washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Hunter Biden business dealings spark fear Joe Biden won't take 'tough policy toward China'

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a “ cold war ” between communist China and the United States , with Beijing scrambling at levels previously unseen to try to undermine America ’ s status as the world ’ s leading superpower .
Although the recent emergence of coronavirus vaccines suggests the pandemic ’ s end may be in sight , foreign policy analysts generally agree that the expanding geopolitical battle between Washington and Beijing will only intensify in the post-COVID-19 era .
“ We now have underway a full-blown cold war between the U.S. and China , ” said Clifford D. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Defense of Democracies , a Washington think tank known for its hawkish foreign policy positions .
“ This war actually started years ago , ” Mr. May said in an interview .
“ But America ’ s elites , Republican and Democrat , have been in denial about it considering how much Wall Street is invested in China and how much U.S. consumers have been accustomed to cheap goods from China often made from exploited , if not slave , labor.
” Although he credited the Trump administration with engineering a clear-eyed shift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 hit , Mr. May said the U.S. establishment has been dangerously slow to let go of false and long-held beliefs that China will liberalize its political system and moderate its behavior on the world stage as its wealth grew through ties to America and the U.S.-backed global economic order .
China hawks say that has not happened , and President-elect Joseph R. Biden faces difficult questions on whether to embrace President Trump ’ s hard-edged approach or seek a reversal toward the moderate and much softer posture the U.S. embraced when he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden with skepticism because of his son Hunter ’ s checkered history of business dealings in Beijing .
The broader uncertainty over China policy stands to shape the next administration ’ s approach to other global issues , including those involving North Korea and Iran .
As a neighbor and ally of North Korea and a permanent , veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council , China already has influence in both of those arenas and could increase that influence given likely disruptions in the post-COVID-19 era .
China also poses major questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the behavior of other U.S. adversaries such as Russia , which the Trump administration quietly sought to peel away from China .
The administration hoped to create a strategic alignment of allies including India , Australia and Japan to present a united front in countering China .
Mr. Biden will arrive at the White House during Beijing ’ s accelerating push to portray itself to the world as a more organized and reliable partner than the U.S. , especially to weaker nations facing the hardship of a pandemic-driven global economic downturn .
Beijing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global citizen than Washington .
It touts its dedication to multilateral organizations such as the World Health Organization , the Paris climate accord and the World Trade Organization that Mr. Trump shunned while appealing for Mr. Biden to shift away from his predecessor ’ s “ America First ” policies .
The Trump administration “ ignores the vast common interests and room for cooperation between the two countries and insists that China is a main threat , ” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech Friday to the New York-based Asia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the buttons on clothing , ” Mr. Wang said .
“ They get things wrong at the very beginning.
” By contrast , the Trump administration ’ s leading voices on China , led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , readily embrace the cold war idea and warn that Beijing could be an even more formidable adversary than the Soviet Union , which operated in a political and economic sphere largely separated from the West .
“ What ’ s happening now isn ’ t Cold War 2.0 .
The challenge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat is in some ways worse , ” Mr. Pompeo said in a September speech in the Czech Republic .
China “ is already enmeshed in our economies , in our politics , in our societies in ways the Soviet Union never was.
” Although the novel coronavirus originated in China , Chinese government officials have suggested that the U.S. may have been responsible for the outbreak and argued that China ’ s system has far outperformed the U.S. in containing COVID-19 and limiting its economic impacts .
China , with its military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also engaged in increased regional muscle-flexing , apparently to test U.S. resolve should a clash break out over flash points such as Hong Kong , Taiwan or control of the South China Sea .
The Chinese military has “ stepped up the frequency ” of activities around Taiwan as well as near the many disputed reefs and islands of the South China Sea , according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies .
An examination by the initiative found a roughly 50 % increase in Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese state-controlled media over the past year .
The study cited a similar , albeit less dramatic , increase by U.S. forces in the region .
U.S. officials predict Beijing will be emboldened to increase its military moves as it prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in July .
Not everyone is convinced that the fallout from the pandemic will aid China ’ s emergence .
“ The jury is still out as to whether COVID-19 accelerates the geopolitical transition which has been underway before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kevin Rudd , who heads the Asia Society Policy Institute .
“ The variable here is U.S. policy and strategy and … whether [ that ] policy and strategy is sustained beyond the four-year point in terms of a long-term return to American regional and global leadership role , ” Mr. Rudd told the annual GZERO Summit hosted this month by the Eurasia Group , a New York-based consulting firm .
He suggested that the Trump administration , despite its confrontational approach to Beijing , ultimately weakened America ’ s geopolitical standing by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursuing a more cohesive strategy with regional allies .
Many on Mr. Biden ’ s national security team strongly agreed with the criticism .
“ The bottom line is the ball is very much now in America ’ s court about what it wishes to do in the region and the world , ” Mr. Rudd said at the summit , which was held virtually under the title “ Geopolitics in a Post-Pandemic World.
” The Trump administration ’ s China hawks warn that the ruling Communist Party ’ s ambitions are global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exploit the pandemic-induced global economic crisis to expand its ambitious “ Belt and Road ” campaign through loans to a growing number of nations in need .
China ’ s gross domestic product , at an estimated $ 13.4 trillion , is just two-thirds that of the United States .
But its position as a rising powerhouse has been increasingly harder to deny since 2013 , when President Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road program .
The campaign has since grown into a vast web of deals , contracts , grants and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over $ 100 billion in loans to more than 100 countries to finance roads , bridges , ports and rail lines .
U.S. officials accuse China of engaging in predatory lending by offering loans it knows nations will have trouble repaying , only to offer relief later in exchange for control over coveted natural resources .
Beijing sharply denies such accusations , but China has emerged over the past decade as a go-to source of loans for cash-strapped countries in Southeast Asia , the Middle East , Africa , Latin America and parts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternative capital source to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund , the Washington-based pillars of the liberal international economic order that the U.S. has fostered since shortly after World War II .
Criticized early in the COVID-19 crisis for failing to offer concessions to its strapped borrowers , China now seeks to portray itself as benevolently delivering generous debt relief to countries in need .
Finance Minister Liu Kun said last month that Beijing had extended debt relief worth some $ 2.1 billion to developing countries , but that figure is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that developing countries owe China .
A World Bank study found that the world ’ s poorest countries owe Beijing more than $ 112 billion through the Belt and Road program , raising questions of whether China overextended itself as markets and national economies struggle to recover .
Mr. Rudd said China ’ s reputation already has been damaged by its handling of the coronavirus in the earliest days of the crisis and by what many saw as Beijing ’ s hubris in trying to exploit its position as the world ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ China , ” the former Australian prime minister said , “ took a big reputational hit because the virus came from Wuhan.
” “ China ’ s attempt to use the distribution of PPE around Asia and the rest of the world as a tool of diplomacy effectively backfired , ” he said , “ because China insisted on statements of loyalty to the imperial throne as a precondition for the delivery of PPE .
This was received negatively around the world.
” China ’ s nationalistic state-controlled media even raised the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over global pharmaceutical supply chains as leverage to block critical components for dependent U.S. drug companies and send America into a COVID-19 “ hell.
” The Trump administration and lawmakers from both parties responded by calling for a revamping of domestic U.S. drug manufacturing operations that had been outsourced to China and a handful of other nations .
That ’ s another big question awaiting Mr. Biden as he weighs what it takes to wage a Cold War with China .
Former Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono , who also spoke at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asia are on edge as they await how Mr. Biden approaches the post-Trump and post-COVID-19 geopolitical landscape .
“ We need to be very carefully monitoring the United States ’ intentions , if the U.S. is again trying to take leadership in building a coalition among the like-minded countries … to sustain democracy , a coalition to protect global rule and trying to protect the liberal international order that has brought about this economic prosperity after World War II , ” said Mr. Taro , now minister for administrative and regulatory reform for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Is the United States trying to re-create [ the ] global trade regime ?
Is the U.S. coming back to the WTO ?
Is the U.S. joining [ pan-Asian Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal ] ?
Hopefully , ” Mr. Taro said .
Japan has proceeded with the Pacific Rim trade deal in absence of U.S. support over the past four years .
While trade watchers try to figure out whether Mr. Biden will seek to join the Asian trade deal Mr. Trump shunned , some analysts are skeptical that the incoming president understands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since he was vice president just four years ago .
“ I ’ m not yet convinced by any means that Biden himself recognizes that it ’ s a cold war , ” Mr. May said .
Mr. May said a key wild card will be how Hunter Biden ’ s legal problems connected to China affect his father ’ s ability to alter policy with Beijing .
Hunter Biden recently acknowledged that his taxes were under investigation in connection with a former Chinese tycoon now believed to be in jail facing corruption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his son , but the potentially distracting investigation is poised to proceed at least through the early months of his presidency .
“ Joe Biden saw no reason why his son shouldn ’ t be involved with business with China , ” said Mr. May , who writes a regular opinion column for The Washington Times .
“ Whether he recognizes now that China is a dangerous adversary , we don ’ t know .
Whether he will take a tough policy toward China , we also don ’ t know.
” Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four years could bring as much of a geopolitical shift as the past four .
The world , he said , should not take lightly the potential for a massive policy shift by the incoming U.S. administration .
“ There is a grave danger that people underestimate the capability and capacity of President-elect Biden and the team that he has assembled , ” Mr. Rudd said .
“ This will be as formidable a foreign policy and national security team as was assembled by President Truman after the war , and the Truman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the world .
”

