Volume 80 Edition 85A ©SS 2021 CONTINGENCY EDITION SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2021 Free to Deployed Areas

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VIDEO GAMES

Arcade shooter‘Ascent’ is a joltof ’90s nostalgia Page 12

VIRUS OUTBREAK

States that oncehad grip on COVIDsee crush of cases Page 6

MLB

White Sox, Yankeesgo deep in ‘Field ofDreams’ gamePage 24

Richardson becomes 2nd woman to head combatant command ›› Page 3

KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S.

troops who deployed to Afghanis-

tan over the past two decades say

the Taliban’s rapid conquest of

much of the country has left them

stunned and dismayed.

“This one will hurt for a long

time, man,” said Sean Gustafson, a

retired Army lieutenant colonel

who deployed to the city of Herat

in western Afghanistan from 2006

to 2007.

The capture of Herat by the Tali-

ban on Thursday shocked Gustaf-

son. On Friday, he forwarded to

Stars and Stripes photos from 2007

of him and other troops building

schools and handing out books to

children.

Now, like other veterans of

America’s longest war, he can only

watch from afar as the projects he

worked on and the people he tried

to help come under threats from

the Taliban.

The Taliban controlled an esti-

mated two-thirds of the country as

of Friday, after gaining several

provincial capitals and large cities

throughout the country.

The collapse of much of the Af-

ghan military has come weeks be-

fore the scheduled Aug. 31 final

withdrawal of U.S. troops ordered

by President Joe Biden. The with-

drawal stems from a peace deal

signed last year by the Taliban and

the Trump administration.

The final days of the U.S. war in

Afghanistan should have been

handled better, several veterans

told Stars and Stripes.

“A complete pullout is not only

unnecessary, it is sabotage,” said

Army Staff Sgt. Seamus Fennessy,

who fought in Ghazni province in

US veterans despair as Taliban take over much of the country they fought inBY J.P. LAWRENCE

Stars and Stripes

SEE VETERANS ON PAGE 5

SIDIQULLAH KHAN/AP

Smoke rises after fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, in Kandahar, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday.

Afghan unraveling■ The Taliban complete sweep of country’s south■ US sending 3,000 troops to evacuate diplomats

Page 4

AFGHANISTAN

PAGE 2 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

WASHINGTON — Inflation at

the wholesale level jumped a high-

er-than-expected 1% in July, match-

ing the rise from the previous

month, and dimming hopes that the

upward trajectory of prices would

begin to slow.

Prices at the wholesale level over

the past 12 months are up a record

7.8%, the largest increase in that

span of time in a series going back to

2010.

And the back-to-back monthly in-

creases in the producer price index,

which measures price pressures be-

fore they reach consumers, were

the most sizeable since a 1.2% rise in

January, the Labor Department re-

ported Thursday.

The latest data on rising producer

prices comes a day after the U.S. re-

ported that there was some evi-

dence of slowing in price hikes at the

retail level. Consumer prices in July

rose 0.5%, compared with a 0.9%

jump in June. Over the past year re-

tail prices are up a notable 5.4%, the

same 12-month gain posted in June

with both months recording the

largest annual gain since 2008.

July’s 1% wholesale price uptick

exceeded the 0.6% gain many econ-

omists had expected and signaled

the price surge that has lifted the

cost of everything from airline tick-

ets and hotels to food and gasoline

and has pushed prices well above

the 2% target for annual gains set by

the Federal Reserve.

Core inflation at the wholesale

level, which excludes volatile food

and energy costs, also rose 1% in Ju-

ly. Core prices over the past 12

months are up 6.2%.

Inflation at wholesale level jumps 1% in July Associated Press

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TODAYIN STRIPES

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Military rates

Euro costs (Aug. 16) $1.15Dollar buys (Aug. 16) 0.8284 British pound (Aug. 16) $1.35Japanese yen (Aug. 16) 108.00South Korean won (Aug. 16) 1139.00

Commercial rates

Bahrain(Dinar) 0.3770Britain (Pound) 1.3839Canada (Dollar) 1.2525China(Yuan) 6.4801Denmark (Krone) 6.3209 Egypt (Pound) 15.6999 Euro 0.8500Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7828 Hungary (Forint) 299.90 Israel (Shekel) 3.2176 Japan (Yen) 110.11 Kuwait(Dinar) 0.3007

Norway (Krone) 8.8146

Philippines (Peso) 50.56 Poland (Zloty) 3.89 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7505Singapore (Dollar) 1.3571

South Korea (Won) 1164.82 Switzerland (Franc) 0.9192Thailand (Baht) 33.33 Turkey (NewLira) 8.5484

(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

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BUSINESS/WEATHER

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 3

WASHINGTON — An Army

officer at Joint Base Lewis-

McChord has become the 29th

service member to die of compli-

cations from the coronavirus, the

service said Thursday.

Lt. Col. Scott Flanders, 56, died

Aug. 2 at Brooke Army Medical

Center in San Antonio, where he

was being treated, according to

the Army.

Since February, Flanders

served as the operations officer

for I Corps, which manages daily

activities for more than 44,000

soldiers stationed at Joint Base

Lewis-McChord in Washington

state and across the Pacific in-

cluding Hawaii, Alaska and Ja-

pan, the Army said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are

with Lt. Col. Scott Flanders’s

family,” said Brig. Gen. Bill

Ryan, special assistant to I Corps’

deputy commanding general.

“Our priority is to take care of his

family, ensuring they have all the

resources they need during this

difficult time.”

Flanders received his ROTC

commission as an air defense ar-

tillery officer in May 1994

through the University of Massa-

chusetts Amherst, according to

the Army.

Throughout his military ca-

reer, Flanders served in the Navy

and Army, earning honors in-

cluding the Defense Meritorious

Service Medal, Joint Service

Command Medal, Army Achieve-

ment Medal and the Navy and

Marine Corps Achievement Med-

al.

Flanders is the third service

member to die of the coronavirus

in less than a month. Two unvac-

cinated sailors — including an ac-

tive-duty doctor — died July 23

and July 26, respectively.

The deaths come as Defense

Secretary Lloyd Austin prepares

to make the coronavirus vaccine

mandatory in the coming month.

The shots are now under the

Food and Drug Administration’s

emergency-use authorization, but

Austin said he will seek President

Joe Biden’s permission to man-

date the vaccine for troops if it

does not receive full federal ap-

proval by mid-September.

So far, 1,061,952 service mem-

bers are fully vaccinated against

the coronavirus and 239,926 have

received at least one shot, accord-

ing to the Pentagon’s most recent

data published Wednesday.

Since the coronavirus pandem-

ic began, 217,982 service mem-

bers contracted the virus, with

1,962 of them hospitalized, ac-

cording to the data.

Army officer is 29thto die of coronavirus

BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS

Stars and Stripes

Doornbos.caitlin@stripes.com Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos

Army Lt. Gen. Laura Richard-

son was confirmed by the Senate

in a unanimous voice vote on

Wednesday to become the next

commander of U.S. Southern

Command, which will make her

just the second woman in history

to lead a combatant command.

Richardson, who now leads U.S.

Army North, will receive a fourth

star before taking command of

SOUTHCOM, which oversees

U.S. military operations across

South and Central America and

the Caribbean. She will become

just the second female four-star

general in the Army’s history.

Richardson will replace

SOUTHCOM’s outgoing chief,

Navy Adm. Craig Faller, who has

led the combatant command

headquartered just outside Miami

since November 2018. The De-

fense Department has yet to set a

date for the change of command, a

SOUTHCOM spokesman said

Thursday.

SOUTHCOM leaders have tra-

ditionally faced challenges in the

region such as drug trafficking,

narcoterrorism, providing hu-

manitarian and disaster relief,

and overseeing the controversial

detention facility at Guantanamo

Bay, Cuba. Richardson will also

inherit responsibility for oper-

ations in a portion of the globe that

has been devastated by the ongo-

ing coronavirus pandemic. She

will also have to work to ensure

the United States retains its long-

held influence throughout the vast

majority of the region, where Rus-

sia and China in recent years have

increased efforts to work with and

influence nations in the Western

Hemisphere.

Richardson told senators last

week during her confirmation

hearing on Capitol Hill that her

priorities included expanding

training exercises and other secu-

rity cooperation operations with

partner nations in the region and

increasing opportunities for part-

ner nations in the region to send

their troops to U.S. military train-

ing and education programs.

“We must hasten to pick up the

pieces left by the pandemic and

transform our relationships to

meet 21st-century security chal-

lenges. Put simply, winning to-

gether with our allies and partners

matters,” Richardson told sen-

ators. “Whether [it is working]

against [the coronavirus], trans-

national criminal organizations,

the predatory actions of China, the

malign influence of Russia, or nat-

ural disasters, there’s nothing we

cannot overcome or achieve

through an integrated response

with our interagency allies and

partners.”

Richardson commissioned into

the Army as an aviation officer in

1986 and flew UH-60 Black

Hawks, according to her official

biography. She commanded a

101st Airborne Division aviation

battalion in Iraq and has also

served in Afghanistan.

She took command of U.S. Army

North at Joint Base San Antonio in

July 2019 after serving as the dep-

uty commander of U.S. Army

Forces Command at Fort Bragg,

N.C.

Richardson could soon be fol-

lowed by the third female to lead a

combatant command. President

Joe Biden nominated Air Force

Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost to lead

U.S. Transportation Command.

The Senate has yet to formally

consider her nomination.

Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson

was the first woman to lead a com-

batant command. She led U.S

Northern Command from 2016

until her retirement in 2018.

Biden nominated Richardson

and Van Ovost for those top jobs in

April, after they were recom-

mended by top Pentagon leaders

during President Donald Trump’s

administration. The New York

Times reported in February that

former Defense Secretary Mark

Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, the

chairman of the Joint Chiefs of

Staff, slow rolled their recommen-

dations of the two women for those

jobs until after the November 2020

election, fearing the White House

might nix their selections because

of their genders.

Esper, who was fired shortly af-

ter Trump’s election loss, told The

Times that he and Milley agreed

Richardson and Van Ovost were

the best, most qualified choices

for the positions. He confirmed

their recommendations were de-

layed until after Biden had been

elected.

“They were chosen because

they were the best officers for the

jobs, and I didn’t want their pro-

motions derailed because some-

one in the Trump White House

saw that I recommended them or

thought [the Defense Depart-

ment] was playing politics,” Esper

told The New York Times in Feb-

ruary. “This was not the case.

They were the best qualified. We

were doing the right thing.”

Richardson confirmed to lead SOUTHCOMBY COREY DICKSTEIN

Stars and Stripes

dickstein.corey@stripes.comTwitter: @CDicksteinDC

U.S. ARMY NORTH

Army Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson

MILITARY

DAVENPORT, Ill. — A small, stifled cry escaped

Kaitlin Schepers’ lips Thursday after she closed her

eyes and thought about her friend Alexa Sheeder.

Sheeder, an Army spouse, died Tuesday from com-

plications of COVID-19 — just 13 days after hearing

the cries of her newborn boy Barrett.

“Alexa was always so much fun to be around. She

included everyone,” Schepers said. “No one was ever

left out. You laughed. And she laughed. It was one of

her gifts, I think. Alexa had joy and she shared it.

“I think her joy came from her life. Alexa loved be-

ing a wife and mom. That’s the best way I can tell you

about her life.”

Sheeder married her husband Drew, who is sta-

tioned at Fort Rucker in Alabama, six years ago. The

couple’s daughter, Landi, was born almost three

years ago.

At the time of her death, Sheeder was living at

home in Davenport, but had recently relocated to

Alabama to give birth.

“She was visiting down there to have the baby,”

Schepers said. “Then she got sick.”

Kaitlin recalled the Sheeders’ unique love story.

“Alexa had no idea who Drew was — only that he

was serving in the military,” Schepers said, adding

that Drew’s mother was a coworker of Sheeder.

“One day, just to be nice, Alexa asked if she could

send Drew a care package,” Schepers said. “Well,

that grew into this kind of pen-pal thing. And it grew

from there. Basically Drew came home and a few

weeks later, they were married. It was love at first

letter, maybe.”

Sheeder tested positive for COVID-19 on July 25.

She was admitted to a hospital and gave birth to Bar-

rett on July 28. Barrett went home the same day, but

Sheeder stayed in the hospital with more severe

symptoms until Aug. 2, when she was sent home.

After spending a day at home with her newborn son

— who also tested positive for COVID-19 — Sheeder

was readmitted to the hospital Aug. 3 and had to be

intubated Aug. 7.

“Alexa had no underlying conditions — other than,

I guess, pregnancy,” Schepers said.

Schepers explained the Sheeders’ family wanted

people to know Alexa’s story for another reason.

“Alexa was not vaccinated,” Schepers said. “She

was pregnant and she wasn’t sure what she wanted to

do. But she did plan to get vaccinated after the birth of

the baby.

“Alexa’s family doesn’t care about politics. They

want people to know how important the vaccines are

to help protect us. If you have worries — and many of

us do — you should go to your doctor or find good

sources and make informed decisions.”

Kaitlin has started a GoFundMe account that will

help pay the cost of college for Landri and Barrett.

Army spouse diesof virus two weeksafter giving birth

BY TOM LOEWY

The Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus

FACEBOOK

Army spouse Alexa Sheeder shown here with herhusband Drew Sheeder.

PAGE 4 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

WAR ON TERRORISM

KABUL, Afghanistan — The

Taliban completed their sweep of

Afghanistan’s south on Friday,

taking four more provincial cap-

itals in a lightning offensive that

brought them closer to Kabul just

weeks before the U.S. is set to of-

ficially end its two-decade war.

In the last 24 hours, the coun-

try’s second- and third-largest ci-

ties — Herat in the west and Kan-

dahar in the south — have fallen

to the insurgents, as has the cap-

ital of the southern province of

Helmand, where American, Brit-

ish and NATO forces fought some

of the bloodiest battles of the con-

flict.

The blitz through the Taliban’s

southern heartland means the in-

surgents now hold half of Afghan-

istan’s 34 provincial capitals and

control more than two-thirds of

the country. The Western-backed

government in the capital, Kabul,

still holds a smattering of prov-

inces in the center and east, as

well as the northern city of Ma-

zar-i-Sharif.

While Kabul is not directly un-

der threat yet, the resurgent Tali-

ban were battling government

forces in Logar province, some 50

miles from the capital. The U.S.

military has estimated that Kabul

could come under insurgent pres-

sure within 30 days and that the

Taliban could overrun the rest of

the country within a few months.

They have already taken over

much of the north and west of the

country.

In the south, insurgents swept

through three provincial capitals

on Friday.

Attaullah Afghan, the head of

the provincial council in Hel-

mand, said the Taliban captured

Lashkar Gah following weeks of

heavy fighting and raised their

white flag over governmental

buildings. He said that three ar-

my bases outside of the city re-

main under government control.

In Tirin Kot, the capital of the

southern Uruzgan province, Tali-

ban fighters paraded through a

main square, driving a Humvee

and a pickup seized from Afghan

forces. Local officials confirmed

that the Taliban also captured the

capitals of Zabul province in the

south and Ghor in the west.

With security rapidly deterio-

rating, the United States planned

to send in 3,000 troops to help

evacuate some personnel from

the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Bri-

tain and Canada are also sending

forces to aid their evacuations.

Denmark said it will temporarily

close its embassy, while Germany

is reducing its embassy staff to

the “absolute minimum.”

Hundreds of thousands of Af-

ghans have fled their homes amid

fears the Taliban will return the

country to the sort of brutal, re-

pressive rule it imposed when it

was last in power at the turn of

the millennium. At that time, the

group all but eliminated women’s

rights and conducted public exe-

cutions as it imposed an unspar-

ing version of Islamic law. An

early sign of such tactics came in

Herat, where insurgents paraded

two alleged looters through the

streets on Friday with black

makeup smeared on their faces.

There are also concerns that

the fighting could plunge the

country into civil war, which is

what happened after the Soviets

withdrew in 1989.

“We are worried. There is

fighting everywhere in Afghanis-

tan. The provinces are falling day

by day,” said Ahmad Sakhi, a res-

ident of Kabul. “The government

should do something. The people

are facing lots of problems.”

The U.N. refugee agency said

nearly 250,000 Afghans have

been forced to flee their homes

since the end of May, and 80% of

those displaced are women and

children. In all, the agency said,

some 400,000 civilians have been

displaced since the beginning of

the year, joining millions who

have fled previous rounds of

fighting in recent decades.

Peace talks in Qatar between

the Taliban and the government

remain stalled, though diplomats

are still meeting, as the U.S., Eu-

ropean and Asian nations warned

that battlefield gains would not

lead to political recognition.

“We demand an immediate end

to attacks against cities, urge a

political settlement, and warn

that a government imposed by

force will be a pariah state,” said

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy

to the talks.

But the Taliban advance con-

tinued.

Hasibullah Stanikzai, the head

of the Logar provincial council,

said fighting was still underway

inside Puli-e Alim, with govern-

ment forces holding the police

headquarters and other security

facilities. He spoke by phone

from his office, and gunfire could

be heard in the background. The

Taliban, however, said they had

captured the police headquarters

and a nearby prison.

A day earlier, in Herat, Taliban

fighters rushed past the Great

Mosque in the historic city — a

structure that dates to 500 BC and

was once a spoil of Alexander the

Great — and seized government

buildings.

Herat had been under militant

attack for two weeks, with one

wave blunted by the arrival of

warlord Ismail Khan and his

forces. But on Thursday after-

noon, Taliban fighters broke

through the city’s defensive lines.

The insurgents circulated pho-

tos and a video showing Khan in

their captivity as well as video

footage that appeared to show

captured military helicopters.

At least 18 civilians were killed

and more than 250 wounded in

the two-week battle for Herat, ac-

cording to Mohammad Arif Jala-

li, head of the city’s public hospi-

tal. He said more than 50 women

and children were among the

wounded. It’s unclear how many

people were killed and wounded

in battles elsewhere across the

country.

In Kandahar, insurgents seized

the governor’s office and other

buildings, witnesses said, adding

that the governor and other offi-

cials fled. They spoke on condi-

tion of anonymity because the de-

feat has yet to be acknowledged

by the government, which has not

commented on the latest advanc-

es.

The Taliban had earlier at-

tacked a prison in Kandahar and

freed inmates inside, officials

said.

Taliban sweep through southern areas

GULABUDDIN AMIRI/AP

A Taliban fighter stands guard over surrendered Afghan security member forces in the city of Ghazni,Afghanistan, Friday.

BY TAMEEM AKHGAR,RAHIM FAIEZ

AND JOSEPH KRAUSS

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Three thou-

sand fresh U.S. troops were rush-

ing to Kabul on Friday in a tempo-

rary deployment to speed evacua-

tion flights for some American

diplomats and thousands of Af-

ghans, as the Taliban pressed a

lightning offensive that has cap-

tured much of the country and

risks isolating Afghanistan’s capi-

tal city.

The Pentagon also was moving

another 4,500 to 5,000 troops to

bases in the Gulf countries of Qa-

tar and Kuwait, including 1,000 to

Qatar to speed up visa processing

for Afghan translators and others

who fear retribution from the Tali-

ban for their past work with Amer-

icans, and their family members.

The remainder — 3,500 to 4,000

troops from a combat brigade of

the 82nd Airborne Division —

were bound for Kuwait. Pentagon

spokesman John Kirby said the

combat troops would be a reserve

force on standby “in case we need

even more” than the 3,000 going to

Kabul.

The temporary buildup of

troops for U.S. evacuations high-

lights the stunning pace of the Ta-

liban takeover of much of the

country, less than three weeks be-

fore the U.S. is set to officially end

nearly 20 years of combat in Af-

ghanistan.

President Joe Biden has re-

mained adamant about ending the

U.S. mission in Afghanistan on

Aug. 31, insisting the American

and NATO mission that launched

Oct. 7, 2001, has done what it could

to build up a Kabul-based Afghan

government and military that

could withstand the Taliban when

Western troops finally withdrew.

The Taliban, emboldened by the

imminent end of the U.S. combat

mission in the country, took four

more provincial capitals Friday.

The advance is gradually encir-

cling Kabul, home to millions of

Afghans.

The U.S. had already withdrawn

most of its troops, but had kept

about 650 troops in Afghanistan to

support U.S. diplomatic security,

including at the airport.

