usatoday--2020-08-22--Opinion: The Big 12, left for dead a decade ago, might have saved this football season

Ten summers ago , Nebraska and Colorado left the Big 12 Conference .
A year later , Missouri and Texas A & M fled , too .
The conference was in tatters .
In its early days , the Big 12 was on the same prestige plane as the Southeastern Conference .
But a decade ago , the Big 12 ’ s future was in jeopardy , and its status had cratered .
Fast forward to last week , when Big 12 presidents met with the fate of college football in their hands .
The Big Ten and Pac-12 had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ACC had declared their intentions to keep forging on .
The Big 12 was the swing league .
If the Big 12 had packed up the shoulder pads , some say all of college football would have had to surrender to the coronavirus .
That ’ s a hard concept to consider .
I personally think the SEC would find a way to play in nuclear winter .
But better college football minds than mine had the season sitting in Big 12 hands .
If three of the Power Five Conferences had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SEC and ACC might have had to acquiesce .
For appearances as much as anything .
The Pac-12 and Big Ten are the high brows of the major conferences ; if they had been joined by a league outside their circle , the pressure on the SEC and ACC would have been mighty .
The Big 12 voted to try to play .
It might not stick .
The virus could spread across campuses to where not even Alabama will try .
Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne tweeted a photo of Bama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last weekend .
“ Who wants college sports this fall ?
?
” he wrote .
“ Obviously not these people !
!
We ’ ve got to do better than this for each other and our campus community… ” But Alabama and the SEC have a chance at a season , perhaps because the Big 12 said let ’ s go .
What a transformation .
A league left for dead has not only stabilized but climbed past the Pac-12 and ACC in revenues and conferences status , reaching a position of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s lone peer and carries the entire ACC , but the Tigers ’ roar is offset by a variety of schools that have limited football interest .
The Power Five Conferences showed some solidarity early in the pandemic but not much later .
Still , it would be difficult for just one or two leagues to be playing when most every other college sport and level has said no go .
“ Anytime anybody at any level has decided they were n't going to play or that they were going to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said .
“ I do n't know that we would want to be the only college football conference playing.
” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said much the same thing when asked by reporters about potentially playing solo as a Power Five league .
“ I don ’ t think that ’ s the right direction , really , ” Sankey said .
“ Could we ?
Certainly .
( But ) there ’ s a difference between can you do something and should you do something in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ king of college football .
The Big 12 ’ s recovery from the intensive care unit was helped by its association with the conference that pilfered Mizzou and A & M .
The Big 12 and SEC went partners on the Sugar Bowl back in 2012 .
That was a sign of status .
The Big 12 was hanging out with the cool kids .
The Big 12 ’ s rising prominence has been slowed by a lack of College Football Playoff success .
The league has qualified for four of the six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but Oklahoma has lost all four trips to the semifinals .
That must change for the Big 12 to stand taller .
But the conference that almost self-combusted is indeed standing .
Even to the point that it might have saved the college football season .

Opinion: The Big 12, left for dead a decade ago, might have saved this football season
Show Caption Hide Caption Why college football will never be the same financially USA Today Sports' Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg explain the financial debt college football will incur from a fall without football. USA TODAY
Ten summers ago, Nebraska and Colorado left the Big 12 Conference. A year later, Missouri and Texas A&M fled, too.
The conference was in tatters. In its early days, the Big 12 was on the same prestige plane as the Southeastern Conference. But a decade ago, the Big 12’s future was in jeopardy, and its status had cratered.
Fast forward to last week, when Big 12 presidents met with the fate of college football in their hands. The Big Ten and Pac-12 had scrapped the fall season. The SEC and ACC had declared their intentions to keep forging on. The Big 12 was the swing league. If the Big 12 had packed up the shoulder pads, some say all of college football would have had to surrender to the coronavirus.
That’s a hard concept to consider. I personally think the SEC would find a way to play in nuclear winter. But better college football minds than mine had the season sitting in Big 12 hands.
If three of the Power Five Conferences had set sail for spring football, the SEC and ACC might have had to acquiesce. For appearances as much as anything. The Pac-12 and Big Ten are the high brows of the major conferences; if they had been joined by a league outside their circle, the pressure on the SEC and ACC would have been mighty.
The Big 12 voted to try to play. It might not stick. The virus could spread across campuses to where not even Alabama will try. Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne tweeted a photo of Bama students congregating en masse, unmasked, last weekend.
“Who wants college sports this fall??” he wrote. “Obviously not these people!! We’ve got to do better than this for each other and our campus community…”
But Alabama and the SEC have a chance at a season, perhaps because the Big 12 said let’s go.
What a transformation. A league left for dead has not only stabilized but climbed past the Pac-12 and ACC in revenues and conferences status, reaching a position of influence. Clemson has turned into Alabama’s lone peer and carries the entire ACC, but the Tigers’ roar is offset by a variety of schools that have limited football interest.
The Power Five Conferences showed some solidarity early in the pandemic but not much later. Still, it would be difficult for just one or two leagues to be playing when most every other college sport and level has said no go.
“Anytime anybody at any level has decided they weren't going to play or that they were going to do something different, it affects us,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. “I don't know that we would want to be the only college football conference playing.”
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said much the same thing when asked by reporters about potentially playing solo as a Power Five league.
“I don’t think that’s the right direction, really,” Sankey said. “Could we? Certainly. (But) there’s a difference between can you do something and should you do something in life.”
The SEC is the unquestioned king of college football. The Big 12’s recovery from the intensive care unit was helped by its association with the conference that pilfered Mizzou and A&M. The Big 12 and SEC went partners on the Sugar Bowl back in 2012. That was a sign of status. The Big 12 was hanging out with the cool kids.
The Big 12’s rising prominence has been slowed by a lack of College Football Playoff success. The league has qualified for four of the six playoffs, all by the Sooners, but Oklahoma has lost all four trips to the semifinals. That must change for the Big 12 to stand taller.
But the conference that almost self-combusted is indeed standing. Even to the point that it might have saved the college football season.


usatoday--2020-08-22--Protesters who camp on Tennessee state property could lose right to vote under new law

NASHVILLE – Protesters in Tennessee who break certain laws during demonstrations will now face harsher penalties , including losing the right to vote .
Gov .
Bill Lee signed into law on Thursday a bill that stiffens penalties for protesters .
House Bill 8005 , sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth , R-Portland , House Republican Majority Leader , went into effect immediately .
Camping on state property such as the Capitol was previously a misdemeanor .
It will now be classified as a Class E felony punishable by one to six years in prison .
Convicted felons also lose the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The law also criminalized marking with chalk on a government building and introduced mandatory minimum jail sentences for certain crimes .
The legislation was promised by House leadership in early June when demonstrations against police brutality — and later against Lee and the General Assembly — began increasing in Nashville .
Tennessee Supreme Court : Fear of COVID-19 will not be reason to vote absentee in November , The bill received pushback from individual activists and groups including the Tennessee chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The ACLU 's Tennessee chapter raised free-speech concerns , saying in a letter to Lee that the bill would crack down on dissent by threatening protesters with `` overly harsh criminal penalties . ''
Legislators said the law is needed to `` safeguard '' the right for peaceful demonstration , to ensure the safety of state employees and first responders , and to prevent destruction of property .
The bill also imposes a mandatory minimum 45-day hold if convicted of aggravated rioting ; enhances the fine for obstructing emergency vehicles from accessing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restitution for damaging state property ; and creates a Class C felony offense for aggravated assault against a first responder — which carries a $ 15,000 fine and mandatory minimum 90-day prison sentence .
The governor said a provision requiring a warning to those camping illegally strengthened the bill , and cited the discretion of prosecutors and judges .
“ I think what we saw was a courthouse on fire and businesses being broken into and vehicles being damaged .
We saw lawlessness that needed to be addressed immediately .
And that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday when asked about the bill .
The law could cost as much as $ 1.3 million per year .