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a “cold war” between communist China and the United States, with Beijing scrambling at levels previously unseen to try to undermine America’s status as the world’s leading superpower.
Although the recent emergence of coronavirus vaccines suggests the pandemic’s end may be in sight, foreign policy analysts generally agree that the expanding geopolitical battle between Washington and Beijing will only intensify in the post-COVID-19 era.
“We now have underway a full-blown cold war between the U.S. and China,” said Clifford D. May, president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank known for its hawkish foreign policy positions.
“This war actually started years ago,” Mr. May said in an interview. “But America’s elites, Republican and Democrat, have been in denial about it considering how much Wall Street is invested in China and how much U.S. consumers have been accustomed to cheap goods from China often made from exploited, if not slave, labor.”
Although he credited the Trump administration with engineering a clear-eyed shift in U.S. policy toward China even before COVID-19 hit, Mr. May said the U.S. establishment has been dangerously slow to let go of false and long-held beliefs that China will liberalize its political system and moderate its behavior on the world stage as its wealth grew through ties to America and the U.S.-backed global economic order.
China hawks say that has not happened, and President-elect Joseph R. Biden faces difficult questions on whether to embrace President Trump’s hard-edged approach or seek a reversal toward the moderate and much softer posture the U.S. embraced when he was vice president.
Republicans view Mr. Biden with skepticism because of his son Hunter’s checkered history of business dealings in Beijing.
The broader uncertainty over China policy stands to shape the next administration’s approach to other global issues, including those involving North Korea and Iran. As a neighbor and ally of North Korea and a permanent, veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, China already has influence in both of those arenas and could increase that influence given likely disruptions in the post-COVID-19 era.
China also poses major questions about how its power moves will influence the behavior of other U.S. adversaries such as Russia, which the Trump administration quietly sought to peel away from China. The administration hoped to create a strategic alignment of allies including India, Australia and Japan to present a united front in countering China.
Mr. Biden will arrive at the White House during Beijing’s accelerating push to portray itself to the world as a more organized and reliable partner than the U.S., especially to weaker nations facing the hardship of a pandemic-driven global economic downturn.
Beijing is already billing itself as a better global citizen than Washington. It touts its dedication to multilateral organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Paris climate accord and the World Trade Organization that Mr. Trump shunned while appealing for Mr. Biden to shift away from his predecessor’s “America First” policies.
The Trump administration “ignores the vast common interests and room for cooperation between the two countries and insists that China is a main threat,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech Friday to the New York-based Asia Society.
“This is like misaligning the buttons on clothing,” Mr. Wang said. “They get things wrong at the very beginning.”
By contrast, the Trump administration’s leading voices on China, led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, readily embrace the cold war idea and warn that Beijing could be an even more formidable adversary than the Soviet Union, which operated in a political and economic sphere largely separated from the West.
“What’s happening now isn’t Cold War 2.0. The challenge of resisting the [Chinese Communist Party] threat is in some ways worse,” Mr. Pompeo said in a September speech in the Czech Republic. China “is already enmeshed in our economies, in our politics, in our societies in ways the Soviet Union never was.”
Although the novel coronavirus originated in China, Chinese government officials have suggested that the U.S. may have been responsible for the outbreak and argued that China’s system has far outperformed the U.S. in containing COVID-19 and limiting its economic impacts.
China, with its military growing stronger by the year, is also engaged in increased regional muscle-flexing, apparently to test U.S. resolve should a clash break out over flash points such as Hong Kong, Taiwan or control of the South China Sea.
The Chinese military has “stepped up the frequency” of activities around Taiwan as well as near the many disputed reefs and islands of the South China Sea, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
An examination by the initiative found a roughly 50% increase in Chinese military activities in the Indo-Pacific reported by Chinese state-controlled media over the past year. The study cited a similar, albeit less dramatic, increase by U.S. forces in the region.
U.S. officials predict Beijing will be emboldened to increase its military moves as it prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in July.
High stakes for China
Not everyone is convinced that the fallout from the pandemic will aid China’s emergence.
“The jury is still out as to whether COVID-19 accelerates the geopolitical transition which has been underway before,” said former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who heads the Asia Society Policy Institute.
“The variable here is U.S. policy and strategy and … whether [that] policy and strategy is sustained beyond the four-year point in terms of a long-term return to American regional and global leadership role,” Mr. Rudd told the annual GZERO Summit hosted this month by the Eurasia Group, a New York-based consulting firm.
He suggested that the Trump administration, despite its confrontational approach to Beijing, ultimately weakened America’s geopolitical standing by going it alone on China rather than pursuing a more cohesive strategy with regional allies. Many on Mr. Biden’s national security team strongly agreed with the criticism.
“The bottom line is the ball is very much now in America’s court about what it wishes to do in the region and the world,” Mr. Rudd said at the summit, which was held virtually under the title “Geopolitics in a Post-Pandemic World.”
The Trump administration’s China hawks warn that the ruling Communist Party’s ambitions are global. They say Beijing is ready to exploit the pandemic-induced global economic crisis to expand its ambitious “Belt and Road” campaign through loans to a growing number of nations in need.
China’s gross domestic product, at an estimated $13.4 trillion, is just two-thirds that of the United States. But its position as a rising powerhouse has been increasingly harder to deny since 2013, when President Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road program.
The campaign has since grown into a vast web of deals, contracts, grants and loans. Beijing has doled out well over $100 billion in loans to more than 100 countries to finance roads, bridges, ports and rail lines.
U.S. officials accuse China of engaging in predatory lending by offering loans it knows nations will have trouble repaying, only to offer relief later in exchange for control over coveted natural resources.
Beijing sharply denies such accusations, but China has emerged over the past decade as a go-to source of loans for cash-strapped countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and parts of Europe. It has become an alternative capital source to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the Washington-based pillars of the liberal international economic order that the U.S. has fostered since shortly after World War II.
Criticized early in the COVID-19 crisis for failing to offer concessions to its strapped borrowers, China now seeks to portray itself as benevolently delivering generous debt relief to countries in need.
Finance Minister Liu Kun said last month that Beijing had extended debt relief worth some $2.1 billion to developing countries, but that figure is tiny compared with the mountains of debt that developing countries owe China.
A World Bank study found that the world’s poorest countries owe Beijing more than $112 billion through the Belt and Road program, raising questions of whether China overextended itself as markets and national economies struggle to recover.
Mr. Rudd said China’s reputation already has been damaged by its handling of the coronavirus in the earliest days of the crisis and by what many saw as Beijing’s hubris in trying to exploit its position as the world’s leading supplier of protective medical equipment.
“China,” the former Australian prime minister said, “took a big reputational hit because the virus came from Wuhan.”
“China’s attempt to use the distribution of PPE around Asia and the rest of the world as a tool of diplomacy effectively backfired,” he said, “because China insisted on statements of loyalty to the imperial throne as a precondition for the delivery of PPE. This was received negatively around the world.”
China’s nationalistic state-controlled media even raised the specter of using Beijing’s control over global pharmaceutical supply chains as leverage to block critical components for dependent U.S. drug companies and send America into a COVID-19 “hell.”
The Trump administration and lawmakers from both parties responded by calling for a revamping of domestic U.S. drug manufacturing operations that had been outsourced to China and a handful of other nations. That’s another big question awaiting Mr. Biden as he weighs what it takes to wage a Cold War with China.
Waiting on Washington
Former Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono, who also spoke at the GZERO Summit, said U.S. allies in Asia are on edge as they await how Mr. Biden approaches the post-Trump and post-COVID-19 geopolitical landscape.
“We need to be very carefully monitoring the United States’ intentions, if the U.S. is again trying to take leadership in building a coalition among the like-minded countries … to sustain democracy, a coalition to protect global rule and trying to protect the liberal international order that has brought about this economic prosperity after World War II,” said Mr. Taro, now minister for administrative and regulatory reform for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
“Is the United States trying to re-create [the] global trade regime? Is the U.S. coming back to the WTO? Is the U.S. joining [pan-Asian Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal]? Hopefully,” Mr. Taro said.
Japan has proceeded with the Pacific Rim trade deal in absence of U.S. support over the past four years. While trade watchers try to figure out whether Mr. Biden will seek to join the Asian trade deal Mr. Trump shunned, some analysts are skeptical that the incoming president understands how dramatically the regional dynamics have changed since he was vice president just four years ago.
“I’m not yet convinced by any means that Biden himself recognizes that it’s a cold war,” Mr. May said.
Mr. May said a key wild card will be how Hunter Biden’s legal problems connected to China affect his father’s ability to alter policy with Beijing. Hunter Biden recently acknowledged that his taxes were under investigation in connection with a former Chinese tycoon now believed to be in jail facing corruption charges.
Mr. Biden has strongly defended his son, but the potentially distracting investigation is poised to proceed at least through the early months of his presidency.
“Joe Biden saw no reason why his son shouldn’t be involved with business with China,” said Mr. May, who writes a regular opinion column for The Washington Times. “Whether he recognizes now that China is a dangerous adversary, we don’t know. Whether he will take a tough policy toward China, we also don’t know.”
Mr. Rudd, meanwhile, suggested the coming four years could bring as much of a geopolitical shift as the past four. The world, he said, should not take lightly the potential for a massive policy shift by the incoming U.S. administration.
“There is a grave danger that people underestimate the capability and capacity of President-elect Biden and the team that he has assembled,” Mr. Rudd said. “This will be as formidable a foreign policy and national security team as was assembled by President Truman after the war, and the Truman administration was much underestimated by the rest of the world.”
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--British double agent George Blake dies in Russia at 98

