White to move and mate in two. The chess puzzle is published on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is customary for advanced players to wait till midnight ET before posting the full solution. Before then, they provide some stats about the solution (e.g., the number of distinct checkmate moves), help guide others, and sometimes post hints. But, there are no hard-and-fast rules, feel free to post comments as you please.
A Soldier, A Senator, A Serious Sin
An Epic Louisiana Election
Arsement’s ad, titled, “The Choice,” aired the next evening during the highly anticipated LSU—Alabama football game. That was also the day early voting began across the state. “The choice for governor couldn’t be more clear,” a female narrator began, with the words placed against a black backdrop. Viewers then saw photos of the Democratic candidate in uniform as the narrator said solemnly, “John Bel Edwards, who answered our country’s call and served as a Ranger in the 82nd Airborne Division…or”—as dark music played and an image of Vitter appeared, on his cell phone in a dark trench coat—“David Vitter, who answered a prostitute’s call minutes after he skipped a vote honoring 28 soldiers who gave their lives in defense of our freedom.” The ad showed a frowning Vitter. “David Vitter chose prostitutes over patriots. Now, the choice is yours.”
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On Sunday, November 8, the day after the ad first aired, Edwards visited five African-American churches in New Orleans. He was feeling increasingly confident that he would defeat Vitter. At each stop, the pastor invited the candidate to the lectern to offer remarks. “We’ve got the ball on the five-yard line,” Edwards told the packed house at New Home Ministries in the Central City neighborhood. “We are going to score on Nov 21st!” The congregants stood and cheered.
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Carville’s home was jammed. The close circle of people who had been with Edwards from the beginning couldn’t help but notice all the folks who had been doubters for so long. But this was no night for recriminations. Everybody was feeling good. Mitch Landrieu, who had called his top donors to invite them to the event, stood on the landing of the stairs leading upstairs, next to Carville and Edwards. “I had doubts about how the race would turn out,” Landrieu later told the crowd. “Not because of this man but because of the nature of the state. I was wrong. This guy will be elected governor.” A rare mea culpa from Landrieu, it prompted cheers from the crowd. His sister Mary, who had tried to get Edwards out of the race in July, to his utter dismay, would deliver her own apology. The event raised nearly $500,000 for Edwards’ campaign.
—Tyler Bridges and Jeremy Alford
