,j trump impeachment heading to senate...us moves to stop german taxation of troops’ income by...

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MILITARY

China ‘sendingmessage’ withTaiwan flightsPage 3

MILITARY

Biden reversesTrump transgendermilitary banPage 4

4-time Super Bowl MVP Brady stands in way of Chiefs’ repeat ›› Page 24

WASHINGTON — As the

House prepares to bring the im-

peachment charge against Donald

Trump to the Senate for trial, a

growing number of Republican

senators say they are opposed to

the proceed-

ing, dimming

the chances

that former

president will

be convicted

on the charge

that he incited

a siege of the

U.S. Capitol.

House Democrats planned to

carry the sole impeachment

charge of “incitement of insurrec-

tion” across the Capitol late Mon-

day evening, a rare and ceremo-

nial walk to the Senate by the pros-

ecutors who will argue their case.

They are hoping that strong Re-

publican denunciations of Trump

after the Jan. 6 riot will translate

into a conviction and a separate

vote to bar Trump from holding

office again.

But instead, GOP passions ap-

pear to have cooled since the in-

surrection. Now that Trump’s

presidency is over, Republican

Trump impeachment heading to Senate

JACQUELYN MARTIN/AP

President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in front of the White House on Jan. 6 in Washington. The Senate is set to receive the House of Repre-sentatives’ impeachment charge of “incitement of insurrection” following the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

GOP appears poised tooppose House charge

Associated Press

“I thinkthe trialis stupid.”

Sen. Marco Rubio

R-Fla.

SEE SENATE ON PAGE 8

STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S.

government has intervened to try to stop

German finance offices from imposing in-

come taxes on American forces in the

country, a practice the military says vio-

lates a long-standing international treaty.

The Pentagon, along with State and

Treasury departments, have put the U.S.

Embassy in Berlin in charge of leading ef-

forts to resolve the issue, which has caused

financial devastation for some military

families who have been hit with six-figure

bills by local tax authorities.

“The German ministry of foreign affairs

agreed to take the issue to the federal min-

istry of finance. We’re now waiting to hear

back from them,” said Col. Joe Scrocca,

U.S. Army Europe and Africa spokesman.

The problem came to light last year

when Stars and Stripes investigated ag-

gressive tactics used to force troops and

military civilians to pay German income

tax, despite a clause in the Status of Forces

Agreement stating that they are exempt.

“The aim of this engagement, and any

necessary follow-up engagements, is to se-

cure the appropriate tax exemptions for

U.S. personnel covered under the SOFA

and its supplementary agreements,” for-

mer Acting Defense Secretary Christopher

Miller wrote in a Jan. 7 letter to Rep. Mike

Kelly, R-Pa.

US moves to stop German taxation of troops’ incomeBY JOHN VANDIVER

Stars and Stripes

MICHAEL ABRAMS/Stars and Stripes

The American flag flies over the U.S.Embassy in Berlin, Germany. SEE INCOME ON PAGE 4

• S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Tuesday, January 26, 2021

BUSINESS/WEATHER

DOVER, Del. — The Dupont Co.

and its spinoff business Chemours

have agreed to resolve legal dis-

putes over environmental liabili-

ties for pollution related to man-

made chemicals associated with

an increased risk of cancer and

other health problems.

The binding memorandum of

understanding comes just over a

month after Delaware’s Supreme

Court upheld the dismissal of a

lawsuit alleging that DuPont mas-

sively downplayed the cost of en-

vironmental liabilities imposed on

Chemours when DuPont spun off

its former performance chemicals

unit in 2015.

The chemicals at issue are

known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl

substances, or PFAS. They in-

clude perfluorooctanoic acid, or

PFOA, which was used in the pro-

duction of Teflon, and have also

been used in firefighting foam.

They sometimes are referred to as

“forever chemicals” because of

their longevity in the environ-

ment.

The memorandum resolves le-

gal disputes originating from the

spinoff and establishes a cost-

sharing arrangement and escrow

account for potential future legacy

PFAS liabilities arising out of pre-

July 1, 2015, conduct.

DuPont, Chemours and Corte-

va, an independent public compa-

ny that was previously the agricul-

ture division of DowDuPont, also

have agreed to resolve about 95

pending cases, as well as other un-

filed matters, in multidistrict

PFOA litigation in Ohio.

DuPont, Chemours reach ‘forever chemicals’ deal Associated Press

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American Roundup ...... 11Classified .................... 13Comics .........................16Crossword ................... 16Faces .......................... 17Opinion ........................ 14Sports .................... 18-24

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

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Tuesday, January 26, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 3

MILITARY

KABUL, Afghanistan — Hun-

dreds of Taliban prisoners re-

leased under last year’s U.S.-Tali-

ban peace deal have been arrested

after returning to the battlefield, a

top Afghan security official said.

The Afghan military expects the

insurgents to intensify attacks as

the year progresses, national se-

curity adviser Hamdullah Mohib

also told reporters Sunday.

“We have recaptured 600 of the

freed individuals because they

were fighting alongside the Tali-

ban even though they promised

they would not fight again,” Mohib

said.

Other released prisoners were

involved in making car bombs and

planning attacks on security

forces, Mohib said, citing intelli-

gence reports.

Over 5,000 Taliban prisoners

were released last year in ex-

change for 1,000 Afghan security

force personnel captured by the

guerrillas. The prisoner ex-

change, which was a part of the

U.S.-Taliban deal struck last Feb-

ruary, was a precursor for the on-

going peace talks between the in-

surgents and the Afghan govern-

ment.

The Kabul government —

which did not participate in talks

leading up to the agreement — was

initially hesitant to free the prison-

ers, but eventually bowed to pres-

sure from Washington. Many in

Afghanistan criticized the move,

saying it could worsen the security

situation.

Intensified combat in southern

Afghanistan is a direct result of the

prisoners being released, Afghan

army Chief of Staff Gen. Yasin Zia

said Sunday.

Mohib, who attended a security

meeting, did not specify how many

former prisoners besides those

rearrested are believed to have re-

joined the insurgency. All of the

released prisoners signed a pledge

that they would no longer fight.

Taliban officials insist none of

the former detainees have return-

ed to combat and rejected the

claim that 600 had been recap-

tured. Only about 40 of the men are

back in government custody and

most of those were seized during

raids on their homes and are inno-

cent, spokesman Zabiullah Muja-

hid told Stars and Stripes on Mon-

day.

The insurgents have continued

to conduct attacks across Afghan-

istan despite the agreement with

the United States, the start of

peace talks with the government

in September and repeated calls

for a cease-fire from Washington

and Kabul.

The relentless violence has led

to doubts voiced by U.S. and Af-

ghan government officials that the

guerrillas aren’t serious about

peace. All signs suggested the

group is preparing to intensify at-

tacks in the spring, when the tradi-

tional fighting season starts and

just weeks before all international

forces may pull out of the country,

Mohib said.

Under the U.S.-Taliban deal,

foreign forces could withdraw

from Afghanistan by May if the

Taliban live up to vague counter-

terrorism promises.

“The Taliban does not want

peace. Our intelligence … shows

that the Taliban is preparing to

fight. They think that they will win

militarily,” Mohib said. “The obli-

gation is on us to become fully pre-

pared.”

The Biden administration an-

nounced Friday that it planned to

review the deal and determine

whether the Taliban are living up

to their promises.

There are currently 2,500

American troops in the country,

the lowest figure since the first

months of the war nearly two dec-

ades ago, and down from roughly

13,000 this time last year.

Taliban prisonersreleased in peacedeal get arrested

BY PHILLIP WALTER

WELLMAN

Stars and Stripes

[email protected]: @pwwellman

PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN/Stars and Stripes

Taliban prisoners line up at Bagram prison before being released on May 26, 2020.

Chinese warplanes flew into

Taiwan’s air defense identifica-

tion zone two days in a row over

the weekend, stepping up its

show of force a day after Presi-

dent Joe Biden’s administration

signaled support for the self-gov-

erning island.

Fifteen Chinese aircraft, in-

cluding 12 fighters, two Y-8 anti-

submarine aircraft and a techni-

cal reconnaissance plane, en-

tered Taiwan’s southwest air de-

fense identification zone Sunday,

the island’s Military News Agen-

cy reported that day. They

passed between Taiwan’s south-

ern shores and the Taiwan-con-

trolled Pratas Islands in the

South China Sea, according to the

report.

The aircraft traveled southeast,

away from the Chinese mainland,

before turning around and flying

along virtually the same flight

path, according to maps released

online by Taiwan’s air force.

The incident came one day af-

ter China flew eight H-6K nucle-

ar-capable bombers, a Y-8 anti-

submarine aircraft and four

fighters through the same area,

the news agency said.

In both instances, Taiwan dis-

patched airborne alert aircraft,

issued radio warnings and de-

ployed air defense missile sys-

tems for tracking and surveil-

lance, according to the Taiwan

Ministry of National Defense.

China carries out near daily

flights into Taiwan’s air defense

identification zone, but not usu-

ally of the size and scope seen

over the weekend, the English-

language news website Taiwan

News reported Sunday.

Last year saw the highest num-

ber of Chinese incursions — 380

— since 1996, Voice of America

reported this month, citing Tai-

wan’s defense ministry.

Taiwanese lawmakers believe

China is trying to discourage the

new U.S. president from support-

ing the island, Reuters reported

Saturday.

“It’s sending a message to the

Biden administration,” Lo Chih-

Cheng, a senior lawmaker from

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Pro-

gressive Party, said Saturday, ac-

cording to Reuters.

China considers Taiwan, which

is less than 100 miles off its east-

ern coast, to be a part of its terri-

tory.

On Saturday, the Biden admin-

istration weighed in with a state-

ment from the U.S. State Depart-

ment.

“Our commitment to Taiwan is

rock-solid and contributes to the

maintenance of peace and stabil-

ity across the Taiwan Strait and

within the region,” State Depart-

ment spokesman Ned Price wrote

on the department’s website. “We

urge Beijing to cease its military,

diplomatic and economic pres-

sure against Taiwan, and instead

engage in meaningful dialogue

with Taiwan’s democratically

elected representatives.”

Price vowed to stand with Tai-

wan and to even deepen ties.

“We will continue to assist Tai-

wan in maintaining a sufficient

self-defense capability,” he said.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign

Affairs Sunday thanked Price for

his statements via Twitter.

“We’re committed to our part-

nership” with the United States,

the ministry account said.

Chinese fighters, bombers test Taiwan’s air defenseBY MATTHEW M. BURKE

Stars and Stripes

[email protected]: @MatthewMBurke1

NORFOLK, Va. — A Navy

SEAL convicted of involuntary

manslaughter in the hazing death

of an Army Green Beret in 2017

was sentenced this weekend to 10

years in prison.

SEAL Team 6 member Tony E.

DeDolph was also demoted from

chief petty officer to seaman and

will be dishonorably discharged.

He must forfeit pay.

DeDolph pleaded guilty to in-

voluntary manslaughter earlier

this month after admitting that he

applied the chokehold that killed

Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar

while trying to haze him in 2017 in

Mali, West Africa.

Two others previously convict-

ed in the case, former Navy Chief

Special Operator Adam Matthews

and former Marine Staff Sgt. Ke-

vin Maxwell Jr., were sentenced

to one year and four years con-

finement, respectively. Both are

also receiving bad conduct dis-

charges.

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Mario

Madera-Rodriguez has also been

charged in Melgar’s death A trial

is set for later this year.

DeDolph intends to appeal the

sentence, according to his attor-

ney, Philip Stackhouse.

DeDolph pleaded guilty as part

of a pretrial agreement in which

the Navy dropped charges of felo-

ny murder and burglary. Under

the agreement, he faced a maxi-

mum of 22 1/2 years in prison.

In addition to the manslaughter

charge, he pleaded guilty to hazi-

ng, conspiracy and obstruction of

justice. Officials said he cut an in-

cision in Melgar’s neck normally

used to open an emergency air-

way in order to hide injuries from

the chokehold.

The chokehold DeDolph ap-

plied involves placing the front of

a victim’s neck in the crook of one

arm, while pressing with the other

on the back of the neck. He told

his court-martial that he had safe-

ly performed the hold many times

in training.

DeDolph said he and the other

three men broke into Melgar’s

room intending to haze him.

Navy SEAL sentenced to 10 years in prison in Green Beret hazing deathThe Virginian-Pilot


“We believe that some German

tax authorities have adopted an

incorrect interpretation of the

NATO Status of Forces Agree-

ment (SOFA), resulting in the im-

proper taxation of some U.S. per-

sonnel,” Miller wrote.

At the center of the problem is

the claim by some German au-

thorities that SOFA tax protec-

tions are void if a person is in

Germany for reasons other than

just their military job.

Being married to a German, ex-

tending tours, owning property or

sending children to German

schools are among the factors

that have been used by German

officials to build tax liability

cases.

To avoid taxes, a person must

prove “a willingness to return” to

the U.S., even though tax author-

ities have continued to pursue

cases against some people after

they returned stateside.

Critics say the policy relies on

guesswork by tax clerks and

lacks any clear legal basis.

Military families who have

been ensnared by German tax

collectors have complained that

they have been left to fend for

themselves in lengthy legal dis-

putes.

Air Force Master Sgt. Matthew

Larsen, who is married to a Ger-

man and has been targeted for

months by the Landstuhl-Kusel

tax office, said the U.S. govern-

ment intervention raised his

hopes that the matter could be re-

solved, but added that he was still

angry that it has dragged on for so

long and affected so many Amer-

icans.

“I’d like to be hopeful,” Larsen

said. “But every time I hear about

another case, I get infuriated be-

cause of the fact that this is still

continuing, and they are getting

more aggressive. When is this go-

ing to end?”

Hundreds of troops, Defense

Department civilians and con-

tractors have been targeted by lo-

cal tax offices over the past few

years. Most of the cases are link-

ed to Americans living in the

Landstuhl-Kusel area, near Ram-

stein Air Base, but cases have al-

so been reported in Kaiserslau-

tern, Stuttgart and Wiesbaden.

The problem has existed for

years, but initially focused mainly

on contractors. Critics say Ger-

man authorities became embold-

ened after their demands that

Americans pay taxes went un-

challenged and expanded their

campaign to target troops and

DOD civilians.

In November, the State Depart-

ment sent a cable to the U.S. Em-

bassy in Berlin, directing it to en-

gage with the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs on the matter.

In a meeting the following

month between American and

German officials, the foreign

ministry agreed to involve the

federal finance office, Scrocca

said.

“They agreed to move it for-

ward,” he said. “We don’t want to

say anything that would disre-

spect them in any way, but we

think ... the language of the SOFA

is clear. We just have to agree on

the interpretation.”

Income: DOD employees in Germany targeted by tax collectorsFROM PAGE 1

Stars and Stripes reporter Marcus Kloecknercontributed to this report. [email protected]: @john_vandiver

MILITARY

WASHINGTON — President

Joe Biden on Monday ended the

Pentagon’s ban on most transgen-

der men and women joining the

military, fulfilling a campaign

promise to undo one of President

Donald Trump’s signature Penta-

gon policies.

Biden issued an executive order

Monday that allows all qualified

Americans to serve in the mili-

tary, regardless of their gender

identity.

“President Biden believes that

all gender identity should not be a

bar to military service, and that

America’s strength is found in its

diversity,” according to a White

House statement. “Allowing all

qualified Americans to serve their

country in uniform is better for the

military and better for the country

because an inclusive force is a

more effective force. Simply put,

it’s the right thing to do and is in

our national interest.”

The order directs the defense

secretary and the Homeland Se-

curity secretary to implement it

and make certain all regulations

and policies follow the new exec-

utive order.

It also immediately stops invol-

untary separations, discharges,

and denials of reenlistment or

continuation of service due to gen-

der identity, according to the

statement. The order also starts a

process to find and examine re-

cords of personnel who were

kicked out based on their gender

identity and correct their military

records.

An initial report is to be submit-

ted to Biden within 60 days on the

progress for implementing the

new directives and policy, accord-

ing to the statement.

The policy change was expect-

ed to essentially revert the Penta-

gon back to its 2016 policy, which

opened the military to most trans-

gender men and women near the

end of former President Barack

Obama’s administration. Biden,

who backed that policy at that

time, had pledged last year as a

presidential candidate to quickly

kill the policy, labeling it discrimi-

natory.

The order comes as new De-

fense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a

retired four-star Army general,

took the Pentagon’s reins on Fri-

day. The Pentagon will take im-

mediate action to make certain the

policy allows people who identify

as transgender are eligible to

serve in the military, Austin said

in a statement issued Monday fol-

lowing the ban reversal.

“I fully support the President’s

direction that all transgender indi-

viduals who wish to serve in the

United States military and can

meet the appropriate standards

shall be able to do so openly and

free from discrimination,” he said.

Recruits might be able to serve

in their self-identified gender

when they meet the standards to

join the military and all medically

necessary transition related care

allowed by law will be available to

all service members, according to

the statement.

It was not immediately clear

Monday how long the Pentagon

would need before it would start

accepting new transgender ser-

vice members. Experts said last

summer that the Pentagon could

reverse the policy in just 30 days.

The ban’s end could result in a

rush to recruiting offices through-

out the country for transgender

men and women who have long

sought to serve, said Nicolas Tal-

bott, a transgender man who was

among the first military hopefuls

to file a lawsuit against Trump and

the federal government to end the

policy.

“We are all very excited we are

all very eager,” Talbott said last

week.

Talbott plans to re-enter ROTC

training, which he was forced to

leave in 2019 after the ban was im-

plemented and hopes to serve as

an Army or Air Force intelligence

officer.

“I’m thrilled and relieved that I

and other transgender Americans

can now be evaluated solely on our

ability to meet military standards.

I look forward to becoming the

best service member I can be,”

Talbott said in a statement after

the ban was lifted.

The Pentagon’s ban on trans-

gender men and women enlisting

in the military went into effect in

April 2019, nearly two years after

Trump’s surprise July 2017 Twit-

ter announcement that he would

no longer allow transgender per-

sons to serve in the military “in

any capacity.”

That announcement, which

caught the Pentagon, including all

the members of the Joint Chiefs of

Staff off guard, resulted months

later in the Defense Department

policy — known as the “Mattis

plan” for former Defense Secreta-

ry Jim Mattis, who crafted it. The

policy bars almost any transgen-

der men and women from joining

the military.

That plan was long delayed as

transgender service members

and military hopefuls filed a series

of lawsuits that resulted in prelim-

inary injunctions halting the Pen-

tagon from implementing its plan.

In January 2019, a 5-4 Supreme

Court decision removed those

preliminary injunctions, allowing

the Defense Department to imple-

ment its ban.

The Pentagon long insisted its

policy was not a blanket ban be-

cause of its protections for those

transgender service members

who came out after the 2016 policy

and a waiver process that could al-

low some transgender people to

join the military.

But the policy barred nearly all

people diagnosed with gender

dysphoria — described by the

American Psychiatric Association

as “a conflict between a person’s

physical or assigned gender and

the gender with which he/she/

they identify.” It did allow people

to enlist with a diagnosis of gender

dysphoria who had doctor certifi-

cation that they had remained sta-

ble in their biological sex for 36

months. It disqualified all people

who had medically transitioned

their sex.

