After Michael Gargiulo was arrested in 2008, Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives placed the accused killer in a jail cell with two undercover deputies. In conversations that were recorded, Gargiulo told them that he'd looked up serial killers, referencing Ted Bundy and Ed Gein. He hid shims in his waistband that he planned to use to break out of his handcuffs, he told his cellmates. He tried to come up with different explanations for a piece of evidence cops had against him and floated using the excuse that he suffers from blackouts. At one point, Gargiulo asked the undercover officers, "How would you explain it to the jury?" A prosecutor recounted those jailhouse conversations during closing arguments this week in Gargiulo's trial on charges that he thrill killed two women and attempted to kill a third in knife attacks in the Los Angeles area from 2001 to 2008. He has pleaded not guilty. "That's Michael Gargiulo trying to fool each and every one of you," Deputy Dist. Atty. Garrett Dameron told a jury hearing the death penalty case in a downtown courtroom. Gargiulo showed little emotion as Dameron spoke, watching the screen as the prosecutor flipped through dozens of slides that included crime scene photos. Sometimes he whispered to his attorney or took notes. He shook his head for a moment when one of his attorneys was addressing the judge at the bench. Gargiulo's trial, which just entered its fourth month, has drawn national attention because of its sensational details and celebrity connection. One of the victims, Ashley Ellerin, was set to go out on a date with actor Ashton Kutcher the night she was killed. The prosecutor spent much of his argument listing similarities between Gargiulo's alleged series of attacks, beginning in the Chicago area in 1993 with the killing of 18-year-old Tricia Pacaccio. Gargiulo wasn't charged in Illinois with Pacaccio's slaying until 2011. He is set to be extradited after the Los Angeles trial concludes. In each case, the prosecutor said, Gargiulo preyed on attractive young women who were outgoing and lived nearby. Once he picked a target, he'd lurk around her home, watching and waiting for an opportunity to attack. He always struck at night, always at their homes, prosecutors said. Ellerin, 22, was stabbed 47 times in 2001, her throat slashed so severely that she was almost decapitated. Maria Bruno's breasts were sliced off and part of one was placed on her mouth. "These were torturous, cold-blooded attacks," Dameron said. Gargiulo lived in Hollywood a few short blocks from Ellerin at the time of her death. He lived in the same El Monte apartment complex as Bruno, 32, in a unit diagonal to hers across a pool, when she was killed in 2005. After Bruno's slaying, investigators found a blue surgical bootee with drops of her blood and Gargiulo's DNA on the elastic band. Gargiulo wore the same types of bootees over his shoes for his work as an air conditioner repairman. Ellerin and Bruno each had a man over just before they were killed. Prosecutors alleged Gargiulo timed the attacks "perfectly," knowing that police would first investigate their last known visitors. Prosecutors said Gargiulo's alleged string of attacks ended in Santa Monica in 2008, when Michelle Murphy, 26 at the time, fought off a harrowing ambush and survived. During the struggle, prosecutors said Gargiulo cut his hand and left a trail of blood out her door and through the alley that separated their apartment buildings. Defense attorney Dale Rubin acknowledged Gargiulo's role in Murphy's attack, but argued that his client suffered from a mental disorder that left him in a "fugue state"   unable to recall his actions. He "has no recollection and no memory of what happened because he was in an amnestic state," Rubin said, adding that when Gargiulo cut himself and came to, he apologized and ran out of the apartment. Rubin also said Gargiulo has suffered as a result of childhood trauma, but did not provide details. But his defense team denied that Gargiulo was guilty of the other attacks, citing the lack of DNA evidence linking Gargiulo to Ellerin's slaying. Defense attorney Dan Nardoni suggested that in Bruno's case, the true killer fled and left her blood on a bootee that Gargiulo had accidentally dropped in the area. He said no one saw Gargiulo at either woman's home on the nights they were killed. "In fact, the evidence is that others were" with the women, Rubin said. "There is absolutely no evidence as to where Mr. Gargiulo was at the time of the commission of those crimes. Except that he wasn't in the apartment." The man who visited Ellerin before her death denied any role in her slaying, as did the one who had been with Bruno. Both testified during the trial. Kutcher also testified, saying that when he went to pick up Ellerin for a date the night she was killed, she didn't answer the door or his calls. He was late and figured Ellerin had already left. "I knocked on the door. There was no answer. Knocked again. And once again, no answer," the actor testified. "At this point I pretty well assumed she had left for the night, and that I was late, and she was upset." But before he left, he peeked through a window. All the lights were on and he saw what appeared to be red wine stains on the carpet. Kutcher said he had been at a housewarming party at Ellerin's home about a week before where people had been drinking. He wasn't alarmed. Kutcher said he was "freaking out" the next day when he found out she was dead, noting that his fingerprints were on the door. Meanwhile, prosecutors said Gargiulo had tried to cover his tracks. Investigators found a program installed on his computer that deletes information from a user's hard drive, Dameron said. And about a week before his arrest, Gargiulo asked a friend if he would be interested in taking over his business if Gargiulo were to move to Mexico, Dameron said. Closing arguments are expected to wrap up Thursday before jurors begin deliberations.


After Stewart Friesen ran out of fuel with less than three laps to go, Ross Chastain inherited the race lead and captured his first career Gander Outdoor Truck Series victory. After making a remarkable save with less than 20 laps to go, Ross Chastain ended up being at the right place at the right time late in the event. As Friesen ran out of fuel, Chastain, who was just a few truck lengths back of Friesen, was able to slip by and snag his maiden Truck win. Chastain, who is the only driver to start every NASCAR national series race this season, picked up his first truck series win in his 66th start. Friesen and his team only took two tires on their final pit stop due to the miscommunication on not taking four tires which meant his team was not able to get enough fuel in his truck. Chastain, who has one Xfinity Series win on his resume from last year, was able to hold off Ben Rhodes for the victory. "This is what sports is all about," said a jubilant Chastain in Victory Lane. "Comebacks. We had the world by the tail last year and had everything came out against us. "We're such a small group and all the guys in the shop and we get a lot of help from GMS but we got it (the win). "This is sweet." Todd Gilliland was third with Austin Hill fourth. Brandon Jones rebounded from an early spin in the race to finish fifth. Matt Crafton, Grant Enfinger, Brett Moffitt, Riley Herbst and Harrison Burton rounded out the top 10. On Lap 139 Grant Enfinger and Brett Moffitt brought out the fifth caution of the race when they got together while racing for second place. Both were able to make pit stops and continue in the race. Stage 1 Crafton led the way from the pole and remained out front for the first eight laps of the race before Stewart Fiesen took the lead on Lap 9. Friesen, who was fastest in both practice sessions earlier in the day moved into the lead after starting 10th and remained out front until Brett Moffitt took the lead after a restart on Lap 31. Friesen was able to get back around Moffitt one lap later where he remained out front until the end of Stage 1 on Lap 40. Moffitt followed in second with Enfinger, Chastain and Hill rounding out the top five. Rounding out the top 10 were Crafton, Gilliland, Creed, Burton and Ankrum. Stage 2 Friesen was able to collect the Stage 2, win holding off Moffitt for the top spot on Lap 80. Friesen restarted the second stage in fourth and was able to work his way back up to battle for the lead in just nine laps. Enfinger was third with Chastain and Creed the top five. Crafton, Gilliland, Hill, Ankrum and Rhodes completed the top 10. After taking the lead on the restart on Lap 60 after starting 13th in the race Grant Enfinger was able to stay out front until Lap 69 when Friesen got back to the point and Moffitt followed him in second moving Enfinger back to third. Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill took two tires during the pits stops prior to the start of stage 2 to get track position where Creed remained out front until Lap 59. The third caution of the race was given to the field on Lap 52 when she spun coming out of Turn 4 and slid into the grass in the infield that dug her truck in the ground causing significant damage to her No. 54 truck. Cla#DriverManufacturerLapsTimeLaps Led 1 45 Ross Chastain Chevrolet 167 5 2 99 Ben Rhodes Ford 167 0.483 1 3 4 Todd Gilliland Toyota 167 0.859 4 16 Austin Hill Toyota 167 2.014 1 5 51 Brandon Jones Toyota 167 4.085 6 88 Matt Crafton Ford 167 5.322 9 7 98 Grant Enfinger Ford 167 6.241 47 8 24 Brett Moffitt Chevrolet 167 6.320 4 9 46 Riley Herbst Toyota 167 7.352 10 18 Harrison Burton Toyota 167 7.993 11 17 Tyler Ankrum Toyota 167 8.929 12 02 Tyler Dippel Chevrolet 166 1 lap 2 13 3 Jordan Anderson Chevrolet 166 1 lap 14 12 Gus Dean Chevrolet 166 1 lap 15 52 Stewart Friesen Chevrolet 166 1 lap 87 16 44 Angela Ruch Chevrolet 163 4 laps 17 20 Spencer Boyd Chevrolet 162 5 laps 18 34 Josh Bilicki Chevrolet 160 7 laps 19 2 Sheldon Creed Chevrolet 158 9 laps 12 20 33 Josh Reaume Chevrolet 135 31 laps 21 6 Norm Benning Chevrolet 109 57 laps 22 13 Johnny Sauter Ford 97 70 laps 23 Joey Gase Chevrolet 93 73 laps 24 8 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 59 107 laps 25 54 Natalie Decker Toyota 51 115 laps 26 38 T.J. Bell Chevrolet 44 122 laps 27 22 Austin Wayne Self Chevrolet 26 140 laps 28 87 Timmy Hill Chevrolet 8 158 laps 29 1 Bayley Currey Toyota 4 162 laps 30 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Chevrolet 166 laps


