);
}
function setButtonState(button, state) {
const hint = button.parentElement && button.parentElement.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-hint]’);
const followLabel = button.dataset.followLabel || ‘Follow’;
const followingLabel = button.dataset.followingLabel || ‘Following’;
const registerLabel = button.dataset.registerLabel || ‘Register to follow’;
const loadingLabel = button.dataset.loadingLabel || ‘Saving…’;
const pendingAuthLabel = button.dataset.pendingAuthLabel || ‘Loading…’;
button.classList.remove(‘is-following’, ‘is-loading’, ‘is-auth-required’);
if (state === ‘loading’) {
button.classList.add(‘is-loading’);
button.disabled = true;
button.textContent = loadingLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent=”Updating your followed authors…”;
}
return;
}
if (state === ‘pending-auth’) {
button.classList.add(‘is-loading’);
button.disabled = true;
button.textContent = pendingAuthLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent=”Checking your sign-in status…”;
}
return;
}
button.disabled = false;
if (state === ‘following’) {
button.classList.add(‘is-following’);
button.textContent = followingLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent = followingLabel === ‘Unfollow’
? ‘Remove this writer from your followed list.’
: ‘Click again to unfollow.’;
}
return;
}
if (state === ‘signin’) {
button.classList.add(‘is-auth-required’);
button.textContent = registerLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent=”Register to follow writers and manage your list.”;
}
return;
}
button.textContent = followLabel;
if (hint) {
hint.textContent=”Click to follow.”;
}
}
function renderWidgets(scope) {
const root = scope || document;
root.querySelectorAll(‘[data-author-follow-widget]’).forEach(function (widget) {
const button = widget.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-button]’);
if (!button) {
return;
}
const staffId = widget.dataset.staffId;
const hasToken = !!getBearerToken();
if (!isPianoIdentityReady() && !hasToken) {
setButtonState(button, ‘pending-auth’);
return;
}
if (!hasToken) {
setButtonState(button, ‘signin’);
return;
}
if (followedAuthorsMap.has(String(staffId))) {
setButtonState(button, ‘following’);
} else {
setButtonState(button, ‘follow’);
}
});
}
function renderManageList(container) {
if (!container) {
return;
}
const hasToken = !!getBearerToken();
if (!isPianoIdentityReady() && !hasToken) {
container.innerHTML = (
‘
‘
);
return;
}
if (!hasToken) {
container.innerHTML = (
‘
‘
);
return;
}
const followedAuthors = Array.from(followedAuthorsMap.values());
if (!followedAuthors.length) {
container.innerHTML = (
‘
‘
);
return;
}
container.innerHTML = followedAuthors
.map(function (author) {
return (
‘
‘
);
})
.join(”);
bindEvents(container);
renderWidgets(container);
}
async function refresh(scope, options) {
const forceFetch = !!(options && options.force);
if (!hasFollowWidgets(scope)) {
return;
}
// Wipe the cached map BEFORE the first render so a user-switch can’t
// momentarily display the previous user’s “Following” state.
discardCacheIfTokenChanged();
renderWidgets(scope);
const manageContainer = document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-list]’);
const managePreferencesContainer = document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-preferences]’);
const hasToken = !!getBearerToken();
if (!isPianoIdentityReady() && !hasToken) {
renderWidgets(scope);
renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
renderManageList(manageContainer);
return;
}
if (!hasToken) {
renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
renderManageList(manageContainer);
return;
}
try {
await loadFollowedAuthors(forceFetch);
renderWidgets(scope);
renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
renderManageList(manageContainer);
} catch (error) {
console.warn(‘Unable to load followed authors.’, error);
if (error && error.code === ‘AUTH_REQUIRED’) {
renderWidgets(scope);
renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
renderManageList(manageContainer);
}
}
}
function startLoginPoll() {
if (loginPoll) {
clearInterval(loginPoll);
}
let attempts = 0;
loginPoll = setInterval(function () {
attempts += 1;
if (getBearerToken() || isLoggedIn() || attempts > 25) {
clearInterval(loginPoll);
loginPoll = null;
refresh(document, { force: true });
}
}, 1000);
}
function stopPianoReadyPoll() {
if (pianoReadyPoll) {
clearInterval(pianoReadyPoll);
pianoReadyPoll = null;
}
}
function startPianoReadyPoll() {
stopPianoReadyPoll();
let attempts = 0;
pianoReadyPoll = setInterval(function () {
attempts += 1;
if (isPianoIdentityReady() || getBearerToken() || attempts > 40) {
stopPianoReadyPoll();
// Non-forced: if bindPianoInitRefresh already fetched, the TTL
// dedupes this call. If it lost the race, this call wins.
refresh(document);
}
}, 500);
}
function bindPianoInitRefresh() {
if (pianoInitBound) {
return;
}
pianoInitBound = whenPianoReady(function () {
// The Piano init callback is the canonical “identity is ready” signal;
// cancel the fallback poll so it can’t issue a redundant second fetch.
stopPianoReadyPoll();
refresh(document, { force: true });
});
}
async function handleWidgetClick(widget, button) {
const staffId = widget.dataset.staffId;
if (!getBearerToken()) {
setButtonState(button, isPianoIdentityReady() ? ‘signin’ : ‘pending-auth’);
if (typeof window.showPianoRegister === ‘function’) {
window.showPianoRegister();
startLoginPoll();
}
return;
}
// If the identity changed since the cache was last filled, drop the stale
// map before the follow/unfollow decision below — otherwise the click
// could issue the wrong action against the previous user’s state.
