(2023-01-07). [Perspectives] Unhealthy histories: sports and addictive sponsorship. thelancet.com Professional sport has been criticised for its role as a vehicle to market addictive products or services. Despite the harmful health effects on society, football audiences are inured to seeing sponsors of such products not only on pitch-side hoardings and shirts, but also embedded in television rights, competition names, prematch build-up, corporate hospitality, and social media. Tobacco's successful movement into sports sponsorship established the template on which other addictive sponsors, notably the alcohol and gambling industries, built their strategies.
(2023-01-06). US Dismisses Putin's Christmas Ceasefire as 'Cynical Ploy'. news.antiwar.com The State Department on Thursday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's order for a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated on January 7, as a "cynical ploy." Putin ordered the ceasefire to take effect at noon on Friday and last through Saturday after a request from Patriarch Kirill, the head of the …
(2023-01-06). US-Saudi Tensions Ease as Military Cooperation Against Iran Grows. news.antiwar.com Tensions between the US and Saudi Arabia have eased as the two countries are stepping up military cooperation against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing US and Saudi officials. The officials said that the Biden administration has dropped its threats to retaliate against Saudi Arabia over OPEC+ oil production cuts that were …
(2023-01-06). The Trillion Dollar Silencer. covertactionmagazine.com The military's deep penetration into all aspects of American life has hampered the development of a strong anti-war movement—at a time when it is desperately needed. Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across the U.S. in the last few years to decry police brutality, to oppose the Supreme Court's decision to …
(2023-01-06). Declassified intelligence files expose inconvenient truths of Bosnian war. mronline.org 
A trove of intelligence files sent by Canadian peacekeepers expose CIA black ops, illegal weapon shipments, imported jihadist fighters, potential false flags, and stage-managed atrocities.
(2023-01-06). Five Things to Do for Peace in the Days Ahead. davidswanson.org
(2023-01-06). Socialism Is Not a Utopian Ideal, but an Achievable Necessity. popularresistance.org In May 2021, the executive director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, and the UN high representative for disarmament affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, wrote an article urging governments to cut excessive military spending in favour of increasing spending on social and economic development. Their wise words were not heard at all. To cut money for war and to increase money for social development, they wrote, is 'not a utopian ideal, but an achievable necessity'. That phrase — not a utopian ideal, but an achievable necessity — is essential. It describes the project of socialism almost perfectly. | Our institu…
(2023-01-06). Washington makes Ukraine war new flashpoint in its confrontation with Iran. wsws.org There is a real and growing danger that the US-NATO drive to militarily defeat and subjugate Russia will help trigger a major Mideast war, or the expansion of the current war to the Middle East.
(2023-01-06). Utopias and Dystopias as Places of Mental Retreat and Cooperation with China. indybay.org Joe Biden and his foreign policy team are in many ways still entrenched in the Cold War era, and his administration has generally taken a far more antagonistic stance toward China than Obama. It is not surprising, then, that the progress Kerry made with his Chinese interlocutors in Glasgow largely fizzled out as tensions over Taiwan grew more intense.
(2023-01-06). Australia purchasing sophisticated HIMARS and naval strike missiles. wsws.org Boosting Australia's military capacities is a key component of the US-led military build-up throughout the Indo-Pacific to prepare for an aggressive war against China.
(2023-01-06). Omali Yeshitela: 'I was attacked by the FBI for fighting for black power'. greenleft.org.au African People's Socialist Party chairperson Omali Yeshitela discusses the FBI raid on his home and the continuing US government war on the movement for Black liberation and reparations.
(2023-01-06). Dr. Warren Hern: Humans Are a Metastasizing Cancer Terminating Life on the Planet. scheerpost.com 
Physician and anthropology scholar Dr. Warren Hern delves into some of the most upsetting aspects of human behavior as a fatal threat to all life on earth in the near future.
(2023-01-06). Imperial recognises seven outstanding graduates with Alumni Awards. imperial.ac.uk Meet the 2023 winners: Shaping the net-zero journey, changing our understanding of how our planet works, and defining the technologies of tomorrow.
