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WILMINGTON, Del. — Presi-

dent-elect Joe Biden has unveiled

a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan to

end “a crisis of deep human suffer-

ing” by speeding up vaccines and

pumping out financial help to

those struggling with the pandem-

ic’s prolonged economic fallout.

Called the “American Rescue

Plan,” the legislative proposal

would meet Biden’s goal of admin-

istering 100 million vaccines by the

100th day of his administration,

and advance his objective of reo-

pening most schools by the spring.

On a parallel track, it delivers an-

other round of aid to stabilize the

economy while the public health

effort seeks the upper hand on the

pandemic.

“We not only have an economic

imperative to act now — I believe

we have a moral obligation,” Biden

said in a nationwide address

Thursday. At the same time, he ac-

knowledged that his plan “does not

come cheaply.”

Biden proposed $1,400 checks

for most Americans, which on top

of $600 provided in the most recent

COVID-19 bill would bring the to-

tal to the $2,000 that Biden has

called for. It would also extend a

temporary boost in unemploy-

ment benefits and a moratorium

on evictions and foreclosures

through September.

And it shoehorns in long-term

Democratic policy aims such as in-

creasing the minimum wage to $15

an hour, expanding paid leave for

workers, and increasing tax cred-

its for families with children. The

last item would make it easier for

Biden unveils$1.9T plan tostem virus,help economy

BY RICARDO

ALONSO-ZALDIVAR

AND BILL BARROW

Associated Press

SEE VIRUS ON PAGE 7

The United States has reduced troop levels

in Afghanistan to 2,500, the lowest number

since the war’s earliest months, despite recent

passage of a federal law that sought to prevent

an immediate drawdown during peace talks

with the Taliban.

“The United States is closer than ever to end-

ing nearly two decades of war and welcoming

in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace proc-

ess to achieve a political settlement and a per-

manent and comprehensive ceasefire,” Acting

Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said in a

statement Friday.

The White House announced in November

that the number of U.S. service members in Af-

ghanistan would drop to 2,500 by Friday, and

force levels have drawn down gradually since.

The 2021 National Defense Authorization

Act prevents the Defense Department from us-

ing funds to reduce troops below that of force

levels when the law was enacted Jan. 1 without

a report to Congress assessing the effects and

implications.

Under an agreement Washington signed

with the Taliban last year, all international

forces could withdraw from the country by the

middle of this year.

The smaller number of U.S. troops — down

from roughly 13,000 a year ago — will continue

to support NATO’s training and advising mis-

sion, and a separate counterterrorism mission,

U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said.

“This [reduced] force has the appropriate le-

thality and the U.S. government retains its

counterterrorism capacity in Afghanistan,”

Gen. Scott Miller, the top American command-

BEN BLOKER/U.S. Air Force

U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan are now at a 19-year low, President Donald Trump said in a statement released Thursday.

US troop numbers drop to 2,500Drawdown leaves lowest number of

service members incountry since 2001

BY PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN

Stars and Stripes

AFGHANISTAN

SEE AFGHANISTAN ON PAGE 4

BUSINESS/WEATHER

Airlines and airports say they

are stepping up security before

next week’s presidential inaugu-

ration, with Delta and other major

airlines saying they will prohibit

passengers flying to the Washing-

ton area from putting guns in

checked bags.

The moves follow the Jan. 6 riot

at the U.S. Capitol by supporters

of President Donald Trump and

politically tinged confrontations

on some flights.

Delta Air Lines was the first to

announce Thursday that it will

prohibit checking guns to Wash-

ington-area airports and was fol-

lowed later in the day by United,

Alaska, American and Southwest.

All said their bans start Saturday

and run through Inauguration

Day until Jan. 23.

The airlines also announced

other measures. American Air-

lines is bringing back a ban on

serving alcohol on flights to and

from the Washington area —

flights go dry starting Saturday

through next Thursday. Several

airlines are moving crews out of

downtown Washington hotels for

their safety.

Earlier this week, the Federal

Aviation Administration an-

nounced it will raise enforcement

of rules against interfering with

or assaulting airline crew mem-

bers or other passengers. The

FAA said that for the next two

months it will stop giving warn-

ings to violators and will instead

refer their cases to law enforce-

ment for potential charges, fines

and jail terms..

Some airlines ban guns in bags for DC flightsAssociated Press

Bahrain69/64

Baghdad64/44

Doha72/53

Kuwait City66/53

Riyadh71/51

Kandahar65/26

Kabul52/28

Djibouti82/67

SATURDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Mildenhall/Lakenheath

39/32

Ramstein27/22

Stuttgart28/22

Lajes,Azores61/58

Rota57/44

Morón56/37 Sigonella

51/43

Naples43/38

Aviano/Vicenza33/23

Pápa29/25

Souda Bay59/54

Brussels34/29

Zagan27/19

DrawskoPomorskie 31/21

SATURDAY IN EUROPE

Misawa40/26

Guam83/80

Tokyo56/34

Okinawa69/63

Sasebo55/47

Iwakuni52/49

Seoul26/19

Osan26/23

Busan38/34

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

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

SUNDAY IN THE PACIFIC

WEATHER OUTLOOK

TODAYIN STRIPES

American Roundup ...... 11Comics/Crossword .......18Lifestyle .................... 15Movies ......................... 14Opinion ........................ 17Sports .................... 19-24 Video Games ......... 12-13

Military rates

Euro costs (Jan. 18) $1.18Dollar buys (Jan. 18) 0.8041British pound (Jan. 18) $1.33Japanese yen (Jan. 18) 101.00South Korean won (Jan. 18) 1072.00

Commercial rates

Bahrain(Dinar) 0.3770Britain (Pound) 1.3600Canada (Dollar) 1.2733 China(Yuan) 6.4793 Denmark (Krone) 6.1485Egypt (Pound) 15.6602Euro 0.8265Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7546 Hungary (Forint) 297.84 Israel (Shekel) 3.2658 Japan (Yen) 103.88 Kuwait(Dinar) 0.3032

Norway (Krone) 8.5286 

Philippines (Peso) 48.02 Poland (Zloty) 3.75Saudi Arab (Riyal) 3.7512 Singapore (Dollar) 1.3298 

So. Korea (Won) 1103.14 Switzerlnd (Franc) 0.8894Thailand (Baht) 30.06Turkey (NewLira) 7.4816 

(Military exchange rates are those availableto customers at military banking facilities in thecountry of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., purchasing 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  dollarstopound, and the euro, which is dollarstoeuro.)

INTEREST RATES

Prime rate 3.25Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75Federal funds market rate  0.093month bill 0.0930year bond 1.87

EXCHANGE RATES

PAGE 2 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, January 16, 2021

Saturday, January 16, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 3

STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. Central

Command is now responsible for coordinat-

ing military activities with Israel, taking

over a job that for decades was the task of

U.S. European Command, The Wall Street

Journal reported.

.President Donald Trump ordered the

shift during the last days of his administra-

tion, the report said Thursday, citing un-

named U.S. officials.

The switch was made as relations be-

tween Israel and multiple countries in the

Muslim world have improved during the

past year.

In August, Bahrain and the United Arab

Emirates normalized relations with Israel,

marking a major diplomatic step forward.

In August, Sudan recognized the Jewish

state, and in December Morocco establish-

ed diplomatic ties with Israel.

That could be one of the justifications for

adjusting how the military coordinates ef-

forts in the region.

Some security observers have long be-

lieved that it was a more natural fit for Is-

rael to fall under CENTCOM responsibility

since Iran is the main security threat in the

area. However, the adversarial relationship

between Israel and U.S. partners in the Gulf

region was seen as problematic for U.S.

Central Command officials.

There were indications in recent years

that the military was moving toward having

CENTCOM play a bigger role in Israel. In

2018, now-retired Gen. Joseph Votel was

the first CENTCOM chief to make an offi-

cial visit to Israel. In 2019, current boss Gen.

Kenneth McKenzie did the same.

It’s not clear whether the incoming Biden

administration will uphold the change in

military responsibility.

For EUCOM, Israel has been a key focus

over the years. The Stuttgart, Germany-

based command coordinated complex

training missions with Israel’s forces, in-

cluding the biannual Juniper Cobra missile

defense exercise.

But as EUCOM focuses more on its tradi-

tional role in countering Russia, shifting Is-

rael to CENTCOM enables the Pentagon to

incorporate it more into its Middle East

strategy, analysts say.

“Putting Israel in CENTCOM’s (area)

would smooth the way for the Pentagon to

utilize Israel more for regional operations,

including by pre-positioning precision-

guided munitions and other much-needed

weaponry for the U.S., Israeli and possibly

partner Arab forces,” retired Gen. Charles

Wald, a former EUCOM deputy command-

er, wrote in a November analysis for Real

Clear Defense.

