Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions, died Friday at age 61.

The actor had suffered a brain aneurysm on Feb. 18 at his home in Los Angeles. He died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California, his manager Charles Lago said.

Sizemore became a star with acclaimed appearances in Natural Born Killers and the cult-classic crime thriller Heat. But serious substance dependency, abuse allegations and multiple run-ins with the law devastated his career, left him homeless and sent him to jail.

As the global #MeToo movement wave crested in late 2017, Sizemore was also accused of groping an 11-year-old Utah girl on set in 2003. He called the allegations “highly disturbing,” saying he would never inappropriately touch a child. Charges were not filed.

Despite the raft of legal trouble, Sizemore had scores of steady film and television credits — though his career never regained its onetime momentum. Aside from Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor, most of his 21st century roles came in low-budget, little-seen productions where he continued to play the gruff, tough guys he became famous for portraying.

“I was a guy who’d come from very little and risen to the top. I’d had the multimillion-dollar house, the Porsche, the restaurant I partially owned with Robert De Niro,” the Detroit-born Sizemore wrote in his 2013 memoir, By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There. “And now I had absolutely nothing.”

The book’s title was taken from a line uttered by his character in Saving Private Ryan, a role for which he garnered Oscar buzz. But he wrote that success turned him into a “spoiled movie star,” an “arrogant fool” and eventually “a hope-to-die addict.”

He racked up a string of domestic violence arrests. Sizemore was married once, to actor Maeve Quinlan, and was arrested on suspicion of beating her in 1997. While the charges were dropped, the couple divorced in 1999.

Sizemore was convicted of abusing ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003 — the same year he pleaded no contest and avoided trial in a separate abuse case — and sentenced to jail. The former Hollywood madam testified that he had punched her in the jaw at a Beverly Hills hotel, and beaten her in New York to the point where they couldn’t attend the Black Hawk Down premiere.

The sentencing judge said drug abuse was likely a catalyst but that testimony had revealed a man who had deep problems dealing with women. Fleiss called Sizemore “a zero” in a conversation with The Associated Press after his conviction.

Sizemore apologized in a letter, saying he was “chastened” and that “personal demons” had taken over his life, though he later denied abusing her and accused her of faking a picture showing her bruises.

Fleiss also sued Sizemore, saying she suffered emotional distress after he threatened to get her own probation revoked. Fleiss had been convicted in 1994 of running a high-priced call-girl ring. That lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

Sizemore was the subject of two workplace sexual harassment lawsuits related to the 2002 CBS show Robbery Homicide Division, in which he played a police detective. He was arrested as recently as 2016 in another domestic violence case.

Sizemore ended up jailed from August 2007 to January 2009 for failing numerous drug tests while on probation and after Bakersfield, California, authorities found methamphetamine in his car.

“God’s trying to tell me he doesn’t want me using drugs because every time I use them I get caught,” Sizemore told The Bakersfield Californian in a jailhouse interview.

Sizemore told the AP in 2013 that he believed his dependency was related to the trappings of success. He struggled to maintain his emotional composure as he described a low point looking in the mirror: “I looked like I was 100 years old. I had no relationship with my kids; I had no work to speak off. I was living in squat.”

He appeared on the reality TV show Celebrity Rehab and its spinoff Sober House, telling the AP that he did the shows to receive help, but also partly to pay off accumulated debts that ran into the millions.

Many of Sizemore’s later-career films had a sci-fi, horror or action bent: In 2022 alone, he starred in movies with such titles as Impuratus, Night of the Tommyknockers and Vampfather. But Sizemore still nabbed a few meaty roles — including in the Twin Peaks revival — and guest spots on popular shows like Entourage and Hawaii Five-O.

A stuntman sued Sizemore and Paramount Pictures in 2016, saying he was injured when the allegedly intoxicated actor ran him over while filming USA’s Shooter. State records obtained by the AP showed that Sizemore was only supposed to be sitting in the unmoving car and that he “improvised at the end of the scene and drove away in his car.” Sizemore was fired from Shooter, and the stuntman’s lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

In addition to his film and TV credits, he was part of the voice cast for 2002’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City video game. He also taught classes at the LA West Acting Studio, according to recent advertisements.

He is survived by his 17-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger, and his brother Paul, all of whom were by his side when he died.

