=\"_blank\">our database of more than 10,000 recipes</a> for ideas.<p><h2>1. Roasted Broccoli Tartine With Spicy Whipped Beans</h2><p>Above. This dish from cookbook and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/05/02/hetty-mckinnon-plant-powered-newsletter/\" target=\"_blank\">Plant Powered II</a> newsletter author Hetty Lui McKinnon is a refined open-face sandwich with a wonderful interplay of textures. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/roasted-broccoli-tartine-spicy-whipped-beans/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>2. Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZK55WWVIGAI6XKFHL5C53TPTMQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Laura Chase de Formigny for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Fresh ginger and garlic, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/08/25/sesame-oil-toasted-untoasted/\" target=\"_blank\">toasted sesame oil</a>, and soy sauce give this simple, adaptable stir-fry loads of flavor. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/chicken-and-broccoli-stir-fry/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>3. Broccoli-Chicken Cheeseburgers</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MY7TO3UJCUI6ZA4PBT67NHGOHQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Diana Jeffra for The Washington Post )</small></div><p>Food writer Ali Slagle proves that broccoli can even be used to make juicy chicken burgers with this unique spin. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/broccoli-cheddar-chicken-burgers/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>4. Pizza Broccoli</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6W7MNICNH4I6ZJ5YT3JIX4RZFE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Marie Ostrosky for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Hand-crushed tomatoes and gooey mozzarella cheese transform broccoli into a dish that everyone will love. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/pizza-broccoli/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>5. Broccoli Cheese Strudel</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WGNF6P6CR6KIW3PNE67RTCYZ4U.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Rey Lopez for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>This recipe, adapted from the beloved \u201c<a href=\"https://www.powells.com/book/moosewood-cookbook-original-edition-9780913668689\" target=\"_blank\">Moosewood Cookbook</a>\u201d by Mollie Katzen, makes a fine appetizer or can serve as the main course paired with a side salad. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/broccoli-cheese-strudel/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>6. Broccoli Salad With Curry Vinaigrette</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/23XI6OYVPTQQM5UZSDAMHU5TEA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>While <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/creamy-broccoli-and-bacon-salad/\" target=\"_blank\">creamy broccoli</a> <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/better-broccoli-salad/\" target=\"_blank\">salads</a> are a classic for a reason, try something different with this dish featuring crisp apples, sweet dates, toasted pumpkin seeds and a flavorful curry vinaigrette. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/broccoli-salad-curry-vinaigrette/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>7. Rigatoni With Broccoli Lemon Sauce</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/B6L7YKTQBMI6ZMPCAU45VD2EKE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Broccoli, garlic and capers get blended into a silky sauce before being tossed with pasta, parmesan, lemon, basil and walnuts in this recipe from \u201cMilk Street Vegetables\u201d by Christopher Kimball. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/rigatoni-broccoli-lemon-sauce/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>8. Crispy Parmesan Smashed Broccoli</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZADYRSTKUADMQKB4OKVZEHQSHE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Reminiscent of the broccoli and cheese I enjoyed as a kid, this recipe elevates the pairing to a wow-inspiring side dish with crunchy parmesan surrounding each floret. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/crispy-parmesan-smashed-broccoli/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p><h2>9. Whole Roasted Broccoli With Muhammara</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/R2ZFYSSZNP7DJEU66JHSYJQZDE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post)</small></div><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/whole-roasted-cauliflower/\" target=\"_blank\">Cauliflower</a> isn\u2019t the only cruciferous vegetable on the block worthy of the whole-roasting treatment. Here, it\u2019s nestled atop muhammara, the Middle Eastern red-pepper-and-walnut spread, to achieve true centerpiece-worthy status. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/whole-roasted-broccoli-muhammara/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Get the recipe.</b></a><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 16, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Flood of Chinese imports could renew trade tensions, threaten U.S. jobs", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Flood of Chinese imports could renew trade tensions, threaten U.S. jobs"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/china-imports-trade-cars-electronics/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/china-imports-trade-cars-electronics/", "summary": "2024-03-14T18:37:49.267Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/WQP4AHY4GFBVJNN76KY4G77MYI/20240318-102862.621/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/CXYATLKCMNBDAUKOPF42IILX74.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Employees work on a washing machine production line in February at a Haier factory in Qingdao, in China's Shandong province. (AFP/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Chinese factories are flooding global markets with cars, appliances, computer chips and electronics, setting the stage for a fresh round of trade tensions with the United States and Europe, economists said.<p><p>China\u2019s output dwarfs its domestic needs \u2014 especially with a property bubble weighing on the economy \u2014 so prices for its goods are falling. In February, U.S. imports from China cost 3.1 percent less than one year ago, the <a href=\"https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ximpim.nr0.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a> said on Friday.<p><p>That helps the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/02/13/federal-reserve-interest-rates-consumer-spending-inflation/\" target=\"_blank\">Federal Reserve\u2019s</a> fight against inflation. But those low-priced Chinese goods may cost American manufacturers sales, threatening the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/13/nippon-us-steel-biden-white-house/\" target=\"_blank\">Biden</a> administration\u2019s election-year hopes of boosting the number of factory jobs. China\u2019s factory output in the first two months of the year rose 7 percent over the same period in 2023, the government said on Monday.<p><p>\u201cYou just have expanding Chinese capacity in a range of sectors, some sectors that are strategic, other sectors that are priorities for the U.S. and Europe. And that\u2019s generating tension,\u201d said economist Brad Setser, an Obama administration Treasury Department official. \u201cThe rest of the world also wants to produce manufactured goods.\u201d<p><p>Beijing over the past few years invested in new factories to meet demand from American consumers who splurged on imported goods during the pandemic and to develop high-tech industries such as electric vehicles and batteries, which the Chinese government sees as essential.<p><p>Since the end of 2019, China\u2019s manufacturing output, already No. 1 in the world, has expanded by roughly one-quarter, according to Capital Economics in London. U.S. factory production over the same period was flat and remains 7 percent below its 2007 peak.<p><p>The result, according to various measures of China\u2019s trade performance, has been a growing imbalance in global trade. China\u2019s current account surplus as a percentage of global output, one broad indicator, is larger now than during the period that preceded President Donald Trump\u2019s imposition of tariffs on most Chinese imports and is close to an all-time high, according to Neil Shearing, chief economist for Capital Economics.<p><p>\u201cThere is a need to better balance global trade,\u201d he said.<p><p>China\u2019s surplus in manufacturing goods trade as a share of the global economy, a second measure, is almost twice as large as Japan\u2019s in the late 1980s, when many Americans feared the Japanese economy was destined to become the world\u2019s largest, according to <a href=\"https://www.cfr.org/blog/chinas-record-manufacturing-surplus\" target=\"_blank\">Setser\u2019s calculations</a>.<p><p>As China\u2019s global manufacturing dominance swells, the stakes are high for automakers, especially in Europe. China in recent years has emerged from auto industry obscurity to pass Germany in auto exports.<p><p>Chinese factories can churn out 40 million cars each year, 15 million more than are needed to satisfy domestic demand. The 5 million cars China exported last year were roughly five times its 2020 total, according to Michael Dunne, a San Diego-based industry consultant, who said that figure could double in coming years.<p><p>Chinese automakers already are Mexico\u2019s top supplier. China\u2019s BYD, backed by Warren Buffett, sells one electric model for about $15,000, which helped it overtake Tesla late last year as the world\u2019s largest EV producer.<p><p>Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this year that Chinese companies would \u201cpretty much demolish most other car companies in the world\u201d unless they face new trade barriers.<p><p>The battle for auto industry supremacy is just one element of a worsening trade climate between China and its major customers in Europe and the United States.<p><p>European officials said this month that an ongoing trade probe found \u201csufficient evidence\u201d that China was subsidizing production of electric vehicles in a manner that could harm Europe\u2019s automakers. A decision on initial tariffs could come by July.<p><p>The U.S. auto market is already shielded by tariffs. Under the USMCA trade agreement, vehicles also must meet regional rules of origin that would prevent Chinese companies from exporting to the United States cars made in Mexico.<p><p>But Chinese vehicles eventually might land here via South Korea or other nations that have free-trade agreements with the United States, analysts said.<p><p>A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington dismissed concerns about the country\u2019s swollen manufacturing sector.<p><p>\u201cExcessive production capacity is a relative concept. One cannot limit demand to one country or region, but need to see things in the context of economic globalization,\u201d said Liu Pengyu, head of the embassy\u2019s information and public affairs section.<p><p>Concerns over Chinese manufacturing dominance flared last week, as the United Steelworkers union petitioned the office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai seeking an investigation of China\u2019s shipbuilding industry.<p><p>The steelworkers, backed by four other unions, said China had employed \u201cnonmarket policies\u201d in a deliberate 20-year strategy to dominate global shipbuilding. Tai has 45 days to decide whether she will pursue an investigation, which could authorize the president to levy tariffs on Chinese vessels.<p><p>Chinese economic planners have long favored state-owned firms in scores of industries, with cut-rate financing, cheap or even free land, reduced electric bills and other assistance. In total, the generous aid \u2014 equal to more than 1.7 percent of China\u2019s economy \u2014 is more than twice as large as in other countries, including the United States, according to <a href=\"https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/220523_DiPippo_Red_Ink.pdf?VersionId=LH8ILLKWz4o.bjrwNS7csuX_C04FyEre\" target=\"_blank\">a study</a> by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.<p><p>In 2019, China spent more on industrial subsidies than it spent on national defense, the report said.<p><p>The International Monetary Fund warned last month that China\u2019s manufacturing subsidies were diverting state funds to ventures offering subpar returns and were creating \u201csignificant domestic challenges.\u201d Such measures could create \u201cexcess capacity\u201d and tilt the economic playing field in favor of state enterprises rather than private companies, the fund said in its latest <a href=\"https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2024/02/01/People-s-Republic-of-China-2023-Article-IV-Consultation-Press-Release-Staff-Report-and-544379\" target=\"_blank\">review</a> of the Chinese economy.<p><p>In December, Chinese leaders meeting in their annual central economic work conference acknowledged problems including a lack of domestic demand and \u201c<a href=\"https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202312/14/content_WS657aacdec6d0868f4e8e22a5.html\" target=\"_blank\">overcapacity in some industries</a>.\u201d<p><p>China\u2019s economy has typically emphasized investment in industrial facilities and real estate developments. Consumer spending accounts for just 40 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) compared with roughly 70 percent in the United States.<p><p>The combination of weak consumer demand and robust factory production leaves China with a surplus of goods that it needs to unload on global markets.<p><p>The solution to the country\u2019s lopsided trade profile lies in boosting the purchasing power of Chinese consumers, enabling them to buy more of what Chinese factories produce. To do that, the government in Beijing would need to redirect financial support from the politically powerful state enterprises to Chinese households. And it shows no sign of doing that.<p><p>Instead, amid a property market crash and slowing domestic growth, Chinese leaders are betting on exporting their way out of economic trouble.<p><p>Flooding foreign markets with surplus goods should help ease global inflation. Lower-cost Chinese goods likely trimmed 0.15 percentage points off the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/12/inflation-chocolate-prices-grocery-cost/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. inflation</a> rate last year and will remain a relative bargain for U.S. shoppers through the first half of this year, according to Goldman Sachs.<p><p>But the excess production threatens a handful of industries that are key to the administration\u2019s hopes of spurring a manufacturing revival, said economist Eswar Prasad of Cornell University, former head of the International Monetary Fund\u2019s China division.<p><p><p><p><p><p>China\u2019s emergence as a global manufacturer at the start of the 21st century involved a range of products across numerous industries: clothing and textiles, electronics, furniture, and industrial equipment. More than two decades later, China is the world\u2019s top manufacturing nation, accounting for 31 percent of global manufacturing value added, according to the United Nations.<p><p>The United States is a distant second, with 17 percent.<p><p>\u201cChina\u2019s economy is much larger than it was a couple of decades ago. So this shock could be even larger than the previous one,\u201d Prasad said.<p><p>The irony is that China\u2019s current export boom comes as both Beijing and Washington are promoting greater self-reliance. The Biden administration, reacting to shortages of medical gear and computer chips during the pandemic, is using tax credits and government subsidies to spur domestic production. And Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to reduce his economy\u2019s dependence on foreign demand even as he makes foreigners more dependent on China.<p><p>But after more than four decades of growing ties, it is proving difficult to thin the commercial relationship.<p><p>The impact of China\u2019s colossal manufacturing output is being felt in some unexpected ways.<p><p>China last year opened 17 new plants that convert oil or gas into virgin resin, the raw material used to make plastic water bottles. The expanded production has driven down global prices, making recycled plastic less attractive to bottle manufacturers, said Steve Alexander, head of the Association of Plastic Recyclers.<p><p>\u201cThat\u2019s a huge deal. That changes the economics, and we\u2019re just beginning to see the impact of that in the marketplace,\u201d he said.<p><p>One Midwestern recycler is considering closing its doors, after losing a pair of recent contracts to a company using the lower-cost material. It may be a sign of what\u2019s to come.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-14T18:37:49.267Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/WQP4AHY4GFBVJNN76KY4G77MYI/20240318-102862.621/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/CXYATLKCMNBDAUKOPF42IILX74.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Employees work on a washing machine production line in February at a Haier factory in Qingdao, in China's Shandong province. (AFP/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Chinese factories are flooding global markets with cars, appliances, computer chips and electronics, setting the stage for a fresh round of trade tensions with the United States and Europe, economists said.<p><p>China\u2019s output dwarfs its domestic needs \u2014 especially with a property bubble weighing on the economy \u2014 so prices for its goods are falling. In February, U.S. imports from China cost 3.1 percent less than one year ago, the <a href=\"https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ximpim.nr0.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a> said on Friday.<p><p>That helps the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/02/13/federal-reserve-interest-rates-consumer-spending-inflation/\" target=\"_blank\">Federal Reserve\u2019s</a> fight against inflation. But those low-priced Chinese goods may cost American manufacturers sales, threatening the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/13/nippon-us-steel-biden-white-house/\" target=\"_blank\">Biden</a> administration\u2019s election-year hopes of boosting the number of factory jobs. China\u2019s factory output in the first two months of the year rose 7 percent over the same period in 2023, the government said on Monday.<p><p>\u201cYou just have expanding Chinese capacity in a range of sectors, some sectors that are strategic, other sectors that are priorities for the U.S. and Europe. And that\u2019s generating tension,\u201d said economist Brad Setser, an Obama administration Treasury Department official. \u201cThe rest of the world also wants to produce manufactured goods.\u201d<p><p>Beijing over the past few years invested in new factories to meet demand from American consumers who splurged on imported goods during the pandemic and to develop high-tech industries such as electric vehicles and batteries, which the Chinese government sees as essential.<p><p>Since the end of 2019, China\u2019s manufacturing output, already No. 1 in the world, has expanded by roughly one-quarter, according to Capital Economics in London. U.S. factory production over the same period was flat and remains 7 percent below its 2007 peak.<p><p>The result, according to various measures of China\u2019s trade performance, has been a growing imbalance in global trade. China\u2019s current account surplus as a percentage of global output, one broad indicator, is larger now than during the period that preceded President Donald Trump\u2019s imposition of tariffs on most Chinese imports and is close to an all-time high, according to Neil Shearing, chief economist for Capital Economics.<p><p>\u201cThere is a need to better balance global trade,\u201d he said.<p><p>China\u2019s surplus in manufacturing goods trade as a share of the global economy, a second measure, is almost twice as large as Japan\u2019s in the late 1980s, when many Americans feared the Japanese economy was destined to become the world\u2019s largest, according to <a href=\"https://www.cfr.org/blog/chinas-record-manufacturing-surplus\" target=\"_blank\">Setser\u2019s calculations</a>.<p><p>As China\u2019s global manufacturing dominance swells, the stakes are high for automakers, especially in Europe. China in recent years has emerged from auto industry obscurity to pass Germany in auto exports.<p><p>Chinese factories can churn out 40 million cars each year, 15 million more than are needed to satisfy domestic demand. The 5 million cars China exported last year were roughly five times its 2020 total, according to Michael Dunne, a San Diego-based industry consultant, who said that figure could double in coming years.<p><p>Chinese automakers already are Mexico\u2019s top supplier. China\u2019s BYD, backed by Warren Buffett, sells one electric model for about $15,000, which helped it overtake Tesla late last year as the world\u2019s largest EV producer.<p><p>Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this year that Chinese companies would \u201cpretty much demolish most other car companies in the world\u201d unless they face new trade barriers.<p><p>The battle for auto industry supremacy is just one element of a worsening trade climate between China and its major customers in Europe and the United States.<p><p>European officials said this month that an ongoing trade probe found \u201csufficient evidence\u201d that China was subsidizing production of electric vehicles in a manner that could harm Europe\u2019s automakers. A decision on initial tariffs could come by July.<p><p>The U.S. auto market is already shielded by tariffs. Under the USMCA trade agreement, vehicles also must meet regional rules of origin that would prevent Chinese companies from exporting to the United States cars made in Mexico.<p><p>But Chinese vehicles eventually might land here via South Korea or other nations that have free-trade agreements with the United States, analysts said.<p><p>A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington dismissed concerns about the country\u2019s swollen manufacturing sector.<p><p>\u201cExcessive production capacity is a relative concept. One cannot limit demand to one country or region, but need to see things in the context of economic globalization,\u201d said Liu Pengyu, head of the embassy\u2019s information and public affairs section.<p><p>Concerns over Chinese manufacturing dominance flared last week, as the United Steelworkers union petitioned the office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai seeking an investigation of China\u2019s shipbuilding industry.<p><p>The steelworkers, backed by four other unions, said China had employed \u201cnonmarket policies\u201d in a deliberate 20-year strategy to dominate global shipbuilding. Tai has 45 days to decide whether she will pursue an investigation, which could authorize the president to levy tariffs on Chinese vessels.<p><p>Chinese economic planners have long favored state-owned firms in scores of industries, with cut-rate financing, cheap or even free land, reduced electric bills and other assistance. In total, the generous aid \u2014 equal to more than 1.7 percent of China\u2019s economy \u2014 is more than twice as large as in other countries, including the United States, according to <a href=\"https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/220523_DiPippo_Red_Ink.pdf?VersionId=LH8ILLKWz4o.bjrwNS7csuX_C04FyEre\" target=\"_blank\">a study</a> by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.<p><p>In 2019, China spent more on industrial subsidies than it spent on national defense, the report said.<p><p>The International Monetary Fund warned last month that China\u2019s manufacturing subsidies were diverting state funds to ventures offering subpar returns and were creating \u201csignificant domestic challenges.\u201d Such measures could create \u201cexcess capacity\u201d and tilt the economic playing field in favor of state enterprises rather than private companies, the fund said in its latest <a href=\"https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2024/02/01/People-s-Republic-of-China-2023-Article-IV-Consultation-Press-Release-Staff-Report-and-544379\" target=\"_blank\">review</a> of the Chinese economy.<p><p>In December, Chinese leaders meeting in their annual central economic work conference acknowledged problems including a lack of domestic demand and \u201c<a href=\"https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202312/14/content_WS657aacdec6d0868f4e8e22a5.html\" target=\"_blank\">overcapacity in some industries</a>.\u201d<p><p>China\u2019s economy has typically emphasized investment in industrial facilities and real estate developments. Consumer spending accounts for just 40 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) compared with roughly 70 percent in the United States.<p><p>The combination of weak consumer demand and robust factory production leaves China with a surplus of goods that it needs to unload on global markets.<p><p>The solution to the country\u2019s lopsided trade profile lies in boosting the purchasing power of Chinese consumers, enabling them to buy more of what Chinese factories produce. To do that, the government in Beijing would need to redirect financial support from the politically powerful state enterprises to Chinese households. And it shows no sign of doing that.<p><p>Instead, amid a property market crash and slowing domestic growth, Chinese leaders are betting on exporting their way out of economic trouble.<p><p>Flooding foreign markets with surplus goods should help ease global inflation. Lower-cost Chinese goods likely trimmed 0.15 percentage points off the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/12/inflation-chocolate-prices-grocery-cost/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. inflation</a> rate last year and will remain a relative bargain for U.S. shoppers through the first half of this year, according to Goldman Sachs.<p><p>But the excess production threatens a handful of industries that are key to the administration\u2019s hopes of spurring a manufacturing revival, said economist Eswar Prasad of Cornell University, former head of the International Monetary Fund\u2019s China division.<p><p><p><p><p><p>China\u2019s emergence as a global manufacturer at the start of the 21st century involved a range of products across numerous industries: clothing and textiles, electronics, furniture, and industrial equipment. More than two decades later, China is the world\u2019s top manufacturing nation, accounting for 31 percent of global manufacturing value added, according to the United Nations.<p><p>The United States is a distant second, with 17 percent.<p><p>\u201cChina\u2019s economy is much larger than it was a couple of decades ago. So this shock could be even larger than the previous one,\u201d Prasad said.<p><p>The irony is that China\u2019s current export boom comes as both Beijing and Washington are promoting greater self-reliance. The Biden administration, reacting to shortages of medical gear and computer chips during the pandemic, is using tax credits and government subsidies to spur domestic production. And Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to reduce his economy\u2019s dependence on foreign demand even as he makes foreigners more dependent on China.<p><p>But after more than four decades of growing ties, it is proving difficult to thin the commercial relationship.<p><p>The impact of China\u2019s colossal manufacturing output is being felt in some unexpected ways.<p><p>China last year opened 17 new plants that convert oil or gas into virgin resin, the raw material used to make plastic water bottles. The expanded production has driven down global prices, making recycled plastic less attractive to bottle manufacturers, said Steve Alexander, head of the Association of Plastic Recyclers.<p><p>\u201cThat\u2019s a huge deal. That changes the economics, and we\u2019re just beginning to see the impact of that in the marketplace,\u201d he said.<p><p>One Midwestern recycler is considering closing its doors, after losing a pair of recent contracts to a company using the lower-cost material. It may be a sign of what\u2019s to come.<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 16, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Despite cooler air pouring into D.C. area, we declare winter over", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Despite cooler air pouring into D.C. area, we declare winter over"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/18/washington-dc-winter-over-spring-begins/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/18/washington-dc-winter-over-spring-begins/", "summary": "2024-03-18T13:25:17.128Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/V26DT4NRM5GHFBBQ4P6WMVAQQI/20240318-122277.774/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YGQSWPEV5GULXK2W3FICET46NQ.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">: People are framed by blooming cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin at sunrise Sunday. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Although <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/18/dc-forecast-much-cooler/\" target=\"_blank\">temperatures will run on the cool side of normal for much of the next week</a>, it is increasingly hard to deny that spring has sprung. As such, we declare winter over in the D.C. area \u2014 something we probably should\u2019ve done in late February.<p><p>Temperatures haven\u2019t dipped to freezing since Feb. 25 and, even before that, there was little winter to speak of in Washington.<p><p>December, January and February were all warmer than average, often significantly so. January featured a nine-day cold snap and a snowy week, but it still finished warmer than the norm.<p><p>March has been exceptionally warm, averaging 9.5 degrees above normal, second-warmest on record to date.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7NGW2UPCLRE6PEQQG565LBPLBA.png\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Temperatures compared to normal so far in March. (weatherbell.com)</small></div><p>As a sure sign of spring, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/17/cherry-blossoms-dc-peak-bloom-climate/\" target=\"_blank\">cherry blossoms hit peak bloom</a> on one of the earliest dates on record Sunday as temperatures reached<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/17/weather-warmwashington-spring-march-/\" target=\"_blank\"> the 70s for the fifth time in six days. </a>And we only have to wait until Tuesday before the official start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere marked by the equinox.<p><p>You\u2019re forgiven if you think this article is a practice in stating the obvious and you\u2019d be right to wonder why we didn\u2019t declare winter over weeks ago.<p><p>But we held off because long-range computer models were predicting chillier weather around now <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/22/polar-vortex-winter-spring-forecast/\" target=\"_blank\">in response to a disruption to the polar vortex</a>. The models were right about the shift to chillier weather, but some of them overpredicted the intensity and duration of the cold, which isn\u2019t going to be anything out of the ordinary.<p><p>Looking back at the data, winter was probably over around Feb. 25, when the low was 29 and the high 47. It\u2019s been warmer than that ever since \u2014 often significantly.<p><p>Looking ahead, the weather will be better described as seasonably chilly than wintry. Average highs at this time of the year are in the upper 50s and this week they\u2019ll mostly be in the low to mid-50s.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/TDBY62Y6HJFC7IMDQK6XW2RI5U.png\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Forecast temperatures from the National Blend of Models. (weatherbell.com) </small></div><h2>Reflecting on winter</h2><p>If you\u2019re a winter fan, the good news is that this most recent one was more wintry than the year before. The winter of 2022-23 was the third-warmest on record; this past one was the sixth warmest. It was also snowier this year. Last winter, just 0.4 inches fell at Reagan National Airport, third least on record. This winter, 8.0 inches fell \u2014 an improvement from last winter but still more than 5 inches below normal and less than <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/11/29/dc-snow-forecasts-crowdsource-cwg/\" target=\"_blank\">predicted in most seasonal forecasts</a>.<p><p>Most of this winter\u2019s snow accumulated in just one week. The pair of storms between Jan. 15 and 19 dropped 7.8 inches and was accompanied by three straight days of freezing temperatures. Up to a foot or so of snow fell in our western suburbs from the duo.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FMIX7XPX2REXJMTSDXWQCN2ZWU.png\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Snowfall totals from two snow events in mid-January. It was around 12 inches in the maximum, with around 8 inches in the city. (Capital Weather Gang)</small></div><p>Cold was a rarity, though. If temperatures in Washington don\u2019t dip to freezing this week, the freeze on Feb. 25 will probably mark the last and the earliest final freeze on record.<p><h3>11 years of declaring winter over</h3><p>We began the tradition of declaring the end of winter in 2014, using the following criteria:<p><p>This year\u2019s March 18 declaration \u2014 while made about three weeks too late \u2014 ranks pretty close to the average since we began this tradition.<p><p>Here are the dates from past years:<p><p>We haven\u2019t always gotten it right; in 2014, for example, it <a href=\"https://washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/03/30/d-c-area-forecast-windy-today-as-washout-weekend-continues-warmer-weather-on-the-way/?itid=lk_inline_manual_32&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_36&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_44&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_41\" target=\"_blank\">snowed two days after our declaration</a>.<p><p>As will be apparent this week, our announcement of the season\u2019s end does not mean nonstop warmth ahead. Spring weather can be fickle, so expect some chillier days. And until about mid-April, it\u2019s also too soon to rule out some wet snowflakes in the air. However, on balance, the season has unquestionably shifted.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T13:25:17.128Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/V26DT4NRM5GHFBBQ4P6WMVAQQI/20240318-122277.774/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YGQSWPEV5GULXK2W3FICET46NQ.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">: People are framed by blooming cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin at sunrise Sunday. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Although <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/18/dc-forecast-much-cooler/\" target=\"_blank\">temperatures will run on the cool side of normal for much of the next week</a>, it is increasingly hard to deny that spring has sprung. As such, we declare winter over in the D.C. area \u2014 something we probably should\u2019ve done in late February.<p><p>Temperatures haven\u2019t dipped to freezing since Feb. 25 and, even before that, there was little winter to speak of in Washington.<p><p>December, January and February were all warmer than average, often significantly so. January featured a nine-day cold snap and a snowy week, but it still finished warmer than the norm.<p><p>March has been exceptionally warm, averaging 9.5 degrees above normal, second-warmest on record to date.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7NGW2UPCLRE6PEQQG565LBPLBA.png\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Temperatures compared to normal so far in March. (weatherbell.com)</small></div><p>As a sure sign of spring, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/17/cherry-blossoms-dc-peak-bloom-climate/\" target=\"_blank\">cherry blossoms hit peak bloom</a> on one of the earliest dates on record Sunday as temperatures reached<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/17/weather-warmwashington-spring-march-/\" target=\"_blank\"> the 70s for the fifth time in six days. </a>And we only have to wait until Tuesday before the official start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere marked by the equinox.<p><p>You\u2019re forgiven if you think this article is a practice in stating the obvious and you\u2019d be right to wonder why we didn\u2019t declare winter over weeks ago.<p><p>But we held off because long-range computer models were predicting chillier weather around now <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/22/polar-vortex-winter-spring-forecast/\" target=\"_blank\">in response to a disruption to the polar vortex</a>. The models were right about the shift to chillier weather, but some of them overpredicted the intensity and duration of the cold, which isn\u2019t going to be anything out of the ordinary.<p><p>Looking back at the data, winter was probably over around Feb. 25, when the low was 29 and the high 47. It\u2019s been warmer than that ever since \u2014 often significantly.<p><p>Looking ahead, the weather will be better described as seasonably chilly than wintry. Average highs at this time of the year are in the upper 50s and this week they\u2019ll mostly be in the low to mid-50s.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/TDBY62Y6HJFC7IMDQK6XW2RI5U.png\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Forecast temperatures from the National Blend of Models. (weatherbell.com) </small></div><h2>Reflecting on winter</h2><p>If you\u2019re a winter fan, the good news is that this most recent one was more wintry than the year before. The winter of 2022-23 was the third-warmest on record; this past one was the sixth warmest. It was also snowier this year. Last winter, just 0.4 inches fell at Reagan National Airport, third least on record. This winter, 8.0 inches fell \u2014 an improvement from last winter but still more than 5 inches below normal and less than <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/11/29/dc-snow-forecasts-crowdsource-cwg/\" target=\"_blank\">predicted in most seasonal forecasts</a>.<p><p>Most of this winter\u2019s snow accumulated in just one week. The pair of storms between Jan. 15 and 19 dropped 7.8 inches and was accompanied by three straight days of freezing temperatures. Up to a foot or so of snow fell in our western suburbs from the duo.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FMIX7XPX2REXJMTSDXWQCN2ZWU.png\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Snowfall totals from two snow events in mid-January. It was around 12 inches in the maximum, with around 8 inches in the city. (Capital Weather Gang)</small></div><p>Cold was a rarity, though. If temperatures in Washington don\u2019t dip to freezing this week, the freeze on Feb. 25 will probably mark the last and the earliest final freeze on record.<p><h3>11 years of declaring winter over</h3><p>We began the tradition of declaring the end of winter in 2014, using the following criteria:<p><p>This year\u2019s March 18 declaration \u2014 while made about three weeks too late \u2014 ranks pretty close to the average since we began this tradition.<p><p>Here are the dates from past years:<p><p>We haven\u2019t always gotten it right; in 2014, for example, it <a href=\"https://washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/03/30/d-c-area-forecast-windy-today-as-washout-weekend-continues-warmer-weather-on-the-way/?itid=lk_inline_manual_32&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_36&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_44&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_41\" target=\"_blank\">snowed two days after our declaration</a>.<p><p>As will be apparent this week, our announcement of the season\u2019s end does not mean nonstop warmth ahead. Spring weather can be fickle, so expect some chillier days. And until about mid-April, it\u2019s also too soon to rule out some wet snowflakes in the air. However, on balance, the season has unquestionably shifted.<p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 16, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Primary ballot in N.J. is \u2018unconstitutional,\u2019 state attorney general says", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Primary ballot in N.J. is \u2018unconstitutional,\u2019 state attorney general says"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/new-jersey-ballot-attourney-general/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/new-jersey-ballot-attourney-general/", "summary": "2024-03-18T11:07:12.422Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/BGLKQCPPUFDIPK57LIN36PB6ZE/20240318-121080.806/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YJLN63UPJ6ZEWHPUVNAKKQENNM.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) is suing to get the state's ballot design changed ahead of the Democratic primary in June. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin\u2019s office said Sunday the state\u2019s unique way of displaying county-backed candidates for Senate and governor on primary ballots is \u201cunconstitutional\u201d and will not defend it in court, following a lawsuit filed in February by Rep. Andy Kim, one of the candidates in a closely watched Senate primary.<p><p>The move is the latest twist in an already tumultuous Democratic nominating contest for a Senate seat in the reliably blue state.<p><p>Kim and the state\u2019s first lady, Tammy Murphy, are running in the June 4 primary for the seat held by embattled Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. He has been accused by federal prosecutors of extortion, obstruction of justice and receiving bribes in exchange for helping the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez pleaded not guilty and has <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/sen-bob-menendez-considering-running-re-election-independent-sources-s-rcna143406\" target=\"_blank\">not publicly announced</a> whether he will seek reelection.<p><p>The decision by Platkin, who was <a href=\"https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562022/approved/20220203b.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">appointed attorney general</a> by Gov. Phil Murphy (D) in February 2022, could help level the playing field for people running against candidates favored by party leaders. The loss of the county line would be \u201can earthquake\u201d and create \u201ca fundamental shift in how New Jersey politics operates,\u201d according to <a href=\"https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/people/rubin/\" target=\"_blank\">Julia Sass Rubin</a>, a professor at Rutgers who filed an expert brief to the court on the impact of the ballot design in question. \u201cWe are the last of the [political] machine states, and the machine relies on the county line to stay in control,\u201d Rubin told The Post on Monday. \u201cIf you displease the people who decide who gets the line,\u201d you could lose your office, she said.<p><p>New Jersey\u2019s ballot design process is unlike any other in the nation \u2014 it allows parties to place their endorsed candidates in a specific portion of the ballot known as \u201cthe line,\u201d while candidates running without their party\u2019s endorsement appear in a different section of the ballot, farther down from where voters can see their names.<p><p>In his lawsuit, Kim claims that New Jersey\u2019s unique ballot-design process violates the U.S. Constitution by favoring candidates \u201cwho happen to be endorsed by a faction of a party\u2019s leadership.\u201d Such design choices, the lawsuit claims, \u201ccynically\u201d manipulate voters and are \u201canathema to fair elections.\u201d<p><p>The attorney general called that feature \u201cunconstitutional\u201d in a <a href=\"https://washingtonpost.com/documents/d32b544a-e5c8-4a75-b55a-4c92cb604863.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">letter </a>Sunday to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi. \u201cThis is an exceptional case, justifying the Attorney General\u2019s exceptionally rare decision not to defend the constitutionality of the challenged statutes,\u201d the letter states. The result of the ballot design is that \u201cit is often impossible for unbracketed, non-pivot office candidates to secure an earlier position on the ballot compared to their bracketed competitors,\u201d Platkin\u2019s letter says. \u201cThese features of grid balloting and bracketing also have allowed unbracketed candidates to be placed at the end of a ballot with multiple blank spaces separating them from their competitors, which creates the phenomenon known as \u2018ballot Siberia.\u2019\u201d<p><p>There is thus \u201can electoral advantage for candidates who bracket and a corresponding disadvantage for candidates who do not,\u201d according to the letter.<p><p>Representatives of Tammy Murphy and Kim did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.<p><p>Tammy Murphy has been <a href=\"https://tammymurphyforsenate.com/endorsements/\" target=\"_blank\">endorsed</a> by several prominent New Jersey Democrats, including Reps. Frank Pallone Jr., Donald Norcross, Bill Pascrell Jr. and Donald M. Payne Jr., as well as the mayor of Atlantic City, Marty Small Jr. Kim also has picked up <a href=\"https://www.andykim.com/category/press-releases/\" target=\"_blank\">endorsements </a>by some Democratic officials in the state, though largely on the county level.<p><p>In a state where Republicans have not won election to the Senate <a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_United_States_Senators_from_New_Jersey\" target=\"_blank\">since the 1970s</a>, the fight for the Democratic nomination has been fierce. On Saturday, another Senate candidate, Patricia Campos Medina, said she was denied entrance to the Camden County Democratic Convention and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Patricia4NJ/status/1769031728587522140\" target=\"_blank\">posted a video</a> of several men blocking her from entering.<p><p>\u201cTime to abolish the county line for equal ballot access. Proud to stand for real representation,\u201d <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Patricia4NJ/status/1769031728587522140\" target=\"_blank\">she wrote on X</a>.<p><p>The Camden County Democratic Committee did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.<p><p>Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who had endorsed Murphy for Senate, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/StevenFulop/status/1769414505274962030\" target=\"_blank\">criticized her Sunday on X</a> for not having \u201ccommented/taking any action distancing herself from this \u2014 there is no rational way to defend it nor benefit from it.\u201d On Monday Fulop announced he has withdrawn his endorsement of Murphy and is now supporting Kim.<p><p>\u201cI told @AndyKimNJ it\u2019s not always comfortable to admit a mistake but clearly I made one here and this convention season has demonstrated he is the better candidate to represent N.J.,\u201d <a href=\"https://twitter.com/StevenFulop/status/1769696504522912131\" target=\"_blank\">Fulop wrote on X</a>. \u201cThe backbone of our party volunteers and activists have spoken loudly and we should listen to them.\u201d<p><p>Fulop <a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/New_Jersey_gubernatorial_and_lieutenant_gubernatorial_election,_2025#:~:text=Ras%20Baraka%2C%20Steve%20Fulop%2C%20Stephen,Jersey%20on%20November%204%2C%202025.&amp;text=There%20are%20no%20incumbents%20in%20this%20race.\" target=\"_blank\">is one of the candidates</a> running to succeed Phil Murphy as governor next year.<p><p><i>Mariana Alfaro contributed to this report.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T11:07:12.422Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/BGLKQCPPUFDIPK57LIN36PB6ZE/20240318-121080.806/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YJLN63UPJ6ZEWHPUVNAKKQENNM.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) is suing to get the state's ballot design changed ahead of the Democratic primary in June. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin\u2019s office said Sunday the state\u2019s unique way of displaying county-backed candidates for Senate and governor on primary ballots is \u201cunconstitutional\u201d and will not defend it in court, following a lawsuit filed in February by Rep. Andy Kim, one of the candidates in a closely watched Senate primary.<p><p>The move is the latest twist in an already tumultuous Democratic nominating contest for a Senate seat in the reliably blue state.<p><p>Kim and the state\u2019s first lady, Tammy Murphy, are running in the June 4 primary for the seat held by embattled Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. He has been accused by federal prosecutors of extortion, obstruction of justice and receiving bribes in exchange for helping the governments of Egypt and Qatar. Menendez pleaded not guilty and has <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/sen-bob-menendez-considering-running-re-election-independent-sources-s-rcna143406\" target=\"_blank\">not publicly announced</a> whether he will seek reelection.<p><p>The decision by Platkin, who was <a href=\"https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562022/approved/20220203b.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">appointed attorney general</a> by Gov. Phil Murphy (D) in February 2022, could help level the playing field for people running against candidates favored by party leaders. The loss of the county line would be \u201can earthquake\u201d and create \u201ca fundamental shift in how New Jersey politics operates,\u201d according to <a href=\"https://bloustein.rutgers.edu/people/rubin/\" target=\"_blank\">Julia Sass Rubin</a>, a professor at Rutgers who filed an expert brief to the court on the impact of the ballot design in question. \u201cWe are the last of the [political] machine states, and the machine relies on the county line to stay in control,\u201d Rubin told The Post on Monday. \u201cIf you displease the people who decide who gets the line,\u201d you could lose your office, she said.<p><p>New Jersey\u2019s ballot design process is unlike any other in the nation \u2014 it allows parties to place their endorsed candidates in a specific portion of the ballot known as \u201cthe line,\u201d while candidates running without their party\u2019s endorsement appear in a different section of the ballot, farther down from where voters can see their names.<p><p>In his lawsuit, Kim claims that New Jersey\u2019s unique ballot-design process violates the U.S. Constitution by favoring candidates \u201cwho happen to be endorsed by a faction of a party\u2019s leadership.\u201d Such design choices, the lawsuit claims, \u201ccynically\u201d manipulate voters and are \u201canathema to fair elections.\u201d<p><p>The attorney general called that feature \u201cunconstitutional\u201d in a <a href=\"https://washingtonpost.com/documents/d32b544a-e5c8-4a75-b55a-4c92cb604863.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">letter </a>Sunday to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi. \u201cThis is an exceptional case, justifying the Attorney General\u2019s exceptionally rare decision not to defend the constitutionality of the challenged statutes,\u201d the letter states. The result of the ballot design is that \u201cit is often impossible for unbracketed, non-pivot office candidates to secure an earlier position on the ballot compared to their bracketed competitors,\u201d Platkin\u2019s letter says. \u201cThese features of grid balloting and bracketing also have allowed unbracketed candidates to be placed at the end of a ballot with multiple blank spaces separating them from their competitors, which creates the phenomenon known as \u2018ballot Siberia.\u2019\u201d<p><p>There is thus \u201can electoral advantage for candidates who bracket and a corresponding disadvantage for candidates who do not,\u201d according to the letter.<p><p>Representatives of Tammy Murphy and Kim did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.<p><p>Tammy Murphy has been <a href=\"https://tammymurphyforsenate.com/endorsements/\" target=\"_blank\">endorsed</a> by several prominent New Jersey Democrats, including Reps. Frank Pallone Jr., Donald Norcross, Bill Pascrell Jr. and Donald M. Payne Jr., as well as the mayor of Atlantic City, Marty Small Jr. Kim also has picked up <a href=\"https://www.andykim.com/category/press-releases/\" target=\"_blank\">endorsements </a>by some Democratic officials in the state, though largely on the county level.<p><p>In a state where Republicans have not won election to the Senate <a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_United_States_Senators_from_New_Jersey\" target=\"_blank\">since the 1970s</a>, the fight for the Democratic nomination has been fierce. On Saturday, another Senate candidate, Patricia Campos Medina, said she was denied entrance to the Camden County Democratic Convention and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Patricia4NJ/status/1769031728587522140\" target=\"_blank\">posted a video</a> of several men blocking her from entering.<p><p>\u201cTime to abolish the county line for equal ballot access. Proud to stand for real representation,\u201d <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Patricia4NJ/status/1769031728587522140\" target=\"_blank\">she wrote on X</a>.<p><p>The Camden County Democratic Committee did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.<p><p>Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who had endorsed Murphy for Senate, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/StevenFulop/status/1769414505274962030\" target=\"_blank\">criticized her Sunday on X</a> for not having \u201ccommented/taking any action distancing herself from this \u2014 there is no rational way to defend it nor benefit from it.\u201d On Monday Fulop announced he has withdrawn his endorsement of Murphy and is now supporting Kim.<p><p>\u201cI told @AndyKimNJ it\u2019s not always comfortable to admit a mistake but clearly I made one here and this convention season has demonstrated he is the better candidate to represent N.J.,\u201d <a href=\"https://twitter.com/StevenFulop/status/1769696504522912131\" target=\"_blank\">Fulop wrote on X</a>. \u201cThe backbone of our party volunteers and activists have spoken loudly and we should listen to them.\u201d<p><p>Fulop <a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/New_Jersey_gubernatorial_and_lieutenant_gubernatorial_election,_2025#:~:text=Ras%20Baraka%2C%20Steve%20Fulop%2C%20Stephen,Jersey%20on%20November%204%2C%202025.&amp;text=There%20are%20no%20incumbents%20in%20this%20race.\" target=\"_blank\">is one of the candidates</a> running to succeed Phil Murphy as governor next year.<p><p><i>Mariana Alfaro contributed to this report.</i><p>"}, "published": "Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 16, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "With Putin\u2019s new coronation, Kremlin cultivates image of leader for life", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "With Putin\u2019s new coronation, Kremlin cultivates image of leader for life"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/vladimir-putin-leader-for-life/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/vladimir-putin-leader-for-life/", "summary": "2024-03-18T09:43:26.797Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/5BQDCKQI2RDDZB3SSN4SO6WC4Q/20240318-113017.175/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ODCRJLPCFC2QOFVYHAWUX76SB4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Moscow on Monday. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)</small></div><p>When Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared for a late-night news conference to claim a fifth term, he appeared visibly elated, as if manipulating another election to remain indefinitely in power with 87.28 percent of the vote<b> </b>was a triumphal victory in a real competition.<p><p>The tally, virtually unimaginable in any democratic nation, suggests that the Kremlin is now less focused on manufacturing a veneer of electoral legitimacy and more on creating a cult of personality around Putin as Russia\u2019s undisputed national patriarch and leader for life.<p><p>Mark Galeotti, a Russia analyst at University College London\u2019s School of Slavonic and East European Studies, said this outcome of the vote showed that Putin\u2019s regime has shifted from an earlier model of \u201cmanaged democracy\u201d and is now \u201cheading into its banana republic stage.\u201d<p><p>\u201cWe should see elections under Putin as not being about popular sovereignty, but about popular subordination,\u201d Galeotti said. \u201cIt is about the masses voting to accept Putin as their czar.\u201d<p><p>He added: \u201cIt\u2019s not just that the Kremlin is no longer embarrassed to rig the election. I think it\u2019s almost, \u2018So what you can do about it?\u2019 \u2014 a kind of challenge to civil society, \u2018Of course you know we\u2019re lying, but you\u2019re going to have to swallow it because you\u2019ve got no alternative.\u2019\u201d<p><p>Russians, by choice or not, are now locked into Putin\u2019s repressive, increasingly totalitarian path \u2014 his bloody war in Ukraine and decisions to shun the West, isolate Russia\u2019s economy and escalate hostility toward NATO. Western leaders, meanwhile, face a strident, emboldened adversary in command of a nuclear arsenal.<p><p>In autocracies, much of politics ends up revolving around the obsessions of the supreme leader \u2014 in Putin\u2019s case, eliminating all personal political competition and destroying Ukraine as a large and thriving Western-leaning democracy on Russia\u2019s border.<p><p>It was telling that Putin mentioned both of those threats in his late-night victory address. Appearing supremely confident, Putin shrugged off the \u201cunfortunate\u201d death of his main rival, Alexei Navalny, in prison last month, which has left Putin with no conceivable challenger. He even spoke Navalny\u2019s name aloud, which he is known to have done only once before.<p><p>Putin also staked out his determination to continue the war against Ukraine, even at the risk of war with NATO. \u201cIt is clear to everyone that this will be one step away from a full-scale World War III,\u201d Putin said, blaming the West for providing support to Kyiv.<p><p>Putin\u2019s 87.28 percent election result generally tracks with his recent wartime public approval ratings. But Boris Bondarev, a former Russian diplomat who served at Russia\u2019s U.N. mission in Geneva and resigned over the invasion of Ukraine, said that no one in Russia\u2019s elite is convinced by the numbers.<p><p>\u201cI think they don\u2019t really care about the figures,\u201d Bondarev said. \u201cThey just know that everything is still under control, that Putin still manages to outplay anybody. And of course, nobody from the very beginning considered these elections to be elections.\u201d<p><p>Some observers speculate that Putin, an impenetrable and often seemingly isolated figure, is the only person who fully believed the Kabuki theater of Russia\u2019s election.<p><p>\u201cThis is the result of his team\u2019s work, which is bringing him on a tray whatever he wants to see,\u201d said Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of R.Politik, a Russian political consultancy, now based in France. \u201cBut he sincerely believes \u2026 that the population supports him. He really does believe these figures are true.\u201d<p><p>Stanovaya added: \u201cPutin lives in the picture of the world he created for himself, and everything that doesn\u2019t fit into it is removed from him.\u201d<p><p><p><p>The message of the election to Russia\u2019s opposition supporters is that they will always be dismissed as a tiny minority who can never win \u2014 despite Sunday\u2019s remarkable protest, dubbed Noon Against Putin, in which voters in Russia and cities abroad formed long lines outside polling stations at precisely 12 o\u2019clock.<p><p>The protest spoiled Putin\u2019s picture of overwhelming popularity and showed that many Russians are still fired up by Navalny\u2019s dream of a free and democratic Russia.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6D6I2OWZLP7RJK3YZXHOZEC454.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Voters line up to be checked by police at a polling station at noon local time in Moscow on Sunday. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)</small></div><p>The noon protest, however, posed no threat to the regime. Nor did other displays of frustration, including a flood of photos of ballots spoiled with anti-Putin slogans posted on Russian social media.<p><p>Official tallies outside Russia, where Putin was beaten by little-known candidate Vladislav Davankov in cities such as Warsaw, Prague, The Hague and Yerevan, Armenia, highlighted the extent to which the Russian opposition has been forced into exile.<p><p>Navalny\u2019s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who has accused Putin of ordering the murder of her husband, attended a protest in Berlin. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Navalnaya and her allegations.<p><p>\u201cThere are a lot of people who are completely detached from their homeland,\u201d Peskov said. \u201cYulia Navalnaya you mentioned belongs to the camp of those people who are losing their roots, losing ties with their homeland, losing their understanding of their homeland and ceasing to feel the pulse of their country.\u201d<p><p>Amid his late-night elation, Putin dismissed Western criticisms of the election in comments that offered insight into the real problem of nearly a quarter-century of Putin\u2019s rule. He craves the legitimacy that democracy offers, but he fears democracy\u2019s safeguards against corruption and abuses, as well as its purifying accountability.<p><p>\u201cWhat did you want? For them to stand up and applaud?\u201d he said, portraying the criticisms as just part of a Western military war against Russia. \u201cThey set themselves the goal of restraining our development. Of course, they will tell you whatever they want.\u201d<p><p>But the path he has taken \u2014 war against Ukraine, isolation and repression of all opposition \u2014 forces Russia into a cycle of repression and harsher authoritarianism. To survive, Putin needs the energizing effect of a mobilized militaristic nationalist minority to cow internal dissent and reinforce the regime.<p><p>\u201cThe level of repression is already very high,\u201d said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. \u201cThe war of attrition is continuing, and any other methods of conducting it are not really being reviewed.\u201d<p><p>Russia\u2019s Central Election Commission, which routinely bars genuine opposition candidates from running against Putin and airbrushes manipulations, announced the turnout at more than 77 percent. Putin attributed this to the unifying impact of the war, comments that actually highlighted the benefit to the regime of an extended conflict and its mobilizing effect on hard-line nationalists.<p><p>\u201cThis is linked to the dramatic nature of events that Russia is going through, linked to the present-day situation, linked to the fact that we are forced to literally protect the interests of our citizens, our people with arms in hands, and create the future for a full-fledged, sovereign and safe development of Russia, our motherland,\u201d Putin said in his late-night news conference. \u201cThe results, and primarily turnout, show that common people feel this and understand that very many things depend on them.\u201d<p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p>.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T09:43:26.797Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/5BQDCKQI2RDDZB3SSN4SO6WC4Q/20240318-113017.175/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ODCRJLPCFC2QOFVYHAWUX76SB4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Moscow on Monday. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)</small></div><p>When Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared for a late-night news conference to claim a fifth term, he appeared visibly elated, as if manipulating another election to remain indefinitely in power with 87.28 percent of the vote<b> </b>was a triumphal victory in a real competition.<p><p>The tally, virtually unimaginable in any democratic nation, suggests that the Kremlin is now less focused on manufacturing a veneer of electoral legitimacy and more on creating a cult of personality around Putin as Russia\u2019s undisputed national patriarch and leader for life.<p><p>Mark Galeotti, a Russia analyst at University College London\u2019s School of Slavonic and East European Studies, said this outcome of the vote showed that Putin\u2019s regime has shifted from an earlier model of \u201cmanaged democracy\u201d and is now \u201cheading into its banana republic stage.\u201d<p><p>\u201cWe should see elections under Putin as not being about popular sovereignty, but about popular subordination,\u201d Galeotti said. \u201cIt is about the masses voting to accept Putin as their czar.\u201d<p><p>He added: \u201cIt\u2019s not just that the Kremlin is no longer embarrassed to rig the election. I think it\u2019s almost, \u2018So what you can do about it?\u2019 \u2014 a kind of challenge to civil society, \u2018Of course you know we\u2019re lying, but you\u2019re going to have to swallow it because you\u2019ve got no alternative.\u2019\u201d<p><p>Russians, by choice or not, are now locked into Putin\u2019s repressive, increasingly totalitarian path \u2014 his bloody war in Ukraine and decisions to shun the West, isolate Russia\u2019s economy and escalate hostility toward NATO. Western leaders, meanwhile, face a strident, emboldened adversary in command of a nuclear arsenal.<p><p>In autocracies, much of politics ends up revolving around the obsessions of the supreme leader \u2014 in Putin\u2019s case, eliminating all personal political competition and destroying Ukraine as a large and thriving Western-leaning democracy on Russia\u2019s border.<p><p>It was telling that Putin mentioned both of those threats in his late-night victory address. Appearing supremely confident, Putin shrugged off the \u201cunfortunate\u201d death of his main rival, Alexei Navalny, in prison last month, which has left Putin with no conceivable challenger. He even spoke Navalny\u2019s name aloud, which he is known to have done only once before.<p><p>Putin also staked out his determination to continue the war against Ukraine, even at the risk of war with NATO. \u201cIt is clear to everyone that this will be one step away from a full-scale World War III,\u201d Putin said, blaming the West for providing support to Kyiv.<p><p>Putin\u2019s 87.28 percent election result generally tracks with his recent wartime public approval ratings. But Boris Bondarev, a former Russian diplomat who served at Russia\u2019s U.N. mission in Geneva and resigned over the invasion of Ukraine, said that no one in Russia\u2019s elite is convinced by the numbers.<p><p>\u201cI think they don\u2019t really care about the figures,\u201d Bondarev said. \u201cThey just know that everything is still under control, that Putin still manages to outplay anybody. And of course, nobody from the very beginning considered these elections to be elections.\u201d<p><p>Some observers speculate that Putin, an impenetrable and often seemingly isolated figure, is the only person who fully believed the Kabuki theater of Russia\u2019s election.<p><p>\u201cThis is the result of his team\u2019s work, which is bringing him on a tray whatever he wants to see,\u201d said Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of R.Politik, a Russian political consultancy, now based in France. \u201cBut he sincerely believes \u2026 that the population supports him. He really does believe these figures are true.\u201d<p><p>Stanovaya added: \u201cPutin lives in the picture of the world he created for himself, and everything that doesn\u2019t fit into it is removed from him.\u201d<p><p><p><p>The message of the election to Russia\u2019s opposition supporters is that they will always be dismissed as a tiny minority who can never win \u2014 despite Sunday\u2019s remarkable protest, dubbed Noon Against Putin, in which voters in Russia and cities abroad formed long lines outside polling stations at precisely 12 o\u2019clock.<p><p>The protest spoiled Putin\u2019s picture of overwhelming popularity and showed that many Russians are still fired up by Navalny\u2019s dream of a free and democratic Russia.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6D6I2OWZLP7RJK3YZXHOZEC454.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Voters line up to be checked by police at a polling station at noon local time in Moscow on Sunday. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)</small></div><p>The noon protest, however, posed no threat to the regime. Nor did other displays of frustration, including a flood of photos of ballots spoiled with anti-Putin slogans posted on Russian social media.<p><p>Official tallies outside Russia, where Putin was beaten by little-known candidate Vladislav Davankov in cities such as Warsaw, Prague, The Hague and Yerevan, Armenia, highlighted the extent to which the Russian opposition has been forced into exile.<p><p>Navalny\u2019s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who has accused Putin of ordering the murder of her husband, attended a protest in Berlin. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Navalnaya and her allegations.<p><p>\u201cThere are a lot of people who are completely detached from their homeland,\u201d Peskov said. \u201cYulia Navalnaya you mentioned belongs to the camp of those people who are losing their roots, losing ties with their homeland, losing their understanding of their homeland and ceasing to feel the pulse of their country.\u201d<p><p>Amid his late-night elation, Putin dismissed Western criticisms of the election in comments that offered insight into the real problem of nearly a quarter-century of Putin\u2019s rule. He craves the legitimacy that democracy offers, but he fears democracy\u2019s safeguards against corruption and abuses, as well as its purifying accountability.<p><p>\u201cWhat did you want? For them to stand up and applaud?\u201d he said, portraying the criticisms as just part of a Western military war against Russia. \u201cThey set themselves the goal of restraining our development. Of course, they will tell you whatever they want.\u201d<p><p>But the path he has taken \u2014 war against Ukraine, isolation and repression of all opposition \u2014 forces Russia into a cycle of repression and harsher authoritarianism. To survive, Putin needs the energizing effect of a mobilized militaristic nationalist minority to cow internal dissent and reinforce the regime.<p><p>\u201cThe level of repression is already very high,\u201d said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. \u201cThe war of attrition is continuing, and any other methods of conducting it are not really being reviewed.\u201d<p><p>Russia\u2019s Central Election Commission, which routinely bars genuine opposition candidates from running against Putin and airbrushes manipulations, announced the turnout at more than 77 percent. Putin attributed this to the unifying impact of the war, comments that actually highlighted the benefit to the regime of an extended conflict and its mobilizing effect on hard-line nationalists.<p><p>\u201cThis is linked to the dramatic nature of events that Russia is going through, linked to the present-day situation, linked to the fact that we are forced to literally protect the interests of our citizens, our people with arms in hands, and create the future for a full-fledged, sovereign and safe development of Russia, our motherland,\u201d Putin said in his late-night news conference. \u201cThe results, and primarily turnout, show that common people feel this and understand that very many things depend on them.\u201d<p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p><p>.<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 23:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 15, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Toxic asbestos is now fully banned, a move that EPA calls \u2018historic\u2019", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Toxic asbestos is now fully banned, a move that EPA calls \u2018historic\u2019"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/03/18/chrysotile-asbestos-ban-epa/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/03/18/chrysotile-asbestos-ban-epa/", "summary": "2024-03-18T12:24:05.676Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/ZZ5SPRWOQ5HLHHYXO36RVL7KZI/20240318-113999.995/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WPL257MSGWKET54UBEVBTFIPHA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Chrysotile asbestos (Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) </small></div><p>The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a ban on chrysotile asbestos, part of a family of toxic minerals linked to lung cancer and other illnesses that the agency estimates is responsible for about 40,000 U.S. deaths each year.<p><p>The federal ban comes more than 30 years after EPA first tried to rid the nation of asbestos, but was blocked by a federal judge. While the use of asbestos in manufacturing and construction has declined since, it remains a significant health threat.<p><p>\u201cFolks, it\u2019s been a long road. But with today\u2019s ban, EPA is finally slamming the door on a chemical so dangerous that it has been banned in more than 50 countries,\u201d said EPA Administrator Michael Regan.<p><p>The agency\u2019s ban targets chrysotile asbestos, also known as \u201cwhite asbestos,\u201d the only one of the six forms of the mineral still being used in the United States. Resistant to heat and fire, the mineral is used by companies that make vehicle braking systems and sheet gaskets. Chemical manufacturers have also defended its continued use in making chlorine, which utilities use to purify drinking water, as well as in pharmaceuticals and pesticides.<p><p>Michal Freedhoff, who heads chemical safety and pollution prevention for the EPA, called the ban historic, saying it is the first time the nation\u2019s updated chemical safety law has been used to outlaw a dangerous substance. That law, the Toxic Substances Control Act, was so weakened by the federal courts\u2019 decision in 1991 allowing continued asbestos imports and use that \u201cit was rendered almost powerless to protect the people who needed protecting the most,\u201d Freedhoff said.<p><p>In 2016, America\u2019s long delay in confronting asbestos prompted bipartisan concern among members of Congress, who voted to overhaul the law, giving the EPA sweeping new authority to protect people from toxins.<p><p>Yet years passed with little action. When the Trump administration came to power, it shrunk the agency\u2019s staff, leaving the chemical safety office too small, underfunded and demoralized to accomplish its mission.<p><p>Finally banning asbestos was at the top of Freedhoff\u2019s to-do list when she became the agency\u2019s top chemical regulator in 2021. As a congressional staffer, she had helped write the 2016 legislation. On a call with reporters Monday, she described the new rule \u201ca symbol of how the new law can and must be used to protect people.\u201d<p><p>The trade group representing the chlorine industry, the American Chemistry Council, has staunchly opposed the administration\u2019s proposed ban since it was announced two years ago, on the grounds that chrysotile asbestos is still used by about a third of U.S. chlor-alkali plants that produce chlorine. The industry group warned that banning this form of asbestos would make it difficult for water utilities to buy chlorine, threatening the safety of the nation\u2019s drinking water.<p><p>Freedhoff said that once the EPA decided some of those concerns were valid, it changed its original enforcement timeline. Instead of having two years to phase out asbestos diaphragms, the eight American chlorine plants that still use this technology will have five years, or in some cases more, to switch to alternatives. Yet imports of new asbestos diaphragms will be prohibited immediately once the rule takes effect, 60 days after it appears in the Federal Register.<p><p>Imports of asbestos-containing brake locks, which have exposed car mechanics to the deadly airborne fibers, will be phased out after six months. And asbestos gaskets will be banned after two years.<p><p>Environmental and public health advocates praised the new rule and urged the Biden administration to go further by addressing the other types of asbestos, arguing that anything less than a full ban doesn\u2019t protect public health.<p><p>Although use of asbestos has declined, in large part because of liability fears, construction workers, firefighters, paramedics and others who spend time in old buildings are still being exposed. Once building materials containing asbestos are demolished or otherwise disturbed, the mineral\u2019s fibers can stick to skin and clothing, ultimately finding their way into people\u2019s lungs. There is even a name, \u201casbestosis,\u201d for a chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/PZPHSNCD3II6ZFAEKCRIVCFZZU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">An asbestos removal crew sifts through the ash and charred remains of the Goetze home and granite business, which was destroyed in the River Wildfire in August 2021 in Grass Valley, Calif., in 2021. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) </small></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T12:24:05.676Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/ZZ5SPRWOQ5HLHHYXO36RVL7KZI/20240318-113999.995/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/WPL257MSGWKET54UBEVBTFIPHA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Chrysotile asbestos (Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) </small></div><p>The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a ban on chrysotile asbestos, part of a family of toxic minerals linked to lung cancer and other illnesses that the agency estimates is responsible for about 40,000 U.S. deaths each year.<p><p>The federal ban comes more than 30 years after EPA first tried to rid the nation of asbestos, but was blocked by a federal judge. While the use of asbestos in manufacturing and construction has declined since, it remains a significant health threat.<p><p>\u201cFolks, it\u2019s been a long road. But with today\u2019s ban, EPA is finally slamming the door on a chemical so dangerous that it has been banned in more than 50 countries,\u201d said EPA Administrator Michael Regan.<p><p>The agency\u2019s ban targets chrysotile asbestos, also known as \u201cwhite asbestos,\u201d the only one of the six forms of the mineral still being used in the United States. Resistant to heat and fire, the mineral is used by companies that make vehicle braking systems and sheet gaskets. Chemical manufacturers have also defended its continued use in making chlorine, which utilities use to purify drinking water, as well as in pharmaceuticals and pesticides.<p><p>Michal Freedhoff, who heads chemical safety and pollution prevention for the EPA, called the ban historic, saying it is the first time the nation\u2019s updated chemical safety law has been used to outlaw a dangerous substance. That law, the Toxic Substances Control Act, was so weakened by the federal courts\u2019 decision in 1991 allowing continued asbestos imports and use that \u201cit was rendered almost powerless to protect the people who needed protecting the most,\u201d Freedhoff said.<p><p>In 2016, America\u2019s long delay in confronting asbestos prompted bipartisan concern among members of Congress, who voted to overhaul the law, giving the EPA sweeping new authority to protect people from toxins.<p><p>Yet years passed with little action. When the Trump administration came to power, it shrunk the agency\u2019s staff, leaving the chemical safety office too small, underfunded and demoralized to accomplish its mission.<p><p>Finally banning asbestos was at the top of Freedhoff\u2019s to-do list when she became the agency\u2019s top chemical regulator in 2021. As a congressional staffer, she had helped write the 2016 legislation. On a call with reporters Monday, she described the new rule \u201ca symbol of how the new law can and must be used to protect people.\u201d<p><p>The trade group representing the chlorine industry, the American Chemistry Council, has staunchly opposed the administration\u2019s proposed ban since it was announced two years ago, on the grounds that chrysotile asbestos is still used by about a third of U.S. chlor-alkali plants that produce chlorine. The industry group warned that banning this form of asbestos would make it difficult for water utilities to buy chlorine, threatening the safety of the nation\u2019s drinking water.<p><p>Freedhoff said that once the EPA decided some of those concerns were valid, it changed its original enforcement timeline. Instead of having two years to phase out asbestos diaphragms, the eight American chlorine plants that still use this technology will have five years, or in some cases more, to switch to alternatives. Yet imports of new asbestos diaphragms will be prohibited immediately once the rule takes effect, 60 days after it appears in the Federal Register.<p><p>Imports of asbestos-containing brake locks, which have exposed car mechanics to the deadly airborne fibers, will be phased out after six months. And asbestos gaskets will be banned after two years.<p><p>Environmental and public health advocates praised the new rule and urged the Biden administration to go further by addressing the other types of asbestos, arguing that anything less than a full ban doesn\u2019t protect public health.<p><p>Although use of asbestos has declined, in large part because of liability fears, construction workers, firefighters, paramedics and others who spend time in old buildings are still being exposed. Once building materials containing asbestos are demolished or otherwise disturbed, the mineral\u2019s fibers can stick to skin and clothing, ultimately finding their way into people\u2019s lungs. There is even a name, \u201casbestosis,\u201d for a chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/PZPHSNCD3II6ZFAEKCRIVCFZZU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">An asbestos removal crew sifts through the ash and charred remains of the Goetze home and granite business, which was destroyed in the River Wildfire in August 2021 in Grass Valley, Calif., in 2021. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) </small></div>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 23:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 15, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Trump unable to finance an appeal bond for at least $450 million, lawyers say", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Trump unable to finance an appeal bond for at least $450 million, lawyers say"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/trump-civil-fraud-judgment-bond-450-million/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/trump-civil-fraud-judgment-bond-450-million/", "summary": "2024-03-18T15:07:11.672Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/3ZRUOX5ZQZEADDBKA7BB5VLASU/20240318-115390.903/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/XUZOTOEKQNTWOLRBT6TW3TA53Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">ROME, GEORGIA - MARCH 9: Donald Trump addresses the crowd inside the Donald Trump Get Out The Vote Rally at the Forum River Center in Rome, Georgia on Saturday, March 9, 2024 (David Walter Banks/For The Washington Post)</small></div><p>NEW YORK \u2014 Donald Trump has been unable to finance an appeal bond for at least $450 million to cover a judgment in the New York attorney general\u2019s business fraud case against him and is seeking a reprieve from an appellate court to keep the state from seizing assets, according to a court filing Monday.<p><p>The former president\u2019s lawyers said in the filing that Trump and the Trump Organization, the real estate hospitality and golf resort company he solely owns, has been unable to get a surety company to accept property as collateral \u2014 stalling any efforts to obtain a bond that is due to be posted in a week.<p><p>\u201cCritical among these challenges is not just the inability and reluctance of the vast majority of sureties to underwrite a bond for this unprecedented sum, but, even more significantly, the unwillingness of <u><b>every</b></u>  surety bond provider approached by Defendants to accept real estate as collateral,\u201d Trump\u2019s attorneys wrote.<p><p>The legal team behind the Trump, a Republican campaigning against President Biden in the 2024 election, recently failed to get an emergency appeals judge to put off the 30-day deadline the attorney general has imposed to give the company time to fulfill its appeal bond obligation. That judge also rejected an offer of a $100 million bond in lieu of the full amount. A full panel will soon examine the same issues.<p><p>Trump, his company and several current and former executives were found civilly liable in Manhattan state court this year for engaging in illegal acts to defraud banks and insurance companies by lying about the true value of his assets to falsely obtain profits and savings in business over a decade.<p><p>New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case, said Trump misstated the value of his properties and other assets by up to $2.2 billion a year from 2011 to 2021.<p><p><i>This breaking news report will be updated.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T15:07:11.672Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/3ZRUOX5ZQZEADDBKA7BB5VLASU/20240318-115390.903/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/XUZOTOEKQNTWOLRBT6TW3TA53Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">ROME, GEORGIA - MARCH 9: Donald Trump addresses the crowd inside the Donald Trump Get Out The Vote Rally at the Forum River Center in Rome, Georgia on Saturday, March 9, 2024 (David Walter Banks/For The Washington Post)</small></div><p>NEW YORK \u2014 Donald Trump has been unable to finance an appeal bond for at least $450 million to cover a judgment in the New York attorney general\u2019s business fraud case against him and is seeking a reprieve from an appellate court to keep the state from seizing assets, according to a court filing Monday.<p><p>The former president\u2019s lawyers said in the filing that Trump and the Trump Organization, the real estate hospitality and golf resort company he solely owns, has been unable to get a surety company to accept property as collateral \u2014 stalling any efforts to obtain a bond that is due to be posted in a week.<p><p>\u201cCritical among these challenges is not just the inability and reluctance of the vast majority of sureties to underwrite a bond for this unprecedented sum, but, even more significantly, the unwillingness of <u><b>every</b></u>  surety bond provider approached by Defendants to accept real estate as collateral,\u201d Trump\u2019s attorneys wrote.<p><p>The legal team behind the Trump, a Republican campaigning against President Biden in the 2024 election, recently failed to get an emergency appeals judge to put off the 30-day deadline the attorney general has imposed to give the company time to fulfill its appeal bond obligation. That judge also rejected an offer of a $100 million bond in lieu of the full amount. A full panel will soon examine the same issues.<p><p>Trump, his company and several current and former executives were found civilly liable in Manhattan state court this year for engaging in illegal acts to defraud banks and insurance companies by lying about the true value of his assets to falsely obtain profits and savings in business over a decade.<p><p>New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case, said Trump misstated the value of his properties and other assets by up to $2.2 billion a year from 2011 to 2021.<p><p><i>This breaking news report will be updated.</i><p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 23:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 15, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Caitlin Clark and Iowa face a tough road back to the NCAA Final Four", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Caitlin Clark and Iowa face a tough road back to the NCAA Final Four"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/caitlin-clark-iowa-path-womens-finals/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/caitlin-clark-iowa-path-womens-finals/", "summary": "2024-03-18T12:03:21.417Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/3L5IIN5TXJBHLJT42GRGY4Y3EU/20240318-110953.538/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/U7GHD57UFFG25RIJAGXAF7KWTE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Caitlin Clark and Iowa will be the center of attention as they attempt to return to the NCAA championship game. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette via AP)</small></div><p>Caitlin Clark\u2019s Iowa team may have earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1992, but their return to the national championship game looks to be anything but easy.<p><p>The superstar and her team will have to navigate the toughest region \u2014 the Albany 2 Region \u2014 which sports five teams that were ranked among the top three of the Associated Press\u2019s top 25 at some point during the season and was dubbed \u201cMurderer\u2019s Row\u201d by ESPN. Another team, Louisville, has advanced to the Elite Eight in each of the last five NCAA tournaments.<p><p>It\u2019s a rugged road for Iowa and Clark, the NCAA Division I\u2019s all-time leading scorer whose games have set TV ratings. When she passed Pete Maravich on the Division I list earlier this month, the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/2024/03/05/caitlin-clark-iowa-tv-ratings/98500766-db1f-11ee-b5e9-ad4573c62315_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">game attracted more than 4 million viewers</a> at its peak and was the most watched regular season women\u2019s basketball game since a game between U-Conn. and Tennessee in January 1999.<p><p>Iowa plays the winner of the play-in game between Holy Cross and Tennessee-Martin, both 16 seeds, and has struggled in the past against play-in winners. In 2022, the Hawkeyes lost to Creighton and last year they led Georgia by only two points with less than a minute left before winning.<p><p>This year, one intriguing possible opponent is Kansas State, the fourth seed who has beaten Iowa in each of the last two seasons. In three games, two of which K-State won, the Wildcats frustrated Clark, holding her to 33.8 percent shooting from the field and 28.2 percent on three-point attempts.<p><p>\u201cI was a bit surprised by Kansas State,\u201d Coach <a href=\"https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-women/2024/03/17/iowa-womens-basketball-hawkeyes-lisa-bluder-after-iowas-ncaa-tournament-draw-caitlin-clark/72942085007/\" target=\"_blank\">Lisa Bluder said</a>, \u201cjust because I\u2019ve always heard they [selection committee members] don\u2019t like you to play against someone so early [in the tournament] that you\u2019ve already played in the regular season twice this year. I was a little bit surprised by that one, but definitely, a lot of familiar faces with Colorado and LSU in there. But I think that\u2019s okay. That\u2019s not a bad thing.\u201d<p><blockquote><p>This is March \ud83d\ude4c<a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hawkeyes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Hawkeyes</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/jVpGuCbXuv\">pic.twitter.com/jVpGuCbXuv</a></p>&mdash; Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/IowaWBB/status/1769521074541052282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 18, 2024</a></blockquote>\n\n\n<p>LSU, a 3-seed which beat Iowa in the national championship last year, looms on the other side of the region and in last year\u2019s championship game it, much like K-State, forced Clark to beat them from the three, clamping down in the paint. <p><p>\u201cIt is what it is and I think that\u2019s what makes it so fun,\u201d <a href=\"https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-women/2024/03/17/iowa-womens-march-madness-predictions-final-four-2024-ncaa-tournament/72942788007/\" target=\"_blank\">Clark said</a>. \u201cThose storylines and the familiarity whether it\u2019s Colorado at the 5, Louisville at the 6. It doesn\u2019t matter who you\u2019re playing, you\u2019d better bring your best. At this point of the season, anybody can get beat. I know we didn\u2019t beat LSU, but a lot of those teams \u2026 we have a win vs. Kansas State, we have a win vs. Colorado, we have a win vs. Louisville, we beat Drake. You can use that to your advantage.\u201d<p><p>No. 2 seed UCLA could be in Iowa\u2019s path, too, and perhaps tough teams will be out early. No. 1 Stanford and No. 4 Texas both lost in the first weekend last year, easing Iowa\u2019s path in the region. And not many picked Iowa to beat South Carolina, with its 42-game winning streak, in the Final Four last year \u2014 and the Hawkeyes won by four.<p><p>This year, Iowa would face the winner of the Portland 3 bracket (with No. 1 seed USC, No. 2 seed Ohio State and No. 3 seed U-Conn.). It would not face South Carolina, the No. 1 overall seed, until the national championship game.<p><p>No matter how it shakes out, this much is certain. The college career of Clark, who will enter the WNBA draft, is fast approaching its end.<p><p>\u201cYou really have to go game to game. After you get out of the first round, every team is basically a top-25 team,\u201d <a href=\"https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39755534/south-carolina-iowa-usc-texas-top-seeds-ncaa-tourney\" target=\"_blank\">Clark said</a>. \u201cYou need a little luck, a good draw, need to be playing your best basketball, but I think the biggest thing for me is just enjoying every single second because this is the most fun basketball.<p><p>\u201cI think this is the greatest postseason tournament in all of sport. You don\u2019t have it one night, you\u2019re out of luck, but if you do have it and you can string some games together, you can put a special run together.\u201d<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T12:03:21.417Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/3L5IIN5TXJBHLJT42GRGY4Y3EU/20240318-110953.538/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/U7GHD57UFFG25RIJAGXAF7KWTE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Caitlin Clark and Iowa will be the center of attention as they attempt to return to the NCAA championship game. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette via AP)</small></div><p>Caitlin Clark\u2019s Iowa team may have earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1992, but their return to the national championship game looks to be anything but easy.<p><p>The superstar and her team will have to navigate the toughest region \u2014 the Albany 2 Region \u2014 which sports five teams that were ranked among the top three of the Associated Press\u2019s top 25 at some point during the season and was dubbed \u201cMurderer\u2019s Row\u201d by ESPN. Another team, Louisville, has advanced to the Elite Eight in each of the last five NCAA tournaments.<p><p>It\u2019s a rugged road for Iowa and Clark, the NCAA Division I\u2019s all-time leading scorer whose games have set TV ratings. When she passed Pete Maravich on the Division I list earlier this month, the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/2024/03/05/caitlin-clark-iowa-tv-ratings/98500766-db1f-11ee-b5e9-ad4573c62315_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">game attracted more than 4 million viewers</a> at its peak and was the most watched regular season women\u2019s basketball game since a game between U-Conn. and Tennessee in January 1999.<p><p>Iowa plays the winner of the play-in game between Holy Cross and Tennessee-Martin, both 16 seeds, and has struggled in the past against play-in winners. In 2022, the Hawkeyes lost to Creighton and last year they led Georgia by only two points with less than a minute left before winning.<p><p>This year, one intriguing possible opponent is Kansas State, the fourth seed who has beaten Iowa in each of the last two seasons. In three games, two of which K-State won, the Wildcats frustrated Clark, holding her to 33.8 percent shooting from the field and 28.2 percent on three-point attempts.<p><p>\u201cI was a bit surprised by Kansas State,\u201d Coach <a href=\"https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-women/2024/03/17/iowa-womens-basketball-hawkeyes-lisa-bluder-after-iowas-ncaa-tournament-draw-caitlin-clark/72942085007/\" target=\"_blank\">Lisa Bluder said</a>, \u201cjust because I\u2019ve always heard they [selection committee members] don\u2019t like you to play against someone so early [in the tournament] that you\u2019ve already played in the regular season twice this year. I was a little bit surprised by that one, but definitely, a lot of familiar faces with Colorado and LSU in there. But I think that\u2019s okay. That\u2019s not a bad thing.\u201d<p><blockquote><p>This is March \ud83d\ude4c<a href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hawkeyes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Hawkeyes</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/jVpGuCbXuv\">pic.twitter.com/jVpGuCbXuv</a></p>&mdash; Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/IowaWBB/status/1769521074541052282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 18, 2024</a></blockquote>\n\n\n<p>LSU, a 3-seed which beat Iowa in the national championship last year, looms on the other side of the region and in last year\u2019s championship game it, much like K-State, forced Clark to beat them from the three, clamping down in the paint. <p><p>\u201cIt is what it is and I think that\u2019s what makes it so fun,\u201d <a href=\"https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-women/2024/03/17/iowa-womens-march-madness-predictions-final-four-2024-ncaa-tournament/72942788007/\" target=\"_blank\">Clark said</a>. \u201cThose storylines and the familiarity whether it\u2019s Colorado at the 5, Louisville at the 6. It doesn\u2019t matter who you\u2019re playing, you\u2019d better bring your best. At this point of the season, anybody can get beat. I know we didn\u2019t beat LSU, but a lot of those teams \u2026 we have a win vs. Kansas State, we have a win vs. Colorado, we have a win vs. Louisville, we beat Drake. You can use that to your advantage.\u201d<p><p>No. 2 seed UCLA could be in Iowa\u2019s path, too, and perhaps tough teams will be out early. No. 1 Stanford and No. 4 Texas both lost in the first weekend last year, easing Iowa\u2019s path in the region. And not many picked Iowa to beat South Carolina, with its 42-game winning streak, in the Final Four last year \u2014 and the Hawkeyes won by four.<p><p>This year, Iowa would face the winner of the Portland 3 bracket (with No. 1 seed USC, No. 2 seed Ohio State and No. 3 seed U-Conn.). It would not face South Carolina, the No. 1 overall seed, until the national championship game.<p><p>No matter how it shakes out, this much is certain. The college career of Clark, who will enter the WNBA draft, is fast approaching its end.<p><p>\u201cYou really have to go game to game. After you get out of the first round, every team is basically a top-25 team,\u201d <a href=\"https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39755534/south-carolina-iowa-usc-texas-top-seeds-ncaa-tourney\" target=\"_blank\">Clark said</a>. \u201cYou need a little luck, a good draw, need to be playing your best basketball, but I think the biggest thing for me is just enjoying every single second because this is the most fun basketball.<p><p>\u201cI think this is the greatest postseason tournament in all of sport. You don\u2019t have it one night, you\u2019re out of luck, but if you do have it and you can string some games together, you can put a special run together.\u201d<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 23:24:10 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 15, 24, 10, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Five can\u2019t-miss stars in the NCAA women\u2019s basketball tournament", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Five can\u2019t-miss stars in the NCAA women\u2019s basketball tournament"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/ncaa-womens-tournament-players-to-watch/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/ncaa-womens-tournament-players-to-watch/", "summary": "2024-03-08T17:17:30.853Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/7QAI5VD4M5G5VFGEN54J4NRH7M/20240318-104197.978/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The NCAA women\u2019s basketball tournament is finally almost here \u2014 the culmination of a season filled with exciting moments, broken records and freshman phenoms. Given how many talented players will take the court, this is by no means an exhaustive list of those worth watching in the days and weeks ahead (we didn\u2019t forget about you, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/03/23/angel-reese-lsu-sweet-16/\" target=\"_blank\">Angel Reese</a>). But these five players are among the best in the country, they could each lead their teams to the Final Four in Cleveland, and they are sure to be at the center of March Madness. Here\u2019s a statistics-based look at a few of the sport\u2019s biggest stars.<p><h2>1. Cameron Brink</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6VIX77GTZPYC3EAWGMUF77FNXQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Stanford forward Cameron Brink is one of the best defensive players in the country. (David Becker/AP)</small></div><p>The saying goes that defense wins championships. If you subscribe to that theory, then Stanford is well positioned to cut down the nets in Cleveland next month. The Cardinal\u2019s <a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Her Hoop Stats</a> defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions adjusted for strength of schedule) ranks No. 6 in the country. Brink, the Pac-12 player of the year and three-time Pac-12 defensive player of the year, is the main reason.<p><p>Brink leads Division I with 3.5 blocks per game, but that barely scratches the surface of her defensive impact. Stanford allows 21 fewer points per 100 possessions and opponents shoot 12.5 percentage points worse on shots at the rim when Brink is on the floor compared with when she is on the bench, per CBB Analytics. Brink transforms Stanford into a national championship contender when she is on the court, making it all the more important for her to avoid the foul trouble she has struggled with during her collegiate career.<p><p>No. 2 seed Stanford opens play Friday night against No. 15 seed Norfolk State.<p><h2>2. Paige Bueckers</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UY6XBB26NNUI5P67CXIFFGWEBY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Paige Bueckers is healthy and back in peak form for Connecticut this season. (Cloe Poisson/Hartford Courant/AP)</small></div><p>After injuries kept Bueckers out for much of the 2021-22 season and all of last year, the Connecticut guard\u2019s 2023-24 campaign has been reminiscent of her freshman season, when she was the consensus national player of the year. The two-time Big East player of the year led an injury-riddled Huskies squad to its 11th consecutive conference tournament championship this month.<p><p>Bueckers\u2019s ability to score at all three levels \u2014 at the rim, midrange and from beyond the arc \u2014 makes her a nightmare of a defensive assignment. It also makes her one of the most efficient high-volume shooters in the sport. Bueckers is the <a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/research/player_single_seasons/?division=1&amp;min_season=2010&amp;max_season=2024&amp;games=all&amp;pos_g=1&amp;pos_f=1&amp;pos_c=1&amp;min_experience=1&amp;max_experience=4&amp;criteria_type=values&amp;criteria0=fg_pct&amp;comp0=ge&amp;threshold0=0.5&amp;criteria1=fg3m_pct&amp;comp1=ge&amp;threshold1=0.4&amp;criteria2=ft_pct&amp;comp2=ge&amp;threshold2=0.8&amp;criteria3=fgm_per_game&amp;comp3=ge&amp;threshold3=5&amp;criteria4=fg3m_per_game&amp;comp4=ge&amp;threshold4=2&amp;criteria5=ftm_per_game&amp;comp5=ge&amp;threshold5=2.5&amp;criteria6=gp&amp;comp6=ge&amp;threshold6=20&amp;stats_to_show=per_game&amp;submit=true\" target=\"_blank\">only player in the past 15 years</a> with multiple seasons of shooting at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 80 percent from the free throw line.<p><p>No. 3 seed Connecticut opens play Saturday against No. 14 seed Jackson State.<p><h2>3. Caitlin Clark</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/L3UOZ5IU5L6MBRLPAUYQQAOWCU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Iowa guard Caitlin Clark is the biggest draw in college basketball this season. (Abbie Parr/AP)</small></div><p>The average price of Iowa tickets since Clark joined the program in 2020 is <a href=\"https://www.ncaa.org/news/2024/2/15/media-center-the-caitlin-clark-effect.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">up 224 percent, according to Vivid Seats</a>. All of Iowa\u2019s home and road games this season were sellouts. TV ratings go through the roof when Clark is involved. Fans simply can\u2019t get enough of the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/29/caitlin-clark-pete-maravich/\" target=\"_blank\">Hawkeyes star\u2019s unparalleled shot creation and range</a>.<p><p>Despite facing relentless defensive pressure all season, Clark has managed a nation-leading 31.9 points per contest on an efficient 1.24 points per scoring attempt, which ranks in the top 3 percent of Division I. A testament to Clark\u2019s elite shot creation is her 73 unassisted three-pointers this season. That\u2019s more than any NCAA <i>team</i> across all three divisions has made this season, according to CBB Analytics.<p><p>While her logo threes might be what captivate crowds, Clark\u2019s passing ability keeps defenses honest and has Iowa in the pantheon of the best offenses in NCAA history. The Hawkeyes average 92.8 points per game, which is on track to be the second most by a Division I team in 30 years. Clark leads the nation with 8.9 assists per game and is on track to finish among the nation\u2019s top two in that category in every season of her college career. Clark is responsible for 58 percent of her team\u2019s field goals through points and assists, the maestro of the Hawkeyes\u2019 potent offensive attack.<p><p>No. 1 seed Iowa opens play Saturday against either No. 16 seed Holy Cross or No. 16 seed Tennessee Martin.<p><h2>4. Hannah Hidalgo</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FUFCD7WZXOZPAYJ53NKRZGDUSA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo has made an immediate impact for Notre Dame. (Chuck Burton/AP)</small></div><p>Few freshmen in recent memory have adapted to the speed and physicality of the college game as quickly and successfully as Hidalgo. One of the country\u2019s best two-way players, Hidalgo has propelled Notre Dame to a season few saw coming. Her blend of quickness, superb dribble penetration and a knack for turning defense into offense has electrified crowds and led to ACC rookie of the year, ACC defensive player of the year and ACC tournament MVP honors. The 5-foot-6 phenom also led the Fighting Irish to a 26-6 record and the program\u2019s first ACC tournament title since 2019.<p><p>While Hidalgo\u2019s gaudy offensive numbers earn the most attention (she ranks third in the nation with 23 points per game), her efforts on the defensive end are arguably the most impressive part of her game. Hidalgo leads the nation with 4.7 steals per game and her 147 steals this season are already a Division I freshman record. Creating live-ball turnovers is an important part of Notre Dame\u2019s success \u2014 the Fighting Irish allowed an ACC-best 80.8 points per 100 possessions this season, and they have generated over 25 percent of their offense off turnovers, per CBB Analytics.<p><p>No. 2 seed Notre Dame opens play Saturday against Kent State.<p><h2>5. JuJu Watkins</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/E5MAMFC4XGDSEDGGKZABKEXCBY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">JuJu Watkins has more than lived up to the lofty expectations that have followed her during her first season at USC. (Candice Ward/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Watkins has put University of Southern California women\u2019s basketball back on the map. In a program that has seen Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, and Tina Thompson walk through its doors, Watkins has compiled arguably the most impressive freshman campaign in USC women\u2019s basketball history. As the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023, Watkins exceeded the lofty expectations that greeted her upon arriving on campus. She not only won Pac-12 freshman of the year honors, but she also led the Women of Troy to their first conference tournament title in a decade.<p><p>USC has tasked its star guard with shouldering a significant portion of the team\u2019s offensive load; her <a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/player/juju-watkins-stats-11ee7c3f-8585-0b48-b9ab-12df17ae4e1e/\" target=\"_blank\">usage rate of 43.5 percent leads all Division I players this season</a> and is the highest among freshmen over the past 15 seasons. Watkins has risen to the challenge. Her 27 points per game are second behind only Clark this season and are on track to be the most by a Division I freshman in nearly 40 years. On the defensive end, she is the <a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/research/player_single_seasons/?division=1&amp;min_season=2024&amp;max_season=2024&amp;games=all&amp;pos_g=1&amp;pos_f=1&amp;pos_c=1&amp;min_experience=1&amp;max_experience=4&amp;criteria_type=values&amp;criteria2=stl_per_game&amp;comp2=ge&amp;threshold2=2&amp;criteria3=blk_s_per_game&amp;comp3=ge&amp;threshold3=1.5&amp;stats_to_show=per_game&amp;submit=true\" target=\"_blank\">only player</a> averaging at least two steals and 1.5 blocks per outing.<p><p>No. 1 seed USC opens play Saturday against Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi.<p><p><i>Adam Vachon is a contributing writer for </i><a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>herhoopstats.com</i></a><i>.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-08T17:17:30.853Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/7QAI5VD4M5G5VFGEN54J4NRH7M/20240318-104197.978/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The NCAA women\u2019s basketball tournament is finally almost here \u2014 the culmination of a season filled with exciting moments, broken records and freshman phenoms. Given how many talented players will take the court, this is by no means an exhaustive list of those worth watching in the days and weeks ahead (we didn\u2019t forget about you, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/03/23/angel-reese-lsu-sweet-16/\" target=\"_blank\">Angel Reese</a>). But these five players are among the best in the country, they could each lead their teams to the Final Four in Cleveland, and they are sure to be at the center of March Madness. Here\u2019s a statistics-based look at a few of the sport\u2019s biggest stars.<p><h2>1. Cameron Brink</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6VIX77GTZPYC3EAWGMUF77FNXQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Stanford forward Cameron Brink is one of the best defensive players in the country. (David Becker/AP)</small></div><p>The saying goes that defense wins championships. If you subscribe to that theory, then Stanford is well positioned to cut down the nets in Cleveland next month. The Cardinal\u2019s <a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Her Hoop Stats</a> defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions adjusted for strength of schedule) ranks No. 6 in the country. Brink, the Pac-12 player of the year and three-time Pac-12 defensive player of the year, is the main reason.<p><p>Brink leads Division I with 3.5 blocks per game, but that barely scratches the surface of her defensive impact. Stanford allows 21 fewer points per 100 possessions and opponents shoot 12.5 percentage points worse on shots at the rim when Brink is on the floor compared with when she is on the bench, per CBB Analytics. Brink transforms Stanford into a national championship contender when she is on the court, making it all the more important for her to avoid the foul trouble she has struggled with during her collegiate career.<p><p>No. 2 seed Stanford opens play Friday night against No. 15 seed Norfolk State.<p><h2>2. Paige Bueckers</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UY6XBB26NNUI5P67CXIFFGWEBY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Paige Bueckers is healthy and back in peak form for Connecticut this season. (Cloe Poisson/Hartford Courant/AP)</small></div><p>After injuries kept Bueckers out for much of the 2021-22 season and all of last year, the Connecticut guard\u2019s 2023-24 campaign has been reminiscent of her freshman season, when she was the consensus national player of the year. The two-time Big East player of the year led an injury-riddled Huskies squad to its 11th consecutive conference tournament championship this month.<p><p>Bueckers\u2019s ability to score at all three levels \u2014 at the rim, midrange and from beyond the arc \u2014 makes her a nightmare of a defensive assignment. It also makes her one of the most efficient high-volume shooters in the sport. Bueckers is the <a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/research/player_single_seasons/?division=1&amp;min_season=2010&amp;max_season=2024&amp;games=all&amp;pos_g=1&amp;pos_f=1&amp;pos_c=1&amp;min_experience=1&amp;max_experience=4&amp;criteria_type=values&amp;criteria0=fg_pct&amp;comp0=ge&amp;threshold0=0.5&amp;criteria1=fg3m_pct&amp;comp1=ge&amp;threshold1=0.4&amp;criteria2=ft_pct&amp;comp2=ge&amp;threshold2=0.8&amp;criteria3=fgm_per_game&amp;comp3=ge&amp;threshold3=5&amp;criteria4=fg3m_per_game&amp;comp4=ge&amp;threshold4=2&amp;criteria5=ftm_per_game&amp;comp5=ge&amp;threshold5=2.5&amp;criteria6=gp&amp;comp6=ge&amp;threshold6=20&amp;stats_to_show=per_game&amp;submit=true\" target=\"_blank\">only player in the past 15 years</a> with multiple seasons of shooting at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 80 percent from the free throw line.<p><p>No. 3 seed Connecticut opens play Saturday against No. 14 seed Jackson State.<p><h2>3. Caitlin Clark</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/L3UOZ5IU5L6MBRLPAUYQQAOWCU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Iowa guard Caitlin Clark is the biggest draw in college basketball this season. (Abbie Parr/AP)</small></div><p>The average price of Iowa tickets since Clark joined the program in 2020 is <a href=\"https://www.ncaa.org/news/2024/2/15/media-center-the-caitlin-clark-effect.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">up 224 percent, according to Vivid Seats</a>. All of Iowa\u2019s home and road games this season were sellouts. TV ratings go through the roof when Clark is involved. Fans simply can\u2019t get enough of the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/29/caitlin-clark-pete-maravich/\" target=\"_blank\">Hawkeyes star\u2019s unparalleled shot creation and range</a>.<p><p>Despite facing relentless defensive pressure all season, Clark has managed a nation-leading 31.9 points per contest on an efficient 1.24 points per scoring attempt, which ranks in the top 3 percent of Division I. A testament to Clark\u2019s elite shot creation is her 73 unassisted three-pointers this season. That\u2019s more than any NCAA <i>team</i> across all three divisions has made this season, according to CBB Analytics.<p><p>While her logo threes might be what captivate crowds, Clark\u2019s passing ability keeps defenses honest and has Iowa in the pantheon of the best offenses in NCAA history. The Hawkeyes average 92.8 points per game, which is on track to be the second most by a Division I team in 30 years. Clark leads the nation with 8.9 assists per game and is on track to finish among the nation\u2019s top two in that category in every season of her college career. Clark is responsible for 58 percent of her team\u2019s field goals through points and assists, the maestro of the Hawkeyes\u2019 potent offensive attack.<p><p>No. 1 seed Iowa opens play Saturday against either No. 16 seed Holy Cross or No. 16 seed Tennessee Martin.<p><h2>4. Hannah Hidalgo</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FUFCD7WZXOZPAYJ53NKRZGDUSA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo has made an immediate impact for Notre Dame. (Chuck Burton/AP)</small></div><p>Few freshmen in recent memory have adapted to the speed and physicality of the college game as quickly and successfully as Hidalgo. One of the country\u2019s best two-way players, Hidalgo has propelled Notre Dame to a season few saw coming. Her blend of quickness, superb dribble penetration and a knack for turning defense into offense has electrified crowds and led to ACC rookie of the year, ACC defensive player of the year and ACC tournament MVP honors. The 5-foot-6 phenom also led the Fighting Irish to a 26-6 record and the program\u2019s first ACC tournament title since 2019.<p><p>While Hidalgo\u2019s gaudy offensive numbers earn the most attention (she ranks third in the nation with 23 points per game), her efforts on the defensive end are arguably the most impressive part of her game. Hidalgo leads the nation with 4.7 steals per game and her 147 steals this season are already a Division I freshman record. Creating live-ball turnovers is an important part of Notre Dame\u2019s success \u2014 the Fighting Irish allowed an ACC-best 80.8 points per 100 possessions this season, and they have generated over 25 percent of their offense off turnovers, per CBB Analytics.<p><p>No. 2 seed Notre Dame opens play Saturday against Kent State.<p><h2>5. JuJu Watkins</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/E5MAMFC4XGDSEDGGKZABKEXCBY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">JuJu Watkins has more than lived up to the lofty expectations that have followed her during her first season at USC. (Candice Ward/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Watkins has put University of Southern California women\u2019s basketball back on the map. In a program that has seen Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, and Tina Thompson walk through its doors, Watkins has compiled arguably the most impressive freshman campaign in USC women\u2019s basketball history. As the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023, Watkins exceeded the lofty expectations that greeted her upon arriving on campus. She not only won Pac-12 freshman of the year honors, but she also led the Women of Troy to their first conference tournament title in a decade.<p><p>USC has tasked its star guard with shouldering a significant portion of the team\u2019s offensive load; her <a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/player/juju-watkins-stats-11ee7c3f-8585-0b48-b9ab-12df17ae4e1e/\" target=\"_blank\">usage rate of 43.5 percent leads all Division I players this season</a> and is the highest among freshmen over the past 15 seasons. Watkins has risen to the challenge. Her 27 points per game are second behind only Clark this season and are on track to be the most by a Division I freshman in nearly 40 years. On the defensive end, she is the <a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/research/player_single_seasons/?division=1&amp;min_season=2024&amp;max_season=2024&amp;games=all&amp;pos_g=1&amp;pos_f=1&amp;pos_c=1&amp;min_experience=1&amp;max_experience=4&amp;criteria_type=values&amp;criteria2=stl_per_game&amp;comp2=ge&amp;threshold2=2&amp;criteria3=blk_s_per_game&amp;comp3=ge&amp;threshold3=1.5&amp;stats_to_show=per_game&amp;submit=true\" target=\"_blank\">only player</a> averaging at least two steals and 1.5 blocks per outing.<p><p>No. 1 seed USC opens play Saturday against Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi.<p><p><i>Adam Vachon is a contributing writer for </i><a href=\"https://herhoopstats.com/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>herhoopstats.com</i></a><i>.</i><p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 14, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Joann files for bankruptcy as consumers pull back on non-essentials", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Joann files for bankruptcy as consumers pull back on non-essentials"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/joann-fabric-bankruptcy/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/joann-fabric-bankruptcy/", "summary": "2024-03-18T13:33:47.433Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/VCFKBVJYHFB5XFRPAZ6TXCC5O4/20240318-105177.772/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2PJKUIPE4Z6R5AMOYN576L4KY4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Joann, the arts and crafts retailer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday (AP Photo/Kristoffer Tripplaar/2017) (Tripplaar Kristoffer/Sipa/Sipa USA via AP)</small></div><p>Joann, long a destination for sewing and crafts enthusiasts, filed for bankruptcy Monday as consumers continue to scale back on nonessentials and amid growing competition from online rivals.<p><p>The company, which was founded in 1943, said it does not plan to shutter any of its 829 stores. The Hudson, Ohio-based chain said in a news release that it reached a deal to secure \u201capproximately $132 million in new financing and related financial accommodations and expects to reduce funded debt on its balance sheet by approximately $505 million.\u201d<p><p>Joann will become a private company after it completes the bankruptcy process, which could occur as early as next month.<p><p>Scott Sekella, Joann\u2019s chief financial officer, said the \u201cagreement is a significant step forward in addressing Joann\u2019s capital structure needs, and it will provide us with the financial resources and flexibility necessary to continue to deliver best-in-class product assortments and enhance the customer experience wherever they are shopping with us.\u201d<p><p>Though Joann is still a force to be reckoned in the fabrics and textiles space, \u201cit has lost custom to rivals over recent years,\u201d said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData. \u201cWeakening store standards and declining customer service levels, partly because of staffing cuts, have made stores less desirable. And a desire for lower prices has driven some shoppers to alternatives like Hobby Lobby.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T13:33:47.433Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/VCFKBVJYHFB5XFRPAZ6TXCC5O4/20240318-105177.772/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2PJKUIPE4Z6R5AMOYN576L4KY4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Joann, the arts and crafts retailer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday (AP Photo/Kristoffer Tripplaar/2017) (Tripplaar Kristoffer/Sipa/Sipa USA via AP)</small></div><p>Joann, long a destination for sewing and crafts enthusiasts, filed for bankruptcy Monday as consumers continue to scale back on nonessentials and amid growing competition from online rivals.<p><p>The company, which was founded in 1943, said it does not plan to shutter any of its 829 stores. The Hudson, Ohio-based chain said in a news release that it reached a deal to secure \u201capproximately $132 million in new financing and related financial accommodations and expects to reduce funded debt on its balance sheet by approximately $505 million.\u201d<p><p>Joann will become a private company after it completes the bankruptcy process, which could occur as early as next month.<p><p>Scott Sekella, Joann\u2019s chief financial officer, said the \u201cagreement is a significant step forward in addressing Joann\u2019s capital structure needs, and it will provide us with the financial resources and flexibility necessary to continue to deliver best-in-class product assortments and enhance the customer experience wherever they are shopping with us.\u201d<p><p>Though Joann is still a force to be reckoned in the fabrics and textiles space, \u201cit has lost custom to rivals over recent years,\u201d said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData. \u201cWeakening store standards and declining customer service levels, partly because of staffing cuts, have made stores less desirable. And a desire for lower prices has driven some shoppers to alternatives like Hobby Lobby.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 14, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "How Biden became embroiled in a Gaza conflict with no end in sight", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "How Biden became embroiled in a Gaza conflict with no end in sight"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/biden-israel-gaza-rafah-palestinians/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/biden-israel-gaza-rafah-palestinians/", "summary": "2024-03-08T18:13:55.641Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/HBYNDH34AREQXBPEEZ2NVD75RI/20240318-104728.285/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/The_Washington_Post/20240311/65ef8be96bfe9200888b4225/65ef8bf0b711eb5ff5a10dc3/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>On Oct. 27, three weeks into Israel\u2019s punishing counterattack in Gaza, top Biden officials privately told a small group assembled at the White House what they would not say in public: Israel was regularly bombing buildings without solid intelligence that they were legitimate military targets.<p><p>The group \u2014 top foreign policy officials from the Biden administration and previous ones \u2014 also discussed the apparent lack of an Israeli plan for defeating Hamas despite repeated U.S. prodding, according to three people familiar with the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private exchange.<p><p>\u201cWe never had a clear sense that the Israelis had a definable and achievable military objective,\u201d said one of those familiar with the meeting. \u201cFrom the very beginning, there\u2019s been a sense of us not knowing how the Israelis were going to do what they said they were going to do.\u201d<p><p>Publicly, however, the Biden administration was providing Israel unfettered support in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks, when Hamas militants murdered 1,200 people and took about 250 others hostage. On the same day as the private meeting, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the U.S. was imposing no \u201cred lines\u201d on Israel\u2019s military campaign.<p><p>The previously unreported meeting shows that discrepancies were emerging far earlier than publicly known between the Biden team\u2019s internal doubts about Israel\u2019s conduct and its ironclad external support. At nearly every turn, President Biden and his aides defended the Jewish state, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defied the U.S. on everything from protecting civilians to allowing aid delivery to accepting a Palestinian state.<p><p>The Israeli Embassy in Washington denied claims that Israel Defense Forces hit targets with insufficient intelligence, saying the IDF is committed to \u201cinternational law\u201d and \u201capplies a thorough legal process in the selection of targets and invests significant resources to minimize harm to civilians.\u201d<p><p>This article, based on interviews with 20 administration officials and outside advisers, examines how Biden, more than five months after the Oct. 7 attacks, has found himself deeply entangled in a war he does not want and that threatens to become a defining element of his tenure. His allies privately acknowledge that it has done him significant damage domestically and globally and could easily become his biggest foreign policy cataclysm.<p><p>Biden\u2019s strategy from the outset rested on a central trade-off: that if he showed Israel unequivocal, even defiant, support early on, he could ultimately influence its conduct of the war. Some administration officials now concede the strategy is heading toward failure, and in private talks, they voice a striking frustration and uncertainty about how the war will end.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/R6EGTANLFSSJSDXVMS5T63FWQY.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">President Biden attends a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Tel Aviv in October. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)</small></div><p>Biden officials argue that they have influenced Israel at key moments. They say they persuaded Israel to reduce the number of troops in Gaza, to allow in a limited amount of aid and to refrain from attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon. They note that the average daily death toll in Gaza has dropped below 100 in recent weeks, even while saying it remains unacceptably high; experts say the war is among the deadliest and most destructive in modern history.<p><p>Israel argues that a high proportion of those killed have been Hamas militants or allies. The Israeli Embassy said the Netanyahu government has been \u201cvery attentive to U.S<i>.</i> concerns and insights\u201d and that a thorough analysis of casualties \u201cwould show a ratio between terrorists and civilians unparalleled by any army fighting terrorists in modern history.\u201d<p><p>Biden, who has been criticizing Israel more sharply in recent weeks, now faces a potentially decisive moment. Netanyahu has declared his intent to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, a move that Kirby has said would be a \u201cdisaster\u201d and Biden told MSNBC would cross a \u201cred line\u201d if Israel does not adopt a credible plan to protect civilians. Yet Israel has signaled its determination to push ahead.<p><p>Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said he agreed with Biden\u2019s decision to fly to Israel immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks to demonstrate U.S. support, but that at this point Netanyahu\u2019s ability to rebuff the United States with impunity has made America look weak.<p><p>\u201cI supported the president\u2019s decision to go to Israel, in that moment of trauma, to let the Israeli people know the United States stood with them. But the strategy beyond that, which was this constant private jawboning of Netanyahu, has produced very few meaningful results,\u201d Van Hollen said in an interview. \u201cThere have been some incremental changes, but the gap between what the president has called on the Netanyahu government to do and what they\u2019ve actually delivered is huge. It\u2019s a chasm.\u201d<p><p>If Netanyahu moves on Rafah without consequences, Van Hollen said, the United States will look \u201cfeckless.\u201d He added, \u201cIt\u2019s good to see the president\u2019s tougher comments. But the question will be whether the president uses the leverage he has to demand accountability and enforce his requests.\u201d<p><h2>A deadly raid on a hospital</h2><p>Biden, who has a long-standing and visceral attachment to Israel, responded with unusual emotion in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks. Noting that Oct. 7 was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, he vocally supported Israel\u2019s right to take hard-hitting action to destroy Hamas.<p><p>Still, even in those early days, he urged the Israelis to show restraint. Flying to Tel Aviv in mid-October, Biden and his aides wrote a speech on Air Force One <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/10/18/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-october-7th-terrorist-attacks-and-the-resilience-of-the-state-of-israel-and-its-people-tel-aviv-israel/\" target=\"_blank\">seeking to balance</a> empathy with warnings against blind revenge. \u201cWhile you feel that rage, don\u2019t be consumed by it,\u201d Biden cautioned. \u201cAfter 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.\u201d<p><p>But Netanyahu, in they eyes of human rights activists and many foreign leaders, showed little restraint. Israel\u2019s sweeping bombardment of Gaza, combined with its sharp limits on aid, has resulted in catastrophic conditions. Military strikes have killed more than 31,000 Palestinians in the enclave of 2.3 million, according to the Gaza Health Ministry; meanwhile, the United Nations says children have begun dying of hunger amid the risk of a severe famine.<p><p>Biden and his aides declared unflinching support, but other Democrats began growing more upset as the bombing unfolded. On the day Kirby said there were no red lines for Israel, Van Hollen fired off a text to national security adviser Jake Sullivan calling the comment \u201coutrageous.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6TPKDGOOKNJ7UD25EZWUPYHUZA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A paramedic carrying a young child with injuries arrives at al-Shifa hospital on Oct. 12, 2023. (Loay Ayyoub for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>White House officials say that privately, they were repeatedly urging Israel to rein in its onslaught. But when those conversations yielded little result, U.S. officials offered few public rebukes and no evident consequences.<p><p>As the weeks went on, the calculus of Israel and the U.S. appeared to diverge. In early November, Israel <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/31/jabalya-refugee-camp-deaths-strikes-israel/\" target=\"_blank\">bombed the densely packed Jabalya refugee camp</a> several times, saying it had eliminated a senior Hamas commander, Ibrahim Biari, but dozens of civilians were also killed. \u201cThat was the first time that everybody was focusing on the size of the bombs Israel was dropping and how little they seemed to care,\u201d one White House ally said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.<p><p>Israel and its allies reject the notion that they do not care about innocents. The killing of civilians at Jabalya was the \u201cunintended, tragic consequence of Hamas\u2019s systematic embedding of terror infrastructure within a civilian population,\u201d the Israeli Embassy said in a statement. \u201cThe structure that was hit in the strike collapsed largely due to the Hamas terror tunnel network that was built underneath it, which also led to the collapse of several other buildings in the vicinity, the killing of Ibrahim Biari and his terrorist subordinates, as well as some civilian casualties.\u201d<p><p>But Israel\u2019s conduct of its military campaign was increasingly prompting skepticism in the U.S. In early November, Israel began warning that al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza\u2019s largest, where thousands of civilians were sheltering, was being used by Hamas as a major command center.<p><p>That prompted a vigorous debate among Biden officials over whether to publicly support Israel\u2019s claim, according to three senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose internal discussions. Some worried that Israel would see such a statement as a green light to raid the hospital, while others wanted to use the information to show the public how Hamas embedded itself among civilians to underline the complexities Israel faced.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/HALZAQHO7FEYJBOTWED3XYOME4.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks at the airport after arriving in Amman, Jordan, from Israel on Nov. 3, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)</small></div><p>On Nov. 14, the White House decided to publicly back Israel on the matter. \u201cWe have information that confirms that Hamas is using that particular hospital for a command-and-control mode,\u201d Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One, citing declassified intelligence. \u201cThat is a war crime.\u201d<p><p>Kirby added that the White House did not \u201cwant to see a firefight in the hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people are simply trying to get the medical care that they deserve.\u201d<p><p>Hours later, the IDF began its<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/15/israel-shifa-hospital-gaza-hamas/\" target=\"_blank\"> raid of al-Shifa</a>, drawing condemnation from the World Health Organization and human rights groups. The hospital\u2019s operations collapsed, resulting in the death of least 40 patients, including four premature babies, according to the United Nations.<p><p>Van Hollen, who had received a classified briefing about the U.S. intelligence on al-Shifa, said there were \u201cimportant and subtle differences\u201d between what Biden officials were saying publicly and what the intelligence actually showed. \u201cI did find there to be some disconnect between the administration\u2019s public statements and the classified findings,\u201d the senator said.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine/\" target=\"_blank\">Israel again raided al-Shifa on Monday,</a> citing Israeli intelligence that the complex was being used by senior Hamas militants; the Gaza Health Ministry <a href=\"https://t.me/MOHMediaGaza/5193\" target=\"_blank\">said</a> communications were cut and reported people killed or injured.<p><p>Van Hollen, along with more than a dozen other Democratic senators, met with Sullivan in late November to express their concerns and urge the administration to do more to rein in Israel.<p><p>About the same time, the State Department hosted a screening by the Israeli embassy of a video of Hamas\u2019s atrocities on Oct. 7. Some department employees said they were unhappy at the lack of a similar display of the carnage from Israeli airstrikes. But if they did not attend the screening, they said, they worried they would be viewed skeptically inside the department.<p><p>A U.S. official defended the showing of the video, saying it was for a small group \u201cacross the interagency who work on Middle East issues to watch it and get briefed on its contents by the Israeli government.\u201d<p><h2>A Biden statement ignites months of anger</h2><p>At the end of November, White House officials thought they saw an opportunity to significantly change the course of the war. The U.S. helped broker a week-long pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas that included the<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/28/israel-hamas-hostages-release-families/\" target=\"_blank\"> release of more than 100 hostages</a>, and during that break, Americans tried to persuade Israel to make targeted raids that would minimize civilian casualties.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/E7BOX5RORQNHFKBTLEXJ22DO2Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">People gather in Tel Aviv on Nov. 25, 2023, as they wait for news of the release of a group of hostages. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>But when the pause ended on Dec. 1, Israel began attacking the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where many Palestinians had fled, with little evidence of a more targeted approach. The White House praised some Israeli moves, such as its distribution of a map of the areas it planned to target.<p><p>As the new year began, the administration\u2019s patience with Netanyahu was wearing thin, as officials increasingly concluded he was prioritizing his own political survival. That included loudly standing up to Biden to appease far-right members of his government, they believed \u2014 for example by flatly rejecting a Palestinian state shortly after Biden called for one.<p><p>\u201cBibi\u2019s approach to disagreements in the past has been something along the lines of, \u2018Let\u2019s not and say we might.\u2019 In this case, he stopped even pretending or obfuscating,\u201d said Frank Lowenstein, a former State Department official who helped lead Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in 2014. \u201cHe just went out and announced the exact opposite of what we asked them to do.\u201d<p><p>Then, on Jan. 14, Biden <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/14/statement-from-president-joe-biden-marking-100-days-of-captivity-for-hostages-in-gaza/\" target=\"_blank\">issued a statement</a> that ignited months of anger toward his handling of Gaza.<p><p>The statement expressed sympathy and sadness on the 100th day of captivity for the more than 100 Israeli hostages who remained in Gaza. But it was silent on the Palestinian death toll, which had surpassed 20,000 by that time.<p><p>Prominent Arab Americans and Muslims, as well as progressive activists, lambasted the statement as one-sided and tone-deaf, and it was repeatedly cited by Arab Americans and Muslims as evidence of the White House\u2019s callousness toward Palestinians.<p><p>One senior administration official said the statement was in response to a request from families of the hostages who wanted to ensure they were not forgotten and was not meant as a statement about the entirety of the war. Two days later, Kirby cited \u201cheartbreaking and painful\u201d images coming out of Gaza.<p><p>But across the federal government, the president\u2019s continued embrace of Israel more than three months into the war was increasingly causing strain.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2O67QQ2DWJ43YM7DLUXDTR7OXY.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Demonstrators protest outside of the White House following a pro-Palestinian rally in support of a cease-fire in the war between Gaza and Israel on Jan. 13. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>At the U.S. Agency for International Development, where employees had already <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/01/31/samantha-power-usaid-confronted-gaza/\" target=\"_blank\">questioned</a> administrator Samantha Power\u2019s commitment to the humanitarian principles she heralded as a scholar, the protest spread. In January, more than 100 USAID workers sent a letter to Atul Gawande, an acclaimed former New Yorker staff writer and surgeon who holds a senior position in charge of global health.<p><p>\u201cWe implore you,\u201d the authors wrote, as a \u201cpublic health leader who has dedicated his entire career to saving lives, to take more direct action to prevent further unjust harm and suffering amongst the civilian population of Gaza.\u201d<p><p>Gawande responded that he could not speak out publicly but acknowledged that efforts to protect civilians \u201chave not been sufficient by any means.\u201d He would use \u201cinternal channels to advocate for policy directions,\u201d he said.<p><p>The Israeli Embassy denied blocking aid to Gaza, saying the government \u201cis making significant efforts to ramp up humanitarian assistance into Gaza from land, air and sea,\u201d a point contested by the United Nations and numerous aid groups who have decried the lack of food, water and medicine in the enclave.<p><p>The Biden administration began taking modest steps at this point to distance itself from Netanyahu, though they often involved Israel\u2019s handling of the West Bank, where Jewish settlers have attacked unarmed Palestinians and the government has approved thousands of new settlements, rather than Gaza.<p><p>At the same time, the Biden administration has <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/06/us-weapons-israel-gaza/\" target=\"_blank\">approved</a> more than 100 weapons sales to Israel since Oct. 7.<p><h2>A political backlash takes shape</h2><p>By early February, Biden\u2019s support of Israel\u2019s onslaught was clearly having political consequences. A group of Arab American elected officials in Michigan had refused to meet with the president\u2019s campaign manager, and a nascent effort was underway to mount a protest during Michigan\u2019s Feb. 27 Democratic primary.<p><p>Biden dispatched a handful of aides \u2014 including Power and deputy national security adviser Jon Finer \u2014 to meet with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan. The meetings in Dearborn, which is majority Arab American, were emotional, as community leaders told the aides they felt betrayed and dehumanized by the president\u2019s response, according to two people familiar with the meetings.<p><p>White House officials say they realized after the meetings that they needed to speak more forcefully about Palestinian suffering, two senior officials said. Biden soon began using casualty figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, which he had earlier dismissed as untrustworthy, and spoke about starvation and civilian deaths in the enclave.<p><p>\u201cThey seem to have calculated that the war would end quickly and any opposition from progressives, youth and Arab Americans would blow over without any lasting impact,\u201d said Martin Indyk, who represented the U.S. in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks under President Barack Obama and is now a Lowy Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.<p><p>But as the Michigan primary approached, he said, \u201cthey realized they had a problem in Michigan, and if they didn\u2019t deal with it, they could lose the state and therefore the presidential election.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4BSE7RTFXHVHYXEOWF4L67NVQM.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">On the same day administration officials met with Palestinians in Michigan, Biden issued a memorandum calling for the State Department to obtain written assurances from countries receiving U.S. weapons that they will abide by international law (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>On the same day as the Michigan meetings, the White House took another step that Van Hollen and other Democrats had long been pushing. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/08/biden-memo-weapons-international-law/\" target=\"_blank\">Biden issued a memorandum</a> calling for the State Department to obtain written assurances from countries receiving U.S. weapons that they would abide by international law, including facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance.<p><p>The pace of events surrounding the Israel-Gaza war has only quickened in recent days. More than 100 people died when desperate Gazans <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/29/israel-gaza-aid-convoy-toll-hunger/\" target=\"_blank\">rushed an aid convoy in late February</a>, creating a stampede and prompting deadly gunfire from Israeli soldiers. Some in the White House saw it as the most dramatic evidence so far of Israel\u2019s failure to safeguard civilians.<p><p>The U.S. intelligence community recently released a skeptical assessment of Netanyahu\u2019s plummeting public support in Israel. \u201cDistrust of Netanyahu\u2019s ability to rule has deepened and broadened across the public from its already high levels before the war, and we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections,\u201d read the report, adding that his \u201cviability as a leader\u201d is in \u201cjeopardy.\u201d<p><p>Netanyahu\u2019s government hit back angrily, as it did when Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S. and a lifetime ally of Israel, last week <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/14/israel-elections-netanyahu-charles-schumer/\" target=\"_blank\">called for new elections in Israel</a> in a scathing speech about Netanyahu\u2019s leadership.<p><p>Israelis, Schumer said, understand \u201cbetter than anybody that Israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah opposed by the rest of the world.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-08T18:13:55.641Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/HBYNDH34AREQXBPEEZ2NVD75RI/20240318-104728.285/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/The_Washington_Post/20240311/65ef8be96bfe9200888b4225/65ef8bf0b711eb5ff5a10dc3/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>On Oct. 27, three weeks into Israel\u2019s punishing counterattack in Gaza, top Biden officials privately told a small group assembled at the White House what they would not say in public: Israel was regularly bombing buildings without solid intelligence that they were legitimate military targets.<p><p>The group \u2014 top foreign policy officials from the Biden administration and previous ones \u2014 also discussed the apparent lack of an Israeli plan for defeating Hamas despite repeated U.S. prodding, according to three people familiar with the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private exchange.<p><p>\u201cWe never had a clear sense that the Israelis had a definable and achievable military objective,\u201d said one of those familiar with the meeting. \u201cFrom the very beginning, there\u2019s been a sense of us not knowing how the Israelis were going to do what they said they were going to do.\u201d<p><p>Publicly, however, the Biden administration was providing Israel unfettered support in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks, when Hamas militants murdered 1,200 people and took about 250 others hostage. On the same day as the private meeting, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the U.S. was imposing no \u201cred lines\u201d on Israel\u2019s military campaign.<p><p>The previously unreported meeting shows that discrepancies were emerging far earlier than publicly known between the Biden team\u2019s internal doubts about Israel\u2019s conduct and its ironclad external support. At nearly every turn, President Biden and his aides defended the Jewish state, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defied the U.S. on everything from protecting civilians to allowing aid delivery to accepting a Palestinian state.<p><p>The Israeli Embassy in Washington denied claims that Israel Defense Forces hit targets with insufficient intelligence, saying the IDF is committed to \u201cinternational law\u201d and \u201capplies a thorough legal process in the selection of targets and invests significant resources to minimize harm to civilians.\u201d<p><p>This article, based on interviews with 20 administration officials and outside advisers, examines how Biden, more than five months after the Oct. 7 attacks, has found himself deeply entangled in a war he does not want and that threatens to become a defining element of his tenure. His allies privately acknowledge that it has done him significant damage domestically and globally and could easily become his biggest foreign policy cataclysm.<p><p>Biden\u2019s strategy from the outset rested on a central trade-off: that if he showed Israel unequivocal, even defiant, support early on, he could ultimately influence its conduct of the war. Some administration officials now concede the strategy is heading toward failure, and in private talks, they voice a striking frustration and uncertainty about how the war will end.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/R6EGTANLFSSJSDXVMS5T63FWQY.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">President Biden attends a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Tel Aviv in October. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)</small></div><p>Biden officials argue that they have influenced Israel at key moments. They say they persuaded Israel to reduce the number of troops in Gaza, to allow in a limited amount of aid and to refrain from attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon. They note that the average daily death toll in Gaza has dropped below 100 in recent weeks, even while saying it remains unacceptably high; experts say the war is among the deadliest and most destructive in modern history.<p><p>Israel argues that a high proportion of those killed have been Hamas militants or allies. The Israeli Embassy said the Netanyahu government has been \u201cvery attentive to U.S<i>.</i> concerns and insights\u201d and that a thorough analysis of casualties \u201cwould show a ratio between terrorists and civilians unparalleled by any army fighting terrorists in modern history.\u201d<p><p>Biden, who has been criticizing Israel more sharply in recent weeks, now faces a potentially decisive moment. Netanyahu has declared his intent to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, a move that Kirby has said would be a \u201cdisaster\u201d and Biden told MSNBC would cross a \u201cred line\u201d if Israel does not adopt a credible plan to protect civilians. Yet Israel has signaled its determination to push ahead.<p><p>Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said he agreed with Biden\u2019s decision to fly to Israel immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks to demonstrate U.S. support, but that at this point Netanyahu\u2019s ability to rebuff the United States with impunity has made America look weak.<p><p>\u201cI supported the president\u2019s decision to go to Israel, in that moment of trauma, to let the Israeli people know the United States stood with them. But the strategy beyond that, which was this constant private jawboning of Netanyahu, has produced very few meaningful results,\u201d Van Hollen said in an interview. \u201cThere have been some incremental changes, but the gap between what the president has called on the Netanyahu government to do and what they\u2019ve actually delivered is huge. It\u2019s a chasm.\u201d<p><p>If Netanyahu moves on Rafah without consequences, Van Hollen said, the United States will look \u201cfeckless.\u201d He added, \u201cIt\u2019s good to see the president\u2019s tougher comments. But the question will be whether the president uses the leverage he has to demand accountability and enforce his requests.\u201d<p><h2>A deadly raid on a hospital</h2><p>Biden, who has a long-standing and visceral attachment to Israel, responded with unusual emotion in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks. Noting that Oct. 7 was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, he vocally supported Israel\u2019s right to take hard-hitting action to destroy Hamas.<p><p>Still, even in those early days, he urged the Israelis to show restraint. Flying to Tel Aviv in mid-October, Biden and his aides wrote a speech on Air Force One <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/10/18/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-october-7th-terrorist-attacks-and-the-resilience-of-the-state-of-israel-and-its-people-tel-aviv-israel/\" target=\"_blank\">seeking to balance</a> empathy with warnings against blind revenge. \u201cWhile you feel that rage, don\u2019t be consumed by it,\u201d Biden cautioned. \u201cAfter 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.\u201d<p><p>But Netanyahu, in they eyes of human rights activists and many foreign leaders, showed little restraint. Israel\u2019s sweeping bombardment of Gaza, combined with its sharp limits on aid, has resulted in catastrophic conditions. Military strikes have killed more than 31,000 Palestinians in the enclave of 2.3 million, according to the Gaza Health Ministry; meanwhile, the United Nations says children have begun dying of hunger amid the risk of a severe famine.<p><p>Biden and his aides declared unflinching support, but other Democrats began growing more upset as the bombing unfolded. On the day Kirby said there were no red lines for Israel, Van Hollen fired off a text to national security adviser Jake Sullivan calling the comment \u201coutrageous.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6TPKDGOOKNJ7UD25EZWUPYHUZA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A paramedic carrying a young child with injuries arrives at al-Shifa hospital on Oct. 12, 2023. (Loay Ayyoub for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>White House officials say that privately, they were repeatedly urging Israel to rein in its onslaught. But when those conversations yielded little result, U.S. officials offered few public rebukes and no evident consequences.<p><p>As the weeks went on, the calculus of Israel and the U.S. appeared to diverge. In early November, Israel <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/31/jabalya-refugee-camp-deaths-strikes-israel/\" target=\"_blank\">bombed the densely packed Jabalya refugee camp</a> several times, saying it had eliminated a senior Hamas commander, Ibrahim Biari, but dozens of civilians were also killed. \u201cThat was the first time that everybody was focusing on the size of the bombs Israel was dropping and how little they seemed to care,\u201d one White House ally said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.<p><p>Israel and its allies reject the notion that they do not care about innocents. The killing of civilians at Jabalya was the \u201cunintended, tragic consequence of Hamas\u2019s systematic embedding of terror infrastructure within a civilian population,\u201d the Israeli Embassy said in a statement. \u201cThe structure that was hit in the strike collapsed largely due to the Hamas terror tunnel network that was built underneath it, which also led to the collapse of several other buildings in the vicinity, the killing of Ibrahim Biari and his terrorist subordinates, as well as some civilian casualties.\u201d<p><p>But Israel\u2019s conduct of its military campaign was increasingly prompting skepticism in the U.S. In early November, Israel began warning that al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza\u2019s largest, where thousands of civilians were sheltering, was being used by Hamas as a major command center.<p><p>That prompted a vigorous debate among Biden officials over whether to publicly support Israel\u2019s claim, according to three senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose internal discussions. Some worried that Israel would see such a statement as a green light to raid the hospital, while others wanted to use the information to show the public how Hamas embedded itself among civilians to underline the complexities Israel faced.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/HALZAQHO7FEYJBOTWED3XYOME4.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks at the airport after arriving in Amman, Jordan, from Israel on Nov. 3, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)</small></div><p>On Nov. 14, the White House decided to publicly back Israel on the matter. \u201cWe have information that confirms that Hamas is using that particular hospital for a command-and-control mode,\u201d Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One, citing declassified intelligence. \u201cThat is a war crime.\u201d<p><p>Kirby added that the White House did not \u201cwant to see a firefight in the hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people are simply trying to get the medical care that they deserve.\u201d<p><p>Hours later, the IDF began its<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/15/israel-shifa-hospital-gaza-hamas/\" target=\"_blank\"> raid of al-Shifa</a>, drawing condemnation from the World Health Organization and human rights groups. The hospital\u2019s operations collapsed, resulting in the death of least 40 patients, including four premature babies, according to the United Nations.<p><p>Van Hollen, who had received a classified briefing about the U.S. intelligence on al-Shifa, said there were \u201cimportant and subtle differences\u201d between what Biden officials were saying publicly and what the intelligence actually showed. \u201cI did find there to be some disconnect between the administration\u2019s public statements and the classified findings,\u201d the senator said.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine/\" target=\"_blank\">Israel again raided al-Shifa on Monday,</a> citing Israeli intelligence that the complex was being used by senior Hamas militants; the Gaza Health Ministry <a href=\"https://t.me/MOHMediaGaza/5193\" target=\"_blank\">said</a> communications were cut and reported people killed or injured.<p><p>Van Hollen, along with more than a dozen other Democratic senators, met with Sullivan in late November to express their concerns and urge the administration to do more to rein in Israel.<p><p>About the same time, the State Department hosted a screening by the Israeli embassy of a video of Hamas\u2019s atrocities on Oct. 7. Some department employees said they were unhappy at the lack of a similar display of the carnage from Israeli airstrikes. But if they did not attend the screening, they said, they worried they would be viewed skeptically inside the department.<p><p>A U.S. official defended the showing of the video, saying it was for a small group \u201cacross the interagency who work on Middle East issues to watch it and get briefed on its contents by the Israeli government.\u201d<p><h2>A Biden statement ignites months of anger</h2><p>At the end of November, White House officials thought they saw an opportunity to significantly change the course of the war. The U.S. helped broker a week-long pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas that included the<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/28/israel-hamas-hostages-release-families/\" target=\"_blank\"> release of more than 100 hostages</a>, and during that break, Americans tried to persuade Israel to make targeted raids that would minimize civilian casualties.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/E7BOX5RORQNHFKBTLEXJ22DO2Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">People gather in Tel Aviv on Nov. 25, 2023, as they wait for news of the release of a group of hostages. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>But when the pause ended on Dec. 1, Israel began attacking the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where many Palestinians had fled, with little evidence of a more targeted approach. The White House praised some Israeli moves, such as its distribution of a map of the areas it planned to target.<p><p>As the new year began, the administration\u2019s patience with Netanyahu was wearing thin, as officials increasingly concluded he was prioritizing his own political survival. That included loudly standing up to Biden to appease far-right members of his government, they believed \u2014 for example by flatly rejecting a Palestinian state shortly after Biden called for one.<p><p>\u201cBibi\u2019s approach to disagreements in the past has been something along the lines of, \u2018Let\u2019s not and say we might.\u2019 In this case, he stopped even pretending or obfuscating,\u201d said Frank Lowenstein, a former State Department official who helped lead Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in 2014. \u201cHe just went out and announced the exact opposite of what we asked them to do.\u201d<p><p>Then, on Jan. 14, Biden <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/14/statement-from-president-joe-biden-marking-100-days-of-captivity-for-hostages-in-gaza/\" target=\"_blank\">issued a statement</a> that ignited months of anger toward his handling of Gaza.<p><p>The statement expressed sympathy and sadness on the 100th day of captivity for the more than 100 Israeli hostages who remained in Gaza. But it was silent on the Palestinian death toll, which had surpassed 20,000 by that time.<p><p>Prominent Arab Americans and Muslims, as well as progressive activists, lambasted the statement as one-sided and tone-deaf, and it was repeatedly cited by Arab Americans and Muslims as evidence of the White House\u2019s callousness toward Palestinians.<p><p>One senior administration official said the statement was in response to a request from families of the hostages who wanted to ensure they were not forgotten and was not meant as a statement about the entirety of the war. Two days later, Kirby cited \u201cheartbreaking and painful\u201d images coming out of Gaza.<p><p>But across the federal government, the president\u2019s continued embrace of Israel more than three months into the war was increasingly causing strain.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2O67QQ2DWJ43YM7DLUXDTR7OXY.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Demonstrators protest outside of the White House following a pro-Palestinian rally in support of a cease-fire in the war between Gaza and Israel on Jan. 13. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>At the U.S. Agency for International Development, where employees had already <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/01/31/samantha-power-usaid-confronted-gaza/\" target=\"_blank\">questioned</a> administrator Samantha Power\u2019s commitment to the humanitarian principles she heralded as a scholar, the protest spread. In January, more than 100 USAID workers sent a letter to Atul Gawande, an acclaimed former New Yorker staff writer and surgeon who holds a senior position in charge of global health.<p><p>\u201cWe implore you,\u201d the authors wrote, as a \u201cpublic health leader who has dedicated his entire career to saving lives, to take more direct action to prevent further unjust harm and suffering amongst the civilian population of Gaza.\u201d<p><p>Gawande responded that he could not speak out publicly but acknowledged that efforts to protect civilians \u201chave not been sufficient by any means.\u201d He would use \u201cinternal channels to advocate for policy directions,\u201d he said.<p><p>The Israeli Embassy denied blocking aid to Gaza, saying the government \u201cis making significant efforts to ramp up humanitarian assistance into Gaza from land, air and sea,\u201d a point contested by the United Nations and numerous aid groups who have decried the lack of food, water and medicine in the enclave.<p><p>The Biden administration began taking modest steps at this point to distance itself from Netanyahu, though they often involved Israel\u2019s handling of the West Bank, where Jewish settlers have attacked unarmed Palestinians and the government has approved thousands of new settlements, rather than Gaza.<p><p>At the same time, the Biden administration has <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/06/us-weapons-israel-gaza/\" target=\"_blank\">approved</a> more than 100 weapons sales to Israel since Oct. 7.<p><h2>A political backlash takes shape</h2><p>By early February, Biden\u2019s support of Israel\u2019s onslaught was clearly having political consequences. A group of Arab American elected officials in Michigan had refused to meet with the president\u2019s campaign manager, and a nascent effort was underway to mount a protest during Michigan\u2019s Feb. 27 Democratic primary.