taliban announce caretaker cabinet
TRANSCRIPT
Volume 80 Edition 103 ©SS 2021 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas
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FACES
Williams evolvedfrom his iconicrole on ‘The Wire’Page 14
VIRUS OUTBREAK
Air Force setsCOVID vaccinationdeadline for Nov. 2Page 6
NFL
Teams looking to rookie QBs atstart of seasonPage 24
Woman arrested in death of US soldier’s child in South Korea ›› Page 3
DALLAS — Ask anyone old
enough to remember travel before
Sept. 11, 2001, and you’re likely to
get a gauzy recollection of what
flying was like.
There was security screening,
but it wasn’t anywhere near as in-
trusive. There were no long
checkpoint lines. Passengers and
their families could walk right to
the gate together. Overall, an air-
port experience meant far less
stress.
That all ended when four hi-
jacked planes crashed into the
World Trade Center towers, the
Pentagon and a field in Pennsylva-
nia.
The worst terror attack on
American soil led to increased and
sometimes tension-filled security
measures in airports across the
world. The cataclysm has also
contributed to other changes large
and small that have reshaped the
airline industry — and, for con-
sumers, made air travel more
stressful than ever.
Two months after the attacks,
President George W. Bush signed
legislation creating the Transpor-
tation Security Administration,
which required that all checked
bags be screened, cockpit doors be
reinforced, and more federal air
marshals be put on flights.
There has not been another 9/11.
Nothing even close. But after that
CLIFF OWEN/AP
A TSA officer gives an airplane passenger a security pat down at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., in March 2019.
Changes in the airHow the 9/11 terror attack altered the
way we fly: more security, less privacy
BY DAVID KOENIG
Associated Press
SEE CHANGES ON PAGE 10
KABUL, Afghanistan — The
Taliban on Tuesday announced a
caretaker Cabinet that paid hom-
age to the old guard of the group,
giving top posts to Taliban person-
alities who dominated the 20-year
battle against the U.S.-led coali-
tion and its Afghan government al-
lies.
Interim Prime Minister Mullah
Hasan Akhund headed the Tali-
ban government in Kabul during
the last years of its rule. Mullah
Abdul Ghani Baradar, who had
led talks with the United States
and signed the deal that led to
America’s final withdrawal from
Afghanistan, will be one of two
deputies to Akhund.
There was no evidence of non-
Taliban in the lineup, a big de-
mand of the international commu-
nity.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah
Mujahid, when announcing the
Cabinet, said the appointments
were for an interim government.
He did not elaborate on how long
they would serve and what would
be the catalyst for a change.
So far, the Taliban have shown
no indications that they will hold
elections.
The announcement of Cabinet
Taliban
announce
caretaker
CabinetBY KATHY GANNON
Associated Press
RELATED
Ramstein workingto build ties withAfghan refugeesPage 5
SEE TALIBAN ON PAGE 4
AFGHANISTAN
PAGE 2 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
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American Roundup ...... 11Classified .................... 13Comics .........................16Crossword ................... 16Faces .......................... 14Opinion ........................ 15Sports .................... 17-24
Military rates
Euro costs (Sept. 8) $1.16Dollar buys (Sept. 8) 0.8216British pound (Sept. 8) $1.35Japanese yen (Sept. 8) 107.00South Korean won (Sept. 8) 1,129.00
Commercial rates
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Philippines (Peso) 48.32Poland (Zloty) 3.79Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7506Singapore (Dollar) 1.3436
South Korea (Won) 1,107.42Switzerland (Franc) .9103Thailand (Baht) 30.16Turkey (New Lira) 7.7363
(Military exchange rates are those availableto customers at military banking facilities in thecountry of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., purchasing British pounds in Germany), check withyour local military banking facility. Commercialrates are interbank rates provided for referencewhen buying currency. All figures are foreigncurrencies to one dollar, except for the Britishpound, which is represented in dollarstopound, and the euro, which is dollarstoeuro.)
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EXCHANGE RATES
Environmental activists
protesting car culture disrupt-
ed traffic on several highways
around Munich before the
opening Tuesday of a leading
auto show in the German city.
Demonstrators unfurled
banners with slogans such as
“Block IAA,” in some cases
abseiling from highway
bridges to do so, news agency
dpa reported.
At one location, they pasted
over a highway sign with the
words “Smash Car Lobby &
Industry.”
Police and fire service offi-
cers ended the protests, and
the affected stretches of auto-
bahn were reopened around
lunchtime.
More protests are expected
Friday, although organizers
have not yet specified what
exactly they plan to do.
The IAA Mobility fair,
which takes place every two
years, was opening later
Tuesday. The event is held
every two years and is in
Munich for the first time this
year.
It previously took place in
Frankfurt. The show moved
after the German Association
of the Automotive Industry
changed the concept of the
show to change its focus and
include more discussion of
environmental issues, new
technologies and innovation
and other modes of transpor-
tation, including e-scooters
and bicycles.
Protests block autobahn before car showAssociated Press
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 3
SEOUL — South Korea’s mili-
tary on Tuesday was closely
watching North Korea amid signs
the country was preparing to hold
anew military parade to showcase
its growing nuclear and missile
capabilities.
The South Korean and U.S. mil-
itaries were “thoroughly follow-
ing and monitoring North Korean
preparations for large-scale
events such as a military parade in
connection with the North’s inter-
nal schedule,” said Col. Kim Jun-
rak, a spokesman for South Ko-
rea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. He
didn’t specify in the news confer-
ence what the allied militaries
have seen or when they expect the
parade to take place.
North Korea often celebrates
major state anniversaries by roll-
ing out thousands of goose-step-
ping troops and its most advanced
military hardware at a square in
the capital, Pyongyang.
There’s speculation its next mil-
itary parade could come as early
as Thursday when it celebrates
the 73rd anniversary of the coun-
try’s founding. Another big date is
Oct. 10, the 76th anniversary of the
ruling Workers’ Party.
During a military last parade in
January, North Korea showcased
new missiles being developed to
be fired from submarines as it cel-
ebrated the closure of a rare
Workers’ Party congress. There,
leader Kim Jong Un vowed to ex-
pand his nuclear weapons pro-
gram in the face of what he de-
scribed as U.S. hostility.
Meanwhile, the Workers’ Par-
ty’s Politburo on Tuesday elected
an army general, seen as an influ-
ential figure in shaping the coun-
try’s ballistic missile program, as
the newest member of its power-
ful presidium, which consists of
Kim and four other top officials,
North Korean state media said.
Pak Jong Chon appears to be re-
placing Ri Pyong Chol, another se-
nior military official who experts
believe was sacked from the pre-
sidium after being held responsib-
le for unspecified lapses in the
country’s pandemic response.
Kim in July had accused offi-
cials of causing a “great crisis” in
national anti-virus efforts, but the
North never revealed what those
problems were and has yet to re-
port a single coronavirus infec-
tion.
Last October, the North un-
veiled its biggest-yet interconti-
nental ballistic missile at a parade
marking the party’s 75th anniver-
sary. The North’s previous ICBMs
demonstrated the potential to re-
ach the U.S. mainland during
flight tests in 2017.
Any new North Korean parade
will likely feature its latest weap-
ons systems that threaten U.S. al-
lies in Asia and the American
homeland, and such displays
would be seen as an attempt to
pressure Washington over the
stalled nuclear diplomacy.
Washington and Pyongyang
have yet to recover from the col-
lapse of a summit between Kim
and former President Donald
Trump in 2019, when the Ameri-
cans rejected the North’s demand
for a major easing of economic
sanctions in exchange for a partial
reduction of its nuclear capabili-
ties.
S. Korea monitoring North over signs of military paradeBY KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press
KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY, KOREA NEWS SERVICE/AP
Missiles are driven down a street during a military parade marking the ruling party congress at Kim Il SungSquare in Pyongyang, North Korea, in January.
kyo, on Saturday also described
the strike group’s mission as pri-
marily diplomatic.
“This is about relationship-
building, the friendly sharing of
information and the strengthen-
ing of relationships with our part-
ners,” Staley said.
But China, the rising power in
the region, and even the Japanese
government appear to view the
situation differently.
Japanese Defense Minister No-
buo Kishi told reporters on Mon-
day that the U.K. and other Eu-
ropean countries’ interest in the
Indo-Pacific helped contribute
“peace and stability in this re-
gion,” according to a Monday re-
port from the Associated Press.
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for
China’s Foreign Ministry, during
a news conference Friday, said
the numerous joint exercises be-
tween Japan, the United States
and the U.K. are detrimental to the
region’s stability.
“The practice of saber-rattling
is not constructive,” Wenbin said,
according to a transcript. “We
hope relevant countries will play a
constructive role in promoting
peace and stability in the Asia-Pa-
cific, rather than doing the oppo-
site.”
The visiting aircraft carrier
HMS Queen Elizabeth is building
stronger ties in the Indo-Pacific
for Great Britain rather than pro-
jecting its sea power in a conten-
tious part of the world, the British
ambassador to Japan said Tues-
day.
The Queen Elizabeth, which
docked over the weekend with its
escorts at Yokosuka Naval Base, is
preparing for the second half of its
deployment, which began in May
and will cover approximately
26,000 nautical miles. The U.K.
Carrier Strike Group, led by Com-
modore Steve Moorhouse, is ex-
pected to start traveling back
home soon by heading west from
Japan.
Moorhouse and Ambassador
Julia Longbottom took questions
during a digital press conference
at the Japan National Press Club
in Tokyo. They described the
Queen Elizabeth’s mission as
largely diplomatic. The carrier is
expected to visit 40 countries on
its first patrol.
Longbottom said a “shift in the
balance” of global power and eco-
nomic growth towardthe Indo-Pa-
cific has led the United Kingdom
to reevaluate its lack of presence
in the region.
“Under our Indo-Pacific tilt
framework, the U.K. is deter-
mined to build stronger diplomat-
ic, trading and security ties in the
Indo-Pacific,” she said. “In all
this, Japan is a hugely important
partner.”
Moorhouse said the numerous
joint naval exercises the carrier
strike group took part in the past
few months, and the sheer num-
ber of countries working together,
highlight the growing importance
of the Indo-Pacific region.
The Queen Elizabeth on Satur-
day became the first British air-
craft carrier to visit Japan since
the HMS Illustrious arrived at To-
kyo in 1997. Capt. Simon Staley,
the British defense attaché in To-
UK ambassador, naval chief say Queen Elizabeth patrol is diplomacy afloatBY ALEX WILSON
Stars and Stripes
[email protected]: @AlexMNWilson
Eighth Army and the 2nd Infan-
try Division in an email Tuesday
to Stars and Stripes described the
incident as a “terrible tragedy”
and said they “will do everything
possible to care for the family in
this time of profound grief and
loss.”
The U.S. commands will coop-
erate with the Korean National
Police investigation, according to
the statement.
investigator said. The father,
whose name the police did not re-
lease, was expected to pick them
up Sunday morning.
Government officials in South
Korea customarily speak to the
media on a condition of anonym-
ity.
The woman knew the soldier
from a bar near Camp Hum-
phreys where she worked, accord-
ing to police. The investigator said
the woman arrived in the country
after marrying a South Korean
man in 2019. The couple later di-
vorced.
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South
Korea — A woman from the Phi-
lippines is under arrest on suspi-
cion of beating to death the 3-year-
old son of a U.S. soldier left in her
care, according to South Korean
police.
Police declared the child dead
after finding his bruised body
Sunday morning at a home in Pye-
ongtaek city, near Camp Hum-
phreys, a South Korean criminal
investigator told Stars and Stripes
on Monday.
Arrested the same morning, the
unidentified woman, 30, told po-
lice she had “beaten the child to
death in order to send him to heav-
en because the child was pos-
sessed by an evil spirit,” the inves-
tigator said.
Police responded first to a dis-
turbance call from local residents
who said they found another child,
a 7-year-old boy, crying outside a
home, the officer said. “My young-
er brother appears dead,” the boy
told the residents, according to the
investigator.
Inside, the local residents found
the younger boy unresponsive and
contacted police. After declaring
the boy dead, police found bruises
on his face, back and other parts of
his body, the investigator said. He
said the older boy did not appear
physically injured.
Police responded around 7:30
a.m. to a separate call of a naked,
incoherent woman wandering the
streets for about 40 minutes.
After taking her into custody,
Pyeongtaek police learned the
boys’ father had left them with her
around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, the
Woman arrested in death of US soldier’s childBY DAVID CHOI
AND YOO KYONG CHANG
Stars and Stripes
[email protected]: @[email protected]
MILITARY
PAGE 4 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
appointments by Mujahid came
hours after the Taliban fired into
the air to disperse protesters and
arrested several journalists, the
second time in less than a week the
group used heavy-handed tactics
to break up a demonstration in the
Afghan capital of Kabul.
The demonstrators had gath-
ered outside the Pakistan Embas-
sy to accuse Islamabad of aiding
the Taliban’s assault on northern
Panjshir province. The Taliban
said Monday that they seized the
province — the last not in their
control — after their blitz through
Afghanistan last month.
Afghanistan’s previous govern-
ment routinely accused Pakistan
of aiding the Taliban, a charge that
Islamabad has denied. Former
vice president Amrullah Saleh,
one of the leaders of the anti-Tali-
ban forces, has long been an out-
spoken critic of neighboring Pa-
kistan.
Dozens of women were among
the protesters Tuesday. Some of
them carried signs bemoaning the
killing of their sons by Taliban
fighters they say were aided by
Pakistan. One sign read: “I am a
mother when you kill my son you
kill a part of me.”
On Saturday, Taliban special
forces troops in camouflage fired
their weapons into the air to end a
protest march in the capital by Af-
ghan women demanding equal
rights from the new rulers.
The Taliban again moved
quickly and harshly to end Tues-
day’s protest when it arrived near
the presidential palace. They fired
their weapons into the air and ar-
rested several journalists cover-
ing the demonstration. In one
case, Taliban fighters waving Ka-
lashnikov rifles took a microphone
from a journalist and began beat-
ing him with it, breaking the mi-
crophone. The journalist was later
handcuffed and detained for sev-
eral hours.
“This is the third time i have
been beaten by the Taliban cover-
ing protests,” he told The Associ-
ated Press on condition he not be
identified because he was afraid
of retaliation. “I won’t go again to
cover a demonstration. It’s too dif-
ficult for me.”
A journalist from Afghanistan’s
popular TOLO News was detained
for three hours by the Taliban be-
fore being freed along with his
equipment and the video of the
demonstration still intact.
There was no immediate com-
ment from the Taliban.
Meanwhile, in the northern city
of Mazar-e-Sharif, four aircraft
chartered to evacuate about 2,000
Afghans fleeing Taliban rule were
still at the airport.
Mawlawi Abdullah Mansour,
the Taliban official in charge of
the city’s airport, said any passen-
ger, Afghan or foreigner, with a
passport and valid visa would be
allowed to leave. Most of the pas-
sengers are believed to be Af-
ghans without proper travel docu-
ments.
None of the passengers had ar-
rived at the airport. Instead, orga-
nizers apparently told evacuees to
travel to Mazar-e-Sharif and find
accommodation until they were
called to come to the airport.
The Taliban say they are trying
to find out who among the estimat-
ed 2,000 have valid travel docu-
ments.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken said in Qatar on Tuesday
that the Taliban have given assur-
ances of safe passage for all seek-
ing to leave Afghanistan with
proper travel documents. He said
the U.S. would hold the Taliban to
that pledge.
“It’s my understanding that the
Taliban has not denied exit to any-
one holding a valid document, but
they have said those without valid
documents, at this point, can’t
leave,” he said.
“Because all of these people are
grouped together, that’s meant
that flights have not been allowed
to go,” he added.
The State Department is also
working with the Taliban to facil-
itate additional charter flights
from Kabul for people who are
seeking to leave Afghanistan after
the American military and diplo-
matic departure, Blinken told a
joint news conference with Qa-
tar’s top diplomatic and defense
officials.
“In recent hours” the U.S. has
been in contact with Taliban offi-
cials to work out arrangements for
additional charter flights from the
Afghan capital, he said.
Blinken and U.S. Defense Sec-
retary Lloyd Austin were in Qatar
to thank the Gulf state for its help
with the transit of tens of thou-
sands of people evacuated from
Afghanistan after the Taliban took
control of Kabul on Aug. 15.
Taliban: 2nd protest in 1 week broken up, reporters arrestedFROM PAGE 1
AFGHANISTAN
BOSTON — Over two decades,
the United States and its allies
spent hundreds of millions of dol-
lars building databases for the Af-
ghan people. The nobly stated
goal: Promote law and order and
government accountability and
modernize a war-ravaged land.
But in the Taliban’s lightning
seizure of power, most of that dig-
ital apparatus — including bio-
metrics for verifying identities —
apparently fell into Taliban hands.
Built with few data-protection
safeguards, it risks becoming the
high-tech jackboots of a surveil-
lance state. As the Taliban get
their governing feet, there are
worries it will be used for social
control and to punish perceived
foes.
Putting such data to work con-
structively — boosting education,
empowering women, battling cor-
ruption — requires democratic
stability, and these systems were
not architected for the prospect of
defeat.
“It is a terrible irony,” said
Frank Pasquale, Brooklyn Law
School scholar of surveillance
technologies. “It’s a real object
lesson in ‘The road to hell is paved
with good intentions.’”
Since Kabul fell on Aug. 15, in-
dications have emerged that gov-
ernment data may have been used
in Taliban efforts to identify and
intimidate Afghans who worked
with the U.S. forces.
People are getting ominous and
threatening phone calls, texts and
WhatsApp messages, said Neesha
Suarez, constituent services di-
rector for Rep. Seth Moulton of
Massachusetts, an Iraq War veter-
an whose office is trying to help
stranded Afghans who worked
with the U.S. find a way out.
A 27-year-old U.S. contractor in
Kabul told The Associated Press
he and co-workers who developed
a U.S.-funded database used to
manage army and police payrolls
got phone calls summoning them
to the Defense Ministry. He is in
hiding, changing his location dai-
ly, he said, asking not to be identi-
fied for his safety.
In victory, the Taliban’s leaders
have continued to say they are not
interested in retribution. Restor-
ing international aid and getting
foreign-held assets unfrozen are a
priority. There are few signs of the
draconian restrictions — especial-
ly on women — they imposed
when they ruled from 1996 to 2001.
There are also no indications that
Afghans who worked with Amer-
icans have been systematically
persecuted.
Ali Karimi, a University of
Pennsylvania scholar, is among
Afghans unready to trust the Tali-
ban. He worries the databases will
give rigid fundamentalist theo-
crats, known during their insur-
gency for ruthlessly killing enemy
collaborators, “the same capabil-
ity as an average U.S. government
agency when it comes to surveil-
lance and interception.”
The Taliban are on notice that
the world will be watching how
they wield the data.
All Afghans — and their inter-
national partners — have an obli-
gation together to ensure sensitive
government data only be used for
“development purposes” and not
for policing or social control by the
Taliban or to serve other govern-
ments in the region, said Nader
Nadery, a peace negotiator and
head of the civil service commis-
sion in the former government.
Uncertain for the moment is the
fate of one of the most sensitive da-
tabases — the one used to pay sol-
diers and police.
The Afghan Personnel and Pay
System has data on more than
700,000 security forces members
dating back 40 years, said a senior
security official from the fallen
government.
Its more than 40 data fields in-
clude birth dates, phone numbers,
fathers’ and grandfathers’ names
and could query fingerprints and
iris and face scans stored in a dif-
ferent database with which it was
integrated, said two Afghan con-
tractors who worked on it, speak-
ing on condition of anonymity for
fear of retribution.
Only authorized users can ac-
cess that system, so if the Taliban
can’t find one, they can be expect-
ed to try to hack it with aid from
other nations, said the former offi-
cial, who asked not to be identified
for fear of the safety of relatives in
Kabul.
Originally conceived to fight
payroll fraud, that system was
supposed to interface eventually
with a powerful database at the
Defense and Interior ministries
modeled on one the Pentagon cre-
ated in 2004 to achieve “identity
dominance” by collecting finger-
prints and iris and face scans in
combat areas.
But the homegrown Afghanis-
tan Automated Biometric Identifi-
cation Database grew from a tool
to vet army and police recruits for
loyalty to contain 8.5 million re-
cords, including on government
foes and the civilian population.
When Kabul fell it was being up-
graded, along with a similar data-
base in Iraq, under a $75 million
contract signed in 2018.
U.S. officials have said it was se-
cured before the Taliban could ac-
cess it.
Before the U.S. pullout, the en-
tire database was erased with mil-
itary-grade data-wiping software,
said William Graves, chief engi-
neer at the Pentagon’s biometrics
project management office.
Similarly, 20 years of data col-
lected from telecommunications
and internet intercepts since 2001
by Afghanistan’s intelligence
agency were wiped clean, said the
former Afghan security official.
US-built databasesa potential tool ofTaliban repression
BY FRANK BAJAK
Associated Press
RAHMAT GUL/AP
An employee scans a woman’s eyes for biometric data needed to apply for a passport at the passportoffice in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 5
AFGHANISTAN
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Ger-
many — Air Force Col. Amy Glis-
son walked through a fenced-off
area on the flight line ramp where
thousands of Afghan evacuees are
temporarily housed.
Hundreds of children were
queued up for a midday snack of
fruit and juice. Glisson said hello,
smiled and exchanged high-fives
and fist bumps with the less timid
in the crowd.
As the camp commander, Glis-
son has the enormous task of ma-
naging the day-to-day operations
of housing, feeding, protecting
and transporting evacuees at
Ramstein.
“It’s just been an incredibly fast
learning curve for us as we fig-
ured out the human element,”
said Glisson, who’s also the 86th
Mission Support Group com-
mander at the Ramstein base.
At the height of the largest U.S.
airlift in history, Glisson and her
team learned to build tents in-
credibly fast and distribute tens of
thousands of meals per day to sup-
port a peak of 21,000 people be-
tween Ramstein and the Army’s
Rhine Ordnance Barracks.
As of Tuesday morning, a com-
bined nearly 12,000 evacuees
were at the two bases awaiting
further transit. An additional 230
were expected to arrive within 12
hours.