Kirby said Thursday the influx

of fresh troops does not mean the

U.S. is reentering combat with the

Taliban.

“This is a temporary mission

with a narrow focus,” he told re-

porters at the Pentagon.

The Biden administration

warned Taliban officials directly

that the U.S. would respond if the

Taliban attacked Americans dur-

ing the stepped-up deployments

and evacuations.

Americans are preparing a mil-

itary base abroad to receive and

house large numbers of those Af-

ghan translators and others as

their visa applications are proc-

essed. The Biden administration

has not identified the base, but ear-

lier was talking with both Kuwait

and Qatar about using U.S. bases

there for the temporary reloca-

tions.

As of Thursday, the U.S. has

flown 1,200 Afghans — former

American employees and their

families whose visas are farthest

along in the approval process — to

Fort Lee, Va.

State Department spokesman

Ned Price said Thursday that the

U.S. soon will have evacuation

planes flying out daily, for those

Afghan translators and others who

manage to reach the Kabul airport

despite the fighting.

The number of Afghans flown

out under the special visa program

is going to “grow very quickly in

the coming days,” Price said.

Shortly before Price’s announ-

cement, the U.S. Embassy in Ka-

bul urged U.S. citizens to leave im-

mediately — reiterating a warning

it first issued Saturday.

The latest drawdown will fur-

ther limit the ability of the embas-

sy to conduct business, although

Price maintained it would still be

able to function. Nonessential per-

sonal had already been withdrawn

from the embassy in April after Bi-

den’s withdrawal announcement

that same month.

US rushes in troops to speed evacuations from KabulAssociated Press

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 5

2010.

The withdrawal was “a betrayal

of American and international

forces who have expended so

much in life and limb to prevent

the resurgence of the Taliban,”

Fennessy said in a Facebook

message.

Some U.S. troops should have

stayed in the country to preserve

the gains of the last 20 years, he

said.

“I am disgusted,” he said.

Other troops spoke about the

way the withdrawal imperils their

Afghan friends and co-workers.

“Maybe we stayed longer than

we should have, but the manner in

which we pulled out, it’s just unfor-

tunate, and my heart breaks,” said

Christy Barry, who deployed to

Afghanistan multiple times as

both an Air Force officer and a ci-

vilian adviser.

Like other veterans, Barry said

she’s been deluged with messages

from people seeking her help to

get visas to escape the country.

Barry learned about Afghanis-

tan’s culture and received lan-

guage training as part of the Af-

ghanistan-Pakistan Hands, which

aimed to build a cadre of military

officers who could advise local

leaders in their own languages.

In a phone call Thursday, she re-

called the days when she thought

she was making a difference in the

country. In 2010, Barry helped

start a women’s bazaar in partner-

ship with two Afghan Americans.

The project gave jobs to women in

need by allowing them to sell

goods at U.S. bases.

Then Barry learned in 2015,

when she came to Afghanistan as a

civilian adviser, that the bazaar

had stopped coming to the bases.

Commanders who came after her

discontinued it, which is when she

said she first felt disheartened

about her earlier achievements.

“You pour your heart into it, and

at the time, it feels like you’re do-

ing something great and you’re

making a difference,” she said.

“And looking back on it now, I still

feel that way, but it’s with a sad-

ness.”

Many U.S., British, Afghan and

allied troops sacrificed much in

pursuit of a modernized Afghanis-

tan, said Richard Mills, a retired

Marine lieutenant general who

commanded in the southern prov-

ince of Helmand from 2009 to 2011.

Mills recalled efforts to build

the enormous Kajaki Dam, with

hopes of bringing electrical power

and prosperity to the area.

The U.S. invested more than

$775 million into the dam since

2004, betting that it would bolster

support for the government and

turn people against the Taliban.

U.S. Marines and British troops

launched the Battle of Sangin in

part to secure supply lines to the

dam. It was the bloodiest cam-

paign of the war, with more than

100 coalition troops killed in ac-

tion.

With U.S. help, the Afghan gov-

ernment installed a third turbine

generator in the dam in 2017,

greatly increasing the electricity

supply to the region, a 2019 report

by the United States Agency for

International Development said.

But the dam’s success did noth-

ing to stem the Taliban’s power in

Helmand, which fell to the mili-

tant group Friday.

The U.S. came close to “turning

the tide” in Helmand province,

Mills said in a phone call Thurs-

day. He said Americans had con-

structed several pillars of stability

in Helmand by shoring up the

economy, establishing schools and

providing security.

“It’s sad to see that those pillars

are being destroyed one at a time

by the Taliban,” Mills said. “To see

it snatched away, of course it’s

hard.”

EZEKIEL R. KITANDWE/U.S. Marine Corps

U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Mills walks off the flight line at Bastion airfield, Camp Leatherneck,Afghanistan, in April 2010.

Veterans: Some feel betrayal in US exitFROM PAGE 1

Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report. lawrence.jp@stripes.comTwitter: @jplawrence3 �

MATTHEW CHLOSTA/U.S. Army

U.S. Air Force Maj. Christy Barry speaks Dari with Afghan nationalarmy officers in 2009 at the Counter Insurgency Training Academy onCamp Julien, Afghanistan.

SEAN GUSTAFSON

Students thank U.S. troops forthe school built for them in ShadiJam, a town in the Afghanprovince of Herat.

WAR ON TERRORISM

KABUL, Afghanistan — The

exodus from the capital has begun

for those who can afford it.

Demand for visas and plane

tickets out of Afghanistan has

been up ever since President Joe

Biden announced the withdrawal

of U.S. forces in April. But the Ta-

liban’s takeover of Kandahar and

Herat, Afghanistan’s second and

third largest cities, along with

many provincial capitals, has sent

demand skyrocketing.

“Almost all flights are full these

days, and the prices for tickets

have gone up,” said Mujeeb Rez-

qi, a Kabul travel agent. “It’s be-

cause everyone is afraid. They

don’t want to live under a regime

that will only bring destruction to

Afghanistan.”

But for most, leaving the coun-

try isn’t an option.

Some of the scenes at Shar-e-

now Park in central Kabul, a cou-

ple of miles from the U.S. Embas-

sy, resembled those of better

times: small children climbed all

over the jungle gym, while older

boys raced across the dusty

ground to a water fountain.

Some of those children are also

sleeping in the park, after fleeing

hundreds of miles with their fam-

ilies from cities taken by the Tali-

ban.

Amina, a widow who like many

of her compatriots goes by one

name, left the northern city of

Kunduz with her four children af-

ter the city fell earlier in the week.

The family huddled alongside

pitched tents and blankets spread

on the ground.

“To leave, you need a lot of

money, and we simply cannot af-

ford it,” Amina said. “I don’t even

have my own tent. I’m sharing it

with others.”

Anjamudin, an ex-local police

officer in northern Baghlan prov-

ince, fled with his family of five

after the fall of the provincial cap-

ital Pul-e-Khumi, believing his

former job put his life in danger.

“Look around. Everyone here is

desperate, and this is the govern-

ment’s fault,” said Anjamudin,

who also has been living in the

park.

“It’s the government’s job to de-

fend the country, but whenever

an area is surrounded by the ene-

my, it just collapses. It’s as if no

one is defending the country,” An-

jamudin said.

Anjamudin said he doesn’t want

to leave Afghanistan. He held out

hope Friday that the government

would be able to provide shelter

for its displaced citizens.

Those who have found ways to

leave have generally sought out

the most affluent countries that

would take them. Abdul Hamid

Hamdan, a business owner in Ja-

lalabad, said he will leave for In-

dia. From there, he will try to get

to Europe or North America.

Like many Afghans, Hamdan

partly blamed the withdrawal of

U.S. forces for the chaos gripping

the country.

“When the first province was

captured by the Taliban, I decid-

ed to leave,” Hamdan said by

phone. “Anything can happen any

minute here. I don’t feel safe any-

more.”

Afghans fly out,sleep in parksto flee Taliban

BY PHILLIP WALTER

WELLMAN

Stars and Stripes

PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN/Stars and Stripes

A family waits at a Kabul park on Friday.

Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report. 

PAGE 6 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

VIRUS OUTBREAK

The COVID-19 surge that is

sending hospitalizations to all-

time highs in parts of the South is

also clobbering states like Hawaii

and Oregon that were once seen as

pandemic success stories.

After months in which they kept

cases and hospitalizations at man-

ageable levels, they are watching

progress slip away as record num-

bers of patients overwhelm bone-

tired health care workers.

Oregon — like Florida, Arkan-

sas, Mississippi and Louisiana in

recent days — has more people in

the hospital with COVID-19 than

at any other point in the pandemic.

Hawaii is about to reach that

mark, too.

This, despite both states having

vaccination levels higher than the

national average as of last week.

Arkansas and Louisiana were sig-

nificantly below average, while

Florida was about even. Mississip-

pi, meanwhile, ranks at the very

bottom for vaccination rates.

“It’s heartbreaking. People are

exhausted. You can see it in their

eyes,” said Dr. Jason Kuhl, chief

medical officer at Oregon’s Provi-

dence Medford Medical Center,

where patients are left on gurneys

in hallways, their monitoring ma-

chines beeping away. Others

needing treatment for cancer or

heart disease are being turned

away.

The U.S. is seeing the virus

storming back, driven by a combi-

nation of the highly contagious

delta variant and lagging vaccina-

tion rates, especially in the South

and other rural and conservative

parts of the country.

New cases nationwide are ave-

raging about 123,000 per day, a

level last seen in early February,

and deaths are running at over 500

a day, turning the clock back to

May.

For the most part during the

pandemic, Hawaii enjoyed one of

the lowest infection and death

rates in the nation. In recent days,

though, it reported record highs of

more than 600 new virus cases

daily.

On its worst day in 2020, Hawaii

had 291 patients hospitalized with

the coronavirus. Officials expect

to hit 300 by the end of this week.

Despite the promising demand

for COVID-19 shots early on, it

took three weeks — much longer

than expected — to get from 50%

to 60% of the vaccine-eligible pop-

ulation fully vaccinated. Vaccina-

tions have since plateaued. Na-

tionally, the rate is about 59%.

The biggest hospital on Hawai-

i’s Big Island is feeling the pres-

sure. Out of 128 acute beds, 116

were taken Wednesday at Hilo

Medical Center, and the hospital’s

11 intensive care unit beds are al-

most always full these days, spo-

keswoman Elena Cabatu said.

“If someone out there has a

heart attack or a sepsis or gets into

a bad accident that requires inten-

sive care, we will have to hold that

person in the emergency depart-

ment,” Cabatu said.

“I’m surprised we landed here,”

she lamented. “The hope during

the mass vax clinics was just so

high.”

In Oregon, a record number of

COVID-19 hospitalizations — 670

—was reported for a third straight

day Thursday. ICU beds across

the state remain about 90% full

with COVID-19 patients occupy-

ing 177 of them, the Oregon Health

Authority said. The previous peak

of 622 hospitalizations came dur-

ing a November surge.

“Our doctors and nurses are ex-

hausted and rightfully frustrated

because this crisis is avoidable. It

is like watching a train wreck

coming and knowing that there’s

an opportunity to switch tracks,

yet we feel helpless while we

watch unnecessary loss of life,”

said David Zonies, associate chief

medical officer at Portland’s Ore-

gon Health & Science University.

Public health officials in the

southern part of the state said they

fear the situation will only get

worse as the delta variant spreads

through a region where fewer

than half the residents have been

fully vaccinated.

“I’m fearful that the darkest

days of this pandemic may still be

ahead of us,” said Chris Pizzi, CEO

of Providence Medical Center in

Medford.

States that hadgrip on COVIDnow have surge

Associated Press

MIKE STEWART/AP

A pro­mask demonstrator, right, speaks with a non­mask demonstrator, left at the Cobb County SchoolBoard Headquarters during a pro mask wearing protest, Thursday, in Marietta, Ga.

WASHINGTON — When the

pace of vaccinations in the U.S.

first began to slow, President Joe

Biden backed incentives like mil-

lion-dollar cash lotteries if that’s

what it took to get shots in arms.

But as new coronavirus infections

soar, he’s testing a tougher ap-

proach.

In just the past two weeks, Bi-

den has forced millions of federal

workers to attest to their vaccina-

tion status or face onerous new re-

quirements. He’s met with busi-

ness leaders at the White House to

press them to do the same.

Meanwhile, the administration

has taken steps toward mandating

shots for people traveling into the

U.S. from overseas. And the White

House is weighing options to be

more assertive at the state and lo-

cal level, including potential sup-

port for school districts imposing

rules to prevent spread of the vi-

rus over the objection of Republi-

can leaders.

“To the mayors, school superin-

tendents, educators, local leaders,

who are standing up to the gover-

nors politicizing mask protection

for our kids: thank you,” Biden

said Thursday. “Thank God that

we have heroes like you, and I

stand with you all, and America

should as well.”

But even as Biden becomes

more aggressive, he has refrained

from using all his powers to pres-

sure Americans to get vaccinated.

He’s held off, for instance, on pro-

posals to require vaccinations for

all air travelers or, for that matter,

the federal workforce. The result

is a precarious balancing act as Bi-

den works to make life more un-

comfortable for the unvaccinated

without spurring a backlash in a

deeply polarized country that

would only undermine his public

health goals.

Vaccine mandates are “the

right lever at the right time,” said

Ben Wakana, the deputy director

of strategic communications and

engagement for the White House

COVID-19 response, noting the

public’s increasing confidence in

the vaccines and adding that it

marks a new phase in the govern-

ment’s campaign to encourage

Americans to get shots.

Many Republicans, particularly

those eyeing the party’s 2024 pres-

idential nomination, disagree and

warn of federal overreaching into

decisions that should be left to in-

dividuals. Biden and Gov. Ron De-

Santis of Florida, an epicenter of

the latest virus wave, have spent

weeks feuding over the proper

role of government during a pub-

lic health crisis.

There is notable support for

vaccine mandates. According to a

recent poll from the Kaiser Fam-

ily Foundation, 51% of Americans

say the federal government

should recommend that employ-

ers require their workers to get

vaccinated, while 45% say it

should not.

For now, Biden has required

most federal workers to attest to

their vaccination status under po-

tential criminal penalties, with

those who have not received a

dose required to maintain social

distancing, test weekly for the vi-

rus and face other potential re-

strictions on their work.

Health workers at the Depart-

ment of Veterans Affairs and the

Department of Health and Hu-

man Services will be required to

get vaccinated, and the Pentagon

has announced that it intends to

mandate vaccines for the military

by next month.

Biden aims for tough vaccine rules without backlashAssociated Press

LAURIE SKRIVAN, ST. LOUIS POST­DISPATCH/AP

Toni Gwynn, 13, who shows her mom two tickets to a St. LouisCardinals game she received after getting the first dose of the PfizerCOVID­19 vaccination on Tuesday, at North Central CommunityHealth Center in Pine Lawn, Mo.

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 7

NATION

WASHINGTON — Prospects

seem increasingly faint for a bi-

partisan Senate deal on overhaul-

ing policing practices as dead-

locked lawmakers have fled the

Capitol for August recess and po-

litical pressure for an accord eas-

es with each passing week.

Bargainers insist they’re still

talking and haven’t abandoned

hope, though they’ve repeatedly

blown past self-imposed dead-

lines. This spring, President Joe

Biden pumped momentum into

talks with a nationally televised

address telling Congress to “get it

done” by May 25, the anniversary

of a Minneapolis police officer’s

killing of George Floyd, a Black

man.

That didn’t happen.

Now, Washington’s focus is

shifting to Biden’s drive to spend

trillions on social, environmental

and public works programs, one

of many budget showdowns that

will clog Congress’ autumn calen-

dar. With next year’s elections for

House and Senate control edging

closer, both parties are increas-

ingly compelled to bank on issues

they can use against their rivals,

weakening the political will for

compromise.

“We all have to make sure we

don’t lose this moment,” Ben

Crump, an attorney representing

the families of Floyd and other

Black victims of police shootings,

said in an interview Thursday.

“Time right now is an enemy of

a deal,” said James Pasco, exec-

utive director of the Fraternal Or-

der of Police, the police union.

The Senate’s policing talks are

aimed at writing compromise leg-

islation curbing law enforcement

agencies’ use of force and making

them more accountable for abus-

es.

For months, bargainers have

been stymied over Democrats’

demands to make individual po-

lice officers accused of abuses lia-

ble for civil penalties. It’s current-

ly difficult to pursue such actions

in all but the most egregious

cases. Republicans and law en-

forcement groups like the Frater-

nal Order of Police have resisted

easing those limitations.

Negotiators are also divided

over whether to ease the stan-

dards for bringing criminal cases

against officers for excessive use

of force.

“I had hoped that we’d be done

by now, but we are still trading

paper and making incremental

progress,” South Carolina Sen.

Tim Scott, the chief Republican

negotiator, told reporters this

week.

Scott, who in May set a “June or

bust” goal that never material-

ized, declined to say whether an

agreement would be reached this

year. He said ongoing violence

like this month’s slaying of a Chi-

cago police officer “has made this

a more important process, in my

opinion, and a longer process.”

Scott’s Democratic counter-

part, New Jersey Sen. Cory Book-

er, would say little.

“I’m just putting my head down

and getting the work done as

quickly as we can,” he told report-

ers recently.

J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP

Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing George Floyd’s family, speaks to reporters after theymet with Sen. Cory Booker, D­N.J., about police reform legislation, at the Capitol in Washington May 25. 

Prospects for bipartisan policingoverhaul deal growing more faint

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Moderate

House Democrats say they would

sink a crucial fiscal blueprint out-

lining $3.5 trillion in social and en-

vironment spending unless a sep-

arate infrastructure bill is ap-

proved first, a new complication

for the divided party’s drive to en-

act President Joe Biden’s domes-

tic agenda.

The centrists’ threat directly de-

fies House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s

announced

plans, and she is

initially showing

no signs of back-

ing down. It also

completes a two-

sided squeeze on

the California

Democrat, who

has received

similar pressure from her party’s

progressives.

Democrats can only pass legis-

lation in the narrowly divided

House if they lose no more than

three votes. Solid Republican op-

position seems certain.

“We will not consider voting for

abudget resolution until the bipar-

tisan Infrastructure Investment

and Jobs Act passes the House and

is signed into law,” nine centrists

wrote in a letter to Pelosi obtained

Friday by The Associated Press.

Ultimate House passage of the

budget resolution seems certain

because without it, Senate Repub-

licans would be able to use a fil-

ibuster, or procedural delays, to

kill a follow-up $3.5 trillion mea-

sure bolstering social safety net

and climate change programs.

That measure, not expected until

autumn, represents the heart of

Biden’s domestic agenda.

Pelosi has repeatedly said the

House will not vote on the $1 tril-

lion package of road, rail, water

and other infrastructure projects

until the Senate sends the House

the companion $3.5 trillion bill.

Pelosi has set that sequence be-

cause her party’s progressives

have worried that if the infrastruc-

ture bill is approved first, moder-

ates unhappy with the separate

$3.5 trillion measure’s cost would

feel free to vote against it, causing

its defeat.

A senior House Democratic

aide said the party doesn’t have

enough votes to pass the infras-

tructure bill this month, explain-

ing that dozens of Democrats

would vote against that measure

unless it comes after the House

gets the Senate’s $3.5 trillion social

and environmental bill. The aide

was not authorized to publicly dis-

cuss the party’s internal dynamics

and spoke on condition of anonym-

ity.

Leaders of the Congressional

Progressive Caucus, which in-

cludes nearly 100 House Demo-

crats, say many of their members

have indicated they would vote

against the infrastructure bill until

the expansive $3.5 trillion legisla-

tion has cleared the Senate.

The Senate approved the budget

resolution early Wednesday over

solid GOP opposition, hours after

it approved the infrastructure bill

with bipartisan support.

House Majority Leader Steny

Hoyer, D-Md., has announced that

the House will return early from

its summer recess, on Aug. 23, to

vote on the budget and perhaps

other legislation.

The letter was dated Thursday

and reported earlier by Punch-

bowl News, a publication that cov-

ers Capitol Hill, and The New

York Times.

Moderate Demsdemand passage ofinfrastructure bill

BY ALAN FRAM

Associated Press

Pelosi

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Re-

publicans enlisted the help of law

enforcement for the first time

Thursday to force the return of

Democratic legislators who fled

the state a month ago to block new

voting restrictions.

