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The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has issued a report on a plan with billions in liabilities that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) took over and that then paid less in benefits than it otherwise would have. It also outlines efforts to address that consequence.

The plan was that of Delphi Technologies, a parts and components supplier to auto makers that was spun off from General Motors (GM) in 1999. Delphi sponsored six single-employer pension plans.

Delphi filed for bankruptcy in October 2005. As part of the bankruptcy reorganization plan, GM agreed to the transfer of up to $3.4 billion of liabilities from the Delphi Hourly Plan to the GM Hourly-Rate Employees Pension Plan. GM initially transferred approximately $2.6 billion of liability from the Delphi Hourly Plan to the GM plan. On June 1, 2009, GM filed for bankruptcy and subsequently received U.S. government financial assistance to assist with its reorganization. In July 2009, GM advised Delphi that it would not assume the hourly plan and would not transfer additional liabilities from Delphi to the GM pension plan. Because GM declined to assume the additional liabilities from the Delphi pension plans, the PBGC terminated the Delphi DB plans, effective July 31, 2009.

Most workers in pension plans that are taken over by the PBGC receive all of their promised benefits, but some workers may receive less than that because the PBGC cannot pay an individual more than a maximum benefit set by law. Benefits were reduced for some participants in Delphi plans.

A memorandum President Trump issued on Oct. 22, 2020 expressed concern over the developments. Said the memo, For years, Delphi Corporation was a fixture in the United States automobile manufacturing industry. Tens of thousands of Americans made their careers at Delphi, and, through their work, helped to establish America as the worlds preeminent producer of automobiles. After Delphi went bankrupt, thousands of salaried and non-unionized Delphi workers, through no fault of their own, had their pension plan terminated, upon which trusteeship was transferred to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for administration, consistent with statutory limits.

Court Action

In 2009, the Delphi Salaried Retiree Association (DSRA) and others filed a lawsuit; the PBGC, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry were among the defendants.

The DSRA claimed that the termination of the Delphi Retirement Program for Salaried Employees violated ERISA and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They also claimed that the agreement between GM and the unions representing hourly employees to top-up the hourly employees pensions violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

The DSRA said that GM unfairly discriminated against the salaried employees, that GMs bankruptcy in June 2009 voided the 1999 top-up agreements and that GM renegotiated and provided the top-up to the unions pension plans for political motivations.

Federal district and appellate courts rejected the plaintiffs claims. In January 2022 the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

Executive Branch

Activity in the Executive Branch in response to the factors and actions affecting the Delphi DB plans and their participants has not changed the situation.The plight of Delphis salaried and non-unionized workforce is of great concern to my Administration, which is committed to protecting all American workers, President Trump wrote in his October 2020 memo, which directed the heads of three departments to review pension plans the PBGC held in trusteeship, including Dephi.In response to Congressional inquiries, in August 2021 the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Banking and Finance Office of Legislative Affairs in the U.S. Treasury indicated that the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Commerce concluded that Congressional action would be required to restore these lost pension benefits.

On the Hill

The report notes that there is pending legislation that would address the situation.

For instance, Rep. Daniel Kildee (D-MI) introduced the Susan Muffley Act of 2022 (H.R. 6929) in the House on March 3, 2022; four days later. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a nearly identical bill, S. 3766, in the Senate. Both bills would require the PBGC to recalculate and restore the monthly benefits of plan participants who are not covered by the top-up agreements in the six Delphi plans terminated by PBGC. They also provide that plan participants not covered by the top-up agreements would receive lump-sum payments with interest for the benefits that had been reduced due to the PBGCs maximum guarantee.

Continued here:
CRS Reports on Delphi DB Plan Takeover and its Results - ASPPA Net

Washington County prep football stars are ready for 2022 season

Highlights from players across Washington County who will be back on the gridiron this fall.

Herald-Mail Sports, Wochit

Saying there is no way to protect the community by releasing her from jail, a judge Friday afternoon declined to set bond for a mother charged with causing the abuse that resulted last week in the death of her 5-year-old son.

The ruling by Washington County District Judge Terry A. Myers means Catherine Thrasher, 30, will remain behind bars along with her boyfriend, Timothy Lee Haselden II, 33, who is also charged in the death of Thrasher's son.

