title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: On 26 September 1923, following a period of turmoil and political violence, Bavarian Prime Minister declared a state of emergency, and was appointed ("state commissioner"), with dictatorial powers to govern the state. In addition to , Bavarian state police chief Colonel and General formed a ruling triumvirate. Hitler announced that he would hold 14 mass meetings beginning on 27 September 1923. Afraid of the potential disruption, one of 's first actions was to ban the announced meetings, placing Hitler under pressure to act. The Nazis, with other leaders in the , felt they had to march upon Berlin and seize power or their followers would turn to the communists. Hitler enlisted the help of World War I general in an attempt to gain the support of and his triumvirate. However, had his own plan with and to install a nationalist dictatorship without Hitler.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: The putsch was inspired by Benito Mussolini's successful March on Rome. From 22 to 29 October 1922, Hitler and his associates planned to use Munich as a base for a march against Germany's Weimar Republic government. But circumstances differed from those in Italy. Hitler came to the realisation that Kahr sought to control him and was not ready to act against the government in Berlin. Hitler wanted to seize a critical moment for successful popular agitation and support. He decided to take matters into his own hands. Hitler, along with a large detachment of SA, marched on the Bürgerbräukeller, where Kahr was making a speech in front of 3,000 people.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: In the evening of 8 November 1923, 603 SA surrounded the beer hall and a machine gun was set up in the auditorium. Hitler, surrounded by his associates Hermann Göring, Alfred Rosenberg, Rudolf Hess, Ernst Hanfstaengl, Ulrich Graf, Johann Aigner, Adolf Lenk, Max Amann, Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter, Wilhelm Adam, Robert Wagner and others (some 20 in all), advanced through the crowded auditorium. Unable to be heard above the crowd, Hitler fired a shot into the ceiling and jumped on a chair, yelling: "The national revolution has broken out! The hall is surrounded by six hundred men. Nobody is allowed to leave." He went on to state that the Bavarian government was deposed and declared the formation of a new government with Ludendorff.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Hitler, accompanied by Hess, Lenk, and Graf, ordered the triumvirate of Kahr, Seisser and Lossow into an adjoining room at gunpoint and demanded they support the putsch and accept the government positions he assigned them. Hitler had promised Lossow a few days earlier that he would not attempt a coup, but now thought that he would get an immediate response of affirmation from them, imploring Kahr to accept the position of Regent of Bavaria. Kahr replied that he could not be expected to collaborate, especially as he had been taken out of the auditorium under heavy guard.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Heinz Pernet, Johann Aigne and Scheubner-Richter were dispatched to pick up Ludendorff, whose personal prestige was being harnessed to give the Nazis credibility. A telephone call was made from the kitchen by Hermann Kriebel to Ernst Röhm, who was waiting with his "Bund Reichskriegsflagge" in the "Löwenbräukeller", another beer hall, and he was ordered to seize key buildings throughout the city. At the same time, co-conspirators under Gerhard Rossbach mobilised the students of a nearby infantry officers' school to seize other objectives.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Hitler became irritated by Kahr and summoned Ernst Pöhner, Friedrich Weber, and Hermann Kriebel to stand in for him while he returned to the auditorium flanked by Rudolf Hess and Adolf Lenk. He followed up on Göring's speech and stated that the action was not directed at the police and Reichswehr, but against "the Berlin Jew government and the November criminals of 1918". Dr. Karl Alexander von Mueller, a professor of modern history and political science at the University of Munich and a supporter of Kahr, was an eyewitness. He reported


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: I cannot remember in my entire life such a change in the attitude of a crowd in a few minutes, almost a few seconds ... Hitler had turned them inside out, as one turns a glove inside out, with a few sentences. It had almost something of hocus-pocus, or magic about it.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Hitler ended his speech with: "Outside are Kahr, Lossow and Seisser. They are struggling hard to reach a decision. May I say to them that you will stand behind them?"


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: You can see that what motivates us is neither self-conceit nor self-interest, but only a burning desire to join the battle in this grave eleventh hour for our German Fatherland ... One last thing I can tell you. Either the German revolution begins tonight or we will all be dead by dawn!


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Hitler returned to the antechamber, where the triumvirs remained, to ear-shattering acclaim, which the triumvirs could not have failed to notice. On his way back, he ordered Göring and Hess to take Eugen von Knilling and seven other members of the Bavarian government into custody.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: During Hitler's speech, Pöhner, Weber, and Kriebel had been trying in a conciliatory fashion to bring the triumvirate round to their point of view. The atmosphere in the room had become lighter, but Kahr continued to dig in his heels. Ludendorff showed up a little before 21:00 and, being shown into the antechamber, concentrated on Lossow and Seisser, appealing to their sense of duty. Eventually, the triumvirate reluctantly gave in.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Hitler, Ludendorff, "et al.", returned to the main hall's podium, where they gave speeches and shook hands. The crowd was then allowed to leave the hall. In a tactical mistake, Hitler decided to leave the Bürgerbräukeller shortly thereafter to deal with a crisis elsewhere. Around 22:30, Ludendorff released Kahr and his associates.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: The night was marked by confusion and unrest among government officials, armed forces, police units, and individuals deciding where their loyalties lay. Units of the "Kampfbund" were scurrying around to arm themselves from secret caches, and seizing buildings. At around 03:00, the first casualties of the putsch occurred when the local garrison of the "Reichswehr" spotted Röhm's men coming out of the beer hall. They were ambushed while trying to reach the "Reichswehr" barracks by soldiers and state police; shots were fired, but there were no fatalities on either side. Encountering heavy resistance, Röhm and his men were forced to fall back. In the meantime, the "Reichswehr" officers put the whole garrison on alert and called for reinforcements. Foreign attachés were seized in their hotel rooms and put under house arrest.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: In the morning, Hitler ordered the seizure of the as hostages. He further sent the communications officer of the "Kampfbund", , to enlist the aid of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria to mediate between Kahr and the putschists. Neunzert failed in the mission.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: By mid-morning on 9 November, Hitler realised that the putsch was going nowhere. The putschists did not know what to do and were about to give up. At this moment, Ludendorff cried out, "Wir marschieren!" ('We will march!'). Röhm's force together with Hitler's (a total of approximately 2000 men) marched out – but with no specific destination. On the spur of the moment, Ludendorff led them to the Bavarian Defence Ministry. However, at the "Odeonsplatz" in front of the "Feldherrnhalle", they met a force of 130 soldiers blocking the way under the command of State Police Senior Lieutenant . The two groups exchanged fire which eventually resulted in the deaths of four state police officers and 16 Nazis.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Although their defeat by the government forces forced Hitler and Ludendorff to flee Munich, it was the origin of the "Blutfahne" ('blood flag'), which was stained with the blood of two SA members who were shot: the flag bearer Heinrich Trambauer, who was badly wounded, and Andreas Bauriedl, who fell dead onto the fallen flag. A bullet killed Scheubner-Richter. Göring was shot in the leg, but escaped. The rest of the Nazis scattered or were arrested. Hitler was arrested two days later.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: In a description of Ludendorff's funeral at the "Feldherrnhalle" in 1937 (which Hitler attended but without speaking) William L. Shirer wrote: "The World War [One] hero [Ludendorff] had refused to have anything to do with him [Hitler] ever since he had fled from in front of the Feldherrnhalle after the volley of bullets during the Beer Hall Putsch." However, when a consignment of papers relating to Landsberg prison (including the visitor book) were later sold at auction, it was noted that Ludendorff had visited Hitler a number of times. The case of the resurfacing papers was reported in "Der Spiegel" on 23 June 2006; the new information (which came out more than 30 years after Shirer wrote his book, and which Shirer did not have access to) nullifies Shirer's statement.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Police units were first notified of trouble by three police detectives stationed at the "Löwenbräukeller". These reports reached Major Sigmund von Imhoff of the state police. He immediately called all his green police units and had them seize the central telegraph office and the telephone exchange, although his most important act was to notify Major-General Jakob von Danner, the "Reichswehr" city commandant of Munich. As a proud war hero, Danner loathed the "little corporal" and those ""Freikorps" bands of rowdies". He also did not much like his commanding officer, Generalleutnant Otto von Lossow, "a sorry figure of a man". He was determined to put down the putsch with or without Lossow. Danner set up a command post at the 19th Infantry Regiment barracks and alerted all military units.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Meanwhile, Captain Karl Wild, learning of the putsch from marchers, mobilised his command to guard Kahr's government building, the "Commissariat", with orders to shoot.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Around 23:00, Major-General von Danner, along with fellow generals and Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein, compelled Lossow to repudiate the putsch.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: There was one member of the cabinet who was not at the Bürgerbräukeller: Franz Matt, the vice-premier and minister of education and culture. A staunchly conservative Roman Catholic, he was having dinner with the Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Michael von Faulhaber and with the Nuncio to Bavaria, Archbishop Eugenio Pacelli (who would later become Pope Pius XII), when he learned of the putsch. He immediately telephoned Kahr. When he found the man vacillating and unsure, Matt made plans to set up a rump government-in-exile in Regensburg and composed a proclamation calling upon all police officers, members of the armed forces, and civil servants to remain loyal to the government. The action of these few men spelled doom for those attempting the putsch. The next day the archbishop and Rupprecht visited Kahr and persuaded him to repudiate Hitler.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Three thousand students from the University of Munich rioted and marched to the "Feldherrnhalle" to lay wreaths. They continued to riot until 9 November, when they learned of Hitler's arrest. Kahr and Lossow were called Judases and traitors.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Two days after the putsch, Hitler was arrested and charged with high treason in the special People's Court. Some of his fellow conspirators, including Rudolf Hess, were also arrested, while others, including Hermann Göring and Ernst Hanfstaengl, escaped to Austria. The Nazi Party's headquarters was raided, and its newspaper, the "Völkischer Beobachter" ("The People's Observer"), was banned. In January 1924, the Emminger Reform, an emergency decree, abolished the jury as trier of fact and replaced it with a mixed system of judges and lay judges in Germany's judiciary.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: This was not the first time Hitler had been in trouble with the law. In an incident in September 1921, he and some men of the SA had disrupted a meeting of the "Bayernbund" ('Bavaria Union') which Otto Ballerstedt, a Bavarian federalist, was to have addressed, and the Nazi troublemakers were arrested as a result. Hitler ended up serving a little over a month of a three-month jail sentence. Judge Georg Neithardt was the presiding judge at both of Hitler's trials.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Hitler's trial began on 26 February 1924 and lasted until 1 April 1924. Lossow acted as chief witness for the prosecution. Hitler moderated his tone for the trial, centering his defence on his selfless devotion to the good of the people and the need for bold action to save them, dropping his usual anti-Semitism. He claimed the putsch had been his sole responsibility, inspiring the title "Führer" or 'leader'. The lay judges were fanatically pro-Nazi and had to be dissuaded by the presiding Judge, Georg Neithardt, from acquitting Hitler. Hitler and Hess were both sentenced to five years in "" ('fortress confinement') for treason. "Festungshaft" was the mildest of the three types of jail sentence available in German law at the time; it excluded forced labour, provided reasonably comfortable cells, and allowed the prisoner to receive visitors almost daily for many hours. This was the customary sentence for those whom the judge believed to have had honourable but misguided motives, and it did not carry the stigma of a sentence of "Gefängnis" (common prison) or "Zuchthaus" (disciplinary prison). In the end, Hitler served only a little over eight months of this sentence before his early release for good behaviour. Prison officials allegedly wanted to give Hitler deaf guards, to prevent him from persuading them to free him.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Although the trial was the first time that Hitler's oratory was insufficient, he used the trial as an opportunity to spread his ideas by giving speeches to the court room. The event was extensively covered in the newspapers the next day. The judges were impressed (Presiding Judge Neithardt was inclined to favouritism towards the defendants prior to the trial), and as a result, Hitler served a little over eight months and was fined . Due to his story that he was present by accident, an explanation he had also used in the Kapp Putsch, along with his war service and connections, Ludendorff was acquitted. Both Röhm and Wilhelm Frick, though found guilty, were released. Göring, meanwhile, had fled after suffering a bullet wound to his leg, which led him to become increasingly dependent on morphine and other painkilling drugs. This addiction continued throughout his life.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: One of Hitler's greatest worries at the trial was that he was at risk of being deported back to his native Austria by the Bavarian government. The trial judge, Neithardt, was sympathetic toward Hitler and held that the relevant laws of the Weimar Republic could not be applied to a man "who thinks and feels like a German, as Hitler does." The result was that the Nazi leader remained in Germany.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Though Hitler failed to achieve his immediate goal, the putsch did give the Nazis their first national attention and propaganda victory. While serving their "fortress confinement" sentences at Landsberg am Lech, Hitler, Emil Maurice and Rudolf Hess wrote "Mein Kampf". The putsch had changed Hitler's outlook on violent revolution to effect change. From then his "modus operandi" was to do everything "strictly legal".