WIMBLEDON, England (AP)   The Latest at Wimbledon (all times local): 12:55 p.m. Unseeded American Alison Riske came from a set down to upset top-ranked Ash Barty 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 at Wimbledon and reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Riske broke for a 5-3 lead in the deciding set and clinched the win on her first match point when Barty sent a backhand wide. The loss ends a 15-match winning streak for Barty, who was coming off titles at the French Open and Birmingham and was playing her first tournament as No. 1. Barty opened the match with four straight aces but landed only 40 percent of her first serves in the second set and was broken four times in total. Riske is playing in her 30th Grand Slam tournament but her previous best result was reaching the fourth round at the 2013 U.S. Open. She will next face either Serena Williams or Carla Suarez Navarro. Also, Zhang Shuai beat Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. ___ 11:10 a.m. Play is under way on the busiest day in Grand Slam tennis: Wimbledon's so-called "Manic Monday." No. 1 Ash Barty is in action against 55th-ranked American Alison Riske on No. 2 Court in one of four women's singles matches currently in progress. All 16 men's and women's fourth-round matches are on the program to begin Week 2. This is the only major tournament that schedules the middle Sunday off   and then the only one to play every singles match the following day. Coco Gauff, Serena Williams and the men's Big Three are slated to play later Monday. ___ 10:45 a.m. The head of the All England Club thinks top-10 player Fabio Fognini could be given a "small fine" for saying during his third-round loss that he wished a bomb would hit Wimbledon. Chief executive Richard Lewis called what Fognini said "a very unfortunate comment" but also "one of those heat-of-the-moment comments." Lewis also gave Fognini credit for being "good enough to apologize straightaway." Still, Lewis said, "it wouldn't surprise me if in the end there's a small fine." More than 1,000 bombs fell in the area during World War II, destroying thousands of nearby homes, and 16 fell on the tournament grounds. One hit Centre Court. ___ 8 a.m. A star-filled cast that includes Serena Williams, 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff and the men's Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is on the schedule as Wimbledon resumes after its traditional day off. All 16 men's and women's fourth-round singles matches are planned for "Manic Monday," as it's known. The All England Club is the only Grand Slam site where there is no play planned for the tournament's middle Sunday   and the only one where everyone still around plays on the initial day of Week 2. Gauff will try to prolong her magical Grand Slam debut when she meets former No. 1 Simona Halep. That match on Court No. 1 follows seven-time Wimbledon champion Williams against No. 30 seed Carla Suarez Navarro. The top three seeded men   Djokovic, Federer and Nadal   all face opponents who never have been to the second week at Wimbledon. ___ More AP Tennis: https://www.apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


Lewis Hamilton has praised Max Verstappen for his "respectful" driving during their battle in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton admitted that he relished the thought of a fight with the Dutchman, having rarely had to chance to go wheel-to-wheel with him over the last few seasons. The world champion failed in his initial attempt to get by the Red Bull driver, when the pair gave each other racing room, but he later made it past after a stop for new tyres gave him the opportunity to catch up as Verstappen struggled for grip. "It's important to see firstly the respect level between us I think was out there, really respectful driving, and I hope to continue that," said Hamilton. "As soon as I got into second I was. 'OK, this whole battle we've been talking about me and Max having, we're going to have that today.' "It was really awesome. He put the car in some good places, I gave him space and more today, but really that's from a mindset, we're fighting slightly different. Hamilton hinted that they both might be more aggressive if the world championship was at stake. "If we were fighting on the same points maybe it would have been a lot more aggressive. "But there was no need for that, and it was really just making sure that when you finally pull off an overtaking manoeuvre it's a clean, full sweep by." Read Also: Verstappen: Hamilton push showed "how much margin" Mercedes has Hamilton was pleased to see Red Bull create some excitement by putting pressure on Mercedes in recent races. "I really am really happy, particularly after a period of time where everyone so negative, talking about the sport, then all of a sudden we've had this big step up from Red Bull, and now we've got a really good battle on our hands, and it looks like it's here to stay. "I think Ferrari will come back into play in some of these long, long races like Spa and Monza, where they're quick on the straights and there's not a lot of corners. Those places I think they'll be really, really strong. "Obviously Spa has corners, but you know, that bodes well for them. Red Bull as I say has been doing great, I hope their performance continues, and I really, really hope we have more battles like today. "And also today was one of those races where not everything was done on track, it was also a combination of really great team work and strategy, how we worked together. "I understood my strategy fully, all the options we had, I questioned a lot of the things we had this morning, and to be able to play together, work together, was the ultimate testament of team work."


A pedestrian was struck and killed Wednesday morning on Interstate 580 in Richmond, while a crash involving a box truck backed up Bay Bridge traffic coming into San Francisco, officials said. Officers received reports at 5:43 a.m. of a person hit "multiple times" on the Cutting Boulevard off-ramp of eastbound I-580, according to the California Highway Patrol. CHP officers responded 11 minutes later at 5:54 a.m. to a crash involving a box truck on westbound Interstate 80 at the Bay Bridge metering lights. Surveillance footage from the bridge showed a box truck at the Fremont Street off-ramp divider. The right lane of westbound I-80 and the left lane of the Fremont Street off-ramp were shut down, officials said. It is unclear if anyone was injured in the Bay Bridge crash. Severe traffic alerts have been issued for both incidents, and authorities advised motorists to expect delays. Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu


A year ago today, Juan Soto announced his arrival on the MLB stage with a home run in his first career game . On Tuesday, he celebrated that with an upper-deck bomb. Soto took a 97-mile-per-hour Zach Wheeler fastball to the moon in the first inning of Tuesday night's game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets. DESCOMUNAL #Jonronazo de Juan Soto terminó en el 2do nivel del Citi Field. #LosNacionales | #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/H1pW7Eqtbi   Los Nacionales (@losnacionales) May 21, 2019 Statcast says it went just 410 feet. #Nationals 1 @ #Mets 0 [T2-0o]: Juan Soto homers (7): fly ball to RF (solo) Hit: 409.81ft, 109.12mph, 35.61° Pitch: 97mph Four-Seam Fastball (RHP Zack Wheeler, 5) pic.twitter.com/kGTkYdjFAq   Home Run Tracker (@DingerTracker) May 21, 2019 This absolute rocket shot was Soto's seventh home run of the season. Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)


There's a lot to love about Trader Joe's  ridiculously good frozen food (looking at you, cauliflower gnocchi and orange chicken), a detailed plan to reduce plastic packaging and work with more sustainable alternatives, and of course, that cult-favorite " Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning ." Late last month, the grocery store quietly dropped a YouTube channel (thanks for the heads up, PopSugar ) and we mean quietly, given that there are only 440 subscribers at the moment. (To be fair, they just joined on April 23.) But from what we've seen so far, it definitely lives up to Trader Joe's fun, quirky reputation. There are several video categories on the channel recipes, "how it's made," products, "who we are," and a few podcast episodes too. The product category includes a quick video that shows all the ingredients involved in TJ's broccoli and kale slaw salad kit (kale, dried cherries and blueberries, broccoli, almonds, sunflower seeds, and radicchio, in case you were wondering); a fun black and white clip spotlights the brand's maple leaf cookies. The how-to videos are super-satisfying, too in one, viewers get to go inside the Trader Joe's "candle lab" and watch peony blossom scented candles go through production. (All to the tune of a banjo, because why not?) The real fun, however, is the recipe category. Among instructional videos for Mandarin orange chicken and tikka masala burritos, you'll find two videos starring the Trader Joe's mascot the "Fearless Flyer" in puppet form, complete with a bowtie, cap, goggles, and impressive mustache. He works with two Bon Appétit editors in separate videos: contributor Rick Martinez for Zhoug marinated chicken thighs, and food director Carla Lalli Music for a "fearless" charcuterie board. The Flyer is very muppet-esque and adorable, and gets so mesmerized by the cheese in the charcuterie video, Music has to clap her hands to regain his attention which is pretty relatable, to be honest. Check out the full Trader Joe's channel on YouTube . In other Trader Joe's news, the company was recently named America's best employer by Forbes , beating out Costco, Southwest Airlines, Garmin, and Lilly in the top five. Wegmans also came pretty high on the list, at 19 you can learn more about the rankings here . [h/t Popsugar ] RELATED VIDEO: The Most Popular Trader Joe's Item in Every State