But the biggest success, Glisson
said, was identifying early on that
communication was critical, not
just for the military and civilian
personnel supporting the mission
but also for the Afghans, she said.
While she made the rounds, an
Afghan named Alex, who had
been an interpreter for U.S.
forces, thanked Glisson.
“You guys are working hard” to
make camp comfortable, he told
Glisson last week. But he had a re-
quest: Could the Afghan soldiers
in camp from the same unit, who
fought together for many years
and are like family, move forward
together to the next destination?
Glisson said they’ll look into
that. She thanked Alex and the
other men gathered around for
their support in Afghanistan for
20 years.
Her next stop was a tent shared
by a family of 12. A father, who
spoke little English, introduced
Glisson to his twin teenage daugh-
ters with matching dimples and
different-colored head scarves.
He pointed to the feet of a boy who
was wearing new sandals.
“I think he was trying to say
thank you because we have been
able to provide shoes and scarves
for his family,” Glisson said.
Glisson’s memory of the night
Ramstein welcomed its first
guests on Aug. 20 is vivid. The
moon shone brightly as 45 eva-
cuees walked toward the Red
Cross table to pick up hygiene
care packages.
“All of a sudden, the call to
prayer went out,” Glisson re-
called. “Everyone kind of paused.
We waited, and as soon as the call
to prayer was over, the first Af-
ghans stepped across the line into
our camp. It was a very surreal
moment for all of us that were out
there.”
But what also stands out for
Glisson about that initial welcome
is what wasn’t said. “We didn’t
communicate with them because
we didn’t really know what to say.
We’d never done this before,” she
said.
Tensions soon mounted in
camp.
“In the first 12 to 18 hours, we
started to see a little bit of a strug-
gle inside that camp,” Glisson
said. “We didn’t understand what
it was. Folks were frustrated.”
They “cracked the code,” with
help from elders in the first group,
who approached the Americans
and said, “We need to help you
help us,” Glisson said. “We sat
down and had our very first elders
meeting.”
The Afghans arrive with few
personal belongings and many
questions about their future, their
families and their basic needs:
How long are we going to be here;
is there enough food; can we get
more blankets; is there clothing;
where are our bags; is there Wi-Fi
to reach family back home?
“There are so many un-
knowns,” Glisson said. “We found
that sharing that information with
the elders and asking them to
share that across this community,
that there is enough food, that
there is enough water. Once that
message began to spread, we had
a lot less anxiety at food lines, peo-
ple weren’t grabbing for extra
blankets. There was a sense of
calm.”
They soon made sure to begin
communicating with Afghans as
soon as they arrived.
The message: “We are so glad
that you are here, and we are here
to make sure that you are safe and
that you are secure,” Glisson said.
Also facilitating communica-
tion with evacuees is the cultural
engagement team. The core of the
team consists of two public affairs
officers and two Special Forces
soldiers, the latter chosen for their
understanding of the nuances of
Afghan culture shaped by previ-
ous deployments to Afghanistan.
They remind the many U.S. mil-
itary reinforcements and volun-
teers “of the hell that these people
went through to get here,” said
one of the soldiers, who base offi-
cials said could not be identified
because of the nature of his job.
“They’re amped-up, they’re
stressed, they just lost their
homes. Even when they’re argu-
ing or demanding answers, we
say, ‘Hey, take a step back, be pa-
tient.’ ”
Don’t treat the mission like a
military operation, the Special
Forces soldiers advised, because
it’s not. It’s best to “let them han-
dle their own stuff ... and how they
want to do it.”
Using that approach, the eva-
cuees have been allowed to make
some modifications to camp.
Families bunk together, so women
and children aren't separated
from the men.
Some Afghans opt to sleep on
cardboard and blankets on the
floor rather than on the cots pro-
vided by the military.
They hand-wash their clothes
with soap and water on metal
trash can lids and drape them over
the fence to dry instead of using
washers and dryers.
Ramstein can’t provide Wi-Fi
and cigarettes, two of the most
common requests. The Wi-Fi sig-
nal is already notoriously bad
near Ramstein’s flight line, and
cigarettes and jet fuel don’t mix,
base officials said.
But once evacuees settle in and
their basic needs are met, they
“ask for a little bit more,” such as
hot tea, Glisson said.
Glisson would tell them, “We’re
still trying to feed a lot of people.
And that if you come back next
week, I might have hot tea for you.
And then they’ll laugh.”
Most Afghans are eager to con-
tinue their journey rather than
stick around for hot tea. But just
this week, as more people depart
Ramstein, the base was able to set
up hot tea stations for evacuees, a
base spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Communication key in support of evacuees
[email protected] Twitter: @stripesktown
An Afghan family prepares to board a plane at Ramstein Air Base onSept. 2. More than 22,000 evacuees from Afghanistan have flownthrough Ramstein to the United States or other destinations.
An Afghan boy is warmed by aRed Cross blanket during a chillynight in Germany at Ramstein AirBase’s temporary living facilitiesfor evacuees from Afghanistan.
Ramstein officialslearned to workthrough elders
BY JENNIFER H. SVAN
Stars and Stripes
PHOTOS BY JENNIFER H .SVAN/Stars and Stripes
Air Force Col. Amy Glisson visits with children inside temporary living facilities for evacuees at RamsteinAir Base, Germany on Sept. 2. Glisson, the 86th Mission Support Group commander at Ramstein, is thecamp commander for the daytoday operations of receiving, housing and sending tens of thousands ofevacuees on to the United States.
PAGE 6 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Active-duty airmen and SpaceForce guardians must be fully vac-cinated against the coronavirus byNov. 2 unless they have a valid ex-emption, Air Force officials havesaid.
That means they must have hada single-dose COVID-19 vaccineor both doses of a two-shot vaccineat least two weeks before that date,a statement released Friday said.
Air Force reservists and Guard-smen have until Dec. 2 to meet theinoculation requirements, whichwere announced two weeks afterDefense Secretary Lloyd Austinordered all troops to get the shotafter the Food and Drug Adminis-
tration approved the two-dosePfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Aug.23.
Military providers will initiallyoffer only the Pfizer-BioNTechvaccine, but airmen and guardi-ans can continue to volunteer toreceive vaccines authorized foremergency use by the FDA, in-cluding the two-shot Modernavaccine and the single-dose Jans-sen vaccines, the statement said.Those can be given by military orcivilian providers.
The obligation to meet the vacci-nation deadline will only bewaived for service members whoare granted medical or adminis-trative exemptions, including forreligious reasons, the statement
said. Having an approved retire-ment or separation date will notlead to exemption if that is the solereason cited by a service member.
Those who don’t have an ex-emption but refuse to have thevaccine could be punished underthe Uniform Code of Military Jus-tice.
“We are taking an aggressiveapproach to protect our servicemembers, their families and theircommunities from COVID-19 andthe highly transmissible Deltavariant,” Undersecretary of theAir Force Gina Ortiz Jones said inthe statement. “As members of thenation’s armed forces, our airmenand guardians must be able to re-spond to situations around the
globe — being fully vaccinatedwill help us safely meet the read-iness requirements that our na-tional security depends on.”
The Air Force deadlines wereannounced a week after the Navysaid that active-duty Marines andsailors must be fully vaccinated byNov. 28 and reservists by Dec. 28.
Vaccination is mandatory evenif a service member has been in-fected with the coronavirus, theNavy said in a statement, notingthat all COVID-19 deaths in theservice have been among “indi-viduals not (fully) immunized.”
The Army has not yet an-nounced a timeline for soldiers tobe fully vaccinated.
Airmen and guardians who
have proof of vaccination in theirmedical records will be consid-ered to have met the Air Force’scoronavirus inoculation require-ments.
The process for airmen andguardians to follow to obtain ex-emptions for medical reasons isexplained in AFI 48-110_IP, Im-munizations and Chemoprophy-laxis for the Prevention of Infec-tious Diseases, and, on religiousgrounds, in DAFI 52-201, Reli-gious Freedom in the Departmentof the Air Force, the statementsaid.
Air Force sets COVID vaccination deadlineBY KARIN ZEITVOGEL
Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes reporter David Edge contributedto this [email protected] Twitter: @StripesZeit
on Tuesday. Sasebo Naval Basein a Facebook post said nine peo-ple had tested positive sinceThursday.
Six developed symptoms ofCOVID-19 and three were dis-covered during contact tracing,according to the base. Sasebohas 17 active cases.
At Yokota Air Base in westernTokyo, Dr. David Leary, an AirForce lieutenant colonel and thepublic health emergency offi-cer, said Friday that COVID-19cases surged 10-fold in the areaaround the base in the past 2 ½
TOKYO — The fifth wave ofcoronavirus in Japan’s capitalcity, although showing signs ofweakening, continued Tuesdaywith another 1,629 newly infect-ed people, public broadcasterNHK reported.
Tokyo for 16 consecutive dayshas recorded new case numberslower than a week prior, accord-ing to data from the metropoli-tan government. Tuesday’s newcases were 1,280 fewer thanthose Aug. 31, according to met-
ro government data.The city, like 20 other prefec-
tures in Japan, is under a state ofemergency until Sunday thataims to restrict alcohol sales atbars and restaurants, limit theirbusiness hours and encourageresidents to stay home.
Some U.S. military commandshave placed much of the countryoff-limits to off-duty personneldue to surging cases of CO-VID-19, the coronavirus respira-tory disease.
One U.S. installation in Japanreported new coronavirus cases
months. “That’s a lot,” he said during
an interview with AmericanForces Network Tokyo.
Base commander Col. AndrewCampbell in the same interviewsaid that surge was one reasonhe approved tighter restrictionson travel for most base person-nel. A two-week ban on unvacci-nated personnel leaving the baseexpires Thursday.
Okinawa prefecture, home to alarge population of U.S. forces,including Marines, reported 383new cases Tuesday, according to
the prefectural Department ofPublic Health and Medical Care.Another 558 people tested posi-tive Saturday, followed by 367on Sunday and 167 on Monday.
Japan reported 8,282 newcases and 40 related deathsMonday, according to the JohnsHopkins Coronavirus ResourceCenter. Nearly half, 47%, of Ja-pan’s population, or 59.6 millionpeople, are fully vaccinated.
Nine virus cases at US naval base as Tokyo numbers continue to slideBY JOSEPH DITZLER
Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes reporter Mari Higa contributedto this [email protected] Twitter: @Joseph Ditzler
VIRUS OUTBREAK
March 11, 2021. It was supposedto be a turning point in the coro-navirus pandemic for Erin Tok-ley, a longtime Philadelphia policeofficer, Baptist minister and 47-year-old father of three. It wassupposed to be the day of his vac-cine appointment.
Instead it was the date of his fu-neral.
Tokley — “Toke” to his friendsand family — died on March 3, be-coming the Philadelphia PoliceDepartment’s sixth confirmedCOVID-19 death.
Philadelphia officers first be-came eligible for their shots in lateJanuary and Tokley was eager toget it as soon as he could. But hefell ill in early February, before itwas his turn to roll up his sleeve.
The resurgence of COVID-19this summer and the national de-bate over vaccine requirementshave created a fraught situationfor the nation’s first responders,who are dying in larger numbersbut pushing back against man-dates.
It’s a heartbreaking situationfor Tokley’s widow, Octavia, as the21st anniversary of their first date
approaches on Sept. 10. She saidshe has moved beyond her angerat other police officers who are re-fusing the vaccine, and is now dis-appointed. Her husband’s lifecouldn’t be saved, but theirs stillcan.
“I don’t want to have to be thereto support your family for this,”she said. “Nobody deserves this,especially when it can be prevent-ed.”
Her husband is one of 132 mem-bers of law enforcement agencieswho are known to have died of CO-VID-19 in 2021, as of Monday, ac-cording to the Officer Down Me-morial Page. In Florida alone lastmonth, six people affiliated withlaw enforcement died over a 10-day period.
In the first half of 2021, 71 lawenforcement officials in the U.S.died from the virus — a small de-crease compared to the 76 whodied in the same time period in2020, per data compiled by the Na-tional Law Enforcement OfficersMemorial Fund. Last year, the to-tal figure was 241 — making the vi-rus the the leading cause of lawenforcement line-of-duty deaths.
Despite the deaths, police offi-cers and other first responders are
among those most hesitant to getthe vaccine and their cases contin-ue to grow. No national statisticsshow the vaccination rate forAmerica’s entire population offirst responders but individual po-lice and fire departments acrossthe country report figures far be-low the national rate of 74% ofadults who have had at least onedose.
Frustrated city leaders are en-acting mandates for their munici-pal employees — including policeofficers and firefighters — as thedelta variant surges. The man-dates’ consequences range fromweekly testing to suspension totermination. It’s a stark contrastfrom the beginning of the vaccinerollout when first responderswere prioritized for shots.
“It makes me sad that they don’tsee it as another safety precau-tion,” Octavia Tokley said. “Youwear masks, you wear bulletproofvests. You protect each other.That’s what you do, you protectand you serve.”
Nearly 3,000 miles away, SanFrancisco firefighter ChristopherSalas offers his condolences toTokley’s family. “I feel for her, Ifeel for her husband,” he said.
Salas, 58, has nearly 28 years onthe job — 21 of them in the city’stough Tenderloin district. Hewears a mask and washes hishands and sanitizes himself. Buthe stops short at getting the shot —and plans to retire early instead ofacquiescing to the city’s ultima-tum of get vaccinated or get termi-nated.
“I’m not an anti-vaxxer,” hesaid. “I have all my other vaccines.I’m just not taking this one.”
He considered it, just to be ableto finish out his career with threedecades of service.
But after praying about it withhis wife, he remains concernedabout the efficacy and side effectsof the vaccine.
“I don’t think I’d be comfortablewith myself if I did something thatwent against my belief,” he said ofgetting the vaccine. “It’s about lib-erty and having your own choiceto be your own person.”
First responders resist mandatesBY STEFANIE DAZIO
Associated Press
LAURENCE KESTERSON/AP
Octavia Tokley standing right, along with her motherinlaw, Ikelyn,stepdaughter Tamaira, 21, stepson XavierSunday, 12, and daughterAmethyst, five, pose with a portrait of Erin "Toke" Tokley, a cop whodied from COVID19 in March, on Aug. 29 in Secane, Pa.
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 7
Family and friends took to social
media over the weekend to honor
the five Helicopter Sea Combat
Squadron 8 crewmembers who
died last Tuesday when their heli-
copter crashed into the Pacific
Ocean.
The MH-60S
helicopter
crashed during
what the Navy
described only as
routine flight op-
erations 70 miles
off the coast of
San Diego.
The Navy's
identification of the sailors coinci-
ded with a shift of the search to a
recovery operation after more
than 72 hours of coordinated res-
cue efforts to look for the wreck-
age, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a
statement Saturday.
The incident came less than a
week after 13 service members
were killed in a suicide bombing
outside Afghanistan's Hamid Kar-
zai International Airport in Kabul
—the most lethal day for American
forces in Afghanistan since 2011.
Five other sailors aboard the
USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft
carrier, where the aircraft was op-
erating before the crash, were also
injured. Those sailors were in sta-
ble conditions as of Saturday, said
Lt. Samuel R. Boyle, a spokesman
for the Pacific Fleet.
■ Naval Air Crewman (Heli-
copter) 2nd Class James P. Buriak,
31, grew up in Salem, Va., where he
attended Salem High School and
Roanoke College, according to a
GoFundMe fun-
draiser.
He joined the
Navy in 2017 and
served as a res-
cue swimmer as-
signed to Heli-
copter Sea Com-
bat Squadron 8,
the fundraiser
stated.
In Feb. 2020, Buriak was recog-
nized for rescuing a swimmer
caught in a rip current off Guam’s
Gun Beach.
“I just happened to be the person
there,” said Buriak in an interview
published by the Navy. “I would
like to think that regardless of who
it was, they would have done the
same. Someone said they needed
help, and anyone would do the
same in my shoes.”
Buriak is survived by his wife,
Megan, and son, Caulder, accord-
ing to an obituary published on the
Roanoke College website.
■ Hospital Corpsman 2nd
Class Sarah F. Burns, 31, hailed
from Severna Park, Md.
On Sunday, Maryland Gov. Lar-
ry Hogan paid tribute to Burns on
Twitter.
“I ask all Marylanders to join me
in sending our deepest condolenc-
es to the family of U.S. Navy Hospi-
tal Corpsman 2nd Class Sarah F.
Burns of Severna Park, and her
four fellow sail-
ors who were
killed in last
week’s tragic
helicopter
crash,” Hogan
wrote in the
tweet. “Fair
winds and fol-
lowing seas.”
Halye Alexys
Carver, a former shipmate of
Burns, shared memories and pho-
tos of the sailor in a post on Face-
book.
“Sarah you were such a sweet
soul, and will be missed,” the post
read.
Burns is survived by her hus-
band, Lucas, who is also in the Na-
vy, according to a GoFundMe fun-
draiser for Burns’ family.
■ Lt. Bradley A. Foster, 29, of
Oakhurst, Calif., was an Eagle
Scout and a 2015 graduate of the
California State University Mari-
time Academy in Vallejo, Calif.
“Brad Foster represents the ve-
ry best of Cal Maritime, both dur-
ing time his time at our academy
and later in his service to the na-
tion,” Cal Maritime President Tom
Cropper said in a statement posted
to the school’s website. “Enthusias-
tic, optimistic, and mature beyond
his years, Brad took the road less
traveled.”
Foster, a pilot, was a 2009 gradu-
ate of Yosemite
High, where he
was excelled in
swimming and
water polo, ac-
cording to the
Fresno Bee
newspaper on
Sunday. He
earned Eagle
Scout, the Boy
Scouts’ highest rank, that year.
Foster also attended Fresno
State University before joining the
Navy in 2012, according to the Bee,
and worked through high school
and college at his parents’ Sears
Home Store.
He is survived by his wife, Beth,
and their 1-year-old daughter, Au-
drey, according to a GoFundMe
fundraiser for Foster’s family.
■ Lt. Paul R. Fridley, 28, from
Annandale, Va., was remembered
in several tributes posted to social
media.
“Rest In Peace, Paul Fridley. A
great Woodson football player
from the Class of 2011 and an even
better person,” said a tweet posted
on the Twitter account for the W. T.
Woodson High School football
team. “Thank you for your service
to our country.”
“Paul was a man of light,” said
Navid Galt in a comment posted to
the GoFundMe fundraiser for Fri-
dley’s family. “His smile and atti-
tude brought en-
ergy and positiv-
ity to ever en-
counter he was
apart of.”
Fidley is sur-
vived by his wife,
Sarah, according
to the Go-
FundMe.
■ Hospital
Corpsman 3rd Class Bailey J.
Tucker, 21, of St. Louis, graduated
in 2018 from Parkway North High
School, broadcaster KMOV re-
ported Tuesday. Tucker was on the
wrestling team at school.
Friends described him as a hard
worker, a good friend and a jokes-
ter, according to the station.
“Biggest heart once you got to
know him, would do anything for
you,” a friend, Baileigh Sample,
told the station.
“Lit up the room even if things
were sad.”
Tucker is survived by his par-
ents, according to a GoFundMe
fundraising page.
Tributes pour in for 5 sailors killed in crash BY KAT BOUZA
AND JOSEPH DITZLER
Stars and Stripes
Buriak Burns Foster Fridley Tucker
MILITARY
PAGE 8 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
NATION
For millions of Americans, the
Labor Day weekend brought the
end of federally funded emergency
unemployment benefits and a lurch
into the uncertain economic recov-
ery.
Then there are those stranded in a
bureaucratic nightmare, still wait-
ing for benefits they are owed.
Laura Ulrich, 59, was laid off in
January from her job managing the
distribution of coins in the Balti-
more area for an armored car com-
pany. She spent the past week hop-
ing that a summer of contacting offi-
cials in Maryland was going to bear
fruit and more than $14,000 in un-
employment insurance would final-
ly land.
“It’s becoming so frustrating. It’s
wearing on me. It’s wearing on my
blood pressure. I can just feel it,” Ul-
rich said.
On Saturday, after Bloomberg
News raised her case with the office
of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan,
$11,200 finally landed in her bank
account.
Ulrich’s happy moment came af-
ter months of frustrating encoun-
ters with a vital but occasionally cru-
el pillar of the economic safety net,
experiences shared by many of the
8.4 million Americans who re-
mained unemployed in August.
Their ordeal highlights how the de-
bate over whether supplemental
benefits have kept people home and
held back the job-market recovery
often misses just how difficult secu-
ring aid in the first place can be for
applicants.
According to U.S. Treasury data,
the government has spent more
than $830 billion on unemployment
insurance from the onset of the CO-
VID-19 crisis through Sept. 1.
State agencies that handle these
payments have long suffered from
antiquated systems and a chronic
lack of staffing. The pandemic made
it worse with the massive influx of
people who lost their jobs and a wave
of alleged fraud that led states to
freeze numerous claims — includ-
ing Ulrich’s — pending review.
In the year to June 30, according
to Department of Labor data, 58% of
claims nationally resulted in a first
payment within the 21 days re-
quired.
Not much has changed since
June. “I’m not seeing a lot of states
meeting that benchmark yet,” said
Michele Evermore, a senior policy
adviser at the labor department.
In Florida, 58,000 unemployment
accounts were frozen over the sum-
mer after a data breach resulted in
personal details being leaked. State
officials said all “verified” accounts
affected have been unlocked. As of
Sept. 1, 47,288 claims more widely
were still awaiting verification, ac-
cording to Florida’s public data
dashboard.
Maryland has paid out 41% of
claims within 21 days over the past
year, according to federal data.
Frustration over delays led activists
to sue the state.
Aspokesman for Hogan, Michael
Ricci, said 20,795 unemployment
claims were still “pending” as of this
week. He blamed delays on the
state’s strict procedures to verify ap-
plications.
In Georgia, the median age of ap-
peals filed by claimants was 322
days, or more than 11 months, at the
end of June, according to research-
ers at the Southern Poverty Law
Center. The state Department of La-
bor is working seven days a week
processing appeals, but it will likely
take months to clear the backlog,
said spokeswoman Kersha Cart-
wright.
“It really just pushes people into
desperation,” said Wingo Smith, a
regional policy analyst at the SPLC,
which has sued Georgia on behalf of
residents waiting for benefits.