The move, a significant escala-

tion in the holdout, came a day af-

ter officers of the Texas House of

Representatives served civil ar-

rest warrants to the offices of

more than 50 Democrats who

have not returned to the Capitol

since fleeing for Washington,

D.C., on July 12. Some have re-

turned to Texas but remain ab-

sent from the state House of Rep-

resentatives.

“Earlier today the House Ser-

geant-at-Arms deputized mem-

bers of Texas law enforcement to

assist in the House’s efforts to

compel a quorum. That process

will begin in earnest immediate-

ly,” said Enrique Marquez, a

spokesman for Republican House

Speaker Dade Phelan.

He did not say which law en-

forcement agencies were in-

volved or what measures they

would take, but Democrats have

acknowledged the possibility of

facing arrest and have spent days

petitioning courts in Texas for or-

ders that would prevent them

from being forced to return to the

Capitol.

But in another setback, the Tex-

as Supreme Court halted those or-

ders Thursday. Some Democrats

have previously said they would

not rule out again leaving Texas

— and outside the jurisdiction of

state troopers — if there were no

court protections in place.

“The Dems have filed some of

the most embarrassing lawsuits

ever seen. Time for them to get to

the Capitol and do the job they

were elected to do,” Republican

Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted.

The Texas Department of Pub-

lic Safety, the state’s law enforce-

ment division, said in a statement

that it did not “discuss operational

specifics” and referred further

questions to Phelan’s office.

The NAACP had stepped in on

behalf of the Texas Democrats,

urging the Justice Department to

investigate whether a federal

crime was being committed when

Republicans threatened to have

them arrested.

The Texas Legislature has en-

tered uncommon territory with

neither side showing any certain-

ty over what comes next as Re-

publicans remain determined to

secure a quorum of 100 present

lawmakers — a threshold they

were just four members shy of re-

aching.

Democrats acknowledge they

cannot permanently stop the GOP

voting bill from passing because

of Republicans’ dominance in

both chambers of the Texas Leg-

islature.

Refusing to attend legislative

sessions is a violation of House

rules — a civil offense, not a crim-

inal one.

Texas law enforcement enlisted to end Democrats’ holdoutAssociated Press

PAGE 8 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

NATION

LAME DEER, Mont. — Wildfires in Mon-

tana threatened rural towns and ranchland,

and victims of a California blaze returned to

their incinerated town even as the region

faced another round of dangerous weather.

Firefighters and residents scrambled to

save hundreds of homes as flames continued

to advance on the Northern Cheyenne Indi-

an Reservation in southeastern Montana.

Since Sunday, the fire has carved its way

through some 260 square miles and prompt-

ed evacuation orders for thousands of peo-

ple.

As the fire raged across rugged hills and

narrow ravines, tribal member Darlene

Small helped her grandson move about 100

head of cattle to a new pasture, only to relo-

cate them twice more as the flames from the

Richard Spring fire bore down, she said

Thursday. An extreme drought that’s blan-

keting the West has made matters worse by

stunting vegetation untouched by fire.

“They’ve got to have pasture where

there’s water. If there’s no water, there’s no

good pasture,” Small said. Particularly hard

hit were some ranchers already depending

on surplus grass after a fire burned them off

their normal pasture last year, she said.

Gusts and low humidity were creating ex-

treme fire behavior as flames devoured

brush, short grass and timber, fire officials

said.

The same conditions turned California’s

Dixie Fire into a furious blaze that last week

burned down much of the small town of

Greenville in the northern Sierra Nevada.

The fire that began a month ago has de-

stroyed some 550 homes.

On Thursday, residents were trying to

cope with the magnitude of the losses.

“Everything that I own is now ashes or

twisted metal. That’s just all it is,” said

Greenville resident Ken Donnell, who es-

caped with just the clothes on his back.

Donnell said he was heart-broken but “by

God, I’m gonna smile. Because you know, it

just makes things a little bit better and a little

bit better right now is a lot.”

Sam Prentice, a firefighter for the USDA

Forest Service battled the flames in Green-

ville on Aug. 5, when the town was leveled.

He was not optimistic on Greenville’s ability

to rebuild.

“Essentially it starts to become an archae-

ology site — kind of a testament to the fire era

that we’re in right now,” Prentice said. “It’s

daunting.”

The fire had ravaged more than 800

square miles and continued to threaten

more than a dozen rural and forest commu-

nities.

Despite firefighting progress, it was 31%

contained and fire officials warned that hot

weather would continue and Northern Cali-

fornia would see a red flag warning of criti-

cal fire weather beginning Friday after-

noon. The weather would bring a chance of

dry lightning that could spark new blazes

even as crews continue trying to surround a

number of other forest fires that were ignit-

ed by lightning last month.

Hot, dry weather with strong afternoon

winds also propelled several fires in Wash-

ington state and similar weather was ex-

pected into the weekend, fire officials said.

Unstable weather was forecast through-

out the drought-stricken West, where more

than 100 large fires were burning in more

than a dozen states.

In Montana, days of swirling winds spread

flames in all directions, torching trees and

blowing embers that flew across a dry land-

scape.

The fire had crept within about a mile of

the eastern edge of the evacuated town of

Lame Deer, home to about 2,000 people, the

tribal headquarters and several subdivi-

sions.

With 40-foot flames visible from parts of

Lame Deer, firefighters worked into early

Thursday morning to keep the blaze from

destroying houses. None were reported lost,

but officials continued assessing the dam-

age.

PETE CASTER, LEWISTON TRIBUNE/AP

A wildland firefighter grimaces as he walks back to his crew after doing recon on a firecresting into the trees Thursday at the Bedrock Fire north of Lenore, Idaho. 

Wildfires threateningtowns in Mont., Calif.

BY MATTHEW BROWN

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon

volunteers scrambled to hand out

water, portable fans, Popsicles

and information about cooling

shelters to homeless people living

in isolated encampments on the

outskirts of Portland as the Pacific

Northwest sweated through an-

other heat wave.

In an area more used to temper-

ate weather, authorities are trying

to provide relief to the vulnerable,

including low-income older peo-

ple and those living outdoors. They

are mindful of a record-shattering

heat wave in late June that killed

hundreds in Oregon, Washington

and British Columbia when the

thermometer went as high as 116

degrees Fahrenheit.

In Portland, temperatures reac-

hed 103 F by late afternoon Thurs-

day and more heat was expected

Friday. It was hotter than Phoenix,

where the desert city hit a below-

normal 100 F. In Seattle, highs

were in the 90s in a region where

many don’t have air conditioning.

In Bellingham, Wash., on Thurs-

day the high hit 100 F for the first

time on record.

In Portland, a nonprofit group

that serves the homeless and those

with mental illness used three

large vans to transport water and

other cooling items to homeless

encampments along the Columbia

River on the eastern outskirts of

the city.

The effort was important be-

cause people experiencing home-

lessness are often reluctant to go to

cooling centers, said Kim James,

director of homeless and housing

support for Cascadia Behavioral

Healthcare.

Scott Zalitis, who was shirtless

in the heat, ate lime-green Popsi-

cles handed out by the group and

told volunteers that the temper-

ature at his campsite reached 105 F

the day before. A huge cooler full of

food spoiled when all the ice melt-

ed and he couldn’t find any more to

buy.

“It’s miserable. I can’t handle

the heat no matter what. So, I

mean, it’s hard to stand. Even in

the shade it’s too hot,” said Zalitis,

who became homeless last year

when the apartment where he

subleased a room burned down in

an electrical fire. “You want to stay

somewhere that’s cool, as cool as

possible.”

The encampment, where rust-

ed-out cars and broken-down RVs

mixed with tents and piles of gar-

bage, was in sharp contrast to

downtown Portland, where

sweaty pedestrians cooled off by

running through a large public

fountain in a riverfront park.

Luna Abadia, 17, was out train-

ing with her cross country team

from Lincoln High School in the

morning when the group stopped

for a few minutes at the fountain.

The runners normally train at 4

p.m., but in recent weeks, they

have had to shift it to 8 a.m. — and

it’s still oppressively hot, she said.

“It was very hot, lots of sweat.

That’s something we’ve noticed in

the past week or so,” Abadia said.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has de-

clared a state of emergency and ac-

tivated an emergency operations

center, citing the potential for dis-

ruptions to the power grid and

transportation. City and county

governments have opened cooling

centers, extended public library

hours and waived bus fare for

those headed to cooling centers. A

24-hour statewide help line will di-

rect callers to the nearest cooling

shelter and offer safety tips.

NATHAN HOWARD/AP

Katherine Morgan wipes sweat from her forehead while walking towork in high temperatures Thursday in Portland, Ore. 

Pacific Northwest heat wave spurs help forvulnerable residents, especially the homeless

BY GILLIAN FLACCUS

Associated Press HAVANA — Tropical depres-

sion Fred was slowly strengthen-

ing and had the potential to regain

tropical storm status sometime on

Friday, ahead of its projected track

towards the Florida Keys and

southwest Florida, forecasters

said.

The system was dropping heavy

rain over parts of Cuba in the early

morning hours and was expected

to reach Florida by Saturday, the

U.S. National Weather Service

said.

The main threats were rain and

flooding. A tropical storm warning

was issued Friday morning for the

Florida Keys and Florida Bay. A

tropical storm watch was in place

for southwest Florida and parts of

Cuba.

The hurricane center said 3 to 7

inches of rain were expected

across the Florida Keys and south-

ern peninsula by Monday, with iso-

lated maximums of 10 inches.

The Miami-based U.S. hurricane

center said Fred had maximum

sustained winds of 35 mph Friday

morning and was centered just

north of Cuba’s coast. The system

was about 370 miles east-southeast

of Key West, Fla. Fred was headed

west-northwest at 10 mph.

Fred expected to reach Florida by Saturday

Associated Press

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 9

NATION

ALBANY, N.Y. — For two

years, New York temporarily set

aside its usual time limit on civil

lawsuits in order to allow victims

of childhood sexual abuse to sue

churches, hospitals, schools,

camps, scout groups and other in-

stitutions and people they hold re-

sponsible for enabling pedophiles

or turning a blind eye to wrong-

doing.

That window closes Saturday,

after more than 9,000 lawsuits

were filed, a deluge whose impact

may be felt for many years.

Four of the state’s Roman Ca-

tholic dioceses have filed for

bankruptcy partly as a result of li-

tigation unleashed by the state’s

Child Victims Act. Thousands of

new allegations against priests,

teachers, scout leaders and other

authorities have intensified the al-

ready harsh light on institutions

entrusted with caring for chil-

dren.

And survivors of abuse have

been given an outlet for their trau-

ma and a chance at accountability

once thought long lost.

“This has, ironically, been a ve-

ry healing experience for me on a

personal level,” said Carol DuPre,

74, who sued the Roman Catholic

diocese in Rochester, saying she

was molested by a priest as a teen

in the early 1960s as she counted

offerings and typed up bulletins

after church services.

She put the events “in a store-

house in her mind,” but it still

haunted her for decades. When

the chance came to file a suit, it

was an easy decision.

“The idea of confronting it, talk-

ing about it and dealing with it is

internally setting me free.”

New York is among a number of

states that have in recent years es-

tablished windows allowing peo-

ple to sue over childhood abuse no

matter how long ago it took place.

Similar windows were opened in

New Jersey and California.

Ordinarily, courts put dead-

lines on suing because of the diffi-

culty in holding a fair trial over in-

cidents that happened many

years ago. Witnesses die or move

away. Records are lost. Memories

fade. But lawmakers believed

that, despite those hurdles, vic-

tims deserved an opportunity for

justice and might feel embold-

ened now to speak up about things

they’ve kept to themselves for

many years.

New York’s one-year window

was originally supposed to end

Aug. 14, 2020, but it was extended

twice amid concerns that the cor-

onavirus pandemic and resulting

court disruptions were keeping

survivors from coming forward.

NY let childhood sexual abuse victims sue; 9,000 went to courtAssociated Press

The once-a-decade battle over

redistricting is set to be a show-

down over the suburbs, as new

census data showed rapid growth

around some of the nation’s large-

st cities and shrinking population

in many rural counties.

From Texas to Florida, some of

the biggest gains reported Thurs-

day came in states where Repub-

licans will control the redistricting

process, but often in and around

cities where Democrats have been

faring well in recent elections.

The new detailed population da-

ta from the 2020 census will serve

as the building block to redraw 429

U.S. House districts in 44 states

and 7,383 state legislative districts

across the U.S. The official goal is

to ensure each district has roughly

the same number of people.

But many Republicans and

Democrats also will be trying to

ensure the new lines divide and

combine voters in ways that make

it more likely for their party’s can-

didates to win future elections, a

process called gerrymandering.

The parties’ successes in that ef-

fort could determine whether tax-

es and spending grow, climate-

change polices are approved or ac-

cess to abortion is expanded or

curtailed.

Republicans need to gain just

five seats to take control of the U.S.

House in the 2022 elections — a

margin that could potentially be

covered through artful redistrict-

ing. As they did after the 2010 cen-

sus, Republicans will hold greater

sway in more states over the redis-

tricting process.

“The question is going to be how

creative this new data will force

Republicans to get in maintaining

or expanding their advantages,

given an increasingly diverse, in-

creasingly urban population,”

said Joshua Blank, research direc-

tor of the Texas Politics Project at

the University of Texas.

Texas will be a major focal point

in redistricting.

The Census Bureau said five of

the 14 U.S. cities that grew by at

least 100,000 people are located in

Texas — Austin, Dallas, Fort

Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

Four of the nation’s 10 fastest

growing cities also were Texas

suburbs — Frisco and McKinney

near Dallas; Conroe near Hous-

ton, and New Braunfels near San

Antonio. All are prime battle

grounds for redistricting.

By contrast, many Texas coun-

ties outside of its metropolitan ar-

eas saw populations decline, the

Census Bureau said.

Republicans, who currently

hold 23 of the 36 U.S. House seats

in Texas, will have full control

over the redistricting process, al-

lowing them to decide where to

draw the two new seats the state is

gaining. But that could be compli-

cated because Democrats gener-

ally have fared better in Texas

suburbs in recent elections.

Though Republican Donald

Trump carried Texas by more

than 6 percentage points in the

2020 presidential election, he and

Democrat Joe Biden essentially

split voters who identified as sub-

urbanites, according to The Asso-

ciated Press’ VoteCast. Trump

won decisively among men and

Biden had a wide advantage

among women in the Texas sub-

urbs.

The GOP will control redistrict-

ing in 20 states accounting for 187

U.S. House seats, including the

growing states of Texas, Florida,

Georgia and North Carolina,

where the governor is a Democrat,

but the legislature has complete

control of drawing new electoral

lines.

Democrats will control redis-

tricting in just eight states ac-

counting for 75 seats, including

New York and Illinois, where the

loss of a seat in each gives them a

chance to squeeze out Republican

incumbents.

Census sets upredistricting fight

Associated Press

No racial or ethnic group dom-

inates for those under age 18, and

white people declined in numbers

for the first time on record in the

overall U.S. population as the His-

panic and Asian populations

boomed this past decade, according

to the 2020 census data.

The figures released Thursday

by the U.S. Census Bureau offered

the most detailed portrait yet of how

the country has changed since 2010

and will also be instrumental in re-

drawing the nation’s political maps.

The numbers are sure to set off an

intense partisan battle over repre-

sentation at a time of deep national

division and fights over voting

rights. The numbers could help de-

termine control of the House in the

2022 elections and provide an elec-

toral edge for years to come.

The data also will shape how $1.5

trillion in annual federal spending is

distributed.

The data offered a mirror not only

into the demographic changes of

the past decade, but also a glimpse

of the future. To that end, they

showed there is now no majority ra-

cial or ethnic group for people

younger than 18, as the share of non-

Hispanic whites in the age group

dropped from 53.5% to 47.3% over

the decade.

The share of children in the U.S.

declined because of falling birth

rates, while the share of adults

grew, driven by aging baby boom-

ers. Adults over 18 made up more

than three-quarters of the popula-

tion in 2020, or 258.3 million people,

an increase of more than 10% from

2010. However, the population of

children under age 18 dropped from

74.2 million in 2010 to 73.1 million in

2020.

“If not for Hispanics, Asians, peo-

ple of two or more races, those are

the only groups underage that are

growing,” said William Frey, a se-

nior fellow at Brookings’ Metropoli-

tan Policy Program. “A lot of these

young minorities are important for

our future growth, not only for the

child population but for our future

labor force.”

The Asian and Hispanic popula-

tions burgeoned from 2010 to 2020,

respectively increasing by around a

third and almost a quarter over the

decade. The Asian population reac-

hed 24 million people in 2020, and

the Hispanic population hit 62.1 mil-

lion people.

The Hispanic boom accounted

for almost half of the overall U.S.

population growth, which was the

slowest since the Great Depression.

By comparison, the non-Hispanic

growth rate over the decade was

4.3%. The Hispanic share of the U.S.

population grew to 18.7% of the U.S.

population, up from 16.3% in 2010.

The share of the white population

fell from 63.7% in 2010 to 57.8% in

2020, the lowest on record, driven

by falling birthrates among white

women compared with Hispanic

and Asian women. The number of

non-Hispanic white people shrank

from 196 million in 2010 to 191 mil-

lion.

White people continue to be the

most prevalent racial or ethnic

group, though that changed in Cali-

fornia, where Hispanics became

the largest racial or ethnic group,

growing from 37.6% to 39.4% over

the decade, while the share of white

people dropped from 40.1% to

34.7%.

MORRY GASH/AP

People enjoy a hot summer day Thursday at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee. The Census Bureau has issuedits most detailed portrait yet of how the U.S. has changed over the past decade. 

Census data: US is diversifyingand white population shrinking

Associated Press

PAGE 10 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

Malaysian air forceofficer goes on rampage

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia —

A Malaysian air force officer went

on a shooting rampage Friday,

killing three colleagues before

turning the gun on himself, offi-

cials said.

Police in eastern Sarawak state

on Borneo island said the shoot-

ings occurred at a security post on

an air force base in the state, and

that they were still investigating

the motive.

Sarawak deputy police commis-

sioner Mancha Anak Ata said an

initial investigation showed the

gunman had snatched firearms

from the security post before go-

ing on a rampage.

He said one of the victims had

tried to calm him down but was

shot in the stomach. The gunman

then entered the post and shot two

officers, killing them on the spot,

he said. Mancha said the gunman

then put the gun to his chin and

killed himself.

The officer who was shot in the

stomach died of his injuries in a

hospital, he said.

Police say 6 people dead

in shooting in UK cityLONDON — Police in south-

west England said six people were

killed, including the suspected

shooter, in the city of Plymouth

Thursday in a “serious firearms

incident” that wasn’t terror-relat-

ed.

Devon and Cornwall Police said

in a statement on Twitter that sev-

eral other casualties were receiv-

ing treatment following the shoot-

ing. They declared a “critical inci-

dent” but did not provide details of

what occurred in the Keyham dis-

trict of the city.

The area has been cordoned off.

Algeria to probe mob

lynching linked to firesALGIERS, Algeria — An Alger-

ian prosecutor has ordered an in-

vestigation into the death of a man

who was lynched by a mob after

being accused of setting fires that

devastated the region, Algeria’s

official APS news agency said.

Wildfires in Algeria have killed

at least 69 people through the

mountainous Berber region.

The killing took place in Larbaa

Nath Irathen, in the Tizi Ouzou

district, one of the worst hit by the

fires.

The victim was identified as 38-

year-old Djamel Ben Ismail.

The local prosecutor issued a

statement carried by APS on

Thursday “following videos on

Wednesday on social media show-

ing the killing of a citizen (burned

to death and lynched).”

He ordered an investigation in-

to the case with the aim of identify-

ing the assailants and sending

them to trial “so that the odious

crime does not go unpunished.”

WORLD

MOSCOW — A court in Moscow

on Thursday ordered a specialist in

hypersonic technologies to be kept

in jail pending trial on charges of

high treason, in the latest in a series

of espionage cases targeting Rus-

sian scientists.

The Lefortovo District Court

ruled at a hearing behind closed

doors that Alexander Kuranov, di-

rector-general and chief designer of

the St. Petersburg-based Hyperson-

ic Systems Research Institute,

should remain in pre-trial detention

for two months. The materials of the

case were classified, but Russian

media reports said Kuranov was ac-

cused of handing over sensitive in-

formation to representatives of un-

specified foreign countries.