NEW YORK -- Chris Paddack ran to the mound, eager to make this start. Already a rookie sensation, he savored the moment. "As a kid, you tell yourself ... bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the ninth inning, Yankee Stadium," the San Diego newcomer said. "Here it is." A beautiful thought. The reality was a bit more jarring. DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit jolted Paddack with instant home runs, James Paxton pitched four hitless innings in his return from the injured list and the New York Yankees beat the Padres 7-0 Wednesday. BOX SCORE: YANKEES 7, PADRES 0 Paddack began the day with a sparkling 1.93 ERA. But the Bronx Bombers quickly showed the 23-year-old why so many visiting pitchers detest Yankee Stadium -- and he didn't even get victimized by the short porch in right field. LeMahieu led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run on an 0-2 pitch and Voit followed with an even longer drive to left. It was the 10th time in franchise history the Yankees began with back-to-back homers. "The guy pretty much went from high Double-A to the show. I'm sure he's never pitched in New York. So I'm sure he's going to come out (pumped up). He wanted to prove that his first month and a half wasn't anything that (fluky)," Voit said. "It's the big leagues, it's hard to pitch here," he said. Gio Urshela also connected off Paddack, Gleyber Torres hit a late homer and Voit added his first big league triple as the Yankees won their eighth straight series. "I think the guys were excited coming in today, an opportunity to face this guy that's obviously kind of taken the league by storm," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. Paddack slapped his right hand into his glove when he reached the dugout after the first inning. The Yankees kept making noise, too, when Urshela hit a solo shot in the second. At that point, Paddack (4-3) had allowed three home runs on only 23 pitches. Scratched from his previous start because of a stiff neck, he was pulled after five innings trailing 4-0. Paddack said he felt fine and blamed himself for poor pitch selection and execution. "Beat myself today," he said, adding, "I'll learn from it." San Diego didn't get a hit until the sixth when Wil Myers' blooper bounced out of LeMahieu's glove as he drifted out from second base. Paxton was in complete control. Out for nearly a month because of inflammation in his left knee, he showed no ill effects while striking out seven and walking two in throwing 66 pitches. "It was really good, seeing him back out there and just pitching so well. He picked up right where he left off," Boone said. This is Paxton's first season with New York, and he previously mentioned he was having a little trouble with the home mound. Boone said groundskeepers were working on a "fairly subtle" change to the sticky clay on the landing slope when Paxton pitches, hoping to soften the surface to ease the twist and torque on the lefty's knee. "I just dug it out a little differently," Paxton said. Chad Green worked the fifth, Adam Ottavino gave up Myers' hit, Jonathan Holder (4-2) went two innings and Nestor Cortes Jr. completed the four-hitter. Voit hit a sinker liner that got past charging center fielder Manuel Margot in the seventh, and Torres homered one batter later off Adam Warren. BACK-TO-BACK The previous time the Yankees opened with consecutive home runs was last July 7 at Toronto when Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge connected off current Yankees pitcher J.A. Happ. NO PADDED STATS In his 10th start since making his big league debut this year, Paddack gave season highs in hits (6), earned runs (4) and homers (3). Going in the game, he had allowed only 28 hits -- four of them home runs -- in 51 1/3 innings. TRAINER'S ROOM Yankees: The team hopes LHP CC Sabathia (right knee inflammation) can come off the injured list to start Sunday against the Red Sox. ... C Gary Sanchez and OF Aaron Hicks got a regular day of rest. UP NEXT Padres: After a day off, San Diego opens a 10-game homestand when LHP Joey Lucchesi (3-3, 4.25 ERA) takes on Miami. He struck out a career-high 11 at Toronto in his last start. Yankees: LHP J.A. Happ (4-3, 5.09) faces Boston LHP Chris Sale (1-6, 4.19) to begin a four-game series at home. Happ is 8-4 vs. the Red Sox, and pitched into the seventh inning against them in mid-April. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)


CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Evangelist Franklin Graham is asking his nearly 2 million Twitter followers to challenge federal funding for PBS, after a character on one of the network's cartoons came out as gay and got married. Graham says the same-sex marriage of Mr. Ratburn, a third grade teacher on the long-running children's cartoon "Arthur," is "promoting the LGBTQ agenda." "Why should our government be financing PBS programming that promotes what the Bible calls sin?" Graham tweeted late Wednesday. "I think many viewers may be surprised and disappointed in this content decision," Graham continued. "I hope everyone will rise up and clearly tell PBS that they do not want to see this kind of programming slipped in to try to influence the hearts and minds of our children and grandchildren." MSN.com says fans of the "beloved" show "went wild" for the episode's plot twist. However, the Christian Post reports The Family Research Council believes "Arthur" producers are "taking advantage" of the trust parents put in shows aimed at children. Graham's tweets have gotten more than 5,000 reactions in 12 hours, and his Facebook post has been shared 32,000 times as of Thursday morning. The 15,000-plus responses include a running argument between people who support Graham and those defending separation of church and state. "PBS and NPR: Propaganda machines paid for by the people to try to 'teach' us something. Crazy," said Jane Draws in response to Graham's tweet. "I've been asking for years: Why am I forced to fund that broadcasting?" wrote Vicki Cottom Linker. "We aren't an evangelical christian theocracy and marriage between 2 men or 2 women is legal in this country," responded someone going by the name Nirish. "Separation of church and state. Church should NOT be involved in any government decisions. Religion needs to be away from our government," tweeted someone using the name DylansDeadly. The episode served as the season 22 premier, and the plot twist of Mr. Ratburn's gay relationship came as a "surprise" to viewers, reported EW.com . "Yep, Mr. Ratburn is gay! Who knew?" wrote EW's Tyler Aquilina. Out.com notes Graham is joining other conservatives in criticizing the episode, including Sebastian Gorka, host of the "America First" on Salem Radio Network. Gorka, also the former deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, tweeted Tuesday that the show is representative of a "culture war" going on in the nation. "Did you have any questions about there being a culture war, ladies and gentlemen?" Out.com quoted Gorka as asking. "Did you have any doubt in your mind?" Visit The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) at www.charlotteobserver.com


Four elderly people trapped in a coastal Louisiana community that was cut off from rising water from Hurricane Barry have been rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. Another eight people who were also trapped on Isle de Jean Charles in Terrebonne Parish will have to be rescued by boat. Terrebonne Parish leaders called a voluntary evacuation order Friday for the low-lying areas, including Isle de Jean Charles. Isle de Jean Charles is a narrow stretch of land near the southern coast of Terrebonne Parish about 45 minutes from Houma, Louisiana. The Coast Guard says the only road into the community, Island Road, is impassible due to rising waters. Live Team Coverage The storm threatening the Louisiana coast has strengthened to a hurricane. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. Saturday advisory that Barry had reached maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds were measured some 45 miles to the east of the storm's center, which was located 40 miles south of Lafayette, Louisiana. It was moving northwest at 6 mph. Weather forecasters said a hurricane warning is in effect for Intracoastal City to Grand Isle. Such a warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area. LIVE UPDATES: Hurricane Barry inches to landfall on Louisiana coast RADAR: Track Rain on Southeast Louisiana Radar Download the FREE WWL-TV News app now in the iTunes store or on Google Play for tropical weather updates through hurricane season. --- Stay with Eyewitness News on WWL-TV and WWLTV.com for more on this developing story.


Bill Parcells is famous for his exploits as a head coach and for his quote right after the 1996 season in which he stated, "if they want you to cook the meal, they ought to let you buy the groceries." Parcells was already legendary as a head coach but felt that he should wield more power as a general manager as well, thus allowing him to shape the roster the way he saw fit. When the New England Patriots declined to let him do that, Parcells walked away to join the New York Jets, where they gave full autonomy over the organization while making him highest-paid coach at $2.4 million a year. Today, Only the New England Patriots Bill Belichick handles the role of the head coach and de facto GM for his respective team. Other coaches around the league yield more power when it comes to personnel, but Belichick is king of New England. Before Doug Pederson was named the head coach in Philadelphia, Chip Kelly had the keys to both offices, moving Howie Roseman out and taking over the de facto GM position. It was a disaster, with Jeffrey Lurie intervening and firing Kelly before naming Pederson the guy. After winning a Super Bowl and knocking off the mighty Patriots, Doug Pederson could have clamored for more say around the NovaCare Complex. Instead, he's marched on as one of the best head coaches in the NFL, forsaking any thoughts of a power struggle. During a sit down with Zach Berman of The Athletic, Pederson explained why "he's never sought out more power." "Because I get along with everybody," Pederson said with a laugh during a June roundtable interview about training camp, which begins with the first practice on July 25. "Listen, I was hired to be the head football coach, not the general manager. I was hired to teach football. Howie (Roseman) was hired to do the job that he does. … I think they can co-exist and they have to co-exist." Pederson, who's entering his fourth year as head coach, has amassed a 29-19 record, powered the Eagles to consecutive playoff appearances, with last seasons success coming during an injury-plagued campaign that saw him lose Carson Wentz to another season-ending injury. Pederson is a team guy through and through, and that's likely a huge reason why the future looks so bright in Philadelphia. MORE: Tiger Woods' post-round comments about his health were such a bummer Ron Adams, rest of Warriors coaching staff to have reduced roles Ranking the Packers' position groups from weakest to strongest Baker Mayfield believed the Patriots would trade up to draft him NBA Free Agency 2020: The top players