(2023-01-06). 2022: Year of the working class in the USA. workers.org 
This article was published Jan. 1, 2023, on the sites of La Pluma and Tlaxcala. The working class in the United States burst into action in 2022. Warehouse workers at Amazon, baristas at Starbucks, prisoners, coal miners, nurses, teachers, graduate students and more organized and resisted capital. Many went on . . . |
(2023-01-06). Hollow Men: The Blowhards of Jan. 6 were Yellow-Bellied Cowards. juancole.com Reprinted in commemoration of Brian Sicknick and other victims of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) The damning Jan. 6 public hearings revealed a plethora of historical detail, but they also shed light on character. Some of these revelations were profiles in pusillanimity. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), one of the slimiest …
(2023-01-06). NIH's All of Us Research Program returns health-related DNA results to participants. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) All of Us Research Program has begun returning personalized health-related DNA results to more than 155,000 participants. The reports detail whether participants have an increased risk for specific health conditions and how their bodies might process certain medications. The All of Us Research Program collects participants' blood, urine, and saliva samples. These biosamples are stored and managed for research at a specialized All of Us Research Program biobank at Mayo Clinic. "It is rewarding for us at the…
(2023-01-06). Daily Round-up | Thousands of Palestinians under threat of displacement in West Bank village & more. peoplesdispatch.org In this episode, we look at stories of evictions in Palestine and India, a report on casualties in the Yemen war, and the conviction of a leader of the Bolivian coup…
(2023-01-06). SWAT Teams Attack Atlanta Forest Encampments, Activists Charged with 'Terrorism' in Movement to Stop Cop City Police Training Facility. towardfreedom.org
(2023-01-06). Why the Arctic turning into a Lukewarm Puddle should be a bigger Headline than a bit of Inflation. juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com ) Let me start 2023 with a glance back at a December news moment that caught my eye. To do so, however, I have to offer a bit of explanation. First, the obvious: I'm an old guy and, though I spend significant parts of any day scrolling through endless websites covering aspects …
(2023-01-06). First official steps after 11 years between Syria and Tàºrkiye; Assassination of a nationalist politician; New Year messages from politicians. uwidata.com At the turn of the New Year, Tàºrkiye's agenda remains intense. Turkish and Syrian officials met in Moscow to overcome the ongoing political dispute between the two countries since the start of the civil war in Syria. The busy agenda in Tàºrkiye continued as we entered the new year. In a central location of the …
(2023-01-06). Opposition to union bureaucracy, class war monetary policies to fuel growth of US class struggle in 2023. wsws.org This year, at least 1.6 million workers in the United States have contracts due to expire, including workers in key industries.
(2023-01-06). Sri Lankan Health Workers' Action Committee initiates fight against "paying wards" in government hospitals. wsws.org The HWAC is calling on health employees to fight for the mobilisation of workers to defeat the government's paying ward plan, which is aimed at wiping out Sri Lanka's public health system, a fundamental gain won by the working class.
(2023-01-06). Brazil: Defenders Return Embassy to Venezuelan Authorities. popularresistance.org This Monday, January 2, the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, deputy Jorge Rodríguez, received the keys to the headquarters of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Brazil from the hands of local social movements that, for more than three years, had protected the residence from attempts of aggression, siege, and attacks by fascism. Rodríguez, accompanied by the new Venezuelan ambassador to Brazil, Manuel Vicente Vadell, as well as the staff that works at the diplomatic headquarters, received the keys to the residence from Joà£o Pedro Stedile, Brazilian social leader.
(2023-01-06). Spanish Far-Right Vox Deputy Expelled from Bolivia for Interference in Camacho Case (+Chile & Venezuela). orinocotribune.com 
This Wednesday, January 4, the Spanish deputy of the Vox party, Víctor González, was expelled from Bolivia for three years, accused of "disturbing public order and inciting confrontation between citizens by committing acts of interference" and breaking into police stations in the department of Santa Cruz, as reported by the Bolivian government. | Bolivian vice minister for foreign affairs, Freddy Mamani, stated that González and his Chilean colleague, Luis Fernando Sánchez, made "politics in Bolivia" by "interfering in internal affairs" through questioning the judicial process followed against governor of Santa C…
(2023-01-05). France Says It Pledged AMX-10 RC 'Light Tanks' to Ukraine. news.antiwar.com French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday pledged to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Paris will provide Kyiv with AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles as Ukraine has been seeking Western-made tanks. A French official said that the AMX-10 RC vehicles will be the "first time that Western-made armored vehicles are being delivered in support of the …
(2023-01-05). Japan's Kishida Vows Stronger Alliance With US Amid Military Buildup. news.antiwar.com Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday vowed to expand Tokyo's alliance with the US under his new controversial military spending plan that breaks from the country's post-World War II pacifism. Kishida made the comments when previewing an upcoming visit to Washington DC, where he will meet with President Biden on January 13. "We will show …
