Luis Alvarez, a retired NYPD bomb squad detective who described for Congress his medical issues during an impassioned appeal for an extension of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund , died Saturday in a hospice in New York. He was 53. His death from complications of cancer linked to the time he spent with other first responders in the rubble at ground zero was announced in a Facebook statement from his family. "We told him at the end that he had won this battle by the many lives he had touched by sharing his three year battle," the statement said. "He was at peace with that, surrounded by family. Thank you for giving us this time we have had with him, it was a blessing." Alvarez entered end-of-life hospice care last week. Alvarez vowed to fight for benefits until the end On June 11, a frail Alvarez made his way to Washington with other first responders to testify in a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing for an extension of the fund for police officers, firefighters and other emergency workers who became ill after laboring at the site of the 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks. He received a standing ovation that day. "I'm now in hospice, because (there) is nothing else the doctors can do to fight the cancer," Alvarez wrote in a Facebook post the following week. "Still here, still breathing, Still fighting." NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill tweeted a photo of Alvarez on Saturday with the message: "Our NYPD family & all 1st responders mourn as we remember retired NYPD Bomb Squad Det. Luis Alvarez, who passed this morning. His strength   physical, mental & emotional   led us all, & we vow to #NeverForget him or his legacy   which was, simply, to have others do what's right." Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said of Alvarez: "He exemplified the NYPD motto, "Fidelis Ad Mortem" or "Faithful Unto Death." Detective Lou Alvarez has lost his battle with 9/11-related cancer. An inspiration, a warrior, a friend we will carry his sword." House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, said via Twitter, "Det. Alvarez lost his fight against cancer, but his fight for 9/11 responders and survivors continues. He dedicated his life to protecting others and advocating on behalf of those ailing after the attacks. It is time for Congress to honor his sacrifice." John Feal, a 9/11 first responder and advocate, said that on Tuesday he gave Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Alvarez's badge as a symbol of the importance of the victim compensation fund. "That was Luis' intention," Feal told CNN this week. "Luis wanted Mitch McConnell to have his badge. And let me tell you something, for a New York City police officer to give up his badge, that's like somebody donating an organ, and Luis wanted the Senate majority leader to understand the importance of this and to be reminded that people are sick and dying." Feal told reporters the Senate majority leader committed to holding a vote to extend the fund after sitting down with him and other 9/11 first responders on Capitol Hill. 'I did not want to be anywhere else but ground zero' Alvarez wrote last week that the decline in his health had nothing to do with the trip to Washington. But organizers said the trip is a struggle for ailing first responders like the former detective. Some lawmakers on the panel did not show up for the hearing this month, leading to a fiery speech from comedian and fund proponent Jon Stewart."As I sit here today, I can't help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting health care and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to," Stewart said . Alvarez, speaking slowly, told lawmakers in the room that he planned to get his 69th round of chemotherapy the next day. "You made me come down here the day before my 69th round of chemo, and I'm going to make sure that you never forget to take care of the 9/11 responders," he said. Alvarez said the police officers, fire fighters, paramedics and others at ground zero were doing what they do every day -- helping others. "We were there together with one mission, and we left after completing that mission," he said. "I have been to many places in this world and done many things, but I can tell you that I did not want to be anywhere else but ground zero when I was there." He added, "Now that the 9/11 illnesses have taken many of us, we are all worried about our children and spouses and our families if we are not here." Last week, Alvarez posted on Facebook that a nurse noticed he was disoriented when he went for chemo treatment. Tests then revealed that his liver had completely shut down because of his tumors, he said. "So now I'm resting and I'm at peace. I will continue to fight until the Good Lord decides it's time," he wrote. "I will try to do a few more interviews to keep a light on our fight for the VCF benefits we all justly deserve. Please take care of yourselves and each other." Alvarez was born in Havana, Cuba in October 1965. He was married to Alaine Parker Alvarez, and has three sons. He graduated in 1983 from Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School in Queens, New York. He later studied at the City University of New York. He was appointed to the NYPD in 1990 and retired as a detective in October 2010. Alvarez is also survived by his parents, Aida and Felipe; his sister, Aida Lugo; and his brothers, Philip and Fernando. More than 12,500 cases of cancer diagnosed The fund Alvarez and others fought for was created in the months following the 2001 attacks and was initially active for two years, paying more than $7 billion relating to injuries and deaths caused by the 9/11 attacks. But first responders who spent weeks at the site breathing in noxious air clouded with debris from the collapsed buildings -- after New York and federal officials told them it was safe -- have since been diagnosed with a variety of debilitating illnesses and cancers. Congress and President Barack Obama agreed in 2010 to pay their medical costs, reopened the fund and set aside $2.7 billion to pay victims just learning about chronic health problems resulting from their work in 2001. In 2012, the government determined that cancers can be compensated as part of the fund. It wasn't nearly enough money, however, and in 2015 Congress added $4.6 billion in funding, along with new controls and limits on some payments. The special master who administers the fund anticipates that total payouts for claims filed before the measure expires in 2020 could be far higher: $11.6 billion, if a current uptick in claims -- largely caused by an increase in serious illnesses and deaths -- continues. The current proposal to permanently extend the fund would authorize it through 2089. It has plenty of support in the House, where it passed the Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Mitch McConnell indicated that Congress would address the fund. As of May, more than 12,500 cases of cancer had also been diagnosed, according to The World Trade Center Health Program , a separate health care program related to the victim fund run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most diagnosed ailments are upper and lower respiratory issues like asthma, gastrointestinal problems like reflux, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health conditions.


If coffee and tea are what you're after, look no further than this new business. The new addition to Cascade Heights, called Buzz Coffee & Wine House , is located at 2315 Cascade Road SW. This spot specializes in coffee, wine and art. Look for espressos, Cubanos and cappuccinos among the specialty offerings. When it comes to wine, you'll find both new and old world options. Also, explore the wine cocktails on the menu . Try the Audobon Forest, which includes champagne, lemon and simple syrup. You'll also find plenty of artwork displayed on the walls. With a five-star rating out of four reviews on Yelp so far, the new arrival has already made a good impression. Kita N., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on May 4, wrote, "The space is calm and inviting with a very chill vibe. It offers a variety of coffee drinks along with an assortment of pastries, soups and sandwiches." Yelper Remi M. added , "I love how this neighborhood has been lifted up and Buzz is a part of it. I had the avocado and mozzarella sandwich. It was prepared well." Swing on by to take a peek for yourself: Buzz Coffee & Wine House is open from 6:30 a.m. 4 p.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. 4 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. 4 p.m. on Sunday. This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


In the age of streaming entertainment, it can be hard to leave the couch. But movie theaters still offer a special experience for those willing to get out of the house. Want to see what's out there? Don't miss this week's lineup of acclaimed movies showing on the big screen in and around Boston. Here are the highest rated films to catch, based on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes ' Tomatometer Score, which reflects the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics. (Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database ; showtimes via Fandango . Movie ratings and showtimes are subject to change.) 'Avengers: Endgame' After the devastating events of "Avengers: Infinity War," the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store. With a Tomatometer Score of 95 percent and an Audience Score of 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes , "Avengers: Endgame" has become a favorite since its release on April 26. The "San Diego Reader"'s Matthew Lickona said , "The MCU will go on and on, but this chapter   and the American pragmatism vs. American ideals bromance that drove it   have well and truly come to their "Excelsior! Nuff said!" moment," while Dana Stevens of Slate noted , "'Endgame' consists almost entirely of the downtime scenes that were always secretly everyone's favorite parts of these movies anyway." It's screening at AMC Boston Common 19 (175 Tremont St.) through Thursday, May 16. Click here for showtimes and tickets . 'Us' Husband and wife Gabe and Adelaide Wilson take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends. But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited. With a Tomatometer Score of 94 percent and an Audience Score of 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes , "Us" has become a favorite since its release on March 22. "'Us' revolves around an allegory that's more elastic and resistant to parsing than megahit 'Get Out,'" according to Alison Willmore of BuzzFeed News, while the "Chicago Reader"'s Ben Sachs said , "... it achieves an insidious, lingering effect that's rarer in the horror genre." It's playing at AMC Boston Common 19 (175 Tremont St.) through Thursday, May 9. Click here for showtimes and tickets . 'Shazam!' A boy is given the ability to become an adult superhero in times of need with a single magic word. With a Tomatometer Score of 90 percent and an Audience Score of 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes , "Shazam!" has been getting attention since its release on April 5. Time Out's Joshua Rothkopf said , "For a long, glorious stretch, 'Shazam!' plays like the anti-Nolan antidote it is," and Salon.com's Matthew Rozsa noted , "'Shazam!' is the funniest, sweetest and most innocent movie in the DC Extended Universe   a sign that it is at last ready to compete with Marvel." In the mood for popcorn? It's playing at AMC Boston Common 19 (175 Tremont St.) through Thursday, May 9. Click here for showtimes and tickets . This story was created automatically using local movie data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Editor's note: The opinions in this article are the author's, as published by our content partner, and do not necessarily represent the views of MSN or Microsoft. Joe Biden survived the second round of Democratic presidential debates, but it became more apparent that over half the 22-person field is irrelevant and should get out, the sooner the better. The former vice president was repeatedly under attack on health care, criminal justice, immigration and abortion. He stumbled sometimes, but overall was sharper than his mediocre performance in the first debate a month ago. This won't assuage fears of mainstream Democrats that the 76-year-old Biden may not be up to the challenge of a protracted primary fight and bitter battle against Donald Trump. Still he was sufficiently engaged to probably maintain his front-runner status entering the critical post-Labor Day political cycle. The most intense exchanges were with his nemesis from the last debate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, over multiple issues, especially health care. This time, however, he dished out as much as he took. And Harris was on the defensive for part of the evening, including over her newly released health care plan which calls for "Medicare for All," while preserving some private insurance. This, as in the debate the night before, underscored the dominance of leading contenders: Biden, Harris, and Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Vermont's Bernie Sanders. It seems impossible for most of the others to gain any traction at this point. Of course all the second- and third-tier candidates have every right to run and stay in. For most of them, however, the main purpose may be to boost speaking fees, get a cable television gig, or someday regale their grandchildren. The winnowing process will be facilitated by a higher threshold to qualify for the next debate in September - at least 130,000 individual contributors and higher ratings in polls. These rules are set by the Democratic National Committee. In a large field there often are three phases before primary voting and caucuses start next February. First, the obvious also-rans drop out; that probably will be early fall. Then a few months later, the futility and lack of support winnow out a second batch. That would leave up to as many as half a dozen in the top tier to seriously compete in the snows of Iowa and New Hampshire. While there's always a natural winnowing, quite a few candidates could save us all the trouble (and another two-night debate marathon) and drop out now. Some of those who should soon disappear have credentials   Governors John Hickenlooper from Colorado and Jay Inslee from Washington state have substantive achievements, but they simply aren't resonating. Former Maryland Congressman John Delaney has scored points critiquing left wing initiatives, but he has campaigned in all 99 Iowa counties for two years and has nothing to show for it. At this point there is no longer a rationale for the candidacies of New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; members of Congress Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii); entrepreneur Andrew Yang; spiritual self-help author Marianne Williamson; New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio and hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer. If they stay in the contest, they will remain peripheral. South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg   who has been slipping lately but has an enthusiastic base, and last quarter, raised more money than any other Democrat   will likely remain in the race with the top four of Biden, Harris, Sanders and Warren. Of the others, about a half-dozen are either long shots to crack that top group or are adding to the debate. They include New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker who, while far back in the polls, had an impressive performance at the Detroit debate; former Obama cabinet member Julian Castro; former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, the biggest disappointment of the campaign so far; Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who also had a strong showing last evening, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock. Sure, this is subjective. Yet it's possible to see each of them involved in the dialogue this autumn. For example, Bullock, a late entry, more than any other candidate can cite success in a Republican or red venue. Of those who are major players, Sanders and especially Warren dominated the first debate this week. They doubled down on their expansive and expensive proposals for a government-run heath care plan   though Warren was vague on the funding - brushing aside a barrage of criticism from other candidates. This was, however, the first concerted assault on their single-payer plan that would eliminate almost all private health insurance. This would affect, for example, a number of generous health care benefits negotiated by unions. Organized labor is skeptical about the Sanders-Warren proposals. Because some unions in their coalition, like the nurses, are vocal proponents, top union leadership has been largely quiet. But the Biden-backing International Firefighters union broke this week to say directly it would "find it difficult to support any candidate" who wants to eliminate the option of private plans. Labor sources said other unions are likely to weigh in. Barring something unexpected, like a surprise scandal or health problem, the next six weeks should be rather quiet. It will engage in full force after Labor Day - with a less unwieldly field. Albert R. Hunt is the former executive editor of Bloomberg News. He previously served as reporter, bureau chief and Washington editor for the Wall Street Journal. For almost a quarter-century he wrote a column on politics for the Wall Street Journal, then the International New York Times and Bloomberg View. Follow him on Twitter @alhuntdc .


