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KABUL, Afghanistan — The

Taliban-appointed supervisor of a

small district hospital outside the

Afghan capital has big plans for

the place — to the dismay of the

doctors who work there.

Mohammed Javid Ahmadi, 22,

was asked by his superiors, fresh

off the fields of battle from a war

that has spanned most of his life,

what kind of jobs he could do. On

offer were positions in an array of

ministries and institutions now

under the Taliban’s power follow-

ing their August takeover and the

collapse of the former govern-

ment.

It was Ahmadi’s dream to be a

doctor; poverty had kept him from

gaining admission to medical

school, he said. He chose the

health sector. Soon after, the Mir-

bacha Kot district hospital just

outside of Kabul became his re-

sponsibility.

“If someone with more experi-

ence can take this position it would

be better, but unfortunately if

someone (like that) gets this posi-

tion, after some time you’ll see

that he might be a thief or cor-

BRAM JANSSEN/AP

Taliban member Mohammad Javid Ahmadi stands next to a stretcher outside the Mirbacha Kot hospital in Afghanistan on Oct. 26. Ahmadi, whohas no medical training or experience, was appointed as the new manager of the hospital.

Critical conditionsIn Afghan hospital, unpaid doctors and rigid Taliban clash following takeover

BY SAMYA KULLAB

AND BRAM JANSSEN

Associated Press

AFGHANISTAN

SEE CLASH ON PAGE 9

Tens of millions of Americans

who work at companies with 100

or more employees will need to be

fully vaccinated against CO-

VID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for

the virus weekly under govern-

ment rules issued Thursday.

The new requirements are the

Biden administration’s boldest

move yet to persuade reluctant

Americans to finally get a vaccine

that has been widely available for

months — or face financial conse-

quences. If successful, adminis-

tration officials believe it will go a

long way toward ending a pan-

demic that has killed more than

750,000 Americans.

First previewed by President

Joe Biden in September, the re-

quirements will apply to about 84

million workers at medium and

large businesses, although it is not

clear how many of those employ-

ees are unvaccinated.

The Occupational Safety and

Health Administration regula-

tions will force the companies to

require that unvaccinated work-

ers test negative for COVID-19 at

least once a week and wear a mask

while in the workplace.

OSHA left open the possibility

of expanding the requirement to

smaller businesses. It asked for

US mandatesvaccines ortests by Jan. 4for companies

BY DAVID KOENIG

Associated Press

RELATED

Pfizer says COVIDpill cut hospital,death risk by 90%Page 3

SEE MANDATES ON PAGE 3

VIRUS OUTBREAK

PAGE 2 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, November 6, 2021

BUSINESS/WEATHER

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Amid

an historic drought posing threats

to future harvests, California

farmers now say they have no way

to export the crops they do have

because of a kink in the global sup-

ply chain that has left container

ships lined up off the Southern

California coast with nowhere to

deliver their goods.

Problems with the supply chain

have retailers worried their

shelves — and their customers’ on-

line shopping carts — will be emp-

ty during the crucial holiday shop-

ping season, prompting emergen-

cy actions from state and federal

leaders to clear up the logjam.

But the backlog of ships enter-

ing U.S. waters also means there

are fewer making the trek back

across the Pacific Ocean, leaving

the farmers in one of the nation’s

most important agriculture re-

gions with nowhere to send their

products.

“We’re at the mercy of foreign

shipping companies,” said Roger

Isom, president and CEO of the

California Cotton Ginners and

Growers Association and the

Western Agricultural Processors

Association. “We’re in a game,

somebody changed the rules on us

and we have no way to correct it.”

Last month, Isom said more

than 80% of scheduled shipments

were canceled. Processors have

resorted to paying much more to

ship their products to other ports.

Isom said they are losing money

on these sales, but they have to do

it or else risk losing their custom-

ers.

Supply chain delays disrupt Calif. agriculture exportsAssociated Press

Bahrain81/78

Baghdad81/62

Doha85/68

Kuwait City83/69

Riyadh88/59

Kandahar

Kabul

Djibouti89/72

SATURDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Mildenhall/Lakenheath

52/45

Ramstein46/37

Stuttgart44/37

Lajes,Azores70/67

Rota63/46

Morón62/44 Sigonella

68/62

Naples66/63

Aviano/Vicenza54/37

Pápa49/43

Souda Bay68/64

Brussels48/39

Zagan48/43

DrawskoPomorskie

46/43

SATURDAY IN EUROPE

Misawa57/46

Guam85/82

Tokyo60/46

Okinawa77/74

Sasebo71/57

Iwakuni65/59

Seoul65/50

Osan68/48

Busan66/60

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

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

SUNDAY IN THE PACIFIC

WEATHER OUTLOOK

TODAYIN STRIPES

American Roundup ...... 11Movies ................... 12-13Video Games ............... 14Opinion ........................ 16Comics .........................17Crossword ................... 17Sports .................... 18-24

Military rates

Euro costs (Nov. 8) $1.13Dollar buys (Nov. 8) 0.8452British pound (Nov. 8) $1.31Japanese yen (Nov. 8) 111.00South Korean won (Nov. 8) 1155.00

Commercial rates

Bahrain(Dinar) 0.3770Britain (Pound) 1.3461Canada (Dollar) 1.2462China(Yuan) 6.4023Denmark (Krone) 6.4558Egypt (Pound) 15.6994Euro 0.8680Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7850Hungary (Forint) 311.62Israel (Shekel) 3.1159Japan (Yen) 113.65Kuwait(Dinar) 0.3019

Norway (Krone) 8.5816

Philippines (Peso) 50.28Poland (Zloty) 3.99Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7512Singapore (Dollar) 1.3522

South Korea (Won) 1185.54Switzerland (Franc) 0.9155Thailand (Baht) 33.27Turkey (NewLira) 9.7123

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

INTEREST RATES

Prime rate 3.25Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75Federal funds market rate 0.093-month bill 0.0430-year bond 1.96

EXCHANGE RATES

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Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 3

legal footing. The department’s

top legal official, Seema Nanda,

said OSHA rules preempt conflict-

ing state laws or orders, including

those that bar employers from re-

quiring vaccinations, testing or

face masks.

Senate Republicans immediate-

ly launched a petition to force a

vote to overturn the vaccine man-

date, but with Democrats controll-

ing the chamber, the effort is near-

ly certain to fail.

The rules will require workers

to receive either two doses of the

Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one

dose of the Johnson & Johnson vac-

cine by Jan. 4 or be tested weekly.

Employees testing positive must

be removed from the workplace.

Companies won’t be required to

provide or pay for tests for unvac-

cinated workers, but they must

give paid time off for employees to

get the shots and sick leave to re-

cover from side effects that pre-

vent them from working. Require-

ments for masks and paid time off

for shots take effect Dec. 5.

Employers covered by the re-

quirements must verify their

workers’ vaccination status by

checking documents such as CDC

vaccination cards, records from

doctors or pharmacies, or even an

employee’s own signed declara-

tion.

The Centers for Medicare &

Medicaid Services issued a sepa-

rate rule requiring vaccination for

shortages, adding that vaccines

have been required before to fight

other diseases.

OSHA said companies that fail

to comply with the regulations

could face penalties of nearly

$14,000 per violation.

The agency will face enforce-

ment challenges. Even counting

help from states, OSHA has only

1,850 inspectors to oversee 130 mil-

lion workers at 8 million workplac-

es. An administration official said

the agency will respond to whistle-

blower complaints and make lim-

ited spot checks.

The release of the rules followed

weeks of regulatory review and

meetings with business groups, la-

bor unions and others.

OSHA drafted the rules under

emergency authority meant to

protect workers from an imminent

health hazard. The agency esti-

mated that the vaccine mandate

will save more than 6,500 worker

lives and prevent more than

250,000 hospitalizations over the

next six months.

The rules set up potential legal

battles along partisan lines be-

tween states and the federal gov-

ernment. Several states and Re-

publican governors threatened to

sue, contending that the adminis-

tration lacks the power to make

such sweeping mandates under

emergency authority.

OSHA’s parent agency, the La-

bor Department, says it is on sound

public comment on whether em-

ployers with fewer than 100 em-

ployees could handle vaccination

or testing programs.

Tougher rules will apply to an-

other 17 million people working in

nursing homes, hospitals and oth-

er facilities that receive money

from Medicare and Medicaid.

Those workers will not have an op-

tion for testing — they will need to

be vaccinated.

Workers will be able to ask for

exemptions on medical or reli-

gious grounds.

The requirements will not apply

to people who work at home or out-

doors.

Biden framed the issue as a sim-

ple choice between getting more

people vaccinated or prolonging

the pandemic.

“While I would have much pre-

ferred that requirements not be-

come necessary, too many people

remain unvaccinated for us to get

out of this pandemic for good,” he

said Thursday in a statement.

Biden said his encouragement

for businesses to impose mandates

and his own previous require-

ments for the military and federal

contractors have helped reduce

the number of unvaccinated

Americans over 12 from 100 mil-

lion in late July to about 60 million

now.

Those measures, he said, have

not led to mass firings or worker

workers in 76,000 health facilities

and home health care providers

that get funding from the govern-

ment health programs. A senior

administration official said sever-

al large private health care organi-

zations imposed their own man-

dates and achieved high vaccina-

tion rates — 96% or higher — with-

out widespread resignations.

A previously announced re-

quirement for federal contractors

to make sure workers are vacci-

nated was scheduled to take effect

Dec. 8, but the administration de-

layed that measure until Jan. 4 to

match the requirements on other

large employers and health care

providers. Already, more than a

dozen states have sued to block the

mandate on contractors.

For weeks, Biden has encour-

aged businesses not to wait for

OSHA to act. He has touted busi-

nesses that announced their own

vaccine requirements and urged

others to follow their lead.

Administration officials say

those efforts are paying off, with

about 70% of adults fully vaccinat-

ed.

Workplace vaccine mandates

have become more common re-

cently, with hospitals, state and lo-

cal governments and some major

corporations requiring COVID-19

shots for employees. The man-

dates have led to overwhelming

compliance — in some cases 99%

of workers — although a small but

vocal number have faced dismiss-

al, filed lawsuits or sought exemp-

tions.

United Airlines required 67,000

U.S. employees to get vaccinated

or face termination. Only a couple

hundred refused to do so, although

about 2,000 are seeking exemp-

tions.

In August, Tyson Foods told its

120,000 U.S. workers that they

must be vaccinated by Nov. 1. On

Thursday, the company said more

than 96% of its workforce was vac-

cinated, including 60,500 people

who got their shots after the Au-

gust announcement.

Walmart, the nation’s largest

private employer, said in late July

it was requiring all workers at its

headquarters in Bentonville, Ark.,

and managers who travel within

the United States to be vaccinated

by Oct. 4. The retailer stopped

short of requiring shots for front-

line workers, however.

However, some companies have

expressed fear that some vaccine-

hesitant workers might quit, leav-

ing their workforces even thinner

in an already-tight labor market.

Several corporate groups, in-

cluding the Business Roundtable,

endorsed the mandate. However,

retail groups worried that the re-

quirement could disrupt their op-

erations during the critical Christ-

mas shopping period. Retailers

and others also said it could wors-

en supply chain disruptions.

Mandates: About 60 million Americans remain unvaccinatedFROM PAGE 1

VIRUS OUTBREAK

WASHINGTON — Pfizer Inc.

said Friday that its experimental

antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut

rates of hospitalization and death

by nearly 90% in high-risk adults,

as the drugmaker joined the race

for an easy-to-use medication to

treat the coronavirus.

Currently most COVID-19

treatments require an IV or injec-

tion. Competitor Merck’s CO-

VID-19 pill is already under re-

view at the Food and Drug Admin-

istration after showing strong ini-

tial results, and on Thursday the

United Kingdom became the first

country to OK it.

Pfizer said it will ask the FDA

and international regulators to au-

thorize its pill as soon as possible,

after independent experts recom-

mended halting the company’s

study based on the strength of its

results. Once Pfizer applies, the

FDA could make a decision within

weeks or months.

Since the beginning of the pan-

demic last year, researchers

worldwide have been racing to

find a pill to treat COVID-19 that

can be taken at home to ease

symptoms, speed recovery and

keep people out of the hospital.

Having pills to treat early CO-

VID-19 “would be a very impor-

tant advance,” said Dr. John Mel-

lors, chief of infectious diseases at

the University of Pittsburgh, who

was not involved in the Pfizer

study.

“If someone developed symp-

toms and tested positive we could

call in a prescription to the local

pharmacy as we do for many,

many infectious diseases,” he

said.

On Friday, Pfizer released pre-

liminary results of its study of 775

adults. Patients who received the

company’s drug along with anoth-

er antiviral shortly after showing

COVID-19 symptoms had an 89%

reduction in their combined rate

of hospitalization or death after a

month, compared to patients tak-

ing a dummy pill. Fewer than 1%

of patients taking the drug needed

to be hospitalized and no one died.

In the comparison group, 7% were

hospitalized and there were seven

deaths.

“We were hoping that we had

something extraordinary, but it’s

rare that you see great drugs come

through with almost 90% efficacy

and 100% protection for death,”

said Dr. Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s

chief scientific officer, in an inter-

view.

Study participants were unvac-

cinated, with mild-to-moderate

COVID-19, and were considered

high risk for hospitalization due to

health problems like obesity, dia-

betes or heart disease. Treatment

began within three to five days of

initial symptoms, and lasted for

five days. Patients who received

the drug earlier showed slightly

better results, underscoring the

need for speedy testing and treat-

ment.

Pfizer reported few details on

side effects but said rates of prob-

lems were similar between the

groups at about 20%.

Top U.S. health officials contin-

ue to stress that vaccination will

remain the best way to protect

against infection.

Pfizer touts itsnew COVID-19 pill

BY MATTHEW PERRONE

Associated Press

MARK LENNIHAN/AP

Pfizer says its experimental pill for COVID­19 cut rates ofhospitalization and death by nearly 90% among patients withmild­to­moderate infections.

WASHINGTON — The federal

government has canceled a multi-

million dollar deal with Emergent

BioSolutions, a Maryland-based

vaccine manufacturer with facili-

ties in Baltimore that were found

to have produced millions of con-

taminated Johnson & Johnson

vaccine doses this spring, the

Washington Post reported.

Emergent disclosed the devel-

opment Thursday in a conference

call discussing its latest financial

results, the Post reported. Emer-

gent said it will forgo about $180

million due to the contract’s termi-

nation, according to the Post.

Emergent BioSolutions played

a role in the Trump administra-

tion’s effort to speed up vaccine

development and distribution. But

after winning a contract from the

previous administration, Emer-

gent quickly ran into problems.

In March, ingredients intended

for use in producing the Oxford-

AstraZeneca vaccine shots con-

taminated 15 million doses of the

Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The

problems caused a monthslong

delay in production.

Report says US cancels vaccine deal

Associated Press

PAGE 4 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, November 6, 2021

VIRUS OUTBREAK

Service members who refuse the corona-

virus vaccine would receive only honorable

discharges from the military under Repub-

lican-sponsored legislation introduced

Thursday.

The proposed amendment to the pending

2022 National Defense Authorization Act

was introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-

Kan., who said it would protect troops who

object to the vaccine mandated earlier this

year by the Pentagon. Marshall said it was

especially important to protect thousands of

service members who have applied for reli-

gious-based exemptions to the vaccine, none

of which have been approved to date by mil-

itary officials.

“Think about the consequences of a dis-

honorable discharge,” Marshall said Thurs-

day, listing off several including the loss of

medical and education benefits, gun-owner-

ship rights and the ability to reenlist in anoth-

er military branch. “This is a big issue. It is a

big deal.”

Marshall’s bill largely matches language

included in the House-passed version of the

NDAA, the annual must-pass bill that autho-

rizes Pentagon spending and sets policy pri-

orities. The amendment Thursday was en-

dorsed by 10 additional Republican senators

— Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Roger

Wicker of Mississippi, Ron Johnson of Wis-

consin, Rick Scott of Florida, John Kennedy

of Louisiana, Tommy Tuberville of Alaba-

ma, Ted Cruz of Texas, James Lankford of

Oklahoma, Shelley Moore-Capito of West

Virginia and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Missis-

sippi.

‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of

law, a member of the armed forces subject to

discharge on the basis of the member choos-

ing not to receive the [coronavirus] vaccine

may only receive an honorable discharge,”

reads the amendment to the NDAA, which

the Senate has yet to vote on.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear what will

happen to those service members who ulti-

mately decline the vaccine and are not grant-

ed an exemption. Pentagon officials have

said such individuals would likely face ad-

ministrative actions or noncriminal puni-

shments, such as rank reductions, long be-

fore commanders moved to court-martial

them for failure to follow orders. A convic-

tion for failing to follow orders could lead to a

dishonorable discharge and up to two years

in prison, according to the Uniform Code of

Military Justice.

However, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

has called for “compassion and understand-

ing” from commanders as they deal with

subordinates who decline the vaccine, John

Kirby, Austin’s top spokesman, said this

week.

Republicans speaking alongside Marshall

on Thursday said they worried the Pentagon

would not grant any waivers for service

members who cite religious objections to the

vaccine. They cited some 40 Navy SEALs

seeking an accommodation based on “sin-

cere religious objection to the vaccine,” ac-

cording to their attorney Mike Berry of the

First Liberty Institute, a Christian conserva-

tive legal group based in Texas.

“When you join the United States military,

you certainly give up some of your freedoms.

We all recognize that,” said Berry, a Marine

and Afghanistan war veteran who now

serves in the Marine Reserve as a lieutenant

colonel. “You do not give up your religious

freedoms when you serve our country. And

yet that is exactly what [the SEALs] are deal-

ing with today — being forced to choose be-

tween their faith and serving their country.”

Berry declined to provide specifics about

his clients’ objections or whether they had

objected to any of the other 17 vaccinations

required by the Pentagon for military troops.

He said the SEALs had differing reasons

for their objections, but each had spent time

reflecting and praying on the issue and de-

termined the vaccine “violates their con-

science and their sincerely held religious be-

liefs.”

“I can tell you that these Navy SEALs each

take their faith very, very seriously,” Berry

said. “And they don't want to be kicked out of

the military.”

The legislation introduction comes just

days after the first of the Pentagon’s military

services passed its vaccine deadline. The Air

Force passed its mandate deadline for ac-

tive-duty airmen and Space Force guardians

on Tuesday. The services said 96% of active-

duty airmen and guardians had been fully

vaccinated by Tuesday and only 3% of the

about 330,000 active airmen and guardians

had not received any shots or been approved

for an exemption.

Service officials have approved 1,886

waivers of the vaccine mandate, primarily

for medical reasons, the Air Force said

Wednesday. It will spend the next month

considering the cases of almost 5,000 troops

who submitted religion-based exemption re-

quests. Service officials said 800 airmen and

guardians outright refused the vaccine with-

out seeking an exemption.

The other services have later deadlines

and have not disclosed how many service

members have sought exemptions.

Defense Department civilians must be

vaccinated by Nov. 22, while active-duty

troops in the Marine Corps and Navy must be

vaccinated by Nov. 28, and soldiers have un-

til by Dec. 15. National Guard and reservists

have later deadlines in each of the services.

More than 250,000 military troops have

been diagnosed with the coronavirus since

the pandemic’s start last year, according to

the Pentagon. To date, 73 service members

have died of complications related to the vi-

rus.

Marshall’s amendment does nothing to

end the Pentagon’s mandate for the corona-

virus or other vaccines. However the sen-

ator, a physician and former Army doctor,

said he opposes the mandate, though he

chose to get vaccinated.

“I support the vaccine,” Marshall said

Thursday. “I don’t support mandates. I don't

support one-size-fits-all.”

NICOLE MAXWELL/Alamogordo Daily

People outside Holloman Air Force Base protest military vaccine mandates on Sept. 13.

NDAA amendment would protect vaccine refusersBY COREY DICKSTEIN

Stars and Stripes

dickstein.corey@stripes.com Twitter: @CDicksteinDC

WASHINGTON — Thousands of intelli-

gence officers could soon face dismissal for

failing to comply with the U.S. government’s

vaccine mandate, leading some Republican

lawmakers to raise concerns about remov-

ing employees from agencies critical to na-

tional security.

Several intelligence agencies had at least

20% of their workforce unvaccinated as of

late October, said U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, a

Utah Republican who is a member of the

House Intelligence Committee. Some agen-

cies in the 18-member intelligence commu-

nity had as much as 40% of their workforce

unvaccinated, Stewart said, citing informa-

tion the administration has provided to the

committee but not released publicly. He de-

clined to identify the agencies because full

information on vaccination rates was classi-

fied.

While many people will likely still get vac-

cinated before the administration’s Nov. 22

deadline for civilian workers, resistance to

the mandate could leave major agencies re-

sponsible for national security without some

personnel. Intelligence officers are particu-

larly hard to replace due to the highly spe-

cialized work they do and the difficulties of

completing security clearance checks.

The Office of the Director of National In-

telligence declined several requests to pro-

vide figures for the intelligence community.

The office also would not say what contin-

gency plans are in place in case officers are

taken off work due to not complying with the

mandate.

Director of National Intelligence Avril

Haines declined at a hearing last week to

disclose what percentage of the workforce

had been vaccinated, but said “we are not

anticipating that it is going to be an issue for

mission.” There are an estimated 100,000

employees in the intelligence community.

The vaccination rates provided by Stew-

art are mostly higher than those of the gen-

eral U.S. population. About 70% of Ameri-

can adults are fully vaccinated and 80% have

received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Stewart called on the administration to

approve more exemptions for people on

medical, religious and other grounds, and

delay any terminations of intelligence offi-

cers.

“My question is what’s the impact on na-

tional security if we do that?” Stewart said.

“You’re potentially firing thousands of peo-

ple on the same day. And it’s not like you put

an ad on Craigslist and have people apply by

Thursday.”

CIA Director William Burns disclosed

publicly last week that 97% of the agency’s

officers have been vaccinated. The National

Reconnaissance Office, which operates U.S.

spy satellites, has more than 90% of its work-

force vaccinated.