Protesters who camp on Tennessee state property could lose right to vote under new law
NASHVILLE – Protesters in Tennessee who break certain laws during demonstrations will now face harsher penalties, including losing the right to vote.
Gov. Bill Lee signed into law on Thursday a bill that stiffens penalties for protesters. House Bill 8005, sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, House Republican Majority Leader, went into effect immediately.
Camping on state property such as the Capitol was previously a misdemeanor. It will now be classified as a Class E felony punishable by one to six years in prison. Convicted felons also lose the right to vote and carry a gun.
The law also criminalized marking with chalk on a government building and introduced mandatory minimum jail sentences for certain crimes.
The legislation was promised by House leadership in early June when demonstrations against police brutality — and later against Lee and the General Assembly — began increasing in Nashville.
Women of the Century: Tennessee suffragists changed history ‘without firing a shot’
Tennessee Supreme Court: Fear of COVID-19 will not be reason to vote absentee in November,
The bill received pushback from individual activists and groups including the Tennessee chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, which lobbied for Lee to veto the bill.
The ACLU's Tennessee chapter raised free-speech concerns, saying in a letter to Lee that the bill would crack down on dissent by threatening protesters with "overly harsh criminal penalties."
Legislators said the law is needed to "safeguard" the right for peaceful demonstration, to ensure the safety of state employees and first responders, and to prevent destruction of property.
The bill also imposes a mandatory minimum 45-day hold if convicted of aggravated rioting; enhances the fine for obstructing emergency vehicles from accessing highways; requires a court to order restitution for damaging state property; and creates a Class C felony offense for aggravated assault against a first responder — which carries a $15,000 fine and mandatory minimum 90-day prison sentence.
The governor said a provision requiring a warning to those camping illegally strengthened the bill, and cited the discretion of prosecutors and judges.
“I think what we saw was a courthouse on fire and businesses being broken into and vehicles being damaged. We saw lawlessness that needed to be addressed immediately. And that was done so," Lee told reporters Thursday when asked about the bill.
The law could cost as much as $1.3 million per year.
Contributing: Travis Dorman; The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-08-22--New York blocked a wedding with 175 expected guests from being held this weekend

ALBANY , N.Y. – A federal appeals court Friday granted New York 's attempts to block weddings from having more than 50 people .
The ruling thwarted efforts by at least one couple to have a large wedding this weekend and leaves in doubt any other weddings that exceed more than 50 attendees .
Gov .
Andrew Cuomo on June 24 loosened restrictions on gatherings to allow as many as 50 people to congregate as he slowly reopened the economy due to coronavirus .
Two western New York couples sued , arguing in part that the executive order is inconsistent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have up to 50 % of capacity .
On Aug. 7 , the Buffalo-area couples successfully won a preliminary injunction blocking Cuomo 's order , and on Wednesday , a district court judge denied the state 's motion for a stay of the preliminary injunction .
So the state took its case to the federal appeals court in Manhattan and won an emergency stay Friday of the lower court 's ruling so the case can be heard .
The move blocked a couple who sued from being married Saturday in Erie County with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court papers said .
The couple 's attorney , Anthony Rupp , told the Times Union the wedding will be moved to a later date .
`` We had won every stage of this thing , but the judge in the 2nd Circuit just cavalierly postponed it until Tuesday , '' Rupp said .
`` So we 're very unhappy about this decision . ''
New York has the most deaths in the nation due to COVID-19 with about 25,300 deaths , but it has in recent months had among the lowest infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're going bust : New York casinos are still closed What to expect when you go : Gyms in New York will reopen Monday Cuomo has allowed most businesses to reopen , but has limited large gathering facilities , such as keeping closed casinos and movie theaters and putting occupancy and safety restrictions on restaurants and bars .
`` We 've been reopening for 14 weeks and our infection rate has actually done down — the positive test rate has been below 1 % the past 14 days and the number of hospitalizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since March 16 , '' Cuomo said in a statement Friday .
`` This is proof positive that when you have the virus under control , more testing does not equal more positives .
But my message to New Yorkers remains the same : this is not over , we have to be smart , wear a mask , socially distance and be New York tough . ''

New York blocked a wedding with 175 expected guests from being held this weekend
Show Caption Hide Caption Cuomo to COVID partiers: 'Knock it off. Don't be stupid' Gov. Andrew Cuomo spoke during a COVID-19 briefing July 20, 2020, and urged for greater precautions by bars and patrons. Joseph Spector, Albany Bureau Chief
ALBANY, N.Y. – A federal appeals court Friday granted New York's attempts to block weddings from having more than 50 people.
The ruling thwarted efforts by at least one couple to have a large wedding this weekend and leaves in doubt any other weddings that exceed more than 50 attendees.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on June 24 loosened restrictions on gatherings to allow as many as 50 people to congregate as he slowly reopened the economy due to coronavirus.
Two western New York couples sued, arguing in part that the executive order is inconsistent with other orders that allows restaurants to have up to 50% of capacity.
On Aug. 7, the Buffalo-area couples successfully won a preliminary injunction blocking Cuomo's order, and on Wednesday, a district court judge denied the state's motion for a stay of the preliminary injunction.
So the state took its case to the federal appeals court in Manhattan and won an emergency stay Friday of the lower court's ruling so the case can be heard.
The move blocked a couple who sued from being married Saturday in Erie County with 175 people expected to attend, the court papers said.
The couple's attorney, Anthony Rupp, told the Times Union the wedding will be moved to a later date.
"We had won every stage of this thing, but the judge in the 2nd Circuit just cavalierly postponed it until Tuesday," Rupp said. "So we're very unhappy about this decision."
New York has the most deaths in the nation due to COVID-19 with about 25,300 deaths, but it has in recent months had among the lowest infection rates in the U.S.
Workers say they're going bust: New York casinos are still closed
What to expect when you go: Gyms in New York will reopen Monday
Cuomo has allowed most businesses to reopen, but has limited large gathering facilities, such as keeping closed casinos and movie theaters and putting occupancy and safety restrictions on restaurants and bars.
"We've been reopening for 14 weeks and our infection rate has actually done down — the positive test rate has been below 1% the past 14 days and the number of hospitalizations dropped below 500 for the first time since March 16," Cuomo said in a statement Friday.
"This is proof positive that when you have the virus under control, more testing does not equal more positives. But my message to New Yorkers remains the same: this is not over, we have to be smart, wear a mask, socially distance and be New York tough."
Follow Joseph Spector on Twitter: @GannettAlbany


usatoday--2020-08-22--Fans weren't following COVID-19 protocols, so Utah high school AD paused football game

An athletic director paused a Thursday night high school football game in Utah when he saw fans in the stands ignoring coronavirus protocols .
Jeremy Lewis , the athletic director at American Fork High School in American Fork , Utah , temporarily halted play during the first half of his school 's game against Timpview High School when he saw that many fans had removed their masks and moved closer together , rather than remaining in their seats .
Lewis addressed the crowd , telling them to put their masks back on and return to their assigned seats .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resume until they did so , they began to comply .
Lewis estimates the delay was less than a minute .
`` This day and age for sports to continue , we just all have to make sacrifices , '' Lewis told USA TODAY Sports .
`` ...
These are just the requirements right now to play football here , and these are the requirements to watch football .
And so we are going to do , on the school level , whatever we can to allow our athletes to continue to play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many states have delayed the start of high school football or pushed the season to the spring , Utah started its season on time , becoming the first state to begin its high school season amid the pandemic .
UHSAA guidelines require all players on both teams to undergo temperature checks before every game .
Masks and social distancing among spectators are recommended .
However , the Alpine School District — the district in which American Fork High is located — has stricter protocols .
Those include 25 % capacity at all sporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advance , and a mask requirement .
Additionally , all fans are required to sign an agreement form before attending sporting events .
That form , a copy of which a district spokesperson provided to USA TODAY Sports , includes language that states : `` Spectators are required to wear face coverings to attend all ASD events .
Games may be delayed or suspended for non compliance . ''
`` Alpine School District is doing everything possible to provide a safe environment for school and sporting events , '' a spokesperson said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` It is our hope that these events can continue into the future as we rely on everyone working together to comply with the established protocols . ''
As play stopped Thursday , Lewis said many American Fork players addressed the crowd — which was mostly parents and families — as well , telling them to move so that play could resume .
`` The American Fork High School team turned to the stands and started yelling at the fans , 'Move , move , move to your correct place , get out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your spot is ! '
Lewis said .
`` Which was great .
They understand that every game is a gift at this point . ''
Head coach Aaron Behm was supportive of the stoppage , according to Lewis .
American Fork went on to win the game , 31-21 .
Lewis emphasized that in halting play , he was just doing his job in following the protocols assigned to him by the district , and he hopes that the incident will lead to higher compliance in the future .
`` This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in any way , shape or form , '' Lewis said .
`` But I hope people can understand that the consequences of not wearing a mask and that it will be enforced , of not social distancing , that will be enforced , and that if they do n't want the flow of the game to be upset at all , then to just wear your face covering and sit where you 've purchased a ticket . ''