The All-Star Game rosters have been decided, with 64 players receiving the honor to play in the Midsummer Classic in Cleveland. In theory, the game is an exhibition contest between the best players from each league, a celebration of baseball's biggest stars. Except the players having the best seasons well, really half-seasons aren't always the best or most popular guys in the sport. The definition of "All-Star" is fluid. As is the case every year, there are guys who probably shouldn't have made the rosters but did, and there are others who deserved to be All-Stars but didn't make the cut. Here are the biggest snubs from each league, with explanations for why they belong. American League Luke Voit, 1B, Yankees When almost every Yankee starter was on the injured list, and when several backups joined them, Voit was the stabilizing force in the middle of their lineup. The beefy slugger is batting .280/.393/.509 with 17 homers and 50 RBI. His 139 OPS+ ranks second among primary American League first basemen, behind AL starter Carlos Santana. Thank you to everyone who voted in the first round to get me to where I am now! Let's do this round two! #votepinstripes #allstargame pic.twitter.com/698Ud5FMyr   Luke Voit (@LLVIII40) June 26, 2019 Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox How does the player with the second-highest WAR in the American League, per Fangraphs, behind Mike Trout, not make the All-Star team? It's not like Bogaerts plays for the Rays, a small-market club with little national telecast exposure. He's having the best season of any player on the Red Sox, the defending champs. Sure, shortstop is one of the deepest position groups in the AL, and nobody was going to deny Francisco Lindor the chance to be an All-Star in front of his Cleveland fans, but Bogaerts should be on the roster in addition to Lindor and starter Jorge Polanco, not instead of them. We might be in store for another slugfest in London today: Xander Bogaerts slugs the first of three Red Sox homers in the first inning 💪 (via @MLB ) pic.twitter.com/vGsCL3NLKp   SI MLB (@si_mlb) June 30, 2019 Gleyber Torres, SS/2B, Yankees In my All-Star roster projection , I included Torres on the roster as a middle infielder, because he's the Yankees' starting second baseman but played mostly shortstop in the first half due to all their injuries. Either way, July 9 should be Gleyber Day. Torres is hitting .295/.361/.550 with a 139 OPS+. He leads all AL middle infielders (primary 2B or SS) with 19 home runs. Max Kepler, OF, Twins This makes no sense. The Twins have the highest scoring offense in the majors, yet they have one position player on the All-Star team. Kepler is the catalyst at the top of their lineup, slashing .269/.344/.548 with 21 homers, 53 runs and 53 RBI. He ranks second among AL outfielders in fWAR. Lance Lynn, RHP, Rangers It's understandable why Lynn, the lone pitcher snub in the AL, was left off the roster. His 4.00 ERA is not what you'd expect from one of the league's best pitchers. But, look at more advanced analytics his 3.8 fWar leads AL pitchers or traditional statistics (10-4 record), and Lynn seems like a no-brainer. Lance Lynn is currently pitching his longest outing of the year for the @Rangers and is still throwing HEAT! 95 on the gun for his 9th K of the evening! #TogetherWe pic.twitter.com/HWZg9curja   FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) June 29, 2019 National League Max Muncy, 2B, Dodgers Muncy's followed up his breakout 2018 season with another dominant offensive campaign, slashing .279/.380/.544 with 20 homers and 58 RBI. The one issue for him is positioning. He plays first, second and third for the Dodgers, though he's played more games at first one of the deeper positions in the NL than the other two. However, he's started more games at second (28) than first (26) or third (18). If the NL wanted an excuse to get him on the team, which it should, taking him as the third 2B would be an easy argument to make. Fernando Tatís Jr., SS, Padres Two things went against Tatís being an All-Star in his rookie season. One, he missed over a month with an injury, and players who miss significant time in the first half tend to be left off the All-Star team. The second, the Cardinals needed to have an All-Star to fill the one player per team quota. That went to shortstop Paul DeJong, whose season mirrors that of his team hot start, rough cold stretch. But Tatís is having a better season than DeJong, slashing .337/.405/.613. The 20-year-old phenom boasts an exciting blend of power and speed, with 11 home runs and 12 stolen bases. Tatís still could make it to Cleveland for the ASG; Trevor Story is currently on the injured list, and even if he returns before the All-Star break, he may forgo the Midsummer Classic anyway for additional recovery. Our Fernando Tatis Jr. button is stuck on fast forward. ⏩ #FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/HlLULvwA9A   San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 30, 2019 Manny Machado, 3B, Padres Like Lance Lynn, there's an understandable explanation for why Machado did not make the All-Star team: he started slow. But man, the Padres third baseman has gone on a tear lately. Over his last 15 games, Machado is batting .412 with 10 homers and 23 RBI, improving his 2019 slashline to .277/.352/.516 and increasing his home run total to 20. Cole Hamels, LHP, Cubs Hamels was placed on the injured list this weekend, but his first-half performance deserves to be recognized with All-Star honors, even if he can't play in the game. Hamels is 6-3 with a 2.98 ERA, which ranks sixth in the NL. The five starters with a better ERA, and the two who rank directly behind him, all made the all-star team. Cole Hamels, 10Ks in 17 Seconds. pic.twitter.com/CrIGssZ27L   Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 7, 2019 Brandon Woodruff, RHP, Brewers The lone bright spot in the Brewers' spotty rotation, Woodruff has been invaluable to them in the ultra-competitive NL Central. He's 10-2 with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He leads the NL in wins and his 10.59 K/9 ranks fourth. Related slideshow: Best images of the MLB season (Provided by imagn)


