Here's what you need to know about what's happening in Detroit. Police: 3 men team up to steal items from freezer, shelves at Detroit gas station Detroit police are searching for three men who teamed up to steal items from a gas station on the city's east side, according to authorities. Read the full story on Graham Media: WDIV Detroit . Man fatally shot at Capital Market liquor store on Detroit's west side A man was shot and killed Wednesday night at Capital Market liquor store on Schaefer Highway near Allonby Street. Read the full story on Graham Media: WDIV Detroit . Northbound I-75 back open at I-94 in Detroit after deadly crash The eastbound ramp of I-94 to northbound I-75 is closed after a crash. Read the full story on Graham Media: WDIV Detroit . Detroit police search for missing 37-year-old man with mental health disorder Detroit police are searching for a missing 37-year-old man with a mental health disorder. Read the full story on Graham Media: WDIV Detroit . Detroit Tigers prospect Alex Faedo has most dominant outing of minor league career Pitching prospect Alex Faedo twirled a gem Wednesday, turning in his most dominant outing since the Detroit Tigers selected him in the first round of the 2017 draft. Read the full story on Graham Media: WDIV Detroit . This story was created automatically using data about news stories on social media from CrowdTangle , then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Earlier this week, allegations emerged of racial discrimination against the Houston Texans. The Fritz Pollard Alliance responded to the situation via a statement issued on Friday afternoon. "The Fritz Pollard Alliance is deeply troubled by allegations of systemic racial discrimination within the Houston Texans organization adversely impacting African-American employees," Fritz Pollard Alliance chairman Harry Carson and executive director Rod Graves said in a statement. "Allegations of this nature, if true, should not be tolerated anywhere in our great country and certainly not within America's game. While only allegations at this point, they are serious. We call on the NFL to carefully monitor this situation and, if the allegations have merit, to take strong appropriate action." Former Texans security coordinator Jeff Pope has filed a racial discrimination claim with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The filing could be a precursor to litigation. The Fritz Pollard Alliance presents itself as being dedicated to promoting diversity and equality of job opportunity in the coaching, front office, and scouting staffs of NFL teams. It has not legal authority, but it has the ability to place public and/or private pressure on the league in situations like this.


A patent law change sought by the pharmaceutical industry could cost federal health-care programs $1.3 billion over a decade by delaying new generic medicines, an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office found this summer, according to people familiar with the matter. Pharmaceutical trade groups are asking Congress to exempt drug patents from being challenged through an administrative process that is cheaper and faster than the federal courts. The procedure has become popular with generic-drug companies looking to sell copies of brand-name products. Drug makers say hedge-fund manager Kyle Bass used the procedure to challenge companies whose shares he is betting against, or selling short. The Coalition for Affordable Drugs, a group created by Mr. Bass, has this year challenged more than 20 patents held by companies including Biogen Inc., Celgene Corp., and Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, also known as PhRMA, and the Biotechnology Industry Organization, or BIO, say brand-name pharmaceutical patents should be excluded from the procedure, called Inter Partes Review, or IPR, through patent legislation that Congress is considering. "Our solution," said Mit Spears, general counsel at trade group PhRMA, "is to essentially exempt [pharmaceutical] products" from IPR challenges. The potential for such an exemption to increase drug spending has intensified opposition from some lawmakers, health insurers, and consumer advocates alarmed by rising drug costs. This summer, Rep. ep. Mimi Walters (R., Calif.) withdrew her proposal to include an exemption in a U.S. House Representatives' patent bill after it was opposed by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.), the bill's lead sponsor and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. The IPR system went into effect in September 2012 with the support of many technology companies, which saw it as a way to combat patent trolls nonoperating companies that profit by accusing companies of patent infringement. Under IPR, judges employed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office evaluate patent challenges that would be heard in lengthier court proceedings. Several U.S. senators, including John Cornyn (R., Texas) and Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), asked the CBO this summer to estimate how much a pharmaceutical exemption for IPR would cost, according to congressional aides. The CBO's conclusion, communicated orally to Senate staffers in July, was that federal spending would increase by $1.3 billion over 10 years because the exemption would delay the launch of certain generic products, the aides said. Generic drugs can cost 90% less than their brand-name equivalents. The CBO, a nonpartisan federal research agency, provides "thousands" of preliminary analyses each year to Congress as early drafts of new laws are hashed out, according to the CBO's website. A CBO spokeswoman declined to comment. Some senators backing the broader patent law are open to the idea of an IPR exemption for drug patents and to finding ways that offset the projected increase in drug costs, congressional aides said. In July, 79 House members called for exempting drug patents in a letter to congressional leadership. Tom DiLenge, BIO's general counsel, said the trade group is aware of the CBO estimate and disagrees with it because the IPR system is unlikely to lead to faster generic approvals. Mr. Spears of PhRMA also said he was aware of the CBO estimate. Drug makers say the IPR process, in which judges employed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office evaluate challenges, is being used to circumvent a decades-old system for settling patent disputes between generic and brand-name drug companies. That system, created by a 1984 law, requires the FDA to wait 30 months, or 2.5 years, before approving generic versions of medicines whose patents are being challenged in court. IPR challenges are usually decided within 15 to 18 months, using a different legal standard than what is used in the federal courts, and which legal experts and drug makers say is less favorable to patent owners. Patents can be challenged through the IPR system and in the federal courts simultaneously, forcing drug makers to defend themselves on two fronts. "We agreed on a system 30 years ago for how generic drugs should be litigated," said Mr. DiLenge. "Now we're seeing generic drug companies trying to skirt those rules." Individual drug companies, including Amgen Inc., AbbVie Inc. and Biogen, have lobbied lawmakers about changes to the IPR system, according to federal disclosure documents. Companies say IPR challenges have created new uncertainty as they evaluate which experimental drugs to invest in. "I understand people being concerned about drug prices, but we won't have any new drugs come along at all if we don't support the investment that's needed to make them happen," Bart Newland, chief counsel for intellectual property at Biogen, said in an interview. But opponents of the exemption, such as the health insurance industry, say drug makers often use the slow pace of the federal courts to delay generic launches. The IPR system "is a critical consumer protection," said Matthew Eyles, executive vice president of policy and regulatory affairs at America's Health Insurance Plans, say: "An exemption would be really bad for consumers and really bad for the system." Other groups opposing an exemption include AARP, an advocacy group for retirees, insurers represented by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, an industry group for pharmacy-benefit managers. Mylan NV, a generic drug maker, has filed more than a dozen IPR challenges against brand-name drug patents and has lobbied against the exemption, according to federal disclosure documents. IPR challenges "could eliminate a lot of these patents that are frivolous, which would allow more access to affordable medicines," Mylan Chief Executive Heather Bresch said in an interview. It is too soon to say if the IPR system will significantly alter the industry. Many challenges to technology patents have been successful, but most pharmaceutical cases haven't been decided yet, said Jacob S. Sherkow, an associate law professor at New York Law School. Among pharmaceutical challenges that have been decided, the patent office has upheld most of them, he said. In August, the patent office declined to review the first of Mr. Bass's challenges against patents for Acorda Therapeutics Inc.'s multiple sclerosis treatment Ampyra, but agreed to consider a challenge brought by Mylan against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.'s drug Copaxone. "Generally speaking it seems easier to invalidate patents in IPR than in federal courts," Mr. Sherkow said. "For pharma patents, the jury is still out." Write to Joseph Walker at joseph.walker@wsj.com


