November 30, 2017

Fabulous in Fashion

Thursday

November 30, 2017 T: 582-7800 | F: 582-7044 www.arubatoday.com

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Aruba’s ONLY English newspaper

TRUMP STUMP

President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform at the St. Charles Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, in St. Charles, Mo.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Trump Backs McCaskill Opponent as he Promotes Tax Bill

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — President Donald Trump appeared to give up on winning Democratic support as he promoted the GOP tax overhaul plan Wednesday, taking aim at a chief Republican target and repeatedly boosting her rival.

During a trip to Missouri to try to push the GOP tax plan across the finish line,

Trump told the state’s voters that Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill “is doing you a tremendous disservice.”

“She wants your taxes to go up, she’s weak on crime, she’s weak on borders, she’s weak on illegal immigration and she’s weak on the military,” Trump said in a speech in the St. Louis suburbs. “Other than that, I think she’s doing a fantas-

tic job.”

McCaskill, a top Republican target in the 2018 midterm elections, voted against the GOP proposal in committee earlier this month, and is expected to vote against it when the full Senate takes up the measure.

During his second visit to the state to build support for the plan, Trump made a populist appeal for the

Republican tax package, saying it would “bring Main Street rolling back.”

“Our focus is on helping the folks who work in the mailrooms and the machine shops of America, the plumbers, the carpenters, the cops, the teachers, the truck drivers, the pipe fitters — the people that like me best,” Trump said in a meandering speech in St. Charles.

“It is not enough for the middle class to keep getting by. We want them to start getting way ahead,” he said.

But while the White House says the plan will be a boon to middle-income families by helping small-business owners and workers, sparking economic growth and simplifying the tax code.

Continued on Page 3

NBC Fires Matt Lauer Over ‘Inappropriate Sexual Behavior’ Page 29

A2 UP

Thursday 30 November 2017

FRONT

After firing ICBM:

Trump’s Muslim retweets US and China hold quiet military talks draw fire from US, abroad

By MAT PENNINGTON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and Chinese generals engaged in an unusual set of security talks on Wednesday, just hours after North Korea’s most powerful missile test yet, focused on how the mighty American and Chinese militaries

ing the capability to strike the U.S. mainland with a nuclear-tipped missile — using military force if necessary. He is running out of time: Some experts said the missile fired on a high trajectory that splashed down in the Sea of Japan showed North Korea’s ability to strike Washington and

of misunderstanding,” the office of Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told The Associated Press in a statement.

The U.S. and China agreed on the talks when Dunford met with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing in August.

While in China, Dunford ob-

This image made from video of a news bulletin aired by North Korea’s KRT on Nov. 29, 2017, shows an image of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un signing what is said to be a document on Nov. 28, 2017, authorizing a missile test.

(KRT via AP Video)

might communicate in a crisis.

As President Donald Trump greeted the North’s launching of another intercontinental ballistic missile with familiar demands for China to get tougher with its ally, the low-profile and unpublicized meeting at the National Defense University in Washington was taking place amid signs China is more willing to discuss how the two world powers would manage an even worse emergency on the divided Korean Peninsula.

The Pentagon stressed the talks were scheduled long before North Korea’s surprise missile launch in the early hours Wednesday in Asia. Officials insisted the dialogue wasn’t centered on North Korea or anything else in particular.

Trump has vowed to prevent North Korea from hav-

the entire U.S. Eastern Seaboard.

The threat of a military confrontation is making China rethink its resistance to discussing contingencies involving North Korea, according to experts. Such discussions have long been off-limits for Beijing, which fought on North Korea’s side against the United States in the 1950-53 Korean War and remains its treaty ally.

In a phone conversation with Trump on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his desire for a diplomatic resolution to the standoff with North Korea.

Objectives for Wednesday’s military consultations appeared modest.

“The engagement will serve as an opportunity to discuss how to manage crises, prevent miscalculations, and reduce the risk

served a Chinese military drill at Shenyang, about 120 miles from the North Korean border — an unusual stop for an official visit.

Wednesday’s talks were being led by Lt. Gen. Richard Clarke, the Joint Chiefs’ planning director, and Maj. Gen. Shao Yuanming, a senior Chinese military official. They’re especially noteworthy given the deep strategic mistrust between the U.S. and China, and Beijing’s increasing challenge to America’s postWorld War II dominance in the Asia-Pacific.

China has been more explicit in saying what the talks are about.

Yao Yunzhu, a retired general who specializes in U.S.Chinese defense relations at China’s Academy of Military Science, said this summer they should include Northeast Asia, where North Korea is located.q

By CATHERINE LUCEY JILL LAWLESS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump retweeted inflammatory videos from a fringe British political group Wednesday that purported to show violence being committed by Muslims, drawing quick condemnation from civil rights groups as well as a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May. Trump retweeted videos from Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of Britain First, a far-right British group whose profile was elevated by Trump’s attention.

May spokesman James Slack said Britain First seeks to divide communities through its use of “hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions.” He said “it is wrong for the president to have done this.”

But May’s office said an invitation for Trump to pay a state visit to Britain was not being withdrawn, amid calls from opposition politicians for the visit to be canceled.

The group’s tweets read: “VIDEO: Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!” and “VIDEO: Muslim Destroys a Statue of Virgin Mary!” and “VIDEO: Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!”

Trump did not offer any explanation for why he retweeted the videos. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders later defended his early-morning posts, saying he wants to “promote strong borders and strong national security.”

Asked if the president had a responsibility to verify the content, Sanders said: “Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real and that is what the president is talking about.”

Sanders said that May and other world leaders “know that these are real threats.”

Britain First is a group that opposes multiculturalism and what it calls the “Islamization” of Britain. It has run candidates in local and national elections, with little success, and has campaigned against the construction and expansion of mosques. Fransen picked up nearly 10,000 Twitter followers in the hours following Trump’s retweets.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations strongly condemned Trump’s tweets. Nihad Awad, the group’s executive director, said in a statement that Trump is “clearly telling members of his base that they should hate Islam and Muslims.”

Awad addressed Trump in his own tweet, saying the council has recorded 3,296 anti-Muslim incidents this year and yet “we haven’t heard a peep from you.

Some president.”

Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry said in a statement that Trump’s “words and beliefs normalize and lend credence to hate, putting Americans at risk of violence on a daily basis.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, in a tweet, said, “Trump’s prejudice against Muslims reveals itself at every turn_with today’s tweets meant to gin up fear and bias, with statements like ‘Islam hates us,’ and with every version of the Muslim ban.”

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke welcomed the videos, tweeting: “Trump retweets video of crippled white kid in Europe being beaten by migrants, and white people being thrown off a roof and then beaten to death, He’s condemned for showing us what the fake news media WON’T. Thank God for Trump! That’s why we love him!”

One video from 2013 showed a radical Islamist in Egypt throwing a 9-year-old boy off a roof. The video was filmed in Egypt days after the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi by Egypt’s military.q

U.S. NEWS A3 Facing pressure, House OKs anti-harassment training Thursday 30 November 2017

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House easily approved a bipartisan measure Wednesday requiring lawmakers and aides to take annual anti-harassment training as lawmakers faced heavy pressure to address burgeoning sexual misconduct allegations against members of Congress.

Passage, by voice vote, came as Congress battled over Republican tax cuts and a potential government shutdown, even as lawmakers were forced to address accusations against some of their own.

They included liberal heroes Rep. John Conyers and Sen. Al Franken and far-right GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama.

With Conyers being pressed to resign from Congress by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and others, Pelosi seemed to suggest it was time for the long-serving liberal icon to step down.

“No matter how great the legacy, it is not a license to harass and abuse,” Pe-

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., speaks during a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, along with Republican congressional leaders.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

losi, D-Calif., said without mentioning the 88-yearold Michigan Democrat’s name. She said Congress should have zero tolerance for abuse, “no matter your contribution to our country.”

Earlier, House Speaker Paul Ryan said there should be

no room for sexual harassment “in any workplace, let alone in the United States Congress.” Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters that having a hostile environment on Capitol Hill is “a disgrace” and added, “We will not tolerate that kind of behavior.”

Despite the unanimity in addressing the problem, there was discord as one Democrat complained that leaders weren’t being aggressive enough.

Conyers surrendered his post as the House Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat after a report that he’d

quietly settled a complaint by a former aide who said he’d harassed her, but at least three of his colleagues have said he should quit the House. Conyers has denied the charges.

One critic, Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., said she left a meeting of House Democrats early because the harassment issue wasn’t being taken seriously enough.

She cited recent firings of media figures by their companies and told reporters, “We don’t do the same, and I think it’s a disgrace.”

Top Democrats disputed that, and one senior aide said eight lawmakers discussed the issue at Wednesday’s closed-door meeting.

Ryan told reporters that Conyers had “made the right decision” by leaving his Judiciary post. Conyers has returned to Detroit.

But the speaker sidestepped a question on whether lawmakers should more vocally address some women’s claims that they were sexually harassed by Donald Trump before he became president.q

Trump backs McCaskill opponent as he stumps for tax bill Continued from Front Critics say both the House and Senate versions will disproportionately help the wealthy and corporations.

Trump used the speech to lend support to Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, who is running for McCaskill’s seat.

“I said, ‘Josh when you’re ready, you have my word, I’m going to come here and campaign with you,’” Trump said. “We gotta get you in.”

The visit comes a day after the Senate Finance Committee advanced a sweeping tax package to the full Senate, handing Republican leaders a victory as they try to pass the nation’s first tax overhaul in 31 years.

But the bill still faces hurdles in the Senate, where Republicans have just two votes to spare in their 52-48 edge over Democrats.

McCaskill is among 10 Sen-

President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, in St. Charles, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ate Democrats up for reelection in 2018 in states won by Trump and is considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents.

She was among 45 Senate Democrats who in August sent a letter to Republican

leaders and Trump saying they won’t support any GOP effort to overhaul the tax system that delivers cuts to the top 1 percent or adds to the government’s $20 trillion debt.

Trump said in August that

if McCaskill didn’t support his plan, voters should push her out of office.

“We must lower our taxes, and your senator, Claire McCaskill, she must do this for you. And if she doesn’t do it for you, you have got

to vote her out of office,” Trump said then.

In a statement, McCaskill said she remains “eager to support real, bipartisan tax reform” and would “jump at the chance to support a plan” that would “deliver relief to Missouri’s working families, simplify the tax code, close loopholes exploited by the rich, and lower the corporate tax rate.”

“Unfortunately, this tax plan doesn’t live up the commitment I got from President Trump, when he told me he wouldn’t support tax reform that benefited the very rich at the expense of the little guy,” she said.

Several hundred Trump opponents and about 100 Trump supporters gathered outside the St. Charles convention center as the president spoke, holding signs and chanting competing slogans.q

A4 U.S.

Thursday 30 November 2017

NEWS

Lawyer: Conyers has no plan to resign amid harassment claims

By COREY WILLIAMS MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Embattled U.S. Rep. John Conyers has no plans to resign amid allegations that the congressman sexually harassed several women when they worked on his staff, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Detroit-area attorney Arnold Reed told The Associated Press that the 88-yearold Conyers is going to fight claims that he inappropriately touched the women and that anyone making the allegations should be prepared to back them up.

Reed has said Conyers denies wrongdoing.

Last week, BuzzFeed News reported that Conyers had settled a complaint in 2015 from a woman on his staff who alleged she was fired because she rejected his sexual advances.

BuzzFeed reported that Conyers’ office paid the woman more than $27,000 in the confidential settlement. BuzzFeed also published affidavits from former staff members who said they had witnessed Conyers touching female staffers inappropriately or requesting sexual favors.

A former scheduler filed a complaint earlier this year, but later dropped it. The

Associated Press hasn’t released her name. And a third ex-staffer, Deanna

doors before being driven away in the afternoon as reporters gathered outside

Conyers first was elected to the U.S. House in 1964. He missed two roll-call votes

Monica Conyers, wife of Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., speaks to the media outside her home Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, in Detroit. Rep. Conyers is being pressured by some in Washington to resign. Rep. Conyers recently stepped down from his post as top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee after facing allegations of sexual harassment by former staffers.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Maher, said Tuesday that in 1997 Conyers undressed to his underwear in front of her and twice touched her leg inappropriately.

Reed said he met with Conyers, who was at his Detroit home Wednesday and mostly remained in-

the gated driveway.

Monica Conyers told reporters that her husband is entitled to have the judicial process play out “before we start being his judge and jury ... and tarnish all of these years of his legacy for nothing.”

late Tuesday and was photographed by a passenger boarding a flight to Detroit from Washington.

“It’s very unfortunate to see him fight so long for so many people and to automatically have the allegations assumed to be true,”

said his son, John Conyers III. He noted, however: “And of course, with sexual assault, women are to be believed. But in this instance he has no history of this.”

Conyers told Reed that fears for his family over media coverage prompted his return to Detroit late Tuesday from Washington.

Reed said the congressman will return to Washington when he feels it’s safe to go back. The House Ethics Committee is investigating Conyers, who announced Sunday that he would step aside as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi pressured Conyers behind the scenes to leave the chamber, according to a senior House aide, who spoke late Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Also Tuesday, members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with Conyers and explained to one of their founding members why he should resign, but stressed the decision was up to him, the senior House aide said.

On Wednesday, Rep. Kathleen Rice walked out of a Democratic Caucus meeting, saying the issue wasn’t being taken seriously.q

After accusations, Moore’s Senate bid focuses on abortion

By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press HENAGAR, Ala. (AP) — Republican Roy Moore, his Senate bid stung by allegations of sexual misconduct, is seeking to steer the Alabama race to hot-button social issues highlighted by his opposition to abortion.

Newly back on the campaign trail since the uproar the accusations

caused, Moore has hammered Democratic rival Doug Jones by juxtaposing Moore’s desire to one day outlaw abortion altogether against Jones’ support of abortion rights.

Moore’s campaign even suggested on social media that Jones, if elected, would seek to put another pro-abortion justice on the Supreme Court. “#Abortion

Jones will give us another #ProChoice, pro-abortion #RuthBaderGinsburg style judge on SCOTUS. We can’t let that happen,” Moore’s campaign tweeted Tuesday. Democrats often face long odds in this conservative Southern state where opposition to abortion cuts across socioeconomic, gender and racial lines.

Meanwhile, Moore’s cam-

paign has been hit by accusations of sexual misconduct, decades ago, made by women who were then teenagers. The Republican has vehemently denied the accusations. The state’s voters next year will decide on a proposal that would add anti-abortion language to the Alabama Constitution. Jones has said he is pro-abortion rights. He

supports keeping the law as it is. “I believe the decision she makes should be hers that she can make alone or in consultation with her family, her physician, her faith. That’s what I think. I don’t think I should be making that decision for her. I doggone don’t believe Roy Moore should be making that decision for her,” Jones said.q

U.S. NEWS A5

Thursday 30 November 2017

Tampa police: Finding gun was key in arrest in 4 slayings

By TAMARA LUSH Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A recent college graduate who was charged in four slayings that terrorized a Tampa neighborhood over the past 51 days used the same gun in all of the shootings and targeted people near bus stops with “no apparent motive,” a police chief said Wednesday.

The crack in the case came Tuesday when Howell Emanuel Donaldson, 24, brought a bag with a loaded handgun in it to his job at a McDonald’s and asked a co-worker to hold it while he went across the street, authorities said. Restaurant workers thought that was odd and when Donaldson left, they reported the gun to a police officer who was doing paperwork there, setting off an investigation that linked Donaldson to the shootings. Aside from matching shell casings at the shootings, authorities said location data from Donaldson’s cellphone put him at the scene of at least

three of the killings.

“The gun is what we needed,” Police Chief Brian Dugan said at a news conference surrounded by family members of the victims.

The arrest overnight brought relief to an anxious community worried about a serial killer. The first shooting happened Oct. 9, followed by two more shooting deaths. By Halloween, the fear was so great that police escorted children while trick-or-treating. The fourth killing happened earlier this month.

“We had a community that was on edge,” Mayor Bob Buckhorn said. “Today the light shines. The darkness is over. This community begins the healing process.”

Donaldson did not live in the Seminole Heights neighborhood where the shootings occurred and told investigators he was unfamiliar with it. Arrest records don’t list an attorney and the police chief said he didn’t know if he had a lawyer yet. He’s scheduled for a first appearance hear-

This booking photo provided by the Tampa Police Department, Fla., on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, shows Howell Emanuel Donaldson. Donaldson, the suspect in a string of four slayings that terrorized a Tampa neighborhood was arrested after he brought a loaded gun to his job at a McDonald’s and asked a co-worker to hold it, authorities said.

(Tampa Police Department via AP)

ing on Thursday.

Donaldson graduated from St. John’s University in New York in January 2017, according to school spokesman Brian Browne. He was a walk-on for the men’s basketball team during the 2011-12 season, but never played in a game, Browne said.

After graduating, he

worked in customer support at the Ultimate Medical Academy, a school that trains workers for health care jobs. He started there Feb. 13 and worked for about three months before he was fired for absenteeism. The academy said he passed a background check before he was hired.

His LinkedIn account also

listed a job as a “guest experience host” for the New York Mets in 2016. The Mets would neither confirm nor deny that he was employed by them.

Police in New York said Donaldson had been arrested in May 2014, but the arrest was sealed and no details were available.

Authorities there said they review cold cases to see if Donaldson could be linked to any crimes there.

He was a crew chief at the McDonald’s when he was arrested. The tip that led police to him came from one of his co-workers at an Ybor City McDonalds, which is near the Seminole Heights neighborhood.

Donaldson asked an employee at the restaurant to hold a bag with a .40-caliber gun while he went to a nearby business to get a payday loan, according to an arrest report.

The employee told her manager about the gun and the manager alerted a Tampa police officer at a table in the restaurant.q

Michigan: Sports doctor pleads guilty to assaulting gymnasts CHARLOTTE, Mich. (AP) — A disgraced Michigan sports doctor who admits he sexually assaulted female gymnasts and possessed child pornography pleaded guilty Wednesday in a third criminal case, acknowledging that he molested girls who sought treatment

for injuries.

Larry Nassar, who worked at Michigan State University and at USA Gymnastics, said he molested girls with his hands at Twistars gymnastics club in Eaton County, near Lansing.

A week ago, he made a separate but similar guilty

plea nearby in Ingham County, the home of his campus clinic.

“Guilty, your honor,” Nassar told a judge in response to charges involving a girl under 13 and two teenagers at Twistars, where gymnasts with hip and back injuries would line up to seek his

help.

Nassar, 54, has dropped his claim that he was performing legitimate treatment with his ungloved hands.

In a third case, Nassar will be sentenced in federal court on Dec. 7 for possessing child pornography. He faces decades in prison.

Meanwhile, more than 100 women and girls are suing him.

“I’m so horribly sorry that this was like a match that turned into a forest fire out of control,” Nassar told a judge last week.q

A6 U.S.

Thursday 30 November 2017

NEWS

AP: Speaker arrested at UConn blames students

In this Nov. 28, 2017 photo, Lucian Wintrich, White House correspondent for the right-wing blog Gateway Pundit, speaks at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Conn. The conservative commentator was arrested and charged with breach of peace after an altercation during his speech titled “It’s OK To Be White.”

(Rebecca Lurye/The Courant via AP)

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — A conservative commentator who was arrested at the University of Connecticut and charged with breach of peace following an altercation blamed some UConn students for being “violent and disruptive.”

Lucian Wintrich’s Tuesday night speech titled “It’s OK To Be White” was repeatedly interrupted by people in the audience booing and chanting before coming to an abrupt end when a woman appeared to take paperwork off the lectern he was using and then began to leave.

Cellphone videos posted

on Twitter show Wintrich, 29, running after the woman and grabbing her before other audience members get involved.

Police quickly stepped in and led Wintrich away.

“It’s really unfortunate that some of the kids at @ UConn felt the need to be violent and disruptive during a speech that focused on how the leftist media is turning Americans against each other,” Wintrich wrote on Twitter early Wednesday after he was released from police custody. “Tonight proved my point.”

UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said a stu-

dent was charged with breach of peace and criminal mischief for allegedly breaking a window as people were leaving the event.

Reitz said that student was not charged in connection with a smoke bomb that was thrown inside at one point. That remained under investigation. She also said police were reviewing videos to determine if any other charges or arrests were warranted.

Wintrich is the White House correspondent for the rightwing blog Gateway Pundit, which said the talk would be about “identity politics” in today’s cultural and po-

litical landscape.

UConn’s College Republicans student group sponsored Tuesday night’s event.

“UConn does not bar speakers on the basis of content. Free speech, like academic freedom, is one of the university’s bedrock principles,” Reitz said.

UConn President Susan Herbst called it “a very disappointing evening.”

“We live in a tense and angry time of deep political division. Our hope as educators is that creative leadership and intellectual energy can be an antidote to that sickness, especially on university campuses,” Herbst said.

“Between the offensive remarks by the speaker who also appeared to aggressively grab an audience member and the reckless vandalism that followed, that was certainly not the case on our campus tonight. We are better than this.”

Campus police said beforehand that they would be taking measures to ensure public safety.

The College Republicans said flyers advertising the event had been torn down or defaced across campus.

UConn’s College Democrats said they were sponsoring a discussion before the speech so activists from across the campus community could express their views.q

Nevada: Suspected high-rise gunman dead, hostage safe RENO, Nevada (AP) — A gunman with a hostage opened fire from the eighth floor of a luxury high-rise condominium in Nevada onto the streets below, authorities said. No injuries were reported.

The man died Tuesday after a SWAT team descended on him while he was barricaded at the Montage, Reno police Deputy Chief Tom Robinson told reporters. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he was killed by police gunfire or his own.

No one else, including the

hostage, was hurt.

The gunman’s name has not been released. Robinson described him only as a young adult.

The luxury high-rise is surrounded by some of downtown Reno’s most popular casinos, and the gunfire brought eerie echoes of the Las Vegas shooting two months earlier that killed dozens.

But there were no reported injuries in Tuesday’s attack as the streets were mostly empty on a cold weeknight.

Stephen Paddock, the man who opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino onto an outdoor concert below killing 58 people, had owned a unit at the Montage. Records show he sold the property in December 2016.

“When you heard it’s coming from above it reminds you of the guy shooting from Mandalay Bay,” said Mike Pavicich, who was in town on business from Las Vegas and was standing atop a parking garage at

the neighboring Eldorado Resort Casino when the shots rang out.

“It’s scary, you know?”

Pavicich told the ReviewJournal. “This is the same kind of town.”

The building was once a casino itself before it was converted into luxury condos, according to its website.

Trooper Chris Kelley of the Nevada Highway Patrol told the Reno GazetteJournal that shots were heard from the building for at least 20 minutes.q

Castile’s girlfriend reaches settlement in police shooting ST. ANTHONY, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota city that employed a police officer who fatally shot black motorist Philando Castile during a traffic stop last year has reached a settlement with Castile’s girlfriend and her daughter, who were in the car with him when he was killed.

The St. Anthony City Council voted Tuesday night to pay $675,000 to Diamond Reynolds and her daughter, who was 4 years old when her father was killed.

Reynolds also will receive $125,000 from the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust and the city of Roseville, where Reynolds was detained by police and questioned by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension after the shooting.

St. Anthony Mayor Jerry Faust said the settlement resolves any civil litigation against the city and current and former employees and “opens the door to healing.” A statement on the city’s website says the settlement resolves Reynolds’ claims of “emotional distress and false arrest.”

Castile was driving in Falcon Heights when Officer Jeronimo Yanez pulled him over and shot him after he said he was armed. Reynolds streamed the shooting’s aftermath live on Facebook.

Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter and other charges and left the police department.

Reynolds released a statement Tuesday night, saying, “The settlement symbolizes that what happened to my daughter and I on July 6, 2016 was wrong. While no amount of money can change what happened, bring Philando back, or erase the pain that my daughter and I continue to suffer, I do hope that closing this chapter will allow us to get our lives back and move forward.”

Castile’s death and the officer’s acquittal sparked weeks of protests.q

U.S. NEWS A7

Thursday 30 November 2017

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San Francisco pushes forward with legal marijuana sales

By JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco leaders have overcome deep divisions about how to regulate legal recreational marijuana in the densely packed city, approving pot-friendly rules that could allow sales to start the first week of January.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors late Tuesday adopted regulations favored by marijuana advocates, rejecting attempts to mandate a larger barrier between schools and pot shops as well as provisions allowing neighborhoods to limit the number of dispensaries or ban them outright.

The rules also could help residents — largely AfricanAmericans and Latinos — who have been disproportionately affected by marijuana-related arrests and convictions.

Pot advocate Patricia Barraza rallied before Tuesday’s meeting, calling for supervisors to quickly approve rules allowing small marijuana businesses to start preparing for sales that become legal in California on Jan. 1. She said weed could be a major economic driver, particularly for people finding it hard to stay in pricey San Francisco.

“Your family can live in this city and thrive in this city by having your own business, it just happens that cannabis is the way to do that right now,” she said.

It had been surprisingly difficult for the pot-friendly city to adopt local regula-

tions required for growers and retailers to get a state permit. California voters approved legalizing recreational marijuana in 2016.

A well-organized group of Chinese immigrants strongly opposed to marijuana had lobbied supervisors for larger buffer zones and neighborhood prohibitions that pot advocates said would strangle the industry.

San Francisco will not be ready for sales New Year’s Day, but if Mayor Ed Lee approves the rules quickly, the city could be open for business at midnight Jan. 5, said John Cote, spokesman for the city attorney’s office. Stores that now sell medical marijuana can start selling to adults that day.

For that to happen, Lee would need to sign the legislation Dec. 5 after the board votes on it a second time.

His office did not immediately return a request for

In this Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017 photo, cultivator Carla Selvin rallies outside City Hall to tout the benefits of marijuana and urge supervisors to pass pot-friendly regulations in San Francisco.

Following weeks of emotional and detailed debate over where to allow new stores, San Francisco supervisors approved regulations for the sale of recreational marijuana when it becomes legal in California in January.

(AP Photo/Janie Har)

comment.

The board approved a 600-foot (180-meter) buffer zone between pot shops

and schools, rejecting attempts by Supervisor Katy Tang, who represents a heavily Asian district, for a

1,000-foot (305-meter) barrier. She also wanted the barrier to apply to child care centers.q

Union: Many AA flights in December lack scheduled pilots

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — A scheduling glitch has left American Airlines scrambling to find pilots to operate thousands of flights over the busy Christmas holiday period.

A spokesman for the airline said Wednesday that American expects to avoid canceling flights by paying overtime and using reserve pilots.

American isn’t saying how many flights are affected,

but the pilots’ union says that about 15,000 flights were scheduled without a captain, a co-pilot or both.

American, the world’s biggest airline, has about 15,000 active pilots and expects to operate more than 200,000 flights in December.

Pilots bid each month for flying assignments based on seniority. The scheduling glitch let pilots drop scheduled flights — to take a vacation over Christmas,

for example — even when there were no other pilots available for that flight. Normally such a request would be denied, especially during busy travel periods.

The pilots’ union estimated that when the problem was discovered late last week, about 19,000 cockpit seats were left empty.

“This is a potential crisis that we see well in advance,” said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the union. “This is very unusual.”

The union has lodged a protest against the company’s plan to fix the mistake by tapping reserve or on-call pilots and offering overtime pay for some of the unstaffed flights. The union says American is violating its labor contract by imposing a solution without union input, and is improperly restricting premium pay.

American officials “expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season,” said airline spokesman Matt Miller. q

A8

Thursday 30 November 2017

WORLD NEWS

EU negotiator hopes for deal on Brexit bill by mid-December

By DAVID RISING Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The European Union's chief negotiator in talks over Britain's withdrawal from the bloc said Wednesday he hopes to reach agreement on a financial settlement before an EU summit in mid-December but that the two sides are still working to find common ground.

Michel Barnier dismissed as rumors reports Tuesday that both sides had tentatively

agreed on a British payment of roughly around 50 billion euros ($59 billion).

"The press has been talking a lot about it these days but there is still work to do, the negotiation is not over," he told a forum organized by the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The British government also insists negotiations over the bill are still underway and no amount has been agreed.

Britain has consistently refused to name a figure for the bill, but Transport Secretary Chris Grayling stressed Wednesday that "we will meet our obligations" to the bloc.

Barnier said the EU's position was not about "punishment" or "revenge," but that the bloc did have to worry about its future budgets with Britain departing.

"We simply want to balance the accounts, as in any divorce," he said.

A mid-December deadline is drawing close for a decision by EU leaders on whether "sufficient progress" has been made in order for the negotiations with Britain to be expanded to include future trade relations. Barnier said there's "still much work to do" but that "we are working day and night with the British negotiators to find an agreement."

Earlier in the day, Barnier told a defense forum in

Berlin that before EU leaders meet Dec. 14-15, he hoped to be able to report "that we have reached a sufficient level of progress for the European council to decide to move on to the second stage of negotiating the future relationship."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he hoped the offer Prime Minister Theresa May will make at the EU's December summit "will be one that guarantees sufficient progress."q

Britain's May in Saudi Arabia after surprise stop in Iraq RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May traveled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night to meet the kingdom's assertive crown prince, capping a day that saw her make a surprise visit to Iraq.

May's trip to Saudi Arabia was for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the kingdomled war in Yemen. She's the second European leader to specifically seek him out as he amasses power.

Earlier on Wednesday, May arrived in Baghdad to an honor guards' greeting, welcomed by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The visit came as the Islamic State group has been driven out of the last town it held in Iraq and has lost its self-described capital in Syria in recent weeks.

"In Iraq, we are working together to defeat Daesh and my visit comes at a critical moment as we see the caliphate collapsing with the fall of Mosul and Raqqa," May told journalists, using an Arabic acronym for the extremist group.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and British Prime Minister Theresa May hold a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017.

(Iraqi Prime Minister Press Office via AP)

"We want to ensure that Iraq can in the future provide that strong, stable and unified state that can provide the security, jobs and opportunities that all Iraqis want and deserve," she added.

Al-Abadi said May's visit showed Britain's "support and help" in fighting the Islamic State group. Some 600 British troops are deployed to the country.

"Iraq is about to enter a new stage of rebuilding, reconstruction and investment," al-Haider said. "Today, we discussed with the prime minister the strengthening of economic and commercial ties between the two countries."

May also visited Camp Taji, a coalition base north of Baghdad, where around 80 British troops are currently based.

In Saudi Arabia, May's visit is expected to include her asking Crown Prince Mohammed to allow humanitarian aid through Yemen's port of Hodeida, which is held by the Shiite rebels being targeted in the Saudiled war.

A U.N.-chartered aid vessel docked at Hodeida on Tuesday.

"We are very clear that we want to see full humanitar-

ian and commercial access through the port of Hodeida," May said Tuesday.

"Obviously that is an issue I will be raising when I am in Saudi Arabia."

Saudi Arabia closed off Yemen's seaports and airports over a Nov. 4 rebel ballistic-missile launch that targeted the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The kingdom said it intercepted the missile, the deepest yet to penetrate the country.

Under intense international pressure, Saudi Arabia later promised it would reopen the ports for humanitarian aid.

The Saudi-led coalition began its war in Yemen in March 2015 on behalf of Yemen's internationally recognized government against the Shiite rebels known as Houthis and their allies.

The conflict has pushed the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of famine. The war has killed over 10,000 civilians, displaced 3 million people and left much of the infrastructure in ruins.q

Greece: clashes erupt as foreclosed property auctions resume ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek police used tear gas on Wednesday to hold back dozens of protesters trying to disrupt foreclosed property auctions that resumed after a hiatus of several months.

Protesters pelted police with trash cans, fire extinguishers and anything else within reach at the Athens courthouse where the auc-

tions were taking place.

Police said one policeman and one protester suffered minor injuries in the clashes.

In the northern city of Thessaloniki, police prevented dozens of protesters from forcing their way into a notary public's office and the offices of the association of notaries public. No injuries or arrests were reported.

The auctions are a key

component of Greece's bailout talks with creditors.

They are seen as essential for banks to get a grip on the huge number of bad loans on their books, estimated at 45 percent of all loans. Online auctions were due to start for the first time Wednesday.

The government has promised that primary residences worth up to 300,000

euros ($355,000) won't be auctioned off.

But it has also dispatched police so that auctions can proceed, unlike previous times when protesters succeeded in halting proceedings.

Notaries public have for months abstained from taking part in auctions because of attacks by leftwing protesters who say

they want to protect the hard-earned property of Greek citizens squeezed by years of economic hardship.

Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said homeowners have until the end of 2018 to apply for legal protection in order to settle outstanding loans and "indefinitely protect" primary residences.q

WORLD NEWS A9

Thursday 30 November 2017

War crimes court winds down with defendant's stunning death

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A convicted war criminal from Croatia swallowed what he said was poison and died Wednesday after a United Nations court in the Netherlands upheld his 20-year sentence for committing crimes against humanity during the Bosnian war of the 1990s.

In a stunning end to the final case at the U.N.'s International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, former Croatian general Slobodan Praljak yelled, "I am not a war criminal!" in a courtroom and appeared to drink from a small bottle.

Medical staff at the tribunal in The Hague rushed to Praljak's side before he was taken to a local hospital, where he died, tribunal spokesman Nenad Golcevski told reporters at the court.

The courtroom where the dramatic scene unfolded was sealed off. Presiding Judge Carmel Agius said it was now a "crime scene" and that Dutch police

In this photo provided by the ICTY on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, Slobodan Praljak brings a bottle to his lips, during a Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. Praljak yelled, "I am not a war criminal!" and appeared to drink from a small bottle, seconds after judges reconfirmed his 20-year prison sentence for involvement in a campaign to drive Muslims out of a would-be Bosnian Croat ministate in Bosnia in the early 1990s.

(ICTY via AP)

could investigate. Police in The Hague declined to comment on the case.

Dutch police, an ambulance and a firetruck quickly arrived outside the court's headquarters and emergency service workers, some of them wearing

helmets and with oxygen tanks on their backs, went into the court shortly after the incident.

Praljak and five other former Bosnian Croat officials were convicted as part of a criminal plan to carve out a Bosnian Croat mini-

state inside Bosnia in the early 1990s. All had their guilty verdicts sustained by the U.N.'s war crimes court Wednesday.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic offered condolences to Praljak's family.

Praljak's actions reflected

the "deep moral injustice" done to the six Bosnian Croats, the prime minister said.

Croatian state TV reported that President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic cut short an official visit to Iceland and the government held an emergency session.

Praljak, 72, had been in the tribunal's custody before the hearing. Poison has not yet been identified as the cause of his death, and it was not clear how he would have gotten access to a lethal substance or managed to smuggle it into the courtroom.

A lawyer who has frequently defended suspects at the war crimes court told The Associated Press it would be easy to bring poison into the court.

Prominent Serbian lawyer Toma Fila said security for lawyers and other court staff "is just like at an airport." Security officers inspect metal objects and confiscate cellphones, but "pills and small quantities of liquids" would not be registered, Fila said.q

Terrorism charges brought against 9 Turks held in Greece ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities brought terrorism charges Wednesday against nine suspected left-wing militants from Turkey, who were arrested during a series of raids in Athens ahead of a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

An Athens prosecutor also charged the eight men and one woman with offences including alleged arms and explosives possession, forgery and resisting arrest.

The eight were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of links with the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-

Turks escorted by anti-terror police arrive at a court in Athens, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017.

(AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Front, which is deemed a terrorist organization by Tur-

key, the United States and the European Union.

Police said a search of their residences uncovered detonators, a handgun and materials easily available on the market that could potentially be used to make explosives.

About 20 Kurdish protesters gathered outside the Athens court house where the suspects were charged, holding banners and shouting slogans against their detention.

Defense lawyer Aleka Zorbala said her clients deny the charges, and linked their arrests with Erdogan's scheduled Dec. 7-8 visit.

"They believe that their arrest ... is directly connected

with the coming visit. They see it as a goodwill gesture, a gift, from the Greek government to Mr. Erdogan," she said.

"They see themselves as people who are struggling against a fascist regime, as they call the Turkish regime, and against the thousands of arrests and disappearances in Turkey and Kurdistan."

Zorbala said she has not yet been allowed access to the police and court documents concerning her clients, and charged that they had been subjected to violence during their arrest and detention.q

A10 WORLD

Thursday 30 November 2017

NEWS

Israel eases limits on US-bound Gazan travelers

By FARES AKRAM Associated Press GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel on Wednesday launched a program to provide shuttle service for Gazans who need to travel to the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem — an operation that could ease one of the many restrictions it places on Palestinians who want to exit the blockaded territory.

Israel allows only a small number of Gazans to travel through Israel — mostly for medical care or other humanitarian grounds. It cites security considerations for the tight restrictions.

In recent months, it has barred Gazans from entering Israel for visa interviews at the U.S. Consulate after some applicants fled into hiding in Israel or the West Bank to seek work. The restrictions have prevented several hundred people from applying at the Consulate for visas to travel or study in the U.S. About 100 Palestinians were allowed Wednesday to cross into Israel and board two buses bound for Jerusalem. They were accompanied by officials from the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee, an office that coordinates cross-

border movement with the Israelis.

Ahmed Ouda, who went to the interview with his wife and teenage son, came home disappointed. Hoping to visit his brother, a U.S. citizen who lives in California, Ouda said the entire family, including younger children who remained behind in Gaza, were turned down for visas after his interview.

"We spent 12 hours, mostly without access to water and services, and we were rejected at the end," he said. "It's an exhausting pro-

cess; thank God my young children did not need to come and experience it."

Mohammed al-Maqadma, spokesman for the civil affairs committee, said Israel is expected to run similar shuttles in the future, though no schedule has been set.

"It could be two days a month, one day every two months," he said. "I think this is part of the Israeli policies that we don't know their goals."

Wednesday's pilot program suffered a setback on its first day, however, with the apparent disappearance of two Gazans. q

Libya migrant camps focus at EU-Africa summit

By LORNE COOK Associated Press ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — European Union and African leaders pledged Wednesday to do more to help thousands of migrants stranded in squalid detention centers in Libya, the main jumping-off point for desperate people setting out in unseaworthy boats in search of better lives in Europe.

While youth and development are the main themes of their EU-Africa summit in Ivory Coast, migration is a key issue, pushed further into the public eye after recent footage of migrants at a slave auction in Libya drew international horror and condemnation.Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said the security of Europe and Africa will "depend on our capacity to resolve the crisis in Libya and to bring an end, by all available means, to the inhuman treatment inflicted on migrants."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that "it's very important that we simply support Africans to put a stop to illegal migration, so people don't have to either suffer in horrible camps in Libya or are even being traded."

On the eve of the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron called the trafficking of African migrants a "crime against humanity" as he made his first major

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, center, and South African President Jacob Zuma, right, attend a round table event at an EU Africa summit in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday, during an EU-Africa summit, that the European Union wants to work more closely with Africa to address illegal migration.

(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

address on the continent in Burkina Faso.

Macron said he wants "Africa and Europe to help populations trapped in Libya by providing massive support to the evacuation of endangered people."

He did not elaborate, saying he would formally detail his proposal during the summit.

Already Burkina Faso's foreign affairs minister has recalled his ambassador from Libya, calling it "unacceptable to have slaves in this 21st century."

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said Wednesday that all Nigerians stranded in Libya and other

parts of the world will be brought home and "rehabilitated," calling it appalling that "some Nigerians were being sold like goats for few dollars in Libya."

Europe has struggled to slow the flow of tens of thousands of Africans making the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean through development aid and other means, including funds to tighten border controls. But many Africans feel pressured to make the journey, risking death and abuse, saying high unemployment and climate change leave them little choice.

At least 3,000 drown or

go missing annually in attempts to cross the Mediterranean, but with Africa's population forecast to rise significantly in coming decades many more are likely to take the risk.

To focus efforts, the EU, African Union and United Nations announced that they would set up a special task force to help protect migrants, notably those detained in conflict-torn Libya.

Details of its work must be fleshed out, but the main aim is to "save and protect lives of migrants and refugees along the routes and in particular inside Libya."q

Egypt leader gives forces 3 months to calm restive Sinai

By HAMZA HENDAWI Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Just days after the worst terrorist attack in Egypt's modern history, President Abdel-Fattah elSissi on Wednesday gave his security forces a threemonth deadline to restore "security and stability" in the troubled northern Sinai, the epicenter of an increasingly brutal Islamic insurgency.

In a televised ceremony marking the birthday of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, el-Sissi authorized his new chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Farid Hegazy, to use "all brute force" against the militants.

The speech was a very public show by the Egyptian leader that he will take new action after last Friday's startlingly grisly and bloody attack on worshippers in a mosque In a Sinai village. But it also represented a risk for el-Sissi. In his speech, he gave no indication what would happen if the military fails to defeat within three months militants who have been battling his security forces for more than three years.

El-Sissi's calls for "brute force," repeated several times since the attack, appear to signal a new escalation, suggesting the military could turn to scorched earth tactics that many of the president's loyalists in the media have been urging.

During Wednesday's ceremony, the military chief of staff, appointed last month, rose up from his front-row seat and stood in rigid attention as el-Sissi, a general-turned-president, addressed him.

"I am mandating Maj. Gen. Mohammed Farid Hegazy before you and the entire people of Egypt to restore security and stability in Sinai," el-Sissi said. q

WORLD NEWS A11

Thursday 30 November 2017

Canada tests 'basic income' effect on poverty amid lost jobs

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — Former security guard Tim Button considers how a sudden increase in his income from an unusual social experiment has changed his life in this Canadian industrial city along the shore of Lake Ontario.

Sipping coffee in a Tim Horton's doughnut shop, Button says he has been unable to work because of a fall from a roof, and the financial boost from Ontario Province's new "basic income" program has enabled him to make plans to visit distant family for Christmas for the first time in years. It has also prompted him to eat healthier, schedule a long-postponed trip to the dentist and mull taking a course to help him get back to work.

"It's making a huge difference for me," Button said of the almost 60 percent increase in monthly benefits he started receiving in October from the Ontario government.

Ontario intends to provide a basic income to 4,000 people in three different communities as part of an experiment to evaluate whether providing more money to people on public assistance or low incomes will make a significant difference in their lives. How people like Button respond over the next three years is being closely watched by social scientists, economists and policymakers in Canada and around the world.

"Does it produce better outcomes in terms of education for the kids? Does it produce better health status after three years of this kind of living? Does it

In this Nov. 21, 2017 photo, former security guard Tim Button poses for a portrait at the bus stop to take a local ride, a recent luxury he at one time could not afford in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Button says he has been unable to work because of a fall from a roof and the financial boost from the province's basic income program has enabled him to make plans to visit distant family for Christmas for the first time in years.

(AP Photo/Rob Gillies)

produce better affinity with the workplace if there is not a total disincentive to work?" said Hugh Segal, a former Canadian senator consulted by the Ontario government for the pilot project.

Those eligible for the experimental program are people aged 18 to 64 who are unemployed or with an annual income below 34,000 Canadian dollars ($26,000) — or under 48,000 Canadians (US$37,000) dollars if they are a couple living in certain test regions.

Single people receive up to 17,000 dollars ($13,000) of basic income and they can keep half of what they earn from working. Canadians on welfare normally would have to subtract all of what they earn from their

monthly benefit, so this is an incentive to work. Couples get 24,000 dollars ($19,000).

Technology leaders such as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla founder Elon Musk have promoted the idea as a way to address the potential loss of jobs to automation and artificial intelligence.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said the experiment is rooted in a fear there will be a mass dislocation of jobs not seen since the Industrial Revolution that governments will have to address.

"I see it on a daily basis. I go into a factory and the floor plant manager can tell me where there were 20 people and there is one machine," Wynne said. "We need to understand what

it might look like if there is, in fact, the labor disruption that some economists are predicting."

Finland is conducting a similar experiment, distributing money to 2,000 randomly selected people. It hopes to learn how it might adapt its social security system to a changing workplace, incentivize people to work and simplify the bureaucracy of benefits. It also being tried on a smaller scale in Oakland, California.

David Wakely, a labor lawyer, said it sounds like a great idea, but he doubts it could be rolled out on a larger scale.

"I just don't think it's affordable," Wakely said. "The numbers are just completely unmanageable. The expense of this thing is huge.

It is monumental."

Wakely thinks it would create a disincentive to work.

Other critics say it doesn't result in any meaningful change and is only a backdoor way to eventually cut other benefits.

Officials running the program in Ontario have found that some people are reluctant to participate, fearing a hidden catch or being caught short when the grant runs out. As of Friday, a total of 793 people have enrolled in the pilot project, up from 400 in October. It's too soon to gauge whether it has substantially changed their lives.

But Elizabeth McGuire, who heads the Campaign for Adequate Welfare and Disability, has seen a transformation in former welfare receipts already.

"It's like they burst out of their cocoon and become people," McGuire said.

"Moving to a compassionate system that gives you enough money where you can grocery shop, buy a winter coat and get some boots, too. That has made such a psychological difference in the mental positioning of vulnerable people."

Dave Cherkewski, a 46-year-old in Hamilton, says the extra $750 a month he is receiving has eased the stress of daily life and mental illness that has kept him out of work since 2002.

"I've never been better after 14 years of living in poverty," he said.

Cherkewski dreams of returning to work in a role where he can help people with mental health challenges.q "

A12 WORLD

Thursday 30 November 2017

NEWS

Zimbabwe court acquits activist charged with subversion

Zimbabwean Pastor Evans Mawarire talks to the press following his release from Chikurubi Maximum Prison on the outskirts of Harare. A Zimbabwean judge has acquitted Mawarire on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017 over charges that he tried to subvert the government of former President Robert Mugabe.

(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

By CHRIS TORCHIA Associated Press HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A Zimbabwean pastor on Wednesday was acquitted of subversion after leading large anti-government protests last year, and he appealed to the country's

new leadership to drop other prosecutions of people who demonstrated against former President Robert Mugabe.

Evan Mawarire, who launched the #ThisFlag protest campaign on social media, was found not

guilty by High Court judge Priscilla Chigumba after state prosecutors failed to prove their case. The ruling came as Zimbabweans wait to see whether new President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former deputy of Mugabe, follows through

on pledges of democracy after years of violations of basic freedoms.

There are still some Zimbabweans "in prison for political reasons, in terms of having stood up against the regime" of Mugabe, Mawarire said at the courthouse in downtown Harare, the capital. "Many are still appearing in court over the next few weeks and I want to urge this new government and administration to drop those charges and let those people go because they did not commit any crime at all."

Mawarire, who stood in the dock with a Zimbabwean flag, said he was "absolutely elated" at his acquittal, but called it too soon to tell whether it reflected a trend toward more independence in the judiciary, which was often subject to political pressure during the Mugabe era.

"It could be evidence of a freer Zimbabwe, but I think also this case had no legs from the beginning," Mawarire said. "I think that a lot more needs to be seen for us to determine

whether this is a free judiciary going forward."

Prosecutors sought to link Mawarire to stone-throwing and other violence during protests last year that were the largest Zimbabwe had seen in a decade. They cited videos posted on social media in which the pastor urged people not to go to work and shop owners to close their businesses as a way of expressing opposition to the government.

They said the pastor must have foreseen that his calls could lead to violence.

In her ruling, the judge acknowledged that Mawarire was trying to "cripple government operations," but said he urged "passive resistance" and exercised his constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and expression.

"There is no evidence that he urged a violent removal of the government," she said. Instead, Mawarire "preached peace and repeatedly told his audience not to resort to violence."

The pastor would have faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted.q

At Press Time:

Honduras presidential race narrows; final results awaited

By FREDDY CUEVAS Associated Gracias TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — New partial results in Honduras' presidential election narrowed challenger Salvador Nasralla's lead over incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez to less than one point on Wednesday, raising tensions in the country.

An initial five-point surprise lead for the challenger from the leftist Libre alliance has steadily dwindled since initial results were reported early Monday. With

76 percent of the votes tallied Wednesday, Nasralla had 42.6 percent and Hernandez 41.7 percent.

A long pause in updated returns that followed reports of Nasralla's lead fed suspicions among his supporters.

Nasralla alleged manipulation of the results and called for his supporters to defend the vote in the streets.

"The government doctored the electoral ballots, but I will defend the votes anywhere," Nasralla said with-

out offering specific evidence of manipulation. He called on the 500 international election observers in the country to form a special commission to investigate. "Or else Hernandez will steal the victory, and I won't tolerate it," he said.

He and Hernandez have claimed victory since Sunday's vote.

Thousands of flag-waving opposition alliance supporters marched down two central boulevards in the capital Wednesday heading for the electoral court

facilities where the vote count was under way.

Karo Avila, a college student studying journalism, was among them. "I am from the (incumbent) National Party and I'm ashamed by what is happening because I see how some lend themselves to the whims of those who don't want to let go of the government," Avila said.

Sonia Garcia, who worked in a store in one of Tegucigalpa's malls, called for Hernandez to resign "for our country's peace."

An election observation mission from the Organization of American States has urged calm. Rumors circulated Tuesday that the military was positioning troops throughout the country, but the government responded that the convoys of military trucks seen on highways were transporting election materials.

The European Union's election observation team had criticized the electoral court for the delay in releasing results Tuesday. q

A13

Thursday 30 November 2017

Fabulous in Fashion ORANJESTAD - Aruba´s Fashion & Luxury Tourism Week is ‘on’ for coming weekend.

Local and worldwide designers will present their most recent collections in an environment of luxurious resorts. Three days long you can indulge in a mixture of World Class & Emerging Designers, International Media, Local Talents & Culture, Artists, Musicians, Fashionistas, fashion bloggers & editors, Global & Local Celebrities and Elite Travelers from all over the World.

Rhona Lemminga, designer from Aruba.

Friday will be the opening at the Marriott Resort &Stellaris Casino from 6 pm on. Carmen Steffens from Brazil, RhonaLemminga from Aruba, Karma by Marcia Arocha from Miami and Agatha Ruiz de le Prada from Spain will show their collections.

The Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino will host the second fashion day with the following lineup: Perla Negra, Faddy Castro, RaishaPrianti, Yekas and Masterpiece, all from Venezuela. The shows are on from 4 pm, but between 11 am and 4 pm there is a shopping experience and press tour.

The last day The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba will facilitate the Fashion Talks Conference from 1 pm. Later that day, from 6 pm, the Renaissance Marketplace will turn their pier into a catwalk where designers Hernan Zajar and Juliana Florez from Colombia, Elisa Lejuez from Aruba, Jo Aguirre from Venezuela and Labellamafia from Brazil show their collections. For more information check out arubafashionweek.comq Jo Aguirre, designer from Venezuela.

Agatha Ruiz de le Prada, designer from Spain.

A14 LOCAL

Thursday 30 November 2017

At a Celebratory Lunch at Blossoms:

Playa Linda Provides Appreciation for Longtime Associates -Perla Baptiste receives highest honors for 30 years of dedicated service.

PALM BEACH - Making the most of a Thanksgiving spirit, Playa Linda Beach Resort chose to honor valued resort associates who marked a milestone work anniversary this year.

A celebratory lunch at Blossoms Restaurant was held Thursday among 15 honorees, representing a combined experience of 225 years working within the hospitality industry and contributing to the successful evolution of Playa Linda as one of the top timeshare properties on Aruba. General Manager Peter van Grinsven, together with Human Resources Director Sulaika Kelly, showered praise on the longtime employees, who were the guests of honor at this very special Thanksgiving lunch. Recognition and appreciation was shared for all employees celebrating a work anniversary.

Marking five years are Grounds Attendant Aldemar Nuñez Patiño and Human Resources Director Sulaika Kelly.

With the resort for ten years

are Room Attendant Clara Roga, General Cashier Marisa Bomba, Painter Ana Maria Hurtado, Accounting Manager Ramphiz Croes and Preventive Maintenance Helper Michael Barroso.

Room Attendant Catalina Ramos, Housekeeping Supervisor Mildred Croes and Pool Attendant Arnold Parlan reached the fifteen-year milestone. Literally helping to keep the resort beautiful for twenty years are Room Attendant Evadne Francis, and Grounds Attendant Jozef Tromp. For their twenty-five years of dedication, thanks also went to IT Manager Ciro Pimentel and Room Attendant Sandra Jacobs.

And topping the list of those who have helped shape the Playa Lindais Accounts Payable Clerk Pearl “Perla” Baptiste, who marks an impressive thirty years with the resort.

During Perla’s30-year tenure, she has seen the accounting department move to a digital environment, with different tools and innovations, but found satisfaction in the simple art of dealing with numbers.

“I like it when it all comes into place, and everything

adds up, as it should.

I enjoy the details,” she says with a smile.

Finance Director Ann Brinkman and Accounting Manager Ramphiz Croes agree that she has proven an invaluable asset to the department.

“Pearl is a hardworking, conscientious employee who is consistently accurate in her job.

We hope that that she will be with us for many more years to come.”

“The thirty years has gone by fast, and there are deadlines with audits and a lot of rush, rush, but I enjoy my work and the close working relationship I have with my colleagues. …I do like to read and to work in my garden also, and I will retire one day, but not yet,” she jokes.

Each year, those employees marking a milestone anniversary receive the traditional envelope, souvenir photo and plaque, but it is the annual Thanksgiving lunch that helps provide an extra, well-deserved “thank you” to the people who make the Playa Linda Beach Resort one of the island’s favorite timeshare resorts.q

Need To Be Right

ORANJESTAD - As we go on our daily lives, interactions with people is inevitably a part of daily activity. Do we catch ourselves when we tend to have this need to be right during a discussion? Maybe not.

Being aware of this tendency can avoid conflict and misunderstanding. This need to be right is also a need for the other to be wrong. If we just take a moment to realize that our view point is according to our mental conditioning which spurs from our age, culture, tradition, belief system, family environment and country. And this goes the same for the other person. Just by being kind, this allowing for the other to have their view point heard is enough to make them feel welcome and open to what you also have to say.

One doesn’t need to agree nor disagree but one may be able to just be open enough to see things from a different perspective. This avoids major conflicts which in our world history has spurned world wars and unnecessary human suffering between races and countries which go on till today.

If one has to choose to be kind or to be right, rest assured to be kind is the peaceful and loving way to interact with others.q Suresh Mirchumal is a spiritual writer. “Well, you can categorize it like that, although I don’t call myself one. These thoughts come in effortlessly.”

His aim is in a way to reach out to whoever gets inspired or has an eye opening event within them that may transcend their current state of consciousness. “Or let’s say current emotional state too. If one in a thousand benefits, that is already great.” Due to the current world state, lots of struggles and stresses, we seem to lose touch with that inner peace that we long for, Suresh explains. “I wish to ease that through these small articles or tidbits.” You will find his tidbits in Aruba Today from now on, mostly on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

LOCAL A15

Thursday 30 November 2017

Special Guests Honored at the Divi All Inclusive Resorts DRUIF BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a large group of loyal and friendly visitors of Aruba at the Divi All Inclusive Resorts as Distinguished Visitors and Goodwill Ambassadors!

The symbolic honorary titles are presented in the name of the Minister of Tourism as a token of appreciation to guests who visit Aruba for 10-to-19 and 20-to-34 consecutive years.

The honorees for Distinguished Visitors were Suzanne Laycock and Annemarie Langlois, and the honorees for Goodwill Ambassadors were Louis and Mary Ann Deamicis and Stephen and Donna Kee. All of these special visitors are regular guests at the Divi All Inclusive Resorts and they love Aruba very much because of the safety, the beautiful sunsets, friendly locals, variety of food and the feeling of home-away-from-home.

The certificate was presented by Ms. Emely Ridderstaat representing the Aruba Tourism Authority together with Mr. Francis Ridderstap and Ms. Brisly Flanegin from the Divi All Inclusive Resorts.q

A16 LOCAL

Thursday 30 November 2017

Join in at the Last Carubbian Festival of this Year SAN NICOLAS - San Nicolas is a multicultural delight. The small town has a lot of its culture to share and that was the inspiration for the Carubbian festival that is being held every Thursday night. A total of 37.900 visitors already enjoyed this amazing festival. Tonight will be your last change for this year and it will be a special 14th edition.

The popular local band Tsunami will be the main act on stage, but there is of course much more to enjoy. You can have a bite from one of the many food stalls that will make you taste the real Caribbean spirit. And yes, spirits are forehand too as well as sodas and beers. Are you more into local art and decorations, no problem, because the local artisans are happy to show you their art which is of course for sale.

You’re done for your souvenir shopping before you know.

Music, food, shows and a happy local ambience are the ingredients of tonight’s festival.

The old refinery’s town, also called Sunrise City, welcomes you between 6 and 10 pm for this cultural and heritage celebration.q

/arubatoday/

A17

Thursday 30 November 2017

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) rushes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, in East Rutherford, N.J. Associated Press

Eli Manning benching low point of a year the Giants went south

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The benching of Eli Manning for the first time in 13 seasons is probably the low point of a season in which the New York Giants did almost nothing right.

Let’s start with the decision by coach Ben McAdoo and management to sit Manning with five games left in the regular season.

Sure, the Giants are 2-9, out of the playoff picture and they need to find out something about backup quarterbacks Geno Smith and rookie Davis Webb.

Benching the 36-year-old Manning wasn’t the right thing to do, and it wasn’t handled properly. If anyone doubts that all they would have had to do was see the tears welling in the two-time Super Bowl MVP’s eyes and the heartbreak his quivering chin displayed when asked how much this hurt. The Giants offered Manning the opportunity to start and keep his streak of 210 consecutive starts alive, but the 14-year veteran didn’t want to be part of a sham.

Continued on Page 18

LOTTA LOVE Cavs beat Heat for 9th-straight win Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love dunks the ball against the Miami Heat in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, in Cleveland.

Associated Press Page 19

A18 SPORTS

Thursday 30 November 2017

Manning Continued from Page 17 If you start, you play to win, not keep a streak alive.

The wrong move has been par for the Giants, who were coming off an 11-5 season that got them into the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

However, all the close games the team won last season, it lost this year.

Injuries to Odell Beckham Jr. and fellow receiver Brandon Marshall hurt, but that wasn’t the reason the Giants, who have 19 players on injured reserve, lost this season.

The Giants knew after last season that they needed to improve a weak offensive line and general manager Jerry Reese did little to do that. He signed guard D.J. Fluker when New York needed a solid tackle.

The offense as a whole also needed work. Beckham was the catalyst and had no supporting cast other than Manning and slot re-

In this Sept. 10, 2017, file photo, New York Giants quarterback Geno Smith (3) throws prior to an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.

Associated Press

ceiver Sterling Shepard. The signing of Marshall as the second outside receiver proved to be a bust, and the line only occasionally created holes for the running game.

McAdoo, who showed talent as the offensive coordinator under Tom Coughlin, has failed to get the offense in gear for Manning the past two years. Manning is

a pocket quarterback who has been hit a lot the past two seasons playing without a line, a running game and viable outside receivers other than Beckham.

While the defense had most of its key players returning this season, something seemed to be missing. Steve Spagnuolo’s unit was very good at closing out games last season. In

getting off to a 0-5 start, the defense failed to hold fourth-quarter leads in consecutive losses to Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and the Chargers.

Even the special teams have struggled with punter Brad Wing having an inconsistent season and rookie placekicker Aldrick Rosas missing five of 18 field goal attempts and booting a couple of kickoff out of bounds. The losses took a toll on the players with cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins each being suspended by McAdoo for a game for breaking team rules. It led many to wonder if McAdoo had lost control of the team in only his second season and whether he would be back next year.

Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have to decide his future. Reese is almost sure to be fired. “This is not a statement about anything other than we are 2-9, and

we have to do what is best for the organization moving forward, and that means evaluating every position,” Reese said in a statement Tuesday. “I told Eli this morning that an organization could not ask for any more in a franchise quarterback. He has been that and more. Nobody knows what the future holds, but right now, this is what we think is best for the franchise.” Former center and current NFL Network analyst Shaun O’Hara summed up the frustration of Giants’ fans. “It’s a gut punch to everybody, whether you’re former player, whether you played with Eli, against Eli, whether you’re a fan,” O’Hara said. “This feels like a punch right to the stomach. I’ve been sick, I’ve been angry. I’ve also been relieved because now Eli doesn’t have to go out there and try to win games with that shoddy roster and the people around him.”q

SPORTS A19

Thursday 30 November 2017

Love powers Cavaliers

past Heat 108-97

By The Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love scored 32 of his 38 points in the first half, LeBron James was ejected for the first time in his career and the Cleveland Cavaliers extended their longest winning streak since 2015 to nine games by downing the Miami Heat 108-97 on Tuesday night.

Love had his way with every defender Miami put on him, finishing 10 of 16 from the field and 14 of 17 on free throws. He scored 22 in the first quarter and the Cavs opened a 27-point lead before halftime.

James added 21 points before he was slapped with two technical fouls by referee Kane Fitzgerald and tossed with 1:59 left in the third quarter and the Cavs leading by 23. It was the first time James was thrown out in 1,082 career games.

Dion Waiters scored 21 and Bam Adebayo had 19 for the Heat, who had won three in a row. Goran Dragic finished with just seven points — 12 below his teamleading scoring average.

WIZARDS 92, TIMBERWOLVES 89 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Otto

Porter Jr. hit a 22-foot jumper with 25 seconds remaining, lifting Washington to the victory.

Washington trailed for nearly the entire fourth quarter.

After Porter’s jumper, Minnesota had two shots at the other end but couldn’t convert.

The Wizards got the ball back with 4.2 seconds remaining when the ball went out of bounds off Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson.

Officials originally ruled that Minnesota maintained possession, but a review overturned the call and gave the ball to Washington.

Porter led Washington with 22 points, and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 16.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota for his leagueleading 18th double-double.

BUCKS 112, KINGS 87 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 19 of his 32 points in the third quarter, helping Milwaukee to the runaway road win.

Eric Bledsoe had 21 points, five assists and five rebounds for the Bucks, who won for the second time in

five games. Khris Middleton scored 12 points.

Milwaukee led by as many as 36 and won despite not scoring a second-chance point.

It was Antetokounmpo’s eighth 30-point game this season.

Garrett Temple scored 18 for the Kings, and Buddy Hield added 13 points. Willie Cauley-Stein had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

JAZZ 106, NUGGETS 77 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Derrick Favors scored 24 points, and the Jazz put away the Nuggets with a dominant second half.

Rookie Donovan Mitchell added 16 points as Utah matched a season high with its third straight victory.

Jonas Jerebko had 15 and Ricky Rubio finished with 13 points.

The Jazz outscored the Nuggets 58-28 in the second half.

Gary Harris scored 14 of his 18 points for Denver in the first half, and Kenneth Faried had 11 points and eight rebounds.

SUNS 104, BULLS 99 CHICAGO (AP) — Devin Booker scored 33 points, and Phoenix held on for the

Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against Miami Heat’s James Johnson (16) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017, in Cleveland.

Associated Press

road win.

Booker looked just fine after sitting out a game because of inflammation in his right big toe, nailing five 3-pointers and grabbing nine rebounds.

T.J. Warren scored 25 for Phoenix, and Alex Len tied a career high with 18 rebounds. The Suns dominat-

ed on the glass 57-41 while snapping a three-game losing streak.

The rebuilding Bulls are a league-worst 3-16 after dropping their sixth straight.

Justin Holiday made six 3-pointers on his way to 25 points for Chicago. Kris Dunn added 24 points and eight assists.q

Bulls’ Niko Mirotic accepts Portis apology over fight

By DAN HAYES Associated press CHICAGO (AP) — Niko Mirotic accepted Bobby Portis’ apology on Wednesday, six weeks after their ugly altercation at practice led to a hospitalization and a suspension.

Things remain awkward for the Chicago Bulls.

A day after he sat on the bench for the first time all season, Mirotic finally spoke publicly about the Oct. 17 incident that left him hospitalized with two facial fractures and a concussion. Portis served an eight-game suspension and Mirotic didn’t return to practice until Monday.

Mirotic, who has a no-trade

clause, declined to comment when asked if he had requested a trade from the Bulls. The two players were seen giving each other a fist bump during Tuesday night’s 104-99 home loss to Phoenix, but Mirotic suggested the interaction between the two players has been limited.

“Right now, we are on the same team and we are working to make it work,” Mirotic said. “The only thing I can tell you . I was always a good teammate so I was professional with everybody and I’ll continue to do that. If I’m here, it’s because I want to support the team. He’s a part of the team and I’m going

to support him, too. Obviously, I’m going to give him hands like he’d give me hands, too.”

Portis issued a public apology shortly after he received his suspension and acknowledged he would be open to the two working together.

“I’d welcome him in with open arms,” Portis said on Nov. 13, the same day Mirotic started working out again with the team.

Mirotic said he had yet to inform Portis he had accepted his apology.

“You know, we are teammates,” Mirotic said. “On the same team. Fighting for the same team and we’re both going to do what we

need to do to make it work.

Yeah, I accept it. I’m comfortable being on the team.

I’ve had a lot of support from my teammates, from everybody. Right now, it’s on me to relax and enjoy playing basketball again.”

Coach Fred Hoiberg said Mirotic’s actions Wednesday were critical to helping the team get back on track. The Bulls (3-16) have lost six straight games.

“I do think that’s an important first step,” Hoiberg said.

“Obviously, the first thing was getting back on the floor after the incident, to start getting himself back in shape. The next thing was to get back with the group, which he’s done here the

past few days.

“It’s good to have Niko back out on the floor with the guys and another important step talking about it for the first time and then continuing trying to move past it.”

Mirotic will remain in Chicago while the team travels to Denver for Thursday night’s game.

Hoiberg said the earliest Mirotic would return to action is Monday when the Bulls host the Cleveland Cavaliers. Though he acknowledged his return is much closer than before, Mirotic also said he wouldn’t get ahead of himself as he focuses on conditioning.q

A20 SPORTS

Thursday 30 November 2017

NHL Capsules Vasilevskiy gets shutout as Lightning snap two-game skid BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves in his second shutout this season, and the Tampa Bay Lightning ended a twogame skid with a 2-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

Defenseman Dan Girardi and rookie Mikhail Sergachev had goals for the Lightning in the third of a four-game trip. Tampa Bay is off to the best start in franchise history (17-5-2) but had lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

Vasilevskiy leads the NHL with 16 wins and has six career shutouts in 101 starts.

Robin Lehner stopped 24 shots for the Sabres, who were held scoreless for the second straight game and have lost nine of 10.

SHARKS 3, FLYERS 1 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joe Thornton scored the goahead goal late in the first period and the Sharks extended the Flyers’ longest losing streak in nearly 10 years to nine games.

Chris Tierney and MarcEdouard Vlasic also scored and Logan Couture had two assists for the Sharks, who kicked off a fourgame trip with their second straight win.

Claude Giroux scored 48 seconds in before the Flyers were blanked the rest of the way by backup Aaron Dell, who made 22 saves.

The Flyers are 0-4-5 since their last win, Nov. 9 against Chicago. It’s the longest skid since an 0-8-2 stretch in February 2008.

ISLANDERS 5, CANUCKS 2 NEW YORK (AP) — Calvin de Haan and Jordan Eberle scored goals one minute apart in the first period to spark the Islanders to a win over the Canucks.

Eberle now has goals in three straight games and recorded his 400th NHL point as New York improved to 15-7-2 overall and 8-0-2 at Barclays Center.

Andrew Ladd, Anders Lee and John Tavares also scored goals for New York, and rookie center Mathew Barzal recorded the prima-

Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) keeps his eyes on the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Tuesday Nov. 28, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y.

ry assist on Eberle’s goal.

Jaroslav Halak made 22 saves for the Islanders.

Vancouver dropped to 1110-4 with its third straight loss, all to the three teams in the New York City metropolitan area.

Thomas Vanek and Bo Horvat scored for the Canucks, while Anders Nilsson stopped 31 shots.

BLUE JACKETS 3, HURRICANES 2, SO COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin scored in the shootout to give the Blue Jackets a win over the Hurricanes.

Zach Werenski had a goal and an assist, and Josh Anderson also scored for the Blue Jackets, who won their first game after their season-best six-game winning streak ended. Columbus has won five in a row at home.

Joonas Korpisalo, making a rare start in place of Sergei Bobrovsky, made 29 saves in regulation and overtime for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky leads the league in save percentage and goals-against average and got his first night off in three weeks as Korpisalo made his fifth start.

PANTHERS 5, RANGERS 4 NEW YORK (AP) — Denis Malgin scored with 1:09 left and the Panthers recov-

ered after giving up two three-goal leads to beat the Rangers.

Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist, and Aleksander Barkov, Jamie McGinn and Micheal Haley also scored for Florida.

James Reimer finished with 33 saves.

On the winning goal, Malgin fired a shot from the inside edge of the left circle to beat Rangers goalie Ondrej Pavelec for his first of the season.

Chris Kreider had two goals and an assist, Pavel Buchnevich added a goal and two assists, and J.T. Miller also scored for the Rangers, who snapped an eightgame winning streak at home and lost for just the third time in their last 13 games overall. David Desharnais had three assist to help New York tie it after trailing 3-0 and 4-1.

KINGS 4, RED WINGS 1 DETROIT (AP) — Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar scored 2:10 apart late in the second period to put the Kings ahead and they went on to beat the Red Wings.

Jonathan Quick made 23 saves, including some spectacular stops in the second period that kept the Kings within a goal.

His teammates took ad-

vantage.

After Brown and Kopitar puts the Kings ahead, they pulled away in the third.

Adrian Kempe scored early in the period and Kopitar’s second goal of the game gave Los Angeles a threegoal cushion with 7-plus minutes left.

The Red Wings started strong, but couldn’t recover when they failed to get another shot past Quick.

Detroit’s Mike Green broke a scoreless tie late in the second period and Jimmy Howard finished with 32 saves.

PREDATORS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pekka Rinne made 37 saves to lead the Predators to a win over the Blackhawks.

Filip Forsberg, Austin Watson and Roman Josi scored goals for the Predators, who have won 10 of 12.

Tommy Wingels and Lance Bouma had the goals for Chicago, which had its two-game winning streak snapped.

With Nashville clinging to a one-goal lead late in the third, Rinne made his best save of the night when he denied Nick Schmaltz’s backhand from just outside the crease on a shorthanded breakaway. He later denied WIngels with the

left pad in the game’s final minute.

OILERS 3, COYOTES 2, OT EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored 4:20 into overtime as the Oilers defeated the Coyotes for their second win in a row.

Zack Kassian and Matt Benning also scored for the Oilers, who have only won two straight games on one other occasion all season.

Christian Fischer and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored for the Coyotes, who have lost three of their last four games.

Fischer showed a great second effort to lift his own rebound over outstretched Oilers goalie Cam Talbot during a scramble in front to give Arizona an early lead. It was the 17th time in 25 games this season that Edmonton has trailed 1-0.

Kassian finally converted on one of many breakaways this season, beating Coyotes goalie Scott Wedgewood for his first goal of the campaign to tie the game 1-1 with 3:30 left in the first.

MAPLE LEAFS 4, FLAMES 1 CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Roman Polak scored his first goal of the season and Frederik Andersen made 19 saves as the Maple Leafs beat the Flames. The game was scoreless until late in the first period when Polak gave the visitors a lead they would not relinquish with a fluke goal that pinballed off two Flames on the way into the net.

Polak’s slap shot from the blue line first deflected off Mark Jankowski and then, as it was going well wide of the Calgary net, it deflected off the knee of Travis Hamonic and straight past goaltender Mike Smith. Nikita Zaitsev, Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov, with an empty-netter, also scored for Toronto.

STARS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 0 LAS VEGAS (AP) — Radek Faksa scored three goals and Ben Bishop registered his second shutout of the season, as the Stars defeated the Golden Knights.q

SPORTS A21

Thursday 30 November 2017

Focus more on how long Tiger Woods lasts more than his score

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — One year later, the scene hadn’t changed.

Jordan Spieth paused on the 17th green and looked across the water to the adjacent fairway at Albany Golf Club as Tiger Woods hit his shot to the ninth green, just like he did last year at the Hero World Challenge.

Curiosity is just as high over another return from injury for Woods and how he will fare after a long layoff.

What’s different about the expectations for this comeback — his fifth since he first had back surgery in the spring of 2014 — is they are more about how long Woods will last than what kind of scores he posts.

“He seems more confident this year the way he’s walking and talking,” Spieth said Wednesday in a whisper, having lost his voice to illness. “He seemed more excited at the Presidents Cup before he was even swinging, more anxious.

And it seemed to really bother him that he was following doctor’s orders, like he really wanted to get going. So once he was given the go, I think it was exciting for him.

“So we’re all very interested, as we should be, in how it goes for him this week — and obviously, hoping that’s the start.”

The start of his latest comeback is Thursday against an 18-man field that features eight of the top nine players in the world. It’s the first time every shot counts for

Tiger Woods tries to drive the 7th green during the pro-am for the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club in Nassau, Bahamas on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017.

Associated Press

Woods since a 77 in the Dubai Desert Classic on Feb. 3.

That was his seventh round in his return. He withdrew the next day, citing back spasms, and had a fourth back surgery in April to fuse two disks in his lower back. Woods reports some stiffness and not as much range in motion. But he says he has no pain.

The hype about this return has been fueled by friendly rounds over the last few weeks.

Justin Thomas, the PGA Tour player of the year who will be paired with Woods on Thursday, said fans will be “shocked at how good his game looks.” Rickie Fowler made a casual ref-

erence to how far Woods was driving it past him. Brad Faxon, who played with Woods and Dustin Johnson last Friday in a round with President Donald Trump, said Woods looked at ease and held nothing back in his swing, especially with the driver.

Woods had to keep score in his pro-am round Wednesday, and that included a 2 on the 350-yard seventh hole when he drove the green with a breeze at his back and holed a 20-foot putt for eagle.

The tournament is unofficial, though it offers world ranking points. Woods is at No. 1,199 in the world, and even if he finishes last, he’ll move up more than 200

spots into the top 1,000.

That still seems odd for a guy who spent 683 weeks at No. 1 in the world.

What enthuses Woods is playing again.

“It’s been a very long time, and I’m really looking forward to getting out there and playing with Justin and having a good time,” Woods said.

After that, it will be time to reassess.

“I just really want to be able to complete this week, play all four days and give myself a chance on that back nine on Sunday to win this thing,” said Woods, whose last victory was more than four years ago at Firestone in the Bridgestone Invitational.

He lasted only three starts when he came back from his first back surgery in the summer of 2014. He lasted two starts after he returned at the end of 2014, and then after playing all four majors in 2015, he had a pair of back surgeries. And when he returned from those last year in the Bahamas, he lasted only three events.

“My physio was certainly working overtime last year after every day and even in the morning, trying to get me ready to go,” Woods said.

Woods said the reason his comeback last year was over so quickly was due primarily to the rough at Torrey Pines and not realizing his disk was in bad shape.

He said the deceleration in his swing when he hit out of the rough made the injury worse.

That’s why there’s so much emphasis on his health. He looks built to last, or at least last a little longer. And this is the ideal spot for Woods to return.

There is no cut. Woods is guaranteed four rounds. Interest is high. Pressure is not.

“I think it’s an easy week for Tiger as it is for anybody else versus other weeks — not as many people, the golf course doesn’t beat you up,” Spieth said.

“But you can start to see it’s actually, I think, pretty important, these end-of-theyear tournaments to kind of set a precedent for next year.”

That especially holds true for Woods.q

Alfa Romeo back in F1 with Sauber after more than 30 years TURIN, Italy (AP) — Alfa Romeo has joined up with the Sauber team for a return to Formula One after an absence of more than 30 years.

Sauber said Wednesday it has reached a “multi-year technical and commercial partnership” with the Italian automaker, which is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

From 2018, the team will be known as the Alfa Ro-

meo Sauber F1 Team. Next year’s car will bear the Alfa Romeo logo and will be equipped with Ferrari power units.

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said the deal marks “a significant step in the reshaping of the Alfa Romeo brand.”

The Alfa name last appeared in F1 in 1985, although its biggest achievements came during the

series’ first two years, when Giuseppe “Nino” Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1950 and 1951 titles in Alfas.

Ferrari junior program and Formula Two champion Charles Leclerc is expected to drive for Sauber next season and there is also speculation that Antonio Giovinazzi, another Ferrari product, could become the team’s second driver.q

In this July 1, 1951 file photo Juan Manuel Fangio comes out of a bend at speed during the race, driving a supercharged 1.5 Liter Alfa Romeo during the Grand Prix D’Europe at Rheims, France.

Associated Press

A22 SPORTS

Thursday 30 November 2017

Christie’s fight for sports betting heads to Supreme Court

By DAVID PORTER Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Five years after being sued by the four major pro sports leagues and scolded by their top executives for seeking to overturn a federal ban on sports gambling, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie may be on the verge of having the last word.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in New Jersey’s challenge to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, the 1992 law that barred all states but Nevada and three others from authorizing sports gambling. Nevada is the only state to offer single-game wagering.

Christie said Wednesday he will attend Monday’s arguments and that he is “cautiously optimistic.”

A decision is due by late spring, and states across the country are poised to offer sports gambling if the court strikes down all or part of the law. New Jersey’s Monmouth Park Racetrack

New Jersey. Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a news conference at the Integrity House drug addiction rehabilitation center, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, in Newark, N.J. Associated Press

already has spent more than $1 million to build a lounge that can be transformed into a sports betting parlor in a matter of weeks.

It’s been a long road for Christie, who put a sports betting referendum on the ballot in 2011 that passed overwhelmingly. He signed a law in 2012 allowing it at casinos and racetracks and was sued by the NFL, NHL, NBA, Major League Baseball and the NCAA, all of which argued that ex-

panding gambling would damage the integrity of their games.

In depositions, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern said New Jersey “has no idea what it’s doing and doesn’t care because all it’s interested in is making a buck or two.” Then-MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said he was “really appalled” by Christie’s actions.

Both commissioners’ successors have taken a dif-

ferent tack, and have acknowledged that legalized gambling is likely to happen and can enhance fans’ interest. Of the four leagues, only the NFL has remained steadfastly opposed to legalized gambling Christie said Wednesday he used the same approach to sports betting as when he was U.S. attorney for New Jersey before becoming governor.

“I used to ask the assistant U.S. attorneys to sit around the table and give me all the different odds about winning and losing and what they thought about the judge, or about the jury, and I would finally get down to say: ‘Do you think he’s guilty or don’t you? And can you prove it beyond a reasonable doubt?’” he said. “In this instance I was like, ‘Do we believe we’re right? Do we believe states have the right to determine for themselves what happens regarding gaming inside their own borders?’ I believe we’re right.”

Federal judges have not

agreed. The case was met with defeat at the district court level in New Jersey and twice at the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. It also has cost New Jersey taxpayers millions in legal fees — nearly $3 million alone from August 2012, when the leagues filed suit, to the end of the following year.

Christie said Wednesday the effort will have been worth it even if the court rules against the state.

“If you’re unwilling to take risks, then you’re never going to achieve great things,” he said. “Sometimes that means you take risks and the risks don’t work out. I think we made an educated risk. No matter which way it goes, I think it was the right decision to make. And by the way, it was the will of the people who voted in a referendum in broad numbers that they wanted sports gaming in their state. So part of this is also making sure you execute upon the will of the people you represent.”q

Nashville, Sacramento head MLS expansion finalists NEW YORK (AP) — Nashville, Tennessee, is among four finalists for a pair of Major League Soccer expansion teams after government financing for a new stadium was approved this month.

Sacramento, California, is considered a front-runner along with Nashville for the teams, which the league intends to award next month.

Each winner will pay a $150 million expansion fee.

Cincinnati and Detroit also remain in contention, but without firm plans for new stadiums, they are viewed as long shots.

Presentations to the league’s expansion committee are scheduled for Dec. 6, and MLS owners will discuss expansion when they meet eight days later in New York.

Eight areas were cut from the list Wednesday but remain in contention for later

expansion teams: Charlotte, North Carolina; Indianapolis; Phoenix; Raleigh/ Durham, North Carolina; St. Louis; San Antonio; San Diego; and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Metro Nashville City Council on Nov. 7 approved $225 million in revenue bonds to construct a 27,500-seat soccer stadium and an additional $50 million in bonds for renovations and improvements around the site at the current fairgrounds. Nashville’s group includes John Ingram, the chairman of Ingram Industries Inc., and the Wilf family, owner of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.

Sacramento’s group includes Kevin Nagle, a minority owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, and Jed York, CEO of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. The group said in July it was starting

In this Dec. 9, 2016, file photo, MLS Commissioner Don Garber holds a state of the league news conference in Toronto. Four cities are in the running to join Major League Soccer.

Associated Press

pre-construction activity for a 19,621-seat downtown stadium.

MLS has 22 teams this season and Los Angeles FC is to start play in March at a new stadium under construction near the Coliseum.

Former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy star David Beckham was

tentatively awarded a Miami team in 2014, but that is contingent on a stadium site he has thus far failed to secure. The league in 2015 announced plans to expand to 28 teams and said last December that teams 25 and 26 will start play by 2020.

Cincinnati’s group includes

Carl H. Lindner III, co-CEO of American Financial Group and owner of FC Cincinnati in the secondtier United Soccer League.

The Cincinnati City Council on Monday approved a plan for the city to invest up to $36 million in infrastructure such as roads around a privately funded stadium.

A day earlier, the community council in the Oakley neighborhood where the stadium would be built voted against the proposal.

Detroit’s group is seen as having the poorest chance after announcing Nov. 1 it would use Ford Field, home of the NFL’s Lions. The group includes Dan Gilbert, owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and chairman of Quicken Loans Inc., and Tom Gores, owner of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and chairman of Platinum Equity.q

TECHNOLOGY A23

Thursday 30 November 2017

Chris Froome ready to ride Giro d’Italia next year

By DANIELLA MATAR Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome will ride the Giro d’Italia next year in an attempt to win his third Grand Tour in a row.

After successfully defending his Tour de France title earlier this year, Froome went on to win the Spanish Vuelta for the first time.

A victory at the Giro would make him the seventh rider in history to win all three Grand Tours — and only the third to hold the three titles at the same time.

The 32-year-old Froome made the unexpected announcement on Wednesday during the presentation of next year’s Giro route, with a brief video message.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you at the start line of next year’s Giro d’Italia,” he said.

The announcement was greeted by surprise and a warm round of applause from the audience, which included past and present cyclists.

“It’s a unique situation for me, having won the Tour and Vuelta and now having the opportunity to go to the Giro and attempt

to win a third consecutive Grand Tour,” Froome said in a statement from Team Sky. “It’s really exciting to be able to take on a new challenge, to do something that perhaps people wouldn’t expect and to mix it up. It’s a whole new motivation for me to see if I can pull off something special next year.”

Froome, who has not competed at the Giro since 2010, will also try to win the Tour for a record-equaling fifth time next year.

No rider has completed a Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998, but Froome has taken confidence from this season’s successful Tour-Vuelta effort.

“We know that it would be a significant feat in the modern era to win both the Giro and the Tour in the same season, but the way we managed things this year gives me confidence that I can successfully target both races,” the British rider said.

“Another factor is that there is an extra week between next year’s Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. That’s one more week for recovery and for

training than there would be normally.”

Spanish great Alberto Contador, who is one of the six riders to have won all three Grand Tours, believes now is the right time for Froome to attempt the same.

“I think it was very intelligent from him,” Contador said. “He’s won the Tour, he’s won the Vuelta and he has to try to win the Giro.

He has very good legs and an equally good or even better team. So I think he’s in a good position.”

Two-time Giro champion Vincenzo Nibali was the last cyclist to win the three races, completing his record with the 2014 Tour. And the Italian warns that Froome might not find it so much to his liking in Italy.

“Froome has said that he really prefers the heat, like at the Vuelta or the Tour,” Nibali said. “He doesn’t have a good feeling with the cold and as we all know it can be very cold on the Giro. So we have to see how he finds it.”

Left to right, Italian riders Fabio Aru and Vincenzo Nibali and Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin pose for a photo near the trophy during the presentation of the “Giro d’Italia”, Tour of Italy, 2018 in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017.

Associated Press

Even though the Giro takes place in May, cyclist have often had to combat snow and freezing temperatures in the mountains.

Next year’s Giro will start in Jerusalem and the following two stages will also be in Israel, marking the first time the race has started outside Europe.

Race organizers have said the route will not go through any land considered occupied by the international community. That means the course will circumvent the West Bank and east

Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by the Palestinians as parts of a future independent state.

A group of about 15 protesters held Palestinian flags and posters criticizing the Giro outside the building hosting Wednesday’s presentation. Race director Mauro Vegni told The Associated Press: “Everyone has the right to think what they want, they have the right — as long as the protests are peaceful — to express their thoughts.”q

A24 TECHNOLOGY

Thursday 30 November 2017

Uber facing federal probe on allegations of espionage

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that Uber deployed an espionage team to plunder trade secrets from its rivals.

The revelation triggered a delay in a high-profile trial over whether the beleaguered ride-hailing service stole self-driving car technology from a Google spinoff.

The probe under way at the U.S. Justice Department centers on a 37-page letter that described allegations made by Richard Jacobs, Uber’s former manager of global intelligence. Jacobs had the letter sent in May to an Uber lawyer. The letter contended that Jacobs had been wrongfully demoted and then fired for trying to stop the company’s alleged misconduct.

The investigation hadn’t been publicly known until Tuesday, when it surfaced in a court hearing that was supposed to set the stage for a trial pitting Uber against Waymo, a self-driving car pioneer that started within Google eight years ago.

The hearing instead quickly turned into a forum raising more questions about Uber’s ethics and corporate culture. Over the past year, Uber has been rocked by revelations of rampant sexual harassment inside the company, technological trickery designed to thwart regulators and a yearlong cover-up of a hacking attack that stole the personal informa-

In this Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, file photo, a self-driving Uber sits ready to take journalists for a ride during a media preview in Pittsburgh.

Associated Press

tion of 57 million passengers and 600,000 drivers.

Jacobs, whose lawyer wrote the letter at the center of the courtroom drama, testified Tuesday that Uber had set up a unit called Marketplace Analytics to steal trade secrets from its rivals overseas. He didn’t specify which competitors Uber had targeted.

His allegations had been kept under wraps until the Justice Department passed them along to U.S. District Judge William Alsup last week.

In an unusual move, Alsup had recommended in May that the Justice Department open a criminal investigation into Uber, based on the evidence he had heard in the Waymo case.

To protect itself against potential trouble, Uber frequently communicated on

a service called Wickr that automatically erases messages, according to Jacobs.

The company also relied on a surreptitious computer system to eliminate all digital trails, and dispatched its security team to train self-driving car engineers in Pittsburgh how to conceal their electronic tracks, Jacobs testified.

Uber’s espionage team also hired contractors who employed former CIA agents to help with its surveillance, according to Jacobs.

Pressed under questioning, Jacobs acknowledged that the letter also alleged that Uber had stolen trade secrets from Waymo, as well as other intellectual property in the U.S. But Jacobs said that his lawyer was mistaken in making

that allegation. He insisted he didn’t know anything about Uber’s espionage team trying to steal anything in the U.S., suggesting he missed the purported mistake because he spent only about 20 minutes reviewing it while he was on vacation with his wife.

Uber paid Jacobs $4.5 million as part of a confidential settlement after his firing, Jacobs said while being grilled by Waymo lawyer Charles Verhoeven.

Part of that settlement includes Uber stock, a $1 million consulting fee and a provision requiring him not to say anything that would harm Uber.

“It is possible that he has been bought off by Uber,” Alsup said of Jacobs at one point during Tuesday’s drama.

Alsup described the allega-

tions in the letter as “scandalous” and lashed out at Uber’s legal team for not informing him about them before he was notified by the Justice Department. “I can’t trust anything you say because it has been proven wrong so many times,” Alsup told Uber attorney Arturo Gonzalez. The judge also called Uber’s espionage team “a plumber’s unit doing bad deeds.”

Gonzalez repeatedly tried to persuade Alsup that the allegations in Jacobs’ letter had nothing to do with Waymo’s case against Uber.

The lawyer also argued that the company used secretive communications channels for employee safety reasons. But the judge wasn’t swayed.

“There is a 50-50 chance that this is going to turn out very bad for Uber,” Alsup said.

“And there is a 50-50 chance that this will turn out to be a dry hole.”

In a statement defending itself, Uber pointed to Jacobs’ testimony that he wasn’t aware of the company stealing any of Waymo’s trade secrets. “None of the testimony (Tuesday) changes the merits of the case,” Uber said.

In its statement, Waymo called the latest allegations against Uber “significant and troubling.”

Alsup postponed the scheduled Dec. 4 start of the Waymo-Uber trial to give Waymo more time to gather evidence. He didn’t immediately set a new trial date.q

Facebook turns to AI to help prevent suicides

In this April 18, 2017, file photo, conference workers speak in front of a demo booth at Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference in San Jose, Calif.

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook is turning to artificial intelligence to detect if someone might be contemplating suicide.

Facebook already has mechanisms for flagging posts from people thinking about harming themselves.

The new feature is intended to detect such posts before

anyone reports them.

The service will scan posts and live video with a technique called “pattern recognition.”

For example, comments from friends such as “are you ok?” can indicate suicidal thoughts.

Facebook has already been testing the feature

in the U.S. and is making it available in most other countries. The European Union is excluded, though; Facebook won’t say why.

The company is also using AI to prioritize the order that flagged posts are sent to its human moderators so they can quickly alert local authorities.q

BUSINESS A25

Thursday 30 November 2017

Chipotle, looking for a turnaround, shopping for CEO

Tiffany: Profits sparkle as China’s demand for luxury rises

NEW YORK (AP) — Chipotle is looking for a new CEO to help turn the restaurant chain around, after a long struggle to recover from a series of food safety scares.

The company said Wednesday that founder Steve Ells, who became sole CEO less than a year ago, will step down from that position as soon as it finds a replacement. Ells will then become executive chairman.

Chipotle has been trying to win back customers to its restaurants since 2015, when its sales plunged after an E. coli outbreak. It has made some progress after giving away millions of burritos and launching a loyalty program. However, concerns rose again this summer when one of its restaurants in Virginia was temporarily closed after diners fell ill.

The company started selling queso nationwide with the hopes that it would revive sales. But the warm cheesy dip didn’t do much to boost results in the last quarter. The burrito chain said last month that it will continue to develop new menu items, including frozen margaritas and salads; retrain workers to better serve customers; and slow the number of new stores it opens next year to better focus on already opened restaurants.

“While we are continuing to make progress, it is clear that we need to move faster to make improvements,” Ells said in a statement Wednesday. Chipotle said that the CEO search committee, which includes Ells, is looking for someone with turnaround expertise who can help build customer trust and improve sales.

Ells founded Chipotle as a single restaurant in Denver in 1993. He had previously shared the top job as a co-CEO. “Under his leadership, the chain has stumbled from one crisis to the next and has failed to reignite the growth that it once enjoyed,” said Neil Saunders, a retail analyst at GlobalData.q

NEW YORK (AP) — Tiffany & Co., which has struggled with online competition and lost its luster with younger shoppers, reported a quarterly profit Wednesday that beat Wall Street’s expectations as shoppers in China snapped up its luxury goods.

The high-end jewelry company’s strength in its third quarter mostly came from the Asia-Pacific region,

where sales surged 15 percent to $283 million. This was mainly due to strong demand in China. Sales were up 5 percent in Europe to $110 million.

But other places didn’t fare as well. In Japan, sales dropped 8 percent to $139 million. While Tiffany managed to squeeze out a 1 percent sales increase in the Americas, that was considered a disappoint-

ment. The company said that a downturn in spending by foreign tourists was part of the reason for the soft sales.

Sales at stores open at least a year, a key gauge of a retailer’s health, dipped 1 percent.

Under new Chief Executive Alessandro Bogliolo, Tiffany has been trying to lure millennials who are shopping elsewhere online. The com-

pany said e-commerce sales increased at a slightly faster pace than overall sales growth.

The New York-based company has stepped up its marketing, using celebrities like Janelle Monae and Zoe Kravitz in advertising.

It’s also focusing more on design, and adding more lower-price pieces such as $95 bone china cups that look like paper cups.q

Steep tech drop pulls US indexes mostly lower

Trader Tommy Kalikas works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. A steep slide in big technology companies pulled the major U.S. stock indexes mostly lower Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer A steep slide in big technology companies pulled the major U.S. stock indexes mostly lower Wednesday, offsetting strength in banks and health care and erasing some of the gains the market made a day earlier.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite, which is the best-performing index this year, had its biggest singleday drop since August as investors cashed in some of their winnings and bid up shares in health care companies and retailers, among others.

Bond yields rose following a strong report on thirdquarter economic growth in the U.S. That helped banks because they can

charge higher interest rates on loans.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed modestly higher, notching a record high for the second straight day, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index dipped less than 1 point.

“The market is flat, but inside the market, lots of change,” said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management. “People are rotating away from what’s worked so well and buying some of the laggards.”

The S&P 500 index fell 0.97 points, or 0.04 percent, to 2,626.07. The Dow gained 103.97 points, or 0.4 percent, to 23,940.68. The Nasdaq lost 87.97 points, or 1.3 percent, to 6,824.39.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 5.86 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,542.30. Rising stocks slightly outpaced declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange.

Signs of a tech sell-off were visible early on Wednesday, as the Nasdaq opened lower.

Amazon, Facebook, Google parent Alphabet and other big technology companies gave up some of their recent gains as the sector posted its biggest loss in more than five months. Even so, the sector remains the biggest riser this year, with a gain of 35.7 percent.

“If you look at any kind of chart you can see how extended tech was,” Doll

said. “People are saying, ‘I’ve made so much money, let me take a little money off the table.’” Amazon dropped $32.33, or 2.7 percent, to $1,161.27.

Facebook fell $7.29, or 4 percent, to $175.13. Alphabet slid $25.91, or 2.4 percent, to $1,037.38. Shares in several chipmakers also slumped. Micron Technology lost $4.19, or 8.7 percent, to $43.74, while Applied Materials shed $4.42, or 7.7 percent, to $52.91. Lam Research declined $18.50, or 8.7 percent, to $194.64. The market got another batch of encouraging economic news Wednesday.

The Commerce Department estimated that the U.S. economy grew at an annual pace of 3.3 percent from July through September. That would be the fastest rate in three years.

The new estimate helped lift bond yields. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.38 percent from 2.34 percent late Tuesday. Meanwhile, the National Association of Realtors said that its pending home sales index surged 3.5 percent last month. On Monday, the Commerce Department said sales of new homes jumped in October to their fastest pace in a decade.

“We’ve had some pretty decent economic news,” said CFRA Investment Strategist Lindsey Bell. Banks and other financial stocks posted solid gains for the second day in a row, getting a boost from rising bond yields.q

A26 COMICS

Thursday 30 November 2017

Mutts

Conceptis Sudoku

6 Chix

Blondie

Mother Goose & Grimm

Baby Blues

Zits

Yesterday’s puzzle answer

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

CLASSIFIED A27

Thursday 30 November 2017

Rich San Francisco homeowners will get their sold-off street back

By JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Residents of an exclusive San Francisco neighborhood who failed to pay taxes on their private, gated street for two decades got the street back Tuesday after supervisors voted to rescind the sale of the tax-defaulted property.

The Board of Supervisors split 7-4 on the move, with those in favor saying residents of Presidio Terrace had not received enough notice before their sidewalks, street and common areas were sold at auction in 2015.

Supervisor Mark Farrell, who represents the district, said it was not good policy to allow out-of-town land “speculators” to swoop in on law-abiding property owners who simply did not know they owed tax on their street.

He agreed the homeowners’ due process rights were violated when the tax collector sent tax bills to an outdated address. The association had failed to update its mailing address.

“When I look to the constitution and deprivation of property and taking of property from individuals, I think that is a high standard that hasn’t been met here,” Supervisor Katy Tang added.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen voted against reversing the sale, saying homeowners

had defaulted before and should have been on notice.

She agreed that most people did not expect to pay taxes on sidewalk in front of their house but pointed out that most people don’t have a private street in front of their house.

“Did the treasurer act unreasonably? I don’t think so, and should we give a second bite of the apple to these homeowners when most people don’t get that?” she said. “I don’t think so.”

The issue is unprecedented in San Francisco, although supervisors in other California counties have reversed sales as allowed under state law.

The oval-shaped street in upscale Presidio Heights is lined with leafy palms, lush landscaping and multimillion-dollar mansions. Previous residents of the gated neighborhood include U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who wrote a letter that accused the city of bureaucratic bungling.

Current residents lined up Tuesday to plead their case, saying they were regular, hard-working San Franciscans who had faithfully paid taxes on their homes and simply didn’t know about the separate tax lot.

The British consul general in San Francisco lives in the neighborhood.q

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A28 SCIENCE

Thursday 30 November 2017

APNewsBreak: U.S. adopts recovery plan for Mexican wolves

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — After decades of legal challenges and political battles that have pitted states against the federal government, U.S. wildlife managers on Wednesday finally adopted a plan to guide the recovery of a wolf that once roamed parts of the American Southwest and northern Mexico.

The plan sets a goal of having an average of 320 Mexican gray wolves in the wild over an eight-year period before the predator can shed its status as an endangered species. In each of the last three years, the population would have to exceed the average to ensure the species doesn’t backslide.

Officials estimate recovery could take another two decades and nearly $180 million, a cost borne largely by breeding facilities that support threatened and endangered species work.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considered tens of thousands of public comments — from state lawmakers and business groups to independent scientists and environmentalists — as it worked to meet a court-ordered deadline to craft the recovery plan.

It was a long time coming as the original guidance for restoring the wolf was adopted in 1982.

“This plan really provides

In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a Mexican gray wolf leaves cover at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro County, N.M. Associated Press

us a roadmap for where we need to go to get this species recovered and delisted and get its management turned back over to the states and tribes,” Sherry Barrett, the Mexican wolf recovery coordinator, told The Associated Press in an interview.

Barrett said state wildlife officials and other peers reviewed the scientific data and the models used to calculate the best way forward for the agency as it works to bolster genetic diversity and continue building the wild population.

There are now more of the wolves roaming the Southwest than at any time since the federal government

began trying to reintroduce the animals in 1998.

The most recent annual survey shows at least 113 wolves spread between southwestern New Mexico and southeast Arizona.

There are about 31 wolves in the wild in Mexico, officials said.

Under the recovery plan, those numbers would be expected to grow to 145 in the U.S. and 100 in Mexico over the next five years.

Barrett said targeted releases of captive-bred wolves and translocations are necessary to make the program work. Improvements in the survival rate — currently 28 percent — will be a factor that affects

how many releases are needed, she said.

In an effort to avoid future skirmishes with states, the plan calls for cooperation with wildlife officials in New Mexico and Arizona when it comes to the timing, location and circumstances of the releases. However, federal officials will make the final decisions.

Environmentalists are voicing concerns, suggesting there needs to be more than 700 wolves in the wild if the population is to withstand illegal shootings, genetic issues and other challenges.

“The final recovery plan fails to recover the Mexican gray wolf. It is politi-

cal in nature, not sciencebased,” said Bryan Bird with Defenders of Wildlife, arguing that suitable habitat in the Grand Canyon and Southern Rockies is being ignored.

Environmentalists have pressed for years for more captive wolves to be released, but ranchers and elected leaders in rural communities have pushed back because the predators sometimes attack domestic livestock and wild game.

Last year, the U.S. Interior Department’s internal watchdog said the Fish and Wildlife Service had not fulfilled its obligation to remove Mexican gray wolves that preyed on pets and cattle.

Barrett said with the new plan and other rules that give the agency flexibility in managing problem wolves, there is optimism among officials that progress can be made.

“I know that with most things having to do with wolves, there’s going to be a lot of strong opinions on both sides,” she said. “But to us, it is a big step forward for us to have something in place to start working toward and working with the public to achieve.”q

/arubatoday/

PEOPLE & ARTS A29

Thursday 30 November 2017

NBC News fires Matt Lauer over inappropriate sexual behavior

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — NBC News fired longtime “Today” show host Matt Lauer on Wednesday for “inappropriate sexual behavior,” making him the second morning television show personality to lose his job because of sexual misconduct charges in a week.

Lauer’s co-host Savannah Guthrie made the announcement at the top of Wednesday’s “Today” show. Last week, CBS News fired Charlie Rose after complaints from several women who worked for him.

NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said the network had received a complaint from a colleague on Monday night, but gave no details of the alleged misconduct. A review determined it was a clear violation of company standards, he said. It was the first complaint lodged against Lauer, but Lack said in a memo to staff that “we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”

Lauer, 59, has hosted “Today” for two decades.

When paired with Katie Couric, “Today” was the longtime ratings leader and was highly lucrative for NBC. It now runs second in the ratings to ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Many “Today” show viewers took out their anger for the unsightly 2012 firing of co-host Ann Curry on Lauer, sending the show plunging in the ratings. But NBC stuck with Lauer and the show

had steadied with his pairing with Guthrie. The show runs for four hours, with Lauer and Guthrie hosting the first two.

He joins a lengthening list of media figures felled by sexual misconduct charges this year. Besides Rose, they include Lauer’s former NBC News colleague Mark Halperin, former Fox News prime-time host Bill O’Reilly and National Public Radio newsroom chief Michael Oreskes. The New York Times suspended White House correspondent Glenn Thrush last week.

Messages to Lauer and his agent were not immediately returned.

Lack, in his memo, said that “we are deeply saddened by this turn of events. But we will face it together as a news organization — and do it in as transparent a manner as we can.” There were reports that, before the firing, some media organizations were looking into Lauer’s behavior. The morning host is married with three children.

Guthrie co-hosted Wednesday’s show with Hoda Kotb, who said both of them were awakened with the news Wednesday morning.

Guthrie appeared to fight back tears as she called Lauer her friend who is beloved by many at NBC, and said she was “heartbroken for my colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their own stories to tell.

“We are grappling with a dilemma that so many people have faced these

past few weeks,” she said.

“How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly? I don’t know the answer to that. But I do know that this reckoning that so many organizations have been going through is important, it’s long overdue and it must result in workplaces where all women, all people, feel safe and respected.”

Two hours later, NBC’s Megyn Kelly noted the anguish on the faces of her colleagues but said, “what we don’t see is the pain on the faces of those who found the courage to come forward, and it is still a terrifying thing to do.”

Kelly, who has written about being sexually harassed by former boss Roger Ailes at Fox News Channel, has

In this April 21, 2016, file photo, Matt Lauer, co-host of the NBC “Today” television program, appears on set in Rockefeller Plaza, in New York.

Associated Press

covered the issue aggressively on the third hour of “Today,” helping stabilize her hour of the program after it got off to a rocky start this fall.

On Twitter Wednesday, President Donald Trump

said “Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for ‘inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.’ But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News.”q

A30 PEOPLE

Thursday 30 November 2017

& ARTS How James Franco made a good movie about the worst film ever

In this Nov. 15, 2017 photo, James Franco, left, and Dave Franco pose for a portrait in New York to promote their film, “The Disaster Artist.”

Associated Press

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — There are bad movies, and then there is “The Room,” a spectacularly bizarre independent drama from 2003 starring, written, financed and directed by Tommy Wiseau, a unique-looking and accented man of ambiguous age and origin.

“The Room” tells the story of a San Francisco banker, Johnny (Wiseau), whose fiancé, Lisa, and best friend, Mark, have an affair. And it is bafflingly awful — scenes are out of focus, plotlines are left dangling, softcore sex scenes leave you cringing and the dialogue sounds downright alien.

Film critic Scott Foundas wrote at the time that the, “Pic may be something of a first: A movie that prompts most of its viewers to ask for their money back — before even 30 minutes have passed.”

And yet, “The Room,” which a film professor called “the ‘Citizen Kane’ of bad movies,” took on a life of its own. It became a cult favorite of the midnight movie set, who treat it as a “Rocky Horror Picture Show”-like event (there is shouting, spoon-throwing and walk-outs), a popular book about the making of the film co-written by Greg Sestero, who played Mark, and now a feature film about the whole ordeal, “The Disaster Artist,” directed by and starring James Franco as Wiseau. It hits theaters in limited release Friday and expands wide Dec. 8.

But as easy of a target as “The Room” might be, “The Disaster Artist” is not a spoof or a parody — it is a sincerely told (and incidentally very fun and funny) story about two outsiders, Sestero and Wiseau, who move to Los Angeles with dreams of stardom and no idea how to realize them.

It is “Boogie Nights,” not “Bowfinger.”

“For us, it was a relationship story,” said Michael H. Weber, who co-wrote the script with Scott Neustadter

(“(500) Days of Summer”).

“This one is a little different but it’s no less real and no less complicated than the others we’ve written.”

Franco also wanted to make it a classic LA film with all the trimmings — the bad diners in the Valley, the creepy agents, the naiveté, the auditions that go nowhere — the things he remembers from being a struggling actor in LA around the same time Sestero moved here with Wiseau in 1998.

He cast his younger brother, actor Dave Franco, as Sestero. It’s the first time they’ve acted together in a significant way.

“I’ve tried to get him into a lot of movies. Some of them he just didn’t vibe with. And there was a point in his career where he wanted to get out from, I guess, my shadow, or just create his own identity apart from me,” said James Franco. “I just thought: This is the one.

This is the one we should do together ... we have the perfect dynamic for this.”

James Franco is unrecognizable, behind the prosthetics (which took 2 and a half hours to apply and 45 minutes to remove), Gene Simmons hair, eccentric costumes and vaguely Eastern European-sounding accent required to play the enigmatic Wiseau.

While Sestero is less of a “character” than Wiseau, Dave Franco had his own hurdles.

“He’s making a lot of bad decisions throughout the film and I had to try to justify each of those so the audience would understand why this guy continued on this journey with this mad man,” Dave Franco said. “But he was a young actor who was not getting support from anyone else in his life and then he met this guy who encouraged him and told him he could make it.”

Sestero, who was only 19 when he met Wiseau in a San Francisco acting class, said he feels like he has been talking about “The Room” non-stop for almost

8 years. The phenomenon, he said, “Just continues to amaze and defy logic.”

“My whole goal was to make something great out of something that was considered terrible,” Sestero said.

And so far, it’s working. “The Disaster Artist” has been getting positive reviews (it’s currently clocking in at 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and awards buzz.

It’s also James Franco’s most mainstream effort yet as a director.

“I felt like the subject matter had the potential to be bigger than this indie, art house thing,” Franco said.

The full-force marketing campaign, led by hip indie distributor A24 (the shop behind last year’s best picture winner “Moonlight”), has leaned in to the peculiarities of Wiseau’s guerrilla marketing campaign, creating a billboard in the heart of Hollywood almost exactly like the one Wiseau commissioned in 2003, right down to the RSVP phone number. Franco himself apparently answers sometimes.

As for whether or not one needs to see “The Room” first, Weber likes to quote Paul Scheer, the comedian behind the “How Did This Get Made” podcast who also plays the cinematographer in the film.

“He says, ‘If you’ve seen ‘The Room,’ ‘The Disaster Artist’ is a sequel. If you haven’t seen ‘The Room,’ ‘The Disaster Artist’ is a prequel,” said Weber.

While the cult of “The Room” is in some ways inexplicable, its enduring appeal undeniable. “In the history of Hollywood there are thousands upon thousands of bad movies that we will never watch again. ‘The Room’ is something that people have been watching religiously for 14 years. I don’t think that’s because Tommy made bizarre decisions at every turn. I really believe it’s because when Tommy made it, he put his heart and soul into it. He was trying to make a great movie,” Franco said.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A31

Thursday 30 November 2017

Briefs Monica Lewinsky slams HLN special carrying her name NEW YORK (AP) — Monica Lewinsky isn’t too pleased with the title of an upcoming TV special about her affair with President Bill Clinton that led to his impeachment.

Lewinsky tweeted a screenshot of a headline about an HLN special, “The Monica Lewinsky Scandal.”

She crossed out the title and suggested replacing it with “The Starr Investigation” or “The Clinton Impeachment.” She quipped in the tweet: “fixed it for you. you’re welcome.” In this June 25, 2015, file Monica Lewinsky The special is part of HLN’s photo, attends the Cannes Lions true crime series “How It Re2015, International Advertising ally Happened.” The show’s Festival in Cannes, southern website lists the title of Sun- France. day’s episode as “The ClinAssociated Press ton-Lewinsky Scandal.”

Clinton initially denied the affair before admitting to it in 1998.

“The Starr Investigation” is a reference to Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel whose investigation led to Clinton’s impeachment trial.q

ABC: ‘American Housewife’ will stop mocking city NORWALK, Conn. (AP) — ABC says it will no longer include jokes about the Connecticut city of Norwalk in its sitcom “American Housewife” after an outcry from outraged residents and community leaders.

The show’s producers in a statement say the show was never intended to offend anyone, but they have “heard the concerns of the people of Norwalk and have made the decision to omit any mentions of the city from future episodes.”

“American Housewife” is set in Westport, but characters have occasionally mocked Norwalk. The last straw was apparently the Halloween episode that featured a character dressed up as a pregnant “Norwalk prom girl.”

Resident Andy Ross created the website stoptheinsults. com to petition network owner Disney to apologize. He told The Hour newspaper he’s happy that network officials have “come to their senses.”q

White House-CNN feud spills over into Christmas party WASHINGTON (AP) — CNN says it is boycotting this year’s White House media Christmas party.

The news network says in a statement that “In light of the President’s continued attacks on freedom of the press and CNN, we do not feel it is appropriate to celebrate with him as his invited guests.”

The network adds that it will be sending a “reporting team” to Friday’s event to cover any news that develops from it.q

Bono will break U2’s pledge against golf for AIDS charity

By KRISTIN M. HALL Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When the members of the rock band U2 were just young Irish lads, they made a pledge to each other that has remained steadfast throughout their decades-long run as rock stars. But frontman Bono said the band is now willing to break that promise in order to raise money for his (RED) charity in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “U2 made a pledge early on, as teenagers actually, when we formed the band that the one thing we would never ever do — and it was a sacred pledge — was to play golf,” Bono said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

“We didn’t think it was rock ‘n’ roll.”

The chance to play a round of mini-golf with one of the world’s most popular rock bands is just one of the once-in-a-lifetime celebrity experiences that are being raffled off at Omaze.com/ RED as a part of the (RED) Shopathon campaign for World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.

For a $10 donation by Jan. 18, you get a chance to work out with Charlize Theron, go to a movie premiere with Reese Witherspoon, or visit Seoul with K-Pop star Taeyeon.

Bono also is teaming up

again this year with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for a (RED) charity special, airing at 11:35 p.m. EST Tuesday on ABC. Kimmel and other celebrities pretend to be home shopping hosts describing specially branded (RED) products, such as clothing, tech products, cosmetics and accessories that also are available online at Amazon.com/RED. This year’s special guests will include Bono, Kristen Bell, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Bryan Cranston, Ashton Kutcher, DJ Khaled and Rita Wilson. Former President Barack Obama also will appear via a taped video message.

“We also have a big group song that we will be doing, which has become our annual tradition,” Kimmel said. “We will gather everybody together and force people to sing whether they can or not. I am in the not category.”

Formed by Bono and Bobby Shriver, (RED) has raised $500 million in the last 11 years to provide testing, prevention, treatment, counseling and care services in eight sub-Saharan African countries. Bono credits the American people and its government for leading the fight against HIV/AIDS, dating back to former President George W. Bush and continued by

Obama. “In a very divided America, this is one issue that left and right can take equal measures of pride in the success of the fight so far against HIV/AIDS,” said Bono. But he said that the need for attention was more critical now that that treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS are at a tipping point. “There are more people now on anti-retroviral drugs than are newly infected,” Bono said. “Just as this is happening, right at this moment, defeat could be seized from the jaws of victory. People are talking about cutting budgets on Capitol Hill and other capitols around the world.”

Kimmel’s (RED) Shopathon special has raised $100 million for the charity in the past two years, and he said he really likes the celebrity experiences that he’s done for charity, even if they seem rather random. “Once I made grilled cheese for someone in my office and once I gave someone a piggy back ride,” Kimmel said. “I always try to come up with something dumb that seems to be fun and it’s fun to meet random people from who knows where.” Despite the “no golf” pledge, Bono suspects that one member of U2 might be secretly excited for the chance to play the links.q

A32 FEATURE

Thursday 30 November 2017

Death and taxes _ all about the estate tax debate

By SARAH SKIDMORE SELL AP Business Writer The estate tax affects a very small — and very wealthy — number of Americans.

Only the estates of about 2 out of every 1,000 Americans who die face this tax right now.

Easing or repealing the tax — currently under consideration in Washington — would lower federal revenue and potentially generate a windfall for some ultrawealthy families.

The estate tax accounts for a small but significant share of the federal government’s revenue. And it symbolizes a major issue at the heart of the tax overhaul debate: whether the Republican proposals unfairly provide more benefits to the wealthy over low- and middle-income Americans.

Here’s what you should know: WHAT IS IT? When someone dies, the estate they leave their heirs is subject to federal taxes when its value exceeds a certain threshold. That threshold, or exemption as it is known, has risen dramatically in recent years and at last measure was nearly $5.5 million for individuals or $11 million for couples.

The IRS measures the estate by the fair value of all assets — cash, stock, real estate, business interests and more — at the time it is handed down. But the estate is only taxed at the value above the exemption level.

So that first $5.5 million, or $11 million? It’s tax free.

Anything beyond that is taxed at the top level of 40 percent.

But the Tax Policy Center says the effective rate is much lower, because of that sizeable upfront exemption and other provisions that allow the wealthy to protect their money from taxes.

WHO PAYS IT Only the wealthiest 0.2 percent of estates owed any estate tax at last count, according to IRS data and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

In this Nov. 14, 2017, file photo, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Associated Press

It used to be more estates faced the tax, but the exemption has climbed — jumping from $600,000 20 years ago to nearly $5.5 million today — so that now it only applies to the super wealthy.

President Donald Trump — whose has at least $1.4

wealthy members of his cabinet could potentially benefit as well.

The tax rule is criticized as ineffective though, as many wealthy families take steps to lower or avoid their tax burden — including gifting money over time, making charitable donations to

A long-running argument, still used today, is that the estate tax unduly burdens small businesses and family farms. But the Tax Policy Center estimates that only 80 small business and small farm estates nationwide will face any estate tax in 2017.

THE PROPOSALS

Protesters shout their disapproval of the Republican tax bill outside the Senate Budget Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017.

Associated Press

billion in assets, according to a disclosure with the Office of Government Ethics — is among the estates that would benefit from an elimination of the rule. Outside analysts have pointed out that other ultra-

shrink the size of their estate or using certain trusts to pass on money with a smaller tax burden. Plus, under existing rules, an estate can be passed to a surviving spouse with no tax penalty.

The competing proposals would both tweak the estate tax rules. The house bill initially doubles the exemption to $11 million for individuals and $22 million for couples and repeals the entire tax after 2023. The

senate version doubles the exemptions but does not repeal the tax.

Congress is under pressure to act: Trump wants a tax overhaul passed by the end of the year.

WHY IT MATTERS The argument is largely one of tax fairness.

Opponents call the estate tax the “death tax” and say it taxes someone twice — first when they earn the money and again after they die. House Speaker Paul Ryan, one who has long argued for eliminating the tax, called this “unfair” and said in a recent interview with Fox News that the government shouldn’t stop people from passing their life’s work to their kids.

He and other opponents of the tax say it also inhibits job growth because it can penalize small businesses.

But proponents and tax experts disagree.

They say the tax doesn’t affect many businesses and much of the money the wealthy leave behind has never gone through an earlier round of taxation. That’s because the bulk of these massive estates, according to the IRS, are made up of real estate and stocks, which when held for the long-term often increase in value without being taxed. Left undisturbed, those assets continues to gain in value as they are handed down over the generations. They typically aren’t taxed until someone “realizes” its value through a sale, at which time they face capital gains tax. So the tax is in place to level the playing field and avoid dynastic wealth. The estate tax will generate about $20 billion in federal revenue this year, according to the Treasury Department estimates. That’s not a ton in terms of federal revenue that exceeds $3 trillion.

But it’s still a lot of money when looking at a deficit or funding other services. “It’s a stupid tax,” said Edward McCaffery, a professor of law, economics and political science at the University of Southern California. q