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: The process of "combination", wherein the conservative-nationalist-monarchist group thought that its members could piggyback on, and control, the National Socialist movement to garner the seats of power, was to repeat itself ten years later in 1933 when Franz von Papen asked Hitler to form a legal coalition government.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Scheubner-Richter was walking arm-in-arm with Hitler during the putsch; he was shot in the lungs and died instantly. He brought Hitler down and dislocated Hitler's shoulder when he fell. He was the only significant Nazi leader to die during the putsch. Of all the party members who died in the putsch, Hitler claimed Scheubner-Richter to be the only "irreplaceable loss".


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: According to Ernst Röhm, Martin Faust and Theodor Casella, both members of the armed militia organisation "Reichskriegsflagge", were shot down accidentally in a burst of machine gun fire during the occupation of the War Ministry as the result of a misunderstanding with II/Infantry Regiment 19.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: The 16 fallen insurgents were regarded as the first "blood martyrs" of the Nazi Party and were remembered by Hitler in the foreword of "Mein Kampf". The Nazi flag they carried, which in the course of events had been stained with blood, came to be known as the "Blutfahne" ('blood flag') and was brought out for the swearing-in of new recruits in front of the "Feldherrnhalle" when Hitler was in power.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Shortly after he came to power, a memorial was placed at the south side of the "Feldherrnhalle" crowned with a swastika. The back of the memorial read "Und ihr habt doch gesiegt!" ('And you triumphed nevertheless!'). Behind it flowers were laid, and either policemen or the SS stood guard between a lower plaque. Passers-by were required to give the Nazi salute. The putsch was also commemorated on three sets of stamps. "Mein Kampf" was dedicated to the fallen and, in the book "Ich Kämpfe" (given to those joining the party c. 1943), they are listed first even though the book lists hundreds of other dead. The header text in the book read "Though they are dead for their acts they will live on forever." The army had a division named the Feldherrnhalle Regiment, and there was also an SA Feldherrnhalle Division.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: "Der neunte Elfte" (9 November, literally 'the ninth of the eleventh') became one of the most important dates on the Nazi calendar, especially following the seizure of power in 1933. Annually until the fall of Nazi Germany, the putsch would be commemorated nationwide, with the major events taking place in Munich. On the night of 8 November, Hitler would address the "Alte Kämpfer" ('Old Fighters') in the Bürgerbräukeller (after 1939, the Löwenbräu, in 1944 in the Circus Krone Building), followed the next day by a re-enactment of the march through the streets of Munich. The event would climax with a ceremony recalling the 16 dead marchers on the Königsplatz.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: The anniversary could be a time of tension in Nazi Germany. The ceremony was cancelled in 1934, coming as it did after the so-called Night of the Long Knives. In 1938, it coincided with the "Kristallnacht", and in 1939 with the attempted assassination of Hitler by Johann Georg Elser. With the outbreak of war in 1939, security concerns caused the re-enactment of the march to be suspended, never to be resumed. However, Hitler continued to deliver his 8 November speech through 1943. In 1944, Hitler skipped the event and Heinrich Himmler spoke in his place. As the war went on, residents of Munich came increasingly to dread the approach of the anniversary, concerned that the presence of the top Nazi leaders in their city would act as a magnet for Allied bombers.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Every Gau (administrative region of Germany) was also expected to hold a small remembrance ceremony. As material given to propagandists said, the 16 fallen were the first losses and the ceremony was an occasion to commemorate everyone who had died for the movement.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: On 9 November 1935, the dead were taken from their graves and to the "Feldherrnhalle". The SA and SS carried them down to the "Königsplatz", where two "Ehrentempel" ('honour temples') had been constructed. In each of the structures eight of the dead Nazis were interred in a sarcophagus bearing their name.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: In June 1945 the Allied Commission removed the bodies from the Ehrentempels and contacted their families. They were given the option of having their loved ones buried in Munich cemeteries in unmarked graves or having them cremated, common practice in Germany for unclaimed bodies. On 9 January 1947, the upper parts of the structures were blown up.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Since 1994, a commemorative plaque embedded in the pavement in front of the "Feldherrnhalle" contains the names of the four Bavarian policemen who died in the fight against the Nazis. The plaque reads:


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: A paraphrased part of Hitler's speech to the court (narrated by actor Chris Barrie) was featured in the extended version of the 1984 anti-war song "Two Tribes" by the British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood: ""You may pronounce us guilty a thousand times over, but the Goddess of the Eternal Court of History will smile and tear to tatters the brief of the State Prosecutor and the sentence of this court, for She acquits us.""


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: In the vanguard were four flag bearers followed by Adolf Lenk and Kurt Neubauer, Ludendorff's servant. Behind those two came more flag bearers, then the leadership in two rows.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Hitler was in the centre, slouch hat in hand, the collar of his trenchcoat turned up against the cold. To his left, in civilian clothes, a green felt hat, and a loose loden coat, was Ludendorff. To Hitler's right was Scheubner-Richter. To his right came Alfred Rosenberg. On either side of these men were Ulrich Graf, Hermann Kriebel, Friedrich Weber, Julius Streicher, Hermann Göring, and Wilhelm Brückner.


title: Beer Hall Putsch

text: Behind these came the second string of Heinz Pernet, Johann Aigner (Scheubner-Richter's servant), Gottfried Feder, Theodor von der Pfordten, Wilhelm Kolb, Rolf Reiner, Hans Streck, and Heinrich Bennecke, Brückner's adjutant.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Minamino began his club career at J.League Division 1 club Cerezo Osaka in 2012 and in his first season he was named J.League Rookie of the Year. In 2014 he moved to Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg with whom he spent four successful seasons. Following impressive displays for the club he joined Liverpool on 1 January 2020, winning the Premier League in his inaugural season.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Making his senior international debut for Japan in 2015, Minamino starred in the team that reached the final of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, also playing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Minamino was born in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture. While at elementary school, he played for the local club Sessel Kumatori. Growing up, he was inspired by the finishing and dribbling of Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who was the top scorer at the 2002 FIFA World Cup which Japan co-hosted when Minamino was seven. He would watch videos of Ronaldo's feints, and would go outside to practice. He was also inspired by his older brother Kenta, and their father would put cones down in a car park for them to dribble in and out of at speed. He attended Osaka-Kokoku High School. Minamino described himself as an "active child" growing up.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Minamino joined Cerezo Osaka youth team at age 12 and progressed through the academy. While at the Cerezo academy, players such as Shinji Kagawa, were in the first team, and Minamino would watch them up close and train with them. Minamino said of the club's youth team in 2014: "At Cerezo Youth, the current physical coach of the top team was the coach during my time in the youth team, it was insanely tough, really."


