With the Alliance of American Football coming and going this year, and the XFL coming (and maybe or maybe not going) next year, it's been easy to forget that arena football is still a thing. But it is. The continuing existence of arena football was brought to our attention with the news that Dexter McCluster, a former Pro Bowl return man, has signed with the Massachusetts Pirates of the National Arena League. " I'm here to learn as fast as possible, get to know my teammates and my new brothers and get in where I fit in. I'm going to work hard, I'm going to push and motivate myself as well as others and we'll see where the chips fall," McCluster said in a statement released by the team. Although arena football has declined in popularity, there are still multiple arena leagues in business. They don't pay full-time salaries, but McCluster, who made more than $12 million in his NFL career, just wants to play.


Missed the the most recent top news in Anaheim? Read on for everything you need to know. Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs dead at 27 The Angels say the 27-year-old pitcher passed away in Texas on Monday. Read the full story on ABC10 . Buena Park police motorcycle officer injured in crash on 91 Freeway in Anaheim A Buena Park police officer suffered moderate injuries when his motorcycle was struck by a car on the 91 Freeway in Anaheim. Read the full story on ABC7 . Congress' Ending Homelessness Act gets push from LA, Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana and Riverside mayors The legislation, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, would direct more than $13 billion to support the work of cities on the front lines of this crisis, deliver vital services to homeless residents and bring the unsheltered indoors, according to a statement from Garcetti's office. Read the full story on Long Beach Press-Telegram . Main Street Electrical Parade return to Disneyland for limited run; Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge crowd update Reservations no longer needed for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, but there are things to know before you go. Read the full story on Desert Sun . This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Bears coach Matt Nagy doesn't want his players to turn the page on their heartbreaking playoff loss to the Eagles. Nagy said during an appearance in the booth at the Chicago Cubs' game today that he wants his players to keep thinking about the way their season ended, and to use that to motivate them to get better. "We're a young team and we've tried to build this culture and let them understand how important it is that we stay together and that we learn from our mistakes. Last year it ends up being a loss to Philly at home, and that's not good enough. So our guys are hungry. We talk about remember the hurt, we talk about don't get complacent." Bears kicker Cody Parkey, whose missed field goal at the end of the loss to the Eagles became the iconic play of that heartbreaking loss, is gone. But most of those players on last year's Bears team remain on the roster heading into the 2019 season. And Nagy doesn't want a team that gets over a heartbreaking loss easily.


With the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving Cannabidiol (CBD) medication, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has updated its policies to reflect the changes. According to FoxNews.com , TSA officials revealed they were made aware of a medication prescribed for pediatric epilepsy that contains CBD, which was approved by the FDA. As soon as the agency learned of the drug, its "What Can I Bring" section on the TSA website was updated accordingly. The updated website now says that CBD products approved by the FDA will be legal, as long as the medications are produced within the regulations defined by the law under the Agriculture Improvement Act 2018. The CBD oils do come with special instructions, though, as possession of marijuana , certain cannabis-infused products and some CBD oil products remain illegal under federal law and security officers will call on local law enforcement to handle. TSA officials said agents would be briefed on the new policy regarding the FDA-approved drug.


These days, probiotics seem to be everywhere - touted in the soft-serve at your local fro-yo joint and the kimchi on your fancy-schmancy sandwich. But unlike with some other nutritional trends, there's solid research confirming probiotics' benefits. "We all live on a bandwidth of health," says Colin Hill, Ph.D., president of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics. "Probiotics can shift you in the right direction or delay a progression in the wrong direction, especially if you take them prophylactically." In other words, this is one bandwagon worth jumping on. What are probiotics? To put it simply, probiotics are live microorganisms, such as strains of bacteria, that in adequate amounts give you a health benefit. They can be developed and grown in a lab and put in pills, powder, yogurt, or other foods or drinks. When probiotics are present in your gut, they act like peacekeepers, helping to restore order and keep things humming. And scientists are finding that using probiotics to tinker with the gut's bacteria balance may offer a new way of treating illness and keeping people healthy. What do probiotics do to your body? They take up temporary residence in your gut. Probiotics don't move in permanently - you have to keep consuming them for maximum benefits. It requires about five days of habitual ingestion for probiotics to build up a presence, says Daniel J. Merenstein, M.D., a probiotics expert and an associate professor of family medicine at Georgetown University. (Taking them in less frequently may help a little.) They suss out the environment. Probiotics are smart. "Some of the ones that help with diarrhea also help with constipation. We think they go in, figure out what's needed and respond by either downregulating inflammation or upregulating your immune response," says Gregor Reid, Ph.D., director of the Canadian Research & Development Centre for Probiotics. They negotiate with "terrorists." Most pathogens don't want to do real harm; they're happy to just eat and hang out. In layman's terms, probiotics might say, "We'll let you live, but you can't release your toxin." Then they might produce compounds that prevent a toxin's release, rendering bad bugs harmless, Reid says. They improve the gut's barrier. "In your gut, only one layer of cells stands between you and death," Reid says. Although dramatic, that accurately describes your GI tract's ultrathin barrier, which allows nutrients from food to pass through and repels toxins. If that barrier is disrupted, pathogens could enter your bloodstream, making you very sick. Probiotics tighten the binding between cells and may stimulate mucus production, shoring up the barrier and making it difficult for problematic bugs to wreak havoc. They clean up the slime. "In the case of an infection, bacteria often create a biofilm, which is like the slime that builds up on the underside of a boat. Certain probiotics produce a soaplike material that breaks up that film," Reid says. They starve out pathogens. Since they compete with the bad guys for food, probiotics keep harmful bacteria in check by making it hard for them to thrive. What are the benefits of probiotics? Two of the biggest reasons to take probiotics are to prevent or manage GI issues and to lower your odds of catching a bug. "If you're traveling or stressed, or not eating or sleeping well, that's when you'll notice that probiotics really work," Dr. Merenstein says. But newer research suggests that probiotics also have the potential to help prevent or treat other conditions, such as high cholesterol, allergies, and even anxiety. Probiotics have such far-reaching effects because your gut does, too: It houses more nerve endings than any place in the body (besides the brain), and it's ground zero for your immune system's function. As you may know, to build a strong immune system, people need exposure to a wide variety of microorganisms, something modern-day Americans don't typically get. Plus, we use antimicrobials - found in some soaps and even toothpaste - that kill good bacteria as well as bad. Probiotics may fill the gap, says Hill. And unlike disease-causing germs, probiotics create almost no harmful side effects (some people experience gas or a change in bowel movements). Nearly everyone can take probiotics, but if you have a digestive disorder such as leaky gut or celiac disease, talk to a doctor first. Do probiotics have side effects? There don't seem to be any risks associated with probiotics that can harm you or cause any long-term discomfort, but research has shown that they may increase bloating or gas depending on the strain and your personal response to it. Of course, if you have any food or drug allergy you'll want to check the label and ingredients list carefully to minimize your risk of a reaction or potential sensitivity to cross-contamination with an ingredient to which you're allergic. Do probiotics help with weight loss? There's no single food or supplement that can help you lose weight, period. But with that in mind, the study of probiotics and obesity is promising, though the specific link not entirely clear. That's because there are a few main ways that our weight status and our gut bacteria may be connected, and various factors that can be at play: Dietary factors that can lead to weight gain over time may also be factors in changing your gut microbiome, and there may be specific DNA linked to increasing your risk of obesity -which makes it difficult to determine exactly what influences which outcomes, and genetic susceptibility to obesity and other chronic diseases. Some interesting (and developing) areas of research include the the relationship of your gut bacteria to appetite hormones and how much energy in the form of calories you personally will absorb based on this layer of bacteria in your digestive tract. Should I take probiotic supplements? Taking probiotics as a supplement has been linked to treating intestinal infections, chronic disease risk, depression and anxiety, inflammatory bowel disease, and obesity, as well as an intervention reducing the duration of the common cold . However, there are still risks associated with taking probiotics in the form of a supplement, and there's a lot more research that needs to be done on the subject before any universal recommendation can be made for everyone across the board. The main benefit to be found in getting and maintaining probiotics in your GI tract seems to be linked to the diversity of strains, especially when it comes to decreasing risk of chronic disease . The good news: Since food, too, can provide the much-needed diversity to keep your body's own probiotics in abundance, eating a variety of prebiotic and probiotic foods is the only tried and true way to give your GI tract that much-needed help it needs to function optimally. When consumed together, prebiotics and probiotics are called symbiotics, working hand-in-hand to help with digestion and absorption, as well as production of metabolic byproducts that can be used for various immune functions and inflammation-fighting pathways. That said, there are some indications in which taking a supplement that provides a variety of different probiotic strains can help you boost your body's own defenses, e.g., a stomach bug that wipes out your GI bacteria (both good and bad) or certain medications you've recently taken (like antibiotics), but much of the research has indicated that your response to taking a probiotic in supplement form can have varying effects, and depends highly on your genetic makeup and the composition of your gut bacteria. In other words: It's super individualized and you may find tremendous relief (or none at all!). Check with your doc before adding any new supplement, including probiotics. Since specific strains have been linked to specific benefits, you'll want to consult with your doc before starting anything new or adding a supplement to your daily regimen. That's for two reasons, specifically: First, dietary supplements aren't overseen by the FDA, meaning there's no guarantee that, across the board, you'll get exactly what you've paid for. Nor is there a guarantee that the strains of bacteria, amount of colony forming units (CFU's) and symptom relief or efficacy for you, personally, will be realized. That's why we recommend focusing on foods, first, to reap the best benefits of probiotics and prebiotics from a variety of nutritious, delicious sources that come without risks and can only serve to help benefit your immune system overall. What are probiotic foods? You can consume probiotics from fermented foods and drinks (miso, tempeh, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha) and dairy products (yogurt, kefir, fermented milk, some cheeses). Look for at least five strains of live and active cultures, as listed on the ingredients' list. Unsweetened Greek yogurt has the benefit of providing both a variety of cultures (and therefore, has a greater chance of helping to diversify and essentially feed your body's existing probiotics), and since it's higher in protein than many other probiotic and prebiotic containing foods, it'll help you stay fuller, longer. Probiotics are being added from everything from sugary beverages to candy, but the more processed versions are never ideal. Video: 10 Foods Filled With Probiotics (Time) What are prebiotics? These aren't bacteria at all, but rather naturally-occurring soluble fibers (such as inulin and oligofructose) that feed the good bacteria already living in your gut, helping them survive and thrive. You can find them i( 100% whole-grains like oats, barley, bran; various fruits, artichokes, asparagus, onions, shallots, garlic, leeks, all legumes and pulses ). Eating more of these foods has been linked to reducing your risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, some cancers, and type II diabetes.


NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison ranked all 32 NFL head coaches , and Seattle Seahawks longtime coach Pete Carroll came in second - just behind New England's Bill Belichick. Harrison praises Carroll not just for his Super Bowl win and his playoff streak from 2012-2016, but for the work he did with the 2018 team. "Few folks had the Seahawks making it to the postseason," Harrison wrote about last season's squad. "Not only did they make the playoffs, but they gave the Cowboys quite a game in the Wild Card Round, too. While there was quite a bit of consternation in the Seattle bloggerverse centering around the Seahawks' play-calling in that contest, that ain't Carroll's area. The playoff loss also obscured what a fine season the Seahawks had sans the stars of recent vintage, and flying past the 6-10 season so many prognosticated for the team. The team's 2018 season was yet another testament to Carroll's ability to motivate, as well as manage in-game situations. Far more impressive is his energy in maintaining a positive atmosphere around a team that has enjoyed (endured?) its share of robust personalities over the years." Carroll has been the coach of the Seahawks since the 2010 season. They have gone 89-54-1 in that time, making the playoffs in seven out of nine seasons and of course appearing in the Super Bowl twice. Carroll and the Seahawks will look to make their eight playoff appearance of the decade this season, and the fun begins on July 25 when they report for training camp. MORE: See the dramatic final hand of 2019 WSOP Main Event that won Hossein Ensan $10 million Baker Mayfield swings and misses with attempted rip of Giants fans The top 100 players in the NFL today News: Cowboys' $100 million men underpaid, and more dangerous in 2019 LeBron James Boasts About '300 Mil Later' After Rich Paul Klutch Sale to UTA


The Indianapolis Colts backfield is one that should be fun to watch in 2019 as the coaching staff looks to put more of an emphasis on the rushing attack. Name: Spencer Ware Position: RB Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 229 pounds Age: 27 Year Drafted: 2013 Background A newly-signed free agent, Ware joined the Colts immediately following the 2019 NFL Draft after spending the first five seasons of his career working in the backfield for the Kansas City Chiefs. Ware has always been an efficient back averaging 4.6 yards per carry in 40 career games. He's seen most of his work as a depth piece but has excelled when asked to work in a bigger role. 2019 Outlook The outlook for the Colts backfield is that the leader will be Marlon Mack. It isn't clear how the Colts will want to use Ware should he make the roster when cuts are made in December. The veteran has seen work in several roles, which makes him a versatile piece in the backfield. There is a chance that Ware holds a depth role as a short-yardage back given his frame. This could allow the Colts to keep Mack fresh from having to grind out several carries through the tackles during games. Ware is likely competing with Jordan Wilkins and Jonathan Williams for one of the depth pieces in the backfield when training camp arrives. Bottom Line Ware is an interesting piece for the backfield rotation. He can work on early downs, as a pass catcher or simply in short-yardage situations and at the goal line. Where he will fit in remains to be seen, but he should be someone to watch at training camp. MORE: Rafael Nadal made history with his 12th French Open win, and his reaction was beautiful Eagles safety Deiondre' Hall making waves in bid for roster spot What does Kevin Durant want in free agency? 6 things we learned from Browns mandatory minicamp WATCH: Lonzo Ball pulls up to watch LaMelo make Drew League debut


Video by USA Today Sports Blake Snell, ace pitcher of the Tampa Bay Rays and the 2018 American League Cy Young winner, is hitting the injured list. The Rays announced on Thursday that Snell will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow to remove a loose body. Josh Tolentino of the Athletic, who first reported the news, said that the surgery is scheduled for the upcoming weekend, and Snell is expected to miss at least four weeks. P Blake Snell has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Monday, July 22, due to loose bodies in his left elbow. Snell is anticipated to be ready to return to the club in September. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/1jti6SGf6c   Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 25, 2019 Snell, 26, had an otherworldly 2018 campaign. He pitched 180.2 innings, a career high, and ended the season with a 1.89 ERA and 21 wins over 31 starts. His 2019 has been a bit of a comedown from those lofty heights. He has a 4.28 ERA over 20 starts, which is a far cry from where he was last year. It hasn't been like that all season, though   Snell had a 3.06 ERA by the end of May. June was not kind to him, though. He made five starts that month, and the first four were horrendous. (An 11.64 ERA over those four starts definitely qualifies as horrendous.) But since then, it's felt like the Snell-issance. In the four starts he's made since June 30, Snell has a 1.64 ERA and lowered his ERA by nearly an entire run. The Rays are currently 10 games behind the first place New York Yankees in the American League East, one game ahead of the Boston Red Sox. Catching the Yankees is a tall order, but they don't need to do that to make the playoffs. The Rays are currently one game out of the AL wild-card, nipping at the heels of both the Oakland Athletics and the Cleveland Indians. Four weeks is a long time this late in the baseball season, but September is an important month. If Snell comes back healthy and ready to deal, he could make a huge impact   if the Rays are still within throwing distance of the wild-card race. We know that Snell has the potential to be brilliant, and if the Rays can survive the next 4-5 weeks without him, there might be a heckuva season finale in their future. More from Yahoo Sports: Kawhi discusses decision to sign with Clippers Colts preview: Indy quiet in offseason but still potent Report: Titans give record extension to S Byard Yankees great Rivera defends support of Trump Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (provided by imagn)


A Puyallup nonprofit that has helped young at risk women for decades is now expanding to a larger venue. Work is underway for a massive, $10.5 million event center that will be used by Step by Step, an organization that helps pregnant women. This fall, events hosted at the venue will be staffed by young, at-risk women who've been through the program. The employment opportunity will give them a chance to learn life skills while developing real-world work skills. "They wanted to be able to figure this out but they just didn't know what that looked like, they didn't have the support system to be able to do that and no one was providing them that time and that space to be able to do that," said founder and CEO Krista Linden Step by Step was founded in 1997 with the goal of working to improve the infant mortality rate in Washington. Today they serve more than 12,000 women at a time in Pierce, King, Snohomish and Kitsap Counties. For 20 years, Krista Linden, a mom of seven herself, has worked to help young pregnant women who aren't in a position to help themselves. Rachel Hamilton used to be one of those women. "She let me know what I needed to do, not only as a woman but as a mother here in life," Hamilton said. The nonprofit works with young pregnant women in need. The organization stays with them for the duration of their pregnancy, however, that's historically where the services stopped. Linden will soon take that a step further. "We wanted to be able to start with some of those very basic entry level skills that some of them need to get go just to get moving forward," Linden said. "This is a beautiful thing, this is a kingdom being built… for queens to get help," Hamilton said. Hamilton is one of the first that's been hired as full time staff. Come this fall she'll work as a manager overseeing the banquet hall. A success story they hope to repeat again and again.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former White House Counsel Don McGahn ignored a subpoena to testify on Tuesday to a U.S. House of Representatives committee, fuelling talk among Democratic lawmakers of possible legal action against him and potential impeachment of President Donald Trump. As part of a White House stonewalling campaign against numerous congressional investigations of the Republican president and his administration, McGahn did not appear before the House Judiciary Committee as scheduled, drawing a threat from its Democratic chairman, Jerrold Nadler. "Let me be clear: this committee will hear Mr. McGahn's testimony, even if we have to go to court to secure it," Nadler said during a roughly 30-minute hearing, with the committee's witness chair remaining empty for the second time this month. Attorney General William Barr, the top U.S. law enforcement official and a Trump appointee, on May 2 also snubbed the committee, which later voted to hold him in contempt of Congress for not handing over a full, unredacted copy of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference. At the hearing skipped by Barr, an empty chair figured prominently and a Democratic committee member placed a ceramic chicken on the table in front of it for the cameras. The ceramic chicken did not make a repeat appearance on Tuesday. Republicans derided Tuesday's session as a political stunt and an abuse of the hearing process. "This is becoming a regular event. It's called the circus of Judiciary," the panel's top Republican, Representative Doug Collins, said after the hearing. Trump, seeking re-election in 2020, is refusing to cooperate with many probes into his administration, his family and his business interests. The White House on Monday told McGahn, who left his post in October, to disregard the Judiciary Committee's subpoena. In response, Nadler said at the hearing, "When this committee issues a subpoena, even to a senior presidential adviser, the witness must show up. Our subpoenas are not optional." Nadler added, "Mr. McGahn has a legal obligation to be here for this scheduled appearance. If he does not immediately correct his mistake, this committee will have no choice but to enforce this subpoena against him." It was not immediately clear when Democrats might pursue a contempt citation against McGahn. The rules require 48-hour notice, but many House members will be flying out of town on Thursday for the Memorial Day holiday, a logistical challenge that means any contempt vote would be unlikely before June. Nadler called McGahn's failure to appear part of Trump's "broader efforts to cover up his misconduct." Democrats have accused Trump of launching an assault on the powers given to Congress under the U.S. Constitution. In the Mueller report, McGahn was a key witness regarding possible obstruction of justice by Trump. Career prosecutors who are not involved in the case have said the report contained strong evidence that Trump committed a crime when he pressured McGahn to fire Mueller and later urged him to lie about it. IMPEACHMENT QUESTION Trump and most of his fellow Republicans in Congress dismiss the committee inquiries as political harassment ahead of the 2020 elections. But House Republican Justin Amash, a frequent Trump critic and outspoken Michigan conservative, said over the weekend that the president "has engaged in impeachable conduct." In response, Trump called Amash "a loser." Any impeachment effort would begin in the House, led by the Judiciary Committee, before action in the Republican-led Senate on whether to remove Trump from office. No U.S. president has ever been removed from office through impeachment, a process spelled out in the Constitution. Democrats have debated for months whether to initiate the process, with some lawmakers clamoring for it, but their senior leadership has counseled caution for fear of a voter backlash that could benefit Trump politically. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff told CNN on Tuesday that the case for launching the impeachment process, which would give Democrats more leverage to compel testimony and obtain documents, "gets stronger the more they stonewall the Congress." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, told MSNBC on Tuesday that Amash's proclamation does not mean there is more pressure on the House to begin impeachment. In a win for Democrats who favor step-by-step court action to secure testimony and documents over a risky impeachment attempt, a U.S. judge on Monday ruled against Trump in a case involving another House panel. The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Trump's financial records from his long-time accounting firm Mazars LLP. In an unusual move, lawyers for Trump and the Trump Organization, his company, last month sued to try to block the subpoena. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington ruled against Trump and denied his request for a stay pending appeal. Early on Tuesday, Trump appealed the judge's ruling. The redacted, 448-page Mueller report, 22 months in the making, showed how Moscow interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election in Trump's favor and detailed Trump's attempts to impede Mueller's probe. The report found there was insufficient evidence to conclude that a criminal conspiracy between Moscow and the Trump campaign had taken place. It made no recommendation on whether Trump obstructed justice, leaving that question up to Congress. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Susan Cornwell, David Morgan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Will Dunham)