The uniformed leaders of all the

military services in recent years

told lawmakers that they had seen

no evidence that transgender ser-

vice members disrupted unit co-

hesion, one of the Pentagon’s pri-

mary justifications for imple-

menting its ban. Defense Depart-

ment officials claimed to have

data confirming that assertion,

however, they have never made it

public.

One of the lawyers involved in

the lawsuits seeking to end the

transgender ban said last week

that she too had never seen any

supporting evidence from the

Pentagon that transgender men

and women cause harm to the mil-

itary.

The Mattis plan provides no sta-

tistics to back its position that

transgender persons should not

serve in the military, said Jennifer

Levi, a director for GLBTQ Legal

Advocates & Defenders, or GLAD,

a legal group that represents gay

and transgender individuals.

“There’s nothing in there that

has shown at all that transgender

people who meet military stan-

dards can’t contribute at very high

levels,” she said. “We haven’t seen

anything [from the Defense De-

partment] that supports the ban.”

The policy reversal did not

please everyone. Retired Army Lt.

Gen. Tom Spoehr, who directs the

conservative Heritage Founda-

tion’s National Defense Center,

said Monday that ending the

Trump-era policy would harm the

military’s combat readiness.

Spoehr said Biden’s decision

was based on “political correct-

ness.”

“By overturning the current

policy regarding individuals suf-

fering from gender dysphoria, the

commander in chief is signaling

that he is more interested in social

engineering than safeguarding

the health and well-being of

American service members,” he

said in a statement.

The Pentagon under Trump al-

so labeled needed health care for

transgender men and women too

costly. The Pentagon said last year

that it spent about $8 million on

health care for transgender ser-

vice members between 2016 and

2019 from its about $50 billion an-

nual health care budget.

It remains unclear precisely

how many service members on

active duty identify as transgen-

der. A 2016 Defense Department

survey, which was anonymous,

found about 9,000 service mem-

bers identified themselves as

transgender men or women, but

slightly more than 1,000 between

2016 and 2019 took the steps to

openly serve in the preferred gen-

der, officials said.

Gay and transgender advocates

are hopeful that the policy can be

reverted very quickly. Aaron Bel-

kin, director of the Palm Center, a

research institute that studies

LGBTQ inclusion in the military,

has said the Mattis plan left the

groundwork for the Pentagon to

completely end its ban within one

month.

Biden ends military transgender banBY COREY DICKSTEIN

AND CAITLIN M. KENNEY

Stars and Stripes

[email protected] Twitter: @[email protected] Twitter: @caitlinmkenney


VIRUS OUTBREAK

LONDON — Anti-poverty cam-

paigner Oxfam warned Monday

that the fallout of the coronavirus

pandemic will lead to the biggest

increase in global inequality on re-

cord unless governments radical-

ly rejig their economies.

In a report geared to inform dis-

cussions at the World Economic

Forum’s online panels of political

and business leaders this week,

Oxfam said the richest 1,000 peo-

ple have already managed to re-

coup the losses they recorded in

the early days of the pandemic be-

cause of the bounce back in stock

markets. By contrast, Oxfam said

it could take more than a decade

for the world’s poorest to recover

their losses.

“Rigged economies are funnel-

ing wealth to a rich elite who are

riding out the pandemic in luxury,

while those on the frontline of the

pandemic — shop assistants,

healthcare workers, and market

vendors — are struggling to pay

the bills and put food on the table,”

said Gabriela Bucher, executive

director of Oxfam International.

Using figures from Forbes’ 2020

Billionaire List, Oxfam said the

world’s 10 richest people, includ-

ing the likes of Jeff Bezos, Elon

Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zucker-

berg and Warren Buffett, saw

their fortunes increase by half a

trillion dollars since the crisis be-

gan.

Meanwhile, using data specially

provided by the World Bank, Ox-

fam said that in a worst-case sce-

nario global poverty levels would

be higher in 2030 than they were

before the pandemic struck, with

3.4 billion people still living on less

than $5.50 a day.

Bucher said women and mar-

ginalized racial and ethnic groups

are bearing the brunt of this crisis

and are “more likely to be pushed

into poverty, more likely to go

hungry, and more likely to be ex-

cluded from healthcare.”

While urging governments to

ensure that everyone has access to

a coronavirus vaccine and finan-

cial support if they lose their job,

Bucher said policies in a post-cor-

onavirus world should focus on

ending poverty and protecting the

planet.

“They must invest in public ser-

vices and low carbon sectors to

create millions of new jobs and en-

sure everyone has access to a de-

cent education, health, and social

care, and they must ensure the

richest individuals and corpora-

tions contribute their fair share of

tax to pay for it,” she said.

“These measures must not be

band-aid solutions for desperate

times but a ‘new normal’ in econo-

mies that work for the benefit of all

people, not just the privileged

few,” she added.

Oxfam has traditionally sought

to inspire debate at the World Eco-

nomic Forum’s annual gathering

of business and political elites in

the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

Though the pandemic means

there won’t be any trek up the

mountains this week, organizers

are putting on a virtual gathering.

Leaders including Chinese

President Xi Jinping, Indian

Prime Minister Narendra Modi,

German Chancellor Angela Mer-

kel and South African President

Cyril Ramaphosa are all set to

take part in the meetings from

Jan. 25-29. Joining them will be a

host of chief executives and cam-

paigning organizations, including

Oxfam and the likes of Swedish

climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Group warns ofhuge economicgap from virus

BY PAN PYLAS

Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President

Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he has

tested positive for COVID-19, an announce-

ment that comes as his country registers the

highest levels of infections and deaths to

date.

López Obrador, who has been criticized

for his handling of Mexico’s pandemic and

for not setting an example of prevention in

public, said Sunday on his official Twitter

account that his symptoms are mild and he

is under medical treatment.

“I regret to inform you that I am infected

with COVID-19,” he tweeted. “The symp-

toms are mild but I am al-

ready under medical

treatment. As always, I

am optimistic. We will all

move forward.”

José Luis Alomía Ze-

garra, Mexico’s director

of epidemiology, said the

67-year-old López Obra-

dor had a “light” case of

COVID-19 and was “isolating at home.”

Mexico’s president wrote that while he

recovered, Interior Secretary Olga Sánchez

Cordero would be taking over for him in his

daily news conferences, at which he usually

speaks for two hours without breaks each

weekday.

Despite his age and high blood pressure,

López Obrador has not received a vaccine

shot even though Mexico has already re-

ceived a batch of Pfizer-BioNTech doses.

He has said that health workers would be

the first ones to get them. Under the govern-

ment plan, people over 60 will start being

vaccinated in February.

López Obrador has rarely been seen

wearing a mask and continued to keep up a

busy travel schedule, taking commercial

flights.

He has also resisted locking down the

economy, noting the devastating effect it

would have on so many Mexicans who live

day to day, despite that the country has reg-

istered nearly 150,000 COVID-19 deaths

and more than 1.7 million infections.

In November, Tedros Adhanom Ghe-

breyesus, head of the World Health Orga-

nization, urged Mexico’s leaders be serious

about the virus and set examples for its citi-

zens, saying that “Mexico is in bad shape.”

Mexican president tests positive, has mild symptomsBY CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN

Associated Press

López Obrador

LOS ANGELES — It’s crowded

in the back of the ambulance.

Two emergency medical tech-

nicians, the patient, the gurney —

and an unseen and unwelcome

passenger lurking in the air.

For EMTs Thomas Hoang and

Joshua Hammond, the coronavi-

rus is constantly close. COVID-19

has become their biggest fear dur-

ing 24-hour shifts in California’s

Orange County, riding with them

from 911 call to 911 call, from pa-

tient to patient.

They and other EMTs, para-

medics and 911 dispatchers in

Southern California have been

thrust into the front lines of the na-

tional epicenter of the pandemic.

They are scrambling to help those

in need as hospitals burst with a

surge of patients after the holi-

days, ambulances are stuck wait-

ing outside hospitals for hours un-

til beds become available, oxygen

tanks are in alarmingly short sup-

ply and the vaccine rollout has

been slow.

EMTs and paramedics have al-

ways dealt with life and death —

they make split-second decisions

about patient care, which hospital

to race to, the best and fastest way

to save someone — and now

they’re just a breath away from

becoming the patient themselves.

They gown up, mask up and

glove up, “but you can only be so

safe,” Hammond said. “We don’t

have the luxury of being 6 feet

apart from the patient.”

Statistics on COVID-19 cases

and deaths among EMTs and pa-

ramedics — especially ones em-

ployed by private companies —

are hard to find. They are consid-

ered essential health care workers

but rarely receive the pay and pro-

tections given to doctors and nurs-

es.

Hammond and Hoang work for

Emergency Ambulance Service

Inc., a private ambulance company

in Southern California. They, like

so many others, have long fostered

goals of becoming first responders

to serve their communities.

Hoang is attending nursing

school. Hammond is one test away

from becoming a paramedic.

Yet as COVID-19 infections

surge and the risks increase, they

wonder: Is it worth risking your

life — and the lives of your loved

ones at home — for a small pay-

check and a dream?

“It’s really hard to justify it be-

yond ‘I really want to help peo-

ple,’” said Hammond, 25. “Is that

worth the risk?”

For now, yes.

“I do want to do my part in help-

ing people get better, in a sense,”

said Hoang, 29.

Ashley Cortez, Adreanna More-

no and Jaime Hopper work 12-

hour shifts as dispatchers for Care

Ambulance Service Inc. If the

EMTs are the front lines, these

women are the scouts.

Their greatest fear is what’s

called a “level zero” — when there

are no ambulances left to send to

an emergency. In Los Angeles

County, one of the nation’s har-

dest-hit counties during the pan-

demic, the fear becomes a regular

reality.

JAE C. HONG/AP

Emergency medical technician Thomas Hoang, left, of Emergency Ambulance Service, and paramedicTrenton Amaro prepare to unload a COVID19 patient from an ambulance in Placentia, Calif., on Jan. 8.

Paramedics, EMTs endure virusfears amid daily responsibilities

BY STEFANIE DAZIO

Associated Press


SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Cali-

fornia lifted regional stay-at-home

orders across the state Monday in

response to improving coronavi-

rus conditions, returning the state

to a system of county-by-county

restrictions, state health officials

announced.

The order had been in place in

the San Francisco Bay Area, San

Joaquin Valley and Southern Cali-

fornia, covering the majority of

the state’s counties. The change

will allow businesses such as res-

taurants to resume outdoor oper-

ations in many areas, though local

officials could choose to continue

stricter rules. The state is also lift-

ing a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.

“Together, we changed our ac-

tivities knowing our short-term

sacrifices would lead to longer-

term gains. COVID-19 is still here

and still deadly, so our work is not

over, but it’s important to recog-

nize our collective actions saved

lives and we are turning a critical

corner,” Dr. Tomas Aragon, the

state’s public health director, said

in a statement.

The decision comes with im-

proving trends in the rate of infec-

tions, hospitalizations and inten-

sive care unit capacity as well as

vaccinations.

During the weekend, San Fran-

cisco Bay Area ICU capacity

surged to 23% while the San Joa-

quin Valley increased to 1.3%, its

first time above zero. The huge

Southern California region, the

most populous, remains at zero

ICU capacity.

As of the weekend, California

has had more than 3.1 million con-

firmed COVID-19 cases and

36,790 deaths, according to the

state’s public health website.

AlaskaJUNEAU — Alaska held the en-

viable position of having the high-

est rate of coronavirus vaccina-

tions per capita in the nation as of

last week, the state’s top health of-

ficial said.

Alaska Chief Medical Officer

Anne Zink said Thursday that the

progress was the result of commu-

nity efforts to quickly distribute

vaccinations and additional allot-

ments for federal agencies within

the state, KTOO-FM reported.

Zink told the Greater Juneau

Chamber of Commerce that Alas-

ka receives more doses of vaccine

because of allowances above the

state’s share for the Department

of Defense, the Department of

Veterans Affairs and the Indian

Health Service.

“We have the highest veterans

per capita population. We have a

large military presence. And we

have a large Indigenous popula-

tion with over 229 sovereign

tribes,” Zink said. “And so, be-

cause of those reasons, we did get

some additional vaccine in the

state via those federal partner-

ships.”

ArizonaWINDOW ROCK — Navajo Na-

tion health officials are reporting

133 new COVID-19 cases and sev-

en more deaths as a revised public

health order is set to take effect.

The latest figures released Sun-

day bring the total reported coro-

navirus cases on the reservation to

27,484 with 973 known deaths.

Beginning Monday, the tribe

extended its stay-at-home order

with a revised nightly curfew to

limit the spread of COVID-19. The

Navajo Nation is also lifting week-

end lockdowns to allow more vac-

cination events.

The actions in the latest public

health emergency order will run

through at least Feb. 15.

The curfew will run daily from 9

p.m. to 5 a.m.

ConnecticutHARTFORD — Local health of-

ficials ordered a Connecticut

home for retired nuns closed to

visitors and the public because of

a coronavirus outbreak that has

infected nearly half of the more

than 70 residents there as vacci-

nations were underway.

The restrictions on the School

Sisters of Notre Dame home in

Wilton were ordered by town Di-

rector of Health Barrington Bo-

gle, and state health officials were

expected to visit the property

Monday to help with the outbreak,

First Selectwoman Lynne Van-

derslice said in a statement.

Vanderslice said 30 residents

recently tested positive for CO-

VID-19, as did a number of staff

members. Health officials are do-

ing contact tracing in Wilton as

well as in the communities where

staff members live.

Fifteen retired nuns recently

received COVID-19 vaccinations

under state guidelines, which al-

low vaccinations for people 75

years and older. The remaining

residents and staff were sched-

uled to be vaccinated Monday, af-

ter town officials obtained permis-

sion to administer the vaccine to

non-eligible residents and staff,

Vanderslice said.

HawaiiHONOLULU — About half of

Hawaii’s supply of 186,000 doses

of the coronavirus vaccine had

been distributed through last

week, officials said.

The state has more than 40 dis-

tribution sites for the Pfizer and

Moderna vaccines, KITV-TV re-

ported.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Josh Green

said state leaders have pressed

the federal government to contin-

ue supplying the state with doses.

“We now have another 50 or

60,000 scheduled appointments

for people getting their either first

shot or second shot,” Green said.

“We didn’t want to leave people in

the lurch.”

More than 5,500 people were

scheduled to receive vaccine

shots at Honolulu’s Blaisdell Cen-

ter mass vaccination site Monday.

MassachusettsBOSTON — Massachusetts re-

laxed some coronavirus restric-

tions Monday as several key met-

rics used to measure the spread of

the pandemic trend in the right di-

rection.

Restaurants, movie theaters

and many other businesses will

now be allowed to remain open

past 9:30 p.m. Also, a rule that re-

quired people to stay at home

from 10 p.m. until 5 p.m. except for

work or other essential travel has

been lifted.

The restrictions were adopted

in November as new cases surged.

The latest seven-day average

positivity rate in Massachusetts

has dropped to 4.83% as of Sun-

day, down from 7.2% on Jan. 10.

The seven-day rolling average

of daily new cases in Massachu-

setts is also on the decline, at more

than 4,200 on Sunday, down from

at least 6,400 on Jan. 10, according

to The COVID Tracking Project.

Hospitalizations are also fall-

ing.

South DakotaRAPID CITY — Organizers of

South Dakota’s annual point-in-

time count for the state’s unshel-

tered homeless population have

canceled the effort this year due to

the coronavirus pandemic.

Sara Hornick, Rapid City-area

coordinator of homeless services

for Volunteers of America, said

the count was called off mainly be-

cause of a shortage of volunteers,

lack of personal protective equip-

ment and concerns about the

spread of COVID-19. She said the

vulnerable homeless population is

quite large, but the Department of

Housing and Urban Development

decided against the count, the

Rapid City Journal reported.

Hornick said she’s not sure how

the cancellation will affect federal

funding because of all the allow-

ances in place this year because of

the virus.

The state Department of Health

on Sunday reported 185 new CO-

VID-19 cases in the last day, in-

creasing the total to 107,148 posi-

tive tests. The update listed nine

new deaths, lifting the total num-

ber of fatalities to 217 in January

and 1,705 since the start of the

pandemic.

West VirginiaCHARLESTON — West Virgin-

ia is debuting an online portal for

residents to register for coronavi-

rus vaccine appointments.

Gov. Jim Justice says the new

system that will help streamline

vaccination efforts statewide

launched Monday at www.vacci-

nate.wv.gov. The new website

comes after complaints of long

wait times to book a shot.

According to the Department of

Health and Human Resources,

West Virginia is the first state to

deploy the new system through

Everbridge, a company that helps

states notify residents in emer-

gencies such as a hurricane, flood

or fire.

Residents who don’t want to or

can’t go online to set up appoint-

ments can still call a vaccination

information line.

Currently, all residents 65 and

older and some essential workers,

such as health care personnel and

teachers, are eligible for shots, al-

though the state currently does

not have enough vaccine doses for

all senior citizens.

WisconsinMILWAUKEE — Wisconsin

health officials on Sunday con-

firmed 1,119 positive tests for the

coronavirus in the last 24 hours,

the lowest daily total since Sep-

tember.

The trend of lower cases and

hospitalizations continues to play

out in daily reports. The state De-

partment of Health Services lists

the weekly average at 1,596 cases,

which is similar to numbers in

mid-September. The state was av-

eraging about 6,500 cases a day in

mid-November.

There were about 548 new

cases per 100,000 people in Wis-

consin over the past two weeks,

which ranks 37th in the country

for new cases per capita, The CO-

VID Tracking Project reported.

One in every 423 people in Wis-

consin tested positive in the past

week.

Officials on Sunday confirmed

six new deaths, for a total of 5,691

since the start of the pandemic.

Calif. lifts curfew,stay-at-homeorders statewide

Associated Press

HELEN H. RICHARDSON, THE DENVER POST/ AP

Cars line up individually in front of COVID19 vaccination stations in the parking lots of Coors Field onSunday in Denver, Colo. About 1,000 seniors aged 70 and over received the vaccine at the event.

VIRUS OUTBREAK ROUNDUP


VIRUS OUTBREAK

TOKYO — Japan’s capital city

reported 618 new coronavirus pa-

tients Monday, a decline of more

than 50% in new cases over the pre-

vious four days.

Totals early in the week are typ-

ically low because many testing fa-

cilities are closed over the week-

end, but Monday’s figures repre-

sent the first tally below 700 since

Dec. 28 and below 1,000 since Jan.

12, according to public broadcaster

NHK and the Tokyo Metropolitan

Government.

U.S. military bases across Japan

reported that nine people tested

positive between 6:30 p.m. Friday

and 6 p.m. Monday. Meanwhile,

U.S. Forces Korea announced 17

cases, most them new arrivals to

the peninsula between Jan. 8 and

Wednesday, according to two news

releases.