discardCacheIfTokenChanged();
setButtonState(button, ‘loading’);
try {
if (followedAuthorsMap.has(String(staffId))) {
await apiRequest(apiBaseUrl + “https://www.washingtontimes.com/” + staffId, { method: ‘DELETE’ });
followedAuthorsMap.delete(String(staffId));
removePushlyFollowedAuthorId(staffId);
} else {
const author = await apiRequest(apiBaseUrl + “https://www.washingtontimes.com/” + staffId, {
method: ‘PUT’,
body: JSON.stringify({
push_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.push_enabled,
email_fallback_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.email_fallback_enabled,
}),
});
followedAuthorsMap.set(String(staffId), author);
appendPushlyFollowedAuthorId(staffId);
}
saveStoredFollowDeliveryPreferences(
deriveFollowDeliveryPreferences(Array.from(followedAuthorsMap.values())),
);
syncPushlyFollowedAuthorsProfile();
renderManagePreferences(document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-preferences]’));
renderWidgets(document);
renderManageList(document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-list]’));
} catch (error) {
console.warn(‘Unable to update followed author.’, error);
if (error && error.code === ‘AUTH_REQUIRED’) {
setButtonState(button, ‘signin’);
}
renderWidgets(document);
}
}
function bindEvents(scope) {
const root = scope || document;
root.querySelectorAll(‘[data-author-follow-widget]’).forEach(function (widget) {
if (widget.dataset.followWidgetBound === ‘true’) {
return;
}
widget.dataset.followWidgetBound = ‘true’;
const button = widget.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-button]’);
if (!button) {
return;
}
button.addEventListener(‘click’, function () {
handleWidgetClick(widget, button);
});
});
root.querySelectorAll(‘[data-author-follow-manage-preferences]’).forEach(function (container) {
if (container.dataset.followGlobalPreferencesBound === ‘true’) {
return;
}
container.dataset.followGlobalPreferencesBound = ‘true’;
async function handlePreferenceChange() {
const pushInput = container.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-global-pref=”push”]’);
const emailInput = container.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-global-pref=”email”]’);
if (!pushInput || !emailInput) {
return;
}
const previousPreferences = {
push_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.push_enabled,
email_fallback_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.email_fallback_enabled,
};
const payload = {
push_enabled: !!pushInput.checked,
email_fallback_enabled: !!emailInput.checked,
};
// Drop a stale map if the identity changed before iterating — we
// don’t want to issue follow updates against the previous user’s
// authors with the current user’s bearer token.
discardCacheIfTokenChanged();
const followedAuthors = Array.from(followedAuthorsMap.values());
saveStoredFollowDeliveryPreferences(payload);
managePreferencesPending = true;
pushInput.disabled = true;
emailInput.disabled = true;
try {
await Promise.all(
followedAuthors.map(function (author) {
return updateFollowPreferences(author.id, payload);
}),
);
renderManagePreferences(container);
renderWidgets(document);
renderManageList(document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-list]’));
} catch (error) {
console.warn(‘Unable to update author follow preferences.’, error);
saveStoredFollowDeliveryPreferences(previousPreferences);
pushInput.checked = previousPreferences.push_enabled;
emailInput.checked = previousPreferences.email_fallback_enabled;
} finally {
managePreferencesPending = false;
pushInput.disabled = false;
emailInput.disabled = false;
}
}
container.addEventListener(‘change’, function (event) {
const target = event.target;
if (!target || !target.matches(‘[data-author-follow-global-pref]’)) {
return;
}
handlePreferenceChange();
});
});
}
function init(scope) {
const root = scope || document;
if (!hasFollowWidgets(root)) {
return;
}
bindEvents(root);
renderWidgets(root);
bindPianoInitRefresh();
startPianoReadyPoll();
refresh(root);
}
window.WTAuthorFollow = {
init: init,
refresh: refresh,
};
document.addEventListener(‘DOMContentLoaded’, function () {
init(document);
});
window.addEventListener(‘focus’, function () {
if (hasFollowWidgets(document)) {
refresh(document);
}
});
document.addEventListener(‘visibilitychange’, function () {
if (!document.hidden && hasFollowWidgets(document)) {
refresh(document);
}
});
} else {
window.WTAuthorFollow.init(document);
}
})();
This photo provided by the Transportation …
more >
By Associated Press –
Thursday, July 30, 2026
GULF SHORES, Ala. — A TSA agent discovered a set of stolen Civil War-era cannonballs in a passenger’s suitcase during a routine security screening at an Alabama airport earlier this month, law enforcement officials said.
The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement Friday that the relics were discovered at Gulf Shores International Airport on July 18 after the agent observed what appeared to be a large, opaque item inside a suitcase during an X-ray screening. When he opened the luggage, he found five small cannonballs wrapped in paper towels and notified a supervisor.
“I had never seen anything quite this unique,” TSA Officer Justin Dupree said in a statement from the agency. “I’ve seen inert grenades and training munitions but never an Indiana Jones-esque stolen artifact-type situation.”
The cannonballs – the largest about the size of grapefruits and weighing about as much as a shot put ball – were inactive and didn’t contain any explosive material or active components, the TSA said. Still, cannonballs are artillery munitions and considered prohibited items on planes.
Police eventually determined the cannonballs were stolen from Fort Morgan, based on paint marking applied to the artifacts by fort staff, and that they dated to the American Civil War. The historic Gulf Shores fort played a significant role in several military conflicts, including the Civil War.
The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that a juvenile stole the cannonballs from a storage area in the fort and then placed them in their grandmother’s checked bag. The grandmother told officers she did not know they were stolen.
Spokespersons for Fort Morgan didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. The sheriff’s office said the institution declined to press charges, and the artifacts were returned to the fort.
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