Haselden was watching the boy and two of the child's siblings July 22 at Thrasher's house north of Interstate 70 and west of Greencastle Pike, according to charging documents filed in the case. The 5-year-old became unresponsive and Haselden told police he noticed a brown substance coming from the boy's nose.

He called Thrasher at work, who got a ride home. When she arrived, she called 911 regarding the boy's condition. Arriving medics found the boy in cardiac arrest and told Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies that his injuries were consistent with abuse. The boy also had a swollen head, apparently from a potential skull fracture, and there were signs of strangulation, according to court records in the case.

Previously:Washington County man charged with first-degree child abuse and death of 5-year-old boy

The boy was taken to Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown and then to Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he died.

Haselden, who is facing charges including first-degree child abuse causing the death of a child under 13-years-old, continued to be held without bond following a hearing Monday in district court.

Thrasher continued to be held without bond this week at the Washington County Detention Center after her bond hearing was postponed until Friday. She was taken into custody at the Washington County Sheriff's Office on Monday following an interview with authorities.

She is also charged with first-degree abuse causing the death of a child younger than 13 years old, which carries a potential life sentence.

Thrasher also is charged with a first-degree count of causing abuse that resulted in severe physical injury to a child in her custody; a second-degree count of causing abuse of a child in her custody; causing sexual abuse to a child in her custody; first- and second-degree assault; and neglect of a minor, charging documents state.

Assistant State's Attorney Michelle Flores argued before Myers on Friday afternoon in Thrasher's bond hearing that Thrasher should not be released on bond.

As Thrasher looked on through a closed-circuit TV link from the Washington County Detention Center, Flores said Thrasher's charges stem beyond the fact that she is the mother of the boy. Flores said evidence shows that Thrasher was a participant in acts resulting in his injuries, which included new and old bruises over his body.

"These are not bruises from one incident," Flores said.

Flores also argued that Thrasher is a flight risk, adding that she has only lived in the area for a couple years.

"She has no ties here, no career holding her here," Flores said.

During a hearing for Thrasher on Tuesday, Acting District Public Defender Eric Reed asked for a postponement due to a potential conflict of interest. Reed and the public defender's office represented Haselden, who has past criminal cases, at his Monday bond hearing. Reed said he planned to seek a different attorney for Thrasher.

Hagerstown Attorney Robert L. Kline III told Myers during Friday's hearing that he will be representing Thrasher.

Kline requested that Thrasher be given an unsecured bond and that she perhaps be fitted with a home monitoring device.

Kline detailed Thrasher's state of mind the day her son died. When Haselden called her to report what happened to the boy, Thrasher "promptly obtained a ride home. She was the one who called 911," Kline said. "She cooperated with police later that day," he said.

That's in contrast to Haselden, who declined to provide information to authorities under this Fifth Amendment rights, Kline said.

After ordering Thrasher to be continued to be held without bond, Myers said there is no way the community can be safe with her out of jail. He said the fact that the case is a serious one is an "understatement."

Preliminary hearings for Thrasher and Haselden have been scheduled for Aug. 23 at 8:30 a.m. in district court.

A deputy who responded to Thrasher's house on July 22 said he found the boy's two siblings sleeping. He said the children were not well kept and the youngest child appeared to have lesions and/or abrasions on his face, court documents state.

At least one of the siblings had been taken to Children's National Hospital.

The sibling was released from the hospital and both siblings were in foster care through Child Protective Services, the sheriff's office said earlier this week.

Haselden is also charged with first- and second-degree rape; first- and second-degree assault; sex abuse of a minor; neglect of a minor; abuse of a child in his custody that resulted in severe physical injury; and second-degree abuse of a child in his custody.

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Washington County woman held in death of 5-year-old son - Herald-Mail Media

At the end of the second round of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad, 43 teams have four match points, and nine teams won clean 4-0 victories and thus have eight game points. In the 44th FIDE Women's Chess Olympiad, 40 teams have four match points; 11 teams with 4-0 victories have eight game points at the end of this round.

In significant games of the open section, World Champion GM Magnus Carlsen debuted for Norway with a trademark endgame squeeze after a long-drawn battle of nerves, while GM Dieter Nisipeanu, on the German team, played a peach of a game. The 73rd-seeded Zambia created a significant upset when they defeated the 27th-seeded Denmark with a score of 2.5-1.5.