MOSCOW ( AP ) - George Blake , a former British intelligence officer who worked as a double agent for the Soviet Union and passed some of the most coveted Western secrets to Moscow , has died in Russia .
He was 98 .
Russia ’ s Foreign Intelligence Service , known as SVR , announced his death Saturday in a statement , which didn ’ t give any details .
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences , hailing Blake as a “ brilliant professional ” and a man of “ remarkable courage.
” As a double agent , Blake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Soviet communications from an underground tunnel into East Berlin .
He also unmasked scores of British agents in Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe , some of whom were executed .
Blake has lived in Russia since his daring escape from a British prison in 1966 and was given the rank of Russian intelligence colonel .
Born in the Netherlands , Blake joined British intelligence during World War II .
He was posted to Korea when the war there erupted in 1950 and was detained by the Communist north .
He said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after witnessing relentless U.S. bombing of North Korea .
In a statement issued in 2017 through the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service , Blake emphasized that he decided to switch sides after seeing civilians massacred by the “ American military machine.
” “ I realized back then that such conflicts are deadly dangerous for the entire humankind and made the most important decision in my life - to cooperate with Soviet intelligence voluntarily and for free to help protect peace in the world , ” Blake said .
In a 2012 interview with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shared some details of his cloak-and-dagger adventures , including meetings with a Soviet liaison in East Berlin .
He said that once a month he would take a train to East Berlin , make sure that he wasn ’ t being followed , and go by car to a secret apartment where he and his contact would have a talk accompanied by a glass of Soviet-made sparkling wine .
A Polish defector exposed Blake as a Soviet spy in 1961 .
He was convicted on spying charges in Britain and sentenced to 42 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he made a bold escape with help from several people he met while in custody .
Blake spent two months hiding at his assistant ’ s place and was then driven across Europe to East Berlin inside a wooden box attached under a car .
His British wife , whom he left behind along with their three children , divorced him , and he married a Soviet woman and they had a son .
He was feted as a hero , decorated with top medals , and given a country house outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blake maintained contacts with other British double agents .
He said he met regularly with Donald Maclean and Kim Philby , members of the so-called Cambridge Five , and he said he and Maclean were particularly close .
Blake said he adapted well to life in Russia and once joked at a meeting with Russian intelligence officers that he ’ s like a “ foreign-made car that adapted well to Russian roads.
” “ He made a truly invaluable contribution to ensuring strategic parity and preserving peace , ” Putin said in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his 2017 statement that Russia has become his “ second motherland , ” and thanked SVR officers for their friendship and understanding .
He said that Russian intelligence officers have a mission to “ save the world in a situation when the danger of nuclear war and the resulting self-destruction of humankind again have been put on the agenda by irresponsible politicians .
”

MOSCOW (AP) - George Blake, a former British intelligence officer who worked as a double agent for the Soviet Union and passed some of the most coveted Western secrets to Moscow, has died in Russia. He was 98.
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, known as SVR, announced his death Saturday in a statement, which didn’t give any details. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences, hailing Blake as a “brilliant professional” and a man of “remarkable courage.”
As a double agent, Blake exposed a Western plan to eavesdrop on Soviet communications from an underground tunnel into East Berlin. He also unmasked scores of British agents in Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe, some of whom were executed.
Blake has lived in Russia since his daring escape from a British prison in 1966 and was given the rank of Russian intelligence colonel.
Born in the Netherlands, Blake joined British intelligence during World War II. He was posted to Korea when the war there erupted in 1950 and was detained by the Communist north. He said he volunteered to work for the Soviet Union after witnessing relentless U.S. bombing of North Korea.
In a statement issued in 2017 through the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Blake emphasized that he decided to switch sides after seeing civilians massacred by the “American military machine.”
“I realized back then that such conflicts are deadly dangerous for the entire humankind and made the most important decision in my life - to cooperate with Soviet intelligence voluntarily and for free to help protect peace in the world,” Blake said.
In a 2012 interview with the Russian government daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Blake shared some details of his cloak-and-dagger adventures, including meetings with a Soviet liaison in East Berlin. He said that once a month he would take a train to East Berlin, make sure that he wasn’t being followed, and go by car to a secret apartment where he and his contact would have a talk accompanied by a glass of Soviet-made sparkling wine.
A Polish defector exposed Blake as a Soviet spy in 1961. He was convicted on spying charges in Britain and sentenced to 42 years in prison. In October 1966, he made a bold escape with help from several people he met while in custody.
Blake spent two months hiding at his assistant’s place and was then driven across Europe to East Berlin inside a wooden box attached under a car.
His British wife, whom he left behind along with their three children, divorced him, and he married a Soviet woman and they had a son. He was feted as a hero, decorated with top medals, and given a country house outside Moscow.
In the Soviet Union, Blake maintained contacts with other British double agents. He said he met regularly with Donald Maclean and Kim Philby, members of the so-called Cambridge Five, and he said he and Maclean were particularly close.
Blake said he adapted well to life in Russia and once joked at a meeting with Russian intelligence officers that he’s like a “foreign-made car that adapted well to Russian roads.”
“He made a truly invaluable contribution to ensuring strategic parity and preserving peace,” Putin said in his telegram of condolences.
Blake noted in his 2017 statement that Russia has become his “second motherland,” and thanked SVR officers for their friendship and understanding. He said that Russian intelligence officers have a mission to “save the world in a situation when the danger of nuclear war and the resulting self-destruction of humankind again have been put on the agenda by irresponsible politicians.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Maine reminds fishermen to check for thin ice this year

AUGUSTA , Maine ( AP ) - Wildlife officials in Maine are asking fishermen to use “ extreme caution ” @ @ @ @ @ ice fishing season this year .
Ice fishing is a popular winter activity in Maine @ @ @ @ @ gets going in early January .
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said @ @ @ @ @ chisel or an auger to test the thickness of the ice in several places before @ @ @ @ @ uniformly and conditions can vary from one location to the next , the department said @ @ @ @ @ someone their schedule before a day of ice fishing , it said .
Maine has @ @ @ @ @ ponds .

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Wildlife officials in Maine are asking fishermen to use “extreme caution” during the state’s ice fishing season this year.
Ice fishing is a popular winter activity in Maine, and the season typically gets going in early January. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said fishermen should always use a chisel or an auger to test the thickness of the ice in several places before fishing.
Ice seldom freezes uniformly and conditions can vary from one location to the next, the department said. Anglers should always tell someone their schedule before a day of ice fishing, it said.
Maine has more than 6,000 lakes and ponds.


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Brattleboro to vote on retail marijuana in town

BRATTLEBORO , Vt. ( AP ) - Voters in the town of Brattleboro will be asked in March whether to @ @ @ @ @ products in their community .
The Select Board decided this week to put the question @ @ @ @ @ ballot , the Brattleboro Reformer reported .
Vermont legislators passed a bill at the end @ @ @ @ @ that would set up a system to legalize sales of recreational marijuana in the state @ @ @ @ @ without Republican Gov .
Phil Scott ’ s signature , meaning that retail sales of @ @ @ @ @ years .
Recreational marijuana is also legal in Massachusetts and Maine .
As part of @ @ @ @ @ vote to “ opt in ” to allow sales within their border , Brattleboro Town @ @ @ @ @ State regulators have until October 2022 to create a Cannabis Control Board to oversee establishment @ @ @ @ @ , the newspaper reported .

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) - Voters in the town of Brattleboro will be asked in March whether to allow retail sales of marijuana products in their community.
The Select Board decided this week to put the question on the Town Meeting Day ballot, the Brattleboro Reformer reported.
Vermont legislators passed a bill at the end of the last legislative session that would set up a system to legalize sales of recreational marijuana in the state. The bill became law without Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s signature, meaning that retail sales of marijuana could start in two years.
Recreational marijuana is also legal in Massachusetts and Maine.
As part of the law, towns must vote to “opt in” to allow sales within their border, Brattleboro Town Manager Peter Elwell said.
State regulators have until October 2022 to create a Cannabis Control Board to oversee establishment of the retail marijuana market, the newspaper reported.


