);
}
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);
}
})();
Liberian first lady Jewel Howard Taylor …
more >
–
Associated Press
–
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
MONROVIA, Liberia — Liberia’s former vice president was sent to prison on Tuesday to await trial on drug trafficking and other charges, after a court in the West African country denied her request to be released on humanitarian grounds for medical treatment.
Jewel Howard-Taylor’s lawyers asked the court for her to remain at a local hospital in Monrovia to receive treatment for a health emergency. She suffered an asthma attack and her blood pressure was high while in police custody after her arrest, according to local media reports.
Alongside three other foreign nationals charged in absentia, the former vice president and wife of former president, Charles Taylor, is facing multiple charges for drug trafficking, money laundering and other offenses as part of an investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics network. Howard-Taylor was vice president from 2018 to 2024.
She was arrested on Aug. 19 at Roberts International Airport while she was attempting to leave Liberia.
Her lawyers have rejected the allegations, saying they are politically motivated, but investigators say the case is supported by travel records, audio recordings, witness testimonies and evidence of her alleged association with members of the transnational cocaine trafficking network.
Last month, Liberian authorities seized and burned around 4.2 metric tons of cocaine with a street value estimated to be about $317 million, also implicating some senior police officials in the trafficking operation, which has been linked to her.
In recent years, West Africa has emerged as a key transit route for cocaine trafficked from South America to Europe, with smugglers taking advantage of porous borders and weak enforcement in parts of the region.
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