Marine Corps Air Station Iwaku-

ni over the weekend reported that

seven people tested positive for

COVID-19, the coronavirus respi-

ratory disease, according to Face-

book posts.

Four tested positive but were not

in quarantine when they were dis-

covered, according to the base on

separate posts Saturday and Sun-

day. They were immediately isolat-

ed, according to the air base, which

provided no further information.

Three others, new arrivals to Ja-

pan, tested positive on the test re-

quired to exit quarantine, accord-

ing to the base on Saturday.

The Marine Corps also reported

one new case Monday at Camp Fos-

ter on Okinawa, but provided no

further information.

Kubasaki High School at Foster

reopened Monday, nearly a week

after it closed Jan. 19 to permit con-

tact tracing and testing. Three peo-

ple at the school had become infect-

ed, but subsequent tests of staff and

students came back negative, ac-

cording to principal James Strait in

a message to families and employ-

ees Monday.

Naval Air Facility Atsugi, about

25 miles southwest of central To-

kyo, had one person test positive

while in quarantine, base spokes-

man Sam Samuelson saidMonday.

In South Korea, a shelter-in-

place, or lockdown, order at Yong-

san Garrison in Seoul and for cer-

tain units at Camp Humphreys 55

miles to the south was extended to

midnight Wednesday, USFK an-

nounced Monday.

On Sunday, Humphreys com-

mander Col. Mike Tremblay

closed the post exchange for a thor-

ough cleaning after someone who

tested positive stopped there, ac-

cording to Tremblay’s remarks on

a Facebook Live broadcast that

morning. The exchange opened

later that afternoon.

USFK reported that five individ-

uals tested positive at Kunsan Air

Base and at Humphreys over the

weekend.

Three service members at Kun-

san who quarantined Wednesday

after contact with another infected

individual tested positive Friday,

according to a news release.

At Humphreys, a Defense De-

partment civilian employee tested

positive Friday after developing

symptoms; the other turned up Sat-

urday during the stepped-up trac-

ing campaign there, according to

the Saturday release.

On Sunday, USFK reported that

12 people tested positive after ar-

riving in South Korea over a two-

week period.

One service member landed at

Osan Air Base on the Patriot Ex-

press, a government-chartered air

passenger service, on Jan. 18. Nine

service members and two depend-

ents arrived on commercial flights

at Incheon International Airport on

Jan. 8-10, Jan. 18 and Wednesday,

according to the Sunday release.

Five people tested positive upon

arrival and seven were positive on

the test required before exiting the

mandatory two-week quarantine.

South Korea reported 437 newly

infected people nationwide Sun-

day, according to the Central Dis-

ease Control Headquarters. Seoul

accounted for 91 of those, and Gye-

onggi province, where Humphreys

is located, reported 72.

Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Changcontributed to this [email protected]: @JosephDitzler

AKIFUMI ISHIKAWA/Stars and Stripes

Travelers wear masks inside a terminal at Narita International Airportoutside Tokyo on Jan. 15.

Tokyo sees drop in cases;US commands in S. Korea,Japan report 26 infections

BY JOSEPH DITZLER

Stars and Stripes

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Chinese

state media have played up ques-

tions about Pfizer’s COVID-19

vaccine and whether it could be

lethal to the very old. A govern-

ment spokesperson suggests the

coronavirus could have emerged

from a U.S. military lab.

As the ruling Communist Party

faces growing questioning about

China’s vaccines and renewed

criticism of its early COVID re-

sponse, it is hitting back by en-

couraging fringe theories that

some experts say could cause

harm.

State media and officials are

sowing doubts about Western

vaccines and the origin of the

coronavirus in an apparent bid to

deflect the attacks. Both issues

are in the spotlight because of the

ongoing rollout of vaccines glob-

ally and the recent arrival of a

WHO team in Wuhan, China, to

investigate the origins of the vi-

rus.

While fringe theories may

raise eyebrows overseas, the ef-

forts also target a more receptive

domestic audience. The social

media hashtag “American’s Ft.

Detrick,” started by the Commu-

nist Youth League, was viewed at

least 1.4 billion times last week

after a Foreign Ministry spokes-

person called for a WHO investi-

gation of the biological weapons

lab in Maryland.

“Its purpose is to shift the

blame from mishandling by (the)

Chinese government in the pan-

demic’s early days to conspiracy

by the U.S.,” said Fang Shimin, a

now-U.S.-based writer known for

exposing faked degrees and other

fraud in Chinese science. “The

tactic is quite successful because

of widespread anti-American

sentiment in China.”

China pushes fringe theorieson pandemic origins, vaccine

Associated Press

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NATION

senators who will serve as jurors

in the trial are rallying to his legal

defense, as they did during his

first impeachment trial last year.

“I think the trial is stupid, I think

it’s counterproductive,” said Sen.

Marco Rubio, R-Fla. He said that

“the first chance I get to vote to

end this trial, I’ll do it” because he

believes it would be bad for the

country and further inflame parti-

san divisions.

Trump is the first former presi-

dent to face impeachment trial,

and it will test his grip on the Re-

publican Party as well as the lega-

cy of his tenure, which came to a

close as a mob of loyal supporters

heeded his rally cry by storming

the Capitol and trying to overturn

Joe Biden’s election. The proceed-

ings will also force Democrats,

who have a full sweep of party

control of the White House and

Congress, to balance their prom-

ise to hold the former president

accountable while also rushing to

deliver on Biden’s priorities.

Arguments in the Senate trial

will begin the week of Feb. 8.

Leaders in both parties agreed to

the short delay to give Trump’s

team and House prosecutors time

to prepare and the Senate the

chance to confirm some of Biden’s

Cabinet nominees. Democrats say

the extra days will allow for more

evidence to come out about the

rioting by Trump supporters,

while Republicans hope to craft a

unified defense for Trump.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said in

an interview with The Associated

Press on Sunday that he hopes that

evolving clarity on the details of

what happened Jan. 6 “will make

it clearer to my colleagues and the

American people that we need

some accountability.”

Coons questioned how his col-

leagues who were in the Capitol

that day could see the insurrection

as anything other than a “stunning

violation” of tradition of peaceful

transfers of power.

“It is a critical moment in Amer-

ican history, and we have to look at

it and look at it hard,” Coons said.

An early vote to dismiss the trial

probably would not succeed, giv-

en that Democrats now control the

Senate. Still, the mounting Repub-

lican opposition indicates that

many GOP senators would even-

tually vote to acquit Trump. Dem-

ocrats would need the support of

17 Republicans — a high bar — to

convict him.

When the House impeached

Trump on Jan. 13, exactly one

week after the siege, Sen. Tom

Cotton, R-Ark., said he didn’t be-

lieve the Senate had the constitu-

tional authority to convict Trump

after he had left office. On Sunday,

Cotton said “the more I talk to oth-

er Republican senators, the more

they’re beginning to line up” be-

hind that argument.

“I think a lot of Americans are

going to think it’s strange that the

Senate is spending its time trying

to convict and remove from office

a man who left office a week ago,”

Cotton said.

Democrats reject that argu-

ment, pointing to a 1876 impeach-

ment of a secretary of war who

had already resigned and to opin-

ions by many legal scholars. Dem-

ocrats also say that a reckoning of

the first invasion of the Capitol

since the War of 1812, perpetrated

by rioters egged on by a president

who told them to “fight like hell”

against election results that were

being counted at the time, is nec-

essary so the country can move

forward and ensure such a siege

never happens again.

A few GOP senators have

agreed with Democrats, though

not close to the number that will be

needed to convict Trump.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said

he believes there is a “preponder-

ance of opinion” that an impeach-

ment trial is appropriate after

someone leaves office.

“I believe that what is being al-

leged and what we saw, which is

incitement to insurrection, is an

impeachable offense,” Romney

said. “If not, what is?”

But Romney, the lone Republi-

can to vote to convict Trump when

the Senate acquitted the then-

president in last year’s trial, ap-

pears to be an outlier.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Da-

kota, said he believes a trial is a

“moot point” after a president’s

term is over, “and I think it’s one

that they would have a very diffi-

cult time in trying to get done

within the Senate.”

On Friday, GOP Sen. Lindsey

Graham of South Carolina, a close

Trump ally who has been helping

him build a legal team, urged the

Senate to reject the idea of a post-

presidency trial — potentially

with a vote to dismiss the charge

— and suggested Republicans will

scrutinize whether Trump’s

words on Jan. 6 were legally “in-

citement.”

Senate Republican leader

Mitch McConnell, who said last

week that Trump “provoked” his

supporters before the riot, has not

said how he will vote or argued

any legal strategies. The Ken-

tucky senator has told his GOP

colleagues that it will be a vote of

conscience.

JOHN MINCHILLO/AP

Violent rioters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C.

Senate: More Republican senators speak outagainst conviction ahead of impeachment trialFROM PAGE 1

WASHINGTON — Federal law

enforcement officials are exam-

ining a number of threats aimed

at members of Congress as the

impeachment trial of former

President Donald Trump nears,

including ominous chatter about

killing legislators or attacking

them outside of the U.S. Capitol,

a U.S. official told The Associat-

ed Press.

The threats, and concerns that

armed protesters could return to

sack the Capitol anew, have

prompted the U.S. Capitol Police

and other federal law enforce-

ment to insist thousands of Na-

tional Guard troops remain in

Washington as the Senate moves

forward with plans for Trump’s

trial, the official said Sunday.

The shocking insurrection at

the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob

prompted federal officials to

rethink security in and around its

landmarks, resulting in an un-

precedented lockdown for Bi-

den’s inauguration. Though the

event went off without any prob-

lems and armed protests around

the country did not end up mate-

rializing, the threats to lawmak-

ers ahead of Trump’s trial exem-

plified the continued potential for

danger.

Similar to those that were in-

tercepted by investigators ahead

of Biden’s inauguration, the

threats that law enforcement

agents are tracking vary in speci-

ficity and credibility, said the of-

ficial, who had been briefed on

the matter. Mainly posted online

and in chat groups, the messages

have included plots to attack

members of Congress during

travel to and from the Capitol

complex during the trial, accord-

ing to the official.

The official was not authorized

to discuss an ongoing investiga-

tion publicly and spoke to the AP

on condition of anonymity.

Law enforcement officials are

already starting to plan for the

possibility of armed protesters

returning to the nation’s capital

when Trump’s Senate trial on a

charge of inciting a violent insur-

rection begins the week of Feb. 8.

It would be the first impeach-

ment trial of a former U.S. presi-

dent.

Thousands of Trump’s sup-

porters descended on the Capitol

on Jan. 6 as Congress met to cer-

tify Biden as the winner of the

2020 presidential race. More

than 800 are believed to have

made their way into the Capitol

during the violent siege, pushing

past overwhelmed police offi-

cers. The Capitol police said that

they planned for a free speech

protest, not a riot, and were

caught off guard despite intelli-

gence suggesting the rally would

descend into a riot. Five people

died in the melee, including a

Capitol police officer who was

struck in the head with a fire ex-

tinguisher.

Though much of the security

apparatus around Washington

set up after the riot and ahead of

Biden’s inauguration — it includ-

ed scores of military checkpoints

and hundreds of additional law

enforcement personnel — is no

longer in place, approximately

7,000 members of the National

Guard will remain to assist fed-

eral law enforcement, officials

said.

The Guard Bureau said that

the number of Guard members

in D.C. is less than 20,000 as of

Sunday. All but about 7,000 of

those will go home in the coming

days. The Guard Bureau said

that the number of troops in D.C.

would then continue to decline in

the coming weeks to about 5,000.

They are expected to stay in D.C.

until mid-March.

At least five people facing fed-

eral charges have suggested they

believed they were taking orders

from Trump when they marched

on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 to chal-

lenge the certification of Biden’s

election victory. But now those

comments, captured in inter-

views with reporters and federal

agents, are likely to take center

stage as Democrats lay out their

case.

More than 130 people have

been charged by federal prose-

cutors for their roles in the riot.

In recent weeks, others have

been arrested after posting

threats against members of Con-

gress.

They include a Proud Boys

supporter who authorities said

threatened to deploy “three cars

full of armed patriots” to Wash-

ington, threatened harm against

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.,

and who is accused of stockpiling

military-style combat knives and

more than 1,000 rifle rounds in

his New York home. A Texas

man was arrested this week for

taking part in the riot at the Capi-

tol and for posting violent

threats, including a call to assas-

sinate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-

Cortez, D-N.Y.

Lawmakers receivethreats ahead ofimpeachment trial

BY MICHAEL BALSAMO

Associated Press


NATION

WASHINGTON — When Presi-

dent Joe Biden took office last

week, he promised sweeping, bi-

partisan legislation to solve the

coronavirus pandemic, fix the

economy and overhaul immigra-

tion.

Just days later, the Senate

ground to a halt, with Democrats

and Republicans unable to agree

on even basic rules for how the

evenly divided body should oper-

ate.

Meanwhile, key Republicans

have quickly signaled discomfort

with — or outright dismissal of —

the cornerstone of Biden’s early

legislative agenda, a $1.9 trillion

pandemic relief plan that includes

measures including $1,400 stimu-

lus checks, vaccine distribution

funding and a $15 minimum wage.

On top of that, senators are pre-

paring for a wrenching second im-

peachment trial for former presi-

dent Donald Trump, set to begin

Feb. 9, which could mire all other

Senate business and further oblit-

erate any hopes of cross-party

cooperation.

Taken togeth-

er, this gridlock

could imperil Bi-

den’s entire

early presiden-

cy, making it im-

possible for him

to deliver on key

promises as he

contends with

dueling crises.

This reality could force Demo-

crats to choose within a matter of

weeks whether they will continue

to pursue the sort of bipartisan

cooperation that Biden — and

many senators of both parties —

have preached, or whether to pur-

sue procedural shortcuts or rule

changes that would sideline the

GOP but also are likely to divide

their caucus.

“Things move faster and faster

nowadays,” said Sen. John Hoe-

ven, R-N.D., commenting on the

rising tensions Friday. “It doesn’t

seem like there’s

a honeymoon pe-

riod.”

Much of the

current conflict

over the Senate

rules comes

courtesy of vet-

eran Republican

Sen. Mitch

McConnell of Kentucky, who tran-

sitioned to minority leader

Wednesday after six years as ma-

jority leader.

Just hours after Biden’s inaugu-

ration, moments after a smiling

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was

first recognized as majority lead-

er, McConnell pointedly noted on

the Senate floor that the country

elected a smaller House Demo-

cratic majority, an evenly split

Senate and a “president who

promised unity.”

“The people intentionally en-

trusted both political sides with

significant power to shape our na-

tion’s direction,” he said. “May we

work together to honor that trust.”

Two days earlier, he had noti-

fied his Republican colleagues in

the Senate that he would deliver

Schumer a sharp ultimatum:

agree to preserve the legislative

filibuster, the centerpiece of mi-

nority power in the Senate or for-

get about any semblance of coop-

eration — starting with an agree-

ment on the chamber’s operating

rules.

The calculations for McConnell,

according to Republicans, are

simple. Not only is preserving the

filibuster a matter that Republi-

cans can unify around, it is some-

thing that potentially divides

Democrats, who are under enor-

mous pressure to discard it to ad-

vance their governing agenda.

“Republicans very much appre-

ciate the consistency and the rock-

solid fidelity to the norms and

rules that make the Senate a mod-

erating force in policymaking,”

said Scott Jennings, a former

McConnell aide. “The legislative

filibuster is the last rule driving bi-

partisanship in Washington.”

Schumer told McConnell on

Friday that he considered any

guarantee surrounding the fil-

ibuster to be an “extraneous de-

mand” departing from the ar-

rangement that the two parties

worked out the last time there was

a 50-50 Senate, in 2001.

“What’s fair is fair,” Schumer

said, noting that McConnell

changed Senate rules twice as ma-

jority leader. “Leader McCon-

nell’s proposal is unacceptable,

and it won’t be accepted.”

Fight over rules brings Senate to haltThe Washington Post

Schumer McConnell

WASHINGTON — A Tennessee

man photographed holding white

plastic handcuffs and a stun gun in

the Senate gallery could face

charges of sedition and other felo-

nies in what prosecutors on Sun-

day called the “insurrection” and

“occupation” of the U.S. Capitol on

Jan. 6.

“The evidence amassed so far

subjects the defendant,” Erik

Munchel of Nashville, Tenn., to

additional felonies, “including ob-

structing Congress, interstate

travel in furtherance of rioting ac-

tivity, sedition and other offens-

es,” federal prosecutors wrote in a

court filing.

Within minutes of the govern-

ment filing, Chief U.S. District

Judge Beryl Howell stayed a low-

er court’s conditional release of

Munchel, and ordered his transfer

from Tennessee to Washington for

hearings.

Howell did not elaborate in a

pair of one-page orders. However,

prosecutors argued for Munchel’s

detention, saying that he is

charged with a felony while pos-

sessing a dangerous weapon, and

that he poses a flight risk because

of previous attempts to evade po-

lice and potential prison time.

Munchel has not entered a plea.

His attorney previously told a

judge that he picked up the plastic

zip ties or “flexicuffs” to keep

them from being misused. He was

“trying to keep a rein on” and

“protect” his mother, who is also

facing prosecution, according to

Nashville Assistant Federal De-

fender Caryll Alpert.

On Friday, U.S. Magistrate

Judge Jeffery Frensley of Nash-

ville released Munchel to strict

confinement at home or with a

friend, saying that his motive was

“not clear” and that there was “no

evidence” that Munchel engaged

in violence. Frensley gave the gov-

ernment until Monday to appeal to

the chief federal district judge in

Washington.

Prosecutors on Sunday argued

that Munchel was not inspired to

commit civil disobedience but to

direct a message of “fear, intimi-

dation, and violence . . . at law en-

forcement, elected public offi-

cials, and the entire country.”

They cited a new allegation

from a man who has said he was

harassed by a group of Trump

supporters at the Grand Hyatt ho-

tel in Washington the night of Jan.

6, and who identified Munchel as

one who “put his hands on me.”

The man said the group wrongly

called him “antifa,” referring to a

far-left anti-fascist movement

whose adherents sometimes en-

gage in violent clashes with right-

wing extremists.

Prosecutors said a video Mun-

chel recorded of himself showed

that he entered the Capitol

dressed in combat attire from

head to toe, armed with a stun gun

and apparently a more dangerous

weapon he stashed outside the

building, and searched for law-

makers whom he believed had

committed “treason.”

A search of Munchel’s home

turned up two tactical vests; 15

firearms, including assault rifles,

a sniper rifle and tripod, other ri-

fles, shotguns, and pistols; and a

drum-style magazine, other mag-

azines and ammunition — an “ar-

senal” that prosecutors said “indi-

cates the continued capacity to

carry out the sort or fear and in-

timidation campaign in which he

partook on January 6.”

Tenn. man with zip ties at Capitol could face chargesBY SPENCER S. HSU

The Washington Post

For two Virginia police officers who

posed for a photo during the deadly U.S.

Capitol insurrection, the reckoning has

been swift and public: They were identified,

charged with crimes and arrested.

