military faces nfl nfc has brady, bucs – but afc is
TRANSCRIPT
NFL
NFC has Brady,Bucs – but AFC isdeeper conferencePage 24
Volume 80 Edition 105 ©SS 2021 CONTINGENCY EDITION FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 Free to Deployed Areas
stripes.com
MILITARY
Navy launching its 1stunmanned, AI systemstask force in Middle East Page 3
FACES
Documentary explorescomplicated friendshipbetween Ali, Malcolm XPage 14
Dozens of Westerners leave Afghanistan on commercial flight ›› Page 8
The adaptations required of the U.S.
military for its irregular warfare
since 9/11 have created a risk that
American forces will lose in an
armed conflict against a major power, and now
the country must reacclimate to more tradi-
tional foes, some experts warn.
American combat after 9/11 did not feature
conventional warfare against massed units,
but instead pitted the U.S. and its allies against
small bands of insurgents lacking air forces,
navies or jamming technology of note. These
fighters could simply melt into the populace
after a clash.
As a result of battling guerrillas for almost
two decades, the skills the U.S. needs to fight a
major power with modern technology have
atrophied, government officials and analysts
say.
“You have whole generations of soldiers
with firsthand experience in fighting wars that
probably won’t look very much like the wars
you’d be fighting in the future,” said Karl P.
Mueller, a senior political scientist at the Rand
Corp.
CONNOR MENDEZ/U.S. Army
U.S. Special Forces soldiers look for enemy fighters on a mountainside during a firefight in Afghanistan’s Laghman province in 2016. After twodecades of fighting guerrillas, experts say the American military needs to prepare for battle against a major power with modern technology.
Change on the horizonThe US military adapted for the war on terror. Now it has to change again, experts say
BY J.P. LAWRENCE
Stars and Stripes
20 YEARS AFTER 9/11
RELATED
9/11 took America’s eyeoff China’s emergencePage 7
SEE CHANGE ON PAGE 6
KUWAIT CITY — Defense Sec-
retary Lloyd Austin said Thursday
the al-Qaida extremist group that
used Afghanis-
tan as a staging
base to attack the
United States 20
years ago could
attempt to regen-
erate there fol-
lowing an Amer-
ican withdrawal
that has left the
Taliban in power.
Austin spoke to a small group of
reporters in Kuwait City at the
conclusion of a four-day tour of
Persian Gulf states. He said the
United States is prepared to pre-
vent an al-Qaida comeback in Af-
ghanistan that would threaten the
United States.
“The whole community is kind
of watching to see what happens
and whether or not al-Qaida has
the ability to regenerate in Af-
ghanistan,” he said. “The nature of
al-Qaida and (Islamic State) is
they will always attempt to find
space to grow and regenerate,
whether it’s there, whether it’s in
Somalia, or whether it’s in any oth-
er ungoverned space. I think that’s
the nature of the organization.”
The Taliban had provided al-
Qaida with sanctuary while it
ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to
2001. The U.S. invaded and over-
threw the Taliban after it refused
to turn over al-Qaida leaders fol-
lowing the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on
the United States. During the
course of the 20-year U.S. war, al-
Qaida was vastly diminished, but
questions have arisen about its fu-
ture prospects with the Taliban
back in Kabul.
Austin saysal-Qaida mayseek comebackin Afghanistan
BY ROBERT BURNS
Associated Press
SEE AUSTIN ON PAGE 6
Austin
PAGE 2 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
BUSINESS/WEATHER
United Airlines says that more
than half its employees who we-
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gotten their shots since the com-
pany announced that vaccines
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The airline’s 67,000 U.S.-
based employees face a Sept. 27
deadline for getting vaccinated.
United said Wednesday, howev-
er, that employees whose bids
for exemptions based on medi-
cal reasons or religious beliefs
are denied will get five more
weeks to get vaccinated.
After that, the airline said,
they will face termination or un-
paid leave.
Workers who routinely come
in contact with passengers, such
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and pilots, and whose exemp-
tions are approved will face in-
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Oct. 2. They won’t be allowed
back on the job until the pan-
demic “meaningfully recedes,”
according to one of the memos.
Employees who rarely deal
with passengers — examples in-
clude baggage handlers and me-
chanics — and whose exemp-
tions are approved will also be
put on leave, but only until the
airline comes up with a plan for
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mask-wearing for them.
Headquarters employees
whose exemptions are approved
will be placed on leave until
United decides on safety mea-
sures, including whether the
person needs to come into the of-
fice.
United lays out rules as vaccine requirement loomsAssociated Press
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Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 3
WASHINGTON — The Navy
will launch its first task force dedi-
cated to unmanned systems and
artificial intelligence in the Mid-
dle East on Thursday as the U.S.
military continues to shift its
counterterrorism forces within
the region, the service announced.
Naval Forces Central Com-
mand will oversee Task Force 59,
which will concentrate unmanned
and AI capabilities from across
the Navy and roll them out for sail-
ors to use in a real-world, complex
setting, said Vice Adm. Brad
Cooper, the commander of NAV-
CENT and 5th Fleet.
“We need to get unmanned sys-
tems out into the fleet into the
hands of operators, so this is ex-
actly what we’re doing here at
NAVCENT with Task Force 59,”
he said Wednesday.
Cooper declined to say whether
the new task force would be in-
volved with counterterrorism
missions, though he said NAV-
CENT has “been very involved
with Afghanistan from a [noncom-
batant evacuation] standpoint.”
The establishment of the Navy
task force in the Middle East
comes as the United States boosts
its reliance on unmanned capabil-
ities in the region after withdraw-
ing all American forces from Af-
ghanistan last week and ending 20
years of military involvement in
the country.
U.S. Central Command has said
it will continue to conduct “over-
the-horizon” counterterrorism
strikes in Afghanistan if needed.
That included two drone strikes
on Islamic State fighters in Kabul
in the final days of U.S. evacuation
efforts from the city.
The Task Force will employ
some technologies that have not
yet been used in daily operations.
The idea is to evaluate the systems
in a real-world setting, which “is
exactly what will help us acceler-
ate the technology development
and integration across the fleet,”
Cooper said.
“This effort is really to get the
unmanned systems in the hands of
the operators so they can put it
against real problems and deter-
mine whether it helps solve those
problems and if it doesn’t, perhaps
we should look for [other op-
tions,]” he said.
Task Force 59 will integrate the
Navy’s arsenal of aerial, surface
and undersea drones and AI sys-
tems “as a means to do two things:
enhance our maritime domain
awareness and to increase our de-
terrence,” Cooper said.
Among those unmanned and AI
technologies are those used in the
Pacific Fleet’s Unmanned Battle
Problem 21, a weeklong exercise
in April that tested manned and
unmanned capabilities in invent-
ed scenarios, Cooper said.
The initiative comes as the Pen-
tagon pushes to further integrate
AI and unmanned capabilities into
the forces as it focuses on con-
fronting near-peer adversaries
such as China. In its 2022 budget,
the Defense Department request-
ed $112 billion for development,
testing and evaluation — its large-
st-ever request for the category
that includes AI and autonomous
systems development.
“Beijing already talks about us-
ing AI for a range of missions,
from surveillance to cyberattacks
to autonomous weapons,” De-
fense Secretary Lloyd Austin told
the National Security Commission
on Artificial Intelligence in July.
“China’s leaders have made clear
they intend to be globally dom-
inant in AI by the year 2030.”
Primarily, the drones and AI
systems will be used to offer a
more complex picture of the sur-
rounding environment, from
above and below the surface,
Cooper said.
“An unmanned surface vessel
nested with five or six or 10 other
unmanned surface vessels pa-
trolling a certain area in this re-
gion offers us the ability to see
what’s happening in that region
and would obviously deter malign
activity that would happen there,”
he said.
The 5th Fleet region, which
spans from the Red Sea to parts of
the Indian Ocean, offers benefits
to testing the equipment in oper-
ational settings as “the waterways
are ripe for real-world evaluation”
with its 5,000 miles of coastline
and “three critical choke points,”
including the Strait of Hormuz,
the only passage from the Persian
Gulf to the open ocean, and the
Suez Canal, which connects the
Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea,
Cooper said.
“I think that environment really
suits us well to experiment and
move faster,” he said. “Our belief
is if the new systems can work
here, they can probably work any-
where else.”
Navy to start unmanned, AI systems task forceBY CAITLIN DOORNBOS
Stars and Stripes
[email protected]: @CaitlinDoornbos
SHANNON RENF/U.S. 3rd Fleet
An MQ9 Sea Guardian unmanned maritime surveillance aircraftsystem flies over littoral combat ship USS Coronado in April.
$2.5 million in damages or de-
stroys an aircraft, according to the
report. It was also the first fatal
Navy aviation crash of 2021,
though two crew members were
seriously injured Aug. 19 in a
TH-57 Sea Ranger crash at Naval
Air Station Whiting Field in Santa
Rosa, Fla., according to the report.
WASHINGTON — A Navy hel-
icopter’s rotor struck the flight
deck after landing on the aircraft
carrier USS Abraham Lincoln,
causing the crash that killed five
sailors last week, according to a
Naval Safety Center report.
An MH-60S Knighthawk had
just touched down aboard the
Abraham Lincoln on Aug. 31 when
it “experienced side-to-side vibra-
tions causing the main rotor to
strike [the] flight deck,” accord-
ing to the report.
The helicopter then fell over the
side of the carrier and into the
ocean off the coast of San Diego,
according to the report. One sailor
was rescued, but five others —
Petty Officer 2nd Class James P.
Buriak, Petty Officer 2nd Class
Sarah F. Burns, Lt. Bradley A.
Foster, Lt. Paul R. Fridley and
Petty Officer 3rd Class Bailey J.
Tucker — were never recovered.
The Navy and Coast Guard
searched for the missing crew
members for four days before de-
claring them dead Saturday. The
sailors were assigned to Helicop-
ter Sea Combat Squadron 8, ac-
cording to the Navy.
Five other Abraham Lincoln
sailors were injured in the inci-
dent, but the Navy has not re-
leased further detail about how
they were hurt. Two were taken to
San Diego for treatment while the
others were treated on board for
minor injuries, the service said
Sept. 1.
The crash was the Navy’s 10th
“aviation class-A mishap” this
year, which the service defines as
one that causes a fatality or per-
manent total disability, more than
Navy: Helicopter’s rotor struck USS Lincoln flight deck, causing crashBY CAITLIN DOORNBOS
Stars and Stripes
[email protected]: @CaitlinDoornbos
MILITARY
CAMP HUMPHREYS — A bi-
partisan pair of U.S. lawmakers
said Thursday that the alliance
with South Korea remains strong,
despite fears that the U.S. with-
drawal from Afghanistan signals
weakened resolve on the Korean
Peninsula.
Reps. Ami Bera, D-Calif., and
Young Kim, R-Calif., gave their
assessment of the alliance with
South Korea during a virtual pan-
el discussion hosted by the Center
for Strategic and International
Studies in Washington, D.C.
Bera, a co-chair of the biparti-
san Congressional Study Group on
Korea, advised policy watchers
not to read too deeply into Presi-
dent Joe Biden’s decision to with-
draw from Afghanistan.
“Korea is a totally different
country — it’s one of the most de-
veloped democracies in the
world,” he said. “It’s certainly a
developed economy. We have a
long geopolitical, strategic rela-
tionship and our security commit-
ments are extremely important to
members of Congress in a bilater-
al way.”
Kim, who is one of the first Ko-
rean American women elected to
Congress and a study group mem-
ber, said the abrupt U.S. with-
drawal from Afghanistan raises
valid questions, but the nation’s
long-term commitment to South
Korea is stronger and friendlier
than ever.
“We are there as a deterrence to
any potential conflict in the Ko-
rean Peninsula,” she said. “We
will be there … to lend our voice
and be your advocate. And please,
trust us. The United States can
lead, and we will lead once again,
and show that we can come out of
those difficult challenges.”
Roughly 28,500 U.S. troops are
stationed in South Korea, most of
them at Camp Humphreys, the
largest U.S. military base over-
seas and headquarters for U.S.
Forces Korea.
The USFK mission is to “deter
aggression and if necessary, de-
fend [South Korea] to maintain
stability in Northeast Asia,” ac-
cording to the command’s web-
site.
South Korea is technically still
at war with North Korea despite
the lapse in armed conflict. The
Korean War ended with an armi-
stice agreement in 1953, not a
peace treaty.
Former President Donald
Trump threatened to withdraw
U.S. troops from South Korea dur-
ing his tenure, saying Seoul’s
share of the cost to station Amer-
ican forces in the country was not
enough. Trump reportedly de-
manded South Korea spend $5 bil-
lion for the U.S. military presence,
an offer Seoul rebuffed.
Biden’s administration recently
agreed to a new Special Measures
Agreement in which South Korea
contributes roughly $1 billion for
U.S. troops and South Korean ci-
vilian workers on military bases.
Kim described South Korea as
“one of our most important allies”
and said the U.S. “must treat them
like the strong partner that they
are.”
South Korea was the U.S.’ sixth-
largest trading partner in 2020, af-
ter $127 billion in products flowed
between the two nations, accord-
ing to the U.S. Trade Representa-
tive.
The Department of Commerce
estimates the allies’ trade rela-
tionship generated around
256,000 jobs in 2019.
US lawmakers: Afghan withdrawal not relevant to S. Korea BY DAVID CHOI
Stars and Stripes
[email protected]: @choibboy
PAGE 4 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
PACIFIC
North Korea’s midnight military parade
celebrating 73 years since the nation’s
founding Thursday appeared to lack the
display of new weaponry that frequently
causes friction with South Korea and the
United States.
North Korean troops were pictured in the
Thursday’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper
parading through Kim Il Sung Square in
the center of Pyongyang, the capital, as
thousands of attendees cheered. Leader
Kim Jong Un, wearing a beige suit, over-
saw the event from a balcony and was seen
ceremoniously waving at marching troops.
Based on images published in the state-
run publication, the regime did not appear
to showcase new weaponry, such as a bal-
listic missile, as it has in past parades. How-
ever, North Korea did parade its artillery
systems, traditional cavalry units, dogs and
people wearing hazardous materials suits.
North Korea’s state-run televised broad-
casting agency had yet to show the parade
on Thursday afternoon, and a complete
line-up of the showcased weapon systems
was not immediately known.
The newspaper also reported that “es-
cort planes” and fighter jets flew over the
city square, and parachutists descended
from the sky waving their country’s flag.
Initial reports suggest the regime may
have “wanted to tone down … at least for a
moment,” as the U.S. and South Korea de-
velop a strategy for North Korea, said Yoo
Hoyeol, professor emeritus of North Ko-
rean studies at Korea University.
The U.S. envoy for North Korea is ex-
pected to meet with his counterparts from
South Korea and Japan as soon as next
week in Tokyo, according to multiple news
reports. Special envoy Sung Kim in August
said he was willing to meet with North Ko-
rean representatives “anywhere and at any
time,” and that the U.S. “does not have hos-
tile intentions.”
“At this time, the coronavirus is still a
problem in this region and there is no rea-
son for him to hurry up” and provoke South
Korea and the U.S., Yoo told Stars and
Stripes on Thursday. Kim “wants to see
what happens in South Korea and the U.S.
— North Korea still has time to make prep-
arations.”
Despite North Korea reporting no coro-
navirus cases and rejecting millions of Chi-
nese-made vaccines, analysts believe the
country has been severely affected by the
pandemic and in need of aid, particularly in
the form of eased sanctions.
Soo Kim, a policy analyst for Rand Corp.
and an adjunct instructor at American Uni-
versity, told Stars and Stripes on Thursday
that the parade did not appear to be a major
milestone for the regime. She added it may
have merely been an obligatory event con-
ducted with “minimal effort.”
North Korea is expected to hold another
parade celebrating the ruling party’s
founding on Oct. 10, a more significant an-
niversary than the country’s founding, Yoo
said.
South Korea’s Ministry of National De-
fense in a text message to Stars and Stripes
on Thursday said it was “carefully” mon-
itoring the parade and that the country’s in-
telligence services were “conducting a de-
tailed analysis … in close coordination with
the U.S. intelligence authorities.”
Rodong Sinmun
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a military parade in Pyongyang earlyThursday.
North Korea holds low-keymidnight military parade
BY DAVID CHOI
Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to [email protected] Twitter: @choibboy
TOKYO — A Japanese court
has summoned North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un to answer
for alleged human rights abuses
five plaintiffs say they suffered
after moving to North Korea un-
der a government repatriation
program.
The plaintiffs defected to Ja-
pan and filed a civil suit three
years ago in Tokyo District
Court seeking about $909,000
each for the abuse they suffered,
their lawyer Kenji Fukuda said
at a news conference Wednes-
day.
The court on Aug. 16 ordered
Kim to appear at the first hear-
ing in the case on Oct. 14, Fukuda
said.
Kim is not expected to show
up, but this is the first time a Ja-
panese court has summoned a
North Korean government offi-
cial to appear, Fukuda said.
He said the court order sets
aside any claim for Kim of sover-
eign immunity.
The five allege that North Ko-
rean government propaganda
deceived them into joining a re-
patriation program by describ-
ing the communist country as a
“paradise on Earth,” Fukuda
said.
The plaintiffs also claim “state
abduction” by the North, which
would not permit them to leave
the country, and “obstruction of
departure” for keeping their
families in North Korea against
their will.
Over 93,000 Koreans and their
families living in Japan moved
to North Korea under the repa-
triation program between 1959
and 1984, urged by the North Ko-
rean government to resettle
there, according to Fukuda.
North Korea promised free
housing, medical care and edu-
cation, he said.
“Of course, they realized soon
after they arrived in North Ko-
rea that it was a false advertise-
ment,” Fukuda said, “and that it
is not a ‘paradise on Earth.’”
N. Koreanleader calledto Japan inrights cases
BY HANA KUSUMOTO
Stars and Stripes
[email protected] Twitter: @HanaKusumoto
A top Navy official and the editor of a Chinese state-
run newspaper traded digital quips Thursday, a day af-
ter a Navy destroyer cruised past a disputed reef in the
South China Sea.
Navy Chief of Information Rear Adm. Charlie Brown
and Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin got into the
back-and-forth on Twitter over the USS Benfold’s pass
within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the Spratly
Islands.
“Hopefully when Chinese warships pass through the
Caribbean Sea or show up near Hawaii and Guam one
day, the US will uphold the same standard of freedom
of navigation,” Hu tweeted. “That day will come soon.”
Brown responded with recent examples of the Chi-
nese navy sailing near U.S. waters, including a Septem-
ber 2015 incident in which the Chinese sailed within 12
miles of the Alaskan coast.
“The [U.S. Navy] sails around the world in accord-
ance with international law. All countries benefit from
freedom of navigation in accordance with international
law,” Brown tweeted. “Unfortunately, not all who ben-
efit from freedom of navigation would extend that
same freedom to others.”
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson’s strike group
was also present in the South China Sea on Wednesday
and held exercises there Monday, according to the Na-
vy.
China has built up Mischief Reef and constructed un-
derground storage, radar and communications arrays
and other improvements, according to the Asia Mari-
time Transparency Initiative. The U.S. does not recog-
nize any territorial claim to the reef, according to a 7th
Fleet statement Wednesday.
The Chinese military also denounced the Benfold’s
presence near the reef, according to the official China
Military website on Wednesday. The Benfold entered
the area without permission and was tracked, moni-
tored and warned away by “air and naval forces” of
Southern Theater Command, the site said.
Beijing has “indisputable sovereignty” over the is-
lands, according to command spokesman Col. Tian
Junli, the site reported. The U.S. is the “biggest de-
stroyer” of peace and regional stability, according to
Tian’s statement.
The 7th Fleet responded Wednesday by saying the
Benfold operated according to international law. It
called Beijing’s statement “the latest in a long string” of
actions intended to misrepresent the Navy’s oper-
ations.
Reef transit
draws barbs
on TwitterChinese journalist’s quip on Benfold’spass spurs Navy official to respond
BY ALEX WILSON
Stars and Stripes
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 5
Whitaker served with the Loui-
siana Guard’s Company E, 199th
Brigade Support Battalion, 769th
Brigade Engineer Battalion in Ba-
ton Rouge. She joined the Guard in
February 2019 as an automated lo-
gistical specialist, according to the
Louisiana Guard.
She was recently attached to the
2nd Battalion, 156th Infantry Re-
giment, 256th Infantry Brigade
Combat Team.