Fans weren't following COVID-19 protocols, so Utah high school AD paused football game
Show Caption Hide Caption Medical expert questions motives of college football decision makers SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon connected with Yale's Dr. Sten Vermund, who specializes in the field of infectious diseases, to get his thoughts on the conferences that are still attempting to play college football in the fall. He did not hold back. USA TODAY
An athletic director paused a Thursday night high school football game in Utah when he saw fans in the stands ignoring coronavirus protocols.
Jeremy Lewis, the athletic director at American Fork High School in American Fork, Utah, temporarily halted play during the first half of his school's game against Timpview High School when he saw that many fans had removed their masks and moved closer together, rather than remaining in their seats.
Lewis addressed the crowd, telling them to put their masks back on and return to their assigned seats. When the fans realized the game would not resume until they did so, they began to comply. Lewis estimates the delay was less than a minute.
"This day and age for sports to continue, we just all have to make sacrifices," Lewis told USA TODAY Sports. "... These are just the requirements right now to play football here, and these are the requirements to watch football. And so we are going to do, on the school level, whatever we can to allow our athletes to continue to play the game they love."
American Fork High School AD Jeremy Lewis stopped his school's football game due to fans not following mask and social distancing requirements.
He would not allow play to resume until fans followed the guidelines. pic.twitter.com/RCq3Jt8nRM — Stadium (@Stadium) August 21, 2020
While many states have delayed the start of high school football or pushed the season to the spring, Utah started its season on time, becoming the first state to begin its high school season amid the pandemic.
UHSAA guidelines require all players on both teams to undergo temperature checks before every game. Masks and social distancing among spectators are recommended.
However, the Alpine School District — the district in which American Fork High is located — has stricter protocols. Those include 25% capacity at all sporting events with all tickets being sold in advance, and a mask requirement. Additionally, all fans are required to sign an agreement form before attending sporting events.
That form, a copy of which a district spokesperson provided to USA TODAY Sports, includes language that states: "Spectators are required to wear face coverings to attend all ASD events. Games may be delayed or suspended for non compliance."
"Alpine School District is doing everything possible to provide a safe environment for school and sporting events," a spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. "It is our hope that these events can continue into the future as we rely on everyone working together to comply with the established protocols."
As play stopped Thursday, Lewis said many American Fork players addressed the crowd — which was mostly parents and families — as well, telling them to move so that play could resume.
"The American Fork High School team turned to the stands and started yelling at the fans, 'Move, move, move to your correct place, get out! Go to the other side where your spot is!' Lewis said. "Which was great. They understand that every game is a gift at this point."
Head coach Aaron Behm was supportive of the stoppage, according to Lewis. American Fork went on to win the game, 31-21.
Lewis emphasized that in halting play, he was just doing his job in following the protocols assigned to him by the district, and he hopes that the incident will lead to higher compliance in the future.
"This is not something that I wanted to do in any way, shape or form," Lewis said. "But I hope people can understand that the consequences of not wearing a mask and that it will be enforced, of not social distancing, that will be enforced, and that if they don't want the flow of the game to be upset at all, then to just wear your face covering and sit where you've purchased a ticket."


usatoday--2020-08-22--Former XFL executive Erik Moses becomes first Black president of a NASCAR track

Erik Moses met Dover Motorsports Inc. executive vice president and COO Mike Tatoian when the two served on the board of directors for the Military Bowl in Washington D.C .
They hit if off right away and became instant friends .
That bond is about to become even stronger as Tatoian announced Saturday that Moses has been hired as president of Nashville Superspeedway .
Moses , 49 , will be charged with overseeing the return of NASCAR Cup Series racing to Nashville .
Moses is the first Black man to be named president of a NASCAR track .
Nashville Superspeedway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is set to reopen after being closed in 2011 and will serve as host for a NASCAR Cup Series race tentatively set for June 20 , 2021 .
`` I think I made a halfway decent impression on ( Tatoian ) because when he started thinking about having someone lead this effort in Nashville he gave me a call , '' Moses said .
`` I was intrigued because I know people love NASCAR in Middle Tennessee .
I think it 's a hot market for it .
Nashville has got to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country right now for all things whether it 's people moving there , sports entertainment , live events and for companies relocating . ''
Moses is relatively new to NASCAR .
He attended his first race at Dover International Speedway in 2019 .
He most recently served as founding president of the XFL ’ s DC Defenders .
The team ranked among the league ’ s leaders in ticket sales and social media engagement .
“ We are very excited and fortunate to hire an outstanding leader and executive such as Erik @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas of sports , events and live entertainment , ” Tatoian said .
“ Erik ’ s addition to our company and the outstanding reputation he has in the industry punctuates our commitment to revitalizing Nashville Superspeedway and serving the Middle Tennessee community.
” Prior to the XFL and following several roles in private and corporate legal practice , Moses worked in a variety of sports leadership and city government positions around Washington D.C..
He was senior vice president at Events DC for more than a decade and served as Washington D.C. ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sports , entertainment and live event activity in the city .
Moses plans to start working at Nashville Superspeedway by the end of September .
Xfinity Series , Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and IndyCar Series races took place at the 1.33-mile concrete track in the 10 years it was open .
But there never was a NASCAR Cup race .
That is why Moses believes he will have an advantage and greater chance of being successful than previous officials had at the facility .
The last NASCAR Cup race in Nashville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1984 .

Former XFL executive Erik Moses becomes first Black president of a NASCAR track
Show Caption Hide Caption CC Sabathia and MLBPA address Black representation in baseball SportsPulse: CC Sabathia and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark spoke with USA TODAY Sports about the current state of Black representation in the sport of baseball and what they're doing to increase it. USA TODAY
Erik Moses met Dover Motorsports Inc. executive vice president and COO Mike Tatoian when the two served on the board of directors for the Military Bowl in Washington D.C.
They hit if off right away and became instant friends.
That bond is about to become even stronger as Tatoian announced Saturday that Moses has been hired as president of Nashville Superspeedway.
Moses, 49, will be charged with overseeing the return of NASCAR Cup Series racing to Nashville. Moses is the first Black man to be named president of a NASCAR track.
Nashville Superspeedway, which is owned by Dover International, is set to reopen after being closed in 2011 and will serve as host for a NASCAR Cup Series race tentatively set for June 20, 2021.
"I think I made a halfway decent impression on (Tatoian) because when he started thinking about having someone lead this effort in Nashville he gave me a call," Moses said. "I was intrigued because I know people love NASCAR in Middle Tennessee. I think it's a hot market for it. Nashville has got to be one of the hottest markets in the country right now for all things whether it's people moving there, sports entertainment, live events and for companies relocating."
Moses is relatively new to NASCAR. He attended his first race at Dover International Speedway in 2019.
He most recently served as founding president of the XFL’s DC Defenders. The team ranked among the league’s leaders in ticket sales and social media engagement.
“We are very excited and fortunate to hire an outstanding leader and executive such as Erik, who has tremendous experience in all areas of sports, events and live entertainment,” Tatoian said. “Erik’s addition to our company and the outstanding reputation he has in the industry punctuates our commitment to revitalizing Nashville Superspeedway and serving the Middle Tennessee community.”
Prior to the XFL and following several roles in private and corporate legal practice, Moses worked in a variety of sports leadership and city government positions around Washington D.C..
He was senior vice president at Events DC for more than a decade and served as Washington D.C.’s sports commissioner and chief advocate for sports, entertainment and live event activity in the city.
Moses plans to start working at Nashville Superspeedway by the end of September.
Xfinity Series, Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and IndyCar Series races took place at the 1.33-mile concrete track in the 10 years it was open. But there never was a NASCAR Cup race.
That is why Moses believes he will have an advantage and greater chance of being successful than previous officials had at the facility.
The last NASCAR Cup race in Nashville took place at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 1984.


usatoday--2020-08-22--Video shows two trapped California firefighters being rescued from wildfires

Firefighters rescued by helicopter after becoming trapped in wildfires The helicopter rescue team was able to pull both men out @ @

Firefighters rescued by helicopter after becoming trapped in wildfires
The helicopter rescue team was able to pull both men out safely.
Associated Press, Wochit


usatoday--2020-08-23--'Painted as spies': Chinese students, scientists say Trump administration has made life hostile amid