House Intelligence Committee Demo-

crats say they’re confident that the vaccina-

tion mandate will not cause a problem for

the intelligence community. Rep. Jason

Crow, a Colorado Democrat, said the agen-

cies were doing “quite well” and that getting

vaccinated was a sign of an employee’s read-

iness.

“If somebody is not willing to do what’s

necessary to protect their own health and

the health of their unit, that actually calls in-

to question their ability to effectively do the

job,” Crow said in an interview.

The Biden administration classified in-

formation it gave the intelligence committee

on each of the nation’s 18 intelligence agen-

cies, said Stewart, who noted generally that

agencies more closely affiliated with the

military tended to report lower vaccination

rates.

Several major agencies with large mili-

tary components all declined to provide

their vaccination rate when asked by The

Associated Press, including the National Se-

curity Agency, the Defense Intelligence

Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelli-

gence Agency. The NGA, which produces

intelligence from satellites and drones, said

in a statement that it was “working to ensure

that all members of the workforce under-

stand the process and documentation re-

quired” prior to the deadline.

Stewart, a former Air Force pilot, has

been vaccinated, but said he opposes man-

dates as being intrusive and counterproduc-

tive.

“If you say, ‘You have to do this and we

won’t consider any exceptions to that,’ that’s

where you get people to dig in their heels,”

he said.

Rep. Darin LaHood, an Illinois Republi-

can, echoed Stewart’s concerns in a hearing

last week and told agency leaders that the

question of unvaccinated employees “af-

fects all of you and us globally.”

Thousands of intelligence officers refusing vaccine risk dismissalBY NOMAAN MERCHANT

Associated Press

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 5

MILITARY/NATION

WASHINGTON — Friends,

family and former colleagues

gathered Friday at Washington

National Cathedral to honor Colin

L. Powell, the trailblazing soldier-

diplomat who rose from humble

Bronx beginnings to become the

first Black chairman of the Joint

Chiefs of Staff and later served as

the first Black secretary of state.

The funeral on a sunny and chil-

ly day drew dignitaries and

friends from across a wide politi-

cal and military spectrum. They

included former presidents Ge-

orge W. Bush and Barack Obama,

former Secretaries of State James

Baker, Condoleezza Rice and Hill-

ary Clinton, former Defense Sec-

retary Robert Gates, and the cur-

rent chairman of the Joint Chiefs,

Army Gen. Mark Milley, as well as

other service chiefs.

As guests gathered in the caver-

nous cathedral that has hosted the

funerals of several past presi-

dents, including Dwight D. Eisen-

hower, the U.S. Army Brass Quin-

tet played a range of tunes, includ-

ing “Dancing Queen” by Abba, a

favorite of Powell’s. As Powell’s

wife, Alma, and other family

members were seated, the quintet

played a hymn called “Mansions

of the Lord.”

President Joe Biden attended

but was not scheduled to speak.

Two recent presidents did not at-

tend — Bill Clinton, who is reco-

vering from an infection, and Do-

nald Trump, who Powell had crit-

icized.

Eulogists were Madeleine Al-

bright, who was Powell’s immedi-

ate predecessor as the nation’s top

diplomat; Richard Armitage, who

was deputy secretary under Po-

well and had known him since

they served together in the Penta-

gon during the Reagan adminis-

tration; and Powell’s son Michael.

During her tenure as ambassa-

dor to the United Nations during

the Clinton administration, Al-

bright sometimes clashed with

Powell, although they became

good friends. Both have recalled

the time, during his final months

as Joint Chiefs chairman, when

she argued for a U.S. military in-

tervention in the Balkans, asking

why the United States had built a

superb military if it couldn’t be

used in such circumstances. Po-

well recalled being so irritated by

her statement, “I thought I would

have an aneurysm.”

Powell’s view was that the Unit-

ed States should commit its mili-

tary only when it had a clear and

achievable political objective, a

key element of what became

known as the Powell Doctrine,

which embodied lessons he took

from the U.S. failure in Vietnam.

Powell died Oct. 18 of complica-

tions from COVID-19 at age 84. He

had been vaccinated against the

coronavirus, but his family said

his immune system had been com-

promised by multiple myeloma, a

blood cancer for which he had

been undergoing treatment.

Funeral attendees Friday were

required to wear masks, although

not all did.

The story of Powell’s rise to

prominence in American life is a

historic example to many, includ-

ing those at the highest levels of

the U.S. defense establishment.

Lloyd Austin, who in January

became the first Black secretary

of defense, called Powell a friend

and professional mentor. Like Po-

well, Austin rose through the

ranks of the Army to become a

four-star general.

On the day of Powell’s death,

Austin called him “one of the

greatest leaders that we have ever

witnessed.”

ANDREW HARNIK/AP

The National Cathedral is seen at dawn before a funeral for Colin Powell in Washington on Friday.

Family, friends gather tohonor trailblazer Powell

BY ROBERT BURNS AND

MATTHEW LEE

Associated Press

JACK PLUNKETT/AP

Colin Powell, former Joint Chiefs chairman and secretary of state,died Oct. 18 of complications from COVID­19 at age 84.

WASHINGTON — With nearly

no votes to spare, Democratic

leaders tried resolving lingering

concerns of moderate lawmakers

Friday in hopes of finally pushing

President Joe Biden’s multitril-

lion-dollar domestic agenda

through the House.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.,

and other leaders met privately

with a handful of centrists who say

they want an official cost estimate

from the nonpartisan Congres-

sional Budget Office before voting

on a 10-year, $1.85 trillion social

and environment bill. Democrats

can lose no more than three votes

in the narrowly divided House to

pass the legislation.

Biden, meeting reporters to tout

a strong monthly jobs report, said

he was returning to the Oval Of-

fice “to make some calls” to law-

makers. He said he would ask

them to “vote yes on both these

bills right now.”

Leaders want to pass that legis-

lation, and a separate five-year, $1

trillion package of road and other

infrastructure projects, to quickly

notch accomplishments just days

after a gubernatorial election de-

feat in Virginia and disappointing

contests elsewhere. They also

want the votes to occur before

Congress leaves by the weekend

for a week-long recess.

Leaders have said complete

CBO figures won’t be available for

days or more. “We’re working on

it,” House Majority Leader Steny

Hoyer, D-Md., said of the talks. By

late morning, a House procedural

vote was underway that started

over three hours earlier as be-

hind-the-scenes discussions con-

tinued.

House passage of Biden’s larger

measure would send it to the Sen-

ate, where it would face certain

changes and more Democratic

drama. That’s chiefly because of

demands by Sens. Joe Manchin of

West Virginia and Kyrsten Sine-

ma of Arizona to contain the mea-

sure’s costs and curb or drop some

of its initiatives.

But House approval of the

smaller, bipartisan infrastructure

measure would send it directly to

the White House, where Biden

would be certain to take a victory

lap. That bill, projected to create

mountains of jobs, had been

blocked by House progressives to

pressure moderates to back the

larger family and climate change

legislation.

After months of negotiations,

House passage of the big bill

would be a crucial step, sending to

the Senate Biden’s effort to ex-

pand health care, child care and

other social services and deliver a

huge investment to fight climate

change.

Alongside the slimmer roads-

bridges-and-broadband package,

it adds up to Biden’s answer to his

campaign promise to rebuild the

country from the COVID-19 crisis

and confront a changing economy.

Half the size of Biden’s initial

$3.5 trillion package, the bill ex-

ceeds 2,100 pages and has the sup-

port of progressive lawmakers,

even though it is smaller than they

wanted. But the chamber’s more

centrist and fiscally conservative

Democrats continued to mount

objections.

Republicans opposed the mea-

sure as too expensive and damag-

ing to the economy.

Overall the package remains

more far-reaching than any other

in decades. It would provide large

numbers of Americans with as-

sistance to pay for health care,

raising children and caring for el-

derly people at home.

There would be lower prescrip-

tion drug costs, limiting the price

of insulin to $35 a dose. Medicare

for the first time would be able to

negotiate with pharmaceutical

companies for lower prices for

some other drugs, a long-sought

Democratic priority.

Medicare would have a new

hearing aid benefit for older

Americans, and those with Medi-

care Part D would see their out-of-

pocket prescription drug costs

capped at $2,000.

With a flurry of late adjust-

ments, the Democrats added key

provisions in recent days — add-

ing back a new paid family leave

program and work permits for im-

migrants. Late changes Thursday

would raise a $10,000 cap on state-

and-local tax deductions to

$80,000.

Biden bill on brinkof House approval,but fights remain

EVAN VUCCI/AP

President Joe Biden deliversremarks on the October jobsreport on Friday in Washington.

Associated Press

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

NATION

WASHINGTON — America’s

employers stepped up their hiring

in October, adding a solid 531,000

jobs, the most since July and a

sign that the recovery from the

pandemic recession is overcom-

ing a virus-induced slowdown.

Friday’s report from the Labor

Department also showed that the

unemployment rate fell to 4.6%

last month, from 4.8% in Septem-

ber. That is a comparatively low

level but still well above the pre-

pandemic jobless rate of 3.5%.

The economy’s emergence

from the pandemic, by most mea-

sures, remains on course. Servic-

es companies in such areas as re-

tail, banking and warehousing

have reported a sharp jump in

sales. More Americans bought

new homes last month. And con-

sumer confidence rose in Octo-

ber.

Still, the recovery would gain

strength from a sustained acceler-

ation in hiring. The economy grew

at a healthy 6.5% annual rate in

the first half of the year as vacci-

nations spread and Americans

showed themselves more willing

to travel, shop, eat out and attend

entertainment events. Yet the del-

ta variant held economic growth

in the July-September quarter to

just a 2% annual rate and slowed

hiring.

Friday’s report showed not only

that employers accelerated their

hiring in October but also that the

job gains in August and Septem-

ber weren’t as weak as initially re-

ported. The government revised

its estimate of hiring for those two

months by a combined 235,000

jobs,

Last month, hiring was spread

across nearly every major indus-

try, with only government em-

ployers reporting a job loss. Ship-

ping and warehousing companies

posted a gain of 54,000 jobs. Re-

tailers added 35,000. The battered

leisure and hospitality sector,

which includes, restaurants, bars,

hotels and entertainment venues,

gained 164,000 jobs.

And employers, who have been

competing to fill jobs from a di-

minished pool of applicants,

raised wages at a solid clip: Aver-

age hourly pay jumped 4.9% in

October compared with a year

earlier. Yet even a gain that strong

is barely keeping pace with recent

surges in consumer price infla-

tion.

Recent economic gauges have

cast a hopeful picture. After sev-

eral rounds of stimulus checks

and other government support

payments, Americans as a whole

have amassed about $2.5 trillion

more in savings than they had be-

fore the pandemic. As that money

is spent, it will likely fuel further

economic activity.

The Conference Board, a busi-

ness research group, said that in

its October consumer confidence

survey, the proportion of Ameri-

cans who said they planned to buy

cars, homes or major appliances

all rose. And nearly half the sur-

vey respondents said they

planned to vacation in the next six

months — the highest such pro-

portion since February 2020, be-

fore COVID-19 ripped through

the economy.

Yet some companies say they

still can’t find enough workers to

fill jobs. Many parents, particu-

larly mothers, haven’t returned to

the workforce after having left

jobs during the pandemic to care

for children or other relatives. De-

fying the predictions of some, the

expiration of a $300-a-week feder-

al unemployment supplement

hasn’t caused more people to look

for work. Roughly 5 million fewer

people have jobs now than did be-

fore the pandemic.

Most economists say they’re

hopeful that with vaccinations

helping to suppress the delta

wave, more people will seek and

find jobs because they’re no long-

er sick or caring for someone who

is or because they no longer fear

becoming infected. Those health

issues had sidelined more people

in September than in previous

months.

The draw of higher income

could entice more people to come

off the sidelines and look for work

again. Wages and salaries in the

July-September quarter, com-

pared with a year earlier, jumped

by the most in 20 years. Most of

that gain, though, went to already

employed people who left their

jobs: The number of people who

quit, mostly to take new positions,

has reached a record high.

Rising inflation, though, has

eroded much of the value of those

pay increases and has become the

most serious headwind for the

U.S. economy. Higher costs for

food, heating oil, rents and furni-

ture have burdened millions of

families. Prices rose 4.4% in Sep-

tember compared with 12 months

earlier, the sharpest such in-

crease in three decades.

Hiring reboundsin October with531K jobs addedBY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

Associated Press

NEW YORK — There was a

time when Naomi Peña could

seemingly do it all: Work a full-

time job and raise four children

on her own.

But when the viral pandemic

struck early last year, her person-

al challenges began to mount and

she faced an aching decision: Her

children or her job?

She chose her children. In Au-

gust, Peña left her well-paying

position as an executive assistant

at Google in New York City. In do-

ing so, she joined millions of other

women who are sitting out the job

market recovery while caring for

relatives, searching for afforda-

ble child care, reassessing their

careers or shifting their work-life

priorities.

“I had to pivot,” said Peña, 41,

who said the pandemic disrupted

her children’s lives and led her to

suspend her career because she

felt she was needed more at home

than at work.

“I walked away from a salary

job with amazing benefits, so ulti-

mately I could be present with my

kids,” she said.

A single mother of four ranging

from middle-school-age to col-

lege-age, Peña knows she’ll even-

tually have to look for another

full-time job — or join the gig

economy — to regain a steady in-

come. Just not yet.

The pandemic has both laid

bare the disproportionate bur-

dens many women shoulder in

caring for children or aging par-

ents and highlighted the vital

roles they have long played in

America’s labor force. The Unit-

ed States bled tens of millions of

jobs when states began shuttering

huge swaths of the economy after

COVID-19 erupted. But as the

economy has swiftly rebounded

and employers have posted re-

cord-high job openings, many

women have delayed a return to

the workplace, willingly or other-

wise.

Even with children back in

school, the influx of women into

the job market that most analysts

had expected has yet to material-

ize. The number of women either

working or looking for work ac-

tually fell in September from Au-

gust. For men, the number rose.

For parents of young children,

the male-female disparities are

stark. Among mothers of children

13 or younger, the proportion who

were employed in September was

nearly 4% below pre-pandemic

levels, according to Nick Bunker,

director of economic research at

the Indeed job listings website.

For fathers with young children,

the decline was just 1%.

“A lot of women have left the la-

bor force — the question is, how

permanent will it be?” said Janet

Currie, a professor of economics

and public affairs at Princeton

University and co-director of the

Program on Families and Chil-

dren at the National Bureau of Ec-

onomic Research. “And if they’re

going to come back, when will we

see them come back? I don’t know

the answers to any of that.”

Many economists and officials,

including Federal Reserve Chair

Jerome Powell, had speculated

that the re-opening of schools

would free more mothers to take

jobs. So far that hasn’t happened.

The delta variant caused tempo-

rary school closings in many ar-

eas, which might have discour-

aged some mothers from return-

ing to work in September. The

number of mothers who were em-

ployed actually declined for a sec-

ond straight month.

Still, economists are holding

out hope that with increasing vac-

cinations leading to fewer viral

cases, Friday’s U.S. jobs report

for October will show an increase

in the number of employed wom-

en. Any gain, though, is likely to

be small, and it could take months

to at least partially reverse the

pandemic’s impact on female em-

ployment.

Months before the pandemic,

Keryn Francisco, a 51-year-old

former designer for The North

Face, had to decide whether to

move, along with her company, to

Denver.

She ultimately decided not to

leave. And as COVID-19 raged,

she became more comfortable

with her decision, even if it meant

being unemployed and shrinking

her severance payout. She had

been collecting unemployment

aid and has picked up some free-

lancing to avoid dipping too deep-

ly into savings.

A solo parent, Francisco want-

ed to focus on caring for her son,

now 10, and her elderly parents in

the San Francisco Bay area.

“It was out of a sense of respon-

sibility and obligation,” she said.

“But also, honestly, I didn’t know

what was happening with COVID.

So there was a lot of fear and kind

of insecurity about like, if my par-

ents died.”

During her time away from

work, Francisco made a discov-

ery that hadn’t quite seemed clear

to her before: “I was burned out.”

Now, she’s considering the condi-

tions for a full-time return to the

workforce.

“Once you leave the corporate

treadmill,” she said, “you can ac-

tually catch your breath. Some-

thing does change inside of you.”

HAVEN DALEY/AP

Keryn Francisco interacts doing math flash cards with her 10­year­old son Reve Francisco in Alameda,Calif., on Tuesday.

Many women left the workforce,now uncertain if they’ll return

Associated Press

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 7

NATION

WASHINGTON — Republi-

cans plan to forcefully oppose

race and diversity curricula —

tapping into a surge of parental

frustration about public schools

— as a core piece of their strategy

in the 2022 midterm elections, a

coordinated effort to supercharge

a message that mobilized right-

leaning voters in Virginia this

week and which Democrats dis-

miss as race-baiting.

Coming out of Tuesday’s elec-

tions, in which Republican Glenn

Youngkin won the governor’s of-

fice after aligning with conserva-

tive parent groups, the GOP sig-

naled that it saw the fight over

teaching about racism as a politi-

cal winner. Indiana Rep. Jim

Banks, chairman of the conserva-

tive House Study Committee, is-

sued a memo suggesting “Repub-

licans can and must become the

party of parents.” House Minority

Leader Kevin McCarthy an-

nounced support for a “Parents’

Bill of Rights” opposing the teach-

ing of “critical race theory,” an

academic framework about sys-

temic racism that has become a

catch-all phrase for teaching

about race in U.S. history.

“Parents are angry at what they

view as inappropriate social engi-

neering in schools and an unre-

sponsive bureaucracy,” said Phil

Cox, a former executive director

of the Republican Governors As-

sociation.

Democrats were wrestling with

how to counter that message.

Some dismissed it, saying it won’t

have much appeal beyond the

GOP’s most conservative base.

Others argued the party ignores

the power of cultural and racially

divisive debates at its peril.

They pointed to Republicans’

use of the “defund the police” slo-

gan to hammer Democrats and

try to alarm white, suburban vot-

ers after the demonstrations

against police brutality and rac-

ism that began in Minneapolis af-

ter the killing of George Floyd.

Some Democrats blame the

phrase, an idea few in the party

actually supported, for contribut-

ing to losses in House races last

year.

If the party can’t find an effec-

tive response, it could lose its nar-

row majorities in both congres-

sional chambers next November.

The debate comes as the racial

justice movement that surged in

2020 was reckoning with losses —

a defeated ballot question on re-

making policing in Minneapolis,

and a series of local elections

where voters turned away from

candidates who were most vocal

about battling institutional rac-

ism.

“This happened because of a

backlash against what happened

last year,” said Bernice King, the

daughter of the late civil rights

leader Rev. Martin Luther King

Jr. who runs Atlanta’s King Cen-

ter.

King warned attempts to roll

back social justice advances are

“not something that we should

sleep on.”

“We have to be constantly vigi-

lant, constantly aware,” she said,

“and collectively apply the neces-

sary pressure where it needs to be

applied to ensure that this nation

continues to progress.”

Banks’ memo included a series

of recommendations on how Re-

publicans aim to mobilize parents

next year, and many touch openly

on race. He proposed banning

federal funding supporting criti-

cal race theory and emphasizing

legislation ensuring schools are

spending money on gifted and tal-

ented and advanced placement

programs “instead of exploding

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

administrators.”

Democrats plan to combat such

efforts by noting that many top

Republicans’ underlying goal is

removing government funding

from public schools and giving it

to private and religious alterna-

tives. They also see the school cul-

ture war squabbles as likely to

alienate most voters since the vast

majority of the nation’s children

attend public schools.

“I think Republicans can, will

continue to try to divide us and

don’t have an answer for real

questions about education,” said

Marshall Cohen, the Democratic

Governors Association’s political

director. “Like their plan to cut

public school funding and give it

to private schools.”

GOP amplifies debate on race, educationAssociated Press

CLIFF OWEN/AP

Then­Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin addresses supporters at a campaign rally inLeesburg, Va., on Monday.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Biden

administration on Thursday sued

Texas over new election laws that

outlasted a summer of dramatic

protests by Democrats, who re-

main unable in Congress to pass

legislation they say is needed to

counteract a year of Republicans

adding restrictive voting mea-

sures nationwide.

The lawsuit does not go after the

entirety of a sweeping bill signed

in September by Republican Gov.

Greg Abbott in Texas, which al-

ready has some of the nation’s

toughest voting rules. Instead, the

challenge filed in a San Antonio

federal court targets provisions

surrounding mail-in voting re-

quirements and voter assistance,

which the Justice Department ar-

gues violate federal civil rights

protections.

It now puts two of the Texas

GOP’s biggest conservative victo-

ries this year in court against the

federal government, as the Justice

Department is simultaneously

trying to stop a new Texas law that

has banned most abortions since

September.

“Our democracy depends on

the right of eligible voters to cast a

ballot and to have that ballot

counted,” Attorney General Mer-

rick Garland said. “The Justice

Department will continue to use

all the authorities at its disposal to

protect this fundamental pillar of

our society.”

Georgia’s new voting laws also

drew a lawsuit this summer from

the Biden administration, which is

under pressure from the Demo-

cratic base to take greater action

on voting rights, a top priority for

the party ahead of the 2022 mid-

term elections. But time is run-

ning out and Senate Republicans

have repeatedly blocked federal

legislation to change election

laws, including another attempt

Wednesday.

Opponents of the Texas law

known as Senate Bill 1 had already

sued the state, accusing Republi-

cans of setting out to disenfran-

chise minorities and other Demo-

cratic-leaning voters. The bill spe-

cifically targets Democratic

strongholds, and was followed by

Abbott weeks later signing new

voting maps that fortify the GOP’s

slipping dominance amid the

state’s explosive growth.

Abbott and other Texas Repub-

licans say the changes provide

safeguards against voter fraud,

which is rare.

“Biden is coming after Texas

for SB1, our recently enacted elec-

tion integrity law,” Republican

Texas Attorney General Ken Pax-

ton tweeted. “It’s a great and a

much-needed bill. Ensuring Tex-

as has safe, secure, and transpar-

ent elections is a top priority of

mine. I will see you in court, Bi-

den!”

Under the new Texas law, peo-

ple assisting voters who need help

completing their ballot must take

a longer oath that now includes ac-

knowledging a penalty of perjury.