“I’ve led an interesting life, but I can’t tell you what I’d give to be the guy you didn’t know anything about,” Sizemore wrote in his memoir.
…

The second half-century for the world’s most famous sled dog race is getting off to a rough start. 

Only 33 mushers will participate in the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, the smallest field ever to take their dog teams nearly 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) over Alaska’s unforgiving wilderness. This year’s lineup is smaller even than that of the 34 mushers who lined up for the very first race in 1973. 

The small pool of mushers is raising concerns about the future of an iconic race that has taken hits from the pandemic, climate change, inflation and the loss of deep-pocketed sponsors, just as multiple big-name mushing champions are retiring with few to take their place. 

The largest field ever was 96 mushers in 2008; the average number of mushers starting the race over the last 50 years was 63. 

“It’s a little scary when you look at it that way,” said four-time winner Martin Buser, 64, who retired after completing his 39th race last year. “Hopefully it’s not a state of the event and … it’s just a temporary lull.” 

The Iditarod is the most prestigious sled dog race in the world, taking competitors over two mountain ranges, the frozen Yukon River and treacherous Bering Sea ice in frigid temperatures before ending in the old Gold Rush town of Nome. The roughly 10-day event begins with a “ceremonial start” in Anchorage on Saturday, followed by the competitive start in Willow, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) to the north, on Sunday. 

And while the world-renowned race has the highest winner’s purse of any sled dog competition, the winner only pockets about $50,000 before taxes — a payout that is less appealing amid inflation and the continued reverberations of the pandemic. 

Many mushers supplement their income by offering uniquely Alaska experiences to cruise ship passengers, but for several years the pandemic has meant fewer summer visitors to shell out money for a sled dog ride on a glacier. 

“There’s a lot of kennels and a lot of mushers that rely on that to keep going,” said Aaron Burmeister, a Nome native who is sitting out this year’s race to spend more time with family. Burmeister, who works construction, has had eight top 10 finishes in the last decade. 

“Being able to race the Iditarod and the expense of putting together a race team became more than they could bear to maintain themselves,” he said of mushers. 

Inflation has also taken a toll, and several mushers said they’d like to see a higher prize purse to attract younger competitors. 

Defending champion Brent Sass, who supplements his income as a wilderness guide, isn’t surprised some mushers are taking a break to build up bank accounts. 

Sass, who has 58 dogs, orders 500 bags of high-quality dog food a year. Each bag cost $55 a few years ago, but that has swelled to $85 per bag — or about $42,500 total a year. That’s about how much money Sass pocketed from his Iditarod win last year. 

“You got to be totally prepared to run Iditarod, and have enough money in the bank to do it,” said Sass, who lives in Eureka, about a four-hour drive north of Fairbanks. 

With other race costs, Buser said running the Iditarod now can mean spending $250,000 to win a $40,000 championship. 

The race itself has suffered under the increased inflation, Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach said. Supply costs have gone up about 30%, he said, and last year it cost nearly $30,000 to transport specially certified straw from the lower 48 for dogs to sleep on at race checkpoints. 

The Iditarod also continues to be dogged by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has targeted the race’s biggest sponsors. Over the past decade, Alaska Airlines, ExxonMobil, Coca-Cola and Wells Fargo have ended race sponsorships after being targeted by PETA. 

PETA took out full-page newspaper ads in Anchorage and Fairbanks in February with a husky — the predominate sled dog breed — prominently featured with the headline, “We don’t want to go to the Iditarod. We just want the Iditarod to go.” 

But Urbach said the race’s financial health is good, and payouts should be a little higher this year. The top 20 finishers receive payouts on a sliding scale, and every other finisher gets $1,049, reflecting the stated mileage of the race, though the actual mileage is lower. 

Urbach noted they are paying “the healthiest prize money” among competitive sled dog races and called the PETA campaign “pretty offensive, I think, to most Alaskans.” 

There’s also worry about the future of the race because of climate change. 

The warming climate forced organizers to move the starting line 290 miles (467 kilometers) north from Willow to Fairbanks in 2003, 2015 and 2017 because of a lack of snow in the Alaska Range. Poor winter conditions and urban growth likewise led the Iditarod to officially move the start from Wasilla about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north to Willow in 2008, even though Wasilla last hosted the start in 2002. 

