The Washington Post | February 16, 2023

58 Pages·2023·16.717 MB·English

by  The Washington Post

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Prices may vary in areas outside metropolitan Washington. RE V1 V2 V3 V4
Showers 66/59 " Tomorrow: Rain, windy 63/30 B6 Democracy Dies in Darkness thursday, february 16, 2023 . $3
New data CBO
unearths
sounds
gouging
default
of glacier
alarm
Warming oceans that are
cutting into ice raise risk
of major sea level rise
tIMetABLe Set
At 5 tO 7 MONtHS
BY CHRIS MOONEY Projection adds urgency
rapidly warming oceans are for a deal on debt ceiling
cutting into the underside of the
Earth9s widest glacier, startling
new data and images show, leav- BY TONY ROMM
ing the ice more prone to fractur-
ing and ultimately heightening The united states risks a cata-
the risk for major sea level rise. strophic default between July
using an underwater robot at and september if the nation9s
Thwaites Glacier, researchers debt limit isn9t raised in time,
have determined that warm wa- according to a projection re-
ter is getting channeled into cre- leased Wednesday by the nonpar-
vasses in what the researchers tisan Congressional Budget of-
called <terraces= 4 essentially, fice, offering a clearer estimate of
upside-down trenches 4 and salwan GEoRGEs/ThE washInGTon PosT the deadline that Washington
carving out gaps under the ice. As faces to avert a costly political
the ice then flows toward the sea, and economic crisis.
these channels enlarge and be- 8We have food, we have tents, The new timetable came as the
come spots where the floating ice top budgetary scorekeeper on
shelf can break apart and pro- Capitol Hill delivered a grim
duce huge icebergs. if the remain- assessment about the country9s
ing shelf is further undermined, but we can9t ûnd our relatives9 fiscal health, estimating that the
Thwaites Glacier will flow into government could add nearly
the ocean faster and boost global $19 trillion in new debt over the
sea levels on a large scale. next decade if it stays on its
The results from overlapping current course.
teams of more than two dozen For Congress, the most im-
scientists, published Wednesday BY LOUISA LOVELUCK As hope runs out ing through the wreckage. The mis- mediate challenge is the debt
in two papers in the journal Na- iN isLAHiyE, TurkEy sion now is one of closure 4 finding ceiling, which limits how much
for quake survivors,
ture, reveal the extent to which bodies to give loved ones something to the government can borrow to
human-caused warming could The patch of land not 100 yards a Turkish family mourn. pay its bills. Lawmakers may
destabilize glaciers in West Ant- from sakine Demir9s home has be- <The search-and-rescue phase is have as few as five months to
awaits closure
arctica that could ultimately raise come a viewing deck for her family as now coming to an end,= Tedros Adha- raise or suspend the cap, which
sEE glacIer oN a11 rescue workers comb the rubble for nom Ghebreyesus, secretary general of republicans have refused to do
her body. the World Health organization, said unless they can first secure steep
Green bonds: Everyday investors unable to reach sakine, 65, in the relatives of sakine demir Wednesday. <But for WHo, the task of spending cuts. it is a demand
can help fund the climate fight. A10 days after Turkey9s earthquakes, her grieve sunday outside saving lives is only just beginning.= in sEE debt oN a18
relatives flocked to this small moun- Islahiye, turkey. demir and a visit to Malatya, Turkish Culture
tain town, praying she might still be her youngest daughter have Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy urged
alive beneath her house. Her youngest been missing since last week9s those who still had homes deemed safe
A wave of daughter, semra, was down there with earthquakes, even as rescue by authorities to return to them, <in Familiar
her, they believed. After a week of workers continue to search order to start getting back to normal.=
searching, rescuers have found no the rubble of their home. But with more than 35,000 dead in
pushback trace of them. yet here, and across this Turkey and so many still unaccounted terror for
ravaged region, workers are still sift- sEE turkey oN a16
on election a freshman
deniers at MSU
McPherson Square homeless encampment cleared
State officials, allies Emma Riddle hid in the
work to reverse a tide of dark as a killer roamed.
misinformation, mistrust Amid protests, It wasn9t her first time.
Park Service evicts
dozens from downtown
BY AMY GARDNER, BY JOHN WOODROW COX
PATRICK MARLEY AND
YVONNE WINGETT SANCHEZ Emma riddle had felt this fear
BY MARISSA J. LANG before.
When the new Arizona attor- it was just past 8:30 Monday
ney general took office last After two weeks of intense out- night, and the freshman at Michi-
month, she repurposed a unit reach and citywide hand-wring- gan state university was in her
once exclusively devoted to root- ing over the future of the homeless dorm room, staring at an email on
ing out election fraud to focus on campers at McPherson square, her phone. shots had been fired on
voting rights and ballot access. the National Park service evicted campus.
in North Carolina on Tuesday, dozens of people from their down- <secure-in-Place immediately,=
the state Board of Elections be- town tents Wednesday morning it read. <run, Hide, Fight.=
gan proceedings that could end and arrested two men who refused Emma, 18, took a screenshot
with the removal of a county to leave. and texted it to her parents.
election officer who had refused Five hours after the clearing <i9m sorry babe,= her dad, Matt
to certify the 2022 results even as began, Park Police hauled the fi- riddle, wrote back. <Let9s hope it is
he acknowledged the lack of evi- nal, handcuffed resident out of the nothing.=
dence of irregularities. park amid some onlookers9 chants His daughter called a few min-
Also this week, a group of of <shame.= The two men, charged utes later. it wasn9t nothing.
secretaries of state will showcase with violation of the park closure, <There9s an active shooter,= she
a <Democracy Playbook= that in- were later released. The encamp- whispered, hiding beneath her
cludes stronger protections for ment, the largest in the nation9s desk, the lights off and the win-
election workers and penalties capital, became a political flash dows covered. <i can9t believe this
for those who spread misinfor- point in recent weeks as homeless is happening again.=
mation. residents and their advocates ap- sEE rIddle oN a8
These actions and others re- pealed to the mayor, President MIchaEl s. wIllIaMson/ThE washInGTon PosT
flect a growing effort among state Biden and other officials to halt crews remove a tent and clothing where a woman who was among the scores of people living in a Call to action: a generation raised
sEE electIoN oN a4 sEE McPhersoN oN a6 homeless encampment in McPherson square was evicted Wednesday by the National Park service. on lockdowns wants change. A9
In the News Inside
charging network to advocates of criminal
all drivers of electric justice transparency
vehicles. A17 launched a national
The nATion The world shou Zi chew, chief network of court watch- loCAl livinG
republicans are tar- a couple sought to turn executive of TikTok, ers with a little celebrity Going biodynamic
geting drag shows early a Marshall Islands atoll has launched an aggres- help. B1 how to transform your
in the legislative session into a paradise for Chi- sive push to convince a d.c. police lieuten- garden so it9s in sync
with at least 26 bills in nese investors 4 until Congress and state gov- ant warned Enrique with the environment.
14 states. A3 they were arrested. A14 ernors that the company Tarrio, the leader
the gunman who scottish leader Nicola is not a national security of the Proud Boys, days sTyle
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killed 10 Black people at Sturgeon announced threat. A22 in advance that he
a Buffalo supermarket her resignation, citing would be arrested for During Fashion week,
in May was sentenced the demands of the job The reGion his actions after a pro- familiar meets fabulous
to life in prison without and a polarizing politi- Warrenton Town Trump rally, according at an nyc starbucks. C1
parole. A7 cal environment. A15 Council members ap- to testimony. B1
proved plans for an
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A2 eZ re the washington post .thursday, february 16, 2023
KLMNO Haley draws implicit contrasts with Trump as she starts 2024 bid
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BY DYLAN WELLS entitlements and not supporting
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send us an email at CHARLESTON, S.C. 4 Former accused her of being weak on
[email protected] or call U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley immigration.
202-334-6100 or 800-477-4679 kicked off her presidential cam- Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a
paign Wednesday, plunging into close ally of both Trump and
TO SUBScRIBE
competition against Donald Haley, came out in support of
800-753-Post (7678)
Trump with a speech that sought Haley9s campaign Wednesday,
TO ADVERTISE an implicit contrast but stopped marking her first endorsement
washingtonpost.com/mediakit
short of directly attacking the from a congressional lawmaker
Classified: 202-334-6200
former president. from her home state. Norman
display: 202-334-7642
Speaking at the open-air introduced Haley at her speech
MAIN PHONE NUMBER Charleston Visitor Center, be- Wednesday. <What we are kicking
202-334-6000
neath a large sign reading <Nikki off today will make history,= he
TO REAcH THE NEWSROOM Haley for President,= the onetime said, later thanking Trump for his
Metro: 202-334-7300; governor of this state said: <We9re service.
[email protected] ready, ready to move past the <We are at a pivotal point in
national: 202-334-7410; stale ideas and faded names of our nation. While the Republican
[email protected] the past. And we are more than candidates, values, and messages
business: 202-334-7320; ready for a new generation to have done very well here in South
[email protected] lead us into the future.= Support- Carolina, that hasn9t been the
sports: 202-334-7350; ers waved blue-and-white signs case everywhere across our great
[email protected] and small U.S. flags to cheer her nation,= Norman tweeted earlier
investigative: 202-334-6179; on. Wednesday. He added: <It9s time
[email protected] The speech served as the for a reset and a new chapter in
style: 202-334-7535; launch event for Haley9s long-an- national Republican politics, and
[email protected] ticipated campaign, which she there9s no better person to help
reader advocate: 202-334-7582; begins as an underdog. She an- write that new chapter than our
[email protected] nounced in a video released Tues- sean rayford for the Washington Post former governor and my good
day that she was running for Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley holds a campaign event in Charleston, S.C. She is the first friend, Nikki Haley!=
TO REAcH THE OPINION PAGES president, following through on declared opponent to former president Donald Trump in the Republican primary. The Rev. John C. Hagee, head
Letters to the editor:
expected plans to be the first of Christians United for Israel,
[email protected] or call
declared opponent to Trump in post at the United Nations. Biden and Vice President Harris The primary field is expected kicked off the event with a prayer.
202-334-6215
the Republican primary. The video Haley released em- by name Wednesday, saying: <Our to expand in the coming months, In 2008, Sen. John McCain (R-
opinion:
[email protected] Haley9s approach is in line with phasized her gender and her leaders are failing us. And no one and Haley enters the race as an Ariz.) rejected the controversial
many other prominent Republi- family9s immigrant roots, as did embodies that failure more than underdog 4 a position her sup- pastor9s endorsement while run-
Published daily (issn 0190-8286).
PostMaster: send address changes to cans looking at challenging her speech Wednesday. Joe Biden.= As she pitched herself porters say she is used to over- ning for president, after a record-
the Washington Post, 1301 K st. nW, Washington, Trump, who have mostly avoided <May the best woman win,= she as the future of Republican lead- coming. Haley frequently re- ing was published in which Hag-
d.C. 20071.
Periodicals postage paid in Washington, d.C., and direct public criticism of him. said in her address, before stating ership, Haley pinned the coun- marks that she has never lost an ee suggested the Nazis were ful-
additional mailing office. The strategies echo those of the that <this is not about identity try9s faults on Biden, socialism election, ever since her first up- filling God9s will by hastening the
2016 primary, when many Repub- politics. I don9t believe in that. and <self-loathing,= adding: hill campaign for the state House Jews to return to Israel.
licans avoided going after Trump, And I don9t believe in glass ceil- <America is not past our prime. of Representatives against a long- After taking the stage to the
fearing a direct conflict and alien- ings either.= It9s just that our politicians are time incumbent. song <Eye of the Tiger,= Haley
ating a base of support that could If she wins the GOP primary, past theirs.= Haley has shifted her posture thanked Hagee, saying, <I still say
eventually be up for grabs. Trump Haley would become the first <We won9t win the fight for the toward Trump over the years, I want to be you when I grow up.=
won the nomination, thanks in woman and first Asian American 21st century if we keep trusting initially criticizing him when he Before Haley9s event, support-
no small measure to fractured to lead the party9s ticket. She was politicians from the 20th cen- ran in 2016, then joining his ers on-site said they were eager to
resistance to him in the party as the country9s first female Asian tury,= she said. administration. She said she hear from her. Mary Ann Walkup,
many rivals sought to sidestep American governor and the first At one point, Haley offered a would not run in 2024 if Trump a retired teacher from Williston,
him. Indian American to serve in the pointed message to GOP primary did, then walked back her com- S.C., said she looked forward to
Some, such as former Mary- Cabinet, and she has framed her- voters. <I have a particular mes- ments. At times, she has harshly hearing about Haley9s platform
land governor Larry Hogan, have self as a trailblazer. sage for my fellow Republicans: criticized the former president on foreign policy and the gas and
been blunter Trump critics. Yet <Take it from me, the first We9ve lost the popular vote in and his rhetoric, aligning with oil industry.