(2023-01-05). US Sending Delegation to Taiwan for Trade Talks in Move Sure to Anger China. news.antiwar.com The US is sending a delegation to Taiwan next week for trade talks with Taipei, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said on Wednesday, in a move sure to anger Beijing. The US and Taiwan agreed to hold formal trade talks last year, and the first round was held in New York in …
(2023-01-05). Erdogan Tells Putin He Wants to Mediate a 'Lasting Peace' in Ukraine. news.antiwar.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and said Ankara was ready to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv to reach a "lasting peace" in Ukraine. "Erdogan stated that as Turkey, we are ready to facilitate and mediate the establishment of a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine," the Turkish president's …
(2023-01-05). US to Send Ukraine Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Nearly $3 Billion Arms Package. news.antiwar.com The US is going to send Ukraine Bradley Fighting Vehicles for the first time in a new weapons package worth nearly $3 billion, US officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. The officials said the $2.85 billion aid package will be formally announced on Friday, and it will mark the single largest arms package for …
(2023-01-05). US Warship Makes First Taiwan Strait Transit of 2023. news.antiwar.com A US Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday in the first US transit of the sensitive waterway of 2023. The US Navy's Seventh Fleet said the USS Chung-Hoon made the passage. Entering the new year, tensions between the US and China over Taiwan are rising as Washington continues to escalate support …
(2023-01-05). Russia announced Christmas ceasefire, US anti-war activists urge others to follow suit. peoplesdispatch.org After Putin ordered troops to observe a ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas, US anti-war organization CODEPINK insists that the US and Ukraine also declare a Christmas truce…
(2023-01-05). Morocco And Israel, The Unholy Alliance That Threatens Peace In North Africa. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | Written by Piero Messina | We don't need the crystal ball to bet on the next crisis in North Africa. The growing tension between Morocco and Algeria will add to the Libyan chaos and the institutional collapse of Tunisia. With a third wheel: Israel. Tel Aviv has become a strategic partner of Rabat and for Algeria this situation is becoming a factor of national security. | Since the summer of 2021, Algeria has unilaterally severed diplomatic relations with Morocco, accusing the Moroccan kingdom of "
(2023-01-05). China, Philippines to ensure stability. ecns.cn China and the Philippines have agreed to expand their contributions to regional peace and stability and bring more benefits to the people of both countries.
(2023-01-05). Sudan Military-Civilian Pact Omits Key Justice Reforms, including an End to Impunity (HRW). juancole.com Human Rights Watch (Nairobi) Sudan's political actors and international partners should ensure that progress on human rights and accountability for serious human rights violations are central to any new transition, Human Rights Watch said today. This includes an end to the violent crackdown against peaceful protesters, releasing arbitrarily detained protesters, and taking concrete …
(2023-01-05). Two classic graphic novels explore the rise of German fascism and the Holocaust. greenleft.org.au Andrew Chuter reviews two classic graphic novels: Maus, which tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust; and Berlin, which is set during the German Weimar Republic prior to World War II.
(2023-01-05). US Now World's Top LNG Exporter, As Europe Boycotts Cheaper Russian Gas. popularresistance.org The United States has rapidly become the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), tied with Qatar. | A significant reason for this meteoric increase is because Europe replaced Asia as the top market for US LNG in 2022, as Brussels pledged to boycott Russian energy over the proxy war in Ukraine. | Among the principal importers of US LNG are France, Spain, Britain, the Netherlands, and Italy. | Europe is now paying significantly more for expensive US LNG than it had previously for Russian pipeline gas. | As of 2022, Europe had the highest energy prices on the planet. This was a key factor in fueling…
(2023-01-05). Palestinians Can Only Dream of Justice at the ICC as Netanyahu Can't Wait to Start a War in Gaza. strategic-culture.org One wonders how long we have to wait in 2023 before a new intifada begins, orchestrated entirely by the Israeli government's dirty work. | Is there anything quite so vomit-inducing than Israel's new government with Benjamin Netanyahu at its helm? Barely days in office and he's already frothing at the mouth like a sick dog looking at its next meal, in this case the Gaza Strip. One wonders how long we have to wait in 2023 before a new intifada begins, orchestrated entirely by the Israeli government's dirty work, which in 2020, broke records with almost 1000 Palestinian homes stolen at gunpoint from humble Palestini…
(2023-01-05). Aaron Maté: The U.S. Government Is Looking For A Prolonged Stalemate In Ukraine, Not Diplomacy. moguldom.com The war in Ukraine has been going on since Feb. 24, 2022, when the country was invaded by Russia. Since then, the U.S. has poured billions of dollars in aid into Ukraine. Most recently, a new round of Ukraine funding was approved just two days after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky made his first wartime trip …