How much you pay in property taxes often comes down to which side of a county, city or district line you're on. And if you're a homebuyer this spring, it's another important factor to consider while you house hunt. Property taxes largely fund public schools but also other local services like roads and police. A portion of your monthly mortgage payment goes to property taxes, so if you're on a tight budget, a higher property tax bill could be onerous. For instance, in Buffalo and Syracuse in New York, the property tax portion of the monthly bill can often be higher than the mortgage part because tax rates are so high there, says Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors. "Property tax is a critical piece of information in the home purchase decision and something a buyer should ask about before making the purchase," Yun says. Closings: Children's Place to close up to 45 stores in 2019, but also opening new stores Equifax breach: Mistakes on your credit report could cost you thousands: How to fix them Property taxes are hyperlocal. Some states levy a property tax, but for the most part, these taxes are imposed on the county, city or district levels. That means a house down the street from yours could have a higher or lower tax burden than yours. Why property taxes vary In an extreme historical example, two nearly identical houses in the same subdivision that spanned the town line between Concord and Bow, New Hampshire, had vastly different property tax burdens, according to Joan Youngman, chair of the department of valuation and taxation at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, a think tank on the taxation and use of land. Concord's property tax rate was about twice as much as Bow's, even though both shared the same high school. House hunting: Homes for sale: Here are the most affordable ZIP codes in the US Golden years? Many people retire earlier than planned, here's why Why was that? Because Bow's biggest property taxpayer was a power plant, rather than its few residents. In Concord, the homeowners bore a bigger share of the tax burden. How much owners of commercial, industrial and utility properties pay in taxes can affect your rate. Home values are another reason why one city has a higher property tax than another. Those areas with higher housing values can charge a lower tax rate, but still raise a lot in revenue. Shuttered stores: Fred's closing 104 more stores in summer, see the list Take California and Ohio. In Ohio, the tax property rate is the 12th highest in the country at 1.56%. A median house in Ohio   valued at $129,900   brings in $2,032 in property taxes. But in California, the tax rate is much lower at 0.81%   the 34th lowest in the U.S.   but the median home there (valued at $385,500) raises $3,104 in property taxes. Other tax considerations Property taxes aren't the only tax burdens, either, that residents should consider, Youngman says. For instance, Bridgeport, Connecticut, has the highest property tax rate but no local sales or income taxes. Birmingham, Alabama, by contrast, has the 11th lowest property tax, but "a host other taxes," she said. "If you put those together, Birmingham's tax burden is actually higher than Bridgeport's," she said. State property taxes Overall, the effective property tax rate for homeowners is 1.2% in the U.S. On a median home of $178,600, that's an annual tax bill of $2,149. Eighteen states have effective rates that are the same or higher than the U.S. rate, while 32 states and the District of Columbia have lower rates. Using data from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, USA TODAY ranked property taxes among states by the effective tax rate for homeowners, rather than the median tax paid, which is affected by overall home values. If your state doesn't appear in the lists below, visit the Lincoln Institute's online tool to find out where it stands. Worst states for property taxes New Jersey Tax rate: 2.35% Median home value: $315,900 Median tax paid: $7,410 Illinois Tax rate: 2.3% Median home value: $173,800 Median tax paid: $3,995 New Hampshire Tax rate: 2.15% Median home value: $237,300 Median tax paid: $5,100 Connecticut Tax rate: 1.97% Median home value: $270,500 Median tax paid: $5,327 Wisconsin Tax rate: 1.96% Median home value: $165,800 Median tax paid: $3,248 Texas Tax rate: 1.9% Median home value: $136,000 Median tax paid: $2,578 Nebraska Tax rate: 1.85% Median home value: $133,200 Median tax paid: $2,467 Michigan Tax rate: 1.78% Median home value: $122,400 Median tax paid: $2,174 Vermont Tax rate: 1.74% Median home value: $217,500 Median tax paid: $3,795 Rhode Island Tax rate: 1.63% Median home value: $238,000 Median tax paid: $3,884 Best states for property taxes Hawaii Tax rate: 0.27% Median home value: $515,300 Median tax paid: $1,406 Alabama Tax rate: 0.43% Median home value: $125,500 Median tax paid: $543 Louisiana Tax rate: 0.49% Median home value: $144,100 Median tax paid: $707 Delaware Tax rate: 0.54% Median home value: $231,500 Median tax paid: $1,243 Washington, D.C. Tax rate: 0.56% Median home value: $475,800 Median tax paid: $2,665 South Carolina Tax rate: 0.57% Median home value: $139,900 Median tax paid: $798 West Virginia Tax rate: 0.58% Median home value: $103,800 Median tax paid: $607 Colorado Tax rate : 0.6% Median home value: $247,800 Median tax paid: $1,489 Wyoming Tax rate: 0.61% Median home value: $194,800 Median tax paid: $1,196 Arkansas Tax rate: 0.62% Median home value: $111,400 Median tax paid: $693 This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which states have the highest and lowest property taxes?


Purchasing a bunch of unnecessary items and then overpacking for a trip won't just annoy your traveling companions and give you a sore arm from lugging around a heavy suitcase. It can also blow your limited vacation money. Here's what not to buy for your next vacation in order to save both money and time . 1. Travel-size products Avoid travel-size products, says Tracy Stewart, content editor of travel deal site Airfarewatchdog.com. Travel sizes can be enticing and easier to pack, but they're not typically economical. "They're not very smart to buy in terms of cost," Stewart says. "They're really only slightly less than the full-size versions, and usually they contain just a fraction of the actual product." It often makes better financial sense to stock up on necessities after you arrive at your destination, says Stephen Solosky, founder of TravelingProfessor.com and professor emeritus of math at Nassau Community College. Waiting to buy such items could help you avert checked bag fees, says Solosky, who's lasted 45 days on a trip with only a carry-on. His first stop when he lands? The supermarket. Remember, he says, you're not going to another planet. You can buy most everything you would get at home while you're away. 2. Typical hotel amenities Read this tip before you make a Target or Walmart run to stock up on trip supplies. Skip any products you can get for free in your hotel room, suggests Jessica Sanders, a frequent traveler and founder of The Happiest Blog on Earth. Sanders recommends calling the hotel where you'll be staying ahead of time to see which items it regularly places in the rooms. It may provide guests with shampoo, conditioner, soap and even makeup remover wipes, she says. 3. Duplicate items Solosky and Sanders both say to ask the other members of your group what they'll be bringing on the trip with them. For some items, you can share. That'll save money and room in your luggage, too. You may be able to borrow your daughter's flatiron or buy one tube of toothpaste to share with your spouse, for instance. 4. Workout attire If you're going to a warm or tropical destination, don't bother wasting money and space on a bulky towel. Most resorts and cruises have beach towels available for you to use after your swim, Sanders says. But as with the hotel amenities, check with your destination ahead of time. Similarly, buy and pack yoga pants or running shoes only if you're certain you'll use them. Avid exercisers can benefit from them, but if you're hoping to kick-start a workout regimen on vacation, you might be better off waiting until you're back. "If it's just wishful thinking, leave them at home," Sanders says. If you're traveling internationally, buy and bring fewer clothing items and do laundry (check online for laundromats near your destination before you depart). The plus side? It's a great way to meet the locals, Solosky says. 5. Anything valuable or brand new When possible, bring used items from home, as opposed to buying brand new. Solosky often shops at secondhand stores before his trips. That way, if he pays only $1 for a T-shirt, he has no problem leaving it overseas. If you don't want to throw things away, consider donating apparel and supplies you no longer need. In a sense, traveling smart is as much about what you pack when you start out as it is about what you pack on your way home. "It's not what I bring, it's what I leave when I get there," Solosky says. So what about every other category of item you might be thinking of buying? To keep purchasing in check, Sanders says to ask yourself: What would be hard to replace at your destination if you left it behind? More From NerdWallet 'Tidy Up' Your Finances So Each Dollar Sparks Joy What to Buy (and Skip) in May Ditching Credit Cards? Here's What Could Happen to Your Score Courtney Jespersen is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: courtney@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @CourtneyNerd. The article What Not to Buy for Your Vacation originally appeared on NerdWallet.


The Cleveland Browns are loaded at running back. Nick Chubb cemented himself as a starting running back at the end of last year and the Browns are going to be where Kareem Hunt tries to rehabilitate his image after videos of him pushing a woman at a Cleveland hotel came out last year. That means there's not enough room for Duke Johnson in the backfield. Sure, he might get some touches when Hunt starts the season suspended, but he won't be getting the carries and catches he wants. There's a simple answer to that problem: Johnson requested a trade. Apparently, that rubbed Baker Mayfield the wrong way. Everyone loves Mayfield - myself included - because he speaks his mind. He fights back against the Colin Cowherds of the world. He's exciting and he's also very good. If Mayfield wants to call out what is now his third-string running back, he has the right to do so. That doesn't mean what he's doing is right. Players have a hard enough time dealing with coaches and owners. With the CBA coming up, players should be in solidarity at every step. If Johnson wants to be traded so he can get more carries, catch more passes, and eventually make more money, then he has the right to do so. This is his career. If Johnson sticks on the Browns this year and gets cut this year, no one is giving him a big deal. We really think the Browns are going to hold on to Johnson next year when he has a cap hit of $4.8 million followed by $5.9 million the next year? What's probably going to happen is he will be kept on the team this year, not get any carries or catches when Hunt returns and Chubb continues to get carries. Then he will get cut, and then there won't be a huge market for him because no one pays a third-string running back. That's why he wants to be traded. Apparently, Mayfield doesn't understand that. Mayfield has a tunnel vision. Good for him, but the best response to any question about Johnson would have been something like this, "Duke is a great guy. He has his own issues. We are focusing on the guys here who want to be here. If Duke wants to be here, we would welcome him back with open arms." What happens if Johnson does come back now? He's not going to like Mayfield's comments. Johnson has the right to be made. If this happened with Odell Beckham Jr., do we think Mayfield is going to have the same comments? What if this was Myles Garrett? Sorry, I just don't think Mayfield is reacting the same way if that happens. Being a leader isn't about being a leader for the best players in the locker room. It's about being a leader for all the players in the locker room. Calling out a guy who just wants to figure out a way to get the most touches and make the most money isn't right. Mayfield should call out idiots in the press. He should call out people on other teams who talk trash. He should call out online trolls and critics. He shouldn't be calling out teammates who just are trying to do what is best for them. The NFL is a business. This isn't college anymore. Mayfield made a mistake today. Here's to hoping he can mend fences if Johnson was offended because the Browns could need him if there's an injury in the backfield. If Cleveland isn't going to use Johnson then they might as well trade him for a player who can help Mayfield's "train" move forward. MORE: Heavyweight champ Andy Ruiz hits back at Stephen A. Smith after 'Butter Bean' comment Did Nike accidentally reveal that Kevin Durant is staying with the Warriors? Report: Suns, Bulls offering lottery picks for Lonzo Ball Aaron Rodgers sensing Year 2 jump from Packers WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling PFF projects Raiders DE Maxx Crosby to beat out Arden Key for starting role Related slideshow: The Best of the 2019 NFL OTAs (provided by imagn)


Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski penned an article yesterday outlining each NFL franchise's most intriguing project player entering 2019 . For some teams, it was a player who has been trapped behind other talent for the past few years - a player ready to make the jump to a starter role. Other teams saw career underachievers in new locations make the list - former Chicago Bears wide receiver Kevin White (a former top-10 pick) got the designation in his first season in Arizona. The Miami Dolphins? Undrafted rookie wide receiver Preston Williams got the call. An undrafted free agent out of Tennessee and Colorado State, Williams' path to the NFL hasn't been the smoothest. Here's some of what Sobleski had to say about Williams and why he's such an intriguing player for the Dolphins. "Preston Williams displayed first-round talent during his final collegiate season yet went undrafted due to a sordid history that included a transfer and guilty plea to an assault charge involving his then-girlfriend. … Williams finished fourth overall among FBS targets last season with 1,345 receiving yards, and the Dolphins have already seen flashes of his massive potential." - Brent Sobleski The claim of first-round talent at Colorado State is disputable, given how raw Williams was with his route running, particularly on his breaks at the top of his stem. Add in some frustrating drops and Williams certainly has his fair share of questions. But Sobleski's greater point is that Williams is physically gifted and that his traits will make for an intriguing storyline this August. And he's not wrong. Dolphins fans would be wise to proceed with caution, but Williams is budding with potential if this Dolphins coaching staff can keep him disciplined. View embedded content MORE: Kyle Kuzma is already trash-talking his former Lakers teammate NBA Free Agency 2019: The top players The story of the Steelers helmet logo LaVar Ball says Lakers are 'crashing down' after Anthony Davis trade Chiefs WR Byron Pringle projected to be a starter by Matt Waldman


In court, at the border and through arm-bending negotiations with regional neighbors Mexico and Guatemala , the Trump administration has been devising elaborate new immigration measures to buttress against potential judicial setbacks and the possibility of a new migration surge this fall. The effort proceeds along two main fronts: a long-range push to narrow access to the U.S. asylum system for migrants seeking protection, and a more immediate attempt to create new deterrents by enlisting foreign governments instead of congressional Democrats. Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on The Washington Post Late Friday, the administration announced a major new migration accord with Guatemala that would make the country a faraway repository for asylum seekers from other nations. It has been rolled out so hastily that U.S. lawmakers have yet to receive a copy. Attorney General William P. Barr then cinched the asylum system tighter on Monday, issuing a ruling that makes it more difficult for applicants to seek protection when their family members face threats. Advocacy groups say the change could lead thousands of claimants to lose the ability to seek refuge in the United States. The moves, amid a flurry of others in recent weeks, add to what increasingly appears as a complex, Rube Goldberg-esque system of enforcement and deterrence. The U.S. government has allowed itself to send Honduran and Salvadoran asylum seekers to Guatemala, to make Guatemalans wait in Mexico and to deport thousands of others who until recently could have qualified for humanitarian protection. Homeland Security officials and the president's defenders say the multitrack measures are reasonable stopgaps made necessary by Democrats' unwillingness to fix festering, obvious flaws in the U.S. immigration system that smuggling organizations exploit with impunity. Knowing that families have an easier path to release in the United States, and that asylum claimants have rights once they touch U.S. soil, smuggling guides have seized on the opportunity: The number of migrants expressing a fear of persecution at the border and applying for asylum has soared in recent years, adding to a crippling backlog of more than 800,000 cases in U.S. immigration courts. Border arrests have fallen about 40 percent since June 7, when the Mexican government agreed to start an unprecedented crackdown to avoid Trump's threat of tariffs. But the number of migrants taken into custody remains at the highest level in more than a decade, on pace to approach 1 million arrests during the current fiscal year, driven by a record influx of children and families far more difficult to deport than single adults. "If we can pass laws to fix this, that'd be the best thing, but Trump is trying to do it without the help of Democrats or the courts," Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in an interview. "The word is out that the system is easy to exploit, and that's why the numbers have exploded." The administration's initiatives have triggered court challenges and several injunctions blocking them. But Trump officials bounce back by debuting new measures to diversify their enforcement efforts and put up new bureaucratic obstacles at the border even as others are knocked down. Last week in San Francisco, U.S. District Court Judge Jon S. Tigar blocked the administration's attempt to deny asylum to those who fail to seek refuge in another nation while transiting to the United States. Tigar, appointed by President Barack Obama, also halted a previous administration attempt to refuse asylum to those who cross the border illegally. The judge pointed to U.S. immigration statutes that offer broad protections to vulnerable groups seeking shelter from persecution, telling the administration it lacks the authority to override those laws by decree. But within days of Tigar's ruling, which the Justice Department has appealed, the Trump administration announced its asylum deal with Guatemala. And federal courts have allowed Homeland Security officials to continue the border-wide expansion of the "Remain in Mexico" program, or Migrant Protection Protocols. That program requires asylum seekers to wait outside the United States   mostly in high-crime Mexican border cities   while their legal claims wend through U.S. immigration courts, a process that typically takes several months or longer. More than 20,000 asylum seekers have been sent back to wait in Mexico since January, according to the latest figures from Mexican and U.S. officials. Those measures, combined with the Guatemala accord potentially allowing U.S. border agents to send asylum seekers there, give the administration multiple channels to reroute asylum seekers out of the country instead of releasing them into the U.S. interior. Trump this week appeared to suggest his administration has been holding back from more aggressive enforcement measures, saying he has been waiting for Democrats to act. "Despite the Democrats wanting very unsafe Open Borders & refusing to change the Loopholes & Asylum, tremendous progress is being made on the southern border," the president tweeted Tuesday. "We all waited because we assumed the Dems would ultimately be forced to change the horrible Immigration Laws. They didn't!" The large field of Democratic presidential candidates generally has jostled over proposals to break with the party's conventional views on border security   including the decriminalization of unlawful entry   while offering those seeking refuge in the United States a way to access the nation's long-standing asylum protections. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said in Tuesday night's presidential debate that there is a will to change the rules in Congress, but she said it would have to be in a way that provides a pathway to asylum for those who are persecuted while also stemming the flow of migrants to the border itself: "I believe that immigrants don't diminish America; they are America. And if you want to do something about border security, you first of all change the rules so people can seek asylum in those Northern Triangle countries." Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) says the nation cannot ignore established law   she said "laws matter"   noting that seeking asylum is not a crime. "And as Americans, what we need to do is have a sane system that keeps us safe at the border, but does not criminalize the activity . . . of a mother fleeing here for safety," she said. As the immigration debate hardens ahead of the 2020 campaign, with Democrats denouncing the president's border policies, the chances of a long-elusive compromise deal appear even more remote. That has left Trump officials increasingly outsourcing their most dramatic immigration enforcement efforts to other governments   and threatening to punish them if they don't go along. After more than 144,000 migrants were taken into custody along the southern border in May   the highest monthly total since 2007   the president strong-armed Mexican authorities to deploy thousands of national guard forces to carry out immigration enforcement within their borders. Cris Ramón, an immigration analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center, said the episode reflected the president's favored approach to dealmaking. "Trump likes one-on-one negotiations, that's his forte," he said. "With the Democrats, there are many points of entry, so there is less of a way to put pressure on individuals. But bilateral negotiations play to his strengths, and that allows him to take a more hard line position." With Mexico and then Guatemala, the president went straight for the kneecaps, threatening Mexico's export-dependent economy with escalating tariffs and telling Guatemalans he'd revoke their visas and tax cash remittances sent by relatives working in the United States. Both times, Trump got what he wanted, but they have left the United States more reliant on foreign governments to deliver U.S. enforcement goals. The Guatemala accord appears especially fragile, and its operational details have yet to be mapped out. Protests flared this week in Guatemala City, where President Jimmy Morales was mocked as a U.S. lackey, and Guatemala's highest court has ruled that the deal will require the approval of lawmakers. The country has a presidential election in two weeks, and the acting secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, is traveling to Guatemala on Wednesday to promote the deal and keep it from falling apart. Homeland Security officials did not respond to requests for additional details about the accord, its cost, how it will be implemented and the number or nationality of the asylum seekers the United States plans to send to Guatemala. The architecture of the administration's enforcement system also appears to be wobbling in Mexico, where President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reiterated his opposition this week to a "safe third country" accord like the one Guatemala agreed to. His administration pledged in the June 7 deal with Trump to begin working on a regionwide overhaul of asylum rules, but in comments this week Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard signaled that such measures would not be necessary because Mexico's crackdown has reduced the flow of migrants to the U.S. border by nearly 40 percent in less than two months. Ebrard said U.S. authorities had made about 87,000 arrests in July, down from more than 104,000 in June. Homeland Security officials declined to confirm those statistics, but if accurate, they indicate diminishing returns for Mexico's enforcement efforts, while the number of border arrests remains at levels two to three times higher than during previous years for the month of July. James Nealon, the former U.S. ambassador to Honduras who left his job as the top policy official at DHS last year out of frustration with the administration's immigration agenda, said the new, more international focus of the effort was a reflection of McAleenan's belief that messaging and perception are crucial to deterring migration. "I think what we were seeing up until a couple months ago was Trump   through his ventriloquist Stephen Miller   doing everything possible to limit the number of foreigners who come into the country and limit the number of foreigners already living in the country," said Nealon, referring to the president's senior policy adviser. "Now what you're seeing is McAleenan, who has a more nuanced understanding of push factors and probably understands the border better than anyone in the government," Nealon said. "He's trying to do things downrange to limit the number of people who try to come to the border in the first place." Sen. Johnson sent a letter in July to top administration officials pitching what he called "Operation Safe Return" to surge judges, asylum officers and attorneys to the border and fast-track asylum cases, swiftly deporting applicants who don't qualify instead of allowing them to be released. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Doug Jones (D-Ala.) signed on, but the proposal faces dim prospects with many other Democrats outraged by the treatment of migrants in U.S. custody and the president's statements. "The president's rhetoric shouldn't affect Democrats' willingness to look at a problem and solve it," said Johnson, who then conceded the plan wasn't likely to become law any time soon. nick.miroff@washpost.com