EUCOM’s loss of Israel is part of a shrink-

ing geographic area of responsibility that

began in 2007 with the formation of Africa

Command. Before the emergence of AFRI-

COM, EUCOM also oversaw military activ-

ities across most of the African continent.

CENTCOM mission expands to include Israel activitiesBY JOHN VANDIVER

Stars and Stripes

CAPT. AARON SMITH / Aaron Smith/U.S. Army

A U.S. Army soldier with the Vicenza, Italybased 173rd Airborne Brigade disembarks aC130 Hercules at Nevatim Air Base, Israel, in 2019.

oil supplies.

On Dec. 21, the Navy also an-

nounced a similar maneuver by

the Ohio-class submarine USS

Georgia, which transited the

Strait of Hormuz with cruisers

USS Port Royal and USS Philip-

pine Sea. The USS Georgia car-

ries up to 154 Tomahawk land-at-

tack cruise missiles and also can

be used to carry special oper-

ations forces.

Iran’s navy also has been dis-

playing its capabilities this week,

testing short-range missiles in the

Gulf of Oman as it showcased two

new warships.

STUTTGART, Germany —

The Navy’s top officer visited a

warship in the Persian Gulf this

week after ongoing tensions with

Iran led the Pentagon to extend

an aircraft carrier group’s de-

ployment to the region.

Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of na-

val operations, met with mem-

bers of the Nimitz Carrier Strike

Group during his two-day visit

and also held talks with officials

in Bahrain, home to 5th Fleet

headquarters.

“The work they do every day

helps us provide security and sta-

bility and demonstrates a mari-

time combat prowess that gives

any potential adversary pause,”

Gilday said in a statement Thurs-

day after meeting with sailors

aboard the USS John Paul Jones,

part of the Nimitz group.

Gilday’s visit to the region

came two weeks after the Penta-

gon ordered the Nimitz group to

stay in the Middle East, reversing

an earlier decision to send the

carrier home. Acting Defense

Secretary Christopher Miller said

this was due to threats issued by

Iranian leaders against President

Donald Trump and other U.S.

government officials.

The Nimitz’s extended mission

coincided with concerns that Iran

could target the U.S. military in a

revenge attack connected to the

death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Sulei-

mani, who was killed in a U.S. air-

strike last year in Iraq.

“I’ve spoken with Nimitz Strike

Group leadership and they un-

derstand the mission, expecta-

tions and why they are needed in

the region right now,” Gilday

said.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has

been flexing its muscles in the ar-

ea. On Thursday, Iranian media

posted footage that appeared to

show a U.S. Navy submarine op-

erating near the Strait of Hormuz,

a strategic chokepoint for global

Top officer ofNavy pays visitto Nimitz group

BY JOHN VANDIVER

Stars and Stripes

PHOTOS BY AJA JACK/U.S. Navy

Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, left, greets Chief Petty Officer Tyronn Hampton aboard thedestroyer USS John Paul Jones in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday.

Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, presents a challenge cointo operations specialist Petty Officer 1st Class Anthony Woods.

“The work theydo every dayhelps us providesecurity andstability.”

Adm. Mike Gilday

chief of Naval operations

vandiver.john@stripes.comTwitter: @john_vandiver

MILITARY

PAGE 4 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, January 16, 2021

er in the country, said in an

emailed statement Monday. “We

still have the ability to provide

train, advise and assist at ministe-

rial levels and most core levels.”

But repeated criticism of the

war by Trump, who campaigned

on ending it, has led some analysts

to question whether the revised

figure was based on political moti-

vations rather than conditions on

the ground.

“I like the [higher] number

much better than 2,500, but there

are few iron rules in this business

and it’s possible we could scrape

by at 2,500,” Michael O’Hanlon, a

defense analyst at the Washing-

ton-based Brookings Institution,

said in an email. “I’m not sure I see

the point of playing such a num-

bers game, though.”

More than 10 bases closed in

2020, The Washington Post re-

ported in November. Since then,

U.S. and NATO forces have also

left Camp Dahlke, formerly For-

ward Operating Base Shank, Af-

ghan army and USFOR-A officials

said.

Advocates of a total withdrawal

argue that counterterrorism oper-

ations can be conducted without

basing any troops in Afghanistan,

and that the residual number is

meaningless.

“Just to be clear, 2,500 [troops],

tactically speaking, won’t do any-

thing. It won’t allow you to erad-

icate a terrorist presence, all it will

do is let you periodically pick off

individuals,” said Daniel L. Davis,

a retired Army lieutenant colonel

and senior fellow for Defense Pri-

orities, a right-leaning Washing-

ton think tank. “It doesn’t do any

good to keep one soldier there.”

President-elect Joe Biden has

yet to announce a detailed plan for

Afghanistan but said in an inter-

view last year with CBS News that

he supported keeping “several

thousand” American troops in the

country to fight threats posed by

al-Qaida and the local Islamic

State affiliate.

The Taliban have rejected the

idea of a continued U.S. presence.

The group began talks with the Af-

ghan government in September,

which in addition to assurances it

won’t support terrorism, are a

necessary condition for the full

withdrawal of international troops

outlined in last year’s peace deal.

As the talks continue, so too

does the violence, with the Taliban

repeatedly denying calls for a

cease-fire.

While the latest troop reduction

could motivate delegates to agree

on difficult concessions and move

the peace process forward, it

could also undercut discussions

by highlighting the vulnerabilities

of Afghan forces in the face of a

bloody insurgency that is likely to

intensify, said Michael Kugelman,

an expert on the region.

“In effect, the drawdown to

2,500 troops will bring to the sur-

face the festering tensions be-

tween Kabul and the Taliban on

the issue of violence, and such ten-

sions could poison an already vol-

atile negotiating environment,”

said Kugelman, who is deputy di-

rector of the Asia Program at the

Washington-based Wilson Center.

Some 8,000 troops from coun-

tries besides the U.S. continue to

support NATO’s training mission.

As of October, more than 17,000

foreign contractors were working

in Afghanistan, of which roughly

8,000 were American.

Afghan security forces, who

conduct most of their operations

independently, don’t appear too

concerned that the latest draw-

down of American troops will im-

pact the battlefield, said Gen. Ab-

dul Mateen Sulaimankhail, a for-

mer brigade commander in east-

ern Logar province.

However, he worries further re-

ductions could be devastating.

“American air support is still

very much needed, so if the U.S. at

least keeps forces in the country to

maintain airstrikes, we’ll be fine,”

Sulaimankhail said. “If we lose

that support, there will be total

chaos.”

Afghanistan: Mixed reactions as US military lowers presenceFROM PAGE 1

Stars and Stripes reporters J.P. Lawrence andZubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report. wellman.phillip@stripes.comTwitter: @pwwellman

MILITARY

NORFOLK, Va. — A U.S. Navy

SEAL pleaded guilty Thursday to

involuntary manslaughter for his

role in the hazing death of a U.S.

Army Green Beret while the men

were stationed in Africa.

Chief Petty Officer Tony De-

Dolph, a member of the elite

SEAL Team 6, also offered a de-

tailed account of the night in

which he and other service mem-

bers initiated a prank known as a

“tape job” on Army Staff Sgt. Lo-

gan Melgar.

DeDolph told a military judge

that the men were trying to teach

Melgar a lesson over perceived

slights while they served in Mali in

2017. But the SEAL said they were

soon “in a state of shock and deep-

ly disturbed” after the duct-tape-

bound Melgar remained unre-

sponsive for several minutes.

DeDolph said his role in the

prank was to cause Melgar to tem-

porarily lose consciousness by

placing him in a martial-arts-style

chokehold. DeDolph said the

“rear naked choke” restricts

blood flow in the neck and is used

in the military.

“I effectively applied the choke-

hold as I have done numerous

times in training, with combatants

and has been done to me,” De-

Dolph said.

Melgar lost consciousness in

about 10 seconds, but failed to

wake up after the typical 30 sec-

onds, the SEAL said.

“Usually by that time, the indi-

vidual has gotten up,” DeDolph

said. “And he did not.”

DeDolph pleaded guilty inside a

military courtroom at a Navy base

in Norfolk, Va. He is the third of

four U.S. service members — two

SEALs and two Marines — to face

a court-martial for the death of

Melgar, a Texas native.

The case has pulled back the

curtain on misconduct among

some of America’s most elite ser-

vice members while offering a

brief window into how some have

addressed grievances outside the

law.