It also removes old language about

answering voters’ questions,

which opponents say will harm

voters with disabilities.

Mail-in ballots must also now

include a driver’s license number

or the last four digits of a Social Se-

curity number, which the Justice

Department says raises the

chances of ballots being wrongly

rejected and excluding some eligi-

ble voters.

The law also bans 24-hour poll-

ing locations and drive-thru vot-

ing, which are not contested in the

Justice Department’s lawsuit.

Abbott tweeted “bring it” in re-

sponse to the lawsuit, saying the

new rules are legal. Democrats,

meanwhile, welcomed the chal-

lenge.

“Texas leaders must be held ac-

countable for their blatant abuse

of power in a shameless attempt to

keep themselves in power,” said

Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of

the Texas Democratic Party.

Biden administration sues Texasover its new voting restrictions

BY PAUL J. WEBER

Associated Press

ERIC GAY/AP

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference in Austin,Texas, on June 8.

PAGE 8 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, November 6, 2021

NATION

NEW YORK — New York pros-

ecutors investigating former

President Donald Trump’s busi-

ness dealings have convened a

new grand jury to hear evidence in

the probe as the previous panel’s

term was set to run out, a person

familiar with the matter told The

Associated Press Thursday.

The development comes as the

Manhattan district attorney’s of-

fice is weighing whether to seek

more indictments in a case that

has already resulted in tax fraud

charges against Trump’s compa-

ny, the Trump Organization, and

its longtime CFO Allen Weissel-

berg.

Trump himself remains under

investigation after District Attor-

ney Cyrus Vance Jr. led a multi-

year fight to get access to the Re-

publican’s tax records.

The person was not authorized

to speak publicly and did so on

condition of anonymity. The news

of the new grand jury was first re-

ported by The Washington Post.

The Manhattan DA’s office de-

clined comment. A message seek-

ing comment was left with a

Trump Organization lawyer.

Investigators working for

Vance and New York Attorney

General Letitia James have spent

more than two years looking at

whether the Trump Organization

misled banks or tax officials about

the value of the company’s assets,

inflating them to gain favorable

loan terms or minimizing them to

reap tax savings.

As part of a continuing civil in-

vestigation, James’ office issued

subpoenas to local governments in

November 2019 for records per-

taining to Trump’s estate north of

Manhattan, Seven Springs, and a

tax benefit Trump received for

placing land into a conservation

trust. Vance issued subpoenas

about a year ago seeking many of

the same records.

James’ office has also been look-

ing at similar issues relating to a

Trump office building in New

York City, a hotel in Chicago and a

golf course near Los Angeles. Her

office also won a series of court

rulings forcing Trump’s company

and a law firm it hired to turn over

troves of records.

The New York Times reported

last month that Westchester Dis-

trict Attorney Mimi Rocah had

opened an investigation into

whether the Trump Organization

misled officials to cut taxes for a

golf course.

In the criminal case, Weissel-

berg has pleaded not guilty to

charges he collected more than

$1.7 million in off-the-books com-

pensation, including apartment

rent, car payments and school tui-

tion. Trump’s company was also

charged in the case, which prose-

cutors have described as a

“sweeping and audacious” tax

fraud scheme.

Prosecutors have also been

weighing whether to seek charges

against the company’s chief oper-

ating officer Matthew Calamari

Sr.

According to the indictment,

from 2005 through this year, the

Trump Organization and Weissel-

berg, 74, cheated tax authorities

by conspiring to pay senior exec-

utives off the books by way of lu-

crative fringe benefits and other

means. Weisselberg alone was ac-

cused of defrauding the federal,

state and city governments out of

more than $900,000 in unpaid tax-

es and undeserved tax refunds.

Trump himself was not charged

with any wrongdoing, but prose-

cutors noted he signed some of the

checks at the center of the case.

New grand juryset as Trumpprobe goes on

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK

Associated Press

ALEX BRANDON/AP

President Donald Trump listens during a “National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America’s Schools,”event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020.

WASHINGTON — A Russian

analyst who contributed to a dos-

sier of Democratic-funded re-

search into ties between Russia

and Donald Trump was arrested

Thursday on charges of lying to

the FBI about his sources of infor-

mation, among them a longtime

supporter of Hillary Clinton.

The case against Igor Danchen-

ko is part of special counsel John

Durham’s ongoing investigation

into the origins of the FBI’s probe

into whether Trump’s 2016 cam-

paign and Russia had conspired to

tip the outcome of that year’s pres-

idential campaign.

The indictment, the third crimi-

nal case brought by Durham and

the second in a two-month span, is

likely to boost complaints from

Trump allies that well-connected

Democrats worked behind the

scenes to advance suspicions

about Trump and Russia that con-

tributed to the FBI’s election-year

investigation.

The case does not undercut in-

vestigators’ findings that the

Kremlin aided the Trump cam-

paign — conclusions that were not

based on the dossier, which was

barely mentioned in special coun-

sel Robert Mueller’s report. But

the indictment does endorse a

longstanding concern about the

Russia probe: that opposition re-

search the FBI relied on as it sur-

veilled a Trump campaign adviser

was marred by unsupported, un-

corroborated claims.

The five-count indictment ac-

cuses Danchenko of making mul-

tiple false statements to the FBI

when interviewed in 2017 about

his role in collecting information

for Christopher Steele, a former

British spy whose research into

ties between the Trump campaign

and Russia was financed by Dem-

ocrats.

Danchenko, a U.S.-based Rus-

sian who’d specialized in Russian

and Eurasian matters as an ana-

lyst at Brookings Institution, was a

significant source for Steele as

Steele compiled his dossier of re-

search. That dossier, the target of

intense derision from Trump, was

ultimately provided to the FBI and

used by federal authorities as they

applied for and received surveil-

lance warrants targeting former

Trump campaign aide Carter

Page.

According to the indictment,

Danchenko repeatedly lied to the

FBI about his sources of informa-

tion. Prosecutors say that decep-

tion mattered because the FBI

“devoted substantial resources at-

tempting to investigate and cor-

roborate” the dossier’s allegations

and had “relied in large part” on

that research in obtaining the sur-

veillance warrants.

A lawyer for Danchenko had no

immediate comment.

The indictment says Danchen-

ko misled the FBI by denying that

he had discussed any allegations

in the dossier with a contact of his

who was a public relations execu-

tive and longtime Democratic op-

erative who volunteered for the

campaign of Clinton, Trump’s

2016 opponent.

In fact, the indictment says,

Danchenko had sourced one or

more allegations in the dossier

anonymously to that Clinton asso-

ciate. As the FBI worked to cor-

roborate the dossier’s allegations,

it would have been important to

know the Democrat’s role in feed-

ing information for it because it

bore upon his “reliability, motiva-

tions, and potential bias as a

source,” according to the indict-

ment.

The individual is not named in

court papers, but his lawyer con-

firmed his identity as Charles Do-

lan Jr., a former executive direc-

tor of the Democratic Governors

Association who advised Hillary

Clinton’s 2008 presidential cam-

paign and volunteered for her

2016 campaign. The lawyer, Ralph

Drury Martin, declined to com-

ment further on the ongoing inves-

tigation.

The indictment also accuses

Danchenko of lying to the FBI

about a July 2016 phone call he

claimed he received from some-

one he believed to be the president

of the Russian-American Cham-

ber of Commerce. That person,

according to the dossier and Dan-

chenko’s account to the FBI, told

him about a “well-developed con-

spiracy of co-operation” between

the Trump campaign and Russia

— an assertion that prosecutors

say “would ultimately underpin”

the surveillance warrant applica-

tions.

The indictment says Danchen-

ko fabricated his account and nev-

er actually received such a phone

call.

Analyst who aided Trump-Russia dossier charged with lyingBY ERIC TUCKER

Associated Press

MANUEL BALCE CENETA/AP

Igor Danchenko leaves Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse inAlexandria, Va., on Thursday.

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 9

rupt,” he said, highlighting a perennial

problem of the former government.

It’s a job Ahmadi takes very seriously, but

he and the other health workers in the 20-

bed hospital rarely see eye-to-eye. Doctors

are demanding overdue salary payments

amid critical shortages of medicine, fuel

and food. Ahmadi’s first priority is to build a

mosque inside the hospital quarters, segre-

gate staff by gender and encourage them to

pray. The rest will follow according to the

will of God, he tells them.

The drama in Mirbacha Kot is playing out

across Afghanistan’s health sector since the

Taliban takeover. With power changing

hands overnight, health workers have had

to contend with a difficult adjustment. The

host of problems that preceded the Tali-

ban’s rise were exacerbated.

The U.S. froze Afghan assets in American

accounts shortly after the takeover, in line

with international sanctions, crippling Af-

ghanistan’s banking sector. International

monetary organizations that once funded

75% of state expenditures paused disburse-

ments, precipitating an economic crisis in

the aid-dependent nation.

Health is acutely affected. World Bank al-

locations funded 2,330 out of Afghanistan’s

3,800 medical facilities, including the sala-

ries of health workers, said the Taliban’s

Deputy Health Minister Abdulbari Umer.

Wages had been unpaid for months be-

fore the government collapsed.

“This is the biggest challenge for us.

When we came here there was no money

left,” Umer said. “There is no salary for

staff, no food, no fuel for ambulances and

other machines. There is no medicine for

hospitals; we tried to find some from Qatar,

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, but it’s not

enough.”

In Mirbacha Kot, doctors have not been

paid in five months. Disheartened staff con-

tinue to attend to up to 400 patients a day,

who come from the neighboring six dis-

tricts. Some have general complaints or a

heart condition. Others bring sick babies.

’What can we do? If we don’t want to come

here there’s no other job for us. If there was

another job, nobody can pay us. It’s better to

stay here,” Dr. Gul Nazar said.

Every morning, Ahmadi makes his

rounds. His small frame, topped by a black

turban, is a sharp contrast to the sea of white

coats that routinely rush in and out of the

facility to tend to patients.

The first order of the day is the registra-

tion book. Ahmadi wants every doctor to

sign in and out. It’s a formality most health

workers are too busy to remember, but ne-

glecting it is enough to inspire Ahmadi’s ire.

Second, the mosque: Workers come to the

hospital to take measurements for the pro-

ject and Ahmadi gives them orders.

“We are Muslims, and we have 32 staff

members, and for them, we need a

mosque,” he said.

There are many benefits, he added. Rela-

tives can stay with sick patients overnight,

sleeping in the mosque, as the hospital lacks

extra beds especially during the winter

months. “And this is what is needed the

most,” he said.

Dr. Najla Quami looked on, bewildered.

She, too, has not been paid in months and

routinely complains of medicine shortages

in the maternity ward. They have no pain

medication for expectant mothers. The

pharmacy is stocked only with analgesic

and some antibiotics. Is this the time for a

mosque, she asked.

But Ahmadi said it was the responsibility

of non-governmental organizations to re-

sume their aid programs to finance these

shortages. The money for the mosque will

come from local donations.

His arrival ushered in other sweeping

changes. Men and women were told to stay

in separate wards. Female doctors are for-

bidden to go to the emergency room. Ahma-

di ordered them to wear a head covering

and focus on female patients.

“We can’t go to the other side of the hospi-

tal,” said Dr. Elaha Ibrahimi, 27. “Woman is

woman, man is man, he told us.”

Due to shortages, doctors advise patients

to find medications elsewhere and return.

Ibrahimi said Ahmadi often scrutinizes her

prescriptions.

“He isn’t a doctor, we don’t know why he

is here; we ask ourselves this all the time,”

he said.

But Ahmadi is quick to allege deeply en-

trenched corruption in the hospital under

the former hospital administrator, his pred-

ecessor from the former government.

He said he was aghast to uncover an en-

tire warehouse full of medical equipment,

furniture and other stolen goods to be sold

in the market for personal profit. He could

not offer proof that this was the intention of

the previous administrator.

He sees his job to meticulously ensure

that never happens again, echoing the Tali-

ban’s broader aims for the nation.

Doctors are routinely lambasted by an-

gry patients, most of whom can’t afford to

pay for the life-saving medicines. “All of

them fight with us,” Ibrahimi said.

Staff working the night shift say there is

no food. The power shuts off for hours in the

day with generator fuel quickly running

out.

Quami holds a mobile phone for light as

she makes her way to check on malnour-

ished babies.

“Every doctor here is in a deep depres-

sion,” she said.

Clash: Supervisor alleges corruption as reason for contentious changesFROM PAGE 1

AFGHANISTAN

HOUSTON — When Taliban

fighters hunting for Ahmad

Shoaib Durgee knocked on his

door in Kabul, Afghanistan, he

scrambled to escape with his fam-

ily of six to reunite with his sister

in Sacramento, Calif.

Two months after they were

flown to the U.S., they remain

among 53,200 evacuees held at

Fort Lee, Va., and seven other mil-

itary camps nationwide.

Durgee, 37, who qualified for a

visa because he had worked as a

security guard for American offi-

cials, says he feels fortunate to

have been evacuated to a camp

where he doesn’t have to live in a

tent. But he’s itching to leave mil-

itary housing. After hearing that

those headed to California face

longer waits, he changed his re-

quested destination to Richmond,

Va., where he has friends.

Each afternoon he looked for his

name in Fort Lee’s daily stack of

“departure files,” those selected

for resettlement.

“I ask them, ‘When my turn

comes?’ They say, ‘You will be no-

tified,’” Durgee said recently.

Since the Taliban takeover of

Afghanistan in August, 124,000

people have been evacuated to the

U.S., including 67,000 Afghan al-

lies. Of those Afghans, 10,000 have

been resettled with the help of

nonprofit agencies in communi-

ties across the nation, according to

the Biden administration.

A Biden administration official

attributes the pace of resettlement

to staff shortages, logistics issues

and medical problems, including

a measles outbreak among some

transferred to U.S. camps. Non-

profit agencies tasked with reset-

tling Afghan evacuees say they

have been overwhelmed by the in-

flux.

Government officials say they are

seeking to increase the pace. But

there’s no deadline for resettling

evacuees waiting at the military

camps.

Congress approved $6.3 billion

in added funding in September,

but resettlement agencies said

that has yet to reach them as they

struggle to house evacuees. Most

still wait in the camps, where Bi-

den administration officials said

an additional 30,000 are anticipat-

ed to arrive from Afghanistan dur-

ing the next year.

In September, the administra-

tion announced a pilot program

that would allow groups of at least

five individuals to apply to be-

come “sponsor circles,” helping

Afghan evacuees to resettle for at

least three months. The program

would supplement federal reset-

tlement programs run by nine

agencies nationwide with several

hundred local affiliates.

“We’re trying to prioritize get-

ting those who were on the longest

off the quickest,” said Curtis Ried,

deputy to former Delaware Gov.

Jack Markell, whom Biden ap-

pointed in September to coordi-

nate Afghan resettlement.

Ried said the focus is resettling

Afghans “in a way that’s effective

and sets people up for success.”

Afghan evacuees at the military

camps have already cleared cus-

toms and medical screening, in-

cluding coronavirus testing and

COVID-19 vaccinations. They

have been processed by the non-

profit International Rescue Com-

mittee and their travel has been

arranged by the International Or-

ganization for Migration, a United

Nations affiliate. Before they

leave the camps, Afghans are as-

signed a resettlement agency at

their destination. That agency re-

ceives $1,225 from the federal gov-

ernment for each evacuee’s initial

expenses.

About 3,000 evacuees have left

the camps without waiting for

help from a resettlement group af-

ter they were granted humanitar-

ian parole and vetted, including

Afghan American citizens, green

card and visa holders, and others

with close ties in the U.S., accord-

ing to the administration. In doing

so, these evacuees lose access to

the assistance that would have

been awarded to the resettlement

agency, although they’re still eligi-

ble for food stamps, Medicaid and

other federal aid. With winter

coming, more evacuees — espe-

cially those living in tents — were

debating whether to leave on their

own.

Those who requested to be re-

settled to states and cities that are

already home to many of their fel-

low Afghans — Maryland, Virgin-

ia, Washington and California,

particularly Sacramento — have

faced some of the longest waits.

That’s because U.S. officials have

encouraged them to resettle in

other states to avoid overwhelm-

ing the local resettlement agen-

cies and schools. Some states,

such as Oklahoma, have offered

evacuees incentives such as free

housing (280 Afghan evacuees

have been resettled there, accord-

ing to the Biden administration).

Durgee wanted to leave Fort

Lee on his own for Richmond, but

he couldn’t afford to travel there

with his family. He had left Kabul

with $400, and was down to $200.

He tries to distract his sons, ag-

es 10 and 9, taking them outside to

play in a military tent with toys

and bringing them colored pen-

cils. They drew pictures of Tali-

ban soldiers with guns and repeat-

edly asked whether the Taliban

would kill their grandmother back

in Kabul.

“Mentally, they are not relaxed

here. That hurts me a lot,” Durgee

said.

Recently, he met with military,

State Department and resettle-

ment officials and requested men-

tal health services for evacuees.

An official supervising resettle-

ment at the camp reviewed his

case, found his destination had not

been changed from California to

Virginia, and promised to follow

up. But she didn’t tell him when

his family would be resettled.

And so, they wait in limbo.

CAROLYN COLE, LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Afghan boys wait for French fries at a food cart at a park on Aug. 19 inSacramento. Some were born in Afghanistan. 

More than 53K evacuees yet to be resettled BY MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE

Los Angeles Times (TNS)

PAGE 10 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, November 6, 2021

WORLD

GLASGOW, Scotland — In the fight to

curb climate change, several major coal-

using nations announced steps Thursday to

wean themselves — at times slowly — off of

the heavily polluting fossil fuel.

The pledges to phase out coal come on

top of other promises made at the U.N. cli-

mate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, that the

head of an international energy organiza-

tion said trimmed several tenths of a de-

gree Celsius from projections of future

warming. But outside experts called that

“optimistic.”

Optimism also abounded in relation to

the promises on coal, which has the dirtiest

carbon footprint of the major fuels and is a

significant source of planet-warming emis-

sions.

“Today, I think we can say that the end of

coal is in sight,” said Alok Sharma, who is

chairing the conference of nearly 200 na-

tions, known as COP26.

Critics say that vision is still obscured by

a lot of smoke because several major econo-

mies still have yet to set a date for ending

their dependence on the fuel, including the

United States, China, India and Japan,

which was targeted outside the summit

venue Thursday by protesters clad as ani-

mated characters.

What nations have promised varies.

Some have pledged to quit coal completely

at a future date, while others say they’ll stop

building new plants, and even more, includ-

ing China, are talking about just stopping

the financing of new coal plants abroad.

The British government said pledges of

new or earlier deadlines for ending coal use

came from more than 20 countries includ-

ing Ukraine, Vietnam, South Korea, Indo-

nesia and Chile.

Some came with notable caveats, such as

Indonesia’s request for additional aid be-

fore committing to bring its deadline for-

ward to the 2040s.

Meanwhile, Poland, the second-biggest

user of coal in Europe after Germany, ap-

peared to backtrack on any ambitious new

commitments within hours of the announ-

cement.

“Energy security and the assurances of

jobs is a priority for us,” Anna Moskwa, Po-

land’s minister for climate and environ-

ment, said in a tweet, citing the govern-

ment’s existing plan which “provides for a

departure from hard coal by 2049.” Earlier

in the day, it had seemed that Poland might

bring that deadline forward by at least a

decade.

Campaigners reacted angrily to the ap-

parent U-turn.

“Moskwa has underscored that her gov-

ernment cannot be trusted to sign a post-

card, let alone a responsible climate

pledge,” said Kathrin Gutmann, campaign

director of the group Europe Beyond Coal.

Separately, more than two dozen coun-

tries, cities and companies joined the Pow-

ering Past Coal Alliance, whose members

commit to ending coal use by 2030, for de-

veloped countries, and no later than 2050

for developing ones. Banks that are mem-

bers pledge not to provide loans for the

worst types of coal-fired power plants.

Meanwhile, the United States, Canada,

Denmark and several other nations signed

a different pledge to “prioritize” funding

clean energy over fossil fuel projects

abroad.

While not completely ruling out financial

support for coal-fired power plants, the

countries said they would refrain from any

“new direct public support” for coal except

in limited circumstances.

That move was seen as a significant step

by environmental campaigners, who said

that it could push international lenders to

stop providing loans for new fossil fuel pro-

jects.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of

anonymity to discuss officials’ thinking,

said that while the U.S. hadn’t opted to join

the coal phase-out pledges, its commitment

to a clean energy future was clear. The Bi-

den administration wants to reach 100%

carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035.

Underlining the urgent need for action

on coal, a new analysis by scientists at Glob-

al Carbon Project found emissions from the

fuel increased dramatically in 2021, not just

from pandemic-struck 2020 levels, but

even when compared to pre-pandemic 2019

levels. The world spewed 14.7 billion metric

tons (16.2 billion tons) of carbon dioxide

from coal burning, 5.7% more than last

year, said the group, which tracks annual

carbon pollution.

That was mostly spurred by a dramatic

increase in China, which hit a new peak of

coal emissions this year of 8.4 billion tons of

carbon dioxide, more than half the globe’s

coal emissions, the report said.

Still, experts said the announcement and

others made so far at the summit showed

the growing momentum to ditch coal.

“Today’s commitments will help to shift

whole continents on their journey to phase

out coal,” said Dave Jones of the energy

think tank Ember.

Ukraine, the third-biggest coal consumer

in Europe, is bringing forward its coal

deadline, from 2050 to 2035.

Coal production in Ukraine has already

dropped significantly over the past few

years: From 45 million tons in 2016 to 32

million tons in 2020, according to the Ener-

gy Ministry.

The figures do not include production in

the coal fields of separatist-controlled east-

ern Ukraine, which accounted for about

half of Ukraine’s mines prior to the 2014 up-

rising.

“The progress on coal being shown at

COP26 demonstrates that the conditions

are ripe for a global coal exit,” said Leo Ro-

berts, a senior researcher at the environ-

mental think tank E3G.

“We now need to see the incoming mas-

sive scale-up in clean energy finance made

available quickly to ensure all countries

can confidently move from coal to clean,”

he added.

But some environmental activists said

the commitments didn’t go far enough.

“Emissions from oil and gas already far

outstrip coal and are booming, while coal is

already entering a terminal decline,” said

Murray Worthy of the campaign group

Global Witness. “This is a small step for-

wards when what was needed was a giant

leap.”

The agreements on coal are not part of

the formal negotiations at the U.N. talks in

Glasgow. But British Prime Minister Boris

Johnson, whose country is hosting the con-

ference, had said he wanted to see deals on

coal, cars, trees and cash.

Fatih Birol, head of the International En-

ergy Agency, said Thursday that a new

analysis by the Paris-based body shows

that fully achieving all the emissions-re-

duction pledges made on previous days —

including for the potent greenhouse gas

methane — could allow the world to limit

warning to 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit above

pre-industrial levels.

The goal that countries set at a previous

conference in Paris is to limit temperature

increases to 2.7F. A United Nations analysis

showed that before Glasgow the world was

heading to a 4.9F increase.

Niklas Hohne, of the New Climate Insti-

tute and Climate Action Tracker, called Bi-

rol’s figure “optimistic” and noted it was

based on countries achieving pledges to on-

ly emit what can be absorbed — so called

net-zero plans — when they haven’t yet im-

plemented any actions that would get them

there.

ALASTAIR GRANT/AP

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks on energy at the COP26 U.N.Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Thursday. 

Countries pledge to cut coal, with caveatsBY FRANK JORDANS

AND SETH BORENSTEIN

Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s atom-

ic agency said Friday that its

stockpile of 20% enriched urani-

um has reached over 463 pounds,

the latest defiant move ahead of

upcoming nuclear talks with the

West.

In a report carried by semi-of-

ficial Tasnim and Fars news

agencies, spokesman Behrouz

Kamalvandi said the atomic

agency had produced well be-

yond a 265 pound target for 20%

enriched uranium set by parlia-

ment.

Under the historic 2015 nuclear

deal between Iran and the world

powers, Iran was not meant to en-

rich uranium above 3.67%. En-

riched uranium above 90% can be

used for nuclear weapons.

After months of delays, the Eu-

ropean Union, Iran and the U.S.

announced Wednesday that indi-

rect talks to resuscitate the deal

would resume on Nov. 29 in Vien-

na.

The nuclear deal, known as the

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Ac-

tion, or JCPOA, promises Iran ec-

onomic incentives in exchange

for limits on its nuclear program,

and is meant to prevent Tehran

from developing a nuclear bomb.

Tehran insists its program is

peaceful.

Kamalvandi also said that so

far his agency has also produced

55 pounds of 60% enriched urani-

um, a level that only countries

with nuclear weapons have the

physical capabilities to produce.

The U.S. unilaterally pulled out

of the nuclear deal in 2018 under

then-President Donald Trump,

but Britain, France, Germany,

China and Russia have tried to

preserve the accord.

Tehran’s strategy of deliber-

ately violating the deal is seen as

an attempt to put pressure partic-

ularly on Europe to provide it

with incentives to offset crippling

American sanctions re-imposed

after the U.S. pullout.

On Sept. 15, Iran’s nuclear

chief Mohammad Eslami said

Tehran removed surveillance

cameras belonging to the United

Nation’s nuclear watchdog be-

cause of unfulfilled commitments

by other signatories of the nucle-

ar deal.

U.S. President Joe Biden and

European leaders criticized Teh-

ran last week for what it saw as

accelerated and provocative nu-

clear steps as Iran continues to

enrich uranium to higher levels.

Iran has enriched over 463 pounds of uranium to 20%Associated Press

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 11

AMERICAN ROUNDUP

Drivers warned to watchout for ‘lusty deer’

MO KANSAS CITY —

Police officials and

the AAA auto club are urging

drivers to be especially cautious

this time of year as collisions with

deer become more frequent.

The Kansas City Star reported

that cooler weather and shorter

daylight hours mean it’s breeding

season for deer. Kansas City, Mo.,

police said on Twitter that “lusty

deer” are on the move “and won’t

let your car get in the way of their

quest for loving.”

AAA’s Nick Chabarria said

deer-related crashes rise sharply

in the mid-autumn. In 2020, the

Missouri State Highway Patrol

cited 3,639 crashes involving

deer, killing five people and injur-

ing 348.

Sugar beet harvest couldset a sweet record

MI BAY CITY — The Mi-

chigan sugar beet har-

vest could set a record this year.

Michigan Sugar is anticipating

34 tons per acre from roughly 900

farmers, up from a record of 31.6

tons in 2015, MLive.com reported.

The state’s beet growing area

covers roughly 20 counties and in-

cludes much of the Thumb region.

“Once again, our world-class

growers have done a phenomenal

job caring for their sugar beets

and, with a little help from Mother

Nature, we will now reap the ben-

efits,” executive vice president

Jim Ruhlman said.

“With such a large crop in the

field, harvest will be long, tight

and somewhat unusual,” Ruhl-

man said. “And once the beets are

harvested and piled, then we have

to get them sliced.”

Michigan Sugar was consider-

ing whether to ask growers to

leave some beets in the ground.

Some beaches see recordyear for sea turtle nests

FL FORT LAUDERDALE

— Biologists were taken

by surprise by a record number of

leatherback turtle nests found

along some South Florida beaches

this year.

The 79 nests laid by endan-

gered turtles along beaches in

Broward County this year is near-

ly double the previous record, the

South Florida SunSentinel

reported. The previous record

was 46 in 2012, and the record low

for leatherback nests was 12 in

2017.

“It’s difficult to say why Bro-

ward County saw such an in-

crease in leatherback nesting this

season,” Stephanie Kedzuf, a biol-

ogist for Broward County who

specializes in sea turtles, told the

newspaper.

Kedzuf said she will be curious

to see whether other areas in the

state saw a similar increase.

Leatherbacks, named for their

tough, rubbery skin, typically

crawl onto beaches at night and

dig holes to deposit their eggs in

the sand. They are among the

largest of sea turtles.

Police: Man set homeablaze clearing cobwebs

CO BOULDER — A Col-

orado man was arrest-

ed after investigators said he set

his mother's house on fire while

trying to get rid of cobwebs with a

blowtorch.

The Boulder Daily Camera

reported the 39-year-old man was

taken into custody after Monday's

fire near Longmont. He faces

charges of first-degree arson,

criminal mischief causing $20,000

to $100,000 in damages, posses-

sion of a controlled substance and

violation of a protection order.

No one was injured in the fire.

Investigators said the man ac-

knowledged using a blowtorch to

clear cobwebs in the crawlspace

under the home, and he tried to

put out the fire for an hour by him-

self before calling emergency

crews. The blaze caused about

$100,000 in damages.

Man sentenced for theftof his employer's guns

KY BOWLING GREEN —

A Kentucky man was

sentenced to almost seven years

in federal prison and ordered to

pay restitution after admitting he

stole more than 300 guns from the

pawn shop where he worked.

U.S. District Judge Greg N.

Stivers sentenced Brandon

Wayne Parker, 41, of Horse Cave,

on Wednesday to 82 months and

ordered him to pay $99,588 in res-

titution, federal prosecutors said

in a news release.

Parker was employed by Mas-

ter Pawn in Horse Cave, which is

a federally licensed firearms

dealer. In a plea agreement, Park-

er admitted stealing about 335

firearms from the shop between

November 2016 and August 2018.

He also admitted providing false

information on federal firearms

purchase forms by entering iden-

tification information of legiti-

mate purchasers without their

knowledge, the release said.

Covered bridge damagedagain by large vehicle

VT LYNDON — A covered

bridge in the Vermont

town of Lyndon has been hit and

damaged again by a vehicle that

was too large to pass through the

structure.

A van being carried on a flat-

bed trailer hit the roof structure

boards of the Millers Bridge on

Monday afternoon, the Caledo-

nian Record reported. Three

boards broke off and fell to the

ground. The driver immediately

stopped and backed the truck out

of the bridge before causing more

damage, the newspaper reported.

The contact was again captured

on video by a nearby resident. The

driver got out of the truck, re-

moved the boards from the road

and stayed at the scene, the video

showed. The driver was there

when the police chief drove to the

bridge while returning home.

The town and police chief have

used the resident's video to help

find drivers of vehicles that have

hit and damaged the bridge and

then driven away.

4 properties named tohistoric places register

TN NASHVILLE — A ru-

ral church, a theatre,

an urban house and a former

school in Tennessee have been

added to the National Register of

Historic Places, state officials

said.

Lauderdale High School in Ri-

pley was built in 1912 and it served

as a place where Black children

received instruction during Jim

Crow and segregation, the Ten-

nessee Historical Commission

said. The school also was a civic

and social center before it closed

in 1969.

The once-segregated Dixie

Theatre in Lewisburg was built on

the city’s courthouse square in

1936, officials said. The theatre

closed in 1985 before it reopened

in 1995.

The Daniel Hanley House in

Memphis was built in 1912 and is

an example of an American Four-

square residence. Parker’s Chap-

el Missionary Baptist Church and

Cemetery in Portland includes a

1956 brick church building, a 1970

concrete block fellowship hall,

and a cemetery that dates back to

1885.

Falling tree injures 1,damages 30 cars in lot

CA LOS ANGELES — A

large tree fell in a park-

ing lot near the Greek Theatre on

Wednesday night, injuring one

person and damaging about 30

empty cars, fire officials said.

The estimated 40- to 50-foot

tree fell shortly after 8 p.m. near

the Griffith Park amphitheater. A

35-year-old woman was taken to

the hospital with non-life threat-

ening leg injury, according to a

Fire Department tweet.

There was no immediate word

on what caused the tree to fall.

MATT ROURKE/AP

A cyclist rides along the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail on an autumn afternoon in Lambertville, N.J., on Wednesday.

Happy trails

THE CENSUS

9 The number of wildlife refuges at Lake Between the Lakes NationalRecreation Area that have closed until next year, officials said. Signs or

buoys mark areas closed to activities that include hunting, fishing and boating.The areas will reopen on March 15, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement. The closures provide undisturbed resting and feeding areas for bald eagles,waterfowl and shorebirds. Land Between the Lakes is a 170,000 acre recre-ation area in western Kentucky and Tennessee.

From The Associated Press

MOVIES

When David Lee was growing up in Brooklyn,

his older brother would drag him out of the

house whenever he got the urge to make a

film.

“Spike would say, ‘You gotta come with me. I’m shoot-

ing something,’” says David Lee. “His early impulse was

to document. The ’77 blackout, he went out and filmed.

He would yank me and say, ‘Come on. Come on.’”

In an artistic family (Spike and David’s father, Bill Lee,

is a well-regarded jazz musician who scored several of

Spike’s early films), David took up still photography.

David, four years Spike’s junior, discovered photography

when an upstairs tenant in their family’s brownstone

taught him how to process 35mm black-and-white film.

Spike, meanwhile, was already on his way as a movie

director. And from the beginning, no one had a front-row

seat to the birth and evolution of the master American

filmmaker like David. From Spike’s first feature film,

“She’s Gotta Have It,” and ever since, David has been his

brother’s on-set photographer.

He was there to capture Spike, in a Jackie Robinson

jersey as Mookie in “Do The Right Thing,” in the after-

noon light of a Brooklyn street. He was there to photo-

graph Denzel Washington lounging in the backseat of a

convertible in “Malcolm X.” He was there for some of

Chadwick Boseman’s last moments on film during the

making of “Da 5 Bloods.”

“Spike,” a new retrospective photography book to be

published Nov. 17, is filled with images David shot over

the years, with stills from Spike’s 35-plus films. It even

comes complete with custom typography based on Radio

Raheem’s “LOVE/HATE” brass knuckles from “Do the

Right Thing.” It’s a hefty, glossy compendium of the still-

unfolding career of one of cinema’s most clarion voices.

It’s also an intimate story of family, with siblings on both

sides of the camera: Spike as seen through his brother’s

lens.

“It’s kind of funny when your brother becomes fa-

mous,” David, 60, said in a recent interview. “He’s always

been my brother, but then he’s like a world possession

somehow. People in Fort Greene would always talk to

him as if they knew him.”

And from the start, Spike understood something about

self-promotion. Few filmmakers since Alfred Hitchcock

have made themselves more recognizable to a moviego-

ing public. As the unit photographer whose images are

used in a movie’s marketing, David’s pictures helped

create his brother’s iconography — including those Nike

commercials with Michael Jordan. He fondly remembers

an early trailer for “She’s Gotta Have It” where Spike

sells the movie while hocking tube socks on Fulton Street.

Many images — like that one of Mookie — David can’t

always recall whose idea it was.

“I don’t know if I did it or Spike said, ‘Take a picture of

this or that.’ Spike always had this other awareness of

promoting himself,” said David. “Spike entered the main-

stream on his own terms.”

That included, by way of his production company, 40

Acres and a Mule, far more diverse film sets than were

seen elsewhere in the industry. David recalls Spike bring-

ing lists of Black crew members, including himself, to the

various guilds to get them inducted into unions.

But the 40 Acres crew — many of whom have lasted

since the late ’80s and early ’90s — also included Spike’s

actual family. Their younger sister, Joie Lee, has ap-

peared in at least nine of Spike’s films. Their younger

brother, Cinqué Lee, has had various duties, including

co-writing 1994’s “Crooklyn.” There are, David jokes, no

business school graduates among the Lees.

“From The Beginning I Have Kept It All In The Fam-

ily, Thanks To God For Talent In The Lee Family,” Spike

said in an email.

But why would Lee want a 360-page capstone to a mo-

vie career while still in the midst of it? Just during the

pandemic, Lee has released two features (the Vietnam

war drama “Da 5 Bloods,” the documentary “David By-

rne’s American Utopia”), been president of the Cannes

Film Festival jury and begun prepping a movie musical

about the origins of Viagra. He also, like during the ’77

blackout, documented New York under the first wave of

the pandemic in a short film.

In the book’s first pages, Spike explains: “This Book

Revisits All Da Werk I’ve Put In To Build My Body Of

Work. Film Is A Visual Art Form And That Sense Of My

Storytelling Has Been Somewhat Overlooked. Why Now,

After All These Years? FOLKS BE FORGETTING.”

For David, the book is a moment to reflect on how his

brother’s body of work — once received as so incendiary

by some — has only grown more prescient with time.

When “Do the Right Thing” first debuted, some colum-

nists famously predicted it would incite riots.

“It shouldn’t have seemed revolutionary or such a star-

tling conversation to start. It just really underscored the

difference to me how white people and Black people, very

broadly, view the different attitudes toward race rela-

tions,” says David. “White people seem eternally startled

by Black outrage. It shouldn’t be a new story.”

David doesn’t exclusively shoot Spike’s films. He has

more than 90 credits. During a recent interview, he was

in Pittsburgh for a Netflix film about the civil rights lead-

er Bayard Rustin. And sometimes, their experiences of

the past 35 years vary wildly.

“I’m not sitting there courtside at the Knicks games,”

David says, laughing. “I’m not palling around with the

Obamas.”

But flipping through “Spike” captures a filmmaker’s

journey that starts out like a family photo album. There in

a photograph of Spike’s film school graduation is David

next to him, with a camera slung over his shoulder. That

he’s been along on the ride ever since still astounds Da-

vid.

“There’s so much talent in front of you. It’s like a jazz

trio. I’m in the band!” says David. “So much is laid out for

me to try to capture.”

A careerin picturesSpike Lee is seen through hisbrother’s lens in a new book

BY JAKE COYLE

Associated Press

UNIVERSAL PICTURES/AP

Filmmaker Spike Lee, center right, appears with his brother David Lee, center left, with cast members, including HalleBerry, left, and Wesley Snipes, right, on the set of the 1991 film “Jungle Fever.” A new photography book spanningSpike’s career brings together images shot by David, from the making of “Do the Right Thing” to “Da 5 Bloods.” It’san intimate look at the filmmaker, as seen through his brother’s lens. 

DAVID LEE/AP

Photographer David Lee, brother of filmmaker Spike Lee,appears on the set of the series “Godfather of Harlem.” 

PAGE 12 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, November 6, 2021

MOVIES

By bringing “Eternals” to life,

director Chloé Zhao hopes to

show superheroes come from all

different backgrounds.

The much-anticipated Marvel movie

centers on a diverse team of immortal

warriors who have secretly protected

Earth for 7,000 years.

“We’re telling a story about people that

had been with us since the beginning, and

it’s important that we reflect what the

world looks like globally today as much as

possible,” the Oscar-winning Zhao told the

Daily News.

“But ultimately, our biggest hope is that

you don’t only relate to the people that

look like you or love like you, things like

that, but you actually might even relate to

people that you think you completely dis-

agree with, or that you don’t like, or you

feel has nothing in common with you.”

The movie introduces the Eternals as

guardians instructed by the godlike Celes-

tials to defend humanity against vicious

aliens called Deviants, but to never in-

tervene with other conflicts.

Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek, Richard

Madden, Kumail Nanjiani and Angelina

Jolie star in the film, which hit theaters

Friday.

“Eternals” features multiple milestones

for Marvel’s interconnecting movie uni-

verse. Lauren Ridloff plays the franchise’s

first deaf superhero, while the film depicts

the series’ first same-sex relationship for a

hero, portrayed by Brian Tyree Henry.

“It’s a crazy ride through time and

sometimes space,” Zhao said of the film.

“You meet these incredible 10 new heroes,

and you get to explore the origin of the

(Marvel Cinematic Universe), the mythol-

ogy of the Celestials, and then maybe also

ponder some questions that we have asked

ourselves since the dawn of civilization.”

“Eternals” marks Zhao’s first release

since she won Best Director at the 2021

Academy Awards for her intimate drama

“Nomadland,” making her the second

woman and the first female filmmaker of

color to receive the honor.

It’s also the first action movie directed

by the Chinese-born Zhao, who penned the

film’s screenplay as well.

“For ‘Eternals,’ one thing that’s very

different than ‘Nomandland,’ say, is the

post-production period,” Zhao said.

“With ‘Nomadland,’ I just get on my

laptop and I edit it, and that’s it. There’s

color and sound and stuff like that. But

here, we have about a year and a half,

three days a week, of visual effects meet-

ings. Marvel really encouraged me. Every

single decision, they asked me, ‘What do

you want?’”

Zhao enjoyed building a cast that

aligned with the movie’s characters, who

each boast unique abilities.

“Let’s look for the actor that already has

as much of the character in them as pos-

sible,” Zhao said of her casting process.

“Because I am not the type of director that

is interested in overworking with the ac-

tors, trying to create something complete-

ly separate from them. ... I rely on my cast,

once they’re chosen, to develop the char-

acter and to bring a sense of who they

are.”

The filmmaker relished branching out

into the superhero genre for the first time.

“I hope that we don’t have to be in box-

es,” Zhao said. “We don’t have to stay in

our categories. True progress is when

we’re just ourselves, and we get to make

films that speak to us, not just in terms of

gender and ethnicity and stuff like that,

but also the genre of movies, that we can

do whatever feels authentic and truthful

for us.”

MARVEL STUDIOS/AP

Richard Madden, center, and director Chloé Zhao, right, on the set of “Eternals.” Madden is part of a diverse group of 10 new superheroes that Zhao hopes reflects the real world.

A reflection of the world around usChloé Zhao hopes people will see someone they can relate to in Marvel’s ‘Eternals’

BY PETER SBLENDORIO

New York Daily News “... Our biggest hopeis that you don’t onlyrelate to the peoplethat look like you orlove like you, thingslike that, but youactually might evenrelate to people thatyou think youcompletely disagreewith, or that youdon’t like, or you feelhas nothing incommon with you.”

Cloé Zhao

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 13

from fairly undis-

tinguished robots

to bouncing balls

made up of eye-

balls. Quill’s guns

will overheat if you

continually de-

press the trigger,

but by tapping the

trigger at just the

right moment, he

can pull off a

Gears-of-War-style

active reload,

which adds a rhythmic quality to the gun-

play. On the normal or hard difficulty

level, nailing the reload can often mean

the difference between life and death.

(Speaking of difficulty levels, “Guardians

of the Galaxy” has an array of welcome

accessibility options that allow you to

tweak things — such as the damage dealt

and received by enemies, on the fly. Even

quick-time-events can be automated.)

By pressing the left bumper you can call

up a wheel to access the special moves of

the other Guardians. In noncombat scena-

rios, you can direct individual teammates

to perform tasks for which they are

uniquely equipped. For instance, Groot,

the anthropomorphic-looking tree, can

stretch his limbs over a gap to create a

bridge, while Rocket, the group’s engineer

who insists you don’t think of him as a

bipedal raccoon, can crawl into tiny

Having long ago relinquished

my affinity for Marvel fran-

chises in favor of indie comics,

I wasn’t clamoring to play

Guardians of the Galaxy. Yet, much to my

surprise, I found the Guardians’ rollicking

banter and oscillating group dynamics

nearly irresistible.

Doubtlessly, the ’80s vibe oozing

through the pores of the group’s leader,

and the player’s avatar, Peter Quill, soft-

ened me up. Quill’s love of the ’80s, partic-

ularly its music, aligns with the height of

my own Marvel mania and my fondness

for groups like Mötley Crüe. So, I confess

a certain weakness to the game’s nostalgic

pull, which is grounded in its devilishly

good soundtrack and buddy-movie spirit.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a competent,

if not especially electrifying, action game

that sails along on the back of strong voice

acting and the sheer momentum with

which it introduces new scenes and char-

ismatic characters. Assuming the role of

Quill, players take the Guardians on epi-

sodic missions that see them, among other

things, go to extravagant lengths to pay a

fine, incense a monster collector and

square off against a cult that makes “faith

batteries” by harnessing the energy of

brainwashed people.

Playing as Quill typically finds you

shooting your blasters at enemies ranging

spaces. As for the group’s combat abilities,

it’s not until late in the game, when you

unlock their mega abilities, that the

Guardians really begin to shine.

My favorite of all the mega abilities is

Rocket’s Five Barrell Barrage which sees

him trot out a bulky projectile contraption

that looks fabulously incongruous support-

ed by his small frame. Making plentiful

use of my teammates’ abilities sped fights

along and reinforced the impression that

they were equally engaged on the battle-

field. Usually, my computer-controlled

teammates did an okay job trading light

blows against their adversaries, but more

than a few times throughout the campaign

I’d notice one of them pacing aimlessly for

a short time in the midst of battle as if

wondering where to go next.

There is a moment toward the end of

Guardians of the Galaxy that captures, in

a small way, what I most liked about the

game. After deciding to do a bit of monster

hunting, the crew set their course for the

planet where the dragon-like creature, Fin

Fang Foom, resides. Entering the planet’s

atmosphere, their ship smacks into some

floating debris resulting in mechanical

difficulties. This leads to it grazing the

sides of mountains and skimming the tops

of trees before crashing into the snow.

Catching her breath, Gamora, the

green-skinned warrior known as the dead-

liest woman in the galaxy, starts laughing

and says, “This is us. This is how we

park.” Her quip (which I took as a riff on

Montel Williams’ song, “This is How We

Do It”) causes her crewmates to erupt in

laughter. Then Drax, the colossal warrior

with no ear for irony, says, “We were not

fated to die this day unless, of course, Fin

Fang Foon devours us all!,” which causes

another convulsion of laughter. The scene

makes you feel as if the characters genu-

inely enjoy each other’s company.

The true accomplishment of Guardians

of the Galaxy is that it makes a virtue of its

chattiness, which is the exact opposite of,

say, Ratchet & Clank: A Rift in Time. Go-

ing into it, I never would have thought that

listening to the Guardians address their

ups and downs and hash out their personal

flaws would prove as (if not more) in-

teresting than many of the game’s puzzles

and combat scenarios.

Here is a game where personality is

everything.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Play-

Station 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Online: guardiansofthegalaxy.square-

enix-games.com

A game with big personalityGuardians of the Galaxy’s charisma, banter are nearly irresistible

BY CHRISTOPHER BYRD

Special to The Washington Post

Square Enix photos

If you enjoyed the interplay between, from left, Gamora, Groot, Rocket, Peter Quill and Drax in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films,the video game might just be for you. There’s also plenty of action to be had (right). 

VIDEO GAMES

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

HEALTH & FITNESS

If you’ve been experiencing more

pain in your neck or back recently,

you’re not alone. Research has found

that changes in behavior during the

pandemic, such as more time spent sitting

and less time engaged in physical activity,

has led to more new-onset back pain as

well as more severe chronic back pain. For

example, a September 2021 study involv-

ing 232 telecommunications company

workers found that 39% of the participants

reported stronger pain in their lower back

and 46% in their neck and upper back after

they shifted to working from home during

the pandemic.

The usual suspects are poor ergonomics

while working from home, “pandemic

posture” (bad habits such as slouching at a

desk or table or on the couch), more seden-

tary physical activity patterns (which leads

to deconditioning), not paying attention to

how you perform household tasks (like

loading the dishwasher or taking out the

trash), weight gain (which places more

stress on the spine and throws posture out

of its proper alignment) and increased

levels of stress (which can lead to muscle

tension).

“All of that comes together to make a

worse milieu for back and neck issues,

which are very common,” says Mohamad

Bydon, a professor of neurosurgery at the

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and med-

ical editor of “Back and Neck Health:

Mayo Clinic guide to treating and prevent-

ing back and neck pain.” “Times of stress

are times of increased pain.”

Also, many people are putting in longer

hours while working from home — there

was an average increase of 49 minutes in

the length of the workday early in the pan-

demic, according to research from Har-

vard Business School. And there’s no sign

of that easing up, experts say.

“A lot of people feel like they have to

make up for lost time by doing twice as

much now because we basically lost 2020,”

says Jon Cinkay, a physical therapist and

body mechanics coordinator at the Hospi-

tal for Special Surgery in New York.

But there are other, lesser-known factors

that could be influencing your back pain,

such as your breathing and your vitamin D

levels. Here are some essential strategies

to help prevent or ease flare-ups of neck

and back pain from a variety of sources:

Check your posture during the day:

If you’re sitting in a slouched position for

hours at a time, your chest and abdominal

muscles and your hip flexors will get tight,

while your back and shoulder muscles will

get stretched out, all of which can trigger

back pain and stiffness.

“Some people don’t have the muscle

memory for good posture — but they can

develop that,” says Carol Frey, an orthope-

dic surgeon and co-director of the West

Coast Sports Medicine Foundation. Here’s

how: Wherever you are sitting, pause peri-

odically and adjust your posture so that

your neck is in line with your shoulders,

your shoulders are in line with your hips

and your knees are a little lower than your

hips.

It’s best if you place your feet flat on the

floor, adds Naresh Rao, an osteopathic

primary care sports medicine physician in

New York City. Crossing your legs, he says,

throws your pelvis out of its natural align-

ment, which can lead to low back pain.

When loading the dishwasher or taking

out the trash, avoid twisting motions for

your back’s sake, Cinkay advises: Step

toward what you’re picking up or putting

down and bend from the knees (not the

waist).

Stop looking down at your screen(s):

You’ve probably heard it’s important to

position your computer screen so that it’s

at eye level, even if that means propping it

up on books or shoe boxes. The same is

true if you’re looking at your cellphone or

tablet or even reading a book: It’s best to

raise it to eye level, says Cinkay, because

bending your neck to look down places

increased pressure and strain on the neck

and shoulders. You can either hold the

device level with your face or prop it up on

a stand or against a stack of books.

Tend to your breathing: The pan-

demic has brought us an unparalleled

period of prolonged stress, which may be

contributing to people’s neck and back

pain.

“If someone is stressed, they will have a

certain amount of tension in the upper

back, neck and shoulders,” Rao says.

But there’s another factor at work, ac-

cording to Stacey Pierce-Talsma, an osteo-

pathic physician and associate dean of

academic affairs at the University of New

England College of Osteopathic Medicine

in Biddeford, Maine: shallow breathing.

When stressed, people tend to breathe

from the chest (thoracic breathing) rather

than from the abdomen (diaphragmatic

breathing). Breathing from the chest not

only inhibits the proper exchange of ox-

ygen and carbon dioxide that would help

relieve stress, but it also can place addi-

tional strain on the upper back and neck

muscles, she adds.

That’s why it’s smart to engage in mind-

ful breathing exercises throughout the day,

experts say: Pause what you’re doing for a

few minutes, place your hand on your belly

and inhale deeply through your nose so

that your belly inflates, then exhale slowly

through your mouth, letting your belly

deflate.

Take regular movement breaks:

Experts recommend setting a timer on

your computer or watch to signal you every

one to two hours to get up and move. Walk

around your home or outside. Do some

gentle stretches for your hip flexors (with

lunges or pigeon pose), your back (with

child’s pose), your neck (tucking your chin

to your chest) and other stiff areas. Streng-

then your core, which will help prevent

back pain, with planks, abdominal curls

and moves like bird dog and Superman.

Doing a short yoga workout can help, too,

according to a study in last month’s issue of

the journal Human Factors. When people

who switched to telework during the pan-

demic did a 10-minute daily yoga routine

that was made available through an online

platform, they experienced significant

reductions in their head, neck and back

discomfort and improvements in their

moods after a month.

Get good sleep, and with the right

pillow: “During sleep, the body rehabil-

itates itself and repair processes occur that

are fundamental to good pain manage-

ment,” says Bydon, so get enough shut-eye.

It’s also important to consider your sleep

position, he says. “If you sleep on your

back, use a relatively flat pillow so that

your neck is in a relatively neutral position,

not too extended or flexed.”

If you tend to sleep on your side, it’s

better to have a pillow with a bit more

cushion to keep your neck in the optimal

position. Sleeping on your stomach is not

recommended because it throws your

spine out of its natural alignment, which

can lead to back or neck pain.

Get enough vitamin D: “We are see-

ing more vitamin D deficiency, which can

weaken bone health and contribute to

worsening neck and back pain,” Bydon

says. Research has linked low vitamin D

with greater pain levels.

Being overweight is another risk factor

for back pain, so if you’re both carrying

pandemic pounds and deficient in vitamin

D, you may have a greater chance of devel-

oping back pain.

The good news: A study in a 2019 issue of

the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and

Molecular Biology found that when over-

weight adults with vitamin D deficiency

took daily vitamin D supplements for 16

weeks, those with vitamin D levels under

30 nmol/L at baseline experienced greater

reductions in their back pain disability

after vitamin D supplementation, com-

pared with those who were given a place-

bo.

If you have back pain, Bydon recom-

mends having your vitamin D level

checked and, if it’s low, taking calcium and

vitamin D supplements. You can also in-

crease your intake of vitamin D by con-

suming fortified milk and fatty fish (such

as trout and salmon) and by taking a daily

walk in the sunlight, which helps the skin

synthesize vitamin D.

iStock

A shift in pandemic posture Experts identify some lesser-known culprits of neck and back pain, offer anumber of essential strategies to prevent or ease flare-ups when they occur

BY STACY COLINO

Special to The Washington Post

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 15

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

Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher

Lt. Col. Marci Hoffman, Europe commander

John Rodriguez, Europe chief of staff

Lt. Col. Michael Kerschbaum, Pacific commander

Michael Ryan, Pacific chief of staff

EDITORIAL

Terry Leonard, Editorleonard.terry@stripes.com

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Sean Moores, Managing Editor for Presentationmoores.sean@stripes.com

BUREAU STAFF

Europe/MideastErik Slavin, Europe & Mideast Bureau Chiefslavin.erik@stripes.com

+49(0)631.3615.9350; DSN (314)583.9350

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OPINION

Ilive in a place that supposedly no longer

exists: bipartisan America. Over the

past half century, the powers that be

have steadily redrawn congressional

districts to make them more partisan, and

therefore easier to win. At the expense of good

government, Republican districts have been

packed with more Republicans, while Demo-

cratic districts have been stuffed with more

Democrats. Truly purple districts are a van-

ishing phenomenon. Let me tell you about

mine.

The Kansas 3rd Congressional District cov-

ers the western side of metropolitan Kansas

City. It’s purple not because everyone who

lives here holds moderate views. It’s purple

because we have a genuine diversity of views,

arising from a wide diversity of life experienc-

es. The district has wealthy enclaves and im-

poverished zones; working-class neighbor-

hoods and McMansion suburbs; yoga studios,

gun ranges and megachurches. A Democrat

held the seat when I moved here in 2007 —

Dennis Moore, who retired in 2011 and died on

Nov. 2 after a long illness. Later, a Republican

had it for eight years. Now, we have a Demo-

crat again.

New districts are being drawn, and I regret

to report that the single-party trend continues.

We seem destined to have even fewer compet-

itive districts, and thus fewer elected officials

speaking for the middle.

That’s too bad, because the mood in the

United States would be lighter if there were

more places like the Kansas 3rd. You might

think a competitive district would be a place of

constant political strife — but no. Living

around people who think differently turns out

to be a bit of a balm. Especially now, as the

country marks a full year since the 2020 elec-

tion. Elsewhere, the nation is tied in knots over

2020. Here, not so much.

For instance: Some of my best friends in the

district are Republicans, but I don’t hear a lot

of wild claims from them about election fraud.

People in the Kansas 3rd know perfectly well

what happened with Donald Trump last year.

He got to people like no one else in memory.

He persuaded people to vote for him in record

numbers — and fired up even more voters ea-

ger to be rid of him. Simple.

In solidly Republican districts, people say

things like: How could Joe Biden win? I don’t

know anyone who voted for him. Something’s

fishy here! I don’t hear that sort of thing in my

purple district. Just about every Republican

knows people who voted for Biden, including

a fair number of their fellow Republicans.

Neither the turnout nor the result surprised

many.

I also have a lot of swell friends who are

Democrats, and they, too, are clear-eyed

about what happened a year ago. Apart from

ousting Trump, their party had a lousy elec-

tion. They lost seats in Congress, barely

squeaked out a 50-50 Senate and put a semi-

retired old plow horse in the White House.

In solidly Democratic districts, people say

things like: Democrats control the entire gov-

ernment. We must pass a once-in-a-lifetime

progressive agenda — or democracy is mea-

ningless! I don’t hear that around here. Nearly

every Democrat in the Kansas 3rd knows that

people are leery of the Bernie Sanders left, in-

cluding a number of their fellow Democrats.

Just look at our member of Congress. Rep.

Sharice Davids is a lesbian woman of color —

specifically, Native American (intersections

in Kansas: surprised?). But you won’t find her

in a team photo of “the Squad.” Instead, Da-

vids was recently seen working with a Repub-

lican colleague on a zero-cost bill that might

save lives. The proposed Kelsey Smith Act

would require cellphone providers to ping

missing people and disclose their where-

abouts in emergencies. It’s named for a young

woman who was abducted, raped and mur-

dered, and whose body was missing for days

while her provider refused to hand over infor-

mation that would have helped law enforce-

ment locate her.

In single-party echo chambers, it feels as if

all reasonable people agree — except for the

alien Other Side, bent on subversion. It stands

to reason that representative government

ought to be government that agrees with Us.

By contrast, in the last remaining purple

districts, people understand that a truly repre-

sentative government is one that struggles to

reflect the entire population. No party or fac-

tion wins all the time. No platform or agenda is

entirely adopted. No one is shocked to lose an

election. No one gets overconfident when they

win. Here, we scratch our heads over a Re-

publican Party lost in a fever dream of elec-

tion fraud that never happened, and cringe as

Washington Democrats form a circular firing

squad over a pie-in-the-sky agenda that they

never had the votes to pass. We fear that a year

from now we’ll reach another Election Day to

find, again, little to like from either Team Red

or Team Blue.

There’s a better way, if only Americans

could embrace it. The color purple.

What it’s like to live in shrinking bipartisan AmericaBY DAVID VON DREHLE

The Washington Post

Washington Post columnist David Von Drehle is the author of“Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America’s MostPerilous Year.”

Today the USA is being asked to stop

using one of our God-given treasur-

es — our natural resources that pro-

duce energy, the driving force to

our economic engine. Who is asking us to do

this? Countries led by European nations that

do not have a significant number of energy-

producing natural resources of their own.

Hmm.

America has been blessed with rich soil and

natural resources that can produce a variety

of delicious foods and energy, respectively.

We should be most thankful.

When I was in Congress, if they had been

polled, I think many Americans would have

held the belief that God determines the tem-

perature for all parts of the world. Starting in

1997 with the Kyoto Protocol, a new industry/

movement developed predicated on the claim

that man can significantly and dramatically

affect the temperature or weather.

Republicans do believe in science and do

believe in protecting our environment. We all

believe and understand that man can cause

problems to our environment — air pollution,

smog, toxic landfills, oil spills and their envi-

ronmental impact, fouled rivers and oceans,

tainted drinking water, are all evidence of

man-made problems that, to a degree, we

have solved. But the other side, I would face-

tiously say, would probably profess that the

floods that Noah had to deal with were caused

by global warming. And the parting of the Red

Sea, the destruction of Gomorrah, and I could

go on, were all likely caused by man. They

would be right to a degree. As a devout Chris-

tian, however, I would believe it has more to

do with the acts of man toward his fellow man

that caused those things to occur.

To not use the God-given resources that

have helped to make our nation great and pro-

vided millions of jobs seems irrational. It

would be like playing a game of cards and

turning in all your aces because people and

countries that lack aces have convinced you

that aces are evil. The outcome? We lose if oth-

er countries fail to give up their aces.

Leaders from a couple of the biggest pro-

ducers of greenhouse gas emissions, China,

and Russia, decided not to attend the latest big

climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. What

message does that send? Without a truly dedi-

cated China, Russia, India, Brazil and other

large industrialized countries alongside the

United States, the desired climate change ob-

jectives cannot be met.

The willingness to spend hundreds of bil-

lions of dollars to alter the nation’s economy is

a huge gamble when you can neither control

the actions of other countries nor establish an

enforcement mechanism to penalize those

countries that fail to develop and implement a

realistic plan to get to net zero emissions by a

certain date.

Since the signing of the Paris Accord in

2015, the grade the accord would likely get

from objective observers of the first five years

would be an F for failure. Yet, the Build Back

Better plan would seek to spend a half-trillion

dollars partially via corporate welfare spend-

ing toward the goal of fighting climate change

by seeking to phase out fossil fuels and estab-

lish new means to produce much-needed en-

ergy for Americans. We cannot forget the fed-

erally funded and botched $570 million re-

newable Solyndra energy investment made

when President Joe Biden was vice president.

During 2019 and 2020, America became a

net energy exporter, but now we are begging

other nations for fossil fuels and crude oil as

prices at the pump soar.

On energy, we should be all in. We should

not try to destroy or kill our fossil fuels indus-

tries. We should implore them to do better as

they have over the decades. They should con-

tinue to keep and increase nuclear and hydro-

power. We have been doing both for decades

without the Build Back Better plan.

There are zero carbon emissions in nuclear

energy. It is the largest source of clean power

in the country, and it already supplies more

than half of the nation’s emission-free elec-

tricity. Here too, we need to make improve-

ments and keep their cost down while speed-

ing up the construction of smaller nuclear-

production systems.

We are America. We do not need to follow

those whose agendas may not be in accord

with promoting America’s greatness. And we

must not give China, or any other nation, any

competitive advantage. We are not so good

that we can win with one hand tied behind our

backs. We are number one in the world in the

production of energy, and nothing should be

allowed to remove us from that position.

It is not logical for US to give up its energy advantageBY GARY FRANKS

Tribune News Service

Gary Franks served three terms as U.S. representative forConnecticut’s 5th District. He hosts the podcast “We SpeakFrankly” and is the author of “With God, For God, and ForCountry.”

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 17

ACROSS

1 Roe provider

5 Sgts.’ charges

9 Faux —

12 Casual shirt

13 Sister of Rachel

14 Magic,on

scoreboards

15 Nullify

16 Prefix with

dynamic

17 “Chandelier”

singer

18 Beloved

19 Secret-

protecting doc.

20 “Pow!”

21 Mao — -tung

23 Monk’s title

25 Small porches

28 Brennan of

“Clue”

32 Throng

33 Forest clearing

34 “— Funk”

36 Jacuzzi

37 Sugary suffix

38 Granada gold

39 Scoff

42 Dallas sch.

44 Kristen of

“Bridesmaids”

48 Director

DuVernay

49 Sch. supporters

50 Me, myself —

51 USO patrons

52 Editing mark

53 Cask sediment

54 Devious

55 Waller or Domino

56 Aspiring

atty.’s exam

DOWN

1 Tater

2 Sharpen

3 Emmy winner

Alan

4 One way to sell

5 Runway sights

6 Nourish

7 Wine vessel

8 HBO rival

9 Ritzy

10 Met solo

11 Bridge coup

20 Carpet variety

22 Jets forth

24 Severity

25 Moo — pork

26 Surpass

27 Scrap

29 “Dig in!”

30 Sch. URL ender

31 Kan. neighbor

35 Lipton rival

36 Zodiac divisions

39 Binges

40 Satan’s forte

41 Relaxed

43 Beer ingredient

45 Supermodel

Sastre

46 Notion

47 Heart of the

matter

49 Adobe file format

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, November 6, 2021

SCOREBOARD

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Thursday’s scoresEAST

Morgan St. 20, Delaware St. 14SOUTH

Louisiana-Lafayette 21, Georgia St. 17

Schedule Saturday’s games

EASTMerrimack (4-4) at Wagner (0-8)Bryant (5-3) at CCSU (2-6)Stony Brook (3-5) at Maine (4-4)Kennesaw St. (7-1) at Robert Morris (3-4)Duquesne (4-3) at LIU Brooklyn (2-5)Sacred Heart (5-3) at St. Francis (Pa.)

(4-4)Drake (2-6) at Marist (3-4)Yale (4-3) at Brown (2-5)Fordham (5-3) at Georgetown (2-5)Lafayette (3-5) at Holy Cross (6-2)New Hampshire (3-5) at Albany (NY)

(0-8)North Alabama (2-6) at Monmouth (NJ)

(5-3)Cornell (1-6) at Penn (3-4)Lehigh (0-8) at Bucknell (1-7)William & Mary (6-2) at Delaware (4-4)Harvard (5-2) at Columbia (5-2)Penn St. (5-3) at Maryland (5-3)Oklahoma St. (7-1) at West Virginia (4-4)Wisconsin (5-3) at Rutgers (4-4)Rhode Island (5-3) at Umass (1-7)

SOUTHLiberty (7-2) at Mississippi (6-2)Wake Forest (8-0) at North Carolina (4-4)SMU (7-1) at Memphis (4-4)Louisiana Tech (2-6) at UAB (5-3)Pittsburgh (6-2) at Duke (3-5)Alcorn St. (5-3) at Bethune-Cookman

(0-8)Missouri (4-4) at Georgia (8-0)Georgia Tech (3-5) at Miami (4-4)St. Thomas (Minn.) (5-2) at Davidson

(6-1)Dayton (4-4) at Stetson (4-4)VMI (6-2) at ETSU (7-1)Nicholls (4-4) at McNeese St. (3-5)Gardner-Webb (3-5) at Hampton (3-5)NC A&T (3-5) at Charleston Southern

(3-4)Chattanooga (5-3) at Wofford (1-7)Tennessee Tech (3-5) at Murray St. (3-5)Towson (4-4) at Richmond (3-5)MVSU (2-6) at Alabama A&M (4-3)Furman (4-4) at W. Carolina (2-6)Howard (2-6) at SC State (4-4)Villanova (6-2) at Elon (4-4)Abilene Christian (4-4) at Jacksonville

St. (3-5)Texas Southern (3-5) at Jackson St. (7-1)Norfolk St. (6-2) at NC Central (3-5)North Texas (2-6) at Southern Miss. (1-7)E. Illinois (1-8) at Austin Peay (3-5)The Citadel (2-6) at Samford (3-5)Tennessee St. (5-3) at UT Martin (7-1)Temple (3-5) at East Carolina (4-4)Middle Tennessee (4-4) at W. Kentucky

(4-4)South Alabama (5-3) at Troy (4-4)Campbell (3-5) at James Madison (7-1)Rice (3-5) at Charlotte (4-4)Houston Baptist (0-8) at Northwestern

St. (1-7)NC State (6-2) at Florida St. (3-5)Tulane (1-7) at UCF (5-3)Marshall (5-3) at FAU (5-3)Coastal Carolina (7-1) at Georgia South-

ern (2-6)LSU (4-4) at Alabama (7-1)Florida A&M (6-2) at Southern U. (4-4)Tennessee (4-4) at Kentucky (6-2)Old Dominion (2-6) at FIU (1-7)Clemson (5-3) at Louisville (4-4)Florida (4-4) at South Carolina (4-4)Houston (7-1) at South Florida (2-6)

MIDWESTKansas St. (5-3) at Kansas (1-7)Ohio St. (7-1) at Nebraska (3-6)Illinois (3-6) at Minnesota (6-2)N. Iowa (5-3) at Illinois St. (3-5)Youngstown St. (2-5) at North Dakota

(3-5)South Dakota (5-3) at W. Illinois (2-7)Missouri St. (5-3) at S. Illinois (6-2)Presbyterian (2-6) at Valparaiso (2-6)N. Dakota St. (8-0) at S. Dakota St. (6-2)Navy (2-6) at Notre Dame (7-1)Tulsa (3-5) at Cincinnati (8-0)Michigan St. (8-0) at Purdue (5-3)Iowa (6-2) at Northwestern (3-5)Indiana (2-6) at Michigan (7-1)Texas (4-4) at Iowa St. (5-3)

SOUTHWESTDixie St. (0-8) at Sam Houston St. (7-0)Appalachian St. (6-2) at Arkansas St. (1-7)SE Louisiana (7-1) at Incarnate Word

(6-2)Alabama St. (3-4) at Prairie View (6-1)Louisiana-Monroe (4-4) at Texas State

(2-6)Grambling St. (3-5) at Ark.-Pine Bluff (1-7)Auburn (6-2) at Texas A&M (6-2)Baylor (7-1) at TCU (3-5)Mississippi St. (5-3) at Arkansas (5-3)E. Kentucky (6-2) at Stephen F. Austin

(5-3)Texas Wesleyan (0-0) at Cent. Arkansas

(4-4)Lamar (2-6) at Tarleton St. (4-4)UTSA (8-0) at UTEP (6-2)

FAR WESTAir Force (6-2) vs. Army (4-3) at Arling-

ton, TexasMontana (6-2) at N. Colorado (3-6)California (3-5) at Arizona (0-8)Portland St. (4-4) at Weber St. (4-4)Idaho St. (1-7) at BYU (7-2)Colorado St. (3-5) at Wyoming (4-4)UC Davis (7-1) at N. Arizona (4-4)S. Utah (1-8) at Idaho (2-6)Morehead St. (5-3) at San Diego (5-4)Utah St. (6-2) at New Mexico St. (1-7)Montana St. (7-1) at E. Washington (7-1)UNLV (0-8) at New Mexico (3-5)Boise St. (4-4) at Fresno St. (7-2)Oregon St. (5-3) at Colorado (2-6)Oregon (7-1) at Washington (4-4)Cal Poly (1-7) at Sacramento St. (6-2)San Jose St. (5-4) at Nevada (6-2)Southern Cal (4-4) at Arizona St. (5-3)San Diego St. (7-1) at Hawaii (4-5)

NFL injury reportNEW YORK — The National Football

League injury report, as provided by theleague (DNP: did not practice; LIMITED:limited participation; FULL: Full participa-tion):

SUNDAYARIZONA CARDINALS at SAN FRANCISCO

49ERS — ARIZONA: DNP: WR DeAndre Hop-kins (hamstring), QB Kyler Murray (ankle),RB Jonathan Ward (concussion), DE J.J.Watt (shoulder), S James Wiggins (knee),DT Rashard Lawrence (calf). LIMITED: ILBZaven Collins (shoulder), RB Chase Ed-monds (shoulder), OL Max Garcia(achilles), OL Justin Pugh (calf). SANFRANCISCO: DNP: DL Maurice Hurst (calf),DB Jimmie Ward (quadricep). LIMITED: RBElijah Mitchell (rib), WR Deebo Samuel(calf), T Trent Williams (ankle). FULL: LBAzeez Al-Shaair (concussion), DL Dee Ford(concussion), LB Marcell Harris (thumb).

ATLANTA FALCONS at NEW ORLEANSSAINTS — ATLANTA: FULL: CB Avery Wil-liams (hamstring), DB A.J. Terrell (concus-sion). NEW ORLEANS: DNP: G/T AndrusPeat (pectoral), RB Dwayne Washington(neck), QB Taysom Hill (concussion), DEPayton Turner (calf). LIMITED: WR/RS De-onte Harris (hamstring). FULL: DB Mar-shon Lattimore (hand).

BUFFALO BILLS at JACKSONVILLE JAG-UARS — BUFFALO: DNP: WR Cole Beasley(ribs), OT Spencer Brown (back), G Jon Fel-iciano (calf), TE Dawson Knox (hand), DTStar Lotulelei (veteran rest), S JordanPoyer (shoulder), WR Emmanuel Sanders(veteran rest). JACKSONVILLE: DNP: RBJames Robinson (heel). LIMITED: LB Dako-ta Allen (ankle). FULL: DB Tyson Campbell(toe), DT DaVon Hamilton (shoulder), RBCarlos Hyde (calf), OL Ben Bartch (illness).

CLEVELAND BROWNS at CINCINNATIBENGALS — CLEVELAND: DNP: WR OdellBeckham (shoulder/NIR-personal), DE Ja-deveon Clowney (ankle/knee/hip), T JackConklin (elbow), C JC Tretter (knee). LIM-ITED: TE Harrison Bryant (thigh), CB A.J.Green (groin), DE Malik Jackson (ankle), SJohn Johnson (neck), WR Jarvis Landry(knee), DT Malik McDowell (illness), WRDonovan Peoples-Jones (groin), CB DenzelWard (hamstring), T Jedrick Wills (ankle).FULL: DE Joe Jackson (shoulder), QB BakerMayfield (left shoulder), DE TakkaristMcKinley (groin), TE David Njoku (neck).CINCINNATI: LIMITED: HB Chris Evans(hamstring), C Trey Hopkins (knee), DECam Sample (knee), WR Auden Tate(thigh). FULL: G Jackson Carman (back).

DENVER BRONCOS at DALLAS COWBOYS— DENVER: DNP: T Garett Bolles (ankle).LIMITED: S Caden Sterns (shoulder), CBRonald Darby (shoulder), TE Albert Ok-wuegbunam (knee), DL Mike Purcell(thumb), G Graham Glasgow (hip), OLBMalik Reed (hip). FULL: S Jamar Johnson(quadricep), DE Dre'Mont Jones (hip), DLDeShawn Williams (ankle), DE Shelby Har-ris (wrist). DALLAS: DNP: TE Blake Jarwin(hip), WR CeeDee Lamb (ankle), T TyronSmith (ankle). LIMITED: WR Amari Cooper(hamstring). FULL: DE Dorance Armstrong(ankle), CB Trevon Diggs (ankle), TE SeanMcKeon (ankle), QB Dak Prescott (calf), SDonovan Wilson (groin).

GREEN BAY PACKERS at KANSAS CITYCHIEFS — GREEN BAY: DNP: DL KingsleyKeke (concussion), TE Marcedes Lewis(NIR). LIMITED: T Dennis Kelly (back), DLDean Lowry (hamstring). FULL: TE JosiahDequara (finger), DL Jack Heflin (illness),CB Kevin King (shoulder/back). KANSASCITY: DNP: T Mike Remmers (knee), FULL:DT Chris Jones (back/wrist), FB MichaelBurton (pectoral), WR Tyreek Hill (ankle),LB Anthony Hitchens (tricep), TE TravisKelce (neck), DT Derrick Nnadi (hip), DTKhalen Saunders (knee), CB L'Jarius Sneed(wrist), OL Joe Thuney (hand), LB/DE Mel-vin Ingram (groin).

HOUSTON TEXANS at MIAMI DOLPHINS— HOUSTON: DNP: TE Pharaoh Brown(thigh), LB Christian Kirksey (thumb), LBHardy Nickerson (concussion), QB Desh-aun Watson (NIR). LIMITED: TE Brevin Jor-dan (ankle), DL Jacob Martin (knee), OL

Justin McCray (ankle), LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (illness). FULL RB Rex Burkhead(hip), WR Chris Conley (calf). MIAMI: LIM-ITED: LB Jerome Baker (knee), S BrandonJones (ankle), WR DeVante Parker (shoul-der/hamstring), QB Tua Tagovailoa (ribs/left finger). FULL: C Greg Mancz (groin), LBJaelan Philips (ankle).

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS at NEW YORK GI-ANTS — LAS VEGAS: FULL: DT JonathanHankins (neck), G John Simpson (knee).NEW YORK: DNP: FB Saquon Barkley (an-kle/COVID protocol), RB Gary Brightwell(COVID protocol), LB Lorenzo Carter (an-kle), DB Nate Ebner (ankle), DB XavierMcKinney (COVID protocol), WR DantePettis (shoulder), TE Kyle Rudolph (NIR-personal), WR Sterling Shepard (quadri-cep). LIMITED: WR Kenny Golladay (knee),WR John Ross (quadricep), TE KadenSmith (knee), WR Kadarius Toney(thumb). FULL: OL Matt Skura (cleared CO-VID protocol).

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS at PHILADEL-PHIA EAGLES — LOS ANGELES CHARGERS:DNP: CB Michael Davis (hamstring), S Alo-hi Gilman (ankle), RB Justin Jackson (qua-dricep), CB Asante Samuel (concussion).FULL: RB Austin Ekeler (hip), QB JustinHerbert (right hand), LB Drue Tranquill(chest). PHILADELPHIA: DNP: WR J.J. Arce-ga-Whiteside (ankle). LIMITED: DT Fletch-er Cox (knee/rest), T/G Jack Driscoll(thumb), DT Javon Hargrave (shoulder),CB Zech McPhearson (hamstring), WR Ja-len Reagor (ankle). FULL: LB Shaun Bra-dley (shoulder), S Anthony Harris (hands/groin), T Lane Johnson (rest), C JasonKelce (rest), T Jordan Mallata (elbow).

MINNESOTA VIKINGS at BALTIMORERAVENS — MINNESOTA: DNP: DT MichaelPierce (elbow). LIMITED: LB Anthony Barr(knee), CB Cameron Dantzler (ankle), DTJames Lynch (toe). FULL: WR Dede West-brook (ankle). BALTIMORE: DNP: QB TylerHuntley (illness), OL Patrick Mekari (an-kle), RB Latavius Murray (ankle), NT Bran-don Williams (shoulder), DB Jimmy Smith(NIR-rest), T Alejandro Villanueva (NIR-rest). LIMITED: WR Sammy Watkins(thigh).

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS at CAROLINAPANTHERS — NEW ENGLAND: DNP: CB J.C.Jackson (illness). LIMITED: DT ChristianBarmore (foot), LB Ja'Whaun Bentley(ribs), DL Carl Davis (hand), S Cody Davis(hand), S Kyle Dugger (neck), K Nick Folk(left knee), LB Dont'a Hightower (ankle), GShaq Mason (abdomen), TE Jonnu Smith(shoulder), LB Josh Uche (shoulder), LBKyle Van Noy (groin). CAROLINA: DNP: CBStanley Thomas-Oliver (toe). LIMITED: QBSam Darnold (concussion/right shoul-der). FULL: LB Jermaine Carter (ankle), GPat Elflein (hamstring), T Cam Erving(knee), CB Stephon Gilmore (quadricep),DB CJ Henderson (shoulder), C Matt Para-dis (knee), LB Shaq Thompson (foot).

TENNESSEE TITANS at LOS ANGELESRAMS — TENNESSEE: DNP: FB Khari Blasin-game (knee), G Nate Davis (concussion),LB Rashaan Evans (ankle), CB Chris Jack-son (foot), CB Greg Mabin (ankle), DT Jef-fery Simmons (ankle). LIMITED: FB ToryCarter (shoulder), LB Bud Dupree (knee),WR Julio Jones (hamstring), LB HaroldLandry (hamstring), T Taylor Lewan(knee), LB Monty Rice (knee). FULL: S DaneCruikshank (concussion), T Kendall Lamm(back), DT Teair Tart (groin). LOS AN-GELES: DNP: WR Robert Woods (foot), QBMatthew Stafford (back). LIMITED: OL An-drew Whitworth (rest), DL Sebastian Jo-seph-Day (chest), LB Von Miller (ankle), CBJalen Ramsey (rest/knee), FULL: DL BobbyBrown III (not injury related), WR CooperKupp (rest), TE Brycen Hopkins (illness).

MONDAYCHICAGO BEARS at PITTSBURGH STEEL-

ERS — CHICAGO: DNP: QB Nick Foles (NIR-personal), TE J.P. Holtz (concussion), DBEddie Jackson (hamstring), LB Khalil Mack(foot), LB Alec Ogletree (ankle), RB Da-mien Williams (knee). PITTSBURGH: DNP:TE Eric Ebron (ankle). LIMITED: QB BenRothlisberger (pectoral/hip), K Chris Bos-well (concussion), OL B.J. Finney (back),DT Cam Heyward (ankle).

PRO FOOTBALL

Thursday’s transactionsBASEBALL

Major League BaseballAmerican League

BOSTON RED SOX — INF/OF Kyle Schwar-ber declined mutual option.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS — Exercised 2022mutual option on LHP Andrew Chafin andannounced Chafin declined 2022 mutualoption. Declined 2022 option on LHP JacobDiekman.

NEW YORK YANKEES — Declined optionon OF Brett Gardner and RHP DarrenO’Day.

National LeagueARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Exercised

their 2022 option for RHP Merrill Kelly anddeclined the option for OF Kole Calhounand RHP Tyler Clippard.

ATLANTA BRAVES — OF Joc Pedersondeclined mutual option.

CINCINNATI REDS — Activated RHPs Te-jay Antone and Brandon Bailey and CF NickSenzel from the 60-day IL. Sent 1B AlexBlandino outright to Louisville (Triple-AEast). Announced OF Nick Castellanos hasterminated his contract.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — OF Avisail Gar-cia declined mutual option.

NEW YORK METS — Declined mutual op-tion on OF Kevin Pillar, who also declined.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Announcedthe retirement of C Buster Posey.

FOOTBALLNational Football League

ARIZONA CARDINALS — Designated OLJustin Murray for return from injured re-serve.

ATLANTA FALCONS — Signed LB DorianEtheridge to the practice squad.

CHICAGO BEARS — Designated RB DavidMontgomery to return from injured re-serve.

CINCINNATI BENGALS — Claimed CB Ver-non Hargreaves III from Houston waivers.Activated OT Hakeem Adeniki to the ac-tive roster from reserve/NFI injury list.Waived DE Darius Hodge and CB NickMcCloud.

CLEVELAND BROWNS — Re-signed FBJohnny Stanton to the practice squad.

DALLAS COWBOYS — Signed DE BradleeAnae to the practice squad.

DETROIT LIONS — Re-signed G TommyKraemer to the practice squad. ReleasedCB Daryl Worley from the practice squad.

GREEN BAY PACKERS — Activated WRDavante Adams from the reserve/CO-VID-19 list. Signed RB Patrick Taylor to theactive roster from the practice squad.Signed QB Blake Bortles to the practicesquad.

HOUSTON TEXANS — Claimed LB EricWilson from Philadelphia waivers.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Placed S KhariWillis on injured reserve. Activated WRDezmon Patmon from injured reserve.Promoted S Jahleel Addae to the activeroster from the practice squad.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS — Signed WR DillonStoner to the active roster. Signed LB JavinWhite to the practice squad.

LOS ANGELES RAMS — Signed WR/KRBrandon Powell and RB Mekhi Sargent tothe practice squad.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Waived DE Jo-nah Williams with failed physical designa-tion. Signed TE Luke Stocker to the activeroster from the practice squad. Placed CGarrett Bradbury on the reserve/CO-VID-19 list. Signed DE Nate Orchard to thepractice squad.

NEW YORK GIANTS — Promoted LB Be-nardrick McKinney to the active roster as

a COVID-19 replacement. Re-signed DBSteven Parker to the practice squad.Placed RB Gary Brightwell on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

NEW YORK JETS — Promoted QB JoshJohnson and DL Jabari Zuniga to the activeroster from the practice squad. Placed DLBryce Huff on injured reserve. ActivatedLB Hamsah Nasirildeen from injured re-serve.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES — Re-signed OLBrett Toth to the practice squad. ReleasedCB Craig James from the practice squad.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Released C BradLundblade from the practice squad.

TENNESSEE TITANS — Waived OL DanielMunyer.

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM — Pro-moted C Keith Ismael to the active rosterfrom the practice squad.

HOCKEYNational Hockey League

ANAHEIM DUCKS — Recalled Cs SamCarrick and Vinni Lettieri from San Diego(AHL). Reassigned G Roman Durny fromSan Diego to Tulsa (ECHL).

ARIZONA COYOTES — Recalled F BenMcCartney from Tucson (AHL). Claimed GScott Wedgewood from New Jersey waiv-ers. Loaned D Victor Soderstrom to Tuc-son.

BUFFALO SABRES — Traded C PeytonKrebs, F Alex Tuch, a first-round pick in2022 and second-round pick in 2023 to Ve-gas for C Jack Eichel and a third-round pickin 2023. Traded D Johnny Boychuk to NewYork Islanders for future considerations.

CALGARY FLAMES — Recalled F WalkerDuehr from Stockton (AHL).

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS — Recalled DNicolas Beaudin from Rockford (AHL). Re-turned F Reese Johnson to Rockford.

DALLAS STARS — Reassigned D DawsonBarteaux to Texas (AHL) from Idaho(ECHL).

LOS ANGELES KINGS — Recalled C AlexTurcotte and F Vladimir Tkachev from On-tario (AHL) loan. Returned Ds Kale Clagueand Austin Strand to Ontario from loan.

MINNESOTA WILD — Returned D CalenAddison to Iowa (AHL) from loan.

MONTREAL CANADIENS — Sent D Mat-tias Norlinder to Laval (AHL) for condition-ing.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS — Reassigned GConnor Ingram to Milwaukee (AHL).Placed G David Rittich on the active roster.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Recalled F Alex-ander Holtz from Utica (AHL).

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS — Recalled DTaylor Fedun from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton(AHL).

SEATTLE KRAKEN — Reassigned G An-toine Bibeau to Allen (ECHL) from Char-lotte (AHL).

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Announced FMarian Gaborik has officially retired.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS — Recalled DKristians Rubins from Toronto (AHL).

WASHINGTON CAPITALS — ReassignedG Hunter Shepard to Hershey (AHL) fromSouth Carolina (ECHL).

WINNIPEG JETS — Recalled G MikhailBerdin from Manitoba (AHL). Assigned RWKristian Vesalainen to Manitoba.

SOCCERMajor League Soccer

FC DALLAS — Announced Fs Jesus Fer-reira and Ricardo Pepi have been called upby the U.S. Men’s National Team for the FI-FA World Cup Qualifiers.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION — An-nounced G Matt Turner has been called upby the U.S. Men’s National Team for the FI-FA World Cup Qualifiers.

DEALS

MLS

EASTERN CONFERENCE

W L T Pts GF GA

New England 22 4 7 73 65 40

Philadelphia 14 8 11 53 47 34

Nashville 12 4 17 53 54 32

NYCFC 14 11 8 50 55 35

Atlanta 12 9 12 48 43 36

Orlando City 12 9 12 48 48 48

New York 13 12 8 47 38 32

CF Montréal 12 11 10 46 46 42

D.C. United 13 15 5 44 53 53

Columbus 12 13 8 44 44 45

Inter Miami CF 11 17 5 38 35 53

Chicago 9 17 7 34 36 52

Toronto FC 6 17 10 28 38 63

Cincinnati 4 21 8 20 36 72

WESTERN CONFERENCE

W L T Pts GF GA

Seattle 17 8 8 59 52 32

Sporting KC 17 9 7 58 58 39

Colorado 16 7 10 58 46 33

Portland 16 13 4 52 53 52

Minnesota 13 11 9 48 39 41

Vancouver 12 9 12 48 44 44

LA Galaxy 13 12 8 47 47 51

Real Salt Lake 13 14 6 45 54 54

LAFC 12 12 9 45 51 46

San Jose 10 13 10 40 45 53

FC Dallas 7 15 11 32 46 55

Austin FC 9 20 4 31 35 53

Houston 6 16 12 30 36 54

Note: Three points for victory, one pointfor tie.

Monday, Nov. 1

LA Galaxy 1, Seattle 1, tie

Tuesday, Nov. 2

Vancouver 1, Los Angeles FC 1, tie

Wednesday, Nov. 3

CF Montréal 2, Houston 0 Atlanta 0, New York 0, tie Austin FC 3, Sporting Kansas City 1 Portland 3, Real Salt Lake 1

Sunday’s games

Atlanta at Cincinnati Chicago at Columbus D.C. United at Toronto FC Miami at New England New York at Nashville Orlando City at CF Montréal Philadelphia at New York City FC Austin FC at Portland FC Dallas at San Jose Los Angeles FC at Colorado Minnesota at LA Galaxy Real Salt Lake at Sporting Kansas City Seattle at Vancouver

NWSL

W L T Pts GF GA

x-Portland 13 6 5 44 33 17

x-OL Reign 13 8 3 42 37 24

x-Washington 11 7 6 39 29 26

x-Chicago 11 8 5 38 28 28

x-Gotham FC 8 5 11 35 29 21

x-North Carolina 9 9 6 33 28 23

Houston 9 10 5 32 31 31

Orlando 7 10 7 28 27 32

Louisville 5 12 7 22 21 40

Kansas City 3 14 7 16 15 36

Note: Three points for victory, one pointfor tie.

Sunday, Oct. 31

Washington 1, Houston 0 Louisville 1, Gotham FC 1, tie

Sunday’s games

Gotham FC at ChicagoNorth Carolina at WashingtonEnd regular season

PRO SOCCER

TENNIS

Paris MastersThursday

At Palais Omnisports de Paris-BercyParis

Purse: Euro 2,603,700Surface: Hardcourt indoor

Men’s SinglesRound of 16

James Duckworth, Australia, def. AlexeiPopyrin, Australia, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Hubert Hurkacz (7), Poland, def. Domin-ik Koepfer, Germany, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Novak Djokovic (1), Serbia, def. GaelMonfils (15), France, walkover.

