,D ECEMBER Military justice system overhaul sidelined

MILAN — Italy is making life more un-

comfortable for unvaccinated people this

holiday season, excluding them from indoor

restaurants, theaters and museums starting

Monday to reduce the spread of coronavi-

rus and encourage vaccine skeptics to get

their shots.

Italian police have been empowered to

check whether diners in restaurants or bars

have a “super” green health pass certifying

that they are either vaccinated or have re-

cently recovered from the virus. Smart

phone applications that verify people’s

health pass status have been updated to pre-

No pass,no pastaUnvaccinated Italians face morerestrictions as holidays approach

Carabinieri policemen check the greenhealth pass of restaurant diners in Romeon Monday. Italian police can checkwhether diners in restaurants or bars havebeen certified as either vaccinated orhaving recently recovered from the virus.

ANDREW MEDICHINI/AP

BY COLLEEN BARRY

Associated Press

VIRUS OUTBREAK

SEE PASS ON PAGE 6

Volume 80 Edition 167 ©SS 2021 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas

stripes.com

MILITARY

Pearl Harborsurvivor returns80 years laterPage 4

MILITARY

Report: China wants navy base in West AfricaPage 3

FACES

Bidens attendKennedy CenterHonors ceremony4

Deciding when to gamble tough choice for coaches ›› NFL: On football, Page 24

A widely popular proposal to

force sweeping changes in how

the military prosecutes felony

crimes is likely to be left out of this

year’s defense authorization bill,

according to people familiar with

the matter, ending for now what

advocates called watershed legis-

lation for equal justice in favor of a

competing plan that focuses more

narrowly on sexual assault and re-

lated offenses.

The proposal to establish an in-

dependent authority to determine

when charges should be filed for

numerous crimes was spearhead-

ed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-

N.Y. For years, she has promoted

this approach as the best way to

dissociate the military justice sys-

tem from the biases of command-

ers and ensure crime victims —

particularly women and minori-

ties — cannot be silenced or de-

nied justice by their superiors.

Gillibrand’s legislation struck a

rare sweet spot in congressional

politics this year, winning the sup-

port of most Democrats and a

broad coalition of Republicans,

and clear majorities in the Senate

and the House. But last-minute

procedural setbacks, coupled with

resistance from the Pentagon,

have sapped the momentum it

previously enjoyed.

Based on more than a dozen in-

terviews with senior officials and

advocates familiar with private

negotiations on Capitol Hill, it ap-

pears the Gillibrand provision,

Military justice system overhaul sidelinedBY KAROUN DEMIRJIAN

The Washington Post

Proposal with broad bipartisan support to be struck in favor of alternative with narrower focus on sex assault

SEE JUSTICE ON PAGE 5

• S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Tuesday, December 7, 2021

BUSINESS/WEATHER

BATON ROUGE, La. — Insur-

ance companies operating in

Louisiana will be charged at

least $100 million to pay the

claims of two failed property in-

surers who went belly up in Hur-

ricane Ida’s aftermath. But the

cost of dealing with the insolvent

insurers ultimately will fall on

the state after companies recoup

the dollars through a series of

tax credits.

The Advocate reports that the

board of the Louisiana Insur-

ance Guaranty Association — a

state-sponsored safety net for

policyholders — voted for the

first time since 2004 to charge

insurers 1% of their net written

premiums to help fill its coffers.

The guaranty fund, known as

LIGA, covers claims for policy-

holders whose insurers become

insolvent.

Its work is being triggered af-

ter the state insurance depart-

ment in mid-November took

control of two regional insurers

whose finances tanked following

Hurricane Ida: Access Home In-

surance Co. and State National

Fire Insurance Co.

The two companies provided

coverage for around 28,000

homeowners.

Access Home Insurance re-

ceived claims totaling around

$180 million following Ida and

had just $115 million in reinsu-

rance and cash available. Mean-

while, State National Fire Insur-

ance logged more than $70 mil-

lion in claims with $41 million

on-hand, Wells said.

2 La. insurance firms fail after Hurricane IdaAssociated Press

Bahrain72/69

Baghdad68/48

Doha78/57

Kuwait City70/56

Riyadh71/55

Kandahar

Kabul

Djibouti84/73

TUESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Mildenhall/Lakenheath

42/32

Ramstein36/33

Stuttgart39/33

Lajes,Azores62/59

Rota59/48

Morón64/39 Sigonella

62/50

Naples49/41

Aviano/Vicenza40/28

Pápa35/27

Souda Bay60/55

Brussels41/35

Zagan29/22

DrawskoPomorskie

25/22

TUESDAY IN EUROPE

Misawa47/44

Guam83/80

Tokyo47/44

Okinawa70/67

Sasebo57/52

Iwakuni56/52

Seoul47/31

Osan49/32

Busan54/47

The weather is provided by the American Forces Network Weather Center,

2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

WEDNESDAY IN THE PACIFIC

WEATHER OUTLOOK

TODAYIN STRIPES

American Roundup ...... 11Classified .................... 13Comics .........................16Crossword ................... 16Faces .......................... 14Opinion ........................ 15Sports .................... 18-24

Military rates

Euro costs (Dec. 7) $1.10Dollar buys (Dec. 7) 0.8633British pound (Dec. 7) $1.30Japanese yen (Dec. 7) 110.00South Korean won (Dec. 7) 1153.00

Commercial rates

Bahrain(Dinar) 0.3769Britain (Pound) 1.3243Canada (Dollar) 1.2788China(Yuan) 6.3767Denmark (Krone) 6.5871Egypt (Pound) 15.7182Euro 0.8858Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7989Hungary (Forint) 323.21Israel (Shekel) 3.1685Japan (Yen) 112.63Kuwait(Dinar) 0.3027

Norway (Krone) 9.1097

Philippines (Peso) 50.40Poland (Zloty) 4.07Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7510Singapore (Dollar) 1.3690

South Korea (Won) 1182.03Switzerland (Franc) 0.9237Thailand (Baht) 33.82Turkey (NewLira) 13.7625

(Military exchange rates are those availableto customers at military banking facilities in thecountry of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger-many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur-chasing British pounds in Germany), check withyour local military banking facility. Commercialrates are interbank rates provided for referencewhen buying currency. All figures are foreigncurrencies to one dollar, except for the Britishpound, which is represented in dollars-to-pound, and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.)

INTEREST RATES

Prime rate 3.25Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75Federal funds market rate 0.093-month bill 0.0630-year bond 1.67

EXCHANGE RATES

Tuesday, December 7, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 3

MILITARY

Images of an Air Force mainte-

nance crew sent to repair an F-16

Fighting Falcon in northeastern

Japan appeared on Twitter over

the weekend, days after the jet jet-

tisoned two fuel tanks on a nearby

town.

Photos and video show the 11

crew members lined up on an Ao-

mori Airport ramp beside a snow-

man as the F-16 taxis away past

mounds of snow. Other images

show an airman making the snow-

man on the tarmac.

Still more images show the air-

men bowing and waving at the

camera after the aircraft depart-

ed.

The images were originally

captured by live weather cameras

at the airport or a local TV station,

according to the tweets. Twitter

users identified the F-16 as the

same aircraft that landed at the

airport at about 6 p.m. Nov. 29 af-

ter an in-flight emergency.

Most Twitter users posted the

images in good humor. Some said

the snowman was keeping watch

over the aircraft. Another person

said they couldn’t get the snow-

man off their mind after the air-

men drew their attention to it.

Others simply identified the air-

craft as airmen removed a cover-

ing of snow from it and went to

work.

A spokesman for Misawa Air

Base expressed thanks for the pa-

tience shown to the airmen who

worked on the fighter.

The maintainers who traveled

to Aomori Airport to complete all

the necessary repairs and inspec-

tions on the diverted F-16 worked

tirelessly to get the aircraft back

to the base, Staff Sgt. Matthew Ka-

karis said Monday in an email to

Stars and Stripes.

“We sincerely appreciate the

patience and understanding of the

local officials and Aomori Airport

staff while maintenance was ac-

complished to safely return our

aircraft,” he said.

The pilot jettisoned the fuel

tanks before landing. Both fell on

Fukaura, a coastal town about 100

miles west of Misawa. One tank

fell near the town hall and some

scattered homes, the Ajigasawa

police and Tohoku Defense Bu-

reau said Wednesday. The other

fell in woods in town, according to

the 35th Fighter Wing.

The pilot was not injured, and

the falling tanks caused no inju-

ries. A sidewalk guardrail was

damaged, police said. Japan’s De-

fense Minister, Nobuo Kishi, said

he would ask the Air Force to

ground its F-16s until it would con-

firm their safety, but the Falcons

took to the skies within two days,

according to Japanese media.

Aomori Gov. Shingo Mimura, in

an official statement, expressed

“strong regret” that the fighters

were flying again so soon after the

incident.

TWITTER

U.S. airmen wave at Aomori Airport, in northeastern Japan, after repairing an F16 Fighting Falcon thatlanded there because of an inflight emergency that forced the pilot to drop the jet’s external fuel tanks.

Snowman pics of airmen fixingF-16 enthrall, but Japan is frosty

BY HANA KUSUMOTO

AND JOSEPH DITZLER

Stars and Stripes

[email protected]: @[email protected]: @JosephDitzler

China has its eyes on Equatorial

Guinea for a new military base,

which would give Beijing a new

naval foothold in the Atlantic

Ocean, according to a media re-

port that comes following long-

standing concerns among U.S.

military leaders about China’s

ambitions in West Africa.

The Wall Street Journal, citing

classified U.S. intelligence infor-

mation, reported Sunday that Chi-

na wants to set up a permanent

base in the small coastal nation.

If those plans are realized, Chi-

nese warships would be able to

homeport opposite the U.S.’s east-

ern seaboard, making for “a threat

that is setting off alarm bells at the

White House and Pentagon,” the

newspaper reported.

But while the entire Atlantic

Ocean would serve as a buffer in

such a scenario, China’s expand-

ing economic and military reach

in Africa has been a growing U.S.

focus in recent years.

In April, U.S. Africa Com-

mand’s Gen. Stephen Townsend

raised the issue during congres-

sional testimony, saying that Beij-

ing wants bases in other parts of

Africa to link up commercial sea-

port investments across the conti-

nent with Chinese military forces.

“They are aggressively pursu-

ing a base on Africa’s west coast,”

Townsend told the Senate Armed

Services Committee in April.

He said China was making “a

number of bets” and that the aim

was an Atlantic port where war-

ships “can rearm with munitions

and repair naval vessels.”

“They are working aggressively

to get that, but we have not seen

any of that come to fruition yet,”

Townsend said. “And it is my

number one global power compe-

tition concern.”

In Africa, China has emerged as

the key international player after

decades of heavy economic in-

vestment, which has given Beijing

leverage with many governments.

Western critics have called Chi-

na’s large loans to developing

African nations “debt traps” that

leave vulnerable governments ex-

posed, while Beijing gains access

to valuable infrastructure and re-

sources.

If it succeeds with its plan for a

base in Equatorial Guinea, a coun-

try of just 1.2 million people, China

will have two strategic military

sites in Africa.

In 2017, China inaugurated its

first overseas base in the East

African country of Djibouti, locat-

ed just 7 miles from the U.S. mil-

itary’s Africa hub, Camp Lemmo-

nier.

Over the past four years, China

has continued to develop that out-

post, which is now large enough to

host aircraft carriers. The expan-

sion coincides with the buildup of

China’s navy, which has two air-

craft carriers in service and a

third carrier expected to be oper-

ational by 2024.

Report: China’snavy eyes basein West Africa

BY JOHN VANDIVER

Stars and Stripes

JOHN YOUNTZ/U.S. Army

In April, Gen. StephenTownsend, head of U.S. AfricaCommand, said China was"aggressively pursuing" a base onthe Atlantic Ocean in West Africa.The Chinese have zeroed in onEquatorial Guinea, a Wall StreetJournal report said Sunday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs,People's Republic of China

Chinese Foreign Minister WangYi, right, met with EquatorialGuinean Foreign MinisterSimeon Oyono Esono Angue inDakar, Senegal, on Nov. 30.

[email protected]: @john_vandiver

SANTA FE, N.M. — The New

Mexico National Guard’s top uni-

formed general is stepping down.

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Nava an-

nounced Friday his last day as the

state adjutant general before re-

tiring will be Dec. 31.

Nava will have served 33 years

in uniform, beginning as an enlist-

ed man in 1988 as a mechanic in an

air defense artillery unit, the San-

ta Fe New Mexican reported.

Nava was

commissioned a

second lieuten-

ant in 1992 and

served in Iraq

from 2008-10

while command-

ing the 515th

Combat Sustain-

ment Support Battalion.

Then-Gov. Susana Martinez ap-

pointed Nava as adjutant general

in 2017. Current Gov. Michelle Lu-

jan Grisham attended Nava’s re-

tirement ceremony in Santa Fe on

Friday.

“Gen. Nava has been a standout

leader throughout my time in of-

fice and he was integral in mobili-

zing our National Guard to sup-

port and protect New Mexicans

throughout the pandemic,” Lujan

Grisham said in a statement.

Nava said he plans after leaving

the National Guard to work for In-

tel Corp. in Chandler, Ariz.

NM National Guard adjutant general to retireAssociated Press

Nava


MILITARY

Australia and Papua New Gui-

nea have completed the first steps

and begun major refurbishment

of a navy base built by U.S. forces

on Manus Island, Papua New Gui-

nea, during World War II.

The upgrades at Lombrum Na-

val Base are part of a deal the two

countries reached in 2018. It gives

Australian forces access to the

strategically vital deep-water port

while slamming the door on Chi-

nese ambitions to gain a foothold

on the island, The Australian

newspaper reported at the time.

A chapel, medical facility and

security fencing have been built

and a communication center has

been upgraded since work began

in mid-2020, the Australian De-

fence Department said in an email

Nov. 24.

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Car-

los Del Toro visited Manus in late

October and met sailors assigned

to Naval Mobile Construction Bat-

talion 5, which deployed to the is-

land to build a dental facility, ac-

cording to posts on the battalion’s

Facebook page in September and

October.

Manus is an 800-square-mile

rock in the Bismarck Sea north of

New Britain. It is just over 1,000

miles south of Guam, where Ma-

rines are scheduled to relocate

from Okinawa, and 1,300 miles

east of Darwin, which hosts a

2,500-strong U.S. Marine Corps

rotational force.

During World War II, the U.S.

constructed wharves, a 9,000-foot

runway and accommodations for

tens of thousands of troops on

Manus.

It was a venue for the trials of

Japanese war criminals and, in re-

cent years, served as an offshore

processing center for immigrants

attempting to illegally enter Aus-

tralia by sea. The center, for years

a point of contention, held 1,400

immigrants in 2014. It was shut

down in October 2019, according

to Australian public broadcaster

SBS.

The initial work to upgrade the

base, completed in September,

employed 121 local workers, ac-

cording to the Australian Defence

Department.

“Over the last six months, logis-

tics, workforce facilities, and

earthworks for environmental

controls have been established for

Main Works,” the department

said.

Next year, workers will build

electrical generation, water and

sewage services, facilities for

community work, training and ac-

commodation and operational fa-

cilities to support the Papua New

Guinea Defence Force’s Guardi-

an-class patrol boats and small

boat operations, the department

said.

The project, expected to be

worth $41.2 million, will create ap-

proximately 350 jobs in Papua

New Guinea per year, the depart-

ment said. Since June, the work-

force has grown to 216, with 96% of

them Papua New Guineans.

Royal Australian Navy vessels

can and have made port visits to

Lombrum, however ,it will remain

a Papua New Guinea base for the

country’s vessels, the department

said.

When construction work is

completed, Lombrum will support

Papua New Guinea’s patrol boats

and Australia’s ANZAC-class fri-

gates, Carlyle Thayer, an emeri-

tus professor at the University of

New South Wales and lecturer at

the Australian Defence Force A-

cademy, said in a Nov. 25 email.

“To accommodate larger ves-

sels the harbor would need to be

dredged at least two meters deep-

er and the current wharves would

have to be widened and extend-

ed,” he said.

A recent study by the Royal

Australian Navy’s Sea Power Cen-

tre proposed options for Lom-

brum ranging from a forward op-

erating base to a geostrategic

strongpoint on par with U.S. facil-

ities on Guam. But building such a

high-end facility couldn’t be done

without U.S. backing, Thayer said.

Papua New Guinea to revive WWII baseBY SETH ROBSON

Stars and Stripes

AMANDA HUNT/U.S. Navy

U.S. Navy Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 place concrete during construction of adental facility at Lombrum Naval Base, Papua New Guinea, on Nov. 17.

[email protected]: @SethRobson1

HONOLULU — When Japanese bombs

began falling on Pearl Harbor, U.S. Navy

Seaman 1st Class David Russell first sought

refuge below deck on the USS Oklahoma.

But a split-second decision on that De-

cember morning 80 years ago changed his

mind, and likely saved his life.

“They started closing that hatch. And I

decided to get out of there,” Russell, now

101, said in a recent interview.

Within 12 minutes his battleship would

capsize under a barrage of torpedoes. Alto-

gether 429 sailors and Marines from the

Oklahoma would perish — the greatest

death toll from any ship that day other than

the USS Arizona, which lost 1,177.

Russell plans to return to Pearl Harbor

on Tuesday for a ceremony in remem-

brance of the more than 2,300 American

troops killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack that

launched the U.S. into World War II.

About 30 survivors and 100 other veter-

ans from the war are expected to observe a

moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the minute

the attack began.

Survivors, now in their late 90s or older,

stayed home last year due to the coronavi-

rus pandemic and watched a livestream of

the event instead.

Russell is traveling to Hawaii with the

Best Defense Foundation, a nonprofit

founded by former NFL Linebacker Donnie

Edwards that helps World War II veterans

revisit their old battlefields.

He recalls heading topside when the at-

tack started because he was trained to load

anti-aircraft guns and figured he could help

if any other loader got hurt.

But Japanese torpedo planes dropped a

series of underwater missiles that pum-

meled the Oklahoma before he could get

there. Within 12 minutes, the hulking bat-

tleship capsized.

“Those darn torpedoes, they just kept hit-

ting us and kept hitting us. I thought they’d

never stop,” Russell said. “That ship was

dancing around.”

Russell clambered over and around top-

pled lockers while the battleship slowly

rolled over.

“You had to walk sort of sideways,” he

said.

Once he got to the main deck, he crawled

over the ship’s side and eyed the USS Mary-

land moored next door. He didn’t want to

swim because leaked oil was burning in the

water below. Jumping, he caught a rope

hanging from the Maryland and escaped to

that battleship without injury.

He then helped pass ammunition to the

Maryland’s anti-aircraft guns.

Russell still thinks about how lucky he

was. He ponders why he decided to go top-

side on the Oklahoma, knowing most of the

men who stayed behind likely were unable

to get out after the hatch closed.

In the first two days after the bombing, a

civilian crew from the Pearl Harbor Naval

Shipyard rescued 32 men trapped inside

the Oklahoma by cutting holes in its hull.

But many others perished. Most of those

who died were buried in anonymous Hono-

lulu graves marked as “unknowns” be-

cause their remains were too degraded to

be identified by the time they were re-

moved from the ship between 1942 and

1944.

In 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Account-

ing Agency exhumed 388 sets of these re-

mains in hopes of identifying them with the

help of DNA technology and dental records.

They succeeded with 361.

Russell’s brother-in-law was among

them. Fireman 1st Class Walter “Boone”

Rogers was in the fireroom, which got hit by

torpedoes, Russell said. The military identi-

fied his remains in 2017, and he’s since been

reburied at Arlington National Cemetery.

Russell remained in the Navy until retir-

ing in 1960. He worked at Air Force bases

for the next two decades and retired for

good in 1980.

His wife, Violet, passed away 22 years

ago, and he now lives alone in Albany, Ore.

101-year-old returns to Pearl Harbor to remember those lostBY AUDREY MCAVOY

AND GILLIAN FLACCUS

Associated Press

NATHAN HOWARD/AP

Pearl Harbor survivor and World War IINavy veteran David Russell, 101, posesfor a photo at his home on Nov. 22 inAlbany, Ore.


short of a miracle, is out. Those

talks involve the top Democrats

and Republicans on the Senate

and House Armed Services com-

mittees. The senior officials famil-

iar with their discussions spoke on

the condition of anonymity be-

cause the $768 billion defense bill,

which dictates funding for the

Pentagon and other defense oper-

ations, has not been finalized.

In place of Gillibrand’s legisla-

tion, the defense bill is expected to

incorporate an alternative propos-

al that will revolutionize how the

military justice system approach-

es cases of sexual assault and cer-

tain related crimes, and which al-

ready received the backing of

three-fourths of the House as part

of its version of the defense bill, of-

ficials said. Charging decisions in

those cases will become the pur-

view of an independent special

victims prosecutor, reflecting rec-

ommendations the Pentagon en-

dorsed earlier this year. The final

defense bill is also likely to desig-

nate the crimes of murder and kid-

napping as falling under the au-

thority of the special prosecutor,

according to officials involved in

negotiations.