The website of Kuranov's institute

states that it has worked on the con-

cept of the Ajax hypersonic vehicle,

a project first proposed in the late

1980s by Soviet engineer Vladimir

Freighstadt. Instead of protecting a

vehicle flying at hypersonic speed

from the heat it generates, Freigh-

stadt suggested assimilating the

heat to augment energy resources.

It's unclear whether Freighstadt's

concept has seen any practical de-

velopment since he first proposed it.

The website of Kuranov's institute

also contained a program of an inter-

national workshop on thermochem-

ical processes in plasma aerody-

namics held in St. Petersburg last

month.

Russia has prided itself on being

the only country to commission hy-

personic missiles — traveling more

than five times faster than sound.

Their development came as Mos-

cow's relations with the West hit

post-Cold War lows after Russia's

2014 annexation of Ukraine's Cri-

mean Peninsula.

The new weapons include the

Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle,

which Russian officials say is capa-

ble of flying 27 times faster than

sound and making sharp maneu-

vers on its way to target to dodge the

defensive missile shield.

Avangard has been fitted to the

existing Soviet-built intercontinen-

tal ballistic missiles instead of older

type warheads, and the first unit

armed with the Avangard entered

duty in December 2019.

Another hypersonic weapon, the

Kinzhal, which has been commis-

sioned to arm Russian warplanes,

has a range of up to about 1,250 miles

and flies at 10 times the speed of

sound, according to Russian offi-

cials.

And later this year, the Russian

navy is set to complete the tests of

the Tsirkon hypersonic missile in-

tended to equip cruisers, frigates

and submarines. Russian President

Vladimir Putin said it would be ca-

pable of flying at nine times the

speed of sound and have a range of

620 miles.

Russian officials have charged

that Western spy agencies have re-

doubled their efforts to obtain infor-

mation on the country's new technol-

ogies. Over the past years, several

scientists, including those involved

in studies on hypersonic technolo-

gies, have been accused of passing

classified information to foreign

powers.

Russian expert accused of high treasonStars and Stripes

ANKARA, Turkey — Search-

and-rescue crews in northern

Turkey recovered 10 more bodies

overnight, raising the death toll

from the severe floods and mud-

slides that struck the region to 27,

officials said on Friday. Dozens

more people were believed to be

missing.

Torrential rains pounded the

Black Sea coastal provinces of

Bartin, Kastamonu, Sinop and

Samsun on Wednesday, causing

the flooding that demolished

homes and bridges and swept

away cars. Helicopters lifted doz-

ens of people to safety from roof-

tops, others were rescued on

boats. More than 1,700 people

were evacuated across the region

and many were being temporarily

housed at student dormitories.

In worst-hit Kastamonu, a

stream burst its banks inundating

much of the town of Bozkurt,

where most of the victims were

found. One building was demol-

ished and two others were severe-

ly damaged amid torrents of

floodwaters.

The Disaster and Emergency

Management Presidency, or

AFAD, said Friday that crews are

still searching for a woman who

was reported missing in Bartin

province. Private NTV television

said however, that dozens of peo-

ple remain unaccounted for.

They include 12-year-old twin

sisters and their grandparents

who were trapped inside an eight-

story building in Bozkurt, their

mother told private DHA news

agency.

Speaking in Bozkurt late Thurs-

day, Interior Minister Suleyman

Soylu described the scenes as

“the most severe flood disaster I

have seen.” On Wednesday, he

said, flood waters reached 10-13

feet high in some areas. President

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who can-

celed celebrations marking his

ruling party’s 20th anniversary,

was scheduled to travel to the ar-

ea.

“The destruction is huge,” Ke-

rem Kinik, head of the Turkish

Red Crescent, told NTV. “I hope

that the missing are safe and that

the number of deaths doesn't in-

crease.”

Bozkurt resident Yilmaz Erse-

venli told NTV that he left his

house to move his car to a safe ar-

ea as the waters began to rise, but

soon got swept away by the gushi-

ng floods. He managed to save

himself by holding on to a tree

that had also washed away.

“I nearly lost my life trying to

save my car,” he said.

In Bartin province, at least 13

people were injured when a sec-

tion of a bridge caved in.

In total, five bridges collapsed

in the floods while two others

were damaged, AFAD said. Doz-

ens of villages are still without

power and several roads remain

blocked.

Erdogan said Thursday that at

least 4,500 personnel, 19 helicop-

ters and 24 boats were involved in

the search-and-rescue operation.

Turkey’s Black Sea region is

frequently struck by severe rains

and flash flooding. At least six

people were killed in floods that

hit the eastern Black Sea coastal

province of Rize last month.

Death toll rises from floods in northern Turkey

ISMAIL COSKUN / AP

Destroyed buildings are seen after floods and mudslides in Bozkurttown of Kastamonu province in Turkey on Friday.

Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece — A new fire

broke out Friday on Greece’s is-

land of Evia but south from the ar-

ea where a massive wildfire deci-

mated forests, torched homes and

still smoldered 10 days after it

started.

Greece’s fire department said

four water-dropping aircraft and

six helicopters were sent to con-

trol the new fire in central Evia,

along with 23 firefighters and 10

vehicles. The larger fire that

broke out on Aug. 3 destroyed

most of the island’s north and is

one of the country’s worst known

forest fires.

Although wildfires are common

in Greece during the hot, dry

summers, hundreds of blazes

have broken out across the coun-

try this year in the wake of an es-

pecially long and intense heat

wave. Prime Minister Kyriakos

Mitsotakis on Thursday de-

scribed the fires as the greatest

ecological disaster Greece has

seen in decades.

Several Mediterranean coun-

tries have suffered intense heat

and quickly spreading wildfires

in recent weeks, including Tur-

key, where at least eight people

have died, and Italy. In Algeria,

wildfires in the mountainous Ber-

ber region have killed at least 69

people.

Worsening drought and heat —

both linked to climate change —

have also fueled wildfires this

summer in the Western United

States and in Russia’s northern

Siberia region. Scientists say

there is little doubt that climate

change from the burning of coal,

oil and natural gas is driving more

extreme events.

The fires in Greece stretched

the country’s firefighting capabil-

ities to the limit, and the govern-

ment appealed for help from

abroad. Around 24 European and

Middle Eastern countries sent

aid, including firefighters, air-

craft and vehicles.

New blaze breaks out on Evia island amid Greece wildfiresAssociated Press

From The Associated Press

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 11

AMERICAN ROUNDUP

Man accused of tattooingchild inside a McDonald’s

SC LAURENS — A South

Carolina man accused

of tattooing a juvenile in a fast-food

restaurant has been arrested and

is facing charges, police said.

Brandon Presha, 28, of Laurens,

was arrested Tuesday on charges

of illegal tattooing and underage

tattooing, Laurens Police Chief

Chrissie Latimore said. The chief

said a judge has set bond on both

charges at $25,000, WYFF-TV

reported.

The Aug. 6 incident came to the

attention of police last week after

some detectives were tagged on so-

cial media posts showing video of

the child being tattooed, Latimore

said.

During an ensuing investiga-

tion, authorities determined

Presha was the unlicensed tattoo

artist and that the individual re-

ceiving the tattoo was a juvenile,

Latimore said. She did not provide

the child’s age or elaborate.

Man pleads guilty togender reveal explosion

NH KINGSTON — A man

has pleaded guilty to a

disorderly conduct charge stem-

ming from an explosive gender re-

veal party that was heard by near-

by residents in New Hampshire

and Massachusetts.

As part of a plea deal reached

Tuesday, Anthony Spinelli, of

Kingston, was convicted and fined

$620, of which $500 will be sus-

pended for 12 months as long as he

stays out out of trouble, according

to court records.

Police in Kingston, a town not far

from the Massachusetts state line,

received reports in April of a loud

explosion. They responded to a

quarry, where people acknowl-

edged holding a gender reveal par-

ty with explosives.

The explosive was 80 pounds of

Tannerite, police said. The family

thought the quarry would be the

safest spot to detonate the explo-

sive, which is typically sold over

the counter as a target for firearms

practice, police said.

Some nearby residents reported

their homes were shaken by the

explosion. No injuries were report-

ed, police said.

300-wolf limit set afterrunaway spring hunt

WI MADISON — Wildlife

officials in Wisconsin

set a 300-animal limit Wednesday

for the state’s fall wolf hunt, ex-

ceeding biologists’ recommenda-

tions as they study the impact of a

rushed spring season that saw

hunters take almost twice as many

wolves as allotted.

State Department of Natural Re-

sources scientists asked its policy

board to cap kills at 130 animals,

saying board members must be

cautious because the four-day sea-

son in February took place during

wolves’ breeding season and the

long-term ramifications on the

population are unknown.

But conservative-leaning mem-

bers of the board countered that

the population is still well above

the DNR’s goal of 350 animals and

they have a responsibility to man-

age the pack and protect livestock

from wolf attacks. The board ulti-

mately voted 5-2 to set aside the de-

partment’s recommendation and

up the quota to 300 animals.

Two hikers injured inencounter with grizzly

MT HELENA — A grizzly

bear injured two peo-

ple in an encounter southeast of

Ennis, the Montana Department of

Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported

Wednesday.

Two men were hiking with a dog

off trail in the Bear Creek area

around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday when

they encountered a grizzly bear

sow with cubs at close range. The

hikers used bear spray to defend

themselves. They sustained minor

injuries from the encounter and

were able to hike out without as-

sistance.

Skinny House back onmarket, listed for $1.2M

MA BOSTON — Boston’s

famous Skinny House

is on sale again for a whopping $1.2

million.

The vertically rectangular-

shaped house was listed on Mon-

day, the first time it’s been on the

market since 2017. Four years ago,

it was sold for $900,000, The Bos-

ton Globe reported.

The home, located in Boston’s

North End, is about 1,165 square

feet. But more interestingly, the

house is barely 10 feet wide at its

widest point. The humble abode

narrows in the back, ending at 9.25

feet.

There are four stories in the

home and a private deck that dis-

plays views of the Boston Harbor.

Also, the house offers updated ap-

pliances, hardwood floors and ex-

posed brick, and a Juliet balcony

facing private gardens.

The home does not have a front

door. Guests enter through a pri-

vate side door and they’re met with

a somewhat full-sized kitchen and

dining room.

Destroyed historicalbuilding torn down

CT NEW HARTFORD — A

historical building in

Connecticut was torn down

Wednesday after it was destroyed

in a fire that injured three firefight-

ers and left 22 people homeless.

Crews began demolition in the

morning on the three-story build-

ing in New Hartford, said Jon Bar-

bagallo, a spokesperson for region-

al emergency response agencies.

Cleanup of the site is expected to

take up to two weeks, he said.

The blaze at New Hartford

House was reported shortly before

2:30 a.m. Tuesday, leaving only

part of the brick facade standing.

Barbagallo said all 20 adults and

two children who lived on the sec-

ond and third floors were account-

ed for, but several pets were mis-

sing.

Three firefighters were taken to

hospitals, including two who suf-

fered minor injuries and a third

who had a serious medical prob-

lem and was in critical condition

Tuesday, Barbagallo said.

The cause of the blaze is under

investigation.

The building dates from 1850

and had six businesses on the

ground floor and 14 apartments

above, officials said.

Tree lands on passingvehicle and kills driver

PA WASHINGTON — A

falling tree landed on a

passing vehicle, killing the driver,

in western Pennsylvania, author-

ities said.

The Washington County coro-

ner’s office said Floyd Stephen,

53,of Follansbee, W.Va., was driv-

ing Wednesday on a street in

Washington, Pa., during a severe

storm.

A passenger in the vehicle told

authorities that a tree on the oppo-

site side of the roadway began to

fall as they passed and landed on

their vehicle. A passing motorist

called authorities.

Stephen was pronounced dead a

little more than an hour after the

2:20 p.m. Wednesday accident. An

autopsy is planned to determine

the cause and manner of death.

The passenger was taken to Wash-

ington Hospital.

3 brothers die fromfumes in manure pit

OH ST. HENRY — Three

brothers who were

trapped in a manure pit on their

livestock farm after being over-

come by fumes have died, author-

ities said.

Rescue crews found the men un-

conscious and unable to move in

the pit Tuesday afternoon. They

were fixing a manure pump before

they passed out from the fumes,

said St. Henry Fire Chief Matt Le-

feld.

Authorities identified the vic-

tims as Gary, Todd and Brad

Wuebker. All three were taken to

area hospitals and later pro-

nounced dead.

Manure pits are common on

large livestock farms and are used

to store waste before it is used as

fertilizer on fields. But the pits can

produce dangerous gases includ-

ing hydrogen sulfide, methane,

carbon monoxide and ammonia.

Some of those gases can lead to

headaches, dizziness, breathing

trouble and deaths, according to

the Ohio State University Exten-

sion.

KRISTOPHER RADDER, THE BRATTLEBORO (VT.) REFORMER/AP

Austin Powers, from Grafton, Vt., jumps into the water at one of the ponds inside Grafton State Forest on Wednesday.

Set for a splash

THE CENSUS

$1K The reward wildlife officials are offering for tips that lead to aconviction in an investigation of a deer that was killed and left in

a residential neighborhood near Elko County’s South Fork Reservoir in north-eastern Nevada. Nevada State Game Warden Lt. Buck Tingle said conserva-tion officials were called by a resident reporting a dead mule deer buck in theiryard and believe it was killed illegally on July 31.

From The Associated Press

PAGE 12 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

VIDEO GAMES

The Ascent reminds me of so many other games

— but in a very good way.

When I shoot through its cyberpunk, iso-

metric city, leaving a wake of bodies and blood-

stains, I think about Smash TV, the classic 1990 arcade

shooter that helped popularize the twin-joystick shooter

genre. The classic Contra comes to mind; how its infinite

ammunition guns made the game less about how many

bullets you need, and more about how you’re going to

shoot. I recall how Gears of

War for the Xbox 360 felt

like a 2006 update of the

Contra formula, starring

caricatures of burly soldier

men barreling and shouting

through an invading force

of evil aliens.

I even think about the

forgotten but once-contro-

versial 2015 game Hatred,

which caused a firestorm

for its depiction of mass

murder of innocent people. There are no house parties to

crash in The Ascent, but players can still stroll through a

cyberpunk subway station, food market or any other

setting and leave a similar trail of bystander bodies. The

difference from Hatred is that none of that carnage really

benefits the player. The corporate-run planet of Veles and

its citizens are mere collateral damage. It contributes to

this foreboding sense of ever-present strife and conflict.

It’s gory like a classic ’90s video game.

And of course, I think about Cyberpunk 2077, and how

with The Ascent, a 12-person studio (with support from

other teams) was able to craft a believable dystopian

future in recent years that doesn’t fall apart when you try

to play it. That’s not to say The Ascent is free of bugs.

Currently, the game has a few quests that are unable to

progress unless you reload a checkpoint. But as bad as

that is, the smaller, tighter nature of the game means its

setting never really threatens the consistency of play and

fantasy, as it did with CD Projekt Red’s recent bug-ridden

title.

I’ve said a lot without talking about the actual game, but

that’s because it isn’t anything you haven’t seen before.

The Ascent feels like a celebration of arcade shooters

long past, and it’s executed so well, I want to reciprocate

some of that adoration. It’s become my favorite game of

2021.

Even if there’s nothing new about The Ascent, every

facet of its presentation and gameplay feels like it was

molded by veteran hands. The founding team of Swedish

studio Neon Giant (The Ascent is their first game under

that banner) is made up of developers who worked on

Gears of War, the recent Doom series and Far Cry 3, all

modern exemplars of the shooter genre.

It has light role-playing elements, though the game

doesn’t offer hours of upgrading guns and skill points.

Players can assign skill points or upgrade points as linear

investments by picking up purple glowing items around

the dense map. The game limits how much you can up-

grade, encouraging fresh replays. The character designs

are limited, generic and ugly, although The Ascent thank-

fully lives up to the promise of the cyberpunk genre by

allowing players to alter their appearance and gender at

any time.

This ugliness doesn’t extend to the planet of Veles and

its cityscape — on the surface, at least. Within a few min-

utes of starting the game, you’ll be greeted with splashes

of neon color and mountainous architecture. The Ascent

builds on the concept of “destroyed beauty,” coined by

Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski in 2006. In those

games, destroyed beauty meant ancient, ruined architec-

ture. In “The Ascent,” it envisions the kind of monuments

humans can erect when the notion of humanity is erased

from the equation. Rather than buildings and landscapes,

the destroyed beauty of Veles is the soullessness of its

people, made material in its sleek buildings and neon

signs.

Neon Giant flirts with open-world concepts by creating

several “town” areas where players can rearm and recon-

struct themselves or pick up side missions. Like with the

skill and weapon improvements, the game is light on

role-playing mechanics, but that helps it achieve its mood

and pacing. It gives players time to soak in the atmo-

sphere and take stock of the environments and absorb its

booming soundtrack. While action sequences thump with

bass, the quieter moments are backed by music like the

Buddhist prayer chants in anime films like “Akira” and

“Ghost in the Shell.” If The Ascent has one big issue, it’s

that its aesthetics are almost too obviously referential. It’s

cookie-cutter cyberpunk.

There’s not much to talk about when it comes to story,

either. Each player is an anonymous mercenary working

for The Ascent, the largest corporation on the planet, and

you’re basically fighting for your freedom by taking on

bloody jobs around the city. That last detail is probably

the biggest drawback to the game (other than the lack of

variety in gameplay). The art of The Ascent is so dense

that it can be tough to figure out where you can or can’t

go. The city’s architecture stacks on top of itself, and it

can be hard to visualize and remember locations thanks

to this unorthodox layout.

Sometimes it pays off, though. Like Ico and other clas-

sic 3D games, The Ascent has an amazing sense of scale

and place. You’ll be able to look across the cavernous city

to see killing fields you just crossed. And despite mostly

being in a classic PC-style isometric perspective, Neon

Giant has made several areas of the city change perspec-

tives, sometimes panning out to showcase its art. Other

times, the game will switch to a side view perspective,

living up to my early Contra parallel. It’s never antici-

pated, and always welcome. This makes moving through

Veles surprising and exciting, even if the job is, at its

core, still just about shooting up a place.

The game is available on Xbox Game Pass, or purchas-

able for $30, and it’s well worth the price of admission.

The Ascent reminds me of the good old days of Xbox 360

and its robust indie offerings on the old Xbox Live Arcade

service, where games like Shadow Complex or Super

Meat Boy were not afraid of making small twists to clas-

sic formulas.

I thought a lot about other games while playing The

Ascent, and this time, it’s a great thing. The game has a

lineage and influences. It reminds me of old times.

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and

Series S, Xbox One

Online: curve-digital.com/en-us/games/featured/156/

the-ascent

NEON GIANT PHOTOS

The Ascent, a throwback to the shooter games of the ’90s, will remind players of old times. Players are mercenariesworking for a large corporation, called The Ascent, basically fighting for their freedom. 

It’s a blastThe Ascent, an arcade shooterthrowback, reminds players ofa classic 1990s video game

BY GENE PARK

The Washington Post

The Ascent feels like a celebration of ’90s­style arcadeshooter games set in a dystopian future.

The character designs are limited, generic and ugly,although players may alter their appearance and gender.

The game is light on role­playing, giving players ampleopportunity to absorb their surroundings. 

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 13

HEALTH & FITNESS

When my son left for universi-

ty, I felt both elated for him

and sad that he would no

longer be home. When I’m

invited to dinner, I’m pleased to be in-

cluded but would also rather lounge on the

couch. When I occasionally leave my mask

in my bag, I delight in the freedom but

worry about my health.

Wrestling with two opposite feelings at

once is called ambivalence. It’s a normal

part of being human, but at times such

internal conflict can be unhealthy. I spoke

with three experts to understand more

about this phenomenon.

What is ambivalence? Ambivalence means “feeling both good

and bad,” Jeff Larsen, a professor of psy-

chology at the University of Tennessee,

Knoxville, told me. Feeling bittersweet or

nostalgic are common forms of it. “Think

about how you might feel when you’re at

the top of a roller coaster: excited but also

terrified.”