One of the most regular questions I'm hit with is the one about a passenger landing the plane. If, for whatever reason, the entire cockpit crew suddenly became incapacitated, could a person with no formal training somehow get a commercial jetliner safely to the ground? Many people seem to think so   a presumption that has always struck me as peculiar. As somebody with no medical training, I don't propose that I could saunter into an operating room and perform a kidney transplant. Neither could I repair a satellite or design a skyscraper. Heck, I can barely cook a proper meal. Some things are, simply and expectedly, beyond my levels of expertise. When it comes to airplanes, though, a surprising number of non-pilots believe they could pull it off. The reason for this is rooted in people's widespread misunderstanding of cockpit automation. Consensus holds that jetliners today are super-automated machines where a pilot's only critical role is to play backup in case of an emergency. Indeed, the notion of the automatic airplane that "flies itself" is perhaps the most aggravating and stubborn myth in all of aviation. That's the result, in part, of a sometimes gullible media that takes at face value the claims of researchers and academics who   interesting as their work may be   often have little sense of the operational realities of commercial flight. Cue the aeronautics professor or university scientist who will blithely assert that we are well on our way to a future in which pilots will be engineered out of the picture entirely. Consequently, travelers have a vastly exaggerated sense of what cockpit technology actually does, and how pilots interact with that technology. "Of course I could land the plane," the thinking goes. "It's only a matter of pressing a few buttons, is it not?" A Boeing 757 cockpit (Photo by Alberto Riva/TPG) In fact, flying remains a very hands-on operation subject to tremendous amounts of pilot input. Our hands might not be steering the airplane directly   as would have been the case in the 1930s   but almost everything the airplane does is commanded, one way or the other, by the crew. The automation only does what we tell it to do. It needs to be instructed when, where, and how to perform its tasks. On the 767 that I fly, there are multiple ways to set up and command an "automatic" climb, descent or change of course. People might be surprised at how busy a cockpit can become on even the most routine flight and with all of the automation running. Granted, there are stretches of low workload during which, to the non-pilot observer, it would seem that very little requires the crew's attention. But there also are periods of very high workload, to the point where both pilots can become task-saturated. The best analogy, I think, is one that compares flying to medicine. In other words, cockpit automation assists pilots similar to the way that advanced medical equipment assists surgeons. While it has improved their capabilities, pilots and surgeons both remain absolutely essential. A plane "flies itself" no more than an operating room performs that kidney transplant "by itself." That fantasy has outpaced reality is perhaps symptomatic of our infatuation with technology and gadgetry, and the belief that we can compute our way out of every dilemma or complication. The proliferation of drones, both large and small, has also made it easy to misconstrue the realities of flying. A 777 isn't simply a scaled-up drone. Pilotless aircraft have been tested, that's true, but for now these things exist only in the experimental stages. A handful of successful test flights does not prove the viability of a concept able to carry up to four million passengers every day of the week. With all of that duly noted, let's get back to the original question: What are the chances of a nonpilot safely landing a jetliner? Everything I just wrote notwithstanding, there's a ladder to this. Do you mean somebody who knows nothing at all about flying? How about a private pilot who has flown four-seaters? What about a desktop simulator buff who has studied a jetliner's systems and controls? Depending on the circumstances, some would fare better than others. It depends, too, on the meaning of "land." Do you mean from just a few hundred feet over the ground, in ideal weather, with the plane stabilized and pointed toward the runway, and with someone talking you through it? Or, do you mean the whole full-blown arrival, from cruising altitude to touchdown? In the case of the former, you've got a fighting chance. This was demonstrated in 2007 on the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters. In the episode, hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman took the controls in a NASA simulator stripped down to represent a "generic commercial airliner." A seasoned pilot, stationed in an imaginary control tower, carefully instructed them via radio. On the first try they crashed. The second time, they made it. But all they really did was land a make-believe airplane from a starting point close to the runway. The scenario most people envision is the one where, droning along at cruise altitude, the crew suddenly falls ill and only a brave passenger can save the day. They'll strap themselves in, and, with the smooth coaching of a voice over the radio, try to bring the plane to the ground. For somebody without any training, the chance of success in this scenario is exactly zero. This person would have to be talked from 35,000 feet all the way to the point where an automatic approach could commence, complete with any number of turns, descents, decelerations, and configuration changes (appropriately setting the flaps, slats , and landing gear ). Sorry to drop in another medical analogy, but I reckon it would be about as easy as dictating brain surgery over the telephone to somebody who has never held a scalpel. It'd be tough even for a private pilot or the most obsessive desktop sim hobbyist. Our would-be hero would have a hard enough time finding the microphone switch and correctly configuring the radio panel, let alone handling the maneuvering, programming, navigating, and configuring it would take to land safely. A few of you might remember the film "Airport '75." A 747 is struck near the flight deck in midair by a small propeller plane and all three pilots are taken out. I almost hate to say it, but dangling Charlton Heston from a helicopter and dropping him through the hole in the fuselage wasn't as far-fetched a solution as it might sound. It was about the only way that jumbo jet was getting back to Earth in one piece. The scene where Karen Black, playing a flight attendant, coaxes the crippled jumbo over a mountain range was, if less than technically accurate, useful in demonstrating the difficulty any civilian would have of pulling off even the simplest maneuver. All right, but what of the hijacker pilots on September 11, 2001? Doesn't their success at steering Boeing 757 and 767 jets into their targets contradict what I've just said? No, not really. They, including their leader Mohammad Atta, were licensed private pilots, and he and at least one other member of the cabal had purchased several hours of jet simulator training. Additionally they had obtained manuals and instructional videos for the 757 and 767, the planes used in the attacks, openly available from aviation supply shops. In any case, they neither needed nor demonstrated any in-depth knowledge or skill. The intent was nothing more than to steer an already airborne jetliner, in perfect weather, into the side of a building. And their techniques along the way, based on radar tracks and telephone calls from passengers, were violent and unstable. Hijacker pilot Hani Hanjour, at the controls of American flight 77, was a notoriously untalented flyer who had never piloted anything larger than a four-seater. According to some, he pulled off a remarkable series of aerobatic maneuvers before slamming into the Pentagon. But when you really look at it, his flying was exceptional only in its recklessness. If anything, his erratic loops and spirals above the nation's capital revealed him to be exactly the terrible pilot he by all accounts was. To hit the building squarely he needed a bit of luck, and he got it. Striking a stationary object, even a large one with five beckoning sides, at high speed and at a steep descent angle, is very difficult. To make the job easier, he came in obliquely, tearing down light poles as he roared across the Pentagon's lawn. If he'd flown the same profile 10 times, in seven of them he'd probably have tumbled short of the target or overflown it entirely. A few years ago, here in New England, after the lone pilot of a Cape Air commuter plane became ill, a passenger took over and performed a safe landing. The TV news had a field day with that one, though the passenger was a licensed private pilot and the aircraft was only a 10-seat Cessna. Otherwise, there has never been a case where a passenger needed to be drafted for cockpit duty. Patrick Smith is an airline pilot for a major US airline and the host of askthepilot.com . He lives near Boston. Portions of this article are excerpted from his book, Cockpit Confidential . Featured image by Alberto Riva/TPG WATCH: Smart suitcase helps visually impaired airplane travelers (Travel +Leisure)


The truck designed for those who didn't want a truck but liked the extra practicality. Name: Dodge Rampage Debuted: 2006 Chicago Auto Show Specs: unibody construction, front-wheel drive, 5.7-liter HEMI engine with 340 horsepower and 390 pound-feet (288 Newton-meter) of torque Why We Remember It Now: With more sedans and SUVs getting a coupe-inspired treatment while trucks are increasingly more popular, maybe it's time to bring back the coupe utility niche? Lots of automakers have no problems in attributing the term "coupe" to cars that not only have rear doors, but also lack the sleek roofline you'd expect from an authentic coupe. From budget cars like the Renault Arkana to pricy models such as the Mercedes CLS , the meaning of the word "coupe" has lost its essence. Over the years, the automotive industry saw the rise and fall of another body style that attempted to blend a coupe with something entirely different. The coupe utility was born in Australia and was made popular in North America by the Chevy El Camino and the Ford Ranchero back in the late 1950s. Fast forward to the early 80s, Dodge tried out this recipe with the short-lived Rampage, which was only sold through the 1982 to 1984 model years. We're not forgetting the Husky launched in the 1960s, but that was only for South Africa and was based on the Paykan Pick-Up you've probably never heard of in your life, unless you're from Iran. Envisioned as a Honda Ridgeline competitor, the unibody Rampage was engineered with a five-foot-long cargo box in the back and a massive HEMI engine up front driving the two wheels underneath it. Back in the day, the concept's exterior designer described it by saying "it's the truck for the non-traditional buyer," mentioning it had the capability of a pickup without hampering occupant space. Conventional front doors were combined with sliding rear doors enabling an easy entrance into the cabin thanks to the absence of conventional B-pillars. The car-like interior emphasized Dodge's attempt to make the Rampage feel more like a passenger vehicle rather than a workhorse, while the front passenger seat and the rear bench folded into the floor to maximize space. As you may recall, an independent artist recently imagined a resurrected Rampage based on the Dodge Hellcat. Obviously, that's only a pipe dream, but interesting to see nonetheless.


A Massachusetts man said he left home for work earlier this month and was shocked when he came back to find someone else had been there during the day. But the mysterious stranger didn't steal anything, the person just cleaned the place and left. Nate Roman told CBS News he first noticed something was off when he smelled cleaning chemicals and saw a door closed that was normally open. "That freaked me out," the Marlborough man said of the May 15 incident. "I went in to protective parent mode when I saw that my son's room had been cleaned and called the police." However, he quickly realized this wasn't a typical break-in, he wrote in a Facebook post . "Ready for the weird part? Not only did they not take anything (that I can find), but the purpose of the visit was to clean my bathrooms and bedrooms." Roman explained that the visitor made the beds, vacuumed his rugs and scrubbed the toilets. The stranger even folded the toilet paper into roses as a final touch. He posted an image of the decorative creation on Facebook. After the initial shock wore off, the homeowner wrote that he realized he may have forgotten to lock his back door and noted the person didn't break anything while entering the home. He also said on Facebook that he didn't set his home security alarm, so he doesn't have footage of the incident. While the invasion may seem strange, Roman said he believes the reason behind the break-in was an accident by someone working for a cleaning service. "I'm pretty sure, based on the quality of the toilet paper flowers, that this was a professional that made a mistake," he told CBS News. "But there's no way to really know." Police told CBS Boston that Roman called them on May 16 to report a breaking and entering. There are currently no suspects, after authorities spoke with neighbors and they did not see anything suspicious. "I wish someone would come clean," said Roman. "Pun absolutely intended."


Four House Judiciary Committee Democrats said in a Friday op-ed that they will "move forward" with an impeachment effort against President Trump. Democratic Reps. David Cicilline (R.I.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.) and Veronica Escobar (Texas) wrote in an op-ed published in The Atlantic that after former special counsel Robert Mueller's testimony on Capitol Hill this week, "it is up to Congress to act." "Our investigation will seriously examine all the evidence as we consider whether to bring articles of impeachment or other remedies under our Article I powers," the four Democrats wrote. "Our Constitution requires it. Our democracy depends on it." The lawmakers noted that the Judiciary panel has filed an application in court to obtain grand jury documents referenced in Mueller's report, adding they plan to obtain "additional underlying evidence, as well as enforce subpoenas for key witness testimony, and broaden our investigations to include conflicts of interest and financial misconduct." "Congress has patiently tried to work within traditional means to get to the bottom of this extraordinary situation," the lawmakers wrote. "Committees have called witnesses and requested evidence, only to be stonewalled by Trump and his associates. The president's refusal to comply with the Constitution, statutes, and established congressional oversight defies the rule of law." The Democrats called Mueller's testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence panels this week a "watershed moment" that came three months after his team released its 448-page report detailing findings from its two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible obstruction of justice by Trump. "When the redacted report finally became available to Congress and the American people, it painted a damning picture of a corrupt president who welcomed and encouraged an attack on our country, capitalized on it, and then tried to cover up what he had done," the lawmakers wrote. "At this point, it is up to Congress to act on the evidence of multiple counts of obstruction of justice committed by the president, and to continue our investigation into whether he has committed other high crimes and misdemeanors." While Mueller's testimony revealed little new information, House Democrats have signaled they are moving forward with lawsuits and subpoenas in the wake of the testimony, even as their caucus remains divided over launching an impeachment inquiry into the president. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has said the panel is seeking the underlying Mueller evidence and that lawmakers would decide whether to recommend articles of impeachment against Trump.