those seen in the party as holding minority female governor in his- seven of the last eight presiden- him in other instances. A Trump supporter in the 2016
the best chance of defeating tory: America is not a racist tial elections,= she said, repeating <She started out as a Never primary, Walkup said the 45th
Trump, including Florida Gov. country,= she said to applause. a theme from her announcement Trumper before resigning to president <did wonderful things
Ron DeSantis, who early polling <This self-loathing is a virus more video. Trump lost the popular serve in the Trump admin,= Taylor for our country.= This time, how-
shows would be a formidable dangerous than any pandemic.= vote twice. Budowich, the head of the pro- ever, she said, <I think the Repub-
Trump opponent, have stuck to Haley, 51, is among the young- She challenged Republicans to Trump Make America Great lican Party needs a new direction,
Download The building their brands and high- est Republicans who have shown channel their anger with recent Again PAC, said in a statement and I think Nikki Haley is the
lighting implicit distinctions, interest in winning the presiden- electoral defeats. <Our cause is Tuesday. <Now she9s telling us she direction we need to go in.=
Washington Post app
such as DeSantis9s landslide elec- cy in 2024. In her address, she right, but we have failed to win represents a 8new generation.9 Anastasia Jones, a preschool
tion win in a year when many embraced term limits for mem- the confidence of a majority of Sure looks like more of the same, teacher from Charleston who9s
stay informed with award-winning
other Republicans aligned with bers of Congress and called for Americans. Well, that ends to- a career politician whose only backing Haley, said: <I think that
national and international news,
Trump and his ideas lost. <mandatory mental competency day,= Haley said. <If you9re tired of fulfilled commitment is to her- she has the experience, and yet
PLUs complete local news coverage
Haley9s only mention of tests for politicians over 75 years losing, put your trust in a new self.= she is a little bit younger. I don9t
of the d.C. metro area. Create
Trump9s name in her speech came old.= President Biden is 80, and generation. And if you want to After the event, Trump9s cam- think that someone needs to be in
customized news alerts, save
when she reminded her audience Trump is 76. win 4 not just as a party, but as a paign in an email hit Haley for their late 70s or 80s to have the
articles for offline reading in My
that he nominated her for her Haley repeatedly criticized country 4 stand with me.= previously supporting changes to experience to do the job.=
Post, browse the daily print edition
and scroll through our the discover
tab to find stories that interest you.
free to download on the app store Senators balk at White House runs, defying history and ego alike
and Play store, subscribers enjoy
unlimited access.
Eight years ago, very early. I think this is a late-
@PKCapitol
the last time developing field,= he said, noting
cORREcTION
Republicans that big stumbles by Trump or
Paul Kane
had an open DeSantis would prompt some
l A Feb. 14 Metro article about a presidential senators to jump in.
proposed Amazon data center in primary contest, four Senate For now, at least, those
Warrenton, Va., incorrectly said Republicans jumped into the senators are staying put. Sen. Ted
that Haymarket is west of field. Four years ago, as the most Cruz (R-Tex.), who finished
Warrenton. It is to the east. The recent open Democratic primary behind Trump in 2016, declared
article also incorrectly said that took off, seven Senate Democrats no interest in the presidential
Jean Perin, co-chair of the launched bids. race and told supporters Monday
Piedmont Environmental Those presidential primaries he expects Democrats to spend
Council, was a close friend of epitomized the adage that all 100 $100 million trying to defeat him
Jacqueline Kennedy and once senators wake up in the morning in the Senate race.
redesigned the White House and see a future president in the <I9m on the ballot in 2024. I9m
Rose Garden. Kennedy9s close mirror 4 until now. running for reelection,= he said.
friend who redesigned the Rose One by one, almost every Other Republicans believe the
Garden was Rachel <Bunny= Senate Republican who had been field will be small, partly out of
Mellon, who sold Perin a house tiptoeing into the 2024 field has political cowardice. Democrats
on a corner of her estate. backed away, with some citing routed the GOP in Senate and
family obligations and others gubernatorial races in key
focusing on their reelection battleground states such as
the Washington Post is committed to campaigns. At this stage Sen. Tim Pennsylvania, Michigan and
correcting errors that appear in the Scott (R-S.C.), who launches a Arizona, which dampened
newspaper. those interested in <listening tour= Thursday with enthusiasm among some
contacting the paper for that purpose campaign-style events in ambitious Republicans.
can:
Charleston and Iowa, is the last Senate Republicans actually
Email: [email protected].
senator standing who is likely to lost a seat, giving that caucus an
call: 202-334-6000, and ask to be
make the leap into the overall deflated posture
connected to the desk involved 4
national, foreign, Metro, style, sports, presidential contest. politically.
business or any of the weekly sections. It9s a historical anomaly to Jabin botsford/the Washington Post In addition, GOP leaders in
Comments can be directed to the have such little presidential Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) on Capitol Hill last week. Scott, who launches a <listening tour= Thursday with Washington have done little to
Post9s reader advocate, who can be ambition in the world9s greatest campaign-style events, is the last senator standing likely to make the leap into the presidential contest. frame the party9s agenda. House
reached at 202-334-7582 or deliberative body, with the 2012 Republicans crafted one that got
[email protected]. campaign the only contest in the traditional ambition, regularly presidential bids. Donald Ritchie, such as Sen. Lindsey O. Graham little attention on the campaign
post-World War II era in which fail to win the nomination and the emeritus Senate historian, (R-S.C.) into the field, as he did trail, and Senate Republicans
no senators entered the are even less likely to win the kept records of each presidential eight years ago with very little have been in a year-long feud
campaign. general election. contest going back to 1960 4 national profile other than since Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)
Senators, independent So governors have been able to when John F. Kennedy (D-Mass.) serving as McCain9s political wing issued his own agenda for the
analysts and political consultants position themselves better as became only the second person to man. party.
point to a multitude of reasons outsiders, avoiding all the win the presidency from the Graham bowed out of the Still, the elephant in the room
for this unusual ceding of complicated votes senators have Senate 4 and 60 sitting senators campaign a few days before remains Trump, taking up so
political territory, but ultimately to take and talking in everyday have launched campaigns for the Christmas 2015, never gaining much of the thinking about this
one figure continues to loom so parlance that avoids White House. traction and not even making it race. Some are actively
large that it makes it hard for parliamentary process that can In those 16 campaigns, a to the Iowa caucuses. So far supporting him, while others
lower-profile senators to find make senators seem very out of sitting senator has won his Haley, the former U.N. want to actively work to narrow
their lane and attract enough touch. party9s nomination six times: ambassador and ex-governor of the field as much as possible to
voters. <If you9re a senator, not only do Kennedy, George McGovern (D- South Carolina, is the only official deny him the nomination.
<You have an ex-president who you have the burden of being a S.D.) in 1972, Robert J. Dole (R- contestant to join Trump in the <President Trump functions
remains very popular with the member of the most hated Kan.) in 1996, John F. Kerry (D- field. DeSantis, Scott and several almost as an incumbent,= Hawley
base, and I think that you have a institution in America, but you Mass.) in 2004, and Barack other governors and former said.
lot of senators 4 again, I don9t know that you won9t be able to Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain governors are hinting at runs and <Right now he9s got about
want to speak for anybody in out-outsider or out-anti-woke the (R-Ariz.) in 2008. expected to make it official in the 40 percent of the vote,= said
Try new foods particular, this is just my sense 4 Florida governor,= Amy Walter, While Kennedy and Obama months ahead. Graham, who has endorsed the
a lot of senators who probably editor in chief of the Cook won the presidency, the other Graham says today9s field is ex-president. <I don9t know if he

would be very interested in Political Report with Amy Walter, four lost 4 and three by decisive not nearly as settled as it seems keeps that. Does it grow, does it
Search our database of tested
running,= Sen. Josh Hawley (R- said Wednesday. <If you are going margins that fed into the image and that some of his Senate lessen?=
recipes by ingredient or name.
Mo.), who passed on the race to to get into this race, you have to of senators being bad colleagues are in a waiting game Trump benefited from a 2016
wpost.com/recipes run for reelection, told reporters chart a different route than presidential nominees. to see how Trump performs and field that mushroomed into more
Wednesday. <But they don9t want Trump or DeSantis.= Still, the sheer nature of how DeSantis9s launch takes than 15 legitimate candidates,
to be the first mover, so they9re Democrats have backed away winning a party nomination shape. and the former reality TV star
happy for Ron DeSantis to be the from challenging President Biden provides an almost 50-50 chance <They9re trying to figure out loved mocking the many
first mover or Nikki Haley.= in the 2024 primary following the of claiming the Oval Office; who9s going to get in. Right now professional politicians,
Former president Donald party9s relative success in the Americans have split evenly on it9s: 8Does DeSantis get in? How9s particularly the GOP senators on
Trump, along with Gov. Ron 2022 midterm elections, freezing those 16 presidential races, with Trump going to do? Does he have the debate stage.
DeSantis (R-Fla.), have taken up a the field on that side of the ballot. eight Democratic winners and the discipline?9 That kind of stuff, He wants to use that same
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thursday, february 16, 2023 . the washington post eZ Re A3
Politics & the Nation
GOP targets drag shows with bills in at least 14 states
tion in the state. tively shut down most Drag
Push comes amid wider <It9s clearly intended to have a Queen Story Hours 4 or set age
chilling effect,= Warbelow said. restrictions for drag events that
conservative efforts to <The goal is to shut down people9s appeal to a <prurient interest= or
roll back LGBTQ rights willingness to engage in drag per- that involve performances that
formances and these vigilante are <lewd and lascivious.=
provisions are designed to turn In most cases, venues hosting
neighbor on neighbor.= the drag events could face legal
BY KIMBERLY KINDY Until about 20 years ago, drag penalties, but in some cases
was largely an underground per- adults who bring children to such
Early in the 2023 legislative formance art, but <RuPaul9s Drag performances could also face
session, at least 26 bills have been Race,= the Emmy Award-winning criminal charges 4 with one Ari-
introduced in 14 states by Repub- reality show that is now in its 15th zona drag show bill calling it
lican legislators taking aim at season, has helped bring drag <child abuse.=
drag events 4 an abrupt move- performances to the masses. Drag Four drag bills were intro-
ment that has emerged this year Queen Story Hour, a nonprofit duced in the Texas legislature
amid a wider conservative back- founded in 2015, now has 20 from mid-November to mid-Jan-
lash to expanded LGBTQ rights. chapters nationwide that brand uary 4 the most, so far, in any
There9s no recent precedent for drag as family entertainment. At state. Texas lawmakers plan to
the bills, which seek to ban chil- the events, drag performers read hold hearings this month on
dren from drag performances, stories and often deliver messag- some of the drag show bills.
block the shows from public ven- es about tolerance and accep- Some efforts have already met
ues, or force locales that host drag tance of others aimed at children. resistance in state capitals. While
events to register as <adult-ori- <We9re theatrical. We are going the Arkansas Senate passed a bill
ented businesses,= according to to be speaking with an inflection targeting drag shows last month,
LGBTQ advocacy groups. A Wash- in our voice and we are going to be the state House stripped the drag
ington Post analysis of state legis- loud,= said Sherwood, who has show language in its version last
lation dating to 2015 shows the performed at Drag Queen Story week following pushback from
first bill in that period seeking Hours in Dallas as Kylee O9Hara LGBTQ rights groups.
broad restrictions on drag shows Fatale. <And we are these bright, Meanwhile, right-wing con-
was pre-filed in November for this RoBB Hill foR THe WasHinGTon PosT colorful creatures. Kids respond servative groups are continuing
year9s legislative session. A family walks past Drag Queen Story Hour supporters at a library in Kensington, Md. Republicans to that.= to highlight drag events in viral
<These bills have not only been are targeting such events, which aim to teach children acceptance through book readings and shows. While the library events have videos. Protect Texas Kids, a con-
numerous, they9re also coming sparked backlash from right- servative group that has mounted
very early in the legislative ses- sites. affect our trans community, our according to data from the Hu- wing groups for years, broad anti- numerous protests outside ven-
sion,= said Emerson J. Sykes, an <Just like we wouldn9t want nonbinary communities, our gay man Rights Campaign. drag legislative efforts gathered ues, posted a clip last month from
attorney for the American Civil strippers on poles in schools 4 communities,= said Timothy <Year after year, they attack one national momentum last summer one recent church bingo fund-
Liberties Union, which is track- even if their body parts are not Sherwood, a drag performer who particular part of the LGBTQ thanks to a viral video of an event raiser where a drag performer in a
ing the efforts and considering exposed 4 we don9t want drag was crowned Miss Gay Texas in community,= said MD Hunter, at a Dallas bar. The clips shows sequined leotard gave a bawdy
legal challenges. <They seem to be performers to be present in front 2022. <They are trying to spread who performs in drag as Athena bejeweled drag queens strutting, toast.