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Health officials fear pandemic could bring suicide spike

WOLF POINT , Mont .
( AP ) - Fallen pine cones covered 16-year-old Leslie Keiser ’ s fresh grave at the edge of Wolf Point , a small community on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation on the eastern Montana plains .
Leslie , whose father is a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes , is one of at least two teenagers on the reservation who died by suicide this summer .
A third teen ’ s death is under investigation , authorities said .
Leslie ’ s mother , Natalie Keiser , was standing beside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a photo of the headstone she had ordered .
She looked at her phone and then back at the grave of the girl who took her own life in September .
“ I wish she would have reached out and let us know what was wrong , ” she told Kaiser Health News .
In a typical year , Native American youth die by suicide at nearly twice the rate of their white peers in the U.S .
Mental health experts worry that the isolation and shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has put a really heavy spirit on them , being isolated and depressed and at home with nothing to do , ” said Carrie Manning , a project coordinator at the Fort Peck Tribes ’ Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center .
It ’ s not clear what connection the pandemic has to the youth suicides on the Fort Peck reservation .
Leslie had attempted suicide once before several years ago , but she had been in counseling and seemed to be feeling better , her mother said .
Keiser noted that Leslie ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic hit .
“ Probably with the virus it would have been discontinued anyway , ” Keiser said .
“ It seems like things that were important were kind of set to the wayside.
” Tribal members typically lean on one another in times of crisis , but this time is different .
The reservation is a COVID hot spot .
In remote Roosevelt County , which encompasses most of the reservation , more than 10 % of the population has been infected with the coronavirus .
The resulting social distancing has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will fail to see warning signs among at-risk youth .
So tribal officials are focusing their suicide prevention efforts on finding ways to help those kids remotely .
“ Our people have been through hardships and they ’ re still here , and they ’ ll still be here after this one as well , ” said Don Wetzel , tribal liaison for the Montana Office of Public Instruction and a member of the Blackfeet Nation .
“ I think if you want to look at resiliency in this country , you look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high rates of substance abuse , limited health care and crowded households elevate both physical and mental health risks for residents of reservations .
“ It ’ s those conditions where things like suicide and pandemics like COVID are able to just decimate tribal people , ” said Teresa Brockie , a public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the White Clay Nation from Fort Belknap , Montana .
Montana has seen 231 suicides this year , with the highest rates occurring in rural counties .
Those numbers aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , said Karl Rosston , suicide prevention coordinator for the state ’ s Department of Public Health and Human Services .
The state has had one of the highest suicide rates in the country each year for decades .
As physical distancing drags on , fatality numbers climb and the economic impacts of the pandemic start to take hold of families , Rosston said , and he expected to see more suicide attempts in December and January .
“ We ’ re hoping we ’ re wrong in this , of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teenagers , in particular , the isolation caused by school closures and curtailed or canceled sports seasons can tax their mental health .
“ Peers are a huge factor for kids .
If they ’ re cut off , they ’ re more at risk , ” Rosston said .
Furthermore , teen suicides tend to cluster , especially in rural areas .
Every suicide triples the risk that a surviving loved one will follow suit , Rosston said .
On average , every person who dies by suicide has six survivors .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that jumps to 25 to 30 , ” he said .
Maria Vega , a 22-year-old member of the Fort Peck Tribes , knows this kind of contagious grief .
In 2015 , after finding the body of a close friend who had died by suicide , Vega attempted suicide as well .
She is now a youth representative for a state-run suicide prevention committee that organizes conferences and other events for young people .
Vega is a nursing student who lives six hours away from her family , making it difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in October and was forced to isolate , increasing her sense of removal from family .
While isolated , Vega was able to attend therapy sessions through a telehealth system set up by her university .
“ I really do think therapy is something that would help people while they ’ re alone , ” she said .
But Vega points out that this is not an option for many people on rural reservations who don ’ t have computers or reliable internet access .
The therapists who offer telehealth services have long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficulties operating during the pandemic .
Brockie , who studies health delivery in disadvantaged populations , has twice had to delay the launch of an experimental training program for Native parents of young children .
She hopes the program will lower the risk of substance abuse and suicide by teaching resiliency and parenting skills .
At Fort Peck , the reservation ’ s mental health center has had to scale down its youth events that teach leadership skills and traditional practices like horseback riding and archery , as well as workshops on topics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which Manning said usually draw 200 people or more , are intended to take teenagers ’ minds away from depression and allow them to have conversations about suicide , a taboo topic in many Native cultures .
The few events that can go forward are limited now to a handful of people at a time .
Tribes , rural states and other organizations running youth suicide intervention and prevention initiatives are struggling to sustain the same level of services .
Using money from the federal CARES Act and other sources , Montana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up online prevention training for teachers , while Rosston ’ s office has beefed up counseling resources people can access by phone .
On the national level , the Center for Native American Youth in Washington , D.C. , hosts biweekly webinars for young people to talk about their hopes and concerns .
Executive Director Nikki Pitre said that on average around 10,000 young people log in each week .
In the CARES Act , the federal government allocated $ 425 million for mental health programs , $ 15 million of which was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pitre hopes the pandemic will bring attention to the historical inequities that led to lack of health care and resources on reservations , and how they enable the twin epidemics of COVID-19 and suicide .
“ This pandemic has really opened up those wounds , ” she said .
“ We ’ re clinging even more to the resiliency of culture.
” In Wolf Point , Natalie Keiser experienced that resiliency and support firsthand .
The Fort Peck community has come together to pay for Leslie ’ s funeral .
“ That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
Kaiser Health News ( KHN ) is a national health policy news service .
It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

WOLF POINT, Mont. (AP) - Fallen pine cones covered 16-year-old Leslie Keiser’s fresh grave at the edge of Wolf Point, a small community on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation on the eastern Montana plains.
Leslie, whose father is a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, is one of at least two teenagers on the reservation who died by suicide this summer. A third teen’s death is under investigation, authorities said.
Leslie’s mother, Natalie Keiser, was standing beside the grave recently when she received a text with a photo of the headstone she had ordered.
She looked at her phone and then back at the grave of the girl who took her own life in September.
“I wish she would have reached out and let us know what was wrong,” she told Kaiser Health News.
In a typical year, Native American youth die by suicide at nearly twice the rate of their white peers in the U.S. Mental health experts worry that the isolation and shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could make things worse.
“It has put a really heavy spirit on them, being isolated and depressed and at home with nothing to do,” said Carrie Manning, a project coordinator at the Fort Peck Tribes’ Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center.
It’s not clear what connection the pandemic has to the youth suicides on the Fort Peck reservation. Leslie had attempted suicide once before several years ago, but she had been in counseling and seemed to be feeling better, her mother said.
Keiser noted that Leslie’s therapist canceled her counseling sessions before the pandemic hit.
“Probably with the virus it would have been discontinued anyway,” Keiser said. “It seems like things that were important were kind of set to the wayside.”
Tribal members typically lean on one another in times of crisis, but this time is different. The reservation is a COVID hot spot. In remote Roosevelt County, which encompasses most of the reservation, more than 10% of the population has been infected with the coronavirus. The resulting social distancing has led tribal officials to worry the community will fail to see warning signs among at-risk youth.
So tribal officials are focusing their suicide prevention efforts on finding ways to help those kids remotely.
“Our people have been through hardships and they’re still here, and they’ll still be here after this one as well,” said Don Wetzel, tribal liaison for the Montana Office of Public Instruction and a member of the Blackfeet Nation. “I think if you want to look at resiliency in this country, you look at our Native Americans.”
Poverty, high rates of substance abuse, limited health care and crowded households elevate both physical and mental health risks for residents of reservations.
“It’s those conditions where things like suicide and pandemics like COVID are able to just decimate tribal people,” said Teresa Brockie, a public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the White Clay Nation from Fort Belknap, Montana.
Montana has seen 231 suicides this year, with the highest rates occurring in rural counties. Those numbers aren’t much different from a typical year, said Karl Rosston, suicide prevention coordinator for the state’s Department of Public Health and Human Services. The state has had one of the highest suicide rates in the country each year for decades.
As physical distancing drags on, fatality numbers climb and the economic impacts of the pandemic start to take hold of families, Rosston said, and he expected to see more suicide attempts in December and January.
“We’re hoping we’re wrong in this, of course,” he said.
For rural teenagers, in particular, the isolation caused by school closures and curtailed or canceled sports seasons can tax their mental health.
“Peers are a huge factor for kids. If they’re cut off, they’re more at risk,” Rosston said.
Furthermore, teen suicides tend to cluster, especially in rural areas. Every suicide triples the risk that a surviving loved one will follow suit, Rosston said.
On average, every person who dies by suicide has six survivors. “When talking about small tribal communities, that jumps to 25 to 30,” he said.
Maria Vega, a 22-year-old member of the Fort Peck Tribes, knows this kind of contagious grief. In 2015, after finding the body of a close friend who had died by suicide, Vega attempted suicide as well. She is now a youth representative for a state-run suicide prevention committee that organizes conferences and other events for young people.
Vega is a nursing student who lives six hours away from her family, making it difficult to travel home. She contracted COVID-19 in October and was forced to isolate, increasing her sense of removal from family. While isolated, Vega was able to attend therapy sessions through a telehealth system set up by her university.
“I really do think therapy is something that would help people while they’re alone,” she said.
But Vega points out that this is not an option for many people on rural reservations who don’t have computers or reliable internet access. The therapists who offer telehealth services have long waitlists.
Other prevention programs are having difficulties operating during the pandemic. Brockie, who studies health delivery in disadvantaged populations, has twice had to delay the launch of an experimental training program for Native parents of young children. She hopes the program will lower the risk of substance abuse and suicide by teaching resiliency and parenting skills.
At Fort Peck, the reservation’s mental health center has had to scale down its youth events that teach leadership skills and traditional practices like horseback riding and archery, as well as workshops on topics like coping with grief. The events, which Manning said usually draw 200 people or more, are intended to take teenagers’ minds away from depression and allow them to have conversations about suicide, a taboo topic in many Native cultures. The few events that can go forward are limited now to a handful of people at a time.
Tribes, rural states and other organizations running youth suicide intervention and prevention initiatives are struggling to sustain the same level of services. Using money from the federal CARES Act and other sources, Montana’s Office of Public Instruction ramped up online prevention training for teachers, while Rosston’s office has beefed up counseling resources people can access by phone.
On the national level, the Center for Native American Youth in Washington, D.C., hosts biweekly webinars for young people to talk about their hopes and concerns. Executive Director Nikki Pitre said that on average around 10,000 young people log in each week. In the CARES Act, the federal government allocated $425 million for mental health programs, $15 million of which was set aside for Native health organizations.
Pitre hopes the pandemic will bring attention to the historical inequities that led to lack of health care and resources on reservations, and how they enable the twin epidemics of COVID-19 and suicide.
“This pandemic has really opened up those wounds,” she said. “We’re clinging even more to the resiliency of culture.”
In Wolf Point, Natalie Keiser experienced that resiliency and support firsthand. The Fort Peck community has come together to pay for Leslie’s funeral.
“That’s a miracle in itself,” she said.
Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Montana tribe navigates new ground after federal recognition