<p><p>Biden dispatched a handful of aides \u2014 including Power and deputy national security adviser Jon Finer \u2014 to meet with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan. The meetings in Dearborn, which is majority Arab American, were emotional, as community leaders told the aides they felt betrayed and dehumanized by the president\u2019s response, according to two people familiar with the meetings.<p><p>White House officials say they realized after the meetings that they needed to speak more forcefully about Palestinian suffering, two senior officials said. Biden soon began using casualty figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, which he had earlier dismissed as untrustworthy, and spoke about starvation and civilian deaths in the enclave.<p><p>\u201cThey seem to have calculated that the war would end quickly and any opposition from progressives, youth and Arab Americans would blow over without any lasting impact,\u201d said Martin Indyk, who represented the U.S. in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks under President Barack Obama and is now a Lowy Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.<p><p>But as the Michigan primary approached, he said, \u201cthey realized they had a problem in Michigan, and if they didn\u2019t deal with it, they could lose the state and therefore the presidential election.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4BSE7RTFXHVHYXEOWF4L67NVQM.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">On the same day administration officials met with Palestinians in Michigan, Biden issued a memorandum calling for the State Department to obtain written assurances from countries receiving U.S. weapons that they will abide by international law (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>On the same day as the Michigan meetings, the White House took another step that Van Hollen and other Democrats had long been pushing. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/08/biden-memo-weapons-international-law/\" target=\"_blank\">Biden issued a memorandum</a> calling for the State Department to obtain written assurances from countries receiving U.S. weapons that they would abide by international law, including facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance.<p><p>The pace of events surrounding the Israel-Gaza war has only quickened in recent days. More than 100 people died when desperate Gazans <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/29/israel-gaza-aid-convoy-toll-hunger/\" target=\"_blank\">rushed an aid convoy in late February</a>, creating a stampede and prompting deadly gunfire from Israeli soldiers. Some in the White House saw it as the most dramatic evidence so far of Israel\u2019s failure to safeguard civilians.<p><p>The U.S. intelligence community recently released a skeptical assessment of Netanyahu\u2019s plummeting public support in Israel. \u201cDistrust of Netanyahu\u2019s ability to rule has deepened and broadened across the public from its already high levels before the war, and we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections,\u201d read the report, adding that his \u201cviability as a leader\u201d is in \u201cjeopardy.\u201d<p><p>Netanyahu\u2019s government hit back angrily, as it did when Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S. and a lifetime ally of Israel, last week <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/14/israel-elections-netanyahu-charles-schumer/\" target=\"_blank\">called for new elections in Israel</a> in a scathing speech about Netanyahu\u2019s leadership.<p><p>Israelis, Schumer said, understand \u201cbetter than anybody that Israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah opposed by the rest of the world.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:54:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 14, 54, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Volkswagen workers in Tennessee file petition to hold unionization vote", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Volkswagen workers in Tennessee file petition to hold unionization vote"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/vw-uaw-tennessee-nlrb/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/vw-uaw-tennessee-nlrb/", "summary": "2024-03-18T13:09:46.074Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/OMU3IN7ACRFO3G7JBOU74ORXIA/20240318-101042.423/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7XIRAFIZ657XS44EB33FXM5G6E.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Nov. 4, 2015. (Tami Chappell/Reuters) </small></div><p>Volkswagen workers in Tennessee took a major step toward becoming the first big auto factory in the South to unionize by asking federal authorities to hold a factory-wide vote on joining the United Auto Workers.<p><p>Workers at the factory in Chattanooga, Tenn., filed a petition Monday with the National Labor Relations Board requesting an election to join the union, becoming the first of the UAW\u2019s Southern targets to reach that milestone.<p><p>The UAW is targeting U.S. factories of a dozen companies, including Tesla, Honda and Toyota, in a push to expand its reach beyond its Midwestern stronghold.<p><p>For decades the UAW\u2019s main autoworker members have come from Detroit\u2019s Big Three manufacturers \u2014 Ford, General Motors and Jeep-maker Stellantis. The union\u2019s past efforts to push into factories in the South have failed.<p><p>The ambitious effort comes after the UAW won record raises and other perks in new contracts with Ford, General Motors and Jeep-maker Stellantis last fall. The union is hoping those contracts will help broaden its appeal with autoworkers nationwide.<p><p>The UAW launched the campaign late last year, aiming first to get workers to sign union cards stating their interest in joining the UAW. The union said that once 70 percent of workers at a factory signed cards, the UAW would demand that the company recognize the union. If that proved unsuccessful, the union said it would ask the NLRB to hold an election.<p><p>UAW spokesman Nathan Janda declined to confirm Monday whether the union had hit that 70 percent threshold.<p><p>Past efforts to unionize Southern auto plants foundered in the face of local opposition from conservative politicians and skepticism from workers.<p><p>The union says worker attitudes toward unionization are becoming more favorable as younger and more diverse employees join the plants.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T13:09:46.074Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/OMU3IN7ACRFO3G7JBOU74ORXIA/20240318-101042.423/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7XIRAFIZ657XS44EB33FXM5G6E.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Nov. 4, 2015. (Tami Chappell/Reuters) </small></div><p>Volkswagen workers in Tennessee took a major step toward becoming the first big auto factory in the South to unionize by asking federal authorities to hold a factory-wide vote on joining the United Auto Workers.<p><p>Workers at the factory in Chattanooga, Tenn., filed a petition Monday with the National Labor Relations Board requesting an election to join the union, becoming the first of the UAW\u2019s Southern targets to reach that milestone.<p><p>The UAW is targeting U.S. factories of a dozen companies, including Tesla, Honda and Toyota, in a push to expand its reach beyond its Midwestern stronghold.<p><p>For decades the UAW\u2019s main autoworker members have come from Detroit\u2019s Big Three manufacturers \u2014 Ford, General Motors and Jeep-maker Stellantis. The union\u2019s past efforts to push into factories in the South have failed.<p><p>The ambitious effort comes after the UAW won record raises and other perks in new contracts with Ford, General Motors and Jeep-maker Stellantis last fall. The union is hoping those contracts will help broaden its appeal with autoworkers nationwide.<p><p>The UAW launched the campaign late last year, aiming first to get workers to sign union cards stating their interest in joining the UAW. The union said that once 70 percent of workers at a factory signed cards, the UAW would demand that the company recognize the union. If that proved unsuccessful, the union said it would ask the NLRB to hold an election.<p><p>UAW spokesman Nathan Janda declined to confirm Monday whether the union had hit that 70 percent threshold.<p><p>Past efforts to unionize Southern auto plants foundered in the face of local opposition from conservative politicians and skepticism from workers.<p><p>The union says worker attitudes toward unionization are becoming more favorable as younger and more diverse employees join the plants.<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 14, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "A busy week of free agent moves and trades reshaped the NFL\u2019s QB landscape", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "A busy week of free agent moves and trades reshaped the NFL\u2019s QB landscape"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/nfl-qb-moves-trades-signings/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/nfl-qb-moves-trades-signings/", "summary": "2024-03-17T15:47:22.207Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/GFFJKWGW6BF33NCGC4X4RQT6VA/20240318-100297.973/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/JNEUH2SL6NAYRBDSL66ADDQE64.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Falcons introduced Kirk Cousins last week as their new quarterback. (Mike Stewart/AP)</small></div><p>The first phase of the NFL\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/06/kirk-cousins-baker-mayfield-may-join-russell-wilson-nfl-qb-market/\" target=\"_blank\">offseason quarterback reshuffling</a> is done, with a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/10/nfl-free-agency/\" target=\"_blank\">flurry of moves</a> last week in free agency and on the trade market.<p><p>Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and others changed teams. Baker Mayfield stayed put. Among the most prominent veterans, Ryan Tannehill remains available. The New York Jets have not traded Zach Wilson. But things mostly have played out.<p><p>Some teams have new starters. Some will address that during an NFL draft top-heavy with prominent quarterbacks.<p><p>It has been eventful indeed. Here\u2019s a look at where things stand.<p><h2><b>Atlanta Falcons</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Desmond Ridder (traded to Cardinals) and Taylor Heinicke</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Kirk Cousins (signed as free agent)</b><p><p>The Falcons landed the top prize in free agency with their four-year, $180 million deal with Cousins, who must work his way back from the torn Achilles\u2019 tendon in his right leg <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/10/29/kirk-cousins-achilles-injury/\" target=\"_blank\">that cut short</a> his 2023 season. Atlanta faces potential penalties if the NFL\u2019s review finds it violated tampering rules in its dealings with Cousins. But the Falcons emerged as a prospective contender in the NFC South after <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/25/raheem-morris-falcons-bill-belichick/\" target=\"_blank\">replacing</a> Arthur Smith with Raheem Morris and overhauling their quarterback position. They have plenty of young talent on offense around Cousins with tailback Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, and they added wideouts Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore.<p><h2><b>Tampa Bay Buccaneers</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Baker Mayfield</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Baker Mayfield (re-signed as free agent)</b><p><p>Mayfield, the former No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, has rejuvenated his career. His three-year, $100 million deal with the Buccaneers is a handsome reward for that. He helped the team to reach the divisional round of the NFC playoffs last season. He and the Buccaneers seem poised to vie with Cousins and the Falcons for supremacy in the NFC South next season.<p><h2><b>Pittsburgh Steelers</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Kenny Pickett (traded to Eagles), Mason Rudolph (signed with Titans as free agent) and Mitchell Trubisky (released, signed with Bills)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Russell Wilson (signed as free agent) or Justin Fields (acquired in trade)</b><p><p>The Steelers have revamped their quarterback situation after reaching the playoffs last season with Pickett, Trubisky and Rudolph taking turns as the starter. And they have done it without much cost. They signed Wilson to a one-year contract and must pay him only $1.21 million while the Denver Broncos, who released him, pay the remaining $37.79 million of the $39 million they owed to him. The Steelers sent only a conditional sixth-round draft choice in 2025 to the Chicago Bears <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/16/justin-fields-trade-bears-steelers/\" target=\"_blank\">for Fields</a>; it could become a fourth-rounder, based on Fields\u2019s playing time.<p><p>Wilson apparently is first in line to be the starter. Pickett\u2019s reported displeasure with the situation after the signing of Wilson led to him being traded. The Steelers have done well and should improve next season at the sport\u2019s most important position.<p><h2><b>Chicago Bears</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Justin Fields (traded to Steelers)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft</b><p><p>The Bears\u2019 decision <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/26/bears-caleb-williams-justin-fields/\" target=\"_blank\">of Caleb Williams vs. Fields</a> apparently was not much of a decision at all, in their minds. They settled for getting practically nothing in return for Fields to clear the way for them to use the No. 1 choice in the NFL draft next month on a quarterback \u2014 presumably Williams, the former Heisman Trophy winner at Southern Cal who has drawn some comparisons to Patrick Mahomes. If Williams becomes an NFL star, no one will care too much about the modest return in the Fields trade.<p><p>The Bears have upgraded the offense around their prized rookie quarterback-to-be by signing tailback D\u2019Andre Swift in free agency and trading for wide receiver Keenan Allen to go with wideout DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet.<p><h2><b>Minnesota Vikings</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Kirk Cousins (signed with Falcons as free agent)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft or Sam Darnold (signed as free agent)</b><p><p>The Vikings tried but failed to re-sign Cousins. Now, they must move on and make sure they have a capable quarterback to get the ball to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. They signed Darnold, which gives them either an experienced backup or a temporary starter. More importantly, they secured a second first-round draft pick via a trade with the Houston Texans. They now possess the draft\u2019s 11th and 23rd choices. They could stay put at No. 11 and perhaps be in position to land a quarterback from among the draft\u2019s second tier of Michigan\u2019s J.J. McCarthy, Washington\u2019s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon\u2019s Bo Nix. Or they could make a bid to trade up into the first three spots to land a quarterback from the upper tier of Williams, North Carolina\u2019s Drake Maye and LSU\u2019s Jayden Daniels.<p><h2><b>Denver Broncos</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Russell Wilson (released, signed with Steelers)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft or Jarrett Stidham</b><p><p>The Broncos have been spectators thus far \u2014 <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/04/broncos-release-russell-wilson/\" target=\"_blank\">other than releasing Wilson</a>, as expected, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/12/27/broncos-bench-russell-wilson/\" target=\"_blank\">after benching him</a> in favor of Stidham for the final two games of last season. They have the No. 12 selection in the draft and could be in position to get Nix, Penix or perhaps even McCarthy. The Broncos reportedly were interested in Darnold before he signed with the Vikings. There was speculation that they might try to trade for Sam Howell before the Washington Commanders sent him to the Seattle Seahawks instead. The Broncos still could sign Tannehill, if they choose. They have Stidham on the roster. But with an $85 million salary cap hit over two seasons resulting from the release of Wilson, the situation is far from ideal.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FDKRA7HTQLPINOMI7CMLDJ2PJI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Jimmy Garoppolo spent last season with the Raiders and was on the move again after being released. (John Locher/AP)</small></div><h2><b>Las Vegas Raiders</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Jimmy Garoppolo (released, signed with Rams) and Aidan O\u2019Connell</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Aidan O\u2019Connell or Gardner Minshew (signed as free agent) or TBD in NFL draft</b><p><p>O\u2019Connell played reasonably well last season in his 10 starts as a rookie. Minshew arrives in free agency after helping to keep the Indianapolis Colts in playoff contention last season while filling in for the injured Anthony Richardson. That makes for a quarterback situation that is tolerable, albeit not exactly spectacular. The Raiders have the 13th choice in the draft and could make a quarterback move there.<p><h2><b>New England Patriots</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Mac Jones (traded to Jaguars) and Bailey Zappe</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft or Jacoby Brissett (signed as free agent)</b><p><p>The Patriots wasted no time ensuring the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/11/bill-belichick-fired-patriots/\" target=\"_blank\">post-Bill Belichick era</a> would not include Jones. They made the first noteworthy trade of this year\u2019s quarterback reshuffling by agreeing on the weekend before free agency to send him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. The Patriots still have Zappe and added Brissett. But the big move for Coach Jerod Mayo and front office chief Eliot Wolf will come on draft day. They have the No. 3 pick and are in position, barring a trade, to get either Daniels or Maye.<p><h2><b>Washington Commanders</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Sam Howell (traded to Seahawks)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft or Marcus Mariota (signed as free agent)</b><p><p>The Commanders\u2019 new regime is starting over at quarterback, sending Howell <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/14/commanders-trade-sam-howell/\" target=\"_blank\">to the Seahawks</a>. There has been speculation about the possibility of a trade with the Bears to get the No. 1 pick to land Williams, the former Gonzaga College High School standout. If the Bears believe Williams has a chance to come anywhere close to being as accomplished as Mahomes, that trade won\u2019t happen. Even if it doesn\u2019t, the Commanders can have their choice of Daniels or Maye. They have added Mariota as their backup.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/76MBGCBWTURNVN3HCFUFHUTOUI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Browns didn't re-sign Joe Flacco, the NFL comeback player of the year, so he'll back up Anthony Richardson with the Colts. (David J. Phillip/AP)</small></div><h2><b>New York Giants</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor (signed with Jets as free agent) and Tommy DeVito</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Daniel Jones or Drew Lock (acquired in trade with Seahawks) or TBD in NFL draft</b><p><p>Jones returns from the torn ACL in his right knee that <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/11/06/daniel-jones-acl-giants-nfl-draft/\" target=\"_blank\">ended his 2023 season</a>. Some wonder if Coach Brian Daboll will give Lock a chance to emerge as the starter, even if it\u2019s not to begin the season. They have the No. 6 pick in the draft and thus are in position to end up with McCarthy, Penix or Nix.<p><h2><b>Seattle Seahawks</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Geno Smith</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Geno Smith or Sam Howell (acquired in trade with Commanders)</b><p><p>The Seahawks reworked Smith\u2019s contract and have said they consider him the starter. But with a new coaching staff in place after the organization <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/10/pete-caroll-seahawks/\" target=\"_blank\">parted ways</a> with Pete Carroll and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/31/mike-macdonald-seahawks-coach/\" target=\"_blank\">hired Mike Macdonald</a>, there is room to wonder if Howell might push Smith for that starting job.<p><h2><b>Other notable moves</b></h2><p>Joe Flacco sat out more than half of last season before signing with the Cleveland Browns and was <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/08/nfl-awards-lamar-jackson-mvp/\" target=\"_blank\">named the NFL\u2019s comeback player of the year</a> after helping them to the playoffs. Even so, the Browns opted to sign Jameis Winston rather than re-signing Flacco to back up Deshaun Watson, who returns <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/11/15/deshaun-watson-shoulder-injury-surgery/\" target=\"_blank\">from a shoulder injury</a> for the third season of his five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract. Flacco landed in Indianapolis, replacing Minshew as Richardson\u2019s backup.<p><p>Jimmy Garoppolo, after being released by the Raiders, signed with the Rams and will back up Matthew Stafford <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/16/jimmy-garoppolo-suspended-peds/\" target=\"_blank\">after serving a two-game suspension</a> for violating the NFL\u2019s policy on banned performance-enhancing substances.<p><p>Tyrod Taylor, after making five starts last season with the Giants, gives the Jets an upgrade over Zach Wilson as the backup to Aaron Rodgers.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-17T15:47:22.207Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/GFFJKWGW6BF33NCGC4X4RQT6VA/20240318-100297.973/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/JNEUH2SL6NAYRBDSL66ADDQE64.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Falcons introduced Kirk Cousins last week as their new quarterback. (Mike Stewart/AP)</small></div><p>The first phase of the NFL\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/06/kirk-cousins-baker-mayfield-may-join-russell-wilson-nfl-qb-market/\" target=\"_blank\">offseason quarterback reshuffling</a> is done, with a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/10/nfl-free-agency/\" target=\"_blank\">flurry of moves</a> last week in free agency and on the trade market.<p><p>Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and others changed teams. Baker Mayfield stayed put. Among the most prominent veterans, Ryan Tannehill remains available. The New York Jets have not traded Zach Wilson. But things mostly have played out.<p><p>Some teams have new starters. Some will address that during an NFL draft top-heavy with prominent quarterbacks.<p><p>It has been eventful indeed. Here\u2019s a look at where things stand.<p><h2><b>Atlanta Falcons</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Desmond Ridder (traded to Cardinals) and Taylor Heinicke</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Kirk Cousins (signed as free agent)</b><p><p>The Falcons landed the top prize in free agency with their four-year, $180 million deal with Cousins, who must work his way back from the torn Achilles\u2019 tendon in his right leg <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/10/29/kirk-cousins-achilles-injury/\" target=\"_blank\">that cut short</a> his 2023 season. Atlanta faces potential penalties if the NFL\u2019s review finds it violated tampering rules in its dealings with Cousins. But the Falcons emerged as a prospective contender in the NFC South after <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/25/raheem-morris-falcons-bill-belichick/\" target=\"_blank\">replacing</a> Arthur Smith with Raheem Morris and overhauling their quarterback position. They have plenty of young talent on offense around Cousins with tailback Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, and they added wideouts Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore.<p><h2><b>Tampa Bay Buccaneers</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Baker Mayfield</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Baker Mayfield (re-signed as free agent)</b><p><p>Mayfield, the former No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, has rejuvenated his career. His three-year, $100 million deal with the Buccaneers is a handsome reward for that. He helped the team to reach the divisional round of the NFC playoffs last season. He and the Buccaneers seem poised to vie with Cousins and the Falcons for supremacy in the NFC South next season.<p><h2><b>Pittsburgh Steelers</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Kenny Pickett (traded to Eagles), Mason Rudolph (signed with Titans as free agent) and Mitchell Trubisky (released, signed with Bills)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Russell Wilson (signed as free agent) or Justin Fields (acquired in trade)</b><p><p>The Steelers have revamped their quarterback situation after reaching the playoffs last season with Pickett, Trubisky and Rudolph taking turns as the starter. And they have done it without much cost. They signed Wilson to a one-year contract and must pay him only $1.21 million while the Denver Broncos, who released him, pay the remaining $37.79 million of the $39 million they owed to him. The Steelers sent only a conditional sixth-round draft choice in 2025 to the Chicago Bears <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/16/justin-fields-trade-bears-steelers/\" target=\"_blank\">for Fields</a>; it could become a fourth-rounder, based on Fields\u2019s playing time.<p><p>Wilson apparently is first in line to be the starter. Pickett\u2019s reported displeasure with the situation after the signing of Wilson led to him being traded. The Steelers have done well and should improve next season at the sport\u2019s most important position.<p><h2><b>Chicago Bears</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Justin Fields (traded to Steelers)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft</b><p><p>The Bears\u2019 decision <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/26/bears-caleb-williams-justin-fields/\" target=\"_blank\">of Caleb Williams vs. Fields</a> apparently was not much of a decision at all, in their minds. They settled for getting practically nothing in return for Fields to clear the way for them to use the No. 1 choice in the NFL draft next month on a quarterback \u2014 presumably Williams, the former Heisman Trophy winner at Southern Cal who has drawn some comparisons to Patrick Mahomes. If Williams becomes an NFL star, no one will care too much about the modest return in the Fields trade.<p><p>The Bears have upgraded the offense around their prized rookie quarterback-to-be by signing tailback D\u2019Andre Swift in free agency and trading for wide receiver Keenan Allen to go with wideout DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet.<p><h2><b>Minnesota Vikings</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Kirk Cousins (signed with Falcons as free agent)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft or Sam Darnold (signed as free agent)</b><p><p>The Vikings tried but failed to re-sign Cousins. Now, they must move on and make sure they have a capable quarterback to get the ball to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. They signed Darnold, which gives them either an experienced backup or a temporary starter. More importantly, they secured a second first-round draft pick via a trade with the Houston Texans. They now possess the draft\u2019s 11th and 23rd choices. They could stay put at No. 11 and perhaps be in position to land a quarterback from among the draft\u2019s second tier of Michigan\u2019s J.J. McCarthy, Washington\u2019s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon\u2019s Bo Nix. Or they could make a bid to trade up into the first three spots to land a quarterback from the upper tier of Williams, North Carolina\u2019s Drake Maye and LSU\u2019s Jayden Daniels.<p><h2><b>Denver Broncos</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Russell Wilson (released, signed with Steelers)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft or Jarrett Stidham</b><p><p>The Broncos have been spectators thus far \u2014 <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/04/broncos-release-russell-wilson/\" target=\"_blank\">other than releasing Wilson</a>, as expected, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/12/27/broncos-bench-russell-wilson/\" target=\"_blank\">after benching him</a> in favor of Stidham for the final two games of last season. They have the No. 12 selection in the draft and could be in position to get Nix, Penix or perhaps even McCarthy. The Broncos reportedly were interested in Darnold before he signed with the Vikings. There was speculation that they might try to trade for Sam Howell before the Washington Commanders sent him to the Seattle Seahawks instead. The Broncos still could sign Tannehill, if they choose. They have Stidham on the roster. But with an $85 million salary cap hit over two seasons resulting from the release of Wilson, the situation is far from ideal.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FDKRA7HTQLPINOMI7CMLDJ2PJI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Jimmy Garoppolo spent last season with the Raiders and was on the move again after being released. (John Locher/AP)</small></div><h2><b>Las Vegas Raiders</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Jimmy Garoppolo (released, signed with Rams) and Aidan O\u2019Connell</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Aidan O\u2019Connell or Gardner Minshew (signed as free agent) or TBD in NFL draft</b><p><p>O\u2019Connell played reasonably well last season in his 10 starts as a rookie. Minshew arrives in free agency after helping to keep the Indianapolis Colts in playoff contention last season while filling in for the injured Anthony Richardson. That makes for a quarterback situation that is tolerable, albeit not exactly spectacular. The Raiders have the 13th choice in the draft and could make a quarterback move there.<p><h2><b>New England Patriots</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Mac Jones (traded to Jaguars) and Bailey Zappe</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft or Jacoby Brissett (signed as free agent)</b><p><p>The Patriots wasted no time ensuring the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/11/bill-belichick-fired-patriots/\" target=\"_blank\">post-Bill Belichick era</a> would not include Jones. They made the first noteworthy trade of this year\u2019s quarterback reshuffling by agreeing on the weekend before free agency to send him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. The Patriots still have Zappe and added Brissett. But the big move for Coach Jerod Mayo and front office chief Eliot Wolf will come on draft day. They have the No. 3 pick and are in position, barring a trade, to get either Daniels or Maye.<p><h2><b>Washington Commanders</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Sam Howell (traded to Seahawks)</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: TBD in NFL draft or Marcus Mariota (signed as free agent)</b><p><p>The Commanders\u2019 new regime is starting over at quarterback, sending Howell <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/14/commanders-trade-sam-howell/\" target=\"_blank\">to the Seahawks</a>. There has been speculation about the possibility of a trade with the Bears to get the No. 1 pick to land Williams, the former Gonzaga College High School standout. If the Bears believe Williams has a chance to come anywhere close to being as accomplished as Mahomes, that trade won\u2019t happen. Even if it doesn\u2019t, the Commanders can have their choice of Daniels or Maye. They have added Mariota as their backup.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/76MBGCBWTURNVN3HCFUFHUTOUI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Browns didn't re-sign Joe Flacco, the NFL comeback player of the year, so he'll back up Anthony Richardson with the Colts. (David J. Phillip/AP)</small></div><h2><b>New York Giants</b></h2><p><b>2023 starters: Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor (signed with Jets as free agent) and Tommy DeVito</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Daniel Jones or Drew Lock (acquired in trade with Seahawks) or TBD in NFL draft</b><p><p>Jones returns from the torn ACL in his right knee that <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/11/06/daniel-jones-acl-giants-nfl-draft/\" target=\"_blank\">ended his 2023 season</a>. Some wonder if Coach Brian Daboll will give Lock a chance to emerge as the starter, even if it\u2019s not to begin the season. They have the No. 6 pick in the draft and thus are in position to end up with McCarthy, Penix or Nix.<p><h2><b>Seattle Seahawks</b></h2><p><b>2023 starter: Geno Smith</b><p><p><b>2024 starter: Geno Smith or Sam Howell (acquired in trade with Commanders)</b><p><p>The Seahawks reworked Smith\u2019s contract and have said they consider him the starter. But with a new coaching staff in place after the organization <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/10/pete-caroll-seahawks/\" target=\"_blank\">parted ways</a> with Pete Carroll and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/31/mike-macdonald-seahawks-coach/\" target=\"_blank\">hired Mike Macdonald</a>, there is room to wonder if Howell might push Smith for that starting job.<p><h2><b>Other notable moves</b></h2><p>Joe Flacco sat out more than half of last season before signing with the Cleveland Browns and was <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/08/nfl-awards-lamar-jackson-mvp/\" target=\"_blank\">named the NFL\u2019s comeback player of the year</a> after helping them to the playoffs. Even so, the Browns opted to sign Jameis Winston rather than re-signing Flacco to back up Deshaun Watson, who returns <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/11/15/deshaun-watson-shoulder-injury-surgery/\" target=\"_blank\">from a shoulder injury</a> for the third season of his five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract. Flacco landed in Indianapolis, replacing Minshew as Richardson\u2019s backup.<p><p>Jimmy Garoppolo, after being released by the Raiders, signed with the Rams and will back up Matthew Stafford <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/16/jimmy-garoppolo-suspended-peds/\" target=\"_blank\">after serving a two-game suspension</a> for violating the NFL\u2019s policy on banned performance-enhancing substances.<p><p>Tyrod Taylor, after making five starts last season with the Giants, gives the Jets an upgrade over Zach Wilson as the backup to Aaron Rodgers.<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 14, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "NIH probe of \u2018Havana syndrome\u2019 finds no sign of brain injuries", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "NIH probe of \u2018Havana syndrome\u2019 finds no sign of brain injuries"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/18/nih-havana-syndrome-mri-scans/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/18/nih-havana-syndrome-mri-scans/", "summary": "2024-03-17T15:23:17.736Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/2L5HDJCB7VDARDSMU6MTGR3ZQI/20240318-100869.696/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IQ5COXHPHCB6KHH7QHT3RKDALA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A man pushes a wheelbarrow near the U.S. Embassy in Havana, where government employees were working when they mysteriously became ill. (Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Repeated scans of patients<b> </b>suffering from the mysterious ailment commonly known as \u201c<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/21/what-is-havana-syndrome-us-cuba-cia-burns/\" target=\"_blank\">Havana syndrome</a>\u201d found no significant evidence of brain injury, according to an ongoing investigation by the National Institutes of Health.<p><p>Two studies, <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2024.2413?guestAccessKey=35666cf7-62e5-46ec-83c9-f041972ebb03&amp;utm_source=For_The_Media&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ftm_links&amp;utm_content=tfl&amp;utm_term=031824\" target=\"_blank\">published Monday in JAMA</a>, found few<b> </b>significant differences in a range of cognitive and physical tests among more than 80 patients who had been stationed in Cuba, Austria, China and other locations compared with a control group of people with similar job descriptions.<p><p>The researchers said they did not seek to find the origin of the ailments, which the U.S. government refers to now as \u201canomalous health incidents\u201d (AHIs). Nor did the NIH researchers seek to disprove conjectures, which have received extensive media coverage, that American officials were attacked by an unidentified foreign adversary using some kind of newly invented pulsed-energy<b> </b>weapon.<p><p>The focus instead was on the physical condition of the patients, including whether they showed signs of injuries or brain damage.<p><p>The new findings are poised to reignite the controversy over this now-global medical mystery, which sparked a rash of inconclusive investigations, roiled the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency and heightened tensions between the United States and Cuba. While the NIH study is unlikely to resolve the politically charged debate, it could intensify <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientists-and-doctors-zap-theory-that-microwave-weapon-injured-cuba-diplomats/2018/09/06/aa51dcd0-b142-11e8-9a6a-565d92a3585d_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">doubts in the scientific</a> and intelligence communities about the existence of unidentified adversaries targeting government officials with an exotic weapon.<p><p>The researchers emphasized that the patients who volunteered for the study, which began in 2018, do have severe symptoms that can be debilitating.<p><p>\u201cThese symptoms are real, and they feel it, and we acknowledge it,\u201d said Leighton Chan, lead author of one of the papers. \u201cWe have a third of our cases that either are not working or are struggling to work.\u201d<p><p>The researchers believe their findings should be viewed as good news, because these patients do not show evidence of brain damage, and many are already showing signs of improvement in their symptoms.<p><p>Two earlier studies, also published in JAMA, reported that brain scans of some patients showed unusual characteristics compared with controls. The NIH reports said the new data do not support those earlier findings.<p><h2>Real symptoms, unknown cause</h2><p>The JAMA papers are the latest attempt by medical and national security experts to explain the rash of ailments that got its nickname after a number of State Department officials in late 2016 reported mysterious symptoms while stationed in or near the U.S. Embassy in Havana.<p><p>The patients complained of intrusive sounds and head pressure, followed by a broad range of symptoms, including dizziness, pain, blurry vision, tinnitus, fatigue, nausea and cognitive dysfunction. Some said they heard a buzzing or high-pitched sound immediately before feeling ill.<p><p>As media reports proliferated, some national security officials speculated that Russia or some other adversary had developed a secret pulsed-energy weapon. Then Havana syndrome went global, with reports in Europe and Asia of American officials suffering a variety of symptoms due to \u201ctargeted attacks,\u201d as then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson put it.<p><p>There were instant and protracted political consequences of the medical mystery. The Trump administration in 2017 responded by <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expelled-two-cuban-diplomats-after-embassy-employees-in-cuba-developed-unexplained-ailments/2017/08/09/93459176-7d40-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">expelling Cuban diplomats</a> and pulling back on what had been a policy of engagement with the communist-run island under the Obama administration.<p><p>The State Department and intelligence agencies launched what became a multiyear effort to find the alleged perpetrators. But the search for malefactors came up empty. In March 2023, the intelligence community concluded that <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/01/havana-syndrome-intelligence-report-weapon/\" target=\"_blank\">no foreign adversary was behind the phenomenon</a> and that AHIs were not caused by an energy weapon or as the byproduct of some other activity, including electronic surveillance that could have made people sick unintentionally.<p><p>Intelligence officials have said they remain open to new ideas and evidence. For instance, if information emerged that a foreign adversary had made progress developing the technology for an energy weapon, that might cause analysts to adjust their assessments.<p><p>Further investigations cast more doubt on whether there were attacks of any kind. But the politics of Havana syndrome have made skepticism tricky. And the earlier JAMA studies, as well as two other government-sponsored research inquiries, fueled speculation that the patients had been attacked with a weapon emitting pulses of electromagnetic energy.<p><p>Between 2018 and 2021, the NIH<b> </b>study team recruited federal workers and their adult family members who reported AHIs. They continued collecting data until 2022. Of the volunteers, 86 were tested for psychological conditions along with vision, hearing, balance and blood markers, and 81 of them also were studied with MRI scans to look for brain injuries. The results were then compared with the control group.<p><p>\u201cWhen we tested cognitive function, we didn\u2019t see those deficits,\u201d said neuropsychologist Louis French, deputy director of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and a co-investigator on the study. \u201cWhat you\u2019re seeing in some cases here are people that, for various reasons, have ongoing symptoms they\u2019re reporting that just don\u2019t play out when we\u2019re looking at this objectively.\u201d<p><p>The absence of signs of brain injuries does not rule out the possibility of an external adverse event causing the symptoms, said Carlo Pierpaoli, the lead author on the neuroimaging paper.<p><p>In a sign that the research has yet to resolve the issue, JAMA also published an editorial by Stanford University professor of medicine David Relman, who led two previous studies that said the AHIs \u201ccould be plausibly explained by exposure to directed, pulsed radio-frequency energy.\u201d<p><p>Although the \u201cNIH study used advanced neuroimaging techniques, current MRI technology may be insensitive to, or improperly timed for, the kinds of potentially transient cellular and local physiological disruption that characterizes AHIs,\u201d Relman wrote in the editorial.<p><p>And Mark Zaid, an attorney who represents current and former federal officials and their family members who say they have been afflicted with AHIs, cast doubt on the new studies.<p><p>\u201cFrankly, they reveal very little beyond the assertion they could not identify any differences between the AHI and non-AHI population,\u201d Zaid said in a statement. \u201cWithout a doubt the Intelligence Community is going to point to these studies to say \u2018see, we told you, nothing there.\u2019 But the absence of evidence is not evidence.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-17T15:23:17.736Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/2L5HDJCB7VDARDSMU6MTGR3ZQI/20240318-100869.696/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IQ5COXHPHCB6KHH7QHT3RKDALA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A man pushes a wheelbarrow near the U.S. Embassy in Havana, where government employees were working when they mysteriously became ill. (Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Repeated scans of patients<b> </b>suffering from the mysterious ailment commonly known as \u201c<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/21/what-is-havana-syndrome-us-cuba-cia-burns/\" target=\"_blank\">Havana syndrome</a>\u201d found no significant evidence of brain injury, according to an ongoing investigation by the National Institutes of Health.<p><p>Two studies, <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2024.2413?guestAccessKey=35666cf7-62e5-46ec-83c9-f041972ebb03&amp;utm_source=For_The_Media&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ftm_links&amp;utm_content=tfl&amp;utm_term=031824\" target=\"_blank\">published Monday in JAMA</a>, found few<b> </b>significant differences in a range of cognitive and physical tests among more than 80 patients who had been stationed in Cuba, Austria, China and other locations compared with a control group of people with similar job descriptions.<p><p>The researchers said they did not seek to find the origin of the ailments, which the U.S. government refers to now as \u201canomalous health incidents\u201d (AHIs). Nor did the NIH researchers seek to disprove conjectures, which have received extensive media coverage, that American officials were attacked by an unidentified foreign adversary using some kind of newly invented pulsed-energy<b> </b>weapon.<p><p>The focus instead was on the physical condition of the patients, including whether they showed signs of injuries or brain damage.<p><p>The new findings are poised to reignite the controversy over this now-global medical mystery, which sparked a rash of inconclusive investigations, roiled the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency and heightened tensions between the United States and Cuba. While the NIH study is unlikely to resolve the politically charged debate, it could intensify <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientists-and-doctors-zap-theory-that-microwave-weapon-injured-cuba-diplomats/2018/09/06/aa51dcd0-b142-11e8-9a6a-565d92a3585d_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">doubts in the scientific</a> and intelligence communities about the existence of unidentified adversaries targeting government officials with an exotic weapon.<p><p>The researchers emphasized that the patients who volunteered for the study, which began in 2018, do have severe symptoms that can be debilitating.<p><p>\u201cThese symptoms are real, and they feel it, and we acknowledge it,\u201d said Leighton Chan, lead author of one of the papers. \u201cWe have a third of our cases that either are not working or are struggling to work.\u201d<p><p>The researchers believe their findings should be viewed as good news, because these patients do not show evidence of brain damage, and many are already showing signs of improvement in their symptoms.<p><p>Two earlier studies, also published in JAMA, reported that brain scans of some patients showed unusual characteristics compared with controls. The NIH reports said the new data do not support those earlier findings.<p><h2>Real symptoms, unknown cause</h2><p>The JAMA papers are the latest attempt by medical and national security experts to explain the rash of ailments that got its nickname after a number of State Department officials in late 2016 reported mysterious symptoms while stationed in or near the U.S. Embassy in Havana.<p><p>The patients complained of intrusive sounds and head pressure, followed by a broad range of symptoms, including dizziness, pain, blurry vision, tinnitus, fatigue, nausea and cognitive dysfunction. Some said they heard a buzzing or high-pitched sound immediately before feeling ill.<p><p>As media reports proliferated, some national security officials speculated that Russia or some other adversary had developed a secret pulsed-energy weapon. Then Havana syndrome went global, with reports in Europe and Asia of American officials suffering a variety of symptoms due to \u201ctargeted attacks,\u201d as then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson put it.<p><p>There were instant and protracted political consequences of the medical mystery. The Trump administration in 2017 responded by <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expelled-two-cuban-diplomats-after-embassy-employees-in-cuba-developed-unexplained-ailments/2017/08/09/93459176-7d40-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">expelling Cuban diplomats</a> and pulling back on what had been a policy of engagement with the communist-run island under the Obama administration.<p><p>The State Department and intelligence agencies launched what became a multiyear effort to find the alleged perpetrators. But the search for malefactors came up empty. In March 2023, the intelligence community concluded that <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/01/havana-syndrome-intelligence-report-weapon/\" target=\"_blank\">no foreign adversary was behind the phenomenon</a> and that AHIs were not caused by an energy weapon or as the byproduct of some other activity, including electronic surveillance that could have made people sick unintentionally.<p><p>Intelligence officials have said they remain open to new ideas and evidence. For instance, if information emerged that a foreign adversary had made progress developing the technology for an energy weapon, that might cause analysts to adjust their assessments.<p><p>Further investigations cast more doubt on whether there were attacks of any kind. But the politics of Havana syndrome have made skepticism tricky. And the earlier JAMA studies, as well as two other government-sponsored research inquiries, fueled speculation that the patients had been attacked with a weapon emitting pulses of electromagnetic energy.<p><p>Between 2018 and 2021, the NIH<b> </b>study team recruited federal workers and their adult family members who reported AHIs. They continued collecting data until 2022. Of the volunteers, 86 were tested for psychological conditions along with vision, hearing, balance and blood markers, and 81 of them also were studied with MRI scans to look for brain injuries. The results were then compared with the control group.<p><p>\u201cWhen we tested cognitive function, we didn\u2019t see those deficits,\u201d said neuropsychologist Louis French, deputy director of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and a co-investigator on the study. \u201cWhat you\u2019re seeing in some cases here are people that, for various reasons, have ongoing symptoms they\u2019re reporting that just don\u2019t play out when we\u2019re looking at this objectively.\u201d<p><p>The absence of signs of brain injuries does not rule out the possibility of an external adverse event causing the symptoms, said Carlo Pierpaoli, the lead author on the neuroimaging paper.<p><p>In a sign that the research has yet to resolve the issue, JAMA also published an editorial by Stanford University professor of medicine David Relman, who led two previous studies that said the AHIs \u201ccould be plausibly explained by exposure to directed, pulsed radio-frequency energy.\u201d<p><p>Although the \u201cNIH study used advanced neuroimaging techniques, current MRI technology may be insensitive to, or improperly timed for, the kinds of potentially transient cellular and local physiological disruption that characterizes AHIs,\u201d Relman wrote in the editorial.<p><p>And Mark Zaid, an attorney who represents current and former federal officials and their family members who say they have been afflicted with AHIs, cast doubt on the new studies.<p><p>\u201cFrankly, they reveal very little beyond the assertion they could not identify any differences between the AHI and non-AHI population,\u201d Zaid said in a statement. \u201cWithout a doubt the Intelligence Community is going to point to these studies to say \u2018see, we told you, nothing there.\u2019 But the absence of evidence is not evidence.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:24:12 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 14, 24, 12, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Live updates: Supreme Court weighs whether White House censored social media", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Live updates: Supreme Court weighs whether White House censored social media"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/18/supreme-court-social-media-biden-missouri/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/18/supreme-court-social-media-biden-missouri/", "summary": "2024-03-12T18:11:32.876Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/QYYOBU4TDJC5BFNHBWZNWW5WPM/20240318-085556.565/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in a case that could reshape how politicians communicate with major social media companies \u2014 with sweeping consequences for government efforts to secure elections and combat health misinformation.<p><p>The court is considering a lawsuit that Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri brought against the Biden administration. They argue that the White House and other key government agencies ran afoul of the First Amendment when they pressured companies to remove posts that contained election or vaccine misinformation.<p><p>The Justice Department has argued that the communications amount to a legal use of the government\u2019s bully pulpit to protect the American public.<p><h1>Here\u2019s what to know</h1>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-12T18:11:32.876Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/QYYOBU4TDJC5BFNHBWZNWW5WPM/20240318-085556.565/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in a case that could reshape how politicians communicate with major social media companies \u2014 with sweeping consequences for government efforts to secure elections and combat health misinformation.<p><p>The court is considering a lawsuit that Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri brought against the Biden administration. They argue that the White House and other key government agencies ran afoul of the First Amendment when they pressured companies to remove posts that contained election or vaccine misinformation.<p><p>The Justice Department has argued that the communications amount to a legal use of the government\u2019s bully pulpit to protect the American public.<p><h1>Here\u2019s what to know</h1>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 13, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Sports Illustrated\u2019s owner reaches deal with Minute Media to publish magazine", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Sports Illustrated\u2019s owner reaches deal with Minute Media to publish magazine"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/sports-illustrated-minute-media/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/sports-illustrated-minute-media/", "summary": "2024-03-18T13:14:12.635Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/LE7M3UEWMNFM5E4FDVRCPHMZGA/20240318-095097.970/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/S72Z3VUBL4I6TNMF4NVRNJJRVI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Authentic Brands Group owns the magazine but leases its publishing rights. (Matt Dunham/AP)</small></div><p>Sports Illustrated has found a new publisher, the company\u2019s owner announced Monday, ending months of uncertainty over who would operate the storied sports publication. The new publisher is Minute Media, a London-based digital media company that publishes websites including the Players\u2019 Tribune.<p><p>Minute Media takes over publishing Sports Illustrated from the Arena Group, which held those rights for five years and lurched from controversy to controversy, including several rounds of layoffs, publishing product reviews written by artificial intelligence and, earlier this year, laying off the entire unionized workforce of SI.<p><p>Minute Media is not acquiring SI but rather buying the publishing rights from SI\u2019s owner, Authentic Brands Group, a brand ownership firm that owns the intellectual property of celebrities like Elvis and Shaquille O\u2019Neal. Minute Media will now decide the fates of around 80 staffers as it charts a path forward for SI. A spokesperson for Minute Media said the company would meet with SI leadership in the coming weeks to determine which staffers will be offered employment with Minute Media.<p><p>A new publisher could help stabilize SI after several tumultuous months. In January, the Arena Group missed a scheduled payment to Authentic, part of the licensing fee it paid to publish SI. Authentic responded by revoking the publishing license and Arena issued layoff notices to all of the unionized staff. Their last days were scheduled to be at the end of April.<p><p><i>This is a developing story and will be updated.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T13:14:12.635Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/LE7M3UEWMNFM5E4FDVRCPHMZGA/20240318-095097.970/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/S72Z3VUBL4I6TNMF4NVRNJJRVI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Authentic Brands Group owns the magazine but leases its publishing rights. (Matt Dunham/AP)</small></div><p>Sports Illustrated has found a new publisher, the company\u2019s owner announced Monday, ending months of uncertainty over who would operate the storied sports publication. The new publisher is Minute Media, a London-based digital media company that publishes websites including the Players\u2019 Tribune.<p><p>Minute Media takes over publishing Sports Illustrated from the Arena Group, which held those rights for five years and lurched from controversy to controversy, including several rounds of layoffs, publishing product reviews written by artificial intelligence and, earlier this year, laying off the entire unionized workforce of SI.<p><p>Minute Media is not acquiring SI but rather buying the publishing rights from SI\u2019s owner, Authentic Brands Group, a brand ownership firm that owns the intellectual property of celebrities like Elvis and Shaquille O\u2019Neal. Minute Media will now decide the fates of around 80 staffers as it charts a path forward for SI. A spokesperson for Minute Media said the company would meet with SI leadership in the coming weeks to determine which staffers will be offered employment with Minute Media.<p><p>A new publisher could help stabilize SI after several tumultuous months. In January, the Arena Group missed a scheduled payment to Authentic, part of the licensing fee it paid to publish SI. Authentic responded by revoking the publishing license and Arena issued layoff notices to all of the unionized staff. Their last days were scheduled to be at the end of April.<p><p><i>This is a developing story and will be updated.</i><p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 13, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "NCAA tournament cheat sheet: Bracket help, upset picks, schedule and more", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "NCAA tournament cheat sheet: Bracket help, upset picks, schedule and more"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/march-madness-cheat-sheet/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/march-madness-cheat-sheet/", "summary": "2024-03-07T13:47:35.166Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The fields are set for this year\u2019s NCAA men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball tournaments. Here\u2019s everything you need to read to get ready for March Madness.<p><p>Looking for the brackets? The men\u2019s NCAA tournament bracket can be found <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/march-madness-bracket/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>, and the women\u2019s is <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/womens-march-madness-tournament-bracket/?itid=sf_sports_top-table_p001_f008\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.<p><h3>1. Bracket tips and analysis</h3><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/march-madness-best-bets-to-win-ncaa-tournament/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>The seven best bets to win the 2024 NCAA men\u2019s basketball tournament</b></a><p><p>Matt Bonesteel uses Ken Pomeroy\u2019s metrics to identify the seven teams that have the best shot at winning the national title. While some of the teams are predictable, No. 3 seed Creighton in the Midwest and No. 4 seed Auburn in the East are less obvious.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/upset-picks-march-madness/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>The best first-round upset picks in the NCAA men\u2019s tournament</b></a><p><p>Neil Greenberg looks at four lower seeds who could be worth picking to win in the first round. One of his favorite picks: No. 11 seed New Mexico, which is actually a betting favorite to beat No. 6 seed Clemson.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/bracket-tips-win-march-madness/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>10 March Madness tips from a certified bracket master</b></a><p><p>A year after correctly predicting six of the Elite Eight teams Greenberg answers all your bracket-contest questions.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/ncaa-tournament-womens-favorites/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>The five top contenders to win the NCAA women\u2019s basketball tournament</b></a><p><p>Megan Gauer looks at the five women\u2019s teams that could win it all. South Carolina is a huge favorite, but there are some familiar challengers.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BFOOG6ZQ6R3MM4BFI3WVJ3QSTA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The South Carolina women won the SEC title and are favored to add an NCAA championship. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images) </small></div><h3>2. Latest NCAA tournament news and commentary</h3><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/john-feinstein-bracket-breakdown/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>John Feinstein\u2019s region-by-region breakdown: Iowa State deserved better</b></a><p><p>Feinstein critiques the selection committee\u2019s choices with his annual bracket review.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/march-madness-snubs-surprises-ncaa-tournament/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>NCAA men\u2019s tournament snubs and surprises</b></a><p><p>Post bracketologist Patrick Stevens says the committee made some curious decisions when it comes to seeding the tournament teams. Among the snubs: the Big East\u2019s middle class. <p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/19/march-madness-bracket-advice-strategy/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Need help with your March Madness brackets? Ask The Post.</b></a><p><p>Bonesteel, Greenberg and Kareem Copeland will be chatting about all things March Madness at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Feel free to submit your questions early.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/nc-state-acc-title-kevin-keatts/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>N.C. State basketball polished off a life-changing, history-making week</b></a><p><p>Barry Svrluga looks at the Wolfpack\u2019s run to a surprising ACC title.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/maryland-terrapins-ncaa-womens-tournament/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Maryland women return to NCAA tournament, will face Iowa State in first round</b></a><p><p>The Terrapins eked into the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/virginia-men-ncaa-tournament-bid/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Virginia squeaks into NCAA field, earns First Four date vs. Colorado State</b></a><p><p>The Cavaliers will have to play their way in to the main portion of the men\u2019s bracket.<p><h3>3. Men\u2019s play-in games</h3><p><i>All times Eastern</i><p><p><b>Tuesday</b><p><p><b>6:40 p.m.:</b> No. 16 Wagner vs. No. 16 Howard (TruTV)<p><p><b>9:10 p.m.:</b> No. 10 Colorado State vs. No. 10 Virginia (TruTV)<p><p><b>Wednesday</b><p><p><b>6:40 p.m.:</b> No. 16 Grambling State vs. No. 16 Montana State (TruTV)<p><p><b>9:10 p.m.:</b> No. 10 Colorado vs. No. 10 Boise State (TruTV)<p><h3>4. First-round men\u2019s matchups</h3><p><b>EAST REGION</b><p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>12:40 p.m.:</b> No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Duquesne (TruTV)<p><p><b>3:10 p.m.:</b> No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Morehead State (TruTV)<p><p><b>7:35 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 South Dakota State (TruTV)<p><p><b>10:05 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Washington State vs. No. 10 Drake (TruTV)<p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>12:15 p.m.: </b>No. 8 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 9 Northwestern (CBS)<p><p><b>1:45 p.m.:</b> No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 12 UAB (TNT)<p><p><b>2:45 p.m.:</b> No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 16 Stetson (CBS)<p><p><b>4:15 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Yale (TNT)<p><p><b>SOUTH REGION</b><p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>7:10 p.m.: </b>No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Oakland (CBS)<p><p><b>9:40 p.m.:</b> No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 North Carolina State (CBS)<p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>2 p.m.: </b>No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 15 Western Kentucky (TBS)<p><p><b>4:30 p.m.: </b>No. 7 Florida vs. No. 10 Colorado-Boise State winner (TBS)<p><p><b>6:50 p.m.:</b> No. 8 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Texas A&amp;M (TNT)<p><p><b>7:10 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Duke vs. No. 13 Vermont (CBS)<p><p><b>9:20 p.m.:</b> No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 Longwood (TNT)<p><p><b>9:40 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 James Madison (CBS)<p><p><b>MIDWEST REGION</b><p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>1:30 p.m.: </b>No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 14 Akron (TNT)<p><p><b>4 p.m.: </b>No. 6 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oregon (TNT)<p><p><b>6:50 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Colorado State-Virginia winner (TNT)<p><p><b>7:25 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Gonzaga vs. No. 12 McNeese State (TBS)<p><p><b>9:20 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 St. Peter\u2019s (TNT)<p><p><b>9:55 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Samford (TBS)<p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>7:25 p.m.:</b> No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 16 Grambling State-Montana State winner (TBS)<p><p><b>9:55 p.m.:</b> No. 8 Utah State vs. No. 9 TCU (TBS)<p><p><b>WEST REGION</b><p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>12:15 p.m.: </b>No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Michigan State (CBS)<p><p><b>2 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 15 Long Beach State (TBS)<p><p><b>2:45 p.m.:</b> No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Howard-Wagner winner (CBS)<p><p><b>4:30 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Dayton vs. No. 10 Nevada (TBS)<p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>12:40 p.m.: </b>No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Colgate (TruTV)<p><p><b>3:10 p.m.: </b>No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 New Mexico (TruTV)<p><p><b>7:35 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 College of Charleston (TruTV)<p><p><b>10:05 p.m.:</b> No. 5 St. Mary\u2019s vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon (TruTV)<p><h3>5. Women\u2019s play-in games</h3><p><b>Wednesday</b><p><p><b>7 p.m.:</b> No. 16 Sacred Heart vs. No. 16 Presbyterian (ESPNU)<p><p><b>9 p.m.:</b> No. 12 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Columbia (ESPNU)<p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>7 p.m.:</b> No. 11 Auburn vs. No. 11 Arizona (ESPN2)<p><p><b>9 p.m.:</b> No. 16 Holy Cross vs. No. 16 UT-Martin (ESPN2)<p><h3>6. Women\u2019s first-round matchups</h3><p><b>ALBANY REGION I</b><p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>11:30 a.m.: </b>No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Michigan State (ESPN2)<p><p><b>2 p.m.:</b> No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Sacred Heart-Presbyterian winner (ESPN)<p><p><b>8 p.m.:</b> No. 3 Oregon State vs. No. 14 Eastern Washington (ESPNU)<p><p><b>10:30 p.m.:</b> No. 6 Nebraska vs. No. 11 Texas A&amp;M (ESPNU)<p><p><b>Saturday</b><p><p><b>1:30 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 13 Fairfield (ESPN2)<p><p><b>2:15 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 15 Kent State (ESPN)<p><p><b>4 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast (ESPNews)<p><p><b>4:45 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Mississippi vs. No. 10 Marquette (ESPNU)<p><p><b>ALBANY REGION 2</b><p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>1:30 p.m.: </b>No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 Middle Tennessee (ESPN2)<p><p><b>4 p.m.:</b> No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 Rice (ESPN)<p><p><b>4:30 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Kansas State vs. No. 13 Portland State (ESPNews)<p><p><b>7 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Drake (ESPNews)<p><p><b>Saturday</b><p><p><b>3 p.m.: </b>No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 16 Holy Cross-UT-Martin winner (ABC)<p><p><b>5:30 p.m.:</b> No. 8 West Virginia vs. No. 9 Princeton (ESPN2)<p><p><b>7 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Creighton vs. No. 10 UNLV (ESPNews)<p><p><b>9:30 p.m.:</b> No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 15 California Baptist (ESPN2)<p><p><b>PORTLAND REGION 3</b><p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>Noon: </b>No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Maine (ESPN)<p><p><b>2:30 p.m.: </b>No. 7 Duke vs. No. 10 Richmond (ESPNews)<p><p><b>3:30 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Marshall (ESPN2)<p><p><b>6 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt-Columbia winner (ESPNU)<p><p><b>Saturday</b><p><p><b>1 p.m.:</b> No. 3 Connecticut vs. No. 14 Jackson State (ABC)<p><p><b>2 p.m.:</b> No. 8 Kansas vs. No. 9 Michigan (ESPNews)<p><p><b>3:30 p.m.:</b> No. 6 Syracuse vs. No. 11 Auburn-Arizona winner (ESPN2)<p><p><b>4:30 p.m.:</b> No. 1 USC vs. No. 16 Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi (ESPN)<p><p><b>PORTLAND REGION 4</b><p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>3 p.m.:</b> No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 Drexel (ESPNU)<p><p><b>5:30 p.m.:</b> No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Florida State (ESPN2)<p><p><b>7:30 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Iowa State vs. No. 10 Maryland (ESPN2)<p><p><b>10 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 15 Norfolk State (ESPN2)<p><p><b>Saturday</b><p><p><b>Noon: </b>No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Green Bay (ESPN)<p><p><b>2:30 p.m.:</b> No. 3 North Carolina State vs. No. 14 Chattanooga (ESPNU)<p><p><b>7:30 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Gonzaga vs. No. 13 UC Irvine (ESPN2)<p><p><b>10 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Utah vs. No. 12 South Dakota State (ESPNU)<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-07T13:47:35.166Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>The fields are set for this year\u2019s NCAA men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball tournaments. Here\u2019s everything you need to read to get ready for March Madness.<p><p>Looking for the brackets? The men\u2019s NCAA tournament bracket can be found <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/march-madness-bracket/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>, and the women\u2019s is <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/womens-march-madness-tournament-bracket/?itid=sf_sports_top-table_p001_f008\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.<p><h3>1. Bracket tips and analysis</h3><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/march-madness-best-bets-to-win-ncaa-tournament/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>The seven best bets to win the 2024 NCAA men\u2019s basketball tournament</b></a><p><p>Matt Bonesteel uses Ken Pomeroy\u2019s metrics to identify the seven teams that have the best shot at winning the national title. While some of the teams are predictable, No. 3 seed Creighton in the Midwest and No. 4 seed Auburn in the East are less obvious.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/upset-picks-march-madness/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>The best first-round upset picks in the NCAA men\u2019s tournament</b></a><p><p>Neil Greenberg looks at four lower seeds who could be worth picking to win in the first round. One of his favorite picks: No. 11 seed New Mexico, which is actually a betting favorite to beat No. 6 seed Clemson.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/bracket-tips-win-march-madness/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>10 March Madness tips from a certified bracket master</b></a><p><p>A year after correctly predicting six of the Elite Eight teams Greenberg answers all your bracket-contest questions.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/ncaa-tournament-womens-favorites/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>The five top contenders to win the NCAA women\u2019s basketball tournament</b></a><p><p>Megan Gauer looks at the five women\u2019s teams that could win it all. South Carolina is a huge favorite, but there are some familiar challengers.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BFOOG6ZQ6R3MM4BFI3WVJ3QSTA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The South Carolina women won the SEC title and are favored to add an NCAA championship. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images) </small></div><h3>2. Latest NCAA tournament news and commentary</h3><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/john-feinstein-bracket-breakdown/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>John Feinstein\u2019s region-by-region breakdown: Iowa State deserved better</b></a><p><p>Feinstein critiques the selection committee\u2019s choices with his annual bracket review.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/march-madness-snubs-surprises-ncaa-tournament/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>NCAA men\u2019s tournament snubs and surprises</b></a><p><p>Post bracketologist Patrick Stevens says the committee made some curious decisions when it comes to seeding the tournament teams. Among the snubs: the Big East\u2019s middle class. <p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/19/march-madness-bracket-advice-strategy/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Need help with your March Madness brackets? Ask The Post.</b></a><p><p>Bonesteel, Greenberg and Kareem Copeland will be chatting about all things March Madness at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Feel free to submit your questions early.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/nc-state-acc-title-kevin-keatts/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>N.C. State basketball polished off a life-changing, history-making week</b></a><p><p>Barry Svrluga looks at the Wolfpack\u2019s run to a surprising ACC title.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/maryland-terrapins-ncaa-womens-tournament/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Maryland women return to NCAA tournament, will face Iowa State in first round</b></a><p><p>The Terrapins eked into the NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/17/virginia-men-ncaa-tournament-bid/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Virginia squeaks into NCAA field, earns First Four date vs. Colorado State</b></a><p><p>The Cavaliers will have to play their way in to the main portion of the men\u2019s bracket.<p><h3>3. Men\u2019s play-in games</h3><p><i>All times Eastern</i><p><p><b>Tuesday</b><p><p><b>6:40 p.m.:</b> No. 16 Wagner vs. No. 16 Howard (TruTV)<p><p><b>9:10 p.m.:</b> No. 10 Colorado State vs. No. 10 Virginia (TruTV)<p><p><b>Wednesday</b><p><p><b>6:40 p.m.:</b> No. 16 Grambling State vs. No. 16 Montana State (TruTV)<p><p><b>9:10 p.m.:</b> No. 10 Colorado vs. No. 10 Boise State (TruTV)<p><h3>4. First-round men\u2019s matchups</h3><p><b>EAST REGION</b><p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>12:40 p.m.:</b> No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Duquesne (TruTV)<p><p><b>3:10 p.m.:</b> No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Morehead State (TruTV)<p><p><b>7:35 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 South Dakota State (TruTV)<p><p><b>10:05 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Washington State vs. No. 10 Drake (TruTV)<p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>12:15 p.m.: </b>No. 8 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 9 Northwestern (CBS)<p><p><b>1:45 p.m.:</b> No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 12 UAB (TNT)<p><p><b>2:45 p.m.:</b> No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 16 Stetson (CBS)<p><p><b>4:15 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Yale (TNT)<p><p><b>SOUTH REGION</b><p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>7:10 p.m.: </b>No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Oakland (CBS)<p><p><b>9:40 p.m.:</b> No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 North Carolina State (CBS)<p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>2 p.m.: </b>No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 15 Western Kentucky (TBS)<p><p><b>4:30 p.m.: </b>No. 7 Florida vs. No. 10 Colorado-Boise State winner (TBS)<p><p><b>6:50 p.m.:</b> No. 8 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Texas A&amp;M (TNT)<p><p><b>7:10 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Duke vs. No. 13 Vermont (CBS)<p><p><b>9:20 p.m.:</b> No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 Longwood (TNT)<p><p><b>9:40 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 James Madison (CBS)<p><p><b>MIDWEST REGION</b><p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>1:30 p.m.: </b>No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 14 Akron (TNT)<p><p><b>4 p.m.: </b>No. 6 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oregon (TNT)<p><p><b>6:50 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Colorado State-Virginia winner (TNT)<p><p><b>7:25 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Gonzaga vs. No. 12 McNeese State (TBS)<p><p><b>9:20 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 St. Peter\u2019s (TNT)<p><p><b>9:55 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Samford (TBS)<p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>7:25 p.m.:</b> No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 16 Grambling State-Montana State winner (TBS)<p><p><b>9:55 p.m.:</b> No. 8 Utah State vs. No. 9 TCU (TBS)<p><p><b>WEST REGION</b><p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>12:15 p.m.: </b>No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Michigan State (CBS)<p><p><b>2 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 15 Long Beach State (TBS)<p><p><b>2:45 p.m.:</b> No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Howard-Wagner winner (CBS)<p><p><b>4:30 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Dayton vs. No. 10 Nevada (TBS)<p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>12:40 p.m.: </b>No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Colgate (TruTV)<p><p><b>3:10 p.m.: </b>No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 New Mexico (TruTV)<p><p><b>7:35 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 College of Charleston (TruTV)<p><p><b>10:05 p.m.:</b> No. 5 St. Mary\u2019s vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon (TruTV)<p><h3>5. Women\u2019s play-in games</h3><p><b>Wednesday</b><p><p><b>7 p.m.:</b> No. 16 Sacred Heart vs. No. 16 Presbyterian (ESPNU)<p><p><b>9 p.m.:</b> No. 12 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Columbia (ESPNU)<p><p><b>Thursday</b><p><p><b>7 p.m.:</b> No. 11 Auburn vs. No. 11 Arizona (ESPN2)<p><p><b>9 p.m.:</b> No. 16 Holy Cross vs. No. 16 UT-Martin (ESPN2)<p><h3>6. Women\u2019s first-round matchups</h3><p><b>ALBANY REGION I</b><p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>11:30 a.m.: </b>No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Michigan State (ESPN2)<p><p><b>2 p.m.:</b> No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Sacred Heart-Presbyterian winner (ESPN)<p><p><b>8 p.m.:</b> No. 3 Oregon State vs. No. 14 Eastern Washington (ESPNU)<p><p><b>10:30 p.m.:</b> No. 6 Nebraska vs. No. 11 Texas A&amp;M (ESPNU)<p><p><b>Saturday</b><p><p><b>1:30 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 13 Fairfield (ESPN2)<p><p><b>2:15 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 15 Kent State (ESPN)<p><p><b>4 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast (ESPNews)<p><p><b>4:45 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Mississippi vs. No. 10 Marquette (ESPNU)<p><p><b>ALBANY REGION 2</b><p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>1:30 p.m.: </b>No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 Middle Tennessee (ESPN2)<p><p><b>4 p.m.:</b> No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 Rice (ESPN)<p><p><b>4:30 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Kansas State vs. No. 13 Portland State (ESPNews)<p><p><b>7 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Drake (ESPNews)<p><p><b>Saturday</b><p><p><b>3 p.m.: </b>No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 16 Holy Cross-UT-Martin winner (ABC)<p><p><b>5:30 p.m.:</b> No. 8 West Virginia vs. No. 9 Princeton (ESPN2)<p><p><b>7 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Creighton vs. No. 10 UNLV (ESPNews)<p><p><b>9:30 p.m.:</b> No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 15 California Baptist (ESPN2)<p><p><b>PORTLAND REGION 3</b><p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>Noon: </b>No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Maine (ESPN)<p><p><b>2:30 p.m.: </b>No. 7 Duke vs. No. 10 Richmond (ESPNews)<p><p><b>3:30 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Marshall (ESPN2)<p><p><b>6 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt-Columbia winner (ESPNU)<p><p><b>Saturday</b><p><p><b>1 p.m.:</b> No. 3 Connecticut vs. No. 14 Jackson State (ABC)<p><p><b>2 p.m.:</b> No. 8 Kansas vs. No. 9 Michigan (ESPNews)<p><p><b>3:30 p.m.:</b> No. 6 Syracuse vs. No. 11 Auburn-Arizona winner (ESPN2)<p><p><b>4:30 p.m.:</b> No. 1 USC vs. No. 16 Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi (ESPN)<p><p><b>PORTLAND REGION 4</b><p><p><b>Friday</b><p><p><b>3 p.m.:</b> No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 Drexel (ESPNU)<p><p><b>5:30 p.m.:</b> No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Florida State (ESPN2)<p><p><b>7:30 p.m.:</b> No. 7 Iowa State vs. No. 10 Maryland (ESPN2)<p><p><b>10 p.m.:</b> No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 15 Norfolk State (ESPN2)<p><p><b>Saturday</b><p><p><b>Noon: </b>No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Green Bay (ESPN)<p><p><b>2:30 p.m.:</b> No. 3 North Carolina State vs. No. 14 Chattanooga (ESPNU)<p><p><b>7:30 p.m.:</b> No. 4 Gonzaga vs. No. 13 UC Irvine (ESPN2)<p><p><b>10 p.m.:</b> No. 5 Utah vs. No. 12 South Dakota State (ESPNU)<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 13, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "You asked: What\u2019s the difference between broccoli and broccolini?", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "You asked: What\u2019s the difference between broccoli and broccolini?"