MONTREAL (AP) -- Defending champion Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday to extend his overall lead after Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel committed yet another error under pressure. It was Hamilton's fifth win in seven races and 78th overall for the five-time F1 champion. His seventh win in Canada moved him level all-time with Michael Schumacher. Vettel's car crossed the line first but Hamilton won after a time penalty was imposed on Vettel. The German driver reacted angrily after the race, including replacing a No. 1 sign in front of Hamilton's car with a No. 2 sign. "Obviously I'm angry, as you can imagine," Vettel said. "I gave everything I had today and more." Vettel finished in second place with teammate Charles Leclerc third ahead of Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, who secured a bonus point for the fastest lap. In the standings, Hamilton is 29 points clear of Bottas and already 62 ahead of Vettel heading into the French GP in two weeks' time. Vettel was leading the race from pole position with a little more than 20 laps remaining. But with Hamilton closing in, Vettel veered onto the grass before swerving back onto the track and forcing Hamilton to slam on his brakes. Race stewards handed Vettel a five-second time penalty for unsafe re-entry. An exasperated Vettel said on team radio "they're stealing this race from us" -- and it clearly festered for the remaining laps -- but it was another blunder from the four-time F1 champion following multiple mistakes in losing the past two championships to Hamilton. Vettel could not contain his anger at the decision taken by governing body FIA's stewards. He felt he had no choice but to momentarily go off track. "Where am I supposed to go?" Vettel said. "This is a wrong world, this is not fair." With his helmet still on, Vettel walked out of his car and did not stop for post-race interviews, instead marching to the Ferrari garage, perhaps to cool down, and then marching back. But he was anything but calm upon his return. Vettel grabbed the giant No. 1 sign parked in front of Hamilton's winning Mercedes on the grid, and placed the No. 2 sign in front of Hamilton's car instead. He lifted the No. 1 sign over to where his car should have been parked, as if he were the real winner. The crowd cheered him, perhaps thinking he had claimed a symbolic victory. Hamilton conceded "that's not the way I wanted to win" but added "I would've got past" if not for the incident. Vettel's barren streak is now 15 races, dating back to the Belgian GP last August, while Hamilton is well poised in his bid for a sixth F1 title to move within one of Schumacher's all-time record. Vettel's season is again proving incredibly frustrating. As they climbed on the podium, Hamilton showed a touch of class by grabbing Vettel's arm and pulling him alongside him on the top step. Hamilton was asked for his view and some of the crowd jeered him after he said "all I can say is I didn't make the decision." Vettel intervened quickly and told the crowd not to boo Hamilton, but to jeer the stewards' decision itself. Vettel had started well, getting away cleanly from pole as Hamilton held off Leclerc heading into the first two turns. But Mercedes has now clinched seven straight wins this season and Ferrari has not won since former driver Kimi Raikkonen's victory at the United States GP in October last year. Once again, Vettel seemed to have the race under control only to lose his composure. Just like he did in 2018. Just like he did in 2017. ------ More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Related slideshow: Lewis Hamilton's career (provided by imagn)


There are a lot of changing parts for the Raiders' offense heading into the 2019 season. The team has two new starting receivers, a new left guard and a new right tackle. But one move that has gone under the radar some is the loss of tight end Jared Cook, who led the team in receptions and receiving yards in 2019. Looking to fill that void will be former Georgia Tech receiver turned-tight end Darren Waller. Waller has been the target of a lot of offseason buzz due to comments from head coach Jon Gruden. The relatively unknown tight end will likely get the first crack at winning the starting tight end job once the season begins. With Waller's hype at an all-time high, many in the league and in the NFL media are expecting a massive breakout in 2019. In a recent article by NFL.com's David Carr , Waller was listed as one of the top-10 tight ends in the league heading into the season. Take a look at what the brother of the Raiders' franchise quarterback had to say about Oakland's new tight end: Waller is my wild-card selection for this list, and I'm basing my projection on what I saw during OTAs, as he has just 18 career catches in 22 games. However, like former Raider Jared Cook, Waller can beat single coverage as a receiver and also fulfill his blocking and chipping duties. This under-the-radar tight end will be one of those players who sneakily racks up 100 yards in a game. With Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams and Josh Jacobs attracting so much attention from defenses, Waller is poised for a breakout campaign in 2019. While Waller certainly could excel this season, listing him as one of the top tight ends in the league currently is awfully bold. Then again, Carr should have a pretty good idea if Waller's quarterback will look to him often this season. Expect Waller to quickly become one of Derek Carr's favorite targets and set career highs across the board. MORE: Trevor Bauer angrily fired a baseball over the centerfield wall before being pulled from game Roundup: Miley Cyrus Not Performing At VMAs, VICE in Talks to Buy Refinery29, Triple H Turned 50 Tom Brady disobeys Bill Belichick at practice, and suffers the consequences Packers impressed with Rashan Gary's effort early at training camp Steelers WR Diontae Johnson off to hot start at training camp


The next phase of the NFL's anticipatory calendar is to see which team the league and various shadowy producers strong-arm into doing their wonderfully invasive Hard Knocks documentary series. Colleague Charlotte Wilder did an excellent primer back in February based on which of the qualifying teams should be on the show given their watchability. Here's a slightly different take: A ranking of which qualifying teams should consider volunteering based on their current situations. As I've written in the past, Hard Knocks is a chance to set the narrative. It can make an uninteresting team interesting. It can provide context for a befuddling draft pick or depth for a personality-devoid head coach. It's as much a tool for desperate clubs as it is a pain for privacy-obsessed teams hoping to avoid the flood of cameras and microphones. Now that we have a clearer picture of rosters post-draft and free agency, here's who should consider raising their hands…. 1. New York Giants Here's my pitch to the Giants: You have a veteran PR staff who can handle the it. Dave Gettleman 's Listen, sonny, I know what I'm doing act plays a little better when you get a full picture of him. It's an opportunity to move Saquon Barkley into the front of your franchise's pecking order, easing the Eli Manning to Daniel Jones transition, and an opportunity for Pat Shurmur to introduce himself to the fan base on a more intimate level. 2. Oakland Raiders After gutting the roster, locking out the scouts during the draft and making a puzzling (to the mock draft masses) pick at No. 4, the Raiders could use an extended window of time to explain themselves. A cavalier Jon Gruden , a mercurial Antonio Brown , a defensive Derek Carr . There are lingering subplots here as the team attempts to move on and tantalize a new market in Las Vegas. One good summer could tie up a bunch of loose ends. 3. Washington This makes sense so it won't happen. Spending a summer pumping up Dwayne Haskins and at least pretending that the front office and coaching staff are on the same page would do wonders for organizational perception, given the rumors that swirled around draft time. 4. Detroit Lions Matt Patricia probably doesn't care what the public thinks of him. The Lions probably also don't care what the public thinks of Matt Patricia, at least right now. Another losing season will change that, further pressing him toward the bin of discarded Belichick associates who could not find success outside New England. Hard Knocks could be a way to nip those perceptions in the bud, and to emphasizes the differences between Belichick and Patricia that the Lions coach has brought up over time. Not getting this newsletter in your inbox yet? Sign up for The MMQB's Morning Huddle. HOT READS NOW ON THE MMQB: Is DK Metcalf worth a second look for fantasy players?.... The Monday Afternoon QB on Odell Beckham Jr. 's return to Cleveland…. Jay Gruden opens up about his new QB. WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED: How kicking killed the Steelers in 2018…. BAD FOOTBALL MOVIES: Any Given Sunday was beautiful, and ahead of its time…. Devin Bush is built for the modern NFL. PRESS COVERAGE 1. EJ Manuel has retired from the NFL. 2. Area rich man maintains social class's stranglehold on the justice system. 3. A new human species uncovered in a cave in the Philippines. 4. Who are the most improved NFL teams of 2019? 5. Delaware is anxiously awaiting the arrival of renowned food celebrity and tastemaker Guy Fieri. THE KICKER One of my favorite recent concert moments (though it's almost two years old now). A John Mayer pop-in at JRAD, 10/13/17. Question? Comment? Story idea? Let the team know at talkback@themmqb.com Related slideshow: 2019 NFL draft: The top picks (Provided by imagn)


Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was a popular name in the head coach circuit this past offseason. The 49-year-old ultimately had interviews with four organizations: the Jets, Buccaneers, Bengals, and Dolphins. Ultimately, Bieniemy didn't get that head-coaching offer, but he remains confident about his standing in the NFL. Of course, his inability to secure a head-coaching job says more about the other candidates than Bieniemy, as the coordinator's resume speaks for itself. The former second-round player has essentially been coaching since his nine-year playing career came to an end, and he's been on the Chiefs staff since 2013. After working with the likes of Jamaal Charles , Spencer Ware , and Kareem Hunt during his stint as running backs coach, Bieniemy was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2018. During his first year on the job, the coach played a major role in the Chiefs establishing themselves as the top offense in the league. Appearing at the NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit, Bieniemy talked to ESPN's Vaughn McClure about his head coach interviews, his role on the Chiefs' coaching staff, and his preparation for future job interviews. The entire article is worth a read, but we've compiled some of the notable soundbites below. On the sentiment that he wasn't hired as a head coach because of his lack of play-calling experience: Here's my response about the playcalling: coach (Andy) Reid has always done it his way, and that's how historically he's done it because he's Coach Reid. He has a beautiful mind, and we all work hand-in-hand together. And he gives me the green light to do a number of things. I have input. I do scripts. I get the install. There are a number of things that I do. On his interaction with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid: Do I talk to the quarterback? Yes. (Reid) is reciting what he wants me to particularly tell Pat to call. So if people want to make a big deal about that, so be it. The experience that I've gotten, understanding how an offensive system works, the organization, how to prepare it, how to get guys going and moving in one direction for one cause, that's what this is about. On support from the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which "oversees compliance with the Rooney Rule requiring teams to interview minority candidates": John Wooten and the Fritz Pollard Alliance, I thought they did a hell of a job; they gave me an opportunity. Obviously, Coach Reid has given me an opportunity. And I think my interviewing process went about as good as it could go. On how this offseason prepared him for future head-coaching interviews: …[I]t gave me the experience moving forward knowing that, 'You know what, this is my first go-around. Second go-around, if I'm blessed and fortunate to be placed in that situation, I'll be that much better.' But as far as a head-coaching position is concerned, right now we're focused on the season. Obviously, we want to go out and do some things that's going to help us to continue to have success. Then if somebody wants to give me a chance, I'll be willing, ready, and waiting for that opportunity.