Moving the start of the race north will likely become more common as global warming advances, said Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Ice on Alaska’s western coast could also get thinner and more dangerous, he said. 

“It doesn’t have to be that there’s waves crashing on the beach,” Thoman said of the impacts of ice melt. “It just has to be at the point where the ice is not stable.” 

As challenges stack up, several veteran mushers with multiple championships have stepped away this year after decades of braving the frigid and windy conditions to train in the dead of the Alaska winter for the Iditarod. They are finding that few are willing to take their place, at least this year. 

“I just got back from Cancun to see the Grateful Dead play on the beaches of Mexico,” said four-time champion Jeff King, who is now 67. “I first said I was going to retire at 40, and I ran the race at 66, so I don’t feel like I’m bailing on anybody.” 

Five-time champion Dallas Seavey said last year’s race would be his last, at least for a while, to spend time with his daughter. Other past champions not racing include Dallas’ father, three-time champion Mitch Seavey, and Joar Leifseth Ulsom and Thomas Waerner, who have one title each. 

Waerner said sponsors are holding back, and it’s too expensive to pay $60,000 to get his team from Norway to Alaska. 

Lance Mackey, another four-time champion, died last year from cancer. He is the honorary musher for this year’s race, and his children, Atigun and Lozen, will ride in the first sled to leave the ceremonial start line in Anchorage and during the competitive start Sunday. 

That leaves two former winners in this year’s field, Sass and Pete Kaiser.

Sass said he is confident the Iditarod will survive this downturn. 

“If we can just keep the train rolling forward, I think it’s going to come back, and hopefully our world can get things under control and things maybe get a little less expensive,” Sass said. “I think that’s going to help get our numbers back up.” 
…

Justin Cherry watches the woodburning fire inside his mound-shaped clay oven. He sticks his hand into the mouth of the oven to feel the heat, waiting for the clay surface inside to get hot enough to bake his homemade bread, which he makes the way it would have been done in the 1700s.

Cherry is at Mount Vernon, a historical attraction in Alexandria, Virginia, which is the planation home of George Washington, who served as the first U.S. president from 1789-1797. Dressed in 18th-century garb, Cherry uses a wooden baking paddle to place a few of the loaves at a time into the oven.

“Using the wood, I heat the oven for about five hours,” he said, “and it stays hot for about four hours, and I get around 50 loaves of bread from one fire.”

Known as a beehive, baking ovens like this were common in 18th century households.

“The historically accurate oven I use is made of clay, mortar and rice straw and is mobile so I can travel with it to different historical sites in the country,” said Cherry, a chef and owner of the Half Crown Bakehouse, who makes a living selling the bread and other food items.

Cherry, 38, a history buff, combined his passion for 18th century food with his love of historical reenactments he did as a child, to become a Colonial baker.

His mother, LuAnn Cherry, said baking runs in the family.

“Justin always liked baking and watched me bake when he was growing up. My mother baked bread and her father had a bakery, so this is a family tradition.”

Besides bread, Cherry also makes cakes, cookies and pies, inspired by recipes from the 1700s.

“Cookbooks back then were only available to people who could afford them,” he told VOA. “I take what I’ve learned through my research and combine it with my knowledge of modern baking.”

In 2019, Cherry was selected as a fellow at Mount Vernon’s Washington Library where he researched 18th century foodways. Later, he was named Mount Vernon’s resident baker where he attends events, sharing his knowledge with visitors while showcasing his bread-making skills.

“It smells amazing, and I like the smokiness and earthy taste,” said visitor Maggie Coleman from Georgia.

Dan Shippey, who portrays George Washington at Mount Vernon, stopped by to get a taste of bread and hoecakes made from corn.

“I normally start my day with hoecakes with a good deal of butter and honey,” said Shippey in character. “I don’t think there is anyone more skilled at making the finest bread than Justin Cherry.”

“I can imagine eating this during George Washington’s time,” said visitor and history teacher Kendra Czernicki from Massachusetts.

Cherry mixes, kneads, proofs and bakes the bread by hand, a process he calls “calming and therapeutic.”

He begins by blending flour, water, salt and ale yeast. “The process is not much different today,” he said.

But what is different, he noted, is the flour used to make today’s bread is enriched and bleached, unlike the bread of yesteryear.

Cherry said his bread is made solely from heritage grains — that go back to the 18th century — that he finds at a small farm in Maryland and a mill in South Carolina.