Taylor Fritz, United States, def. CameronNorrie (10), Britain, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Alexander Zverev (4), Germany, def. Gri-gor Dimitrov (16), Bulgaria, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3),6-3.

Casper Ruud (6), Norway, def. MarcosGiron, United States, 6-2, 6-1.

Daniil Medvedev (2), Russia, def. Sebas-tian Korda, United States, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Hugo Gaston, France, def. Carlos Alca-raz, Spain, 6-4, 7-5.

AP SPORTLIGHT

Nov. 61934 — Joe Carter scores four touch-

downs and Swede Hanson rushes for 190yards as the Philadelphia Eagles crush theCincinnati Reds 64-0.

1966 — Philadelphia’s Timmy Brown re-turns kickoffs 93 yards and 90 yards fortouchdowns to lead the Eagles to a 24-23victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

GOLF

World Wide Tech ChampionshipPGA TourThursday

At El Camaleon Golf ClubPlaya del Carmen, Mexico

Purse: $7.2 MillionYardage: 7,017; Par: 71

First RoundMatthew Wolff 31-30—61 -10Aaron Wise 29-34—63 -8Chris Kirk 33-31—64 -7Billy Horschel 30-34—64 -7Sergio Garcia 33-31—64 -7Talor Gooch 31-33—64 -7Joel Dahmen 33-32—65 -6J.J. Spaun 31-34—65 -6Russell Henley 32-33—65 -6Bill Haas 32-33—65 -6Ian Poulter 33-33—66 -5Andrew Landry 35-31—66 -5Chez Reavie 35-31—66 -5Rickie Fowler 33-33—66 -5Adam Long 33-33—66 -5Sepp Straka 32-34—66 -5Brandt Snedeker 32-34—66 -5John Huh 33-33—66 -5Andrew Novak 32-34—66 -5James Hahn 33-34—67 -4Scottie Scheffler 34-33—67 -4Tony Finau 34-33—67 -4Tyler Duncan 32-35—67 -4Justin Rose 34-33—67 -4Emiliano Grillo 34-33—67 -4

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 19

NHL

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Florida 10 9 0 1 19 41 22

Toronto 11 6 4 1 13 27 30

Tampa Bay 10 5 3 2 12 30 32

Buffalo 10 5 4 1 11 30 27

Boston 8 5 3 0 10 23 21

Detroit 11 4 5 2 10 30 39

Ottawa 10 3 6 1 7 25 35

Montreal 12 3 9 0 6 24 40

Metropolitan Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Carolina 9 9 0 0 18 37 15

N.Y. Rangers 10 6 2 2 14 24 22

Washington 10 5 1 4 14 36 27

Philadelphia 9 5 2 2 12 30 24

Columbus 9 6 3 0 12 28 26

N.Y. Islan-ders

8 4 2 2 10 23 20

Pittsburgh 9 4 3 2 10 29 27

New Jersey 8 4 3 1 9 21 25

Western Conference

Central Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

St. Louis 9 7 1 1 15 40 24

Winnipeg 9 5 2 2 12 32 29

Minnesota 9 6 3 0 12 27 30

Nashville 10 5 5 0 10 28 29

Dallas 10 4 4 2 10 22 29

Colorado 9 4 4 1 9 28 32

Chicago 11 1 8 2 4 25 42

Arizona 10 0 9 1 1 13 42

Pacific Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Edmonton 9 8 1 0 16 39 23

Calgary 10 6 1 3 15 34 22

San Jose 10 6 4 0 12 33 31

Anaheim 11 4 4 3 11 35 35

Vegas 10 5 5 0 10 26 31

Los Angeles 10 4 5 1 9 27 29

Vancouver 10 4 5 1 9 25 27

Seattle 11 4 6 1 9 30 35

Wednesday’s games

Carolina 4, Chicago 3 Edmonton 5, Nashville 2 Columbus 5, Colorado 4, OT Los Angeles 3, St. Louis 2, SO

Thursday’s games

Vegas 5, Ottawa 1 N.Y. Islanders 6, Montreal 2 Boston 5, Detroit 1 Pittsburgh 3, Philadelphia 2, OT Toronto 2, Tampa Bay 1, OT Florida 5, Washington 4, OT Dallas 4, Calgary 3, OT Seattle 5, Buffalo 2 St. Louis 5, San Jose 3

Friday’s games

Chicago at Winnipeg N.Y. Rangers at Edmonton Arizona at Anaheim Nashville at Vancouver New Jersey at Los Angeles

Saturday’s games

Tampa Bay at Ottawa Carolina at Florida Boston at Toronto Colorado at Columbus Detroit at Buffalo Minnesota at Pittsburgh N.Y. Islanders at Winnipeg Philadelphia at Washington Vegas at Montreal N.Y. Rangers at Calgary Seattle at Arizona New Jersey at San Jose

Sunday’s games

Vegas at Detroit Nashville at Chicago N.Y. Islanders at Minnesota St. Louis at Anaheim Dallas at Vancouver

Scoring leaders

Through Friday

GP G A PTS

Leon Draisaitl, EDM 9 9 11 20

Connor McDavid, EDM 9 7 12 19

Alex Ovechkin, WSH 10 10 8 18

Kyle Connor, WPG 9 7 7 14

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM 9 0 13 13

Evgeny Kuznetsov, WSH 10 5 8 13

Andrei Svechnikov, CAR 9 7 6 13

Anze Kopitar, LA 10 7 6 13

Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA 10 3 9 12

Brad Marchand, BOS 8 4 8 12

Oliver Bjorkstrand, CBJ 9 4 8 12

Steven Stamkos, TB 10 5 7 12

Troy Terry, ANA 10 7 5 12

Elias Lindholm, CGY 10 7 5 12

Aleksander Barkov, FLA 10 7 5 12

Scoreboard

SEATTLE — Jordan Eberle

scored three goals in a 9:41 span in

the second and third periods for the

first hat trick in Seattle franchise

history as the expansion Kraken

beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on

Thursday night.

The loss capped a long, emotion-

al day for the Sabres that began

with the trade of former captain

Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden

Knights and ended with Buffalo’s

third straight loss on its West Coast

swing.

Eberle had his fourth career hat

trick to help Seattle snap a two-

game losing streak. He scored his

first of the night with 1:35 left in the

second, struck again at 1:50 of the

third and capped the natural hat

trick at 8:06.

Morgan Geekie opened the scor-

ing for the Kraken, Jaden Schwartz

had two assists and an empty-net

goal, and Philipp Grubauer made

19 saves.

Bruins 5, Red Wings 1: Patrice

Bergeron scored his first four goals

of the season, Brad Marchand had

four assists and host Boston beat

Detroit.

Marchand assisted on all four of

Bergeron’s goals, Mike Reilly

scored his first of the season and

Charlie McAvoy had a pair of as-

sists for Boston. Jeremy Swayman

finished with 14 saves for the

Bruins.

Panthers 5, Capitals 4 (OT): Ee-

tu Luostarinen scored 1:55 into

overtime and host Florida beat

Washington for its best 10-game

start at 9-0-1.

Luostarinen’s centering pass

went off a Capitals player and into

the net. The Panthers’ previous

best 10-game start was 7-0-3 in

1996-97.

Islanders 6, Canadiens 2:Brock

Nelson scored a career-high four

goals to help visiting New York

beat Montreal.

Playing the eighth of 13 straight

road games to open the season

while their new arena is finished,

the Islanders scored more than

four goals for the first time this sea-

son. Montreal allowed five goals or

more for the sixth time this season.

Maple Leafs 2, Lightning 1 (OT):

William Nylander scored on a pow-

er play at 3:43 of overtime to lift

host Toronto past Tampa Bay.

John Tavares tied it for Toronto

with 41.1 seconds left in regulation

and goalie Jack Campbell off for an

extra attacker. In overtime, Ta-

vares was slashed on a breakaway

by Lightning captain Victor Hed-

man, and Nylander scored his

team-leading fifth goal of the sea-

son on a one-timer.

Golden Knights 5, Senators 1:

Jonathan Marchessault scored

twice and visiting Vegas beat Otta-

wa to cap a busy day.

In the morning, Vegas acquired

injured forward Jack Eichel in a

trade with the Buffalo Sabres. Ei-

chel will have artificial disk re-

placement surgery soon.

Mattias Janmark, Brett Howden

and Alex Pietrangelo also scored

for Vegas, and Robin Lehner made

38 saves against his former team.

Brady Tkachuk scored for Ottawa,

and Filip Gustavsson stopped 35

shots.

Penguins 3, Flyers 2 (OT): Kris

Letang stuffed a wraparound past

Carter Hart 1:57 into overtime to

lift host Pittsburgh over Philadel-

phia.

Playing in his first game since

Oct. 19 following a bout with CO-

VID-19, Letang helped the Pen-

guins end a three-game losing

streak on a night they played with-

out star center Sidney Crosby and

head coach Mike Sullivan. Crosby

tested positive for COVID-19 on

Wednesday and Sullivan joined

him just hours before the opening

faceoff. Assistant coach Todd Reir-

den directed the team in Sullivan’s

absence.

Blues  5,  Sharks  3: Brandon

Saad scored twice in his second

game back from the COVID-19 list

and visiting St. Louis used a three-

goal second period to beat San Jose.

Saad scored a short-handed goal

in the first period and tied it in the

second with an even-strength goal

as he looked back up to speed after

four games following a positive test

for COVID-19.

Stars 4, Flames 3 (OT): Jamie

Benn scored at 2:59 of overtime in

visiting Dallas’ victory over Cal-

gary.

Benn took a drop pass from Joe

Pavelski and sent a shot just inside

the goal post and past goalie Jacob

Markstrom.

ELAINE THOMPSON/AP

Fans cheer as the Kraken’s Jordan Eberle, center, is congratulated by teammates after his third goal of thenight against the Buffalo Sabres in Seattle. It was the first hat trick in franchise history. 

ROUNDUP

Kraken roll past Sabresbehind Eberle’s hat trick

Associated Press

Jack Eichel gives the Vegas

Golden Knights the elite center

they hope is the final piece of their

Stanley Cup puzzle.

Whenever he’s back on the ice.

Eichel’s saga shifting to Vegas

after the much-anticipated trade

from Buffalo al-

so brings ques-

tions to his new

team. The Gold-

en Knights don’t

know when Ei-

chel will play

again after up-

coming disk re-

placement sur-

gery to repair the neck injury that

has sidelined him for months — or

when he’ll be in top form. They are

still willing to roll the dice on a 25-

year-old with point-a-game poten-

tial.

General manager Kelly

McCrimmon said he hopes Eichel

is back in three to five months, in

plenty of time for the playoffs. But

because no active NHL player has

ever had this particular operation,

there are plenty of unknowns.

“It’s really challenging to give

you a time frame because it’s nev-

er been done in this sport,”

McCrimmon said Thursday dur-

ing a news conference in Ottawa,

before Vegas played the Senators.

“People in contact sports have had

the surgery. No one in hockey has

had this surgery. Does that put

some uncertainty into it? I guess it

does. Do we have a comfort level

that he’s going to return to full

health? We do.”

Eichel at full health is some-

thing special. McCrimmon puts

Eichel in the tier of centers along

with reigning MVP Connor

McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon,

Sidney Crosby and others — and

he would be the best player at the

position in the franchise’s young

history.

But when will this move actual-

ly pay off? Vegas has been deci-

mated by injuries to key players:

captain Mark Stone, winger Max

Pacioretty, centers William Karl-

son and Nolan Patrick, and defen-

seman Zach Whitecloud are all

out, and Eichel’s earliest return

would likely be just before or after

the Olympic break in February.

Whenever Eichel, Stone and Pa-

cioretty are in the lineup together,

it will create headaches for oppo-

nents — and quite the salary cap

conundrum. But that’s a problem

for another day, and the back-to-

back champion Tampa Bay Light-

ning have shown money can dis-

appear at the right price.

Questionslinger forKnightsafter deal

BY STEPHEN WHYNO

Associated Press

Eichel 

PAGE 20 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, November 6, 2021

NBA

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

W L Pct GB

Philadelphia 7 2 .778 —

Toronto 6 3 .667 1

Brooklyn 5 3 .625 1½

New York 5 3 .625 1½

Boston 4 5 .444 3

Southeast Division

W L Pct GB

Miami 6 2 .750 —

Washington 5 3 .625 1

Charlotte 5 4 .556 1½

Atlanta 4 5 .444 2½

Orlando 2 7 .222 4½

Central Division

W L Pct GB

Chicago 6 2 .750 —

Cleveland 5 4 .556 1½

Milwaukee 4 4 .500 2

Indiana 3 6 .333 3½

Detroit 1 7 .125 5

Western Conference

Southwest Division

W L Pct GB

Dallas 5 3 .625 —

Memphis 5 3 .625 —

San Antonio 2 6 .250 3

Houston 1 7 .125 4

New Orleans 1 8 .111 4½

Northwest Division

W L Pct GB

Utah 7 1 .875 —

Denver 4 4 .500 3

Minnesota 3 4 .429 3½

Portland 3 5 .375 4

Oklahoma City 2 6 .250 5

Pacific Division

W L Pct GB

Golden State 6 1 .857 —

Phoenix 4 3 .571 2

L.A. Lakers 5 4 .556 2

Sacramento 4 4 .500 2½

L.A. Clippers 3 4 .429 3

Thursday’s games

Philadelphia 109, Detroit 98 Utah 116, Atlanta 98 Boston 95, Miami 78 Phoenix 123, Houston 111 Oklahoma City 107, L.A. Lakers 104

Friday’s games

Brooklyn at Detroit Memphis at Washington San Antonio at Orlando Cleveland at Toronto New York at Milwaukee L.A. Clippers at Minnesota Charlotte at Sacramento Indiana at Portland New Orleans at Golden State

Saturday’s games

Houston at Denver Utah at Miami Philadelphia at Chicago Boston at Dallas Atlanta at Phoenix L.A. Lakers at Portland

Sunday’s games

Brooklyn at Toronto Cleveland at New York Indiana at Sacramento Milwaukee at Washington Utah at Orlando San Antonio at Oklahoma City Houston at Golden State Charlotte at L.A. Clippers

Monday’s games

New York at Philadelphia Brooklyn at Chicago Minnesota at Memphis New Orleans at Dallas Miami at Denver Atlanta at Golden State Phoenix at Sacramento Charlotte at L.A. Lakers

Scoring leaders

Through Thursday

G FG FT PTS AVG

George, LAC 7 76 23 202 28.9

Durant, BKN 8 87 39 226 28.3

Antetokounmpo, MIL 8 78 51 219 27.4

DeRozan, CHI 8 79 51 216 27.0

Morant, MEM 8 83 35 216 27.0

Curry, GS 7 60 33 187 26.7

LaVine, CHI 8 71 46 206 25.8

Brown, BOS 8 75 32 205 25.6

Davis, LAL 9 92 42 229 25.4

Jokic, DEN 8 79 28 201 25.1

Mitchell, UTA 7 62 27 174 24.9

Beal, WAS 7 63 32 171 24.4

Scoreboard

PHOENIX — The NBA has asked a law

firm to investigate the Phoenix Suns after a

published report on Thursday detailed allega-

tions that owner Robert Sarver has a history

of racist, misogynistic and hostile incidents

during his 17-year tenure in charge of the

franchise.

ESPN said it talked to dozens of current and

former team employees for the story, includ-

ing some who detailed inappropriate behavior

by Sarver. Most of the allegations are from

anonymous sources but a few are on the re-

cord.

In ESPN’s report, Sarver denied or disputed

most of the allegations through his legal team.

The Suns also strongly denied the report in a

lengthy statement released Thursday.

“I would entirely welcome an impartial

NBA investigation which may prove our only

outlet for clearing my name and the reputa-

tion of an organization of which I’m so very

proud,” Sarver said.

Sarver will get his wish. The NBA released

its own statement from executive vice presi-

dent of communications Mike Bass saying the

allegations were “extremely

serious” and that the league

has asked the Wachtell Lip-

ton law firm to “commence a

comprehensive investiga-

tion.”

“The NBA and WNBA re-

main committed to providing

a respectful and inclusive

workplace for all employ-

ees,” Bass said. “Once the investigation is

completed, its findings will provide the basis

for any league action.”

Among the allegations: Former Suns coach

Earl Watson said Sarver was upset that Gold-

en State forward Draymond Green used the

n-word during a game in 2016 and that the

owner repeated the n-word several times

when voicing his displeasure. Watson said he

told Sarver that he can’t use that word.

Watson was the Suns’ coach for all or part of

three seasons before being fired three games

into the 2017-18 season.

Sarver said in his statement that Watson

was “clearly not a credible source.”

“While there is so much that is inaccurate

and misleading in this story that I hardly

know where to begin, let me be clear: The

n-word is not part of my vocabulary,” Sarver

said. “I have never called anyone or any group

of people the n-word, or referred to anyone or

any group of people by that word, either ver-

bally or in writing. I don’t use that word.”

Watson released his own statement through

the Toronto Raptors, where he is now an as-

sistant coach.

“I am not interested in engaging in an ongo-

ing battle of fact,” Watson said. “Instead, I

want to applaud the courage of the numerous

players, executives, and staffers for fighting

toxic environments of racial insensitivity, sex-

ual harassment, and micro-aggressions with

their truth.

“Basketball and 17 years in the NBA has

allowed me the financial privilege to speak my

truth, but we can’t forget about those who

must remain silent for fear of losing their

jobs.”

The report also details a story about how

Sarver passed around a picture of his wife in a

Suns bikini to employees. The report says

more than a dozen employees also said Sarver

had a history of “making lewd comments in

all-staff meetings.”

Suns owner accused of racismBY DAVID BRANDT

Associated Press

Sarver 

NBA asks law firm to look into allegations of hostile incidents by Sarver

LOS ANGELES — Shai Gilgeous-

Alexander scored 11 of his 28 points

in the fourth quarter and the Okla-

homa City Thunder overcame a 19-

point deficit to beat the Los Angeles

Lakers for the second time this sea-

son, 107-104 on Thursday night.

Kenrich Williams scored nine of

his 13 points in the final period for

the Thunder, who haven’t beaten

anybody in their eight games this

season except the vaunted Lakers

— both times while rallying from

enormous deficits, and both times

with LeBron James sidelined.

James sat out the rematch with an

abdominal strain.

Anthony Davis had 29 points and

18 rebounds despite spraining his

right thumb near halftime for the

Lakers, whose three-game winning

streak ended with just their second

loss in seven games. Carmelo An-

thony had another big game off the

bench, scoring 21 points with five

three-pointers — including two in

the final minute while LA’s rally fell

short.

Celtics  95,  Heat  78: Jaylen

Brown scored 17 points and visiting

Boston played airtight defense for a

second consecutive night to beat

Miami.

Dennis Schroder scored 14

points, Aaron Nesmith had 13 and

Romeo Langford added 12 for Bos-

ton, which swept a back-to-back in

Orlando and Miami by giving up an

average of 78.5 points on 33% shoot-

ing. The Celtics topped the Magic

92-79 on Wednesday.

Clarkson bounced back from his

worst game of the season, scoring 30

points to lead visiting Utah past At-

lanta despite star guard Donovan

Mitchell sidelined by a sprained

right ankle.

Clarkson was coming off a miser-

able game Tuesday night, going 0-

for-11 from three-point range and 1-

for-13 overall to finish with just two

points in a victory over Sacramento.

Maxey added 20 and short-handed

Philadelphia beat host Detroit.

Joel Embiid had 19 points and

nine rebounds for Philadelphia.

Playing for the second straight

night, the 76ers used only eight

players. Furkan Korkmaz (wrist)

sat out, while former Pistons for-

ward Tobias Harris remained side-

lined due to COVID-19 protocols.

Jazz 116,  Hawks  98: Jordan

Suns 123, Rockets 111: Devin

Booker scored 27 points, Landry

Shamet added 19 and host Phoenix

pulled away late to beat Houston.

Phoenix has won three straight to

reach 4-3. Houston has dropped five

straight overall and five in a row to

the Suns. Booker added nine re-

bounds and five assists.

76ers 109, Pistons 98: Seth

Curry scored 23 points, Tyrese

ROUNDUP

Thunder storm back to beat LakersAssociated Press

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/AP

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous­Alexander, right, shoots over Lakers guard RussellWestbrook during the second half of Thursday’s game in Los Angeles. 

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 21

COLLEGE FOOTBALL/SPORTS BRIEFS

After a 14-year run of ranked-

vs.-ranked matchups, the Alaba-

ma-LSU rivalry has now been rele-

gated to an afterthought for two

straight seasons.

The No. 3 Crimson Tide (7-1, No.

2 CFP) are again a huge favorite

against the struggling Tigers (4-4).

Alabama handed LSU the most

lopsided defeat in the series since

the 1920s last year when the Tide

won 55-17 in Baton Rouge.

The rivalry returns to Tuscaloo-

sa on Saturday, where LSU had its

greatest victory — other than may-

be the 2019 national championship

game — under now outgoing coach

Ed Orgeron two years ago.

Joe Burrow and Co. beat the

Tide 46-41 to snap an eight-game

losing streak against Alabama.

Alabama-LSU is just another

game on the Week 10 schedule,

which features only one ranked-

vs.-ranked matchup, but a few in-

triguing upset opportunities.

Just not in Tuscaloosa.

Best gameNo. 12 Auburn at No. 13 Texas

A&M: Both teams are still in the

SEC West race, but probably can’t

afford another loss if they want to

catch Alabama.

The Tigers are looking for a

third straight victory against a

ranked SEC West rival since they

were beaten by Georgia. Tank

Bigsby is coming off his best game

of the season (140 yards rushing on

23 carries) last week in a victory

against Ole Miss.

The Aggies are on a three-game

winning streak that started with an

upset of Alabama.

Heisman watchSam  Hartman,  QB,  Wake

Forest: The senior leads the un-

beaten and 10th-ranked Demon

Deacons into a nonconference

game (yes, really) against North

Carolina on Saturday.