Charging documents don’t state

why the service members were in

Bamako, Mali. But U.S. Special

Forces have been in Africa to sup-

port and train local troops in their

fight against extremists.

Adam Matthews, a SEAL who

pleaded guilty for his role in Mel-

gar’s death in 2019, testified previ-

ously that two Marines felt Melgar

abandoned them while driving in

separate vehicles in an unsafe

place. DeDolph said Wednesday

that Melgar “had ditched” service

members as a “prank.”

The idea of pranking Melgar in

return started off as a joke, but the

talk escalated throughout the

night, DeDolph said.

“It was more of like a pack men-

tality, group decision,” he said.

DeDolph said the plan included

breaking down Melgar’s door with

a sledgehammer for effect, bind-

ing him with duct tape and per-

forming the chokehold. Someone

was supposed to dance around in a

gorilla mask. And video of the in-

cident was supposed to be taken.

Besides involuntary man-

slaughter, DeDolph pleaded

guilty to hazing, conspiracy and

obstruction of justice for trying to

cover up the cause of Melgar’s

death. His case moves into the

sentencing phase next week, dur-

ing which prosecutors and de-

fense attorneys can call witnesses

before a jury of his peers.

DeDolph faces a maximum sen-

tence of 22 1/2 years in prison, los-

ing rank and dishonorable dis-

charge.

Prosecutors have recommend-

ed an undisclosed sentence in a

pretrial agreement. The jury will

also recommend a sentence. A

convening authority within the

military will choose the lesser of

the two.

SEAL pleadsguilty in deathof Green Beret

BY BEN FINLEY

Associated Press

Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar

WASHINGTON — President-

elect Joe Biden’s transition team

is asking Deputy Secretary of De-

fense David Norquist to step in as

acting secretary of defense, ac-

cording to two transition officials.

The request comes as Biden

faces a struggle to secure congres-

sional approval of his pick for Pen-

tagon chief, retired Army General

Lloyd Austin. In addition to Senate

confirmation, Austin would need a

waiver from both chambers of

Congress to take the role because

it’s been less than seven years

since he retired from the military.

Austin’s path became more dif-

ficult on Thursday when a group

representing a majority of House

Republicans opposed granting the

waiver from the law intended to

ensure civilian control of the mil-

itary. Some Democrats in Con-

gress also have voiced opposition

even as they praise Austin, who

would be the first Black secretary

of defense.

The choice of Norquist comes

after Biden and his national secu-

rity team expressed frustration at

a lack of cooperation from the cur-

rent Pentagon leadership under

Acting Secretary of Defense

Christopher Miller. In December,

the Biden team protested an

“abrupt halt” in meetings to pre-

pare for the new administration.

Meetings have since resumed.

Norquist, whose selection as

acting secretary was reported ear-

lier Thursday by Politico, is a vet-

eran government official whose

service mostly involved budget-

ary management, including as De-

fense Department comptroller

and as a congressional aide spe-

cializing in the defense budget.

In addition to confirmation by

the Senate, both congressional

chambers would have to approve

the waiver for Austin, who re-

signed from the Army in 2016. A

waiver was approved in 2017 for

retired General James Mattis,

Trump’s first defense secretary.

The position announced Thurs-

day by the Republican Study

Committee position isn’t binding,

but if Republicans reject the waiv-

er in substantial numbers Demo-

crats will have to rely heavily on

their House majority. Some Dem-

ocrats have said they also oppose

granting another waiver.

In the Senate, a number of Dem-

ocratic members of the Armed

Services Committee said Tuesday

that they won’t vote for the waiver

even though they would support

confirmation.

“Based on the lessons learned

after the House made the unprec-

edented move of granting a waiver

four years ago, the Republican

Study Committee will oppose

granting General Austin a waiv-

er,” the group, led by Rep. Jim

Banks of Indiana, said in a state-

ment Thursday, accompanied by

a memo that also questioned Aus-

tin’s performance heading U.S.

Central Command and his lack of

experience in great power compe-

tition.

In 2017, only one Republican

joined 150 Democrats in voting

against the waiver for Mattis.

Banks, who is a member of the

House Armed Services Commit-

tee, said in a separate memo that

Mattis insulated himself in “a co-

terie of military advisers, often

pushing away civilian leadership,

and in many cases was out of tune

with the policy vision of the elect-

ed Commander in Chief, creating

tensions.”

Norquist picked foracting Pentagon chief

Bloomberg News

Saturday, January 16, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 5

MILITARY

Acting Defense Secretary

Christopher Miller quietly or-

dered a review last month of the

Pentagon’s policies on extremist

activities among service mem-

bers, a senior defense official said

Thursday, acknowledging the

growing concern of troops harbor-

ing extreme views.

Officials in the military services

involved in the recruiting and ac-

cessions policy and those in the

Pentagon’s personnel and readin-

ess office are due to draft a report

within two months outlining new

initiatives meant to stamp out ex-

tremists or hate group activity in

the ranks, the senior defense offi-

cial said. The official spoke on

condition of anonymity to speak

about the issue that has gained at-

tention as some current and for-

mer service members face scruti-

ny over their alleged involvement

last week in the deadly storming of

the U.S. Capitol.

The review was ordered before

Jan.6, the day that a mob of Presi-

dent Donald Trump’s supporters

marched on the Capitol building

after listening to the president

speak near the White House. The

senior official and other Pentagon

officials declined to comment on

the participation of current or for-

mer troops in the attack, citing the

Justice Department’s ongoing in-

vestigations. No active-duty

troops are known to have been

charged with crimes related to the

incident, however some military

veterans have been charged.

Two senior defense officials

said Thursday that Pentagon offi-

cials were most concerned with

extremist activity among troops

and veterans aligned with anti-

government militia movements

and those who hold white suprem-

acist views.

“We know that some groups ac-

tively attempt to recruit our per-

sonnel into their cause, or actually

encourage their members to join

the military, for purpose of acquir-

ing skills and experience,” one of-

ficial said. “We recognize that

[military] skills are prized by

some of these groups.”

The groups also believe having

military veterans within their

ranks lends some sense of “legiti-

macy, in their mind, to their

cause.”

“The fact that they can say they

have former military personnel

that align with their extremist and

violent extremist views, clearly is

of great concern to us,” this offi-

cial said.

The Pentagon has a zero-toler-

ance policy for any extremism

among its forces. But some De-

fense Department officials and

members of Congress have been

critical of the department’s efforts

to keep extremists from its ranks.

In the 2021 National Defense Au-

thorizations Act, which sets an-

nual Pentagon policy and spend-

ing priorities, Congress included

measures meant to help the de-

partment address the issue. They

created a new position with the

DOD inspector general’s office —

the deputy inspector general for

diversity and inclusion and su-

premacist, extremism and crimi-

nal gang activity. They also

charged the inspector general

with establishing a “mechanism to

track and report” extremist or

gang activity in the military.

All troops are screened for indi-

cations that they hold extremist

viewpoints or are involved in ex-

tremist activity, Garry Reid, the

director of Defense Intelligence,

said in a statement issued Thurs-

day. Those screenings include ex-

tensive background investiga-

tions and physical examinations

including assessments of tattoos.

Reid said troops, including mem-

bers of the National Guard, are

continuously monitored for indi-

cations that they are involved in

such activity and received train-

ing to identify others around them

who could be “insider threats.”

“We in the Department of De-

fense are doing everything we can

to eliminate extremism in the De-

partment of Defense,” he said

Thursday. “DOD policy expressly

prohibits military personnel from

actively advocating supremacist,

extremist or criminal gang doc-

trine, ideology or causes… Simply

put, we will not tolerate extre-

mism of any sort in the DOD.”

The senior defense officials said

they could provide no data show-

ing a rise in extremist activity

among service members. They

pointed to anecdotal evidence of

an increase of such activity in the

military and society at large, in-

cluding the arrest last year of an

active-duty Air Force sergeant al-

legedly involved in the anti-gov-

ernment “boogaloo” movement,

who was charged in the killing a

federal agent in California.

Among the military veterans ar-

rested in connection with the riot

at the Capitol were retired Air

Force Lt. Col. Larry Rendall

Brock Jr., a former A-10 pilot pho-

tographed carrying zip-tie hand-

cuffs in the Senate chamber, and

Jacob Anthony Chansley, who

goes by Jake Angeli and is known

as the “QAnon Shaman,” among

followers of the far-right conspir-

acy theory. Chansley, who was

photographed inside the Capitol

shirtless and wearing a horned

headdress, served in the Navy

from September 2005 to October

2007, according to his service re-

cords.

An Air Force veteran, Ashli

Babbit, who supported Trump and

the QAnon conspiracy on her so-

cial media pages, was shot to

death inside the Capitol by law en-

forcement during the riot.

A former Navy SEAL, Adam

Newbold, has been questioned by

the FBI after posting a video on so-

cial media last week describing

“breaching the Capitol.” And, the

Army is investigating a Fort

Bragg, N.C.-based captain, Emily

Rainey, who admitted attending

the rally before the violent attack

on the Capitol. She told The Asso-

ciated Press this week that she did

not enter the building or break any

laws or Army regulations.

Rainey is set to leave the Army

in April after resigning her com-

mission last year over a prior in-

fraction. She is the only known ac-

tive-duty service member under

investigation in connection with

the Jan. 6 events.

Pentagon orders reviewof policies on extremism

BY COREY DICKSTEIN

Stars and Stripes

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Jacob Anthony Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli and the “QAnonShaman,” a Navy veteran, takes part in a demonstration in Peoria,Ariz., on Oct. 15. 

dickstein.corey@stripes.com Twitter: @CDicksteinDC

FACEBOOK/AP

This image shows a video byAdam Newbold posted onFacebook on Jan. 5.

A Virginia Army National Guard soldier

faces federal charges for participating in

the siege last week of the U.S. Capitol, de-

fense and Justice Department officials said

Thursday.

Jacob Fracker, a corporal in the Virginia

Guard, was charged Wednesday with one

count of knowingly entering or remaining

in any restricted building or grounds with-

out lawful authority and one count of violent

entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol

grounds, officials said. Charging docu-

ments state Fracker entered the U.S. Capi-

tol on Jan. 6 amid an attack by some sup-

porters of President Donald Trump and he

confirmed he participated via social media

posts.

Fracker is the first known service mem-

ber to have been directly involved in the

siege of the Capitol or charged in connec-

tion to it.

Fracker is an infantryman who serves in

atraditional, part-time National Guard role,

said Cotton Puryear, a spokesman for the

Virginia Guard. He was not among the

some 1,000 Virginia Guard troops activated

to support security operations ahead of Bi-

den’s Jan. 20 inauguration, Puryear said.

“The Virginia National Guard will con-

duct an investigation into the matter, and

we will be able to release more information

when that is complete,” Puryear said. He

declined to provide additional information

about Fracker’s Guard service.

In his civilian life, Fracker serves as a po-

lice officer in Rocky Mount, Va., according

to the Justice Department. Rocky Mount is

about 25 miles south of Roanoke. He previ-

ously served in the Marine Corps and de-

ployed to Afghanistan, a defense official

said Thursday.

Fracker is one of two members of the

Rocky Mount Police Department charged

for entering the Capitol on Jan. 6. He and

Thomas Robertson have been placed on ad-

ministrative leave, according to the police

department. Both were off duty on Jan. 6,

the Justice Department said.

The two men were photographed inside

the Capitol “making an obscene gesture in

front of the John Stark statue,” according to

charging documents. The photo shows the

two men raising their middle fingers in

Statuary Hall in front of statues of Stark, an

American general during the Revolution-

ary War.

Robertson is an Army veteran who was

injured while deployed to Afghanistan, ac-

cording to a 2011 profile of him in the Fran-

klin News-Post.

He was charged this week with the same

crimes as Fracker.

The Justice Department said both men

posted about their involvement in the riot

on social media.

In a statement to the Roanoke Times this

week, Fracker said his participation on Jan.

6 was an “expression of grief against what

very many Americans would consider tyr-

anny.”

“My entire adult life has been dedicated

to protecting my fellow Americans,” he

said, according to the newspaper. “I’ve nev-

er once cared about skin color, religion, po-

litical views, sexual orientation or anything.

Americans are Americans, we bleed the

same.”

Virginia National Guardsmen charged in Capitol riotBY COREY DICKSTEIN

Stars and Stripes

PAGE 6 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, January 16, 2021

VIRUS OUTBREAK

A U.S. airman based in Italy has

died because of the coronavirus,

family and friends say, which

would mark the first active-duty

death in the Air Force and the

fourth such death among active-

duty service members.

Aviano Air Base is investigating

what caused the death Tuesday of

Tech. Sgt. Michael W. Morris, 36,

an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter

craftsman assigned to the 31st Air-

craft Maintenance Squadron, U.S.

Air Forces in Europe and Air

Forces Africa said in a statement.

Morris, of Cass Lake, Minn.,

was not hospitalized when he died

in Cordenons, a town near Aviano

Air Base, officials said Friday.

“The Airmen of the 31st Aircraft

Maintenance Squadron at Aviano

are deeply saddened by this loss,”

squadron commander Maj. Chris-

topher Clark said in the statement

Thursday. “Mike was well known

and highly respected in our com-

munity. He was a friend to many

and we’ll miss

him dearly.”

The statement

provided few de-

tails about the

death. But in a

Facebook post

on Thursday, his

mother-in-law

said he was “tak-

en away from us by the COVID-19

virus.”

“A sad day for our family,”

wrote Marilyn Miller. “Prayers to

my daughter Amanda and their 3

children Matehya, Brayden, and

Makenna. May we all have

strength to overcome such an

enormous loss. He was due to

come home soon. We loved him

very much. May God bless every-

one.”

David Villier, who called Morris

a friend, said it “happened to the

wrong person.”

“I don’t want to believe this,”

Villier said in a comment on Face-

book, after sharing Miller’s post.

Villier was in disbelief that the

virus claimed the life of someone

in his own age group, he said in a

later post, and cautioned his

friends of the same age to “be

careful please.”

The base did not immediately

provide information about Mor-

ris’s service history, deployments

or military decorations, but Air

Force photos from 2015 show he

deployed at least once to Afghan-

istan, where he served as a rescue

helicopter crew chief.

At Aviano, Morris appears to

have been with the 56th Helicop-

ter Maintenance Unit. Some the

many Air Force veterans who

changed their profile photos to

honor Morris posted images of the

unit’s crest along with green foot-

prints and a black ribbon reading

“That Others May Live,” the sym-

bol and motto of the service’s pa-

rarescue community.

Morris is the 16th service mem-

ber to die from complications of

the disease. All but three of the

others were serving in the reserve

or National Guard components.

Earlier this month, Sgt. 1st Class

Lisa Maria Soto, 38, died in a hos-

pital near Fort Lee, Va., the Army

said, becoming the third active-

duty death related to the disease.

Morris is the second active-duty

coronavirus-related death in Eu-

rope. Army Staff Sgt. Setariki Ko-

rovakaturaga, 43, died in Germa-

ny last month while being rushed

to a hospital.

The first active-duty service

member to die of complications

from the disease was Chief Petty

Officer Charles Thacker, 41, who

died in Guam in April. Thacker

was assigned to the aircraft carri-

er USS Theodore Roosevelt,

which pulled into port in Guam for

an extended stay after being

stricken with an outbreak among

its crew that infected more than

1,100 sailors.

Since the pandemic broke out

early last year, over 122,000 ser-

vice members have tested positive

for the virus, Pentagon data

shows. Nearly 1,000 were hospital-

ized and close to 80,000 had reco-

vered as of Wednesday.

There have been more than

22,000 cases among Air Force mil-

itary personnel. Morris’ death had

not yet been recorded on the De-

fense Department’s coronavirus

website early Friday.

Aviano airman said to have died from virusStars and Stripes

news@stripes.com

Morris

TOKYO — U.S. military bases

in Japan reported 76 new infec-

tions Friday as Tokyo reported

more than 2,000 new coronavirus

patients.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Gov-

ernment confirmed 2,001 newly

infected people, the fourth one-

day total above 2,000 this month,

according to metro government

data and public broadcaster NHK.

U.S. bases in Japan reported 76

new infections as of 6 p.m. Friday,

including 39 at Yokosuka Naval

Base, 35 miles south of Tokyo and

the homeport of the U.S. 7th Fleet,

from coronavirus tests since

Tuesday.

Yokosuka reported 15 of its new

patients tested positive after

showing symptoms of COVID-19,

the coronavirus respiratory dis-

ease. Twelve tested positive dur-

ing contact tracing; seven were re-

cent arrivals to Japan; one was

discovered during medical

screening; three base employees

tested positive after falling ill and

one was discovered during con-

tact tracing, according to a Face-

book post.

The base has 158 patients under

observation.

Yokota Air Base, headquarters

in western Tokyo of U.S. Forces

Japan, reported 11 individuals

tested positive between Tuesday

and Friday: five were already

quarantined as close contacts of a

previous case; the remaining six

were not quarantined when they

tested positive, according to a

Facebook post. Yokota has 30 ac-

tive cases.