a top priority this year for the of children,= said Idaho Family fear and attack the way we ex- Sinclair and who testified against dancing and posing with chil- Even as the bills gain steam
GOP lawmakers.= Policy Center President Blaine press ourselves and the way we a bill that passed the Arkansas dren. around the country, legal chal-
Behind the spike is a growing Conzatti, who wrote a bill that a live our lives.= Senate last month. <They at- The event was a Saturday- lenges 4 on First Amendment
conservative objection to a type of Republican state lawmaker plans The movement against drag tacked the trans community last morning brunch, advertised as a grounds 4 may slow their mo-
performance that has boomed in to introduce this month. shows has also sparked volatile legislative session and now that family-friendly, which meant mentum.
pop culture in recent years and But LGBTQ advocates say ac- protests. Last month, five armed has mellowed out a little bit. So there were no sexually charged <It9s a fundamental principle
also expanded to hundreds of cusations by some conservatives members of the Proud Boys, a now they9re going to the next jokes and no stripping. However, that the government can9t dis-
libraries through Drag Queen that drag performers are trying to drag queens performed in front of criminate against people or si-
Story Hour, which aims to teach <recruit= or <groom= children is a a sexually suggestive neon sign lence them just because the gov-
children gender diversity and ac- familiar trope used by conserva- <They are trying to spread fear and attack that reads <It9s not going to lick ernment doesn9t like what they
ceptance through book readings tives to generate public fear, itself.= The show prompted Texas have to say or how they9re saying
and shows. Many Republican which is then leveraged to enact the way we express ourselves.= Rep. Bryan Slaton to call for a it,= said Emerson, the ACLU attor-
lawmakers pushing the bans say legal restrictions on the LGBTQ state law banning children from ney.
their efforts are aimed at limiting community. They say proponents Timothy Sherwood, a drag performer who was crowned Miss Gay Texas future drag events. Legal experts said the pro-
the exposure of children to drag of the drag laws are falsely equat- <Drag shows are no place for a posed laws could violate the con-
shows 4 not at the events them- ing sometimes bawdy events in child,= said Slaton, calling such stitutional rights of performers
selves. adult-only venues with family- far-right group with a history of thing 4 drag queens.= events <horrifying= and a repre- and audiences.
<I am not trying to ban drag friendly performances at librar- violence, confronted families at- The bills are so broadly written, sentation of a <disturbing trend in <When you are restricting per-
shows, and I9m not trying to take ies. tending a Salt Lake City show. opponents say, they would effec- which perverted adults are ob- formances and preemptively de-
away anyone9s First Amendment <Drag performances, like all Outside a Baltimore church event tively shut down drag shows and sessed with sexualizing young claring them to be inappropriate
rights,= Tennessee state Sen. Jack sorts of other performances, run last month, counterprotesters limit the gay community9s ability children.= for children, you really are violat-
Johnson (R), who filed the first of the gamut in terms of who they9re clashed with protesters as fami- to perform in drag at gay pride As protests mounted, Johnson, ing folks9 right to free expression
the recent wave of drag bills on designed for,= said Sarah Warbe- lies filed in. parades and other long-running the senator from Tennessee, in- and free speech, which includes
Nov. 9, said in an interview. <But low, legal director of the Human The drag show bills come amid public events. Many of the pro- troduced the first bill of this legis- not only the right to engage in the
you should be able to take your Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ ad- a multiyear movement by Repub- posed laws would also require lative cycle, which would require speech, but also to receive that
kids to a public park or library vocacy group. <There are certain- lican state lawmakers to target venues to register as <adult-ori- drag venues to register as adult- speech as well,= Warbelow said.
and not be surprised by seeing ly some drag performances that LGBTQ rights, particularly trans ented businesses,= meaning they oriented businesses. Six bills in Proponents of the bills ac-
sexually explicit entertainment are intended for adult audiences rights, including a recent trend of would have to be located in the other states have used a similar knowledge that they are likely to
taking place.= only, just like there are R-rated bills that require students to use same areas zoned for strip clubs approach to stiffening oversight face legal challenges. But they say
As viral videos and conserva- movies. And then there are other school bathrooms that align with or adult sex toy shops. This could of drag venues. the first round of bills will serve as
tive media coverage have driven performances that are for all ages, the gender they were assigned at shut down drag shows at venues As with most other drag bills, trial balloons, which will help
the movement, numerous state like G-rated movies.= birth and bills that ban transgen- like college campuses, restau- first offenses for establishments inform how future drag bills
affiliates of the Family Policy Alli- LGBTQ activists and drag per- der girls from participating on rants and community theaters. would be misdemeanors, while should be drafted.
ance, a conservative Christian or- formers say this legislative move- girls sports teams. Several measures would also future violations would be felo- <A bunch of these bills will fail
ganization that acts as the lobby- ment is the latest GOP effort to Last year, 315 measures to re- allow anyone to sue a venue that nies. in court,= said Jerry Cox, presi-
ing arm of Focus on the Family, spread anti-gay and anti-trans strict LGBTQ rights were intro- hosts a drag show if they believe Other bills filed this year would dent of Arkansas-based Family
have helped fuel the legislative sentiment. duced in state legislatures across the performance violated state either seek to ban public funds Council. <But then we will learn
push, according to presidents of <They say it will only affect our the nation 4 triple the number of law 4 a provision modeled off a from being used for drag per- which ones will stand, and future
the state groups and their web- drag queens, but it9s going to similar bills introduced in 2019, Texas bill that has restricted abor- formances 4 which would effec- bills will be modeled after them.=
Sanders will question Moderna CEO on proposal to increase vaccine price
BY LIZ GOODWIN Stéphane Bancel, who Forbes Democratic committee staff list- marginal cost over billions of
estimates is worth more than $5 ed the pay of the CEOs of pharma doses than it is over millions of
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) billion, and several other Moder- companies including Pfizer, Eli doses,= Cassidy said. <And so
plans to grill the CEO of Moderna na executives <profited= off the Lilly, AbbVie and Regeneron what is their justification for all
about his reported plans to raise pandemic. Pharmaceuticals 4 as well as five this? I just don9t know that. . . .
the price of the coronavirus vac- <We9re going to ask them, 8Hey, other Moderna investors and ex- Give me more data before I
cine in a Senate hearing next you made billions of dollars in ecutives 4 as examples of <phar- render an opinion.=
month that Sanders hopes will profit on a vaccine that was ma pandemic profiteers.= Cassidy has said that drug
convince the company to reverse developed because of taxpayer <We didn9t have to use subpoe- affordability is important but
course. support from the [National Insti- na power and he9s coming in that <we have to understand that
The hearing will make up a key tutes of Health], you9ve become a voluntarily and I appreciate there is a component of innova-
piece of Sanders9s larger over- multibillionaire, and you think that,= Sanders said of Bancel, tion driven by profit.=
sight agenda for the Health, it9s appropriate to cost the feder- who is appearing on March 22. There is also a possibility,
Education, Labor and Pensions al government even more money <But if people do not want to which Sanders acknowledges,
Committee that he chairs. The by quadrupling prices?9= Sanders come in voluntarily and we want that other members of his com-
former presidential candidate said. <And I hope, I really do them, we will use subpoena pow- mittee may use the forum to sow
hopes to use his perch on the hope, that these people will re- er.= doubts about the vaccine9s effica-
panel to highlight what he calls consider this outrageous deci- Sanders said he believes Re- cy or safety.
the <greed= of large pharmaceuti- sion and decide not to raise publicans will be supportive of But Sanders said he plans to
cal companies in an effort to prices for the vaccine.= his focus on pharmaceutical use the hearing to tell a larger
lower prescription drug prices. Bancel told the Wall Street greed. But the ranking Republi- story about past scientific pio-
Senate Democrats have sig- Journal last month that he was JaBin BoTsfoRd/THe WasHinGTon PosT can on his committee, Sen. Bill neers, including Jonas Salk, who
naled they will focus on corpo- considering quadrupling the Sen. Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Cassidy of Louisiana, told The developed the polio vaccine, and
rate overreach with their ex- price of Moderna9s vaccine to as Pensions Committee, said high drug prices are a <morality crisis.= Washington Post this month that Alexander Fleming, who discov-
panded majority as House Re- much as $130 per dose once the he wanted to hear more from ered penicillin, and contrast
publicans launch investigations federal government drains its will continue to receive the vac- across the political spectrum for Pfizer and Moderna before pass- their selfless decisions not to
on the other side of the Capitol stockpile and insurers and indi- cine free through their insur- putting pharma CEOs in the hot ing judgment on their decisions seek a patent or profit to Moder-
into China, alleged abuses of the viduals are responsible for pur- ance, regardless of price hikes. seat and tackling the issue of to hike prices. na and other drug companies.
FBI, tech companies9 handling of chasing them on their own. Since The announcement takes high prescription drug prices. He <You obviously have a margin- <It9s a really profound moral
a 2020 story about President the start of the pandemic, the some of the sting out of one of also mentioned concerns about al cost. It9s easier to spread a issue,= he said.
Biden9s son Hunter, and other federal government has pur- Sanders9s main critiques of Mod- how Starbucks CEO Howard
targets. chased vaccines and provided erna 4 that uninsured Ameri- Schultz and Amazon founder Jeff
Senate Majority Leader them free, and Moderna sold its cans would find the shots their Bezos, who also owns The Wash-
Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said booster shots to the government tax money helped fund unafford- ington Post, are handling union-
WWEE BBUUYY
shortly after the midterm elec- for about $25 per dose. able. But Sanders has also argued izing efforts at their companies
tions last year that <corporate On Wednesday, after its CEO that the higher vaccine price for 4 and left the door open to
corruption and inequities= agreed to appear in front of insurers 4 and Medicare and questioning them as well.
AALLLL BBOOOOKKSS
would be a major focus of over- Sanders9s committee, Moderna Medicaid 4 will further inflate <The pharmaceutical industry
sight for his caucus, and other announced a new <patient assis- medical costs, and that taxpayers is enormously powerful political-
committees have already held tance program= to begin this May will ultimately foot the bill. (Pfi- ly,= he said. <There are 535 mem-
hearings on alleged anticompeti- that will provide millions of zer is also considering a similar bers of Congress and they9ve got LPs
tive practices of Ticketmaster uninsured and underinsured price hike for its vaccine, but 1,700 [lobbyists] including for-
and abuses of the cryptocurrency Americans the vaccine free of Sanders said its case is different mer leaders of the Democratic Blu Ray, DVD, CDs and more " CASH PAID
industry. cost. <Everyone in the United because it did not receive the Party, leaders of the Republican
Brought to our stores 10am-6pm every day " No appointment needed
In an interview, Sanders said States will have access to Moder- same federal investment into its Party. They9re all over the place.
House calls possible for large collections of 1000+ items
that Moderna, whose only feder- na9s COVID-19 vaccine regardless research.) They9re swarming Capitol Hill.=
ally approved drug is the corona- of their ability to pay,= spokes- Sanders, who chairs the com- Sanders did not rule out com-
WONDER BOOK
virus vaccine that the company man Chris Ridley said in a state- mittee for the first time this year, pelling witnesses to appear be-
received nearly $2 billion in ment. declined to say who else he wants fore the committee via subpoena
direct federal money to develop, Moderna, which did not de- to call before his committee, but power in the future, which Sen- Frederick GAITHERSBURG Hagerstown
is a <poster child= for the greed of scribe how the patient assistance claimed broadly that there is a ate Democrats gained when they
WonderBook.com/sell-us-books 301-977-9166
the pharmaceutical industry. He program will work, also noted <morality crisis= within the phar- won a 51st seat in November9s
plans to argue that CEO that patients who are insured maceutical industry and support elections. A report created by his
A4 eZ Re the washington post .thursday, february 16, 2023
Digest
FLORiDA
DeSantis signs bill
o n migrant relocation
florida Gov. ron DeSantis on
Wednesday signed a bill to
expand his migrant relocation
program, furthering a key
component of the republican9s
conservative agenda ahead of his
expected White House run.
DeSantis (r) announced the
signing of the bill in a short
Twitter post that lobbed criticism
at President Biden.
<florida is using all tools
available to protect our citizens
from Biden9s open border
policies,= the post reads. <I am
glad to have signed legislation to
continue the program of
transporting illegal aliens to
sanctuary jurisdictions. I thank
the legislature for maintaining
this valuable tool.=
The legislation creates a
dedicated program in the
governor9s office on migrant
relocation and specifies that the
initiative can transport migrants
located anywhere in the country,
if they have been processed by the
federal government.
The bill is meant to quell legal
questions that have surrounded a
flight last year when the
governor9s administration
relocated a group of South
American migrants from Texas to
martha9s Vineyard, but paid for
the trip using money legally
intended to move migrants who
were located in florida, not any
other states.