The number of crime incidents in Orlando saw an overall bump last month, after a previous decline, according to data from SpotCrime , which collects data from police agencies and validated sources. Incidents rose by 3.1%, from 5,281 in June to 5,446 in July. Despite last month's increase, crime reports remain about even with the same month last year. Crime trends often contain recurring patterns, based on seasons and other local events, making it useful to look at the year-over-year comparison as well. Theft and assault led the most recent increase in crime reports. Theft rose from 942 reported incidents in June to 1,063 in July, and has grown by 94 incidents since July of last year. Assault incidents jumped from 740 to 753 for the month, or a 1.8% increase. However, assault reports have decreased since a year ago. There was also a considerable percentage increase last month in robberies, from 46 incidents per month to 57, and in shootings, from 10 to 15. Both robberies and shootings have increased since the same month last year. Among the few types of offenses that saw a downturn last month, vandalism reports went from 129 to 112. Vandalism incidents have seen an overall downward trend since the same time last year. When it comes to crime patterns in different areas of the city, the largest increase last month occurred in Malibu Groves, Lorna Doone and Kirkman North. Rowena Gardens, Colonialtown South and Randal Park also saw considerable percentage increases in crime offenses for the month, although they continue to have lower overall crime levels. Over the past year, crime has gone up the most in Lake Holden, and declined the most in the Central Business District. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays saw the most reported crimes last month. The largest increase from the previous month occurred on Tuesdays, Mondays and Wednesdays, while incidents on Saturdays and Sundays went down. Comparing times of day, evening, early afternoon and midday saw the most crime last month on average each day. To report a crime in progress or life-threatening emergency, call 911. To report a non-urgent crime or complaint, contact your local police department. Head to SpotCrime to get free local crime alerts in your area. This story was created automatically using local crime data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about our data sources and local crime methodology. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.


NASHVILLE, Tenn.   Tourism comes alive in the Music City during summer, but the thousands who flock here aren't the only sightseers in town. Many Nashville-based stars enjoy playing tourist, too. "I've been to the Country Music Hall of Fame a few times and ... you always learn something new," Russell Dickerson told The Associated Press. "You can't take in all that information at one time going, but like seeing some of Elvis's old Cadillacs, like are you kidding me? It's crazy." He doesn't mind the attention from fans while he's out visiting Nashville landmarks. "Everybody is super nice and we just take a little picture, say 'What's up?' and it's all good," said Dickerson. Hunter Hayes said in an AP interview that he constantly goes to concerts in Nashville when he's not on the road. "I realize that I'm here all the time, which is hilarious," he said. "But I just. Yeah I love the energy of the city. I think we all do. You know once we moved here, I was like 'Oh my gosh, it's so crowded' and then we realized but there's a lot of cool things happening." Morgan Evans and his wife, Kelsea Ballerini, have been rediscovering the city by foot lately and enjoying the sights downtown. "It's like one of our new favorite things to do since it started warming up," Evans said. "After dinner we'll just go for a walk around town and it's so cool. You know, like a weeknight, you walk around and it's a good reminder that you get to. . like we get to live here. Music City. You know, Broadway is right there and the Ryman Auditorium is right there and the Hall of Fame is right there. And yeah, I mean we love living in Nashville so much, so that's kind of our new thing." Sometimes, though, it's just good to be home. Tyler Rich said he doesn't get out much when he's in Nashville but likes to do touristy things in other cities when he's on the road. "I have a weird thing where I like to go to zoos," Rich said. "I love zoos. I like to go and just hang out and see all the animals. And any type of history. I like museums and I'm a dork. But it's cool."


Samsung's just-announced Galaxy Note 10 is not compatible with Gear VR, the company's virtual reality headset that works only with a phone slotted in front of the lenses, according to a tweet from tech analyst Anshel Sag. The decision to shut off support for its headset on its newest flagship phones casts doubt on the future of both the Gear VR and phone-based headsets, as standalone devices with built-in displays like the Oculus Go are on the rise. Samsung didn't mention Gear VR during today's Unpacked event, and it hasn't updated the headset since 2017. The most recent phones to support it were all four of the Galaxy S10 phone models announced in February, but only via an adapter. (The same was true of last year's Galaxy Note 9.) The Gear VR still has a product page on Samsung's store, but it doesn't seem to be available for purchase anymore. You can still purchase it on Amazon for $99.99. It's not clear whether Samsung will provide an adapter that works with the Galaxy Note 10. I just got confirmation from @Samsung . No version of the #Note10 is compatible with the GearVR. Not a huge loss tbh. Standalone is where it's at. #VR   Anshel Sag (@anshelsag) August 7, 2019 Despite its absence today, Gear VR may still have life ahead of it, as my colleague Adi Robertson has written about. The device was bundled with previous Samsung phones, is still compatible with many older models of Samsung phones, and is used as a tool to showcase VR at events like film festivals. Until standalone headsets drop in price, Gear VR remains one of the lowest-cost ways to bring VR into classrooms and events beyond the DIY efforts like Google Cardboard. It's also still receiving app updates and new releases alongside newer models. But with Gear VR not being compatible with Samsung's newest flagship phone, and with Google announcing in May that the Pixel 3a wouldn't support Android's built-in Daydream platform, it's hard not to think that phone-based VR may be on the decline.


Video by The Washington Post Margaret Hunter , a co-defendant in a federal fraud case with her husband Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif., 50th District), is expected to plead guilty. A change of plea hearing is set for Thursday at 10 a.m. in a San Diego court, according to federal records. The couple allegedly misused about $250,000 in campaign donations for personal expenses . In one incident, Rep. Hunter planned on buying a pair of "Hawaii shorts" for golf, but didn't immediately have the money. Mrs. Hunter allegedly suggested a plan: [Margaret Hunter] counseled [Duncan Hunter] to buy the shorts at a golf pro shop so that they could falsely describe the purchase later as 'some [golf] balls for the wounded warriors.' The congressman memorably shifted responsibility for any alleged financial problems from himself to his wife. "When I went away to Iraq in 2003, the first time, I gave her power of attorney," he said last year . "She handled my finances throughout my entire military career and that continued on when I got into Congress. She was also the campaign manager, so whatever she did, that'll be looked at, too, I'm sure, but I didn't do it." The couple pleaded not guilty at first. Margaret Hunter, the wife of Congressman Duncan Hunter who was co-indicted w/ her husband last summer, has agreed to change her plea of not guilty… Hunter's lawyer says the development has no immediate bearing on his client's case. https://t.co/nrLOZUuqj7   Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) June 12, 2019 Margaret Hunter's attorney did not immediately respond to a Law&Crime request for comment. "We are aware of Mrs. Hunter scheduling a hearing to change her plea," Rep. Hunter's lawyer Gregory Vega told The San Diego Union Tribune . "At this time, that does not change anything regarding Congressman Hunter. There are still significant motions that need to be litigated, specifically the speech or debate clause of the U.S. Constitution." Colin Kalmbacher contributed to this report .


CHICAGO (AP) -- Andrew Shaw is back in Chicago following a trade with Montreal last month, and the ever-chirping 28-year-old has been the toast of the team's annual fan convention this weekend. The convention crowd erupted when Shaw - part of the Blackhawks' 2013 and 2015 Stanley Cup championship teams - was introduced at opening ceremonies Friday. On Saturday, he got a standing ovation as he arrived for his own ''welcome back'' session on the event's main stage. ''I have a lot of good memories here, but you want to make more,'' Shaw said. ''I never wanted to leave. I always dreamt of coming back.'' Shaw is generously listed at 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds, but Blackhawks management and players believe his grit and scrappiness will help return the retooled Blackhawks to the playoffs after a two-year absence. ''He's one of the great guys in the game,'' defenseman Brent Seabrook said. ''He's one of those guys that always brings energy, whether it's on the ice or off the ice. You know you need those guys around to spark things. ''The season gets long. The season gets dragged out. You're in some dark cities, you know, snow and weather and all that kind of stuff, and then a guy like Shawzy really brings that energy, that fire.'' As part of lowering their fat 3.55 goals-against average - second worst in the NHL last season - the Blackhawks want to be tougher to play against in 2019-20. ''We felt were missing maybe some sandpaper and little more of a north-south game where we finished hits more often,'' said Al MacIsaac, senior vice president of hockey operations. ''Andrew Shaw, as we all know, has that personality on and off the ice.'' Shaw had 16 goals and 19 assists in 67 postseason games during his previous five-year stint with Chicago, including one of the most memorable plays in franchise history. He was credited with a goal in the third overtime of Game 1 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals against Boston when the puck went off his right shin pad and into the net. During the celebration, Shaw hollered ''I love shin pads,'' a line that sticks with him and epitomizes his style. ''(Former teammate) Bryan Bickell used to give me a hard time,'' Shaw said. ''He said I never scored a goal with my stick. It was always off my body.'' Shaw jumped in a goalmouth scramble and knocked the puck into the net with a soccer-style header in a game at Anaheim in the Western Conference Final 2015. The goal was disallowed, although Shaw celebrated in an attempt to sell it. The Blackhawks sent Shaw to the Canadiens in June 2016 for a second-round, 39th overall draft pick used to select 21-year-old sniper and budding star Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat had 41 goals in his second NHL season in 2018-19. Shaw has never scored more than 20, and last year had 19 as he notched a career-high 47 points with Montreal. ''I feel like I still have a lot to give,'' Shaw said. ''I came off a pretty good year and I'm excited. I'm feeling healthy. I'm feeling energized. ''To come back to a city that's given me so much love and help me grow into who I am, it's nothing but smiles.'' Shaw promised fans he'll be as annoying as possible and maybe a little dirty to opponents. ''For sure,'' he said. ''I'm not dead. I'm still here.'' And he'll save his best for the Central Division rival and Stanley Cup champion St. Louis, even if Blues goalie Jordan Binnington is a friend. ''I can't wait to beat up on the Blues,'' Shaw said. HE SAID IT: Owner Rocky Wirtz also got a standing ovation when introduced on stage at a session on Saturday. By contrast his late father, Bill, was booed loudly whenever he made a public appearance. ''Everywhere he goes, he gets a standing ovation,'' team president John McDonough said. ''Even in the washroom,'' Wirtz quipped. Related slideshow: 2019 Stanley Cup Final (provided by imagn)