WASHINGTON – On July 23 , Juan Tang was ensconced inside the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco when federal officers came to the door with an arrest warrant for the 37-year-old cancer researcher .
Law enforcement officials had already seized Tang 's passport and moved to revoke her visa during an interview in June , ensuring she could not leave the country – but they could n't arrest her on foreign diplomatic property .
Tang , a researcher at the University of California-Davis , became hysterical when the consular officials told her about the arrest warrant .
Believing she needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her to a hospital , according to court papers .
Federal law enforcement officers followed closely behind , ready to arrest Tang as soon as she was discharged .
Now , Tang is in the Sacramento County Jail , charged with visa fraud .
Tang said on her visa application she had not served in the Chinese military , when in fact she `` is a uniformed officer '' in the People ’ s Liberation Army , the Justice Department said in announcing charges against her .
The charges against Tang are part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's administrationthat targets alleged Chinese government spying and intellectual property theft , particularly at American universities and research labs .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other Trump officials have given new prominence to the crackdown in recent weeks , delivering scorching speeches casting China as a menace to American democracy and a threat to U.S. national security .
Critics say the Trump administration 's rhetoric is inflammatory and its actions have created a hostile climate for Asian students and researchers working and studying in the U.S. – often working on cutting-edge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ push will backfire , driving away talented students and scientists who fear being profiled because of their ethnicityat a time when the U.S. desperately needs scientific and medical advances to combat a crippling pandemic .
Brain drain : International students turning away from US colleges because of COVID-19 , Trump '' We face not only the racial hostilities – and a lot of that has been heightened because of COVID-19 , '' said Yangyang Cheng , a physicist from China who works for Cornell University .
Now , she said , `` we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and my adopted home in their rhetoric towards science and scientists – how the state is claiming ownership over scientists themselves , as well as the work they produce .
And that is deeply troubling . ''
Chinese scientists working or studying in the U.S. feel torn about where they belong , she wrote in an essay last spring : `` In their home country , where an authoritarian government is increasing its hold on society , aided by technology for surveillance and censorship ?
Or in a country whose president actively rejects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spies ? ''
The new emphasis on Chinese espionage is part of a broader get-tough-on-China policy from the White House as Trump seeks re-election .
U.S.-China tensions have dramatically escalated in recent months amid the coronavirus pandemic , troubled trade negotiations and Beijing 's decision to restrict freedoms in Hong Kong .
The Trump administration has cast the policy in terms of helping the U.S. protect its scientific and technology research , including that related to the pandemic .
The president has also used racist language to talk about COVID-19 , as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' spread .
Trump administration officials say the crackdown on Chinese spying is not an attack on all Chinese individuals working or studying in the U.S .
Instead , they say , it 's directed at the Chinese government and its ruling Communist Party leaders .
`` This is not about the Chinese people , and it ’ s certainly not about Chinese Americans , '' FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a July 7 speech at the conservative Hudson Institute think tank .
More than 100,000 Chinese students and researchers come to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Our society is better for their contributions . ''
Still , Wray painted a stark picture of the threat .
`` We ’ ve now reached the point where the FBI is opening a new China-related counterintelligence case about every 10 hours .
Of the nearly 5,000 active FBI counterintelligence cases currently underway across the country , almost half are related to China , '' he said .
`` And at this very moment , China is working to compromise American health care organizations , pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions conducting essential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even wider net , suggesting China had dispatched `` propagandists '' into every corner of U.S. society and America 's decades-long engagement with China had created a `` Frankenstein . ''
`` We opened our arms to Chinese citizens , only to see the Chinese Communist Party exploit our free and open society .
China sent propagandists into our press conferences , our research centers , our high schools , our colleges and even into our PTA meetings , '' Pompeo said in July 23 remarks at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ more negatively than ever amid coronavirus pandemic , Trump attacks , poll finds There 's no question the Chinese government is encouraging and recruiting people to steal American intellectual property and engage in other criminal behavior , said Margaret Lewis , a law professor at Seton Hall University and expert on China .
But the way the Trump administration has framed the issue is `` problematic , '' Lewis said , because it sweeps up anyone who has ties to China and subjects them to scrutiny .
Pompeo and others have exacerbated the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight between American democracy and Chinese communism , she said .
China experts have warned of a new `` red scare '' that echoes Cold War-era rhetoric about the Soviet Union and casts a cloud of suspicion over all Chinese Americans , as well as Chinese foreign nationals living in the U.S .
In addition to the Justice Department prosecutions , the Trump administration has also rescinded visas for certain Chinese graduate students and taken steps to nix the Fulbright exchange program in China and Hong Kong .
Some Republicans in Congress are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Chinese graduate and post-graduate students who want to study STEM fields in the U.S. '' We 've fed China 's innovation drought with American ingenuity and taxpayer dollars for too long , '' Sen. Marsha Blackburn , R-Tenn. , said in a statement announcing the GOP bill .
`` It 's time to secure the U.S. research enterprise against the ( Chinese Communist Party 's ) economic espionage . ''
President Barack Obama 's administration also viewed China as a significant threat in terms of intellectual property theft and espionage .
From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defendants charged under the Economic Espionage Act were of Chinese descent , according to an analysis by Andrew Kim , a litigator based in Texas and a visiting scholar at South Texas College of Law .
After 2009 , the percentage of Chinese espionage defendants tripled to 52 % , he found .
The Trump administration significantly ramped up the investigation and prosecution of such cases , launching a formal unit to probe Chinese economic espionage with John Demers , head of the Justice Department 's national security division , at the helm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 80 % of all economic espionage prosecutions brought by federal prosecutors include allegations of conduct that would benefit the Chinese state .
And there is `` at least some nexus '' to China in about 60 % of all trade secret theft cases , the Justice Department says .
A Justice Department spokesman did not respond to an email seeking additional information about those statistics .
The Justice Department 's initiative casts a `` blanket of criminal suspicion '' over anyone associated with China , said Lewis , the Seton Hall professor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ system does not allow guilt by association , '' but that is what the DOJ has done , she wrote in a legal analysis of the department 's China Initiative .
And it takes `` a fear-provoking turn '' with repeated rhetoric framing intellectual property theft and espionage as part of a broader communist threat .
Many of the Justice Department 's China Initiative cases involve allegations of false statements , failure to disclose income or visa fraud , China experts note – not espionage or intellectual property theft , which are harder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a much broader range of potential defendants than crimes that are more overtly nefarious , like stealing a competitor ’ s robot technology , '' Lewis writes in her analysis .
Instead of `` overkill '' prosecution , she says , universities could resolve these issues by beefing up their reporting requirements , increasing transparency , and expanding auditing to guard against possible conflicts .
In his analysis , Kim found that 21 % of Chinese and 22 % of all Asian defendants charged under the Economic Espionage Act were never found guilty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He looked at a random sample of EEA cases from 1997 to 2015 .
In about one-fifth of those cases , he said , the defendant was either acquitted , pleaded guilty to making false statements or the prosecutors dropped all charges .
`` In other words , as many as one in five Asian-Americans accused of being spies may be innocent , '' Kim writes .
`` The same can be said for only 11 % of defendants with Western names . ''
When prosecutors announced charges against Tang , the cancer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said she was one of four Chinese nationals charged with lying on their visa applications about their affiliation with the Chinese military .
`` Today ’ s announcement shows the extreme lengths to which the Chinese government has gone to infiltrate and exploit America ’ s benevolence , '' John Brown , head of the FBI 's national security branch , said in the July 23 statement .
“ In interviews with members of the Chinese People ’ s Liberation Army in over 25 cities across the U.S. , the FBI uncovered a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take advantage of the United States and the American people.
” But Tang 's attorney , Malcolm Segal , said the case is weak and appears to be based on photographs that federal agents found online .
`` The basis for the government ’ s claim appears to be a published picture of Dr. Tang taken at a Chinese hospital where both civilians and military personnel wear uniforms , with different insignia to distinguish members of the military , '' Segal said in an email to USA TODAY .
`` We believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and her professional background . ''
He said Tang speaks little to no English and is being held in the county jail , as COVID-19 rages through such institutions .
He said he 's working to resolve the case quickly so she can be reunited with her family in China `` after what turned out to be a very brief stay in the United States solely for the purpose of scientific study . ''
Tang 's first attorney , a public defender , said Tang fled to the consulate in San Francisco after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistance from her home government .
Justice Department officials in Washington and California declined to discuss Tang 's case with USA TODAY .
But a motion opposing her release on bail says the FBI found a photo online of Tang wearing an Air Force uniform bearing the insignia of the `` Civilian Cadre . ''
In an accompanying article , the FBI says , Tang was listed as an associate researcher at Air Force Military Medical University , Molecular Medicine Translation Center .
`` Members of the ( Air Force ) Civilian Cadre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' the motion states .
When federal officers interviewed Tang in June , she denied being in the military , although investigators said they found further evidence when they searched her residence .
They say she also lied about having experience with chemical or biological agents .
`` Tang operated clandestinely in the United States , along with apparently several ( if not more ) of her colleagues , '' the prosecutors ' motion states .
`` The defendants in these cases are operating in the U.S. with the knowledge and support of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operational sophistication by deleting materials from her electronic devices and repeatedly making demonstrably false statements to the FBI . ''
The judge denied Tang 's request to be released on bail during a July 31 hearing held via Zoom .
Tang 's case is one of at least 50 brought by the Justice Department since launching the China Initiative in 2018 .
The charges range from economic espionage to wire fraud to bribery .
One of the most high-profile cases came to light in January , when prosecutors charged Charles Lieber , then-chair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and chemical biology , with lying about his participation in China ’ s Thousand Talents Plan and failing to report income from a Chinese university on his tax returns .
Beijing created the Thousand Talent program in 2008 to encourage scientists in the U.S. to share knowledge and research with China – in exchange for salaries , research funding , and other incentives .
Prosecutors said Lieber was paid $ 50,000 a month by the Wuhan University of Technology and living expenses of up to $ 158,000 via the Thousand Talents program .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to set up a research lab at the Chinese university , according to the Department of Justice .
Lieber 's attorney , Marc Mukasey , has adamantly denied the allegations and suggested the charges were political .
`` The indictment is flat-out wrong .
We will not let Professor Lieber be used as part of anyone ’ s political agenda , '' Mukasey said in an emailed statement .
`` The notion that Professor Lieber was engaged in improper work with China is laughable .
There is not a more gifted , selfless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country than Charlie Lieber .
He is innocent and his name will be cleared . ''
China has not made any secret of its talent recruitment program , and Beijing is hardly alone in trying to attract top-notch scientists – or in using financial incentives and other perks as a lure .
Federal prosecutors acknowledged as much in announcing the charges against Lieber .
`` All the Thousand Talents Program does is induce people doing research in the United States to come to China and help them do the same research by offering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illegal , per se , '' said Andrew Lelling , U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts .
The problem is Lieber hid the money and his connections with Chinese entities , Lelling said .
Lawmakers in Congress have also raised alarms about the program .
Chinese and American participants in the Thousand Talents Plan have `` downloaded sensitive electronic research files '' before going to China , submitted false information when applying for grant funds , and `` willfully failed to disclose receiving money from the Chinese government on U.S. grant applications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation of the program .
`` They find promising research and researchers , they systematically target them and then they take that research over to China , '' Sen .
Rob Portman , R-Ohio , said at a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing .
`` It is military , it is economic , it 's healthcare , it 's everything . ''
Portman said he wants American researchers to benefit from international cooperation , `` but we do n't want to have this U.S. taxpayer-funded research being stolen . ''
' A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientist says prosecutions are hurting US innovation Others say there 's a big difference between sharing scientific insights and stealing them .
Xiaoxing Xi – a Temple University professor and American citizen who was wrongly charged by the FBI for allegedly providing sensitive technology to China – said the U.S. now seems to view any collaboration with China as a crime , no matter the potential value and in contradiction to the nature of scientific research .
In 2015 , federal agents banged on Xi 's door and brandished their weapons , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and put him in handcuffs .
Four months later , the Justice Department abruptly dropped the charges after apparently realizing they had mistakenly accused him of sharing sensitive superconductor technology ; he had not shared any sensitive information but rather was engaged in normal academic collaboration .
`` That left a very deep scar on us , not only psychologically and physically ( but ) ... from a professional standpoint , '' he said .
Xi and others say that international scientific collaboration should be encouraged , not seen as a threat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` If you suppress that , then you stifle the American innovation , and that is exactly hurting American competitiveness , '' said Xi .
He said the current climate reminds him of the `` red scare '' during the 1950s , when people lost their jobs , or worse , because they were painted as communists .
Cheng says the U.S. approach is particularly ill-advised in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic , as scientists across the globe scramble to find an effective vaccine and treatments .
`` The nationalistic approach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stupid , '' said Cheng .
She said some competition among individual scientists can be a healthy motivator .
But `` in terms of public health , in terms of biomedical research , the results should be a public good , '' she said .
`` It should not be in ownership of any individual state and somehow weaponized as a geopolitical tool . ''
The pandemic has sparked a go-it-alone response from many world leaders , and in the U.S. , the crisis has prompted fears that China or another foreign government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indeed , earlier this month , the U.S. Justice Department accused two Chinese hackers of targeting the computer networks of companies known to be developing a potential coronavirus vaccine and treatment .
Prosecutors said the hackers allegedly stole information for themselves , as well as information they knew would be of interest and value to the Chinese government .
The U.S. and its allies have also accused hackers backed by the Russian government of trying to steal information from researchers and pharmaceutical companies racing to find a COVID-19 vaccine .
You might also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese authorities take control of US Consulate in Chengdu