But for many advocates of sex-

ual assault reform in the military,

those changes fall short. And law-

makers who want to address dis-

crimination more broadly in mil-

itary prosecutions point out that

the list of crimes that would fall

under the special prosecutor’s

purview does not include offenses

for which service members who

are racial minorities are dispro-

portionately charged.

The forces behind Gillibrand’s

legislation are blunt in their as-

sessment of the changes con-

tained in the House’s legislation.

“It’s not good enough,” Sen. Joni

Ernst, the Iowa Republican who

has been Gillibrand’s chief part-

ner in pressing for a more sweep-

ing overhaul, said in an interview.

“Sure, anything is better than

nothing. But it doesn’t solve the

problem. It doesn’t go nearly as

far as we need it to.”

Gillibrand, in a statement, re-

sponded to questions about the po-

tential demise of her legislation by

emphasizing its broad backing in

Congress. To excise it from the

National Defense Authorization

Act, or NDAA, as the larger bill is

known, would be a “disservice” to

military personnel, she said.

“Our reform has the bipartisan

support of 66 senators and 220

House members,” Gillibrand said.

“The only way it does not become

law in the NDAA is if a handful of

powerful men rip it out behind

closed doors.”

many of them political and gener-

ational, about how to level the

playing field for women and mi-

norities, and disagreement over

what lawmakers should — and

should not — demand from the

Pentagon.

People involved in the negotia-

tions said that congressional lead-

ers are homing in on a narrower

roster of crimes. Those who sup-

port the more limited approach

argue that renegotiating the list

could threaten the balance of the

entire defense bill. Those who

support a more aggressive ap-

proach argue that the resistance is

born of cowardice and a reluc-

tance to stand up to pressure from

the Pentagon.

Gillibrand and her partners are

upset negotiators have embraced

the House bill’s approach of let-

ting commanders keep convening

courts-martial, distrusting the

House proposal’s stipulation that

the special prosecutor’s “binding”

charging decisions will be enough

to prevent cases from being drawn

out. Instead,they want to create an

entirely separate courts-martial

convening authority, though it

would be left to the individual ser-

vice chiefs — the generals and ad-

mirals who lead the Army, Navy,

Air Force, Marine Corps and

Coast Guard — to determine what

that should look like.

Much of Gillibrand’s frustration

is and has been directed toward

Senate Armed Services Commit-

tee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I.,

who has expressed skepticism

about her approach, despite al-

lowing it into his panel’s defense

bill draft this year.

A spokeswoman for House

Armed Services Committee

Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash.,

declined to comment. A spokes-

woman for that panel’s top Repub-

lican, Rep. Mike Rogers of Alaba-

ma, did not respond to a request

for comment. The Senate Armed

Services Committee’s top Repub-

lican, Sen. James Inhofe of Okla-

homa, said in an interview that ne-

gotiations on Gillibrand’s bill

were too much of “a moving tar-

get” to discuss publicly.

The campaign to improve crime

victims’ ability to seek remedy

through the military justice sys-

tem dates back more than a dec-

ade. Most of the public debate has

centered around correcting how

the military prosecutes cases of

sexual assault in particular, given

the Pentagon’s own numbers

show it is a rampant problem and

there are anecdotal reports that

thousands of cases go unreported.

But the debate about what re-

forms are necessary has been

complicated by differences in

Congress and within the military,

Justice: Sex assault advocates say proposals are not enoughFROM PAGE 1

MILITARY

CAMP COURTNEY, Okinawa

— A Marine law enforcement offi-

cer was awarded for bravery after

she stopped her roommate from

an apparent suicide attempt in

their Okinawa barracks last year.

Lance Cpl. Noelle Gallegos, 21,

of Shenandoah, Pa., received the

Marine Corps Law Enforcement

Foundation’s Jim Kallstrom

Award for her actions on Aug. 31,

2020. Brig. Gen. William Bowers,

commander of Marine Corps In-

stallations Pacific, handed Galle-

gos the award at a ceremony Nov.

3 at Camp Foster.

“I was very nervous,” Gallegos

said Monday. “The award’s a big

deal.”

The annual awards go to two

Marine law enforcement officers

who exemplify “the ethos of pro-

tect and serve,” and who show a

genuine concern for the well-be-

ing of the Corps, their fellow Ma-

rines and the community they

serve, according to a Marine state-

ment in February.

Gallegos recalled the incident

that brought her the award during

an interview Monday at her office.

“It was a crazy hour,” she said.

Anight-shift patrolman with the

provost marshal’s office at Camp

Courtney, Gallegos said she was

awakened at approximately 1:45

p.m. by screaming and the sound

of things smashing.

Gallegos found her roommate

in the bathroom amid an array of

broken items, she said. The room-

mate was acting erratically and

saying she might harm herself.

Earlier in the day, the room-

mate, who did not drink or use

drugs, had been acting out of char-

acter, Gallegos said.

Gallegos said she called 911 as

she rushed to find the duty officer.

When Gallegos’ co-workers ar-

rived, her naked roommate pulled

a knife. Gallegos said she quickly

disarmed the woman and stopped

her from stabbing herself in the

neck with a pen and jumping from

a window.

The men among the military po-

lice officers who responded were

wary about touching her room-

mate, Gallegos said, so she re-

strained the woman while a first

responder checked her condition.

As time came to take her into cus-

tody, the woman became aggres-

sive. She kicked and screamed be-

fore being handcuffed, Gallegos

said.

Gallegos, who received a certif-

icate of commendation for her ac-

tions, was unaware she had been

nominated by her command for

the Jim Kallstrom Award.

“Gallegos has always been a

hard-working Marine,” provost

marshal noncommissioned offi-

cer-in-charge Staff Sgt. Amanda

Phelps said in a Marine Corps

statement Nov. 14. “She has al-

ways been outgoing and she is

easy to speak with. She has great

people skills and maintains a ma-

ture personality.”

The award was named for Ma-

rine Corps Law Enforcement

Foundation co-founder and for-

mer chairman James Kallstrom, a

decorated Marine and FBI agent

who died earlier this year. The or-

ganization has raised over $80

million in aid for children who

have lost a parent in service, Kall-

strom’s obituary said.

Gallegos plans to pursue a ca-

reer practicing law after her en-

listment in the Marine Corps is up,

she said.

Okinawa-based Marine gets national service awardBY MATTHEW M. BURKE

Stars and Stripes

[email protected]: @MatthewMBurke1

MATTHEW M. BURKE/STARS AND STRIPES

Lance Cpl. Noelle Gallegos, a patrolman with Marine Corps Installations Pacific’s provost marshal’s office,poses at Camp Courtney, Okinawa, on Saturday, Nov. 6.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. will

stage a diplomatic boycott of the

upcoming Winter Olympics in

Beijing to protest Chinese human

rights abuses, the White House

confirmed Monday — a move that

China has vowed to greet with

“firm countermeasures.”

“U.S. diplomatic or official rep-

resentation would treat these

Games as business as usual in the

face of [China’s] egregious human

rights abuses and atrocities in

Xinjiang, and we simply can’t do

that,” White House press secreta-

ry Jen Psaki told reporters during

Monday’s briefing.

She said that U.S. athletes will

continue to compete and will

“have our full support.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spo-

kesperson Zhao Lijian accused

U.S. politicians of grandstanding

and said such a move would be an

“outright political provocation,”

but gave no details on how China

might retaliate.

Human rights advocates and

lawmakers in the U.S. who sup-

port a boycott say it is a necessary

step.

US announcesdiplomaticboycott ofBeijing Games

Associated Press


VIRUS OUTBREAK

vent entry to concerts, movies or

performances to those who have

merely tested negative in recent

days. The measures run through

Jan. 15.

Authorities also imposed a re-

quirement that at least “basic”

health pass, which can be ob-

tained with a negative test, must

be used to get on local transport

and to check into hotels.

In the capital, Rome, dozens of

police were out at transportation

hubs checking both green passes

and personal identification, find-

ing a cooperative mood among

commuters. Still, a 50-year-old

Roman became the first to receive

a $450 fine after getting off the bus

at the northern Flaminio station

without the “basic” health pass,

said Stefano Napoli, deputy chief

of Rome’s municipal police force.

“It was about time that they

checked it,” said Sara Ben, a

Rome commuter, noting the ab-

sence of controls on the often-

packed local transportation

throughout the pandemic.

Milanese were enjoying the first

long weekend of the season, in-

cluding Tuesday’s celebration for

the patron saint of Saint Ambrose

and Wednesday’s national holi-

day, leaving commuter routes

more empty than usual. But few

checks were evident around the

main Central Station, either for re-

gional trains or local buses and

subways.

Commuter Veronica Bianchi

said her health pass wasn’t

checked on a regional train arriv-

ing in Milan. “But they didn’t

check the ticket either,” she said.

The number of new COVID-19

infections in Italy has been on a

gradual rise for the past six weeks,

even before concerns arose about

the new omicron variant. That’s a

worrying trend as Italians look

forward to holiday parties and ge-

taways to spend time with friends

and family, after being deprived

of such festivities last year.

While both neighboring Germa-

ny and Austria are moving toward

making vaccines obligatory for

certain groups, Italy is instead

tightening free-time restrictions

on the unvaccinated at the most

convivial time of the year — while

allowing those who are vaccinated

go about life more or less as usual.

European nations have found

varying formulas to try to reduce

infections during peak times.

With an eye on the holidays,

Switzerland on Monday began al-

lowing — but not requiring —

event organizers to bar anyone

who hasn’t been vaccinated or

hasn’t recovered from COVID-19.

Sweden introduced a vaccination

requirement for indoor events

with more than 100 people starting

Dec. 1.

On Monday, the Netherlands re-

versed itself on plans to open in-

door venues to vaccinated people

only, sticking instead with a 5 p.m.

closure for restaurants, cinemas

and other public sites.

ANDREW MEDICHINI/AP

Carabinieri policemen check the green health pass of restaurant diners, in Rome, on Monday, on the firstday a “super” green health pass went into effect.

Pass: European countries brace for holidaysFROM PAGE 1

NEW YORK — All private em-

ployers in New York City will have

to require their workers to get vac-

cinated against COVID-19, the

mayor announced Monday, im-

posing one of the most aggressive

vaccine rules in the nation.

The move by Mayor Bill de Bla-

sio comes as cases are climbing

again in the U.S. and the worri-

some omicron variant is gaining a

toehold in New York and else-

where around the country.

“We in New York City have de-

cided to use a preemptive strike to

really do something bold to stop

the further growth of COVID and

the dangers it’s causing to all of

us,” he said.

De Blasio, a Democrat with just

weeks left in office as leader of the

nation’s largest city, said the man-

date will take effect Dec. 27.

Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morn-

ing Joe,” he said the move is aimed

at staving off a spike of infections

amid holiday gatherings and as

cold weather drives more people

indoors, where the virus is more

likely to spread.

Vaccine mandates across states

and cities vary widely, with some

states resisting any mandates and

others requiring the shots for gov-

ernment employees or certain sec-

tors that run a particularly high

risk, such as health care workers.

But most officials have not an-

nounced mandates reaching as far

into the private sector, nor man-

dates covering so many people.

President Joe Biden sought to

impose a similar mandate nation-

ally, applying to businesses with

100 or more workers, but federal

courts have put that on hold ahead

of a Jan. 4 deadline.

De Blasio said he expects his

new mandate to survive any legal

challenges. A spokesperson for the

mayor said it will apply to roughly

184,000 businesses in the city,

which has a population of 8.8 mil-

lion.

Vaccinations are already re-

quired for hospital and nursing

home workers and for city employ-

ees, including teachers, police offi-

cers and firefighters. A vaccina-

tion mandate for employees of pri-

vate and religious schools was an-

nounced last week.

Also, the mayor announced that

anyone 12 or older who wants to

dine indoors at a restaurant, go to a

gym or see a show will have to pro-

duce proof of receiving two shots of

the vaccine, up from the current

requirement of one dose. In addi-

tion, proof of at least one shot will

be required of children ages 5 to 11,

de Blasio said.

De Blasio, who leaves office at

the end of the month and has indi-

cated he may seek the nomination

for governor of New York next

year, has sought to portray himself

as a national leader in the fight

against COVID-19.

NYC to requirevaccination forprivate sector

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE

AND KAREN MATTHEWS

Associated Press

BRUSSELS — Belgian police

used water cannon and tear gas

Sunday to disperse some rowdy

protesters in Brussels after most

demonstrators marched peaceful-

ly to protest tightened COVID-19

restrictions that aim to counter a

surge of coronavirus infections.

Thousands came to reject the

new measures announced Friday,

the third week in a row that the gov-

ernment has tightened its rules as

an avalanche of new cases strains

the country’s health services, de-

priving people with other life-

threatening diseases of treatment.

Shouting “Freedom! Freedom!”

and carrying banners that said,

“United for our freedom, rights

and our children,” protesters

marched to the European Union

headquarters. Some also carried

signs critical of vaccines and

against making vaccine shots man-

datory.

The main crowd in Sunday's

mostly peaceful march had al-

ready dispersed when about 100

protesters ran into a riot police bar-

ricade cordoning off access to the

European Commission. After a

brief stand-off with police, protes-

ters hurled trash and other objects,

including a bicycle, at police and

set off firecrackers and flares. Po-

lice used water cannons and fired

tear gas to disperse the crowd.

There were no immediate reports

of injuries.

On Friday, Prime Minister Alex-

ander De Croo announced that day

care centers and primary schools

will close for the holiday a week

early, and children must now wear

masks from the age of 6. Indoor

events will only be allowed with a

maximum of 200 people.

Belgian police use water cannon,tear gas on rowdy protesters

Associated Press

U.S. health officials said Sunday

that while the omicron variant of

the coronavirus is rapidly spread-

ing throughout the country, early

indications suggest it may be less

dangerous than delta, which con-

tinues to drive a surge of hospital-

izations.

President Joe Biden’s chief

medical adviser, Dr. Anthony

Fauci, told CNN’s “State of the

Union” that scientists need more

information before drawing con-

clusions about omicron’s severity.

Reports from South Africa,

where it emerged and is becoming

the dominant strain, suggest that

hospitalization rates have not in-

creased alarmingly.

“Thus far, it does not look like

there’s a great degree of severity

to it,” Fauci said. “But we have re-

ally got to be careful before we

make any determinations that it is

less severe or it really doesn’t

cause any severe illness, compa-

rable to delta.”

Fauci said the Biden adminis-

tration is considering lifting travel

restrictions against noncitizens

entering the United States from

several African countries. They

were imposed as the omicron vari-

ant exploded in the region, but

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio

Guterres has blasted such mea-

sures as “travel apartheid.”

Fauci: Early omicronreports encouraging

Associated Press


VIRUS OUTBREAK

A rush of vaccine-seeking cus-

tomers and staff shortages are

squeezing drugstores around the

U.S., leading to frazzled workers

and temporary pharmacy clo-

sures.

Drugstores are normally busy

this time of year with flu shots

and other vaccines, but now

pharmacists are doling out a

growing number of COVID-19

shots and giving coronavirus

tests.

The push for shots is expected

to grow more intense as Presi-

dent Joe Biden urges vaccinated

Americans to get booster shots to

combat the emerging omicron

variant. The White House said

Thursday that more than two in

three COVID-19 vaccinations are

happening at local pharmacies.

And pharmacists worry anoth-

er job might soon be added to

their to-do list: If regulators ap-

prove antiviral pills from drug-

makers Merck and Pfizer to treat

COVID-19, pharmacists may be

able to diagnose infections and

then prescribe pills to customers.

“There’s crazy increased de-

mand on pharmacies right now,”

said Theresa Tolle, an independ-

ent pharmacist who has seen CO-

VID-19 vaccine demand quadru-

ple since the summer at her Se-

bastian, Fla., store.

Pharmacists say demand for

COVID-19 vaccines started pick-

ing up over the summer as the

delta variant spread rapidly.

Booster shots and the expansion

of vaccine eligibility to include

children have since stoked it.

On top of that workload and

routine prescriptions, many

drugstores also have been asking

pharmacists to counsel patients

more generally on their health or

about chronic conditions like dia-

betes and high blood pressure.

Pharmacies also have been

handling more phone calls from

customers with questions about

vaccines or COVID-19 tests,

noted Justin Wilson, who owns

three independent pharmacies in

Oklahoma.

“We’re all working a lot harder

than we did before, but we’re do-

ing everything we can to take

care of people,” Wilson said, add-

ing that he has not had to tempo-

rarily close any of his pharmacies

or limit hours so far.

Tolle said she was lucky to hire

a pharmacy resident just before

the delta surge arrived. The new

employee was supposed to focus

mostly on diabetes programs but

has largely been relegated to vac-

cine duty.

Tolle said her Bay Street Phar-

macy is now giving about 80 CO-

VID-19 vaccines a day, up from

20 before the delta wave.

“God’s timing worked out well

for me,” she said. “We would not

have gotten through without hav-

ing that additional person here.”

Others haven’t been as fortu-

nate. A CVS Health store on the

northeast side of Indianapolis

shuttered its pharmacy in the

middle of the afternoon Thursday

due to staffing issues. A sign

taped to the metal gate over the

closed pharmacy counter also

told customers that the pharma-

cy will soon start closing for a half

hour each afternoon so the phar-

macist can have a lunch break.

Tolle noted that it is not clear

yet how pharmacists will be re-

imbursed for the time they take to

diagnose and prescribe. That will

have to be clarified, especially if

cases surge again and drugstores

need to add even more workers to

help.

“We want to be able to help our

communities,” she said. “I don’t

know how pharmacies are going

to manage it.”

US pharmaciesstruggle withvaccine demand

BY TOM MURPHY

Associated Press

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/AP

Pharmacist Todd Gharibian, right, administers a dose of the ModernaCOVID19 vaccine to Toshiko Sugiyama, left, at a CVS Pharmacybranch March 1, in Los Angeles.

NEW ORLEANS — A Norwegian

Cruise Line ship with at least 10 pas-

sengers and crew members infected

with COVID-19 docked Sunday in

New Orleans, where health officials

said they were trying to disembark

people without worsening the

spread.

Local news outlets in New Orleans

confirmed the Norwegian Break-

away had arrived. The ship departed

New Orleans on Nov. 28. The Loui-

siana Department of Health said in a

late Saturday news release that over

the past week, the ship made stops in

Belize, Honduras and Mexico.

Norwegian Cruise Line issued a

statement that confirmed a “handful

of COVID-19 cases among guests

and crew.” The company said all of

the identified cases involved people

without symptoms of the illness.

Norwegian said it requires all pas-

sengers and crew members to have

been vaccinated against the corona-

virus prior to departure.

“We are testing all individuals on

Norwegian Breakaway prior to dis-

embarkation, as well as providing

post-exposure and quarantine pub-

lic health guidance by the (U.S. Cen-

ters for Disease Control and Preven-

tion),” the company’s statement

said. “Any guests who have tested

positive for COVID-19 will travel by

personal vehicle to their personal

residence or self-isolate in accom-

modations provided by the compa-

ny.”

Cruise shipdocks, hasat least 10virus cases

Associated Press

CORTE MADERA, Calif. —

Northern California parents

knowingly sent their COVID-19

positive child and a sibling to

school last month in violation of

isolation and quarantine rules,

causing a coronavirus outbreak in

an elementary school, officials

said Saturday.

The parents could face a fine or

a misdemeanor charge for violat-

ing Marin County’s health order,

under which people who test posi-

tive for the virus must isolate

themselves for at least 10 days.

Dr. Matt Willis, the county’s

public health officer, told The As-

sociated Press that a decision will

be made this week whether the

family will face a penalty.

“It’s a violation of the law that

we’ve put in place,” he said. “More

importantly it’s also a violation of

just basic ethics of community re-

sponsibility.”

The child tested positive for the

virus during the week of Nov. 8,

according to Brett Geithman, su-

perintendent of the Larkspur-

Corte Madera School District.

Both children continued to attend

school the rest of that week and in-

to the following week.

The child and their sibling, who

later tested positive as well, are

students in the district’s Neil

Cummins Elementary School in

Corte Madera, a town in Marin

County that’s 15 miles north of San

Francisco.

The parents did not notify the

school of the positive test or return

multiple calls from public health

contract tracers, Geithman told

AP.

“Our enforcement team is eval-

uating the circumstances and will

respond accordingly,” Marin

County Public Health said in a

statement. “Thankfully, this is the

only known occurrence of a

household knowingly sending a

COVID-19 positive student to

school.”

Willis said when the school’s

principal spoke to the family,

“they had cited that they were not

clear on the protocol” to isolate the

child after the positive test.

Willis said language barriers or

economic factors — meaning the

parents could not take time off

from work when the kids needed

to isolate at home — did not ap-

pear to be a factor for the family.

A total of eight students tested

positive: the original student, their

sibling, three classmates of theirs

who are suspected school-based

transmissions and three students

who are suspected household

transmissions. None of the stu-

dents experienced serious illness

or had to be hospitalized.