The new law is almost certain
to facilitate future migrant flights
as DeSantis continues a focus on
cultural flash points such as
immigration, as well as near
constant criticism of Biden and
Joshua LoTT/The WashingTon PosT other Democrats, on his way to an
A protester disputes the outcome of last year9s Arizona gubernatorial election outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix on Nov. 12. Arizona9s anticipated presidential bid.
new secretary of state, a Democrat who defeated an incumbent election denier, says the office will no longer <waste taxpayer dollars on chasing conspiracy theories.= republican state lawmakers in
the GoP-dominated Legislature
voted to approve the bill during a
State o>cials, allies lead campaign to counter election deniers special session last week that
centered on DeSantis priorities.
They argued it would help
migrants by taking them to
ElECTioN from A1 private information about them. being intimidated by people Even instances in which elec- for what it deemed to be frivolous sanctuary cities. Democrats
Benson is also drafting legislation showing up at the ballot box, at tion deniers have become violent complaints. In one instance, the slammed the program as a
election officials, lawmakers and that would make it a crime to voting centers, wearing body ar- have failed to check the rhetoric. commission levied $2,400 in political stunt meant to serve the
private-sector advocates 4 most knowingly spread misinforma- mor and carrying guns, and in In New mexico, a state legislative fines against a man who has made governor9s national political
of them Democrats 4 to push tion about elections. This week, at which the republican Party is candidate and fervent proponent a series of false accusations ambitions.
back against the wave of misin- a conference of secretaries of trying to undermine vote-by- of baseless election fraud allega- against election officials. 4 Associated Press
formation and mistrust of elec- state in Washington, she and her mail. Those are all things that I tions who lost his own race by Ann Jacobs, a Democrat who
tions that sprang from former counterparts from minnesota think this unit can and should more than 50 points was charged sits on the commission, said she ORegON
president Donald Trump9s false and Arizona will promote those now be focused on.= with orchestrating shooting at- and her colleagues were willing to
Court overturns 2nd
claim that his 2020 defeat was ideas among officials from other mayes said she has also talked tacks at the homes of four Albu- consider complaints from the
rigged. states. to the maricopa County sheriff querque Democrats who refused public, even ones that sounded Amendment sanctuary
Since that vote more than two <Clearly the laws on the books about collaborating to protect to entertain his demands that his far-fetched. But when the volume
years ago, election administra- are not serving as a sufficient polling places and election work- defeat be reversed. After the of complaints grew, many of them Local governments in oregon
tors have regularly found them- deterrent,= Benson said in an in- ers from threats after bands of shootings, republicans down- from the same individuals and can9t declare themselves Second
selves fending off false accusa- terview. activists, inspired by Trump9s played the idea that stolen-elec- replete with misinformation, the Amendment sanctuaries and ban
tions, baseless lawsuits and vio- Benson was one of several false claims of widespread fraud, tion rhetoric had helped instigate commission concluded that they police from enforcing certain gun
lent threats. They have fielded statewide candidates in key bat- staked out drop boxes in 2022 to the violence. were being filed in bad faith. laws, a state appeals court
demands that go beyond their tlegrounds who handily defeated photograph and record voters The heightened pushback has <In those situations 4 and it9s decided Wednesday, in the first
official powers 4 to stop using election-denying nominees in dropping off ballots. She is one of not come only from public offi- just been a handful 4 it was to court case filed over a concept
electronic voting equipment, to November9s midterm elections. several state law enforcement cials. In North Carolina, the State send a message to the serial of- that hundreds of U.S. counties
hand-count all ballots, to end She is working with a legislature leaders nationally 4 michigan Board of Elections began consid- fenders that that sort of abuse of have adopted in recent years.
mail voting or to refuse to certify that flipped to the Democrats, Attorney General Dana Nessel ering removal of a local election process isn9t going to be tolerat- The measure in question,
results. Hundreds have resigned improving prospects for her pro- (D) is another 4 who have opened board member after he refused to ed,= Jacobs said. which was approved in Columbia
or retired as a result of the pres- posals. investigations into the Trump certify the November 2022 re- Benson, michigan9s secretary County, forbids local officials
sure and abuse, with some states, Arizona Attorney General Kris campaign9s recruitment of alter- sults. The proceeding originated of state, acknowledged in an in- from enforcing most federal and
including Colorado, reporting mayes (D) would have a harder nate electors in the fall of 2020 to with a complaint from the long- terview that penalties for those state gun laws and would impose
that a majority of their county time ushering such laws through try to overturn Joe Biden9s victo- time leader of government watch- who spread false election claims thousands of dollars in fines on
election clerks have turned over her state9s GoP-controlled legisla- ry. dog Democracy North Carolina. could run counter to first those who try.
since 2018. ture. But she did seize on an <There has to be a deterrent to Bob Hall sought the removal of Amendment protections. But she The state Court of Appeals
Election administrators and opportunity for internal reforms this happening again,= mayes two members of the Surry County compared the legislation she is ruled that it violates a law giving
their advocates say they are moti- after replacing republican mark said. Board of Elections who together working on to laws barring de- the state the power to regulate
vated to take action because elec- Brnovich, who commissioned an Advocates say more pushback wrote a letter questioning the ceptive marketing practices. firearms. The ordinance would, it
tion denialism does not appear to investigation into unproven is crucial because so many lead- legitimacy of state election law. <Individuals who intentionally found, <effectively, create a
be going away, even as the evi- claims of widespread fraud after ing election deniers appear un- one of them, Jerry forestieri, also spread misinformation that then 8patchwork quilt9 of firearms laws
dence has grown 4 in public the 2020 election. As part of that daunted by their defeats in No- refused to join other board mem- leads to threats or worse target- in oregon, where firearms
polling as well as in the midterm probe, the office9s election-fraud vember. Arizona9s Kari Lake, de- bers in signing the county9s offi- ing election officials are just as regulations that applied in some
election results 4 that most unit sought evidence from a spite losing the governor9s race cial results 4 an act the com- culpable and should be held cul- counties would not apply in
Americans have grown tired of it. group known for spreading mis- last year with a campaign mes- plaint said amounted to a viola- pable just as those who are actu- Columbia County,= something
many of those pushing for information. sage focused heavily on false tion of his oath of office. forest- ally exercising the threats them- lawmakers specifically wanted to
change are Democrats embold- mayes is now retooling that claims of election fraud, is consid- ieri did not cite fraud or selves,= she said. avoid.
ened by their victories against internal unit to fight threats ering a bid for the U.S. Senate irregularities in Surry County but michael Siegrist (D), the town- Second Amendment sanctuary
republican election deniers in against election officials and the next year. In two political speech- rather his view that a court deci- ship clerk in Canton, mich., said resolutions have been adopted by
last year9s elections 4 yet still intimidation of voters, she told es in Iowa last week, Lake contin- sion striking down the state9s beleaguered election officials some 1,200 local governments
concerned that false fraud claims The Washington Post in a recent ued to full-throatedly embrace voter ID law has enabled fraud want to see action against those around the United States,
continue to dominate within GoP interview. The unit will continue those claims. and undercut confidence in the spreading lies. including in Virginia, Colorado,
ranks. The unofficial start of the to investigate instances of elec- In michigan later this week, process. <Someone9s going to have to New mexico, Kansas, Illinois and
2024 campaign adds to their ur- tion fraud, which she said num- leading election denier matthew Trump won rural Surry County bring some charges against some florida, experts say. many are
gency, with only a limited win- ber about half a dozen each cycle DePerno, who lost his bid for state in 2020 with more than 75 per- folks,= he said. <This notion of, symbolic, but some carry legal
dow to make changes before the in Arizona, far fewer than Trump attorney general last year in a cent of the vote. forestieri could 8I9m going to come in and try to force like the one in Columbia
next election cycle begins in ear- and his allies have claimed. landslide, is running for state not be reached for comment. re-litigate an election afterwards County, a conservative, rural
nest. <We9re going to be going back GoP chairman 4 with Trump9s The new pushback campaign in the court of public opinion,9 logging area in deep-blue oregon.
<We want to protect the people to a time when the attorney gen- endorsement. <No one is more includes an effort to combat the especially if it relates to a scheme The sanctuary movement took
who protect democracy,= said eral9s office didn9t waste taxpayer courageous as a defender of elec- misinformation that some offi- to overturn the validity of an off around 2018 as states
michigan Secretary of State Joce- dollars on chasing conspiracy tion integrity,= Trump told DePer- cials say is at the root of the election 4 that stuff just needs to considered stricter gun laws in
lyn Benson (D), who is working theories,= mayes said. <We9re fac- no supporters at a tele-rally this mistrust and threats. have consequences.= the wake of mass shootings, but it
with state lawmakers in Lansing ing a new world in which elec- week. <The fake news likes to say, In Wisconsin, the state9s bipar- had not previously faced a major
to toughen penalties for threaten- tions officials are experiencing 8oh, the election, you have to look tisan elections commission last isaac arnsdorf contributed to this legal challenge.
ing election officials or releasing death threats, in which voters are forward, not past.9 No.= year started applying sanctions report. 4 Associated Press
Rep. Gaetz won9t be charged in sex-tra>cking probe, his lawyers say
BY DEVLIN BARRETT Post reported that career prosecu- dealings with the alleged victim issue in the investigation was also opponent, but prosecutors contin- mcEntee told the committee that
AND PERRY STEIN tors had recommended against and set out to determine if he paid on that trip, though by that time ued to investigate and added Gaetz said <he did not do anything
charging Gaetz, telling Justice De- for sex in violation of federal sex- she was already 18 or older, people charges to his case. He ultimately wrong but they are trying to make
federal prosecutors have partment superiors that a convic- trafficking laws, people familiar familiar with the matter have said. agreed to plead guilty to six crimi- his life hell, and you know, if the
closed a long-running sex-traffick- tion was unlikely in part because with the matter have said. Earlier She was a central witness in the nal charges, including sex traffick- president could give him a par-
ing investigation into rep. matt of credibility questions with the this year, a federal grand jury in investigation. People familiar ing of a child, aggravated identity don, that would be great.=
Gaetz (r-fla.) and have decided two central witnesses, according orlando heard testimony from as- with the case said she is one of two theft and wire fraud. Gaetz ultimately did not receive
not to press charges against him, to people familiar with the matter. sociates of Gaetz9s, including an people whose testimony had is- The Post reported in September a pardon from Trump.
attorneys for the congressman CNN first reported Wednesday ex-girlfriend. sues that veteran prosecutors felt that Gaetz 4 a staunch conserva- <Congressman matt Gaetz dis-
said. that the Justice Department de- Gaetz, 40, has repeatedly de- would not pass muster with a jury. tive and Trump ally 4 reportedly cussed pardons for many other
<We have just spoken with the cided to close the investigation. nied wrongdoing, saying he has The other is a former friend of asked then-White House Chief of people publicly and privately at
DoJ and have been informed that A Justice Department spokes- never paid for sex. He has also said Gaetz9s, Joel Greenberg, a former Staff mark meadows for a preemp- the end of President Donald
they have concluded their investi- person declined to comment. the only time he had sex with a tax collector for Seminole County, tive pardon from Trump regard- Trump9s first term,= a spokesper-
gation into Congressman Gaetz The investigation into Gaetz, 17-year-old was when he was also fla. Greenberg pleaded guilty in ing the sex-trafficking investiga- son for Gaetz wrote in an email in
and allegations related to sex traf- who has served in Congress since 17. 2021 to sex trafficking of a minor tion September. <As for himself, Presi-
ficking and obstruction of justice 2017, began in 2020, during the The ex-girlfriend who testified and a host of other crimes as part John mcEntee, a former Trump dent Trump addressed this mali-
and they have determined not to Trump administration. It focused to the grand jury was among sev- of a cooperation deal with authori- White House aide, testified to the cious rumor more than a year ago
bring any charges against him,= on the congressman9s alleged in- eral women on a trip Gaetz alleg- ties. House select committee investi- stating, 8Congressman matt Gaetz
marc mukasey and Isabelle Kirsh- volvement several years earlier edly took to the Bahamas in 2018 Greenberg was first charged in gating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on has never asked me for a pardon.9
ner said in a statement. with a girl who was 17 at that time. that has been of particular interest 2020 with fabricating allegations the U.S. Capitol that Gaetz told rep. Gaetz continues to stand by
In September, The Washington Investigators examined Gaetz9s to investigators. The 17-year-old at and evidence to smear a political him he was seeking the pardon. President Trump9s statement.=
thursday, february 16, 2023 . the washington post EZ RE A5
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A6 eZ Re the washington post .thursday, february 16, 2023
PhoToS By michael S. WilliamSon/The WaShingTon PoST
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Aid workers, who had been helping the homeless people who had been camping in McPherson Square, embrace as the park is cleared by the
National Park Service on Wednesday. Personal items, including some flowers, are at the ready for a move. Shelley, a woman who didn9t give her last name and had been living in
the encampment before being evicted, does some last-minute packing in her tent. She said she plans to move to another park in the city.