'Painted as spies': Chinese students, scientists say Trump administration has made life hostile amid battle against COVID-19
Show Caption Hide Caption China takes control of US consulate in Chengdu Chinese authorities took control of the former U.S. consulate in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on Monday after it was ordered closed amid rising tensions between the global powers. China ordered the mission to be shut in retaliation for a U.S. order to close the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas. (27 July) AP
WASHINGTON – On July 23, Juan Tang was ensconced inside the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco when federal officers came to the door with an arrest warrant for the 37-year-old cancer researcher.
Law enforcement officials had already seized Tang's passport and moved to revoke her visa during an interview in June, ensuring she could not leave the country – but they couldn't arrest her on foreign diplomatic property.
Tang, a researcher at the University of California-Davis, became hysterical when the consular officials told her about the arrest warrant. Believing she needed medical help, her diplomatic hosts took her to a hospital, according to court papers. Federal law enforcement officers followed closely behind, ready to arrest Tang as soon as she was discharged.
Now, Tang is in the Sacramento County Jail, charged with visa fraud. Tang said on her visa application she had not served in the Chinese military, when in fact she "is a uniformed officer" in the People’s Liberation Army, the Justice Department said in announcing charges against her.
The charges against Tang are part of a sweeping initiative from President Donald Trump's administration that targets alleged Chinese government spying and intellectual property theft, particularly at American universities and research labs. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other Trump officials have given new prominence to the crackdown in recent weeks, delivering scorching speeches casting China as a menace to American democracy and a threat to U.S. national security.
Critics say the Trump administration's rhetoric is inflammatory and its actions have created a hostile climate for Asian students and researchers working and studying in the U.S. – often working on cutting-edge scientific developments. Some argue the aggressive push will backfire, driving away talented students and scientists who fear being profiled because of their ethnicity at a time when the U.S. desperately needs scientific and medical advances to combat a crippling pandemic.
Brain drain: International students turning away from US colleges because of COVID-19, Trump
"We face not only the racial hostilities – and a lot of that has been heightened because of COVID-19," said Yangyang Cheng, a physicist from China who works for Cornell University.
Now, she said, "we're seeing parallels between my birth country and my adopted home in their rhetoric towards science and scientists – how the state is claiming ownership over scientists themselves, as well as the work they produce. And that is deeply troubling."
Chinese scientists working or studying in the U.S. feel torn about where they belong, she wrote in an essay last spring: "In their home country, where an authoritarian government is increasing its hold on society, aided by technology for surveillance and censorship? Or in a country whose president actively rejects them, where they are painted as spies?"
The new emphasis on Chinese espionage is part of a broader get-tough-on-China policy from the White House as Trump seeks re-election. U.S.-China tensions have dramatically escalated in recent months amid the coronavirus pandemic, troubled trade negotiations and Beijing's decision to restrict freedoms in Hong Kong.
The Trump administration has cast the policy in terms of helping the U.S. protect its scientific and technology research, including that related to the pandemic. The president has also used racist language to talk about COVID-19, as he seeks to blame China for the virus' spread.
Chinese 'propagandists' at PTA meetings?
Trump administration officials say the crackdown on Chinese spying is not an attack on all Chinese individuals working or studying in the U.S. Instead, they say, it's directed at the Chinese government and its ruling Communist Party leaders.
"This is not about the Chinese people, and it’s certainly not about Chinese Americans," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a July 7 speech at the conservative Hudson Institute think tank. More than 100,000 Chinese students and researchers come to the U.S. annually, he noted. "Our society is better for their contributions."
Still, Wray painted a stark picture of the threat.
"We’ve now reached the point where the FBI is opening a new China-related counterintelligence case about every 10 hours. Of the nearly 5,000 active FBI counterintelligence cases currently underway across the country, almost half are related to China," he said. "And at this very moment, China is working to compromise American health care organizations, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions conducting essential COVID-19 research."
Pompeo cast an even wider net, suggesting China had dispatched "propagandists" into every corner of U.S. society and America's decades-long engagement with China had created a "Frankenstein."
"We opened our arms to Chinese citizens, only to see the Chinese Communist Party exploit our free and open society. China sent propagandists into our press conferences, our research centers, our high schools, our colleges and even into our PTA meetings," Pompeo said in July 23 remarks at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library.
Views on China: Americans see China more negatively than ever amid coronavirus pandemic, Trump attacks, poll finds
There's no question the Chinese government is encouraging and recruiting people to steal American intellectual property and engage in other criminal behavior, said Margaret Lewis, a law professor at Seton Hall University and expert on China. But the way the Trump administration has framed the issue is "problematic," Lewis said, because it sweeps up anyone who has ties to China and subjects them to scrutiny.
Pompeo and others have exacerbated the problem by casting it as an ideological fight between American democracy and Chinese communism, she said. China experts have warned of a new "red scare" that echoes Cold War-era rhetoric about the Soviet Union and casts a cloud of suspicion over all Chinese Americans, as well as Chinese foreign nationals living in the U.S.
In addition to the Justice Department prosecutions, the Trump administration has also rescinded visas for certain Chinese graduate students and taken steps to nix the Fulbright exchange program in China and Hong Kong.
Some Republicans in Congress are pushing for an outright ban on visas for Chinese graduate and post-graduate students who want to study STEM fields in the U.S.
"We've fed China's innovation drought with American ingenuity and taxpayer dollars for too long," Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in a statement announcing the GOP bill. "It's time to secure the U.S. research enterprise against the (Chinese Communist Party's) economic espionage."
Chinese espionage aims at American academia
President Barack Obama's administration also viewed China as a significant threat in terms of intellectual property theft and espionage.
From 1997 to 2009, 17% of defendants charged under the Economic Espionage Act were of Chinese descent, according to an analysis by Andrew Kim, a litigator based in Texas and a visiting scholar at South Texas College of Law. After 2009, the percentage of Chinese espionage defendants tripled to 52%, he found.
The Trump administration significantly ramped up the investigation and prosecution of such cases, launching a formal unit to probe Chinese economic espionage with John Demers, head of the Justice Department's national security division, at the helm.
Now, the DOJ says about 80% of all economic espionage prosecutions brought by federal prosecutors include allegations of conduct that would benefit the Chinese state. And there is "at least some nexus" to China in about 60% of all trade secret theft cases, the Justice Department says.
A Justice Department spokesman did not respond to an email seeking additional information about those statistics.
The Justice Department's initiative casts a "blanket of criminal suspicion" over anyone associated with China, said Lewis, the Seton Hall professor.
"The United States’ criminal justice system does not allow guilt by association," but that is what the DOJ has done, she wrote in a legal analysis of the department's China Initiative. And it takes "a fear-provoking turn" with repeated rhetoric framing intellectual property theft and espionage as part of a broader communist threat.
Many of the Justice Department's China Initiative cases involve allegations of false statements, failure to disclose income or visa fraud, China experts note – not espionage or intellectual property theft, which are harder to prove.
That "sweeps in a much broader range of potential defendants than crimes that are more overtly nefarious, like stealing a competitor’s robot technology," Lewis writes in her analysis. Instead of "overkill" prosecution, she says, universities could resolve these issues by beefing up their reporting requirements, increasing transparency, and expanding auditing to guard against possible conflicts.