But for five Seattle officers the outcome is

less clear. Their identities still secret, two

are on leave and three continue to work

while a police watchdog investigates

whether their actions in the nation’s capital

on Jan. 6 crossed the line from protected po-

litical speech to lawbreaking.

The contrasting cases highlight the di-

lemma faced by police departments nation-

wide as they review the behavior of dozens

of officers who were in Washington the day

of the riot by supporters of President Do-

nald Trump. Officials and experts agree

that officers who were involved in the melee

should be fired and charged for their role.

But what about those officers who attend-

ed only the Trump rally before the riot?

How does a department balance an officer’s

free speech rights with the blow to public

trust that comes from the attendance of law

enforcement at an event with far-right mil-

itants and white nationalists who went on to

assault the seat of American democracy?

An Associated Press survey of law en-

forcement agencies nationwide found that

at least 31 officers in 12 states are being

scrutinized by their supervisors for their

behavior in the District of Columbia or face

criminal charges for participating in the

riot. Officials are looking into whether the

officers violated any laws or policies or par-

ticipated in the violence while in Washing-

ton. A Capitol Police officer died after he

was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher

as rioters descended on the building and

many other officers were injured. A woman

was shot to death by Capitol Police and

three other people died after medical emer-

gencies during the chaos.

Most of the officers have not been publi-

cly identified; only a few have been

charged. Some were identified by online

sleuths. Others were reported by their col-

leagues or turned themselves in.

“If they were off-duty, it’s totally free

speech,” said Will Aitchison, a lawyer in

Portland, Ore., who represents law enforce-

ment officers. “People have the right to ex-

press their political views regardless of

who’s standing next to them. You just don’t

get guilt by association.”

But Ayesha Bell Hardaway, a professor

at Case Western Reserve University law

school, said an officer’s presence at the rally

creates a credibility issue as law enforce-

ment agencies work to repair community

trust, especially after last summer’s pro-

tests against police brutality sparked by the

police killings of George Floyd and Breonna

Taylor.

Police weigh discipline in rally, Capitol riotAssociated Press

KAREN WARREN, HOUSTON CHRONICLE/AP

Former Houston Police Officer Tam Phamwalks out of the Houston FederalCourthouse on Thursday, after heappeared in court on federal charges tiedto violence at the U.S. Capitol.


NATION

INDIANAPOLIS — Five peo-

ple, including a pregnant woman,

were shot to death early Sunday

inside an Indianapolis home in an

apparent targeted attack, the

city’s police chief said, decrying

the “mass murder” killings as a

“different kind of evil.”

The fatal shootings were dis-

covered by police who had been

called at about 4 a.m. to investi-

gate reports of a person shot on

the city’s near northeast side but

first discovered a juvenile male

with gunshot wounds, said Sgt.

Shane Foley with the Indianapolis

Metropolitan Police Department.

No suspects were in custody as

of Sunday evening.

As officers were investigating

that juvenile’s shooting, Foley

said police received information

at about 4:40 a.m., that led them

to a nearby home, where they

found multiple adults dead inside

from apparent gunshot wounds.

Kezzie Childs, 42; Raymond

Childs, 42; Elijah Childs, 18; Rita

Childs, 13; and Kiara Hawkins,

19, and the unborn child of Haw-

kins were pronounced dead after

being found in the home, Foley

said.

Hawkins was first taken to an

area hospital, but both she and

the unborn child died despite life-

saving efforts, Foley said.

He said the juvenile initially

found with gunshot wounds is ex-

pected to survive and police be-

lieve he was wounded in the

shootings that left the five others

dead, along with the unborn child.

IMPD Chief Randal Taylor

said police believe the deadly

shootings were not random, but

were a targeted attack carried out

by an assailant or assailants.

He said the shooting came days

after police department officials

had announced their latest efforts

to combat violent, drug-related

crimes and “violence driven by

poverty or desperation.”

“But what we saw this morning

was a different kind of evil. What

happened this morning, based on

the evidence that’s been gathered

so far, was mass murder,” Taylor

said at a news conference. “More

than that, we believe it was not

random.”

Taylor said it was largest mass

casualty shooting in the city in

more than a decade, and urged

the public to contact police and

pass along any information they

might have on the killings.

Mayor Joe Hogsett called the

shootings “mass murder,” and

said that an individual or individ-

uals had brought “terror to our

community.” He said he had con-

tacted officials with the FBI’s In-

dianapolis field office, the local

U.S. Attorney's office and other

law enforcement agencies for as-

sistance in the shooting investiga-

tion.

“I want those responsible to

know that the full might of local,

state and federal law enforce-

ment are coming for them as I

speak,” he said.

5, including pregnant woman, fatally shot in Indianapolis homeAssociated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — Republi-

can lawmakers in several more

states want to loosen gun restric-

tions by allowing people to carry

concealed firearms without hav-

ing to get a permit, continuing a

trend that gun control advocates

call dangerous.

Fifteen states already allow

concealed carry without a permit,

and lawmakers in nine others

have proposed allowing or ex-

panding the practice. GOP gover-

nors are backing the changes in

Utah and Tennessee. Another bill

expanding permitless carry in

Montana has passed the state

House.

Most states require people to do

things like get weapons training

and undergo a background check

to get a permit to carry a gun hid-

den by a jacket or inside a purse.

Groups like the National Rifle As-

sociation and state lawmakers

who support gun rights argue

those requirements are ineffec-

tive and undermine Second

Amendment protections.

The proposed changes come af-

ter gun sales hit historic levels last

summer — reflected in FBI back-

ground checks — amid uncertain-

ty and safety concerns about the

coronavirus pandemic, the strug-

gling economy and protests over

racial injustice. Since then, a vio-

lent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Against that backdrop, the ef-

forts to loosen concealed carry re-

quirements are a frightening

trend for Shannon Watts, founder

of the gun control group Moms

Demand Action.

“It is dangerous to allow people

to carry hidden, loaded handguns

possibly without a background

check or any training,” she said,

adding that the annual rate of ag-

gravated assaults with a firearm

has increased 71% in Alaska since

the state became the first to allow

concealed carry without a permit

in 2003.

The proposal in Utah would al-

low any U.S. citizen 21 and older to

carry a concealed weapon without

the now-required background

check or weapons course. The bill

does allow gun owners who want

to carry a concealed weapon out of

state to get a permit to do so after a

background check and safety

course.

Newly elected GOP Gov. Spen-

cer Cox has said he supports the

idea, in contrast to his predecessor

and fellow Republican Gary

Herbert, who vetoed a similar bill

in 2013.

Supporters of the change argue

that other state laws against such

things as felons having guns and

anyone carrying a firearm while

intoxicated are enough to ensure

guns are used safely.

“I have that right to protect my-

self, the Constitution says we have

the right. Why are we putting a

barrier for law-abiding citizens?”

said Rep. Walt Brooks, the Repub-

lican lawmaker sponsoring the

bill that got an early nod of approv-

al from a House committee Fri-

day.

RICK BOWMER/AP

A man carries his weapon during a Second Amendment gun rally at the Utah State Capitol on Feb. 8,2020, in Salt Lake City.

States eye allowing concealedcarry of guns without a permitBY LINDSAY WHITEHURST

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The elite

Russian hackers who gained ac-

cess to computer systems of fed-

eral agencies last year didn’t

bother trying to break one by one

into the networks of each depart-

ment.

Instead, they got inside by

sneaking malicious code into a

software update pushed out to

thousands of government agen-

cies and private companies.

It wasn’t surprising that hack-

ers were able to exploit vulner-

abilities in what’s known as the

supply chain to launch a massive

intelligence gathering operation.

U.S. officials and cybersecurity

experts have sounded the alarm

for years about a problem that

has caused havoc, including bil-

lions of dollars in financial losses,

but has defied easy solutions

from the government and private

sector.

“We’re going to have to wrap

our arms around the supply-

chain threat and find the solution,

not only for us here in America as

the leading economy in the world,

but for the planet,” William Eva-

nina, who resigned last week as

the U.S. government’s chief coun-

terintelligence official, said in an

interview. “We’re going to have to

find a way to make sure that we in

the future can have a zero-risk

posture, and trust our suppliers.”

In general terms, a supply

chain refers to the network of

people and companies involved in

the development of a particular

product, not dissimilar to a home

construction project that relies on

a contractor and a web of subcon-

tractors. The sheer number of

steps in that process, from design

to manufacture to distribution,

and the different entities involved

give a hacker looking to infiltrate

businesses, agencies and infras-

tructure numerous points of en-

try.

This can mean no single com-

pany or executive bears sole re-

sponsibility for protecting an en-

tire industry supply chain. And

even if most vendors in the chain

are secure, a single point of vul-

nerability can be all that foreign

government hackers need. In

practical terms, homeowners

who construct a fortress-like

mansion can nonetheless find

themselves victimized by an

alarm system that was compro-

mised before it was installed.

The most recent case targeting

federal agencies involved Rus-

sian government hackers who are

believed to have sneaked mali-

cious code into popular software

that monitors computer networks

of businesses and governments.

That product is made by a Texas-

based company called Solar-

Winds that has thousands of cus-

tomers in the federal government

and private sector.

That malware gave hackers re-

mote access to the networks of

multiple agencies. Among those

known to have been affected are

the departments of Commerce,

Treasury and Justice.

For hackers, the business mod-

el of directly targeting a supply

chain is sensible.

“If you want to breach 30 com-

panies on Wall Street, why

breach 30 companies on Wall

Street (individually) when you

can go to the server — the ware-

house, the cloud — where all

those companies hold their data?

It’s just smarter, more effective,

more efficient to do that,” Evani-

na said.

Russian hack of USagencies revealedsupply chain flaws

BY ERIC TUCKER

Associated Press


AMERICAN ROUNDUP

Hiker rescued afterfalling down cliff

OR CASCADE LOCKS —

A hiker was rescued in

Oregon, apparently three days af-

ter he fell down a 50-foot cliff in

the Columbia River Gorge.

The Coast Guard and the Hood

River County Sheriff’s Office said

they got the 43-year-old to safety

after he was discovered by two

other hikers at the base of the cliff,

about a mile from the start of the

Gorton Creek Trail.

He was conscious but injured,

disoriented and possibly hypoth-

ermic, and authorities said he like-

ly would not have survived the

night.

The first responders who ar-

rived were unable to transport the

man to safety due to the difficult

terrain, but a Coast Guard heli-

copter crew extracted him and

brought him to a Portland hospital

in stable condition.

Teen charged with gunpossession for 2nd time

MA SPRINGFIELD — A

15-year-old Massa-

chusetts boy already wearing a

court-ordered monitoring device

on his ankle after a previous arrest

was arrested again for allegedly

being in possessions of a gun, po-

lice said.

The Springfield youth was tak-

en into custody after police ob-

tained a search warrant for his

home, Springfield police spokes-

man Ryan Walsh told Masslive-

.com.

Detectives had developed infor-

mation that the suspect had an il-

legal firearm. Upon arrival at the

home, police knocked and an-

nounced themselves but saw

someone inside running “franti-

cally” around the house apparent-

ly trying to hide evidence, police

said.

After several minutes, the sus-

pect tried to flee out a side door but

officers were waiting. During the

subsequent search, officers found

a loaded handgun, Walsh said.

Woman sentenced to 18months in medical hoax

IL EAST ST. LOUIS — A 36-

year-old southern Illinois

woman was sentenced to 18

months in federal prison in a med-

ical hoax that tricked people who

gave her money and other bene-

fits.

Sarah Delashmit of Highland

pleaded guilty in October to mul-

tiple fraud charges after author-

ities claimed she defrauded non-

profit organizations by pretending

to have muscular dystrophy and

breast cancer.

She must pay a $1,250 fine, for-

feit items she received and pay

about $7,600 in restitution. After

her release, she must serve three

years of court supervision.

Authorities said the offenses

took place between 2015 and 2019,

but evidence at the hearing

showed she’d participated in simi-

lar hoaxes back to 2006.

Massive fire at potatoplant forces evacuations

WA WARDEN — A mas-

sive fire at a potato

plant in Warden brought fears of

an exploding ammonia tank, forc-

ing the evacuation of nearly a

third of the town for several hours.

The fire broke out at the Wash-

ington Potato Plant in eastern

Washington in one of the dehydra-

tors, according to Kyle Foreman

with the Grant County Sheriff’s

Office, KOMO-TV reported. Em-

ployees in the building made it out

safely as the flames spread, even-

tually engulfing much of the plant.

Among the items in the burning

building was a large ammonia

tank that firefighters worried

could explode and send a toxic

cloud over the region, and officials

issued an urgent immediate evac-

uation notice for the surrounding

area.

The fears of explosion subsided

the next morning and residents

were allowed back into their

homes, Foreman said.

Man wins lifetime licensefor hunting and fishing

VT MONTPELIER — A

Massachusetts man

won a lottery to hunt and fish in

Vermont for free for the rest of his

life.

Robert Hubbard, 57, of War-

wick, Mass., was drawn as the

winner from more than 19,400

tickets bought in 2020, the Ver-

mont Fish and Wildlife Depart-

ment said.

Sales of the $2 tickets brought

net sales of almost $39,000 to the

department, which can be lever-

aged with federal funds to pro-

duce more than $155,000 to sup-

port fish and wildlife conservation

in Vermont, officials said. The lot-

tery was open to residents and out-

of-staters.

“These funds help us to manage

the state’s sportfish and game ani-

mals, protect threatened and en-

dangered species and conserve

important habitat for wildlife,”

Fish and Wildlife Commissioner

Louis Porter said.

Auto shop pays $2,033for school lunch debts

MI SUTTONS BAY — An

auto repair shop tuned

up the lunch accounts at a north-

ern Michigan school district.

To celebrate five years in busi-

ness, the owners of Mr. Hoxie’s

Garage wrote a check for

$2,033.99 to cover unpaid student

lunch debts in Suttons Bay, near

Traverse City, the Record-Eagle

reported.

Kris Hoxie said the couple usu-

ally supports school arts and

sports, but COVID-19 disrupted

those programs.

Kris Hoxie said she has talked

to other business owners in the

Leelanau County community

about making a five-year pledge to

the school lunch program.

4 people stole unmarkedpolice car and stripped it

NY NEW YORK — Police

are seeking four people

who stole an unmarked police car

in the Bronx, drove it to a nearby

parking lot and stripped it for

parts, authorities said.

It’s not clear how the bandits

stole the parked police car, police

said.

The thieves drove the car to a

parking lot near Crotona Park,

where they stripped it down,.

Surveillance images show three

of the four people who are being

sought in the heist. One, a woman,

is carrying a bag and a drill.

Pair attacked man overout-of-state license plate

ME PORTLAND — Por-

tland police arrested

two people they say attacked a

man because his car had Vermont

license plates.

The suspects yelled at the vic-

tim and told him that he shouldn’t

be in Maine, then assaulted him,

police said

They damaged his car and tried

to pull him out, police said. The

victim, whose name was not made

public, was not seriously hurt.

Police responding to calls from

witnesses found that the suspects

had fled by the time they arrived,

but both were arrested a short

time later.

Nathaniel Glavin, 41, and Va-

nessa Lazaro, 22, both face assault

and drug charges.

Man fled police, founddead in flooded quarry

PA READING — A man

fleeing police in east-

ern Pennsylvania after a shoplift-

ing report went into the water of a

nearby flooded quarry, disap-

peared and was found dead a day

later, authorities said.

Police in Muhlenberg Town-

ship said the suspect ran from offi-

cers who were investigating a

shoplifting report at a Target

store. He got into the fenced-off

former Berks Products Quarry in

the township and went missing in

the frigid water, police said. A

search was called off due to dark-

ness.

The Berks County coroner’s of-

fice said the body of Joshua Fonta-

nez-Rodriguez, 23, of Minersville

was recovered by divers the next

day.

CHRIS DILLMANN, VAIL (COLO.) DAILY/AP

Arabella Bothwell and her best friend, Anna Miller, of Avon, Colo., check out the village's art installations in Beaver Creek, Colo. The village hasinstalled art pieces throughout the season.

Walking in a winter wonderland

THE CENSUS

22 The number of years the peregrine falcon has been on Mis-souri's endangered species list after being removed from the

federal list, but that may change soon. State officials are moving to remove thebirds from the list, as the Missouri Conservation Commission gave initial ap-proval to the removal. The plan, however, calls for keeping the falcon as aspecies of conservation concern. Peregrine falcon populations plummeted na-tionwide during the 1940s through the 1960s due to the widespread use ofpesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in their food chain, theMissouri Department of Conservation said in a news release.

From the Associated Press


WORLD

BRUSSELS — European Union foreign min-

isters Monday debated the 27-nation bloc’s re-

sponse to the arrest of Russian opposition lead-

er Alexei Navalny and a weekend police crack-

down that saw thousands taken into custody

during protests in support of President Vladi-

mir Putin’s most well-known critic.

“This wave of detention is something that

worries us a lot, as well as the detention of Mr.

Navalny,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Bor-

rell said as he arrived to chair the ministerial

meeting in Brussels. More than 3,500 people

were reportedly taken into custody during the

nationwide protests.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said

that “under the Russian constitution, everyone

in Russia has the right to express their opinion

and to demonstrate. That must be possible. The

principles of the rule of law must apply there,

too — Russia has always committed itself to

that.”

He and other ministers called for the imme-

diate release of the protesters.

The U.S. embassy spokeswoman in Moscow,

Rebecca Ross, said on Twitter that the United

States “supports the right of all people to

peaceful protest, freedom of expression. Steps

being taken by Russian authorities are sup-

pressing those rights.”

The embassy also tweeted a State Depart-

ment statement calling for Navalny’s release.

Putin’s spokesman said the statements inter-

fered in the country’s domestic affairs and en-

couraged Russians to break the law.

EU considers response toNavalny arrest, crackdown

Associated Press

JOHN THYS, POOL/AP

European Union foreign policy chief JosepBorrell speaks to journalists prior to a EUForeign Affairs Ministers meeting at theEuropean Council building in Brussels, onMonday.

Judge orders freedom for Uganda’s Bobi Wine

KAMPALA, Uganda — A judge

ruled Monday that Ugandan secu-

rity forces cannot detain presiden-

tial challenger Bobi Wine in his

home, rebuking authorities for

holding him under house arrest

following a disputed election.

Wine, 38, whose real name is

Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has been

unable to leave his home since

Jan. 14, when Ugandans voted in

an election in which the singer-

turned-politician was the main

challenger to President Yoweri

Museveni, 76. But the judge ruled

Wine’s home is not a proper deten-

tion facility and noted that author-

ities should criminally charge him

if he threatens public order.

From The Associated Press


WORLD

MOGADISHU, Somalia —

Heavy fighting has broken out in

a Somali town near the Kenyan

border between Somali forces

and those from the state of Jub-

baland, as Somalia’s election

troubles spill over into violence.

Somalia’s information ministry

in a statement early Monday ac-

cused Kenya-funded rebels of

crossing into the town of Bulo

Hawo and attacking Somali

forces. But the Jubbaland vice

president, Mohamud Sayid Adan,

told reporters that Jubbaland

forces stationed outside the town

were attacked by what he called

forces recently deployed to the

region by the government in the

capital, Mogadishu.