Leslie Bird, Mount Vernon historic gardens and landscape manager, makes it a point to buy Cherry’s bread when he is at the estate.

“I am gluten intolerant, which means I usually can’t eat bread,” Bird said. “But I think because his bread contains only heritage grains, I can eat it without getting a bad reaction.”

Cherry points out that George Washington was not only the first U.S. president, but he was also one of the country’s first large-scale wheat farmers.

“He experimented with growing wheat, and at one point was working with 16 different kinds of wheat,” he said.

Cherry is working on a cookbook to preserve 18th century culinary history. “I not only want people to learn about the different kinds of food,” he said, “but why the food is an important part of our history.”
…

U.N. countries appeared Friday to be nearing an agreement on a long-awaited treaty to protect the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet. 

After more than 15 years of informal and then formal talks, negotiators are coming to the end of two more weeks of discussions, the third “final” session in less than a year. 

“I do not believe that a solution is not in sight,” conference chair Rena Lee told a short plenary session Friday afternoon, calling on delegates to “stock up on snacks” as they tried to get the treaty over the finish line before the scheduled end of talks later in the day. 

“We have a window of opportunity to seal the deal, and we mustn’t let this opportunity slip through our hands,” she added, conceding though that the highly political issue of benefit-sharing for marine genetic resources remained a sticking point. 

Even if compromises are found on all the remaining disputes, the treaty cannot be formally adopted at this session, she said. 

But it could be “finalized” without the possibility of reopening discussions on substantive sections before a formal adoption at a later date, Lee added. 

Even without adoption Friday, “it’s a massive step,” Veronica Frank of Greenpeace told AFP. 

Disputes include the procedure for creating marine protected areas; the model for environmental impact studies of planned activities on the high seas; and the sharing of potential benefits of newly discovered marine resources. 

The high seas begin at the border of countries’ exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 370 kilometers (200 nautical miles) from coastlines. They thus fall under the jurisdiction of no country. 

While the high seas make up more than 60% of the world’s oceans and nearly half the planet’s surface, they have long drawn far less attention than coastal waters and a few iconic species. 

Only about 1% of the high seas is currently protected. 

Ocean ecosystems create half the oxygen humans breathe and limit global warming by absorbing much of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. 

But they are threatened by climate change, pollution and overfishing. 

North-South ‘equity’

For many, any agreement hinges on equity between the rich North and poor South. 

Developing countries, without the means to afford costly research, say they fear being left aside while others make profits from the commercialization of potential substances discovered in the international waters. 

In a move seen as an attempt to build trust between rich and poor countries, the European Union pledged $42 million (40 million euros) in New York to facilitate the ratification of the treaty and its early implementation. 

The EU also pledged $860 million for research, monitoring and conservation of oceans in 2023 at the Our Ocean conference in Panama, where the United States announced $6 billion in commitments. 

Observers interviewed by AFP said that resolving these politically sensitive financial issues could help ease other sticking points. 

If agreement is reached, it remains to be seen whether the compromises made will result in a text robust enough to protect oceans effectively. 

“The text is not perfect, but it’s got a clear path towards 30 by 30,” said Greenpeace’s Frank, referring to world governments’ commitment to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030, as agreed upon in Montreal in December. 
…

Walgreens says it will not start selling an abortion pill in 20 states that had warned of legal consequences if it did so.

The drugstore chain’s announcement Thursday signals that access to mifepristone may not expand as broadly as federal regulators intended in January, when they finalized a rule change allowing more pharmacies to provide the pill.

Here’s a closer look at the issue.

About the abortion pill

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone in 2000 to end pregnancy when used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol. The combination is approved for use up to the 10th week of pregnancy.

Mifepristone is taken first to dilate the cervix and block a hormone needed to sustain a pregnancy. Misoprostol is taken a day or two later, causing contractions to empty the uterus.

More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills rather than with a procedure, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. In rare cases, the drug combination can cause excess bleeding, requiring emergency care.

Widening access

For more than 20 years, the FDA limited dispensing of mifepristone to a subset of specialty offices and clinics due to safety concerns.

The agency has repeatedly eased restrictions and expanded access, increasing demand even as state laws make the pills harder to get for many women.