To Evermore, who before joining
the Biden administration worked as
an advocate for reform of the unem-
ployment system, cases like Ul-
rich’s illustrate the need for a long-
delayed makeover of unemploy-
ment insurance, or UI.
One problem hanging over the de-
bate has been what state and federal
officials say has been a huge amount
of fraud in the unemployment sys-
tem. Because of the fraud concerns,
states are now re-examining unem-
ployment claims approved early in
the pandemic and reversing deci-
sions. They are also sending out bills
for “overpayments” to an untold
number of beneficiaries.
The resulting self-perpetuating
bureaucratic mess will take at least
a year to clear nationally, said An-
drew Stettner, a senior fellow at the
think tank Century Foundation. The
unemployment system remains
akin to an assembly line “that just
can’t handle the volume,” Stettner
said. “If you put too many things on
it, the whole thing breaks.”
Backlog in jobless claims bedevils filersBY SHAWN DONNAN
Bloomberg News
ELIZABETH DJINIS, TAMPA BAY TIMES/TNS
Jeff Clark stares into the abyss of Florida’s unemployment reclaim system from the kitchen counter of hisSafety Harbor, Fla., home. Millions of Americans are still waiting for benefits they are owed.
RICHMOND, Va. — A towering statue of Confeder-
ate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Va., will be taken
down on Wednesday as a symbol of racial injustice,
more than 130 years after it was erected in tribute to the
South’s Civil War leader.
While many other Confederate symbols across the
South have been removed without public announce-
ments beforehand to avoid unruly crowds, Gov. Ralph
Northam’s office is expecting a multitude and plans to
livestream the event on social media.
“Virginia’s largest monument to the Confederate in-
surrection will come down this week,” Northam said in
news release on Monday. “This is an important step in
showing who we are and what we value as a common-
wealth.”
The imposing, 21-foot tall bronze likeness of Lee on a
horse sits atop a granite pedestal nearly twice that high
in the grassy center of a traffic circle on Richmond’s
famed Monument Avenue.
Gov. Ralph Northam announced plans to take down
the statue in June 2020, 10 days after George Floyd died
under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, sparking
nationwide protests against police brutality and racism.
The plans were stalled for more than a year by two law-
suits filed by residents opposed to its removal, but rul-
ings last week by the Supreme Court of Virginia cleared
the way for the statue to be taken down.
In Monday’s news release, state officials said that
preparations for the statue’s removal will began 6 p.m.
Tuesday when crews will install protective fencing.
Once the statue is hoisted off the pedestal, it’s expected
to be cut into two pieces for transport, although the final
plan is subject to change, said Dena Potter, a spokeswo-
man for the state’s Department of General Services.
After the statue is taken down Wednesday, crews on
Thursday will remove plaques from the base of the mon-
ument and will replace a time capsule that is believed to
be there.
In Richmond, a city that was the capital of the Confed-
eracy for much of the Civil War, the Lee statue became
the epicenter of last summer’s protest movement. The
city has removed more than a dozen other pieces of Con-
federate statuary on city land since Floyd’s death.
The Lee statue was created by the internationally re-
nowned French sculptor Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercie
and is considered a “masterpiece,” according to its nom-
ination to the National Register of Historic Places,
where it has been listed since 2007.
Va. set to remove capital’s Lee statueAssociated Press
STEVE HELBER/AP
The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee onMonument Avenue in Richmond, Va., is scheduledto be removed by the state Wednesday.
WASHINGTON — The Justice
Department said Monday that it
will not tolerate violence against
anyone who is trying to obtain an
abortion in Texas as federal offi-
cials explore options to challenge
a new state law that bans most
abortions.
Attorney General Merrick Gar-
land said the Justice Department
would “protect those seeking to
obtain or provide reproductive
health services” under a federal
law known as the Freedom of Ac-
cess to Clinic Entrances Act.
Garland said in a statement that
federal prosecutors are still ur-
gently exploring options to chal-
lenge the Texas law. He said the
Justice Department would en-
force the federal law “in order to
protect the constitutional rights of
women and other persons, includ-
ing access to an abortion.”
The federal law, commonly
known as the FACE Act, prohibits
physically obstructing or using
the threat of force to intimidate or
interfere with a person seeking re-
productive health services. The
law also prohibits damaging prop-
erty at abortion clinics and other
reproductive health centers.
The new Texas law prohibits
abortions once medical profes-
sionals can detect cardiac activity,
usually around six weeks — be-
fore some women know they’re
pregnant. Courts have blocked
other states from imposing similar
restrictions, but Texas’ law differs
significantly because it leaves en-
forcement up to private citizens
through lawsuits instead of crimi-
nal prosecutors.
Justice Department officials
have also been in contact with U.S.
attorneys in Texas and the FBI
field offices in the state to discuss
enforcing the federal provisions.
“The department will provide
support from federal law enforce-
ment when an abortion clinic or
reproductive health center is un-
der attack,” Garland said. “We
will not tolerate violence against
those seeking to obtain or provide
reproductive health services,
physical obstruction or property
damage in violation of the FACE
Act.”
Federal officials to ‘protect’abortion seekers in Texas
Associated Press
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 9
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.
—The lifting of a mandatory evac-
uation order for South Lake Ta-
hoe’s 22,000 residents is a confi-
dent milestone in the fight against
the Caldor Fire, but it remains on-
ly 48% contained and still threat-
ens areas south of the resort town.
Firefighters are confronting ag-
gressive winds and flames in some
southeast sections of the Caldor
Fire, which could still reach
Meyers, a community more than a
mile high known as the gateway to
Lake Tahoe, and other areas in-
cluding the Kirkwood ski resort.
And although the evacuation is
no longer mandatory for the
smoke-cloaked city on the lake’s
south shore, more than 5,000 per-
sonnel are still working to protect
the surrounding resort communi-
ties and the homes of employees
who staff casinos, restaurants and
ski resorts.
“We’re also looking long term —
what’s going to happen, four, five
or six days down the road. We
want to make sure we’re planning
and having stuff ready and com-
pleted” before more people can
return home, Cal Fire official John
Davis said. “And if it comes soon-
er, we are already in the planning
process for the whole area that’s
still under evacuation order.”
When the 338 square-mile wild-
fire gobbled up pine trees and
crossed the Sierra Nevada last
week, South Lake Tahoe trans-
formed into a ghost town. The city
appeared slightly rebounded on
Monday, yet still mostly empty
compared to normal holiday
weekends.
“I was honestly convinced this
place was gonna go down,” Lake
Tahoe Community College stu-
dent Dakota Jones said Monday
upon his return. “It was nice to see
that I was wrong.”
The Caldor Fire erupted Aug. 14
and was burning as many as 1,000
acres an hour at its peak as it
spread across dense forests, tree-
dotted granite cliffs and scattered
cabins and hamlets in the north-
ern Sierra Nevada. Through tac-
tics including bulldozing defense
lines and air-dropping Lake Ta-
hoe water onto the flames, crews
successfully carved a perimeter
around much of the wildfire.
Fire officials still expect hot
spots, but hope to make enough
progress to lift more evacuation
orders in the coming days. Much
depends on the wind, rain and
lightning that coming thunder-
storms may yield.
Winds have been easing, allow-
ing firefighters to make progress
containing the conflagration, but
authorities remain concerned
about southwest winds sparking
spot fires. In Northern California,
the weather is expected to cool
slightly and the humidity to rise
starting on Tuesday.
“We are drier than I have seen
on my 20 days on this fire,” Jim
Dudley, incident meteorologist,
said Monday. “There’s a lot of po-
tential weather-wise for little
things to become maybe not so lit-
tle.”
No deaths have been reported
specifically from the fires, which
have shut down all national forests
in the state.
Evacuation orderslifted despite firethreat to Tahoe
BY SAM METZ
AP/Report for America
JANE TYSKA, BAY AREA NEWS GROUP/AP
South Lake Tahoe Council member John Friedrich waves to passingcars as they honk their horns along Highway 50 near Stateline, Nev.,in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., on Monday.
hit the U.S. mainland, Entergy
Louisiana President and CEO
Phillip May said.
More than 530,000 customers
still don’t have power in Louisia-
na, just under half of the peak
when Ida struck eight days ago. In
five parishes west and south of
New Orleans, at least 98% of
homes and businesses don’t have
power, according to the state Pub-
lic Service Commission.
“It’s going to be a rebuild, not a
repair,” May said.
The struggles in rural Louisiana
shouldn’t keep people from for-
getting the “near miraculous”
speed of the repairs in New Or-
leans, Entergy New Orleans Pres-
ident and CEO Deanna Rodriguez
said.
“I am so proud of the team and I
think it’s a fabulous good news sto-
ry,” she said.
But things aren’t normal in New
Orleans. An 8 p.m. curfew re-
mains in effect and numerous
roads are impassable. Pickup of
large piles of debris residents and
businesses have been leaving on
curbs will begin Tuesday, officials
said.
NEW ORLEANS — Officials in
New Orleans will thoroughly in-
spect senior living apartments in
the city in the aftermath of Hurri-
cane Ida after finding people liv-
ing in buildings without working
generators, which left residents
trapped in wheelchairs on dark,
sweltering upper floors, Mayor
LaToya Cantrell said Monday.
Hundreds were evacuated Sat-
urday and the city later said five
people had died in the privately
run buildings in the days after the
storm. The coroner’s office is in-
vestigating whether the deaths
will be attributed to the hurricane,
which struck land nine days be-
fore.
The managers of some of the
homes for seniors evacuated out of
state without making sure the res-
idents would be safe after the
storm, New Orleans City Council
member Kristin Palmer said at a
news conference.
“They’re hiding under the loop-
hole of ‘independent living,’”
Palmer said. “It’s not independent
living if there’s no power and
you’re in a wheelchair on the
fourth floor.”
The city is creating teams of
workers from the health, safety
and permits, code enforcement
and other departments. Their first
focus is to make sure the senior
homes are safe and evacuate peo-
ple if necessary, Cantrell said.
But after that, management will
be held accountable, and the city
will likely add requirements that
include facilities having emergen-
cy agreements in place with con-
tractors who will make sure gen-
erator power is available at the
sites, the mayor said.
Crews in Louisiana have re-
stored power to nearly 70% of
greater New Orleans and nearly
all of Baton Rouge after Hurri-
cane Ida, but outside those large
cities, getting lights back on is a
complex challenge that will last
almost all of September, utility ex-
ecutives said Monday.
It’s going to involve air boats to
get into the swamps and marshes
to string lines and repair the most
remote of about 22,000 power
poles that Ida blew down when it
came ashore on Aug. 29 as one of
the most powerful hurricanes to
JOHN LOCHER/AP
Philip Adams walks through what remains of his living room and kitchen at his hurricanedestroyed home inthe aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Monday in Lockport, La.
New Orleans: Seniors left indark, hot facilities after Ida
Associated Press
NATION
HILLSBOROUGH TOWN-
SHIP, N.J. — President Joe Bi-
den focused on long-term fixes
as well as short-term relief Tues-
day as he toured parts of the
Northeast that suffered deadly
flash flooding from the remnants
of Hurricane Ida.
The president was expected to
use the muddy backdrops during
his visits to Manville, New Jer-
sey, and the New York City bor-
ough of Queens to call for federal
spending to fortify infrastruc-
ture so it can better withstand
such powerful storms.
Biden’s plan to spend $1 tril-
lion on infrastructure nation-
wide is pending in Congress.
“I’m hoping to be able to see
the things we are going to be able
to fix permanently with the bill
that we have in for infrastruc-
ture,” Biden said as he left the
White House, when asked what
he hoped to see on the tour.
New Jersey was Biden’s first
stop. Gov. Phil Murphy greeted
him as he arrived in Somerset
County for a briefing at the
emergency management train-
ing center before the tour of
Manville.
On the way, Biden’s motorcade
droved through a neighborhood
where piles of damaged furni-
ture, mattresses and other
household items were stacked
outside homes.
The route also was lined with
supporters of Republican former
President Donald Trump with
signs opposing Biden.
At least 50 people were killed
in six Eastern states as record
rainfall last week overwhelmed
rivers and sewer systems.
Biden surveys NJ storm damageAssociated Press
PAGE 10 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
day, flying changed forever.
Security measures evolved with
new threats, and so travelers were
asked to take off belts and remove
some items from bags for scan-
ning. Things that clearly could be
wielded as weapons, like the box-
cutters used by the 9/11 hijackers,
were banned. After “shoe bom-
ber” Richard Reid’s attempt to
take down a flight in late 2001,
footwear started coming off at se-
curity checkpoints.
Each new requirement seemed
to make checkpoint lines longer.
To many travelers, other rules
were more mystifying, such as
limits on liquids because the
wrong ones could possibly be used
to concoct a bomb.
“It’s a much bigger hassle than
it was before 9/11 — much bigger
— but we have gotten used to it,”
Ronald Briggs said as he and his
wife, Jeanne, waited at Dallas/
Fort Worth International Airport
for a flight to London last month.
The long lines created by post-
attack measures gave rise to the
PreCheck and Global Entry
“trusted-traveler programs” in
which people who pay a fee and
provide certain information about
themselves pass through check-
points without removing shoes
and jackets or taking laptops out of
their bag.
But that convenience has come
at a cost: privacy.
On its application and in brief
interviews, PreCheck asks people
about basic information like work
history and where they have lived,
and they give a fingerprint and
agree to a criminal-records check.
Privacy advocates are particular-
ly concerned about ideas that TSA
has floated to also examine social
media postings (the agency’s top
official says that has been drop-
ped), press reports about people,
location data and information
from data brokers including how
applicants spend their money.
“It’s far from clear that that has
any relationship to aviation secu-
rity,” says Jay Stanley, a privacy
expert at the American Civil Lib-
erties Union.
More than 10 million people
have enrolled in PreCheck. TSA
wants to raise that to 25 million,
with the goal of allowing officers
to spend more time on passengers
considered to be a bigger risk.
At the direction of Congress, the
TSA will expand the use of private
vendors to gather information
from PreCheck applicants. It cur-
rently uses a company called Ide-
mia, and aims to add two more —
Telos Identity Management Solu-
tions and Clear Secure Inc.
Clear plans to use PreCheck en-
rollment to boost membership in
its own identity-verification prod-
uct by bundling the two offerings.
That will make Clear’s own prod-
uct more valuable to its custom-
ers, which include sports stadi-
ums and concert promoters.
“They are really trying to in-
crease their market share by col-
lecting quite a lot of very sensitive
data on as many people as they can
get their hands on,” says India
McKinney, director of federal af-
fairs for the Electronic Frontier
Foundation, an advocacy group
for digital rights.
TSA Administrator David Pe-
koske, though, sees Clear’s strate-
gy as helping TSA: “We have al-
lowed the vendors to bundle their
offerings together with the idea
that would be an incentive for peo-
ple to sign up for the trusted-trav-
eler programs.”
The TSA is testing the use of
kiosks equipped with facial-rec-
ognition technology to check pho-
to IDs and boarding passes. The
kiosks will also pull photos taken
when the traveler applied for Pre-
Check, McKinney says. That con-
cerns her because it would mean
connecting the kiosks to the inter-
net — TSA says that much is true
— and potentially exposing the in-
formation to hackers.
Despite the trauma that led to
its creation, and the intense desire
to avoid another 9/11, the TSA it-
self has frequently been the sub-
ject of questions about its meth-
ods, ideas and effectiveness.
Critics, including former TSA
officers, have derided the agency
as “security theater” that gives a
false impression of safeguarding
the traveling public. Pekoske dis-
misses that notion by citing the
number of guns seized at airport
checkpoints — more than 3,200
last year, 83% of them loaded — in-
stead of making it onto planes.
Pekoske also enumerated other
TSA tasks, including vetting pas-
sengers, screening checked bags
with 3-D technology, inspecting
cargo and putting federal air mar-
shals on flights.
“Rest assured: This is not secu-
rity theater,” Pekoske says. “It’s
real security.”
Many independent experts
agree with Pekoske’s assessment,
though they usually see areas
where the TSA must improve.
This summer, an average of
nearly 2 million people per day
have flowed through TSA check-
points. Most travelers accept any
inconvenience as the price of se-
curity in an uncertain world.
“They aren’t there to hassle
me,” said Paula Gathings, who
was waiting for a flight out of DFW
to Qatar and then another to Ke-
nya. “Every time somebody asks
me to do something, I can see the
reason for it.”
Several incidents highlight a
threat that TSA needs to worry
about — people who work for air-
lines or airports and have security
clearance that lets them avoid reg-
ular screening. Some examples:
■ In 2016, a bomb ripped a hole
in a Daallo Airlines plane, killing
the bomber, but 80 other passen-
gers and crew survived. Somali
authorities released video they
said showed the man being hand-
ed a laptop containing the bomb.
■ In 2018, a Delta Air Lines
baggage handler in Atlanta was
convicted of using his security
pass to smuggle more than 100
guns on flights.
■ The following year, an
American Airlines mechanic with
Islamic State videos on his phone
pleaded guilty to sabotaging a
plane full of passengers. Pilots
aborted the flight during takeoff.
“All those folks that have a (se-
curity) badge, you’re right, many
do have unescorted access
throughout an airport, but they al-
so go through a very rigorous vet-
ting process before they are even
hired,” Pekoske says.
With all the different ways that
deadly chaos could happen on air-
planes after 9/11, the fact remains:
Most of the time, it hasn’t. And
while the post-9/11 global airport
security apparatus has grown to
what some consider unreasonable
proportions, it will never neutral-
ize all threats — or even be able to
enforce the rules it has written.
“You can’t catch everything,”
says Nathan Dudney, a sales exec-
utive for a sporting goods manu-
facturer in Nashville, Tenn., who
says he occasionally forgets about
ammunition in his carry-on bag.
“They’re doing things to the best
of their ability.”
Changes: 'This is not security theater,’ TSA head saysFROM PAGE 1
DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP
Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint in Denver International Airport last month. Two months afterthe 9/11 attacks, the Transportation Security Administration was created to improved airport security.
NATION
WASHINGTON — As the 20th
anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks approaches,
Americans increasingly balk at in-
trusive government surveillance
in the name of national security,
and only about a third believe that
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
were worth fighting, according to
a new poll.
The poll by The Associated
Press-NORC Center for Public Af-
fairs Research shows that support
for surveillance tools aimed at
monitoring conversations taking
place outside the country, once
seen as vital in the fight against at-
tacks, has dipped in the last dec-
ade. That’s even though interna-
tional threats are again generating
headlines following the chaotic
end to the 20-year war in Afghan-
istan. In particular, 46% of Amer-
icans say they oppose the U.S. gov-
ernment responding to threats
against the nation by reading
emails sent between people out-
side of the U.S. without a warrant,
as permitted under law for pur-
poses of foreign intelligence col-
lection. That’s compared to just
27% who are in favor. In an AP-
NORC poll conducted one decade
ago, more favored than opposed
the practice, 47% to 30%.
The new poll was conducted
Aug. 12-16 as the Taliban were
marching toward their rapid take-
over of the country. Since then, Af-
ghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate
launched a suicide bombing that
killed at least 169 Afghans and 13
U.S. service members, and ex-
perts have warned about the pos-
sibility of foreign militant groups
rebuilding in strength with the
U.S. presence gone.
In a marked turnabout from the
first years after 9/11, when Amer-
icans were more likely to tolerate
the government’s monitoring of
communications in the name of
defending the homeland, the poll
found bipartisan concerns about
the scope of surveillance and the
expansive intelligence collection
tools that U.S. authorities have at
their disposal.
The expansion in government
eavesdropping powers over the
last 20 years has coincided with a
similar growth in surveillance
technology across all corners of
American society, including traf-
fic cameras, smart TVs and other
devices that contribute to a near-
universal sense of being watched.
Americans are also more likely
to oppose government eavesdrop-
ping on calls outside the U.S. with-
out a warrant, 44% to 28%. Anoth-
er 27% hold neither opinion.
About two-thirds of Americans
continue to be opposed to the pos-
sibility of warrantless U.S. gov-
ernment monitoring of telephone
calls, emails and text messages
made within the U.S. Though the
National Security Agency is fo-
cused on surveillance abroad, it
does have the ability to collect the
communications of Americans as
they’re in touch with someone out-
side the country who is a target of
government surveillance.
About half are opposed to gov-
ernment monitoring of internet
searches, including those by U.S.
citizens, without a warrant. About
a quarter are in favor and 2 in 10
hold neither opinion. Roughly half
supported the practice a decade
ago.
Despite general surveillance
concerns, six in 10 Americans sup-
port the installation of surveil-
lance cameras in public places to
monitor potentially suspicious ac-
tivity.
Poll: Americans warier of US government surveillanceAssociated Press
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 11
AMERICAN ROUNDUP
Ex-Yale official chargedwith theft of computers
CT NEW HAVEN — A for-
mer Yale University
administrator faces federal fraud
and money laundering charges
related to the theft of millions of
dollars in computer equipment
from the university’s medical
school.
The 41-year-old woman served
in various positions at the school,
including director of finance for
the Department of Emergency
Medicine.
Prosecutors alleged that begin-
ning in 2013, the woman ran a
scheme that involved ordering
millions of dollars in computer
hardware from Yale vendors,
then shipping the equipment to an
out-of-state business in exchange
for money.
The former administrator
pleaded not guilty Friday in U.S.
District Court to mail fraud, wire
fraud and money laundering and
was freed after posting a $1 mil-
lion bond.
Man found asleep in ahome faces charges
DE REHOBOTH BEACH
— Police in Delaware
said an intoxicated, partly clothed
Virginia man was arrested after
he was found sleeping in a home
in a popular beach resort town.
Delaware State Police said in a
news release that the 26-year-old
man from Arlington, Va., entered
the victims’ residence in Reho-
both Beach and was found sleep-
ing in a bed. The home is located
just blocks off the beach.
Troopers responded early Sun-
day morning and found the man
in a rear bedroom on the second
floor of the house. Troopers de-
tected a strong smell of alcoholic
beverages and arrested the man
without a problem.
The victims found his wet
clothing in the bedroom and dis-
covered he was wearing one of
their shirts. He was charged with
burglary and theft.