Both sides have claimed victo-

ry, but people in the town said

that fighting continued and some

people have begun to flee. The

information ministry asserted

that Somali forces were in con-

trol of the town. There were no

immediate details available on

casualties.

Heavy fighting erupts in Somali town near KenyaAssociated Press

BEIJING — Chinese rescuers

found the bodies of nine workers

in a mine explosion, raising the

death toll to 10, officials said Mon-

day.

Eleven others were rescued a

day earlier after being trapped un-

derground for two weeks at the

gold mine in Shandong province.

One person was still missing.

The cause of the accident at the

mine, which was under construc-

tion, is under investigation. The

explosion on Jan. 10 released 70

tons of debris that blocked a shaft,

disabling elevators and trapping

workers underground.

Rescuers drilled parallel shafts

to send down food and nutrients

and eventually bring up the survi-

vors Sunday.

Search efforts will continue for

the remaining miner until he is

found, said Chen Fei, the mayor of

Yantai city, where the mine is lo-

cated.

“Until this worker is found, we

will not give up,” he said at a news

conference.

9 workers found dead in China mine explosion; toll now at 10Associated Press


Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher

Lt. Col. Marci Hoffman, Europe commander

Lt. Col. Richard McClintic, Pacific commander

Caroline E. Miller, Europe Business Operations

EDITORIAL

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BUREAU STAFF

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PacificAaron Kidd, Pacific Bureau [email protected]+81.42.552.2511 ext. 88380; DSN (315)227.7380

WashingtonJoseph Cacchioli, Washington Bureau [email protected] (+1)(202)886-0033Brian Bowers, Assistant Managing Editor, [email protected]

CIRCULATION

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© Stars and Stripes 2021

stripes.com

OPINION

Long before the television impresa-

rio Ted Turner marketed the At-

lanta Braves as “America’s

Team,” Atlanta had no big league

team at all. There was no Major League

ballclub anywhere in the Deep South as of

1964, the year three disappeared civil rights

workers were found buried in an earthen

dam in Mississippi. The city dangled a new

stadium, lavish TV rights, parking receipts

and the generous patronage of Coca-Cola to

attract a franchise.

The Braves of Milwaukee took the bait,

which meant that Henry Aaron of Mobile,

Ala., was headed back to the South. I’m go-

ing to call him Henry in this column be-

cause that was the name he preferred, as

opposed to “Hank,” a nickname attached to

him by a PR man who thought white fans

might find it friendlier. A giant on and off

the field, Aaron died Friday, a few weeks

shy of his 87th birthday.

How did he feel about the move? As you

might expect: “I have lived in the South, and

I don’t want to live there again,” Aaron said

in anticipation of the Braves’ 1966 debut in

Atlanta.

But Henry Aaron won over Atlanta and

retired as the greatest player in franchise

history — the franchise marketed as a team

for the whole nation. His hero, Jackie Rob-

inson, broke through baseball’s wall of seg-

regation, but even he didn’t do it in Dixie.

Aaron finished the job in large part because

he was both supremely talented and incred-

ibly steady.

There is a very exclusive club whose

members hit a baseball well enough to com-

pile a career batting average above .300,

who hit hard enough to accumulate 300 or

more home runs and who played long

enough to hit safely at least 3,000 times.

Club roster: Henry Aaron, Willie Mays,

Stan Musial and George Brett. The club

gets smaller when you double the number

of homers to 600: Aaron and Mays. Add 155

home runs (more on this number later) and

you have Aaron, all alone.

He was ridiculously consistent. Elected

to the All-Star team in 21 consecutive sea-

sons, a record. Top 20 in the balloting for

most valuable player 19 seasons in a row.

The all-time leader in runs batted in and to-

tal bases. Eight seasons of 40 or more home

runs. Seven additional seasons with more

than 30. He was the league leader in slug-

ging percentage four times over three dif-

ferent decades.

That steadiness carried him through one

of the longest and loneliest of all civil rights

marches, as year after year Aaron faced the

National League’s best pitchers in pursuit

of the most hallowed record of the most cel-

ebrated player in the history of the national

pastime. A person is rarely more alone than

in the batter’s box; a home run is an epitome

of individual achievement. Aaron needed

715 of them to unseat Babe Ruth as the all-

time home run king.

(About that number: Major League Base-

ball recently took the long-overdue step of

acknowledging that the organized Negro

Leagues are properly part of “major

league” history. Statistics racked up before

Robinson’s trailblazing 1947 season will be

added to career totals of players such as

Mays, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, Roy Cam-

panella and others who played on both sides

of the egregious color line. Aaron’s five doc-

umented home runs for the all-Black Indi-

anapolis Clowns came in 1952, too late to be

added to his totals.)

A lifetime record creeps up gradually.

Through the strife of the late 1960s and

early 1970s — when the avowed white su-

premacist George Wallace was winning

electoral votes for president and white citi-

zens from Boston to Denver were protest-

ing violently against school desegregation

measures — Aaron closed relentlessly on

Ruth’s record.

“My kids had to live like they were in pris-

on because of kidnap threats,” he later re-

called. “I had to go out the back door of the

ballparks. I had to have a police escort with

me all the time. I was getting threatening

letters every single day.”

One lonely trip to the plate after another.

I turned 13 in the winter of 1974, when

Henry Aaron spent the offseason parked at

713. He needed one more to tie and another

to break the record. Everyone knew that

baseball’s steadiest superstar would finish

the job promptly once the new season start-

ed. And he did, with a homer on Opening

Day, April 4, and another on April 8. Still,

then-commissioner Bowie Kuhn made no

effort to be present.

When “The Hammer,” as he was known,

died, he died in Atlanta. The place he didn’t

want to go had become the place he didn’t

want to leave. A prosperous businessman

and recipient of the prestigious title of Ge-

orgia Trustee, Henry Aaron had done as

much as anyone to redeem the South from

the clutches of its history and to open a way

forward. Not with one swing of the bat, but

with tens of thousands; his motto, he said,

was “just keep swinging.”

On homers and fans, Aaron’s touched ‘em allBY DAVID VON DREHLE

The Washington Post

Washington Post columnist David Von Drehle is the author offour books, including “Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln andAmerica’s Most Perilous Year” and “Triangle: The Fire ThatChanged America.”

In the wake of the Donald Trump-incit-

ed riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6, sup-

porters of the former president de-

ployed the usual two-step playbook

when Trump makes an indefensible blun-

der. First, they hid. CNN’s Jake Tapper told

viewers last week, “We invited every single

Republican senator to join us this morning.

Every one of them declined or failed to re-

spond.” This week, they emerged for the sec-

ond step: deflect, and protect Trump from

having to suffer any consequences.

“It’s a moot point” whether Trump com-

mitted an impeachable offense, argued Sen.

Mike Rounds, R-S.D., on NBC’s “Meet the

Press” on Sunday. “For right now, I think

there are other things that we’d rather be

working on instead.” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-

Fla., sounded a similar note on “Fox News

Sunday,” even as he acknowledged that

Trump bears “responsibility for some of

what happened” at the Capitol. “I think the

trial is stupid. I think it’s counterproduc-

tive,” Rubio said. “We already have a flam-

ing fire in this country, and it’s like taking a

bunch of gasoline and pouring it on top of the

fire.”

To extend Rubio’s analogy, though, dis-

carding the House’s impeachment article

now is like saying the person who helped set

the fire shouldn’t face consequences be-

cause his friends might be upset. And after

several days of Republicans dismissing

President Joe Biden’s first actions as being

of the “radical left,” as Rubio did Friday, it’s

unconvincing to turn around and feign inter-

est in working with the new White House.

But as weak as Rubio and Rounds’ argu-

ments were, no one deflected more flagrant-

ly than Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on ABC’s

“This Week.” Host George Stephanopoulos

began by asking, “This election was not sto-

len, do you accept that fact?” Paul refused.

“We never had any presentation in court

where we actually looked at the evidence,”

he said. “Most of the cases were thrown out

for lack of standing, which is a procedural

way of not actually hearing the question.”

At this point, Stephanopoulos could have

pointed that even Paul said “most,” not all —

that time and again Trump’s team was un-

able to prove his case on the merits. He could

have observed that as a states’ rights sup-

porter, Paul should have agreed with several

of the dismissals, as when the Supreme

Court rejected Texas’ bizarre bid to chal-

lenge other states’ election results. Or he

could have asked Paul how he expects a con-

gressional investigation to assuage GOP vot-

ers who still believe in massive “Obama-

gate” and Benghazi scandals despite years of

Republican-led investigations to the con-

trary. Instead, Stephanopoulos mostly just

re-asked the question incredulously for sev-

eral minutes; he and Paul all but shouted

over each other continuously before the in-

terview ended.

It’s unclear what value ABC viewers got

out of Paul’s distortions. But Paul achieved

what he wanted: clips to show Trump sup-

porters that he’s fighting the liberal media on

behalf of the man he once called a “fake con-

servative.” Rubio got to demonstrate his loy-

alty to Trump as well — particularly impor-

tant for the senator from Florida given ru-

mors that he may face Ivanka Trump in a

2022 primary. (“You sound like you’re in

campaign form,” said Fox News host Chris

Wallace.) With the former president making

noises about going after his GOP critics or

even starting a third party, Rubio, Paul and

Rounds once again put loyalty to Trump over

helping the country move forward.

The irony is that it’s not impeachment that

keeps the country from moving on after Jan.

6; it’s Trump himself, and the unavoidable

hangover from his egregious behavior.

We’re just days removed from an attempted

coup that struck at the country’s very foun-

dations. Yet while law enforcement officials

have arrested dozens of the perpetrators, the

ground remains fertile for another attempt

because one of our two parties remains cap-

tured by the man who incited the attack. So

long as Trump maintains his dangerous grip,

this country will struggle to move forward.

Republicans are doing a two-step with TrumpismBY JAMES DOWNIE

The Washington Post

James Downie is The Washington Post’s Digital Opinions Editor.He previously wrote for The New Republic and Foreign Policymagazine.


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dispenser 12 Hideaway 13 Used a chair 14 Exotic berry 15 Region 16 Clog-busting

tools 18 Advertised

insistently 20 Available 21 Charged bit 22 “Aladdin”

monkey 23 Put in office 26 Bird’s feathers 30 Caesar or

Vicious 31 Microwave 32 Sass 33 Used tweezers 36 Musical set in

Argentina 38 Tramcar

contents 39 Motorist’s org. 40 Doofus 43 Guest of

a guest 47 Fruity dessert 49 Lovers’

quarrel 50 Mystique 51 Possess 52 Guthrie of folk 53 Tennis barriers 54 Caustic cleaner 55 Pitcher Nolan

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ski resort 6 Hairy no more 7 Disco guy on

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champagne bottle

9 “Law & Order: SVU” actor

10 Yuri Zhivago’s love

11 Speak like Sylvester

17 Celebrity chef Matsuhisa

19 Understood 22 Swiss peak 23 Sixth sense 24 Like Abner

25 Sch. URL ender 26 Knee protector 27 “The Greatest” 28 “Shoo!” 29 Clean air org. 31 Wye follower 34 They give

one pause 35 Ray of

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college 39 Coeur d’—,

Idaho 40 Bridge 41 Crossword hint 42 In pain 43 Tree-lined rte. 44 Grand Ole — 45 “The Lion

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mail” co.

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FACES

Larry King’s vintage microphone,

the RCA Type 77-D that refer-

enced his rise as a radio man, was

a prop that worked as a powerful

symbol of both past and present in a relent-

lessly evolving media age. The microphone

was a security blanket for everyone in-

volved: for King, for his 60,000 interview

subjects, and for the viewers of his nightly

CNN talk show, once touted by the network

to number a billion or so worldwide.

The microphone indicated that King —

who died Jan. 23 at age 87, having lived

most of his life as a persona more than a per-

son — wanted the whole world to hear what

his guests had to say. The microphone

didn’t stand for posterity or nostalgia so

much as a visual representation of the ma-

jor media moment, the heat of notoriety in

its full and often fleeting flash. The micro-

phone acknowledged the need to ask and

answer the great mysteries of life — the

scandals, the personal struggles, the rises

and the falls, the regrets in real time.

Mostly, the microphone stood for an in-

creasingly rare virtue: listening. (Listening,

and its nearly extinct counterpart: a genu-

ine, unflagging curiosity about someone

other than yourself.)

Some of King’s guests were better than

others, of course. Not every night could

have Marlon Brando; not every night could

feature Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Ra-

bin, Palestine Liberation Organization

leader Yasser Arafat and Jordan’s King

Hussein historically united on the same

show in 1995. Not every night could be Vla-

dimir Putin or Ronald Reagan, Lady Gaga

or Muhammad Ali, Miss Piggy and Kermit,

Paul and Ringo. But his show was invaria-

bly, relentlessly topical. It was broad in a

time of wondrous broadness, before the dis-

rupting rise of the niche market.

To be sitting at the table on CNN’s “Larry

King Live” — just you, him and the big old

mic — was proof that one had truly arrived.

The suspenders. The odd questions. Why,

King wanted to know. His favorite question,

because that’s all any of us ever really want

to know: Why?

During his 25-year reign on CNN, “Larry

King Live” was a necessary and vital stop

on the way to one’s public judgment. More

than one celebrity used his show as a form

of recompense, coming to him dirty and

damaged with the hope of leaving clean.

Others used it as an opportunity to appear

vulnerable. Most used him as a means to

promote a project, to gin up some buzz.

No matter what brought them to “Larry

King Live,” it was understood that the ques-

tions would be coming from a place of genu-

ine wonder, rather than showy intellect.

King was a singular personality, a mutation

of the common man, a New Yorker unafraid

to just ask the question. The effect was a

successful mixing of the daft with the deft.

When news of his death spread over the

weekend, much of the immediate tribute

came in the form of defense of King’s mas-

tery of the “dumb question,” and rightly so.

Most reporters eventually figure out that

the dumb question is a powerful tool of in-

quiry. Kind people know it, too, and still

practice the art. In its disarming way, the

dumb question produces answers that the

subject isn’t tired of answering. It turns the

interview into a conversation. It invites

rather than antagonizes.

King would often boast about not boning

up on the details of a subject’s life and work

before an interview. He trudged confident-

ly into the emotional and factual blind. It

could seem rude and even socially inept,

but the viewer identified with it.

His dumb questions, of course, produced

a legendary archive of laughable moments.

In one often-shared clip from 2007, he

asked Jerry Seinfeld about the end of “Sein-

feld” — was it canceled? (“You think I was

canceled?” Seinfeld replied. “Do you know

who I am? ... Seventy-five million viewers

on the last episode.”)

It’s telling that CNN was never quite able

to find the world’s next Larry King after he

left the network in 2010. There’s no room

anymore for a seasoned personality who

blunders his or her way around and through

the zeitgeist, on behalf of an audience that

blunders a bit, too.

King was afraid of dying. Or at least des-

perately curious. Being interviewed by

Mike Wallace in 1992, King seemed fixated

on the idea that we are but mere “blips” in

the universe. Where do we go when we die?

King was never sure, often telling people

he relied on the maybe/maybe-not eschat-

ological stance of his Jewish background.

Still, it’s fitting to imagine him loosed in that

great cocktail party in the sky, reacquainted

with so many of the boldface names he’d in-

terviewed in this realm. Asking dumb ques-

tion after dumb question, with all eternity to

get the answers.

AP

Larry King, shown on the “Larry King Live” set on CNN in Washington, D.C., in 1994,put guests at ease with his suspenders, Cokebottle glasses, vintage microphone andcasual demeanor. King died Jan. 23 at age 87.

Beloved talk show host Larry King’sstyle helped rewrite cultural history

BY HANK STUEVER

The Washington Post

In defense of thedumb questions

APPRECIATION

One-time NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, a presence in

America’s living rooms for more than two decades and the

longtime face of the network, retired Jan. 22 after an award-

winning 55-year career.

Brokaw, who turns 81 next month,

came to the network’s 30 Rockefeller Pla-

za headquarters in 1976 as host of the “To-

day” show before moving to the anchor

chair in 1982. He shared the job with co-

anchor Roger Mudd before taking over by

himself a year later, spending 21 of his 55

years with NBC in the anchor’s chair.

Brokaw, his down-to-earth delivery

leavened by a quiet sense of humor, soon

attracted a national following. He worked as a news editor

for an Omaha, Neb., station before joining the network in

1966.

“Brokaw will continue to be active in print journalism,

authoring books and articles, and spend time with his wife,

Meredith, three daughters and grandchildren,” according

to an NBC statement.

The son of South Dakota became one of television news’

most trusted sources, and he collected many awards for his

work: The Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement

Award, a dozen Emmys, two Peabody Awards. In each of

his last four years at the anchor desk, the “NBC Nightly

News” was honored with the Murrow Award for Best

Newscast.

The globe-trotting journalist reported from Normandy

Beach on the 60th anniversary of D-Day, traveled to Af-

ghanistan for a piece on al-Qaida, and was the only network

anchor on the scene when the Berlin Wall fell.

Screenwriter Walter Bernstein dies at 101

Screenwriter Walter Bernstein, among the last survivors

of Hollywood’s anti-Communist blacklist whose Oscar-

nominated script for “The Front” drew upon his years of

being unable to work under his own name, died Jan. 23. He

was 101. The cause was pneumonia, according to his wife,

the literary agent Gloria Loomis.

A World War II correspondent for the military who also

had been published in The New Yorker, Bernstein was at

the start of what seemed a promising film career when the

Cold War and anti-Communist paranoia led to his being

blacklisted in 1950.

Bernstein found employment through the use of “fronts,”

people willing to lend their names (and receive part of the

proceeds) for scripts he had written.

While many were blacklisted just for supporting left-

wing causes, Bernstein actually was a member of the Amer-

ican Communist Party and remained so until 1956, when

the Soviet Union invaded Hungary and Soviet Premier Nik-

ita Khrushchev revealed the many brutalities of Joseph

Stalin, who had died three years earlier.

The blacklist ended for Bernstein in 1959 with “That

Kind of Woman,” starring Sophia Loren. He was soon work-

ing on “The Magnificent Seven,” the Hollywood adaptation

of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Seven Samurai,” and on the

A-list film “Something’s Gotta Give.”

In the 1970s, Bernstein was able to use his story for his

most acclaimed project, “The Front,” starring Woody Allen

as a stand-in for blacklisted writers. Bernstein received an

Academy Award nomination in 1977 and a Writers Guild of

America prize for best screen drama. Allen gave him an

acting cameo in 1977’s Oscar-winning “Annie Hall.”

Venerable NBC anchor Tom Brokaw retiring from 55-year careerFrom wire reports

Brokaw, in 2012


SCOREBOARD/SPORTS BRIEFS

DEALS

Sunday’s transactionsBASEBALL

Major League BaseballNational League

PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Acquired RHPsRoansy Contreras and Miguel Yajure, INFMaikol Escotto and OF Canaan Smith fromthe New York Yankees in exchange forRHP Jameson Taillon. Designated OF TroyStokes for assignment.