In late 2021, the agency eliminated an in-person requirement for getting the pill, saying a new scientific review showed no increase in safety complications if the drug is taken at home. That change also permitted the pill to be prescribed via telehealth and shipped by mail-order pharmacies.

Earlier this year, the FDA further loosened restrictions by allowing pharmacies such as Walgreens to start dispensing the drug after they undergo certification. That includes meeting standards for shipping, tracking and confidentially storing prescribing information.

States step in

Typically, the FDA’s authority to regulate prescription drug access has gone unchallenged. But more than a dozen states now have laws restricting abortion broadly — and the pills specifically — following last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning the federal right to abortion.

Last month, attorneys general in 20 conservative-led states warned CVS and Walgreens in a letter that they could face legal consequences if they sold abortion pills by mail in their states.

In addition to state laws, attorneys general from conservative states have argued that shipments of mifepristone run afoul of a 19th century law that prohibited sending items used in abortion through the mail.

Walgreens’ reaction

A Walgreens spokesperson says the company told the attorneys general that it will not dispense mifepristone in their states and it doesn’t plan to ship the drug to them as well.

But Walgreens is working to become eligible through the FDA’s certification process. It plans to dispense the pills where it can legally do so.

The company is not currently dispensing the pills anywhere.

Other drugstores

Rite Aid Corp. said it was “monitoring the latest federal, state, legal and regulatory developments” and would keep evaluating its policies. The Associated Press also sought comment from CVS Health Corp., retail giant Walmart and the grocery chain Kroger.

Some independent pharmacists would like to become certified to dispense the pills, said Andrea Pivarunas, a spokesperson for the National Community Pharmacists Association. She added that this would be a “personal business decision,” based partly on state laws. The association has no specifics on how many will do it.

Other legal issues

In November, an anti-abortion group filed a federal lawsuit in Texas seeking to revoke mifepristone’s approval, claiming the FDA approved the drug 23 years ago without adequate evidence of safety.

A federal judge could rule soon. If he sides with abortion opponents, mifepristone could potentially be removed from the U.S. market.

In January, abortion rights supporters filed separate lawsuits challenging abortion pill restrictions imposed in North Carolina and West Virginia.

Legal experts foresee years of court battles over access to the pills.
…

U.S. President Joe Biden’s doctor said Friday that a skin lesion that was removed from the president’s chest last month was a common form of skin cancer.

White House physician Kevin O’Connor, who has served as Biden’s longtime doctor, said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” during the president’s routine physical February 16.

O’Conner said in a letter released Friday that a biopsy confirmed the removed legion was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer that does not tend to spread quickly. The slow-growing cancer is often easily treated if detected early.

The doctor said the site of the removal has “healed nicely” and that the president does not need any further treatment.

O’Conner said that Biden previously had “several localized non-melanoma skin cancers” removed from his body before he became president and noted that the president spent a lot of time in the sun when he was younger.

After last month’s physical, doctors described Biden, who is 80, as “healthy” and “fit” to carry out his White House responsibilities.

Biden’s wife, Jill, had two basal cell lesions removed from her body in January.

Their son Beau died in 2015 at the age of 46 from brain cancer.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
…

China accused Washington on Friday of improperly attacking Chinese companies after genetics analysis giant BGI Group and 17 others were hit with curbs on access to U.S. technology on security or human rights grounds. 

The Commerce Department said it saw a danger that two BGI units might contribute to the government’s surveillance apparatus, which human rights groups say is trying to create a database of genetic samples that Muslims and other minorities were compelled to provide. 

Other companies were cited for their role in the ruling Communist Party’s military modernization or weapons development by Iran and Pakistan and suspected human rights abuses in Myanmar. 

Washington has accused China of trying to use civilian companies to obtain processor chip, aerospace and other technologies that can be used to make weapons. Beijing retorts that the U.S. government is trying to stop potential commercial competitors. 

The United States is “fabricating excuses to suppress Chinese companies,” said a foreign ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning. She called on Washington to “abandon ideological prejudice” and “stop abusing various excuses to unreasonably suppress Chinese enterprises.” 

Mao said Beijing would “firmly safeguard the legitimate rights” of its companies but gave no indication of possible retaliation. The government has made similar statements following previous U.S. restrictions but often takes no action. 