Stocks ended lower Friday after a sharp decline in Broadcom shares put other chipmakers and the broader tech sector under pressure. The Dow closed 17 points lower. The S&P 500 declined by 0.15% as the tech sector dropped 0.8%. The Nasdaq lagged, falling 0.5%. Broadcom fell more than 5% after the chipmaker posted weaker-than-expected revenue for the previous quarter and cut its guidance for 2019, citing broad-based demand weakness and the U.S. crackdown on Huawei. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) fell 2.7%. Other semiconductor stocks also fell. Micron Technology, Advanced Micro Technology and Applied Materials all closed down at least 1%. Dow member Intel dropped 1.1%. The "weak 2H outlook could pressure AVGO/peers . . . and semis in general until we get a China/US trade resolution that can reignite customer confidence," Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya said in a note. "We do assume that any volatile stock market correction could pressure the two sides to come to some kind of resolution." Sentiment on Wall Street was also dampened by disappointing industrial data from China. Industrial production in China rose 5% last month on a year-over-year basis, the slowest pace of growth in 17 years. Chinese shares fell overnight following the data release. The Shanghai Composite lost 1% while the Shenzhen A Shares index slid 1.8%. The major U.S. stock indexes posted solid gains in the previous session, adding to this month's sharp rally. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq are all up more than 4% for May through Friday's close. U.S. retail sales rose 0.5% in May, according to the Commerce Department. That was below the 0.6% gain expected by economists polled by Refinitiv. However, April retail sales were revised higher. May sales were also up 0.5% when excluding auto, gas building materials and food. "We continue to expect that a sharper slowdown in economic growth over the coming months will convince the Fed to cut interest rates, but the retail sales data reinforce our view that officials are likely to wait until the September FOMC meeting before pulling the trigger," said Andrew Hunter, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics. The Federal Reserve is scheduled to hold a two-day meeting on monetary policy next week. The central bank is not expected to make any policy changes next week, but investors will look for clues about potential rate cuts later this year. Market expectations for a rate cut in July were at 86.3%, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool. Investors are also pricing in a 70.1% chance of another cut in September. "People are reading the Fed wrong. Everyone is expecting these cuts and the narrative is they will be supportive of the market," said David Lafferty, chief market strategist at Natixis Investment Managers. "If the Fed is anywhere close to what the market is pricing in, which is two-to-three cuts in the next few months, that's a Fed that's in full retreat. I see that as undermining confidence." CNBC's Ryan Browne contributed to this report.


Jennifer Lopez appears to be a fraction of her age, and she just revealed the secret to staying so young. "Be happy, be happy," the 49-year-old told Extra as she and fiancé Alex Rodriguez attended the CFDA's Fashion Awards in New York City on Monday, June 3. Lopez has many reasons to be happy, especially as the honoree of this year's Fashion Icon Award. "It feels amazing, you know, being a little girl from the Bronx amongst all these amazing artists just for doing what I love to do anyway, dressing up," she said of the honor on Monday. "It's a dream." Plus, the "Dinero" singer is getting ready to walk down the aisle with Rodriguez, 43, following the former New York Yankees star's proposal in March . Later, she revealed on Today that she "always planned to get married again," following her marriages to Ojani Noa (1997 1998), Cris Judd (2001 2003) and Marc Anthony (2004 2014). "I want to spend my life with somebody," Lopez said at the time. "I want to grow old with somebody. I think that's the goal, right? To find a partner to kind of walk through this crazy thing with, right?" Of her athlete beau, she said: "He allows me to be who I am and I want him to shine in the greatest way possible and to be his best self. We just help each other be better people, in a way, you know? We love our families. We're very similar, as well. We grew up the same. We kind of both got in the public eye very young. We both had kind of our hard moments in the public eye, but at the same time, we keep coming back." Even without wedding planning, Lopez has plenty to keep her busy. She and Anthony, 50, are raising 11-year-old twins Emme and Max. On the professional front, she just wrapped filming on the upcoming movie Hustlers , and she's kicking off her international "It's My Party" tour on Friday, June 7.


With The Open officially on the horizon, a pair of names remain at the top of the betting board for Royal Portrush. Major magician Brooks Koepka opened as a 6/1 favorite at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook when odds were released after the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, with Rory McIlroy next in line at 10/1. But the market has drawn them together in recent weeks, with Koepka and McIlroy both now listed as 8/1 co-favorites with the season's final major just a week away. Dustin Johnson, who opened at 12/1, remains at the same odds behind only the co-favorites. McIlroy famously set the Portrush course record with a 61 at age 16, while Koepka has finished first or second in each of the first three majors this year. Jon Rahm's win at the Irish Open drew some attention from bettors, as Rahm's odds fell from 20/1 to 16/1 over the weekend. That puts him alongside Tiger Woods, who opened at 12/1 after Pebble Beach and has since drifted slightly from the top spot. Here's a look at the betting odds on some of the pre-tournament favorites, with the spotlight shifting to Northern Ireland in a matter of days: 8/1: Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy 12/1: Dustin Johnson 16/1: Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm 20/1: Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose 25/1: Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood 30/1: Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen 40/1: Matt Kuchar 50/1: Henrik Stenson, Paul Casey, Graeme McDowell, Gary Woodland, Matt Wallace 60/1: Sergio Garcia, Tony Finau, Shane Lowry, Marc Leishman, Patrick Reed 80/1: Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Webb Simpson, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Rafa Cabrera-Bello 100/1: Danny Willett, Eddie Pepperell, Tyrrell Hatton 125/1: Chez Reavie, Zach Johnson, Kevin Kisner, Brandt Snedeker, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer 150/1: Scott Piercy, Abraham Ancer, Bernd Wiesberger, Daniel Berger, Sungjae Im, Russell Knox, Keegan Bradley, Thorbjorn Olesen, Alex Noren, Haotong Li, Branden Grace, Bubba Watson


Rookwood will open a new location in July inside the shopping mall's southwest wing near Nordstrom. Scripps Spelling Bee Trophy Documenation May 2019 8 The 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion will be taking home the "Scripps Cup," the first custom-designed trophy in the organization's 90-year history. It was created by Rookwood Pottery. Scripps1 The 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion will be taking home the "Scripps Cup," the first custom-designed trophy in the organization's 90-year history. It was created by Rookwood Pottery. Scripps Spelling Bee Trophy Documenation May 2019 10 The 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion will be taking home the "Scripps Cup," the first custom-designed trophy in the organization's 90-year history. It was created by Rookwood Pottery. Scripps Spelling Bee Trophy Documenation May 2019 18 The 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion will be taking home the "Scripps Cup," the first custom-designed trophy in the organization's 90-year history. It was created by Rookwood Pottery. Scripps Spelling Bee Trophy Documenation May 2019 19 The 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion will be taking home the "Scripps Cup," the first custom-designed trophy in the organization's 90-year history. It was created by Rookwood Pottery.