Whitaker’s awards and decora-
tions include the Army Commen-
dation Medal, National Defense
Service Medal and Army Service
Ribbon.
She is survived by her mother
and father.
A drunken driving accident in
Texas involving three National
Guard members left one soldier
dead, another injured and the
third facing a manslaughter
charge, according to law enforce-
ment and military officials.
All three Guard members were
serving on the federal mission at
the southwest U.S. border with
Mexico, according to military offi-
cials.
Spc. Nashyra S. Whitaker, 23,
died at the scene of the single-ve-
hicle accident that occurred at
about 2:15 a.m. Sunday in McAl-
len, Texas, said Lt. Joel Morales,
spokesman for the McAllen Police
Department. Whitaker was a
member of Louisiana National
Guard.
Georgia Guard member Bianca
Farmer, 24, was driving the vehi-
cle on North 23rd Street when she
crashed into a utility pole, he said.
Claude Cecile Berry, the third
passenger in the vehicle and also a
member of the Georgia Guard,
was taken to the hospital where his
arm was ampu-
tated, according
to The Monitor, a
McAllen news-
paper.
Farmer was
charged and ar-
raigned on
charges of intox-
icated man-
slaughter, intox-
icated assault and driving while
intoxicated with bond set at
$190,000, Morales said. She was
booked into Hidalgo County De-
tention Center on Sunday and re-
leased Wednesday, according to
online jail records.
U.S. Northern Command con-
firmed Farmer and Berry are
members of the Georgia Guard.
But officials for the Georgia
Guard declined to provide addi-
tional information about the sol-
diers.
The Defense Department has
authorized 3,000 troops to serve
along the southwest border to as-
sist U.S. Customs and Border Pro-
tection through September 2022.
The troops filling the mission are a
mix of active-duty service mem-
bers and National Guard person-
nel.
“For the safety of service mem-
bers deployed in support of the
southwest border mission, poli-
cies have been in place since Ja-
nuary 2021 that limit alcohol con-
sumption. These policies are typ-
ical of those implemented for ser-
vice members during
deployments,” said Eduardo Nati-
vidad, spokesman for Joint Task
Force North, which oversees the
southwest border mission.
On Sunday, following the fatal
accident, zero tolerance for violat-
ing the alcohol policy went into ef-
fect, he said.
Louisiana National Guard soldierkilled in drunken driving accident
BY ROSE L. THAYER
Stars and Stripes
[email protected] Twitter: @Rose_Lori
Louisiana National Guard
Spc. Nashyra Whitaker, 23, of the Louisiana National Guard diedSunday in a drunken driving accident in McAllen, Texas.
Farmer
TOKYO — The Japanese gov-
ernment Thursday extended a
coronavirus state of emergency in
19 prefectures, including Tokyo, to
relieve an overburdened health
care system, despite falling case
numbers.
Tokyo reported another 1,675
people had tested positive for cor-
onavirus Thursday, 1,424 fewer
than one week ago, and continuing
adeclining trend now 18 days long,
according to public broadcaster
NHK and metro government data.
Seriously ill patients in the city
number 251, NHK reported.
Tokyo has been under this latest
state of emergency since July 12.
Meanwhile, Marine Corps Air
Station Iwakuni reported one new
coronavirus case, an individual al-
ready in restricted movement, ac-
cording to a news release Thurs-
day.
Also Thursday, John O. Arnn
Elementary School, at Camp Za-
ma’s Sagamihara Housing Area,
had one person associated with the
school test positive, according to a
message Principal Edwin Munoz
posted on Facebook. Camp Zama,
28 miles southwest of central To-
kyo, is the headquarters for U.S.
Army Japan.
The middle school at Camp Za-
ma reported two people had con-
tracted the coronavirus there
Sept. 1 and Monday. The school
did not close and no classes were
interrupted, according to messag-
es from Principal Henry LeFebre.
Apanel of Japanese experts rec-
ommended extending to Sept. 30
the emergency scheduled to end
Sunday in 19 prefectures, accord-
ing to Japanese media. Prime
Minster Yoshihide Suga an-
nounced the extension Thursday
evening.
Japan reported another 12,411
coronavirus infections and 90
deaths Wednesday, according to
the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus
Resource Center on Thursday.
Nishimura Yasutoshi, the min-
ister in charge of the coronavirus
response, said that of the 21 pre-
fectures under the existing emer-
gency, only the health care sys-
tems in Miyagi and Okayama pre-
fectures have seen relief, accord-
ing to NHK.
Of 12 other prefectures under a
quasi-emergency, six will be can-
celed, while the remainder will be
extended until Sept. 30, according
to NHK.
Under the emergency, resi-
dents are asked to refrain from un-
necessary travel, telework when
they can and avoid large gather-
ings. Businesses are encouraged
to limit the number of people they
admit, and bars and restaurants
are to close early and refrain from
alcohol sales.
The government is planning to
ease some of those measures as
more of Japan’s population be-
comes vaccinated, according to a
Kyodo News report Thursday.
More than 49% of the population,
or 62 million people, are fully vac-
cinated, according to Johns Hop-
kins on Thursday.
South Korea updateU.S. Forces Korea said another
17 people tested positive for CO-
VID-19 since Aug. 31, according to
a news release Thursday.
Six people had developed symp-
toms of the disease: a service
member at Camp Hovey; a service
member at Camp Casey; two fam-
ily members and one South Ko-
rean contractor at Camp Hum-
phreys; and one South Korean em-
ployee at Yongsan Garrison, ac-
cording to USFK.
Contact tracing discovered an-
other seven patients: two service
members at Humphreys; one ser-
vice member, a Defense Depart-
ment civilian employee and two
family members at Daegu; and
one family member at Osan Air
Base.
South Korea reported another
2,018 new cases: 660 in Seoul and
639 in Gyeonggi province, where
Osan and Humphreys are located,
the Korea Center for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention reported
Thursday.
More than 37% of the South Ko-
rean population, or 19.1 million
people, are fully vaccinated, ac-
cording to KDCA.
Japanese government poised to extend COVID-19 state of emergencyBY JOSEPH DITZLER
Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Changcontributed to this [email protected] Twitter: @JosephDitzler
Stethem, both of which left for
modernization.
The Dewey will join Task Force
71, Destroyer Squadron 15, a sur-
face warfare command based out
of Yokosuka that also serves as the
sea combat command for the Ro-
nald Reagan Carrier Strike
Group, according to the Navy.
“Dewey is an excellent addition
to our forward-deployed team,”
said Task Force 71’s commander,
Capt. Chase Sargeant, in a
Wednesday news release. “De-
wey brings capability and lethal-
ity that enables U.S. 7th Fleet to
defend U.S. and like-minded na-
tions’ interests and supports a
rules-based international order
and free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The Dewey left San Diego on
Aug. 3 as part of the Carl Vinson
Carrier Strike Group, after which
it participated in the Navy’s
Large-Scale Exercise 2021.
Commissioned in 2010, the ship
has seen service in the Western
Pacific. In 2018, the Dewey sailed
alongside the Wasp Expedition-
ary Strike Group as part of its first
patrol of the Indo-Pacific region.
The Dewey also visited the
South Korean island of Jeju in
2017, one of several ships de-
ployed to the area that year amid
rising tensions with North Korea.
The destroyer is the third vessel
named after the former Navy ad-
miral George Dewey, who’s
known for a major 1898 victory in
Manila Bay during the Spanish-
American War.
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE,
Japan — The guided-missile de-
stroyer USS Dewey, formerly of
San Diego, pulled into its new
homeport Wednesday, the largest
U.S. naval base in the Far East.
The Arleigh Burke-class de-
stroyer is replacing the USS Cur-
tis Wilbur, 7th Fleet spokesman
Lt. Nicholas Lingo told Stars and
Stripes in an email Thursday. The
Curtis Wilbur left Yokosuka on
Aug. 18 for San Diego and a sched-
uled maintenance period.
Although the ship wasn’t greet-
ed by a formal welcoming party,
Yokosuka Command Master
Chief Robert Beachy was on the
pier to welcome his wife, Dewey
Command Master Chief Eliza
Rubic, said base spokesman Ran-
dall Baucom.
The Dewey is the third de-
stroyer to arrive at the naval base
in the past month. The USS Hig-
gins and USS Howard docked
Aug. 16 as replacements for the
USS McCampbell and the USS
Guided-missile destroyer joins Navy’s 7th FleetBY ALEX WILSON
Stars and Stripes
[email protected] Twitter: @AlexMNWilson
MILITARY
PAGE 6 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
Calls for reform began well be-
fore the U.S. war in Afghanistan
ended in a Taliban victory last
month, but the coming years will
most likely see a greater urgency
for changes in strategy and tac-
tics.
“The DOD is refocusing after
two decades of fighting insurgen-
cies to great-power competition,”
said Elizabeth Threlkeld, a South
Asia expert at the Stimson Center
in Washington. “That is going to
require a significant retooling in
the way the U.S. fights.”
Mueller said a war against Chi-
na or Russia would lead to deaths
and equipment losses on a scale
far beyond the worst days in Iraq
or Afghanistan, and he noted that
war games simulating a conflict
against Russia or China frequent-
ly end in decisive defeats for the
U.S.
While these war games are
meant to be difficult and test U.S.
military planners, they are not
overly pessimistic, he said.
The war declared on terrorism
after 9/11 altered nearly every as-
pect of the American approach to
combat.
Counterinsurgency efforts put
low-level military officers in
charge of economically develop-
ing areas amid conflict in the be-
lief that doing so would sway lo-
cals to support allied govern-
ments, which were often corrupt.
The U.S. also engaged in coun-
terterrorism, which encouraged
military leaders to rely on small
units of elite special operations
forces. These units could find and
kill enemies in shadowy oper-
ations with minimal public over-
sight.
Special operations forces have
“almost risen to the status of a
separate service,” said retired Lt.
Gen. Richard Mills, who com-
manded Marines in Helmand
province from 2010 to 2011. He
added that the past 20 years led to
vast changes in how the U.S. mil-
itary communicates on the battle-
field.
A World War II veteran could
walk into an average command
center of the 1990s, with its radios
and paper maps, and feel at home,
said Mills, who began his military
career in 1975. But modern com-
mand centers feature arrays of
screens sharing live battlefield
imagery captured by aerial
drones and beamed to high-rank-
ing leaders thousands of miles
away, Mills said.
This strategy, with its reliance
on elite forces backed up by air-
strikes and use of real-time com-
munications, would most likely
have to change against a techno-
logically advanced foe such as
China, analysts say.
“The main danger is that we
will assume dependable commu-
nications connectivity at all levels
of command for high data flows in
particular,” said Michael O’Han-
lon, a senior fellow at the Brook-
ings Institution, where he special-
izes in U.S. defense strategy.
Furthermore, the Taliban did
not have missiles able to sink air-
craft carriers and devastate air-
fields or the ability to shoot down
aerial refueling tankers and radar
surveillance planes. They were al-
so significantly outnumbered by
U.S., Afghan and NATO forces,
which enjoyed clear advantages
in firepower and battlefield mo-
bility.
The battle for the skies will be
the most striking difference be-
tween fighting insurgents and ma-
jor powers, Mueller said.
“We haven’t fought an enemy
that has had the ability to contest
our control of the air since 1972,”
he said, adding that even the
drones used over Afghanistan and
Iraq would be easily shot down
and that tactics will have to adapt.
The U.S. military sounded the
alarm on its “eroding” competi-
tive advantage in 2018, publishing
a National Defense Strategy that
said competition between large
states, not terrorism, is the pri-
mary national security concern.
In recent years, the military es-
tablished the Space Command,
developed organizations to pre-
pare for future wars and updated
its field manual to emphasize bat-
tlefields where enemies have
tanks, artillery, air forces, drones
and cyber capabilities.
The end of the war in Afghan-
istan will make it easier for the
U.S. to shift away from counter-
terrorism to threats like China
and Russia, but this could be a
mistake, said Brian Michael Jen-
kins, a senior adviser to the presi-
dent of the Rand Corp.
The skills honed over the past
20 years are still applicable, as
wars against China and Russia
would most likely include ele-
ments of irregular warfare, Jen-
kins said.
Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at
the nonprofit Foundation for De-
fense of Democracies and editor
of Long War Journal, said that any
change in how the U.S. fights will
require America’s military lead-
ers to honestly assess the past 20
years.
Over that period, American
military leaders created a culture
that was not inclined to reflect on
its strengths and weaknesses, but
instead focused on managing per-
ceptions, Roggio said.
“My biggest concern with the
U.S. military moving forward is
that these generals who have nev-
er had accountability will, let’s
face it, lose us the next war,” Rog-
gio said.
Change: Calls grow toshift combat approachFROM PAGE 1
U.S. Africa Command
The joint operations center at U.S. Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Moderncommand centers feature arrays of screens with live drone imagery, which is beamed to highrankingleaders thousands of miles away.
[email protected] Twitter: @jplawrence3 �
sues.” Kirby offered no further ex-
planation but said Austin looked
forward to rescheduling.
Austin indicated that his visit
was postponed at the Saudis’ re-
quest. “The Saudis have some
scheduling issues; I can’t speak to
exactly what they were,” he said.
The Saudi stop notably was to
happen two days before the 20th
anniversary of the terrorist at-
tacks on the United States that
killed nearly 3,000 people. Fifteen
of the men who hijacked commer-
cial airliners and crashed them in-
to the twin towers of the World
Trade Center, the Pentagon and a
Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11,
2001, were Saudis, as was Osama
bin Laden, whose al-Qaida net-
work plotted the attack from its
base in Afghanistan. The attack
prompted the U.S. invasion that
became a 20-year war in Afghan-
istan.
U.S. relations with the Saudi
“We put the Taliban on notice
that we expect them to not allow
that to happen,” Austin said, refer-
ring to the possibility of al-Qaida
using Afghanistan as a staging
base in the future.
In a February 2020 agreement
with the Trump administration,
Taliban leaders pledged not to
support al-Qaida or other extre-
mist groups that would threaten
the United States. But U.S. offi-
cials believe the Taliban maintain
ties to al-Qaida, and many nations,
including Gulf Arab states, are
concerned that the Taliban’s re-
turn to power could open the door
to a resurgence of al-Qaida influ-
ence.
Austin has asserted that the U.S.
military is capable of containing
al-Qaida or any other extremist
threat to the United States ema-
nating from Afghanistan by using
surveillance and strike aircraft
based elsewhere, including in the
Persian Gulf. He also has ac-
knowledged that it will be more
difficult without U.S. troops and
intelligence teams based in Af-
ghanistan.
Austin and Secretary of State
Antony Blinken appeared togeth-
er in Qatar on Tuesday in a show of
U.S. gratitude for that Gulf state’s
help with the transit of tens of
thousands of Afghans and others
evacuated from Kabul. Blinken al-
so visited an evacuee transit site in
Germany, and Austin visited Bah-
rain and Kuwait.
Together, the Austin and Blin-
ken trips were meant to reassure
Gulf allies that President Joe Bi-
den’s decision to end the U.S. war
in Afghanistan in order to focus
more on other security challenges
like China and Russia does not
foretell an abandonment of U.S.
partners in the Middle East. The
U.S. military has had a presence in
the Gulf for decades, including the
Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in
Bahrain. Biden has not suggested
ending that presence, but he —
like the Trump administration be-
fore him — has called China the
No. 1 security priority, along with
strategic challenges from Russia.
Austin, a retired Army general,
has a deep network of contacts in
the Gulf region based in part on
his years commanding U.S. and
coalition troops in Iraq and later
as head of U.S. Central Command,
which oversees U.S. military op-
erations in the Middle East. This
week’s trip, however, was his first
to the Gulf since taking office in
January.
Austin had been scheduled to
visit Saudi Arabia on Thursday as
the final stop on his Gulf tour. But
on Wednesday evening his
spokesman, John Kirby, an-
nounced that the visit had been
dropped due to “scheduling is-
government have been strained at
times in the intervening years. In
2018, Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman oversaw an unprece-
dented crackdown against activ-
ists, rivals and perceived critics.
The year culminated in the grue-
some killing of Washington Post
contributing columnist and dis-
sident Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi
agents in the Saudi Consulate in
Turkey.
Earlier this month, Biden di-
rected the declassification of cer-
tain documents related to the 9/11
attacks, a gesture to victims’ fam-
ilies who have long sought the re-
cords in hopes of implicating the
Saudi government. Public docu-
ments released in the last two dec-
ades, including by the 9/11 Com-
mission, have detailed numerous
Saudi entanglements but have not
proved government complicity.
The Saudi government denies
any culpability.
Austin: Concerns of al-Qaida resurgence in Afghanistan on rise FROM PAGE 1
20 YEARS AFTER 9/11
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 7
In April 2001, a Chinese J-8
fighter jet collided with a U.S. Na-
vy EP-3 reconnaissance plane as it
flew near China’s southern island
province of Hainan.
The Chinese pilot died during
bailout, and the crippled Navy air-
craft made an emergency landing
on Hainan, where the 24 crew
members were detained and
questioned before being released
after an 11-day diplomatic stand-
off between Beijing and Washing-
ton.
The crisis was the first faced by
a recently sworn-in President Ge-
orge W. Bush, who during the 2000
presidential campaign had prom-
ised to deal with China as a com-
petitor rather than as a “strategic
partner.”
The Hainan episode sparked a
rethinking of the U.S.-China rela-
tionship by some administration
officials and lawmakers who be-
lieved the United States “should
keep military forces as a counter-
weight to rising [Chinese] power
in Asia … and work closely with
U.S. allies and friends along Chi-
na’s periphery in order to deal
with future assertiveness or dis-
ruption from Beijing,” the Con-
gressional Research Service said
in a report issued later that year.
“Certainly, there was a realiza-
tion in early 2001 that China was
the thing we had to worry about,”
said Gregory Poling, a senior fel-
low at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies think tank in
Washington, D.C., in a phone in-
terview Aug. 27.
“And then a few months later,
China was not the thing anybody
was worried about,” he said.
The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by Is-
lamic jihadis on the World Trade
Center and Pentagon fixated
America on counterterrorism
and, soon after, counterinsurgen-
cy as the nation became em-
broiled in lengthy wars in Afghan-
istan and Iraq.
The Indo-Pacific and the chal-
lenge of an emerging and increas-
ingly forceful China were by no
means totally ignored in the years
since, but defense and Asia ex-
perts say that 9/11 and its after-
math sidetracked the U.S. in com-
peting with China and has left
America’s military at a disadvan-
tage moving forward.
‘Correcting the course’“Two decades of war in the Mid-
dle East not only distracted the
United States from rebalancing to
Asia, it also dangerously degraded
US military readiness and left the
Joint Force ill-equipped for the
kind of high-intensity military
competition that will characterize
great power competition with Chi-
na,” Ashley Townshend, a defense
expert for the United States Stud-
ies Centre at the University of
Sydney, wrote in an Aug. 26 email
to Stars and Stripes.
“Only in the last few years has
the Pentagon exited this era of
strategic distraction,” said
Townshend, who recently coauth-
ored the white paper “Correcting
the Course,” which called on Pres-
ident Joe Biden to make the region
his top strategic priority.
“But the costs to American pow-
er and influence in the Indo-Pacif-
ic will be enduring, necessitating
an even larger shift of attention
and resources away from the Eu-
rope and the Middle East to Asia
than would have been necessary a
decade ago.”
The shift away from a military
focused on counterinsurgency is
something the U.S. will grapple
with well into the future, Poling
said.
“The United States bled blood
and treasure for 20 years, in ways
that are not applicable to the thea-
ter that we now say is the foremost
threat,” he said. “We invested tril-
lions of dollars in upgrading land
forces and counterterror and
counterinsurgency forces that
have no applicability to the naval
and air theater that is the Pacific.
Who knows what our naval mod-
ernization could look like right
now had we not spent trillions of
dollars for 20 years on the Army?
“The budget fights and fights
over what the services will look
like are just now getting started,
when they should have started 20
years ago, given China’s naval
modernization.”
China closes military gapSome defense experts are less
gloomy in assessing the legacy of
the past two decades.
“I think the U.S. has done a lot of
things at the same time [as China]
because the defense budgets were
pretty good,” said Derek Reveron,
a professor at the Naval War Col-
lege in Rhode Island who special-
izes in national defense policy, in a
phone interview Aug. 24.
