DAILY REPUBLIC — Monday, November 30, 2020 A7
Prowse, who played Housing: Report uses Census data Darth Vader in original movies, dies at 85 From Page One
Tribune Content Agency David Prowse, the celebrated bodybuilder and film star who provided the hulking, imposing frame of Darth Vader as the original actor to play the iconic “Star Wars” villain, has died. He was 85. The English actor’s death was announced by his agency Sunday morning. “It’s with great regret and heart-wrenching sadness for us and (millions) of fans around the world, to announce that our client DAVE PROWSE M.B.E. has passed away at the age of 85,” Bowington Management shared in a tweet. Agent Thomas Bowington told NBC News that Prowse died following a short battle with an illness, which was not disclosed. The 6-foot-7 Prowse gave the brooding physical performance of Vader in the original trilogy of
“Star Wars” movies, while James Earl Jones did the voice for the mask-wearing, armored character. Prowse’s face is never seen in the “Star Wars” films in which he appeared: “A New Hope” (1977), “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983). A moment showing Vader remove his helmet in “Return of the Jedi” saw actor Sebastian Shaw briefly portray the redeemed Sith lord. But Prowse’s legacy looms large as the first actor to embody what many consider the greatest movie villain of all time. Before his acting career took off, Prowse was a British weightlifting champion who also worked with celebrities as a trainer. Prowse was later the subject of a 2015 documentary about his life and career titled “I Am Your Father.”
Trump: Interview From Page One The formal transition to the Biden administration began last week, and Trump said Thursday he would “certainly” vacate office Jan. 20 as required, after the Electoral College puts the expected seal on Biden’s victory next month. In the Fox interview, however, the president refused to say whether any particular date – including Dec. 14, when electors meet in their respective states to cast ballots, or even Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 – would mark an end to his insistence that he, not Biden, had prevailed. The former vice president’s margin of victory in the popular vote has surpassed 6 million, and his projected Electoral College tally of 306 far exceeds the 270 required. “I don’t want to give you an actual date,” Trump said when Fox interviewer Maria Bartiromo asked at what point he might admit legal defeat. Throughout the interview, he alternately telegraphed defiance and resignation, declaring that “my mind will not change in six months” but also portraying himself as a victim of nefarious forces who “for the most part . . . got away with it.” Trump’s refusal to concede the election in the face of a definitive loss has prompted many Senate Republicans to take more and more contorted public positions to avoid contradicting the president’s victory claims. Appearing Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of the Senate GOP leadership, refused to refer to Biden as the president-elect. “The president-elect will be the president-elect when the electors vote for him,” he said. Blunt said of Biden taking office: “We are certainly moving forward as if that is what is going to happen on January
the 20th.” He also suggested, however, that the president’s backers might withhold formal acceptance of Biden’s victory for at least another month, until the House and Senate convene Jan. 6 for a joint session to count electoral votes. With more than seven weeks remaining in office, Trump has signaled no sense of urgency on the raging Covid-19 pandemic, which has now killed more than 266,000 Americans. Public health experts expressed alarm again Sunday about the twin perils of colder weather and infections spread by holiday travel and gatherings. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases specialist, said on “Meet the Press” that “what we expect, unfortunately, as we go for the next couple of weeks into December, (is) that we might see a surge superimposed upon that surge that we’re already in.” Another member of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr. Deborah Birx, said on the same program that “we’re entering this post-Thanksgiving surge with three, four and 10 times as much disease across the country” as the period after Memorial Day. “And so that’s what worries us the most,” she said. In another arena, some former senior figures in the national security establishment are warning the country faces a perilous time before Biden assumes office. Retired Adm. Mike Mullen, a former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday he was “actually very concerned about the Trump loyalists who have now gone to work in the Pentagon” in the wake of Trump firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper by tweet after the election. “Over the course of 50 or 60 days you can do something constructive, but you can do something that’s really destructive,” Mullen said on NBC.