Once Volkswagen's halo car, this Karmann Ghia is an eye-catching roadster. The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is an interesting vehicle   it uses mechanical components from the original Volkswagen Beetle, while the exterior consists of Italian design from Turin's Carrozzeria Ghia and handcrafted bodywork from now-defunct German coachbuilder Karmann. Assembled later towards the later end of the model's production, this 1973 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible should be a quality driver. Texas Best Used Motorcycles from Mansfield, Texas offers this neat Volkswagen for sale. They mention that this example has a handful of modifications and that approximately 12 years ago, the vehicle received a restoration. While the car seems to be in generally excellent shape, the seller mentions the paint has some nicks and rock chips, but there's nothing present that should scare an interested buyer away. The exterior of this Karmann Ghia sports a black paint job, which was part of the restoration that also included new floor pans and a new convertible top. The interior features an aftermarket sound system with an amp and door speakers, as well as bits from a Porsche 944, including the tachometer and the seats. Last but not least, a pair of Empi-style alloy wheels and Goodyear tires tie the exterior of this Volkswagen together. Unfortunately, the true mileage on this convertible is unknown, but there are approximately 26,000 miles on the restoration. However, late air-cooled engine expert "Boston Bob" Donalds built the engine in this Karmann Ghia before his passing in 2008, with the powerplant featuring upgrades such as dual port heads, a Bosch blue line ignition coil, and a Kadron carburetor setup. The built engine pairs to a 4-speed manual transmission to drive the rear wheels, and it also recently received a tune-up and an oil change. Read More... The Volkswagen Beetle With A Porsche Heart Haul Some Sunshine Into Life With A 1969 Volkswagen Type 2 Pickup Hit The Beach In This Modified Volkswagen Thing


According to coach Doug Marrone, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be predominantly healthy when training camp rolls around as they will only be without two players to begin the event. As expected those two players are receiver Marqise Lee and left tackle Cam Robinson, both of whom are rehabbing from their respective knee surgeries which took place in 2018. Doug Marrone expects LT Cam Robinson and WR Marqise Lee to be the only two players not available for the start of training camp. Hope is to have them at some point. #Jaguars - Phillip Heilman (@phillip_heilman) June 13, 2019 Lee's status actually isn't news because the staff had been saying all along that he would miss the opening two weeks of camp. He sustained his knee injury during Week 3 of the preseason against the Atlanta Falcons after safety Damontae Kazee unintentionally made a hard tackle to his lower body. Earlier this offseason, Lee stated that the injury ended up requiring more extensive surgery than others , which explains why the team is taking it slow with him. Robinson sustained his knee injury roughly two weeks later when the Jags were taking on the New England Patriots . He was in the process of absorbing a block from a defender when his knee gave out and the news was revealed the following day as he was placed on injured reserve. Of course, that was a big blow to the offense because they would later have to deal with reserve tackle Josh Wells going on IR, too, which kind of sums up the offensive line's 2018 campaign. Of the two, Robinson may be the one who is most likely to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season in my opinion because it would seem his injury wasn't as major as Lee's. Ultimately, time will tell the status of both but it's good to hear they will return at some point this summer. MORE: Drake's reaction to Kevin Durant's injury is now an NBA Twitter meme Top of Packers WR depth chart takes shape following minicamp Observations from the Lions final OTA of 2019 NBA trade rumor rankings: Rockets on the move? Kyle Shanahan, Jimmy Garoppolo already seeing improved 49ers defense


The 10 Cheapest Warren Buffett Stocks The 10 Cheapest Warren Buffett Stocks Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), is renowned for his ability to find bargains, but with markets at record highs, cheap stocks are getting tougher and tougher to find. That's true even within Berkshire Hathaway's own portfolio. Indeed, several Buffett stocks have gained some froth of their own. Many, however, still look plenty cheap for new money. After looking at where shares trade relative to expected earnings, in comparison to their own historical valuations, and vs. the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, numerous Berkshire Hathaway holdings still appear downright cheap. We sorted through all 48 stocks in the Berkshire portfolio to find the biggest bargains left standing after the market's amazing run so far in 2019. Click through the slideshow to see the cheapest Warren Buffett stocks right now. SEE ALSO: The Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio: All 48 Buffett Stocks Explained Bank of New York Mellon Dividend yield: 2.6% Forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E): 10.4 Warren Buffett s stocks have been increasingly peppered with banks over the past several quarters, but his interest in Bank of New York Mellon (BK, $44.12) dates back to 2010 and the early innings of the current economic expansion. Financial-sector stocks were generally cheap in the aftermath of the financial crisis. BK remains attractively priced to this day. Trading at just 10.4 times expected earnings, shares offer a discount of 23% to their own five-year average price-to-earnings ratio, according to data from StockReports+ from Refinitiv. But wait, there s more. BK is almost 40% less expensive than the S&P 500 on an expected-earnings basis. (The S&P 500 currently goes for 17.2 times projected earnings, according to Refinitiv.) Warren Buffett last added to his BK stake in the fourth quarter of 2018 when he increased Berkshire Hathaway s investment by 3%, or more than 3 million shares. With a total of 80.9 million shares, BRK.B owns 8.5% of all shares outstanding, making it BK s largest investor by a decent margin, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. (Vanguard is No. 2 at 6.8%.) Southwest Airlines Dividend yield: 1.4% Forward P/E: 10.0 Warren Buffett caused something of a stir back in 2016 when he bought a quartet of airline stocks. The Oracle had long been an outspoken critic of the air-carrier industry, but times change. After a terrible 20th century, Buffett says he likes what airlines have to offer in the 21st. Southwest Airlines (LUV, $52.30) is a prime example. The discount carrier is beloved by its customers and employees alike, typically finding itself near the top of  Best Airline  and  Best Places to Work For  lists. Its shares also happen to be something of a bargain. LUV trades at nearly a 19% discount to its own five-year average forward P/E ratio. It s 42% cheaper than the S&P 500 based on expected earnings. And yet analysts see considerable profit growth ahead for this Buffett stock. The carrier is forecast to generate average annual earnings increases of 12.5% over the next five years, according to Refinitiv data. Berkshire Hathaway is Southwest Airlines second-largest shareholder, too, with 9.9% of the company s shares outstanding, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. SEE ALSO: The 19 Best Stocks to Buy for the Rest of 2019 Phillips 66 Dividend yield: 3.6% Forward P/E: 9.7 Phillips 66 (PSX, $100.79) offers a generous dividend yield and a bargain-priced stock, but Warren Buffett has been gradually pulling up stakes in the oil-and-gas company. Buffett first bought shares in the oil and gas company in 2012. But despite having heaped praise on PSX in the past, Buffett has dramatically reduced his stake over the past year. Buffett has been characteristically mum on his reasons for the sales. Still, Berkshire retains 1.2% ownership of all Phillips 66 common shares outstanding. That doesn t mean Phillips 66 isn t a good fit for a diversified portfolio, especially one lacking in cheap energy-sector stocks. With shares changing hands at just 9.7 times projected earnings, PSX offers a 29% discount to its own five-year average forward price-to-earnings multiple. It s a whopping 44% cheaper than the S&P 500. Of the 18 analysts covering PSX tracked by Refinitiv, seven say it s a Strong Buy, six have it at Buy and five call it a Hold. Wells Fargo Dividend yield: 4.0% Forward P/E: 9.2 Wells Fargo (WFC, $45.21) is easily among the most troubled Buffett stocks, but Uncle Warren has long been faithful to this bank. Buffett initiated his position back in 2001, and he s stuck by the nation s third-largest bank by assets despite a spate of scandals. Indeed, BRK.B remains WFC s largest shareholder with 9.8% of all shares outstanding. Opening phony accounts, modifying mortgages without authorization and charging customers for auto insurance they did not need are just some of the bad news WFC investors have had to contend with since 2016.  If you look at Wells, through this whole thing they re uncovering a whole lot of problems, but they aren t losing any customers to speak of,  Buffett told Financial Times in an April interview. On the bright side, headline risk -- and extra scrutiny from federal regulators -- has kept WFC stock cheap. Shares trade at just 9.2 times expected earnings. That s 25% below their own five-year average and 47% less expensive than the S&P 500. The dividend yield of 4.0% only sweetens the pot. Analysts forecast WFC to deliver average profit growth of 8.5% a year over the next five years. SEE ALSO: 12 Bank Stocks That Wall Street Loves the Most Delta Air Lines Dividend yield: 2.6% Forward P/E: 8.3 Delta Air Lines (DAL, $62.25) was one of the four major airline stocks Buffett bought in 2016, much to the market s surprise. After all, this is the man who once wrote:  If a capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk back in the early 1900s he should ve shot Orville Wright; he would have saved his progeny money.  He sure does love his airline stocks now, though. Berkshire Hathaway raised its stake in DAL by 8%, or 5.4 million shares, during the first quarter of 2019. In fact, the holding company is now Delta s largest shareholder, owning 10.8% of the carrier s shares outstanding. The air carriers also are among the cheapest stocks in the BRK.B portfolio. In the case of Delta, shares change hands at just 8.3 times expected earnings. That s almost 5% below their own five-year average forward P/E, and 52% cheaper than the S&P 500. Analysts forecast average annual earnings growth of 14.3% over the next five years. They re also pretty bullish as a whole. Of the 21 analysts covering DAL tracked by Refinitiv, seven call it a Strong Buy, eight have it at Buy and six say it s a Hold. Goldman Sachs Dividend yield: 1.6% Forward P/E: 8.3 Warren Buffett threw a lifeline to Goldman Sachs (GS, $213.30) during the 2008 financial crisis. Berkshire Hathaway paid $5 billion for preferred shares and warrants to purchase common stock. The preferred shares carried a dividend yield of 10%   almost twice the rate of some preferred stocks, which already are considered generous income plays. Goldman redeemed its preferred shares in 2011. Berkshire bought another $2 billion in GS stock when it exercised the warrants in 2013. GS stock has lagged the performance of the broader market since BRK.B exercised its warrants in Q4 2013, but that s also helped keep the valuation in check. With a forward P/E of 8.3%, Goldman Sachs  stock offers a 21% discount to its own five-year average. GS also is 52% cheaper than the S&P 500 by forward P/E. Analysts  average recommendation on GS stock is Buy. Buffett sure is glad he did. He parlayed Berkshire s original investment into a 5% stake in Wall Street s preeminent investment bank, now worth $3.9 billion. SEE ALSO: 25 Small Towns With Big Millionaire Populations United Continental Dividend yield: N/A Forward P/E: 7.7 Buffett first bought United Continental (UAL, $94.78) in 2016 when he made his surprising volte-face in regard to the airline industry. Buffett long excoriated the sector, calling it a  death trap  for investors. The timing, in United s case, could have been better. Less than a year after Berkshire staked its claim in UAL, a United passenger was injured while being removed against his will from a sold-out flight. The video of the incident went viral, naturally. The big picture with airline stocks, Buffett says, is that carriers today offer much better growth prospects than they did in the previous century, which was a bloodbath for invested capital. Airlines also tend to be compellingly priced. In UAL s case, shares trade almost 4% below their own five-year average forward price-to-earnings multiple. UAL is a whopping 55% cheaper than the S&P 500 by forward P/E. Berkshire Hathaway s portfolio holds 8.3% of UAL shares outstanding, making it the airline s second-largest shareholder. Synchrony Financial Dividend yield: 2.3% Forward P/E: 7.6 Synchrony Financial (SYF, $35.54), a major issuer of charge cards for retailers, was spun off of GE Capital in 2014. It s both a lender and a payments processor   like another Buffett stock, American Express (AXP)   but it caters to customers who skew more toward the middle and lower end of the income scale. But SYF doesn t jibe only with Buffett s affection for credit-card companies and banks. It also appeals to his keen love of a bargain. Today, SYF trades at a 26% discount to its own five-year average forward P/E. It s 56% cheaper than the S&P 500. Berkshire initiated a position in SYF during the second quarter of 2017, paying an estimated price per share of $30.02. It s up more than 18% from that level, and that s before including dividends. Analysts forecast SYF to deliver average annual earnings growth of 16.5% over the next half-decade, according to Refinitiv data. SEE ALSO: The 25 Best Low-Fee Mutual Funds to Buy Now General Motors Dividend yield: 3.9% Forward P/E: 6.3 General Motors (GM, $39.16), the world s fourth-largest auto manufacturer by production, has been a Berkshire portfolio holding since early 2012. Buffett enjoyed the ride higher so much that he boosted his position by 37% in Q4 2018; he now owns more than 5% of the car company. GM is as traditional a Buffett holding as it gets. It s the top American automaker and thus a bet on the long-term growth of the U.S. economy. And it s also a true value play   in fact, right now, it s the second-cheapest stock in the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio, by forward P/E. Shares currently trade at a little more than six times future earnings   a small discount to its own five-year average   but the question is: What exactly are you buying? For one, you re getting a juicy dividend yield of 3.9%. That s twice what the S&P 500 offers. And despite the fact America is past  peak auto,  analysts still see the company growing profits by 15.3% annually over the next five years. Readers will no doubt be inundated with headlines about a relatively radical redesign to the Corvette. GM s Chevy division is switching to a mid-engine model amid lagging sales for the classic sports car. But remember: Crossovers, SUVs, and pickups are the company s bread and butter, so that s the area of the business to keep the most focus on. American Airlines Dividend yield: 1.2% Forward P/E: 5.7 As mentioned repeatedly, Buffett became an airline-stock convert in 2016, when he began taking stakes in four major U.S. carriers, among them American Airlines (AAL, $33.26). American Airlines, unfortunately, hasn't done much for the Oracle of Omaha, who first bought shares during the third quarter of 2016. Since the start of Q4 of that year, AAL shares have delivered a loss of 9%   or less than 7% once you factor in the airline's small dividend. That includes a 35% drop since 2018 spurred by a host of issues, including fuel prices, labor costs and the grounding of Boeing's (BA) 737 Max aircraft in the wake of a deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash. On the other hand, the share-price decline has put AAL well into value territory. The stock trades at less than six times forward earnings   a 64% discount to the S&P 500, and an 11% discount to its own five-year average. Not bad, considering that the analyst community thinks the airline is ready to reverse its fortunes. They're projecting 16.3% average annual profit growth over the next half-decade. SEE ALSO: 50 Top Stocks That Billionaires Love