Hartman isn’t getting the Heis-

man buzz, but his numbers stack

up nicely with those who are. For

example: Alabama’s Bryce Young

is fifth in the nation in passer effi-

ciency rating (177.10) with 2,453

yards passing, 26 touchdowns and

three interceptions.

Hartman is sixth in efficiency

rating (175) with 2,475 yards pass-

ing, 22 touchdowns and three in-

terceptions. Hartman also has six

rushing touchdowns to Young’s

two.

Numbers to know2— Iowa State’s winning streak

against Texas. The Cyclones had

never beaten the Longhorns (4-4)

in consecutive meetings before

last year and now they have a

chance to make it three straight in

Austin. Iowa State (5-3) is trying to

hold on to feint Big 12 title hopes.

14­2 — No. 7 Oregon’s record

against Washington in the last 16

games. Most of them have been

blowouts, even the two Huskies’

victories. But the last two years,

the combined margin of victory by

the Ducks is seven points.

16 — Number of victories Pur-

due has against top-five opponents

while unranked —- including

against No. 2 Iowa last month —

most by any team in the country.

The Boilermakers host No. 5 Mi-

chigan State.

94— No. 8 Notre Dame and Na-

vy play for the 94th time Saturday.

The rivalry took a hiatus last sea-

son because of pandemic-altered

schedules. The Irish have won

three straight meetings and eight

of nine, which is nothing compared

to the 43-game winning streak

Notre Dame had over Navy from

1964-2006.

8,752 — The number of days

since TCU played a game without

Gary Patterson as a member of the

coaching staff. No. 14 Baylor visits

the Horned Frogs this week for

TCU’s first game since Patterson

was pushed out after nearly 24

years as head coach and defensive

coordinator.

Under the radarArmy at Air Force: The Falcons

(6-2) can win the Commander-in-

chief’s trophy for the first time

since 2016 by beating the Black

Knights (4-3) on Saturday.

Air Force already has a win over

struggling Navy (2-6).

Army has won the trophy three

of the past four seasons and would

at least retain it by beating the Fal-

cons. If each team wins one game

in the round-robin between the

service academies it stays with the

previous season’s winner.

As usual, it’s a matchup of two of

the best running teams in the coun-

try. Air Force leads the nation at

318 yards rushing per game and

Army is second at 312.

Hot seatSteve Addazio, Colorado State:

Addazio’s short tenure at Colorado

State has been rocky almost from

the start and because of last year’s

abbreviated schedule he has only

coached 12 games.

The Rams are 4-8 under him, in-

cluding 3-5 this season. This is a

program that aspires to one day

land in a wealthier conference, but

has been stuck in the second-tier of

the Mountain West for a while.

Colorado State faces a rivalry

game against Wyoming this week-

end, looking to break a three-game

losing streak overall. Addazio

needs to get this thing turned

around quickly.

WEEKEND PREVIEW

ADAM HUNGER/AP

Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman isn’t getting Heisman buzz, but his numbers stack up nicely withthose who are. He’s sixth in passing efficiency rating (175) with 2,475 yards passing, 22 touchdowns andthree interceptions. He also has six rushing touchdowns. 

LSU-Bama mayget out of handDon’t count out Hartman for Heisman

BY RALPH D. RUSSO

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Odell Beckham Jr.’s

run his last route for the Browns. He’s wide

open now.

The polarizing wide receiver is being re-

leased by the Cleveland Browns, who are

cutting ties with Beckham

after a drama-filled stay

that ended with him being

told to stay home from

practice.

Beckham’s unceremo-

nious exit — not complete-

ly official — came on Fri-

day, his 29th birthday, and

a few days after his father

shared a video on social media highlighting

times when Browns quarterback Baker

Mayfield didn’t throw passes to the three-

time Pro Bowler.

It was a tipping point in the team’s often-

unstable relationship with him.

The Browns didn’t appreciate the video

or that Beckham didn’t reach out to May-

field, who said he was willing to work things

out.

Beckham was told not to report to prac-

tice for two days as his representation

worked with Browns general manager An-

drew Berry on agreeable financial terms

for his departure.

Once the sides agree to financial terms —

Beckham is owed $8 million this season —

Beckham will be waived and can be

claimed by any team with enough salary-

cap space. If he clears the waiver wire, he’ll

be a free agent and can sign anywhere.

CFP expansion talks to continueDALLAS — The administrators in charge

of the College Football Playoff plan to meet

again on Dec. 1 to continue expansion talks,

which need to reach a consensus by the end

of the year if a new postseason format is to

be implemented for the 2024 season.

“There is a consensus that expansion of

CFP would be good for college football,”

Executive Director Bill Hancock said

Thursday after two days of meetings with

the CFP management committee. “It’s just

a matter of how.”

The most crucial detail facing the man-

agement committee, comprised of 10 con-

ference commissioners and Notre Dame’s

athletic director, is how big should the ex-

pansion from the current four-team format

be?

“There are some people who prefer eight,

and some people prefer 12, and I think ev-

erybody understands the alternative is

four,” Hancock said.

Any recommendation from the manage-

ment committee would have to go to the

CFP Board of Managers, made up of presi-

dents and chancellors from the universities,

for approval. That group is not expected to

be part of the Dec. 1 meeting in the Dallas

area.

10 players become free agentsNEW YORK — Atlanta outfielder Joc Pe-

derson and Boston infielder-outfielder Kyle

Schwarber were among 10 players who be-

came free agents Thursday when they both

declined 2022 mutual options in their con-

tracts.

Other players who became free agents

were Cincinnati outfielder Nick Castella-

nos, Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner and

reliever Darren O'Day, Arizona outfielder

Kole Calhoun, Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar,

Milwaukee outfielder Avisaíl García, Oak-

land left-hander Andrew Chafin and Phila-

delphia outfielder Andrew McCutchen.

BRIEFLY

Browns release Beckham after tumultuous few daysAssociated Press

Beckham 

PAGE 22 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, November 6, 2021

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

LAFAYETTE, La. — Montrell

Johnson had two fourth-quarter

touchdown runs and No. 24 Loui-

siana-Lafayette scored all its

points on its final three posses-

sions to rally for a 21-17 victory

over Georgia State on Thursday

night.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (8-1, 6-0 Sun

Belt) locked up the conference’s

West Division title for the fourth

consecutive season and won their

eighth straight game after a sea-

son-opening loss at Texas. Loui-

siana-Lafayette also qualified for

the Sun Belt championship game.

Johnson rushed for 98 yards,

with scoring runs of 3 and 13

yards, the second with 2:32 left to

cap a winning 71-yard drive. Loui-

siana-Lafayette held the Panthers

on downs at midfield in the final

minute.

Georgia State (4-5, 3-2), winless

against the Cajuns in five meet-

ings, took a 17-14 lead with 5:25 left

on Tucker Gregg’s 1-yard run.

“We knew this was going to be

tough,” said Louisiana-Lafayette

coach Billy Napier, whose team is

14-3 in one-possession games in

his four seasons.

The Cajuns were shut out for

most of the first three quarters by

the Panthers, two-touchdown un-

derdogs who took a 10-0 third-

quarter lead on Darren Grainger’s

37-yard scoring pass to tight end

Roger Carter.

Louisiana-Lafayette had scor-

ing chances, driving inside the 10

twice in the first half, but failed on

two fourth-down tries. Levi Lewis

threw incomplete in the end zone

on fourth down on Louisiana-La-

fayette’s first possession, and was

sacked for a 6-yard loss on fourth

down from the 6 just before half-

time.

“We believe in the value of

touchdowns in the red zone,” Na-

pier said. “You can kick field goals

all you want in the red zone, we did

that the first year we were here

and it cost us a lot of games. Our

guys know that we’re going to be

aggressive.”

The Panthers, who had at least

three first downs on each of their

first-half drives, got a 39-yard

field goal from Noel Ruiz, his long-

est of the year, with 5:05 left in the

opening quarter on their first pos-

session.

Both teams squandered scoring

chances before Georgia State

made it 10-0 midway through the

third quarter thanks to the game’s

only turnover. Antavious Lane

picked off Lewis’ pass at midfield,

and Grainger hit Carter with a 37-

yard scoring pass three plays lat-

er.

No. 24 Ragin’ Cajuns pull away from PanthersLa.-Lafayette scores3 late TDs for winover Georgia State

BY DAN MCDONALD

Associated Press

MATTHEW HINTON/AP

Louisiana­Lafayette’s Montrell Johnson high­steps in the end zone during the second half of the his team’s 21­17 victory over Georgia State onThursday night in Lafayette, La. Johnson ran for 98 yards and two scores as the Ragin’ Cajuns qualifed for the Sun Belt championship game.

Navy, which is 103-73 with 11

bowl appearances under Niuma-

talolo, has struggled with injuries

on its offensive line and in the sec-

ondary. But the Midshipmen have

shown up and competed, losing

close games against Houston and

SMU, which are now both ranked.

They rallied last week to win 20-17

at Tulsa.

“I’ve never been around a group

like this that, in spite of their re-

cord, they come to work every

week,” Niumatalolo said.

Navy didn’t complete a pass

aganst Tulsa — sophomore Tai

Lavatai only attempted three —

but rushed for 302 yards behind

Carlinos Acie (3 carries, 80 yards)

and Chance Warren (10-70), Lava-

tai (18-64) and fullback Isaac Ru-

oss (13-49). The Midshipmen had

the ball for 37:18.

Niumatalolo knows his defense,

led by linebackers Diego Fagot

and Johnny Hodges, will be chal-

lenged by the Irish offense led by

Kyren Williams, who piled up a

career-best 191 rushing yards and

261 overall against the Tar Heels.

“They’re good, a really good

football team like they always

are,” he said. “In 2019, with one of

our better teams (7-1 and ranked

No. 23) we went in there and they

crushed us (52-20).”

Middie impersonator

Walk-on Chase Ketterer, a for-

mer option quarterback at New

Prairie High School 25 miles west

of Notre Dame, tried to replicate

Lavatai in practices this week.

Ketterer came to Kelly’s attention

in 2019 when he played against the

coach’s son, Kenzel, a defensive

end at South Bend St. Joseph. Ket-

terer rushed for 2,496 yards and

accounted for 43 TDs that season.

“It’s been a busy week,” Ketter-

er said Tuesday. “Practice doesn’t

start until 4. We were out here at 3

o’clock doing walk-throughs and

watching film. It’s definitely been

a busy week.”

Navy on their mindsPreparing for Navy is not a one-

week thing. Kelly makes sure

practice time is given to Navy dur-

ing the spring and preseason, and

the players also work on things

during summer workouts.

“We understand we won’t be

able to replicate the speed at

which they run the triple (op-

tion),” said linebacker JD Ber-

trand, Notre Dame’s leading tack-

ler with 71.

“Playing Navy, you’ve just got to

do your job,” added defensive li-

neman Jayson Ademilola, who has

32 tackles, 4.5 for losses. “It’s all 11

guys knowing what their assign-

ment is.”

What about the unexpected?

“There’s going to be a double

pass, and there’s going to be some-

thing that we haven’t seen before,

a formation,” said Kelly, who has

kept a book on Navy since 2010.

“There’s always something differ-

ent.”

Ireland in 2023The schools announced Thurs-

day that they will meet Aug. 26,

2023, in Dublin at Aviva Stadium.

Notre Dame and Navy had

played every season since 1927

until the pandemic disrupted the

schedule last year. When Notre

Dame chose to play an ACC-laden

schedule, one of the stipulations

was that nonconference games

only could be played in the state of

an ACC team. Maryland is not one.

That meant the “longest unin-

terrupted intersectional rivalry in

college football” — the Irish lead

79-13-1 — was interrupted for a

season. The 2022 game will be

played in Baltimore and the series

is set to run through 2032.

“It’s a rivalry that goes way, way

back,” Navy senior cornerback

Michael McMorris said. “It’s very

exciting because it’s a great atmo-

sphere and it’s fun going up

against athletes like that.”

Streak-breakerNiumatalolo was an assistant

head coach when the Midshipmen

ended Notre Dame’s long streak in

the series with a 46-44 triple-over-

time victory in South Bend in

2007. As head coach, Niumatalolo

is 3-9 against the Irish with wins in

2009, 2010 and 2016. Notre Dame

has won the last three matchups.

“If you don’t have any belief,

you have zero chance,” Niumata-

lolo said. “We’ve got to play as well

as we can play, and they have to

help us a little bit.”

Option: Midshipmen have been competitive despite injuriesFROM PAGE 24

CARLOS OSORIO/AP

Notre Dame running back KyrenWilliams, who rushed for 191yards in a victory over NorthCarolina last weekend, will posea challenge for the Navy defense.

Saturday, November 6, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 23

NFL

American Conference

East

W L T Pct PF PA

Buffalo 5 2 0 .714 229 109

New England 4 4 0 .500 206 164

N.Y. Jets 2 6 0 .250 144 251

Miami 1 7 0 .125 138 233

South

W L T Pct PF PA

Tennessee 6 2 0 .750 227 195

Indianapolis 4 5 0 .444 245 213

Jacksonville 1 6 0 .143 123 203

Houston 1 7 0 .125 119 241

North

W L T Pct PF PA

Baltimore 5 2 0 .714 187 164

Cincinnati 5 3 0 .625 220 162

Pittsburgh 4 3 0 .571 132 142

Cleveland 4 4 0 .500 183 180

West

W L T Pct PF PA

Las Vegas 5 2 0 .714 180 166

L.A. Chargers 4 3 0 .571 172 177

Denver 4 4 0 .500 157 137

Kansas City 4 4 0 .500 208 220

National Conference

East

W L T Pct PF PA

Dallas 6 1 0 .857 225 162

Philadelphia 3 5 0 .375 203 191

N.Y. Giants 2 6 0 .250 156 200

Washington 2 6 0 .250 156 227

South

W L T Pct PF PA

Tampa Bay 6 2 0 .750 260 183

New Orleans 5 2 0 .714 176 128

Carolina 4 4 0 .500 165 159

Atlanta 3 4 0 .429 148 195

North

W L T Pct PF PA

Green Bay 7 1 0 .875 192 167

Minnesota 3 4 0 .429 163 157

Chicago 3 5 0 .375 123 195

Detroit 0 8 0 .000 134 244

West

W L T Pct PF PA

Arizona 7 1 0 .875 246 138

L.A. Rams 7 1 0 .875 245 168

San Francisco 3 4 0 .429 168 171

Seattle 3 5 0 .375 181 169

Thursday’s game

Indianapolis 45, N.Y. Jets 30

Sunday’s games

Atlanta at New OrleansBuffalo at JacksonvilleCleveland at CincinnatiDenver at DallasHouston at MiamiLas Vegas at N.Y. GiantsMinnesota at BaltimoreNew England at CarolinaL.A. Chargers at PhiladelphiaArizona at San FranciscoGreen Bay at Kansas CityTennessee at L.A. RamsOpen: Detroit, Seattle, Tampa Bay,

Washington

Monday’s game

Chicago at Pittsburgh

Scoreboard

AJ MAST/AP

Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke(58) celebrates his interceptionwith teammate George Odumduring the second half of their45­30 victory over the Jets onThursday night in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan

Taylor ran with power, ran with

burst, and even caught a few pas-

ses. He did it all — making life eas-

ier for his Indianapolis Colts team-

mates against the New York Jets.

And he became a national star

Thursday night in the process.

Taylor rushed for 172 yards and

two scores, Carson Wentz threw

three touchdown passes and the

Colts pulled away for a badly

needed 45-30 victory.

Taylor, who had a game-sealing

78-yard TD run, also had two

catches for 28 yards. Nyheim

Hines ran for 74 yards and a score

on six carries as he sliced through

the Jets’ defense for 260 yards on

the ground.

“We had a one-play drive for 75

yards or something like that and

that’s the best drive you can

have,” Wentz said. “He and Ny-

heim, those guys played unbeliev-

able. Those guys up front, they did

a tremendous job.”

After suffering a stunning over-

time loss against Tennessee on

Sunday, the Colts spent their short

week searching for answers.

Taylor provided most of them.

His shifty, 21-yard TD run

broke a 7-7 tie in the early in the

second quarter. And with Jets

quarterback Mike White already

out with an injured arm, the Colts

(4-5) were off to the races in their

first prime-time home game since

December 2017.

Taylor’s longest run of the night

made it 42-10 midway through the

third quarter and helped Indy fin-

ish with the highest single-game

rushing total in the NFL this sea-

son.

“It takes the pressure off the

passing game when you run like

that,” coach Frank Reich said.

“But you could feel it early, you

could feel us really dominating the

line early.”

Nothing went right for the Jets,

who have lost seven consecutive

night games.

White left in the first quarter af-

ter he said two fingers on his right

hand went numb — just four days

after he threw for 405 yards and

three TDs in his first NFL start.

White said he couldn’t grip the ball

and watched the final three quar-

ters from the sideline after throw-

ing a 19-yard TD pass to Elijah

Moore that made it 7-7.

But after White departed in this

one, it was all Colts.

Jets running back Ty Johnson

lost a fumble near midfield and

Wentz capitalized quickly with a 1-

yard shovel pass to Jack Doyle for

a 21-7 lead.

The Jets answered with a short

field goal late in the first half, but

Wentz countered with an 11-yard

TD pass to Michael Pittman to

make it 28-10. Wentz followed that

with a 2-yard scoring pass to of-

fensive lineman Danny Pinter in

the third quarter before Taylor

struck again.

At least Josh Johnson, White’s

replacement, played well. He

threw for a career-high 317 yards

and had a career-best three touch-

down passes in the final 18 min-

utes — his first TD throws since

Dec. 22, 2018.

Wentz was 22-for-30 with 272

yards. Johnson completed 27 of 41

passes with an interception that

sealed the win for the Colts.

Colts find footing against JetsTaylor has breakoutperformance as Indyrebounds from loss

BY MICHAEL MAROT

Associated Press

MICHAEL CONROY/AP

The Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor (28) runs for a touchdown during the second half against the NewYork Jets on Thursday night in Indianapolis. Taylor rushed for 172 yards and two scores in a 45­30 win.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Pack-

ers added a backup quarterback Thursday

with reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers on the re-

serve/COVID-19 list and questions swirling

over how the team handled the NFL’s COVID

protocols.

With Rodgers out at least Sunday against the

Kansas City Chiefs, the Packers signed veter-

an Blake Bortles to the practice squad. Jordan

Love, the 2020 first-round pick, will make his

first NFL start. and Bortles will be added to the

game-day roster to serve as the backup.

While the Packers are focused on extending

their winning streak to eight games, the larger

issue revolves around how the team and Rodg-

ers handled the league’s COVID protocols. In a

statement Wednesday, NFL spokesman Brian

McCarthy said the league “is aware of the cur-

rent situation in Green Bay and will be review-

ing the Packers.”

Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur is confident

he’s done his part.

“As far as the football

space is concerned, I’m 100

percent confident,” LaFleur

said before Thursday’s prac-

tice. “Meeting rooms, walk-

through, everything we do in

that area.”

What happens in the cafe-

teria, media auditorium and

outside the building, however, are out of his

control. If any potential violations are serious

enough, the NFL could deliver harsh penalties.

In late November of last season, for instance,

the New Orleans Saints were fined $500,000

and forfeited a seventh-round draft pick.

Even with vaccines, COVID has been a big-

ger issue this season than last season for the

Packers. Against Arizona on Oct. 28, they were

without receivers Davante Adams and Allen

Lazard and defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

All three are back with the team, with Adams

and Barry returning on Thursday. Adams

didn’t practice but LaFleur is hopeful he’ll be

available for Sunday. Barry said he has “snif-

fles” but no other symptoms.

“It was the longest 10 days of my life,” he

added.

While the receivers are back, the latest ca-

lamity is at quarterback. Not only is Rodgers

on the COVID list but so is practice-squad

prospect Kurt Benkert. With Love the last man

standing on the depth chart, the team brought

back Bortles, who signed on May 12 but was re-

leased just before the start of training camp af-

ter Rodgers decided to return following a tu-

multuous offseason. With some background in

LaFleur’s offense, along with four years of ex-

perience alongside Packers offensive coordi-

nator Nathaniel Hackett while they were in

Jacksonville, Bortles was an easy choice as the

emergency fill-in, LaFleur said.

“Blake’s got a great foundation with what we

have implemented,” LaFleur said. “He’s been

in our building, he knows how to get us full op-

erational, so he was by far the logical choice to

bring back here.”

Pack prepares for KC amid Rodgers, COVID questionsAssociated Press

Bortles

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sometimes you

must switch gears to get to the finish line.

No. 8 Notre Dame will need to do that Sat-

urday when it renews its rivalry with Navy.

A week after holding off North Carolina,

the Fighting Irish (8-1, No.

10 CFP) host a Navy team

(2-6) that has provided its

share of scares.

Just ask No. 2 Cincinna-

ti, which escaped Annapo-

lis with a 27-20 victory

over coach Ken Niumata-

lolo’s crew. Yes, the same

Bearcats who three weeks

earlier ended Notre Dame’s 26-game home

winning streak.

Kelly is 8-2 coaching against Navy, but

preparing for its triple-option offense is al-

ways a hassle.

“We didn’t see it last week and we won’t

see it next week,” Kelly said. “So, you have

to shift gears; you’re not doing things you

normally do. So, it’s really getting out of a

comfort zone more than anything else. And

that’s difficult because you’re so used to get-

ting into routines. Navy gets you out of that

routine.”

Navy quarterback Tai Lavatai pitches the ball against Cincinnati on Oct. 23 inAnnapolis, Md. Navy’s triple­option offenseis a look Notre Dame doesn’t see againstother opponents.

JULIO CORTEZ/AP

BY JOHN FINERAN

Associated Press

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Failurenot anoptionNo. 8 Notre Dame takingspecial care to prepare for Navy’s unique offense

Kelly

INSIDE

No. 24 La.-Lafayetterallies past Georgia StatePage 22

SEE OPTION ON PAGE 22

PAGE 24 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Saturday, November 6, 2021

SPORTS

Suns owner Sarver faces racism, misogyny accusations ›› NBA, Page 20

Colts run wildTaylor rushes for 172 yards, 2 TDs as Indy shreds Jets ›› NFL, Page 23