Amusement parks aren’t required. Ev-

eryday events can trigger this state, and

Larsen has found that “meaningful end-

ings” can, too. University students, for

example, are likely to spend their gradua-

tion day reminiscing about the good times

over the past several years. In a study led

by Larsen, which will be published soon,

such graduates reported both happiness

and sadness on this occasion.

“We feel sad when we experience an

irrevocable loss,” he says.

The benefits of ambivalence The ability to experience two contradic-

tory feelings at once has an evolutionary

benefit, says Antonio Damasio, professor

of psychology, philosophy and neurology

at the University of Southern California

and author of “Feeling & Knowing: Mak-

ing Minds Conscious.”

“Animals that have only positive or

negative feelings are very limited because

things are too much black or white,” he

says, “whereas we have the possibility of

seeing nuances.”

These nuances can help people make

good decisions. If an animal approaches a

watering hole without considering the

possible outcomes, it may get eaten. As for

humans, say you meet a person you like

but who gives you strange vibes — and

then wants you to do something with your

finances.

Ambivalence makes you “more likely to

be cautious when you make the decision,

and think twice,” Damasio says.

It can also help you learn from yester-

day’s missteps.

David Newman — a postdoctoral schol-

ar in the department of psychiatry and

behavioral sciences at the University of

California, San Francisco — gave this

example: “If you feel nostalgic about some

past romantic relationship, maybe it’s

good to not simply just act on the positive

but also remember some of the negative,

so you don’t repeat the mistakes.”

When ambivalence is unhealthy So when does ambivalence become a

problem? In the 18th and 19th centuries,

nostalgia was considered a serious psychi-

atric condition. Being too attached to the

past meant one couldn’t adapt to the pre-

sent — which could ultimately lead to

death.

While nostalgia is no longer classified as

such, Damasio says that negative emotions

of any kind can infringe on your physical

health, as they involve chemical molecules

that result, for example, in increases in

blood pressure, repeat tightening of blood

vessels and changes in cardiac rhythm.

These can cause diseases in blood vessels

and the heart.

Mental well-being may also suffer. Pro-

longed ambivalence has been associated

with post-traumatic stress disorder, obses-

sive-compulsive disorder, depression and

addiction.

“People tend to be really sad when they

feel nostalgia,” Newman says. By compar-

ing the present to an idealized past,

“you’re always going to be upset and feel-

ing as if you’re not satisfied.”

Ambivalence can also make us freeze.

Whether deciding to buy a car or break

up with a partner, “the prospect of teasing

apart the pros and cons can make it really

difficult to make a decision,” Larsen says.

“In those cases, ambivalence can paralyze

us.”

Who is more susceptible? Are there some people who feel ambiv-

alent more often than others? Newman’s

work has found that neurotic people or

those who try to avoid negative stimuli are

more likely to become nostalgic: They

tend to find the present unpleasant and so

spend more time idealizing the past.

As for ambivalence in general — not

just nostalgia — people who are open to

new experiences tend to feel more mixed

emotions.

“If you’re always seeking out the same

thing, you’re probably seeking out the

things that make you happy,” Larsen says.

If you like to dive into new situations, you

may experience the fun you were hoping

for, but you may also experience some

less-than-great aspects you hadn’t expect-

ed — thus ending up with contradictory

feelings.

Damasio adds: “There are people that

are extremely jovial and forward-looking

and are in a sort of permanent happy

state, and people that are cautious and

tend to be always finding something nega-

tive with day-to-day events.” The latter

may experience more ambivalence in

their everyday lives.

How to deal with ambivalenceWhat can people who experience an

unhealthy amount of ambivalence do

about it? One simple way is to keep a grat-

itude journal. Sustaining this habit can

force you to focus on the positive side of

things, which Newman says can improve

one’s well-being.

Therapy could also help. By learning

various skills — to increase mindfulness,

for example, or the ability to endure dis-

tress — people taking part in dialectical

behavior therapy “find a way to tolerate,

and hold together side by side, experi-

ences or realities that seem incongruent,”

says Sarah Mintz, a psychologist. This

enables them to “move away from ex-

tremes or embrace confusion.”

Even without a therapist’s guidance,

people can try breathing exercises, such

as “falling into the pauses between your

in-breath and out-breath,” Mintz says.

Sometimes, the answer may be as sim-

ple as letting your conflicting feelings run

their course.

“Often, mixed emotions get resolved, so

we’re left feeling one or the other,” Larsen

says.

iStock

The good, the bad and the in betweenExperts define ambivalence, explain when it can be beneficial or detrimental and advise how to deal with an excess

BY GALADRIEL WATSON

Special to The Washington Post

PAGE 14 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

MOVIES

Jennifer Hudson knew she had her work cut out for

her when she agreed to play the Queen of Soul.

“You just can’t wake up one morning and decide

‘I’m gonna be Aretha Franklin,’” said Hudson. “I

mean, her voice. Her legacy. The songs. Who she is to all

of us. It was daunting. There were times when I was like,

‘Jennifer, what have you done?’”

The answer is “Respect,” the highly anticipated biopic

sanctioned by Franklin, who handpicked Hudson for the

role before her death in 2018. The film chronicles the late

singer’s rise from her father’s church choir to internation-

al stardom, shining a light on the talent and the stories

behind the songs.

“‘Respect’ is the song and the hit we all love from the

gifted Aretha Franklin,” says Hudson. “But when you add

her life narrative around it, it’s that much more powerful.

Understanding the era she grew up in and the courage

that she had and her activism. Her relationship with Dr.

King and Angela Davis. It’s like, wow, you see all sides of

the human and the way she used her art to reflect herself

and support others and be an advocate. So now it’s more

than just the song. It’s more than just the artist. Knowing

her history helped me understand her legacy and under-

stand why her impact has been so great.”

The film, now in theaters after decades of planning and

a year of COVID-related release delays, moves from

Franklin’s religious upbringing with the charismatic but

controlling Reverend C.L. Franklin to her hard-won star-

dom of the 1960s to a spiritual return to gospel music with

her highest-selling album ever, 1972’s “Amazing Grace.”

Rather than lip sync to pre-recorded tracks, Hudson

belted out The Queen’s material live on set during filming

(“Ain’t No Way,” “Chain of Fools,” “Think”) as did the

rest of the cast — which includes Tony award winner

Audra McDonald portraying young Aretha’s mother and

Broadway talents Hailey Kilgore and Saycon Sengbloh

playing her sisters Carolyn and Erma Franklin (the wom-

en’s harmonizing alone is worth the price of admission).

But Hudson is a singular force. The former “American

Idol” contestant, who like Franklin grew up singing in

church, emotes with the same passion that won her an

Oscar for 2006’s “Dreamgirls,” using her powerhouse

vocals to re-create iconic moments in music history in-

cluding the birth of Aretha’s own sound in Muscle Shoals’

Fame studio and a knock-’em-dead performance of the

film’s namesake at Madison Square Garden. With Hud-

son and other music-minded folks on board, “Respect” is

the rare biopic where the celebrated artist’s compositions

also land a starring role.

“I wanted to make a movie where music was front and

center,” said director Liesl Tommy. Known for her work

on Broadway, including her Tony-nominated direction of

the play “Eclipsed,” “Respect” marks Tommy’s first time

directing a feature film.

“Aretha was capable of so much power when she sings

and so much delicacy and nuance. I wanted the way that

we feel listening to her music to be the way that we felt

watching the film. Another thing that guided me is that

she has so much emotion in her singing. I felt that the film

should be emotional too because that’s who she was. And

even though she was very protective of her private life,

her private life is all over her music.”

Written by Tracey Scott Wilson (a playwright who has

also written for TV series including “The Americans” and

“Fosse/Verdon”), “Respect” stars Forest Whitaker as

Franklin’s father; Marlon Wayans as her husband and

manager, Ted White; and Tituss Burgess as the gentle

Reverend Dr. James Cleveland. Mary J. Blige plays diva

Dinah Washington and Marc Maron is pushy Atlantic

Records exec Jerry Wexler.

“Respect” follows in the footsteps of other biopics, such

as “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Ray” and “Walk the Line,”

that dared to tackle the legacies of treasured singers. And

as American icons go, Aretha is right at the top.

The pressure of portraying her was not lost on Hudson.

“I was calm on set. The freakout came later,” said Hud-

son recently while in Los Angeles to promote the film.

She arrived to the interview wearing a necklace that

spelled out “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” in gold letters. She had it

made as a memento of the film because “it’s not every

day you get to be the Queen of Soul,” she said, slipping on

pink, fuzzy slippers after shedding a pair of deadly high

stilettos she donned for a photo shoot.

Hudson worked with acting and dialect coaches for the

role, and she turned to the legendary Patti LaBelle for

insight into the experience of Black female artists in the

1960s. “They had a lot less freedom, and women took up

less space” says Hudson. “Ms. Franklin spoke up with her

music.”

Hudson took her job seriously, learning to play piano

for the role: “I’m really still trying to get ‘Dr. Feelgood.’ I

got the piano part, but now I’ve got to figure out how to

sing it while playing it. It’s a process.” Slipping into fab-

ulous reproductions of Aretha’s wardrobe was easier,

though Hudson counted 83 costume changes and 11 dif-

ferent wigs (the beehive was her favorite). “And I loved

her clothes in the birthday scene. She’s wearing a gold

dress and a big fur. I couldn’t help but feel royal.”

Hudson grew up in 1980s Chicago worshipping Whit-

ney Houston, but by the time she auditioned for “Amer-

ican Idol,” her song of choice was Franklin’s version of

“Share Your Love With Me.” Even the jaded Simon Cow-

ell was impressed (still, she lost the competition in 2004

when she came in seventh). But Hudson’s personal asso-

ciations with The Queen’s catalogue had its disadvantages

when she was prepping for the film.

“Playing her is a completely different thing from being

a singer and fan who sings her songs,” said Hudson. “I

mean, thank God I already knew the majority of her ma-

terial. That was one less thing I had to worry about. But I

remember saying on the set, ‘She doesn’t know this song

yet.’ Jennifer Hudson knows the song. We all know the

song. We know what it became. But in Aretha’s life, in

that moment, she doesn’t. She’s learning it. It hasn’t mani-

fested yet. We can’t overshoot the story and speak of her

as who she became, because we’re in the beginning phas-

es of the making of Aretha.”

Tommy said she too had to break from her own person-

al associations with Franklin’s work in order to approach

the story with a fresh perspective. “When you listen to

music and there’s a song that you love, you’re bringing

yourself to that,” said Tommy. “It’s like it becomes your

personal soundtrack and it’s about your life. So there’s a

detaching from how I felt when I was 8 years old that I

first heard ‘Natural Woman.’ It’s not about me sitting in a

window looking at the rain. It’s something else. You just

have to give over to her and her story and her history, and

that was the great joy of this — discovering the music in a

brand new way.”

Walking in the shoes of an iconJennifer Hudson finds new‘Respect’ for Aretha Franklinin the film role of a lifetime

BY LORRAINE ALI

Los Angeles Times

PAUL SANCYA/AP

Jennifer Hudson poses for a portrait to promote “Respect” on Aug. 2 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. Hudson has insome ways been preparing to play Aretha Franklin for her entire life, but she was still surprised when the Queen ofSoul asked her to take on the role following her Oscar win for the 2006 film “Dreamgirls.” 

“Playing her is a completely different thing from being a singer and fan who sings her songs... But I remember saying on the set, ‘She doesn’t know this song yet.’ Jennifer Hudson

knows the song. We all know the song. We know what it became.”Jennifer Hudson

SEE RESPECT ON PAGE 15

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 15

MOVIES

Tommy and Wilson did exten-

sive research into Franklin’s life

to ensure the film was as accu-

rate as possible, from her preg-

nancy at age 12 to her plight in

the studio as the only female

musician to her friendship with

the Reverend Martin Luther

King Jr. For the religious and

gospel references, it helped that

Wilson’s father and grandfather

were Baptist ministers.

Franklin herself had also re-

portedly been involved in the

planning of her biopic up until a

week before her death, and more

recently, her family and estate

made themselves available to the

filmmakers. The scenario was

quite different for another recent

television biopic, National Ge-

ographic’s four-part limited se-

ries “Genius: Aretha,” which

earned an Emmy nomination for

star Cynthia Erivo but was blast-

ed by Franklin’s family for its

apparent inaccuracies.

“[Franklin’s family] really

trusted us, which is a great gift,”

said Tommy. “I will never stop

being grateful to them for how

they sensed our care and sensed

that we were two Black women

who would die before we let

anything not be right in this film.

... In the past, these stories about

Black people were pretty often

written and directed by white

men. Aretha was so real. She was

so authentic. I wanted this film to

feel like it was undeniably her

world and it wasn’t from some

kind of voyeur’s perspective. It

was from a lived-in perspective.

It was really important that her

realness be present inside of the

film.”

Hudson met Franklin when

both women were doing what

they loved best: performing on

stage. “I got to open up for her in

Merrillville, Ind., in 2003 at one

of her concerts,” says Hudson.

“It was like, ‘Oh my God, I get to

sing at Aretha Franklin’s show.

She allowed me to do this!’ That

was a moment in itself. And then

after I won the Oscar for ‘Dream-

girls’ [in 2007], we had a meeting

about the possibility of me [por-

traying] her. ... Years later she

called me when I was doing [the

Broadway revival of] ‘The Color

Purple’ and she said, ‘I’ve made

my decision on who I want to

play me. It is you. Don’t say any-

thing to a soul.’ And I’m like,

‘Yes, ma’am. I won’t.’ Now here

we are. It was like holding my

breath for 15 years.”

During that time, Hudson has

released three albums, appeared

in countless TV series and films

(“Sex and the City,” “Empire,”

“The Secret Life of Bees,”

“Cats”), did Broadway and had a

son with professional wrestler

David Daniel Otunga. She also

overcame the 2008 murder of her

mother, brother and nephew by

her sister’s estranged husband.

Hudson has said she made it

through the tragedy thanks to her

faith.

The church is embedded in

Hudson’s soul. And apparently,

so is Franklin’s influence. “I

didn’t realize until researching

and even shooting ‘Respect’ that

‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Precious

Little Words,’ songs from her

‘Amazing Grace’ album, they

were the same versions I grew

up singing in church. I was

brought up in a church too. We

sang ‘Amazing Grace’ every

Sunday. But to learn it was her

renditions, it’s like wow. So she’s

always been there.”

Hudson sang “Amazing Grace”

at Franklin’s funeral, 50 years

after Franklin sang “Take My

Hand, Precious Lord” at King’s

memorial. “She was courageous

enough to take a stand,” says

Hudson of Franklin’s involve-

ment in the civil rights move-

ment. “She used her platform to

respond to the times. She fought

so hard to get there, and that

could have taken her down, but

she did it. She left us an example

— for us to keep pushing. That’s

what got me through ... — her

saying, ‘Jennifer, go on.’ I’m like,

‘I don’t know if I’m as coura-

geous as you, but if you think I

can, I’m going to give it a try.’”

Respect: Franklin’s family, estate wholeheartedly supported projectFROM PAGE 14

MGM/TNS

Jennifer Hudson, left, stars as Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige asDinah Washington in “Respect.” Rather than lip­sync to pre­recordedtracks, Hudson performed the songs live during filming.

Respect is due to Aretha Fran-

klin, and it is given in “Re-

spect,” the classy, reverent

biopic that traces Aretha Fran-

klin’s rise from the daughter of a Detroit

preacher to the internationally renowned

Queen of Soul.

It follows Franklin’s formative years,

from about ages 10-30, as she learns to

find her voice in the world. She endures

artistic struggles, an abusive relationship

and a system that sought to keep women

— especially Black women — in the place

that was deemed appropriate for them.

Aretha fought through it all, and while

“Respect” dutifully honors her journey

and roots her on, it’s never quite able to

achieve the same fighting, fiery spirit as

Ms. Franklin so fully embodied.

Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson plays

Franklin, a role she was hand-picked for

by Aretha before her death in 2018. Hud-

son does Franklin’s vocals justice, in a role

that requires plenty of singing; Hudson

re-creates a number of Franklin’s songs,

from “Respect” to “Ain’t No Way” (a high-

light) to “Chain of Fools,” and the lack of

overdubs is important in a role where

authenticity is paramount.

As Franklin, Hudson burrows into the

vulnerability of the singer, and later the

strength that allows her to become a force

of nature. The voice was always there,

even at an early age when she would sing

at her father’s swinging house parties,

thrust into an adult world well before her

time. (Franklin’s early pregnancy at age

12 is addressed here, although the partic-

ulars are danced around.)

The script by Tracey Scott Wilson focus-

es on Franklin’s struggles and her over-

coming of them, and while it’s set up as a

superhero’s origin story of sorts, it doesn’t

allow Hudson to fully inhabit the brassy,

vigorous, funny, spirited figure Aretha

became. It’s so busy hitting the marks and

re-creating the important moments of her

life that it doesn’t stop to breathe and let

Hudson live in Aretha’s skin.

As her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin,

Forrest Whitaker is a stern figure, but the

complicated dynamics of his relationship

with his daughter aren’t as thoroughly

explored as they were in this year’s “Geni-

us: Aretha,” one of the few advantages Nat

Geo’s eight-part series on Franklin has

over “Respect.”

Whitaker is more one-dimensional here,

a function of limited screen time and a

story that has a lot to cram into a 2 ½-hour

running time more than it is a reflection

on his performance.

Director Liesl Tommy, in her feature

film debut, delivers a slick film that hits

the key points in Franklin’s ascent — the

studio sessions, the record company deal-

ings, the first time she hears her song

being played in public — and moves at an

expedient pace. “Respect” never drags

and has a steady momentum that keeps it

moving forward.

As her first husband Ted White, Marlon

Wayans is confined to villain tactics, and

he often feels like he’s putting on serious

voice. Marc Maron has a little more to

play with — and winds up having a lot

more fun — as music producer Jerry

Wexler, who’s both in awe of Franklin’s

talent and afraid of incurring her wrath.

It all builds to her legendary perform-

ance at Los Angeles’ New Temple Mis-

sionary Baptist Church, where Franklin

recorded her “Amazing Grace” album

over two nights in early 1972, which allows

the film to be bookended by scenes in

church. It’s an appropriate stopping point

in tracing Franklin’s rise, a career tri-

umph that saw her royalty achieved, and

Hudson — whose performance feels more

natural as the film goes on — is never

better than she is in the film’s home

stretch.

Yet it’s telling that when the real Aretha

Franklin shows up, singing “(You Make

Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” at the

2015 Kennedy Center Honors over the

film’s closing credits, it’s not only refresh-

ing, it’s a relief. Here is Franklin at age 73,

a life lived and in all her regal glory, ef-

fortlessly bringing down the house in a

room full of luminaries. Not only do you

see her perform, you see the way others

react to her, including the Obamas — how

taken they are with her presence, her

power, her gift.

“Respect” is never less than in awe of

Franklin and what she’s given to the

world. But seeing the Queen herself per-

form is the one time that she, and “Re-

spect,” truly feels alive.

Telling the storybehind the musicAretha biopic earns ‘Respect,’ honors the Queen of Soul

BY ADAM GRAHAM

The Detroit News

MGM/AP

Tituss Burgess as the Rev. James Cleveland, left, and Jennifer Hudson as ArethaFranklin in “Respect.” Hudson sings Franklin’s vocals herself.

“Respect" is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, stronglanguage including racial epithets, violence, suggestive materialand smoking. Running time: 145 minutes. Now playing in selecttheaters.

PAGE 16 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher

Lt. Col. Marci Hoffman, Europe commander

Lt. Col. Michael Kerschbaum, Pacific commander

Michael Ryan, Pacific chief of staff

EDITORIAL

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OPINION

WASHINGTON

The bloody war in Afghanistan is

nearing what may be a final tipping

point this week, as the Taliban race

to encircle Kabul and the United

States pumps in 3,000 troops to protect the

evacuation of Americans from the Afghan

capital.

Don’t “wait until it’s too late,” Pentagon

spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thurs-

day, explaining the sudden decision to send in

extra U.S. forces to safeguard the departure of

Americans who might otherwise be trapped in

the war’s brutal endgame. “It’s doing the right

thing at the right time to protect our people.”

For President Joe Biden, who had hoped for

an orderly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan,

the chaos in Kabul carries echoes of the fall of

Saigon in 1975 — precisely the image he want-

ed to avoid. And the Taliban’s drive for mili-

tary victory — ignoring pledges to negotiate a

transition of power — will raise questions

about whether its promises to prevent al-Qai-

da from rebuilding safe havens in Afghanistan

can be trusted.