He pointed to the development
of the F-35 stealth fighter jet, litto-
ral combat ship, the Zumwalt-
class guided-missile destroyer
and the Gerald R. Ford-class air-
craft carrier — all suitable for a
large-scale conflict in a theater
such as the Pacific.
Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at
the American Enterprise Institute
where he focuses on U.S. defense
policy in Asia, is not convinced
those weapons systems are an en-
tirely apt or sufficient response to
the China challenge.
“I guess my view on this is that if
you look back 10 years, the U.S.
has spent — I’m going to ballpark
this — but probably two to three
times as much money on defense
as China has,” Cooper said in a
phone interview Aug. 26. “And yet
China is far closer to the United
States today in military capabili-
ties than it was a decade ago, de-
spite having spent a small portion
of what the U.S. spent in the last
decade.
“So, either we’re spending it on
the wrong thing or we’re manag-
ing so many different challenges
that we’re struggling to keep up
with what [Defense Secretary]
Lloyd Austin has called the ‘pac-
ing challenge’ of China.”
South China Sea inactionWhile the wars in Iraq and Af-
ghanistan siphoned off resources
from the Pacific, China expert
Mohan Malik does not regard that
as the core problem.
“More damaging were the fun-
damentally flawed assumptions
underlying Washington’s China
policy premised on turning Com-
munist China into a ‘responsible
stakeholder’ or ‘partner’ in the
U.S.-led liberal order,” said Malik,
avisiting professor at the UAE Na-
tional Defense College in Abu
Dhabi, in an Aug. 27 email to Stars
and Stripes.
The mindset largely prevailed
through Barack Obama’s admin-
istration, whose “inaction over the
construction and militarization of
artificial islands in the South Chi-
na Sea emboldened Beijing and
demoralized the United States’
friends and allies in the Pacific,”
Malik said.
But a more aggressive posture
regarding China is not always
helpful — or even possible, said
Srini Sitaraman, a professor at the
Center for Asia Pacific Studies in
Honolulu, in a phone interview
Aug. 24.
“Even if you had devoted more
military spending in regard to
China, I don’t know that it would
have made an enormous differ-
ence,” Sitaraman said. “What
would you have done? It’s not like
they’re firing bullets. In the South
China Sea, it’s [the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations] that has
to fight the battle. You can’t go to
war over it so really there’s not a
whole lot you can do with China in
terms of warfighting.”
Hesitancy hangoverRegardless of what military
threat China could pose in the
near future, the American public
might not be keen on jumping into
a new fray after exiting a conflict
dubbed the “forever war.”
“I think it’s natural that there is
what I would call a hesitancy han-
gover,” said Denny Roy, a senior
fellow at the East-West Center in
Honolulu who focuses on Pacific
security and China, in a phone in-
terview Aug. 24.
“This could have implications
for an elective U.S. military invol-
vement in Asia involving China;
take Taiwan or the South China
Sea as two good examples,” Roy
said, adding that such reluctance
would likely be more pronounced
in the public than among those
who plan for military contingen-
cies.
Cooper said the “restraints-ori-
ented crowd” now argues that the
Afghanistan experience is proof
that the U.S. is too focused on the
military and not enough on diplo-
macy. The 20-year war in Afghan-
istan came to an end Aug. 31 when
the final U.S. troops departed,
leaving the country in the control
of the Taliban.
“On the other hand, I think
there’s some evidence that the
American people see Afghanistan
as very, very different from the
challenges in Asia,” he said.
He points to polling released
Aug. 27 by the Chicago Council on
Global Affairs that found 52% of
Americans surveyed said they fa-
vored using American troops to
defend Taiwan if China invaded
the island, which the Communist
Party of China has long regarded
as a renegade province that must
be reunified with the mainland.
This is the highest level of such
support found since the council
began asking the question in 1982.
A lesson for ChinaRoy suggested that the U.S.
might not be the only superpower
to absorb the chastening lesson of
America’s failed effort to remake
Afghanistan through military
force.
For some Chinese, America’s
quagmire in Afghanistan carries
implications for one possible fu-
ture of China-Taiwan relations, he
said.
“That is, if China ever has to re-
sort to military force to try to im-
pose its will on Taiwan — when
the Chinese have, as they say, ‘ex-
hausted all peaceful methods’ of
resolving what they see as the
problem of Taiwan not being polit-
ically part of the People’s Repub-
lic of China — then China has to
think about not only the initial mil-
itary part. The United States, ar-
guably, won the war in Afghanis-
tan and Iraq, but then lost the na-
tion-building part.”
Likewise, China’s occupying
force could be faced with a “long,
smoldering, difficult-to-extin-
guish hatred” by the local popula-
tion, along with “insurgencies,
guerrilla wars, or a sullen militari-
ly occupied population that
doesn’t want to be militarily occu-
pied.”
‘Strategic distraction’BY WYATT OLSON
Stars and Stripes
[email protected]: @WyattWOlson
9/11 took America’s eye off Asiaas China hit its military stride
PIXABAY
Some defense and Asia experts say that 9/11 and its aftermath sidetracked the U.S. in competing withChina and has left America’s military at a disadvantage moving forward.
20 YEARS AFTER 9/11
PAGE 8 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
KABUL, Afghanistan — Dozens
of foreigners, including Ameri-
cans, boarded a commercial flight
at Kabul airport on Thursday in the
first large-scale evacuation since
U.S. and NATO forces withdrew
from Afghanistan at the end of last
month.
The departure of some 200 West-
erners on a Qatar Airways flight to
Doha marked a significant break-
through in the bumpy coordination
between the U.S. and Afghanistan’s
new Taliban rulers.
The Taliban have promised to al-
low foreigners and Afghans with
valid travel documents to leave, but
a dayslong standoff over charter
planes at another airport had cast
some doubt on Taliban assurances.
Earlier in the day as the group
prepared to board, Qatari special
envoy Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahta-
ni declared it a “historic day.”
“Call it what you want, a charter
or a commercial flight, everyone
has tickets and boarding passes,”
al-Qahtani said from the Kabul air-
port tarmac, adding that another
commercial flight would take off on
Friday. “Hopefully, life is becom-
ing normal in Afghanistan.”
A senior U.S. official, who spoke
on condition of anonymity because
they weren’t authorized to brief the
media, provided the number of
Westerners expected on board and
said that two very senior Taliban
officials had helped facilitate the
departure. The 200 includes Amer-
icans, green card holders and other
nationalities, the official said.
The flight represents the first to
depart from Kabul airport since
American forces left the country at
the end of August, their departure
accompanied by a frantic airlift of
tens of thousands of foreign citizens
and Afghans fleeing the Taliban.
The scenes of chaos, including Af-
ghans plunging to their deaths after
clinging to military aircraft that
was taking off and a suicide bomb-
ing that killed 169 Afghans and 13
U.S. service members, came to de-
fine the fraught end to America’s
two-decade war.
A foreign diplomat, likewise
speaking on condition of anonymity
because he wasn’t authorized to
brief the media, said another 200
foreigners, including Americans,
would depart in the next couple of
days.
It remains uncertain what the re-
sumption of international flights
over the next few days will mean
for the tens of thousands of Afghans
desperate to flee Afghanistan’s new
Taliban leaders over fears of what
their rule will hold.
Hundreds of other Afghans at
risk after the Taliban takeover be-
cause of their past work with Amer-
icans have gathered for more than
a week in the northern city of Ma-
zar-e-Sharif, waiting for permis-
sion to board privately chartered
evacuation flights out of the coun-
try.
Although the Taliban assured
the world they would let passen-
gers with valid travel documents
leave the country, many of those
stranded at the northern airport did
not have such papers.
Following the U.S.-led evacua-
tion of over 100,000 people from the
country in the wake of the troop
pullout, extensive damage at Kabul
airport has raised questions over
how soon the transport hub could
resume for regular commercial
flights. Technical experts from Qa-
tar and Turkey have been working
to restore operations.
Al-Qahtani told reporters that
the airport’s radar was now active
and covering some 70 miles after
U.S. forces left it inoperable. Au-
thorities were coordinating with
Pakistan as they tried to fix the area
control for the airspace, he added.
Some 200 foreigners board Kabul flightBY KATHY GANNON
Associated Press
markable gesture of compassion
and statesmanship,” Blinken said.
“They found a safe place to catch
their breath and many people ea-
ger to help them.”
Evacuees expressed “gratitude
for what we’ve done to get them
out of Afghanistan and support
them on their way to a new life,”
he said.
Some evacuees at Ramstein
have asked Germany for asylum.
Maas said the number was less
than 1% of those transiting
through Ramstein.
Some applicants have relatives
in Germany, he said. It’s not clear
whether they’ll be allowed to stay
in Germany while their cases are
reviewed.
Besides the Ramstein tour,
Blinken joined a virtual meeting of
officials from 22 countries as well
as NATO, the European Union
and the United Nations, to discuss
the way forward with the Taliban.
On Tuesday, the Taliban an-
nounced a new interim cabinet,
and the selections did not fulfill
the group’s vow to install a more
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Ger-
many — Secretary of State Antony
Blinken got an up-close look
Wednesday at Ramstein’s role in
one of the largest air evacuation
efforts in U.S. history, meeting
with American military personnel
and a couple of dozen Afghan eva-
cuees.
Blinken toured evacuee oper-
ations on base, and in an interview
with Stars and Stripes, called the
“small city on the tarmac … quite
extraordinary.”
During remarks at the officers’
club with German Foreign Minis-
ter Heiko Maas, Blinken thanked
Germany for its pivotal role in fa-
cilitating the evacuation of 124,000
people from Afghanistan in recent
weeks. Of that number, more than
34,000 transited through Ram-
stein on to the United States and
other destinations.
“The fact that Germany gener-
ously stepped up and offered to
serve as a temporary transit loca-
tion for Afghans at risk is a re-
moderate and inclusive govern-
ment this time around. Maas said
the makeup of the interim cabinet
“does not make us optimistic.”
Blinken said judgment will be
based on the cabinet members
and their actions.
“The Afghan people deserve an
inclusive government … one that’s
more broadly representative of
the Afghan people,” he said.
Future dealings, including the
need to provide Afghanistan with
humanitarian aid, are complicat-
ed by the installation of an all-
male interim government with no
outside political or ethnic minori-
ty representation.
Without a more representative
government, the country risks “in-
creased tension and violence and
even civil war,” Blinken said.
Both Blinken and Maas said the
humanitarian situation in Afghan-
istan is dire and must be ad-
dressed. About 50% of the Afghan
population is in need of some form
of assistance, Blinken said, citing
information from the U.N.
In the interview with Stars and
Stripes, Blinken said assistance
can be delivered directly to those
in need by nongovernmental orga-
nizations and U.N. agencies, not
through the government.
During remarks with Maas,
Blinken also called on the Taliban
to stop blocking charter flights
with Americans trying to leave Af-
ghanistan. There have been re-
ports that planes carrying Amer-
icans have been stuck at the air-
port in Mazar-e-Sharif.
The Taliban have claimed that
some of the passengers don’t have
the required documentation to de-
part.
Blinken said the U.S. is working
to solve the issue but has limited
options “without personnel on the
ground, without an airport with
normal security procedures in
place.”
MICHAEL ABRAMS/Stars and Stripes
Secretary of State Antony Blinken answers a question Wednesdayduring his visit to Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Blinken thanks Germany forgiving evacuees safe haven
BY JENNIFER H. SVAN
Stars and Stripes
[email protected]: @stripesktown
SYDNEY — Australia’s SBS TV has
quoted a Taliban spokesperson as saying
that women’s sports — and women’s crick-
et specifically — will be banned by his
group in Afghanistan.
“In cricket, they might face a situation
where their face and body will not be cov-
ered. Islam does not allow women to be
seen like this,” the network quoted Ahma-
dullah Wasiq, the deputy head of the Tali-
ban’s cultural commission, as saying.
“It is the media era, and there will be
photos and videos, and then people watch
it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not al-
low women to play cricket or play the kind
of sports where they get exposed.”
Wasiq last month told SBS that the Tali-
ban would allow men’s cricket to continue
and that it has given approval for the men’s
national team to travel to Australia for a
test match in November.
But in a statement released Thursday,
Cricket Australia said it would not proceed
with the planned test starting Nov. 27 if
news reports of Taliban views on the wom-
en’s game were true.
“Driving the growth of women’s cricket
globally is incredibly important to Cricket
Australia,” the statement said. “Our vision
for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we
support the game unequivocally for wom-
en at every level.
“If recent media reports that women’s
cricket will not be supported in Afghanis-
tan are substantiated, Cricket Australia
would have no alternative but to not host
Afghanistan for the proposed test match
due to be played in Hobart.”
Australia’s Sport Minister Richard Col-
beck said earlier that the Taliban’s deci-
sion on women’s sport was “deeply con-
cerning” and he urged organizations such
as the International Cricket Council to
take action.
“Excluding women from sport at any
level is unacceptable,” Colbeck said in a
statement. “We urge international sport
authorities, including the International
Cricket Council, to take a stand against this
appalling ruling.”
Players from Afghanistan’s women’s
soccer team are among dozens of athletes
given visas to live in Australia and have
been undergoing quarantine due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Report finds Taliban has banned women’s sports in AfghanistanAssociated Press
AFGHANISTAN
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 9
fense Department personnel can be
taxed if they have motivations for
being in Germany beyond just their
jobs.
In Germany, unlike the case in
any other allied country where U.S.
forces are based around the world,
troops and civilian personnel are ex-
posed to liabilities if local tax offices
decide that a military member is not
in the country “solely” for work.
Being married to a German citi-
zen, sending a child to a German
school, extending tours or owning
property are among the factors that
German authorities have consid-
ered when deciding to impose pe-
nalties.
By contrast, DOD personnel in
other countries routinely marry lo-
STUTTGART — Secretary of
State Antony Blinken said this week
that he is unaware of a treaty dispute
that has exposed scores of U.S. mil-
itary personnel to hefty tax penal-
ties at the hands of German finance
authorities, but that he intends to
look into the matter.
“I’m sorry, not something that I’m
aware of, but I’d certainly invite you
to take that up with the embassy, if
they can work the issue and I’ll dou-
ble back and look into it,” Blinken
told Stars and Stripes following a
visit to Ramstein Air Base late
Wednesday. “Not something that
was on my radar.”
Blinken, who was in Germany to
discuss with allies evacuation ef-
forts in Afghanistan, oversees a
State Department in charge of re-
solving the disagreement over how
the NATO Status of Forces Agree-
ment should be interpreted.
The United States contends that
attempts by German authorities to
tax certain troops, Defense Depart-
ment civilians and contractors
amounts to a violation of a treaty de-
signed to make military pay off lim-
its to local tax collectors.
As a result of the situation, hun-
dreds of DOD personnel have been
issued tax penalties by German au-
thorities that in some cases have re-
ached into six figures. That is on top
of the American income tax they are
required to pay.
In June, Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin personally raised his con-
cerns over the issue with his Ger-
man counterpart, Annegret
Kramp-Karrenbauer, during a
meeting at the Pentagon.
Other German officials, includ-
ing Foreign Minister Heiko Maas,
have also expressed interest in re-
solving the matter, which is at a
standstill one year after the U.S.
Embassy in Berlin lodged a formal
complaint over the issue.
It’s not clear why Blinken has
been in the dark about the dispute,
but more direct involvement from
the top American diplomat could
help nudge talks forward.
At issue is a contention by some
German finance offices that De-
cals or have extended tours without
threat of local income taxation.
These include Italy, Spain, the Unit-
ed Kingdom, Japan and South Ko-
rea.
Last year, there were nearly 400
cases involving SOFA status per-
sonnel in the greater Kaiserslautern
area alone. They included an Air
Force master sergeant who was tar-
geted for extending a tour and being
married to a German woman.
Teachers at military schools,
many of whom remain in their posi-
tions for years on end, could also be
at heightened risk.
Blinken, unaware of German tax penalties on US personnel, will get involvedBY JOHN VANDIVER
Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes reporter Jennifer H. Svancontributed to this [email protected]: @john_vandiver
WASHINGTON — In 2019, 6,261
veterans died by suicide — 399 few-
er than in 2018 and the fewest veter-
an suicides in a single year since
2007, according to new data re-
leased Wednesday by the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs.
The VA compiles its data on a two-
year lag and revealed for the first
time Wednesday the number of sui-
cides in 2019. The average number
of veteran suicides decreased
slightly from 17.6 each day in 2018 to
17.2 in 2019.
“This year’s report is notable for
some frankly unprecedented as-
pects of suicide prevention pro-
gress,” said Matthew Miller, execu-
tive director of the VA Suicide Pre-
vention Program.
The National Veteran Suicide
Prevention Annual Reports, re-
leased every September, are typi-
cally used by veteran services orga-
nizations and lawmakers to under-
stand the scope of the suicide crisis
plaguing the veteran community.
They’re used to gauge which legisla-
tive efforts should take priority and
provide critical oversight of the VA.
Because of the two-year lag, the
2021 report does not contain any da-
ta relevant to the coronavirus pan-
demic. The VA said in a statement
Wednesday that it has not yet ob-
served any increase in suicides
among VA patients because of the
pandemic.
Despite the decrease, suicide
among veterans remained dispro-
portionately high. The rate for vet-
erans in 2019 was 52.3% higher than
for other adults in the United States.
However, suicide rates fell more
sharply for veterans in 2019 than for
the rest of the adult population.
From 2018 to 2019, there was a 7.2%
decrease in the veteran suicide rate,
while the overall suicide rate fell by
only 1.8%.
The report breaks down the
method, as well as the gender, ages
and ethnicities of veterans who died
by suicide in 2019.
Veterans continue to use guns
more than any other means of sui-
cide. Firearms were used in 69.6%
of veteran suicides in 2018 and
70.2% in 2019. For the rest of the U.S.
population, firearms were used in
about 50% of suicides.
“Firearms remain by far the high-
est lethal means by which veteran
suicide occurs,” Miller said.
The VA just launched a 15-second
advertisement about the impor-
tance of safe storage of firearms.
The ad will run through September,
which is National Suicide Preven-
tion Awareness Month.
The report contains “five pillars
of hope,” Miller said, which are five
statistics that provide optimism in
the fight against veteran suicide.
The pillars include the falling sui-
cide rate and the more drastic de-
crease in suicides among veterans
than other Americans.
A decrease in the suicide rate for
female veterans is also reason for
optimism, according to the report.
There was a 13% decrease in suicide
among female veterans in 2019 —
the largest decrease in 17 years.
“It’s really difficult to talk about
success in the context of the overall
count … The VA will not stop and
will not be satisfied as long as one
veteran is dying from suicide,” he
said. “Hope is founded in life, and
for that reason we take some time
within the report — not to talk about
success — but to talk about hope
amidst this mission.”
[email protected]: @nikkiwentling
From 2018 to 2019, the suicide rates for veterans fell 7.2%, compared to a 1.8% drop for all U.S. adults.
Veteran suicides decreased in 2019,fewest in 12 years, VA data shows
BY NIKKI WENTLING
Stars and Stripes
MILITARY
Coronavirus vaccination rates
among service members are far
outpacing that of the U.S. popula-
tion as a whole, with just over 70%
of active-duty troops already fully
vaccinated against COVID-19, the
general in charge of a joint-forces
health agency said.
The high percentage of fully
vaccinated services members is
“particularly compelling (be-
cause) more than 80% of the ac-
tive-duty force is 35 or under,” Lt.
Gen. Ron Place, head of the De-
fense Health Agency, told Stars
and Stripes.
“And if you look across the rest
of America, it’s typically young
men and women who are more re-
luctant to be vaccinated,” he said.
Just under 53% of Americans
were fully vaccinated against the
virus as of Thursday, according to
the Our World in Data website.
Around 82% of troops have had
at least one coronavirus shot, and
infection rates in the military are
significantly lower than they are
across the general population,
Place said.
Service members have been
stepping forward to get the vac-
cine since before Defense Secreta-
ry Lloyd Austin released a memo-
randum Aug. 24 making vaccina-
tion mandatory for members of
the armed forces unless they have
a medical or administrative ex-
emption.
The Air Force and Navy have set
deadlines for active-duty mem-
bers, reservists and Guardsmen to
be fully vaccinated, and the Army
was expected to announce a time-
line soon. The Coast Guard has
said its members should aim to get
the shot “as soon as operations al-
low, starting immediately.”
Austin’s memo sparked a flurry
of calls on social media for service
members to seek exemptions, par-
ticularly if they have had CO-
VID-19. Some studies have found
that previous infection gives more
robust immunity against the ill-
ness caused by the coronavirus
than the vaccine does.
But Place said he did not expect
anything “unique about these ex-
emptions compared to others.”
“This is just another vaccine
that will go into that bucket of dis-
cussions about how leaders either
validate or not a particular exemp-
tion that a service member may
believe they are entitled to,” he
said.
Place also said there has been no
indication that service members
would leave the military in droves
over the vaccine mandate.
Service members have to get up
to 17 vaccines against infectious
diseases depending on what their
military occupation is, where they
are being deployed, and what their
mission requirements are.
Eight vaccines are required just
to get into boot camp, Defense De-
partment spokesman John Kirby
told reporters last month, before
the coronavirus vaccine was man-
dated. Once a vaccine has been
mandated, it becomes a lawful or-
der, he said.
Vaccination ratefor active-dutytroops tops 70%
BY KARIN ZEITVOGEL
Stars and Stripes
[email protected]: @StripesZeit
PAGE 10 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
WASHINGTON — The summer
that was supposed to mark Ameri-
ca’s independence from COVID-19
is instead drawing to a close with
the United States more firmly un-
der the tyranny of the virus, with
deaths per day back up to where
they were in March.
The delta variant is filling hospi-
tals, sickening alarming numbers of
children and driving coronavirus
deaths in some places to the highest
levels of the entire pandemic.
School systems that reopened their
classrooms are abruptly switching
back to remote learning because of
outbreaks. Legal disputes, threats
and violence have erupted over
mask and vaccine requirements.
The U.S. death toll stands at more
than 650,000, with one major fore-
cast model projecting it will top
750,000 by Dec. 1.
“It felt like we had this forward,
positive momentum,” lamented
Katie Button, executive chef and
CEO at two restaurants in Ashe-
ville, N.C. “The delta variant wiped
that timeline completely away.”
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
More than six months into the U.S.
vaccination drive, President Joe Bi-
den held a White House party on Ju-
ly Fourth to celebrate the country’s
freedom from the virus, and other
political leaders had high hopes for
a close-to-normal summer.
Then the bottom fell out.
The summer wave was fueled by
the extra-contagious delta variant
combined with stark resistance to
vaccinations that formed along po-
litical and geographic lines, said Dr.
Sten Vermund, of the Yale School of
Public Health.
“The virus was more efficient in
spreading among the unvaccinated
so that you blunted the expected
benefit of vaccines,” Vermund said.
The crisis escalated rapidly from
June to August. About 400,000 CO-
VID-19 infections were recorded
for all of June. It took all of three
days last week to reach the same
number.
The U.S. recorded 26,800 deaths
and more than 4.2 million infections
in August. The number of monthly
positive cases was the fourth-high-
est total since the start of the pan-
demic.
The 2021 delta-driven onslaught
is killing younger Americans at a
much higher rate than previous
waves of the pandemic in the North-
east last spring, the Sun Belt in the
summer of 2020 and the deadly
winter surge around the holidays.
During the peaks of those waves,
Americans over 75 suffered the
highest proportion of death. Now,
the most vulnerable age group for
death is 50 to 64.
Overall, the outbreak is still well
below the all-time peaks reached
over the winter, when deaths
topped out at 3,400 a day and new
cases at a quarter-million per day.
The U.S. is now averaging over
150,000 new cases per day, levels
not seen since January. Deaths are
close to 1,500 per day, up more than
a third since late August.
Even before the delta variant be-
came dominant, experts say there
were indications that larger gather-
ings and relaxed social distancing
measures were fueling new cases.
“We had been cooped up for over
a year and everyone wanted to get
out,” said Dr. David Dowdy, an epi-
demiologist at the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“In the face of that kind of strong
change in behavior, even getting al-
most two-thirds of our adult popula-
tion vaccinated wasn’t enough.”
The COVID-19 vaccines remain
highly effective against hospitaliza-
tion and death, but many tens of mil-
lions of eligible Americans remain
unvaccinated. Nearly 40% of Amer-
icans 12 and older are not fully pro-
tected.
Yale’s Vermund sees reasons to
be cautiously optimistic about the
next few months. Cases in most
states appear to be plateauing and
are likely to decline in the fall, buy-
ing health authorities more time to
vaccinate adults and teenagers be-
fore flu season.
“If we can continue making pro-
gress between now and Thanksgiv-
ing, we may be able to substantially
blunt the coronavirus surge in flu
season,” Vermund said.
While the economy has been re-
bounding strongly over the past
several months, hiring slowed
sharply in August in a sign that the
variant is discouraging Americans
from flying, shopping or eating out.
And on Monday, unemployment
benefits — including an extra $300
a week from the federal govern-
ment — ran out for millions of
Americans.
Button, the North Carolina chef,
was feeling great heading into the
summer. Her team was mostly vac-
cinated in May and restrictions
were loosening. But the crisis soon
changed direction.
Button supports the mask man-
date that was recently reinstated in
her county but said her employees
are exhausted by having to enforce
it. And since she has no outdoor
seating, some diners have been less
comfortable coming in.
“It’s hard to take a step forward
and then take three steps back,” she
said.
Summer of hopeends in despairamid virus surge
Associated Press
GERALD HERBERT/AP
Medical staff move a COVID19 patient who died onto a gurney to hand off to a funeral home van at theWillisKnighton Medical Center in Shreveport, La., in August.
NATION
WASHINGTON — Law enforce-
ment officials concerned by the
prospect for violence at a rally in the
nation’s capital next week are plan-
ning to reinstall protective fencing
that surrounded the U.S. Capitol for
months after the Jan. 6 insurrection,
according to a person familiar with
the discussions.
Though no specific measures
have been announced, House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi hinted at her
weekly press conference Wednes-
day at extra safety precautions for
the Sept. 18 rally by saying: “We in-
tend to have the integrity of the Capi-
tol be intact.” Briefings for lawmak-
ers, including congressional lead-
ers, are expected in coming days.
The Capitol Police formally re-
quested the fence to the board that
oversees it, and it is likely to be ap-
proved, according to a House Dem-
ocratic aide who spoke on condition
of anonymity to talk about private
discussions.
Police plan toreinstall fencearound Capitol
Associated PressWASHINGTON — The number
of Americans seeking unemploy-
ment benefits fell last week to
310,000, a pandemic low and a sign
that the surge in COVID-19 cases
caused by the delta variant has yet to
lead to widespread layoffs.
Thursday’s report from the Labor
Department showed that jobless
claims dropped from a revised total
of 345,000 the week before. The
number of applications has fallen
steadily since topping 900,000 in
early January, reflecting the steady
reopening of the economy after the
pandemic recession.
But the spread of the delta variant
this summer has put renewed pres-
sure on the economy and the job
market. On Wednesday, the Feder-
al Reserve reported that U.S. eco-
nomic activity “downshifted” in Ju-
ly and August, in part because of a
pullback in dining out, travel and
tourism related to concerns about
the delta variant.
Still, the ongoing drop in applica-
tions for unemployment aid — six
declines in the past seven weeks —
makes clear that most companies
are holding onto their workers de-
spite the slowdown. That trend
should help sustain the economic
rebound through the current wave
of infections.
The pace of hiring, though, has
weakened — at least for now. Last
week, the government reported that
hiring slowed dramatically in Au-
gust, with employers adding just
235,000 jobs after having added
roughly a million in both June and
July. Hiring plummeted in industri-
es that require face-to-face contact
with the public, notably restaurants,
hotels and retail. Still, some jobs
were added in other areas, and the
unemployment rate actually drop-
ped to 5.2% from 5.4%.
The steady fall in weekly applica-
tions for unemployment benefits co-
incides with a scaling-back of aid for
jobless Americans. This week, more
than 8 million people lost all their
unemployment benefits with the ex-
piration of two federal programs
that covered gig workers and people
who have been jobless for more than
six months. Those emergency pro-
grams were created in March 2020,
when the pandemic first tore
through the economy.
That cutoff isn’t yet reflected in
the weekly jobless claims report.
The report’s data on the emergency
programs is delayed by two weeks.
As of Aug. 21, 8.8 million people
were receiving benefits from these
two programs.
An additional 2.6 million people
were receiving regular state unem-
ployment aid. These recipients have
just lost a $300-a-week federal un-
employment supplement, which al-
so expired this week.
Jobless claims at pandemiclow as US economy recovers
Associated Press
MARTA LAVANDIER/AP
Marriott human resources recruiter Mariela Cuevas, right, talks toLisbet Oliveros during a job fair at Hard Rock Stadium on Sept. 3 inMiami Gardens, Fla.
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 11
NATION
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden
on Thursday is toughening COVID-19 vac-
cine requirements for federal workers and
contractors as he aims to boost vaccina-
tions and curb the surging delta variant
that is killing thousands each week and
jeopardizing the nation’s economic recov-
ery.
Just weeks after he mandated federal
workers get a shot or face rigorous testing
and masking protocols, Biden will sign a
new executive order to require vaccination
for employees of the executive branch and
contractors who do business with the fed-
eral government, according to a person fa-
miliar with the matter.
The word comes ahead of the president’s
speech Thursday afternoon outlining a six-
pronged plan to address the latest rise in
coronavirus cases and the stagnating pace
of COVID-19 shots.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Biden’s or-
der includes exceptions for workers or
contractors seeking religious or medical
exemptions from vaccination. The person
spoke on the condition of anonymity to dis-
cuss Biden’s plans before they were publi-
cly released.
Biden is also expected to outline plans to
increase virus testing in schools, in an ef-
fort to keep them open safely, amid other
measures to show that his administration is
working to tackle the alarming rise in CO-
VID-19 cases, which Biden has blamed for
last month’s weaker-than-expected jobs
report. He’s warned the surge could fur-
ther imperil the nation’s economy as some
pandemic safety net protections expire.
Biden has encouraged COVID-19 vac-
cine requirements in settings like schools,
workplaces and university campuses, and
the White House hopes the strengthened
federal mandate will inspire more busi-
nesses to follow suit.
The Department of Veterans Affairs,
Department of Health and Human Servic-
es, the Indian Health Service, and the Na-
tional Institute of Health have previously
announced vaccine requirements for
much of their staffs, and the Pentagon
moved last month to require all service
members to get vaccinated.
More than 208 million Americans have
received at least one dose of a COVID-19
vaccine, and 177 million are fully vaccinat-
ed, but confirmed cases of the virus have
shot up in recent weeks to an average of
about 140,000 per day with on average
about 1,000 Americans dying from the vi-
rus daily, according to data from the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention.
An AP-NORC poll conducted in August
found 55% of Americans in favor of requir-
ing government workers to be fully vacci-
nated, compared with 21% opposed.
Most of the spread — and the vast major-
ity of severe illness and death — is occur-
ring among those not yet fully vaccinated
against the virus. So-called breakthrough
infections in vaccinated people occur, but
tend to be far less dangerous.
Federal officials are moving ahead with
plans to begin administering booster shots
of the mRNA vaccines to bolster protection
against the more transmissible delta varia-
nt of the virus. Last month Biden an-
nounced plans to make them available be-
ginning on Sept. 20, but only the Pfizer vac-
cine will likely have received regulatory
approval for a third dose by that time. Fed-
eral regulators are seeking additional data
from Moderna that will likely delay its
booster approval until October.
Officials are aiming to administer the
booster shots about eight months after the
second dose of the two-dose vaccines.
Biden to require federal workers to get vaccineBY ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press
EVAN VUCCI/AP
President Joe Biden speaks during an event to celebrate labor unions, in the East Roomof the White House, on Wednesday.
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 13
NATION
HOUMA, La. — The death toll
in Louisiana from Hurricane Ida
rose to 26 Wednesday, after health
officials reported 11 additional
deaths in New Orleans, mostly ol-
der people who perished from the
heat. The announcement was
grim news amid signs the city was
returning to normal with almost
fully restored power and a lifted
nighttime curfew.
While New Orleans was gener-
ally rebounding from the storm,
hundreds of thousands of people
outside the city remained without
electricity and some of the har-
dest-hit areas still had no water.
Across southeastern Louisiana,
250,000 students were unable to
return to classrooms 10 days after
Ida roared ashore with 150 mph
winds.
The latest deaths attributed to
Ida happened between Aug. 30
and Monday, but were just con-
firmed as storm-related by the Or-
leans Parish coroner, the Louisia-
na Department of Health said in a
statement. Nine of the New Or-
leans deaths — of people ages 64 to
79 — came from “excessive heat
during an extended power out-
age,” while the two others were
from carbon monoxide poisoning,
the department said.
More than a million people were
left without power, including the
entire city of New Orleans, when
Ida struck on Aug. 29. The state’s
largest power company, Entergy,
said it had expected to have elec-
tricity in the city restored to 90%
by Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans
Police Department and Mayor La-
Toya Cantrell lifted an 8 p.m. to 6
a.m. curfew they had imposed two
days after the hurricane hit.
Across New Orleans and south-
eastern Louisiana, families are
still waiting to hear when their
children can return to school, as
districts assessed hurricane dam-
age. Prior to Ida, schools around
Louisiana had been open despite
widespread cases of COVID-19,
although under a statewide mask
mandate for all indoor locations.
“We need to get those kids back
with us as soon as we possibly
can,” said Superintendent of Edu-
cation Cade Brumley.
In New Orleans, School Super-
intendent Henderson Lewis Jr.
said damage to schools appeared
to be mostly minimal, but power
needs to be restored to all build-
ings, and teachers, staff and fam-
ilies need to return to the city to
get schools up and running.
“Now more than ever, our chil-
dren stand to benefit from the
comfort that structured and rou-
tine daily schooling can bring,”
Lewis said in a statement Wednes-
day. “So, let’s all come together to
reopen our schools quickly and
safely.”
Death toll from Ida rises to 26 in LouisianaAssociated Press
CHRIS GRANGER, THE TIMESPICAYUNE/AP
Roofing contractors install a temporary roof on a home in New Orleans East on Wednesday.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. —
The interior of California was very
hot and dry Wednesday and the
forecast called for a risk of fire-
starting dry lightning as thousands
of firefighters already have their
hands full with wildland blazes that
have been burning for weeks.
A National Weather Service heat
advisory stretched down the Cen-
tral Valley and through inland
Southern California, with an exces-
sive heat warning extending east-
ward across the desert into Nevada.
The state energy grid operator
called for voluntary conservation
of electricity from 4-9 p.m. because
of expected high demand for air
conditioning. The alert ended with-
out any major power outages re-
ported but the conservation re-
quest was extended to 4-9 p.m.
Thursday.
A fire weather watch was issued
for Thursday evening through Fri-
day evening in much of the interior
of Northern California due to a
weather system that is expected to
bring a chance of thunderstorms
with lightning and erratic gusts.
“The combination of possible dry
lightning as well as strong winds
with the dry fuels could lead to crit-
ical fire weather conditions,” fore-
casters wrote.
Nearly 15,000 firefighters were
making progress on 14 major wild-
fires and several smaller new fires,
the California Department of For-
estry and Fire Protection said.
They include three of the state’s 20
largest fires on record.
In the northern Sierra Nevada
and southern Cascades region, the
second-largest fire in California
history has scorched nearly 1,441
square miles. The Dixie Fire was
59% contained but new evacuation
orders were issued for part of Shas-
ta County.
More than 1,280 structures have
been destroyed, including 688 indi-
vidual homes.
To the south in the Sierra near
Lake Tahoe, the nearly 340-square-
mile Caldor Fire remained 50%
contained. Firefighters have had
enough success against the state’s
15th-largest fire that residents of
the city of South Lake Tahoe were
allowed to return home last week-
end. With inspections 95% complet-
ed, nearly 1,000 structures have
been counted destroyed, including
776 single-family homes.
In the mountains of the far north
coast, the state’s 18th-largest fire
has ravaged more than 310 square
miles of the Shasta-Trinity Nation-
al Forest. The Monument Fire was
45% contained but remained a
threat to more than 10,500 structur-
es.
California has experienced in-
creasingly larger and deadlier
wildfires in recent years as climate
change has made the U.S. West
much warmer and drier over the
past 30 years.
Hot, dry air, possiblelightning raise fireworries in California
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota
Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced
Thursday that she has been treat-
ed for breast cancer that was
found in February and the treat-
ment “went well.”
Klobuchar, 61, tweeted that the
cancer was detected during a rou-
tine mammogram, and eventually
she had a lumpectomy to remove
it. She said she completed radi-
ation therapy in May amid a busy
hearing schedule, including one
treatment two days after her fa-
ther died. A checkup in August
found she was doing well. She told
ABC’s “Good Morning America”
that she’s “feeling much better”
now.
For Democrats, Klobuchar’s
health update was a fresh remind-
er of their fragile hold on the Sen-
ate, which they control by a single
vote. Klobuchar’s announcement
made no explicit statement on her
future, but said the cancer “gave
me renewed purpose to my work.”
Klobuchar said her cancer was
stage 1A, meaning it had not
spread beyond the breast. She said
she felt fortunate to have caught it
early because she had delayed her
mammogram because of the pan-
demic.
“Now they tell me that my
chances of getting cancer again
are the same as any other person,
which is great,” Klobuchar said on
ABC. “But I learned a lot through
this year … about the importance
of getting those exams and also the
gratitude for all others that sur-
rounded me and my family, my
husband.”
She also issued a plea for Amer-
icans not to delay their health
screenings and noted that thou-
sands of women have undetected
breast cancer. She said her advice
was to “get those screenings, go in,
get a mammogram, get whatever
health checkup that you should
normally be getting.”
Klobuchar is early in her third
term. She was first elected in 2006
and easily won reelection twice
against little-known opponents.
She’s the daughter of well-known
Minneapolis newsman Jim Klo-
buchar, who died in May, and
Rose, a schoolteacher who died in
2010. Her grandfather was an iron
miner in northern Minnesota.
Klobuchar long cultivated an
image as a straight-shooting,
pragmatist willing to work across
the aisle with Republicans, mak-
ing her one of the Senate’s most
productive members at passing
legislation.
Minnesota’s Klobucharsays she had cancer
Associated Press
J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DMinn.,seen in a committee hearing onCapitol Hill in Washington in2019, says she is doing well.
VALDOSTA, Ga.— Rain was
pouring down on southeast Georgia
and coastal South Carolina as Min-
dy, now a tropical depression, made
its way across the state Thursday
morning.
The storm made landfall in St.
Vincent Island, Fla., on Wednesday
night. Mindy was expected to cause
as much as 6 inches of rainfall across
the Florida Panhandle and portions
of southern Georgia and South Car-
olina through Thursday morning,
the National Hurricane Center said.
Scattered flash, urban, and small-
stream floods were possible.
The storm on Thursday morning
was about 80 miles south southeast
of Valdosta, Ga., and moving north-
east at 20 mph with maximum sus-
tained winds of 35 mph, forecasters
said.
Florida’s Big Bend area was al-
ready saturated from rain dumped
by Hurricanes Elsa and Ida. Some
residents in low-lying Dixie County
have had to move out of their homes,
which were flooded before Mindy
brought more rain.
Tropical depression dumps rain over Ga.Associated Press
PAGE 14 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
FACES
A new documentary aims to punch up viewers’ un-
derstanding of Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X’s
complicated friendship.
“Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali,”
now on Netflix, explores the short but significant
bond between the human rights activist and the
heavyweight champion boxer in ways viewers
haven’t seen before.
“There are so many books written about them,
publications and documentaries, really going into
each of these men’s lives separately, and while that’s
been incredible for the telling of history, I think we’ve
missed the significance of this relationship and the
importance of this relationship,” director Marcus A.
Clarke told the Daily News.
“Through the process of making this film, it was a
lot of discovery and really trying to get to the core of
the relationship and bring it to the screen.”
The film focuses on the three-year stretch in the
1960s in which Ali and Malcolm X became close, and
the issues that led to them drifting apart.
At the time of their meeting, Ali — then known as
Cassius Clay — was already a world-famous boxer,
while Malcolm X was a highly influential figure in the
civil rights movement.
Malcolm X became a mentor to the boxer, who
changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam.
“Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, for so many of us,
are (an) inspiration, they’re motivation, and really
what that comes from is their ability to speak out free-
ly against what they’re seeing around them,” Clarke
said. “Against oppression, against segregation,
which of course was rampant in the ’60s. So under-
standing the time period which kind of made these
men, what they grew up in and what they were see-
ing, is really important.”