President Trump's proposed tariffs on Mexican imports - an effort to pressure the country to halt the flow of migrants from Central America - could constitute the biggest tax hike on American consumers in nearly three decades, according to an analysis by the Tax Foundation . The 5 percent tariff on Mexican goods is set to take effect June 10 and steadily increase until it reaches 25 percent "unless and until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens coming through its territory," according to a statement from the White House Thursday. Existing tariffs in place against Mexico would increase revenues by $69 billion, or about 0.32 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the right-leaning Tax Foundation. The 5 percent tariff would increase this figure to about 0.40 percent of GDP. Tax increases under then-President Bill Clinton in 1993 led to revenues of about 0.36 percent of GDP, according to the Tax Foundation. "The Tax Foundation model estimates that if the Trump administration imposes additional tariffs on automobiles and parts, additional tariffs on products from China, and tariffs on products from Mexico, GDP would fall by an additional 0.50 percent ($124.82 billion), resulting in 0.33 percent lower wages and 387,041 fewer full-time equivalent jobs," the foundation states. The Tax Foundation's estimates only apply to the initial 5 percent tariffs. If the White House makes good on its threats of 25 percent on all Chinese and Mexican imports, the revenues would reach 1.45 percent of GDP, a figure last reached after a 1968 tax increase, according to the Treasury Department. On Sunday, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said President Trump is "deadly serious" about following through on the Mexican tariffs


Over a quarter of the NFL teams now play in states with legal recreational marijuana. And at the moment, it's still illegal in the eyes of the NFL. Via NBCChicago.com, the Illinois House on Friday passed a plan 66-47 which will legalize the use of recreational marijuana . Governor J.B. Pritzker has already said he would sign the bill. Specifically, the law will allow Illinois residents 21 and older to buy marijuana from licensed dispensaries. That makes Illinois the 11th state to allow legal recreational marijuana, along with Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. That puts nine NFL teams within the jurisdiction of those states: The Rams, Chargers, 49ers, Raiders, Broncos, Patriots, Lions, Seahawks, and now the Bears. The Raiders are covered once they move to Las Vegas as well. The league still tests for marijuana, though those who get caught are generally guilty of something other than smoking (i.e. stupidity, since the tests are easy to beat). With players including Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Chris Long talking about marijuana openly and honestly , the stigma is beginning to fade. Whether the league takes away penalties for it with the next collective bargaining agreement or not, it's clear that attitudes about the plant are changing, one state at a time.


Editor's note: The opinions in this article are the author's, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. As Ronald Reagan might say, "There they go again." Republicans and Democrats in Congress could not agree on a financially responsible federal budget, so the latest bipartisan deal allows for another blast off in federal spending and national debt. Under the agreement, the debt ceiling rises by up to $3 trillion, meaning that our indebtedness soars further into the stratosphere toward $30 trillion in just a few years. Four decades ago, the entire national debt of the United States was less than $1 trillion. Today, it is 25 times larger. The deal also allows spending to catapult to $4.6 trillion next year, up from $3.5 trillion in 2014. That is one trillion more "cha chings" to the federal cash register in six years. Sorry, Republicans. You cannot blame this on the spendthrift Democrats. The deficit reached nearly $1.5 trillion in the early years of President Obama, before it went down but has now surged back above $1 trillion under the watch of Republicans. They controlled the House, the Senate, and the Oval Office. But government outlays financed by red ink still rose every year, and not only for "mandatory" programs like Social Security. As acting White House chief of staff and budget expert Mick Mulvaney has pointed out many times, the biggest spider in spending has been in the "discretionary" programs, which include everything from the National Endowment for the Arts to federal job training programs to transit programs. Under this deal, spending rises by $320 billion above the agreed upon spending caps over the next two years. Why did Republicans agree to that? First, because once again they have agreed to give Democrats virtually dollar for dollar what they want for social programs, in order to corral Democratic votes for more military expenditures. That is a bad compromise, and taxpayers are the losers. Second, my hunch is that, despite the sanctimonious rhetoric about balanced budgets, Republicans in Congress do not actually want to cut spending any more than Democrats do, so they did not put up a fight. The story of the return of big deficits in the last several years really boils down to an unwillingness of Republicans to enforce the hard fought spending caps they won back in 2011. These were to be backed up with automatic "sequester" spending cuts. For three years, those caps held and federal spending actually declined. But starting in 2014, the caps were pierced and without that fiscal restraint, hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending was unleashed. It has just happened again. The Republicans and the Democrats in Congress both ignored nearly every proposed spending cut that the Trump administration proposed and that White House budget director Russ Vought pushed for valiantly but futilely. Now the new deal punctures big holes in the caps, which are essentially null and void. This is the "Johnny bar the door" when it comes to ratcheting up spending. Here is just one example of the capitulation in the budget battles. Last year, the White House and many Republicans in Congress were pushing work requirements for able bodied food stamp recipients. At a time when there have been about seven million unfilled jobs, and we have the lowest unemployment rate in half a century with employers begging for willing workers, the Republicans and the White House would not insist on reforms on an issue that the vast majority of Americans agree with, which is that those on welfare who can work should work for the aid that taxpayers give them. The Government Accountability Office has discovered $150 billion or so of fraudulent and erroneous payments under Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and the earned income tax credit. Far too little has been done to stop this ripping off of taxpayers. Open The Books, a government watchdog, highlights billions of dollars of similar waste in federal agencies, yet the outrages continue year after year. The good news is that, because the economy is growing, the debt has stabilized as a share of our gross domestic product. President Trump is right about that. Growth is the first prerequisite to bringing down spending, and prosperity is generating revenues. Over the last two years, with the tax cuts, federal receipts will be up nearly $200 billion. The tax cuts clearly are not causing the spillage of red ink. The culprit is spending. There are certainly some fiscal hawks left in the Republican Party. Representatives Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan keep fighting a lonely fight for discipline. But they are outnumbered and outgunned inside their own caucus on Capitol Hill. Think about what a difference a few years makes. Republicans took over Congress in 2010 during the Tea Party era then expanded their majorities in 2014, promising to stop the spending and borrowing smorgasbord. They did at first but eventually got swallowed up by the Washington swamp. Voters are starting to wonder what happened to those fiscal hardliners as they see that, without blinking an eye or expressing any shame, Congress will approve a budget plan that extends annual budget red ink to the tune of $1 trillion a year for year after year after year. Sure, the Democratic brigades of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who now control the House, share some of the blame. They are enablers. But it is still too easy and even farcical for the Republicans to point to the Democrats when they have crumbs all over their face from the feast. As the budget keeps reaching new records of spending, the Republican argument that "the devil made us do it" seem increasingly too convenient. What is depressing is that, as bad as Republicans are on fiscal responsibility, Democrats are still worse. I recently tallied all of the spending that the Democratic candidates and other figures have proposed, and the price tag for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, reparations, minimum wage hikes, more Social Security benefits, and student loan forgiveness approaches $100 trillion over 20 years. This could eventually be the price tag we pay for Republican unwillingness to fight for fiscal sanity. Voters may simply stay home and conclude, as George Wallace once famously put it, "There ain't a dime's worth of difference between the two parties." Republicans cannot outspend the Democrats. Why do they keep trying? Stephen Moore is a distinguished visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and an economic consultant with FreedomWorks. He served as an adviser to the 2016 Donald Trump campaign. His latest book out with Arthur Laffer is "Trumponomics: Inside the America First Plan to Revive Our Economy."


SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP)   Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg faced criticism Sunday from angry residents of South Bend, Indiana, at an emotional town hall meeting a week after a white police officer fatally shot a black man in the city where he is mayor. Buttigieg (BOO'-tuh-juhj) said he would call for an outside investigation of the shooting of 54-year-old Eric Logan by Sgt. Ryan O'Neill. The 37-year-old mayor said he would send a letter to the federal Department of Justice's civil rights division and notify the local prosecutor that he'd like an independent investigator appointed. He conceded that his administration had failed on two key initiatives. "The effort to recruit more minority officers to the police department and the effort to introduce body cameras have not succeeded and I accept responsibility for that," Buttigieg said. Prosecutors investigating said that the shooting was not recorded by O'Neill's body camera. The town hall grew contentious when some community members questioned whether the mayor had done enough to reform the police department in the city of 100,000 people, which is about a quarter black. "Get the people that are racist off the streets," one woman in the audience said. "Reorganize your department. You can do that by Friday." Buttigieg left the campaign trail for several days to deal with the reaction to the shooting, holding a late night news conference, meeting with the family of the man killed and addressing a protest rally where he was heckled by some in the crowd. The June 16 shooting happened after O'Neill responded to a call about a suspicious person going through vehicles, a prosecutor investigating the case said. O'Neill spotted Logan leaning inside a car. When confronted, Logan approached O'Neill with a 6- to 8-inch knife raised over his head, the prosecutor said. O'Neill fired twice, with the other shot hitting a car door. Violence flared again in South Bend early Sunday when a shooting at a pub left a Michigan man dead. Police identified the man as Brandon Williams, 27, of Niles, Michigan. Another 10 people suffered gunshot injuries in South Bend Sunday, the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit said. Five of the wounded remained in hospital in stable condition later Sunday. County Sheriff William Redmond said his officers assisted South Bend police in controlling a crowd of more than 100 "upset and angry citizens" who came from the pub to the hospital where the wounded were taken. It was not immediately clear what prompted the shooting. Asked after the town hall meeting about the latest shootings, Buttigieg described them as a "reversal" after progress in curbing violence in South Bend earlier this year and in 2018. Buttigieg had surged from obscurity to become a top-tier candidate in a crowded Democratic presidential field. But he has struggled to connect with minority voters. The white mayor has had a sometimes-tense relationship with the black community dating back to his first term in office, when he fired the city's first black police chief. He has also faced criticism for his handling of police misconduct cases, including a case involving an officer who was twice disciplined for civil rights violations but not fired, and for not having a police department that reflects South Bend's diversity. The police department is almost 90 percent white. In the wake of the shooting, Buttigieg called on his police chief to remind officers to have their body cameras on at all times when they are engaging with citizens. ___ AP writer Sara Burnett in Chicago contributed to this story.