Dallas is predicted to experience light rainfall this coming week, according to drone-powered weather forecasting service Saildrone . Wednesday's forecast shows the greatest chance of rain at 87 percent, with rain likely through Friday. Also expect warm temperatures today and tomorrow. Temperatures will rise even more from Wednesday to Sunday, with a high of 94 degrees on Thursday. Skies will be cloudy today and mostly cloudy tomorrow. Winds are forecast to reach a modest high of 13 mph tomorrow, while today will be calmer. This story was created automatically using Saildrone's local weather forecast data, then reviewed by an editor. We also incorporate historic weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Six years ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo was still an unknown quantity even among the most experienced basketball minds. A gangly, 6-foot-9 teenager born to Nigerian immigrants in Greece, he was relatively new to basketball and it was anyone's guess what he would become when the Milwaukee Bucks selected him 15th in the 2013 NBA draft. What he has become, after six years in Milwaukee, is the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the 2018-'19 season. That accomplishment became official on Monday night at the NBA Awards in Santa Monica, California, where Antetokounmpo   surrounded by his family   took home the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. In earning the honor, he beat out last year's MVP James Harden of the Houston Rockets as well as Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Antetokounmpo etched his name in the history books as the Bucks' first MVP since 1974 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar   a three-time MVP in Milwaukee   took home the award. During the NBA Awards show, it was Abdul-Jabbar who introduced Antetokounmpo as an MVP finalist. Antetokounmpo also joined Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria), Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Steve Nash (Canada) and Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) as the only international MVPs. The storybook rise from selling sunglasses and trinkets in the streets of Sepolia in Athens, sharing sneakers with his brother Thanasis and often sleeping in the gym to becoming the league's MVP didn't happen overnight. Rather, the transition came the way Antetokounmpo runs the court, with long stride after long stride that make onlookers question what they're seeing. The foundation of every step, though, was clear. Antetokounmpo has spent his whole career   if not his whole life   working hard and pushing himself to the limit. In his first year, Antetokounmpo arrived in the United States, in Milwaukee, for the first time as an 18-year-old away from his family for the first time. He was lonely and dealing with a tremendously difficult transition. Yet, he didn't let that detract from his mission at hand to establish himself as an NBA player. On many occasions, then-coach Larry Drew would get to the Cousins Center early to get in a workout by himself only for Antetokounmpo to come sauntering into the building before anyone else, hungry to develop his body and skills. In that first season, Antetokounmpo grew two inches and got stronger, beginning his development from a string bean to one of the league's most relentless forces. He's now nearly 50 pounds heavier, chiseled with muscle and a high-flying, highlight machine. "I see things on a nightly basis where it's just, wow," Bucks teammate Brook Lopez said. "Each and every game he does something that amazes me, that I've never other players do or can't even think of another player that could do that. Driven by his desire to improve, Antetokounmpo continued to earn more opportunities, each time demonstrating that the Bucks needed to continue to focus their rebuild around him. Over time he developed into a do-it-all superstar, earning three straight all-star berths, including the captaincy of his own all-star team in February. This season, he was unanimously named all-NBA first team after carrying the Bucks back into the conversation among the NBA's elite teams for the first time in decades. While Harden, the defending MVP, put up incredible offensive numbers with 36.1 points per game with stellar efficiency this season, Antetokounmpo was astounding in his own right. He averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals. His player efficiency rating was a league-best 30.9, buoyed by his 73.7% shooting inside the restricted area   the place on the court everyone knows he wants to go, though they can't stop him from getting there. Antetokounmpo, within Mike Budenholzer's new system, became the focal point of Milwaukee's new-look offense and proved himself to be capable enough as a passer to find shooters and facilitate the Bucks' let-it-fly attack. "What's made him so good this year   and it's continued in this series   is his passing," Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said during the playoffs. "If all he did was lower his head and drive … you'd be able to sink in, help, take charges. You wouldn't feel good in the morning, but you'd do it. But his passing is just really good." Along with his offensive gifts, Antetokounmpo also stood out at the other end. A first-team all-defensive selection, Antetokounmpo was the best defender on the NBA's best defensive unit. He was strong and agile enough to defend virtually every position and often roved along the back side, stepping in with perfect timing for dozens of blocks and steals along with countless contests with his massive outstretched arms. Antetokounmpo's hard work and impact all over the court is what made him the MVP this season. It's what helped him accomplish the challenge set out for him by Kobe Bryant in the summer of 2017. It's also what put him into the conversation with superstar LeBron James, who like Antetokounmpo, won his first MVP award during his sixth season at the age of 24 in 2008-'09. "Coming into the league, I never saw myself as one of the best players in the league and being that LeBron type of player," Antetokounmpo told the Journal Sentinel in March. "That's the truth. I could say, 'Yes, I always thought I could be like LeBron James or better or whatever,' but that's not the truth." Any further comparisons to James will now entail team success. The Bucks led the NBA with 60 regular-season wins, but they bowed out of the playoffs short of their ultimate goal with four straight losses to the Toronto Raptors after going up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals. Antetokounmpo, firmly in the MVP conversation all season, has consistently balked at opportunities to talk about himself. Instead, he's always pointed to team success   particularly a championship -- as the only thing he cares about. Earning the league's MVP award is an incredible accomplishment, but the hard work won't end for Antetokounmpo now that he's won it. There's still more work to do. "Obviously, during the year I did whatever it took to help my team win," Antetokounmpo said on the red carpet before the event. "It's just going to be hard work that paid off (if I win the MVP). But if I don't win it, I'll be back next year trying to win it again." FOLLOW JS SPORTS: Like our Facebook Page for the latest news This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks' Antetokounmpo earns NBA MVP Related slideshow: Best of NBA Awards (Provided by imagn)