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/03/18/broccolini-broccoli-rabe-difference/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/03/18/broccolini-broccoli-rabe-difference/", "summary": "2024-02-28T19:42:53.643Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IVXX55YLY7FRCCDP4FA4R2F72Q.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Broccoli (top row) and broccolini (bottom row). (Peggy Cormary for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post) </small></div><p><i><b>Is there a difference between broccoli and broccolini? I always thought they were the same thing so I\u2019ve always used broccoli in a recipe that calls for broccolini, but a recent conversation with a friend has left me in doubt. I\u2019m not sure that I\u2019d even know where to find broccolini.</b></i><p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/02/28/questions-recipe-cooking-advice/#link-79f06e07dc2d486b82f257828d7ed65d\" target=\"_blank\">This was a question that came up recently during our weekly live chat</a>, where we help you level-up your skills in the kitchen. Here\u2019s what you need to know about the differences between broccolini and broccoli.<p><p>First: Yes, they are different! Broccolini is actually a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. It has longer stems. The flavor has a bit more bite \u2014 slightly bitter, slightly peppery.<p><p>I don\u2019t usually find that much of a difference in terms of roasting time. Compact broccoli florets tend to be firmer and wider, and broccolini, while somewhat softer and narrower, does have longer stems. So it\u2019s a bit of a wash.<p><p>Because of the size difference, they\u2019re not always easily swapped, especially in something such as a stir-fry <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/01/07/how-to-cook-broccoli-cauliflower-cruciferous/\" target=\"_blank\">where you\u2019d otherwise use broccoli florets</a>.<p><p>To further muddy the waters, there\u2019s also broccoli rabe (or raab), otherwise known as rapini. It\u2019s closely related to cabbage and turnips, and treated more like a hearty green. Broccoli rabe has a more pungent, bitter flavor, too.<p><p>As to where to find broccolini, it\u2019s available at many grocery stores. I have bought it at the Trader Joe\u2019s, Safeway and Wegmans locations near me. It may not be displayed near the regular broccoli. Sometimes it\u2019s in a different area with other packaged vegetables on the refrigerated shelves.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/SOHWW2526W55VRDX74BBQIHYTA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Broccolini With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)</small></div><h2>Recipes with broccolini</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/HIKT4BCA2EI6ZFAEKCRIVCFZZU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Roasted Broccolini With Lemon and Chile Flakes. (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post) </small></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-02-28T19:42:53.643Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IVXX55YLY7FRCCDP4FA4R2F72Q.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Broccoli (top row) and broccolini (bottom row). (Peggy Cormary for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post) </small></div><p><i><b>Is there a difference between broccoli and broccolini? I always thought they were the same thing so I\u2019ve always used broccoli in a recipe that calls for broccolini, but a recent conversation with a friend has left me in doubt. I\u2019m not sure that I\u2019d even know where to find broccolini.</b></i><p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/02/28/questions-recipe-cooking-advice/#link-79f06e07dc2d486b82f257828d7ed65d\" target=\"_blank\">This was a question that came up recently during our weekly live chat</a>, where we help you level-up your skills in the kitchen. Here\u2019s what you need to know about the differences between broccolini and broccoli.<p><p>First: Yes, they are different! Broccolini is actually a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. It has longer stems. The flavor has a bit more bite \u2014 slightly bitter, slightly peppery.<p><p>I don\u2019t usually find that much of a difference in terms of roasting time. Compact broccoli florets tend to be firmer and wider, and broccolini, while somewhat softer and narrower, does have longer stems. So it\u2019s a bit of a wash.<p><p>Because of the size difference, they\u2019re not always easily swapped, especially in something such as a stir-fry <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/01/07/how-to-cook-broccoli-cauliflower-cruciferous/\" target=\"_blank\">where you\u2019d otherwise use broccoli florets</a>.<p><p>To further muddy the waters, there\u2019s also broccoli rabe (or raab), otherwise known as rapini. It\u2019s closely related to cabbage and turnips, and treated more like a hearty green. Broccoli rabe has a more pungent, bitter flavor, too.<p><p>As to where to find broccolini, it\u2019s available at many grocery stores. I have bought it at the Trader Joe\u2019s, Safeway and Wegmans locations near me. It may not be displayed near the regular broccoli. Sometimes it\u2019s in a different area with other packaged vegetables on the refrigerated shelves.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/SOHWW2526W55VRDX74BBQIHYTA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Broccolini With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)</small></div><h2>Recipes with broccolini</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/HIKT4BCA2EI6ZFAEKCRIVCFZZU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Roasted Broccolini With Lemon and Chile Flakes. (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post) </small></div>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:24:10 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 13, 24, 10, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Putin claims a new six-year term in vote condemned as not free or fair", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Putin claims a new six-year term in vote condemned as not free or fair"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/vladimir-putin-russia-election-fraud/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/vladimir-putin-russia-election-fraud/", "summary": "2024-03-17T13:17:05.893Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/B6KP7RRKMRGHFGIUAGW23ATUPU/20240318-131523.235/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4664GYNXO6LWL7KUAQNTGBPHDE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A screen at Russia's Central Election Commission shows results claiming a landslide victory for Vladimir Putin in an election widely condemned as neither free nor fair and with allegations of rampant electoral fraud. (Maxim Shipenkov/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)</small></div><p>MOSCOW \u2014 The Kremlin on Monday brushed aside condemnation of the Russian presidential election as neither free nor fair and rejected allegations of pervasive electoral fraud as the country\u2019s Central Election Commission claimed record-high turnout and said that Vladimir Putin easily secured a new six-year term.<p><p>With genuine opposition candidates barred from running and the Kremlin exerting tight control over the news media to Putin\u2019s benefit, Western nations, including the United States, denounced the vote as failing to meet basic democratic standards. Many Russians protested by forming long lines at polling stations at noon Sunday.<p><p>Putin\u2019s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, waved off the criticism. \u201cWe do not agree with the United States\u2019 assessment of the election,\u201d Peskov said. \u201cDe facto the United States is involved in the war in Ukraine and is de facto at war with us. This is not an opinion worth listening to and not an opinion that will be of importance to us.\u201d<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/Reuters/20240318/65f7aa6f6bfe9200888f2ce4/65f7e04b5007d06111536ab2/file_1280x720-2000-v3_1.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>On Monday, Russia\u2019s Central Electoral Commission predictably claimed a landslide victory for Putin. With 100 percent of votes counted, the commission said Putin had won 87.28 percent \u2014 his highest tally in any of his previous four elections. In his last campaign in 2018, the authorities said he received 77.5 percent.<p><p>Putin, who took power upon Boris Yeltsin\u2019s resignation on Dec. 31, 1999, has defied term limits since 2008 when, after serving the maximum two full terms, he swapped jobs with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Four years later, they swapped again. In 2020, Putin engineered constitutional amendments allowing him to rule until 2036.<p><p>The election commission also reported \u201crecord turnout\u201d \u2014 with 87.1 million Russians, totaling 77.44 percent of voters \u2014 heading to the polls. Previously, the highest turnout in a Russian presidential election was recorded in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, when Yeltsin was elected with 74.66 percent of voters participating.<p><p>This year\u2019s vote, amid Russia\u2019s continuing war against Ukraine, took place one month after the sudden death of Alexei Navalny, Putin\u2019s most formidable political rival, in an Arctic prison colony. In areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia, electoral teams accompanied by soldiers <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/16/putin-election-voting-gunpoint-occupied-ukraine/?itid=lk_inline_manual_12\" target=\"_blank\">forced residents</a> to cast ballots at gunpoint.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/The_Washington_Post/20240317/65f6cc7514b6d033d03028a0/65f6cc7d5007d06111536a60/file_1280x720-2000-v3_1.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>The electoral commission claimed that in occupied areas of Ukraine\u2019s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Putin won 88.12 percent and 92.95 percent of votes respectively. Russia controls only parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia \u2014 two of four Ukrainian regions it claims illegally to have annexed \u2014 and many residents are displaced.<p><p>In Russia, voting took place from Friday through Sunday, a three-day window that critics said provided ample opportunity for fraud and manipulation. In many regions, voters were encouraged to use an opaque online voting system with no mechanism to assure accuracy or safeguard against cheating.<p><p>By midafternoon Sunday, Russian electoral watchdog Golos had mapped more than 1,400 reports of potential electoral violations, including instances of vote stuffing.<p><p>In remarks after midnight following the release of preliminary results late Sunday, Putin claimed broad public support and made clear that he would continue the war in Ukraine.<p><p>But the three-day vote was marked by signs of public fury, with several Russian citizens setting fire to voting urns and polling stations and throwing liquid dye on ballots. On Sunday, thousands of people in Russia and abroad participated in the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/17/russia-presidential-election-putin-protest/?_pml=1\" target=\"_blank\">noon protest</a>.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/The_Washington_Post/20240317/65f6f0191b1f4f4f164bf26d/65f6f0685007d06111536a72/file_1280x720-2000-v3_1.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-17T13:17:05.893Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/B6KP7RRKMRGHFGIUAGW23ATUPU/20240318-131523.235/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4664GYNXO6LWL7KUAQNTGBPHDE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A screen at Russia's Central Election Commission shows results claiming a landslide victory for Vladimir Putin in an election widely condemned as neither free nor fair and with allegations of rampant electoral fraud. (Maxim Shipenkov/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)</small></div><p>MOSCOW \u2014 The Kremlin on Monday brushed aside condemnation of the Russian presidential election as neither free nor fair and rejected allegations of pervasive electoral fraud as the country\u2019s Central Election Commission claimed record-high turnout and said that Vladimir Putin easily secured a new six-year term.<p><p>With genuine opposition candidates barred from running and the Kremlin exerting tight control over the news media to Putin\u2019s benefit, Western nations, including the United States, denounced the vote as failing to meet basic democratic standards. Many Russians protested by forming long lines at polling stations at noon Sunday.<p><p>Putin\u2019s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, waved off the criticism. \u201cWe do not agree with the United States\u2019 assessment of the election,\u201d Peskov said. \u201cDe facto the United States is involved in the war in Ukraine and is de facto at war with us. This is not an opinion worth listening to and not an opinion that will be of importance to us.\u201d<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/Reuters/20240318/65f7aa6f6bfe9200888f2ce4/65f7e04b5007d06111536ab2/file_1280x720-2000-v3_1.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>On Monday, Russia\u2019s Central Electoral Commission predictably claimed a landslide victory for Putin. With 100 percent of votes counted, the commission said Putin had won 87.28 percent \u2014 his highest tally in any of his previous four elections. In his last campaign in 2018, the authorities said he received 77.5 percent.<p><p>Putin, who took power upon Boris Yeltsin\u2019s resignation on Dec. 31, 1999, has defied term limits since 2008 when, after serving the maximum two full terms, he swapped jobs with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Four years later, they swapped again. In 2020, Putin engineered constitutional amendments allowing him to rule until 2036.<p><p>The election commission also reported \u201crecord turnout\u201d \u2014 with 87.1 million Russians, totaling 77.44 percent of voters \u2014 heading to the polls. Previously, the highest turnout in a Russian presidential election was recorded in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, when Yeltsin was elected with 74.66 percent of voters participating.<p><p>This year\u2019s vote, amid Russia\u2019s continuing war against Ukraine, took place one month after the sudden death of Alexei Navalny, Putin\u2019s most formidable political rival, in an Arctic prison colony. In areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia, electoral teams accompanied by soldiers <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/16/putin-election-voting-gunpoint-occupied-ukraine/?itid=lk_inline_manual_12\" target=\"_blank\">forced residents</a> to cast ballots at gunpoint.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/The_Washington_Post/20240317/65f6cc7514b6d033d03028a0/65f6cc7d5007d06111536a60/file_1280x720-2000-v3_1.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>The electoral commission claimed that in occupied areas of Ukraine\u2019s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Putin won 88.12 percent and 92.95 percent of votes respectively. Russia controls only parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia \u2014 two of four Ukrainian regions it claims illegally to have annexed \u2014 and many residents are displaced.<p><p>In Russia, voting took place from Friday through Sunday, a three-day window that critics said provided ample opportunity for fraud and manipulation. In many regions, voters were encouraged to use an opaque online voting system with no mechanism to assure accuracy or safeguard against cheating.<p><p>By midafternoon Sunday, Russian electoral watchdog Golos had mapped more than 1,400 reports of potential electoral violations, including instances of vote stuffing.<p><p>In remarks after midnight following the release of preliminary results late Sunday, Putin claimed broad public support and made clear that he would continue the war in Ukraine.<p><p>But the three-day vote was marked by signs of public fury, with several Russian citizens setting fire to voting urns and polling stations and throwing liquid dye on ballots. On Sunday, thousands of people in Russia and abroad participated in the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/17/russia-presidential-election-putin-protest/?_pml=1\" target=\"_blank\">noon protest</a>.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/The_Washington_Post/20240317/65f6f0191b1f4f4f164bf26d/65f6f0685007d06111536a72/file_1280x720-2000-v3_1.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:24:10 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 13, 24, 10, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Peyton Manning\u2019s new docuseries captures Caitlin Clark\u2019s historic season", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Peyton Manning\u2019s new docuseries captures Caitlin Clark\u2019s historic season"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/caitlin-clark-docuseries-peyton-manning/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/18/caitlin-clark-docuseries-peyton-manning/", "summary": "2024-03-14T16:01:40.804Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/ZZQMGFOISNF6NNL3IGAPGJ4RB4/20240318-084734.341/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/PVN5K6SYYTXXSSUFHA7LC3QJKA.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Caitlin Clark will be at the center of this month's NCAA tournament \u2014 and a new docuseries following her season. (Matthew Holst/For The Washington Post)</small></div><p>A year ago, Omaha Productions, the entertainment studio founded by former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, was wrapping up production of <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/12/netflix-quarterback-patrick-mahomes/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cQuarterback,\u201d</a> a Netflix series that followed Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota through an NFL season.<p><p>But he was also watching women\u2019s basketball. Manning was close friends with Pat Summit from his college years at Tennessee. Now, along with much of the country, he was being introduced to Iowa star Caitlin Clark as she tore through the NCAA tournament. He saw Iowa <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/04/01/caitlin-clark-iowa-south-carolina/\" target=\"_blank\">upset South Carolina</a> in an epic Final Four game, and he watched Clark <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/04/02/iowa-lsu-score-live-updates/\" target=\"_blank\">lose an action-packed final against Angel Reese and LSU</a>. And, he said, he wondered: If there\u2019s interest in going behind the scenes with Mahomes and Cousins, might there be a thirst for a similar window into women\u2019s basketball?<p><p>A few months later Manning was on a Zoom with Clark, he said, pitching her on sending cameras to follow her through what would become her historic senior season. Clark agreed. So did South Carolina\u2019s Kamilla Cardoso and UCLA\u2019s Kiki Rice. The result is a new four-episode docuseries, \u201cFull Court Press,\u201d that will premiere on May 11 and 12 on ABC and then be available on ESPN Plus.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/ESPN/20240317/65f748301b1f4f4f164bfe08/65f74839b711eb5ff5a11025/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>The series is a testament to the star power of Clark, not that she needs more datapoints. She became the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/03/caitlin-clark-iowa-senior-day/\" target=\"_blank\">all-time leading scorer in college basketball</a> this season. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/29/caitlin-clark-ticket-prices/\" target=\"_blank\">Ticket prices spiked hundreds of dollars when she came to town</a>, and she was crucial in helping women\u2019s college basketball <a href=\"https://twitter.com/mulvihill79/status/1765038514134286372\" target=\"_blank\">deliver larger TV audiences</a> than her male counterparts on Fox this season.<p><p>But it\u2019s also a moment for her sport. The NCAA recently signed a new TV contract with ESPN that valued the women\u2019s tournament at $65 million per year, a more than tenfold increase on the previous rate. Viewership of the WNBA <a href=\"https://pr.nba.com/wnba-2023-season-delivers-with-record-breaking-viewership-attendance-and-digital-engagement/#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20%E2%80%93%20The%20WNBA%20this,media%20engagement%20and%20sports%20betting.\" target=\"_blank\">is rising, too</a>.<p><p>Throughout the season, Omaha sent cameras to follow the players at practices, their biggest games and to capture intimate moments away from the court. Like with \u201cQuarterback,\u201d \u201cFull Court Press\u201d will deliver three distinct storylines.<p><p>It will track Cardozo, a native of Brazil, and South Carolina\u2019s second consecutive undefeated regular season, as the team looks to avenge last year\u2019s Final Four loss behind a stacked roster and Coach Dawn Staley. The series had cameras at the SEC tournament where Cardoso <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/10/lsu-south-carolina-sec-tournament-scuffle/\" target=\"_blank\">was involved in a bench-clearing fight</a> against LSU and also hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer against Tennessee.<p><p>Rice is a sophomore point guard who came to UCLA from across the country (she went to high school at Sidwell Friends in Northwest D.C.) and helped the Bruins to a top-10 ranking this season, while battling another young phenom in Los Angeles, USC\u2019s Juju Watkins. And, of course, the series will chronicle <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/10/caitlin-clark-ncaa-scoring-record/\" target=\"_blank\">the various records Clark set</a>, as well as the circuslike atmosphere that followed her all season.<p><p>The docuseries genre has exploded in popularity since \u201cThe Last Dance,\u201d <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/05/17/sports-doc-or-michael-jordan-vanity-project-last-dance-threads-tough-needle/\" target=\"_blank\">a documentary about Michael Jordan\u2019s Chicago Bulls</a>, was a hit for ESPN, and the real time Netflix behind-the-scenes show \u201cDrive to Survive,\u201d which has provided a look into <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/10/26/formula-one-us-grand-prix/\" target=\"_blank\">Formula 1\u2019s success</a>. Carlos Alcaraz, the winner at Wimbledon last year and the U.S. Open in 2022, is also <a href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/carlos-alcaraz-netflix-documentary-series-alcaraz-streaming-1235852200/\" target=\"_blank\">set to get the docuseries treatment</a>.<p><p>\u201cFull Court Press\u201d is Omaha\u2019s latest foray into the genre. After \u201cQuarterback,\u201d the company is reportedly working on an NBA-themed version for Netflix that will include LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, among others.<p><p>\u201cAll of [the players] ask me a very good question,\u201d Manning said. \u201cThey say, \u2018Peyton, would you have done this if you were my age?\u2019 It\u2019s very fair and my answer has been, \u2018No,\u2019 because there was probably nobody that I trusted that would have my back and would do this with the player being the number one priority. Being a former player, I know how hard it is to be a pro QB, how hard it is to be a D-1 athlete.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/GZ772OFFE5JNXWFAEK4JMTQWSE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso, seen here hitting a buzzer beater to beat Tennessee in the SEC tournament earlier this month, will also be featured in the new docuseries \"Full Court Press,\" along with Iowa's Caitlin Clark and UCLA's Kiki Rice (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Clark, Cardoso and Rice have editorial input in the series, Omaha said, but not final cut. Omaha also made a donation to the NIL collectives at each of the schools taking part, but didn\u2019t offer more financial details of the deal. Manning said there was nothing Omaha wanted to film that the players didn\u2019t allow. The idea, he said, was to collaborate with the players on what their stories should be.<p><p>\u201cKirk [Cousins] wanted the cameras in his sport psychologist sessions, for example,\u201d Manning said. \u201cHe wanted his kids to be able to see what that was like. This is guided by the players, and we want this to be a positive piece, to show them in their best light. So that\u2019s what I told Caitlin. \u2018You\u2019ll find we\u2019re not a distraction, and you\u2019ll have ideas for what we could witness.\u2019 The whole goal is to have this be a memento for them.\u201d<p><p>Manning founded Omaha \u2014 <a href=\"https://www.denverbroncos.com/video/peyton-and-omaha-12446431\" target=\"_blank\">named for his famous audible call</a> \u2014 in 2020, along with former ESPN and Fox Sports executive Jamie Horowitz and with help from Josh Pyatt, an agent at William Morris Endeavor. \u201cFull Court Press\u201d was produced in conjunction with Words + Pictures, which was launched by another former ESPN executive, Connor Schell. Both companies have investments from Peter Chernin\u2019s media investment firm, and both feature former ESPN executives selling content back to their former network.<p><p>ESPN\u2019s vice president of original content, Brian Lockhart, said he couldn\u2019t imagine a series like this 15 years ago and noted that its premiering on ABC \u201cspeaks to the importance of [women\u2019s basketball] to our business.\u201d<p><p>Manning has spent the season exchanging emails with Clark but said he\u2019ll be happy as long as any of the series\u2019 three stars brings home a national championship. (Iowa and UCLA are the top two seeds in their region .)<p><p>\u201cIt can\u2019t happen for all three of them,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m rooting for all three.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-14T16:01:40.804Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/ZZQMGFOISNF6NNL3IGAPGJ4RB4/20240318-084734.341/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/PVN5K6SYYTXXSSUFHA7LC3QJKA.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Caitlin Clark will be at the center of this month's NCAA tournament \u2014 and a new docuseries following her season. (Matthew Holst/For The Washington Post)</small></div><p>A year ago, Omaha Productions, the entertainment studio founded by former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, was wrapping up production of <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/12/netflix-quarterback-patrick-mahomes/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cQuarterback,\u201d</a> a Netflix series that followed Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota through an NFL season.<p><p>But he was also watching women\u2019s basketball. Manning was close friends with Pat Summit from his college years at Tennessee. Now, along with much of the country, he was being introduced to Iowa star Caitlin Clark as she tore through the NCAA tournament. He saw Iowa <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/04/01/caitlin-clark-iowa-south-carolina/\" target=\"_blank\">upset South Carolina</a> in an epic Final Four game, and he watched Clark <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/04/02/iowa-lsu-score-live-updates/\" target=\"_blank\">lose an action-packed final against Angel Reese and LSU</a>. And, he said, he wondered: If there\u2019s interest in going behind the scenes with Mahomes and Cousins, might there be a thirst for a similar window into women\u2019s basketball?<p><p>A few months later Manning was on a Zoom with Clark, he said, pitching her on sending cameras to follow her through what would become her historic senior season. Clark agreed. So did South Carolina\u2019s Kamilla Cardoso and UCLA\u2019s Kiki Rice. The result is a new four-episode docuseries, \u201cFull Court Press,\u201d that will premiere on May 11 and 12 on ABC and then be available on ESPN Plus.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/ESPN/20240317/65f748301b1f4f4f164bfe08/65f74839b711eb5ff5a11025/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>The series is a testament to the star power of Clark, not that she needs more datapoints. She became the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/03/caitlin-clark-iowa-senior-day/\" target=\"_blank\">all-time leading scorer in college basketball</a> this season. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/29/caitlin-clark-ticket-prices/\" target=\"_blank\">Ticket prices spiked hundreds of dollars when she came to town</a>, and she was crucial in helping women\u2019s college basketball <a href=\"https://twitter.com/mulvihill79/status/1765038514134286372\" target=\"_blank\">deliver larger TV audiences</a> than her male counterparts on Fox this season.<p><p>But it\u2019s also a moment for her sport. The NCAA recently signed a new TV contract with ESPN that valued the women\u2019s tournament at $65 million per year, a more than tenfold increase on the previous rate. Viewership of the WNBA <a href=\"https://pr.nba.com/wnba-2023-season-delivers-with-record-breaking-viewership-attendance-and-digital-engagement/#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20%E2%80%93%20The%20WNBA%20this,media%20engagement%20and%20sports%20betting.\" target=\"_blank\">is rising, too</a>.<p><p>Throughout the season, Omaha sent cameras to follow the players at practices, their biggest games and to capture intimate moments away from the court. Like with \u201cQuarterback,\u201d \u201cFull Court Press\u201d will deliver three distinct storylines.<p><p>It will track Cardozo, a native of Brazil, and South Carolina\u2019s second consecutive undefeated regular season, as the team looks to avenge last year\u2019s Final Four loss behind a stacked roster and Coach Dawn Staley. The series had cameras at the SEC tournament where Cardoso <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/10/lsu-south-carolina-sec-tournament-scuffle/\" target=\"_blank\">was involved in a bench-clearing fight</a> against LSU and also hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer against Tennessee.<p><p>Rice is a sophomore point guard who came to UCLA from across the country (she went to high school at Sidwell Friends in Northwest D.C.) and helped the Bruins to a top-10 ranking this season, while battling another young phenom in Los Angeles, USC\u2019s Juju Watkins. And, of course, the series will chronicle <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/10/caitlin-clark-ncaa-scoring-record/\" target=\"_blank\">the various records Clark set</a>, as well as the circuslike atmosphere that followed her all season.<p><p>The docuseries genre has exploded in popularity since \u201cThe Last Dance,\u201d <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/05/17/sports-doc-or-michael-jordan-vanity-project-last-dance-threads-tough-needle/\" target=\"_blank\">a documentary about Michael Jordan\u2019s Chicago Bulls</a>, was a hit for ESPN, and the real time Netflix behind-the-scenes show \u201cDrive to Survive,\u201d which has provided a look into <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/10/26/formula-one-us-grand-prix/\" target=\"_blank\">Formula 1\u2019s success</a>. Carlos Alcaraz, the winner at Wimbledon last year and the U.S. Open in 2022, is also <a href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/carlos-alcaraz-netflix-documentary-series-alcaraz-streaming-1235852200/\" target=\"_blank\">set to get the docuseries treatment</a>.<p><p>\u201cFull Court Press\u201d is Omaha\u2019s latest foray into the genre. After \u201cQuarterback,\u201d the company is reportedly working on an NBA-themed version for Netflix that will include LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, among others.<p><p>\u201cAll of [the players] ask me a very good question,\u201d Manning said. \u201cThey say, \u2018Peyton, would you have done this if you were my age?\u2019 It\u2019s very fair and my answer has been, \u2018No,\u2019 because there was probably nobody that I trusted that would have my back and would do this with the player being the number one priority. Being a former player, I know how hard it is to be a pro QB, how hard it is to be a D-1 athlete.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/GZ772OFFE5JNXWFAEK4JMTQWSE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso, seen here hitting a buzzer beater to beat Tennessee in the SEC tournament earlier this month, will also be featured in the new docuseries \"Full Court Press,\" along with Iowa's Caitlin Clark and UCLA's Kiki Rice (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Clark, Cardoso and Rice have editorial input in the series, Omaha said, but not final cut. Omaha also made a donation to the NIL collectives at each of the schools taking part, but didn\u2019t offer more financial details of the deal. Manning said there was nothing Omaha wanted to film that the players didn\u2019t allow. The idea, he said, was to collaborate with the players on what their stories should be.<p><p>\u201cKirk [Cousins] wanted the cameras in his sport psychologist sessions, for example,\u201d Manning said. \u201cHe wanted his kids to be able to see what that was like. This is guided by the players, and we want this to be a positive piece, to show them in their best light. So that\u2019s what I told Caitlin. \u2018You\u2019ll find we\u2019re not a distraction, and you\u2019ll have ideas for what we could witness.\u2019 The whole goal is to have this be a memento for them.\u201d<p><p>Manning founded Omaha \u2014 <a href=\"https://www.denverbroncos.com/video/peyton-and-omaha-12446431\" target=\"_blank\">named for his famous audible call</a> \u2014 in 2020, along with former ESPN and Fox Sports executive Jamie Horowitz and with help from Josh Pyatt, an agent at William Morris Endeavor. \u201cFull Court Press\u201d was produced in conjunction with Words + Pictures, which was launched by another former ESPN executive, Connor Schell. Both companies have investments from Peter Chernin\u2019s media investment firm, and both feature former ESPN executives selling content back to their former network.<p><p>ESPN\u2019s vice president of original content, Brian Lockhart, said he couldn\u2019t imagine a series like this 15 years ago and noted that its premiering on ABC \u201cspeaks to the importance of [women\u2019s basketball] to our business.\u201d<p><p>Manning has spent the season exchanging emails with Clark but said he\u2019ll be happy as long as any of the series\u2019 three stars brings home a national championship. (Iowa and UCLA are the top two seeds in their region .)<p><p>\u201cIt can\u2019t happen for all three of them,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m rooting for all three.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 20:54:10 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 12, 54, 10, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "The SAT is coming back at some colleges. It\u2019s stressing everyone out.", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "The SAT is coming back at some colleges. It\u2019s stressing everyone out."}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/18/sat-test-policies-confuse-students/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/18/sat-test-policies-confuse-students/", "summary": "2024-03-13T16:50:51.535Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/GVGDMISWGBASPKHQRRNZHHV7OU/20240316-195911.112/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OZBT7JXNYBT66N3QDYVZZQSDKM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A student takes a practice test for the digital SAT in March. (Butch Dill/AP)</small></div><p>A California mother drove 80 miles this month to find an SAT testing center with an open seat where her high school junior could take the exam. During college tours this spring, a teen recalled hearing some would-be applicants groan when admissions staffers announced they could not guarantee test-optional policies would continue.<p><p>And across the country, college counselors are fielding questions from teenagers alarmed, encouraged or simply confused by what seems like the return of the standardized test in admissions \u2014 maybe? Sort of? In some places, but not in others?<p><p>\u201cYou could be expecting and preparing for a certain way to apply to a college and present yourself \u2014 but then they change it mid-application process,\u201d said Kai Talbert, a 17-year-old high school junior in Pennsylvania. \u201cThat\u2019s really confusing. It can set back a lot of people.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4ABOFRUXIFH4ZIGJGYSU53AL44.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Kai Talbert, 17, studies for the ACT. (Erin Talbert)</small></div><p>Colleges nationwide have been updating<b> </b>their coronavirus-era policies on standardized testing, which many dropped when the pandemic shut down in-person<b> </b>testing centers. Some of the most selective schools are declaring they will require tests<b> </b>again \u2014 including, across the last two months, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/02/05/dartmouth-reinstates-sat-admissions-requirement/\" target=\"_blank\">Dartmouth College</a>, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/02/22/yale-sat-act-admissions-requirement-reinstated/\" target=\"_blank\">Yale</a> and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/05/brown-university-reinstates-sat-act-requirement/\" target=\"_blank\">Brown</a>. Others, such as the University of Chicago and Columbia, won\u2019t. And still others have not yet picked a permanent policy: Princeton, Stanford,<b> </b>Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania have said they will remain test-optional for another year or two, while Harvard University <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/12/16/harvard-test-optional-college-admissions/\" target=\"_blank\">plans to keep its test-optional policy</a> at least through the 2025-26 application cycle.<p><p>Public universities have veered in different directions, too: The University of Tennessee system requires tests. The University of Michigan will be test-optional. The University of California system is test-blind, meaning schools refuse to consider SAT or ACT scores<b> </b>for admissions.<p><p>The patchwork of policies is wreaking havoc on applicants, parents and college admissions consultants nationwide, who are being forced to recalculate where and how they are willing to apply \u2014 or what to tell anxious teenagers about whether to test, retest or skip testing entirely \u2014 as decisions keep rolling out in real time.<p><p>Laurie Kopp Weingarten, founder of One-Stop College Counseling in New Jersey, said she now has a new response whenever a kid gives her a list of their school targets. She starts by going down the list, school by school, to review each institution\u2019s testing rules and whether those seem likely to change.<p><p>Taking a breath, Weingarten rattled off a summary of the different testing requirements in place at every Ivy League school. It took her three minutes.<p><p>\u201cEven just saying it, it sounds like insanity to me, and then we\u2019re expecting kids to understand this?\u201d Weingarten said. \u201cColleges should really analyze the data, come up with a decision and stop changing their mind.\u201d<p><p>The shifting testing expectations are one of many changes roiling college admissions this year. Colleges are still grappling with the fallout from the landmark Supreme Court ruling <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/06/29/affirmative-action-supreme-court-ruling/\" target=\"_blank\">that ended the use of race-based affirmative action</a> in admissions. Many are undertaking an array of experiments in response to the decision in a bid to maintain diverse admitted classes \u2014 ending <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/09/virginia-college-legacy-preferences/\" target=\"_blank\">legacy preferences</a> in some cases, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/27/college-applications-race-affirmative-action/\" target=\"_blank\">adding essay prompts</a> on adversity or identity in others, or increasing outreach in low-income areas.<p><p>And the<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/11/how-new-fafsa-problems-began/\" target=\"_blank\"> disastrous rollout</a> of a federal financial aid form that was supposed to simplify the notoriously difficult process has left <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/02/12/fafsa-rollout-delays-student-colleges-impact/\" target=\"_blank\">students, parents and schools scrambling</a>.<p><p>This is the most hectic and distressing admissions cycle in recent memory, said Jennifer Nuechterlein, a college and career counselor at a New Jersey high school. She laid special blame on schools that reinstated testing mandates in the past two months, some of which affect the high school juniors who will begin applying in the fall. This class of teens will have to take the SAT or ACT, should they decide to do so, within the next six months.<p><p>\u201cStudents can\u2019t just test overnight,\u201d Nuechterlein said. \u201cThere are students who want to prep, there are students who are not math- or English-ready ... . Students are going to be unprepared.\u201d<p><p>For the most ambitious, high-achieving students, the tests are another stressful hurdle to clear as they apply to the most selective colleges. And for many other students, the test scores \u2014 even if not required for admission \u2014 are mandatory if they want to qualify for some financial aid programs or, on some campuses,<b> </b>certain degree programs.<p><p><a href=\"https://fairtest.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TestOptionalReportFinal.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Critics</a> of standardized tests have argued that they mirror, or exacerbate, societal inequities, in part because students from unstable homes or with limited resources cannot afford SAT or ACT tutors or testing preparation classes, or may not know of free resources such as <a href=\"https://www.khanacademy.org/digital-sat\" target=\"_blank\">Khan Academy</a>. Even before the pandemic, some schools had moved to make the scores optional to avoid creating another barrier for students.<p><p>Then the pandemic hit, spurring a crisis response when students literally could not access spaces in which to take standardized tests, said Dominique J. Baker, a University of Delaware associate professor of education and public policy who studies admissions policies.<p><p>\u201cThere were a number of institutions that never would have chosen to have gone test-optional except the pandemic made them,\u201d she said. \u201cThose institutions, by and large, are going back to requiring test scores.\u201d<p><p>MIT, Georgetown University and the University of Florida are among schools which quickly chose to reinstate the requirements, with MIT announcing the change in 2022. Many others have spent the years since the virus arrived studying what effect going test-optional had on their admitted classes.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NUC2XVF56AI6TKFQP3MKBVO4LU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Baker-Berry Library at Dartmouth College. (Charles Krupa/AP)</small></div><p>At Brown, Yale and Dartmouth, officials said they had found something surprising: Considering test scores would help them identify <i>more</i> promising applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds, not fewer. After looking at their own data, leaders at the three Ivies<b> </b>say they<b> </b>concluded SAT and ACT scores are highly predictive of students\u2019 academic performance in college, more so than high school grades. They also found that some less-advantaged students withheld their scores when sharing them would have boosted their chances.<p><p>Depriving admissions officers of SAT and ACT scores meant they were less able to evaluate an applicant\u2019s chances of thriving at Brown, Provost Francis J. Doyle III <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/05/brown-university-reinstates-sat-act-requirement/\" target=\"_blank\">said in an interview this month</a>.<p><p>\u201cOur analysis suggested our admissions could be more effective if we brought back testing as an instrument,\u201d Doyle said.<p><p>The University of Texas at Austin is also choosing testing again, the school announced recently. Jay Hartzell, the school\u2019s president, said he and others worried the cost and preparation associated with the tests could keep students from applying. But about 90 percent of UT Austin applicants in the latest round took the SAT even though it was optional, Hartzell said. And the school found that students who declined to submit scores were less successful once enrolled.<p><p>More highly selective schools will probably follow UT Austin\u2019s lead in the months to come, said John Friedman, a professor of economics and international and public affairs at Brown. He was one of the authors of the <a href=\"https://opportunityinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SAT_ACT_on_Grades.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">study</a> from Opportunity Insights, a nonprofit at Harvard University,<b> </b>on standardized test scores and student performance at a dozen \u201cIvy-plus\u201d universities.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just about the test scores being a good predictor,\u201d he said. \u201cWe show in the paper that students who attend a school, having been admitted without a test score, perform at the bottom of the distribution.\u201d He said schools<b> </b>should look at their own data to determine their policy.<p><p>Nonetheless, most schools nationwide will probably remain test-optional, predicted Angel P\u00e9rez, the chief executive of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. For many institutions, he said, the policy has been a huge success, bumping up the number of applicants and diversifying admitted classes.<p><p>He added that most American high-schoolers are applying to schools that admit nearly all applicants, to public schools or to colleges close to home, he said: \u201cSo the majority of students aren\u2019t going to be impacted.\u201d<p><p>Morehouse College is among those maintaining a test-optional policy, which the historically Black college adopted in 2020. Since going test-optional, Morehouse has seen an increased number of applicants and an increased acceptance rate from admitted students, said Michael Gumm, Morehouse\u2019s director of admissions and recruitment.<p><p>The majority of Morehouse applicants choose not to submit scores, Gumm said, and more students are completing their applications in the past. He said Morehouse is looking for leaders, so essays and letters of recommendation carry a lot of weight.<p><p>Gumm said he often preaches to students: \u201cYour test scores do not make you who you are.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5L6XVMNTHZBKBIEU44ILKIXMGU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Michael Gumm, director of admissions and recruitment at Morehouse College in Atlanta. (Courtesy of Morehouse College.)</small></div><p>But for some students, the tests remain a priority. Alina Bunch, a 16-year-old high school junior in Texas, said that even when she saw schools dropping test requirements, she never altered her plan to take the ACT. The exam, she says, is a way to demonstrate determination and academic rigor.<p><p>She thinks it\u2019s generally a good thing that schools are bringing back testing requirements, because they can function as a mechanism of standardization in a sometimes subjective admissions process. She does fear the effects of reinstating test requirements for students who cannot afford tutoring.<p><p>But for herself \u2014 after taking a summer course to prepare for the ACT and scoring high on the exam \u2014 she has no real worries. \u201cIt was never a question for me, of whether I should do it or not,\u201d Alina said.<p><p>Many students pursued similar strategies, continuing to take standardized tests throughout the test-optional trend. After<b> </b>a dramatic drop in 2020 spurred by the sudden closure of test sites, the number of students taking the SAT nationally has risen every year since, per the College Board, and <a href=\"https://newsroom.collegeboard.org/sat-program-results-class-2023-show-continued-growth-sat-participation\" target=\"_blank\">reached 1.9 million</a> for the class of 2023. That\u2019s about 3 million short of the last pre-pandemic total, <a href=\"https://newsroom.collegeboard.org/over-22-million-students-class-2019-took-sat-largest-group-ever#:~:text=Almost%20a%20million%20students%20in,of%20the%20class%20of%202018.\" target=\"_blank\">when 2.2 million members of the class of 2019</a> sat for the exam \u2014 the largest-ever group to do so.<p><p>Joan Koven, who heads college consulting company Academic Access in Pennsylvania, said she never expected standardized testing to suffer a real drop in popularity.<p><p>\u201cThe ACTs and the SATs are Burger King and McDonald\u2019s,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re not going away.\u201d<p><p>But in some places, counselors wish they would. Priscilla Grijalva, a high school counselor in California\u2019s San Jacinto Unified School District, said the elimination of test requirements in the UC system and California State University campuses was a godsend for the nearly 300 students she works with every year, a mix of White, Black and Latino teens, most of whom are socioeconomically disadvantaged.<p><p>In the past, many of her students applied only to community colleges. But now she has seen a sharp rise in those willing to aim for state universities.<p><p>\u201cIt has changed our students\u2019 mindsets,\u201d Grijalva said. \u201cNow it\u2019s like, \u2018Hey, I can do this.\u2019 They\u2019re more confident in their leadership and their grades.\u201d<p><p>But the flurry of recent announcements from schools altering their testing rules has proved alarming, she said. Her students \u201cdo feel the pressure coming back,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re starting to talk.\u201d<p><p>Claire Elkin, 16, overheard some of this nervous chatter when she was touring colleges this spring with her family \u2014 making visits to places including the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At every school, recalled Claire, who took the ACT and intends to submit her scores, admissions tour leaders said something like: \u201cYeah, we\u2019re test-optional now, but we can\u2019t guarantee anything for you.\u201d<p><p>Every time, the crowds of hopefuls around Claire broke into murmurs that ranged from anguished to angry, she said. She remembered one family whose daughters seemed especially upset, spurring the mother to jump into emergency action trying to calm the girls as the admissions presentation continued.<p><p>\u201cA lot of kids my age can\u2019t set a path right now for what they should be prioritizing when they\u2019re applying for schools,\u201d Claire said. \u201cSo there is definitely more panic.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-13T16:50:51.535Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/GVGDMISWGBASPKHQRRNZHHV7OU/20240316-195911.112/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OZBT7JXNYBT66N3QDYVZZQSDKM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A student takes a practice test for the digital SAT in March. (Butch Dill/AP)</small></div><p>A California mother drove 80 miles this month to find an SAT testing center with an open seat where her high school junior could take the exam. During college tours this spring, a teen recalled hearing some would-be applicants groan when admissions staffers announced they could not guarantee test-optional policies would continue.<p><p>And across the country, college counselors are fielding questions from teenagers alarmed, encouraged or simply confused by what seems like the return of the standardized test in admissions \u2014 maybe? Sort of? In some places, but not in others?<p><p>\u201cYou could be expecting and preparing for a certain way to apply to a college and present yourself \u2014 but then they change it mid-application process,\u201d said Kai Talbert, a 17-year-old high school junior in Pennsylvania. \u201cThat\u2019s really confusing. It can set back a lot of people.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4ABOFRUXIFH4ZIGJGYSU53AL44.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Kai Talbert, 17, studies for the ACT. (Erin Talbert)</small></div><p>Colleges nationwide have been updating<b> </b>their coronavirus-era policies on standardized testing, which many dropped when the pandemic shut down in-person<b> </b>testing centers. Some of the most selective schools are declaring they will require tests<b> </b>again \u2014 including, across the last two months, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/02/05/dartmouth-reinstates-sat-admissions-requirement/\" target=\"_blank\">Dartmouth College</a>, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/02/22/yale-sat-act-admissions-requirement-reinstated/\" target=\"_blank\">Yale</a> and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/05/brown-university-reinstates-sat-act-requirement/\" target=\"_blank\">Brown</a>. Others, such as the University of Chicago and Columbia, won\u2019t. And still others have not yet picked a permanent policy: Princeton, Stanford,<b> </b>Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania have said they will remain test-optional for another year or two, while Harvard University <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/12/16/harvard-test-optional-college-admissions/\" target=\"_blank\">plans to keep its test-optional policy</a> at least through the 2025-26 application cycle.<p><p>Public universities have veered in different directions, too: The University of Tennessee system requires tests. The University of Michigan will be test-optional. The University of California system is test-blind, meaning schools refuse to consider SAT or ACT scores<b> </b>for admissions.<p><p>The patchwork of policies is wreaking havoc on applicants, parents and college admissions consultants nationwide, who are being forced to recalculate where and how they are willing to apply \u2014 or what to tell anxious teenagers about whether to test, retest or skip testing entirely \u2014 as decisions keep rolling out in real time.<p><p>Laurie Kopp Weingarten, founder of One-Stop College Counseling in New Jersey, said she now has a new response whenever a kid gives her a list of their school targets. She starts by going down the list, school by school, to review each institution\u2019s testing rules and whether those seem likely to change.<p><p>Taking a breath, Weingarten rattled off a summary of the different testing requirements in place at every Ivy League school. It took her three minutes.<p><p>\u201cEven just saying it, it sounds like insanity to me, and then we\u2019re expecting kids to understand this?\u201d Weingarten said. \u201cColleges should really analyze the data, come up with a decision and stop changing their mind.\u201d<p><p>The shifting testing expectations are one of many changes roiling college admissions this year. Colleges are still grappling with the fallout from the landmark Supreme Court ruling <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/06/29/affirmative-action-supreme-court-ruling/\" target=\"_blank\">that ended the use of race-based affirmative action</a> in admissions. Many are undertaking an array of experiments in response to the decision in a bid to maintain diverse admitted classes \u2014 ending <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/09/virginia-college-legacy-preferences/\" target=\"_blank\">legacy preferences</a> in some cases, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/27/college-applications-race-affirmative-action/\" target=\"_blank\">adding essay prompts</a> on adversity or identity in others, or increasing outreach in low-income areas.<p><p>And the<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/11/how-new-fafsa-problems-began/\" target=\"_blank\"> disastrous rollout</a> of a federal financial aid form that was supposed to simplify the notoriously difficult process has left <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/02/12/fafsa-rollout-delays-student-colleges-impact/\" target=\"_blank\">students, parents and schools scrambling</a>.<p><p>This is the most hectic and distressing admissions cycle in recent memory, said Jennifer Nuechterlein, a college and career counselor at a New Jersey high school. She laid special blame on schools that reinstated testing mandates in the past two months, some of which affect the high school juniors who will begin applying in the fall. This class of teens will have to take the SAT or ACT, should they decide to do so, within the next six months.<p><p>\u201cStudents can\u2019t just test overnight,\u201d Nuechterlein said. \u201cThere are students who want to prep, there are students who are not math- or English-ready ... . Students are going to be unprepared.\u201d<p><p>For the most ambitious, high-achieving students, the tests are another stressful hurdle to clear as they apply to the most selective colleges. And for many other students, the test scores \u2014 even if not required for admission \u2014 are mandatory if they want to qualify for some financial aid programs or, on some campuses,<b> </b>certain degree programs.<p><p><a href=\"https://fairtest.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/TestOptionalReportFinal.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Critics</a> of standardized tests have argued that they mirror, or exacerbate, societal inequities, in part because students from unstable homes or with limited resources cannot afford SAT or ACT tutors or testing preparation classes, or may not know of free resources such as <a href=\"https://www.khanacademy.org/digital-sat\" target=\"_blank\">Khan Academy</a>. Even before the pandemic, some schools had moved to make the scores optional to avoid creating another barrier for students.<p><p>Then the pandemic hit, spurring a crisis response when students literally could not access spaces in which to take standardized tests, said Dominique J. Baker, a University of Delaware associate professor of education and public policy who studies admissions policies.<p><p>\u201cThere were a number of institutions that never would have chosen to have gone test-optional except the pandemic made them,\u201d she said. \u201cThose institutions, by and large, are going back to requiring test scores.\u201d<p><p>MIT, Georgetown University and the University of Florida are among schools which quickly chose to reinstate the requirements, with MIT announcing the change in 2022. Many others have spent the years since the virus arrived studying what effect going test-optional had on their admitted classes.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NUC2XVF56AI6TKFQP3MKBVO4LU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Baker-Berry Library at Dartmouth College. (Charles Krupa/AP)</small></div><p>At Brown, Yale and Dartmouth, officials said they had found something surprising: Considering test scores would help them identify <i>more</i> promising applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds, not fewer. After looking at their own data, leaders at the three Ivies<b> </b>say they<b> </b>concluded SAT and ACT scores are highly predictive of students\u2019 academic performance in college, more so than high school grades. They also found that some less-advantaged students withheld their scores when sharing them would have boosted their chances.<p><p>Depriving admissions officers of SAT and ACT scores meant they were less able to evaluate an applicant\u2019s chances of thriving at Brown, Provost Francis J. Doyle III <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/05/brown-university-reinstates-sat-act-requirement/\" target=\"_blank\">said in an interview this month</a>.<p><p>\u201cOur analysis suggested our admissions could be more effective if we brought back testing as an instrument,\u201d Doyle said.<p><p>The University of Texas at Austin is also choosing testing again, the school announced recently. Jay Hartzell, the school\u2019s president, said he and others worried the cost and preparation associated with the tests could keep students from applying. But about 90 percent of UT Austin applicants in the latest round took the SAT even though it was optional, Hartzell said. And the school found that students who declined to submit scores were less successful once enrolled.<p><p>More highly selective schools will probably follow UT Austin\u2019s lead in the months to come, said John Friedman, a professor of economics and international and public affairs at Brown. He was one of the authors of the <a href=\"https://opportunityinsights.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SAT_ACT_on_Grades.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">study</a> from Opportunity Insights, a nonprofit at Harvard University,<b> </b>on standardized test scores and student performance at a dozen \u201cIvy-plus\u201d universities.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just about the test scores being a good predictor,\u201d he said. \u201cWe show in the paper that students who attend a school, having been admitted without a test score, perform at the bottom of the distribution.\u201d He said schools<b> </b>should look at their own data to determine their policy.<p><p>Nonetheless, most schools nationwide will probably remain test-optional, predicted Angel P\u00e9rez, the chief executive of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. For many institutions, he said, the policy has been a huge success, bumping up the number of applicants and diversifying admitted classes.<p><p>He added that most American high-schoolers are applying to schools that admit nearly all applicants, to public schools or to colleges close to home, he said: \u201cSo the majority of students aren\u2019t going to be impacted.\u201d<p><p>Morehouse College is among those maintaining a test-optional policy, which the historically Black college adopted in 2020. Since going test-optional, Morehouse has seen an increased number of applicants and an increased acceptance rate from admitted students, said Michael Gumm, Morehouse\u2019s director of admissions and recruitment.<p><p>The majority of Morehouse applicants choose not to submit scores, Gumm said, and more students are completing their applications in the past. He said Morehouse is looking for leaders, so essays and letters of recommendation carry a lot of weight.<p><p>Gumm said he often preaches to students: \u201cYour test scores do not make you who you are.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5L6XVMNTHZBKBIEU44ILKIXMGU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Michael Gumm, director of admissions and recruitment at Morehouse College in Atlanta. (Courtesy of Morehouse College.)</small></div><p>But for some students, the tests remain a priority. Alina Bunch, a 16-year-old high school junior in Texas, said that even when she saw schools dropping test requirements, she never altered her plan to take the ACT. The exam, she says, is a way to demonstrate determination and academic rigor.<p><p>She thinks it\u2019s generally a good thing that schools are bringing back testing requirements, because they can function as a mechanism of standardization in a sometimes subjective admissions process. She does fear the effects of reinstating test requirements for students who cannot afford tutoring.<p><p>But for herself \u2014 after taking a summer course to prepare for the ACT and scoring high on the exam \u2014 she has no real worries. \u201cIt was never a question for me, of whether I should do it or not,\u201d Alina said.<p><p>Many students pursued similar strategies, continuing to take standardized tests throughout the test-optional trend. After<b> </b>a dramatic drop in 2020 spurred by the sudden closure of test sites, the number of students taking the SAT nationally has risen every year since, per the College Board, and <a href=\"https://newsroom.collegeboard.org/sat-program-results-class-2023-show-continued-growth-sat-participation\" target=\"_blank\">reached 1.9 million</a> for the class of 2023. That\u2019s about 3 million short of the last pre-pandemic total, <a href=\"https://newsroom.collegeboard.org/over-22-million-students-class-2019-took-sat-largest-group-ever#:~:text=Almost%20a%20million%20students%20in,of%20the%20class%20of%202018.\" target=\"_blank\">when 2.2 million members of the class of 2019</a> sat for the exam \u2014 the largest-ever group to do so.<p><p>Joan Koven, who heads college consulting company Academic Access in Pennsylvania, said she never expected standardized testing to suffer a real drop in popularity.<p><p>\u201cThe ACTs and the SATs are Burger King and McDonald\u2019s,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re not going away.\u201d<p><p>But in some places, counselors wish they would. Priscilla Grijalva, a high school counselor in California\u2019s San Jacinto Unified School District, said the elimination of test requirements in the UC system and California State University campuses was a godsend for the nearly 300 students she works with every year, a mix of White, Black and Latino teens, most of whom are socioeconomically disadvantaged.<p><p>In the past, many of her students applied only to community colleges. But now she has seen a sharp rise in those willing to aim for state universities.<p><p>\u201cIt has changed our students\u2019 mindsets,\u201d Grijalva said. \u201cNow it\u2019s like, \u2018Hey, I can do this.\u2019 They\u2019re more confident in their leadership and their grades.\u201d<p><p>But the flurry of recent announcements from schools altering their testing rules has proved alarming, she said. Her students \u201cdo feel the pressure coming back,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re starting to talk.\u201d<p><p>Claire Elkin, 16, overheard some of this nervous chatter when she was touring colleges this spring with her family \u2014 making visits to places including the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At every school, recalled Claire, who took the ACT and intends to submit her scores, admissions tour leaders said something like: \u201cYeah, we\u2019re test-optional now, but we can\u2019t guarantee anything for you.\u201d<p><p>Every time, the crowds of hopefuls around Claire broke into murmurs that ranged from anguished to angry, she said. She remembered one family whose daughters seemed especially upset, spurring the mother to jump into emergency action trying to calm the girls as the admissions presentation continued.<p><p>\u201cA lot of kids my age can\u2019t set a path right now for what they should be prioritizing when they\u2019re applying for schools,\u201d Claire said. \u201cSo there is definitely more panic.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 20:24:10 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 12, 24, 10, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Stormy Daniels doc is a portrait of a woman destroyed by Donald Trump", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Stormy Daniels doc is a portrait of a woman destroyed by Donald Trump"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/03/18/stormy-daniels-donald-trump-documentary/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/03/18/stormy-daniels-donald-trump-documentary/", "summary": "2024-03-14T16:05:55.952Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/E2PNLQUF4RDFZKNKPFDFZM7CVQ/20240317-224148.481/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/XTWABVLWYZG6PIBOVJNR7PY7E4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Stormy Daniels feels the weight of her situation in the documentary \u201cStormy.\u201d (Peacock)</small></div><p>AUSTIN \u2014 The Stormy Daniels affair that in 2018 consumed Donald Trump\u2019s presidency \u2014 after his attorney <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/21/trump-stormy-daniels-criminal-payment-case/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Cohen</a> violated the law by paying $130,000 to the adult-film star to keep silent \u2014 may feel like old news. But it\u2019s far from over. And that was abundantly clear at this month\u2019s South by Southwest premiere of the new documentary \u201cStormy,\u201d where Daniels arrived as a surprise guest accompanied by two large security guards who surveyed the room at all times.<p><p>The guards, along with bomb-sniffing dogs and off-duty police officers, were a reminder of the paranoia that has haunted Daniels for six years, ever since she spoke out about her alleged one-night stand with the former president, then fought back against him in a defamation trial.<p><p>She\u2019s still speaking out.<p><p>\u201cF--- Trump,\u201d an emotional Daniels said as her final message while exiting the stage. She was shaking with tears throughout the Q&amp;A.<p><p>\u201cStormy,\u201d available March 18 on Peacock, isn\u2019t really about him, but about the fallout for one woman trying to navigate motherhood and her career while spending years in his crosshairs. She\u2019s painted as an accidental feminist hero (who\u2019s also a registered Republican) who used a post-scandal tour of strip clubs to make lemonade out of the lemons she was dealt, but faced angry mobs and an incessant barrage of internet and in-person hate, watched her marriage fall apart, nearly lost her ability to see her daughter and was even arrested when several undercover police officers in Columbus, Ohio, encouraged her to put her breasts in their faces during a strip show.<b> </b>(The charges were dismissed the next day; she eventually received a $450,000 settlement for her <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/27/politics/stormy-daniels-settlement-columbus/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cimproper\u201d arrest</a> amid speculation that it was <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/22/police-unit-went-after-stormy-daniels-moral-crimes-now-due-misconduct-theyve-been-disbanded/\" target=\"_blank\">politically motivated</a>.)<b> </b>At one point, she even recorded a statement on video about who should get<b> </b>her hard drives in case something happened to her.<p><p>According to the documentary, Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, says she is willing to testify against Trump in his upcoming hush money trial, which was initially set to start March 25 in New York <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/14/trump-trial-hush-money-delay/\" target=\"_blank\">but is now delayed</a>. It\u2019s<b> </b>one<b> </b>of four criminal indictments against the former president and presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg levying 34 felony counts against Trump for allegedly falsifying records to cover up the nature of the payment made to Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/HPBTY6PCVYCAGHJPMCE3AJDXNM.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Former president Donald Trump arrives for a court appearance in New York on April 4. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>\u201cStormy\u201d director Sarah Gibson and producer Erin Lee Carr (who worked together on the Netflix documentary \u201cBritney vs Spears,\u201d which Carr directed) had only been able to screen the completed film for Daniels over Zoom the night before the SXSW premiere. Daniels had no editorial control, yet she handed over all her footage and sat for interviews, with a lot of trepidation. \u201cShe has a lot of issues with trusting people, given everything that\u2019s happened to her,\u201d Gibson says during an interview with The Washington Post. \u201cSo showing her the film the night before was a very cathartic and powerful experience. We could hear laughing, crying, yelling.\u201d<p><p>Still, they didn\u2019t know whether she\u2019d show up in person, to a public venue in a state that Trump won easily in 2020. Ever since the indictment, she has received an increase in death threats, as well as threats to her 13-year-old daughter. Her anxiety has gone through the roof. \u201cIt\u2019s a dangerous time to be Stormy Daniels right now,\u201d Carr says. \u201cAnd so coming to Texas and putting herself out there was difficult.\u201d<p><p>Daniels was emotional throughout the premiere, and even got up in the middle of the film with her team and went to the lobby, which had Carr worrying that she was bolting for the door. (She just needed a breather.) \u201cShe was so scared to come to our premiere,\u201d Gibson says. \u201cShe showed up crying and just very real, and she still showed up. That\u2019s how she\u2019s showing up for this indictment. She\u2019s determined to do the best she can if she\u2019s asked to testify, and she wants to just get through it in an elevated way, with a sense of humor.\u201d<p><blockquote><p>She's only 13. Although it is pretty difficult to shock me these days, I'm still surprised at the things people (especially women) talk about children. If you're a mother, I hope your sons or daughters don't see what you say about innocent kids online. <a href=\"https://t.co/wSBIR3BHQp\">https://t.co/wSBIR3BHQp</a></p>&mdash; Stormy Daniels (@StormyDaniels) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/StormyDaniels/status/1766758328649040330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 10, 2024</a></blockquote>\n\n\n<p>Much of the documentary\u2019s footage comes, rather confusingly, from journalist Denver Nicks, who began filming Daniels in March 2018, when  <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stormy-daniels-describes-her-alleged-affair-with-donald-trump-60-minutes-interview/\" target=\"_blank\">she went on \u201c60 Minutes\u201d</a> to talk openly about Trump for the first time<b> </b>\u2014 arguing that Cohen\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-lawyer-michael-cohen-is-shopping-a-book-about-the-first-family-stormy-daniels-and-russia\" target=\"_blank\">book proposal</a> violated their nondisclosure agreement. (Days after she <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/22/donald-trump-stormy-daniels-legal-fees-non-disclosure-agreement\" target=\"_blank\">sued Trump to get out of the NDA</a>, his legal team sought <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trump-attorney-accuses-stormy-daniels-of-violating-nondisclosure-agreement-20-times-claims-right-to-seek-20-million-in-damages/2018/03/16/a5fd1686-296b-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">$20 million in damages</a> from her.)<p><p>Her close relationship with Nicks, which briefly turned romantic, seems to have contributed to the end of her marriage with her third husband, drummer and porn star Brendon Miller (legal name: Glendon Crain), with whom she is co-parenting their daughter. Whatever happened to Nicks goes unexplained, but Miller appears in the documentary candidly discussing the great strain of the Trump incident on their family: press vans parked outside their house, making it impossible for their daughter to play, and the betrayal he felt when Daniels omitted telling him that she\u2019d allegedly had sex with Trump and he found out through CNN. (Trump has repeatedly denied having an affair with Daniels.)<p><p>Gibson\u2019s relationship with Daniels began in 2019 while working on a comedy project together. The day Daniels left that set in L.A., she was <a href=\"https://buffalochronicle.com/2019/06/22/stormy-daniels-denied-entry-to-canada-for-sundowner-appearance-politics-suspected/\" target=\"_blank\">denied entry into Canada</a> because 17 bogus charges had mysteriously appeared on her FBI record, as her tour manager claims in the documentary, backed up by cellphone footage of the border stop. The two women texted throughout that ordeal. Then Gibson reached out again during the court trial for <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/04/avenatti-fraud-guilty/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Avenatti</a>, Daniels\u2019s attorney who was convicted in 2022 of embezzling from her and who is now serving 19 years in prison for his crimes against Daniels and others. Daniels agreed to do a documentary on the grounds that it not be a puff piece or gloss over the struggles and imperfections of her life. Judd Apatow, whom Daniels knew from brief appearances she\u2019d made in his films, such as \u201cKnocked Up,\u201d later came on as a producer.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/SLYWZYBCU5G3ZH4NZOQV4ZDR3I.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Daniels speaks to her now-jailed attorney, Michael Avenatti, in \u201cStormy.\u201d (Peacock)</small></div><p>When Gibson and Carr started filming Daniels in 2022, their aim was to tell the broader story of the discrimination that a woman in her line of work faces while trying to reinvent herself, especially after becoming the center of a national scandal that was not of her making, involving the most powerful man in America. Daniels was doing incredibly well. She\u2019d gone back to directing adult films. (Before everything hit the fan in 2018, she\u2019d been the second-highest-paid director in porn, she claims in the film.) She\u2019d become a reiki healer of horses, her true passion. And she\u2019d married a friend and former co-star, Barrett Blade (legal name: Russell Barrett), her fourth husband.<p><p>Then Trump got indicted, and everything she thought she\u2019d put behind her came roaring back double-force, including the threats to her family. \u201cI\u2019ve seen a dramatic, dramatic shift as far as her day-to-day comfort in the world,\u201d Gibson says.<p><p>In the film, Daniels says her reason for doing the documentary is to tell her side of the story, so her daughter, at least, can watch it someday and know the truth. And that\u2019s what SXSW audience member Guy Lavallee, program director for NorthwestFest in Canada, says was most powerful for him. \u201cI think because she\u2019s an adult-film star, she\u2019s seen by a lot of people \u2014 not just in the media, [but] people in society \u2014 as lesser than human because of what she does for a living. And she\u2019s a woman, so she\u2019s been treated accordingly.\u201d<p><p>Daniels recounts meeting Trump for the first time, while working at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in 2006. He was 60, recently married to Melania Trump and the star of \u201cThe Apprentice.\u201d She was 27. He invited her to dinner, she says, and asked her to meet him in his hotel room while he got ready. They talked for a long time, in which he pitched the idea of putting her on \u201cCelebrity Apprentice\u201d as a way to get him attention and for her to move into mainstream directing of horror films. He told her that she reminded him of his daughter. Then, she claims, \u201cwith having no red flags whatsoever in a conversation, I came out of a bathroom to find myself cornered,\u201d and they had consensual, but uncomfortable (at least on her part) sex. She is emphatic many times in the film that she is not a victim.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/K7VUDKROTII6RDOJHNI6AKFYIU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Avenatti in March 2018, before his conviction. (Jennifer S. Altman for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Throughout the film, there is the sense that Daniels is not relishing the spotlight. \u201cI remember the day the indictment happened, and we\u2019re all celebrating and opening bottles of champagne,\u201d Gibson says, \u201cand she realized that she wouldn\u2019t be able to hang out with her daughter as much in public that summer. \u2026 Even since the trailer came out, people on social media have been attacking her daughter. It\u2019s so disgusting.\u201d<p><p>There are also many scenes of her with Avenatti, whose every appearance is accompanied by someone joking that he\u2019d never miss a chance to go on TV. We see him condescend to her, trying to tell her what to say, and we get the sense that Daniels is aware that this guy doesn\u2019t have her best interests at heart. But, once again, she feels cornered, because he took a $100 retainer and was the only lawyer to take her case. He also filed a defamation suit against Trump on her behalf, which she claims she found out about <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/stormy-daniels-says-michael-avenatti-filed-defamation-suit-against-her-wishes/2018/11/28/6dd31dac-f358-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">through Twitter</a>. She lost that suit, <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/04/05/1168215663/trump-stormy-daniels-defamation-lawsuit\" target=\"_blank\">as well as an appeal</a>, and a court has ordered her responsible for Trump\u2019s legal fees.<p><p>\u201cThe financial penalty that Stormy is facing is staggering,\u201d Carr says. \u201cShe owes former president Trump <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/stormy-daniels-trump-defamation-lawsuit-0ee5623fc8965ad3d2fc77a7126d24c7\" target=\"_blank\">over $600,000</a>, and they are in this contested battle about it. And every single moment of your life when you owe people money,\u201d Carr goes on, \u201cyou have to say: \u2018Do I spend money on this? What\u2019s going to happen to my house? What\u2019s going to happen to my daughter?\u2019 And we have to make very clear that she is going to have to pay Donald Trump\u2019s legal feels as a result of a defamation suit she didn\u2019t want to happen.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7SQKSEX6CFH2RPKLL62Z4LIXRU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Daniels in the new documentary. (Peacock)</small></div><p>Avenatti is not interviewed in the film, but he did speak to Gibson from prison \u2014 she thinks because she knows the director Alex Gibney, and Avenatti wants Gibney to make a movie about him. He told Gibson, \u201cYou should check out my glowing press profiles from 2018,\u201d Gibson says.<p><p>\u201cI think this film offers an exclusive look inside Michael Avenatti\u2019s takeover of the Stormy Daniels case and putting himself forward,\u201d<b> </b>Carr adds. \u201c\u2026 We\u2019re showing all the men trying to control this woman, and Stormy is uncontrollable, but she is exploited in every single way.\u201d<p><p>That exploitation, Carr argues, is still happening. She\u2019s facing jail if she doesn\u2019t pay money to Trump for a lawsuit she lost that was filed by an attorney who was convicted of defrauding her.<p><p>\u201cThese aren\u2019t consequences anyone should live with,\u201d Gibson says. \u201cWe would love to expose how the justice system isn\u2019t created equally for everybody and how Trump and his attorneys are coming after her and her current partner very intensely and she\u2019s afraid she\u2019s going to lose her home. \u2026 Now she\u2019s being asked to testify on behalf of the government and the justice system that never protected her.\u201d<p><p>But as long as she\u2019s alive, she\u2019ll show up to testify against Trump. That\u2019s <i>her</i> form of self-protection. \u201cIf I hide and cower away, it just sort of feeds the bullies,\u201d Daniels says in the film. \u201cIt\u2019s just going to make it worse.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-14T16:05:55.952Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/E2PNLQUF4RDFZKNKPFDFZM7CVQ/20240317-224148.481/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/XTWABVLWYZG6PIBOVJNR7PY7E4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Stormy Daniels feels the weight of her situation in the documentary \u201cStormy.\u201d (Peacock)</small></div><p>AUSTIN \u2014 The Stormy Daniels affair that in 2018 consumed Donald Trump\u2019s presidency \u2014 after his attorney <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/21/trump-stormy-daniels-criminal-payment-case/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Cohen</a> violated the law by paying $130,000 to the adult-film star to keep silent \u2014 may feel like old news. But it\u2019s far from over. And that was abundantly clear at this month\u2019s South by Southwest premiere of the new documentary \u201cStormy,\u201d where Daniels arrived as a surprise guest accompanied by two large security guards who surveyed the room at all times.<p><p>The guards, along with bomb-sniffing dogs and off-duty police officers, were a reminder of the paranoia that has haunted Daniels for six years, ever since she spoke out about her alleged one-night stand with the former president, then fought back against him in a defamation trial.<p><p>She\u2019s still speaking out.<p><p>\u201cF--- Trump,\u201d an emotional Daniels said as her final message while exiting the stage. She was shaking with tears throughout the Q&amp;A.<p><p>\u201cStormy,\u201d available March 18 on Peacock, isn\u2019t really about him, but about the fallout for one woman trying to navigate motherhood and her career while spending years in his crosshairs. She\u2019s painted as an accidental feminist hero (who\u2019s also a registered Republican) who used a post-scandal tour of strip clubs to make lemonade out of the lemons she was dealt, but faced angry mobs and an incessant barrage of internet and in-person hate, watched her marriage fall apart, nearly lost her ability to see her daughter and was even arrested when several undercover police officers in Columbus, Ohio, encouraged her to put her breasts in their faces during a strip show.<b> </b>(The charges were dismissed the next day; she eventually received a $450,000 settlement for her <a href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/27/politics/stormy-daniels-settlement-columbus/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cimproper\u201d arrest</a> amid speculation that it was <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/22/police-unit-went-after-stormy-daniels-moral-crimes-now-due-misconduct-theyve-been-disbanded/\" target=\"_blank\">politically motivated</a>.)<b> </b>At one point, she even recorded a statement on video about who should get<b> </b>her hard drives in case something happened to her.<p><p>According to the documentary, Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, says she is willing to testify against Trump in his upcoming hush money trial, which was initially set to start March 25 in New York <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/14/trump-trial-hush-money-delay/\" target=\"_blank\">but is now delayed</a>. It\u2019s<b> </b>one<b> </b>of four criminal indictments against the former president and presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg levying 34 felony counts against Trump for allegedly falsifying records to cover up the nature of the payment made to Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/HPBTY6PCVYCAGHJPMCE3AJDXNM.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Former president Donald Trump arrives for a court appearance in New York on April 4. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>\u201cStormy\u201d director Sarah Gibson and producer Erin Lee Carr (who worked together on the Netflix documentary \u201cBritney vs Spears,\u201d which Carr directed) had only been able to screen the completed film for Daniels over Zoom the night before the SXSW premiere. Daniels had no editorial control, yet she handed over all her footage and sat for interviews, with a lot of trepidation. \u201cShe has a lot of issues with trusting people, given everything that\u2019s happened to her,\u201d Gibson says during an interview with The Washington Post. \u201cSo showing her the film the night before was a very cathartic and powerful experience. We could hear laughing, crying, yelling.\u201d<p><p>Still, they didn\u2019t know whether she\u2019d show up in person, to a public venue in a state that Trump won easily in 2020. Ever since the indictment, she has received an increase in death threats, as well as threats to her 13-year-old daughter. Her anxiety has gone through the roof. \u201cIt\u2019s a dangerous time to be Stormy Daniels right now,\u201d Carr says. \u201cAnd so coming to Texas and putting herself out there was difficult.\u201d<p><p>Daniels was emotional throughout the premiere, and even got up in the middle of the film with her team and went to the lobby, which had Carr worrying that she was bolting for the door. (She just needed a breather.) \u201cShe was so scared to come to our premiere,\u201d Gibson says. \u201cShe showed up crying and just very real, and she still showed up. That\u2019s how she\u2019s showing up for this indictment. She\u2019s determined to do the best she can if she\u2019s asked to testify, and she wants to just get through it in an elevated way, with a sense of humor.\u201d<p><blockquote><p>She's only 13. Although it is pretty difficult to shock me these days, I'm still surprised at the things people (especially women) talk about children. If you're a mother, I hope your sons or daughters don't see what you say about innocent kids online. <a href=\"https://t.co/wSBIR3BHQp\">https://t.co/wSBIR3BHQp</a></p>&mdash; Stormy Daniels (@StormyDaniels) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/StormyDaniels/status/1766758328649040330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 10, 2024</a></blockquote>\n\n\n<p>Much of the documentary\u2019s footage comes, rather confusingly, from journalist Denver Nicks, who began filming Daniels in March 2018, when  <a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stormy-daniels-describes-her-alleged-affair-with-donald-trump-60-minutes-interview/\" target=\"_blank\">she went on \u201c60 Minutes\u201d</a> to talk openly about Trump for the first time<b> </b>\u2014 arguing that Cohen\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-lawyer-michael-cohen-is-shopping-a-book-about-the-first-family-stormy-daniels-and-russia\" target=\"_blank\">book proposal</a> violated their nondisclosure agreement. (Days after she <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/22/donald-trump-stormy-daniels-legal-fees-non-disclosure-agreement\" target=\"_blank\">sued Trump to get out of the NDA</a>, his legal team sought <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trump-attorney-accuses-stormy-daniels-of-violating-nondisclosure-agreement-20-times-claims-right-to-seek-20-million-in-damages/2018/03/16/a5fd1686-296b-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">$20 million in damages</a> from her.)<p><p>Her close relationship with Nicks, which briefly turned romantic, seems to have contributed to the end of her marriage with her third husband, drummer and porn star Brendon Miller (legal name: Glendon Crain), with whom she is co-parenting their daughter. Whatever happened to Nicks goes unexplained, but Miller appears in the documentary candidly discussing the great strain of the Trump incident on their family: press vans parked outside their house, making it impossible for their daughter to play, and the betrayal he felt when Daniels omitted telling him that she\u2019d allegedly had sex with Trump and he found out through CNN. (Trump has repeatedly denied having an affair with Daniels.)<p><p>Gibson\u2019s relationship with Daniels began in 2019 while working on a comedy project together. The day Daniels left that set in L.A., she was <a href=\"https://buffalochronicle.com/2019/06/22/stormy-daniels-denied-entry-to-canada-for-sundowner-appearance-politics-suspected/\" target=\"_blank\">denied entry into Canada</a> because 17 bogus charges had mysteriously appeared on her FBI record, as her tour manager claims in the documentary, backed up by cellphone footage of the border stop. The two women texted throughout that ordeal. Then Gibson reached out again during the court trial for <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/04/avenatti-fraud-guilty/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Avenatti</a>, Daniels\u2019s attorney who was convicted in 2022 of embezzling from her and who is now serving 19 years in prison for his crimes against Daniels and others. Daniels agreed to do a documentary on the grounds that it not be a puff piece or gloss over the struggles and imperfections of her life. Judd Apatow, whom Daniels knew from brief appearances she\u2019d made in his films, such as \u201cKnocked Up,\u201d later came on as a producer.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/SLYWZYBCU5G3ZH4NZOQV4ZDR3I.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Daniels speaks to her now-jailed attorney, Michael Avenatti, in \u201cStormy.\u201d (Peacock)</small></div><p>When Gibson and Carr started filming Daniels in 2022, their aim was to tell the broader story of the discrimination that a woman in her line of work faces while trying to reinvent herself, especially after becoming the center of a national scandal that was not of her making, involving the most powerful man in America. Daniels was doing incredibly well. She\u2019d gone back to directing adult films. (Before everything hit the fan in 2018, she\u2019d been the second-highest-paid director in porn, she claims in the film.) She\u2019d become a reiki healer of horses, her true passion. And she\u2019d married a friend and former co-star, Barrett Blade (legal name: Russell Barrett), her fourth husband.<p><p>Then Trump got indicted, and everything she thought she\u2019d put behind her came roaring back double-force, including the threats to her family. \u201cI\u2019ve seen a dramatic, dramatic shift as far as her day-to-day comfort in the world,\u201d Gibson says.<p><p>In the film, Daniels says her reason for doing the documentary is to tell her side of the story, so her daughter, at least, can watch it someday and know the truth. And that\u2019s what SXSW audience member Guy Lavallee, program director for NorthwestFest in Canada, says was most powerful for him. \u201cI think because she\u2019s an adult-film star, she\u2019s seen by a lot of people \u2014 not just in the media, [but] people in society \u2014 as lesser than human because of what she does for a living. And she\u2019s a woman, so she\u2019s been treated accordingly.\u201d<p><p>Daniels recounts meeting Trump for the first time, while working at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in 2006. He was 60, recently married to Melania Trump and the star of \u201cThe Apprentice.\u201d She was 27. He invited her to dinner, she says, and asked her to meet him in his hotel room while he got ready. They talked for a long time, in which he pitched the idea of putting her on \u201cCelebrity Apprentice\u201d as a way to get him attention and for her to move into mainstream directing of horror films. He told her that she reminded him of his daughter. Then, she claims, \u201cwith having no red flags whatsoever in a conversation, I came out of a bathroom to find myself cornered,\u201d and they had consensual, but uncomfortable (at least on her part) sex. She is emphatic many times in the film that she is not a victim.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/K7VUDKROTII6RDOJHNI6AKFYIU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Avenatti in March 2018, before his conviction. (Jennifer S. Altman for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Throughout the film, there is the sense that Daniels is not relishing the spotlight. \u201cI remember the day the indictment happened, and we\u2019re all celebrating and opening bottles of champagne,\u201d Gibson says, \u201cand she realized that she wouldn\u2019t be able to hang out with her daughter as much in public that summer. \u2026 Even since the trailer came out, people on social media have been attacking her daughter. It\u2019s so disgusting.\u201d<p><p>There are also many scenes of her with Avenatti, whose every appearance is accompanied by someone joking that he\u2019d never miss a chance to go on TV. We see him condescend to her, trying to tell her what to say, and we get the sense that Daniels is aware that this guy doesn\u2019t have her best interests at heart. But, once again, she feels cornered, because he took a $100 retainer and was the only lawyer to take her case. He also filed a defamation suit against Trump on her behalf, which she claims she found out about <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/stormy-daniels-says-michael-avenatti-filed-defamation-suit-against-her-wishes/2018/11/28/6dd31dac-f358-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">through Twitter</a>. She lost that suit, <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/04/05/1168215663/trump-stormy-daniels-defamation-lawsuit\" target=\"_blank\">as well as an appeal</a>, and a court has ordered her responsible for Trump\u2019s legal fees.<p><p>\u201cThe financial penalty that Stormy is facing is staggering,\u201d Carr says. \u201cShe owes former president Trump <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/stormy-daniels-trump-defamation-lawsuit-0ee5623fc8965ad3d2fc77a7126d24c7\" target=\"_blank\">over $600,000</a>, and they are in this contested battle about it. And every single moment of your life when you owe people money,\u201d Carr goes on, \u201cyou have to say: \u2018Do I spend money on this? What\u2019s going to happen to my house? What\u2019s going to happen to my daughter?\u2019 And we have to make very clear that she is going to have to pay Donald Trump\u2019s legal feels as a result of a defamation suit she didn\u2019t want to happen.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7SQKSEX6CFH2RPKLL62Z4LIXRU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Daniels in the new documentary. (Peacock)</small></div><p>Avenatti is not interviewed in the film, but he did speak to Gibson from prison \u2014 she thinks because she knows the director Alex Gibney, and Avenatti wants Gibney to make a movie about him. He told Gibson, \u201cYou should check out my glowing press profiles from 2018,\u201d Gibson says.<p><p>\u201cI think this film offers an exclusive look inside Michael Avenatti\u2019s takeover of the Stormy Daniels case and putting himself forward,\u201d<b> </b>Carr adds. \u201c\u2026 We\u2019re showing all the men trying to control this woman, and Stormy is uncontrollable, but she is exploited in every single way.\u201d<p><p>That exploitation, Carr argues, is still happening. She\u2019s facing jail if she doesn\u2019t pay money to Trump for a lawsuit she lost that was filed by an attorney who was convicted of defrauding her.<p><p>\u201cThese aren\u2019t consequences anyone should live with,\u201d Gibson says. \u201cWe would love to expose how the justice system isn\u2019t created equally for everybody and how Trump and his attorneys are coming after her and her current partner very intensely and she\u2019s afraid she\u2019s going to lose her home. \u2026 Now she\u2019s being asked to testify on behalf of the government and the justice system that never protected her.\u201d<p><p>But as long as she\u2019s alive, she\u2019ll show up to testify against Trump. That\u2019s <i>her</i> form of self-protection. \u201cIf I hide and cower away, it just sort of feeds the bullies,\u201d Daniels says in the film. \u201cIt\u2019s just going to make it worse.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 20:24:09 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 12, 24, 9, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "A conversation about the HHS plan on AI in health care", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "A conversation about the HHS plan on AI in health care"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/conversation-about-hhs-plan-ai-health-care/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/conversation-about-hhs-plan-ai-health-care/", "summary": "2024-03-18T12:04:46.365Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>Good morning, and happy Monday! Washington\u2019s cherry blossoms <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/17/cherry-blossoms-dc-peak-bloom-climate/\">hit their second-earliest peak bloom</a> in more than a century of records yesterday \u2013 we hope you were able to beat the crowds to sneak a peak. Not a subscriber?<strong> </strong><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/the-health-202/\">Sign up here.</a><p><p><strong>Today\u2019s edition: </strong>President Biden is slated to sign an executive order that would expand research on women\u2019s health. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether the White House improperly pressured social media companies to remove covid misinformation. <strong>But first \u2026</strong><p><h4>Micky Tripathi on HHS\u2019s upcoming strategic plan on AI</h4><img src=\"https://palomaimages.washingtonpost.com/prod/MickyT_tstmp_1710696960.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Micky Tripathi is responsible for shaping HHS's approach to artificial intelligence in health care. (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology) </small></div><p>The federal government is racing to keep pace with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence in health care.<p><p>The <strong>Department of Health and Human Services</strong> has roughly six months left to develop a strategic plan on the responsible use of the fast-moving technology in medicine, as mandated by <strong>President Biden</strong> in an <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/10/30/executive-order-on-the-safe-secure-and-trustworthy-development-and-use-of-artificial-intelligence/\"><u>executive order</u></a> last year.&nbsp;<p><p>I recently caught up with <strong>Micky Tripathi</strong>, the national coordinator for health information technology at HHS and co-chair of the task force responsible for devising the plan, about the sweeping effort. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Health 202:</strong> What are some of the most common ways artificial intelligence, or AI, is being used in health care now?&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Tripathi:</strong> There are two different places where you\u2019re seeing a lot of activity. One of them is imaging. For example, if you look at the 700 or so AI-enabled devices the <strong>Food and Drug Administration</strong> has approved, the majority of them are for radiology.&nbsp;<p><p>But most of it right now, I would argue, is happening in user experience, like helping physicians manage their inboxes, as well as administrative things.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Health 202: </strong>What are some of your top priorities in getting the panel off the ground?<p><p><strong>Tripathi: </strong>There are four things that we\u2019re working on for the executive order\u2019s [interim] end-of-April deadline. One is a plan to look at the uses of AI in public benefits and HHS activities. The second is an overarching strategy for being able to assess the quality of AI tools. The third is specific to the <strong>National Institutes of Health</strong> regarding synthetic nucleic acid screening and other things like that, which is very tied to biosecurity. Finally, we\u2019re looking to see if there are any more appropriate actions to advance nondiscrimination compliance.&nbsp;<p><p>Looking to October, we\u2019ve got an overarching AI strategic plan that we\u2019ve got to put together. There\u2019s a safety program we want to plan for. And then finally a strategy for regulating the use of AI in drug development, which the NIH and the <strong>Food and Drug Administration</strong> will be the primary leads on.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Health 202: </strong>With technology advancing rapidly, is there a concern that regulatory guidance might lag behind?<p><p><strong>Tripathi: </strong>It\u2019s a totally fair point. We try to anticipate areas where there is a lot of dynamic energy in technology and ask ourselves how do you write a regulation that is balancing the need for flexibility to allow that kind of innovation to take place, but also channels it in ways that we can say would constitute responsible uses of it.&nbsp;<p><p>Right now we feel like it\u2019s a little bit self-adjusting, but we will obviously revisit it and fine tune it. But it is a concern of ours that the regulatory cycles are much slower than the pace of industry innovation.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Health 202: </strong>Is the federal government equipped to effectively regulate and oversee AI technology today?<p><p><strong>Tripathi: </strong>I think we will almost certainly need new authority and resources. We\u2019ve tried to be very prudent in doing this by identifying things we believe we can accomplish with our existing authorities and budgets. What you see in the executive order are all things that we believe we can accomplish today. But a part of the task force mandate will be to identify where there are gaps and how to fill them in.&nbsp;<p><h3>White House prescriptions</h3><h4>Biden pushes to bolster women\u2019s health research</h4><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/I4P2AJYAKVBCXE24KRRP43TND4.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The White House described the executive order as the \u201cmost comprehensive\u201d action by a president on women\u2019s health research. (Alex Wroblewski/The Washington Post)</small></div><p><strong>On tap today: </strong>Biden is slated to <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/18/fact-sheet-president-biden-issues-executive-order-and-announces-new-actions-to-advance-womens-health-research-and-innovation/\"><u>sign an executive order</u></a> aimed at bolstering the federal government\u2019s study of women\u2019s health.&nbsp;<p><p>The president\u2019s executive order will direct federal agencies to develop and strengthen research and data standards in an effort to address long-standing gender disparities. It will also call for a comprehensive research agenda into health conditions and diseases that disproportionately affect women.&nbsp;<p><p>In addition, Biden will announce more than 20 new actions and commitments by federal agencies, including:&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Yes, but: </strong>Biden <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/18/fact-sheet-president-biden-issues-executive-order-and-announces-new-actions-to-advance-womens-health-research-and-innovation/#:~:text=In%20his%20State%20of%20the,funding%20for%20women%27s%20health%20research.\"><u>has asked lawmakers</u></a> for <strong>$12 billion</strong> in new funding for women\u2019s health research, but its prospects are murky in the divided Congress.&nbsp;<p><h3>In the courts</h3><h4>Supreme Court to weigh White House social media requests</h4><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/3EGE7EK7FEE4XIDN2RDVZXOQTI.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The case raises significant and novel questions about how free speech protections apply online. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)</small></div><p><strong>On tap today: </strong>The Supreme Court <a href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_calendars/MonthlyArgumentCalMarch2024.pdf\"><u>will hear oral arguments</u></a> in a case that could have broad implications for the federal government\u2019s authority to combat public health misinformation online.&nbsp;<p><p>The <strong>Justice Department</strong> has asked the panel to overturn a lower-court ruling that found <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/09/08/5th-circuit-ruling-covid-content-moderation/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_69\"><u>top Biden administration officials probably violated the First Amendment</u></a> by improperly pressuring tech companies to take down what they saw as problematic posts about the coronavirus, vaccine safety and mask effectiveness at the height of the pandemic.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Key context: </strong>The case <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.189520/gov.uscourts.lawd.189520.1.0.pdf\"><u>was initiated</u></a> by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, who allege that the administration\u2019s conduct amounts to illegal censorship. The Justice Department, on behalf of the administration, says \u201cthat the Constitution permits the use of the bully pulpit to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/17/supreme-court-social-media-first-amendment/?utm_campaign=wp_power_up&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;wpisrc=nl_powerup\">protect the public</a>,\u201d our colleagues <strong>Naomi Nix</strong>, <strong>Cat Zakrzewski</strong> and <strong>Ann E. Marimow</strong> report.<p><p>A ruling in the case is expected before the end of June.&nbsp;<p><h3>From our reporters' notebooks</h3><h4>Trump granted clemency to Medicare fraudsters before pledging to cut entitlement program waste</h4><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RMBYUY4PPFVK2LJNTXTEQ2ZN6M.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Former president Donald Trump brought the issue of entitlement programs back to the forefront of the campaign last week. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Before <strong>Donald Trump </strong>pledged to crack down on entitlement program abuse, he used his clemency powers to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/16/trump-clemency-medicare-fraud/\"><u>help several people convicted in major Medicare fraud cases</u></a>, my colleagues <strong>Amy B Wang</strong> and <strong>Azi Paybarah</strong> report.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>The details: </strong>During his final year in office, Trump commuted the sentences of <a href=\"https://www.justice.gov/pardon/commutations-granted-president-donald-j-trump-2017-2021\"><u>at least five people</u></a> who collectively filed nearly <strong>$1.6 billion</strong> in fraudulent claims through Medicare or Medicaid.<p><p><strong>Key context: </strong>Trump has long said that he will protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, breaking with conservatives who argue the United States should reduce benefits to keep them financially solvent.&nbsp;<p><p>Asked whether his outlook had changed last week, Trump <a href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/11/cnbc-transcript-former-president-of-the-united-states-donald-trump-speaks-with-cnbcs-squawk-box-today-.html\"><u>offered a meandering answer</u></a> that was widely interpreted as being open to the idea. While his campaign <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/11/trump-entitlements-biden/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2\"><u>later clarified</u></a> that he was talking about cutting \u201cwaste and fraud,\u201d the remarks provided the Biden campaign with <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-utRPyGI3GY\"><u>fresh ammunition</u></a> for its 2024 election rematch.&nbsp;<p><h3>In other health news</h3><h3>Daybook</h3><p>\ud83d\udcc5 Welcome back! The House and Senate are both in session starting tomorrow. Here\u2019s what we\u2019re watching:&nbsp;<p><p><strong>On tap today: </strong>The <strong>House Ways and Means Committee </strong><a href=\"https://vanduyne.house.gov/2024/3/rep-van-duyne-chairman-smith-announce-field-hearing-on-access-to-health-care-in-america-ensuring-resilient-emergency-medical-care-denton-texas\"><u>will hold a field hearing</u></a> in Denton, Tex., on emergency medical care in rural and underserved communities.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>On Wednesday: </strong>Health and Human Services Secretary <strong>Xavier Becerra</strong> <a href=\"https://waysandmeans.house.gov/event/hearing-with-health-and-human-services-secretary-becerra/\"><u>will</u></a> <a href=\"https://appropriations.house.gov/subcommittees/labor-health-and-human-services-education-118th-congress\"><u>testify</u></a> before the <strong>House Ways and Means Committee </strong>and a <strong>House Appropriations\u2019 health subcommittee</strong> on the president\u2019s budget request.&nbsp;<p><p>Across the Capitol, the <strong>Senate Judiciary Committee</strong> <a href=\"https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/the-continued-assault-on-reproductive-freedoms-in-a-post-dobbs-america\"><u>will examine</u></a> reproductive health care; a<strong> Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee</strong> <a href=\"https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/etso/hearings/strengthening-international-cooperation-to-stop-the-flow-of-fentanyl-into-the-united-states/\"><u>will discuss</u></a> fentanyl trafficking; the <strong>Senate Environment and Public Works Committee</strong> <a href=\"https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/hearings?ID=6E83270F-EF61-4B3E-919C-B1AF5AA601B7\"><u>will consider</u></a> whether \u201cforever chemicals\u201d should be categorized as hazardous to human health.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>On Thursday: </strong>A <strong>House Energy and Commerce subcommittee </strong><a href=\"https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/chairs-rodgers-and-guthrie-announce-health-subcommittee-hearing-on-regulation-of-diagnostic-tests\"><u>will scrutinize</u></a> the federal government\u2019s regulation of diagnostic tests; the <strong>House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis </strong><a href=\"https://oversight.house.gov/release/wenstrup-announces-hearing-on-identifying-and-reporting-vaccine-injuries/\"><u>will examine</u></a> the country\u2019s vaccine safety reporting and injury compensation systems; a <strong>House Veterans\u2019 Affairs subcommittee</strong> <a href=\"https://docs.house.gov/meetings/VR/VR03/20240321/116976/HHRG-118-VR03-20240321-SD001.pdf\"><u>will review</u></a> several bills, including one aimed at improving maternity-care coordination.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>On our radar: </strong>Congress is staring down another deadline to avert a partial government shutdown this weekend. Some members had been pushing to include policies in the spending package that would reform the business practices of pharmacy benefit managers and increase hospital transparency, but House and Senate leaders <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/pro/health-care-policy/2024/03/16/health-riders-dropped-minibus\"><u>quashed the effort</u></a>, per <strong>Axios</strong>\u2019s <strong>Peter Sullivan</strong> and<strong> Victoria Knight</strong>.&nbsp;<p><h3>Health reads</h3><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/16/als-drug-relyvrio-fda/\" target=\"_blank\">Failure of ALS drug puts a spotlight on controversial FDA approvals (By Daniel Gilbert | The Washington Post)</a><p><p><a href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2024/03/15/nih-office-for-chronic-disease-post-infections-long-covid/\" target=\"_blank\">Inside a push to create an NIH office for post-infection chronic illness (By Isabella Cueto | Stat)</a><p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/18/patient-blood-pressure-weight-remote-monitoring/\" target=\"_blank\">Medicare pays millions for remote vital sign monitoring. Is it worth it? (By Phil Galewitz and Holly K. Hacker | KFF Health News )</a><p><h3>Sugar rush</h3><p><span>Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow.</span><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-18T12:04:46.365Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>Good morning, and happy Monday! Washington\u2019s cherry blossoms <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/17/cherry-blossoms-dc-peak-bloom-climate/\">hit their second-earliest peak bloom</a> in more than a century of records yesterday \u2013 we hope you were able to beat the crowds to sneak a peak. Not a subscriber?<strong> </strong><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/the-health-202/\">Sign up here.</a><p><p><strong>Today\u2019s edition: </strong>President Biden is slated to sign an executive order that would expand research on women\u2019s health. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether the White House improperly pressured social media companies to remove covid misinformation. <strong>But first \u2026</strong><p><h4>Micky Tripathi on HHS\u2019s upcoming strategic plan on AI</h4><img src=\"https://palomaimages.washingtonpost.com/prod/MickyT_tstmp_1710696960.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Micky Tripathi is responsible for shaping HHS's approach to artificial intelligence in health care. (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology) </small></div><p>The federal government is racing to keep pace with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence in health care.<p><p>The <strong>Department of Health and Human Services</strong> has roughly six months left to develop a strategic plan on the responsible use of the fast-moving technology in medicine, as mandated by <strong>President Biden</strong> in an <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/10/30/executive-order-on-the-safe-secure-and-trustworthy-development-and-use-of-artificial-intelligence/\"><u>executive order</u></a> last year.&nbsp;<p><p>I recently caught up with <strong>Micky Tripathi</strong>, the national coordinator for health information technology at HHS and co-chair of the task force responsible for devising the plan, about the sweeping effort. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Health 202:</strong> What are some of the most common ways artificial intelligence, or AI, is being used in health care now?&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Tripathi:</strong> There are two different places where you\u2019re seeing a lot of activity. One of them is imaging. For example, if you look at the 700 or so AI-enabled devices the <strong>Food and Drug Administration</strong> has approved, the majority of them are for radiology.&nbsp;<p><p>But most of it right now, I would argue, is happening in user experience, like helping physicians manage their inboxes, as well as administrative things.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Health 202: </strong>What are some of your top priorities in getting the panel off the ground?<p><p><strong>Tripathi: </strong>There are four things that we\u2019re working on for the executive order\u2019s [interim] end-of-April deadline. One is a plan to look at the uses of AI in public benefits and HHS activities. The second is an overarching strategy for being able to assess the quality of AI tools. The third is specific to the <strong>National Institutes of Health</strong> regarding synthetic nucleic acid screening and other things like that, which is very tied to biosecurity. Finally, we\u2019re looking to see if there are any more appropriate actions to advance nondiscrimination compliance.&nbsp;<p><p>Looking to October, we\u2019ve got an overarching AI strategic plan that we\u2019ve got to put together. There\u2019s a safety program we want to plan for. And then finally a strategy for regulating the use of AI in drug development, which the NIH and the <strong>Food and Drug Administration</strong> will be the primary leads on.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Health 202: </strong>With technology advancing rapidly, is there a concern that regulatory guidance might lag behind?<p><p><strong>Tripathi: </strong>It\u2019s a totally fair point. We try to anticipate areas where there is a lot of dynamic energy in technology and ask ourselves how do you write a regulation that is balancing the need for flexibility to allow that kind of innovation to take place, but also channels it in ways that we can say would constitute responsible uses of it.&nbsp;<p><p>Right now we feel like it\u2019s a little bit self-adjusting, but we will obviously revisit it and fine tune it. But it is a concern of ours that the regulatory cycles are much slower than the pace of industry innovation.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Health 202: </strong>Is the federal government equipped to effectively regulate and oversee AI technology today?<p><p><strong>Tripathi: </strong>I think we will almost certainly need new authority and resources. We\u2019ve tried to be very prudent in doing this by identifying things we believe we can accomplish with our existing authorities and budgets. What you see in the executive order are all things that we believe we can accomplish today. But a part of the task force mandate will be to identify where there are gaps and how to fill them in.&nbsp;<p><h3>White House prescriptions</h3><h4>Biden pushes to bolster women\u2019s health research</h4><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/I4P2AJYAKVBCXE24KRRP43TND4.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The White House described the executive order as the \u201cmost comprehensive\u201d action by a president on women\u2019s health research. (Alex Wroblewski/The Washington Post)</small></div><p><strong>On tap today: </strong>Biden is slated to <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/18/fact-sheet-president-biden-issues-executive-order-and-announces-new-actions-to-advance-womens-health-research-and-innovation/\"><u>sign an executive order</u></a> aimed at bolstering the federal government\u2019s study of women\u2019s health.&nbsp;<p><p>The president\u2019s executive order will direct federal agencies to develop and strengthen research and data standards in an effort to address long-standing gender disparities. It will also call for a comprehensive research agenda into health conditions and diseases that disproportionately affect women.&nbsp;<p><p>In addition, Biden will announce more than 20 new actions and commitments by federal agencies, including:&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Yes, but: </strong>Biden <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/18/fact-sheet-president-biden-issues-executive-order-and-announces-new-actions-to-advance-womens-health-research-and-innovation/#:~:text=In%20his%20State%20of%20the,funding%20for%20women%27s%20health%20research.\"><u>has asked lawmakers</u></a> for <strong>$12 billion</strong> in new funding for women\u2019s health research, but its prospects are murky in the divided Congress.&nbsp;<p><h3>In the courts</h3><h4>Supreme Court to weigh White House social media requests</h4><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/3EGE7EK7FEE4XIDN2RDVZXOQTI.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The case raises significant and novel questions about how free speech protections apply online. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)</small></div><p><strong>On tap today: </strong>The Supreme Court <a href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_calendars/MonthlyArgumentCalMarch2024.pdf\"><u>will hear oral arguments</u></a> in a case that could have broad implications for the federal government\u2019s authority to combat public health misinformation online.&nbsp;<p><p>The <strong>Justice Department</strong> has asked the panel to overturn a lower-court ruling that found <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/09/08/5th-circuit-ruling-covid-content-moderation/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4&amp;itid=lk_inline_manual_69\"><u>top Biden administration officials probably violated the First Amendment</u></a> by improperly pressuring tech companies to take down what they saw as problematic posts about the coronavirus, vaccine safety and mask effectiveness at the height of the pandemic.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>Key context: </strong>The case <a href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.189520/gov.uscourts.lawd.189520.1.0.pdf\"><u>was initiated</u></a> by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, who allege that the administration\u2019s conduct amounts to illegal censorship. The Justice Department, on behalf of the administration, says \u201cthat the Constitution permits the use of the bully pulpit to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/17/supreme-court-social-media-first-amendment/?utm_campaign=wp_power_up&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;wpisrc=nl_powerup\">protect the public</a>,\u201d our colleagues <strong>Naomi Nix</strong>, <strong>Cat Zakrzewski</strong> and <strong>Ann E. Marimow</strong> report.<p><p>A ruling in the case is expected before the end of June.&nbsp;<p><h3>From our reporters' notebooks</h3><h4>Trump granted clemency to Medicare fraudsters before pledging to cut entitlement program waste</h4><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RMBYUY4PPFVK2LJNTXTEQ2ZN6M.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Former president Donald Trump brought the issue of entitlement programs back to the forefront of the campaign last week. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Before <strong>Donald Trump </strong>pledged to crack down on entitlement program abuse, he used his clemency powers to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/16/trump-clemency-medicare-fraud/\"><u>help several people convicted in major Medicare fraud cases</u></a>, my colleagues <strong>Amy B Wang</strong> and <strong>Azi Paybarah</strong> report.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>The details: </strong>During his final year in office, Trump commuted the sentences of <a href=\"https://www.justice.gov/pardon/commutations-granted-president-donald-j-trump-2017-2021\"><u>at least five people</u></a> who collectively filed nearly <strong>$1.6 billion</strong> in fraudulent claims through Medicare or Medicaid.<p><p><strong>Key context: </strong>Trump has long said that he will protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, breaking with conservatives who argue the United States should reduce benefits to keep them financially solvent.&nbsp;<p><p>Asked whether his outlook had changed last week, Trump <a href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/11/cnbc-transcript-former-president-of-the-united-states-donald-trump-speaks-with-cnbcs-squawk-box-today-.html\"><u>offered a meandering answer</u></a> that was widely interpreted as being open to the idea. While his campaign <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/11/trump-entitlements-biden/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2\"><u>later clarified</u></a> that he was talking about cutting \u201cwaste and fraud,\u201d the remarks provided the Biden campaign with <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-utRPyGI3GY\"><u>fresh ammunition</u></a> for its 2024 election rematch.&nbsp;<p><h3>In other health news</h3><h3>Daybook</h3><p>\ud83d\udcc5 Welcome back! The House and Senate are both in session starting tomorrow. Here\u2019s what we\u2019re watching:&nbsp;<p><p><strong>On tap today: </strong>The <strong>House Ways and Means Committee </strong><a href=\"https://vanduyne.house.gov/2024/3/rep-van-duyne-chairman-smith-announce-field-hearing-on-access-to-health-care-in-america-ensuring-resilient-emergency-medical-care-denton-texas\"><u>will hold a field hearing</u></a> in Denton, Tex., on emergency medical care in rural and underserved communities.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>On Wednesday: </strong>Health and Human Services Secretary <strong>Xavier Becerra</strong> <a href=\"https://waysandmeans.house.gov/event/hearing-with-health-and-human-services-secretary-becerra/\"><u>will</u></a> <a href=\"https://appropriations.house.gov/subcommittees/labor-health-and-human-services-education-118th-congress\"><u>testify</u></a> before the <strong>House Ways and Means Committee </strong>and a <strong>House Appropriations\u2019 health subcommittee</strong> on the president\u2019s budget request.&nbsp;<p><p>Across the Capitol, the <strong>Senate Judiciary Committee</strong> <a href=\"https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/the-continued-assault-on-reproductive-freedoms-in-a-post-dobbs-america\"><u>will examine</u></a> reproductive health care; a<strong> Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee</strong> <a href=\"https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/etso/hearings/strengthening-international-cooperation-to-stop-the-flow-of-fentanyl-into-the-united-states/\"><u>will discuss</u></a> fentanyl trafficking; the <strong>Senate Environment and Public Works Committee</strong> <a href=\"https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/hearings?ID=6E83270F-EF61-4B3E-919C-B1AF5AA601B7\"><u>will consider</u></a> whether \u201cforever chemicals\u201d should be categorized as hazardous to human health.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>On Thursday: </strong>A <strong>House Energy and Commerce subcommittee </strong><a href=\"https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/chairs-rodgers-and-guthrie-announce-health-subcommittee-hearing-on-regulation-of-diagnostic-tests\"><u>will scrutinize</u></a> the federal government\u2019s regulation of diagnostic tests; the <strong>House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis </strong><a href=\"https://oversight.house.gov/release/wenstrup-announces-hearing-on-identifying-and-reporting-vaccine-injuries/\"><u>will examine</u></a> the country\u2019s vaccine safety reporting and injury compensation systems; a <strong>House Veterans\u2019 Affairs subcommittee</strong> <a href=\"https://docs.house.gov/meetings/VR/VR03/20240321/116976/HHRG-118-VR03-20240321-SD001.pdf\"><u>will review</u></a> several bills, including one aimed at improving maternity-care coordination.&nbsp;<p><p><strong>On our radar: </strong>Congress is staring down another deadline to avert a partial government shutdown this weekend. Some members had been pushing to include policies in the spending package that would reform the business practices of pharmacy benefit managers and increase hospital transparency, but House and Senate leaders <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/pro/health-care-policy/2024/03/16/health-riders-dropped-minibus\"><u>quashed the effort</u></a>, per <strong>Axios</strong>\u2019s <strong>Peter Sullivan</strong> and<strong> Victoria Knight</strong>.&nbsp;<p><h3>Health reads</h3><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/16/als-drug-relyvrio-fda/\" target=\"_blank\">Failure of ALS drug puts a spotlight on controversial FDA approvals (By Daniel Gilbert | The Washington Post)</a><p><p><a href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2024/03/15/nih-office-for-chronic-disease-post-infections-long-covid/\" target=\"_blank\">Inside a push to create an NIH office for post-infection chronic illness (By Isabella Cueto | Stat)</a><p><p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/18/patient-blood-pressure-weight-remote-monitoring/\" target=\"_blank\">Medicare pays millions for remote vital sign monitoring. Is it worth it? (By Phil Galewitz and Holly K. Hacker | KFF Health News )</a><p><h3>Sugar rush</h3><p><span>Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow.</span><p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 20:24:09 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 12, 24, 9, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Election 2024 latest news: Down-ballot races take center stage in Tuesday\u2019s primaries", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Election 2024 latest news: Down-ballot races take center stage in Tuesday\u2019s primaries"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/election-2024-campaign-updates/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/election-2024-campaign-updates/", "summary": "2024-03-17T22:32:49.196Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/X2SJBUQT7NDKDOXXKKSIS5BN5M/20240318-072731.316/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>With President Biden and former president Donald Trump having each crossed the delegate threshold needed to capture their parties\u2019 nominations last week, Tuesday\u2019s primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio will feature key races down-ballot from the presidential contests.<p><h2>Here\u2019s what to know</h2>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-17T22:32:49.196Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/X2SJBUQT7NDKDOXXKKSIS5BN5M/20240318-072731.316/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>With President Biden and former president Donald Trump having each crossed the delegate threshold needed to capture their parties\u2019 nominations last week, Tuesday\u2019s primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio will feature key races down-ballot from the presidential contests.<p><h2>Here\u2019s what to know</h2>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 11, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "In these science fiction novels, love really is a battlefield", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "In these science fiction novels, love really is a battlefield"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/03/18/new-scifi-pulley-greer-goodhand/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/03/18/new-scifi-pulley-greer-goodhand/", "summary": "2024-03-13T14:55:18.850Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>Did you ever fall in love with someone you shouldn\u2019t have fallen in love with? This question, posed by <a href=\"https://genius.com/Buzzcocks-ever-fallen-in-love-with-someone-you-shouldntve-lyrics\" target=\"_blank\">the immortal Buzzcocks song</a>, has consumed much of genre fiction lately. Freedom fighters fall for imperialists. Bitter rivals catch feelings for each other. And three new science fiction novels explore star-crossed lovers with an extraordinary, heartbreaking complexity.<p><h3>1. \u2018<b>The Mars House,\u2019 by Natasha Pulley</b></h3><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FFZJXYKI65AJJIIMMEGEXTRKLU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Bloomsbury)</small></div><p>In Pulley\u2019s latest, humans have lived on a terraformed Mars for generations, their bodies altered to live in low gravity. When January, a professional ballet dancer, arrives as a refugee from Earth, his superior strength makes him a threat to the natives. A politician, Aubrey Gale, wants to force all Earthborn people to undergo a dangerous procedure to weaken them, leading to a confrontation with January that creates a political firestorm. Facing a backlash, Aubrey makes January a startling offer of marriage.<p><p>Trust me, it all makes sense. And it's delightful.<p><p>\u201c<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3TiyRJv\" target=\"_blank\">The Mars House</a>\u201d moves as nimbly as its ballet-dancer hero, sidestepping the potential issues with its immigration storyline and pivoting toward something that\u2019s both nuanced and fresh. The result is both an epic love story and a deft political thriller, in which lengthy philosophical discussions feel more gripping than the battles in most other books.<p><p>Most romances are, to some extent, about power: what it is, and who has it. January has the physical strength to murder Aubrey with little effort, but Aubrey has political and economic dominion over January. \u201cThe Mars House\u201d uses those power differentials to thrillingly bring this relationship to life.<p><h3><b>2. \u2018Annie Bot,\u2019 by Sierra Greer</b></h3><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/66OHLIOVONAOTIJG2EHUBPIPDA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Mariner)</small></div><p>Speaking of a power imbalance, this story of a robot girlfriend trying desperately to please her owner/boyfriend packs a bigger punch than you\u2019d expect. Annie looks and feels human, and she has been given the ability to learn and grow, but she can never outgrow her relationship with Doug, or the constraints of a life with him.<p><p>On one level, \u201c<a href=\"https://amzn.to/4acbuIk\" target=\"_blank\">Annie Bot</a>\u201d is a keenly observed portrait of a dysfunctional \u2014 even abusive \u2014 relationship. Annie is hypervigilant for the slightest signs of Doug\u2019s displeasure, which she quantifies on a scale from 1 to 10, and displeasing Doug causes her immense suffering. Doug slips unthinkingly between \u201cboyfriend\u201d and \u201cowner,\u201d depending on which role makes him feel better in the moment. But Greer goes deeper, teasing out the contradictions and vulnerabilities in their relationship and showing us glimpses of the real love that Doug and Annie could have, if he were better and she were free. The ending feels rushed, but there\u2019s a truth to this abruptness: When insupportable situations end, they end quickly.<p><p>All the best stories about artificial intelligence hinge on identity: Do our memories define us? Do our bodies represent who we are? \u201cAnnie Bot,\u201d astonishingly, finds new ways to ask these well-worn questions. I kept reading \u201cAnnie Bot\u201d way after bedtime, partly to see if Annie could escape from her prison, but also because every few pages there was an observation that made me think about both A.I. and human relationships anew.<p><h3><b>3. \u2018The Day Tripper,\u2019 by James Goodhand</b></h3><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RF6NBNZQCVCRHFHVCR4JAJ3L7A.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Mira)</small></div><p>Alex is young and in love, with a bright future \u2014 until he becomes unstuck in time. On any given morning, he might wake up in 1996, or 2023, or any year in between. And that bright future? It has turned to garbage, because of his alcoholism and some terrible decisions. As he ricochets between young and old, Alex struggles to change his life.<p><p>\u201c<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3wLHaFS\" target=\"_blank\">The Day Tripper</a>\u201d features Alex\u2019s wry, unmistakably British first-person narration, sparing no detail of his misfortunes and mistakes. At times, the motivational-speaker advice Alex follows does feel pat: The phrase \u201cgood decisions lead to good decisions\u201d gets bandied about a lot. Still, Goodhand takes pains to show the work that goes into breaking destructive patterns \u2014 especially for someone with a disabling addiction (and a non-chronological life).<p><p>The self-destructive Alex is manifestly unworthy of his true love, the saintly Holly. What kept me turning the pages of \u201cDay Tripper\u201d was Alex\u2019s quest to deserve Holly by rejecting the influence of toxic men, including a bully and an emotionally abusive father. This effort to grapple with the legacy of monstrous masculinity is the heart of the book, and it makes \u201cThe Day Tripper\u201d an essential, profound read.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-13T14:55:18.850Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>Did you ever fall in love with someone you shouldn\u2019t have fallen in love with? This question, posed by <a href=\"https://genius.com/Buzzcocks-ever-fallen-in-love-with-someone-you-shouldntve-lyrics\" target=\"_blank\">the immortal Buzzcocks song</a>, has consumed much of genre fiction lately. Freedom fighters fall for imperialists. Bitter rivals catch feelings for each other. And three new science fiction novels explore star-crossed lovers with an extraordinary, heartbreaking complexity.<p><h3>1. \u2018<b>The Mars House,\u2019 by Natasha Pulley</b></h3><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FFZJXYKI65AJJIIMMEGEXTRKLU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Bloomsbury)</small></div><p>In Pulley\u2019s latest, humans have lived on a terraformed Mars for generations, their bodies altered to live in low gravity. When January, a professional ballet dancer, arrives as a refugee from Earth, his superior strength makes him a threat to the natives. A politician, Aubrey Gale, wants to force all Earthborn people to undergo a dangerous procedure to weaken them, leading to a confrontation with January that creates a political firestorm. Facing a backlash, Aubrey makes January a startling offer of marriage.<p><p>Trust me, it all makes sense. And it's delightful.<p><p>\u201c<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3TiyRJv\" target=\"_blank\">The Mars House</a>\u201d moves as nimbly as its ballet-dancer hero, sidestepping the potential issues with its immigration storyline and pivoting toward something that\u2019s both nuanced and fresh. The result is both an epic love story and a deft political thriller, in which lengthy philosophical discussions feel more gripping than the battles in most other books.<p><p>Most romances are, to some extent, about power: what it is, and who has it. January has the physical strength to murder Aubrey with little effort, but Aubrey has political and economic dominion over January. \u201cThe Mars House\u201d uses those power differentials to thrillingly bring this relationship to life.<p><h3><b>2. \u2018Annie Bot,\u2019 by Sierra Greer</b></h3><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/66OHLIOVONAOTIJG2EHUBPIPDA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Mariner)</small></div><p>Speaking of a power imbalance, this story of a robot girlfriend trying desperately to please her owner/boyfriend packs a bigger punch than you\u2019d expect. Annie looks and feels human, and she has been given the ability to learn and grow, but she can never outgrow her relationship with Doug, or the constraints of a life with him.<p><p>On one level, \u201c<a href=\"https://amzn.to/4acbuIk\" target=\"_blank\">Annie Bot</a>\u201d is a keenly observed portrait of a dysfunctional \u2014 even abusive \u2014 relationship. Annie is hypervigilant for the slightest signs of Doug\u2019s displeasure, which she quantifies on a scale from 1 to 10, and displeasing Doug causes her immense suffering. Doug slips unthinkingly between \u201cboyfriend\u201d and \u201cowner,\u201d depending on which role makes him feel better in the moment. But Greer goes deeper, teasing out the contradictions and vulnerabilities in their relationship and showing us glimpses of the real love that Doug and Annie could have, if he were better and she were free. The ending feels rushed, but there\u2019s a truth to this abruptness: When insupportable situations end, they end quickly.<p><p>All the best stories about artificial intelligence hinge on identity: Do our memories define us? Do our bodies represent who we are? \u201cAnnie Bot,\u201d astonishingly, finds new ways to ask these well-worn questions. I kept reading \u201cAnnie Bot\u201d way after bedtime, partly to see if Annie could escape from her prison, but also because every few pages there was an observation that made me think about both A.I. and human relationships anew.<p><h3><b>3. \u2018The Day Tripper,\u2019 by James Goodhand</b></h3><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RF6NBNZQCVCRHFHVCR4JAJ3L7A.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Mira)</small></div><p>Alex is young and in love, with a bright future \u2014 until he becomes unstuck in time. On any given morning, he might wake up in 1996, or 2023, or any year in between. And that bright future? It has turned to garbage, because of his alcoholism and some terrible decisions. As he ricochets between young and old, Alex struggles to change his life.<p><p>\u201c<a href=\"https://amzn.to/3wLHaFS\" target=\"_blank\">The Day Tripper</a>\u201d features Alex\u2019s wry, unmistakably British first-person narration, sparing no detail of his misfortunes and mistakes. At times, the motivational-speaker advice Alex follows does feel pat: The phrase \u201cgood decisions lead to good decisions\u201d gets bandied about a lot. Still, Goodhand takes pains to show the work that goes into breaking destructive patterns \u2014 especially for someone with a disabling addiction (and a non-chronological life).<p><p>The self-destructive Alex is manifestly unworthy of his true love, the saintly Holly. What kept me turning the pages of \u201cDay Tripper\u201d was Alex\u2019s quest to deserve Holly by rejecting the influence of toxic men, including a bully and an emotionally abusive father. This effort to grapple with the legacy of monstrous masculinity is the heart of the book, and it makes \u201cThe Day Tripper\u201d an essential, profound read.<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 11, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Is Gaza heading into famine? How experts define that grim term.", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Is Gaza heading into famine? How experts define that grim term."}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/gaza-famine-food-hunger/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/gaza-famine-food-hunger/", "summary": "2024-03-15T05:25:06.887Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/WE7LTSU2ZNGDRP2IYQNYLDEUCQ/20240318-074502.022/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IJVSXCV52DJAYXGZ7YE4KPVOYU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Palestinians gather for food last week in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. (Loay Ayyoub for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The world is trying to get food supplies into Gaza, where at least half the population is facing what the United Nations has repeatedly described as <a href=\"https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-needs-and-response-update-5-11-march-2024\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cfamine-like conditions.\u201d</a> But what exactly is a famine?<p><p>Here\u2019s what you need to know.<p><h3>What is a famine?</h3><p>A group of international organizations and charities known as the <a href=\"https://www.ipcinfo.org/famine-facts/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative</a> uses a five-tier system to determine whether a famine should be declared in a certain region. A famine is declared when the fifth tier is reached; the third and fourth tiers are \u201ccrisis\u201d and \u201cemergency,\u201d respectively.<p><p>U.N. officials and the Famine Review Committee, a U.N.-affiliated expert panel, define a famine in an area when at least 20 percent of households are facing an extreme lack of food, at least 30 percent of children are suffering from acute malnutrition and 2 people in every 10,000 are dying each day because of outright starvation or disease.<p><p>The \u201cuse of an agreed definition is a relatively recent development. Before the 2000s, we did not have a technical definition,\u201d <a href=\"https://nutrition.tufts.edu/profile/faculty/paul-howe\" target=\"_blank\">Paul Howe, </a>the director of Tufts University\u2019s Feinstein International Center and a former U.N. World Food Program official, said in an email. But concerns \u201cthat the lack of an agreed definition delayed humanitarian responses, made it difficult to prioritize resources across different contexts, and complicated efforts to deter future famines\u201d spurred the creation of the IPC scale, he added.<p><p>The declaration of a famine, which is made by the local government or top U.N. official in the area, however, <a href=\"https://news.un.org/en/story/2011/07/382342\" target=\"_blank\">carries no binding obligations</a> on the United Nations or its member states. It primarily serves as a way to raise global awareness about the severity of a food crisis.<p><h3>What are \u2018hunger,\u2019 \u2018malnutrition\u2019 and \u2018starvation\u2019?</h3><p>\u201cHunger\u201d can refer to short- and long-term conditions, Catherine Bertini, an emeritus professor of international affairs at Syracuse University, said in an email. A person can be hungry if they haven\u2019t eaten all day, she said, while a child can be hungry if they have missed meals or have little food over a longer period of time.<p><p>\u201cMalnutrition is what it says \u2014 bad nutrition. A person can be malnourished because they eat too much of the wrong kinds of food or because they don\u2019t have enough food to eat,\u201d Bertini said.<p><p>\u201cStarvation\u201d is the process that leads to death when someone does not have enough calories or food balance.<p><p>\u201cSo hunger becomes severe malnutrition, which leads to starvation, which leads to death. When deaths occur within a certain population, especially of children, due to starvation, this could become a famine,\u201d she said.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/26Q775PTIFCZL354KCAVA2EHUU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for Gaza are pictured at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Israel on Tuesday. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>What\u2019s happening with food aid in Gaza?</h3><p>Most of Gaza\u2019s population is facing a severe<b> </b>shortage of food, according to the United Nations.<p><p>Since the conflict began on Oct. 7, daily food and aid shipments have fallen well short of the <a href=\"https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-86-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-Jerusalem\" target=\"_blank\">estimated 500 truckloads</a> of supplies required every day to meet the basic needs of the enclave\u2019s 2 million people. The 300 trucks that entered Gaza on Nov. 28 were the most in a day since the war started, <a href=\"https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiZTVkYmEwNmMtZWYxNy00ODhlLWI2ZjctNjIzMzQ5OGQxNzY5IiwidCI6IjI2MmY2YTQxLTIwZTktNDE0MC04ZDNlLWZkZjVlZWNiNDE1NyIsImMiOjl9&amp;pageName=ReportSection3306863add46319dc574\" target=\"_blank\">according to the United Nations</a>. In February, 20 or fewer trucks entered the enclave on seven days.<p><p>A humanitarian aid ship made the first delivery by sea to Gaza, the nonprofit World Central Kitchen <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/16/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine/\" target=\"_blank\">said Saturday</a>, while a second aid ship is preparing to sail from Cyprus.<p><p>Israel, which controls most of Gaza\u2019s borders, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/03/gaza-aid-convoy-israel-war/\" target=\"_blank\">faces criticism</a> that it is restricting food and critical supplies from entering.<p><p><p><p>\u201cThe problem is that famine, like the response to it, is ultimately a political thing. Would a declaration of famine stop the conditions? No. The war is the cause of the famine, and so long as it continues, so too will starvation,\u201d said Tylor Brand, an assistant professor of Near and Middle Eastern Studies at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.<p><h3>Is there famine in Gaza?</h3><p>U.N. officials <a href=\"https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1156749/\" target=\"_blank\">said</a> late last year that about 377,800 people, or roughly 17 percent of the enclave\u2019s population, should be considered as being in the fifth tier of its food insecurity scale. This means they were facing the same conditions as people in areas previously declared as famine zones.<p><h3>What were some recent famines?</h3><p>The United Nations first declared a famine under the thresholds set by the IPC in Somalia in July 2011. At least 250,000 people, half of them under 5, died in that famine, The Washington Post <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/06/somalia-hunger-famine-ukraine-war/\" target=\"_blank\">reported</a>. In some areas of the country, deaths of children under that age exceeded 6 per 10,000 every day, according to Mark Bowden, a U.N. official at the time.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4BMZZSCJG7OQXMN25OQIGCH55M.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A mother with her malnourished son in a Mogadishu field hospital amid Somalia's famine, drought and civil war in 2011. (John Moore/Getty Images)</small></div><p>In February 2017, the United Nations <a href=\"https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/famine-declared-region-south-sudan-%E2%80%93-un\" target=\"_blank\">declared</a> a famine in South Sudan under the IPC thresholds, saying 100,000 people were facing starvation.<p><p>The deadliest food crisis in modern human history was the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/09/01/im-trying-to-solve-a-decades-old-mystery-how-many-people-were-killed-by-chinas-great-famine/\" target=\"_blank\">1959-61 famine in China</a>, which killed more than 20 million people, according to the official Chinese government estimate.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-15T05:25:06.887Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/WE7LTSU2ZNGDRP2IYQNYLDEUCQ/20240318-074502.022/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IJVSXCV52DJAYXGZ7YE4KPVOYU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Palestinians gather for food last week in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. (Loay Ayyoub for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The world is trying to get food supplies into Gaza, where at least half the population is facing what the United Nations has repeatedly described as <a href=\"https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-needs-and-response-update-5-11-march-2024\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cfamine-like conditions.\u201d</a> But what exactly is a famine?<p><p>Here\u2019s what you need to know.<p><h3>What is a famine?</h3><p>A group of international organizations and charities known as the <a href=\"https://www.ipcinfo.org/famine-facts/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative</a> uses a five-tier system to determine whether a famine should be declared in a certain region. A famine is declared when the fifth tier is reached; the third and fourth tiers are \u201ccrisis\u201d and \u201cemergency,\u201d respectively.<p><p>U.N. officials and the Famine Review Committee, a U.N.-affiliated expert panel, define a famine in an area when at least 20 percent of households are facing an extreme lack of food, at least 30 percent of children are suffering from acute malnutrition and 2 people in every 10,000 are dying each day because of outright starvation or disease.<p><p>The \u201cuse of an agreed definition is a relatively recent development. Before the 2000s, we did not have a technical definition,\u201d <a href=\"https://nutrition.tufts.edu/profile/faculty/paul-howe\" target=\"_blank\">Paul Howe, </a>the director of Tufts University\u2019s Feinstein International Center and a former U.N. World Food Program official, said in an email. But concerns \u201cthat the lack of an agreed definition delayed humanitarian responses, made it difficult to prioritize resources across different contexts, and complicated efforts to deter future famines\u201d spurred the creation of the IPC scale, he added.<p><p>The declaration of a famine, which is made by the local government or top U.N. official in the area, however, <a href=\"https://news.un.org/en/story/2011/07/382342\" target=\"_blank\">carries no binding obligations</a> on the United Nations or its member states. It primarily serves as a way to raise global awareness about the severity of a food crisis.<p><h3>What are \u2018hunger,\u2019 \u2018malnutrition\u2019 and \u2018starvation\u2019?</h3><p>\u201cHunger\u201d can refer to short- and long-term conditions, Catherine Bertini, an emeritus professor of international affairs at Syracuse University, said in an email. A person can be hungry if they haven\u2019t eaten all day, she said, while a child can be hungry if they have missed meals or have little food over a longer period of time.<p><p>\u201cMalnutrition is what it says \u2014 bad nutrition. A person can be malnourished because they eat too much of the wrong kinds of food or because they don\u2019t have enough food to eat,\u201d Bertini said.<p><p>\u201cStarvation\u201d is the process that leads to death when someone does not have enough calories or food balance.<p><p>\u201cSo hunger becomes severe malnutrition, which leads to starvation, which leads to death. When deaths occur within a certain population, especially of children, due to starvation, this could become a famine,\u201d she said.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/26Q775PTIFCZL354KCAVA2EHUU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for Gaza are pictured at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Israel on Tuesday. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post)</small></div><h3>What\u2019s happening with food aid in Gaza?</h3><p>Most of Gaza\u2019s population is facing a severe<b> </b>shortage of food, according to the United Nations.<p><p>Since the conflict began on Oct. 7, daily food and aid shipments have fallen well short of the <a href=\"https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-86-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-Jerusalem\" target=\"_blank\">estimated 500 truckloads</a> of supplies required every day to meet the basic needs of the enclave\u2019s 2 million people. The 300 trucks that entered Gaza on Nov. 28 were the most in a day since the war started, <a href=\"https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiZTVkYmEwNmMtZWYxNy00ODhlLWI2ZjctNjIzMzQ5OGQxNzY5IiwidCI6IjI2MmY2YTQxLTIwZTktNDE0MC04ZDNlLWZkZjVlZWNiNDE1NyIsImMiOjl9&amp;pageName=ReportSection3306863add46319dc574\" target=\"_blank\">according to the United Nations</a>. In February, 20 or fewer trucks entered the enclave on seven days.<p><p>A humanitarian aid ship made the first delivery by sea to Gaza, the nonprofit World Central Kitchen <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/16/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine/\" target=\"_blank\">said Saturday</a>, while a second aid ship is preparing to sail from Cyprus.<p><p>Israel, which controls most of Gaza\u2019s borders, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/03/gaza-aid-convoy-israel-war/\" target=\"_blank\">faces criticism</a> that it is restricting food and critical supplies from entering.<p><p><p><p>\u201cThe problem is that famine, like the response to it, is ultimately a political thing. Would a declaration of famine stop the conditions? No. The war is the cause of the famine, and so long as it continues, so too will starvation,\u201d said Tylor Brand, an assistant professor of Near and Middle Eastern Studies at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.<p><h3>Is there famine in Gaza?</h3><p>U.N. officials <a href=\"https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1156749/\" target=\"_blank\">said</a> late last year that about 377,800 people, or roughly 17 percent of the enclave\u2019s population, should be considered as being in the fifth tier of its food insecurity scale. This means they were facing the same conditions as people in areas previously declared as famine zones.<p><h3>What were some recent famines?</h3><p>The United Nations first declared a famine under the thresholds set by the IPC in Somalia in July 2011. At least 250,000 people, half of them under 5, died in that famine, The Washington Post <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/06/somalia-hunger-famine-ukraine-war/\" target=\"_blank\">reported</a>. In some areas of the country, deaths of children under that age exceeded 6 per 10,000 every day, according to Mark Bowden, a U.N. official at the time.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4BMZZSCJG7OQXMN25OQIGCH55M.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A mother with her malnourished son in a Mogadishu field hospital amid Somalia's famine, drought and civil war in 2011. (John Moore/Getty Images)</small></div><p>In February 2017, the United Nations <a href=\"https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/famine-declared-region-south-sudan-%E2%80%93-un\" target=\"_blank\">declared</a> a famine in South Sudan under the IPC thresholds, saying 100,000 people were facing starvation.<p><p>The deadliest food crisis in modern human history was the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/09/01/im-trying-to-solve-a-decades-old-mystery-how-many-people-were-killed-by-chinas-great-famine/\" target=\"_blank\">1959-61 famine in China</a>, which killed more than 20 million people, according to the official Chinese government estimate.<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 11, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "\u2018Ghost Army\u2019 that fooled Hitler will receive Congress\u2019s highest honor", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "\u2018Ghost Army\u2019 that fooled Hitler will receive Congress\u2019s highest honor"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2024/03/18/ghost-army-wwii-congressional-gold-medal/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2024/03/18/ghost-army-wwii-congressional-gold-medal/", "summary": "2024-03-12T15:23:52.481Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/PXMNT3KOGZGE5LKSKPSWMKEOAY/20240315-095038.380/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YO5MSXG3PJEBJFHWFUMF537BOA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Ghost Army inflatable tanks along the Rhine River in March 1945. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>Weeks after the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy, the young men of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops encountered <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/06/06/d-day-photos-remembrance/\" target=\"_blank\">D-Day\u2019s lingering carnage</a> as they waded ashore. Bloated bodies churned in the surf. Tree branches cradled the carcass of a cow blown skyward by explosives.<p><p>Fear and adrenaline coursed through the GIs, along with hope that they wouldn\u2019t have to fire their rifles. Their mission, after all, wasn\u2019t to kill Nazis but to perform for them.<p><p>Armed with sound effects, costumes, scripts and props, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and its sister unit, the 3133rd Signal Company Special, brandished Hollywood-worthy stagecraft in European theaters of war to dupe the German army about the location and size of Allied forces. The 1,100 sound engineers, radio broadcasters, fashion designers, ad men, artists, actors and theater set designers unofficially known as the \u201cGhost Army\u201d masqueraded as a combat force more than 30 times its actual size.<p><p>Operating as close as a quarter mile from the front lines, the Ghost Army is credited with saving the lives of tens of thousands of American soldiers by luring away the enemy during more than 20 full-scale deception campaigns.<p><p>Subterfuge has been an integral part of warfare from the time the Greeks wheeled a wooden horse to the gates of Troy. Even during World War II, <a href=\"https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/d-days-parachuting-dummies-and-inflatable-tanks\" target=\"_blank\">Operation Fortitude\u2019s elaborate ruse</a> convinced German forces that the D-Day invasion would strike Calais, not Normandy.<p><p>Yet the Ghost Army \u2014 nicknamed the \u201cCecil B. DeMille Warriors\u201d by one member \u2014 is unique in the annals of warfare, according to Rick Beyer, co-author of \u201cThe Ghost Army of World War II\u201d and producer and director of a <a href=\"https://rickbeyer.net/about/films/\" target=\"_blank\">2013 documentary</a> on the force.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s the first mobile, multimedia, tactical deception unit in the history of warfare,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are capable of projecting their deception \u2014 visual, sound, radio, special effects \u2014 through all these different means, and they are essentially another arrow in the quiver of a battlefield commander to maneuver the enemy.\u201d<p><p>Although a U.S. Army report credited the Ghost Army with saving the lives of between 15,000 and 30,000 servicemen, its story remained untold for decades as information about the force stayed classified until 1996. On Wednesday, the top-secret unit will finally get its just due when it receives one of the country\u2019s highest awards, the Congressional Gold Medal.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/Q2E4KBXSSVEXPEKGHTBNPHGEBE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Members of the Ghost Army with an inflatable reconnaissance plane. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>Recruited from advertising agencies, communications companies and art schools \u2014 through vaguely worded notices seeking creative candidates for noncombat camouflage battalions \u2014 the Ghost Army hoodwinked the Germans about the location of Gen. George S. Patton Jr.\u2019s Third Army as it swept eastward across France during the summer of 1944. The Americans fooled Nazis\u2019 eyes by deploying fleets of <a href=\"https://ghostarmy.com/bio/f/Equipment/418\" target=\"_blank\">inflatable rubber tanks</a>, trucks and airplanes and tricked their ears by broadcasting phony radio chatter and playing prerecorded soundtracks of troop exercises from 500-pound loudspeakers.<p><p>Despite initial successes, Lt. Fred Fox believed the Ghost Army needed even more theatrics. \u201cThere is too much MILITARY and not enough SHOWMANSHIP,\u201d he wrote in a memo to the unit\u2019s leaders. \u201cWe must remember that we are playing to a very critical and attentive radio, ground and aerial audience. They must all be convinced.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/PTZUESWIG5BMVN2REPSV63RVMQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Members of the Ghost Army put new bumper markings on a jeep as part of their \u201cspecial effects\u201d program. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>At Fox\u2019s behest, the Ghost Army added a fourth dimension \u2014 physical deceptions referred to as \u201cspecial effects\u201d \u2014 to its visual, sonic and radio initiatives. Operations grew more sophisticated as actors donned uniforms with insignia of other units to impersonate officers and recited choreographed scripts in phony command posts. When Patton found his line dangerously thin along the Moselle River in September 1944, the Ghost Army rushed from Paris and kept the Germans at bay for a week by posing as the 6th Armored Division.