FOOTBALLNational Football League

BALTIMORE RAVENS — Announced thehiring of D’Anton Lynn as defensive backscoach.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Announced theretirement of TE Greg Olsen.

HOCKEYNational Hockey League

BUFFALO SABRES — Recalled F CaseyMittelstadt from the minor league taxisquad. Loaned F Dylan Cozens to the taxisquad. Activated F Kyle Okposo from in-jured reserve.

CALGARY FLAMES — Recalled C DerekRyan and D Oliver Kylington from the mi-nor league taxi squad.

COLORADO AVALANCHE — Recalled DConor Timmins from taxi squad.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS — RecalledRW Emil Bemstrom and LW Stefan Mat-teau from the minor league taxi squad.Designated Cs Alexandre Texier and Liamfoudy for assignment.

DALLAS STARS — Recalled F Tanner Kerofrom the minor league taxi squad. Placed FJoel Kiviranta on injured reserve retroac-tive to Jan. 22.

DETROIT RED WINGS — Designated RWRiley Barber for assignment. Recalled LWsTaro Hirose and Givani Smith from the mi-nor league taxi squad.

MINNESOTA WILD — Recalled G AndrewHammond from taxi squad.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Recalled F NickMerkley from the minor league taxi squad.Loaned F Jesper Boqvist to the taxi squad.

NEW YORK RANGERS — Recalled F ColinBlackwell from the minor league taxisquad.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS — Sent D DerrickPouliot to Lehigh Valley (AHL).

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS — DesignatedRW Travis Boyd for assignment. RecalledC Jason Spezza and LW Pierre Engvall fromthe minor league taxi squad.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS — Recalled DNicolas Hague from the minor league taxisquad. Designated RW Cody Glass for as-signment on the taxi squad.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS — Recalled CConnor McMichael from the minor leaguetaxi squad.

Tournament of ChampionsLPGA Diamond Resorts

SundayAt Four Season Golf and Sports Club

Lake Buena Vista, Fla.Purse: $1.2 million

Yardage: 6,645; Par: 71Final Round

Jessica Korda wins playoff on first holeJessica Korda, $180,000 65696066—260 24Danielle Kang, $150,326 64656368—260 24Nelly Korda, $109,051 65666764—262 22In Gee Chun, $84,359 68656767—267 17A.a Stanford, $61,727 67696765—268 16C. Knight, $61,727 69666766—268 16Lexi Thompson, $43,621 67696965—270 14B. Lincicome, $43,621 66746466—270 14B. Henderson, $36,625 67696570—271 13Sophia Popov, $33,333 68696768—272 12Georgia Hall, $28,887 70706766—273 11Celine Boutier, $28,887 69706569—273 11Gaby Lopez, $28,887 65687169—204 11Bronte Law, $25,349 73707063—276 8Ally Ewing, $23,209 70726867—277 7Mel Reid, $23,209 70706770—277 7C. Clanton, $20,466 75696866—278 6Austin Ernst, $20,466 69707168—278 6J. Suwannapura, $20,466 72686969—278 6Stacy Lewis, $18,929 66717468—279 5P. Lindberg, $18,272 70726672—280 4Mi Jung Hur, $16,954 71717168—281 3H. Young Park, $16,954 71697269—281 3M. Sagstrom, $16,954 73696970—281 3Annie Park, $15,720 69717370—283 1

COLLEGE HOCKEY

Sunday’s scoresSunday

EASTClarkson 4, Quinnipiac 2Colgate 4, St. Lawrence 3

MIDWESTMichigan St. 2, Ohio St. 0Minnesota St. 4, Ferris St. 1Minnesota-Duluth 4, W. Michigan 1North Dakota 5, Colorado College 0Omaha 5, Denver 2

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Men’s Top 25 faredNo. 1 Gonzaga (15-0) beat Pacific 95-49. No. 2 Baylor (14-0) beat No. 9 Kansas 77-

69; beat Oklahoma St. 81-66. No. 3 Villanova (10-1) beat Seton Hall 76-

74; beat Providence 71-56. No. 4 Iowa (12-3) lost to Indiana 81-69. No. 5 Texas (11-2) did not play. No. 6 Tennessee (10-3) lost to Florida 75-

49; lost to No. 19 Missouri 73-64.No. 7 Michigan (13-1) beat Maryland 87-

63; beat Purdue 70-53. No. 8 Houston (13-1) beat Tulsa 86-59;

beat Temple 68-51. No. 9 Kansas (10-5) lost to No. 2 Baylor

77-69; lost to Oklahoma 75-68. No. 10 Wisconsin (12-4) beat Northwest-

ern 68-52; lost to No. 15 Ohio St. 74-62. No. 11 Creighton (11-4) lost to Providen-

ce 74-70; beat No. 23 UConn 74-66.No. 12 Texas Tech (11-4) did not play. No. 13 Virginia (10-2) beat Georgia Tech

64-62. No. 14 West Virginia (10-4) beat Kansas

St. 69-47. No. 15 Ohio State (12-4) lost to Purdue 67-

65; beat No. 10 Wisconsin 74-62.No. 16 Virginia Tech (11-3) lost to Syra-

cuse 78-60. No. 17 Minnesota (11-5) lost to Maryland

63-49. No. 18 Alabama (13-3) beat LSU 105-75;

beat Mississippi St. 81-73. No. 19 Missouri (10-2) beat South Caroli-

na 81-70; beat No. 6 Tennessee 73-64.No. 20 Clemson (9-4) lost to Georgia Tech

83-65; lost to Florida St 80-61.No. 21 Oregon (9-3) lost to Oregon St. 75-

64. No. 22 Illinois (10-5) beat Penn St 79-65. No. 23 UConn (7-3) lost to St. John’s 74-70;

lost to No. 11 Creighton 74-66.No. 24 UCLA (12-3) beat California 61-57;

lost to Stanford 73-72, OT. No. 25 Saint Louis (7-1) did not play.

Sunday’s men’s scores

EAST

Albany (NY) 83, New Hampshire 64 American 81, Loyola (Md.) 79, 3OT Army 87, Navy 78, OT Boston U. 64, Lafayette 61 Coppin St. 81, Norfolk St. 77 Davidson 69, UMass 60 Hofstra 74, Towson 69 James Madison 79, Northeastern 72 Lehigh 82, Holy Cross 74 Morgan St. 99, Delaware St. 83 Rhode Island 52, Fordham 42 Stony Brook 56, NJIT 44

SOUTH

Delaware 67, UNC-Wilmington 62 Gardner-Webb 74, Charleston Southern

62 High Point 81, Presbyterian 57 Memphis 80, East Carolina 53 Notre Dame 73, Miami 59 UNC-Asheville 76, Radford 68, OT W. Kentucky 68, Middle Tennessee 52

MIDWEST

Chicago 69, Bradley 56 Rutgers 74, Indiana 70 UMKC 81, Oral Roberts 76 Valparaiso 70, Illinois St. 66

FAR WEST

San Diego St. 91, Air Force 59 Washington 83, Utah 79 Wyoming 93, Nevada 88

Sunday’s women’s scores

EAST

Albany (NY) 63, New Hampshire 50American U. 67, Loyola (Md.) 58Army 63, Navy 58Delaware 79, UNC-Wilmington 67Drexel 55, Elon 44Fairleigh Dickinson 73, Merrimack 64La Salle 56, George Mason 49Lehigh 83, Holy Cross 62Maine 70, Binghamton 53Manhattan 58, Monmouth (NJ) 45Mount St. Mary’s 95, CCSU 61NC A&T 86, Delaware St. 59Saint Joseph’s 63, George Washington

61Stony Brook 73, NJIT 41Towson 92, Hofstra 64

SOUTH

Alabama 67, Auburn 55Bellarmine 71, Stetson 64Clemson 86, Syracuse 77, OTColl. of Charleston 69, William & Mary 66ETSU 58, UNC-Greensboro 48Florida 78, Mississippi 68Florida Gulf Coast 92, Lipscomb 48Georgia Tech 66, Florida St. 58Kennesaw St. 81, North Florida 73Louisville 65, Wake Forest 63NC Central 57, Norfolk St. 44NC State 89, Virginia Tech 87North Alabama 57, Jacksonville 47North Carolina 78, Notre Dame 73Richmond 69, VCU 65South Carolina 69, LSU 65Tennessee 70, Kentucky 53

MIDWEST

Indiana 74, Northwestern 61Marquette 95, Butler 57Michigan St. 94, Wisconsin 62Saint Louis 63, UMass 52Texas A&M 70, Missouri 66

SOUTHWEST

Oral Roberts 71, UMKC 67, OT

FAR WEST

Air Force 58, San Diego St. 55Gonzaga 79, Portland 61Hawaii 57, Cal St.-Fullerton 43Nevada 57, Wyoming 50Oregon 69, Washington 52Stanford 86, Southern Cal 59Utah 65, Arizona St. 51Washington St. 77, Oregon St. 75, 2OT

GOLF

PGA Tour American Express Sunday

�At PGA West

La Quia, Calif.Purse: $6.7 million

Stadium CourseYardage:7,147; Par:72

Final Round

Si Woo Kim $1,206,000 66686764—265Patrick Cantlay $730,300 69716561—266Cameron Davis $462,300 68706664—268Tony Finau $328,300 68666768—269Abraham Ancer $247,900 69657366—273Doug Ghim $247,900 67686969—273Michael Thompson $247,900 67726866—273Byeong Hun An $189,275 65736769—274Paul Casey $189,275 72656869—274Brian Harman $189,275 68686771—274Francesco Molinari $189,275 69666970—274Sungjae Im $137,350 68657369—275Henrik Norlander $137,350 71687066—275Rory Sabbatini $137,350 68696771—275Chase Seiffert $137,350 72676571—275Ryan Armour $102,175 70677366—276Bo Hoag $102,175 71696868—276Chris Kirk $102,175 68707068—276Russell Knox $102,175 69706473—276Gary Woodland $102,175 70686870—276Rickie Fowler $58,625 73667068—277Talor Gooch $58,625 74666572—277Brandon Hagy $58,625 64707271—277Kramer Hickok $58,625 70696969—277Max Homa $58,625 66706576—277John Huh $58,625 68687071—277Matt Jones $58,625 70686772—277Luke List $58,625 69686872—277Andrew Putnam $58,625 67697071—277Brendan Steele $58,625 68687269—277Richy Werenski $58,625 69686575—277Austin Cook $38,257 68707466—278Adam Hadwin $38,257 72667466—278James Hahn $38,257 68697071—278KyoungHoon Lee $38,257 68717168—278Kyle Stanley $38,257 70687070—278Bronson Burgoon $31,825 71687070—279Emiliano Grillo $31,825 69666876—279Adam Schenk $31,825 68687172—279Rhein Gibson $25,125 70706971—280Jamie Lovemark $25,125 68717071—280Tyler McCumber $25,125 69707368—280Alex Noren $25,125 67717072—280Roger Sloan $25,125 69676975—280Josh Teater $25,125 68697172—280Matthew Wolff $25,125 72677170—280Rob Oppenheim $17,777 69716774—281Nick Taylor $17,777 68667473—281Harry Hall, $17,777 70707269—281Martin Laird $17,777 66746972—281Sam Ryder $17,777 67707272—281Brian Stuard $17,777 74657270—281Patton Kizzire $16,147 69707073—282Wyndham Clark $15,812 70707370—283Charl Schwartzel $15,812 67727272—283Tyler Duncan $15,410 67727372—284Ben Martin $15,410 67716977—284Cameron Tringale $15,410 68727272—284Erik van Rooyen $15,410 70697669—284Vaughn Taylor $15,008 73677471—285Jimmy Walker $15,008 69707076—285Zach Johnson $14,740 72687175—286Hank Lebioda $14,740 69717076—286Sebastian Cappelen $14,338 70707869—287Will Gordon $14,338 72687572—287David Hearn $14,338 68717573—287Andrew Landry $14,338 70697474—287Nelson Ledesma $14,003 70707969—288Adam Long $13,869 68707675—289Doc Redman $13,735 70707674—290M. McNealy $13,601 67737972—291

AP SPORTLIGHT

Jan. 26 1913 — Jim Thorpe gives up his track

medals from the 1912 Olympic games as aresult of his having been a professional.He had been paid $25 for playing in a semi-pro baseball game.

1951 — Jimmie Foxx and Mel Ott areelected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1955 — Joe DiMaggio is elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame.

1960 — Pete Rozelle is chosen the newcommissioner of the National FootballLeague.

1985 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzkyscores his 50th goal in the 49th game of theseason, a 6-3 victory over the PittsburghPenguins.

1986 — The Chicago Bears win their firstNFL championship since 1963 by setting aSuper Bowl-record for points scored in de-feating the New England Patriots 46-10.

1991 — Houston guard Vernon Maxwelljoins Wilt Chamberlain, David Thompsonand George Gervin as the only players inNBA history to score 30 points or more in aquarter. Maxwell scores 30 of his career-high 51 points in the fourth period to helpHouston beat Cleveland 103-97.

1992 — The Washington Redskins wintheir third Super Bowl in 10 years, beatingthe Buffalo Bills 37-24, putting the gameaway with 24 straight points after a score-less first quarter.

1997 — The Green Bay Packers, behindbig plays, beat the New England Patriots35-21 in the Super Bowl. Brett Favre findsAndre Rison for a 54-yard touchdown onthe Packers’ second offensive play, thenthrows an 81-yard TD pass to AntonioFreeman in the second quarter. DesmondHoward, the first special teams MVP,scores on a 99-yard kickoff return.

2002 — Jennifer Capriati produces thegreatest comeback in a Grand Slam finalto overcome Martina Hingis and defendher Australian Open title. Capriati savedfour match points before clinching a 4-6,7-6 (7), 6-2 victory over Hingis.

2007 — Mark Recchi scores two goals, in-cluding the 500th of his career, in Pitts-burgh’s 4-3 shootout win over Dallas.

Gonzaga, Baylor and Villanova

remained atop The Associated

Press men’s college basketball

poll Monday, while ninth-ranked

Alabama climbed to its highest

ranking in 14 years.

Mark Few’s Bulldogs earned 61

of 64 first-place votes in the latest

Top 25, while Scott Drew’s Bears

claimed the other three. Those

two teams have been 1-2 in all 10

polls this season.

In other college basketball

news:

Lonnie Grayson had 19

points and made 5 of 6 free throws

in the final minute of overtime and

Army ended Navy’s nine-game

winning streak 87-78 on Sunday in

Annapolis, Md. Jalen Rucker add-

ed a career-high 18 points for the

Black Knights, although he mis-

sed the potential game-winning

jumper at the end of regulation.

Russia says it won’t

appeal restrictionsThe Russian anti-doping agen-

cy confirmed Monday that it will

not file an appeal to further loosen

restrictions on its teams at the

Olympics and other major sport-

ing events.

The Court of Arbitration for

Sport last month ruled that Rus-

sia’s name, flag and anthem would

be barred from the next two Olym-

pics after backing the World Anti-

Doping Agency’s finding that dop-

ing data was manipulated.

However, CAS halved the dura-

tion of the sanctions from four

years to two, removed vetting re-

quirements for Russian athletes

and allowed them to keep wearing

national colors.

The Russian agency, known as

RUSADA, had the option to file an

appeal with the Swiss supreme

court on procedural grounds. It

said Monday that it still regards

the ruling that doping data in Mos-

cow was modified as “flawed and

one-sided” but was satisfied that

CAS rejected tougher sanctions

proposed by WADA.

In other Olympic news:

Olympic champion Ryan

Crouser broke the world indoor

shot put record at an American

Track League meet in Faytette-

ville, Ark., on Sunday.

Crouser tossed the shot put

22.82 meters (74 feet, 10½ inches)

on his first attempt to break the

mark of 22.66 (74-4¼) set by Ran-

dy Barnes on Jan. 20, 1989. Crous-

er’s record is pending ratification.

Austria’s Kriechmayr wins

Super G at KitzbühelAustrian skier Vincent Kriech-

mayr bounced back from two dis-

appointing results in downhill

over the weekend to win a men’s

World Cup super-G on Monday in

Kitzbühel, Austria.

Kriechmayr didn’t have a clean

run but he charged all the way

down the Streifalm course to edge

Marco Odermatt of Switzerland

by 0.12 seconds.

Kim wins by one shot at

The American ExpressSi Woo Kim birdied two of the fi-

nal three holes to finish an 8-under

64, rallying past late-charging Pa-

trick Cantlay by one shot to win

The American Express on Sunday

in La Quinta, Calif., for his third

PGA Tour victory.

The 25-year-old South Korean

wrapped up his third bogey-free

round of the tournament — all on

the Pete Dye-designed Stadium

Course — with a two-putt par on

the 18th to finish at 23-under 265.

In other golf news:

Jessica Korda closed with a

5-under 66 and holed a 30-foot

birdie putt on the first playoff hole

to beat Danielle Kang in the Dia-

mond Resorts Tournament of

Champions, the LPGA Tour sea-

son opener at Lake Buena Vista,

Fla.

VASHA HUNT / AP

Alabama head coach Nate Oats, center, works with his team during agame Saturday against Mississippi State in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

BRIEFLY

Alabama men riseto No. 9 in AP poll

Associated Press


NHL

East Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Washington 6 3 0 3 9 22 21

Pittsburgh 6 4 2 0 8 21 23

New Jersey 5 3 1 1 7 11 11

Boston 5 3 1 1 7 15 10

Philadelphia 6 3 2 1 7 20 22

N.Y. Islanders 5 3 2 0 6 9 8

Buffalo 6 2 3 1 5 18 19

N.Y. Rangers 5 1 3 1 3 13 15

Central Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Tampa Bay 4 3 1 0 6 15 10

Columbus 6 2 2 2 6 15 18

Chicago 6 2 3 1 5 19 23

Dallas 2 2 0 0 4 10 2

Florida 2 2 0 0 4 10 6

Carolina 3 2 1 0 4 9 6

Nashville 5 2 3 0 4 12 17

Detroit 6 2 4 0 4 12 20

West Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Vegas 6 5 1 0 10 19 12

Minnesota 6 4 2 0 8 18 15

St. Louis 6 3 2 1 7 17 23

Colorado 6 3 3 0 6 18 15

Los Angeles 6 2 2 2 6 20 20

Anaheim 6 2 2 2 6 11 14

San Jose 6 3 3 0 6 19 21

Arizona 6 2 3 1 5 17 19

North Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Montreal 6 4 0 2 10 29 18

Toronto 7 5 2 0 10 22 19

Winnipeg 6 4 2 0 8 22 17

Edmonton 7 3 4 0 6 19 23

Calgary 4 2 1 1 5 13 9

Vancouver 7 2 5 0 4 20 33

Ottawa 5 1 3 1 3 14 20

Saturday's games

Columbus 5, Tampa Bay 2Montreal 5, Vancouver 2Boston 6, Philadelphia 1St. Louis 4, Los Angeles 2Winnipeg 6, Ottawa 3Florida at Carolina, ppd

Sunday's games

Chicago 6, Detroit 2Buffalo 4, Washington 3, SOVegas 1, Arizona 0Toronto 3, Calgary 2New Jersey 2, N.Y. Islanders 0Pittsburgh 3, N.Y. Rangers 2Anaheim 3, Colorado 1Dallas 3, Nashville 2Los Angeles 6, St. Louis 3San Jose 5, Minnesota 3Edmonton 4, Winnipeg 3

Monday's game

Ottawa at Vancouver

Tuesday's games

Florida at ColumbusN.Y. Islanders at WashingtonN.Y. Rangers at BuffaloPhiladelphia at New JerseyPittsburgh at BostonTampa Bay at CarolinaChicago at NashvilleEdmonton at WinnipegLos Angeles at MinnesotaDetroit at DallasAnaheim at ArizonaSan Jose at ColoradoSt. Louis at VegasToronto at Calgary

Wednesday's games

Chicago at NashvilleOttawa at Vancouver

Scoreboard

WASHINGTON — Linus Ull-

mark stopped 28 shots in regula-

tion and overtime and three more

in the shootout to help the Buffalo

Sabres beat the Washington Cap-

itals 4-3 on Sunday for just their

second victory in six games this

season.