On a chilly Friday at Impact Field in Rosemont, the cars whizzing down I-294 almost looked as if they were driving on top of left field. In the stands, thousands of fans milled around in hot-dog costumes. During a break in the sixth inning of the Chicago Dogs' season opener, the red "sumo" wrestler pancaked the blue sumo in a contest of fan combatants near third base. Carlos Zambrano, you're not at Wrigley Field anymore. The debut of the former Cubs starting pitcher on Friday as a member of the independent-league Dogs had everything you could imagine -- except Zambrano's debut. Fans chanted "Zambrano" when reliever Ben Allison gave up three runs in the ninth, but with a 57-minute rain delay, the game pushed past 11 p.m. and only a smattering of fans were left. "He was going to pitch tonight if we hadn't had all this rain and the delays," manager Butch Hobson said after the game. "We'll save him for (Saturday) and hopefully we'll have a big crowd." Since last summer, the 37-year-old Zambrano has pitched in Mexico and Venezuela. He spent his first 11 major-league seasons with the Cubs and made his last big-league appearance in 2012 with the Marlins. His goal: to attract the attention of an MLB team that needs a reliever. The would-be christening of Big Z's comeback campaign Friday was about as colorful as one would expect for the man infamous for taking a bat to a Gatorade dispenser. Before the game, Zambrano yukked it up and took turns at batting practice with Blackhawks legend Chris Chelios (there for ceremonial first-pitch duties) and actor D.B. Sweeney, who played Shoeless Joe Jackson in "Eight Men Out." The Dogs took a 9-1 lead after two innings against the Gary SouthShore RailCats, whose green uniforms bore a striking resemblance to the Washington Generals. Then came the rain delay. After the unscheduled break, costumed hot-doggers cut loose during the musical interludes. More than a few fans wore Cubs hats, jackets and jerseys too. It seems everyone wanted to get a look at Zambrano, though each had his or her reasons or viewed his path ahead through different prisms. Shawn Hunter, Dogs co-owner Hunter has a little Bill Veeck in him. He concocted this bid to break a world record for assembled wiener-wearers by giving away 6,300 hot-dog costumes, only he admitted that he doesn't know if such a record exists -- not that there were any Guinness World Record-keepers in attendance anyway. Hunter and Hobson began scouting Zambrano the moment he announced his comeback plans while playing in Mexico. Hunter freely admitted he entertained "selfish" reasons for signing Zambrano last month: From a marketing standpoint, it's an independent team's dream. "I knew it would be great, but I left the baseball decision to Butch," Hunter said. "He said, 'We're doing it.' I said, 'Great decision.' It's just been fun ever since. "He's taken them out to dinner. He's bought them lunches. ... One of our young guys gave him a ride recently after practice and basically told Carlos when I used to be your fan I was playing T-ball, but now we're teammates." Butch Hobson, manager Hobson, a Southern Baptist from Alabama, stopped short of saying his pairing with his fellow man of faith was "ordained," but the implication of the word was palpable. "It gave me goosebumps listening to him talk" about building churches in his native Venezuela, Hobson said, adding that Zambrano has taken a leadership role shepherding the younger players. "I think my decision to bring him in, I believe the good Lord had a lot do with that. I really believe that." That's not to say the former Red Sox manager doesn't remember exactly who Zambrano was with the Cubs. "He was fiery guy," he said. "(When) we're young, we're fiery. We do some things that are probably going to stand out a little bit more than others. I like that. In my opinion, if you love playing that much you've got to have some fire in you." As much as Hobson feels kinship with Zambrano, he's pragmatic about him reaching the majors again at his age. "The older we get our bodies don't respond a lot to the rigors of baseball," Hobson said. "I know in his heart, God's going to take care of that and protect him. His velocity's not what it used to be (but) he knows how to pitch. Whether that's going to translate to him being back or not, only time will tell." Michael Kravchuk, Dogs and Cubs fan The AT&T manager from Arlington Heights would have supported any Cub. "I put on the '16 videos ... whenever I need a good cry," Kravchuk said. But Zambrano in particular drew him to the park. "Dude, I'm so glad Zambrano's back," he said. "Talk about a character." Kravchuck had this to say about Zambrano's comeback bid: "I would never take anything against him. He's one of those guys he's got so much in the tank that I wouldn't be surprised that at 80 years old he would still able to pitch." Josilin Johnson, Dogs and Cubs fan The 18-year-old University of Iowa student from Lombard was excited about the prospect of Zambrano taking the mound. "Oh, my God, I don't really know anyone else who's playing," she said. Johnson, 18, vaguely remembers Zambrano's Cubs days as a kid. "I feel like he was sassy," she said. "I remember him, like, having an attitude." Jim and Emilio Albrecht, father and son Cubs fans from Lake in the Hills Who was the kid here? Jim, 41, was decked out in a hot-dog costume. Emilio, 12, opted for a Javier Baez "El Mago" jersey. Despite his youth, Emilio knows enough about Zambrano's sometimes volatile past. "Anger management is a bit off, but when he's in the zone he can play pretty well," he said. Added Jim: "He was always entertaining. You never knew what you were going to get when he was on that mound." plthompson@chicagotribune.com ___ (c)2019 the Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


The periodic criticism of Steelers quarterback Mr. Ben Roethlisberger continues, with former Steelers linebacker and former Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter becoming the latest former coworker to sound off. Current teammate Maurkice Pouncey isn't interested in getting into a back-and-forth over it. "I said what I said," Pouncey told reporters on Wednesday regarding his part support of the team's quarterback, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . "Everybody knows I support him. There's no point in even talking about it ." Pouncey called the criticism of Roethlisberger "absolutely" unfair, and he said again that there is "no point in asking that question." The drama and dysfunction that have enveloped the team in recent months has had a positive impact, as Pouncey explained it. "We've always had chemistry," Pouncey said. "It's just that the bond's a little bit stronger now. Guys really know, man, family wins football games. You've got to stick together. You can't just go out there with one player and do it. Everybody has to be a part." He's right, and the Steelers still have enough talent to make it to the postseason, and to make noise when they get there. Elite teams rarely have an organic opportunity to adopt an us-against-the-world vibe. The Steelers, thanks to guys like Porter, Antonio Brown , and Le'Veon Bell and the incessant praise of teams like the Browns, have it. Don't be surprised if they turn that into a division title and more in 2019.


At the request of CNN , a federal judge in Washington on Monday released about 230 pages of data from the court showing new details about the scope and speed of Robert Mueller's investigation. The pages largely show limited new details about Mueller's work, such as the redacted case names and dates for his 499 search warrants and 200 communications data requests. Mueller began getting permission for searches in early July 2017, not even two months following his appointment as special counsel, the documents show. His office did the bulk of its searches throughout 2018, conducting only a few searches this year, when the investigation was wrapping up. Ultimately, Mueller was asking the court for access to thousands of devices and records in a grand jury investigation, according to the documents released by DC District Court Chief Judge Beryl Howell. The documents now may act as a rough road map of how Mueller conducted his investigation. Almost all of the hundreds of search and seizure cases revealed Monday are still under seal. Yet the lists still confirm that Mueller and the FBI gave extensive information about the special counsel's work to the court system -- and particularly to Howell. Names and addresses are either redacted or not used throughout the lists -- with redactions made because of ongoing investigations, the Justice Department said. The 13 requests Mueller's team made to foreign governments for assistance in its investigation are not included in the lists, because they were not processed through the US federal courts. He sought emails and account data from across the web -- LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Apple and Skype, with some of the searches targeting dozens of social media accounts. Mueller in 2018 indicted Russians for spreading propaganda online to American voters largely through Facebook and Twitter, and that case appears to relate to at least some of the searches. Paul Manafort's case also appears to relate to other court applications revealed Monday, like Mueller's seizure of funds in banks named in the Manafort matter in October 2017. Other cases revealed in the lists on Monday raise new questions about the investigation. For instance, at one point in August 2017, Mueller obtained a warrant to look at emails maintained by the FBI, according to the documents. Some of Mueller's searches from early 2017 pertain to a case or cases that weren't closed April 1, 2019 -- after Mueller finished his report.


A new sushi restaurant called Matsu is now open in Pioneer Square in the former home of Girin , the high-end Korean steakhouse that closed June 1 . The new restaurant comes from the owners of two other popular Japanese restaurants, Umi Sake House and Momiji . Matsu serves dinner and happy hour every day except Sunday, with options ranging from omakase (a chef's choice meal) to a raw bar to sushi rolls and sashimi. The new restaurant has retained Girin's popular Korean fried chicken wings on the menu. Matsu (501 Stadium Place S) serves a wide variety of dishes largely centered around seafood: raw oysters with ponzu, yellowtail sashimi with yuzu ponzu, ahi tuna poke, Cajun tuna tataki, seafood gyoza, Alaskan king crab soup, fried calamari, and a long list of sushi and sashimi options. There's also an array of rolls, most of which involve seafood but also a few non-fish vegetarian options. Yakisoba and udon noodles round things out. The drinks menu consists of sake, original cocktails, local and Japanese beer, and wines from France, Italy, and the Northwest. Matsu has largely kept Girin's outstanding design, with its high ceilings and polished wood, adding a few touches like lanterns and wall panels. Matsu has big shoes to fill in the space. Girin was a James Beard Award semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category . It was one of the country's only producers of makgeolli, the cloudy Korean rice beer. Girin long held its own among the area's best Korean restaurants , noted for its modern twists on classic dishes like the kalguksu with squid ink noodles and japchae with Dungeness crab. The restaurant also made a slew of excellent kimchi iterations. Matsu [Official] Matsu [Facebook] All Coverage of Matsu [ESEA] All Coverage of Girin [ESEA] Pioneer Square's Top-Notch Korean Steakhouse Is Closing [ESEA]


Naomi Osaka earned a total of $24.3 million over the last year, according to a recent Forbes list of The Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2019. The Japanese star won both the US and Australian Opens to take home $8.3 million in prize money alone. However her sponsorship deals with Mastercard, All Nippon Airways, Nissan and Procter & Gamble pocketed her an extra $16.0 million. Serena Williams is the only female athlete in the world to have earned more over the last 12 months, taking home $29.2 million. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Double Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka is the second highest-paid female athlete in the world over the last year having already earned an astonishing $24.3 million, according to Forbes . The 21-year-old propelled herself into the limelight last year when she upset Serena Williams in the final of the US Open to win her first ever major. She shocked the tennis world again when she won her second straight slam at the Australian Open in January , cementing her status as the sport's next superstar. Read more: Unpredictable Nick Kyrgios has wasted his talent for years, but his latest win shows he's finally coming of age Osaka's wins in New York and Melbourne, as well as her other exploits over the last year, have pocketed the Japanese star total of $8.3 million in prize money alone, according to Forbes' recent list of The Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2019. Although she has struggled on the court in recent months - her first round Wimbledon exit at the hands of Yulia Patients was a career low point - Osaka's off-court earnings have kept the money rolling in. Deals with Mastercard, All Nippon Airways, Nissan and Procter & Gamble saw Osaka earn an estimated $16 million for the 12 months to June 1, and that figure is only is only expected to increase next year after she signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Nike in April . Altogether, her earnings both on and off the court over the last year amount to a lofty $24.3 million, Forbes has calculated. The only female athlete in the world to earn more was Serena Williams, whose deals with brands like Nike, Beats, Gatorade and JPMorgan Chase amongst others, as well as $4.2 million in prize money, saw the 23-time Grand Slam champ earn a total of $29.2 million. Osaka is next in action on Wednesday, when she takes on German Tatjana Maria in the Round of 32 at the Canadian Open.