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data from the U.S. Census Bureau, about 60 percent of current homeowners bought their home in 2009 or earlier and haven’t moved since. By contrast, about half of current renters moved into their current residence in 2017 or later. Furthermore, a long period of low housing inventory has driven up prices and made it more difficult for the average worker to afford a home. Data from Zillow shows that the current median home price nationwide is $256,663, pricing many Americans out of the housing market.
The national median household income for a homeowner is $81,988, nearly twice the median household income of a renter ($42,479). As a result of geographic differences across these factors, homeownership rates vary significantly by location. At the state level, homeownership rates range from a low of 53.5 percent in New York to 73.4 percent in West Virginia. Coastal states with expensive and densely populated urban areas, such as New York and California, tend to have some of the lowest homeownership rates in the country. Many states in the
Midwest such as Minnesota and Wyoming are known for their affordable housing, and tend to have higher homeownership rates. To find which cities have the lowest homeownership rates (and the most renters), researchers at Roofstock analyzed housing data from the U.S. Census Bureau 2019 American Community Survey one year estimates. Cities were categorized by population size: small (100,000–149,999), m idsi ze 15 0,0 0 0 – 349,999), and large (350,000 or more). All housing data presented comes from 2019, when the homeowner-
ship rate nationwide was 64.1% percent. The report showed 22,125 owner occupied housing units in Fairfield and 15,185 renter occupied. Nationally, owner occupied housing units total 78, 724, 862; renter occupied units are 44.077,990. The median income for owners is about $82,000 and about $42,500 for renters. The median home price nationwide is $256,663. For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Roofstock’s website: https://learn. roofstock.com/blog/lowesthomeownership-rates.
Vaccine From Page One certainly” will be vaccinating portions in the first priority of the population by the end of December. “If we can hang together as a country and do these kinds of things to blunt these surges until we get a substantial proportion of the population vaccinated, we can get through this,” he said. “There really is light at the end of the tunnel.” United Airlines Holdings Inc. began operating Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Abaca Press/TNS charter flights on Friday Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious to position doses of Pfizer’s Diseases, said in an interview, Sunday, that he fears the coronavirus’ spread will surge vaccine for quick distribu- in the coming weeks. tion once approved, Dow Jones reported. A week it,” he said. “The process of deter- weeks,” Adams said, ago, the chief executive In a separate interview mining whether it works, referring to the rates of officer of CVS Health on ABC’s “This Week,” whether it’s safe and effec- infection, hospitalizaCorp. said the pharmacy Fauci said Covid-19 jabs tive has been independent, tion and deaths resulting chain is ready to quickly won’t be “centrally man- by independent bodies, from the pandemic. “The vaccinate residents at dated” in the U.S., but and transparent,” he said. actions we take over the thousands of long-term that some local offiIn his NBC interview, next several days will care facilities. cials or employers might Fauci said he fears the determine how bad it’s “It’s pretty much apply pressure to get virus’ spread will surge going to get.” decided” that residents people vaccinated. in the coming weeks into Brett Giroir, assisand staff of such care “Any individual group December. “We might tant secretary at the U.S. facilities, and health care can mandate vaccines in see a surge superimDepartment of Health workers in general, will certain ways,” he said. posed upon the surge be the first groups to get “Individual units, be they we’re already in,” he said. and Human Services, access to vaccines, former hospitals or other organi- “I don’t want to frighten declined to recommend FDA administrator Scott zations, can do that. It’s people, except to say it is that all Americans who Gottlieb said on CBS’ within their right to say, not too late to do some- traveled or will travel during holidays quaran“Face the Nation.” if you want to work with thing about this.” “ T her e’s about us, you’re going to have to Adams also implored tine afterward. In an interview on CNN, 20 million health care get a vaccine.” Americans to help stop workers who might be eliFauci said he has the virus’ spread in the Giroir said those who gible, and about 3 million some concern about the months remaining before traveled should decrease residents of long-term overall anti-vaccination a vaccine is widely avail- unnecessary activities care facilities and staff movement, but said the able by wearing masks and quarantine only if they had close contact of those facilities. Those Covid-19 jab research and avoiding gatherings. “It’s going to get worse with someone known to will be the first group of process has been “scienover the next several have had Covid-19. patients who get access to tifically sound.”