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In August 2009, Minamino participated Japan's U15 Club Youth Soccer Championship Tournament and helped the Cerezo Osaka's U15 side finished eighth place, as they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Despite this, he was the top scorer of the tournament, scoring eight times. The following year, Minamino helped Cerezo Osaka's U15 team finish at the top of the Prince League Kansai and at one point, scored a hat-trick, in a 5–0 win over Kobe City Science and Technology High School on 11 April 2010. In 2011, he moved to playing for Cerezo Osaka U18s, as they participated in the Takamadomiya Cup JFA U-18 Soccer Premier League. Minamino was placed in 4th place as one of the top scorers in the tournament, scoring nine times. Minamino also helped the side reach the final of the J Youth Cup. They lost 3–1 against Nagoya Grampus U18; but nevertheless, he finished as the top scorer in the tournament, scoring thirteen times.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: After spending two years progressing through Cerezo Osaka's youth system, Minamino was registered to the first team in August 2012. It was not until on 17 November 2012 that he made his Cerezo first-team debut, coming on as a substitute for Takuma Edamura, in a 3–1 loss against Omiya Ardija. Minamino made his first start for the side, playing the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against Kawasaki Frontale in the last game of the season. On 15 December 2012 he scored his first Cerezo goal, in a 4–0 win over Shimizu S-Pulse in the fourth round of the Emperor's Cup. At the end of the 2012 season, Minamino went on to make five appearances and scoring once in all competitions.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: He broke into the first team in 2013 and was given the number thirteen shirt ahead of the new season. Minamino became the first player from the club's youth system to play in the opening game of the season against Albirex Niigata, which Cerezo Osaka won 1–0. Shortly after, his contract status changed to professional A, having met the requirement to play enough matches this season. Minamino continued to perform well throughout March when he set up two assists in the next two league matches before scoring his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win over Oita Trinita in the Emperor's Cup. Minamino later scored two more goals in the Emperor's Cup before being eliminated by Urawa Red Diamonds in the quarter-finals, which he scored in the second leg. Six days after the club's elimination in the Emperor's Cup, he scored his first J.League Division 1 goal against Júbilo Iwata on 7 July 2013, becoming the youngest goal scorer for the club, as Cerezo Osaka drew 2–2. Three weeks later on 26 July 2013, Minamino scored in a friendly match against Manchester United when "he sent a 20-yard piledriver into the top of the net, giving the opposition goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard no chance at all". Following the match, his performance was praised by Manchester United players and manager David Moyes. However, during a match against Shimizu S-Pulse on 19 August 2013, he suffered a medial collateral ligament injury on his left knee and was sidelined for six weeks. It was not until on 28 September 2013 when Minamino made his first-team return, coming on as a substitute, in a 2–0 win against Júbilo Iwata. He scored in a following match, in a 2–0 win over Oita Trinita. Minamino later scored three more goals later in the 2013 season, including a brace against Urawa Red Diamonds in the last game of the season. At the end of the 2013 season, he went on to make 38 appearances and score 8 goals in all competitions. Following this, Minamino went on to win the 2013 J league best newcomer award; previous winners include Takashi Usami (2010), Hiroki Sakai (2011) and Gaku Shibasaki (2012). He also signed a contract extension with the club.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: At the start of the 2014 season, Minamino made his AFC Champions League debut in a 1–1 draw against Pohang Steelers. Three weeks later on 18 March 2014, he scored his first goals of the AFC Champions League, in a 4–0 win over Buriram United. However, in a 2–0 loss against Pohang Steelers on 16 April 2014, he received a straight red card in the 41st minute for a professional foul. It was not until on 12 July 2014 when Minamino scored his first goal in four months, in a 4–2 win over Veertien Mie in the second round of the Emperor's Cup. However, during a match against Kawasaki Frontale on 15 July 2014, he was then sent off for a professional foul once again, as they lost 3–1. After the match, Minamino apologised on his Twitter account for his action that got him sent off. During a 0–0 draw against Ventforet Kofu on 23 July 2014, Minamino's performance was the subject of criticism when he struggled to defend despite playing in the left-wing position; prompting apology on his Twitter account once again. A month later on 16 August 2014, he scored his first league goal of the season, in a 5–4 loss against Kawasaki Frontale. After serving a match suspension, Minamino scored his second league goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Vissel Kobe on 30 August 2014. He then went on a goalscoring spree between 3 September 2014 and 10 August 2014, scoring against Kawasaki Frontfale in both legs of the J.League Cup and against Júbilo Iwata in the Emperor's Cup. However, his second and last season was a more struggling one, with the club eventually getting relegated. By the end of the 2014 season, he had made 42 appearances and scored 8 times in all competitions. In total, he made 62 J.League Division 1 appearances for Cerezo Osaka, scoring 7 league goals. Following this, Minamino was linked with a move away from the club, as several European clubs were interested in signing him.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Red Bull Salzburg tracked him for a year and a half before signing him on 7 January 2015, on a contract running until 2018 with the option of a further year. Cerezo Osaka later confirmed the transfer move shortly after.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Minamino made his Red Bull Salzburg debut, where he started a match in a left-wing position before being substituted in the 64th minute, in a 2–0 win over Wiener Neustadt on 13 February 2015. After missing two matches, due to a tear on his adductor muscle, he returned from injury to make his European debut on 26 February 2015, playing the first half of a 1–3 home defeat (2–5 aggregate) to Villarreal in the second leg of the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League before being replaced by Felipe Pires. Minamino then scored his first goals for Red Bull Salzburg and set up the club's fourth goal of the game, in a 4–1 win over Admira Wacker Mödling on 4 March 2015. He later scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–0 win over SV Grödig on 2 May. Minamino later helped the side win the league for the first time in his Red Bull Salzburg career. He was featured in the final of the Austrian Cup, in a 2–0 win over Austria Wien. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Minamino went on to make 14 appearances and scoring 3 times in all competitions. During the season, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the club, playing in the midfield position.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In the 2015–16 season, Minamino made a good start to the season when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 7–0 win over Deutschlandsberger SC in the first round of the Austrian Cup. He then scored five goals throughout August, starting with a brace against SV Ried, Dinamo Minsk in the UEFA Europa League campaign and Sturm Graz. In a 4–2 win over SV Grödig on 12 September 2015, Minamino scored a brace before setting up the club's fourth goal of the game. He then scored two goals in two matches between 4 October 2015 and 17 October 2015 against Rapid Wien and FC Admira Wacker Mödling. However, Minamino suffered a goal drought for the next four months and it was finally ended on 28 February 2016 when he scored in a 4–1 win over Austria Wien. He later scored two more goals later in the 2015–16 season. Minamino then helped the side win the league for the second consecutive time in his Red Bull Salzburg career. Twelve days later after helping the side win the league, he came on as a substitute in the second half in the final of the Austrian Cup. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Minamino went on to make 40 appearances and scoring 13 times in all competitions.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: At the start of the 2016–17 season, Minamino scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Vorwärts Steyr in the first round of the Austrian Cup. After being away from the FC Red Bull Salzburg, due to international commitment, he scored on his return on 20 August 2016, in a 3–1 win over SV Mattersburg. Two weeks later on 11 September 2016, Minamino scored a brace, in a 4–0 win over FC Admira Wacker Mödling. He later scored three more goals, including another brace against Wolfsberger AC on 17 December 2016. Two months later on 19 February 2017, Minamino scored the first hat-trick of his Red Bull Salzburg career, in a 6–1 win over SV Ried. He played a huge role when he scored twice in a 5–0 win over FC Admira Wacker Mödling to reach the final of the Austrian Cup. Throughout the 2016–17 season, Minamino was featured in and out of the starting line-up, as he was mostly placed on the substitute bench. Despite this, he helped the side win both Austrian Cup and the league for the third consecutive time in his Red Bull Salzburg career. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Minamino went on to make 31 appearances and score 14 times in all competitions. During the season, he began to play in the striker position.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In the 2017–18 season, Minamino started the season well when he scored three goals in three different competitions against Hibernians, Deutschlandsberger SC and Wolfsberger AC. However, during a 5–1 win over St. Pölten on 20 August 2017 (which he set up the club's first goal of the game), Minamino suffered a ligament tear and was substituted in the 40th minute; and as a result, he was sidelined for six weeks). It was not until on 14 October 2017 when he made his return, coming on as a late substitute, in a 3–1 win over LASK. Minamino then scored his first goals in three months, in a 3–1 win over St. Pölten on 5 November 2017 and three weeks later on 29 November 2017, he scored again, in a 2–0 win over SV Mattersburg. At the beginning of February, Minamino signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2021. He later scored three more league goals for the side, including a brace against Austria Wien on 18 March 2018. Minamino later helped Red Bull Salzburg win the league for the fourth consecutive time in his Red Bull Salzburg career. During the 2017–18 season, Salzburg had their best ever European campaign, as they finished top of their Europa League group, for a record fourth time, before beating Real Sociedad, Borussia Dortmund and Lazio (in which he scored two goals in the knockout stage against Real Sociedad and Lazio), thus making their first ever appearance in the UEFA Europa League semi-final. On 3 May 2018, he played in the Europa League semi-finals as Marseille played out a 1–2 away loss but a 3–2 aggregate win to secure a place in the UEFA Europa League Final. By the end of the 2017–18 season, Minamino had made 44 appearances and scored 11 goals in all competitions.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Having missed the start of the 2018–19 season, due to a hamstring injury, Minamino made his first appearance of the season, coming on as a late substitute, in a 3–1 win over LASK in the opening game of the season. It was not until on 14 August 2018 when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 1–0 win over KF Shkëndija in the UEFA Champions League Qualification Round, to send the side through to the next round. Minamino then added three more goals by end of September. He then scored his first European goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Celtic on 4 October 2018. On 8 November 2018, Minamino had his first-half hat-trick in a 5–2 victory over Rosenborg in a 2018–19 UEFA Europa League Group B match. Following the match, he was named in the UEFA Europa League Team of the Week. This was followed up by scoring three days later on 11 November 2018, as well as, setting up the first goal of the game, in a 2–0 win over Austria Wien. By the end of 2018, Minamino scored eleven goals in competitions for the side. Once again, he went three months without scoring and this ended when he scored and set up a goal for Mu'nas Dabbur to score his second goal and went on to score a hat-trick in a 5–1 win over Austria Wien on 31 March 2019. The following month, Minamino scored two more goals, including one against Grazer AK, which saw Red Bull Salzburg reach the Austrian Cup final. He helped the side win the league for the fifth consecutive time in his Red Bull Salzburg career. Despite being placed on the substitute bench for the Austrian Cup final, the club won 2–0 against Rapid Wien. By the end of the 2018–19 season, Minamino had made 45 appearances and scored 14 goals in all competitions. During the 2018–19 season, he continued to play in various positions in the attack.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: At the start of the 2019–20 season, Minamino started the season well when he went on a scoring spree, resulting in him scoring four goals. In a UEFA Champions League match against Genk, he played a role when he set up two goals in a 6–2 win. Over the next two weeks, Minamino scored two more goals in Austrian Cup and UEFA Champions League match against Rapid Wien and Liverpool respectively. He later scored two goals in two matches between 23 November 2019 and 27 November 2019 against St. Pölten and Genk. Minamino scored his ninth goal of the season, in a 5–1 win over WSG Swarovski Tirol on 7 December 2019, in what turned out to be his last appearance for the club.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In December 2019, Liverpool agreed to a deal to sign Minamino from Salzburg in January 2020 after activating his £7.25 million release clause, making him the first Japanese player to play for the club. Salzburg's sporting director Christoph Freund commented that "The big clubs have been watching him and, if I was them, I'd have no hesitation to sign him. Takumi is ready to make the next step in January." On 18 December 2019, he had his Liverpool medical in preparation for his 1 January 2020 transfer to the team.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: On 5 January 2020, Minamino made his Liverpool debut in the club's FA Cup win over Everton, and made his Premier League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers, coming on in the first half for Sadio Mané on 23 January. On 29 August, Minamino came on as a substitute, replacing Neco Williams, to score his first ever goal for Liverpool at the 73rd minute, and then to score the 4th penalty in the following penalty shoot-out, in the 2020 FA Community Shield against Arsenal. On 19 December, Minamino scored his first league goal for Liverpool, as he scored the opener in a 7–0 away win over Crystal Palace.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: On 1 February 2021, Minamino signed for Southampton on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. Five days later, Minamino scored on his debut for the Saints in a 2–3 away league defeat by Newcastle United. He went on to feature ten times for Saints until the end of the season, in the Premier League. He rejoined Liverpool for the 2021–22 season.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: On 20 November 2021, Minamino netted his first goal at Anfield for Liverpool in a 4–0 home win against Arsenal. On 22 December 2021, Minamino scored the last-minute equaliser against Leicester City in the EFL Cup. The match eventually went to a penalty shoot-out, and although Minamino missed his penalty, Liverpool went through 5–4 on penalties. Minamino was an unused substitute as Liverpool went on to win the competition by defeating Chelsea 10–11 on penalties at the final on 27 February, with the game ending 0–0 after extra time.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: On 6 February 2022, Minamino scored in a 3–1 win against Cardiff City in the FA Cup fourth round, and two goals in the fifth round to take Liverpool to the quarter-finals. Liverpool went on to win the competition on 15 May by defeating Chelsea in the final, which ended in a 0–0 draw after extra time and Liverpool winning 5–6 in the penalty shoot-out, although Minamino was not named in Liverpool's matchday squad.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: On 28 June 2022, Monaco announced that Minamino signed a four-year contract until June 2026, worth a fixed €15m (£12.9m) and €3m (£2.6m) in add-ons.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Minamino previously represented the Japan U15 and U16 sides. At one point, while playing for Japan U16, he was called up for the AFC U-16 Championship tournament. Minamino helped the side reach the knockout stage, having scored three times in the Group stage, including a brace against Vietnam U16. He then scored in a 3–1 win over Iraq U16 in the quarter-finals. However, Japan U16 were eliminated by North Korea U16 in the semi-finals, as they lost 2–1, during which, Minamino scored the national side's only goal of the match. Despite this, he finished the tournament's top scorer, alongside Timur Khakimov.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In June 2011, Minamino selected for the Japan U-17 national team for the 2011 U-17 World Cup. He played four matches and scored a goal against New Zealand U17.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In October 2014, Minamino was called up by Japan U19 for the AFC U-19 Championship, leading him to withdraw from Cerezo Osaka's first team for three matches. He scored the opening goal in Matchday One of the Group stage, in a 2–1 loss against China U19. Minamino later scored two more goals in Matchday Three of the Group stage, in a 2–1 win over South Korea U19 to send through to the knockout stage. However, in the quarter-finals of the AFC U-19 Championship against North Korea U19, Minamino scored an equaliser from a penalty, leading the match to go extra time and penalty shoot-out; which he missed the decisive penalty, leading North Korea U19 to go through. Despite this, Minamino scored four goals in the tournament.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In January 2016, Minamino was called up by Japan U23 for the AFC U-23 Championship in Qatar. He was featured all the matches in the tournament and helped Japan U23 reach the final after beating Iraq U23 2–1 in the semi-finals. However, Minamino was not featured in the final against South Korea, as he was recalled back to the first team by Red Bull Salzburg, as Japan won the tournament for the first time after winning 3–2 in the game.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In May 2014, Minamino was included in the Japan national team for the preliminary 30-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. However, he failed to make the cut.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Minamino made his debut for Japan in a friendly against Iran on 13 October 2015, coming on as a substitute in 87th minute, in a 1–1 draw. A month later on 17 November 2015, he made his second appearance for Japan in a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Cambodia, coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute, in a 2–0 win. Minamino was called up from the senior national team for the first time in three years. He scored his first Japan goal, in a 3–0 win over Costa Rica on 11 September 2018. This was followed by scoring against Panama and a brace against Uruguay.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In December 2018, Minamino was one of 23 Japanese players selected for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. In January 2019, he made his Asian Cup debut against Turkmenistan, providing an assist. In the semi-final against Iran, Minamino assisted twice and won Japan a penalty, which was successfully converted by Yuya Osako. He scored his first ever Asian Cup goal in the final against Qatar, but ended up losing 3–1. Minamino made a total of 6 appearances in the tournament. Minamino went on to score five more goals by the end of 2019.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: In August 2016, Minamino selected for the Japan U-23 team for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He played all 3 matches and scored a goal against Nigeria.


title: Takumi Minamino

text: At Salzburg, Minamino was played in a fluid attacking role that allowed him to move freely and 'unlock doors, pick a pass and move with an elegant gait.'


title: Takumi Minamino

text: His comparatively slight frame has been described as an 'advantage' as his low centre-of-gravity means he can 'run past players with ease.'


title: Takumi Minamino

text: Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has heaped praise on him, saying, prior to him signing for Liverpool, 'I'd like to have Minamino in Liverpool. He's classy. The best talent.' After a game against Ajax in the Champions League, Klopp said 'He's everywhere, he defends like a devil and then offensively he's really involved.'


title: Takumi Minamino

text: It was announced on 14 January 2014 that Minamino held the "Guinness World Record" for high fives in a minute whilst running at the Komagawa Shopping Street with an achievement of 187 times, making the new world record. In addition to speaking Japanese, he speaks German since moving to Red Bull Salzburg.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are smartphones that were designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the tenth generation of the iPhone. They were announced on September 7, 2016, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco by Apple CEO Tim Cook, and were released on September


title: IPhone 7

text: 16, 2016, succeeding the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus as the flagship devices in the iPhone series. Apple also released the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in numerous countries worldwide throughout September and October 2016. They were succeeded as flagship devices by the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus on September 12, 2017, and were discontinued with the announcement of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro on September 10, 2019.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7's overall design is similar to iPhone 6S and iPhone 6. Changes introduced included new color options (Matte Black and Jet Black), water and dust resistance, a new capacitive, static home button, revised antenna bands, and the controversial removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack. The device's internal hardware received upgrades, including a heterogeneous quad-core system-on-chip with improved system and graphics performance, upgraded 12 megapixel rear-facing cameras with optical image stabilization on all models, and an additional telephoto lens exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus to provide enhanced (2x) optical zoom capabilities and portrait mode. The front camera is the first in the series with 1080p (Full HD) video resolution. The iPhone 7 & 7 Plus are supported from iOS 10 to iOS 15, and they are the third to support six, and only six, versions of iOS before support was terminated, after the iPhone 5S.


title: IPhone 7

text: Prior to its announcement, multiple aspects of the iPhone 7 were heavily rumoured. Apple's plans to remove the 3.5 mm headphone jack received significant media attention. Other rumors included a flush camera, stereo speakers, a 256 gigabyte storage option, and a larger 3,100 mAh battery.


title: IPhone 7

text: On August 29, 2016, invitations to a press event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California on September 7, 2016 were sent out to members of the media, prompting immediate speculation of the iPhone 7's upcoming announcement. The iPhone 7 was officially announced at that event, with pre-orders beginning September 9, and general availability on September 16.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7 launched in 30 new countries later in September, with further international rollouts throughout October and November 2016. Indonesia was the last country to release the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, with availability starting on March 31, 2017, following Apple's research and development investment in the country.


title: IPhone 7

text: On March 21, 2017, Apple announced an iPhone 7 with a red color finish (and white front), as part of its partnership with Product Red to highlight its AIDS fundraising campaign. It launched on March 24, 2017, but it was later discontinued after the announcement of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X in September 2017 as well as the 256 GB Variant.


title: IPhone 7

text: On September 12, 2017, Apple announced the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus as direct successors to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, alongside the iPhone X.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7 & 7 Plus, as well as the iPhone XS and its Max variant were discontinued and removed from Apple's website after the announcement of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro on September 10, 2019. They are no longer available for sale.


title: IPhone 7

text: On June 6, 2022, Apple announced on its website that iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will not receive support for iOS 16. Controversially the iPad (5th generation), which has the A9 chip, will receive iPadOS 16, along with the 6th and 7th generation iPads, which have almost identical hardware to the iPhone 7 and 7+ respectively.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7's exterior is similar in shape and volume to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S, although the camera bump is bigger on the iPhone 7. Alongside the existing silver, gold, and rose gold colors, the device is offered in new colors of matte black, glossy "jet black", and, for a limited time, red. The "jet black" color is a dark shade, high-gloss black finish. It is created through a multi-step process, beginning with an anodization phase to make the surface of the casing a porous aluminum oxide, and then using a machine to sweep the casing through a powdered compound, absorbed by aluminum oxide. The process is concluded with an "ultrafine particle bath" for additional finishing; the entire process takes less than an hour.


title: IPhone 7

text: iPhone 7 is rated IP67 water and dust resistant, making it the first officially water-resistant iPhone, although tests have resulted in malfunctions, specifically distorted speakers, after water exposure. The warranty does not cover any water damage to the phone.


title: IPhone 7

text: iPhone 7's home button uses a capacitive mechanism for input rather than a physical push-button, as on previous models, meaning direct skin contact (or a capacitive glove) is required to operate the device. Physical feedback is provided via a Taptic Engine vibrator, and the button is also pressure-sensitive. iPhone 7 retains the 3D Touch display system introduced on the iPhone 6S, providing pressure-sensitive touchscreen input.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are the first iPhones not to feature a 3.5mm headphone jack. It was replaced by a second speaker grille that serves as a vent for the internal barometer. A Lightning-to-3.5-mm-connector adapter, as well as in-ear headphones that use the Lightning connector, were bundled with the device, and the adapter is also sold separately as an accessory. The adapter is also compatible with other iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices running iOS 10 and newer.


title: IPhone 7

text: iPhone 7 uses the Apple A10 Fusion 64-bit system-on-chip, which consists of two low-power cores and two high-power cores (only two cores are used at any point in time). The A10 chip also features a hexa-core graphics chip capable of "console-level gaming". As with prior models, iPhone 7 is available in two sizes: one with a screen, and a "Plus" variant with a screen. The displays have identical sizes and resolutions to iPhone 6S, but with a wider color gamut and increased brightness. The screen-to-body ratio is about ~66% and ~68% for the 7 and 7 Plus, respectively.


title: IPhone 7

text: Both device variants also contain a new iteration of Apple's motion coprocessor, the M10. Unlike previous iPhone models, internal storage options for iPhone 7 begin at 32 GB instead of 16 GB, and max out at 256 GB. iPhone 7 Plus offers 3 GB of RAM, more than any other previous iPhone; the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 has 2 GB.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7 includes a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with a quad-LED "True Tone" flash; its aperture was widened to f/1.8, and the standard-size phone model adds optical image stabilization a feature that was previously exclusive to Plus models.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7 Plus includes a second 12-megapixel telephoto lens, which can be used to achieve 2× optical zoom, and up to 10× digital zoom. However, the telephoto camera has an 2.8 aperture and lacks optical image stabilization.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are the first iPhones to be able to record 1080p video using the front camera.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7 has a 1,960 mAh battery which can last about 3-5 hours. The iPhone 7 Plus has 2,900 mAh battery and can last for 5-8 hours.


title: IPhone 7

text: The iPhone 7 originally shipped with iOS 10 pre-installed. The iPhone 7 Plus received an exclusive portrait camera mode in the iOS 10.1 software update. This camera mode is capable of producing a bokeh effect using depth of field analysis of the second camera of dual-lens in the back of iPhone 7 Plus. Mainstream software support for the iPhone 7 was dropped when iOS 16 was released. But, it still receives iOS 15 security updates (as of 31 October, 2022). The last version of iOS to support iPhone 7 is iOS 15.7.2 In June 2022, Apple announced that it will drop support for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus with the release of iOS 16. The device can also run Android Queen Cake (10.0) unofficially via a project called Project Sandcastle made by Corellium, a security research company. Ubuntu 20.04 “Focal Fossa” has also been ported via Project Sandcastle.


title: IPhone 7

text: Each iPhone 7 originally came with a Lightning-to-3.5-mm adapter, although this was omitted starting on September 12, 2018. Apple sells the adapter independently as well. Apple also unveiled several Bluetooth wireless headphones ostensibly intended for use with the iPhone 7, including AirPods, wireless in-ear headphones, and three new Beats headphone products. All four products utilize an in-house wireless chip known as the Apple W1, which is designed to provide low-power Bluetooth operation and integration with iOS and macOS devices (though they are still compatible with other Bluetooth-supported devices).


title: IPhone 7

text: Reception of the iPhone 7 was mixed. Although reviewers noted improvements to the camera, especially the dual rear camera on the Plus model, the phone was criticized for the lack of innovation in its build quality. Many reviews panned the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack; some critics argued that the change was meant to bolster licensing of the proprietary Lightning connector and the sales of Apple's own wireless headphone products, and questioned the effects of the change on audio quality. Apple was also mocked by critics for Phil Schiller's statement that such a drastic change required "courage."


title: IPhone 7

text: Gordon Kelly of "Forbes" noted that rival smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S7, had increased battery life and added water resistance over its predecessor while retaining the headphone jack, and that the iPhone 7's camera photo quality was improved but still lagging behind some phones already on the market, including the Galaxy S7 and Nexus 6P. Kelly praised how Apple was able to extract improved brightness and accurate color reproduction from its LCD display panel, while noting that it was old technology which was also well behind rivals who had already moved to sharper 1080p or even 2K screens. The iPhone 7's exterior, which reuses the aging design of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S, was criticized, especially the size of the device and thick top/bottom bezels, with Kelly writing that "the iPhone 7 Plus is simply far too big for a smartphone with a 5.5-inch display".


title: IPhone 7

text: Nilay Patel of "The Verge" described the devices as being "full of aggressive breaks from convention" despite their design continuity with previous models (going as far as dubbing them "a prototype of next year's rumored drastic iPhone redesign disguised as an iPhone 6"), citing the headphone jack removal (which he felt was an attempt to encourage the use of wireless headphones), heterogeneous CPU, and home button redesign. The display quality was considered an improvement over previous models, albeit "not as insane" as the quad HD displays on competing phones. The Taptic Engine was considered the "first really valuable new UI concept I've seen on phones in years" (as opposed to the "gimmick" of 3D Touch), Patel felt that the cameras of the devices were a "step" above the 6S in terms of performance, and praised the dual-lens camera on the 7 Plus for enhancing the phone's camera functionality. However, he panned the lack of editing features that made use of them. In regards to the enhanced Bluetooth audio support provided by devices containing the W1 chip, he argued that Apple "took away an established open standard in favor of new technologies, but instead of making the experience of using those new technologies better across the board, it made every third-party wireless audio product a second-class citizen of the Apple ecosystem." Giving the iPhone 7 a 9 out of 10, he concluded that the devices were "legitimately among the most interesting, opinionated, powerful phones Apple has ever shipped, and the most confident expressions of the company's vision in a long time. iOS 10 is excellent, the cameras are better, and the performance is phenomenal. And the batteries last longer."


title: IPhone 7

text: John McCann of "TechRadar" wrote that for the first time, the phablet-sized iPhone 7 Plus was "markedly better" than the smaller model. He highlighted improved battery life and praised the camera, calling the Plus' dual cameras "excellent" for point-and-shoot, and "much improved" for low-light performance. McCann wrote that the lack of a headphone jack was "initially frustrating", but noted that it was a "positive step forward for the mobile industry", despite the "short-term effects ... making the most noise for now".


title: IPhone 7

text: Criticism of the iPhone 7 centered around the removal of the headphone jack, including the inability to use wired headphones with the included adapter and charge the device simultaneously.


title: IPhone 7

text: In a particularly scathing article, Nilay Patel of "The Verge" wrote that removing the headphone jack, "a deeply established standard" as he put it, would be "user-hostile and stupid". He goes on to list reasons why removing the port is negative, concluding with "No one is asking for this" and "Vote with your dollars".


title: IPhone 7

text: Gordon Kelly of "Forbes" noted that wireless audio technology was immature at the moment, with Bluetooth audio quality being inferior and Lightning's audio reliability still in question. The removal of the headphone jack meant that in Patel's words, "You’re being pushed into an era where you will have to pay more for decent headphones due to their need for an integrated DAC and/or Lightning licensing", and pointed out that "the only company to profit from this situation is Apple, who will now be charging licensing fees to millions of headphone companies".


title: IPhone 7

text: In particular, Apple's vice president Phil Schiller, who announced the change, was mocked extensively online for stating that removing the headphone jack took 'courage'. An online petition created by the consumer group SumOfUs, that accuses Apple of planned obsolescence and causing substantial electronic waste by removing the headphone jack, reached over 300,000 signatures.


title: IPhone 7

text: Some users have reported a strange hissing noise during heavy usage of the phone. "CNET" reports it as "faint buzzes and hums coming from the backside". "The Daily Telegraph" speculates that the iPhone 7's new A10 Fusion processor is the source of the noise, linking to tweets that compare the phone's hissing sound to "hearing the fans spin up loudly whenever your Mac’s CPU gets used to its actual potential." The issue has been referred to as Hissgate.


title: IPhone 7

text: "The Guardian" reported in October 2016 that storage tests from "Unbox Therapy" and "GSMArena" showed that the 32 GB iPhone 7 is "significantly" slower than the 128 and 256 GB versions, measuring data write speeds of 341 MB/s on a 128 GB iPhone 7 model versus 42 MB/s on a 32 GB model. October 2016 network tests by "Cellular Insights" showed that models A1660 and A1661 with Qualcomm modems had "a significant performance edge" over models A1778 and A1784 with Intel modems. Inspection of the modems also found that the Qualcomm version's ability to use Ultra HD Voice had been turned off, likely to "level the playing field between the Qualcomm, and Intel variants". The report concluded with the statement that "We are not sure what was the main reason behind Apple's decision to source two different modem suppliers for the newest iPhone". "Bloomberg" reported in November 2016 that tests by researchers from Twin Prime and Cellular Insights had shown the two modems to perform similarly on some U.S. cellular networks despite one of the modems being technically capable of faster connectivity. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told the publication that "Every iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus meets or exceeds all of Apple’s wireless performance standards, quality metrics, and reliability testing ... In all of our rigorous lab tests based on wireless industry standards, in thousands of hours of real-world field testing, and in extensive carrier partner testing, the data shows there is no discernible difference in the wireless performance of any of the models". "Bloomberg" quoted analysts and technology advisers who stated that "[Apple] don’t want one version to get the reputation that it is better" and that "This may not impact the fanboys, but it may make other consumers think twice about buying an Apple phone, especially if they think they might be purchasing a sub-standard product".


title: IPhone 7

text: In a similar manner with the now-discontinued Samsung Galaxy Note 7, there have been reports of the iPhone 7 exploding or emitting smoke. In September 2016, one device reportedly exploded while in transit, while another one had a "malfunction that caused the battery to blow up internally". Another report about an iPhone 7 emitting smoke and "melting" was published in October 2016.


title: IPhone 7

text: The phone's slogan in Mainland China is "7, is here;" (), while in Hong Kong, its slogan is, "This, is iPhone 7;" ().


title: IPhone 7

text: In Cantonese, the local language of Hong Kong, the slogan could be mistakenly interpreted as "This is penis". "Tsat",


title: IPhone 7

text: (), is a common slang term for an erect penis, and "seven", (), which varies only in tone, is often used as a euphemism.


title: IPhone 7

text: In the iPhone 7, Apple added a software lock that prevents individuals from attempting to replace the home button on their own. Users are now required to go to an Apple Store to have repairs done, with "recalibration" of the button being necessary. This is a step further than Apple went with iPhone 5S, 6 and 6S, where only Touch ID functionality would get disabled but the "return-to-home" functionality still worked.


title: IPhone 7

text: Some iPhone 7 devices with the model numbers A1660, A1779 and A1780 suffer from a problem where they show a "No service" message even when cellular reception is available. Apple will repair those devices for free within four years of the first retail sale of the unit.


title: IPhone 7

text: Some iPhone 7 devices suffer from a problem that affects audio in the device. Users reported a grayed-out speaker button during calls, grayed-out voice memo icon, and occasional freezing of the device. A few users also complained that lightning EarPods failed to work with the device and that the Wi-Fi button would be grayed out after restarting the iPhone. On May 4, 2018, Apple acknowledged the issue through an internal memo. If an affected iPhone 7 was no longer covered by warranty, Apple said its service providers could request an exception for this particular issue. The exemptions abruptly ended in July 2018 when Apple deleted the internal document. Many customers have complained Apple has charged customers around $350 to fix the issue. Many customers complain the issue first appeared after a software update.


title: IPhone 7

text: Apple has deliberately withheld pre-order sales numbers, citing that these are "no longer a representative metric for our investors and customers". Without releasing specific numbers, T-Mobile US stated that the iPhone 7 had broken the carrier's all-time record for first-day pre-order sales. The following weekend, T-Mobile US stated that iPhone 7 was its biggest iPhone launch ever, being "up nearly 4x compared to the next most popular iPhone".


title: IPhone 7

text: On September 14, 2016, two days before the iPhone 7 went on sale, Apple announced that due to high demand, they had sold out of all "jet black" iPhone 7's, and all colors of the iPhone 7 Plus. This caused issues for customers in the iPhone Upgrade Program, who were unable to reserve new phones. After customer complaints and a class action lawsuit, Apple made changes to ensure members of the program could get new phones as soon as possible.


title: IPhone 7

text: In May 2017, analytics research company Strategy Analytics announced that iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were the best-selling smartphones worldwide during the first quarter of 2017, selling 21.5 million and 17.4 million units, respectively.


title: IPhone 7

text: For the initial U.S. sales of the iPhone 7, all four major wireless carriers announced trade-in deals. Under the deals, the monthly installment plan cost of the iPhone 7 is negated by a monthly credit on consumers' bill, but consumers who cancel their service with the carrier or pay off the phone prior to the installment contract completion will not receive credits for the remaining months. Jacob Kastrenakes of "The Verge" noted that the deals effectively constituted a return to two-year phone contracts, in which the deals "essentially lock you into that carrier for two years".


title: IPhone 7

text: In the wake of these deals, Verizon announced they had seen an increase in sales over the release of the previous year's iPhone 6S, AT&T said that sales had exceeded its expectations, and T-Mobile and Sprint announced "huge increases in sales", with T-Mobile seeing a demand roughly four times higher for the 7 than the 6.


title: IPhone 7

text: In December 2016, "DigiTimes" reported that Apple had reduced production of the iPhone 7 because of decreasing demand for the product after the initial surge of interest waned. A reason cited was consumers and suppliers turning their attention to next year's iPhone model.


title: IPhone 7

text: A new report from "Nikkei" at the end of December included details on sales and production of the iPhone 7. The report, "based on data from suppliers", stated that Apple would trim production of the iPhone 7 by 10% in the first quarter of 2017, following "sluggish" sales. "Nikkei" reported that Apple previously trimmed production of the iPhone 7 by 20% due to accumulated inventory of the previous model, but that the new models had "sold more sluggishly than expected". Additionally, the report notes that the "iPhone 7 Plus, which features two cameras on its back face, remains popular", but "a shortage of camera sensors has curbed Apple's ability to meet demand for the phones".


title: Mark Milley

text: Mark Alexander Milley (born June 20, 1958) is a United States Army general who serves as the 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He previously served as the 39th chief of staff of the Army from August 14, 2015 to August 9, 2019, and held multiple command and staff positions in eight divisions and special forces throughout his military career.


title: Mark Milley

text: An ROTC graduate from Princeton University, Milley earned his commission as an armor officer in 1980. He was appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President Donald Trump, making Milley the tenth U.S. Army officer to be chairman. As chairman, Milley is the highest-ranking officer in the United States Armed Forces and the principal military advisor to the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council.


title: Mark Milley

text: Milley was born on June 20, 1958, in Winchester, Massachusetts. He is of Irish descent, and was raised Roman Catholic. His father, Alexander (1924–2015), enlisted in the U.S. Navy in March 1943 as a naval corpsman. He was assigned to the 4th Marine Division and landed at Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. After the war, he worked as a restaurateur and food-broker. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, whose membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. Milley's mother, Mary Elizabeth (née Murphy), was a nurse who served with the Navy's WAVES in World War II and is described by Milley as a "break-the-glass-ceiling" type of woman.


title: Mark Milley

text: Milley grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Boston. He attended a Catholic grammar school where he played hockey. Good grades and hockey led to him being recruited to Belmont Hill School and afterwards to Princeton University on a hockey scholarship. There, he joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and in 1980 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics after completing a 185-page-long senior thesis titled "A Critical Analysis of Revolutionary Guerrilla Organization in Theory and Practice". Milley also holds a Master of Arts degree in international relations from Columbia University and another Master of Arts degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College. He is also an attendee of the MIT Center for International Studies Seminar XXI National Security Studies Program.


title: Mark Milley

text: Milley earned his commission as an armor officer through Princeton's Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps program in 1980.


title: Mark Milley

text: Milley's career has included assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division, 5th Special Forces Group, 7th Infantry Division, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Readiness Training Center, 25th Infantry Division, Operations Staff of the Joint Staff, and a posting as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense.


title: Mark Milley

text: Milley has held multiple command and staff positions in eight divisions and special forces throughout his military career. He commanded 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division, in South Korea from 1996 to 1998. He served as commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light) from December 2003 to July 2005; deputy commanding general for operations of the 101st Airborne Division from July 2007 to April 2008, and as commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division from November 2011 to December 2012. Milley commanded III Corps, based at Fort Hood, Texas, from December 2012 to August 2014, and concurrently the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command from May 2013 to February 2014. He served as the commanding general of the United States Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from August 2014 to August 2015.


title: Mark Milley

text: Milley was appointed chief of staff of the Army on August 14, 2015. In his initial message to the U.S. Army, General Milley laid out his priorities on readiness, the future Army, and taking care of troops. "We must ensure the Army remains ready as the world's premier combat force. Readiness for ground combat is—and will remain—the U.S. Army's #1 priority. We will do what it takes to build an agile, adaptive Army of the future."


title: Mark Milley

text: During his tenure, Milley focused heavily on modernization efforts for the Army, which included a new command designed to consolidate the methods that deliver Army capabilities, similar to the approach used by U.S. Special Operations Command. At the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting, Milley described the areas targeted for modernization, including tanks, aircraft and weapons. Milley said: "Faster results will be obtained...as we shift to a SOCOM-like model of buy, try, decide and acquire rather than the current industrial-age linear model that takes years to establish requirements, decades to test, and it may take a long, long time to go from idea to delivery." He warned: "If we adapt to the changing character of war, and we embrace the institutional changes that we need to implement, then we will continue to be the most lethal fighting force in the world for the next seven decades and beyond. If we do not, we will lose the next war."


title: Mark Milley

text: In February 2017, the Army announced the establishment of Security Force Assistance Brigades. Also known as SFABs, these permanent units were established in Fort Benning with a core mission to conduct security cooperation activities and serve as a quick response to combatant commander requirements.


title: Mark Milley

text: While their training would be similar to that of Special Forces, soldiers in the SFABs would not be considered Special Forces, Milley said. "They will be trained in many ways similar to Special Forces, but they are not Special Forces." These SFABs will be structured using the non-commissioned and commissioned officers of infantry brigade combat teams to train foreign military units in conventional light infantry tactics, Milley said.


title: Mark Milley

text: In 2018, Milley established Army Futures Command in Austin, Texas, to take advantage of nearby academic and industrial expertise. Coequal in status to the Army's three senior most commands: Army Forces Command, Army Material Command, and Army Training and Doctrine Command, it represented one of the largest reform initiatives undertaken in more than forty years. Beyond developing future warfighting concepts, eight cross-functional teams conducted research to further the Army's modernization priorities: long-range precision fires, next-generation combat vehicles, air and missile defenses, soldier lethality, synthetic training environments, future vehicle lift platforms, and assured positioning, navigation, and timing.


title: Mark Milley

text: In 2018, Milley also led the roll out of a new Army Combat Fitness Test. The new fitness test was designed to improve overall combat readiness and mimic physical tasks and stresses associated with combat and was set to replace the 40-year-old Army fitness test by October 2020. Milley said: "We want to make sure that our soldiers are ... in top physical shape to withstand the rigors of ground combat. Combat is not for the faint of heart, it's not for the weak-kneed, it's not for those who are not psychologically resilient and tough and hardened to the brutality, to the viciousness of it."


title: Mark Milley

text: In early 2017, Milley and then-Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey began considering the possibility of bringing back an iconic two-tone uniform known as the "Pinks and Greens" to honor the "greatest generation" of soldiers who fought in World War II.


title: Mark Milley

text: The Army believed the reintroduction of the uniform would give soldiers a uniform for professional environments that honored the Army heritage, reconnect today's soldiers with their service history, strengthen pride, bolster recruiting and enhance readiness.


title: Mark Milley

text: According to an "Army Times" poll conducted in the fall of 2018, of the 32,000 respondents, 72 percent indicated they were ready to embrace a new uniform, while 28 percent said they were happy with the current blue Army Service Uniform. Soldiers did express concerns about the need for an additional uniform as well as the costs associated with acquiring the new uniform. The Army tried to address this concern in its official roll out announcement Nov. 11, 2018, indicating the uniform would be cost-neutral for enlisted soldiers, who would be able to purchase the new "everyday business-wear uniform" with their existing annual clothing allowance. The Army also indicated the new uniform would come "at no additional cost" to U.S. taxpayers and would be made in the U.S.


title: Mark Milley

text: In 2018, Milley was involved in deciding whether the Army would publish a controversial study on the 2003–2006 Iraq War. Milley reportedly decided he wanted to read the two-volume, 1,300-page, 500,000-word document before making a decision. Milley also directed that an external panel of scholars review the work. After the panel returned glowing reviews on the study, including one that described it as "the gold standard in official history", Milley continued to delay publication so he could review it further.


title: Mark Milley

text: In September 2018, Secretary of the Army Mark Esper and other Army officials decided to distance themselves from the study by casting it "as an independent" work of the authors, instead of being described as a project by the Chief of Staff of the Army's Operation Iraqi Freedom Study Group. When confronted by a journalist from "The Wall Street Journal" in October 2018, Milley reversed these decisions, ordering the study published officially and with a foreword from himself. He said the team who wrote the study "did a damn good job", the study itself was "a solid work", and that he aimed to publish the study by the holidays (2018).


title: Mark Milley

text: Within days of this revelation, two members of Congress who sit on the House Armed Services Committee (Reps. Jackie Speier, D-California, and Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona) sent a letter to Army leaders expressing their anger over the delay. In a press release accompanying the letter to Milley and Esper, Speier said, "This is simply the Army being unwilling to publicly air its mistakes. Our military, Congress, and the American people deserve nothing less than total transparency on the lessons the Army has identified so that we may use those lessons to avoid costly, and too often deadly, mistakes of the past." The two-volume study was published January 17, 2019.


title: Mark Milley

text: In May 2019, Milley commissioned a U.S. Army War College report on the impact of climate change on society as a whole and on the U.S. military. The report was written by U.S. government officials from agencies including the U.S. Army, Defense Intelligence Agency, and NASA and released in August 2019. It outlined the possibility of blackouts, disease, thirst, starvation and war due to collapses of the country's aging power grid, its food supply systems, and the U.S. military. The report also mentions the likelihood of increasing water scarcity and failure of global food systems in developing countries which would result in an increase of civil and military conflicts.


title: Mark Milley

text: On December 8, 2018, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Milley to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, although Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford favored Air Force Chief of Staff General David L. Goldfein for the appointment. Milley had initially been fielded as a candidate to succeed Curtis Scaparrotti as commander of the United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe but after the interview with Trump was nominated for the chairmanship instead. He was confirmed by the Senate 89–1 on July 25, 2019, and sworn in on September 30.


title: Mark Milley

text: After attending 75th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium on December 16, 2019, Milley met with the Russian military chief of staff Valery Gerasimov in Bern, Switzerland, on December 18. This continued a series of meetings between the American and Russian military chiefs reestablished by Milley's predecessor Joseph Dunford in 2017 to ensure open communication and reduce the risks in conflict areas.


title: Mark Milley

text: During Trump's re-election campaign, a photograph featuring Vice President Mike Pence, Trump, Esper, and Milley, was used in one of Trump's political ads. Defense officials said that the image was used without Milley's knowledge and consent and that the ad was later removed "ahead of time."


title: Mark Milley

text: In June 2021, a report from an Associated Press investigation found that at least 1,900 U.S. military firearms were recorded as lost or stolen in the last 10 years, most of them by the U.S. Army. Some of them were later used in violent crimes; in one case, stolen automatic rifles were sold to a California street gang. Reports say that when Milley learned of the scandal, he was shocked, and stated he would consider a more systematic fix on how the military keeps track of its firearms. However, some claim that Milley actually downplayed the report of 1,900 lost or stolen military firearms.


title: Mark Milley

text: On June 1, 2020, during the protests in Washington, D.C. following the murder of George Floyd, Milley, in combat uniform, walked with the president from the White House across Lafayette Square to St. John's Episcopal Church about half an hour after federal officers and police had used tear gas and other riot control tactics to disperse protestors, drawing sharp criticism from former military officers and others. According to "Peril", Milley attended the walk in combat fatigues as he had been summoned away at short notice from a planned visit to an FBI operations center, and immediately departed once he and Esper realized the political implications of the walk, saying that he felt "sick" and was "fucking done with this shit" to Esper. As a result, Milley was not present for Trump's photo op at St. John's Church.


title: Mark Milley

text: The House Armed Services Committee subsequently requested Esper and Milley to testify before the committee about the military's role in the George Floyd protests which they did on July 9. Milley reportedly considered resigning over the incident but chose instead to address it in a video recorded as his commencement address at the National Defense University on June 11, saying that he should not have been at the event because his presence created a perception of military involvement in domestic politics.


title: Mark Milley

text: On June 23, 2021, Milley attracted notice for telling Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz that he found it "offensive" that the U.S. military was being characterized as "woke" for including "critical race theory" in its West Point curriculum and that he wanted "to understand white rage – and I'm white. What is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America?".


title: Mark Milley

text: On June 30, 2021, former President Trump, who appointed Milley as Chair, called on him to resign, implying that he was unwilling "to defend [the US military] from the Leftist Radicals who hate [the United States] and [its flag]." This came after Milley's defense of studying a broad range of ideas including "critical race theory" and news reports that Milley and Trump engaged in a shouting match over military involvement in the 2020–2021 US race protests. Trump previously denied the incident and accused Milley of falsifying it.


title: Mark Milley

text: On January 12, 2021, Milley and the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement condemning the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Trump and reminding all service members of their obligation to support and defend the Constitution and reject extremism. They said: "As we have done throughout our history, the U.S. military will obey lawful orders from civilian leadership, support civilian authorities to protect lives and property, ensure public safety in accordance with the law, and remain fully committed to protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."


title: Mark Milley

text: On April 2, 2021, during an interview regarding the January 6, 2021, incident, Milley said that the military reaction and response were "sprint speed" and "super fast". However, some, such as Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, doubted his statement, as it seemed to contradict events during the riot at the Capitol on January 6.


title: Mark Milley

text: After losing his bid for reelection in November 2020, Trump and his allies made attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, presaging the 2021 United States Capitol attack. According to "I Alone Can Fix It", a July 2021 book by "The Washington Post" reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig, Milley became concerned Trump was preparing to stage a coup, and held informal discussions with his deputies about possible ways to thwart it, telling associates: "They may try, but they're not going to fucking succeed. You can't do this without the military. You can't do this without the CIA and the FBI. We're the guys with the guns." The book also quoted Milley saying "this is a Reichstag moment", comparing Trump's attempts to overturn the election to the event used to cement Nazi Germany and referring to Trump's false statements about electoral fraud as "the gospel of the Führer." Milley reportedly told police and military officials preparing to secure Joe Biden's presidential inauguration: "Everyone in this room, whether you're a cop, whether you're a soldier, we're going to stop these guys to make sure we have a peaceful transfer of power. We're going to put a ring of steel around this city and the Nazis aren't getting in." Trump later said that he had not threatened or spoken about a coup and falsely claimed that Obama had fired Milley.


title: Mark Milley

text: In their September 2021 book, "Peril", "Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa wrote that after the election Milley had become aware of a Trump military order to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by January 15, 2021, which had been written by two Trump loyalists without consultation with national security officials. The authors reported that after Trump refused to concede his election loss, CIA director Gina Haspel told Milley, "We are on the way to a right-wing coup" and was worried Trump might attack Iran. In remarks before the Senate Armed Services Committee on September 28, Milley denied that he agreed in a call with Nancy Pelosi that Trump was "crazy" as stated in the book, stating that he was "not qualified to determine the mental health of the president of the United States."


title: Mark Milley

text: According to a September 2021 "Axios" report, in mid-2020 Pentagon officials were concerned about the Chinese having received bad intelligence from dubious sources that had them worried about a possible surprise U.S. strike against China. In a report released in November 2021, the Pentagon confirmed these Chinese worries and that Esper had directed Milley and the deputy assistant defense secretary for China Chad Sbragia in mid-October to reassure their Chinese counterparts that the U.S. "had no intention of instigating a military crisis against China." Milley called his Chinese counterpart on October 30.


title: Mark Milley

text: In Woodward and Costa's book "Peril", the authors wrote that on October 30, 2020, four days before the U.S. presidential election day, Milley called his counterpart in China, General Li Zuocheng, quoting Milley as saying: "I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be okay ... We are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you ... If we're going to attack, I'm going to call you ahead of time. It's not going to be a surprise." The authors wrote that Milley again called Li in January 2021, two days after the 2021 United States Capitol attack, quoting Milley as saying: "Things may look unsteady... But that's the nature of democracy... We are 100 percent steady. Everything's fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes." Unnamed defense department officials said Sbragia had called his Chinese counterpart two days earlier, with the authorization of then-acting secretary of defense Christopher C. Miller. One briefed on Milley's call said that it was "implausible that [Milley's call] would have been done without" Sbragia's knowledge.


title: Mark Milley

text: Both calls were by video conference where fifteen people were present, including a State Department representative and notetakers. CNN reported that Milley consulted with Esper in conducting the October call. "Politico" reported that a former senior defense official said Milley asked Miller for permission to make the January call, and that Miller said Milley "almost certainly" informed him about making the call, but he did not recall receiving a detailed readout afterwards. On the same day, he told Fox News that he did not authorize the call and called for Milley to resign or be fired, stating, "If the reporting in Woodward's book is accurate it represents a disgraceful and unprecedented act of insubordination by the Nation's top military officer."Two days later he told CNN that "he likely would not have been informed of such routine engagements that either his office or Milley would have had with China" and that he was criticizing the call in October, not the one in January. At a congressional hearing on September 28, 2021, Milley testified that both calls were coordinated with the staffs of Esper and Miller both before and after they were made. "The Wall Street Journal" reported Pentagon officials said Miller had been apprised of the call. Milley's spokesman stated, "All calls from the Chairman to his counterparts, including those reported, are staffed, coordinated and communicated with the Department of Defense and the interagency."


title: Mark Milley

text: Milley stated that the calls were "routine calls... in order to ensure strategic stability" and "perfectly within the duties and responsibilities of the chairman." In hearings before the Senate and House Armed Services committees on September 28 and 29, respectively, Milley said he did not intend to undermine Trump with the calls, adding that he "was communicating to my Chinese counterpart on instructions, by the way, to de-escalate the situation" and that Trump "has no intent to attack and I told [General Li] that repeatedly." After the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, Milley also spoke to other military leaders around the world, including in the United Kingdom, to reassure them "that the U.S. government was strong and in control."


title: Mark Milley

text: Woodward and Costa also wrote that after the attack on the Capitol Milley became concerned Trump might "go rogue", telling staff "You never know what a president's trigger point is". According to the book, he took extraordinary action to protect national security by insisting he be personally consulted about any military action orders by Trump, including the use of nuclear weapons, and instructed the directors of the CIA and NSA to be particularly attentive to developments. This was perceived by some former officials and outside analysts as "inserting himself inappropriately into the chain of command." On January 8, Milley assured House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a call that "the nuclear triggers are secure and we're not going to do — we're not going to allow anything crazy, illegal, immoral, or unethical to happen."


title: Mark Milley

text: Milley's reported comments and actions have drawn criticism from multiple Republicans. Trump described Woodward and Costa's reporting as "fake news" and "fabricated", stating that he "never even thought of attacking China". Trump also said that if the reporting was true, then Trump believed Milley should be "tried for treason" for talking to Li "behind the President's back and telling China that he would be giving them notification" of an American attack. Senate Intelligence Committee ranking member Marco Rubio called on Biden to fire Milley, stating that Milley had undermined "the sitting commander in chief" and "contemplated a treasonous leak of classified information to the Chinese Communist Party in advance of a potential armed conflict with the People's Republic of China." Many Republicans accused Milley of treason and called for his resignation, firing, or court-martial. Alexander Vindman said that Milley needed to resign if it was true that he broke the chain of command. Twenty-seven House Republicans, all members of the Freedom Caucus, wrote to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding an Army Regulation 15-6 investigation into Milley's actions and for Milley's security clearance to be suspended.


title: Mark Milley

text: Historian and Brookings Institution senior fellow Max Boot, a critic of Trump, wrote that "Milley had no choice but to do what he did." He also wrote that "Trump, Rubio and all the rest of the rabid partisans who accused a decorated combat veteran of treason based on a hasty misreading of a book excerpt" needed to retract their statements and apologize. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden had worked closely with Milley and considered him to be a patriot. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby stated that Milley had the trust and confidence of Austin. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin said that "he had no concerns that Milley might have exceeded his authority" and that Democratic lawmakers "were circumspect in our language but many of us made it clear that we were counting on him to avoid the disaster which we knew could happen at any moment." President Biden later said he had "great confidence" in Milley. Senator Angus King stated that Milley had "rendered the country a significant service", and U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services chair Jack Reed told reporters that "de-escalating international tensions was part of Milley's job." Former United Nations ambassador and Trump national security advisor John Bolton defended Milley as a "staunch supporter of the Constitution and the rule of law."


title: Mark Milley

text: In December 2020, Milley met with the Taliban in Doha in an effort to arrange peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Milley believed that U.S. troops should remain in Afghanistan to prevent another terrorist attack like the September 11 attacks.


title: Mark Milley

text: Nearly a year after the withdrawal of U.S. troops began, the Taliban launched an offensive against the Afghan government, quickly advancing in front of a collapsing Afghan Armed Forces. U.S. intelligence believed that the Afghan government would likely collapse within six months after the withdrawal of NATO troops from the country. On July 21, 2021, Milley reported that half of all districts in Afghanistan were under Taliban control and that momentum was "sort of" on the side of the Taliban. Kabul was captured by the Taliban on August 15, 2021, prompting an international airlift of civilians at Kabul International Airport, which remained under temporary U.S. and NATO control.


title: Mark Milley

text: On August 26, 2021, following the suicide bombing at Kabul Airport that led to the death of 183 people, including 13 U.S. service members, Republican Senators and members of the House called for the resignation of President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary of State Blinken, Defense Secretary Austin, and Milley.


title: Mark Milley

text: In late September 2021, Milley, at hearings before both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees said that the withdrawal from Afghanistan and evacuation from Kabul was "a logistical success but a strategic failure". He rejected demands from Republican committee members to resign.


title: Mark Milley

text: Milley and Hollyanne Haas (born January 19, 1965) were married in May 1985. They have two children. Hollyanne Milley is a nurse who worked in critical care for 18 years and then in cardiac nursing for 15, currently in Northern Virginia. At the 2020 Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, she administered CPR to a veteran who had collapsed, saving his life.


title: Kat Graham

text: Katerina Alexandre Hartford Graham (born September 5, 1989) is an American actress, singer and dancer (now distributing music under the stage name Toro Gato). She is widely known for her role as Bonnie Bennett on The CW supernatural drama series "The Vampire Diaries" (2009–2017). Her film credits include "The Parent Trap" (1998), "17 Again" (2009), "The Roommate" (2011), "Honey 2" (2011), "Addicted" (2014), and "All Eyez on Me" (2017). In music, Graham was previously signed to A&M/Octone and Interscope Records, and has released two extended plays and two studio albums.


title: Kat Graham

text: Graham was born in Geneva, Switzerland, but raised in Los Angeles, California, U.S. Her father, Joseph, is of Americo-Liberian descent, and her mother, Natasha, is Jewish (from a family from Poland and Russia). Graham's father was a music executive and the godfather of two of producer Quincy Jones' children. Her paternal grandfather was a UN Ambassador, serving for 40 years in four countries: The Netherlands, Sweden, Romania and Kenya. Her maternal and paternal grandparents were refugees, from the Holocaust and Liberia, respectively.


title: Kat Graham

text: Her parents divorced when she was 5 years old. She has a half-brother, Yakov, born in Tel Aviv, Israel. Graham was raised in her mother's Jewish religion and attended a Hebrew school.


title: Kat Graham

text: Graham began her career in the entertainment industry at age 6. Within the following eight years, she appeared in numerous television commercials, including advertisements for Barbie, Edison, K-Mart, and Pop-Tarts. At age 15, Graham caught the eye of choreographer Fatima Robinson, and was asked to perform at the BET Awards as a background dancer for Bow Wow. Graham followed her BET Awards appearance with work as a background dancer for Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, Jamie Foxx, and choreographers Hi-Hat and Michael Rooney. At age 17, Graham participated in a national marketing campaign to advertise Coca-Cola's soda brand Fanta. Graham appeared in the marketing campaign as a member of the "Fantanas", known as Capri, also known as Strawberry. Graham has appeared in various music videos, including Akon's "Lonely", Christina Milian's "Dip It Low", Justin Bieber and Usher's "Somebody to Love (Remix)", 112's "What If", John Legend's "Used to Love U", B2K's "Why I Love You", Musiq Soulchild's "B.U.D.D.Y.", Nelly's "Just A Dream" and Diddy – Dirty Money with Usher's "Looking for Love".