The four-game series at Petco Park comes to an end this afternoon as the Pirates send Joe Musgrove (2-4, 3.59 ERA) to the mound to duel with Cal Quantrill (0-1, 3.60 ERA). This is Quantrill's third start of 2019. Musgrove is coming off a strong outing against the Diamondbacks where he went seven innings and allowed just one hit, no runs, two walks and struck out five hitters. Josh Bell will look to continue to wreak havoc at the plate. The slugger is averaging a 96.4 MPH exit velocity through 116 batted ball events. He is one of six Pirates hitters with a 90+ MPH average exit velocity. No hitter in today's Padres lineup has faced Musgrove more than Manny Machado, who has six plate appearances with three singles. Today's Pirates lineup has yet to face Quantrill. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 EST. Lineups Pirates 2B Adam Frazier LF Melky Cabrera RF Gregory Polanco 1B Josh Bell CF Bryan Reynolds 3B Colin Moran C Elias Diaz SS Cole Tucker P Joe Musgrove Padres 2B Greg Garcia LF Alex Dickerson SS Manny Machado 1B Eric Hosmer RF Hunter Renfroe C Austin Allen CF Wil Myers 3B Ty France P Cal Quantrill


Kelly Racing will run its two Opel Astras badged as Holdens in TCR Australia. The Supercars squad will run two German-built Astras in the new-for-2019 category, with Alex Rullo and Chelsea Angelo signed on as drivers. However the cars won't run with the Opel badges they arrived in Australia with, the team opting to bring them more in line with the local market and re-badge them as Holdens. That doesn't mean there is Holden factory support, however, the switch driven by Rullo's backing from dealer McGrath Holden and dealer network AHG. It's been confirmed to Motorsport.com that there is no official backing from GM Holden. "Holden is keeping an eye on the TCR series along with other motorsport categories in Australia. We are excited to see how this series develops in its first year, however our current focus in motorsport is 100 per cent across the Supercars championship," read a statement supplied by the Aussie carmaker. Rullo's car will feature major backing from Castrol, building on a pre-existing relationship between brand and team through Rick Kelly's Nissan Supercar. "It's really exciting to have Castrol on board," said Rullo. "It has a long history in motorsport and with Kelly Racing so to see its iconic brand on my Astra is really motivating heading into the TCR Australia Series. "The car looks fantastic. The Castrol livery is so iconic you can't really go wrong. And now that we've rebadged the car as a Holden thanks to AHG and McGrath Holden, I think the fans are really going to love it." All four of KR TCR Australia entries, including the two Subarus that will be raced by Molly Taylor and Andre Heimgartner, are completing a final pre-season test at Winton today. The inaugural TCR Australia season kicks off at Sydney Motorsport Park this Friday. Motorsport.TV will be live streaming every race of the 2019 TCR Australia season. Alex Rullo, Kelly Racing Holden Astra Photo by: TCR Australia


High-yield stocks often come with higher risk of a payout cut. These are probably safer than Mr. Market thinks, and half of them are real bargains. Finding deep value in dividend stocks Whether it's a source of income, long-term growth of your portfolio, or building up a future source of cash flows, dividend stocks are an excellent way to build wealth. Moreover, sometimes the market puts too much stock in the downside risks a company faces, creating an opportunity for investors to pay bargain prices and profit from both the dividend yield and from the market's eventual realization that it was underpricing a great business. Case in point: These 10 dividend stocks aren't perfect, and Mr. Market has punished them recently. Yet their cash flows and business prospects are more than sufficient to keep the dividend checks coming (and in some cases growing), something sellers seem to have ignored on their way out the door. For savvy investors willing to take a stake amidst some turmoil, the long-term rewards should more than pay off. Collecting a big dividend every quarter can make the ride a little more comfortable, too. Click ahead for 10 dividend stocks that you should take a look at. 1. CenturyLink: The hardest decision has already been made CenturyLink has the dubious honor of making this list, despite having recently slashed its dividend by more than half in February. The thing that makes CenturyLink so compelling now is that, simply put, it didn t need to cut its payout, but it was a move that will almost certainly strengthen the company . Prior to cutting the dividend, CenturyLink paid out about 60% of its cash flows to cover the dividend, giving it a pretty wide margin of safety at the higher payout. With the dividend even lower, it will now be able to use more of its cash flows to pay down debt, an action which will even further free up cash flows by lowering interest expenses. Yet investors have seemingly given up on the company: Since announcing the dividend cut and go-forward capital allocation plans, the share price has fallen another 30%, pushing the forward yield above 9.5% at recent prices. ALSO READ: 3 Unknown but Amazing Dividend Stocks 2. Pattern Energy Group: Strong tailwinds Pattern Energy Group (EGI) is an independent producer of renewable power, primarily from wind and solar farms it owns or has a stake in and operates. It also had a solid track record of dividend growth for the first four years of its existence as a public company: However, things came to a bit of a head in 2017, when the dividend s growth caught up to its cash flows, and management had to halt the payout increases. For most of 2018, things were a little bit touch-and-go: Even after freezing the payout, Pattern finished the year paying out essentially all of its cash flows in dividends, and for much of that period investors sold out of the company heavily. Even after recovering some of the losses, shares are still down almost 20% from the all-time high. But the company s plan to reignite cash flows growth is paying off. Cash available for distribution increased 23% per share in the first quarter , putting the company ahead of its two-year plan to generate 20% more cash than it needs to cover the payout. With a dividend approaching 8%, Mr. Market obviously isn t convinced just yet; or more likely, investors simply haven t realized how quickly cash flows are growing and that the dividend is far more secure than it was even one year ago. 3. B&G Foods: A recession-resistant business on the mend The first red flag investors should note about B&G Foods (BGS) is that the company paid out a lot more in dividends per share than it earned last quarter: It earned $0.26 per share, but paid out $0.475 per share in dividends. Even when adjusting for some one-off items (mostly related to divestitures, acquisitions, and integration expenses) the company s earnings of $0.44 per share fell short of the payout. That s a big reason why the yield is more than 8.5% at recent prices: Investors have sold B&G s stock heavily this year -- it s down 28% -- on expectations that the payout is inevitably going to be cut. Not so fast. B&G Foods does have some warts, and after selling off some parts of its business, revenue has shrunk and profits are getting squeezed. But its cash flows -- remember that earnings aren t all cash -- have remained relatively strong. At $50.3 million in Q1, it was sufficient enough to support the payout and management s other initiatives, including share buybacks, debt reduction, and strategic acquisitions. Lastly, this is a business that s built for most any economic condition. People tend to buy more packaged foods and eat out less during weak economic periods, and as the owner of Green Giant, Ortega, Baker s Joy, and more than three dozen other popular brands, B&G s turnaround isn t likely to be derailed, no matter the economic environment. It is a little higher up the risk side of the risk-reward profile, as it has had to pay out most of its cash flows to maintain the dividend in recent years. But so long as cash flows continue improving, today s price could look like a real bargain in a few years  time. 4. Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son: This leading offshore bank is dirt-cheap Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Ltd (NTB) is based in Bermuda and has offices in most of the world s biggest offshore financial services centers. It also generates some of the strongest returns you ll see in banking, with 23.5% return on equity and 1.9% return on assets over the past 12 months. For context, that s well above the benchmark goals of 10% and 1% respectively, and far-higher than JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Goldman Sachs (GS), two of the best-known and best-run commercial and investment banks out there: Yet with its stock price down 35% from the peak, Butterfield trades for 9.5 times trailing earnings and its dividend yield is 4.7%. While generous, it s affordable, with a payout ratio less than 45%. Moreover management is likely to continue prioritizing the payout; it was just increased 16% earlier this year. A high-quality and highly-profitable bank trading for a single-digit earnings valuation and paying an above-average yield? Take it to the bank. 5. Phillips 66 Partners: This high-yield stock is no pipe dream Master limited partnership Phillips 66 Partners (NYSE:PSXP) is a yield machine. Based on the most-recent quarterly dividend of $0.845 per share, investors who buy at recent prices can expect to earn a fat 7% yield if the midstream oil and gas asset operator can simply maintain the payout. Here's the thing: Phillips 66 Partners has an amazing track record of growing the dividend; it's been raised 21 consecutive quarters and is now 400% higher than it was about five years ago. That's because Phillips 66 Partners has a special relationship with none other than Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX), its sponsor and controlling investor. In short, Phillips 66 utilizes the partnership as a "drop-down" entity, selling the pipeline assets it develops to Phillips 66 Partners. The benefit for Phillips 66 is that, as both a limited partner (MLP-speak for shareholder) and the general partner calling the shots, it collects a portion of the distributions, while moving these assets -- more specifically the debt it uses to finance them -- off of its own balance sheet. Don't let the fact that Phillips 66 Partners' share price is down 11% from the 52-week high and 39% below the all-time high fool you: This is a well-run business that's built to pay distributions, raise the payout on a regular basis, and reward long-term investors with the patience to buy and hold. ALSO READ: 3 Dividend Stocks Perfect for Retirees 6. Enterprise Products Partners: A dependable income stock with a pipeline of growth Another master limited partnership, Enterprise Products Partners (EPD), makes our list, but it s a different animal. Unlike Phillips 66 Partners, Enterprise Products doesn t have an integrated oil giant pulling the strings and supplying it with a pipeline of assets to take over; but with a market capitalization of $61.4 billion, it s 60% bigger than Phillips 66 and a true behemoth of the energy world in its own right. It s also one of the most-important providers of logistics for the North American oil and gas industry, gathering, processing, pipelining, and storing natural gas, crude oil, natural gas liquids, as well as operating multiple import/export terminals. Moreover, the bulk of its revenue comes from fixed-rate contracts, typically under very long-terms, which protects its cash flows -- and its distributions to investors -- from the whims of the oil and gas market. And that s allowed it to raise the payout almost every year since the first quarterly payment was made two decades ago. And at recent prices, you could buy this cash-cow business for barely 10 times cash flows, and enjoy a 6.2% yield at the current dividend rate. With $10 billion in growth projects on its radar and a solid track record of performance, investors can expect the payout to continue growing for years to come, making today s price an absolute bargain. 7. BP: The super-yielding supermajor BP (BP) has spent most of the past decade as the most-overlooked of the so-called  supermajors,  the biggest of the integrated oil and gas giants, including ExxonMobil (XOM) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDS-A and RDS-B) amongst others. And it s not for no reason; BP was involved in one of the biggest disasters in oil industry history, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf and caused billions of dollars in environmental and economic damage, a big portion of which BP has paid for. Today, BP is a much-improved business with a strong safety record and more diversified cash flows. Over the past six months, BP has generated over $12 billion in operating cash flow, in part from higher production but in no small part due to steadily improving expenses. Moreover, BP has a handful of high-return offshore projects in the works, and hasn t yet fully tapped into last year s huge shale investment onshore. But Mr. Market continues to price BP like the least of the supermajors ; despite its impressive cash flows, investors have been slow to show favor to the company, and its dividend yield is near 6% at recent prices. To some extent it makes sense, considering BP has paid out more than 100% of earnings in dividends as recently as early 2018. But with steadily strengthening cash flows, improving expenses, and several catalysts that should support further cash flow improvement in the years to come, BP is the supermajor dividend investors should be considering right now. 8. Tanger Factory Outlets: A bargain-hunter's delight On the surface, Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (SKT) might strike investors as a yield trap waiting to spring. After all, this real estate investment trust -- or REIT -- makes a living by renting space to retailers and with e-commerce rapidly growing and taking a bite out of traditional brick-and-mortar s pie, who wants to be in that dying business? Not so fast. Tanger isn t in the business of owning regional malls or strip malls that have become all-too-familiar because of the number of vacant units. Instead, the company s focus is in the segment of retail which still remains quite robust: Discount brand-name shopping. As a matter of fact, Tanger reported its assets continue to be quite productive for tenants. In the first quarter, its tenants averaged $391 in sales per square foot, that s up from $380 in 2017 and well on the way to the 2015 peak of $395 as the company focused its efforts on its best properties, having divested many of its weaker units over the past couple of years. Tanger isn t without its challenges. Occupancy rates are expected to be below 95% this year, down from 99% in 2012; but that s far-better than most mall REITs can claim, and inline with occupancy rates at well-regarded competitor Simon Property Group (SPG). But the market s perception that Tanger is set to struggle, continues to weigh on the share price, and that s pushed the dividend yield above 8% at recent prices, despite the fact that it takes less than 60% of funds from operations to support. Yes, Tanger does have work to do to continue strengthening its properties and cash flows, but investors with a stomach for volatility and a willingness to ride out the ups-and-downs should give Tanger a closer look. 9. Hospitality Properties Trust: A counterintuitive move to boost cash flow Investors didn t react very favorably to Hospitality Properties Trust s (HPT) recent $2.4 billion deal to buy almost 775 retail properties from Spirit MTA REIT (NYSE:SMTA). Considering the prior comments about Tanger and ongoing fears that traditional retail is in decline, it s somewhat understandable. Add in the fact that Hospitality Properties is still in the midst of spending a few hundred million bucks to renovate many of its existing hotels, and you can further see why the market wasn t crazy about the move. Lastly, Hospitality Properties isn t currently even in the net-lease retail business; so there are legitimate concerns that management is dragging the company away from what it s good at. But there s a strong counter-argument that this move is a smart investment, and it will strengthen the company and improve its cash flows. Management projects that it will add more than $100 million in adjusted EBITDAre (excludes gains from sale and purchase of real estate) once it closes the acquisition and completes about $800 million in asset sales. Moreover, adding substantial net-lease properties to its portfolio should help smooth out the cyclical nature of its hotel business, which will shrink from over 70% of its cash flows to less than 60% post-acquisition. There s certainly some execution risk; it s not uncommon for companies to promise a high figure for divestitures only to come up short, so we have to take HPT s management at its word on this. Furthermore, the transaction won t close until later in 2019, and it could take more than a year to complete all the related asset sales, so it s not likely to be a quick process. But the market s recent reaction has priced in a lot of the risk, pushing the yield to nearly 8.8% at recent prices. On balance, this deal strengthens my conviction that it s the best real estate investment for 2019 . ALSO READ: 2 Dividend Stocks to Buy on Sale 10. Iron Mountain: Moving the mountain Iron Mountain's (IRM) core business is storing paper documents, something that seems nearly as outdated as being in the TV antenna installation business. Considering that nearly two-thirds of its revenue comes from renting physical storage space to companies, it shouldn't be very surprising to investors that its stock price is essentially the same today as it was five years ago (it's up a modest 2%) and down 24% from the late-2017 peak. However, investors would be making a mistake to dismiss Iron Mountain as a relic of the physical document past so quickly. The physical storage business remains a solid cash-cow operation, and even if its best days are in the past, it will continue to remain important and necessary for many years to come. Moreover, demand for physical storage is likely to remain strong and even grow in emerging markets like India . But what really makes Iron Mountain a worthy dividend investment is management's steps to make it a data storage leader for the 21st century and beyond. Less than 20% of revenue came from its "growth opportunities" segment in 2018, but that number is expected to reach 30% by 2020. The biggest driver will be digital storage: Iron Mountain already calls half of the 10-biggest cloud companies customers for data storage. Over the next decade, cloud-based storage is set for exponential growth. Iron Mountain is set to be a big winner from this, even as its legacy physical storage business continues to play an important role supporting businesses and generating cash. With a yield above 7.6% at recent prices and a clear role in the present and future of document and data storage, Iron Mountain is a dividend stock you shouldn't overlook. Jason Hall owns shares of Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son, CenturyLink, Hospitality Properties Trust, Pattern Energy Group, and Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and has the following options: long January 2020 $17 calls on CenturyLink. The Motley Fool owns shares of Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son. The Motley Fool recommends Enterprise Products Partners and Tanger Factory Outlet Centers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .


Some Ohio lawmakers are pushing to make pornography a public health crisis. The Ohio House Resolution No. 180, introduced by Rep. Jana Powell, R, has 18 co-sponsors. It aims to declare pornography a public heath crisis, claiming a connection between pornography and human trafficking. A recent study ranked Ohio the fourth worst state in the nation for human sex trafficking. Lawmakers said the resolution brings to light the importance of protecting children from pornography and enforcing existing obscenity laws. Read the full resolution here. "The #MeToo movement has awakened America to the epidemic of sexual assault, human trafficking, and the objectification of women," said Aaron Baer, president of Citizens for Community Values. "But any serious conversation about ending a toxic sexual culture must include an honest assessment of the harms of pornography. Pornography is more widely available than ever before, and until we get serious about enforcing our existing obscenity laws and ensuring children aren't exposed to porn, we will never end the exploitation." If the resolution passes in the House, Ohio will join at least 15 other states who have passed similar resolutions: Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia. READ MORE: Ohio lawmakers push to make porn a public health crisis CHECK OUT WLWT: Stay in the know. Get the latest Cincinnati news, weather and sports from the team at Ohio's own WLWT.


CHICAGO (CBS)   A fisherman was rushed to the hospital Friday morning, after he nearly drowned trying to retrieve his boat when it slipped from a boathouse on the Chicago River. Authorities said two men had just returned to the dock at the Weed Street Boathouse when their fishing boat came loose from the dock. One man jumped into the water to retrieve it as the other stayed on the dock. After about five minutes, the man on the dock couldn't see his friend in the water anymore, and called for help, then jumped in the water to try to find his friend. Report of 2 persons in the water at 1550 N. Kingsbury: 1 person removed and refused transport; 1 person removed and transported to NW Hospital. Divers are out of the water. pic.twitter.com/DCfaWDD2uO   Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) June 28, 2019 Police Department and Fire Department marine units both responded to the scene. Firefighters rescued the man who went in to try to save his friend. Police found the man who had gone in to retrieve the boat, and paramedics performed CPR. The first man who went into the water was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. His condition was not available. The other man declined to go to the hospital.


It's no secret that in today's NBA landscape that superstar players have a lot of power. Take for example this month's free agency period. The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Anthony Davis after he requested to be dealt from the New Orleans Pelicans midway last season. Kyrie Irving , DeAndre Jordan and Kevin Durant all elected to head to the Brooklyn Nets together, and late last night Kawhi Leonard signed with the L.A. Clippers and the team also traded for Paul George , a player Leonard wanted to team up with. Portland Trail Blazers' star Damian Lillard has taken note of the open recruiting that exists between star players and how it's given players more power than ever. "It's become huge," Lillard told ESPN . "Because sometimes the coaches and the front offices, they don't have as much power as the players. The players are so friendly now. I think in the past it was like [Michael] Jordan probably didn't go out searching and trying to get guys to come join him. It was like they was competing against each other." The conversations that take place help open the door for players to create the teams they want and, in turn, become more powerful than pitch meetings. "Now it's, 'Well, they got three stars on their team, so I know this guy and that guy, I'm going to try to get them to come to my team.' So I think you see [recruiting] a lot more now where it's just players recruiting players is more powerful than the pitch meeting with the team. That's just what it is now, so it's a huge part of the game now." Lillard had the opportunity to be a recruiter or be recruited, but instead chose to lock up his longterm future with the Trail Blazers . He signed a four-year $196 million supermax extension which begins in 2021. "I think we've built something special," Lillard said. "It's been built genuine and in an environment that we've created. It's something that I've been a part of and something that I want to continue to be a part of." More from Yahoo Sports: Chris Haynes: Leonard has agreed to sign with Clippers Report: Clippers also trading for Thunder's George Zion stars in abbreviated Summer League debut Morgan denies tea-sipping celebration was England troll