In the women's section, significant upsets occurred when 65th-seeded Ecuador defeated 26th-seeded Slovenia with a 2.5-1.5 score and former women's world champion GM Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine was defeated by lower-rated IM Ekaterina Atalik of Turkey.

With such a huge sea of humanity, it is not just the chess on the board that you want to observeyou are also enthralled with the players' attires, contrasts, ages, and poses. As the players are engrossed in playing their games, the colors of the Olympiad showcased in their dresses and headgear command your attention.

Colors on her hat, a smile on her face, and chess in her soulEllen Kakulidis of Denmark. Photo: FIDE/Lennart Ootes.The foremost desire of every chess player, a rich and clean head during playIM Semetei Tologen tegin of Kyrgystan. Photo: FIDE/Stev Bonhage.That which brings a smile to all of us: the innocence of youthMazen Fandi of Syria. Photo: FIDE/Mark Livshitz.

Because GM Viswanathan Anand has a huge fan following in India, he has commanded a lot of attention at the Olympiad. On Friday, he interacted with a large group of enthusiastic young children. They are part of the "Chalo Chennai" ('Let's Go Chennai') initiative and were selected to attend the Olympiad as spectators from chess tournaments conducted all over the country by the All India Chess Federation:

Teams that scored complete 4-0 victories in both rounds are Ukraine, India 2, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Georgia, Argentina, Cuba, Montenegro, and Canadathus scoring four match points and eight game points. However, medal favorites the U.S., India, Norway, Spain, Poland, Azerbaijan, and the Netherlands also won their matches to gain four match points.

Carlsen, in a hallmark 80-move endgame squeeze against GM Georg Meier of Uruguay, employed his favorite methods of playing chess: consistently applying pressure even with limited material on the board, giving the opponent all the chances to go wrong, and demonstrating his famous reputation as a tireless "squeezer":

GM Dieter Nisipeanu of Germany, playing in his true style, unleashed complex tactics to finish with a checkmate in the middlegame. Our Game of the Day lasts just 28 moves:

The top-seeded U.S scraped through with a 2.5-1.5 margin against 47th-seeded Paraguay, with the former being superior by rating on all boards. The decisive win came from GM Leinier Dominguez who clinically outwitted GM Fernando Cubas on the third board. Birthday boy GM Fabiano Caruana started his campaign for the U.S. in this round, but he never had any chances during his game.

GM Wesley So's game was a curious affair, as the American grandmaster seemed to be consistently building an advantage, which was considerable at one point:

The U.S. suffered mildly anxious moments when GM Sam Shankland seemed to have difficulties in the endgame even though he outranked his opponent, FM Ruben D Zacarias, by 545 Elo points:

India scored a 3.5-0.5 victory over Moldova with GM Pentala Harikrishna leading the way and showing his famed endgame prowess. The game is a textbook example of efficient practical endgame play with Hari's fluent and effective play in a simple-looking position:

In addition to the top India team, the other two teams in the open section and all three women's teams of the host country also won their matches, thus pleasing the home crowd, which obviously showed massive support:

France, Azerbaijan, and Armenia are among the 11 teams that scored complete 4-0 victories in both rounds, thus scoring four match points and eight game points. However, medal favorites the U.S., India, Norway, Spain, Poland, Azerbaijan, and the Netherlands also won their matches to gain four match points.

For top-seeded India, GM Koneru Humpy, showing unusual hesitancy in her game against WIM Marisa Zuriel, got into difficulties in an advantageous position on the top board:

Humpy's timely draw offer in an inferior position prompted GM Arturs Neiksans on the Chess.com live commentary to quip, "Koneru just pulled the old trick!"

The major upset of the day was IM Ekaterina Atalik's victory over GM Mariya Muzychuk. Atalik seemed to conduct the game fluently, keeping a good grip on the proceedings throughout:

A surprise happened in the Lebanon-Syria match when veteran GM Pia Cramling won her game in just nine moves against WIM Knarik Mouradian who blundered early:

It was a special moment at the press center after the second round. The youngest participant of the Olympiad, eight-year-old Randa Seder (Elo 1442) of Palestine, who won her game against unrated Mohamed Fahima Ali Mohamed of Comoros, spoke to the press corps along with her teammates.