Visitor center open at city’s1st national monument
IL CHICAGO — Years in the
making, the visitor center
and state historic site grounds at
the Pullman National Monument
have officially opened to the pub-
lic.
Chicago’s first national monu-
ment marks the site where Pull-
man passenger railroad cars were
built; employees lived nearby in
the neighborhood on the city’s
South Side. The sprawling Pull-
man company factory closed in
1982. The National Park Service’s
visitor center features exhibits on
worker demonstrations that
helped plant the seeds of the mod-
ern labor movement. For in-
stance, Black railroad workers
won a significant labor agreement
in the 1930s that helped lead to
worker protections.
Robert Bushwaller, a Historic
Pullman Foundation board mem-
ber, was encouraged by the
crowd on Saturday. Some drove
vintage cars to mark the opening
day during the Labor Day week-
end.
Then-President Barack Obama
designated the factory and sur-
rounding area a national monu-
ment in 2015. Restoration and re-
vitalization at the site has been
ongoing for years.
Kayak that fell off oftrailer kills motorcyclist
IA GUTTENBERG — A mo-
torcyclist was killed in
the northeastern corner of Iowa
when he was hit by a kayak that
had fallen from a trailer, the Iowa
State Patrol reported.
The crash happened Sunday
morning on a county road in Alla-
makee County, according to the
Telegraph Herald. John Thein,
75, of Guttenberg, was riding a
motorcycle northbound on the
road just before 11 a.m. and was
approaching a southbound pickup
truck pulling a trailer loaded with
kayaks when one of the kayaks
fell from the trailer, investigators
said.
The loose kayak hit Thein’s mo-
torcycle, causing the crash that
killed him. The investigation into
the fatal crash in ongoing.
Homicide suspect foundnaked, officially charged
MD ASPEN HILL — Po-
lice in Maryland say
that a suspect in another man’s
death was found naked and
charged with murder.
The Montgomery County Po-
lice Department said in a news re-
lease that the 58-year-old suspect
was charged with first-degree
murder in the killing on Friday.
Officers responded Friday af-
ternoon to the Aspen Hill area to a
report of shots fired.
The news release says the sus-
pect was “completely unclothed”
when officers arrived. He was ar-
rested without problem. Officers
then found another man with ap-
parent gunshots. He was pro-
nounced dead at the scene.
Suit: Paraplegic man’s foot‘shredded’ in coaster
UT FARMINGTON — A
paraplegic man who
was injured on a roller coaster is
now suing a Utah amusement
park, saying his paralyzed leg
wasn’t properly secured while he
was on the ride and his foot was
shredded.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported
Matthew Christensen filed the
lawsuit against Lagoon Amuse-
ment Park on Thursday in Davis
County’s 3rd District Court.
The lawsuit said Christensen’s
ligament in his big toe was “irrep-
arably shredded,” and that he suf-
fered fractures to his lower leg,
toe and two other foot bones.
A spokesman for the theme
park in Farmington, north of Salt
Lake City, said he couldn’t spec-
ulate on the facts of the incident,
which are under investigation.
4 wounded in shootingat SantaCaliGon Festival
MO INDEPENDENCE
— Four people were
wounded in a shooting at a festiv-
al in Missouri, prompting police
to use Facebook to urge parents to
pick up their children from the
event.
Independence police respon-
ded to the shooting at the Santa-
CaliGon Festival on Sunday night.
Police later said four people
had been shot, and all were ex-
pected to survive their injuries,
television station KCTV reported.
No arrests were announced. It
was not immediately clear what
led up to the shooting.
Sheriff: Counterfeit pillscause 2 fatal overdoses
VA LEESBURG — A
Northern Virginia
sheriff is warning that counterfeit
pills have led to two overdoses.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s
Office sent a warning Sunday that
its detectives have been investi-
gating two deaths that are be-
lieved to involve painkiller pills
that were likely counterfeit. Both
cases are pending toxicology.
The sheriff’s office said that
street-level pills are often laced
with fentanyl and other agents
that can be harmful.
The Virginia sheriff said his
warning follows a similar alert by
Frederick County, Md., health of-
ficials after non-fatal overdoses
there were attributed to counter-
feit pills. It’s not clear if the cases
in the two states are linked.
Animal shelter welcomingover 50 dogs from storm
NY PORT WASHINGTON
— More than 50 dogs
and puppies are scheduled to ar-
rive on Long Island after being
transported from shelters in Loui-
siana.
The North Shore Animal
League America in Port Washing-
ton said Sunday its emergency
rescue team will be arriving with
the dogs Monday. Working with
Shreveport, La.-based Paws4Life,
the animals were removed from
shelters in advance of Hurricane
Ida to make room for animals dis-
placed by the storm.
The animal league said it plans
to return to Shreveport next week
with additional supplies for shel-
ters there, and return with more
dogs. The organization began
working with shelters in Louisia-
na after Hurricane Katrina in
2005.
KRISTOPHER RADDER, THE BRATTLEBORO (VT.) REFORMER/AP
Zoe Luippold, 3, from Greenfield, Mass., gets help from her mother, Kristen, as they try to win a prize during the Guilford, Vt., Fair on Sunday.
Taking aim
THE CENSUS
116 The number of years it has been since the Portsmouth PeaceTreaty ended the Russo-Japanese War, which was celebrated
in New Hampshire on Sunday by ringing bells throughout the city. It was thesame way Portsmouth celebrated on Sept. 5, 1905. In 2010, the New Hamp-shire Legislature passed a bill designating that day as Portsmouth Peace TreatyDay. Each year since then, the governor has issued a proclamation calling onall New Hampshire citizens “to observe the day with appropriate ceremoniesand activities commemorating this important part of New Hampshire history.”
From The Associated Press
PAGE 12 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
TAYLOR, Mich. — Valerie Rup-
ert raised her right arm, slightly
shaking and unsure as she aimed
at the paper target representing a
burglar, a robber or even a rapist.
The 67-year-old Detroit grand-
mother squeezed the trigger, the
echo of her shot blending into the
chorus of other blasts by other
women off the small gun range
walls.
“I was a little nervous, but after I
shot a couple of times, I enjoyed it,”
said Rupert, among 1,000 or so
mostly Black women taking part in
free weekend gun safety and
shooting lessons at two Detroit-ar-
ea ranges.
Black women like Rupert are in-
creasingly considering gun own-
ership for personal protection, ac-
cording to industry experts and
gun rights advocates.
Fear of crime, especially as
shootings and murders have risen
in cities big and small, is one driver
of the trend. But a new motivator is
the display of public anger in the
last 15 months beginning with con-
frontations in the wake of George
Floyd’s death in Minneapolis un-
der the knee of police officer De-
rek Chauvin.
Worries about the anger over
COVID-19-related restrictions
and the outrage over the outcome
of the presidential 2020 election,
driven by lies, are contributors,
too. In Michigan, that anger led to a
plot to kidnap the governor, as well
as instances where armed protes-
ters descended on the state Capi-
tol.
In April 2020, hundreds of con-
servative activists, including some
who were openly carrying assault
rifles, flocked to the Michigan
Capitol in Lansing to denounce
Democratic Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer’s stay-home order. Some
demonstrators — mostly white
and supporters of President Do-
nald Trump — entered the build-
ing carrying guns, which is legal in
the statehouse.
The sight of white men wearing
body armor and holding guns at
the Capitol still sticks with Rupert.
“They went up to the Capitol
with all those guns. You need to be
ready,” she said.
About 8.5 million people in the
United States bought their first
gun in 2020, the National Shooting
Sports Foundation says. The trade
association for the firearms indus-
try added that gun purchases by
Black men and Black women in-
creased by more than 58% over the
first six months of last year.
Gun ownership tends to in-
crease when people lose faith in
government and the police, said
Daniel Webster, professor of
American Health in Violence Pre-
vention at the Bloomberg School of
Public Health and director of the
Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Vi-
olence Prevention and Policy.
“We’ve seen such an increase in
white nationalist violence,” Web-
ster said. “Some combination of
the lack in faith in police protect-
ing you and hate groups has moti-
vated a lot of Black people to arm
up.”
Black firearm owners still rep-
resent a relatively small portion of
the gun-owning population, with
9.3% of gun owners being Black
men and 5.4% Black women. Near-
ly 56% of U.S. gun owners are
white men. Over 16% are white
women, the Newtown, Ct.-based
National Shooting Sports Founda-
tion says.
Black women seeguns as protectionfrom rising crime
BY COREY WILLIAMS
Associated Press
CARLOS OSORIO/AP
Firearms instructor Wayne Thomas teaches women the proper stance in firearms shooting at the RecoilFirearms store in Taylor, Mich., in August.
nance, he said.
Even though it was closed for
two months last year during the
pandemic, the 1,000-mile Hat-
field-McCoy Trails in West Vir-
ginia last year sold its highest
number of annual trail permits at
nearly 65,000, according to the of-
fice of Gov. Jim Justice, and ATV
permits for Maine residents jump-
ed 6%, officials said.
It’s a great economic driver for
those communities, Schloegel said
of the Hatfield-McCoy trail net-
work, “It’s everything from the
mom-and-pop gas stations to the
motels and hotels to the fast food
joints and the power sports dealer-
ships and service locations that
they’ve got across the state.”
Officials with the Open Space &
Trails Department in Summit
County, Colo., have noticed an in-
crease in off-highway vehicle use
of trails in recent years. ATV trails
are also accessible to hikers, bik-
ers and equestrians, the depart-
ment said.
In northern New Hampshire,
Gorham opened some roads to
ATVs about eight years ago, and
on summer weekends, the town of
under 3,000 is bustling with the
machines.
On a Friday in July, riders from
as far away as North Carolina had
rented machines and were touring
the trails. Others from Connecti-
MORRISTOWN, Vt. — Tom
and Cynthia Cloutier treasure
spending time on their porch, eat-
ing dinner on their deck with a
view of the mountains, and gener-
ally just enjoying the quiet of liv-
ing in rural Vermont in the home
they bought in 2018 after retire-
ment.
That all changed the following
year, when a section of road that
abuts their property was opened
to all-terrain vehicles that previ-
ously were not permitted on roads.
Frequently, when they’d go out-
side, noisy ATVs would be coming
down the road, he said.
“Overnight, our Silver Ridge
(Road) became a superhighway of
ATVs,” Tom Cloutier said. “We
could hear these machines inside
our home, but when we went out-
side we could not have a conversa-
tion, sit on our front porch quietly
with our coffee, or eat dinner on
our deck or enjoy watching the
sunset.”
What started as a trial run in
Morristown in 2019 ended last
year after a complaint, a town offi-
cial said. Now, an ATV group is
asking the town to again open up a
section of the road and parts of
other roads so that riders can get
gas, stay or park at a local motel
and eat at local restaurants. The
access would connect them to a
neighboring community where
ATVs are legal on roads.
Their town has joined a small
but growing list of rural communi-
ties across the country that have
opened or are considering wheth-
er to open up their roads to ATVs,
with some taking advantage of the
economic benefits that come with
outdoor tourism.
ATV interest has only intensi-
fied as more people got outdoors
during the pandemic. But their
popularity has sometimes pitted
riders against residents, with
communities struggling to bal-
ance the perks with a loss of tran-
quility.
“Our vision for our town should
be for everybody,” said ATV rider
Lisa Desjardins at a July public
meeting about the Morristown
proposal. “It shouldn’t just be for
people who are riding bikes, who
are runners. It should be for ev-
erybody, whether you like ATVs
or not.”
Last year, sales of ATVs rose
over 33%, according to Scott
Schloegel, senior vice president
for government relations for the
Recreational Off-Highway Vehi-
cle Association, which opposes on-
road use of ATVs unless they are
trail connectors. That jump in
sales creates more interest in ac-
cess to public lands where trails
exist and additional demand for
new trails and for trail mainte-
cut and Rhode Island, their ATVs
in tow, were staying at a local mo-
tel.
John Bates Jr., who doesn’t
have trails near his home in Ep-
som, N.H., visits frequently. He
drove 2 1/2 hours and was staying
at a motel. Friends were renting
machines the following day and
together they planned to hit the
more than 1,000-mile Ride the
Wilds trail network, “which is ab-
solutely fantastic,” he said.
Some residents near roads open
to ATVs are annoyed.
“This little town was the cutest
little town, quiet, everybody was
friendly. Now it’s a nightmare,”
said Sandy Lemire, a longtime
resident of Gorham, which sits on
the edge of the White Mountains.
She complained about the noise
and smell of exhaust.
“Outside is unbelievable,” she
said. “You can’t hear yourself
think; sometimes I can’t even hear
my lawn mower, especially when
there’s a festival going on and
they’re all traveling this way.”
Residents of Morristown, Vt.,
are expected to vote on the ATV
proposal this fall. In July, riders
testified that opening up sections
of certain roads would boost the
economy and give them access to
food and fuel, while other resi-
dents raised concerns about safe-
ty, noise and the environment.
Towns abuzz on perks, drawbacks of allowing ATVs on roadsBY LISA RATHKE
Associated Press
LISA RATHKE/AP
A utility terrain vehicle, or UTV, travels on a road, in Gorham, N.H., inJuly.
NATION
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 13
WORLD
BANGKOK — The main under-
ground group coordinating resist-
ance to Myanmar’s military gov-
ernment issued a sweeping call for
anationwide uprising on Tuesday,
raising the prospect of spiraling
unrest.
The National Unity Govern-
ment, which views itself as a shad-
ow government, was established
by elected legislators who were
barred from taking their seats
when the military seized power in
February.
The group’s acting president
Duwa Lashi La declared what he
called a “state of emergency” and
called for revolt “in every village,
town and city in the entire country
at the same time.” A video of his
speech was posted on Facebook.
Some 1,000 civilians have been
killed in the seven months of clash-
es that followed the army takeover.
A spokesman for the ruling mil-
itary downplayed the call for re-
newed protests.
Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun blamed
exile media for exaggerating the
opposition’s strength, in a state-
ment posted on the Telegram app
by state television MRTV.
Myanmar has been wracked by
unrest since the military ousted
the elected government of Aung
San Suu Kyi, with initially peace-
ful demonstrations against the rul-
ing generals morphing into a low-
level insurrection in many urban
areas after security forces used
deadly force.
There has been more serious
combat in rural areas, especially
in border regions where ethnic mi-
nority militias have been engaging
in heavy clashes with the govern-
ment troops.
Myanmar opposition calls for national uprisingAssociated Press
MANILA, Philippines — A
strong typhoon slammed into the
eastern Philippines on Tuesday,
bringing high winds that caused
power outages in several prov-
inces.
Typhoon Conson carried sus-
tained winds of 74 miles per hour
with gusts of up to 93 mph, first
making landfall at the coastal
town of Hernani in Eastern Sa-
mar province before hitting near-
by Samar province, the state
weather service said.
“We only have minor damage
here, thank God,” Eastern Samar
Gov. Ben Evardone said in a text
message. He said work had been
suspended in government offices.
Power systems operator Na-
tional Grid Corporation of the
Philippines said some transmis-
sion lines were affected. Power
outages were reported in Eastern
Samar, Samar and Leyte prov-
inces.
Local officials reported some
flooding in Tacloban City.
The weather bureau said late
Tuesday afternoon that Coson had
weakened into a severe tropical
storm as it moved west-north-
westward over the Sibuyan Sea.
Its sustained winds declined to 60
miles per hour, it said.
The weather bureau warned of
destructive winds and heavy rain-
fall within 18 hours in portions of
seven provinces including Que-
zon, Masbate, Albay and Samar.
The Manila metro region was
under a level 1 warning, which
means strong winds were expect-
ed within the next 36 hours.
Strong typhoon hits eastern PhilippinesAssociated Press
AARON FAVILA/AP
Volunteers and residents cross aflooded road due to typhoonConson at Usab village, Masbateprovince, central Philippines onTuesday.
Soldiers fight deliberatewildfires set in Spain
MADRID — Wildfires suspect-
ed to be arson have burned nearly
2,500 acres of forest in northwest-
ern Spain over two days, although
rainfall was expected to give a res-
pite to firefighting teams.
Two active blazes continued to
be out of control Tuesday in a rug-
ged mountainous area of Galicia,
the region’s authorities said.
A brigade of 63 soldiers from
the Spanish military’s emergency
unit was dispatched on Monday to
help the efforts to extinguish the
blazes which were being carried
out by firefighters on the ground
and four helicopters and four am-
phibious aircraft.
The soldiers extended hoses
that at times stretched for more
than a half-mile up and down gul-
lies.
José González, the region's min-
ister for rural areas, said that the
fire started late Sunday past sun-
set, when there was no chance for
natural ignition. It was lit with “a
clear intention” in various “simul-
taneous locations” on both sides of
a river, he said.
From The Associated Press
Michael K. Williams was intro-
duced to us as an icon.
The 54-year-old actor, who
was found dead in his native
Brooklyn on Monday, was best known for
his star-making turn on “The Wire” as
Omar Little, the openly gay outlaw among
outlaws and arguably the most beloved
character on the most revered TV series of
the past two decades. Over the course of the
HBO drama’s five seasons, Omar went
from a thorn in the side of the Barksdale
drug operation to a living legend on the
streets of Baltimore, often seen in his do-rag
and calf-grazing trench, a shotgun at his
side.
But it was Omar’s tenderness — the soft-
ness that never felt like a contradiction to
the bandit’s outward hardness — that dis-
tinguished his character on “The Wire” and
Williams’ wildly charismatic work on the
series. As with Omar, every subsequent
role that the actor took — among them natti-
ly dressed bootlegger Chalky White on
“Boardwalk Empire,” manipulative inmate
Freddy Knight on “The Night Of” and, most
recently, damaged patriarch Montrose
Freeman on “Lovecraft Country” — exud-
ed an aura of untold stories, aided by the fa-
cial scar Williams received on the night of
his 25th birthday in a bar fight.
Williams’ premature death left fans and
the entertainment industry mourning this
week, not only because he was a talented
and versatile performer who approached
his roles with a sense of service, but also be-
cause the five-time Emmy nominee never
got to enjoy a central role worthy of his gifts
in a major production.
Stardom found Williams relatively late;
“The Wire” debuted when he was in his
mid-30s. A 2012 NJ.com profile described
his younger self as “a skinny kid who acted
tough but hid behind a mom who protected
him by whupping on the mothers of the bul-
lies who picked on him.” A former backup
dancer who would always give great
thought to the physicality of his characters,
the recently minted actor channeled his
own sense of lostness into Omar to heighten
the multitudes within an antihero like few
others then or since.
On the page, Omar defied both the tradi-
tional gangster archetypes and the narrow
models of queerness available on early- to
mid-2000s television. In addition to the
swagger and the iron will to love that the
role required, Williams smartly ap-
proached Omar with semi-irony, embody-
ing his bruising masculinity so that it felt si-
multaneously authentic and like a neces-
sary performance. The way Williams
played him, as a watchful outsider, Omar
was a seamless part of any scene he was in
and also the star of his own urban Western.
In interviews, Williams was often re-
markably candid about the drug relapse he
suffered midway through “The Wire,” as
well as about the feelings of unworthiness
that consumed him after the show’s suc-
cess. One of the ways he seemed to cope
with such anxieties was to treat his opportu-
nities as a storyteller about the Black com-
munity as a “huge responsibility.” Though
earnest and forthcoming about his past
struggles, he often exuded a lightness in his
public appearances that felt like the result
of having come out of the dark.
The last few years found the graying ac-
tor in a transitional phase of his career,
playing the father of a teenager in the Cen-
tral Park Five drama “When They See Us”
and of a young war veteran in the ’50s-set
sci-fi adaptation “Lovecraft Country.” His
character in the latter — the secretive, alco-
holic Montrose, whose queerness is re-
vealed to be inextricably linked to deep
familial and racial trauma — is, for all the
series’ unevenness, another milestone in
LGBTQ+ representation. Nominated for
his fifth and now final Emmy for his per-
formance, Williams is rumored to have
been on track to get his first win from the TV
Academy at the awards ceremony in two
weeks.
His death was being investigated as a
possible drug overdose, the NYPD said. The
medical examiner was investigating the
cause of death.
Williams will be seen in two posthumous
film roles, and much of the second season of
his Viceland news series, “Black Market,”
has reportedly been shot. But the images of
Montrose on “Lovecraft” — drinking away
the memories of his father’s homophobic
abuse, pointedly ignoring the possibility
that his son might have a different biolog-
ical father, allowing himself to get im-
mersed in a glittery mid-century ball with
his drag-queen lover — intimate a more
world-weary, middle-aged chapter of Wil-
liams’ career that will sadly never be. At
least our first impression of him was the
right one.
APPRECIATION
More than Omar‘The Wire’ made Michael K. Williams an icon, but the rest of his work revealed greater depth
BY INKOO KANG
The Washington Post
CHRIS PIZZELLO, INVISION/AP
Michael K. Williams, pictured in 2016, was found dead at his Brooklyn apartmentMonday. Williams, who played the beloved character Omar Little on “The Wire,” was 54.
PAGE 14 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
FACES
Here’s a collection curated by The Asso-
ciated Press’ entertainment journalists of
what’s arriving on TV, streaming services
and music platforms this week.
Movies
■ “Come From Away,” a filmed version
of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical,
is connected to two eras of adversity for
New York. Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s
musical is about the 7,000 people who were
stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, when
all U.S. flights were grounded after the 9/11
attacks. A live performance of the produc-
tion was staged and filmed in May at the
Gerald Schoenfeld Theater for an audience
that included 9/11 survivors and front-line
workers. It debuts Friday on Apple TV+.
■ Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars in the
brutal assassin thriller “Kate,” streaming
Friday on Netflix. Winstead has co-starred
in action films like “Gemini Man” and
“Birds of Prey” in recent years, but she
takes the starring role in French director
Cedric Nicolas-Troyan’s “Kate.” In it, her
assassin character is poisoned on a mission
in Tokyo, giving her 24 hours for revenge.
Woody Harrelson co-stars.