House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Sunday that he believes there is "substantial evidence" that President Trump has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, defending his panel's decision to call former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to testify later this week. In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Nadler (D-N.Y.) said the public needs to hear directly from Mueller about his report on Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. The former special counsel is scheduled to testify on Wednesday. "The report presents very substantial evidence that the president is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors," Nadler said . "And we have to let Mueller present those facts to the American people and then see where we go from there, because the administration must be held accountable and no president can be above the law." Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today's most popular stories on The Washington Post Aides say Nadler has privately voiced support for impeachment proceedings against Trump, but he has stopped short of publicly calling for such a move. On Wednesday, when the House voted to kill an impeachment resolution filed by Rep. Al Green (D-Tex.), Nadler was among the 95 Democrats who voted to keep the measure alive. He and several other Democrats on the Judiciary Committee tried to persuade Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders in the House to refer the articles of impeachment to their panel but were rebuffed, according to congressional officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal talks. Democrats are hoping Wednesday's testimony by Mueller shines a light on potential obstruction of justice by Trump. But they are divided about what they want next. Pelosi and other party leaders are reluctant to pursue an impeachment inquiry, while many rank-and-file members consider Mueller's testimony their best shot at moving public sentiment toward ousting the president. felicia.sonmez@washpost.com Rachael Bade contributed to this report.


The Anaheim Ducks are about to complete what would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Frank Seravalli of TSN is reporting the team is in the process of finalizing a buyout for Corey Perry . Like Dion Phaneuf recently, Perry does not need to be placed on waivers first because of his no-movement clause. The 34-year-old forward has two years remaining on his contract at an $8.625M cap hit, meaning a buyout would cause the following cap hits for the next four years (via CapFriendly): 2019-20: $2.625M 2020-21: $6.625M 2021-22: $2.00M 2022-23: $2.00M As discussed earlier this month , moving on from Perry may be more about the opportunity it will provide for the Ducks' next wave of forwards. The deal will obviously save them some cap space next season, but because of the way his contract is structured   Perry was owed a $3M signing bonus prior to the 2020-21 season   it will give them very little savings afterwards. In fact, the team is swallowing an additional two years of $2M in order to get him off the roster, a big ask for a player who was once the franchise's brightest star. Perry was selected 28th overall in the 2003 draft and developed into one of the most dynamic goal scorers in the entire NHL. He was a huge part of the Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup run, scoring 15 points in 21 games. In 2010-11 he lit the lamp 50 times, leading to him taking home the Rocket Richard and Hart trophies at the end of the year. He cracked the 30-goal mark four more times after that, but hasn't been the same player in recent seasons. In fact, Perry hasn't even scored 20 goals in a single season since 2015-16 and missed most of last year with injury. Ten points in 31 games was all he could muster, leading to this moment where he will depart the only franchise he has ever known. The Ducks will take the minutes and money allocated to Perry   Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves , too   and give younger players like Max Jones , Troy Terry , Daniel Sprong , Kiefer Sherwood , Max Comtois and Sam Steel , the next group of core forwards in Anaheim. The question now however becomes whether or not Perry can find work somewhere else. It's not often that a player with 372 career goals comes available, but there's absolutely no guarantee he can ever be that kind of player again. A one-year deal may make the most sense in order for Perry to prove he can still compete at the NHL level, but it's not clear yet who would be interested in giving it to him.


Jurgen Klopp has described his Liverpool side as "f*****g mentality giants" after they overturned a three-goal deficit to book their place in the Champions League final with a 4-0 win over Barcelona. An early Divock Origi goal set the tone for the entire game, and the Reds were utterly dominant throughout. Georginio Wijnaldum added two goals shortly after the half-time break, and Origi snatched a fourth late on to seal one of the most incredible comebacks in recent memory. 🔜 #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/3HAeQL2sGC   Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 7, 2019 Speaking to BT Sport (via Eurosport ) after the game, Klopp risked incurring the wrath of broadcasters with his choice of language, but he probably doesn't care. He's in the Champions League final, after all. He said: "It was really, the whole performance, the whole game, was actually too much. It was overwhelming. "I said before the game it was impossible but because it's you I said we had a chance. I've watched so many football games in my life and I don't remember a lot like this, playing against the best team in the world and you're not allowed to concede. "Winning is already difficult but winning a clean sheet. I don't know how the boys did it. "It's 10:10pm and the children are in bed. These boys are f*****g mentality giants. Unbelievable. Fine me if you want!" The result means Liverpool can now look forward to a meeting with either Ajax or Tottenham Hotspur in the final of Europe's most prestigious competition, which could be the defining moment of a stunning season for Klopp's men. Before that, they must switch their attention back to the Premier League when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. They still trail Manchester City , but one slip-up would open the door for the Reds to steal the league title.


A 30-year-old man fatally stabbed a dog and beat his grandmother to death in the home where he lived with her, deputies say. Deputies found Elaine Hall, 77, dead in her Gilbert home Wednesday during a welfare check requested by family members. Deputies said that, while they were investigating the death, Hall's grandson, Dustin Edward Hoff, 30, drove by the home in her van. Hoff was pulled over and arrested for driving with a suspended license. After detectives interviewed Hoff, he was charged with murder, according to a news release from the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Jay Koon said Hoff was also charged with ill treatment of an animal after deputies found a dog stabbed to death inside Hall's home. READ MORE: Suspect arrested when he drives by home where he killed his grandmother, dog, deputies say CHECK OUT WYFF: Get the latest Greenville news and weather. For live, local, late-breaking Greenville, SC, news coverage, WYFF is the place to be.


During its developer conference in 2017, Facebook announced its plans to develop a brain-computer interface (BCI) that would let you type just by thinking. Now, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) working under this program have posted a study today noting their algorithm was able to detect spoken words from brain activity in real-time. The team connected high-density electrocorticography (ECoG) arrays to three epilepsy patients' brains to record brain activity. Then it asked these patients simple questions, and asked them to answer aloud. Researchers said the algorithm recorded the brain activity while patients spoke. They noted the model decoded these words with accuracy as high as 76 percent. Facebook said it doesn't expect this system to be available anytime soon, but it could soon make interaction with AR and VR hardware very easy: We don't expect this system to solve the problem of input for AR anytime soon. It's currently bulky, slow, and unreliable. But the potential is significant, so we believe it's worthwhile to keep improving this state-of-the-art technology over time. And while measuring oxygenation may never allow us to decode imagined sentences, being able to recognize even a handful of imagined commands, like "home," "select," and "delete," would provide entirely new ways of interacting with today's VR systems   and tomorrow's AR glasses. Earlier this month, Elon Musk's Neuralink also announced a project that will let you control your iPhone via a device attached to your brain. While these devices may not hit the market in a couple of years, it'll be an exciting space to watch out for.


Citywide San Francisco-based mobile payments and fraud detection company Bolt has secured $68 million in Series B funding, according to company database Crunchbase , topping the city's recent funding headlines. The cash infusion was announced on July 9 and led by Activant Capital. According to its Crunchbase profile, "Bolt is on a mission to perfect the checkout experience for online retailers and make sure nothing gets in the way when shoppers decide to buy. We provide the industry's fastest checkout that is optimized for any device and coupled with a unique approach to fraud detection that approves more good orders. By converting more shoppers into customers Bolt has become the proven choice of customer-obsessed retailers like Dita, HUF Worldwide and Polywood." The five-year-old company has raised three previous funding rounds, including a $22 million Series A round in 2018. The round brings total funding raised by San Francisco companies in payments over the past month to $289 million, an increase of $225 million from the month before. The local payments industry has produced 89 funding rounds over the past year, yielding a total of $2.1 billion in venture funding. In other local funding news, application performance management company 15Five announced a $30 million Series B funding round on June 18, led by Next47. According to Crunchbase, "15Five develops cloud-based software designed to evaluate and improve employee performance. Its web-based employee engagement and continuous performance management software helps create high performing teams by combining OKRs, 1-on-1s, 360 reviews and employee appreciation in one simple weekly check-in. Nearly 2,000 businesses worldwide use 15Five to allow employees to share their triumphs and challenges, stay focused on key objectives and get regular feedback from managers who support them in reaching their potential." Founded in 2011, the company has raised four previous rounds, including a $8.2 million Series A round in 2018. Meanwhile, finance company Jacobi raised $7.6 million in Series A funding, announced on July 8. The round's investors were led by CreditEase Fintech Investment Fund. From the company's Crunchbase profile, "Jacobi is a next-generation intelligence platform for investment managers to customize and scale multi-asset portfolio design. Its risk and portfolio-construction tools enable practitioners to work and communicate through intuitive storyboards. Built with a multi-asset focus, their platform facilitates the transfer of manager insights, generating better investment ideas and deeper levels of engagement between an investment manager and client." Jacobi last raised $2.5 million in seed funding in 2017. This story was created automatically using local investment data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.