‘Significant risk’

BGI Research and BGI Tech Solutions (Hongkong) Co. Ltd. were added to an “Entity List” that requires them to obtain government permission to acquire sensitive U.S. technology. 

Their genetic analysis “poses a significant risk of contributing” to surveillance and repression of minorities, the Commerce Department said. It said there was a “significant risk of diversion” to military programs. 

BGI Group didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

BGI previously denied accusations it provided technology to surveil Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s northwest. 

Beijing retaliated for earlier U.S. restrictions by creating its own “unreliable entity” list of foreign companies that might endanger China’s national sovereignty, security or development interests. 

Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Technologies Corp.’s Raytheon Missiles and Defense unit were added to the restricted list last month after they supplied weapons to Taiwan, the island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. They are barred from importing goods into China or making new investments in the country.
…

The United States is taking steps to better protect public drinking water and sewer systems from cyberattacks that could cut off service or contaminate supplies.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday issued a new memorandum, ordering all public water systems to meet a series of basic cybersecurity requirements while also making cybersecurity audits a part of regular scheduled safety inspections.

“We know Americans rely on these critical services, and we know that Americans expect that they are resilient to cyberattacks,” White House Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters, ahead of the memorandum’s release.

“There have been cyberattacks against water systems in the United States and in countries around the world, so this is an incredibly timely action,” she added.

The rollout of the new cybersecurity requirements for public water systems comes just a day after the White House unveiled what it described as a new, aggressive National Cyber Strategy that seeks to shift much of the responsibility for cybersecurity from individuals and consumers to tech and software companies, in part through more stringent federal regulation.

“We need to change the underlining rules of the game to get ourselves the advantage,” Acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden told an audience in Washington Thursday. “I want cybersecurity to be an unfair fight.”

According to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), there are approximately 153,000 public drinking water systems in the U.S. which provide water to more than 80% of the U.S. population.

Another 16,000 publicly owned systems provide wastewater treatment services to about 75% of the U.S. population.

But despite the heavy reliance on these systems, U.S. officials warn cybersecurity has been weak, with some surveys finding that only about 20% of publicly owned water systems have implemented basic cybersecurity measures, leaving the water sector “at risk” to cyberattacks.

“This is not hypothetical,” EPA Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox told reporters.

“This is happening right now,” she said. “We have seen these types of attacks from California to Florida, Kansas, Maine and Nevada.”

Data provided by CISA shows that between 2019 and early 2021, there have been at least five cyberattacks on U.S. public water systems.

Four of the attacks involved the use of ransomware and in one of those incidents, a wastewater treatment center was forced to switch to operate manually until control of the computer system was restored.

In the fifth case, a former employee tried unsuccessfully to contaminate the water supply, using his still active credentials to access the system.

In yet another incident, in February 2021, hackers accessed a water system serving about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida, and sought to add a dangerous amount of lye to the water supply, though officials say the attempt was detected and stopped before anyone could have been hurt.

U.S. national security and intelligence officials have also warned repeatedly that key sectors, including water, could come under cyberattack from U.S. adversaries.

“We have to be concerned about the possibility of Russian action, Russian aggression against Western infrastructure, Western facilities,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in September 2022, following the sabotage of one of the Nord Stream pipelines.

In its 2022 Worldwide Threat Assessment, the U.S. intelligence community further warned China could seek to exploit cybersecurity gaps plaguing U.S. critical infrastructure.

“China almost certainly is capable of launching cyberattacks that would disrupt critical infrastructure services within the United States, including against oil and gas pipelines and rail systems,” the report said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security implemented heightened cybersecurity requirements for rail and air transportation in October 2021. New cybersecurity requirements for pipeline owners and operators were introduced last July.
…

This month, the U.S. Commerce Department launches its first application under the CHIPS Act to build more semiconductors inside the United States. But officials in Taiwan say the U.S. push to build chips domestically could compromise their national security. VOA’s Jessica Stone reports.
…

U.S. President Joe Biden will welcome German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the White House Friday for discussions on continued support for Ukraine and bilateral cooperation on a range of global security and economic issues. 

The leaders first met in February of last year shortly after Scholz took office, and the visit comes after marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

“We’ve closely coordinated our support to Ukraine throughout this conflict, including through joint announcements in January to provide infantry fighting vehicles and tanks,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters during a Thursday briefing.