Joe Biden was slammed as a closet opponent of reproductive rights for all after his campaign confirmed Wednesday that he supports a pro-life measure that bars federal medical spending on abortion. In one of the first signs of sparks flying in Democratic primary fight, rivals lined up to call for repeal of the measure that mostly affects access to abortion services by poor women, a key Democratic constituency. "When it comes to supporting American women .... @JoeBiden is Dr. Jekyll," Bill de Blasio said. Minutes later, Hizzoner had to walk back the literary reference as Dr. Jekyll was the good guy and Mr. Hyde was the evil alter ego in the 1800′s thriller. "I will start by saying, we sent out a tweet and we flipped our meaning, so I'm going to correct our tweet, and say this: when it comes to protecting the rights of American women on issues like the Hyde Amendment, Joe Biden is not Dr. Jekyll, he's Mr. Hyde," the mayor said during an unrelated press conference. "He is absolutely wrong on this. And it's shocking to me that he's doubling down on the Hyde Amendment, which has been discredited among Democrats and progressives for decades. I don't see how someone who supports the Hyde Amendment can possibly be the Democratic nominee, I think it's as simple as that. Because I think millions and millions of American women will feel betrayed. And if women feel betrayed, a Democrat is not going to win back the White House. I think he's making a huge mistake." The relatively obscure issue came up out of the blue when NBC News did a broader story on Biden's evolution on abortion rights, which mirrors his trek to the left from his onetime position as a moderate Democrat. Biden voted for the Hyde Amendment when it originally passed in 1977. But it was not clear until now that he maintained that support. The uncertainty was exacerbated by an apparent gaffe by Biden on the campaign trail. When recently asked about the Hyde Amendment by a supporter, Biden said "It can't stay," according to The Hill. His campaign later told the news site that Biden was referring to a separate policy that bars use of U.S. foreign aid for family planning services overseas. Abortion rights is bubbling up as a key issue in the crowded Democratic primary race where many of the 24 candidates are trying to stand out from the crowd by taking firmest possible stances on various issues. Liberals, women and minority voters are fuming as red states like Alabama, Louisiana and Missouri pass draconian anti-choice laws. They fear the conservative-controlled Supreme Court may move to overturn Roe v. Wade, the seminal decision on abortion rights. Kirsten Gillibrand is seeking to position herself as the most strident feminist in the field. She made a name for herself by being the first prominent Democrat to call for Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota) to resign over #MeToo allegations and blasted Fox News last week as a pro-life propaganda network. Kamala Harris also attacked the Hyde Amendment, saying "no woman's access to reproductive health care should be based on how much money she has." Bernie Sanders also tweeted #NoMiddleGround on abortion, an oblique reference to Biden's perceived position as a moderate in the race. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas.) have released pro-choice plans including calls to scrap the Hyde Amendment. Notably, de Blasio is the only rival to attack Biden by name. The issue may be the first of several mini-fracases in which the Democratic field seeks to chip away at Biden's early lead in the race. Although he is well-liked and revered by Democrats as Barack Obama's vice president, Biden has a history as a poor campaigner and some believe his support will crumble in the heat of battle. Biden may be especially vulnerable to attacks from the left as he is trying to portray himself as a more electable opponent to President Trump and also has a lengthy track record in the Senate.


NASHVILLE   Mother Megan Fox didn't know her hoverboard might explode, but Amazon did . Now, a federal appellate court says the nation's largest online retailer may well have to shell out damages for a fire that trapped Fox's children , forced them to leap from a second-story window and destroyed the family's $1 million home. Amazon knew the hoverboards   skateboard-like devices powered by a battery pack   being peddled by Chinese manufacturers on its website during the 2015 Christmas shopping season were exploding, the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled last week. The court ruled Amazon quietly stopped hoverboard sales after its investigation yielded proof of the fire danger but never told Fox or the 250,000 other buyers that season. Instead, Amazon sent a vaguely worded email about "news reports of safety issues" with products containing lithium-ion batteries, the court stated. The email did not tell purchasers about what Amazon had done to determine whether the hoverboards were dangerous, that its investigation discovered the risk of fire or explosion or that the retailer has stopped all hoverboard sales worldwide, the opinion says. From 2017: Hoverboards recalled for fire and explosion risks   again AR goggles: FORM is sorta like Google Glass, but for swimming Children forced to jump from second story of home Fox bought a hoverboard via Amazon's "marketplace" of third-party sellers in November 2015 as a gift for her son, Matthew. A lawsuit the Fox family later filed says she had no idea it was dangerous. On Jan. 9, 2016, the hoverboard caught fire inside the Fox family's home on Radcliff Drive near Edwin Warner Park in Nashville, trapping Matthew and his sister, Hailey, on the second floor of the 4,000-square-foot home. Their father, Charles Fox, was on his way home when the fire broke out and arrived to find the house ablaze. "He frantically searched for a way to enter the home, but the intensity of the fire prevented him from getting inside," the opinion stated. "He then heard Hailey banging on a second-floor window. At his instruction, Hailey broke the window, and jumped out. "He attempted to break her fall," the opinion stated. "He then heard Matthew banging on another second-floor window. Again, at his instruction, Matthew broke the window, and jumped out." The fire destroyed the home, and investigators ruled the hoverboard and its battery pack was the cause. Amazon: Not our problem Amazon insisted it owed no duty to the Fox family. The fault, Amazon said, rested with the Chinese manufacturer responsible for the faulty battery pack and the Chinese "third-party seller" that advertised the device on Amazon's website. A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in Nashville sided with Amazon and tossed out the family's lawsuit. The Foxes appealed to the 6th Circuit, which handles federal appeals for Tennessee and three neighboring states. The appellate court ruled Amazon might have prevailed in laying blame on the hoverboard maker if the online retailer hadn't tried to cover itself legally with that vague email on "safety issues." "The third-party seller and manufacturer of Plaintiff Megan Fox's hoverboard, to whom (the Foxes) might otherwise look for compensation, appear to be judgment-proof and unknown respectively," the court stated. "(But Amazon) chose to send the December 12, 2015, email to Plaintiff Megan Fox, and in doing so plainly sought to warn her of the dangers posed by the hoverboard." "And (Amazon) just as plainly recognized the warning as necessary for the protection of Plaintiff Megan Fox, a third party, or their things," the court ruled. "The body of the email also specifically requested that the recipient 'pass along this information' to the proper person if the hoverboard was purchased for someone else. "Given that Defendant assumed a duty to act, there remain genuine issues of material fact regarding whether Defendant breached that duty and whether any breach caused Plaintiffs physical harm." Court: Amazon kept quiet Amazon received 17 complaints of hoverboard fires and explosions in November 2015, according to the lawsuit. The online retailer launched an internal investigation that revealed the lithium-ion battery packs on the devices were faulty. "For instance, on November 30, 2015, a customer sent an email to Defendant's CEO, Jeff Bezos, informing Bezos that a hoverboard the customer had purchased had burst into flames while his daughter was riding it," the opinion stated. Damon Jones, Amazon's product safety manager, concluded "the entire product category of hoverboards was bad" and recommended Amazon stop selling them. Jones, the opinion said, was so worried he got rid of his own hoverboard. By mid-December, Amazon had stopped all hoverboard sales on its website. At that point, Amazon knew that approximately 250,000 hoverboards had been sold on its marketplace in the previous 30 days, the opinion stated, and that about 25% had yet to be delivered. Additionally, the company knew that a majority of those hoverboards would remain unopened until after the holiday season, the court said. Rather than warn purchasers of the fire danger or issue a recall, Amazon quietly geared up for a slew of Christmas fire complaints, the opinion stated, summoning extra workers for that task. It was only after the Foxes' home burned that Amazon began issuing refunds to hoverboard buyers. It only did so at the urging of the U.S. Product Safety Commission, which ordered a recall of 500,000 of the devices in 2016. The ruling means the Foxes can now try to seek damages from Amazon, which generated roughly $142 billion in product sales in 2018 and collected $13 billion in fees from third-party sellers in a single quarter in 2018. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Amazon may have to pay damages for house fire caused by faulty hoverboard, court says