See full results here.

The 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad and Women's Chess Olympiad are over-the-board team events where national chess federations compete in classical games for gold medals, trophies, and the title of strongest chess nation in the world. The event consists of an 11-round Swiss tournament where each player from a national team plays against another player from the opposing national team. Teams receive "game points" for winning or drawing games and "match points" for winning or drawing a match. Teams with the most match points for each section become the champions of their section, with a third award going for the team with the most points from both sections combined.

Previous Coverage:

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Favorites Continue With All Wins - Chess.com

The final week to qualify for the Chess.com Global Championship Knockout Phase began with GMs Maksim Chigaev and Andrey Esipenko winning the 13th and 14th Play-ins. GMs Pavel Ponkratov and Ray Robson also qualified by each winning second place respectively.

The last two rounds of the Play-in Phase start on Friday, August 5, at 5 a.m. PT/14:00 CEST and 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST. For titled players who would like to join in and play against legendary GMs such as Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand, be sure to get verified so you can play in the next event.

Chigaev won clear first with an undefeated 7.5 points, starting with a 5-0 winning streak. In the penultimate round, he defeated GM Sergey Pavlov in 29 moves by pressing on his weakened kingside.

The highest performing non-GM was once again FM Marco Riehle, who finished fourth with seven points. He upset GM Yi Xu in round eight, gaining the advantage in a queenless middlegame and pressing for victory in 80 moves.

Ponkratov and GM Anton Demchenko finished second and third, also with 7.5 points. In their first playoff game, Demchenko was on the verge of winning a pawn in the ending when he made a mistake, and Ponkratov caught his king in a mating net.

In the second game, Demchenko struck back, gaining a rook and three pawns for a knight and a bishop, eventually breaking through with a mating attack.

In the armageddon tiebreaker, Ponkratov poked holes in Demchenko's position on both sides of the board and brought a rook to the seventh rank to begin hunting down his opponent's pawns. Demchenko fought back with his bishop pair, but Ponkratov eventually broke through on the kingside.

By advancing, Chigaev and Ponkratov earn the chance at a minimum of $5,000 in the knockout phase along with their respective Play-In prizes of $850 and $600. Demchenko earns $400 for third place.

Play-in #13 Swiss | Final Standings (Top 10)

*Note a playoff occurs between second and third place for qualification into the Knockout Phase.

(Full final standings here.)

Esipenko finished first, scoring 7.5 points and going undefeated. He defeated the previous tournament leader, GM Jos Ibarra, in the last round, fighting for many moves to take over the advantage in an equal ending.

Robson and GM Mikhail Antipov finished second and third, tying with 7.5 points. Robson won the first playoff game by trapping Antipov's overzealous centralized rook.

The second playoff game was a must-win for Antipov. He used most of his time trying to squeeze any winning chance out of the position, but ultimately, the two agreed to a draw in a rook ending, and Robson celebrated qualification with a fist pump in the air.

In the post-match interview, Robson talked about his recent improvement in online performances: "I'm feeling great. I've struggled in all these Rapid Chess Championships and CGCs so far. Although, the last couple weeks, I've been trying to focus more on it and do better. I feel like I am doing better."

By advancing, Esipenko and Robson earn the chance at a minimum of $5,000 in the knockout phase along with their respective Play-In prizes of $850 and $600. Antipov earns $400 for third place.

Play-in #14 Swiss | Final Standings (Top 10)

*Note a playoff occurs between second and third place for qualification into the Knockout Phase.

(full final standings here.)

The Chess.com Global Championship is a worldwide prize event open to all Chess.com verified players. The event has a $1,000,000 prize fund and brings together players from all around the world with chess legends like GMs Alexei Shirov, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Hou Yifan, and many more. The Play-in phase consists of 16 Swiss tournaments which will award the top-two players from each event with a share of the $60,000 prize fund and a spot in the CGC Knockouts.