Ullmark picked up his first win

of the season six days after learn-

ing of the death of his father at age

63. It was Ullmark’s second con-

secutive start after taking some

time away from playing hockey,

and the Sabres needed him with

goaltender Carter Hutton injured.

“It’s been rough, definitely,”

Ullmark said. “There’s a lot of

emotions and thoughts that had to

be processed. I’m trying to take it

day by day. Try to be happy when

I’m happy, try to be sad when I’m

sad and right now I’m utterly

grateful for getting a win.”

Captain Jack Eichel scored in

the shootout and Colin Miller, Vic-

tor Olfosson and Eric Staal each

scored on the power play for Buf-

falo, which snapped a two-game

skid. The Sabres outshot the Cap-

itals 48-31 and beat them for the

first time in four meetings.

Justin Schultz scored his first

goal with Washington and main-

stays T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Back-

strom each had a power-play goal.

The Capitals were playing with-

out five prominent players: cap-

tain Alex Ovechkin, center Evge-

ny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmi-

try Orlov and goalie Ilya Samso-

nov because of COVID-19

protocols and right winger Tom

Wilson because of a lower-body

injury.

Stars 3, Predators 2: Joe Pa-

velski helped Dallas tie the NHL

record for power-play goals in the

first two games, scoring one of

three with the man advantage in

another victory over visiting

Nashville.

Denis Gurianov and Roope

Hintz also scored on the power

play after the Stars went 5-for-8

with the man advantage in a 7-0

victory over the Predators in their

delayed opener. Dallas was 3-

for-4 on the power play this time.

The Stars tied the 1995-96 Pitts-

burgh Penguins and 1942-43 De-

troit Red Wings with eight power-

play goals in the first two games.

Blackhawks 6, Red Wings 2:

Pius Suter scored his first three

NHL goals, Kevin Lankinen made

25 saves and host Chicago swept

its two-game set with Detroit after

beginning the season with four

straight losses in Florida.

Penguins 3, Rangers 2: Jake

Guentzel scored the 100th goal of

his NHL career with less than two

minutes remaining, rallying host

Pittsburgh over New York,

extending the Penguins’ win

streak to four games after two

opening losses. It was Pitts-

burgh’s fourth straight comeback

win, tying the longest such streak

in franchise history.

Sharks 5, Wild 3: Brent Burns

scored with 1:48 remaining to

snap a tie and lead visiting San

Jose over Minnesota.

Burns corralled a loose puck in

the right circle, cut to the middle

between three Wild defenders,

shifted from his forehand to back-

hand and beat Kaapo Kahkonen

on the far side for the winner.

Maple Leafs 3, Flames 2: Mor-

gan Reilly had three assists and

Wayne Simmonds scored his first

goal with visiting Toronto.

Devils 2, Islanders 0: Ty Smith

set up two first-period goals to be-

come the sixth NHL rookie defen-

seman to get points in his first five

games for host New Jersey.

Scott Wedgewood, who spent

last season in the AHL, made 28

saves for his first NHL shutout

since blanking the Devils in De-

cember 2017 for Arizona. The win

was his first in an NHL game

since February 2018.

Kings 6, Blues 3: Anze Kopitar

had a goal and two assists, Jonath-

an Quick made 28 saves and Los

Angeles earned a split of its two-

game set in St. Louis.

Ducks 3, Avalanche 1: Jakob

Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell

scored, and host Anaheim held on

to beat Colorado. The Ducks had

not scored more than two goals in

their first five games.

Oilers 4, Jets 3: Leon Draisaitl

scored with less than a second left

to lift visiting Edmonton over

Winnipeg.

Golden Knights 1, Coyotes 0:

William Karlsson scored with 42

seconds left in regulation, Marc-

Andre Fleury stopped 16 shots for

his 62nd career shutout and vis-

iting Vegas beat Arizona. Karls-

son beat Darcy Kuemper with a

one-timer on a feed from Jonath-

an Marchessault behind the goal.

ROUNDUP

Ullmark lifts Sabres over CapitalsAssociated Press

NICK WASS / AP

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark reaches for the puck during his team’s 43 shootout win Sundayagainst the Capitals in Washington. Ullmark stopped three shots in the shootout.


NBA

we get to play again and that’s the bottom line.

It’s been a long time. We missed it. It’s good to

be back.”

Patty Mills led San Antonio with 21 points.

The Wizards still had six players ineligible,

and Washington faded down the stretch as

coach Scott Brooks primarily used an eight-

man rotation. Bradley Beal scored 31 points to

lead the Wizards.

The earliest Memphis will play again is Sat-

urday, also in San Antonio. Having six games

called off in the season’s first half means, if the

Grizzlies and Washington are to play the full

72-game schedule, they would have 41 games

in a 67-day span in the second half.

“I just hope that we never have to deal with

this again,” Brooks said.

Later this week, the NBA and National Bas-

ketball Players Association are expected to

consider whether the stiffer protocols put in

place Jan. 12 can be loosened in some way.

They were originally put in place in an effort to

curb travel to anywhere except games, prac-

tices and workouts as the league’s number of

virus-related issues started climbing.

NBA.

“It’s definitely a challenge,” Washington

coach Scott Brooks said Sunday night in San

Antonio. “It’s not where we want to be — but

The Washington Wizards are finally back.

The Memphis Grizzlies aren’t ready yet.

Washington lost 121-101 at San Antonio on

Sunday night, the Wizards’ first game in 13

days after having six players test positive for

COVID-19 and three others having to miss sev-

eral days following contact tracing.

The Grizzlies won’t play until at least Satur-

day, after the NBA called off yet another game

— the 20th since Jan. 10 and the 21st postpone-

ment this season.

Memphis was scheduled to play Sunday and

Monday at home against Sacramento. Those

were called off late last week and now, the

Grizzlies’ home game against Chicago that was

scheduled for Wednesday is off as well.

The NBA said the Wednesday game was

called off “due to contact tracing within the

Grizzlies and the length of time preceding the

game during which Memphis will be unable to

practice.”

It was the sixth postponement for the Griz-

zlies, matching Washington for the most in the

Wizards lose in return, Grizzlies postponed again

DARREN ABATE / AP

Wizards guard Russell Westbrook, left,drives against the Spurs’ Dejounte Murray.San Antonio won 121101 as Washingtonplayed for the first time in 13 days.

BY TIM REYNOLDS

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leo-

nard scored 34 points and the Los

Angeles Clippers beat Oklahoma

City 108-101 on Sunday for their

seventh consecutive victory and

second straight over the Thunder.

Serge Ibaka added 17 points. At

13-4, the Clippers are tied with the

Lakers for the best record in the

NBA. Leonard also had nine re-

bounds and eight assists. He had

31 points in a 14-point victory over

the Thunder on Friday night.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led

the Thunder with 23 points

against his former team, and Ge-

orge Hill added 22 points. Oklaho-

ma City has lost three in a row and

five of six.

Bucks 129, Hawks 115: Gian-

nis Antetokounmpo had 27 points

and 14 rebounds and host Milwau-

kee beat Atlanta to snap a two-

game losing streak.

Antetokounmpo had eight as-

sists, finishing two shy of a triple-

double. Bobby Portis added 21

points, and Khris Middleton had

19 for the Bucks.

De’Andre Hunter led the

Hawks with a career-high 33

points. John Collins had 30 points,

but short-handed Atlanta saw its

three-game winning streak end. It

was without scoring leader Trae

Young (back spasms) and center

Clint Capela (sore right hand).

Celtics 141, Cavaliers 103:

Jaylen Brown scored 20 of his 33

points in the third quarter and host

Boston cruised past Cleveland to

snap a three-game losing streak.

Kemba Walker added 21 points,

Daniel Theis had 17, Carsen Ed-

wards 15 and Marcus Smart 12 for

the Celtics. Brown played just 19

minutes.

Collin Sexton led the Cavs with

13 points, far below his team-lead-

ing average of 26.8, The team had

won three in a row.

Raptors 107, Pacers 102: OG

Anunoby scored a season-high 30

points and made three free throws

in the final minute to break a tie

and help surging Toronto win at

Indiana.

The Raptors have won two

straight and five of their last six,

including this one without injured

All-Stars Kyle Lowry and Pascal

Siakam.

Myles Turner had 25 points and

six blocks for Pacers, who have

lost three of four.

Hornets 107, Magic 104: Gor-

don Hayward broke a tie with a

layup with 0.7 seconds left and

scored 39 points in Charlotte’s

comeback victory at Orlando.

Hayward beat Evan Fournier

off the dribble and made the left-

handed layup after the Magic's

Terrence Ross tied it with a three-

pointer with 8.7 seconds to play.

The teams were to meet again

Monday night in Orlando.

Nikola Vucevic topped 10,000

career points and finished with 22

points and 13 rebounds for the

Magic.

Trail Blazers 116, Knicks 113:

Damian Lillard had 39 points, in-

cluding six three-pointers, and

rested Portland jumped out early

in a win against visiting New York.

Anfernee Simons added 16

points off the bench for the Blaz-

ers, who led by as many as 25

points before seeing their advan-

tage slip away in the final quarter.

Leonard, Clippers win 7th straightAssociated Press

ASHLEY LANDIS / AP

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard had 34 points and nine rebounds in a 108101 win Sundayover the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles.

ROUNDUP

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

W L Pct GB

Philadelphia 12 5 .706 —

Boston 9 6 .600 2

Brooklyn 10 8 .556 2½

New York 8 10 .444 4½

Toronto 7 9 .438 4½

Southeast Division

W L Pct GB

Atlanta 8 8 .500 —

Charlotte 7 9 .438 1

Orlando 7 10 .412 1½

Miami 6 9 .400 1½

Washington 3 9 .250 3

Central Division

W L Pct GB

Milwaukee 10 6 .625 —

Indiana 9 7 .563 1

Cleveland 8 8 .500 2

Chicago 7 9 .438 3

Detroit 3 13 .188 7

Western Conference

Southwest Division

W L Pct GB

Memphis 7 6 .538 —

San Antonio 9 8 .529 —

Dallas 8 8 .500 ½

Houston 6 9 .400 2

New Orleans 5 10 .333 3

Northwest Division

W L Pct GB

Utah 12 4 .750 —

Portland 9 6 .600 2½

Denver 9 7 .563 3

Oklahoma City 6 9 .400 5½

Minnesota 4 11 .267 7½

Pacific Division

W L Pct GB

L.A. Clippers 13 4 .765 —

L.A. Lakers 13 4 .765 —

Phoenix 8 7 .533 4

Golden State 8 8 .500 4½

Sacramento 6 10 .375 6½

Saturday’s games

Philadelphia 114, Detroit 110 Minnesota 120, New Orleans 110 Brooklyn 128, Miami 124 Utah 127, Golden State 108 Houston 133, Dallas 108 L.A. Lakers 101, Chicago 90 Denver 120, Phoenix 112, 2OT

Sunday’s games

Toronto 107, Indiana 102 L.A. Clippers 108, Oklahoma City 100 Boston 141, Cleveland 103 Charlotte 107, Orlando 104 San Antonio 121, Washington 101 Milwaukee 129, Atlanta 115 Portland 116, New York 113 Sacramento at Memphis, ppd

Monday’s games

Charlotte at Orlando Philadelphia at Detroit Toronto at Indiana Miami at Brooklyn L.A. Lakers at Cleveland Sacramento at Memphis, ppd Denver at Dallas Boston at Chicago San Antonio at New Orleans Minnesota at Golden State Oklahoma City at Portland

Tuesday’s games

L.A. Clippers at Atlanta Washington at HoustonNew York at Utah

Scoreboard

NBA leaders

Through Jan. 24

Scoring

G FG FT PTS AVG

Beal, WAS 11 134 85 380 34.5

Durant, BKN 13 136 96 406 31.2

Lillard, POR 15 130 115 433 28.9

Curry, GS 16 146 88 447 27.9

Embiid, PHI 14 123 125 388 27.7

Brown, BOS 15 157 56 410 27.3

Rebounds

G OFF DEF TOT AVG

Capela, ATL 13 59 130 189 14.5

Drummond, CLE 15 62 155 217 14.5

Gobert, UTA 16 55 161 216 13.5

Sabonis, IND 16 52 155 207 12.9

Ayton, PHO 15 50 133 183 12.2


Chiefs 38, Bills 24

Buffalo 9 3 3 9 — 24

Kansas City 0 21 10 7 — 38

First Quarter

Buf—FG Bass 51, 11:27.Buf—Knox 3 pass from Allen (kick

failed), 6:14.

Second Quarter

KC—Hardman 3 pass from Mahomes(Butker kick), 14:16.

KC—Darr.Williams 6 run (Butker kick),9:35.

KC—Edwards-Helaire 1 run (Butkerkick), 4:12.

Buf—FG Bass 20, :11.

Third Quarter

KC—FG Butker 45, 10:48.Buf—FG Bass 27, 5:49.KC—Kelce 1 pass from Mahomes (Butk-

er kick), 3:29.

Fourth Quarter

KC—Kelce 5 pass from Mahomes (Butk-er kick), 7:36.

Buf—McKenzie 6 pass from Allen (returnfailed), 4:08.

Buf—FG Bass 51, 3:14.

Buf KC

First downs 24 29

Total Net Yards 363 439

Rushes-yards 18-129 25-114

Passing 234 325

Punt Returns 1-0 1-0

Kickoff Returns 0-0 3-68

Interceptions Ret. 0-0 1-30

Comp-Att-Int 28-48-1 29-38-0

Sacked-Yards Lost 4-53 1-0

Punts 3-49.3 1-44.0

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1

Penalties-Yards 4-38 3-32

Time of Possession 28:51 31:09

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Buffalo, Allen 7-88, Singletary6-17, Yeldon 3-15, McKenzie 2-9. KansasCity, Williams 13-52, Hardman 1-50, Ed-wards-Helaire 6-7, Mahomes 5-5.

PASSING—Buffalo, Allen 28-48-1-287.Kansas City, Mahomes 29-38-0-325.

RECEIVING—Buffalo, Beasley 7-88, Diggs6-77, Knox 6-42, Yeldon 4-41, Brown 2-24,Singletary 2-9, McKenzie 1-6. Kansas City,Kelce 13-118, Hill 9-172, Pringle 3-22, Hard-man 2-4, Williams 1-9, Edwards-Helaire1-0.

MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

NFL PLAYOFFS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It took the

Kansas City Chiefs five frustrating

decades to make their third Super

Bowl appearance.

Now, the defending champs are

headed there for the second con-

secutive year.

Showing no lingering effects

from his concussion, Patrick Ma-

homes sliced up Buffalo’s second-

ary with ruthless efficiency Sun-

day night, helping the Chiefs roll to

a38-24 victory over Josh Allen and

the Bills in the AFC championship

game.

The reigning Super Bowl MVP

finished with 325 yards passing

and three touchdowns, most of it to

favorite targets Travis Kelce and

Tyreek Hill, who complemented

their star quarterback with a re-

cord-setting night.

The Chiefs will face a familiar

foe — Tom Brady — and the NFC

champ Buccaneers in two weeks in

Tampa, Fla.

“It was just trusting each other.

The best thing about this team is we

believe in each other,” said Ma-

homes, who was also dealing with a

toe injury. “But the job’s not fin-

ished. We’re going to Tampa; we’re

trying to run it back.”

Kelce finished with 13 catches

for 118 yards and two touchdowns,

and Hill added nine catches for 172

yards, becoming the first duo in

NFL history with consecutive

games of at least 100 yards receiv-

ing each in a single postseason.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire and

Darrel Williams added short TD

runs for the Chiefs, who will try to

become the eighth franchise and

first since the Brady-led New En-

gland Patriots in 2003 and ’04 to de-

fend the Lombardi Trophy.

“So glad to get to do it again,” said

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt,

whose father, Lamar, founded the

franchise. “Thought a lot about my

dad tonight, thought about my fam-

ily and how excited my father

would have been that we got to do it

again in Arrowhead Stadium.

That’s what he would have liked the

most about it.”

Allen, who had his worst game of

the season in a Week 6 loss to the

Chiefs, again struggled against the

blitzing Kansas City defense. He

finished with 287 yards passing

with two touchdowns and an inter-

ception, but a big chunk of his num-

bers came as the Bills tried to rally

from a 38-15 deficit in the final min-

utes.

Their frustration boiled over

with 3:19 to go, when Allen was get-

ting sacked by Tanoh Kpassagnon.

Alex Okafor finished off the tackle,

and Allen pitched the ball in his

face in resentment. Offensive line-

men Jon Feliciano and Dion Daw-

kins rushed in and leveled Okafor,

resulting in a flood of offsetting per-

sonal foul penalties.

“Obviously a lot of emotion,” Al-

len said. “Any time you don’t finish

the season with a win, that’s the

type of emotion you’re going to

have. The way it ended doesn’t sit

right with me with how chippy and

ticky-tack it got. I’m disappointed

in myself. I let my emotions get to

me there. That’s not how you’re

supposed to play football.”

It capped a bitter night for the

Bills, who had reached their first

AFC title game since beating Kan-

sas City at home on Jan. 1, 1994.

They had won 11 of 12 since their

loss to the Chiefs earlier this season

and were riding a wave of confi-

dence that this might finally be

their championship year.

Instead, after finally conquering

the Patriots in the AFC East, the

Bills have a new roadblock to the

Super Bowl.

“It stings to get this far,” said

Bills coach Sean McDermott, who

once worked under Chiefs counter-

part Andy Reid in Philadelphia.

“Sometimes the further you go, the

harder it is to lose. It’s a learning ex-

perience for us as an organization.”

The Chiefs actually spotted the

Bills a 9-0 lead, thanks in large part

to Mecole Hardman’s muffed punt

inside their 5 that gifted Buffalo a

touchdown. The reigning champs

were hardly rattled; the Chiefs, af-

ter all, rallied from double-digits in

each of their postseason wins last

season, including their Super Bowl

triumph over San Francisco.