The choices you make can benefit you and salon employees. Recent reports in The New York Times may have you rethinking your weekly manicure. Causing much of the outcry are heath concerns for salon employees side effects listed include miscarriages, respiratory problems from breathing fumes and even cancer and those dangers could hit even closer to home. Nail technicians aren't the only ones experiencing adverse side effects: "Short term exposure is still exposure," says Donna Perillo, the owner of Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa & Boutique in New York. "When you are exposed to these kind of chemicals, they never leave your body. Once you absorb something like formaldehyde, it goes into your cells and it doesn't come out." But what can you do? Turns out, a lot. Change to Make: Find a Green Nail Salon Perillo and other nail polish enthusiasts have slowly added an alternative, green nail salons, to the mix, creating safe, non-toxic havens for themselves, employees and clients who believe that health and beauty shouldn't be mutually exclusive. "I have been a nail technician for 10 years and I became allergic working in salons and I couldn't do it anymore," says Jenny Duranski, the owner of Noktivo Nail Spa. Opening her salon was very much to create the ideal work environment for herself as well as a healthy option for her clients. But Chicago, where Noktivo is located, wasn't necessarily ready for the appeal of a non-toxic salon seven years ago, says Duranski. "We've definitely attracted a mentality of people caring about the chemicals they put into their bodies. But there's still a huge educational curve." Change to Make: Look For 5-Free Polish 5-free nail polishes, which ban formaldehyde, formaldehyde resins, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and camphor, have been around for years with Zoya being the first non-toxic formula in 1986. What was once a wellness junkie-buy is gaining the attention it deserves. Look to any major brand, like Essie and OPI, and they're 5-free. Mintel's Nail Color and Care US 2015 report found that 67 percent of its respondents reported interest in using natural brands that offer chemical-free, or at least, low-chemical polishes (all polish must have some chemicals to even adhere to the nail). So making the switch is easy in fact, you may already have made it. Change to Make: Bring Your Own Tools But the danger in salons doesn't end with non-toxic polish. Dermatologist Dr. Dana Stern, M.D., one of the only nail specialists in the country (90 percent of her practice is nail related) cites salon practices which cause both trauma and infections as major health concerns. "These salons are working under major economic duress because there are so many of them, and when time is money, compromises are made to clients' health." The main compromises: reusing tools and breaking sanitation protocols. Natural salons provide their customers with their own tools and sanitize with care. "I buy my disinfectant products from a dental distributor," says Perillo. "My cousin is a dentist and I consulted with him on the right practices." At Sweet Lily her technicians use Diamancel nail files ($28) and metal versions of the orange sticks so that both can be sterilized. Buffers, which cannot be sterilized, are only used once. Not the case in your local salon? "I always tell my patients, 'you need to put your health into your own hands,'" says Dr. Stern. "You need to bring your own tools." And if your nearby salon doesn't offer 5-free polish, bring that as well. Change to Make: Skip the Acrylics Both Perillo and Duranski don't offer gel manis or acrylics to prevent debris and fumes in the air. Dr. Stern recommends all of her patients avoid salons with acrylics on the menu, especially. "When you file artificial nails, it creates a lot of particle pollution that can be inhaled and go into your eyes," says Dr. Stern. Acetone, which is mandatory to remove gel, will also release fumes. Change to Make: Do Your Research Bottom line: women shouldn't be afraid to go to salons. "That's the last thing anybody wants," says Duranski. Even if you can't find a salon that promises a strictly natural service, you can find the second best thing. How so? Look to the overall appearance of the salon. Does it look clean? Are the technicians' licenses displayed, and if so, do the photos match up and are they up to date? Is the salon well ventilated? Do the nail technicians wash their hands after every client? "This may sound simple, but I have almost never seen anybody wash their hands," says Dr. Stern. Change to Make: Spread the Word While we're all looking to change, it may take some time to get there. "Right now it's extremely expensive to be green," says Duranski. But that might not be the case for much longer. "With more consumer demand, it will drive down our product charges and in turn, the cost to consumers." Spread the word for change with the hashtag she launched, #handlewithcare. Pippa Lord, a Brooklyn native and the founder of Sous Style, wants the industry to know that women are willing to pay more for better service and treatment of employees. "It's not about a pay increase for the sake of it. It's about raising the bar."


Bayview , Dogpatch , Embarcadero , Mission Bay , Visitacion Valley After a two-month stint earlier this year, Muni's T-Third rail line is once again going bus-only, this time for 10 days. Starting this Saturday, May 25, and continuing through Sunday, June 2, trains will go dark on the line as crews work to install "platform amenities" for the line's revamped UCSF Mission Bay station (on 3rd Street between South and 16th streets). The work requires Muni to deactivate the power lines that support the trains, making it impossible for them to operate. The T-Third line has been in upheaval this year, as the UCSF Mission Bay station undergoes the demolition and replacement of its platforms in order to accommodate Golden State Warriors fans at the forthcoming Chase Center , set to open in September. When the UCSF Mission Bay station reopens, it will have one 320-foot platform that can hold up to 700 travelers at one time, allowing four two-car trains to stop simultaneously for events at the Chase Center. During the 10-day bus substitution, passengers will be able to board buses at curbside stops near the train platforms between Sunnydale and Embarcadero, the SFMTA said. K-Ingleside trains will only travel between Balboa Park and Embarcadero stations, while the E-Embarcadero will go offline. Third Street will remain open to through traffic, but drivers should expect delays and longer travel times near the construction zone. Even after the bus substitution ends, the UCSF Mission Bay station will not return to service just yet. "The new platform is anticipated to open in late June," SFMTA spokesperson Erica Kato tells Hoodline. Once it opens, new platform will also need to undergo additional testing in July, necessitating yet another T-Third bus substitution. But "that's only anticipated to last one weekend," Kato said.


The Golden State Warriors look a little different these days. Kevin Durant is gone, Andre Iguodala is no longer there, DeMarcus Cousins left, Shaun Livingston was waived and Klay Thompson is expected to miss the majority of the 2019-20 season with a torn ACL. Newcomers D'Angelo Russell, Glenn Robinson III and Willie Cauley-Stein will try to help Stephen Curry keep the Warriors competitive in the brutal Western Conference. To add to the team's thin wing depth, the Warriors will bring back young Damion Lee on a two-way deal , and he should have a big opportunity to provide some depth and develop beyond his limited role from the previous season. According to The Athletic: D'Angelo Russell plugs the vacant starting slot, but the departures of Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston blast open the doors for any wing capable of providing any help. Lee played in 32 games in his first season with the Warriors averaging 4.9 points and two rebounds. He played 11.7 minutes per game and he shot 39.7 percent from deep. He did average 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 15 games with 11 starts as a rookie with the Atlanta Hawks in 2017-18. With all of the changes happening around him on the Warriors roster, coach Steve Kerr will have to turn to a guy like Lee to give the Warriors some production on the floor. MORE: Jordan Crawford says Nike still owes him $500 for his legendary dunk on LeBron Steven Jackson gets random drug test from NFL after signing 1-day contract Biggest winners from the first week of Packers training camp Winners and losers from first week of Raiders training camp MLB World Series Power Rankings Following the Trade Deadline


THE NATIONAL HIGH school graduation rate sits at 84.6%, with average state graduation rates for 2016-2017 ranging from 72% to 94%, according to data reported by 16,404 ranked schools in the 2019 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings. As the national high school graduation rate continues to rise   up 0.5 percentage points over the prior year per data from the National Center for Education Statistics   disparities persist as the graduation rates for Asian and Pacific Islanders and white students continue to outpace the graduation rates of Hispanic, black, Native American and Alaska Native students, according to NCES. Likewise, graduation rates among students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students are on the rise, while the graduation rate for students with limited English proficiency fell 0.4 percentage points over the prior year. The map below shows the average graduation rate for each state. Arizona and New Mexico have the lowest average graduation rates at 72%, while Iowa , Kentucky and Nebraska have the highest at 94%. U.S. News collected graduation rates for the Best High Schools rankings from officials in each state. The rates correspond to the 2017 graduation cohort, which is made up of students who entered ninth grade in the 2013-2014 school year. The number of schools that reported graduation rate data in each state ranges from 30 in the District of Columbia to 1,578 in California . While no state had a 100% average graduation rate, some individual schools reached 100% for the class of 2017. Texas has the highest number of schools with a 100% graduation rate by a large margin   269 schools   followed by North Carolina with 67 schools. There are seven states where no high schools graduated 100% of students, according to the data collected for the 2019 rankings. Find more information on the top high schools in each state , and explore data on graduation rates, test scores for state-mandated exams and college placement exams, student-teacher ratios and more on school profile pages on usnews.com. See the complete Best High Schools rankings.


For the third straight day, passengers traveling on the MBTA's Red Line are facing a tough morning commute. The problems began Tuesday morning when a Red Line train derailed and smashed into traffic signaling equipment near the JFK/UMass MBTA station. Since then trains on the Red Line have had to operate at reduced speeds and passengers on the Braintree branch have been forced to get off at JFK/UMass and board different trains to get into the city. As a result, large crowds have been forming on the platforms at JFK/UMass during the morning rush hour as commuters wait for inbound trains to arrive. The electronic countdown clocks that usually show train arrival times have also not been working. Laura Ingle, 66, of Braintree, was one of the many commuters who had to switch trains at JFK/UMass on Thursday morning. She said her family doesn't want her riding the train anymore because of the derailments that have happened in recent months. "I don't feel safe riding the train anymore," she said. "My family's begging me to retire just to get off the train." Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Steve Poftak said Red Line riders should expect delays to continue through at least Friday, while investigators figure out how to fix the equipment that was damaged by the car that derailed on Tuesday. In light of the delays, MBTA officials said Red Line riders can use the commuter rail to get to South Station. All they have to do is show a CharlieCard or CharlieTicket to board a commuter rail train. MBTA officials also set up a website to provide information and updates on the situation. "Red Line trains will continue to travel slowly through some stations, due to the location of the derailment," the website states. On the Ashmont branch, "Red Line service has resumed, but is operating at reduced service levels," the website states. "Please plan extra time for your commute." MBTA officials said the damage caused by the derailment has impacted how they track the trains, the GPS system and related apps, and the countdown clocks on the Red Line. The derailed train car damaged some sheds that house hardware for the signal system that gives trains permission to pass through stations and continue down the track. Until repairs are made, people at the MBTA's operations control center will be manually monitoring the trains, the website states. "While we work to repair and rebuild our signal bungalows, we will continue to provide you with up-to-date travel planning information as it's available both here on our website and on our Twitter account," the website states. "We know that this is inconvenient, and we appreciate your patience while our crews work to repair the Red Line tracks and signals damaged by this event." Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com . Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney .


In search of a favorite New American spot? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best high-end New American restaurants around Fort Worth, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to fill the bill. 1. Grace Topping the list is Grace . Located downtown at 777 Main St., it is the highest-rated high-end New American restaurant in Fort Worth, boasting 4.5 stars out of 322 reviews on Yelp. In the words of Grace's website , "Executive Chef Blaine Staniford takes a modern approach to American classics, creating sophisticated dishes that emphasize purity, simplicity and seasonal flavors." Enjoy items such as white asparagus risotto, tempura squash blossom, charcoal-grilled cabbage, arctic cod and capellini pasta from one of the chef's tasting menus , followed by a Texas strawberry tart for dessert. 2. Reata Next up is Reata , situated at 310 Houston St. in downtown Fort Worth. With four stars out of 773 reviews on Yelp, the steakhouse and New American spot has proven to be a local favorite for those looking to indulge. Known for "legendary Texas cuisine," Reata offers full brunch, lunch and dinner menus, serving true Texas-inspired dishes such as fried quail and waffles, tumbleweed onion rings, tenderloin tamales with pecan mash and an assortment of steaks. 3. Clay Pigeon Food & Drink Linwood's Clay Pigeon Food & Drink , located at 2731 White Settlement Road, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the fancy American joint 4.5 stars out of 151 reviews. With a constantly changing menu that showcases seasonal ingredients, Clay Pigeon makes as much as possible from scratch, from fresh house-made charcuterie and bread to ice cream and more. 4. Bonnells Restaurant Bonnells Restaurant , a steakhouse and New American spot, is another well-loved, pricey go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 149 Yelp reviews. Head over to 4259 Bryant Irvin Road to give it a go for yourself. Bonnells lets guests experience its "award-winning farm-to-table philosophy in cuisine that exhibits regional style with spices that fuse Southwestern, Creole and Mexican influences," according to the restaurant's website . Look for menu items like pecan-crusted redfish and quail and mushroom pasta. 5. The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro At last, check out The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro , which has earned four stars out of 421 reviews on Yelp. Treat yourself at the New American spot by heading over to 2406 N. Main St. The menu includes a range of unique Texas-inspired dishes such as lobster hush puppies and rabbit-rattlesnake sausage, along with an array of steak cuts. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


News headlines might lead you to believe that millennials are striking out on a growing list of financial accomplishments: homeownership, paying off student loans   not to mention summoning the will to resist high-end coffee or avocado toast. When it comes to investing, they might have a point. Investment firm TD Ameritrade surveyed 1,519 people ages 21-37 in 2018 and found that only 50% said they invest   including in their retirement accounts. But, surprisingly, investing is likely one of the easier financial goals to meet. In just a few steps, millennials can set the stage for investing, get their first investing accounts going, then look to bigger investing goals. Set the foundation Before you think about jumping into the stock market or other forms of investing, make sure your financial foundation is sound. "Investing is great, but if you have something else that money could be doing to get your overall financial picture in shape, do that first," says Katrina Welker, a New York-based certified financial planner. "Get your budget under control and a regular savings habit established." Get a handle on these three factors before you start investing: High-interest debt payments: Pay down high-interest debts , like credit cards or a payday loan. Consolidating debt at a lower interest rate can speed up payoff. You want the power of compounding interest to work for you, not against you. When you invest, you're earning interest on the money you put in, which raises the amount you have. Then you earn more interest on that amount. With high-interest debts, it's just the opposite. Savings: Build up an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses so you don't have to withdraw money from investments. Education: Research different approaches to investing and how to best succeed at them. Also understand your timeline; any amount you'd need within five years may be better off in a high-yield savings account or CD. The rate of return won't be as high, but you're protected from locking in a big loss if you need to pull out of your investment to get your money when the market's in a slump. Start with the essential investment "Probably the easiest place to start investing is through your employer retirement plan ," Welker says. Take advantage of the decades you have before retirement. By investing 10% to 15% of your income into your retirement account over many years, compounding interest and market returns will likely generate a sizable nest egg. Here are two common retirement account options: 401(k): Offered by many employers, money is taken directly from your pay and put into an account. Employers often offer to match a portion of what you contribute, which is free money. Traditional or Roth IRA: An individual retirement account lets you contribute on your terms. The difference between the two is how and when you get a tax break. Contributions to a traditional IRA may be tax-deductible in the year they're made. With a Roth IRA, withdrawals in retirement are tax-free. Next-level investments Whether you want to start investing spare change or want to dive into researching and trading stocks, know your goal   and how you want to get there. "Being ready to invest is a mindset, and it depends on what you want out of it," says Heather Townsend, a certified financial planner in Scottsdale, Arizona. "Understand that if you do want to invest, you have to know that the market can have big upswings and downswings. Are you willing to take that risk for the upside?" There are two main paths: DIY or with the help of a portfolio management service. DIY: Do-it-yourself investing can take many shapes. Two common options are online brokers and apps. Online brokers require a more hands-on approach to managing a portfolio online, while apps do most of the work for you. While there are a variety of apps that invest spare change, like Acorns, don't expect them to yield big earnings, Welker says. "Especially early on, if you want to set up an account and dabble and play, the apps are fine. But if you're more serious about it, find a portfolio you can invest it," she says. Automated portfolio management: Often in the form of robo-advisors, automated portfolio management uses algorithms to build and manage your investment portfolio. You set your parameters, including timeline and risk tolerance, and the robo-advisor generally takes care of the rest. These tools can be a quick way to start investing without doing all the legwork yourself. This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press. More From NerdWallet What Is Debt Consolidation, and Should I Consolidate? How to Build a Budget IRA: Your Complete Guide Sean Pyles is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: spyles@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SeanPyles. The article Take Heart, Millennials   Investing Is Within Your Reach originally appeared on NerdWallet.


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) The Tampa Bay Rays' losing streak is now five games and they now face the likely task of trying to end it without Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Keirmaier. Yoan Moncada scored the winning run from first base on a single in the 11th inning and the Chicago White Sox beat the Rays 2-1 on Saturday night. James McCann's home run off Emilio Pagan had tied the game with two outs in the top of the ninth. ''Ultra-frustrating,'' Pagan said. ''I'm happy with the pitch. It just didn't go our way again but we can't keep using that same excuse. We've got to find a way to come out on top. This is getting pretty bad, pretty quick.'' The loss dropped the Rays 10 games behind the AL East-leading New York Yankees. Moncada drew a walk off Adam Kolarek (3-3) to lead off the 11th, and sprinted around the bases when Jose Abreu punched a hit-and-run single into right field off Chaz Roe. ''Unbelievable hustle play by Moncada,'' McCann said. ''I used to do that in Cuba. I don't remember a play like that here in the U.S.,'' Moncada said through a translator. ''I broke on that pitch to steal a base. When Abreu hit the ball, I just said I need to run here. That was how the play unfolded.'' Jace Fry (2-4) got the win in relief, and Alex Colome pitched the 11th for his 21st save in 22 attempts. Kiermaier, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth, left after injuring his left hand while beating out an infield single with a head-first slide. The Rays called the injury a left thumb sprain and will take an MRI exam Sunday morning. Kiermaier missed much of last season with torn ligaments in his right hand, fractured his right hip in 2017 and broke his left wrist in 2016. Avisail Garcia led off the Tampa Bay seventh with a long home run off Lucas Giolito to break a scoreless tie. His first homer since June 29 struck a banner over the upper deck above left field at Tropicana Field. It was his 13th of the season. ''I'll take a solo homer, especially with the state of the game right now,'' said Giolito, who struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings while giving up seven hits and one walk. ''There's a lot of homers hit, and I'd rather give up a solo than have something happen (after) I let those two guys get on the previous inning.'' Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough, who pitched six perfect innings of relief Sunday at Baltimore before giving up a ninth-inning single, was perfect through the first four innings again Saturday. McCann, who entered the game on a 1-for-20 stretch, led off the fifth with a clean single, Chicago's first hit and one of only two off Yarbrough in six innings. Giolito had one of his best starts since making the AL All-Star team by winning eight straight starts in May and early June. ''Good battle, zero-zero for most of the game,'' he said. The White Sox, who came into the series on a seven-game losing streak, have clinched their first series victory on the road since June 7-9 at Kansas City. The Rays are 2 for 32 with runners in scoring position during their skid. CHANGES Rays manager Kevin Cash tweaked his lineup by having 1B Ji-Man Choi hit leadoff for the first time in his major league career, and Garcia made his first regular-season start in center field since 2013. ''We're trying to get something to spark us,'' Cash said. Through a translator, Choi said he was ''surprised,'' while Garcia had ''1,000 percent'' confidence in playing center. TRAINER'S ROOM White Sox: RHP Kelvin Herrera was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Thursday with a right oblique strain. ... SS Tim Anderson (right ankle sprain) will be evaluated in Chicago on Monday before going on a rehab assignment. ... OF Eloy Jimenez (right ulnar nerve contusion) is waiting for the inflammation to go down before resuming baseball activities. Rays: RHP Ryne Stanek was placed on the 10-day injured list due to nagging right hip soreness. Cash is hopeful that the reliever-opener will have a short stint on the IL. ... Roe (right flexor strain) was reinstated from the 10-day IL. UP NEXT RHP Dylan Chase (1-1) will make his third career start for the White Sox on Sunday against LHP Blake Snell (5-7) in the series finale. ---- More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports


Manthey Racing Porsche is leading the Nurburgring 24 Hours after six hours, after Kevin Estre took the lead with a bizarre overtake on the Black Falcon Mercedes. Polesitter Maro Engel took the lead in what was a frantic first stint around the legendary 25 kilometre long track. Engel had to fight off both the Manthey Racing Porsches before losing the lead after the first stint, only to regain it because of a flat tire for the #1 Manthey Porsche of Frederic Makowiecki, Richard Lietz, Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy. The race settled in the following hours but the #911 brought some fire back into the race after Kevin Estre took over the car from Laurens Vanthoor. The French driver closed the gap from almost twenty seconds to Dirk Müller and passed the German with a gutsy move on the Dottinger Hohe. Maximilian Götz was the second Mercedes on the six hour mark with the #48 Mann-Filter car. Sven Müller was the fastest of the Frikadelli cars in fourth with the lone Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus of Thomas Mutsch, Felipe Fernandez-Laser, Franck Mailleux and Andreas Simonsen. The best Audi in the race was in sixth place after six hours with Frederic Vervisch in the #6 Team Phoenix car. Black Falcon had a total of three cars in the top ten after the first six hours with the #6 of Patrick Assenheimer, Yelmer Buurman, Nico Bastian and Gabriele Piana in seventh place, just in front of the sister car driven bij Thomas Jäger, Hubert Haupt, Maxi Buhk and Luca Stolz. 2016-winneers Audi Sport Team Land were in ninth place while GetSpeed Performance rounded out the top ten after six hours. Early drama for BMW Plenty of disaster for BMW in the opening quarter of the race, with four of the main protagonists out of the race early. The #101 Walkenhorst BMW of Christian Krognes was an early victim after it hit trouble. The car moved up to fourth after the first set of pitstops, but pulled off halfway in it's second stint with suspension problems. Problems also struck for both of the ROWE Racing cars. The #99 M6 GT3 pulled out in the early stages after a collision with another car, the impact broke some essential parts of the suspension which could not be fixed. At the end of the third hour the #98 ROWE BMW driven by Mikkel Jensen also retired following a collision which caused damage to the cooling system of the car. Timo Scheiders chances of Green Hell-victory gone up in smoke when he was hit in the back by a TCR Hyundai which caused a massive crash for the former DTM champion. One other notable retirement in the first six hours of the race was a spectacular looking fire of the #55 Ferrari 488 GT3.