MCPhERSON from A1 Park Service clears McPherson Square on the Biden administration to
intervene and stop the removal.
the sweep. But according to a Washington
Instead, the homeless campers Post poll in february 2022, three-
scattered Wednesday from the encampment at D.C.9s request quarters of D.C. residents support-
park, which was occupied by ed the mayor9s plan to shut down
about 70 people before the acceler- the encampments.
ated clearing was announced late In a news conference Wednes-
last month. Some headed to new day, Bowser rejected the notion
tents erected in nearby parks. oth- that unhoused campers were be-
ers said they would make camp in services. In New York City, mayor vice president for housing and in- campment. Those who had been the park ready for the rich people ing <evicted.=
a more remote part of the District, Eric Adams (D) has pushed an come security for the Center on approved for housing assistance who come to see the cherry blos- <We9re not talking about this
hoping they might then be left aggressive response to encamp- Budget and Policy Priorities, a were eligible for bridge housing 4 soms.= notion that people are being evict-
alone. About 15 residents left the ments and said the city may invol- nonpartisan think tank and mem- temporary accommodations for Caseworkers estimated that ed from outside squalid condi-
encampment having been ap- untarily hospitalize people suffer- ber of the National Coalition for unhoused individuals who qualify about 20 people who sleep in the tions,= Bowser said. <What we9re
proved by D.C. for a housing ing from mental illness. Housing Justice. <I9m just sad. for a voucher until they can be park had not been engaged by doing is insisting that people get
voucher that would provide cash The Park Service cleared the This city has the resources to make placed in a more permanent home service providers as of Tuesday connected to the services that we
assistance for housing. But a square, just blocks from the White it so that it doesn9t have to be this 4 but only eight had agreed to afternoon because they refused know work.=
voucher is not an apartment key, House, at D.C.9s request. The agen- way.= enter into that program. help or had not been located, said As morning became afternoon
and even some of those who had cy said in a statement Wednesday outreach personnel spent As case workers surrounded a Jamal Weldon, who oversees the and the number of tents in the
been approved for aid weren9t sure morning that mcPherson Square Wednesday morning crouching at tent in the southeast corner of the District9s response to encamp- park dwindled, max, 33, sat at the
where they would sleep Wednes- was being closed to the public tent doors and imploring campers park Wednesday, a resident ments for Turnage9s department. intersection of 15th and I streets
day night. <because of very serious concerns to start packing before coverall- named Umi called to one of her Lisa, 54, had missed most of the NW holding onto the handle of a
The problem of homelessness about growing threats to life, clad federal workers began to neighbors: <Don9t let them rush on-site services because she works blue shopping cart in which she
and how to solve it has vexed health and safety.= break down tents, scoop up appar- you,= she said. <They should have and was often away from the park had stacked her clothes, bedding
leaders in D.C. and cities around Unlike many American cities, ently discarded items and feed been here in September, october, during the hours most casework- and cheetah-print backpack. A na-
the country as housing costs have homelessness in D.C. is at its low- them to a trash compactor. November. But now they want to ers came. <Some of us work,= she tive Washingtonian, she said
skyrocketed and encampments est in recent history, driven down Some homeless residents com- pretend they care about us?= said. <We can9t be here in the mid- mcPherson was her fifth encamp-
have multiplied over the past dec- largely by significant strides in plied, piling their belongings into Umi, who said she plans to testi- dle of the day when the outreach ment.
ade. Down the street from addressing family homelessness. trash bags, open suitcases, shop- fy Thursday before the D.C. Coun- workers come by.= < I realized after awhile that this
mcPherson Square, the White But the number of encampments ping carts and plastic, Ikea-blue cil about her encampment experi- As federal workers cleared the tent is just for sleeping and stor-
House laid out a plan last year to 4 made more visible by their large shopping bags. others refused. ence and frustration with the tents, rats scurried around the ing,= she said. <It9s not my home.
cut homelessness by 25 percent by tents and bright tarps 4 has one woman shut herself inside Bowser administration9s rollout of park, burrowing under leaves and You can9t think of it that way.=
2025. But in cities across the coun- grown during the pandemic. may- her tent, tying the door closed with services, said she and other resi- climbing the Park Service fencing. max was recently approved for
try, similar plans have snagged on or muriel E. Bowser (D) pledged towels, socks and other pieces of dents had for months asked for one downtown worker, who a voucher, she said. When the
the complex web of poverty, addic- during her first run for office to cloth to prevent anyone from un- help from D.C. and federal agen- spoke on the condition of anonym- news came, she had hoped
tion, mental health struggles and end chronic homelessness by zipping the flap. cies to address the issues Turnage ity, walked the perimeter of the mcPherson Square would be the
overwhelming mistrust among 2024. Nine years later, D.C. offi- <I have no idea what I9m going said spurred the expedited closure park applauding. <finally,= he last encampment she would sleep
many unhoused people. cials have blamed a staff shortage to do,= she said through the green of the park. Longtime encamp- shouted at the crowd. <It looks like in. But she doesn9t have an apart-
In Chicago, overcrowded shel- for its slow rollout of housing nylon of her tent about 9 a.m. <I ment residents said they had a park is supposed to look!= ment yet. Bridge housing, she said,
ters and extreme cold have driven vouchers that advocates say could guess maybe I9ll have to get a hotel asked police to intervene to ad- over the past two weeks, D.C. won9t work for her. So, she decided
hundreds of homeless residents to house nearly all of the city9s chron- or something. I don9t know. I don9t dress drug dealing and other Council members came out in sup- to do what she knows: pitch a tent.
seek shelter inside o9Hare Inter- ically homeless residents, thanks know. Nobody has told me any- crimes and called for rat and trash port of or against the clearing of She9s already got a new one set
national Airport. In Portland, the to an infusion of federal pandemic thing.= abatement; little, they said, was mcPherson Square. Protesters up in foggy Bottom, she said. All
city is considering creating camp- funds. Wayne Turnage, the deputy done. took to the streets outside the she needed Wednesday was a ride.
grounds for its homeless residents <To be able to address it, we mayor for health and human ser- <How are we supposed to trust Interior Department on Tuesday,
on empty lots that can be moni- need to get creative and find new vices, said that as of Tuesday about you?= Umi said to a caseworker. and members of the National Co- Kyle Swenson and Karina elwood
tored and connected with social solutions,= said Peggy Bailey, the 55 people remained in the en- <Now you show up. Why? To get alition for Housing Justice called contributed to this report.
Militant in Iran probable tion leading directly to his <ap- rita Katz, an extremism ex- ber state denied the presence of wounded more than 4,000.
prehension or conviction.= pert and director of the SITE any al-Qaeda members or de- <Despite the hateful necessity=
But al-Qaeda has not publicly Intelligence Group, had raised pendents in the country.) of living under Shiite rule, <his
new chief of al-Qaeda declared Adel its new leader, pos- the possibility of al-Qaeda nam- The alleged terrorist leader is best chance of survival, and
sibly because of the political sen- ing a new leader under an alias believed to have been born in the therefore of continued effective-
sitivities of the Taliban regime in and not unveiling a <face to early 1960s. He has been based in ness in the jihad, lay in a return to
Afghanistan, according to the re- match the name to,= when U.S. Iran since 2002 or 2003, when he Iran,= Soufan wrote.
BY ANDREW JEONG invaded Afghanistan in 1979. He port, which was circulated to the forces killed Zawahiri. went into hiding after the Sept. 11 Not much is certain about the
is also a charter member of al- U.N. Security Council on monday. But many U.N. member states attacks, Soufan wrote in an arti- militant leader, with only three
Saif al-Adel, who is wanted by Qaeda and was a loyalist of osa- The Taliban, which has been suspected that the <key factor= cle for the CTC Sentinel, which is images of him known to exist,
the United States in connection ma bin Laden, the mastermind of seeking a measure of interna- behind al-Qaeda9s silence is published by the Combating Ter- according to Soufan, who added
with the 1998 bombings of its the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist at- tional legitimacy since it retook Adel9s suspected longtime resi- rorism Center at the U.S. military that he stands out even among
embassies in Tanzania and Ken- tacks, according to a profile of power in 2021, probably wants to dence in Shiite-majority Iran, Academy. other al-Qaeda members for his
ya, has been identified by many Adel written by the counterter- avoid the embarrassment of ac- which is led by Shiite clerics. The Adel was held by Iranian au- <lack of remorse.=
countries as the new <de facto rorism expert Ali Soufan. knowledging that it harbored Sunni terrorist group has long thorities for some years before a U.N. member states assessed
and uncontested= leader of al- When U.S. forces killed bin Adel9s predecessor, the report viewed Shiite muslims as apos- prisoner swap between Tehran that there has been <no signifi-
Qaeda, according to a report by Laden9s successor, Ayman al- said, citing assessments from tates, according to a report by and al-Qaeda that was reported cant= recent change in al-
U.N. experts. many U.N. member Zawahiri, in Afghanistan last member states. The group had Brookings. in 2015, but his apparent contin- Qaeda9s strength, according to
states also believe that Adel is year, Adel was seen by many previously signed an agreement Adel9s alleged presence in Iran ued presence there is a sign of the report. It said the threat from
located in Iran, the report said. experts as the terrorist group9s with the United States pledging poses <difficult theological and pragmatism, wrote Soufan, a for- the group and its affiliates is
Adel is a former member of the probable next leader. U.S. au- not to allow terrorist groups with operational questions= for al- mer fBI official who investigated elevated in and around conflict
Egyptian military and later thorities had previously offered a international aims to operate out Qaeda, the U.N. report9s authors the 1998 embassy bombings. The zones but remains <relatively low
fought the Soviets when they $10 million reward for informa- of territory it controls. say. (one unidentified U.N. mem- attacks killed 224 people and in other areas.=
thursday, february 16, 2023 . the washington post eZ re A7
Gunman sentenced to life in prison for Bubalo massacre
included Pearl Young, a 77-year- members who regard him as irrel-
Victims9 families rebuke old grandmother who volun- evant to their lives and will not
teered every weekend at her pay him any deference, but are
shooter as judge decries church9s food pantry, and Hey- still hoping to make something
white supremacy in U.S. ward Patterson, 67, who often positive out of this horrible situa-
drove members of his church to tion.=
Tops, helped them load their gro- In a 180-page statement,
ceries and then drove them home. Gendron said he was bored dur-
BY DAVID NAKAMURA In addition to those killed, three ing the early days of the coronavi-
others were injured. rus pandemic in 2020 and became
The gunman who killed 10 Gendron9s self-stated goal, radicalized after engaging on
Black people in a shooting ram- prosecutors said, was to <kill as 4chan, a social media network. He
page at a Buffalo supermarket in many Black people as possible= cited Brenton Tarrant, who fatally
May was sentenced Wednesday to and do so in a manner that would shot 51 people and injured 40
life in prison without parole at an spark a <race war.= others in a mass killing at two
emotional court hearing in which <This sentencing is an opportu- mosques in Christchurch, New
the judge and a prosecutor de- nity to say no to racism, to say no Zealand, in 2019. Tarrant had
nounced the evils of white su- to hate,= said Justin Caldwell, Erie titled his own statement <The
premacy and racism. County9s assistant district attor- Great Replacement,= and he live-
The proceedings at the Erie ney. streamed some of his attack.
County Courthouse were marked Gendron still faces federal Other mass killers in the Unit-
by tearful and angry testimonials hate-crime and firearm charges ed States have cited Tarrant and
from victims9 family members. An that could make him eligible for the great replacement theory.
unidentified man rushed at de- capital punishment. The Justice Among them is Crusius, the El
fendant Payton Gendron before Department is deliberating over Paso shooter, who federal authori-
being restrained by law enforce- whether to pursue the death pen- ties said has schizoaffective disor-
ment in the courtroom. alty, and the victims9 families have der. He is facing 90 life sentences
Gendron, 19, who is White, offered differing opinions on the in the federal case, while Texas
planned the attack for months, matter. authorities are still pursuing a
according to his online writings, Flynn, the district attorney, capital murder case against him.
which cited white-supremacist said at a news conference that Another suspect, Robert Bow-
conspiracy theories, racist memes Lauren PeTracca For The WashingTon PosT Gendron9s apology to the families ers, is set to stand trial in April on
and antisemitic rants. He traveled A memorial in July for the victims of the Tops Friendly Markets shooting in Buffalo. The gunman who was insincere and probably repre- federal capital charges connected
hundreds of miles from his home killed 10 Black people at the supermarket was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday. sented an effort to escape the to the 2018 shooting at a Pitts-
in Conklin, N.Y., and targeted the death penalty. burgh synagogue that left 11 peo-
Tops Friendly Markets grocery but does not want other white kids to go to a good school. We replacement= theory, popular on Gendron will be transferred to ple dead. Authorities said Bowers
store in a predominantly Black supremacists to be inspired by his love our kids. We never go to no the far right, which claims that a federal custody on Thursday for cited conspiracy theories about
neighborhood of Buffalo. actions. neighborhood and take people cabal is seeking to replace native- the duration of the Justice Depart- <white genocide= in online posts
He also live-streamed the at- <I did a terrible thing that day. I out.= born White Americans with non- ment9s prosecution, Flynn said. to Gab, a social media site.
tack on social media, saying he shot and killed people because At that point, a man who had White people, including immi- He said he had no insights on In the courtroom Wednesday,
was inspired by a mass killer in they were Black,= Gendron said. been standing behind Massey grants. where federal prosecutors stand family members of the victims
New Zealand who espoused simi- <Looking back now, I can9t believe rushed at Gendron, prompting Gendron pleaded guilty in No- on their decision. Attorney Gener- sought to make clear to Gendron
lar racist ideology. I did it.= several officers in the courtroom vember to state murder and do- al Merrick Garland, who has is- what he had taken from them.
Erie County Court Judge Susan Someone in the courtroom to intervene, as other officers mestic terrorism charges that, un- sued a moratorium on federal Kimberly Salter 4 whose hus-
Eagan delivered the sentence, us- yelled, <You don9t mean none of executions, will make the final band Aaron Salter Jr., 55, a former
ing the moment to denounce the that!= determination. police officer, was working as a
long history of white supremacy Victims9 family members hon- <We9re human. We like our kids to go to a good Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, Tops security guard and was
in the United States and calling on ored their loved ones and con- who attended the hearing, said killed in the attack 4 said she
the nation to fight it. demned Gendron as a terrorist school. We love our kids. We never go to no Gendron9s apology was <much too wore red to symbolize the blood
<Let ours be the generation to who had shattered their lives and little, much too late.= that was shed that day and black
put a stop to it,= she said. <We can struck fear in the local Black neighborhood and take people out.= <The time to be remorseful was because she remains in mourn-
do better. We must do better.= community. Some cried and oth- when he was driving hundreds of ing.
To Gendron, she said: <There is ers pointed at Gendron, address- Barbara Mapps, sister of victim Katherine Massey, addressing the gunman miles to Buffalo. He should have Wayne Jones, whose mother
no place for you and your igno- ing him directly. stopped himself, turned around Celestine Chaney, 65, died in the
rant, hateful ideology. There can Barbara Mapps 4 whose sister and not done it,= Brown said. attack, said he watched Gendron
be no mercy for you. No under- Katherine Massey, 72, a communi- quickly ushered Gendron out of der state law, carry a mandatory Terrence Connors, a Buffalo- shoot her in the footage from his
standing. No second chances. The ty activist who decried gun vio- the chambers. After a short break, life sentence without the possibil- based attorney who represents live stream.
damage you have caused is too lence, was among those killed 4 Eagan asked the families to con- ity of parole. New York does not several victims9 families and one <You look like a young man who
great. And the people you have told Gendron that she wanted to trol their emotions, and the testi- permit the death penalty. His survivor, said federal prosecutors could be anybody9s son,= Jones
hurt are too valuable to this com- choke him. mony resumed. sentence comes a week after Pat- told them last month that a deci- said. <You do not come across to
munity. You will never see the <You come to our city and Erie County District Attorney rick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty to sion on the death penalty was not me as a racist killer, even though
light of day as a free man ever decide you do not like Black John J. Flynn said after the hear- federal hate-crime and firearm imminent. that9s what you9ve done . . . I don9t
again.= people? Man, you don9t know a ing that the man would not face charges in the shooting deaths of <The emotions run the gamut,= wish the death penalty on you. I
Gendron, handcuffed and damn thing about Black people,= any legal repercussions for the 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Connors said in an interview. wish they will keep you alive so
wearing orange prison clothes, Mapps said, pointing at Gendron, outburst. during which he targeted Mexi- <There are those who are anxious you have to suffer with the
recited a written apology for his who was seated at the defense Gendron had included in his cans. to see him receive the maximum thought of what you did for the
crimes, saying he acted out of hate table. <We9re human. We like our writings references to <the great The victims of Gendron9s attack punishment, and there are family rest of your life.=
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A8 eZ re the washington post .thursday, february 16, 2023
michigan state shooting
Five still in critical condition as school tries to recover
Shooter9s motive remains
unknown as guns
debate grips campus
BY WALI KHAN,
REIS THEBAULT,
DAN ROSENZWEIG-ZIFF
AND ANNIE GOWEN
EAST LANSING, MICH. 4 five
student survivors of the michi-
gan State shooting remained hos-
pitalized in critical condition
Wednesday, campus police said,
two days after a shooting that
revived debate about gun control
among students terrorized in the
attack.
on Wednesday, the sprawling
campus 4 home to 16,000 stu-
dents and attended by more than
50,000 4 was still reeling from
monday night9s shooting, in
which three other students were
killed and thousands spent near-
ly four hours barricaded in li-
brary study rooms, offices and
dorms, listening to reports on the
police scanner.
The gunman, whom police
identified as Anthony Dwayne
mcrae, 43, died from what au-
thorities described as a self-
inflicted gunshot wound in a
confrontation monday just be-
fore midnight.
Activities at the university
were halted monday night, but
that did not quell discussion of
how best to secure the campus 4
by measures to limit guns or ones
to extend their use.
At a michigan State student
protest for gun control Wednes-
day at the state Capitol in Lan- Dieu-naLio Chery For The WashingTon PosT
sing, dozens of student speakers Students hug after placing flowers at Michigan State University in East Lansing, two days after a shooting that left three dead and five critically wounded. A campus landmark
and legislators recounted to a known as <the Rock= has become a focus of dueling painted statements on how best to secure the campus 4 by measures to limit guns or ones to extend their use.
crowd of students, state lawmak-
ers and local residents how gun stricter controls 4 and President Police have not identified the turtle= for hours at a time, de- statement, which did not elabo- of the Parkland massacre that
violence has followed them Biden has renewed his call for an wounded, citing their privacy. scribing him as <depressed and rate. saw 17 people gunned down.
throughout their lives. assault weapons ban from his Witnesses said that late classes overly stressed out.= mcrae9s 2019 arrest was for Slotkin noted that some cur-
<If people can9t live, then elect- State of the Union address. Ex- were just wrapping in Berkey The gunman had been a ware- carrying a loaded gun without rent mSU students were gradu-
ed officials are not doing their perts have said that michigan Hall, a social science building, house worker for at least seven the necessary permit. He was on ates of oxford High School and
jobs,= said rep. Elissa Slotkin lawmakers may be in their best around 8:18 p.m. monday when years before losing his job, his probation for a year and a half, therefore are now young veterans
(D-mich.). Pass gun-control legis- position in years to pass gun-con- the gunman entered and began father said, and was trying to find according to officials and court of two deadly school shootings.
lation, she urged the state offi- trol legislation after flipping the firing, killing one student. The another <since he hadn9t worked records. <for me the most haunting
cials present at the rally, <or you state legislature in the November gunman then moved on to the for months.= Biden on Tuesday renewed his picture of last night was watching
cannot claim you care about chil- midterms. student union and again opened michael mcrae said his son call for an assault weapons ban the cameras pan through the
dren.= republicans in michigan and fire, killing two more students, had bought a gun sometime after that he had made in his State of crowds and seeing a young per-
Back at the campus, <the nationally have remained op- the Union speech last week. son wearing an 8oxford Strong9
rock,= an mSU landmark left posed to tightening access to Biden signed a law last year that sweatshirt,= Slotkin said at a news
behind by an ancient glacier and weapons. <We have children in Michigan who are living included the most significant conference Tuesday. <We have
constantly repainted with daily Police said it remained unclear firearms restrictions enacted by children in michigan who are
advisories, served as the fulcrum precisely when mcrae bought the through their second school shooting in under a Congress in decades, although living through their second
of the debate. Images of the rock gun or guns he had at the time of they fell far short of Democratic school shooting in under a year
painted with <How many more?= the shooting. They were also still year and a half.= goals. and a half. If this is not a wake-up
quickly became the defining sym- searching for the gunman9s mo- <The fact that this shooting call to do something, I don9t know
bol of the deadly shooting. tive, saying the shooter had no Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), speaking Tuesday took place the night before this what is.=
Later, however, an unknown known ties to school. country marks five years since The michigan State shooting
party painted the rock with a <We have absolutely no idea the deadly shooting at marjory was the latest in a long line of
pro-gun message 4 <Allow us to what the motive was,= Chris roz- police said. Students ran for cov- he was arrested in 2019 on a Stoneman Douglas High School high-profile mass shootings so
defend ourselves & carry on cam- man, the interim deputy chief of er, screaming and upending ta- weapons violation, but never ad- in Parkland, florida, should far this year, along with seven
pus.= By Wednesday morning, campus police, said at a news bles as they scrambled for safety. mitted that he had it in the house cause every American to exclaim agriculture workers killed in Half
students had stepped back in to conference, adding that the gun- As their phones buzzed with and refused to show it to his 8enough9 and demand that Con- moon Bay, Calif., a small coastal
repaint that message with names man was not a student or a warning alerts from the univer- father. When the father confront- gress take action,= Biden said in a community in the northern part
of the victims 4 and the polariz- michigan State employee. Police sity security system, panicked ed the son about gunshots he statement. of the state, and the 11 who died in
ing debate continued. said Wednesday that they would students barricaded themselves heard in his backyard in Lansing, The carnage at michigan State another mass killing to the south
<Look, I get people want to hold a news conference Thurs- in study rooms, hunkered down he said, Anthony mcrae told him added to the growing toll of in monterey Park, at a dance
have their guns,= said Brooke day. in classrooms and took refuge in it was fireworks. shooting rampages that have be- studio in a largely Asian Ameri-
Cibor, a 20-year-old sophomore, The three michigan students nearby dorms. Police pursued the After the shooting, authorities come consistent parts of Ameri- can community celebrating the
adding that the shooting has who died were Arielle Anderson, gunman for nearly four hours. said they found a note in the can life, and fueled familiar de- Lunar New Year festival.
amplified the conversation about 19, remembered as a straight-A mcrae9s father, michael attacker9s pocket indicating bates about gun laws and pleas So far this year, there have
firearms here. <But just because student who dreamed of becom- mcrae, told The Washington Post threats against two schools in for change. The familiarity of this been 68 mass shootings in the
you like your gun doesn9t mean ing a doctor someday; Alexandria that his son had changed after his Ewing, N.J., where he had family latest horror was underscored by United States, according to data
you want someone shooting up Verner, 20, a three-sport high mother9s death from a stroke in ties. Police in Ewing said in a the attack9s location and timing: from the Gun Violence Archive,
your campus.= school athlete; and Brian fraser, 2020, and that he had become statement that schools there It took place just 80 miles west of more than at this point in any
The drama over the communi- 20, who led his fraternity and was withdrawn, sullen and rarely left were closed Tuesday <out of an the oxford high school where a year since the archive began
ty message board comes at a time called a <great friend.= All were the house. abundance of caution.= The gun- shooter killed four a little more tracking in 2014.
when Democratic lawmakers from communities in the Detroit The elder mcrae said his griev- man <had a history of mental than a year earlier, and occurred
across the country are calling for area. ing son <stayed in his room like a health issues,= according to the on the eve of the fifth anniversary gowen reported from Lawrence, Kan.