“Germany has provided significant air defense support to Ukraine, including a Patriot battery; the IRIS-T air defense system, which is an infrared seeking system; and five multiple — multiple launch rocket systems,” he said.

Kirby said discussing additional support for Ukraine is high on the agenda for the Friday’s meeting. He also said the United States would be announcing a new package of military aid for Ukraine later in the day.

Scholz addressed the German parliament Thursday, calling on China to use its influence with Russia to convince that nation to withdraw its troops from Ukraine and not to provide Moscow with additional weapons. 

Thursday, Kirby said the U.S. has communicated privately and publicly with China about providing weapons to Russia. 

“We believe it’s not in China’s best interest to move forward in that regard and they should see it the same way,” he said.

Speaking to reporters in Berlin ahead of his departure for Washington, Scholz was asked why he is traveling to Washington to meet with Biden in person when they could have the same conversation via video link. 

He said the two leaders talk on the phone regularly but meeting face to face “is part of the quality of our relationship,” as it should be “in a good life.” He said he sees it as a necessity in a world “where a lot of things have become very complicated.” 

Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
…

China is slamming a decision by the Biden administration to approve a $619 million potential arms sale to Taiwan that includes hundreds of missiles for F-16 fighter jets. Tensions are high between Washington and Beijing, amid Western fears that Beijing may supply weapons to help Russia win its war in Ukraine. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
…

U.S. companies no longer regard China as the primary investment destination it once was, according to an annual survey of American businesspeople operating there who, for the first time in 25 years, no longer see China as a top-three market.

Most of those surveyed by the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China) say they are pessimistic, given 2022 revenue and profits, China’s economy, the overall outlook for investment and business environment, and the future of U.S.-China relations.

According to the 2023 China Business Climate Survey, released Wednesday by the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China), only 45% of the surveyed American companies regard China as their primary or among their top three investment destinations, which is the largest drop in the survey’s 25-year history.

Michael Hart, president of AmCham China, said Wednesday at a news conference, “A year ago, 60% of people said China was either their top priority or their top-three priority. And this year, that’s fallen to 45%.”

The survey was conducted from October 16 to November 16 last year, before Beijing lifted its draconian zero-COVID policy, but AmCham China conducted a flash survey in February to monitor changes as China emerged from lockdowns and other controls.

A request for comment emailed by VOA to the Chinese Embassy in Washington was not answered in time for publication.

Factors affecting plans

Executives from 319 American multinational companies participated in the survey, accounting for about 47% of the total member companies of AmCham China. Of the respondents, 55% reported no plans to expand or decrease investment in China operations in 2023.

The factors coloring the survey results include the impact of the three-year pandemic and severe lockdown, the difficulty of business travel for Americans, the challenge of supply chain disruption, and the overall downturn in the business atmosphere, according to Hart.

Affected by the zero-COVID lockdowns, 68% of the American companies participating in the survey predicted that their company’s revenue in 2022 may be flat or lower than that in 2020. COVID was first reported in humans in late 2019 in Wuhan, China.

Hart said that in order to diversify risks, most of the member companies have begun to invest in other countries and establish alternative production lines. Their overall confidence in China has begun to decline, especially after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China last year. That’s when the Chinese government discussed establishing state-controlled companies in various industries, making 65% of the American businesspeople question China’s commitment to continued foreign investment.

Of the AmCham China members surveyed, 49% said they feel less welcome than a year ago; that rises to 56% in the consumer sector.

However, when asked if they planned to withdraw from China, as many as 74% of the American companies said they would not consider relocating manufacturing or sourcing outside China, compared with 12% who had begun moving their businesses out of China, and another 12% who remained on the fence.

Warning sign

According to AmCham China’s survey, the increasing number of companies that are relocating or considering relocation is a warning sign worth watching.

Colm Rafferty, chairman of AmCham China, called on the U.S. and Chinese governments to face up to the challenges the foreign business community is encountering. He addressed a news conference Wednesday through a prerecorded video.

Rafferty said, “Last year was particularly challenging for our member companies, as they dealt with China’s economic slowdown, zero-COVID control measures, and ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with various new U.S. and China-related regulations.”

According to the survey, the increasingly tense U.S.-China relations topped the challenges facing U.S. businesspeople in China for three consecutive years, far ahead of COVID-19 prevention measures, inconsistent regulatory interpretation and unclear laws and enforcement, rising labor costs and regulatory compliance risks.