In his analysis, Kim found that 21% of Chinese and 22% of all Asian defendants charged under the Economic Espionage Act were never found guilty of spying or another serious crime. He looked at a random sample of EEA cases from 1997 to 2015. In about one-fifth of those cases, he said, the defendant was either acquitted, pleaded guilty to making false statements or the prosecutors dropped all charges.
"In other words, as many as one in five Asian-Americans accused of being spies may be innocent," Kim writes. "The same can be said for only 11% of defendants with Western names."
Cases 'based on Google searches'?
When prosecutors announced charges against Tang, the cancer researcher in California, the Justice Department said she was one of four Chinese nationals charged with lying on their visa applications about their affiliation with the Chinese military.
"Today’s announcement shows the extreme lengths to which the Chinese government has gone to infiltrate and exploit America’s benevolence," John Brown, head of the FBI's national security branch, said in the July 23 statement. “In interviews with members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in over 25 cities across the U.S., the FBI uncovered a concerted effort to hide their true affiliation to take advantage of the United States and the American people.”
But Tang's attorney, Malcolm Segal, said the case is weak and appears to be based on photographs that federal agents found online.
"The basis for the government’s claim appears to be a published picture of Dr. Tang taken at a Chinese hospital where both civilians and military personnel wear uniforms, with different insignia to distinguish members of the military," Segal said in an email to USA TODAY. "We believe they have misunderstood or misinterpreted the photographs and her professional background."
He said Tang speaks little to no English and is being held in the county jail, as COVID-19 rages through such institutions. He said he's working to resolve the case quickly so she can be reunited with her family in China "after what turned out to be a very brief stay in the United States solely for the purpose of scientific study."
Tang's first attorney, a public defender, said Tang fled to the consulate in San Francisco after agents took her passport because she needed assistance from her home government.
Justice Department officials in Washington and California declined to discuss Tang's case with USA TODAY. But a motion opposing her release on bail says the FBI found a photo online of Tang wearing an Air Force uniform bearing the insignia of the "Civilian Cadre."
In an accompanying article, the FBI says, Tang was listed as an associate researcher at Air Force Military Medical University, Molecular Medicine Translation Center. "Members of the (Air Force) Civilian Cadre are considered active duty military members," the motion states.
When federal officers interviewed Tang in June, she denied being in the military, although investigators said they found further evidence when they searched her residence. They say she also lied about having experience with chemical or biological agents.
"Tang operated clandestinely in the United States, along with apparently several (if not more) of her colleagues," the prosecutors' motion states. "The defendants in these cases are operating in the U.S. with the knowledge and support of their government. Tang has already demonstrated operational sophistication by deleting materials from her electronic devices and repeatedly making demonstrably false statements to the FBI."
The judge denied Tang's request to be released on bail during a July 31 hearing held via Zoom.
Tang's case is one of at least 50 brought by the Justice Department since launching the China Initiative in 2018. The charges range from economic espionage to wire fraud to bribery.
One of the most high-profile cases came to light in January, when prosecutors charged Charles Lieber, then-chair of Harvard University's department of chemistry and chemical biology, with lying about his participation in China’s Thousand Talents Plan and failing to report income from a Chinese university on his tax returns. Beijing created the Thousand Talent program in 2008 to encourage scientists in the U.S. to share knowledge and research with China – in exchange for salaries, research funding, and other incentives.
Prosecutors said Lieber was paid $50,000 a month by the Wuhan University of Technology and living expenses of up to $158,000 via the Thousand Talents program. And he snagged another $1.5 million to set up a research lab at the Chinese university, according to the Department of Justice.
Lieber's attorney, Marc Mukasey, has adamantly denied the allegations and suggested the charges were political.
"The indictment is flat-out wrong. We will not let Professor Lieber be used as part of anyone’s political agenda," Mukasey said in an emailed statement. "The notion that Professor Lieber was engaged in improper work with China is laughable. There is not a more gifted, selfless, dedicated, patriotic scientist in this country than Charlie Lieber. He is innocent and his name will be cleared."
China has not made any secret of its talent recruitment program, and Beijing is hardly alone in trying to attract top-notch scientists – or in using financial incentives and other perks as a lure.
Federal prosecutors acknowledged as much in announcing the charges against Lieber.
"All the Thousand Talents Program does is induce people doing research in the United States to come to China and help them do the same research by offering them money. And that's not illegal, per se," said Andrew Lelling, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
The problem is Lieber hid the money and his connections with Chinese entities, Lelling said.
Lawmakers in Congress have also raised alarms about the program.
Chinese and American participants in the Thousand Talents Plan have "downloaded sensitive electronic research files" before going to China, submitted false information when applying for grant funds, and "willfully failed to disclose receiving money from the Chinese government on U.S. grant applications," according to a Senate committee investigation of the program.
"They find promising research and researchers, they systematically target them and then they take that research over to China," Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said at a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. "It is military, it is economic, it's healthcare, it's everything."
Portman said he wants American researchers to benefit from international cooperation, "but we don't want to have this U.S. taxpayer-funded research being stolen."
'A very deep scar': Wrongly accused scientist says prosecutions are hurting US innovation
Others say there's a big difference between sharing scientific insights and stealing them.
Xiaoxing Xi – a Temple University professor and American citizen who was wrongly charged by the FBI for allegedly providing sensitive technology to China – said the U.S. now seems to view any collaboration with China as a crime, no matter the potential value and in contradiction to the nature of scientific research.
In 2015, federal agents banged on Xi's door and brandished their weapons, as they woke his wife and two daughters and put him in handcuffs. Four months later, the Justice Department abruptly dropped the charges after apparently realizing they had mistakenly accused him of sharing sensitive superconductor technology; he had not shared any sensitive information but rather was engaged in normal academic collaboration.
"That left a very deep scar on us, not only psychologically and physically (but) ... from a professional standpoint," he said.
Xi and others say that international scientific collaboration should be encouraged, not seen as a threat, because it fosters an exchange of ideas.
"If you suppress that, then you stifle the American innovation, and that is exactly hurting American competitiveness," said Xi.
He said the current climate reminds him of the "red scare" during the 1950s, when people lost their jobs, or worse, because they were painted as communists.
Cheng says the U.S. approach is particularly ill-advised in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as scientists across the globe scramble to find an effective vaccine and treatments.
"The nationalistic approach to COVID is absolutely harmful and genuinely stupid," said Cheng. She said some competition among individual scientists can be a healthy motivator.
But "in terms of public health, in terms of biomedical research, the results should be a public good," she said. "It should not be in ownership of any individual state and somehow weaponized as a geopolitical tool."
The pandemic has sparked a go-it-alone response from many world leaders, and in the U.S., the crisis has prompted fears that China or another foreign government will try to steal vaccine research.
Indeed, earlier this month, the U.S. Justice Department accused two Chinese hackers of targeting the computer networks of companies known to be developing a potential coronavirus vaccine and treatment. Prosecutors said the hackers allegedly stole information for themselves, as well as information they knew would be of interest and value to the Chinese government. The U.S. and its allies have also accused hackers backed by the Russian government of trying to steal information from researchers and pharmaceutical companies racing to find a COVID-19 vaccine.
Contributing: Kevin Johnson and Kim Hjelmgaard
You might also like these stories on U.S.-China relations:
Mike Pompeo likens China threat to 'Frankenstein,' says engagement hasn't worked
Chinese authorities take control of US Consulate in Chengdu