California parents knowingly sent sick child to schoolAssociated Press


NATION

MOSCOW — Presidents Joe Bi-

den and Vladimir Putin will speak

in a video call Tuesday, the White

House and Kremlin said, as ten-

sions between the United States

and Russia escalate over a Russian

troop buildup on the Ukrainian

border that’s seen as a sign of a po-

tential invasion.

Biden will press U.S. concerns

about Russian military activities

on the border and “reaffirm the

United States’ support for the sov-

ereignty and territorial integrity of

Ukraine,” White House press sec-

retary Jen Psaki said Saturday,

confirming the planned call after

first word came from Moscow.

Putin will come to the call with

concerns of his own and intends to

express Russia’s opposition to any

move to admit Ukraine into the

NATO military alliance. Kremlin

spokesman Dmitry Peskov said

“the presidents will decide them-

selves” how long their talk will last.

The last known call between the

leaders was in July, when Biden

pressed Putin to rein in Russia-

based criminal hacking gangs

launching ransomware attacks

against the United States. Biden

said the U.S. would take any neces-

sary steps to protect critical infras-

tructure from such attacks.

Ransomware attacks have con-

tinued since then, though perhaps

none has been as alarming as the

one from May that targeted a ma-

jor fuel pipeline and resulted in

days of gas shortages in parts of the

U.S.

Russia is more adamant than ev-

er that the U.S. guarantees that Uk-

raine will not be admitted to NA-

TO. But NATO’s secretary-gener-

al, Jens Stoltenberg, said this past

week that Russia has no say in ex-

pansion plans by other countries or

the alliance. Numerous former

U.S. and NATO diplomats say any

such Russian demand to Biden

would be a nonstarter.

U.S. intelligence officials, mean-

while, have determined that Rus-

sia has massed about 70,000 troops

near its border with Ukraine and

has begun planning for a possible

invasion as soon as early next year,

according to a Biden administra-

tion official who was not autho-

rized to discuss that finding publi-

cly and spoke on the condition of

anonymity.

The risks for Putin of going

through with such an invasion

would be enormous.

U.S. officials and former Amer-

ican diplomats say while the Rus-

sian president is clearly laying the

groundwork for a possible inva-

sion, Ukraine’s military is better

armed and prepared today than in

the past, and that sanctions threat-

ened by the West would do serious

damage to the Russian economy.

“What I am doing is putting to-

gether what I believe to be, will be,

the most comprehensive and mea-

ningful set of initiatives to make it

very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to

go ahead and do what people are

worried he may do,” Biden said

Friday.

Ukrainian officials have said

Russia could invade next month.

Ukraine’s defense minister, Ole-

ksii Reznikov, said the number of

Russian troops near Ukraine and

in Russia-annexed Crimea is esti-

mated at 94,300, and warned that a

“large-scale escalation” is possible

in January.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr

Zelenskyy, recently charged that a

group of Russians and Ukrainians

planned to attempt a coup in his

country and that the plotters tried

to enlist the help of Ukraine’s rich-

est man, Rinat Akhmetov.

Russia and Akhmetov have de-

nied that any plot is underway, but

the Russians have become more

explicit recently in their warnings

to Ukraine and the United States.

Biden is also expected to speak

with Zelenskyy in the coming

week, according to a person close

to the Ukrainian leader. This per-

son was not authorized to comment

publicly before the announcement

of the call and spoke on the condi-

tion of anonymity.

Biden, Putin set video call as tensions growAssociated Press

PAVEL GOLOVKIN/AP

Traditional Russian wooden dollsof Russian President VladimirPutin and President Joe Bidenare for sale at a Moscow souvenirstore. Biden and Putin will speakin a video call Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — The elite Rus-

sian state hackers behind last year’s

massive SolarWinds cyberespion-

age campaign hardly eased up this

year, managing plenty of infiltra-

tions of U.S. and allied government

agencies and foreign policy think

tanks with consummate craft and

stealth, a leading cybersecurity firm

reported Monday.

On the anniversary of the public

disclosure of the SolarWinds intru-

sions, Mandiant said the hackers as-

sociated with Russia’s SVR foreign

intelligence agency continued to

steal data “relevant to Russian inter-

ests” with great effect using novel,

stealthy techniques that it detailed

in a mostly technical report aimed at

helping security professionals stay

alert.

It was Mandiant, not the U.S. gov-

ernment, that disclosed Solar-

Winds.

While the number of government

agencies and companies hacked by

the SVR was smaller this year than

last, when some 100 organizations

were breached, assessing the dam-

age is difficult, said Charles Carma-

kal, Mandiant’s chief technical offi-

cer. Overall, the impact is quite seri-

ous. “The companies that are get-

ting hacked, they are also losing

information.”

“Not everybody is disclosing the

incident(s) because they don’t al-

ways have to disclose it legally,” he

said, complicating damage-assess-

ment.

The Russian cyber spying unfold-

ed, as always, mostly in the shadows

as the U.S. government was con-

sumed in 2021 by a separate, emi-

nently “noisy” and headline-grab-

bling cyber threat — ransomware

attacks launched not by nation-state

hackers but rather criminal gangs.

As it happens, those gangs are large-

ly protected by the Kremlin.

The Mandiant findings follow an

October report from Microsoft that

the hackers, whose umbrella group

it calls Nobelium, continue to infil-

trate the government agencies, for-

eign policy think tanks and other or-

ganizations focused on Russian af-

fairs through the cloud service com-

panies and so-called managed

services providers on which they in-

creasingly rely. Mandiant tips its hat

to Microsoft’s threat researchers in

the report.

Mandiant researchers said the

Russian hackers “continue to inno-

vate and identify new techniques

and tradecraft” that lets them linger

in victim networks, hinder detection

and confuse attempts to attribute

hacks to them. In short, Russia’s

most elite state-backed hackers are

as crafty and adaptable as ever.

Mandiant did not identify individ-

ual victims or describe what specific

information may have been stolen

but did say unspecified “diplomatic

entities” that received malicious

phishing emails were among the

targets.

Report says Russian hackers haven’t eased spying effortsAssociated Press

WASHINGTON — President Joe

Biden has ordered U.S. flags at the

White House, federal buildings and

grounds, military posts, naval sta-

tions, embassies and consulates to

be flown at half-staff until Dec. 9 to

honor former Sen. Robert J. Dole,

who died Sunday at age 98.

Biden said he issued the procla-

mation Sunday evening as a mark of

respect for Dole, “a statesman like

few in our history and a war hero

among the greatest of the Greatest

Generation.” The order followed

one by House Speaker Nancy Pelo-

si, D-Calif., for flags at the U.S. Capi-

tol be flown at half-staff as well.

Dole represented Kansas in the

Senate from 1969 to 1996 and was

the Senate Republican leader for

more than a decade. He also sought

the presidency three times, winning

the Republican nomination in 1996

before ultimately losing to incum-

bent Bill Clinton.

On Sunday, the White House said

Biden and first lady Jill Biden had

spoken on the phone with Dole’s

wife, Elizabeth, with whom they

have been friends for half a century.

In a statement, Biden said one of the

first conversations he had with any-

one outside the White House after

he was sworn in as president had

been with the Doles.

“Like all true friendships, regard-

less of how much time has passed,

we picked up right where we left off,

as though it were only yesterday

that we were sharing a laugh in the

Senate dining room or debating the

great issues of the day, often against

each other, on the Senate floor,” Bi-

den said in a lengthy statement. “I

saw in his eyes the same light, brav-

ery, and determination I’ve seen so

many times before.”

Biden, who represented Dela-

ware in the Senate from 1973 to

2009, recalled that Dole never hesi-

tated to work with Democrats

“when it mattered most,” though

they often disagreed. He praised his

role in bipartisan efforts, such as

providing school meals and food for

nursing mothers and young chil-

dren, saying the work, for Dole, was

“written on his heart.” Biden was

joined by former Presidents George

W. Bush, Barack Obama and Do-

nald Trump in remembering Dole

as a war hero and a patriot. In a state-

ment, Bush said he would always re-

member Dole’s salute to his late fa-

ther, former President George

H.W. Bush, at the Capitol.

“Our entire family benefited

from that friendship including my

father . . . and now we Bushes salute

Bob and give thanks for his life of

principled service,” Bush said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch

McConnell, R-Ky., called Dole “a

bona fide American hero” and said

his lifetime of service was “rooted in

asimple mission: looking out for his

neighbors.”

“At first that meant serving his

customers at a soda fountain in Rus-

sell, Kansas,” McConnell said in a

statement. “Then it meant heroic,

decorated service with the Army’s

10th Mountain Division in World

War II; brutal fighting from which

Bob barely made it home. And then

came a remarkable career in public

service, capped off by nearly 30

years in the U.S. Senate and more

than a decade as Republican Lead-

er.”

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., called

Dole an “exemplary statesman”

who “chose what was right over

what was convenient.”

Flags at half-staff for Dole as Biden remembers ‘statesman’ and friendThe Washington Post

J. DAVID AKE/AP

Lowered to halfstaff in honor of former Senate Majority Leader BobDole, flags fly at sunrise in front of the U.S. Capitol on Monday.


NATION

NEW YORK — A new allegation

of sexual harassment against

Chris Cuomo emerged just days

before CNN announced it was fir-

ing the anchor amid an investiga-

tion into work he did defending his

brother from similar harassment

allegations.

Attorney Debra Katz said Sun-

day that her client was the victim

of “serious sexual misconduct” by

Cuomo and that she had contacted

CNN about the woman’s allega-

tions on Wednesday.

CNN suspended Cuomo last

week after details emerged about

how he assisted his brother, for-

mer New York Gov. Andrew Cuo-

mo, as the politician faced sexual

harassment allegations. Network

officials said “additional informa-

tion has come to light” when an-

nouncing Chris Cuomo’s firing

Saturday, but did not elaborate.

Katz said the accuser decided to

come forward after the New York

attorney general’s office released

evidence showing Cuomo had tak-

en a much more active role than

previously thought in strategizing

and helping to craft a response to

the allegations his brother was fac-

ing. When the initial allegations

surfaced against Andrew Cuomo,

Chris Cuomo had told viewers he

had “always cared very deeply

about these issues,” Katz said.

“Hearing the hypocrisy of Chris

Cuomo’s on-air words and disgust-

ed by his efforts to try to discredit

these women, my client retained

counsel to report his serious sex-

ual misconduct against her to

CNN,” Katz said in the statement.

The new misconduct allegation

comes after a veteran TV execu-

tive, Shelley Ross, wrote a column

for The New York Times in Sep-

tember saying Chris Cuomo had

groped her at a party 16 years ago,

when they both worked for ABC

News. Cuomo told the newspaper

that “I apologized to her then, and I

meant it.”

Chris Cuomo was accused of harassment days before CNN firingAssociated Press

WASHINGTON — House Mi-

nority Leader Kevin McCarthy

appears to have settled on a strate-

gy to deal with a handful of Repub-

lican lawmakers who have stirred

outrage with violent, racist and

sometimes

Islamophob-

ic comments.

If you can’t

police them, promote them.

The path to power for Republi-

cans in Congress is now rooted in

the capacity to generate outrage.

The alarming language, and the

fundraising haul it increasingly

produces, is another example of

how Donald Trump, the former

president, has left his mark on pol-

itics, changing the way Republi-

cans rise to influence and author-

ity.

Success in Congress, once mea-

sured by bills passed and constitu-

ents reached, is now gauged in

many ways by the ability to attract

attention, even if it is negative, as

the GOP looks to reclaim a House

majority next year by firing up

Trump’s most ardent supporters.

That has helped elevate a group

of far-right lawmakers — includ-

ing Reps. Lauren Boebert of Col-

orado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of

Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona

—whose inflammatory comments

once would have made them pa-

riahs.

Rather than face punishment

for personal attacks that violate

long-standing norms of Congress,

they’ve been celebrated by con-

servatives, who have showered

Boebert and Greene with cam-

paign cash.

“We are not the fringe. We are

the base of the party,” Greene,

who has previously endorsed calls

to assassinate prominent Demo-

crats, said last week on a podcast

hosted by former Trump adviser

Steve Bannon.

The hands-off approach by Re-

publican leadership gives them li-

cense to spread hate speech, con-

spiracy theories and misinforma-

tion that can have real world con-

sequences, while testing the

resolve of Democrats, who al-

ready removed Gosar and Greene

from their committees.

It’s also a different tack from the

one McCarthy took in 2019 when

he stripped then-Rep. Steve King

of Iowa of his committee assign-

ments for lamenting that white su-

premacy and white nationalism

had become offensive terms.

Boebert offers the latest exam-

ple.

In two videos that surfaced re-

cently, she likened Rep. Ilhan

Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who

is one of three Muslims in Con-

gress, to a terrorist concealing a

bomb in a backpack. Boebert has

also repeatedly referred to Omar

as belonging to a “jihad squad,” as

well as “black-hearted” and

“evil.”

Her comments drew wide-

spread condemnation and led to

calls for Boebert to become the

third GOP lawmaker this year to

be removed from congressional

committees. But instead of publi-

cly apologizing to Omar, a defiant

Boebert insisted that Omar should

be the one to issue a public apology

“to the American people” for her

“anti-American” rhetoric, as well

as past “anti-Semitic” comments,

which Democrats condemned at

the time.

In the uproar that followed,

Omar received death threats, in-

cluding a voicemail left by a man

who called her a “traitor” and sug-

gested she would be soon be taken

“off the face of the (expletive)

earth.”

“We cannot pretend this hate

speech from leading politicians

doesn’t have real consequences,”

Omar said Tuesday while calling

on the Republican Party to “ac-

tually do something to confront an-

ti-Muslim hatred in its ranks.”

Boebert, meanwhile, burnished

her image through an appearance

on Fox News where she blamed

Democrats who “want to cancel

me” for the controversy. She has

raked in $2.7 million so far this

year, making her one of the top Re-

publican fundraisers, according to

campaign finance disclosures.

McCarthy, who is in line to be-

come speaker if Republicans re-

take the majority in the 2022 mid-

term elections, downplayed the

controversy Friday. He credited

Boebert for attempting to private-

ly apologize in a phone call with

Omar, while breezing past Boe-

bert’s refusal to do so publicly.

“In America, that’s what we do,”

he said. “And then we move on.”

But McCarthy has also indicat-

ed that there will be little conse-

quence for personal attacks. Just

last month, he said those punished

by Democrats could be in line for a

promotion if he becomes speaker,

floating the possibility that Gosar

and Greene “may have better

committee assignments” than be-

fore.

That also poses a vexing issue

for Democrats. During a Wednes-

day caucus meeting, House

Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned

Boebert’s behavior but cautioned

that restraint was needed.

“This is hard because these peo-

ple are doing it for the publicity,”

Pelosi said, according to a person

in the room, who insisted on ano-

nymity to discuss private deliber-

ations. “There’s a judgment that

has to be made about how we con-

tribute to their fundraising and

their publicity on how obnoxious

and disgusting they can be.”

In many cases, the incentive to

outrage can outweigh the conse-

quences.

Greene arrived in Congress this

year with a well documented his-

tory of making inflammatory com-

ments. A former adherent of the

QAnon conspiracy theories, she

once mused that a wealthy Jewish

family may have used space lasers

to spark California wildfires.

She’s also harassed survivors of

school shootings, accused Pelosi of

committing crimes punishable by

death and appeared in a 2019 video

at the Capitol in which she argued

Omar and another Muslim repre-

sentative weren’t “really official”

members of Congress because

they didn’t take the oath of office

on the Bible.

Since her election, she’s used

her nonstop attacks and viral on-

line moments to reap a $6.3 million

fundraising windfall — more than

three times the cost of the average

congressional campaign — while

proving to be a speaking draw at

Republican fundraisers around

the country.

“If you say something bats---

crazy, if you say something ex-

treme, you are going to raise mon-

ey,” said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.,

who is one of the few Republicans

to publicly criticize the rhetoric of

her colleagues. Mace, who publi-

cly feuded with Greene last week,

said the Georgia lawmaker was a

“grifter of the first order” who

takes advantage of “vulnerable

conservatives.”

Gosar, who was censured last

month after posting an animated

video of himself killing Democrat-

ic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

of New York, is nowhere near as

prolific of a fundraiser. But he has

become a celebrated figure for

white nationalists and has made

appearances at fringe right-wing

events, including a gathering in

Florida last February hosted by

Nick Fuentes, an internet person-

ality who has promoted white su-

premacist beliefs.

Still, some Republicans have

said that just because the three

have achieved a measure of fame

doesn’t mean they have accumu-

lated real influence or staying

power.

“There’s always some gifted

communicator who comes in,”

said Rep. Tom Cole, a 10-term Ok-

lahoma Republican, who used the

GOP class of 1994, when Republi-

cans took over the House for the

first time in decades, as an exam-

ple. “We’re a long way of knowing

how long they’ll stay. A lot of the

brightest stars of the 1994 class

were gone within eight years.”

Besides, he added: “The reality

is the first six years, the only thing

you are going to do is what they let

you.”

How far right is turning anger into power in GOPBY BRIAN SLODYSKO

Associated Press

ANALYSIS

MICHAEL REYNOLDS/AP

From left, Rep. Lauren Boebert, RColo., Rep. Matt Gaetz, RFla., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene,RGa., attend the House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing of the U.S. Department of Justice withtestimony from Attorney General Merrick Garland, on Oct. 21on Capitol Hill in Washington.


NATION

NEW YORK — Allyship, an old

noun made new again, is Dictio-

nary.com’s word of the year.

The look up site with 70 million

monthly users took the unusual

step of anointing a word it added

just last month, though “allyship”

first surfaced in the mid-1800s,

said one of the company’s content

overseers, John Kelly.

“It might be a surprising choice

for some,” he told The Associated

Press ahead of Tuesday’s unveil-

ing. “In the past few decades, the

term has evolved to take on a

more nuanced and specific mean-

ing. It is continuing to evolve and

we saw that in many ways.”

The site offers two definitions

for allyship: The role of a person

who advocates for inclusion of a

“marginalized or politicized

group” in solidarity but not as a

member, and the more traditional

relationship of “persons, groups

or nations associating and coop-

erating with one another for a

common cause or purpose.”

The word is set apart from “al-

liance,” which Dictionary.com

defines in one sense as a “merg-

ing of efforts or interests by per-

sons, families, states or organiza-

tions.”

It’s the first definition that took

off most recently in the mid-2000s

and has continued to churn. Fol-

lowing the summer of 2020 and

the death of George Floyd, white

allies — and the word allyship —

proliferated as racial justice dem-

onstrations spread. Before that,

straight allies joined the causes of

LGBTQ+ oppression, discrimina-

tion and marginalization.

“This year, we saw a lot of busi-

nesses and organizations very

prominently, publicly, beginning

efforts to promote diversity, equi-

ty and inclusion. Allyship is tied

to that. In the classroom, there is

a flashpoint around the term crit-

ical race theory. Allyship con-

nects with this as well,” Kelly

said.

In addition, teachers, frontline

workers and mothers who jug-

gled jobs, home duties and child

care in lockdown gained allies as

the pandemic took hold last year.

Without an entry for “allyship,”

Kelly said the site saw a steep rise

in lookups for “ally” in 2020 and

large spikes in 2021. It was in the

top 850 searches out of thousands

and thousands of words this year.

Dictionary.com broadened the

definition of “ally” to include the

more nuanced meaning. The

terms “DEI” (Diversity, Equity

and Inclusion) and “critical race

theory” made their debuts as en-

tries on the site with “allyship”

this year.

Dictionary.com anoints ‘allyship’ as its word of the year for 2021Associated Press

DENVER — It was lunchtime on

a mild day in the sprawling Denver

suburb of Aurora when a truck full

of teens pulled into a high school

parking lot where students were

gathered, and gunfire rang out.

Three were wounded as others

ran in fear.

One of the boys charged in the

Nov. 19 shooting later told investiga-

tors he brought his armed friends to

an expected gang fight because “it’s

the way it is in this town,” court doc-

uments said.

The shooting was one of several

involving teenagers within a two-

week span that have placed renew-

ed attention on a long-running prob-

lem of gun violence and gangs in the

state’s third-largest city, where the

police department has been under

scrutiny for its treatment of Black

residents. Activists and officials

have said easy access to guns is con-

tributing to the problem, which has

also been exacerbated by the pan-

demic and its effect particularly on

the mental health of minority teens

in the city.

Across the United States, shoot-

ings involving children and teenag-

ers have increased in recent years,

including 2021. A March report

from the Children’s Defense Fund

found child and teen shooting

deaths reached a 19-year high in

2017 and have remained elevated.

Black children and teenagers were

four times more likely than whites

to be fatally shot.

Aurora has seen an increase in

Black and Latino families and im-

migrants from around the world as

Denver has grown more expensive

in recent years. These families of

color have been hit harder health-

wise but also economically by the

COVID-19 pandemic, contributing

to mental health problems, said

Maisha Fields, an activist who

works with youth and families in the

city of about 379,000.