Chiefs dump Bills in AFC championshipMahomes returns to KC lineup, leads defending champs back to Super Bowl

JEFF ROBERSON/AP

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates afterthrowing a touchdown pass to Travis Kelce during the second half ofthe AFC title game Sunday in Kansas City, Mo. Mahomes, whosuffered a concussion last week, had 325 yards passing and 3 TDs.

BY DAVE SKRETTA

Associated Press

Josh Allen played a huge role in getting the

Buffalo Bills to their first AFC championship

game in 27 years.

The third-year starter was the first to ac-

knowledge he needs to be much better for the

Bills to take the next step.

“It’s going to fuel us. I have no doubt in my

mind that we will be back,” Allen said after the

Bills were outclassed in a 38-24 loss to the Kan-

sas City Chiefs.

“We’re still young, and we’re only going to

get better,” he added. “That’s the one thing I

take from this. We’re close.”

Hardly close enough.

In a season the Bills (15-4) busted numerous

slumps by sweeping the New England Patriots

for the first time since 1999, and claimed their

first division title in 25 years, Allen and Co.

were reminded of how far they still have to go

in losing to the defending Super Bowl champs.

Buffalo’s bend-but-don’t-break defense wilt-

ed, squandering a 9-0 lead by giving up three

touchdowns in the span of 10:04 in the second

quarter. Allen simply couldn’t keep up.

After scoring their first touchdown set up by

Taiwan Jones recovering Mecole Hardman’s

muffed punt at the Kansas City 3, the Bills set-

tled for field goals on three drives inside the

Chiefs 35. The game was essentially over when

Allen, facing second-and-10 at the Kansas City

20, was picked off by Rashad Fenton two min-

utes into the fourth quarter.

Allen finished 28-for-48 for 287 yards with

two touchdowns and essentially was intercept-

ed twice, one coming on a desperation 2-point

attempt with 4:08 remaining.

The Bills also could be second guessed for

settling for field goals in a game they needed

touchdowns.

It happened at the end of the first half, when

Tyler Bass hit a 20-yard field goal to cut the

Chiefs' lead to 21-12 rather than go on fourth-

and-goal from the 2 with 14 seconds left. It hap-

pened again on Buffalo’s opening drive of the

third quarter, which ended with Bass hitting a

27-yarder on fourth-and-3 from the Chiefs 8.

“That’s coach’s decision,” Allen said. “We

had three downs to get in there prior and didn’t

do our job. Lack of communication, lack of exe-

cution down there falls on my shoulders.”

Coach Sean McDermott acknowledged he

considered going for it on fourth down.

“Maybe if I had to do it over again I would’ve

gone for one of them,” he said. “We were hav-

ing trouble coming up with points. I wanted to

at least have something to show for it going into

the half.”

Buffalo’s defense didn’t help, unable to solve

the Chiefs for a second time this season. In

Week 6, the Bills were trampled in a 26-17 loss

in Week 6.

Buffalo comes up short in breakout seasonBY JOHN WAWROW

Associated Press

JEFF ROBERSON/AP

Buffalo Bills quarterback JoshAllen, right, hugs teammateStefon Diggs during the secondhalf Sunday.


NFL PLAYOFFS

Buccaneers 31, Packers 26

Tampa Bay 7 14 7 3 — 31

Green Bay 0 10 13 3 — 26

First Quarter

TB—Evans 15 pass from Brady (Succopkick), 10:59.

Second Quarter

GB—Valdes-Scantling 50 pass fromRodgers (Crosby kick), 14:07.

TB—Fournette 20 run (Succop kick),12:24.

GB—FG Crosby 24, 4:59.TB—Miller 39 pass from Brady (Succop

kick), :01.

Third Quarter

TB—Brate 8 pass from Brady (Succopkick), 13:54.

GB—Tonyan 8 pass from Rodgers (Cros-by kick), 9:28.

GB—D.Adams 2 pass from Rodgers(pass failed), :24.

Fourth Quarter

TB—FG Succop 46, 4:42.GB—FG Crosby 26, 2:05.

TB GB

First downs 19 23

Total Net Yards 351 381

Rushes-yards 24-76 16-67

Passing 275 314

Punt Returns 2-10 0-0

Kickoff Returns 5-121 2-30

Interceptions Ret. 1-0 3-16

Comp-Att-Int 20-36-3 33-48-1

Sacked-Yards Lost 1-5 5-32

Punts 2-40.0 3-48.0

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1

Penalties-Yards 2-8 4-30

Time of Possession 25:23 34:37

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Tampa Bay, Fournette 12-55,Jones 10-16, Godwin 1-6, Brady 1-(minus1). Green Bay, Jones 6-27, J.Williams 7-23,Dillon 3-17.

PASSING—Tampa Bay, Brady 20-36-3-280. Green Bay, Rodgers 33-48-1-346.

RECEIVING—Tampa Bay, Godwin 5-110,Fournette 5-19, Evans 3-51, Brate 3-19, Mill-er 2-36, Gronkowski 1-29, Johnson 1-16.Green Bay, Adams 9-67, Valdes-Scantling4-115, Tonyan 4-22, J.Williams 4-22, Jones4-7, Lazard 3-62, Lewis 3-28, Dillon 1-13, St.Brown 1-10.

MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Tom Bra-

dy has a new team, in a new town.

The destination is the same: anoth-

er Super Bowl.

At home, too.

The man with six NFL titles will

become the first quarterback to

play a Super Bowl on his team’s

home field. He owes the Tampa

Bay defense that sacked Aaron

Rodgers five times, and a curious

late call on fourth-and-goal by the

Packers as Brady and the Bucs

beat top-seeded Green Bay 31-26

for the NFC title Sunday.

“It’s great to get another road

win and now we got a home game,

and who would have ever thought a

home Super Bowl for us,” Brady

said. “But we did it. I thought the

defense was spectacular. They’ve

done that all year.”

The Bucs (14-5) will face the

Kansas City Chiefs (16-2) at Tam-

pa’s Raymond James Stadium on

Feb. 7. No, a host team in the Super

Bowl has never happened in 54

previous games.

“We’re coming home,” said

Bucs coach Bruce Arians, whose

first NFL coaching job was as an

assistant in 1989 with Kansas City,

and won two league Coach of the

Year awards, with Indianapolis in

2012, Arizona in 2014. He will make

his first trip to the Super Bowl as a

head coach. “We’re coming home

to win.”

Brady is back in his first year at

Tampa Bay after reaching this

stage nine times with the New En-

gland Patriots. He went 20-for-36

for 286 yards and three touch-

downs, but also threw three inter-

ceptions as Tampa Bay squan-

dered most of an 18-point lead. Sha-

quil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul

combined for five sacks to help the

Bucs hang on for their franchise-

record eighth consecutive road

victory.

It’s quite a step up for a team that

had one winning record in the past

nine seasons.

“Tom is the GOAT (greatest of

all time),” said Bucs receiver Scot-

ty Miller, who caught a 39-yard

touchdown pass with 1 second left

until halftime. “Last year, we end-

ed 7-9. This year, we’re going to the

Super Bowl. He’s the biggest rea-

son.”

The Bucs snapped Green Bay’s

seven-game winning streak. They

were aided by a strange decision

from Packers coach Matt LaFleur

to kick a field goal with just over

two minutes remaining while trail-

ing 31-23.

Green Bay lost in the NFC cham-

pionship game for the fourth time

in the past seven seasons. The team

hasn’t reached the Super Bowl

since its 2010 championship sea-

son.

Rodgers went 33-for-48 for 346

yards with three touchdowns and

one interception, but fell to 1-4 in

conference championship games

as a starting quarterback. The

Packers had the NFL’s best red-

zone offense this season, but they

twice settled for field goals after

having a first-and-goal Sunday.

“I’m just pretty gutted,” Rodg-

ers said. “It’s a long season. You put

so much into it to get to this point.

We had our chances.”

Twice in the fourth quarter, the

Packers got the ball with a chance

to take the lead after Jaire Alexan-

der picked off Brady passes deep

in Green Bay territory. Both times,

the Packers went three-and-out.

“I felt like we had plenty of op-

portunities tonight to take advan-

tage of and get the job done,” La-

Fleur said.

MORRY GASH / AP

Tampa Bay’s Scotty Miller catches a 39yard touchdown pass against Green Bay’s Kevin King.

Brady’s bunch: Bucs win atGreen Bay, reach Super Bowl

BY STEVE MEGARGEE

Associated Press

Matt LaFleur put the game in the

hands of his defense instead of All-

Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers in

a decision that will be questioned

in Green Bay for years.

With a spot in the Super Bowl on

the line, LaFleur opted for a field

goal on fourth-and-goal from the 8

when trailing by eight points with

just over two minutes remaining in

the NFC championship game.

Rodgers never got the ball back

in his fourth straight title game loss

as Tom Brady and Tampa Bay ran

out the clock in a 31-26 win Sunday.

“The way our defense was play-

ing, it felt like the right decision to

do,” LaFleur said. “It just didn’t

work out.”

The key moment came after

Green Bay rallied from 18 points

down in the second half to get into

position to send the game into over-

time late in regulation.

The Packers drove down to the

8-yard line with 2:22 to play before

Rodgers threw an incomplete pass

to Allen Lazard followed by two

more to Davante Adams.

That left LaFleur with a decision

to make with 2:09 to play and he

went with the field goal instead of

another shot into the end zone for a

possible TD and 2-point conver-

sion to tie the game.

“Any time it doesn’t work out,

you always regret it,” LaFleur said.

“It was the circumstances of hav-

ing three shots and coming away

with no yards and knowing that not

only you need the touchdown, but

you need the 2-point (conversion).

We essentially had four timeouts

with the two-minute warning. We

knew we needed to get a stop.”

Rodgers never had a chance to

lobby his coach to go for it as soon

as he saw the field-goal team run on

the field.

“I didn’t have a decision on that

one,” Rodgers said before pausing.

“That wasn’t my decision, but I un-

derstand the thinking, above two

minutes with all of our timeouts,

but it wasn’t my decision.”

The analytics were against the

move with EdjSports win probabil-

ity model saying LaFleur’s deci-

sion reduced Green Bay’s chances

of winning the game from 10.8% to

7.8%. LaFleur had been one of the

best coaches when it comes to deci-

sion-making by EdjSports model,

ranking third best this season.

The decision was extremely

rare as no team had attempted a

field goal in the final three minutes

of a game when trailing by between

four and eight points since the Fal-

cons in 2015. LaFleur was an assist-

ant on Dan Quinn’s staff in Atlanta

for that game.

“I couldn’t believe it, honestly,

because there’s no guarantee

they’re going to make it back down

there again,” Buccaneers edge

rusher Shaquil Barrett said.

Mason Crosby made the field

goal, but the Packers couldn’t get

the defensive stop they needed.

MATT LUDTKE / AP

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur reacts after a pass interference callwas made against his team in the fourth quarter of its 3126 loss toTampa Bay in the NFC championship game Sunday in Green Bay, Wis.

Packers’ LaFleurkicking himselfover FG decision

BY JOSH DUBOW

Associated Press “The way ourdefense wasplaying, it feltlike the rightdecision to do.Itjust didn’t workout.”

Matt LaFleur

Green Bay coach


Playoff schedule

Wild-card PlayoffsSaturday, Jan. 9

Buffalo 27, Indianapolis 24Los Angeles Rams 30, Seattle 20Tampa Bay 31, Washington 23

Sunday, Jan. 10Baltimore 20, Tennessee 13New Orleans 21, Chicago 9Cleveland 48 Pittsburgh 37

Divisional PlayoffsSaturday, Jan. 16

Green Bay 32, Los Angeles Rams 18Buffalo 17, Baltimore 3

Sunday, Jan. 17Kansas City 22, Cleveland 17Tampa Bay 30, New Orleans 20

Conference ChampionshipsSunday’s games

AFCKansas City 38, Buffalo 24

NFCTampa Bay 31, Green Bay 26

Super BowlSunday, Feb. 7At Tampa, Fla.

Tampa Bay vs. Kansas City

phy for the 2003 and 2004 seasons,

Brady owns a nonpareil six rings

altogether. He’s headed to his 10th

Super Bowl, and the big game will

be played at Raymond James Sta-

dium, which happens to be the

Buccaneers’ home field. Add an-

other record to Brady’s ledger.

“The belief he gave everybody

in this organization, that this could

be done,” says Bucs coach Bruce

Arians of Brady. “It only took one

man.”

When Brady signed as a free

agent with one of the historically

worst franchises in the sport — the

Bucs won their only visit to the Su-

per Bowl 18 years ago, hadn’t been

to the playoffs since the 2007 sea-

son, and have a 278-429-1 overall

record — faith was reborn in Tam-

pa.

A leap of faith, it seemed. Like

needing a Hail Mary for the Bucs

to rise to the championship level.

Then they went 11-5 to become a

wild-card team spending all of Ja-

nuary on the road.

Big deal. After victories at

Washington, New Orleans (which

beat the Bucs twice in the regulars

season) and Green Bay, they head

back home. To host a Super Bowl

they are playing in.

“We were at 7-5 seven games

ago, not feeling great,” Brady ex-

plains. “We felt like we needed to

find our rhythm. We played four

games down the stretch the last

quarter of the season, and then af-

ter that, it was just all bonus. The

guys came through. Everyone

stepped up to the challenge.

“It takes everybody, and every-

body plays a role. I’m just so proud

of this whole team and blessed to

be a part of it.”

The Chiefs are well aware of

what Brady means in a champion-

ship chase. For those two decades

when New England was dominat-

ing the AFC, Kansas City envious-

ly watched. What the Chiefs wit-

nessed then is what is playing out

now: Brady as the centerpiece —

and by far the most important

piece — of a franchise.

When Brady won those succes-

sive Super Bowls, he was only be-

ginning to establish his champion-

ship pedigree. He hadn’t won an

MVP award; he now has three.

Nor had he won Offensive Player

of the Year; he now has two.

He hadn’t set many league re-

cords of note, either.

Today, he is the most successful

player in the NFL’s modern era.

Even when he throws intercep-

tions on three consecutive series,

which he did Sunday at Lambeau

Field, he and his team still find

ways to win.

That’s what Mahomes and his

magic must overcome, and the

Chiefs are early three-point favor-

ites to do so. They come from the

stronger conference. They win

even when they aren’t at their

best, as happened last week

against Cleveland. They shrug off

deficits the way Travis Kelce

shrugs off defenders. They boast a

confidence reminiscent of, well,

the QB in Tampa.

And that guy is the most chal-

lenging obstacle to get past.

Familiar: Brady to playin record 10th Super BowlFROM PAGE 24

NFL PLAYOFFS

Aaron Rodgers was lamenting the sudden end of a

remarkable season he’ll treasure long after he’s re-

tired, running through a list of Green Bay Packers

teammates he’s grown the closest to.

“There’s a lot of guys’ futures that are uncertain,

myself included,” Rodgers said, managing a slight

laugh as if to momentarily soften this harsh reality in

the immediate aftermath of the loss to the Tampa Bay

Buccaneers in the NFC championship game. “That’s

what sad about it most.”

The 37-year-old produced by most measures in

2020 the finest performance of his brilliant career,

making him a leading contender for a third NFL MVP

award.

The Packers went 13-3 for the top seed in the NFC,

cruising past the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional

round and finally giving Rodgers a home game to

play for a spot in the Super Bowl. His other four shots

at it as the starter, including the win at Chicago (2010

season) that preceded his only championship, were

on the road. They lost in the semifinals at San Fran-

cisco (2019), Atlanta (2016) and Seattle (2014).

Ten years and counting since the Packers won it all

with Rodgers, this 31-26 loss to Brady and the Bucs

will sting for awhile. Especially considering what

happened last spring, when Green Bay drafted quar-

terback Jordan Love in the first round. Rodgers is

signed through 2023, but that sure doesn’t guarantee

in this league that he’ll stay that long — or that he’d

want to.

“I’m going to have to take some time away for sure

and clear my head and just kind of see what’s going on

with everything, but it’s pretty tough right now,”

Rodgers said. He later added: “It’s a grind to get to

this point, and that makes the finality of it all kind of

hit you like a ton of bricks.”

Rodgers went 33-for-48 for 346 yards and three

touchdowns, but this wasn’t exactly his best. He had

one interception that Tampa Bay used to set up a last-

second touchdown before halftime and completed

only two of nine attempts on goal-to-go situations. He

also took five sacks.

Both of his goal-to-go completions went for scores,

though, and coach Matt LaFleur twice took away a

fourth-down chance to finish a drive in the end zone

by settling for short field goals.

Rodgers laments his andPack’s uncertain future

MIKE ROEMER / AP

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers(12) evades a tackle as he looks to pass against theTampa Bay Buccaneers in Sunday's 3126 loss.

BY DAVE CAMPBELL

Associated Press

STEVEN SENNE / AP

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, left, and thenNewEngland Patriots quarterback Tom Brady speak at midfield after aDec. 8, 2019 game. Brady leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers whenthey face Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

“The belief he gave everybody in this organization,that this could be done... It only took one man.”

Bruce Arians

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach, on quarterback Tom Brady

PAGE 24 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Tuesday, January 26, 2021

SPORTSSeven straight

Leonard, Clippers beat Thunderto extend streak ›› NBA, Page 20

Emotional Ullmark helps Sabres top Caps ›› NHL, Page 19

Considering that there has

been no repeat NFL cham-

pion since the 2004 season,

clearly some major obstruc-

tions have gotten in the way.

For the Chiefs, that hur-

dle wears a No. 12 jersey and is the last guy

to pull off the feat.

After demolishing Buffalo for the AFC ti-

tle, the Chiefs head to Tampa looking to

complete the double. It’s been done eight

times, twice by the Steelers. But there’s

never been such a gap for a repeat winner,

and after winning its first Super Bowl in a

half-century last year, Kansas City seems

primed to end that string of failures.

Except for that massive roadblock named

Tom Brady.

“The job’s not finished,” Chiefs quarter-

back Patrick Mahomes acknowledges.

“We’re going to Tampa, we’re trying to run

it back.”

To do so, young Mr. Mahomes, you’ll

need to beat that old man and his penchant

for collecting trophies and rings.

“We’ve just got to be ourselves,” added

Mahomes, at 25 a mere 18 years young-

er than Brady. (Heck, Mahomes’ fa-

ther is only 50 years old.) “I trust my

guys over anybody.”

The rest of the world has learned

to trust Brady over most anybody.

The quarterback of the Patriots

when they took the Lombardi Tro-

Top: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady reacts after winning the NFC championship 3126 over the Green BayPackers on Sunday. After leading the Chiefs to 3824 AFC championship game win over the Buffalo Bills, reigning SuperBowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, right, will have to go through 4time Super Bowl MVP Brady to capture his second title.

AP PHOTOS

6-time Super Bowl champion Brady stands in way of Chiefs’ 2nd straight title BY BARRY WILNER

Associated Press

NFL PLAYOFFS

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