(2023-01-05). Military Situation In Iraq On January 5, 2023 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | One Iraqi police officer and one civilian were killed in the Tarmiyah area by an IED explosion; | The Iraqi Army and the PMU carried out a security operation in the Badush area in the north of Mosul city; | Iraqi leaders and officials reiterated condemnations of the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a US strike in Baghdad three years ago, during a forum commemorating the anniversary of the assassination. | MORE ON THE TOPIC:
(2023-01-05). Military Situation In Syria On January 5, 2023 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On January 5, the Russian Ministry of Defense recorded no hostilities and ceasefire violations in the Idlib region in the past 24 hours; | On January 5, Vladimir Putin, president of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey discussed Ukraine and Syria in a phone call; | On January 4, the US base at CONOCO gas facility was attacked with several rockets. No casualties were reported; | On January 4, an SAA serviceman was killed by unknown gunmen in the Abbas vil…
(2023-01-05). Rock Attack Hit Syria's Greater Idlib Just Day After Russian Warning Of False-Flag Plot (Photos). southfront.org 
File image. | A heavy rocket attack targeted the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib just a day after a Russian warning of a false-flag plot by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). | A salvo of heavy rockets hit the outskirts of the towns of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya in the eastern countryside of Idlib on January 5. The two towns, which were once strongholds of government supporters in Idlib, are now populated by refugees and foreign jihadists. | Five people were allegedly wounded in the rocket at…
(2023-01-05). Russian, Turkish, Syrian Foreign Ministers Could Meet In UAE — Report. southfront.org 
Abu Dhabi's skyline in December 2014. By Wikimedia user Wadiia. | The foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Syria could meet in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the coming days, RT reported on January 5. | The meeting will be the next step in ongoing Russian efforts to restore ties between Ankara and Damascus, who were driven apart by the war in Syria. Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has already talked about meeting with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in mid-January. However, the…
(2023-01-05). Ukrainian 'Shark' Drone Downed Over Russia's Rostov Region. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image. | On January 5, a Ukrainian Shark reconnaissance drone was downed in the outskirts of the town of Aksay in Russia's Rostov region. | The drone appeared to be nearly intact in a photo that surfaced online. This suggests that it was brought down with electronic warfare means, not air defense fire. | The Shark was especially developed by Ukrspecsystems to conduct reconnaissance and correct artillery fire. The drone was presented in October of 2022, around seven mont…
(2023-01-05). Ukraine War Predictions for 2023 w/ Brian Berletic! thealtworld.com Danny Haiphong…
(2023-01-05). CNN Recruits Washington's Worst Warmonger The Instant He Leaves Congress. thealtworld.com Listen to a reading of this article: | CNN has shattered the speed of light in its haste to recruit former representative Adam Kinzinger to its punditry lineup the millisecond he left congress. | Kinzinger, who prior to being
(2023-01-05). 101st Airborne Still Deployed in Romania Simulating War With Russia. scheerpost.com 
(2023-01-05). Exhibition features migrants at U.S.-Mexico border. america.cgtn.com A cultural exhibit now open in Los Angeles aims to explore the migration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, in part, through items discarded by migrants who've taken the long, treacherous journey toward new lives in a new country. Many don't make it, and organizers say these items …
(2023-01-05). Selected Articles: The Disastrous Events of the Year 2022 Will Plague Us for as Long as We Exist. globalresearch.ca 
By The unprecedented raid on President Trump's home revealed the Gestapo State that has replaced American …
(2023-01-05). Targeting China, the U.S. Brings its New Cold War to Africa. libya360.wordpress.com VIJAY PRASHAD President Joe Biden and other leaders at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, Dec. 15, 2022. | Andrew Harnik / AP The United States government held the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in mid-December, prompted in large part by its fears about Chinese and Russian influence on the African continent. Rather than routine diplomacy, Washington's…
(2023-01-05). Sanders, Warren, and Others Raise Alarm Over Rise of Medical Credit Cards. truthout.org A group of progressive senators raised alarm this week over a pernicious outgrowth of the United States' for-profit healthcare system: medical credit cards. In a letter to the chief executives of Wells Fargo and Synchrony Financial — two large issuers of medical credit cards — Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)… |
(2023-01-05). The Ukraine Crisis Is a Classic 'Security Dilemma'. progressive.org Recent calls to end the war must be more than exercises in public relations.
(2023-01-05). Europe: Warm start to 2023 breaks records and skiers' hearts, says WMO. news.un.org The unusually warm conditions in Europe that marked the festive season broke records — and likely skiers' hearts – in several countries on the continent, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed.
(2023-01-05). Pakistan floods: 9 million more risk being pushed into poverty, warns UNDP. news.un.org An additional nine million people risk being pushed into poverty on top of the 33 million affected by last summer's devastating floods in Pakistan, the UN development agency, UNDP said on Thursday, ahead of next week's International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva.