The Nov. 19 shooting started with

an argument in the parking lot at

Hinkley High School after the

truckload of boys arrived. After the

initial shots were fired, the pickup

drove away, with at least two teens

pointing guns from the windows,

sending students running in fear,

according to police.

Three 16-year-olds were later

charged, including the boy who

spoke to investigators about the

gang fight.

Fields, who is also vice president

for organizing for the Brady gun

control advocacy group, said the

teen’s attitude about the need to be

armed gave her chills. It reminded

her of the callousness that led to her

brother, Javad Marshall-Fields,

and his fiancee, Vivian Wolfe, being

shot and killed in Aurora in 2005 as

he was preparing to testify against a

man charged in the fatal shooting of

his friend at a concert.

Jason McBride, a violence pre-

vention expert who works with

teens for the Struggle of Love Foun-

dation in Denver and Aurora, and

Aurora City Council member Ange-

la Lawson both said teens have

showed them Snapchat posts,

where messages disappear, offer-

ing guns for sale.

McBride thinks gangs are to

blame for much of the problem —

not necessarily the organized Crips

and Bloods as in previous years, but

smaller, loosely affiliated groups of

teens who may not be associated

with a particular neighborhood but

who get into disputes on social

media.

Generational trauma caused by

seeing relatives killed in shootings

has also normalized them, he said.

And being kept away from school,

an escape from problems at home,

has strained the mental health of

some teens.

McBride said a 16-year-old re-

cently told him he would use bullets

if he got into a fight so he would not

have to worry about messing up his

clothes.

“That’s the head space our kids

are in,” he said.

PHILIP B. POSTON, SENTINEL COLORADO/AP

Edgar James, front center, battles with tears as he hugs his daughter, Mia, front right, and his wife, OlgaAguirre, front left, as they are reunited outside Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colo., on Nov. 19.

Multiple teen shootings in Denversuburb renew focus on gun violence

BY COLLEEN SLEVIN

Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia

Gov. Ralph Northam announced

Sunday that his administration will

remove an enormous pedestal that

until earlier this year held a statue of

Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in

Richmond.

The announcement marks a re-

versal in course from September,

when the statue was removed but

the Democratic governor said the

40-foot-tall pedestal, currently cov-

ered in graffiti, would stay.

His administration also an-

nounced plans to transfer owner-

ship of the grassy island in the mid-

dle of a traffic circle where the stat-

ue was located to the city of Rich-

mond. The move comes about a

month before Northam leaves office

and Republican Gov.-elect Glenn

Youngkin, who has expressed less

enthusiasm about the statue’s re-

moval, is sworn in.

“It was important to us that we do

it now and before we leave office,”

said Alena Yarmosky, Northam’s

spokeswoman.

The deeding of the land, which

was given to the commonwealth in

the 19th century, was a request from

the city so that the parcel could come

under local control, Yarmosky said.

State ownership has created logisti-

cal headaches with maintenance

and security, she said.

Preliminary work on the pedestal

removal was expected to begin

Monday, with the project expected

to be “substantially complete” by

Dec. 31, according to a news release.

The Lee statue, a one-of-a-kind

bronze equestrian piece installed in

1890, was perched in the middle of

the traffic circle, part of a collection

of other Confederate statuary along

Richmond’s historic Monument

Avenue. The statue, which had

drawn criticism as a symbol of racial

injustice, was hauled away in Sep-

tember to cheers from onlookers.

Northam ordered its removal in

the summer of 2020 amid the nation-

wide protest movement that erupt-

ed after the slaying of George Floyd

by a police officer in Minneapolis.

But litigation tied up his plans until

this year.

“In 2020, we can no longer honor a

system that was based on the buying

and selling of enslaved people,” he

said when announcing his decision

to remove the statue.

The day it was hauled away, he

said, marked “a new day, a new era

in Virginia.”

In September, when The Wash-

ington Post pressed a Youngkin

campaign spokesman for the then-

candidate’s position on the removal,

the spokesperson said Youngkin

agreed with the decision. Youngkin

has said the statue belongs in a mu-

seum or on a battlefield, as an oppor-

tunity to teach about history, and he

has criticized the “graffiti and vio-

lence” that went along with many

protests over Confederate monu-

ments.

The Lee statue was one of five

enormous Confederate tributes

along Richmond’s Monument Ave-

nue and the only one that belonged

to the state. The four city-owned

statues were also removed follow-

ing Floyd’s killing after they became

focal points in protests.

In September, Northam said the

pedestal would remain in place so its

future could be determined by a

community-driven effort to reima-

gine Monument Avenue, an initia-

tive being led by an arts museum

and currently in a very early stage.

“This land is in the middle of Rich-

mond, and Richmonders will deter-

mine the future of this space,”

Northam said in a statement Sun-

day. “The Commonwealth will re-

move the pedestal and we anticipate

asafe removal and a successful con-

clusion to this project.”

Virginia to remove base of Lee statue,assign land to city

BY SARAH RANKIN

Associated Press


AMERICAN ROUNDUP

State’s high point will berepository for flag ashes

AL DELTA — The highest

point in Alabama, Chea-

ha Mountain, will soon become a

repository for the ashes of retired

American flags.

A vault called “Old Glory Loo-

kout” has been added to Cheaha

State Park in Delta and will be

dedicated on Tuesday, the 80th

anniversary of the attack on Pearl

Harbor. It will hold the remains of

old U.S. flags, which are supposed

to be destroyed by fire.

A statement from Alabama’s

state park system said the contain-

er consists of a steel vault encased

in quartzite that was cut by mem-

bers of the Civil Conservation

Corps, a New Deal program

formed in the 1930s under then-

President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The vault is on the eastern slope of

a ridge near a public boardwalk.

The project is a joint effort be-

tween an American Legion post in

Atmore and the park, located

about 80 miles east of Birming-

ham. Paul Chason, adjutant for the

American Legion post, said mili-

tary, veteran and civic organiza-

tions will be able to inter flag ashes

at the site.

Graffiti in tunnels nearAnne Frank memorial

ID BOISE — Someone

painted anti-Semitic

graffiti overnight Saturday in

three tunnels near the Anne Frank

Human Rights Memorial in down-

town Boise, police said.

The graffiti, which included

spray-painted swastikas and other

hate speech, was painted over Sat-

urday morning by the city’s parks

department. Three tunnels along

the Boise Greenbelt were defaced,

Chief Ryan Lee told the Idaho

Statesman.

“Absolutely abhorrent conduct,

and we’re not going to sit idly by

and let that be,” he said.

A swastika was painted on the

Idaho Building in downtown Boise

last month and in December 2020,

stickers with Nazi imagery were

left all over the Anne Frank me-

morial. It’s too soon to say whether

those incidents are connected to

Saturday’s graffiti, Lee said.

Kids get new shoes frommedical school students

IL SPRINGFIELD — Doz-

ens of schoolchildren got

new athletic shoes this week from

students at Southern Illinois Uni-

versity School of Medicine in

Springfield.

Through the national “Shoes

that Fit” program, SIU medical

students have provided more than

1,000 pairs of shoes to area stu-

dents since 2007, The (Spring-

field) State Journal-Register re-

ported.

This week, beneficiaries were

at Enos and McClernand elemen-

tary schools.

The medical students organize

the event and purchase the shoes,

according to Hope Cherry, pro-

gram director for SIU Medicine’s

Center for Clinical Research in

the Department of Community

and Family Medicine. There was a

“casual day” to raise money for

the campaign and faculty, staff

and students all donated shoes.

‘Trees for Troops’ getsover 450 from 2 states

NH BETHLEHEM —

Over 450 Christmas

trees from 25 growers in New

Hampshire and Vermont have

been sent to U.S. military families

as part of the national “Trees for

Troops” effort.

The trees were recently collect-

ed at the Society for the Protection

of New Hampshire Forests’ Rocks

Christmas Tree Farm in Bethle-

hem, N.H.

Trees were donated by growers,

regional businesses, schools and

individuals.

The trees were being delivered

to military bases in Georgia.

People can trade toysfor community service

SC GREENWOOD — A

South Carolina prose-

cutor is again giving people a

chance to get out of a little trouble

this Christmas season by donating

a new toy to needy children.

The program by the 8th Circuit

Solicitor’s Office knocks off some

community service time for peo-

ple in programs mostly designed

for first-time offenders, Solicitor

David Stumbo told The Index-

Journal of Greenwood.

Bicycles, action figures, board

games, sports equipment and

stuffed animals are already

crowding offices. The drive runs

through Dec. 10 and then the toys

will be distributed through com-

munity organizations like the Ab-

beville Angel Tree program, the

Salvation Army of Greenwood, the

state Department of Social Servic-

es in Laurens and the sheriff’s of-

fice in Newberry County.

The offer is available for people

in programs such as pretrial inter-

vention, drug court and veterans

court.

Salvation Army bell ringerrobbed, suspect caught

WA VANCOUVER — A

man was chased down

and caught by deputies in Wash-

ington state after allegedly as-

saulting a Salvation Army bell

ringer and fleeing with his dona-

tions kettle.

Clark County deputies respon-

ded just before 8 p.m. Saturday

night to a reported robbery at a

grocery store in Vancouver and

attempted to stop the suspect as he

fled on foot through traffic.

Two deputies chased down the

suspect and detained him after a

brief struggle, the Clark County

Sheriff’s Office said. The cash ket-

tle had been discarded by the sus-

pect but was recovered with help

from a police dog, Apollo.

The bell ringer suffered minor

injury. The suspect was booked in-

to the Clark County jail on charges

of robbery, theft, resisting arrest

and obstructing law enforcement.

Newspaper photographergets robbed at gunpoint

CA SAN FRANCISCO — A

San Francisco Chroni-

cle photographer was robbed at

gunpoint on Friday afternoon in

West Oakland, Calif., during an as-

signment, the newspaper report-

ed.

The robbery came on the heels

of the death of a security guard,

who was shot Nov. 24 in Oakland

while protecting a KRON4 News

reporter from an attempted

armed robbery. Kevin Nishita

died Nov. 27 from his injuries.

Multiple suspects stole two

cameras from The Chronicle pho-

tographer on Friday around 3:30

p.m. and drove away, according to

the newspaper. The photographer

was not injured.

“Any incident in which a person

is robbed of their possessions at

gunpoint is incredibly troubling,”

Chronicle Editor in Chief Emilio

Garcia-Ruiz said. “We are re-

lieved that our colleague was not

physically injured. We are a part

of this community, and we will not

retreat from providing the news

and information it needs.”

High school player attacksother player after game

IA CARLISLE — An Iowa

high school basketball

player has been arrested follow-

ing an apparent assault on an op-

posing player at the end of a game

as the two teams lined up to shake

hands, authorities said.

The attack reportedly followed

a boys’ high school basketball

game last week between Nevada

High School and Carlisle High

School in Carlisle’s gym. A video

that has been viewed millions of

times on Twitter shows a Carlisle

player suddenly punch a Nevada

player who had his hand extended

for a handshake as the teams

passed each other in a traditional

practice of sportsmanship follow-

ing a game.

In the video, the Carlisle player

appears to hit the Nevada player at

least two more times before he’s

pulled away.

The Nevada player suffered a

concussion and required stitches

for a cut to his mouth. The 17-year-

old Carlisle player faces a felony

charge of willful injury.

DON CAMPBELL, THE HERALDPALLADIUM/AP

Lisa Jannings and her Doberman, Tank, gather in St. Joseph, Mich., on Saturday during the annual Fanny Mae Memorial Reindog Parade.

Walking Santa’s reindog

THE CENSUS

52 The number of years the longest-serving township trustee inOhio served for leading up to his pending retirement. William

“Andy” Thompson, 84, was first elected as a trustee in Thompson Township in1970 and has since served 13 consecutive, four-year terms, often running un-opposed in the Delaware County community. He decided not to seek re-elec-tion this year, however, telling The Columbus Dispatch, “I can’t do what I usedto do.” Thompson’s trustee post will be taken over by the oldest of his four sons,William Andrew Thompson III, 63, who was elected in November to fill hisfather’s seat.

From The Associated Press


WORLD

ENIWA, Japan — Dozens of

tanks and soldiers fired explosives

and machine guns in drills Mon-

day on Japan’s northern island of

Hokkaido, a main stronghold for a

nation that is perhaps the world’s

least-known military powerhouse.

Just across the sea from rival

Russia, Japan opened up its

humbly named Self Defense

Force’s firing exercises to the

media in a display of public fire-

power that coincides with a recent

escalation of Chinese and Russian

military moves around Japanese

territory.

The drills, which foreign jour-

nalists rarely have a chance to wit-

ness, will continue for nine days

and include about 1,300 Ground

Self Defense Force troops. On

Monday, as hundreds of soldiers

cheered from the sidelines and

waved unit flags, lines of tanks

shot at targets meant to represent

enemy missiles or armored vehi-

cles.

The exercises illuminate a fas-

cinating, easy-to-miss point. Ja-

pan, despite an officially pacifist

constitution written when memo-

ries of its World War II rampage

were still fresh — and painful —

boasts a military that puts all but a

few nations to shame.

And, with a host of threats lurk-

ing in Northeast Asia, its hawkish

leaders are eager for more.

It’s not an easy sell. In a nation

still reviled by many of its neigh-

bors for its past military actions,

and where domestic pacifism runs

high, any military buildup is con-

troversial.

Japan has focused on its defen-

sive capabilities and carefully

avoids using the word “military”

for its troops. But as it looks to de-

fend its territorial and military in-

terests against an assertive China,

North Korea and Russia, officials

in Tokyo are pushing citizens to

put aside widespread unease over

a more robust role for the military

and support increased defense

spending.

As it is, tens of billions of dollars

each year have built an arsenal of

nearly 1,000 warplanes and doz-

ens of destroyers and submarines.

Japan’s forces rival those of Bri-

tain and France, and show no sign

of slowing down in a pursuit of the

best equipment and weapons

money can buy.

Japan’s military, already among world’s strongest, looks to buildAssociated Press

EUGENE HOSHIKO/AP

Japanese GroundSelf Defense Force Type 90 tank fires its gun at atarget during a livefire annual exercise at the Minami Eniwa Camp onMonday in Eniwa on the northern Japan island of Hokkaido.

BANGKOK — Aung San Suu

Kyi, the civilian leader of Myan-

mar who was ousted in a de facto

coup this year, was convicted of

incitement and another charge

Monday and sentenced to four

years in prison — in a trial widely

criticized as yet a further attempt

by the country’s military rulers to

roll back the democratic gains of

recent years.

It also serves to cement a dra-

matic reversal of fortunes for the

Nobel Peace laureate, who spent

15 years under house arrest for re-

sisting the Southeast Asian na-

tion’s generals but then worked

uncomfortably alongside them

when they promised to usher in

democratic rule.

Monday’s verdict was the first

expected in a series of cases

against 76-year-old Suu Kyi, who

was arrested when the army

seized power on Feb. 1 and pre-

vented her National League for

Democracy party from starting a

second five-year term in office fol-

lowing a landslide electoral victo-

ry.

If found guilty of all the charges

she faces, Suu Kyi could be sen-

tenced to more than 100 years in

prison. She is being held by the

military at an unknown location,

and the court did not make clear

Monday whether she would be

moved to a prison or kept under

some form of house arrest, ac-

cording to a legal official, who re-

layed the verdict to The Associat-

ed Press and who insisted on ano-

nymity for fear of being punished

by the authorities.

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi gets 4 years in trial seen as politicalAssociated Press


WORLD

ATHENS, Greece — Pope

Francis ended his visit to Greece

on Monday by encouraging its

young people to follow their

dreams and not be tempted by the

consumerist “sirens” of today that

promise easy pleasures.

Earlier, Francis met with stu-

dents at a Catholic school in Ath-

ens in his final event of a five-day

visit to Cyprus and Greece that

has been dominated by his con-

cern for the plight of migrants

seeking entry to Europe.

He echoed a common theme he

has raised with young people, en-

couraging them to stay fast in

their faith, even amid doubts, and

resist the temptation to pursue

materialist goals. He cited Home-

r’s epic poem “The Odyssey” and

the temptation posed by the si-

rens who “by their songs enchant-

ed sailors and made them crash

against the rocks.”

“Today’s sirens want to charm

you with seductive and insistent

messages that focus on easy

gains, the false needs of consume-

rism, the cult of physical well-

ness, of entertainment at all

costs,” he said. “All these are like

fireworks: they flare up for a mo-

ment, but then turn to smoke in

the air.”

ALESSANDRO DI MEO/AP

Pope Francis greets journalists onboard the papal plane on the occasion of his fiveday pastoral visit toCyprus and Greece on Monday.

Pope ends trip focused on helping migrantsAssociated Press

LONDON — Winners of the 2021

Nobel Prizes started receiving

their awards Monday in scaled-

down local ceremonies adapted for

pandemic times.

For a second year, the coronavi-

rus scuttled the traditional formal

banquet in Stockholm attended by

winners of the prizes in chemistry,

physics, medicine, literature and

economics. The Nobel Peace Prize

is awarded separately in Oslo, Nor-

way.

Literature laureate Abdulrazak

Gurnah wasthe first to get his prize

in a lunchtime ceremony Monday

at the Swedish ambassador’s resi-

dence in London. The U.K.-based

Tanzanian author was awarded the

Nobel Prize in October for novels

that explore the impact of migra-

tion on individuals and societies.

Gurnah, who grew up on the is-

land of Zanzibar and arrived in En-

gland as an 18-year-old refugee in

the 1960s, has drawn on his experi-

ences for 10 novels, including

“Memory of Departure,” “Pil-

grims Way,” “Afterlives” and

“Paradise.” He has said migration

is “not just my story — it’s a phe-

nomenon of our times.”

Later Monday, Italian physics

laureate Giorgio Parisi was due to

receive his prize at a ceremony in

Rome. U.S.-based physics laureate

Syukuro Manabe, chemistry lau-

reate David W.C. MacMillan and

economic sciences laureate Josh-

ua D. Angrist will be given their

medals and diplomas in Washing-

ton.

More ceremonies will be held

throughout the week in Germany

and the United States. On Friday —

the anniversary of the death of

prize founder Albert Nobel — there

will be a celebratory ceremony at

Stockholm City Hall for a local au-

dience, including King Carl XVI

Gustav and senior Swedish royals.

A Nobel Prize comes with a di-

ploma, a gold medal and a $1.15 mil-

lion cash award, which is shared if

there are multiple winners.

Nobel Prizes awarded

in smaller ceremoniesAssociated Press


FACES

The Kennedy Center Honors

returned to tradition this year

with a real-life gala Sunday night

and the presence of the president

for the first time since 2016.

The lifetime achievement

awards for artistic excellence

were presented to Motown Re-

cords creator Berry Gordy, “Sat-

urday Night Live” mastermind

Lorne Michaels, actress-singer

Bette Midler, opera singer Justino

Díaz and folk music legend Joni

Mitchell.

This year’s event at the Kenne-

dy Center’s main opera house rep-

resented a return to political nor-

malcy, with President Joe Biden

and first lady Jill Biden attending.

President Donald Trump and

first lady Melania Trump skipped

the show the first three years he

was in office after several of the

artists honored in 2017, his first

year in office, threatened to boy-

cott a White House reception if he

participated. Last year, the pan-

demic forced a delay and major

changes to the program.

The Bidens drew a sustained

standing ovation when they en-

tered the presidential box at the

opera house. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma

performed the national anthem.

The theater was packed to ca-

pacity and there were no social

annual Saturday ceremony,

where honorees receive their

medallions on rainbow-colored

ribbons, to the Library of Con-

gress instead of the State Depart-

ment.

Sunday’s ceremony will be

broadcast Dec. 22 stateside by

CBS.

distancing restrictions, but vacci-

nations and recent negative CO-

VID tests were required.

The tributes featured testimo-

nials and performances that were

kept secret from the honorees.

Mitchell’s tribute featured per-

formances of her songs by Nora

Jones, Brandi Carlile, Ellie Gould-

ing and Brittany Howard. Díaz

was honored with a performance

from the opera “Carmen” and a

song from his two daughters, Ka-

tya and Natascia.

For Michaels, organizers put to-

gether three “Weekend Update”

segments onstage with multiple

generations of mock news anchors

— Kevin Nealon, Seth Myers and

Amy Poehler, and the current duo

of Michel Che and Colin Jost. Che

joked that Biden would be asleep

before the end of the show and

Poehler poked at the Toronto-

born Michaels by proclaiming

that Joni Mitchell had been de-

clared “the best Canadian of all

time.”

Midler received testimonials

from close friends Goldie Hawn

and Barbara Hershey, and a per-

formance by Tony Award winner

Billy Porter of her iconic song,

“The Wind Beneath My Wings.”

Gordy’s career was celebrated

with performances of multiple

Motown hits by Andra Day and

Stevie Wonder and an extended

tribute from close friend Smokey

Robinson. The event ended with

several of the night’s performers

joining for a performance of Won-

der’s hit “Higher Ground.”

Prior to the Kennedy Center

event, Biden revived another tra-

dition that had gone dormant un-

der Trump and held a White

House reception for the honorees.