Freshman has endured two shootings in 14 months: 8When will this end?9
RiddLE from A1 hard to say no to anything, but all yet,= she continued. <He9s so close to.
the trauma and grief exhausted dad.= <It9s heartbreaking,= her dad
on a winter afternoon a little her, as it did many of her class- She and her roommate hid in said, <that she has those tools.=
more than a year ago, Emma had mates. the darkness for hours, and at 12:31 She9ll need them, especially
been 80 miles east, in the band The sounds of police sirens and a.m., in a moment of fury and when she goes back, he said. many
room at oxford High School, when helicopters overwhelmed Emma, frustration, Emma composed a of her classes were in Berkey Hall,
someone rushed in, panicked. yanking her back to that frantic tweet: <14 months ago I had to where the gunfire started. Emma
Something bad was happening. sprint through the neighborhood. evacuate from oxford High School knows she could have been there
Then an emergency alert blared She refused to let any of it derail when a fifteen year old opened fire monday night, too.
through the intercom. They had her senior year, though. Emma at- and killed four of my classmates <for me, as a parent, you9re so
drilled on what to do next for tended therapy sessions at school and injured seven more. Tonight, I focused on supporting and loving
years. and learned to manage her flash- am sitting under my desk at michi- and just making sure that she has
run. Hide. fight. backs. An excellent student, she gan State University, once again the means to deal with everything
Emma, who played clarinet, decided on michigan State be- texting everyone 8I love you.9 When she has to deal with,= riddle said.
waited in terror behind barricaded cause of its history program. She will this end?= <Every now and then, you get a
doors until the students decided to liked that it was close to home, too. Around 1:30 a.m., they learned little mad, you get a little angry,
try escaping. A door at the back of As a freshman, Emma thrived. that the school would allow stu- and you9re like, 8Why are we doing
the room led out to a field where She made good grades and lots of dents to leave campus. The gun- this again?9=
the marching band practiced. friends. She joined a history club man, who killed three students <Nothing,= he said, <has
They peeked out into the daylight, and a book club and a Taylor Swift and wounded five others, had tak- changed.=
then fled. club, where members discussed en his own life. Emma adores michigan State
Dozens of police cars sped by, lyrics and favorite songs (she was Her dad sped to East Lansing, and its sprawling campus of
and helicopters circled overhead. torn between <Willow= and <Au- pulling up outside his daughter9s 50,000 students. As when she was
Sprinting through a neighbor- gust=). building at 2:30 a.m. Emma at oxford, she is determined not to
hood, Emma called her father. Emma, one of about 20 oxford wrapped her arms around him, let an act of gun violence strip her
<Dad, there9s an active shooter,= survivors at the university, decided then she and her roommate got in of the future she9s worked so hard
she said, weeping and out of to minor in women9s studies, hop- the car. to reach. But by Tuesday evening,
breath. <I9m scared.= ing to one day get a doctorate, matt riddle took the week off to she and her family had all begun to
Emma, then a senior, didn9t maybe become a professor and support his daughter at home. The think about the reality of their
know that in the building behind teach students like her. memories of oxford have all drive back to campus on Sunday.
her, in the town she9d spent all her And then came monday night. rushed back, but her dad also real- They will make the 80-mile trek
life, a 15-year-old sophomore had <I9m so scared,= she texted her ized that, in her mind, she felt west. They will pull up to her dorm.
opened fire, wounding 11 people. family. prepared for what9s to come. They will hug and force them-
four of them 4 all teenagers 4 <I known,= her dad replied, typ- She9s been an adult for only nine selves to say goodbye. And they
died, including Justin Shilling, ing too fast to correct the typo. <I months, but she is a veteran of will hope that it doesn9t happen
who was a friend. love you. He isn9t going in the school shootings. She won9t over- again.
The weeks that followed were a dorms. They have locked the build- FamiLy PhoTo extend herself this time. She9ll
haze of funerals and memorials ings.= Emma Riddle, 18, was a senior at Oxford High School in late 2021 know when to say no. She9ll know razzan nakhlawi contributed to this
and community gatherings. It was <Why haven9t they caught him when a gunman fatally shot four people, including a friend. when to talk about it and when not report.
thursday, february 16, 2023 . the washington post eZ re A9
michigan state shooting
Students who grew up on lockdown drills call for change
don9t have an official stance on current gun legislation was not
Gun-control debates guns and gun control, Watson enough to stop the gunman from
said. They all want more safety killing my fellow students, and I
erupt on campus, online
on campus, whether that means am deeply angered that many
and at Michigan Capitol locking all school buildings or politicians will stand by and
having more security officers. selfishly let this happen over and
Some want professors to have over again because of the money
guns, while others aren9t so sure. they receive from gun lobbyists
BY DAN ROSENZWEIG-ZIFF, It9s an ongoing debate, but Wat- and the NRA,= he said.
REIS THEBAULT son feels firmer now than he did For Paige Lawson, a 19-year-
AND WALI KHAN before. old from Rochester, Mich., the
At the Michigan Capitol on violence is generational.
EAST LANSiNG, Mich. 4 At 21, Wednesday, student speakers Years before Lawson was born,
Zoe Beers has already survived echoed Caleb9s sentiments, her mother, Kathleen, lived in
two school shootings. speaking about the trauma their Colorado across the street from
The first was in California generation has endured over the Columbine High School, where
when she was 8. The second was last 20 years. Some evoked Sandy 12 students and a teacher were
this week, as a gunman stormed Hook, recounting being told to killed. Lawson was in Florida five
the Michigan State University sit <crisscross applesauce= at 9 or years ago when the Parkland
campus, killing three students 10 years old before parents or shooting happened. As a fresh-
and wounding five more. teachers explained that kids man, she was getting settled into
Now, she said, she9s had younger than them had been her life at MSU when friends at
enough. <No one I know under- killed. Oxford High huddled into class-
stands what it is like for me, what At Wednesday9s event, they sat rooms.
it is like for us,= she said. <Things in the cold for over an hour in It never felt like one could
needed to change 20 years ago, vertical lines with their legs happen on campus, though,
and they absolutely need to now.= crossed, just as they had as kids. where her family had built a
It9s a frustration that has Many at the rally said they feared community. It was always a safe
echoed across campus in recent another shooting at the vigil later place. Then it wasn9t.
days, as students grapple with Wednesday night, or at one of the She happened to be driving
the role of gun violence in their Dieu-nalio Chery For the Washington Post few open dining halls, or when around campus from 8:18 p.m. to
lives. Many were in middle Students sit during a rally in front of the Michigan Capitol on Wednesday, two days after three classes resumed. 8:27 p.m. Monday night on her
school when 20 elementary students were killed and five more were injured during a shooting at Michigan State University. When a nearby construction way to her apartment. When she
school students were murdered machine made a loud bang, doz- walked in the door, she saw the
at Sandy Hook in Newtown, Rock, an MSU landmark con- But, he said, he wants them as through another gun injury, he ens visibly jumped, worried it school9s email reporting the
Conn. They were in high school stantly repainted with messages, far away from campus as possi- had an awakening. was a gunshot. shooting. She quickly called her
when a former student opened was colored with a pro-gun mes- ble. <In that moment, I said That theme has rippled across friends who lived in the area and
fire at Marjory Stoneman Doug- sage 4 <Allow us to defend our- campus this week. stayed on, silently, for the rest of
las High in Parkland, Fla. selves & carry on campus= 4 Frank Falzetta, a 21-year-old the night.
Now, they say, after a child- there was a flurry of posts. <No one I know understands what it is like for me, junior, spent Monday night bar- She hopes this time actually is
hood of lockdown drills and <Gun free zones are the most ricaded in his off-campus apart- different because of a Democrat-
reports of violence, they want unsafe places in this country,= what it is like for us. Things needed to change ment with his roommates. He ic majority in the state legisla-
change. <We were born into this,= one user wrote Wednesday was terrified, but as the hours ture. But with her mom next to
Jo Kovach, the student body morning. <That9s what the rock9s 20 years ago, and they absolutely need to now.= passed, another feeling set in: her, a stark reminder of years of
president, said at a gun-control current message is getting at. Let fury. inaction, she is pessimistic.
protest outside the Michigan us carry to protect ourselves and Zoe Beers, 21, who has survived two school shootings <I just feel angry that things Other students, too, said the
Capitol. <We just want action.= you.= like this happen all the time,= shooting has punctured their
But students are split on what <Police are minutes away said Falzetta, who studies politi- sense of safety on campus. Miselo
that looks like, debating ques- when seconds count,= another cal science and has studied the Chola, a junior and friend of one
tions of <gun-free zones= and wrote. Fourteen months ago, his enough is enough. It9s time to influence of the National Rifle of the victims, feared what might
arming teachers in conversa- <Ya know, we want a safe brother Aiden Watson, then 15, stand up for this,= he said. <It9s Association. <When you9re in the happen when the news cameras
tions, group chats and social school too & just different ways was injured in a school shooting time to be more vocal about this.= middle of something like this leave her campus and the spot-
media feeds. of solving the problem,= said at Oxford High School, some 80 He9s still figuring out what and you know the inner work- light fades 4 she wants change,
Much of this dialogue is play- another. miles away. It was a horrible time that means. He believes in the ings of the political aspects, she said.
ing out on Yik Yak, an anony- Caleb Watson, a member of the for Caleb9s family and communi- Second Amendment but wants you9re mad as hell.= <People have the outrage and
mous, location-based social me- MSU College Republicans, said ty, filled with hospital visits and more limits across his state, so On Tuesday, Falzetta and his they forget, that9s why these
dia app often used on college he knows why some might want funerals. that gun ownership is restricted friends brought flowers to a things continue,= Chola said. <So
campuses. In the hours and days faculty to have concealed carry On Monday, Caleb flashed to people who are <mentally makeshift memorial at the Rock. what makes it right for it to just
after the shooting, dozens of permits for guns. He also under- back to the moment he found out stable, law-abiding and responsi- He wasn9t hopeful that the shoot- be forgotten about after a week
users argued that armed stu- stands why people own guns 4 about his brother9s incident. And ble.= He isn9t sure how to meas- ing would inspire political or two when everything9s back to
dents or faculty would have both of his parents have con- while Caleb hid, hoping his fam- ure that, though. change. so-called normal? It9s never go-
stopped the shooter. After the cealed carry permits. ily wouldn9t have to suffer The MSU College Republicans <I am deeply angered that ing to be normal again.=
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A10 eZ re thewashingtonpost .thursday, february 16, 2023
climate & environment
A new kind of bond is enlisting Americans in the ûght against climate change
Lastmonth,I Therearesomeotherretail
boughtmyfirst offerings.Afoundation-funded
GreenLiberty project,AskSustainable,has
Bond. catalogued230financial
Modeledonthe productstotalingabout
Climate warbondsthat $50billionincapitalfrom
raisedbillionsof exchange-tradedfundstonotes
Coach
dollarstofight tosavingsaccounts.Eachone
MiChaelJ. WorldWarII,my offersdetailedinformationabout
Coren GreenLiberty itsfinancialsandgreenbenefits
Bondaimstowin basedonpublisheddocuments
thefightagainst andregulatoryfilings.
climatechange4atleastin Thewebsiteshows21climate-
Connecticut. friendlynotes(shorter-term
Iinvestedamodest$280with fixed-incomeinvestments)
theConnecticutGreenBank.My financingeverythingfromland
moneywillberolledintoamuch conservationtorenewable
largerfundstartedbythestateto energytoeconomicdevelopment
reducetherisksforbanks (forlegalreasons,youmust
providingrooftopsolarloansto makepurchasesoffthesiteat
homeownersandsmall thistime).
businesses. Becausethisisarelativelynew
Thosethousandsofnewsmall market,you9llhavetoreadthe
solarenergysystemsgenerate fineprintcarefully.TheCalvert
renewableenergycredits,which CommunityNote,forexample,
Connecticututilitiespurchaseto offersa2percentinterestrate
meetcleanenergymandates. overthreeyears4andonly
TheConnecticutGreenBank directsathirdofyour
thenusesthisrevenuestreamto investmenttowardsustainable
issueevenmoreGreenLiberty energyandconservation.
Bonds. <Everydollarthatcanbe
Intheend,asmallpoolof utilizedfortheclimateisadollar
publicmoneyturnsintoamuch wellspent,=saysTrentonAllen,
biggerpoolofprivatefunds. CEOofSustainableCapital
Thentheprocessbeginsagain.A Advisors,whichcreatedthesite.
yearfromnow,Iexpecttogetmy <Youcouldsaymy$100doesn9t
moneyback,plus5.25percent. matter,butitmatterswhenwe
Thegoal,saysBryanGarcia, alldoit.=
CEOofConnecticutGreenBank,
WhatshouldIexpect?
istoenableordinarycitizensto
jointhefightagainstclimate IhadlowexpectationswhenI
change,likethewareffortofthe decidedtopurchaseoneofthe
1940s.Atthetime,the peLToNgrAphiCs/CoNNeCTiCuTgreeNbANk N.C.WyeTh/TreAsuryDepArTmeNT/LibrAryofCoNgress ConnecticutnotesinJanuary.
governmentraisedmoneyby Ordinarycitizenscaninvestmoneyinclimate-friendlyprojectsby Aposterfrom1942encouragesAmericanstopurchasewarbonds, Lastyear,Itriedsellinga
issuingwarbonds.Smalltowns purchasingGreenLibertyBondsthroughConnecticutGreenBank. whichpaidforavarietyofmaterialsduringWorldWarII. CaliforniawaterdistrictbondI
heldralliesandroadsidesales. inherited.Ittookseveraldays
HollywoodstarssuchasBette millionsofsmallinvestorsto TheresponsetoConnecticut researchersfoundthatU.S.asset conservationandtransportation. andhoursonabroker9shelpline
DavisandRitaHayworth helpachievethenation9s GreenBank9sofferingsuggests managersthatsignedontothe InthecaseofGreenLiberty tooffloadit.I9llneverdoitagain
promotedthem.Norman renewableenergygoals, there9spent-updemandforthis PrinciplesforResponsible Bonds,allofthefundinggoes ifIcanavoidit.