(2023-01-05). Managing burnout as organizers and cultivating radical community care. peoplesworld.org 
Activist burnout has become more prevalent since the 2020 George Floyd uprisings. A lot has changed since then, though, as we're no longer maintaining daily marches, rallies, and demonstrations. We are no longer facing off riot cops in intersections that once felt like warzones. We don't have to maneuver as quickly as we did that …
(2023-01-05). 'Keep Hypocrisy to Yourself,' Says Ukraine Official After Putin Orders Christmas Truce. commondreams.org 
Under pressure from a key religious leader, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced a 36-hour cease-fire for the war on Ukraine launched last February—a move swiftly criticized by an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Putin's decision came after the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) said that "I, Patriarch of Moscow and …
(2023-01-05). What is NATO? | Chris Williamson. youtube.com 
WHAT IS NATO? The host of Declassified Palestine and former Labour Party MP Chris Williamson breaks down the roots of NATO, Britain's role in its history, and what led to NATO's current proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Support independent watchdog journalism! Patreon.com/MintPressNews…
(2023-01-05). Capitalism's War on Railroad Workers Continues Under President Whose Support For Unions Rings Hollow. covertactionmagazine.com The U.S. Congress imposed a labor agreement on 115,000 railroad workers on December 1, disregarding the vote from four unions to reject it. That is how little real democracy there is in the United States. The millionaires' club on Capitol Hill could not even support giving sick days to railroaders chained to round-the-clock work schedules. Why …
(2023-01-05). What to expect from the war in Ukraine in 2023? unitedworldint.com Interview by Gà∂kalp Erba≈ü Russia broke NATO's containment strategy with its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. For Russia, 2022 was a year of struggle against the Atlantic camp. The widespread belief was that its economy would collapse and its army defeated. Russia, whose currency valued against the US and NATO powers and …
(2023-01-05). Tension points and geopolitical territories in the sights of imperial warmongering. uwidata.com By Micaela Constantini * Faced with the scenery of international conflict and geopolitical transition, the United Kingdom and the United States, together with their watchdog NATO, are trying to maintain their hegemony in key geopolitical territories such as the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Western Balkans and the South Atlantic. This year the world went through …
(2023-01-05). Russia and the West: Towards a Long War. uwidata.com Russia entered the New Year with rain, not snow. Unlike previous years, the Kremlin and its surroundings were calm. The lights of the houses were on. At five minutes to 12, President Putin appeared on Russian television. Lined up behind him were men and women in uniform. Putin addressed his citizens from the Southern Military …
(2023-01-05). An interview with historian Christian Gerlach on the Nazi war of annihilation against the Soviet Union. wsws.org Christian Gerlach, who has done pioneering research into the Nazi war against the Soviet Union and the Holocaust, spoke to the WSWS about his work.
(2023-01-05). US and South Korea hold talks on "nuclear sharing" wsws.org Despite Biden's denial, a senior US official confirmed that the two countries were discussing enhanced information sharing, joint planning, as well as training, and a simulation exercise for nuclear warfare "in the not-too-distant future."
(2023-01-05). Republicans Are Mad Cori Bush Called Byron Donalds A Black GOP 'Prop,' But Where Is The Lie? newsone.com 
Missouri Rep. Cori Bush is pictured in Washington, D.C., in 2021. | Source: Paul Morigi / Getty | Nothing gets Republicans in a white and fragile frenzy like Black people calling them out for using Black conservatives as "Black friend" accessories meant to make their party seem less racist. Republicans know that once they've spent significant time going to war against
(2023-01-05). Venezuela: Economy Grew 17.73% in 2022, Maduro Praises Production Surge. venezuelanalysis.com "Venezuela is experiencing the first stage of a long cycle of recovery and structural growth," said President Maduro.
(2023-01-05). Anuncia Estados Unidos nuevas políticas migratorias para Cuba, Haití y Nicaragua. cubadebate.cu De acuerdo con un comunicado de la Casa Blanca de este jueves, Estados Unidos permitirá la entrada cada mes de hasta 30 000 migrantes de Cuba, Haití, Nicaragua y Venezuela, pero endurecerá las restricciones, ya aplicadas con la llegada de la pandemia de covid-19, para aquellos que intenten cruzar la frontera con México sin la documentación necesaria.
(2023-01-05). Biden Toughens Border, Offers Legal Path for 30,000 a Month. latinorebels.com President Joe Biden said Thursday the U.S. would immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans who cross the border from Mexico illegally. Instead, the U.S. will accept 30,000 people per month from those countries and Venezuela for two years as long as they come legally, have eligible sponsors, and pass background checks.