Aurora is forecast to experience light rainfall this coming week, according to drone-powered weather forecasting service Saildrone . Today's forecast shows the greatest chance of rain at 81 percent, while the most rainfall is predicted on Wednesday at 0.67 inches. The immediate forecast also has warm temperatures in store for today. Temperatures will reach a high of 72 degrees today, then turn cooler on Saturday. Skies will be cloudy on Sunday. Winds are forecast to reach a modest high of 15 mph today, but will weaken starting on Saturday. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Was it an act of murder or self-defense when Damien Edwards fatally stabbed Justin Parker at the Totowa QuickChek on the morning of May 20, 2018? That's the central question for the jury when deliberations begin Thursday in Edwards' murder trial in state Superior Court in Passaic County before Judge Marybel Mercado-Ramirez. The jury got the case after listening to three hours' worth of closing arguments on Wednesday. Edwards, 34, is accused of stabbing Parker, a 35-year-old former football star at Paterson Catholic, after a road rage incident that involved Parker's friend James Pittman, and which spilled over to continue in the QuickChek parking lot. Parker was stabbed twice after he darted into the store and tripped over a "wet floor" cone with Edwards in pursuit carrying a knife. Edwards, who has been held in the Passaic County Jail since the stabbing, is charged with first-degree murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and resisting arrest. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the murder charge. The jury has been shown store surveillance video of the parking lot confrontation and the stabbing. Both sides replayed the frenzied, three-minute video during closing arguments, giving their own interpretations of the incident as it unfolded shortly before 3:30 a.m. on the rainy morning. More: North Jersey's 5 most shocking road-rage incidents in the past 5 years Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Fetterman said Parker wasn't involved in the road rage incident between Edwards and Pittman that erupted minutes earlier on Union Boulevard, and said Edwards was the aggressor. "Justin Parker had no beef with the defendant," Fetterman told the jury. "He had nothing to do with anything." Defense attorney Paul Condon countered that Parker and Pittman were the aggressors. He pointed to Pittman's testimony that he and Parker had been drinking, and to the autopsy showing that Parker was legally drunk at the time of the altercation. Edwards testified that he had nearly collided with Pittman, who he said was swerving on Union Boulevard. Angry words were exchanged, and Pittman followed Edwards into the QuickChek lot. Things escalated as Parker joined in. "Parker is 40 pounds heavier than either of the other guys," Condon said. "And all of a sudden, it's two on one." The video shows Pittman and Parker arriving in separate cars, moments after a Totowa police officer, Meagan Akins, coincidentally arrives in her patrol car and walks into the QuickChek. Edwards drives into the parking lot in an SUV. His girlfriend, Christina McLaughlin, sits in the passenger side, and the couple's 8-year-old daughter is in the back. Pittman follows them into the parking lot in his red Toyota. The video shows Pittman and Parker getting out of their cars and moving toward Edwards' car. At one point, Parker flails his arms and Pittman makes a move to take off his jacket   actions that Condon said were threatening gestures. Edwards stands outside of the car, holding a knife with a 6-inch blade. McLaughlin testified that Pittman cocked his arm as if he were about to throw a punch when he approached her. Edwards testified that he grabbed the knife, which he claimed to use on his job as a street line striper, to protect himself and his family. "A reasonable person would believe you're being threatened, your girlfriend is being attacked   and what can you do to stop it?" Condon said to the jury. Fetterman had a radically different interpretation of the video. "Mr. Parker is not threatening," she said. "He backs up the entire time." She also challenged McLaughlin's testimony, telling the jury the woman never mentioned that Pittman came at her with his arm cocked when Akins pulled her over leaving the parking lot moments after the stabbing. "She never told the officer he [Pittman] lunged at her," Fetterman said. Edwards, she said, could have called the police if he felt threatened, but instead took matters into his own hands. "He didn't fall on Justin Parker, which was his testimony," she said. "He jumped on Mr. Parker and stabbed him." Fetterman said Edwards' actions were "knowing and purposeful" and fit the definition of murder. "Justin Parker was on the ground. He was unarmed and he was defenseless," she said. Condon said Edwards acted reasonably under the circumstances and urged the jury to acquit him on all charges. "This was a tragic, tragic, tragic incident," he said. "No doubt about it. But my client's behavior was reasonable under the circumstances." This article originally appeared on North Jersey Record: Totowa NJ QuickChek murder case in jury's hands: Murder, self-defense?


Thierry Henry has revealed the extent of the abuse he suffered while playing for Arsenal in the Premier League. There have been a number of high-profile incidents involving racial abuse towards players in recent months, with football officials now urgently trying to step up their efforts to remove abuse from the game completely. A number of past and current players have now begun speaking out about their own cases of abuse in order to raise awareness of the problem, and speaking as part of a special BBC documentary - via Football.London - former World Cup winner Henry opened up about the abuse he suffered whilst playing in the Premier League with Arsenal . Not only did he speak on his own personal experience involving abuse, he also went onto demand a zero tolerance approach be made by footballing officials. He said: "I had my things also back in the days on the field. "I remember playing away, taking the corners, and people were spitting on me. I would go and see the ref, and you can see, you could see all the [spit]. And he said: 'Go on, get on with the game.' "It's always us talking. What about the people that are, that are up there? The big guns running things. What are you saying about it? Not those €2,000 fines and what-not. Come on. If you really want to do something about it, do something about it. Regardless of the colour or religion. I'm not only saying black players. For everybody. "Come, be strong, and zero tolerance. That will be zero tolerance. But do they?" The documentary titled 'A Royal Team Talk: Tackling Mental Health' will be aired on Sunday night on BBC, and will also include discussions with England manager Gareth Southgate and FA president Prince William.


A California man who Tesla Inc. accused of spying on its lone auto plant and harassing employees said the electric automaker painted a "lurid picture" of him to try to silence his criticism. If so, it didn't work. In a fiery court filing Wednesday, Randeep Hothi -- who has become a hero to Tesla short sellers through his Twitter handle "Skabooshka" -- said none of the allegations the company made last month to get a judge to order him to stay away from its factory and employees are true. "Tesla has painted a lurid picture of Hothi as a dangerous individual guilty of stalking, harassment, and trespass, whose activities constitute 'actual and threatened violence,'" his lawyer wrote. "As evidence in Tesla's possession will show, Mr. Hothi endangered no one, threatened no one, and harassed no one." Tesla claims Hothi, who lives near its Fremont plant, has been photographing the factory and recently swerved his car toward a Tesla Model 3 that three employees had taken for a drive on the freeway. Hothi said in Wednesday's filing that he happened to be driving on the freeway when he came upon a Tesla car that was doing performance testing and "took the opportunity to observe and briefly record the car's actions." Hothi says footage from cameras mounted on the Tesla car will show that he was not aggressive. Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive officer and largest shareholder, has been engaged in a long war with short sellers---people who bet that the company is overvalued and can profit when the stock declines. Musk is very active on Twitter, and his critics are as well. Skabooshka is part of a loose confederation of skeptics who increasingly use the name "$TSLAQ" to refer to themselves. The letter "Q" is added to a company's stock ticker when it files for bankruptcy. In October, Musk tweeted that "Short-sellers are value destroyers. Should definitely be illegal." While many of Tesla's loudest online critics are finance types who pick apart the company's earnings reports and regulatory filings, Hothi's claim to fame is on-the-ground research that has largely focused on counting physical cars and monitoring production output at the Fremont factory using cameras and drones. In real life, he is a graduate student who is working on a doctoral dissertation in linguistics at the University of Michigan. But his work on Tesla -- which he readily shares on Twitter as a self-described "citizen journalist" -- has caught the attention of several hedge funds. More than $113,000 has been raised through crowdsourcing for his legal defense. Tesla persuaded a state court judge on April 19 to issue a temporary restraining order requiring Hothi to stay at least 100 yards away from its factory and employees. Hothi asked in Wednesday's filing for a postponement of a May 7 hearing to give him more time to collect evidence to defend himself. The court rescheduled the hearing for May 21 and said the stay-away order will remain in place until then. "Tesla's accusations here fall into a long and disturbing pattern of using lies and intimidation in an effort to silence its critics," Hothi's lawyer said in the filing. Tesla representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. (Updates with hearing rescheduled to May 21.) To contact the reporter on this story: Dana Hull in San Francisco at dhull12@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Trudell at ctrudell1@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com ©2019 Bloomberg L.P.