Clarke believes the duo’s story continues to con-
nect with people after the protests against racial in-
justice that swept the United States and beyond fol-
lowing the 2020 death of George Floyd, an unarmed
Black man, while in police custody.
“What we’ve seen ... with the George Floyd protests
and the country kind of reaching its tipping point, I
think a lot of people in the younger generation and
even in my generation were looking back into the past
for guidance, and for advice, and for words of wisdom
for how to handle the atrocities that we’re seeing all
around us,” Clarke said.
“I think that quickly leads people to Malcolm X,
and subsequently also leads people to Muhammad
Ali, because these are two guys who made sacrifices
for what they believed in.”
NETFLIX
Human rights activist Malcolm X, left, and heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali are the subjects of thedocumentary “Blood Brothers,” now streaming on Netflix.
A complicated bondThe brief but significant friendship of Malcolm X andMuhammad Ali explored in new ‘Blood Brothers’ doc
BY PETER SBLENDORIO
New York Daily News
It’s all good, man! Bob Odenkirk
has returned to work on the AMC
drama “Better Call Saul” after
having a heart attack in July.
The Emmy-winning writer
tweeted the update Wednesday
morning, sharing a photo of him-
self having his character’s make-
up applied.
“Back to work on ‘Better Call
Saul’!” he wrote less than two
months after the health scare. “So
happy to be here and living this
specific life surrounded by such
good people.”
Odenkirk, who plays sleazy
criminal lawyer Saul Goodman
(née Jimmy McGill) on the
“Breaking Bad” prequel, tipped
his hat to makeup pro Cheri Mon-
tesanto for “making me not ugly
for shooting!”
In late July, the 58-year-old star
collapsed on the New Mexico set
of “Better Call Saul” while it was
in production on its sixth and final
season. Odenkirk was hospitalized
for a “heart-related incident,”
which he later clarified was a
blockage that caused a small heart
attack.
Days after the collapse, the ac-
tor tweeted that he would “take a
beat to recover” and thanked
AMC and Sony Television for
their “next level” support.
Bob Odenkirk returnsto ‘Better Call Saul’
Los Angeles Times
CHRIS PIZZELLO/AP
Bob Odenkirk poses for aportrait during the 2020 WinterTelevision Critics AssociationPress Tour in Jan. 2020 inPasadena, Calif.
Four months after reports con-
firmed their relationship, comedi-
an John Mulaney and actor Olivia
Munn are expecting their first
child together.
Mulaney, 39, casually revealed
the pregnancy Tuesday on “Late
Night with Seth Meyers,” during
which he also opened up about his
romance with Munn, 41, and his
recent relapse.
The comic’s announcement
comes four months after his di-
vorce from a “heartbroken” Anna
Marie Tendler, an artist to whom
he was married for nearly seven
years. Shortly after their split, dat-
ing rumors began to swirl around
him and Munn.
“I packed a lot into this ... is it
September now?” Mulaney told
Meyers on Tuesday. “I went to re-
hab in September [2020]. I got out
in October. I move out of my home
from my ex-wife. ...
“In the spring, I went to Los An-
geles and met and started to date a
wonderful woman named Olivia. I
got into this relationship that’s
been really beautiful with some-
one incredible ... and we’re having
a baby together. ... I was nervous
when I was about to say the news.”
ROY ROCHLIN/TNS
John Mulaney performs onstage at NRDC’s “Night of Comedy”Benefit in April 2019 in New York City.
John Mulaney, Olivia Munnexpecting their first child
Los Angeles Times
Country stars Chris Stapleton
and Eric Church will go toe-to-toe
with each other at this year’s
Country Music Association
Awards, with both vying in the
same five categories, including
entertainer of the year.
In nominations announced on
Thursday, Stapleton has nomina-
tions in male vocalist, album of the
year, single and song of the year,
and could take home additional
trophies as producer both on his
album and single. Church, who
put out a three-part album in April
collectively called “Heart & Soul,”
also earned five nominations.
They join Miranda Lambert,
Carrie Underwood and Luke
Combs as entertainer of the year
nominees.
The CMA Awards will air on
Nov. 10 on ABC.
Gabby Barrett had another
good year with the success of the
No. 1 hit country song “The Good
Ones,” and she earned four nomi-
nations for female artist of the
year, new artist, single and song of
the year.
Disgraced country star Morgan
Wallen, who was caught earlier
this year yelling a racial slur, still
got enough votes to secure a nomi-
nation in one of the top prizes, al-
bum of the year. Wallen’s “Dan-
gerous: The Double Album” spent
10 consecutive weeks on the top of
the all-genre Billboard 200 chart,
making it one of the best selling al-
bums of 2021.
Stapleton, Church vie for same 5 CMAsAssociated Press
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 15
Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher
Lt. Col. Marci Hoffman, Europe commander
John Rodriguez, Europe chief of staff
Lt. Col. Michael Kerschbaum, Pacific commander
Michael Ryan, Pacific chief of staff
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stripes.com
OPINION
As the news shifts, many Americans
may think the Afghan War is over.
Not so. The searing scenes of Ka-
bul’s fall are having a powerful im-
pact on America’s global image, including the
abandonment of Afghan allies. Chinese and
Russian propaganda outlets are gleefully
trumpeting scenes of America’s “defeat.” NA-
TO allies who had troops in Afghanistan are
bitter that they were forced to leave Afghan
staff and their own nationals — because Presi-
dent Joe Biden didn’t consult them. And the fi-
nal U.S. defeat — set in motion by former Pres-
ident Donald Trump’s surrender treaty with
the Taliban and finalized by Biden’s exit —
raises questions about whom and what our
country is willing to fight for.
The Biden team needs to look far deeper
than the defensive justifications that the presi-
dent and top officials have been presenting in
public. Here are some of the questions I be-
lieve should top the list.
■ Why was the exit from Kabul so disas-
trous?
Whether or not you think Biden should have
pulled out U.S. troops, this question must be
dissected. White House efforts to spin the U.S.
military’s herculean last-minute efforts can-
not obscure the fact of Taliban victory. (And
GOP hysteria over the chaotic exit is totally
hypocritical given Trump’s aborted efforts to
schedule sudden pullouts before leaving of-
fice, and his disastrous U.S. pullout from the
Syrian border with Turkey.)
The evacuation chaos has fed a perception
by allies and enemies of U.S. incompetence
that started with Trump over COVID-19 fail-
ures, and has been advanced by conserva-
tives’ vaccine refusal and global warming de-
nial. Now the messy exit from Kabul is added
to the evidence list. How could U.S. intelli-
gence have failed so badly — when the string
of Taliban victories after Biden’s withdrawal
announcement in mid-April was so unrelent-
ing? Was this a case of White House willful
blindness (like George W. Bush in Iraq), or of
bureaucratic blundering?
Despite Biden’s praise of the 300,000-
strong Afghan army, the Defense Department
knew these numbers were inflated, and the ar-
my’s morale was crashing.
In 2009, I watched NATO trainers struggle
on the vast and desolate grounds of the Kabul
Military Training Center, at the outskirts of
the city. Seventy percent of the recruits
couldn’t read. And new Afghan soldiers told
me frankly that they hated M-16s because they
needed so much maintenance whereas Sovi-
et-era AK-47s were far more dependable.
Washington trained an army to U.S. stan-
dards, including an air force that needed U.S.
maintenance. U.S. military officials warned
repeatedly that the Afghan air force — critical
to support its ground troops — would collapse
if Washington pulled all troops out.
Surely the State Department and the Na-
tional Security Council knew these facts, yet
the White House was caught flat-footed by the
Taliban as we exited. Why?
■ What are Americans now prepared to
fight for?
“This decision about Afghanistan is not just
about Afghanistan. It’s about ending an era of
major military operations to remake other
countries,” Biden told Americans last week.
Fair enough. Clearly, nation-building, and de-
mocracy-building, haven’t gone well in Iraq,
Afghanistan and elsewhere.
But has the White House faced the conse-
quences of that admission? The president
champions democratic values in contrast to
the authoritarianism of China and Russia.
How does this square with abandoning the Af-
ghan women activists, journalists and human
rights workers who adopted those values?
And what about USAID, the American aid
agency that threw so much money into cultur-
ally inappropriate and corruption-ridden pro-
jects in Afghanistan. How will that be re-
formed?
■ Where and when will America be willing
to use military force in the future?
Any “over-the-horizon” efforts to prevent
the Taliban from hosting terrorist groups
aren’t likely to be successful: We now have no
U.S. or Afghan eyes on the ground, and the
nearest U.S. bases are many hours away.
And, after the fall of Kabul, our allies in Eu-
rope, the Mideast and Asia are asking whether
we still have their backs against Russia, Iran
and China. “They are so happy in Moscow,” I
was told by independent Russian journalist
Yevgenia Albats from Moscow. “State propa-
ganda media are claiming that America not
only lost the war but left everyone who trusted
them behind.”
China’s state media are also busy hammer-
ing on the trust issue, especially toward Tai-
wan. “How many lives of U.S. troops and how
many dollars would the U.S. sacrifice for the
Island of Taiwan?” asked China’s Global
Times. “The U.S. troops’ withdrawal from Af-
ghanistan … has dealt a heavy blow to the
credibility and reliability of the U.S.”
In Singapore in late August, Vice President
Kamala Harris accused China of “intimida-
tion” in the South China Sea and asserted that
the U.S. “stands with our allies and our part-
ners.” Does it? Seoul, Tokyo and Taipei need
reassurance, along with South Asian allies.
■ Can America rebuild its image?
For moral and geopolitical reasons, the
White House needs to demonstrate that it
won’t abandon American citizens and allies in
Afghanistan. They are now virtual hostages,
and the Taliban will demand economic prizes.
But who trusts an ally who leaves its friends
and citizens behind?
The White House also needs to remove its
blinders, and face the causes and consequenc-
es of the Kabul debacle. Only then can it begin
to convince the world this was not one more
step toward America’s inevitable decline.
What is America prepared to fight for now?BY TRUDY RUBIN
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial-board member for ThePhiladelphia Inquirer.
At the end of World War II, Winston
Churchill suggested the arch
leading into the bomb-stricken
House of Commons be rebuilt
with stone scarred by the war. He hoped it
would be a reminder to future generations of
the fortitude and sacrifice of those who
fought and the families who stood behind
them.
As the global war on terrorism reaches its
20th year this Sept. 11, the United States
needs a place to honor its sacred war dead.
Calls to the Department of Veterans Affairs’
Veterans Crisis Line have surged since the
United States left Kabul. Veteran service or-
ganizations have responded with concern,
putting out letters, op-eds and videos remind-
ing veterans that their service made a differ-
ence.
Yet there is no national memorial to the
global war on terrorism. No eternal reminder
of the brave women and men who gave their
lives for their country. No place to collective-
ly honor the troops, veterans, families and
friends who remain. We cannot wait 50 years
to break ground on a memorial for this war.
Legislation to secure a prominent location
on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for
a National Global War on Terrorism Memo-
rial is stalled in Congress, though there is
some reason for optimism. The For Country
Caucus, a bipartisan group of veterans in the
House of Representatives, has called on
President Joe Biden to support H.R. 1115, the
Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location
Act, the final hurdle to authorize construction
of the memorial.
In addition, many outside groups, includ-
ing the Global War on Terrorism Memorial
Foundation, Gold Star families and veteran-
led groups such as With Honor Action, have
been working for years for a National Global
War on Terrorism Memorial on the National
Mall. The legislation before the House has
widespread bipartisan support, with more
than 100 co-sponsors. Congress should listen
to those voices and pass it into law this year,
and Biden should put his public support be-
hind a National Global War on Terrorism
Memorial.
Like the other wars memorialized on the
National Mall — World War II, the Korean
War and the Vietnam War — the global war
on terrorism is the war of a generation. Born
from the tragic events of Sept. 11, the war on
terrorism is now America’s longest war,
touching young women and men who were
not yet born on that harrowing day.
We lost more than 7,000 troops during mil-
itary operations in the past two decades.
Each left behind family, friends and fellow
service members who deserve a place to re-
member them. And each of these service
members should be held up as a reminder for
generations to come of the bravery and sacri-
fice this war required. Their memories
should be enshrined next to the memorials
for other brave women and men who gave
their lives defending this nation since its
founding, because their sacrifices are just as
significant.
The National World War II Memorial was
completed almost 60 years after the conflict
ended. A 20-year-old World War II veteran
returning home would have visited the me-
morial at 80 years old. Most never made it
there. We must give friends, families and vet-
erans a place to gather, throughout their life-
times, with the spirits and memories of all
those they lost.
In these days after the exit of the last Amer-
ican service member from Afghanistan and
before the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, the
president and the Congress have an opportu-
nity and an obligation to get this done.
We must memorialize the fallen in this warBY ROBERT M. GATES, LEON E.
PANETTA, CHUCK HAGEL, ASH CARTER,JIM MATTIS AND MARK T. ESPER
Special to The Washington Post
Robert M. Gates, Leon E. Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Ash Carter, JimMattis and Mark T. Esper are the six surviving secretaries ofdefense who led the Defense Department during the past 20years of the global war on terrorism.
PAGE 16 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
ACROSS
1 Tax prep pro
4 Expose
8 Richard of
“Chicago”
12 Bruins legend
13 Barbecue order
14 Asia’s — Sea
15 Superfast
17 Defeat
18 D-Day carriers
19 Foot warmers
20 Sleepy mammal
22 Taxi alternative
24 Not taped
25 Mysterious
29 Gorilla
30 Wimbledon
surface
31 Green prefix
32 Uncivilized
34 Russian ruler
35 Org.
36 Enthusiast
37 Aviary sound
40 Albacore, e.g.
41 Street edge
42 Curry powder
spice
46 Mr. Stravinsky
47 Oklahoma tribe
48 — -Magnon
49 TV’s “Warrior
Princess”
50 Wizard’s prop
51 Bad spell
DOWN
1 URL suffix
2 Season opener?
3 Avid
museumgoer
4 Soup stock
5 Broadcasts
6 Hitter’s stat
7 Computer key
8 Aplenty
9 Idle of Monty
Python
10 Poolroom prop
11 Lodge members
16 Noble Italian
family
19 Collections
20 Thick chunk
21 “Break My Heart”
singer Dua
22 Track star Bolt
23 Pear type
25 Messes up
26 Scientist’s work
27 Optimist’s credo
28 String
30 React in horror
33 Diva Streisand
34 Fork part
36 Was livid
37 Roman 209
38 Ginormous
39 Pressing need
40 1982 sci-fi film
42 Road rescue
43 Actress Hagen
44 Hot temper
45 “Friends” cast
member
Answer to Previous Puzzle
Eugene Sheffer CrosswordFra
zz
Dilbert
Pearls B
efo
re S
win
eN
on S
equitur
Candorv
ille
Beetle B
ailey
Biz
arr
oCarp
e D
iem
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 17
SCOREBOARD
ScheduleFriday’s games
SOUTHKansas (10) at Coastal Carolina (10)NC A&T (01) at Duke (01)
FAR WESTNorth Dakota (10) at Utah St. (10) UTEP (20) at Boise St. (01)
Saturday’s gamesEAST
W. Kentucky (10) at Army (10)Stony Brook (01) at Colgate (01)Georgetown (00) at Delaware St. (10)Merrimack (10) at Holy Cross (10)Rutgers (10) at Syracuse (10)CCSU (01) at Wagner (01)Purdue (10) at Uconn (02)Ball St. (10) at Penn St. (10)Air Force (10) at Navy (01)Boston College (10) at Umass (01)LIU Brooklyn (01) at West Virginia (01)Towson (10) at New Hampshire (10)Monmouth (NJ) (01) at Fordham (01)St. Francis (Pa.) (01) at Delaware (10)Bucknell (01) at Villanova (10)NC Central (10) at Marshall (10)Rhode Island (10) at Albany (NY) (01)Sacred Heart (10) at Bryant (01)Howard (01) at Maryland (10)
SOUTHIllinois (11) at Virginia (10)South Carolina (10) at East Carolina
(01) Kennesaw St. (10) at Georgia Tech (01)Pittsburgh (10) at Tennessee (10) Norfolk St. (01) at Wake Forest (10)Alabama St. (10) at Auburn (10) Florida (10) at South Florida (01)Morgan St. (01) vs. Tulane (01) at Bir
mingham, Ala.Middle Tennessee (10) at Virginia Tech
(10)Lehigh (01) at Richmond (10)Charleston Southern (00) at The Citadel
(01)Union (Ky.) (00) at Morehead St. (01)Furman (10) at Tennessee Tech (01)UAB (10) at Georgia (10)Georgia Southern (10) at FAU (01)Mercer (10) at Alabama (10)Maine (01) at James Madison (10)Fort Lauderdale (00) at Presbyterian
(10)SC State (01) at Clemson (01)Lafayette (01) at William & Mary (01)Fort Valley St. (00) at Florida A&M (01)Ave Maria (00) at Stetson (10)GardnerWebb (01) at Charlotte (10)Elon (01) at Campbell (01)BethuneCookman (01) at UCF (10)Nicholls (01) at LouisianaLafayette
(01)Hampton (10) at Old Dominion (01)Appalachian St. (10) at Miami (01)Miles (01) at Southern U. (01)Tennessee St. (01) vs. Jackson St. (10)
at Memphis, Tenn.Chattanooga (01) at North Alabama
(01)Grambling St. (10) at Southern Miss.
(01)SE Louisiana (10) at Louisiana Tech
(01)Samford (10) at UT Martin (01)Texas State (01) at FIU (10)NC State (10) at Mississippi St. (10)Northwestern St. (01) at Alcorn St. (01)Liberty (10) at Troy (10)E. Kentucky (10) at Louisville (01)Shaw (00) at Davidson (01)Georgia St. (01) at North Carolina (01)VirginiaWise (00) at ETSU (10)Austin Peay (10) at Mississippi (10)Missouri (10) at Kentucky (10)McNeese St. (01) at LSU (01)Jacksonville St. (01) at Florida St. (01)
MIDWESTVMI (10) at Kent St. (01)Indiana St. (10) at Northwestern (01)Oregon (10) at Ohio St. (10) Miami (Ohio) (01) at Minnesota (01) Youngstown St. (10) at Michigan St.
(10) E. Illinois (02) at Dayton (00)St. Thomas (Minn.) (00) at Michigan
Tech (00)Wyoming (10) at N. Illinois (10)N. Arizona (01) at South Dakota (01)Duquesne (01) at Ohio (01)Toledo (10) at Notre Dame (10)Robert Morris (00) at Cent. Michigan
(01)Temple (01) at Akron (01)Buffalo (10) at Nebraska (11)Murray St. (10) at Cincinnati (10)Valparaiso (01) at N. Dakota St. (10)
South Alabama (10) at Bowling Green(01)
Iowa (10) at Iowa St. (10)Illinois St. (10) at W. Michigan (01)DePauw (00) at Butler (01)Lindenwood (Mo.) (00) at S. Dakota St.
(10)E. Michigan (10) at Wisconsin (01)S. Illinois (10) at Kansas St. (10)Idaho (10) at Indiana (01)Washington (01) at Michigan (10)Cent. Arkansas (01) at Missouri St. (01)
SOUTHWESTTulsa (01) at Oklahoma St. (10) California (01) at TCU (10)Lamar (10) at UTSA (10)Houston (01) at Rice (01)Texas (10) at Arkansas (10)Louisiana College (00) at Abilene Chris
tian (01)North Texas (10) at SMU (10)SE Missouri (01) at Sam Houston St.
(10)Memphis (10) at Arkansas St. (10)W. Carolina (01) at Oklahoma (10)Stephen F. Austin (10) at Texas Tech
(10)N. Colorado (01) at Houston Baptist
(01)Texas Southern (01) at Baylor (10)Fort Lewis (00) at Tarleton St. (01)Prairie View (10) at Incarnate Word
(01)FAR WEST
Texas A&M (10) vs. Colorado (10) atDenver
Cent. Washington (00) at E. Washington(10)
UC Davis (10) at San Diego (01)Portland St. (01) at Washington St. (01)New Mexico St. (02) at New Mexico (10)Drake (10) at Montana St. (01)W. Illinois (01) at Montana (10)N. Iowa (01) at Sacramento St. (10)Vanderbilt (01) at Colorado St. (01)San Diego St. (10) at Arizona (01)Weber St. (01) at Dixie St. (01)Cal Poly (10) at Fresno St. (11)Utah (10) at BYU (10)UNLV (01) at Arizona St. (10)Stanford (01) at Southern Cal (10)Idaho St. (01) at Nevada (10)Hawaii (11) at Oregon St. (01)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Wednesday’s transactionsBASEBALL
Major League BaseballAmerican League
NEW YORK YANKEES — Recalled RGPLuis Gil from Scranton/WilkesBarree (TripleA East). Optioned RHP Brooks Kriske toScranton/WilkesBarre.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS — Recalled RHPMiguel Romero from Las Vegas (TripleAWest). Optioned LHP A.J. Puk to Las Vegas,retroactive to Sept. 7.
TAMPA BAY RAYS — Placed RH RandyArozarena on the paternity list. OptionedRHP Louis Head to Durham (TripleA East).Recalled CF Josh Lowe from Durham. Designated RHP David hess for assignment.Reinstated 1B JiMan Choi and RHP MattWisler from the 10day IL. Promoted general manager Erik Neander to president ofbaseball operations and agreed to termswith him on a multiyear contract extension.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS — Reinstated RHPJulian Merryweather from the 60day IL.Optioned RHP Bryan Baker to Buffalo (TripleA East). Placed LHP Anthony Kay onthe reserve/COVID19 IL.
National LeagueARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Released
RHP Seth Frankoff.CHICAGO CUBS — Placed OF Michael
Hermosillo on the 10day IL. Selected thecontract of OF Nick Martini from Iowa (TripleA East) and signed him to a majorleague contract. Sent 2B Andrew Romineoutright to Iowa.
COLORADO ROCKIES — Recalled INF Colton Welker and RHP Antonio Santos fromAlbuquerque (TripleA West). ReinstatedRHP Jon Gray from the 10day IL. PlacedRHP Chi Chi Gonzalez on the 10day IL.Placed RHP Robert Stephenson on the paternity list. Optioned INF Joshua Fuentesto Albuquerque.
MIAMI MARLINS — Recalled 1B LewinDiaz from Jacksonville (TripleA East).Placed 1B Jesus Aguilar on the 10day IL.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — TransferredRHP Zach Eflin from the 10day injured listto the 60day IL.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Sent RHP Brandon Dickson outright to Memphis (TripleA East).
WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Sent 2BJordy Mercer to Harrisburg (DoubleANortheast) on a rehab assignment.
BASKETBALLNational Basketball Association
CHICAGO BULLS — Signed Fs Tyler Cook,Alize Johnson and Stanley Johnson, andGs Matt Thomas and Ethan Thompson.
FOOTBALLNational Football League
ATLANTA FALCONS — Placed CB KendallSheffield on injured reserve. Waived PDom Maggio from injured reserve with aninjury settlement.
BALTIMORE RAVENS — Signed RB Trenton Cannon. Placed RB Justice Hill on injured reserve. Released S Jordan Richards.Signed RB Le’Veon Bell and DT ReginaldMckenzie to the practice squad.
BUFFALO BILLS — Released DT TreyvonHester from injured reserve with an injurysettlement.
CHICAGO BEARS — Signed DTs MargusHunt and Damion Squard to the practicesquad. Released DT Auzoyah Alufohai andRB Artavis Pierce from the practice squad.
DALLAS COWBOYS — Activated WRNoah Brown from the reserve/COVID19list.
DENVER BRONCOS — Signed CB SaivionSmith to the practice squad.
HOUSTON TEXANS — Placed K Ka’imiFairbairn on injured reserve. Signed WRDanny Amendola. Released LB Hardy Nickerson from the practice squad. Signed CBCre’Von LeBlanc to the practice squad.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — Signed OLBAaron Patrick to the practice squad. Released K/P Kaare Vedvik from the practicesquad.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS — Waived LSCole Mazza from injured reserve with aninjury settlement.
MIAMI DOLPHINS — Signed T Bobby Hartto the practice squad. Placed T Adam Pankey on the practice squad injured reserve.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Signed RT BrianO’Neill to a multiyear contract extension.Waived OG Dru Samia from injured reserve with a injury settlement.
NEW YORK GIANTS — Signed DB NateEbner.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES — Signed CB MacMcCain III.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Signed LB NateGerry to the practice squad. Released OLCorbin Kaufusi from the practice squad.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Signed LB Tanner Muse to the practice squad.
TENNESSEE TITANS — Activated C BenJones and G Nate Davis from the reserve/COVID19 list. Signed S Bradley McDougald, C Corey Levin and DB Chris Jones tothe practice squad.
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL — Signed EvinKsiezarczyk to the practice squad.
HOCKEYNational Hockey League
CALGARY FLAMES — Signed F Brad Richardson to a oneyear contract.
SOCCERMajor League Soccer
MLS DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE —Found New York City FC MF Maxi Moralezguilty of failure to leave the field in a timely manner in the match against NashvilleSC on Sept. 3 and fined him an undisclosedamount for his actions. Found Nashville SCMF Dax McCarty guilty of failure to leavethe field in a timely manner in the matchagainst NYCFC on Sept. 3 and fined him anundisclosed amount for his actions. FoundSporting Kansas City MF Roger Espinozaguilty of failure to leave the field in a timely and orderly manner in the matchagainst LAFC on Sept. 3 and fined him anundisclosed amount for his action sandEspinoza has been issued a separate undisclosed fine for exhibiting inappropriatebehavior following his red card. Foundboth Nashville SC and New York City FC inviolation of the Mass Confrontation Policyin their match on Sept. 3 and Nashville andNYCFC have been issued a warning fortheir first violation of the league’s policythis season. Due to their role in the massconfrontation, NYCFC players F ValentinCastellanos, D Anton Tinnerholm and MFJesus Medina each have been fined an undisclosed amount for their actions in inciting and/or escalating a mass confrontation. Found Nashville SC’s Fs Jhonder Cadiz and Ake Loba, Ds Jalil Anibaba and AlexMuyl in violation of the league’s policy regarding entering the field of play and finedall four an undisclosed amount for theiractions in the match against NYCFC onSept. 3. Additionally, Cadiz has been issued a onematch suspension and is noteligible to play in Nashville’s next regularseason game on Sept. 11 against CF Montreal. Found Nashville SC D/F Daniel Lovitzin violation of the league’s policy regarding hands to the face, head, or neck of anopponent and fine him undisclosed fineamount for his actions against NYCFC onSept. 3. Found New York City FC F ValentinCastellanos in violation of the league’spolicy regarding hands to the face, head,or neck of an opponent and has fined himan undisclosed amount for his actionsagainst the Nashville SC on Sept. 3. FoundNew England Revolution D Henry Kesslerguilty of simulation/embellishment in thematch against Philadelphia Union on Sept.3 and fined him an undisclosed amount forhis action.
MLS INDEPENDENT REVIEW PANEL — Denied Nashville SC’s appeal of the red cardissued to MF Dax McCarty in the matchagainst NYCFC on Sept. 3 and McCarty isnot eligible to play in Nashville’s next regular season game on Saturday, Sept. 11against CF Montréal as he serves a onematch suspension for the red card.
DEALS
U.S. OpenWednesday
At USTA Billie Jean King National TennisCenter
New YorkSurface: Hardcourt outdoor
Men’s SinglesQuarterfinals
Alexander Zverev (4), Germany, def.
Lloyd Harris, South Africa, 76 (6), 63, 64.
Novak Djokovic (1), Serbia, def. Matteo
Berrettini (6), Italy, 57, 62, 62, 63. Women’s Singles
QuarterfinalsEmma Raducanu, Britain, def. Belinda
Bencic (11), Switzerland, 63, 64. Maria Sakkari (17), Greece, def. Karolina
Pliskova (4), Czech Republic, 64, 64. Women’s Doubles
QuarterfinalsGabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and Luisa
Stefani (5), Brazil, def. Lucie Hradecka andMarie Bouzkova (15), Czech Republic, 64,46, 61.
Caty McNally and Coco Gauff (11), United States, def. Hsieh Suwei, Taiwan, andElise Mertens (1), Belgium, 63, 76 (1).
Alexa Guarachi Mathison, Chile, and Desirae Krawczyk (7), United States, def.Monica Niculescu and ElenaGabrielaRuse, Romania, 67 (5), 62, 63.
Mixed DoublesSemifinals
Marcelo ArevaloGonzalez, El Salvador,and Giuliana Olmos, Mexico, def. Max Purcell, Australia, and Dayana Yastremska,Ukraine, 46, 64, 106.
TENNIS
PRO BASKETBALL
WNBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE
W L Pct GB
xConnecticut 22 6 .786 —
xChicago 15 14 .517 7½
New York 11 18 .379 11½
Washington 10 18 .357 12
Atlanta 7 21 .250 15
Indiana 6 21 .222 15½
WESTERN CONFERENCE
W L Pct GB
xLas Vegas 21 8 .724 —
xSeattle 20 10 .667 1½
xPhoenix 19 10 .655 2
xMinnesota 18 10 .643 2½
Dallas 12 17 .414 9
Los Angeles 10 18 .357 10½
Wednesday’s games
Phoenix 76, Atlanta 75Las Vegas 102, Minnesota 81
Thursday’s game
Connecticut at Los Angeles
Friday’s games
Atlanta at WashingtonIndiana at Minnesota
Saturday’s games
New York at DallasConnecticut at Phoenix
PRO SOCCER
MLS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
W L T Pts GF GA
New England 16 4 4 52 45 28
Orlando City 10 4 8 38 33 26
Nashville 9 2 11 38 37 21
NYCFC 10 7 4 34 37 22
Philadelphia 8 7 8 32 28 24
CF Montréal 8 7 7 31 30 27
D.C. United 9 10 3 30 35 32
Columbus 7 10 6 27 27 32
Atlanta 6 7 9 27 25 28
Inter Miami CF 7 9 5 26 22 31
Chicago 6 11 5 23 24 33
New York 6 10 4 22 23 25
Cincinnati 3 10 8 17 21 38
Toronto FC 3 13 6 15 26 47
WESTERN CONFERENCE
W L T Pts GF GA
Seattle 12 4 6 42 35 19
Colorado 12 4 5 41 31 20
Sporting KC 11 5 7 40 37 26
LA Galaxy 11 8 3 36 35 35
Minnesota 8 6 7 31 24 24
Portland 9 10 3 30 31 39
Real Salt Lake 8 8 6 30 34 29
Vancouver 7 7 8 29 29 32
LAFC 7 9 6 27 32 31
San Jose 6 8 8 26 24 30
FC Dallas 6 10 7 25 32 36
Austin FC 5 13 4 19 21 31
Houston 3 10 10 19 24 36
Note: Three points for victory, one pointfor tie.
Friday’s games
Orlando City at Atlanta Portland at Vancouver
Saturday’s games
LA Galaxy at Colorado Minnesota at Seattle D.C. United at New York New York City FC at New England Toronto FC at Cincinnati Columbus at Miami Nashville at CF Montréal Austin FC at Houston Chicago at Sporting Kansas City San Jose at FC Dallas
Sunday’s game
Real Salt Lake at Los Angeles FC
NWSL
W L T Pts GF GA
Portland 10 4 2 32 24 11
North Carolina 8 4 5 29 22 9
Reign FC 9 7 2 29 24 19
Orlando 6 5 7 25 21 20
Chicago 7 7 4 25 19 22
Washington 6 5 5 23 19 18
Gotham FC 5 5 7 22 17 15
Houston 6 7 4 22 19 22
Louisville 4 8 5 17 14 24
Kansas City 2 11 5 11 9 28
Note: Three points for victory, one pointfor tie.
Friday’s games
Gotham FC at Kansas CityChicago at Houston
Saturday’s game
Louisville at OrlandoSunday’s games
Reign FC at WashingtonPortland at North Carolina
NFL schedule
Thursday’s game
Dallas at Tampa Bay
Sunday’s games
Arizona at TennesseeJacksonville at HoustonL.A. Chargers at WashingtonMinnesota at CincinnatiN.Y. Jets at CarolinaPhiladelphia at AtlantaPittsburgh at BuffaloSan Francisco at DetroitSeattle at IndianapolisCleveland at Kansas CityDenver at N.Y. GiantsGreen Bay at New OrleansMiami at New EnglandChicago at L.A. Rams
Monday’s game
Baltimore at Las Vegas
Thursday, Sept. 16
N.Y. Giants at Washington
NFL Injury ReportThe National Football League injury re
port, as provided by the league (DNP: didnot practice; LIMITED: limited participation; FULL: Full participation):
SUNDAYARIZONA CARDINALS at TENNESSEE TI-
TANS — ARIZONA: LIMITED: TE Darrell Daniels (toe). FULL: LB Dennis Gardeck(knee). TENNESSEE: DNP: WR A.J. Brown(knee). LIMITED: CB Chris Jackson(hamstring), LB David Long (hamstring).
CHICAGO BEARS at LOS ANGELES RAMS— CHICAGO: Practice Not Complete. LOSANGELES RAMS: Practice Not Complete.
CLEVELAND BROWNS at KANSAS CITYCHIEFS — CLEVELAND: DNP: DE JadeveonClowney (illness), T Michael Dunn (back).LIMITED: WR Odell Beckham (knee), SGrant Delpit (hamstring), S Ronnie Harrison (ankle), WR Rashard Higgins (hamstring), CB Troy Hill (hamstring), C J.C. Tretter(knee), CB Greedy Williams (groin). FULL:LB Sione Takitaki (hamstring). KANSASCITY: Practice Not Complete.
DENVER BRONCOS at NEW YORK GIANTS— DENVER: DNP: OLB Bradley Chubb (ankle). LIMITED: TE Noah Fant (knee). FULL:OLB Von Miller (ankle), TE Albert Okwuegbunam, WR Courtland Sutton (knee). NEWYORK: DNP: TE Evan Engram (calf). LIMITED: RB Saquon Barkley (knee), WR KennyGolladay (hamstring), LB Justin Hilliard(foot), CB Adoree’ Jackson (ankle), CB JoshJackson (calf), TE Kyle Rudolph (foot), DTDanny Shelton (neck), TE Kaden Smith(knee), T Andrew Thomas (ankle), WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring).
GREEN BAY PACKERS at NEW ORLEANSSAINTS — GREEN BAY: DNP: S Vernon Scott(hamstring). LIMITED: DT Tyler Lancaster(back), LB Za’Darius Smith (back). NEWORLEANS: DNP: CB Ken Crawley (hamstring).
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS at HOUSTONTEXANS — JACKSONVILLE: DNP: CB TreHerndon (knee). LIMITED: CB Tyson Campbell (calf). HOUSTON: DNP: CB LonnieJohnson (thigh), QB Deshaun Watson (notinjury related—personal matter). LIMITED: DT Maliek Collins (knee), DE WhitneyMercilus (thigh), LB Kevin PierreLouis(thigh).
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS at WASHING-TON FOOTBALL TEAM — LOS ANGELESCHARGERS: Practice Not Complete.WASHINGTON: DNP: WR Curtis Samuel(groin).
MIAMI DOLPHINS at NEW ENGLAND PA-TRIOTS — MIAMI: LIMITED: T Liam Eichenberg (thigh), WR Preston Williams (foot).FULL: RB Salvon Ahmed (back), S ClaytonFejedelem (shoulder), WR DeVante Parker(shoulder), LB Elandon Roberts (knee), WRAlbert Wilson (quadricep). NEW EN-GLAND: LIMITED: WR Nelson Agholor (ankle), T Yodny Cajuste (hamstring), S JalenMills (ankle).
MINNESOTA VIKINGS at CINCINNATIBENGALS — MINNESOTA: Practice NotComplete. CINCINNATI: Practice Not Complete.
NEW YORK JETS at CAROLINA PANTHERS— NEW YORK JETS: DNP: S Sharrod Neasman (hamstring). LIMITED: RB La’MicalPerine (foot). FULL: T Mekhi Becton (concussion). CAROLINA: DNP: WR Shi Smith(shoulder).
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES at ATLANTA FAL-CONS — PHILADELPHIA: LIMITED: G Brandon Brooks (knee), G Landon Dickerson(knee), S Rodney McLeod (knee), LB Davion Taylor (calf). ATLANTA: LIMITED: LBBrandon Copeland (hamstring).
PITTSBURGH STEELERS at BUFFALOBILLS — PITTSBURGH: DNP: DE Tyson Alualu (elbow). LIMITED: C Kendrick Green(thumb), LB Alex Highsmith (groin). BUF-FALO: DNP: DT Star Lotulelei (calf). LIMITED: CB Taron Johnson (hand), WR Emmanuel Sanders (foot). FULL: WR IsaiahMcKenzie (shoulder), DT Harrison Phillips(knee).
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS at DETROIT LI-ONS — SAN FRANCISCO: Practice Not Complete. DETROIT: LIMITED: DE MichaelBrockers (shoulder), T Taylor Decker (finger), DT Levi Onwuzurike (hip), CB A.J.Parker (shoulder), DE Nicholas Williams(elbow). FULL: TE T.J. Hockenson (shoulder), RB D’Andre Swift (groin).
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS at INDIANAPOLISCOLTS — �SEATTLE: Practice Not Complete.INDIANAPOLIS: DNP: G Quenton Nelson(foot, back), CB Xavier Rhodes (calf). LIMITED: WR Parris Campbell (Achilles), T EricFisher (Achilles), G Danny Pinter (foot), DEKemoko Turay (groin). FULL: QB CarsonWentz (foot).
MONDAYBALTIMORE RAVENS AT LAS VEGAS
RAIDERS — �Not reported.
PRO FOOTBALL
PAGE 18 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Oregon freshman line-
backer Justin Flowe is
so pumped to play for
the Ducks that some-
times he has to remind himself to
slow down a bit.
Flowe had 14 tackles and a
forced fumble in his first career
start and was named the Pac-12
Freshman of the Week following
Saturday’s 31-24 season-opening
victory over Fresno State.
But this week it gets consider-
ably more serious for Flowe and
the rest of Oregon’s defense as
the No. 12 Ducks (1-0) travel to
Columbus to play No. 3 Ohio
State. Ohio Stadium is expected to
return to its full pre-coronavirus
capacity of more than 100,000.
Flowe, a five-star recruit out of
Chino, Calif., was everywhere
against the Bulldogs after weak-
side linebacker Dru Mathis in-
jured his left leg in the first quar-
ter. Mathis will not be available
against the Buckeyes.
But Flowe’s excitement — he
said playing for fans for the first
time at Autzen Stadium was “un-
real” — led to a penalty for a late
hit on Fresno State quarterback
Jake Haener.
“I just feel like in certain sit-
uations, I always play aggressive,
and sometimes I’ve got to hold off
a little bit,” he said. “But my
game is just go, go go. I just want
to do what I can do to help the
team and I just go and I bring that
passion.”
A key moment for Flowe came
in the fourth quarter when he
forced Haener to fumble and
teammate Jordan Happle reco-
vered. That led to a field goal that
tied the game at 24.
“I just know the quarterback
likes to scramble,” said Flowe.
“So when I saw him scramble, I
just took off. I knew what I had to
do. I knew I had to go in and get
the ball out, so I just came in and
got the ball out.”
Oregon quarterback Anthony
Brown won the game with a 30-
yard scramble into the end zone.
Flowe’s tackles were the most
for an Ducks freshman since Troy
Dye had 14 in an early season
game in 2016. He is the first Ore-
gon player since 2007 with at
least 14 tackles and a forced fum-
ble in the same game.
“He’s a game-changer,” Ducks
coach Mario Cristobal said. “The
guy had almost 15 tackles. All
over the field. Plays with incred-
ible passion, forcing turnovers,
really aggressive.”
While it was a win, it certainly
was not the blowout some expect-
ed and, as a result, Oregon drop-
ped a spot in the AP Top 25 this
week. At times the offense stalled
and the defense was hurt by the
loss of Mathis and also an injury
to defensive end Kayvon Thibo-
deaux, widely considered a Heis-
man contender going into the sea-
son.
Thibodeaux is day-to-day head-
ing into Saturday’s game.
Even with Thibodeaux, the
Ducks’ defense will be tested by
the Buckeyes. In their season-
opening 45-31 win over Minneso-
ta, freshman quarterback CJ
Stroud threw for 294 yards and
four touchdowns. Ohio State had
495 yards in total offense.
Flowe, a second-year freshman
who played in just one game last
year because of injury, will need
to be disciplined, while keeping
his “go, go, go.”
“Against an offense like Ohio
State, you have to be on point —
you have to be from a discipline
standpoint, execution stand-
point,” Cristobal said. “You can’t
have any busts. They’ll expose
you. They showed that. Ohio
State’s ability to make big plays is
a complete reflection of how pre-
cise they are in what they do.”
ANDY NELSON/AP
Oregon linebacker Justin Flowe, left, moves in on Fresno State wide receiver Keric Wheatfall during lastweek’s game in Eugene, Ore. Flowe had 14 tackles and a forced fumble in his first career start.
Buckeyes pose challengefor Flowe, Ducks defense
BY ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press No. 12 Oregon (1-0)
at No. 3 Ohio State (1-0)AFN-Atlantic
6 p.m. Saturday CET1 a.m. Sunday JKT
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The
Southeastern Conference is mov-
ing away from early season cup-
cakes. It’s been years in the mak-
ing and probably long overdue.
The powerhouse league still has
a few teams lagging in the sched-
uling department, seemingly not
quite ready to go all in for compet-
itive reasons. But beefing up
schedules is clearly on the horizon
for everyone, especially once the
SEC adds Oklahoma and Texas.
“You can’t just open the gates
and give people a 12-inch piece of
wood to sit on anymore,” Florida
athletic director Scott Stricklin
said.
Stricklin called the shift in phi-
losophy “market driven,” pointing
to fans, players and television
partners wanting better matchups
on a weekly basis.
It’s hardly unique to the SEC, es-
pecially since strength of schedule
plays a role in determining which
teams make the College Football
Playoff. And with the CFP eyeing
expansion, there’s even more rea-
son for some of the nation’s top
programs — those expecting to vie
for coveted playoff spots — to add
more challenging games.
While fans may have gotten
spoiled watching last season’s all-
SEC slate of games because of CO-
VID-19 concerns, it would be hard
to complain about much of the
league’s 2021 schedules.
Top-ranked Alabama thumped
Miami. No. 2 Georgia edged Clem-
son. Mississippi routed Louisville.
LSU lost at UCLA. And that was
just Week 1.
This weekend’s slate includes
Pittsburgh-Tennessee, Colorado-
Texas A&M, Texas-Arkansas and
North Carolina State-Mississippi
State.
And then Auburn plays at Penn
State and Vanderbilt hosts Stan-
ford in Week 3, followed by Mis-
souri at Boston College.
“It means a lot for confidence,”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.
“Confidence can help. Can over-
confidence hurt? Yes, but there’s a
line there. The experience of the
environment is what I value. Win,
lose, or draw, the experience of
that environment was going to
make us better, and that is what I
gain from it.
“Does it give some of the players
more confidence? Yes, it gives
them more confidence. It does, but
it better not give them overconfi-
dence because humility is one
week away.”
Alabama and LSU have led the
league’s push to strengthen sched-
ules. The Crimson Tide have
opened each of the last 10 seasons
with a Power Five opponent — and
won them all. The Tigers, mean-
while, have scheduled similarly
for nine straight years.
The rest of the league is catching
up.
“One of the harder things to do is
to judge what the future of college
football is going to be,” said Flor-
ida coach Dan Mullen, who is en-
tering his 17th year in the SEC. “If
you look and say, ‘OK, six years
ago, we’re going to have a playoff
and this is how they’re going to
judge it and evaluate the playoff.’
It’s hard to judge that in the future,
that far.
“And scheduling is tough. As
you call people, there are a lot of
people who are booked out way in-
to the future. And then you get into
the issue of how is the SEC sched-
ule going to work four and five and
six years ago from now? I know
what our position is right now as a
league.”
Adding Oklahoma and Texas
should change everything. The
SEC is expected to revamp its
scheduling model once the Big 12
juggernauts arrive, whether it’s in
2025 as currently planned or soon-
er, in hopes of everyone playing
each other more often.
SEC moving awayfrom cupcake foes
BY MARK LONG
Associated Press
AP sports writers Brett Martel, Charles Odum,Teresa Walker and John Zenor contributed.
JOHN BAZEMORE / AP
Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams, left, scores a touchdownagainst Miami last week in Atlanta. Alabama won 4414.
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 19
SOCCER/US OPEN
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras
— The United States was skidding
to another World Cup qualifying
failure when Antonee Robinson en-
tered, quickly tied the score and
celebrated with a backward somer-
sault.
The entire game soon flipped.
Ricardo Pepi put the U.S. ahead
in the 75th minute, Brenden Aaron-
son and Sebastian Lletget added
late goals and the U.S. rolled past
Honduras 4-1 Wednesday night.
“I think it’s really important that
we did that just to show everyone
that at times it’s going to be a hard
qualifying process, but we’re ready
for the challenges that’ll come
ahead,” Robinson said. “We can re-
spond to anything.”
Pepi had a goal and two assists in
his debut, and the Americans ex-
haled after a tumultuous week of
injuries, positive COVID-19 tests
and a huge disciplinary issue. They
won for just the second time in 41
qualifiers in which they trailed at
halftime (six draws).
Coach Gregg Berhalter held a
team meeting before the match and
told players that opening draws at
El Salvador and at home against
Canada “wouldn’t have doomed
the qualifying.” U.S. goalkeeper
Zack Steffen, defender Sergiño
Dest and midfielder Gio Reyna had
gotten hurt, Steffen tested positive
for COVID and midfielder Weston
McKennie was sent home by Ber-
halter for violating team COVID
protocols.
Berhalter thought the talk
helped players begin to relax.
“Despite all this crap that hap-
pened in these last couple days, the
guys’ spirits were extremely high,”
he said.
Still, Brayan Moya put 63rd-
ranked Honduras ahead in the 27th
minute, breaking free of George
Bello and heading a cross from Die-
go Rodríguez past goalkeeper Matt
Turner after John Brooks lost the
ball.
That put the 10th-ranked Amer-
icans in a daunting position: They
had given up the first goal in 33 pre-
vious road World Cup qualifiers,
winning two, losing 26 and tying
five.
Berhalter told players at half-
time they had to change more than
formation.
“We need to compete, and that
was something I was disappointed
with,” he recalled saying. “When
they scored, instead of seeing that
reaction that we’re used to, I think
their heads went down a little bit.”
And to make the challenge grea-
ter, Christian Pulisic injured his
left ankle early in the second half,
tried to continue and fell in a heap
during a sprint a few minutes later.
He was replaced in the 62nd min-
ute.
“When Christian goes down, it’s
always like, mmm, you take like a
deep breath because he’s our best
player,”Aaronson said.
Pepi, who scored the winning
penalty kick in last month’s Major
League Soccer All-Star Game
against Liga MX, at 18 years, 242
days became the second-youngest
American to appear in a qualifier
behind Pulisic at 17 years, 193 days
in March 2016.
The Dallas forward chose to play
for the U.S. over Mexico, the 65th
player to appear for the Americans
since the October 2017 loss at Trini-
dad and Tobago ended a streak of
seven straight World Cup appear-
ances. He was the 42nd since Ber-
halter was hired in December 2018.
“I feel like he had confidence in
me,” Pepi said, “so I just went out
there and do my thing.”
Berhalter made five lineup
changes, inserting Pepi, Bello,
Mark McKenzie and James Sands
for their qualifying debuts and
bringing back Josh Sargent, who
started the opener. They were part
of a lineup that averaged the young-
est ever for the U.S. in a qualifier at
23 years, 85 days, one that had Pu-
lisic, Tyler Adams and Kellyn
Acosta in a 3-5-2 formation, with
Adams playing wide on the right
rather than defensive midfield.
MOISES CASTILLO/AP
Ricardo Pepi, left, celebrates scoring the United States’ second goalagainst Honduras during a qualifying match for the World Cup in SanPedro Sula, Honduras, on Wednesday.
Robinson, Pepi helpUS flip on Honduras
BY RONALD BLUM
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Never fazed, rarely flummoxed,
Novak Djokovic is so collected in best-of-five-set
matches — even when falling behind, as he has done
repeatedly at the U.S. Open.
No opponent, or the prospect of what’s at stake, has
been too much to handle. Not yet, anyway. And now
he’s two wins away from the first calendar-year
Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969, along with a
men’s-record 21st major championship overall.
Djokovic ceded the opening set for the third con-
secutive match at Flushing Meadows — and ninth
time at a major in 2021 — but again it didn’t matter,
because he quickly corrected his strokes and beat No.
6seed Matteo Berrettini 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in a quarter-
final that began Wednesday night and concluded af-
ter midnight Thursday.
During his on-court interview, Djokovic cut off a
question, sensing where it was headed, and said: “Do
not ask me anything about history. I know it’s there.”
As he came back and improved to 26-0 in Grand
Slam play this season, Djokovic found every angle,
thwarted every big Berrettini shot and was so locked
in he dove and dropped his racket during one ex-
change yet scrambled, rose and reinserted himself in
the point. He lost it, but the message to his foe was un-
mistakable, essentially amounting to, “I will do what-
ever it takes.”
After 17 unforced errors in the first set, Djokovic
made a total of 11 the rest of the way.
“The best three sets I’ve played in the tournament,
for sure,” he said.
When Berrettini made one last stand, holding a
break point while trailing 4-2 in the third set, Djokovic
steadied himself. He let Berrettini put a backhand in-
to the net, then conjured up a 121 mph ace and a fore-
hand winner down the line to hold, then pointed his
right index finger to his ear — one of many gestures
asking the 20,299 in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands
for noise.
Four minutes later, that set was his. And 42 minutes
later, the match was.
“He has this ability — and probably that’s why he’s
the best ever — just to step up his game, his level, all
the time,” said Berrettini, who also lost to Djokovic af-
ter taking the first set of the Wimbledon final.
“Doesn’t matter how well I play, he just plays better.”
Djokovic already earned trophies on the Australian
Open’s hard courts in February, the French Open’s
clay courts in June and Wimbledon’s grass courts in
July.
Djokovic has added five victories on the U.S.
Open’s hard courts and now faces 2020 runner-up
Alexander Zverev in Friday’s semifinals. If Djokovic
can win that match and Sunday’s final, he will join
Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) as
the only men to claim all four major tennis singles tro-
phies in one season. (Three women have done it, most
recently Steffi Graf in 1988; Serena Williams’ bid in
2015 ended in the U.S. Open semifinals).
One more Slam title also will break the career mark
Djokovic shares with rivals Roger Federer and Ra-
fael Nadal.
Zverev goes into the semifinals on a 16-match win-
ning streak, including a 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 semifinal triumph
against Djokovic en route to the gold medal at the To-
kyo Olympics.
“I’m pumped,” Djokovic said, looking ahead to
what awaits. “The bigger the challenge, the more glo-
ry in overcoming it.”
The other men’s semifinal is No. 2 Daniil Medve-
dev, a two-time major finalist, against No. 12 Felix Au-
ger-Aliassime. They won their quarterfinals Tues-
day.
The No. 4-seeded Zverev, a 24-year-old German,
advanced Wednesday afternoon by beating Lloyd
Harris 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-4.
The women’s semifinals don’t feature similarly
ranked players.
Emma Raducanu,
an 18-year-old from Britain, is the first qualifier in
the professional era to reach the U.S. Open semifi-
nals. And she hasn’t even dropped a set yet.
Showing off the shots and poise of someone more
experienced, the 150th-ranked Raducanu became the
second unseeded teen in two days to secure a spot in
the final four, eliminating Tokyo Olympics gold med-
alist Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-4 in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Not bad for someone ranked outside the top 350 in
June after going about 1½ years without a match — in
part because of the coronavirus pandemic, in part be-
cause her parents wanted her to finish high school.
“I’m not here to chase any records right now,” said
Raducanu, only the third woman not ranked in the top
100 to make it this far at the U.S. Open and only the
fourth qualifier to advance to the semifinals at any
major tournament since the Open era began in 1968.
“I’m just taking care of what I can do (in) the mo-
ment.”
Raducanu has won all 16 sets she has contested
through eight matches in New York — three during
the qualifying rounds and another five in the main
draw. On Thursday, she will face No. 17 seed Maria
Sakkari of Greece, a semifinalist at this year’s French
Open.
Sakkari won 22 consecutive points she served in
one stretch and beat No. 4 Karolina Pliskova, a two-
time major runner-up, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday night to
follow up her victory over 2019 U.S. Open champion
Bianca Andreescu in the previous round.
“I’m impressed,” Sakkari said with a smile during
her on-court interview when she was informed of that
serving streak. “I trusted my serve, but now I’m going
to trust it even more.”
The other women’s semifinal will be 19-year-old
Leylah Fernandez of Canada against No. 2 seed Aryna
Sabalenka of Belarus.
Djokovic tops Berrettini,nears calendar-year Slam
FRANK FRANKLIN II/AP
Novak Djokovic reacts after scoring a point againstMatteo Berrettini during the quarterfinals of theU.S. Open on Thursday in New York.
BY HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press
PAGE 20 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
MLB
American League
East Division
W L Pct GB
Tampa Bay 88 52 .629 _
Boston 80 62 .563 9
New York 78 61 .561 9½
Toronto 76 62 .551 11
Baltimore 45 93 .326 42
Central Division
W L Pct GB
Chicago 80 59 .576 _
Cleveland 68 69 .496 11
Detroit 66 75 .468 15
Kansas City 62 77 .446 18
Minnesota 62 77 .446 18
West Division
W L Pct GB
Houston 81 58 .583 _
Seattle 76 64 .543 5½
Oakland 75 64 .540 6
Los Angeles 69 71 .493 12½
Texas 51 88 .367 30
National LeagueEast Division
W L Pct GB
Atlanta 73 65 .529 _
Philadelphia 71 68 .511 2½
New York 70 70 .500 4
Miami 58 81 .417 15½
Washington 58 81 .417 15½
Central Division
W L Pct GB
Milwaukee 86 55 .610 _
Cincinnati 74 67 .525 12
St. Louis 70 68 .507 14½
Chicago 65 76 .461 21
Pittsburgh 50 90 .357 35½
West Division
W L Pct GB
San Francisco 90 50 .643 _
Los Angeles 88 52 .629 2
San Diego 74 65 .532 15½
Colorado 63 77 .450 27
Arizona 45 95 .321 45
Wednesday’s games
Seattle 8, Houston 5Texas 8, Arizona 5Minnesota 3, Cleveland 0Detroit 5, Pittsburgh 1Boston 2, Tampa Bay 1Baltimore 9, Kansas City 8Toronto 6, N.Y. Yankees 3San Diego 8, L.A. Angels 5Oakland 5, Chicago White Sox 1San Francisco 7, Colorado 4Miami 2, N.Y. Mets 1, 10 inningsSt. Louis 5, L.A. Dodgers 4Chicago Cubs 4, Cincinnati 1, 10 inningsWashington 4, Atlanta 2Milwaukee 4, Philadelphia 3
Thursday’s games
Chicago White Sox at OaklandMinnesota at ClevelandKansas City at BaltimoreToronto at N.Y. YankeesL.A. Dodgers at St. LouisN.Y. Mets at MiamiColorado at PhiladelphiaWashington at Atlanta
Friday’s games
Toronto (Ray 11-5) at Baltimore (Ellis1-0)
Milwaukee (Houser 8-6) at Cleveland(Morgan 2-6)
N.Y. Yankees (Montgomery 5-5) at N.Y.Mets (Walker 7-9)
Tampa Bay (Wacha 3-4) at Detroit (Boyd3-8)
Boston (Houck 0-3) at Chicago White Sox(TBD)
Kansas City (Lynch 4-4) at Minnesota(TBD)
L.A. Angels (TBD) at Houston (Valdez 9-5)Texas (Otto 0-0) at Oakland (Blackburn 0-2)Arizona (Bumgarner 7-9) at Seattle
(Gonzales 7-5)San Francisco (TBD) at Chicago Cubs
(Hendricks 14-6)Washington (Gray 0-2) at Pittsburgh
(Brault 0-3)Colorado (Márquez 11-10) at Philadel-
phia (TBD)Miami (Rogers 7-6) at Atlanta (Anderson 6-5)Cincinnati (Mahle 11-5) at St. Louis (Les-
ter 5-6)San Diego (Musgrove 10-8) at L.A. Dodg-
ers (Urías 16-3)Saturday’s games
Texas at OaklandToronto at Baltimore, 2Milwaukee at ClevelandTampa Bay at DetroitBoston at Chicago White SoxKansas City at MinnesotaL.A. Angels at HoustonN.Y. Yankees at N.Y. MetsArizona at SeattleSan Francisco at Chicago CubsColorado at PhiladelphiaWashington at PittsburghCincinnati at St. LouisMiami at AtlantaSan Diego at L.A. Dodgers
Scoreboard
BOSTON — Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run
homer in the eighth inning and threw out Joey
Wendle trying for a triple from deep center
field for the final out of the ninth as the Boston
Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1
Wednesday night.
Renfore’s big bat and strong arm helped the
Red Sox avoid a three-game sweep against the
AL East-leading Rays.
He drove a hanging slider from JT Chargois
(5-1) over the Green Monster in left field just
after Boston had fallen behind in what had
been a scoreless tie through the first seven in-
nings.
The Red Sox pulled within nine games of
Tampa Bay for the division lead.
Garrett Richards (7-7) got the win, and Han-
sel Robles picked up his 12th save.
Blue Jays 6, Yankees 3: Vladimir Guerrero
Jr. hit his 41st homer, and visiting Toronto
knocked slumping New York out of the AL’s
top wild-card spot.
The Yankees have lost five straight and nine
of 11 since winning 13 in a row. This latest de-
feat dropped them a half-game behind Boston
for the first wild-card slot.
Padres 8, Angels 5: Yu Darvish threw six
strong innings for host San Diego, and Adam
Frazier had two hits and three RBIs during the
team’s eight-run second inning.
The Padres took a one-game lead over Cin-
cinnati for the NL’s second wild card. The
Reds lost 4-1 at the Chicago Cubs.
Athletics 5, White Sox 1: Matt Chapman
homered and Frankie Montas pitched seven
sparkling innings, helping host Oakland snap a
four-game losing streak.
Montas (12-9) allowed one run and six hits
in his third straight win. He got some help
from his defense, with the A’s turning inning-
ending double plays in three of the first four
frames.
Giants 7, Rockies 4: LaMonte Wade Jr. and
Evan Longoria each had two RBIs during San
Francisco’s four-run rally in the ninth inning
in a win at Colorado.
The streaking Giants (90-50) won their
fourth straight and became the first team in
the majors to win 90 games.
Cardinals 5, Dodgers 4: Adam Wainwright
pitched into the ninth inning, Yadier Molina
homered and host St. Louis stopped a four-
game slide.
Tyler O’Neill also connected for the Cardi-
nals, and Edmundo Sosa had an RBI single.
Cubs 4, Reds 1 (10): Jason Heyward hit a
three-run homer in the 10th inning to send
host Chicago to its eighth victory in nine
games.
Ian Happ homered for the third straight
game, extending his hitting streak to a career-
high nine games and helping the Cubs win
their third consecutive series.
Brewers 4, Phillies 3: Eduardo Escobar hit
a tiebreaking solo homer for host Milwaukee
in the sixth inning.
Nationals 4, Braves 2: Juan Soto crushed a
go-ahead homer in the seventh inning, and
Washington relied on its bullpen after Sean
Nolin’s first-inning ejection in a win at Atlanta.
Twins 3, Indians 0: Joe Ryan carried a per-
fect game into the seventh inning of his second
big league appearance, leading Minnesota to
the victory at Cleveland.
Mariners 8, Astros 5: José Marmolejos hit
a tiebreaking two-run single for visiting Seat-
tle with two outs in the ninth inning, and J.P.
Crawford padded the lead with a two-run
homer in a win at Houston.
Rangers 8, Diamondbacks 5: Nathaniel
Lowe had three hits, Jose Trevino drove in
three runs and visiting Texas matched a sea-
son high with its fourth straight win.
Orioles 9, Royals 8: Kelvin Gutierrez hit a
tying two-run single in host Baltimore’s nine-
run eighth inning.
Tigers 5, Pirates 1: Miguel Cabrera and
Robbie Grossman each had four hits, helping
Detroit avoid a series sweep at Pittsburgh.