usatoday--2020-08-23--Washington dropped its racist nickname, but it's still used at nearly 100 middle schools, high schoo

The Washington NFL team ’ s recent decision to drop its nickname , a move generally considered long overdue , was nonetheless welcomed .
Even the most ardent defenders of Native American imagery and mascots associated with sports teams have admitted that the team 's former nickname was unambiguously a racial slur .
It might come as a surprise , then , to learn that nearly 100 high school and middle school athletic programs around the country still use that nickname .
The National Congress of American Indians ( NCAI ) has compiled a nationwide database of K-12 schools with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NCAI ’ s list shows 98 schools still use the Washington Football Team 's former name .
“ That word in particular , that ’ s the biggest domino we ’ ve been focused on toppling , ” says Ian Record , a vice president at NCAI .
“ Way back in 1968 we launch the initiative to end Native American nicknames .
From the beginning of that , we wanted to uproot that one , just because of the fact that it is a slur .
It has its origins in genocidal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has become less prevalent at the scholastic level , and Record is hopeful that Washington ’ s decision can now accelerate the organization ’ s effort to get rid of the nickname altogether .
A couple of high schools , Clinton ( Michigan ) and Anderson ( Ohio ) , already did so in July , roughly coinciding with the time period the NFL team was considering its decision .
“ The fact that it ’ s a brand that virtually every American is familiar with in some ways frames the discussion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a major excuse , the fact that a professional team was still using it .
Now that excuse is no longer an option.
” While that particular nickname is the most egregious of controversial names , the NCAI database tracks schools that use other names evoking Native American imagery .
The most common of these are Indians , Braves , Chiefs and Warriors .
In all , the NCAI identifies 1,942 schools with native-themed mascots .
The project 's aim is to engage school boards and administrators directly in the ongoing effort to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the NCAI in 2005 reads in part : “ The use of ‘ Native American ’ sports mascots , logos , or symbols perpetuates stereotypes of American Indians that are very harmful .
The ‘ warrior savage ’ myth has plagued this country ’ s relationships with the Indian people , as it reinforces the racist view that Indians are uncivilized and uneducated , and it has been used to justify policies of forced assimilation and destruction of Indian culture.
” Record says this approach of engagement has resulted in more productive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struck by how open some school board members are , ” he says .
“ They ’ re really open to learning , while acknowledging they don ’ t really have a handle on the issue.
” Over the last two months , the NCAI lists 18 schools that have either changed their nicknames or voted to remove all native imagery .

Washington dropped its racist nickname, but it's still used at nearly 100 middle schools, high schools
Show Caption Hide Caption Jason Wright ready to instill 'healthy culture' as Washington Football Team president SportsPulse: Jason Wright became the first Black team president in the history of the NFL when Washington chose him for the job and USA TODAY Sports' Mike Jones sat down with him to talk all about it. USA TODAY
The Washington NFL team’s recent decision to drop its nickname, a move generally considered long overdue, was nonetheless welcomed. Even the most ardent defenders of Native American imagery and mascots associated with sports teams have admitted that the team's former nickname was unambiguously a racial slur.
It might come as a surprise, then, to learn that nearly 100 high school and middle school athletic programs around the country still use that nickname.
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has compiled a nationwide database of K-12 schools with Native American mascots or nicknames. The NCAI’s list shows 98 schools still use the Washington Football Team's former name.
“That word in particular, that’s the biggest domino we’ve been focused on toppling,” says Ian Record, a vice president at NCAI. “Way back in 1968 we launch the initiative to end Native American nicknames. From the beginning of that, we wanted to uproot that one, just because of the fact that it is a slur. It has its origins in genocidal policies toward native peoples.”
The moniker has become less prevalent at the scholastic level, and Record is hopeful that Washington’s decision can now accelerate the organization’s effort to get rid of the nickname altogether. A couple of high schools, Clinton (Michigan) and Anderson (Ohio), already did so in July, roughly coinciding with the time period the NFL team was considering its decision.
“The fact that it’s a brand that virtually every American is familiar with in some ways frames the discussion,” he says. “It removes a major excuse, the fact that a professional team was still using it. Now that excuse is no longer an option.”
While that particular nickname is the most egregious of controversial names, the NCAI database tracks schools that use other names evoking Native American imagery. The most common of these are Indians, Braves, Chiefs and Warriors. In all, the NCAI identifies 1,942 schools with native-themed mascots. The project's aim is to engage school boards and administrators directly in the ongoing effort to retire these names.
A resolution passed by the NCAI in 2005 reads in part: “The use of ‘Native American’ sports mascots, logos, or symbols perpetuates stereotypes of American Indians that are very harmful. The ‘warrior savage’ myth has plagued this country’s relationships with the Indian people, as it reinforces the racist view that Indians are uncivilized and uneducated, and it has been used to justify policies of forced assimilation and destruction of Indian culture.”
Record says this approach of engagement has resulted in more productive dialogue.
“I’ve been struck by how open some school board members are,” he says. “They’re really open to learning, while acknowledging they don’t really have a handle on the issue.”
Over the last two months, the NCAI lists 18 schools that have either changed their nicknames or voted to remove all native imagery.


usatoday--2020-08-23--Louisiana officers fire 11 rounds, fatally shooting Black man; state police investigate

LAFAYETTE , La .
– A Black Lafayette man , shot Friday night by police in a flurry of 11 gunshots while surrounded by a half dozen officers , died following an incident some community leaders argue should not have ended in the fatal shooting .
Louisiana State Police identified the man killed as 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin and said he was carrying a knife when police first fired a stun weapon at him and later shot and killed him .
Rickasha Montgomery , a witness who filmed a video of the police shooting of the suspect , said she saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the man 's hand .
She said officers fired a stun weapon at him , but he kept walking down a road away from police .
She saw about six officers with guns pulled out , she said .
Officers yelled for the man to get on the ground , the 18-year-old Montgomery said .
But when the man reached the door of the Shell gas station , officers shot him .
`` When I heard the gunshots , I could n't hold my phone like I was first filming , '' the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of scared about it .
I 'm traumatized .
You 're so used to hearing about this , but I never thought I would experience it . ''
On Saturday , a protest that began peacefully came to a forced end as Lafayette Parish deputies blasted smoke and flash bang explosives at marchers who blocked Evangeline Thruway following a vigil for Pellerin .
About 150 people blocked traffic on Evangeline Thruway , a main roadway into the city , chanting `` Tray '' to honor the victim as they locked arms .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gas masks , later confronted the marchers and ordering them to clear the road .
They fired smoke and flash bang explosives at the crowd , forcing them to run .
Friday 's incident began when Lafayette officers responded at about 8 p.m. to a disturbance involving a person armed with a knife at the Circle K gas station on Northeast Evangeline Thruway near the intersection of Castille Avenue , said Louisiana State Police spokesman Trooper Derek Senegal .
August 21 : White Georgia police officer fired after using stun gun on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Breonna Taylor : Louisville police have spent more than $ 90,000 on security for officers in Breonna Taylor shooting When officers arrived , they found Pellerin in the parking lot of the gas station .
Officers tried to apprehend Pellerin , but he left the scene , Senegal said .
Officers pursued Pellerin , who walked about half a mile to the Shell gas station on Northeast Evangeline Thruway at the intersection of Chalmette Drive .
At the Shell station , Pellerin attempted to enter the store .
Police shot the man at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pellerin was taken to a local hospital where he later died .
At least one officer fired their gun , interim Police Chief Scott Morgan said .
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave with pay until an investigation is complete .
The family has retained Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump .
Crump , who is based in Tallahassee , Florida , has represented the families of other Black men who have been shot by police , including George Floyd .
He also represented the family of Trayvon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was fatally shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012 .
`` We stand with Trayford 's family in demanding justice and transparency into the reckless shooting and tragic killing of this man , '' Crump said in a statement Saturday .
`` We refuse to let this case resolve like so many others : quietly and without answers and justice . ''
Video of man 's shooting outside gas station circulating on social media Montgomery 's video circulating on social media shows a Black man in a white t-shirt and dark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer outside the Shell gas station .
The video , which has not been confirmed by authorities as footage from the Friday night shooting , shows several officers surrounding the man before firing 11 shots at him , after which the man fell to the ground and did not move .
The incident troubles Marja Broussard , the president of the Lafayette chapter of the NAACP .
She said she started receiving texts and calls and immediately headed to the scene late Friday night .
After watching the video , which she called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonders what other measures could have been taken to deescalate the situation .
`` How much time did they have to diffuse it ?
... How much time did they have to do something other than freaking shoot ? ''
she said .
`` I think that so much more could have been done . ''
Alanah Odoms Hebert , executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana , issued a statement Saturday calling the shooting an `` inappropriate and excessive use of force by these officers . ''
`` Cell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Pellerin moving away – not towards – police officers , only to be tased and then brutally shot dead , '' Hebert said .
`` Trayford Pellerin should be alive today .
Instead , a family is mourning and a community is grieving .
Mr. Pellerin 's family and the people of Lafayette deserve answers . ''
Officials promise to provide info : 'We ’ re not trying to hide anything' The police chief promised to provide as much information to the community as possible .
`` We expect to do whatever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Morgan said .
`` Please understand we are not trying to not give out information .
All information has to be verified before we give information out .
Part of being transparent is also to get it right . ''
Local officials , including Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory , Parish Councilman AB Rubin , City Councilman Glenn Lazard and Louisiana State Sen. Gerald Boudreaux , were at the scene along with representatives from the local NAACP .
`` We actually look to them ( community leaders ) for help in these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` That ’ s the working relationship the Lafayette Police Department has .
We ’ re not trying to hide anything .
We involve them because we want them to have some knowledge of what ’ s going and an assurance that we ’ re not going to intervene in the investigation and we ’ re going to do the right thing . ''
This is the third time an on-duty Lafayette Police Department officer has shot a person in five weeks , and the fourth in 2020 .
Morgan said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have to judge each one based on its merit . ''
The state ACLU 's statement called the police shooting a `` murder '' and `` brutal killing . ''
`` None of our communities are safe when the police can murder people with impunity or when routine encounters escalate into deadly shooting sprees , '' according to the statement .
`` The ACLU of Louisiana will continue to demand justice for this brutal killing and push for reforms that will end the epidemic of police violence once and for all.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the police department about the incident , which they said will help rebuild trust within the community .
Going forward , NAACP Young Adult Committee Chairperson Devon Norman said he hopes the community will support the family of the man who was shot .
`` For the community to come together to make sure that whether you 're from the north side of town or the south side of town that we make it clear that in the city of Lafayette police officers do n't kill citizens , '' he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police officers were meant to protect and serve and how do we do that ?
We put the people in jail who did this . ''