Golden State Warriors sharpshooter may be rehabbing his surgically-repaired left ACL, but that doesn't mean he's not getting out and about. At a "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" promotional event on Thursday in Los Angeles, Thompson spoke with ESPN's Cari Champion about his injury and the prospects for his retooling Warriors. Thompson made a declaration fans will be happy to hear, and that is a desire to play for another decade. He figures that his role as a shooter will allow him to help any team for the long haul, even when his legs no longer have hops. The Splash Brother, who just inked a five-year max contract with the Warriors, is also mindful that rushing his return won't bode well for career longevity. Thompson said : I've heard varying opinions about (the time frame), especially medically, (but) I don't want to rush it 'cause I want to play until I'm 38, 39, 40 years old. That's my plan, especially because the way I can shoot the ball. I would love to see the floor this season. I don't know when that is. As prior reports had indicated, when Thompson went to the locker room after hurting his knee during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, his goal was to walk it off and return, having no idea the injury was as serious as it turned out to be. Having been blessed with a career free of major injuries, Thompson had no point of comparison. … I didn't think it was that bad, initially. My adrenaline was so high being Game 6, whatever. I thought I sprained my knee; that's all I thought it was. Referring to injuries as "obviously the most tragic part of sports," Thompson says he's humbled the Warriors still believed in him enough to offer him max dollars. MORE: How Kawhi Leonard broke the news to Raptors coach Nick Nurse that he was leaving Five potential Jeremy Lin landing spots in free agency Biggest winners from the first week of Packers training camp Sean McVay, Rams are flipping the script on practice and the preseason Carmelo Anthony Wants to Play Again, Believes Rockets Dumped Him for Non-Basketball Reasons


Think the Twins need some bullpen help? Would you be interested in an ace-level starter? Don't think the "cheap Pohlads" have the guts to pull off a couple of quality deals to help strengthen the roster? Well, luckily, the Pohlads aren't the ones doing the trading, as Falvine will be manning the phone lines come July. And while some may question the Twins' willingness to deal their prospects for major leaguers at the deadline, there are more reasons than you probably think why the Twins will pull off multiple deals at the deadline. Falvey and Levine have stated that they will be aggressive when the time comes for the club to pursue a postseason run, and I don't think it can be any more obvious than it is now that the winning window is open and ready for the Twins head onto the path of Winnersville. It's obvious that the bullpen will need some upgrades before the fall of autumn, and a top-tier starter would also be helpful in making a playoff run. Acquiring these talents may come at a high cost, but the Twins prospect depth is equipped for just such a situation. And if the Twins don't end up trading those prospects this summer, they may lose them anyway to one of baseball's classic quirks: the Rule 5 draft. You can read a more in-depth explanation of the Rule 5 draft here , but essentially what you need to know is that minor league players are be able to picked in the draft after five years in professional baseball if they are signed at 18 or earlier, and four years if they are signed at 19 or older. Once picked, the Rule 5 pick has to remain on the team's 25-man roster for the whole season or he will be subjected to waivers and then sent back to their former team. Fangraphs post-draft rankings have the Twins' farm system ranked seventh in baseball. The Twins do have some top end talent, but the strength in their system is in their depth. They rank third in baseball with a 38 prospects who have a 40 or higher future value on Fangraphs' rankings, behind just the Padres and Rays . With a bevy of quality mid-level prospects, the Twins won't be able to stash all of them on the 40-man roster, and it would be better to use those assets than expose them to the Rule 5 draft. Here is a list of notable Twins prospects that will be available in the Rule 5 draft if not protected on the 40-man roster. I sorted them into three tiers according to the value that may fetch in a deadline deal Tier 1: A main piece in a trade for a high-level target Brusdar Graterol (AA) Tier Two: A main piece in a trade for a quality trade target (likely relief) or second piece for a high-level target Jorge Alcala (AA) Wander Javier (Low-A) Jhoan Duran (A+) Tier Three: A main piece for a mid-to-low level trade target or a 2nd or 3rd piece for a more valuable MLB asset Griffin Jax (AA) Travis Blankenhorn (AA) Lewin Diaz (A+) Tier Four: A decent throw-in piece in any trade Jaylin Davis (AAA) Luke Raley (AAA) Zander Weil (AAA) A special thanks to Jeremy Nygaards' Twins Roster and Payroll spreadsheet , where I was able to spot Rule 5 eligible players. That list includes some of the Twins top prospects, as well as a few mid-level guys having good seasons. I wouldn't expect a majority of them to be bumped up to the 40-man in the offseason, so they could be quality trade bait as the Twins approach the deadline. Ideally the Twins will make a couple trades for more than rentals at the deadline and sign a quality starter or two in free agency, and with a pretty solid core it doesn't seem likely that there will be a ton of spots open on the Twins 40-man roster for next season. While some fans may be concerned the Twins' front office won't pull the trigger at the deadline because they will instead hold on tight to their prospects, this philosophy wouldn't make a whole lot of sense. With a list of quality players that could be selected in the Rule 5 and one of the deepest farm systems in the big leagues, the Twins need to deal some of their prospects to recoup value. And I have faith that Falvine will do just that once the calendar swings to July. Related slideshow: 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)


PARIS   Whatever the weather in Paris, Andrea Petkovic, a semifinalist here a year ago, checks the forecast on her phone every morning when she wakes up during the French Open. It's not to see if she should pack an extra layer   well, there's that, too   but more than any other major, it's at Roland Garros that a cold, damp day means an entirely different game of tennis will be contested compared to if it's hot and dry. "Especially here, I've played matches in so many different conditions, it's amazing," said Petkovic, the world No. 10 who lost to Sara Errani in the third round Saturday. "It's the only tournament where you have to change your racket-stringing from one thing to the next so rapidly in a tournament." It's not just racket tension. Players alter their approach entirely if the sun is shining and they're playing in the mid-afternoon compared to competing in the first match in the morning on a gloomy, overcast day. "You do have to pay attention to those factors quite a lot actually," said John Isner, the American No. 1 who lost Thursday. Clay, known to be slower than its hard and grass court cousins on tour, is a surface that matches up best to nine-time champion Rafael Nadal when he plays in the afternoon, especially when the sun is out. But the Spaniard who is a career 69-1 at this event doesn't mind the conditions, no matter what they are. He'll play American Jack Sock in the fourth round Monday. Asked if a heavier set of conditions play on his mind when entering into a match, the 28-year-old Nadal shrugged off such an assertion. "No," he replied without missing a beat. "No, no. Seriously, no." It's as frank of an answer as they come, but two weeks ago a struggling Nadal lost in the quarterfinals of a French Open lead-up event in Rome against Stan Wawrinka, an evening match set in cooler conditions that left the balls bouncing lower, and flying through the air much more slowly, offsetting Nadal's respective spin and bounce. Evening sessions don't exist at this event. Court Philippe Chatrier doesn't have stadium lights. It's a scheduling advantage that has helped   and not hindered   the King of Clay's Roland Garros reign. "Generally, the table is set perfectly here for Nadal," said Leif Shiras, a former player who now commentates for Tennis Channel. "When Nadal has to play in heavy conditions, like he did in Rome, that's when everything slows down. Here, he doesn't have to deal with that dramatic conditional change between day and night, when his shots don't have the same amount of spin when they come off of the surface." It's why   for some   Petra Kvitova and Andy Murray's respective wins at the Madrid lead-up earlier this month, a tournament played at an altitude of 2,100 feet, were taken with a grain of salt (or dryer clay, if you may). Why? Paris stands at just over 100 feet above sea level. "I prefer a little bit different conditions than (the ones) here," said Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion. The No. 4 seed is into the fourth round for the first time since 2012. She faces Timea Bacsinszky there. "So for me it's much more difficult and it's more work. But that's how it is." The forecast could come into play Wednesday when   should they both make it there   Nadal and Novak Djokovic are set to meet in a blockbuster quarterfinal. It calls for an overcast day, just over 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Advantage who? "In 2012, in that final against Djokovic, it really was the time when the conditions were ripe for (Nadal) to lose," Shiras said. "It was cold and drizzling. But Djokovic just couldn't get it done." The lower bounces would favor the Serbian world No. 1, but should the sun burst through, so too do Nadal's chances at beating his rival for a fourth time here in as many years. But should Nadal win that match, the tennis   and weather   gods seem to be smiling down on him: Thursday through Sunday of next weekend are forecast as sunny, with highs reaching into the 80s, meaning dry conditions and high, big bounces for the Spaniard's round-house strokes. Keep checking that forecast, though.


In a hierarchy of unsexy topics, ear wax lands towards the top of the list. Still, the goo serves a vital function: It protects the delicate skin of the ear canal. What's more, changes in its color or consistency can provide clues to the overall health of the ear. Before I dive into exactly what these changes might be and can mean, Nina Shapiro, MD , professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and author of Hype: A Doctor's Guide to Medical Myths, Exaggerated Claims, and Bad Advice , wants to make it clear that you should not be cleaning out your own ear wax, no matter the circumstance. "The old wives tale of saying, 'Nothing smaller than your elbow in your ear,' is true," she says. In other words  no Q-tips ! The reason for this, she explains, is that wax is not dirt and therefore does not need to be removed at least in most cases (more on that in a minute). "Wax is actually produced by the skin glands in the ear canal, where skin doesn't haven't protection like it does in other places in the body," Dr. Shapiro explains. "So using a Q-tip does two things. It strips that protective layer and it actually pushes the rest of the wax into the ear further." Below, Dr. Shapiro differentiates between the type of wax that should be left to its own devices and that which might warrant professional intervention. Keep reading to find out what different colors and consistencies of ear wax may mean for your health. Brown A brown color in varying shades, says Dr. Shapiro, is not a sign of any trouble. "Brown ear wax is normal," she says. "[This will be] a sticky, waxy, consistency." Black Brown, however, isn't the only "normal" color. Dr. Shapiro explains that because wax is created by skin glands, different skin types produce different kinds of wax. "In general, people with darker complexions tend to produce darker wax," she says. If your ear wax presents as black when it's normally not so dark, however, Dr. Shapiro says this could be because it's mixed with some dirt. "Other times, it's just the way [the wax] gets oxidized when it makes contact with the air, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's dirt" or anything to be concerned about, she adds. White, dry, and flaky Just as different skin tones may produce different color waxes, Dr. Shapiro says that different skin types may produce different types of waxes. "Some people have this very light, flaky wax...it almost looks like the consistency of flaky skin," she says. This, she explains, is normal no one type of wax is more desirable than another. Watery Liquid-y wax or drainage, however, likely suggests the need for a doctor's visit. "This could be a sign of swimmer's ear, which is an outer ear infection, or it could be a sign that you have a hole in the eardrum, where liquid is draining out from the middle ear," Dr. Shapiro says. Usually, swimmer's ear is very painful. "If it's watery and it doesn't hurt, however, it could still be a sign you have damage to your ear drum," she says. Green "If you have green drainage, that's usually a sign of a more significant infection," Dr. Shapiro advises. "It could be a middle ear infection where you would need to be on antibiotic ear drops or oral antibiotics." Gray Pale gray ear wax, however, often signifies a different type of infection. "Just like you can get fungus in the feet, you can get fungus in the ear it's the same fungus," Dr. Shapiro says. "It's mushy gray, like the consistency of soft feta cheese, or like a paste." According to Dr. Shapiro, this type of infection is surprisingly common, especially in the summer. "It's kind of like a swimmer's ear, because it's usually [caused by] humidity. Just like you'd get fungus anywhere, it's from humidity trapped in warm stuff," she says. What happens sometimes, she further explains, is that water gets trapped behind wax: "Fungus loves to grow in these environments." To remedy the situation, Dr. Shapiro explains that your doctor will "suck out" the fungus and then treat the area with anti-fungal drops or creams. Bloody Blood coming out of the ear could be caused by a few things, says Dr. Shapiro not all of which require you to rush to the emergency room. "It could be a scratch to the ear canal if you've been using Q-tips, because the canal has a lot of blood vessels and can therefore bleed relatively easily," she explains. It could also, however, signify a bad infection. "If there's a scab or some sort of fleshy infected tissue an external infection it could bleed," she explains. "Or, if you're someone who has a hole in the eardrum and there's an ear infection, sometimes there could be a little blood coming out." Another option, Dr. Shapiro adds, is what's called a traumatic ear infection or traumatic perforation. "Sometimes we see it with scuba divers or people diving off of cliffs into big bodies of water they rupture their eardrums and there can be bleeding with that," she says. Smelly Ordinary wax, says Dr. Shapiro, does have a "funny smell." However, if it's an infection, the odor will change. "If it's a bacterial infection, it has the smell of overripe fruit, that fishy smell," she says. Fungal infections, meanwhile, smell, well , "fungal." Absent If you don't seem to produce ear wax, Dr. Shapiro says it's "no big deal. [You] probably produce a little but it gets sloughed up so that it doesn't accumulate enough to be visible," she explains. Excessive On the flip side of this, Dr. Shapiro says that some people just produce more wax than others, in which case they may need to get it cleaned out, professionally, a few times a year. This condition can appear with age, she adds, because the ears themselves get bigger with each passing year. 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The warm weather is welcomed by many, but for others, it means an extra dose of allergy medication. If your allergies have been out of control, it's because pollen counts are at an all-time high. It's keeping doctors like Manav Singla busy and patients like Louis Gross miserable. "I start to itch. It causes eczema in my ears, and I have to go to the ear doctor because I get an ear infection, and it's just a vicious cycle," Gross said. Singla said for the past 10 years, pollen counts have gone up, and this year is no exception. "The average peak pollen count is about 1,000. We've seen up to 1,600," Singla said. "The concept of climate change is seen here every day in our pollen counts and in the number of people suffering with sinus problems, allergies, asthma and other breathing problems." With pollen counts on the rise, some are turning to immunotherapy shots, which are doses of the allergen that, over time, train the body to become less allergic. Gross developed severe reactions to pollen as an adult and now gets the shots once a week. "I'm hoping it will relieve the eczema and itching in my ears and it has been working," Gross said. About 20% to 30% of the population is allergic to pollen. If you use over the counter treatments, make sure to do it often and in time. "Start with over-the-counter and oral antihistamines, your Zyrtecs, your Claritins, your Allegras, your Zysols. And if that's not adequate, go to nose spray," Singla said. Unfortunately, Singla expects the trend of increased pollen count to continue. But with the peak of the season upon us, relief is on the way.  READ MORE: Pollen counts up to 1.6 times higher than average CHECK OUT WBAL: Get all the latest Baltimore news, weather and sports. WBAL-TV brings you the best in Maryland news online, anytime.


Minnesota leads baseball in runs, home runs, and winning percentage. The Minnesota Twins have the best record in baseball and own the largest divisional lead in the sport, thanks largely in part to an offense that leads the world in runs scored and home runs, along with several other categories. The core of the burgeoning offense is young. Byron Buxton , Jorge Polanco , Max Kepler and Miguel Sano are all 25 or 26 years old, and have combined for 64 doubles and 41 home runs this season, all well above average offensively. But the young Twins, who shocked baseball in 2017 with a Wild Card berth immediately following a 103-loss season, regressed in 2018, finishing under .500. The roller coaster in Minneapolis is back on the upswing in 2019, with that young offensive core supported by four very affordable upgrades made over the winter. C.J. Cron has been one of many Twins providing the power this season, hitting .275/.337/.541 with 15 home runs at first base. Cron had a breakout season with Tampa Bay in 2018, with his 30 home runs nearly double his previous career best. Set for his second go-around in salary arbitration, Cron was about to make some real money, which to the Rays is like turning 30 years old in Logan's Run. Cron isn't quite 30 yet, but at 29 he was placed on waivers by Tampa Bay, with the Twins happy to scoop up the freely available talent. Minnesota is getting production at first base at the reasonable cost of $4.8 million, while the Rays get lesser but still capable numbers at first base from Ji-Man Choi, whose $850,000 salary allows Tampa Bay to pat themselves on the back for possibly another dollars-per-WAR championship, and maybe even more   the Rays, who won 90 games in 2018 but was watching the playoffs from home, is on pace for 98 wins this year and begins the weekend just a half-game out of the division lead and comfortably in first Wild Card position. But the Twins are in a much more secure position, leading the American League Central by a stunning 11 games over the Cleveland Indians , the division champ for three years running and the prohibitive preseason favorite. Minnesota opens the weekend with a 95.2% chance to win the division and 98.2% chance to make the playoffs per FanGraphs , and a similarly rosy outlook   95.6% for the division, 98.2% for the playoffs   from Baseball Prospectus . The aggressive offseason paid off for the Twins, setting them apart in an industry that has seen two consecutive dry winters for non-superstar free agents. This past season was especially tough for many, with several accomplished players   Adam Jones , Gio Gonzalez to name a few   settling for minor league deals, and two of the best free agents   Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel   waiting until June to sign because of teams' unwillingness to forfeit a draft pick to improve their team. We saw a similar mid-market shrewdness lead to an NLCS trip last year for the Milwaukee Brewers , after trading for the eventual NL MVP Christian Yelich and signing Lorenzo Cain , two anchors of another division-leading team in Milwaukee again in 2019. In addition to signing Cron, the Twins this offseason fortified their lineup with not one, not two, but three free agent signings: Nelson Cruz for $14.3 million. He's hitting .285/.370/.570 with 12 home runs Marwin Gonzalez for $21 million over two years. He's hitting .259/.328/.421 with eight homers while starting games at five different defensive positions. Jonathan Schoop for $7.5 million. Schoop is hitting .251/.306/.488 with 12 home runs, one of seven players with double-digit home runs for Minnesota. They have two others with nine and Gonzalez with eight. It should be noted that the Twins found the money for these additions after the salaries of the retiring Joe Mauer ($23 million) and free agent Ervin Santana ($13.5 million) came off their books. The Twins' opening day payroll of $119.7 million is actually lower than their $128.7 million mark in 2018, per Cot's Contracts . Minnesota leads the majors with 132 home runs, and are likely to pass their full-season 2018 total (166) by this year's All-Star break. They are hitting .275/.341/.517 as a team, leading the AL in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. Of their 13 players with the most plate appearances on the 2019 Twins, 12 are at least league average offensively by both OPS+ and wRC+. They are a lineup with no real weak spots, and enough depth to get by. Adjusted for league and park, the Twins as a team lead baseball in both OPS+ (126) and wRC+ (124). Nolan Arenado , the Rockies ' perennial MVP candidate, has a career OPS+ of 122, as a comparison. That has the Twins scoring six runs a game, fueling their fantastic start. All with a lineup nearly half-filled with newcomers added in a single offseason to team actually trying to improve. Imagine that. Related slideshow: The 2019 MLB season (Provided by imagn)


Although Karl Joseph 's stay on the trade block did not produce a departure, unlike other Reggie McKenzie first-round picks last year, the Raiders will not add a year onto the safety's rookie contract. The Raiders opted to decline the safety's fifth-year option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports ( on Twitter ). Jon Gruden confirmed this Friday, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. This runs contrary to a February report indicating the Raiders were considering exercising Joseph's option. But this points a path out of Oakland for yet another of McKenzie's high picks. Since Gruden arrived, he has shipped out first- or second-round picks Khalil Mack , Amari Cooper , Mario Edwards , Jihad Ward and Obi Melifonwu . Joseph is now in a contract year. A 2016 first-round pick, Joseph was a part-time starter for the 2018 Raiders. He played with the first-string defense in eight games. With Lamarcus Joyner now signed and Gruden openly expressing his affinity for first-round pick Johnathan Abram 's skill set, Joseph's role becomes even more uncertain.