Marine Corps Air Station Iwa-

kuni, 500 miles west of Tokyo, on

Friday reported 11 people came

up positive in a test required of

anyone exiting quarantine, ac-

cording to a Facebook post. Those

patients were already isolated as

close contacts.

Naval Air Facility Atsugi re-

ported four new cases Friday,

base spokesman Sam Samuelson

told Stars and Stripes by phone.

Three tested positive on the man-

datory test before exiting quaran-

tine; one was a close contact, he

said.

Misawa Air Base in northeast-

ern Japan reported two people

tested positive, according to a

base news release Friday. Both

tested positive in quarantine,

where they’d been since Jan. 3 as

close contacts. The base has eight

patients.

The Marine Corps reported six

newly infected people at four

bases on Okinawa: three at Ma-

rine Corps Air Station Futenma

and one each at Camps Schwab,

Foster and Hansen, according to a

Facebook post.

Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, on

Thursday evening reported three

people tested positive. One patient

had become ill and self-isolated;

the other two were already isolat-

ed as close contacts, according to a

Facebook post.

In South Korea, the largest U.S.

military base, Camp Humphreys,

and the Army post in Seoul, Yong-

san Garrison, were on a virtual

lockdown Friday as public health

authorities traced infections that

bloomed at Yongsan.

Everyone at Yongsan in the

heart of the capital and at Camp

Humphreys 55 miles to the south

was told to limit their movements

“to mission critical-duties only

until further notice,” according to

social media posts Friday morn-

ing.

Late Thursday, U.S. Forces Ko-

rea in a Facebook post reported

five people at Yongsan with the vi-

rus, on top of seven it confirmed

earlier in the day. The second

group included someone that split

time between Yongsan and Hum-

phreys.

USFK has reported 19 new in-

fections at Yongsan between Jan.

5 and Thursday. It provided no

further information about the five

late Thursday. Of the remaining

14, four are Defense Department

employees, six are contractors,

two are spouses, one is a depend-

ent and one is a South Korean taxi

driver.

US military in Japan reports 76 new cases as Tokyo logs 2,001 BY JOSEPH DITZLER

Stars and Stripes

ditzler.joseph@stripes.com Twitter: @JosephDitzler

The rapid expansion of CO-

VID-19 vaccinations to senior citi-

zens across the U.S. has led to bot-

tlenecks, system crashes and hard

feelings in many states because of

overwhelming demand for the

shots.

Mississippi’s Health Depart-

ment stopped taking new appoint-

ments the same day it began ac-

cepting them because of a “monu-

mental surge” in requests. People

had to wait hours to book vaccina-

tions through a state website or a

toll-free number Tuesday and

Wednesday, and many were boot-

ed off the site because of technical

problems and had to start over.

In California, counties begged

for more coronavirus vaccine to

reach millions of their senior citi-

zens. Hospitals in South Carolina

ran out of appointment slots with-

in hours. Phone lines were

jammed in Georgia.

“It’s chaos,” said New York City

resident Joan Jeffri, 76, who had

to deal with broken hospital web

links and unanswered phone calls

before her daughter helped her

secure an appointment. “If they

want to vaccinate 80% of the pop-

ulation, good luck, if this is the sys-

tem. We’ll be here in five years.”

Up until the past few days,

health care workers and nursing

home patients had been given pri-

ority in most places around the

U.S. But amid frustration over the

slow rollout, states have thrown

open the line to many of the na-

tion’s 54 million senior citizens

with the blessing of President Do-

nald Trump’s administration,

though the minimum age varies

from place to place, at 65, 70 or

higher.

On Thursday, New Jersey ex-

panded vaccinations to people be-

tween 16 and 65 with certain med-

ical conditions — including up to 2

million smokers, who are more

prone to health complications.

The U.S., meanwhile, recorded

3,848 deaths on Wednesday, down

from an all-time high of 4,327 the

day before, according to Johns

Hopkins University. The nation’s

overall death toll from COVID-19

has topped 385,000.

More than 11.1 million Ameri-

cans, or over 3% of the U.S. pop-

ulation, have gotten their first shot

of the vaccine, the Centers for Dis-

ease Control and Prevention said

Thursday.

Expanded vaccine rollout in USspawning a new set of problems

Associated Press

KELSEY BRUNNER / AP

Community members wait in their cars after getting their first dose ofthe vaccines in Aspen, Colo., on Thursday.

Saturday, January 16, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 7

women to go back to work, which in

turn would help the economy re-

cover.

The political outlook for the leg-

islation remained unclear. In a

joint statement, House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi and Senate Demo-

cratic leader Chuck Schumer

praised Biden for including liberal

priorities, saying they would move

quickly to pass it after Biden takes

office next Wednesday. But Demo-

crats have narrow margins in both

chambers of Congress, and Re-

publicans will push back on issues

that range from increasing the

minimum wage to providing more

money for states, while demanding

inclusion of their priorities, such as

liability protection for businesses.

“Remember that a bipartisan

$900 billion #COVID19 relief bill

became law just 18 days ago,”

tweeted Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex-

as. But Biden says that was only a

down payment, and he promised

more major legislation next

month, focused on rebuilding the

economy.

“The crisis of deep human suf-

fering is in plain sight, and there’s

not time to waste,” Biden said. “We

have to act and we have to act now.”

Still, he sought to manage expec-

tations: “We’re better equipped to

do this than any nation in the

world,” he said. “But even with all

these small steps, it’s going to take

time.”

His relief bill would be paid for

with borrowed money, adding to

trillions in debt the government

has already incurred to confront

the pandemic. Aides said Biden

will make the case that the addi-

tional spending and borrowing is

necessary to prevent the economy

from sliding into an even deeper

hole. Interest rates are low, mak-

ing debt more manageable.

Biden has long held that eco-

nomic recovery is inextricably

linked with controlling the corona-

virus.

That squares with the judgment

of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,

the most powerful business lobby-

ing group and traditionally an ad-

versary of Democrats.

“We must defeat COVID before

we can restore our economy and

that requires turbocharging our

vaccination efforts,” the Chamber

said in a statement Thursday night

that welcomed Biden’s plan but

stopped short of endorsing it.

The plan comes as a divided na-

tion is in the grip of the pandemic’s

most dangerous wave yet. So far,

more than 385,000 people have

died of COVID-19 in the U.S. And

government numbers out Thurs-

day reported a jump in weekly un-

employment claims, to 965,000, a

sign that rising infections are forc-

ing businesses to cut back and lay

off workers.

Under Biden’s multipronged

strategy, about $400 billion would

go directly to combating the pan-

demic, while the rest is focused on

economic relief and aid to states

and localities.

About $20 billion would be allo-

cated for a more disciplined focus

on vaccination, on top of some $8

billion already approved by Con-

gress. Biden has called for setting

up mass vaccination centers and

sending mobile units to hard-to-re-

ach areas.

To that end, Biden on Friday an-

nounced former FDA chief David

Kessler as his chief science officer

for the vaccine drive. Kessler has

been advising Biden as a co-chair

of his advisory board on the coro-

navirus pandemic. A pediatrician

and attorney, he has emphasized

the need to ease public concerns

about the safety of the coronavirus

vaccines. Confidence in the FDA’s

review process is critical to ramp-

ing up the effort to vaccinate mil-

lions of Americans.

With the backing of Congress

and the expertise of private and

government scientists, the Trump

administration delivered two high-

ly effective vaccines and more are

on the way. Yet a month after the

first shots were given, the nation’s

vaccination campaign is off to a

slow start with about 11 million

people getting the first of two shots,

although more than 30 million dos-

es have been delivered.

Biden called the vaccine rollout

“a dismal failure so far” and said he

would provide more details about

his vaccination campaign on Fri-

day.

The plan also provides $50 bil-

lion to expand testing, which is

seen as key to reopening most

schools by the end of the new ad-

ministration’s first 100 days. About

$130 billion would be allocated to

help schools reopen without risk-

ing further contagion.

The plan would fund the hiring

of 100,000 public health workers, to

focus on encouraging people to get

vaccinated and on tracing the con-

tacts of those infected with the cor-

onavirus.

There’s also a proposal to boost

investment in genetic sequencing,

to help track new virus strains in-

cluding the more contagious varia-

nts identified in the United King-

dom and South Africa.

Throughout the plan, there’s a

focus on ensuring that minority

communities that have borne the

brunt of the pandemic are not

shortchanged on vaccines and

treatments, aides said.

With the new proposals comes a

call to redouble efforts on the ba-

sics.