Moreover, American businesspeople are pessimistic about the future trend of U.S.-China relations. Forty-six percent of those surveyed believe that the relationship between the two countries will continue to deteriorate, and as many as 72% have felt political pressure from the governments of the two countries, asking them to violate commercial operations and occasionally make political statements.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have affected the hiring progress of U.S. companies for the first time. The survey found that 51% of members reported qualified employees are unwilling to relocate to China. This may also be related to China’s strict pandemic prevention measures.

Wang Zhangcheng, professor of human resources management at Guangzhou City University of Technology, told VOA Mandarin that the tensions in U.S.-China relations may affect the employment choices of Chinese employees, but that most workers will make employment choices without considering U.S.-China relations.

He said a small number of Chinese workers may refuse to work for foreign companies or use foreign products because they see patriotism trumping livelihood.

Geopolitical effects

He Jiangbing, a Chinese economist in Hubei province in central China, told VOA Mandarin that the survey results reflect geopolitics such as the war in Ukraine and tensions over Taiwan.

He said that China’s tightening control of foreign and private enterprises is not conducive to attracting investment. He predicts the pace of economic decoupling between the United States and China may accelerate in the future.

“Overall, the business environment will deteriorate in the future, and it will not improve,” he said. “I personally predict that this trend will not be reversed within five to 10 years.”

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
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Former President Donald Trump can be sued by injured Capitol Police officers and Democratic lawmakers over the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department said Thursday in a federal court case testing Trump’s legal vulnerability and the limits of executive power.

Although a president enjoys broad legal latitude to communicate to the public on matters of concern, the department wrote that “no part of a President’s official responsibilities includes the incitement of imminent private violence. By definition, such conduct plainly falls outside the President’s constitutional and statutory duties.”

The brief was filed by lawyers of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and has no bearing on a separate criminal investigation by a department special counsel into whether Trump can be criminally charged over efforts to undo President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election ahead of the Capitol riot.

In fact, the lawyers note that they are not taking a position with respect to potential criminal liability for Trump or anyone else.

The Justice Department lawyers also wrote that they take no view on a lower court judge’s conclusion that those who sued Trump have “plausibly” alleged that his speech caused the riot.

Nevertheless, the department wrote that an appeals court should reject Trump’s claim of absolute immunity.

An email seeking comment was sent to an attorney for Trump on Thursday. Trump’s lawyers have argued he was acting within his official rights and had no intention to spark violence when he called on thousands of supporters to “march to the Capitol” and “fight like hell” before the riot erupted.

The case is among many legal woes facing Trump as he mounts another bid for the White House in 2024.

A prosecutor in Georgia has been investigating whether Trump and his allies broke the law as they tried to overturn his election defeat in that state. Trump is also under federal criminal investigation over top secret documents found at his Florida estate.

In the separate investigation into Trump and his allies’ efforts to overturn the election results, special counsel Jack Smith has subpoenaed former Vice President Mike Pence, who has said he will fight the subpoena.

Trump is appealing a decision by a federal judge in Washington, who last year rejected efforts by the former president to toss out the conspiracy civil lawsuits filed by lawmakers and two Capitol police officers. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Trump’s words during a rally before the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol were likely “words of incitement not protected by the First Amendment.”

The lawsuits, filed by Representative Eric Swalwell, officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby, and later joined by other House Democrats, argue that Trump and others made “false and incendiary allegations of fraud and theft, and in direct response to the Defendant’s express calls for violence at the rally, a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol.”

The suits cite a federal civil rights law that was enacted to counter the Ku Klux Klan’s intimidation of officials. They describe in detail how Trump and others spread baseless claims of election fraud, both before and after the 2020 presidential election was declared, and charge that they helped to rile up the thousands of rioters before they stormed the Capitol.

The lawsuits seek damages for the physical and emotional injuries the plaintiffs sustained during the insurrection.

In its filing, the Justice Department cautioned that the “court must take care not to adopt rules that would unduly chill legitimate presidential communication” or saddle a president with meritless lawsuits.

“In exercising their traditional communicative functions, Presidents routinely address controversial issues that are the subject of passionate feelings,” the department wrote. “Presidents may at times use strong rhetoric. And some who hear that rhetoric may overreact, or even respond with violence.”
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