Iran: Some demanding vengeance From Page One Geranmayeh, an Iran expert and deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council for Foreign Relations, could box Biden in as he takes office – or even result in a military conflagration in the waning days of Trump’s tenure. “The Iranians are aware that there are mines set for them,” Geranmayeh said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the landmark 2015 nuclear deal that Trump left in 2018. “This is exactly the playbook that proponents of maximum pressure have been trying to advocate: that there need to be moves that make it much more difficult for Biden to reenter the deal and for Iran to engage the U.S. in diplomacy.” As a result, the government of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani must balance internal voices demanding vengeance even as it hopes to weather the seven weeks until Biden is sworn in. On Friday afternoon, as Iranians were enjoying the first day of their weekend amid coronavirus restrictions, Fakhrizadeh was in a car heading down a highway near the resort town of Absad, some 35 miles east of Tehran. There, a car loaded with explosives
blew up, and gunmen descended on Fakhizadeh, cutting him down along with members of his security detail. In its brazenness, the killing echoed other car bombings and motorcycle assassinations targeting Iran’s nuclear scientists. All have been part of a decadelong effort by Israel and the U.S. to hinder Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, analysts say. Fakhrizadeh’s assassination followed a series of mysterious explosions at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility in July (authorities blamed sabotage; they have yet to reveal who they believe was behind it) as well as the operation targeting Soleimani while he was abroad. A U.S. return to the nuclear accord – and the sanctions relief it may bring – is a priority for Iran. Over the last four years, sanctions have cratered its currency, cut off its economy from world markets and left its 82 million people facing poverty. Retired Navy Adm. William McRaven, in an interview Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” urged everyone involved to “kind of lower the temperature.” “The Iranians don’t want war with us. We don’t want to go to war with Iran,” said McRaven, who as head of U.S. special operations forces oversaw
the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. But, he said, “the Iranians are going to be in a position where they have to retaliate – I don’t see any way around it.” So far, Iran’s leadership appears to have chosen the path of restraint. In a televised Cabinet meeting Saturday, Rouhani said Iran would “respond to this crime at the proper time.” “But the Iranian nation is wiser and smarter than to fall in the trap of the Zionists,” he said, in reference to Israel. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an English-language Twitter post that “all relevant administrators must seriously place two crucial matters on their agenda: first to investigate this crime and firmly prosecute its perpetrators and its commanders, second to continue the martyr’s scientific and technological efforts in all the sectors where he was active.” Meanwhile, the country’s parliament passed a motion that would require Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization to produce and store at least 264 pounds of uranium with 20% purity. If ratified, it would be another step in the methodical breaches of the nuclear deal that Tehran has pursued since Trump pulled out of the treaty.
Still, there have been voices advocating a more forceful response, said Dina Esfandiary, a fellow at the Century Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank. “The Rouhani administration understands there’s value in not escalating, in appearing strong but appearing reasonable,” she said. “But there are pressures from hard-liners as well as moderates, who are fed up and saying, ‘Why are we just taking this? Why are we the ones respecting international norms when nobody else is?’ ” And politically, there are factions within Iran that want to scuttle the reentry into the nuclear deal, said Ariane Tabatabai, a Middle East fellow at the policy organization the German Marshall Fund – if only to stop Rouhani claiming any achievement before presidential elections in June. The assassination was a humiliation for Iran’s security apparatus. After all, Fakhrizadeh – like Soleimani – was an officer in the country’s elite Republican Guards, and was presumably under their protection. He had proved to be an elusive figure since a spate of assassinations between 2010 and 2012 struck four of his colleagues. (He survived an assassination attempt in 2008.)