A former white supremacist who is now an anti-hate activist says that online platforms should treat white nationalism like other international threats from groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda. Arno Michaelis pointed to Saturday's mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, and an online manifesto being investigated in connection to the shooting that cited the Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque attack earlier this year and included anti-immigrant rhetoric. "White nationalism is an international threat as the El Paso shooter was inspired by the Christchurch shooter who was inspired by the Norway shooter," Michaelis told Hill.TV, referencing the Christchurch shootings and the 2011 Norway attacks. "There's very plain international connections that drive this kind of violence, so we need to start approaching white nationalism the same way we approach ISIS, al Qaeda, al-Shabaab and come down on them just as hard," he added. Michaelis said there is a little more leeway with white nationalist content due to the First Amendment, but he argued that there must be a threshold, especially when such rhetoric incites violence. "I'm a huge proponent of the First Amendment, it's probably the best thing about our Constitution, but at the same time we have to be wary of when this free speech actually becomes planning of terror and I think that threshold has certainly been reached," he said. Michaelis maintained that he has personally worked with tech companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter on the issue, who he says "have dedicated a ton of time and energy and resources to combat white nationalism." His comments come after web services company Cloudfare announced on Monday that it had terminated its service with 8chan, a forum website that has become notorious for hosting message boards filled with hate speech and racist-filled manifestos. This includes the manifesto linked to the El Paso shooter, who killed 22 people at a Walmart near the border. In a statement announcing the news on Monday, CloudFlare CEO Matthew Prince said the El Paso shooter appeared to post his anti-immigrant and racist screed to the site immediately before carrying out his rampage. Prince emphasized that this was not an isolated incident, saying the El shooter specifically referenced the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand earlier this year. "The El Paso shooter specifically referenced the Christchurch incident and appears to have been inspired by the largely unmoderated discussions on 8chan which glorified the previous massacre," he wrote, noting that the suspected shooter in the Poway, Calif., synagogue shooting also posted a hate-filled letter on the website before carrying out his attack in April. Prince said the company did not take the decision lightly, but that 8chan had "repeatedly proven itself to be a cesspool of hate." The move comes as tech companies wrestle with how to treat hate speech and white nationalist content. YouTube earlier this year announced new terms of service to combat hate speech and white nationalism on its platform. Under its three-strike system, YouTube terminates accounts if they violate community guidelines three times over the course of 90 days. -Tess Bonn


LeBron James has been pretty quiet in terms of revealing how he feels about the Lakers' latest coaching hire - or the debacle that occurred during the hiring process of new Lakers coach Frank Vogel. James liked a few Instagram posts with news of the Vogel hire but, other than that, he has been pretty quiet except for tweeting about NBA playoff games or joining his son's travelling AAU team. But thanks to ESPN's Lakers beat duo of Ohm Youngmisuk and Dave McMenamin , we know how LeBron feels at least about part of the ordeal. James has a strong relationship with Kidd, multiple sources told ESPN, which may have helped Kidd's leverage in landing the job on the Lakers' bench. James was taken aback by how the Lue negotiations broke down, a league source told ESPN, but James "liked" several Instagram posts touting the Vogel/Kidd hires over the weekend. It has been James' only public endorsement of the team's recent hires. So, there you have it. LeBron evidently never expected the Lakers to be so incompetent. And frankly, he should have done a little bit more research on who he was doing business with before diving head-first into a four-year commitment. Now, James is in a weird position where he can't publicly be upset with the Lakers decision-making, but it's getting to the point where the team's decisions could severely disrupt the final years of his prime. Making matters even tougher for LeBron is the absence of a no-trade clause in his contract, something people close to the Lakers are mentioning with alarming frequency over the past week . The Lakers at least have a coach and that's progress from where they were last week. But the relationship between LeBron and the Lakers appears to need a little ironing out. MORE: NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players These five photos of Kawhi Leonard watching his buzzer-beater are incredible Video confirms reports of Chris Paul's attempt to sabotage Steph Curry Dak Prescott's accuracy, aggressive quantified ahead of new deal 5 Thoughts on Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5: Cersei and the Mad King Don't Look So Bad [Spoilers]


JERUSALEM  In the lead-up to recent Israeli elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly denied that he would seek legislation to give him immunity from prosecution in three criminal cases against him. When asked what he would do if his political allies did so on his behalf, he was more evasive, distancing himself from their actions. Late Monday night, that very scenario emerged, as Israel's parliament announced that an "immunity bill," filed by a Netanyahu loyalist, was among 200 measures slated for votes in the current session. Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on The Washington Post A draft of the bill says members of the 120-seat Knesset cannot be charged with crimes allegedly committed during their tenures in the chamber or before they won their Knesset seats unless a house committee and the wider body both waive the members' immunity. Netanyahu is a member of the Knesset. Alongside proposals to roll back the powers of the Israeli Supreme Court to overturn bills passed by the Knesset, the immunity legislation has drawn a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu's rivals, including some within his own party, who accuse the longtime leader of sliding toward authoritarianism to avoid prosecution. Israel's attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, announced in February that he would proceed with the indictment process against Netanyahu on charges that include breach of trust, corruption and bribery . The furor over efforts to shield Netanyahu from prosecution echoes the debate in the United States, where the question of whether a president can be indicted also has been contentious. Justice Department guidelines state that a sitting U.S. president should not be indicted; consequently, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III decided not to come to a determination on whether President Trump obstructed justice during Mueller's Russia investigation. Instead, in his final report, Mueller laid out evidence on both sides of the issue. Like Trump, Netanyahu says the allegations against him are part of a politically motivated "witch hunt," and he denies them. But Israeli police deemed there was enough evidence against Netanyahu to refer three cases against him to Mandelblit, a former cabinet minister under Netanyahu who has indicated that he plans to proceed with charges, pending the outcome of a hearing in which the prime minister can present his defense. Despite the allegations, Netanyahu's Likud party eked out a one-seat victory over its main opponent in elections last month and has had a clear advantage in the task of building a coalition government, relying on its traditional right-wing and ultra-Orthodox religious partners. Still, building a coalition has been no easy feat. Netanyahu has been granted a two-week extension beyond the 28-day deadline to form a new government as he bargains with potential coalition partners over ministerial seats, and legislative promises and demands. With ministerial portfolios doled out in exchange for support, Knesset members on Monday evening voted to advance legislation that would expand the number of cabinet posts, amid expectations that Netanyahu will announce an unusually large cabinet. "We are on a slippery slope," said Dan Avnon, chair of the political science department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, referring to the immunity bill. "It would mean the house of representatives becoming an asylum for prospective criminals." The legislation, as well as the proposal to curb courts' oversight role, is "anti-democratic and undermines a parliamentary democracy," he added. A cartoon circulated online Monday showed Netanyahu and other politicians accused of corruption running toward the Knesset, which is marked with a "shelter" sign. The legislation would exclude traffic violations and criminal charges that result in fines, but it would allow immunity for any other criminal offense. Miki Zohar, the Knesset member who submitted the bill last month, said it was formally lodged in the Knesset system on Monday night "to my delight." The bill would effectively reverse the current procedure, under which immunity can be granted to a Knesset member only if a house committee and the full chamber both agree. If the bill is adopted, Mandelblit could proceed with the prosecution only if he wins the approval of the committee, which Zohar is expected to head in the new parliamentary session, and then of a majority of the Knesset. Speaking to a Knesset committee on Tuesday morning, Zohar denied that he was an "emissary" for Netanyahu and added that the Israeli leader had said he was not interested in an immunity law. Zohar also denied that support for the legislation was part of coalition-building discussions. Many are not convinced. Gideon Sa'ar, a senior member of Likud with a fractious relationship with Netanyahu, broke ranks with his party last week to criticize the legislation. "This legislation offers zero benefit and maximum damage," he told Israel's Channel 12. Michal Shir, a former aide to Sa'ar and a newly elected Knesset member, also has spoken out against the immunity bill. Both have said they have received threats online since doing so. Former Likud lawmaker Benny Begin was also chafing at the efforts to grant Netanyahu immunity, telling Israeli television that "such a phenomenon is called corruption." The Blue and White party, which holds 35 seats in the Knesset, making it the second-largest in the chamber, plans a protest Saturday in Tel Aviv under the banner "Defense shield for democracy." "There is no reason whatsoever to bring out such far-reaching constitutional amendments in such a rush unless it was connected to the fate of the prime minister," said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute. He said the specifics of legislation intended to weaken the Supreme Court remain unclear but noted that without it, the immunity law will be "meaningless." "It is highly unconstitutional, and the court will override it immediately," he said. On Monday, dozens of top lawyers gathered in Tel Aviv to protest those efforts. "We don't know how each of us here votes politically, and in our daily lives we are competitors, but we're all gathered here today, united by a tangible fear that the rule of law and Israel's liberal democracy are in danger," Tzvika Bar-Nathan, a partner at Goldfarb Seligman who initiated the campaign, told the Times of Israel. loveday.morris@washpost.com ruth.eglash@washpost.com


Dozens of people have been arrested in a scheme that involved the creation of sham marriages to obtain a legal immigration status, the U.S. Attorney's Office says. In all nearly 100 people have been charged in the Houston-based marriage fraud scheme, says U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick along investigators. The Department of Justice says organizers would charge $50,000 to $70,000 to arrange a fake marriage to someone in the United States, even providing a fake wedding photo album to help present the image of a valid marriage. As of Monday morning, a total of 50 people are in custody following the return of a 206-count indictment. The charges allege Ashley Yen Nguyen AKA Duyen, 53, headed the organization out of southwest Houston but had ties across Texas and Vietnam. The indictment remains sealed for those who have been charged but are not yet in custody. "A sham marriage is a marriage that is entered into for the primary purpose of circumventing immigration laws. The indictment alleges the marriages involved in this conspiracy were shams because the spouses did not live together and did not intend to do so, contrary to documents and statements they submitted to USCIS," states the DOJ. "The spouses only met briefly, usually immediately before they obtained their marriage license, or not at all, according to the charges. The spouses allegedly entered into the marriage pursuant to a financial arrangement for the primary purpose of circumventing U.S. immigration laws." Each person wishing to come to the U.S. would pay tens of thousands of dollars to obtain full lawful permanent resident status. The cost was prorated so they would pay more for each immigration benefit they obtained. Duyen and others recruited U.S. citizens to act as petitioners in the sham marriages, according to the indictment. They also would receive a portion of the proceeds received from the beneficiary spouses coming to the U.S. Others were also allegedly in charge of receiving the proceeds from the beneficiary spouses and disbursing the payments to the petitioners. The indictment further alleges the criminal organization provided false tax, utility and employment information to help ensure USCIS would approve the false immigration forms. Also indicted is attorney Trang Le Nguyen aka Nguyen Le Thien Trang, 45, of Pearland, for obstructing and impeding the due administration of justice and tampering with a witness, victim or informant. Conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud and tampering with a witness, victim, or informant all carry possible 20-year federal prison sentences. If convicted of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud or marriage fraud, those charged face up to five years in prison. The remaining charges all have maximum possible 10-year-terms of federal imprisonment. ALSO POPULAR ON KHOU.COM 'We know she's still missing' | Stepfather in Maleah Davis case due back in court 'I can't die, I got kids, I can't die' - man shot 18 times prepares to go back to work Texas cheerleaders injured at Walt Disney World by flying umbrella ► Make it easy to keep up-to-date. Download the KHOU News app now . Have a news tip? Email us or message us on our Facebook page or Twitter feed .