Biden was said by close associates to be

“resolute” in his decision to withdraw U.S.

forces, despite the rapidly deteriorating situa-

tion and the temporary return of troops to

shepherd the sharp reduction in U.S. Embas-

sy personnel. Biden has felt strongly since

2009 that the United States should pursue only

alimited mission in Afghanistan, and as presi-

dent he moved quickly to withdraw troops de-

spite contrary advice from Defense Secretary

Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman

of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The speed of the Taliban’s advance has

been a stunning demonstration of battlefield

momentum, in which one victory fuels anoth-

er, and of the immense psychological impact

of Biden’s decision to withdraw all U.S. com-

bat troops without a solid plan to stabilize the

country afterward. For Biden and other senior

officials, the biggest surprise is that the Af-

ghan military hasn’t performed better on the

battlefield since the president announced he

would pull the plug.

Against those who argue that Biden should

have retained the 2,500 U.S. troops stationed

in Afghanistan when he became president, ad-

ministration officials contend that maintain-

ing the status quo with such a small force

would have been impossible. The Taliban

would have resumed attacks on U.S. forces,

prompting the U.S. to consider adding more

troops and perhaps beginning another fruit-

less cycle in what seems like an endless war.

The Taliban’s blitz has surprised senior ad-

ministration officials. Since Biden’s with-

drawal announcement in April, the insurgents

have swept across the country. Maps of Af-

ghanistan compiled by the Long War Journal

have shown Taliban control spreading like a

massive ink blot, with only a small area of gov-

ernment control in the center.

The Taliban escalated their campaign a

week ago, moving to seize provincial capitals

that have fallen like a row of dominoes and

mounting a surprisingly sophisticated cam-

paign. They moved early in the north, knowing

that this region had spawned the Northern Al-

liance that drove the Taliban from power in

2001. The Taliban deployed their own version

of special operations forces, known as “red

units,” which helped break government de-

fenses. When they seized provincial capitals

such as Kunduz, they freed prisoners held

there, augmenting their forces.

The Taliban also control major exit routes

from the country, after seizing what U.S. offi-

cials say were more than half of the 14 crossing

points in recent days. The sense of entrapment

is likely to increase the panic among Afghan

civilians. The Biden administration has

pledged to aid the departure of Afghans who

worked with U.S. forces, one reason for the ad-

ditional troops. But amid the chaos, those

promises will be hard to keep.

What appears ahead is a battle for Kabul it-

self, a bloody confrontation from which the Bi-

den administration is trying to extricate as

many Americans as possible. The Taliban,

having nearly encircled the approaches to the

capital, may decide to delay the final battle.

U.S. officials hope the Taliban will be de-

terred by a warning this week from neighbors

—Pakistan, Russia, China and Turkey — that

they won’t recognize a Taliban government if

the insurgents take power by force. This diplo-

matic pressure is welcome, but late and limit-

ed. Many key countries have been displaying

the diplomatic equivalent of schadenfreude —

savoring America’s predicament rather than

considering their own future difficulties.

The Taliban will have difficulty swallowing

Afghanistan, for all their success on the battle-

field. Afghanistan has become an increasingly

urban and modern society since the U.S. inva-

sion in 2001. The Taliban’s military forces

number only about 80,000, in a country of

about 39 million. For millions of Afghan wom-

en, who have been attending schools and uni-

versities the past two decades and sharing in a

freer country, the prospect of a Taliban return

to power is especially bleak.

On paper, the Afghan government’s mili-

tary is nearly four times larger than the Tali-

ban. But they lack the organization, discipline

and will to combat the insurgents. As Carter

Malkasian writes in “The American War in

Afghanistan,” his superb new history, “The

Taliban exemplified something that inspired,

something that made them powerful in battle,

something closely tied to what it meant to be

Afghan.” That story was written in blood

across the country this week.

Afghanistan is nearing a final tipping pointBY DAVID IGNATIUS

Washington Post Writers Group

My last international trip before

the COVID-19 lockdown was to

Nigeria’s neighbor Chad. It

wasn’t my first visit to the

north-central African nation of some 16 mil-

lion, which ranks last on the World Bank’s Hu-

man Capital Index, but it was unique. I ven-

tured to the Lac region, the country’s principal

agricultural region, an area impoverished by

climate change, corruption, diseases, dicta-

torship — and now, the militant group Boko

Haram. Having monitored the advent and

transformation of Boko Haram in Nigeria, I

knew that the group had inflicted substantial

damage across the Lake Chad region, but I

wanted to see and feel the situation for myself.

What I found was much worse than I had

imagined. Repeated sights of burned or aban-

doned homes, farmlands and schools ensured

the three chatty passengers of our Land Cruis-

er remained silent in the final and most dan-

gerous lap of the journey. The local head of the

United Nations in Baga Sola, where we stop-

ped en route to a camp housing thousands of

Nigerian refugees, lamented that their “major

concern now are Boko Haram land mines that

are scattered everywhere,” and showed us

graphic photographs of the latest blasts.

Thus, the perception that Boko Haram is

just a threat to Nigeria is misguided. Even in

the case of Nigeria, only the most heinous or

large-scale atrocities, such as the 2014 abduc-

tion of the Chibok girls, are widely known. But

Boko Haram went transnational in 2012, when

its violence started to collaterally spill into

parts of Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Now, it is

asecurity threat that continues to destroy lives

and livelihoods daily across the region, though

it remains a blind spot in much of the interna-

tional coverage and attention.

Niger, Chad and Cameroon became its de-

liberate targets since 2015, when they joined

Nigeria’s military efforts to rout the group. In

2016, the share of Boko Haram’s attacks out-

side Nigeria grew from roughly 30% to nearly

half, and it has remained in that range since.

Boko Haram has killed hundreds and dis-

placed more than 100,000 people in Chad. But

the worst-hit of Nigeria’s neighbors is Cam-

eroon. The situation is getting even more des-

perate in its Far North region, where more

than 5,000 people have been killed and over

320,000 displaced. Niger has also seen its fair

share of attacks and displacements.

More worrying, however, is the transna-

tional spread of Boko Haram’s ideology. In

Niger, a small group of Boko Haram members

formed in Diffa’s central mosque as far back

as 2007. In Cameroon, it was a Boko Haram

founder who fled to his mother’s village across

the border in the wake of the group’s first clash

with Nigerian security forces in 2009 and

planted the seeds of the group. From 2014,

thousands of Chadians joined Boko Haram’s

self-declared Islamist caliphate, the size of

Belgium.

Boko Haram’s influence also extends to the

Sahel. The group’s Islamic State-allied fac-

tion, Islamic State West Africa Province, ad-

ministratively oversees the Islamic State in

the Greater Sahara operating in Mali, Burkina

Faso and Niger, and it takes credit for attacks

in the Sahel.

In fact, Boko Haram’s sway has carried

thousands of miles beyond West Africa. The

group’s unique tactics and ideological fea-

tures are visible in Ansar al-Sunna, the ISIS af-

filiate wreaking havoc in northern Mozam-

bique that some respected experts describe as

Mozambique’s Boko Haram. All of this makes

Boko Haram one of Africa’s — and the world’s

— greatest security threats now and moving

forward.

Properly tackling Boko Haram requires a

recognition that it is a potent threat not just to

theLake Chad region but also far beyond. This

necessitates close transnational coordination

not only in military efforts but also in counter-

ing the group’s ideological appeal, rehabilitat-

ing former members and addressing the un-

derlying socioeconomic and political root

causes. After all, the two decades since the 9/11

attack demonstrate clearly that violent extre-

mism is infectious and lethal; that bullets and

bombs alone cannot surmount this complex

challenge; and that no country can do it alone.

Boko Haram militants sowing chaos across AfricaBY BULAMA BUKARTI

Special to The Washington Post

Bulama Bukarti is a senior analyst on sub-Saharan Africa at theTony Blair Institute for Global Change, a senior nonresidentassociate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,and a columnist at Daily Trust.

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 17

ACROSS 1 Some corp.

recruits

5 Bay Area

force, briefly

9 Gmail alternative

12 Boo-Boo’s

mentor

13 Competed

14 Slugger’s stat

15 “The Addams

Family” actor

Julia

16 Building wings

17 URL ending

18 Asia’s — Sea

19 Zodiac feline

20 — butter

21 Even so

23 Reggae relative

25 Bargain

28 Coves

32 Uppity person

33 Skateboarder’s

leap

34 Forbidden acts

36 Sneaky sort

37 NBC show

since 1975

38 TV alien

39 Green gem

42 Moray, for one

44 Tehran’s country

48 Eggs

49 Michael of

“Superbad”

50 Architect

Saarinen

51 Junior

52 Eager

53 Hideaway

54 Chang’s brother

55 Honey bunch?

56 Apothecary

measure

DOWN 1 “— Breckinridge”

2 Wild porker

3 Oaxaca

water

4 Foolish sort

5 Willowy

6 Dossier

7 House Speaker

Nancy

8 Driller’s deg.

9 Foot part

10 Slender

woodwind

11 Peru’s capital

20 “Forrest Gump”

actress

22 Pop star John

24 Small hill

25 DDE

predecessor

26 Literary

collection

27 Sailor

29 Santa’s helper

30 Uncle (Sp.)

31 Gender

35 Jacket part

36 Light lunches

39 Singer Feliciano

40 Bard’s river

41 “Rats!”

43 Buffalo’s

county

45 Bring up

46 Met melody

47 Standard

49 Taxi

Answer to Previous Puzzle

Eugene Sheffer CrosswordFra

zz

Dilbert

Pearls B

efo

re S

win

eN

on S

equitur

Candorv

ille

Beetle B

ailey

Biz

arr

oCarp

e D

iem

PAGE 18 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 19

SCOREBOARD/GOLF

PRO SOCCER

MLS

EASTERN CONFERENCE

W L T Pts GF GA

New England 12 3 4 40 35 22

Orlando City 8 4 6 30 28 23

NYCFC 8 5 4 28 32 18

Philadelphia 7 5 7 28 25 19

Nashville 6 2 10 28 26 17

D.C. United 8 7 3 27 27 21

Columbus 6 6 6 24 21 23

CF Montréal 6 7 5 23 24 24

New York 5 8 4 19 21 22

Atlanta 3 6 9 18 21 25

Chicago 4 9 5 17 20 29

Inter Miami CF 4 8 4 16 15 26

Cincinnati 3 7 7 16 18 30

Toronto FC 3 9 6 15 23 38

WESTERN CONFERENCE

W L T Pts GF GA

Sporting KC 10 4 4 34 33 20

Seattle 9 3 6 33 26 14

LA Galaxy 10 6 2 32 29 28

Colorado 8 4 4 28 22 16

Minnesota 7 5 5 26 21 21

Portland 7 8 2 23 23 29

LAFC 6 7 5 23 24 25

Real Salt Lake 5 6 6 21 26 20

FC Dallas 5 7 6 21 23 25

San Jose 5 7 6 21 21 27

Houston 3 6 9 18 19 25

Austin FC 4 9 4 16 13 20

Vancouver 3 7 7 16 19 28

Note: Three points for victory, one pointfor tie.

Friday’s game

Vancouver at San Jose

Saturday’s games

LA Galaxy at Minnesota Miami at New York City FC New England at Toronto FC New York at CF Montréal Colorado at Houston Sporting Kansas City at FC Dallas Austin FC at Real Salt Lake

NWSL

W L T Pts GF GA

Portland 9 3 1 28 20 7

North Carolina 6 4 3 21 17 9

Gotham FC 5 2 5 20 13 8

Orlando 5 4 5 20 17 16

Chicago 6 6 2 20 15 20

Reign FC 6 6 1 19 17 14

Washington 5 5 3 18 15 15

Houston 5 6 2 17 15 18

Louisville 4 6 2 14 10 18

Kansas City 0 9 4 4 6 20

Note: Three points for victory, one pointfor tie.

Friday’s game

Washington at Houston

Saturday’s games

Portland at OrlandoReign FC at Kansas City

Sunday’s games

Louisville at Gotham FCChicago at North Carolina

PRO BASKETBALL

WNBA

EASTERN CONFERENCE

W L Pct GB

Connecticut 14 6 .700 —

Chicago 10 10 .500 4

New York 10 11 .476 4½

Washington 8 10 .444 5

Atlanta 6 13 .316 7½

Indiana 4 16 .200 10

WESTERN CONFERENCE

W L Pct GB

Seattle 16 5 .762 —

Las Vegas 15 6 .714 1

Minnesota 12 7 .632 3

Phoenix 9 10 .474 6

Dallas 9 12 .429 7

Los Angeles 6 13 .316 9

Thursday’s games

Commissioner’s Cup Final: Seattle 79,Connecticut 57

Friday’s games

No games scheduled

Saturday’s games

No games scheduled

Sunday’s games

Connecticut at DallasSeattle at ChicagoAtlanta at PhoenixWashington at Las VegasNew York at MinnesotaIndiana at Los Angeles

TENNIS

National Bank OpenThursday

At IGA Stadium & Aviva CentreMontreal

Purse: $1,835,490Surface: Hardcourt outdoor

Women’s SinglesRound of 16

Aryna Sabalenka (1), Belarus, def. Re-becca Marino, Canada, 6-1, 6-3.

Coco Gauff (15), United States, def. Jo-hanna Konta, Britain, walkover.

Sara Sorribes Tormo, Spain, def. Kateri-na Siniakova, Czech Republic, 6-7 (4), 6-0,6-3.

Victoria Azarenka (8), Belarus, def. Ma-ria Sakkari (11), Greece, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2).

Karolina Pliskova (4), Czech Republic,def. Amanda Anisimova, United States,6-1, 7-6 (8).

Camila Giorgi, Italy, def. Petra Kvitova(7), Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-4.

Ons Jabeur (13), Tunisia, def. Bianca An-dreescu (2), Canada, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1.

Jessica Pegula, United States, def. Da-nielle Collins, United States, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

Women’s DoublesRound of 16

Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and LuisaStefani (5), Brazil, def. Tara Moore, Britain,and Emina Bektas, United States, 7-5, 6-2.

Andreja Klepac, Slovenia, and Darija Ju-rak (6), Croatia, def. Alicja Rosolska, Po-land, and Vivian Heisen, Germany, 6-0, 7-6(4).

Elise Mertens, Belgium, and Aryna Saba-lenka (1), Belarus, def. Rebecca Marinoand Leylah Annie Fernandez, Canada, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Veronika Kudermetova, Russia, and Ele-na Rybakina, Kazakhstan, def. KarolinaPliskova and Karolina Muchova, Czech Re-public, 6-2, 6-4.

QuarterfinalsMagda Linette, Poland, and Bernarda

Pera, United States, def. Kveta Peschke,Czech Republic, and Ellen Perez (7), Aus-tralia, 1-6, 6-2, 13-11.

Rogers CupThursday

At Aviva CentreToronto

Purse: $2,850,975Surface: Hardcourt outdoor

Men’s SinglesRound of 16

Casper Ruud (6), Norway, def. Dusan La-jovic, Serbia, 6-4, 6-3.

Stefanos Tsitsipas (3), Greece, def. Ka-ren Khachanov, Russia, 6-3, 6-2.

John Isner, United States, def. AndreyRublev (4), Russia, 7-5, 7-6 (5).

Reilly Opelka, United States, def. LloydHarris, South Africa, 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4).

Roberto Bautista Agut (10), Spain, def.Diego Schwartzman (8), Argentina, 6-3,3-6, 7-5.

Gael Monfils (11), France, def. FrancesTiafoe, United States, 6-1, 7-6 (2).

Daniil Medvedev (1), Russia, def. JamesDuckworth, Australia, 6-2, 6-4.

Hubert Hurkacz (7), Poland, def. NikolozBasilashvili, Georgia, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-4.

Men’s DoublesRound of 16

Matwe Middelkoop, Netherlands, andLuke Saville, Australia, def. Cristian Garin,Chile, and Alexander Bublik, Kazakhstan,6-3, 1-0, ret.

Rajeev Ram, United States, and Joe Sa-lisbury (3), Britain, def. Andrey Golubev,Kazakhstan, and Andreas Mies, Germany,6-3, 6-2.

Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, Belgium,def. Austin Krajicek, United States, andWesley Koolhof, Netherlands, 7-6 (5), 2-6,10-8.

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic (1), Croa-tia, def. Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski,Britain, 3-6, 7-5, 13-11.

Dusan Lajovic, Serbia, and Aslan Karat-sev, Russia, def. Lukasz Kubot, Poland,and Marcelo Melo (5), Brazil, 6-4, 6-4.

Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal(2), Colombia, def. Karen Khachanov andAndrey Rublev, Russia, 6-3, 6-4.

PRO FOOTBALL

NFL preseason

Thursday’s games

New England 22, Washington 13Pittsburgh 24, Philadelphia 16

Friday’s games

Buffalo at DetroitTennessee at AtlantaDallas at Arizona

Saturday’s games

Miami at ChicagoDenver at MinnesotaCleveland at JacksonvilleNew Orleans at BaltimoreCincinnati at Tampa BayN.Y. Jets at N.Y. GiantsHouston at Green BayKansas City at San FranciscoSeattle at Las VegasL.A. Chargers at L.A. Rams

Sunday’s game

Carolina at Indianapolis

on a major league contract. Optioned INFNick Maton to Lehigh Valley. TransferredRHP Sam Coonrod from the 10-day IL to the60-day IL. Sent LHP Bailey Falter to LehighValley on a rehab assignment.

SAN DIEGO PADRES — Optioned RHP Re-iss Knehr to El Paso (Triple-A West). Re-called RHP Nabil Crismatt from El Paso.Sent OF Jorge Ona to ACL Padres (ArizonaComplex League) on a rehab assignment.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Placed RHPJohnny Cueto on the 10-day IL, retroactiveto August 9. Recalled INF Thairo Estradafrom Sacramento (Triple-A West).

BASKETBALLNational Basketball Association

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS — Re-signed FKawhi Leonard.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES — Signed Killian Til-lie to a two-way contract.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS — Signed FGreg Brown III.

FOOTBALLNational Football League

BUFFALO BILLS — Activated OT DionDawkins from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

DETROIT LIONS — Released CB QuintonDunbar. Signed RB Craig Reynolds. PlacedRB Michael Warren on IR after passingwaivers unclaimed.

GREEN BAY PACKERS — Signed CB Do-minique Martin. Placed LB Randy Ramseyon IR.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Reached an in-jury settlement with WR Gary Jennings.

NEW YORK GIANTS — Signed DT WillieHenry. Waived LB Cale Garrett.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS — Claimed DT R.J.McIntosh off waivers from the New YorkGiants. Placed WR Jalen McCleskey on in-jured reserve.

NEW YORK JETS — Waived CB BrendonWhite from IR with a settlement.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Signed S Ha HaClinton-Dix and DL Eddie Vanderdoes.Placed S Tony Jefferson on IR. Waived DLBellamy.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Signed WR Da-rece Roberson Jr..

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Signed OLEarl Watford. Waived DL Sam Renner withan injury designation.

TENNESSEE TITANS — Signed Ss TedricThompson and Reggie Floyd. Waived WRKalija Lipscomb. Waived OL Adam Coonwith an injury designation.

HOCKEYNational Hockey League

EDMONTON OILERS — Signed D SlaterKoekkoek to a two-year contract.

NEW YORK RANGERS — Signed F Bren-nan Othmann.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Loaned F Da-mien Riat to Lausanne HC for the remain-der of the season.

WINNIPEG JETS — Signed F Andrew Coppto a one-year contract.

SOCCERMajor League Soccer

MLS DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE — Sus-pended Houston Dynamo FC M DarwinCeren for one additional match (twomatches total) and fined an undisclosedamount for violent conduct in the 20thminute of an Aug. 4 match against AustinFC.

ATLANTA UNITED — Named GonzaloPineda head coach through 2024 season.

D.C. UNITED — Loaned F Erik Sorga toVVV-Venlo in the Erste Division (Nether-lands) for the remainder of the season. Ac-quired F Ramon Abila off waivers fromClub Atlético Boca.

COLLEGEMEMPHIS — Named Robb Hornett mens’

basketball strength and conditioningcoach.

