Israeli court rejects petition to curb spyware company

FILE - In this March 5, 2020 file photo, journalist and activist Omar Radi speaks after a hearing at the Casablanca Courthouse, In Casablanca, Morocco. On Sunday, July 12, 2020 the Tel Aviv District Court rejected a request to strip the controversial Israeli spyware firm NSO Group of its export license over the suspected use of the company’s technology in targeting journalists, including Radi, and dissidents worldwide. The case, brought by Amnesty International in January, called on the court to prevent NSO from selling its technology abroad, especially to repressive regimes. The court ruled that Amnesty’s attorneys did not provide sufficient evidence. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar, File)


JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli court has rejected a request to strip the controversial Israeli spyware firm NSO Group of its export license over the suspected use of the company’s technology in targeting journalists and dissidents worldwide.

The case, brought by Amnesty International in January, called on the court to prevent NSO from selling its technology abroad, especially to repressive regimes.

The Tel Aviv District Court ruled that Amnesty’s attorneys did not provide sufficient evidence “to prove the claim that an attempt was made to track a human rights activist by trying to hack his cell phone” or that the hacking was done by NSO.

“Granting a license is done after the most rigorous process and also after granting the permit, the authority conducts oversight and close inspection, as necessary,” the court said. If human rights are found to be violated, that permit can be suspended or canceled, it added.

The court issued its ruling on Sunday, but only made it public on Monday.

Gil Naveh, spokesman for Amnesty International Israel, said the group was disappointed but not surprised.

“It’s been a longstanding tradition for the Israeli courts to be a rubber stamp for the Israeli Ministry of Defense,” he said.

The group doesn’t know what evidence NSO or the Defense Ministry gave to the court, because the hearings were closed. “Even if we knew, we were not able to talk about it,” he said.

In 2018, Amnesty claimed one of its employees was targeted by NSO’s malware, saying a hacker tried to break into the staffer’s smartphone, using a WhatsApp message about a protest in front of the Saudi Embassy in Washington as bait.

NSO, an Israeli hacker-for-hire company, uses its Pegasus spyware to take control of a phone, its cameras and microphones, and mine the user’s personal data.

The company has been accused of selling its surveillance software to repressive governments that use it against dissidents. It doesn’t disclose clients, but they are believed to include Middle Eastern and Latin American states. The company says it sells its technology to Israeli-approved governments to help them combat criminals and terrorism.

NSO Group said in a statement that the company “will continue to work to provide technology to states and intelligence organizations,” adding that its purpose is to “save human lives.”

In a report published last month, Amnesty International said Moroccan journalist Omar Radi’s phone was tapped using NSO’s technology as part of the government’s efforts to clamp down on dissent.

A Saudi dissident has accused NSO of involvement in Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killing in 2018.

AP: Catholic Church lobbied for taxpayer funds, got $1.4B

By REESE DUNKLIN and MICHAEL REZENDES

July 10, 2020

1 of 7
FILE - In this Sunday, April 12, 2020 file photo, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, right, delivers his homily over mostly empty pews as he leads an Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Due to coronavirus concerns, no congregants were allowed to attend the Mass which was broadcast live on local TV. The Archdiocese of New York received 15 loans worth at least $28 million just for its top executive offices. St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $1 million. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)




NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups.

The church’s haul may have reached -- or even exceeded -- $3.5 billion, making a global religious institution with more than a billion followers among the biggest winners in the U.S. government’s pandemic relief efforts, an Associated Press analysis of federal data released this week found.

Houses of worship and faith-based organizations that promote religious beliefs aren’t usually eligible for money from the U.S. Small Business Administration. But as the economy plummeted and jobless rates soared, Congress let faith groups and other nonprofits tap into the Paycheck Protection Program, a $659 billion fund created to keep Main Street open and Americans employed.

By aggressively promoting the payroll program and marshaling resources to help affiliates navigate its shifting rules, Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools and other ministries have so far received approval for at least 3,500 forgivable loans, AP found.

The Archdiocese of New York, for example, received 15 loans worth at least $28 million just for its top executive offices. Its iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $1 million.

In Orange County, California, where a sparkling glass cathedral estimated to cost over $70 million recently opened, diocesan officials working at the complex received four loans worth at least $3 million.

And elsewhere, a loan of at least $2 million went to the diocese covering Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, where a church investigation revealed last year that then-Bishop Michael Bransfield embezzled funds and made sexual advances toward young priests.

Simply being eligible for low-interest loans was a new opportunity. But the church couldn’t have been approved for so many loans -- which the government will forgive if they are used for wages, rent and utilities -- without a second break.

Religious groups persuaded the Trump administration to free them from a rule that typically disqualifies an applicant with more than 500 workers. Without this preferential treatment, many Catholic dioceses would have been ineligible because -- between their head offices, parishes and other affiliates -- their employees exceed the 500-person cap.

“The government grants special dispensation, and that creates a kind of structural favoritism,” said Micah Schwartzman, a University of Virginia law professor specializing in constitutional issues and religion who has studied the Paycheck Protection Program. “And that favoritism was worth billions of dollars.”

The amount that the church collected, between $1.4 billion and $3.5 billion, is an undercount. The Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference, an organization of Catholic financial officers, surveyed members and reported that about 9,000 Catholic entities received loans. That is nearly three times the number of Catholic recipients the AP could identify.

The AP couldn’t find more Catholic beneficiaries because the government’s data, released after pressure from Congress and a lawsuit from news outlets including the AP, didn’t name recipients of loans under $150,000 -- a category in which many smaller churches would fall. And because the government released only ranges of loan amounts, it wasn’t possible to be more precise.

Even without a full accounting, AP’s analysis places the Catholic Church among the major beneficiaries in the Paycheck Protection Program, which also has helped companies backed by celebrities, billionaires, state governors and members of Congress.

The program was open to all religious groups, and many took advantage. Evangelical advisers to President Donald Trump, including his White House spiritual czar, Paula White-Cain, also received loans.

___

‘TRULY IN NEED’

There is no doubt that state shelter-in-place orders disrupted houses of worship and businesses alike.

Masses were canceled, even during the Holy Week and Easter holidays, depriving parishes of expected revenue and contributing to layoffs in some dioceses. Some families of Catholic school students are struggling to make tuition payments. And the expense of disinfecting classrooms once classes resume will put additional pressure on budgets.

But other problems were self-inflicted. Long before the pandemic, scores of dioceses faced increasing financial pressure because of a dramatic rise in recent clergy sex abuse claims.

The scandals that erupted in 2018 reverberated throughout the world. Pope Francis ordered the former archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, to a life of “prayer and penance” following allegations he abused minors and adult seminarians. And a damning grand jury report about abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses revealed bishops had long covered for predator priests, spurring investigations in more than 20 other states.

As the church again reckoned with its longtime crisis, abuse reports tripled during the year ending June 2019 to a total of nearly 4,500 nationally. Meanwhile, dioceses and religious orders shelled out $282 million that year — up from $106 million just five years earlier. Most of that went to settlements, in addition to legal fees and support for offending clergy.

Loan recipients included about 40 dioceses that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years paying victims through compensation funds or bankruptcy proceedings. AP’s review found that these dioceses were approved for about $200 million, though the value is likely much higher.

One was the New York Archdiocese. As a successful battle to lift the statute of limitations on the filing of child sexual abuse lawsuits gathered steam, Cardinal Timothy Dolan established a victim compensation fund in 2016. Since then, other dioceses have established similar funds, which offer victims relatively quick settlements while dissuading them from filing lawsuits.

Spokesperson Joseph Zwilling said the archdiocese simply wanted to be “treated equally and fairly under the law.” When asked about the waiver from the 500-employee cap that religious organizations received, Zwilling deferred to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

A spokesperson for the bishops’ conference acknowledged its officials lobbied for the paycheck program, but said the organization wasn’t tracking what dioceses and Catholic agencies received.

“These loans are an essential lifeline to help faith-based organizations to stay afloat and continue serving those in need during this crisis,” spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said in a written statement. According to AP’s data analysis, the church and all its organizations reported retaining at least 407,900 jobs with the money they were awarded.

Noguchi also wrote the conference felt strongly that “the administration write and implement this emergency relief fairly for all applicants.”

Not every Catholic institution sought government loans. The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy based in Stamford, Connecticut, told AP that even though its parishes experienced a decline in donations, none of the organizations in its five-state territory submitted applications.

Deacon Steve Wisnowski, a financial officer for the eparchy, said pastors and church managers used their rainy-day savings and that parishioners responded generously with donations. As a result, parishes “did not experience a severe financial crisis.”

Wisnowski said his superiors understood the program was for “organizations and businesses truly in need of assistance.”

___

LOBBYING FOR A BREAK

The law that created the Paycheck Protection Program let nonprofits participate, as long as they abided by SBA’s “affiliation rule.” The rule typically says that only businesses with fewer than 500 employees, including at all subsidiaries, are eligible.

Lobbying by the church helped religious organizations get an exception.

The Catholic News Service reported that the bishops’ conference and several major Catholic nonprofit agencies worked throughout the week of March 30 to ensure that the “unique nature of the entities would not make them ineligible for the program” because of how SBA defines a “small” business. Those conversations came just days after President Trump signed the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which included the Paycheck Protection Program.

In addition, federal records show the Los Angeles archdiocese, whose leader heads the bishops’ conference, paid $20,000 to lobby the U.S. Senate and House on “eligibility for non-profits” under the CARES Act. The records also show that Catholic Charities USA, a social service arm of the church with member agencies in dioceses across the country, paid another $30,000 to lobby on the act and other issues.

In late April, after thousands of Catholic institutions had secured loans, several hundred Catholic leaders pressed for additional help on a call with President Trump. During the call, Trump underscored the coming presidential election and touted himself as the candidate best aligned with religious conservatives, boasting he was the “best (president) the Catholic church has ever seen,” according to Crux, an online publication that covers church-related news.

The lobbying paid off.

Catholic Charities USA and its member agencies were approved for about 110 loans worth between $90 million and $220 million at least, according to the data.

In a statement, Catholic Charities said: “Each organization is a separate legal entity under the auspices of the bishop in the diocese in which the agency is located. CCUSA supports agencies that choose to become members, but does not have any role in their daily operations or governance.”

The Los Angeles archdiocese told AP in a survey that reporters sent before the release of federal data that 247 of its 288 parishes -- and all but one of its 232 schools -- received loans. The survey covered more than 180 dioceses and eparchies.

Like most dioceses, Los Angeles wouldn’t disclose its total dollar amount. While the federal data doesn’t link Catholic recipients to their home dioceses, AP found 37 loans to the archdiocese and its affiliates worth between $9 million and $23 million, including one for its downtown cathedral.

In 2007, the archdiocese paid a record $660 million to settle sex abuse claims from more than 500 victims. Spokespeople for Los Angeles Archbishop Jose M. Gomez did not respond to additional questions about the archdiocese’s finances and lobbying.

In program materials, SBA officials said they provided the affiliation waiver to religious groups in deference to their unique organizational structure, and because the public health response to slow the coronavirus’ spread disrupted churches just as it did businesses.

A senior official in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which worked with the SBA to administer the program, acknowledged in a statement the wider availability of loans to religious organizations. “The CARES Act expanded eligibility to include nonprofits in the PPP, and SBA’s regulations ensured that no eligible religious nonprofit was excluded from participation due to its beliefs or denomination,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, some legal experts say that the special consideration the government gave faith groups in the loan program has further eroded the wall between church and state provided in the First Amendment. With that erosion, religious groups that don’t pay taxes have gained more access to public money, said Marci Hamilton, a University of Pennsylvania professor and attorney who has represented clergy abuse victims on constitutional issues during bankruptcy proceedings.

“At this point, the argument is you’re anti-religious if in fact you would say the Catholic Church shouldn’t be getting government funding,” Hamilton said.

___

CASHING IN FAST

After its lobbying blitz, the Catholic Church worked with parishes and schools to access the money.

Many dioceses -- from large ones such as the Archdiocese of Boston to smaller ones such as the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin -- assembled how-to guides to help their affiliates apply. The national Catholic fiscal conference also hosted multiple webinars with legal and financial experts to help coach along local leaders.

Federal data show that the bulk of the church’s money was approved during the loan program’s first two weeks. That’s when demand for the first-come, first-served assistance was so high that the initial $349 billion was quickly exhausted, shutting out many local businesses.

Overall, nearly 500 loans approved to Catholic entities exceeded $1 million each. The AP found that at least eight hit the maximum range of $5 million to $10 million. Many of the listed recipients were the offices of bishops, headquarters of leading religious orders, major churches, schools and chapters of Catholic Charities.

Also among recipients was the Saint Luke Institute. The Catholic treatment center for priests accused of sexual abuse and those suffering from other disorders received a loan ranging from $350,000 to $1 million. Based in Silver Spring, Maryland, the institute has at times been a way station for priests accused of sexual abuse who returned to active ministry only to abuse again.

Perhaps nothing illustrates the church’s aggressive pursuit of funds better than four dioceses that sued the federal government to receive loans, even though they entered bankruptcy proceedings due to mounting clergy sex-abuse claims. Small Business Administration rules prohibit loans to applicants in bankruptcy.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico -- once home to a now-closed and notorious treatment center for predator priests -- prevailed in court, clearing the way for its administrative offices to receive nearly $1 million. It accused the SBA of overreaching by blocking bankruptcy applications when Congress didn’t spell that out.

Yet even when a diocese has lost in bankruptcy court, or its case is pending, its affiliated parishes, schools and other organizations remain eligible for loans.

On the U.S. territory of Guam, well over 200 clergy abuse lawsuits led church leaders in the tiny Archdiocese of Agana to seek bankruptcy protection, as they estimated at least $45 million in liabilities. Even so, the archdiocese’s parishes, schools and other organizations have received at least $1.7 million as it sues the SBA for approval to get a loan for its headquarters, according to bankruptcy filings.

The U.S. church may have a troubling record on sex abuse, but Bishop Lawrence Persico of Erie, Pennsylvania, pushed back on the idea that dioceses should be excluded from the government’s rescue package. Approximately 80 organizations within his diocese received loans worth $10.3 million, the diocese said, with most of the money going to parishes and schools.

Persico pointed out that church entities help feed, clothe and shelter the poor -- and in doing so keep people employed.

“I know some people may react with surprise that government funding helped support faith-based schools, parishes and dioceses,” he said. “The separation of church and state does not mean that those motivated by their faith have no place in the public square.”

___

Data journalist Justin Myers contributed from Chicago.


AP: After lobbying, Catholic Church won $1.4B in virus aid

By REESE DUNKLIN and MICHAEL REZENDES

July 10, 2020

FILE - In this Tuesday, May 7, 2019 file photo, a statue of Pope John Paul II stands outside the island's main cathedral, Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica, during a Mass in Hagatna, Guam. Over 200 clergy abuse lawsuits led church leaders in the U.S. territory to seek bankruptcy protection, as they estimated at least $45 million in liabilities. Even so, the Archdiocese of Agana’s parishes, schools and other organizations have received at least $1.7 million in coronavirus rescue funds in 2020, as it sues the Small Business Administration for approval to get a loan for its headquarters, according to the archdiocese’s bankruptcy filing. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups.

The church’s haul may have reached -- or even exceeded -- $3.5 billion, making a global religious institution with more than a billion followers among the biggest winners in the U.S. government’s pandemic relief efforts, an Associated Press analysis of federal data released this week found.

Houses of worship and faith-based organizations that promote religious beliefs aren’t usually eligible for money from the U.S. Small Business Administration. But as the economy plummeted and jobless rates soared, Congress let faith groups and other nonprofits tap into the Paycheck Protection Program, a $659 billion fund created to keep main street open and Americans employed.

By aggressively promoting the program and marshaling resources to navigate its shifting rules, Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools and other ministries have so far received approval for at least 3,500 forgivable loans, AP found.

The Archdiocese of New York, for example, received 15 loans worth at least $28 million just for its top executive offices. Its iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $1 million.

A loan of at least $2 million went to the diocese covering Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, where a church investigation revealed last year that then-Bishop Michael Bransfield embezzled funds and made sexual advances toward young priests.

Simply being eligible for low-interest loans was a new opportunity. But the church couldn’t have been approved for so many loans -- which the government will forgive if they are used for wages, rent and utilities -- without a second break.

Religious groups persuaded the Trump administration to free them from a rule that typically disqualifies an applicant with more than 500 workers. Without this preferential treatment, many Catholic dioceses would have been ineligible because -- between their head offices, parishes and other affiliates -- they exceed the 500-person cap.

“That favoritism was worth billions of dollars,” said Micah Schwartzman, a University of Virginia law professor specializing in constitutional issues and religion who has studied the Paycheck Protection Program.

The AP tally of how much the church collected, between $1.4 billion and $3.5 billion, is an undercount. The Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference surveyed members and reported that about 9,000 Catholic entities received loans. That is nearly three times the number of Catholic recipients AP could identify.

AP couldn’t find more Catholic beneficiaries because the government’s data, released after pressure from Congress and a lawsuit from news outlets including the AP, didn’t name recipients of loans under $150,000 -- a category in which many smaller churches would fall. And because the government released only ranges of loan amounts, it wasn’t possible to be more precise.

The Paycheck Protection Program was open to all religious groups, and many took advantage. Evangelical advisers to President Donald Trump received loans, as did many big-name churches.

There is no doubt that state shelter-in-place orders disrupted houses of worship and businesses alike. Masses were canceled, depriving parishes of expected revenue and contributing to layoffs in some dioceses.

But other problems were self-inflicted. Long before the pandemic, scores of dioceses faced financial pressure because of a dramatic rise in recent clergy sex-abuse claims.

The scandals that erupted in 2018 reverberated throughout the world, propelled by a damning grand jury report about abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses which revealed bishops had long covered for predator priests.

As the church again reckoned with its longtime crisis, dioceses and religious orders shelled out $282 million during the year ending June 2019 — up from $106 million just five years earlier.

Paycheck Protection loan recipients included about 40 dioceses that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the past few years paying victims. AP’s review found these dioceses were approved for about $200 million, though the value is likely much higher.

One was the New York Archdiocese. Spokesperson Joseph Zwilling said the archdiocese simply wanted to be “treated equally and fairly under the law.” When asked about the waiver from the 500-employee cap that religious organizations received, Zwilling deferred to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

A spokesperson for the bishops’ conference acknowledged its officials lobbied for the paycheck program, but said the organization wasn’t tracking what dioceses and Catholic agencies received.

“These loans are an essential lifeline to help faith-based organizations to stay afloat and continue serving those in need during this crisis,” spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said in a written statement. According to AP’s data analysis, the church and all its organizations reported retaining at least 407,900 jobs with the money they were awarded.

Noguchi also wrote the conference felt strongly that “the administration write and implement this emergency relief fairly for all applicants.”

Not every Catholic institution sought government loans. The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy based in Stamford, Connecticut, told AP that even though its parishes experienced a decline in donations, none of the organizations in its five-state territory submitted applications.

Deacon Steve Wisnowski, a financial officer for the eparchy, said pastors and church managers used their rainy-day savings and that parishioners responded generously with donations. As a result, parishes “did not experience a severe financial crisis.”

Wisnowski said his superiors understood the program was for “organizations and businesses truly in need of assistance.”

___

Data journalist Justin Myers contributed from Chicago.

___

Contact AP’s global investigative team at investigative@ap.org.

___

Contact the reporters on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ReeseDunklin or https://twitter.com/MikeRezendes.

Amazon unveils shopping cart that knows what you’re buying

In a photo provided by Amazon, the company's smart shopping cart is seen in spring 2020 in Los Angeles. The cart, which Amazon unveiled Tuesday, July 14, 2020, uses cameras, sensors and a scale to automatically detect what shoppers drop in. It keeps a tally and then charges their Amazon account when they leave the store. No cashier is needed. (Amazon via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon has a new cure for long supermarket lines: a smart shopping cart.

The cart, which Amazon unveiled on Tuesday, uses cameras, sensors and a scale to automatically detect what shoppers drop in. It keeps a tally and then charges their Amazon account when they leave the store. No cashier is needed.

It’s the latest attempt by Amazon to shake up the supermarket industry and offer a solution to long checkout lines. The online shopping giant opened a cashier-less supermarket in Seattle that uses cameras and sensors in the ceiling to track what shoppers grab and charge them as they leave. Amazon.com Inc. also has roughly 25 cashier-less convenience stores with similar technology.

The cart, called Amazon Dash Cart, will first show up at a new Los Angeles supermarket Amazon is opening later this year. The store will have cashiers, but Amazon said it wanted to give shoppers a way to bypass any lines. In the future, it could be used at Amazon’s Whole Foods grocery chain or other stores, if Amazon sells the technology, but there are no plans for either right now.

Several startups are already making similar smart shopping carts that are being tested in stores, but many require scanning groceries before dropping them in.

There’s no scanning on the Amazon cart. A screen near the handle lists what’s being charged, and the cart can detect when something is taken out and have it removed from the bill. And there’s also a way to let the cart know if you need to throw a jacket or purse in the cart so you don’t have to carry it around.

Column: What’s in a name? Stubborn Snyder about to find out
By JIM LITKE

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2014 file photo, the Washington Redskins NFL football team logo is seen on the field before an NFL football preseason game against the New England Patriots in Landover, Md. The recent national conversation about racism has renewed calls for the Washington Redskins to change their name. D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser called the name an "obstacle" to the team building its stadium and headquarters in the District, but owner Dan Snyder over the years has shown no indications he'd consider it. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Try to think of a more deserving guy in all of sports than Dan Snyder to get his name-change plans caught in a vise. Go ahead, we’ll wait.

In the meantime, let’s all savor this quote from the owner of the Washington NFL franchise formerly-known-as-the … (which was precisely the problem) the last time Native American advocates lobbied for a name change:

“We’ll never change the name,” Snyder told USA Today in 2013. “It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”

Turns out six years later, Snyder HAD to because the sponsors who line his pockets could squeeze him in a way that the Native Americans appealing to his sense of decency for nearly two decades never could. Gone for good are the polarizing name, mascot, logo, fight song, signage, etc. — good riddance — and then there’s this intriguing extra bit of consolation: Snyder’s name-changing headaches might be far from over.

The team’s statement on officially retiring the Redskins name didn’t include a replacement because, according to a handful of news outlets, Snyder’s preferred choice (or choices) might spark a trademark fight. And it could be a doozy.

While Snyder dithered and the internet buzzed with suggestions for Washington’s new name, a handful of visionaries rolled up their sleeves, fired up their keyboards and filed applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for many of the most popular ones. The earliest adopter might be Philip Martin McCaulay, an author and actuary from Alexandria, Virginia, who staked claim to several candidates back in 2015 and now has registered more than a dozen — including Americans, Warriors, Federals, Red Tails and Red-Tailed Hawks, the latter two an homage to the Tuskegee Airmen from World War II.

But McCaulay isn’t alone anymore. In the last week or so, a handful of others have tried to snatch Braves, War Hogs, Potomacs, Veterans and Monuments, among others. And while no one had attempted to register the Washington Presidents as of Sunday, the actual president in Washington insisted that any replacement signaled a shameful retreat.

“They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness,” President Donald Trump tweeted a week ago, including baseball’s Cleveland Indians in the short diatribe. “Two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct.”

It’s a safe bet Snyder feels the same way, though for once he’s holding his tongue. When Native Americans mounted a pressure campaign in 2013, Snyder hired a battery of PR experts and created the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation to deflect criticism. There was too much momentum to dodge the issue this time.

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2019, file photo, Native American leaders protest against the Redskins team name outside U.S. Bank Stadium before an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins in Minneapolis. Several Native American leaders and organizations have sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calling for the league to force Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team name immediately. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn, File)

Snyder’s next move is hard to predict. But like some billionaires, he likes to file lawsuits. He sued sports writer Dave McKenna and the Washington City Paper in 2011 for a lengthy, unflattering profile, perhaps because printing his record (142-193-1 and 2-5 in the playoffs through last season) would have been unflattering enough. Snyder even sued one of his own season ticket holders who couldn’t pony up for seats during the last recession.

Snyder hasn’t asked for my advice, but here it is anyway: Turn off the lights in your home office, put a cold, damp towel across your forehead and definitely do not call Commissioner Roger Goodell for advice; at a minimum, don’t decide anything for at least a month (then sell the team; just kidding).

But people who’ve managed rebranding campaigns for colleges generally figure on an 18-to-24-month timeline. Several recommended keeping the traditional gold and burgundy colors and playing next season known simply as Washington Football, rather than rush into anything the organization might regret. A quick change can be jarring to fans, and obtaining the trademark for a new name, then re-designing, licensing and getting everything from new uniforms to T-shirts and onesies into production isn’t an overnight job.

If further proof was needed, the team’s Monday announcement featured the old letterhead, with the Redskins name and logo prominently displayed on top.

On top of that, long-term planning was never Snyder’s strong suit. Current seat warmer Ron Rivera is the ninth head coach he’s hired since buying the team from Jack Kent Cooke’s estate back in 1999. Small wonder — Washington has burned through 21 starting quarterbacks over that same stretch.

So it should have come as no surprise to find out that Snyder had no Plan B. But at least he won’t have to look far or wide to find somebody to blame. All Snyder has to do is read the name on the signature line of all those checks stampeding out the door in the coming months.

____

Navy sees progress against blaze on warship in San Diego Bay

IF YOU CALL POISONING PEOPLE 

WITH TOXIC SMOKE PROGRESS....

1 of 9 https://apnews.com/c6161c954c72f3b1aafb83cb0f5ae5e1
Fire crews battle the fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard, Monday, July 13, 2020, in San Diego. Fire crews continue to battle the blaze Monday after 21 people suffered minor injuries in an explosion and fire Sunday on board the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The battle to save the USS Bonhomme Richard from a ravaging fire entered a third day in San Diego Bay on Tuesday with indications that the situation aboard the amphibious assault ship was improving.

The U.S. Navy said in a statement late Monday that firefighters were making significant progress with the assistance of water drops by helicopters.

The ship was emitting much less smoke than the previous two days, when acrid billows poured out and blanketed parts of the region.

The Navy, meanwhile, has taken precautions in case the warship sinks and potentially releases 1 million gallons (3.8 million liters) of oil on board into the harbor.

The U.S. Coast Guard has hired an oil clean-up crew to put a containment boom in place that could be ready if any oil is spilled. It also halted boat and air traffic within a nautical mile of the vessel.

On Monday, health officials warned people to stay indoors as acrid smoke wafted across San Diego from one of the Navy’s worst shipyard fires in recent years. At least 59 people, including 36 sailors and 23 civilians, have been treated for heat exhaustion, smoke inhalation and minor injuries. Five people who had been in a hospital under observation were released.

Some 400 sailors along with Navy helicopters and local and federal firefighters poured water on the carrier-like ship, which erupted in flames Sunday morning.



Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck said fire temperatures had reached up to 1,000 degrees (538 Celsius), causing the mast of the ship to collapse and threatening the central control island where the captain operates the vessel. He said there were about two decks between the fire and the fuel supplies.

Water being dumped on the vessel was causing the 840-foot (255-meter) ship to list to one side, but crews were pumping off the water.

Sobeck said it was too soon to give up on saving the 23-year-old amphibious assault ship, which has been undergoing maintenance since 2018.

“I feel absolutely hopeful because we have sailors giving it their all,” said Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3.

The fire was first reported in a lower cargo area where seafaring tanks and landing craft are parked. It appears to have started where cardboard boxes, rags and other maintenance supplies were being stored, Sobeck said. 

A COMMON PROBLEM CALLED SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION FROM OILY RAGS.

WHICH IS WHY THEY NEED TO BE KEPT IN METAL AIR TIGHT SAFETY CANS

A fire suppression system had been turned off because it was being worked on as part of the ongoing maintenance. The system uses Halon, a liquefied, compressed gas that disrupts a fire and stops its spread by cutting off its oxygen.
Sobeck said there was no ordnance on board the ship and he did not believe there was anything toxic.  

HALOGEN SYSTEM IS TOXIC, BURNING GAS, OIL, PLASTICS, ETC ETC  

However, the flames were burning plastic, cabling and other materials, sending a haze over downtown San Diego. The San Diego Air Pollution Control District warned that concentrations of fine particulate matter could reach unhealthful levels in some areas and that people should avoid exercising outdoors and stay indoors if possible to limit exposure.

Retired Navy Capt. Lawrence B. Brennan, a professor of international maritime law at Fordham University in New York, said there is a risk of the hull rupturing, which could cause the ship to spill its oil.

“If this is a million gallons of oil that ends up settling on the bottom of the San Diego Harbor and can’t be removed safely, we’re talking about billions of dollars of environmental damage,” said Brennan, who has investigated and litigated hundreds of maritime cases.

The ship can be used to deploy thousands of Marines to shore and has the capacity to accommodate helicopters, certain types of short-takeoff airplanes, small boats and amphibious vehicles.

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AP writers Christopher Weber and John Antczak contributed from Los Angeles.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A group of teachers and parents took part in a “motor march” in Jacksonville to promote the reopening of schools “when it’s safe.”

Two grassroots groups — the Duval Schools Pandemic Solutions Team and the Duval For a Safe Return to Campus — say they want the school district to put certain regulations in place until a vaccine for COVID-19 is available.

The 5-mile drive ended at the Duval County Public School headquarters just before the board’s meeting.

Marla Bryant, co-founder of the Duval Schools Pandemic Solutions Team, told the Florida Times-Union the group’s primary concerns include requiring masks in classrooms, keeping desks 6-feet apart, rigorous cleaning and disinfecting at each school and a full-time distance learning option for all grade levels.

Previously, the district was criticized for not offering a full-time distance learning option for K-12 students who wanted to stay enrolled in their existing school. Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has said schools should reopen as planned next month.

OLD SCHOOL WES MONTGOMERY LIVE IN STUDIO 1965 BW

Michael B. Jordan wants you to view a drive-in movie, on him

By GARY GERARD HAMILTON

FILE - In this July, 26, 2019 photo, actor and producer Michael B. Jordan poses for a portrait during the 2019 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. Jordan has partnered with Amazon Studios for “A Night at the Drive-In” that will bring diverse films to drive-in theaters for free screenings. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — For Michael B. Jordan, timing is everything. So when the SAG award winner marched in a Los Angeles Black Lives Matter protest last month demanding that Hollywood drastically increase its diversity in the executive ranks, it was a moment he felt prepared for.

’I think it’s always been brewing in me, but I think timing is everything, you know? I mean, who knew that we was going to be in this pandemic? And on the heels of that, another senseless murder by law enforcement,” said the 33-year-old “Just Mercy” star. “I’ve always chosen to be very strategic in wanting to speak when it really makes an impact and really matters…And I want to work and evolve and grow with people who feel that same sense of urgency.”


Jordan, whose breakout “Fruitvale Station” role followed the events of a young Black man killed by an Oakland transit police officer, channeled the urgency for change — and healing — into “A Night at the Drive-In.” The goal is to celebrate “multi-cultural and diverse voices in cinema, in hopes of ultimately bringing together communities.” Jordan and his Outlier Society production company— who hand-picked the movies — is partnering with Amazon Studios.

Films show every other Wednesday through Aug. 26 and include blockbusters such as “Crazy Rich Asians” and Jordan’s own “Black Panther,” along with classics like “Do the Right Thing” and “Coming to America.” The screenings will show in 20 cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Houston, as well as smaller towns such as Savannah, Georgia, Augusta-Aiken, South Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Attendance is free, with most moviegoers chosen by local community organizations and nonprofits. The initiative is also raising voter registration awareness.

“We wanted to find a way for us to (show) stories that fed our soul, that inspired us, that made us laugh,” Jordan said. “We wanted to give people an opportunity to find relatability through cinema, and we were able to put together a pretty eclectic list of some old favorites and some newer films that kind of checked off all those boxes.”

Outlier Society and Amazon Studios also partnered with Path Water, Pipcorn Popcorn and Partake Cookies — all owned by people of color — to provide free refreshments during the double- feature programs.

Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said the partnership falls into the company’s efforts to support social justice initiatives.

“Going through the conversations around supporting Black Lives Matter and changing the carousels on (Amazon Prime Video), all of that was never done as a, ‘OK, We better do these things out of a reactive we want to keep up with the guys or gals down the street,’” Salke said. “It really was a point of pride for the company to be able to say, ‘We care deeply about this.’”

As the Black Lives Matter slogan has pirouetted in American from divisiveness just a few years ago to wide acceptance, there’s been criticism that many major brands and corporations are only now supporting the movement for optics with no real plans to advocate for diversity, even within their own walls. But Salke says her group is planning beyond the present.

“Once the protests are over, all that energy going into all of that has to go into holding ourselves accountable and holding our teams and everyone else accountable. And we’ve talked about that in terms of every aspect of our business,” she said. “The good intention period is over… And we are going to make sure that those checks and balances exist.”

Jordan, who says he can’t remember ever staying home this long as Hollywood remains mostly dark because of the COVID-19 shutdown, remains committed to holding the film and TV industry to the fire on diversity. But his macro goal is to see change reflected in all aspects of society.

Jordan and Jamie Foxx starred in last year’s “Just Mercy,” the first major studio project made with the inclusion rider, the contractual provision mandating the consideration of people from underrepresented groups for cast and crew positions. The rider was initiated as a way to change long-term under-representation of people of color and women in Hollywood.

“What we’re doing right now while we have the energy and the momentum, let’s continue to keep the conversation pushing forward,” Jordan said. “Let’s address the disease, not just the symptoms.”

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Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at twitter.com/garyghamilton

Retirees in Greece win court battle for bailout refund


FILE - In this Tuesday, June 14, 2015 file photo, pensioners stand outside the main gate of the National bank of Greece, in Athens. A high court in Greece has ruled on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, in favor of retirees in a class action case in which they demanded the reimbursement of money cut from their income during international bailouts.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, file)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A high court in Greece ruled Tuesday in favor of retirees who brought a class action case to demand the reimbursement of money cut from their income during international bailouts.

The case was being closely watched in Greece, which is reeling from the economic impact of the pandemic and is expected to slide back into a severe recession after a decade-long effort to recover from financial crisis.

The Council of State administrative court ruled that pension cuts imposed during 2015-16 occurred without the proper legislative procedure and the money should be returned.

FILE - In this Wednesday, May 20, 2015 file photo, pensioners take part in an anti austerity protest in central Athens. A high court in Greece has ruled on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 in favor of retirees in a class action case in which they demanded the reimbursement of money cut from their income during international bailouts.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, file)

The court only ruled in favor of retirees whose associations were directly involved in the complaint. But the ruling could pave the way for broader claims that would have a greater fiscal impact on the country’s troubled public finances.

The government said it would comply with the decision.

FILE - In this Thursday March 8, 2018 file photo, pensioners shout anti austerity slogans as they protest in central Athens. Greece has ruled on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, in favor of retirees in a class action case in which they demanded the reimbursement A high court in of money cut from their income during international bailouts.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, file)

“We are studying today’s ruling and, taking into account our fiscal ability as well as what the economy can withstand, the government will announce when and how it will implement the decision,” a Labor and Social Affairs Ministry statement said.

Greek media have reported that the government could apply the ruling to all affected retirees, even those who weren’t directly involved in the complaint.

Retirees’ income was cut by successive governments during international bailouts by European Union institutions and the International Monetary Fund between 2010 and 2018

Burger King addresses climate change by changing cows’ diets

OUR COWS DON'T FART

FILE - In this May 8, 2018, filephoto, a Jersey cow feeds in a field on the Francis Thicke organic dairy farm in Fairfield, Iowa. Burger King is announcing its work to help address a core industry challenge: the environmental impact of beef. To help tackle this environmental issue, the Burger King brand partnered with top scientists to develop and test a new diet for cows, which according to initial study results, on average reduces up to 33% of cows' daily methane emissions. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
https://apnews.com/2adf5a4646fbf4883af89a52061f9667/gallery/04d365d5b7464bebb88afa43b0deb8ad

Burger King is staging an intervention with its cows.

The chain has rebalanced the diet of some of the cows by adding lemon grass in a bid to limit bovines contributions to climate change. By tweaking their diet, Burger King said Tuesday that it believes it can reduce a cows’ daily methane emissions by about 33%.

Cows emit methane as a by-product of their digestion, and that has become a potential public relations hurdle for major burger chains.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector made up 9.9% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Of that amount, methane emissions from livestock (called enteric fermentation) comprised more than a quarter of the emissions from the agriculture sector.

With an over-the-top social media campaig n that teeters between vulgarity and science (sprinkled with more vulgarity), Burger King is banking on the heightened awareness of climate change and its responsibility to limit its own role.

According to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about two out of three Americans say corporations have a responsibility to combat climate change. The gravitational pull of climate change is increasingly finding its way onto national political stage.

In this photo provided by Burger King, shows the company announcing its work to help address a core industry challenge: the environmental impact of beef. To help tackle this environmental issue, the Burger King brand partnered with top scientists to develop and test a new diet for cows, which according to initial study results, on average reduces up to 33% of cows' daily methane emissions. (Burger King via AP)

Potential customers are also cutting down on the amount of meat they consume, citing both environmental and dietary concerns. Burger King and rival McDonald’s have added meat alternatives to their menus.

Two years ago McDonald’s said it was taking steps to cut the greenhouse gases it emits. It tweaked the manner in which the beef in its Big Macs and Quarter Pounders was produced. The company said at the time that it expected the changes to prevent 150 million metric tons (165 million tons) of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere by 2030.




Burger King worked with scientists at the Autonomous University at the State of Mexico and at the University of California, Davis to test and develop its formula of adding 100 grams of lemongrass leaves to the cows’ daily diets. Preliminary tests indicate that the lemongrass leaves help the cows release less methane as they digest their food.

On Tuesday, Burger King introduced its Reduced Methane Emissions Beef Whopper, made with beef sourced from cows that emit reduced methane, in select restaurants in Miami, New York, Austin, Portland and Los Angeles, while supplies last.