Southern California and Stanford will face off far from the West Coast Sunday when Old Waverly Golf Club hosts Albane Valenzuela and Gabriela Ruffels in the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship match. Valenzuela, a rising senior at Stanford, advanced to her second U.S. Women's Amateur championship match Saturday with a 19-hole victory over Megha Ganne - the toughest match Valenzuela said she's had all week. "I think also my (Round of 32) match against Brynn Walker was really tough because I was in the same position as Megha, 3 down with three to go, and I won on 18 and Brynn made me work really hard that day but today with the semis and added pressure, it's definitely a tough match and (Ganne's) a great player," Valenzuela said. On paper Valenzuela, 21, looks like she has the experience necessary to take home the Robert Cox Trophy. She competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, made First Team All-Pac-12 three years straight, was named Pac-12 Women's Golfer of the Year as a junior, has played on the Junior Solheim Cup team and in all five LPGA majors. But you can't sell Ruffels, a rising junior at USC, short. Seriously playing golf for about four years , the Australian has been nearly invincible against everyone she's come up against with Stanford's Andrea Lee giving her the toughest fight she's had all week in Saturday's semifinal. Playing in her first U.S. Women's Amateur, Ruffels has also been the Cardinal killer at Old Waverly Golf Club, defeating rising freshman Brooke Seay 6-and-5 in the Round of 16 and Lee 2 up on Saturday. Because she knows Valenzuela well from conference competition, Ruffels knows she'll need to work the same magic Sunday as she did with Lee to remain undefeated against the Cardinals this summer. "I think kind of same as Andrea. (Valenzuela's) a really good ball striker, hot off the tee, good iron player and a pretty solid putter," Ruffels said. "I think again I'm going to have to do something pretty good to beat her because she's one of the top ranked amateurs in the world so we'll see." Even though Ruffels won another match play competition last month at the 2019 North & South Amateur Championship in Pinehurst, NC, Sunday's final round will pose a challenge the 19-year-old hasn't yet faced. "I've never played a 36-hole final but starting the week, this is where you want to be. No complaints," Ruffels said. "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow." Meanwhile, Valenzuela knows firsthand the challenges of a 36-hole final. At the 2017 U.S. Women's Amateur, she lost to Sophia Schubert at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif. Despite the discrepancy in experience, Valenzuela said whatever relevant experience she has that gives her a theoretical edge goes out the window for the final round. "Gabby is an amazing player so I really don't look at (experience) when I'm playing against her tomorrow," Valenzuela said. "It will be a tough match regardless. She's in the final and she won against Andrea Lee and Andrea is a tough competitor. She played some great golf, you know, it's going to be tough no matter who you play. I played a 15-year-old and it was tough." After Lee, the No. 2 amateur golfer in the nation, lost to Ruffels, Valenzuela holds the title of top amateur in the field at No. 5. Ruffels was ranked 52 entering this week's competition. Although the stakes for which they're playing and their college affiliations urge them to be rivals, Valenzuela looks forward to having a talented companion for Sunday's 36-hole stretch who can prove the power of women's golf. "The PAC-12 is such a strong conference and just to have three players in the final four, it just shows how strong the Pac-12 is," Valenzuela said. "It'll be just fun to play against USC and Gabi's a great competitor and also great person so I know it'll be a good match." MORE: Four potential Carmelo Anthony landing spots in free agency Yankees' Brett Gardner gets ejected while sitting quietly, erupts on umpire Funniest Antonio Brown Helmet Controversy Memes and Tweets Matt LaFleur says Packers missed 24 tackles vs. Texans Ravens sign former Eagles draft pick to 1-year deal


For NFL players, there's more than just football preparation going on in the offseason. Some Tennessee Titans players are also avid "Game of Thrones" watchers and took to social media with their reactions to the HBO series finale on Sunday night. Defensive tackle Austin Johnson may have been the most heated about the way it all ended. Best part to me though was when Bran said "Why did you think I came all this way" to be King. - Austin Johnson (@AJohn15) May 20, 2019 I'm heated sitting in the same spot still wondering why it ended how it did. - Austin Johnson (@AJohn15) May 20, 2019 Bruh they rushed the hell out of the last season and I'm so sick about it. You could have done so much more #GamesOfThrones - Austin Johnson (@AJohn15) May 20, 2019 Other players shared their thoughts as well. The watch party is disappointed ♂♂♂ #GameOfThones why'd they do Jon Snow like that!!!! https://t.co/KZZIhE7gxX - Logan Ryan (@RealLoganRyan) May 20, 2019 So bran went from fighting in the battle of winterfell like this to KING? I'm done @RealLoganRyan @KB31_Era pic.twitter.com/UlY26Tac4o - Kenny Dwayne Vaccaro (@KennyVaccaro4) May 20, 2019 DID NOT SEE THAT COMING - DaQuan Jones (@RiDQulous_98) May 20, 2019 While there are definitely mixed emotions as to who lived and died in the last episode, it's safe to say everyone was pleased with the reunion between Jon Snow and Ghost. MORE: This photo of Kyler Murray led to more speculation about his height Patriots will prove Super Bowl LIII shutdown defense was no fluke Roundup: Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost Engaged, Robert F. Smith Pays Off Morehouse Student Loans NCSA: Five common recruiting myths Breaking down Darnell Savage's skill set and fit in Packers defense


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. Unlike most politicians, President Donald Trump does not dwell on political polls   he focuses on television ratings.   It might be his Achilles Heel, or his strategic genius. At last week's White House Social Media summit, he talked about his tweets, less in terms of whether they had the desired political effect, more as how they dominated the conversation. As he described it, "It would be like a rocket ship when I put out a beauty." He wasn't speaking about positive or negative reaction   only about the ability of the tweet to grab attention. 'FAKE' CHARGES FLY AS TRUMP RIPS SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BIAS, DISHONESTY He talked about a tweet where he accused the Obama administration of spying on him in at Trump Tower and how successful it had been, "that thing was like a rocket. I got a call two minutes later. 'Did you say that?' I said, 'Yeah, I said that.' 'Well, it's exploding. It's exploding.' I turned out to be right." Trump's tweet was a very controversial accusation. In fact, it caused quite a news storm and has remained the subject of much debate. But for Trump, that doesn't matter. What matters is the ability to dominate the ratings   and command the attention of the nation. Thursday he had to backtrack about his North Carolina rally crowd chanting "send her back," the night before and suffer through significant criticism for a series of tweets that suggested the four progressive congresswomen of "the squad," Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." Indeed, last Sunday, it appeared that Congressional Democrats were devolving into a civil war between moderates, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and "the squad." But by Wednesday, the party had united to vote in favor of a congressional condemnation of his "racist" tweets. A politician obsessed by polls might worry about the political fallout from this week. Despite an amazingly strong economy and historic low unemployment, Trump is fighting an uphill battle for reelection. A poll in April found that over half of people "certain to vote" would definitely not vote for him. And a USA Today online poll found this week that among those who were aware of the tweets, fully 68 percent agreed they were "offensive." Still, a politician focused on ratings   like Trump   could easily count this week as a win. Indeed, he accomplished two things: First, he eclipsed the Democratic race for the nomination. Did you know they were campaigning this week? Few did. Axios, highlighting data from NewsWhip, looked at social media interactions tied to stories about the campaign. They found a low of only 6.5 million interactions this past week   just three weeks after almost 30 million people watched the candidates debate each other over two nights. Second, consistent with stated GOP strategy, Trump further implanted "the squad" as the face of the Democratic Party. While some might fault him for helping to unify the Democrats, he ensured they were unified in support of a group that very clearly has low poll numbers. You may think that Trump's focus on ensuring a "ratings rocket" rather than a shrewd poll-driven strategy is foolish, but remember   this is precisely how he achieved victory in 2016. During the primary, many viewed him as a "sideshow" and laughed as his rallies drew high ratings for cable television networks. But while the audience was focused there, the more traditional candidates, Govs. Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, Sens. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and the rest, destroyed each other and gave him the nomination. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Similarly, during the general election campaign, while his rallies continued to garner big ratings, his news stories were uniformly controversial. Still, he used his ability to maintain attention to clearly define his opponent. With the benefit of folks belittling his chances and a steady stream of dramatically negative stories consistent with his description of his opponent, he managed to eke out a win. It might be easier for Trump to focus on the economy and ride it to reelection. But, that would be inconsistent with the Trump brand. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ARNON MISHKIN