Biden is asking Americans to

override their sense of pandemic

fatigue and recommit to wearing

masks, practicing social distanc-

ing and avoiding indoor gather-

ings, particularly larger ones. It’s

still the surest way to slow the CO-

VID-19 wave, with more than 4,400

deaths reported just on Tuesday.

Biden’s biggest challenge will be

to “win the hearts and minds of the

American people to follow his

lead,” said Dr. Leana Wen, a public

health expert and emergency phy-

sician.

The pace of vaccination in the

U.S. is approaching 1 million shots

aday, but 1.8 million a day would be

needed to reach widespread or

“herd” immunity by the summer,

according to a recent estimate by

the American Hospital Associ-

ation. Wen says the pace should be

even higher — closer to 3 million a

day.

Biden believes the key to speed-

ing that up lies not only in deliver-

ing more vaccine but also in work-

ing closely with states and local

communities to get shots into the

arms of more people. The Trump

administration provided the vac-

cine to states and set guidelines for

who should get priority for shots,

but largely left it up to state and lo-

cal officials to organize their vacci-

nation campaigns.

It’s still unclear how the new ad-

ministration will address the issue

of vaccine hesitancy, the doubts

and suspicions that keep many

people from getting a shot. Polls

show it’s particularly a problem

among Black Americans.

“We will have to move heaven

and earth to get more people vacci-

nated,” Biden said.

Next Wednesday, when Biden is

sworn in as president, marks the

anniversary of the first confirmed

case of COVID-19 in the U.S. .

Virus: Biden says previous COVID relief bill a down payment for his ownFROM PAGE 1

MATT SLOCUM/AP

Presidentelect Joe Biden removes his mask before speaking at TheQueen theater, Thursday, in Wilmington, Del.

WASHINGTON — The Joining

Forces initiative that supported

military families and veterans is

coming back to the White House

with President-elect Joe Biden’s

administration under the office of

the future first lady Jill Biden,

who helped establishit in 2011.

“I know the love and strength

and resilience that makes this

community so unique, and it’s

such a joy to be a part of it, and a

privilege really have the chance to

serve it,” Jill Biden said Thursday

during the virtual announcement

with some military family organi-

zations.

Biden worked with former first

lady Michelle Obama to launch

the initiative, which aimed to

bring attention to the needs of ser-

vice members and their families

as well as veterans. Their work fo-

cused on three areas: employ-

ment, wellness and education, ac-

cording to the initiative’s Obama

White House-era website. The ini-

tiative was able to challenge busi-

nesses to hire veterans and spous-

es, as well as work with states to

improve state licensing proce-

dures.

Biden is the daughter of a Navy

veteran and her son, Joseph

“Beau” Biden III, served in Iraq

with the Delaware National Guard

from 2008-2009.

Joining Forces worked with

public and private sector organi-

zations to help military and veter-

an families.

During the call Thursday, sev-

eral military family organizations

were present to hear the announ-

cement including the Elizabeth

Dole Foundation, Blue Star Fam-

ilies and theMilitary Spouse Ad-

vocacy Network.

Jill Biden also announced Rory

Brosius, the military families en-

gagement leader for the Biden

transition team, would be the new

executive director of Joining

Forces and a special assistant to

President Biden.

Brosius, the spouse of a Marine

veteran, was previously the depu-

ty director of Joining Forces dur-

ing former President Barack Oba-

ma’s administration and then an

adviser for military families to the

Biden Foundation, according to a

news release.

“This is my community, and it’s

one I care deeply for. The world

has changed since Joining Forces

started in 2011. And I know that we

have work to do to make sure that

we are as timely and as targeted as

we need to be. I take my mandate

and our bias for action very seri-

ously,” Brosius said during the an-

nouncement.

During President Donald

Trump’s administration, second

lady Karen Pence has focused on

supporting the military.

She started her own awareness

campaign in 2018 for military

spouses to highlight issues includ-

ing employment and child care.

Biden stated the relaunch will

build on the work done during the

Obama administration, and they

will start by listening to members

of the community on their needs.

“We’ll continue to listen and

work with you, making sure that

your experiences and expertise

are the North Star of this effort,

and that starts today. That’s the

promise that I made to you on the

campaign trail, that we would re-

launch Joining Forces and get to

work on day one,” Biden said.

Joining Forces to relaunchto help military families

Department of Defense

Jill Biden, right, the wife of thenVice President Joe Biden, meets withspouses of Coast Guards members in 2012. The meeting was part ofa Joining Forces program that Biden said will resume when herhusband enters the White House.

BY CAITLIN M. KENNEY

Stars and Stripes

Kenney.Caitlin@stripes.com@caitlinmkenney

NATION

PAGE 8 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, January 16, 2021

NATION

PHOENIX — The pro-Trump

mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol

last week aimed to “capture and

assassinate elected officials,” fed-

eral prosecutors said in court doc-

uments.

The remark came in a motion

prosecutors filed late Thursday in

the case against Jacob Chansley,

the Arizona man who took part in

the insurrection while sporting

face paint, no shirt and a furry hat

with horns.

Prosecutors say that after

Chansley climbed up to the dais

where Vice President Mike Pence

had been presiding moments ear-

lier, Chansley wrote a threatening

note to Pence that said: “It’s only a

matter of time, justice is coming.”

Pence and other congressional

leaders had been ushered out of

the chamber by the Secret Ser-

vice and U.S. Capitol Police be-

fore the rioters stormed into the

room.

“Strong evidence, including

Chansley’s own words and actions

at the Capitol, supports that the

intent of the Capitol rioters was to

capture and assassinate elected

officials in the United States Gov-

ernment,” prosecutors wrote in

their memo urging the judge to

keep Chansley behind bars.

Gerald Williams, Chansley’s at-

torney, didn’t return a phone call

and email Friday morning seek-

ing comment. A detention hearing

is scheduled in his case for later

Friday.

The FBI has been investigating

whether any of the rioters had

plots to kidnap members of Con-

gress and hold them hostage, fo-

cusing particularly on the men

seen carrying plastic zip tie hand-

cuffs and pepper spray.

Prosecutors raised a similar

prospect on Friday in the case of a

former Air Force officer who they

alleged carried plastic zip-tie

handcuffs because he intended

“to take hostages.” But so far, the

Justice Department has not publi-

cly released any specific evidence

on the plots or explained how the

rioters planned to carry them out.

Chansley, who calls himself the

“QAnon Shaman” and has long

been a fixture at Trump rallies,

surrendered to the FBI field of-

fice in Phoenix on Saturday.

News photos show him at the

riot shirtless, with his face paint-

ed and wearing a fur hat with

horns, carrying a U.S. flag at-

tached to a wooden pole topped

with a spear.

QAnon is an apocalyptic and

convoluted conspiracy theory

spread largely through the inter-

net and promoted by some right-

wing extremists.

Chansley told investigators he

came to the Capitol “at the re-

quest of the president that all ‘pa-

triots’ come to D.C. on January 6,

2021.” An indictment unsealed

Tuesday in Washington him with

civil disorder, obstruction of an

official proceeding, disorderly

conduct in a restricted building,

and demonstrating in a Capitol

building.

More than 80 people are facing

charges stemming from the vio-

lence, including more than 40

people in federal court. The feder-

al charges brought so far are pri-

marily for crimes such as illegal

entry but prosecutors have said

they are weighing more serious

charges against at least some of

the rioters.

Michael Sherwin, acting U.S.

attorney for the District of Colum-

bia, said this week that he has or-

ganized a group of national secu-

rity and public corruption prose-

cutors whose sole focus is to bring

sedition charges for the “most

heinous acts that occurred in the

Capitol.”

During a hearing in Texas on

Thursday, a prosecutor urged a

judge to keep Col. Larry Rendall

Brock Jr. locked up, saying the

man meant to “take hostages.”

Brock was arrested Sunday in

Texas after being photographed

on the Senate floor during the

deadly riot wearing a helmet and

heavy vest and carrying plastic

zip-tie handcuffs.

“He means to kidnap, restrain,

perhaps try, perhaps execute

members of the U.S. govern-

ment,” Assistant U.S. Attorney

Jay Weimer, without providing

specifics.

Brock’s attorney, Brook Anto-

nio II, noted that the man has only

been charged with misdemean-

ors. Antonio said there was no di-

rect evidence of Brock breaking

doors or windows to get into the

Capitol, or doing anything violent

once he was inside.

Feds: Mob aimed to ‘assassinate’ officialsAssociated Press

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nan-

cy Pelosi has tapped nine of her most trust-

ed allies in the House to argue the case for

President Donald Trump’s impeachment.