Ashley White, Lafayette Daily Advertiser

Louisiana officers fire 11 rounds, fatally shooting Black man; state police investigate
Show Caption Hide Caption Louisiana State Police: Lafayette Police officer shot one person |Video Interim Lafayette Police Chief Scott Morgan, Louisiana State Police spokesman Trooper Derek Senegal give information about an officer shooting on Aug. 22, 2020. Lafayette Daily Advertiser
LAFAYETTE, La. – A Black Lafayette man, shot Friday night by police in a flurry of 11 gunshots while surrounded by a half dozen officers, died following an incident some community leaders argue should not have ended in the fatal shooting.
Louisiana State Police identified the man killed as 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin and said he was carrying a knife when police first fired a stun weapon at him and later shot and killed him.
Rickasha Montgomery, a witness who filmed a video of the police shooting of the suspect, said she saw what appeared to be a knife in the man's hand. She said officers fired a stun weapon at him, but he kept walking down a road away from police.
She saw about six officers with guns pulled out, she said. Officers yelled for the man to get on the ground, the 18-year-old Montgomery said. But when the man reached the door of the Shell gas station, officers shot him.
"When I heard the gunshots, I couldn't hold my phone like I was first filming," the Lafayette woman said. "I feel kind of scared about it. I'm traumatized. You're so used to hearing about this, but I never thought I would experience it."
Lafayette police asked Louisiana State Police to investigate the officer-involved shooting.
On Saturday, a protest that began peacefully came to a forced end as Lafayette Parish deputies blasted smoke and flash bang explosives at marchers who blocked Evangeline Thruway following a vigil for Pellerin.
About 150 people blocked traffic on Evangeline Thruway, a main roadway into the city, chanting "Tray" to honor the victim as they locked arms.
Officers in riot gear, including shields and gas masks, later confronted the marchers and ordering them to clear the road. They fired smoke and flash bang explosives at the crowd, forcing them to run.
Friday's incident began when Lafayette officers responded at about 8 p.m. to a disturbance involving a person armed with a knife at the Circle K gas station on Northeast Evangeline Thruway near the intersection of Castille Avenue, said Louisiana State Police spokesman Trooper Derek Senegal.
August 21: White Georgia police officer fired after using stun gun on Black woman in arrest captured on video
Breonna Taylor: Louisville police have spent more than $90,000 on security for officers in Breonna Taylor shooting
When officers arrived, they found Pellerin in the parking lot of the gas station. Officers tried to apprehend Pellerin, but he left the scene, Senegal said.
Officers pursued Pellerin, who walked about half a mile to the Shell gas station on Northeast Evangeline Thruway at the intersection of Chalmette Drive. At the Shell station, Pellerin attempted to enter the store. Police shot the man at the Shell station, Senegal said.
Pellerin was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
At least one officer fired their gun, interim Police Chief Scott Morgan said. The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave with pay until an investigation is complete.
The family has retained Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump. Crump, who is based in Tallahassee, Florida, has represented the families of other Black men who have been shot by police, including George Floyd. He also represented the family of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black teen who was fatally shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012.
"We stand with Trayford's family in demanding justice and transparency into the reckless shooting and tragic killing of this man," Crump said in a statement Saturday. "We refuse to let this case resolve like so many others: quietly and without answers and justice."
Video of man's shooting outside gas station circulating on social media
Montgomery's video circulating on social media shows a Black man in a white t-shirt and dark pants being shot by at least one officer outside the Shell gas station.
The video, which has not been confirmed by authorities as footage from the Friday night shooting, shows several officers surrounding the man before firing 11 shots at him, after which the man fell to the ground and did not move.
The incident troubles Marja Broussard, the president of the Lafayette chapter of the NAACP. She said she started receiving texts and calls and immediately headed to the scene late Friday night.
After watching the video, which she called hard to watch, Broussard said she wonders what other measures could have been taken to deescalate the situation.
"How much time did they have to diffuse it?...How much time did they have to do something other than freaking shoot?" she said. "I think that so much more could have been done."
Alanah Odoms Hebert, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, issued a statement Saturday calling the shooting an "inappropriate and excessive use of force by these officers."
"Cell phone video from the scene clearly shows Mr. Pellerin moving away – not towards – police officers, only to be tased and then brutally shot dead," Hebert said. "Trayford Pellerin should be alive today. Instead, a family is mourning and a community is grieving. Mr. Pellerin's family and the people of Lafayette deserve answers."
Officials promise to provide info: 'We’re not trying to hide anything'
The police chief promised to provide as much information to the community as possible.
"We expect to do whatever we can as far as transparency goes," Morgan said. "Please understand we are not trying to not give out information. All information has to be verified before we give information out. Part of being transparent is also to get it right."
Local officials, including Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory, Parish Councilman AB Rubin, City Councilman Glenn Lazard and Louisiana State Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, were at the scene along with representatives from the local NAACP.
"We actually look to them (community leaders) for help in these types of circumstances," Morgan said. "That’s the working relationship the Lafayette Police Department has. We’re not trying to hide anything. We involve them because we want them to have some knowledge of what’s going and an assurance that we’re not going to intervene in the investigation and we’re going to do the right thing."
This is the third time an on-duty Lafayette Police Department officer has shot a person in five weeks, and the fourth in 2020. Morgan said the circumstances for each incident vary and "we have to judge each one based on its merit."
The state ACLU's statement called the police shooting a "murder" and "brutal killing."
"None of our communities are safe when the police can murder people with impunity or when routine encounters escalate into deadly shooting sprees," according to the statement. "The ACLU of Louisiana will continue to demand justice for this brutal killing and push for reforms that will end the epidemic of police violence once and for all.”
Broussard and other community activists want transparency from the police department about the incident, which they said will help rebuild trust within the community.
Going forward, NAACP Young Adult Committee Chairperson Devon Norman said he hopes the community will support the family of the man who was shot.
"For the community to come together to make sure that whether you're from the north side of town or the south side of town that we make it clear that in the city of Lafayette police officers don't kill citizens," he said. "That police officers de-escalate situations. Police officers were meant to protect and serve and how do we do that? We put the people in jail who did this."
Contributing: Alyssa Berry
Follow Ashley White on Twitter: @AshleyyDi