Video by The Washington Post WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is considering sending 2,000 U.S. troops from Germany to Poland, a step sought by Warsaw to deter potential aggression from Russia. "We're talking about it," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he met with visiting Polish President Andrzej Duda. The United States already has troops in Poland as part of a 2016 agreement with the NATO military alliance in response to Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Poland's eastern neighbor Ukraine in 2014. Trump said the United States has upwards of 50,000 troops in Germany and said 2,000 of them could be sent to Poland. He said Poland is going to be spending a lot of money on a military facility for the troops. He also said he hopes Russia "will treat Poland with respect." "They get hurt unfortunately too often," Trump said of the Poles. "They're in the middle of everything. When bad things happen it seems like Poland is the first one...I hope that Russia and Poland and Germany are going to get along," said Trump, who has often been criticized by Democrats for being too close to Russia and President Vladimir Putin. The U.S. president said he thought he would travel to Poland at some point, but no dates were set yet. Duda has said he would unveil a deal this week to bolster the U.S. security presence in Poland. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Alistair Bell)


ROME, July 3 (Reuters) - A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted on Wednesday, releasing hot trapped magma in a powerful explosion, killing one person and enveloping the popular tourist destination in ash, witnesses and local officials said. The person, believed to be a tourist, was killed by falling stones during a walk, a rescue service official said. A second person was injured. The unexpected eruption started fires on the western side of the small Mediterranean island, which lies north of Sicily, off the toe of Italy. Fire crews were being called in from nearby locations and a Canadair plane was already in action. "We saw the explosion from the hotel. There was a loud roar," said Michela Favorito, who works in a hotel near Fico Grande, on the east side of the island. "We plugged our ears and after this a cloud of ash swept over us. The whole sky is full of ash, a fairly large cloud," she told Reuters. Fiona Carter, a British tourist on the island of Panarea, some 27 km (17 miles) from Stromboli, heard the blast. "We turned around to see a mushroom cloud coming from Stromboli. Everyone was in shock. Then red hot lava started running down the mountain towards the little village of Ginostra," she told Reuters. "The cloud got bigger, white and grey. It enveloped Ginostra and now the cloud has covered Stromboli entirely. Several boats set off for Stromboli," she added. Stefano Branca, an expert with the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV), said there had been a "paroxysmal eruption" on the island, when high-pressure magma explodes from a shallow, underground reservoir. "These are events of great intensity and quite rare," he told Reuters. Tourists often climb to the 924-metre (3,000-foot) summit of the volcano and peer into its crater, with small puffs of molten rock regularly blasted into the sky. It was not clear if anyone was on the crater at the time of the blast. According to the geology.com website, Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet and has been erupting almost continuously since 1932. The island was the setting for a 1950 movie starring Ingrid Bergman and, with other islands in the Aeolian archipelago, has become a favourite location in recent decades for holiday homes for the rich and famous. (Writing by Crispian Balmer Editing by Hugh Lawson, Frances Kerry and Peter Graff)


CHICAGO -- The city of Chicago is touting a four-year low in shootings for the first half of 2019. The numbers are trending in the right direction, but CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson says there's certainly no cause for celebration. Just this weekend, four people were killed and at least 50 others injured. Chicago police say it's all hands on deck when it comes to public safety, and that approach appears to be working. The first half of the year marks a four-year low of shootings as well as the lowest number of murders since 2016. Overall crime is down 9% across the city, including a 7% decline in murders and 11% decline in shootings, compared to this time last year Chicago police credit the department's efforts to keep illegal guns off the streets. So far this year, police have seized 5200 illegal guns which is on pace to surpass last year's numbers. Plus, robberies and burglaries dropped by double digit percentage points compared to the first half of last year -- hitting 20-year lows. Johnson says these numbers serve as a guide for where we want to be as a city and as a department. A round table discussion was held Monday morning at CPD headquarters, where police discussed the latest numbers. ___ (c)2019 WGN-TV, Chicago Visit WGN-TV, Chicago at www.wgntv.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


PHILADELPHIA (CBS)   A Philadelphia man has a goal: to make 10,000 new friends. It turns out, it has become his full-time job. "For me, meeting someone is like watching an episode of TV or watching a movie," 28-year-old Rob Lawless said. "I felt like in adulthood, it's either a business meeting or it's dating, and people aren't really open with their time outside of that." Lawless spends one-on-one time with complete strangers for one hour. He says it's the perfect amount of time. On this day, he was meeting Michael Hsun. "I wanted to give us time to run out of topics to speak about," Lawless said. "If there was an awkward pause, you have to dive underneath the surface a little bit." Lawless was inspired to do this project from his days in corporate America as a sales rep. "It was a lot of just following up because it's more so a game of persistence in the sales world," Rob said. "And a lot of people would get annoyed with that, would respond negatively. One guy called me a cockroach." "I was laid off and took this full-time, and end of this month will be three years full-time, which is crazy," he said. The project has led him to some pretty cool experiences. "I went out to Hawaii a few weeks ago," Lawless said. "When I was in San Diego, (one man) took me up in a plane that he had built himself. I went surfing for the first time." Since 2015, Lawless has met more than 2,700 people. He tracks his adventures and conversations on Instagram. "I don't take notes or anything like that," Lawless said. "I take a picture with everyone that I meet, and then I write a little bit about what I remember of their story and I post it to Instagram." We're giving 3 Cheers to Lawless as he tries to make the world a little more friendly. "I see these meetings as just opening the door with people," Rob said. Chandler Lutz also told her story to Lawless, becoming one of his 10,000 friends. You can follow Rob's 10,000 Friends project at @robs10kfriends .


Cornerback D.J. Hayden 's first season with the Jaguars didn't go as hoped on any level. The team sank from AFC South champion in 2017 to last place in the division and Hayden missed six games with a toe injury. His absence left the team without a capable nickel corner to go with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye and contributed to an overall decline for a defense that was responsible for much of the previous year's success. Hayden returned to health in the back end of the season and remained fit through an offseason that has him feeling bullish about what will come in September. "All that good stuff   getting turnovers, sacks and making big plays   I feel like we'll do that," Hayden said, via Jacksonville.com. "I feel totally 100 percent comfortable with what we're doing and our safeties. I feel we'll be the best secondary in the league." The safeties will likely play a big role in determining whether Hayden is correct. Barry Church was released late last year and Tashaun Gipson moved on in the offseason, which leaves Ronnie Harrison and Jarrod Wilson set to open the year as starters for the first time.


JACKSON, Miss.   A Mississippi jury has awarded a total of more than $3 million to five African American strippers after a federal judge found the women worked under worse conditions than their white colleagues. U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate ruled in the discrimination case last year. After a trial that lasted nearly a week on the question of damages, jurors decided Wednesday that the women would split $3.3 million for back pay and past and future suffering. The attorney for Danny's Downtown Cabaret, Bill Walter, said Friday he will ask Wingate to reduce the award. If Wingate disagrees, Walter said he will appeal. "Obviously, the client is disappointed in the verdict," Walter said. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Danny's years ago, saying the Jackson club limited when black women could work and fined them $25 if they didn't show up for a shift. The commission said white strippers had flexible schedules at the club and were not subjected to fines for missing work. It also said a Danny's manager used racial slurs against a black dancer, and Danny's owners forced black women to work at another Jackson club they owned called Black Diamonds, where conditions and security were worse and dancers were paid less. Marsha Rucker, the EEOC's regional attorney in Birmingham, Alabama, said in a statement that the commission "will protect employees in any industry who are subjected to such blatant and repeated discrimination." "This case shows the EEOC will sue any employer, operating any type of business, who violates federal anti-discrimination laws, especially those who will not stop discriminating even after being given repeated chances to do so," Rucker said. "The jury ... sent a powerful message to Danny's and any employer who thinks they are above the law."


The Sporting News recently ranked NFL head coaches. It didn't fare well for Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott. Not only does McDermott clock in at No. 25, some who haven't ever been the head coach of an NFL team on game day, having recently been named to their positions, outrank King Process. Here's what Sporting News said about the ranking: Last year: 18 Record: 15-17, .469 Playoffs: 0-1, .000 McDermott took the Bills to the playoffs in his first season, but Buffalo regressed in Year 2 with a 6-10 record. The Bills do have a potential franchise quarterback in Josh Allen, and they drafted Ed Oliver in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. This is still a franchise that has just two winning seasons since 2000. McDermott has led the Bills to a 10-6 record at home in his two years. Coming in at No. 20 and 21, respectively, are Freddie Kitchens of the Browns and Matt LaFleur of the Packers. Both have a combined 0-0 overall record as head coaches, but what do you know? They're better than McDermott, evidently. But apparently they're better than Jon Gruden of the Raiders and Matt Patricia of the Lions, also experienced coaches, who slot in at No. 22 and No. 23. In terms of the AFC East, McDermott also ranks behind the Jets' bench boss in Adam Gase, who comes in at No. 24. The Dolphins' new leader, Brian Flores, comes in at No. 30 and don't even question it: Patriots' coach Bill Belichick is the No. 1 seed, edging out the Rams' coach, Sean McVay. MORE: 'Jeopardy' star James Holzhauer fell just short of breaking his own ridiculous record Oshane Ximines named Giants' most dangerous new weapon Ahead of Finals, Stephen Curry defends Kevin Durant against critics Damon Harrison tired of repeated contract talks Jimmy Butler would reportedly like playing with LeBron James