TENNESSEE — Named J.B. Bowling seniorassociate athletics director for compli-ance.

Thursday’s transactionsBASEBALL

Major League BaseballAmerican League

BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Optioned RHPIsaac Mattson to Norfolk (Triple-A East).Reinstated RHP Tyler Wells from the 10-day IL.

BOSTON RED SOX — Recalled RHP Tan-ner Houck from Worcester (Triple-A East).Optioned RHP Phillips Valdez to Worces-ter. Sent OF Kyle Schwarber to Worcesteron a rehab assignment.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Recalled INFDanny Mendick from Charlotte (Triple-AEast). Returned INF Danny Mendick toCharlotte.

CLEVELAND INDIANS — Recalled LHPAlex Young from Columbus (Triple-AEast). Placed RHP Nick Sandlin on the 10-day IL.

DETROIT TIGERS — Sent LHP MatthewBoyd to Toledo (Triple-A East) on a rehabassignment. Placed SS Niko Goodrum onthe 10-day IL. Selected the contract of RFJacob Robson from Toledo and agreed toterms on a major league contract. Sent 2BIsaac Peredes to Lakeland (Low-A South-east) on a rehab assignment.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS — Reinstated INFJared Walsh from the 10-day IL. OptionedLHP Packy Naughton to Salt Lake (Triple-AWest). Returned RHP Chris Rodriguez toSalt Lake. Reinstated RHP Steve Cishekfrom the bereavement list. Optioned RHPAaron Slegers to Salt Lake.

NEW YORK YANKEES — Returned RHPClarke Schmidt from rehab assignmentand reinstated him from the 60-day IL thenoptioned him to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre(Triple-A East). Named OF Estevan Florialthe 27th Man for today’s game. Sent RHPCorey Kluber to Somerset (Double-ANortheast) on a rehab assignment.

SEATTLE MARINERS — Placed RHP PaulSewald on the paternity list. Recalled RHPYohan Ramirez from Tacoma (Triple-AWest).

TAMPA BAY RAYS — Selected the con-tract of RHP Evan Phillips from Durham(Triple-A East) and agreed to terms on amajor league contract. Optioned LHP Die-trich Enns to Durham. Sent RHP Nick An-derson to Durham on a rehab assignment.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Sent 3B CavanBiggio to Buffalo on a rehab assigment.

National LeagueARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Sent RHP

Jordan Weems outright to Reno (Triple-AWest). Recalled RF Jake Hager from Reno.Placed RF Kole Calhoun on the 10-day IL.Placed RHP Taylor Widener on the 10-dayIL. Recalled RHP Humberto Castellanosfrom Reno.

CHICAGO CUBS — Placed RHP Jake Arrie-ta on unconditional release waivers.Placed C Willson Contreras on the 10-dayIL. Selected the contract of RHP RyanMeisinger from Iowa (Triple-A East) andagreed to terms on a major league con-tract. Reinstated C Austin Romine fromthe 60-day IL. Designated LHP Kyle Ryanfor assignment.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Recalled RHPMitch White from Oklahoma City (Triple-AWest). Designated RHP Kevin Quacken-bush for assignment.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — ReinstatedLHP Josh Hader from the COVID-19 IL. Op-tioned LHP Hoby Milner to Nashville (Tri-ple-A East). Transfereed RHP John Axfordto the 60-day IL.

NEW YORK METS — Optioned RHP GeoffHartlieb to Syracuse (Triple-A East). Re-called RHP Trevor Williams from Syra-cuse.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — Selected thecontract of RHP David Paulino from LehighValley (Triple-A East) and agreed to terms

DEALS

AP SPORTLIGHT

Aug. 14

1936 — In Berlin, the U.S. wins the firstOlympic basketball gold medal with a 19-8win over Canada. The game is played out-doors on a dirt court in a driving rain. JoeFortenberry leads the U.S. with sevenpoints. James Naismith, the inventor ofthe game, presents the medals.

Scottish OpenLPGA TourThursday

At Dumbarnie LinksFife, Scotland

Purse: $1.5 millionYardage: 6,573; Par: 71

First RoundMichele Thomson 34-31—65 -7Anne van Dam 33-34—67 -5Yuka Saso 36-31—67 -5Jasmine Suwannapura 31-36—67 -5Nanna Koerstz Madsen 31-37—64 -4Yealimi Noh 34-34—68 -4Ryann O'Toole 33-35—68 -4Kelsey MacDonald 35-33—68 -4Mi Jung Hur 32-36—68 -4Lauren Stephenson 34-34—68 -4Atthaya Thitikul 34-34—68 -4Olivia Cowan 33-35—68 -4Sarah Schmelzel 31-37—68 -4Becky Morgan 35-33—68 -4Celine Herbin 33-36—69 -3Charley Hull 36-33—69 -3Ariya Jutanugarn 35-34—69 -3Patty Tavatanakit 36-33—69 -3Emily Kristine Pedersen 34-35—69 -3Bronte Law 33-36—69 -3Yu Liu 35-34—69 -3Marina Alex 33-36—69 -3Lydia Hall 35-34—69 -3Liz Young 32-38—70 -2Anna Nordqvist 34-36—70 -2Celine Boutier 34-36—70 -2Prima Thammaraks 34-36—70 -2Haeji Kang 34-36—70 -2Mi Hyang Lee 35-35—70 -2Caroline Masson 34-36—70 -2Lydia Ko 34-36—70 -2

GOLF

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Russell

Henley shot an 8-under 62, his low-

est round in more than two years, to

take the lead Thursday in the sus-

pended first round of the Wyndham

Championship.

Henley birdied three of his final

four holes for a two-stroke lead over

Sung Kang, Ted Potter Jr., Chris

Kirkand, Hudson Swofford, Scott

Piercy and Michael Thompson in

the PGA Tour’s final regular-season

event. Adam Hadwin also was 6-un-

der, but had two holes left when

darkness ended play.

A storm halted play for 2 hours, 7

minutes, with 22 players unable to

finish. They finished the round Fri-

day.

Past champion Webb Simpson

and Kevin Kisner led a group of 10

another stroke behind at 65 at Sed-

gefield Country Club, where many

competitors are scrambling to make

it into top 125 to advance to the play-

offs that start next week at the

Northern Trust.

Henley, at No. 46 in the standings,

had no worries about the postsea-

son, but came out fast with a bogey-

free round in chasing his first PGA

Tour victory in four years.

He moved in front with a two-putt

birdie on the par-5 15th before clos-

ing with birdies on 17 and 18, the last

with a 20-foot putt. He had his lowest

round on the tour since a career-low

61 at the John Deere Classic in 2019.

Henley has played some solid golf

of late. He was tied for the 36-hole

lead at the U.S. Open in June, then

had two straight top-20 finishes be-

fore missing the cut at the British

Open. He returned this week, hop-

ing he can carry his strong play to

the end.

“I haven’t won in years, so I feel

like as well as I’ve been playing, I

feel like I’ve underachieved a little

bit,” he said.

“My mindset,” Henley contin-

ued, “is I feel if I can play my game,

play my normal game, then I can

maybe give myself a chance and

that’s kind of where I’m at.”

There are several big names com-

peting to keep their seasons alive.

Adam Scott, who started at No. 121,

and Matt Kuchar, at No. 124, both

had strong starts at 66.

“I would like to play well this

week and get a chance to play next

week and keep getting my game into

place,” Scott said.

Rickie Fowler, who came in 130th

and needing a good week, didn’t

help himself with a 71. Justin Rose,

the Payne Stewart Award winner

this week, has to finish in the top 10 to

advance after coming in 138th. He

opened with a 66, tied for 19th.

Henleysits atopWyndham

Associated Press

Wyndham ChampionshipPGA Tour

FridayAt Sedgefield Country Club

Greensboro, N.C.Yardage: 7,131; Par: 70

Purse: $6.4 MillionFirst Round

Russell Henley 31-31—62 -8Sung Kang 32-32—64 -6Ted Potter, Jr. 33-31—64 -6Michael Thompson 32-32—64 -6Chris Kirk 31-33—64 -6Scott Piercy 30-34—64 -6Hudson Swafford 30-34—64 -6Adam Hadwin 31-33—64 -6Tyler McCumber 32-33—65 -5Andrew Landry 33-32—65 -5Brian Stuard 29-36—65 -5Jhonattan Vegas 30-35—65 -5Michael Gligic 30-35—65 -5Denny McCarthy 30-35—65 -5Webb Simpson 33-32—65 -5Kevin Kisner 32-33—65 -5Erik van Rooyen 33-32—65 -5Nick Taylor 33-32—65 -5Bronson Burgoon 32-33—65 -5Luke List 32-34—66 -4Padraig Harrington 35-31—66 -4Matt Kuchar 32-34—66 -4Adam Scott 32-34—66 -4Branden Grace 32-34—66 -4Sebastián Muñoz 32-34—66 -4K.J. Choi 33-33—66 -4Sepp Straka 31-35—66 -4Kiradech Aphibarnrat 31-35—66 -4Mark Anderson 33-33—66 -4Rafael Campos 31-35—66 -4Rory Sabbatini 31-35—66 -4

PAGE 20 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

COLLEGE FOOTBALL/SPORTS BRIEFS

Dave Aranda became Baylor’s coach

about 19 months ago knowing that NCAA

penalties were coming for a scandal that

embroiled the football program long be-

fore he arrived.

It had been much longer for athletic di-

rector Mack Rhoades, who found “an in-

stitution and athletics department in tur-

moil” when he took over

five years ago in the

wake of the revelation of

a sprawling sexual as-

sault scandal that cost

two-time Big 12 cham-

pion coach Art Briles his

job.

With the NCAA case

against the Bears finally

resolved, and without any major pro-

gram-crushing penalties, they can move

forward without that lingering unknown.

“It’s been hanging around. It’s been a

black cloud since I arrived on this cam-

pus,” Rhoades said. “We’re glad to have

some closure and to be able to to look for-

ward and move forward. And again, re-

member our mistakes, learn from our

mistakes, learn from our past. And then

we’ll navigate whatever comes in front of

us.”

With no players or coaches remaining

from Briles’ tenure, Baylor was placed on

four years of probation, but could still

play in a postseason bowl game. There

will be recruiting restrictions in place for

Aranda and his staff during the 2021-22

academic year, including a reduction of

30 official visits and a three-week ban on

unofficial visits.

The penalties could have been much

worse considering the scope of the allega-

tions, but the actual mishandling of sex-

ual assault claims by Baylor was deemed

out of the NCAA’s jurisdiction.

Aranda knew about the case when he

took over at Baylor in January 2020, fresh

off a 15-0 national championship as LSU’s

defensive coordinator. He attended the

school’s two-day virtual hearing with

NCAA officials last December, four years

after the school received a notice of in-

quiry from the NCAA enforcement staff.

The coach said he never thought in

terms of feeling a sense of relief that the

penalties weren’t harsher. The survivors

were the first thing he thought about

when he heard this week that the penal-

ties were forthcoming.

“I was at the trial in December, so lis-

tening to it and just hearing the details

and being part of it gave me greater in-

sight to it, and I was able to put myself in

a lot of people’s shoes. I spent most of my

time on that,” Aranda said.

The NCAA did find secondary rules vi-

olations that occurred between 2011 and

2016, including impermissible benefits

for a player who failed to follow an aca-

demic performance plan following an

academic violation. There were also a

predominantly female student host pro-

gram that improperly operated outside of

recruiting protocols.

Rhoades and Aranda met with the team

on the middle of the field during practice

Wednesday, after the penalties were re-

vealed. The AD kept what was said be-

tween them private, but said he was

proud of the players.

“They have been part of the culture

change, each and every one of them,”

Rhoades said. “And not saying we’re per-

fect, not saying they’re perfect, but they

have been instrumental in the culture

change, the way they lead and the way

they interact with one another.”

Aranda described what Rhoades said

as “very focused and very on point,” call-

ing it a strong moment for the team just

more than three weeks before its Sept. 4

opener at Texas State.

“There’s a lot of lessons to learn from

it,” Aranda said. “I’ll continue to meet

with the team as we move forward.”

The Bears went 2-7 in Aranda’s debut

season, which came without the benefit of

spring drills last year because of the pan-

demic.

LM OTERO/AP

Baylor coach Dave Aranda speaks during Big 12 football media days on July 15 inArlington, Texas. The Bears went 2­7 in Aranda’s debut season last year.

Moving forwardWith NCAA penalties imposed, Baylorno longer operating under ‘black cloud’

BY STEPHEN HAWKINS

Associated Press

Rhoades 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The

Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed

to trade linebacker Joe Schobert

to the Pittsburgh Steelers, accord-

ing to a person familiar with the

deal.

The person spoke to The Associ-

ated Press on condition of ano-

nymity Thursday night because

neither side had formally finalized

the deal. Schobert confirmed the

trade to ESPN, though, saying

“great place to play behind that D-

line." Compensation details were

not immediately disclosed.

The trade makes sense for both

teams and puts Schobert back in

the AFC North, where he spent the

first four years of his NFL career

with Cleveland.

Jacksonville unloads Schobert's

hefty contract and puts veteran

Damien Wilson playing alongside

Myles Jack in its new 3-4 scheme.

The 27-year-old Schobert signed a

five-year, $53.7 million contract

that included $21.5 million guar-

anteed in March 2020. He was

signed to play middle linebacker

in a 4-3 defense and will count $7.3

million against Pittsburgh's salary

cap in 2021.

Schobert had 141 tackles, three

interceptions and 2 1/2 sacks in his

lone season in Jacksonville.

In other NFL news:

■ The Superdome remains on

track to open at full capacity for

New Orleans Saints games this

season, but only to fans who pro-

vide proof of vaccination or a neg-

ative COVID-19 test taken 72

hours prior to games, and who

wear masks.

The City of New Orleans enact-

ed new rules Thursday for enter-

tainment venues and indoor facil-

ities hosting large social gather-

ings on the heels of spiking CO-

VID-19 related hospitalizations in

the state in recent weeks. That

came after the State of Louisiana

enacted a mask mandate for such

venues.

■ The cost of the Bills’ pro-

posed new stadium is $1.4 billion,

and is to be built across the street

from their existing facility in sub-

urban Buffalo, a person with di-

rect knowledge of discussions told

The Associated Press .

The person spoke to The AP

Thursday on the condition of ano-

nymity because the details of the

proposal haven’t been made pub-

lic.

Thornton, 42, signs

1-year deal with Panthers SUNRISE, Fla. — Joe Thorn-

ton’s pursuit of an elusive Stanley

Cup is bringing him to the Florida

Panthers at age 42.

He signed a one-year deal Fri-

day, making Florida his fourth

franchise in a now 24-year NHL

career. He has more points than

any other active NHL player and

is 14th all-time on that list with

1,529.

The 13 players ahead of him in

points are in the Hall of Fame.

Conversations with the Pan-

thers’ braintrust — including Pan-

thers general manager Bill Zito,

head coach Joel Quenneville and

his former Team Canada team-

mate Roberto Luongo — helped

convince Thornton this was the

right move, he said.

Thornton has done about all

there is in hockey, except win a

Stanley Cup. He went to the Final

once, with San Jose in 2016 when

the Sharks lost in six games to the

Pittsburgh Penguins.

He won an Olympic gold medal

with Canada in 2010, the Hart Tro-

phy as the league’s MVP in 2005-

06 and the scoring title that same

season.

He was the No. 1 pick in the 1997

draft and started his career play-

ing parts of eight seasons with

Boston. He then went on to a 15-

year run with the Sharks and

spent last season with Toronto —

scoring five goals in 44 games.

BRIEFLY

Source: Jaguars trade LB Schobert to SteelersAssociated Press

PHELAN M. EBENHACK/AP

Linebacker Joe Schobert, right, signed a five­year, $53.7 millioncontract with Jacksonville that included $21.5 million guaranteed inMarch 2020. A source says Schobert is being traded to Pittsburgh.

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 21

MLB

American League

East Division

W L Pct GB

Tampa Bay 70 45 .609 _

Boston 66 51 .564 5

New York 63 52 .548 7

Toronto 62 52 .544 7½

Baltimore 38 75 .336 31

Central Division

W L Pct GB

Chicago 68 48 .586 _

Detroit 57 60 .487 11½

Cleveland 55 58 .487 11½

Minnesota 50 65 .435 17½

Kansas City 49 64 .434 17½

West Division

W L Pct GB

Houston 68 46 .596 _

Oakland 67 48 .583 1½

Seattle 61 55 .526 8

Los Angeles 58 58 .500 11

Texas 40 75 .348 28½

National League

East Division

W L Pct GB

Philadelphia 60 55 .522 _

New York 59 55 .518 ½

Atlanta 59 56 .513 1

Washington 50 65 .435 10

Miami 48 67 .417 12

Central Division

W L Pct GB

Milwaukee 70 46 .603 _

Cincinnati 62 54 .534 8

St. Louis 58 56 .509 11

Chicago 52 65 .444 18½

Pittsburgh 41 74 .357 28½

West Division

W L Pct GB

San Francisco 74 41 .643 _

Los Angeles 69 46 .600 5

San Diego 66 51 .564 9

Colorado 51 64 .443 23

Arizona 36 80 .310 38½

Thursday’s games

Oakland 17, Cleveland 0 Seattle 3, Texas 1 Detroit 6, Baltimore 4 Tampa Bay 8, Boston 1 Chicago White Sox 9, N.Y. Yankees 8 L.A. Angels 6, Toronto 3 N.Y. Mets 4, Washington 1, 7 innings, 1st

game N.Y. Mets 5, Washington 4, 7 innings, 2nd

game St. Louis 7, Pittsburgh 6 Philadelphia 2, L.A. Dodgers 1 Milwaukee 17, Chicago Cubs 4 Cincinnati 12, Atlanta 3 San Francisco 7, Colorado 0 Arizona 12, San Diego 3

Friday’s games

Baltimore at Boston Cleveland at Detroit Oakland at Texas Tampa Bay at Minnesota Houston at L.A. Angels Toronto at Seattle Atlanta at Washington Cincinnati at Philadelphia Milwaukee at Pittsburgh Chicago Cubs at Miami L.A. Dodgers at N.Y. Mets St. Louis at Kansas City San Diego at Arizona Colorado at San Francisco

Saturday’s games

Baltimore (López 3-12) at Boston (Sale0-0)

Cleveland (TBD) at Detroit (Peralta 3-2) Oakland (Kaprielian 6-4) at Texas (Lyles

5-9) N.Y. Yankees (TBD) at Chicago White

Sox (Cease 9-6) Tampa Bay (Wacha 2-3) at Minnesota

(Maeda 5-4) Houston (Garcia 8-6) at L.A. Angels (Bar-

ria 2-0) Toronto (Ryu 11-5) at Seattle (Kikuchi

7-6) Cincinnati (Castillo 6-11) at Philadelphia

(Moore 1-3) Atlanta (Fried 9-7) at Washington (Cor-

bin 6-11) Chicago Cubs (Davies 6-9) at Miami

(TBD) Milwaukee (TBD) at Pittsburgh (Wilson

2-5) L.A. Dodgers (Buehler 12-2) at N.Y. Mets

(Walker 7-7) St. Louis (Lester 3-6) at Kansas City (Kell-

er 7-11) San Diego (Musgrove 8-7) at Arizona

(Gilbert 0-1) Colorado (Freeland 3-6) at San Francisco

(TBD)

CalendarAug. 22 — Los Angeles Angels vs. Cleve-

land at Williamsport, Pa.

Scoreboard

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani grinned

and  laughed  after  Vladimir  Guerrero  Jr.

bounced a single to left field in the Toronto slug­

ger’s first career plate appearance against the

Angels’ two­way superstar. 

When he struck out Guerrero with a wicked

slider  two  innings  later,  Ohtani  smiled  and

chuckled at that one, too. 

Ohtani had plenty of fun in his first mound

meeting with most likely his strongest compet­

itor for the AL MVP award. He also did plenty

against the rest of the Blue Jays to secure anoth­

er win for the Los Angeles Angels. 

Ohtani pitched six innings of three­hit ball to

win his third consecutive start, and he also dou­

bled and scored an early run in the Angels’ 6­3

victory Thursday night. 

Although Ohtani (7­1) issued three walks for

the first time since June and threw two wild

pitches in his 17th mound start of the season, he

allowed just two runs and struck out six to keep

his ERA at 2.93. 