The Democrats, all of whom are lawyers

and many of whom have deep experience

investigating the president, face the ardu-

ous task of convincing skeptical Senate Re-

publicans to convict Trump.

A single article of impeachment — for

“incitement of insurrection” — was ap-

proved by the House on Wednesday, one

week after a violent mob of Trump support-

ers invaded the Capitol. At the time, law-

makers were counting the votes that ce-

mented Trump’s election defeat.

As members of the House who were in

the Capitol when it was attacked — several

hiding under seats as rioters beat on the

doors of the chamber — the Democrats are

also witnesses to what they charge is a

crime. So are the Senate jurors.

“This is a case where the jurors were also

victims, and so whether it was those who

voted in the House last night or those in the

Senate who will have to weigh in on this,

you don’t have to tell anyone who was in the

building twice what it was like to be terror-

ized,” said California Rep. Eric Swalwell,

one of the managers.

It is unclear when the trial will start. Pe-

losi hasn’t yet said when she will send the

article of impeachment to the Senate. It

could be as soon as next week, on Presi-

dent-elect Joe Biden’s first day in office.

The managers plan to argue at trial that

Trump incited the riot, delaying the con-

gressional certification of the electoral vote

count by inciting an angry mob to harm

members of Congress. Some of the rioters

were recorded saying they wanted to find

Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, who

presided over the count. Others had zip ties

that could be used as handcuffs hanging on

their clothes.

“The American people witnessed that,”

said Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., one of

the managers. “That amounts to high

crimes and misdemeanors.”

None of the impeachment managers ar-

gued the case in Trump’s first impeach-

ment trial last year, when the Senate ac-

quitted the president on charges of abuse of

power and obstruction of justice. The

House impeached Trump in 2019 after he

pressured Ukraine’s president to investi-

gate Biden’s family while withholding mil-

itary aid to the country.

A look at Pelosi’s prosecution team in

Trump’s historic second impeachment:

Rep. Jamie Raskin, Md. Pelosi appointed Raskin, a former consti-

tutional law professor and prominent mem-

ber of the House Judiciary Committee, as

lead manager. In a week of dramatic events

and stories, Raskin’s stands out: The day

before the Capitol riots, Raskin buried his

25-year-old son, Tommy, after he killed

himself on New Year’s Eve.

Rep. Diana Degette, Colo. DeGette, who is serving her 13th term

representing Denver, is a former civil

rights attorney and one of Pelosi’s go-to al-

lies. The speaker picked her to preside over

the House during the first impeachment

vote in 2019. DeGette said Pelosi trusted

her to do it because she is “able to to control

the passions on the floor.”

Rep. David Cicilline, R.I. Cicilline, the former mayor of Providen-

ce and public defender, is in his sixth term

in Congress and is a senior member of the

Judiciary panel. He was heavily involved in

Trump’s first impeachment and was one of

three original authors of the article that the

House approved on Wednesday.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, Texas Castro is a member of the House Intelli-

gence and Foreign Affairs panels, where he

has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s

handling of Russia. He was a litigator in pri-

vate practice before he was elected to the

Texas legislature and came to Congress,

where he is in his fifth term.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, Calif. Swalwell also serves on the Intelligence

and Judiciary panels and was deeply in-

volved in congressional probes of Trump’s

Russian ties. A former prosecutor, he brief-

ly ran for president in 2019.

“The case that I think resonates the most

with the American people and hopefully the

Senate is that our American president in-

cited our fellow citizens to attack our Capi-

tol on a day where we were counting electo-

ral votes, and that this was not a spontane-

ous call to action by the president at the ral-

ly,” Swalwell said.

Rep. Ted Lieu, Calif. Lieu, who authored the article of im-

peachment with Cicilline and Raskin, is on

the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs panels.

The Los Angeles-area lawmaker is a for-

mer active-duty officer in the U.S. Air

Force and military prosecutor. .

Del. Stacey Plaskett, V.I.Because she represents a U.S. territory,

not a state, Plaskett does not have voting

rights and was not able to cast a vote for

impeachment. But she will bring her expe-

rience as a former district attorney in New

York and senior counsel at the Justice De-

partment.

Rep. Joe Neguse, Colo. Neguse, in his second term, is a rising

star in the Democratic caucus who was

elected to Pelosi’s leadership team his

freshman year in Congress. A former litiga-

tor, he sits on the House Judiciary Commit-

tee and consulted with Raskin, Cicilline and

Lieu as they drafted the article the day of

the attack. At 36, he will be the youngest

impeachment manager in history, accord-

ing to his office.

Rep. Madeleine Dean, Pa.Like Neguse, Dean was first elected

when Democrats recaptured the House in

2018. She is also a member of the House Ju-

diciary Committee, and is a former lawyer

and member of the Pennsylvania House of

Representatives.

Pelosi taps 9 trusted allies as impeachment managers Associated Press

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP

Impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, DMd., left, and House IntelligenceCommittee Chairman Adam Schiff, DCalif., walk to the House chamber for debate onthe impeachment of President Donald Trump, at the Capitol on Wednesday. 

Saturday, January 16, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 9

NATION

FLINT, Mich. — A new investi-

gation of the Flint water disaster

led to charges against nine people,

including former Michigan Gov.

Rick Snyder and key members of

his administration, who are ac-

cused of various crimes in a ca-

lamitous plan that contaminated

the community with lead and con-

tributed to a fatal outbreak of Le-

gionnaires’ disease, authorities

said Thursday.

Nearly seven years after the

doomed decision to use the Flint

River, pipes at more than 9,700

Flint homes have been replaced

and water quality has greatly im-

proved. But prosecutors said it’s

not too late to pursue people re-

sponsible for one of the worst hu-

man-made environmental disas-

ters in U.S. history.

It’s the second time that six of

the nine people have faced charg-

es; their previous cases were

dropped in 2019 when a new pros-

ecution team took over. Snyder is

the biggest new name in the

bunch, though his alleged crimes

are not as serious as others: two

misdemeanor counts of willful ne-

glect of duty.

Snyder’s former health direc-

tor, Nick Lyon, and ex-chief med-

ical executive, Dr. Eden Wells,

were charged with involuntary

manslaughter in the 2015 deaths

of nine people with Legionnaires’.

Authorities said they failed to alert

the public about a regional spike

in Legionnaires’ when the water

system might have lacked enough

chlorine to combat bacteria in the

river water.

“The Flint water crisis is not

some relic of the past,” Fadwa

Hammoud of the state attorney

general’s office told reporters. “At

this very moment, the people of

Flint continue to suffer from the

categorical failure of public offi-

cials at all levels of government

who trampled upon their trust and

evaded accountability for far too

long.”

The charges stemmed from evi-

dence presented to Judge David

Newblatt, who served as a secret

one-person grand jury. All nine

defendants pleaded not guilty dur-

ing a series of brief court appear-

ances.

The indictment alleges that

Snyder failed to check the “per-

formance, condition and adminis-

tration” of his appointees and pro-

tect Flint’s nearly 100,000 resi-

dents when he knew the threat.

The Republican served as gover-

nor from 2011 through 2018.

Wearing a mask, Snyder, 62,

said little during his hearing,

which was conducted by video. He

replied, “Yes, your honor,” when

asked if he was living in Michigan.

Aconviction carries up to a year in

jail.

Snyder has acknowledged that

his administration failed in Flint.

But his attorney, Brian Lennon,

said a criminal case against him

was a “travesty.”

“These unjustified allegations

do nothing to resolve a painful

chapter in the history of our state,”

Lennon said. “Today’s actions

merely perpetrate an outrageous

political persecution.”

Prosecutors charged Earley

and another former Flint manag-

er, Gerald Ambrose, with miscon-

duct. Rich Baird, a friend and

close adviser to Snyder, was

charged with extortion, perjury,

obstruction of justice and miscon-

duct. Jarrod Agen, who was Snyd-

er’s chief of staff, was charged

with perjury.

Separately, the state, Flint, a

hospital and an engineering firm

have agreed to a $641 million set-

tlement with residents. A judge

said she hopes to decide by Jan. 21

whether to grant preliminary ap-

proval.

Ex-governor,others chargedin Flint probe

Associated Press

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The

last federal inmate facing execu-

tion before President Donald

Trump leaves office was sen-

tenced to death for the killings of

three women in a Maryland wild-

life refuge, a crime that led to a

life sentence for the man who

fired the fatal shots.

Dustin Higgs, 48, who is sched-

uled to be exe-

cuted on Friday

at the federal

prison in Terre

Haute, Ind., says

nobody alleges

he pulled the

trigger.