Renfroe’s HR sends Red Sox past Rays
WINSLOW TOWNSON/AP
Boston’s Kyle Schwarber, Bobby Dalbec andChristian Vazquez, from left, dump wateronto teammate Hunter Renfroe after theteam’s 21 win over Tampa Bay.
Associated Press
ROUNDUP
MIAMI — Bryan De La Cruz
had three hits, including a game-
winning single off the center-field
fence in the bottom of the 10th in-
ning that gave the Miami Marlins
a 2-1 victory over the New York
Mets on Wednesday night.
Miami starter Sandy Alcantara
struck out a career-best 14 and al-
lowed one run in nine innings. The
right-hander gave up four hits,
walked one and hit a batter with a
pitch. His 114 pitches also were a
career high.
“Everything was good today —
my four-seam, two-seam, slider,
changeup,” Alcantara said. “I had
a great combination working.”
Automatic runner Jazz Chish-
olm Jr. advanced to third on Mag-
neuris Sierra’s sacrifice bunt
against reliever Edwin Díaz (5-6)
in the 10th. Jesús Sánchez struck
out before De La Cruz drilled
Díaz’s pitch over the head of cen-
ter fielder Albert Almora Jr.
With two outs and first base
open, New York manager Luis Ro-
jas made the questionable deci-
sion to let Díaz face De La Cruz,
who raised his batting average to
.342, rather than walk him and
pitch instead to lefty-swinging Le-
win Díaz, a .108 hitter.
“We always like Díaz. You trust
your closer there in a matchup
righty-righty,” Rojas said. “The
one thing that gets Díaz in trouble
is his command. We’ve seen that.
We went with the matchup and
trusted Díaz to get De La Cruz in
that situation.”
For De La Cruz, the game-win-
ning hit helped overcome his pre-
vious at-bat, when he grounded in-
to a double play to end the eighth.
“I didn’t come through in the
eighth and I had to come through
in that moment,” De La Cruz said.
“I was just looking for the best
pitch, and make contact.”
De La Cruz lifts Marlins in 10thMets’ center fielder hitsgame-winning single inwin over New York Mets
Associated Press
WILFREDO LEE/AP
Miami Marlins right fielder Jesus Sanchez makes a diving catch on a ball by New York Mets’ Pete Alonsoduring the fourth inning of the Marlins’ 21 win Wednesday in Miami.
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 21
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME/GOLF
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Derek Jeter was simply
Derek Jeter on his special day — smooth as silk.
On a Wednesday afternoon that turned cloudy with
the temperature in the 70s and a few sprinkles in the air
and adoring fans chanting his name, the former New
York Yankees star shortstop and captain was inducted
into the Baseball Hall of Fame after a long wait necessi-
tated by the pandemic.
Greeted by raucous cheers in a crowd estimated at
20,000 that included NBA luminaries Michael Jordan
and Patrick Ewing, several of his former teammates,
and Hall of Fame Yankees manager Joe Torre on the
stage behind him, Jeter took his turn after fellow induc-
tees from the class of 2020 Ted Simmons, Larry Walker
and the late Marvin Miller were honored. Jeter was
touched by the moment and acknowledged how differ-
ent the ceremony seemed in the wake of the recent
deaths of 10 Hall of Famers.
“I’m so honored to be inducted with you guys and
linked to you forever,” he said. “The Hall of Fame is
special because of those who are in it. We’ve lost way
too many Hall of Famers over the last 20 months. These
are all Hall of Famers who would have or could have
been here, so for that reason it’s not the same.”
The ceremony was delayed a year because of the
coronavirus pandemic and it didn’t matter much to
Walker, the second Canadian elected to the Hall of
Fame. He gave up hockey when he was 16 to focus on
baseball. He was selected in his 10th and final year on
the writers’ ballot after a stellar career with Montreal,
Colorado and St. Louis that included 383 homers and
three batting titles.
“It’s taken a little longer to reach this day (but) for all
your support I’ve received throughout the years from
my home country, I share this honor with every Cana-
dian,” said Walker, who retired in 2005. “I hope that all
you Canadian kids out there that have dreams of play-
ing in the big leagues, that see me here today gives you
another reason to go after those dreams. To my adopt-
ed home, the United States, I thank you for allowing
this Canadian kid to come into your country to live and
play your great pastime. I think we’re all pretty fortu-
nate to have two amazing countries side by side.”
The 72-year-old Simmons, who starred in a 21-year
career with the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee and At-
lanta, punctuated his speech to thank four pioneers of
free agency — Curt Flood, Catfish Hunter, Andy Mess-
ersmith and Marvin Miller — “who changed the lives
of every player on this stage today by pushing the
boundaries of player rights.”
“Marvin Miller made so much possible for every
major league player from my era to the present and the
future,” the former catcher said. “I could not be more
proud to enter this great hall with this great man. Even
though my path has been on the longer side, I wouldn’t
change a thing. However we get here, none of us ar-
rives alone. I’m no exception.”
Miller, who transformed baseball on the labor front
by building a strong players union and led the charge
for free agency in the mid-1970s, was honored posthu-
mously.
HANS PENNINK/AP
Hall of Fame inductees, from left, Derek Jeter, Donald Fehr accepting for the late Marvin Miller, LarryWalker and Ted Simmons hold their plaques at the induction ceremony Wednesday in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Delayed but not denied:Baseball honors inducteesFans turn out for Hall of Fame induction for Jeter, Simmons, Walker and Miller
BY JOHN KEKIS
Associated Press
HANS PENNINK/AP
Noel Stazko of East Meadow, N.Y., left, stands inline with a cardboard cutout of Derek Jeter whiletalking with Peter Didier, of Charlotte, N.C., at theBaseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The only experience that mat-
ters to Ryder Cup captain Steve
Stricker is how the youngest U.S.
team in history prepares for Whis-
tling Straits in a bid to win back
that shiny gold chalice.
Equipped with the most cap-
tain’s picks in Ryder Cup history,
Stricker added four more rookies
to his team on Tuesday to join the
six players who earned automatic
spots. His six selections included
obvious choices and, as always, a
few that could have gone either
way.
Among those left out was Pa-
trick Reed.
Stricker chose the next four
players in the Ryder Cup stand-
ings — Tony Finau, Xander
Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and
Harris English — along with Da-
niel Berger and Scottie Scheffler.
“We are looking to the best play-
ers to perform here at Whistling
Straits, and these six guys that we
picked we feel like fit Whistling
Straits to a T,” Stricker said.
Missing was Reed, who thrives
in team events with his bullish per-
sonality and great short game. He
has a 7-3-2 record in three previ-
ous Ryder Cups and is undefeated
in singles.
Reed, however, hasn’t seriously
contended in the 18 tournaments
he has played since his lone victory
at Torrey Pines. Of greater con-
cern to Stricker was his health.
Reed was hospitalized for five
days with pneumonia in his lower
lungs that made him fear for his
life, missing the final two qualify-
ing events. He returned at the Tour
Championship and tied for 17th in
actual score against a 30-man
field.
“That was a very, very difficult
call — kind of lost sleep over that
one,” Stricker said. “He’s a tre-
mendous competitor. He brings a
lot to match-play golf. His record
here at the Ryder Cup is pretty
darned good. ... It was just the un-
certainty of his health and really
the lack of play that led to our deci-
sion down the stretch.”
Stricker made it clear he wanted
players whose game suited Whis-
tling Straits — a course along the
bluffs of Lake Michigan that tends
to favor power — and said he want-
ed his players to know it well ahead
of the Sept. 24-26 matches.
All 12 players and their caddies
are expected for a two-day prac-
tice session over the weekend.
“My message from day one has
been to try to out-prepare the other
team,” he said.
The six picks join six who
earned automatic spots — Collin
Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bry-
son DeChambeau, Brooks Koep-
ka, Justin Thomas and Patrick
Cantlay.
All are among the top 21 in the
world ranking. Six have never
played in a Ryder Cup. Eight are
still in their 20s, and the average
age (29) is the youngest ever for
the Americans.
“I think it’s a good time for a
younger influx of players,” said
Schauffele, the 27-year-old Cali-
fornian and Olympic gold medal-
ist.
Stricker said U.S. rookies have
compiled a 40-29-17 record in the
Ryder Cup dating to 2008.
Europe, which has won nine of
the last 12 dating to 1995 and is
coming off a sound victory in Paris,
does not finalize its team until after
this week’s BMW PGA Champion-
ship at Wentworth. Nine players
earn spots, and Padraig Harring-
ton has three captain’s picks.
The six rookies are the most for
an American team since 2008.
Rookie numbers: U.S.Ryder Cup team willinclude 6 newcomers
BY DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press
PHOTOS BY JULIO CORTEZ/AP
Scottie Scheffler, above, andDaniel Berger, below, are two ofthe six rookies named Tuesdayfor the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
PAGE 22 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
NFL
of the year.”
Adds Browns safety John Johnson III,
who jumped conferences this season, sign-
ing with Cleveland as a free agent after four
years with the Rams:
“You got some big-time contenders —
even just in this division alone. And then
you look at Buffalo and Kansas City and you
never know who else in that division with
Kansas City can come alive. Denver can
come alive, so I think it is pretty competi-
tive, and it’s a different game.”
A different game in every way, because
the continuing COVID-19 pandemic likely
will be a factor as the NFL plays a 17-game
regular season for the first time.
Vaccinated players have a distinct free-
dom advantage in how they can conduct
their lives — at least for now — compared to
the unvaccinated. More than 93% of the
players have gotten the vaccine, but it
doesn’t take much to cause an outbreak, as
the Titans and Cowboys witnessed during
the preseason.
“There’s people’s livelihoods at stake in
terms of people’s jobs,” Bills coach Sean
McDermott said late last month; Buffalo
has had one of the lowest vaccination rates
of the 32 teams. “Being able to count on peo-
ple is important, so when you’re going
through a week — if this were a real week —
and having the players out that we’ve had,
that makes it harder to win games that
way.”
Injuries, of course, will also be a key fac-
tor; they always are. One of the most da-
maging last season was the severe ankle in-
jury for Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott.
He’s been hampered by shoulder issues this
summer, so the spotlight Thursday night
was firmly on him when the Cowboys
kicked off the schedule at Tampa Bay.
Oh, that 44-year-old Tom Brady guy be-
hind center for the Buccaneers might grab
some attention, too.
Seven head coaches debut, with Urban
Meyer in Jacksonville the headliner follow-
ing his success — and wanderlust — in the
college game. Four of what figure to be the
worst teams in the league have new men in
charge: Nick Sirianni with the Eagles, Rob-
ert Saleh with the Jets, Dan Campbell with
the Lions, and the Texans’ David Culley, the
only African American to get one of the sev-
en openings. Arthur Smith takes over the
Falcons, Brandon Staley the Chargers.
The league plans to return to London for
games a year after moving those back to
U.S. home stadiums. Those matches have
Jets vs. Falcons and Dolphins vs. Jaguars in
October.
One more very noticeable — and notable
— scheduling item: The Super Bowl in Los
Angeles will be played later than ever, Feb.
13. That’s smack in the middle of the Winter
Olympics in Beijing.
By then, the AFC will have sorted out its
impressive collection of contenders. Don’t
be surprised if the conference winner finds
Brady and the Bucs or Aaron Rodgers and
the Packers as the opponent.
Power: Aside from Bucs andPackers, NFC lacks contendersFROM PAGE 24
JUSTIN REX/AP
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, at 44 years old, will attempt to guide Tampa Bayto a second straight Super Bowl victory. The Buccaneers are favorites in the NFC South.
Friday, September 10, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 23
NFL
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland
Browns quarterback Baker May-
field spent his Labor Day weekend
in Montana bonding and relaxing
with teammates Odell Beckham Jr.,
Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper
and their families in the shadow of
the Rocky Mountains.
This week’s destination won’t be
so serene.
The Browns are on their way
back to Kansas City’s rowdy Arro-
whead Stadium, where Cleveland’s
2020 season ended with a division-
al-round playoff loss and where its
2021 season — one with Super Bowl
hopes — starts.
In January, Arrowhead had only
17,000 fans due to COVID-19 proto-
cols. On Sunday, it will be at full-
throated capacity, 76,000 strong.
“I can only imagine how loud it’s
going to be,” Mayfield said.
It’s an imposing opener for the
Browns, who went toe to toe with
the two-time defending AFC cham-
pions on Jan. 17 before falling 22-17
in a game that wasn’t decided until
Chiefs backup quarterback Chad
Henne converted a fourth-down
pass to Tyreek Hill with just over a
minute left.
As it has tried to look forward,
Cleveland has been forced to relive
a loss that lingers and also provided
offseason motivation.
“I just hold onto the feeling of how
I felt, and the team did the same
thing after that game,” said running
back Nick Chubb, who said he felt
he could have done more. “We
knew how we felt and we didn’t
want to experience it anymore.
Overall it was a great learning expe-
rience for us.”
The Browns aren’t viewing this
season opener as a chance for pay-
back as much as a first step toward
their ultimate goal.
After ending what had been the
NFL’s longest playoff drought and
then winning a postseason game for
the first time since 1994, Cleveland
is a legitimate contender to win it
all.
The Browns have been lumped
with the Bills, Titans, Colts and Dol-
phins as teams considered capable
of dethroning Kansas City, which is
seeking its third straight confer-
ence crown.
“The gold standard,” Mayfield
said when asked about facing the
Chiefs in Week 1. “They’ve been the
top of the top in the AFC for the past
decade or so. They’re highly com-
petitive, so it’s good for us to play
somebody like that.”
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes,
his profusion of playmakers and an
underrated KC defense will pro-
vide an early measuring stick.
Cleveland recovered from a 38-6
thumping by Baltimore in the 2020
opener to go 11-5 and earn a wild-
card berth. Then, after upsetting
Pittsburgh on the road, the Browns
were in position to dethrone the
Chiefs.
But a sluggish start, a fumble by
wide receiver Rashard Higgins at
the goal line and the inability to stop
the 36-year-old Henne, who had re-
placed an injured Mahomes,
doomed the Browns.
Along with the Chiefs, and all the
problems they create with the inim-
itable Mahomes, Hill’s blazing
speed and tight end Travis Kelce’s
knack for big plays, the Arrowhead
din can unglue teams.
The Browns have been blasting
artificial crowd noise during their
practices for two weeks. But noth-
ing can replicate taking the field at
Arrowhead.
Mayfield said preparation will be
key to managing in the angry red
sea of spectators.
“We have to know our game plan
inside and out to where if a guy does
not hear complete calls, they know
exactly where to fill in the pieces,”
he said. “We just have to be great at
communication, getting lined up
quick to where we have to change or
fix something and we can do it effi-
ciently.
“It is not like we are going to be
shocked by the environment. We
know exactly what we are stepping
into. We just have to do our job.”
CHARLIE RIEDEL/AP
Cleveland Browns cornerback M.J. Stewart Jr., foreground, reacts on the field after a 2217 divisionalplayoff loss to the Chiefs on Jan. 17 in Kansas City.
Browns returning torowdy KC for opener2021 Season begins for Cleveland in the same place where it ended last season
BY TOM WITHERS
Associated Press Cleveland Browns
at Kansas City ChiefsAFN-Sports
10:25 p.m. Sunday CET5:25 a.m. Monday JKT
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Ste-
fon Diggs no longer needs to worry
about whether he’ll be accepted in
Buffalo.
If the record-setting production
the receiver put up last year in his
first season with the Bills wasn’t
enough, whatever lingering appre-
hensions Diggs might have had
were put to rest Tuesday, when he
arrived for practice and learned he
had been voted one of team’s eight
captains.
“I was kind of taken back a little
bit because I’ve never been in that
role,” Diggs said, noting he doesn’t
recall ever earning that distinction
even in high school, where the best
player is named captain usually by
default.
“It means even more now just as
far as being acknowledged by your
peers,” he added, with Buffalo pre-
paring to open its season hosting
Pittsburgh on Sunday. “The fact
that they trust you in the biggest
moments and they trust you on a
daily basis that you’re going to do
the right thing on and off the field,
yeah, I was happy.”
Numbers, apparently, don’t
mean everything for a player com-
ing off a season in which he became
Buffalo’s first to lead the NFL in
yards receiving (1,535) and catches
(127).
What mattered just as much to
Diggs was validation in pursuing
his fresh start upon being acquired
by Buffalo in a trade with Minneso-
ta. Even before learning of the
trade, Diggs had begun a concerted
effort to break from his past — he
referenced reading “Leadership
For Dummies” — to evolve from
the mercurial player he was during
his first five seasons with the Vik-
ings.
There were times he’d sulk be-
cause of a lack of targets, leading to
a rift between Diggs and quarter-
back Kirk Cousins. He was disci-
plined by Minnesota for skipping
practice following a loss and amid
speculation he wanted out a month
into the 2019 season.
Diggs worried his reputation for
being a diva would follow him to
Buffalo by saying, “I was scared to
be the red-headed stepchild.”
His concerns couldn’t have been
further from the truth in how his
new teammates, starting with
quarterback Josh Allen, immedi-
ately embraced him.
“I tell him all the time, he’s my fa-
vorite No. 1 receiver I’ve played
with,” said fellow receiver Cole
Beasley, who played alongside Dez
Bryant and Amari Cooper during
his first seven seasons in Dallas.
“I love everything about the guy.
He’s been nothing but spectacular
since he’s been here on and off the
field,” Beasley added. “I don’t
know why he would think he would
be a stepchild here. He came right
in and fit right in.”
Coordinator Brian Daboll put
aside any preconceived notions
about Diggs upon his arriva.
“I love the guy, I love the player,
but really it was more about rela-
tionship and getting to know one
another, building a level of trust,”
Daboll said.
“He’s a man of integrity and loy-
alty,” he added. “He bonded well
with the coaching staff and the
players, and we let him be him.
Then his talent took over and he’s
got some high energy out there that
a lot of the guys feed off of, so I can
see why he was voted captain.”
ELISE AMENDOLA/AP
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs became the first Buffalo Bills widereceiver to lead the league in yards receiving and catches last seasonand was named one of the team’s captains this season.
Being named one ofBills captains isvalidation for Diggs
BY JOHN WAWROW
Associated Press Pittsburgh Steelers
at Buffalo BillsAFN-Sports
7 p.m. Sunday CET2 a.m. Monday JKT
“You want the road to the Super Bowl, the road to where we want to get to, to be as hard as possible. ...We have to go out here every single day and work as hard as we can and not take any days for granted.”
Kevin Byard
Tennessee Titans Safety
PAGE 24 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Friday, September 10, 2021
SPORTSTwo wins from history
Djokovic improves to 26-0 this seasonin Grand Slam play ›› US Open, Page 19
Wait for Hall of Fame induction over for Jeter, others ›› MLB, Page 21
It’s almost as if the NFL is emulating college football
heading into the 2021 season. Yes, the Buccaneers
are the defending champions and the Packers de-
servedly have title aspirations.
The rest of the NFC, well, it looks more like Conference
USA in comparison to the AFC, the professional version
of the SEC. It is that lopsided.
Consider the likes of the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, Browns,
Steelers, Titans, Colts, Dolphins, Patriots and Chargers.
All have their supporters as Super Bowl contenders, with
Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore and Cleveland ahead of a
packed field.
On the other side, it’s a different story.
It’s difficult to take any team in the NFC East or North
(aside from Green Bay) seriously. While the NFC West is
strong and will be tightly contested, the Rams, Seahawks,
49ers and Cardinals have major questions that the Bucs,
who brought back virtually everyone — a rare feat for a
Super Bowl winner — and the Packers pretty much al-
ready have answered.
“You want the road to the Super Bowl, the road to
where we want to get to, to be as hard as possible,” says
Titans safety Kevin Byard. “I think that’s something we
can be proud of, and it also keeps us on our toes to let us
know, ‘Hey there’s a lot of competition out there for the
AFC championship or just the Super Bowl.’ We have to go
out here every single day and work as hard as we can and
not take any days for granted. Because at the end of the
day ... it’s a crowded race, it’s kind of like a horse race ...
You got to keep going on.
“It’s not one of those deals where you can get ahead
early and think you can slack off. No, every single day we
have to put the work in and not necessarily really get
caught up on who’s 5-0 early in the year, just keeping our
heads down working and we’ll see where we’re at the end
Imbalance of powerBucs may be champs, but NFC just doesn’t measure up to deeper, more talented AFC
BY BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
SEE POWER ON PAGE 22
NFL