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
Television
■ Crime and punishment is different in
small towns vs. the big city. That’s the
premise of “It Couldn’t Happen Here,” a
docuseries that examines how rural com-
munities and legal systems are affected by
violent crimes and burdened by a lack of re-
sources. Actor Hilarie Burton Morgan
(“One Tree Hill,” “The Walking Dead”)
delves into cases in the six-part series de-
buting Thursday on SundanceTV and
AMC+. The first stop is Adel, Ga.: Has a
wrongly convicted man been imprisoned
for more than two decades for a crime he
didn’t commit?
■ “Lucifer” is coming to an end? The
devil you say! But Netflix, which rescued
the show after it was canceled by Fox, has
cautioned that it’s “real this time.” The six-
season journey of Lucifer Morningstar
(Tom Ellis), who traded his digs in hell for
Los Angeles, will wrap with 10 episodes out
Friday. Issues to be settled: Why is Lucifer
balking at taking over for now-retired God,
and how will he respond as a godless world
frays at the edges? Ex-LAPD detective
Chloe Decker (Lauren German), now Lu-
cifer’s consultant, is along for the final ride.
— AP Television Writer Lynn Elber
Music
■ The MTV Video Music Awards will get
a dose of “Bieber fever” for the first time in
six years. Justin Bieber returns to the VMA
stage for an all-star caliber event held Sun-
day at the Barclays Center in New York.
The pop star leads this year’s show with sev-
en nominations, including video of the year
and artist of the year. Megan Thee Stallion,
Billie Eilish, BTS and Drake are other top
nominees. Bieber last took the VMAs stage
when he performed “What Do You Mean”
in 2015. Other performers include Lil Nas X,
Camila Cabello, Chloe, Kacey Musgraves,
Shawn Mendes, Olivia Rodrigo, Machine
Gun Kelly and Doja Cat — who will also
serve as the show’s host. Foo Fighters will
receive the first-ever MTV VMAs’ Global
Icon Award.
■ K-pop sensation BTS is set to appear
on a special episode of YouTube Originals’
“Released.” The band will be joined by
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin on the
weekly music series that will premiere on
Friday at midnight. An intimate conversa-
tion will be held about their shared experi-
ences as musicians and BTS’ inspiration for
the #PermissiontoDance challenge. The
three-week challenge, which began July 23,
had BTS encouraging people to make 15-
second YouTube short videos incorporating
the international sign gestures for joy,
dance and peace. The episode will also fea-
ture a “Permission to Dance” music video,
which will be remixed by BTS.
— AP Entertainment Writer
Jonathan Landrum Jr.
New this week: ‘Kate,’ ‘Come From Away’ and MTV’s VMAsAssociated Press
NETFLIX, APPLE, NETFLIX/AP
From left: Promotional art for the Netflixseries “Lucifer” and the films “ComeFrom Away” (Apple TV+) and “Kate”(Netflix). All three premiere Friday.
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 15
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OPINION
On Sunday, the Biden administra-
tion separately dispatched Secre-
tary of State Antony Blinken and
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to
the Persian Gulf region. The goal, according to
media reports, was to reassure allies there that
even though President Joe Biden withdrew
U.S. forces from Afghanistan and said he
wants to focus on security threats from China
and Russia, the United States remains com-
mitted to fighting terrorist extremism.
It seems to be dawning on the administra-
tion that the chaotic evacuation from Afghan-
istan ahead of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 sent
the opposite message: that the “war on terror”
was a closed chapter in U.S. history. Much
more than Blinken-Austin glad-handing will
be needed, because the terrorism era is not
over. A more dangerous phase has begun.
Despite the Taliban’s protestations to the
contrary, al-Qaida remains fused to the mili-
tants running Afghanistan, by an oath made
by Osama bin Laden, and twice renewed by
his successor, Ayman al-Zawahri. In May, a
U.N. monitoring group said of al-Qaida that “it
would be difficult, if not impossible, to sepa-
rate it from its Taliban allies.”
Al-Qaida is hardly the only terrorist group
with a presence in Afghanistan. Most promi-
nently, the local Islamic State affiliate, ISIS-
Khorasan, or ISIS-K, is a deadly threat, as
shown by the horrific bombings at the Kabul
airport last month.
Afghanistan is on the verge of again becom-
ing a hub for terrorism. Even before the Tali-
ban fully took over, various extremist groups
were running training camps there, the way
they did before 9/11. The U.N. report in May
estimated the total number of foreign fighters
in the country at 8,000 to 10,000, including
groups from the Arab world, Central Asia and
the Uyghur areas of China.
Following the U.S. withdrawal, my organi-
zation’s monitoring of Islamist communica-
tions on social media and in chat rooms indi-
cated that groups as far afield as Syria and
Southeast Asia began redirecting potential
recruits to Afghanistan.
Biden touts an “over the horizon” use of
drones and cruise missiles to combat terrorist
outposts in Afghanistan. But in 2015, disman-
tling one large al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan,
near the Pakistan border, required 63 coali-
tion airstrikes and a ground force of 200 U.S.
troops. The Afghan skies would need to be fil-
led with U.S. military hardware to destroy the
terrorist bases that are likely on the way.
Yet the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan
hasn’t simply reset the clock to Sept. 10, 2001,
with the Taliban again ruling Afghanistan. To-
day is different in one critical respect: Afghan-
istan is now far from the only country in the re-
gion where extremist groups hold sway.
Large swaths of Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Sy-
ria, Lebanon and Iraq are all, to a greater or
lesser extent, ruled by non-state militias, cre-
ating an arc of instability from North Africa to
South Asia. These groups work with different
agendas (many, though not all, take direction
from Iran’s Quds Force), but they share one
thing in common: virulent anti-Americanism.
Moreover, as things stand, there is little the
United States can do about it, because as these
groups expand their power, America appears
to be in retreat.
Over the past decade or so, the United States
has systematically dismantled its influence
across most of the region’s flash points. U.S.
embassies in several countries, including Li-
bya, Yemen, Syria and now Afghanistan, have
been closed. The United States demonstrably,
humiliatingly, cannot control its nominal al-
lies in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
And in Iraq, despite a vast sacrifice of blood
and treasure, we are forced to tolerate political
leaders who flaunt their membership in Ira-
nian-controlled militias.
Despite the Biden administration’s pro-
fessed desire to refocus on countering securi-
ty threats from Russia and China, the pullout
from Afghanistan seems only to have bol-
stered these authoritarians. British Foreign
Secretary Dominic Raab recently said that to
rein in the Taliban, “we’re going to have to
bring in countries with a potentially moderat-
ing influence, like Russia and China, however
uncomfortable that is.” For the United States,
after 20 years and trillions of dollars, that is
more than uncomfortable, it is a tragedy.
The only remedy is to urgently reengage
with the region. Not just, or even mainly, mili-
tarily. Special Forces raids and drone strikes
will continue to be essential in fighting terror-
ism. But the U.S. failure in Afghanistan made
clear that there is no exclusively military solu-
tion to this problem.
The anti-terror toolbox has some under-
used options to go along with the hammer: di-
plomacy, development assistance, intelli-
gence, law enforcement, trade. We should de-
ploy them, wherever possible, not only to as-
sist U.S. allies, but also as part of
comprehensive initiatives that promote sta-
bility and advance political solutions to the
various conflicts destabilizing the region.
In 1989, as a very different superpower
withdrew from Afghanistan in defeat, the U.S.
shut down its embassy in Kabul. For 12 years,
we tried our best to ignore Afghanistan — until
the horror of 9/11 finally forced us awake.
Now, Western governments are being
tempted to turn the page on Afghanistan
again. That would be a colossal mistake.
A more dangerous phase of terrorism era has begunBY ALI SOUFAN
Special to The Washington Post
Ali Soufan, a former FBI counterterrorism agent, is a privatesecurity consultant and the author of “Anatomy of Terror: Fromthe Death of Bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State.”
FORT WORTH, Texas
Last Wednesday, Lila Rose, the foun-
der of anti-abortion group Live Ac-
tion, euphorically tweeted, “It’s a
beautiful day in Texas, which is on
its way to being abortion-free.”
Her statement was hyperbolic, but only
slightly. On Sept. 1, Texas’ fetal heartbeat law
took effect, exposing anyone who assists in the
procurement of an abortion after the unborn
child’s heartbeat is detected (with the excep-
tion of the pregnant woman, who is explicitly
protected) to civil liability. Effectively, this
prohibits abortions at or beyond six weeks of
pregnancy (when the majority of abortions oc-
cur), except in cases of medical emergency.
Texas’ law has not been blocked by the
courts, in no small part due to its unusual con-
struction. It relies on private citizens instead of
state actors to enforce abortion restrictions.
The legal concept is not new — it’s used in in-
stances of Medicaid fraud, for example — but
unique in this area of the law.
Chelsey Youman, Texas state director of
the anti-abortion group the Human Coalition,
says this approach offers a meaningful way for
society to engage in the cause of protecting in-
nocent life. But the mechanism has a practical
application, too. For years, abortion providers
have been successful at blocking conventional
attempts to regulate doctors and clinics — like
establishing certain standards of care — by
cherry-picking courts willing to find that al-
most any regulation on abortion constitutes an
undue burden. This usually happens well be-
fore the law is even enforced.
But because the Texas law empowers pri-
vate individuals to sue those who “aid and
abet” in an abortion only after one has oc-
curred, it cleverly denies the law’s opponents
any chance of legal success on a pre-enforce-
ment challenge. It exposes anyone providing
an abortion after the law’s enactment to finan-
cial penalties and potentially even loss of li-
censes. It’s why the law’s challengers have
had such difficulty getting a court to stop it. It’s
also why the law actually works.
Abortion clinics have already seen “dra-
matic drops in patients on their schedules,”
according to The New York Times, while
“pregnancy crisis centers, where anti-abor-
tion groups offer pregnancy services, report-
ed surges in phone calls and walk-ins.”
For opponents of abortion, especially those
who have devoted themselves for decades to
protecting the unborn, seeing the fruits of their
labors is a tremendous and joyous relief. But
great victory requires great responsibility.
And as the influx in calls to organizations that
seek to help women through — and not out of
— crisis pregnancies suggests, the work is
now really beginning.
There is good news there, too.
In states like Texas, a vast and often under-
appreciated network of nonprofits, clinics,
church groups and medical professionals
have already been serving women for years.
Youman said the state now spends $100 mil-
lion on abortion-alternative services includ-
ing medical care, counseling and other forms
of assistance. The Human Coalition has a net-
work of 2,700 clinics around the country, out-
numbering abortion clinics 20:1.
And while a loud but vanishingly small
group of abortion-supporting activists insist
that few if any women suffer regret or feelings
of loss after aborting a child, Youman says that
three-quarters of the women walking into her
group’s clinics admit that if they had other op-
tions or assistance, they would much prefer to
parent their unplanned children.
For these organizations, whose work it is to
come alongside women in crisis and to help
stabilize their circumstances, the mission (at
least in Texas) has become that much bigger.
If and, hopefully, when Roe v. Wade is over-
turned and regulation of abortion is returned
to the states, anti-abortion groups will again
need to redouble their efforts. They will also
need to recalibrate their legal strategy. As
even staunch conservatives have pointed out,
Texas’ heartbeat law is far from ideal, espe-
cially in a post-Roe context. It should not nec-
essarily become the model for other states.
But today, it will save the lives of an estimat-
ed 150 children. That is reason enough for cel-
ebration and a reminder that this is where the
pro-life cause begins in earnest.
Texas abortion law is saving lives. There’s more to do.BY CYNTHIA M. ALLEN
Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram
Cynthia M. Allen is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist.
PAGE 16 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
ACROSS
1 Swiss peak
4 “Spring
ahead” hrs.
7 Nile queen,
familiarly
8 Red-hot
10 Parlor pieces
11 Concurred
13 Changing one’s
approach
16 Sturgeon product
17 Parson’s home
18 Novelist Grafton
19 “Ratatouille” rat
20 Webmaster’s
code
21 Sacred songs
23 Hee-haws
25 Cote calls
26 Sulk
27 Shade provider
28 “Hammerin’
Hank”
30 Drs. who deliver
33 “Shout” band
36 Snapshots
37 Hotel posting
38 Love, Italian-style
39 Always
40 Mine yield
41 Poetic dusk
DOWN
1 Michael Caine
title role
2 Piece of lettuce
3 Some mail
carriers
4 “Rent” actor
Taye
5 Suit fabric
6 Nest setting
7 Silver salmon
8 Brice of
“Funny Girl”
9 Like bread
dough
10 Old map letters
12 Ringo’s set
14 Pet food brand
15 French salt
19 Apt. divisions
20 Stetson, e.g.
21 2019 Wimbledon
winner Simona
22 Motorcycle
maker
23 Rude dude
24 Roam without
restraint
25 Wager
26 Plain writing
28 John Jacob —
29 Earlier, in verse
30 Like Cheerios
31 Rabbit’s title
32 Snake’s
warning
34 Former QB Tony
35 Roof edge
Answer to Previous Puzzle
Eugene Sheffer CrosswordFra
zz
Dilbert
Pearls B
efo
re S
win
eN
on S
equitur
Candorv
ille
Beetle B
ailey
Biz
arr
oCarp
e D
iem
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 17
SCOREBOARD/COLLEGE FOOTBALL
PRO SOCCER
MLS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
W L T Pts GF GA
New England 16 4 4 52 45 28
Orlando City 10 4 8 38 33 26
Nashville 9 2 11 38 37 21
NYCFC 10 7 4 34 37 22
Philadelphia 8 7 8 32 28 24
CF Montréal 8 7 7 31 30 27
D.C. United 9 10 3 30 35 32
Columbus 7 10 6 27 27 32
Atlanta 6 7 9 27 25 28
Inter Miami CF 7 9 5 26 22 31
Chicago 6 11 5 23 24 33
New York 6 10 4 22 23 25
Cincinnati 3 10 8 17 21 38
Toronto FC 3 13 6 15 26 47
WESTERN CONFERENCE
W L T Pts GF GA
Seattle 12 4 6 42 35 19
Colorado 12 4 5 41 31 20
Sporting KC 11 5 7 40 37 26
LA Galaxy 11 8 3 36 35 35
Minnesota 8 6 7 31 24 24
Portland 9 10 3 30 31 39
Real Salt Lake 8 8 6 30 34 29
Vancouver 7 7 8 29 29 32
LAFC 7 9 6 27 32 31
San Jose 6 8 8 26 24 30
FC Dallas 6 10 7 25 32 36
Austin FC 5 13 4 19 21 31
Houston 3 10 10 19 24 36
Note: Three points for victory, one pointfor tie.
Friday’s games
Orlando City at Atlanta Portland at Vancouver
Saturday’s games
LA Galaxy at Colorado Minnesota at Seattle D.C. United at New York New York City FC at New England Toronto FC at Cincinnati Columbus at Miami Nashville at CF Montréal Austin FC at Houston Chicago at Sporting Kansas City San Jose at FC Dallas
Sunday’s game
Real Salt Lake at Los Angeles FC
Tuesday, Sept. 14
FC Dallas at New York City FC Miami at Toronto FC New York at Columbus
NWSL
W L T Pts GF GA
Portland 10 4 2 32 24 11
North Carolina 8 4 5 29 22 9
Reign FC 9 7 2 29 24 19
Orlando 6 5 7 25 21 20
Chicago 7 7 4 25 19 22
Washington 6 5 5 23 19 18
Gotham FC 5 5 7 22 17 15
Houston 6 7 4 22 19 22
Louisville 4 8 5 17 14 24
Kansas City 2 11 5 11 9 28
Note: Three points for victory, one pointfor tie.
Friday’s games
Gotham FC at Kansas CityChicago at Houston
Saturday’s game
Louisville at Orlando
Sunday’s games
Reign FC at WashingtonPortland at North Carolina
PRO FOOTBALL
NFL schedule
Thursday’s game
Dallas at Tampa Bay
Sunday’s games
Arizona at TennesseeJacksonville at HoustonL.A. Chargers at WashingtonMinnesota at CincinnatiN.Y. Jets at CarolinaPhiladelphia at AtlantaPittsburgh at BuffaloSan Francisco at DetroitSeattle at IndianapolisCleveland at Kansas CityDenver at N.Y. GiantsGreen Bay at New OrleansMiami at New EnglandChicago at L.A. Rams
Monday’s games
Baltimore at Las Vegas
Thursday, Sept. 16
N.Y. Giants at Washington
Sunday, Sept. 19
Buffalo at MiamiCincinnati at ChicagoDenver at JacksonvilleHouston at ClevelandL.A. Rams at IndianapolisLas Vegas at PittsburghNew England at N.Y. JetsNew Orleans at CarolinaSan Francisco at PhiladelphiaAtlanta at Tampa BayMinnesota at ArizonaDallas at L.A. ChargersTennessee at SeattleKansas City at Baltimore
Monday, Sept. 20
Detroit at Green Bay
TENNIS
U.S. OpenMonday
At USTA Billie Jean King National TennisCenter
New YorkSurface: Hardcourt outdoor
Men’s SinglesFourth Round
Alexander Zverev (4), Germany, def.Jannik Sinner (13), Italy, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7).
Lloyd Harris, South Africa, def. ReillyOpelka (22), United States, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1,6-3.
Matteo Berrettini (6), Italy, def. OscarOtte, Germany, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Novak Djokovic (1), Serbia, def. JensonBrooksby, United States, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Women’s SinglesFourth Round
Belinda Bencic (11), Switzerland, def. IgaSwiatek (7), Poland, 7-6 (12), 6-3.
Emma Raducanu, Britain, def. ShelbyRogers, United States, 6-2, 6-1.
Karolina Pliskova (4), Czech Republic,def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (14), Rus-sia, 7-5, 6-4.
Maria Sakkari (17), Greece, def. BiancaAndreescu (6), Canada, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3.
Men’s DoublesThird Round
Bruno Soares, Brazil, and Jamie Murray(7), Britain, def. Dominik Koepfer, Germa-ny, and Emil Ruusuvuori, Finland, 7-6 (6),6-7 (4), 6-1.
Rajeev Ram, United States, and Joe Sa-lisbury (4), Britain, def. Rohan Bopanna, In-dia, and Ivan Dodig (13), Croatia, 6-7 (3),6-4, 7-6 (3).
Marcel Granollers, Spain, and HoracioZeballos (2), Argentina, def. Aisam-ul-HaqQureshi, Pakistan, and Jonny O’Mara, Bri-tain, 7-5, 7-5.
Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herb-ert (3), France, def. Andrey Golubev, Ka-zakhstan, and Andreas Mies (15), Germa-ny, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Filip Polasek, Slovakia, and John Peers(8), Australia, def. Jean-Julien Rojer andWesley Koolhof (10), Netherlands, 4-6, 6-3,6-4.
Women’s DoublesThird Round
Sam Stosur, Australia, and Zhang Shuai(14), China, def. Shuko Aoyama and EnaShibahara (3), Japan, 7-5, 7-5.
Monica Niculescu and Elena-GabrielaRuse, Romania, def. Erin Routliffe, NewZealand, and Leylah Annie Fernandez,Canada, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Elise Mertens(1), Belgium, def. Alison van Uytvanck andGreet Minnen, Belgium, 6-0, 6-2.
Caty McNally and Coco Gauff (11), Unit-ed States, def. Andreja Klepac, Slovenia,and Darija Jurak (8), Croatia, 6-4, 6-4.
Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and LuisaStefani (5), Brazil, def. Dayana Yastremskaand Marta Kostyuk, Ukraine, 6-7 (5), 6-4,6-2.
Alexa Guarachi Mathison, Chile, and De-sirae Krawczyk (7), United States, def. Ra-luca-Ioana Olaru, Romania, and Nadiia Ki-chenok (12), Ukraine, 6-3, 6-2.
Lucie Hradecka and Marie Bouzkova(15), Czech Republic, def. Anastassia Ro-dionova and Arina Rodionova, Australia,6-2, 7-5.
Mixed DoublesQuarterfinals
Max Purcell, Australia, and Dayana Yas-tremska, Ukraine, def. Fabrice Martin,France, and Yaroslava Shvedova, Kazakh-stan, 6-2, 6-3.
PRO BASKETBALL
WNBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE
W L Pct GB
x-Connecticut 21 6 .778 —
x-Chicago 15 14 .517 7
New York 11 18 .379 11
Washington 10 17 .370 11
Atlanta 7 20 .259 14
Indiana 6 21 .222 15
WESTERN CONFERENCE
W L Pct GB
x-Las Vegas 20 8 .714 —
x-Minnesota 18 9 .667 1½
x-Seattle 19 10 .655 1½
x-Phoenix 18 10 .643 2
Dallas 12 16 .429 8
Los Angeles 10 18 .357 10
Sunday’s games
Chicago 92, Las Vegas 84Atlanta 69, Dallas 64
Monday’s game
Phoenix 86, Indiana 81
Tuesday’s games
Connecticut at DallasWashington at Seattle
Wednesday’s games
Phoenix at AtlantaMinnesota at Las Vegas
Thursday’s game
Connecticut at Los Angeles
Friday’s games
Atlanta at WashingtonIndiana at Minnesota
Saturday’s games
New York at DallasConnecticut at Phoenix
Bynes to the practice squad. Signed TEMark Andrews to a four-year contract ex-tension.
CAROLINA PANTHERS — Placed G JohnMiller on the reserve/COVID-19 list. SignedK Dominik Eberle and G Mike Horton to thepractice squad.
CHICAGO BEARS — Signed WR BreshadPerriman. Waived with an injury settle-ment DB Tre Roberson. Waived LB JoshWoods.
CINCINNATI BENGALS — Signed DT MikeDaniels to the practice squad. Released CBWinston Rose from the practice squad.
CLEVELAND BROWNS — Signed DE IfeadiOdenigbo to the practice squad.
DALLAS COWBOYS — Signed P Bryan An-ger. Singed T Aviante Collins to the prac-tice squad.
DENVER BRONCOS — Signed WR De’Mor-nay Piersay-El to the practice squad.
DETROIT LIONS — Waived with an injurysettlement T Dan Skipper.
HOUSTON TEXANS — Placed OL CharlieHeck on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Activated LT Er-ic Fisher from the reserve/COVID-91 list.Released DT Antwaun Woods. Waivedwith an injury settlement TE JOrdan Tho-mas.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — Activated GA.J. Cann from the reserve/COVID-19 list.Waived DE/OLB Aaron Patrick.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS — Signed LB K.J.Wright and RB Peyton Barber. Waived LBTanner Muse. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS —Signed CB Kiondre Thomas to the practicesquad. Placed CB Ryan Smith on injuredreserve. Promoted DB Kemon Hall to theactive roster.