His lawyers

have argued it is “arbitrary and

inequitable” to execute Higgs

while Willis Haynes, the man

who fatally shot the women in

1996, was spared a death sen-

tence.

The federal judge who presi-

ded over Higgs’ trial two decades

ago says he “merits little compas-

sion.”

“He received a fair trial and

was convicted and sentenced to

death by a unanimous jury for a

despicable crime,” U.S. District

Judge Peter Messitte wrote in a

Dec. 29 ruling.

Defense attorneys won tempo-

rary stays of execution this week

for Higgs and another inmate,

Corey Johnson, after arguing that

their recent COVID-19 infections

put them at greater risk of unnec-

essary suffering during the lethal

injections.

But higher courts overruled

those decisions, allowing the exe-

cutions to go forward, and John-

son was executed Thursday

night.

In October 2000, a federal jury

in Maryland convicted Higgs of

first-degree murder and kidnap-

ping in the killings of Tamika

Black, 19; Mishann Chinn. 23; and

Tanji Jackson, 21.

Man convicted in 3 killings to be last executed under TrumpAssociated Press

Higgs 

NEW YORK — An articulated

bus dramatically plunged off a

bridge in New York City late

Thursday, leaving its front half

hanging over a highway ramp, its

fall broken only by the road below.

The driver was seriously in-

jured in the crash just after 11 p.m.

near an interchange of the Cross

Bronx and Major Deegan ex-

pressways, and seven passengers

suffered minor injuries, fire offi-

cials said. They were taken to hos-

pitals. No other vehicles were in-

volved.

One part of the bus — essential-

ly two buses connected by a pivot

that allows it to navigate turns —

remained on the bridge, with the

other half vertical, its smashed

front end resting on a ramp con-

necting the two expressways.

“The bus fell approximately 50

feet onto the access road. The pa-

tients suffered injuries consistent

with a fall from such a great

height,” Deputy Fire Chief Paul

Hopper said in a social media post.

Firefighters planned to secure

the fuel and any other hazardous

materials before pulling the bus

fully onto the road, Acting Battal-

ion Chief Steven Moore said in the

post.

The Metropolitan Transporta-

tion Authority said it was conduct-

ing “a full investigation and will

implement lessons learned in or-

der to prevent it from happening

again.”

“We are certain this was a terri-

fying incident for those customers

on the bus. Our hearts go out to

them with hope that they can re-

cover quickly,” Patrick Warren,

the MTA’s chief safety and securi-

ty officer, said in a statement.

CRAIG RUTTLE / AP

A bus in New York City which careened off a road in the Bronx neighborhood of New York is left danglingfrom an overpass Friday, after a crash late Thursday that left the driver in serious condition, police said.

Bus dramatically plunges offbridge; driver, passengers hurt

Associated Press

PAGE 10 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, January 16, 2021

WORLD

Turkey hopes it can end its

standoff with the U.S. over Anka-

ra’s purchase of a Russian missile-

defense system, Defense Minister

Hulusi Akar said, even if talks are

underway for a second S-400 mis-

sile battery.

Turkey’s purchase of the Rus-

sian S-400s has alarmed its NATO

allies because of its ability to gath-

er intelligence on western capa-

bilities, especially the F-35 stealth

fighter jet. The U.S. imposed sanc-

tions on the country’s defense in-

dustry and Turkey has been sus-

pended from the program to help

build Lockheed Martin Corp.’s

F-35.

While he appealed to the incom-

ing Biden administration to recon-

sider U.S. sanctions imposed last

month, Akar ruled out getting rid

of the missiles.

“There is no such thing on our

agenda at this stage,” he told re-

porters in Ankara on Wednesday.

Talks with Russia are underway

for a second S-400 system, he said.

Discussions for the co-production

of European-made air defenses,

known as the Eurosam SAMP/T,

had slowed due to the pandemic.

“We would prefer NATO-com-

patible systems like SAMP/T

should there be progress in talks,”

he said.

Erdogan has adopted a concilia-

tory tone as Joe Biden’s Jan. 20 in-

auguration approaches, but Con-

gress has pushed to make it more

difficult for Turkey to receive

waivers from the penalties unless

it gets rid of the Russian weapon-

ry.

Akar reiterated the S-400s

won’t be integrated into NATO’s

command-and-control infrastruc-

ture, but will be used as a standa-

lone system, similar to the use of

Russian-made S-300 weapons

within the NATO alliance.

Akar said Turkey, which hosts

an early-warning radar in Kure-

cik, a critical part of European

missile-defense system, does not

see itself as separate from NATO’s

defense structure. It is merely try-

ing to enhance its own missile-de-

fense capabilities, he said.

Turkey urges Biden to look beyond Russian missile standoffBloomberg

SEOUL, South Korea — North

Korea displayed new submarine-

launched ballistic missiles under

development and other military

hardware in a parade that under-

lined leader Kim Jong Un’s de-

fiant calls to expand the country's

nuclear weapons program.

State media said Kim took cen-

ter stage in Thursday night’s pa-

rade celebrating a major ruling

party meeting in which he vowed

maximum efforts to bolster the

nuclear and missile program that

threatens Asian rivals and the

American homeland to counter

what he described as U.S. hostili-

ty.

During an eight-day Workers’

Party congress that ended Tues-

day, Kim also revealed plans to

salvage the nation’s economy, hit

by U.S.-led sanctions over his nu-

clear ambitions, pandemic-relat-

ed border closures and natural di-

sasters that wiped out crops.

The economic setbacks have

left Kim with nothing to show for

his ambitious diplomacy with

President Donald Trump, which

derailed over disagreements

about sanctions relief in exchange

for North Korean denucleariza-

tion steps, and pushed Kim to

what is clearly the toughest mo-

ment of his nine-year rule.

Kim’s comments are likely in-

tended to pressure the incoming

U.S. government of Joe Biden,

who has previously called the

North Korean leader a “thug” and

accused Trump of chasing specta-

cle rather than meaningful curbs

on the North’s nuclear capabili-

ties. Kim has not ruled out talks,

but said the fate of bilateral rela-

tions depends on whether Wash-

ington abandons its hostile policy

toward North Korea.

North Korean state TV on Fri-

day aired edited footage of the pa-

rade which showed thousands of

civilians and troops roaring and

fireworks exploding overhead as

Kim stepped out of a building and

took his spot at a podium in Kim Il

Sung Square, named after his

grandfather and the country’s

founder.

Reports and video from state

media suggested that Kim did not

make a speech during the parade.

His defense minister, Kim Jong

Gwan, said in a speech that North

Korea’s military would “pre-emp-

tively marshal our greatest might

to thoroughly punish hostiles

forces” if they threaten the

North’s safety.

Military aircraft flew in forma-

tion across the dark sky, using

what appeared to be flares to form

the symbol of the Workers’ Party.

Flag-waving spectators, un-

masked despite a fervent domes-

tic campaign to fend off the coro-

navirus, cheered as troops rolled

out some of the country’s most ad-

vanced weapons, including sub-

marine-launched ballistic mis-

siles described by the official Ko-

rean Central News Agency as the

“world’s most powerful weapon.”

The new type of submarine-

launched missiles was larger than

the ones North Korea previously

tested.

The North also displayed a va-

riety of solid-fuel weapons de-

signed to be fired from mobile

land launchers, which potentially

expand its capability to strike tar-

gets in South Korea and Japan, in-

cluding U.S. military bases there.

KCNA said the parade featured

other missiles capable of “thor-

oughly annihilating enemies in a

pre-emptive way outside (our)

territory.” But it wasn’t immedi-

ately clear whether the descrip-

tion referred to intercontinental

ballistic missiles.

N. Korea holdsmilitary paradein power brag

BY KIM TONG-HYUNG

Associated Press

MAMUJU, Indonesia — A

strong, shallow earthquake shook

Indonesia’s Sulawesi island just

after midnight Friday, toppling

homes and buildings, triggering

landslides and killing at least 42

people.

More than 600 people were in-

jured by the magnitude 6.2 quake,

which sent people fleeing their

homes in the darkness. Author-

ities were still collecting informa-

tion about the full scale of casual-

ties and damage in the affected ar-

eas.

There were reports of many

people trapped in the rubble of

collapsed homes and buildings.

In a video released by the Na-

tional Disaster Mitigation Agency,

a girl stuck in the wreckage of a

house cried out for help and said

she heard the sound of other fam-

ily members also trapped. “Please

help me, it hurts,” the girl told res-

cuers, who replied that they des-

perately wanted to help her.

The rescuers said an excavator

was needed to save the girl and

others trapped in collapsed build-

ings. Other images showed a se-

vered bridge and damaged and

flattened houses.

The earthquake damaged pa