<p><p>In its final blockbuster performance, the Ghost Army mimicked two 9th Army divisions \u2014 a 40,000-man force \u2014 set to make the difficult crossing of the Rhine River in March 1945. Moving like phantoms under the cloak of darkness, the tricksters set up operations 10 miles south of the intended attack location. They inflated 200 decoy trucks and tanks. They blared sounds of rumbling vehicles, hammering and even soldiers swearing. They radioed false orders to simulate movement to the front and posed as loose-lipped colonels and generals while planting disinformation for German spies to overhear in local bars and cafes.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/H5CB23RTNRGQ3IHK4KERCOTA3M.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Bernie Bluestein, a member of the Ghost Army who specialized in fake signs and vehicle stencils. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>\u201cI guess we were successful because the Germans fired upon us,\u201d 100-year-old Ghost Army veteran Bernie Bluestein of Hoffman Estates, Ill., who specialized in fake signs and vehicle stencils, recalled in an interview.<b> </b>\u201cWe convinced them that we were the real thing.\u201d As the Germans moved their defenses and shelled the faux force, the 9th Army encountered token resistance as it forded the Rhine with minimal casualties.<p><p>After the curtain fell on World War II, the military\u2019s greatest showmen, which included artist Ellsworth Kelly and fashion designer Bill Blass, returned home to resume their creative lives. For decades, though, they were sworn to secrecy about their exploits in case the Cold War required similar subterfuge. \u201cSome of these guys went to their graves without telling anybody in their families what this unit was involved in,\u201d Beyer said.<p><p>\u201cI didn\u2019t even tell my wife until the 1990s, when the secrecy came off,\u201d said 100-year-old veteran Seymour Nussenbaum of Monroe Township, N.J., who was part of a team that crafted fake patches. \u201cI couldn\u2019t potentially risk the lives of any soldiers who might be involved because of what I said.\u201d The Pratt Institute graduate and retired package designer joked that because of his decoy-inflating experience, whenever family members asked him what he did in the war, he could answer truthfully: \u201cI blew up tanks!\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2Y7FA7OG6NGA7PWPDTOVSSCPDU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Ghost Army member and future fashion designer Bill Blass in a jeep. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>While Beyer\u2019s book and documentary raised awareness of the Ghost Army, he believed the unlikely World War II heroes deserved even greater attention and honor. \u201cI\u2019ve been surprised at how this story has escaped the history books and Hollywood,\u201d he said. \u201cI had been blown away by their deceptions, blown away by the fact that they came back and kept quiet about it for 50 years, and I thought they needed some official recognition.\u201d<p><p>Following a grass-roots lobbying effort launched by Beyer and other <a href=\"https://ghostarmy.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Ghost Army Legacy Project</a> volunteers in 2015, President Biden <a href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/707/text\" target=\"_blank\">signed a bill</a> in 2022<b> </b>authorizing the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal \u2014 Congress\u2019s highest honor \u2014 to the master illusionists. Of the unit\u2019s seven known surviving members, Bluestein, Nussenbaum and 99-year-old John Christman of Leesburg, N.J., plan to attend Wednesday\u2019s medal ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019m certainly happy that it\u2019s happening and they\u2019re giving us a little recognition,\u201d said Bluestein, who joined the Ghost Army while a scholarship student at the Cleveland Institute of Art and had a long, successful industrial design career after the war. \u201cBut I\u2019m very disappointed that it couldn\u2019t have been a lot earlier when many of these soldiers were still living so they could have accepted and had some recognition the same as I am.\u201d<p><p>\u201cProbably thousands of people weren\u2019t killed because of the Ghost Army,\u201d Beyer said. \u201cLife would have been different for a lot of people if this unit hadn\u2019t been there. Now they\u2019re getting their due, and I think that\u2019s pretty incredible.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-12T15:23:52.481Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/PXMNT3KOGZGE5LKSKPSWMKEOAY/20240315-095038.380/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YO5MSXG3PJEBJFHWFUMF537BOA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Ghost Army inflatable tanks along the Rhine River in March 1945. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>Weeks after the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy, the young men of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops encountered <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/06/06/d-day-photos-remembrance/\" target=\"_blank\">D-Day\u2019s lingering carnage</a> as they waded ashore. Bloated bodies churned in the surf. Tree branches cradled the carcass of a cow blown skyward by explosives.<p><p>Fear and adrenaline coursed through the GIs, along with hope that they wouldn\u2019t have to fire their rifles. Their mission, after all, wasn\u2019t to kill Nazis but to perform for them.<p><p>Armed with sound effects, costumes, scripts and props, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and its sister unit, the 3133rd Signal Company Special, brandished Hollywood-worthy stagecraft in European theaters of war to dupe the German army about the location and size of Allied forces. The 1,100 sound engineers, radio broadcasters, fashion designers, ad men, artists, actors and theater set designers unofficially known as the \u201cGhost Army\u201d masqueraded as a combat force more than 30 times its actual size.<p><p>Operating as close as a quarter mile from the front lines, the Ghost Army is credited with saving the lives of tens of thousands of American soldiers by luring away the enemy during more than 20 full-scale deception campaigns.<p><p>Subterfuge has been an integral part of warfare from the time the Greeks wheeled a wooden horse to the gates of Troy. Even during World War II, <a href=\"https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/d-days-parachuting-dummies-and-inflatable-tanks\" target=\"_blank\">Operation Fortitude\u2019s elaborate ruse</a> convinced German forces that the D-Day invasion would strike Calais, not Normandy.<p><p>Yet the Ghost Army \u2014 nicknamed the \u201cCecil B. DeMille Warriors\u201d by one member \u2014 is unique in the annals of warfare, according to Rick Beyer, co-author of \u201cThe Ghost Army of World War II\u201d and producer and director of a <a href=\"https://rickbeyer.net/about/films/\" target=\"_blank\">2013 documentary</a> on the force.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s the first mobile, multimedia, tactical deception unit in the history of warfare,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are capable of projecting their deception \u2014 visual, sound, radio, special effects \u2014 through all these different means, and they are essentially another arrow in the quiver of a battlefield commander to maneuver the enemy.\u201d<p><p>Although a U.S. Army report credited the Ghost Army with saving the lives of between 15,000 and 30,000 servicemen, its story remained untold for decades as information about the force stayed classified until 1996. On Wednesday, the top-secret unit will finally get its just due when it receives one of the country\u2019s highest awards, the Congressional Gold Medal.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/Q2E4KBXSSVEXPEKGHTBNPHGEBE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Members of the Ghost Army with an inflatable reconnaissance plane. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>Recruited from advertising agencies, communications companies and art schools \u2014 through vaguely worded notices seeking creative candidates for noncombat camouflage battalions \u2014 the Ghost Army hoodwinked the Germans about the location of Gen. George S. Patton Jr.\u2019s Third Army as it swept eastward across France during the summer of 1944. The Americans fooled Nazis\u2019 eyes by deploying fleets of <a href=\"https://ghostarmy.com/bio/f/Equipment/418\" target=\"_blank\">inflatable rubber tanks</a>, trucks and airplanes and tricked their ears by broadcasting phony radio chatter and playing prerecorded soundtracks of troop exercises from 500-pound loudspeakers.<p><p>Despite initial successes, Lt. Fred Fox believed the Ghost Army needed even more theatrics. \u201cThere is too much MILITARY and not enough SHOWMANSHIP,\u201d he wrote in a memo to the unit\u2019s leaders. \u201cWe must remember that we are playing to a very critical and attentive radio, ground and aerial audience. They must all be convinced.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/PTZUESWIG5BMVN2REPSV63RVMQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Members of the Ghost Army put new bumper markings on a jeep as part of their \u201cspecial effects\u201d program. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>At Fox\u2019s behest, the Ghost Army added a fourth dimension \u2014 physical deceptions referred to as \u201cspecial effects\u201d \u2014 to its visual, sonic and radio initiatives. Operations grew more sophisticated as actors donned uniforms with insignia of other units to impersonate officers and recited choreographed scripts in phony command posts. When Patton found his line dangerously thin along the Moselle River in September 1944, the Ghost Army rushed from Paris and kept the Germans at bay for a week by posing as the 6th Armored Division.<p><p>In its final blockbuster performance, the Ghost Army mimicked two 9th Army divisions \u2014 a 40,000-man force \u2014 set to make the difficult crossing of the Rhine River in March 1945. Moving like phantoms under the cloak of darkness, the tricksters set up operations 10 miles south of the intended attack location. They inflated 200 decoy trucks and tanks. They blared sounds of rumbling vehicles, hammering and even soldiers swearing. They radioed false orders to simulate movement to the front and posed as loose-lipped colonels and generals while planting disinformation for German spies to overhear in local bars and cafes.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/H5CB23RTNRGQ3IHK4KERCOTA3M.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Bernie Bluestein, a member of the Ghost Army who specialized in fake signs and vehicle stencils. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>\u201cI guess we were successful because the Germans fired upon us,\u201d 100-year-old Ghost Army veteran Bernie Bluestein of Hoffman Estates, Ill., who specialized in fake signs and vehicle stencils, recalled in an interview.<b> </b>\u201cWe convinced them that we were the real thing.\u201d As the Germans moved their defenses and shelled the faux force, the 9th Army encountered token resistance as it forded the Rhine with minimal casualties.<p><p>After the curtain fell on World War II, the military\u2019s greatest showmen, which included artist Ellsworth Kelly and fashion designer Bill Blass, returned home to resume their creative lives. For decades, though, they were sworn to secrecy about their exploits in case the Cold War required similar subterfuge. \u201cSome of these guys went to their graves without telling anybody in their families what this unit was involved in,\u201d Beyer said.<p><p>\u201cI didn\u2019t even tell my wife until the 1990s, when the secrecy came off,\u201d said 100-year-old veteran Seymour Nussenbaum of Monroe Township, N.J., who was part of a team that crafted fake patches. \u201cI couldn\u2019t potentially risk the lives of any soldiers who might be involved because of what I said.\u201d The Pratt Institute graduate and retired package designer joked that because of his decoy-inflating experience, whenever family members asked him what he did in the war, he could answer truthfully: \u201cI blew up tanks!\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2Y7FA7OG6NGA7PWPDTOVSSCPDU.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Ghost Army member and future fashion designer Bill Blass in a jeep. (Ghost Army Legacy Project)</small></div><p>While Beyer\u2019s book and documentary raised awareness of the Ghost Army, he believed the unlikely World War II heroes deserved even greater attention and honor. \u201cI\u2019ve been surprised at how this story has escaped the history books and Hollywood,\u201d he said. \u201cI had been blown away by their deceptions, blown away by the fact that they came back and kept quiet about it for 50 years, and I thought they needed some official recognition.\u201d<p><p>Following a grass-roots lobbying effort launched by Beyer and other <a href=\"https://ghostarmy.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Ghost Army Legacy Project</a> volunteers in 2015, President Biden <a href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/707/text\" target=\"_blank\">signed a bill</a> in 2022<b> </b>authorizing the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal \u2014 Congress\u2019s highest honor \u2014 to the master illusionists. Of the unit\u2019s seven known surviving members, Bluestein, Nussenbaum and 99-year-old John Christman of Leesburg, N.J., plan to attend Wednesday\u2019s medal ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019m certainly happy that it\u2019s happening and they\u2019re giving us a little recognition,\u201d said Bluestein, who joined the Ghost Army while a scholarship student at the Cleveland Institute of Art and had a long, successful industrial design career after the war. \u201cBut I\u2019m very disappointed that it couldn\u2019t have been a lot earlier when many of these soldiers were still living so they could have accepted and had some recognition the same as I am.\u201d<p><p>\u201cProbably thousands of people weren\u2019t killed because of the Ghost Army,\u201d Beyer said. \u201cLife would have been different for a lot of people if this unit hadn\u2019t been there. Now they\u2019re getting their due, and I think that\u2019s pretty incredible.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:24:10 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 11, 24, 10, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "While Earth enjoys an eclipse, a NASA probe is ready to \u2018touch the sun\u2019", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "While Earth enjoys an eclipse, a NASA probe is ready to \u2018touch the sun\u2019"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/03/18/total-eclipse-nasa-parker-probe/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/03/18/total-eclipse-nasa-parker-probe/", "summary": "2024-01-05T18:17:52.410Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/PQFEFBHT2JAQTCCXBZZT2K4KCY/20240317-123848.484/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/3S6HLBSSVJXODBUWTKHJFTXVEQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">\u201cWe will be almost landing on the star,\" says Nour Raouafi, project scientist for the Parker Solar Probe and an astrophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The sun is having a glamorous year. It\u2019s at <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/22/solar-flares-cycle-xclass-radio-att/\" target=\"_blank\">solar maximum</a>, the peak of its 11-year cycle of storminess. It\u2019s been hurling great blobs of charged particles at Earth on a regular basis, intensifying the high-latitude auroras. And in a particularly flamboyant star turn, the sun on April 8 will hide itself behind the moon, offering tens of millions of people in North America a chance to experience a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2024/map-totality-solar-eclipse-locations/\" target=\"_blank\">total solar eclipse</a>.<p><p>Overshadowed by all this is a risky NASA mission that\u2019s about to send a spacecraft hurtling practically within spitting distance of the sun.<p><p>The Parker Solar Probe, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/08/09/this-nasa-spacecraft-is-about-to-probe-one-of-earths-scariest-threats-the-sun/\" target=\"_blank\">launched in 2018</a>, is designed to \u201ctouch the sun,\u201d as NASA puts it. On Dec. 24 the probe<b> </b>will make its closest pass, coming within 3.8 million miles of the surface, having been accelerated by gravity to more than 430,000 miles per hour.<p><p>No spacecraft has ever flown so fast, or so close to the sun.<p><p>\u201cIt is a voyage into the unknown,\u201d said NASA\u2019s top science administrator, Nicola \u201cNicky\u201d Fox, who tells everyone that \u201cit\u2019s the coolest, hottest mission under the sun.\u201d<p><p>At a cost of $1.4 billion, this mission is not cheap. That NASA would invest so much money and effort is a reminder that the sun, which is so basic to our survival, is not fully understood.<p><p>\u201cWe live in the atmosphere of the sun. Anything that happens on the sun, we feel the effect here on Earth,\u201d Fox said. \u201cIf the sun sneezes, the Earth catches a cold.\u201d<p><p>There\u2019s also a more subtle agenda in this mission: advancing American aerospace prowess. The technological innovations can be applied to future space endeavors at a time when many countries are sending probes to the moon, Mars and elsewhere in the solar system.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s whether we stay at the top of the world, or somebody else will step in,\u201d said Nour Raouafi, project scientist for the mission and an astrophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland.<p><p>His eyes brighten as he describes the amazing feat of this spacecraft: \u201cWe will be almost landing on the star.\u201d<p><h2>How to survive a visit to the sun</h2><p>Fun fact: You can\u2019t land on the sun. There\u2019s not actually a distinct surface. When scientists talk about the sun\u2019s<b> </b>surface, they are alluding to the \u201cphotosphere,\u201d the lowest visible layer of the atmosphere.<p><p>At its closest approach on Christmas Eve, the Parker probe will be seven times closer to the sun than any other spacecraft has ventured. NASA engineers hope the public understands that getting this close to the sun is not a day at the beach.<p><p>\u201cThis is a high-risk mission. When you go into the atmosphere of a star, it is really harsh,\u201d Raouafi said.<p><p>The probe is festooned with instruments that are taking measurements of the solar wind, including temperature, density and velocity. The solar wind reaches to the outermost edge of the solar system. Earth is fully immersed in it, but thanks to our planet\u2019s magnetic field, we are usually protected from the most harmful solar radiation.<p><p>\u201cWe, ourselves, are living in that environment. But we don\u2019t feel it because we have a geomagnetic field that shields us from these hazardous energetic particles and these explosions from the sun,\u201d Raouafi said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we have life on Earth.\u201d<p><p>The solar wind is protective, too, because it limits the impact of cosmic rays \u2014 particles moving at tremendous speed and coming at us from all directions in our galaxy.<p><p>What all this illustrates is that space has weather. A highly technological civilization needs to pay attention to space weather, because a burst of solar material called<b> </b>a coronal mass ejection aimed directly at Earth could generate a debilitating geomagnetic storm.<p><p>NASA and other government<b> </b>agencies are especially worried about a repeat of what is known as the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/12/03/geomagnetic-largest-storm-earth-study/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrington Event</a>. In 1859, a coronal mass ejection struck Earth and caused telegraph lines to sing. A similar storm today could cause radio blackouts, knock out satellites or even, in the worst-case scenario, disable the electrical grid.<p><p>That\u2019s why engineers at the Hopkins laboratory and NASA want to cozy up to the sun and really understand its volatile atmosphere. But first, they had to figure out how to keep the Parker probe from being baked, roasted, immolated or in some other fashion destroyed by coronal mass ejections and the solar wind.<p><p>Two pieces of technology are particularly crucial to mission success. The most obvious is the heat shield. You don\u2019t fly close to the sun without a good heat shield.<p><p>The shield is coated with an ultra-white plasma spray to reflect as much solar radiation as possible. The surface is perfectly uniform to prevent hot spots and cold spots. The shield has a carbon foam interior, sandwiched between layers of a carbon composite similar to what you might find in a golf club or tennis racket.<p><p>This 4.5-inch-thick heat shield allows the sun-facing side to<b> </b>reach 2,500 degrees even as the spacecraft body is a balmy 89 degrees, according to NASA.<p><p>And there\u2019s another reason the spacecraft doesn\u2019t turn into molten goo: Although the temperature of the sun\u2019s atmosphere can reach millions of degrees, the density is low, so an object flying through that realm of space won\u2019t heat up easily.<p><p>This shield will only work, however, if it is always directly facing the sun, with the vulnerable hardware behind it fully shaded. That requires precision navigation with multiple cameras that use the \u201cfixed\u201d stars as guides.<p><p>The solar panels are nifty. Flying near the sun and then far away again is a recipe for power surges. So the panels can<b> </b>fold up like bird wings and<b> </b>tuck themselves away.<p><p>Mission scientists also had to cross a major hurdle: the unbending laws of gravity.<p><p>\u201cBelieve it or not, it is extremely hard to get something close to the sun,\u201d Raouafi said.<p><p>This is because a spaceship launched from Earth carries with it the angular momentum of our home planet as it orbits the sun. To steer a spaceship directly toward the sun would require an unrealistic amount of fuel. One possible solution would be to send the spacecraft out to Jupiter, which would slingshot it back to the sun. But that would take many years.<p><p>NASA eventually opted for a strategy that uses multiple close passes<b> </b>of Venus, each time bleeding off some of the spacecraft\u2019s orbital momentum, allowing it to drift closer to the sun with each orbit.<p><h2>The mission\u2019s tensest moment</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OC5ANFPHSZKX2Z6NWLKLOXYCJQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">NASA\u2019s top science administrator, Nicola \u201cNicky\u201d Fox, tells everyone that \u201cit\u2019s the coolest, hottest mission under the sun.\u201d She used to work at the Applied Physics Laboratory and served as the top scientist on the Parker probe mission. (Bill Ingalls/NASA)</small></div><p>The Parker spacecraft has made 18 trips around the sun, and in late December it passed just 4.51 million miles from the surface, emerging from that scorching journey in tiptop shape.<p><p>The probe has already gathered abundant data about the sun\u2019s corona, the ethereal outermost layer of the sun that\u2019s normally invisible to human eyes. The total eclipse on April 8 will offer people on Earth a rare chance to glimpse the corona when the moon fully blocks the main disk of our blazing star.<p><p>NASA can precisely map the path of the moon\u2019s shadow and the timing of totality in every location on April 8. For a heliophysicist, though, the big star in the sky is not as predictable as it looks. Among the things scientists don\u2019t fully understand about the sun is what they call the \u201ccoronal heating problem.\u201d<p><p>The corona is about 300 times<b> </b>hotter than the surface of the sun. That is contrary to common sense. As you move away from a campfire on a cold night the air doesn\u2019t get warmer, but that\u2019s what it\u2019s like near the sun.<p><p>Scientists have been trying to solve the coronal heating problem for decades. Data from the Parker probe, in tandem with observations during eclipses by heliophysicists on Earth, could put this one mystery of sunshine to rest.<p><p>The tensest moments for the mission are when the spacecraft swings around the sun and temporarily cannot receive commands. That will happen this coming December during the closest encounter: For days, the team won\u2019t know if the spaceship survived.<p><p>\u201cThat spacecraft, it becomes part of your team,\u201d Fox said. She should know; before she came to NASA she worked at the Applied Physics Laboratory and served as the top scientist on the Parker probe mission.<p><p>The probe is named after pioneering astrophysicist Eugene Parker. As a young scientist at the University of Chicago, Parker in the 1950s proposed the existence of the solar wind. His idea was initially dismissed and derided by many scientists, but it was<b> </b>confirmed by subsequent space missions.<p><p>Parker himself attended the probe\u2019s 2018 launch. According to NASA, he was the first person to watch the launch of a spacecraft bearing his name.<p><p>He died in 2022 at the age of 94.<p><p>Parker had been astonished and thrilled, Fox said, when he first saw the spacecraft in the clean room at the Applied Physics Laboratory in advance of the launch.<p><p>Then, as he watched the probe rocket into the heavens to start its historic journey, Parker became wistful, Fox recalled.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s so sad,\u201d he said to her. \u201cIt\u2019s never coming back.\u201d<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-01-05T18:17:52.410Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/PQFEFBHT2JAQTCCXBZZT2K4KCY/20240317-123848.484/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/3S6HLBSSVJXODBUWTKHJFTXVEQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">\u201cWe will be almost landing on the star,\" says Nour Raouafi, project scientist for the Parker Solar Probe and an astrophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The sun is having a glamorous year. It\u2019s at <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/22/solar-flares-cycle-xclass-radio-att/\" target=\"_blank\">solar maximum</a>, the peak of its 11-year cycle of storminess. It\u2019s been hurling great blobs of charged particles at Earth on a regular basis, intensifying the high-latitude auroras. And in a particularly flamboyant star turn, the sun on April 8 will hide itself behind the moon, offering tens of millions of people in North America a chance to experience a <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/interactive/2024/map-totality-solar-eclipse-locations/\" target=\"_blank\">total solar eclipse</a>.<p><p>Overshadowed by all this is a risky NASA mission that\u2019s about to send a spacecraft hurtling practically within spitting distance of the sun.<p><p>The Parker Solar Probe, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/08/09/this-nasa-spacecraft-is-about-to-probe-one-of-earths-scariest-threats-the-sun/\" target=\"_blank\">launched in 2018</a>, is designed to \u201ctouch the sun,\u201d as NASA puts it. On Dec. 24 the probe<b> </b>will make its closest pass, coming within 3.8 million miles of the surface, having been accelerated by gravity to more than 430,000 miles per hour.<p><p>No spacecraft has ever flown so fast, or so close to the sun.<p><p>\u201cIt is a voyage into the unknown,\u201d said NASA\u2019s top science administrator, Nicola \u201cNicky\u201d Fox, who tells everyone that \u201cit\u2019s the coolest, hottest mission under the sun.\u201d<p><p>At a cost of $1.4 billion, this mission is not cheap. That NASA would invest so much money and effort is a reminder that the sun, which is so basic to our survival, is not fully understood.<p><p>\u201cWe live in the atmosphere of the sun. Anything that happens on the sun, we feel the effect here on Earth,\u201d Fox said. \u201cIf the sun sneezes, the Earth catches a cold.\u201d<p><p>There\u2019s also a more subtle agenda in this mission: advancing American aerospace prowess. The technological innovations can be applied to future space endeavors at a time when many countries are sending probes to the moon, Mars and elsewhere in the solar system.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s whether we stay at the top of the world, or somebody else will step in,\u201d said Nour Raouafi, project scientist for the mission and an astrophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland.<p><p>His eyes brighten as he describes the amazing feat of this spacecraft: \u201cWe will be almost landing on the star.\u201d<p><h2>How to survive a visit to the sun</h2><p>Fun fact: You can\u2019t land on the sun. There\u2019s not actually a distinct surface. When scientists talk about the sun\u2019s<b> </b>surface, they are alluding to the \u201cphotosphere,\u201d the lowest visible layer of the atmosphere.<p><p>At its closest approach on Christmas Eve, the Parker probe will be seven times closer to the sun than any other spacecraft has ventured. NASA engineers hope the public understands that getting this close to the sun is not a day at the beach.<p><p>\u201cThis is a high-risk mission. When you go into the atmosphere of a star, it is really harsh,\u201d Raouafi said.<p><p>The probe is festooned with instruments that are taking measurements of the solar wind, including temperature, density and velocity. The solar wind reaches to the outermost edge of the solar system. Earth is fully immersed in it, but thanks to our planet\u2019s magnetic field, we are usually protected from the most harmful solar radiation.<p><p>\u201cWe, ourselves, are living in that environment. But we don\u2019t feel it because we have a geomagnetic field that shields us from these hazardous energetic particles and these explosions from the sun,\u201d Raouafi said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we have life on Earth.\u201d<p><p>The solar wind is protective, too, because it limits the impact of cosmic rays \u2014 particles moving at tremendous speed and coming at us from all directions in our galaxy.<p><p>What all this illustrates is that space has weather. A highly technological civilization needs to pay attention to space weather, because a burst of solar material called<b> </b>a coronal mass ejection aimed directly at Earth could generate a debilitating geomagnetic storm.<p><p>NASA and other government<b> </b>agencies are especially worried about a repeat of what is known as the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/12/03/geomagnetic-largest-storm-earth-study/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrington Event</a>. In 1859, a coronal mass ejection struck Earth and caused telegraph lines to sing. A similar storm today could cause radio blackouts, knock out satellites or even, in the worst-case scenario, disable the electrical grid.<p><p>That\u2019s why engineers at the Hopkins laboratory and NASA want to cozy up to the sun and really understand its volatile atmosphere. But first, they had to figure out how to keep the Parker probe from being baked, roasted, immolated or in some other fashion destroyed by coronal mass ejections and the solar wind.<p><p>Two pieces of technology are particularly crucial to mission success. The most obvious is the heat shield. You don\u2019t fly close to the sun without a good heat shield.<p><p>The shield is coated with an ultra-white plasma spray to reflect as much solar radiation as possible. The surface is perfectly uniform to prevent hot spots and cold spots. The shield has a carbon foam interior, sandwiched between layers of a carbon composite similar to what you might find in a golf club or tennis racket.<p><p>This 4.5-inch-thick heat shield allows the sun-facing side to<b> </b>reach 2,500 degrees even as the spacecraft body is a balmy 89 degrees, according to NASA.<p><p>And there\u2019s another reason the spacecraft doesn\u2019t turn into molten goo: Although the temperature of the sun\u2019s atmosphere can reach millions of degrees, the density is low, so an object flying through that realm of space won\u2019t heat up easily.<p><p>This shield will only work, however, if it is always directly facing the sun, with the vulnerable hardware behind it fully shaded. That requires precision navigation with multiple cameras that use the \u201cfixed\u201d stars as guides.<p><p>The solar panels are nifty. Flying near the sun and then far away again is a recipe for power surges. So the panels can<b> </b>fold up like bird wings and<b> </b>tuck themselves away.<p><p>Mission scientists also had to cross a major hurdle: the unbending laws of gravity.<p><p>\u201cBelieve it or not, it is extremely hard to get something close to the sun,\u201d Raouafi said.<p><p>This is because a spaceship launched from Earth carries with it the angular momentum of our home planet as it orbits the sun. To steer a spaceship directly toward the sun would require an unrealistic amount of fuel. One possible solution would be to send the spacecraft out to Jupiter, which would slingshot it back to the sun. But that would take many years.<p><p>NASA eventually opted for a strategy that uses multiple close passes<b> </b>of Venus, each time bleeding off some of the spacecraft\u2019s orbital momentum, allowing it to drift closer to the sun with each orbit.<p><h2>The mission\u2019s tensest moment</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/OC5ANFPHSZKX2Z6NWLKLOXYCJQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">NASA\u2019s top science administrator, Nicola \u201cNicky\u201d Fox, tells everyone that \u201cit\u2019s the coolest, hottest mission under the sun.\u201d She used to work at the Applied Physics Laboratory and served as the top scientist on the Parker probe mission. (Bill Ingalls/NASA)</small></div><p>The Parker spacecraft has made 18 trips around the sun, and in late December it passed just 4.51 million miles from the surface, emerging from that scorching journey in tiptop shape.<p><p>The probe has already gathered abundant data about the sun\u2019s corona, the ethereal outermost layer of the sun that\u2019s normally invisible to human eyes. The total eclipse on April 8 will offer people on Earth a rare chance to glimpse the corona when the moon fully blocks the main disk of our blazing star.<p><p>NASA can precisely map the path of the moon\u2019s shadow and the timing of totality in every location on April 8. For a heliophysicist, though, the big star in the sky is not as predictable as it looks. Among the things scientists don\u2019t fully understand about the sun is what they call the \u201ccoronal heating problem.\u201d<p><p>The corona is about 300 times<b> </b>hotter than the surface of the sun. That is contrary to common sense. As you move away from a campfire on a cold night the air doesn\u2019t get warmer, but that\u2019s what it\u2019s like near the sun.<p><p>Scientists have been trying to solve the coronal heating problem for decades. Data from the Parker probe, in tandem with observations during eclipses by heliophysicists on Earth, could put this one mystery of sunshine to rest.<p><p>The tensest moments for the mission are when the spacecraft swings around the sun and temporarily cannot receive commands. That will happen this coming December during the closest encounter: For days, the team won\u2019t know if the spaceship survived.<p><p>\u201cThat spacecraft, it becomes part of your team,\u201d Fox said. She should know; before she came to NASA she worked at the Applied Physics Laboratory and served as the top scientist on the Parker probe mission.<p><p>The probe is named after pioneering astrophysicist Eugene Parker. As a young scientist at the University of Chicago, Parker in the 1950s proposed the existence of the solar wind. His idea was initially dismissed and derided by many scientists, but it was<b> </b>confirmed by subsequent space missions.<p><p>Parker himself attended the probe\u2019s 2018 launch. According to NASA, he was the first person to watch the launch of a spacecraft bearing his name.<p><p>He died in 2022 at the age of 94.<p><p>Parker had been astonished and thrilled, Fox said, when he first saw the spacecraft in the clean room at the Applied Physics Laboratory in advance of the launch.<p><p>Then, as he watched the probe rocket into the heavens to start its historic journey, Parker became wistful, Fox recalled.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s so sad,\u201d he said to her. \u201cIt\u2019s never coming back.\u201d<p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:24:10 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 11, 24, 10, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "What can my blinking tell me about my health?", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "What can my blinking tell me about my health?"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/03/18/blinking-slow-excessive-causes/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/03/18/blinking-slow-excessive-causes/", "summary": "2024-03-11T13:55:18.685Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/5KSHC3ILOVD2BNDDJII246VALQ/20240317-150907.078/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/TTIPBAZAPRGOVN3JIYV43O5DS4.gif\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Illustration by Chelsea Conrad/The Washington Post; iStock)</small></div><p><b>Q: I feel like I\u2019m blinking more often than usual. What can blinking tell me about my health? And why do we blink?</b><p><p><b>A: </b>We blink about once every three to five seconds and usually don\u2019t even realize it\u2019s happening, despite losing an incredible amount of our daily visual input to blinking \u2014 <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2817301/\" target=\"_blank\">up to 10 percent</a>.<p><p>Blinking serves several practical purposes: It wets and cleans the surface of the cornea and can reflexively protect the eye from rapidly approaching objects. But that\u2019s not quite the end of the story.<p><p>In some cases, a change in blinking might herald a health problem. Here are some reasons blinking may change that can tell you something about your health:<p><p><b>Slow or infrequent blinking: </b>Decreased blinking can be one of the early signs of <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21984191/\" target=\"_blank\">Parkinson\u2019s disease</a>. One important neurotransmitter influencing our ability to pay attention and show flexibility is dopamine. Several studies have found that the rate at which we spontaneously blink mirrors the neurotransmitter\u2019s <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27555290/\" target=\"_blank\">activity in our brains</a> \u2014 the lower the dopamine, the more we fixate on one subject, and the less frequently we blink. And the hallmark of Parkinson\u2019s is the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells.<p><p>Patients with the autoimmune condition <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20465438/\" target=\"_blank\">Graves\u2019 disease</a> also experience changes to their blinking pattern, which may be related to cornea damage. And other neurological conditions besides Parkinson\u2019s, such as stroke, can slow the normal blinking rate. Slower blinking has also been associated with <a href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311916.2018.1429110\" target=\"_blank\">head injury among athletes</a>.<p><p><b>Excessive blinking: </b>Increased blinking can be <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8070793/\" target=\"_blank\">a sign of sleepiness</a> while trying to perform a demanding task such as driving while drowsy (if you notice this happening, keep everyone on the road safe and get some rest before continuing your journey). People who are <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7672065/\" target=\"_blank\">suffering from pain</a> or experiencing very bright lights also blink more frequently.<p><p>Excessive blinking can occur when your body tries to compensate for dry eye disease, which occurs for a number of reasons, including Sjogren\u2019s syndrome or side effects from certain medications like antihistamines.<p><p>Dry eye disease is also incredibly common among frequent screen-users. We blink less frequently when we stare at our screens.<p><p>If you plan on spending hours in front of your computer, set 20-minute timers to step away for a minute or two from your screen. I also like the concept of \u201c<a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30866126/\" target=\"_blank\">blind working</a>\u201d \u2014 closing your eyes for brief, deliberate breaks in your workday when you actually don\u2019t need to have them open, such as during a telephone call or while waiting for a program to load. Heightened screen time may also be associated with <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8593533/\" target=\"_blank\">damage to the glands</a> that keep our eyes healthy as well as myopia.<p><h2><b>Why do we blink?</b></h2><p>In many situations, people blink in unexpected patterns that don\u2019t seem to have anything to do with maintaining their eyes\u2019 moisture.<p><p>In <a href=\"https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1113/expphysiol.1927.sp000433\" target=\"_blank\">the 1920s</a>, scientists studying this phenomenon wondered: If blinking was not simply there to dust off the corneas, what did it <i>really</i> mean?<p><p>Some of their observations made intuitive sense \u2014 they noted that people blink more frequently while smoking; smoke is a known corneal irritant. But they also found people blinked less frequently while reading than they did while talking, when the environment was otherwise the same \u2014 and oddly, that people reading almost always blinked at <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18170143/\" target=\"_blank\">punctuation marks</a> instead of text.<p><p>Other findings were just as puzzling. Unexpected sounds, even if not loud, caused children to blink. And people blinked more frequently when they became angry or anxious.<p><p>Decades of research has revealed that blinking is much more than the windshield wiper of the body but rather a window into the state of our minds \u2014 how carefully our attention is focused and whether we\u2019re ready for new stimuli.<p><p>Studies have shown that increased spontaneous blinking can be a sign of gathering new information \u2014 especially when it challenges the \u201crules\u201d of a known environment. For instance, babies <a href=\"https://www.jneurosci.org/content/36/40/10314\" target=\"_blank\">in bilingual households</a> blink more rapidly as they switch between hearing different languages spoken, which correlates to signaling in areas of the brain governed by dopamine. And people blink in synchrony when watching the same movie \u2014 researchers have found that we tend to <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2817301/\" target=\"_blank\">stare continuously</a> while the action of the main character unfolds, but we all start to blink unconsciously during the same implicit narrative breaks \u2014 such as when there\u2019s a shot with no humans in the scene.<p><p>In a similar way, blinking plays a role in our social communication. Scientists have measured that when two people are communicating smoothly with each other and holding the other\u2019s interest, their <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20700731/\" target=\"_blank\">blinking patterns</a> start to align.<p><h2><b>How did humans evolve to blink?</b></h2><p>Scientists believe blinking developed several times across evolutionary history \u2014 and in some cases, like with snakes, became lost again. A <a href=\"https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2220404120\" target=\"_blank\">study</a> of mudskippers published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences hypothesized that it was the transition from aquatic life to land that made blinking beneficial to survival \u2014 even for our own ancestors, who also emerged from the sea several hundred million years ago.<p><p>One reason blinking on land is critical is because the corneas of our eyes don\u2019t have blood vessels and so they derive oxygen by diffusion from the environment surrounding them. Oxygen diffuses more easily across wet surfaces, and spontaneous blinking helps maintain a thin, fluid film layer on our eyes. Another reason is that dangerous objects travel much more quickly through thin air than they would through water \u2014 so blinking reflexively to shield the eyes from injury is significantly more important on land.<p><h2><b>What I want my patients to know</b></h2><p>People often buy laptop raisers or elevate their screens to eye level. Instead, try placing the screen at a <a href=\"https://journals.lww.com/apjoo/fulltext/2020/12000/digital_screen_use_and_dry_eye__a_review.3.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">10-degree <i>downward</i> gaze angle</a> (and ideally two to three feet away from you). Doing so may relax the muscles around your eye to help you blink more completely, and it can reduce tear evaporation.<p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/ask-a-doctor-health-question-form/\">Ask a Doctor: Got a health question? We\u2019ll find the right expert to answer it.</a><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/well-being/?method=SURL&amp;location=ART\">Sign up for the Well+Being newsletter, your source of expert advice and simple tips to help you live well every day</a>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-11T13:55:18.685Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/5KSHC3ILOVD2BNDDJII246VALQ/20240317-150907.078/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/TTIPBAZAPRGOVN3JIYV43O5DS4.gif\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Illustration by Chelsea Conrad/The Washington Post; iStock)</small></div><p><b>Q: I feel like I\u2019m blinking more often than usual. What can blinking tell me about my health? And why do we blink?</b><p><p><b>A: </b>We blink about once every three to five seconds and usually don\u2019t even realize it\u2019s happening, despite losing an incredible amount of our daily visual input to blinking \u2014 <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2817301/\" target=\"_blank\">up to 10 percent</a>.<p><p>Blinking serves several practical purposes: It wets and cleans the surface of the cornea and can reflexively protect the eye from rapidly approaching objects. But that\u2019s not quite the end of the story.<p><p>In some cases, a change in blinking might herald a health problem. Here are some reasons blinking may change that can tell you something about your health:<p><p><b>Slow or infrequent blinking: </b>Decreased blinking can be one of the early signs of <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21984191/\" target=\"_blank\">Parkinson\u2019s disease</a>. One important neurotransmitter influencing our ability to pay attention and show flexibility is dopamine. Several studies have found that the rate at which we spontaneously blink mirrors the neurotransmitter\u2019s <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27555290/\" target=\"_blank\">activity in our brains</a> \u2014 the lower the dopamine, the more we fixate on one subject, and the less frequently we blink. And the hallmark of Parkinson\u2019s is the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells.<p><p>Patients with the autoimmune condition <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20465438/\" target=\"_blank\">Graves\u2019 disease</a> also experience changes to their blinking pattern, which may be related to cornea damage. And other neurological conditions besides Parkinson\u2019s, such as stroke, can slow the normal blinking rate. Slower blinking has also been associated with <a href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311916.2018.1429110\" target=\"_blank\">head injury among athletes</a>.<p><p><b>Excessive blinking: </b>Increased blinking can be <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8070793/\" target=\"_blank\">a sign of sleepiness</a> while trying to perform a demanding task such as driving while drowsy (if you notice this happening, keep everyone on the road safe and get some rest before continuing your journey). People who are <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7672065/\" target=\"_blank\">suffering from pain</a> or experiencing very bright lights also blink more frequently.<p><p>Excessive blinking can occur when your body tries to compensate for dry eye disease, which occurs for a number of reasons, including Sjogren\u2019s syndrome or side effects from certain medications like antihistamines.<p><p>Dry eye disease is also incredibly common among frequent screen-users. We blink less frequently when we stare at our screens.<p><p>If you plan on spending hours in front of your computer, set 20-minute timers to step away for a minute or two from your screen. I also like the concept of \u201c<a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30866126/\" target=\"_blank\">blind working</a>\u201d \u2014 closing your eyes for brief, deliberate breaks in your workday when you actually don\u2019t need to have them open, such as during a telephone call or while waiting for a program to load. Heightened screen time may also be associated with <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8593533/\" target=\"_blank\">damage to the glands</a> that keep our eyes healthy as well as myopia.<p><h2><b>Why do we blink?</b></h2><p>In many situations, people blink in unexpected patterns that don\u2019t seem to have anything to do with maintaining their eyes\u2019 moisture.<p><p>In <a href=\"https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1113/expphysiol.1927.sp000433\" target=\"_blank\">the 1920s</a>, scientists studying this phenomenon wondered: If blinking was not simply there to dust off the corneas, what did it <i>really</i> mean?<p><p>Some of their observations made intuitive sense \u2014 they noted that people blink more frequently while smoking; smoke is a known corneal irritant. But they also found people blinked less frequently while reading than they did while talking, when the environment was otherwise the same \u2014 and oddly, that people reading almost always blinked at <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18170143/\" target=\"_blank\">punctuation marks</a> instead of text.<p><p>Other findings were just as puzzling. Unexpected sounds, even if not loud, caused children to blink. And people blinked more frequently when they became angry or anxious.<p><p>Decades of research has revealed that blinking is much more than the windshield wiper of the body but rather a window into the state of our minds \u2014 how carefully our attention is focused and whether we\u2019re ready for new stimuli.<p><p>Studies have shown that increased spontaneous blinking can be a sign of gathering new information \u2014 especially when it challenges the \u201crules\u201d of a known environment. For instance, babies <a href=\"https://www.jneurosci.org/content/36/40/10314\" target=\"_blank\">in bilingual households</a> blink more rapidly as they switch between hearing different languages spoken, which correlates to signaling in areas of the brain governed by dopamine. And people blink in synchrony when watching the same movie \u2014 researchers have found that we tend to <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2817301/\" target=\"_blank\">stare continuously</a> while the action of the main character unfolds, but we all start to blink unconsciously during the same implicit narrative breaks \u2014 such as when there\u2019s a shot with no humans in the scene.<p><p>In a similar way, blinking plays a role in our social communication. Scientists have measured that when two people are communicating smoothly with each other and holding the other\u2019s interest, their <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20700731/\" target=\"_blank\">blinking patterns</a> start to align.<p><h2><b>How did humans evolve to blink?</b></h2><p>Scientists believe blinking developed several times across evolutionary history \u2014 and in some cases, like with snakes, became lost again. A <a href=\"https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2220404120\" target=\"_blank\">study</a> of mudskippers published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences hypothesized that it was the transition from aquatic life to land that made blinking beneficial to survival \u2014 even for our own ancestors, who also emerged from the sea several hundred million years ago.<p><p>One reason blinking on land is critical is because the corneas of our eyes don\u2019t have blood vessels and so they derive oxygen by diffusion from the environment surrounding them. Oxygen diffuses more easily across wet surfaces, and spontaneous blinking helps maintain a thin, fluid film layer on our eyes. Another reason is that dangerous objects travel much more quickly through thin air than they would through water \u2014 so blinking reflexively to shield the eyes from injury is significantly more important on land.<p><h2><b>What I want my patients to know</b></h2><p>People often buy laptop raisers or elevate their screens to eye level. Instead, try placing the screen at a <a href=\"https://journals.lww.com/apjoo/fulltext/2020/12000/digital_screen_use_and_dry_eye__a_review.3.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">10-degree <i>downward</i> gaze angle</a> (and ideally two to three feet away from you). Doing so may relax the muscles around your eye to help you blink more completely, and it can reduce tear evaporation.<p><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/ask-a-doctor-health-question-form/\">Ask a Doctor: Got a health question? We\u2019ll find the right expert to answer it.</a><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/well-being/?method=SURL&amp;location=ART\">Sign up for the Well+Being newsletter, your source of expert advice and simple tips to help you live well every day</a>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:24:10 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 11, 24, 10, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Famine may already be in northern Gaza say leading aid groups", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Famine may already be in northern Gaza say leading aid groups"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/gaza-famine-report-ipc/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/18/gaza-famine-report-ipc/", "summary": "2024-03-16T19:19:27.047Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/WKM2HTE3ORHS3PZ2R7YPFOKXLE/20240318-110532.324/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2QLZUIGTAZS3IY6UNP42JIRGQI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Palestinian children carry empty bowls during a march demanding an end to the war and an end to famine in the Gaza Strip, on March 6, 2024, in Rafah, Gaza. (Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Famine may already be happening in northern Gaza and risks spreading across the besieged enclave, plunging 2.2 million Palestinians into the broadest and most severe food crisis in the world, the globe\u2019s leading body on food emergencies said Monday.<p><p>The new report from a cluster of international organizations and charities known as the <a href=\"https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative, or IPC</a>, outlined a dire situation with more than half the population of Gaza \u2014 1.1 million people \u2014 facing catastrophic levels of hunger and starvation.<p><p>Compared to the IPC\u2019s previous analysis in December 2023, acute food insecurity in the Gaza Strip has deepened and widened, with nearly double the number of people projected to experience those conditions by July.<p><p>In the IPC\u2019s five-tier classification of food crises, Gaza now has the largest percentage of a population to receive its most severe rating since the body began reporting in 2004, Beth Bechdol, deputy director general at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told The Washington Post.<p><p>By comparison, today in Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan \u2014 where millions are experiencing crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity \u2014 none of the population currently falls into the worst tier of catastrophic food shortages, Bechdol said.<p><p>People in areas designated at Tier 5 are considered to be \u201cstarving\u201d and facing a significantly increased risk of acute malnutrition and death.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZAEX6INQXTG5DYLAM5YW2RS5WA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Boys sit with empty pots as displaced Palestinians line up for meals provided by a charity organization ahead of the fast-breaking iftar meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday. (Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images)</small></div><p><b>\u201c</b>So, for Gaza to have 1.1 million people in IPC 5 is unprecedented,\u201d she said. She added: \u201cThis is 100 percent a man-made crisis. There\u2019s no hurricane, there\u2019s no cyclone, there\u2019s no 100-year flood. There\u2019s no protracted year-on-year drought.\u201d<p><p>The report is likely to add fuel to the increasingly sharp criticism of Israel from governments in the United States and Europe about the grim dimensions of the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On Monday, the European Union\u2019s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, repeated his assertion that Israel was using starvation as a \u201cweapon of war.\u201d He noted that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had recently told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that \u201cwe cannot stand by and watch Palestinians starve.\u201d<p><p>\u201cIn Gaza we are no longer on the brink of famine; we are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people,\u201d Borrell said at the start of a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza in Brussels. \u201cThis is unacceptable. Starvation is used as a weapon of war.\u201d<p><p>\u201cBy whom?\u201d he added. \u201cLet\u2019s dare to say by whom. By the one that prevents humanitarian support entering into Gaza.\u201d<p><p>The IPC, an international initiative to classify <a href=\"https://executiveboard.wfp.org/document_download/WFP-0000102571\" target=\"_blank\">food insecurity and malnutrition</a> and assesses conditions, does not issue an official declaration of famine \u2014 a move left to senior local authorities or the highest United Nations official in an affected area. A famine designation would elevate the crisis to a major talking point at the U.N. Security Council and compel high-level crisis talks among humanitarian bodies and groups.<p><p>The publication of the IPC report will trigger an evidence assessment by a Famine Review Committee, made up of leading independent international food security, nutrition and mortality experts in the coming weeks. A famine in Gaza would come after one engulfed 80,000 people in South Sudan in 2017 and 490,000 people in Somalia in 2011.<p><p>The latest analysis was conducted remotely between Feb. 26 and March 1, by more than 40 experts from 18 agencies, IPC said. But the new assessment \u2014 the IPC\u2019s grimmest to date \u2014 suggests that northern Gaza is either already in the grip of famine, or could reach that point anytime by May.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5JFKUSHVYRXQX5OBP7CLAEYVDE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Palestinian children suffering from malnutrition receive treatment at a health-care center, amid widespread hunger, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip March 4. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)</small></div><p>The findings in the latest report confirm warnings of impending famine in parts of Gaza, in the absence of a cease-fire, from U.N. and other aid agencies in recent months. In desperation, some in northern Gaza have resorted to eating animal feed, even grass, and at least <a href=\"https://t.me/MOHMediaGaza/5167\" target=\"_blank\">27 children</a> have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, local health officials have said, underscoring the vast need.<p><p>Humanitarian officials blame the hunger crisis in the north on limited entry points for aid, a time-consuming Israeli inspection process and Israeli attacks on U.N. aid convoys and the police protecting <a href=\"http://them.hm/\" target=\"_blank\">them.</a> Israel denies limiting the flow of aid to Gaza. It has accused the United Nations of failing to distribute food aid to those in need \u2014 or diverting it to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/israel-hamas-war/?itid=lk_inline_manual_18\" target=\"_blank\">Hamas</a>.<p><p>Palestinian officials say more than 100 people were killed and 700 injured in Gaza City late last month after desperate civilians rushed an aid convoy, an incident that prompted the Biden administration to launch food drops into Gaza and express mounting frustration with Israeli controls on aid convoys into the enclave.<p><p>According to the new report, virtually all households in Gaza are skipping meals every day and adults are reducing their meals so that children can eat. In northern Gaza, people in nearly two-thirds of all households were going entire days and nights without eating at least 10 times in the last 30 days, with 1 in 3 children under the age of 2 \u201cacutely malnourished.\u201d In the southern areas of the enclave, about one-third of households faced conditions of going days and nights without food.<p><p>The report blamed the famine-like conditions in Gaza on the \u201cwidespread, intense, and relentless conflict\u201d that has forced approximately 1.9 million people, or 85 percent of Gaza\u2019s population, to flee their homes, with over 31,000 fatalities and 73,000 injuries reported by Gaza health authorities. Added to that are massive losses in infrastructure, including food production and distribution, and extremely limited humanitarian access.<p><p>\u201cThe escalation of hostilities has halted supplies of water, food and fuel, causing the collapse of all food-related sectors, including vegetable production, livestock production, and fisheries and aquaculture,\u201d said Maximo Torero Cullen, the FAO\u2019s chief economist. \u201cAround 60 to 70 percent of meat and dairy-producing livestock in Gaza have been either killed or prematurely slaughtered to meet the dire food needs stemming from the conflict.\u201d<p><p>An earlier IPC assessment of Gaza in December concluded that its <a href=\"https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-94/en/\" target=\"_blank\">entire population </a>was highly food insecure and at risk of famine.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4RXRQC4WRXSRL56HW2IYWP22SE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Humanitarian aid falls through the sky toward the Gaza Strip after being dropped from an aircraft in southern Israel on Sunday. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)</small></div><p>While ongoing hostilities are a key factor for the rapid deterioration of the situation, the new report said, the \u201cextremely limited humanitarian access\u201d to and within Gaza Strip has worsened matters.<p><p>In addition to the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/02/us-air-drop-gaza-aid/\" target=\"_blank\">airdrops</a> of small amounts of food, the first aid shipment by sea dispatched by nonprofit <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/15/gaza-food-boat-jose-andres/\" target=\"_blank\">World Central Kitchen</a> reached Gaza last week. But experts say these alone cannot contain the emergency.<p><p><b>\u201c</b>They are important. They are helpful to the overall situation, but they are not at a level that would reverse the trend,\u201d Bechdol said.<p><p><i>Beatriz Rios contributed to this report.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-16T19:19:27.047Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/WKM2HTE3ORHS3PZ2R7YPFOKXLE/20240318-110532.324/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2QLZUIGTAZS3IY6UNP42JIRGQI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Palestinian children carry empty bowls during a march demanding an end to the war and an end to famine in the Gaza Strip, on March 6, 2024, in Rafah, Gaza. (Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)</small></div><p>Famine may already be happening in northern Gaza and risks spreading across the besieged enclave, plunging 2.2 million Palestinians into the broadest and most severe food crisis in the world, the globe\u2019s leading body on food emergencies said Monday.<p><p>The new report from a cluster of international organizations and charities known as the <a href=\"https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative, or IPC</a>, outlined a dire situation with more than half the population of Gaza \u2014 1.1 million people \u2014 facing catastrophic levels of hunger and starvation.<p><p>Compared to the IPC\u2019s previous analysis in December 2023, acute food insecurity in the Gaza Strip has deepened and widened, with nearly double the number of people projected to experience those conditions by July.<p><p>In the IPC\u2019s five-tier classification of food crises, Gaza now has the largest percentage of a population to receive its most severe rating since the body began reporting in 2004, Beth Bechdol, deputy director general at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told The Washington Post.<p><p>By comparison, today in Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan \u2014 where millions are experiencing crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity \u2014 none of the population currently falls into the worst tier of catastrophic food shortages, Bechdol said.<p><p>People in areas designated at Tier 5 are considered to be \u201cstarving\u201d and facing a significantly increased risk of acute malnutrition and death.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZAEX6INQXTG5DYLAM5YW2RS5WA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Boys sit with empty pots as displaced Palestinians line up for meals provided by a charity organization ahead of the fast-breaking iftar meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday. (Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images)</small></div><p><b>\u201c</b>So, for Gaza to have 1.1 million people in IPC 5 is unprecedented,\u201d she said. She added: \u201cThis is 100 percent a man-made crisis. There\u2019s no hurricane, there\u2019s no cyclone, there\u2019s no 100-year flood. There\u2019s no protracted year-on-year drought.\u201d<p><p>The report is likely to add fuel to the increasingly sharp criticism of Israel from governments in the United States and Europe about the grim dimensions of the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On Monday, the European Union\u2019s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, repeated his assertion that Israel was using starvation as a \u201cweapon of war.\u201d He noted that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had recently told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that \u201cwe cannot stand by and watch Palestinians starve.\u201d<p><p>\u201cIn Gaza we are no longer on the brink of famine; we are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people,\u201d Borrell said at the start of a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza in Brussels. \u201cThis is unacceptable. Starvation is used as a weapon of war.\u201d<p><p>\u201cBy whom?\u201d he added. \u201cLet\u2019s dare to say by whom. By the one that prevents humanitarian support entering into Gaza.\u201d<p><p>The IPC, an international initiative to classify <a href=\"https://executiveboard.wfp.org/document_download/WFP-0000102571\" target=\"_blank\">food insecurity and malnutrition</a> and assesses conditions, does not issue an official declaration of famine \u2014 a move left to senior local authorities or the highest United Nations official in an affected area. A famine designation would elevate the crisis to a major talking point at the U.N. Security Council and compel high-level crisis talks among humanitarian bodies and groups.<p><p>The publication of the IPC report will trigger an evidence assessment by a Famine Review Committee, made up of leading independent international food security, nutrition and mortality experts in the coming weeks. A famine in Gaza would come after one engulfed 80,000 people in South Sudan in 2017 and 490,000 people in Somalia in 2011.<p><p>The latest analysis was conducted remotely between Feb. 26 and March 1, by more than 40 experts from 18 agencies, IPC said. But the new assessment \u2014 the IPC\u2019s grimmest to date \u2014 suggests that northern Gaza is either already in the grip of famine, or could reach that point anytime by May.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5JFKUSHVYRXQX5OBP7CLAEYVDE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Palestinian children suffering from malnutrition receive treatment at a health-care center, amid widespread hunger, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip March 4. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)</small></div><p>The findings in the latest report confirm warnings of impending famine in parts of Gaza, in the absence of a cease-fire, from U.N. and other aid agencies in recent months. In desperation, some in northern Gaza have resorted to eating animal feed, even grass, and at least <a href=\"https://t.me/MOHMediaGaza/5167\" target=\"_blank\">27 children</a> have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, local health officials have said, underscoring the vast need.<p><p>Humanitarian officials blame the hunger crisis in the north on limited entry points for aid, a time-consuming Israeli inspection process and Israeli attacks on U.N. aid convoys and the police protecting <a href=\"http://them.hm/\" target=\"_blank\">them.</a> Israel denies limiting the flow of aid to Gaza. It has accused the United Nations of failing to distribute food aid to those in need \u2014 or diverting it to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/israel-hamas-war/?itid=lk_inline_manual_18\" target=\"_blank\">Hamas</a>.<p><p>Palestinian officials say more than 100 people were killed and 700 injured in Gaza City late last month after desperate civilians rushed an aid convoy, an incident that prompted the Biden administration to launch food drops into Gaza and express mounting frustration with Israeli controls on aid convoys into the enclave.<p><p>According to the new report, virtually all households in Gaza are skipping meals every day and adults are reducing their meals so that children can eat. In northern Gaza, people in nearly two-thirds of all households were going entire days and nights without eating at least 10 times in the last 30 days, with 1 in 3 children under the age of 2 \u201cacutely malnourished.\u201d In the southern areas of the enclave, about one-third of households faced conditions of going days and nights without food.<p><p>The report blamed the famine-like conditions in Gaza on the \u201cwidespread, intense, and relentless conflict\u201d that has forced approximately 1.9 million people, or 85 percent of Gaza\u2019s population, to flee their homes, with over 31,000 fatalities and 73,000 injuries reported by Gaza health authorities. Added to that are massive losses in infrastructure, including food production and distribution, and extremely limited humanitarian access.<p><p>\u201cThe escalation of hostilities has halted supplies of water, food and fuel, causing the collapse of all food-related sectors, including vegetable production, livestock production, and fisheries and aquaculture,\u201d said Maximo Torero Cullen, the FAO\u2019s chief economist. \u201cAround 60 to 70 percent of meat and dairy-producing livestock in Gaza have been either killed or prematurely slaughtered to meet the dire food needs stemming from the conflict.\u201d<p><p>An earlier IPC assessment of Gaza in December concluded that its <a href=\"https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-94/en/\" target=\"_blank\">entire population </a>was highly food insecure and at risk of famine.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4RXRQC4WRXSRL56HW2IYWP22SE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Humanitarian aid falls through the sky toward the Gaza Strip after being dropped from an aircraft in southern Israel on Sunday. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)</small></div><p>While ongoing hostilities are a key factor for the rapid deterioration of the situation, the new report said, the \u201cextremely limited humanitarian access\u201d to and within Gaza Strip has worsened matters.<p><p>In addition to the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/02/us-air-drop-gaza-aid/\" target=\"_blank\">airdrops</a> of small amounts of food, the first aid shipment by sea dispatched by nonprofit <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/15/gaza-food-boat-jose-andres/\" target=\"_blank\">World Central Kitchen</a> reached Gaza last week. But experts say these alone cannot contain the emergency.<p><p><b>\u201c</b>They are important. They are helpful to the overall situation, but they are not at a level that would reverse the trend,\u201d Bechdol said.<p><p><i>Beatriz Rios contributed to this report.</i><p><br /><hr /><div>\u83b7\u53d6\u66f4\u591aRSS\uff1a<br /><a href=\"https://feedx.net\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.net</a> <br /><a href=\"https://feedx.run\" style=\"color: orange;\" target=\"_blank\">https://feedx.run</a><br /></div>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:24:10 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 11, 24, 10, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Why EVs are now almost as cheap as gas cars", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Why EVs are now almost as cheap as gas cars"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/03/18/electric-vehicle-price-drop/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/03/18/electric-vehicle-price-drop/", "summary": "2024-03-13T14:09:04.878Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/KKYDRHQYANGCLAHTBAAWA67P5Q/20240316-002412.122/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MBHCFBAF2H2XGKL5MH75GTVGEA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A Tesla stands beside two gas-powered vehicles \u2014 a pickup and a Ferrari \u2014 at a valet parking stand at the Legacy West mall in Plano, Tex. (Jeanne Whalen/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The price of <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2023/electric-vehicles-compare-models-shopping-guide/\" target=\"_blank\">electric cars</a> is plummeting so fast that they\u2019re now almost as cheap as gas-powered cars.<p><p>Since EVs first hit the market, car buyers have had to pay a steep premium if they wanted a car that ran on batteries instead of a gas engine. Two years ago, they would have paid about $17,000 more on average for a new electric car than for a new gas-powered car. But that gap has been rapidly closing, shrinking to $5,000 last month, according to data from Cox Automotive.<p><p>That\u2019s an 11 percent markup over the average new car price last month \u2014 roughly similar to the price difference between picking the base model of some cars vs. the performance model that comes with all the bells and whistles.<p><p>Tesla is setting<b> </b>electric vehicle prices so low, they\u2019re almost even with gas-powered cars.<p><p>Of course, part of the reason EV prices are plunging is that <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/12/26/ev-demand-slows/\" target=\"_blank\">consumers are not buying them</a> as fast as dealers and automakers expected. As the industry moves beyond enthusiastic early adopters, it now faces car buyers who are concerned about charging infrastructure and high upfront costs.<p><p>So<b> </b>car dealerships are discounting electric cars on their lots. Average EV prices dropped $2,000 last month. \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to see price cuts or discounts just because there\u2019s inventory and [dealers are] really trying to get these sold,\u201d said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of Industry Insights at Cox Automotive.<p><p>That\u2019s good news for Americans in the market for a new car who might be considering going electric. \u201cPrice is always one of the top barriers for adoption, so I think getting down to price parity is key,\u201d she said.<p><h3>Which EVs are getting cheaper?</h3><p>Tesla, which sells more electric cars in the U.S. than all other automakers combined, has been the driving force behind the EV price plunge. The automaker started slashing the price for its popular Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan in January 2023, dragging down the average for all electric cars. For instance, the base Model 3 sedan, which <a href=\"https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-model-y-price-cut-united-states-update/\" target=\"_blank\">cost $47,000</a> at the beginning of 2023, <a href=\"https://electrek.co/2024/02/13/tesla-increases-model-3-price-now-cost-as-much-as-model-y/#:~:text=The%20Performance%20has%20been%20removed,the%20same%20price%20at%20%2438%2C990.\" target=\"_blank\">now sells</a> for $39,000. The premium Model Y dropped from $70,000 to $52,500 in that same period.<p><p>Tesla is probably cutting prices to maintain its market share as rival automakers start selling electric cars, Valdez Streaty said. There are now <a href=\"https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g32463239/new-ev-models-us/\" target=\"_blank\">57 EV models for sale</a> in the U.S., according to Car and Driver magazine. While Tesla once commanded roughly <a href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/15/teslas-us-electric-vehicle-market-share-could-drop-to-18percent-by-2026.html#:~:text=Tingshu%20Wang%20%7C%20Reuters-,Tesla's%20share%20of%20the%20U.S.%20electric%20vehicles%20market%20will%20drop,78%25%20market%20share%20in%202018.\" target=\"_blank\">80 percent of the U.S. market</a>, it\u2019s now clinging to a bare majority \u2014 and most of its top competitors are also cutting prices.<p><p>\u201cTesla still dominates, but \u2026 there\u2019s so much more competition now,\u201d Valdez Streaty said.<p><h3>EV prices are set to keep dropping</h3><p>Last month\u2019s drop in EV prices is part of a long-term trend toward cheaper electric cars, mainly due to falling battery prices. Batteries are nearly <a href=\"https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fotw-1272-january-9-2023-electric-vehicle-battery-pack-costs-2022-are-nearly\" target=\"_blank\">90 percent cheaper</a> today than they were in 2008, according to the U.S. Energy Department.<p><p>\u201cBatteries can make up as much as 40 percent of the cost of the vehicle,\u201d Valdez Streaty said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to see battery prices continue to drop \u2026 so I think we\u2019re going to start to see this closing near that price parity.\u201d<p><p>The cost to make a new electric car could fall to the same level as gas-powered ones<b> </b><a href=\"https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-03-07-gartner-outlines-a-new-phase-for-electric-vehicles\" target=\"_blank\">as soon as 2027</a> because of more efficient manufacturing, according to a March 7 report from the technology consulting firm Gartner.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.coxautoinc.com/news/new-cox-automotive-study-ev-consideration-at-record-high-but-dealers-feel-unprepared/\" target=\"_blank\">Cost is the main barrier</a> for U.S. car buyers thinking of making the switch, according to a 2022 Cox Automotive survey. If prices keep dropping as they did last month, more Americans may be willing to ditch their gas-guzzlers for electric cars.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-13T14:09:04.878Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/KKYDRHQYANGCLAHTBAAWA67P5Q/20240316-002412.122/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MBHCFBAF2H2XGKL5MH75GTVGEA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A Tesla stands beside two gas-powered vehicles \u2014 a pickup and a Ferrari \u2014 at a valet parking stand at the Legacy West mall in Plano, Tex. (Jeanne Whalen/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>The price of <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2023/electric-vehicles-compare-models-shopping-guide/\" target=\"_blank\">electric cars</a> is plummeting so fast that they\u2019re now almost as cheap as gas-powered cars.<p><p>Since EVs first hit the market, car buyers have had to pay a steep premium if they wanted a car that ran on batteries instead of a gas engine. Two years ago, they would have paid about $17,000 more on average for a new electric car than for a new gas-powered car. But that gap has been rapidly closing, shrinking to $5,000 last month, according to data from Cox Automotive.<p><p>That\u2019s an 11 percent markup over the average new car price last month \u2014 roughly similar to the price difference between picking the base model of some cars vs. the performance model that comes with all the bells and whistles.<p><p>Tesla is setting<b> </b>electric vehicle prices so low, they\u2019re almost even with gas-powered cars.<p><p>Of course, part of the reason EV prices are plunging is that <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/12/26/ev-demand-slows/\" target=\"_blank\">consumers are not buying them</a> as fast as dealers and automakers expected. As the industry moves beyond enthusiastic early adopters, it now faces car buyers who are concerned about charging infrastructure and high upfront costs.<p><p>So<b> </b>car dealerships are discounting electric cars on their lots. Average EV prices dropped $2,000 last month. \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to see price cuts or discounts just because there\u2019s inventory and [dealers are] really trying to get these sold,\u201d said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of Industry Insights at Cox Automotive.<p><p>That\u2019s good news for Americans in the market for a new car who might be considering going electric. \u201cPrice is always one of the top barriers for adoption, so I think getting down to price parity is key,\u201d she said.<p><h3>Which EVs are getting cheaper?</h3><p>Tesla, which sells more electric cars in the U.S. than all other automakers combined, has been the driving force behind the EV price plunge. The automaker started slashing the price for its popular Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan in January 2023, dragging down the average for all electric cars. For instance, the base Model 3 sedan, which <a href=\"https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-model-3-model-y-price-cut-united-states-update/\" target=\"_blank\">cost $47,000</a> at the beginning of 2023, <a href=\"https://electrek.co/2024/02/13/tesla-increases-model-3-price-now-cost-as-much-as-model-y/#:~:text=The%20Performance%20has%20been%20removed,the%20same%20price%20at%20%2438%2C990.\" target=\"_blank\">now sells</a> for $39,000. The premium Model Y dropped from $70,000 to $52,500 in that same period.