MIAMI DOLPHINS — Placed T AustinJackson and TE Adam Shaheen on the re-serve/COVID-19 list. Activated CB JamalPerry as a COVID-19 replacement. SignedWR Isaiah Ford, FB Carl Tucker and DT Be-nito Jones to the practice squad. ReleasedCB Tino Ellis from the practice squad.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Waived with aninjury settlement DB Luther Kirk.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS — Signed DL Mon-travius Adams, WR Chris Hogan and QBTrevor Siemian. Placed OL Will Clapp, K WilLutz and TE Nick Vannett on injured re-serve. Signed DBs Ka’dar Hollman, DylanMabin, Jordan Miller, DE Jalyn Holmes, DTJaleel Johnson, G Derrick Kelly and K Al-drick Rosas to the practice squad. Re-leased LB Wynton Mcmanus from thepractice squad.
NEW YORK JETS — Signed S SheldrickRedwine and RB Josh Adams. Signed SsJarrod Wilson and Adrian Colbert to thepractice squad.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Signed G Mal-colm Pridgeon and Daniel Archibong tothe practice squad.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Signed CB JoshNorman. Released CB Dontae Johnson.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Promoted TE Tyl-er Mabry to active roster from the practicesquad. Signed G Jordan Simmons to thepractice squad.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — ActivatedDL Ndamukong Suh from the reserve/CO-VID-19 list. Waived K Jose Borregales.Placed G Earl Watford on injured reserve.
TENNESSEE TITANS — Activated TE GeoffSwaim and LB Justin March-Lillard fromthe reserve/COVID-19 list. Waived LB Jus-tin March-Lillard, DB Chris Jones and OLCorey Levin.
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM —Signed RB Jonathan Williams to the prac-tice squad. Waived DB Jimmy Morelandfrom injured reserve with an injury settle-ment.
Monday’s transactionsBASEBALL
Major League BaseballAmerican League
BALTIMORE ORIOLES — Recalled LHPZac Lowther from Norfolk (Triple-A East).Optioned RHP Dusten Knight to Norfolk.
BOSTON RED SOX — Agreed to termswith INF Jose Iglesias to a major leaguecontract and added him to active roster.Reinstated LHP Josh Taylor from the CO-VID-19 IL. Selected the contract of RHP Mi-chael Feliz from Worcester (Triple-A East)and agreed to terms on a major leaguecontract. Returned RHP Kutter Crawfordand INF Jack Lopez to Worcester. Op-tioned RHP John Schreiber to Worcester.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Recalled RHPJimmy Lambert from Charlotte (Triple-AEast). Optioned RHP Matt Foster to Char-lotte.
MINNESOTA TWINS — Reinstated RHPMichael Pineda from the 10-day IL. Op-tioned RHP Ian Gibaut to St. Paul (Triple-AEast). Sent RHP Derek Law outright to St.Paul.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS — Optioned LHPSam Moll to Las Vegas (Triple-A West). Re-instated RHP Frankie Montas from the re-stricted list.
TAMPA BAY RAYS — Selected the con-tract of RHP David Hess from Durham (Tri-ple-A East) and agreed to terms on a majorleague contract. Optioned LHP DietrichEnns to Durham.
TEXAS RANGERS — Sent OF Willie Cal-houn to ACL Rangers (Arizona ComplexLeague) on a rehab assignment. Sent RHPDrew Anderson to Round Rock (Triple-AWest) on a rehab assignment.
National LeagueARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Optioned
RHP Taylor Clarke to Reno (Triple-A West).Recalled LHP Miguel Aguilar from Reno.
ATLANTA BRAVES — Agreed to a one-year contract with RHP Charlie Morton for2022.
CHICAGO CUBS — Reinstated INF DavidBote from the 10-day IL. Designated INFAndrew Romaine for assignment.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS — Selected thecontract of RHP Neftali Feliz from Oklaho-ma City (Triple-A West) and agreed toterms on a major league contract. Op-tioned LHP Andrew Vasquez to OklahomaCity.
MIAMI MARLINS — Claimed RHP TaylorWilliams off waivers from San Diego.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Reinstated 2BKolten Wong from the paternity list.
NEW YORK METS — Reinstated INF/OFDominic Smith from the bereavement list.Optioned C Chance Sisco to Syracuse (Tri-ple-A East). Reinstated RHP Stephen No-gosek from the 10-day IL and optioned toSyracuse.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Recalled RHPCody Ponce from Indianapolis (Triple-AEast). Optioned INF/OF Phillip Evans to In-dianapolis. Claimed RHP Connor Overtonoff waivers from Toronto and optionedhim to Indianapolis. Transferred RHPDuane Underwood Jr. from the 10-day IL tothe 60-day IL.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Reinstated LHPAndrew Miller from the 10-day IL. Desig-nated RHP Brandon Dickson for assign-ment.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS — Recalled RHPKevin Castro from Sacramento (Triple-AWest). Optioned RHP Jay Jackson to Sac-ramento.
FOOTBALLNational Football League
BALTIMORE RAVENS — Signed LB Josh
DEALS
GOLF
Solheim CupAt Inverness Club
Toledo, OhioYardage: 6,903; Par: 72
MondayEUROPE 15, UNITED STATES 13
SinglesEurope 6, United States 6
Anna Nordqvist, Europe, halved withLexi Thompson, United States.
Madelene Sagstrom, Europe, def. AllyEwing, United States, 3 and 2.
Leona Maguire, Europe, def. JenniferKupcho, United States, 5 and 4.
Nelly Korda, United States, def. GeorgiaHall, Europe, 1 up.
Celine Boutier, Europe, def. Mina Hari-gae, United States, 5 and 4.
Nanna Koertz Madsen, Europe, halvedwith Austin Ernst, United States.
Matilda Castren, Europe, def. Lizette Sa-las, United States, 1 up.
Brittany Altomare, United States, def.Carlota Ciganda, Europe, 2 and 1.
Megan Khang, United States, def. SophiaPopov, Europe, 3 and 2.
Yealimi Noh, United States, def. MelReid, Europe, 1 up.
Jessica Korda, United States, def. Char-ley Hull, Europe, 3 and 1.
Emily Pedersen, Europe, def. DanielleKang, United States, 1 up.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Monday’s scoreMississippi 43, Louisville 24
AP SPORTLIGHT
Sept. 8
1946 — Jack Kramer wins his first U.S.men’s singles titles with a 9-7, 6-3, 6-0 winover Tom Brown.
1957 — Althea Gibson becomes the firstblack to win the U.S. Open, beating LouiseBrough, 6-3, 6-2. Australia’s Malcolm An-derson defeats countryman Ashley Coop-er in three sets to become the first unseed-ed player to win the U.S. Open.
1968 — Virginia Wade wins the first offi-cial U.S. Open (formerly known as U.S Na-tional Championships). Wade upsets BillieJean King, 6-4, 6-2 and Arthur Ashe beatsTom Okker, 14-12, 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 for themen’s title.
1969 — Australia’s Rod Laver wins theU.S. Open and the grand slam of tennis forthe second time in his career with a four-set victory over Tony Roche. Laver wins7-9, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
1973 — Australia’s Margaret Court Smithwins the U.S. Open for the fifth time with a7-6, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Evonne Goola-gong.
1974 — Billie Jean King wins her fourthU.S. Open with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 triumph overEvonne Goolagong.
1985 — Ivan Lendl wins his first U.S. Opentitle defeating John McEnroe 7-6, 6-3, 6-4.
1990 — Gabriela Sabatini prevents SteffiGraf from winning her third consecutiveGrand Slam title with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victoryin the U.S. Open.
1991 — Stefan Edberg wins his first U.S.Open men’s singles title with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-0win over Jim Courier.
1998 — Mark McGwire breaks Roger Ma-ris’ 37-year-old home run record, lininghistoric No. 62 just over the wall in left fieldwith two outs in the fourth inning.McGwire’s shot off the Chicago Cubs’Steve Trachsel sets off a wild celebrationin Busch Stadium.
2001 — Venus Williams wins her secondconsecutive U.S. Open title by beating hersister, Serena, 6-2, 6-4 in the first prime-time women’s Grand Slam final. Thematch is the 10th between sisters in aGrand Slam match during the Open era,with the older sister winnng every time.
STORRS, Conn. — Connecticut
football coach Randy Edsall has left
the program a day after announcing
he would retire at the end of the sea-
son.
Edsall, whose teams have gone
just 6-32 since he returned to the
Huskies for a second stint as coach
in 2017, will be re-
placed on an in-
terim basis by de-
fensive coordina-
tor Lou Spanos,
the school an-
nounced Mon-
day.
“Upon further
reflection by both
Randy and I, and
after having the opportunity to visit
with Randy today, we are both in
agreement that it is in the best inter-
est of our student-athletes to have a
new voice leading UConn football,”
Connecticut athletic director David
Benedict said
Edsall, 63, was originally the
Huskies coach from 1999 through
the 2010 season, leading UConn into
what is now the bowl subdivision,
taking the Huskies to five bowl
games and winning Big East titles in
2007 and 2010.
He was rehired by UConn in 2017,
despite going 22-34 at Maryland,
where he was fired six games into
his fifth season.
His rehiring puzzled many Husk-
ies faithful, who were still upset that
he had left the team after its 2011
Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma, with-
out notifying his players or flying
home with the team.
UConn went 3-9 during Edsall’s
first season back, then went 1-11 and
2-10 before sitting out last season
amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Huskies, in their first season
as an independent after leaving the
American Athletic Conference, are
0-2 this season, losing their opener
45-0 at Fresno State before falling
last Saturday at home, 38-28, to Holy
Cross from the FCS.
Spanos, a 26-year coaching veter-
an in both college and the NFL, has
served as the Huskies’ defensive co-
ordinator since the 2019 season.
“I have gotten to know Lou over
the last two years and have great re-
spect for him as a person and for his
football acumen,” Benedict said.
“There is no doubt that Lou has the
respect of the players and I look for-
ward to supporting him and the
team for the remainder of the 2021
season.”
Edsall
out at
UConnBY PAT EATON-ROBB
Associated Press
Edsall
PAGE 18 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
US OPEN/BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
NEW YORK — For 1½ sets, including one
particularly compelling and competitive
24-point game, Novak Djokovic’s fourth-
round opponent at the U.S. Open — Jenson
Brooksby, the last American left in singles
— gave him fits amid a raucous atmosphere
at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
That let Djokovic, above all, and everyone
else, know that Brooksby — a 20-year-old
wild-card entry from California who is
ranked 99th and never before had been on
this sort of stage — belonged. And then, not
surprisingly, Djokovic showed why he is
who he is and how he’s managed to move
within three victories of the first calendar-
year Grand Slam in men’s tennis in 52 years.
Settling in and sending messages, to the
fans with roars and to Brooksby with some
staredowns, the No. 1-ranked Djokovic im-
proved to 25-0 in majors this year by win-
ning 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on Monday night. He
extended his pursuit of a true Grand Slam
and a record-breaking 21st major cham-
pionship, while also making this the first
time in the history of the U.S. Open, an event
that dates to the 1880s, with zero men or
women from the host country in the quarter-
finals.
“Was a good finish. It wasn’t a good tart,”
said Djokovic, who hopes to add a fourth
U.S. Open title to a collection that’s been
boosted by his ninth at the Australian Open
in February, second at the French Open in
June and sixth at Wimbledon in July.
He next meets No. 6 Matteo Berrettini of
Italy in a rematch of the final at the All En-
gland Club.
One key to Monday’s turnaround: Djo-
kovic broke in Brooksby’s initial service
game in each of the last three sets.
“I wanted to wear him down,” Djokovic
said, “and it worked.”
Affected by a left hip that bothered him
earlier in the tournament, Brooksby was
visited by a trainer after the second set and
again after the third. Still, for someone who
never had set foot on Ashe’s blue court until
about two hours before the match, when he
got a chance to practice there, Brooksby
never seemed overwhelmed by the setting
or the circumstances.
“We’re going to see a lot of him in the fu-
ture,” said Djokovic, who would be the first
man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four
Slam trophies in one year. “I mean, he has
the means. Now, obviously a lot of things
have to come together. But he has a bit of an
unorthodox game. Does a lot with the feel.
He’s smart. He knows how to win points.”
Brooksby’s 6-foot-4 strides and reach, his
anticipation, his variety that includes a well-
disguised two-handed backhand slice, his
think-steps-ahead point construction, his
commitment to patterns drawn up by his
coach at home in Sacramento since age 7,
Joe Gilbert — all left Djokovic a tad discom-
bobulated early.
“I knew it would be important to start
strong, to impose my mindset and my strate-
gy, my game out there,” Brooksby said. “I
could see it working. I really did have a lot of
confidence in myself out there that I can
beat him, I can beat anybody.”
In the first set, Brooksby made one un-
forced error, Djokovic 11. And Brooksby
won 14 of the points that lasted five strokes
or more, Djokovic four.
When Djokovic netted an overhead to
move Brooksby two points from the set,
most of the spectators in the 23,000-plus-ca-
pacity arena — excited to be back after last
year’s ban on audiences amid the pandemic
— rose, clapping and screaming.
When Djokovic missed a return to cede
that set to his foe, Brooksby waved both
arms and heard more loud support.
“Electric. Awesome. I enjoyed it. I truly
did,” said Djokovic, who soon would be
hearing his own cheers. “You guys gave
both of the players a lot of energy.”
He broke to go up 2-0 in the second set and
punched the air and shouted. At 3-1 arrived
an epic game: six break chances, nice deuc-
es, 24 points in all, spread out over nearly 20
minutes. Djokovic pushed the ball into the
net to end that game and make it 3-2,
prompting Brooksby to hop and jump and
windmill his arm and cry, “Let’s go!”
And then, quick as can be, Djokovic re-
grouped. With Brooksby gasping for air,
Djokovic broke right back and, soon
enough, the outcome was clear.
“The momentum,” declared Djokovic, a
34-year-old from Serbia, “was changed.”
JOHN MINCHILLO/AP
Jenson Brooksby reacts during his match against Novak Djokovic during the fourthround of the U.S. Open on Monday. Djokovic lost the first set but won the next three.
Djokovic overcomesAmerican Brooksby
BY HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Derek Jeter
visited Cooperstown when he was a kid
nearly four decades ago and says he doesn’t
remember much about the trip. He’s re-
turning this week and likely won’t ever for-
get even one moment.
After a delay of well over a year, the for-
mer New York Yankees shortstop and cap-
tain will be inducted into the Baseball Hall
of Fame on Wednesday along with fellow
class of 2020 members Ted Simmons, Larry
Walker, and the late Marvin Miller, whose
efforts on the labor front changed the game.
Last year’s ceremony was canceled be-
cause of the coronavirus pandemic. Nobody
was selected from this year’s writers’ ballot
and the Hall of Fame’s Era committees
postponed their scheduled elections until
the upcoming offseason because of the pan-
demic.
“As strange as this sounds or may sound,
I’m trying not to think about it,” the 47-year-
old Jeter, now an owner and CEO of the Mia-
mi Marlins, said last week. “I just want to go
there and experience it. I’m trying to keep it
out of my mind because I do want to go in
there with no preconceived notions of what
may happen. I want to experience it and try
to enjoy it. It’s been a long time coming.”
In 2007, the inductions of Cal Ripken Jr.
and Tony Gwynn drew an estimated record
crowd of 82,000 to the expansive grass field
at the Clark Sports Center on the outskirts of
this one-stoplight village in upstate New
York. When the wildly popular Jeter was
elected in January 2020 that record figured
to be in jeopardy because fans had been
booking reservations well in advance. With
a midweek ceremony instead of the tradi-
tional Sunday afternoon, school back in ses-
sion and the threat of inclement weather the
Hall of Fame wasn’t offering an attendance
prediction.
The 72-year-old Simmons, a star catcher
and first baseman in the 1970s and 1980s for
the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee
Brewers, found a silver lining in the long
wait.
“The wait has been good and bad — bad in
that you’ve had to wait an extra year for this
thing to kind of come to a head, but good in
that it’s extended an additional year,” said
Simmons, who grew up just outside Detroit.
“It’s been such a difficult time for everybo-
dy here in the last two years, all over the
country, in the workforce, in society in gen-
eral with this pandemic. The fact that it’s
now going to happen just brings us closer to
some normalcy, which we’re all hoping for.”
The self-effacing Walker, now 54, said the
delay sort of made his election seem a bit
surreal.
“I’ve been caught on many occasions
when somebody wants me to sign some-
thing and ... I give it back to them and then
they give it back to me because I forget to
put HOF2020 on there,” said Walker, who
will join Ferguson Jenkins as the only Cana-
dian-born players in the Hall of Fame. “So I
guess that reality of it hasn’t sunk in. I don’t
necessarily consider myself a Hall of Famer
at anything.”
Jeter was the 57th player elected by the
Baseball Writers’ Association of America
on the first try. He was one vote shy of be-
coming the second unanimous pick, named
on 396 of the 397 votes cast. His former Yan-
kees teammate, ace reliever Mariano Riv-
era, remains the only one.
Akey member of five World Series cham-
pions, Jeter stayed right where he always
wanted to be from 1995-2014 — two decades
in the Big Apple playing for a storied fran-
chise.
“The most important thing during my ca-
reer, what I wanted to be remembered as, I
wanted to be remembered as a Yankee.
That was it,” he said. “That was the only
team I ever wanted to play for since as far
back as I could remember. As you start
playing your career you start thinking about
legacy. It’s much more than what you do on
the field. It’s the legacy you leave off the
field.
“I never wanted my career to be over and
then for me to say, ‘Well, I wish I would have
done a little bit more.’ Ultimately, you’re
judged, especially in New York, by winning.
They remember you if you win.”
Finally, Jeter, Simmons,Walker to be inducted
BY JOHN KEKIS
Associated Press
JULIE JACOBSON/AP
Derek Jeter celebrates after hitting thegamewinning single against Baltimore inthe ninth inning of his final game at YankeeStadium on Sept. 25, 2014.
“As you start playingyour career you startthinking aboutlegacy. It’s muchmore than what youdo on the field. It’sthe legacy you leaveoff the field.”
Derek Jeter
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 19
MLB/NFL
American League
East Division
W L Pct GB
Tampa Bay 87 51 .630 _
New York 78 59 .569 8½
Boston 79 61 .564 9
Toronto 74 62 .544 12
Baltimore 43 93 .316 43
Central Division
W L Pct GB
Chicago 79 58 .577 _
Cleveland 68 67 .504 10
Detroit 65 74 .468 15
Kansas City 62 75 .453 17
Minnesota 60 77 .438 19
West Division
W L Pct GB
Houston 80 57 .584 _
Seattle 75 63 .543 5½
Oakland 74 63 .540 6
Los Angeles 68 70 .493 12½
Texas 49 88 .358 31
National LeagueEast Division
W L Pct GB
Atlanta 72 64 .529 _
Philadelphia 71 66 .518 1½
New York 69 69 .500 4
Miami 57 80 .416 15½
Washington 57 80 .416 15½
Central Division
W L Pct GB
Milwaukee 84 55 .604 _
Cincinnati 73 66 .525 11
St. Louis 69 67 .507 13½
Chicago 64 75 .460 20
Pittsburgh 49 89 .355 34½
West Division
W L Pct GB
San Francisco 88 50 .638 _
Los Angeles 87 51 .630 1
San Diego 73 64 .533 14½
Colorado 63 75 .457 25
Arizona 45 93 .326 43
Monday’s games
Toronto 8, N.Y. Yankees 0Kansas City 3, Baltimore 2Pittsburgh 6, Detroit 3Tampa Bay 11, Boston 10, 10 inningsMinnesota 5, Cleveland 2Houston 11, Seattle 2Texas 4, L.A. Angels 0Washington 4, N.Y. Mets 3Chicago Cubs 4, Cincinnati 3Philadelphia 12, Milwaukee 0L.A. Dodgers 5, St. Louis 1San Francisco 10, Colorado 5
Tuesday’s games
Minnesota at ClevelandDetroit at PittsburghKansas City at BaltimoreToronto at N.Y. YankeesTampa Bay at BostonSeattle at HoustonChicago White Sox at OaklandTexas at ArizonaL.A. Angels at San DiegoN.Y. Mets at MiamiWashington at AtlantaCincinnati at Chicago CubsPhiladelphia at MilwaukeeL.A. Dodgers at St. LouisSan Francisco at Colorado
Wednesday’s games
Seattle (Anderson 6-9) at Houston (Ur-quidy 6-3)
Texas (Arihara 2-3) at Arizona (Weaver3-3)
Minnesota (Ryan 0-1) at Cleveland(McKenzie 4-5)
Detroit (Manning 3-6) at Pittsburgh(Keller 4-10)
Kansas City (Minor 8-12) at Baltimore(Means 5-6)
Toronto (Manoah 5-2) at N.Y. Yankees(Gil 1-0)
Tampa Bay (McClanahan 9-5) at Boston(Eovaldi 10-8)
L.A. Angels (TBD) at San Diego (Darvish7-9)
Chicago White Sox (Keuchel 8-8) at Oak-land (Montas 11-9)
San Francisco (DeSclafani 11-6) at Col-orado (Gray 7-10)
N.Y. Mets (TBD) at Miami (Alcantara 8-13)
Washington (Nolin 0-2) at Atlanta (TBD)Cincinnati (Gutierrez 9-6) at Chicago
Cubs (Mills 6-6)Philadelphia (Gibson 10-6) at Milwaukee
(Peralta 9-4)L.A. Dodgers (TBD) at St. Louis (Wainw-
right 14-7)Thursday’s games
Chicago White Sox at OaklandMinnesota at ClevelandKansas City at BaltimoreToronto at N.Y. YankeesL.A. Dodgers at St. LouisN.Y. Mets at MiamiColorado at PhiladelphiaWashington at Atlanta
Scoreboard
BOSTON — Austin Meadows hit a tying, inside-the-
park homer in the ninth inning, Nelson Cruz had a go-
ahead single in the 10th and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied
from a six-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 11-10 on
Monday.
The AL East-leading Rays took advantage of four er-
rors, the biggest when center fielder Alex Verdugo ap-
peared to lose Cruz’s high fly in the sun with bases load-
ed and two outs in the fourth.
The ball glanced off Verdugo’s glove and Cruz wound
up circling the bases on the play, scoring on second base-
man Taylor Motter’s wild throw that let Tampa Bay
close to 7-5 against ace Chris Sale.
Cruz also homered and had a pair of RBI singles as the
Rays increased their AL East lead to 8½ games over
New York. The Red Sox missed a chance to move ahead
of the Yankees for the top AL wild-card spot.
Wander Franco had four hits for Tampa Bay. Collin
McHugh (6-1) got the win.
Blue Jays 8, Yankees 0:Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his
40th homer, Marcus Semien went deep twice and To-
ronto won at New York for their fifth straight win.
Hyun Jin Ryu (13-8) pitched six effective innings as
the Blue Jays won for the eighth time in nine games.
Dodgers 5, Cardinals 1: Max Scherzer struck out 13
in his hometown and Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer,
leading Los Angeles to the win at St. Louis.
Scherzer (13-4) permitted one unearned run and six
hits in eight innings. The three-time Cy Young Award
winner is six strikeouts away from becoming the 19th
player in big league history to reach 3,000.
Giants 10, Rockies 5: Thairo Estrada hit two of San
Francisco’s four home runs, and Kevin Gausman
pitched seven solid innings in a win at Colorado.
The major league-best Giants (88-50) remained one
game ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West.
Rangers 4, Angels 0:A.J. Alexy allowed one hit over
six innings in his second straight phenomenal start to
begin his major league career, and Jose Trevino drove
in two runs as visiting Texas blanked Los Angeles.
Alexy (2-0) retired his final 13 batters and didn’t allow
a baserunner after the second inning. He became the
first pitcher in modern major league history to go at least
five scoreless innings while allowing fewer than two hits
as a starter in each of his first two career appearances.
Phillies 12, Brewers 0: Bryce Harper hit an early
home run, Brad Miller connected twice and Jean Segu-
ra added a grand slam, leading Zack Wheeler and Phila-
delphia to the win at Milwaukee.
Andrew McCutchen and Freddy Galvis also homered
as the Phillies won for the eighth time in the last 10
games to stay in the playoff chase.
Cubs 4, Reds 3: Frank Schwindel hit a tiebreaking
RBI single in the eighth inning, and host Chicago earned
its season-high seventh straight win.
Schwindel’s single through the right side scored Al-
fonso Rivas, who started the rally with a pinch-hit single
off Michael Lorenzen (0-2) and advanced to second on a
wild pitch.
Nationals 4, Mets 3: Carter Kieboom and Andrew
Stevenson hit RBI singles in the ninth inning off Edwin
Díaz, and host Washington rallied in the finale of a five-
game series.
Twins 5, Indians 2: Jorge Polanco hit a solo homer
and doubled three times, leading Minnesota to the victo-
ry at Cleveland.
Royals 3, Orioles 2: Andrew Benintendi hit a go-
ahead single for Kansas City in the eighth inning, then
reached above the left-field wall to take away a potential
tying home run in the ninth in a win at Baltimore.
Pirates 6, Tigers 3:Ke’Bryan Hayes and Yoshi Tsut-
sugo each hit a two-run single during host Pittsburgh’s
four-run seventh inning as it defeated Detroit to stop a
six-game losing streak.
Astros 11, Mariners 2:Rookie Jake Meyers homered
and drove in four runs as Houston jumped on Yusei Ki-
kuchi early and sailed to a win over visiting Seattle.
WINSLOW TOWNSON/AP
Tampa Bay Rays’ Austin Meadows, right, slides safely home with an insidethepark home run as BostonRed Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, left, waits for the throw during Rays’ 1110 win Monday in Boston.
Rays come from 6 runsback to beat Red SoxMeadows ties it with inside-the-park HR in 9th, Cruz hits go-ahead single in 10th
Associated Press
ROUNDUP
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The
Tennessee Titans’ COVID-19 out-
break is nearing an end even with
two starting offensive linemen
still on the reserve list.
Not everyone around the NFL
may be as healthy to kick off this
season with COVID-19 proving to
be an issue hovering over another
season.
“Everybody, whether it’s the
league, whether it’s your family,
my family, we all have to just un-
derstand that we’re going to deal
with some things,” Titans coach
Mike Vrabel said Monday. “We’re
going to deal with positive test re-
sults from vaccinated people.
We’ll follow the protocols how we
have to and try to be as safe as we
possibly can.”
Vrabel, who said last spring he
was vaccinated, was the first to
test positive Aug. 22 in an out-
break that reached at least 14, in-
cluding 10 players.
Other NFL teams may be with-
out starters for their openers.
Miami put its presumed start-
ing left tackle Austin Jackson and
backup tight end Adam Shaheen
on the COVID-19 reserve list Mon-
day ahead of Sunday’s opener at
New England. Carolina starting
right guard John Miller also went
on the reserve list Monday and
will miss the Panthers’ home
opener against the Jets.
The Jets are waiting to see if
wide receiver Jamison Crowder
will be available after going on the
reserve list last Friday after test-
ing positive. Vaccinated, Crowder
needs to test negative 24 hours
apart twice under NFL protocols.
Dallas likely will be without
four-time Pro Bowl right guard
Zack Martin for its opener Thurs-
day night at Tampa Bay.
Kansas City All-Pro safety Ty-
rann Mathieu, who is vaccinated,
remained out Monday after his
positive test for COVID-19.
Virus ebbsfor Titans,but rises forother teams
BY TERESA M. WALKER
Associated Press
CHARLES REX ARBOGAST/AP
The Cowboys are expected toopen without right guard ZackMartin after the fourtime AllProtested positive for COVID19.
PAGE 20 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
NFL
Kansas City Chiefs (16-3)
New faces: LT Orlando Brown Jr., LG Joe Thuney, CAustin Blythe, DT Jarran Reed, RB Elijah McGuire, CBMike Hughes, RB Jerrick McKinnon, TE Blake Bell, LBNick Bolton, C Creed Humphrey, DE Joshua Kaindoh.
Key losses: LT Eric Fisher, RT Mitchell Schwartz, WRSammy Watkins, CB Bashaud Breeland, TE Deon Yel-der, DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, CB Antonio Hamilton, RBDamien Williams, DT Mike Pennel.
Strengths: The offense remains the biggest strengthof the Chiefs, and arguably the most dynamic unit oneither side of the ball in the NFL. QB Patrick Mahomesthrew for 4,740 yards with 38 touchdowns and just sixinterceptions last season, and his three biggest weap-ons are back: TE Travis Kelce, RB Clyde Edwards-He-laire and WR Tyreek Hill. But the offense should beeven better thanks to a completely reworked linet.
Weaknesses: The Chiefs are relying on young CBsL’Jarius Sneed and Charvarius Ward to continue theirdevelopment, though it helps their cause to have vet-eran safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill on thefield with them. The Chiefs also need to pressure thequarterback better. They have moved DT Chris Jonesto defensive end opposite Frank Clark, and he lookedgood coming off the edge during the Chiefs’ three pre-season wins.
Camp Development: The biggest surprise of campwas that Mathieu did not sign an extension, eventhough both sides wanted to get it done. That meansthe three-time All-Pro is entering the final year of a $42million, three-year deal. Mathieu recently tested posi-tive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated against thevirus. He remains in the league’s protocol, whichmeans he had yet to return two negative tests taken 24hours apart.
Denver Broncos (5-11)New faces: GM George Paton, QB Teddy Bridgewater,
CB Patrick Surtain II, RB Javonte Williams, ILB JonathonCooper, CB Ronald Darby, CB Kyle Fuller, TE Eric Saub-ert, OL Quinn Meinerz, OLB Baron Browning, S CadenSterns, LB Jonas Griffith.
Key losses: RT Ja’Wuan James, RB Phillip Lindsay, OTElijah Wilkinson, TE Nick Vannett, DL Jurrell Casey, CBA.J. Bouye, DE DeMarcus Walker, S Will Parks, LB JoeJones, OLB Jeremiah Attaochu, WR Trinity Benson.
Strengths: Paton rebuilt Denver’s secondary but alsoaugmented the front seven. For the first time since theBroncs won Super Bowl 50 five years ago, they have alegitimate two-deep roster at every spot. Their offensealso could be set for a breakout season with Jerry Jeu-dy, Courtland Sutton, K.J. Hamler, Noah Fant and AlbertOkwuegbunam providing Bridgewater with plenty oftantalizing targets.
Weaknesses: Special teams blunders were plentifulthroughout the preseason, although K Brandon McMa-nus and P Sam Martin were solid. Paton traded for49ers special teams stud Jonas Griffith, a second-yearLB from Indiana State, to help the coverage units thatwere awful in the preseason.
Camp Development: Health. For a change, the Bron-cos didn’t suffer any big losses this summer. Von Mill-er, whose dislodged ankle tendon cost him all of 2020,slow-rolled his return to form. So did WR Sutton, whoplayed just one game last year (shoulder, ACL) aftermaking his first Pro Bowl. Like Sutton, Okwuegbunamalso is coming back from a torn ACL.
Los Angeles Chargers (7-9)New faces: Coach Brandon Staley, C Corey Linsley,
Gs Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi, TE Jared Cook, QBChase Daniel, OT Rashawn Slater, CB Asante Samuel Jr.
Key losses: TE Hunter Henry, DE Melvin Ingram, C DanFeeney, OT Sam Tevi, G Forrest Lamp, S Rayshawn Jen-kins, LB Denzel Perryman, CB Casey Hayward, G TraiTurner.
Strengths: Justin Herbert quickly became the fran-chise quarterback last season after setting rookie re-cords with 31 touchdown passes and eight 300-yardgames. The defense is switching to a 4-3 scheme andshould be bolstered by the return of safety DerwinJames, who was an All-Pro selection as a rookie in 2018but has played in only five games the past two years.
Weaknesses: The offensive line has four new start-ers, but lacks depth. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga contin-ues to be plagued by injuries and the two swing tacklesslated to back him up struggled throughout the pre-season. New coach Brandon Staley has brought plentyof energy to the team, but it remains an inexperiencedcoaching staff.
Camp Development: Staley sat most of his startersduring the three preseason games, with only rookie of-fensive tackle Slater and cornerback Samuel Jr. seeingsignificant playing time. The Chargers have had one ofthe league’s worst special teams units the past twoyears, which is why Staley and new coordinator DeriusSwinton spent at least 30 minutes of each practice onspecial teams.
Las Vegas Raiders (8-8)New faces: DE Yannick Ngakoue, CB Casey Hayward,
S Trevon Moehrig, RT Alex Leatherwood, defensive co-ordinator Gus Bradley, RB Kenyan Drake, DT QuintonJefferson, CB Nate Hobbs, DT Solomon Thomas, LBDenzel Perryman.
Key losses: WR Nelson Agholor, C Rodney Hudson,RG Gabe Jackson, RT Trent Brown, DT Maliek Collins, SJeff Heath, S Erik Harris, RB Devontae Booker.
Strengths: With QB Derek Carr coming off his mostproductive season in three years under coach Jon Gru-den, the passing game should once again be thestrength for the Raiders. Star tight end Darren Wallerremains the top target but the Raiders are counting onsecond-year receivers Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Ed-wards to take a big step this year to help make up forthe loss of Agholor.
Weaknesses: The Raiders have had one of of theNFL’s worst defenses since Gruden returned in 2018.They tried to address the pass rush by signing Nga-koue to team with Maxx Crosby on the edge. The sec-ondary still has plenty of questions. Last year’s first-round pick Damon Arnette has struggled and will likelyplay off the bench behind soon-to-be 32-year-old Hay-ward coming off his worst season as a pro. Moehrig isbeing counted on to step in immediately at free safety,but third-year players Trayvon Mullen and JohnathanAbram will need to improve if the Raiders are to have acapable defense.
Camp Development: One of the bright spots thissummer has been the play of fifth-round CB Hobbs,who has shown some playmaking ability at both slotand outside cornerback.
— Associated Press
Capsules
Overhauls are usually reserved for bad
teams that miss the playoffs, not ones that
play in consecutive Super Bowls.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach,
however, was prompted to dismantle his of-
fensive line after watching Patrick Ma-
homes run for his life in Kansas City’s 31-9
shellacking at the hands of the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs were three-point betting fa-
vorites to defend their title but injuries and
opt-outs forced them to use a makeshift
group, which was promptly steamrolled.
By one calculation, Mahomes ran around
for nearly 500 yards while trying to escape
the Bucs’ relentless pass rush and find an
open receiver.
So, Veach brought in five new starters to
help protect the team’s half-billion dollar
investment at quarterback.
He traded for Baltimore Ravens left tack-
le Orlando Brown Jr. and signed former
New England Patriots left guard Joe Thu-
ney, the first player in NFL history to start
in the Super Bowl in each of his first three
seasons.
The rest of the line hasn’t ever played in
the NFL. Center Creed Humphrey and
right guard Trey Smith are rookies and
right tackle Lucas Niang opted out as a roo-
kie in 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns.
“We’ve come together fast,” Niang said.
“We’ve got a ways to go, but we’re doing a
good job. Everybody’s communicating, get-
ting on the same page.”
Mahomes figures this work-in-progress
line will coalesce quickly.
“I mean obviously they’re all really tal-
ented,” Mahomes said. “ ... When everybo-
dy is on the same exact page is when you
have those truly great offensive lines and
great offenses.
“I think you see us as games are going on,
we’re communicating better and better and
I think we’ll continue to improve through-
out the season.”
All the other familiar names are back —
Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Clyde Edwards-
Helaire — along with an improved defense,
making K.C. the favorite for a sixth straight
AFC West title and maybe a third consec-
utive trip to the Super Bowl.
No team has ever won six straight AFC
West titles, and the division is tougher than
it’s been in a half decade. Both the Chargers
and Raiders split with the Chiefs last season
and the Broncos sport their deepest roster
since winning it all in 2015.
Broncos bounceback Von Miller says Denver finally has the
roster like the one he led to a championship
parade five years ago.
“We have some of the same players we
had last year, but our team looks totally dif-
ferent,” Miller said. “The energy is totally
different. I know I get carried away with
some of the comments about my team-
mates, and I have high expectations for my
teammates. This year is going to be a great
year for our guys.”
That will require big bouncebacks by
Miller (ankle), WR Courtland Sutton (knee)
and new QB Teddy Bridgewater, who went
4-11 in Carolina last year and beat out Drew
Lock this summer.
New look, new luck By all indications, Brandon Staley had a
successful first training camp as Los An-
geles Chargers coach. The Bolts didn’t sus-
tain any major injuries during training
camp — something they could not say the
past two seasons. Staley also stole a page
from former boss Sean McVay and didn’t
play most of his starters, including quarter-
back Justin Herbert, during the preseason.
Herbert, the reigning AP Offensive Roo-
kie of the Year, quickly became one of the
top young quarterbacks in the league last
season, setting a rookie record with 36 TDs.
New offensive coordinator Joe Lombar-
di’s system, which is more up-tempo,
should take advantage of Herbert’s
strengths behind an O-line featuring four
new starters, including left tackle and first-
round pick Rashawn Slater.
On defense, all-purpose safety Derwin
James’ return after missing last season
(knee) gives the unit a big lift. James will
call the plays and line up all over the field.
Black eye The Raiders are hoping offseason chang-
es can boost a defense that allowed the most
points per game and second-most yards per
play in three seasons since coach Jon Gru-
den returned.
Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther
was fired late last season and Gus Bradley
was brought over from the Chargers with a
simpler system that should allow the Raid-
ers to be more aggressive.
The defensive line should be better with
Yannick Ngakoue teaming with Maxx
Crosby on the edge but questions still re-
main in the secondary.
TurnaboutLast year, the Raiders flaunted the NFL’s
COVID-19 protocols more than any team,
getting fined $575,000 over the first month
of the season for breaking the rules, from
Gruden wearing his face mask like a chin
strap to players appearing at a function
where face coverings weren’t used nor so-
cial distancing observed.
This year, the Raiders became the first
NFL team to require fans to provide proof
of COVID-19 vaccination to attend home
games without a mask at their gleaming
new Allegiant Stadium, where fans weren’t
allowed last year.
“Health and safety has always been our
No. 1 priority,” Raiders owner Mark Davis
said in a statement.
Players are not required to be vaccinated
against COVID-19, but the NFL has report-
ed that more than 90% of them are.
Predicted order of finishChiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders.
CHARLIE RIEDEL/AP
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was forced to scramble because ofoffensive line woes during the Super Bowl, so the Chiefs rebuilt their line.
Chiefs rebuild offensive line toprotect Mahomes, fend off rivals
BY ARNIE STAPLETON
Associated Press
JACK DEMPSEY/AP
Denver Broncos outside linebacker VonMiller says the Broncos’ defense lookslike the one he led to a Super Bowlvictory five seasons ago.
With contributions from AP pro football writer Josh Dubow andAP sports writers Dave Skretta and Joe Reedy.
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 21
NFL
Seattle Seahawks (12-5)New faces: G Gabe Jackson, DE Kerry Hyder Jr., WR
D’Wayne Eskridge, DT Al Woods, CB Tre Brown, TE Ger-ald Everett, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, CB Sidney JonesIV, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Key losses: CB Shaquill Griffin, WR David Moore, RBCarlos Hyde, TE Greg Olsen, LB K.J. Wright, DT JarranReed, CB Quinton Dunbar, offensive coordinator BrianSchottenheimer.
Strengths: Led by Russell Wilson, Chris Carson andDK Metcalf, the offense under new coordinator ShaneWaldron has the potential to build on the explosiveflashes it showed a year ago. Defensively, the Sea-hawks still have one of the top linebackers in the gamewith Bobby Wagner, along with second-year LB JordynBrooks and a deep line rotation. Topping it off, safetiesJamal Adams and Quandre Diggs may be the best tan-dem at the position in the NFL.
Weaknesses: Aside from the defensive line, depthappears a major concern. Cornerback is unsettled,with a combination of injuries and inconsistent playleaving the starters uncertain. The wide receiver groupis unproven beyond Metcalf and Lockett, and there isthe unknown of whether left tackle Duane Brown willcontinue his “hold-in” seeking a new contract into theregular season.
Camp Development: Rookie Dee Eskridge missedtime early in camp due to a toe injury but flashed thepotential in the final preseason game that made him asecond-round pick. His development into a true No. 3option will be important for the success of Seattle’spassing game.
Los Angeles Rams (11-7)New faces: QB Matthew Stafford, defensive coordi-
nator Raheem Morris, WR DeSean Jackson, RB Sony Mi-chel, WR Tutu Atwell.
Key losses: Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley,QB Jared Goff, pass game coordinator Shane Waldron,run game coordinator Aaron Kromer, DL MichaelBrockers, S John Johnson, CB Troy Hill, C Austin Blythe,LB Samson Ebukam, C Austin Blythe, WR Josh Rey-nolds, RB Malcolm Brown, DL Morgan Fox, LS JakeMcQuaide.
Strengths: The NFL’s No. 1 defense in 2020 lost fourstarters and Staley, but All-Pros Aaron Donald and Ja-len Ramsey return with a revamped supporting castunder the respected Morris. Stafford’s arrival is ex-pected to be the boost needed by the offense, whichhad been fairly stagnant for a consistently winningteam for the past 2½ years, starting even before theirSuper Bowl appearance. Stafford has an enviablegroup of receivers with the additions of Jackson andAtwell, and the veteran passer has the motivation ofknowing the next two seasons could define his career.
Weaknesses: The offensive line remains suspect af-ter two up-and-down years and no external improve-ments in the offseason. Stafford’s talent won’t shine asbrightly if he must fear for his safety on every snap, aswas frequently obvious during his time in Detroit. LosAngeles restocked its defense, but the losses of Staley,Johnson and Brockers all seem perilous to both chem-istry and playmaking ability.
Camp Development: Starting RB Cam Akers’ season-ending Achilles tendon injury prompted the Rams totrade for Michel, who starred against them in the SuperBowl for New England three seasons ago. Michel andDarrell Henderson are likely to share the workload.
San Francisco 49ers (6-10)New faces: QB Trey Lance, C Alex Mack, DE Samson
Ebukam, DE Arden Key, DT Maurice Hurst, WR TrentSherfield, DL Zach Kerr, RB Trey Sermon, G AaronBanks, WR Mohamed Sanu, CB Deommodore Lenoir, CBAmbry Thomas.
Key losses: DC Robert Saleh, CB Richard Sherman, DEKerry Hyder, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, WR KendrickBourne, TE Jordan Reed, QB Nick Mullens.
Strengths: The front seven of the defense is one ofthe stoutest in the league with the return of 2019 Defen-sive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa at edge rusher aftermissing most of last season with a knee injury, and All-Pro middle linebacker Fred Warner. There is plenty ofdepth up front with Dee Ford looking healthy after mis-sing last season with a back injury, Arik Armstead, D.J.Jones, Ebukam and Dre Greenlaw.
Weaknesses: The Niners don’t have much provendepth at cornerback, which could be a big concern ifJason Verrett can’t stay healthy. Verrett has playedmore than six games just twice in seven NFL seasonsbut was in top form last season. Emmanuel Moseleywill start on the other side with K’Waun Williams backin the slot. There isn’t much behind those three withjourneyman Dontae Johnson and rookies Lenoir andThomas next in line.
Camp Development: The main question at camp washow long Lance will take to supplant Garoppolo asstarter. All signs point to Garoppolo remaining in thatrole to start the season, but the Niners have been mix-ing in Lance in certain situations.
Arizona Cardinals (8-8)New Faces: DE J.J. Watt, WR A.J. Green, C Rodney Hud-
son, OL Brian Winters, QB Colt McCoy, LB Zaven Collins(first-round pick), WR Rondale Moore (second-roundpick), RB James Conner, K Matt Prater, S Shawn Wil-liams.
Key Losses: WR Larry Fitzgerald, RB Kenyan Drake,CB Patrick Peterson, TE Dan Arnold, K Zane Gonzalez,LB De’Vondre Campbell, LB Haason Reddick, CB DreKirkpatrick.