Athletics  17,  Indians  0:  Mitch  Moreland

homered  twice,  Chris  Bassitt  posted  his  AL­

leading 12th win and visiting Oakland routed

Cleveland for its seventh straight victory. 

Matt Canha and Starling Marte each drove in

three runs and Chapman scored three times as

the Athletics moved a season­high 18 games over

.500. 

Brewers 17, Cubs 4: Luis Urías tied a major

league record with five extra­base hits and Man­

ny Piña drove in six runs as visiting Milwaukee

routed Chicago. 

Urías homered in the seventh and ninth in­

nings. He also hit three doubles, drove in five

runs and scored five.

Piña had a grand slam and a two­run homer.

Phillies 2, Dodgers 1: Bryce Harper home­

red, Ian Kennedy escaped a bases­loaded jam in

the ninth inning and host Philadelphia ended Los

Angeles’ four­game winning streak.

Harper hit his 21st homer and scored twice as

the Phillies won with just four hits. 

Reds 12, Braves 2: Jesse Winker hit a grand

slam in the second inning and visiting Cincinnati

added four more homers in a win over Atlanta

that snapped a three­game skid.

The loss dropped Atlanta one game behind

first­place Philadelphia and into third place in

the NL East.

Mariners  3,  Rangers 1: Marco  Gonzales

pitched a two­hitter, J.P. Crawford and Jake Fra­

ley homered and host Seattle beat Texas. 

Mets 4­5, Nationals 1­4: Pete Alonso hit a

game­ending homer with one out in the seventh

inning and host New York recovered  from a

blown lead to sweep its doubleheader against

Washington. 

The Mets won the opener 4­1 as Brandon Nim­

mo homered and drove in four runs and Marcus

Stroman took a shutout into the sixth. 

Cardinals 7, Pirates 6: Six St. Louis relievers

combined to allow three runs in seven innings,

and Paul DeJong and Lars Nootbaar homered to

complete a three­game sweep of host Pittsburgh. 

Tigers 6, Orioles 4: Renato Núñez homered

in his return to his former home, and Detroit

dealt host Baltimore its eighth straight loss as

Miguel Cabrera sat out while one homer shy of

500. 

Cabrera can go for the milestone at home after

the Tigers finished their road trip with a three­

game sweep in Baltimore. 

Rays 8, Red Sox 1: Wander Franco hit a tie­

breaking  two­run  homer  in  the  sixth  inning,

Drew Rasmussen threw four strong innings in a

spot start and visiting Tampa Bay added to its

lead in the AL East with a win over Boston. 

Mike Zunino hit a three­run homer out of Fen­

way Park as the Rays took two of three games at

second­place Boston and extended their lead in

the AL East to five games. 

Giants 7, Rockies 0: LaMonte Wade Jr. hit a

three­run homer after pitcher Logan Webb add­

ed a two­run single to help his winning cause,

and MLB­leading San Francisco beat visiting

Colorado for its fifth straight win. 

Alex Dickerson hit an RBI double and Curt

Casali doubled in a run for San Francisco. 

Diamondbacks 12, Padres 3:Yu Darvish left

arocky start early with lower back tightness, and

host Arizona took advantage to beat San Diego. 

Pavin Smith had four RBIs and Caleb Smith

pitched 51⁄�3 quality innings of relief for the last­

place Diamondbacks. 

ROUNDUP

Ohtani, Angels down Blue Jays

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/AP

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers against the Toronto Blue Jaysduring Thursday’s game in Anaheim, Calif. Ohtani pitched six innings of three­hit ball.

Associated Press

BALTIMORE — Chris Davis’ ascent and de­

cline were quick and steep. 

In  between,  he  was  one  of  baseball’s  top

home­run hitters — and that’s what Baltimore

manager Brandon Hyde wanted to remember

on the day Davis announced his retirement. 

“Those  really  good  years,  those  ’12  to  ’17

years, he was a fixture in the lineup and a ma­

jor run producer. He was a middle­of­the­or­

der bat on a really, really good team,” Hyde

said  Thursday.  “He’s  done  so  much  off  the

field as well. Great teammate — well­liked in

the clubhouse, well­liked around the league.”

Davis became one of baseball’s most prodi­

gious  power  hitters  before  his  production

dropped amid injury problems during his final

seasons with the Orioles. Davis, 35, was going

to miss the entire 2021 season after surgery in

May to repair the labrum in his left hip. 

“After an extended time dealing with my in­

jury and recent hip surgery,  I  informed the

Orioles about my decision to retire effective to­

day,” Davis said in a statement released by the

team. “I want to thank the Orioles partnership

group, led by the Angelos family, the Orioles

organization, my teammates and coaches.” 

Next year was the final season of Davis’ $161

million,  seven­year contract,  a deal  that be­

came  increasingly  burdensome  for  the  re­

building Orioles. 

Davis came to  the Orioles  in a 2011 trade

from Texas. He hadn’t hit more than 21 home­

rs in a season with the Rangers, but he hit 33 in

his first full season with Baltimore. Davis led

the majors with 53 homers in 2013 and 47 in

2015. He finishes his career with 295 in 13 sea­

sons with the Orioles and Rangers. 

A powerful  left­handed  hitter  at  6­foot­4,

Davis was a crucial part of Baltimore’s best

run since the 1990s. He helped the Orioles re­

ach the postseason in 2012, 2014 and 2016, al­

though he did not play in the playoffs in 2014,

when the team made it to the AL Champion­

ship Series. 

Orioles’ Davis, 35, announces retirement

TONY DEJAK/AP

After announcing his retirement Thursday,35­year­old Chris Davis finishes his careerwith 295 home runs in 13 seasons withBaltimore and Texas. 

BY NOAH TRISTER

Associated Press

PAGE 22 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

MLB

Baseball game in this state that’s

usually focused on college and

community sports, spotlighted by

presidential campaigns and

fueled by the hog and grain indus-

try.

Judge provided a pair of pic-

ture-perfect images, launching

two long drives into the corn-

stalks. Tim Anderson hit the

eighth homer of the game, a two-

run liner in the ninth inning that

lifted the White Sox over the Yan-

kees in a 9-8 thriller.

Anderson delivered a Holly-

wood ending, too, circling the

bases as fireworks exploded. So

what if it was more from “The Nat-

ural” than “Field of Dreams”?

This won’t be a one-time visit,

either. Commissioner Rob

Manfred confirmed that the Field

of Dreams game will return in Au-

gust 2022, with the teams to be de-

termined.

The made-from-scratch stadi-

um — built to hold about 8,000

fans who watched the White Sox

and Yankees play in one of the

most anticipated mid-August

games in history — was placed

next to the actual diamond where

the 1989 movie starring Kevin

Costner was shot outside the town

of Dyersville, population 4,000.

Costner came back for this,

stealing the scene with a slow,

ponderous stroll into the outfield

his character Ray Kinsella often

took in the film before stopping to

watch the real White Sox and Yan-

kees emerge from the corn for

pregame introductions.

Clutching a ball in his hand,

while the original symphonic

score from the movie played over

the loudspeakers, Costner

stepped up to a microphone and

told the crowd, “It’s perfect.”

White Sox slugger José Abreu

delivered an instant highlight in

the first inning, hitting a line drive

that zipped over the fence in left

field and vanished into the corn.

Judge connected for a three-

run smash in the third and a two-

run drive in the ninth. Neither was

a can of corn — they both flew far.

There were rows upon rows of

corn between the two outfields, in

fact. Yes, it’s the same spot where

Shoeless Joe Jackson and his pals

appeared — and disappeared —

throughout the Academy Award-

nominated film about fathers,

children, culture, self-discovery,

ghosts and, oh, yeah, baseball.

“As a kid you dream of the

chance to play Major League

Baseball and you watch certain

movies or heroes in comic books

and fairytales, and getting a

chance to actually be at the Field

of Dreams and play a game here

and have family and friends here

and getting a chance to represent

the Yankees here, never in my life

did I think I’d ever experience

this,” Judge said.

Major leaguers can be particu-

lar about the details when they’re

on a road trip, desiring to maxi-

mize comfort and minimize intru-

sion for optimal performance on

the field, but nobody minded any

of the logistical hurdles of playing

this game a four-hour drive from

Chicago and about a half-hour

ride from the airport in Dubuque

where both teams flew in.

White Sox closer Liam Hen-

driks was all smiles as he recount-

ed his exploration of the white

farmhouse where the Kinsella

family lives in the movie that’s

been well-kept as a tourist attrac-

tion.

Both teams had their fill of mo-

vie reenactment moments during

pregame photo ops on the original

field, before retreating into the

corn and returning to the regula-

tion stadium to prepare for the

game. The players were politely

warned not to scrape their faces

on the stalks and not to try to enter

the maze — one of the fan attrac-

tions added to the site for the event

— to avoid getting lost.

“Anyone who follows me on In-

stagram is going to be very sick of

corn,” said Hendriks, whose

phone storage had filled up after

all the photos and videos he re-

corded.

Judge was born three years af-

ter “Field of Dreams” was re-

leased, but his father introduced

him to the movie when he was a

kid and he quickly became a big

fan. He noted that some of his

younger teammates had not yet

seen the film.

“I think one of these nights

we’re going to sit down and I’ll

have a DVD for ’em, ready to go,”

Judge said with a wide smile.

The film, naturally, remains a

strong source of local pride, and

Iowa residents were given pur-

chasing priority when the limited

amount of public tickets went on

sale. The “Field of Dreams Ghost

Players,” many of whom were ex-

tras in the film, gathered on the

movie field in the afternoon in

their 1919-style uniforms in honor

of Jackson’s “Black Sox” team

that plays a key part in the plot.

“It’s given us a real identity.

When you think of Dyersville, it’s

‘Field of Dreams,’ and all the pub-

licity we’ve been getting lately has

just been tremendous for the town

and the area,” said Jude Milbert,

one of the Ghost Players who de-

veloped a Globetrotters-style

troupe after their involvement in

the film by putting on youth clin-

ics, doing comedy routines and

traveling around the world as am-

bassadors of the game. They’re all

former college or semipro players

who live in northeast Iowa.

The Ghost Players and every-

one else can get ready for more

next year.

“You never mess with a win-

ning streak, but it does feel like all

the teams are going to want to

touch this. There’s going to be hot

competition to play this,” Costner

said before the game.

Picture: White Sox top Yankees in thriller at ‘Field of Dreams’FROM PAGE 24

CHARLIE NEIBERGALL/AP

New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton walks on the field with ears of corn in his backpockets before Thursday's game against the Chicago White Sox in Dyersville, Iowa. 

CHICAGO — Jake Arrieta won

a Cy Young Award and helped the

Chicago Cubs capture a drought-

busting World Series champion-

ship in his first stint with the club.

His second go-round was nowhere

near as successful.

It ended with his release Thurs-

day.

Arrieta was informed of the de-

cision a day earlier, after getting

tagged for eight runs in a 10-0 loss

to Milwaukee, Cubs president Jed

Hoyer said. The 35-year-old right-

hander was 5-11 with a 6.88 ERA

in 20 starts.

“Nothing that happened on the

mound last night or the other

nights in any way diminishes his

role in club history,” Hoyer said.

“When you look back, I think

there’s a really good argument to

say he’s one of the more influential

people in the history of this fran-

chise.”

The Cubs also placed catcher

Willson Contreras on the 10-day

injured list because of a sprained

right knee that Hoyer said is not

serious. They selected right-hand-

ed pitcher Ryan Meisinger from

Triple-A Iowa, reinstated catcher

Austin Romine from the 60-day IL

and designated left-hander Kyle

Ryan for assignment.

Arrieta agreed in February to a

$6 million, one-year deal. His re-

turn to Chicago had a chance to be

a feel-good story, but it ended on a

rough note. He was 0-7 with a 9.92

ERA in his final 11 starts.

Arrieta was the NL Cy Young

Award winner with Chicago in

2015 and helped the Cubs win the

2016 World Series, their first

championship since 1908. He

went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA in 128

starts over five years and threw

two no-hitters during his first stint

with the team.

He then signed a $75 million,

three-year contract with Philadel-

phia in free agency and went 22-23

with a 4.36 ERA in 64 starts with

the Phillies. He had a 4-4 record

and a 5.08 ERA in nine starts dur-

ing the pandemic-shortened 2020

season.

Cubs release former Cy Young winner Arrieta

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

The Chicago Cubs released starting pitcher Jake Arrieta on Thursday,a disappointing end to the former Cy Young winner’s second stint withthe franchise he helped lead to a World Series title in 2016. 

Associated Press “When you look back, I think there’s a really goodargument to say he’s one of the more influentialpeople in the history of this franchise.”

Jed Hoyer

Cubs president, on Jake Arrieta

Saturday, August 14, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 23

NFL

Coach Kyle Shanahan knows

that in the big picture, it won’t

matter how well Trey Lance plays

in his exhibition debut for the San

Francisco 49ers.

That doesn’t dampen Shana-

han’s excitement to see his rookie

first-round quarterback take the

field in a game for the first time

Saturday night when the Niners

host the Kansas City Chiefs in an

exhibition game.

“It’s fun to watch quarterbacks

go out there for the first time,”

Shanahan said Thursday. “But I

don’t get nervous for the person or

anything like that. It’s fun to

watch. I know no one’s going to re-

member how his first preseason

game is, but they will the next day.

That’s all right. I know rookies get

some butterflies. It is a big deal

for them. But the reality of it is it is

an experience for them. I think

Trey is going to make the team so

he doesn’t have to go out there and

just freak out about that. But he

knows a lot of eyes will be on

him.”

A lot of eyes have been on

Lance ever since the 49ers draft-

ed him in April after trading three

first-round picks for the No. 3 se-

lection.

San Francisco is working Lance

in gradually behind starter Jim-

my Garoppolo but the rookie has

impressed during training camp.

But there are some things he

can’t truly experience until game

action, like how to deal with get-

ting the play call from the sideline

in a loud stadium and how to make

the decision about when to slide,

dive headfirst, go out of bounds or

take a hit when scrambling.

Shanahan wants Lance to stay

on his feet on scrambles in prac-

tice to avoid any chance of an in-

jury but drills him afterward on

what he would have done in a real

game. He’s been pleased with the

answers so far but now gets to see

it for real.

“That’s something that we’ll all

see in the game,” he said. “Trey

says the right things, he’s a pretty

good runner, he’s pretty compet-

itive. I hope he takes my word for

it. Sometimes those guys don’t be-

lieve how hard people hit until

they get a couple of times in the

NFL.”

The preseason may be more im-

portant for Lance because of how

little experience he had in college.

He started only 17 games at FCS-

level North Dakota State and

played only one game in a CO-

VID-shortened 2020 season.

His last game with fans in the

stadium came more than 19

months ago against James Madi-

son in the FCS title game for the

2019 season.

That only adds to his level of an-

ticipation for this game.

“Excited to go out and compete

with this locker room of guys,” he

said. “Everything’s new, so just

being able to get used to every-

thing, everything from the hotel

the night before the game to pre-

game warmup. Everything’s go-

ing to be new, but at the same time

football is football.”

The 49ers have been very

pleased with what they have seen

from Lance so far, reinforcing

their strong belief in him from the

draft process.

Notes: Shanahan said he will

hold several players out of the

game, including DE Nick Bosa,

DE Dee Ford and WR Jalen Hurd.

... CB K’Waun Williams (hip) and

DE Arden Key (quadriceps) mis-

sed practice and are day to day.

JEFF CHIU/AP

49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance throws during training camp in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesday inpreparation for his first exhibition game this weekend. 

49ers excited for rookieLance’s preseason debutNo. 3 overall draft pick has impressed in camp

JOSIE LEPE/AP

San Francisco 49ers head coachKyle Shanahan, pictured, is look­ing forward to seeing Lance inaction when he makes his pre­season debut Saturday. 

BY JOSH DUBOW

Associated Press

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Indiana-

polis quarterbacks Jacob Eason

and Sam Ehlinger finally got to

throw some passes against a dif-

ferent defense Thursday.

Sam Darnold

faced the first re-

al challenge with

his new Carolina

teammates, too.

After finishing

the first of two

joint practices at

Colts training

camp it’s clear

everybody has

some finetuning

to do before Sun-

day’s preseason

opener.

“They’re an

11-5 team, they

were a playoff

team last year, so

I guess that’s one

of the reasons we

wanted to come

here,” Panthers

coach Matt

Rhule said. “We

want to see how

far away we are

from them.”

Rhule wasn’t

impressed with

the Panthers’ slow start but ap-

plauded the team’s reaction by

picking up the pace later and per-

haps setting up a better workout

Friday.

But this week will largely be

graded on the quarterback play.

Both teams made big offseason

moves to acquire what they hope

will be foundational pieces.

Carolina obtained Darnold in a

deal with the New York Jets, who

swapped first-round picks with

the Colts in 2018 to take the former

Southern California star No. 3

overall. Darnold is trying to revive

his career after going 13-25 with

the Jets, and the long weekend in

Indy started with mixed results.

Meanwhile, the Colts found

themselves working in two young-

sters.

Carson Wentz, the projected

starter after a trade with Philadel-

phia, hasn’t practiced in almost

two weeks because of an injured

left foot. Wentz was walking

around on the field with a mask —

and no protective gear around the

surgically repaired foot.

Team owner Jim Irsay told re-

porters the Colts would be cau-

tious with Wentz for the Sept. 12

season opener against Seattle.

If Wentz doesn’t play against

the Seahawks, Irsay believes the

likely replacement may already

be in camp.

The strong-armed Eason is in

his second season out of Washing-

ton, but his rookie year was a

washout. Joint practices and the

preseason were canceled, and as

No. 3 on the depth chart he never

took a regular-season snap. When

Wentz went down, the former

Washington star initially inherit-

ed the No. 1 job.

But he’s been splitting reps this

week with rookie Sam Ehlinger, a

sixth-round draft pick, and that’s

the plan for Friday and likely Sun-

day. Ehlinger is more athletic and

has better touch, which were evi-

dent again Thursday.

“Both Sam and Jacob, I thought,

were really solid,” coach Frank

Reich said. “They both had touch-

down passes in that last period. I

just felt like there was some pretty

good execution, all things consid-

ered. It was their first go-round ...

going against an NFL defense.”

MICHAEL CONROY/AP

Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle makes a catch in front ofCarolina Panthers safety Juston Burris during a joint practice attraining camp in Westfield, Ind., on Thursday. 

Colts, Panthersface first testsat joint practice

BY MICHAEL MAROT

Associated Press

Eason

Ehlinger

Darnold

PAGE 24 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, August 14, 2021

SPORTSReady to move forward

Finally clear of NCAA penalties, Baylorfocuses on future ›› College football, Page 20

49ers excited for rookie QB Lance’s preseason debut ›› NFL, Page 23

As the bus carried the NewYork Yankees through thecornfields blanketing thisserene, rolling farmland of

northeast Iowa, Aaron Judge noticed adifference from the usual arrival in thenext city.

The ride to the Field of Dreams sitein Dyersville, Iowa, to play the ChicagoWhite Sox on Thursday night had ev-eryone’s attention, like a bunch of kidswho couldn’t believe what they weregetting to do.

“It was the first time people hadtheir headphones out, and they were

just glued to the windows, checking outthe scenery,” said Judge, the three-time All-Star right fielder.

“We have a lot of guys from differentcountries who really haven’t seen thecountry like this, or guys from big ci-ties who really haven’t seen open fieldsand stuff like this, so it was pretty cooldriving in and seeing everybody intown kind of standing on the side of theroads with signs and cheering us on,”he said.

The made-for-TV event, delayed bya year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,had the billing as the first Major League

Top: Chicago White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn warms up prior to Thursday’s game against the New York Yankees in Dyersville, Iowa. Above right: The outfield scoreboard isseen before the Yankees and White Sox played at a temporary stadium in the middle of a cornfield at the “Field of Dreams” movie site. Chicago won 9­8. 

PHOTOS BY CHARLIE NEIBERGALL/AP

White Sox, Yankees go deep in ‘Field of Dreams’ thrillerBY DAVE CAMPBELL

Associated Press

SEE PICTURE ON PAGE 22

Picture perfectMLB

Cubs release former ace Arrieta after rough return ›› Page 22 O’s slugger Davis retires ›› Page 21