GREAT FALLS , Mont .
( AP ) - One year ago , Little Shell tribal members rejoiced when the “ day that never comes ” finally arrived .
The tribe had been without a recognized homeland since the late 1800s , when Chief Little Shell and his followers broke off treaty negotiations with the U.S. government .
But a generations-long fight to secure the elusive ended on Dec. 20 , 2019 .
The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana gained federal recognition status when President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act , which contained an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was so overwhelming and there was so much excitement when it finally happened , ” Chairman Gerald Gray said .
“ But , I had no idea what was to happen in the coming year.
” The Little Shell Tribe celebrated their federal recognition on Jan. 25 , 2020 .
Just one year later , the Little Shell Tribe has made great strides .
The tribe purchased a building for a health clinic , hired employees to fill new positions and is working to create programs that will expand affordable housing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenges as it forges a relationship with the federal government and works to establish independence .
After securing federal recognition status , Gray said he hoped to establish a clinic to provide health care services to members .
That goal became the tribe ’ s No .
1 priority when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Montana just a few months later .
Without a designated Indian Health Service ( IHS ) facility , Gray said many members traveled from Great Falls to Rocky Boy , about 200 miles roundtrip , or to Browning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a big misconception that we get great free health care , ” Gray said of IHS , the federal agency responsible for providing medical services to federally recognized tribes .
“ Well , it ’ s not always great , ” he said of IHS , adding that the agency offers limited services and is chronically underfunded .
The Little Shell Tribe purchased a 10,000 square-foot building on Smelter Ave. and is converting it to meet IHS standards for an outpatient tribal health clinic .
Gray said IHS will run the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can manage services .
The clinic will offer comprehensive care , including medical , dental , vision , pharmaceutical and behavioral health services .
“ If you ’ re gon na build something from the ground up , why not do something really special ?
” Gray said of the clinic .
Gray expects the clinic to open near the end of January , but said the process has been slower than he had imagined .
“ Indian Health Service , the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department of Housing and Urban Development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federally-recognized tribes have never had a tribe recognized in this region , ” he said .
“ So all people involved are facing a steep learning curve.
” “ Plus , we are different in that we don ’ t have a reservation , ” Gray added .
“ That made it more complex for everyone.
” Gray said Sen. Jon Tester has supported the tribe as it navigates new territory .
“ Federal recognition for the Little Shell was a long time coming , but our work didn ’ t end that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moving forward I remain focused on holding the federal government accountable to the Little Shell Tribe , and on ensuring that we live up to the trust and treaty responsibilities we owe them.
” The Little Shell Tribe received $ 25 million from the Coronavirus Aid , Relief and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act , which was passed by Congress in March .
“ If we were still a state-recognized tribe , we wouldn ’ t have received anything , ” Gray said .
The tribe used the CARES Act money to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal protective equipment to members .
The tribe also plans to renovate its office and update the kitchen in its cultural center .
The tribe also created a program that will provide free transportation to elders and others without vehicles .
Gray said the tribe purchased vans and , people are available to drive members to Browning and Rocky Boy for health care needs .
Gray said his long-term goal is for the tribe to be economically self-sufficient .
“ That way we don ’ t have to wait for the federal government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal recognition process is new for everyone , including tribal members .
As a result , Gray often fields questions , combats misinformation and discourages members from comparing the Little Shell to other tribes .
“ There ’ s this stereotype that ’ s been perpetuated through time that the federal government just gives money to tribes .
We do get some assistance , but we don ’ t get money to go buy someone a house , for example , ” he said .
When the tribe gained federal recognition , Gray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which was advanced in media coverage , is that the federal government would give the tribe a reservation .
“ The federal government does not just give us 200 acres , ” he said .
Rather , if the tribe purchases 200 acres , the land can enter a trust , meaning the tribe wouldn ’ t pay taxes on it .
“ A reservation is not in the works , ” Gray said , adding that the tribe has members in Hill , Blaine and Glacier counties .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to think about how does this look and how will this work in terms of infrastructure ?
It ’ s way too early to think about it.
” “ It takes time to build a tribal government from the ground up , ” he said .
Nora Mabie covers Indigenous communities for the Great Falls Tribune .
Reach her at nmabie @ greatfallstribune.com , or follow her on Facebook @ NoraMabieJournalist or Twitter @ NoraMabie .

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) - One year ago, Little Shell tribal members rejoiced when the “day that never comes” finally arrived.
The tribe had been without a recognized homeland since the late 1800s, when Chief Little Shell and his followers broke off treaty negotiations with the U.S. government.
But a generations-long fight to secure the elusive ended on Dec. 20, 2019.
The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana gained federal recognition status when President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which contained an amendment pertaining to the tribe.
“It was so overwhelming and there was so much excitement when it finally happened,” Chairman Gerald Gray said. “But, I had no idea what was to happen in the coming year.”
The Little Shell Tribe celebrated their federal recognition on Jan. 25, 2020.
Just one year later, the Little Shell Tribe has made great strides. The tribe purchased a building for a health clinic, hired employees to fill new positions and is working to create programs that will expand affordable housing.
But the tribe also has encountered unforeseen challenges as it forges a relationship with the federal government and works to establish independence.
After securing federal recognition status, Gray said he hoped to establish a clinic to provide health care services to members.
That goal became the tribe’s No. 1 priority when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Montana just a few months later.
Without a designated Indian Health Service (IHS) facility, Gray said many members traveled from Great Falls to Rocky Boy, about 200 miles roundtrip, or to Browning, 250 miles roundtrip.
“There’s a big misconception that we get great free health care,” Gray said of IHS, the federal agency responsible for providing medical services to federally recognized tribes.
“Well, it’s not always great,” he said of IHS, adding that the agency offers limited services and is chronically underfunded.
The Little Shell Tribe purchased a 10,000 square-foot building on Smelter Ave. and is converting it to meet IHS standards for an outpatient tribal health clinic. Gray said IHS will run the clinic for three years before the tribe can manage services.
The clinic will offer comprehensive care, including medical, dental, vision, pharmaceutical and behavioral health services.
“If you’re gonna build something from the ground up, why not do something really special?” Gray said of the clinic.
Gray expects the clinic to open near the end of January, but said the process has been slower than he had imagined.
“Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department of Housing and Urban Development, all of these organizations that support federally-recognized tribes have never had a tribe recognized in this region,” he said. “So all people involved are facing a steep learning curve.”
“Plus, we are different in that we don’t have a reservation,” Gray added. “That made it more complex for everyone.”
Gray said Sen. Jon Tester has supported the tribe as it navigates new territory.
“Federal recognition for the Little Shell was a long time coming, but our work didn’t end that day,” Tester said. “Moving forward I remain focused on holding the federal government accountable to the Little Shell Tribe, and on ensuring that we live up to the trust and treaty responsibilities we owe them.”
The Little Shell Tribe received $25 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed by Congress in March.
“If we were still a state-recognized tribe, we wouldn’t have received anything,” Gray said.
The tribe used the CARES Act money to distribute two COVID-19 relief stimulus payments and personal protective equipment to members. The tribe also plans to renovate its office and update the kitchen in its cultural center.
The tribe also created a program that will provide free transportation to elders and others without vehicles. Gray said the tribe purchased vans and, people are available to drive members to Browning and Rocky Boy for health care needs.
Gray said his long-term goal is for the tribe to be economically self-sufficient. “That way we don’t have to wait for the federal government,” he said.
Navigating the federal recognition process is new for everyone, including tribal members.
As a result, Gray often fields questions, combats misinformation and discourages members from comparing the Little Shell to other tribes.
“There’s this stereotype that’s been perpetuated through time that the federal government just gives money to tribes. We do get some assistance, but we don’t get money to go buy someone a house, for example,” he said.
When the tribe gained federal recognition, Gray said one of the biggest misconceptions, which was advanced in media coverage, is that the federal government would give the tribe a reservation.
“The federal government does not just give us 200 acres,” he said. Rather, if the tribe purchases 200 acres, the land can enter a trust, meaning the tribe wouldn’t pay taxes on it.
“A reservation is not in the works,” Gray said, adding that the tribe has members in Hill, Blaine and Glacier counties. “It’s a big area, so we have to think about how does this look and how will this work in terms of infrastructure? It’s way too early to think about it.”
As the tribe makes historic progress, Gray urges patience.
“It takes time to build a tribal government from the ground up,” he said.
___
Nora Mabie covers Indigenous communities for the Great Falls Tribune. Reach her at nmabie@greatfallstribune.com, or follow her on Facebook @NoraMabieJournalist or Twitter @NoraMabie.


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Judge delays execution of only woman on U.S. death row

WASHINGTON ( AP ) - A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row , potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after President-elect Joe Biden takes office .
U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss also vacated an order from the director of the Bureau of Prisons that had set Lisa Montgomery ’ s execution date for Jan. 12 .
Montgomery had previously been scheduled to be put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute , Indiana , this month , but Moss delayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visiting their client and asked him to extend the amount of time to file a clemency petition .
Moss prohibited the Bureau of Prisons from carrying out Lisa Montgomery ’ s execution before the end of the year and officials rescheduled her execution date for Jan. 12 .
But Moss ruled on Wednesday that the agency was also prohibited from rescheduling the date while a stay was in place .
“ The Court , accordingly , concludes that the Director ’ s order setting a new execution date while the Court ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in accordance with law , ’ ” Moss wrote .
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Under the order , the Bureau of Prisons can not reschedule Montgomery ’ s execution until at least Jan. 1 .
Generally , under Justice Department guidelines , a death-row inmate must be notified at least 20 days before the execution .
Because of the judge ’ s order , if the Justice Department chooses to reschedule the date in January , it could mean that the execution would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jan. 20 .
Biden “ opposes the death penalty now and in the future ” and would work as president to end its use in office , spokesman TJ Ducklo has told The Associated Press .
But Biden ’ s representatives have not said whether executions would be paused immediately once Biden takes office .
Montgomery was convicted of killing 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in December 2004 .
She used a rope to strangle Stinnett , who was eight months pregnant , then a kitchen knife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ womb , authorities said .
Prosecutors said Montgomery removed the baby from Stinnett ’ s body , took the child with her , and attempted to pass the girl off as her own .
Montgomery ’ s legal team has argued that their client suffers from serious mental illnesses .
“ Given the severity of Mrs. Montgomery ’ s mental illness , the sexual and physical torture she endured throughout her life , and the connection between her trauma and the facts of her crime , we appeal to President Trump to grant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to life imprisonment , ” one of Montgomery ’ s lawyers , Sandra Babcock , said in a statement .
Two other federal inmates are scheduled to be executed in January but have tested positive for coronavirus and their attorneys are also seeking delays to their executions .

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row, potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss also vacated an order from the director of the Bureau of Prisons that had set Lisa Montgomery’s execution date for Jan. 12. Montgomery had previously been scheduled to be put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, this month, but Moss delayed the execution after her attorneys contracted coronavirus visiting their client and asked him to extend the amount of time to file a clemency petition.
Moss prohibited the Bureau of Prisons from carrying out Lisa Montgomery’s execution before the end of the year and officials rescheduled her execution date for Jan. 12. But Moss ruled on Wednesday that the agency was also prohibited from rescheduling the date while a stay was in place.
“The Court, accordingly, concludes that the Director’s order setting a new execution date while the Court’s stay was in effect was ‘not in accordance with law,’” Moss wrote.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the order, the Bureau of Prisons cannot reschedule Montgomery’s execution until at least Jan. 1. Generally, under Justice Department guidelines, a death-row inmate must be notified at least 20 days before the execution. Because of the judge’s order, if the Justice Department chooses to reschedule the date in January, it could mean that the execution would be scheduled after Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Biden “opposes the death penalty now and in the future” and would work as president to end its use in office, spokesman TJ Ducklo has told The Associated Press. But Biden’s representatives have not said whether executions would be paused immediately once Biden takes office.
Montgomery was convicted of killing 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in December 2004. She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, then a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from the womb, authorities said.
Prosecutors said Montgomery removed the baby from Stinnett’s body, took the child with her, and attempted to pass the girl off as her own. Montgomery’s legal team has argued that their client suffers from serious mental illnesses.
“Given the severity of Mrs. Montgomery’s mental illness, the sexual and physical torture she endured throughout her life, and the connection between her trauma and the facts of her crime, we appeal to President Trump to grant her mercy, and commute her sentence to life imprisonment,” one of Montgomery’s lawyers, Sandra Babcock, said in a statement.
Two other federal inmates are scheduled to be executed in January but have tested positive for coronavirus and their attorneys are also seeking delays to their executions.
___
Follow Balsamo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1.


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Utah institutions move away from 'Dixie,' but locals split

ST. GEORGE , Utah ( AP ) - Some institutions in southern Utah are moving away from the name Dixie because of its ties to the confederacy .
The hospital will have a new name in 2021 and the university could be next , if the state Legislature passes a bill to do so .
But there are also efforts within the community to keep the name around , and they ’ re hoping legislators will listen to them , KUER reported .
Troy Blanchard is one of the leaders of the Defending Southwestern Utah Heritage Coalition , and their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” He said he knows it will be an uphill battle to keep the name of the university , since a change was unanimously recommended by the board of trustees and state board of higher education .
But he said he has hope southern Utah legislators will listen to their constituents .
“ We don ’ t have a lot of representation in southern Utah , ” Blanchard said .
“ The hope is that the legislators will stand up and the majority of them ( have ) appeared to.
” He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will have to be a grassroots movement with wide community support .
In a recent survey commissioned by the university about the name “ Dixie , ” almost 80 % of residents think it should stay the same .
The area was nicknamed Dixie , a reference to Southern states , when settlers with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , many of them from the South , tried to make it into a cotton-growing mecca in the 1800s .
Supporters say the name is important to the area ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of slavery .
But efforts across the U.S. to remove monuments , names and other Confederate symbols have intensified during the nation ’ s reckoning over racial injustice .
University officials have recognized the importance of the name to local residents .
But officials cite survey results that show the negative impact the name has on students and out-of-state recruiting .
St. George resident Ilene Hacker has started a GoFundMe campaign raising money to appeal to legislators .
She has long ties to the area and she said she feels like removing Dixie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I know it ’ s an emotional issue , but for me , it feels like they would slam the door in the face of the community , ” said Hacker , who is also part of the group that ’ s trying to keep Dixie around .
“ We don ’ t think anything ’ s wrong with the name , plus we love the name , so why would we ever want to change it ?
” She said they could hire a lobbyist if necessary , but they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ write to their legislators and are planning a car rally from southern Utah to the Utah State Capitol when the general session starts in January .
The Associated Press contributed to this story .

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) - Some institutions in southern Utah are moving away from the name Dixie because of its ties to the confederacy. The hospital will have a new name in 2021 and the university could be next, if the state Legislature passes a bill to do so.
But there are also efforts within the community to keep the name around, and they’re hoping legislators will listen to them, KUER reported.
Troy Blanchard is one of the leaders of the Defending Southwestern Utah Heritage Coalition, and their motto is “stand up for Dixie.” He said he knows it will be an uphill battle to keep the name of the university, since a change was unanimously recommended by the board of trustees and state board of higher education.
But he said he has hope southern Utah legislators will listen to their constituents.
“We don’t have a lot of representation in southern Utah,” Blanchard said. “The hope is that the legislators will stand up and the majority of them (have) appeared to.”
He said for this to succeed though, it will have to be a grassroots movement with wide community support. In a recent survey commissioned by the university about the name “Dixie,” almost 80% of residents think it should stay the same.
The area was nicknamed Dixie, a reference to Southern states, when settlers with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, many of them from the South, tried to make it into a cotton-growing mecca in the 1800s.
Supporters say the name is important to the area’s heritage and is separate from the history of slavery. But efforts across the U.S. to remove monuments, names and other Confederate symbols have intensified during the nation’s reckoning over racial injustice.
University officials have recognized the importance of the name to local residents. But officials cite survey results that show the negative impact the name has on students and out-of-state recruiting.
St. George resident Ilene Hacker has started a GoFundMe campaign raising money to appeal to legislators. She has long ties to the area and she said she feels like removing Dixie is removing the community’s heritage.
“I know it’s an emotional issue, but for me, it feels like they would slam the door in the face of the community,” said Hacker, who is also part of the group that’s trying to keep Dixie around. “We don’t think anything’s wrong with the name, plus we love the name, so why would we ever want to change it?”
She said they could hire a lobbyist if necessary, but they’re focused on encouraging people to write to their legislators and are planning a car rally from southern Utah to the Utah State Capitol when the general session starts in January.
__
The Associated Press contributed to this story.


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Map presents patchwork of red and blue in Arizona district

PHOENIX ( AP ) - Out in the Southeast Valley , the Loop 202 freeway is often seen as a political compass .
To the north of it is dense with Democratic voters ; to the south , suburbs that start with a kiss of GOP pink but soon deepen to a solid red .
Political eyes were on the area this election to see whether Democrats had the chance to flip Arizona ’ s Legislative District 17 blue .
In the end , with all votes tallied and certified , the district , which includes most of Chandler , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 3.7 % , or 5,000 votes , but no seats shifted in the state Legislature .
In the aftermath , candidates and community members wait to see what this year ’ s results , a precinct patchwork of red and blue , spell for the future , the Arizona Capitol Times reported .
Paula Feely is a Democratic precinct committeeperson in Chandler .
It was President Donald Trump ’ s win in 2016 that pushed her , out of frustration , to become more involved with campaign efforts in her community .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a widening stretch of blue bleeding south of the Loop 202 .
“ I ’ ve become more aware of the Democrats around here , ” Feely said .
“ They ’ re less shy now.
” Biden won a handful of precincts around Feely ’ s turf this year that previously went for Trump , including Lantana Canyon , Laredo and Dobson Park with margins ranging from .6 % to 2 % , or 10 to 110 votes .
Voters in Germann Precinct supported Biden , too , after giving Hillary Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since becoming a committeeperson , Feely has written hundreds of letters , dropped party literature on doorsteps and made phone calls to people throughout LD17 .
And she has become more comfortable talking about politics with non-Democrats , she said , although “ close to the election , I did have to cut myself off from some people.
” Her counterpart in Germann Precinct might be Anne Kirkham , a longtime Chandler resident who is precinct committeeperson for the Republican Party .
With new housing going up in the district and people moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sees the ground shifting in the city .
For her , maintaining Republican leadership will depend on finding the right messaging .
“ There ’ s been a lot of outreach to what are called ‘ soft Democrats ’ and all the independents , ” she said .
“ It all comes down to policies and platforms.
” Despite partisan tensions in Arizona , and the ongoing , if largely dismissed , concerns about the election ’ s integrity - concerns that Kirkham shares - she refrains from villainizing Democrats .
Many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district .
“ I have dear friends who look at things differently than I do politically , and I don ’ t let that get in the way of our friendship , ” she said .
To the east of Kirkham and Feely ’ s precinct is Layton Lakes , a precinct that neither Biden nor Trump could claim .
At 253 votes each , they were tied .
The triangular stretch of land near Queen Creek and Lindsay roads became a precinct in 2017 , and is home to 576 registered voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ District 17 Democrats and an engineer with a penchant for analyzing election data , said Layton Lakes was carved out of Appleby Precinct as a result of new housing in the area .
It wasn ’ t long ago that the area was mostly farms , empty land and single family homes , he said .
But as neighborhoods grow and newcomers arrive , “ they ’ re probably bringing their outlook with them , ” Srinivasan said .
Layton Lakes is one of three precincts in the county where Biden and Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chair of the Maricopa County Democratic Party , said the ties illustrate the closeness of elections here , and how much of the county is “ up for grabs.
” One of the most closely watched races in LD17 was for the state Senate seat held by J.D .
Mesnard , a Republican .
Democratic challenger A.J .
Kurdoglu lost the race , but said he had no doubts that the district is changing .
Still , it will take work to decide the political future of the East Valley , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t simply wait for the demographics to change .
“ I always believe it is our job as candidates or as a party to reach out to your neighbors , your constituency and explain what you stand for , ” Kurdoglu said .
Mesnard comfortably won his Senate seat , but doesn ’ t deny the potential of the region turning blue in years to come .
He lost his own precinct to Kurdoglu by 5.3 % of the vote , or 277 votes .
Biden carried it by a wider margin of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The senator said he has no plans to change his policies in response to a constituency that is becoming more liberal .
“ I ran for office in the first place under a certain set of principles .
I maintain those principles , ” Mesnard said .
“ And if there ’ s an avalanche of people that come in with different principles , it ’ ll probably just mean that I ’ ll lose , eventually.
” He said he hopes to convince newcomers that his policies – and the Republican platform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attractive place to live .
Even as pundits make predictions for the next election , the competitive status of LD17 could soon recede into history when officials begin redrawing legislative districts next year .
Feely , the Democratic precinct committeeperson , said she thinks the liberal tilt in her neighborhood is a credit to people engaging with the issues more than any sea change in political beliefs .
As a retired school district employee , she said she thinks candidates who are focused on education will find supporters in the East Valley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when she ran for the state House two years ago and won .
Pawlik was re-elected last month .
“ It ’ s not just a red and blue thing , ” Feely said of the political map .
“ It ’ s what people think you can do to improve our community .
”

PHOENIX (AP) - Out in the Southeast Valley, the Loop 202 freeway is often seen as a political compass. To the north of it is dense with Democratic voters; to the south, suburbs that start with a kiss of GOP pink but soon deepen to a solid red.
Political eyes were on the area this election to see whether Democrats had the chance to flip Arizona’s Legislative District 17 blue. In the end, with all votes tallied and certified, the district, which includes most of Chandler, narrowly chose Democrat Joe Biden for president by 3.7%, or 5,000 votes, but no seats shifted in the state Legislature.
In the aftermath, candidates and community members wait to see what this year’s results, a precinct patchwork of red and blue, spell for the future, the Arizona Capitol Times reported.
Paula Feely is a Democratic precinct committeeperson in Chandler. It was President Donald Trump’s win in 2016 that pushed her, out of frustration, to become more involved with campaign efforts in her community. She represents Germann Precinct, part of a widening stretch of blue bleeding south of the Loop 202.
“I’ve become more aware of the Democrats around here,” Feely said. “They’re less shy now.”
Biden won a handful of precincts around Feely’s turf this year that previously went for Trump, including Lantana Canyon, Laredo and Dobson Park with margins ranging from .6% to 2%, or 10 to 110 votes. Voters in Germann Precinct supported Biden, too, after giving Hillary Clinton a 1% lead in 2016.
Since becoming a committeeperson, Feely has written hundreds of letters, dropped party literature on doorsteps and made phone calls to people throughout LD17. And she has become more comfortable talking about politics with non-Democrats, she said, although “close to the election, I did have to cut myself off from some people.”
Her counterpart in Germann Precinct might be Anne Kirkham, a longtime Chandler resident who is precinct committeeperson for the Republican Party. With new housing going up in the district and people moving in from out-of-state, Kirkham said she sees the ground shifting in the city.
For her, maintaining Republican leadership will depend on finding the right messaging.
“There’s been a lot of outreach to what are called ‘soft Democrats’ and all the independents,” she said. “It all comes down to policies and platforms.”
Despite partisan tensions in Arizona, and the ongoing, if largely dismissed, concerns about the election’s integrity - concerns that Kirkham shares - she refrains from villainizing Democrats. Many of them are her neighbors in this battleground district.
“I have dear friends who look at things differently than I do politically, and I don’t let that get in the way of our friendship,” she said.
To the east of Kirkham and Feely’s precinct is Layton Lakes, a precinct that neither Biden nor Trump could claim. At 253 votes each, they were tied.
The triangular stretch of land near Queen Creek and Lindsay roads became a precinct in 2017, and is home to 576 registered voters. Raghu Srinivasan, vice chair for District 17 Democrats and an engineer with a penchant for analyzing election data, said Layton Lakes was carved out of Appleby Precinct as a result of new housing in the area.
It wasn’t long ago that the area was mostly farms, empty land and single family homes, he said. But as neighborhoods grow and newcomers arrive, “they’re probably bringing their outlook with them,” Srinivasan said.
Layton Lakes is one of three precincts in the county where Biden and Trump faced a draw. Steven Slugocki, chair of the Maricopa County Democratic Party, said the ties illustrate the closeness of elections here, and how much of the county is “up for grabs.”
One of the most closely watched races in LD17 was for the state Senate seat held by J.D. Mesnard, a Republican.
Democratic challenger A.J. Kurdoglu lost the race, but said he had no doubts that the district is changing. Still, it will take work to decide the political future of the East Valley, he said – liberal and conservative leaders can’t simply wait for the demographics to change.
“I always believe it is our job as candidates or as a party to reach out to your neighbors, your constituency and explain what you stand for,” Kurdoglu said.
Mesnard comfortably won his Senate seat, but doesn’t deny the potential of the region turning blue in years to come. He lost his own precinct to Kurdoglu by 5.3% of the vote, or 277 votes. Biden carried it by a wider margin of 15%, or 827 votes.
The senator said he has no plans to change his policies in response to a constituency that is becoming more liberal.
“I ran for office in the first place under a certain set of principles. I maintain those principles,” Mesnard said. “And if there’s an avalanche of people that come in with different principles, it’ll probably just mean that I’ll lose, eventually.”
He said he hopes to convince newcomers that his policies – and the Republican platform more broadly – have helped make Arizona an attractive place to live.
Even as pundits make predictions for the next election, the competitive status of LD17 could soon recede into history when officials begin redrawing legislative districts next year.
Feely, the Democratic precinct committeeperson, said she thinks the liberal tilt in her neighborhood is a credit to people engaging with the issues more than any sea change in political beliefs.
As a retired school district employee, she said she thinks candidates who are focused on education will find supporters in the East Valley, just as Democrat Jennifer Pawlik did when she ran for the state House two years ago and won. Pawlik was re-elected last month.
“It’s not just a red and blue thing,” Feely said of the political map. “It’s what people think you can do to improve our community.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Montenegro's indebted state airline ceases operations

PODGORICA , Montenegro ( AP ) - Montenegro Airlines ceased its operations on Saturday after the small country ’ s new government refused to continue financing the indebted national carrier .
The airline which was formed 25 years ago has apologized to its passengers for the sudden termination of all flights and thanked them for “ the years of trust , travel and friendship.
” The company that operated a small fleet of Embraer 195 and Fokker 100s and flew to many European capitals is estimated to have accumulated over 150 million of euros in debt which grew further with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Montenegro ’ s new conservative government , which last month took over from a pro-Western leadership , said the company ’ s management suffered from “ numerous omissions and shortcomings , ” adding that monthly salaries to over 350 employees were last paid in September .
The government said it will immediately stop funding the losses , adding that the airline ’ s debt is such that it faced the “ possibility of confiscation of aircraft ” on foreign airports .
But the government added that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” airline in the months to come .
The airline , which carried about 10 million passengers over the past two and a half decades , said the government ’ s “ decision to shut down our company will have a negative impact on the entire aviation sector in the country.
” In a sentimental farewell gesture , the pilots on the company ’ s last flight to Belgrade on Friday were given permission by air controllers to make a heart-shape course in the skies over the picturesque mountainous Adriatic state .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tears and huge love for our company by the crew and all its employees , ” the flight ’ s captain , Nikola Pavicevic , wrote on Facebook .

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) - Montenegro Airlines ceased its operations on Saturday after the small country’s new government refused to continue financing the indebted national carrier.
The airline which was formed 25 years ago has apologized to its passengers for the sudden termination of all flights and thanked them for “the years of trust, travel and friendship.”
The company that operated a small fleet of Embraer 195 and Fokker 100s and flew to many European capitals is estimated to have accumulated over 150 million of euros in debt which grew further with the collapse of the summer tourist season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Montenegro’s new conservative government, which last month took over from a pro-Western leadership, said the company’s management suffered from “numerous omissions and shortcomings,” adding that monthly salaries to over 350 employees were last paid in September.
The government said it will immediately stop funding the losses, adding that the airline’s debt is such that it faced the “possibility of confiscation of aircraft” on foreign airports. But the government added that it plans to form a “completely new” airline in the months to come.
The airline, which carried about 10 million passengers over the past two and a half decades, said the government’s “decision to shut down our company will have a negative impact on the entire aviation sector in the country.”
In a sentimental farewell gesture, the pilots on the company’s last flight to Belgrade on Friday were given permission by air controllers to make a heart-shape course in the skies over the picturesque mountainous Adriatic state.
“It was pure emotion triggered by the tears and huge love for our company by the crew and all its employees,” the flight’s captain, Nikola Pavicevic, wrote on Facebook.


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Police: Three dead, three injured in shooting at northern Illinois bowling alley; "person of interes

ROCKFORD , Ill. ( AP ) - Police : Three dead , three injured in shooting at northern Illinois bowling @ @ @ @ @ interest ” in custody .

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Police: Three dead, three injured in shooting at northern Illinois bowling alley; “person of interest” in custody.
Copyright © 2023 The Washington Times, LLC.


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Asia Today: Japan halts all foreign arrivals over UK variant

TOKYO ( AP ) - Japan is barring entry of all nonresident foreign nationals as a precaution against a new and potentially more contagious coronavirus variant that has spread across Britain .
The Foreign Ministry says the entry ban will start Monday and last through Jan. 31 .
Last week , Japan banned nonresident foreigners coming from Britain and South Africa after confirming the new variant in seven people over the last two days - five from Britain who tested positive at airports and two others in Tokyo .
Japan is also suspending the exemption of a 14-day quarantine for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short-track program that began in November .
The entrants now must carry proof of a negative test 72 hours prior to departure for Japan and self-isolate for two weeks after arrival .
Japan is struggling with surging cases since November .
It has confirmed a total of 217,312 cases including 3,213 deaths , up 3,700 from the previous 24-hour period .
Tokyo alone reported 949 cases , setting a new record , despite calls by experts and government officials for people to spend a “ quiet ” holiday season .
Elsewhere in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thailand say two new clusters of coronavirus cases appear to be linked to a major outbreak discovered a week earlier among migrant workers in an industrial province near Bangkok .
The new cases were found in 19 members of a motorcycling club who held a holiday gathering on Lanta Island in the southern province of Krabi , and nine others who visited a gambling den in the eastern province of Rayong .
They ’ re part of 110 cases reported Saturday , bringing Thailand ’ s total to 6,020 .
Sixty of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The government warned that unless social distancing and other restrictions are observed , a nationwide lockdown might have to be implemented by March .

TOKYO (AP) - Japan is barring entry of all nonresident foreign nationals as a precaution against a new and potentially more contagious coronavirus variant that has spread across Britain.
The Foreign Ministry says the entry ban will start Monday and last through Jan. 31.
Last week, Japan banned nonresident foreigners coming from Britain and South Africa after confirming the new variant in seven people over the last two days - five from Britain who tested positive at airports and two others in Tokyo.
Japan is also suspending the exemption of a 14-day quarantine for Japanese nationals and resident foreigners in a short-track program that began in November. The entrants now must carry proof of a negative test 72 hours prior to departure for Japan and self-isolate for two weeks after arrival.
U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan – who under the Status of Forces Agreement are exempt from Japanese passport control and visa requirements - would be permitted to enter the country for duty or other reasons, although they would have to follow quarantine rules.
Japan, which has been struggling with surging cases since November, has confirmed a total of 217,312 cases, including 3,213 deaths.
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region:
- South Korea has decided not to immediately enforce its toughest distancing rules in the greater Seoul area despite a surge in coronavirus cases there. The area is currently under the second-highest distancing rules. There have been calls for raising the restrictions to the highest level, but the government is reluctant to do so because of worries about the economy. Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said Sunday the government will maintain the current restrictions in the Seoul area until Jan. 3. He said the third-highest level of distancing rules imposed in other regions will also remain in place until Jan 3. Kwon said South Korea logged an average of 999 new cases per day last week, with 690 of them in the Seoul area. Under the current rules, nightclubs, karaoke rooms, fitness centers, gyms and cram schools in the Seoul area have suspended operations. As additional steps, authorities last week banned social gatherings of more than five people and ordered the shutdowns of ski resorts and other tourists spots. The toughest restrictions would shut down hundreds of thousands of more businesses and order companies to have all nonessential employees work from home. South Korea has reported 56,872 cases overall, including 808 deaths.
- Beijing officials reported five new locally transmitted coronavirus cases as authorities rushed to mass-test residents. The five cases, linked to earlier infections, lived in the city’s Shunyi district, which has since activated an emergency response plan including mass testing, source tracing and disinfection. As of Saturday noon, over 120,000 had been tested for the coronavirus. Authorities plan to test 800,000 people in the district. Separately, officials reported four locally transmitted cases in the northeastern port city of Dalia, where over 4.75 million people were tested following more than 20 confirmed cases this month. China reported 22 new cases in the last 24 hours, including 10 imported and 12 domestic. China has so far reported a total of 86,955 cases, with 4,634 deaths.
___
Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


washingtontimes--2020-12-26--Former Louisiana state Rep. Vic Stelly dies at age 79

LAKE CHARLES , La .
( AP ) - Victor “ Vic ” Stelly , a former Louisiana lawmaker who served 16 years in the state House and later as a member of Louisiana ’ s higher education policy board , has died .
He was 79 .
Gov .
John Bel Edwards confirmed Stelly ‘ s death in a tweet Saturday .
He did not say how or when Stelly died .
“ Vic served dutifully , ” Edwards tweeted of the former Lake Charles lawmaker .
As a state lawmaker , Stelly was known for a tax swap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by lawmakers and voters in a 2002 constitutional change , the “ Stelly Plan ” eliminated sales taxes on groceries and residential utilities in exchange for increased income taxes on middle- and upper-income earners .
Many parts of the plan were later dismantled , but the controversial changes remained a heated topic among politicians and radio talk show hosts for years , as critics argued that it harmed Louisiana families and undercut Republican claims of fiscal conservatism .
Stelly served four terms in the state House beginning in 1988 , before deciding not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The retired insurance agent was later appointed to the Louisiana Board of Regents , which oversees public higher education spending and management .
He resigned from the board in 2012 , citing frustration with cuts to state funding for public colleges that Gov .
Bobby Jindal ’ s administration had made .
Stelly was a Republican for most of his time in the Legislature , but switched to no party affiliation near the end of his tenure .
He was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in 2006 .
He received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State University in 1962 and his master ’ s from Louisiana State University in 1965 .
He was an assistant football coach at McNeese State University from 1970 through 1974 .
Stelly is survived by his wife , Terry , and three children , according to KPLC-TV .
Former state representative and current Sulphur Mayor Mike Danahay told The American Press that Stelly “ gave his all in serving the public of Southwest Louisiana and the entirety of our state.
” “ Vic was a fine gentleman and a true statesman , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be remembered as a man of great integrity and conviction .
”

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - Victor “Vic” Stelly, a former Louisiana lawmaker who served 16 years in the state House and later as a member of Louisiana’s higher education policy board, has died. He was 79.
Gov. John Bel Edwards confirmed Stelly’s death in a tweet Saturday. He did not say how or when Stelly died.
“Vic served dutifully,” Edwards tweeted of the former Lake Charles lawmaker.
As a state lawmaker, Stelly was known for a tax swap plan that bears his name.
Approved by lawmakers and voters in a 2002 constitutional change, the “Stelly Plan” eliminated sales taxes on groceries and residential utilities in exchange for increased income taxes on middle- and upper-income earners.
Many parts of the plan were later dismantled, but the controversial changes remained a heated topic among politicians and radio talk show hosts for years, as critics argued that it harmed Louisiana families and undercut Republican claims of fiscal conservatism.
Stelly served four terms in the state House beginning in 1988, before deciding not to run for a fifth term. The retired insurance agent was later appointed to the Louisiana Board of Regents, which oversees public higher education spending and management. He resigned from the board in 2012, citing frustration with cuts to state funding for public colleges that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration had made.
Stelly was a Republican for most of his time in the Legislature, but switched to no party affiliation near the end of his tenure. He was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in 2006.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern State University in 1962 and his master’s from Louisiana State University in 1965. He was an assistant football coach at McNeese State University from 1970 through 1974.
Stelly is survived by his wife, Terry, and three children, according to KPLC-TV.
Former state representative and current Sulphur Mayor Mike Danahay told The American Press that Stelly “gave his all in serving the public of Southwest Louisiana and the entirety of our state.”
“Vic was a fine gentleman and a true statesman,” he said. “He will always be remembered as a man of great integrity and conviction.”