Strengths: The Cardinals have one of the league’sup-and-coming quarterbacks in Kyler Murray. Thethird-year starter has mostly delivered since being theNo. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. Murray’s partner-ship with receiver DeAndre Hopkins was one of theNFL’s most productive last season. The offensive linehas several quality veterans, including LT D.J. Hum-phries, LG Justin Pugh, Hudson and RT Kelvin Beachum.Arizona could have one of the league’s best pass rushduos with newly acquired J.J. Watt and veteran hold-over Chandler Jones.
Weaknesses: The running game needs to evolve af-ter losing Drake in free agency. Chase Edmonds andConner are the two main options in the backfield, whileMurray’s ability to run is also a big part of the offense.When Murray is limited to being a pocket passer, Arizo-na’s offense can struggle. The Cardinals acquired sev-eral big names in the offseason, including Green, Wattand Hudson. They’ve all been good players, but they’vealso got a lot of mileage. Staying healthy will be a key.
Camp Development: Rookie Collins will be expectedto start at middle linebacker from Day 1. He’ll pair withsecond-year linebacker Isaiah Simmons in the middleof the field to form an exciting but inexperienced duo.
— Associated Press
Capsules
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — With trips to the
Super Bowl still in their recent memories,
the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco
49ers made the decision this offseason that
they needed more dynamic quarterback
play to remain contenders in the long run.
That led both NFC West rivals to make
aggressive moves, trading multiple first-
round picks to bring Matthew Stafford to
Los Angeles and rookie Trey Lance to San
Francisco.
It remains to be seen whether those bold
risks will pay off, but it’s the decision at
quarterback another NFC West team made
that may end up determining which team
wins what looks like the NFL’s most com-
petitive division.
Despite reports that Russell Wilson
wanted out of Seattle after nine seasons, the
Seahawks opted mostly to stand pat and
hope that a couple of tweaks would be
enough for a repeat division title under
coach Pete Carroll followed by some play-
off success after too many early endings the
past few years.
“We’re on the same page. We’re here to
do what we’re meant to do and that’s to win
it at all,” Wilson said. “I’m excited. I’m ex-
cited about who we have, the guys we have,
excited where we are. Coach Carroll and I’s
relationship couldn’t be stronger on it. Like
I said earlier, my focus is to win. Winning
means everything to me.”
Winning the NFC West doesn’t figure to
be easy as it is the only division where the
projected win totals for all four teams equa-
te to a .500-or-better season.
The Rams made it to the Super Bowl in
the 2018 season with Jared Goff at quarter-
back, but stagnated a bit the past few years,
leading to the decision to acquire Stafford
from Detroit.
The Niners made it there the following
season only to be undone last year by a spate
of injuries, including sprained ankles that
limited quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to
six starts.
The Cardinals made their own splashy
moves in the offseason to build a better ros-
ter around playmaking quarterback Kyler
Murray, highlighted by the signing of for-
mer three-time AP Defensive Player of the
Year J.J. Watt.
Protecting WilsonWilson’s frustration stemmed in part
from the hits he has endured since entering
the NFL with his 394 sacks the most of any
player in his first nine seasons since the
merger.
While some of that can be blamed on poor
offensive line play, Wilson deserves his
own share of the responsibility for his tend-
ency to hold onto the ball longer than most
quarterbacks out of a desire to make a big
play.
The Seahawks got Wilson some help by
trading for guard Gabe Jackson and hiring
Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator to
bring more quick passing and play action to
the offense.
But unless left tackle Duane Brown ends
his “hold in” after not practicing for all of
camp, there still could be issues.
Big play MattRams coach Sean McVay made the deci-
sion to move on from Goff despite handing
him a big contract after he helped Los An-
geles reach the Super Bowl in the 2018 sea-
son. The Rams dealt Goff, two first-round
picks and a third-rounder to Detroit for
Stafford, who has loads of talent but little
team success in his first 12 seasons.
“Not many people in my position get the
chance to move to teams that have had a
bunch of recent success, and I’m just excit-
ed to be a part of it,” Stafford said.
The Rams are hoping that joining a more
stable franchise will unleash Stafford and
that Stafford’s big arm will help unlock a
more dynamic offense. Stafford threw the
ball the third deepest in 2020, according to
SportsInfo Solutions, while Goff had the
third-shortest average depth of pass among
qualifiers.
The other questions for the Rams come on
defense where Raheem Morris replaces co-
ordinator Brandon Staley and Aaron Donald
and Jalen Ramsey will need to make up for
losses in the secondary.
Two QBs better than oneThe Niners are going to begin the season
with plans to play both their quarterbacks
with Lance having a package of plays to take
advantage of his running ability and Garop-
polo starting.
“It’s tough for defenses to handle that,” Ga-
roppolo said. “I’ve never been in that situa-
tion, but just seeing it firsthand, it’s hard on
them. So, whatever’s best for the team, I’m
here for it.”
Shanahan believes the two-QB system
gives his team the best chance to compete
early, but at some point the Niners will likely
shift to Lance as the starter considering they
traded three first-round picks for him.
If Garoppolo can stay healthy and regain
the efficiency that helped San Francisco re-
ach the Super Bowl two years ago, that might
not be until 2022.
Kliff’s offenseKliff Kingsbury was supposed to bring an
innovative offense to Arizona when he was
hired as coach in 2020. While there have been
some flashes with Kyler Murray at quarter-
back, the Cardinals stagnated offensively
last season.
This could be a make-or-break season for
Kingsbury, who has the pieces on offense to
contend, led by Murray and DeAndre Hop-
kins.
But Arizona will need improved play at
cornerback to contend in the NFL’s toughest
division.
Predicted order of finishSeahawks, Rams, 49ers, Cardinals.
Rams, 49ers seek QBs to matchSeahawks’ Wilson in NFC West
JOHN FROSCHAUER/AP
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson returns to give the team a shot atrepeating as the NFC West champion.
BY JOSH DUBOW
Associated Press
TONY AVELAR/AP
San Francisco 49ers quarterback TreyLance, above, will split time to start theseason with veteran Jimmy Garoppolo.
PAGE 22 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
NFL
out of 32) got their chance in the
first four games of the season.
The 2021 class is set to become
the second one to have at least
three rookie QB starters in Week 1
with Jones ready to start the open-
er against Miami following an im-
pressive preseason.
The 2012 class had five with An-
drew Luck, Robert Griffin III,
Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden
and Russell Wilson all getting the
nod. Only Wilson and Tannehill
are starters less than a decade lat-
er with Seattle’s Wilson the only
one with the team that drafted
him.
The Patriots released Newton
on Tuesday to clear the way for
Jones to start. While Jones was the
last of the first-round quarter-
backs drafted at No. 15, he might
be the most polished and proved to
be ready to step in early after a
stellar final season at Alabama.
“I’m going to be ready whenev-
er my time comes up,” Jones said
after last week’s 22-20 win over
New York. “We got work to do and
we’ll get the things fixed and then
we’ll just keep rolling.”
There is no clear pattern of suc-
cess when it comes to when to start
a rookie quarterback. Luck
stepped in right away to turn Indi-
anapolis into a playoff team. Josh
Allen and Justin Herbert got off to
good career trajectories after
making their first starts in Week 2.
But other early starters such as EJ
Manuel and Sam Darnold didn’t
have the same sort of success.
While Mahomes and Lamar
Jackson won MVPs in their sec-
ond years after waiting until the
second half of their rookie seasons
to start, others like Johnny Man-
ziel and Locker didn’t appear to
benefit from the time on the side-
line.
“Each situation has its own sit-
uation,” 49ers coach Kyle Shana-
han said. “I look at ours, I learn
from everything through my own
experience and just reading about
football and watching it over the
years. That’s why we all develop
our opinions. But just like the per-
fect play call or the perfect throw,
you don’t know until the end of it.
Stuff is adjusting at all times and
you’ve got to always be ready to
adjust and do the best with oppor-
tunities you have.”
Shanahan went into training
camp with Jimmy Garoppolo as
his starter and Lance getting up to
speed after San Francisco traded
three first-round picks to take him
at No. 3 overall in the April draft.
Lance has shown some spectacu-
lar plays in the preseason like an
80-yard touchdown to Trent Sher-
field, but also some growing pains
as he struggles with accuracy af-
ter starting just one season at FCS-
level North Dakota State — and
only one game in 2020 because of
the pandemic.
Garoppolo helped San Francis-
co reach the Super Bowl in the
2019 season before his fourth-
quarter struggles contributed to
that loss to Mahomes and the
Chiefs. Garoppolo lacks the mobil-
ity and big-play skills of some of
the top young quarterbacks in the
league and has struggled to stay
healthy, leading to the Niners’ de-
cision to make a big play for
Lance.
That’s why Shanahan isn’t in a
rush to make a change and will
likely opt to use Lance in a part-
time role early in the season to get
him experience.
“Jimmy’s a very good player,”
Shanahan said. “And when Jim-
my’s at the top of his game, I told
him this back when we made the
trade: ‘There’s no rookie that’s go-
ing to just come in here right away
and take your job if you’re at the
top of your game.’”
Garoppolo hasn’t been at the top
of his game in the preseason but is
still slated to start Week 1 against
Detroit.
It’s a similar situation in Chica-
go, where the Bears traded up to
draft Fields after already signing
Andy Dalton earlier in the offsea-
son.
Relying: 2012 class hadfive rookie starters at QBFROM PAGE 24
ADAM HUNGER / AP
Rookie Mac Jones will start at quarterback for the New EnglandPatriots, who released Cam Newton.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — One
thing that was apparent watching
the Patriots offense last season
was the lack of dependable pass-
catching options quarterback
Cam Newton had at his disposal.
It was a point of emphasis in the
offseason, one that coach Bill Bel-
ichick sought to improve with the
addition of tight ends Jonnu Smith
and Hunter Henry.
Soon after signing free-agent
deals, both tried to acquaint them-
selves with Newton, making trips
to meet up with the quarterback
for informal throwing sessions.
Those workouts proved to be
moot when the Patriots surprised
many around the NFL by releas-
ing Newton at the end of training
camp and elevating rookie Mac
Jones to the starting job.
It’s put the spotlight on Jones,
whose first game out of the gate
will be against a Dolphins defense
that features 2020 interceptions
leader Xavien Howard.
It’s also underscored the impor-
tance of Smith and Henry, who
will be counted on even more to
help take pressure off their young
quarterback. Smith said he is ex-
cited for Jones, adding that he’s
ready to give him all the support
he can to make it a successful first
outing Sunday.
“He’s taken that role and he’s
done a great job at it. That’s why
he is where he is,” Smith said. “He
does everything he’s supposed to
do. ... We’re just ready to ride for
him.”
Smith and Henry were slowed
by injuries at different times this
summer: Henry was dealing with
a shoulder issue and Smith a leg
injury.
But they entered the first game
week Monday without restrictions
in practice, a good sign for them
and Jones as the Patriots prepare
to open the season with back-to-
back division games.
“We missed that for a little bit in
camp with both of us not being out
there, but it’s fun once we’re out
there and rolling,” Henry said of
building chemistry with Smith.
“It’s a good competition. Just be-
ing able to build that chemistry
with him while we’re on the field.
Talk through things, see how I see
things, how he sees things. Bounce
things off each other.
Over the past two seasons a
group of Patriots tight ends that
has included Devin Asiasi, Ben
Watson, Ryan Izzo, Matt LaCosse
and Dalton Keene combined for
just 54 catches for 672 yards and
three touchdowns.
Asiasi is the only one of that
group currently on the roster,
leaving plenty of room for Henry
and Smith to make their marks in
2021.
Smith and Henry combined for
101 catches and 12 TDs last season.
Henry’s recent injury kept him
sidelined for more than two weeks
during training camp, which may
have put him too far behind phys-
ically to be ready for Sunday’s
opener.
Asked if he has any doubt he’ll
be ready to go, he said he’s only fo-
cused on following the program
the training staff has laid out for
him.
“I’m just trying to get better ev-
ery single day and you know, ap-
ply myself every day and be ready
to go when it comes,” he said.
How well Smith and Henry per-
form when they do get on the field
together this season will hinge on
how well the duo shares the work-
load in run blocking and in the
passing game.
WINSLOW TOWNSON/AP
New England Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith picks up yards after catching a pass against the WashingtonFootball Team during a preseason game on Aug. 12 in Foxborough, Mass.
Tight ends Smith, Henrytargets for Pats’ JonesFree-agent signings help rookie QB
Associated Press
STEVEN SENNE/AP
Hunter Henry gives the Patriotsrookie quarterback Mac Jonesanother passcatching threat.
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • PAGE 23
NFL
NEW YORK — Wait a second.
He’s playing where now?
With the NFL season about to
kick off, it’s time for a quick re-
fresher on some familiar faces in
new places. Otherwise, you might
be scratching your head while
drafting your fantasy football
team or doing double takes when
you flip on the games in Week 1.
So, if you missed some free-
agent signings or trades in the off-
season — or forgot — and spent
your summer days and nights sip-
ping cocktails by the pool rather
than watching preseason games,
we’re here to help.
Quarterbacks■ Matthew Stafford (Lions to
Rams)
■ Jared Goff (Rams to Lions)
■ Carson Wentz (Eagles to
Colts)
■ Sam Darnold (Jets to Pan-
thers)
■ Teddy Bridgewater (Pan-
thers to Broncos)
■ Ryan Fitzpatrick (Dolphins
to Washington)
■ Andy Dalton (Cowboys to
Bears)
Goff, two first-round picks and a
third-rounder were dealt by Los
Angeles to Detroit for Stafford in
an offseason blockbuster. Both
will start for their new teams. ...
Wentz was traded to Indianapolis,
where he was reunited with cur-
rent Colts coach and former Ea-
gles offensive coordinator Frank
Reich, for a third-rounder and a
2022 conditional second-rounder.
Wentz had surgery to repair a bro-
ken bone in his foot earlier this
month, but could be ready for the
opener. ... The Jets moved on from
Darnold and dealt him to Carolina
for a sixth-rounder this year and
second- and fourth-rounders in
2022. New York drafted Zach Wil-
son with the No. 2 overall pick. ...
After getting Darnold, the Pan-
thers traded Bridgewater to Den-
ver for a sixth-rounder and he has
taken the Broncos’ starting job. ...
FitzMagic is still going strong and
the 38-year-old well-traveled vet
will be under center for Washing-
ton in Week 1 — the ninth NFL
team for which he’ll start. ... Dal-
ton, in Dallas last year after nine
seasons in Cincinnati, is Chicago’s
expected starter. But the calls
from Bears fans for Justin Fields,
the No. 3 overall pick, have al-
ready begun.
Running backs■ Tevin Coleman (49ers to
Jets)
■ James Conner (Steelers to
Cardinals)
■ Kenyan Drake (Cardinals to
Raiders)
■ Sony Michel (Patriots to
Rams)
Coleman, who spent two injury-
plagued seasons in San Francisco,
joins a backfield in New York
where he’s likely to complement
Ty Johnson, La’Mical Perine and
rookie Michael Carter. ... Conner
was Pittsburgh’s backfield work-
horse most of the last three sea-
sons, but will be part of a 1-2 punch
in Arizona with Chase Edmonds.
... Drake broke out during his two
seasons with the Cardinals, scor-
ing 18 touchdowns in 23 games.
Las Vegas is doubling down with
Drake and Josh Jacobs. ... Michel
will supplement Darrell Hender-
son, whose iffy injury history sug-
gests Michel could get plenty of
playing time if he can stay healthy
himself.
Wide receivers■ Julio Jones (Falcons to Ti-
tans)
■ A.J. Green (Bengals to Cardi-
nals)
■ Kenny Golladay (Lions to Gi-
ants)
■ Corey Davis (Titans to Jets)
Jones, the Falcons’ career lead-
er in catches and yards receiving,
was traded along with a 2023
sixth-round pick to Tennessee for
the Titans’ second-rounder in
2022 and a fourth-rounder in 2023.
He didn’t practiced much in train-
ing camp because of a leg ailment,
but will form a formidable 1-2 re-
ceiving duo with A.J. Brown when
healthy. ... Green signed with Ari-
zona after 10 years in Cincinnati,
where he’s second to Chad John-
son in various team career receiv-
ing marks. ... Looking to give Da-
niel Jones more weapons, the Gi-
ants signed Golladay to a four-
year, $72 million contract. ... Davis
is expected to be a major part of
the Jets’ revamped receiving
corps.
Tight ends■ Hunter Henry (Chargers to
Patriots)
■ Jonnu Smith (Titans to Patri-
ots)
Life at tight end without Rob
Gronkowski hasn’t been great for
New England, which brought in
two of the more productive play-
ers at that position over the last
few years.
Offensive line■ Trent Brown (Raiders to Pa-
triots)
■ Joe Thuney (Patriots to
Chiefs)
■ Corey Linsley (Packers to
Chargers)
■ Morgan Moses (Washington
to Jets)
The 6-foot-8, 380-pound Brown
returns to New England, where he
played left tackle in 2018, after two
years with the Raiders. ... Thuney
bolsters the line in front of Patrick
Mahomes after five years with the
Patriots. ... All-Pro Linsley, a fix-
ture on Green Bay’s line the past
seven years, signed a five-year,
$62.5 million contract with the
Chargers, making him the NFL’s
highest-paid center. ... Moses
signed a one-year, $3.6 million
deal with the Jets to play right
tackle and form bookends with left
tackle Mekhi Becton in front of
Wilson.
Defensive linemen■ J.J. Watt (Texans to Cardi-
nals)
■ Jadeveon Clowney (Titans to
Browns)
■ Yannick Ngakoue (Ravens to
Raiders)
Watt became one of the faces of
the league during 10 years with
the Texans, so it’ll surely be
strange seeing him rush the pas-
ser in another uniform after sign-
ing a two-year, $28 million deal
with Arizona. ... Browns fans are
drooling over Clowney teaming
with Myles Garrett to wreck op-
posing backfields. ... Ngakoue split
last season between Minnesota
and Baltimore and finished with
eight sacks, a total he has reached
or surpassed in all five of his NFL
seasons.
Linebackers■ Melvin Ingram (Chargers to
Steelers)
■ Bud Dupree (Steelers to Ti-
tans)
■ Matt Judon (Ravens to Patri-
ots)
Ingram was a consistent pass-
rushing threat during nine sea-
sons with the Chargers except for
last year, when knee injuries lim-
ited him to seven games and no
sacks. ... Dupree was a key per-
former on Pittsburgh’s defense
the last six seasons, getting 39½
sacks. He signed a five-year, $82.5
million contract with Tennessee
in the offseason and appears
healthy after a torn ACL ended
last season prematurely. ... Judon
was one of New England’s big
free-agent signings, getting a four-
year, $56 million deal after being
selected for the Pro Bowl the last
two seasons.
Defensive backs■ Patrick Peterson (Cardinals
to Vikings)
■ Malcolm Butler (Titans to
Cardinals)
Peterson was a three-time All-
Pro and established himself as one
of the game’s top cornerbacks in
10 years in Arizona. ... Butler,
whose goal-line interception
sealed New England’s Super Bowl
win in 2014, spent the last three
seasons in Tennessee.
Kickers■ Matt Prater (Lions to Cardi-
nals)
Prater, who still holds the NFL
record with his 64-yard field goal
while with Denver in 2013, kicked
for seven years in Detroit before
signing a two-year deal with Ari-
zona in the offseason.
Familiar faces playing in new places
JOHM MCCOY/AP
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, left, was traded by Detroit to Los Angeles this offseason for former Ramsstarter Jared Goff and two firstround draft picks. Both will be starters for their new teams on Sunday.
BY DENNIS WASZAK JR.
Associated Press
MARK HUMPHREY/AP
Wide receiver Julio Jones was traded to the Titans by Atlanta, wherehe is the career leader in catches and receiving yards.
PAGE 24 • S T A R S A N D S T R I P E S • Wednesday, September 8, 2021
SPORTSStill rolling
Djokovic three victories away fromcalendar-year Slam ›› US Open, Page 18
Rays rally from six down to beat Red Sox ›› MLB, Page 19
SANTA CLARA, Calif.
Top two overall draft
picks Trevor Lawrence
and Zach Wilson are set
to step right in and be-
come starting NFL quarterbacks
in Week 1 of their rookie season.
Mac Jones will join them after
beating out Cam Newton for the
job in New England, which should
make this year’s draft class just
the second since the merger with
at least three Week 1 rookie start-
ers at quarterback.
The timeline for the two other
first-round quarterbacks in this
year’s draft is a bit murkier. But if
recent history is any guide, Trey
Lance and Justin Fields don’t fig-
ure to wait too long to get their
chance as starters.
The days of Aaron Rodgers
spending three years on the bench
as Brett Favre’s apprentice or
Carson Palmer sitting out his en-
tire rookie season behind Jon Kit-
na in Cincinnati are mostly in the
past.
While some point to the success
Patrick Mahomes has had in Kan-
sas City since spending almost his
entire rookie season on the bench
behind Alex Smith, rookies are be-
ing thrown into the fire quicker
than ever. The differences be-
tween the pro and college offenses
have narrowed and teams try to
take advantage of having a start-
ing quarterback on a cheaper roo-
kie contract.
Since the rookie wage scale was
put in place before the 2011 sea-
son, 30 of the 32 quarterbacks
drafted in the first round — all but
Jake Locker and Jordan Love —
started at least one game as a roo-
kie. Twelve of those started the
opener and nearly two-thirds (21
Relying on the rookiesFirst-year QBs steppingin as starters in Week 1
BY JOSH DUBOW
Associated Press
BRANDON WADE, ABOVE, AND NOAH K. MURRAY, RIGHT/AP
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, above, looks for an open receiver during a preseason game againstthe Cowboys on Aug. 29 in Arlington, Texas. Lawrence and Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, right, along withPatriots quarterback Mac Jones, are firstround draft picks who will start as rookies in Week 1.
“We got work to do and we’ll getthe things fixed and then we’ll just
keep rolling.”Mac Jones
Patriots rookie on being handed the reins as the starting quarterback
SEE RELYING ON PAGE 22
NFL