Rockwellandhis<Four advocatessay. kindofproduct.Foritslatest Investment(anenvironmental, towardsolarpanelsandenergy ButwhenIwentonlinetobuy,
Freedoms=paintingsmadea16- Tobesure,mypurposehereis bondsaleinJanuary,likeearlier socialandgovernanceinitiative) efficiency.Topersuadebanksto Iwaspleasantlysurprised.I
citydrivetosellthem.The exploringhowthesetypesof ones,investorswereturned actuallyhadworseESGscores makenewcleanenergyloansfor loggedintoRaiseGreen,a
gusherofcashfundedeverything bondswork,notproviding away.<Thegeneralassumptionis thanthosewhodidn9t.Thereis homesandbusinesses,theGreen crowdfundingplatformthat
frombomberstobullets. financialadvice.Aswithany thatmarketsareefficient,and <asubstantialdisconnect Bankagreestoabsorblosses allowsindividualstoinvestas
TheConnecticutGreenBank investment,youshouldcarefully privatemoneywillflowwhere betweenwhatinstitutional afterthefirst1.5percent(uptoa littleas$100ineverythingfrom
hopesitsproduct,theGreen lookatgreenbondsandhow thereareinefficiencies,=says investorsclaimtodointermsof certainamount).Residentsin cleanenergystart-ups(rather
LibertyBond,becomesa theyfitintoyourbroader Garcia.<Buttheprivatemarkets ESGandwhattheyreallydo,=the low-incomecommunitiesget risky)tobonds(mostlysafe).It
financialconceptadoptedby financialpicturebeforeputting don9tknowthereisan authorswrote. prioritywhenrequestingloans. wasrelativelysimple.Imadean
institutionsacrossthecountry. yourmoneyinthem.One opportunityinsmallstateslike Whilesomegreenbondsfail account,transferred$280and
HowdoIbuyone?
Likewarbondsbackthen,they advantage:Youcaninvestas Connecticut.Greenbanksshout toliveuptothename,studies thenote,confirmedafewdays
aredesignedforordinary littleas$100. tothemarketthatthereisan suggestsomecanimprove Investingdirectlyingreenbonds later,wasaddedtoaprogram
citizens.They9reeasytobuy opportunitytoinvestand corporateenvironmental isnotaseasyasinvestinginthe thathashelpedmobilize
Thebigidea
withoutamiddlemanand achieveourlocal performance.CarolineFlammer stockmarket.Mutualfunds $1.3billionforrooftopsolar
divviedupintosmallamounts. Fornow,effortsliketheseare [environmental]policy ofBostonUniversity9sQuestrom aggregatethemorethan panelsforConnecticut
Theyhavecompetition. stilltinycomparedtoU.S.war objectives.= SchoolofBusinessanalyzed147 $1.9trillioningreendebtthat households.
There9snoshortageofostensibly bonds.Between1941and1943, certifiedgreenbonds.Shefound hasbeenissuedasof2022from I9mquiteconfidentI9llgetmy
Whataregreenbonds?
climate-friendlyinvestment thefederalgovernmentraised <corporategreenbonds atleast20countriesandmany moneyback.TheConnecticut
fundstochoosefrom.Climate about$3.2trillion(intoday9s Statesandcitiesareusedto representapowerfultoolin companies.Butthesetendto GreenBankisn9tlendingoutthe
indexfundsandevengreenbond dollars)from85million issuingbondstofundallkindsof climatefinancetofightclimate focusonmassiveprojectfinance: moneydirectly.Itsweetensthe
mutualfundsarenowonthe households,roughlyhalfthe publicprojects.IfSanFrancisco change4atoolthatcanbeused multimillion-dollarrenewable dealforotherbanks,credit
marketfromestablished country. wantstobuildasubway,itmight bytheprivatesectorregardless energypowerplantsorupdating unionsandfinancialinstitutions
financialinstitutionssuchas Sofar,theConnecticutGreen issueyouabondthatpays of(thelackof)government industrialinfrastructure. tolendtocustomers.TheGreen
Fidelity,CalvertandPimco.But Bankhasissuedabout 8percentperyearuntil2033. actions.= Fewoptionsexistforthe Bankhasonlyhad10loan
generally,theholdingsare $43millioningreensecurities Investing$1,000todaymeans Sowhatdogreenbondsfund? ordinarycitizentodirectly defaultsamountingto$330,000,
heavilyweightedtowardlarge (bondsandshorter-termnotes) collecting$80everyyearforthe Almostanythingthatreturnsa financeclimateinfrastructurein a0.03percentdefaultrateover
corporationsandgovernments. since2019.ButGarciaargues nextdecadebeforethecitypays profitandreducesemissionsor theirowncommunity.<The morethan$1billionin
Figuringoutexactlywhat9sin greennoteslikemineproveeven youback.It9sa(relatively)safe addressesenvironmental challengehasalwaysbeenthat financing,accordingtoaudited
themandhowthefundswillbe asmallamountofcapitalcan wayforinvestorstoearnmore problems.Banks,companies, impactfulprojectsandgreen statements.Nodepositorshave
usedisdifficultformost havetremendousimpact.Since interestthancheckingorsavings governmentsandevennonprofit investmentshavenotbeen losttheirmoney,andthebonds
investors. 2011,thebank,whichreceives accountsmightoffer,andfor entitiescanissuethem.Inclusive democratizedinameaningful enjoythebackingofthestate
Incontrast,productslikethe somepublicfundingbut organizationstoraisemoney. ProsperityCapital,anot-for- way,=saysDouglasHeske,the government.
GreenLibertyBondaredesigned operateslikeanindependent Greenbondsaredifferentin profitinvestmentfund,for CEOofNewdayImpact,a My$280mightseempurely
todirectfundsintoacommunity firm,hasturnedabout thattheycontractuallymust example,hasagreenloan financialservicescompany symbolicrelativetothe
withclearinsightintothe $320millioninpublicmoney deliverclearenvironmental programfinancingmorethan40 focusedonenvironmentaland investmentneededto
projectsitsupports.Therates intoabout$2billioninprivate benefits,althoughthereisno typesofprojects,includinghome socialimpact. decarbonizetheglobaleconomy.
arereasonable,withevenabove- cleanenergyinvestments.The universaldefinitionbackedby retrofits,airsealing,window Tobuyagreenbondofyour Butit9salsoadownpaymentona
averagereturnssometimes,and banksaysthathasavoided regulatoryauthorities. upgrades,insulation, own,you9llneedtodoabitof differentfuture.Ifthegreen
governmentbackingcanlower emissionsequivalentto2.7coal Greenwashingisn9tunknown.In geothermal,solarandelectric searching.ThenextGreen bondconceptcatcheson,my
therisk.It9sanovelapproach powerplantsoperatingforone astudyinthepeer-reviewed vehicles.Othersfocuson LibertyBondofferingonRaise investmentmightprovevery
that,ifreplicated,couldenlist year. journalReviewofFinance, sustainableagriculture,water GreenisscheduledforApril. valuableindeed.
New study ûnds gaps in research on forests9 fungal 8wood wide web9
BYSARAHKAPLAN fieldhasswungtoofarinthewrong andsheagreedmoreexperiments Stanford University mycologist
direction 4 embracing the idea areneededtountanglethem.But KabirPeay,whowasnotinvolved
Peopleoncesawforestsasare- thatsharedmycorrhizalnetworks inthemeantime,sheadded,scien- in writing the perspective piece,
nas of fierce competition. It was are widespread and beneficial tists know enough about the im- applauded the authors9 call for
everytreeforitself,eachorganism withoutsufficientevidencetoback portanceofmycorrhizalnetworks morerigorousstandards.
perpetuallybattlingitsneighbors uptheirclaims. toforeststoknowthatbothtrees But Peay said the analysis also
foraccesstowater,nutrientsand <It9s such an appealing story, andfungineedtobeprotected. overlooks some meaningful find-
light. that forests are these cooperative <Reducing ecosystems to their ings about the importance of
Butwhenscientistsdugdeeper places,thatbigoldtreesaretaking individual parts hinders us from shared mycorrhizal networks. It
4 literally 4 they found that the careofkin...Ithinkmanypeople understanding and appreciating de-emphasizes lab experiments
ecosystems are buttressed by an aredrawntoit,=saidJustineKarst, theemergentrelationshipsandbe- andstudiesinvolvingplantsother
underground partnership be- aforestecologistattheUniversity haviors that make these complex than trees, which have provided
tween trees and threadlike fungi of Alberta who studies mycor- ecologicalsystemsthrive,=Simard much stronger evidence that
called mycorrhizae. These fungi rhizae. <But the story is ahead of said. plants can exchange information
link into plants9 roots, providing thescience.= To better understand how andnutrientsviatheirfungalcon-
nutrients pulled from the soil in In a new perspective piece for claimsaboutthe<woodwideweb= nections,hesaid.Italsodisregards
exchangeforasupplyofphotosyn- the journal Nature Ecology and werespread,theauthorsexamined thebenefitsofthesenetworksthat
thetic sugars. In some cases, the Evolution, Karst and two fellow how 18 <influential= studies were gobeyondresourcetransfer4for
fungalfilamentshavebeenshown ecologists reviewed hundreds of cited by other researchers. They example,makingiteasierfornew
to connect the roots of multiple studies from labs and forests foundthatcitationsoftenleftout seedlings to form fungal partner-
trees 4 providing a pathway for aroundtheworld.Theyfoundthat ALANApATersoNforTheWAshiNgToNposT caveatsandalternativeinterpreta- shipsviaapreexistingnetwork.
nutrients to shuttle between or- justahandfulofexperimentsactu- Inaperspectivepiece,threeecologistsareskepticalthattreessend tions that were included in the TobyKiers,anevolutionarybiol-
ganisms. ally used genetic analysis to map messagesandnutrientsthroughmycorrhizalconnections. originalstudies.Likemessagesina ogistatVrijeUniversiteitAmster-
The discovery of these mycor- mycorrhizal networks and show gameof<telephone,=thetakeaways dam who has tracked resources
rhizalconnectionsyieldedaboom- fungallinksbetweentrees.Inthe TheperspectivepublishedMon- trees found that unrelated seed- fromtheoriginalstudieschanged flowing through fungal networks
ingnewbodyofresearchonwhat studiesthatfoundsignsofresource dayisespeciallyskepticalofclaims lingsfaredbetterinrealforests. subtlywitheachcitation4oftenin inherlab,saiditwouldrequirean
theacademicjournalNatureonce transfer, the scientists say experi- that mature trees send messages SuzanneSimard,aforestecolo- waysthatmadethefindingsseem immense investment to develop
called<theWoodWideWeb.=Stud- mentersusuallyfailedtoconsider and sugars to their offspring via gistattheUniversityofBritishCo- more conclusively positive than tools capable of doing the same
iesfromBritishColumbia,Switzer- alternativeexplanations4forex- mycorrhizal connections, which lumbiawhohasbeenatthefore- theyactuallywere. analysisinrealforests.Butit9svital
landandelsewherehavesuggested ample,thatthenutrientsmayhave they say is not supported by any front of research on forest-fungi Karstandhercolleaguesinclude tounderstandhowthesenetworks
that trees use mycorrhizal net- flowedthroughthesoil,insteadof published, peer-reviewed re- cooperation,pushedbackagainst their own work in their critique, really work, she added, because
works to exchange messages and viathefungalnetwork. search. One oft-cited greenhouse Karstandhercolleagues9interpre- pointing out times when they both forests and their under-
share resources with struggling <There9sactuallyalotofvariabil- studythatshowedcarbonflowing tationofherlab9swork.Forexam- themselvesfailedtoruleoutalter- groundfungiarevitaltothehealth
seedlings.Books,moviesandnews ity in outcome of these experi- between related seedlings also ple,thegreenhousestudytheycrit- nativeexplanationsorthoroughly oftheplanet.
articles (including a recent story ments,andthatisinterestingsci- foundthatthenutrientwastrans- icizealsofoundthatthemajorityof backuptheirclaims.<Allthreeofus <Thestoryisevenmoreinterest-
from The Washington Post) have entifically,= said co-author Jason ferredthroughthesoilevenwhen carbon flow was concentrated in havepapersthat,ifwewerewriting ing than altruistic-trees-sharing-
helpedpopularizetheconcept,cel- Hoeksema,anecologistandevolu- fungal filaments were blocked 4 fungal hyphae 4 indicating the themtoday,wewouldnotsaythe resources,=Kierswroteinanemail.
ebratingforestsasmodelsofcoop- tionarybiologistattheUniversity suggestingthatdirectmycorrhizal fungi played a prominent, if not samethings,=saidco-authorMela- <My hope is that [Karst9s paper]
erationinaworldrivenbyhuman ofMississippi.<Ifwewanttoactu- linksweren9ttheonlypathwayfor exclusive,roleinconnectingrelat- nieJones,aprofessorofbiologyat willhelpmotivatemoreresearch-
conflict,consumptionandclimate allyunderstandhowforestswork, resourceexchange.Agraduatethe- edseedlings. theUniversityofBritishColumbia ers to study these dynamics be-
change. weneedtoembracethatvariabili- sis that examined how seedlings Therelationshipsundergirding whostudieshowmycorrhizalasso- cause they are way more compli-
Yet some researchers say their ty.= grewwhenplantednexttorelated forests are complex, Simard said, ciationsfunctioninecosystems. catedthanpeopleassume.=