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Last Week To Qualify Kicks Off With Wins For Chigaev, Esipenko - Chess.com

The Dalai Lama once said that there are 34000 distinguishable emotions. Even he would be hard pressed to show a single emotion if he were at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai as a spectator. Because its not allowed. They cant say a hello if a player veers closer to their enclosure, they cant cheer for their favourite player or flash banners to garner their attention. Mobile phones and cameras have to be kept in the cloak room; they cant munch popcorn or guzzle the cola, forget the bubbly concoctions; between the audience, they cant debate or fight, no release of excitement after a piece capture following an elaborate manoeuvre, like after a rally at the Wimbledon Centre Court. Even the players dont high-five or fist-punch. Nothing moves, everything is static. Watching chess from the galleries seems an exercise in self-control. The silence suffocates.

Perhaps, chess, as Garry Kasparov once said, is never meant to be watched from the galleries as any other spectator sport. You cannot say, go, go, rah, rah, good move! People want some emotion, but chess is not a sport, but an art, he had once said. Kasparov never liked crowded halls as he felt the masses distracted him. So an artistic sacrifice or a creative gambit or a surprising gamble are best enjoyed over an online stream or at a chess club with friends. Arguably, its this intrinsic, unchangeable nature of chess that makes it spectator-unfriendly when watching from the galleries.

Thats the curse of board gamesno board game is a spectator sport. Scrabble fans dont agonise over the fact that its never going to be at the Olympics. They are so close to the actioncloser than perhaps a bout of boxing or wrestling, almost within touching distance from the players, yet they are so far from the action to understand what is unfolding on the boards.

Not that it has doused spectators from crowding the galleries at the Chess Olympiad. The gallery at the main hall is a few metres away from the boards, where the spectators can stand and watch them from side-on from behind a wall, guarded by volunteers. Hall B gives a better vantage point, as the platform is elevated and there are chairs.

You could watch the players, if the players are expressive, most dont betray emotions, gauge the mood; if you a chess whiz yourself, you could follow the moves by observing the movement of the hands.

You get a glimpse of whats happening on the board closest to the gallery. You can see some of the blocks and then guess the moves and the lines. But for that you need to know the game at a decent level, says R Raghunathan, a former chess player who has been travelling to the venue every day.

But he says he is here more for the ambience than seeing whats unfolding on the board. I am here for the ambience. There are people from everywhere, most top players in the world, Carlsen, So, Caruana, Aronian. I dont know when I can ever see them again in one tournament. Besides, there are a lot of boys from Tamil Nadu and we need to show them some good home support. If I wanted to enjoy the game and analyse the moves, I could have sat at home and streamed the games online, he says.

Most of the spectators inside the gallery are supporters and relatives or friends of players rather than aficionados or just there because of the buzz. Like Raghunathan, Felix Anandaraj has been shuttling from Tambaram to Mahabalipuram on his bike in the hot sun just to cheer for D Gukesh, who he knew since childhood. I dont know the game much and I dont understand whats happening either (from the gallery), but I come here on most days to show my support to meet the players and soak in the whole atmosphere, he says.

So, most of the chess nuts at the venue gather in the sprawling golf-banks like a courtyard at the venue. There is a giant screen streaming live games from the FIDE live channel with the commentary of Judit Polgar and Mihail Marin. But most have other live streams running on their smartphones too so that they can peek into other games too. But they dont watch the games without taking their eyes off it. Rather, they enjoy discussing the game within their groups.

Says S Roshan: What we do is we watch a move and analyse the line, strategies and possibilities among ourselves, doing sort of an alternative commentary. That way, we are playing the game ourselves, working out possibilities and permutations ourselves. Watching chess, like any other game, is best as a community experience. It feels a bit more interesting being here than it does just sitting in front of a chess board at our house.

Its how the mind of a true blue chess fan works. While spectators of most other sports enjoy the momentwhen a goal is scored or a six is struckchess fans get their joy from calculating what could possibly happen next, or after that. We are always thinking of progression, of patterns and possibilities. The best thing about the game is that you can play their game yourselves, and games as far back as those of Capablanca or Alekhine. All you need is a list of moves and a board, he elaborates.

On that note, chess has more space for the strategic as well as emotional involvement from the spectators. Raghunathan chips in: We are as emotionally invested in a game or players as spectators in other games too are. We like to see our favourites like in other sports too. As Kasparov said chess is indeed an art, but like any good art it too stirs emotion in the heart of the connoisseurs.

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The noisy silence of the chess fans: Why are the Chennai fans thronging the Chess Olympiad venue despite endless restrictions? - The Indian Express