“We welcome everyone back,”

he told a crowd of about 150 seated

in the East Room. Guests included

Vice President Kamala Harris,

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Car-

oline Kennedy, Mikhail Baryshni-

kov, Chita Rivera, Steve Martin

and Herbie Hancock.

“Our nation is stronger, more

dynamic and more vibrant be-

cause of you,” Biden told the hon-

orees.

Biden praised the work of the

artists, their “sixth sense” that

helps them create and move so

many people, saying: “I don’t

think you fully appreciate what

you do for so many people.”

He spoke of Díaz’s “sound of

soul,” Gordy’s creation of “one of

the most iconic businesses” in

American history with Motown

Records. With Michaels, he joked:

“Finally, it’s my turn to say some-

thing about him,” poking fun at

Michaels’ SNL show, which rou-

tinely mocks presidents.

“You make me laugh at myself a

lot,” Biden said, then went on to

say Michaels was auditioning ac-

tors right now to play him next on

SNL. Biden asked Steve Martin to

stand as an example of the type of

talent Michaels has cultivated

over the past decades.

Martin paused and asked the

president, “Do you want me to

play you?” The crowd erupted in

laughter.

Biden then professed his admi-

ration for Mitchell and Midler,

telling Midler that “people will

never forget how you make them

feel. That’s your gift; it’s incredi-

ble.” Lastly: “Joni. Your words

and melodies touch the deepest

parts of our soul,” Biden said.

Last year, the pandemic forced

organizers to bump the annual De-

cember ceremony to May 2021.

Performance tributes to the art-

ists were filmed over several

nights and at multiple locations.

This year’s main COVID-relat-

ed modification was shifting the

Kennedy Center Honorsreturn to traditional waysBidens in attendance as ceremony honors Lorne Michaels,Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Berry Gordy and Justino Díaz

BY ASHRAF KHALIL

AND COLLEEN LONG

Associated Press

KEVIN WOLF/AP

2021 Kennedy Center honorees, top row from left: Lorne Michaelsand Bette Midler; bottom row from left: Justino Díaz, Joni Mitchell andBerry Gordy pose Saturday at the Library of Congress in Washington.

CAROLYN KASTER/AP

President Joe Biden and first ladyJill Biden wave as they arriveSunday at the John F. KennedyCenter for the Performing Arts inWashington for the ceremony.

Tom Holland is trading in his Spidey suit for some tap

shoes. The “Spider-Man” star told The Associated Press on

Sunday that he plans to play Fred Astaire

in an upcoming biopic.

“Oh, I am playing Fred Astaire,” Hol-

land said at an event in London. “Yeah, I

am.”

Producer Amy Pascal recently said she

wanted Holland to play Astaire, but Hol-

land had yet to comment on the possibility

until now.

While Holland’s dance background

hasn’t necessarily been highlighted in his superhero films,

the 25-year-old did play the title role in “Billy Elliott: The

Musical” from 2008 to 2010.

Holland said he still needs to read the Astaire script,

which just came in a week ago.

“I haven’t read it yet. They haven’t given it to me,” Hol-

land added. “Amy Pascal has the script. She FaceTimed me

earlier. I was in the bath and we had a lovely FaceTime.”

But before he steps into Astaire’s shoes, Holland has an-

other Spider-Man movie to unspool on the world: “No Way

Home,” which hits theaters on Dec. 17. Whether or not

there’s more Peter Parker in his future remains to be seen.

“I love this character more than anything. This character

has changed my life. I have a relationship with my fans that

is so wonderful. I couldn’t ask for it to be any better,” Hol-

land said.

“But I want to do what’s best for the character. If it’s time

for me to step down and the next person to step up, I’ll do so

proudly. You know, I’d love to see a more diverse Spider-

Man universe, which would be really exciting. If I could be

a part of that — if I could be the Iron Man to the next young

Spider-Man or Spider-Woman, that would be great. But at

the moment, all I have to think about is the character and

what’s best for Peter Parker,” he said.

Jon Stewart returns to on-camera actingJon Stewart is returning to television for his first on-cam-

era acting role in almost 20 years.

The former host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”

has been tapped to join Jennifer Aniston, Gabrielle Union,

Kathryn Hahn and Allison Tolman in the cast for the “Facts

of Life” revival for ABC’s third “Live in Front of a Studio

Audience” special.

According to the network, the comedian and activist will

play a “surprise role” in the show, executive produced by

Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmell, Kerry Washington and

Justin Theroux.

“The Facts of Life” reenactment will be paired with a

staging of its parent show, “Diff’rent Strokes,” starring Ke-

vin Hart, John Lithgow and Damon Wayans.

Ann Dowd will appear in both episodes as Mrs. Garrett,

the role played by Charlotte Rae on both shows.

Audiences go for second helping of ‘Encanto’Leftovers were on the menu for moviegoers in North Amer-

ica over the weekend. “Encanto,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”

and “House of Gucci” repeated in the top three spots, ac-

cording to studio estimates on Sunday. All three films are

playing exclusively in theaters.

The weekend after Thanksgiving is usually pretty quiet

at the box office, and this year was no exception. Disney’s

“Encanto,” an animated tale with original music from Lin-

Manuel Miranda, earned $12.7 million to take the top spot,

down 53% from its opening last weekend. Globally, it’s

earned $116.1 million to date.

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” took second place in its third

weekend with $10.4 million, pushing it just past the $100

million threshold. And Ridley Scott’s ripped from the head-

lines “House of Gucci,” starring Lady Gaga and Adam

Driver, came in third place in its second weekend with $6.8

million from 3,477 locations, bringing its domestic total to

$33.6 million.

Tom Holland’s next dance: Playing Fred AstaireFrom wire reports

Holland


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OPINION

WASHINGTON

His voice, flat as the prairie from

which he rose to prominence,

proclaimed what Bob Dole was:

a Midwesterner, a man of the

middle of the country and of the political spec-

trum. Like another Midwesterner — a con-

temporary — Hubert Humphrey, Dole was a

senator who came agonizingly close to seizing

the presidential brass ring of politics.

Dole, who could have become the United

States’ 41st chief executive, was born in Rus-

sell, Kan., 270 miles west of the Missouri birth-

place of the 33rd, Harry S. Truman, another

plain-spoken son of the Middle Border. Elect-

ed to Congress in 1960, when Dwight D. Eisen-

hower was president, Dole served during

eight other presidencies.

If he had won the Republicans’ 1988 nomi-

nation, he almost certainly would have won

the White House because Americans then

wanted something more like a third Ronald

Reagan term than a first Michael Dukakis

term. Dole probably would have won that

nomination if he had won New Hampshire’s

primary. And he could have, if he had cam-

paigned as what he really wasn’t — a fervent

conservative. He might have won anti-tax

New Hampshire if he had made a “no new tax-

es” pledge, the making of which later helped

his opponent, George H.W. Bush, win the

presidency, and the breaking of which helped

Bush lose it.

Dole finally won a Republican nomination

too late, in 1996. He then would have been the

oldest person, 73, ever elected to a first term.

Dole was never one of those puffed-up poli-

ticians who constantly act as though they are

unveiling statues of themselves. He had a

Midwestern cheerfulness — see Ronald Re-

agan, of Dixon, Ill. — about the United States’

possibilities, but his mordant, sometimes

acidic wit fit a man with some grievances

against life’s close calls.

If he had been a few yards away from where

he was on that Italian hill on April 14, 1945, or if

the war in Europe had ended 25 days earlier,

he would have escaped the severe wound that

left him in pain the rest of his years. A few

thousand more Ohio and Mississippi votes in

1976 would have made Dole vice president.

But his aptitudes were not those of an exec-

utive. The presidency is a fundamentally rhet-

orical office; rhetoric can make mighty its

rather meager de jure powers. Dole was un-

rhetorical — almost anti-rhetorical.

In one of his three campaigns for the Repub-

lican presidential nomination, an earnest

grade school pupil asked him a question about

acid rain. Dole’s full answer was: “That bill’s

in markup.” The child must have looked

dazed, but Dole could not help himself. Long

acculturation in the legislative branch ren-

dered him fluent in, but only in, Senate-speak,

a dialect unintelligible to normal Americans.

Uncomfortable with a text, he spoke easily on-

ly in the conversational, sometimes cryptic

discourse by which colleagues in a small, face-

to-face legislative setting communicate with

each other.

List the most important American public

servants who never became president. Two,

perhaps the top two, were named Marshall:

John, chief justice for 34 years, and George,

soldier and diplomat. Others were jurists —

Roger Taney and Earl Warren, were, Lord

knows, consequential — as were some legisla-

tors, such as the Great Triumvirate: Henry

Clay, Daniel Webster and John Calhoun.

But few congressional careers loom large.

This is because legislative accomplishments

are collaborative, the result of blurry compro-

mises presented in pastels rather than sharp

pictures painted in bold strokes of primary

colors. Dole’s legislative life was the political

life as Plutarch described it:

“They are wrong who think that politics is

like an ocean voyage or a military campaign,

something to be done with some particular

end in view, something which leaves off as

soon as that end is reached. It is not a public

chore, to be got over with. It is a way of life. It is

the life of a domesticated political and social

creature who is born with a love for public life,

with a desire for honor, with a feeling for his

fellows.”

The melancholy dimension of Dole’s life

was not that he failed to attain the presidency,

for which he was not well-suited, but that in

1996 in quest of it, he left the Senate he loved

and where he excelled. When Democrats con-

sidered offering their 1948 presidential nomi-

nation to Eisenhower, taciturn Sam Rayburn,

House speaker, said of him: “Good man, but

wrong business.” Rayburn’s words were

wrong about Ike but would have been right

about Dole the presidential aspirant. Two of

those words are especially apposite: good

man.

Remembering the goodness of Bob DoleBY GEORGE F. WILL

Washington Post Writers Group

Friday’s labor market report shows

the economy continues to recover

slowly from the pandemic. That

sluggish pace is likely to continue

— and it seems older workers are the pri-

mary culprit.

It’s clear there are millions of jobs for the

taking if only people would take them. The

Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last

month a total of 10.4 million job openings on

the last business day of September. This is

dramatically higher than the total number

of unemployed people; there were only 0.7

unemployed people for every job opening in

September, the last month for which we

have data. This is a record-low ratio and

consistent with a full-employment economy

in which everyone who wants a job has one.

Yet employment has yet to recover to pre-

pandemic levels. As of November, there

were still 3.9 million fewer jobs filled than

there were in February 2020. This is the la-

bor market conundrum: Why do millions of

people who had jobs almost two years ago

not want them today?

The data on labor force participation —

the number of people eligible to work who

are looking for a job — provide some tanta-

lizing clues. It dropped from a pre-pandem-

ic level of 63.3% in February of 2020 to a low

of 60.2% in April 2020, and then quickly rose

to 61.4% in June 2020 as initial lockdowns

ended. Since then, it has risen only by a

scant 0.4 points, hitting a post-pandemic

high of 61.8% in November. In other words,

the general economic reopening has yet to

attract millions of people back to work.

The stagnant overall rate, however,

masks significant improvement in seg-

ments of the workforce. The labor force par-

ticipation rate among so-called prime-aged

workers, those between the ages of 25 and

54, has risen more quickly than the overall

rate, from 81.2% in June 2020 to 82.1% in No-

vember 2021. That’s more than double the

increase in the total rate. Moreover, prime-

aged workers are reentering the labor force

in recent months at an even faster rate. The

participation rate skyrocketed from 81.3%

in May 2021 to its current level. People in the

prime of their life are coming back to work,

and relatively quickly.

But older workers, those 55 and up, are

still holding back. A little more than 40% of

this demographic were in the labor force in

February 2020, but only 38.4% are today.

That figure is identical to the level last May,

when the economy was largely shut down.

Almost two years into the pandemic, they

are still not coming back to work.

Some have speculated that these workers

are retiring early, but data from the Social

Security Administration do not support this

view. People taking early retirement would

be expected to apply for Social Security re-

tirement benefits, which they can do as

early as age 62. But the number of people re-

ceiving old-age pensions from Social Secu-

rity has increased at a slower rate since the

pandemic began than it did before. Roughly

50 million people received retirement bene-

fits from Social Security in October, an in-

crease of only 650,000 people since Decem-

ber 2020. That’s substantially less than the

increase of 1.4 million people seeking bene-

fits between December 2018 and 2019 and

1.1 million between December 2019 and

2020.

This figure is surely affected by the large

number of seniors who have died from CO-

VID-19. The Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention reports that the disease

killed about 584,000 people aged 65 or older,

with another 112,000 55-to-64-year-olds

succumbing to the virus. Many of these peo-

ple would have lived but for the pandemic,

increasing the number of people receiving

retirement benefits. But even if one as-

sumes all of them would be alive today,

there still would not be an abnormally large

increase in Social Security beneficiaries.

Older people are dropping out of the work-

force, but they aren’t retiring in the classic

sense of the term.

Labor force participation is also increas-

ing slowly among older workers who are no-

where near retirement age. BLS data show

that participation is increasing most rapidly

among workers between 20 and 34 years of

age. The participation rate for workers aged

35 to 44 increased by a paltry 0.2% since last

November, and the rate for people between

45 and 54 rose by only 0.4%. Anyone middle-

aged and up is much likelier to be leery of

reentering the workforce than younger

Americans.

Clearly, many older workers have

changed their minds about the relative val-

ue of working. Simple quick fixes, such as

this summer’s GOP-led early termination of

supplemental unemployment benefits, are

not likely to alter this fundamental shift in

outlook. The consequence of these choices

means that our economic recovery is likely

to remain sluggish for quite some time.

Why are labor markets sluggish? Look to older workers.BY HENRY OLSEN

Special to The Washington Post

Henry Olsen is a Washington Post columnist and a senior fellowat the Ethics and Public Policy Center.


ACROSS 1 Chimed

5 Misfortunes

9 Binge

12 Initial chip

13 Oxidation

result

14 Hot temper

15 “Home Alone”

actor

17 “Ben-Hur” studio

18 Social standing

19 Office notes

21 — d’art

24 Neat

25 Debtors’ notes

26 Spandex-like

30 JFK’s veep

31 Tennis star

Becker

32 “Yoo- —!”

33 Made more

powerful

35 TV alien

36 Cartoon frames

37 Famed

frontiersman

38 Taj —

40 Greek letters

42 Docs’ bloc

43 “You Are So

Beautiful” singer

48 Thither

49 Hammett pooch

50 Mighty trees

51 Assoc.

52 Regretted

53 Perukes

DOWN 1 “The Big Bang

Theory” role

2 Year in Madrid

3 To the — degree

4 Literary

categories

5 Tehran’s country

6 Galoot

7 Leary’s drug

8 Thwarts

9 High-fashion

shoe designer

10 Jason’s ship

11 Jewels

16 Garfield, for one

20 D.C. summer hrs.

21 Fixes a squeak

22 Newsom of

baseball lore

23 “Nightline”

anchor

24 Stumble

26 Freshens the

lawn, say

27 Capote

nickname

28 Trumpet

29 Oxen’s burden

31 Vacuum

container

34 Pod veggie

35 Kremlin setting

37 Life story

38 BLT spread

39 Roman god

of love

40 “Pistol” of

basketball

41 Large amount

44 Buckeyes’ sch.

45 Chiang — -shek

46 Heart chart

(Abbr.)

47 Blog feed abbr.

Answer to Previous Puzzle

Eugene Sheffer CrosswordFra

zz

Dilbert

Pearls B

efo

re S

win

eN

on S

equitur

Candorv

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Beetle B

ailey

Biz

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SCOREBOARD

2021-22 Bowl Glance

Friday, Dec. 17Bahamas Bowl

Nassau, BahamasToledo (7-5) vs. Middle Tennessee (6-6)

Cure BowlOrlando, Fla.

N. Illinois (9-4) vs. Coastal Carolina(10-2)

Saturday, Dec. 18Boca Raton BowlBoca Raton, Fla.

W. Kentucky (8-5) vs. Appalachian St.(10-3), 11 a.m.

Celebration BowlAtlanta

SC State (6-5) vs. Jackson St. (11-1)New Mexico Bowl

AlbuquerqueFresno St. (9-3) vs. UTEP (7-5)

Independence BowlShreveport, La.

No. 12 BYU (10-2) vs. UAB (8-4)LendingTree Bowl

Mobile, Ala.E. Michigan (7-5) vs. Liberty (7-5)

LA BowlInglewood, Calif.

Oregon St. (7-5) vs. Utah St. (10-3)New Orleans Bowl

New OrleansNo. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette (12-2) vs.

Marshall (7-5)Monday, Dec. 20

Myrtle Beach BowlConway, S.C.

Old Dominion (6-6) vs. Tulsa (6-6)Tuesday, Dec. 21

Famous Idaho Potato BowlBoise, Idaho

Kent State (7-6) vs. Wyoming (6-6)Frisco Bowl

Frisco, TexasNo. 24 UTSA (12-1) vs. San Diego St. (11-2)

Wednesday, Dec. 22Armed Forces BowlFort Worth, Texas

Missouri (6-6) vs. Army (8-3)

Thursday, Dec. 23

Frisco Football ClassicFrisco, Texas

Miami (7-5) vs. North Texas (6-6)Gasparilla Bowl

Tampa, Fla.UCF (8-4) vs. Florida (6-6)

Friday, Dec. 24Hawaii Bowl

HonoluluMemphis (6-6) vs. Hawaii (6-7)

Saturday, Dec. 25Camellia Bowl

Montgomery, Ala.Ball St. (6-6) vs. Georgia St. (7-5)

Monday, Dec. 27Quick Lane Bowl

Nevada (8-4) vs. W. Michigan (7-5)Military Bowl

Annapolis, Md.Boston College (6-6) vs. East Carolina

(7-5)Tuesday, Dec. 28

Birmingham BowlBirmingham, Ala.

No. 21 Houston (11-2) vs. Auburn (6-6)SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

DallasAir Force (9-3) vs. Louisville (6-6)

Liberty BowlMemphis, Tenn.

Mississippi St. (7-5) vs. Texas Tech (6-6)Holiday Bowl

San DiegoUCLA (8-4) vs. NC State (9-3)

Guaranteed Rate BowlPhoenix

Minnesota (8-4) vs. West Virginia (6-6)Wednesday, Dec. 29

Fenway BowlBoston

Virginia (6-6) vs. SMU (8-4)Pinstripe Bowl

New YorkVirginia Tech (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6)

Cheez-It BowlOrlando, Fla.

No. 19 Clemson (9-3) vs. Iowa St. (7-5)Alamo BowlSan Antonio

No. 14 Oklahoma (10-2) vs. No. 15 Oregon(10-3)

Thursday, Dec. 30Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Charlotte, N.C.South Carolina (6-6) vs. North Carolina

(6-6) Music City Bowl

NashvillePurdue (8-4) vs. Tennessee (7-5)

Peach BowlAtlanta

No. 11 Michigan St. (10-2) vs. No. 13 Pitts-burgh (11-2)

Las Vegas BowlLas Vegas

Wisconsin (8-4) vs. Arizona St. (8-4)Friday, Dec. 31

College Football Playoff Semifinal(Orange Bowl)

Miami Gardens, Fla.No. 2 Michigan (12-1) vs. No. 3 Georgia

(12-1)College Football Playoff Semifinal

(Cotton Bowl Classic)Arlington, Texas

No. 1 Alabama (12-1) vs. No. 4 Cincinnati(13-0)

Gator BowlJacksonville, Fla.

No. 20 Wake Forest (10-3) vs. No. 23 Tex-as A&M (8-4)

Sun BowlEl Paso, Texas

Washington St. (7-5) vs. Miami (7-5)Arizona BowlTucson, Ariz.

Cent. Michigan (8-4) vs. Boise St. (7-5)Saturday, Jan. 1Outback Bowl

Tampa, Fla.No. 22 Arkansas (8-4) vs. Penn St. (7-5)

Citrus BowlOrlando, Fla.

No. 17 Iowa (10-3) vs. No. 25 Kentucky(9-3)

Fiesta BowlGlendale, Ariz.

No. 5 Notre Dame (11-1) vs. No. 9 Oklaho-ma St. (11-2)

Rose BowlPasadena, Calif.

No. 7 Ohio St. (10-2) vs. No. 10 Utah (10-3)Sugar Bowl

New OrleansNo. 6 Baylor (11-2) vs. No. 8 Mississippi

(10-2)Tuesday, Jan. 4

Texas BowlHouston

LSU (6-6) vs. Kansas St. (7-5) Monday, Jan. 8

College Football ChampionshipIndianapolis

Semifinal winners

College Football Playoff rankings

Team Record

1. Alabama 12-1

2. Michigan 12-1

3. Georgia 12-1

4. Cincinnati 13-0

5. Notre Dame 11-1

6. Ohio St. 10-2

7. Baylor 11-2

8. Mississippi 10-2

9. Oklahoma St. 11-2

10. Michigan St. 10-2

11. Utah 10-3

12. Pittsburgh 11-2

13. BYU 10-2

14. Oregon 10-3

15. Iowa 10-3

16. Oklahoma 10-2

17. Wake Forest 10-3

18. NC State 9-3

19. Clemson 9-3

20. Houston 11-2

21. Arkansas 8-4

22. Kentucky 9-3

23. Louisiana-Lafayette 12-1

24. San Diego St. 11-2

25. Texas A&M 8-4

The playoff semifinals match No. 1 Ala-bama vs. No. 4 Cincinnati, and No. 2 Michi-gan vs. No. 3 Georgia. The semifinals willbe hosted at the Cotton Bowl and OrangeBowl on Dec. 31 2021. The championshipgame will be played on Jan. 10, 2022 at Lu-cas Oil Stadium, Ind.

AP Top 25The Top 25 teams in The Associated Presscollege football poll, with first-place votesin parentheses, final records, total pointsbased on 25 points for a first-place votethrough one point for a 25th-place vote,and previous ranking:

Record Pts Pvs

1. Alabama (50) 12-1 1535 4

2. Michigan (9) 12-1 1480 2

3. Georgia 12-1 1408 1

4. Cincinnatti (3) 13-0 1404 3

5. Notre Dame 11-1 1280 6

6. Baylor 11-2 1228 9

7. Onio St. 10-2 1177 7

8. Mississippi 10-2 1101 8

9. Oklahoma St. 11-2 1060 5

10. Utah 10-3 929 14

11. Michigan State 10-2 895 11

12. Brigham Young 10-2 866 12

13. Pittsburgh 11-2 638 17

14. Oklahoma 10-2 807 13

15. Oregon 10-3 594 10

16. La.-Lafayette 12-1 490 20

17. Iowa 10-3 446 15

18. N.C. State 9-3 404 21

19. Clemson 9-3 395 22

20. Wake Forest 9-3 393 18

21. Houston 11-2 358 16

22. Arkansas 8-4 279 23

23. Texas A&M 8-4 171 24

24. UTSA 12-1 146 NR

25. Kentucky 9-3 129 25

Others receiving votes: Utah St. 109,Wisconsin 66, San Diego St. 63, Minnesota38, Purdue 36, Appalachian St. 9, Army 7,Mississippi St. 4, Penn St. 4, Northern Illi-nois 1.

Coaches Top 25The USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches PollTop 25 with team’s records FROMTHROUGH SATURDAY in parentheses, to-tal points based on 25 for first placethrough one point for 25th, ranking in lastweek’s poll and first-place votes received.

Record Pts Pvs

1. Alabama (54) 12-1 1540 2

2. Michigan (5) 12-1 1474 3

3. Georgia 12-1 1420 1

4. Cincinnatti (3) 13-0 1392 4

5. Notre Dame 11-1 1266 6

6. Baylor 11-2 1204 9

7. Ohio St. 10-2 1170 7

8. Mississippi 10-2 1134 8

9. Oklahoma St. 11-2 1036 5

10. Michigan State 10-2 903 13

11. Utah 10-3 893 17

12. Pittsburgh 12-2 886 15

13. Oklahoma 10-2 1036 11

14. Brigham Young 10-2 792 14

15. Oregon 10-3 589 10

16. Iowa 10-3 561 12

17. La.-Layayette 12-1 444 21

18. N.C. State 9-3 436 20

19. Wake Forest 10-3 389 18

20. Kentucky 9-3 327 22

21. Houston 11-2 315 16

22. Clemson 9-3 252 24

23. Texas A&M 8-4 239 23

24. Arkansas 8-4 185 25

25. Texas-San Antonio 12-1 146 NR

Dropped out: No. 19 San Diego State(11-2).

Others receiving votes: Wisconsin (8-4)105; Utah State (10-3) 85; San Diego State(11-2) 62; Minnesota (8-4) 17; Air Force(9-3) 15; Fresno State (9-3) 5; Penn State(7-5) 5; UCLA (8-4) 3; Mississippi State (7-5)2; Appalachian State (10-3) 2; Coastal Car-olina (10-2) 2; Purdue (8-4) 1.

FCS playoffs

First RoundSaturday, Nov. 27

Incarnate Word 35, Stephen F. Austin 28,OT

Kennesaw St. 48, Davidson 21 Holy Cross 13, Sacred Heart 10 South Dakota St. 56, UC Davis 24 E. Washington 19, N. Iowa 9 UT-Martin 32, Missouri St. 31 S. Illinois 22, South Dakota 10 SE Louisiana 38, Florida A&M 14

Second RoundFriday, Dec. 3

Villanova 21, Holy Cross 16 Montana 57, E. Washington 41

Saturday's gamesETSU 32, Kennesaw St. 31 James Madison 59, SE Louisiana 20 Sam Houston 49, Incarnate Word 42 North Dakota St. 38, S. Illinois 7 Montana St. 26, UT-Martin 7 South Dakota St. 24, Sacramento St. 19

QuarterfinalsFriday, Dec. 10

Montana at James Madison Saturday, Dec. 11

ETSU at North Dakota St.South Dakota St at Villanova Montana St. at Sam Houston

SemifinalsFriday, Dec. 17

TBD Saturday, Dec. 18

TBD Championship

Saturday, Jan. 8At Toyota Stadium

Frisco, TexasSemifinal winners

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

DEALS

Sunday’s Transactions

HOCKEYNational Hockey League

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS — Sent D WyattKalynuk to Rockford (AHL).

LOS ANGELES KINGS — Sent C QuintonBayfield to Ontario (AHL).

OTTAWA SENATORS — Waived RW Pon-tus Aberg.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS — Sent C MaxWillman to Lehigh Valley (AHL).

COLLEGELOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE — Promoted Mi-

chael Desormeaux to head football coach.

PRO SOCCER

MLS playoffs

Conference FinalsWestern Conference

Saturday’s gameAt Providence Park, Portland, Ore.

Portland 2 Real Salt Lake 0Eastern Conference

At Subaru Park, Chester, Pa.Sunday’s game

New York City FC 2, Philadelphia 1MLS Cup

Saturday, Dec. 11New York City FC at Portland

NCAA Men’s Div. I TournamentQuarterfnals

Saturday’s gamesGeorgetown 1, West Virginia 1, OT, Geor-

getown advances on PK’s 4-1 Pittsburgh 1, Notre Dame 1, OT, Notre

Dame advances on PK’s 4-2 Washington 2, Saint Louis 0 Oregon State 1, Clemson 1, OT, Clemson

advances on PK’s 4-3 Semifinals

Friday, Dec. 10

At WakeMed Soccer ParkCary, N.C.

Washington vs. Georgetown Clemson vs. Notre Dame

ChampionshipSunday, Dec. 12

At WakeMed Soccer ParkCary, N.C.

Semifinal winners

NCAA Women’s Div. I TournamentSemifinals

Friday’s gamesAt Stevens StadiumSanta Clara, Calif.

Florida St. 1, Rutgers 0 BYU 0, Santa Clara 0, 2OT, BYU advanced

3-2 on penalty kicks Championship

Monday’s gameAt Stevens StadiumSanta Clara, Calif.

Florida St. vs. BYU

COLLEGE SOCCER

Sunday’s men’s scores

EAST

Bowdoin 74, Colby 61 Brown 79, Sacred Heart 66 Cornell 122, KEUK 64 Delaware 70, UMBC 60 Fairfield 81, Niagara 71 Hartford 68, St. Francis (NY) 55 Marist 79, Rider 67 Monmouth (NJ) 79, Canisius 65 NJIT 90, Lafayette 86 Northwestern 67, Maryland 61 Ohio St. 76, Penn St. 64 Quinnipiac 90, Manhattan 73 Siena 60, St. Peter’s 58 St. John’s 83, Fordham 69

SOUTH

Austin Peay 98, Milligan 55 Belmont 85, Samford 73 Chattanooga 85, Lipscomb 64 FAU 76, North Florida 41 Minnesota 81, Mississippi St. 76 Morehouse 53, Fisk 51 North Alabama 103, Carver 40 North Carolina 79, Georgia Tech 62 SE Louisiana 72, Troy 68 South Carolina 80, Georgetown 67 UCF 81, Bethune-Cookman 45 Wingate 79, Catawba 77 Wofford 88, Kennesaw St. 62

MIDWEST

Bellarmine 92, Defiance 43 Cincinnati 73, Bryant 58 Detroit 64, Ill.-Chicago 56 Drake 74, St. Thomas (Minn.) 64 E. Michigan 79, Northwood (Mich.) 57 Kansas St. 65, Wichita St. 59 Richmond 60, N. Iowa 52 Valparaiso 71, W. Michigan 60 W. Illinois 97, Cent. Michigan 70

SOUTHWEST

Charleston Southern 59, Tarleton St. 57 Lamar 67, Our Lady of the Lake 64 Texas St. 71, Denver 58 Xavier 77, Oklahoma St. 71

FAR WEST

Arizona 90, Oregon St. 65 Arizona St. 69, Oregon 67 San Diego 52, Cal Poly 51 UC Santa Barbara 87, Cal Lutheran 66 Utah 66, California 58 VMI 89, Seattle 82

Sunday’s women’s scores

EAST

Albany (NY) 60, Colgate 39 American U. 68, Radford 58 Brown 57, Holy Cross 55 Buffalo 69, Rhode Island 55 Columbia 78, Marist 49 Duke 77, Penn 55 Fordham 76, Princeton 67 Georgetown 55, Providence 47 Maryland 73, Rutgers 59 Md.-Eastern Shore 66, Navy 61 Monmouth (NJ) 55, Dartmouth 37

Northeastern 73, Hartford 53 St. Francis Brooklyn 63, UMBC 51 St. John’s 88, Seton Hall 75 Syracuse 116, CCSU 65 Temple 67, Duquesne 55 UConn 73, Notre Dame 54 UMass 58, Mass.-Lowell 53 Vermont 72, Loyola Chicago 62 Virginia 62, George Washington 53

SOUTH

Alabama 80, Chattanooga 64 Appalachian St. 73, Gardner-Webb 63 Auburn 77, Oklahoma St. 66 Clemson 48, Presbyterian 42 Florida St. 83, Charleston Southern 32 Georgia Tech 55, Georgia 54 Jacksonville St. 78, Alabama St. 46 Kentucky 90, Merrimack 56 Louisiana Tech 69, MVSU 56 Louisville 80, Belmont 66 Mercer 71, Tennessee St. 70, OT Miami 70, Tulane 63 Middle Tennessee 84, Lipscomb 59 N. Kentucky 69, Fort Wayne 60 NC State 78, Elon 46 North Carolina 93, James Madison 47 Old Dominion 68, William & Mary 55 Saint Louis 59, UT Martin 54 Southern Miss. 71, South Alabama 51 Tennessee 64, Virginia Tech 58 Tennessee Tech 76, W. Kentucky 72 UAB 72, Miles 52 VCU 69, Boston College 65

MIDWEST

Bowling Green 69, Valparaiso 53 Cleveland St. 2, Wright St. 0 Creighton 72, Villanova 58 Dayton 78, Illinois St. 67 DePaul 103, Xavier 85 Illinois 71, E. Kentucky 57 Iowa 88, Michigan St. 61 Iowa St. 94, Longwood 56 Kansas 74, Vanderbilt 67 Marquette 59, Butler 45 Michigan 93, Akron 54 Mississippi 75, Cincinnati 63 Nebraska-Omaha 87, College of Saint

Mary (NE) 57 Northwestern 61, Wisconsin 49 Ohio St. 70, Purdue 53 SE Missouri 95, Harris-Stowe State 57

SOUTHWEST

Arkansas 84, California 67 Colorado St. 52, UTSA 48 Florida 63, TCU 54 Oral Roberts 73, University of Science

and Arts of Oklahoma 26 Texas 76, Texas A&M 60 Texas A&M-CC 92, St. Edwards 40 Texas State 105, Texas College 37

FAR WEST

Arizona St. 91, Harvard 54 Boise St. 76, FAU 64 Hawaii 76, Loyola Marymount 63 Long Beach St. 50, Air Force 49 New Mexico 73, New Mexico St. 66 San Diego 83, CS Northridge 70, OT San Francisco 78, Southern Cal 63 UCLA 112, San Jose St. 33 UNLV 71, CS Bakersfield 56

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Hinako Shibuno 73-72-66-69—280 -6Sarah Jane Smith 70-73-67-70—280 -6Emily Kristine Pedersen 65-70-73-72—280 -6Haylee Rae Harford 68-69-70-73—280 -6Yu-Sang Hou (a) 71-72-72-66—281 -5Ching Huang 70-71-73-67—281 -5

LPGA Q-SeriesSunday

At Magnolia Grove-Falls and CrossingCourses

Mobile, Ala.Purse: $152,000

Yardage: 6,664; Par: 72a-amateur

Final RoundP. Roussin-Bouchard 69-67-66-65—267 -19Hye-Jin Choi 69-66-68-66—269 -17Na Rin An 67-67-72-66—272 -14Stephanie Kyriacou 69-72-69-63—273 -13Atthaya Thitikul 73-65-66-69—273 -13Peiyun Chien 66-72-66-70—274 -12Ayaka Furue 69-67-69-70—275 -11Allisen Corpuz 72-67-72-65—276 -10Maddie McCrary 67-72-69-68—276 -10Selena Costabile 67-69-69-71—276 -10Gemma Dryburgh 72-68-72-65—277 -9Kelly Tan 71-66-73-67—277 -9Karis Anne Davidson 68-71-69-69—277 -9Kaitlyn Papp 70-67-70-70—277 -9Yaeeun Hong 68-71-67-71—277 -9Dewi Weber 71-68-70-69—278 -8Isi Gabsa 69-71-68-70—278 -8Katie Yoo 69-70-68-71—278 -8Bianca Pagdanganan 75-69-66-69—279 -7Jennifer Chang 70-70-70-69—279 -7Janie Jackson 68-68-74-69—279 -7Weiwei Zhang 69-70-70-70—279 -7Linnea Johansson 67-67-75-70—279 -7Katelyn Dambaugh 70-69-73-68—280 -6

GOLF

Hero World ChallengeSundayAt Albany

Nassau, BahamasPurse: $3.5 million

Yardage: 7,414; Par: 72Final Round

Viktor Hovland 68-69-67-66—270 -18Scottie Scheffler 71-68-66-66—271 -17Sam Burns 71-65-68-69—273 -15Patrick Reed 68-69-67-69—273 -15Collin Morikawa 68-66-64-76—274 -14Justin Thomas 67-72-71-64—274 -14Daniel Berger 66-69-69-71—275 -13Tony Finau 68-66-70-71—275 -13Tyrrell Hatton 69-67-71-70—277 -11Brooks Koepka 67-67-69-74—277 -11Justin Rose 71-70-70-66—277 -11Matt Fitzpatrick 71-70-68-69—278 -10Xander Schauffele 70-70-70-68—278 -10Abraham Ancer 66-73-72-69—280 -8Bryson DeChambeau 69-64-73-74—280 -8Harris English 75-70-63-72—280 -8Webb Simpson 67-72-71-71—281 -7Rory McIlroy 66-71-75-70—282 -6Henrik Stenson 72-75-70-72—289 +1Jordan Spieth 71-72-75-76—294 +6


COLLEGE BASKETBALL/NBA

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

W L Pct GB

Brooklyn 16 7 .696 —

Boston 13 11 .542 3½

Philadelphia 12 11 .522 4

New York 11 12 .478 5

Toronto 11 13 .458 5½

Southeast Division

W L Pct GB

Miami 14 10 .583 —

Washington 14 10 .583 —

Charlotte 14 11 .560 ½

Atlanta 12 12 .500 2

Orlando 5 19 .208 9

Central Division

W L Pct GB

Chicago 16 8 .667 —

Milwaukee 15 9 .625 1

Cleveland 13 11 .542 3

Indiana 9 16 .360 7½

Detroit 4 18 .182 11

Western Conference

Southwest Division

W L Pct GB

Memphis 13 10 .565 —

Dallas 11 11 .500 1½

San Antonio 8 13 .381 4

Houston 7 16 .304 6

New Orleans 7 19 .269 7½

Northwest Division

W L Pct GB

Utah 16 7 .696 —

Denver 11 11 .500 4½

Minnesota 11 12 .478 5

Portland 11 13 .458 5½

Oklahoma City 6 16 .273 9½

Pacific Division

W L Pct GB

Golden State 19 4 .826 —

Phoenix 19 4 .826 —

L.A. Clippers 12 12 .500 7½

L.A. Lakers 12 12 .500 7½

Sacramento 10 14 .417 9½

Sunday’s games

Utah 109, Cleveland 108 Charlotte 130, Atlanta 127 Toronto 102, Washington 90 Houston 118, New Orleans 108

Monday’s games

Oklahoma City at Detroit Philadelphia at Charlotte Washington at Indiana Memphis at Miami Atlanta at Minnesota Cleveland at Milwaukee Denver at Chicago San Antonio at Phoenix L.A. Clippers at Portland Orlando at Golden State

Tuesday’s games

Brooklyn at Dallas New York at San Antonio Boston at L.A. Lakers

Wednesday’s games

Chicago at Cleveland New York at Indiana Philadelphia at Charlotte Washington at Detroit Milwaukee at Miami Oklahoma City at Toronto Brooklyn at Houston Dallas at Memphis Denver at New Orleans Utah at Minnesota Orlando at Sacramento Portland at Golden State Boston at L.A. Clippers

Thursday’s games

Utah at Philadelphia L.A. Lakers at Memphis Denver at San Antonio

Leaders

Through Sunday

SCORING

G FG FT PTS AVG

Durant, BKN 22 228 134 629 28.6

Antetokounmpo, MIL 21 206 144 580 27.6

Curry, GS 22 198 91 606 27.5

REBOUNDS

G OFF DEFTOT AVG

Gobert, UTA 23 69 268 337 14.6

Jokic, DEN 17 45 186 231 13.5

Capela, ATL 24 96 205 301 12.5

ASSISTS

G AST AVG

Paul, PHO 23 233 10.1

Harden, BKN 23 219 9.5

Young, ATL 24 225 9.4

NBA scoreboard

CLEVELAND — Once the

shot left Darius Garland’s

hands, the Utah Jazz couldn’t do

anything but hope it didn’t drop.

Sometimes, defense comes

down to a simple wish.

Garland missed a potential

game-winner with 2.9 seconds

left as the Jazz, who got 35

points from Donovan Mitchell,

survived Cleveland’s late surge

for their fourth straight win,

109-108 over the Cavaliers on

Sunday.

Rudy Gobert had 20 rebounds

and five blocks, Bojan Bogda-

novic added 16 points and Rudy

Gay had 15 for Utah, which

made 20 three-pointers and

gave away a 15-point lead in the

fourth.

Cleveland had a chance to

win, and coach J.B. Bickerstaff

put the ball in Garland’s hands.

But his 28-footer was long, and

Jarrett Allen couldn’t get his tip

to drop as the Cavs had their

winning streak stopped at four.

“That last possession, I knew

it was going to go to him be-

cause I’ve known J.B. as a head

coach for quite a while,” Jazz

guard Mike Conley said. “I just

tried to stay up as high as I

could and make sure it was con-

tested. I told him (Garland), it

was like playing against my-

self.”

Bickerstaff didn’t second-

guess his decision.

“If I could do it over again, I

would do the same thing and let

him make a play,” he said.

Garland scored 31 points, Al-

len added 17 points and 11 re-

bounds and rookie Evan Mobley

had 14 points and 12 rebounds

for the Cleveland, which was

back at home after beating Dal-

las, Miami and Washington.

Hornets 130, Hawks 127:

Miles Bridges scored 32 points

for a short-handed Charlotte

team that leaned on its best

three-point shooting game of

the season to beat host Atlanta.

Kelly Oubre Jr. made six

threes and scored 28 points for

the Hornets, who made a sea-

son-high 17 threes.

John Collins led the Hawks

with a season-best 31 points and

12 rebounds.

The four Charlotte players

held out after being placed in

the NBA’s health and safety CO-

VID-19 protocols were leading

scorer LaMelo Ball, starting

guard Terry Rozier, center Ma-

son Plumlee and forward Jalen

McDaniels. They’ll be sidelined

for at least 10 days.

Raptors 102, Wizards 90:

Pascal Siakam scored 31 points,

Precious Achiuwa had 10 points

and 14 rebounds, and Toronto

beat visiting Washington.

Chris Boucher scored 14

points, Scottie Barnes had 11,

and Fred VanVleet 10 to help

the Raptors win back-to-back

games for the first time since a

five-game winning streak from

Oct. 27 to Nov. 3.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

scored a season-high 26 points

and Bradley Beal had 14 for the

Wizards, who couldn’t dig out of

a hole after shooting poorly in

the first quarter.

Rockets 118, Pelicans 108:

Eric Gordon and Christian

Wood both scored 23 points, and

host Houston beat New Orleans

for its sixth straight win.

Brandon Ingram scored a

season-high 40 points for the

Pelicans, which was his most

since dropping 40 against

Brooklyn on Nov. 4, 2019. Jonas

Valanciunas finished with 17

points and 10 rebounds for New

Orleans.

The Rockets’ Daniel Theis

netted 12 points on 4 of 6 shoot-

ing from the field, and Alperen

Sengun finished with 10 points.

TONY DEJAK/AP

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell shoots over Cavaliers center JarrettAllen a 109108 win for the Jazz on Sunday in Cleveland.

Jazz hold off Cavaliers,extend win streak to 4

Associated Press

ROUNDUP

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Benned-

ict Mathurin scored a season-

high 29 points, including four

three-pointers, and No. 11 Ari-

zona beat Oregon State 90-65 on

Sunday.

Christian Koloko added 12

points for the Wildcats (7-0, 1-0

Pac-12), who won their fourth

straight against the Beavers.

Mathurin finished with six re-

bounds.

“The first thing that really got

Benn going was the offensive

rebounding. That’s something

he and I have been talking

about,” Arizona coach Tommy

Lloyd said. “Making plays in the

effort areas and not just hunting

jump shots. Then he hunted

some good threes and our guys

found him in that zone.”

Jerod Lucas scored 17 points

to lead the Beavers (1-8, 0-2),

who haven’t won since their

opener against Portland State.

The Wildcats fell behind 13-7

early, responded with a 16-0 run

capped by Mathurin’s three-

point play and steadily pulled

away, never relinquishing the

lead.

Oregon State got within six

points early in the second half,

but a layup by Azuolas Tubelis

made it 52-41 with 17:13 left and

the Beavers didn’t get within 10

points the rest of the way.

“I was really excited the way

our guys came out ready for

fight. And then just seems like

what’s cost us against all teams

is little spurts in each half,”

Beavers coach Wayne Tinkle

said. “We got down in the first

half and then battled back. Sec-

ond half, same thing. We just we

couldn’t keep the ball in front.

We couldn’t grab a rebound. We

turned it over way too much.”

Kerr Kriisa finished with 11

points for Arizona and Tubelis

scored 10.

Oregon State were thwarted

by turnovers, with 22 that the

Wildcats turned into 27 points.

“I don’t know if I envision

stats going into the game, but I

definitely knew we wanted to

pressure them and force them

to make tough plays in tight

windows. Our guys did a good

job of that,” Lloyd said.

Arizona was supposed to open

Pac-12 play at home on Thurs-

day against Washington, but the

game was postponed because of

COVID-19 issues with the Husk-

ies. That game has been resche-

duled for Jan. 25.

“We played one game basical-

ly in the last two weeks. So may-

be it took us a little bit to get our

feet underneath us, but I’m re-

ally proud of how our bench

came in and changed the game,

pressuring defensively and

making some things happen,”

Lloyd said.

The Wildcats are averaging

more than 90 points per game

under Lloyd, who’s in his first

season as their coach after 20

years as an assistant at Gonza-

ga.

Tip-insArizona: The Wildcats’ No. 11

ranking is their highest since

they were No. 9 in January of

2018. ... Arizona has three wins

this season by 45 or more

points.

Oregon State: The Beavers

have not led a game at halftime

this season. ... Oregon State has

defeated Arizona nine times at

Gill Coliseum when the Wild-

cats have been ranked, most re-

cently on Jan. 12, 2020, when

the Beavers beat then-No. 24

Arizona 82-65.

Corvallis CoolMathurin, a sophomore, had a

career-high 31 points against

the Beavers at Gill Coliseum

last season.

“To be honest, I’m from Cana-

da and Corvallis is pretty much

the same as Canada so I’ll just

say it’s the weather,” he joked

after the game.

Mathurin leadsNo. 11 Arizonapast Oregon St.

AMANDA LOMAN/AP

Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurindunks against Oregon State onSunday, in Corvallis, Ore. Mathurin scored 29 in the Wildcats’ 9065 victory.

Associated Press


NHL/SPORTS BRIEFS

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Florida 24 17 4 3 37 93 67

Toronto 26 17 7 2 36 80 62

Tampa Bay 24 15 5 4 34 81 65

Detroit 25 13 9 3 29 71 78

Boston 21 12 8 1 25 61 56

Buffalo 24 8 13 3 19 70 90

Montreal 26 6 17 3 15 59 93

Ottawa 22 6 15 1 13 57 86

Metropolitan Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Washington 25 15 4 6 36 88 62

N.Y. Rangers 23 16 4 3 35 68 57

Carolina 23 16 6 1 33 75 52

Pittsburgh 24 11 8 5 27 69 67

Columbus 23 13 10 0 26 76 75

New Jersey 22 9 9 4 22 65 76

Philadelphia 22 8 10 4 20 51 72

N.Y. Islanders 20 5 10 5 15 38 61

Western Conference

Central Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Minnesota 24 17 6 1 35 92 71

Winnipeg 24 12 8 4 28 74 68

St. Louis 24 12 8 4 28 80 70

Nashville 24 13 10 1 27 68 68

Colorado 21 12 7 2 26 85 71

Dallas 21 12 7 2 26 60 58

Chicago 24 9 13 2 20 54 75

Arizona 24 5 17 2 12 43 89

Pacific Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Calgary 25 15 5 5 35 81 51

Edmonton 23 16 7 0 32 86 70

Anaheim 25 13 8 4 30 84 74

Vegas 24 14 10 0 28 81 73

San Jose 25 13 11 1 27 66 68

Los Angeles 23 10 9 4 24 64 63

Seattle 24 9 13 2 20 72 84

Vancouver 25 8 15 2 18 60 80

Sunday’s games

Columbus 6, San Jose 4 Tampa Bay 7, Philadelphia 1 Chicago 3, N.Y. Islanders 2, SO Los Angeles 5, Edmonton 1 Winnipeg 6, Toronto 3 Vegas 3, Calgary 2

Monday’s games

Anaheim at Washington Colorado at Philadelphia Ottawa at New Jersey Arizona at Dallas Los Angeles at Vancouver Pittsburgh at Seattle

Tuesday’s games

Columbus at Toronto N.Y. Islanders at Ottawa Nashville at Detroit Tampa Bay at Montreal Anaheim at Buffalo Carolina at Winnipeg Florida at St. Louis N.Y. Rangers at Chicago Minnesota at Edmonton Calgary at San Jose

Wednesday’s games

Colorado at N.Y. Rangers Philadelphia at New Jersey Boston at Vancouver Dallas at Vegas

Thursday’s games

Anaheim at Columbus Chicago at Montreal Tampa Bay at Toronto Nashville at N.Y. Islanders Detroit at St. Louis Boston at Edmonton Carolina at Calgary Winnipeg at Seattle Dallas at Los Angeles Minnesota at San Jose

Scoring leadersThrough Monday

GP G A PTS

Leon Draisaitl, EDM 23 21 22 43

Connor McDavid, EDM 23 16 26 42

Alex Ovechkin, WSH 25 20 19 39

Nazem Kadri, COL 20 9 21 30

Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA 24 8 21 29

Kirill Kaprizov, MIN 24 9 20 29

Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH 25 8 20 28

Johnny Gaudreau, CGY 25 9 19 28

Steven Stamkos, TB 23 12 15 27

Kyle Connor, WPG 24 15 12 27

Victor Hedman, TB 24 5 21 26

Mikael Granlund, NSH 24 5 21 26

Artemi Panarin, NYR 23 7 19 26

John Tavares, TOR 25 11 15 26

Timo Meier, SJ 20 11 15 26

NHL scoreboard

NEW YORK — Patrick Kane

scored the only goal in the shoo-

tout and the Chicago Blackhawks

beat the Islanders 3-2 Sunday

night, sending New York to its

11th straight loss overall and its

sixth straight setback in its new

arena.

Kane beat Semyon Varlamov

with Chicago’s second shootout

attempt, and Marc-Andre Fleury

denied all three chances by the Is-

landers to secure the win.

The Islanders tied the game at

2-all with four seconds left in the

third period on a goal by defense-

man Noah Dobson.

Brandon Hagel and Dylan

Strome scored in regulation for

the Blackhawks. Fleury finished

with 22 saves.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau also

scored for New York, which

earned a point for the third

straight game but fell to 0-8-3 in

its losing streak. Its last three loss-

es have been in overtime or shoo-

touts after eight-straight regula-

tion losses. Varlamov finished

with 24 saves.

The last-place Islanders, mis-

sing leading scorer Brock Nelson

and defenseman Ryan Pulock due

to injuries, fell to 0-4-2 at UBS

Arena as their winless streak re-

ached 11 (0-8-3). The skid dropped

their season record to 5-10-5.

The team’s longest winless run

came during its expansion season,

from Nov. 21-Dec. 20, 1972, when

it went 15 games (12 losses, three

ties) without a victory. New York

lost 12 straight games twice in

franchise history, from Nov. 22-

Dec. 15, 1988, and Dec. 27, 1972 to

Jan. 16, 1973.

Lightning 7, Flyers 1: Corey

Perry had two goals and an assist

and Ryan McDonagh scored and

had two assists to lead Tampa Bay

to a win at slumping Philadelphia.

Mathieu Joseph, Taylor Rad-

dysh, Boris Katchouk and Pat Ma-

roon also scored for the Lightning,

who won their third in a row and

ninth of their last 12. Victor Hed-

man had three assists to boost his

team-leading total to 21. Brian El-

liott, Tampa Bay’s backup goalie

who played the previous four sea-

sons with the Flyers, made 38

saves.

Cam Atkinson scored for Phila-

delphia, which has lost eight in a

row. The team is two losses away

from tying the club record of 10

consecutive defeats. Carter Hart

made 10 saves before being re-

placed by Martin Jones, who also

had 10 saves.

The Flyers’ skid started when

the Lightning visited Philadelphia

on Nov. 18 and beat them in a 4-3

shootout. Then, Tampa Bay beat

the Flyers at home 4-0 on Nov. 23.

Jets 6, Maple Leafs 3: Blake

Wheeler had two assists in his

1,000th NHL game and Connor

Hellebuyck made 32 saves, lead-

ing host Winnipeg past Toronto.

Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew

Copp, Evgeny Svechnikov, Kyle

Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark

Scheifele scored, and Hellebuyck

earned his ninth win of the season

for the Jets.

Michael Bunting, Auston Mat-

thews and Ondrej Kase scored for

the Maple Leafs. Joseph Woll

stopped 35 shots.

Golden Knights 3, Flames 2:

Evgenii Dadonov scored his sev-

enth goal of the season and host

Vegas beat Calgary.

Less than two minutes after the

Flames’ Elias Lindholm cut the

Golden Knights’ 2-0 lead in half,

Dadonov responded by smacking

a rebound past Calgary goalie Ja-

cob Markstrom to give Vegas a 3-1

lead.

Max Pacioretty and Nicolas

Roy also scored for the Golden

Knights. Robin Lehner made 23

saves.

Andrew Mangiapane added a

goal for the Flames. Markstrom,

who was on a 5-1-0 run since Nov.

18, made 25 saves.

Kings 5, Oilers 1: Adrian

Kempe scored a pair of goals and

Los Angeles snapped a two-game

skid with a win at Edmonton.

Rasmus Kupari, Drew Doughty

and Trevor Moore also scored for

the Kings. Doughty added two as-

sists, and Jonathan Quick made 21

saves.

Blue Jackets 6, Sharks 4:

Adam Boqvist scored twice, An-

drew Peeke had two assists and

host Columbus snapped a four-

game losing streak with a come-

from-behind win over San Jose.

Sean Kuraly, Cole Sillinger,

Jack Roslevic and Alexandre

Texier scored and Elvis Merzli-

kins stopped 30 shots as the Blue

Jackets won their fourth straight

home game.

COREY SIPKIN/AP

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender MarcAndre Fleury, right, blocks New York Islanders left wing AnthonyBeauvillier (18) during a shootout in the Blackhawks’ 32 win Sunday in Elmont, N.Y.

Blackhawks win in SO, handIslanders 11th straight loss

Associated Press

NHL ROUNDUP

Medina Spirit, Derbywinner, collapses, dies

Kentucky Derby winner Medi-

na Spirit collapsed and died after a

workout Monday at Santa Anita.

The 3-year-old colt trained by

Bob Baffert had just completed

five furlongs in his second work-

out since finishing second in the

Breeders’ Cup Classic a month

ago at Del Mar, according to Craig

Robertson, Baffert’s attorney.

Santa Anita spokesman Mike

Willman also confirmed the colt’s

death.

The colt will undergo a full ne-

cropsy, which is required by the

California Horse Racing Board.

Medina Spirit tested positive af-

ter the May 1 Derby for betameth-

asone, a legal medication that is

not allowed on race day. It was

Baffert’s record seventh win in the

Derby.

Source: Cristobal headed

to Miami to replace DiazCORAL GABLES, Fla. — For

Mario Cristobal, the road has al-

ways led back to Miami.

Once again, he’s coming home.

A person with direct knowledge

of the decision said Cristobal is

leaving Oregon and returning to

Miami, accepting an offer to be-

come the head football coach at his

alma mater, where he won two na-

tional championships as a player.

He let the Ducks know of the deci-

sion Monday, according to the

person who spoke to The Associ-

ated Press on condition of ano-

nymity because it had not been

publicly announced.

Flyers fire Vigneault amid

skid, name interim coachPHILADELPHIA — The Phila-

delphia Flyers fired coach Alain

Vigneault on Monday following

eight straight losses, two shy of

matching a team record of 10 in a

row, and with the franchise far

from ending a 47-year Stanley

Cup drought.

The Flyers have been one of

NHL’s biggest flops of the season.

Their latest loss was a 7-1 defeat

by Tampa Bay on Sunday night

that sealed Vigneault’s fate. As-

sistant coach Michel Therrien al-

so was fired.

Struggling Canucks name

Boudreau coachVANCOUVER, British Colum-

bia — The Vancouver Canucks

named veteran Bruce Boudreau

coach following a leadership

purge late Sunday night in which

three executives and head coach

Travis Green were let go.

The Canucks, in a statement,

said general manager Jim Ben-

ning was fired and assistant man-

ager Jim Weisbrod, Green and as-

sistant coach Nolan Baumgartner

were also relieved of their duties.

The Associated Press

YBRIEFLY


COLLEGE FOOTBALL

IRVING, Texas — A fun thing to

do this season has to been ponder

how the College Football Playoff

race would have played out if ex-

pansion to 12 teams had already

happened.

The CFP selection committee set

the four-team field on Sunday,

matching top-seeded Alabama

against No. 4 Cincinnati in one

semifinal and second-seeded Mi-

chigan against No. 3 Georgia in the

other.

The committee ranks 25 teams to

help fill out the lineup for the some

of the other marquee bowl games,

too.

In the 12-team playoff model pro-

posed earlier this year — and still

being debated by the conference

commissioners who manage the

CFP —- a selection committee

would still have a role, but it would

be less impactful because it would

place more emphasis on winning a

conference.

Which conferences are empha-

sized — if any — is one of biggest un-

resolved issues.

The original 12-team proposal in-

cluded spots for the six highest-

ranked conference champions and

the next six highest-ranked teams,

regardless of conference.

In the the last few weeks, the Big

Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference

commissioners have pushed for a

tweak that would guarantee auto-

matic bids only to the Power Five

conference champions and the

highest-ranked champion from the

other five conferences in the Bowl

Subdivision.

That suggestion has not been well

received by most of the other com-

missioners, especially those outside

the Power Five who have been try-

ing to get rid of that distinction.

“I think, to have credibility, I

think there has to be a foundation of

fairness meaning you don’t give se-

lected groups, divisions, conferenc-

es, in this case, preferred status.

There isn’t any playoff that you can

point to does that,” American Ath-

letic Conference Commissioner

Mike Aresco said Sunday.

American Athletic champion

Cincinnati made history Sunday,

becoming the first team from out-

side the Power Five to reach the

four-team playoff in its eight-year

history.

But it should be noted, that if a 12-

team playoff format was used this

season, the teams and seeds would

have been no different if the so-

called six-and-six model was used

or the five-plus-one model.

The strange part about how this

has become a sticking point in ex-

pansion talks is that using past final

CFP rankings as an example, only

last season would the best six con-

ference champions not have includ-

ed each Power Five winner.

Last season, both Cincinnati from

the AAC and Coastal Carolina from

the Sun Belt finished ahead of

Pac-12 champion Oregon. But the

Ducks played an abbreviated

Pac-12 schedule because of the pan-

demic. There is little reason to be-

lieve that wasn’t an anomaly.

In the committee’s final rankings

released Sunday, the second-high-

est ranked Group of Five confer-

ence champion was Louisiana-La-

fayette of the Sun Belt at No. 23. The

lowest-ranked Power five cham-

pion was Pittsburgh of the Atlantic

Coast Conference at No. 12.

In fact, the losers of each Power

Five conference championship

game were all ranked ahead of

Louisiana-Lafayette.

There could be a compromise be-

tween six-and-six and five-plus-one

where if a second Group of Five

conference champion finishes head

of a Power Five champ, the G5 team

is guaranteed a spot and one of the

at-large spots is taken away. But

that might not go over well with ev-

erybody, either.

What if the 12-team playoff was here?Which conferences areemphasized still a bigsticking point for plan

BY RALPH D. RUSSO

Associated Press

JEFF DEAN/AP

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) is tackled by Houston’s Gervarrius Owens during the AmericanAthletic Conference championship. A 12team format, if it had been drawn out this year, would mean Cincinnati would have played in the second round against a Michigan StateNotre Dame winner.

ON FOOTBALL

Potential playoff

What a 12-team CFP could look like ifit was held this year:First round

No. 12 Pittsburgh at No. 5 Georgia.No. 11 Michigan State at No. 6 NotreDameNo. 10 Utah at No. 7 Ohio StateNo. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 8 Mis-sissippiSecond round

Pitt-Georgia winner vs. Baylor in theFiesta BowlMichigan State-Notre Dame winner vs.Cincinnati in the Peach BowlUtah-Ohio State winner vs. Michiganin the Rose BowlOklahoma State-Ole Miss winner vs.Alabama in the Sugar Bowl

From the Associated Press

Oklahoma hired Clemson defensive coor-

dinator Brent Venables as its head coach to

replace Lincoln Riley on Sunday night,

bringing back a former Sooners assistant

with a long track record of success.

Venables was introduced Monday morn-

ing on the campus in Norman.

The 50-year-old Venables was on Oklaho-

ma’s staff under Bob Stoops as co-defensive

coordinator from 1999 to 2003 and defensive

coordinator from 2004 to 2011. He was co-de-

fensive coordinator when the Sooners won

the 2000 national title. He left Oklahoma for

Clemson in 2012 and won the Broyles Award

in 2016 as the nation’s top assistant. He’s been

on the staff of teams that have won three na-

tional titles and appeared in eight national

championship games.

“He knows the formula to win national

championships and has the toughness, the at-

titude and the fight that I think will elevate

our program in a lot of positive ways,” said

Stoops, who has been serving as interim

coach since Riley’s surprising departure last

week for Southern California. “I’ve always

loved his energy, excitement and passion for

the game — it clearly spills over to his play-

ers.”

Venables, who will be a head coach for the

first time, said in a statement he’s excited to

add to the history of a program that’s won

seven national titles and had seven Heisman

Trophy winners. He also said he’s embracing

the Sooners’ eventual move to the Southeast-

ern Conference, which is set for 2025.

“There’s no question we are equipped to

compete at the very highest level and attract

the best players from across the country,” he

said. “The OU logo has never been stronger.”

Under Venables, the Tigers led the nation

in scoring defense in 2018, and his 2020 unit

tied for the lead in sacks. This season, Clem-

son ranks second nationally in scoring de-

fense, ninth in total defense, eighth in rushing

defense and sixth in pass efficiency defense.

Oklahoma was caught off guard when Ri-

ley took the job at USC. Stoops took over on an

interim basis to calm things down during

recruiting.

Venables quickly emerged as a fan favor-

ite for the job. Many had hoped the Sooners

could lure him back from Clemson as defen-

sive coordinator after Oklahoma fired coor-

dinator Mike Stoops in 2018. The Sooners

chose Alex Grinch, who left to join Riley at

USC.

Venables’ first concerns will be to prevent

players from transferring and salvage as

much of the recruiting class as possible. Sev-

eral players announced their intentions to

enter the transfer portal after Riley’s deci-

sion, including quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Numerous recruits decommitted, including

Malachi Nelson — a five-star quarterback

who now says he is heading to USC.

Riley set the bar high. He went 55-10 in five

seasons with the Sooners and led them to

three College Football Playoff appearances.

Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler

Murray both won Heisman trophies and

were No. 1 overall picks in the NFL draft.

Oklahoma hires Clemson’s Venables to replace RileyBY CLIFF BRUNT

Associated Press

KEN RUINARD/AP

Clemson defensive coordinator BrentVenables, a former Oklahoma assistant,was announced Monday as the Sooners’next coach.

AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo contributed to thisreport.


NFL

er, I’m sure they love that belief in

them.”

Fair enough, and who is to say

Baltimore would have won a coin

toss to start overtime, marched

downfield and scored a touch-

down to end it without putting

their secondary on the field?

But the decision brings into fo-

cus just how difficult crunch time

can be for coaches. There is no ac-

cepted manual on how to manage

such situations. Many times, the

gut feeling is the best approach.

Unfortunately, very few head

coaches have the, well, guts to go

with their gut. Far too many of

them coach not to lose rather to

win. Is there anything more frus-

trating than watching your team

go into the prevent defense?

Cliche warning: All the prevent

defense does is prevent you from

winning.

See what happened in Detroit,

which is pretty emblematic of

what the Vikings have gone

through in 2021. A team talented

enough to be high in the mix for

the NFC wild-card spots, it fell to

5-7 in great part because it shut

down the throttle. Minnesota add-

ed a two-point defeat to losses by

eight, seven and four points; by

three points in a pair of overtime

games; and 34-33 at Arizona.

In pretty much handing the Li-

ons (1-10-1) their initial victory of

the season, the Vikings went into

such a defensive shell, and of-

fense-challenged Detroit went 75

yards in 1:50. Without a timeout.

Jared Goff threw an 11-yard

touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St.

Brown just beyond the goal line as

time expired — with Minnesota’s

defensive backs far too deep in the

end zone.

The Vikings’ three-man rush

backfired big time.

“In hindsight, we would have

loved to have gotten more pres-

sure on him,” coach Mike Zimmer

said of Goff, “but I didn’t think we

were covering very well. I thought

we needed more people in cover-

age than we did up front. Obvious-

ly, that didn’t work.”

It very often doesn’t.

The lesson? It hurts more to be

passive and lose than to be super

aggressive and lose.

“Honestly if we would’ve con-

verted the two-point conversion

we would’ve been having a differ-

ent conversation right now,” said

Ravens linebacker Josh Bynes.

“Let’s be real. We’d be talking

about how we found a way to win.

“At the end of the day they

found a way to make one play and

we didn’t. That’s what it came

down to. That’s what these games

are about, especially this late in

the season. They made one extra

play.”

FROM PAGE 24

JUSTIN BERL/AP

Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva lays on thefield following a failed twopoint conversion attempt in the fourthquarter against the Steelers on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Gamble: Often best to go with your gut

SEATTLE — For all the late-

game mistakes and missed opportu-

nities throughout their disappoint-

ing season, the Seattle Seahawks

continue to believe there is some-

thing worth playing for.

They showed the San Francisco

49ers exactly that Sunday.

“No matter how people bash us

and say we’re done and all this we al-

ways believe,” Seattle safety

Quandre Diggs said.

Russell Wilson played his best

game since returning from finger

surgery, throwing for 231 yards and

two touchdowns, and the Seahawks

made a late goal-line stand to beat

the 49ers 30-23 on Sunday.

Seattle (4-8) snapped a three-

game losing streak but it wasn’t easy

as a number of mistakes gave San

Francisco a chance for a tying

touchdown in the final moments.

With the playoffs still a mathe-

matical possibility, the Seahawks

are refusing to fall into the mode of

playing out the final weeks. This

week, it came at the expense of the

Niners’ playoff chase.

“I have some amazing team-

mates, guys who were super sup-

portive this week, just giving me

some good energy, too, and vice ver-

sa,” Wilson said. “And let’s just go

for it. Let’s just have fun while we do

it. And we were able to do that.”

It was far from a clean game for

Seattle, though. Gerald Everett was

responsible for three turnovers,

capped by fumbling at the San Fran-

cisco 2 with 4:03 remaining and the

Seahawks on the cusp of a clinching

score. Jimmy Garoppolo led the

49ers 95 yards to the Seattle 3. But

his third-down pass for Trent Sher-

field was broken up by Sidney

Jones, and his fourth- down pass

was deflected at the line of scrim-

mage by Carlos Dunlap.

It was the second big play by Dun-

lap, who sacked Garoppolo for a

safety early in the third quarter.

“When given the opportunity to

go straight and impact the game in

those situations, I like my odds and

I’m betting with me every time,”

Dunlap said.

Newly signed running back

Adrian Peterson moved into a tie

with Jim Brown for 10th all-time

with 126 career touchdowns, scor-

ing on a 1-yard run in the second

quarter for Seattle.

Wilson threw a 7-yard touchdown

to Dee Eskridge in the second quar-

ter and his 12-yard touchdown to

Tyler Lockett late in the third quar-

ter provided the winning points.

Seahawks hold off 49ers

ELAINE THOMPSON/AP

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 231 yards and twotouchdowns in a 3023 win Sunday over the 49ers in Seattle.

BY TIM BOOTH

Associated Press

STARS

Passing

Tom Brady, Buccaneers, com-

pleted 38 of 51 passes for 368 yards

and four touchdowns during Tampa

Bay’s 30-17 win at Atlanta.

Kirk Cousins, Vikings, went 30

for 40 for 340 yards and two touch-

downs in Minnesota’s 29-27 loss at

Detroit. Jared Goff, Lions, passed for

296 yards and three touchdowns, in-

cluding an 11-yarder to Amon-Ra St.

Brown on the final play.

Justin Herbert, Chargers, com-


and three touchdowns during Los An-

geles’ 41-22 win at Cincinnati.

Matthew Stafford, Rams, went

26 for 38 for 295 yards and three TDs

during Los Angeles’ 37-7 victory over

Jacksonville.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals, threw

for two touchdowns and ran for two

more in his return from an ankle inju-

ry, leading Arizona to a 33-22 win at

Chicago.

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins, com-


and two touchdowns, helping Miami

to a 20-9 victory over the New York

Giants.

Rushing

Jonathan Taylor, Colts, had 32

carries for 143 yards and two touch-

downs during Indianapolis’ 31-0 win

at Houston. Taylor leads the NFL in

rushing.

Miles Sanders, Eagles, rushed

for 120 yards on 24 carries in Phila-

delphia’s 33-18 victory over the New

York Jets.

Sony Michel, Rams, rushed for

121 yards and a touchdown during

Los Angeles’ 37-7 win against Jack-

sonville.

Javonte Williams, Broncos, had

23 carries for 102 yards in Denver’s

22-9 loss to Kansas City.

Receiving

Chris Godwin had a franchise-re-

cord 15 receptions for 143 yards in

Tampa Bay’s 30-17 win at Atlanta.

George Kittle, 49ers, had nine

receptions for 181 yards and two

touchdowns in San Francisco’s 30-

23 loss at Seattle.

Justin Jefferson, Vikings, had 11

catches for 182 yards and a touch-

down in Minnesota’s 29-27 loss at

Detroit.

Mike Williams and Keenan Allen,

Chargers. Williams had five recep-

tions for 110 yards in Los Angeles’

41-22 victory at Cincinnati. Allen had

two touchdown catches in the first

quarter. Tee Higgins, Bengals, caught

nine balls for 138 yards and a touch-

down.

Russell Gage, Falcons, had 11

catches for 130 yards in Atlanta’s 30-

17 loss to Tampa Bay.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles, caught

six balls for 105 yards and two touch-

downs in Philadelphia’s 33-18 win at

the New York Jets.

Diontae Johnson, Steelers, had

eight receptions for 105 yards and

two touchdowns during Pittsburgh’s

20-19 win against Baltimore.

Special Teams

Jake Elliott, Eagles, kicked four

field goals in Philadelphia’s 33-18

win over the New York Jets.

Brian Johnson, Washington,

kicked a 48-yard field goal with 37

seconds remaining to lead his team to

its fourth straight win, 17-15 over Las

Vegas. Daniel Carlson, Raiders,

kicked three field goals.

Matt Gay, Rams, kicked three

field goals in Los Angeles’ 37-7 win

against Jacksonville.

Defense

T.J. Watt, Steelers, had a career-

high 3½ sacks in Pittsburgh’s 20-19

win against Baltimore.

Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea,

Buccaneers, had two sacks apiece in

Tampa Bay’s 30-17 victory at Atlan-

ta.

Daniel Sorensen, Chiefs, return-

ed an interception 75 yards for a

touchdown in Kansas City’s 22-9 win

over Denver.

Al-Quadin Muhammad and Ke-

moko Turay, Colts, each had two

sacks during Indianapolis’ 31-0 win

at Houston.

Marlon Davidson, Falcons, had a

3-yard interception return for a touch-

down in Atlanta’s 30-17 loss to Tom

Brady and Tampa Bay.

Tevaughn Campbell, Chargers,

returned a Joe Mixon fumble 61 yards

for a key fourth-quarter touchdown

during Los Angeles’ 41-22 win at Cin-

cinnati.

Carlos Dunlap, Seahawks,

sacked Jimmy Garoppolo for a safety

during Seattle’s 30-23 victory over

San Francisco. Dunlap also had a key

pass deflection.

Jaelan Phillips, Dolphins, had

two sacks during Miami’s 20-9 win

against the New York Giants.

Charles Harris, Lions, had two

sacks in Detroit’s 29-27 win against

Minnesota.

MILESTONES

Adrian Peterson scored his 126th

career touchdown on a 1-yard carry

for the Seahawks, moving into a tie

with Hall of Famer Jim Brown for 10th

in NFL history. ... Tampa Bay QB Tom

Brady threw two touchdown passes to

Rob Gronkowski. The duo has com-

bined for 90 regular-season TDs,

passing Phillip Rivers and Antonio

Gates for No. 2 in NFL history. Only

Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison

have more, hooking up for 112 scor-

ing passes.

STREAKS AND STATS

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor

became the first player in NFL history

to have a TD in 10 straight games be-

fore his 23rd birthday. Taylor, 22, is

up to 30 career scrimmage TDs, tied

with Hall of Famer Barry Sanders for

the third-most career scrimmage TDs

by a player before turning 23. ... The

Dolphins became the second team in

NFL history to win five consecutive

games following a seven-game losing

streak, joining the 1994 Giants. ...

Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. Watt joined

Hall of Famer Reggie White as the on-

ly players with at least 13 sacks in four

consecutive seasons since 1982,

when the individual sack became an

official statistic. ... With their 16th

consecutive loss to NFC teams since

September 2018, 37-7 at the Rams,

the Jaguars have lost 10 games for the

10th time in the last 11 years.

NFL Today


NFL

American Conference

East

W L T Pct PF PA

New England 8 4 0 .667 336 190

Buffalo 7 4 0 .636 326 182

Miami 6 7 0 .462 254 288

N.Y. Jets 3 9 0 .250 217 367

South

W L T Pct PF PA

Tennessee 8 4 0 .667 304 290

Indianapolis 7 6 0 .538 371 283

Houston 2 10 0 .167 164 323

Jacksonville 2 10 0 .167 180 320

North

W L T Pct PF PA

Baltimore 8 4 0 .667 282 260

Cincinnati 7 5 0 .583 331 267

Pittsburgh 6 5 1 .542 244 286

Cleveland 6 6 0 .500 254 267

West

W L T Pct PF PA

Kansas City 8 4 0 .667 303 259

L.A. Chargers 7 5 0 .583 314 315

Denver 6 6 0 .500 237 218

Las Vegas 6 6 0 .500 274 312

National Conference

East

W L T Pct PF PA

Dallas 8 4 0 .667 353 267

Washington 6 6 0 .500 246 297

Philadelphia 6 7 0 .462 337 291

N.Y. Giants 4 8 0 .333 211 273

South

W L T Pct PF PA

Tampa Bay 9 3 0 .750 377 270

Atlanta 5 7 0 .417 216 332

Carolina 5 7 0 .417 236 253

New Orleans 5 7 0 .417 274 276

North

W L T Pct PF PA

Green Bay 9 3 0 .750 283 242

Minnesota 5 7 0 .417 308 305

Chicago 4 8 0 .333 201 287

Detroit 1 10 1 .125 203 316

West

W L T Pct PF PA

Arizona 10 2 0 .833 343 224

L.A. Rams 8 4 0 .667 336 270

San Francisco 6 6 0 .500 303 278

Seattle 4 8 0 .333 239 249

Thursday, Dec. 2

Dallas 27, New Orleans 17Sunday’s games

Arizona 33, Chicago 22Detroit 29, Minnesota 27Indianapolis 31, Houston 0L.A. Chargers 41, Cincinnati 22Miami 20, N.Y. Giants 9Philadelphia 33, N.Y. Jets 18Tampa Bay 30, Atlanta 17L.A. Rams 37, Jacksonville 7Washington 17, Las Vegas 15Pittsburgh 20, Baltimore 19Seattle 30, San Francisco 23Kansas City 22, Denver 9Open: Cleveland, Tennessee, Carolina,

Green BayMonday’s game

New England at BuffaloThursday’s game

Pittsburgh at MinnesotaSunday, Dec. 12

Atlanta at CarolinaBaltimore at ClevelandDallas at WashingtonJacksonville at TennesseeLas Vegas at Kansas CityNew Orleans at N.Y. JetsSeattle at HoustonDetroit at DenverN.Y. Giants at L.A. ChargersBuffalo at Tampa BaySan Francisco at CincinnatiChicago at Green BayOpen: Indianapolis, Miami, New En-

gland, PhiladelphiaMonday, Dec. 13

L.A. Rams at Arizona

Scoreboard

90Regular-season TD passes betweenTom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. OnlyPeyton Manning and Marvin Harrisonhave more with 112.

Source: Associated Press

DETROIT — Jared Goff dropped

back, looked left and let the football

loose that Amon-Ra St. Brown

squeezed tight as he sat in the end

zone.

That set off a roar in Ford Field

loud enough it might’ve been heard

on Motor City streets.

Detroit finally found a way when

Goff threw an 11-yard touchdown

pass to St. Brown as time expired,

lifting the previously winless Lions

to a 29-27 victory over the Minneso-

ta Vikings on Sunday.

“It feels good to stand in front of

you now,” Goff said to reporters be-

fore answering a question.

Not only was the finish dramatic,

it was stunning.

Goff led Detroit on a 75-yard deci-

sive possession without a timeout

after Kirk Cousins threw a go-ahead

3-yard touchdown pass to Justin

Jefferson with 1:50 left. The Vikings

failed on a 2-point conversion for the

third time, and those missed oppor-

tunities proved costly.

Goff threw two touchdown passes

in the first half to put his team ahead

by 14 points, its biggest lead this sea-

son. Then he turned over the ball

twice in the second half to help Min-

nesota rally.

He came through in the end, lead-

ing the long drive and delivering a

sharp pass without pressure against

athree-man rush to a rookie receiv-

er, who took advantage of the Vik-

ings secondary playing too deep in

the end zone.

“It was actually crazy,” St. Brown

said. “They were 3 or 4 yards in the

end zone.”

The Lions (1-10-1) ended a 15-

game winless streak that lasted 364

days since winning at Chicago last

season, giving first-year coach Dan

Campbell his first victory with the

franchise.

“You want this so bad for the play-

ers because they’re the ones who

put in all the hard work, the sweat,

the tears,” Campbell said. “When

you lose, it hurts, but it’s also why

winning is so great, because it isn’t

easy to do.”

The Vikings (5-7) hurt their

chances of earning a wild-card spot

in the playoffs by losing a game they

were favored to win by a touch-

down.

Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer

defended the decision to drop eight

defenders on the final snap, but la-

mented that the secondary didn’t

follow the plan on the play.

“We weren’t covering very well,

so we felt we needed to get more

guys into coverage,” he said.

Winless no more: Lions top Vikes13 weeks into season,Detroit gets first victorywith last-second TD pass

BY LARRY LAGE

Associated Press

PAUL SANCYA/AP

The Detroit Lions celebrate their lastsecond, comefrombehind 2927 win over the Minnesota Vikings onSunday in Detroit. It was the team’s first win after 10 losses to start the season.

ATLANTA — Tom Brady and

Rob Gronkowski teamed up for

more history Sunday.

Rarely have two guys had such

a connection.

Brady threw for 368 yards and

four touchdowns — two of them to

his longtime favorite target — and

the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

moved to the brink of clinching the

NFC South title with a 30-17 victo-

ry over the Atlanta Falcons.

The 44-year-old Brady complet-

ed 38 of 51 passes, including

touchdowns of 27 and 11 yards to

Gronkowski — their first scoring

passes since Week 2 against the

Falcons.

The prolific duo has combined

for 90 regular-season TDs, pass-

ing Phillip Rivers and Antonio

Gates for No. 2 in NFL history. On-

ly Peyton Manning and Marvin

Harrison have more, hooking up

for 112 scoring passes.

Counting the playoffs, Brady

has thrown 104 TD passes to

Gronk.

“Tom knows what he’s thinking

before he does,” coach Bruce Ar-

ians said. “Tom threw a couple of

balls before Gronk was ready, be-

cause he knew where he was go-

ing. There’s great chemistry out

there.”

Gronkowski missed four games

this season after a devastating hit

against the Rams left him with

fractured ribs and a punctured

lung.

But he’s going to keep catching

passes from Brady as long as he

can.

“We keep each other going,”

Gronkowski said.

Added Brady, “He makes it

easy for the quarterback.”

Brady shook off a huge blunder

in the final minute of the first half,

when 278-pound defensive line-

man Marlon Davidson picked off a

screen pass and glided 3 yards in-

to the end zone for a touchdown

that cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 20-17

at the break.

The Bucs (9-3) won their third

straight game and pushed their di-

vision lead to four games over At-

lanta, Carolina and New Orleans

(all 5-7) with five games remain-

ing.

Brady improved to 10-0 in his

career against the Falcons, includ-

ing four straight wins over the last

two seasons since moving from

New England to Tampa Bay.

“He’s just been on a better team

for a long time,” Arians said blunt-

ly.

The Bucs came out throwing.

For the first time since 2004, they

passed the ball on their first 13

plays of a game — accounting for

the entire 75-yard touchdown

drive on their opening possession.

Chris Godwin had five catches

on the opening drive and finishing

with a franchise-record 15 recep-

tions for 143 yards.

Leonard Fournette capped the

first drive with a 3-yard touch-

down catch, making a slick, one-

handed grab. Tampa Bay’s second

possession also ended with a 3-

yard TD pass, this one hauled in

by Cameron Brate.

Atlanta scored what would be

its only offensive touchdown on

their opening possession, doing

most of their damage on the

ground.

Cordarrelle Patterson broke off

a 39-yard scamper before Mike

Davis ran for a 17-yard score.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan

was sacked five times and called

for intentional grounding.

Brady, Gronk lead Bucs past Falcons

JOHN BAZEMORE/AP

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight endRob Gronkowski (87) pulls in atouchdown catch against Falconssafety Erik Harris. Gronkowskihad two touchdown catches in a3017 win Sunday in Atlanta.

BY PAUL NEWBERRY

Associated Press


SPORTSLast-place luck

Islanders fall to Blackhawks in SOfor 11th straight loss ›› NHL, Page 20

Sooners hire Venables as head coach ›› College football, Page 21

John Harbaugh has the best kicker in the NFL, current-

ly and possibly ever. Yet, trailing by one point, he left

Justin Tucker on the sideline Sunday night and went

for a two-point conversion in the dying seconds at

Pittsburgh.

Lamar Jackson didn’t quite have enough touch on his

pass to an open Mark Andrews, and the Ravens (8-4) fell

20-19 to the Steelers. The defeat dropped Baltimore from

the overall lead in the AFC.

It seemed one of the stranger decisions of a strange NFL

season. But Harbaugh, one of the league’s best coaches,

quickly explained his reasoning.

“We tried to win the game right

there. We were pretty much out of

corners at that point in time,” Har-

baugh said without noting that Rav-

ens’ secondary has been leaky all sea-

son no matter who is playing. “It was

an opportunity for us to win the game

right there.”

Considering the versatility of Jack-

son, it probably was a strong opportu-

nity. But the one item not a major part

of Jackson’s bag of tricks is the finesse

pass, which is what this play called

for.

“You saw the play. It’s that close,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a

game of inches. You saw the speech in, ‘Any Given Sunday,’

right? That’s football. It’s just that close.”

As is the entire AFC race.

Baltimore’s decision surprised its archrivals. And didn’t.

“I was a little surprised because I ran off the field,” said

DE Cam Heyward, who is not on special teams. “But we

called the timeout, bought me an extra couple of seconds. At

first, I thought (Andrews) scored, because he had it in his

hand and then he dropped it. But I mean, it’s just one or two

plays that go your way.”

Harbaugh’s gamble was in character, according to Steel-

ers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has gone up

against the Ravens coach for nearly 14 seasons.

“You know what, coach Harbaugh, Miami (Ohio) guy,

nothing surprises me,” Big Ben said. “And that’s why he’s,

you know, I consider him a great football coach because he

takes those chances and believes in his team, and as a play-

MATT DURISKO/AP

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt celebrates after a sack during Sunday’s 2019 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Tough callDeciding when to gamble adifficult choice for coaches

BY BARRY WILNER

Associated Press

SEE GAMBLE ON PAGE 22

NFL: ON FOOTBALL

“You saw theplay. It’s thatclose. It’s agame of inches.”

John Harbaugh

Baltimore Ravens coach

INSIDE

Lions beatVikings onfinal playfor 1st winof seasonPage 23

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