<p><p>Tesla is probably cutting prices to maintain its market share as rival automakers start selling electric cars, Valdez Streaty said. There are now <a href=\"https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g32463239/new-ev-models-us/\" target=\"_blank\">57 EV models for sale</a> in the U.S., according to Car and Driver magazine. While Tesla once commanded roughly <a href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/15/teslas-us-electric-vehicle-market-share-could-drop-to-18percent-by-2026.html#:~:text=Tingshu%20Wang%20%7C%20Reuters-,Tesla's%20share%20of%20the%20U.S.%20electric%20vehicles%20market%20will%20drop,78%25%20market%20share%20in%202018.\" target=\"_blank\">80 percent of the U.S. market</a>, it\u2019s now clinging to a bare majority \u2014 and most of its top competitors are also cutting prices.<p><p>\u201cTesla still dominates, but \u2026 there\u2019s so much more competition now,\u201d Valdez Streaty said.<p><h3>EV prices are set to keep dropping</h3><p>Last month\u2019s drop in EV prices is part of a long-term trend toward cheaper electric cars, mainly due to falling battery prices. Batteries are nearly <a href=\"https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/fotw-1272-january-9-2023-electric-vehicle-battery-pack-costs-2022-are-nearly\" target=\"_blank\">90 percent cheaper</a> today than they were in 2008, according to the U.S. Energy Department.<p><p>\u201cBatteries can make up as much as 40 percent of the cost of the vehicle,\u201d Valdez Streaty said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to see battery prices continue to drop \u2026 so I think we\u2019re going to start to see this closing near that price parity.\u201d<p><p>The cost to make a new electric car could fall to the same level as gas-powered ones<b> </b><a href=\"https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-03-07-gartner-outlines-a-new-phase-for-electric-vehicles\" target=\"_blank\">as soon as 2027</a> because of more efficient manufacturing, according to a March 7 report from the technology consulting firm Gartner.<p><p><a href=\"https://www.coxautoinc.com/news/new-cox-automotive-study-ev-consideration-at-record-high-but-dealers-feel-unprepared/\" target=\"_blank\">Cost is the main barrier</a> for U.S. car buyers thinking of making the switch, according to a 2022 Cox Automotive survey. If prices keep dropping as they did last month, more Americans may be willing to ditch their gas-guzzlers for electric cars.<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 10, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Using a breast pump at work used to require privacy. Not anymore.", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Using a breast pump at work used to require privacy. Not anymore."}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2024/new-breast-pumps-wearable-insurance-technology/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2024/new-breast-pumps-wearable-insurance-technology/", "summary": "2024-02-28T21:35:27.326Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/RWHPZTD4HFC7NBK6KDM5OSETJI/20240317-105478.782/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>Laura Curtis sits in a Maine courtroom, her breast pump whirring quietly beneath her blouse.<p><p>The 39-year-old lawyer is recently back at work after giving birth to her second child. \u201cIt\u2019s very convenient, which I think is what most women want,\u201d Curtis said of her hands-free electric breast pump, which she tucks inside her bra and controls with her smartphone. Curtis wears it often \u2014 to church, to the grocery store, and in the car. \u201cIt\u2019s super discreet.\u201d<p><p>When Curtis had her first child seven years ago, she used a comparatively clunky, plug-in pump she chose from a few available options. Now pumps are so diverse that many women feel overwhelmed. Curtis made a spreadsheet to compare the many models on the market, a few of which she decided to purchase and test out. She has since shared the spreadsheet with other women.<p><p>The global breast pump market \u2014 estimated at <a href=\"https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/breast-pumps-market\" target=\"_blank\">$2.94 billion in 2023</a> \u2014 is projected to reach $5.2 billion by 2030, according to <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/leapyearbabiesgiveback\" target=\"_blank\">a new report</a> by market forecaster Grand View Research. Lactation experts say the industry\u2019s growth is due to various factors, including technological advancements, <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2814319?guestAccessKey=6e8c1758-8028-4857-9a2d-c2c7403b8611&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social_jama&amp;utm_term=12441448558&amp;utm_campaign=article_alert&amp;linkId=284181840\" target=\"_blank\">improved legislation and support</a> for mothers \u2014 such as <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/01/04/the-breast-pump-industry-is-booming-thanks-to-obamacare/\" target=\"_blank\">the Affordable Care Act</a> (ACA) and the recently passed <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/30/omnibus-pregnant-breastfeeding-congress/\" target=\"_blank\">Pump Act</a> \u2014 as well as cultural shifts.<p><p>\u201cThe market is crazy,\u201d said Allison Tolman, a nurse and lactation consultant who helps <a href=\"https://www.newlittlelife.com/\" target=\"_blank\">working mothers</a> with breast pumping. \u201cNew innovation can be a good thing, but it can also be a problematic thing.\u201d<p><h3><b>Pumps of the past</b></h3><p>For decades after the first electric breast pump was invented in the 1940s, they were widely considered painful, cumbersome, <a href=\"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/sucky-history-of-the-breast-pump-180980653/\" target=\"_blank\">heavy and noisy</a>. Women primarily used them to improve milk supply, relieve engorged breasts and feed babies too frail to nurse.<p><p>The Swiss medical company Medela, one of the veteran breast pump manufacturers, released its first electric portable breast pump in 1991, later refining it in 1996 to appeal to active and working mothers. While Medela\u2019s pumps have been available in the United States for about 45 years, the company experienced a significant boost in demand after the ACA was signed into law in 2010, <a href=\"https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/breast-feeding-benefits/\" target=\"_blank\">requiring insurance providers to cover the cost of breast pumps</a>.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MYZRMBBQXSQNL3K6XDISCEIVQE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lactation consultant Allison Tolman sets up her \u201cBoobie Barometer,\u201d a device she designed with an engineer to test the vacuum performance of breast pumps. (Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Washington Post) </small></div><p>\u201cThe ACA was a turning point,\u201d said Annette Br\u00fcls, the global chief executive of Medela.<p><p>Since then, breast pump brands have been increasingly focused on offering mothers a long-sought sense of freedom.<p><p>\u201cFor every circumstance and for every need, we want to make sure we have the right pump,\u201d said Br\u00fcls.<p><h3><b>Pumps are progressing</b></h3><p>By the early 2000s, some <a href=\"https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/breast-pumping/2013-09\" target=\"_blank\">85 percent of breastfeeding American women</a> had used a breast pump \u2014 and experts say that number has probably grown considerably in recent years as pumps have become more accessible and user-friendly.<p><p>\u201cNow, you don\u2019t have to be tied to your baby 24/7,\u201d said Tolman, who worked with an engineer to design a breast pump testing device she calls <a href=\"https://www.newlittlelife.com/the-boobie-barometer/\" target=\"_blank\">the \u201cBoobie Barometer.\u201d</a> She regularly <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ItZYrzNGI\" target=\"_blank\">reviews breast pumps</a> on YouTube and has created a popular <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/751516662946393\" target=\"_blank\">support group</a> on Facebook specifically for working moms.<p><p>For Lauren Trevino-Hurst, 31, a surgical nurse in Troy, Ohio, the ability to pump on the job is paramount. As a mother of three \u2014 ages 10, 3, and 1 month \u2014 Trevino-Hurst, like Curtis, has seen the industry evolve with each of her pumping experiences.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2SQ4REEAM4C5TG6644RVBZZFJY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lauren Trevino-Hurst, a surgical nurse, has seen pumps evolve with each of her three children. She has even used a wearable pump in the operating room. (Megan Jelinger for The Washington Post) </small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UKUII64UAADEFK4QIV57PL7HGQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Trevino-Hurst\u2019s new breast pump that she's using to feed her 1-month-old. (Megan Jelinger for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>\u201cIt\u2019s not like it was 10 years ago,\u201d she said, adding that when she was pumping with her first baby in 2013, wearable options hadn\u2019t yet hit the market. She used a stationary plug-in pump by Ameda. Shortly after Trevino-Hurst had her second baby, in 2020, she wore a wearable pump while working in the operating room. The device collected milk inside a bra insert rather than an exterior container.<p><p>\u201cThere would be times I would be scrubbed in for five or six hours and I\u2019d be wearing my pump,\u201d she said. \u201cI liked the ability to be on the go.\u201d<p><p>Many women feel likewise \u2014 hence the push for more-portable pumps.<p><h3><b>Recent innovations</b></h3><p>Willow Innovations brought its wearable breast pump to market in 2018, and sales were upward of $10 million in the first year.<p><p>Sarah O\u2019Leary, chief executive at Willow, says the pumps are popular with both working moms and stay-at-home moms who have their hands full. With the Willow 3.0 Pump, \u201cyou can pump in any position without spillage,\u201d O\u2019Leary said. \u201cMom can bend all the way over. She can even do a cartwheel.\u201d<p><p>While traditional plug-in pumps <a href=\"https://theeverymom.com/wearable-pump-review/\" target=\"_blank\">tend to cost $150 to $300</a>, top-tier wearables are usually about $500. As a result, \u201cpeople are making them cheaper and easier and redesigning them,\u201d said Tolman. \u201cIt used to be that there were $500 wearables or nothing.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/264OCMFQTPHE2KVVD6YKKAQX3A.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Tolman in her home office in Fort Bliss, Tex. She reviews breast pumps on YouTube and has created a support group on Facebook specifically for working moms. (Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Washington Post) </small></div><p>Although many inexpensive pumps are poorly made and ineffective, the \u201cyou get what you pay for\u201d principle doesn\u2019t always apply. For instance, <a href=\"https://bellababy-med.com/products/wearable-breast-pump-w40\" target=\"_blank\">the Bellababy wearable pump</a> retails for about $50.<p><p>\u201cIt worked so well for me,\u201d said Amara Salloum, 33, who lives in Toronto with her husband and their 11-month-old son. Salloum had been dreading the idea of being connected to a machine with tubes and a plug-in base. She didn\u2019t want to feel like a cow being milked.<p><p>Many modern breast pumps integrate smart technology, allowing users to monitor milk expression in real time, track pumping sessions and easily adjust their settings using a smartphone app. Some pumps have <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&amp;v=Q1lsfBlCLog\" target=\"_blank\">memory modes</a> that allow moms to record a pump session and use the same settings later. Moms can often personalize their pump by adjusting suction patterns and strength levels, as well as massage modes and cycle speeds. These features are part of the marketplace for intuitive breast pumps.<p><p>Some manufacturers are designing products intended to mimic a baby\u2019s natural sucking pattern. Anabella, an Israeli company co-founded by a woman, recently released the <a href=\"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/annabella--the-first-breast-pump-to-simulate-a-babys-tongue-was-launched-in-israel-taking-an-estimated-10-of-the-monthly-israeli-breast-pump-market-in-february-the-company-is-raising-funds-to-accelerate-penetration-to-the-u-301770084.html\" target=\"_blank\">first breast pump to simulate a baby\u2019s tongue.</a> In a clinical trial, the unique pump extracted almost twice as much milk on average as the most popular pumps on the market.<p><p>Likewise, a few manufacturers are reimagining flanges, the funnel-shaped plastic or silicone pieces that fit directly over the nipple. A relatively new pump by Babyation \u2014 a company founded by a husband-wife duo in St. Louis \u2014 uses a <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQinP3bxEQ\" target=\"_blank\">unique suction technology</a> that allows the flanges to latch to the breast in a way that <a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/26/babyation-breast-pump-launch/\" target=\"_blank\">imitates a baby\u2019s mouth</a>.<p><h3><b>Pumping is personal</b></h3><p>Although breast pump innovations show promise, ultimately, pumping is personal. There is no one-size-fits-all pump, no matter how modern they get.<p><p>\u201cPumping is not just \u2018put on a breast pump and push play,\u2019\u201d explained Tolman. \u201cPumping is an art. There are a lot of factors that go into making it work effectively.\u201d<p><p>A pump that works seamlessly for one mother might not work well for another. Lauren Cunningham, for example, has so far bought five breast pumps \u2014 three wearables and two others. Generally, used breast pumps are nonrefundable.<p><p>\u201cYou have to try a few to find the right one,\u201d said Cunningham, 35, who gave birth to her first child in early October and went back to work in January at a commodities company in Stamford, Conn. \u201cIt becomes very, very expensive.\u201d<p><p>Cunningham is an exclusive pumper and does not breastfeed. \u201cI just liked knowing what I was feeding her,\u201d she said, \u201cand that I was giving her enough.\u201d<p><p>While wearables have been relatively easy to use, Cunningham said, she has found them to be less powerful than other electric pumps. That\u2019s a common problem.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5DKQ3DFC6X3L5COQ5GYC4PHY4Q.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">More than a dozen breast pumps, sent by manufacturers for testing, sit in Tolman's home office. (Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Washington Post) </small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/J4LOMY2ZFJCHTHAH4ZRZEI4VBA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Tolman's \u201cBoobie Barometer\u201d for testing breast pumps. \u201cPumping is an art. There are a lot of factors that go into making it work effectively,\u201d Tolman said. (Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Washington Post) </small></div><p>Tayla Hecht, 29, has had similar struggles. With a wearable pump, \u201cI felt like I wasn\u2019t getting any milk out,\u201d said Hecht, who lives in New York City with her husband and their 4-month-old daughter. She watched dozens of reviews on YouTube and reached out to more-experienced pumpers for information.<p><p>She, too, tried several pumps, none of which she was completely satisfied with. In the end, after having difficulties with breastfeeding, Hecht now feeds her daughter formula.<p><p>Hecht\u2019s experience is not unique. After decades of stagnancy, the breast pump industry is now overpopulated with options, and lactation experts say it can be hard for some mothers to cut through the clutter.<p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s way too much information out there, and moms don\u2019t know how to navigate it,\u201d said Katie Clark, a Colorado-based <a href=\"https://thebreastfeedingmama.com/\" target=\"_blank\">lactation consultant and blogger</a>. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of bad marketing. I\u2019d love to see more standards.\u201d<p><h3><b>Looking ahead</b></h3><p>While breast pump brands have made strides technologically, women are seeking straightforward information about the mechanical power of each pump, how it performs, who it would work best for and what features it\u2019s equipped with.<p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s so much more that you could get right or wrong now, depending on what kind of machine you have,\u201d said Curtis. \u201cI\u2019d like to see more transparency; that would really make breast pumps better.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NU2XLCEDF4I6ZFI4DYGMG4R6KM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A rack of breast pumps being tested at Elvie's lab in Bristol, England. (Matthew Long/Bloomberg News) </small></div><p>Breast pump brands say they\u2019re listening to moms as they continue to advance. \u201cThe way that Elvie innovates is by talking to women about health issues that are troubling to them, and really rethinking those issues and disrupting the women\u2019s health landscape,\u201d said Kerry Bailey, the U.S. general manager of Elvie, a major player in the wearable pump market. \u201cWe listen to our customers really closely.\u201d<p><p>Curtis used the Elvie Stride.<p><p>Women remain hopeful about the future of breast pumps. \u201cThe technology has advanced, and I hope it will continue to get better and better,\u201d said Curtis. \u201cI\u2019ve got two girls and I want their pumping experience to be peachy if they decide to have kids.\u201d<p><h5>About this story</h5><p>Editing by Bronwen Latimer. Copy editing by Martha Murdock. Photo editing by Haley Hamblin and Monique Woo. Design and development by Audrey Valbuena. Design editing by Betty Chavarria.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-02-28T21:35:27.326Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/RWHPZTD4HFC7NBK6KDM5OSETJI/20240317-105478.782/eleven-labs_en-US_Antoni_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>Laura Curtis sits in a Maine courtroom, her breast pump whirring quietly beneath her blouse.<p><p>The 39-year-old lawyer is recently back at work after giving birth to her second child. \u201cIt\u2019s very convenient, which I think is what most women want,\u201d Curtis said of her hands-free electric breast pump, which she tucks inside her bra and controls with her smartphone. Curtis wears it often \u2014 to church, to the grocery store, and in the car. \u201cIt\u2019s super discreet.\u201d<p><p>When Curtis had her first child seven years ago, she used a comparatively clunky, plug-in pump she chose from a few available options. Now pumps are so diverse that many women feel overwhelmed. Curtis made a spreadsheet to compare the many models on the market, a few of which she decided to purchase and test out. She has since shared the spreadsheet with other women.<p><p>The global breast pump market \u2014 estimated at <a href=\"https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/breast-pumps-market\" target=\"_blank\">$2.94 billion in 2023</a> \u2014 is projected to reach $5.2 billion by 2030, according to <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/leapyearbabiesgiveback\" target=\"_blank\">a new report</a> by market forecaster Grand View Research. Lactation experts say the industry\u2019s growth is due to various factors, including technological advancements, <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2814319?guestAccessKey=6e8c1758-8028-4857-9a2d-c2c7403b8611&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social_jama&amp;utm_term=12441448558&amp;utm_campaign=article_alert&amp;linkId=284181840\" target=\"_blank\">improved legislation and support</a> for mothers \u2014 such as <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/01/04/the-breast-pump-industry-is-booming-thanks-to-obamacare/\" target=\"_blank\">the Affordable Care Act</a> (ACA) and the recently passed <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/12/30/omnibus-pregnant-breastfeeding-congress/\" target=\"_blank\">Pump Act</a> \u2014 as well as cultural shifts.<p><p>\u201cThe market is crazy,\u201d said Allison Tolman, a nurse and lactation consultant who helps <a href=\"https://www.newlittlelife.com/\" target=\"_blank\">working mothers</a> with breast pumping. \u201cNew innovation can be a good thing, but it can also be a problematic thing.\u201d<p><h3><b>Pumps of the past</b></h3><p>For decades after the first electric breast pump was invented in the 1940s, they were widely considered painful, cumbersome, <a href=\"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/sucky-history-of-the-breast-pump-180980653/\" target=\"_blank\">heavy and noisy</a>. Women primarily used them to improve milk supply, relieve engorged breasts and feed babies too frail to nurse.<p><p>The Swiss medical company Medela, one of the veteran breast pump manufacturers, released its first electric portable breast pump in 1991, later refining it in 1996 to appeal to active and working mothers. While Medela\u2019s pumps have been available in the United States for about 45 years, the company experienced a significant boost in demand after the ACA was signed into law in 2010, <a href=\"https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/breast-feeding-benefits/\" target=\"_blank\">requiring insurance providers to cover the cost of breast pumps</a>.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/MYZRMBBQXSQNL3K6XDISCEIVQE.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lactation consultant Allison Tolman sets up her \u201cBoobie Barometer,\u201d a device she designed with an engineer to test the vacuum performance of breast pumps. (Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Washington Post) </small></div><p>\u201cThe ACA was a turning point,\u201d said Annette Br\u00fcls, the global chief executive of Medela.<p><p>Since then, breast pump brands have been increasingly focused on offering mothers a long-sought sense of freedom.<p><p>\u201cFor every circumstance and for every need, we want to make sure we have the right pump,\u201d said Br\u00fcls.<p><h3><b>Pumps are progressing</b></h3><p>By the early 2000s, some <a href=\"https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/breast-pumping/2013-09\" target=\"_blank\">85 percent of breastfeeding American women</a> had used a breast pump \u2014 and experts say that number has probably grown considerably in recent years as pumps have become more accessible and user-friendly.<p><p>\u201cNow, you don\u2019t have to be tied to your baby 24/7,\u201d said Tolman, who worked with an engineer to design a breast pump testing device she calls <a href=\"https://www.newlittlelife.com/the-boobie-barometer/\" target=\"_blank\">the \u201cBoobie Barometer.\u201d</a> She regularly <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ItZYrzNGI\" target=\"_blank\">reviews breast pumps</a> on YouTube and has created a popular <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/751516662946393\" target=\"_blank\">support group</a> on Facebook specifically for working moms.<p><p>For Lauren Trevino-Hurst, 31, a surgical nurse in Troy, Ohio, the ability to pump on the job is paramount. As a mother of three \u2014 ages 10, 3, and 1 month \u2014 Trevino-Hurst, like Curtis, has seen the industry evolve with each of her pumping experiences.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2SQ4REEAM4C5TG6644RVBZZFJY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lauren Trevino-Hurst, a surgical nurse, has seen pumps evolve with each of her three children. She has even used a wearable pump in the operating room. (Megan Jelinger for The Washington Post) </small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/UKUII64UAADEFK4QIV57PL7HGQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Trevino-Hurst\u2019s new breast pump that she's using to feed her 1-month-old. (Megan Jelinger for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>\u201cIt\u2019s not like it was 10 years ago,\u201d she said, adding that when she was pumping with her first baby in 2013, wearable options hadn\u2019t yet hit the market. She used a stationary plug-in pump by Ameda. Shortly after Trevino-Hurst had her second baby, in 2020, she wore a wearable pump while working in the operating room. The device collected milk inside a bra insert rather than an exterior container.<p><p>\u201cThere would be times I would be scrubbed in for five or six hours and I\u2019d be wearing my pump,\u201d she said. \u201cI liked the ability to be on the go.\u201d<p><p>Many women feel likewise \u2014 hence the push for more-portable pumps.<p><h3><b>Recent innovations</b></h3><p>Willow Innovations brought its wearable breast pump to market in 2018, and sales were upward of $10 million in the first year.<p><p>Sarah O\u2019Leary, chief executive at Willow, says the pumps are popular with both working moms and stay-at-home moms who have their hands full. With the Willow 3.0 Pump, \u201cyou can pump in any position without spillage,\u201d O\u2019Leary said. \u201cMom can bend all the way over. She can even do a cartwheel.\u201d<p><p>While traditional plug-in pumps <a href=\"https://theeverymom.com/wearable-pump-review/\" target=\"_blank\">tend to cost $150 to $300</a>, top-tier wearables are usually about $500. As a result, \u201cpeople are making them cheaper and easier and redesigning them,\u201d said Tolman. \u201cIt used to be that there were $500 wearables or nothing.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/264OCMFQTPHE2KVVD6YKKAQX3A.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Tolman in her home office in Fort Bliss, Tex. She reviews breast pumps on YouTube and has created a support group on Facebook specifically for working moms. (Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Washington Post) </small></div><p>Although many inexpensive pumps are poorly made and ineffective, the \u201cyou get what you pay for\u201d principle doesn\u2019t always apply. For instance, <a href=\"https://bellababy-med.com/products/wearable-breast-pump-w40\" target=\"_blank\">the Bellababy wearable pump</a> retails for about $50.<p><p>\u201cIt worked so well for me,\u201d said Amara Salloum, 33, who lives in Toronto with her husband and their 11-month-old son. Salloum had been dreading the idea of being connected to a machine with tubes and a plug-in base. She didn\u2019t want to feel like a cow being milked.<p><p>Many modern breast pumps integrate smart technology, allowing users to monitor milk expression in real time, track pumping sessions and easily adjust their settings using a smartphone app. Some pumps have <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&amp;v=Q1lsfBlCLog\" target=\"_blank\">memory modes</a> that allow moms to record a pump session and use the same settings later. Moms can often personalize their pump by adjusting suction patterns and strength levels, as well as massage modes and cycle speeds. These features are part of the marketplace for intuitive breast pumps.<p><p>Some manufacturers are designing products intended to mimic a baby\u2019s natural sucking pattern. Anabella, an Israeli company co-founded by a woman, recently released the <a href=\"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/annabella--the-first-breast-pump-to-simulate-a-babys-tongue-was-launched-in-israel-taking-an-estimated-10-of-the-monthly-israeli-breast-pump-market-in-february-the-company-is-raising-funds-to-accelerate-penetration-to-the-u-301770084.html\" target=\"_blank\">first breast pump to simulate a baby\u2019s tongue.</a> In a clinical trial, the unique pump extracted almost twice as much milk on average as the most popular pumps on the market.<p><p>Likewise, a few manufacturers are reimagining flanges, the funnel-shaped plastic or silicone pieces that fit directly over the nipple. A relatively new pump by Babyation \u2014 a company founded by a husband-wife duo in St. Louis \u2014 uses a <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQinP3bxEQ\" target=\"_blank\">unique suction technology</a> that allows the flanges to latch to the breast in a way that <a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/26/babyation-breast-pump-launch/\" target=\"_blank\">imitates a baby\u2019s mouth</a>.<p><h3><b>Pumping is personal</b></h3><p>Although breast pump innovations show promise, ultimately, pumping is personal. There is no one-size-fits-all pump, no matter how modern they get.<p><p>\u201cPumping is not just \u2018put on a breast pump and push play,\u2019\u201d explained Tolman. \u201cPumping is an art. There are a lot of factors that go into making it work effectively.\u201d<p><p>A pump that works seamlessly for one mother might not work well for another. Lauren Cunningham, for example, has so far bought five breast pumps \u2014 three wearables and two others. Generally, used breast pumps are nonrefundable.<p><p>\u201cYou have to try a few to find the right one,\u201d said Cunningham, 35, who gave birth to her first child in early October and went back to work in January at a commodities company in Stamford, Conn. \u201cIt becomes very, very expensive.\u201d<p><p>Cunningham is an exclusive pumper and does not breastfeed. \u201cI just liked knowing what I was feeding her,\u201d she said, \u201cand that I was giving her enough.\u201d<p><p>While wearables have been relatively easy to use, Cunningham said, she has found them to be less powerful than other electric pumps. That\u2019s a common problem.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5DKQ3DFC6X3L5COQ5GYC4PHY4Q.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">More than a dozen breast pumps, sent by manufacturers for testing, sit in Tolman's home office. (Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Washington Post) </small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/J4LOMY2ZFJCHTHAH4ZRZEI4VBA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Tolman's \u201cBoobie Barometer\u201d for testing breast pumps. \u201cPumping is an art. There are a lot of factors that go into making it work effectively,\u201d Tolman said. (Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Washington Post) </small></div><p>Tayla Hecht, 29, has had similar struggles. With a wearable pump, \u201cI felt like I wasn\u2019t getting any milk out,\u201d said Hecht, who lives in New York City with her husband and their 4-month-old daughter. She watched dozens of reviews on YouTube and reached out to more-experienced pumpers for information.<p><p>She, too, tried several pumps, none of which she was completely satisfied with. In the end, after having difficulties with breastfeeding, Hecht now feeds her daughter formula.<p><p>Hecht\u2019s experience is not unique. After decades of stagnancy, the breast pump industry is now overpopulated with options, and lactation experts say it can be hard for some mothers to cut through the clutter.<p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s way too much information out there, and moms don\u2019t know how to navigate it,\u201d said Katie Clark, a Colorado-based <a href=\"https://thebreastfeedingmama.com/\" target=\"_blank\">lactation consultant and blogger</a>. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of bad marketing. I\u2019d love to see more standards.\u201d<p><h3><b>Looking ahead</b></h3><p>While breast pump brands have made strides technologically, women are seeking straightforward information about the mechanical power of each pump, how it performs, who it would work best for and what features it\u2019s equipped with.<p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s so much more that you could get right or wrong now, depending on what kind of machine you have,\u201d said Curtis. \u201cI\u2019d like to see more transparency; that would really make breast pumps better.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NU2XLCEDF4I6ZFI4DYGMG4R6KM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A rack of breast pumps being tested at Elvie's lab in Bristol, England. (Matthew Long/Bloomberg News) </small></div><p>Breast pump brands say they\u2019re listening to moms as they continue to advance. \u201cThe way that Elvie innovates is by talking to women about health issues that are troubling to them, and really rethinking those issues and disrupting the women\u2019s health landscape,\u201d said Kerry Bailey, the U.S. general manager of Elvie, a major player in the wearable pump market. \u201cWe listen to our customers really closely.\u201d<p><p>Curtis used the Elvie Stride.<p><p>Women remain hopeful about the future of breast pumps. \u201cThe technology has advanced, and I hope it will continue to get better and better,\u201d said Curtis. \u201cI\u2019ve got two girls and I want their pumping experience to be peachy if they decide to have kids.\u201d<p><h5>About this story</h5><p>Editing by Bronwen Latimer. Copy editing by Martha Murdock. Photo editing by Haley Hamblin and Monique Woo. Design and development by Audrey Valbuena. Design editing by Betty Chavarria.<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:54:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 10, 54, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "They panic-bought bidets during the pandemic. It changed their lives.", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "They panic-bought bidets during the pandemic. It changed their lives."}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/home/2024/03/18/pandemic-covid-bidet-sales/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/home/2024/03/18/pandemic-covid-bidet-sales/", "summary": "2024-03-14T14:02:29.193Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/3CMDGYVRIFHV7LADUSQV2OHSDA/20240315-135653.539/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>While the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-toilet-paper-shortage-panic/2020/04/07/1fd30e92-75b5-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">toilet paper shortages</a> that hit the United States during pandemic lockdowns in the spring of 2020 ultimately eased up, they\u2019ve had a lasting impact on one industry: the bidet business.<p><p>\u201cThe industry here in the U.S. just blew up. You couldn\u2019t get a bidet if you wanted to,\u201d says James Lin, founder of <a href=\"http://bidetking.com/\" target=\"_blank\">BidetKing.com</a>, an online marketplace for all varieties of the bathroom appliance. \u201cWe all sold out. \u2026 There was a huge scramble to get more.\u201d<p><p>Bidets \u2014 which clean you up with a stream of water, reducing the need for tissue \u2014 certainly weren\u2019t the only items that people waited months for during that strange time. But while many have <a href=\"https://www.marketplace.org/2024/02/26/years-later-pandemic-purchases-trigger-buyers-remorse/\" target=\"_blank\">regretted buying their Peletons</a> or even <a href=\"https://www.nar.realtor/magazine/real-estate-news/sales-marketing/buyers-remorse-is-rampant-among-pandemic-purchasers\" target=\"_blank\">their homes</a>, those who installed the bathroom fixture at the height of the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020 are far from remorseful. Instead, they\u2019ve become true believers, evangelizing to family and friends and trying to help the United States catch up with the rest of the world on bidet use.<p><p>Rosanne Orgill, who lives outside Salt Lake City, bought three bidet attachments for her toilets in spring 2020. (Bidet attachments and bidet seats get installed directly onto existing toilets, whereas bidets are stand-alone appliances.) Orgill\u2019s husband, who had traveled to dozens of countries before they got together, \u201coften talked about how wonderful bidets are and \u2026 how weird it is that America doesn\u2019t have any because there\u2019s really no other way to clean yourself,\u201d she says. So, with the supply of toilet paper dwindling, she saw bidet advertisements and decided to take the plunge. She installed the attachments herself, which wasn\u2019t without its challenges. One of them leaked water all over the floor, and she had to call a plumber.<p><p>Even that didn\u2019t sour her on the bidet experience. \u201cI just love them now,\u201d says Orgill. \u201cI just don\u2019t know how people survive without them.\u201d<p><p>Like Orgill, Ryan Deitsch felt compelled by the threat of running out of TP to think about alternatives. Growing up in Florida, he experienced the stress of toilet paper shortages during hurricane season, when his family would stockpile rolls in case they sold out. Amid the shake-up of the pandemic, he began reevaluating his life choices.<p><p>\u201cAre the things that we\u2019re doing \u2014 is that necessarily the right way? The best way? Are there other ways?\u201d he remembers asking himself. \u201cPeople really started to rethink parts of their day-to-day. And in the case of myself and many others \u2026 we bought bidets.\u201d<p><p>He calls himself an \u201cabsolute fan.\u201d He loves that he has cut down his toilet paper usage, which saves him money and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/04/bidets-benefits-history-environmental-impact/\" target=\"_blank\">lessens his environmental impact</a>. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/10/16/bidet-benefits-toilet-paper/\" target=\"_blank\">He feels cleaner</a>. And now, as a renter in New York City, an important consideration for him when choosing an apartment is whether the bathroom setup works with his bidet attachment.<p><p>Though Sydney Cano, of Arlington, Va., bought and installed her bidet attachment during the pandemic, she views the timing as coincidental rather than causal. Even before covid, she says, her Muslim friends in particular had recommended the appliance. (The Quran has specific instructions about cleanliness, and bathrooms in Muslim countries tend to have bidets of some kind.) Cano only wishes she would\u2019ve listened to them sooner: She is now a die-hard bidet lover, who has since converted her then-boyfriend and her mom.<p><p>\u201cNo exaggeration, my life was literally changed,\u201d she says. \u201cI can\u2019t live without mine now. Realistically, I will never go through the rest of my life without using mine. I have a travel one, so I\u2019m never without it.\u201d<p><p>Despite the wave of new converts, the United States still lags far behind many other countries when it comes to bidet ownership. (Americans, meanwhile, <a href=\"https://www.nrdc.org/bio/jennifer-skene/hemp-bidets-bamboo-issue-tissue-faqs-answered\" target=\"_blank\">lead the world in per capita toilet paper usage</a>.) About<a href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/06/16/526005547/watch-what-makes-japan-no-1-in-toilet-technology\" target=\"_blank\"> eight in 10 Japanese households, for example, have toilet-bidet combos</a>, according to a 2018 government survey. In 1975, <a href=\"https://www.indicenormativa.it/norma/urn%3Anir%3Aministero.sanita%3Adecreto%3A1975-07-05\" target=\"_blank\">Italy passed a law</a> requiring every residence to have a bidet. You\u2019ll find them throughout Europe, Asia and South America.<p><p>The market stateside appears only to be expanding. While just 6 percent of U.S. adults already have a bidet in their home, an additional 41 percent are interested in owning one, according to a <a href=\"https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/45245-toilet-talk-polling-americans-potty-preferences\" target=\"_blank\">YouGov poll</a>. Lin, of BidetKing.com, has recently sold his wares to American hotels and even highway rest stops.<p><p>He says he\u2019s observed a marked difference in Americans\u2019 attitudes toward bidets, especially in the comments on his company\u2019s Facebook ads. Pre-pandemic, \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of, \u2018Oh, my God, this is so weird.\u2019 \u2018Oh, why would anyone want to do this? I\u2019ll just wipe, thank you very much.\u2019\u201d Now, he says, those types of remarks appear much less frequently.<p><p>It helps, he says, that bidet converts tend to be an enthusiastic bunch. \u201cA bidet user \u2014 they can\u2019t stop talking about it with their friends. They\u2019re telling their friends about it, they\u2019re telling their family. \u2026 Just because you can go out again doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re just going to switch back to toilet paper. We\u2019ve got you for life.\u201d<p><p>Miki Agrawal, founder and chief creative officer of bidet-attachment start-up Tushy, says the company saw fivefold revenue growth during 2020 that still hasn\u2019t flattened. In fact, she says revenue has continued to increase 20 percent year-over-year ever since.<p><p>Agrawal sees the toilet paper shortage as the push that helped the bidet-curious finally take the leap. For years, she says, companies like hers had been laying the groundwork, making the case to the marketplace that toilet paper is less hygienic and more expensive, and <a href=\"https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-using-a-bidet-healthy\" target=\"_blank\">can exacerbate chronic conditions</a> like urinary tract infections and hemorrhoids. \u201cAnd then 2020 rolls around, and we had millions of people who were peering over the edge and they all jumped,\u201d she says.<p><p>In fact, so many people jumped that consumers like Josh Stutte were boxed out. He couldn\u2019t find a bidet in his online searches (a lot of sites selling them during the pandemic were new and seemed like scams), so \u201cwe were just living on rations, like the one-ply that we were getting from Safeway and wherever,\u201d he says. Then, for Christmas 2020, his brother-in-law bought his family the perfect gift: a bidet. In the end, Stutte says, it was worth the wait: \u201cIt\u2019s just better.\u201d<p><p>Giving bidets as gifts has become a surprisingly common practice, according to Bill Strang, president of operations and e-commerce at Toto, a Japan-based manufacturer of luxury toilets and bidets. Typically, bathroom appliance sales settle down before Thanksgiving, he says, because people don\u2019t remodel as much during the holidays.<p><p>But Toto has seen the opposite trend when it comes to its bidet business. \u201cIt doubled and tripled in some cases [around the holidays]. It was remarkable,\u201d says Strang. Consumer research told them that people saw the product as a luxury that loved ones weren\u2019t likely to buy for themselves.<p><p>At the annual Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas in February, bidets continued to enjoy their moment in the sun. Nicole Krawcke, the chief editor of Plumbing &amp; Mechanical and PM Engineer magazines, attended as she does every year. One trend for 2024: She saw the industry leaning hard into the appliance\u2019s benefits for the aging and people with mobility issues, adding handles and other safety features. \u201cGetting something like this in your home soothes the caregiver and also the person they\u2019re taking care of \u2026 making it easier for them to go to the bathroom and not have to feel embarrassed about asking somebody for help,\u201d she says.<p><p>It\u2019s not as if Krawcke needed much convincing, though, of the myriad advantages of the bidet. She not only covers the industry as a journalist, she herself is the owner of a bidet attachment that she says she bought initially for \u201cresearch\u201d purposes. It dispenses heated water <i>and</i> it has a heated seat. \u201cThey say, once you try it, you never go back,\u201d she says. After three years, \u201cwe still use ours in our home.\u201d<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-14T14:02:29.193Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/3CMDGYVRIFHV7LADUSQV2OHSDA/20240315-135653.539/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>While the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-toilet-paper-shortage-panic/2020/04/07/1fd30e92-75b5-11ea-87da-77a8136c1a6d_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">toilet paper shortages</a> that hit the United States during pandemic lockdowns in the spring of 2020 ultimately eased up, they\u2019ve had a lasting impact on one industry: the bidet business.<p><p>\u201cThe industry here in the U.S. just blew up. You couldn\u2019t get a bidet if you wanted to,\u201d says James Lin, founder of <a href=\"http://bidetking.com/\" target=\"_blank\">BidetKing.com</a>, an online marketplace for all varieties of the bathroom appliance. \u201cWe all sold out. \u2026 There was a huge scramble to get more.\u201d<p><p>Bidets \u2014 which clean you up with a stream of water, reducing the need for tissue \u2014 certainly weren\u2019t the only items that people waited months for during that strange time. But while many have <a href=\"https://www.marketplace.org/2024/02/26/years-later-pandemic-purchases-trigger-buyers-remorse/\" target=\"_blank\">regretted buying their Peletons</a> or even <a href=\"https://www.nar.realtor/magazine/real-estate-news/sales-marketing/buyers-remorse-is-rampant-among-pandemic-purchasers\" target=\"_blank\">their homes</a>, those who installed the bathroom fixture at the height of the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020 are far from remorseful. Instead, they\u2019ve become true believers, evangelizing to family and friends and trying to help the United States catch up with the rest of the world on bidet use.<p><p>Rosanne Orgill, who lives outside Salt Lake City, bought three bidet attachments for her toilets in spring 2020. (Bidet attachments and bidet seats get installed directly onto existing toilets, whereas bidets are stand-alone appliances.) Orgill\u2019s husband, who had traveled to dozens of countries before they got together, \u201coften talked about how wonderful bidets are and \u2026 how weird it is that America doesn\u2019t have any because there\u2019s really no other way to clean yourself,\u201d she says. So, with the supply of toilet paper dwindling, she saw bidet advertisements and decided to take the plunge. She installed the attachments herself, which wasn\u2019t without its challenges. One of them leaked water all over the floor, and she had to call a plumber.<p><p>Even that didn\u2019t sour her on the bidet experience. \u201cI just love them now,\u201d says Orgill. \u201cI just don\u2019t know how people survive without them.\u201d<p><p>Like Orgill, Ryan Deitsch felt compelled by the threat of running out of TP to think about alternatives. Growing up in Florida, he experienced the stress of toilet paper shortages during hurricane season, when his family would stockpile rolls in case they sold out. Amid the shake-up of the pandemic, he began reevaluating his life choices.<p><p>\u201cAre the things that we\u2019re doing \u2014 is that necessarily the right way? The best way? Are there other ways?\u201d he remembers asking himself. \u201cPeople really started to rethink parts of their day-to-day. And in the case of myself and many others \u2026 we bought bidets.\u201d<p><p>He calls himself an \u201cabsolute fan.\u201d He loves that he has cut down his toilet paper usage, which saves him money and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/04/bidets-benefits-history-environmental-impact/\" target=\"_blank\">lessens his environmental impact</a>. <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/10/16/bidet-benefits-toilet-paper/\" target=\"_blank\">He feels cleaner</a>. And now, as a renter in New York City, an important consideration for him when choosing an apartment is whether the bathroom setup works with his bidet attachment.<p><p>Though Sydney Cano, of Arlington, Va., bought and installed her bidet attachment during the pandemic, she views the timing as coincidental rather than causal. Even before covid, she says, her Muslim friends in particular had recommended the appliance. (The Quran has specific instructions about cleanliness, and bathrooms in Muslim countries tend to have bidets of some kind.) Cano only wishes she would\u2019ve listened to them sooner: She is now a die-hard bidet lover, who has since converted her then-boyfriend and her mom.<p><p>\u201cNo exaggeration, my life was literally changed,\u201d she says. \u201cI can\u2019t live without mine now. Realistically, I will never go through the rest of my life without using mine. I have a travel one, so I\u2019m never without it.\u201d<p><p>Despite the wave of new converts, the United States still lags far behind many other countries when it comes to bidet ownership. (Americans, meanwhile, <a href=\"https://www.nrdc.org/bio/jennifer-skene/hemp-bidets-bamboo-issue-tissue-faqs-answered\" target=\"_blank\">lead the world in per capita toilet paper usage</a>.) About<a href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/06/16/526005547/watch-what-makes-japan-no-1-in-toilet-technology\" target=\"_blank\"> eight in 10 Japanese households, for example, have toilet-bidet combos</a>, according to a 2018 government survey. In 1975, <a href=\"https://www.indicenormativa.it/norma/urn%3Anir%3Aministero.sanita%3Adecreto%3A1975-07-05\" target=\"_blank\">Italy passed a law</a> requiring every residence to have a bidet. You\u2019ll find them throughout Europe, Asia and South America.<p><p>The market stateside appears only to be expanding. While just 6 percent of U.S. adults already have a bidet in their home, an additional 41 percent are interested in owning one, according to a <a href=\"https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/45245-toilet-talk-polling-americans-potty-preferences\" target=\"_blank\">YouGov poll</a>. Lin, of BidetKing.com, has recently sold his wares to American hotels and even highway rest stops.<p><p>He says he\u2019s observed a marked difference in Americans\u2019 attitudes toward bidets, especially in the comments on his company\u2019s Facebook ads. Pre-pandemic, \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of, \u2018Oh, my God, this is so weird.\u2019 \u2018Oh, why would anyone want to do this? I\u2019ll just wipe, thank you very much.\u2019\u201d Now, he says, those types of remarks appear much less frequently.<p><p>It helps, he says, that bidet converts tend to be an enthusiastic bunch. \u201cA bidet user \u2014 they can\u2019t stop talking about it with their friends. They\u2019re telling their friends about it, they\u2019re telling their family. \u2026 Just because you can go out again doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re just going to switch back to toilet paper. We\u2019ve got you for life.\u201d<p><p>Miki Agrawal, founder and chief creative officer of bidet-attachment start-up Tushy, says the company saw fivefold revenue growth during 2020 that still hasn\u2019t flattened. In fact, she says revenue has continued to increase 20 percent year-over-year ever since.<p><p>Agrawal sees the toilet paper shortage as the push that helped the bidet-curious finally take the leap. For years, she says, companies like hers had been laying the groundwork, making the case to the marketplace that toilet paper is less hygienic and more expensive, and <a href=\"https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-using-a-bidet-healthy\" target=\"_blank\">can exacerbate chronic conditions</a> like urinary tract infections and hemorrhoids. \u201cAnd then 2020 rolls around, and we had millions of people who were peering over the edge and they all jumped,\u201d she says.<p><p>In fact, so many people jumped that consumers like Josh Stutte were boxed out. He couldn\u2019t find a bidet in his online searches (a lot of sites selling them during the pandemic were new and seemed like scams), so \u201cwe were just living on rations, like the one-ply that we were getting from Safeway and wherever,\u201d he says. Then, for Christmas 2020, his brother-in-law bought his family the perfect gift: a bidet. In the end, Stutte says, it was worth the wait: \u201cIt\u2019s just better.\u201d<p><p>Giving bidets as gifts has become a surprisingly common practice, according to Bill Strang, president of operations and e-commerce at Toto, a Japan-based manufacturer of luxury toilets and bidets. Typically, bathroom appliance sales settle down before Thanksgiving, he says, because people don\u2019t remodel as much during the holidays.<p><p>But Toto has seen the opposite trend when it comes to its bidet business. \u201cIt doubled and tripled in some cases [around the holidays]. It was remarkable,\u201d says Strang. Consumer research told them that people saw the product as a luxury that loved ones weren\u2019t likely to buy for themselves.<p><p>At the annual Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas in February, bidets continued to enjoy their moment in the sun. Nicole Krawcke, the chief editor of Plumbing &amp; Mechanical and PM Engineer magazines, attended as she does every year. One trend for 2024: She saw the industry leaning hard into the appliance\u2019s benefits for the aging and people with mobility issues, adding handles and other safety features. \u201cGetting something like this in your home soothes the caregiver and also the person they\u2019re taking care of \u2026 making it easier for them to go to the bathroom and not have to feel embarrassed about asking somebody for help,\u201d she says.<p><p>It\u2019s not as if Krawcke needed much convincing, though, of the myriad advantages of the bidet. She not only covers the industry as a journalist, she herself is the owner of a bidet attachment that she says she bought initially for \u201cresearch\u201d purposes. It dispenses heated water <i>and</i> it has a heated seat. \u201cThey say, once you try it, you never go back,\u201d she says. After three years, \u201cwe still use ours in our home.\u201d<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 10, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Using AI to spot edible mushrooms could kill you", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Using AI to spot edible mushrooms could kill you"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/18/ai-mushroom-id-accuracy/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/18/ai-mushroom-id-accuracy/", "summary": "2024-03-15T18:47:13.785Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/WS5RVJU77VBMNJHIC5A4MCFXBE/20240318-001704.042/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5WTWI4ELBNHR5FWNDUHAPRZYVI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Illustration by Elena Lacey/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>In mushroom foraging, there\u2019s little room for error. Researcher Rick Claypool learned this the hard way.<p><p>A few months into his foraging hobby, Claypool picked a basket of what he thought were honey mushrooms, fried them in a pan and ate them with ramen noodles. Then his stomach felt weird.<p><p>Fast-forward through some frantic Googling and a trip to the emergency room, Claypool learned he\u2019d been right in the first place \u2014 the mushrooms weren\u2019t poisonous. Doctors labeled his symptoms as a panic attack and sent him home.<p><p>Others haven\u2019t been so lucky. An Oregon family was hospitalized in 2015 after eating mushrooms an identification app indicated were safe, according to news reports. An Ohio man became seriously ill in 2022 after eating poisonous mushrooms, also misidentified by an app. Confidently identifying wild mushrooms requires expertise, Claypool said, and tech tools haven\u2019t measured up.<p><p>Now, a new assortment of AI-powered mushroom identifiers are popping up in the Apple, Google and OpenAI app stores. These tools use artificial intelligence to analyze photos or descriptions of mushrooms and compare them to known varieties. Like past mushroom identification apps, the accuracy is poor, Claypool found in a <a href=\"https://www.citizen.org/article/mushroom-risk-ai-app-misinformation\" target=\"_blank\">new report</a> for Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. But AI companies and app stores are offering these apps anyway, often without clear disclosures about how often the tools are wrong.<p><p>Apple, Google, OpenAI and Microsoft didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment.<p><p>The mini-explosion of AI mushrooms apps is emblematic of a larger trend toward adding AI into products that might not benefit from it \u2014 from <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/04/ai-taxes-turbotax-hrblock-chatbot/\" target=\"_blank\">tax software</a> to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/02/03/ai-mental-health-therapy/\" target=\"_blank\">therapy appointments</a>. Powerful new technology such as large-language models and image generators are good for some things, but consistently spitting out accurate information is <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/13/microsoft-bing-ai-chatbot-error/\" target=\"_blank\">not one of them</a>. With its high stakes and frequent mess-ups, mushroom identification is a bad candidate for automation, but companies are doing it anyway, Claypool concluded.<p><p>\u201cThey\u2019re marketing it like, \u2018This is a source of knowledge,\u2019 like it\u2019s the Star Trek computer,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the reality is: These things make mistakes all the time.\u201d<p><p>Despite the risks, budding foragers seem to increasingly turn to apps for help identifying mushroom species. According to Google Trends, three of the five top searches related to \u201cmushroom identification\u201d <a href=\"https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=mushroom%20identification\" target=\"_blank\">mention apps or software</a>. A search for \u201cmushroom\u201d on OpenAI\u2019s GPT Store \u2014 where users find specialized chatbots \u2014 immediately surfaces suggestions such as Mushroom Guide, which claims to identify mushrooms from pictures and tell whether they\u2019re edible. On the Apple or Google apps stores you\u2019ll find dozens of apps claiming to identify mushrooms, some with \u201cAI\u201d in the names or descriptions.<p><p>When Australian scientists tested the accuracy of popular mushroom ID apps last year <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36794335/\" target=\"_blank\">after a spike in poisonings</a>, they found the most precise one correctly identified dangerous mushrooms 44 percent of the time.<p><p>Even low-accuracy AI products can quickly gain consumer trust, however, due to a cognitive distortion called automation bias. As early as 1999, scientists found that people <a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1071581999902525\" target=\"_blank\">tend to trust </a>a computer\u2019s decisions, even if its recommendations contradict their common sense or training.<p><p>In some contexts, AI improves accuracy and outcomes. For example, <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2815035\" target=\"_blank\">a February study</a> in JAMA Ophthalmology found that a large-language model chatbot was just as good as eye specialists at recommending diagnoses and treatment for glaucoma and retina diseases.<p><p>\u201cOur findings, while promising, should not be interpreted as endorsing direct clinical application due to chatbots\u2019 unclear limitations in complex decision-making, alongside necessary ethical, regulatory, and validation considerations,\u201d the authors note.<p><p>When Claypool checked out other avenues of AI mushrooms identification, he found the Amazon bookstore offering what appeared to be AI-authored mushroom field guides. He also tested Microsoft\u2019s Bing Image Creator, asking it to generate and label images of different mushrooms. It made up new mushrooms parts, such as the \u201cging\u201d and \u201cnulpe,\u201d which do not exist. Inaccurate, AI-generated images of mushrooms could poison future AI training data and search engine results, making these AI systems even less accurate, Claypool wrote.<p><p>\u201cWe are committed to providing a safe shopping and reading experience for our customers, and we take matters like this seriously,\u201d Amazon spokeswoman Ashley Vanicek said. The company\u2019s guidelines require authors to disclose the use of AI-generated content, and Vanicek noted that Amazon both prevents books from being listed and removes books that do not adhere to those rules.<p><p>(Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) <p><p>The takeaway: Don\u2019t eat a wild mushroom unless you\u2019ve consulted an expert. (A real, human one.)<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-15T18:47:13.785Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/WS5RVJU77VBMNJHIC5A4MCFXBE/20240318-001704.042/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5WTWI4ELBNHR5FWNDUHAPRZYVI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">(Illustration by Elena Lacey/The Washington Post)</small></div><p>In mushroom foraging, there\u2019s little room for error. Researcher Rick Claypool learned this the hard way.<p><p>A few months into his foraging hobby, Claypool picked a basket of what he thought were honey mushrooms, fried them in a pan and ate them with ramen noodles. Then his stomach felt weird.<p><p>Fast-forward through some frantic Googling and a trip to the emergency room, Claypool learned he\u2019d been right in the first place \u2014 the mushrooms weren\u2019t poisonous. Doctors labeled his symptoms as a panic attack and sent him home.<p><p>Others haven\u2019t been so lucky. An Oregon family was hospitalized in 2015 after eating mushrooms an identification app indicated were safe, according to news reports. An Ohio man became seriously ill in 2022 after eating poisonous mushrooms, also misidentified by an app. Confidently identifying wild mushrooms requires expertise, Claypool said, and tech tools haven\u2019t measured up.<p><p>Now, a new assortment of AI-powered mushroom identifiers are popping up in the Apple, Google and OpenAI app stores. These tools use artificial intelligence to analyze photos or descriptions of mushrooms and compare them to known varieties. Like past mushroom identification apps, the accuracy is poor, Claypool found in a <a href=\"https://www.citizen.org/article/mushroom-risk-ai-app-misinformation\" target=\"_blank\">new report</a> for Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. But AI companies and app stores are offering these apps anyway, often without clear disclosures about how often the tools are wrong.<p><p>Apple, Google, OpenAI and Microsoft didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment.<p><p>The mini-explosion of AI mushrooms apps is emblematic of a larger trend toward adding AI into products that might not benefit from it \u2014 from <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/04/ai-taxes-turbotax-hrblock-chatbot/\" target=\"_blank\">tax software</a> to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/02/03/ai-mental-health-therapy/\" target=\"_blank\">therapy appointments</a>. Powerful new technology such as large-language models and image generators are good for some things, but consistently spitting out accurate information is <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/13/microsoft-bing-ai-chatbot-error/\" target=\"_blank\">not one of them</a>. With its high stakes and frequent mess-ups, mushroom identification is a bad candidate for automation, but companies are doing it anyway, Claypool concluded.<p><p>\u201cThey\u2019re marketing it like, \u2018This is a source of knowledge,\u2019 like it\u2019s the Star Trek computer,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the reality is: These things make mistakes all the time.\u201d<p><p>Despite the risks, budding foragers seem to increasingly turn to apps for help identifying mushroom species. According to Google Trends, three of the five top searches related to \u201cmushroom identification\u201d <a href=\"https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=mushroom%20identification\" target=\"_blank\">mention apps or software</a>. A search for \u201cmushroom\u201d on OpenAI\u2019s GPT Store \u2014 where users find specialized chatbots \u2014 immediately surfaces suggestions such as Mushroom Guide, which claims to identify mushrooms from pictures and tell whether they\u2019re edible. On the Apple or Google apps stores you\u2019ll find dozens of apps claiming to identify mushrooms, some with \u201cAI\u201d in the names or descriptions.<p><p>When Australian scientists tested the accuracy of popular mushroom ID apps last year <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36794335/\" target=\"_blank\">after a spike in poisonings</a>, they found the most precise one correctly identified dangerous mushrooms 44 percent of the time.<p><p>Even low-accuracy AI products can quickly gain consumer trust, however, due to a cognitive distortion called automation bias. As early as 1999, scientists found that people <a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1071581999902525\" target=\"_blank\">tend to trust </a>a computer\u2019s decisions, even if its recommendations contradict their common sense or training.<p><p>In some contexts, AI improves accuracy and outcomes. For example, <a href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2815035\" target=\"_blank\">a February study</a> in JAMA Ophthalmology found that a large-language model chatbot was just as good as eye specialists at recommending diagnoses and treatment for glaucoma and retina diseases.<p><p>\u201cOur findings, while promising, should not be interpreted as endorsing direct clinical application due to chatbots\u2019 unclear limitations in complex decision-making, alongside necessary ethical, regulatory, and validation considerations,\u201d the authors note.<p><p>When Claypool checked out other avenues of AI mushrooms identification, he found the Amazon bookstore offering what appeared to be AI-authored mushroom field guides. He also tested Microsoft\u2019s Bing Image Creator, asking it to generate and label images of different mushrooms. It made up new mushrooms parts, such as the \u201cging\u201d and \u201cnulpe,\u201d which do not exist. Inaccurate, AI-generated images of mushrooms could poison future AI training data and search engine results, making these AI systems even less accurate, Claypool wrote.<p><p>\u201cWe are committed to providing a safe shopping and reading experience for our customers, and we take matters like this seriously,\u201d Amazon spokeswoman Ashley Vanicek said. The company\u2019s guidelines require authors to disclose the use of AI-generated content, and Vanicek noted that Amazon both prevents books from being listed and removes books that do not adhere to those rules.<p><p>(Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) <p><p>The takeaway: Don\u2019t eat a wild mushroom unless you\u2019ve consulted an expert. (A real, human one.)<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 10, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "In Wisconsin, a vote for Biden or Trump could come down to grocery prices", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "In Wisconsin, a vote for Biden or Trump could come down to grocery prices"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/grocery-prices-election-wisconsin-biden-trump/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/grocery-prices-election-wisconsin-biden-trump/", "summary": "2024-02-08T17:24:53.948Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/BCJ2I3VCBFA6JA4MK4QVNLYGPM/20240317-202816.165/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>SHEBOYGAN, Wis. \u2014 Dawn Mohr stopped by the local Piggly Wiggly to pick up $6 worth of pork steaks last week and immediately remembered just how much she\u2019s grown to hate grocery shopping.<p><p>\u201cEverything is so damn high,\u201d she said, shaking her head at $3.09 bottles of Coca Cola. \u201cGood ol\u2019 Biden.\u201d<p><p>Mohr, a 54-year-old home health-care aide, mostly shops the clearance aisles. Her $17 hourly paycheck, which inched up 80 cents in the past two years, is hardly enough to cover the basics anymore. She says there\u2019s no question she\u2019ll vote for Donald Trump again. Every trip to the supermarket cements her resolve.<p><p>\u201cWhen Trump was president, there wasn\u2019t inflation,\u201d she said. \u201cWe could afford food.\u201d<p><p>The mood around the sodas past Aisle 9 of the Piggly Wiggly is a stark reminder of what matters most to Americans this election year. In poll after poll, voters say inflation \u2014 and grocery prices in particular \u2014 is a leading concern.<p><p>That\u2019s true in this Midwestern manufacturing town overflowing with well-paying jobs, rock-bottom unemployment and some of the lowest <a href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=WI\" target=\"_blank\">gas</a>, <a href=\"https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/retail/2024/02/19/how-much-are-groceries-in-milwaukee-and-wisconsin-compared-to-other-states/72627605007/\" target=\"_blank\">food</a> and <a href=\"https://www.sheboyganpress.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sheboyganpress.com%2Fstory%2Fmoney%2F2023%2F11%2F07%2Fsheboygan-wisconsin-is-among-the-most-affordable-places-to-rent-in-america%2F71202682007%2F#:~:text=The%20Sheboygan%20metro%20median%20gross,rent%2C%20according%20to%20the%20findings.\" target=\"_blank\">housing prices </a>in the nation. Kitchen and bath product maker Kohler Co. and food manufacturers Johnsonville and Sargento Foods are all headquartered nearby, providing a steady stream of stable careers.<b> </b>The unemployment rate, at <a href=\"https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.wi_sheboygan_msa.htm\" target=\"_blank\">2.1 percent</a>, is one of the lowest in Wisconsin.<p><p>Still, Sheboygan<b> </b>residents have one persistent gripe: As with elsewhere in the country, grocery prices have risen 25 percent in four years, driving much of their economic discontent.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/23RRIS27Q34KZIX5L4HPE2N6W4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The meat section at the Piggly Wiggly. For Sheboygan residents, grocery prices have risen 25 percent in four years, driving much of their economic discontent. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4PKHS4KHU3HZBDCC7HDEBCA3LY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">In poll after poll, American voters say inflation \u2014 and grocery prices in particular \u2014 is a leading concern this election year. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6XVXOTZ7NNAWHBDBHEKAPJPGYA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The cheese section at a Piggly Wiggly in Sheboygan. Some customers in the dairy-producing state said they were willing to pay more for dairy products. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>\u201cEven though inflation is coming down, prices are still up and people feel it,\u201d said Stefano Viglietti, who owns three area restaurants and a specialty Italian market with his wife. \u201cThere\u2019s still a fair amount of angst about prices. People here aren\u2019t bazillionaires. They\u2019re working middle class, and when the price of eggs or milk goes up, they have to make adjustments for everything else.\u201d<p><p>In interviews with more than three dozen shoppers at three stores, almost all cited high food prices as a major financial hurdle. Many said they were sticking with the candidate they voted for last time \u2014 either because Trump was better for the economy, or because they valued President Biden\u2019s position on other issues like abortion rights. But nearly a third said inflation had led them to revise their opinions, and some were even considering voting for the first time because of food prices.<p><p>Wisconsin is one of six swing states this fall that will determine who becomes the next president. A poll released last month by Marquette Law School found the state\u2019s voters were <a href=\"https://www.marquette.edu/news-center/2024/marquette-law-poll-survey-of-wisconsin-finds-biden-and-trump-tied-among-registered-voters.php\" target=\"_blank\">split evenly between Biden and Trump</a>, with 49 percent support for each. In 2016, the state helped clinch the presidency for Trump; four years later, it did the same for Biden.<p><p>Grocery prices are among the top issues driving down Biden\u2019s popularity nationwide. Although food inflation is stabilizing \u2014 grocery prices remained flat in February from a month earlier, and some items, such as rice, chicken, milk and coffee, actually got cheaper \u2014 families are still experiencing sticker shock at the checkout line.<p><p>\u201cGroceries play a significant factor in people\u2019s perception of inflation,\u201d said David Ortega, a food economist at Michigan State University. \u201cWe go to the grocery store every week, sometimes more frequently, and we feel those price increases every time.\u201d<p><p>In Sheboygan County, where the Piggly Wiggly is located, 57 percent of residents voted for Trump the last time around, which means Biden has a tougher job here than in other parts of the state.<p><p>Lois Garcia, 59, voted for Biden four years ago. This time around, she\u2019s rethinking her support because of higher food prices and health insurance premiums.<p><p>\u201cWhat\u2019s most important to me is: What will these presidents do for us?\u201d said Garcia, who works with dementia patients at a senior living facility and was buying a can of nacho cheese sauce. \u201cJobs are important, pay is important, education for our children is important. But Trump did help us out with the cost of things, and that\u2019s important, too.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BYEC3PUJYMNJIDWCJBFRCTZL5Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Welcome signs on the way into Sheboygan. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6DMGPGIZEDSCL456ANVS5YDQEE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lois Garcia, a Biden voter in Sheboygan who's considering voting for Donald Trump this time around because of high grocery prices and health insurance premiums. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Grocery prices began rising early in the pandemic and have remained high even as life has returned to normal. Supply<b> </b>chain snags and labor shortages \u2014 combined with heightened demand, as more Americans ate at home \u2014 pushed up food costs across the board. More recently, rising wages, the war in Ukraine and a host of natural disasters, including droughts and the largest <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/04/16/bird-flu-egg-prices/\" target=\"_blank\">avian flu outbreak</a> in history, have kept costs elevated.<p><p>Even though both inflation and perceptions of the economy have recently begun to improve, people remain downbeat on the president and his handling of the economy. Nearly half of voters, a <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/us/politics/biden-trump-times-siena-poll.html\" target=\"_blank\">record 47 percent</a>, say they strongly disapprove of the president\u2019s performance, according to a poll released this month by the New York Times and Siena College.<p><p>Back at the Piggly Wiggly, grocery prices remained front and center. The store was awash with signs promising \u201cMore ways to save.\u201d There were markdowns and \u201cpig deals,\u201d and cash-back rewards on gas, all aimed at winning over price-sensitive buyers.<p><p>Many here, like Nikki Gorski, said they\u2019d begun shopping strategically, checking weekly fliers for the best prices, and charting their grocery trips accordingly. Today, she\u2019d stopped in with her young sons for tortillas and turkey.<p><p>Gorski\u2019s family lives on one income; her husband works for a local manufacturer, while she stays home with their sons. They\u2019ve had to make a number of trade-offs in recent years, she says: No more dining out. No more organic milk. More chicken instead of beef.<p><p>\u201cYes, groceries are expensive and we\u2019re making sacrifices,\u201d she said, adding that her weekly grocery bill had jumped from $150 to $300 in the past few years. But, she stressed, she was more concerned about women\u2019s rights and other issues on the ballot than the price of food. \u201cI\u2019m voting Biden,\u201d she said, \u201cno matter what.\u201d<p><p>The Biden administration has taken steps to make groceries more affordable by bringing down fertilizer prices<b> </b>and encouraging competition in the agriculture industry. As prices fall, the White House is urging grocery stores and other corporations to pass on savings to consumers.<p><p>\u201cThis election is a choice between Scranton and Park Avenue,\u201d campaign spokesman Seth Schuster said. \u201cPresident Biden has made it his mission as president to lower costs for Americans \u2014 from prescription drugs to housing to groceries.\u201d<p><p>Still, Biden has struggled<b> </b>to convince Americans that their finances have improved under his watch, even though he has presided over a period of brisk economic growth \u2014 with nearly 15 million new jobs and the longest stretch of low unemployment since the 1960s. Wages have grown four times as fast as grocery prices in the past year, though many voters say they have yet to feel relief.<p><p>\u201cWhy do we have these super rich [people] telling us everything is okay when everything has gone up at least a dollar or two?\u201d said Steve R., 36, a factory worker who voted for Trump in 2020 but plans to skip this year\u2019s election. He spoke on the condition of withholding his last name because he feared political backlash.<p><p>\u201cI hate to not vote, but at the end of the day I don\u2019t feel like either of them deserve it again,\u201d he said of Trump and Biden. \u201cGive me a blue-collar worker, someone who knows what it\u2019s like when the price of eggs spikes and meat doubles.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/TCBUQKSW6H6TNUGMFYBAS6442U.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The largest avian flu outbreak in history has sharply driven up egg prices nationwide in recent years. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/J3JHRDORV33O3MSY37W4CG233I.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A hiring sign at a factory in Sheboygan. The unemployment rate in the town is one of the lowest in Wisconsin. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>In a statement, the Trump campaign said Americans are still reeling from the effects of high prices. \u201cUnder President Trump, inflation was nonexistent, gasoline was cheap, groceries were affordable, and the American Dream was alive and well,\u201d spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.<p><p>Some shoppers, though, said grocery prices weren\u2019t a particularly big deal, especially in this part of the country, where many have jobs in agriculture and food processing.<p><p>\u201cI was raised on a dairy farm so I always support dairy prices, no matter what they are,\u201d said Rachel Longseth, 69, whose cart was filled with cream cheese, ricotta and pasta for stuffed shells. \u201cI feel that good food is worth spending money on, so I\u2019m okay with higher prices for meat and produce and dairy. The cereal? No. But then again, we don\u2019t eat much cereal so I just move past.\u201d<p><p>Longseth, a retired medical secretary, and her husband are still shopping the way they used to, she said. And she doesn\u2019t plan to change her voting habits, either: She\u2019ll support Biden again.<p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s never been any question about how I would vote in the election,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd no amount of inflation or bad news would change that.\u201d<p><p>Economists say Trump\u2019s proposed policies, including new tariffs on imports and deportations of undocumented immigrants, could drive<b> </b>grocery prices even higher. But for many Trump voters, the nostalgia of pre-pandemic prices overshadows current campaign promises.<p><p>Shane Reynolds, a 71-year-old retired roofer, lives on Social Security checks and says it\u2019s become harder to afford groceries.<p><p>\u201cThings were 100 percent better under Trump,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was no inflation. Prices really skyrocketed since Biden took over. I have to walk past half this stuff now because I can\u2019t afford it.\u201d<p><p>He picked up a Cornish hen for $5.79 and some potatoes. His eyes lingered on a display of sports drinks, marked down nearly $3 to $5.99. Reynolds paused.<p><p>\u201cGatorade\u2019s on sale, but I still can\u2019t afford it,\u201d he said, pushing his cart to the next aisle.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RKROS4C6RVIMSLUTGX3FQU5OGY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A Piggly Wiggly parking lot in Sheboygan. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-02-08T17:24:53.948Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/BCJ2I3VCBFA6JA4MK4QVNLYGPM/20240317-202816.165/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><p>SHEBOYGAN, Wis. \u2014 Dawn Mohr stopped by the local Piggly Wiggly to pick up $6 worth of pork steaks last week and immediately remembered just how much she\u2019s grown to hate grocery shopping.<p><p>\u201cEverything is so damn high,\u201d she said, shaking her head at $3.09 bottles of Coca Cola. \u201cGood ol\u2019 Biden.\u201d<p><p>Mohr, a 54-year-old home health-care aide, mostly shops the clearance aisles. Her $17 hourly paycheck, which inched up 80 cents in the past two years, is hardly enough to cover the basics anymore. She says there\u2019s no question she\u2019ll vote for Donald Trump again. Every trip to the supermarket cements her resolve.<p><p>\u201cWhen Trump was president, there wasn\u2019t inflation,\u201d she said. \u201cWe could afford food.\u201d<p><p>The mood around the sodas past Aisle 9 of the Piggly Wiggly is a stark reminder of what matters most to Americans this election year. In poll after poll, voters say inflation \u2014 and grocery prices in particular \u2014 is a leading concern.<p><p>That\u2019s true in this Midwestern manufacturing town overflowing with well-paying jobs, rock-bottom unemployment and some of the lowest <a href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=WI\" target=\"_blank\">gas</a>, <a href=\"https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/retail/2024/02/19/how-much-are-groceries-in-milwaukee-and-wisconsin-compared-to-other-states/72627605007/\" target=\"_blank\">food</a> and <a href=\"https://www.sheboyganpress.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sheboyganpress.com%2Fstory%2Fmoney%2F2023%2F11%2F07%2Fsheboygan-wisconsin-is-among-the-most-affordable-places-to-rent-in-america%2F71202682007%2F#:~:text=The%20Sheboygan%20metro%20median%20gross,rent%2C%20according%20to%20the%20findings.\" target=\"_blank\">housing prices </a>in the nation. Kitchen and bath product maker Kohler Co. and food manufacturers Johnsonville and Sargento Foods are all headquartered nearby, providing a steady stream of stable careers.<b> </b>The unemployment rate, at <a href=\"https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.wi_sheboygan_msa.htm\" target=\"_blank\">2.1 percent</a>, is one of the lowest in Wisconsin.<p><p>Still, Sheboygan<b> </b>residents have one persistent gripe: As with elsewhere in the country, grocery prices have risen 25 percent in four years, driving much of their economic discontent.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/23RRIS27Q34KZIX5L4HPE2N6W4.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The meat section at the Piggly Wiggly. For Sheboygan residents, grocery prices have risen 25 percent in four years, driving much of their economic discontent. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4PKHS4KHU3HZBDCC7HDEBCA3LY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">In poll after poll, American voters say inflation \u2014 and grocery prices in particular \u2014 is a leading concern this election year. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6XVXOTZ7NNAWHBDBHEKAPJPGYA.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The cheese section at a Piggly Wiggly in Sheboygan. Some customers in the dairy-producing state said they were willing to pay more for dairy products. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>\u201cEven though inflation is coming down, prices are still up and people feel it,\u201d said Stefano Viglietti, who owns three area restaurants and a specialty Italian market with his wife. \u201cThere\u2019s still a fair amount of angst about prices. People here aren\u2019t bazillionaires. They\u2019re working middle class, and when the price of eggs or milk goes up, they have to make adjustments for everything else.\u201d<p><p>In interviews with more than three dozen shoppers at three stores, almost all cited high food prices as a major financial hurdle. Many said they were sticking with the candidate they voted for last time \u2014 either because Trump was better for the economy, or because they valued President Biden\u2019s position on other issues like abortion rights. But nearly a third said inflation had led them to revise their opinions, and some were even considering voting for the first time because of food prices.<p><p>Wisconsin is one of six swing states this fall that will determine who becomes the next president. A poll released last month by Marquette Law School found the state\u2019s voters were <a href=\"https://www.marquette.edu/news-center/2024/marquette-law-poll-survey-of-wisconsin-finds-biden-and-trump-tied-among-registered-voters.php\" target=\"_blank\">split evenly between Biden and Trump</a>, with 49 percent support for each. In 2016, the state helped clinch the presidency for Trump; four years later, it did the same for Biden.<p><p>Grocery prices are among the top issues driving down Biden\u2019s popularity nationwide. Although food inflation is stabilizing \u2014 grocery prices remained flat in February from a month earlier, and some items, such as rice, chicken, milk and coffee, actually got cheaper \u2014 families are still experiencing sticker shock at the checkout line.<p><p>\u201cGroceries play a significant factor in people\u2019s perception of inflation,\u201d said David Ortega, a food economist at Michigan State University. \u201cWe go to the grocery store every week, sometimes more frequently, and we feel those price increases every time.\u201d<p><p>In Sheboygan County, where the Piggly Wiggly is located, 57 percent of residents voted for Trump the last time around, which means Biden has a tougher job here than in other parts of the state.<p><p>Lois Garcia, 59, voted for Biden four years ago. This time around, she\u2019s rethinking her support because of higher food prices and health insurance premiums.<p><p>\u201cWhat\u2019s most important to me is: What will these presidents do for us?\u201d said Garcia, who works with dementia patients at a senior living facility and was buying a can of nacho cheese sauce. \u201cJobs are important, pay is important, education for our children is important. But Trump did help us out with the cost of things, and that\u2019s important, too.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/BYEC3PUJYMNJIDWCJBFRCTZL5Y.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Welcome signs on the way into Sheboygan. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6DMGPGIZEDSCL456ANVS5YDQEE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Lois Garcia, a Biden voter in Sheboygan who's considering voting for Donald Trump this time around because of high grocery prices and health insurance premiums. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>Grocery prices began rising early in the pandemic and have remained high even as life has returned to normal. Supply<b> </b>chain snags and labor shortages \u2014 combined with heightened demand, as more Americans ate at home \u2014 pushed up food costs across the board. More recently, rising wages, the war in Ukraine and a host of natural disasters, including droughts and the largest <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/04/16/bird-flu-egg-prices/\" target=\"_blank\">avian flu outbreak</a> in history, have kept costs elevated.<p><p>Even though both inflation and perceptions of the economy have recently begun to improve, people remain downbeat on the president and his handling of the economy. Nearly half of voters, a <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/us/politics/biden-trump-times-siena-poll.html\" target=\"_blank\">record 47 percent</a>, say they strongly disapprove of the president\u2019s performance, according to a poll released this month by the New York Times and Siena College.<p><p>Back at the Piggly Wiggly, grocery prices remained front and center. The store was awash with signs promising \u201cMore ways to save.\u201d There were markdowns and \u201cpig deals,\u201d and cash-back rewards on gas, all aimed at winning over price-sensitive buyers.<p><p>Many here, like Nikki Gorski, said they\u2019d begun shopping strategically, checking weekly fliers for the best prices, and charting their grocery trips accordingly. Today, she\u2019d stopped in with her young sons for tortillas and turkey.<p><p>Gorski\u2019s family lives on one income; her husband works for a local manufacturer, while she stays home with their sons. They\u2019ve had to make a number of trade-offs in recent years, she says: No more dining out. No more organic milk. More chicken instead of beef.<p><p>\u201cYes, groceries are expensive and we\u2019re making sacrifices,\u201d she said, adding that her weekly grocery bill had jumped from $150 to $300 in the past few years. But, she stressed, she was more concerned about women\u2019s rights and other issues on the ballot than the price of food. \u201cI\u2019m voting Biden,\u201d she said, \u201cno matter what.\u201d<p><p>The Biden administration has taken steps to make groceries more affordable by bringing down fertilizer prices<b> </b>and encouraging competition in the agriculture industry. As prices fall, the White House is urging grocery stores and other corporations to pass on savings to consumers.<p><p>\u201cThis election is a choice between Scranton and Park Avenue,\u201d campaign spokesman Seth Schuster said. \u201cPresident Biden has made it his mission as president to lower costs for Americans \u2014 from prescription drugs to housing to groceries.\u201d<p><p>Still, Biden has struggled<b> </b>to convince Americans that their finances have improved under his watch, even though he has presided over a period of brisk economic growth \u2014 with nearly 15 million new jobs and the longest stretch of low unemployment since the 1960s. Wages have grown four times as fast as grocery prices in the past year, though many voters say they have yet to feel relief.<p><p>\u201cWhy do we have these super rich [people] telling us everything is okay when everything has gone up at least a dollar or two?\u201d said Steve R., 36, a factory worker who voted for Trump in 2020 but plans to skip this year\u2019s election. He spoke on the condition of withholding his last name because he feared political backlash.<p><p>\u201cI hate to not vote, but at the end of the day I don\u2019t feel like either of them deserve it again,\u201d he said of Trump and Biden. \u201cGive me a blue-collar worker, someone who knows what it\u2019s like when the price of eggs spikes and meat doubles.\u201d<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/TCBUQKSW6H6TNUGMFYBAS6442U.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The largest avian flu outbreak in history has sharply driven up egg prices nationwide in recent years. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/J3JHRDORV33O3MSY37W4CG233I.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A hiring sign at a factory in Sheboygan. The unemployment rate in the town is one of the lowest in Wisconsin. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div><p>In a statement, the Trump campaign said Americans are still reeling from the effects of high prices. \u201cUnder President Trump, inflation was nonexistent, gasoline was cheap, groceries were affordable, and the American Dream was alive and well,\u201d spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.<p><p>Some shoppers, though, said grocery prices weren\u2019t a particularly big deal, especially in this part of the country, where many have jobs in agriculture and food processing.<p><p>\u201cI was raised on a dairy farm so I always support dairy prices, no matter what they are,\u201d said Rachel Longseth, 69, whose cart was filled with cream cheese, ricotta and pasta for stuffed shells. \u201cI feel that good food is worth spending money on, so I\u2019m okay with higher prices for meat and produce and dairy. The cereal? No. But then again, we don\u2019t eat much cereal so I just move past.\u201d<p><p>Longseth, a retired medical secretary, and her husband are still shopping the way they used to, she said. And she doesn\u2019t plan to change her voting habits, either: She\u2019ll support Biden again.<p><p>\u201cThere\u2019s never been any question about how I would vote in the election,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd no amount of inflation or bad news would change that.\u201d<p><p>Economists say Trump\u2019s proposed policies, including new tariffs on imports and deportations of undocumented immigrants, could drive<b> </b>grocery prices even higher. But for many Trump voters, the nostalgia of pre-pandemic prices overshadows current campaign promises.<p><p>Shane Reynolds, a 71-year-old retired roofer, lives on Social Security checks and says it\u2019s become harder to afford groceries.<p><p>\u201cThings were 100 percent better under Trump,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was no inflation. Prices really skyrocketed since Biden took over. I have to walk past half this stuff now because I can\u2019t afford it.\u201d<p><p>He picked up a Cornish hen for $5.79 and some potatoes. His eyes lingered on a display of sports drinks, marked down nearly $3 to $5.99. Reynolds paused.<p><p>\u201cGatorade\u2019s on sale, but I still can\u2019t afford it,\u201d he said, pushing his cart to the next aisle.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RKROS4C6RVIMSLUTGX3FQU5OGY.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A Piggly Wiggly parking lot in Sheboygan. (Matthew Ludak for The Washington Post)</small></div>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 10, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "See what\u2019s fueling the return of supersonic passenger flights", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "See what\u2019s fueling the return of supersonic passenger flights"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/supersonic-plane-travel-passenger-jet/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/18/supersonic-plane-travel-passenger-jet/", "summary": "2024-03-06T03:25:41.009Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/W5IOY2WBCNDT5KGLLJN25VQFRI/20240317-155744.449/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6VKV2PJJVZAAJJDTRO42Q7GG4A.gif\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A timelapse of NASA's X-59 being constructed. (NASA)</small></div><p>In January, more than 100 people gathered at an airplane hangar in California to watch NASA unveil its X-59 demonstrator jet \u2014 a futuristic aircraft designed to travel faster than the speed of sound that has helped revive excitement for supersonic travel.<p><p>There hasn\u2019t been a commercial supersonic passenger jet since the Concorde stopped flying in 2003. Since then, supersonic jets \u2014 which travel faster than the speed of sound \u2014 have been used primarily by the military. But the space agency\u2019s unveiling of the X-59, designed and built in partnership with Lockheed Martin,<b> </b>comes as a growing number of private companies are vying to bring back supersonic travel for the commercial market.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/NASA/20240306/65e8df99743d051279a97f72/65e8dfa05007d06111536487/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>Boom, Exosonic and Spike are among the companies promising modern supersonic travel that will be quieter, greener and more affordable than in the past. And at least one company \u2014 Hermeus \u2014 is exploring hypersonic flights, which would whisk passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes. But there are questions about whether these companies can make good on their claims given the economics of air travel and growing concerns about the impact of commercial aviation on the environment.<p><p>Here are five things to know about the effort to revive supersonic travel.<p><h2><b>1. The sonic \u2018boom\u2019 could become a \u2018soft thump</b>\u2019</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/C2PYK3TWPBFYDPOURPMKHT7QLI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">NASA\u2019s X-59, its quiet supersonic research aircraft, sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, Calif. (Steve Freeman/NASA)</small></div><p>NASA\u2019s goal in developing the X-59 is to reduce the sonic boom \u2014 the thunder clap that resonates far and wide when an aircraft crosses the sound barrier. NASA scientists hope the demonstrator jet can prove that travel at supersonic speeds is possible without such earsplitting noise.<p><p>One key to quieting the boom comes from the plane\u2019s design. The engine is mounted on top. The plane has a long, narrow nose and sculpted wing to help ensure the shock waves it creates as it speeds through the air are similar in strength and evenly spaced along the aircraft to create a gradual increase in pressure instead of the rapid jump that creates the loud bang, said Peter Coen, mission integration manager for the Quesst mission.<p><p>The sonic boom is around 105 PLdB, or perceived level of decibels, similar to that of the sound of a balloon popping next to you. In comparison, NASA says the X-59\u2019s will sound closer to a car door slamming 20 feet away.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/The_Washington_Post/20240315/65f4d2176bfe9200888d66d7/65f4ef8d5007d06111536a20/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>Turning the boom into a \u201csoft thump,\u201d as NASA hopes, could also improve the economics for commercial supersonic flights. It could mean an end to the U.S. ban on supersonic travel over land, which was enacted over noise concerns. That in turn could make commercial supersonic travel financially viable because airlines would be able to fly supersonic planes to more destinations.<p><p>Designing and building the X-59 took roughly five years. Testing is underway, and other phases of the project are expected to take another four. The total projected cost is $839 million, according to NASA.<p><h2><b>2. There\u2019s a flurry of interest from private companies</b></h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2UGZGG2B7FCCFCVSOOP37JNJGE.gif\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">An artist depiction of Overture, a supersonic commercial jet by Boom. (Boom)</small></div><p>Nearly a half a dozen companies are competing to be the first to offer supersonic travel to the public<b> </b>\u2014 a curious interest at a time when much investment and innovation in transportation is focused on developing cleaner, more climate-friendly options that consume less fuel or alternative propulsion technologies such as batteries or hydrogen.<p><p>Denver-based Boom Supersonic is eyeing 2029 for the debut of its supersonic passenger jet, called Overture. The aircraft is expected to seat 64 to 80 passengers, according to Blake Scholl, the company\u2019s chief executive. It will travel at Mach 1.7, or 1.7 times the speed of sound \u2014 more than twice as fast as a regular passenger airplane<i>.</i><p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/Exosonic/20240306/65e8e16c2f7d470b33cd7fe0/65e8e176d9dfd01cdcfb0971/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>One company, Aerion \u2014 which had backing from major players in the industry including Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build a supersonic business jet \u2014 has already bowed out of the race. It shut down in 2021, unable to secure the funding to continue it work.<p><p>Industry analysts say venture capital and the mind-set that commercial supersonic sounds like a good idea has largely fueled the revival.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s that Silicon Valley mentality that you put money down on 20 things for one that does well,\u201d said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory. \u201cAgain, it sounds like a good idea. There\u2019s a good market for air transport and people want to fly fast. We had Concorde in the past so it sounds right \u2014 so let\u2019s put some money there.\u201d<p><p>Bruce McClelland, a senior contributing analyst at aerospace and defense industry analysis firm the Teal Group, added, \u201cA lot of projects attract money whether they\u2019re completely viable or not.\u201d<p><h2>3. It promises sustainability</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/QQJITAVHAJGNPENAPQCH5X5QSA.gif\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Boom's overture would seat 64 to 80 passengers and travel at Mach 1.7, more than twice as fast as a regular passenger plane. (Boom)</small></div><p>Companies say their new generation of supersonic jets will have a smaller carbon footprint, mostly because they will be fueled by sustainable aviation fuel. This is fuel is made from agricultural products including soybeans and animal fat.<p><p>But critics say that pledge ignores some significant realities. For instance, there isn\u2019t enough sustainable aviation fuel for planes that exist today. The sustainable aviation fuel that does exist is more expensive \u2014 by some estimates two to four times the cost of fossil fuel.<p><p>And no matter the fuel, the reality is supersonic jets will always use more of it. According to a 2022 study by International Council on Clean Transportation, supersonic jets could use seven to nine times as much fuel as regular commercial aircraft while carrying fewer passengers. But NASA\u2019s Coen contends that supersonic travel at least initially will be a very small part of overall CO2 emissions and a very small part of commercial aviation.<p><p>Even so, with airlines pledging to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, some say it\u2019s hard to understand how supersonic jets fit into that framework.<p><h2>4. It could be affordable for more people</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7DAIU32W4DKM63ILIOTZAYXTGI.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Concorde supersonic jet is lifted from a barge on the Hudson River to its resting place at the Intrepid Museum in New York City on Thursday. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)</small></div><p>The Concorde ended service because only a small slice of the flying public could ever afford a ticket, among other reasons, including a 2000 crash that <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/07/26/concorde-jet-crashes-near-paris-killing-113/95147ca4-a5ec-4bb2-8c16-c4312a66c16b/\" target=\"_blank\">killed 113 people</a> and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/09/06/after-alterations-concorde-cleared-for-fall-takeoff/a9d515d3-558d-4283-ab04-1520ededc1dd/\" target=\"_blank\">grounded Concorde\u2019s supersonic planes</a> for a year. But today\u2019s entrepreneurs say supersonic travel can be affordable \u2014 though maybe not at first.<p><p>They point to Tesla and the burgeoning space tourism sector as an example of new modes of transportation that have and could eventually become accessible to a growing segment of the population.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VUFIHWCGS5H5BOTNUWSYRUGSBM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A rendering of the interior of the supersonic jet designed by Exosonic. (Exosonic)</small></div><p>Analysts have their doubts, though, given how difficult it is for commercial airlines to stay afloat. Supersonic jets will carry fewer passengers and consume greater quantities of fuel. If that fuel is sustainable aviation fuel, those costs increase even more.<p><p>\u201cEssentially, the faster you fly, the more fuel you are burning per mile,\u201d said Iain Boyd, director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado at Boulder. \u201cSupersonic is always going to be more expensive.\u201d<p><h2>5. It could get even faster</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/POC2JZVY55F3LFWZIAWBLIEYOM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">An artist depiction of the Halycon aircraft by Hermeus. (Hermeus)</small></div><p>Hermeus, based in Atlanta is just one of the companies exploring the possibility of a an even faster, hypersonic commercial passenger jet. While supersonic aircraft travel faster than the speed of sound, hypersonic aircraft travel at speeds five times faster or more.<p><p>Translated: that would make a flight between New York and London \u2014 a 90-minute trip \u2014 about the same as flying from New York to D.C. on today\u2019s commercial aircraft.<p><p>The company\u2019s Halcyon jet would travel at Mach 5 \u2014<b> </b>or five times the speed of sound. A.J. Piplica, the company\u2019s chief executive, said the company is laying the groundwork for Halcyon by building hypersonic drones that could be used for defense and national security purposes.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/Hermeus/20240306/65e8e28a0c720c056cd921a9/65e8e294b711eb5ff5a10ae3/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>But the company is open about the technological challenges it faces developing such a fast aircraft. Today, there\u2019s a less than 50 percent chance of getting Halcyon in the air, Piplica says \u2014 but he expects the odds to improve over time.<p><p>Even then, Hermeus \u2014 and all the start-ups \u2014 will have to convince the public to buy in and will have to grapple with growing concern about the impact of air travel on the environment. It could be a tall order.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-06T03:25:41.009Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/W5IOY2WBCNDT5KGLLJN25VQFRI/20240317-155744.449/eleven-labs_en-US_Rachel_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6VKV2PJJVZAAJJDTRO42Q7GG4A.gif\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A timelapse of NASA's X-59 being constructed. (NASA)</small></div><p>In January, more than 100 people gathered at an airplane hangar in California to watch NASA unveil its X-59 demonstrator jet \u2014 a futuristic aircraft designed to travel faster than the speed of sound that has helped revive excitement for supersonic travel.<p><p>There hasn\u2019t been a commercial supersonic passenger jet since the Concorde stopped flying in 2003. Since then, supersonic jets \u2014 which travel faster than the speed of sound \u2014 have been used primarily by the military. But the space agency\u2019s unveiling of the X-59, designed and built in partnership with Lockheed Martin,<b> </b>comes as a growing number of private companies are vying to bring back supersonic travel for the commercial market.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/NASA/20240306/65e8df99743d051279a97f72/65e8dfa05007d06111536487/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>Boom, Exosonic and Spike are among the companies promising modern supersonic travel that will be quieter, greener and more affordable than in the past. And at least one company \u2014 Hermeus \u2014 is exploring hypersonic flights, which would whisk passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes. But there are questions about whether these companies can make good on their claims given the economics of air travel and growing concerns about the impact of commercial aviation on the environment.<p><p>Here are five things to know about the effort to revive supersonic travel.<p><h2><b>1. The sonic \u2018boom\u2019 could become a \u2018soft thump</b>\u2019</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/C2PYK3TWPBFYDPOURPMKHT7QLI.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">NASA\u2019s X-59, its quiet supersonic research aircraft, sits on the ramp at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, Calif. (Steve Freeman/NASA)</small></div><p>NASA\u2019s goal in developing the X-59 is to reduce the sonic boom \u2014 the thunder clap that resonates far and wide when an aircraft crosses the sound barrier. NASA scientists hope the demonstrator jet can prove that travel at supersonic speeds is possible without such earsplitting noise.<p><p>One key to quieting the boom comes from the plane\u2019s design. The engine is mounted on top. The plane has a long, narrow nose and sculpted wing to help ensure the shock waves it creates as it speeds through the air are similar in strength and evenly spaced along the aircraft to create a gradual increase in pressure instead of the rapid jump that creates the loud bang, said Peter Coen, mission integration manager for the Quesst mission.<p><p>The sonic boom is around 105 PLdB, or perceived level of decibels, similar to that of the sound of a balloon popping next to you. In comparison, NASA says the X-59\u2019s will sound closer to a car door slamming 20 feet away.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/The_Washington_Post/20240315/65f4d2176bfe9200888d66d7/65f4ef8d5007d06111536a20/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>Turning the boom into a \u201csoft thump,\u201d as NASA hopes, could also improve the economics for commercial supersonic flights. It could mean an end to the U.S. ban on supersonic travel over land, which was enacted over noise concerns. That in turn could make commercial supersonic travel financially viable because airlines would be able to fly supersonic planes to more destinations.<p><p>Designing and building the X-59 took roughly five years. Testing is underway, and other phases of the project are expected to take another four. The total projected cost is $839 million, according to NASA.<p><h2><b>2. There\u2019s a flurry of interest from private companies</b></h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2UGZGG2B7FCCFCVSOOP37JNJGE.gif\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">An artist depiction of Overture, a supersonic commercial jet by Boom. (Boom)</small></div><p>Nearly a half a dozen companies are competing to be the first to offer supersonic travel to the public<b> </b>\u2014 a curious interest at a time when much investment and innovation in transportation is focused on developing cleaner, more climate-friendly options that consume less fuel or alternative propulsion technologies such as batteries or hydrogen.<p><p>Denver-based Boom Supersonic is eyeing 2029 for the debut of its supersonic passenger jet, called Overture. The aircraft is expected to seat 64 to 80 passengers, according to Blake Scholl, the company\u2019s chief executive. It will travel at Mach 1.7, or 1.7 times the speed of sound \u2014 more than twice as fast as a regular passenger airplane<i>.</i><p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/Exosonic/20240306/65e8e16c2f7d470b33cd7fe0/65e8e176d9dfd01cdcfb0971/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>One company, Aerion \u2014 which had backing from major players in the industry including Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build a supersonic business jet \u2014 has already bowed out of the race. It shut down in 2021, unable to secure the funding to continue it work.<p><p>Industry analysts say venture capital and the mind-set that commercial supersonic sounds like a good idea has largely fueled the revival.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s that Silicon Valley mentality that you put money down on 20 things for one that does well,\u201d said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory. \u201cAgain, it sounds like a good idea. There\u2019s a good market for air transport and people want to fly fast. We had Concorde in the past so it sounds right \u2014 so let\u2019s put some money there.\u201d<p><p>Bruce McClelland, a senior contributing analyst at aerospace and defense industry analysis firm the Teal Group, added, \u201cA lot of projects attract money whether they\u2019re completely viable or not.\u201d<p><h2>3. It promises sustainability</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/QQJITAVHAJGNPENAPQCH5X5QSA.gif\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Boom's overture would seat 64 to 80 passengers and travel at Mach 1.7, more than twice as fast as a regular passenger plane. (Boom)</small></div><p>Companies say their new generation of supersonic jets will have a smaller carbon footprint, mostly because they will be fueled by sustainable aviation fuel. This is fuel is made from agricultural products including soybeans and animal fat.<p><p>But critics say that pledge ignores some significant realities. For instance, there isn\u2019t enough sustainable aviation fuel for planes that exist today. The sustainable aviation fuel that does exist is more expensive \u2014 by some estimates two to four times the cost of fossil fuel.<p><p>And no matter the fuel, the reality is supersonic jets will always use more of it. According to a 2022 study by International Council on Clean Transportation, supersonic jets could use seven to nine times as much fuel as regular commercial aircraft while carrying fewer passengers. But NASA\u2019s Coen contends that supersonic travel at least initially will be a very small part of overall CO2 emissions and a very small part of commercial aviation.<p><p>Even so, with airlines pledging to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, some say it\u2019s hard to understand how supersonic jets fit into that framework.<p><h2>4. It could be affordable for more people</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7DAIU32W4DKM63ILIOTZAYXTGI.JPG\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">The Concorde supersonic jet is lifted from a barge on the Hudson River to its resting place at the Intrepid Museum in New York City on Thursday. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)</small></div><p>The Concorde ended service because only a small slice of the flying public could ever afford a ticket, among other reasons, including a 2000 crash that <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/07/26/concorde-jet-crashes-near-paris-killing-113/95147ca4-a5ec-4bb2-8c16-c4312a66c16b/\" target=\"_blank\">killed 113 people</a> and <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/09/06/after-alterations-concorde-cleared-for-fall-takeoff/a9d515d3-558d-4283-ab04-1520ededc1dd/\" target=\"_blank\">grounded Concorde\u2019s supersonic planes</a> for a year. But today\u2019s entrepreneurs say supersonic travel can be affordable \u2014 though maybe not at first.<p><p>They point to Tesla and the burgeoning space tourism sector as an example of new modes of transportation that have and could eventually become accessible to a growing segment of the population.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VUFIHWCGS5H5BOTNUWSYRUGSBM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">A rendering of the interior of the supersonic jet designed by Exosonic. (Exosonic)</small></div><p>Analysts have their doubts, though, given how difficult it is for commercial airlines to stay afloat. Supersonic jets will carry fewer passengers and consume greater quantities of fuel. If that fuel is sustainable aviation fuel, those costs increase even more.<p><p>\u201cEssentially, the faster you fly, the more fuel you are burning per mile,\u201d said Iain Boyd, director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado at Boulder. \u201cSupersonic is always going to be more expensive.\u201d<p><h2>5. It could get even faster</h2><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/POC2JZVY55F3LFWZIAWBLIEYOM.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">An artist depiction of the Halycon aircraft by Hermeus. (Hermeus)</small></div><p>Hermeus, based in Atlanta is just one of the companies exploring the possibility of a an even faster, hypersonic commercial passenger jet. While supersonic aircraft travel faster than the speed of sound, hypersonic aircraft travel at speeds five times faster or more.<p><p>Translated: that would make a flight between New York and London \u2014 a 90-minute trip \u2014 about the same as flying from New York to D.C. on today\u2019s commercial aircraft.<p><p>The company\u2019s Halcyon jet would travel at Mach 5 \u2014<b> </b>or five times the speed of sound. A.J. Piplica, the company\u2019s chief executive, said the company is laying the groundwork for Halcyon by building hypersonic drones that could be used for defense and national security purposes.<p><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/Hermeus/20240306/65e8e28a0c720c056cd921a9/65e8e294b711eb5ff5a10ae3/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>But the company is open about the technological challenges it faces developing such a fast aircraft. Today, there\u2019s a less than 50 percent chance of getting Halcyon in the air, Piplica says \u2014 but he expects the odds to improve over time.<p><p>Even then, Hermeus \u2014 and all the start-ups \u2014 will have to convince the public to buy in and will have to grapple with growing concern about the impact of air travel on the environment. It could be a tall order.<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 10, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "Pro-Trump disruptions in Arizona county elevate fears for the 2024 vote", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "Pro-Trump disruptions in Arizona county elevate fears for the 2024 vote"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/trump-maricopa-arizona-supervisors-election-denial/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/18/trump-maricopa-arizona-supervisors-election-denial/", "summary": "2024-03-13T08:50:15.410Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/RGPD5JHP2BGGTGMFI56WTLFHQU/20240317-214801.014/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/Maricopa_County/20240315/65f4d20a14b6d033d030069b/65f4d46d5007d06111536a1f/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>PHOENIX \u2014 As the board of supervisors for Arizona\u2019s largest county abruptly ended a meeting late last month, a swarm of people rushed toward the dais, shouting that the members were illegitimate.<p><p>The Maricopa County leaders made a beeline for a side door and were swiftly escorted out of the chamber by security guards, who called for backup from the sheriff\u2019s office. After the meeting\u2019s live-feed went dead, a member of the crowd yelled that a \u201crevolution\u201d was underway.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019m here today to put you on public notice and to inform you that you are not our elected officials,\u201d said Michelle Klann, co-founder of a pro-Trump group, from a podium she had commandeered. \u201cThis is an act of insurrection. Due to all the voter fraud, you have never been formally voted in.\u201d<p><p>The scene at the Feb. 28 meeting terrified many Maricopa employees and others who were reminded of what happened after Joe Biden won the county \u2014 and, with it, Arizona \u2014 in the 2020 presidential race. Back then,<b> </b>Trump supporters used baseless fraud claims to try to pressure or scare elected leaders into changing the results for the metro Phoenix county, which is home to more than half of Arizona\u2019s residents.<p><p>Now, with another presidential election quickly approaching and Arizona again <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/09/election-worker-voting-preparation/\" target=\"_blank\">likely to be central</a> to Donald Trump\u2019s electoral strategy, the incident late last month has revived fears that officials responsible for running Maricopa County elections will be targeted with a campaign of<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/30/arizona-2020-election-violent-threats/\" target=\"_blank\"> threats and abuse</a> \u2014 or worse.<p><p>\u201cThis was an organized, coordinated attack,\u201d said one top county official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. \u201cIt was a dress rehearsal for the election.\u201d<p><p>Since the 2020 vote, the<b> </b>Maricopa supervisors \u2014 most of whom are Republicans \u2014 have faced <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/06/bill-gates-maricopa-county-arizona-ptsd/\" target=\"_blank\">relentless public ridicule</a>, conspiracy theories and death threats for signing off on the results and refusing to go along with Trump\u2019s efforts to overturn the outcome.<p><p>Trump\u2019s razor-thin loss of the state \u2014 a mere 10,457 votes of nearly 3.4 million cast \u2014 thrust its most important battleground county into the heart of national efforts to undermine confidence in elections.<p><p>Arizona voters in 2022 narrowly defeated Republican candidates for governor and other statewide offices who made election denialism a centerpiece of their campaigns. The issue remains a major animating force for the state\u2019s GOP, and Republican lawmakers have even gone so far as to try to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/03/18/arizona-republicans-maricopa-county-split/\" target=\"_blank\">break up Maricopa</a> in a move widely seen as retribution for the county\u2019s role in Trump\u2019s defeat.<p><p>Maricopa supervisors have become accustomed to the crowds of people who heckle and disparage them in public meetings, a tactic that has played out since the 2020 vote in localities around the nation, from <a href=\"https://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/shasta-county-cracks-down-on-conduct-at-meetings/article_54f9750e-bf79-11ee-9899-1ff18fa93a85.html\" target=\"_blank\">California</a> to <a href=\"https://www.votebeat.org/texas/2022/9/23/23368790/logic-accuracy-test-disrupted-hays-county-john-scott/\" target=\"_blank\">Texas</a>. In response to escalating disruptions, Maricopa officials have recently become more aggressive in ordering out unruly attendees or adjourning sessions early to try to avoid viral confrontations.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6E22IS4HGCFMLWZZFJZDQFB6ZQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">From left; Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Jack Sellers, Thomas Galvin, Bill Gates and Clint Hickman conduct their general election canvass meeting on Nov. 28, 2022, in Phoenix. (Matt York/AP)</small></div><p>But the chaotic ending to last month\u2019s meeting marked for some a new level of menace \u2014 one reminiscent of the tone preceding the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/january-6-capitol-riot/\" target=\"_blank\">Jan. 6, 2021</a>, attack on the U.S. Capitol \u2014 and illustrated the lengths to which Trump\u2019s supporters are willing to go in disrupting public proceedings. Trump\u2019s fraud claims were debunked long ago, but his most ardent backers remain unconvinced.<p><p>\u201cThere are people who have believed those messages \u2014 as false as they are \u2014 and are believing that they need to take action,\u201d said Tammy Patrick, the chief executive for programs at the National Association of Election Officials.<p><p>In the case of last month\u2019s meeting, the action taken ended peacefully.<b> </b>Outnumbered, the county\u2019s security staff waited for sheriff\u2019s deputies as they calmly ushered out the approximately 20-person crowd. No arrests were made.<p><p>Before the board met again in public last Wednesday, supervisors rehearsed emergency evacuation drills, according to people familiar with the training who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they are not allowed to talk about security measures publicly.<p><p>Video cameras were added to the chamber and about a dozen uniformed and undercover law enforcement officers or security guards stood watch during the meeting. Sheriff\u2019s deputies swarmed outside and, away from public view, members of a SWAT team had gathered in case they were needed. The board cordoned off rows of seats closest to the dais and required that speakers during the public comment period be escorted to the microphone.<p><p>The most popular portion of the meeting \u2014 a pet showcase that helps to match homeless dogs with new owners \u2014 took place virtually to reduce activity in the chamber and keep employees safe.<p><p>\u201cPlease know that this is done to protect your safety as well as ours,\u201d Jack Sellers (R), chairman of the board, told the crowd, speaking of the new security measures.<p><p>Outside the meeting, Klann and others asserted without evidence that the county board represented foreign interests \u2014 not constituents of Maricopa County. Klann declined to answer questions.<p><p>The crowd that confronted county leaders on Feb. 28 included supporters of<b> </b>a new Arizona-based anti-government group that Klann co-founded called The Peoples Operation Restoration. The group\u2019s website <a href=\"https://thepeoplesoperationrestoration.com/\" target=\"_blank\">features a painting of Trump </a>dressed as a Founding Father and riding a horse.<p><p>Citing false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and challenges to the validity of U.S. laws and structures, supporters<b> </b>have shown up to Maricopa meetings and offices in recent weeks delivering paperwork that falsely claims leaders are illegitimate and have broken the law.<p><p>Klann and supporters gained attention for a similar effort waged against <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/parents-mask-schools-surety-bonds-rcna16872\" target=\"_blank\">school boards around the nation</a> involving pandemic-era public health measures, said Katie McCarthy, an investigative researcher for the Anti-Defamation League\u2019s Center on Extremism. The strategy, she said, had served as a \u201charassing intimidation tactic\u201d that is now being echoed in the election denial movement in Arizona.<p><p>Some in the group that gathered outside the chamber on Wednesday said they did not recognize the county supervisors\u2019 authority because they do not believe the results of the 2020 election. They said they came to know each other during the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/maricopa-county-2020-audit/2021/05/17/28292932-b74a-11eb-a6b1-81296da0339b_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">post-2020 review of 1.1 million ballots</a> in metro Phoenix, which affirmed Biden\u2019s win.<p><p>\u201cWe\u2019d like them replaced,\u201d said Brenda Ireton, a pro-Trump Republican who said she views the board as \u201ccorrupt\u201d and \u201cbought and paid for\u201d by unknown interests.<p><p>Inside the chamber, the board moved quickly through its agenda. When the pro-Trump activists<b> </b>entered, about 15 minutes after the meeting had begun, at least one of them live-streamed on a phone while another carried professional-looking camera gear. As the meeting entered a period reserved for public comment, the group began to loudly complain that they were not allowed to speak. They had missed the deadline \u2014 10 minutes after the meeting had started \u2014 to submit paperwork to do so.<p><p>As the meeting barreled to an end and supervisors spoke about community events in their districts, the shouting began. Supervisor Thomas Galvin (R) thanked officers in the room for protecting them.<p><p>\u201cYou\u2019re an insurrectionist,\u201d a woman jeered.<p><p>Galvin shot back: \u201cYour performance is noted.\u201d The board chair stepped in, warning those disrupting the meeting that he would have them removed if they continued shouting.<p><p>\u201cEvery single two weeks we try to do this here,\u201d Galvin told the attendees. \u201cThis is the people\u2019s business \u2014 we represent 4.5 million people in this county. You don\u2019t get to control what people get to hear.\u201d<p><p>Amid another fraught election season, county leaders are drafting rules for public meetings as a way to try to force civility \u2014 and make clear the consequences for those who disrupt the board\u2019s work, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The county must vote on any proposed rules before they take effect, possibly within the next two months.<p><p>The rules could become critical to the board\u2019s ability to perform its duties, including the approval of election results. Supervisor Bill Gates (R) declined to speak about the proposed rules, but said that he appreciated the board chairman\u2019s work behind-the-scenes to try to balance First Amendment rights with the board\u2019s attempts to do its work without disruption.<p><p>\u201cIn a year filled with what\u2019s expected to be difficult meetings,\u201d said Gates, who has been the target of particularly <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/06/bill-gates-maricopa-county-arizona-ptsd/\" target=\"_blank\">intense attacks</a>, \u201cit\u2019s important to be able to maintain control.\u201d<p><p><i>Usero reported from Washington.</i><p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-03-13T08:50:15.410Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/RGPD5JHP2BGGTGMFI56WTLFHQU/20240317-214801.014/eleven-labs_en-US_Josh_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><video controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://d21rhj7n383afu.cloudfront.net/washpost-production/Maricopa_County/20240315/65f4d20a14b6d033d030069b/65f4d46d5007d06111536a1f/file_1920x1080-5400-v4.mp4\" width=\"100%\"></video><p>PHOENIX \u2014 As the board of supervisors for Arizona\u2019s largest county abruptly ended a meeting late last month, a swarm of people rushed toward the dais, shouting that the members were illegitimate.<p><p>The Maricopa County leaders made a beeline for a side door and were swiftly escorted out of the chamber by security guards, who called for backup from the sheriff\u2019s office. After the meeting\u2019s live-feed went dead, a member of the crowd yelled that a \u201crevolution\u201d was underway.<p><p>\u201cI\u2019m here today to put you on public notice and to inform you that you are not our elected officials,\u201d said Michelle Klann, co-founder of a pro-Trump group, from a podium she had commandeered. \u201cThis is an act of insurrection. Due to all the voter fraud, you have never been formally voted in.\u201d<p><p>The scene at the Feb. 28 meeting terrified many Maricopa employees and others who were reminded of what happened after Joe Biden won the county \u2014 and, with it, Arizona \u2014 in the 2020 presidential race. Back then,<b> </b>Trump supporters used baseless fraud claims to try to pressure or scare elected leaders into changing the results for the metro Phoenix county, which is home to more than half of Arizona\u2019s residents.<p><p>Now, with another presidential election quickly approaching and Arizona again <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/09/election-worker-voting-preparation/\" target=\"_blank\">likely to be central</a> to Donald Trump\u2019s electoral strategy, the incident late last month has revived fears that officials responsible for running Maricopa County elections will be targeted with a campaign of<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/30/arizona-2020-election-violent-threats/\" target=\"_blank\"> threats and abuse</a> \u2014 or worse.<p><p>\u201cThis was an organized, coordinated attack,\u201d said one top county official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. \u201cIt was a dress rehearsal for the election.\u201d<p><p>Since the 2020 vote, the<b> </b>Maricopa supervisors \u2014 most of whom are Republicans \u2014 have faced <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/06/bill-gates-maricopa-county-arizona-ptsd/\" target=\"_blank\">relentless public ridicule</a>, conspiracy theories and death threats for signing off on the results and refusing to go along with Trump\u2019s efforts to overturn the outcome.<p><p>Trump\u2019s razor-thin loss of the state \u2014 a mere 10,457 votes of nearly 3.4 million cast \u2014 thrust its most important battleground county into the heart of national efforts to undermine confidence in elections.<p><p>Arizona voters in 2022 narrowly defeated Republican candidates for governor and other statewide offices who made election denialism a centerpiece of their campaigns. The issue remains a major animating force for the state\u2019s GOP, and Republican lawmakers have even gone so far as to try to <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/03/18/arizona-republicans-maricopa-county-split/\" target=\"_blank\">break up Maricopa</a> in a move widely seen as retribution for the county\u2019s role in Trump\u2019s defeat.<p><p>Maricopa supervisors have become accustomed to the crowds of people who heckle and disparage them in public meetings, a tactic that has played out since the 2020 vote in localities around the nation, from <a href=\"https://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/shasta-county-cracks-down-on-conduct-at-meetings/article_54f9750e-bf79-11ee-9899-1ff18fa93a85.html\" target=\"_blank\">California</a> to <a href=\"https://www.votebeat.org/texas/2022/9/23/23368790/logic-accuracy-test-disrupted-hays-county-john-scott/\" target=\"_blank\">Texas</a>. In response to escalating disruptions, Maricopa officials have recently become more aggressive in ordering out unruly attendees or adjourning sessions early to try to avoid viral confrontations.<p><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6E22IS4HGCFMLWZZFJZDQFB6ZQ.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">From left; Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Jack Sellers, Thomas Galvin, Bill Gates and Clint Hickman conduct their general election canvass meeting on Nov. 28, 2022, in Phoenix. (Matt York/AP)</small></div><p>But the chaotic ending to last month\u2019s meeting marked for some a new level of menace \u2014 one reminiscent of the tone preceding the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/january-6-capitol-riot/\" target=\"_blank\">Jan. 6, 2021</a>, attack on the U.S. Capitol \u2014 and illustrated the lengths to which Trump\u2019s supporters are willing to go in disrupting public proceedings. Trump\u2019s fraud claims were debunked long ago, but his most ardent backers remain unconvinced.<p><p>\u201cThere are people who have believed those messages \u2014 as false as they are \u2014 and are believing that they need to take action,\u201d said Tammy Patrick, the chief executive for programs at the National Association of Election Officials.<p><p>In the case of last month\u2019s meeting, the action taken ended peacefully.<b> </b>Outnumbered, the county\u2019s security staff waited for sheriff\u2019s deputies as they calmly ushered out the approximately 20-person crowd. No arrests were made.<p><p>Before the board met again in public last Wednesday, supervisors rehearsed emergency evacuation drills, according to people familiar with the training who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they are not allowed to talk about security measures publicly.<p><p>Video cameras were added to the chamber and about a dozen uniformed and undercover law enforcement officers or security guards stood watch during the meeting. Sheriff\u2019s deputies swarmed outside and, away from public view, members of a SWAT team had gathered in case they were needed. The board cordoned off rows of seats closest to the dais and required that speakers during the public comment period be escorted to the microphone.<p><p>The most popular portion of the meeting \u2014 a pet showcase that helps to match homeless dogs with new owners \u2014 took place virtually to reduce activity in the chamber and keep employees safe.<p><p>\u201cPlease know that this is done to protect your safety as well as ours,\u201d Jack Sellers (R), chairman of the board, told the crowd, speaking of the new security measures.<p><p>Outside the meeting, Klann and others asserted without evidence that the county board represented foreign interests \u2014 not constituents of Maricopa County. Klann declined to answer questions.<p><p>The crowd that confronted county leaders on Feb. 28 included supporters of<b> </b>a new Arizona-based anti-government group that Klann co-founded called The Peoples Operation Restoration. The group\u2019s website <a href=\"https://thepeoplesoperationrestoration.com/\" target=\"_blank\">features a painting of Trump </a>dressed as a Founding Father and riding a horse.<p><p>Citing false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and challenges to the validity of U.S. laws and structures, supporters<b> </b>have shown up to Maricopa meetings and offices in recent weeks delivering paperwork that falsely claims leaders are illegitimate and have broken the law.<p><p>Klann and supporters gained attention for a similar effort waged against <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/parents-mask-schools-surety-bonds-rcna16872\" target=\"_blank\">school boards around the nation</a> involving pandemic-era public health measures, said Katie McCarthy, an investigative researcher for the Anti-Defamation League\u2019s Center on Extremism. The strategy, she said, had served as a \u201charassing intimidation tactic\u201d that is now being echoed in the election denial movement in Arizona.<p><p>Some in the group that gathered outside the chamber on Wednesday said they did not recognize the county supervisors\u2019 authority because they do not believe the results of the 2020 election. They said they came to know each other during the <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/maricopa-county-2020-audit/2021/05/17/28292932-b74a-11eb-a6b1-81296da0339b_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">post-2020 review of 1.1 million ballots</a> in metro Phoenix, which affirmed Biden\u2019s win.<p><p>\u201cWe\u2019d like them replaced,\u201d said Brenda Ireton, a pro-Trump Republican who said she views the board as \u201ccorrupt\u201d and \u201cbought and paid for\u201d by unknown interests.<p><p>Inside the chamber, the board moved quickly through its agenda. When the pro-Trump activists<b> </b>entered, about 15 minutes after the meeting had begun, at least one of them live-streamed on a phone while another carried professional-looking camera gear. As the meeting entered a period reserved for public comment, the group began to loudly complain that they were not allowed to speak. They had missed the deadline \u2014 10 minutes after the meeting had started \u2014 to submit paperwork to do so.<p><p>As the meeting barreled to an end and supervisors spoke about community events in their districts, the shouting began. Supervisor Thomas Galvin (R) thanked officers in the room for protecting them.<p><p>\u201cYou\u2019re an insurrectionist,\u201d a woman jeered.<p><p>Galvin shot back: \u201cYour performance is noted.\u201d The board chair stepped in, warning those disrupting the meeting that he would have them removed if they continued shouting.<p><p>\u201cEvery single two weeks we try to do this here,\u201d Galvin told the attendees. \u201cThis is the people\u2019s business \u2014 we represent 4.5 million people in this county. You don\u2019t get to control what people get to hear.\u201d<p><p>Amid another fraught election season, county leaders are drafting rules for public meetings as a way to try to force civility \u2014 and make clear the consequences for those who disrupt the board\u2019s work, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The county must vote on any proposed rules before they take effect, possibly within the next two months.<p><p>The rules could become critical to the board\u2019s ability to perform its duties, including the approval of election results. Supervisor Bill Gates (R) declined to speak about the proposed rules, but said that he appreciated the board chairman\u2019s work behind-the-scenes to try to balance First Amendment rights with the board\u2019s attempts to do its work without disruption.<p><p>\u201cIn a year filled with what\u2019s expected to be difficult meetings,\u201d said Gates, who has been the target of particularly <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/06/bill-gates-maricopa-county-arizona-ptsd/\" target=\"_blank\">intense attacks</a>, \u201cit\u2019s important to be able to maintain control.\u201d<p><p><i>Usero reported from Washington.</i><p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 10, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}, {"title": "On Fox News, Steve Doocy has become the unexpected voice of dissent", "title_detail": {"type": "text/plain", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "On Fox News, Steve Doocy has become the unexpected voice of dissent"}, "links": [{"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "href": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/03/18/steve-doocy-fox-news-dissent/"}], "link": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/03/18/steve-doocy-fox-news-dissent/", "summary": "2024-02-27T21:29:15.338Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/KD5V7MJRBRBZTCIM2KT5JB37YU/20240316-001531.313/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VIHD2JWJOH35K5XCYLHIHCUPCE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Steve Doocy, on set in August at Fox News studios in New York, has become more critical of Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, over the past year on \u201cFox & Friends.\u201d (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)</small></div><p>It was just after 6 a.m., and Steve Doocy was already going against the grain.<p><p>\u201cWe don\u2019t have any privacy!\u201d his \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d co-host Ainsley Earhardt was fretting.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable!\u201d concurred another co-host, Lawrence Jones.<p><p>Their outrage was sparked during that mid-January broadcast by a new allegation that federal officials had asked banks to monitor purchases from outdoors-gear retailers like Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods \u2014 in an effort to flag potential extremists who might have participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. On a network like Fox News that employs pundits who have downplayed the violence at the U.S. Capitol, this was troubling stuff. Earhardt deemed such scrutiny \u201can invasion\u201d; a fourth co-host, Brian Kilmeade, mused about government intimidation.<p><p>But Doocy, a host of Fox\u2019s enduring morning show since 1998, simply did not share their alarm.<p><p>\u201cIt seems like, you attack a federal officer, there\u2019s going to be a federal investigation,\u201d he replied.<p><p>Doocy\u2019s swerve was the latest illustration of his surprise emergence as the resident dissenter on \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d \u2014 a rare member of the Fox News opinion wing who is challenging conventional Republican wisdom on a regular basis.<p><p>In particular, Doocy has stood out as a skeptic of congressional investigations into Joe and Hunter Biden, bucking the party line while Fox hosts like Sean Hannity regularly decry what they call \u201cthe Biden crime family.\u201d He has also emphasized the significance \u2014 and veracity \u2014 of the legal challenges facing Trump, talked up Trump challengers like Nikki Haley, and dinged the MAGA wing of the Republican Party.<p><p>Doocy lately seems to enjoy sparking hot-button on-screen debate at a time of day when television viewers are accustomed to light banter and soft segments. And he\u2019s doing so in an era when Fox\u2019s sway over the direction of the Republican Party has never been greater. With most other Fox hosts now rallying behind Trump\u2019s 2024 campaign, Doocy\u2019s presence suggests hidden pockets of pushback<b> </b>at the network.<p><p>\u201cWhat\u2019s happened to you, Steve?\u201d Hannity asked on another January broadcast, after Doocy cited an outlier poll showing Haley gaining on Trump in New Hampshire. \u201cAre you moving to the left on me?\u201d<p><p>Doocy laughed but dodged the question. \u201cI\u2019m screen-left right now,\u201d he joked.<p><p>\u201cHe gets to express some skepticism about the narratives that are being pushed on his show that you don\u2019t get from anyone else,\u201d said Daniel Cassino, a Fairleigh Dickinson University professor who wrote a 2016 book about Fox News. \u201cHe\u2019s not there as part of the ideological project. He\u2019s there as an affable morning TV host.\u201d<p><p>Doocy first made waves in 2021, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2021/07/20/steve-doocy-vaccines-fox/\" target=\"_blank\">when he emerged as a prominent promoter of the coronavirus vaccine</a>, even as some of his prime time counterparts <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2021/05/14/fox-vaccine-mixed-message/\" target=\"_blank\">raised concerns and fed doubts</a>. In one typical exchange that year, Jones argued that some people don\u2019t see the point of getting vaccinated because of \u201cdisinformation\u201d and conflicting guidance from the CDC.<p><p>\u201cWhat\u2019s the use of doing it?\u201d Jones said. \u201cWhy?\u201d<p><p>\u201cWell, you won\u2019t die,\u201d Doocy retorted. \u201cThat\u2019s a good reason.\u201d<p><p>In downplaying the findings of the Biden impeachment investigation, Doocy has frequently clashed with Kilmeade over the latter\u2019s enthusiasm for the GOP impeachment inquiries.<p><p>\u201cThe Republicans have yet to produce any direct evidence of misconduct by Joe Biden,\u201d Doocy declared recently.<p><p>Kilmeade persisted. \u201cBut man, man, does this look absolutely terrible,\u201d citing a bevy of Biden family activities that some Republican lawmakers insist seem suspicious. \u201cI think there is evidence,\u201d Earhardt interjected. When Doocy noted that many lawmakers have said they see no evidence of misconduct by the president, she countered, \u201cthere are many who say that they have.\u201d<p><p>Things got even more heated when Doocy <a href=\"https://www.mediaite.com/tv/let-me-finish-steve-doocy-dukes-it-out-with-brian-kilmeade-after-telling-co-host-theres-no-smoking-gun-on-biden/\" target=\"_blank\">made the same argument in August</a>. Kilmeade, \u201cvehemently\u201d disagreeing, told Doocy to \u201clet me finish.\u201d<p><p>\u201cLet <i>me</i> finish!\u201d Doocy responded. \u201cI started!\u201d He challenged Kilmeade to cite which laws the president broke. \u201cJust answer the question,\u201d he persisted when Kilmeade hedged. \u201cWhat law did he break?\u201d And when Earhardt, siding with Kilmeade, maintained that \u201cAmericans are \u201cwatching [the Bidens] get away with so much,\u201d Doocy ran out of patience.<p><p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know what they have gotten away with yet!\u201d he exclaimed, before shutting down Kilmeade\u2019s rebuttal: \u201cYou know what? We disagree about this!\u201d he said, stating the obvious. \u201cJust saying.\u201d<p><p>Doocy\u2019s co-stars have also dinged him for using political language (\u201creproductive rights\u201d) more common in Democratic circles. And it often falls to Earhardt to break the tension and restore the merry morning banter.<p><p>\u201cGuys, guys, we have so many great stories we\u2019ve got to get to,\u201d she said last month, interrupting a dispute over Ukraine to preview a celebrity guest. \u201cWe need to talk about Brad Paisley.\u201d<p><p>Doocy\u2019s increasingly frequent brush backs to Republican orthodoxy and<b> </b>clashes with his co-hosts have become a touchstone for the social-media account Decoding Fox News, which has taken to zooming in on Kilmeade\u2019s frustrated face at these moments.<p><p>\u201cI have a folder labeled \u2018Doocy goes rogue\u2019 because he does it so often,\u201d said Juliet Jeske, who runs the account on Substack.<p><p>Through a spokesperson, Doocy declined an interview request. But current and former Fox News employees said that Doocy and Kilmeade generally get along off-camera, even as their interactions often seem heated on television.<p><p>\u201cThey were cordial, but I wouldn\u2019t say they were buddy-buddy either,\u201d said a former \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships. Considering that dynamic, the person said they were \u201csurprised\u201d about the recent clashes, chalking it up to the more fraught political atmosphere in the era of Trump.<p><p>\u201cDoocy\u2019s previous philosophy was \u2018Give the viewers what they want,\u2019\u201d another former Fox News staffer said. \u201cSomething has changed, and I think there is tension as a result on set.\u201d<p><p>Or, possibly, the broadcast veteran has simply rediscovered the value of a good on-air political brawl. Outside of its <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/01/12/fox-the-five-ratings-champ-tucker/\" target=\"_blank\">talk show \u201cThe Five,\u201d</a> those kinds of throw-downs are less common these days on Fox News, as it increasingly fills its airwaves with pundits and guests who share their audience\u2019s worldview.<p><p>\u201cI hope there are different points of view,\u201d <a href=\"https://www.mediaite.com/tv/steve-doocy-looks-back-on-25-years-at-fox-friends-a-mediaite-qa/\" target=\"_blank\">Doocy told an interviewer in 2021</a>, \u201cbecause it would be really boring if there weren\u2019t.\u201d<p><p>While his opinion-side colleagues at Fox have sold millions of copies of conservative polemics, Doocy\u2019s books have been about cooking, fatherhood and marriage \u2014 reflective of his roots in a gentler style of broadcasting.<p><p>He got his start as a features reporter for the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C. In her 2021 memoir, former colleague Katie Couric described him as \u201ca benignly funny features guy\u201d; Doocy even emceed the future \u201cToday\u201d host\u2019s wedding.<p><p>In the early 1990s, he hosted a show for children called \u201cNot Just News.\u201d Doocy <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_bQpHk3Ftw\" target=\"_blank\">began each episode</a> by greeting the audience with \u201cHowdy, kids,\u201d to which they replied, \u201cHowdy, Doocy!\u201d<p><p>In addition to debating his co-hosts, Doocy over the past year has also shown a willingness to challenge congressional Republicans \u2014 a relative rarity during the opinion hours on Fox.<p><p>In early February, he clashed with Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) over the majority whip\u2019s opposition to an immigration reform bill. \u201cAre Republicans going to say that the Border Patrol union and acting [Customs and Border Protection] chief are wrong?\u201d Doocy asked, citing two constituencies that had backed the bill.<p><p>When Emmer countered that \u201cthey can have their perspective,\u201d Doocy shot back, \u201cit\u2019s their jobs, Tom!\u201d<p><p>Doocy has been such a thorn in the side of GOP leaders attempting to investigate the Bidens that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said in December that he\u2019s boycotting \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d because of him.<p><p>\u201cHe\u2019s the one guy on Fox that\u2019s been very critical of the investigation,\u201d Comer told Newsmax host Eric Bolling, adding ominously, \u201cI have my theory why. We\u2019ll talk about that at a later point.\u201d<p><p>Doocy\u2019s contrary stances have endeared him to many of Fox\u2019s most prominent watchdogs and critics \u2014 with caveats.<p><p>\u201cDoocy\u2019s trying to drag Fox one percent closer back to the center of reality,\u201d former CNN anchor and Fox-watcher Brian Stelter told The Post.<p><p>Still, he described Doocy\u2019s brush backs as \u201clove taps, not punches,\u201d and said that \u201cmicrodoses of truth only stand out because they\u2019re so rare everywhere else on Fox.\u201d<p><p>Stelter added that Doocy is \u201cnot going above and beyond\u201d in the way he challenges Republican talking points. \u201cBut on \u2018Fox &amp; Friends,\u2019 the bare minimum is a big deal.\u201d (In response, a Fox News spokesperson issued a statement dismissing Stelter\u2019s credibility.)<p><p>But he\u2019s doing more than enough to irk Trump, who once saw Doocy as a reliable backer. (<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/04/report-trump-has-loyalty-scale-fox-news-hosts/\" target=\"_blank\">The New Yorker reported in 2019</a> that Trump had rated him 12 out of 10 for loyalty.)<p><p>Doocy has \u201calways been so nice to me for years,\u201d the former president told an interviewer in September. \u201cI would say over the last year, I don\u2019t know, he just seems to be not nice like he should be.\u201d<p><p>In a TruthSocial post in January, Trump agonized about Doocy: \u201cWhatever happened to that guy???\u201d Later, he blamed Doocy (an \u201cunwatchable RINO [Republican in name only]\u201d) for a mild decline in the \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d ratings. (The show remains the most viewed cable-news morning show, as it has been for 22 years)<p><p>Trump\u2019s ire might stem from Doocy\u2019s persistent position that the former president did not win the 2020 election \u2014 and should acknowledge as much. Doocy reiterated that belief during a deposition with lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems, which sued over Fox\u2019s coverage of the 2020 election.<b> </b>\u201cThere simply was no evidence \u2026 of these claims,\u201d Doocy told them.<p><p>He has also pushed back on Republican efforts to explain away the four criminal indictments that Trump is facing. During an August segment, Doocy pressed Trump lawyer Alina Habba on what \u201cinside information\u201d she has to back up her argument that the racketeering case against her client in Fulton County, Ga., does not pose a significant threat to him.<p><p>Habba began answering his question, and then broke the fourth wall.<p><p>\u201cYou used to love Trump,\u201d she complained.<p><p>Doocy smiled and said nothing.<p>", "summary_detail": {"type": "text/html", "language": null, "base": "https://feedx.net/rss/washingtonpost.xml", "value": "2024-02-27T21:29:15.338Z<div><audio controls=\"controls\" src=\"https://audio-articles.lionfish.media.aws.wapo.pub/KD5V7MJRBRBZTCIM2KT5JB37YU/20240316-001531.313/eleven-labs_en-US_Maya_standard_audio.mp3\" style=\"height: 53px;\"></audio></div><img src=\"https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VIHD2JWJOH35K5XCYLHIHCUPCE.jpg\" width=\"100%\" /><div><small style=\"color: #999;\">Steve Doocy, on set in August at Fox News studios in New York, has become more critical of Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, over the past year on \u201cFox & Friends.\u201d (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)</small></div><p>It was just after 6 a.m., and Steve Doocy was already going against the grain.<p><p>\u201cWe don\u2019t have any privacy!\u201d his \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d co-host Ainsley Earhardt was fretting.<p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable!\u201d concurred another co-host, Lawrence Jones.<p><p>Their outrage was sparked during that mid-January broadcast by a new allegation that federal officials had asked banks to monitor purchases from outdoors-gear retailers like Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods \u2014 in an effort to flag potential extremists who might have participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. On a network like Fox News that employs pundits who have downplayed the violence at the U.S. Capitol, this was troubling stuff. Earhardt deemed such scrutiny \u201can invasion\u201d; a fourth co-host, Brian Kilmeade, mused about government intimidation.<p><p>But Doocy, a host of Fox\u2019s enduring morning show since 1998, simply did not share their alarm.<p><p>\u201cIt seems like, you attack a federal officer, there\u2019s going to be a federal investigation,\u201d he replied.<p><p>Doocy\u2019s swerve was the latest illustration of his surprise emergence as the resident dissenter on \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d \u2014 a rare member of the Fox News opinion wing who is challenging conventional Republican wisdom on a regular basis.<p><p>In particular, Doocy has stood out as a skeptic of congressional investigations into Joe and Hunter Biden, bucking the party line while Fox hosts like Sean Hannity regularly decry what they call \u201cthe Biden crime family.\u201d He has also emphasized the significance \u2014 and veracity \u2014 of the legal challenges facing Trump, talked up Trump challengers like Nikki Haley, and dinged the MAGA wing of the Republican Party.<p><p>Doocy lately seems to enjoy sparking hot-button on-screen debate at a time of day when television viewers are accustomed to light banter and soft segments. And he\u2019s doing so in an era when Fox\u2019s sway over the direction of the Republican Party has never been greater. With most other Fox hosts now rallying behind Trump\u2019s 2024 campaign, Doocy\u2019s presence suggests hidden pockets of pushback<b> </b>at the network.<p><p>\u201cWhat\u2019s happened to you, Steve?\u201d Hannity asked on another January broadcast, after Doocy cited an outlier poll showing Haley gaining on Trump in New Hampshire. \u201cAre you moving to the left on me?\u201d<p><p>Doocy laughed but dodged the question. \u201cI\u2019m screen-left right now,\u201d he joked.<p><p>\u201cHe gets to express some skepticism about the narratives that are being pushed on his show that you don\u2019t get from anyone else,\u201d said Daniel Cassino, a Fairleigh Dickinson University professor who wrote a 2016 book about Fox News. \u201cHe\u2019s not there as part of the ideological project. He\u2019s there as an affable morning TV host.\u201d<p><p>Doocy first made waves in 2021, <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2021/07/20/steve-doocy-vaccines-fox/\" target=\"_blank\">when he emerged as a prominent promoter of the coronavirus vaccine</a>, even as some of his prime time counterparts <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2021/05/14/fox-vaccine-mixed-message/\" target=\"_blank\">raised concerns and fed doubts</a>. In one typical exchange that year, Jones argued that some people don\u2019t see the point of getting vaccinated because of \u201cdisinformation\u201d and conflicting guidance from the CDC.<p><p>\u201cWhat\u2019s the use of doing it?\u201d Jones said. \u201cWhy?\u201d<p><p>\u201cWell, you won\u2019t die,\u201d Doocy retorted. \u201cThat\u2019s a good reason.\u201d<p><p>In downplaying the findings of the Biden impeachment investigation, Doocy has frequently clashed with Kilmeade over the latter\u2019s enthusiasm for the GOP impeachment inquiries.<p><p>\u201cThe Republicans have yet to produce any direct evidence of misconduct by Joe Biden,\u201d Doocy declared recently.<p><p>Kilmeade persisted. \u201cBut man, man, does this look absolutely terrible,\u201d citing a bevy of Biden family activities that some Republican lawmakers insist seem suspicious. \u201cI think there is evidence,\u201d Earhardt interjected. When Doocy noted that many lawmakers have said they see no evidence of misconduct by the president, she countered, \u201cthere are many who say that they have.\u201d<p><p>Things got even more heated when Doocy <a href=\"https://www.mediaite.com/tv/let-me-finish-steve-doocy-dukes-it-out-with-brian-kilmeade-after-telling-co-host-theres-no-smoking-gun-on-biden/\" target=\"_blank\">made the same argument in August</a>. Kilmeade, \u201cvehemently\u201d disagreeing, told Doocy to \u201clet me finish.\u201d<p><p>\u201cLet <i>me</i> finish!\u201d Doocy responded. \u201cI started!\u201d He challenged Kilmeade to cite which laws the president broke. \u201cJust answer the question,\u201d he persisted when Kilmeade hedged. \u201cWhat law did he break?\u201d And when Earhardt, siding with Kilmeade, maintained that \u201cAmericans are \u201cwatching [the Bidens] get away with so much,\u201d Doocy ran out of patience.<p><p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know what they have gotten away with yet!\u201d he exclaimed, before shutting down Kilmeade\u2019s rebuttal: \u201cYou know what? We disagree about this!\u201d he said, stating the obvious. \u201cJust saying.\u201d<p><p>Doocy\u2019s co-stars have also dinged him for using political language (\u201creproductive rights\u201d) more common in Democratic circles. And it often falls to Earhardt to break the tension and restore the merry morning banter.<p><p>\u201cGuys, guys, we have so many great stories we\u2019ve got to get to,\u201d she said last month, interrupting a dispute over Ukraine to preview a celebrity guest. \u201cWe need to talk about Brad Paisley.\u201d<p><p>Doocy\u2019s increasingly frequent brush backs to Republican orthodoxy and<b> </b>clashes with his co-hosts have become a touchstone for the social-media account Decoding Fox News, which has taken to zooming in on Kilmeade\u2019s frustrated face at these moments.<p><p>\u201cI have a folder labeled \u2018Doocy goes rogue\u2019 because he does it so often,\u201d said Juliet Jeske, who runs the account on Substack.<p><p>Through a spokesperson, Doocy declined an interview request. But current and former Fox News employees said that Doocy and Kilmeade generally get along off-camera, even as their interactions often seem heated on television.<p><p>\u201cThey were cordial, but I wouldn\u2019t say they were buddy-buddy either,\u201d said a former \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships. Considering that dynamic, the person said they were \u201csurprised\u201d about the recent clashes, chalking it up to the more fraught political atmosphere in the era of Trump.<p><p>\u201cDoocy\u2019s previous philosophy was \u2018Give the viewers what they want,\u2019\u201d another former Fox News staffer said. \u201cSomething has changed, and I think there is tension as a result on set.\u201d<p><p>Or, possibly, the broadcast veteran has simply rediscovered the value of a good on-air political brawl. Outside of its <a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/01/12/fox-the-five-ratings-champ-tucker/\" target=\"_blank\">talk show \u201cThe Five,\u201d</a> those kinds of throw-downs are less common these days on Fox News, as it increasingly fills its airwaves with pundits and guests who share their audience\u2019s worldview.<p><p>\u201cI hope there are different points of view,\u201d <a href=\"https://www.mediaite.com/tv/steve-doocy-looks-back-on-25-years-at-fox-friends-a-mediaite-qa/\" target=\"_blank\">Doocy told an interviewer in 2021</a>, \u201cbecause it would be really boring if there weren\u2019t.\u201d<p><p>While his opinion-side colleagues at Fox have sold millions of copies of conservative polemics, Doocy\u2019s books have been about cooking, fatherhood and marriage \u2014 reflective of his roots in a gentler style of broadcasting.<p><p>He got his start as a features reporter for the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C. In her 2021 memoir, former colleague Katie Couric described him as \u201ca benignly funny features guy\u201d; Doocy even emceed the future \u201cToday\u201d host\u2019s wedding.<p><p>In the early 1990s, he hosted a show for children called \u201cNot Just News.\u201d Doocy <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_bQpHk3Ftw\" target=\"_blank\">began each episode</a> by greeting the audience with \u201cHowdy, kids,\u201d to which they replied, \u201cHowdy, Doocy!\u201d<p><p>In addition to debating his co-hosts, Doocy over the past year has also shown a willingness to challenge congressional Republicans \u2014 a relative rarity during the opinion hours on Fox.<p><p>In early February, he clashed with Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) over the majority whip\u2019s opposition to an immigration reform bill. \u201cAre Republicans going to say that the Border Patrol union and acting [Customs and Border Protection] chief are wrong?\u201d Doocy asked, citing two constituencies that had backed the bill.<p><p>When Emmer countered that \u201cthey can have their perspective,\u201d Doocy shot back, \u201cit\u2019s their jobs, Tom!\u201d<p><p>Doocy has been such a thorn in the side of GOP leaders attempting to investigate the Bidens that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said in December that he\u2019s boycotting \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d because of him.<p><p>\u201cHe\u2019s the one guy on Fox that\u2019s been very critical of the investigation,\u201d Comer told Newsmax host Eric Bolling, adding ominously, \u201cI have my theory why. We\u2019ll talk about that at a later point.\u201d<p><p>Doocy\u2019s contrary stances have endeared him to many of Fox\u2019s most prominent watchdogs and critics \u2014 with caveats.<p><p>\u201cDoocy\u2019s trying to drag Fox one percent closer back to the center of reality,\u201d former CNN anchor and Fox-watcher Brian Stelter told The Post.<p><p>Still, he described Doocy\u2019s brush backs as \u201clove taps, not punches,\u201d and said that \u201cmicrodoses of truth only stand out because they\u2019re so rare everywhere else on Fox.\u201d<p><p>Stelter added that Doocy is \u201cnot going above and beyond\u201d in the way he challenges Republican talking points. \u201cBut on \u2018Fox &amp; Friends,\u2019 the bare minimum is a big deal.\u201d (In response, a Fox News spokesperson issued a statement dismissing Stelter\u2019s credibility.)<p><p>But he\u2019s doing more than enough to irk Trump, who once saw Doocy as a reliable backer. (<a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/04/report-trump-has-loyalty-scale-fox-news-hosts/\" target=\"_blank\">The New Yorker reported in 2019</a> that Trump had rated him 12 out of 10 for loyalty.)<p><p>Doocy has \u201calways been so nice to me for years,\u201d the former president told an interviewer in September. \u201cI would say over the last year, I don\u2019t know, he just seems to be not nice like he should be.\u201d<p><p>In a TruthSocial post in January, Trump agonized about Doocy: \u201cWhatever happened to that guy???\u201d Later, he blamed Doocy (an \u201cunwatchable RINO [Republican in name only]\u201d) for a mild decline in the \u201cFox &amp; Friends\u201d ratings. (The show remains the most viewed cable-news morning show, as it has been for 22 years)<p><p>Trump\u2019s ire might stem from Doocy\u2019s persistent position that the former president did not win the 2020 election \u2014 and should acknowledge as much. Doocy reiterated that belief during a deposition with lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems, which sued over Fox\u2019s coverage of the 2020 election.<b> </b>\u201cThere simply was no evidence \u2026 of these claims,\u201d Doocy told them.<p><p>He has also pushed back on Republican efforts to explain away the four criminal indictments that Trump is facing. During an August segment, Doocy pressed Trump lawyer Alina Habba on what \u201cinside information\u201d she has to back up her argument that the racketeering case against her client in Fulton County, Ga., does not pose a significant threat to him.<p><p>Habba began answering his question, and then broke the fourth wall.<p><p>\u201cYou used to love Trump,\u201d she complained.<p><p>Doocy smiled and said nothing.<p>"}, "published": "Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:24:11 +0800", "published_parsed": [2024, 3, 18, 10, 24, 11, 0, 78, 0]}]}