NEW CASTLE   Andrew Cuomo is marching his way out of Westchester but first he marched in the local Memorial Day parade. The New York state governor's girlfriend, TV star Sandra Lee, is selling the New Castle house she shares with Cuomo with the couple intending to move out of the county. But Cuomo, a Democrat, marched alongside Bill and Hillary Clinton today in the annual parade in the town that also includes the tony hamlet of Chappaqua where the former president and secretary of state live. "We still have a lot of men and women who are serving, putting their lives in harm's way and this is this chance for every American to respect that, community by community," Cuomo told reporters. "And that's what's nice about this parade, it's community by community." Former President Bill Clinton said the event made him think of four high school classmates of his who died in Vietnam. "And then thinking of all the people that I sent around the world to defend our freedom, our interests, our values," Clinton said. "It's something   this is an important holiday...Every American needs to observe it." Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state said it was an important tradition to honor everyone who made "the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom.." "And to do it where we live with our friends and neighbors makes it very special," she said The parade was one of a few dozen Memorial Day observances scheduled in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam. Also on Monday in the Bronx, during the seventh inning stretch of a game between the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, the Yankees honored Louis Forte, a 104-year-old World War II veteran who lives in Somers. The Yankees recognize veterans in the middle of the seventh inning and play "God Bless America." The Clintons and Cuomo have participated in the New Castle parade and other events over the years as residents of the town. Lee paid $1.2 million in 2008 for a six-bedroom Colonial on 3 acres at 4 Bittersweet Lane. Lee listed the house for sale earlier this month with an asking price of $2 million, with Cuomo saying his daughters moving out was the catalyst for the sale. Both the governor and Lee denied rumors of a breakup, with Lee telling The New York Times the couple will split time between Manhattan, Albany and the Hamptons on Long Island. The Clintons have lived locally since Bill Clinton ended his term as president in 2000. It was the couple's address as Hillary Clinton served as U.S. senator and secretary of state and while she twice ran for president. 35 PHOTOS: Nyack Memorial Day parade and ceremony 2019 This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Andrew Cuomo, Clintons march in New Castle Memorial Day parade


The grounds are new and improved. The contenders are seasoned and familiar. The Big Three haven't been pushed. The Big One (Serena Williams) was dispatched by Sonya Kenin. Youth has been served; but so has age. Speaking of clashing and contrasts fitting, in the fashion capital of the world  the attire cleaves opinion . We are halfway through the French Open. Both defending champs, Rafa Nadal and Simona Halep, remain. Roger Federer's return to Paris has thus far been an overhead smash. Naomi Osaka's Major streak has been halted at one. We've had sweat, tears and precious little controversy. Herewith your Week One midterm grades: A: Trophy hunters: Nadal, Djokovic, Federer 50 Majors among them  remain in the hunt. Great stat (h/t Joshua Rey): Since 2015, the top eight men's seeds are 80-0 in their first two matches at Roland Garros. Court Simonne Mathieu: Just an absolute gem. It's like stumbling across an intimate sports venue tucked into a botanical garden. The most obvious of many enhancements that have really enlivened and improved Roland Garros as, not coincidentally, the 2024 Olympics loom. Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza: Either winning with ease or fighting. Two former champs playing themselves into position for another. Americans of Russian extraction: Sonya Kenin takes down Serena Williams in round three 6-2, 7-5. And Amanda Anisimova moved into week two of the second straight Major. Serbia: Population 7 million and four players in the round of 16. (China, India and the U.S.: combined population of 3 billion and zero men in round three.) Juan Ignacio Londero: In his first Major event, Londero not only reached the middle weekend, but now has a date against Nadal. Stan Wawrinka: Former champion is playing A-level tennis. And there's this sleight of hand . Katerina Siniakova: Czech slugger scores a career win, taking down world No.1 Naomi Osaka in the biggest upset of the tournament so far. Speaking of Czech women … Lucie Safarova: Czech veteran calls it a career. If affection from fans and colleagues were Majors titles, she'd be a lock for the Hall of Fame. Katie Swan: Good for her. Part of a growing number of players who are speaking openly about and thereby destigmatizing mental health. B+: Tommy Paul: Young American wild card does himself proud, pushing Dominic Thiem in round one. But he won't soon forget leading 4-0 in a fourth-set tiebreaker and then retreating. B: Pierre-Hugues Herbert: Scores a considerable upset against 12-seed Daniil Medvedev in round one, coming back from two sets down. Then loses to Benoit Paire 11-9 in the fifth set. Venus Williams: Drops her first rounder against Elina Svitolina, a rough initial opponent (which is the risk, when you're ranked outside the top-32 DMZ line). But this marked Venus' 82nd Major. And she came on court toting a bag designed by former colleague Urszula Radwanska, supporting the WTA sisterhood. Withdrawals: We heard multiple stories of physically compromised players flying to Paris in one case using air miles getting declared unfit to play, and then departing with half of their first-round prize money, roughly $60,000. It beats the alternative of having injured players take the court with no ambition of winning, often retiring after a few games. But in 2019, is it really necessary to make the injured players appear on-site to deem them unfit to play? Send a scan. Interview the player via Skype. Brad Gilbert: Pity his beloved Warriors lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But it's great to see that his collegial fondness for Tennis Channel continues and he's enjoying watching the coverage from Paris. C: Angie Kerber: She gets points for giving it a go and trying to play. But, slowed by a bum ankle, she loses a few hours into the tournament. The career Slam remains elusive. Kiki Bertens: No fault of her own, of course, but what a disappointment. A true contender to win had to retire from her second match because of sickness. American men: it didn't help that John Isner and Sam Querrey didn't post nor that Jack Sock once a creditable clay courter is outside the top 100. But another collectively miserable showing in Paris. The lone win was Taylor Fritz beating a vaguely engaged Bernard Tomic. Canada: Maybe it's karmic counterbalance for the Raptors. But the Canadians struggled mightily this week. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic failed to post on account of injury. Denis Shapovalov lost in round one. Bianca Andreescu won a match and then withdrew with a shoulder injury. F: This ogre: One advantage to these movie studios we all have in our pockets: whether it's cheaters in college tennis or misanthropes like this, we can name and shame. Speaking of: Line calls in college tennis: I wrote this in passing last week and struck by the responses from you guys including several in person which distilled to: "This isn't just a problem; it's an epidemic." Related slideshow: Best of the 2019 French Open (provided by imagn)


Looking for a yummy Brazilian meal near you? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top Brazilian spots around Miami, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to satisfy your cravings. 1. Steak Brasil Churrascaria Topping the list is Steak Brasil Churrascaria . Located at 190 S.E. First Ave. downtown, the steakhouse and Brazilian spot, which offers desserts and more, is the highest rated Brazilian restaurant in Miami, boasting four stars out of 341 reviews on Yelp. 2. Oporto Cafe Next up is Coral Way's Oporto Cafe , situated at 2257 Coral Way. With 4.5 stars out of 54 reviews on Yelp, the Portuguese and Brazilian spot, offering seafood and more, has proven to be a local favorite. 3. Camila's Restaurant Downtown's Camila's Restaurant , located at 129 S.E. First Ave., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the Brazilian spot four stars out of 62 reviews. 4. Brazilian Fire Food Truck Check out Brazilian Fire Food Truck , which has earned four stars out of 13 reviews on Yelp. You can find the Brazilian spot at 56 N.W. 29th St. 5. Brazil Mart Finally, there's Brazil Mart , a Coral Way favorite with four stars out of 10 reviews. Stop by 2107 S.W. 27th Ave. to hit up the convenience store and Brazilian spot, which offers desserts and more, next time you're looking to satisfy your cravings. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


New technology can improve our lives, but it can also come with unforeseen pitfalls. Cameras are now smaller, better and smarter than ever before, and that, warns the American Civil Liberties Union, could be an issue in the future. The nearly 50 million surveillance cameras in the US could be used to police people as smart technology improves, according to an ACLU report released Thursday. "The Dawn of Robot Surveillance" looks at the increasing number of cameras installed by government agencies and how advancements in artificial intelligence and facial recognition are making those cameras smarter, which the ACLU says could present civil rights issues. "Cameras that collect and store video just in case it is needed are being transformed into robot guards that actively and constantly watch people," Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst with the ACLU, said in a release. "It is as if a great surveillance machine has been growing up around us, but largely dumb and inert   and is now, in a meaningful sense, waking up. The end result, if left unchecked, will be a society where everyone's public movements and behavior are subject to constant and comprehensive evaluation and judgment by what are essentially AI security guards." To deal with this potential surveillance state nightmare, the ACLU is urging policymakers to begin creating rules to minimize abuse and prevent the use of video AI technology on the masses. The organization recently won a battle against law enforcement using facial recognition in San Francisco. In May, the city passed an ordinance that would bar police and other city agencies from using facial recognition technology on residents.