Russia and the United States blamed each other for a near collision between their warships in the East China Sea on Friday with each country accusing the other of dangerous and unprofessional behavior. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).


The New York City Department of Education inked a new agreement with the New York City Police Department   the first in more than two decades   that would curtail the role of police in schools. The updated memorandum of understanding dictates the police department's authority over school safety officers across the city, limiting their role and signaling a significant break away from zero-tolerance policies that civil rights advocates have long said contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline. "The new agreement represents a major shift in school discipline practices that should curtail the harmful impacts of the school to prison pipeline and make school a safe and supportive place to learn, particularly for students of color," Donna Lieberman, executive director at the New York Civil Liberties Union, says. "For too long, New York City public school students have had to face an overly punitive disciplinary system that treats them as criminals, even as elementary school students." In the 2017-2018 school year, black and Latino students represented 67 percent of the student body but accounted for 88 percent of arrests and 92 percent of summonses in schools, according to the NYCLU. They were also more likely to be handcuffed for misbehaving than their white peers. Among other things, the new agreement identifies categories of student misbehavior where officers should not make arrests, such as when students are being loud, are not wearing a proper uniform, cut class or are late to class, are caught smoking, gambling or engaging in other types of disorderly conduct. And when school safety officers are called, the agreement stipulates that the officers should pursue disciplinary actions other than arrest, especially for "low level" school based offenses like marijuana possession, consumption of alcohol, graffiti and harassment. "Police presence in schools and a zero-tolerance disciplinary approach make students feel like criminals in their own classrooms," Johanna Miller, director of the Education Policy Center, says. "Today's announcement is about treating kids like kids, allowing them to recover from mistakes and teaching them the tools to manage emotions and behavior." The agreement is part of a much broader push by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who announced Thursday a major initiative to inject what's known as social and emotional learning into New York City schools. The term may sound warm and fuzzy, perhaps even new-age. But far from it, advocates say: Social and emotional learning, when combined with traditional academic education, prepares the whole child for life separate from school. For New York City schools, that means helping students to build and maintain positive relationships with coworkers, friends, and family, to learn how to resolve conflict constructively and to understand how their emotions affect their actions. Teachers will receive training on how to incorporate this into the school day, and the school system is also hiring a new team of 85 licensed social workers that schools can call when a student is experiencing a crisis. The uptick in interest in the social and emotional learning comes as states begin to implement new K-12 education plans that are required by federal law to take into consideration non-academic factors, like school climate and students' perception of safety, providing what some describe as the perfect opportunity for educators to get serious about so-called soft skills that can have an outsize impact on student success. Indeed, recent polls have shown that Americans overwhelmingly want schools to teach children some of those non-academic skills, like how to be cooperative, respectful of others and persistent problem-solvers   placing more importance on that type of learning than even on how students perform on standardized tests. For the first time, appropriators in the U.S. House of Representatives this year included $260 million for social and emotional learning initiatives in the fiscal 2020 funding bill. Early adopters of social and emotional learning have included school districts in Cleveland; Nashville, Tennessee ; New Haven, Connecticut ; and Newark, New Jersey . Now with the largest school district in the country going embracing the learning model, advocates are cheering. "The most important signal from this is the extent to which state policymakers are understanding and following what we know from research about how people learn," says Danielle Gonzales, managing director for the Education and Society Program at the Aspen Institute. The institute earlier this year released a final report on social and emotional learning that was two years in the making and drew on input from more than 200 scientists, youth and parent groups, educators and policymakers. Among other things, the Aspen Institute report compiled research that shows how social and emotional learning tackles some of K-12's biggest woes by driving down rates of chronic absenteeism, suspensions and drop-outs, and driving up graduation rates and test scores   all while providing students coping skills for out-of-school issues like homelessness, violence and drugs. An analysis of more than 200 studies of programs that teach students social and emotional skills, for example, found that the efforts significantly improved student behavior, feelings about school, academic achievement and school safety. Gonzales noted that social and emotional learning only works well if schools and districts have a supportive central office that provides training and professional development for teachers and administrators, helping to embed the potential remedy in school culture. "One of the questions I have about what I'm seeing from this is the extent to which it will be able to fully address learning environments," she says. "A common misperception is that social and emotional learning is a program or one hour in the school day. The understanding is that it needs to be embedded into the full school day and the fabric of the school." Gonzales also underscored that for a social emotional learning environment to succeed, it requires a significant amount of training   and not just for teachers and education officials but also for cafeteria workers, janitors and school secretaries. It's unlikely de Blasio's announcement will have an immediate impact in New York City schools, as research shows that on average it takes three years before schools begin seeing a return on their investment   a hard sell for cash-strapped school boards chomping at the bit for results but one that many say pays off in dividends. One thing Gonzales says she'll be watching for is how New York City schools officials balance the new learning style with new discipline and restorative justice practices. "One of the common misperceptions is around the conflation between social and emotional learning and discipline or the conflation between social and emotional learning and trauma informed practice. They are related, but if you do just discipline reform or trauma informed practice, that's not social and emotional learning. That's not enough." Copyright 2019 U.S. News & World Report


Nevada transfer Jordan Brown has committed to playing at Arizona, he announced on Friday. "I want to begin by thanking the city of Reno for filling Lawlor every night and making it a great atmosphere for my first year of college," Brown said in a post on Twitter. "The love and support you showed us was something I'll never forget... but with that being said, I would like to announce that I will be continuing my college career at the University of Arizona." pic.twitter.com/kH7paRf46F   Jordan Brown (@JIBrown21) June 7, 2019 Brown entered the transfer portal in April and took visits to St. Mary's and Arizona State in addition to considering a return to Nevada. The 6'11", 215-pound forward ultimately chose the Wildcats because of his growing relationship with coach Sean Miller, according to 247sports. "One thing I really noticed is Sean Miller's passion for the game and just the drive that he has," Brown said. "I feel like it matches mine. "We really just talked about, we have both faced adversity and having expectations of things we should accomplish," Brown added. "Just knowing that we both have things that we want to accomplish I feel like really compliments each other, having a player and a coach that have expectations they want to reach." A former five-star prospect and McDonald's All-American, Brown led Woodcreek High School (Calif.) to the state championship his junior year and averaged 26.3 points and 15.8 rebounds per game. His senior year, Brown transferred to Prolific Prep and averaged 23.5 points and 13.1 rebounds per game while earning his second McDonald's All-American honors. In his lone year at Nevada, Brown played just 10.1 minutes across 33 games this season for the Wolf Pack. He averaged 3.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists. Brown is ineligible to play this upcoming season due to NCAA rules. He'll have three years of eligibility remaining when he joins the team in 2020. Related slideshow: Best photos of NCAA Championship (Provided by imagn)


Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma expects big things from three ex-teammates who were shipped to the Pelicans in the Anthony Davis trade, relays Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN . Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram , both former No. 2 picks, were sent to New Orleans along with Josh Hart in the deal to get another star to pair with LeBron James . Kuzma thinks the freedom of a new environment should benefit all three players. "They were excited," Kuzma said. "It's a little bit less pressure. They didn't (actually) say that. But obviously being in L.A., there's more pressure. They can be themselves now. They can go to New Orleans and develop into the superstars they were supposed to be." There had been rumors for months that the Lakers were willing to part with young talent, including Kuzma, to acquire Davis. Kuzma said management told the players they weren't eager to give up so much of their young core, but everyone understands that Davis is a rare talent. There's more from the Southwest Division: Injured Spurs guard Dejounte Murray tweeted today that he has received medical clearance to continue his summer workouts. It's the latest encouraging sign for Murray as he tries to work his way back from a torn right ACL he suffered during a preseason game last October. Murray was coming off a promising 2017-18 campaign in which he earned second-team All-Defense honors while posting an 8.1/5.7/2.9 line in 81 games. He is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. As part of his trade from the Thunder to the Rockets, Russell Westbrook agreed to alter his contract, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. The changes will make his deal "more team-friendly and less front-loaded," sources tell Stein. Isaiah Hartenstein and Michael Frazier are trying to seize opportunities with the Rockets through extensive offseason workouts that are heavy on 3-point shooting, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic . Both players will come to camp next month without fully guaranteed deals. Hartenstein has a 50% guarantee on his $1,416,852 contract for this season, while Frazier has the same salary with no guarantee.


Yesterday Donald Trump retweeted this graphic from a follower: " @SeanSean252 : @WayneDupreeShow @Rockprincess818 @CheriJacobus pic.twitter.com/5GUwhhtvyN "   Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2015 Now, aside from being inaccurate (but really, that's been kind of Trump's thing this week ), it got a lot of reactions along the lines of "Trump's a racist." Trump appeared on Fox News tonight and Bill O'Reilly actually confronted him over that tweet. He said "this bothered me" and refuted him over the "totally wrong" stats in the tweet. And the exchange that ensued was, um, quite something: TRUMP : I didn't tweet, I retweeted somebody that was supposedly an expert, and it was also a radio show. O'REILLY : Why do you want to be in that zone? TRUMP : Hey, Bill, Bill, am I gonna check every statistic? I get millions and millions of people, @RealDonaldTrump, by the way. O'REILLY : You gotta, you're a presidential contender, you gotta check 'em. TRUMP : I have millions of people… You know what? Fine. But this came out of radio shows and everything else. O'REILLY : Oh, come on, radio shows?! TRUMP : All it was was a retweet. O'Reilly told Trump that putting out things like this easily gives ammo to people accusing him of racism. Watch the whole thing above, via Fox News. [ image via screengrab ]     Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac